Adopt this story 9: Red letter day part one

Originally this was going to be part of my story, 'Travellers', but I won't be working on it. The idea was to keep the story as close to canon as possible. Twilight becoming a princess rendered the entire story moot. Sure, I could set the date of the story before the end of season three but that defeats the purpose. And with the end do season four looming, things are only going to become worse.

Stupid, lousy Book Horse has to rune everything.

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>>Red Letter Day: Part One, Twilight

The air was cool and crisp in the basement where Twilight and Spike had slept. Two nights ago a large storm front had moved in from the Ocean that had left the Cloudsdale weather patrols unprepared. Cloudsdale had scheduled clear skies for the rest of the week, so with not much else to do, many of the Pegasi on staff had been granted leave. When the storm blew in, the understaffed Cloudsdale could hardly do much more than wait for it to rain itself out.

That night, what a dedicated Weather Pony would have called a "Class two, Type one" storm, moved inland. A less deicated Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, would have called it "that big freaking storm that woke me up". The storm pushed in and left the coast and most of the immediate region completely drenched. When the weather system finally started to break, the Ponyville cloud busting team had sprung into action. The remaining scattered cumulus clouds were quickly bucked and dispersed. That was yesterday afternoon.

Last night had still been quite humid from the storm. The warm summer's night was so saturated with moisture it hindered further evaporation, leaving everypony sticky with sweat. Twilight put her highly educated brain to work and had come up with a simple, elegant solution; Sleep in the much cooler basement. With a little work an area of the basement was cleared. Twilight had pushed the various pieces of scientific equipment aside with her magic, while Spike brought down. The space had been more habitable and their sleeping arangements had been adiquately managed. There in the cool basement, Twilight and Spike had spent the night.

It was nearing nine o'clock at the Golden Oaks public library when Twilight Sparkle had awoke. Much earlier than she had planned. Usually she rolled out of bed at, what Spike often jokingly referred to as "the crack of noon", to the smell of her dragon assistant starting to prepare lunch. Today, she had almost three hours of free time, and with nothing scheduled and no other pressing issues, she picked up a book and read.

When Twilight finally remembered to look at a clock, she had completed two books and had started on a third. It was nearing noon, which meant she had caught up with her daily schedule and it was time for lunch. The lavender unicorn gingerly put down her personal, autographed volume of "This, That, and the Other Thing", being sure to mark her place with her favourite bookmark, and set it aside. The ever-so-immusingly depressing poetic works of Jay Miller would just have to wait patiently until after her break. She was sure he'd understand.

After double checking that her bookmark was still in place, Twilight anxiously rose to her hooves and made her way up from the basement. She had been waiting all week for today. She had schedualed this afternoon to try the new silverleaf tea that Zecoura had acquired from one of her Southern trading partners. Twilight had also picked up some raspberry shortbread cookies from the market that morning which Zecoura had suggested would pair nicely.

She had just greeted Owloysius on her way to meet Spike in the kitchen for her usual barley soup and daffodil sandwich when there was a knock at the library's front door. It wasn't unusual that somepony would knock, being that Twilight not only worked but also lived in the public building. To the bookish mare, patrons and visitors took priority. Now, both Mr. Miller's pomes and her lunch would have to wait.

She made her way to the door, grasped its handle with her magic, and opened it. Beyond its threshold was a rather unfamiliar sight for a Sunday. There stood a dusty-rose coloured Pegasus with a deep-gray mane, Ms. Slate Redstart, if she remembered correctly. Ms. Redstart was Ponyvilles top dependable mail courier, bar none. Seeing she still adorned her now rumpled uniform and iconic black letter bag, Redstart was here on business.

"Are you Miss Sparkle?" The letter courier asked.

Twilight nodded slowly.

"A one, Miss Twilight Sparkle of the Golden Oaks Library?"

It was odd that Redstart had reasked the question as to her identity. They had met on more than one occasion outside of her work, and had even had coffee together once. Twilight took her coffee with one cream and two sugar, while Slate drank hers black.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle." The unicorn replied nervously.

Slate Redstart had reached her head into her left saddlebag and had withdrawn a single envelope attached to a clipboard, using her mouth, which she placed on the library stoop. "You have a Royal Memorandum, please sign here."

Twilight scanned over the document and letter attached to the clipboard. A standard release forum wasn't unusual for Official corrospondance, however the method she had received the letter was. Normally of either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna had to contact Twilight, they would have done so through Spike and his Dragon Fire. One of the most secure and direct lines of communication ever concocted. It was obvious to Twilight that this particular letter hadn't come from either princess. The letter was most likely an invoice from the Canterlot Royal Libary with regards to one of her requests for more reading material.

"Could I borrow a.."

"... Quill is on top of the clipboard." Redslate droned.

Sheepishly, Twilight grabbed the quill with her magic and scrawled her signature at the bottom the the release forum.

Satisfied, Redstart detached the letter from clipboard, then tucked the board and quill back into her bag. "Have a good day, Miss Sparkle." Before Twilight could fathom a reply, Slate Redstart had taken wing and was on her way to her next destination.

Twilight watched her fly over the neighbours rooftops and was quickly out of sight. Without a second thought, Twilight levitated the envelope into the library, following behind. She had more important things on her mind than Libary work at the moment. One of those things was the rumbling of her stomache. With a quick flip of her head, Twilight tossed the unread letter onto the table in the center of the room and proceeded to the kitchen. The letter could wait. It woulden't be going anywhere. It would still be there after her sandwich, some raspberry cookies, and tea.