Author's Note

Here is the long-awaited Moondancer clopfic you all wanted. Now if there are any errors, I welcome the constructive critisism and as always, thank you for your patience and support and remember to stay tuned for more chapters to come and remember to always keep bronying on.

Taken By The Light

A Light To Dance To

Written By Israel Yabuki

Co-written by NineTailBeastBall

Everyone goes through their own problems, but most problems are far more unbearable than any other one out there. For instance, most of the problems are common to a lot of people, stuff like divorces, unfaithful spouses, alcoholics, drug users, you name it. However, none of those problems applied to you.

After your 20th birthday, you chose to move away to a beautiful cottage up in the snowy mountains to escape the city where crime occurred on a regular basis. Your parents hardly ever had the time to spend time with you.

Your father was a pretty harsh prosecutor while your mother was always helping him at work. They would constantly leave you with a babysitter every time they spent countless days working at the office. The only time they did take time off work was back when you were nine. To be honest, it wasn’t your best experience. Your father gave you a ruthless spanking and your mother being a coward just watched him punish you.

The situation wasn’t even that bad, all you did was spill a few drops of pain on the wall when you were making a picture for your parents. Of course, they never found time or place to even have the time to look at your artwork. Because of their neglectfulness, you began to grow bitter and cold towards them. By the time you were old enough to take care of yourself and earn enough money to move out, you called them out on how lousy they were at parenting.

Your father was the most cross with you. He blathered on about how ungrateful you were when he “raised” you. That’s where you called him out and told him that he never took the time to raise you, nor did he even care. Same could be said for your mom. You called her out for not being there to comfort you.

What you said next really made them snap. You told them that the babysitter that looked after you was more of a parent than both of them put together and that you were ashamed of having them around in your life. Your father wanted to choke you when you spouted all of that in his face. Naturally, your cowardly mother didn’t even bother to stop him. That was alright, because you gave him a beating of a lifetime. He was left with a black eye, small blood droplets running down his mouth and his solar plexus sore.

And this was all on the day you were leaving your “home.” After paying your father back the pain tenfold, you gave your mother a hostile look. She had never seen you turn this hostile towards her, nor did she want to look at you anymore, judging by the fear in her eyes.

There was no point in bothering with her, you already did what you wanted to do, so without another word, you walked out the front door and never returned to that dreadful place again. Your new life up in the snowy mountains was a much better improvement compared to the hell hole you escaped. Sadly, there wasn’t any wifi up in the mountains, so you had to resort to purchasing some old movies, whether they were on VHS or DVD.

Of course, you also purchased a few books to pass the time whenever you needed a break from your movies. Most of the time, you only read them anytime the memories of your neglectful parents popped into your head.

As a courtesy, the man who sold you the cottage also included a built-in telephone. Thankfully, your father doesn’t know your home phone number, and of course you weren’t going to tell him. Having officially cut ties with your parents, you had nothing to say to them. You put up with their neglect long enough, but that doesn’t mean that you’re gonna be bitter and cruel like they were.

Right now, on a beautiful day such as this, you went outside of your cottage and went over to the side of your house where you had a stack of logs piled on top of each other. You took an axe with you so you could chop up some wood for your fireplace. The only problem with chopping wood is your lack of experience.

Not to mention, you could barely be able to lift your axe over your head. Hopefully with a little practice, this will become second nature to you. You grabbed at least two logs and set them on a stump you had near the front porch. You lift your axe and aimed it towards the middle of the log. With one mighty downwards swing, you chopped the log in half. You took one half of the chopped wood and readied repeated the process.

Now that you were done, you were beginning to feel a bit hungry from all the work. Just then, out in the distance, you noticed a doe was caring for its baby. It was a nice sight, but upon closer inspection, thanks to your binoculars, you noticed the doe’s baby’s leg was stuck under a giant boulder, crying for help.

This didn’t look good. At anytime, there could be an avalanche and the ones out here were said to be extremely lethal if you stayed outside. Without hesitation, you ran towards the doe and her baby, only to scare off the mother. The baby deer was crying in fear and squirming to get free. The ground below your feet started to rumble. There’s no turning back now.

You kept pressing on and reached the baby in time. You grabbed the bottom part of the boulder and used up whatever strength you have left to lift it up. Due to your exhausted log-chopping exercise, your arms felt like jelly. But nevertheless, you still tried as hard as you could to free the little baby deer.

It soon felt like your efforts were paying off. The boulder started to move and was lifted high enough for the baby to make its escape and run towards its mother. You look up at the mountain peaks and notice an avalanche making its way towards you.

There wasn’t much time left before it swallows you up. You fled as fast as you could, attempting to reach your cottage. The only shelter to take was only a few feet away, yet it feels like you weren’t getting anywhere. Sadly, in that very instant, your body was swept away by the avalanche.

You only had a few seconds to register the horrible pain before you lost consciousness. The only thing that captured your vision now was the dark, endless abyss. You felt cold and wanted to hug yourself in the vein hope of warming yourself up, yet your body was numb. You couldn’t move, not even an inch. Your body also felt weightless.

‘Is this it?’ you thought with whatever time you had left. ‘Is this how my life has come to an end? I suppose wherever I end up now, I can rest easy, knowing I sacrificed myself for others.’

Those were the last thoughts you were able to process before your mind completely shut down. Lord knows where the avalanche will be taking your body. Or whatever will be left of it.

Moments later, you heard the sounds of other people panicking. You couldn’t open up your eyes, but you can hear what they’re saying.

“...He’s freezing, we gotta get him to the hospital! MOVE, MOVE!!!” said a male voice.

“Keep pressure on that wound of his!” Another male voice said.

But after that, they sounded echoed and distorted. Your aching body felt like it was being carried but what hurt the most was your legs. You don’t think you want to even know what you looked like after being swept up by that avalanche.

You felt like you could finally open your eyes, but when you did, you were hit by a blinding light and closed them back up, groaning. You of course were still shivering from being in all of that snow for who knows how long. Just then, your body was laid down on what felt like a bed and were wrapped up in some kind of warm, electric blanket. The warmth from the blanket felt so good, you passed out.

This time, instead of drifting into darkness, you found yourself hovering over the snowy mountain that swallowed you up earlier. You looked at your hand and saw that you were see-through, like a ghost. Looking down at the ground, there was an investigation team that dug up your body. So much skin has been ripped off from your predicament.

But out in the distance, you can see the doe, looking over in the direction of your corpse. It was like the doe was mourning over your death and the baby deer just as sad. And yet, somehow you could tell that deep down, the deer was smiling inside, relieved to have her baby brought back to her safe and sound.

That was the last thing you saw before a bright light engulfed your vision. You soon regained consciousness and looked up at a ceiling. You heard the sound of a monitor beeping on your left hand side. You look in that direction and saw that you were hooked up to an I.V and a machine that checks your heartbeat.

“Where am I?” you groaned.

“You’re in the hospital, of course,” said a nearby masculine voice. You turned to the left and noticed a man in some strange, royal clothing that you failed to recognize.

“Who are you?” you asked again with a blank, unimpressed tone.

“Just call me Nebula. My brother-in-law and I found you out in the snow earlier. You’ve been asleep for 7 hours. Are you still hurt?” he asked.

“Hurt?” you asked. You checked yourself, noticing two casts wrapped around your legs. “What happened to my legs, am I gonna be immobilized permanently?” you tried not to panic. Usually you’re a calm person, but seeing an injury like this was a lot to take in.

“Don’t worry, it’s only a temporary injury. The doctors said you’ll be back on your feet in a matter of a month. Unfortunately, those gashes in your legs were pretty serious. But, it’s a relief they weren’t taken clean off.”

A huge stone had fallen off your heart. You felt relieved you would be able to walk again. Too bad you had to settle for a wheelchair for a whole month. Then again, something still didn’t click.

“Wait a second, how can I still be alive? I saw my corpse being dug up from the avalanche! How can I still be alive?!” It was at this point you had lost your composure.

“Hey, whoa whoa, take it easy. Just lay down and relax. I don’t know what happened to you, but if you want, I’ll ask my wife if she can be of some help. Just try not to panic when you meet her, I really don’t want to see you have a heart attack.” Nebula said.

“Y-Your wife?”

Just then you heard a clanking sound from outside your hospital room. The door opens up and in comes an anthropomorphic horse with blue fur and eyes. She had on a black and blue dress that just barely contained her wholesome bust and made her look like a goddess.

Continuing to observe her, you saw she had wings that were probably 9 feet wide as well a horn. Her hair was midnight blue and looked as though it were blowing in the wind and sparkled like the night sky.

“W-What in the Sam Hill?!” you exclaimed, causing the horse to raise an eyebrow.

“Is this the human you mentioned, dearest?” she asked Nebula before walking closer to you.

“Yes, hun. Unfortunately he’s a little shaken up,” Nebula answered.

“I see.” She observed you, never breaking eye contact with you. It felt like the more you stared into her eyes, the entire universe would stretch and widen for all eternity, maybe even longer. Just then...

“To think that after so much heartbreak, you gave your life doing the right thing. My sincerest apologies for your unfortunate accident up in the mountains.”

“T-Thank you, but who are you?” you stuttered causing her cheeks to heat up with embarrassment.

“Where are my manners? My name is Princess Luna, I’m the ruler of the night,” she introduced. “You, of course, met my husband, Prince Nebula.”

This was still too much for you to understand. “So... if you’re suppose to be the ruler of the night, who’s the ruler of the day?” you asked. “Also, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but how is it possible for a human to marry a ho-”

“Uhh, before you finish that sentence, the correct word is “pony.” And I can assure you, the land you’re in right now is much different from your hometown,” Nebula said.

“Right, okay then. But I still want to know where I am now,” you said as you looked out the nearby window. You saw that it was quite a nice city. The city was filled with tall buildings and piles of snow atop each building and on the streets.

Luna giggled as she was sure her husband would have already told you that. “Dear subject, you are in the great city of Canterlot which is the capital of our land, Equestria,” she explained placing a gentle hand on your shoulder as you continued to look out the window.

“Equestria? Canterlot? I don’t want to sound rude, but that sounds like a child’s paradise if you ask me. Though I will admit, the city is beautiful to look at. It’s a lot better than where I used to live, that’s for sure,” you said bluntly.

“You’re free to explore if you wish,” Nebula said with a smile. “If any of the residents give you any trouble just tell us.”

You gave it some thought, it would be boring to just stay here in this hospital all day after all. Turning away from the window, you asked Princess Luna what this world uses for money, you highly doubted even if you had your wallet, Equestria takes dollars.

“Oh, American currency doesn’t work in Equestria. We mostly use these...” Nebula reaches into his pocket and shows you a couple of gold coins.”...in case we need to buy something. They’re called bits here in Equestria.”

“Bits? Well, I got no use for this cash in my wallet except to keep them as a momento,” you said with a sigh. In a big city like Canterlot, there’s a lot of ideas of where you could work. You might as well start looking.

“Nebula, I still want to know: is there any kind of job here in Canterlot that I can apply to?” you asked.

“That depends on what you specialize in. Canterlot is a complicated city with different jobs that require employees who graduated from high-paying universities. Although, the Canterlot Library will take just about anyone. The head librarian might be able to show you the ropes if you’re interested in it.”

You nodded with a small smile before and were about to head out when Luna stopped you. You saw her horn start to glow and she presented a small bag to you.

“This amount of money should help you for the time being, use it well. My husband and I will take care of your hospital bill when you’re discharged. The nurses should bring your wheelchair momentarily as well,” she said sweetly.

“Thank you. I’ll make sure I use these bits well,” you assured, putting the bag in your pocket.

You continued to wait in the room patiently until the doctors came in. As they promised, Luna and Nebula took care of the charges and you were also presented with a wheelchair. You thanked the prince and princess of the night before carrying yourself into the beautiful, rich city of Canterlot.

Once outside, you breathed in the smell of the fresh, cold air and exhaled. It was so cold, you could see your breath. Quite coincidental, since it was cold back in your world as well. Luckily, you had been provided with warm clothes before you left.

As you steered yourself through the large city, you came across some snobs, who held their heads up at the sight of you. You paid them no mind and kept strolling through the streets, looking for the Canterlot Library.

However, you weren’t familiar with this new city, nor did you know which direction you should go to find your destination. But then, you accidentally bump into someone who was carrying a stack of books and one of them lands on one of your feet.

“GAHH!!!” you shouted, gripping your foot and rubbing, though it didn’t help much. “Damn it, that hurt like hell!”

The pony you bumped into turned around to apologize to you as she was picking up the books she dropped. “I’m so sorry! Are you alright? You’re not hurt too badly, are you?” she asked.

Looking at her, you noticed how beautiful and intelligent she looks. She had vanilla fur and wore glasses that looked like they had broken at some point, judging by how the middle of her glasses had tape wrapped around it. Her eyes were purple and she had long, red hair with a light and dark purple stripe running down from each tip. She also had a horn sticking out of her hair and wore a blackberry colored button-up shirt and a matching skirt reaching down to her knees.

“Just a little, but it’ll heal,” you said, still rubbing your leg. True to what you just said, the pain started to dissipate.

“Hmm,” the mare said, inspecting you. “You don’t seem to be from around here. Are you trying to look for something?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m looking for the Canterlot Library. I was hoping to apply for a position at the library so I can find some work,” you explained.

“Oh, I see. Well, if you want to look for some work, I can show you the way to the library and give you an application you can fill out. We’re a bit short-staffed at the moment, so if you pass the interview, you can start working immediately.”

“Wait a sec... does that mean you’re the... head librarian?” you asked putting two and two together.

“Yes, my name is Moondancer. I’m in charge of the entire library. In fact, I’m the only one who’s working at the library. However it seems that’s about to change,” she said looking at you with a big smile. However, she looks down at your feet, making her smile disappear. “But maybe I should wait until you make a full recovery before I let you work at the library.”

You shook your head. “No thanks, I don’t care if my body is busted all over. If I do pass the interview, I want to start working as soon as possible.

You showed Moondancer the bag of bits you got from Luna. “The princess gave me a generous amount of bits, but it won’t last forever. I can assure you, my legs won’t be a problem.”

Moondancer thought for a moment and then nodded. “Very well then. But where are you going to go when you finish working? Canterlot houses aren’t cheap around here.”

She’s right. Not even your small bag of bits was enough to purchase a house. You didn’t plan ahead on where you were going to sleep. You managed to keep calm so you could think about it. However, Moondancer spoke up before any ideas could come to mind.

“I have a suggestion. After we’ve taken care of the formalities, I’ll let you sleep at my place. I’ll tidy up the place a little and set up the couch, so you’ll have a place to sleep. Does that sound okay to you?”

You nodded at her proposition. “That’s not a bad idea, thank you. But, are you sure you want me to crash at your place, even if I am a human?”

“I’ve been living in Canterlot for years and with all the humans dropping into Equestria, they’re not so strange once you get use to them. I mean, hey, we have two humans who are married to the princesses.”

‘Jeez, how many human have dropped into Equestria over the years?’ you thought. “I guess that explains why you’re so calm around me. I thought you’d actually freak out when you saw me,” you admitted causing Moondancer to laugh.

“Not at all. Anyway, my library is not to far from here,” she said as her horn began to glow and the books around you were lifted into the air. “Please follow me.”

You pushed the back wheels on your wheelchair forward, following Moondancer to the library. While following her, some of the snobs who passed you by gave you these rude chuckles as if you were struggling to keep up with her. Still you refused to let it bother you, as it’s probably an act caused by self-hate.

After about a ten minute stroll, you and Moondancer arrived at a large building which was no doubt the Canterlot Library. For a library this size, you could only imagine the number of books they had inside. What was even more surprising is how Moondancer has to work here all by herself, but like she said that hopefully is about to change.

Now the bigger challenge was to push your wheelchair up the stairs. Moondancer turned around and raised an eyebrow at why you were taking so long and quickly got her answer.

“Would you like some help?” she asked. After trying a few more times, you sighed and nodded. Moondancer used her magic to levitate you up the stairs with her and finally let you down near the entrance. She opens up the door for you, allowing you to go inside. She follows you close behind and closes the door.

“Please follow me,” she said motioning you with her hand.

As she lead you, you looked around at the many shelves that were in the library. Back in your own world, you weren’t particularly fond of reading, but you felt that was yet another thing that was about to change in your life. You can only imagine how tired Moondancer must get every day when she finishes her daily shifts.

“Moondancer... this place is huge! You’re telling me that you worked in this gigantic library all by yourself every day?”

Moondancer couldn’t help but blush at your praise. “As crazy as it sounds, yes,” she answered.

“Well, call me impressed. I’ll bet you’re paid a good salary every month.”

“I guess you could say I’m well-compensated. Anyway, how about we save the praising for another time, we still have to get your application filled out.”

You nodded and followed Moondancer to the back of the library, still admiring the impressive display of books as you did so.

Moondancer walked into her office for a few seconds and then walked back out, giving you a few papers and a pencil. You moved your wheelchair up to a table and began filling out the application while she sat next to you and waited patiently.

It took awhile, but after you finished writing down every bit info on your application, you gave it back to Moondancer, who took it with a warm smile. She guides you into her office and starts the interview.

Naturally, having answered all of her questions honestly, you passed the interview with flying colors and were given the job as Moondancer’s assistant. It wasn’t going to be an easy task to keep the entire library organized, but the two of you would be working as a team. That’s better than working alone.

“We can start first thing tomorrow. For now, let’s head back to my house and fix you up a room. You’ll need all of your strength for tomorrow,” she said.

You didn’t object to her suggestion. You followed her out of the library after everything was sorted out.

Just like before, all the snobs kept laughing at you for being in a wheelchair, but you kept ignoring them and kept thinking that they got no class. Compared to how your parents treated you back home, this was nothing more than childsplay. Moondancer thought so, too.

Soon, you arrived at Moondancer’s place and followed her inside her house. Just like the library, her house is stacked with books, but it her house was a bit smaller than you anticipated. With how dusty it is, you wondered if she ever did any Spring cleaning at all.

“Sorry about the mess. I get so caught up with work, I barely have enough time to tidy house. I hardly ever find time to eat, too because I’m always exhausted after work.”

“It’s alright, I was a bit of a slob, myself,” you admitted. “Compared to my old bedroom, this feels just like home.” you pushed yourself over to the couch in the living room and laid down. The couch was remarkably softer than you expected. You snuggled into the couch cushions, earning a giggle from Moondancer.

“A little tired, aren’t we?” she asked playfully, causing you to chuckle.

“I’ve had a bit of a crazy day,” you replied and Moondancer placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Like I said before, you should make sure to get plenty of rest.”

“I will, and thank you again for your hospitality, Moondancer. I’ll make sure to pay you back for your kindness when I’m able to get back on my feet,” you assured.

With a nod, Moondancer left the room and turned off the light. Letting out a sigh from today’s experience, you closed your eyes so you could drift off to sleep. Though it’s only been nearly a whole day since you got here, you can already tell this brand new life was an improvement over the old one you had.