Parasol
“One day,” Moondancer muttered darkly under her breath. “Just one day, that’s all I ask for. Just one day where nothing happens, and everything goes smoothly. Is that too much to hope for?”
Recent events seemed to indicate as such, and she was none too pleased about it as she mumbled obscenities in a low tone, mindful of young ears overhearing her vocal grievances. They didn’t need to learn any new words from her. Her grim demeanor only intensified when, upon entering her kitchen, she discovered that she had neglected to refill her icebox for the past several days, prompting her to emit a contemptuous growl of annoyance.
She remedied by filling the sink with water from the faucet, followed by casting a quick spell upon it with a flash of her horn, turning it into little chunks of ice about the size of marbles. They would not last as long as ones frozen naturally, but Moondancer was not in the mood for waiting, deeming it to be too urgent to wait. Scooping up some of the chunks into an ice pack, topping it off with a knot, Moondancer trekked back to the simulacra, wondering what else would happen to distract her. Too much time had passed already, and it was rapidly approaching noon.
Upon returning to the conjured classroom, Moondancer found the imp sitting on a little chair pressed into the corner of the room. A paper bag was clutched in her small hands, crinkling loudly as it shrunk and expanded with every breath she took. Her eyes were wide and frantic as they darted about the interior of the room, regarding it with fearful suspicion. Sterling, Misty and Shimmer huddled close by, looking on in concern. Shimmer stepped forward, placing a hoof on the imps’ spine.
“Hey, it’s alright,” she soothed. “Trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I mean, everypony gets nervous on their first day of school, right guys.”
“No, not really,” Misty replied blandly, while Sterling shook his head.
“Oh, what good are you?” Shimmer retorted with a glare, while the imp paused in her breathing to give an incredulous glare at the three out of the corner of her eyes.
“Alright, fun time’s over,” Moondancer interjected as she stepped forward, offering the icepack to the imp. Instead of taking it right away though, she regarded both it and Moondancer with an air of suspicion, her expression inscrutable and her eyes narrowed at the pink halo the icepack was enveloped in.
“What’s the matter?” Moondancer asked. “It’s not going to bite you.” Despite her assurances, the imp still seemed hesitant to accept it, making the mare wonder what she was concerned about. For that matter, Moondancer, was still unsure what exactly caused her to faint in the first place, and asking was practically useless since she still couldn’t make out anything she said; a conundrum that she hoped to be able to remedy in the near future.
Finally, the imp accepted the icepack, applying it to the sore spot on her cranium. Giving a satisfied nod, Moondancer turned to her students. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road. If you’ll take your seats I’ll have your graded work in a minute for you to look over.” The group of foals obeyed, albeit begrudgingly, as they headed to their desks. Addressing the imp Moondancer said, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you what we’ll be doing.”
As much as she attempted to hide it, Moondancer nevertheless felt a surprising amount of excitement for what was to come, as the prospect of learning more about her guest and the possible secrets she held were too tempting of an opportunity for her to simply pass up, regardless of her reservations. The imp on the other hand seemed much less enthused, still looking at both her and her surroundings with an air of suspicion. Moondancer chose not to question it as she led the imp to the front of the class, bringing over an empty desk for her to sit at, placing it next to her own. She opened a drawer, pulling out a stack of papers and three identical books, which she floated over to her students. “Go ahead and look those over, and we’ll get started in just a moment. Let me know if you have any questions.” Three hooves rose. “Questions that don’t have to do with our guest.” The hooves lowered with groans of disappointment.
Moondancer’s ear twitched, picking up a quiet laugh from the imp. It was a pleasant sound, and Moondancer was surprised to find her own demeanor brighten a little upon hearing the almost musical sound coming from the imp. She immediately cut the mirth short when she noticed the mare looking at her, turning away and hiding her face behind her orange mane. Feeling just as embarrassed, as well as slightly disappointed that the imp had stopped, Moondancer proceeded to distract herself by rummaging through her desk, opening and closing drawers.
“Ka usam etisho ina aw atana?” she heard. The imp, apparently curious about what she was doing, had emerged from behind her curtain of hair to watch as Moondancer looked through her desk.
Aware of what she may be inquiring after, Moondancer replied, “If I’m going to be of any help to you at all, then we’re going to have to establish some means of communication. I’m sure you’ll agree that, as it is right now, playing the guessing game whenever we try to have a conversation is not going to be very helpful.”
The imp nodded with a sympathetic groan, while Moondancer started to become mildly annoyed when the items she was searching for seemed to elude her. When was the last time she had cleaned out her workspace?
“Thankfully,” she continued, pulling out multiple bits unhelpful material, “the fact that you are able to at least understand spoken Equish will go a long way towards making that process much easier for the both of us. Ah! There you are.”
Finally uncovering what she was looking for, Moondancer pulled out a small, yet thick book bound with twine. The cover was faded to the point that its title was ineligible, which had prompted Moondancers to write “Dictionary” beneath it in hastily scrawled out ink lettering. She also retrieved a spare piece of parchment, a quill, and an inkwell, presenting them to the imp. She looked at them for a brief moment, then tentatively received, holding them away from her body as though they would lash out at her before hurriedly depositing them on the little desk.
Moondancer quirked an eyebrow at the behavior, unsure what had led her to regarding everything with suspicion all of a sudden. Deciding that the issue was not worth pursuing, she then said, “To that end, what I need for you to do is simply write down your alphabet for me.”
The moment Moondancer finished her sentence, the imps’ eyes widened slightly as something seemed to click in her head, rapidly looking between the mare and the writing materials. Moondancer could practically see understanding dawn upon the little creature as she sat down with a plop, grabbing the quill and inkwell.
Satisfied that she seemed to understand what she was getting, Moondancer left the imp to her own devices. Just as she was about to officially begin class for her students however, she heard a sound that she was all too familiar with, followed by a small and disconcerted “Ehh.” Moondancer closed her eyes, already having some idea of what just occurred, and was almost too afraid to open them and look. Eventually she forced herself to confront the issue head on, and she glanced over to find the small desk covered in a layer of black liquid. Her hands were in a similar state as ink dripping from her fingers, nearly indistinguishable from her charcoal skin while a horrified expression adorned her small face.
Before Moondancer could say anything, the imp suddenly stood up, speaking so rapidly that she could hardly process her words. Raising a hoof, quickly put a stop to the apologies with, “D-don’t worry. It’s fine.” Despite this, Moondancer nevertheless felt the onset of exasperation. Removing her glasses, she rubbed the bridge of her muzzle.
The imp held her head low, her shoulders quivering, and her breath ragged. She looked ready to cry at any moment. Seeing her like this. . . Moondancer didn’t like it one bit, but she was clueless what to do about it, other than reassure her that she would take care of the mess and hope that was enough to keep her from breaking down completely.
It seemed that five minutes was in fact too much to ask for.
“H-hey, don’t worry. It’s alright, it’s just-“ Moondancer tried to say, standing up to approach her.
This action seemed to have the opposite effect as she backpedaled, a terrified look in her glistening red eyes, and she only became more distressed with every passing moment. Sterling and Misty both began to exit their seats, worried expressions on their faces while Shimmer looked on, surprised at the sudden commotion. Despite their good intentions, Moondancer quickly put a stop to their advance with a harsh look and a shake of her head.
At this point the imps’ speech had devolved into a quiet babbling, so quiet that Moondancer could barely hear it. What she did hear conveyed a sense of intense fear and dread.
“Iasan nemog. Iasads kedianutes, ianakraw ka ura gai nan mo. Nesamimus, nesamimus.”
As Moondancer watched, she couldn’t help but feel her heart lurch within her chest. Her hooves were frozen to the spot, unwilling to approach any further for fear of causing the imp more grief. She looked to her students, feeling utterly lost. Neither Sterling nor Misty had yet to return to their seats. All three foals glanced uncertainly between her and the imp, their faces a mixture of fear and concern.
Moondancer looked back to the imp, her words degrading further in a barely discernible murmur.
“Uamish iazah, usamish iazah, usemish iazah,” she said over and over again. She pressed her tiny body against the wall, placing herself as far away from Moondancer as possible. However, she did not even seem to be looking at the mare anymore as she stared ahead, seemingly at nothing. Even with her inexperience though, Moondancer could plainly tell that there was something very wrong, and something Sterling told her the previous night reemerged in her thoughts.
“I don’t think she’s got a family.”
She looked to the necklace hanging from around the imps’ neck, clutched so tightly in her shaking hands that her knuckles appeared white even from underneath the coat of ink.
It was only then that Moondancer finally realized that there was more to her reaction than a spilled bottle of ink and some ruined papers. Unwilling to let this continue for any longer than she had already allowed, Moondancer finally forced herself to tenderly trot forward, careful to not cause any more alarm. Once she decided she was close enough for comfort, she laid herself onto the floor, putting at roughly eye level with the imp. She opened her mouth a few times, unsure what to even say before finally saying uncertainly, “H-hey there.” Seconds passed after she spoke, dragging on for what felt like much longer until the imp glanced at her. She blinked a few times, the hazy look in her eyes seeming to clear up a bit as she calmed down, her frantic breathing dying down in shallow gasps. It was a slight improvement, but at this point Moondancer was going to take what she could get. “Um, listen,” she began softly. “Don’t worry about the mess. Trust me, this. . . kind of thing happens a lot. All the time in fact.” She put on a small smile. “When you’re in my line of work, you kind of just learn to accept that everpony makes a mess every now and then. I mean, do you really think that these three never cause trouble?”
“Hey!”
“Oh, don’t play innocent,” Moondancer shot back. “Need I remind you how many copies of practical wagon engineering you three have gone through?”
The imp looked unconvinced, her shoulders still quivering with every anxious breath she took.
“Hey,” Moondancer said, a little firmer this time. “Do you understand? I’m not mad. It’s going to be okay. Alright?”
She let the question settle for a moment, patiently waiting until at last the imp seemed to calm down to the point that she was no longer shaking in fright anymore, suddenly looking very tired as she said, “Usamiraka.”
Taking that as a confirmation, Moondancer felt a tension that had been building up inside of her loosen, if only slightly. She nodded, standing back up. “Now then,” she stated. “Let’s get this cleaned up, and we’ll just start over.”
In Astrid’s mind, there was almost nothing worse than feeling useless, she thought as she stood off to the side, busily trying to wipe away the ink from her hands with a damp towel provided by Moondancer. The only thing that was worse was feeling like a burden, and in that moment, Astrid was experiencing each of these sentiments intensely, and she could not help but let her gaze fall to the floor in dismay.
She was acutely aware of the eyes of Sterling, Misty and Shimmer upon her. Their muzzles were thoroughly buried in their textbooks, yet that did little to stop them from peeking every so often. She spared them brief glances, seeing that they were just as unsure what to do as she was. She could see the desire to help in their expressions, but they made no move to leave their desks. Perhaps they were fearful of making their instructor that much more upset.
Whatever was going through their heads, Astrid could hardly blame them, as the numerous apologies she’d tried to make before being subsequently quieted seemed to fall on deaf ears, leaving her unsure if Moondancer’s lack of response was due to her being too focused on cleaning to reply or if she was outright ignoring her. The notion that it was the latter of the two possibilities only made Astrid feel that much worse.
Eventually she gave up on thinking of a way to beg forgiveness in favor of sequestering herself against the wall, trying to be and failing not to be too nervous as she waited for Moondancer to finish.
While she waited, Astrid watched with interest as Moondancer set about cleaning up the puddles of ink, all without using so much as a single cloth or cleaner. Apparently all she needed to do was light up her horn, casting the offended areas in a pink glow as the black splotches gradually shrunk until they disappeared altogether, leaving the desk as clean as it was before, free of any sort of blemish. Not for first, and most likely not for the last, Astrid found herself feeling both awed as well as rather jumpy when she saw it in action. She had to actively fight the urge to freak out. She looked down at her hands again. There was only so much she could do with the towel, and what she had been unable to rub off had long since dried. She wondered if the same spell or whatever the mare had used on the desk would get rid of the residue on her hands. She quickly discarded the notion, deciding that she would rather not be subjected to spell-work or anything of the sort anytime soon. That aside, she hesitated in burdening Moondancer with more work than she already had on her plate.
“There we go, good as new,” Moondancer proclaimed upon finally clearing up the spill. “Barring any future incidents, we should be good to go.” Although she knew the statement was not directed at her, and that Moondancer likely meant nothing by it, Astrid still flinched at the statement, her tattered ears folding back in shame.
Following a brief instruction on how to properly use a quill and inkwell, as well as providing her with a few extra blank sheets of paper, Astrid was finally able to start fulfilling Moondancer’s request as the mare left her to her own devices. “Alright everypony,” she began. “Go ahead and open your textbooks to page one hundred seventy-three. Now then, can anypony remind what the names of the ponies who headed to equal-species act were named?”
From that point onward, Astrid tuned out most of the session. As interesting as it was, it had little to do with her at the moment she decided as she proceeded to put ink to paper, in the correct way this time. She began by first making broad strokes across the page, gradually getting herself used to the feel of the quill in her hands. She didn’t anticipate how much her comparatively lanky arms would complicate the simple act of writing. It was also the first time she had begun to truly appreciate the convenience of a pencil as most of her early attempts with the quill resulted in uneven marks across the page. It took a few minutes and multiple tries before she finally felt comfortable enough to actually begin writing.
Putting the quill to the parchment, Astrid was mindful to be much more careful, lest she accidentally repeat her earlier mistake. Despite her attempts, the moment the writing utensil made contact with the page, a glob of ink spilled out from the quill, creating an unsightly black spot.
“Shoot,” Astrid muttered unhappily, disappointed that not even the time she spent practicing seemed to help her. As necessary as it was for her to learn how to read Equestrian, as Moondancer referred to her written language, Astrid still found herself yearning for a slightly easier way of. . .
Astrid looked down at her necklace, then summarily proceeded to pinch the bridge of her nose as grim realization descended upon her like a brick from on high as she mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it any sooner.
“After the bill proposed by Duchess Amore was passed, it was not long before a griffon ambassador by the title of Gestalt was admitted onto the royal committee, becoming the first non-equine to hold a position of power that directly influenced the royal court,” Moondancer said, making brief notes in large white letters on the board, along with a few simplistic illustrations. Astrid glanced between the mare and her necklace, a bit lost in her thoughts as she contemplated if what she was thinking would actually work or not. After all, in the brief amount of time that Misty had possession of it, nothing seemed to indicate that she could suddenly understand Astrid. But then, perhaps the case was that it had to be worn for its properties, whatever those happened to be, to take effect?
Whatever the case may be, Astrid knew she couldn’t afford not to test the idea as she opened her mouth to get Moondancer’s attention. Nothing came out however as her voice faltered in her throat, hesitant to interrupt the mare in the middle of her lesson. Her trepidation was rendered unfounded however when she noticed that her students were not entirely. . . invested, judging by the vacant expressions and slumped shoulders she was seeing. She was reasonably certain that Shimmer had since clocked out for a sitting nap. Suddenly, Astrid felt much less concerned about interrupting.
Reaching over, Astrid tentatively tapped against Moondancer’s rib cage, startling the mare and making her jump slightly at the unexpected contact. The chalk she had been holding started to fall, narrowly avoiding shattering on the floor as Moondancer caught it.
“P-please don’t do that again,” she said, placing a hoof over her chest. Although her tone was anything but harsh, sounding more on the side of being mildly perturbed, it still made Astrid shrink back in admonishment and utter a small apology. Setting her apprehension aside, she beckoned the mare over.
“Oh? Are you finished already?” she asked, a hint of what Astrid guessed to be excitement in her voice. Readjusting her glasses, Moondancer glanced at the papers. Her expression quickly morphed into a look of confused disappointment when she saw the uneven scratches and marks on the paper left over from Astrid’s previous attempts at ink-based calligraphy, almost none of which resembled anything close to legible writing. “Um. . . is that your alphabet?” she asked, clearly trying not to cause offense. Astrid shook her head, motioning for Moondancer to come a bit closer.
Uncertainty apparent in her demeanor, Moondancer stepped within about a foot of Astrid. She looked even more apprehensive when the imp motioned for to lower her head, but she obliged nonetheless.
“Here goes nothing I guess,” Astrid muttered with a sigh as she removed her necklace, gazing at it for a brief moment, hesitant to part with it for even a moment before steeling herself and offering it to Moondancer.
Rather than receiving it, Moondancer instead seemed to be taken by surprise by the gesture. She said something, but just like what happened with the foals, her speech consisted of a series of chuffs and other sounds that, on the surface, did not seem to resemble anything like a spoken language, and not for the first time Astrid was left slightly perturbed by the change.
Moondancer raised a hoof, trying to politely decline Astrid’s offer. Not in the mood to waste time on manners, Astrid rolled her eyes and lunged forward, grabbing the mare by the collar of her sweater. Moondancer made a small whinny of surprise as she was pulled over and down to about eye level with the imp, unable to move while the thin chain was affixed around her neck.
“There,” Astrid stated once she finished. She stepped back and asked, “Did that work? Can you hear me?”
Instead of answering right away, Moondancer held the necklace up with her hoof, regarding it with an air of nervousness, like it was about to bite her. Retaining the mare’s focus with a snap of her fingers, Astrid spoke up in the hopes that her theory was correct, making wide gestures to get her point across. “Listen, can you understand me? Just nod yes or no if you can.” Moondancer looked at Astrid, and for a brief moment she felt a bit of hope swell within her, ecstatic at the possibility of finally being understood. Her joy was fleeting however when, instead of responding in the manner she desired, Moondancer looked at her with a quizzical expression, uttering what seemed to be a question. Still holding onto the rapidly fading hope that her idea worked, Astrid once again asked while pointing at herself, “Can. You. Understand. Me?”
In spite of her hopes, Moondancer did nothing to confirm that Astrid had discovered a means of alleviating her situation, and instead only looked at her in apparent ignorance, clearly not at all grasping what she was saying in the slightest.
Astrid’s shoulders drooped in defeat, and heavy sigh laden with grim disappointment escaped her lips. “Of course, why would it be that easy?” she mumbled, snatching her necklace back from the mare and donning it once more.
“Umm, is everything alright?” Moondancer questioned, concerned with the imps’ odd behavior. Astrid merely waved off the query, not in the mood to answer as she sat back down in a huff. She rubbed the face of her necklace with her thumb, once again left with the question of what exactly her father had given her.
“Okay then. I’m just going to-“ Moondancer stopped mid sentence when she finally took notice of the fact that at least a third of her class had since drifted off into the realm of sleep, and she let out a very loud and very cross, “Ahem!”
Instantly the foals jolted upward from their stupor, giving Moondancer their full attention. All except one. Shimmer had not taken notice of her teachers’ ire, her face firmly planted into her desk, completely oblivious to the look of intense disappointment she was getting. Rolling her eyes, Moondancer proceeded to levitate a very heavy looking tome over to the slumbering filly. Distracted from her thoughts, Astrid could not help but grin at what was about to happen. She was barely able to hold in a snicker. Holding above the filly’s desk for a moment, Moondancer released her hold her hold on the tome. The resulting thwack from the book impacting on the desk made Shimmer practically leap out of her seat as she let a high-pitched shriek of surprise.
“Glad you could rejoin us Shimmer,” said Moondancer, as though nothing happened while the filly put a hoof over her chest to ward off an impending heart attack. While she recovered, Moondancer shook her head, picking up the chalk and writing a series of sentences. “Since you all seem to be so engrossed, then I doubt you would mind if I gave you all a pop quiz.”
In response Moondancer was met with the lamentations of her students in the form of anguished groans. Astrid could only laugh at their plight until she was quieted by a look from Moondancer. Unwilling to stoke her ire any further, Astrid hurriedly turned her attention back to the paper and quill before her.
“Hard way it is then,” she muttered.
The hours passed by lethargically, dragging onward much too slowly to Astrid’s liking as she rested her head on her folded arms, waiting for Moondancer’s class to come to an end.
A tired sigh laced heavily with boredom escaped her lips, rustling the sheets of parchment in front of her. She had long since overcome most of her unfamiliarity with a quill to the point where she could actually replicate the English alphabet to a legible degree, the fruits of her efforts having since culminated into a three separate rows of letters and numbers, the first two being uppercase and lowercase letters.
But now that she was done with that, Astrid was left wondering what to do with the rest of her time while she waited on Moondancer to finish, or at least take a break, since the mare had indicated that she required nothing else of Astrid at this present time. To make her boredom even worse, Astrid could not even accurately guess how much time had passed given that, in the process of magicking an entire classroom into existence out of seemingly nothing, Moondancer had neglected to add windows. Of course, Astrid was in no particular hurry to be blinded by the sun for the umpteenth time, but it would at least let her gauge the time of day.
As such, Astrid was left with nothing better to do than sit, wait, and absentmindedly twiddle her thumbs and little arm spikes in the meantime.
On the upside, at least she could not claim that Moondancer’s lecture was the cause of her boredom, as she actually found her recounting the history of this strange world to be rather interesting, which was more than she could say for the mares’ actual students.
“And so, upon striking up a deal with the Western drake of Hoofshire, Duchess Amore was able to not only secure safety for the then burgeoning town, but also give it a much needed boost in the local economy as the hoards of gold that would otherwise be sitting in a cave were allowed to circulate.”
This and many other examples left Astrid somewhat enamored with the lesson, punctuated every so often by a question from Moondancer to ensure that her students were at least paying attention. Things that would have been considered fairytales were actual history, which was a surreal thought. But as riveting as it was to hear about the exploits of Duchess Amore and her eventual death by poisoning, it held little importance to Astrid’s immediate future, which in turn left her interest in it to be tangential at best.
Being stuck in one spot for so long was not helping either, as her limbs were starting to get restless. Astrid doubted that Moondancer would have cared if she moved around, but she refrained for fear of being a disruption.
Astrid slumped back in her seat, sighing heavily. There had to be something she could do to occupy herself.
Her eyes eventually landed on the quill and inkwell, and the gears in her brain began turning. She had not yet mastered writing with it just yet, but that didn’t mean that was all it could be used for. After all, she was given extra sheets of parchment to with as she pleased. Reaching over, she picked up the quill, and was about to dip into the inkwell when another thought entered her mind.
Why not make it a bit more interesting?
Seeing no harm in the thought, Astrid concentrated deeply as a lock of her orange hair rose upward, coiling like a strange serpent as it wrapped itself around the quill. It quivered violently, but somehow Astrid was still able to retain control over the pseudo-appendage as she began to doodle.
“Oooh,” she heard. She looked up, finding herself the center of attention as the foals gazed at her in wonder. She saw Misty stroke her mane, apparently jealous that she couldn’t do the same.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Moondancer interrupted, intent on continuing the lesson.
Mindful of the glances she was receiving, Astrid felt her cheeks heat up slightly. She ignored it, focusing instead on the blank paper in front of her. She started simple with easy shapes and lines, and over time she forgot that she was even trying to keep the quill steady as she became more accustomed with using her hair. Ironically, her linework was better when not using her hands, and before long Astrid felt comfortable enough to craft a small picture in the bottom left corner.
A pony.
Astrid hummed, amused by the little doodle, and continued to draw whatever came to mind, ranging from more ponies to even doodling herself. Time had little meaning to her anymore as she let herself become lost in the world of her imagination, and for a time she forgot what she was even doing as she let her actions dictate the results with no clear emphasis on conscious input.
Astrid so did not realize how distracted she had been by the simple act of drawing that she did not realize Moondancer had been speaking to her, until the mare tapped her hoof on the desk. With a small gasp of surprise Astrid was pulled out of her mild trance.
“You alright there?” she asked, looking at her in concern. “You kind of zoned out there for a while.”
‘A while?’ Astrid thought, and it was only then that she noticed she and Moondancer were the only ones in the room. The foals were nowhere to be seen, indicating the fact that the lesson was finished.
When did she. . ?
A little distressed that she had apparently been too distracted to notice that class ended, Astrid looked down her handiwork.
The moment her eyes fell on the parchment, she felt her heart lurch within her chest and her blood go cold.
“What do you have there?”
The question startled Astrid, sending a wave of panic through her. She watched in mortification as Moondancer reached a hoof over to the paper, curious to see what she made. Before she could the chance, Astrid snatched up the paper, crumpling into a little ball and tossing it aside, giving Moondancer a start as she retracted her hoof in surprise, looking between Astrid and the ball of parchment uncertainly.
“Um. . . is everything-“
Moondancer never got to finish her question before she was presented with another paper, courtesy of Astrid as she practically shoved it towards the mare. She accepted it, although not without trepidation as she regarded the imp with an expression of cautious befuddlement. She opened her mouth, another question forming on her lips. However, once more she found herself cut off as Astrid bypassed her completely, making a beeline for the door. Moondancer could only look on in confusion.
She looked at the paper in her hooves, reviewing the lines of unfamiliar text scrawled across it. It was fairly obvious to her that the imps’ penmanship was somewhat lacking in execution, but nevertheless became excited at the prospect of learning more about her strange guest, albeit with a little bit of help.
Just as she was about to take her leave of classroom, Moondancer’s eyes flicked towards the crumpled piece of paper sitting in the corner of the room. Her curiosity mounting with every moment it held her attention, Moondancer could only wonder what was so wrong about that it made the imp toss it aside.
Eventually she couldn’t take it anymore. Her horn lit up, bringing the parchment over. Checking to ensure that the imp was not watching, Moondancer smoothened it out, inspecting its contents. What she found left her confused, wondering what the matter was. As far as she could tell, it was simply a collection of innocent doodles of various different things, ranging from ponies, to what looked an illustration of her history lesson, and even a little doodle of short bipedal figure with long hair. A few images were completely unfamiliar to her. One in particular stood out in the bottom left corner of the page.
A collection of geometric lines and shapes, coalescing together into an ornate mask or headdress. It was a little unsettling to look at.
“Hmm,” she hummed, looking at the door. Shrugging, Moondancer folded it up neatly, storing it away in her desk. She proceeded to follow after the imp to see her students off and prepare for a trip into the city.
“What do you mean we can’t stay?" Sterling lamented, joined by Misty and Shimmer as they mirrored his protests, each of them pouting at Moondancer.
Having exactly none of it, Moondancer replied matter-of-factly, “Exactly what I said. Class is over, and it’s time for you three to go home.”
Despite her explanation, the displeasure of three foals remained unabated as she suddenly found herself assaulted by a chorus of dismayed groans, causing her to give them a deadpan look in annoyance. The worst part about it was that she could not necessarily bring herself to fault them for their foalish behavior, as she knew very well the reason behind their ambivalence towards leaving, currently sulking on her couch, inspecting her pendant with a vacant look in her eyes, and showing little to no interest in their conversation.
Undaunted by her students attempts to sway her, Moondancer continued on in packing up their belongings in their saddlebags and setting them upon their backs, all without raising so much as a hoof. “Nothing doing,” she stated. “If I don’t send you home, you’re parents will start to worry, and I’d rather have that not happen, understand.”
“But we want to stay and hang out with her,” Shimmer pleaded, pointing a hoof at the imp. The imp stammered, clearly caught off guard by the declaration as small blush spread across her face, and she gave off a nervous laugh, looking towards Moondancer for help.
“And I wanted to be an instructor at the Trottingham university, but we can’t always get what we want, can we?” she retorted, ushering her charges to the front door, ignoring their protests. Finally, they accepted defeat as they stopped resisting her, solemnly trudging their way out. “And Sterling,” she added, the colt freezing in place and looking back at her hesitantly. “I will be expecting a note back from Lilac.”
His mouth pulled taut in a grim expression, Sterling nodded.
Just as Moondancer was about to close the door, an exclamation of, “Etam nushi!” called out, and she was pushed to the side as the imp shoved past her, hesitating upon noticing that it was still bright out, standing anxiously at the edge of the shadow cast by Moondancer’s home. The exclamation did not go unnoticed by the foals, as Sterling hurried back over. “What's up?” he asked. Moondancer couldn’t see the imp’s face, though the way she wrung her small hands and muttered in her strange language was enough for her to guess that she was rather nervous about something.
Sterling looked at her confusion. At this imp offered one of her hands, uttering, “O-otagir eteruk etekusat.”
He glanced at the hand, and ignored it entirely as he surprised everypony by wrapping up the imp in a fond hug. The imp went completely rigid, her hair puffing outward in a clear display of mortification at the contact. Moondancer smirked in amusement at the sight, and could barely keep herself from chuckling as she placed a hoof over her mouth. Misty and Shimmer had no such reservations. “Aww!” they crooned in unison. Just when Moondancer she was going to have step in before the imp punted Sterling, he released her.
“See you later!” he said in farewell, joining his companions as they trotted away, chatting the whole way.
“You alright there?” Moondancer spoke up, seeing that the imp was had yet to move from her spot on her porch, doing a very good imitation of a statue. She looked at Moondancer, regarding the mare with a flat expression. It was all that Moondancer could do not to burst out laughing. She settled for a slow shake of her head and a taut grin that she did a poor job of hiding. With a motion of her head, she coaxed the imp back inside and out of sight.
Upon locking the door, she found herself confronted with anticipatory look and crossed arms as the imp waited expectantly on her.
“Do you need something?” she asked.
“Ka ianaw ediro mutsu uadstet o aw atana?” she answered, making a writing motion with her hand. Moondancer looked at her in confusion for a moment, until she realized what the she was asking of her.
“Oh right, that!” she exclaimed. “D-don’t worry, we’re going to get that figured out.” The imp smiled. “Not here though.” The smile instantly vanished, and Moondancer proceeded to explain. “Trust me, we’re going to get that done as soon as possible, but to do that we’re going to have to visit a. . . a um. . .” Moondancer faltered in her sentence, eventually forcing the words past the lump in her throat. “An acquaintance of mine. She knows more about this sort of thing than I do.”
The imp sighed, her shoulders sagging, and all Moondancer could hope was that she was not going to be too unhappy with the delay as she quickly started to prepare, packing up a saddlebag with various papers and notes she had surreptitiously taken regarding her guests’ behavior, as well as the writing she had provided. She stopped by her pantry, and only then remembered that she still needed to stop by the market. In lieu of a proper meal she settled for grabbing a portion of cashews, depositing them into a small cloth bag and hoping they would be enough to keep the creature sated until she could arrange for something more substantial.
Soon enough Moondancer had everything together, and started making her way out the front door, her charge following close behind. “So, once we get to her house,” she began as she trotted, “what’s going to happen is that I’m going to explain everything that happened. Hopefully with your writing we’ll actually be able to come up with some sort of dialogue. I do warn you though, she can get rather eccentric around. . .” Moondancer trailed off once she realized that her companion was not with her, and she looked back to find her standing at the edge of the shadow again, hesitant to step out into the sunlight, looking at her with uncertainty. Any annoyance that Moondancer felt at the delay was discarded, replaced by sympathy when she remembered the effect it had on her small body. She could not claim to know what that was like, but if nothing else Moondancer could hazard a guess that it was not exactly comfortable for her to endure.
“Oh, right,” she muttered, trotting back over. “Um, listen, uh. . . If you want I can. . . I don’t know. Maybe I can find a way around, see if there's a different road. Would you like that?” The imp opened her mouth to answer, before suddenly her eyes widened slightly upon seeing something behind Moondancer, stepping over to hide behind the mare. Moondancer looked, seeing a pair of stallions across the street from her house dressed in gleaming golden armor trotting by. She instantly recognized them as Royal Guard on their routine patrol.
“Them?” she asked, gesturing with a hoof. “You don’t have to worry about them you know. Trust me, the Royal Guard are good ponies.” The imp shook her head, unconvinced as she eyed the ponies warily, refusing to come out of hiding until they had gone. Moondancer sighed through her nose. Of course she would be shy around most ponies, especially considering her appearance. She could only imagine how most ponies would react upon seeing her in direct sunlight.
Moondancer put a hoof to her chin, trying to think of a way around the issue until an idea popped into her head. “Hold on a sec’,” she urged, going back inside and rooting through her coat closet. She soon returned with a large sun hat decorated with lace ribbon and a modestly sized pink parasol floating in her grip. “There, how’s that?” she asked upon depositing the hat onto the imps head.
The answer was obvious as the hat was much to large for imps’ head, the rim drooping down and almost completely obscuring her face view with only her small round chin showing. That was the idea however, as Moondancer hoped it would be enough to offer some sort of protection. The imp lifted the brim, readjusted the it slightly before tentatively stepping out into the light. From what Moondancer could see, the headwear seemed to do its job adequately enough as it shielded her from the sun. She proceeded to unfold the parasol, offering it over. The imp received it, twirling it around in her hands and inspecting it before cautiously venturing out into the sunlight, holding it tightly above her head.
“Ia,” she said, appearing satisfied. “Ousheduki ukamu, de erok e.”
Relieved that her solution worked, Moondancer nodded, a grin appearing on her muzzle in satisfaction. It helped that she looked rather adorable in the hat as well, which was more than Moondancer could ever claim. With that taken care of, the two were finally on their way, picking up where they left off.
“Come on, come on, where are those idiots?!” Nano Breeze exclaimed angrily, pacing anxiously back and forth along the train platform. With every impatient glance thrown to the timepiece mounted on the light pole her frustration grew, a sentiment that was shared among the other workers. All across the platform mares and stallions stood idly by with almost nothing to occupy their time other than to wait and wonder why the train had yet to arrive, all while trying to pacify the increasingly annoyed crowds of ponies wondering the same thing.
Nano Breeze was just glad that she didn’t have to deal with headache. It didn’t stop her from silently cursing whoever the cause behind the delay was. They were paid on commission after all.
Another ten minutes went by with no word on when to expect an answer, and soon Nano Breeze started to feel her frustration at being delayed gradually be replaced by concern. She stepped to the edge of the platform, spreading her wings to fly up and peering down the tracks in the vain hope that she might catch a glimpse of the train.
She couldn’t even make out the plume of steam from its engine, and her worry only increased.
Just as Nano Breeze was about to land, she noticed. . . something flitting across the edge of her vision between the trees. “Huh?” she mumbled, squinting in an attempt to get a better look. She saw it again, a pale jagged object, lazily floating from one tree to another. At first she thought it was a bird of some sort, and was about to pass it off as such, but something didn’t feel right about her initial assessment. It certainly didn’t have the profile of any bird she had ever seen. It didn’t fly like one either.
The thing flew closer, alighting upon an outstretched branch a dozen or so yards away. Nano Breeze narrowed her eyes at the thing.
“Is that a bug?” she said aloud in question, unsure what to quite make of what she was seeing. Judging by how the thing was visible from this distance, Nano Breeze estimated that, if it was indeed some form of insect, it was at least as big as her head, if not slightly larger. The thought of such a monstrous thing flittering around sent a shiver down her spine and caused the fur along her spine to stand on end.
“Breeze!” a voice shouted from below startling her. She looked down to find Crisp Heart glaring upward at her, a heavy scowl on his face. “Get your green flank down here and help me get the War Wagonready!”
Nano Breeze rolled her eyes at the stallion, looking back to the insect, only to find that the thing had suddenly disappeared. She glanced around, dismayed that she had lost sight of it, rendered wholly uncomfortable with not knowing where it flew off to. Having no desire to be in the air in the case that the horrid thing was flittering around somewhere, Nano Breeze hurried back down solid ground.
Within minutes they had set up the War Wagon. Despite its name, the War Wagon was in actuality the dingy old train car, modified to be purely pony operated and outfitted with all manner of repair tools. Most of the stallions seemed to like the name, although Nano Breeze would hardly see the appeal herself. Soon enough they were on their way, unaided by Crisp Heart's near constant yelling and ordering around, slowly gaining speed on the slope down the mountain. Nano Breeze was unsure what her role was supposed to be, wishing that she would’ve been allowed to stay at the platform, but Crisp Heart wasn’t going to hear any of it, leaving her nothing better to do than stare bitterly at the back of the stallions' head.
As they left the city behind in favor of a dense setting pinewoods, Nano Breeze kept a cautious eye aimed at the trees, scanning for any sign of movement as thoughts of the insect invaded her mind, filling her mild paranoia. She saw nothing however, and came to the conclusion that it buggered off somewhere.
Just as well though. Nano Breeze would be happy if she never saw it again.
Light
It felt light.
It was everywhere, its senses nearly overwhelmed. The light was everywhere, yet it did not burn.
It was made to endure the light. It had to, in order to fulfill its purpose.
Consume. Consume the light, make it better. Yes, make the light better.
Purify the light for its master.
Searching. Where was the light coming from?
Up there.
The light was coming from up there, on the mountain.
Its path was set. Follow the trail. Follow the trail to the light.
Consume the light.
Astrid had never truly realized how much she absolutely hated having to drag around an old itchy tarp, relying on it as her sole means of protecting herself from the sun's rays until she traded it in for the parasol that Moondancer provided. She couldn’t be more thankful for the exchange, and would be happy if she never had to put her scalp at risk by donning that thing ever again.
She had some reservations regarding the color of the parasol, as she had never been too fond of pink. The hat she felt was also bordering on the edge of overdoing it in terms of shade, as it was much too large for her comparatively small head, and often slid down over her eyes. More than once she had to slow down to readjust it, then sprint to catch up with Moondancer as they made their way into the city. She was more than willing to overlook those minor complaints, and Astrid was certainly not going to let them become known to Moondancer for fear of coming off as ungrateful. She only wished that the mare would be courteous enough to slow down just a bit.
Within ten minutes of leaving Moondancer’s home, Astrid’s unfortunately limited gait had quickly led to her becoming rather short of breath as she struggled to keep pace. The difference in their stride was not at all helped by the fact that Moondancer seemed nervously eager to reach their destination, whatever that happened to be. She seemed just as anxious being out in public as she all but galloped ahead of Astrid.
Eventually Astrid simply could not take it anymore, and she called out after Moondancer. “H-hey! Wait up a sec’!” she blurted between gulps of air as she slowed to a stop, bent over with her hands on her knees. Moondancer took notice of her strained request, and promptly came to a halt, turning around to meet back up with her.
“Sorry,” she mumbled abashedly, her brow furrowed in a show of concerned embarrassment. Astrid acknowledged the apology with a wave of her hand, too tired to give a proper response. It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps it was a good thing she hadn’t eaten anything yet, as she likely would have been throwing it up right about now.
After waiting a moment to let Astrid recover they set off again, with Moondancer trotting at a notably slower pace than before as she glanced nervously at their surroundings every so often. Her nervous demeanor struck Astrid as somewhat odd, though she could not deny that she emphasized with the mare as she hid behind her parasol whenever another pony passed them by. Almost all of said ponies gave them sidelong stares and odd glances upon noticing their behavior. Soon their journey took them into a part of the neighborhood that was of a noticeably higher class than where Moondancer resided, giving Astrid a sort of Greek Beverly Hills feeling. Even the residents seemed to be of a slightly higher social standing based on their apparel, with a majority of the mares and stallions sporting fancy hairdos and stylish apparel. By comparison, the two strangers making their way through stuck out like unkempt dandelions amidst a community of snooty roses.
Astrid huddled a bit closer to Moondancer, and was relieved when it seemed that they finally arrived at their destination; a small house relative to its neighbors, sporting a lawn that was filled to capacity with ferns, flowers, and various other potted plants. The only part that was not obstructed was the pathway of quartered stone leading up to the front door.
“Okay, so listen up,” Moondancer said, suddenly adopting a very no nonsense tone. Astrid wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought she detected hints of fear in her voice. Nevertheless, she paid close attention as Moondancer continued to explain. “Just a word of warning, the pony that lives here is a little bit. . . excitable, especially around new things. So you know, apologies if she tries to hug you.”
“Come again?” Astrid said, suddenly feeling very alarmed.
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Moondancer added, raising a hoof to knock on the door, heedless of Astrid’s rising panic.
“No wait! What are you-“ Astrid exclaimed, but was too late in her objections sas Moondancer rapped her hoof against the polished oak, producing three hollow thuds. Soon after the muffled click of approaching hoofsteps could be heard from within. Moondancer inhaled deeply as her limbs seemed to go rigid, and Astrid stepped over to use the mare as a shield. A lock unlatched, and the door swung open just enough to allow the head of a cream colored mare with a mane of bright pink and blue to poke out as she regarded them with open suspicion.
“Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying anything,” she declared in a none too polite fashion, and both mare and imp were taken aback by the harshness of her tone.
“What? N-no, we’re not here to sell anything,” Moondancer blurted out in surprise, taking a small step back. “We’re here to-“
“Who’s “we”?”
Stammering at the interruption, Moondancer struggled to respond before opting instead to step aside. An annoyed expression crossed her muzzle when Astrid followed her movement, unwilling to let herself be seen for fear of being tackled as she had been warned.
“Would you relax? She’s not the one I talked about, you don’t need to worry,” Moondancer admonished, placing a hoof behind her back and gently coaxing her into view despite Astrid’s protests. It was all for naught however, as she was brought out into the open with only her parasol to protect her. Shooting Moondancer a dirty look, Astrid gave in and decided to at least be courteous and greet the mare properly, even if she didn’t.
“H-hello,” she mumbled demurely, giving a little wave of her hand.
No response was forthcoming, aside from the mares’ eyes widening ever so slightly upon making contact with the imp. Her mouth hung open a bit, and Astrid could practically see her muscles tense up.
The way she looked at Astrid. . . there was something about it that she couldn’t quite pick out. It was almost as if the mare was sizing her up, and Astrid felt her innards coil in discomfort. She didn’t like it, not one bit. Deciding that she was done with introductions, she dove back behind Moondancer, meeting the mares gaze from around a back leg, earning an exasperated sigh. Astrid didn’t care if Moondancer was getting fed up with her though, preferring cowardice over being subjected to the strangers’ unblinking glare. There was just something about her that did not make her feel safe in the slightest, and the sooner the exchange was over the happier she would be.
Shaking her head, “Moondancer said, “Look, ma’am-“
“Bon-Bon,” the mare corrected, not even bothering to look at Moondancer as she kept her eyes firmly glued to Astrid.
“Whatever. Listen, we’re looking for somepony named Lyra Heartstrings. Did we get the wrong house or-“
“No, you’re in the right place. Lyra lives here,” Bon-Bon interrupted for the second time.
“Rude much?” Astrid muttered aggressively, not bothering to hide her distaste at how inhospitable the mare was being. She took a grim satisfaction at seeing Bon-Bon recoil at the utterance. Astrid felt a grin tug at her lips, until she was quickly shushed by Moondancer. Her hair flared outward in admonishment. “What? I didn’t do anything!” Moondancer seemed not to care, and Astrid huffed. She still kept her glare fixed on Bon-Bon, until finally the mare finally seemed uncomfortable enough to address Moondancer directly.
“Who wants to know?” she demanded, her cyan eyes flicking towards the imp every so often.
“Moondancer. I’m a. . . acquaintance I guess, of Lyra. We were just hoping that she could help us with. . . well.” Her flicked toward Astrid.
Bon-Bon cocked an eyebrow at them, her eyes narrowing in obvious suspicion. “Moondancer?” she questioned. “Yeah, I think I remember Lyra mentioning you. Said you were friends.”
At the statement Moondancer scratched at her fetlock. “Well, I don’t know about “friends” per se. Can we see her?”
Bon-Bon shook her head tersely, looking almost pleased to say, “Sorry, your out of luck lady. Lyra’s down in Ponyville house hunting. She asked me to watch the place for her while she’s away.”
“She’s moving?” Moondancer exclaimed in mild surprise. Astrid, sensing where the conversation was going, exhaled heavily with impatience.
“Yeah. Course you would know that if you actually stayed in touch," Bon-Bon remarked flippantly. Apparently deciding that they were done talking, she started to close the door, casting one last glance at Astrid before practically slamming the door in their faces.
For a few long moments Moondancer just stood there on the porch, and Astrid wondering why they were not already leaving. She skirted around Moondancer, caught off guard when she saw that the mares face was, for lack of a better word, disheartened. Her eyes glistened behind her glasses, and suddenly all of the feelings of hostility Astrid felt were swept aside as asked after her wellbeing. Moondancer flinched at the question, clearly not understanding her exact meaning but still replying with a quick, “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”
Astrid was unconvinced, but didn’t press the issue as Moondancer took her, almost breaking out into a full gallop. Following after the mare, Astrid looked back at the house, seeing something flicker in the windows. Shaking her head, she hurried after Moondancer, having no intention to be left behind.
“Well that was a bust.”
The statement seemed an inadequate description of the day's events, especially coming from Moondancer as she took a seat next to Astrid on a bench beside the street. They had long since left the community of fancy houses and prissy ponies behind, and by unspoken accord took a break in front of what appeared to Astrid to be a deli. There was no meat to be seen, making her question if it could really be called as such, but she was too disappointed in the lack of progress to care.
“You think?” she said sourly, accepting the snack offered to her, purchased just a moment ago from the deli. She was about to take a bite, eager to sate her hunger, before hesitating, peeling back the bread and inspecting its contents. The disappointment she felt was immeasurable upon discovering it laden with bits of flowers and grass. Sighing, she began the process of scraping it out, mayonnaise and all, leaving her with two bread slices and a strip of lettuce.
She nibbled on it absently, the memory of Bon-Bon still fresh on her mind no matter how she tried to forget it. The way the mare looked at Astrid. . . it was different from how other ponies did. Whereas most of the ponies that saw her regarding her with varying degrees of apprehension, the way Bon-Bon looked at her was unnerving in a way she couldn’t readily describe, which left an ill feeling stirring within her.
She missed home.
Suddenly finding the sandwich unappealing, Astrid discarded it into the trash bin next to the bench.
“Sorry.”
Astrid turned her head, regarding Moondancer with a quizzical look, initially not understanding what she was apologizing for. Her meal sitting half eaten beside her and a contemplative expression adorning her face, Moondancer heavy a weary sigh laden with dejection.
“Sorry that things didn’t quite work out like I’d hoped. I really thought she’d be there” she clarified, removing her glasses to wipe at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. Astrid fidgeted nervously beside the mare, feeling a pang of sympathy for her. Unsure if it was proper of her, Astrid scooted a bit closer, placing her hand tentatively on Moondancer’s withers in an attempt to convey her sympathy. Thankfully she didn’t seem to mind the contact. “I just. . . why did nopony tell me she was moving? Am I just that busy?” she questioned allowed with a shake of her head. Astrid for her part had no idea what she was talking about, and could only offer a shrug in response.
Replacing her glasses upon her snout, Moondancer looked at Astrid. “Thanks anyway,” she said, putting a hoof to her chin. “I just don’t know what to do now that the only pony I think who can help us isn’t even around.”
Astrid dipped her head, equally disappointed with the news, crossing her arms in dejection as she leaned back into the bench. A pony across the street eyed them as she walked by. Astrid glared at her until she trotted past, becoming fed up with the unwanted attention.
“Actually. . .” Moondancer said suddenly.
“What?” Astrid asked, looking to her with a renewed sense of hope.
Moondancer flinched at the utterance, apparently surprised that Astrid had heard her. “Huh? Oh!” she exclaimed, waving her hoof. “S-sorry, just thinking out loud here. Don’t worry about it.”
Astrid didn’t buy the obvious attempt at allaying the subject, something she made abundantly clear as she stood up on the bench, meeting Moondancer’s eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. She cocked one eyebrow for added effect. If there was something, or someone, or somepony Moondancer knew could help her in some way, then she was not going to let it slide.
Moondancer regarded Astrid with obvious nervousness, looking rather intimidated by the imp glaring at her in suspicion. She held her gaze for a moment, trying and failing not to slip. The staring contest lasted for almost minute until she finally couldn’t take it anymore. With a relenting sigh Moondancer begrudgingly admitted, “Alright fine. You win.” Astrid grinned, feeling smug. “I know another pony actually. One who might, might be willing to help us out with this whole. . . thing.”
As soon as Astrid heard those words, a faint kindling of hopefulness was reignited within Astrid. It was summarily drenched in the sour taste of disappointment when Moondancer added, “It’s a bit of a trot though. Her place is halfway across Canterlot. If we leave now, we should be there before Celestia lowers the sun.”
Astrid felt her entire body sag as her weariness from before caught up with her. The walk from Moondancer’s house to here had been roughly twenty minutes or so, and that alone had left her small legs sore. To hear that she would have to endure another hour or so of trudging behind Moondancer left her heavily reconsidering if she was up for that.
She stowed the thought, however. If there was any means by which she could finally start making progress on getting home, she couldn’t afford to let her weariness get the better of her. Steeling herself for the trek, Astrid hopped off the bench, grabbed the parasol, and gestured for Moondancer to lead the way. The mare obliged, doing little to hide her begrudging anxiety while she led them to their next, and hopefully last, destination.
Within five minutes of re-embarking upon their journey through the city, Astrid was already panting heavily, sweat streaming down her face and her hair sticking to her brow in wet clumps. In spite of her resolve her body rebelled against her.
Privy to her companions’ difficulties, Moondancer took notice of Astrid’s exertions just as she started to lag behind. “Are you okay? Do you want to take a break or something?”
The only answer Astrid was able to provide to the concerned inquiry was shaky thumbs-up; a poor attempt at feigning wellness when coupled with her doubled over and ready to collapse while sucking in great breaths of air, and Astrd’s loathsome disposition to her stature started blooming into outright disdain.
Just then Astrid realized that Moondancer had moved to sit beside her, motioning towards her back with a flick of her head. “Hop on,” she sighed.
Astrid hesitated, taken completely by surprise by the offer as a startled “Wha-huh?” flew from her lips.
Keeping her expression blank, Moondancer’s stoic demeanor was betrayed her face becoming noticeably red, and she responded to Astrid’s stunned confusion with, “It doesn’t help either of us if you run yourself ragged before we even get there. Now are you going to get on yourself, or am I going to have to do it?”
Feeling rather put off by Moondancer’s gruffness, Astrid inevitably decided that she would prefer not be manhandled as she obliged, taking the mare up on her offer. Stepping behind Moondancer, Astrid awkwardly clambered onto her back, using her sweater to hang on to. Eventually Astrid felt she was as secure as she was going to be, and she gave Moondancer the go-ahead with a pat on the side. Wobbling a bit as the mare stood up, she grabbed a fistful of her mane in each hand to steady herself.
“Ow! Watch it!”
“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” Astrid apologized frantically, loosening her grip on the mane. While she could couldn’t be sure as most of her vision was occupied by the back of Moondancer’s head, Astrid was fairly certain that the mare was rolling her eyes.
“Ready?” she asked. Upon giving her confirmation, Moondancer set off, starting off with a slow trot to allow Astrid to become accustomed before gradually picking up the pace until they were travelling at a brisk trot through the city.
Astrid found the experience of being ferried around on Moondancer’s back to be equal parts nerve wracking and exhilarating for all sorts of reasons, foremost among them being that she could say with a substantial amount of confidence that she was in all likelihood the first person to be given a ride on what was essentially a mythical creature. Even if said mythical creature had her own reservations about the arrangement, it did little to keep a giddy smile from spreading across the imps face, uncaring towards the curious glances of ponies as they walked past.
“Alright. Ride’s over.”
“Wait, what? Already?” Astrid said, surprised and rather disappointed to realize they had already arrived. She supposed that, without her holding them up with her limited gait, they would arrive much quicker. Yet as much as Astrid desired to get a move on, she admittedly would have minded if Moondancer chose to take her time.
With a begrudging moan, Astrid dismounted, taking in the scenery while Moondancer stretched, arcing her spine much like a cat.
As far Astrid could tell, Moondancer seemed to have taken her to some sort of public park, albeit one that was much different than the one she met Sterling in. For starters, it was immediately apparent that a greater amount of care and attention had been given to keeping it presentable, as evidenced by the neatly trimmed grass and immaculately pruned trees dotted about. Even the stone pathways seemed to be polished to the point where they practically reflected the sunlight. Astrid found the last of these to be rather bothersome to her vision, an unfortunate trend she had noticed and long since began to despise about the city in general. Everything was just too bright. Maybe in addition to the parasol and hat, Moondancer might have a pair of sunglasses on hand. . . hoof that she could let her borrow?
Astrid filed the question away for later as she followed Moondancer, the mare leading her to an observatory. The sight of it tickled her memory, and in moments time Astrid recognized it as the same one on the portion of map she’d ripped out of the newspapers. Crossing over a small bridge, Astrid could not help but notice that Moondancer’s demeanor had changed somewhat. Her eyes were wide, her brow furrowed, and her mouth was pulled in a nervous line. Astrid swore she even looked a little green. By the time they reached large door of the observatory, Moondancer was all but hyperventilating and muttering to herself, “I can do this, everything’s fine. You can do this Moondancer, all you have to do is knock. That’s it, just. . . knock. That’s all.”
Astrid groaned, her patience with the mare’s trepidation wearing thin by the second. She cleared her throat, hoping to prompt her into action. Moondancer practically jumped out of her fur at the provocation.
“R-right. Sorry,” she stammered in clear anxiousness, her mouth pulled in a sheepish grin. “Just, you know, working up the courage. Give me a second.”
Astrid quirked an eyebrow, not blind to the mares attempt at stalling, her apprehension on display for all the world to see as it was made abundantly clear to her that Moondancer was extremely averse to even being here. As curious as she was to know why she was acting like this, Astrid had other, slightly more pressing concerns on her mind. After an entire minute went by with nothing to show for the time wasted, it eventually became clear to Astrid that she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. With a frustrated sigh and a shake of her head, Astrid reached her hand over, rapping her knuckles on the polished wood. The look of absolute horror that flashed across Moondancer’s expression was simultaneously both alarming and impressive to behold, and Astrid was caught off guard when she said in a panicked tone, “No! No, please wait a second!” Practically begging she added, “Please, I’m begging you! I can’t be here, you gotta believe me!”
“What are you talking about?!” Astrid blurted, alarmed by the mares sudden and inexplicable panic. Why could she be here? Did that mean Astrid shouldn’t be here? Was she in danger or something? The answers to her questions were not forthcoming, as just then her ears twitched in response someone approaching from the other side of the door, their footfalls sounding distinctly different from the click of hooves she had become familiar with. Moondancer noticed it as well, and her panic only seemed to intensify.
“Oh no!” she said darting her head to and fro before frantically diving headfirst into a nearby bush with her tail poking out, leaving Astrid dazed and confused, wondering if she should follow the mares example. Before she could make up her mind, the door opened behind her. Ignoring Moondancer’s strange antics, Astrid turned around, finding herself greeted by a. . . a. . .
“Um. . . hi?” the dragon greeted, his face contorted into an expression of surprise and uncertainty. Astrid reciprocated the look with one to match, slowly raising a hand a giving a little wave.
“Hey there.”
The dragon, for Astrid was unsure what else to classify the bipedal purple lizard thing as, blinked at her, obviously not comprehending her language. Astrid’s disappointment was brief as an uneasy silence ensued while dragon and imp stared at each other in awkward quietude. Was this the individual that Moondancer wanted to see? If so then Astrid supposed she should probably say something, but at the moment was unsure what to classify as being more odd to her; the short talking purple dragon, or the mare cowering in the bushes. The dragon inevitably took notice of said mare, spotting her tail poking out of the shrubbery, and from the way he squinted his reptilian green eyes Astrid could tell that similar thoughts were running through his own head. He looked at her in question, to which could only offer a shrug.
“Who’s at the door Spike?” a second voice called from somewhere inside.
The dragon, now identified as Spike, answered over his shoulder, “I don’t really know Twilight. I think you should come down.”
Even Astrid could overhear the disgruntled sigh of impatience echoing from within, and a few moments later a mare appeared behind Spike, smelling of parchment and ink, her coat a striking shade of violet. Large bags cradled her purple eyes, evidence of at least a few sleepless nights, and the bangs of her mane were split and unkempt, culminating in a haggard appearance that rivaled Moondancer's. Blinking blearily and struggling to stifle a yawn, Twilight began to say, “Spike, I’ve already told you this, I don’t like seeing visitors when I’m in the middle of important-“ She cut whatever she was about to say short when she finally took notice of their guest, and almost instantly all traces of weariness seemed to vanish from her countenance. “Oh.” She mumbled simply. “Hello there.”
Astrid’s grip tightened around her parasol, and she dipped her head slightly, feeling rather self conscious all of a sudden.
Eventually Twilight’s gaze shifted away from Astrid and to the quivering tail sticking out of the shrub.
“Is that. . ?” she said, squinting her eyes sat the strange sight, before widening in surprised recognition. “Moondancer? Is that you?”
As soon as her name was mentioned, Moondabcer’s head shot out of the top of the bush, her glasses askew and her mane freshly adorned with sticks and leaves. Smiling as though none of what she was doing were strange in the slightest, or at least trying to and failing from Astrid’s point of view, Moondancer replied in an overly cheerful manner, “H-hi there T-Twilight! Fancy seeing you here! Heh heh. What are you doing around these parts?”
Twilight blinked. “I live here.”
“Oh! Is that so? I never knew. Funny, right? Heh.”
With everybody present regarding Moondancer with looks of befuddlement, especially from Astrid as the imp skewed her head and pulled her upper lip back in a bewildered sneer, Twilight proceeded to ask, “What are you doing?”
“I’d like to know that too,” Astrid mumbled to herself, catching herself when she noticed the dragon looking at her with interest, and turned away to avoid his curious gaze.
“Oh, n-nothing honestly,” Moondancer answered, waving her hoof in a poor attempt at nonchalance. “Just uh, you know, checking out the local Canterlot flora and categorizing them into their local subgroupings. You know how it is.”
“Oh. Well that’s nice.” Twilight turned to Spike, commenting to him rather smugly, “See Spike? I told you I wasn’t the only one who did that.”
“That just means you’re both due for an asylum visit,” he countered, chuckling at his own remark. Twilight was not as amused by the quip, shooting him a harsh stare. Astrid on the other hand nearly choked as she struggled to keep a laugh from escaping her lips. Spike grinned, pleased with himself. The grin vanished when he saw Twilight’s frown continue to deepen.
“Alright, fine,” he muttered, throwing up his little arms in defeat. “I’ll get back to sorting. At least someone appreciates my humor.” With that the little dragon departed back into the observatory just as Moondancer finished extricating herself from the snagging branches of the bush, bits of plant matter still adhering to her, as she tentatively trotted up to stand slightly behind Astrid. Even then the imp could practically feel the pent-up anxiety that radiated from the mare. While Moondancer busily cleared the loose pieces of foliage away, Astrid waited for either her or Twilight to say something.
Moments passed.
Twilight coughed into her hoof.
Moondancer finished cleaning herself up.
Astrid’s impatience mounted, her small foot tapping on the pavement.
“So. . .” said Moondancer.
“Yep. . .” replied Twilight.
A scowl appeared on Astrid’s brow as the frustrating realization set in. “Oh great,” she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. “They’re both nerds.” Deciding that she was done waiting around, Astrid surprised them both when she proceeded to skirt past Twilight, parting with a declaration of, “I’ll be inside when you two decide to stop being weird. I’m going to hang out with the lizard.”
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Such wisdom.
I rather enjoyed this chapter, but I had to go back and re-read most of the last one because I was confused as to why Astrid needed an ice pack. It's certainly been a while.
Still, I'm curious to see how interactions with other ponies go. How will Twilight take Astrid's existence and lack of communication? Is Bon Bon still a "monster hunter"? How's that mask creature going to deal with what is more than likely Celestia? So many questions. Hoping to find the answers to them soon enough.
Yes.
It's alive! Waiting for the next chapter
9686541
Indeed.
Good if a bit long.
And her day was ruined.
i.ytimg.com/vi/17KmNrG9pE4/maxresdefault.jpg
I loved the update and the chapters length, keep up the great work!
PS: I just wish I could reach into this story and hug Astrid!
9686541
Indeed!
Oh no, she’s met Spike. Let the commiserations commence.
Nice update
You just made my day with this update! I shall be patiently awaiting the next, however long it may take.
OH no they're both NERDS!
that makes 2 that get along with her so far... i think spike would be a great friend for her. loved this chapter btw
If anyone's going to crack the language it's more than likely going to be Twilight for sure. Not sure why Moondancer thought of Lyra first. I might just be forgetting things I suppose and her obvious anxiety about going to Twilight might have played a key factor in it but still. Looking forward to the next chapter and hoping things will start moving on just a little bit faster storywise. Been wanting to see some kind of good progress for a while now x3 But that's me bein selfish so take your time and xD Have a good one.
9687390
Regarding Moondancer initially going to Lyra's, I chose to go along with the (mostly) accepted fan theory that she's something of an anthropologist, leading Moondancer to logically assume she would know more about what exactly Astrid is.
Nice to see a new chapter.
Props to Moondancer asking Astrid for her alphabet to start a means to understand each other. To bad the translating necklace only works for Astrid.
I understand your logic wanting Moondancer going to Lyra first, though now I'm wary about Bon Bon, aka Agent Sweetie Drops.
Anyway, I would really like to know what happened between Twilight and Moondancer for the latter to act this distraught around her.
*space missing*
She
The staring contest lasted for almost a minute
By the time they reached the large door of the observatory
couldn't
Moondancer
9687604
I’m a little confused about her anxiety with Twilight. Since this is pre-Moondancer’s First Party wouldn’t she be closer friends with Twilight than the others? As close as Moony and Twilight get anyway.
...yes
Well, that's not good
Ah Spike, awesome as always
Wise girl
9687604
Fair enough. I still don't know how that whole thing started but I'll admit some of the stories with Lyra being insane about fingers can be pretty humorous... So I shall not look a gift... Pony? In the mouth x3
9688456
I think I may have mentioned this before, but I can't really remember. Anyway, my whole reasoning for Moondancer's behavior when around other ponies, particularly Twilight, is due to a line she said in the episode Amending Fences when Twilight attempts to make amends for all but forgetting about Moondancer.
"Those three (referring to Twinkleshine, Lemonhearts and Minuette) finally convinced me that I had value, that other ponies might actually care me."
Keep in mind, the period Moondancer is referring to is before she learned Twilight skipped the first party to go fight Nightmare Moon, meaning that even before then Moondancer might very well have been suffering from some form of intense social anxiety, and it was only after Twinkleshine, Lemonhearts and Minuette coaxed her out of her self imposed shell that she orchestrated the party under the impression that Twilight would be present. Since the events of this story take place before the series premier, it also takes place before the party Moondancer made. So she's still quite the shut-in and quite nervous around other ponies, just not to the level as shown in the episode in which she debuted.
Okay I haven't finished the chapter yet and so far everything was good as far as I remember, but I fear what happened when they meet Twilight, or how she is written. I mean if no one will come to Astrids help if Twilight goes to far and ignore everything the Imp maybe tries to say or do, or if Twilight will actually notice it at some point if she makes her uncomfortable.
edit :
I really enjoyed that moment.
This is the longest chapter yet...
9691112
This is how it started
pics.me.me/thumb_poor-lyra-54249182.png
Keep in mind, the show did this, not the fandom
It all started because one scene where she was sitting like a biped
9836362
I mean... My... Dog sits like that. Granted it's rare but she nonetheless does that xD I always get the broken animals it seems. Huskies are goddamn weird :P I do think people read far too much into that one scene. I think it was more meant to be something to chuckle at. Ah well it's still funny at times.
9838555
Then again, this is the internet we're talking about
Enjoying the fic! Keep it coming, if you please!
Oooh~ this should have some interesting effects on the timeline.
Can we get a update pls
Great story so far, hope you get back to it eventually.
Offline since March... *sighs and places Tombstone* until next time
Man i did not notice that this was the last chapter. And that kind of makes me sad after that ending do hope another chapter comes out as this story was really good.
10500345
Thats a bit of a grim outlook innit? <.<
11236154
offline since 2020.
Looks like this is the end of the road then. I want to say that I cherish this story and Hollow Shades very dearly. I've recently read through some of the old classics this Christmas and I thought of you.
I know you don't know me, and I don't know you, but I wanted to wish you a merry Christmas. Thank you for creating these stories that will bring joy to me for years to come. I wish you well on whatever paths may take you next.
Warmest regards, How-to-Avoid-Swords.
P.S. Me and some dear friends are planning watching Lord of the Rings together. If you'd like, I'd love for you to sit in.
11538012
Something that is not going to happen as the author seems to have said "Sayonara" to Fimfiction
11537953
I know the feeling.
11538129
No worries, someone may adopt the story and continue from there, hopefully..