Nightshade

About two months had passed since Nightshade had spoken to Lucky. After the night when she had chided him for his advances he stopped coming out in the open to talk as he had been recently. She wasn’t really surprised by it, as it had been her intention to get him to back off in the first place. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little remorse for treating him like that.

Nightshade had begun spending more time with Misty, having lunch with her in Ponyville, or just taking strolls and chatting, on an almost daily basis. She enjoyed catching up with her friend after being isolated for so long a time.

Currently, they were taking a walk through Ponyville, just making small talk.

“Oh! Did I tell you a got a promotion with the weather team recently?” Misty asked jovially, attempting to break a lull in the conversation. “I get to work with the clouds now, no more weather factory for me!... Well, that is if Rainbow Dash finds my technique good enough for the job. Ohhh, I really don’t wanna have to go back to mixing rainbows again.”

Nightshade had been silent for a few moments, deep in thought. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’ve always been a great flyer,” Nightshade assured her. “Sorry I’m not all here, my mind’s just been elsewhere today for some reason.”

“Is it anything you want to talk about?” Misty offered.

Nightshade stopped walking and gazed at the ground for a moment, digging at it with her hoof nervously.

“I don’t know really, it’s just... I wonder if I did the right thing,” she finally responded.

“About what?’ Misty questioned, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“I mean, should I have been so rude to Lucky? He’s never done anything to hurt me, even if he seems a bit creepy. I mean, I know what it’s like to be misunderstood. I just don’t want to make him feel the way that other ponies have made me feel in the past.”

Misty sat down on a nearby bench and motioned for Nightshade to join her. Nightshade sat next to her while she appeared to be lost in her thoughts.

“Well, what is your conscience telling you?” Misty replied after a few moments.

Nightshade shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, obviously it’s giving me doubts about it. I just feel like I could have told him to back off without literally telling him to back off like I did.”

Misty smiled.

“Then it’s not really my place to disagree is it? You have to do what your gut tells you to, or else that feeling will never go away.”

“I guess, but I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to do about it,” Nightshade grumbled, slightly agitated that Misty wasn’t giving her the definite answer she wanted. “I just wanted a second opinion is all.”

Nightshade got back up from the bench and Misty followed as they continued their walk.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out when the time comes, but for now let’s talk about something else, yeah? Have you ever...”

Nightshade’s mind went back into her own thoughts as Misty continued rambling. She felt like Misty was purposefully avoiding the subject, almost like there was something she didn’t want Nightshade to know.  It was probably nothing, but she still wondered why Misty wouldn’t give her a straight answer to her question.

Maybe she does know more than she’s letting on. Regardless, she’s right, if I don’t do something about it this nagging feeling isn’t going to go away. Now I just gotta figure out what to do exactly.

Later that day, back at her home, Nightshade continued pondering over what to do about her situation. Her gut was telling her that she had gone about doing what she did all wrong, but it wasn’t telling her what to do to remedy it.

I can’t just go apologize to him, he’ll probably get the wrong idea and think I’m hitting on him or something... I don’t really see what else I’m supposed to do though. He’s the one that I wronged so I’m going to have to talk to him.

I keep telling Misty that he’s never done anything but help me, but I still find myself wondering whether that’s really true. Maybe I’ve just stopped him from doing something before...

But then why would he have helped me when I was being... robbed. That’s it. If he’s supposed to guard me all day every day then why did that stallion even have a chance to hurt me? Shouldn’t Lucky have stopped him the second I got dragged into the alley? Come to think of it, that stallion did manage to take a few things from my bags that night, and I never got them back.

I bet he let that pony start taking things just so he could take them for himself without being noticed once he stopped him.

The more Nightshade continued thinking about it, the more paranoid she became. Had all these possibilities really been sitting right under her nose this whole time? She kept realizing and inventing new ways that Lucky might have been trying to take advantage of her all along.

Letting a stallion bash her head in so he could rummage her saddlebags, following her afterwards to case her home for more loot, trying to take advantage of her emotional state. Everything appeared as evidence of Lucky having malicious intent.

Nightshade’s anger grew with every new idea and possibility. She brooded over these thoughts for what seemed like hours, never running out of things to be suspicious of.

I bet Lucky’s nothing but a common criminal, using his title of night guard as cover. That whole story about Princess Luna and guarding me is probably just an excuse to stalk my every move. If I ever see him again I swear to Celestia he is going to get an earful. I’ll reveal him for what he really is.