A sad tale of a young high school couple who, literally, dance until the end.
It's the Summer Sun Dance at the Equestrian High School. Two ponies, both lost in the night, waltz under the starlit sky.
WARNING: VERY sad!!
Based on a comment from Ponyphonics "Starlight Waltz"! Thank you, River Melody, for this VERY unique idea and for letting me base this story off of it! You're a creative GENIUS! HERE'S THE SONG!
Mint Leaf, a young mare, only sixteen and the newest Cloud RV driver, was very excited! She had just been asked to the Summer Sun Dance by her crush, Diamond Dust. It was lunch time at Equestria High when the mind blowing event occurred!
"So I told her, "You had better back off! I ain't letting anypony put a scratch on my brand new Cloud RV!" She just gave me the most ridiculous look! Like, she was so mad that her eyes went all crossed!" Mint said to her friend, Rain Cloud. They shared a laugh when a hoof hit her bright turquoise coat. She turned to see a diamond blue unicorn stallion standing there, levitating an icy blue rose in a silvery glow. She lost her blue-ish color to the redness now escaping to her cheeks as her wings tried so desperately to cover her face.
"Hey, um...I was maybe wondering if we could talk alone?" Diamond said, his blue and silver mane covering one of his bright emerald eyes. Rain was nudging Mint as she stood completely frozen in place. Her monster tail whipped around and hit her earth pony friend.
"Woah! Mint your tail's going rouge here!" Rain said, rubbing the new red area on her light orchid-blue coat. Mint shook her head, her spring green and aqua blue mane shaking around with it. Her tail flicked again, but didn't hurt anypony else, much to everyponys' relief.
"Oh goodness, sorry Rain! My tail's gotta mind of it's own sometimes," she quickly apologized, forgetting that Diamond was there. He stared at the scene and looked down at Mint's quite unique tail. She was the only one at the school like that! It was beautiful to look at in Diamond's opinion, but not as beautiful as the mare who owned it. Mint was the first pony that really caught his eye from the get-go. He had just then gathered enough courage to ask her to the dance, though with as beautiful and graceful as she looked, he doubted he'd have his offer accepted. He figured it was worth a shot anyways. "What's a question gonna do anyways? Its not like I'm asking her to marry me or anything major," he thought to himself. he cleared his throat. "Ahem, Mint? So, are you coming?" Diamond said, who had caught himself staring.
"O-oh. Sorry Diamond," Mint said, waving to her friend. "I'll catch up with you later, Rain Cloud!" Mint called back to her.
"Don't take too long you two!" Rain said, winking to Mint. She mouthed "good luck" which made Mint's tail flick again in response.
"Alright. What do you want?" Mint asked Diamond, trying to keep her cool.
"Well, for one thing, I thought you'd like this," Diamond said, a silver glow nearing her head. She didn't move, but instead she just let him do whatever he wanted to.
"Woah! Never thought it was possible, but you look even more beautiful than before," he said after putting the ice blue rose into her mane, making her tail flick around like a happy dog! He put his hoof up to his mouth realizing what he had said. his bright blue face flushed a deep red out of embarrassment as he tried to cover his face with his mane.
"Well...anything else you needed besides flirting!" Mint said, lightly punching Diamond Dust. They laughed, and for the first time around him, Mint wasn't nervous. She felt like she was with an old friend merely catching up on the old times. Although, that didn't change the fact that her face was crimson.
"Alright! Here's the other thing," he said, still chuckling, the red finally subsiding. "I wanted to ask you if you'd go to the Summer Sun Dance with me this Saturday."
Mint's heart skipped a beat, then her tail wagged on hyper drive! She really was a bit like a puppy sometimes! Silly and cute as a button!
"Are you kidding me!? Of course!" Mint squealed, pulling Diamond into a hug. They laughed and talked before finally returning to Rain Cloud to talk.
"Yo Mint? You alright there?" her friend, Autumn Leaves, asked her. He nudged her with his redish gold hooves. He looked back to his girlfriend and dance date, Spring Dancer. Her fully pink eyes were filled with confusion.
"Mint Northern Leaf! Wake up!" Ginger Roots, the algebra teacher, demanded. Everypony in the class room stared as the teacher snapped at the monster pony.
"What!? Where...oh Celestia..." Mint said, realizing she had been daydreaming in Algebra.
"Mint, do your work and don't go daydreaming again! Understood?"
She stood in her bedroom after school, alone as usual. Her parents wouldn't be home until dinner, so she had a good three hours to do homework and such. Thirty minutes past and she was watching tv, as she usually did after school. Her monster tail swished around as Baby Belle, the main character, was in a very good situation with her crush. They were getting closer and closer as her tail moved faster and faster, axieous for the moment to happen. Mint imagined her and Diamond on the dance floor under the setting sun as the moon rose into the sky. She imagined them getting closer and closer as the blue colored Baby Belle did with her crush Yin Yang, a yeti pony much like Mint. Mint heard knocks at the door which seemed to be perfectly timed with the scene getting interrupted by a friend in both scenarios.
"I'm coming!" Mint said, running to the door.
"D-D-Diamond! What are you doing here!!"
"Oh, um...I was wondering if may er we could just get some dinner together tonight. Y'know, to get to know each other better than we do already. I want this Saturday to be a great time for us and I felt like if I didn't know you well than I uh...we couldn't make that work," Diamond stuttered. He had both eyes visible now, which was odd to Mint. He never had his mane like that, and now she knew why. His right eye, the one that's always covered, was a bright red, like a ruby. His snow encased diamond cutie mark seemed to twinkle in the later afternoon sun.
"I...I would love to, thank you!" Mint said, trying to stay calm.
"What should you like Ms. Leaf?" the waitress said. Mint pointed to the menu and said, "A garden salad with blue cheese dressing if you don't mind. Thank you."
"Alright. For you sir?"
"Um...I'll have what she's having," Diamond responded.
"Alright, your salads will be out momentarily," and with that, the waitress trotted to the back to deliver the order sheet.
"So, Mint. I hope you don't mind me asking but how-"
"It's my dad...he's a monster pony. Fur type B, to be exact. And my mom is a pegasus. I got wings from her, tail from dad, and a little extra fluffy coat!" Mint said, interrupting Diamond before he finished the question. They laughed and before they knew it, the salads were in front of them.
"Thank you!" the two said as the waiter walked off in unison.
"Jinx! Haha!" Mint laughed, playfully planting a punch on Diamond before tapping the wooden table.
"I'll see you tomorrow then Mint!" Diamond said as he trotted back to his place down the street. He lived further southbound, but only by a quarter mile. He could easily get home before his curfew of nine. Meanwhile, Mint came back home to see her parents walking to the door to go inside.
"Mom, dad!" Mint shouted as she embraced them into a hug.
"Mint Northern Leaf, why are you not inside!" Snow Flurry, her mother, scolded.
"I was on a date...I planned on being here before you but, we kept talking and talking over a garden salad. Then he did the sweetest thing! He got us a milkshake to split!" Mint explained, squealing of excitement and joy. Her father, Icy Barren, glared at her.
"A date, huh? Who is the guy? Do I know him? Is he from school?"
"Yes, Diamond Dust, yea, and definately. That answer your questions?" Mint said, rushing to get inside.
"So, you changed your mind about the dance this Saturday? You are going with Diamond?" Snow said.
"Heck yea I'm goin! He asked me to go with him! He's, like, my crush! I can't turn him down like that!" Mint squeaked.
"Ok then. I'll help you pick a dress tomorrow after school. I have a day off, so I can take you anywhere!
Mint and her mother, Snow Flurry, went to the local store to buy a dress for the Summer Sun Dance. Mint, who was obviously excited, had her tail going at full speed. Surprisingly, it hit no pony, which was a huge relief!
"What do you think of this one sweetheart?" Snow said, looking at a peticularly shiny white and rose dress. It had a collar that was lined with diamonds and sapphires. The dress itself shined with the amount if sequins on it. It was rather short for Mint's taste and would make her look like a disco ball on the dance floor.
"Um...no. Let's keep looking, okay?"
"Alright, alright. Oooo! What about this one! Or this one!" Her mother kept going to all the dresses on the right of the store. Mint smiled and roed her eyes as she wandered to the left.
"Hello, miss! Everything alright?" asked a somewhat British sounding voice from behind Mint.
"Oh, um...I guess not actually. Do you mind helping me?" Mint asked, turning to look towards the mare who had spoken. It was a light pink unicorn. She had curly bouncy hair in a shade of pearl white and her cutie mark was of that particular gem. A white pearl with a slight twinkle in it and a shiny thread and needle going through the center from the side. A stallion of the same size came from behind. He had a similar mane color and style, but his coat was of a grey hue with a hing of blue. His cutie mark was an exact replica of the mare's cutie mark, except the pearl was black.
"Alright, what are you looking to find?" asked the stallion.
"Twins? Never seen twins before..." Mint thought to herself. She grinned and responded in a kind tone. "I'm looking for a dress of a sort of winter-y type, but with a bit of a sunrise or summer-y look, y'know?"
"Exactly! You need a polar feel while still being set for the Summer Sun Dance!" chimed the twins in unison. Their opposing eyes of white and black beamed at Mint, making her slightly uncomfortable, but she went along and gave an awkward smile of her own. "Yes, exactly what I need..."
"Follow me! We have a dress that I believe you'd be interested in!" the pink mare stated.
"No follow me! I have a great dress over here!" the stallion said, beckoning Mint to join him.
"Oh come on Onyx! Let me handle this customer!!"
"I think we discussed this last time, Pearl! You said that I could do this one, remember!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Just flip a coin for Pete's sake you two!" Mint yelled, a bit louder than intended. The twins were taken aback by the monster pony's sudden outburst and stared at her dumbfounded.
After a moment or two the mare, Pearl, spoke up. "I..um...guess you're right. Let's flip a coin shall we, Onyx?"
"We shall! I have one."
"I call heads!" Pearl said.
"Aw man! Okay then!" Onyx said back, starting to toss the golden bit into the air.
"Heads! YES!" Pearl exclaimed, jumping in a small circle.
"Dratts!! Alright Pearl, I'll take care of the counter here," Onyx said reluctantly.
"Ok, here's the dress I have just been dieing to show case!" Pearl said, still quite giddy from the previous event.
"Here it is! Winter Sun Couture! I hope you are pleased with it!"
"Oh sweet Celestia! This is amazing Pearl!" Mint squealed. Her tail was going crazy!
"You really like it? I made it myself in my spare time!"
"Heck yeah I like it!" Mint said, staring at the pacific blue dress. It was silk, shiny but not a disco ball. The small strands of sequins around the edges of the fabric, which was large like the gown that Cinderella wore, made it sparkle like an afternoon sun! The golden threads and the icy blue fabric glowed in the show case light. It spoke to Mint, as if saying, "pick me pick me!" She asked how much it costs and Pearl grinned, pleased that somepony finally wanted to buy her work.
"Fifty bits and it's yours!"
"OMG really!? Fifty!? That's a steal! Are you sure?" Mint said, pulling out her bits from her snowy saddle bag.
"Yep! No shipping costs cause you can take it tonight! I have another one like this anyways that I can put up and you seem so kind! I can't sell it to ya for the price I was tempted to at first, which was a hundred. You got lucky miss..um..."
"Oh, my name's Mint Leaf! Sorry!"
"That's okay. I'm Pearl Threads! Nice to meet you!"
The two chatted and Mint bought the dress. She thanked her newfound friend, who actually went to her school much to Mint's surprise. She was an upperclassman, a senior actually. And since the year just started, it didn't surprise Mint to not know her, for she was only a sophomore.
"Mint! Oh there you are! I see you found the dress you wanted! Let's get home, alright?" Snow said to her daughter.
"Call me!" Pearl hollered to Mint as she left. They laughed and Snow Flurry flew to the front doors. Mint followed suit in flight, but she was a slight but faster than her mother due to her aerodynamic body build and her sort of control tail. The two laughed as they raced to the doors.
"Dad! Hurry up! I need a suit here!" Diamond said, running in place of excitement.
"Gee, son! I never knew a stallion so eager to go shopping in my life!" his father, Golden Falls, said sarcastically as he got in the Aura V6 car. It was a red-ish orange color with leaves as tire caps. The two set off to the mall as a familiar laugh hit Diamonds ears. He saw two shadows fly over the ground beside the car, but when looked up, nothing was there.
"Eh, just some fun loving pegasi!" Diamond chucked. He walked in and went to a famous store called "Seasonal Couture". The owner's twins worked there and they were good friends of Diamond's.
"Yo Onyx! You here!" Diamond called out, letting a soft whinny escape his lips.
"Hey Diamond!" Onyx called back, his white eyes twinkling in the store lights.
"I need a suit for-" he was cut short by Onyx.
"The Sun Dance? I know. Your "mare friend" just bought a dress from Pearl!" Onyx said. Diamond's mix-matched eyes widened in surprise.
"So that's who did a fly-by outside!" Diamond thought to himself.
"Yea. I knew you'd be shocked! Anyways, already got ya hooked up! Come on!" Onyx then grabbed Diamond's hoof, leaving Golden Falls to look at the generic suits outside.
"Sooooo, you likey!" Onyx said, unveiling his personal creation. It was a back suit, pretty generic, actually.
"Um...I, uh..."
"Oops! Wrong curtain!! WRONG CURTAIN!!" Onyx screamed as he quickly closed that curtain and opened the one next to it. "There we go!"
After the second attempt, the curtain revealed a black suit with a small tail. The snowy white undershirt with the emerald green tie made it a wonderful suit for Diamond! The silvery threads made it even more appealing. Diamond's jaw dropped. He had never seen anything like it before in his life!
"Holy Luna on Earth! This is awesome! Thanks Onyx! I knew I could count on you to have what I needed!" Diamond said, letting his tough pony reputation fall as he cried happily into Onyx's shoulder. Onyx returned the hug and patted his back.
"Hey, buddy? You alright there?"
"Mmhm!" Diamond said, nodding. They broke the friend hug and they each laughed awkwardly.
"S-sorry, man! I just got excited!"
"Naw, it's cool! Anyways, it's fifty bits! Actually half of what I wanted it to be, so be glad I'm giving you this deal!" Onyx said.
"Dang dude! That's...that's a steal!"
"EXACTLY WHAT MINT SAID!" Pearl called from the other room. She laughed and went back to counting bits. It was closing time and Diamond was the last customer.
"Haha! Alright fifty it is!" Diamond said, handing his friend the bits.
"Hey, thanks again man! I appreciate it!" Diamond said to Onyx as they left.
"No prob, Bob! See ya in chemistry tomorrow! Remember, pop quiz Thursday!!"
"Oh buck! I'm gonna be late!" Mint said, her mother standing in the doorway.
"Mind your language missy!" Snow Flurry said in an angry tone as Mint got up and got ready.
"Sorry mom!" Mint said as she whizzed past her to the bathroom. She fixed her mane and tail bush after brushing her teeth. "Man, my tail can come in handy when you don't have a horn!" she thought, smiling.
"Bye mom! Love you!" Mint said, running out the door, barely able to catch the bus in time. Her mother giggled as she watched her daughter leave for school.
"Yo Diamond. How'd you do on the pop quiz?" Onyx asked his friend. "I think I did pretty well!"
"Oh the test? Yeah, I think so, too. All I could think of was the dance in a couple days. I'm kinda nervous actually," Diamond said, smiling awkwardly.
"Haha! Dude, no need to be nervous! You're fine! Mint will have a great time with ya," Onyx said, patting his back.
"You're right, no need to be nerv-oof!" Diamond said as Mint toppled him.
"So sorry Diamond! I'm late for class! Stupid schedule putting me from the front of the school to the opposite corner! See ya!" Mint said in a rush as she dashed to the class.
"Well..that happened, I guess," Onyx said as Diamond lay on the floor. "Oh dag! You okay man!"
"Y-yea..fine," Diamond said, his red eye semi-visible through his mane.
"Pfft...your red eye is showin'," Onyx laughed.
"WHAT!" Diamond said, getting up, fixing his mane back over his eye.
"Don't worry about it!"
"Mint, pass your paper up to me," Ginger Roots said to Mint as she scribbled a few final words onto her paper.
"Here you go, Mrs. Roots!" Mint said, handing the paper to her teacher.
"Alright, class. I'll give you a moment to look over your notes before the quiz on radicals. Remember, no talking during the test, else I'll assume you're cheating and give you an automatic zero," Ginger Roots stated to the entire class, making eye contact with two stallions in particular in the back of the room. They were snickering amongst themselves, then stopped as soon as they realized that the teacher was staring at them.
"Would you two like to share whatever seems to be so important that you cannot take instructions?" Ginger Roots said, not really giving the two a choice in the matter. The stallions walked up to the front of the room and read the text messages they were sending back and forth. Afterwards, Ginger Roots took both of the boys' phones away until the end of school.
"Time's up! Tests are out! You may begin!"
After a few minutes of working, Mint was already half way through with the test. Another twenty minutes ticked by when Mrs. Roots spoke up.
"Time's up. Pass your tests to the front then to the right. You have free time to do whatever you please until the dismissal bell rings. I'd advise you work on your homework, which is workbook pages twenty one to twenty two, even numbers only. You have about twenty minutes left," Ginger Roots said, taking the papers from Mint, who was the furthest front and right. Her friend and his date, who were both behind and beside her, chatted about the dance that Saturday. Having not had the chance to tell them about her date, she started to tell them about it.
"Mint, that's, like, totally awesome for you!" Spring Dancer said, her full pink eyes beamed at her. Autumn Leaves started fanning himself with his wings, smiling at Mint. Spring levitated her workbook out of her bag and started to work on her homework, as she usually did when there was free time. She always wanted to have more time at home for other stuff. Autumn followed suit, since he had to work that afternoon. Mint decided to join in and they all helped each other with the work.
Once the bell rang, everypony trotted out of the room, say for a few unicorns who teleported to the busses with their friends. Autumn and Spring, being self driven, offered to drive Mint home so they could talk some more on the ride back. Mint grinned and accepted their offer. The ride home was full of laughs and stories back and forth between the friends.
Autumn pulled up to Mint's driveway and said bye to her as she got out. She trotted up to the door and walked in.
Autumn Leaves and Spring Dancer woke up. They had spent the night at Autumn's house, with Autumn taking the couch like a gentle stallion, and Spring having the bed. They got ready that Saturday afternoon for the dance and were about to leave.
"Hey, babe. Ya got everything?"
"Yeah. Let's go get some food! I'm starving!" Spring said, pacing in place.
"Alright, let's go. Remember, you drive to the dance since I'm driving to the place!" Autumn said, playfully punching Spring's arm.
"Hey, you're the guy here Autumn! I ain't gettin behind the wheel on dance night! Besides that, I just got my license and my Roader '04 last month! But if you think I can do it, it's fine by me, I suppose," Spring said, returning the punch. The couple laughed as they walked out the door.
"Dad! Where's my tie!?" Diamond yelled from his room, searching frantically for the tie in question.
"I don't know!" his father yelled back. "You better hurry though, Snow Flurry gave me a call saying that Mint was leaving her house now to see ya!"
"Oh buck..." Diamond muttered under his breath, his father unable to hear it. He caught a glance at the family picture he had. He was no older than five when it was taken, but he had a growth spurt, so he was taller than the rest of his class then. A tear came from his eye seeing the light blue pegasus the he was sitting on. Her wing wrapped around him in a comforting way. Diamond sword he could still feel the soft and fluffy feathers against his coat. He held his hoof to his heart, as if holding something to it. He missed his mom. After she died in the hospital of lung cancer, Diamond had been donating a dollar a week to the organization to help cure it. He knew that he couldn't get his mom back that way, but he knew that other kids wouldn't have to suffer what he did. Those blue green eyes stared at him, the white sparkling smile showing an expression of happyness, whereas her eyes showed a hidden pain from within as the cancer worked it's evil. He felt like it was eternity as he stared at his late mother's picture, when in reality it was only thirty seconds. He shook his head and kept searching for his tie.
"Ugh!"
"Son! I found it!"
"Thank Celestia!!" Diamond said, putting it on.
"No problem son, now Mint just pulled up. Have fun!" Diamond's father said.
"I will! Love you!" Diamond said, straightening his suit and tie before he opened the door. What he saw was undescribable. She was beautiful! Her mane was done in a nice doughnut bun, a perfect O shape with a hollow middle. The dress she wore was even more beautiful! The way it fit her figure was perfect and the thread and gemstones made it sparkle in the moonlight gifted by Luna herself! The dress resembled a galaxy of a beautiful winter.
"U-uhm...h-h-hey Mint...you look gorgeous!" was all Diamond could stutter. Mint blushed crimson as she looked at Diamond.
"Oh Celestia he looks amazing!" Mint thought, her blush deepening.
"Th-thanks! Same to you!" Mint said, nervously. Diamond's father rushed them out to get them to the dance on time.
"See you two at twelve! Have fun you two, and be good foals!"
The two laughed at the thought, as well as blush red of embarrassment. "O-okay dad! We weren't going to, anyways..." Diamond said, embarrassed that his dad even thought of that.
"Spring! You said you had everything!"
"Well sorry I left my pocket book! I didn't mean to, babe, okay!?" Spring yelled, irritated.
"Okay, okay! I'll go back and get it!" Autumn said, trying to show the least amount of anger he could.
"Thank you, Autumn! I knew you'd understand!" Spring said, kissing Autumn's cheek. Autumn blushed and smiled. He couldn't stay mad at Spring forever.
A few minutes later, both couples were on the road again, not knowing of what to come.
"Babe! Babe watch out!!" Spring yelled as the Cloud RV came right for the Roader '04.
"M-Mint? Where...where are we?" Diamond asked. He was light headed.
"I don't know D. Do you?"
"It looks like the pond outside the school...but I'm not certain," Diamond said, standing up from his fallen position.
"Yea. Yeah I think that's where we are! Look there's the school! But...how'd we get here?"
"I have no idea. I only remember leaving the house then driving down the road...nothing else. Do you?"
"Yeah. I don't remember pulling into the school. Nor do I remember coming over here," Mint said, standing up with Diamond next to the water.
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad we did. It's so beautiful out here."
"Yeah it is, isn't it," Mint said, looking to the clear sky. The full moon shone brightly and reflected on the water, giving them a natural spotlight with ambiance. She felt a hoof hit her shoulder and blushed as Diamond asked her to dance.
They didn't have actual music per ce, but they danced to the sounds of the rustling leaves. Mint listened intently, then heard a soft melody being played. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard! Piano with a twinkleing background.
As they danced, she felt herself ascending. Her wings were closed, so she wasn't flying. She assumed it was Diamond making a floating platform of somekind, so she went with it.
The song progressed, getting ever so slightly louder and louder, a continuous crescendo. A silvery blue mist started forming around the couple as they waltzed.
"Am I in heaven now? Is this real!" Mint found herself asking in her head. The song started to fade away as the two found themselves unbelievably close. They blushed together in a shade of crimson that seemed slightly faded.
"M-Mint? I...I love you," Diamond said, stuttering. Mint wasn't as shocked as she thought she would be or should be. She just smiled, blushing a deeper crimson.
"I-I love you too, D," Mint said, catching herself looking back at the pond. The moon was fully visible in the clear water, but despite being over it, she couldn't see themselves. It made Mint think for a second, but she was distracted by a hoof touching her chin, turning her head. Mint's mind went blank as the to kissed under the light of Luna's full moon. A shooting star flew overhead making a small trail in the sky. Having been shocked at first, Mint gave into the kiss and pushed back, wrapping her hooves around the stallion's neck.
It felt like eons had past, but in reality it was only a mere seven seconds. Diamond broke away and started to speak.
"Will you be my special somepony, Mint?" His face was not at all it's usual icy color. It was a hot shade of red. Mint's face reflected the color.
"A-are you serious? YES!" Mint squealed, hugging her new colt friend. The two ascended in the silvery mist before dissipating into the sky.
