Nocturnal

Flim woke with a start to find a very serious looking elderly mare in front of him.  Blushing, he wiped the drool from his chin and shyly closed the book he had fallen asleep on.  The Earth Pony grabbed the book from him, and with a huff, pointed him to the exit of the Manehatten Public Library.

The yellow Unicorn shook his brother and they left the building, both of them pondering where to go next.  They had no house and now no source of income.  Flam decided the nearest bar would do for the night.  Maybe he and his brother could drink themselves into unconsciousness before being kicked out by the staff.

As the brothers entered the Stallion's Kick Bar, Flim ruffled his coat and pushed his long, unkempt red mane from over his eyes.  The bar was relatively drab for a city the size and stature of Manehatten, but it was all they could afford after their business died.  Flam made his way to the washroom, and Flim scanned the crowd, looking for anypony who might take mercy on his pitiful position.  Seeing none, he then turned his gaze to the bar.  Having three bits on hand, he sat on a stool, dropping his saddlebag to the floor.  He ordered a Cider, and it was served to him a moment later.

Flim looked to his left side to find a solemn looking dark grey Pegasus with a deep crimson mane and the cutie mark of a dark splotch of some sort staring into a mug.

"Any luck?"

Shadow Star looked up from his drink at the speaker, and sized him up.  It was a Unicorn of a light yellow coat and red mane. He was wearing a black and white striped shirt and a peculiar straw hat was perched on his head.  "What are you talking about?" Shadow Star said while trying to feign a look of disinterest at the seemingly lavish attire.

The Unicorn took a long swig from his own mug and scooted to a seat next to Shadow Star.  He looked up and smiled, showing a perfect set of pearl colored teeth.  "I've done enough traveling in my time to notice somepony else who's traveling.  I also can't help but notice when somepony's looking for something.  So I'm going to ask you this.  What are you looking for, and will it turn a profit?"  The pony winked at Shadow Star, and leaned back in his stool.

Regarding this pony suspiciously, Shadow Star replied with a shake of his head.  "Why should I tell you?  I don't even know you!"  He hopped off the stool, paid the barkeep, and started for the door, flinging his saddlebag across his shoulders.

The cream Unicorn followed.  "Ah!  Where are my manners?"  He gave an exasperated sigh, and leapt in front of Shadow Star, extending his right hoof.  "My name's Flim.  My brother and I used to run a Cider Business, and now are saving up to start a traveling salespony cart, selling various items to ponies who can afford them."

Shadow Star didn't take the hoof.  Instead he inquired, "What happened to your business?"

Flim's eyes looked a bit angry, but quickly went back to the smiling tone they were before.  "Nothing,"  he said.  "Just ran into a bad patch that led to near bankruptcy.  We had to give it up.  But we're not talking about me.  We're talking about you!  What are you looking for?"

Shadow Star's eyes turned sad.  "Myself," he stated quietly.  "I'm afraid my searching is of purely sentimental value.  I was orphaned, you see.  I'm looking for my family."  He shot an angered look at the black mark on his flank.  "Hell, I don't even know what this thing is supposed to mean!  I have no idea where I'm supposed to go, or what I'm supposed to do."  Shadow Star looked up at Flim.  "I'm not entirely sure you could help."

Flim stroked his chin in contemplation, muttering, "I see, I see.  My, that is quite the predicament."  His stance changed suddenly, and Flim's face shot up to meet Shadow Star's.  "I have an idea! Tell me, how much money do you have?  Go on, be quick about it!"

Shadow Star looked at the saddlebag draped across his back.  He had two bits left  "None of your business."  He began to worry about how this conversation was going.  The Unicorn felt like the unsavory sort, and Shadow Star considered making a rush for the door.

Flim went back to the bar, and picked up his own saddlebag from it's place at the foot of his first seat.  He rummaged around the contents and pulled out a small coin purse.  "I have with me thirty bits.  That should get you around.  To the Canterlot area, maybe.  There you can either find work, or continue your search.  Either way, I wish you the best of luck!"

Dumbfounded by this act of generosity, Shadow Star walked to Flim and gingerly took the coin purse, tucking it into his saddlebag.  "I don't know what to say.  I doubt a simple 'Thank You' will suffice.

"Think nothing of it!"  But then Flim added with a smile and a wink,  "But if you come into any inheritance or a position of power, it might do well to remember this night."  He started to walk back to the bar.  "The names Flim, but you would probably find me better by finding my older brother.  His name is Flam.  Can you remember that?"

Shadow Star stopped at the door and pulled a battered notebook and a dull pencil out of his saddlebag.  "Flim and Flam," he muttered to himself as he rubbed the pencil head against the weathered paper.  "It has a nice ring to it.  You guys should put on a show.  You any good with that?"  Shadow Star pointed to the horn protruding from under Flim's hat.

Flim chuckled.  "Not nearly good enough," he said.  "Besides, magic shows are getting harder to compare to.  There's tell of a mare who runs a fabulous show, and nopony will pay to see anypony but her.  No, I'm not cut out for magic tricks, or much other work."

"Look, if you're in financial trouble..." was as far as Shadow Star got before Flim stopped him.

"Don't think of this as a gift.  This is an investment."  Flim looked down and inspected his hoof.  "I'm simply deciding to hinge my bets on you instead of a casino.  I expect a big payoff from this one."  He looked at his brother, who upon exiting the bathroom was engaged in trying to con a few bits out of other patrons in the bar.  "Hopefully, my brother will understand, though I'm not hopeful."

Shadow Star headed back towards the door.  He stopped, turned around, and said, "Well, thank you, again.  Rest assured, I won't forget this."

"You might try Ponyville."  Flim said.  "It's near Canterlot, and a friend of mine says that the houses there are cheap, the neighbors are neighborly, and it's a quiet little town."  Flim then added with a smile,  "It also has quite the library I hear.  Good place for research."

As Flim watched the Pegasus exit the door, he felt a warm feeling in his chest.  Good deeds feel nice,  he thought.  Flim turned around and spotted his brother walking toward him.  The warm feeling was quickly replaced with fear.

This was going to end badly for him.

As Flam neared, he said, "Alright, Flim.  There's no money to be gotten here.  It's time to break open the discretionary funds and hit Las Pegasus.  Where's the coin?"

Flim gulped.  "Well, y-you see..." he stuttered, "The strangest thing happened.  There was this Pegasus, and he seemed to be pretty down on his luck, so I, uh, gave him the betting money."  Flim gave a sheepish smile as his brother started bearing down on him.  "It was an investment!"  Flim stammered.

"You gave him the betting money..."  A deep purple vein started to show in Flam's neck.  "You gave him the betting money, and called it an investment!?  I hope you invested in a company that makes false teeth too, because you're going to be needing them for the rest of your life!"  Flam drove his hoof into his brother's jaw, sending him flying onto a heavily occupied table.  A number of patrons stood automatically, a murderous intent in their eyes as they were angered over their spilled drinks.

Shadow Star put the bit in his mouth and crunched down.  It didn't bend, warp, or tarnish in any way.  So it was real then.  That was good.  It wasn't that he didn't trust the odd pony in the bar who had put him in this position of new-found prosperity, it was that he didn't trust Anypony.  If life had taught him anything, it was that any random acts of kindness should be accepted, but scrutinized in private later for falsehoods.

Shadow Star had bought a map at a store near the bar, and had opted for walking/flying to Canterlot instead of traveling by train.  This way, he could also stop by Ponyville on the way.  Shadow Star had found this Inn on an abandoned stretch of road, and decided to stay the night.  As he examined his surroundings, he sighed.  It was a happy sigh, free of exasperation.  The hotel room he was currently in could have been the Ritz compared to some of his previous sleeping arrangements.  Though by no means was it costly, it had the most lavish bed he had slept in for years.  He flopped down on the coverings and scrutinized the boring white ceilings or the red paisley walls.

He enjoyed it.  Every moment of looking at the absurd walls made him feel happy.  The sky made him happy.  The old creaky floorboards made him happy.  The only thing making him even remotely unhappy was the loud couple in the next room.

But he could do something about that.  He left his room and walked down the stairs to the main reception and dining hall, even though it was little more than a counter with a register perched on top.  In the middle of the room was also an old oak table and matching chairs.

"Supper's in a few minutes, hun."

Shadow Star turned around to find the owner of the quaint establishment looking at him from over the counter.  "It's dumpling night tonight.  You're in for a treat."  The elderly, white coated mare smiled at him.

"Ah,"  Shadow Star said.  "How much will that cost me?"

The mare chuckled.  "Food's free.  Not just for anypony paying for a room.  It's free for all.  But I do tend to give the paying ponies first dibs on seconds."  She gave him a wink, and flipped a sign on top of the table.  Letters were painted on it so that it read  'Holler if you need service.'  The old mare walked into the kitchen, were the sound of trays and various other cooking supplies could be heard.

Shadow Star went to the inn's library too look for something to pass the time.  A particular title caught his attention, and he pulled the book out of the shelf, careful not to disturb the books around it.  The book he had chosen was labeled Nocturnal:  Mare's Tale, or Truth?  He sat on a nearby couch and turned on the reading lamp.  As he cracked open the book to the first page, he couldn't help but notice the lack of any dust on the book.  By no means was it new, but it had obviously been read recently.  He started reading the first lines.

There is much speculation as to the existence of the figure, Nocturnal.  This figure was supposedly Nightmare Moon's greatest asset, and is rumored to have a portion of her personal magic imbued within him/her, causing him/her to live almost indefinitely.  Whether this pony really existed is not the topic of this book.  This book was written to tell you the facts and allow you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions on the authenticity of the character.

Fact 1.  There have been hundreds of reports of ponies, all matching the description of the character in several speculative books written over the past millennium.  From Saddle Arabia to the Griffon Nations, Nocturnal has been sighted countless times, always wearing his/her traditional armor that was supposedly created in the same fashion as Nightmare Moon's herself, though much less regal.  None of these reports seem to be able to agree on what Nocturnal was, though.  Some claim he/she was an Earth Pony, while others claim this figure to be a Pegasus, and yet others called him/her a Unicorn.

Fact 2.  At each of these Nocturnal sightings, an item of magical importance was reportedly stolen.  In some events, it was an amulet enchanted by a pony such as StarScroll the Bearded and had been used in the war by either side.  In others, it was magical vestiges of Nightmare Moon's Empire.  The last Nocturnal sighting was in the Royal Castle at Canterlot.  Supposedly, the 'mythical' figure was caught stealing the Elements of Harmony from their resting place in the vault at the center of the castle.  Before capture, Nocturnal is said to have committed suicide by magic, despite being portrayed as an Earth Pony.  Nocturnal's features were scarred beyond recognition or identification, and the body was burnt by Princess Celestia's court wizard.

"Dumplings are ready.  Get them while they're hot."

Shadow Star closed the book and walked to the table where the mare was dishing soup into bowls and placing dumplings on plates next to them.  Shadow Star took a seat and looked up to see the young unicorn couple from the room next to his come down.  Both looked rather bedraggled and flustered, constantly casting awkward glances in each others direction.  Shadow Star turned his attention back to the mare serving food, who mouthed the word Honeymooners at him and smiled.  Shadow Star returned her smile and looked at his food.

It looked absolutely appetizing.  It was a potato stew with carrots and celery, and dumplings on the side for dipping.  There was a bowl of cheese with tongs sticking from the edge for serving.  As Shadow Star savored the heavenly smell emanating from his food, a glass of milk was passed in front of him.  He looked up and saw that the mare was doing the same for everyone.  Shadow Star picked up the tongs and gave his stew a slight coating of cheese.

The food was delicious, and after the plates were cleared Shadow Star went up to the counter where the mare was packing up the cash register.  "May I borrow this for the night?"  he asked, holding up the copy of Nocturnal:  Mare's Tale, or Truth for her to see.  "It's really rather interesting, and I'd like to read more before bed."

The mare looked up and chuckled.  "That one.  Sure.  People are allowed to take whatever they want out of the library all they want, as long as they don't check out with books checked out.  This one's been real popular lately.  They say Nightmare's due to return this year at the Summer Sun Celebration.  Philosophers keep claimin' all sorts of crazy stuff though, so I pay them no attention."  She closed the register and started to turn out the lights.  Before she went to her room, she called out behind her,  "Sleep well."

Shadow Star cantered up the steps and entered his rooms doorway.  "Goodnight to you, too,"  he called back.  He closed the door, turned on the bedside lamp, and delved deeper into the speculative book.