//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Family is Who You Love 
// by Kind of Brony 
//------------------------------//

Moondancer groaned and tried to pull the blankets tighter around her ears, but alas, there was no blocking out the sound of incessant pounding as somepony didn't get, or ignored the silent message that she did not want to be disturbed even after five minutes. When Moondancer finally did slink out of bed, it was more to prevent damage to her door then to talk to whoever was there.

Making her way down the hall, she grumbled to herself all the things she'd say to the excessive knocker, until finally, she reached the entrance. "Can't you get that I don't want- Ow!"

Just as the beige mare flung open the door, a blue hoof came flying in to conk off her head. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Moondancer! Are you alright?"

"Minuette?" Moondancer said before hissing and rubbing her forehead. "Are you trying to bust my horn?"

"What I was trying to do is get my friend to come to the door, which I did," the blue unicorn explained almost smugly once she saw Moondancer wasn't hurt.

"Yeah, you did," Moondancer grumbled, letting her hoof drop back to the floor. "Is there any particular reason you had to knock on my door for over five minutes for that?"

Minuette rolled her eyes at her friend's grouchy attitude. "I'd say you missing brunch with us girls at the very reasonable time of noon is a pretty good reason. Did you forget Lyra was visiting today?"

"That was today?" Moondancer questioned.

"Yes, and it's one o'clock, which I'm mentioning because I can tell you're just now getting up."

"How do you know that? Maybe I just felt like staying in today."

"Because your mane is still down," Minuette stated pointedly. "What's wrong."

Moondancer's ears folded back as she broke eye contact to stare over her friend's left shoulder. "What makes you think something's wrong? My alarm could have broke, you know."

"Are we really going to do this, Mooney?"

"Do what?"

Minuette sighed, stepping close to the other mare to speak in a quieter voice. "Last year, you were a shut in who avoided all of us like we were strangers, and we let you do it because we thought you just didn't want to be friends. Then Twilight came back, and we found out the truth, found out how sad and lonely you were, and how we all just let it happen."

Moondancer felt her cheeks redden and lowered her eyes as she remembered how she used to be. A hoof coming to rest on her shoulder had her raise them again though. "We all felt awful when we realized that. We felt like we failed as your friends," Minuette continued with a sad smile. "And none of us intend to mess up like that again. You're our sis, Moon, and we'll always be there to help you out, whether you want us to or not." Her smile turned mischievous when she added, "It's a lot easier if you don't try hiding stuff from us though. I mean, we'll find out anyway, and at least we won't have to call Twilight."

"No, don't!" Moondancer nearly yelled. "I'll tell you, but don't call Twilight!" While her Canterlot residing friends could be a bit overbearing when it came to looking out for their bookish friend, Twilight was practically a father cock. Whether it was lingering guilt or merely her status as Princess of Friendship, the purple alicorn tended to overreact to any perceived friendship problems Moondancer wrote to her about.

The last thing Moondancer needed right now was a princess bombarding her with questions and filling lists with plans and backup plans meant to help her out. Not to mention any of her crazy adventuring friends she might bring along. Fluttershy was okay, but Rainbow Dash was loud and brash and always flying into her bookshelves.

All of these thought's must have been visible on the beige mare's face, because Minuette started laughing. "I knew that would change your mind. So, you gonna invite me in, or do you want to spill the beans right here in the open? I don't mind, but you know that stallion neighbor of yours is an awful gossip."

"No, no, come in," Moondancer said, feeling tired despite getting over twelve ours of sleep. Sometimes she questioned why she gave this friendship thing another go when life was so much simpler as a hermit.

Showing Minuette to the living room, Moondancer excused herself to the bathroom. She hadn't left bed in half a day and she could feel the gotta-go jig coming on. After doing her business and putting her hair up, she made a quick stop at her bedroom to snag her sweater before heading back to the living room.

Minuette was looking through a book, quite obviously struggling to make heads or tails of it when Moondancer entered. "What even is this stuff? Doesn't look like any spellbook I've ever seen," the blue unicorn said, turning the book upside down in her magic as if that would suddenly make it understandable.

"That's because it's an alchemy book," Moondancer explained, snagging the tome with her own magic. "It's a form of magic that utilizes the planet's natural energies channeled through specially constructed circles to transmute materials. It's an ancient art that has largely been abandoned due to unicorns simply being able to achieve similar, as well as various other affects with their magic, but I feel like it may still have practical use in our modern-"

"Boring!" Minuette interrupted. "Seriously, forget I asked. If I'd known you'd go into lecture mode on me, I wouldn't have, anyway."

"Rude," Moondancer deadpanned, getting her friend to smirk.

"Yeah, but you still love me."

"The results are still pending on that one," Moondancer countered, placing the book down on the coffee table and ignoring who friend's affronted expression.

"We're besties, and you know it!"

"I don't know, Twinkleshine's a lot less annoying."

"I can't believe you'd say that," Minuette began, pulling up her saddlebags. "And after I brought you your favorite poutine from the restaurant." As soon as the takeout container was out of the bag, the room was flooded with the salty, savory aroma of cheese and gravy, and Moondancer's mouth began to water.

Ears perked up and eyes wide, the bespectacled unicorn was in front of her friend in an instant, grabbing for the container held aloft in her the other's magic just out of reach. "Gimme, gimme!" the beige mare begged, her hunger for unhealthy food clouding her judgement and making her forget that she had magic of her own. "Come on, I haven't eaten since last night!"

"I don't know," Minuette mused contemplatively, rubbing her chin. "I mean, this stuff isn't cheap, so buying it, then hoof delivering it to somepony's house seems like something only best friends would do for each other."

"But we are best friends!" Moondancer exclaimed, now hopping up at the ever rising potato dish, forelegs waving at the peak of each jump.

"Really?" Minuette questioned.

"Yes, the best! You're my bestie, Minuette!"

"See! I told you!" Minuette cheered. "And for my bestie, I have some tasty poutine." As soon as it reached her hooves, Moondancer was again on the other side of the coffee table, container open atop it and her face buried in gravy-goodness.

Despite the grotesque sight of a grown mare muzzle-deep in french fries, gravy, and melty cheese curds, Minuette smiled. "You're welcome," the blue mare said as she leaned back into the couch cushion and waited for the other mare to finish her meal. With how fast she was devouring the dish, she wouldn't be waiting long.

Two minutes later, Moondancer finished lapping up the last drops of gravy and fell back on her rump with a satisfied sigh. "Good?" Minuette inquired needlessly.

"The best," Moondancer answered, muzzle covered in the remnants of a thoroughly enjoyed brunch. After a quick trip to the kitchen to drop her takeout container in the garbage and wipe her face with a wet cloth, Moondancer returned feeling much better.

"Thanks a bunch, Minuette, that really hit the spot." Moondancer said, plopping down on the other end of the couch.

"No problem," Minuette answered, leaning on the other hoofrest so that her body is turned slightly to face her friend. Suddenly, her expression became serious. "Now, tell me what had you shut up in your house all day."

Despite having just ate, Moondancer felt a hollow pit form in her stomach. "Oh, right," she said, twiddling her hooves. "It's really not a big deal, kind of stupid actually, so maybe-"

"Moondancer..."

looking up at the stern tone, the beige mare could see all levity gone from her friend's eyes now, and sighed. "Fine. It is stupid though... I was stupid."

"It can't be that bad," Minuette encouraged.

"I brought up a most probably dead mother to a single father after having snuggled with his filly for an hour."

Minuette's expression froze. "Um, okay, yeah, that doesn't sound... good, but I'm sure that's not the whole story. Come on, details are important. You said probably dead mother, what's that supposed to mean?"

With another sigh, Moondancer went into detail. She told her friend about how she went to find a book on the history of alchemy for her project. How she met a girl named Jane Doe who convinced her to read her a story. How the father arrived to the two sitting together on a beanbag and was suspicious, before becoming apologetic on behalf of his daughter. And most importantly, how Moondancer proceeded to stick all four hooves in her mouth like an idiot.

By the end, Minuette was leaning forward, listening intently. "So that's it? They left right after that?"

Moondancer raised a fuzzy brow. "That's it? Minuette, I brought up an absent mother to a single father. Of course he left, he probably couldn't wait!"

Minuette put her hooves up, placating, "Wow, girl, calm down. I'm not saying he probably wasn't a little hurt, but come on, you can't blame yourself for not knowing. Plus, from the sound of it, this guy was real chill; I doubt he was too mad after."

"You can't know that-!"

"And neither can you," the blue mare interrupted. "Listen, Moondancer, maybe you made a itsy-bitsy, honest mistake. It happens. But hiding in your bedroom and ignoring your friends isn't going to change anything. In fact, It'll probably make things worse."

"Well what do you suggest, oh Wise One," Moondancer snapped, self hatred turning to outward anger. "What? Should I go wonder the streets of Canterlot looking for him so I can say I'm sorry?"

Minuette rubbed her chin. "Mmm, you might be onto something, actually."

"Please tell me you aren't serious," Moondancer said with a flat look.

"Hey, I'm just saying that, if you really feel like you were in the wrong, then maybe apologizing will make you feel better. Do you know his name so we can track him down?"

"... No," Moondancer finally said once she determined that, yes, her friend was being serious. "I never asked."

"Darn," responded Minuette. "Well, maybe we can ask around, describe him to ponies and see if they know where to find him."

"Yeah, like that wouldn't come off as creepy, a mare going around asking for the address of a stallion they don't know. How 'bout we just lock ourselves in the dungeons, save the guards the trouble."

"Don't be such a neigh-sayer," Minuette chided. "This could actually work. Come on, tell me what he looked like."

"Fine," Moondancer caved. "Um, let's see, he had a short, kind of shaggy brown mane, green eyes, he was wearing clothes, which I guess is notable, he was probably eleven or twelve hooves tall-"

"Wait, what was that?"

"Um, he was tall?"

"Twelve hooves tall?" Minuette asked skeptically. "Moondancer, did you meet an alicorn at the library yesterday."

"Of course not," the beige mare answered with a snort. "That'd be crazy. No, I'm pretty sure he was that hoo-man that showed up, like, a couple years ago... What?"

Minuette was staring, jaw hanging open at her flummoxed friend. "Moondancer, for being one of the smartest mares I know, you can be really dumb sometimes."

"Hey!"



Anon put down his book with a sigh and looked at his watch. Already six in the afternoon and still no Mooondancer. He wasn't surprised, but he had hoped beyond hope that he wouldn't have to say the following words. "I think we should head home now,"

Jane's head shot up from her schoolwork to look at her father with wide eyes. "What? But I haven't gotten to see Miss Moondancer yet!"

"I know, sweetie, but the sun will be going down soon, and you haven't even had dinner yet."

"But I'm not hungry," she argued. "And I'm still doing my homework."

Anon gave his daughter a flat look. "First, I can literally hear your tummy grumbling from here, Miss Fire Pants, and second, you had all your homework done an hour and a half ago. You've just been checking it over since then."

The girl's gaze darted to the side "I was studying for a test, too."

"Which is good, but you need to eat, and we can't do that in a library. It's against the rules and Miss Scroll would kill me."

"No she wouldn't," Jane said doubtfully. "She's old."

"And a pony," Anon responded matter-of-factly, standing up. "You know these ponies have magic, and for all we know, they could get stronger with age, like wizards."

While still looking skeptical, Anon could tell his daughter wasn't sure. "That's... probably not true," she said haltingly, thinking of the few old ponies she had seen shuffling about. None of them struck her as particularly powerful, but then again, Princess Celestia and Luna were supposed to be the strongest ponies around, and super old. At least, that's what all the foals told her.

"Well, it doesn't really matter," Anon said, picking up his books. "Because we aren't going to be finding out at the hooves of Miss Scroll today since we're going home to eat now."

Jane looked ready to protest, so Anon preempted her. "I know you aren't hungry, but your old man is, and you don't want your poor dad to go hungry, do you?"

That clinched it as Jane let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, we'll go get you something to eat," she said as if she were the parent. "We'll just have to come back tomorrow to look for Miss Moondancer."

Anon wanted to tell his daughter that they probably wouldn't be seeing the mare again, but held off. It would do no good to break her heart here in the middle of the library. He'd wait until they were in the privacy of their own home at least so she wouldn't have to be ashamed of her tears.

Putting the book he had been reading away while Jane packed her bag, the two slowly began to make their way out of the building. It just so happen to be at the same time two mares were entering.

"Come on, Minuette, they probably aren't even going to be here."

"Couldn't hurt to check. Lyra said this guy was an author, right? He probably loves being around books."

"Those things are hardly correlated."

"And that attitude is hardly going to help us find this Anon guy."

"I'm still surprised Lyra new his name. She was kind of creeping me out with all the stuff-"

"Miss Moondancer!" Before Anon could stop her, Jane had slipped her hand from his and was running full-tilt at the unicorn from yesterday.

All the mare managed was a yelped, "Jane?!" before being tackled by fifty-eight pounds of excited girl. Moondancer managed to stay upright, rearing back on her hind legs as Jane wrapped her arms around her withers, the small girl swinging suspended for a second before Moondancer fell back on all fours.

"I knew you'd show up! Dad didn't think you were gonna because it was getting late, but I knew we just had to wait a little longer!"

"Y-you were waiting for me?" Moondancer stammered, clearly confused and a bit shocked.

Anon arrived to gently tug his daughter back, freeing the beige mare from her impromptu human necklace. "Jane! What were you thinking, running at her like that? One or both of you could have gotten seriously hurt!" the man chided, though some of the heat was missing due to his own surprise.

She actually came back? He kind of figured she was going to avoid the place for at least a week, not return the very next day.

"She sure did!" the other mare cut in. "She was just looking for the two of you."

"You were?" both humans responded, one giddy and the other surprised.

"Um, well, yes," Moondancer answered nervously.

"Why?" Anon found himself asking.

His daughter decided to provide an answer for the mare by saying, "Because she's my friend and she wanted to read more together."

"That's... not exactly the case," Moondancer began, though quickly continued when she saw the hurt in the young girl's eyes. "Not that I don't enjoy reading with you. That sounds fun."

Anon was about to ask what the hell she was talking about when a throat cleared behind him. Turning, he saw Miss Scroll giving them all a flat look.

"Would any of you like to explain why you are standing around in my library, shooting the breeze like it were your own personal garden party? I'd love to hear how you all simply forgot the universal rule of being quiet in the library."

While Moondancer started stammering and the blue mare glared, Anon decided to run damage control. "I'm sorry, Miss Scroll, we were just about to leave and ran into some friends. We should have stepped out before catching up, though."

The old mare looked the group over before nodding. "You should have. I catch you doing something like this again, Mr. Mous, and I'll ban you from the library."

"Of course," Anon said while ushering his daughter out of the building. "Thanks for letting us off with a warning, it won't happen again."

Moondancer seemed to be pushing her own friend out while the blue mare looked ready to say something. Luckily, Miss Scroll doesn't see the tongue the blue mare stuck out at her as she turns to walk back to her desk.

Once outside, the mystery mare grouched, "That old ding-bat is such a party-pooper."

"Minuette! Language!"

"Oh, get off your high-horse, Mooney. You think so too."

"Actually, I get along just fine with Miss Scroll most of the time... Wonder what's got her so upset."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Anon cut in. "I think she might have something against me. Can't imagine why, though."

Minuette sent a glare back towards the building and mumbled, "Probably a stallion-beater back when she could actually lure them in. Guards should investigate..."

"Anyway," Moondancer began, moving the conversation back onto a lighter topic while a filly was listening. "You two said you were just leaving, right? I hope we aren't keeping you from anything important."

"Nah, we were just going to have dinner," Jane piped up, before gasping. "Oh! Hey Dad, can we have dinner with Miss Moondancer?"

Anon thought about it a second, then answered, "I suppose, if she would like to. We could maybe stop at a diner or something. Heck, I'm always for a night off from kitchen duty." Looking to the beige mare, he asked, "So, what do say? Want to grab a quick bite? You can tell me what it is you were looking for us for while we're at it."

"I mean, I wouldn't want to intrude-" Moondancer began before her companion hopped in front of her.

"That'd be great! She'd love to!" the blue pony exclaimed. "Isn't that right, Mooney?"

The last bit carried an undertone Anon couldn't quite place, though Moondancer clearly could. "O-oh, uh, yes, I suppose, if it's not too much of an inconvenience."

"Of course not," Anon answered, adding jokingly, "Just as long as you don't expect me to pay for anything too expensive. Feeding this little monster costs enough already."

As he clamped his hand on his daughter's shoulder she looked up, offended. "I don't eat that much, liar."

"Not healthy food, to be sure," Anon replied with a smirk. "But ice cream and cookies get expensive fast when you have to have it twice a day."

While the girl puffs out her cheeks indignantly, Moondancer found herself giggling. "So, where are we going?" she asked.

Anon thought about it. "Not sure... You got any ideas, Moondancer? Minuette?"

The blue mare blinks a few times before shaking her head. "Oh no, I won't be coming along. I've got important... stuff, to do, so it'll just be you three."

"You sure? I wouldn't mind," Anon said, but the mare simply smiled.

"I'm fine, really. You just enjoy this one's company, eh?" She wrapped a leg around her friend's shoulders and pulled her into a casual hug. "She's a real great mare. One of the best I know. I'm sure you're gonna have a great time."

While the mare being complimented is stammering with a blush on her face, Anon shrugged. "Well, if you're sure."

"Yep!" Minuette chirped, then her eyes widened. "Oh, but you should totally go to the Tasty Treat. They have like, the best curry you've ever tried. When you take a bite of the extra spicy stuff, It's like Celestia's Sun just powerbombed your tongue!"

"Well, I guess I can't ignore that glowing recommendation. How about you, Moondancer, sound good?"

The beige mare nodded her approval and offered to guide them, but before they set out, Minuette pulled her aside. "Okay, Mooney, you've got your hoof in the door, now it's time to come inside." she said, beginning to grin. "And by come inside, I mean him inside of you."

"Minuette! I'm going to dinner with him and his daughter! This isn't a date! That...! is definitely not going to happen. "

"Not with that attitude. Come on, stallions need to be shown what they want."

"Just- just get out of here, you perv!"

"Alright, but you're giving me all the details later. Dirty or otherwise."

"Go!"

With a few more laughs, Minuette said her goodbyes and the trio were off.



Moondancer had been nervous about the dinner, but since sitting down, she had become far more relaxed. That was in large part because of her company.

"So then Gandalf is all like, 'You shall not pass!' and slams his staff down to make the whole thing collapse, monster and all."

"Wow, that must have been some pretty potent magic," Moondancer speculated. "Destroying such a massive stone structure certainly isn't unbelievable, especially with magic, there are probably even a fair number of earth ponies who could do it, but all together, that's still not a whole lot of ponies."

"Yeah, Gandalf is pretty cool," Jane agreed, taking a bite of her bun loaded with thick vegetable curry. "But when the Balrog fell, it caught Gandalf's leg with its fire whip and pulled him down."

Moondancer gasped. "Oh no!"

"Don't worry," Anon said. "He actually ends up beating the Balrog and coming back as Gandalf the White and with a lot more magic."

"Wait... How does that work?" Moondancer questioned, trying to place the mechanics of such an occurrence outside of Ogres & Oubliettes. In the tabletop game, killing such a formidable beast solo probably would net you quite a few levelups.

Anon could only shrug. "It's a big long thing, but it really boils down to plot convenience. Can't fault the author, though. Even I've done that sort of thing in my own writing."

Moondancer perked up. "That's right, you're an author," she said, thinking back to what Lyra had told her. Apparently the book he had written had quickly become one of the green mare's favorites, and she had since become very interested in the author. Maybe a little too interested judging by how she knew his name, age, birthday, and address.

Moondancer had thought of making use of that last one until Minuette pointed out how creepy it would be to just show up at his house and so they decided to flush the tidbit of info out of their heads and check the library first.

Still, other than knowing the title of his work, Moondancer didn't know much else. "I've never actually met a published author. Well, outside of book signings, anyway, but that's usually only a few seconds before the pony behind you pushes you out of line," the mare said.

"You know about that?" Anon asked. "Since I only have one book published, and it's not even a bestseller, I never expected to be recognized for it." Then he looked down at himself and chuckled. "Then again, I guess I am kind of an alien. That probably makes it easier for ponies."

"From what I've heard from a friend who really likes your book, it's very good," Moondancer commented. "She insists that it's bestseller material, but because you don't have a large following yet, it's not getting the praise it deserves."

Anon rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd tell your friend thanks for the compliment, but I think they're over exaggerating a bit. It's not that good. I'm honestly still trying to get used to how Equestrian story-telling goes compared to what I'm used to seeing back home."

"Hey, Dad," Jane said, tugging at her father's shirt to get his attention.

"Yes, sweetie? Do you need something? Are you liking the pav bhaji?"

"Mmm, it's pretty good," she answered, looking at her nearly finished plate. "But I was gonna ask if I can use the bathroom."

"Of course, here, just let me get up and I'll take you," Anon said, sliding out of the booth as Jane blushed and sent a fretful look at Moondancer.

"I can go to the bathroom myself, Dad, I'm a big girl. I just needed you to move," she said, trying to sound mature in front of their guest.

"Are you sure? What if you fall in again like that time at school? I can't exactly bring you an extra pair of clothes."

"Dad!"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Go on, but be careful." The little girl grumbled as she slide from her seat and walked to the bathroom.

Once she was out of earshot, Moondancer released her giggles. "She fell into the toilet at school?"

Anon smiled himself. "Yeah, but don't hold it against her. That was when we were still pretty new here and she hadn't quite mastered pony toilets. Even I can admit taking some time to get used to them."

"I guess it's something I've always taken for granted," Moondancer said.

"Same as doorway height, I bet," Anon mused. "I smacked my head off of more then few door frames before I got used to ducking all the time."

Moondancer giggled. "Sorry, I shouldn't be laughing, but I can only imagine. I wonder if Princess Celestia had the same issue ever? She's about as tall as you."

"With that horn? Probably," Anon agreed. "Yikes, I may not have one, but I bet that smarts, smacking your horn on low frames. Probably worse than stubbing a pinkie toe."

"I don't know what a toe is, but yes, our horns are sensitive," Moondancer agreed.

"Never thought I'd pity royalty," Anon joked, getting the two to laugh. Silence settled over them after that as they both went back to picking at their meals.

The curry was good, if a bit spicy for Moondancer, and she only got mild. Meanwhile, Anon ordered extra spicy and was hardly sweating. He was a tough stallion to be sure.

"Hey, Moondancer, sorry if this seems out of the blue, but what was it you wanted to talk to us about?"

"Excuse me?" Moondancer said, looking up from her plate.

"Earlier, you came to the library looking for Jane and me, I was just wondering why."

"Oh yes, right... that." Moondancer broke eye-contact to watch her hooves tap together.

"Is something wrong?" Anon asked, frowning.

"No..." she said, forcing herself to look up. "I mean, it's just, I don't know how to say this." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Anon, I'm sorry for yesterday."

The man blinked. "Excuse me?"

Moondancer gulped. "It was insensitive of me to bring up your absent wife like I did. I didn't mean to drudge up painful memories."

"Wife? You mean Jane's mother?" Anon asked, brow raised. "You didn't- wait, you mean when you said that stuff about not keeping my herd or wife waiting?"

Moondaner winced, but nodded. "Yes, that."

Anon stared for a few seconds, causing the beige mare to squirm. "Moondancer, I'm not upset about that," he began slowly. "I wasn't even upset when you first said it."

"R-really?"

"Of course not," he answered. "Why would I have been? It's not like you knew before you said it." He looked down as he stirred his curry around on his plate. "If I'm being completely honest, I was more upset with how you took off like you did. I could tell something was wrong and thought you just wanted to get away from me after finding out I was a single father."

"I would never do such a thing," Moondancer told him, voice rising slightly. "What kind of mare would?"

Anon shrugged. "Quite a few apparently. I've... actually tried dating recently, and, well, whenever I tell a mare about Jane, they end up running for the hills. Last one got up to use the bathroom during dinner and never came back."

Moondancer gasped quietly. "That's horrible! Who does that?"

"No idea," Anon answered truthfully. "I guess maybe they don't want to deal with another girl's kid."

"But Jane is so sweet," Moondancer argued. "You both are. Any mare would be lucky to have you with them."

Anon looked up. "You think I'm sweet?"

Moondancer, realizing what she had said, started to stammer, "Er, I mean, I don't know you that well, but you seem very kind. And Jane is just so-so-"

"So what?" a childish voice peeped. "Are you guys talking about me?"

"Jane!" Moondancer turning in her seat to stare down at the girl with a blush. "You're back."

Jane tilted her head. "I was just using the bathroom. I don't take that long."

"Looking dry," Anon commented with a smirk. "Guess you managed not falling in then."

The girl's cheeks burned and she whined," Dad!"

"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist. Come on, sit down and finish your dinner." Jane huffed, but slid into the booth as Anon got up.

Moondancer still felt a awkward and was having trouble looking at Anon for a bit, but Jane remedied this by once again regaling the table with stories from Earth.

These Power Puff Girls could rival the Power Ponies, even outnumbered, with how ridiculous their abilities were.



By the time they had finished eating, much of Moondancer's self-consciousness had faded and she could honestly say she enjoyed herself. She even offered to walk the father-daughter pair home. It was her duty as a mare to ensure they made it safely, after all.

"Well, this is us," Anon said as they reached their apartment building. "Thanks for keeping us company on the way home."

"Yeah, thanks Miss Moondancer," Jane chirped, giving the mare a brief hug. "It was a lot of fun having dinner with you."

"Moondancer is fine," the unicorn said, blushing. "I think we're friends enough to do away with the formalities."

Jane smiled wide and nodded eagerly. "Okay, thanks, Moondancer!"

"Hey, it's getting cold out here," Anon told his daughter, reaching into his pocket. "Why don't you take the keys and get inside. I'll be right up."

Accepting the key to their apartment, Jane agreed and ran inside, taking the steps to the entrance two at a time. She stopped at the door to give Moondancer one last energetic wave which the mare returned before going inside.

"She seems happy," Moondancer noted with a smile.

"She did get to hang out with her cool new friend all day," Anon said. "Wouldn't you be?"

Moondancer rubbed one foreleg over the other. "Me? Cool? Nah, I'm just a nerd."

"Eh, we're nerds, too, and you're nerd-cool." While Moondancer is lost for words, Anon's expression became serious. "I mean it, though, what you did today, it meant a lot to Jane. She doesn't have a lot of friends in school, and none that she spends time with outside of it, so you spending time with her really made her day."

"It... it was nothing, really. I should be the one thanking you guys for the meal. I mean, I would have paid if you'd let me, but..."

"Hey, my guest, my bill," Anon declared, smirking. "If you wouldn't have caved, I'd have fought you for it."

Moondancer, being reminded of the banter she'd sometimes share with her sis', taunted back. "Yeah? Well I'd have just pinned you with my magic. Checkmate."

"Jeez, only one dinner in, and you're already talking about pinning me. How scandalous," the man teased, getting Moondancer's smile to fall and eyes to go wide.

"Wha- No! I- I Didn't mean it like that, I swear! I wouldn't never- Not like never as in you aren't, you know- Like, never do such a horrible, repugnant-"

"Wow, wow, calm down there, Mooney, I was just joking," interrupted Anon. "I was being an idiot, is all. Nothing to get bent out of shape over."

"O-oh... of course, I should have figured as much," Moondancer answered with an unconvincing laugh. "Heh, guess I'm a little out of it after such a long day."

Mercifully, Anon didn't question the poorly delivered lie and nodded. "It has been a long day. I think I'm gonna head inside and crawl under some blankets for the next eight hours."

"Good plan," Moondancer agreed quickly. "I'll do the same... In my own bed, I mean!"

Anon stared down at her. "Right... you do that," he said, turning towards the building and walking up the steps. He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder.

"Ah, hey, if you want to see Jane and me again, we're on the second floor, apartment two-o-one. We also go to the library on most days after school."

Moondancer is shocked at first that this stallion would still want to interact with her even after such an embarrassing blunder, but she forcefully shook it off and smiled. "Thanks! I spend a lot of time at the library, too, so I'll definitely see you there!" That was a small fib; ever since Twilight gave her the key to her old tower, Moondancer did most of researching there unless she was unable to find the book that she needed, but she'd definitely be visiting the public library more often from now on.

Anon smiled. "Good, I'll look forward to it." With that, he went inside, leaving the motionless mare alone.

Slowly, her smile split into a grin. Taking a deep, chest-filling breath, she turned tail and started running. It wouldn't do to start dancing in the street like a buffoon for every pony to see. No, she'd save that for her room with the shades pulled. Why, she might even sing in the shower, neighbors be damned.

Anything to release the bubbly feelings filling in her tummy and threatening to spread down to her hooves. Minuette and the others were going to freak when she told them about tonight.



Anon shut the door and locked it behind him. He knew the chances of them being robbed by a pony were slim to none, but old habits died hard, and there wasn't much of a reason not to do it. Not where the safety of his daughter was concerned, anyway. When it came to protecting his child, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

"Moondancer didn't come up?" Speak of the devil.

"I didn't realize she was supposed to," Anon answered.

Jane frowned. "You could have invited her in for a glass of water. Maybe she was thirsty after that walk."

"I'm sure she was fine."

"Still though..."

"Hey, come on, don't worry about Moondancer. She's a big pony, she can take care of herself," Anon told the little girl, flopping down on the couch and holding an arm out.

Jane took the silent invitation and went over to sit next to her dad as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I guess," she muttered, leaning into his side. "It would have been cool though."

"Ah, and now the truth comes out," Anon hummed. "You just wanted to spend more time with her."

"So?" the girl returned, tilting her head back. "Moondancer is really nice."

"She is," Anon agreed.

"And smart."

"That is true."

"And super cute."

"What?"

"Don't you think so, Dad?" she asked innocently.

"Um, I guess. I mean, most ponies are pretty cute."

"Yeah, but Moondancer is cuter, right? She has the best eyebrows and wears a comfy sweater all the time."

Anon leans back to give his daughter a curious look. "Okay, what is going on in that little head of yours?" asked the man.

"What? It's the truth," Jane said. "Plus she really makes those glasses look good. Almost makes me wish I had a pair."

Anon chuckled and shook his head at that. "I think you've stayed up too long. You're obviously getting loopy. Come on, off to bed."

"What? But I still have an hour 'til bedtime!" protested the girl as Anon stood.

"You've done a lot today, though, and need the extra sleep because of it."

"I'm fine," whined Jane even as her dad picked her up around the middle and carried her under his arm, letting her limbs dangle down.

"And you'll be even more fine after a good night's sleep." Jane grumbled, but didn't fight while her dad put her in bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. "Get some sleep, sweetie, and after school tomorrow, we can head to the library," Anon told his daughter. "Besides, you have a test, right? Got to make sure you're well rested for that."

"You remember?"

"Your dad has a mind like a steel trap." Jane snorted as Anon turned off the light and said, "Good night, Jane."

"Good night, Dad, even if I'm not tired." It was Anon's turn to snort as he flipped the light switch off and shut the door. A few seconds later, once the little girl was sure that her dad was out of earshot, Jane yawned loudly.

"I heard that!" Anon called from the hall. "See! I knew you were sleepy!"

"Stop listening through the door, weirdo!"

"Never!"

Jane pulled the covers over her head and turned her back tot he door, blocking out the laughter from beyond. Anon continued laughing until he was back in the living room. Looking around, the man contemplated what to do next before shrugging. It really had been a long day, and he did tell Moondancer he'd be hitting the sack once he was in.

At the thought of the mare, Anon's smile lessened, but maintained it's warmth. The pony was full of surprises and Anon couldn't help but marvel at how she had inserted herself into their life so quickly. In less than two days, Moondancer had become one of his daughter's precious friends, and, if he was being honest, one of his, as well.

Besides his editor and literary agent, Anon didn't have a lot of friends. Friendly acquaintances, sure, but actual friends? And yet, here was this little bespectacled mare going to dinner with him and his daughter, having long conversations about books, laughing, and making the meal all around more enjoyable than any he'd had in years. Heck, even the dinner dates he'd gone on recently weren't as engaging as tonight's impromptu outing.

With a sigh, Anon shook his head and went to the closet, grabbing his blanket and pillow from within. Setting up his makeshift bed on the couch, Anon laid down and began the arduous process of getting comfortable. Moondancer was a mystery that could be unraveled tomorrow after a good night's sleep. Strangely, Anon was looking forward to learning more about the unicorn.

... Jane was right, though. She really was a cutie.