My New Life
Chapter 8 – The Flower
"Excuse me." The mare turned to me. "Have you seen a black alicorn around here?"
"No, I have not your majesty."
"Darn, thanks anyway."
I watched her trot away and then sighed. "How hard is it to find a large black alicorn?"
Just then, I felt a tap on my flank. I turned around fast, accidentally scaring QuickSilver. "Oops, sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
"Did you find anything out?"
"Yes, the local florist said that an alicorn had come by and picked up a special flower and then said something about a book."
"Hmm, sounds like he is about to ask a special somepony out. Quick! To the bookstore!" I raised my hoof up in the air for dramatic effect. I held the pose for a second, causing a couple ponies to stop and stare at him.
"Um, what are you doing?" QuickSilver asked.
"Oh, well for some reason, I was hoping to get some awesome transition."
"Like Batman?"
"Yeah..."
"Well I think we will just have to hoof it."
"'Kay."
One Awkward Transition Later
"Okay, there he is." I said, my face pressed up against the glass.
"What now?"
"Um, I guess we just go inside." I peeled my face away from the window, leaving a rather funny face smudge on the glass. Opening the door, a little bell rang. "Eclipse!"
"Gah!" He screamed as he dropped a large book. He turned, "Pure Heart, what the heck?"
I laughed as QuickSilver and I walked inside. "Sorry. Where have you been? Me and QuickSilver have been looking everywhere for you."
"Who?"
"QuickSilver..." I turned and found that he wasn't there. "Where did he go?"
"Over here..." He said in a hushed tone. He had pulled a book off a shelf and was reading it.
"Okay, nice to meet you." Eclipse said with a shrug. "Hey, I have great news."
"What?"
"I got my cutie mark!"
"...You didn't have one before?"
"Nope, but check it out." He turned around to show off his cutie mark.
"Wait, is that the..."
"Yeah, it's the book from the first episode."
It was in fact a depiction of the brown book with a gold unicorn emblem on it that you see in the beginning sequence of the first episode of MLP: FIM.
"Wow, that is cool. But what is your special talent?"
"Equestrian knowledge."
"Ah, I see. Well what are you doing?"
"Oh I just thought I would find a book for Twilight."
I chuckled, "I bet you anything she has read every book here."
"I can attest to that." Said the shopkeeper.
Eclipse facehoofed, "Great. What am I supposed to get her now?"
QuickSilver spoke up, "Um, didn't you purchase a flower earlier."
"Oh yeah." He reached into a saddlebag that had the same image of his cutie mark.
"Wow, that is a strange flower. What kind is it?" I said.
"It's a called a... um."
"I thought you said your special talent was Equestrian knowledge." I said.
"I did. I didn't say that my talent was memory."
I facehoofed this time.
"It's a Twiliticus Ecliptium, commonly known as the Black Sunset. It is known only to bloom during the few minutes between the transition of the sun and the moon." He looked up from his book to see our confused faces. "Great at research, remember?"
"Oh yeah." I turned to Eclipse. "Research is his special talent."
"Oh, okay."
Continuing from where he left off, "The Black Sunset is said to shimmer with spectacular colors when exposed to the twilight of an eclipse."
"Oh, that is pretty cool. I only got it because it reminded me of Twilight." Eclipse admitted.
"Hmm... Where is a vegetarian vampire when you need one." Me and Eclipse both laughed.
QuickSilver just looked at with a confused look. "What are you guys laughing at?"
"The Twilight Saga... never mind."
"Yeah. Anyways, I think that will blow her mind."
"It would if it were real." QuickSilver commented.
Eclipse scrunched up his face, "Whacha talkin' 'bout Willis?"
Again we laughed but QuickSilver just did not seem to get it.
"I don't know who you are talking to, but as I was saying. The flower you have is not really a Black Sunset. Black Sunset's wither as soon as they are picked. That one is still healthy looking." QuickSilver explained.
"Huh, no wonder it was free."
"Sucks for you dude." I said.
"Where can I find them then?"
"Hmm, the book says they are found near the summit of Mount Dusk located in Raptor Valley."
"Raptors? As in dinosaurs?" I asked.
"No, as in large birds of prey."
"Well that sucks even more." Eclipse said, folding back his ears, looking down trodden.
"Hey, maybe you can convince Twilight to on an expedition with you to Mount Dusk."
"Well that is strange idea for a first date." Eclipse said.
"Considering it is a 3 month journey, I would say it is more of a commitment than a date." QuickSilver stated.
"Wow, then you should probably ask her out a couple times first." I suggested.
"Yeah,I guess."
"Can we go to the library now?" QuickSilver asked.
"Hold on, I want to buy that book on flowers you had first." Eclipse said.
Ten Minutes Later
"Finally, the library." QuickSilver said.
Eclipse opened the door and began to walk in. "Yeah, it's great to be ho..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Starfire flew into him. "Oof!" He crashed to the ground quite hard and I luckily caught Starfire.
"Oops, sorry Eclipse." Rainbow Dash apologized, landing next to the fallen alicorn to help him up. "I was teaching Starfire how to do a trick."
"No, it's fine. I didn't need to breathe anyway." He said sarcastically, rubbing his chest.
"Star, are you learning tricks?" I said to my little girl, nose kissing her. She giggled in response.
"Well ain't dat the cutest thing ya ever did see?" Apple Jack said smugly.
"Hey, shut up." I said blushing.
Everypony laughed.
"Hey, who's the guy with the hat?" Dash asked.
"Um, I would very much appreciate it if you didn't talk about my hat, thank you." QuickSilver said.
"Why? It looks like the kind of silly hat Rarity wears sometimes." Pinkie said, parrading a laughing Nightshade on her back.
"It is not silly!" QuickSilver yelled.
Everypony stared at him in shock.
"Um, okay. Take a chill pill. Everypony, please do not make comments about his hat." I instructed. "This is QuickSilver. He will be around for a couple days doing some research before heading off to see Equestria. Please treat him kindly."
After introductions were made, I started to gather up my kids for naptime.
Twilight said it was okay for them to nap in her bed, so I thanked her and took them upstairs and tucked them in. Afterward, I quietly tiphoofed down the stairs and found that AJ, Pinkie, and Fluttershy had all left, leaving me, Twilight, Eclipse, Rarity, QuickSilver, and Dash to chat.
"So, how were my kids?" I asked, settling down onto the floor.
"Moonbeam was a perfect little angel, up until she began to throw things around with her magic." Rarity said.
"Yeah, I guess I forgot to warn you about that." I looked around and saw QuickSilver already reading books. I then turned to Rainbow Dash. "How about Starfire?"
"Oh man, she was awesome. She was zipping across the room super fast. You have a racer on your hooves." Rainbow said in a really excited tone.
"Great, her mother will be thrilled." I chuckled, I finally set my eyes on the couch where Twilight and Eclipse sat. They both seemed to be sweating a little. Eclipse I think was sweating from nerves, but I have no idea why Twilight was sweating. "How did you fare with keeping an eye on Nightshade, Ms. Sparkle?"
"I didn't put a locator spell on him! It was Pinkie Pie's idea! These are not the ponies you are looking for..." She blurted out, waving her hooves around in a mesmerizing fashion with that last comment.
I blinked, "So, I guess he wasn't that hard to take care of, huh?"
"Um, oh I think the tea is ready!" She jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen. We all laughed.
"So overall, they did well?"
"Oh yes. Quite fine." Rarity said with an awkward smile.
"Well then, I know who to get to foalsit from now on." I said in a coy manner.
"No!" Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash said at the same time.
I busted out laughing.
A few minutes later, Twilight came back in with tea. "Who wants tea?"
"There actually is tea? I thought you were making an excuse." I said with a grin.
"Me? As if. I didn't conjure this up with magic at the last minute to make myself not look crazy." She said with a nervous smile.
"Okay..." I turned to Eclipse. "Eclipse, didn't you have something you wanted to ask Twilight?"
"Oh yeah!" He turned to Twilight after she sat the tea down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch herself. He pulled out the flower. "Twilight Sparkle, this is for you."
Her eyes grew big, "Is that a Twiliticus Ecliptium?"
"Nope, it's a fake." QuickSilver said from across the room. Eclipse gave him a look which he just shrugged off.
"It is still very beautiful and I thank you for the gift. But what, may I ask, brought you to get it for me?" Twilight inquired.
"Well, I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner." He asked with a nervous smile.
She stared at him, then at the flower, then back at him. She smiled, "I would be delighted to."
I looked at Eclipse, his expression was blank. "Um, you okay?" I asked him.
I poked him, and he fell over, which caused him to come out of whatever he was in.
"Sorry, I blacked out from sheer joy."
We all laughed at his confession.