//------------------------------//
// Arc 7-3: The Derpy Hooves From Ponyville 
// Story: My Little Pony: One as a Family.  "Life in Canterlot" 
// by SaburoDaimando 
//------------------------------//


The Derpy Hooves From Ponyville



Somewhere in another portion of Canterlot, Ditzy Doo and Crescent Eclipse were inside a telescope shop, browsing the lens cabinet that was lined up.  A shopkeeper approached Crescent as if he recognized him.
“Crescent,” The shopkeeper said in a pleasant tone.  “What brings you here today?”
“Well I’m afraid it’s bad news,”  Crescent said.  “The objective lens on my daughter’s telescope is broken, and I’m going to need a replacement.”
“Luckily for you,” The shopkeeper said.  “I still have plenty.  Let me go back and get you one.”
As the shopkeeper walked to the storage room in the back, Crescent Eclipse noticed Ditzy Doo was sulking in a corner nearby.  Crescent walked up to her, feeling concerned with the young filly.
“Are you okay?”  Crescent asked.
“No,” Ditzy said.  “Not after what I did with your daughter’s telescope.
“It’s not your fault,” Crescent said.  “It was only a mere accident.”  
But Ditzy did nothing but turn her head, showing nothing, but a depressed sigh.
“You told me that you’re from the Ponyville Providence,”  Crescent said.  “What’s it like?”
“Beautiful, I guess,”  Ditzy said as she struggled to get the words out of her mouth.
“Do you know who your parents are?”  Crescent asked.  “Or if they are concerned about your disappearance?”
Ditzy didn’t speak at all.  She continued to sulk in the corner, as if something was on her mind.
“This is worse than I thought,” Crescent said as he pondered Ditzy’s situation.  “Reminds me of what my daughter went through.  If there was some way of helping her.”
“Crescent.”  That voice came from the shopkeeper, who had returned from the back with a new lens for the telescope.  “I believe I have what you’re looking for.”
“Excellent,” Crescent Eclipse said as he placed a few bits on the table.  “See if you can wrap it up real tight.  I don’t want it to crash out.”
As the shopkeeper prepared the lens for transport, he took an interest in Ditzy Doo, who continued to sulk at the nearby counter.
“Is there something wrong with that filly?”  The shopkeeper asked.
“She accidentally broke my daughter’s telescope,”  Crescent said.  “And yet, I felt as if the problem is far deeper than that.  Like there was something chasing after her.”
“That’s saying a whole lot,”  The shopkeeper said.  “Do you know where she came from?”
“You’re not going to believe this,” Crescent said.  “But she came from the Ponyville Providence.”
“Ponyville providence?”  The shopkeeper said.  “That’s way far from Canterlot.”
“Tell me about it,” Crescent Eclipse said.  “And the county fair is supposed to be in a week, at least.  But the one thing is that I can’t seem to figure out what’s going on with the little one.  It’s like something is truly troubling the kid.”
“I hope she reunites with her parents soon,”  The shopkeeper said as he placed the lens in a tightly-sealed package.  “And I hope you do figure out what’s going on with her.”
“Thanks,”  Crescent said.  “She needs all the help she can get.”

Later that day, Crescent Eclipse was walking down the streets of Canterlot with the packed objective lens in his saddle bag.  Walking next to him was Ditzy Doo, who still looked down in the dumps.  That gave Crescent even more cause for concern.  Something must be digging into Ditzy.  Something even deeper than a mere accident.
“Is something eating at you, Ditz?”  Crescent asked.  “You’ve been this way since we stepped out into the city.”
Ditzy continued to turn her head.  Crescent looked discouraged.  But he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“You know,”  Crescent said.  “You remind me of my daughter Moondancer.  She had similar anxieties like you do.”
“She does?”  Ditzy said as she turned to face Crescent.
“Yes,”  Crescent said.  “Back when she used to live in Cape Coltnaveral, Moondancer was always fascinated with outer space.  But there were bullies who often gave her a bad time.”
“B...bullies?”  Ditzy said, shaking a bit nervously.
“They use to call her names like ‘Silly Alien,’ ‘Rocket Dumb’ and a ‘Bubble-headed Booby,’”  Crescent said.  “But the last straw was when they wrecked her science project at her last school.  Moondancer broke down crying and was depressed.”
“Oh dear,”  Ditzy said.  “That sounds almost like what I’ve been going through.”
Those words finally dawned on Crescent Eclipse.  
“So it sounds like you’re also experiencing a bully problem,”  Crescent said.
“Yeah,” Ditzy said.  “Three mean bullies who always gave me a hard time.  Calling me words like ‘Bubble-brained,’ ‘Moron,’ “Imbecile,’  ‘Stupid,’ and ‘Defective.”  I’ll never forget what they looked like, or their names.  Hoops, Dumb-Bell and Score.”
“Where were your parents in dealing with those delinquents?”  Crescent asked.
But before Ditzy could open her mouth, the sounds of creepy laughter echoed through the empty streets of Canterlot.  Ditzy freaked out and hid behind Crescent Eclipse, who turned his head towards the horizon.
“I don’t know who you are down there,”  Crescent said.  “But you better leave us alone.”
“Oh,” the voice said.  “But we have no intention of doing so.”
From out of the shadows emerged three younger pegasus colts.  One with a light gamboge coat and a grayish tangelo mane, one with a dark grayish brown coat with a light amberish gray mane, and one with a persian bluish gray coat with a reddish brown gray mane.  Ditzy looked at the three and hid behind Crescent, looking really scared.
“That’s them,” Ditzy said.  “Those are the mean bullies who picked on me: Hoops, Dumb-Bell and Score.”
Crescent turned his attention towards the three colts approaching him and Ditzy.  Crescent turned towards Ditzy Doo, who looked scared to half-death
“I’ve been told that you’ve been picking on this little filly back in Ponyville,” Crescent said.
“Oh that’s an understatement,” The one known as Hoops said.  “It’s not just her that’s hiding in her little safe space with snowflakes for parents.”
“Yeah,” Dumb-bell said.  “And to think she could run away to Canterlot because she can’t take the pressure.”
“Like what happened on her birthday two days ago,” Score said as he and his buds approached Ditzy and Crescent.
Crescent turned to Ditzy and said “You had a birthday days ago?”
“Yes,” Ditzy said as she kept behind Crescent.  “But I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You don’t need to talk about it, you defective air-head,”  Hoops said as Dumb-bell and Score laughed.  “Especially to the fact that you think you’re so special because of your derped-up condition.”
“Yeah,” Dumb-bell said.  “You had that stupid party that a few of those losers went to.  Especially your so-called best friend Rainbow Crash.”
“THAT’S RAINBOW DASH!”  Ditzy yelled as she stomped her hooves in anger.
“Oh look boys,”  Hoops said.  “We made her mad.”
With that, Hoops, Dumb-bell and Score all laughed in a sickening tone, causing tears to come out of Ditzy’s eyes.
“Leave me alone you big meanies,” Ditzy cried.  “I didn’t do anything to you.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?”  Hoops said as he, Dumb-bell and Score marched towards Crescent Eclipse and Ditzy Doo.
“You three better not harm her in any way,” Crescent said in a harsh tone as he stood in between Ditzy Doo and the three bullies.  Those three don’t look deterred in any way.
“Oh my,”  Hoops said in a mocking tone.  “This adult stallion is getting between us and that poor little defective filly.  What shall we do?”
Hoops gave a wink to Score, who turned towards a nearby alleyway and dashed off. This confused Crescent Eclipse and Ditzy Doo.
“Where….” Ditzy said.  “Where did he go?”
But before anyone could answer, Ditzy was yanked by the end of her tail and was pulled away from Crescent Eclipse.  She turned her head and saw Score dragging her across the pavement of the street.  Ditzy looked like she was going to scream.
“HEEEEEEEELP!”  Ditzy yelled as Score pulled her by the tail.
Crescent turned around and stomped his hooves on the ground.  The noise caused Score to drop Ditzy’s tail and fly off in the opposite direction.  Crescent approached Ditzy, who looked as if she were ready to burst into tears.
“Are you okay?”  Crescent asked as he placed his hoof on Ditzy’s cheek.
Suddenly, Crescent Eclipse felt something move in his saddle bag.  He turned around and saw Hoops with the lens meant for Moondancer’s telescope.
“That belongs to my daughter,”  Crescent said as he began to pull the lens from Hoops with his magic.  “Give it back.”
“Okay,” Hoops said with a smirk.  “You can have it.”
And with that, Hoops lets go of the lens and it snaps back, hitting Crescent on the head and knocking him to the ground.  As the lens bounced off, Crescent got up momentarily and saw it land right in Dumb-bell’s hooves.
“Oh you want this back?”  Dumb-bell said as he held out the objective lens.  “Well too bad.”
And with that, Dumb-bell raised the lens into the air before slamming it into the ground. The full impact caused the lens to shatter to pieces.  Crescent Eclipse was helpless to watch the lens break completely as his jaw dropped down in complete shock.  An entire lens meant of a telescope, shattered to pieces.
“NOOOOO!” Crescent yelled as he got up and ran towards what was left of the lens.  He looked down and picked up the broken pieces.  Tears flowed from his cheek as he looked at the broken pieces of the lens.  Ditzy walked up to Crescent and put her hoof on his back.
“I’m sorry,” Ditzy said.
“You three should be ashamed at what you just did,” Crescent said towards the three bullies.  “When your parents find out, they’ll…”
“Parents?” Hoops interrupted as Dumb-bell and Score flew to his side. “We don’t got none.”
“Yeah,” Score said.  “In fact, we used to have parents, till they threw us out.”
“It was the best decision those snowflakes made,” Dumb-bell said.  “Now we can cause as much mayhem as possible without a stupid grown up telling us what to do.”
“So we returned the favor by setting fire to their house,” Hoops said.  “Now they share the same fate as we do as they no longer have a home of their own.”
Crescent was horrified at what these three colts just said.  He held Ditzy right behind her as the boy bully trio laughed at their general expense.
“I thought you three were nothing more than mere bullies,” Crescent said as tears continued to flow from his eyes.  “Nothing more than a trio of juvenile delinquents.  But now I know, you’re far too cruel, cold-blooded and pitiless.  And you enjoy angering others for your own sadistic amusement.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, snowflake,” Dumb-bell said as he, Hoops and Score laugh at Crescent and Ditzy’s misery.

Meanwhile, down the street, Wanda, Abigail and Moondancer were enjoying a lovely afternoon walk together.  Moondancer’s mood had lightened up since early ago this morning, even after all she’s been through.
“Wanda, I always wondered where I would be without you,” Moondancer asked as she looked at her human friend.
“I could ask the same thing,” Wanda replied.
“I bet you say that to our other friends,” Moondancer chuckled.  “Especially your sister Sunset.”
As Wanda and Moondancer laughed at that revelation, they noticed Abigail had her back hunched up, hissing madly in the direction they’re walking down.
“Abby?”  Wanda said as she was alarmed by Abigail’s tone.  “What’s gotten into you?”
But before anyone could say anything, a scream echoed in the distance.  Wanda’s ears picked up the voice, and she became nervous.
“Remember when I told you about Ditzy?”  Wanda said to Moondancer.
“Yes, why?”  Moondancer asked.
“I think that’s her, and she’s in trouble,”  Wanda said as she picked up Abigail and placed the kitty on top of her head.
“I’m coming with you,” Moondancer said.
“Glad to have you by my side,” Wanda said as she and Moondancer ran off through town, hoping to get to where Ditzy was yelling.

Meanwhile, Crescent Eclipse ran through the streets with Ditzy riding on top of him, and the shards of what was the objective lens in his satchel.  Right on their tail was Hoops, Dumb-bell and Score, chasing them as they had a smirk on their face.  
“Hurry Mr Eclipse,” Ditzy said as she held onto Cresent’s neck without squeezing hard.
“I’m doing my best, Ditzy,” Crescent said as he ran as hard as he could.
Suddenly, Crescent tripped and lost his footing, causing Ditzy to lose her grip and fly upwards.  Before she could regain control, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.  Ditzy looked behind her and saw Dumb-bell holding her in place.
“Let me go,” Ditzy said as she struggled to break free from Dumb-bell’s grip.
“Tough luck, defect,” Dumb-bell said as he squeezed Ditzy harder, causing her to yell.
Back on the ground, Crescent was able to get up when he saw Ditzy being held in a tight grip by Dumb-bell.  The poor filly was crying her eyes out and Crescent felt helpless to reach her.  Score and Hoops flew up to where Dumb-bell was bear hugging Ditzy, laughing at her misery.
“You three should be ashamed of yourselves,” Crescent said.  “Attacking an innocent filly, all while claiming your parents threw you out.  Whoever they were, they made a big mistake in doing this.”
“Mistake?”  Hoops said.  “You don’t get it.  Besides, you’re too much of a wuss to spank your own child for misbehaving.”
“I would never resort to that behavior,” Crescent said.  “I’m willing to scold my daughter if she stepped out of line.  But I would never spank her.”
“Well that’s too bad,” Score said.  “Whoever your daughter is, she wouldn’t have been as broken as this stupid filly for sparing the rod.”
“Hey old man,” Hoops said as he turned towards Dumb-bell continuing to Bear-hug Ditzy Doo.  “Catch.”
And with that, Dumb-bell let go of Ditzy Doo, causing her to fall towards the ground.  She was too afraid to get her wings out to fly, all while she was free falling and screaming.
“Gotcha.”  Crescent Eclipse was quick enough to grab Ditzy with his arms, before twisting his body and landing on his back.  The little filly looked at Crescent in the eyes before crying right into his chest.
Back in the air, the three bullies laughed as Ditzy continued to cry in Crescent’s chest. 
 "They seem to take no remorse for what they did," Crescent thought to himself.  "And judging by their attitudes, they take their own hate in like it was a compliment."

But not far from DItzy and Crescent, Wanda, Abigail and Moondancer arrived to see the action unfold in front of them.  One look at her own father caused Moondancer to cover her mouth in shock.
“That’s my daddy,” Moondancer said as she continued to stare at Crescent Eclipse from afar.  “And he’s holding onto another filly.”
“That filly is Ditzy Doo,” Wanda said as she also shared a similar concern.
Moondancer looked up and saw Hoops, Dumb-bell and Score from above in the sky.  The trio looked like they were going to dive bomb her pops and Ditzy.
“I’ve got to do something,” Moondancer said.  “Wait right here.”  And with that, Moondancer took off towards her father.
“Moonie, wait,”  Wanda said as she was about to take off after her, only to be stopped by a hoof placed on her shoulder.
“She’s got this, man’s cub.”  That voice came from a familiar tone.  Wanda turned around and saw Chancellor Cinch looking towards Moondancer.
“Miss Cinch?”  Wanda said as she was a little startled by the Chancellor’s appearance.
“I’ve seen those kinds of juvenile delinquents when I first taught at the School for Gifted Unicorns,”  Cinch said.  “They can dish it out, but they can’t take it.  Observe.”

Nearby, Hoops, Dumb-bell and Score flew right towards Crescent and Ditzy, attempting to dive bomb the duo.  Crescent held onto Ditzy as he awaited what was going to happen to him, all while that little filly was scared stiff, staring right at what was coming to them.
“I won’t let anyone harm you, Ditzy,” Crescent said.  
Suddenly, a splash of water hit all three colts, knocking them off their dive bomb and causing them to hit the ground hard.  Ditzy and Crescent were surprised by the trio getting knocked out of the sky.  Hoops got his head up and shook off the water that sprayed him.
“Okay,”  Hoops yelled.  “WHO SPLASHED US?”
Hoops turned to his right and saw Moondancer carrying a pole attached to two buckets in her mouth.  Moondancer spat out the pole and growled at the trio.
“I don’t know who you are,” Moondancer snarled.  “But you have a lot of nerve attacking my daddy.  Not to mention picking on a little filly who is a friend of my friend.”
Hoops got up and cracked a smirk, facing Moondancer with a degree of confidence.
“So you must be the daughter of that snowflake,”  Hoops said.  “Never thought I would witness a nerd in front of me.”
“A nerd who has better standards than you ever will,” Moondancer said as she too grew a smirk on her face.  “I may have my own issues, but I would never tolerate seeing bullies pick on my friends, or my family.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”  Hoops said.  “Go cry in your safe space?”
“No,”  Moondancer said.  “I’m not.”  Those words surprised Hoops, Dumb-bell and Score.
“You’re not afraid of us?”  Hoops said as Score and Dumb-bell got up.
“I’ve dealt with jerks like you when I lived in Cape Coltnaveral,”  Moondancer said.  “I’ve taken a lot of pressure over what I love.  But I at least have parents who cared for me, cared for what I enjoyed, and allowed me to grow with what I loved, unlike you three.”
“So what?”  Hoops said.  “Love is nothing more than a meaningless term.”
“It’s way more than what you said,”  Moondancer said.  “The love and passion we put in our hobbies, our interests.  That is what makes us stronger.  You have no love and passion for anything.  All you three care about is picking on others who aren’t like you.”
“That’s what life is supposed to be about,” Hoops said.  “The weak must submit to the strong.”
“I wouldn’t even call you strong,”  Moondancer said.  “I would call you a monster, but even a monster is not that cowardly.”
“What...did you just say?” Those words just got under Hoops’ skin, and he started to look agitated.
“That’s right,”  Moondancer said.  “You think picking on others will make you strong, but all it does is make you a total coward.  Deep on the inside, you’re afraid of seeing ponies who are emotionally and mentally stronger than you are.  In fact, I’ll say that a friend who kept making space puns is a far better pony than you three ever will be.”
“You keep your mouth to yourself,” Hoops said as he squinted his eyes like he'd gone completely mad.  “I am no coward.”
“What’s wrong?  Moondancer said.  “Touched a nerve?  Is that a….cosmos for concern?”
“SHUT UP!”  And with that, Hoops charged at Moondancer, looking to get a hold of the space geek.  Moondancer just smiled and ducked under Hoops as the crazed colt crashed nearby.  Score and Dumb-bell’s jaws just dropped out of disbelief.
“Big Hoops,” Score said in shock.
Nearby, Hoops had just crashed right into one of the buckets attached to the pole that Moondancer used.  Hoops struggled to get the bucket off his head.  But it was stuck.  There was no way he could get it off, no matter how hard he tried.  And no one could understand a word coming out of his mouth, with the bucket stuck on his head.
Dumb-bell and Score ran up to Hoops and attempted to pull the bucket off of his head.  But that bucket was stuck tight.  The two look at Moondancer, who glances off a smirk in their face.
“I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU THREE PICKING ON DITZY DOO AGAIN,” Moondancer yelled.  “YOU HEAR ME?”
“You’ll pay for this you snake,” Score said as he and Dumb-bell ran off, taking Hoops with them.
“And good riddance to bad rubbish,” Moondancer said.

Down the street, Dumb-bell and Score ran with Hoops as fast as they could, with that bucket still stuck on Hoops’ head.
“When we get that bucket off your head, Hoops,” Dumb-bell said with a snarl.  “We’re gonna make that brat pay for your humiliation.”
But as they continued, they ran smack into a magic barrier, causing all three colts to collapse on the ground.  The bucket on Hoops’ head somehow popped off and rolled to the side.  Hoops felt like he was finally relieved of having that bucket off his head.  But Score and Dumb-bell looked really peeved off.
“Okay,” Dumb-bell yelled.  “Who’s the wise guy who put this barrier in front of us?
The barrier cleared away as Hoops, Dumb-bell and Score looked up to see the scowling face of Chancellor Abacus Cinch.  She glared at all three colts as they cowered in fear.
“I don’t ever want to see you causing harm to that filly,” Cinch yelled with anger in her eyes and scorn in her voice.  “UNDERSTAND?”
“MONSTER!”  Hoops, Score and Dumb-bell yelled as the trio ran off in a different direction into the horizon.  Cinch looked as the three colts ran off and cracked a smirk.  
“So that’s what she did,” Wanda said as she and Abigail came out from behind Cinch.
“Yes, Man’s Cub,”  Cinch said.  “It seems that in this day and age, there are some who fall through the cracks and wind up as nasty as those three juvenile delinquents.  They aren’t the first I’ve seen in the last few years, and I’m afraid they may not be the last.”
“What about me?”  Wanda asked as she picked up Abigail.  “Am I as nasty as those bullies?”
“Despite some issues you have,” Cinch said.  “You don’t showcase any malice towards anyone, not even me.  A part of me does regret doubting Princess Celestia’s skills as a parent.”
A slight smile forms on Wanda’s face.  A sign that Chancellor Cinch is starting to see that the young human meant no harm at all.
“Now come,” Cinch said.  “We must check up on Moondancer’s father, and the filly that those miserable brats were picking on.”

Up ahead, Ditzy was still in the arms of Crescent Eclipse, covering her eyes out of fear of being mistreated by the three bullies.  Only she felt a soft brush on her hair with a hoof.
“It’s okay,” Crescent said in a soft voice.  “They’re gone.  You can thank my daughter Moondancer for scaring them off.”
Ditzy opened her eyes and turned her head to the side.  There she saw Moondancer waving to her and Crescent with a smile on her face.  
“Are you….the Moondancer?” Ditzy said.
“Yes,” Moondancer replied.  “And I believe you must be Ditzy Doo.  Wanda told me about you.”
Ditzy’s eyes watered up.  She tried to hold it back in, but she couldn.  She immediately jumped out of Crescent’s arms and landed near Moondancer.  The filly pegasus then crouched down and began to cry.
“I did it,” Ditzy cried.  “I was the one who accidentally broke your telescope.  I bought a pair of baseballs to play with after a new friend I made gave me some money.  I just wanted something to at least make me happy and I ended up breaking your happiness.  And when your dad wanted to take me down to get you a replacement lens, those mean bullies broke it out of spite.  I’m terribly sorry. I just don’t know what went wrong.”
But as Ditzy cried, Moondancer looked at the young pegasus.  She was not angry, nor was she disappointed.  Instead, Moondancer smiled and placed her hoof on Ditzy’s head.
“I’ve already forgiven you,” Moondancer said.  “My friend Wanda told me about you and how she wanted to at least make you happy.  But judging what I just saw, you needed more help than what she gave you.”
“Wait.” Ditzy said.  “You know Wanda?”
“Yes,”  Moondancer said as she wiped the tear from Ditzy’s eye.  “She’s been my friend since we saw each other at the School for Gifted Unicorns.”
With that, Moondancer helped Ditzy up.  The young pegasus filly could smile again, finally feeling relieved from what she went through.  But as she felt better about herself, Wanda and Abigail came on in, approaching Moondancer and Ditzy.
“Ditzy,” Wanda said.  “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine Wanda,” Ditzy said.  “All thanks to your friend.”
“What a relief,” Wanda said as she placed Abigail down.
“On a side note,” Moondancer whispered.  “When you met Ditzy yesterday, did she mention those three morons?”
“I’m afraid not,” Wanda replied.  “I guess she was too scared of bringing up why she ran away.”
“Live and learn, my mom always said,” Moondancer said.  “But now, she needs some help really badly, now that we know what happened.”
As Moondancer and Wanda began to help out Ditzy Doo with Abigail hopping on the pegasus filly’s back, Crescent Eclipse looked on and a tear flowed from his cheek.  But it was not of sorrow, it was of joy. 
“I’m proud to have Moondancer as a daughter,” Crescent said.  "Especially one who was willing to help out a filly in need."
“And you should be, considering what those delinquents turned out to be.”  Crescent turned his head and saw Chancellor Cinch walking up to him.  There was a bit of tension within Crescent as he gazed on the Chancellor’s eyes.
“Chancellor Cinch,” Crescent said with a nervous tone.
“At ease,”  Cinch said in a soft tone.  “I saw the whole thing happen, and the fact that your daughter stood up to those brats.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Crescent said as he breathed a sigh of relief.
“And on a side note, Mr Eclipse,”  Cinch said.  “Did those hooligans do anything else besides giving you and that youngling a hard time?”
“I’m afraid so,” Crescent said as he pulled out a shard of what was once an objective lens that he bought early ago.  “This was supposed to be a replacement part for my daughter’s telescope.  And they smashed it up for their own crazy amusement.”
“Then we should return to the store and get a new replacement,” Cinch said.  “I’ll cover the charge.”
A smile formed on Crescent Eclipse upon hearing the words that came out of the Chancellor.  She turned toward Moondancer.
“Honey,” Crescent Eclipse said as Moondancer turned towards her father.  “Take Wanda and Ditzy back home.  I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of.”
“I understand, father,” Moondancer said.  She turned towards Wanda, Ditzy and Abigail and said “Let’s go home.”

Later that day at the telescope shop, the shopkeeper was cleaning up the stand of the store, when he heard the sound of a door opening.  He turned up and saw Crescent Eclipse and Chancellor Cinch.
“Crescent,” The shopkeeper said.  “Back so soon? How did Moondancer enjoy the new lens?”
“I’m afraid she didn’t even get to see it,” Crescent said as he poured out what’s left of the objective lens.  The shopkeeper was shocked by what he said.
“What just happened?” The shopkeeper responded as he looked at the shards of the lens.
“A trio of miscreants were responsible for the vandalism,” Chancellor Cinch said as she placed a few bits on the table.  “I’ll cover the cost for his replacement.”
“That won’t be necessary,” The shopkeeper said as he ran into the backroom.  “I’ve known Crescent for a long time, and his love for the stars is why I enjoyed this business.  So I’ll give him another lens.  No charge.”
As the shopkeeper ran into the backroom to find another objective lens, Chancellor Cinch was a bit surprised by the shopkeeper’s decision.
“It appears that in a world where selfishness is rising, there are still some souls that strife for honesty, kindness, generosity, loyalty and laughter.”
“I’ve seen that the moment I first stepped a hoof in Canterlot, Chancellor,” Crescent Eclipse said. “And personally, I’m glad to have brought Moondancer here.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Chancellor Cinch said.


	To Be Continued in…..


	Where no Cutie Mark has gone before