"And then he invited you inside for drinks, right?" Minuette interrupted, leaning forward on her chair and matching the postures of the other two mares. All three had been intently listening since having sat around Moondancer's kitchen table. The bookish mare wasn't used to hosting guests at her house, but she could understand the special occasion. It's not everyday one of their ilk had such a major interaction with the fairer sex, after all.
"Um, no," answered Moondancer. "After Jane went inside, Anon thanked me for making her happy and said some other stuff, then he went inside too."
Minuette groaned in disappointment, falling into her seat while Lemon Heart and Twinklshine eased back. "Well, I guess that makes sense," Lemon Heart commented. "I mean, things were already pretty unbelievable up to that point."
"Seriously, just running into a guy when he's with his daughter, and then getting asked out to dinner by him?" Twinklshine agreed. "That's, like, romance novel levels of lucky."
"Still could have asked if you wanted a glass of water though," grumbled Minuette, folding her hooves. "Maybe you were thirsty after the walk."
Moondancer raised a bushy brow. "But I wasn't."
"But you would've been after riding his cock for an hour," Minuette countered. "Then you'd definitely need to rehydrate 'cause all your fluids would be in his lap."
"Minuette! His daughter was there!"
"So?"
"Now, now, calm down you two," Twinkleshine cut in. "Minuette is just thinking with her clit. We're all guilty of that sometimes."
"Hey! My clit is a certified genius!"
"Which is why you're a virgin like the rest of us."
"At least I've gotten a kiss, Lemon Lips!"
"Girls!" Twinkleshine slammed her hooves on the table, quieting her two companions. "This is no time to be arguing among ourselves! We have a sis here with a real shot at getting with a stallion, and we have to make sure she makes that shot."
Moondancer blushed. "Can we not put it that way?" the bespectacled mare asked. "It kind of sounds shallow. Anon's a really nice stallion and Jane is super sweet. It's not like I'm cozying up to them just for... that."
"No need to go paladin on us," Minuette defended. "We know he's nice, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a guy and he's obviously interested in you."
"Or he just wants you to raise his filly," the yellow mare added absently, pulling chip from the bowl Moondancer set out for them and munching it. When she looked up, there were six eyes staring at her. "What?"
"What's that supposed to mean," Moondancer asked first, looking genuinely confused while the other mares looked angry.
Oblivious to any wrongdoing, Lemon Heart explained, "You know, a mare loves him then leaves him with a foal, and he tries to sucker a different mare into raising the other mare's filly."
"S-sucker?" Moondancer stammered. "Anon is not some sort of-of conniver!"
"Seriously, I only met him for a few minutes and even I can tell he's a chill guy," Minuette said.
Lemon Heart, mind finally catching up with her mouth, looked to Twinkleshine frantically. "Hey, it's not like I'm the only one who thought that! You were worried too!"
With eyes now on her, Twinklshine sputtered. "I never said that!"
"Yeahah! After Lyra got on the train and Moondancer and Minuette left, you were saying how weird it was that Anon is a single father and you were worried that he could have scared the mom off!"
"Twinkleshine!"
The pink-maned mare waved her hooves frantically out in front of her as Moondancer gave her a betrayed look. "Wow, okay, that's way out of context!"
"And what kind of context is there to make that not sound bad," Minuette questioned skeptically.
"I didn't know anything about him at the time besides that he was a writer and that he had a foal," she explained. "I was just speculating. It's not like I was for sure thinking he was crazy or something."
"Anon is not crazy," Moondancer growled, feeling something primal stir inside of her. "And I'll fight any pony that says he is."
"Just calm down now, there's no need for any spell slinging," Twinkleshine said nervously. "It's just something that crossed my mind, and I'm not saying it's right, but you have to understand at least why I'd have thought that, right? I mean, think about, if you got with a stallion, had a foal with him, what would it take to make you want to leave?"
"Nothing," the three other unicorns affirmed with steel in their eyes.
"Exactly," Twinklshine agreed. "And yet, here's this stallion with a daughter and no mom in sight. Honestly, Anon's said every mare he dated ran off when they found out about Jane, right?"
"Yes," Moondancer confirmed hesitantly.
Twinkleshine nodded. "I bet they thought the same thing and were afraid something was seriously off about him and wanted to get while the getting was good."
"But he's not crazy!" Moondancer asserted. "I may not know exactly why she left since I'm pretty sure she's not dead, but it had to be on the mom. There's no way it was Anon."
"That mare must of had some serious issues," Minuette mumbled. "Like, to actually get a stallion on your back, and then just buck him off like old saddlebags? That's cold."
"Well, it's good for Moondancer, right?" Lemon Heart piped in, trying to cheer her friends up. "One mare's trash is another mare's treasure, after all!"
While Moondancer's jaw clenched and Minuette made a disbelieving gesture, Twinklshine rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. "Lemon, sis, I love you, but you really have to learn to keep your mouth shut."
"Ah, come on! What'd I say this time?"
Ignoring her, Twinklshine looked back at Moondancer. "Despite her less than stellar phrasing, Lemon Heart sort of has a point. Anon is single and clearly ready to mingle if he's hit the dating scene, so we have to plan your next move fast. When are you meeting him again?"
"Oh, um, I was thinking about going to the library again around the time school gets out. Anon says he and Jane go there often."
"Good," said Twinklshine. "And you're going to ask him on a date there."
"What!?"
"I don't know," Minuette mused, rubbing her chin and ignoring Moondancer's outburst. "Wouldn't it be weird to ask right in front of his filly?"
"He's a single dad, though," Lemon Heart chimed in. "That pretty much means she'll always be around when she isn't at school."
"Good point," the blue mare conceded. "Mooney knows where he lives, though. Would it be weird if she went over while Jane's in school to ask?"
"Hmm, they've only known each other a couple days; that might be a little too forward," Twinkleshine reminded. "He'll probably feel more comfortable out in the open."
"Or pressured," Minuette argued. "Like, he may not want to make a scene or embarrass Moondancer with a public rejection. He seems like the kind of stallion that thinks that way."
"And what about Miss Scroll?" Lemon Heart asked, "You said she was pretty mad about you all talking at the entrance."
Minuette waved off her friend's concern. "Bah, that sourpuss can go suck an egg."
"I'm sure it won't be hard to find a moment alone with him away from both his daughter the librarian," stated Twinklshine confidently. "Plus, that gives us about three hours to get Moondancer ready."
"Girls, I'm seriously right here," Moondancer snapped. "Can I at least get a say in my own romantic life?"
They all blink owlishly at her before Twinklshine answered, "Do you... not want to ask Anon out on a date?"
Moondancer blushed , crossing her forehooves. "I didn't say that, but you're all talking about it like I'm not even in the room," she huffed, then, after a moment, added, "And what did you mean get ready? I'd just have to show up and ask him right?"
The other mares shared a look, then turned back to her. "It's just, if you're going to try and get a date, appearances can matter."
"And you look like you had a fight with a hurricane," Lemon Heart finished for Twinkleshine. "And lost... Badly."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, Mooney, but she's got a point," Minuette agreed, eying the beige mare's head. "Are you using a thundercloud as a pillow? How is your mane that frizzy?"
"Do I look like a pegasus?" Moondancer grouched even while self-conscientiously patting a hoof to her head and wincing at the extra volume. "It's not... that bad."
"It really is," Twinkleshine said sheepishly. "What did you do before going to bed last night?"
"Nothing, I just took a shower and went to sleep."
"And was your mane still wet when you did?"
"... Yes."
"Yeah, that'd explain why it looks like a rat's nest," stated Minuette dryly. "You're going to need another shower to fix that." Then she sniffed the air and added. "It'll help with the musk, too."
"I didn't want to say anything, but yeah, you don't smell like you just took a shower last night," observed Lemon Heart, tilting her head. "Why is that?"
Moondancer hunched in on herself. "Okay, maybe I didn't go straight to bed after the shower. Anon is pretty cute, after all."
While all three were confused at first, it's Minuette who realized first, eyes going wide. "Oh, come on! You mean you smell because you spent all night jilling off!"
"It wasn't all night!" Moondancer was quick to defend. "It was only for an hour. Two, tops!"
Before any more excessive information could be shared, Twinkleshine held one hoof up while the other was planted between her eyes. "We don't need to know! It doesn't matter!" she said shortly. "Just... go take a shower Moondancer. We'll take turns brushing your mane out when you get out. You'd be exhausted if you tackled that thing by yourself."
While the beige unicorn grumbled about over exaggerations, she still got up to leave. When she reached the archway of the kitchen, however, Twinkleshine called out, "And leave the sweater out here. The smell needs to be washed out of it, too."
Face burning, Moondancer, nonetheless complied, tossing the sweater back at the group. While Minuette made gagging sounds from the sweater landing on her head, Moondancer escaped into the shower for a few minutes of solitude from her overbearing friends. She knew they meant well, but by Celestia, did they have to make everything so painfully awkward?
Anon was not in a good mood as he sat at the table of the library, arms crossed and staring at his daughter. Frankly, he didn't even want to be there, but his daughter had pleaded, and while she may not have been in any position to make requests, she did make a good point. One hour was all he'd allow though, and she was stuck doing her homework in silence in the meantime.
If it weren't for the chance that Moondancer would come by looking for them, they'd be home and the little girl would be in her bedroom all night without dessert. It was times like this that Anon truly despised this world's lack of telephones, and pegasus message couriers weren't a very cost-effective way to have a conversation.
And so they waited for the unicorn to show up so Jane could tell her why she was in trouble. It was a suitable punishment in itself considering how much she'd grown to look up to the mare in the last few days.
Anon heard hoofsteps and turned around. As he suspected, Moondancer was coming from between some shelves, eyes quickly landing on the pair. She looked a bit fluffier than Anon recalled ever seeing her, and her mane was less shiny with oil. She smiled, but it faded when she noticed Anon's serious expression.
"Moondancer!" Jane said, perking up and sliding from her seat.
There's a smile there as she prepares to run over to her favorite pony, but it drops when her father speaks. "Jane, now is not the time."
"Is something wrong?" Moondancer asked, looking between the humans in concern.
"Yes, there is," Anon began, gesturing towards his daughter. "This one got in trouble at school today."
"It wasn't my fault," the girl mumbled, scuffing a shoe off the floor. "Miss Abacus is just being stupid."
"You do not talk about your teachers like that," Anon reprimanded. "That's why you're in trouble now."
"But it's true," she shot back, voice rising. "She's nothing but a stupid old pony who can't leave me alone!"
"You were sleeping in her class again!"
"I answered her stupid question!"
"Maybe we should take this outside," Moondancer interrupted, looking around nervously, no doubt expecting Miss Scroll to come around the corner any second.
Anon took a deep breath through his nose and stood. "You're right. Jane, grab you bag. We're heading home."
"But-"
"No buts. You're spending the rest of the night in your room."
"Should I..." Moondancer started, though was lost for words.
Anon sighed. "We probably won't be back here for at least a few days as part of Jane's punishment, so if you need to talk to me, you'll have to stop by the apartment."
"Oh..." The mare gulped.
"Can I at least use the bathroom first, Dad," Jane said angrily, a tight frown on her lips as she yanked her bag off the back of the chair.
"Don't take that tone with me," Anon said sternly. "And yes."
The girl huffed and marched towards the front of the library where the bathrooms were. Once she was out of sight, Anon released a heavy breath. "I don't know what I'm going to do with her."
"What, um, what happened?" Moondancer began hesitantly. "If you don't mind me asking."
"That's right, I was going to have Jane tell you herself," he said absently, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Guess I lost my temper."
"It's alright if you don't want to tell me. I can tell you've had a long day."
"It's fine," he responded. "She slept during class again today."
"And she... does that often? Is she not getting enough sleep?"
"No, at least, that's not the case this time," he explained. "Jane's just..." He stopped a moment, trying to find a way to say the next part without sounding arrogant, but gave up. "She's too smart for her classes. She loves to learn, but she doesn't feel like school is teaching her enough."
Moondancer nodded slowly. "I can see that... She's a very clever girl."
"Not clever enough to stay awake during class and not talk back," Anon said with a shake of his head. "The teacher woke her up and asked her to answer the question on the board, which she did."
"That's good though, right?"
"Yes, except that she then told the teacher to stop bugging her with stupid stuff. Her words according to the principle who caught me outside when I came to pick Jane up after class to tell me about it."
"Oh, that's... not so good."
"No, it's not," Anon agreed. "She's lucky she doesn't have detention, but that's only because the principle expects me to ensure that this sort of thing stops happening."
"Do you have any plans?"
"I don't know," Anon answered truthfully. "I've thought about it, like maybe having her moved up another grade, but she's already been moved up one, and honestly, she'd probably have to go up two more to be challenged enough."
"That doesn't sound so bad," Moondancer said after a moment. "It sounds like you should be proud."
"I am, but I don't think it's the right thing for her," he said. "She already has a big ego forming as it is; telling her she's three years ahead of the other kids won't help that. Plus, she'll be in class with a bunch of eleven and twelve-year-olds she doesn't know, and she already isn't great at making friends."
"Well, what else can you do?"
"I've considered homeschooling," he admitted, though the tiredness in his voice told of his weariness on the subject. "But I don't know. Being a father is hard enough, and then piling teacher on top of that? I'm not exactly a scholar, either..."
"I think you can hire private tutors for that," offered Moondancer, trying to be helpful. "They're even board certified."
"And how much do those cost?" the human asked. "Cheap enough for an author with only a single published book to afford?"
Moondancer blushed and looked away. "... Probably not."
"Yeah, that's what I figured. I have to get another book published before the year's out if I want to be able to even keep my head above water."
"Maybe you can, I dunno, find some pony willing to help for free?"
Anon looked incredulous and said, "And where would I find a pony with both the time and willingness to teach Jane for free?"
Moondancer actually looked like she was trying to puzzle it out, face scrunching for a few seconds before her eyes opened wide. "I could do it."
"That's what I'm saying, there's no one like- Wait, what?" Anon met the mare's wide-eyed gaze.
"I could be Jane's home school teacher, or at least help," Moondancer offered again. "I have a lot of free time and I'm probably as qualified as a pony can get without actually being a teacher."
Anon suddenly remembered a conversation from last night's dinner. One of the rare few that wasn't about Earth media where Moondancer explained she made her money through private research projects. Apparently she had a wide variety of scholastic pursuits that lead to either Celestia's School or the Crown itself buying the results from her. She had explained that the pay wasn't incredibly consistent, but that it was enough for her frugal lifestyle.
Despite himself, he couldn't deny that she certainly seemed qualified, and he had to shake his head. "No, I can't ask you to do that, Moondancer. It's too much and you hardly know us."
"But we're friends," she argued. "I'd be happy to help, and it doesn't honestly sound like that much trouble."
Anon raised a brow. "Teaching an eight-year-old girl for the next nine or ten years doesn't sound like a lot of trouble?"
The mare blushed. "Well, it's a long commitment, I'll give you that, but I'm sure I can handle the work part just fine. Especially with how smart Jane is. You said it yourself, after all, she's already a few years ahead, so that's just less I'd have to teach her."
"Moondancer, I don't know..." Anon said, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is a pretty big deal. Definitely not something that can be decided on a whim."
"It's not like it's set in stone," Moondancer returned sheepishly. "Just an idea. Maybe think about it for a day or two, and if we decide to try it, we see if it works."
He should have said no right there, but he can't help but be curious about the idea even though it sounded crazy.
Unfortunately, before more could be said, a voice piped up. "Try what?" Jane asked, coming from between some bookshelves with dry, but bloodshot eyes and a curious frown. "See if what works?"
Anon would have said nothing, not wanting to get the girl's hopes up, especially since she was still technically in trouble, but Moondancer beat him to it. "If I could be your home school teacher so you didn't have to go to regular school anymore," the mare explained
While Jane's eyes went wide and her jaw slowly dropped, Anon couldn't help but stare at the beige unicorn disbelievingly. Moondancer, for her part, simply looked between the two, confused, before her eyes suddenly mimicked theirs and a hoof flew to her mouth. "I mean, we weren't talking about anything, right, Anon...? Right?"
Moondancer stumbled into her home, intent on going straight to her room to smack her head against the wall, but she was stopped by her friends in the living room, who had been waiting eagerly for her return.
"So?" Minuette began. "Did you ask him out? Did he say yes?"
"No," Moondancer mumbled, staring blankly at the three mares.
Twinkleshine tilted her head. "No, he didn't say yes, or no you didn't ask him?"
"No, I didn't ask him..."
"Ah, come on, Moondancer, we even practiced before you left," Lemon Heart whined. "Why didn't you ask?"
"Because I ended up pulling a you, instead."
The yellow mare blinked. "You pulled a Lemon Heart? What's that mean?"
The other two friends didn't share Lemon's confusion however, as they both had expressions of horror. Minuette was up and in Moondancer's face in seconds, shaking the other mare by her shoulders. "What? What did you say, Moondancer? What did you say without thinking!?"
"I... I offered to home school his daughter. She's really excited about it."
Minuette dropped her head against Moondancer's shoulder and moaned while Twinklshine covered her face.
Lemon Heart just snorted. "Wow, that was pretty dumb of you. What kind of pony just says something like that?"