Not every one of Starswirl’s friendships came easily. His friendship with Mistmane was said to be quick and genial, Flash Magnus got along with him in a more professional manner, and Mage Meadowbrook was welcome with eagerness, but his initial meeting of Rockhoof was rough. He had initially seen the larger, hardworking stallion as a mere laborer, and Rockhoof in turn saw Starswirl as a grumpy bookworm who wouldn’t dare get his hooves dirty doing actual work. Somnambula also met with a little resistance, Starswirl once commenting that hope alone didn’t make miracles happen, but his relationship with Rockhoof was the hardest to set in stone.
That was until Starswirl’s home village experienced a flood unlike any seen at that time. Homes were washed away, crops were ruined, and families were misplaced. At that time, only Starswirl, Rockhoof and Mage Meadowbrook were at the village, and many looked up to the wizard to salvage what was left. One recount of this event said that Starswirl stayed awake all night thinking of ways to help the village while Mage Meadowbrook healed those that were sick.
The next day, Starswirl emerged from his tower to see something that would surprise him: Rockhoof, with his trusty spade, digging a path for the water to run to the nearest river. Starswirl wrote in his journal, ‘Never have I seen, before or since, a stallion with such—
“Ocellus!”
“Whah!” The changeling’s head shot up from behind her book to see Gallus flying above her, an amused expression on his face. “What?”
“Geez, Ocellus, we’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now!” Gallus crossed his forelegs.
Ocellus looked around at her friends, who were all in the open field behind their school. To Gallus’s right, Smolder also had her arms crossed, but her face was more neutral, with only a raised brow. To his left, her other friends were watching her. Silverstream was in the air, hoofball in claw, with an o-shaped mouth. Sandbar and Yona were next to each other, looking at her with concerned faces. It all caused her to blush and retreat back behind her book.
“Sorry, guys,” she said. “I’m just trying to get the reading for Twilight’s class done as soon as possible.” She looked back at her book for a moment, but then found it in Gallus’s claws. “Hey!”
“Relax,” Gallus said. “We’ve got all weekend to get this reading done.”
“Yeah!” Silverstream flew towards them, hoofball still in claw. This prompted Sandbar and Yona to follow. “Besides, we’ve done a lot of work this week!”
“Yeah!” Yona groaned. “Rarity’s report on Equestrian charities—”
“And Fluttershy’s Taking-Care-Of-Baby-Animals speech,” Sandbar added.
“Not to mention, we also have Applejack’s essay on which type of apple is our favorite.” Smolder clutched her stomach. “Apples are delicious, don’t get me wrong, but so many in a row, and for a homework assignment, is just too much.”
Gallus smirked at Ocellus as he gave the book back. “C’mon, let’s play some, and work later.” Silverstream shook the hoofball next to him, urging her to come join them.
Ocellus sighed with a smile, placed a bookmark on that page, and set her book aside. “You guys are right.” She flew up next to Silverstream.
“Go long!”
She did so, and Silver threw it as high as she could. Ocellus barely caught it, and then threw it as hard as she could to Yona… but it didn’t go very far.
“Yona think Ocellus needs to work on her throwing,” the yak stated.
She chuckled. “Yeah, throwing’s not something I’m particularly good at.”
Smolder flew up next to her and stared at the changeling’s forelegs. “We gotta get you away from the books and get you some exercise.”
“Humph!” She crossed her legs.
“A couple laps around the school track, a few dumbbells, some early-morning training sessions and we’ll get those legs in shape!”
Ocellus narrowed her eyes, and in a flash of light she became a bugbear. “Gimme the hoofball.”
Yona tossed it up to her, and Ocellus looked at Smolder. “Go long.”
Smolder shook the surprise from her face and flew as fast as she could. Ocellus focused on the shrinking speck that was her dragon friend, and then wound up her arm. The others dropped to the floor as she let the hoofball fly.
It zipped out of her paw and soared high in the sky. Everyone watched as Smolder flew left, then right, and then flew back some more to catch the hoofball. The impact sent her down a bit, but she was still able to stay in the air.
“Wow!” Silverstream rose and stared at her bugbear friend. “That was amazing!”
Ocellus blushed. “Thanks. Maybe my own form isn’t that strong, but I’ve got a few that can get the job done.”
“Ocelluslookout!”
“Huh?” She looked back just to see a hoofball flying right towards her. She tried to catch it, but it hit her right in the abdomen, sending her flying down.
“Ocellus!” she heard Sandbar yell. A flash of light, and she was back in her normal form just as he galloped towards her. “Are you okay?”
She grinned sheepishly. “I’m fine. I should’ve been paying attention.”
“At least you caught it,” Gallus said, taking the hoofball from her. “You’re fine, right?”
“Yeah.”
He flapped up into the air. “Okay, Yona, go long!”
Ocellus was helped up by Sandbar and Silverstream as Yona galloped away. At the same time, Smolder returned to the group. “Why’d you stop?”
“You threw it too hard.”
Smolder smirked. “If I can throw hard enough to knock a bugbear out of the air, then my training’s paying off!”
Sandbar and Silverstream glared at her, but Ocellus giggled it off. They all smiled at her. “So,” Silverstream began ”Are you still gonna play catch with us?”
Rubbing her chest, Ocellus nodded. “Yeah, just give me a minute.”
“‘Cause, I mean, you were a very big bugbear, and you got taken out by a teeny tiny hoofball like POW! And I mean, it probably knocked the wind out of you, and Smolder does have a pretty strong arm, but—”
“What I think Silver’s trying to say,” Sandbar said, “is that she’s glad you’re okay.”
“Exactly!”
Ocellus laughed. “Thanks, guys.”
“But I guess it’s not surprising, because you spend most of your time reading. I mean, you must’ve read so many books by now!”
Ocellus’s eyes widened.
“I mean, do you even remember your first book?”
She looked away.
"Because I can imagine you reading dozens, or even hundreds of books! I know I have no trouble remembering my first book, because we didn't have that many books in Seaquestria, because paper and water usually don't mix, but when my mom and dad did find a book for me—"
“Ocellus?”
Sandbar looked over, and saw her staring at the ground. “Hey, something wrong?”
“No, nothing.” She looked back up. “I think it was called ‘Good Night Little Rabbit.’”
“Ooh, sounds fascinating!” Silver hovered above them. “What’s it about?”
"Oh, you know." Ocellus kicked the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Sandbar asked.
“Nothing!” Ocellus looked up. “It’s about… you know… look, why don’t you see if you can find it in the library? Trust me, it’s better to read it going in blind.”
Silver tilted her head. “But how could I read it if I can't see?”
“No, she means to read it without knowing what’s going to happen beforehand.”
“Oooh, gotcha.” Silver smiled.
"Hey!" Gallus called from a distance. "You guys jumping in or what?"
“Yeah!” Sandbar began galloping over to them, and Silverstream flew after him. "Ready to get another good bugbear throw off, Ocellus?"
But Ocellus wasn’t with them. They looked back to see her standing still, staring at the ground.
“Hey, Ocellus!”
She looked back up, clearly shocked out of her daze. “Sorry!” She flew towards them. “Come on, let’s join them.”
But Sandbar wasn’t having it. “Seriously, Ocellus, are you sure you’re okay?”
“What? Of course I’m okay, heeheehee, see?” She produced the widest smile she could.
Sandbar wasn’t convinced.
She sighed. “Look, I’ll… catch up with you guys later. I need to… go do some more reading.”
“Aww!” Silverstream flung her arms out. "But you were just reading!"
She sighed again and walked to her textbook. “Listen, I just need some time… alone.”
“But—”
Sandbar cut Silverstream off. “If you need some time alone, then that's okay. We’ll probably be out here when you’re done.”
“Okay.” Ocellus looked back at them, giving a smile to Sandbar. “Thanks for understanding.” With that, she walked back to the school while her friends went back to their game.
These events had a profound impact on Starswirl. His countenance hadn’t softened, but he seemed to show more patience and acceptance of ponies of all backgrounds. He would even take some of his old books to the courtyard and read to any pony eager enough to hear. His collection sometimes drew crowds of hundreds from the neighboring lands, who couldn’t wait to hear a new story—
That was where Ocellus had been stuck for the past half-hour. She was thankful she had a corner of the library out of the eyes of other students so they wouldn’t see her spacing out. She had rubbed her eyes, slapped her cheeks, taken many deep breaths in attempts to refocus, but all in vain.
She was about to put the book back in her room and return to her friends when she heard something in the distance.
“Ocellus?”
She sighed, closed the textbook and took it with her out the corner. She quickly found her friend flying around, another book in her claw. A quick deep breath. “Silver!”
The hippogriff looked down at her. “There you are!” She flew down to her. “I wanted to check up on you.”
Ocellus smiled. “I’m fine. I just needed a minute.”
Silverstream grinned. “Hey, remember that book you mentioned? ‘Good Night, Little Rabbit?’”
Ocellus’s brow furrowed. “Yes. To be honest, I’m not sure you’re gonna find it here. It’s an old book, and—”
Before Ocellus could finish, Silver lifted up the book in her claw. “Tada!”
She gasped. There it was, a copy of “Good Night, Little Rabbit.” Its cover was faded and the fibers were beginning to fray, but the night sky, the full moon, the placid hill, the little bunny snuggling up next to her mother as she stares down at her with love… It was all there, and it was undeniably “Good Night, Little Rabbit.”
“Where did you find it?”
“In the foals’ section!” Silverstream waved her arms back and forth! “I didn’t even know that we had a foals’ section, but Professor Twilight helped me find it, and I found a bunch of foals there reading, and they played with my wings a little bit, and it was so fun! But then I looked for the book, and then I found it!” She beamed at Ocellus.
But Ocellus wasn’t smiling. In fact, Silver could see something glistening in her eyes.
“Ocellus? What’s wrong?”
“What?” She sniffled, and then shook her head hard and wiped her eyes. “Oh, no, nothing. I’m just… glad you found it.”
But then Silverstream began tearing up. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, no, Silverstream, it’s just—”
But watching Silverstream’s eyes well up with tears… so innocent, so confused… it all rushed back to her.
“Why is that filly crying?”
“Probably dealing with some bullies. You know how foals are around that age.”
“Or is missing her mother. She appears lost.”
Ocellus retreated as far back into the alleyway as she could. She had no idea when she entered Mint Meadow that there would be so many ponies.
She knew she wasn’t supposed to be here; she was to be with the other whelps, training to be as vicious as possible for when they grew up. But she had other ambitions: seeing what was past her hive, and claiming a spot next to adult changelings on missions. So while the other whelps were hissing and fighting amongst each other, she had sneaked out and flown off to pastures new.
But she had flown too far and had ended up in Mint Meadow. Upon the first sign of another creature, she had immediately dove into a bush and transformed. Changelings had two methods of changing themselves: copying and conforming. She had chosen the latter, and could've blended in as in innocent filly playing around, but she didn’t come out of the bush until the creatures had passed.
“Those were ponies,” she said once she was sure they were out of earshot. She walked over to the river to get a look at herself. Yellow coat, buck teeth, cyan hair with red beads. She looked at her flanks, and she had her own cutie mark: a ladybug. That was alright. This was only a disguise, after all.
“Hello?”
Ocellus looked back up. It was the travelling ponies looking back at her. She had panicked and galloped in the other direction. She had no wings, so flying away was not an option. And she knew that changing to get away would not only blow her cover, but the entire changeling hive’s, including this town’s spies Protonum and Elytra.
But her galloping only caused her to go into the city proper, with a lot more ponies. Panic really set in, and she ran and ran until she could find a dark place to hide.
And that was where she was now: in an alleyway, crying, with the occasional pony looking her direction. She was shaking, desperately wanting to look for Protonum and Elytra and grouping up with them, wherever they were and whomever they were disguised as, and yet too afraid to go out and mess anything up.
Some changeling you are, she thought. You’re weak, sitting here crying like a whelp over a mess you got yourself in.
She couldn’t stop crying. Suddenly, one of the shadows stopped moving. Someone lingered at the end of the alleyway.
“Hello?”
Ocellus’s heart beat faster. She turned back to run, but ran into a garbage can and was knocked over.
“Oh, my goodness!” Hooves approached her.
She tried scrambling up to her legs, but her coordination was too frantic. So she resorted to throwing her hooves over her and crying. She couldn’t remember how long it lasted, but the next instant she knew, she was in the pony’s embrace.
“Shh, shh, it’s okay.” Her voice was soft, slightly raspy yet quite demure. “Nopony's going to hurt you.”
Ocellus attempted to stop her tears. “Elytra? Is that you?” Elytra’s speech was faster and harsher, but she had to chance that she had been discovered by a fellow changeling.
“No, my little filly,” the voice said. “My name’s Sweet Scroll. What’s yours?”
Even at that young age, she knew better than to give her name to a pony, lest she endanger the hive. "I'm, er..." She glanced at her cutie mark. "Ladybug."
“Nice to meet you, Ladybug.”
Ocellus wiped her eyes and looked at the mare. She had a light brown coat, a red mane and tail, and a pair of red glasses. She got a glimpse of her cutie mark: a rolled-up scroll. Her eyes were dark green, and they stared at her with gentleness. Her hooves brushed Ocellus’s back; it calmed her down.
“Why are you crying?”
Ocellus wiped her eyes. “I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of everypony.”
“Why, that’s ridiculous! Nopony in Mint Meadow would harm a hair on your head.”
But that didn’t do much to perk Ocellus up. Then she found herself being lifted up. “You know, I know just the thing to cheer you up.”
She knew what to do.
“Don’t cry, Silver,” Ocellus said, flying up and embracing her, using her hoof to pet her back. “Why don’t we find a nice seat and we’ll read it together?”
Silverstream wiped her eyes. “You mean it?”
“Yes.” Ocellus took the book and felt that familiar thickness, bringing her back to Mint Meadow. “Oh… oh.” She stifled something in her throat. “Come on.”
Ocellus had spent so much time in the library that she knew where the best places to read were. She knew, for instance, that the history section had a fashion subsection, and Rarity had a chaise laid out just for when she wanted to read up on a new interest. She took the couch and began moving it to the corner of the upper floor.
“Why are you doing that?” Silverstream asked.
“It… it feels more comfy.” Looking at the familiar sight of the chaise longue lined up in a corner, hidden away from everypony else, made her chest feel heavy. “Have a seat.”
Silverstream crawled into the seat, and Ocellus climbed up after her. Ocellus took a moment to run her hoof over the cover. It made her shiver.
“This brings back memories,” she said, a smile tugging at her wincing mouth. “I remember the first time I read this. It was in the town library."
She couldn’t possibly comprehend what she’d find when she went in. Hundreds of colorful rectangles all bunched together on shelves that went back beyond her sight! Ponies sifting through these rectangles to look for a specific one, and then carrying a box-like object with them. Another pony opening each one up, checking the insides, before they could be taken. There were also things on the side of them that looked like lines arranged in a pattern.
“What are those?” she asked Sweet Scroll.
“Those?” Sweet Scroll pointed at a shelf. Ocellus nodded. “These are books. You know what those are, right?”
Truthfully, she didn’t. The changeling hive had no use for anything from the ponies, so the whelps wouldn’t see anything until they were sent out to training themselves… something Ocellus was supposed to do in a few months, once she had proved herself vicious, without weakness, and loyal to the hive.
“Can you read?”
“Read?” She had never heard of the word.
“Oh my!” Sweet Scroll covered her mouth with a hoof. “I’d think that somepony as old as you would’ve at least learned your ABC’s.”
“ABC’s?”
“Oh, dear.”
Ocellus hung her head. She was failing blending in if she couldn't do whatever reading was. “I’m sorry. I’ll go.” She would run away and not bother this pony anymore. At least, until her training was complete. Then she could better make talk with her.
But, to her surprise, Sweet Scroll lifted her chin with a hoof and smiled at her. “Don’t worry. I can help you with that. Follow me to the foals’ section, please.”
She wasn’t sure about all of this, but went along with her. They went around the shelves until they came to a smaller set , decorated with paper insects and fish. There was a table with a bead maze on top of it, which two foals were playing with. Ocellus didn’t see the point of any of this, but kept her questions to herself. Her attention turned to Sweet Scroll, who was sifting through the books.
“Let’s see.” She scrolled and scrolled, until… “Aha! This one should work.” She pulled one of them out and held it in her hoof. “Good Night, Little Rabbit.”
Ocellus followed her to the back of the library, in a nestled corner with an old, beige couch aligned diagonally. A lamp was nearby on a little stand, and Sweet Scroll turned it on. “Okay, dear,” Sweet Scroll said softly. “Come on up, and I’ll read it to you.”
Ocellus hesitated. This was a stranger, and a pony at that, inviting her to spend time with her, to read! She should’ve left then, should’ve returned to the hive, should’ve never left! She would hear an earful from her guardians, the other whelps, even Queen Chrysalis herself! Better that than to risk exposing herself to this pony, and all of Mint Meadow for that matter!
But she didn’t. She climbed into the chaise with her and turned her attention to the book. She watched as Sweet Scroll opened it up, and inside was something completely different: a picture of a bunny, surrounded by darkness, all alone, its eyes closed.
“Good Night, Little Rabbit,” Sweet Scroll began, running her hoof along each word. She turned the page, and there was something else. She caught on, then, that each new page would bring about a different picture in a story. This wasn’t the verbal tales she was used to; this was a new method of storytelling.
“Little Rabbit played in the meadow all day,” Ocellus began. “He played in the tall grass and by the running river,” New page. “Over large rocks and under large logs.” New page. “He played with the dogs, and he played with the frogs.” New page. “He played with the steer, and he played with the deer. He played with everyone.”
“Wow!” Silverstream zoomed in. “He has a lot of different friends, just like us!”
Ocellus chuckled. “Yeah.” She turned the page, and it showed a dark sky, and the rabbit was alone. “He played until the sun went down. Then it became dark. Little Rabbit could not play in the tall grass or the running river, or over large rocks and under large logs. He could not play with the dogs or the frogs or the steer or the deer. It was time to go home.”
New page. “Mommy Rabbit was waiting for him. ‘Come inside, Little Rabbit, and eat your dinner.’” New page. “Little Rabbit went inside and ate his dinner. Roasted carrots, garlic, onions and cabbage.”
Silverstream hummed in delight. Ocellus missed it.
New page. “And for dessert, a nice fluffy carrot cake.”
Another moan, once again missed by the changeling. But both of them lingered on the simple drawing in front of them, showing a rich, simple carrot cake.
“Doesn’t that look good?”
“What?”
“The carrot cake.”
“Um…” Ocellus didn’t have any inkling about the pleasantries of pony cakes.
Ocellus sighed and turned the page. “‘Come, Little Rabbit, and brush your teeth.’ Little Rabbit and Mommy Rabbit grabbed their toothbrushes and brushed their teeth. brush brush brush went the toothbrushes. They brushed until their teeth were white, and their smiles bright.” The entire page showed the two rabbits brushing their teeth together.
Ocellus poked at her own buck teeth. “My teeth are just like Little Rabbit’s!”
Sweet Scroll tilted her head. “Yes, they are. Be sure to brush them so they stay white, and your smile’s bright.”
Ocellus returned her attention to the book and turned the page.
“‘Come, Little Rabbit, and get dressed for bed.’ Little Rabbit went through his drawers and picked out his pajamas. Mommy Rabbit helped Little Rabbit pull his pajamas on, and they put the rest of the clothes back.” Little Rabbit’s room was strewn with clothes, as if he dug through every dresser looking for his pajamas.
“Geez, that looks like Terramar’s room when he’s getting ready for something big.” The girls shared a giggle.
“Does your room ever look like that?”
“No.”
“Oh, really?” Sweet Scroll asked coyly.
She had told the truth. She didn’t have anything in her room to messy it with. “Why does he need so many clothes?”
“For special occasions!”
Ocellus looked at her blankly.
Sweet Scroll offered a sweet smile. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
Ocellus sighed heavily. She turned the page. “‘Come, Little Rabbit, and lay down for bed.’” She smirked at the grammar error and moved on. “Little Rabbit crawled into bed, and Mommy Rabbit tucked him in. She kissed him on the cheek, and he kissed her on the cheek. ‘Good night, Little Rabbit.’ Mommy Rabbit turned the light off and closed the door.”
She turned the page once more, for the final time. “Little Rabbit went to sleep. He dreamed of playing in the tall grass and by the running river, over large rocks and under large logs, with the dogs and the frogs and the steer and the deer, and of many other adventures.”
She closed the book. “The End.” She looked up to see Silverstream tilting her head. “You... didn't like it?”
“That… was…” She burst into a smile. “Great! What a playful bunny, and what a loving mother! That was great!... Hey, Ocellus? You okay?”
Ocellus slowly closed the book. “I’m fine.” She picked up the book and took it with her. “You wanna check it out?”
“Nah, I’m good. Your reading did more than enough for it to stick into my mind! Seriously, you should consider reading to foals in your off-time!”
She put on the biggest smile she could, even if her jaw shook.
“So, you wanna go back outside and play?” Silverstream flew up to the library window and pointed at the setting sun. “They’re still playing, and we can do some catching before nightfall.”
Ocellus nodded. “Sure. I’ll put this back and then I’ll join you out there.”
“Okay!” Silver flew towards the exit. “Don’t keep us waiting too long!” And with that, she was gone.
Ocellus breathed a sigh of relief. Then her eyes went wide with realization. “I forgot to ask where the foals’ section was!” She smacked her head with the book.
And then she pulled it away from her face. Her chest felt heavy again, just by looking at it. She opened it up to the final page, showing Little Rabbit in his bed, sound asleep and thought brimming with adventures.
“Wow.”
“You liked it?”
She could only nod. To a young mind like Ocellus’s, it was like magic. The pictures, the sounds of the words, the way Sweet Scroll told the story, all held a grip on her she couldn't explain.
“I thought you would,” Sweet Scroll said, closing the book. “I usually read this book when ponies are sad. It usually lifts their spirits.” She took the book with her as she walked back to the shelves. “Do you want to read anything else?”
“There’s more?”
“Of course!” Sweet Scroll motioned around her. “There are a lot more books on plenty of different topics.”
“So it’s not all about Little Rabbit?”
Sweet Scroll laughed. “No, little one. There are stories about squirrels and chipmunks, fishes and birds, and many other creatures great and small. And that’s just fiction.”
“Fiction? What’s--” The golden glow across Sweet Scroll’s face darkened. Ocellus looked outside, and gasped. Wait, what am I doing here? She looked outside at the setting sun. “I need to get back to my hive.”
Sweet Scroll stopped. “Your what, dear?”
“My hi—I mean my home.” Ocellus hopped off of the couch. “My parents are gonna be worried about me!”
“Oh!” Sweet Scroll began sliding it back in place. “I could walk you home and explain to them—”
“No!” Ocellus shouted. “I need to leave!” She grabbed the book and galloped away. “Thank you!”
“Wait!”
Ocellus stopped. “What?”
“You can’t just take that!”
Ocellus’s heartbeat grew louder. “Why not?”
Sweet Scroll crossed her forelegs together. “You need a library card for that.”
“Is… is that normal?”
Sweet Scroll’s eyes widened. “Yes. That's how libraries work.”
Ocellus began to breathe raggedly. “Oh no, I'm sorry! Are you going to keep me here?”
“What?”
“And never let me go home?” She began to cry.
“No, of course not!” Sweet Scroll took her in for a hug. “Wherever would you get that idea?”
“That’s what my parents tell me. If I misbehave, you’ll keep me here and never let me go home.” She began to cry. “Please don’t keep me here!”
“Ladybug.” Sweet Scroll’s tone was stern. “Look at me.”
She shook her head.
“Please look at me.”
Ocellus’s sniffling slowed down, and with watery eyes she looked up. Sweet Scroll looked at her with an emotion she hadn’t seen before from the changelings.
“Ladybug,” Sweet Scroll began. “You should not take things that are not yours. Ponies will scold you for that. But nopony, and I mean nopony, is going to hurt you. Trust me, okay?”
Trust her? A pony? It was unheard of in the hive! No one had dared to have more than a parasitic relationship with a pony. But maybe that was the point. To get close enough to feed on their love and then leave. She considered herself lucky, finding somepony so nice wasn’t such a bad thing.
So she nodded.
“Good.” Sweet Scroll stroked her head. “Now follow me.”
They walked up to the front desk, where another mare was poring over some books on her desk. Ocellus watched these books with interest.
“Excuse me, Bookmark?”
The mare looked up, her curly towering raspberry blue mane bouncing. “Goodness, Sweet Scroll, why aren’t you home relaxing on your day off?”
“Oh, you know.” She pointed down to Ocellus. “Entertaining little fillies. Speaking of which, may we fill out a library card for her?”
“Of course!” Bookmark pulled out a card. “Your name?”
It took a while for the proper information to be filled out, including where she lived (she said she didn’t know at this time, something they altruistically attributed to her age) and who her parents were (she just called them “Mom” and “Dad”). They were more skeptical about that, and they began discussing it about themselves.
As they did, Ocellus saw her chance. Slowly, she opened her mouth, and her instincts came in. She saw the love snaking its way into her, and felt its rejuvenating power. She also saw the mares looking up in surprise, and she instantly closed her mouth.
“That was an odd draft,” Bookmark said, shivering.
“You felt it, too?’ Sweet Scroll looked around. “We should check our windows.”
“But in the meantime… young one!”
Ocellus looked up, and a flash of light flooded her eyes. She screeched and hissed, but it wore off. Once she opened her eyes, she saw a fully-filled-out card held out to her. She took it and stared at the writing, not able to make out a single word of it.
“See that?” Sweet Scroll pointed to the entry next to… her? “This is your name, ‘Ladybug’.”
She studied the word carefully, etching it into her mind. She felt that she’d need it for later. “How did you get me on there?”
“With a camera.”
“A what?”
Sweet Scroll picked her up and pointed to a contraption. “With that!”
Ocellus stared at it. “Whoa.”
“Foals, am I right?”
Bookmark laughed. “Yes.” She went back to her business.
“Ladybug?” Sweet Scroll handed her “Good Night, Little Rabbit.” “Now, understand that you’ll need to return this, okay?”
She nodded.
“Will we see you again?”
She thought about that for a moment. I can’t keep something that would compromise the safety of the hive. She nodded. “I will return this when I’m done.”
“See if your parents will read it to you, and teach you how to read it.”
Ocellus started to shake her head, but corrected it to a nod.
“Okay.” Sweet Scroll gave her a hug. “Run along home, and no more crying, okay?”
“Yes, Sweet Scroll!” Ocellus clutched the book tightly, and then cantered out of the library. “Wow, a book to take home!” The thought of the punishment she would have to endure for running away had left her mind with the thought of reading Little Rabbit’s tale once again.
“Goodbye!” Sweet Scroll cried from behind her. “We can’t wait to see you again!”
Little Rabbit went to sleep. He dreamed of playing in the tall grass and by the running river, over large rocks and under large logs, with the dogs and the frogs and the steer and the deer, and of many other adventures.
The End
Suddenly, something hit the page. Ocellus blinked and stared at it. A dark, wet splotch.
She groaned. Her tears had begun hitting the paper. She pushed the book away from her and attempted to wipe the tears away from her face. She hadn’t put the book back like she had told Silverstream, and once they were all done playing, and she had prepared for bed, she had opened it up again.
She looked outside. The moon loomed high in the sky. She closed the book and set it on her nightstand. With one last wipe of her face, she lay back and closed her eyes. She stifled a sob before it could wake her friends
But the heavy chest and stinging eyes didn't go away. It built up within her until she could hold it in no longer. She grabbed the book and held it tightly to her chest, crying until she could cry no more, and then fell into slumber.