Thank you to all the reviewers! Jay and I really appreciate them! Enjoy!
At the sound of the voice, Leo took a few steps back and gently nudged Donnie to the front. At his brother's questioning gaze, he explained.
"You're better at research than any of us. You take point." He informed.
Donnie nodded, just as the door to the library opened. None of the former turtles could stiffle a gasp. Before them stood a small dragon. It was purple with green spikes running down its back to its tail tip, and stood on its back two feet to about chest height. It wore a confused and slightly annoyed expression.
"What? Never seen a dragon before?" The voice that came out of the dragons mouth was the same one that had answered them earlier.
"Er, not exactly. Sorry, we weren't expecting . . . " Donnie trailed off. "Sorry." He said again.
The dragon waved a hand. "It's alright. C'mon in."
Donnie entered first, then Mikey, then Raph, and Leo brought up the rear.
"Never seen you around before." The dragon commented off-handedly as he led them into a large open room, walls lined with cubby holes filled with books.
"Er, yeah, we just got here. We were actually wondering if you had any books about this town."
"Oh, sure. Twilight has almost every book you can think of." The dragon said with a proud smile.
Twilight. The name had rung a bell earlier, and now Leo remembered why. It was the name of one of the ponies that had almost caught him a month ago.
"Really?" Donnie grinned with pleasure.
"Egghead." Raph muttered.
"Yep. Twilight loves to read and study. She collects every book she can get her hooves on."
The small dragon stopped in front of a section of wall, scanned the shelves, then pulled out a medium sized brown book and sat it on the round table that dominated the center of the room.
"This is a basic history of Ponyville. It should be enough to get you started. If you have any questions, just yell. My name's Spike."
"Thanks Spike." Donnie grinned, turning his attention to the novel.
"Welcome." Spike began climbing a staircase that led to a second level and disappeared.
All four brothers turned their attention to the book.
"A History Of Ponyville." Donnie read aloud before, after a brief struggle with his hooves, flipped open the cover and began to read.
After about 20 minutes of reading, Spike decided to check on his guests. He waddled down the wooden stairs and called out, "Hey, how you guys doing?"
Donnie opened his muzzle to say something but Mikey beat him to it, "We are doing just fine Dude!"
Raph scoffed and rolled his eyes but Spike nodded his head and answered, "That's good."
Spike then decided to fully observe the green ninjas. He noticed the two pegasi both had scraggly manes and tails and had warm colored masks over their eyes. He saw the only unicorn had a violet mask. Then he looked over at the quiet blue maned one and saw something that blew his mind. He was an alicorn! Spike's eyes widened as his brain attempted to comprehend what he was seeing. WHAT?! Alicorn?! How is he an alicorn?! Only royalty are alicorns! How the-
His thoughts trailed off when he noticed the weird gazes he was receiving. Before he asked what was the deal, he asked a much more normal question, "So what are your names?"
Donnie's mouth opened again but was once more cut off by Raph this time, "You don't need to know."
He was elbowed in the side by mikey as Mikey tried to cover up his rudeness, "What my dear brother meant to say was, is my name is Michelangelo. Or Mikey."
He pointed a wing at Donnie, "That's Donatello. But we call him Donnie."
He used his left wing to put it over Raph's shoulders and hug him close to himself. "The angry one is Raphael. But he prefers Raph."
He finally pointed his right green hoof behind him at Leo, "And last but not least, Leonardo! Leo." The shy stallion slightly smiled and bowed his head to the dragon.
"And, um, where did you guys say you came from?" Spike asked.
"We didn't." Raph grumbled.
"Oh, we're from Ne-mph-mph-mph." Mikey said, muffled by the hoof stuffed in his face by Donnie.
"We travel around a lot. We haven't been in one place for more than a month or so in years." Donnie lied.
Spike cocked his head suspiciously. He didn't quite believe the four ponies before him, and the Alicorn in the back - Leonardo - made him outright nervous and confused. There were only four known Alicorns in all of Equesria, and it was very difficult to just become one. It was obvious that these four ponies were definitely not from anywhere around here.
But Spike played it cool. "Oh. Alright. You need anything else?"
"Do you have any books on portals?" A quiet voice, but one that demanded respect, asked. It took Spike a second to realize that it was Leonardo who had spoken.
Portals? Like the one he and Twilight had traveled through? Could - could they be from another world?
"Um - I - I'm not sure. Let - let me go ask Twilight." The dragon stuttered.
He wasted no time charging up the stairs, not noticing the looks the four ponies exchanged.
"Twilight! Twilight!" Spike whisper-shouted as he burst into the bedroom where Twilight was studying old scrolls found in the old castle.
"What's wrong, Spike?" Twilight frowned.
"Those - those ponies, who came asking for a book on Ponyville!"
"What about them?" Twilight asked, rising to her hooves and stretching, muscles stiff from sitting in one place all morning.
"I got a good look at all of them - and one of them is an Alicorn!"
"What?" Twilight shrieked as she froze and her eyes went wide with shock.
"And the Alicorn - he said his name was Leonardo - he asked about a book on portals."
"Portals? Do you think he's from another world?" Twilight didn't wait for Spike to answer. She immediately charged out of the room and downstairs.
The four ponies were still there, huddled together by the round table.
As soon as the former turtles heard the click-clock of hooves hitting wood, they whirled around only for mikey to spin too much and fall on his barrel. (Horse word for stomach) They all looked down at him, including Twilight, and Raph face palmed- I mean face-hoofed.
"Um, hi?" Twilight said uncertainly.
"Hi!" Mikey replied with a wide grin from his spot on floor, obviously not getting up anytime soon. Twilight grinned at the light green Pegasus. He reminds me so much of Pinkie.
Her violet eyes traveled up to meet dark blue. But as soon as Leo and Twilight made eye-contact, Leo quickly moved his eyes away and to the floor below him.
Twi cocked her head to the side as she gazed at the dark green alicorn. Hmm, he really IS an alicorn! I wonder how?
She shook her head and decided to properly introduce herself. "Uh, hello. My name is Twilight Sparkle. What are your names?"
Mikey was about to tell her but Raph beat him to it. "Mikey, Donnie, Raph, Leo." He pointed to everybody as he said their names. Mikey glared at him when he was interrupted. Donnie was almost failing at suppressing a snort. He found that whole scene to be hilarious. There. Now you know how I feel. Thank you Raph.
"You own this library?" The Alicorn, Leo, asked.
"Yes, I do. I live here as well." Twilight smiled at him.
"So you would know its contents better than anyone. Do you have any books on portals?" Donnie asked politely.
"Yes . . ." Twilight said slowly, hesitating. "But why would you need them?"
A long second past before Donnie answered. "I'm curious about the idea of other worlds. I'd love to learn about portals."
"But Spike said that Leo asked for the book." Twilight cocked her head, looking pointedly at the Alicorn. Both Donnie and Leo winced.
"Um . . . I'm curious as well?" Leo attempted, his lie coming out sounding more like a question.
Twilight just shot him a do you really think I'm a going to buy that? look.
"It was worth a try." He muttered, looking at the floor, and Twilight felt the corners of her mouth twitch.
"We truly are curious." Donnie offered.
"Just - for a complicated reason."
"Ok..." Twilight said suspiciously as she turned around to find a few books on the matter. She spread her large wings and took flight. The sudden movement almost blew Mikey back because he was the closest and they all stood there wide-eyed and astonished. Twilight reached the top of the bookcases and hovered while she gazed at the section. This particular one was about space and its wonders. Portal science was near this. She flapped her wings and shifted to the left. There! She grabbed a hoof-full of it portal books and turned her violet eyes to the wood ground below her. She slowed her wing movement and began to decend. Her lavender hooves tapped the floor and her horn came to life as she levetated the many books with ease. She walked toward the waiting stallions and laid the 5 books out on the center table.
"Here you guys are! Five different books all on the science of portals!" Twilight grinned at them and awaited their responce.
A few seconds of silence passed before Donnie spoke up, "Wow! Thank you very much! This should get us well on our way to figure out how we - I mean figure out portal stuff!" Donnie smiled nervously and hoped the smart alicorn would buy it.
She just stared at the awkward unicorn and nodded her head slowly. "Uh huh. Now, if you need anything, I'll be upstairs." Without another word, she turned and began to trot to the stairs.
"Do you have any food?" She halted her movement and turned her head to look at the orange maned pegasus rubbing his stomach and looking at her with hungry desperation.
"Um, yeah. Spike, could you get these colts some sandwiches?"
Spike saluted and replied, "Yes mamn!" And sped off to what was the kitchen.
Twilight fully turned around and strolled to the stairs. She disappeared from sight and stood at the top of the spiral staircase. She then crept to middle to watch the strange stallions. She stared at them and soon Spike came back and gave each of them a daisy and daffodil sandwich. They gave their thanks and spike retreated to the stairs and waddled up them.
"Oh hey Twi-" He was cut off as Twilight covered his mouth with her hooves.
She began in a whisper voice, "Shh Spike! I'm trying to watch them."
Spike gave a clueless look. She sighed, "Don't you think it's a little suspicious that four ponies come to our library, one an alicorn, and ask about portals?"
Spike then had a /lightbulb/ooooohhhh/ moment and nodded his head. "Can I at least watch with you?" He asked hopefully.
Twi thought about this for a moment and answered, "Sure Spike." And they continued their spying.
"These are the best!" Mikey cheered, chewing his sandwich vigorously.
"In that case, you can have mine." Leo passed his over. "I'm not hungry, and I'd rather read." The blue-maned horse pulled one of the texts closer to himself and flipped open the cover.
"Suit yourself." Mikey smiled, reaching for the offered snack.
"Back off, Mikey!" Donnie snapped, pushing the food back to Leo. "Leo, we don't have any money. Who knows when we'll be able to get food again? You should eat now."
Leo sighed and rolled his eyes, but complied, taking a small bite of the food.
"I thought horses ate grass, Donny. I saw plenty of that outside." Raph commented.
"Do you really want to eat grass?" Donnie said pointedly, grabbing one of the books.
Raph paused a second. "Point taken."
Above them, Twilight frowned. Grass? People didn't eat grass. And the way they talked about horses so separate from themselves . . . . It was all very suspicious. Everything the four ponies said and did pointed to them being world travelers.
The four ponies then each opened a book, and began to read, falling silent.
It was about twenty minutes later when Twilight decided to pay them another visit. This time she intended to get some information out of them.
She trotted down the stairs and moved to the quartet. "Hello again guys. Now it is getting late and I'm going to have to close up shop if you know what I mean. So do you have a place to stay?"
Leo dropped his sandwich immediately and nickered by accident. He covered his muzzle with his hooves and looked at the four ponies staring at him. Crud! We never thought about that! And, did I just nicker?
"Ahem. Um, presently, since we just came to town, no, we have nowhere to hit the hay."
His brothers gazed at him with confused laced in their large eyes. 'Hit the hay'? Since when does Leo say something like that? Donnie thought to himself.
"Well, if you don't mind sleeping in one room, you could stay here." Twilight's offer surprised everyone in the room, including Spike.
"What?" Everyone chorused.
"Really? We'd be very grateful." Leo smiled hopefully.
"Of course! The more the merrier." Twilight smiled back.
Twilight blinked and looked to Leo. He was staring at her too and their eyes locked. Wow... Those violet eyes are so pretty... Did I just think that? Leo said mentally. Twilight wasn't thinking too differently. Those azure eyes looks so good... Did I really think that? Twilight blushed slightly and looked away. Leo did the same and stared at the floor instead. Everyone else in the room felt the awkwardness between the two and Donnie decided to break the silence.
"So, ahem, where is the room you're so generously letting us stay in, Twilight Sparkle?"
Her eyes snapped forward and blushed even more in embarrassment. "Oh, right. Um, just follow me." She turned and started to walk in the direction of the stairs
. But before the others could take a step, the wood floor began to tremble. They all looked to the door and it was bashed down. When the dust cleared the figure that broke the door was seen. It was none other than... Pinkie Pie.
So review, tell us what you think. If you want to see certain pairings, we're open to suggestions.
Have a nice night,
Blue