I
Quick steps echoed through an empty school corridor.
The girl was in hurry. Her friends called her to the school library just after she finished her last period, yet they didn’t tell why.
At this hour the school was dead silent, and all she could hear wandering was the sounds of her muffled steps.
It didn’t take long before she reached the library doors and took a look at the empty corridor for the last time before she went through them.
She entered a vast hall; book shelves were as high as the ceiling, and the room was made originally as a sport hall. That view had startled her the first time she had came there, but that was years ago and she had gotten used to it. After so many hours spent here, the scenery was too familiar for her to make an impression like that.
The girl walked into a circle of light that greeted every visitor. Her hairs were long and reminded a fire with all the yellow and red streaks. Her name fit her appearance. Sunset Shimmer directed her steps deep inside the library. In the middle of it stood an old table marked by time and generations of students. Her seven friends were already waiting for her. All of them, but one, were her classmates - other teenage girls. The seventh companion was a green haired man in mid of his forties wearing a suit.
All of them were leaning over the table and discussing something in a hushed tone, as if someone could eavesdrop. She came to them and received some warm smiles from everyone, except the man, who only acknowledged Sunset’s presence by a nod.
“So.” started Sunset Shimmer looking at a pink girl called Pinkie Pie. “Why did you call me?”
“Yeah, why this time?” Rainbow haired girl shifted in her chair balancing it on only two legs.
“Oh! You know.” She casually waved her hand and pointed at a purple girl wearing binoculars. “Twilight asked me to, since her phone account is blocked and all. No cash, no call, heh.”
“Yeah.” Said Twilight Sparkle. “Sorry about that, but I have some cash problems recently- but it doesn’t matter. The point is, I called you-”.
The pink girl gave her a frowned look.
“Yes, you called them, Pinkie, because I found out that according to these books there is an incoming threat.”
The little crowd stayed rather quiet as their features had not changed. At least for a while.
“But what kind of a threat?” Asked the white girl with long violet hairs.
“I… I don’t know.” Twilight Sparkle let out a frustrated sigh. “At least not yet.”
Sunset Shimmer looked at her rather annoyed friends. “It’s ok, Twilight. We know how hard it is to decipher these books and that you’re usually right.”
It triggered a giggle from Twilight Sparkle.
Applejack, the orange skinned and blond girl caught Sunset Shimmer’s intentions. “So, heck, fix me if I’m wrong, but we don’t know what’s gonna happen but we know it gonna happen soon and it’s serious enough to be found in the books? Damn, for me it sounds like every Thursday!”
At that joke all of them laughed a little. Even the man smiled.
“Is there anything we can do to help you with these codes?” A voice came from the only girl that didn’t speak yet. “Because, you know, Twilight, we really want to make it easier for you. If you don’t mind our help, that is.”
Even after these years it was natural to shut up when Fluttershy spoke. Just to make sure she didn’t end up too startled to continue, or casually stifle her.
It took a second but in the complete silence everyone heard some kind of weak noise coming from the center of the room. Something like scratching. When all of them, except Fluttershy, looked around with horrid expressions her face turned red. Not long after that, the man caught a glimpse of her face and asked with his low trembling voice.
“Are you sure your bunny isn’t suffocating in your backpack?”
It stopped everyone from searching for the source of the sound, and made Fluttershy to pick up her backpack. Two white bunny’s ears emerged from the girl’s backpack followed by the bunny’s head.
Some of the girls made sounds of annoyance, and Twilight Sparkle gathered the books on one high pile, protecting them from her friend’s bunny.
“I told you to not bring him here. He can eat our books. Or piss on them.” Added Twilight Sparkle.
Fluttershy just kept the trying to run away bunny petting his head. “My Angel Bunny would never do such a terrible thing.”
Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. “Oh, you.”
The rainbow haired girl leaned on the table on her elbows. “Mr. John, can you help Twilight to read these incoherent doodles? Or anyone else?”
The man raised an eyebrow thinking. “I wish I could, Rainbow Dash, but…” He fixed lapels of his coat. “Shame on me, but even as a Librarian I never really got into this dialect. I must admit, with a small dose of jealousy, Twilight Sparkle has already surpassed me in Solarian.“ Saying that, he winked playfully to the purple girl. “But if you remember the oracle, she could help, I think. Of course if you would find her and pay her. An actual tribute this time.”
Applejack nervously laughed. “Yeah, about that… Do you think she still keeps a grudge against us?”
“No way! We made her a ‘we are so sorry’ party, after all! No one keeps grudge after that kind of party.” Pinkie Pie exclaimed confidently.
“Maybe, or maybe not.” Said Rarity. “Perhaps we should first ask somebody if it’s safe for us to go there. We may not be welcomed but tolerated is all we need.”
“Maybe we just should keep positive attitude and ask her for help? She wasn’t very aggressive the last time we met her.” Sunset Shimmer winced at the memory.
“Uh, maybe, but we burnt her house anyway. Who could know she’s not an evil witch but an oracle? Right? And if she’s as smart as you say she is then she already understood our point of view? Right?” Rainbow Dash smashed the table to emphasise her statement.
A silence leaned in the library once again.
“Actually, you have a point but…” Began Sunset Shimmer but Twilight Sparkle interrupted her with a load groan.
“Fine! We will just go there and ask her if she’s willing to help us for whatever she wants in exchange. If we can’t do that, then I may as well strikeout sleep from my schedule.”
Girls looked at each other and the Librarian turned his back to them.
“You know what to do, girls. I really hope I could be more useful for you, but-” The man got interrupted by a hug from behind.
“It’s ok, Mr. John. We know what you did for us and we’re thankful. We always will be. And you’re still the best advisor we could hope for.”
After that, the other girls loudly awww’d and joined in a group hug. Mr. John was trapped in the middle of it and had to save himself from the oppression before he would lose his composure.
“Hey, hey. You have a job to do, you leechers. A-And you should watch over your bunny. Knowing him he’s already long gone.”
The girls giggled as Fluttershy jumped away from the man just to see that her bunny was still in her backpack, sleeping as best he could. All of them let go of him and gathered their backpacks before quickly leaving. But he wasn’t observing them.
When the doors shut closed behind them, the Librarian turned around to the table and collected the books hiding them under the librarian’s counter in a small cubby.
Passing his powers was the one of the most natural things to him, but he would never admit how happy he was that it had to be them. He felt much younger than he was.
