“So, what’s the agenda for today?” Autumn questioned, resting her head in her hooves. “Determining how the environmental pressures of the Peaks of Peril might have impacted kirin? Trying to understand why kirin never developed cutie marks? Revisiting our hypothesis on why unicorns and kirin have such distinct horn shapes?”
Moondancer placed a few beakers and flasks onto her desk, inspecting them closely with a smile. “All very interesting suggestions, but no. I have decided that today will be a little different, a little more ‘fun and exciting.’”
Autumn sighed and pouted, feeling a little saddened that that minor comment was the one Moondancer recalled most frequently. “You're still upset about that?”
Moondancer shook her head. “Not upset, just… challenged. I want to show you that science can be exciting and fun too.”
Feeling relieved and curious, Autumn asked, “What do you have in mind?”
“Something I think you would enjoy,” Moondancer began to explain, placing several bouquets of flowers onto her desk. “Remember when you talked about using Foal’s breath to single-hoofedly rescue your village?”
Autumn tugged at a few of the curls in her fluffy mane. “I do, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Foal’s breath is used for all sorts of kirin remedies.”
Moondancer shook her head and scoffed. “It is a big deal. Autumn, you saved your village with your own intellect by finding a cure. You took what was known and expanded upon it. Not only are you a hero, but you are a scientist and researcher.”
“You really think so?” Autumn questioned, still horribly ill-prepared when Moondancer gave her casual comments.
“Of course. I would not have said it if it were not true,” Moondancer confirmed. “So, for today’s Moondancer time, I thought we might do some brewing with flowers and other substances for fun. Uh…does that…sound fun?”
Moondancer’s tone lost confidence as she neared the end of her comment. It took a moment for Autumn to realize that the shift was probably because the kirin was awkwardly staring at Moondancer rather than answering. The unicorn had just looked very at ease and comfortable, it was nice. Autumn was quick to figuratively and literally shake it off, answering with her usual cheer.
“Yeah, that sounds awesome! Let’s get started!”
One of the many things that Autumn had learned about Moondancer in their time together was that the unicorn was terrible at keeping track of time, especially if she was focusing on her work. She usually had to remind Moondancer that her half of their time was up, although she also usually let Moondancer go a little bit over. But on this day, Autumn saw no need to advocate for her time to start. It didn’t feel too important since Moondancer Time was turning out to be quite enjoyable.
There was a noticeable glimmer in Moondancer’s eyes as they talked about the assortment of flowers that she had gathered. She knew so much about so many things, but she was always open to learning more. Luckily, Autumn knew quite a bit too and she shared her knowledge with equal enthusiasm. She described the types of flowers commonly found at the Peaks of Peril and the pair found differences in names and cultural significance for the flowers between the ponies and kirins.
Eventually, night fell, and the lab dimmed but the conversation remained lively. Autumn described how important brewing was in her village since the use of magic from their horns was not as highly regarded among the kirin as it was among unicorns.
Moondancer scribbled a note onto her scroll and asked, “Do you think your struggles with learning more advanced spells are because the kirins around you only used levitation and nothing more?”
Autumn hummed and sipped at the jasmine tea that the pair brewed together. “Perhaps. I don’t think us kirin ever needed to go beyond simple spells. Despite its scary name, my home is beautiful and bountiful. Canterlot is marvelous, but I do miss the natural wonder of the Peaks of Peril.”
“I could only imagine,” Moondancer mumbled, firmly gripping her teacup in her forehooves. “Will you ever return?”
Giggling to herself lightly, Autumn brushed her hoof against Moondancer’s shoulder amicably. “Of course, it's my home! Honestly, I’ll probably be heading back soon. That way I can get out of your mane.”
Out of my mane? Why would she think that? Moondancer thought to herself, chugging the rest of her tea.
Something about Autumn’s words were unsettling to Moondancer, and she wasn’t sure why. It was a reasonable expectation. Moondancer knew better than anypony that ponies grow apart, they go their separate ways, and start new phases in their lives. Sometimes, ponies stay in contact, and other times they don't. That was life. But why did Moondancer feel so surprised that Autumn was not staying in Canterlot?
Moondancer massaged her temple as Autumn happily chewed on a hooful of honeysuckles. She looked around her study in search of a distraction. They had crafted a variety of things over the last few hours, brewing a few elixirs and oils meant to improve health, scented candles, and delicious teas. Moondancer flipped through the book containing all the recipes they had been using, looking for a tea recipe they had not attempted yet.
Right when she landed on a tea recipe that was supposed to reduce anxiety, the cause of said anxiety spoke up.
“Are you okay? You’ve been making a face, are you in pain?” Autumn asked with noticeable concern. She used a hoof to gently hold and maneuver Moondancer’s head.
Moondancer quickly pulled away feeling warm and unwell. “I’m fine, it's just a small headache.”
“It’s not the flower smell, is it? Maybe we should call it a night?”
“No, no! I’m fine,” Moondancer insisted, becoming more frantic as Autumn’s concern grew.
Making tea wasn’t too difficult, most recipes called for a few petals, some water, and a source of heat. Moondancer looked away and busied herself with the tea, obtaining hoofuls of the blue flowers and stuffing them into a kettle and adding water. A small light flickered once Moondancer ignited the bunsen burner that they used to boil their water.
Moondancer, with her hardened face and furrowed brow, seemed to complete this task with her normal intensity and focus. But Autumn knew better now, she noticed that Moondancer’s movements lacked their usual calculated eloquence. Her actions were rough and abrupt, lacking their usual thoughtfulness. The unicorn hadn’t measured the number of petals used and spilled water all over the table as she poured it.
Moondancer tapped her hoof erratically and impatiently against the table while the tea boiled, and barely giving it time to cool before pouring it into two teacups. She was already drinking it when she gave Autumn a cup. Her expression was obscured from the kirin’s view as she threw her head back to drink.
Autumn warily sipped the tea and was unimpressed by its sharp and earthy taste. She smacked her lips and tried another disappointing taste.
“Moondancer, does this taste…strange to you?” she asked suspiciously.
“It has a peculiar tanginess, but it isn’t bad. I’ve never had this type of tea before,” Moondancer mumbled before taking a long swig of the tea and going to pour a second cup.
Autumn skeptically took a few sips while reading over Moondancer’s recipe. The book was well-worn, torn, and ripped at the edges. The words were legible but faded, barely standing out against the yellowed pages and dim candlelight. After reading the type of tea, Autumn searched for a remaining flower to compare it with. Her jaw dropped as she came to an alarming realization.
“Moondancer?” she questioned, with growing unease. “You put Blue Somnambulan Lotus in here, the recipe calls for Blue Water Lilies.”
“Oh,” Moondancer muttered with a gulp. “That’s not too bad. Water lilies and lotuses are the same.”
Autumn shook her head. “Not quite. Water lilies float on water, while lotuses hover above it.”
Moondancer blinked a few times, clearly not getting it. Autumn continued with a sigh. “I’d also say that lotuses are a bit more…uh… potent.”
Moondancer blinked again but seemed to be getting closer to understanding. “Define potent.”
“Potent like uh…in ancient times ponies used to drink it to relax and have fun without feeling…inhibited,” Autumn slowly explained, wincing as she did.
The gears in Moondancer’s head began to spin and something suddenly clicked. “Are you saying it was used…as a drug?”
“Not a drug,” Autumn assured, before thinking it over and adding, “At least I don’t think so.”
Moondancer’s complexion seemed to whiten as she slowly set her teacup on the table. She rushed towards the nearest bookcase, recklessly throwing books to the ground as she searched. When her rampage finished, she ripped upon a book, her eyes zipped across the page as she read it over.
“Okay, okay. It was kind of a drug but not really. There is no empirical evidence to support that it is effective. Only anecdotes from many moons ago. I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Moondancer announced, pulling the book close to her for comfort.
Suddenly, Moondancer’s brief and tenuous peace was disturbed by Autumn’s seemingly uncontrollable snickering.
“What?” Moondancer asked, uneased by the contrast in their moods.
“It's nothing,” Autumn said between giggles. But it clearly wasn’t nothing. Seeing a growing fear on Moondancer’s face, Autumn continued lightly, “It’s just...do you have any idea how slow you were just talking.”
Autumn Blaze burst out into another laughing fit, expressing a radically different emotion from the obvious shock and dread that Moondancer was experiencing. The kirin picked up her teacup and made a cheers gesture with it. She finished it and poured herself another.
Seeing that Moondancer was looking at her with a slack-jawed and bemused expression, Autumn shrugged and explained, “What? I’m not just gonna sit here and let you have all the fun…”
If Autumn had continued talking, Moondancer couldn’t tell. It was hard to hear much of anything over the sound of laughter that reverberated off of the walls. The shrill and jovial ringing swarmed in Moondancer’s ears and ignited a warm glow in the pit of her stomach. She took a few cursory looks around the rapidly expanding room in search of the sound, only to realize that the laughter was her own.
After what may have been days, hours, or seconds of floating in a radical and lofty vibe, two faint voices spoke out amongst the crickets and cicadas. The full moon was overhead, and the stars decorated the night sky as gorgeous spectacles of light. On the balcony of what was formerly Princess Twilight Sparkle’s study, sat a pony and a kirin engaged in deep, philosophical conversation.
“Hey…hey Moondancer?”
“...”
“Moondancer?”
“...”
“Moony?”
“Yeah?” Moondancer responded lightly, unsure if her words were actually being spoken this time. She felt an odd sense of self-awareness after hearing the mellowness in her tone.
Autumn laughed for no particular reason, as the pair laid on their backs next to each other, watching the sky.
Autumn slowly turned to face Moondancer and asked, “Moondancer…why do they call you moon dancer?”
“I dunno…it just happened to me I guess,” Moondancer articulated brilliantly, “I think my parents really like to dance…and do astronomy.”
Autumn smiled at the sky and hummed. “That’s cool. I bet having a kid as smart as you makes your parents really proud.”
“I guess, but I know lots of smart ponies. I went to school for smart ponies and I’m friends with one of the smartest ponies in all Equestria,” Moondancer stated, thinking of all the incredible things that Twilight had done in such a short time. Moondancer was happy to call Twilight her friend again, but it was hard to think that even her best work would never be as significant as Twilight’s most minor accomplishment.
“Don’t do that,” Autumn chastised.
Moondancer looked at her quizzically but couldn’t think of anything to say. Drinking the tea gave her a sense of relaxed weightlessness, but she was beginning to understand what Autumn meant when she described a lack of inhibition. It was easy for Moondancer to bury herself in her work to escape introspection and deep reflection, but now she couldn’t do much of anything other than think and feel. Her eyes glistened as she was overcome with old and confusing feelings.
Fearing that she might have hurt Moondancer’s feelings, Autumn filled in the silence with an explanation, “You always do that. Downplay yourself and your actions. I’m not interesting, I’m not kind, I’m just as smart as everypony else. You should just take the compliment.”
Autumn sat up and grabbed one of Moondancer’s forehooves in her own. “I’m sure that growing up and being best friends with a literal princess wasn’t easy, but just know that you’re your own pony. And I think that pony is plenty good. I would be happy to call her a friend one day.”
Moondancer used her free hoof to rub her eyes, momentarily comforted by Autumn’s words before fixating on a specific part.
“You don’t think we’re friends already?” she asked quietly.
Autumn released Moondancer’s hoofs and kneaded the ground with her forehooves. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I always feel like I’m bothering you. It’s clear that you see me as a ‘subject.’ An object to be observed and studied, not an individual, or a friend. You probably won’t miss me when I leave.”
“No,” Moondancer murmured.
That wasn’t right at all. A dismal feeling sank to the pit of her stomach as she was filled with deep sadness. She knew what it felt like to care about somepony more than they cared about you, and dreaded to think that she was causing somepony else the same heartbreak. Maybe there were times when Moondancer was trying to create distance between the two of them, but Autumn always seemed to win out in the end. The kirin was much braver than Moondancer. She did and said what she wanted when she wanted to. Moondancer admired that about her and wished that she could do the same.
She licked her lips, sat up, and spoke with urgency, “Of course I’ll miss you. I have spent almost every day for weeks with you. Listening to your endless stream of words and going to all your dumb social events.”
“Hey,” Autumn muttered, irritated by the small insult buried within many kind words. She frowned but waited for Moondancer to continue.
“Through it all, I have watched you approach all things with the utmost curiosity and vibrancy,” Moondancer explained, suddenly becoming aware of how nervous she was feeling. Her heart was pounding as she thought of the many misadventures the two of them had endured together. “I saw your brilliance and your stubbornness and your assertiveness. And I have come to see you as a friend…and that terrifies me. You have accomplished in weeks what has taken others years to do, and I don’t know why or what that means.”
“You don’t know why?” Autumn asked, also thinking of all the days they had spent together.
“I don’t, but I want to find out,” Moondancer confessed earnestly.
“So, we are friends?”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t find me annoying?”
“Most of the time, yes.”
“And you do think I’m pretty?”
A quick, and probably genuine, response was caught in Moondancer’s throat as the unicorn snapped her mouth shut. Autumn flashed her a cheeky grin and giggled, knowing that that question was quickly becoming her favorite of all time. Moondancer, as usual became flustered by the question, but also joined in on Autumn’s giggling.
In between laughs she spoke amicably, “Knock it off.”
“C’mon, just throw a dog a bone.”
“Fine,” Moondancer relented, looking at Autumn with a relaxed expression. “I won’t say you’re beautiful, but I will say this. You are extraordinary. Not you in a referring to all kirins sense, but in an individual sense. Autumn Blaze, you are extraordinary. And I am happy to call you a friend.”
It had been weeks since Moondancer first spoke those words to her, yet Autumn was still completely struck by them. Although, they were a little different. Moondancer was looking right at her, giving Autumn all of her attention and focus. Seeing her as she was, despite not wearing her glasses. Autumn couldn’t think of any words to say, so she hugged Moondancer instead. She squeezed the unicorn tight, pulling her face into her fluffy mane and rocking them slightly from side to side.
Moondancer didn’t fight to be released, letting herself be smothered in Autumn warmth. She moved her head just enough to allow herself to sputter out. “So, now that you know you’re not a bother to me. Do you think you might want to stay in Canterlot?”
Autumn chuckled, gripping Moondancer’s shoulders and pushing her a forelegs length away. “Absolutely not. I have to go home at some point, and the ponies around here are so stuffy and snooty, no offense.”
Moondancer deflated in Autumn’s hold, slumping her shoulders and dejectedly mumbled, “Oh.”
Autumn gave her friend a few shakes and a reassuring smile. “You know…I don’t mind your snootiness. If you wanted to, you could come with me. You could be the first Equestrian scholar to do an in-depth analysis on the Peaks of Peril. There'll be lots of things to study and document.”
It was scary to make such a bold gesture, but Autumn had to try. It was apparent that she was rewarded for her audacity, despite the lack of a verbal answer, because the answer was already showing on Moondancer’s face. The unicorn was beaming at her, and in her eyes glistened an almost tangible excitement. Autumn was certain that the unicorn was already hypothesizing and coming up with research proposals in her head. Autumn would have been perfectly happy with spending the rest of the night looking at Moondancer’s dorky smile, but the unicorn seemed to have other plans.
Moondancer stood up and offered Autumn a hoof. “Let’s go.”
Autumn looked around in confusion. She knew that Moondancer wasn’t exactly herself at the moment, but she couldn’t even guess where they could possibly go at this hour. Nonetheless, she took her hoof and stood beside her.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked, deeply curious about what Moondancer was planning.
Moondancer smirked with uncharacteristic confidence and winked. “Well, you asked me why they call me moon dancer, so I’ll show you.”
“You burned down the Round Pen NightClub!” Twilight shouted a bit too loudly.
Moondancer wasn’t sure if her old friend was asking them a question or scolding them, but she was much too groggy to care. It was apparent that she had mostly recovered from last night’s teatime, but she still felt a little dazed and numb. Autumn seemed to be faring about the same as she studied Twilight with a sleepy expression.
“It was an accident, I’m still trying to manage my temper,” Autumn stated, rubbing her eyes. “Anyways, it didn’t completely burn down, it was a small fire.”
Twilight rubbed her temple with a hoof, clearly irritated by the early morning scroll delivery and subsequent flight to Canterlot. She knew that being the Princess of Friendship meant actually being a friend, but she really didn’t want to spend her Sunday morning bailing Moondancer and Autumn out of jail in an entirely different city because Moondancer wasn’t in the right state of mind to actually contact a local friend.
Twilight methodically inhaled and exhaled to calm her nerves, knowing that she should be happier that Moondancer was safe than angry that she was in trouble. She made a point to give each of the on duty royal guards a quick thank you and apology before departing with her friends.
When they finally found themselves back at Canterlot Castle, Twilight finally felt calm enough to speak, “What happened to you two?”
Autumn and Moondancer exchanged looks, trying to silently convince the other to take the lead and confess. Explaining this type of blunder required a careful and steady hoof, like disarming a bomb.
Hoping that years of friendship might soften the blow, Moondancer answered somberly, “I decided to try something new and took Autumn to a nightclub. Everything was fine, until this one stallion started getting too pushy.”
“Yeah, he was being a creep, and getting a little too comfortable, so I told him to leave but he wouldn't quit. So, after a while I just kinda…burst into flames,” Autumn interjected.
Twilight nodded a few times as she listened. Autumn’s reaction was an intense one, but not a completely unreasonable one. Even the Princess of Friendship was known to burst into flames from time to time.
Twilight spoke with candor, “I’m relieved to see that you’re safe, and I appreciate that you called me in your time of need. But promise me that I don’t have to worry about the legal troubles of my Canterlot Friends too. I already have a bunch of ponies in Ponyville that I have to bail out every other week.”
Moondancer smiled and looked at Autumn fondly. “You won’t, I promise. And I don’t even think I’ll be in Canterlot for a little while.”
Twilight looked at the kirin and pony curiously. “You’re not?”
Autumn jumped at the opportunity to tell Twilight the good news, “Nope, she’s coming home with me. Now I get to be the ambassador!”
Twilight shook her head in disbelief, but not in a negative way. She was always happy to see a new and blossoming friendship, especially for somepony as deserving as Moondancer. She was deeply intrigued, wondering what might have brought the opposing personalities together.
”Wow. I had no idea you two got so close. What have you been up to?”
Autumn placed a hoof over Moondancer’s shoulder and spoke casually, “Oh nothing much, just spending a little time together.”
“Well, I hope you too didn’t spend too much time in the city. I’ve heard that a lot of weird things have been happening lately. I’m sure you heard about the dogs that got loose in the streets, and the giant dragonfly that torched the west wing of the castle,” Twilight mentioned, hoping that the bizarre situations hadn’t interfered with Autumn’s trip.
But when Autumn began laughing nervously and Moondancer refused to meet her gaze, Twilight became painfully aware of the truth. Any joy that she felt evaporated as she shook her head in disappointment and sighed. There was a burden that came with knowing the full extent of your friends' crimes, and for Twilight that burden seemed to grow heavier every day.
“You know,” Twilight started, accepting the weight upon her shoulders. “Maybe some time away from Canterlot is a good thing.”