When I was a young filly, I watched my parent’s murder, with my own eyes. They’d broke into our home, the racist scum that fills Canterlot. My parents hid me in the armoire we’d kept in the kitchen. My father tried to deter them, but ultimately failed, as they beat him to death, it was slow, and brutal. He looked at me, keeping constant eye contact the whole time. Telling me not to move, to stay where I was. I watched his eyes roll back into his head, and his body go limp. I heard my mother scream as they dragged her out, and raped her. I wept, as I watched them violate my mother, right next to my father’s corpse. I couldn’t look away, and after what seemed like hours, they finished with her. They snapped her neck and laid her next to my father’s corpse. I remember stumbling out of the armoire, and sobbing over my parent’s bodies. The last thing I remember after that is being surrounded by fire.
Afterwards, I was put in the local orphanage, where I was treated to disgusting piles of slop they had the audacity to call food. I asked for fruit, what my diet mainly consists of, and they’d tell me fruit was too expensive, and they had normal ponies to feed. I’d sneak out at night after sleeping all day, and steal from the fruit stands around the city. I’d fly to the highest point I could find in the slums, the top of the old church. It was my escape from the disgusting ponies I was surrounded by every day. They’d call me Vampire, I hated that word. That’s what they called my parents, the racist pieces of shit that’d taken their lives. Every time somepony called me a vampire, I’d lose every bit of reason left in me, and go berserk. I’d got into fights every day, and it was my fault, because I’m a bat pony. They said if I kept messing with normal ponies I’d be hanged. That’s what they did when a bat pony did something they disagreed with, they’d hang them, because they could. It was a cruel world out there for bat ponies. We’d recently migrated from the tropic regions of Zebrica. Little was known about us, so they feared us.
But I decided, one day I would join Luna’s night guard. In the guard bat ponies were treated like everypony else, as equals. Every pony in the Royal Guard had been knighted, and were nobles. That’s what I’d do, become a night guard, and I’d show them. During the day, when I wasn’t asleep, I’d fly to the guard barracks and watch them train, then go home and practice. I’d mimic their movements by the numbers. I was motivated, no one could stop me. I had the best grades in my class, I was the strongest, the fastest; no one could beat me. I couldn’t wait, I imagined myself in that armor every day. The dark purple tint that glimmered in the moonlight, it filled me with joy, with excitement, I’d daydream about marching around Canterlot, showing off my shiny new armor to everyone who’d wronged me, because I was a new mare, a powerful mare, and no one could get in my way. I would be Moonlight Song, captain of the night guard. Just the thought of it made me happy.
But once I got to boot camp, I realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. Running miles on end in the heavy armor was no easy task, I wasn’t the best when it came to combat, but I gave it all my best. Chow time was the best part of the day, after all of the training, going into the chow hall, and stuffing your face, then going to your bunk, those were the best times. No one made any jokes, and I was treated as an equal. I was happy with this, I’d finally be treated like a normal pony. But, I hadn’t made any friends yet, that was, until I met him.
Sky Light, when I first saw him, he was leading his group through the obstacle course. The first thing I noticed was his long blonde mane and white coat, the perspiration gathered on his body matted his fur to his skin, his strong shoulders looked like they could carry the world. He was a natural leader, he knew exactly what to do and when to do it. I was always envious of that. He’d noticed my stare and walked over, quickly, seemingly agitated, and for the first time I’d felt somewhat intimidated.
“Just what are you staring at?” He’d asked with venom in his voice.
“Uh, nothing.” I replied, my face getting hotter by the second. I just wanted to run.
“Really? So you just happened to be staring right at my ass.”
Shit, I was staring at his ass.
“No, I was uh- thinking.”
He smirked.
“About my ass?”
“Wha- No!”
He laughed, he laughed at me. That really set me off. And before I knew it, I’d punched him right in the snout, and ran off.
…
I lay in my bed, sniffling. I’d ruined my chance to make a friend. He hadn’t even made fun of me and I lost control. Why do I always have to do this? This is why you’ve never had friends! I cried into my pillow for hours until I fell asleep.
…
The next day during training, I’d noticed Captain Light Arrow heading towards me. I immediately stood at attention, and thought about what it is I could’ve done. I hadn’t eaten all the fruit in the freezer, recently. He came and stood right in front of me.
“So, Private Moonlight Songs likes hitting ponies in the face, huh?” He said calmly, which made it so much worse.
“No, sir, he provoked me.”
“Really, how?”
“Uh…” Shit. I couldn’t say what he said, they take sexual harassment seriously here.
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Of course you don’t, now you get to help him clean up the field. Neither of you get any sleep until it’s sparkling out here.”
He led me to where Sky Light was, and I immediately started working.
“Sorry for punching you in the face yesterday.” I said, my voice shaky.
“That’s alright, I shouldn’t have said that anyways.” He smiled at me.
“Well, guess we should get to work.”
We got to work, picking up trash, shining the training equipment, organizing the practice swords, etc. We didn’t get to sleep until at least two in the morning. We said our goodbyes, and rushed to bed for the two hours of sleep we’d get that night. I couldn’t sleep, because I had him on my mind, my first friend.
