Chapter 4: Explanations.

This was different.. It was like she was dreaming, but it felt different.. real. With one glaringly blatant exception, being the surrounding solid blue landscape.

"Where am I?" Trixie muttered.

'You are being hauled back to the library by Twilight and her young dragon companion.'

She scanned her eyes over the bare blue environment. "Doesn't look like it.."

'Let me clarify; Your physical body is being returned to the library. Your mind however is already here, with me.'

"You are an insistent one, aren't you." If she were using her voice, it would have been filled with contempt, it was blatantly obvious she was a mite upset about her predicament.

'I thought we could use this time to talk.'

"With a book?"

'I am much more than that.'

"I gathered."

'Stop talking, just listen.'

"Am I upsetting you?" She chuckled. There were no plans in her mind to make things easy for the book.

'You harbor feelings of resentment towards your partner, but these feelings are no fault of hers.'

This caught her attention, seems the book had no intention on making things easy for her either. "You don't know me, don't pretend you do."

'Your talents with the lower path of magic are.. Well, lets be fair, you have little to no talent at all.'

"Shut it." She spat.

'And you know very well no matter how hard you try, no matter how many hours you poured into those books, into practice, you will never improve.'

"..."

'But you don't know why. Do you?'

"..No.. And it is exactly as you say, I have no special talents with magic. So why would a spell book want me?"

'I know why you can't improve. And I know I can help you.'

"..." To hell with it, what did she have to lose? "...Prove it."

'We have an agreement then?'

"Put her on the bean bag in the corner, Spike."

Twilight and Spike had managed to not only find Trixie, but safely and discreetly escort her unconscious form back to the library.

"Why did we bring her back here again? She obviously doesn't want to be here, why keep her?" Spike callously rolled Trixie off of the small red cart she had been riding in, onto a beanbag that rested near a set of bookshelves.

"Because I.. The book told me we need her." She explained, taking a seat by the table.

"The book told you.. Do.. Do other things talk to you too Twilight?" Spike raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not crazy, it's a magical book, okay?"

Spike toddled over to Twilight, and gave the book a once over. "Doesn't seem that special to me."

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful! Look at it," She brushed a hoof lightly over the cover. "It took me a while to notice that the cover is made out of wood. The carvings are immaculate. And look, " She held the book closer to Spike's face "the two unicorns on the cover, they almost look like Trixie and myself."

He scanned over it and shrugged. "Seems like any other normal dusty old book to me."

Taken aback, Twilight found Spike's response puzzling. "You can't be serious.."

He shrugged "Sorry, guess I just don't like books as much as you do."

'This is to be expected.'

For a moment Twilight had completely forgotten about the voice. She spun on the spot in surprise, looking for the source, and then nearly face-hoofed when she realized what is was.

"Why is that?" She asked, thinking it best to keep the conversation personal. Spike was confused enough about current events as it was without being subjected to her talking to herself on a regular basis.

'It wouldn't bode well if another creature found me alluring, and decided he or she wished to have me for him or herself. To you and Trixie, I appear far more impressive than I do to anyone else. It is a defense mechanism of sorts.'

"Ah, I understand." She answered. Though she hadn't yet had a chance to truly study the book yet, it was abundantly clear it was no normal book.

'I am about to allow Trixie's mind to return to her body.'

"I- What?"

'I have convinced her not to run off again.'

"You took her mind from her body?"

'All we have to do is prove to her she will be able to learn what I have to teach.'

"You aren't answering my question.."

'I feel no need to answer your question. Contact me when you and Trixie are ready to begin your first lesson.'

"Wait, what did you mean by... You're gone aren't you?" She was met with silence. "I Thought so."

As if the concept of a sentient book wasn't alien enough, now she had suspicions this book was keeping secrets. "A book isn't supposed to keep secrets, it is supposed to reveal them.." She mumbled to no one in particular.

A minute had only barely passed when Trixie regained consciousness. Much to Twilight's surprise, or perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising at all, she wasn't at all shocked at the fact that she was lying in a beanbag in Twilight's home. Nor was she at all concerned as to why. One would think she had just been resting.

"If we could just get this out of the way as soon as possible, that would be great. I have places to be." Trixie told her as she took a seat in front of the book.

"The book said we could call on it when we were ready to get started." Twilight flipped the book open. "Not sure what it means, but it can't be that hard to figure out." She read through the pages "Must be in here somewhere.."

Trixie, impatient and still a great deal peeved, stepped forward, tapped her hoof on the book and ordered it to 'Wake up'. "You wanted to know when we were ready, well we're ready."

'Brilliant. If you would look to the very back page, there you will find the first topic of discussion.'

"Discussion?" Trixie asked. "You told me you would be teaching me, not talking to me! You've talked quite enough."

'I realize you carry it in short supply, but patience would be nice. Before we begin lessons, there are matters that must be addressed first.'

"Did you just insult me?"

'I am merely the voice of an age old tome filled with some of the most powerful knowledge and experience known to pony kind. What would I gain from such an act?'

"..You're still making fun of me, aren't you?" Trixie had to restrain herself from tossing the book into a fireplace.

'I have no plans on making this easy for you' Though the voice lacked any audible signs of emotion, it was easy to tell the book was quite amused with itself. 'Now if you would be so kind as to turn to the last page.'

After waiting a few long seconds, Twilight realized she was going to have to be the one that handled any orders the book gave. She turned to the last page, which had on it, a list of names.

Starswirl

Lord Riddle – Lady Morgana

Benighted – Magenta Shine

Solius – Chimera

Rapacity – Amaranthine

Twilight Sparkle –Trixie

((AN: Fanfiction has no strikeout font support, so for the sake of the story, the names that are not in bold text are the ones referred to as being lined out))

'There are ten copies in total. Each is inherently the exact same book as myself, with the fundamental differences mirroring the souls of the users. Only four copies have been found, the rest still lie in wait.'

"Starswirl? Starswirl the beard! He owned a copy?" Twilight half shouted in excitement. "He learned from one of these books!"

'Not precisely.'

Twilight scrunched her eyebrows "Then.. These aren't previous owners?"

'They are. But Starswirl is a.. Special case. I am afraid that is all I can tell you in regards to that matter.'

"I see.. And the ones that are lined out?"

'They have passed on.'

"Oh.. But.. Why isn't Starswir-"

'As I have already said, he is a special case, and that is all I know of the matter.'

"All you know?"

'I only know what I am designed to know. Nothing more.'

"I don't understand.."

'I learn only what I am designed to learn. I teach only what I am designed to teach. Everything else I either adapt or simulate. Like, for example, the language I am currently using to communicate, or the personality I have chosen. Both are based on information gathered from yours and Trixie's mind.'

"So you have been given artificial life and intelligence? Any semblance of actual life, or personality is all some form of simulation?"

'Correct. Of course that much should be obvious, I have no blood pumping through my veins. Or veins for that matter. My 'life' could only be the product of magic.'

Slowly, Twilight nodded her head. And then she furrowed her brow and shook it. "But that's not possible. Magic can't give life. At the very most, it can save it, or prolong it. At least, not any kind of magic I know."

'You are both right and wrong, Twilight. No form of magic YOU know can give life to the lifeless.'

"You're saying you know of magic that could say, give life to a rock? Or even raise the dead?"

'You could not give life to a rock, at least not the kind of life you have. But there are such ways to raise the dead, mind you, that is not a very pleasant thing to do. Not that I believe you would ever do such a thing.'

"But something gave life to you. Why couldn't the same be done for a rock?"

'You said it in your own words, Twilight. How could you have already forgotten? My life is artificial.'

"But-"

Trixie twitched an eye "Enough! I can see this going in circles already! The names, the ones that have lines though them are dead. Other than Starswirl who is a special case, but you don't know any more than that. You aren't really alive, and I'm getting annoyed with all of this. Can we move on?"

'Quite right. As you can see, your names have been added to the list. And will appear in every other book, which means that not only will you have knowledge of the others, but they will have knowledge of you.'

"Why?" Twilight and Trixie asked in unison. Trixie glared at Twilight and returned her gaze to the book.

'I am I have no clue.'

"Great.." Trixie frowned. "Do me a favor and stick to talking about what you actually know."

'We can move on.'

"Fantastic. What now?"

'Levitation.'

"What!" Trixie grit her teeth. "We already KNOW how to levitate things, it is one of, if not the VERY FIRST thing we learn!" She spat.

'Then you must forget. For to learn what I have to teach, we must start at the very beginning. Trust me, you will understand very quickly why this is how it has to be done.'

"Fine."

'Thank you. Twilight, for this test we will need something large and heavy. Tell me, what is the maximum amount of weight you have ever lifted with your magic at one time?'

Twilight's eyes swiveled up, indicating she was thinking. "Quite a bit, I was able to carry an Ursa Minor back to its den. It took a great deal of concentration and I was a little tired afterward... And it just now occurred to me I could have made that a whole lot easier for myself if I had just cast a featherweight enchantment."

'How much do you think you could lift while suffering a great deal of distraction?'

"I don't know.. Um, Half that, maybe? Possibly.."

'Let us find out then. Find something heavy enough to warrant your undivided attention while lifting. Trixie, meanwhile, will attempt to distract you while you do so.'

Trixie, whom had spent a great deal of the conversation glaring at either the book, Twilight or the floor. finally let slip the makings of a smile. "I'm so going to be throwing books at her face."

Twilight, on the other hand was looking slightly upset. "I don't think I have anything heavy enough laying around."

'Then we must go find something. It is a lovely day outside, I am sure.'

Trixie then frowned for a moment, but her smile returned quickly "Rocks will have to do then."

End of chapter 4. Not quite two thousand words (1957 to be exact, not including all this.), but I felt this chapter needed to end here, after all of that talking. That and I wanted to keep to my deadline, which meant rushing it once again. I'll not be doing that anymore, I'll make sure to start the next chapter as soon as possible, rather that letting it wait until closer to the deadline.. Again..

Edit: I've fixed some false information regarding how much I believed a unicorn could lift with his or her magic (Which now that I am fully rested, seems so painfully obvious I should slap myself. Thanks again for the anonymous reader on fimfiction that pointed it out. That could have been a bloody irritating fallacy to be partially basing the next chapter on.

On the plus side, it helped push the chapter length past two thousand words!