//------------------------------// // Day's End // Story: There's More to Life than Books and Cleverness // by Quill Scratch //------------------------------// The day at the library had, in the end, been much more productive than she had suspected in her first hour there. Twilight had allowed her access to some of the rarer books the Golden Oaks had out of display, and she spent several hours reading up on the latest developments in magical leyline theory (including a paper by none other than Twilight herself, which was quite humbling to read. Twilight wrote like a professional scientist, her words carefully chosen to perfectly convey the message without any need to over- or under-simplify anything she was saying. Moondancer wished that she had the ability to write like that—or even to speak like that. It seemed that Twilight was proving to be more and more of an enigma every day. Every new thing that moondancer learned about the princess was a revelation, something she never would have expected of the mare she had known all those years ago. She taught, now, it seemed: three fillies had arrived in the library after school hours, mere minutes after Twilight had finally gotten around to tidying up the stacks of books that were strewn throughout the room, and Moondancer was pleased to see the three completely and utterly focused on their learning, even when they were all learning different things. They had called the session “Twilight Time”, and Moondancer had let her eyes stray from her book far too often to glance up at Twilight and simply watch her as she paced between the fillies, demonstrating all the different aspects of what they knew. Moondancer liked to think of herself as a jack of all trades, at least when it came to research. She had learned more things in more subjects than she had ever even knew existed as a foal, and yet looking at Twilight able to switch fluidly from mechanics to potion-making in the blink of an eye… Moondancer was coming to realise that she still had an awful lot to learn about before she could be a master of any of her skills. After about half an hour, Twilight has spoken up and asked her if she’d mind helping out—the little filly who was making potions, Apple Bloom, was struggling with a bit of the chemistry behind what she was doing, and Twilight had insisted that moondancer was definitely more qualified than her in that field. Though the thought of being better than Twilight at anything brought a blush to Moondancer’s cheeks, she had put her book down gently and trotter over to help out. By the end of the session, she had found herself absorbed in the fillies’ world, helping them learn for the sake of learning but also in what they called their “crusade” for cutie marks. It was all rather adorable, really. Moondancer had never considered teaching. She had always thought that she would be more interested in learning new things herself than in passing on her knowledge to other ponies, for after all those ponies could always come and dop as she did, and learn it for themselves. But as she was leaving the library that evening, after helping Twilight tidy up in a comfortable silence, Moondancer was starting to think more and more that maybe teaching could be fun. After all, if the fillies and colts she had were anywhere near as well-behaved and excited to learn as those three, it couldn’t be all that difficult. But maybe private tutoring was more her thing. She’d definitely enjoyed the one-on-one aspect of “Twilight Time” far more than she would have enjoyed it if she were lecturing the whole group of them on some aspect of chemistry. perhaps because she knew that Scootaloo (was that her name?) would probably have drifted off to sleep. The storm had died down by the evening, and though the air outside still chilled her to her bones, Moondancer wasn’t completely frozen in the way that she had been that morning. Still, just to be on the safe side, Moondancer had kept her pace to a brisk job, trying to make sure that she didn’t freeze and kept her blood flowing. It was at times like this that Moondancer got seriously upset with the cruelty of the world. Her house had to be destroyed on the one day she left her favourite sweater at home, didn’t it? Grunting in annoyance, not really bringing herself to think about it any harder (for the force of her hooves stamping into the ground each second was more than enough to ensure that she lost her train of thought every few seconds), Moondancer jogged onwards towards Lyra’s home. It was only as she reached the front door that Moondancer realised she didn’t have a key, and that she had no idea if either Lyra or Bon Bon was actually in. Stopping at the door, feeling the cold of the air wash over her as her body cooled off, she reached up and knocked anyway—there was little else she could do. If neither of the mares were in, she couldn’t do anything about it… Or could she? Five minutes of standing in the cold was enough to make anypony think outside the box, and a unicorn had more options for that than most. Moondancer stopped and thought about how she might try to open the door, without breaking anything. After about a minute, Moondancer’s thoughts began to drift. She was never as good at this kind of problem-solving as Twilight had been, and she doubted that she would be able to find a solution all that easily. Twilight would have gotten into the house in a matter of minutes, that was the worst part. For all Twilight said about her being better at chemistry, the fact of the matter was that Twilight had been the one to figure out how to control her aura so well that she could write at a distance, without even seeing the… Oh. That might work. In fact, that might be the only thing that could work. Moondancer leaned up, stretching her legs, and looked through the peep-hole in the door into the hallway. She could see a pen and a notepad among the items scattered on the desk. Good. Those would allow her to test her idea. She reached out with her aura, trying to find the pen and pick it up. Her control had never been that great—her approach to most problems involving magic had always been “throw more force at it and it’ll either fix itself or break beyond repair, hopefully the former”—but Moondancer soon found that she could hold the pen comfortably still. Moving it to the paper, Moondancer attempted to write familiar shapes onto the page, closing her eyes carefully as she did so to make sure that she didn’t cheat by looking. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, her name had been scribbled across the page—messy, yes, but still clearly legible. Good. Now came the tricky part. Moondancer set the pen down on the desk and, closing her eyes once more, gave it a quick nudge. She felt it roll across the desk, but now that she had let go she couldn’t quite tell where it had ended up. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to move the hornglow methodically over the desk, searching for the pen… A-ha! There it was! Grasping it once more in her magic, Moondancer tried to lift it up, but found herself struggling to remember where the pad of paper had gone. With her eyes close she couldn’t quite see. Frowning, and scrunching up her eyes in concentration, Moondancer cent out another wave of magic to scour the desk. It was the strangest feeling, and one she would never quite get used to—like having a hoof be in more than one place at once. Yet, eventually, Moondancer found the pad, and brought the pen over to meet it. Once more, she fumbled her way through the familiar shapes, before peeking out of one, squinted eye. Success! Moondancer smiled and sighed in relief, letting out a breath she hadn’t ever realised she had been holding, and put the pen down once more on the desk. If she could do that, she knew, the door would only take a matter of minutes. She sent felt out with her magic, feeling the back of the door for a latch or handle, anything that she might be able to use to tug the door open. But Moondancer wasn’t used to using magic blindly, and she found it difficult to keep her aura pressed up against the door—it was almost as if her magic wanted her to see it, drifting into view the moment she let her concentration even slip slightly. But Moondancer knew that she would be more than capable of doing this if she could just think clearly for one Celestia-damned There! She grinned, pulling at the latch and hearing a satisfying clunk of metal moving within the doorframe. Moondancer pushed against the door gently with her hoof, not quite daring to believe that her crazy idea might have worked, but she soon discovered that she had, in fact, succeeded. The door swung open with a gentle motion, only slightly creaking as she pushed at it. And, just like that, she was inside the house. She quickly pushed the door shut behind her, making sure not to do up the latch as she did so, for even though she was sure that Lyra and Bon Bon would be surprised to find their door unlocked they would probably be even more shocked to discover that she was still inside their house when it had been locked. Once she was inside, Moondancer didn’t quite know what to do. Her first thought, awakened by the slight sensation of pins and needles pricking her back, was that she needed to warm up—and, almost on impulse, she found herself dragged to the kitchen by her hooves and the kettle held beneath the sink in her aura. Mug of coffee held before her, Moondancer retreated to the living room and all but collapsed on the sofa. She hadn’t realised quite how tiring the afternoon with the Crusaders had been: sure, she had enjoyed it a lot, but now she was alone and had the opportunity to relax Moondancer found herself almost entirely drained of energy. The coffee, she decided, was a doubly good idea in such an instance. She threw her hind legs up behind her, sprawling out on the sofa and stretching her back, which had started to ache with discomfort of constantly bending down to a filly’s height. She sighed in relief, letting the tension and stress from the day just melt into the sofa below her, and allowed herself to close her eyes just for a moment… --- “Moondancer?” “Huh? Whassup?” Moondancer pushed herself up from the sofa with one foreleg, the other hoof wiping at her bleary, tired eyes. She turned her head—slowly, because her neck was feeling more than a little stiff—and looked around for the pony who had called out her name. Bon Bon was standing by the sofa, a frown on her face and a glass of water held in her hoof. “You have a long day at the library?” Bon Bon asked, a slightly cheeky light in her eyes and a small smirk tugging at her lips. Moondancer smiled bashfully and nodded, inclining her head towards the other mare in a gesture that simply said: Yeah, I guess. Bon Bon made to sit down on one end of the sofa, and Moondancer quickly pulled herself up so that she wasn't sprawled the whole length of the seat, giving Bon Bon the room to sit down. The earth pony smiled at her in thanks, taking a long gulp of water from her glass before setting it down on the table and letting out a long, loud sigh. “So, you’ve met Princess Twilight then?” Moondancer snorted. She had half a mind to tell Bon BOn about how close she and the princess had been all those years ago, but something held her tongue. It was strange, but since she had arrived in Ponyville she was starting to watch what she was saying more and more. SHe wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. “We go back a way,” Moondancer admitted, when Bon Bon raised an eyebrow questioningly at her. How does she do that? I’ve spent hours in front of a mirror trying to get that to work… “We haven’t seen each other in a few years, though.” “I imagine she’s changed a bit since you last saw her?” Bon Bon said, smirking. When she caught sight of Moondancer’s frown, she rolled her eyes and motioned with her forelegs, flapping them behind her back. “Oh, yeah, the wings thing…” Moondancer said, pushing the thought of Twilight’s wing curled around her body to the back of her mind. “Yeah, that was a bit of a shock at first, but despite everything she’s still the same old Twilight. She loves to learn, she loves to share what she’s learned. Only difference is the fancy title and slightly more outgoing attitude.” Moondancer took a quick swig of her coffee, her expression turning sour as she discovered that it had cooled while she was asleep. “Oh, and I guess she’ a little more friendly now, too. Cares a bit more about ponies than she used to.” “I’ll say,” Bon Bon added, nodding in acknowledgement. “I remember all the stories Lyra used to tell me about her from when they were fillies in Canterlot. Apparently she was so caught up in her reading that she once completely failed to notice a stallion who was trying to ask her to prom.” “I remember that!” Moondancer said, grimacing a little in embarrassment for her friend. “I was sitting next to her, reading, when this colt comes over. He’s this pegasus, and looks like the athletic type, y’know? The kind of stallion you’d never expect to go for Twilight. “Anyway,” Moondancer continued, smiling fondly at the memory, “next thing I know, the poor kid is trying to start up a conversation with her, and she just keeps nodding and humming in response. She probably never even heard a word he said, poor kid, and he went away thinking that she’d agreed to go with him!” At that, both mares almost doubled over with laughter, letting the spasming breaths just for a moment control their whole bodies, rocking them back and forth. The noise filled the air, and Moondancer was surprised to find a small patch of dampness on her cheek, just below her eyes. Am I… crying? “Yeah, that sounds like Twilight alright,” Bon Bon said, grinning, “Even now she’s pretty oblivious to romance. Have you met Rainbow Dash?” Moondancer shook her head. “No, but Twilight’s invited me to a reading session with the two of them tomorrow night. Why?” Bon Bon simply stared at her, almost as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing, her eyes wide and had mouth slowly slipping open. “Y-you’re kidding, right?” Bon Bon asked. “Twilight invited you to one of her reading nights with Rainbow? Dear Celestia, that mare is completely impossible.” “Why?” Moondancer frowned. She was looking forward to reading with Twilight, and that had nothing to do with the images that flooded her mind of the two of them snuggling up close, a book held by each of their muzzles… No. Nothing to do with that at all. Bon Bon took a deep breath in, and bit her lip. For a moment, she frowned, as if not quite sure where to start. “Everypony in town knows that Rainbow Dash has a huge crush on Twilight,” she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth quickly and almost pooling the the air around Moondancer, it seemed: she had to spend a moment trying to gather her thoughts to respond to them. But before she could properly think, Bon Bon was already saying more, the words overflowing like a sink with the tap left on for too long. “She’s tried to hide it, of course. She thinks it isn’t ‘awesome’ to like somepony that way, but everypony in town thinks it’s really sweet how she always crashes into the library after her afternoon practices and stays and helps Twilight tidy up, even though it’s clear that she’s doing it on purpose. And I heard Cheerilee say that Lotus ahd told her that Rarity had mentioned that Rainbow Dash secretly thinks of those evenigns reading as dates, even though she knows Twilight is completely oblivious, and I don’t know how kindly she’ll take to you coming along to join them for one of those.” The words tumbled on and on, and Moondancer struggled to keep up. What was most impressive was that Bon Bon had managed the entire spiel without once stopping for breath, and the moment she had reached her conclusion the mare was gasping for air, gulping it down like a fish returned to the water, or an adventurer returning home from a desert, and finding herself in the town bar… “Let me get this straight,” Moondancer said. “Rainbow Dash has a crush on Twilight. Everypony other than Twilight knows. Rainbow pretends that she’s going on dates with Twilight when the two of them meet to read every week. And I’ve just been invited along to join them?” Bon Bon nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right,” she said, her eyes drifitng over towards the window. “Hold on,” she added, “let me just grab the door.” Not a second later, the thud of a knock resounded through the house, and Bon Bon stood with a smirk. She trotted lightly out into the hallway, and Moondancer could hear the door creak open, and Bon Bon greeting her marefriend home. Soon enough, the two mares had joined her in the front room—Moondancer had insisted that she take the cushion, and that her hosts be allowed to share the sofa, but it had taken until she purposefully rose and strode over to the cushion, setting herself dow on it with a deliberate flump, that the two mares agreed to it. “So, how was your day?” Lyra asked, smiling. Moondancer raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips as if to say not bad. “Oh, you know. The usual. Ran into Twilight…” She watched as Lyra’s eyes went wide and the colour drained from her face. “Oh my gosh, Moondancer, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I completely forgot about what happened…” “No!” Moondancer said, cheerfully but rather more forcefully than she had hoped. “I mean, no”, she added, more softly, “I don’t mind. It was nice to catch up, once I’d gotten over the initial shock of seeing her again.” Lyra chuckled. “It was quite strange to see her here in Ponyville, I’ll give her that. Are you sure you’re okay, though? I know she wasn’t the kindest to you…” “It was a mistake,” Moondancer said, bluntly. “That was all. She’s apologised. I think I’ve forgiven her. That’s all that matters. “Besides,” she added, slyly, “she’s invited me on one of her romantic dates with Rainbow Dash, so things can’t be going all that badly.” Lyra’s expression mirrored Bon Bon’s from mere minutes before. “I don’t believe it,” Lyra said. “That mare… she’s completely impossible. How in the hay did she manage to make ‘Princess of Friendship’ when she can’t even notice her friend trying to ask her out?” “I’m more worried about her sister-in-law,” Bon Bon said. “How is she managing to be Princess of Love if she can’t even help her own family see the bleeding obvious?” “I’m sure Cadence is doing her best,” Moondancer piped up. “Besides, she’s the ruler of a sovereign kingdom. I can hardly imagine she has time to keep an eye on the love lives of her extended family.” “Have you met Cadence?” Lyra asked. “The mare’s so close to Twilight that Twi literally walks on air for a week before she comes to visit, and plans everything down to even more detail than she usually would just to make sure, and I quote, ‘that Princess Cadence is treated to the best hospitality Ponyville can afford.’” Snorting, Lyra added, “I’m genuinely surprised she didn’t ask Cadence to marry her before Shining did.” It wasn’t long before the conversation fell comfortably back into discussions of their days. Soon enough, Lyra and Bon Bon were sharing little bits and pieces of gossip from their work, and Moondancer found herself laughing along with their stories. It was a pleasant feeling, and it was certainly a relaxed atmosphere, but a part of Moondancer already missed the feeling of being a part of the discussion. She might have been uncomfortable—Celestia knew she would rather be a spectator than a participant in any sort of discussion—but still the thought plagues her mind. Why would I want to be a part of this discussion? What could I add? And then, without warning, Bon Bon yawned, her jaw stretching wide and her forelegs streched out before her. Lyra smiled slyly at her marefriend. “Tired?” she asked, to which Bon Bon merely nodded. Lyra glanced at the clock, her eyes widening as she saw how late it had gotten. “We should probably head to bed. I’ve got an early shift tomorrow.” “Oh,” Moondancer said, a little hint of sadness dripping into her tone. “Okay. Well, uhm. Goodnight?” “Sleep well, Moondancer,” Bon Bon said, stretching her back before stepping off of the sofa. “I’ll see you in the morning. And if you want some help getting ready for your date…” Moondancer couldn’t help but blush, and she cringed at the feeling of warmth rushing to her cheeks. Bon Bon and Lyra both laughed, not unkindly, and with brisk nods made their way out into the hallway, and up the stairs. After a few moments of sitting in thought, Moondancer followed suit, and within just a few short minutes of her head touching the pillow, she was asleep.