Big Mac wasn't a big talker and didn't like to be around large groups of Ponies, Granny Smith was old, and Apple Bloom was still in school, so this just left Applejack to tend the Apple Family Produce Stand. So like everyday, Applejack had spent the whole day selling produce at the Ponyville Market District.

Applejack managed to sell nearly everything on her cart today, so the farm mare was packing her cart up to take back to her family's farm when a familiar voice called out to her.

“Hey Applejack!”

The orange mare looked up to see Thunderlane, Cloud Chaser, and Flitter, headed her way, “Well howdy everypony, what brings you to the market so late intah the day?”

“We're here to pick up Rumble,” Answered Flitter.

“Oh really?” Asked Applejack intrigued, “What's he doin' out here this time ah day?”

“Oh? You didn't know?” Asked Thunderlane in surprise, “Rumble is helping Apple Bloom foalsit the Cake twins today.”

“Come again?” Applejack had known that the Cakes had arranged for her sister to look after the twins, but knew nothing about Rumble.

“Yeah, Rumble said that Apple Bloom wanted help watching the twins, but all of her other friends had plans today,” Explained Thunderlane, “He however, had no other obligations today, so he offered to help.”

“Oh, that's uhh, real nice of 'um,” Applejack wasn't sure how she felt about this fairly new colt being alone with her sister today.

“Carrot Top is supposed to be taking over for the night,” Said Flitter, “So we were going to go pick up Rumble, would you like to come get Apple Bloom?”

“Yah know, Ah think Ah will.”

“How often do you foalsit?” Asked Rumble.

“Not too often,” Replied Apple Bloom, “Usually they have Pinkie Pie foalsit the twins.”

“The Element of Laughter?” Asked Rumble.

“Yeah, she's really good with Pumpkin 'nd Pound. She couldn't foalsit this week 'cause she went back home for her younger sister's birthday party,” Explained Apple Bloom.

“How do the Cakes know Pinkie Pie?” Asked Rumble.

“She works 'nd live here in Sugarcube Corner,” Explained Apple Bloom, “She was just renting it at first. Then after a couple of months, the Cakes just gave Pinkie the spare room upstairs.”

“It must be nice to have your only employee living in your establishment,” Commented Rumble.

“Speakin' of work, I want tah thank yah again fer helping me out today,” Said Apple Bloom.

“Oh, it's nothing,” Rumble said politely, “But now that the twins are asleep, what do we do?”

“Pumpkin 'nd Pound were unusually neat today, so we don't have tah clean up after 'em,” Said Apple Bloom happily, “So we just need to lock up 'nd leave.”

“Really?” Asked Rumble worriedly, “We just leave two infants by themselves until their parents come back?”

“We can't spend the night here, we have school tomorrow,” Said Apple Bloom, “Besides, Carrot Top is supposed to come by here in a few minutes 'nd she has a spare key.”

“Alright then, l-lets go,” Rumble didn't like the idea of leaving the two infants by themselves, but Apple Bloom made very valid points. Rumble was following behind Apple Bloom to the front door of Sugarcube Corner and in his worried thoughts, didn't realize that Apple Bloom had stopped walking when she opened the door.

“Oof!” Rumble bumped into Apple Bloom.

The farm filly had her mind preoccupied by what laid in front of her and nearly tripped.

“Whoa Nelly!” Applejack immediately ran over to keep her sister from falling over, “Are yah okay?”

“Yeah I'm fine Applejack,” Said Apple Bloom plainly, though her smile betrayed how happy she was to see her sister.

“Oh I'm sorry Apple Bloom,” Said Rumble when he realized what had happened, “I wasn't watching where I was going.”

“It's fine Rumble,” Said Apple Bloom dismissively, “It was an accident.”

Apple Bloom turned her head to face her sister, “But what are yah doin' here Applejack?”

“We just thought y'all would like for someone to take yah home,” Said Applejack.

“We?” Asked Rumble.

A whistle from above alerted the two foalsitters to the presence of three familiar Pegasi in the air above them.

“Hey Rumble,” Said Thunderlane, “Scootaloo told what you three were doing today, and we just came by to get you.”

“Well I guess this is goodbye,” Said Apple Bloom, “Ah'll see yah tomorrow.”

“Alright Apple Bloom, have a good evening,” With that, the light gray Pegasus join his brother and friends in the air and flew off.

Rumble was hoping that the three Pegasi with him would leave him be for tonight at least, but they just had the since to not tease Rumble about Apple Bloom while her sister was within earshot.

“So Rumble,” Started Cloud Chaser with a teasing tone of voice, “How was foalsitting?”

“Uh, it was nice,” Replied Rumble hesitantly, he knew when his 'sisters' were using their teasing voice.

“I guess it doesn't hurt that you had company tonight, huh?” Said Flitter barely holding back snickers.

Rumble said nothing, hoping to escape the onslaught of teasing. It was to no avail as Thunderlane spoke up, “Scootaloo told me that you offered to help Apple Bloom tonight.”

Oh no thought Rumble. They had worked out how all three of them could tease Rumble all at once. This does not bode well for me.

“Did you want to know what it would be like caring for foals with Apple Bloom?” Continued Thunderlane.

“Wait. What!?” The sisters actually had to swoop in and catch Rumble so he didn't fall out of the sky out of embarrassment.

That little comment wouldn't have normally flustered Rumble so badly, but the three older Pegasi had been teasing him about courting Apple Bloom since he had met her.

“You two would make a great couple,” Commented Flitter, “I bet you would make even better parents.”

The three older Pegasi laughed at Rumble's expense as the near white fur on his face turned a deep scarlet.

Back on the ground – specifically the road to Sweet Apple Acres – Apple Bloom was getting a similar interrogation from her older sister. Though, it was far more serious than the comedic fusillade Rumble was receiving.

“Was Rumble different tonight?” Asked Applejack.

“Different?” Replied the younger sister, “Could yah be more specific?”

Applejack sighed. Element of Honesty or not, subtlety was not her strong suit, “Different from he usually acts when he's with you 'nd yer friends.”

“Well yeah,” Said Apple Bloom, “We were foalsittin' a pair of infants. Ah would hope he would act in a different way than he does with the other Crusaders.”

Applejack bit her lip. This was going to get awkward, “Did he insist on bein' in yer personal space? Was he a might more forward than unusual?”

Apple Bloom sighed and rolled her eyes. This was not the first time Applejack had been overprotective of her, “He was a perfect gentlecolt the entire night. He was as friendly as he always is, 'nd I wouldn't mind him helpin' me foalsit again.”

“What about when he ran intah you?” Asked Applejack.

“Aj, that was an accident.”

“What if it wasn't? If the four of us weren't there, he might've tried to-” Applejack didn't get to finish her sentence as her sister spoke up.

“Fer Celestia's sake Applejack!” Exclaimed Apple Bloom with a clearly annoyed tone of voice, “Right now, the only Pony who needs to get off of me is you.”

Apple Bloom increased the pace of her trot and passed her older sister with an annoyed look on her face and a clear blush on her checks. Applejack stopped and sighed as she watched her sister go ahead of her. Applejack really needed to learn how to be more tactful in the future.

“Wow!” Exclaimed Berry Pinch, “There are a lot of books here.”

It was half past one in the afternoon when Berry Pinch, Dinky Doo, and Noblesse Oblige entered the library in the Everfree Palace. Berry Pinch and Dinky Doo had never even seen the Everfree Palace before today, and spent nearly a hour admiring the unique architecture and examining the Under-City Ponies, much to their chagrin. Noblesse of course, thought that the fact that his usually stone faced guards and servants were so clearly put off by his friends' innocent scrutiny was hilarious.

“How do you find anything in this place?” Asked Dinky, trying in vain to count all of the books.

“We have written down exactly how all of the books are organized,” Replied the colt happily, “You see these etchings on each of the bookshelves? That's not just there for decoration, they were put there to help people navigate the otherwise labyrinthine library.”

“Did you help stock the shelves?” Asked Berry Pinch, trying to imagine how many Ponies were needed to stock each of the countless bookshelves in a timely fashion.

“Yes, yes I did,” While Noblesse believed strongly in the virtue of modesty, he still took great pride in the fact that he actually helps his servants maintain his home, “I stocked the entirety of the 'Historical Texts' and the 'Spell Books and Alchemical Recipes' shelves.”

“Can I ask a question?” Asked Dinky Doo as she noticed something that really made her curious.

Noblesse traced her gaze to one of the stones that rested on the sconces in place of torches all around the room, “The 'Lighting Stones?' Thou remember'st how the stones in the quarry become magical gemstones?”

“Yeah,” Replied Dinky, “And they turn back into regular stones when the excess magic gets drained from them, right?” Dinky was especially attentive during their foray into the old quarry, who knew that rocks could be so interesting?

“Yes, you learned well. What we didn't learn from Twilight's book, is that if magic is drained and absorbed constantly by the same stone, then they become crystal clear as we see them now. They are a very safe and effective method of lighting one's home in place of flames.” Explained Noblesse.

“What do you do if want to the room to be darker?” Asked Berry Pinch.

Noblesse grinned at his friends' (could he call them that now?) curiosity, “The brightness of an individual stone is determined by how much magic they have absorbed. But the stones absorb ambient magic, so an Unicorn could drain them of their magic as they would drain magic from the environment. A non-Unicorn could alternatively just use a cloth or something to occlude the stones' light.”

A realization came to Berry Pinch as all of the information she had recently learned about these stones came together, “Could these stones be used as a power source in place of water wheels or other devices?”

Noblesse's grin bloomed into a smile, “Yes they can, and are in some places. For most of Equestria's history, we have used dangerous insects known as 'Twittermites' in place of fossil fuel like coal. But one hundred and fifty-six years ago, a brilliant scientist by the name of Thunder Chariot discovered that the magical gemstones could be harnessed as a power source.”

“I remember the history lessons about the Twittermites in Ms. Cheerilee's class,” Said Dinky Doo, “Didn't Princess Celestia make finding alternate power sources the nation's top priority because of all of the accidents revolving around Twittermites?”

Noblesse nodded his head, “Yes, that's where Thunder Chariot obtained the funding for her experiments. It's also why Parliament rescinded most of the laws governing the use of fossil fuel. While fossil fuel is bad for the environment, it is much safer than harvesting electricity from the Twittermites.”

The two fillies noticed how happy Noblesse was acting during their inquiries. Though they had no way of knowing this, few Ponies in the Canterlot Palace were actually interested in more academics than they needed to advance their family's standing in Equestrian society. Even Princess Celestia loathed most discussions about Equestrian history and philosophy, she had lived through most of Equestria's history and was afraid of the concept of drastic change to the way her little Ponies thought of life.

The two fillies also noticed that Noblesse Oblige seemed more relaxed within the Everfree Palace. His behavior outside these walls was guarded, maybe even paranoid by comparison. Of course, he had probably never been attacked while inside this heavily guarded fortress.

“So where is all of the magic books?” Asked Dinky Doo, eager to get started on what they had come here to do in the first place.

“Oh, it's on the other side of the library,” Answered the Unicorn colt.

Noblesse had to suppress giggles at his friends' groans.

After a few minutes of walking, the trio finally made their way to the 'Spell Books and Alchemical Recipes' section of the palace library, and the fillies were amazed at how many more tomes their were. One could only see so much from the entrance after all. The two fillies who were unfamiliar with the palace looked down the rows upon rows of ceiling high bookshelves, each individual bookcase easily contained at least a thousand books.

“Here we are♪” Said Noblesse upon stopping at the back wall of the library.

The two fillies looked at the multiple bookcases along the wall of the library, “So which one is the magics bookcase?” Asked Ruby Pinch, noticing that none of the bookcases along the wall were actually labeled.

“All of the bookcases along the wall here,” Answered the colt. Noblesse's chest swelled with pride as he saw the astonished looks on the fillies' faces.

“You did all of this by yourself?” Asked Dinky.

“Some of the other servants brought boxes of books to me, but I organized the whole thing myself and put each book in it's proper place,” Replied Noblesse, still smiling.

Dinky and Ruby were scanning the titles of the countless tomes for anything that caught their eyes. Ruby's gaze zeroed in on one tome in particular at the very end of the shelf. Dinky overlooked the book as it's dull gray binding was the same color as the bookcase. Ruby saw it instantly however, it almost seemed like it was calling to her specifically. Ruby's horn ignited in a fiery orange as she levitated the book over to her.

Dinky looked to see what Ruby had found, only to be confused. The book was dull looking, so dull in fact that Dinky overlooked it completely. Even stranger was that the title on the binding was in a language that she couldn't read. The cover of the book depicted a snake moving in a perfect circle to eat itself with an equilateral triangle within the circle the snake made with it's body.

Noblesse looked to see what book Ruby had picked, and smiled. Dinky saw the look on Noblesse's face and realized that it was the kind of smile one had when a plan was coming together. Dinky was taken from her musings as her longtime friend spoke.

“What is this?” Asked the pink filly with her voice full of amazement and wonder.

“Open the book and tell me if you can read it,” Replied Noblesse with his growing smile.

Ruby opened the ancient leather tome to reveal seemingly illegible 'hieroglyphs'. Calling them hieroglyphs was a misnomer as the text wasn't pictures but they didn't seem to be words and letters either. Dinky couldn't examine the strange writings any further as they made her eyes hurt just to look at them, similar to what would happen if someone looked at a bright light for too long.

“I, I can 'read' it,” Ruby spoke hesitantly. While she could understand the text, she couldn't read it per-say. It as though the exact meaning of the text was being whispered, not into her ears, but into her mind as she read.

“That tome is special,” Said Noblesse excitedly, “Only people who have a natural affinity for that kind of magic can hope to understand it.”

“Would I be able to check this book out of the library?” Asked Ruby, “I doubt I'll be able to read it all in one day.”

A nearby librarian was about to answer in the negative as Noblesse spoke, “I'm sure you could,” Noblesse shot the librarian a quick look to make sure that she understood, “Keep the book for as long as you need too. Oh! And I'd encourage taking notes in case you need help understanding the exact terminology of the book.”

“Can you read it?” Asked Dinky in a tone of voice that was unintentionally incredulous.

“Yes, but it will be better if she reads it herself,” Replied the colt cryptically, “Also Ruby, don't show the book or the text within with anyone else. They will drive themselves insane trying to comprehend it.”

Ruby was about to ask if the tome was dangerous. She had read about 'dark magic' corrupting Ponies who had read it, and she was in Ponyville and Trixie became possessed by the Alicorn Amulet. However, the voice that whispered the knowledge within the mysterious tome assured her that it was perfectly safe. Ruby was simply inclined to believe it, as she was already obsessed with the text and the knowledge it contained.

Dinky was scared at this point, scared for her friend and for her own safety. She flinched as a hoof placed itself calmly on her shoulder. She looked over the black hoof of Noblesse on her shoulder. She traced the colt's leg with her eyes as she looked him in the eye.

Noblesse had a calming smile on his face and despite foreboding feeling that weighed against Dinky's mind, she couldn't help but feel safe at Noblesse's gesture, “Everything will be okay,” Said the colt reassuringly, “So why don't you tell me about the kind of magic you're interested in?”

Noblesse managed to turn Dinky's gaze just in time for her to not see the whites of Ruby's eyes flash lime green. Dinky also didn't see the small wisps of ethereal purple smoke that spawned from Ruby's eyes in that instant.

Author's Notes:

Hello readers, thank you for reading another chapter. Does anyone mind that this chapter was longer than usual? I ask because I have been considering making chapters longer from here on out. It won't make Culture Shock any longer or shorter, but it will affect how many chapters there are in total. If no one cares, then you can expect chapters to be longer, but if enough people care, I'll keep the chapters as long as I have in the other chapters.

Like always, I appreciate any criticism anyone wants to give me. If it helps become a better writer and makes my stories more enjoyable for all of you reading, then I welcome it.

If anyone is confused about something that has been explained in the story, please tell me and I will do my best to address it without spoiling future events.