“What are we doing here? You know if we get caught Ms.Helga will ground us for a week!” The little colt earth pony held onto Scootaloo’s tail, trying to keep the energetic filly from entering the basement door. The peach and magenta pegasus tried her best to continue forward, but was defeated by the fact Pipsqueek, though a whole year younger than Scootaloo, he seemed to hold a stronger ground, forcing her to fall on her rump with a pout. Sitting for the few seconds she could contain her curious spirit, Scootaloo turned to Pipsqueek, “Come on! Don’t you want to see what she hides down here?” A sly grin crept on the little pegasus’s face, as her tiny wings fluttered in excitement, “I bet it’s where she keeps all the compensated toys.”
Pipsqueek frowned, “It’s compenstated. . . .” The colt stopped for a moment, also neutralizing the spitfire of energy next to him, known as Scootaloo. They could not think of how to even say the word she was really looking for. After the short awkward silence that befell them, Scootaloo ended up abandoned searching for the right word and tried her hooves at the door.
Scootaloo huffed, and puffed and even bucked at the thick wood a few times, and to no prevail. The door was shut, locked tight, not meant for the eyes of the two. Pipsqueek, taking this as an excuse to give up, stated. “Oh, well I guess since we aint’ gonna’ unlock it, we best just go.” Pipsqueek again went to bite for Scootaloo’s tail, to drag her out whether she wanted to go or not, but his teeth just clanked together. Scootaloo had moved, and was trying to her best to pull on the handle. The pegasus’s hind hooves pushing against the hardwood, as her other hooves had a hooked gripped around the handle, trying to, what seemed like, pry the handle off the door.
“What are you doing?” Said Pipsqueek, as he too pulled on Scootaloo’’s tail, but not to help rather get her off of the handle. Indirectly it was helping as the wood began to crack around the rusty, ol’ door handle. The door handle, after a long battle, popped out of the door, breaking the lock that kept the wood from moving to the side. The door opened gently with no shackle to hold it back any longer.
“Scootaloo! Are you crazy!?” Pipsqueek screamed silently, trying his best to hold in his fear of getting in trouble, and waking the headmistress of their orphanage. The peach colored furball of joy didn’t seem to care as she walked inside of the basement room, that was once a place of exile to her. Somewhere she couldn’t go. But it was open now! A free place to roam to her liking. Though Pipsqueek did not feel the same way, he followed closely behind her in fear that he would be pointed out as alone.
The room was empty, besides large piles of books, stacked in the corner. A few straggler tales sitting opened on the floor as if some rodent had knocked over a small pile at one point. The place looked to the two young ponies as an ancient wizard study. The old candles, burned out from never being put out, left pools of thickened was laying near where they walked. It was dark, but a small beam of light was enough to see the books and decorations of cobwebs and old hardened candle wax.
Pipsqueek sighed in relief. Good, it’s just books. there is nothing in here interesting enough to catch Scootaloo’s attention. Now we can just leave an- Wait, where is Scootaloo.
“WHOAH!” The astonished sound, that holding great interest and curiosity, was like a bitter food in Pipsqueeks mouth. “The one time you want to read.” He muttered under his breath as he looked around for creepy crawlies, or the equally as terrifying Ms.Helga.
“Pip! Check this out man! It’s like a wizard book!” Scootaloo said, dragging a giant book, almost the size of her, behind her using the leather strap it came with.
“Scootaloo! that’s not yours! Put it back! Come on, before ms.Helga knows we were down here.” Pipsqueek was no longer ready to play her games, as the colt turned to leave with or without her, until she said something that hit him like daggers in the back.
“Why don’t ya’ wanna’ read this book with me? Scared?” Pipsqueek turned to the statement, which confirmed Scootaloo could make him do whatever she wanted, just by saying the ancient incantation, “Scaredy cat! Scaredy cat!”, repeating it almost ritualistically, pointing at him so he could not even escape the childish binding by covering his ears.
“Fine! We’ll read a little, but we are out of here as soon as we do.” Scootaloo smiled to his admittance of defeat, and decided to spare him the spoils of insults for now. Pipsqueek and Scootaloo sat together, and the peach pegasus was the first to open the book.
“Hey what’s this?” The entire book was blank. She turned past the pages as fast as she could, to see nothing but white paper. “This blows, it’s got nothing it.” Scootaloo said, as she pouted, and turned away from her prize. Pipsqueek held the book in his hooves and looked for an explanation. He turned back to the first page, and was surprised to see what was unfolding.
The page seemed to be writing a story write before their eyes. The little ponies looked in awe as they saw the magic unfold in front of them, the room lighting up due to a blue hue almost exploding from the book’s core. They need not hold it anymore as the large book hovered in front of them, displaying the words to their tale. They read in almost perfect unison these four words under their breaths.
“Once upon a time”