//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1  
// Story: The Time Before You 
// by Fat1thatyoulove 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 1 – Filly steps

The city of Canterlot is calm as the Celestia's bright sun starts its descent from the tall white marble buildings, but for one filly the setting sun doesn't mean the day has ended. As the small lavender filly closes another book with a wide smile, the book comes to a new stack of about ten or so other books as the filly precisely moves it to sit perfectly on the other few books.

Her purple eyes squint to the stack that now has become a decent sized tower on the desk as she taps her hoof to her mouth, "Hmm...What do you think Ms.Smarty Pants one more?"

A wide eyed smile comes to the lavender filly as she turns her head to the small gray doll; that slightly leans against the table of the desk as the quill attracted to its right hoof slightly keeps it up as the ink dipped tip stands to a piece of paper with a little writing neatly hoof printed to it. But no answer comes from the blue eyed button doll as the filly scoots her chair over towards it, "Great! Me too!"

Her hooves come around the small doll as her tongue comes out a little as she stares pass the doll's side and towards the table as she manipulates the right quilled hoof a little as the filly traces her words out on it as she follows it with her voice, "We....have...read...Twenty...Twoo."

The filly's eyes squint to the paper as she looks over the words for a moment before a slight gasp comes from her, "Huh! MS.Smarty Pants! You spelled two wrong!"

The doll's head slightly leans a little to the right as it's right hoof again comes to it's pony puppet master as an X comes through the word in question. As the last line comes over the word a child like giggle comes from the filly as she moves the hoof of the doll from the paper, "There now the paper is..." The happy and sure voice comes in a little shaky as the filly pushes through her chosen word, "X-quizz-it." The happy smile comes back to her face as she nods to her sounding out, "...Exquisite."

But the filly's moment of triumph is cut short as she turns her head to the opening door of her room.

A sweet low voice comes from the door as it opens to a white mare with white and purple mane, "Twilight, it's time for dinn-..."

The mare's words stop as she looks over the room, even though the piles of books have been neatly stacked the shear volume of the books slightly catches her off guard. That and the slightly ink covered doll that Twilight's other chair seats. But her voice comes back as her eyes move to the smiling filly with a slight laugh, "W-well you have been a busy filly?"

Twilight nods her head as she turns around in her seat with a proud smile, "Yep." Her eyes close as she poked her head a little up, "...I read Twenty...two books and only have four stacks left."

Another slight laugh comes from the white mare, "I hope you don't plan to read all these books today sweetie, you would be tired for tomorrow."

Twilight shakes her head to the comment as she speaks up, "No I won't mommy, I read that-that ponies only need eight hours of sleep."

"Oh really?" The mare holds a playful stare to the little filly as she continues, "Yep, so I can read all the books!" A wide eyed smile comes from the lavender filly as she stares to the mare at the door.

Velvet holds a faint smile as she looks over the room, but she doesn't stay quiet for long as she speaks up, "Well sweetie, I think a little filly shouldn't rush herself through every book in the house." At the end of the words her horn sparks up in a faint blue chime of magic as a few stacks of books start to float towards the white mare.

To the motion Twilight wiggles her right front hoof as she speaks up, "Awww..." But her sad tone doesn't last long as she watches the mare's magic wrap to another pile of books, "Oh oH oh!" Velvet stops her spell for a moment as she looks to the failing front leg of the filly now standing to her seat, "Look what I learned how to do!"

Twilight's tongue pokes a little from her mouth as she squints her eyes to the stack of books to her left still sitting on the desk, her horn sparks up in a light purple as the stack floats from the table after a few seconds. The filly's happy voice comes up as the white mare watches with a smile, "I learned how to control more than one book." A wide smile comes from her as she stares to the white mare in the door.

But before Velvet can speak up the sound of a stallion's voice comes next to her as a blue unicorn stallion comes to the door, "Hey is anypony coming dow-...that's a lot of books..."

Twilight's eyes shift to the stallion's voice as she floats the book tower in her hold a little higher, "Dad look what I can do!" But as the filly's excitement grows to the stallion's smile her hold of the books becomes lapsed as they break through the hold and coat the floor with a thump and whoosh of opening pages.

"oops."

Velvet gives a slight sigh to the new mess but the stallion to her left just gives a slight chuckle as he nods to the little filly, "Get ready for dinner Twilight."

The little filly moves from the seat as her horn sparks up in a light purple glow, "Come on Ms.Smarty Pants, you need to get cleaned up. You can't eat with dirty hooves." Velvet moves into the room as the stallion at the door watches the lavender filly trotting past him and down the hallway, but he holds a smile to the filly as he watches her slightly dragging the doll to the floor with her magic that slightly looks like the doll is walking.

Twilight's trot comes to the closed bathroom door as she looks to the door, shes not too small to open the door but she still pauses as she looks to the door handle. But her ears is what she has stoped for as the muffled and low stallion's voice from behind the door comes to her, "...S-so Cadence...w-would you like to go to the Summer Sun Dan-..."

With a wide smile Twilight's horn glows a little brighter as she opens the door to the slightly shocked eyed young stallion standing in front of the mirror, "Twilight?! The door was locked you know."

The little filly nods her head as she floats the doll towards her brother, "I know, but I learned how to do a lock spell-...Could you clean Ms.Smarty Pants? She didn't watch her hooves."

Shining blinks to the words as he loses a little of his surprised face as he takes the doll from the little filly's grasp as he talks, "Did you spill ink in a book?"

Twilight shifts a little as she gives an innocent smile, "Um...I no I didn't."

The stallion moves a little towards the door as he looks to the empty hallway for a moment, after a few seconds of scanning the area he looks down to the little filly as he whispers, "I won't tell mom or dad if you don't tell Cadance about...about what you heard."

The little filly quickly nods her head as she taps her hoof to her mouth, "B.B.B.F.F secret."

Shining smiles to the words as he moves back towards the sink with the doll floating next to him, "Alright, lets clean this Ms.Inky Pants up."

End of chapter 1