NiktoBarada

Tongue Twister nodded when he mentioned Prance - she'd been there a few times over the years for conferences and seminars. The Prench language held a special place in her heart, for it was the language she used to earn her Cutie Mark. She had to agree with that idea, having fallen into the "study so long you forget what day it is" a few times herself. She followed him deeper into the store, to a room with one wall lined with ancient books, "You - actually HAVE something unique on the Tenochtitlan languages ?!" she managed to squeak out in surprise, "I know most rare books start out in private collections, but the odds that any given pony would have any given book are, well, I don't know ! But they must be very long indeed !" And if her mother Shady Dealer was with her, she'd know how long the odds were. To about three decimal places.

"Oh thank the sun, moon and stars !" Tongue Twister exclaimed as she retrieved the seventy bits from her saddlebag, "I thought I'd have to go all the way to Prance to start a search there ! No telling how long that would take." She looked around a bit more before asking Coltson "Has this shop been in the family for generations, or are you just really good at finding obscure books ? I've seen university libraries that don't have such extensive collections as what is here. Although their filing systems aren't quite as cryptic as the one you're using. But, then again, if you're skillful enough with locator magic, one system is as good as any other." She thought for a moment as she carefully placed her purchase in her bag, before continuing "Speaking of finding obscure texts - what do you have concerning the languages of the Tenochtitlan Basin ? I've read nearly all the recent reports, but most of them go back only fifty or so years. There must be something further back, but those are hard to find. I doubt I could afford to purchase any of them, but would I be allowed to read any you had ? Some booksellers are VERY sensitive about their stock."

"So this is Ponyville ..." Tongue Twister mused to herself as she stretched out her legs one at a time after departing the train from Manehattan, "Hopefully the bookstore here will have what I need. I've run through my other sources." She felt the sun warming her storm cloud grey coat as she stretched her wings straight up, then wiggled the feathers to get the blood circulating properly as she walked along the road before whistling a few notes. From her saddlebag, one trained rat ran up her back and took his favorite perch atop her head; his lazier brother merely peeked out. "Okay you two, I know it's been a long trip. I'll make it up to you - later." she stated to them, "But for now, I have some business to conduct. So I need both of you to be on your best behavior - so no leaving my pack ! If you can do it, we'll play in the park." Ace (the white and chocolate brown rat on her head) squeaked in reply, then scampered back into her saddlebag; the cocoa-colored Deuces merely went back to napping. After a few moments, she reached the address she was looking for, and walked in. There were books ! Everywhere ! Five copies (of what looked like first printings) of 'The History of Equestria' - in five different languages on the shelf over there ! Some treatises on mathematics over there ! Philosophical texts from Long Guo over there ! "JACKPOT !" she cheered to herself as she looked for the proprietor. Upon noticing the tall grey stallion in a pinstripe jacket behind the counter, she asked "Would you happen to have a first edition of 'Hitchhiker's Guide to Equestria' written in Prench ?"