//------------------------------// // Small Roadblocks // Story: Well Kept Fences // by TrebleBass //------------------------------// During our schooldays, Twilight and I mostly kept to our studies. There was the occasional lunch with the girls but not much else, meaning I never really knew what happened in Twilight’s life. I knew a few bits and pieces like her brother joining the royal guard and that one time she holed up in the library for a week but even that stuff was just basic information. But spike, on the other hoof, knew everything. I knew that her brother entered the guard, but I didn’t know Twilight had taken his action figure hostage to make him not leave. I also didn’t know that during her week long study binge she made a book fort that she napped in. She was the Queen and Spike was her loyal jester. This and other similar stories was why my laughing could be heard across Ponyville. To my left Fluttershy was trying her best to make giggle-riddled excuses for Twilight’s silly escapades, but even she couldn’t hold it in any longer when Spike mentioned the time Twilight pretended to be a dragon and, standing tall upon her book hoard, growled at her own family. “I’ll be honest,” I spoke between giggles, “that sounds adorable. She did that just to make you feel more at home?” The real dragon standing on my back had to stifle his own giggles to talk. “Yea, though of course I told her I felt at home whether they were dragons or not. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her face turn so red!” It was when we were in the middle of crossing a small creek by bridge that I saw the tree. I remember that specific moment because I remember thinking ‘I really hope the tree building is the library’. It was really only a passing thought. The kind that you mostly forget that you even thought in the first place, which was what I did almost immediately. “Hey look! That’s the library!” Spike said, pointing towards the tree building. We all stopped in the middle of the bridge to look in the direction of the tree building. “Oh, is it near that cool tree building?” I asked, looking everywhere that way except the tree building. “Actually, the tree building is the library!” Fluttershy said, smiling gently at me before looking back towards the tree building. And then I had a moment because of a tree building. “Oh my gosh,” I whispered out breathlessly, while focusing my vision on the tree building in the distance, “The tree building is the library.” My jaw was dropped and my eyes were wide as I stared at the tree building that was also a library. I studied it. It appeared to have very little pony-made architecture to it; a door, a few windowsills, and what appeared to be a balcony coming out of the leaves. “Uh… Moondancer?” There were windows in the wood. In fact, the windows that weren’t meant to be opened seem to have branches in them. Branches in the windows that were in the body of the tree that was also a library. “Hey Moondancer, are you okay? You’re kind of just staring. It’s a little creepy.” Had I been in a staring contest with the tree building that was also a library, I probably could’ve won. Could have, that is, if a dragon claw didn’t poke my face forcing me to blink while looking at the tree building that was a library. “Um… is this normal?” It was a tree building. “Not while I’ve known her.” That was also a library. “EQUESTRIA TO MOONDANCER!” Spike yelling rudely in my ear broke my trance; It also caused my entire body to spasm due to being yelled at directly in the ear not being a pleasant thing. The violent shake caused my passenger to go flying up and over the bridge’s railing. By the time my body stopped shaking he was already on his way down towards the water. It was then, calmly and with grace, I went to catch him. “OH MY GOSH SPIKE” I screamed very firmly, trying to calm him down. Quickly, I reached out with my magic and grabbed him mere inches from the water. I then lifted him back up and gave him an inspection to ensure he wasn’t going in shock. “Spike are you okay?” I asked while floating him gently onto my back. “Heh, I’m fine Moondancer. I only would’ve fallen a foot or two. That’s like nothing compared to falling off the top of the bookshelf ladder.” He dusted himself off; what he dusted off however, seeing as he fell through the air and was caught by magic, I had no clue. “And how often does that happen?” Fluttershy inquired. “Surprisingly often recently.” My face scrunched up a little bit as I decided to have a word with Twilight in regards to younger siblings and heights. However, that thought was put on the backburner as I remembered a very important matter. The treehouse that was also a library. “Well, falling aside, I think we should get going.” I said trying my best to rein in the excitement, “After all, that library won’t be coming to us. It’s a tree!” I very awkwardly scoffed in humor. Fluttershy and Spike both stared at me. I gave the bridge a little kick as I looked down, a little embarrassed. “I just… I think it’s really cool okay.” Fluttershy gave a reassuring smile while Spike tried to hold back a giggle. She trotted up to me and placed a hoof on my shoulder, before nodding her head to start walking again. With that, we were on our way again to the library. That was in a treehouse. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Standing in it’s proximity was just as breathtaking as, if not more than, seeing it from afar. I apparently went into a trance again as I felt dragon claws, for the umpteenth time this trip, poking the side of my face. I did my best to ignore it, even when I heard the two of them giggling. It wasn’t until I heard a different familiar voice that I snapped out of it. “Moondancer! There you are!” I turned my head with a jerk, much to the dismay of the dragon leaning on the back of my neck to poke my face, to see Twilight trotting up to me. “Oh hey Twili- oh my gosh.” “Yes.” There was an abomination sitting where Twilight’s mane once sat. “Twilight... you may not have noticed but your mane kind of… has some stuff going on.” “I am aware Moondancer.” “Okay just making sure.” We stood in silence for a few moments, but my curiosity got the better of me. “So uh… explanations?” “Well,” she started “some rainbow-maned pegasus decided it’d be super great to ram me into a puddle.” Spike snickered for a moment before Twilight cut him off with a glare. “So following that, she gets an even greater idea of surrounding me in a small tornado to dry me off.” She finished her sentence off with a glare into space, most likely thinking up a lecture to give the pegasus on their next meeting. Before she could glare a hole in space, Fluttershy gently inserted herself into the conversation. Somehow she had walked up next to me without myself noticing. I would’ve likely been startled… if she hadn’t spoken at nearly a whisper. “Oh, um, excuse me,” Twilight shook the glare of her head and turned towards Fluttershy, “But I couldn’t help but hear you mention a rainbow maned pegasus. That would be probably Rainbow Dash. She can be a bit… much… b-but her heads always in the right place.” She shied back after that last part, hiding partially behind her mane and partially behind me. “Oh uh… Twilight, this is Fluttershy. Fluttershy, this is my best friend Twilight,” I moved in closer to her ear and used a faux whisper that I knew Twilight could still hear, “She’s a grump right now, but she’s a good pony. Trust me.” Twilight’s thankfully did her best to not scare Fluttershy off, donning a small smile. “Nice to meet you, you were in charge of the music correct?” She turned her head towards me, “How’d that turn out?” “It gets a check from me,” I responded, “The birds sounded great, I’m sure you’ll love them as well when you hear them during the celebration. Fluttershy’s doing a wonderful job.” Twilight gave a happy snort and raised her head, giving that prideful smile she always gets when she finishes a checklist. Fluttershy, on the contrary, held a more bashful smile. While she was less backed-off than at the beginning of the conversation, her body was still shrunk a little in embarrassment from the complement. “Well then,” Twilight started to head towards the Tree-that-was-also-a-library's door, “With everything checked off, time to get some studying done!” She rose her leg to push the door open, “Finally some peace and quiet.” Right as her hoof made contact with the door, Fluttershy let out a yell. Well, a yell by her standards anyway. “Wait!” Twilight stopped and looked at her, confused. I, on the other hoof, was partially flabbergasted at her raising her voice. Whatever she had in her to do so must’ve run out, because she shrank back with a blush on her face. “Oh, um, I heard you say peace and quiet. And it’s just that, if I know Pinkie Pie, there’s probably a party waiting for you in there. A loud one.” “A party?” Twilight turned her head in confusion, “Pinkie Pie? Was that the really pink pony we saw when we first got here?” “The one that jumped, gasped, and ran away from us because you said hello?” I added, giving a teasing smirk. Twilight didn’t like the insinuation. “Correlation isn’t causation Moondancer! She jumped, gasped, and ran away from us when I said hello. Not because.” She gave a stomp with a forehoof to emphasize the point before shaking her head. I could also see she was holding back a smile. “That sounds like Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy inserted into the conversation, “She probably saw you and realized she hadn’t met you before. Which means there’s definitely a party waiting in there.” “But… that was only a few hours ago. How could she possibly set up a party in that time?” Twilight asked. “She’s Pinkie Pie, when it comes to parties she can manage to do a lot of things.” Fluttershy said that very ominously. I decided not to press further. Twilight seemed at a loss for words. “Well uh,” I continued, “What now, then?” “We could always do some magic practice, I guess.” Twilight was a bit dejected at not being able to do research. “At least then we’ll be prepared for if we need to use our spells.” “Um. Prepared for what?” Fluttershy asked, a bit scared. Before Twilight could say anything, I made sure to interject. “Just in case there’s a hitch in plans during the celebration. Maybe a table breaks, or somepony gets punch spilt on them. Gotta be prepared, right Twilight?” I slid up to Twilight’s side, and less than gently elbowed her. She thankfully seemed to get the memo, but still responded in a not very convincing manner. “Punch! Yes! Can’t have stains during an event with Celestia, no siree! Hehehe…” She trailed off with a nervous laugh. As I said; not very convincing. I quickly and seamlessly changed the subject. “So, changing subjects, yea let’s go practice some magic. You want to watch Fluttershy?” “Oh, I wouldn’t want to be a bother…” She said, obviously falling for my artful deflection of topic. “Nonsense,” I said, walking up to her and placing my leg around her, “It’ll be fine.” “Well… if you’re alright with that, it does sound interesting.” “Wonderful.” I said, giving her a friendly smile. Twilight walked up, smiling herself. “You wouldn’t happen to know an empty area we could do it in, would you?” She asked. “Well actually…”