//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: Lesser Light: My Time in the Limelight // by soothsayer //------------------------------// "Alone?" scoffed the Stallion as he eyed the little filly. Still in shock Narci hadn't budged an inch as her latest chirp engulfed the stallion. The echo returned and proving her guess right. She felt a hoof wrap around her middle and was gently pulled up. "Finally!" gasped Sweetie Belle as the light hit her face for the first time in hours. She too was lifted out of the dank hole. Unlike the bat filly she wasn't allowed a moment of silence. "Sweetie Marie Belle! You should be a shamed of yourself. You could have given me a heart attack!" barked a gorgeous white unicorn with a blue mane. Rolling her eyes Sweetie couldn't help but think, "Here I was stuck in a cave and all you were worried about was the heart attack I gave you. What if I had a heart attack." Still dumb struck Narci kept staring at the midnight blue coat and disheveled raven black mane of her savior. Sleep still clung to his eyes when he yawned, "Your starting to freak me out kid!" An embarrassed "Oh" was all the filly had to offer in response as a light blush burned at her checks. In lieu of a parent or guardian Cheerilee decided to take it upon herself to speak to the bat filly, "Narcissus Andria Floret!" Gulping Narci slowly turned to the red mare who was approaching her with a hard gaze, "Uh, yes Ms. Cheerilee," she squeaked. Stopping a foot or so shy of her student Cheerilee sat down and continued to shoot daggers at her student, "This makes twice now that you have skipped my class." Off to the side sat three other fillies under the shade of a tall elm tree. "Did Cheerilee just say that Narci skipped school," muttered Apple Bloom to Scootaloo. A devious grin spilt across the orange pegasus fillies face, "Yep, and that is so awesome!" Sitting between them was a jittery Silver Spoon whose only contribution to the conversation was a weak smile. After running from the cave she told the first adult she could find that there were some fillies trapped in a cave. Unfortunately for her the first pony she found was Cloudkicker. And Cloudkicker being Cloudkicker she didn't take the plead for help as genuine. So, the word spread as a matter of gossip until it reached Rarity. Only then did it become a life and death emergency. Silver feeling like she had done her duty had went home. It was only after a gang of ponies showed up at her door step wanting to know the details did the filly realize that her friends were still trapped in the cave. And she was leveled with guilt. After listening to the list of after school punishments that Cheerilee had rattled off she spotted a strange looking pony off to the side. As her echolocation provided more information a wide smile formed on her face, she quickly left the still talking red mare in a hurry and rapped the alicorn in a tight hug. "Dad was right! You are our princess! I never should have doubted him. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Princess Luna!" With a flat look Twilight looked down, "I'm not Princess Luna," she said flatly. Backing off Narci gave twilight a confused look, "You're not Princess Luna?" "NO! She is not Princess Luna! Her name is Princess Twilight Sparkle," said Cheerilee as a vain thumped on her brow, "I wasn't done talking to you little missy." Twilight giggled at the enraged teacher but was silenced by the predatory look on the red mares face. ' "Now where was I," said Cheerliee bitterly, "Oh, yes! Tomorr-". Cutting the teacher off Mr. Rich who had just arrived spoke up, "That will be enough Ms. Cheerilee! You can punish the filly once she back in your class room. In the mean time Narcissus will be coming with me." There was no sign that the ordeal caused Mr. Rich any worry. His face was set into a grim expression that chilled Narci down the core, "Come on, Narci! We are going home." Narci got up and started to follow the stallion to her fate. The were stopped by Silver who was now blocking the path. "Silver Spoon, please move." demanded Mr. Rich. "No, not...not until you hear what I have to say," replied Silver in small voice. "What was that?" "It wasn't Narci's idea," she lied, "It wasn't her fault. It was mine." Raising an eyebrow he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Narci and Sweetie saw me sneak off and they followed me to the cave. I've been so sad since Diamond left that I would do anything to have a little fun. So, I thought I would check out the cave that Thunderlane and Rumble had discovered in the White Tail Woods. They were only doing it to keep any eye out on me. So, please don't punish her." pleaded Silver. Letting the story settle in Mr. Rich blinked accouple of times and the raised his voice, "Sweetie Belle, Rarity please come over her for a moment." Rarity was still chewing her little sister out and didn't pay Mr. Rich no never mind. "But." "No Buts." "But." "I said no buts." "But I got my cutie mark!" wined Sweetie. At the sound of those words Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushed over to Sweetie pushing Rarity out of the way as they did so. "Oh wow!" said Scootaloo as she admired Sweeties cutie mark. "What does it mean?" asked AB "Well me and Narci thinks it means I have a magical voice." said Sweetie with a grin. "Excuse me girls, but you can plan a cute-ceanera later," said Mr. Rich with now small amount of irritation, "I want everypony to hear what Silver Spoon just told me." All eyes fell to Silver and she started to feel like a side-show pony. "What have you got to say Silver?" asked Sweetie. After taking a deep breath, Silver told everypony else what she had just told Mr. Rich. The adults murmured too themselves and then to each other. "I think it is in everypony's best interest that Narcissus be sent home and Diamond Tiara returned. If Diamond was here Silver wouldn't have been tempted to get a cheap thrill from exploring a dangerous cave. Endangering the lives of "Our" foals." exclaimed Mr. Rich with the charisma of a Canterlot politician. "No, please no." pleaded Narci was no on her knees. "You can't send her away," yelled Apple Bloom as she put on her cutest and saddest face. "We won't let you send her home!" said Scootaloo as she pumped a foreleg trying to make her muscle stand out. "It was my fault Mr. Rich. Don't punish her!" sobbed Silver. Sneering at the fillies meager display Mr. Rich answered them with his a final word, "No!" Tears started pouring down Narci's face as she sobbed, "I can't go home. The only friends I have there are my family and my tutor!' Those words stabbed into Twilights heart like twisted metal. "I told you too keep your nose clean and I would make it worthwhile but you deliberately disobeyed me. Now you must suffer the consequen-" "No!" said Twilight cutting him off. Turning Slowly toward the Alicorn Mr. Rich felt his mouth start to dry up, "What was that Princess Sparkle?" he croaked. "I said No! You can't send her home. You can send for you daughter if you want her to return but you can't sent this filly home. She will not leave until I release her." Reaching up to his tie to loosen it Mr. Rich glared at the Princess who was clearly throwing her clout around, "Release her? Release her from what?" A thin smile formed on the purple ponies lips, "She is my apprentice. Well that is if she will have me as her teacher," said sweetly as she turned to Narcissus, "If you say yes, you can stay in Ponyville as long as you like baring any objections your parents may have. Would you like to be my student." Wiping the snot from he nose Narci looked at the Alicorn in wonder, "Studying what?" Quietly Twilight moved closer and placed a wing tip under Narci's chin and lifted it up ever so slightly until she met the bat fillies squinting eyes, "The Magic of Friendship!" "Aww Granny that can't be all" moaned one of the three foals sitting in front of the ancient thestral. Rocking in her ebony rocking chair the old mare smiled. "What happened next Grandma Narci?" asked the brown coated colt with a noticeable Trottingham accent. "Well, let me think," said Narci as she tapped her chin with a hoof, "I'm just now getting to the true beginning of my tale. You see, that was the start of my time in the limelight."