//------------------------------// // Sleeping in the Library // Story: The Best Intentions // by SpearmintSonnet //------------------------------// Chapter 6: Sleeping in the Library: The next evening found Cadence slaving away once again in the Royal Library. Her table, which she had previously thought had been full of books, now had several more stacks just as high surrounding it. The young pegasus looked at the mountain range of books she had collected. This would be a whole lot easier if I had somepony here to help me... Sighing deeply, the princess looked towards the door to the library, hoping for the dozenth time that night that her purple dragon friend would walk through so she wouldn't have to, but for the dozenth time that night, the door remained closed. Cadence moaned quietly to herself. The castle was extensive and Claudia could be anywhere, or so the pessimistic part of her brain insisted. The truth was, Cadence probably knew exactly where her friend was, but the prospect of going to her and asking for forgiveness didn't appeal to the princess. However, staying in the dusty library all on her own was even less appealing, so the pink pegasus slowly walked out the library doors and into the rest of the palace. Her first stop was the small annex room Claudia had been using as a study the two nights that Cadence had found her, but the room was empty of everything except the desk and chairs that usually adorned the room. There was no soft candlelight in the window or piles of dusty papers and scrolls. Slightly disheartened, Cadence shut the door and began moving farther into the castle. Claudia probably found a new room to work in... probably to avoid running into me at night. Not that I blame her. Cadence sighed as she walked through the empty, echoing halls. Moonlight glittered across the crystals, making the need for torches imaginary on all but the darkest and cloudiest of nights. The shimmering light seemed to lead the princess deeper into the castle, towards the private chambers of the ponies who worked in the castle. At the end of the hall was a door that looked no different from the others at first glance, but a closer examination would reveal thin scratches in the opaque crystal. Scratches that could not be made with hooves. This was the door that lead to Claudia's room and it was the door that Cadence stood in front of for several long moments. As the princess she could just walk in, no pony would object, but it felt wrong this time and so she raised her hoof and eventually knocked gently on the door. For a moment, Cadence thought the door would never open, that Claudia was elsewhere in the castle and that she would have to continue her search, but that moment passed as the door creaked open and the small, angular head of a dragon peaked out around it. “Who is it? It's almost midnight!” The sleepy dragon blinked twice before her eyes focused on Cadence. When they did, her sleepy expression hardened slightly, though not as much as Cadence had feared. “Oh, it's you. Did you need something Princess? I'm sure you just got the wrong door, the cook is three doors down from mine and your maid is across the hall.” “No... actually, I was looking for you, Claudia.” Cadence took a deep breath, “I... I wanted to... apologize... to you... for what happened the other day... with the guard inspection. I really had meant to be there... but... but I wasn't... and even though it was out of my control completely... I still broke my promise to you... and I'm sorry.” Claudia was quiet for a long minute as she slowly took in what Cadence was saying. “You did break your promise.” The dragon's voice was level as she spoke. Calculating, as if she was taking the time to pick the very best words for what she wanted to say, “but Captain Iron Point told me what's been going on, with you and this spell thing, so I guess I can't really be mad at you. And I did snap at you horribly the other night, so... I'm sorry for that.” The dragon looked even more uncomfortable apologizing than the princess did. “I... didn't really want to believe what he said- about a spell and your being out of sorts being more than just love-sickness, but I guess it's what makes sense, huh?” The dragon leaned on her door frame and smiled slightly, “I suppose this means you need my help in the library, huh? You never were one for research.” Cadence nodded then looked at Claudia closely, “The captain found you yesterday? And you didn't stop by the library at all? Why?” The dragon snorted, “After the way you shunned me before, I thought it was the same kind of thing. You making a promise you wouldn't keep later. I figured if you really meant it, you'd come search me out. And you did.” Stepping out into the hall, Claudia shut her door and locked it, slipping the key and the ring it was attached to over her wrist so that the whole thing jingled merrily. “So what are we looking for exactly?” “To be honest, I have no idea.” Cadence admitted as she fell into step with her long-time friend. “Sharp Retort said that I'll just have to search every book in the library on alchemy, and if the potion sounds like it could be what's affecting me we bring it down to her so she can make the antidote. And we do that until we find the right potion and antidote.” “Isn't that... dangerous?” Claudia asked, real concern in her voice. “I mean, I don't know much about magic and potions, but testing different potions on yourself without being one hundred percent sure it's the right one can't be without consequences.” “Well, Retort said that no antidote is a poison, so if the antidote isn't the right one, it'll just make me a little dizzy or nauseous for a bit, nothing more.” The dragon made a disbelieving noise in the back of her throat, but admitted, “She is the court alchemist for a reason, I'm sure she knows what she's doing.” Cadence nodded as she pushed open the library door again, “I've set up my books over around that table, so that's where we'll start.” Claudia's eyes followed the princess's pointing hoof and she whistled slowly when she saw all the books around the table, “And this is just the start, huh?” She took a deep breath and turned back towards Cadence, “Well then, I guess we'd better get started then, huh? The sooner we start looking for potions, the sooner we can get you cured.” The two friends took up books on either side of the table and began skimming through them, searching for the right potion that would unlock the spell entrapping Cadence. Slowly the hours passed and soon it was no longer moonlight, but gentle, predawn sunlight streaming through the library's great open windows. The two agreed to meet again the following night to continue the search as Cadence yawned broadly and left the library. Claudia stayed behind to continue searching and to tell the librarian not to go to the trouble of replacing all the books they'd removed from the shelves, the number of which had increased greatly as the night wore on and now covered two tables instead of only one. When the librarian did appear soon after true sunrise, she was shocked and appalled to see so many of the books strewn across the library. “Claudia!” her shrill voice could be heard across the room, even though she spoke in a whisper. “I thought I told you to warn me before you began another of your long-winded research project!” The purple dragon smiled halfheartedly, covering a yawn with her claws, “So I did, Britannica, and I do apologize for this. Something came up last night and I didn't have time to talk to you before hoof. I'll put most of these away myself, to make up for it...” “No, no, that's fine.” The white and pink mare shook her head as she began picking up some of the books off the farther table, “I can take care of it.” “Um... actually the books I'm done with are over here.” Claudia indicated a pile off to her left where she set the book she'd been reading. “I wasn't able to get through as many of these as I'd wanted last night.” “I see,” the librarian set down the few books she'd gathered back where she'd gotten them and instead picked up the pile Claudia had indicated. “And what exactly made you decide to start researching...” the mare glanced at the title of the book on top of the pile “... alchemy? I didn't think you were interested in that kind of magic.” “Well... something came up.” Claudia did her best to mimic Cadence's and-this-is-a-good-time-to-stop-asking-questions look, which seemed to work fairly well because Britannica seemed to get the hint and began putting the books away. “If you could maybe find me some books of basic alchemy and other fundamentals, that would be great.” “I'll see what I can do,” Britannica tossed her dual-toned pink mane as she set another book back in it's place on the shelf. “Anything else you need?” Claudia yawned as she flipped through one book and set it down, starting a new pile, “just... don't let anypony disturb these tables, even if they really need one of these books. This takes top priority right now, alright?” The librarian nodded, “whatever you say.” ~~~ The young dragon stayed in the library all day and into the afternoon, taking only small catnaps on the books when she could no longer keep her eyes open. When Cadence rejoined her after sundown, Claudia was sleeping across several open tomes. “Did you leave the library at all today, Claudia?” the pink pegasus asked when her friend sat up. “No....” the dragon yawned broadly. “I didn't.” She grabbed the book she'd been skimming and flipped a page. “Well... you should get some sleep soon. You can't keep going like this. You may not be a baby dragon any more, but that doesn't mean you don't need your sleep.” Cadence sat down across the table from her friend and picked up one of the tomes in her hooves. “Yes, Mother,” Claudia rolled her eyes as she continued to read. “Anyway, I did find a couple spells I think might be what we're looking for.” She indicated a small stack of open books that was sitting precariously on the edge of the table. “You might look them over just to be sure.” Cadence set down the book she'd been flipping through, making sure to keep it open to the page she wanted before grabbing the first of the open books and looking the potions over. “This one might be it... So might this one...” she picked up the third book and frowned, “Claudia. This potion is for curing the Feather Flu.” “Huh?” Claudia frowned, tugging the book out of Cadence's hooves and squinting at the page. “Oh.... I guess it is. Whoops.” She snapped the book closed and set it down on the stack of books to be returned to the shelves. “I guess I was getting pretty tired...” “You look exhausted,” Cadence told her friend. “Why don't you try to sleep a bit while I keep searching? I'll wake you up in an hour, okay, so it's not like you'll leave me hanging.” “But...” Claudia tried to argue, but the princess interrupted. “No buts, Claudia. You've been working all day and you need rest.” The purple dragon sighed before stepping away from the table and to the pile of books she'd pulled from the shelves to form a makeshift bed, “but you wake me in an hour, no more, okay?” “I promise,” Cadence smiled at her friend before turning back to the piles of books. Claudia yawned broadly and lay down, curling into a ball and closing her eyes. Within moments she was snoring gently, small puffs of smoke billowed from her nose as she breathed. The time ticked by slowly in the utter silence of the otherwise empty library as Cadence picked her way through the tomes on the table. She made sure to grab the smaller, narrower books so that she could feel she accomplished something while her friend slept. The first book she skimmed was utterly useless, full of nonsense potions and magicians tricks and the second wasn't much better. It was a book of mythical cure-alls that Cadence was pretty sure, even with her limited knowledge of alchemy and magic in general, were impossible frauds. The third book seemed more promising as it spoke of potions used to beguile the mind, but Cadence set it aside when she realized it was mostly on love potions, and there was no way a potion like that was affecting her. When she heard the guard call the hour outside the open window, Cadence moved to wake her friend. Claudia slept like a rock in mid-winter so it took several good shakes to bring the young dragon out of her slumber. When she did, the dragon stretched tall and yawned, “Did you find anything useful?” “Not really,” Cadence admitted sitting back down in front of the table. “Mostly nonsense and myths than any real alchemy.” “Yeah, I've been running up against those problems too. Seems like half the books I've looked through are either alchemical theory or mythical potions that just can't exist. Not that alchemical theory is bad, it's just not what we're looking for.” “No, it's not,” Cadence agreed, pulling another book off the stack. “This just seems kinda... fruitless, doesn't it?” Claudia reached across the table and smiled slightly, “Don't give up, I'm sure what we're looking for is here. We just have to be strategic about it. Don't give up hope just yet.” The two turned back to their books and continued to skim, hoping against hope that the next paragraph, page, or book would hold the spell they were looking for, and while many were close, none seemed to fit exactly what they were looking for. Slowly the stack of potential spells grew until it stood ten books tall. It was then that Cadence decided it was time for her to turn in again as the sun was slowly making it's way over the eastern horizon. “I'll take these down to Sharp Retort so she can start working on the antidotes,” Claudia said, gathering up the several books in her claws. “I'm sure she's going to need all day to finish them.” “Good idea,” the princess yawned as she walked through the halls with her friend. “I'll see you again tonight. Try to get some sleep between now and then, okay?” “Sure, sure.” Claudia smiled and waved before heading downstairs towards the dungeons where Sharp Retort set up shop. ~~~ The bright blue alchemist was surprised when Claudia stepped into her dark offices underneath the palace. She had been expecting the princess herself, not her dragon companion, but at the same time it didn't surprise her that Claudia had come instead. Still it was prudent not to jump to conclusions, “What brings you down here so early this morning, Claudia? Whatever it is, can't it wait? I'm fairly busy right now,” which wasn't true, but the elusive alchemist didn't like random ponies, or dragons, disturbing her delicate work. “No, it really can't wait.” Claudia huffed, settling a stack of open tomes onto the counter that Retort stood behind. “Princess Cadence sent me down here with these books, which we think might have the potion or an antidote for the potion that is afflicting her.” The mare raised an eyebrow at the stack of books before her, which was easily a foot high, even with the books splayed open. “So many? I doubt all of these are anything close to what the Princess is looking for, however,” the alchemist continued to talk even as Claudia made motion to object, “I will look them all over. There's no reason to doubt what I have not seen. But I'm going to need time. Bring the Princess down here this evening. I'm sure I'll have at least one or two antidotes for her to try by then. If not, I'll at least have a better idea on when they will be ready for her.” Claudia nodded, “I can do that. And come see me if you need anything specific for your potions.” The alchemist couldn't help but laugh at that, “Oh, dear dragon, if I don't have what I need, then no pony for a hundred miles will. But no matter, if there is something I need urgently, I'll be sure to send my request through you.” With a dismissive motion of her hoof, Retort shooed Claudia from her office whereupon she began pouring over the open books, reading the spells in much more detail than either Claudia or the Princess had before. Shaking her head, the blue mare quickly dismissed nearly half the potential potions, all of which were for natural illnesses. They could have done a little better research than this, Sharp Retort muttered to herself and she set aside the fifth tome. But I guess I shouldn't expect much from middle of the night searches, especially from ponies who just don't understand the subtle nuances of alchemy. And of course the Princess wants results, what with the fate of her kingdom in the balance. I'm sure that puts a lot of pressure on Claudia to give me as many potential cures as possible. The mare huffed as she set the sixth book in a different pile from the others, setting aside the potion for future reference. That still doesn't make it easy for me! Does the Princess think I have unlimited supplies at my disposal? Does she think I can drop all my other projects and clients for her problem? Huffing angrily, the mare closed the eighth book after just a glance, the potion detailed was one for curing warts. For the love of the Moon and Stars, I swear to the heavens if this is the fare I continue to get, I don't care if the fate of the WORLD lies in the balance, I will out-right refuse to help! Not even Iron Point could convince me otherwise! He doesn't have to work with this!