(Ponyville) Lore Looking for Love (Ended)

[Bellosh]

 

“Miss Understudy, huh?” questioned an eagerly-inquisitive Moondancer, shaking Missy’s hoof with her own without bothering to seek any sort of explicit or implicit permission first; “You’re one of Lore’s friends, right? Nice to meet you too!” For the moon-flanked mare, it seemed the natural conclusion that anypony Lore Weaver introduced her to would be a friend of his.

 

Letting go of Miss Understudy’s hoof, Moondancer figured to let Lore’s friend know of their plans; “Lore and I will be going out to lunch in a little bit; my treat to him! You haven’t had any lunch yet, have you Missy?” As if to respond to the white unicorn’s continued questions, Dancer’s belly rumbled out loud for all to hear.

 

“Ehh heh heh, sorry about that,” Moondancer meekly apologized, producing an especially nervous smile; “Well Lore, I’m guess I’m ready when you are.” The young mare headed back towards the checkout area so she could pay for her new book.....

[Lux]

Outside Lore Weaver was calm but inside he felt like he could explode. Both mares were very nice, and each had their own qualities that he liked. Moondancer was energetic while Miss Understudy was more of an introvert. Thankfully both agreed to go to lunch with each other. For now the inevitable decision as to who may be a possible special somepony for him could be delayed.

[colour=#800080]"Well, I'm glad that both of you are joining me for lunch. Moondancer, let me check out your book and then the three of us will get going." [/colour]

[SonicRainboomGirl]

Miss Understudy smiled genuinely as Moondancer shook her hoof. She seemed super friendly and sweet. Missy realized suddenly that she had potentially made two new friends that day, and that in itself was super exciting. The happy smile on her face came from her heart, and she trotted after Moondancer with her stack of books. She was thankful to have a horn, she couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to balance all the books in her hooves or on her back.

[colour=#000080]"I've got lots of books to buy, too! You do have bags to carry these in, though, right?"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

 

Moondancer had only known Miss Understudy for about a minute, and already, the moon-flanked mare judged the other as a potentially-awesome gal. True, Dancer only knew Missy’s name so far, but lunch could easily solve that pesky dilemma! Not to mention that she’d get to know Lore Weaver a bit better too. Speaking of...

 

“Hey Lore,” the white unicorn asked as she brought out some bits and placed them on the counter; “Where do you want to go to lunch by the way? After all, you’re the lucky stallion today, hehe.”

[Lux]

Lore breathed a sigh of relief as he collected the money from Miss Understudy. At best he had the chance to make two new friends. Even better, he could potentially have one friend and a special somepony if he played things correctly. He just had to make sure that whatever he did he did not mess things up.

[colour=#800080]"Oh, right, you'll need a bag for those books. Let me get one for both of you."[/colour]

He produced a paper bag from under the counter and neatly placed the two unicorn's book purchases in them, treating them like they were made of glass.

[colour=#800080]"You know you two," [/colour]Lore said as an idea popped into his mind, [colour=#800080]"You two can leave your books here rather than take them to lunch. I can put them under the counter for safe keeping and you can pick them up after." [/colour]

Speaking of lunch, the purple unicorn then considered where to take the two mares. He didn't want to seem cheap, and taking them somewhere fancy might seem too presumptuous.

[colour=#800080]"Well, there is a nice restaurant called the Clover Leaf Cafe[/colour].[colour=#800080] It's where i usually go [/colour][colour=#800080]for lunch."[/colour]

[SonicRainboomGirl]

Missy was exceedingly excited to get to know Lore Weaver and Moondancer. She was a tad bit more excited to get to know Lore Weaver, but that was to be expected. He called her cute! That had never happened before, and it was extremely exciting!

Missy watched as Moondancer payed for her books, and she too pulled a few bits out and put them on the counter. She had already done the math in her head as to how much the books would add up to. She wasn't very good at math generally, but this time she'd been lucky. At Lores suggestion, Missy smiled.

[colour=#000080]"That's a great idea! Thank you!"[/colour]

She replied, knowing that her books would be safer if she simply left them with Lore. He was, after all, a stallion who was very good at caring for books. Missy had never been to the Clover Leaf Cafe that Lore mentioned either, but she was excited to visit. Walking out the door, she looked to Moondancer and Lore and smiled.

[colour=#000080]"I'd say we're ready to go!"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

 

Lore Weaver had a pretty brilliant idea thought Moondancer, keeping her and Missy’s bag at the store so they needn’t lug them around; “Great idea Lore! Wouldn’t it have stunk if my lunch somehow messed up my new book, heh heh heh?” After a round of nervous giggling, the white unicorn indicated her willingness to head out. “Me too!” cried out the young mare as she followed the other ponies outside, animatedly pointing her foreleg in a random direction without any regard to where the restaurant actually was; “You uhhhhh.......... lead the way!”

[Lux]

[colour=#800080]"Alright then, two bags for two mares," [/colour]Lore said as he helped place the purchases inside.

The stallion then levitated the bags under the counter, keeping a memory of where they were for when they returned. So far all was going well with meeting Moon Dancer and Miss Understudy. Both appeared to be potential good friends both with him and each other. That was something he worried about, the two not getting along with each other, but so far things were fine on that end. There was still the idea Lore had that perhaps one of the two mares could be the elusive special somepony in his life, but the trick was to figure out who, if any of the two, was the one.

[colour=#800080]"Alright then, let's head out," [/colour]Lore said holding the door open with his magic until the two mares exited.

When all was cleared, he hung the sign on the door which read "Out to Lunch." The stallion chuckled a little as he wondered if some ponies upon reading that sign thought he was having a day where his brain was not working right.

[colour=#800080]"Ok, let's go this way," [/colour]he said pointing a hoof towards the right, [colour=#800080]"And I can give you a tour along the way." [/colour]

Lore thought about how to tell which pony liked him as a friend or who liked him more than that without just coming out and saying it. He decided the best thing to do was to investigate like a scientist or a detective from a mystery novel. He would find the truth with logic!

[Bellosh]

 

And so it was time to begin the tour, although Moondancer honestly would have preferred grabbing some lunch first. How can somepony appreciate sightseeing when they’re traveling on a half-empty stomach? “I don’t mean to be a whiner,” interjected the young mare, pausing mid-sentence as her belly growled once again; “But maybe the tour can wait another time? I really really need some grub now... I’m staariving.” Hopefully for Moony, Lore Weaver would take the hint. Trying to soften her complaints with an embarrassed smile, the white unicorn figured she'd eat anything at this rate.

 

A few moments later, Moondancer found a conversation topic to make up for the loss of the tour; "So Lore, how's it like for you living in Ponyville? While I don't see myself living here anytime soon, everypony I know who's moved here has never said a bad word about this town ever! So, what's the secret behind Ponyville's... errrr..... awesomeness?"

[Lux]

At the mentioning of giving a tour, Lore could see that Moondancer was not very keen on doing so. Clearly she had something else on her mind, finding food. He couldn't help but giggle when her stomach growled in protest to going on the tour as she tried to explain the situation.

[colour=#800080]"That's ok. We can do the tour on the way back if you want. It looks like you're ready to eat a book!" [/colour]

Suddenly the stallion's stomach growled indicating his growing hunger. It wasn't as nearly as strong as Moon's was but still he knew that it would only get worse the longer he delayed.

[colour=#800080]"Heh, looks like I'm hungry too," [/colour]he aid sheepishly.

Luckily for the two, especially in Moondancer's case, the Clover Cafe was just a short trot away. In the meantime, Lore looked forward to getting to know this pony more.

[colour=#cc0033]"So Lore, how's it like for you living in Ponyville? While I don't see myself living here anytime soon, everypony I know who's moved here has never said a bad word about this town ever! So, what's the secret behind Ponyville's... errrr..... awesomeness?"[/colour]

[colour=#800080]"Well, it's a little different from living where I used to be in Canterlot. Everything in that city seems so fast paced but here things move slower. It's also quieter here too. You're right that not many bad things go on here, except for some creatures that appear from the Everfree Forest, but that's expected seeing how close this place is. As for the secret, I don't really know. I think ponies are just as friendly in Canterlot as they are here. Maybe there's something in the water! Anyway, how's living in Canterlot? It's been a while since I came back to my home city." [/colour]

[Bellosh]

 

Thankfully it turned out Lore Weaver’s stomach shared the same disposition as Moondancer’s, ensuring that the time for lunch was soon at hoof. And as it turned out, Lore came from Canterlot too! By the sound of it, the stallion didn’t seem to revile living in the capital like the friend Moony was supposed to visit later, so that was good to hear as well. Maybe once they sat down, the white unicorn could ask what prompted Mr. Weaver to pull up his old stakes and move to Ponyville.

 

“Oh, Canterlot is as great as ever,” Moondancer described how her home town was doing; “I don’t think all that much as changed since you were there last, with maybe except for a couple of new nightclubs near CU-” suddenly, another stomach grumble came from the young mare; “Eh, sorry Lore!”

[Lux]

[colour=#800080]"Oh that's nice," [/colour]Lore said reminiscing about his time as a foal walking the streets of Canterlot, [colour=#800080]"I really need to get back there someday." [/colour]

Before he could ask what she likes about Moondancer and how long she's lived there, the mare's stomach let out a growl in protest, as if it wanted the two of them to do nothing but go to the cafe. Moondancer seemed a little embarrassed about the situation that his stomach was interrupting their time.

[colour=#800080]"That's ok. I know times when my stomach seems to have a mind of its own when I'm hungry. Anyway, we're actually here!"[/colour]

The two stood outside a small building sporting a sign with a four leaf clover on it. Outside there were several wooden tables with hay bales as seats. Inside there were a few more seats in case of bad weather.

[colour=#800080]"Welcome to the Clover Cafe. It's not very fancy but it's where I go often. So would you like to sit outside or inside?" [/colour]

[Bellosh]

 

Thankfully for the two hungry ponies, they managed to arrive at the Clover Café without any incident. For a couple seconds, Moondancer simply stared at the place which looked more... simple than the types of restaurants she was accustomed to back at Canterlot. Back there, it would have been a severe faux pas for a restaurant to use hay bales for seating instead of real chairs. Moony though didn’t think of it as a deal breaker though; she can easily get used to it.

 

Gathering her wits, the moon-flanked mare quickly trotted over to one of the few available tables outside. “I think eating outside will be good today,” Moondancer offered, taking a look at the clear sky above to confirm her opinion; “Weather seems nice enough, right?” With most of the other outdoor tables occupied, it seemed that most of the other lunch-eaters agreed with the white unicorn.....

[Lux]

For a moment Lore wondered if this was a good idea, taking Moondancer to the Clover Cafe. Granted this wasn't the fanciest of restaurants that was in Ponyville, but it was a place where he frequented and where he knew the food was great. Plus the Clover Cafe was actually the closest to where the bookstore was, and due to Moon's stomach growling in protest he thought the closest was the best in this case.

[colour=#0000cd]"Ok, it's outdoors then," [/colour]he said taking a seat on the one hay bale where Moon chose. So far he couldn't tell exactly if Moon was interested in being a friend with him or something more. Part of him wanted to straight out ask rather than playing a game of mental chess, but that would really be too direct and had a big chance of backfiring. He decided the best way would be to play it simple and try to get to know more about her. He tried to think about something that wasn't too personal but something that he got to know more about her.

[colour=#0000cd]"So, Moon, you said that your talent is related to teleporting and the moon, but how exactly did you get your cutie mark if i may ask?" [/colour]

[Bellosh]

 

Once Moondancer got around to sitting down, Lore Weaver expressed curiosity over how the young mare got her cutie mark. Ever cheerful, Moony freely relied the most important story of her early life; “Well, it’s actually a funny story. You see when I was a little filly, my mom and dad got me this beginner’s book about magic one birthday. I was fascinated by magic even back then, and I didn’t want to do anything but practice tricks all day. However, I really loved doing magic tricks at night too… I also loved staying up late back then too… geez, I don’t know, the night always seemed so uhhhhh..... mystical to me, or something.”

 

“Anyway, one time I snuck out to Clover Park after bedtime, these two guards caught me in the middle of practicing. I was sooooo scared they’d tell my parents and I’d like, be grounded. But those guys thought my levitation tricks were neat, so they promised not to talk if I never broke curfew again. Somehow, something clicked when I got back home; I felt as if I needed to be doing that sort of thing for the rest of my life. I slept on it, and when I woke up… BAM! New cutie mark!”

 

Thinking she may have dragged on a bit long, Moondancer offered a cheesy apology; “I didn’t drone on for too long, did I Lore?”

[Lux]

As Lore Weaver listened to Moondancer's story about getting her cutie mark, he couldn't help but get lost in her voice which to him sounded like music and those bright purple eyes that stared back at him. The more he got to know her, the more he saw the greater possibilities of her being his special somepony. After all she was smart, kind, funny, a capable pony with magic, and cute. It was everything that he could see in a mare to get to know more.

"Huh," Lore suddenly said as he heard his named called and in his mind assumed related to her asking what he thought of her, "Yeah, that was a nice story about getting your mark. Oh you don't have to worry, I like you too."

Something in his mind went off like an alarm clock, making him realize that maybe he shouldn't have said that, placing how he felt before her like that. It was no use trying to undo what he said. As he embarrassingly looked at his menu, he hoped the mare somehow didn't recognize what he said.

[Bellosh]

 

Upon witnessing Lore Weaver’s second slip-up of the day, Moondancer perked up an eye. She was no dummy, and it became all too evident to the young mare again that Lore Weaver was one of those stallions. The violet unicorn clearly had a crush on Moony, but was obviously too afraid to be upfront about the whole matter. Sadly for Lore, the mare didn’t feel any sort of romantic chemistry between the two of them; the moon-flanked mare just couldn’t see him period as a potential coltfriend.

 

Now then, Moondancer had the task of politely informing Lore Weaver that she didn’t feel the same way. By now, the white unicorn had plenty of experience giving stallions the hint, and she knew all too well that now was the best time to do so before the stallion became too invested with his infatuation. Time for her usual course of action, which she didn’t waste any time in implementing! “Tehehe,” Moony giggled through a smile that may have been a tiny bit too forced, but only just barely; “You make a pretty awesome friend too, Lore.”

 

Step #2 of Moondancer’s plan: a complete change of subject before Lore got a chance to mull too much on her hint. “So, what do you think I should order off the menu?”

[Lux]

This was it, the final decision that Lore Weaver had been dancing around the moment that he spoke with the mare now sitting across the table from him. He knew this was inevitable and guessed that maybe this slip of the tongue was his mind trying to pull him out of his comfort zone and speak what he felt. Now came the time that he would know the truth. Would the unicorn accept his offer of a relationship, reject it for something else, or completely reject him?

“You make a pretty awesome friend too, Lore.”

Lore could feel his heart sink as Moondancer in one sentence and a cheery smile dismissed the entire notion of and romantic attachment. Before he could think or say anything the unicorn suddenly asked about the menu.

"Oh... um... the menu? Er... I like the bread bowl salads here."

He paused as his mind was trying to process what had happened.

"Guess you think I'm a silly stallion now, trying to jump into a relationship with you like that. I hope you aren't mad or anything like that."

[Bellosh]

 

Lore Weaver’s meal suggestion sounded quite suitable for Moondancer; “Then that’s what I’ll have too.” If the young mare had been completely lucky, her lunch partner would have used this chance to move on as if nothing awkward had never occurred. The thing was, Moony usually didn’t completely luck out in such situations, and she clearly noticed that a sudden sullenness befell Lore now that Moony made it clear that she didn’t share his feelings in return.

 

But no matter what, Moondancer never got mad at stallions (and even the unoccasional mare) whenever they got a crush on her she couldn’t return. However, the white unicorn did experience disappoint whenever somepony couldn’t be entirely upfront about their intentions. On a few occasions in the past, she would befriend a stallion only to be told out of the blue that what the stallion really wanted all along was a relationship. It was even more disappointing whenever after the “let’s be friends” routine, such stallions vanished from her life; it was as if they couldn’t even value her as a friend without the promise of a future relationship. To be blunt, such rejections of friendship made Moondancer feel used… if only until time spent with her true true friends cheered her up.

 

Enough about the past, though. Lore Weaver may have struck out today, but it didn’t mean he needed to feel stupid when finding dates. “Nah, we’re cool,” Moondancer casually explained; “But maybe next time Lore, like, don’t be ashamed to admit your feelings. Girls like confidence, you know.” Giving the other unicorn a playful wink, Moony at the very least could appreciate Lore not trying to pretend that nothing was weird. Maybe they’d still have a friendship by the end of the day.

 

An especially loud stomach grumble from the moon-flanked unicorn made her fear that she wouldn't last the day. Where was the waaaaaaiter....?

[Lux]

Lore Weaver waited intently for Moondancer's reply. With his feelings out of the bag he didn't know how the white unicorn might respond. While he felt a little hurt at the fact that their relationship had fizzled before it got started, the pony sitting across from him seemed calm about it. It could have been that she was used to the advances of stallions seeking to be her special somepony. After all, Moon was a pretty and smart mare, one that stallions would be crazy not to get to know.

“Nah, we’re cool,” Moondancer casually explained; “But maybe next time Lore, like, don’t be ashamed to admit your feelings. Girls like confidence, you know.”

Lore breathed a sigh of relief. While there was no doubt in his mind that this was an awkward moment for both of them, Moondancer at least was encouraging to the stallion.

"Yeah, that's good to know. Guess I was a little scared of coming off as a creepy pony if I suddenly told you how I felt when you entered the store. You know, I have been surrounded by books and knowledge all my life and yet despite the things that I know there are certain things that I'm in the dark about. I guess relationships are one of those things. But I'm glad you aren't nervous and I'd like to get to know you more, maybe not as a special somepony but as a friend if that's ok with you."

As he waited for her reply, a waitress pony arrived to take their order, and not a moment too soon. Moondancer looked hungry enough to eat the table in front of her!

[Bellosh]

 

Moondancer would have said something back, but the waitress came by right then to take their orders. Not thinking she really really had much more to say on the subject anyway, the young mare nodded at Lore Weaver before asking for a bread bowl salad and a glass of water. Once Lore got his order in as well, the waitress left the two alone once more.

 

“So Lore,” Moony asked, wanting to discuss something else while they waited for their meals; “...If you got exiled alone on a desert island and could only bring five items with you, what would they be?” An off-the-wall question perhaps, but a free spirit liked Moondancer always loved to pull that sort of thing off....

[Lux]

Lore waited to see if Moondancer would reply to what he said about his problems of romance while the two ordered their meals. To his surprise, the mare simply let the matter drop. In reality, the stallion was happy with this as dwelling upon it would ultimately make things more awkward than it was now. At least Lore could see Moon as a friend, one that he could hopefully know more as time passed.

“So Lore, If you got exiled alone on a desert island and could only bring five items with you, what would they be?”

"Wow, that has to be the strangest question I've been asked. Ok, let's see. Um... I'd have to take a book so that I wouldn't be driven insane. Probably a fruit tree if it could stay alive, and some stationary to write things. Oh and my bed, because that's the softest thing ever to sleep on. As for the fifth thing, I'd want to have a friend with me, even though I wouldn't want them exiled. So how about you? What would you want to bring?"

[Bellosh]

 

Moondancer thought long and hard before she answered the question herself; “Let’s see… I’d get a banana tree for food, a bowl to collect rainwater, a hammock to tie around two palm tree trunks, the thickest and most comprehensive spellbook there is so I can practice magic… and finally, a crystal ball so I could spy on the world beyond. Assuming I got a friend or two to get them too, we could use the seeing stones to communicate from afar without dragging my friends over to the island. That sounds like a good plan, right Lore?”

 

By this time, the moon-flanked unicorn could just see the waitress starting to come back with the food. Either service was really quick, or Moony really took too long to think of an answer.....

[Lux]

Lore Weaver smiled as Moondancer seemed to have a similar plan to his. There were even some things that he did not consider like the crystal ball.

"You know that sounds like a great plan," Lore said as the food arrived, "Looks like we have similar ideas. But you're not thinking about moving away to some unknown island are you?"

With that the stallion grinned, knowing that this was just an icebreaker rather than her actual plans to do so.As he munched on his salad, the purple unicorn thought about something to ask her. The awkwardness of how he acted before started to fade, but Lore didn't want to make anymore mistakes like that as he at least wanted to keep his friendship with the mare intact.

"Ok, if you could do three things in your life if money, time, or abilities didn't matter, what would they be?"

[Bellosh]

 

"You know that sounds like a great plan. Looks like we have similar ideas. But you're not thinking about moving away to some unknown island are you?"

 

The young mare pretended to ponder deeply for a moment, while in fact waiting for the food to get served first. Once the waitress left again, Moondancer finally provided an answer; “Ehhh, not a chance. I couldn’t withstand being that lonely… no, I’m not kidding at all; I really couldn’t!” For the briefest of moments, one could have spied a look of fear on Moony’s face as she seriously contemplated her most dreaded doomsday scenario; being away from other ponies in cold isolation.

 

"Ok, if you could do three things in your life if money, time, or abilities didn't matter, what would they be?"

 

That grimace swiftly passed away as Moondancer dug into her salad, eating like a complete slob out of her need to tell her stomach who’s boss. She did take time however to answer the next question in between swallow.; “Hmmmm… hmmmmmmmm,” thinking about the future was something the white unicorn didn’t do all that often, preferring to live in the now; “I’d become a super-duper expert on unicorn magic… I’d make a stage production out of teleportative dance; you know, instead of showing off only at clubs, like, make it really pretty and all so others can be impressed… or maybe I could go around the world solving problems with magic; something like that. Anything so that my abilities don’t go all to waste; there’s not much a girl in Equestria like me can do with my gifts other than become a magic instructor one day…”

 

“So yeah... what would you do, Lore.....?”