Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day you had off from work, or it was more like Twinkle Shine gave you the day off. You felt bad that after one day of employed you had to leave your friend behind, but she didn’t mind. In fact it was as if she wanted you to go and meet Moon Dancer, if nothing more than to have closure for you and her. It didn’t take you long for you to make your journey from the bookstore and your apartment to the library just a few blocks away. The library was always a magnificent building, a grand white marble edifice with white columns in the front and a bas relief depicting aspects of learning like science, literature, and history. This was a place you spent much of your time in college researching and even meeting with friends. But now wasn’t the time to reminisce about the past, despite the fact that this little trip had much to do with what happened before.

“Well, here I am,” you said approaching the doors like a prisoner going to jail. “What am I going to say to Moon Dancer? It’s not like she gave me much of a chance when she saw me at the bookstore. I guess there’s no way to do it other than to try to apologize.”

Collecting every ounce of your courage you had stored up for this moment, you pushed open the massive doors and entered the library. The library had a big open room in the front where the circulation and information desks were as were several large tables for reading or studying and the reference books. To the left were two levels containing rows upon rows of nonfiction stacks as well as the children’s library. In the back was a smaller reading room with all the fiction books. After all the times you spent studying or simply pursuing the shelves, you could almost walk the place blindfolded. Yet this wasn’t a time to simply rush about the place, for you were on a mission to find Moon Dancer. Of course given how big the library was it would be easier for you to find a book among the shelves than a pony there.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” you said as you began scanning the room for Moon’s familiar face. There were only a few ponies sitting in the main room looking contently over books, but none of them were who you wished to speak to right now. You made your way into the back reading room, only to find no sign of the unicorn in question.

“She must be somewhere in the stacks,” you said albeit softly as you prepared to venture into the labyrinth of books. The trip through the fiction was brief and yielded no results. It was predictable as the Moon Dancer you knew was more into nonfiction like science and magic studies than reading about romance or fantasy stories. Then it was into the rest of the stacks at a blinding pace, almost knocking over a pony holding a haphazardly stacked pile of books.

“Watch it,” he said as he struggled to keep his load from tumbling over.

“Sorry,” you said pausing for a moment before heading into the first floor of the stacks. There were a few ponies searching the rows upon rows of books and reading in the aisles, but once again the pony that you made it your goal today to see was nowhere to be found. It would be just your luck needing to get something done only to find out that this had been a waste of time.

“Ok, not in the reading areas and not in the first floor. Guess there’s one last place to go.”

You trudged up the steps to the second floor, hoping she was there while feeling very frustrated that your search was ending with nothing. Of all the places where she could be, the second floor was the best area as it had books on both science and magical studies. Why you chose to go to the other places first and not here was beyond your guess. Your heart began to beat faster at the knowledge of finally achieving your goal and maybe with the anxiety of having not planned out everything you wanted to say to Moon Dancer when you found her. With each stack of books accounted for, you were getting one step closer towards your goal. You prepared yourself for the last aisle and turned the corner, only to find it completely empty.

“Rats, she’s not here,” you said to which you heard a shushing sound from the aisle next door. Out of desperate hope you looked over to see a mare giving you a perturbed look before resuming checking the shelves for a book. With your head hung low in defeat, you began to make your way back towards the stairs. Maybe you’d find a book along the way to check out, but beyond that you felt like the time spent in the library, no, more like the day, was ruined.

“I checked everywhere, the stacks and the reading rooms, everywhere.”

You happened to pause before a door leading to the children’s wing. Like the rest of the stacks, the children’s library was two floors and plenty of space for books, reading areas and places for special events. It even had its own circulation/ information desk, like it was a library within a library. But you quickly shook off the notion that Moon Dancer would be there. After all, she had no children or relatives who were kids, and she never struck you as the type to be interesting in reading children’s books. Yet as you were about to leave you heard a familiar yet muffled voice.
“There you go, Miss Golden Tulip. Hope you enjoy your book on gardening.”

“Moondancer?” you said in surprise as you opened the door and entered the children’s wing. She wasn’t there on the same floor, but you could hear her conversing with the unseen foal somewhere below.

“I sure will!” the filly said in a sing song voice filled with excitement, “Thanks Miss Moon Dancer.”

“You’re welcome; now let’s get your book checked out.”

You carefully made your way down the stairs and towards the desk where Moon Dancer stood. It was like a complete change from when you saw her at the bookstore. She still looked a little frumpy and disheveled, but she was actually happy and content, smiling at the filly as she accepted her book and library card. It reminded you of happier times spent with you studying, hanging out, and having fun. As you got lost in your own memories, you failed to realize that upon leaning against the one low shelf your hand accidentally caught a few chapter books and sent them careening off the edge, landing on the floor in a thud. That was all it took for Moon Dancer to look up, and in that moment her expression changed from placidness to one of shock like you were the worst thing she could see at the library. You stood there with a sheepish grin, not sure what to say or do. This only made things worse as Moon Dancer gave you a stare the likes of which would burn a hole through you if she had the power!

“Um…Miss Moon Dancer?” the filly’s voice cut through the awkward silence, “Are you ok? Who’s that man you’re staring at? Is he your boyfriend something?”

It was definitely not to the words you expected the pony to say or that both of you wanted to hear. You opened your mouth to speak in the hopes of explaining things, but Moon Dancer shot you a not so subtle look that told you not to talk and that she would handle this.
“No Golden Tulip, he’s not my boyfriends, just somepony that I used to know,” Moon Dancer said putting on a fake smile, “Anyway your book is checked out now. Again I hope that you enjoy it and that I see you soon.”

The filly shrugged off the awkward encounter saying, “Alright, I’ll be back next week. See you then Miss Moon Dancer.”

“Bye Golden Tulip,” Moon Dancer said with a wave, but the moment that she saw the filly exit the children’s library, her forced smile quickly melted away into that cold stare once again, “What are you doing at my job?”

Each word she said to you was punctuated like an explosion, especially when she got to the word “you,” her voice dripping with venom like you were the last pony she expected or wanted to see here.

“I was... wait you work here?”

“Yes, I’m a children’s librarian. I don’t just come here to study. Now, I’m going to ask you again: Why are you here?”

It was a shock to you hearing she was a children’s librarian. You always saw her as doing something scholarly like be a teacher or scientist, so her working here wasn’t much of a stretch. What surprised you was the fact that she was working with kids. It wasn’t that you saw her as bad with kids, more like she preferred to work with adults. But this wasn’t something to debate at this time. What mattered was how to answer the question. It was a simple one, but it needed to be handled carefully like something fragile since this may be your only chance to speak with her.

“Well,” Moon Dancer said as her already frayed patience was clearly waning.

“I wanted to come here and say I’m sorry to you.”

“Sorry? Sorry for what?”

“For not asking you out to the dance when we were in school, for throwing away such a great relationship we had together so easily…”

“For being an unfeeling jerk,” Moon Dancer said adding her feelings, although you noticed her frown starting to crack.

“Yeah, Ok. I was a big jerk. You had no right to be treated that way by me or anypony else.”

“Your apology is still not accepted,” Moon Dancer said as she walked from the desk and over towards the pile of books that lay at your hooves, bending down to pick them up.

“Here let me help you,” you said reaching for a think picture book.

“No, I got this,” Moon said.

“Please, I made the mess. Let me help clean this up.” you insisted.

“I said… Gahhh!” Moon exclaimed as on accident her hand touched yours, like she just touched fire. She jerked backwards and sat down with a thud, hitting her head on a nearby chair.

“Moon, I’m so sorry,” you said approaching her, “Are you ok?”

“No, I’m not,” she said as she hastily collected the books near you with her telekinesis, “I thought that you were gone from my life, which I could just move on, but no. You had to come back in and open up old wounds! First you decide to work at my favorite place to go when I’m not here, one that didn’t have the memories of you on it. I think that Twinkle Shine, my former friend, planned this, to have you meet me. Then, you come here to pester me further! Why couldn’t you just leave me be. Why don’t you just…”

Her words diminished in a frustrated growl as she got up and resumed putting back the books, but you knew what she meant. Why couldn’t you just find another job, or even better, move far away from Canterlot, never to see her again?

“Moon, listen. You know that even if I lived on the other side of Equestria that wouldn’t you help you forget what happened. Do you think I expected to meet you on the street or be reminded of the horrible thing I did by Twinkle Shine, or meeting you again at the bookstore. Moving on isn’t going to help either of us.”

“So, that was you plan then, come here and act like nothing happened and have us go back to the happy relationship we had. Because if you’re thinking that then you might as well…”

“No,” you said cutting her off, “I know that won’t help things either.”

“Then what?” Moon said with a frustrated tone as she put her face up to yours, “What do you want other than that apology?”

“I… I just want to talk to you. I know that you don’t want to be my friend, and you made it perfectly clear we can’t go back to being in a relationship. I just want the two of us to talk, like we just met. I know it might not be perfect as we still remember the past, but I want to try, and I hope you will too. We just can’t live with the memories like this trying to avoid each other and act upset when we see each other. So, will you give me a chance and just talk with me?”

“Aren’t we talking now?” Moon said, “Is this not enough for you?”

“Yes, I mean, no. We’re not talking. We’re fighting over books and accusing each other! Can’t we just go somewhere where we can sit and talk that’s not here or the bookstore?”

Moon’s dour expression slowly began to crack in front of you as she weighed the possibilities of talking with you. You realized that saying what you felt didn’t need to be worried over and rehearsed like some speech. It was clear that your words reached her, but was it enough to convince her.

“I…I…can’t,” she began to say but you held up a hand.

“Please, just this one time, and if you don’t like it… well…then that will be it. So, are you willing to give me a chance?”

She looked at you for a long time, not to judge the sincerity of your request but as if uncertain what to do. It was as if a war was going on inside her mind between the side that she currently embraced that granted her safety by closing her heart to all around her and the still present side you remembered where Moon Dancer was fun-loving and open to new experiences. She could have easily rebuffed your offer and told you to leave, but she didn’t. It was then that you noticed her tense body relax as her face changed from being upset to a sign of relenting.

“Fine, we’ll talk,” Moon Dancer said with a sigh, “Oh this sound like a bad idea, but I can’t resist. Alright so how are we going to do it?”

“Do it?” you said raising an eyebrow.

“Right, bad phrase,” Moon said shaking her head, “I mean, how should we meet?”

“Oh, well, are you available today to talk?”

“Err…I’m suppose I’m free after working here,” Moon said who seemed to realize that you didn’t have it planned out, “I suppose that you don’t have a place for this talk either, right?”

“Not really,” you replied sheepishly, “I wanted to get past you saying yes. Do you have a place you like to go, besides here and the bookstore?”

“I do go to other places I’ll have you know,” she snapped, “Alright, how about The Happy Bean. It’d a coffee shop nearby.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that place.”

“Good. Then I’ll be there at five thirty. Sound like a plan?”

“It sounds fine,” you said, “Thank you for allowing me to talk to you.”

“Don’t read much into this,” Moon said, “This is just a talk. Now, if you excuse me, I have to get back to work.”

“Right, I’ll let you get back to it. So…see you later!” you said as you gave a weird wave and disappeared from the children’s library, but not before turning back to see Moon Dancer shake her head as she returned to her desk. Although you weren’t sure, you could have sworn she cracked a little smile.

Author's Note

And I'm back on schedule. Sorry about the Hiatus with this story. I had to iron out a few details before continuing.