Ponyville (Royal Ponyville Library) A New Chapter (Open)

[ShadowWalking18]

"Hello. Are you returning these, you know that a few of them are overdue, right?"

Razor jumped slightly and turned toward the pony that showed up, "Oh yeah sorry about that. See I had borrowed these before the old one got uh...blown up and well I was sort of worrying about other things I sort of...forgot I had them for a time."

Razor chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his head embaressed, "I'll pay any fee I gotta. Though...I can still borrow books right? I promise I won't forget again."

Razor paused a moment then shrugged, "Well I won't forget again unless another world threatening monster almost causes the end of the world or something." Razor then looked at the pony and pondered, "By the way....you...wouldn't happen to have any books on dealing with.....*mumble mumble*"

[SunsetSombra]

spike had spent a few moments checking things out and making sure that things were in a good order - one of the benefits of being an assistant to a pony as adamant about keeping order as Twilight Sparkle is that you gained a good eye for how to keep things relatively neat.

He'd probably spent a good dozen times in the treebary keeping things tidy and in place, so he had something of a rough idea about how best to order the books in alphabetical, numerical or general comic book order - although, he admitted, without Twilights keenness for keeping it JUST perfect, he wasn't exactly anywhere close to being quite as exact, instead simply making do with his best efforts without her double checking his progress.

Still, the thoughts that he'd been forgetting something came back to him - he WAS here for some cookery stuffs, wasn't he?

Some books he'd been reccomended by a few friends alongside, he hoped, another copy of that one cooking with gems book that had been tragically lost when the previous library, his home, had exploded...no, Spike shook his head clear of that small pondering moment of sadness - that was then, this is now. No matter what had happened, he was here NOW and this was far more important than letting himself be caught up with thoughts of his silly old comfortable, warm treehome!

With a resolute nod to himself in silence, he leaves the comics section to begin his new quest for cookery reading material!

A distraction from the slightly unpleasant memory of those unfortunate events would definitely be entirely welcome for the youngster!

[Zeig]

 

"Fix it yourself, Chairs and Cashmere? What the buck is cashmere? Cramming the Night Before, heh, I could've used that one a few years ago. Cleanliness and you: The Collector's Edition...don't even know what to say to that."

 

Somepony might have emitted a sharp and annoyed cough somewhere over his shoulder, but really, Inkbrand was too busy being incredulous at some of the books he was pulling out. Seriously, what the buck kind of pony dedicated a few years of their life to write about coupons and the best way to clip them? And more to the point, what the buck kind of pony spent a few days of their life actually reading that bull rot? How anypony made a living as a writer went way over the grey stallion's head, though he supposed, as long as the material was interesting, ponies to read it.

 

Hence, the collection of books quickly forming a small pile on the floor next to his hooves.

 

"Arctic Fox," Inkbrand said absently as he leafed through Casting Enchantments: Sure-fire Ways to Make Him Notice You, coming to a brief stop whenever he passed one of the pictures, mostly revolving around mares with alluring hairstyles, clothing, and makeup. "Cute little bugger. Gave her a mushroom when I first found her, and she ate some eggs at the market. And also part of my hoof." The grey stallion flicked his gaze up from his lazy perusal of the book to glance at Lore Weaver, one eyebrow cocked upwards. "That's all healthy, isn't it?" Inkbrand returned his gaze back downward, an appreciative hum escaping his lips as the next page depicted a smoking hot mare with her mane done up like a proper poster pony.

 

Well, well. Libraries weren't all that bad, it seemed.

 

Inkbrand eventually set the book down in the pile as the unicorn's attention was momentarily diverted by a vaguely familiar griffon, asking about returning some lost books or something. The grey stallion slowly tuned them out with a mental shake of his head, turning back towards the shelves with purpose. There had to be something about pet care in this massive library - if there were books about cleanliness and coupons, there would sure as hay be books about foxes.

 

Mumbling from the direction of Weaver and the griffon caused Inkbrand to lose track of his progress for a moment, ears flicking upwards. "Might have to speak up there, bud," the tattoo-clad stallion laughed, once again lazily looking over a book that didn't have nearly as many interesting pictures as the previous one. "Don't worry - no 'glasses and buns' librarian lady to tell you to keep quiet. I checked."

 

[Lux]

"Oh yeah sorry about that. See I had borrowed these before the old one got uh...blown up and well I was sort of worrying about other things I sort of...forgot I had them for a time. I'll pay any fee I gotta. Though...I can still borrow books right? I promise I won't forget again. Well I won't forget again unless another world threatening monster almost causes the end of the world or something."

Lore Weaver listened as the griffon explained hie predicament. Normally overdue books came with a small fee to deter others from keeping books indefinitely, denying other ponies the enjoyment to read them and to help bolster any improvements to the library like more books (not that this was an issue now considering the library was managed by a Princess). But this was a special circumstance, a very special circumstance. It wasn't every day (thank Celestia) that a magic seeking monster escaping from a high level prison decided to wreak havoc on a town and in the process destroy a library and a bookstore among other things.

"In your case sir I will waive the fine because off the... circumstances. I do thank you for returning them as every book helps to keep this library at its best. In the future though please return them when they are due as others might want to read them."

The returned books were telekinetically placed onto a large shelf array behind the main desk for books that needed to be reshelved from ponies and griffons returning them.As he did so the griffon had a strange request.

"By the way....you...wouldn't happen to have any books on dealing with.....*mumble mumble*"

"Err... I didn't catch that last part. Can you tell me what you're looking for again?"

The purple stallion could see that Inkbrand had amassed a sizable pile of books at his hooves. Lore hoped that at least some of them the tattooed stallion would take with him but lore wasn't planning on holding his breath. The stallion did reply that he had an arctic fox as a pet and asked about its feeding habits.

"Well I don't have any pets but I know that arctic foxes do eat a variety of things from plants and bugs to even smaller mammals. So eggs would work as long as you keep her away from farms that have chickens. As for mushrooms, you should be careful with those as some are poisonous even for animals. I thing you are near where the animal books are. You should see some about caring for mammals in a cluster."

Lore then spotted Spike now out of his comic book area and perusing the shelves.

"Is there something you're looking for Spike?"

[SunsetSombra]

" Yeah, actually! " came the eager reply from the young dragon. " There is something I'm kinda looking for...I hope you can help! "

Spike poked two claws together for a moment and looks at Lux with a small questioning glance. " I kinda lost a pretty valuable book when the treebary, uh, got turned into splinters...it was something I got a long time back when I started really gettin' into making some small personal snacks outta gems whilst Twilight was doing stuff. " He explains, giving a small absent shrug before scratching the back of his head for a second. " I thiiiink it was something along the lines of Gems and Cookery: A personal guide into the arts of precious preperation and Delicious Dining...sorta a personal favourite to play around with when I had spare time, ya know? "

Momentarily, his mind harks back to the few times he'd made a few things, and he chuckles slightly to himself - the Quartz Gateu, a failed but still delicious attempt at an Onyx and Pearl encrusted fresh cream eclair, a caramel coconut covered crocoite crunch, and a personal favourite...the sorbet made entirely out of diamond dust and lemongrass - a refreshingly mouth watering combination for summer!

" I know it's a bit of a longshot, seeing as how ponies don't really eat gems and all... " he paused and rubbed his snout with a claw in ponderence. " But maybe, uh, if you don't have it in stock then maybe you could look around on whatever library resource you can get ahold of and see if you can get a copy in? I'd really, REALLY appreciate it! " Spike said, his excitement growing alongside his hope against hopes that the one book he'd been missing since losing it could ever be replaced. " I'll keep the comics double neat and tidy, I'll work weekends...Hay, I'd even clean every single shelf in the library over the weekend! "

It wasn't like he didn't know the odds of a replacement were on his side, but if he didn't even ask then how would he ever know for sure, right?

[Corsair]

Snips was hanging on every word Lore Weaver said, but was disappointed when the stallion didn't go into detail. I mean, come on! He was working for Princess Twilight! How could that not be the greatest thing ever?? Snails, on the other hoof, just looked at Lore in sympathy. In one fell swoop, Lore Weaver had lost his business, and Ponyville had lost both of its sources for books. Despite the new library and the new job, that had to be painful.

Snails came out of his thoughts when Lore asked the colts about books. "Oh, uh, actually, Mr. Lore," he said, "I need ta' return, sumthin'" Then, with a grin and a sidewise glance at his friend, added, "And Snips just wanted to come so he could see the Prin..."

Snips reared up and poked Snails in the ribs, cutting him off. The smaller colt gave his friend a glare, which just made Snails' grin wider.

Snails then lit his horn, sticking his tongue out in concentration. The aura flickered a bit, but the flap on his saddle bag opened, and a slightly shabby looking book rose out of it. The cover was emblazoned with a picture of a dragonfly, with the title "The Big Book of Bugs." Several bookmarks emerged haphazardly from the book as he passed it toward the librarian. "I, uh, want ta check it out again, if I can," he said to Lore. "Miss... er... Princess Twilight used ta let me keep it if I brought it back every couple weeks."

Snips looked up at his friend as if in shock. "How could you forget that?! Twilight Sparkle isn't just the librarian anymore, she's an Alicorn and a Princess!" he said in an offended tone of voice. Snails just rolled his eyes at this.

Snips then looked back at Lore Weaver, a hopeful look on his face. "Is the Princess here today??"

[Lux]

While many unicorns had magic that was apparent to everypony around them like levitating objects or teleporting, Lore Weaver's was more subtle yet still powerful. As Spike spoke of a lost book, one that he recalled was last seen in the Golden Oaks Library, the purple unicorn's talent was in full force seen only by the flickering of his horn that pulsed a purple aura like magical radar, combing the library for the book as he searched the seemingly endless library of his mind filled with facts that were from the very important to mundane. Finally his searching came to a conclusion.

You know, I actually have that book but I put it under this desk as I couldn't figure out where it should go. It could be in the geology area and cooking area but they don't fit perfectly there."

A light bulb went on as he pulled the book from its safe storage as Lore said, "Wait, I know where it should go, in the dragon studies area. It's kind of a small area but I'm sure it will grow over time. Do you think that will be a good place to put it seeing as well you are a dragon?"

Snips and Snails were a very comical duo indeed. It didn't take a genius to see that Snips had a crush on the Princess. Admittedly it was no wonder as even Lore Weaver wasn't blind to the fact that Twilight was a smart, beautiful, and kind pony. He didn't have the heart to tell Snips how his crush with the Alicorn was fleeting and she was years older than he was.

"Sorry Snips, but I'm not sure if Priincess Twilight Sparkle is available for you to see today. She does regularly have times when she opens the throne room up to the public. Maybe you can try there and worst case if she isn't there you might try returning the next day. In the meantime, is there something I can help you with?"

Lore noticed that Snails, who was not interested in the Princess like his friend was, had a book that clearly looked like he spent a long time researching with it. The book had slips of paper marking favorite passages. There was a sort of agreement between the colt and the Princess about using it that carried forward even with the original library gone.

"Well if that was the agreement between you and Princess Twilight then it is good enough for me. You may take the books out again, but seeing as you like the book so much maybe I should get another Book of Bugs for this Library."

[SunsetSombra]

You know, I actually have that book but I put it under this desk as I couldn't figure out where it should go. It could be in the geology area and cooking area but they don't fit perfectly there."

Spike heard these words and found himself smiling widely, the idea that he was to be able to practice a little more of his favourite brand of haute gem cuisine once more absolutely already tickling his young and zealous draconic tastebuds...it was taking all of his conscious effort not to start drooling a little at the very thought. Lore really did have this whole book thing covered, and Spike had to give it to him for that - for a little while there, Spike had been entirely afraid that he'd not get the chance to try out the Onyx and Amethyst flan with caramel sauce that he'd seen somewhere towards the back, and that would have been pretty unfortunate!

" Awesome, Thanks Lore! " Spike beams widely, before taking the book from Lore and nodding once, attempting to put on a slightly more serious expression - he wanted to look like he was gonan make sure that all of the things asked of him would be done just as he had always done with Twilight herself...a number one assistant delivering a top notch job well done!

" Don't worry about a thing, I'll get right on it! " Spike says with a smart salute, taking a moment to look at the book - yup, this was definitely the one he'd gotten fond of all those months back...it was a delight to know that all the recipe's and things he'd not made a note of would be within his immediate grasp whenever he needed it in THIS library, one that was almost guaranteed to not get blown into toothpick-sized splinters by mad angry centaurs with a grudge. Still, he knew better than to stand around clutching a book looking nostalgic - and thus, the young dragon immediately sets off to take care of his task, hurrying to make sure that this particular reference book wasn't going to go missing anytime soon!

[ShadowWalking18]

Razor groaned as he was asked to speak up. He rubbed his face and sighed, "I...need a book on.....dealing with...Gnyopboia." He finished with a growl.

Razor felt like he could just fall into a endless pit of doom and terror now. He HATED admitting his phobia! It was...ungriffon like! Why? Why did he have to be cursed with this!?

He quickly cast a glare around, feeling defensive now and insecure and pointed a claw about.

"And if any of you even snicker." He left the threat hanging. He took in a deep breath and tried to calm down now. He took several breathes before finally cooling off.

"Ehh...sorry. I...get like that. Just give me the book. Now. Please!" Razor asked, hopping to get the book and get out of here fast. When he stayed in social settings for too long.

Well...eventually something goes wrong that makes him look like a fool. Or worse, needing medical attention. Particularly if a certain pink pony was involved.

[Bellosh]

The rest of the time that Moondancer spent in the new library was relatively uneventful. She eventually selected a number of oddball magic books she thought her Spellbound buddies would be interested in reading. Once Moony got her selection checked out, the young mare started her journey back home to Canterlot. Hopefully, it won't be long before she got to see her librarian pal again.....

*EXIT Moondancer*

[Lux]

going to try and keep this going. Anyone who hasn't posted feel free to do so and of course new patrons to the library are welcome!

Lore smiled to see the way Spike's eyes lit up seeing what was arguably one of his prized books from the old Golden Oaks Library. It was interesting how some ponies could be attached to things however strange or trivial they might be, but to them these items hold a great significance. Maybe it was not just the book that the dragon thought fondly about when he took it but the fact that with the book held the memories of him living, working and having fun with Twilight Sparkle. The librarian knew what that was like as he managed after the dust had settled to recover a few items from the ruins of his bookstore.

"Well alright then," Lore said as the dragon disappeared into the stacks. The purple unicorn then attended to the next patron, a rather small and skittish griffon who looked like he had a secret to hide. Although Lore was smart, he was no mind reader and to get the griffon what he wanted the stallion needed to first know what it was. The result was at first shocking for Lore to know but seeing as the way the griffon acted Lore realized that maybe it made sense. The griffon did also appear to have issues getting upset when talking about more personal things.

"Take it easy. This library is a place for learning not casting judgments. And may I remind you that this library is in the Royal Castle of Ponyville, home of Princess Twilight Sparkle the Princess of Friendship. So nopony or griffon here will make you feel upset. Now I will help you fins something for your... problem, but I need to get a little bit more specific. Are you looking for something to start a friendship or perhaps something like a romantic relationship?"

Moondancer then approached with a hoof full of magic books which Lore wasn't surprised about. He checked them out for her, gave her a paper bag for easy transport back to Canterlot, and said his goodbye to the mare, happy that she came to the grand opening. Lore knew that this wasn't the last time they would meet.

[Zeig]

 

Buck, he knew mushrooms were evil. If one mushroom even dared try to poison his fox, there'd be Tautratus to pay. Sneaky little -

 

"Bucking mushrooms," Inkbrand hissed lightly under his breath, tossing his current book aside to continue in the direction Lore Weaver had pointed out. Nothing immediately stood out to him, until he reached the first Caring for Mammals: Basic Nutrition. Soon after, a veritable flood of care books was discovered, allowing the grey stallion to go through them until he finally came across one tailored for foxes. This, Inkbrand pulled out of the shelves and opened straight into the middle, eyes falling on a chapter apparently highlighting the different sorts of environments foxes could be well accommodated in.

 

Oh. Well, it looked like Saddle Arabia was out of the question for him and his pet. Not that Inkbrand had any particular aspirations to move out to the desert, but it was nice to know what the limits were.

 

Ignoring the small pile of books at his hooves, Inkbrand slowly paced back and forth in front of the shelf, for once fairly interested in what the words on the page had to say. Sure enough, it was exactly what he needed - diet, health, exercise. How to deal with boredom, how to introduce a fox to other animals, particular smaller mammals that were also pets…everything. Though he would never admit to it, Inkbrand felt a very small knot of anxiety slowly uncoil from his chest, eyes devouring the pages. Looks like he wouldn't be charged and booked with animal abuse after all.

 

Or worse yet, have to stand and watch as his pet was taken away from him.

 

Well. That might have been the end of his little trip to the library if the griffon's continued mumblings, and sudden snappish behavior, hadn't caught his attention. His nose was still pointed down towards the book, but Inkbrand couldn't help the lift of his eyes upwards and onto the griffon, intrigue clearly written on his features. What the buck was gynophobia the fear of? Germs? Gyms? Inkbrand sat himself down at a nearby table, closer to Lore Weaver and the griffon as he continued flipping through the book with one half of his brain, the other fully trained on the conversation.

 

[Corsair]

Snips' face lit up with hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd get to see the Princesses today. A dozen visions flew through his head, thinking how he might greet the lavender alicorn, should she appear. Kneeling before her, as he'd once done for that has-been Trixie... Kissing the Royal Hoof... that's what you were supposed to do to greet royalty, wasn't it? He was so wrapped in his own thoughts that he totally missed seeing Spike, who was, after all, the Princess' assistant. There was also a kinda short griffon, who seemed really nervous for some reason, and a stallion that had really neat tattoos all over. Snips saw none of this.

Snails, on the other hoof, watched all this traffic through the library with interest. "Wow, you sure got a lot of ponies... err... people in here today, Mr. Lore," he commented, glancing around him. The colt's horn lit again, and his library card floated up to accompany the book. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Lore!" he said, happy that he could still keep the volume. "I use this book a lot to identify the bugs me an' Snips find around town. Didja know that there's five different types of garden slugs around Ponyville?" he asked, warming to his favorite topic. "Oh, and Snips, tell him about the giant mantis we found!" Snails looked over at the friend to continue the story, but Snips' eyes were unfocused as he stared off into the castle.

Snails looked down at Snips, a look of disgust on his face. How could he be so excited over a girl? Well, she was a princess and stuff, and she was like the most powerful magic user, like ever, and she had this awesome castle now, and... Ok, Princess Twilight was pretty cool. But still, Snips was acting so weird about her! Snails deliberately glanced up and away from his friend, before smacking the back of Snips' head with is hoof.

Snips stumbled forward a step as he was forcefully brought back to reality. "Hey!" he called out to Snails, indignantly, rubbing the back of his head. "What'd you do that for?"

"Do what?" Snails answered, feigning innocence. But he couldn't help but smirk a little.

Snips glared up at his friend, but said nothing. He had to be on his best behavior in the Princess' Castle after all. He'd get Snails back... later. It was only then that Snips noticed the dark, kinda scrawny griffon who was also talking to Lore Weaver. He was asking for a book on... something. "A book on what?" he asked out loud. "I know 'phobia' means that yer scared of something..."

Snails looked thoughtful for a moment, the said, "And one of the books i read talked about 'gynandromophic insects...' 'Gyn' in a word means somethin' to do with females..."

Both colts looked confused for a moment, before Snips finally put the pieces together. He snorted back a laugh, before asking, tactlessly, "Mr. Griffon, yer scared of girls??"

[ShadowWalking18]

Both colts looked confused for a moment, before Snips finally put the pieces together. He snorted back a laugh, before asking, tactlessly, "Mr. Griffon, yer scared of girls??"

Razor felt something snap in his head, and his head suddenly twitched in such a way that his neck cracked loudly and he turned and snatched Snips in his talons. He opened his beak to say something, probably a threat...or maybe eat the little blabber mouth. But growled as he closed his mouth and his head twisted to the left and right, two more neck cracks and a look of pure internal stuggle inside.

'If I had teeth I'd grind them!' He thought as he swallowed and his eyes went wide with....calm. He chuckled as he slowly, stiffly, set the colt down and patted his head. But anyone who was good at reading others would tell that Razor was having a ....very hard time keeping his cool now.

"Oooh kids these days and their imaginations. Ahahahaha." He said, patting Snips and Snails on their heads, "But....eeeeeehhhh....something like that. Yes."

He cracked his neck again as he turned toward Lore Weaver, "Yes....no...I mean....I just...want to read it for.....educational purposes."

Razor then turned his back to them all and breathed in and out slowly, digging his talons into the ground if he could. Where was a paper bag when you needed one? He took one more deep breath before slapping himself across the face hard and turned back to Lore Weaver, a totally calm look on his face once more.

"So uh...got any of those books? Please."

[Lux]

To a little of relief, Lore could see that Inkbran had found a book of interest without tearing apart the library in the process. Before though he could help him check out the book, Snails chimed in with checking out or re-checking out his favorite book.

"Wow, you sure got a lot of ponies... err... people in here today, Mr. Lore," he commented, glancing around him. The colt's horn lit again, and his library card floated up to accompany the book. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Lore!" he said, happy that he could still keep the volume. "I use this book a lot to identify the bugs me an' Snips find around town. Didja know that there's five different types of garden slugs around Ponyville?" he asked, warming to his favorite topic. "Oh, and Snips, tell him about the giant mantis we found!"

"Yes, well today is the official grand opening," Lore replied with a smile as he caught the book and library card with his own magical aura, "I can see you are doing well with your magic too. And sadly I haven't really studied much about bugs and insects as much as I should. I can tell you that one of my favorite ones is the Lunar moth, those big moths that I sometimes find on bushes."

Snips though when asked a question appeared to be in another world, thing about something, or someone else. It was clear through the questioning that the unicorn asked he was interested in a certain purple princess. In reality it was no surprise that a pony would be entranced by the Alicorn. She was smart, pretty, and able to stand on her own while also spreading friendship to all. In reality Lore did take an interest in her, but he resolved to be her friend instead of even pursuing a romantic element. Still there wasn't anything wrong with the colt having a playful crush.

Then it happened, the duo of colts figured out the problem that Razor had desperately tried keeping a secret and Lore tried to further prevent the secret from getting out had now been found out. Lore knew that he couldn't prevent others from listening. Lore was about to scold the two when suddenly the stallion watched as Razor picked up the pony. There was a tense moment of possible scenarios flashing through the stallion's mind like having to fight the griffon to get him away from Snips or even involving a guard. But to his relief Razor put him down.

"It's not nice you two for laughing at another pony or griffon," Lore said firmly, "especially if they have a problem. Now please apologize."

He then turned to the griffon and whispered, "I'm sorry if you were offended by them. They typically are nice to others. As for your topic, there should be some books in the Self-Help area, particularly the relationships category."

[SunsetSombra]

Well, with all things seemingly taken care of, Spike was feeling pretty good about the way the new library was working - Twilight had expressed a little regret in not being able to play as much of an active part in it's day to day running anymore, but Spike had decided that he liked the idea of at least having something of his own to tend to now and then...and with the newly acquired positions in the library, he was feeling pretty darn confident that today had been pretty smooth, all things considered.

At any rate, it did seem like the day was rolling along fairly quickly...it was already getting on for his late afternoon nap, and he was already feeling a little bit tired from having to sort through and deal with the comic section, such as it was at the moment. He made a mental point to collect more comics for the section, with the intent to donate some of his older comics should he find any that he simply wasn't likely to read anymore...he had many copies of power ponies, Batcolt, The Steel Stallion, and other assorted ranges in his possession still...he'd left a bunch at Twilights parents house some time ago, and had never really brought them to Ponyville - which, considering how things had turned out, was pretty darn fortunate actually!

Anyway, he stretches and makes his way to the front desk and looks over at Lore with a small chuckle and a yawn, scratching the back of his head with a clawed fingertip.

" Think I'm going to go and catch up on some sleep, Lore - thanks for everything, I'll make a point to drop in in the week or somethin' if I can! "

Making his way to the exit, he pondered about what he should snack on later...perhaps he'd pop out for something later on - first, however, there was the small matter of sleep to address for a few hours.

[*Spike exits the thread*]

[Lux]

In the happy chaos that was running a library, Lore Weaver almost forgot about his new assistant helping in the comic area. He then saw the dragon approach and wondered if there was something missing, perhaps another book. But he announced that he would be leaving for a nap, something that the unicorn understood that Spike was still young and needed his rest. Lore understood that between Spike helping Twilight and others that the dragon could get tired pretty quickly.

"Alright Spike, thanks for your help. Feel free to drop by when you're free. See you later."

Lore then awaited to helping the others while keeping an eye out for other new visitors to the library.

(OOC: Thanks Robi for playing)

[ShadowWalking18]

Razor nodded and just chuckled uneasily, "Heh...yeah...yeah I'm sure they're very nice." Though frankly he didn't really think so. Those kids got placed in his irritation list.

He listened to where the books he needed were located, "Right. Thanks. I'm...I'm gonna go now."

Razor quickly dashed off to the self help section and sighed in relief, glad that he was finally alone again. Now.....all he needed was to find his book. Or books.

Entering the section he needed Razor started to browse the books. There were so many types of books! Who know so many ponies needed help with so many things. Finally he found some books on his problem.

"Perfect....lets see....uh....weird title name. Oh gosh this is a big one. Eh....not sure if that connects with me....." He said as he looked over several titles. Frankly...he didn't know exactly which book was the best.

"Might as well take all of them." He said and made a small pile of every book that he needed on how to overcome Gynophobia, and a few on talking with girls.

He looked around to make sure that no pony saw what he had. Not that that would do any good now. Still...no one that arrived later had to know!

Deciding he had all he needed, Razor turned and made his way back to the desk.

"Okay....I'll take...these. There isn't a limit right?" Razor asked. Was there one? If there was, he forgot about it.

[Zeig]

 

…What, seriously?

 

He'd been doing a rather poor job of not eaves-dropping in the first place, but at the sudden snort of laughter from the two colts and there conclusion of the griffon's…ahem, problem - well, Inkbrand couldn't help himself, letting out a startled bark of laughter under his breath as well. He supposed it probably wasn't all that funny to the griffon, given the way his feathers seemed to be figuratively puffing up, but Inkbrand honestly couldn't help it. Sure, he knew some guys got real shy and quiet around mares, got tongue-tied and fussy and couldn't tell their heads from their behinds anytime a pretty filly walked past…

 

But really. There were ponies out there that were actually, honestly, scared of the other gender? Like how a pony was scared of bugs?

 

"Bucking riot," Inkbrand snickered, but more to the book he had clutched in his hooves than anypony else, as the griffon had beat a hasty retreat into the recesses of the library. The tattoo-clad stallion watched him go with amused eyes, before turning his attention back to the matter at hoof, flipping through a few more pages. Each page was more drawn out that than the previous, but there was no question that it would prove insanely useful in caring for Shimmer. After all, wasn't that the reason he'd dragged himself into the library in the first place?

 

Decision made, the tattoo-clad stallion stood up from the desk with the book wrapped firmly in his tail, ignoring the other texts he had scattered around in favor of trotting back up to Lore Weaver. "I'm taking this one," he announced as he passed by, a cocky grin playing on his face as he waggled his tail and the book a bit. "Thanks for the help." Inkbrand reached out to give the purple unicorn a hearty slap on one shoulder blade, before flouncing past and back into the central area, tucking the book into his bag as he did so. "Hey doll, finally found what I was looking for, so maybe now you and I can - "

 

It took Inkbrand a few moments to realize he was speaking to an empty room. A frown settled onto his face, before his eyes suddenly widened in horror, darting over to the other wing to quickly glance around inside.

 

No go.

 

"Buck me!" the tattoo-clad stallion exclaimed, a fierce scowl on his features at the distinct lack of a white coat anywhere in the nearby vicinity, "my model!" Had he really been so engrossed in finding the perfect reference book that he'd let Moondancer simply waltz out the front doors? Which was kind of funny, because Dancer, and waltzing - but buck! Inkbrand settled his head against one of the crystal pillars for a moment, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips, before he abruptly pulled back, eyebrows set low over his eyes.

 

Well.

 

This was Ponyville. It couldn't be that hard to find out where Moondancer spent her time, and perhaps run into some white-coated friends of hers as well. At the very least, he'd make sure not to be distracted if they ran into each other again. After all, it wasn't every day one stallion found himself face to face with a beautifully unblemished coat of pure white.

 

With a slight nod of his head, Inkbrand whirled back around and set off out of the entrance way, the sunlight greeting him cheerily as he went. All in all, he couldn't admit his foray into the library hadn't been all that bad…and on top of that, he'd proven that mushrooms were the root of all evil in the galaxy.

 

And that was productivity at its finest.

 

[[ Exit ]]

 

[Lux]

Lore Weaver watched as the Griffon suddenly dashed away deep into the stacks, seeking his books on solving his problem. The tattoo clad stallion to his surprise let out a not very well concealed laugh. The purple unicorn could understand children laughing as often they didn't know the difference. By this wild stallion obviously had little social graces. He gave the stallion a stern glare, no doubt something that Lore learned from Princess Twilight whose glare brought fear to even those who weren't the intended target.

"Ah, I see you found something," Lore said trying to ignore what looked like a mini tornado that ripped through part of the library, "I'll check that out right away."

The stallion set to work filling out the necessary check out log and handed the stallion back the book.

"Thanks for visiting the Royal Ponyville Library. Have a nice day!"

Lore watched as the earth pony made his exit hearing him shout something in the foyer. The unicorn held his breath hoping that the stallion would take his chaos with him.

"Great, now to clean up this mess," Lore said. Well, he didn't expect books to remain on the shelves as this defeated the purpose of a library, but this wanton throwing of book was like he had been spit on! Before he could start though the girl scared griffon returned carrying what looked like a huge chunk of the self help area with him.

"Well I can see that you found what you were looking for," Lore said as he began to check them out, "There is no limit to how much you can take out, although I hoped you left a few for others. I think you did though."

As he went about logging the books, Lore had a thought come to mind and decided it needed to be said.

"You know," he whispered to the griffon, "I had a similar problem like you. I used to have trouble finding friends as well, preferring studying to them. I was also shy a little too. But then I realize that we all need friends to help pick us up when we are down, laugh with us, learn together, and gives us hope. I hope that you will in your studies you can find the way to meet more friends of the opposite gender. JUst remember, every journey begins with a single step."

(Thanks for playing Zeig!)