“Oh, this is bad! This is bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!”
Scampering down the street, Luna raced along in a panic. Saddlebags ladened with schoolwork bounced against her sides as she ran, threatening to spill their contents upon the cobblestone road beneath her hooves. The various buttons and pins that decorated the covers clinked loudly as they jostled about.
Ponies stopped and stared—and a few even shouted obscenities—as she flew past, but she ignored them. Instead, she focused on trying to make her way through the crowded streets without colliding with any ponies or objects.
A task easier said than done.
Sliding around a corner, she nearly took out a shop vendor who was in the process of moving his stall. With a startled yelp, the stallion ducked just in time for Luna to launch herself over him with barely an inch to spare. Her wing clipped his stand though, sending cabbages tumbling to the ground. Angry shouts followed her down the street, even as she shot an apologetic glance back over her shoulder.
In the distance, a shrill bell rang twice.
“Oh, I’m so late,” Luna moaned, her words muffled by the half-eaten poppy seed bagel in her mouth. Abandoning the sidewalk, she instead began to cut through alleyways instead, using her wings to vault herself over fences and dumpsters. She accidentally bit through her bagel during one of the leaps, the morsel gracefully arcing through the air, only for her to catch it in her teeth as she landed.
Bursting out of the alleyway, she bolted across the road, narrowly avoiding several carriages in the process. Trunks toppled off the tops of them as the drivers swerved to avoid her, and she quickly darted away, onto the sidewalk; it was less crowded than before, so she didn’t have to worry about running over anypony else.
The street she found herself on now sloped gradually. To the right, at the bottom of the long hill, was a park which contained a garden, playground, and a small pond where ducks sometimes liked to swim. However, it was at the opposite end—at the top—where her destination was located.
Already winded from her sprint through town, Luna found no reprieve during her uphill battle. Gasping and wheezing, and with a painful stitch in her chest, she finally reached the building at the top of the hill. Coming to a stop, she slumped against the base of a large brass statue—which depicted a bearded unicorn in a cloak rearing up on his hind legs—where she rested and tried to catch her breath. Her eyes flicked up to the building, and the large sign that hung over the entrance that read ‘Canterlot High School’.
“This is why... you always fail... gym,” she wheezed under her breath. “Why are you... so out of shape?”
It took a few minutes for her heartrate to return to normal. Once it had, she pushed herself off of the statue’s base and quickly hurried up the flight of stairs that led to the building’s front door. Upon reaching the double doors she paused, only for her horn to light up. A small compact mirror slipped out a side pocket on her saddle bags. It flipped open and she glanced at her reflection.
A familiar face stared back at her. Dark spots covered her cheeks and muzzles; freckles—or as her sister like to call them, her ‘moonspots’—clearly spread out across her face. Her cyan eyes were framed by dark blue eyeshadow, with mascara darkening her lashes as well. The only other bit of makeup she had was a small amount of black lipstick on her lower lip.
She tilted her head this way and that, checking her looks in the small mirror. Despite having spent that past fifteen minutes or so running, her appearance still looked pretty decent. Her mane (unwashed since yesterday morning) was still done up in a somewhat messy ponytail, which was held together by a large, dark blue bow. Both her earrings were still in as well, the dangling silver crescent moons glinting in the morning light as they swayed back and forth.
Mostly satisfied with her looks, she gave a quick smile, checking her teeth—or more specifically, her braces—for any lingering traces of bagel. Upon finding none, she closed the mirror and slipped it back into her bags. Tucking in her wings, she adjusted her black hoodie before grabbing the door handles and pushing the double doors open. Without further ado, she slipped inside.
Her hooves clicked loudly against the tiled floor as she hurried down the empty hallway. Classrooms lined the walls, most of them already full, the classes already in session. Several were empty, but she knew from experience that they were locked. Passing by the occupied rooms, she ducked beneath the tiny windows in the doors, trying to remain unseen. She slunk along, only stopping once at her locker long enough to grab a few text books, before making her way to the last classroom in the hall. With a hoof on the door handle, she paused, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open.
All noise within the classroom ceased as she entered, all eyes turning to stare at her. She wilted slightly under the attention. Her ears splayed back, and her tail tucked itself between her hind legs. Swallowing thickly, she lowered her head and hurriedly crept towards an empty desk located in the far corner of the room.
The elderly bespectacled mare in front of the chalkboard sneered at her as she slunk past. “Well, well, well… look who decided to grace us with her presence today.” A round of snickering met the statement, causing Luna’s cheeks to flush. “Late again, Miss Nocturna,” the mare continued coldly. “That’s the fourth time this month.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Tenure,” Luna mumbled.
“One more tardy and it’ll be detention, young lady,” Mrs. Tenure said.
“Yes, Mrs. Tenure.” Keeping her head down, Luna slipped into her seat and began to pull items from her bags. Notebooks, pencils, and the textbook were placed as quietly on the desk as possible.
Mrs. Tenure sniffed haughtily before turning back to the chalkboard. Her horn began to glow, and a piece of chalk floated into the air. Tapping it against the board, she spoke in a dry voice. “Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted, if we take a look at the different geography the tribes lived in before their union, we can see a trend of their related talents. Pegasi from the mountains tend to have more weather-related cutie marks than pegasi from the plains. Same can be said for Earth ponies, what with those that reside along the coast tending to have—”
As the lesson continued, Luna grabbed her notebook and flipped it open. Skimming through the pages, she searched for a clean one. The first few had actual notes on them—although the hornwriting left something to be desired—but after that the quality of the notes began to drop until they were nothing but half-hearted scribbles. However, as the scribbling grew more scarce, doodles began to fill the pages. Not just any doodles either. They were sketches of a strange, bipedal creature.
A strange, handsome, bipedal creature.
Upon reaching an empty page, she placed the notebook down on the desk. Ignoring the droning of the teacher, Luna grabbed her pencil with her magic and began to slowly sketch out another picture of the bipedal. A small smile touched her lips as her pencil’s tip danced across the parchment. The drawing took life quickly, as she had most of the details memorized by now.
Out of all the strange creatures that existed in Equestria, Star Strider was by far the most curious. Standing on his hind legs like a minotaur, he was able to walk around without the use of a tail to keep his balance. He was completely bald save for a small crop of dark brown hair atop his head. Instead of fur, his body was covered in tan skin.
No one was sure what he was exactly. If the rumors were to be believed though, he wasn’t even from Equestria proper. According to the stories, he arrived in Equestria as a foal, falling from the night sky in a burst of light. He was found lying in an empty field, fast asleep and surrounded by a circle of burnt grass. The ponies that had found him had adopted him shortly afterwards, and he had been living amongst ponies ever since.
Others were convinced that he was found in a dark cave during an expedition, while still others claimed that he had come through a magic mirror that led to another world. His mere existence had been the topic of many discussions for Equestria’s scientists, and it was only through the grace of her mother and father that Star Strider hadn’t been taken to be studied and experimented on. He was still on oddity though, and even after all the years, most ponies were still unsure of what to make of the strange being.
Regardless of how he had arrived in Equestria, he was there now, and that’s all that mattered to Luna. Finishing with the drawing she had been working on, she stared at it in a contemplative manner before drawing a small heart beside the face. A smile worked its way across her muzzle.
She had just started working on the next doodle when a bell ringing loudly made her jump. Almost immediately, the sound of her classmates packing up filled the air.
“Remember class,” Mrs. Tenure called from her desk. “Projects are due at the end of the month, and the only homework you have this weekend is to study for Tuesday’s test.” A round of groans met this statement, and one of the foremost students that was almost at the door said what they were all thinking.
“Aw, come on, teach. It’s a three-day weekend,” the bronze-colored colt said. “The Fair's in town for Hearts and Hooves Day. You don’t expect us to study when it’s here, do you?”
She gave him a bemused look over the rim of her glasses. “Yes, I do, Mr. Copperwell. I’m well aware of what’s happening this weekend… just as I am well aware of the fact that you are, at the moment, single. So, that’s an extra day of studying for you. I expect you to do well on the test.” The colt’s face turned purple as his friends snickered behind his back. Cheeks bulging, he quickly turned and hurried off with what little pride he had left.
Luna was one of the last ponies to leave the room. As she was approaching the door, Mrs. Tenure called after her. “I was serious before, Ms. Nocturna. One more tardy and it’ll be detention for you for a week.”
“Yes, Mrs. Tenure,” she said before slipping out of the room.
The hallway was in chaos, the corridor filled with students milling about. A select few were headed towards their next class, but the majority of the student body were gathering in groups. They chatted excitedly within their niche of friends, gossiping with one another in between the bells. The jocks joked and roughhoused amongst themselves, pushing one another playfully. The nerds huddled together in the corners of the halls, comparing and trading their latest finds in their respective trading card games, or planning upcoming campaigns they wanted to undertake. A group of skinny mares sat on a nearby window ledge, giggling loudly as they applied another layer of makeup onto their already-covered faces.
Ignoring her fellow classmates, Luna shoved her way quickly through the crowd. She weaved through the tightly packed corridor until she reached the stairwell, where it began to thin out. Climbing the steps two at a time, she raced up to the third floor as fast as she could, although the effort left her gasping for breath.
Trying to appear not as winded as she actually was, Luna made her way down the hall, well aware of the looks she was getting. The third floor was meant for the upperclassmen, of which she most definitely not a part of. Still, her target was on this floor, so she ignored the stares as best she could.
She reached the end of the hall, however she didn’t proceed around the corner. Instead, she slid to a stop and peered cautiously around it. She had been a little late leaving her classroom, but if she had been quick enough then—
A small gasp escaped her lips as butterflies exploded in her stomach. He’s here!
There, in front of an open locker about halfway down the hall, crouched slightly in order to see inside it, was Star Strider. A simple dark blue poncho was draped over his shoulder: the only clothing he ever wore. It went down to his knees, covering most of his torso from view. A silver tassel trim ran along the outer edge of the cloth, and a silver shooting star was embroidered on both the front and back.
The article of clothing baffled most of the other students, as they were unsure of why the strange creature would wear it. However, Luna knew the reason why. She had heard him talking about it during lunch one day. Unlike a pony, Star had no fur coat to keep himself warm, and as such, that was what the poncho was for. Luna didn’t mind it; in fact, she thought he looked rather dashing in it. However, it did pose one little problem for her.
It blocked her view of his body.
Not that it was hard to image what was beneath it. She had taken the Sex Ed class; she was well aware of what stallions possessed between their hind legs. However, Star Strider was a different creature entirely, and with him constantly having the poncho on in public… well… her imagination could only go so far. It was the forbidden fruit, really. She knew what was hidden beneath that poncho. It was the forbidden fruit, the unholy temptress. She could smell it faintly every time she walked past him in the halls.
Leaning so that only one eye was exposed, Luna watched Star Strider closely. He was in the middle of putting his textbooks into the locker from an open saddlebag that was thrown over his shoulder, all while happily munching away on a mango. A couple of stallions were grouped around him, the group chatting about one thing or another. Luna wasn’t paying too much attention to the conversation though; she was focused instead on Star’s face—on the way he smiled, laughed, and joked around with his friends. The sight alone was enough to make her knees grow weak.
Ever since she first laid eyes on him, she had been fascinated with Star. In her first semester of High School, he had been in both her orchestra class, as well as part of the afterschool drama club. Her feelings had started out as simple curiosity, but quickly morphed into adoration as she became more familiar with him. They had developed a somewhat stable friendship within a few months, although it was mostly Star talking while Luna nodded along awkwardly. Whenever she did end up having to talk to him, it was always in a soft mumble that was hard to hear. However, Star didn’t seem to mind, as he was one of the few students to actually hang out with Luna outside of class. This, as well as the fact that he didn’t make fun of her or tease her for her outfits and hobbies, was enough to spark her affection, and by the time the semester was over, her crush had developed fully.
Sure, there was the fact that he was a year or so older than her, and that he was kind of—unofficially—part of the popular crowd while she was just a lowly goth, but there was just something about him that drew her in and captivated her. Her legs would tremble when he walked by, her throat would become dry when he spoke to her, and her face would burn red whenever he looked at her.
For several months now she had been trying to work up the courage to ask him out, but whenever she tried, she’d always chicken out or find some excuse not to. She’d work up the courage to approach him, only to have all the determination escape her the minute his deep, dark-blue eyes landed on her. Unable to express her feelings, she instead had to settle for watching him from a distance… like she was doing now.
Chewing on her bottom lip, she glanced around the corner again, eyes trained on Star’s laughing face. Maybe… maybe just this once she could…
The sound of giggling off to the side caught her attention, drawing her gaze away from Star Strider and over to a group of mares that were gathered outside a nearby classroom. They chattered away together in hushed whispers, all while occasionally glancing over at Star and giggling.
Luna frowned. The sight of mares fawning over Star wasn’t that uncommon. While not exactly a member of the ‘popular’ students, Star’s status as a rare and unique creature earned him the attention of a fair amount of mares. Most just liked him for the novelty, and many attempted to ask him out just so they could brag about it. Luckily, he had turned down most offers, but it was only a matter of time before one managed to catch his eyes.
“What? No! No no no no no!” one of them, a shortish mare with beige coat and maroon mane and tail, said, tittering all the while. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You can’t do that!”
“Sure you can,” another one said. She was a tall white unicorn with a pink and white mane. A red rose hairclip was slipped behind her ear. “It’s easy than you think. Just go up, bat your eyelashes, put on the charm, and the colts are putty in your hooves.”
“No!” the first one gasped before giggling behind her hoof. “It’d never work!”
“Give them a quick flick of the tail as you walk away helps too,” a third one snickered, causing all of them to dissolve in another loud fit of laughter.
“No, seriously. It’ll work,” the white unicorn said after they calmed down, “and I’ll show you. The Fair is in town this weekend, right? During lunch, I’ll ask him to the Fair, and you’ll see how easy it is.”
One of her friends snickered. “Bet you ten bits he says no.”
“Bet you twenty bits I’ll have him around my hoof in no time!”
“You’re on!”
Luna’s ears splayed back as she glared at the group in annoyance. They weren’t the first group of mares to take bets on whether or not Star would go out with them. Like he’d ever agree to go out with one of you hussies, she harrumphed quietly, only to slump a moment later. In actuality, the mares probably had more of a chance catching Star’s eye than she did at the moment.
Letting out a depressed sigh, she started to turn away, deciding that it was probably best for her to head to her next class. However, before she could move, a weight suddenly settled upon her back, causing her to let out a squeak in surprise. Whipping her head about, she glanced over her shoulder, trying to identify the culprit.
“Well, hello, dear sister,” Celestia said as she leaned on Luna, a wing draped over her back.
Luna huffed softly before shaking her sister off.
“Don’t do that,” she pouted. “You know I hate it when you sneak up on me.” Fluffing her wings, she readjusted her sweater, pressing out the crinkles.
“‘Sneak up on you’? I called out your name twice. You didn’t respond,” Celestia said, raising an eyebrow. Her pink mane was done up in a long ponytail, though part of the bangs hung in front of her right eye. Mascara accented her visible eye, drawing out the magenta color. Luna noted that she was wearing her cheerleader outfit, the short, dark-pink skirt drawing the eyes of several stallions as they walked past. It also probably helped that Celestia was easily taller than most stallions in the school by a head or so, due to her long, slender legs.
Celestia blew a quick bubblegum bubble, eyeing her sister curiously. “What are you doing up here anyways? Aren’t all your classes on the first floor this semester?”
“Nothing,” Luna said quickly as her cheeks flushed. “I-I… I was just taking a quick scroll before heading to my next class.”
“Uh-huh…” Giving her sister a bemused look, Celestia then leaned forward—much to Luna’s protest—and peered around the corner that Luna had been peeking around a few seconds ago. For a moment she was still, but slowly a knowing smirk slid across her muzzle. “Ah, well… that explains it, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not like that!” Luna huffed, her cheeks puffing out.
“Of course not,” Celestia said as she leaned back again. Amusement danced in her visible eye as she looked smugly down at her sister. “Sooo, did you ask him out yet or what?”
“Sister!”
“Well, did you?” Celestia asked. When her sister remained silent, Celestia rolled her eyes with a huff. “And why not? It’s been a few months, Luna. You need to get on that!”
“I know,” Luna huffed, glancing sideways as she puffed out her cheeks.
“In that case, why are you hiding back here and moping then?” Celestia asked. “Time’s wasting, dear sister. You got to get him before some other mare does.”
Luna winced, her ears splaying back as she stared sadly at the floor.
Celestia blinked in surprise. “What are you—”
Just then, the gaggle of mares trotted by, their heads held high with their muzzles in the air. As they walked past Star Strider and his friends, they turned their heads and chirped, “Hi, Strider” in a sickly sweet manner—the white mare even winking at him—before proceeding down the hall, their flanks swaying back and forth.
“See you at lunch,” they called back over their shoulders at him. Star just rolled his eyes good humoredly before returning to the conversation with his friends.
Luna glowered at mares as they walked off.
Celestia watched them go too with a blank look on her face before suddenly turning to stare down at Luna. “Well, that settles it then. You have to ask him out now.”
“W-what?!” Luna yelped. She gave her sister an alarmed look. “Tia, I… I can’t. It’s not that… I can’t… He’s—”
“He’s right there,” Celestia interrupted, leaning out to peer around the corner again. “Now’s the perfect time to ask. Just get it over with. It’s not that hard.”
“Easy for you to say,” Luna muttered under her breath.
“Lulu… it’s not that hard,” Celestia repeated.
“Yes it is,” Luna whined, taking a step back. “I… I can’t do it, Tia. What… what if he laughs at me?”
Celestia rolled her eyes. “He won’t laugh.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Celestia said. “Now, go ask him.”
“I… I can’t!”
“Sure you can,” Celestia chirped. “It’s easy. Here, I’ll give you a hoof!” Moving quickly, she draped a wing over Luna’s shoulders and, stepping out from around the corner, pulled her sister along. Luna dug her hooves into the floor as she was steered down the hall towards the object of her affection, protesting all the way.
“Tia, no, stop!” she hissed desperately through her teeth. “What are you doing?!”
“What does it look like?” Celestia snickered. “Helping out my younger sister!”
“Tia, wait, don’t—” Luna began, but it was too late. Star Strider and his friends had already spotted them and were now staring as they approached. Several were giving Luna confused looks, and she wilted under their gazes. Her legs locked up as she froze.
Undaunted by the stares, Celestia pushed her sister forward until they were standing in front of the small group around Star Strider’s locker. Letting go of Luna, she instead smiled warmly at Star. “Hi, Strider. You look nice today.” Glancing around at the other colts, she winked. “Colts, looking good as well.”
Most of them blushed and looked away, shuffling their hooves awkwardly. It was a well-known fact that Celestia was one of the better looking mares in the school, and most of the colts around Star were more likely to roll dice than play sports, so her giving them attention like that, while not exactly flirt-worthy, was still enough to cause several cherry-red faces to appear.
Star was the only one not affect by Celestia’s wink. He just smiled and shook his head. “Hey, Celestia. How’s it going?” His eyes flicked down to Luna, and his face lit up upon seeing her. “Luna! Long time, no see! How’ve you been?”
“H-hi… hi, Star,” Luna managed to squeak out. Unable to meet his eyes, she instead focused on her forehooves as she scratched timidly at the tiled floors. “‘m good,” she added in a barely audible whisper.
“So, is there something I can help you two with?” Star asked as he slung his bags back over his shoulder again. Several pins adorned the straps, most of them fruit related.
“Eh, we were actually just passing through when I happened to spot you. Just thought we’d stop by to say hi,” Celestia said, waving a wing nonchalantly about. She blew a slow bubble with her gum before suddenly blinking. Cocking her head to the side, she gave Star a curious look. “Actually… now that I think about it, I’ve been meaning to ask you… did you hear about the Fair that’s in town for the weekend?”
“Of course I heard about it,” Star laughed. “Kinda hard not to, seeing as it’s all that anypony can talk about lately. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious if you were going or not,” Celestia said with a shrug.
“I was planning on it,” Star said. “I’m already ahead on my science project, and Mrs. Butterhoof doesn’t give out homework over the weekend, so I should be free… I think. If not, I can always do the homework tonight, or Monday. Either way, I’m looking forward to tomorrow evening. It promises to be fun!”
Celestia’s ears perked up. “So, who are you going with? Some lucky mare, I bet.” This caused Luna to wince visible. Celestia didn’t look at her though, but instead gently brushed her sides with the tips of her feathers—a silent sign of affection between the two sisters.
Star winced at Celestia’s words as well before rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “Uh, actually… I’m kinda going alone at the moment. The guys here are going to be hanging out with their own special someponies, so I don’t want to intrude on their evening. Nopony’s asked yet, so the plan was to go by myself.”
“Awww,” Celestia said sadly, her ears folding back. “Really? Well, that’s too bad. The Fair is always a lot more fun when you go with somepony else. That’s why Luna and I always go together whenever possible.”
Luna blinked before giving her sister a confused look. They almost never went to events together. Celestia usually went with her friends, while Luna either went by herself or stayed home alone. The last event they had gone to as a pair had been over six years ago. So… why was her sister lying then?
“So, does that mean you two are going then?” Star asked hopefully. “Maybe we could meet up and hang out.”
“Sadly, I can’t,” Celestia tsked in annoyance. “They scheduled cheerleader practice for that evening, so I’m not going to be able to go the fair, unfortunately.” She paused, and for a brief moment Luna could have sworn that her sister gave her a knowing smirk, but upon glancing at her, she could only see a sorrowful look on Celestia’s face. However, the look changed as she perked up, as if suddenly realizing something.
Luna figured out what her sister was up to only moments before the words left her mouth. She silently pleaded for her sister not to do it, but it was already too late. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as Celestia gasped. “Oh, wait! Maybe you two can still go together! That would be fun, right?”
Praying that the floor would open up and swallow her, Luna was about ready to dash off before Star’s reply stopped her in her tracks.
He stared blankly at Celestia for a moment. Then a large smile spread across his face and he let out a high pitched ‘eeeeeeeee’ing noise. “That’s perfect!” he chirped, practically hopping from foot to foot. He quickly calmed down though, and gave Luna a sheepish grin. “I mean, if you’d like. It’d be nice to have somepony else there with me instead of being by myself. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, though. I’d understand.”
Luna didn’t say anything. She just stared up at Star in shock, opening and closing her mouth wordlessly.
“She’d love to,” Celestia said quickly, nudging her sister with a wing.
“Are… are you sure?” Star asked, giving Luna a concerned look.
“Of course!” Celestia said as she placed the wing over her sister’s shoulder. Still smiling, she began to push the catatonic mare down the hall, calling back over her shoulder as she did so. “She’ll pick you up Saturday evening, okay?”
“Uh, sure,” Star said. “Um… I was planning on heading to the Fair around six. Will, uh… will that work?”
“It’s a date!” Celestia said before pushing Luna around the corner and out of sight.
Author's Note
This is what I do on Valentine's Day. Stay at home, alone, and write pony romances.
What am I doing with my life?
Don't expect anything too grand with this one. Just a simple, three-chapter story trade for my good friend Pusspuss; he gives me the cover art, I give him a story he likes.
