//------------------------------// // In Every Way: Moondancer and Rainbow Dash // Story: The Day of Love // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// Moondancer was calmly unpacking the books her collection when a knocking sound got her attention. Glancing around, she saw a blue Pegasus hovering outside the window of the study of her new house, grinning. Smiling, the Unicorn trotted over and slid the window open with her magic. “Hey, Dashie,” she greeted as she leaned forward for a quick kiss. “Thought you had weather duty today?” “Well, yeah,” Rainbow Dash rasped, waving a hoof in dismissal. “It’s not supposed to be anything but sunny in Ponyville today.” A sly look came over her face. “You saying you don’t like seeing me, Moonie?” “Perish the thought,” Moondancer teased. “I know that with me moving to Ponyville is a good chance for us to spend more time together, but that doesn’t mean you get to shirk your responsibilities.” “Me?” the Pegasus feigned shock. “Shirk work? Never!” Both ponies burst out giggling. Even now, cloud naps were a favorite activity of the cyan pony. Sometimes with a certain yellow-gray companion. “I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tomorrow.” “As far as I know,” the bookish mare replied. “Why, has something come up on your end?” “Nope, making sure,” Dash winked. “Hope you’re prepared for an awesome night.” “Always ready to spend time with you,” Moondancer admitted with a soft smile as the clock tower started chiming the time. Dash turned and grimaced for a moment before giving her marefriend another peck on the cheek. “Gotta go,” she apologized. “But looking forward to tomorrow, it’s going to blow the rest of our dates away.” She flew off, her rainbow contrail disappearing after a moment. Moondancer was humming as she returned to her sorting, the books lifting from their boxes and sailing towards the empty shelves in her pale pink aura. It was always uplifting when she thought of the laidback Wonderbolt marefriend of hers, and the last year had been a great time. Even when you counted the couple of days following when Rainbow had bitten her ear while she was trying to cast the cloudwalking spell, causing her to be stuck in the clouds, unable to step off. Moondancer froze as the thought crossed her mind. It had been almost a year, and the two of them had met just after Hearts and Hooves Day. She raced to her desk, digging her day planner from the pile of disorderly clutter. “Oh, roadapples,” she whispered when she realized that tomorrow was the holiday. The door opened following Moondancer’s frantic knocking, revealing a small drake. “Oh, hey Moondancer!” Spike said. “Hi Spike,” Moondancer said a little hurriedly. “Is Twilight available, I really need her advice.” “Yeah,” the dragon said, stepping to the side to allow the mare to enter the castle. “She was in the map room a little while ago.” As the two made their way through the corridor, the dragon looked up. “So, have you gotten settled in yet?” The Unicorn nodded distractedly. “Almost,” Moondancer mumbled. “Still have a few rooms to unpack still.” “Well, be sure to let us know when you do,” Spike said as he stopped infront of the door. “I’m sure Pinkie would love to throw you a housewarming party.” That brought a chuckle from the nervous mare. “Minuette has already made the offer as well, so I’ll not be surprised if they start planning together.” She gave the young drake a hug before pushing the door open and stepping inside. “Moondancer!” the Princess of Friendship exclaimed as she hopped out of her chair at the table, leaving a couple of books behind. “What brings you by?” “I kind of need some advice, Twilight,” Moondancer told her friend. “I just realized that Dash and I are coming up on our one year anniversary…” “And tomorrow is Hearts and Hooves Day,” the Alicorn nodded. “Yeah.” Moondancer rubbed her foreleg shyly. “I’m not sure what to get her. She’s got something special planned and I don’t want to mess it up.” “Well,” Twilight told her, motioning to the chairs surrounding the map. “Rainbow has pretty simple tastes despite her flashy persona. As long as it comes from you, I’m pretty sure she’ll enjoy it. And after a year, you probably know her almost as well as I do.” “Maybe Applejack still has a bottle or two of cider leftover,” the bespectacled mare muttered. “Probably,” Twilight said. “But trust yourself. I’m sure you’ll think of something for her.” “You’ll think of something,” Moondancer muttered later that night. “It’ll come to you easily. Right, soooo easy.” She rolled over and stared at the wall of her new bedroom. More than the worry of what she was getting Rainbow Dash was keeping her up, such as the newness of her surroundings. But trying to think of something for the athlete kept her mind churning. Sighing in frustration, she climbed out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, maneuvering around boxes that were only partially unpacked. She put the kettle on, thinking that some tea should settle her mind and help her rest. Staying up all night won’t help anything, after all. As she waited for the water to boil, she saw the pile of mail she had just brought in on her return from visiting Twilight. She flipped through it, seeing a few items that were meant for a previous tenant and the obligatory random mailer from local businesses that used them. Then she opened a letter from the editor of the newsletter she wrote for on occasion, with another editorial offer. Her eyes widened as she saw who it was for. “Sandstone’s new novel? I wasn’t aware any desl copies were available yet!” She skimmed the information and an idea flickered to life in her mind. She knew how much Dash had enjoyed the author, and they had both talked about the upcoming release ever since it was announced. She smiled, and made sure to set her alarm so she had time to get to Canterlot and back in time for dinner. Sleep came quickly to her this time. “Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Moonie!” Rainbow Dash said as she set a covered plate in front of her marefriend. “Happy Anniversary, Dashie,” Moondancer replied. “Well, almost anniversary, at least.” Rainbow sat down at her place with a similar dish. “Has it been a year already?” the Pegasus asked, blinking. Moondancer nodded, horn lighting up with her pinkish aura. As she lifted the cover, the smell of steamed and grilled vegetables and aromatic spices rose to her nose. She saw a delicious looking rice dish before her, the rice a soft yellow and mixed with the vegetables. “This looks delicious, Dashie,” she said as she raised her fork. “Why don’t you cook more often? It’s obvious you’re quite good at it.” The Pegasus shrugged. “Most of the time, I’m content to grab something from the mess hall or just something quick and easy when it’s just me.” She picked up a fork in her wingtips and indulged in a bite of her creation. “But for you I wanted to do something special.” “It’s deeply appreciated,” Moondancer said around a bite. “Especially after putting up with my cooking those early days.” “They weren't all that bad,” Rainbow replied quickly. “You just hadn’t practiced all that much.” Moondancer blushed a little. “I didn’t have a lot or reason to do so at the time,” she whispered. “By the way, I got something for you today. I hope you like it.” “That’s awesome,” the Pegasus said with a sly smile. “But I doubt it’s as cool as what I got for you.” The Unicorn blushed. “We’ll see, Dashie.” They ate slowly, enjoying each others company and chatting lightly about their days. When the dishes were cleared away, Moondancer brought a wrapped package from her overnight bags. “Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Rainbow,” she said as she offered it to her marefriend. As Rainbow ripped the wrapping and saw the item within, she stared for a moment. “Glyphs of Luminosity?” she whispered. “I didn’t know it was out already! Where’d you get it?” “From my editor,” Moondancer told her. “He got an advance desk copy and wants me to review it before its official release.” Rainbow nuzzled the mare. “This rocks, Moonie,” she giggled. “And I love it. But, even as awesome as this is, I think mine is better.” “I wasn't aware we were competing,” Moondancer sourly replied. Blue hooves went up in defense. “That came out a little wrong,” she said hastily. “I wasn’t trying to say yours wasn’t amazing, because it is.” She got up and went over to a table and opened a drawer, pulling something out and hiding it in her feathers. “But, I think you’ll agree that this is just as awesome,” Rainbow said, coming over and sitting next to Moondancer’s chair, and the bespectacled Unicorn’s heart started to race. “Moondancer,” Dash said. “Our relationship got its start over a book, which is something I never thought I’d say in a hundred years. But it’s been a great time, and even though we’ve kind from two opposite worlds, we fit pretty good together.” Her wing slid out, revealing a small box. “So I got to thinking,” Dash said as Moondancer brought a hoof to her mouth in surprise. “What could I do to show you how much I’ve enjoyed our time together, good and bad? Any book I could think of you practically have, and I couldn’t think of anyplace we could go with the amount of leave I have right now that we’d enjoy.” She smiled as she cracked the box open to reveal a ring inside sized to fit a Unicorns’ horn. “Then I thought about making me the gift,” Rainbow chuckled. “A little egotistical, huh? But I want to give you everything I have, now and forever. If you’ll have me, that is.” Moondancer stared at the small hoop of gold and citrine in amazement. “Dash,” she whispered. Silence stretched out to a minute, causing Rainbow’s ears to fold back against her head. “Ah, Moonie?” The Unicorn flung herself out of her seat and kissed Rainbow, harder than they had ever before. “Yes,” Moondancer whispered to her marefriend when they separated, causing Dash to start laughing in relief. “In every way, yes.”