//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: The Mare Who Cried Monster. // by ChromeRegios //------------------------------// I spent the next day hanging around Cloudsdale, pulling pranks and fooling around. I couldn't wait for the afternoon to roll around. I was so excited...and nervous. I had it worked out. Scoots and I would sneak into the main reading room without Mr. Warts knowing anyone had come in; we’d hide in the dark shelves, just as I had done... Hmm, I swear I imagined that I was doing this with Applejack and...uhh... GO AWAY BAD THOUGHTS!!! N-now where was I? Oh yeah! We'd hide in the dark shelves, then, when the librarian turned off the lights and closed up the library, we'd sneak up the aisle, keeping in the shadows, and watch him become a monster. Then we wouldn't run out the way I had done. That was too risky! We would go back to our hiding places in the low shelves and wait for Mr. Warts to leave. Once he was gone, Scoots and I would let ourselves out of the library and hurry to my house to tell Fluttershy what we had seen. Easy! Nothing to it, I kept telling to myself. But I was so nervous, so eager to get it over with! After I decided to say goodbye to the other pegasi, I decided to head back home to meet up with Scoots... But when I got there, she was nowhere to be found. I expected that she's in Fluttershy's and decided to head there instead. The moment I got there, I saw a note sticking in the main door with the words 'To Dash' scribbled to it. I took the note and read it... "Dear Dash, Me and Scootaloo went to the doctors to give her a yearly shot... Be back this evening to eat Ramen Noodles... -Fluttershy." "Guess she forgot..." I muttered unhappily. I trudged back down the path out of Fluttershy's yard. That dirty traitor! I felt really betrayed! I had waited all day. I was so psyched for spying on Mr. Warts. I was counting on Scootaloo and all the while, she had a yearly shot TODAY of all days! "I hope your shot really hurt!!" I shouted out loud. I kicked a small rock across the path rolling down the pond next to Fluttershy's cottage. I felt like bucking a tree real HARD! But of course, I'm not AJ to do that... I turned and headed home, thinking all kinds of ugly thoughts. I was at the bottom of my house when an idea popped into my head. I suddenly realized, I didn't need Scootaloo. I had a camera! Pinkie had given me a really good camera last Hearts Warming Eve... If I sneaked into the library with the camera and took a few snapshots of Mr. Warts after he became a monster, the photos would be all the proof I needed. Fluttershy would have to believe actual color snapshots! Forgetting my disappointed about Scootaloo, I hurried up back to my house and up to my room and pulled out a camera off my cabinet. I knew that this camera that Rarity gave me would come in handy someday! I checked the camera and there's already film in it. I had never really used the camera that much, so I figured I just store it in my cabinet for certain occasions... but HEY! I never thought that this is one of those "certain occasions". This should be plenty to capture Mr. Warts at his ugliest. I glanced at the clock on my desk and it wsa still early. A little after four-thirty. I had half an hour before the library is closed... Funny thing is at first, Twilight usually closes at 7:00 but Warts just closes early ever since he came in control...Until I found out why. "This had got to work," I said out loud, crossing my wing feathers on both sides. I strapped my camera onto my neck then heads off to the library. About ten seconds, I arrived and entered the library silently and crept to the doorway of the main reading room. My plan was to sneak into the low shelf where I had hidden before, but I quickly saw that it wasn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be right now. The library was very crowded... and I really mean it! There were several fillies and colts in the children's book section as well as mares and stallions hoofing through the magazines! One of the microfiches... or fiche or whatever you call them~ was being used against the wall and several aisles, including the one with my special hiding place had ponies in them, browsing and searching the shelves. I'll just have to wait them out, I decided to turn and pretend to search one of the back shelves. I could see Mr. Warts standing behind his desk, checking out a stack of books for a young mare as he opens the covers and stamping the card then slamming it shut. It was nearly five o'clock, just about closing time, so I crept along the back wall, searching for another hiding spot. Near the corner, I spotted a large wooden cabinet that held the card catalogue. I thought that it'll hide me nicely... so, I hunched down behind the old cabinet and waited as time dragged by and every second had passed seemed like an hour... I get bored easily. at five-fifteen, Mr. Warts was still checking out books for ponies. He announced closing time, but some are reluctant to leave. I felt myself getting more and more nervous... my hooves were ice cold and the camera suddenly seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, like a dead weight around my neck. I took it off and set it down in front of me, ready to use if necessary. I kept saying to myself, it'll be worth it... it'll be worth it if I get a good, clear shot of the monster. I leaned against the back of the cabinet and waited while gripping the camera in my hooves. After several minutes, the last pony left... Finally! The place was emptied out! I climbed to my knees in full alert as the librarian went to lock the front door. A few seconds later, I heard him return to his desk while I peered around the side of the cabinet. He was busily shuffling papers, straightening his desk for the night. After a few minutes, I hoped, it would be feeding time. Monster time, that is... Taking a deep breath, I gripped the camera tightly in one hoof and felt my heart pound hard like crazy. I began to make my way silently toward Mr. Wart's desk at the front of the room. Everything seemed to be taking so long today! Was time really in slow motion? Or did everything seem so slow because my pulse was racing so fast? Or was it the chili-burrito that I had for lunch? Either way I was so eager to get my proof - and get out of there! But of course, Mr. Warts was taking his good old time doing his darn wet work~ I mean his desk work. He shuffled through a stack of papers, reading, folding, and tossing them in the wire trash basket beside his desk. He hummed to himself as he read through the entire stack. Finally, he got to the bottom of the pile and tossed the final sheet away. "FINALLY!" I shouted within my mind. It seriously took him an HOUR to do all those! And it's already seven in the evening! Darn what a grand pa.... Now! I thought. Now you'll start your monster routine, won't you, Mr. Warts? But, no! He lifted a stack of books from his desk and carried them to the shelves. Humming loudly, he began returning the books to their places. I pressed myself into the shadows like a ninja, hoping he wouldn't come to my row. I was near the far wall in front of the row of microfiche machines. Please, let’s get on with it!I begged silently. But when he finishes with his first stack, Mr. Warts returned to his desk and hoisted up another pile of books to replace. I’m to be late for my weather report!! My superiors are going to kill me! The thought made me chuckle. Here I was, locked inside this creepy, ‘and somewhat my friends home’ old library with a monster and I was worried about getting scolded for being late to pass on my weather report! I should really work on my scheduling… I could hear Mr. Warts, but I couldn't see him. He was somewhere among the rows of shelves, replacing books… Suddenly his humming grew louder! I looked over the tops of the books on the shelf to my right and saw that he was on the next aisle! And that meant he could see me! Buck! Gripped with panic, I ducked and dropped to the floor! Had he heard me? Had he seen me? I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. I laid there paralyzed, hoping that he wouldn’t come here… or else this will be my last spying days! He continued to hum to himself. The sound grew fainter as he moved in the other direction. Woo~ Letting out a silent sigh of relief, I climbed back to my hooves, gripping the camera tightly in my right hoof as I peered around the side of the shelf. I heard his shoes shuffling along the floor. He reappeared, his bald head shining in the late afternoon sunlight from the window, and made his way slowly to his desk. The clock on the wall ticked noisily. My hoof gripping the camera was cold and clammy. Watching him shuffle things around inside his desk drawer made me lost my nerve. This is stupid! I thought a really bad idea! I’m going to get caught. As soon as I step out to snap the picture, he’ll see me! He won’t let me get out of here alive! Turn and run! A voice inside my head commanded. Quick, while you have the chance ~ turn and run! Then another voice interrupted that one. He isn’t going to turn into a monster tonight, Dashie, The voice said. You’re wasting your time. You’re getting yourself all nervous and scared for nothing! My mind was spinning, whirring with voices and frightening thoughts. I leaned hard against the wooden shelf, steadying myself. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my head. How many shots can you take? A voice in my head asked.Can you shoot off three or four before he realizes what is happening? You only need one good shot, another voice told me. One good clear shot will be the proof you need. You'd better hope he's humming very loudly, another voice said. Otherwise, he'll hear your camera shutter click. Turn and run! Yet another voice said. Turn and run! You only need one good shot! Don't let him hear your shutter click! With thoughts of my other selves screaming inside me... (At least, that's what I think they are.) I stepped forward and peered around the shelf. Mr. Warts, humming happily away, was reaching for -Yup, you guessed it- the fly jar! Yes! I cried silently. Finally! "Dinner time, my timid friends," I heard him say in a pleasant singsong. And as he started to unscrew the jar lid, his head began to grow; eyes bulged, mouth twisted open and enlarged. In a few seconds, his monstrous head was bobbing above his shirt. His snake-like tongue flicked out of his black mouth as he removed the jar lid and pulled out a handful of flies. "Dinnertime, my timid friends!" Picture time! I thought, gathering my courage along with my self-integrity. I raised the camera to my eye with a trembling hoof. I gripped it tightly with both hooves to keep it from shaking. Then, holding my breath, I leaned as far as I could forward. Mr. Warts was downing his hoof full of flies, chewing noisily, humming as he chewed while I struggled to center him in the viewfinder. I was so nervous, the camera was shaking all over the place! Dash, calm the buck down!! Do you want this picture taken or what!? I asked myself... Uhh, I'm going for... OR WHAT! The second voice asked my first one. I'm glad that he's humming, I thought that if he's that a bit of noisy, he won’t hear my camera clicking! I'll be able to take more than one shot. Okay, okay... He was still enjoying his first batch of tender flies... Eww!! I waited for another minute to get the good shot and when I'm about to press the button - and would you bah-lieve it?! Mr. Warts suddenly turned away! With a gasp, I stopped myself just in time. "Son of ah~" I cursed under my breath. My pulse was pounding at my temples so hard, I could barely see straight. What was he doing? I checked his activities carefully, and saw that he was reaching for another jar. He set it down on his desk and unscrewed the lid. I raised the camera again and squinted at him though the viewfinder. What did he have in his jar? Something was fluttering in there. It took me a while to realize they were moths. White moths! Fluttershy will be FURIOUS once I show her this picture of Mr. Warts eating moths and flies... He grabbed some moths with his hoof and shoved it hungrily into his mouth. Another moth fluttered of the jar before he could close the lid. Mr. Warts' eyes bulged like toadstools growing out of his balloon-like head. His mouth twisted and coiled as he chewed the moths. Taking another deep breath and held it for a while, I leaned forward as far as I could, steadied the camera in front of my eye - and snapped the shutter...