Seven books rested on the top shelf of the last bookcase, nudged way back in the corner of Canterlot’s smallest library. They were about a variety of different things, but what they all had in common was that they’d been thrown onto the shelf haphazardly by a librarian who couldn’t care less about two years ago. All of them had remained untouched since then, gathering dust and a cobweb or two.
Then, on a surprisingly quiet day for the library, all seven books found themselves wrapped in golden aura and yanked from their home. They fell a few feet, only to stop at eye level with an orange stallion and begin to orbit around him.
Sunburst spared only a few seconds for each book, judging them based on the cover, though this was not common practice for him. Two, he flipped open to read the table of contents only to cough at the dust they flung at him. One he went so far as to read the first page.
None of them made their way into his empty saddlebags.
“Dang it!” he hissed, quietly of course. He was in a library after all.
Sunburst glanced up at the top of the last bookshelf one last time, only to be greeted with emptiness. A frustrated groan escaped his lips and in a display of anger he let the seven books in his hold drop to the ground.
As they hit the carpeted floor, some books ended upside down, spines exposed to the air as their pages were scrunched between them and the ground. Usually Sunburst would treat library books with more care, but right now he was just too frustrated.
That had been the last bookshelf in the last library in all of Canterlot (barring the forbidden wing in the castle, of which he only managed to check one row before being escorted out and slapped with a fine).
It wasn’t too surprising, though. Searching for a book on caring for an alicorn foal was a fool’s errand given how nonexistent it probably was.
However, knowing how pointless this job was didn’t make it any less frustrating. It made it worse. There was only so many times he could walk out of a library knowing it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d just skipped it before Sunburst wanted to rip his beard off.
That wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was sucking it up, leaving his beard in one piece, and moving on to the next library with a fraction of his eagerness still intact.
It had been bad enough when Princess Cadance had asked him to check the Crystal Empire for a reference guide to care for Flurry Heart. When that turned out to be a bust she sent him here. Honestly, what had she expected him to find in Canterlot? Sure, there were libraries aplenty in this city, but between the A. K. Yearling thrillers and twenty year old dictionaries, there was nothing even remotely close to what he was looking for.
Sighing, Sunburst decided to just cut his losses and head back to the Empire. The Princess wouldn’t like him coming home empty-hoofed, but dealing with a disappointed mother/ruler was better than this.
“Hey.”
Sunburst’s ears flicked. That was clearly directed at him, and the grumbly, yet distinctly feminine, voice did not sound pleased.
Oh boy.
Turning around, he came face to face with the sternest look he’d ever seen, and he’d seen Princess Cadance when she was sleep deprived. From an icy, cross-me-and-I’ll-break-you stare, to brows furrowed at an angle that shouldn’t even be possible, it was truly the epitome of glaring daggers.
The mare behind the look was also enough to take his breath away. From behind her adorably dorky glasses—he wasn’t sure, but the technical term was probably ‘adorkable’—were eyes like amethysts. Her mane, frazzled and tied back, made the epitome of somepony who didn’t care about making herself look pretty but ended up perfect anyway. Even the sweater that hugged her chest only served to make her cuter.
Down two breaths now, Sunburst opened his mouth to inhale. And to hopefully say something at least the tiniest bit intelligent.
He didn’t accomplish either.
“Uh… uhh...” He blinked once. Twice. Thrice.
Sunburst couldn’t be sure if he was more nervous from the look this mare was giving him, or the way she looked, but either way he couldn’t seem to push out a response. It wasn’t long before his vision went blurry, and he realized his glasses had fogged up.
In a fit of panic, he whipped them off and used his cloak to rub them clean, mumbling what vaguely sounded like an apology until he finally put them back on his head.
The mare looked like she wanted to groan. “Look, I know most ponies don’t really care about books all that much, but you’re in a library, all right? Could you try and show at least a little bit of respect?”
Sunburst felt stupid just standing there doing nothing, and at this point he would have to chalk it up to oxygen deprivation. He finally started breathing again, after only about a minute of staring. Embarrassed, he nodded violently.
“O-kay then.” The mare brushed past him, her attention on the discarded books he left on the ground. She started picking them up one by one, and made it all the way to six before Sunburst realized he should be helping.
“Wait, let me,” he said, magically grabbing the last book at the same time she did. Their auras shimmered together as they lifted up the book, eyes meeting again. This time the look he got was much less stern.
The mare raised her eyebrow, looking him over. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Oh, I, well… I do care about books. Quite a lot, actually.” Sunburst offered her a smile.
He didn’t get one in return. “Mmhmm.” The mare turned, placing the other six books back on the shelf. “I could tell by the way you tossed them on the ground.”
“No I—” He winced. “Okay, I did. I’m sorry about that, I’m just a little stressed out right now... Really stressed out right now. I’m trying to research a topic that probably doesn’t exist, but I have a really important pony breathing down my neck about it and there’s a lot of pressure and I ramble when I’m under pressure and you’re really pretty and I—” He stopped dead. Then wished he was dead.
The mare looked back at him, eyes wide, mouth still.
Sunburst’s face contorted in a mess of an awkward smile and a wince. His face was hot from embarrassment as he silently kicked himself for being so stupid. “I’m also really bad at first impressions.”
“I’d say so,” the mare said, tugging the last book free of his grasp and setting it on the shelf.
“Can I… have a do-over?” He asked. When she didn’t say no, he stretched out his hoof. “I’m Sunburst, Royal Crystaller of the Crystal Empire.”
In an act of pity, the mare met his hoof and shook it. “Moon Dancer, Librarian of Significantly Less Impressive Titles.”
“Heh heh…” Sunburst knitted his brow together. “I… I really am sorry about the books.”
Moon Dancer gave him a little smile. “Apology accepted. Just don’t do it again, all right?”
“I promise not to,” he said.
“So... what topic were you looking into?” Moon Dancer asked. “I haven’t been working here long, but I can probably help you track down a book or two before my shift ends.”
“I don’t know if you can,” Sunburst rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve already looked at every book here and couldn’t find anything on it.”
“Really?” Moon Dancer frowned. “Odd. I could’ve sworn we had books for pretty much anything here. But if you’re sure then I recommend you try the library at the corner of First and Mane. It should—”
“Already been there,” Sunburst told her.
“Oh, well try our branch in the southern district. I know it—”
“Been there too.”
“...The Canterlot Royal Library?”
“Tried it.”
“Huh.” Moon Dancer looked thoroughly exhausted for ideas now. “What did you say you were trying to learn more about?”
“Taking care of alicorn foals, or at the very least something along those lines,” Sunburst said.
Moon Dancer shot her eyes towards the ground. “Royal Crystaller…” she mumbled. Her whole body snapped to attention. “You’re taking care of Princess Flurry Heart, aren’t you?”
“Helping take care of her, yeah. Really her mother is just desperate for me to find something that will help her out.” He lowered his ears. “And I’ve been pretty useless when it comes to getting her anything like that.”
Moon Dancer pursed her lips. “Well… I know of a place that might have what you’re looking for.”
Sunburst perked up. “R-Really?”
“It is a longshot though, but if you want I could show you in about five minutes when I get off,” she offered.
A smile wormed its way onto Sunburst’s face. If it meant he could spend more time with Moon Dancer, he didn’t care if it was the longest shot in the world. “Yes! O-Of course! Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Moon Dancer said with a smile. “Just don’t toss around any books if the wait stresses you out, okay? Otherwise I'll have to kick you out or something.”
Sunburst chuckled. He was pretty sure she was joking.
“Whoa.” Sunburst arched his neck back to bask in the glory of what he was seeing.
It was like a library all its own, but that wouldn’t really be doing it justice. What he was seeing was a literary paradise. There were shelves stacked as high as the ceiling, packed with so many books it felt like they might explode out onto the ground at any minute. They wrapped around the walls before filling in the space to be certain that no inch of room went without access to a book.
It had been quite a walk to get to this secluded tower that rested on the edge of Canterlot Castle. Nearly half an hour, now that Sunburst thought about it. He’d been pretty surprised when Moon Dancer had nonchalantly pulled out a key and unlocked the doors. It was almost like she owned the place, despite the fact that it was clearly royal property.
“Whoa indeed,” Moon Dancer said with a smile. She seemed to be amused at his awe. “Welcome to my private study.”
“All of this is yours?” Sunburst asked. His jaw couldn’t drop any lower at this point.
“Yeah.” Her smile softened and she looked like she was remembering something fondly. “An old friend gave it to me a while back.”
“Must’ve been some important friend.” Sunburst whistled lowly as he scanned the shelves. His own personal study was nothing compared to this. Whoever Moon Dancer’s friend was, they must’ve been important.
“All right, let’s start looking.” Moon Dancer trotted forward to the nearest shelf. “I’ve organized all of them using Starswirl’s Chronological Catalog because—”
“Because you always want the older, classical books near the front so they’re easier to reach!” Sunburst realized.
Moon Dancer stopped and turned back to him, blinking in surprise. “Y-Yeah, that’s right. How did you know?”
“That’s how I organize my books!” Sunburst said, perhaps a little too eagerly. He was just happy to have found some common ground with her.
“Huh…” Moon Dancer raised her lower lip. “I guess you really are a fellow bookworm.”
“Heh, told you.” Pinpricks of pink appeared on his cheeks.
“Sorry for not believing you. I guess I just thought you were lying to impress me earlier,” Moon Dancer explained.
“So you thought I was lying about liking books, yet you believed I’m the Royal Crystaller anyway?” Sunburst asked.
Moon Dancer giggled, waving dismissively at the question. “Oh that’s not so impressive. I know a pony with a far more important title than that.”
Sunburst blinked, not sure if she was just trying to impress him now. Then again, she does have a private study at the castle…
“Anyway, let’s get started.” Moon Dancer grabbed a few books from the nearest shelf, holding them in her magic as she inspected them. Two she sent Sunburst’s way, and he grabbed them with his own telekinesis. “Check the index in these.”
“Sure thing,” Sunburst said, suddenly feeling really dumb for using the table of contents earlier. Of course the index would be a better resource, if not quite as fast.
He flipped to the back page, eyes darting up and down as he searched for any of the keywords that would help him. After a minute or two of searching he glanced back up and saw Moon Dancer with her face buried in a book of her own.
She only needed a few seconds to look at it, her eyes flying back and forth across the pages even faster than she was flipping through them, which was saying something. Eventually she glanced up and met his eyes. “Find what you need already?”
Sunburst blushed, realizing he was staring. “Uh, no such luck.” He slammed his book shut and returned it to the shelf.
“Well, keep looking. These are the oldest manuals and reference guides here, so they’re your best bet.”
“Right.” Sunburst gave the shelf his divided attention, switching between reading the spines of books and sneaking glances at Moon Dancer. It wasn’t that he meant to be creepy or anything like that, it was just that for the first time in a long time, he found a pony to be more interesting than books.
It wasn’t long before she caught him again. “Need something?”
“Oh! Uh…” Sunburst’s eyes went in every direction that didn’t have Moon Dancer in it. “Uhm… I was just wondering how you got this place. I mean, it is yours, right?
There, that wasn’t technically a lie. He was curious after all.
“Like I said, gift from an old friend.” Moon Dancer passed him another book. “The rest is a bit of a long story.”
Sunburst took the book, giving it a cursory glance before taking in the full scope of the massive, massive shelf they were working their way through. “I’m pretty sure we have time.”
Moon Dancer gave a soft giggle. “I bet we do.”
The only sound that followed was the crisp flipping of pages.
“So…?” Sunburst asked.
Moon Dancer gave him a raised eyebrow. “Does it matter that much to you?”
“Uh…” He could feel the blood rising under his cheeks. “I guess? I was just hoping to learn a little bit more about you.”
He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a faint smile was working its way onto her face. “Well, as long as you can read and listen at the same time, I guess it’s fine.”
Sunburst flipped open a book, he eyes no where near the pages. “I’m all ears.”
Moon Dancer opened her own, actually looking at the pages, even if only briefly. “Well, a couple of months ago, I wasn’t who I am today. I kept to myself, I hoarded books in my house, I didn’t talk to anypony or make friends. Basically I was a hermit.”
Sunburst almost dropped to the ground he was so floored. “You too?”
Moon Dancer gave him a dude-seriously-don’t-interrupt-even-though-that’s-pretty-surprising kind of look. He blushed and retracted a little. “Sorry.”
“Anyway, I’d been like that for the better part of a year, just devoting myself to my studies. Then, just one random day among many, I got a visit from an old friend that I hadn’t seen in awhile.”
“You t—” Sunburst froze and snapped his mouth shut before Moon Dancer could give him another look. “Sorry. Again.”
“Anyway, I treated her like dirt and basically told her to leave me alone forever. I was… pretty bitter about her skipping a party I’d invited her to.” Moon Dancer stopped talking and gave him a glance. “What? No ‘you too’ this time?”
“I think that’s where our similarities end.” Sunburst blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I told my old friend that I was a super famous wizard and lied saying that I was too busy to really talk to her.”
“I guess we’re both jerks, then.” Moon Dancer gave a tiny grin, and he matched it. “But, anyways, she didn’t leave for good—”
“You too?” Sunburst whispered under his breath.
“—and I’m glad she didn’t. She kept trying to break down all the barriers I’d set up and wouldn’t stop. She even gave me her old room here at the castle.” Moon Dancer gestured to the entirety of the study. “And now, here we are.”
“And you made up with her?” Sunburst asked.
“Yeah, she threw me a party,” Moon Dancer smiled. “That’s the simple ending anyway. What about you?”
“Hmm?”
“How does your story end?” Moon Dancer asked.
“Oh, well, my friend came back, I told her I was a liar, and she told me that she was an ex-cult leader, and then we went on to save the Crystal Empire from certain destruction. You know, typical friend stuff.”
“Yeah, sure sounds… typical.” Moon Dancer blinked. “Wait, did you say ex-cult leader?”
“That’s… not important.” Sunburst wiggled around the question, not really wanting to explain that complicated mess to Moon Dancer. “I do have one question though.”
“Okay,” Moon Dancer said as she shut her book and weaved back behind the bookshelf. Sunburst followed to keep her in view.
“Well, it’s just. Why bring me here?” Sunburst asked. Moon Dancer looked up at him, face scrunched in confusion. “It’s just, this place sounds kind of important to you, and I’m a guy you just met. Plus, you weren’t even sure that I liked books when you met me.”
Moon Dancer pressed her lips into a line, and gave it some thought. Her magic continued to shuffle through books on the shelf as she did, the sounds of their covers sliding against each other the only sound in the room.
“Maybe,” she said slowly, looking up at him. “Maybe it's because nopony’s ever called me pretty before.”
Sunburst’s face burned. “O-Oh. Well, you know… I just... heh...” He stumbled over the next few words, sounding about as coherent as a drunk waddling out of a bar.
Moon Dancer snorted at his embarrassment. “Sorry, didn’t mean to do that to you.”
“Heh…” Sunburst bit his lip. “It’s fine.”
Moon Dancer maintained her smirk as she looked back to the books. “I would hate to see what would happen to you if you found out I thought you were handsome.”
There was a pause as that sunk in.
Then Sunburst flinched so hard that he slammed into the nearest shelf. The jolt climbed up the tower of books, jostling them out of place and sending at least eight shelves worth tumbling down on top of him.
Neither Sunburst nor Moon Dancer had the time to react. The avalanche of books smacked down on him from above, knocking him to the ground and burying him with ease. He would’ve cried out in pain, or surprise, but he was still recovering from what Moon Dancer had just said so it didn’t matter.
The books enveloped him in darkness, weighing down with pressure, but not enough to be a problem. He could’ve shifted his way out if he tried, but his mind was still in the rebooting phase.
She thinks I’m handsome.
Suddenly, the top of his booky prison lit up with the glow of a magical aura and was yanked away, freeing his head.
“Sunburst!” Moon Dancer appeared before him, concern in her voice. “Are you okay?”
“F-Fine,” he managed. She thinks I’m handsome.
Moon Dancer breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. Come on, let’s get you out of this.”
She thinks I’m handsome.
Sunburst finally finished rebooting his system and snapped to attention. “Uh, Moon Dancer?” He wiggled free of some of the books and sat up.
“Yes?”
Sunburst couldn’t stop his cheeks from tinging pink. “After this, if you want I can show you the Crystal Empire’s library. You’ll get a kick over how they still use Haycartes’ Decimal System to organize fiction.”
Moon Dancer blinked at his offer, then smiled. “I’d like that.”
YES! He felt like doing a quadruple backflip right now. A happy explosion of nuclear proportions was going off in his brain, forcing an ear-splitting grin across his face.
“But you’re gonna have to help me put all these books back first.”
“No problem.” Sunburst wiggled free of the last books clinging to his legs and got to work. He started scooping up books in his magic and placing them back on the shelf. That is, until one in particular caught his eye.
“So Your Foal Just Blew A Hole Through The Ceiling: A Reference Guide,” he read aloud. Lowering the book, he saw Moon Dancer’s surprised glance and matched it with one of his own. “Well, what do ya know?”
