//------------------------------// // Book 5: Moondancer // Story: Writing Future Pages // by River Road //------------------------------// Pages looked over the tables in the corner of the library. Only one of them was occupied by a tan unicorn mare with a violet streak through her blood red mane. He walked over to her and sat down. “Do you mind if I take a seat here?” The mare looked up from her adventure novel. “Hmm? Sure, why not.” She tilted her head. “Say, do I know you?” “You do seem familiar.” Pages leaned closer. “Don’t tell me… Miss Moondancer?” The unicorn tilted her head. “Do I know you?” Pages chuckled. “Future Pages. I talked to you a couple months ago. What’s a teacher from Manehattan doing all the way over here?” Moondancer’s eyes lit up. “Mister Pages? Oh wow, does that mean I’m getting into your books again?” She giggled. “Believe it or not, I was actually born in this town. I’m visiting family this week.” “Ah, of course. Back to the roots, then.” Pages nodded. “I don’t know about the book, but I’ll see what I can do.” “Awesome!” Moondancer did a small hoofpump, then paused and slowly peered past the chronicler. “Say… I don’t want to make you nervous, but I think that guard over there is watching us.” Pages smirked. “The thestral? Yes, I have been assigned a bodyguard while I stay here. Believe it or not, but the Princesses themselves called my books an ‘important contribution to Harmony and culture in Equestria’.” He chuckled. “Beats me why they would be that important.” “Hah. So you’re making your way to becoming royalty?” “Hardly. I wouldn’t even know what to do with a title.” Pages shook his head and picked up his book again. Moondancer glanced at the book and raised an eyebrow. “Stories From Ancient Times. How’d you get stuck with a book like that?” Pages shook his head. “No idea… The librarian told me I would find a good book for me over there, and it was the first that sprung up. Do you know anything about it?” Moondancer took the book with her magic and looked over the cover. “A little bit… My friends could probably tell you a lot more about that, but they’re both in Ponyville. They’ve always been the history ponies.” She sighed and flipped it open to a random page. “This is translated from old Moonwhinny, I think. Really old stuff.” “That doesn’t sound like you have much interest in that kind of history.” Pages watched her curiously. “Eh, I wouldn’t say that. There just isn’t really much in this book that isn’t common knowledge. Or common knowledge for ponies from Princess Celestia’s School for yadda yadda... I’ve lost a year of my life for saying that full name each time.” She started to flip more pages, looking them over quickly. “Ponies, ponies, dragons, ponies, Celestia and Luna fight… Oooh, this here sounds interesting: A page about a race called ‘Bicorns’.” “Bicorns? You mean like unicorns with…?” “Yup. They had two magic-makers sticking out their noggin.” Moondancer giggled. “Must’ve been compensating for something.” She gave Pages a meaningful wink. “According to this their magic power was just short of an alicorn’s,” she continued. “Needless to say, they weren’t a natural race, they were created… somehow. Doesn’t say here. Started to appear sometime a couple millennia ago and disappeared again just as quickly during the rise of Lord Dark.” She looked up. “’Lord Dark’, huh? I wouldn’t take too much from these stories.” She shook her head. “Anyway, those creatures are long gone. It says here that there may be a last one still alive, but even that would’ve been ages ago.” She laughed and set the book down. “Makes you wonder why they never made a movie about this. ‘The Last Bicorn’, I bet that would’ve made a fortune.” Pages sighed and shook her head. “So much about that, then. Anything else in that book?” Moondancer flipped through the pages again. “Battles between diamond dogs and minoboars… A story about pony doppelgangers… Something about a General of the Princesses’ Army getting lost during the Ice Dragon Wars?” She closed the book and set it down. “Nope. Nothing much in here, just some old stories of dubious credibility.” “Well then, I guess they were interesting enough, at least.” Pages took the book again and carefully put it into his saddlebags. “I think I’ll read some more in it, anyway. Would be a shame to go to the Canterlot Library and not take a single book to read.” He stood up and shook his legs. Moondancer grinned. “It was nice meeting you again. If you need somepony to down a few drinks with, I know my way around the bars in town.” Pages smiled, shaking his head. “I’ll keep that in mind. Take care!” He waved over his shoulder and left the library, shadowed by Night Whisper.