Sunny, Moonie, Twily

by Jetto

4. Besties with Moon: A Secret

As the bell rang, the students in the social studies classroom all dispersed almost immediately, leaving the professor with a hoofful of ponies to dictate home assignment so they could relay the information to the other students. One of those messengers was a lonely, dark blue coated, glasses wearing mare with a braided, blue mane, known as Moon Sky.

She only transferred recently. Today being Friday, it marked her first week as a new student from the far away lands of Korgard, one of the last true Equestrian colonies on the Gryphon Kingdom's soil. But even though there were no magical academies or Equestrian schools of any description, she managed to gather a substantial knowledge of arcane arts, history, geography and Celestia knows what else; all through homeschooling and large amounts of books, which her parents could afford to ship straight from Canterlot. That's one of the perks of being the only daughter to a family of the most renowned ambassadors in the entire Gryphon Kingdom. Sadly, that meant that not only was she lonely growing up (griffin cubs being far from the friendliest to outsiders), but also lacked any sort of social skills or relevant cultural knowledge of anything modern Equestrian. Her parents, worried that her sheltered life would do more harm in the long run, decided to send their only daughter back to Canterlot to live with her relatives and attend Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns.

Shortly after transferring, it turned out that her knowledge and skills with magic far outshone any materials of ponies her age, therefore she was excused from any classes except ones that taught more modern knowledge. Social studies, modern history, culture studies, physical education and several others were the only ones she was forced to attend. As expected, she didn't get to make many friends, as her school life limited itself to going to school, attending her classes and going back home. In fact, she didn't make a single friend at all.

It's not like she didn't want to socialize. She entertained the idea from time to time, but all the time she had to pass on it. Not only because she was an awkward shut in. Or because she was detached from Equestrian culture for so long. It was because she had a secret. A secret that nopony could know.

In truth, Moon Sky is...

"Hey Moonie!"

"MEEEEEP!"

...very easy to startle. But that wasn't a secret.

"Ehehe, whoops!" The other mare smiled sheepishly at the hyperventilating one. "Didn't mean to scare you!"

"I-It's nothing, Moondancer. Just... don't do that anymore." She coughed and looked away from the white coated mare she shared part of the name. Moondancer helped clean the mess, even using a stain-removing spell to remove the ink spill she accidentaly caused.

"Roger dodger!" Moondancer saluted with a smile. "So, it's Friday, meaning there's no school tommorow, we barely got any homework and the weather is set to be amazing and I have nothing to do. We're running out of excuses not to hang out and rock the city."

"R-rock?"

"Metaphor. It means having a lot of fun with the nightlife. Clubs, bars, discos, you know!"

"I-I don't..."

"Don't tell me you never wondered what it's like to be free under the skies to do whatever you want?" She looked around to ensure they wouldn't be overheard, then leaned and whispered. "Maybe we could even hook you up with some nice stallion. I know a few nice ones. Dozens. Few dozens."

Moon Sky blushed and left her desk, muttering something. Moondancer sighed and rushed after her.

"Or mares, I'm not judging, a lot of my friends are..." She stopped as the pause was getting on the 'My friend's handsome brother' level of awkward. "...or you know, JUST the two of us, hanging out. We moonbutts gotta stick together! No context!" She made a small pause, allowing Moon Sky to blink and tilt her head. Moondancer thought she disbelieved her ability to abstain (like most do), but in truth it was the confusion over using combined words for moon and coloquial term for "rear end" as an affectionate nickname. "What? I can take a break from time to time, don't listen to what those jealous girls are saying. It's not my fault I'm more open minded. Okay, it's a bit of my fault, but not in that way..."

"I can't. Sorry."

"Oh." Moondancers ears drooped a bit. "Look, I was just joking about that stallion/mare thing, if it bothers you..."

"It's not that! I'm just..." Her head dropped a bit. She turned away and continued talking in a hushed tone. "I'm too busy tonight. And over the weekend. So could you just, please... stop..."

Moondancer stood where she was in silence for a moment.

"I see... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you." She smiled weakly and scratched her head "You should've told me I was being annoying earlier, haha, ugh, I know I can be unbearable sometimes. Once I start yammering, there's no stopping me, no sir! See, I'm doing it again!"

"I didn't mean..."

"So I'll just, uh, excuse myself out. See ya next Monday, I guess."

"Moondancer..." Moon Sky tried to call for her, but her voice wasn't strong enough to stop her from turning away and trotting out of her sight. She sighed deeply. She was supposed to learn how to socialize and the first chance she had to find a friend, she blew it. Not because she didn't like the mare. Moondancer was... quirky was the right word, but nice and friendly as well. Moon Sky wouldn't mind hanging out with a filly like that, but she couldn't.

After all, she had a secret. A secret that nopony could find out.

---

Moon Sky left the class with her head cast down, ignoring anypony she passed by. Not like anypony even recognized her as anything other than an obstacle that had to be carefully avoided. A metaphor she herself identified with far too often. Ever since she agreed to attend this academy she knew it would be an odd experience, diving into a society she was so unused to, but it proved to be way over her head. She was just supposed to learn to adapt, get in touch with current times, find a common language; yet she couldn't even handle a single friendly face.

As she passed the hallway to reach her destination, she finally allowed herself to ditch any and all pretenses she had to abide for an entire weekend. She took off her fake glasses and her magic made them disappear. The braids of her mane slowly unfolded and her mane grew a few sizes and changed color to a lighter shade of purple. Her coat also brightened, her body grew a few sizes and her cutie mark, a long crescent sun, was now surrounding itself with dark sky. But more importantly, a set of large wings appeared on her back, stretching themselves free from last few hours of stagnation, as she finally opened the door to the room and entered.

Moon Sky had a secret. A secret that nopony could find out.

She was...

"Luna, how was the school day?" Princess Celestia asked.

Luna sighed heavily and contemplated answering, but instead opted to just fall into her sister's bed, face first. As she learned after coming back, she would be excused from showing small signs of weakness, as long as nopony else was watching.

"I see." Celestia nodded and put the papers she was grading away. "I'm assuming the lessons went without a problem?"

"..."

"And you're slowly getting used to the current society?"

"..."

Celestia hummed. She walked a few steps closer and lowered her head to whisper something into her sister's ear.

"Moondancer again?" She guessed.

Luna groaned and turned to her back, now facing her leaning over sister.

"We don't understand that mare. She's..."

"I'm sorry, who?" Celestia interrupted, smiling innocently. "Would you mind repeating that sentence?"

Luna's eye twitched. She rolled her eyes and said it again.

"I don't understand that mare!" She paused to see her sister nodding. Their little excercise to break the habit of the "royal we" was slowly getting on her nerves. "Moon Sky is clearly not interested in, pardon the colloquialism, 'hanging out', yet she keeps on insisting."

"Did you, I mean, did Moon Sky tried saying no?"

"We, I mean I, I mean... yes."

"And how did she react?"

"She..." Luna's face soured, she turned her face away from Celestia. "...left."

"Oh? Isn't that great, then? She left you alone, just like you always wished." She turned around and went back to grading her students papers. Moments passed. "And yet she still occupies your mind."

"Aye. For a reason we cannot..."

"Ekhem!"

"...for a reason I cannot comprehend."

Celestia smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, I can think of a few reasons why Moondancer can't leave ponies minds but I don't think sharing them all is appropriate. Let's just say that she has a gift of... leaving a very strong first impression. She also has a gift of making friends with those who need them the most." A few more moments of silence passed again, interrupted only by a quill giving some poor pony a well deserved D. "By which I'm implying you need more..."

"I understood that part."

Celestia looked at her gloomy sister, still not moving from her bed. Some would take it as a testament of tardiness and lazy attitude, but she knew better. She once again put away her quill and turned to Luna.

"I will not force you to make friends against your will, I already learned that lesson the hard way. However, if you're planning to keep on using that disguise, maintain this elaborate lie and still push away ponies from yourself, then I believe you're missing the whole point of this entire excercise. If that's what you wish, then we should stop this masquarade right now, before somepony finds out and makes a big deal out of it."

Luna didn't say anything for a while, but Celestia could tell that her sister was thinking hard on it. She couldn't blame, nor rush her. She couldn't even begin to imagine what a thousand years alone on the moon were like, not to mention her transformation to Nightmare Moon- how much of that was a spell gone wrong, some alien interference, or was that all just her? It hurt her that she was helpless once again. Even though times had changed, lessons were learned and circumstances were different, she couldn't help but wonder: what could go wrong this time? Or even, what exactly went wrong the last time? And what she has to do to stop it from happening again.

"Tia," she interrupted her train of thought "is this the right thing to do?"

Celestia sighed. If there was a harder question in this universe, it had yet to be asked.

"Building a prospering society on Honesty, yet lying to those we hold dear? No, it isn't. But neither is telling the whole truth, nor is using your fortune helping others at the expense of your own self or only ever choosing the fun option over the boring ones. It's a fine line..."

"No, that's not what I meant." She interrupted her sister. "What I meant is... is it alright for us, and I mean the two of us and not royal we this time, to even make friends?"

Celestia blinked. It wasn't often she was asked this question, but the answer was always the same, going along the lines of "everypony deserves friendship, no exception, we need it more than anypony etc." she always used to tell her family and students. Alicorns were just another kind of ponies, despite the vast differences in power, position and lifespan. She let Luna continue out of sheer courtesy, with a rant/lesson ready to fire.

"I mean, as goddesses and rulers of this land, not to mention the only two alicorns alive, we stand above..."

"Wait, wait, wait," Celestia interrupted her sister "could you repeat that last part?"

"...uh, we stand above?"

"No, before that."

Luna tilted her head at the unusual expression of her older sister. Princess Celestia's face could be now described, if her memory was correct, as sheepish. "Tia?"

"Yeah, I... uh..." she scratched the back of her head, as her forehead suddenly got covered in large beads of sweat "...I seem to have neglected to mention a little... change, that occurred in recent years."

Luna blinked at her sister and left the bed, now standing in front of Celestia, wondering what could've turned a usually calm and collected sun goddess so much.

"It's about that 'only two alicorns' part..."

Author's Note:

Enter Woona. This is not the last time you'll see her. There will be more of them, but not immediately- too much Moon at the same time can be dangerous.

Also, yes- existance of Cadance confirmed.

Comments

[Eyeswirl the Weirded]

There will be Heart-Butt! Canon Shiny cheers!

Also, Woona.

[ShadowLDrago]

with braided, blue mane

With A braided blue mane. No comma either.

Celestias Academy for Gifted Unicorns.

Celestia's Academy, it it the Academy of Celestia.

ink spilled she accidentaly caused.

Ink spill she accidentalLy caused.

As she passed the hallway to reach her destination, she finally allowed herself to ditch any and all pretenses she had to abide for an entire weekend. She took of her fake glasses and her magic made them dissapear. The braids of her mane slowly unfolded and her mane grew a few sizes and changed color to a lighter shade of purple. Her coat also brightened, her body grew a few sizes and her cutie mark, a long crescent sun, was now surrounding itself with dark sky. But more importantly, a set of large wings appeared on her back, stretching themselves free from last few hours of stagnation, as she finally opened the door to the room and entered.

Took ofF her fake glasses. DisapPear. Also, Moon Sky is Luna? Clever.

"I'm sorry, who?" Celestia interrupted, smiling innocently. "Would you mind repeating that sentence?"
Luna's eye twitched. She rolled her eyes and said it again.
"I don't understand that mare!" She paused to see her sister nodding. Their little excercise to break the habit of the "royal we" was slowly getting on her nerves.

Nice.

"It's about that 'only two alicorns' part..."

Ah. Cadence, and, when is this set, roughly? Because if it's where I think it is, early Season 1, then in about 2 seasons, there'll be a 4th alicorn. Man will Luna be surprised.

[Seether00]

Enter Cadence

[MustacheMerlin]

5758115 But who's that alicorn going to be? Will Twilight still manage it, or will we see the first male alicorn ever?

[djthomp]

Hmn, well that's one way of introducing Luna to modern society. Sounds like Twilight might have an important friendship role to play after all.

Also, Celestia completely forgot to mention Cadance?

Am I remembering incorrectly, or was Cadance mentioned way back at the beginning of the first story? I'd swear Shining was running from someone and I would have sworn it was Cadance.

[Jetto]

5762702 No, that was Soarin running from his exes and as far as I can tell, Cadance was not among them (though knowing him, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he hit it off with princess of love).

[djthomp]

5763571 Yeah, I just checked and it turns out to have been a different story. There's another take on the stallions instead of mares 'verse on the site, though one that is much different than yours.

[Jetto]

5763944 It's supposed to be a dildo

[Ultimate Bromaeda]

Moondaner was... quirky was the right word

I think you mean horny, you mean horny right?

[Nova Arc]

6045582 Even if he didn't, I think that's a better word for her.

[3Power]

Wow, I don't know what happened to the spelling and grammar with this chapter, but there's a mistake like every other line.

[DrEggnog]

This is sweet. I've never seen Luna handled quite this way.

[Bookwurm666]

"Oh, I can think of a few reasons why Moondancer can't leave ponies minds but I don't think sharing them all is appropriate . Let's just say that she has a gift of... leaving a very strong first impression.

. I don't think sharing them all would be possible.