//------------------------------// // Moondancer Time(s) // Story: Their Time // by GrangeDisplay //------------------------------// The following paper documents my scientific study of the pony species (Equus ferus caballus). My primary subject will be one Moondancer, an adult unicorn mare with a lemon-yellow coat, red and purple mane, and a pair of majestic eyebrows. Her cutiemark is of a crescent moon, representing her aptitude for magic. My subject is quite intelligent and seeks to use me as a subject in her own rese-  “What are you doing?” Moondancer asked, as she levitated a stack of books onto her workbench. Unperturbed by the interruption, Autumn dipped her quill into a nearby inkpot and flashed a wry smile. “I've been conducting research and taking notes,” she answered matter-of-factly, mimicking the same tone that Moondancer often used.  “And what research have you been conducting exactly?” Moondancer questioned with a frown and raised eyebrow.  “I have been researching you, of course. It's only fair that I take notes on you while you take notes on me,” Autumn explained. Moondancer sighed and cringed. “Notes on me? I fail to see how that could be productive. I’m not particularly interesting.” “Au contraire my unicorn friend,” Autumn declared defiantly, flipping through the pile of papers she had been compiling, “You say that you are not interesting, yet I already have so much on you. Listen to what I wrote about you two weeks ago.” Today, as my subject and I neared the end of ‘Moondancer time’ and wrapped up our study on my aptitude for teleportation, I observed some peculiar behavior. She worked diligently and silently during her final hour. I tried to make conversation, but my subject stubbornly ignored my prompts. The only acknowledgement of my existence came from the occasional glance in my direction. Although it is common for my subject to be taciturn, this quietness proved to be somewhat creepy. Hoping to understand the sudden shift, I approached the issue with level-headedness and total professionalism.  “Moooooondancer? Why won’t you talk to me?” Autumn whined, slumping over and pressing her head into Moondancer’s workbench. Moondancer, who was carefully maneuvering a quill in her magic, cast a look at Autumn. She was silent as she scrutinized Autumn with her purple eyes, measuring each feature with a razor-sharp stare. When she finally looked away, she continued gently gliding her quill across the page, and Autumn became silent. A few minutes passed, until Moondancer finally stopped writing and Autumn leaned in to look at what was so important.  “Is that me?” Autumn asked in awe as Moondancer began to clean up her space.   There were beautifully drawn sketches of Autumn from various angles and distances on the page. Autumn was amazed by the amount of detail and attention given to each image, from the many strokes that captured the curvature of her curly mane to the texturing of the scales on her back. “It’s supposed to be. Drawing isn’t exactly my strong suit, but it helps to have models and images alongside data,” Moondancer said unassumingly, unaware of the quality art she had just created. Autumn shook her head incredulously. “What! No, this is actually pretty good. I could tell that you drew me,” she explained with a sheepish grin, “Although, you might have drawn me too well.” “‘Too well?’” Moondancer asked, concerned about what errors she may have made. “Well yeah. I look… I guess… I think I look a lot better in this picture than I probably do in real life.”  Moondancer gave her work a cursory glance before shaking her head and saying, “Not at all. I simply drew what I see when I look at you.” “So, if I look good here,” Autumn asked, gesturing to the sketches before pointing to herself. “Then I just look good. In your eyes at least.” Moondancer seemed to grimace for a split second before turning away from Autumn. Her face grew warm as she cleared her throat. “Yes, I guess you could say that.” Autumn finished reading her passage with a pleased expression, which Moondancer didn't share.  “So, in this ‘study’ you discovered that…” Moondancer began without finishing, waiting for Autumn to fill in the blanks. “I found that you are good at drawing,” Autumn explained, grinning mischievously, “And that you think I’m pretty.” Moondancer briefly wore the same troubled expression she had two weeks prior, before snorting indignantly and muttering with a reddened face, “I never said that. I just drew what I saw. Being good at drawing is not interesting.”  Autumn tapped her chin as she flipped through a few pages and finally settled on one. “Okay. Well, what about what I learned later that week.” Today my subject and I ran into a minor mishap in the laboratory that may have snowballed into a major mishap. There is no benefit in searching for the ‘culprit’ of this misfortune since everything turned out fine in the end. Perhaps, one could say I was at fault for knocking over those chemicals and trying not to draw attention to it. Or one could say my subject was at fault for leaving me unattended. Ultimately, we should focus on the fascinating creature that this minor error created. Who could have predicted that a dragonfly would react so volatilely to the puddle and metamorphose into some pony-sized, fire breathing abomination.  “Moo-”  “Shh!”  Autumn grunted as she found Moondancer’s shaking hoof firmly planted over her muzzle. She was just trying to apologize for her clumsiness, but Moondancer wasn’t having it. The abrasive scent of smoke wafted throughout the tower, as objects were charred and scorched. Autumn and Moondancer huddled among the rows of bookshelves as the dragonfly, or Monsterfly as Autumn named it, slowly stalked the aisles. Autumn could hear the twitch of its membranous wings as it approached, dragging its large, elongated abdomen across the carpet. Autumn could see sweat dripping from Moondancer’s face, despite the unicorn's countenance staying determined and fearless.   Once the Monsterfly came close to finding their location, Moondancer turned and spoke frantically, “You're not safe here. Once it wraps this corner, I’ll send you away. I’ll cast a shield spell and cover you. Get help immediately.” “Bu-” Autumn’s words were cut short as a light pink aura enveloped her, and she materialized in the middle of the Castle Court. Castle guards stopped in confusion, staring at the lone kirin with equal bewilderment. Autumn slapped a hoof to her forehead and finished her sentiment to nopony in particular. “But, I’m fire-proof.”  “Aside from learning about the disturbingly slow response time of the Canterlot Fire Department, you learned that I am brave and skilled at magic,” Moondancer proposed sardonically.  “Nope, I learned that you are just as capable of doing dumb things as everypony else.” Moondancer frowned in irritation. “I was just protecting us from a notable threat.” “Well, I don’t need to be protected. Considering that I can burst into flames at a moment's notice, you should have known that kirin's are pretty flame resistant.” “Okay then, I guess I am ‘dumb,’ so is almost everypony else. Honestly, not too interesting.”   “Fine, fine. But how about what happened the week after.” Today, my subject has finally been discharged from the hospital, and seeks to gather new materials to replace objects that were sadly incinerated during last week's ‘incident.’ So, for today’s ‘Moondancer time’ we traversed the streets of Canterlot purchasing new items after spending a few tedious hours filing an insurance claim. We primarily searched for replacement books, using a list of what was lost to guide our way, but one particular book evaded us for many hours before we located it at a small used bookstore.  “We finally found it,” Moondancer triumphantly announced, holding the book in her hooves with a pleased expression.  Autumn leaned in to get a closer look, reading the title aloud and making an observation, “Star Weaver’s Collection of Fairy Tales and Fables. This looks like a book for fillies and colts.” Autumn didn’t find issue with Moondancer’s book of choice, she was just surprised by it. The other books on Moondancer’s list were textbooks and encyclopedias.  “That is correct. It's strange but…” Moondancer began, growing a bit flustered during her answer. “I grew up reading Star Weaver’s rendition of stories. Twilight and I used to read them all the time. They’re comforting, and I like to have a copy of them in my workspace at all times.” “Aw, how cute!” Autumn cooed, much to Moondancer's embarrassment. She was always pleased to learn more about Moondancer. It was apparent from the condition of the storybook that the series was old, which explained why finding copies was so difficult. The two prepared to purchase the book when Moondancer suddenly stopped and peered around a corner.  “I see you watching us. Can I help you with anything?” Moondancer asked, peaking her head behind an aisle of books. A little colt emerged from behind the corner, he looked up at them with big, innocent eyes. Autumn would have never noticed him had Moondancer not pointed him out. The colt sniffled and wiped his nose with a hoof, refusing to answer Moondancer’s question. Moondancer didn’t take offense, opting to remain casual and calm. “I know a bookworm when I see one. Do you like Star Weaver’s stories?” The colt nodded. “You know this is a bookstore? If you want the book, you can buy it and keep it for good.” The colt nodded again. “But I’m guessing that’s not so easy for you?” The colt nodded once more before casting his eyes to the floor.  It didn’t take long for Moondancer to gently place the book at his hooves along with plenty of bits to purchase it and more. The colt looked up at her with awe. Moondancer lowered herself to be at his level.  “Do me a favor, put those bits and that book to good use. You are clearly an intelligent child, way too intelligent to be pulling off petty scams like this. Go ahead and tell your little friends to give Autumn her bit pouch back. I’ve given you two more than enough.” Autumn looked at Moondancer quizzically before turning her attention back to the little colt. All innocence seemed to drain from the child’s face as he jerked his head to the side abruptly. A filly seemed to appear from nowhere, holding Autumn’s bit pouch in her muzzle. Autumn was flabbergasted, she could have sworn that her pouch was securely tucked into her saddlebags, she hadn’t even noticed the pickpocket. The filly plopped the pouch down at the kirin’s hooves and joined her partner in crime.  “I hope you two see this as an opportunity to change your lives. You can be more than this I promise,” Moondancer assured, trying to sound wise and strong. However, the colt didn’t look convinced. “Easy for you to say, but my cutiemark is literally for petty crime.” Moondancer’s expression dropped as she glanced at the colts cutiemark, it was an image of a hoof pulling a wallet out of (presumably) a neighboring pony’s saddlebag. She turned to his accomplice. “You too?,” Moondancer asked, already dreading the answer. “Yeh,” answered the filly matter-of-factly. "Thanks for the book, lady, but we’ll keep doing crime.” The filly gestured for the colt to follow, and the pair left. They took the book and the bits, despite not actually paying for the book as they departed. In their wake, they left two deeply confused and troubled individuals to contemplate in silence. “And you learned?” “That you are kind,” Autumn answered with a smile. “I was just being a decent pony. It's not a big deal and far from interesting,” Moondancer countered with a shrug. “Fine, you can be right about this, okay? You are deeply uninteresting and possibly the most dull and boring pony I have ever met. Happy?” Autumn asked haughtily. “Yes,” Moondancer answered equally as haughtily. There was a tenuous silence between the two before Moondancer registered what Autumn had actually said.  “Wait.”