//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Lesser Light: My Time in the Limelight // by soothsayer //------------------------------// The previous day wasn't anything but ordinary Narci had learned. Cheerilee's had suspended the normal curriculum allowing her to get used to the class. They played games like telegraphy, where one pony whispered a sentence into the ear of another and then that pony whispered to the next and so on until it reached the end of the line. The last pony then told the class what he or she had heard. It was almost never the same what the as the originating sentence. They took turns reading from their literature books and an assortment of art projects. By lunch Narci was now just as mentally exhausted as she was physically tired, the little bags under her eyes made her look far older that her actual age. "I hate math!" she groaned. AB laughed at her misery, little bits of food falling from her mouth, "Ah love math! Its the only thing that makes sense to me." "I'm going to have to side with the bat pony on this one," said Scootaloo. "That's only because you can barely count higher than you can fly," replied AB. Scootaloo shot AB a venomous glare, "Are you calling me stupid?" Choking on her daisy sandwich Sweetie's eyes darted back and forth between her two friends, "Everypony has subject they are good at and subject they are bad at. Just because you have a subject that you a really bad at doesn't mean you're stupid," she squeaked. "Says Cheerilee's number one assistant!" said Scoots with a sly smile. "Aren't you Cheerilees's number one assistant, Scootaloo?" asked Narci. A puzzled look crossed Scootaloo's face, "What gave you that Idea. I'm too cool to be a teachers pet." she said proudly. Sniggering at Scootaloo choice of words Narci decided that now was not the time to be nice, "You didn't look too cool when you were helping her collect our math worksheets before lunch when you thought nopony was watching," "I did not help her!" interjected the orange filly, "I was late to lunch because I had to go to the bathroom." AB shook her head in disbelief, like her big sis she hated a liar. "That an't true, Scootaloo. Ah was in the bathroom and Ah never saw you," she spat. Scootaloo looked at Sweetie giving her a please help pout. "Oh, and you didn't mind getting petted by the teacher as she told you that you were the sweetest little niece she could ask for," added Narci sarcastically. Scootaloo crossed her forelegs in defeat as a blush started to peak through her coat, "How do you know about that?" she muttered. Leaning back in her seat a impish grin painted its way across Narci's face, "Bat Ponies have really good ears!" Scootaloo snorted in protest. "They really do!" added Sweetie. After lunch Cheerilee assigned her students the next chapter in their social studied book and then asked Narci to join her in the hall. The two left the classroom and sat down in the hall outside. Giving Narci a nervous smile which Cheerilee gladly returned. "How are you adjusting, Narcissus? she asked politely. Looking down at her hooves Narci thought about how to answer. "You don't have to be nervous around me Narcissus, I'm a teacher, I'm not Nightmare Moon" Narci shuttered at that comment, "Nightmare Moon wasn't as bad as you ponies make her out to be," Narci replied coldly. "You ponies? Are we so different from you," "What do you want me to say, that I'm sorry for sleeping in your class yesterday. That although I have made friends I still wished that I had another bat pony to talk to late at night when I can't sleep." "I don't want anything from you. I just want you to be happy and healthy. I know your still adjusting to going to school during the day. But, you look really tied and I was going to ask you if you would like to take a nap in the nurses office," "A nap sounds really good right now," she thought. She suddenly felt bad for lashing out at the red mare, "I'm sorry...for you know," muttered Narci. Cheerilee pulled the little night-pegasus into a hug. Narci was hesitant at first but then sunk into the hug. The warmth only intensified her desire for sleep and she couldn't help but yawn. Cheerilee let go and then stepped away, "Come on sleepy head." Cheerille opened the door to the nurse's office and made up an excuse for the filly, the curry manned unicorn gave Narci a suspicious glance. Narci shrunk under the unwanted scrutiny and was about to spill her guts to the unicorn when Cheerille spoke up, "If you can get away from Filthy's house go and visit the town library. You can go there anytime but if you go anytime after five, you might just enjoy yourself,". Narci deadpanned, "Cheerille that's mean! Unless the library has a huge stock of glyph books or a good collection of vinyl book recordings what am I going to enjoy at the library?" Lowering her head to Narci's ear she whispered, "Who said anything about reading." The CMC swung by the nurse's office an hour later to check in on their new friend. They found Narci curled into a tight little ball atop her cot. Her wing was draped over her muzzle with her eyes just peaking over the bony arm of her wing. Scootaloo steeped forward and gently raised the wing to get a look at her friends face. Narci's face was completely lax and her bat pony exclusive canines peaking out from underneath her upper lip on one side. "Dawww! She looks so cute when she's sleeping," squeed Sweetie. "Sweetie, you would think a timberwolf was cute if it was wearing a bow," said AB jokingly, "But, Ah'm going to have to agree with ya. She does look kinda cute when she sleeping." Scootaloo let Narci's wing fall and then gave the other two a hard look, "What are you two? Little Fillies!" AB looked back at her plot and then she looked over at Sweetie's. Brushing Sweeties tail aside she and checked. A furious blush crossed Sweetie's face as AB popped her almost nonexistent personal space bubble. Looking back at Scootaloo with a wide smile, "Eeyep!" Facehoofing, Scootaloo looked back at the still sleeping night-pegasus, "she is cute in a cool kinda way," she thought. "Ah think we should just let her sleep. Well come back and check on her after recess." said AB. The other three agreed and left Narci finish her nap.