Inside of Twilight Sparkle’s library basement, a puddle of water on the dirt floor rippled as tiny droplets landed into it, falling from a leaky metal pipe above. A dank, musty smell hung in the air. All around were boxes full of laboratory equipment, beakers, and test tubes, and bookshelves full of dusty old books. Cobwebs hung all around the stairs and walls.
The basement was dim, but not entirely dark; four window wells fifteen feet up from the floor were carved into the trunk of the tree which stood above the hollowed out, dirt basement. Roots from the tree poked through the ceiling.
Ponies didn’t often go to the basement beneath the library, and Twilight only used it for storage. The last time that she had been in it was to get her Hearth's Warming Eve decorations. Needless to say, ponies hardly ever came down here.
Which made it the perfect place for a clandestine gathering.
A tiny white bunny rabbit climbed out through a hole in the dirt floor. He dusted himself off with his little paws and took out a small pocket watch, checking it. Angel breathed a sigh of relief; he was early.
A window opened up as a tortoise craned the glass open with his neck. He took off into the air as his magical propeller carried him down to the floor. Tank walked over to Angel, and they greeted each other.
Through the open window, a fluffy Persian cat peered her head in. She drew it back for a moment, sniffing and recoiling at the dust. Rarity would be so upset if she got her well-groomed, fluffy coat dirty in such a place! Angel Bunny looked up and saw her, and he tapped his paw on the ground impatiently. Tank craned his neck longingly.
Finally, Opalescence obliged and jumped down from the window well onto the ground below. She landed on her feet, her agile cat reflexes helping her shrug off even the fifteen foot drop from the well to the floor.
She walked over to Tank, tail held high as she greeted him with a single meow. She rubbed her head and whiskers up against his clean, soft shell. Tank smiled at his feline friend.
A few moments later, the door to the basement creaked open as a border collie jumped up, grabbed the handle, and pulled down, pushing the door open. She walked in and closed the door behind her, nudging it shut with her body. She was a very well-trained dog, and opening doors was just one of many tricks she knew. Winona bounded down the steps, her tongue hanging out as she panted. She ran over to the three other animals, licking them in greeting. She held her tongue and suppressed a bark, careful not to alert Twilight. Sneaking into the library itself had been hard enough.
The old leaky metal pipe creaked and strained overhead. The four pets looked up and saw one of the valves burst. Thankfully, there was no water in the pipe. The only thing to fall out was a small, toothless alligator. He fell onto the floor and smiled his toothless grin. He jumped onto Winona and bit her on the tail. She turned around and around, attempting to get him off. The other animals smiled.
Angel, however, tapped his paw on the ground. The others stopped and looked towards him as he held his arms up to the sky. He flapped them, imitating a pair of wings.
Opal raised her paw and pointed behind Angel. He turned around and saw a barn owl behind him, perched on a pedestal. Owlowiscious had been there the whole time. He gave a single hoot of acknowledgement to the other five animals.
Angel smiled, motioning for Owlowiscious to come down. The owl obliged, flapping down and swooping. His wings made no sound as he swooped down and grabbed Angel Bunny in his talons. However, this was not predation; Angel squealed gleefully as Owlowiscious flew around the basement, swooping in between rafters and pipes. He dive bombed the floor only to pull up at the last second, giving the little rabbit the thrill of his life. This continued for a few minutes, and the owl returned to the ground.
The animals chattered among each other, catching up on their lives, and careful not to make too much noise. Presently, Gummy’s stomach rumbled. The other pets looked at Gummy as he eyed Angel, mouth watering. Gummy leaped forward, opening his mouth wide as he bit down on Angel’s ear. However, this did nothing more than cause the bunny a slight irritation. Angel rolled his eyes as the alligator slobbered all over his ear.
Tank grinned as he withdrew his head into his shell. The pets gazed at him quizzically as his head returned, and he removed four Celestia chocolate bars from his shell, along with pudding for Gummy and a dog treat for Winona.
He set them down, and each of the six pets grabbed them.
They played charades and continued to keep the noise level down. However, upon hearing a hilarious joke from Gummy, Winona accidentally let out a few barks. Opal rushed to place a paw over the dog’s mouth, but it was too late.
The animals all looked up as they heard the sound of hoofsteps. They all froze in place as the door to the basement creaked open. They gazed up as the darkness of the dim basement was illuminated by a crack of light from above.
A purple unicorn stuck her head inside the door and gazed down the stairwell. Her eyes widened as she saw the six pets in her basement, and all of the food wrappers strewn about the floor.
She stared at them blankly for a few more seconds, and then a smile crept across her face. She giggled as she stepped back, closing the door once more and leaving the basement community to its devices.
Author's Note
The title of this story is taken from a beautiful acoustic song by The Flashbulb, called The Basement Community. Just as this story has no dialogue, the song "The Basement Community" has no lyrics, and is all instrumental.
