Shadow walked through the corridors of the large castle after he had gotten settled in with putting his things in his room. Funny enough, he did find what would have been his former chambers before he and Luna became a couple back when he was human. Funny how things like that work. He walked out into the western courtyard, he wasn’t sure why, but his hooves lead him here. More specifically to a large shady tree that looked over the city below.He begins to slowly approach the tree. It looked so familiar to him, something of a distant fondness for this spot. Something was telling him to touch the tree. He was scared to, and he didn’t know why. But at the same time, he had to do it. He reaches out with a shaky hand and places it on the tree’s smooth bark. His eyes glow royal blue and the memory begins...

Taylor? Are you slacking off out here again, mister?

Oh, come on Tia! Can’t I get a little bit of off time to myself?!

You know if she finds you out here without her, you are never going to hear the end of it!

Well, she needs to get her flank out of bed if she wants to come snuggle with me under the tree. Or is that what you are here for? Getting a little lonely, Tia?

Oh, believe me, if she hadn’t been the one to claim you in your former life, I’d be the one you’d be sharing a bed with, young man.

Taylor, why didn’t you come get meeeee~?

Laughter was the last thing he heard in the memory before it faded. Shadow squeezed his hands into fists are started shaking slightly, fighting back tears as hard as he could with his head lowered. Little did he know that Celestia was watching him from her tower. She could see that he was struggling to hide the sadness of the memory he felt. She wanted so badly to go down to him and comfort him and tell him everything. As Faust had given her all her memories of Taylor before the day he died. But Faust was insistent that he find the memories on his own.

“I am sorry, sweet Shadow. I really am…”

Celestia said to herself in a pained tone. She closes her eyes and sheds a tear as her head lowers. She hated having to deny him answers but knowing full well the reason why Faust had entrusted her oldest daughter with the memories of that time. Should he have found out everything at once, complications would arise. She then noticed that her sister had awakened and was getting ready to raise the moon just as Celestia just set it. After doing so, she noticed her sister’s gaze falling upon the cloaked pegasus. Celestia watched as Luna flew down towards Shadow and smiled lightly.

“You may not have all your memories now, Shadow. But things will make sense. And you and my sister will rediscover them together…”

She said before making her way into her bedroom. Shadow was still trying to gather himself after the memory had taken hold of him. He hears hooves landing behind him along with the sound of beating wings. Not knowing who it was he quickly tries to regain his composure and turns around to lay eyes on the princess of the night, Luna herself. She circled her hoof in the ground as he turned to face her. He takes a bow to her.

“Princess.”

He said as he comes up from his bow. Luna looked back at him with uncertainty. It wasn’t him that was the problem, she just wasn’t sure about herself. But she musters what nerve she can and replies

“You are the one my sister has taken under her wing for your education yes? Shadow Strike?”

He nodded in return.

“Yes, I am him. It’s nice to see you again, princess. Now that you aren’t an evil mare bent on world domination. I think I like you better this way. As will your other subjects.”

He said with a light laugh. Trying to hide what he was dealing with earlier before she came to him. Luna lowers her head and frowns. Shadow realizes what he may have caused and waves his hands in front of himself a bit.

“H-hey, I am sorry! I was just trying to lighten the mood was all! I just...I heard the legends about Nightmare moon when I was younger. And I always figured there was another side to the story. I am just glad that you have returned back as our princess of the night is all.”

He said as he tried to salvage that conversation a bit. Which seemed to be working, as she turned her gaze back to him, but kept her ears pinned to her head. She slowly began to approach him, she stood at the same height as him when compared side by side.

“I am not upset with you. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just...your name, those markings. They are so familiar to me. And when I look at them, i feel like I lost someone extremely important to me a second time. And you share the same name of another pony I lost when I was younger.”

Shadow frowns as she spoke of a pony she had cared so much for being lost to her. What really caught him off guard is that she said his markings reminded her of somepony else. But who? Was there another pony who had markings covering their body similar to his? His thought process was cut off by Luna clearing her throat.

“Anyways, my sister and I have decided to split your education into two workloads. She will handle your academic studies, and I will be handing your magic training.”

Shadow lowered his ears a bit as she said that.

“Sorry, I am sure that is something you really don’t want to have to do. I am still surprised she still wants to even teach me at all.”

She quickly perks her ears and shakes her head.

“Nono, You misunderstand me. I asked her if I could help with your training. I don’t know why, but when I am around other ponies. I feel miserable. But looking at you, and the things my sister told me about you. I feel like you are the first pony I could really relate to ever since I returned from my banishment. And I will admit.I get this strange feeling of deep fondness towards you. I...just wish I knew why…”

As he was listening to her, another memory flashed quickly in his mind. That same figure he sees in his dreams taking to a shadow cloaked pony in the very same spot they were standing in now. He falls to his hands and knees as the memory fades, electric sparks coming off his body at the same time. This made Luna quickly step back, a look of genuine concern appearing on her face.

“Shadow Strike, are you alright…?”

He slowly gets back to his hooves and nods, as he does, however, his baton falls from his pocket and rolls out onto the ground in front of Luna. Shall looks down at the strange device and picks it up with her magic. When she looks it over, the name of it seems to come out of nowhere in her mind.

“This..this is an extendable baton yes…?”

Shadow was quite surprised when she guessed what it was right off the bat. He nodded in response and took it into his hand once she gave it back to him.

“It is. I have no idea why I know how to use it along with a few other combat skills. It was like when I touched it, I gained somepony’s memories pertaining to this specific item. It was like it was meant for me to have this weapon.”

He said as he flipped the switch, the weapon’s layered parts extending out at great speed. Normally, when someone drew a weapon in front of royalty, they’d be extremely worried. But Luna felt like she didn’t have to worry about him. In fact, she was rather interested in the item herself. So sleek, so compact, so...familiar. A memory of a cloaked figure displaying such...graceful and diverse form of fighting came to mind. As if she was there watching him right now. When the figure’s hood didn’t block his face, she could see only the bottom half, the rest was covered by a strange but alluring mask. But it was when she saw that smile in that memory and those eyes staring right at her. She could feel her heart racing quickly.

”Luna…”

The voice called to her fondly. The vision ended when Shadow called her name once more.

“Princess Luna?”

“Hm? Oh sorry about that, Shadow Strike. I was...seeing a memory that I didn’t even know I had…”

“If you want to princess. You can call me by my first name if it makes it easier for you.”

She smiles lightly and circles her hoof into the ground again.

“And..feel free to call me Luna. I’d prefer it actually.”

Shadow tilts his head a bit. She wanted him to just call her by her name? That is something that isn’t given out quite lightly. But he was honored no less. He walks up to her and offers his hand out to her. She places a hoof on it. When he squeezes his hand around her hoof as he shook it, something inside of them sparked. A small ember was lit which would grow into a raging fire of reunited love over time. They both pull away from one another and blink a few times.

“W-well...I am going to go catch some sleep. See you later?”

“Mhmm, you will. Sweet dreams, Shadow.”

When Shadow is out of view and earshot, Luna plops down on her haunches and places a hoof to her chest, her heart getting ready to just explode out of it.

“He is just like him..not only does he share the same name, but he is kind and has that same gaze. But that figure...who is he? His smile made me feel all warm and fuzzy…”

She regained her composure and noticed that her sister had left her window open in her chambers. Luna flies up and sees that she had kept them open for a reason. As she was laying on her side on her bed with a big smile on her face.

“Looks like you and him got off to a good start, Lulu.”

Luna lets out a happy squeal and bounces around her sister. Clearly, she thought so to.

“Oooh, Tia! He is just like him! Could it be that mother gave new life to him and returned him to me?!”

That is exactly what the case was. As Celestia knew about the whole thing, but under the orders of Faust not to reveal them.

“No one can know for sure, dear sister. But if that was truly the case. Then I am certain that it is him. I pray that it is him, for your sake.”

“There is just one thing i don’t understand, Tia…”

Celestia arches a brow and looks at his sister again.

“And what is that?”

“There..is somepony else that comes to my mind when I spoke to him about a device he carried with him. An extendable baton. The being I saw in the vision..he was tall, very burly and wore a mask. Something one would find rather unsettling. But, when I saw his smile...I don’t know. I felt like he was someone I cherished just as much as the Shadow Strike from when I was a child.

So you saw a glimpse of him, did you? That was sooner than I expected…

Celestia thought to herself as she placed a hoof on her chin. Then looked back at her sister.

“We can’t be too hasty, though sister. Get to know him a bit more and we will see if he is truly the same one you loved long ago. But for now, I Must get some sleep. And I believe you have Night Court to attend to.”

“Oh my, I need to hurry up and get there! Sweet dreams, Tia!”

She said as she runs out the room. Celestia giggled lightly and lowers her head onto her pillow.

“In due time, little sister, in due time.”

Author's Note

Here ya go, another one for ya!

May the darkness grant you peace.