43. Together Alone
Throughout the world's history, kingdoms have flourished; heroes had risen; civilization progressed despite all adversity, despite the plagues, wars and feuds. Ponykind was quite an amazing specimen; able to achieve impossible through sheer willpower. Many a great things we accomplished by those who--
"EHEM!"
Red jumped and turned towards one of his classmates, the rose coated filly, who eyed him with growing irritation, delicately shaking her head to the left, forcibly stopping herself from yelling 'move your arse already'. Red smiled sheepishly, nodded obediently and took two steps to his right. The filly sighed and rolled her eyes, before proceeding towards the small, pink box standing in the hallway and put the flowery scented letter inside, then walked away, stifling a giggle to herself, while ignoring the lone red stallion.
Red stared at the box in question. It was this close and he was that close to finally doing it. All he had to do was imitate the filly, and many before her, and put the heart shaped envelope inside. Anypony could do it and if his observations were correct, almost everypony in the school managed to do just that in past few hours. Not all of them went on with it as carefree as the others, but they managed. Unlike him.
He sighed. I hate Hearts and Hooves Day.
Back in Trotsaw, Red Hope had absolutely no reason to appreciate a day whose entire purpose was celebrating the one thing he didn't understand nor cared about. This is how he imagined old people felt about Hearth's Warming Eve, when the joy of receiving presents for no reason suddenly turned into an awkward family meeting, where he would at best get another bottle of stallions cologne, so he could add it to his ever growing 'things I'll never use but I can't throw it away' collection, while the presents he gave were met by lukewarm 'you tried' expression. But this year was different. Now he knew what falling in love meant and all of a sudden he had a strange, indescribable compulsion to write a love letter and send it to the filly he was crushing on since he first laid his eyes on her.
The worst part was that he didn't even SIGN the darn thing! Sending an anonymous note that couldn't be traced back to him (he did his research on tracking spells), just so she'll know there is somepony out there who likes her is one thing. Admitting to it and THEN having to face her the next day in the class? Not in a million years anytime soon. He wasn't sure what he was so afraid of. Even if somepony did see him put something in the box, so what? Anypony who cares already knows he has a crush on Twilight Sparkle, and those who don't won't care enough to do something about it, like telling her from who that little, haphazardly written poem came from.
All ponies, except maybe...
"Sup Red!"
"MEEEP!"
Moondancer tilted her head and blinked at the ceiling, where one of her few precious platonic male friends clung into, like a character from a certain silly foals cartoon. She snorted. "I have a weirdest feeling of deja vu right now." She admitted with a tiny giggle, but then something lying on the floor caught her eyes. A small, heart shaped envelope. The same envelope that gave the recovering, ceiling occupying, Red another heart attack.
His pupils shrunk, but even though her hoof was slowly reaching for the object, a tiny glint of hope appeared in Red's heart. Wait, the envelope... the name's on the other side! He didn't think twice when writing the name of the recipient on just one side, but now it proved to be an advantage he wasn't going to pass by. He dropped from the ceiling, landing with a big thud, stomping the envelope with one of his hooves a moment before Moondancer's managed to even touch it, the ensuing shockwave sending the filly a few steps away.
But even though it was sudden and dangerous enough to scare or dissuade any other pony, Moondancer wasn't just other pony. With a big grin on her face, she accepted the challenge.
"Oh ReeEeed!" She cooed, slowly walking toward him, donning the most innocent smile she could muster.
"No!" He shook his head, hugging the letter tightly to his chest (making sure the name was on the right side), while stepping back a few.
"Oh come on, you can show me!" She batted her eyes right dangerously close to his face.
"No!" He shook his head again, his backside bumping into the wall. And now I have a weird feeling of deja vu!
"I'm not gonna tell anypony," she tilted her head and looked at his soul with the beadiest of eyes. "pweddy pwease?"
Red's face become even redder (an occurrence that often happened near Moondancer). Argh, not the puppy eyes! Can't... resist!
Seeing no other viable or sane choice, he did the only thing that he could possibly think of that could spare him and his secret. With a big gulp, he scrambled the piece of paper before him (Bye bye, my masterpiece!), put it in his mouth, chewed thoroughly and finally swallowed it with great distaste.
Moondancer was taken aback by the sight and took a few seconds to react, her mouth agape. "Wow... I knew you were shy about your little crush, but this is something else!"
Suppressing the urge to vomit out the paper, ink and oatmeal breakfast abomination in his stomach, he looked away. "S-sorry..."
"Don't be. If I knew you'd go this far, I wouldn't be pushing THIS hard."
"Much appreciated... ugh..."
Five minutes and a bottle of fresh water later, the duo found themselves on a bench in a nearby park. While Moondancer seemed to be either in denial, oblivious to or just nonchalant about it, Red couldn't help but notice that the balance of foals to adult pairs of (mostly) mares with stallions was heavily disrupted. He tried not to think about them too much.
"So," Moondancer started "I take it there's no progress on the whole 'my crush will notice me' front, eh?"
Red rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever gave that away?"
She shrugged. "Just a hunch. Look, you don't have to tell me who it is and knowing you you probably didn't even sign that last letter, yes I know because I'm awesome, but do send her another card. We mares love to feel appreciated."
Red nodded. "I guess..." He sighed and really wanted to change the topic, but the overall Hearth's and Hooves Day atmosphere couldn't leave his mind, so the topic he could choose from were severely limited.
"So, how many cards do you usually get?" He asked, seeing Moondancers smile falter for a moment, before coming back, as forced as it felt. All of a sudden he felt like he made a mistake he wasn't aware of.
She sighed and quickly answered. "None."
Pause. "Wait, what?"
"I didn't get any this year, or the last one for that matter. I got a few two years ago, but yeah..."
Mind. Blown. "H-how...?"
"How does a mare like me not get any cards on a day like this? Well, for one, I used to send them to all my bang buddies back in the days, but it got a little... overwhelming. So I stopped." She leaned over the bench and started staring at the sun. "This is a day for love. Not sex love, but love love, you know? And as much as I like all my friends with benefits, I don't like like them. Not like that."
Red blinked. "I see. But really, not even one?"
She nodded. "Not even one. Though to be honest, I explicitly forbade anypony from sending me stuff today because... because. Twily and Sunny on the other hoof?" She smiled a bit. "They get bucketloads! And I mean literally, we once had to carry them in a bucket because we didn't have any other container!" Red snorted with her. "Sunset revels in having a horde of angry fanboys, even if she's not doing anything with them, while Twily is a grade A oblivious geeky filly, who STILL thinks all those cards are just out of courtesy, like the ones she sends to her big brother every year. I mean, sheesh girl, get a hint! You could fill a giant classroom with her admirers!"
Red fought very hard not to roll his eyes multiple times. He succeeded, though barely.
"And me? I'm pretty sure you figured this one out by now, but I don't have any secret admirers. Not for long, as least, if you catch my drift." She winked at him, though he could feel that this one had a little less enthusiasm than usual.
Red nodded at her, then the two of them went silent. While Moondancer was busy with observing the skies and contemplating, Red slowly rummaged through his saddlebags. "So, you don't get any letters from guys?"
"Nope."
"And you told all your bang-buddies you don't want anything from them, right?"
"Yep."
"Huh, bummer," he took out something from his saddlebags "what am I supposed to do with this now?"
Moondancer's eyes opened wide, her gaze locked on the small, bright yellow envelope that Red held in his hooves. It had her name on it. She leaned over him, eyes still on the object. "I-is that...?"
"It's a good thing you warned me or I might've made a terrible mistake!" His magic levitated the note in mid-air, swaying it like a leaf on a wind.
"B-but, that..." She muttered, her eyes following the object like a kitten's would follow a piece of yarn, if it didn't have the courage or energy to lunge at it.
"But I guess I should just throooooow it awaaaaaay!" The note flew towards the nearest thrash bin, Moondancer's hoof extending in a futile attempt to grab it... then turned back and went straight into Moondancers lap. "Just kidding!"
With her mouth agape, the white filly inspected the letter. After a while her mouth closed and soured, earning Red a gaze that he could interpret as an internal conflict over whether she should be mad and smack him for teasing her in such a cruel, yet innocent, way, or if she should just make out with him on the spot for the sheer fact that he made the effort at all. She seemed to put this dilemma on hold and finally opened and read the contents of the little, foldable card.
There was no poem, no declaration of love and no usual Hearth's and Hooves Day nonsense.
I don't need any benefits
to be your friend.
Moondancer kept staring at the sentence for a longer while, her reaction completely blank. Red swallowed and turned away, blushing. "S-sorry, I'm not the poetic type of guy. I spent so much time on the other letter, the one I ended up eating anyway, that I stood up too late to think of anything more substantial, but I hope you'll--"
He was interrupted by Moondancer giving him a small peck to his cheek. It lasted for a second, maybe two and then it was over and she got back to staring at her card, though this time he could clearly see her smiling brightly, with a tint of blush added. Two characteristics that they both shared at this very moment.
"...like it." He finished, then sighed with relief and leaned over the bench, observing the moving clouds on what just happened to be a very bright, sunny day.
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sniker
This started as Red's usual thing, then turned incredibly cute!
I like that Moondancer's lifestyle actually comes with some kind of consequence, and her reaction to it makes her feel a little more
human?pony?like a real person. That Red was apparently planning this for her anyway, small gesture though it may be, is really sweet. However, I'm afraid I can't say whether or not I ship it until Red meets Shining Armor.HopeDancer is a much better ship name. Great chapter though.
Red will never be able to confess to Twilight, is he.
I'm still kinda hoping he'll at least get a shot at Twilight... But seriously! It's so platonic but sweet with Moondancer we can't help but hope he'll be the one to get her to settle down.
Silly author, I've been aboard that ship since it was a plank in the dry dock.
Hey, I also use the idea of Moondancer. Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight being friends.
Of course in the fic that I use the idea, Twilight and Pinkie rotate places, so it's Moonie, Sunny, and Pinkie...
Those two have been a good ship since long before this chapter.
Yeah... We've all been shipping it from the shadows for a while. We are S.A.H.S. and we will not be denied. But Red should see that Twi isn't the one for him on a date or talking or something, and get Moondancer to settle down, like another comment said.
This ship has been lurking in the background for a while now, good to see it finally braving the seas.
D'awww.
I hope Moondancer will find out that Red has a crush on Twilight. Then they will get together.
Of course the first thing Moonie would do after learning this is getting Sunny to help her.
That was cute.
WE WILL GLADLY HOP ON THE REDDANCER SHIP IF IT MEANS WE CAN KEEP THAT FOOL AWAY FROM OUR WAIFU!!!
*Ahem* Sorry about that.
6935895 A little waifu protective, are we?
6935895 Ah, a new S.A.S.S. initiate, I presume
This was absolutely adorable, and I especially liked how you explored Moondancer's insecurities here. Now to see where this goes.
Aw, really sweet story. I'll gladly board the Moonhope ship, since that will then make more room for the Sunlight ship. Aside from that, I like Red Hope when he's not stuck playing sane pony to the rest of the fanboys, and its also nice to get a deeper glimpse of Moondancer's feelings. Sure, she has plenty of friends, but most aren't quite that close, or aren't interesting in being closer, which is why Red Hope is good for her, in a platonic sense or more.
D'AAwwwwww!
Up bup bup, Singles Awarness Day, pleased.
Oh boy.
And this is now amusing.
Oh boy.
Smart, sexy, and adorable, I swear if she wanted to, she could have everyone short of Celestia wrapped around her hoof.
I'm sure.
Either nonchalant or oblivious.
If I didn't know better, I'd say she'd met Rainbow, or she's just indulging in a little bit of joking vanity.
Also, Moondancer's.
HOW?!
Right.
Oh man, at least Sunset can use them for firestarting in winter.
What are you doing
That sounds hilarious.
Very funny.
That's, just wow. That's, very sweet of you, Red.
Daw...
I'd say so. Also, I now declare the PSS Reddancer, complete, may ye sail the sea and may the wind blow in your sails!
I was already a RedDancer or MoonHope fan, it was really nice to see this though!
Even if they won't ever be a couple I think it's a great thing that Moondancer has a friend like him!
met by *a lukewarm
*trash bin
Awww, poor Moondancer. Also, this line:
Twilight Sparkle is best Senpai.
6936224 Only since last week. I've actually been working my hooves to the nub trying to create a perfect clone. That's not creepy, is it?
6939524 You might want to see this blog then:
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/480802/need-halp
But of course ...
D'aww, way to go Red
7099990 Oh don't worry, she gets more personality as the story progresses. Ask anyone around here how often they were surprised by her
7265237 Yeah, I am. I'm just having tough times in my life, but the worst behind me, hopefully.