//------------------------------// // The Moon That Never Danced // Story: Fantasia: Equestria // by SterlingC //------------------------------// Nopony deserves to be left alone. Nopony deserves to be lonely. But that's exactly what Moon Dancer is forced to accept as her closest friend, Twilight Sparkle, deserts her for seemingly unknown reasons. Let's peer into Moon Dancer's life as she recalls her past and tells us of her woes. Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto no. 2 shall see us through the fiery pits of her abyss... In an increasingly old, dilapidated house, lined with cracked wooden boards and tilted window frames, sat a seemingly old hag on her rocking chair who didn’t want anything to do with the world. Yep. That definitely fits the description for me, Moon Dancer. All the other ponies at school called me “The Moon that Never Danced”. It’s a nice change from the names I used to receive, I suppose. “Moon Nerd”, “Egg Dancer”, “Frazzle Moon”. Those were just some of the placeholder names I was given before that descriptor came along. I don’t care how those names came about, or when they did. All that mattered to are my books, books, and more books. Oh, did you know that the word “black” originally referred to the word bhleg-, which means “to burn, gleam, or shine”? Those idiots back then really had it wrong. I certainly don’t feel gleaming or shiny right now, and I’m constantly surrounded by black! Well, I never really needed the light anyway. I only need it to read my books since no pony ever comes by. Besides, my eyes despite any form of light. The sun’s rays blind me whenever I trot outside. It’s as if the sun decided to dissect my eyes so we can learn how our vision is maintained! Plus, it always feels like something is out there to snatch an unsuspecting mare away from her eternal peace! It’s like the fires of Tartarus exploded in full force at my face whenever I trotted outside! I would always feel a burning sensation all across my face whenever I stepped out as well. I feel these throbs all over my head too, even as I walk the entire length of three miles to the Canterlot library! They’re impossible to deal with at times… I give out a resigned sigh. I have to move forward. After all, I have to get my studies finished so no pony ever thinks about me anymore. Not like they ever did in the first place. Especially not that purple Princess who sits on her high throne in that small town whose name I care not to remember. How is she even the Princess of Friendship anyway? She’s been one of the worst friends, if not the worst example of a friend I’ve ever had the “delight” of meeting. The word “friendship” is derived from the word “freondscipe”, which means conjugal love. What conjugal love has she ever given me?! In fact, what “love” has anypony ever given me?! I sulked on my chair, struggling to read whatever notes I wrote down for my etymology class. At least by talking about this despicable princess, I memorized some terms. But that’s all she’s been useful for in my life. I looked upon another page in my etymology textbook. We’re currently on the unit that refuses to stop talking about friendship. What use did such knowledge have to my life anyway?! And why am I being constantly reminded of friendship? All around me, ponies see me as a loner, one without companions. I already mentioned the Princess of Friendship, and now I’m memorizing terms about friendship for my etymology class too! The memories of the princess again crawled into my mind. Friendship to me is like an insect that refuses to detach itself from my hooves. Whenever I try to shoo away these thoughts, they just keep coming back. “Just get off me you disgusting creature,” I would scream! I shook my hooves around, only to realize that a spider had crawled on my hoof without my notice. I really am tired… My groggy eyes are calling me to sleep… Maybe a nap will do me some good… I turn off the dim light that shone over my head, pull myself away from my desk and lie down on my rocking chair, slowly dozing off to sleep… I opened my eyes. I aimlessly looked around to get a bearing of my surroundings. I looked up and saw Princess Celestia’s royal palace. It was Canterlot, but much brighter and cleaner than I remembered it! I looked around for anything else that was familiar to me. I soon found a small cream-coloured filly with my mane colours. It was me when I was a filly… the free-spirited pony who although never was into sports or excessive physical activity, was a much happier and energetic soul. She was trotting with her best friend, probably chattering about novel theories that proposed how matter was created and other nerdy things of the sort. Those were the good old days. The young purple filly is Twilight Sparkle, if you haven’t guessed yet. Twilight was my equal. I was talking about the purple unicorn in a positive light for the first time in a long while. Normally, I would scold myself for lingering to such thoughts, but right now, it didn’t matter. My anger at Twilight was ignored as the two fillies trotted and stopped to sit on a wooden bench at the side of the yellow road. There, my younger self pulled out a zoology ginormous textbook from her knapsack that made her fall from the bench. Young Twilight and my younger self laughed together. The both of us were very clumsy fillies. I couldn’t help but laugh. I remembered that day very well. We ended up talking about all the types of animals that Equestria proudly called its own, from the toucan, to the parasprite, yes the parasprite. Soon after, Twilight took out a book of her own that covered pony anatomy. I giggled as I listened to their discussion. That was the moment I thought we were going to be friends for life, two inseparable nerds in a pod whose paths would cross indefinitely… But suddenly, the ground violently shook. A great tremor was building from where I stood. The two fillies ran away, their shrieking voices piercing my vulnerable ears! I quickly ran to the wooden bench and cowered underneath it, begging that the quake would stop as I closed my ears and eyes as tightly as I could! But as I begged to myself, the bright blue sky turned a fiery red! My whole body began to cry out in pain as the sun began to scorch it with its piercing rays! Just as I thought things couldn’t get worse, the gusts blew harder and harder, flipping the bench over like a tumbleweed! Just then, a horrifying figure emerged from the cracked road, one that grew larger than any structure I could ever imagine! I grunted in pain as I looked up to the scorching sky, my face burning once again! “Moon Dancer! You little runt! Yes, I called you a runt, for you are the worst of all the litter I have met in my life!” shouted the booming monster! I felt a river of tears flowing from my watery eyes as everything around me quickly turned into a pitch of black. By now, all I could see around me was the monstrous figure that towered above me, looking very much like Princess Twilight! The deformed Twilight silently swayed from left to right as it stared into my soul… “Oh you silly pony… I was never your friend! I didn’t show up for your stupid party because you never mattered to me,” cackled the lofty monstrosity. I tried to give a punch to the deformed princess as it teased me. But as I swung my hooves towards the monster, the figure dissipated into dust before I could land a single blow! As I tripped on myself, I heard an evil laugh echo all around me. I frantically searched all around for the monstrous figure. I looked up, down, and all around me before placing my head downward and looking underneath my hooves. No sign of the figure. I breathed a quick sigh of relief. The relief was soon cut short however, as the Twilight monster jumped from underneath my hooves and made me slide along the suddenly slippery ground! The Twilight monster continued its atrocious chortle, sounding more and more like a malfunctioning machine with each passing chuckle. The Twilight giant silently stared at me once again before she spoke, “I grow tired of this game. I’m sure you’re having a lot of fun dancing right about now! I’m terribly sorry however, for it’s time to destroy a pathetic creature such as yours!” said the gargantuan princess as she built up all her magic atop on her glowing, crooked horn. Just as I was about to successfully pick myself up from the ground, my eyes stared wide open at the overwhelming magic directed right at me… My eyes desperately opened once again. I spastically looked around to see where I was, only to fall from my reclining chair head on to the wooden floor. I slowly got up from the floor, pressing my hooves against my head to alleviate the growing pain I felt. I slowly observed my surroundings. My damaged bookshelves to my left… the cracked floorboards underneath me… my etymology textbook that lay in front me… I was back at my home once again. My home may be in dire need of repairs, but I didn’t care. It was my home. I was away from the princess and everypony else who sought to hurt me in everything they did. I slowly trotted back to my reclining chair and gently sat on it. I rocked my chair back and forth a few times to rest my crying heart after what was clearly a terrible nightmare. I slowly peered my head to the opened textbook. The word “friendship” appeared once again. A word that meant “conjugal love”. I cried with a deep sorrow in my heart… I was friendless. I never deserved friends in the first place. I never had friends to begin with, and when I thought I had a lasting colleague in Twilight, she turned her back on me with a deep hiss. My name may be Moon Dancer, but I never wanted to dance. But all this time, I was forced into a dance I never wanted to be involved with: one that was called “friendship”. The monster was right. I truly am a runt. I never deserved friends, and I certainly never want them again! I stared at my crooked bookshelves. The books that were stacked on the shelves were my only “friends”. Even though they weren’t real, they provide me with a sense of comfort. I can talk to my books about all the knowledge I accumulated… I can sit around my rocking chair, immersing myself into worlds unbound, completely ignoring the horror that was Equestria. I don’t need friends. I don’t need ponies. I only need my books and studies. I sit on my rocking chair, swaying it back and forth with pure contentment. Who cares about the “Princess of Friendship”? If she ever came back to me in any way possible, I would be sure to show her just how to properly burn a bridge forever. I heard a soft knock on the door. It was the first knock I heard in about a week. Who could it possibly be? Hopefully it was just a random salespony. Then I could shoo them away for good with a loud growl. The knocking on the door grew louder and louder. I trot to the front door and open it. It was Twilight Sparkle with a green pony whose name I fail to remember. She said she wanted to be my “friend” once again. Typical. I wasn’t falling for that trick again. I slammed the door shut on her. I said to myself that I’d never speak with her again. And that promise I intend to keep. THE END