Lesser Light: Timed Trials in Infinte Space
A little over two weeks had passed since the cave incident and quite a bit had changed. That day hadn't ended before all of Naci's stuff had been moved into the newly renovated library. Narci had been told that the library was once just a single hollowed out tree but she couldn't believe it. The tree still remained but it was connected to and served as a entrance to the rounded walls to the building that arched away from it. The entire building was rounded with a hollowed out center. Twilight becoming a Princess had necessitated the need for a proper residence befitting a noble of her stature. But, Narci had discovered just like the bureaucrats of Canterlot that Twilight was a hard headed pony.
The Canterlot elite wanted Twilight to move back to Canterlot but Twilight wouldn't abandon her Ponyville home. So they suggested that a castle be built in the town. Twilight wasn't having it. So they settled on renovating her library home. The structure now housed two full sized kitchens, five bathroom, two studies, a music room, a ballroom, a throne room, a treasury, nine spare bedrooms, a armory, and a guards barrack.
The subject of guards was another sore spot for the purple alicorn. It wasn't that she hated guards for Celestia's sake her own brother was a guard. She just didn't think it was a good use of royal funds to protect the very mare who with the help of her friends had saved Ponyville and Equestria countless times. She finally gave up after the filibuster that Blueblood put her through, agreeing to no more than three guards.
Of course she got to hoof pick them. She chose a young but highly intelligent night-pegasus from Luna's night guard named Emmett Shadowsteel as her first guard. Her second guard was chosen for, well for lack of a more rational reason his cuteness. He was a orange coated pegasus named Flash Sentry. The last guard chosen wasn't even a guard at all. She was young mare just a year Twilight's junior and was the youngest Unicorn in the history of Equestria to earn a professorship in magical studies at the tender age of fourteen. The fact that she was from Twilights parents alma mater, Clover University gave her an edge of her completion. Her name was Merlinda Lulamoon. It wasn't until Trixie came to visit her sister that Twilight made the connection between the showmare and her erudite little sister. The most annoying thing about Trixie visiting was that she never left.
"Spike!" yelled Twilight from her room. Shuttering from his sister/mother/boss Spike began his trek up the stairs. After opening the door he spotted Twilight glaring at the wicker basket in the floor.
"I give you your own room and then I find your old bed hidden underneath my own. I thought you said you wanted your own room?" she asked with a slight bit of irritation.
"I...uh... I had a nightmare so I pulled out my old bed and placed it in your room. I didn't think you would mind me sleeping in here. It's not like it was a problem before." he said wringing his clawed hands.
Twilight gazed over to her waste basket and spotted a key piece of evidence that she didn't want Spike to discover. The little balloon like object had stuck to the inside of the can like it was glued to it. Blushing she turned back to Spike,
"Look I don't mind you sleeping in my room. Just next time let me know next time, ok." she said calming down, "Oh, and Spike?"
"Uh, yes Twilight?"
"You didn't hear anything strange last night did you?" she asked just before squinting an eye and biting her lip.
"No, should I have heard something?" he asked in a curious tone.
"Nope, not a thing!" answered Twilight a bit higher toned than before.
"Oh, ok then. I guess I'll go back down and finish dusting the library." he said as he walked to the door and then down the stairs.
The armored guard who had been in the room the whole time doing is duty broke his solemn expression and let out a sigh of relief,
"You know this would be a lot easier if you would just tell him. And besides I would like to take you on a honest to goodness date one of these days."
Twilight shot him a playful grin,
"But I like it this way, Flash!"
Rolling his eyes Flash muttered mostly to himself,
"I'm just her boy toy."
Cheerilee stood with her to her class as she wrote out an algebraic equation as she finished she read it allowed so that her only vision impaired student could know what she had written,
"Ok, class I want you to solve the inequality for the letter x. The inequality is -3x + 7 is greater than or equal to 1/2x + 5." The scribbling sound of pencils filled the air as the students solved the problems, with the occasional ding of Narci's daedalus as she hit the return button. Soon little hooves filed the air. Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon were the first students to finished followed closely by Sweetie Belle, and then Featherweight. A few moments pasted and then Narci's hoof joined the growing number of students finished with the problem.
Pointing to AB Cheerilee asked what her answer was,
"The answer is 0.57, Ms. Cheerilee." beamed AB with her country twang.
"And you Silver Belle?"
"I got the same answer as AB, 0.57" she answered as she shot AB a hard look thinking, "How dare you, you little farm pony get the answer before me."
Sensing the mental challenge, AB stuck her tongue out at the silver filly which cause both of them to giggle.
"Girls!" warned Cheerilee who didn't want the rest of the class to be infected by their antics. They both gave her an apologetic look. Cheerilee kept going down the line with each answer her smile grew wider but that smile flattened out as she came to Scootaloo.
"Well miss Scootaloo what is your answer?" she asked the orange filly.
"Uh, the same as everypony else's" She sqeaked.
Cheerilee knowing that her niece hated school with a passion she walked over to examine her work. Covering up her work Scootaloo gave Cheerilee a weak smile.
"Move your hooves, Scootaloo. I want to see your work." said the teacher.
Her shoulders sunk as she moved her hooves to revel a sketch of Rainbow Dash wearing a pair of sunglass and a leather jacket, with a caption above in stylized graffiti like letters saying, "Swag it out!"
Cheerilee wanted to reprimand Scootaloo for not working out the problem like the rest of the class but the phrase had caused an impish grin to cross her face,
"You do know what Swag means, right?" asked Cheerliee.
Popping her wings out Scoots put on her coolest most awesome grin and said,
"Yeah, Swag means awesome!"
A giggle escaped Cheerilee's lips its cheery tones washing over the class,
"Here is what I want you to do, the next time you see Rainbow Dash I want you to yell, Go Girl! You got Swag!" requested Cheerilee of Scootaloo.
Smiling Scootaloo quickly replied,
"The very next time I see her I'll tell her how Swagtastic and awesome she is, which I do anyway but I be sure to use Swag."
"You do that!" said Cheerilee with a wink, "But first show me to work that inequality."
"Aww! Pony feathers," she groaned in protest as she started to write out the problem.
The rest of the day went by swiftly enough and before they knew it the last bell had rung and they were filing out of class. The sight of AB, Narci, Scoots, Silver, and Sweetie walking together had become a common occurrence. Diamond Tiara still hadn't returned to Ponyville but that seemed to be the least of their worries.
"Ever since you got your cutie mark, you hardly ever go crusading anymore," wined AB.
"Yeah, Sweetie! What's up with that?" added Scoots.
Looking to Silver and Narci for support the Unicorn realized that they weren't going to back her up,
"I do to go crusading, I just don't go along with any of your more dangerous ideas. And besides the two of you never liked any of my crusading ideas."
"That's because all of your ideas were lame," replied Scoots with a groan.
"You mean to tell me that you didn't like the time we snuck into Disco's Discount Dance Club. I remember you rocking out and dancing like it was your last night. That was my idea."
"Well...Uh... that was a fluke," spat Scoots as she remembered all the compliments she got for her awesome dancing.
"Ah think you do sometimes have some very good crusading ideas, but Ah also think they only come around about as often as a zap apple harvest. For every one pretty awesome idea you come up with a dozen or so ideas that are well quotin' Scoots, lame." added AB, "like the time you came up with the idea we could get our cutie marks in animal groomin'."
"You are never going to let me forget that are you, Bloom." replied Sweetie.
"Nope, not until bulls grow teats." said AB with a grin.
Looking at bottle of female hormones a little shutter made its way down the brawny bulls spine. He dropped the bottle on the shelf and the looked nervously from side to side,
"What the buck was that?" he muttered before he picked up it back up again and started to examine the bottle's label.
"I have any idea," interjected Silver.
Three sets of eyes fell on the silver filly,
"Out with it!" spat AB.
Letting out a nervous giggle Silver was reminded of her place in the circle of friends which was at the very bottom,
"What if we all wrote down our ideas on little slips of paper and then put in a suggestion box. That way we can never know whose idea is whose. Then when we want to do something fun we just open the box and pull out a slip then do what ever it says."
"I think it a great idea," gleefully sang Narci.
"Ah don't know, sound kind of like a lottery. And we apples don't gamble." replied AB.
"It is like a lottery, only we don't win stuff. It's like playing truth or dare with no truth. I like it!" said Scoots as she excitedly buzzed in the air.
"Ah guess its alright."
Sweetie didn't say anything, in her mind she had just lost the ability to say, no.
"Hey! Wait up!" shouted a voice from behind them. They all turned to see a little light purple unicorn with a blonde mane run their way.
"It's a fourth grader!" said Scoots as she dropped her head, "I hate fourth graders."
Sweetie raised a hoof and bumped Scoots in the shoulder hard enough to cause her to catch herself from falling,
"Hey! What was that for?"
Giving Scoots a sweet smile she replied,
"You were a fourth grader last year, so be nice."
"Uh, fine. Probably just wants my autograph anyways." added Scoots as she rummaged through her saddling bags for a pencil.
The little filly caught up to the others and then glanced at the group,
"Umm..., my name is Dinky. And Uh... my mom is Ditzy Hooves. And Uh... she forgot to include a letter with your present Ms. Narcissus," she stammered as she held out a plan white envelop.
Snatching up the envelop Narci had to remind herself to say thank you to the little messenger,
"Thanks Dinky, I really...uh appreciate it."
The filly shot them all a toothy grin,
"That will be two bits!" she said as she held out her hoof.
"What?" said the group in unison.
"Well, that's what mama always says when she delivers a special package," she replied as her voice started to crack.
Narci searched her saddle bags but couldn't find her bit bag,
"Uh, girls? Would any of you have some bits they wouldn't mind parting with." she said as she flush in embarrassment.
"Ah have some bits, but Ah don't really want to part with them,"
"Sorry but I'm not running a charity," said Scoots.
Sweetie and Silver both procured their bit bags and were fishing out the coins.
"Hold on," said Narci as she pulled out a paper bag, "I don't have any bits but I do have a blueberry muffin left over from my lunch,"
"A MUFFIN!" Squealed Dinky as she swiped the bag from Narci's outstretched hoof. She pulled out the muffin and immediately started to devour it, as crumbs began to powder her face.
"I think mama is right," she said with a mouthful of muffin, "They should start paying ponies in muffins," she trailed off as she walked away.
"That blank flank is weird," blurted Silver.
"Ah hate to say it but Ah have to agree with you, Silver." admitted AB.
"What about that autograph," wined Scoots.
"Did you say Autograph?" said Rainbow Dash as she landed between AB and Scoots.
A loud squeal filled the air as both Narci and Scoots went full out fan girl for the Rainbow manned mare. It was so loud and annoying that three fillies and one mare were covering their ears to try to block out the sound.
"Alright, Alright kids. I'm glad to know you are such big fans but could you turn the volume down," yelled RD over the two sirens. They halted their fit and then stared at the racer in awe.
" I thought you two wanted autographs?" asked RD.
Scootaloo pulled out a picture of her idol and held it out along with a permanent marker.
"You know if you weren't a filly I think I might me just a little bit weirded out because this isn't a picture that I posed for" said the pegasus as she examined the picture.
"It isn't!" replied Scootaloo, "I go on mock dates with Featherweight for his services as a photographer."
"Wait, what?" said RD who was at a loss for words. The other fillies also wore similar confused and in Sweetie's case amused expressions.
"You and Featherweight. That is so cute." cooed Sweetie.
Blushing Scootaloo tried to hide behind RD but every time she managed to get behind her, RD would fly up and land behind Scoots like a backwards game of leap frog.
"Ah don't care who your special somepony is Ah just want to know where you find the time?" asked AB
"Scoots and Feather, sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. uh ... I. N. T." sang RD.
"Its...not like that," shrilled Scootaloo, "I just hang out with him sometimes and he gives me pictures of you as a presents because he know I like you so much."
"You could do worse Scootaloo," said Silver, "You could be dating Snails."
There was a combined gaging noise from all of the fillies.
"That would be worse," said Narci after trying to pound the imaged out of her noggin with a hoof.
"Well I'd love to stay and chat but I gotta get back to my training routine," said RD as she took off.
"More like going to take a nap," thought AB.
Remembering what she had promised Cheerilee Scootaloo chased after RD yelling,
"You Go Girl! You got Swag!"
Falling like a rock RD made a crash landing into a holly bush. Scootaloo let out a gasp as she ran to the crash site. The other fillies followed suit.
"Dash are you ok?" asked Scootaloo as she stuck her head into the bush.
She was met by Dash's magneta eyes,
"Scoots you are my number one fan, but if you ever say swag again I'll lie and tell Snails you have a huge crush on him."
Scoots sat down with a hurt look in her eyes,
"I just wanted you to know that I thought you were awesome."
"Well if you want to call me awesome, which I totally am, say I'm awesome. But never say swag."
"Why? I thought Swag was cool?" asked Scoots.
"Well having swag is cool but my door don't swing that way?" replied RD in a hushed tone.
"Don't swing that way?", she said with a furled brow, "I don't get it."
"Oo, Oo, Oo, I do" said Sweetie, as she raised her like a kid in classroom.
Ignoring Sweetie RD closed in on Scoots ear and whispered,
"S.W.A.G. means secretly we are gay. And when you say you have swag what you are saying is that you like ponies that are the same gender as you."
"I still don't get it."
"Uh, ok! Do you know Flitter?" she asked losing her patience.
"You mean the purple coated pegasus with the cyan mane?"
"Yes, her."
"What about her?"
"Have you seen her around other mares."
Her mind flashed back to one of Pinkies parties. The kind that foals weren't allowed to attend. The CMC were stationed outside. They had figured they might get their cutie marks by being party crashers. Well long story short they couldn't get in. After a while Scootaloo had the urge to pee really bad so she snuck behind Sugarcube Corner to relieve herself when she spotted Fillter and Berryshine smooching and running their hooves over each other in strange ways. That was all she wanted to remember as she came back to the present age.
"Ugh, you mean swag means that?" she said in disgust.
"Yep!" clicked RD, "It ok you know to be that way. But that isn't me. So don't say someponies got swag unless you know for sure, they got swag!"
"Oh, ok."
And with that RD took off again waving back at the fillies.
"So are you going to read the letter now or later," ask Silver.
"I think I'll read it later," answered Narci.
Lesser Light: Timed Trials in Infinte Space
Opening the door of the library Narci was greeted by Spike,
"Hey Narci, how was school today?"
Giving him a warm smile she walked over to the table Spike was sitting at with a tome stretched out before him. The room was thick with the acidic smell of paper it burned her nose but, it was a good smell or at least she thought so.
"School was great! Did you know that Scootaloo has a special somepony?" she answered as she started placed a few of her books on the table and started to work on her homework.
"Yeah, what!' he said as he tried to come to terms with the absurdity of the statement,"Scootaloo? As in races at breakneck speeds on a scooter, gags at anything mushy, doesn't realize anypony exists when Rainbow Dash is around, Scootaloo?"
"Yep, apparently she and Featherweight have been hanging out."
Closing his book he shook his head,
"Hanging out and going out are two different things."
"I don't think they were just hanging out. When she realized she had blurted it out she blushed the deepest shade of red I have ever seen. And she kept trying to hide it." she said in a matter of fact tone.
"What? Her blush," he said in a board tone.
"Yes, she kept trying to hide her blush from us and she also had been keeping their hangout sessions a secret. Oh, and he always gives her a picture that he shot of RD after every meeting,"
"Maybe they ar-" Spike said just as Trixie strolled into the actual library part of the estate with a fierce scrawl on her face and a book held aloft in her magic,
"This book irritates the Great and Powerful Trixie." Looking around she found where the book belonged and then started to search the shelf for something more interesting. Wanting to get a better look she stood up on her hind legs and then pressed her hooves against a higher shelf. The extension pulled the fluffy bathrobe she was wearing up revealing her derriere.
Leaning in his seat Spike gazed at the mares compromised position. Besides her bathrobe she also had her hair in curlers. He didn't like to admit it but Trixie was a very attractive mare. Almost a beautiful as Rarity, almost. A bit of drool started to slide down the edge of his mouth. Narci was too busy doing her home to watch Spike lust after their roommate. His daydreaming came to a swift end as a book came crashing down on his head with a loud,
"Whop!"
The blow knocked him silly and had caused him to bite his tongue, he swiftly turned to face his attacker. The mare stood there with the stupidest little grin on her face. The mare looked eerily like her sister Trixie but she was daintier, had a lime green mane, and bore twin pools of lava for eyes.
"Ow! Why did you do that?" he groaned.
"I don't like how you were ogling my sister," she said in snappy tone.
"I wasn't ogling," he muttered.
"Yes you were," said Narci with out looking up from her work.
"Gah! I can't win for losing! I hate mares!" he yelled out in expiration as he threw his hands in the air leaving the table. Defeated and ashamed he walked down the hall that Trixie had recently walked down back towards his room.
A fit giggles exploded and two mares and one filly were all holding their sides from Spike's out burst. Merlina sat down across from Narci and then slid a small bag of bits her way. Narci reached out with a wing tip and gave it a shake,
"Feels like twenty bits."
Bringing her hooves together Merlina eyed Narci suspiciously,
"Do you really think that I would cheat you?"
"No," curtly responded the bat filly.
"I would," said Trixie as she approached the table.
"We know you would," jeered Merlina.
Plopping down beside Narci she looked over the fillies books,
"So you won your little bet with my sister, now pay up." Said Trixie as she held out a hoof.
Pouring the bags contents on the table she counted out half and slid them towards Trixie. Trixie's eyes briefly glowed with a greedy spark.
"Wait, a moment? What are you paying Trixie for?"
Looking up from her book she gave Merlina a sheepish smile,
"You bet against me and my idea that Spike had a crush on your sister. Which you would have known to be true if you were around him when he was around her, he puts out pheromones like a chimney puts out smoke. But, I had to have insurance. So, I told Trixie that if she would wear something fetching and it caused him to get all drooly that I would give her half of my winnings."
"So you rigged the game?"
"She didn't rig the game, Merly! The only way she could have rigged the game is if she gave him a love potion or something. Which she didn't do so, ha. Narci wins and so does Trixie." said Trixie followed by her blowing a raspberry.
"Still getting my sister involved and getting her to dress in such a revealing way was underhooved."
"I agree," came a voice as its owner descended down the stairs.
Twilight looked over the trio and scoffed as her eyes fell on Trixie,
"Trixie why are you still here?"
Smirking Trixie batted her eyelashes at the princess,
"You said as long as Trixie was here visiting her sister Trixie could make herself at home and that is just what Trixie is doing!"
Trixie's use of the third person voice irritated Twilight to no end. After their first meeting Trixie's trailer had been smashed and when she returned possessed by the alicorn amulet she ruined her reputation by enslaving an entire town. The only time she had dropped her act was when she was thoroughly humiliated. Seeing as the Ursa incident wasn't really her fault and seeing that her anger had drove her to purchase the alicorn amulet to begin with Twilight felt responsible for Trixie's fall from grace. And when the showmare showed up to visit the only family she had, Twilight couldn't say no. That had been over a month ago.
"I did say that," said Twilight rhetorically as she hooves hit the ground floor. Following close behind her was Flash Sentry. The guard pony could be very sweet and was often funny but that was something he wasn't as long as he was in armor.
"So, Narci did you learn anything interesting today," asked Twilight.
"Yep, I learned that Scootaloo has a coltfriend!" said Narci like it was the most important thing ever spoken.
After talking to her roommates and her personal tutor Narci made her way to her room. Knowing that Narci sometimes had trouble sleeping Twilight gave the room her across from Merlina's, like Twilight the mare was usually up late and so would make an ideal pony for Narci to visit. Next to her room was Trixie's room. Trixie was just the opposite of her sister. She was generally in bed by ten. The best thing about Narci's room was that it was painted her favorite colors royal purple and silver gray. It had everything she needed and nothing more. It even had a window that was magically enchanted so the sun's rays were no more harsh than moonlight.
Pulling out the letter that Dinky had given her Narci readied her newest toy, a rune pen. It was given to her by Twilight and in her opinion was the best invention ever. It was shaped like a bulky automatic pin with a flat tip. If you ran it across a line in a book the words were projected letter by letter into her minds eye just like she was reading a glyph book. It opened up so many possibilities and using it she had devoured tome after tome of the libraries collection.
Opening the letter she was surprised to find it was written in bridlelle. Running a hoof across the page she began to read.
Dear Narcissus Floret,
We haven't really met yet so let me introduce myself first. My name is Ditzy Hooves and I'm the local mailmare. I hope you get a chance to get to know my daughter, Dinky Hooves. She is quirky like me but, I love my little muffin. When I heard that a bat pony was coming to Ponyville, I was really excited because I had never met one. Even when Princess Luna came for Nightmare Night with her two Lunar Guards I really didn't get to meet them. So I hope I can meet you soon. I was equally as surprised to hear that you had a visual handicap. I also have a visual handicap. I have a serous form of what eye doctors call Strabismus, or what other ponies call lazy eye.
When I was little I had it in both of my eyes and I could barely read. So, my parents got me a tutor to teach me how to read bridlelle. I hated reading before I learned how to read this bump writing but it helped me to really enjoy reading. What was harder than that was how other foals treated me. There were times that I cried myself to sleep because of what some insensitive foal had said too me. And I had a hard time making friends. Just when I was ready to just give up I found somepony who would accept me for who I was and not how I looked.
Her name was Block Print. I think you may know the name, she's the mare that later wrote the Daring Do books. As time went on I met two more foals who liked me for me and their names were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. By that time Block Print had left to study in a boarding school in Fillydelphia. By having friends I learned that the ponies that treated me badly weren't even worth being friends with but, I never really hated them. And today I treat them how I wanted to be treated.
If you have any trouble at all I want you to find my daughter and get her lead you here to my house. I'll have some fresh muffins waiting.
Sincerely,
Ditzy Hooves
P.S. I really hope you like the locket. It is very special. Don't worry about breaking it because you can't unless you can bend time space.
P.S.S. My name is Dr. Time Turner Hooves, please disregard the second and third sentences of the postscript above.
P.S.S.S Don't listen to him!
P.S.S.S.S They are both daft, please burn this letter after you read it.
The letter was touching but also weird. She wanted to meet this mare if for nothing else to thank her for the gift and to figure out what the hay all the postscripts were about.
Morning came all to early. After a warm bath Narci made her way down to the kitchen. The smell of eggs and haybacon filled the air and she could faintly hear muffled conversation.
"Your going to burn the eggs!" said a low rumbling voice. It was a voice that haunted her dreams, a voice so deep that it was more felt it than heard.
"I am not! I've been cooking breakfast since before I could even spell breakfast," replied Spike.
"I don't care what the two of you do but if somepony does get me some coffee soon, I'm going to turn you into matching tea cozy's," growled Trixie.
The clatter of dishes rung in her ears as she entered the kitchen. Spike stood over the stove perched on a chair so that he could reach all the knobs. With one hand on a skillet he shook it to keep the haybacon from sticking. Lumbering over was a tall thin stallion wearing coat of a ten thousand interlocking ebony black steel rings. On each of his shoulders were equally dark curved sheets of plate. His shift hadn't officially ended yet but he was relieved earlier by Flash Sentry. So he had gravitated toward the welcome smells of the kitchen. He drew uncomfortably close to Spike and Spike let him know it,
"Back off man! Hassling me isn't going to make it cook any faster."
The stallion backed up a few inches but kept his breakfast vigil. He was always like this in the morning. Narci sat down at the table and gaze longingly at the armored guard.
"You are as bad as Spike," said Trixie between sips of her coffee.
Shooting her a hard look with a blush surfacing the on her sea of gray Narci did her best to convince that if looks could kill Trixie would now be killed over dead in the floor.
"I am not!" she whimpered
The rustling of chain cause Narci to look back at the boys by the stove. She watched the stallion struggle with his chain mail so she rushed over to help him. With a few tugs he was free and her spread out his leathery wings to their fullest. He was beautiful. Thick corded muscles flowed underneath his dark blue coat and his jet black mane stood out wildly after a night wearing his helm. Twilight had tried to explain to Narci that her infatuation with him was due to the recent traumatic experience she had experienced. And he was the first pony she had saw after being in the cave for so long. Narci didn't believe that for a second, in her heart she was convinced that he was her soul mate.
"Thanks, kid!" he said as her ruffled her mane. She melted like putty underneath his touch. She walked back to the table and sat down. Her face was glowing and she looked like a foal getting presents on hearth's warming eve. Lost in thought she didn't even register that Spike had made her a plate.
"Eat up, Kid" rumbled the voice before he took a bite of his own meal. She looked over at him with a silly smile.
"Ok, Mr. Shadowsteel."
His fork hung awkwardly in the air as he shot her cheeky grin,
"Mr. Shadowsteel is my dads name. How many times do I have to tell you to call me, Emmett"
"This is the last time, I swear."
After breakfast Narci headed out into the streets of Ponyville. It was still early and few ponies had even left their homes. From the town square came the scraping and thumping sounds of ponies setting up their stands. Occasionally a voice could be heard, mostly a profanity or two coming from a pony who had stomped their hoof or some other method of general clumsiness. "Apple Bloom will be tied up until noon today with Applejack and the apple stall." she thought.
"Good Morning, Narci!" yelled a voice as it rolled towards her. Turning she spotted Featherweight on his blue and yellow bicycle. He looked funny sitting on the slender seat. The basket hanging from the front of the bike had a big blue bag sitting in it full of newspapers. The cream coated colt rolled to as stop flashing a friendly smile.
"What are you doing on that thing," said Narci as she pointed to the bike.
"What you don't like my bike," he replied sound almost hurt at the comment.
"No, is cool. But don't you usually fly your route?" she asked.
"Yeah, I usually do but Scootaloo bet me two bits that I couldn't deliver half as many papers as she could on her scooter if I didn't fly my routes. I don't understand what got in to her this morning she usually nice to me."
"I'm sure its nothing," she lied.
"Well, I better get back to work. If I loose to a filly I'll never here the end of it," he said before he realized he was talking to a filly, "Uh, no offense."
"None taken," said Narci nonchalantly.
Pedaling away he turned around a waved bye.
Narci strolled around trying to think of something to do,
"AB is helping her sister. Scoots is delivering papers. Sweets has got her singing lessons this morning. And Silver's gone for the weekend to Canterlot with her parents. I won't have anypony to hang out with until noon. What am I going to do until then," she thought. "I know I can go see the mare that wrote me that letter, no wait. She's a mailmare so she's working today, ugh, I really have nothing to do." Looking up she realized that she was passing a small shop that looked like one of those old antique stores back home. Having nothing better to do she walked in.
The store smelled old. It brought to mind images of her grandparents and the scent of mothballs. The sales counter gleamed as it reflected the interior lights of the room across its polished surface. The rooms walls were covered with shelves and each shelf had numerous items like old perfume bottles, antique china, and other bits and bobs. The center of the room held a select number of cabinets, tea trollies, and old furniture. She had seen enough this wasn't a place she wanted to explore. It was way too boring.
"Are you going to buy anything, miss?" asked nasal voice. Looking around she couldn't see or detect anypony. The clop of hooves followed and a head rose from somewhere behind the counter. The brown coated stallion blinked a couple of times as he looked down at the little bat filly. A smile stretched across his face,
"I know you!" he said in cheery voice.
"Forgive me, but I don't know you and I think I'll be going now," said Narci as she trotted towards the door.
"You're that bat filly that Ditzy wanted to meet." he said excitedly, "Your name is Narcissus isn't it."
Narci stopped dead in her tracks and turned to admire the stallion who somehow knew both her name and that Ditzy wanted to meet her,
"Ditzy did write me a letter saying that she wanted to meet me. She also have me this locket, only I didn't know it was a locket until it-"
"Opened all of its own" finished the stallion.
"How... How did you know that?" gasped Narci as she held out the egg shaped locket.
"How indeed!" he joked holding out a pocket watch shaped locket of his own.
