Nighty Night Scootaloo

Chapters

Chapter 1: Welcome to Ponyville
Chapter 2: A Week
Chapter 3: Subconscious
Chapter 4: Royal Guard
Chapter 5: Oasis

Chapter 1: Welcome to Ponyville

Rarity was sitting in the foyer with Sweetie Belle after just finishing reading a letter. Sweetie’s eyes went wide with excitement, “Cousin Nighty Night is moving to Ponyville?!” Sweetie squealed with joy, “It’s been like… forever since we’ve seen him!”

Rarity watched with delight seeing Sweetie Belle as excited as she was. Though Rarity was also pleased at the news, “I know, Sweetie. It has been a long time. You haven’t even met Apple Bloom yet last time we saw cousin Nighty Night,” Rarity thought back on how long it has been, “I believe he’ll be quite pleased to see that you have earned your cutie mark as well.”

“Oh yeah! I’ve got to introduce him to the others to show that we got the same cutie mark!” Sweetie continued in a hyperactive state that could give a certain pink part pony a run for her money, “You think he’ll be proud of my special talent?! Oh oh oh! Where is he gonna live?! Do you think he’ll li-mf mff mffmffmfm mfmfm-”

A blue aura covered Sweetie Belle’s muzzle, muffling her round of random rambling, “Calm down, Sweetie! I know you’re excited. I am as well. But let him tell us in person rather than make assumptions,” Rarity said in a calm tone.

Sweetie Belle calmed down… or at least she tried. But Rarity could see Sweeties muscles quivering under her fur. If she were to attempt to move, she’d probably launch herself so fast that she’d create her own sonic rainboom (or would that be a sonic sweetieboom?). Taking initiative, Rarity levitated Sweetie Belle and took her outside before setting her down.

“Okay, you can release you excitement,” Rarity said with a grin. Sweetie took the opportunity, cheering, bouncing, running around Rarity and simply taking the opportunity to expend her excited energy, “If only there was a way to harness a filly’s energy into a power source. Imagine the energy that would generate.”

Though Rarity’s thoughts weren’t to be taken seriously, she did wonder what a power plant powered by colts and fillies would look like:

All around, there were machines drawing power from fillies and colts. There were giant hamster wheels spinning with fillies inside, pistons being pumped with the power of colts jumping up and down, and electrodes being attached to Sweetie Belle to directly extract the energy from her. Sweetie’s energy was charging the power cells quickly. But the energy flow wouldn’t stop and suddenly the power cells exploded, rainbow battery acid leaking out… Wait, what?!

Rarity shook her head to get the relatively disturbing images out of her head, wondering why the image of liquid rainbows disturbed her.

“Four hundred bits a month? Isn’t that a bit cheap?” a black thestral asked as he was looking at a house to rent, “I mean, this is a beautiful location. And even though I expected cheaper rents in Ponyville, I didn’t expect this cheap.”

“Location matters,” his agent said, “The location is beautiful. But ponies tend to avoid the Everfree Forest. So places near the forest tend to be low.”

“It’s just that I don’t feel comfortable buying a home for anything less than one thousand bits a month.”

“Well, you’re renting to buy, right? If you were to buy it straightforward, including the downpayment, it would still take you two years to pay it off so that you officially own it. If you’d like to buy it now, it’d be ten thousand bits. Besides, because of the lack of retail this close to the Everfree, if you don’t buy this house, it will most likely have to be torn down.”

“Ten thousand is more reasonable to buy I suppose. But I still insist on paying at least eight hundred bits per month so that I can pay it off in half the time.”

“I’m sure the retailer is willing to negotiate that price. So I suppose other than signing the papers to make it official, all that’s left to say is, welcome to Ponyville, Sir Nightshade,” the agent said. He then turned around to say one more thing, “Just one more thing,” I just said that, “I feel like I should warn you that there is a pink party pony who lives here who will throw you a welcome party.”

The thestral was confused about this statement, “Wait, why is that a warning?” Nightshade questioned.

“You’ll see.”

After his agent left, Nightshade began to wonder if he had somehow walked into a horror movie. But he chose to push that to the back of his mind and headed off to see Princess Sparkle to finalize the transfer to be her new royal guard. He had a week to spend to avoid his cousins so that he could turn his new house into a home.

Twilight was in her castle arranging the books in the library when she heard a pony enter. Twilight looked to see a thestral, who was to be her new royal guard, “Hello. Can I assume you are Sir Nightshade of the Lunar Guard?” Twilight asked the thestral in a formal manner.

“That is I,” Nightshade responded in an equally formal manner, “And though you honor me by addressing me by my knighted title, Princess Sparkle, I’d request that you refer to be simply as Nightshade. I am just a pony after all, and would prefer to only use my knighted title during royal events.”

“Well, if titles are only to be used formally, then I’d like to request the same,” Twilight replied, “Though I am a princess, I am also just a pony, and would only prefer to use my title during formal occasions. Casually, I’d like for you to simply refer to me as Twilight, since that is what my friends call me.”

“As you wish, Princess Sparkle,” Nightshade said, slipping up, “I- uh- I mean-”

Twilight just giggled at Nightshade’s response, “Don’t worry about it. As I said, the request is as a friend, not as a royal decree. So don’t be ashamed of slipping up.”

“Thanks. I’m just not accustomed to thinking of a princess as a friend,” Nightshade said, “And I’m looking forward to living here in Ponyville. And not being afraid of the Everfree got me a good deal on a house.”

“I suppose what we do now is to sign the papers and make it official that you are now my guard,” Twilight said, taking out the papers and signing them.

“I’m also looking forward to surprising my cousins,” Nightshade said, “I mean, I’ve already sent them a letter. But they don’t know that I’m a week early. In fact, one of my cousins is one of the element bearers.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked quizzically.

“Well, our relationship is complicated. But that’s not important. The point is that I want my new home to feel welcoming before I see them.”

“So, who are your cousins?”

“Oh, right!” Nightshade replied, forgetting to mentions their names, “Rarity and Sweetie Belle”.

Tick, tick, tick, tick
Tick, tick, tick, tick
Tick, tick, tick, tick
DING

Pinkie Pie’s cake was done. As Pinkie took the cake out of the oven, she was trying to figure out why she made the cake in the first place. She was just tempted to throw a party for somepony.

Suddenly, she heard the bell to the door of Sugarcube Corner ring, indicating a customer. She left the cake to set and saw who it was, “Welcome to Sugarcu- Oh! Hey there, Sweetie Belle!” Pinkie Pie said, seeing who it was, “Are you here for some Sweetie’s Sweets?”

“No thanks. I’m here becau-” Before Sweetie could finish her statement, her stomach then took over for her brain as her mouth started to water, “Ooo, some Sweetie’s Sweets sounds good right now. Can you make them this time with Choco-” Sweetie’s brain, with effort, reestablished it’s control as she tried to hide her blush, “I mean, can you make something special for my cousin? He’s moving here to Ponyville next week and I want his experience here to be extra special.”

‘That explains why I want to throw a party.’ Pinkie thought to herself. ‘But why do I have the desire a week early?’ “I already have something in mind.”

“Thanks, Pinkie! Oh, I’m so excited!” Sweetie exclaimed, bouncing around like a miniature Pinkie, “So about those Sweetie’s Sweets…”

After getting Sweetie Belle’s order ready (and wiping the counter dry), Pinkie went back into the back to get planning.

Author's Note

This is my first attempt at a Scootadopt fic, though I'm trying something that I don't think has been done before. I'm sure there are Scootadopt fics that include OCs as the adopters. But if you're read the description of the fic, you'd know that the OC adopter was also an orphan. I don't know if that's been done before. But regardless of if it's been done or not, I don't think it has been done in the way I'm doing it. But there's a reason why it's called a spoiler.

Also, just in case anyone is thinking it, no, this will not be a TwiNight ship (though personally, I do like that ship name). I've just thought that if Twilight were to have her own royal guard, I think she'd want to think of them as friends so that they wouldn't just be standing there guarding Twilight, but actually able to interact with her on a more personal level. And no, not that personal (seriously, get your heads out of the gutter).

As for my use of the bit, I'm basing it off of the actual unit, which is 1/8 of a dollar, or 12.5 cents. I also tried to lower prices in general, since Equestria is probably in a world where modern inflation never happened. Granted, I'm making it up as I go along. So 400 bits would be $50. I would kill to have that kind of rent.

On another Author's Note, I'm looking for prereaders and editors. So if you're interested in taking that role, please get in contact with me. Perhaps I'm my own worst critic, but I feel that my writing style tends to be dialogue heavy and I tend to have trouble with filler and padding. My ideal word count per chapter is around (but not limited too) 2K - 3K words. I don't like seeing my chapters with a word count that has a 1 as the first digit.

Finally, I'd like to make a shoutout to RaylanKrios and their story, Three Gems and a Scooter, which is the story that I got part of my inspiration from for this fic. To be more exact, inspired by the fight between Rarity and Rainbow Dash and how I would explain why RD was so insistent about her argument. If you want to know why I'm being vague, no spoilers. You'll have to read that fic to find out what I'm talking about.

Please Like, Favorite, and Comment.

Chapter 2: A Week

“You have a cousin that’s a thestral?” Scootaloo asked. It was the next day and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had just got out of school, “That’s awesome!” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed with excitement.

“A thestral?” Apple Bloom asked, echoing Scootaloo, though more in a skeptical tone, “How does that work? And why haven’t you ever talked about him?”

“The reason I haven’t talked about him is because it’s been so long since I’ve seen him last, I just haven’t thought about it,” Sweetie Belle explained, “As for our relation, it’s complicated. He’s my cousin by adoption by adoption.”

“By adoption by… Huh?” Scootaloo questioned, unable to figure out what was just said.

“My cousin was adopted by my mother’s sister,” Sweetie Belle began, “However, my aunt was also adopted. My cousin was adopted by somepony who was adopted.”

“Oh, now I get it,” Scootaloo said, unconvincingly attempting to hide her lack of understanding.

“So what yer sayin’ is that yer grandparents adopted yer aunt, and then yer aunt adopted yer cousin?” Apple Bloom explained, also noticing a light bulb go on in Scootaloo’s head.

“Yep!” Sweetie Belle confirmed, “My aunt is an earth pony. She married a pegasus. And they adopted a thestral.”

“Do you think your cousin would want to marry Rainbow Dash and then adopt me?!” Scootaloo asked excitedly, though there was a twinge of sadness was in her voice. A sadness that came from her experience involving rejection.

“Sorry, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said, trying to sound as sympathetic as she could, “But I don’t think Rainbow Dash is his type.”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it,” Scootaloo said, though her tone of voice and physical stature betrayed her words, “After all, why would a pegasus or a thestral want to adopt a pegasus who’s my age and still can’t fly?”

“Scootaloo, don’t say-”

“It’s true!” Scootaloo snapped, “Ponies who want to adopt, want younger ponies. Nopony wants to adopt a pony who already has their cutie mark.”

“But that’s stupid!”

“It doesn’t make it not true!” Scootaloo snapped again, her frustration rising, “Ponies usually want to adopt ponies of the same race as them! Pegasi will pass me by because I’m disabled! So my best chance is with unicorns or earth ponies! But they also look for their own, not even taking a pegasus into consideration! Face it! I’m gonna be a grandma, and still be living in that orphanage!”

“But it doesn’t work like that!” Sweetie Belle’s own frustration was rising now.

“Doesn’t it though?! That’s exactly what I see whenever somepony comes to adopt a foal! Ponies going after their own race, and Pegasi passing me by for the sake of a younger pegasus, or simply because I’ll never be able to fly like them!”

“Have you ever considered that it’s your attitude that’s the reason nopony wants you?!” Sweetie Belle raged, tears in her eyes, “If I were adopting and saw a pony who was acting as much of a self-centered jerk like you are, I’d pass them up too!”

Sweetie’s outburst brought Scootaloo back to her senses, “Sweetie, I-”

“Just forget it!” Sweetie Belle cried before running away crying.

Scootaloo looked to Apple Bloom, who also had a stern look on her face, “I didn’t mean to-”

“Sweetie just got done talkin’ about how her cousin was adopted by to ponies, both bein’ different races than him,” Apple Bloom said in a calmer, but displeased tone, “I’ll go talk to Sweetie. But until you see her again, you should think about apologizin’.” With that said, Apple Bloom went after Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo just sat there for a few moments before heading back to the orphanage. She’s been having these bursts of anger recently, and she didn’t know why. And they have been getting worse and worse. Now it’s at a point where she may have jeopardized her friendship with Sweetie Belle, and possibly even Apple Bloom. And the thought of losing them scared her. She didn’t even know why she was having these outbursts in the first place, just that her friend had become the target of her vented frustrations, “Sweetie Belle is probably right.”

“Thank you mister…”

“Davenport’s the name,” the owner of Quills and Sofas said to Nightshade as they finished the order, “I’ve always thought it’s good to treat customers as friends. It makes them feel welcome.”

A sly grin formed on the thestral’s face, “It also encourages repeat customers, doesn’t it?”

“Heh… Well, yeah…” Davenport admitted sheepishly, “But that’s just a bonus. I honestly do think it’s good to treat customers well. And the way I do it is by treating them as friends.”

“Fair enough. So how much for shipping?”

“I choose not to charge for shipping when someone is buying furniture while moving in,” Davenport noticed Nightshade let out a breath at that news, “Can I assume you’re on a tight budget?”

“Let’s just say that I still need to find a job here in Ponyville,” Nightshade said, scratching the back of his neck, “I mean, I do have graveyard shift with the weather team. But it just doesn’t pay enough. And I don’t start for another couple of weeks. Background checks and stuff.”

“Well…” Davenport paused with a thoughtful look, “I could use some assistance here. How would you like a part time job here a Quills and Sofas?”

“Would you?!” Nightshade exclaimed before backing off, “I mean, I appreciate the offer. It will be a big help. Thank you.”

“Good! Can you start tomorrow at noon to help me open up?”

“Sounds good. See you tomorrow then, boss.”

“Just keep in mind that outside of work, I’m not your boss, I’m Davenport.”

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind.” With that said, Nightshade left Quills and Sofas.

“Sweetie Belle is probably right,” After closing the door, Nightshade perked up at hearing the name of his little cousin. He looked towards the voice to see an orange pegasus filly down the street, “Me being a jerk is probably why I keep getting passed by.”

Nightshade questioned what was said, “That doesn’t sound like something little Sweetie would say,” Nightshade said to himself, “I mean, it has been a while, so I don’t know how much she may have changed. But still.”

Nightshade looked back up to see the filly walking towards what appeared to be a government owned building. The kind of building that Nightshade knows all too well.

The days passed by, and Nightshade had taken the time to travel around and learn the layout of the town, which wasn’t difficult considering its small size. Though he did have to avoid running into his cousins. And he had to convince a pink pony, who must’ve been the pony he was “warned” about, to wait on throwing a welcome party and keeping his being in town a secret until the end of the week. She did what she called a Pinkie promise. He’d heard stories of the Pinkie promise from the other guards and the princesses. Though the only thing you should be afraid of is breaking the promise, the stories say that the consequences are worse than your worst nightmare. He was sure that was an over exaggeration. But that pony’s lack of awareness for personal space, and how eccentric she was, did make him wonder.

During that time, Nightshade had gotten his new home mostly set up, and his job at Quills and Sofas was enough to get by on at least. It was a temp job after all. And it’d get tiring being part of the night shift weather team, holding a second job, and being Twilight’s personal guard. But as long as he could manage the night job and the guard duty, it should work out, considering that the guard job is won’t be much if he understood Twilight correctly.

There was still one more day before Rarity and Sweetie Belle expected him to arrive. And that’s why he was gonna go see them today. After visiting the party pony and explaining that the welcome party could be set for later that day, Nightshade headed towards Carousel Boutique.

Rather than knock on the door, which may be more likely to get Rarity’s attention, walking right in can give him the guise of a customer. Opening the door, he heard the bell ring He made sure to hide his features from obvious view, turning away from any open doors to the back.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique!” came the sing-song voice of a pony coming out from the back room, “May I help you?”

Keeping his back to Rarity, he replied, “I’m here visiting family and was hoping to find something nice to wear.”

“Well you’ve come to the right place!” Rarity exclaimed, entering inspiration mode, “I’ll have to find a way to patch your eye color. But you look like you’d look good in midnight blue and…maroon…” She couldn’t place it, but there was something familiar about the pony she was talking to, “Have we met before?”

Nightshade then turned around and looked Rarity in the eyes with a cocky grin, “It’s possible we may have crossed paths in the past, Marshmallow.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide in shock before a childlike grin formed, “Nighty Night!” Rarity then wrapped her cousin in a tight hug, “I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow!”

“That’s what I… That’s what…” Nightshade struggled to get out, “Rarity… Can’t breath…”

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, releasing the thestral, who was now gasping for air, “Sorry about that.”

After getting his breath back, Nightshade properly replied, “I intentionally let you think I was coming tomorrow so that I could surprise you by coming today,” Nightshade explained, “I’ve been here for nearly a week already, getting a home set up and learning my way around town.”

“A week?!” Rarity exclaimed, “How were you able to avoid Pinkie Pie for that long?”

“So that pink pony was Pinkie Pie?” Nightshade questioned, “I guess in hindsight, it makes sense. I’ve just never actually seen her personally.”

“That still doesn’t explain why she hasn’t thrown a party yet.”

“She agreed to postpone it as to not spoil this surprise. It’s actually scheduled for later today,” Nightshade explained, “So where is Little Sweetie? I was hoping to see her too.”

“She’s currently tutoring at Twilight’s school. She’s a graduate there.”

“A tutor?!” Nightshade gasped, “I knew it’s been awhile since I’ve seen you two! But I thought Sweetie Belle would still be in school! Unless she’s just that advanced!”

“Well, the diploma is honorary,” Rarity explained, “Though since it’s a school for friendship, you could say that the diploma is because she’s advanced, since she knows alot about friendship. Though the conditions for how that happened…let’s just say that Twilight is ashamed that she believed Sweetie and her friends would do something like that. It’s a long story. Though I guess I can sum it up in the twenty-two minutes before she comes home.”

22 Minutes Later

“…And then Starlight suggested that they be friendship tutors.”

“It sounds like that was quite the adventure for Little Sweetie,” Nightshade said.

“You’d be surprised how little that is in comparison,” Rarity said with a slight laugh.

“Something tells me we have a lot of catching up to do.”

Ding

“That must be Sweetie now,” Rarity said, hearing the jingle of the door.

“Hey, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle’s voice called, “Me and Crusaders are gonna go hang out at the clubhouse!”

Nightshade mouthed the word “Crusaders?” before Rarity motioned for him to stay here and be quiet.

“I understand how you and your friends like to hang out. But we currently have a guest,” Rarity said to Sweetie, “It’d be rude to go running out on a guest.”

“I guess,” Sweetie said, looking back to her friends, “But it’s not like today’s guest would be as good as who’s coming tomorrow.”

Choosing to take that as a cue, Nightshade walked into the main room, “As much as I hope you enjoy your guest tomorrow, I’m a little sad that you don’t seem happy to see me,” Nightshade fake pouted.

Sweetie’s eyes became as wide as saucers, and her smile nearly wide enough to tear her face in two, “NIGHTY NIGHT!!!” She squeaked before tackling the thestral in an earth-crushing hug. The tackle had knocked Nightshade to the floor.

“Uh, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom said, “Ah think you’re stranglin’ him.”

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Sweetie said, releasing the suffocating thestral from her vice grip.

After taking a few moments just coughing and getting air, Nightshade managed to regain his composure, “And I thought your sister has a strong grip,” he said with something between a laugh and a cough, “And you’re a lot heavier than I remember.”

“He just called you fat,” Scootaloo teased.

“He is not!” Sweetie Belle countered before turning to Nightshade with a look of uncertainty, “You’re not calling me fat, are you?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say fat,” Nightshade teased, “But chubby fillies are considered cute.”

“I am not chubby!”

“Of course not, Sweetie,” Rarity said before grinning herself, “At least not for an adult pony.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were rolling on the floor laughing at Sweetie’s embarrassment, to Sweetie’s chagrin.

“What’s wrong about being chubby?” Nightshade asked, “Being chubby makes you soft and extra…huggable.” He struggled with that last word as he lifted Sweetie up for a hug. But it helped to make her feel better.

“Don’t worry, Sweetie,” Rarity added, “What he meant was that the last time he held you, you were a lot younger. You grew up, not out.”

“She’s right. As much as I’d love for you to jump into my hooves like that again, you are no longer Little Sweetie anymore,” Nightshade said.

“But then what would your nickname for me be?” Sweetie asked.

“Well, Big Sweetie doesn’t really sound that great, and you probably don’t want to be called Chubby Sweetie,” Nightshade listed through a couple ideas, “Rarity already has the nickname Marshmallow. Maybe Big Belle?”

“That sounds more like if my big brother an’ Sugar Belle had a filly,” Apple Bloom said.

“Can I just keep the nickname, Little Sweetie?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, I suppose old habits die hard,” Nightshade said, “Just promise me that you’ll always live up to that nickname.”

After Nightshade said that, he caught a glimpse of Scootaloo. And like the building she was heading towards the other day, the look on her face was one he also knew all too well. A look that was a contradiction. Lips that held a genuine smile, yet eyes that held sadness and longing.

Author's Note

Once again, thanks to HMXTaylorLee for prereading. Granted, this is the first chapter he actually preread. But I still thank him for the advice, and catching some spelling/grammar errors.

It took me awhile to post this chapter. Part of which being thanks to my trip to BronyCon 2018. But even with BronyCon out of the way, I can't promise a regular upload schedule.

Chapter 3: Subconscious

“…And after we convinced her that she could use her talent for good, we realized that helping others is what we’re good at, and we got our cutie marks!” Sweetie Belle squeaked as she retold the story of how she and the CMC got their cutie marks.

“I’ve heard about how your sister and the other element bearers got their cutie marks from the same event,” Nightshade explained, a bit surprised by the story, “But I’ve never heard of ponies who got their cutie marks at the exact same time with the same cutie mark! And being a royal guard, I tend to over-hear strange things. When Luna is talking to herself at night…”

“Princess Luna talks to herself too?!” Pinkie exclaimed, appearing out of nowhere right next to Nightshade. They were at his welcome party after all. And he realized why the realtor ‘warned’ him about her, “I don’t meet many other ponies who talk to themselves on a regular basis! Maybe Luna and me can get together sometime and talk to ourselves together!”

Nightshade was about to protest Pinkie’s…Pinkieness. But a thought came to him. Being part of the Lunar guard, he knows about how lonely the lunar princess gets at night when there’s nopony to talk to.

“I’m sure she’d enjoy the company,” Nightshade said, “And while the two of you are talking with yourselves together, maybe you could even try talking with each other.”

“Oooo! That sounds like fun!” Pinkie exclaimed, “And maybe ourselves that we talk to can talk to each other too! I’ll make sure to tell me and myself to talk with Luna and herself!” With that said, Pinkie bounced away, leaving the group to their own devices.

“Is she always like that?” Nightshade asked.

“Yes,” was all Rarity said. Nightshade took that as a cue to change the topic.

“Wait until we tell ya about how we got a griffon a cutie mark!” Apple Bloom said.

Nightshade was beginning to understand why Luna had such a fascination with Ponyville. What goes on here can hardly be differentiated from the strangeness that goes on in dreams. If he hears a story about somepony getting transformed into a vampire or something, he was gonna call to Luna and ask her to wake him up from this dream.

“How about we talk about when Apple Bloom got the cutie pox?” Scootaloo asked.

“We don’t talk about that!” Apple Bloom growled.

Meh, close enough, “Okay, Luna. I’m pretty sure this is a dream,” Nightshade said to nopony in particular, “I’m ready to wake up now!”

Rarity had to suppress a chuckle, “I assure you that this is not a dream,” Rarity said.

“Considering what goes on in this town, you’d think it’d be difficult to tell the difference,” Nightshade said, “I’m surprised I haven’t heard about somepony turning into a vampire at this point.”

“…Well… There was this one case when Flu-”

“Not now!” Nightshade groaned, “I’m starting to understand why I got my house for as cheap as I did.”

After a little while of partying, Nightshade had a chance to speak with Sweetie Belle alone, “About a week ago, I was coming out of Quills and Sofas, and I heard your friend over there talking,” Nightshade said quietly to Sweetie Belle, pointing to Scootaloo, “I heard her say that you called her a jerk.”

“Wait, she said I called her a jerk?!” Sweetie asked angrily, “I know we had an argument. But why would she go around telling ponies I’m called her a jerk? I mean, I did say she had an attitude problem. But she’s got some nerve-”

“I overheard her talking to herself,” Nightshade said, stopping Sweetie’s rant, “She seemed to be admitting it to herself. She wasn’t telling others. She was upset apparently.”

“Oh,” Sweetie sighed, her demeanor relaxing, “Like I said, we had an argument. I told her that she had an attitude problem. And it’s only because…no, I can’t. It’s personal to her.”

“Talking about your home life when you live in an orphanage can be a touchy subject after all,” Nightshade said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Sweetie Belle agreed before sitting straight up, “I mean, how did you…I mean, what makes you think she’s an orphan?”

Sweetie Belle wasn’t fooling anypony with her eyes shifting back and forth and her nervous laugh.

“It was an estimated guess,” Nightshade admitted, “I could be wrong after all. But I recognize the look in her eyes. So, am I wrong?”

“I promised I wouldn’t tell anypony,” Sweetie said softly, “If you want to know…whatever it is you want to know, you should talk to her about it.”

Sweetie’s eyes wanted to look anywhere but at her cousin, feeling ashamed of letting a secret slip like that. Nightshade lifted her head to look her straight in the eyes, “As far as anypony is concerned, this conversation never happened.”

A small smile formed on Sweetie’s lips at this, “Right…thanks Nighty Night.” With that said, they returned to the festivities.

After a long day of festivities, the ponies began heading back to their homes. Scootaloo made sure nopony was following her before heading towards the orphanage. As she crept from shadow to shadow, she was unaware of another shadow that was following.

As she ran and turned another corner, she bumped into something. Startled, she was knocked to a sitting position.

“You know, a filly your age shouldn’t be wandering the streets at night,” the figure standing in front of her said, “Little fillies could get hurt, or run into somepony who would want to hurt you.”

“W-Who are you?” Scootaloo asked fearfully as she looked into the blank white eyes and the sinister grin of the creature standing in front of her.

“I’m the truth,” the figure said, “Or rather, I’m your truth. I’m the truth about you. The reason you will never be anypony’s daughter. The reason you will never be anycreature’s daughter.

“What d-do you mean?” Scootaloo began to panic as she backed up. But she was stopped when she backed up into something. She quickly turned around to see the same figure as before.

Suddenly, the moonlight seemed to shift positions, illuminating the shadows and dispersing the figure that was there. Beyond where the shadowy figure once stood, the moon glowed fiercely. It was bright - too bright. Scootaloo became dimly aware of how surreal the whole scene felt.

“It appears you once again have a rather troubled mind, young one,” the ethereal voice of Luna said before the shadows began to form into that of the dreamwalking princess, “It’s rare that a nightmare can call out to me so strongly in such a short amount of time dreaming.”

"Princess Luna! So it is just a dream," Scootaloo said to herself, “But what was… Wait, a short time dreaming?”

“You will have your answers when you wake up,” Luna said, “As for what you saw, it depends on your own perspective. But I believe it was a manifestation of your fears.”

“But how can I fear something when I don’t know what it is that I’m afraid of?” Scootaloo asked.

“Fear is a strange emotion. Often it is the lack of knowledge that we fear more than knowledge,” Luna explained, “I’d like you to be honest with me to prove a point. But have you ever been afraid of the Boogie Mare?”

“Well, when I was little, I guess I was kinda afraid,” Scootaloo said, trying to sound confident.

“Then can you tell me, what does the Boogie Mare look like?” Luna asked.

“Well, it looks like…I mean, I guess I don’t remember,” Scootaloo said.

“Is it your memory that is the problem?” Luna asked hypothetically, “Or is it that you never knew in the first place? Or let me put it another way. Out of all the fairy tale monsters of little ponies fears, so many of them have a shape and form. So why is it that there are no actual artistic renderings of the Boogie Mare?”

“Because…nopony actually has an idea of what it looks like?” Scootaloo answered.

“And yet the Boogie Mare tends to be one of the most feared creatures,” Luna said, noticing a light bulb go on in Scootaloo’s head…literally, because of the dream environment.

“It’s the most feared because ponies don’t know what it looks like,” Scootaloo answered.

“The Boogie Mare is the manifestation of that lack of knowledge,” Luna explained, “Most fairy tale monsters originate from stories, or scary looking animals. But the Boogie Mare is the one monster that ponies fear that truly has no origin. It’s simply what could be in the shadows. And once you shine a light in those shadows do you realize that whatever could’ve been there was never there to begin with.”

“But why would it say it was the truth about me? Is there something about myself that I don’t know about?”

“Perhaps there is something in your subconscious mind that knows something that either you don’t remember, or you actively suppressed something,” Luna then looked perplexed, “But it is strange. If your fears were to manifest in your mind as some hidden knowledge about yourself, it should take the form of you. Perhaps a more demonic form of you. But you should recognized it as you.”

Suddenly, there was what could only be described as a rumbling before everything around Scootaloo began to dissolve away.

“It is time for you to wake up,” Luna explained, “Remember, you are in good hooves.”

Then there was nothingness…

The first thing that came to Scootaloo’s senses was a pounding sensation in her head, followed by pain. Next, was the feeling of warmth radiating in front of her, and something soft on her side…no she was laying down. There was something soft underneath her. Next came her hearing and sense of smell. The crackling of a fireplace and smoke came to her senses. The fire explains the sense of warmth. But there was something cold too.

As she stirred and opened her eyes, the stirring allowed her to feel something soft on top of her too. A blanket. And she regretted opening her eyes, since the fire light cause her head to pound.

“Careful. You hit your head pretty hard.”

Scootaloo turned to the voice to see Nightshade laying down next to her. She lifted her hoof to her forehead, feeling an ice pack, “What happened?”

“After you left the party, I followed you because I wanted to talk to you in private. And considering the topic, you probably would want that too,” Nightshade said, “But before I could catch up to you, you turned a corner and ran right into a parked cart. And the speed you were going at was enough that it knocked you out. You can stay here for the night. And tomorrow, I’ll take you to the orphanage and explain everything.”

Scootaloo froze up when he mentioned the orphanage, “How did-”

“I’ve seen that look in the mirror so many times that I’d recognize it anywhere,” Nightshade interrupted, “Earlier, during my little family reunion, I saw you give a genuine smile. But your eyes held a sadness and longing. It’s a look that you can’t hide no matter how happy you are.”

Scootaloo wanted to argue… Or at least she thought she did. But for whatever reason, she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. Maybe it was because what he said was too accurate to deny. But rather than admit to it, she changed the subject, “so, is that what you followed me to talk to me about?” She asked, though sounding angrier than intended.

“No. But I have a suspicion that it may be related to some extent,” Nightshade explained, “About a week ago, I was leaving Quills and Sofas when I heard you. You said something about Sweetie Belle being right about you being a jerk. I was thinking that it didn’t sound like Sweetie Belle to say something like that. But I wanted to get your side of the story.”

“Oh, you heard that?” Scootaloo asked, receiving a nod, “Well, she didn’t exactly say that. It’s just that recently, I’ve been getting angry really quickly, and I don’t even know what I’m getting angry about… And it’s been getting worse. Sweetie said that it’s my attitude that’s the reason I can’t get adopted. It was an argument that happened because when I got mad, I forgot what she said about you, which would’ve proved my argument wrong.”

“Have you considered that there’s more to it than just an anger issue?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes, emotional issues are more than just that. And they can lead to even bigger problems down the road. Then again, maybe you’re just growing up, and your hormones are making you moody.”

“WHAT?!”

Nightshade just laughed at Scootaloo’s reaction. Though she was getting to be that age, he was only just teasing. Thought her outburst did make her head throb.

“Here, let me get you a new ice pack,” Nightshade said, taking the old, now water pack to replace the ice, “And I promise I won’t tell anyone about your little accident.”

“I get bumps and bruises all the time. I’m not embarrassed about a bump to the head.”

“That’s not the accident I was talking about,” Nightshade said, “Simply put, you may have had a bit too much punch at the party.”

Scootaloo didn’t know what he meant by that. Sure, she had a lot of punch. But what was that supposed to do with anything? Then it occurred to her, and she took off the blanket that was on her. And she saw that the cushion she was on was wet at her hind legs. A small “Eep” was all it took for Nightshade to know she had figured it out.

“To be honest, I was hoping I’d have that sofa for at least a month before I had to thoroughly clean clean it.”

“Is it alright if I…you know…take a bath?” Scootaloo asked, trying to sound as small as she could.

“Of course. Do you need any help?”

Scootaloo got up and could already feel her head spinning. Though her balance was a little wobbly, she’d be fine if she took a slow pace. Even so, Nightshade lead her to the bathroom, if nothing more than to show her where it was.

“I don’t know how bad your bump to the head was,” Nightshade said with concern, “Could you perhaps not fill the tub too far? I’d rather not find out you went unconscious and drowned in the bath water.”

“I may be a little light headed,” Scootaloo said as she entered the bathroom and turned on the water, “But do you really think I’m in such a bad condition that I’d drown if I’m not careful?”

“You never know.”

The way Nightshade said that seemed to bother Scootaloo. She wasn’t sure what it was. But when he left, she watched the water, and stopped at a relatively shallow level before getting in.

After the bath, Scootaloo stifled several yawns, clearly ready to get some more sleep. Nightshade had offered her the bed and he’d sleep on the sofa. But when she saw the missing cushion on the sofa from her…accident, she suggested that her smaller size would allow her to feel more comfortable on the sofa than he would.

As Nightshade got ready to retire to his own room, he checked on Scootaloo, “Is it alright if I turn off the light?” he asked, “Or do you need a nightlight?”

“I don’t need a-” Scootaloo was cut off by a yawn in her attempted act of brave defiance.

Nightshade smiled at the cute display, though he chose not to say anything and let her keep her pride, “And you remember where the bathroom is, right?” The subtle hint was hopefully enough to not embarrass her.

After a confirmation from the filly, Nightshade headed to his room. A few moments later, he heard the sound of the bathroom door click.

Author's Note

There's a reason why I used that description for Scootaloo's smile. You see, it's canon... Or at least, that's my interpretation of what would otherwise be one of Scootaloo's most proud moments. You know that final scene in Parental Glidance?

To most people, they see this as one of Scootaloo's most heartwarming moments. But to me, the look on her face breaks my heart. When I look at her eyes, I can't help but see sadness, even though I know that's a moment of pure joy for her.

So how many of you will never see that scene the same way again?

And special thanks to HMXTaylorLee for prereading.

Chapter 4: Royal Guard

“Thank you for keeping an eye on Scootaloo, sir,” the mare at the reception desk said, checking to make sure Scootaloo was out of earshot, “I’ve been concerned about her for a while now. And I was afraid…”

“So, this isn’t new?” Nightshade asked.

“Well, having to worry about her isn’t new,” the mare, with the nameplate of Sunshine Daydream said, “But considering that her mood has been getting worse, I’ve been concerned…that she may…hurt herself.”

Nightshade looked down the hall to where Scootaloo had retreated to her room. He understood how stressful it could be to be an orphan. But what was going on in her mind now?

“At least I know that this was just an accident,” Sunshine continued, “I first noticed a change in her behavior not long after she got her cutie mark. A snobbish couple from Canterlot came to adopt. They saw Scootaloo and her cutie mark and snubbed her, saying how there must be something wrong with her if she has a cutie mark and still not adopted. I’m afraid that moment may have affected how she thinks of herself.”

“That sounds like a fight I heard about between her and my little cousin,” Nightshade said, “What led up to it had to do with Scootaloo thinking ponies wouldn’t want to adopt a her at her age. My cousin felt angry because she had just told Scootaloo about how old I was when I got adopted.”

“You’re an orphan?”

“I don’t like to think of it like that, because I do have a family now. But those thoughts still resurface now and then. Things like that stick with you. Acting as an ever present shadow in your mind wondering why he had…” Nightshade paused and shook his head clear of that thought, “Sorry about that.”

“May I ask you a favor?”

“Depends on the favor.”

"Look," she said, hooves fiddling together on the wooden surface of desk, "I don't have any business asking this of you, but could you possibly keep an eye on her from time to time? Visiting her, letting her hang out with you, or just talking with her, things like that." Sunshine stopped for a second, frowning while deliberating what to say next. "I think the best thing to get her through something like this is somepony, or somecreature," she corrected herself, "that knows what it's like to be in her place. You can relate to her a lot better than most ponies could."

“That’s what concerns me,” Nightshade said, his voice becoming dark, “When you said you were concerned that she’d hurt herself… Nevermind. I’ll keep an eye on her when I can.”

“Thank you.”

Scootaloo, after returning to her room, had checked her forehead. There was a bruise and it was still a little sore. But it would be okay. She’s been through far worse than just a bump on the head.
As for her recent experience however, the way Nightshade treated her gave her hope. Perhaps Rainbow Dash would still be willing to adopt her after all.

“Where were you last night, Scootaloo?” The aforementioned filly turned to the voice to see one of her friends here at the orphanage. A five year old teal unicorn filly with a white curly mane that resembled clouds stood in the doorway. Scootaloo wasn’t exactly in the mood for company. But this was her friend, and she didn’t put the DO NOT DISTURB notice on her door.

“Oh, hey, Fey. Whatcha want?” Scootaloo said, patting the bed beside her to invite the little filly up.

“It’s just that I had a bad dream last night, and I wanted to spend the night with you. But you weren’t here,” Fey said.

“Sorry I wasn’t there for you. But on my way back, I didn’t look where I was going, and ended up bumping my head,” Scootaloo said, motioning to the bruise, “When I woke up, I was in somepony’s house. He had taken care of me and let me stay there for the night. Then he brought me here.”

“You mean that Thetsral back there?”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but grin at the filly’s mispronunciation, “Yeah, that’s him.”

“Does it hurt?” Fey said with worry as she reached up to touch the bruise. Scootaloo recoiled as the soreness was reignited, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s not too bad,” Scootaloo said to attempt to comfort the filly, “But I would’ve like to have you sleepover last night too.”

“Why?”

“Because I had a bad dream last night too.”

A squeak came out of the pegasus when the smaller filly squeezed her, “Sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“What are you sorry for?” Scootaloo said, hugging back, “I’m the one who’s supposed to be comforting you.”

“But if me being with you makes you feel good, then I should be there for you too.”

Scootaloo smiled at that remark. Whoever it was who would adopt Fey would be the luckiest family in Equestria. She was just too pure for this world. It may have been too late for spending the night together. But Scootaloo leaned back in bed and let Fey lay there with her to make up for her being missing last night.

“So what was your bad dream about,” Scootaloo asked.

“I was in a candy store, and I was told I could eat anything I want.”

Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow, “That was your bad dream?”

“Yeah. The only candy in that story was licorice. And I hate licorice.”

“Well… I hope you woke up from that bad dream before it got too bad,” Scootaloo said, stifling a smile.

“No, it got worse,” Fey whimpered, “In my dream, I liked licorice.”

Scootaloo hugged Fey tight, if only to keep Fey from seeing her smile. When a pony’s worst nightmare is liking a food they hate, they have much to experience in life. Perhaps when she grows up, she can look back on that dream and see how silly it was. But for now, it was enough to upset her, so Scootaloo was there to comfort her.

It’s times like these that she can’t let Fey know of her own personal troubles. Fey was too innocent. And if a dream about licorice scared her, then a nightmare like the one Scootaloo had could traumatize her.

Nightshade was now on the train to Canterlot with Twilight. Not long after leaving the orphanage, Twilight had come to find him. She had gotten a message from Celestia claiming that there was a royal matter that required her attention. This meant that Nightshade would begin his duties as Twilight’s royal guard.

Twilight didn’t divulge any information. But that was because she didn’t have information herself. What mattered was that it was a royal matter that required Princess Twilight.

The trip started off quiet. Nightshade wasn’t used to small talk with the princesses, though Luna had talked to him in the past when she was troubled. She trusted him, which was an honor in and of itself. And for that reason, it wasn’t easy for him to leave to be Twilight’s royal guard. Perhaps Luna felt that she was growing a little too close to him.

After a half hour of silence between the two, Nightshade braved himself to do what he had previously believed to be unbecoming of a royal guard, small talk, “So… what kind of royal business do you think requires your presence?” Nightshade asked, though a bit awkwardly, “I mean, hypothetically speaking.”

Twilight lifted her head curiously at the question, “Well, I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “I’ve had a few ideas. Perhaps somepony had come specifically to Canterlot for assistance in a friendship problem. But if it were a friendship problem, I would have been summoned by the map.”

“Well, there are other royal duties other than friendship problems.”

“If that’s the case, then why don’t they just find me at Ponyville? I'm not exactly easy to miss,” Twilight said, beckoning to the gargantuan crystalline tree that served as her home shimmering in the distance. Her hoof however jostled as the train hit a bump, Twilight accidentally bopping her own guard in the nose, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay princess,” Nightshade said as he rubbed his nose, “It was just the train. And you didn’t hit me hard.”

“I thought I told you that in casual conversation, I’m just Twilight,” the princesses huffed.

“Right, my apologies, prince- I mean, Twilight,” Nightshade said, sheepishly catching himself, “It’s a force of habit. But there are Canterlot nobles who refuse to even go near Ponyville, even if it is to seek out a princess’ assistance.”

“I know that the nobles tend to think highly of themselves. But they aren’t that bad. Well, most of them aren’t.”

Nightshade cleared his throat before speaking in a snobbish voice, “‘Why a princess of Equestria would consider dirtying their hooves in a mud-pony settlement is beyond comprehension.’ ‘No civilized town would ever befriend a brute like Discord.’ ‘Nightmare Moon, Discord, the changelings, Trixie, with how much trouble the ponies of Ponyville attract, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are actually colluding with the enemy.’”

“I’m sure it’s not really that bad.”

“Those are word for word quotes that I have heard in my time in Canterlot,” Nightshade’s expression turned to a grin, “Between you and me, Princess Luna has told me that she sometimes wishes she could banish those insolent fools to the moon.”

“Between you and me, Celestia’s not that impulsive,” Twilight added in, “But let’s just say that though there are rumors about Celestia eating far too much cake, the rumors don’t mention that the cake is often the result of a day dealing with those nobles.”

The pair shared a laugh before going quiet again, once again dropping into an awkward silence. After a few minutes of watching the scenery pass by in the window, Nightshade once again broke the silence.

“Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get to know that little filly, Scootaloo, a little better,” Nightshade said in a more somber tone, “And I don’t mean at the party.”

“Really?” Twilight perked up, “I mean, I don’t know about her personal life. But for awhile, she and her friends would spend a day a week with me. We called it Twilight time, and I helped them hone their skills, trying to help them earn their cutie marks.”

“Technically, it was by accident that I ran into her,” Nightshade explained, “I’ll choose not to explain my reasons for following her last night, since it’s not my place to say. But I-”

“It’s not your place to explain the reasoning for your own actions?” Twilight interrupted, questioning the thestral skeptically.

“It’s not my place to explain the reasoning for her actions,” Nightshade corrected. He then began to think of an explanation that wouldn’t give too much away. “I’ll say this much. It was late and she was on her way home alone. I was keeping an eye on her to make sure she was safe. She was… She was trying to get home quickly. As she turned a corner, she bumped into a parked kart and hit her head. Because of her speed, she had knocked herself unconscious. She ha-”

“Is she okay?!” Twilight interrupted once again, this time with concern rather than skepticism, “Scootaloo can tend to be a bit reckless! And if Rainbow Dash is any sign of what Scootaloo might do, then she may need medical-”

“She’s fine!” Nightshade asserted, cutting off the purple princess’ persistent panic, “She had a bit of a bump on her head. But she was fine for the most part. But I had taken her to my own home so that I could look after her for the night. I didn’t get to know her too well. But I believe that we bonded a little last night.”

“If you know me and what I’m like personally, I’m sure you know that I’m curious to learn more about Scootaloo,” Twilight admitted, “But if you feel like it’s a personal moment, I don’t want to impose.”

Nightshade could see the desire for knowledge in Twilight’s eyes, “If it’s intended to be a secret, I don’t want to be the one to tell it. So as much as you may want to know more details, Luna trusted me because of my willingness to keep a secret.

“On that note, I may be seeing more of Scootaloo. When I took her home and explained what had happened, they had actually asked me to keep an eye on her and talk with her if she needed somepony to talk to.”

“They must be truly thankful for you watching over her. But why would her parents ask you to watch over Scootaloo like that?”

“It’s not my place to say,” Nightshade said, a pout forming on Twilight’s lips, “But I think it’s their thankfulness and the fact that I can relate to Scootaloo that they asked of me what they did.”

“You can relate to her? But how-” Twilight shook her head in realization, “It’s not your place to say, right?”

Nightshade gave an exaggerated gasp in faux shock, “How could you have possibly guessed so accurately?”

The pair shared another laugh at this. And once again, it became quiet. As they sat there, a pony came by with a small food cart asking if they wanted anything to eat. Though the options were limited, they chose to get a couple of daisy sandwiches. After taking a bite, it was Twilight’s turn to break the silence.

“I want to thank you. I had actually started to get used to ponies treating me like I was set on a pedestal as if I were an object of worship. I’m thankful that you were willing to just talk with me like I was just another pony who you were just sharing recent events with.”

“Well to be-” Nightshade said with a mouthful of sandwich before swallowing, “To be honest, it was awkward for me at first. As a royal guard, part of our training is to not get too friendly with the princesses. We are their guards who are their to serve the princesses. We are not to befriend the princesses, because that is a sign that we may be trying to get too friendly with the princesses for the sake of getting into a higher position.”

“I think I understand why Celestia’s guards are so…well…boring,” Twilight said before taking another bite and swallowing, “Does the Lunar Guard have the same rules as the Solar Guard?”

“There may be a few minor differences, though I can’t be sure. But for the most part, I believe the structure of the Lunar Guard was based on the structure of the Solar Guard,” Nightshade took another bite and swallowed, “But our training is to keep our feelings for the princesses separate from our duties.”

“If I were to have a team of guards like Luna and Celestia, or even Cadance, I wouldn’t use that same social structure. I’d ask that they not do anything that would get in the way of their duties. But not to be afraid to be social, whether it be with the populis or with royalty.”

“I think that’s why Luna was willing to open up to me before being transferred to you. She wanted someone to talk to. After all, Luna’s domain is the night,” the train then went darker as it entered the tunnel.

“Okay, that was a little creepy,” Twilight said nervously before shaking it off as a coincidence.

“I figure timing like that makes life entertaining,” Nightshade mused, “As I was saying, it can get lonely when everypony else is asleep. And the only ponies still awake are thestrals, since we’re primarily nocturnal.”

“That must be why the Lunar Guard is made up of thestrals. They are also part of the night domain.”

“But Luna’s royal guard are still just that, her royal guar-” the conversation was interrupted by another bump of the train, causing Twilight to drop her sandwich. Nightshade split his sandwich and gave half to her.

“Thanks,” Twilight said, taking the half and taking a bite.

“As I was saying,” the thestral said, continuing where he left off, “We weren’t there just to strike up a conversation with Luna. Eventually, Luna just broke her composure and started talking with me. I told her it was okay, and that I wouldn’t hold it against her. But she had chosen me to become her social outlet.”

“And she gave up her social outlet to be transferred to me?” Twilight asked, finishing up her sandwich.

“She transferred me because I think she believed you would prefer somepony who you could talk to, and not just somepony to stand there all day. She gave up her own personal preference, that is true. But it’s probably because she saw that I was the best choice for you in that regard. I still felt awkward about starting a conversation with you. But that’s because Luna was always the one to come to me. I never was the one to start the conversation. You’d actually be surprised at how talkative Luna can be when she’s comfortable talking.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have considered Luna to be a conversationalist. But I guess that’s part of the problem. Does she ever talk about ponies dreams that she oversees?”

“Not if she feels it’s a personal matter to that pony. Luna won’t give away secrets,” Nightshade finished up his sandwich, “But most of the dreams she oversees are mundane and not that secretive. Many nightmares she deals with in part has to do with the pony not opening up. But Luna seems to be fascinated with the cutie mark crusaders. Part of that fascination has to do with the childlike innocence of colts and fillies, and the kind of dreams they have. But her fascination with the cutie mark crusaders began with when she visited a string of nightmares that Scootaloo had. After a few more visits with the rest of them, she eventually came to one night when the trio were actually having nightmares on the same night based on a fear of getting cutie marks that they didn’t like. Even before they earned their cutie marks, Luna saw something unique in those three.”

“It’s curious that destiny had connected those three fillies even more tightly than myself and the other element bearers. We all got our cutie marks through a shared event, that being witnessing Rainbow Dash’s first Sonic Rainboom. Each of our cutie marks is in some way connected to that event.

“As for the cutie mark crusaders, they had received their cutie marks were not just connected through a shared event, but their cutie marks were in fact was received as the same event together, and got the same cutie mark. I feel that destiny has greater plans for them than even for me and my friends. When they got their cutie marks, it wasn’t just a flash and they got their marks. There was a magical surge and they were lifted into the air. I was almost surprised that they weren’t ascended into alicorns in that moment. But the thing about alicorn ascension is that you can’t just go through a transformation. Your body has to be magically switched out. The night I ascended, my previous body had to be destroyed to release my spirit, while the magic that ‘killed’ me had used the ‘blueprints’ of my spirit to built a new body.”

Nightshade took a moment to let everything that Twilight said to sink in, “Wait, becoming an alicorn requires dying?”

“Indirectly. Becoming an alicorn requires access to the ethereal plane. And the only way to access the ethereal plane is by severing the connection with the material plane. And to do that, you have to, in essence, die. But in order to ensure that you don’t return to your original body, the original has to be destroyed. And in order to return to the material plane-”

“You need a body to return to,” Nightshade finished, “And once you’ve accessed the ethereal plane in that way, you have full access to the ethereal plane, and vice versa. Among the ethereal plane, Celestia’s domain-” The train brightened up as it exited the tunnel.

“Now that was creepy,” Twilight insisted.

“How I see it, once is a coincidence, twice is suspicious, and thrice is creepy,” Nightshade explained.

“That’s an interesting way to look at it,” Twilight said.

“Perhaps. But it’s a way to keep from getting distracted by coincidences,” Nightshade said as a nostalgic look formed on his face, “When I was younger, I was easily distracted. And when I was training to be a Lunar Guard, one of the trainees taught me to use what she called the ‘rule of threes’. Essentially, it means not to focus on something unless there are at least three of them. There are some exceptions to the rule of course. But with practice, it allowed me to control my distraction issues better.”

“That sounds like it could be a technique to help a lot of ponies who have issues with distractions in school,” Twilight said, her studious mind getting the better of her, “Although, I’ve learned from my friends that different ponies learn in different ways. So a ‘rule of threes’ technique may not work for some ponies.”

“It only works for ponies who can focus on something,” Nightshade pointed out, “Like me, my fellow trainee were able to focus on numbers, which is why it works for me. But not everypony will be able to focus on number the way I do.”

“Perhaps there could be a ‘rule of red’, or other colors. Or shapes,” Twilight was getting into her egghead mode, “Maybe using other senses! Perhaps focusing on the sense of smell or touch! Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? It’s such an easy concept to figure out!”

“Says the studious student of Princess Celestia, who couldn’t figure it out for herself,” Nightshade said with a cocky grin, “There’s not enough research on the subject, because there aren’t enough ponies who need it. Most ponies who have attention issues are either able to get on with their lives in another way, it’s so minor that the ponies don’t even realize they have an issue, the ponies have an issue that makes focusing too difficult, or the issues is simply too severe.”

“There’s not enough research because there’s not enough data,” Twilight concluded, “Personally, I believe that should change.”

“I agree. My fellow trainee was lucky enough to have met a psychology student who helped her,” Nightshade had a thoughtful look on his face, “She said he wasn’t from around here. Not even a pony.”

“Well, at least there’s some creature willing to look into-” Twilight was interrupted by another bump of the train.

Nightshade had fallen over, and landed on top of Twilight, the awkwardness and the distraction caused him to not know what to do, “Sorry, I was just… I’m not top of you. I don’t… Uh…”

“Three bumps,” Twilight said, “Rule of threes! Focus… Focus… Focus…”

Nightshade shook his head clear of the cloud in his mind, focusing on Twilight’s words, “Sorry… And thanks…” Nightshade got up off of Twilight and helped her off. But the awkwardness was not yet diffused, “The downfall of the rule of threes is that I completely lose focus when something reaches three.”

“Perhaps that means your technique can use more study, and perhaps fine tuning,” Twilight said, also feeling a bit awkward. Suddenly, the two just started laughing at how silly that was.

As the journey continued, even though it was against the well-ingrained Lunar Guard policy, Nightshade and Twilight continued to converse rapidly amongst each other. They scarcely noticed how close they were to the hustle and bustle of Canterlot until they all but arrived.

Author's Note

This was an interesting chapter to write. At first, I was having some trouble with some writer's block. And then I was inspired enough to turn it into a nearly 4K wordcount chapter. And it would have passed the 4K mark if I hadn't removed a block of text that what exposition heavy. My proofreader helped me see that it was exposition heavy. (I knew I wanted a proofreader for a reason.)

Also, he helped me think of how to go about doing the character of Fey. I had a few ideas of what I wanted to do. But as Rarity exclaimed...

And special thanks to HMXTaylorLee for proofreading.

Chapter 5: Oasis

“Welcome, Twilight. How was the train ride?” Princess Celestia asked with a smile as she greeted the two into the throne room.

“It was… interesting,” Twilight reluctantly answered, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. Nightshade however had his ears pinned back, still feeling ashamed.

“The rule of threes has its downfalls, as you have already witnessed,” Luna said as she walked into the room and towards Nightshade with a warm smile, “It’s nice to see you again, Nightshade.”

This perked up Nightshade’s interest, “Luna! How have you been?”

“What is the term ponies use today? Same old?” Luna asked, trying to modernize her vocabulary. There were still a few turns of phrase that she was still trying to get used to.

“You say it twice. Same old, same old,” Nightshade said, “If you’re confused, you’re not alone. I don’t get why it’s said that way either.”

“So, is this your first task as part of the Twilight Guard?” Luna asked.

“Considering that my domain is friendship, shouldn’t my guard be referred to as the Friendship Guard?” Twilight asked when she heard what Luna said.

“I don’t know. Our guards don’t have to be referred to by our domains,” Celestia said, adding her two cents, “Cadance’s royal guard isn’t referred to as the ‘Love Guard’, it’s the ‘Crystal Guard’. Besides, I think ‘Twilight Guard’ has a nice ring to it.”

“Well, I suppose,” Twilight admitted, “I guess it’s just something I never considered.”

“I believe Twilight was summoned here for royal business?” Nightshade said, donning his royal guard persona.

“Ah, yes. He’ll be with us shortly,” Princess Celestia said, “He’s currently in the garden waiting. I’ll have one of my guards go get him.” With that, Celestia motioned to one of her guards to get the pony in question.

After a few minutes, the guard came back with another guard. This second guard was apparently Saddle Arabian. The Saddle Arabian guard then spoke, “Now entering His Highness, son of King Sandstorm and Queen Araba of Somnambula. The prince of Saddle Arabia, Prince Oasis!”

After that bold introduction, a golden tan pegasus entered with a straight mane and tail with stripes of blue and green, a golden collar with glowpaz embedded in the front, a cutie mark of a glowpaz scarab, and turquoise eyes lined with black eyeliner.

“Thank you for honoring me with your presence, Your Highness,” the Somnambulan Prince said with a bow, “Princess Sparkle, I have requested an audience with you with the hope that we can come to an agreement between our lands that will be most beneficial to both Saddle Arabia and Equestria.”

Twilight eyed the prince inquisitively. For starters, she thought that Saddle Arabia and Equestria already were in good relations with each other. And secondly, why not come to her personally? It’s not like her location is hard to miss.

“Do we not already have a good relationship between our two lands?” Twilight asked, trying to sound as official as she could.

“Yes, we are in good relations. However, this will tighten that bond,” Prince Oasis said with a bow, “What we have in mind will help to create a greater world. Equestrian ideals and Saddle Arabian ideals are similar enough that it won’t create conflict. I propose a joining of our two nations to create a larger super-nation.”

“That does sound advantageous,” Twilight said, contemplating the idea, “However, that doesn’t explain why you asked for me. I mean, I am the princess of friendship, and this merger is a sign of friendship. But this task could have been handled by Celestia. So why me?”

“Though Equestrian law involving merging lands is as easy as signing a few papers, Saddle Arabian merger laws are different,” Prince Oasis explained, “You see, in order for me to become king of my land, I must take a bride to be my queen. And in order for Saddle Arabia to merge with another nation, one of it’s royals must marry into royalty of that nation.”

Twilight’s eyes began to go wide as she put the pieces together.

“So in short, I’ve asked for you for a specific reason,” Oasis continued, “Princess Twilight Sparkle, would you do me the honor of being my bride?”

Nightshade, after hearing this, had excused himself to the other guards to leave the throne room for a moment. However, a moment after he had left the room, uncontrollable laughter could be heard.

“That seems rather unprofessional for a royal guard,” the Saddle Arabian guard said, not noticing that the rest of the guards in the room were also trying to hold in their laughter.

Twilight, who had practically dislocated her jaw from her jaw drop, was just standing there with her mouth open. Her mind was still trying to process what she just heard. After a few moments (and several hooves waved in front of her face to get her attention), she finally responded…loudly, “Are. You. CRAZY?!! You don’t just walk up to a stranger and ask them on the spot to marry them! I can’t believe I got dragged away from Ponyville just so some royal could marry me just to become a king and part of Equestria!” Twilight’s tirade continued on as she walked out of the throne room, leaving a very shocked and confused prince in her wake.

Prince Oasis turned towards the sun princess with a questioning look, “Have I said something to offend her?”

Twilight had gone to her quarters, where Nightshade had been waiting. And with his regained composure, he could talk seriously.

“Twilight, I feel that I must apologize for my…” Nightshade awkwardly clears his throat before continuing, “…my freedom of expression earlier. I meant no disrespect by it. It’s just that the suddenness of such a bold proclamation on the prince’s part just caught me off guard.”

“I imagine that it must have been pretty funny for everypony else,” Twilight reasoned, “I guess I can't blame you. It really came from out of nowhere.”

Nightshade nodded his head, “It was a far cry from a romantic gesture, that much is certain. The idea of entering a lifelong relationship with the same air as a business proposal… as serious as he was, it was hard to take it seriously. Does that make sense?”

“It does,” Twilight said with a frown, “Though I don't know if it would have been much worse if I had just laughed instead of questioning his mental state. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings, I really didn't mean to, but that's not just the sort of thing you spring on a pony you've only just met, is it?”

Nightshade looked at her thoughtfully before answering. “Not for ponies in Equestria, no. But, as you can probably tell, Saddle Arabia takes a different approach. If I’m not mistaken, arranged marriages are common place there. And though they’ve been leaning away from those ideals in recent years, some of the traits of those ideals are still rooted in their culture. They are a culture that are still unfamiliar with courtship.”

“How do you know so much about Saddle Arabian culture?”

“Being a royal guard means to accompany the princesses on royal duties. That includes traveling to other lands. So as royal guards, we are tasked to research the customs of other lands so that we know what is and is not acceptable behavior in those lands. It’s actually rather fascinating just how ritualistic some of these customs can be. Zebrica for example considers their rulers as divinity, and are very specific about how to communicate. The common folk are not to look upon their rulers. So they-”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Princess Sparkle, may I speak with you? I apologize if I have offended you in any way. I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with Equestrian courtship customs,” The voice of Prince Oasis came through the door.

Twilight just groaned at the thought. But Nightshade had an idea, “Would you like me to talk to him for you?” he asked, “It’ll mean that you won’t have to deal with him. And personally, I’d like to get to know this Prince Oasis to better understand him mindset.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Twilight agreed with a groan, “As long as I don’t have to deal with him. I still need to cool down before I have the mindset to speak with him.”

With a nod, Nightshade opened the door and went to speak with the Somnambulan prince.himself, before quickly closing the door behind him.

“Princess Twilight needs a little time to relax. Your sudden… proposal surprised her,” Nightshade explained, “Is it alright with you if I speak with you? I’d personally like to evaluate you, seeing as I am Princess Twilight’s royal guard. And I can explain a few things to you as well.”

The Saddle Arabian guard got in between Nightshade and the prince, “And who do you think you are to address the prince so casually?” The guard questioned aggressively.

“He thinks he’s Princess Sparkle’s royal guard who is doing his duty,” Prince Oasis answered for Nightshade in a calm yet authoritative tone, “He’s also offering to shed some light on the situation. You will treat him with the same respect you would treat any other royal guard.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Prince Oasis turned his attention back towards Nightshade, “I admire the type of boldness you’ve shown by so easily addressing royalty.”

“I mean no offense, of course. However, Equestrian princesses are much easier to come forward to,” Nightshade explained, “I believe your praise of my boldness isn’t as deserved as you may believe it is.”

“Perhaps. My royal guards are a bit more strict,” Oasis explained, “Perhaps a merger of our lands will help to fix that. But that is not why you wanted to speak to me, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t. The reason for Princess Twilight’s outburst was because here in Equestria, you don’t just walk up to somepony you’ve never met before and ask them to marry you,” Nightshade explained as they began to walk down the hall, “Courtship rituals here in Equestria involve two ponies spending time together to get to know each other. That way,they have time to let a relationship develop naturally. In fact, ponies here tend to spend months, or even years courting each other before they make the decision to get married.”

“I see. That would make more sense. Though unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of years to get to know her,” The pegasus prince said, “If I don’t choose a suitor by my next birthday, one will be assigned to me. And if that happens the window for the chance of a merger would be closed.”

“And how long is it until your next birthday? And why Twilight?”

“Eight months,” Oasis answered, “As for why I chose Princess Sparkle, it’s because ever since her coronation, I had a bit of a crush on her. It may be silly. But I was in awe of her when I first saw her. In all honesty, the merger of our lands comes second. The first priority in my mind is her.”

‘That seems pretty cute…in a creepy, stalkerish kind of way.’ Nightshade thought, but chose not to say out loud for obvious reasons. The trio Stopped at a stain glass window depicting Twilight's castle.

“This will be complicated. But if you really do have romantic feelings for her, perhaps I can assist at least a little,” Nightshade said with a knowing smirk, “In all honesty, I’m not speaking from experience. However, I do know a few things. First of all, I hope you don’t mind if I speak with you in a more casual tone.”

Nightshade notices that the prince’s royal guard seemed like he wanted to comment on that. But the guard seemed to have curiosity win over asserting himself.

“You don’t mind if I speak with you more casually, do you Prince Oasis?” Nightshade asked in a respectful manner.

“No, I don’t mind,” Prince Oasis replied, “You’d actually be surprised how little I get to be myself, and not have to put on a royal demeanor.”

“No, I really wouldn’t,” Nightshade commented, “I have experience with royals who have expectations about their presence, and don’t get to show a more personal side to them often. That experience also comes with knowing when not to overstep your bounds, which is why I asked if it was okay.”

“Is it customary in Equestria for royalty to be more socially active with the common folk?”

“Let’s just say that it’s not customary for royalty to separate themselves from ‘the common folk’, as you put it,” Nightshade answered, trying to find the right words, “And here in Equestria, the princesses refer to ‘the common folk’ as subjects. And as for how they interact, that’s really up to the royalty in question.”

“Perhaps those are a few customs Saddle Arabia could implement when our lands merge. That is…if it happens at all,” Oasis mentioned with a giddy smile, “Though I fear we may be going off track a bit. You were going to help me with Princess Sparkle, yes?”

“That’s right. First, let me point out that if you want to earn her respect, don’t address her as a Saddle Arabian prince addressing an Equestrian princess. Address her as Oasis addressing Twilight. No titles. Just be yourself,” Nightshade suggested, “She’s going to want to get to know the pony, not the prince. Equally, you’re going to want to get to know her as the pony, and not the princess.”

“That does make sense,” Oasis said with a nod. Nightshade smiles at that before he noticed that Oasis’s guard seemed to also be paying attention. It seems the prince wasn’t the only one who was interested in how Equestria does things.

“Secondly, if you want it to be meaningful, meet her in Ponyville. It is her home after all,” Nightshade points to the image of Twilight’s castle, “But give her a few days before you come to Ponyville. That…proposal really did startle her. Oh, and before I forget, I feel I should warn you about Pinkie Pie. She will throw you a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party.”

“Why is that a warning?” Oasis said, perplexed.

“That’s what I asked,” Nightshade said, thinking back on the event, “Pinkie Pie is Ponyville’s Pink Party Pony who Plans the Perfect Parties with Perfect Precision.”

Oasis wipes his face with a hoof and flicks it, a splat being heard at the side, “I have a feeling I’m going to…have an interesting time.”

“And that brings me to my final point. Get to know the ponies there. They are…interesting to say the least,” Nightshade suggested. That’s when a thought came to mind, “In fact, perhaps you should get to know them as a normal pony. Even though Equestrian Royalty tends to be more approachable than how it sounds Saddle Arabian Royalty is, they still have a tendency to intentionally try to please royalty in a way that may make them not act as themselves. If they don’t know you’re royalty, you’ll get a more genuine reaction from them. Because I’ve noticed that who ponies are in front of royalty isn’t always the same as who they are in front of other ponies. If I’ve learned anything from being part of the Lunar Guard, it’s that the lack of genuine interaction with ponies can be lonely. But having those interactions is quite fulfilling.”

The thestral guard eyed the prince as he was considering what he said. A slight grin formed on the prince’s face.

“I suppose this is how our lands are different. I can’t imagine what my parents would think if they knew I was even considering the idea,” Oasis said with a mischievous grin, “I think I’m going to like it here in Equestria.”

“I must express my opinion on the matter. I personally don’t approve of the idea of you putting aside your royal status and interacting with commoners,” Oasis’ guard opposed. Though a small grin formed on his face, “However, if you wish, the king and queen will never have to know of this. I can’t deny that I’m intrigued by the idea. Perhaps it may even strengthen relations between our two lands by understanding the…subjects better.”

“I suppose I’ll see you and Twilight in about a week then?” Oasis asked, though it was less of a question and more of a confirmation request.

“We’ll see you then. Though perhaps under more casual circumstances,” Nightshade agreed before donning his more formal royal guard persona, “Now if I may be excused, my duty is to Princess Sparkle. And I mustn’t keep her waiting.”

Nightshade departs with the prince and his guard as he walks down the hall. After a few moments, Prince Oasis forms a curious smile, “An interesting individual, that guard.”

“Quite,” the guard replied simply. Then something came to mind, “Is what he says true, your majesty? Is it lonely being the prince?”

“He is correct. It is a lonely rank,” Oasis admitted, “And it occurs to me that I never got that guard’s name. In fact, it hasn’t occurred to me until now. But I don’t even know your name either.”

Nightshade returned to Twilight’s quarters to explain what he has learned. Thought he opted to leave a few details out.

“So what you’re telling me is that he’s had a crush on me ever since my coronation?” Twilight asked, receiving a nod from her guard.

“That’s the gist of it,” he replied, “Though it sounds creepier than it actually is.”

“You think?” Twilight deadpanned.

“And you must understand that the suddenness of the proposal comes from Saddle Arabian customs and being pressed for time,” Nightshade continued to explain, “From my little meeting with him, it does appear that he means well and his feelings towards you are genuine.”

“So what you’re saying is that I should accept his proposal?”

“What I’m saying is to consider it and give him a chance. And I told him that if his feelings truly are genuine, then he can come seek you out personally rather than make an official royal meeting,” Nightshade said sheepishly, telling a half-truth.

Twilight goes through the details in her head, taking into consideration what her thestral guard and told her. Then she finally relented, “Fine. If he comes to seek me out again, I’ll give him a chance. I do kind of feel guilty for just walking away like that. If he does have feelings for me, that couldn’t have been good.”

“Don’t worry. I made sure to explain how things work here in Equestria. And from what I gathered, he understands that he was the one who made a mistake. And I think he was more confused than hurt. Because of his royal status, he’s probably not used to getting ‘no’ for an answer,” then a thought occurred to him, “If you do accept and become a Saddle Arabian queen, and Saddle Arabia becomes part of Equestria, would that make you an Equestrian queen?”

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Aside from some minor writers block, I'm also working on other projects, including converting a few fanfics into YouTube Audio Drama's. And along with other things, it just took me a while to get to finishing this chapter.

Hopefully the chapter was worth the wait, and I hope it won't take me as long to upload the next chapter.