Some time later.

Well, it is Magic lesson again. I could go somewhere, but I decided to stay with the class. I don't really have much to do, and I don't think I should leave Moonshine either. She's been... kinda clumsy. I don't know what is going on, but I think something isn't right with her today. Can't say what, though. Anyway, I'll try to do whatever it takes to help her.

Anyway, everyone is warming up. Even magic requires some warming up. It is done by lifting a small thing and playing with it for some time. I don't know how it works, though. Maybe the teacher explained it someday, but I didn't listen as my magic works pretty well by itself.

Also, we aren't doing this outside but in the same hall we used for Physical Culture. Yeah, it's rather cold, and I remember that magic is on the peak of it's power when a pony doesn't feel anything bad.

Moonshine was playing with two rocks at a time, making them circle around herself and, occasionally, me. She was humming a tune to herself while watching her rocks fly. She picked another, and now three of them flied around us. And... is that a heart shape she's making? Uh... kinda cheesy.

She lifted more and more rocks, coming to simultaneously using ten.

"Careful, you don't want to overexert yourself." our teacher Icicle warned her.

Moonshine, however, didn't listen. She lifted more and more rocks. Suddenly, she winced, her horn made sparks, and rocks became loose, flying in all directions.

*thump!*

Oh fucking shit! One of them hit my cheek! Ow, that hurts!

*CRASH!*

Here goes one of the windows.

...

Moonshine looks at me, wide-eyed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "You're okay?" her ears folded.

"I... guess." I rubbed my cheek. I guess it must be a bit red right now from that hit. Well... all teeth are in place, thankfully. It still hurts, though.

"Moonshine, I warned you." Icicle said sternly. "I understand that you want to become better with this, but there is no need to overdo it." a gust of wind blew in, making me shiver from the cold. "You've also broken a window." she sighed. She lighted her horn, and the window was repaired in a blink of an eye. Huh, that's a useful spell. "Now, does your horn hurt?"

Moonshine nodded, her cheeks red from shame, and said, "Mh-hmm, a lot."

"You won't be able to levitate anything safely until tomorrow." Icicle replied, frowning. "You better have a rest, filly. Maybe there's something on your mind that made this accident happen."

Moonshine stood up and started walking out of the hall. After a moment, I followed her. I should ask her what is happening with her. It seems she's got something important on her mind... I wonder what it might be.

She exited the hall, and I followed her. Surprisingly for me, she galloped through the empty hall to the cloakroom. I quickly followed her, but she was faster. Moments later, she emerged, and galloped out of the school. Just what is happening to her? I need to make sure she's alright.

Fuck, we both left our saddlebags in the hall!

...

Oh, fuck them, Moonshine is way more important than a bunch of stuff! I can come for it later anyway.

I raced to the locker where I left my stuff in, quickly grabbed everything and put it on, and galloped to the exit. I must hurry or I might lose Moonshine's track, and I want to get to her.

I exited the school and saw Moonshine disappearing into the hostel. I followed her, and soon reached the apartment.

I opened the door and saw Moonshine lying on her bed, her muzzle buried in the pillow. It seems she's... crying.

"Moonshine?" I called quietly and softly, slowly making my way to the bed. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not..." I heard a muffled reply. She rolled so that she was facing me. Her eyes were red and teary. "This day is awful!"

I opened my mouth, but Moonshine didn't let me speak.

"I... I..." she sniffed. "This day is my birthday, and I... I thought... I though that... that today is the day when dreams come true!" she sniffed again. "I... I really tried to do my best, to... to... to show you that I can do something good myself!" she looked at the floor. "I mean, you... You don't have a cutie mark yet, and you're so talented!" she closed her eyes, her body shaking. "You can do so many things! Magic, playing instruments, studying... And... I feel like I'm just... just... bad at everything! You said... You said you don't love me yet. And I... I tried the best I could to become better, just to be as good as you! But I ended up fa-fa-fail-ling!" she let a short cry. "Th-th-this day is s-so hor-r-rible!" she sobbed. "Whatever I do f-f-fails! And and... And I just c-can't do anything r-right! And... you'll never love me i-i-if I d-do not b-become b-better!" and she went into sobbing.

"That's not why I don't love you yet!" I replied. "There... there is a different reason, Moonshine."

"Tell me it!" she shouted, getting up. "T-tell me! W-why c-can't I b-be with you? Y-you act like... like you don't want me to love you! Tell me the reason why!"

"I... I..." I stuttered. The reason for the lack of love is a bit complicated to even try to explain to her. And she'd probably think I'm just messing with her.

"I know why..." she sniffed. "I'm not as good as you!" she jumped, pushed me aside, and ran out of the apartment.

Oh my, what did I get myself into? Um... Crap. That is why I should've told her about myself earlier. Dumb me, I should've told the truth as soon as she confessed her love! Fuck, I am so stupid!

And... it's her birthday today, and I didn't even know. Of course, I just didn't know about it, but I still feel like an ass for not ever asking about this. I mean, she probably knows when mine is since I explicitly stated that at the first day of my stay in Canterlot. I don't know whether she remembers it or not, though...

And it seems I failed to follow Cadance's advice. Fuck... I am fucking dumbshit asshole dickhead! I was so caught up in reading books that I totally forgot the advice!

Anyway, what do I do? How do I present the truth to Moonshine? Will she believe me?

Fuck... But I need to find her. She couldn't have gotten too far away.

Keep yourself together, man.

***

I can't see her anywhere. I doubt she returned to school. There's no hoof marks on the snow leading to the school. But... I think I can see where Moonshine ran away to. I better follow the tracks.

So, she went somewhere in that direction. Ugh, finding her will be hard.

...

Fuck, the trail can't be differed from other ponies'! I am shitty at tracking, yes, and it's no surprise I almost immediately lost it.

Where could Moonshine go? Hm... Totally not to school. She... She probably ran away to her grandfather's house. She didn't have any money with herself, I doubt she'd run to the train station. I just hope I'm lucky enough to find her.

...

What is going on inside her head? What made her so sad? I mean, she's just said everything, but, um, it's been only about a week after her confession. Did she get frustrated because I don't love her back? Could be so... Hell, many teenagers would act like she did. Not all people are reasonable when they're young, and she's... well, ten, as of today. Maybe she really counted on dreams coming true on birthdays, and I'm not going to blame her, I used to think the same. Heck, I'd be sad if my attempts failed. And I was! Though, I was thirteen and that time, and I didn't yell anything. It was just "Oh... okay." and nothing more. Maybe because I feared the girl I loved would think I'm pathetic if... Stop, let's leave that topic out of my thoughts. I moved on.

Alright, where was her grandfather's house? If I remember correctly, a block away or something like that. There... there was a bush, behind which a small door could be found. It never occurred to me that it's strange to have such a door. It's not front entrance, as far as I know.

So, a bush... Most leaves should've already be gone from it. Also, if someone entered through that back door, there's gotta be a trace in the snow right before it.

Wait... I see it! Though, I can also see light coming through the house's windows. Not a dim light but a pretty bright one. Could be that another family moved in?

I walked closer to the house and looked into it through one of the windows. Yep, there's someone else inside. It also looks bright and certainly not dusty. I suppose it's hard to get a house in Canterlot, and that is why this one didn't stand abandoned for long.

Alright, Moonshine is certainly not here. Where might she be? Uh... That log cabin! If she's not there, I doubt I'll ever find her. She could've ran to her friends, and I don't know where her friends live. Yeah...

I need to check that place anyway. What if she's there? I really need to talk to her.

***

No, she's not. The cabin and everything around it is covered in snow, and there is nothing that would show Moonshine being here.

I failed at finding her. I don't know where she is, I don't know when she'll return to the apartment, I don't know anything. The worst thing... This whole crap is mostly my fault. I didn't trust her enough to ease her worries that she's not good enough for me. If I were eight, like really eight, I'd fall in love with her on the spot. Let's face it — I am a human, and yet I find her beautiful and sweet. Not in a romantic way, but still! If I were eight, I would be so happy I'd glow from the inside and smile everywhere I go. I always liked those kind of girls Moonshine is. The thing is, the only reason I don't love her is because I mentally can't because of our age difference. Heck, I'd love to get my memory wiped so that I could be just a foal of my physical age! Maybe not, though... Anyway, somewhere close to it, definitely.

It would've been so much better if either she were older or I were younger, but history doesn't know the word "would", sadly... Well, even if this new life I have is better than the one I lived before becoming a pony, it still has its bad sides.

And... all I have left to do is to go back to the apartment and hope that Moonshine comes back sooner or later. Though... I need to go back to school to grab my stuff. Also, there's an Art class in about an hour from now. Ugh... Life gets complicated sometimes, and it can happen at any time.

Ugh...

I've been sitting on my bed in the apartment for a while after returning. I also got my and Moonshine's stuff from the school.

Moonshine hasn't returned yet, and I'm really worried about her. But there is no way I can find her. Ugh, and all of this could be avoided if I only told her the truth! I'm such an asshole... I can only wait now.

There are twenty minutes before the Art class starts. I hope she comes back in time. But... I doubt she will, she's very sad about this whole day. I really want to do something about it but I can't. I can't find Moonshine, I can't figure out how to reveal the truth to her... Fuck.

Well... I should return to school. I'll figure out something... maybe.

***

The Art class isn't as interesting as I hoped it would be.

Well, it is taught by Dusty Cover, our history teacher. I don't say he does it wrong or in a boring way, no. It's just... basics. Some definitions of things to write down, classification of art, brief earliest history... Nothing that would catch my attention.

And my thoughts were mostly occupied by Moonshine. Where is she? How is she? She hasn't shown up. I just hope she is at one of her friend's, getting warm tea and chocolate. Or maybe she's not there, I think her friends are still at school. Uh...

This day is indeed a mess of crappy things happening to Moonshine.

The lesson had ended, and I returned home. Moonshine is still absent.

...

*sigh*

Bang my head with a stone! Ugh...

...

Wait, there's something lying on the drawers. A piece of paper or something like... Oh, it's a letter. Who's it from?

Huh, it's from Luna. I wonder what she wrote to me.

I opened the letter and started reading it. Let's see...

Uh-huh... She asks me to get to her as soon as possible. I don't know why she needs me but I better make haste. It seems like something important.

Alright, the fastest meaning of transportation is teleportation. Ugh, I hate it... I only teleported, like, twice? Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyway, I didn't feel that good after both of them, so... Ugh, this is one nasty experience. I just hope I don't end up somewhere... somewhere shitty. And I don't want to throw up, too. That'd be embarrassing and disgusting.

So, I prepared myself. Here it comes...

*zzZAP!*

Oh my fucking hell, that's a—

Don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw—

*gulp*

Oh, I managed... Whew... I feel sick, though.

Inhale, exhale... Inhale, exhale... I hate teleportation, I hope it gets better with time.

So, where am I? Uh... Oh, I'm near the Canterlot Castle. I hoped to teleport right in, but it seems my aim is a bit off. Anyway, it's close enough to the intended destination.

Well... Where do I find Luna? Hm... the only place I know I can maybe find her at is that hall we had flying lessons at. Let's go there, then.

So... What could Luna possibly want from me? Does she want me to tell her something about my world? Is it something about my alicorn nature? Well, it could be anything, but the thing is — it's very important. After all, Luna is a much more powerful alicorn than me, she can handle many things by herself. What possibly could be difficult enough for her to call help? Besides, she has no less powerful sister that is much closer to her than I am. All in all, I guess it has something to do with me personally.

Here's that hall. I opened the door and saw Luna sitting on a sofa, frowning.

"I'm glad you came this fast." she said. "Sit. We have something to talk about."

Her voice is a bit... stern. Is she unhappy about me in some way? Wait, could it possibly relate to Moonshine? That's... probably the case.

I took a seat near her and asked, "Why did you call me?"

"Flame, I remember you once told me you have a filly who loves you." Luna said. So, it does have something to do with Moonshine. "Today, I saw her running in the castle, searching for me. She told me she felt like the only pony who could listen to her was I." she sighed. "She told me about her problem. She told me about you." she looked at me. "Did you follow Cadance's advice? From Moonshine's words, she's unhappy about her relationship with you. She said you act like you want to ignore her love. But I'm not making any assumptions yet, I want to hear your side of the story. I know your relationship with her is... complicated, to say the least."

"Um..." I rubbed the back of my neck. Did Moonshine really run all the way here to see Luna? I think she didn't find any of her friends home. "Let's start from the beginning.

"So, this day was kind of... strange from the beginning." I said awkwardly. "No, not like that — it all started on the first lesson at the school." I corrected myself. "Um, we had Physical Culture, and, well, Moonshine was clumsy. She fell twice, and the second time could've hurt her if I didn't catch her. And she's, uh, not clumsy usually, like at all."

I hate explaining stuff, no matter how important it might be. I just do it in so awkward way I feel shame for a long time.

"Then, came the lesson of Magic." I continued. "There, Moonshine used her magic to move simultaneously as many rocks as possible. Um, the magic got out of control, she hurt herself a bit, hit me hard with a stone, and broke a window, all on accident. After that, she left the school when the teacher suggested her to rest for a bit.

"And then... I followed her back home to see if she's okay. There, she spilled out everything. She went on a rant, uh..." how do I say that? "This day is her birthday. She wanted to, um, show that she can do as good as I always do, but she failed every time, and, um, that made her very sad." it came off so awkward I think I've just broken the record of awkwardness and set a new one high above. "I think she believes I don't love her because she's not as good as me. I told her it's not the case, but... I felt it would be stupid to reveal the truth as she wouldn't believe and think that I am making fun of her, and... well, she ran away.

"All of this is partly my fault, I admit it." I claimed. "I... Um, I didn't want love to happen, to be honest. I mean, it is difficult and makes everything so complicated! I think I... I didn't really follow Cadance's advice. I... I'm terrible at this, Luna." I looked at her. "This is so complicated to me, those feelings... Ugh!" I threw my hooves in the air. "And, to make it even worse, I don't even trust Moonshine! I haven't revealed myself, my real self, even after she made her confession that was, um, an ultimate act of trust. I don't trust the one who loves me! I... I do have a reason for that, but... It still makes me feel terrible." it does. "I just want to fix everything between me and Moonshine. Tell her the truth and face it." I sighed sadly. "I wish it was not as complicating and hard to do..."

A few moments passed in silence as Luna processed everything I've just said.

"I get it now." she said. "It is complicated for both of you. She thinks she's bad and that is why you don't love her, and you don't trust her enough to tell her the real reason behind that. And all I can say...

"Even if I know little about how love works, even young love is real and has real feeling behind it. Moonshine is showing you trust and care, and expects you to show at least something. You are confused and don't know what to do, in her eyes doing nothing. I think you need to trust her to solve this problem. Tell her about your real self, and she'll understand."

Well, what else have I left to do?

"Where is she?" I asked. Better do this now.

"In one of the guest's bedrooms." Luna replied, standing up. "Let me lead you there."

***

Here I am, standing at a door, behind which Moonshine is. I am ready to tell the truth, I am ready to reveal myself to her. She's the one pony I can really trust besides Luna. Even if we know each-other for about only two months, I feel like we've formed some sort of a strong bond... I can't describe what it is. From my side, it is maybe friendship. From her side, it's love.

I slowly opened the door and entered the room. Moonshine was sitting on a bed, her mane in a mess, her eyes red from crying. She was looking at me, waiting for me to say anything.

"Moonshine," I said. "I need to tell you something very important."

I am sure my decision to reveal myself, even if a bit rushed, will solve the problems the two of us have.

Author's Notes:

A bit of love drama to spice things up a bit. So, how, do you think, Moonshine's going to react to what Flame is about to reveal?

Also, 444 comments. 222 more and we'll get the most unholy number in the history!