A week later, I was passing along Fluttershy’s cottage when I saw her doing something with a blue-plate like thing… She was tossing the blue-plate, and then catching it when it snapped back at her. “What’s that?” I asked Fluttershy.
“It’s sort of a Frisbee… on a long rubber band,” She said while tossing the Frisbee and it snapped back fast, Fluttershy nearly catches it but she missed it and flew behind her, then snapped back again ~ and hit her in the back of the head.
Fluttershy fell forward and sobs under her mane… Sure she’s a wimp, but I can’t just stand there and watch her like that… it’s just unbearable…
“Are you alright, Shy?” I sat next to her, stroking her mane as I comfort my shy little friend.
“T-that’s not h-how it’s supposed to work exactly,” She said, while her eyes still watering.
I started to untangle a knot on the thick rubber band. “I’ll play with you, if you want…” I said, helping her up.
“I loved to, Dashie…” She said, smiling at me. I could have sworn… even for a mare like me, my heart just stopped at the sight of her cute face… I never admitted it, but I kind of liked Fluttershy… unfortunately, I’m not the opposite gender to have such feeling for her…
“Okay, so how do you play with it?” I asked, as I examined the toy.
“Hmm, let’s see… you hold this end, and imagine like it’s a yoyo…” Fluttershy explained, as she gave me the Frisbee.
I remember what Shy was doing earlier, and tried to imitate what she did… “Okay… I just imagined this like a yoyo, aaand~”
“Hey!! What’s up!?” Scootaloo yelled behind me, I let out a yelp and accidentally flung the Frisbee right in Fluttershy’s face!!
“Gaahh! F-Fluttershy are you okay?!” I asked in a panicked stricken voice, as she starts to cry again.
“I’m sorry!! I didn't mean to startle you, Dashie!” Scootaloo apologizes coming to see if Fluttershy is okay.
“Don’t do that Scoots! Scaring ponies isn't funny!” I scolded the filly, but Scootaloo gave me a bad look and grunted. I completely forgot I do the same to everypony… so; I just smiled sheepishly at her. “Yeah, anyway… Shy, I’m sorry! I should have been more careful!”
“I-it’s a-alright… I-I’m okay~” She said, while still sobbing under her bright-pink mane.
“We better stop playing with this thing; it’s really dangerous to play it when you’re around… no offence.” I looked at Fluttershy, and help her up again.
“Well, I better be off anyway… I need to go to the library to get a new book to borrow.” I said to them, as I turned around and took off.
“Bye, Rainbow Dash! Take care!” Fluttershy called out.
“Let’s hang out later, Dashie!” Scootaloo waved at me, as I waved back to the both of them, and zooms towards The Library.
It was a beautiful day, the weather mare’s seems to made the whole day sunny. Everything seemed bright and cheerful, golden and summer green… Even the other ponies think so as well as they were all enjoying the sunny day.
The Library, as usual, was bathed in dark brownish shadows. I’d only been back once since that day. Once very quickly, to get my book. I stopped at the curb, staring up at it. I felt a sudden chill. I never felt this chill before when Twilight’s around…The whole world seemed to grow darker here now. Darker and colder.Just my imagination? We’ll see, I thought. We’ll see today what’s real and what isn't.
I pulled my saddle bag off my back, and swinging it by the straps as I glide to the front door. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Perched over Twilight’s desk in the main reading room, Mr. Warts was just finishing with another pony who was also borrowing a book from there. It was a Mare I knew back from Cloudsdale, Cloud Chaser.
I watched from the end of a long row of books. Mr. Warts was saying goodbye. He gave her the book, then he shook Cloud Chaser’s hoof, and I could see her trying not to make a disgusted face. She said something, and they both laughed. Very jolly…
Oh, I forgot to mention… Two days ago, I overheard on some ponies talking, that his hooves always seemed wet. Though, I didn't know why that was… I didn't take much notice to it, until he shook my hoof… He would reach out and shake your hoof and his hand was always sopping! It went on like that for the past week until now…
As Cloud Chaser said goodbye and headed toward the doorway. I stepped out to greet her. “What book did you get?” I asked after we said our hellos.
She held it up for me. “It’s called White Fang,” She said pointing to the title.
“Is it about a monster?” I guessed.
She laughed a bit on that. “No, silly. It’s about a dog.”
I thought I saw Mr. Warts’ head lift up when I said the word monster. But I might have imagined that. I chatted a while longer with Cloud Chaser then we said goodbye to each other as we part ways…
Hearing the front door close behind her as I took my seat next to Mr. Warts’ desk and pulled “Daring Do and the Throne of Dracula” from my saddle bag.
“Did you enjoy it?” Mr. Warts asked. He had been studying his little critters, but he turned to face me with a friendly smile on his face.
He was wearing a turtle neck, a bright yellow one. I noticed that he wore a big, purple ring on his horn. He twirled the ring as he smiled at me.
“It was kind of cool,” I said. “And I really love it!” I had read this book more than two times this week, I really love it… especially if it’s Daring Do.
“Did you enjoy the description in this book, too?” Mr. Warts asked, leaning closer to me over the desk.
My eye caught the big jar of Pink Stuff on the shelf behind him. It was very full. “Well, yeah,” I said. “It was just as I expected… More action!”
“What was your favorite part of the book?” Mr. Warts asked.
“The monsters!” I answered instantly. I watched his face to see if he reacted to that word. But he didn't even blink. His tiny black eyes remained locked on mine. “The monsters were really awesome,” I decided to test him. “ Wouldn't it be great if there were really monsters, Mr. Warts?”
Again he didn't blink. “You know, we have real monsters here… like The Ursa Minor… and Major, the Chimera… The Hydra… Basilisk… You name it… Why would you ask something that already exists?” He said quietly, twirling his purple ring. “But, there are other monsters that ponies haven’t seen yet… and ponies tend to prefer their scares in books or movies. They don’t want their scares to suddenly march in town and cause panic,” He chuckled.
I forced myself to chuckle too… What an EPIC fail!!! I totally forgot that we actually HAVE real monsters outside of Ponyville! But wait… what did he meant by… “Monsters that ponies haven’t seen yet”? That made me curious…
I took a deep breath and continued my little test. I was trying to get him to make a slip, to reveal that he wasn't really a pony. “Do you believe that… there are undiscovered monsters around?” I asked. Not very subtle. I admit it…
But he didn't seem to notice. “Do I believe that Daring Do discovered a monster named Dracula who made monsters out of corpse by using electricity to bring them back to life?” Mr. Warts asked. He shook his round head. “We can build machines, but not living creatures… though, some… but we can’t actually make life just by saying WE can…”
That wasn't what I meant…
Some other ponies came into the library. A little filly with her white-haired grandmother. The little filly went skipping to the children’s book section. The grandmother picked up a newspaper and carried it to an armchair across the room… I didn’t even know Twilight HAD an armchair.
I was very unhappy to see them. I knew that the librarian wouldn't change into a monster while they were here. I was sure he only ate flies when the library was empty. I was gonna have to hide somewhere and wait for them to leave.
Mr. Warts reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a book, and showed it to me. I thought he was going to shake my hoof, but he didn't. “Have you read Birds of a Feather?” he asked, picking up some books from the pile on his desk and putting it in a neat order.
“No,” I said. “Does it have monsters in it?”
He threw back his head and laughed, as his chin starts quivering. I thought I caught a flash of recognition in his eyes.A question.A tiny moment of hesitation. I thought my question brought something strange to his eyes. But, of course, again it could have been my imagination.
“I don’t think you’ll find any monsters in this one or any Daring Do in it as well,” he said, still chuckling. He stamped it using his rubber stamp and gave the book to me. The cover was moist from where his hoof had been.
I told him that I’ll be coming back same time next week to exchange the book once I’m done… then I walked out of the main reading room and pretended to leave the library.
I pulled open the front door and let it slam, but didn't go out. Instead, I crept back, keeping myself in the shadows, like a spy!
I stopped at the back wall, hidden by a long row of bookshelves. I never would have thought that Twilight’s house was THIS huge for having such long rows upon rows of bookshelves… it’s unbelievable!
“Where to hide?” I asked myself... I had to find a safe hiding place. Safe from Mr. Warts’ beady eyes, and safe from anypony else who might enter the library.
What was my plan?
Well, I’d been thinking about it all week, but I really didn't have much of a plan. I just wanted to catch him in the act, I wanted to see clearly. I wanted to erase all doubts from my mind, that’s all.
My plan that I just thought at that time, was to hide until the library was empty, and then spy on Mr. Warts to watch him change into a monster and eat flies again. Then I’d know I wasn't crazy. Then I’d know my eyes hadn't playing tricks on me.
As I looked around for a spot to hide, I could hear the little filly’s grandmother calling to Mr. Warts on the other side of the room.
“Do you have any spelling books? Dinky only likes picture book. But I want her to learn how to spell too.”
“Grandma, whisper!” Dinky called harshly. “This is a library remember, Whisper!”
My eyes searched the long, dark shelves for a hiding place, and there it was! A low bookshelf along the floor near the back was empty. It formed a narrow cave that I could crawl into.
Trying to be silent as I could, I got down and crawled on the cave-like space in the shelf and slid my body back as I tucked myself in.
It wasn't really large enough to stretch my wings and myself. I had to keep them folded and stay in a crawling position. My head was pressed hard against the upright board and it’s not that very comfortable. I knew I couldn't stay like this forever, but it was late afternoon. Maybe Dinky and her grandmother would leave soon. Maybe I wouldn't have to stay tucked on the shelf like a moldy old book for very long.
My heart was pounding very fast; I could hear Mr. Warts talking softly to Dinky. I could hear the rustle of the old lady’s newspaper. I could hear the ticking of the big wall clock on the front wall.
I could hear every sound, every creak and groan. I was stiff like a rock, waiting silently for nightfall to come… then, it starts to happen… I suddenly had to sneeze!
My nose tickled like crazy! There was so much dust down here that I fought with myself from sneezing. I reached up and squeezed my nose hard with my hooves and somehow I managed to shut off the sneeze.
My heart was pounding even faster and harder. I could hear it over the ticking of the clock.
“Please leave,” I said quietly, wishing Dinky and her grandmother would just go out of the library soon. “Please leave,please leave… please leave.”
I don’t know how long I can stay tucked inside this dusty shelf. My neck was starting to hurt from being pressed against the shelf and I started to feel another sneeze coming on.
“This book is too hard. I need an easier one,” Dinky said to Mr. Warts. They were having some sort of conversation though I can’t see them… I know they were because I heard Mr. Warts mutter something after that I heard a shuffling noise… Hoof-steps?
Were they coming this way?
Were they going to see me?
No. They turned and headed back to the children’s section on the side.
“I've already read this one,” I heard Dinky complain.
“Please leave,please leave… please leave.” I prayed, closing my eyes and holding on to my head, as it starts to hurt pretty badly.
It must have been only a few minutes later when Dinky and her grandmother decided to go home, but it seemed like hours to me.
My neck was stiff, my back ached and my legs were all tingling as I presumed that they all fell asleep I heard the front door close behind them as they exited the place. The library was now empty, except for Mr. Warts and me.
I waited…and listened.
I heard the scrape of his tall stool against the floor, then his hoof-steps, then his coughing.
I noticed the place was getting darker, and then realized, he was turning off the lights.
“Show time!” I said to myself grinning as my plan was going smoothly. He was closing up! Now’s the time… Now’s the time he’ll turn into a monster before my eyes.
I rolled silently off the shelf, onto the floor then pulled myself to a standing position. I tried shaking my legs wildly trying to get the circulation back, and keeping quiet at the same time just to wake them up. Then after a few seconds they sprang back to life as I sighed in relief.
As all the lights went out and most of the library was blanketed in darkness… I noticed the only light left was coming from the late afternoon sunlight flooding through the window at the front of the room.
I sharpened my senses more trying to pinpoint where my target was… but I didn't felt his presence anywhere.
Where was Mr. Warts?
After a few seconds, I heard him cough again, and then he began to hum to himself.
Holding my breath, I sneaked closer to his desk, navigating in both darkness and between the shelves. I leaned my side against the shelves, careful not to tilt one of them causing a domino effect as I moved through the shadows as I went closer to Mr. Warts’ desk.
Whoa.
I suddenly realized that Mr. Warts’ wasn't at his desk. I quickly looked around to see if he sneaking up towards me, luckily he wasn't there… Then, I heard hoof-steps behind me, at the back of the main reading room. Then I heard his hoof thud across the floor of the front entry way.
I froze in place, listening hard, still holding my breath.
Was he leaving?
No…
As I listen further, I heard a loud click.
The sound of a lock being turned. He had locked the front door! I didn't plan for that, not at all! That was definitely not part of my plan
I froze in the dark aisle, before I start to realize that I was locked in with him!
I stared into the dark space, not knowing what I should do next! Should I continue with my plan, or leave from one of the open windows immediately and forget about my little spy mission…
Now what?