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// 21 - Chilly Reception 
// Story: What Follows Hugs 
// by David Silver 
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As they pressed ever northward, the temperature began to fall. Toby could feel his passenger cling more firmly as the wind softly sang around them. This was concerning, but not severely. Moondancer was not Best Princess, it only made sense that she wasn't as good at dealing with the cold. "You is good pony."

Moondancer reared up on his back. "What brought that on?"

"Oh, Toby is thinking." He tapped the side of his head as they sailed through the air. "Luna not mind cold much, but Luna is Best Princess. You is not princess, but you is good pony, very good pony. I get you to warm."

Moondancer slid back down and allowed a hoof to wander through his thick fur. "I did not realize how dense your pelt was. Is it not at times too warm?"

"I get hot sometimes. I drink nice water, get better." He peeked over his shoulder. "Is worth it to be with good ponies, like you."

Moondancer's face turned pink, though he wasn't sure why. "T-thank you, Toby."

"Is I job."

Bonk. She had struck him with a soft clop of a sound. "Would you do it if it wasn't your job?"

Toby landed, but did not jump again. He frowned softly. "If not job... Not sure what I doing if not helping Sombra." He tried to face Moondancer, but she was on his back and rather than look over his shoulder, he kept turning to try to face her, a fruitless task. "Maybe I still Best Princess pet?"

Moondancer adjusted her glasses as a steamy gust of air escaped her. "You were her pet?"

"Yes, is not bad time." Toby realigned himself with where he thought home was. "Before I speak. Before I think big thoughts. Only want food and hugs. I still like those."  A simple smile spread on his face as he resumed his potent bounds through the snow. "Now I know other things, other than food or hugs, just as important. Protect others, learn, teach. I have many good things. So many good things."

Moondancer squeezed him around the neck, hugging him. "You are a very good Tsuki."

Toby felt his cheeks warming. He felt... good. Was that what it felt like to be told in no unclear terms that he was good? He decided he liked it. "I do best..." A thought came and he added, "I be best Toby I can."

"That's the spirit."

They went quiet, but it was a good quiet, not one of those unhappy ones. Toby stopped jumping quite as high as they drew close to where he thought they should be. He started prodding at the snow instead of bouncing, looking for the hole.

"What are you doing?"

"Tsuki home is down. I forget where, is close."

Light shined above him. He could feel magic being used. That light flew past him and swept out across the snow before sinking into it. A moment later, a circle rose up. "There," declared Moondancer with confidence.

"Pony magic," he noted, happy to not have to dig anymore. With a single powerful bounce, he landed right in the middle of the circle and crashed through it. The snow gave way to his mass and both of them plummeted into the darkness beyond. She screamed. Best Princess had been scared of that too, though she had been completely surprised at the time.

Light came quickly into view. They were in the main hall of the Tsuki. Unlike the last time, it was not completely empty. Tsuki were there, working or playing. When the snow they knocked free hit the ground, those near it scattered, letting Toby land without squishing anyone. "I is home!" he declared in a loud happy boom.

"Toby!" came the equally excited cry of a female tsuki. She was at his side in a single hop, but paused where a hug might have been given. She was looking at Moondancer, tilting her head back and forth rapidly.

Moondancer sat up slowly, still shaking from the fall. "Hello... I am Moondancer."

Another Tsuki landed nearby, a male. "Hello Moondancer. Are you Toby's? Is he yours?"

Toby squeaked, catching up with what the tsuki around him were thinking. "She is friend of I." He reached up and gently pulled her free and set her on the ground. "All meet Moondancer. She is good with magic. She teach I magic. She copy big pictures so not lost. She is good pony and helping us."

With the introduction given, the Tsuki crowded around Moondancer, giving warm welcomes. Unlike Toby, they didn't immediately move in for hugs. Instead their warm furry snouts pressed, nuzzling Moondancer from almost every direction they could squeeze in at once, all snuffling at her curiously.

The same doe from before looked around in a wide circle. "Where is Sombra? Not with you?" She suddenly grinned. "We is free?"

Toby blinked at the response. "We is free, yes. Sombra is coming. I is in charge until then."

She pouted at that. "Oh..."

"What is wrong?"

She shook her head. "He is big mean. Biggest meanest!" A few noises of agreement came from the others. "Selene hope you come back, be king. Toby better king."

Toby reared up onto his hind legs, taking a wide stance for stability. "Stop that! Sombra is not perfect. How can be, is not Best Princess, but is not bad. Sombra do good. Sombra get better."

The doe stood up, a little shorter than Toby, but still standing far taller than Moondancer, who decided backing away might be wise. "Even if true, we want Toby king! Toby is Tsuki. Toby is nice. Toby is..." She spread her furry hands wide. "All Tsuki."

Toby shook his head violently enough for his cheeks to flop about in the motion, ears wagging limply. "No no no! Toby help Sombra be better king. Toby under Sombra." He realized he was getting his grammar all fouled up in his frantic worry and took a slow breath as he fell back to all four. "I do best can for Tsuki. Is not bad. Sombra learn, get better. Will make him good king, best king!"

The doe fell forward, staring at him, eyes locked a moment. "Toby is too nice." Before he could object, she smooched him on the nose, then bounced off into the darkness. Toby slumped to his belly. Why had that kiss felt so different than the others he had received?

Moondancer had a pair of Tsuki before her, both grinning. They appeared smaller than either Toby or the doe. "Moondancer help with pictures?" asked one.

"We show!" declared the other, bouncing up and down on its legs without leaving the ground.

"This way!" finished the first, taking a powerful leap. 

The second walked more slowly, watching Moondancer. "What Moondancer do with pictures?"

Moondancer reached back with her magic, undoing the clasps that kept her glasses extra secure and tucking them away. "From what Toby has informed me, they are in need of documentation, trans--"

"Moondancer talk funny," said the Tsuki with a giggle. "Why use big words?" Moondancer decided that one was male, sounded like one? He landed in front of her, looking at her directly. "Not can talk small words?"

Moondancer wrinkled her nose. "I will look at pictures, copy them, make notes about them."

The Tsuki bobbed his head. "See, is better. Now understanding."

"Are coming?!" called out the other, already far ahead.

"Is coming!" Replied the one in front of Moondancer.

They arrived, with calmly walking hooves and eager bounces, to the other Tsuki waving a paw frantically at a huge painting/carving in the wall. "See, is here! Moondancer want see, yes?"

Moondancer nodded as she pulled a notepad free, hovering in her magic. "Precisely. I'll begin work with this immed--" She paused, seeing both were looking confused. "I work now." She flashed a big smile, and it was returned. They bounced away and she let the smile fade. "Education can't get here soon enough," she sighed to herself as she looked over the great carving.

It showed a huge moon over a field of dancing Tsuki. Two of them were paw to paw, and another stood in front of them. A Tsuki marriage perhaps? Moondancer shook her head. Assuming meaning would ruin the effort. She thought a moment before the spell came to her. With a bright flash, the image was copied into her notebook. She trotted around to its side. A peek of its contours would be valuable. It seemed a waste to only have a two dimensional snapshot of a three dimensional work.

"What you doing?" came a small voice beside her.

Moondancer hopped with surprise and came down facing the smallest Tsuki she ever saw. A child? They were looking at her curiously. Their ears had not yet grown so large as to flop over. They were trained on her. They had soft white fur with black spots across their pelt. Their horns were black little nubs on their head. "Who you?"

Moonglow tilted her head a bit. The child was cute, as children often were, but she had no expertise in dealing with youth. "Oh, hello... I am Moondancer." She raised a hoof at the picture. "I'm recording this."

"What'sa 'recording'?" The little Tsuki stood up on its hind legs to be closer to eye level with her. "They right, you talk funny."

Moondancer frowned her shaggy brows at the little one, but an idea came to her. The small one had just a little more nuance in their speech, and seemed curious about her words. Should she? She was no teacher, still... "A record is writing about something. The act of making a record is recording. I am making a record." She lowered her notepad so the child could see it. "So even if the original--" She pointed up at the great stone carving. "--is hurt, we have a copy."

"Oh..." The little one took a few waddling steps forward, reaching with their hands for the book. "Let Longhop see?" Moondancer didn't resist and it pulled it free of her magic. "Is good draw. You art maker? Is good... Name Longhop!" Longhop turned away, flipping through the book and peering at the words there, both mundane and magic. "Write lots... You like writing?"

Moondancer followed after the little one. "I do, and reading. Forgive me, but are you a girl Tsuki or a boy Tsuki?"

Longhop half turned back to her. "What is difference?"

Moondancer realized the mine she had just stepped on. "Do you like writing?"

"Longhop not know how write." It tapped at the notebook. "Is words? How put word like this. Word is like this." It put the noteboook down and turned entirely to Moondancer. "Word. Word. Word. See, sound." It nodded with confidence. "No sound there." Longhop pointed at the book. "How word?"

"How to put that..." She settled on her haunches and adjusted her glasses with a hoof. "Oh!" She moved the same hoof to tap her head. "Ever think with words up here? Words only you can hear?"

"Uh huh." He bobbed his head. "I think lots things. You not hear. Is good, not all polite."

Moondancer blinked at that. "Not polite?"

"You look funny. Like Sombra. Are you mean like Sombra? What is you? Not Tsuki. What is thing on there?" They were pointing at Moondancer's glasses. "Why have picture?" The pointing moved to her rump where her cutie mark resided. "Is not polite, so Longhop not ask."

"Thank... you?" Moondancer shook her head. "When you know how words work, you hear inside words up here." She tapped her head. "Then words have sound, sound only you hear."

Longhop looked amazed, jaw hanging free a moment. "It talk with inside voice?! Is magic?"

"One of the oldest magics," easily agreed Moondancer. "And one of the best."

"Toby said you teach magic." Longhop took a cautious step forward. "You teach Longhop how write? Longhop want magic, make inside words."