//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Lesser Light: Timed Trials in Infinte Space // by soothsayer //------------------------------// 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.