His Moonlight, Her Starshine

Luna giggled as she flipped through the pages of North’s comic collection. She had to admit, he had quite a unique taste, and it made her feel like she started to understand him a little bit more.

BOOM!

A small explosion came from the bathroom making North stumble out, his body covered in dark smoke. “W-What in Tartarus-?!?”

Luna giggled and approached. “It appears you might have stumbled upon one of the Scholar’s gifts. I was wondering where it went.”

North shook his head hard to get the lingering darkness around him to go away. “Rgh, it won’t come out…” After a moment, he sighed as he watched Luna use her magic to suck the darkness into a metal orb. “So, want to explain that?”

“Ah yes!” Luna held up the small metal orb. “This is a Shade Bomb. It’s an experimental tool developed by the Lunar Scholars to darken a room and blind anypony inside. Well, save for lowlights.”

“Makes sense…” He muttered as he stepped back into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. “But why do you have one? You’re not planning on crime-fighting, are you?”

“Well, after reading your comics…” She giggled as she saw North’s eye glaring through the crack. “But, no. The Scholars were aware that I was leaving with no escort and wished me safety. Although, they’re unaware of my location.”

“That’s a relief…” He muttered softly before returning to his routine. “Might be useful though. I’ll look through them another time. For now, we need to get ready and meet everyone at the gym. Are you prepped?”

Luna slipped on her necklace, turning back into Moonshine Drop. “I am ready.”

“Perfect.” North stepped out of the bathroom. He was dressed in a colorful button-up shirt with his navy blue mane slicked back. His scruff was shaved and his body had the slightest hint of a pleasant-smelling cologne. “Let’s move.”

His eyes suddenly caught his marefriend’s expression, covering her snout and shivering. “What? Something wrong?”

Moonshine shook her head and stepped forward, adjusting her glasses. Her mind, however, was loudly screaming at the sky. GAAAAH! SWEET MOTHER FAUST, LET ME BE MARRIED ALREADY!! I WANT THIS STALLION IN ME NOW!!!

~~~

The duo soon found themselves in a dingy part of Manehatten, one that nopony dared to step into without protection. Most ponies watched the pair with shock, throwing out warnings to not go further. When they were ignored, the locals were shocked to see the pair trot about without even being touched. Those reprobates and scoundrels eyed the two, seemingly nodding to the stallion with respect.

“My my, I guess I have a little prince of my own…” Moonshine whispered with a giggle.

“Just something that came from being really good at beating up other ponies.” North’s tone was frank and to the point, almost as if he was disappointed in that fact. Still, he kept focusing forward as soon, they stood before a large unmarked warehouse.

“Ummm… Pardon, North…” Moonshine looked around. “But… Where is the gym?”

North simply approached the doors and then looked back with a smirk. “Right here, babe…”

He opened the door, revealing a massive complex of equipment made from scrap metal and train parts. Improvised arenas had ponies fighting brutally, sometimes out of wire fencing held up by rusted train tracks, sometimes by just ponies forming a circle. It was pure combat chaos, and as soon as North stepped inside, Moonshine could sense the energy shift from his body. It was as if he was finally home…

“North, buddy!”

North Star turned to find himself in front of two ponies, a stallion and mare, both of whom looked like they’d gone through the ringer more than a few times. Still, despite their grizzled appearances, North grinned wide and hoof bumped both.

“Breaker! Knives! How’ve you two been??”

The mare smiled sharply, placing a hoof against her cheek. “Oh, you know. Defending our territory as per usual. How’s guard duty been, Mr. Canterlot?”

“Yeah, Mr. Hotshot! You living the easy life?”

North laughed and shook his head. “I wish. They’re on my flanks about a lot, and I’ve been training cadets who don’t know a left hook from a fishing hook.”

Moonshine watched as North laughed with his comrades. No longer trapped in the rigid guard life, it was clear that he felt more at home among ponies such as this. She smiled, yet she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain in her heart at the irony of him needing to stay a rigid guard just to be with her.

Suddenly, the appearance of Breaker’s chiseled face leaning in to eye her with a smile snapped her from her thoughts. “Saaaay, who’s this hot babe? She’s quite the cutie~!”

She received a wink from Breaker, who would end up receiving a punch in the spine from Knives, leading him to fall to the ground. “Really, Breaker? In front of your special somepony?”

North’s eyes suddenly widened. “Wait… You two are…?”

Knives smiled and put her hooves on her face, moving like a school girl talking about her crush while Breaker gurgled behind her. “I know, I know. But, I just can’t help it. I love a big strong stallion that can take a hit.” She slowly opened one of her eyes just a bit, licking her lips. “And the passion is so strong… I love it.”

Moonshine and North felt chills up their spines, but North smiled and pulled the two into a tight hug. Surprised, they smiled and hugged him right back. After a moment, he stepped back. “Guys, this is my special somepony, Moonshine Drop. Moony, this is Guard Breaker and Silver Knives. They’re fellow fighters like me, and they’re some of the best we got.”

Breaker laughed, rubbing his own mane in embarrassment. “Aw, c’mon, North. Everypony knows you were the one carrying the matches. Heck, if you weren’t around, we’d have been wiped out already.”

North rolled his eyes. “Please, you’re overdoing it. Everypony here is a good, strong fighter. We’re just lucky Diamond Flare kept us organized and ready. Speaking of, where is my uncle?”

The two went quiet, looking at each other in a way North could easily interpret as ‘we’re not supposed to say’. North sighed, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. “Alright, if you wanna do this the hard way…”

Both suddenly jolted and held their hooves out.

“No no no! That’s not necessary!”

“Look, he’s in his office, but he’s in an important meeting. You really shouldn’t interfere.”

North stopped his unbuttoning and looked at his friends, then sighed as he rebuttoned them. “Fine. I won’t interfere.”

Both let out a sigh of relief.

“But I’m still gonna eavesdrop.”

“North, no!”

But it was too late. He already flew up to the second story of the warehouse, to which Moonshine looked at the two other fighters trying and failing to stop him. Curious, she followed close behind. Just what was all of this about?

~

“It is as we have stated, Diamond Flare,” The finely aged stallion said as he drank some tea. “There will be no end to this war unless she is returned to us.”

“With all due respect, sir…” The younger in appearance but still old stallion across from him said, sitting at a table. “You’re in no position. If you want her back, you have to convince her to go with you.”

“And how do you propose I do that…” The elder pony crept one eye open. “When you refuse to allow me to see her?”

“Well, it’s not like I can trust you to be honest and not steal her away when my back is turned,” He tossed a can of juice away. “You won’t let me be around during these visits.”

“Flare, she is an adult!” His hoof slammed on the table with a thud that would surprise a typical stallion. “You must stop doing this to her!”

“You’re right! She is an adult, and she doesn’t need to be involved with your gang!”

“And so she should be involved with yours???”

“You don’t know my plans, you wrinkly old sack!”

There was a brief moment where the two stallions panted and stared, eyes in full contact as they both prepared to fight. However, the matter soon died down as both sat down and regained their composure.

“If you want her back, the terms are simple. Win the match.”

“Agreed. I intend to…” The elder nodded as he sipped his tea. “Put my best chip forward. One that I know won’t last against any of your current fighters.”

“Not even the colt?”

“Not even him. I know that even if you had him, he would be enough to stand against our best. Speaking of…” The elder looked back at the door. “It is rude to eavesdrop, colt. Come inside. And do not think about trying to run.”

There was a pause of silence, and Diamond Flare sighed. “North, it’s okay. You can come in.”

The door slowly opened, revealing the two newcomers. North caught a glimpse of the small, old stallion in Neighponese-style attire. He was very unassuming, and as soon as North was a good distance away, he bowed out of respect.

“My sincerest apologies for interrupting.”

The old stallion bowed his head. “It is quite alright. Talks were getting nowhere. It is good seeing the famous Bloody Star has been doing so well. Your uncle speaks highly of you.”

North became bashful and smiled. “Th-Thank you, sir. That is far too kind of you.”

The old stallion smiled back and finished his tea. “Flare. I will see you at our agreed match. Do not disappoint me.”

“Heheh…” The younger of the two leaned back in his chair. “I don’t plan on it.”

With a discreet, respectful bow, the visitor left, and once he was out of the building, Diamond’s confident smile dropped with a loud groan. “That old fart… He’s really trying to push me.”

North looked over at his uncle. “Somepony I know?”

Diamond shook his head. “Not someone you’ve met, no. I’ve got somepony of his, and we’re in very tense negotiations.” The stallion sighed and put a cigarette in a box with a small hole. After hitting a button, he pulled it out, revealing the end had been lit and let out a light trail of smoke. As he took a drag, he nodded to his nephew. “But you don’t gotta worry about that. You’re not part of the gang no more.” He looked over at Moonshine Drop with a cheeky smile. “Especially now that you got somepony to look after. Pardon us, ma’am. Name’s Diamond Flare.”

He offered a hoof, and Moonshine shook it with a nervous smile. “P-Pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m Moonshine Drop.”

“Heheheh, so you’re the diamond apple of my nephew’s eye… Gotta say, he’s got some very high-class taste.”

“Uncle Flare, you’re being gross again.”

“Well, that’s the truth. A mare like her shines very bright in a place like this, it’s like finding gems in a dumpster.” He took a drag as he set his cigarette in an ashtray. “Gotta say though, North. Seein’ you with the Night Guard look… It’s fitting. Wish my brother could see what a bright future you got ahead of you.”

North nodded, his eyes looking at the desk. He didn’t want to admit that the words filled him with a bit of pain, but mostly with appreciation. Moonshine could see the proud smile on Flare’s face, knowing that their bond was almost like that of parents. She gave a slight smile seeing just how much North felt at home.

Diamond Flare slowly got out of his chair, trotting over to a nearby closet. “But look, enough about all that… We’ve gotta go to dinner. Here.” He opened a nearby door, revealing a walk-in closet, and pointed his hoof at a suit-and-tie ensemble. “Had it dry-cleaned for just the occasion.”

Smiling, he nodded and slipped into the closet. As he entered and changed, Diamond Flare looked at Moonshine. “Hey. While he’s in there, I wanted to say… Thank you. After what he’d gone through with that…” He grimaced. “Other filly… It’s good to see that he found somepony for him.”

Drop blinked. “How… Did you know about us?”

“Lotus told me how close you two were. She says she hadn’t seen him that happy in a long time. After what happened, I didn’t think he’d let anyone in his heart like that.”

Moonshine Drop smiled as those words hit her. She looked down at the floor, hoof on her chest, as she felt like she was already being approved by North’s father figure.

“Yep. It’s good to know…” He trotted past the mare, his eyes looking at her with a slight smile. “That he found the mare of his dreams.”

The mare suddenly felt a chill down her spine. The way that the uncle said this didn’t seem off on the surface, but something about how he said that felt off.

“Alright, I’m ready.”

Moonshine’s head turned to look at her special somepony, and all those thoughts went out the door. Now, on top of how North styled himself, he had the added look of a fresh suit and tie which gave him a very classy and sophisticated appearance. Her eyes widened and her horn sparked. North walked towards her, smiling. “Let’s get a move on. We can’t keep the others waiting.”

“U-Uhuh…” She nodded as she followed right behind him. Her heart was pounding and once again, she threw a prayer to the heavens. Please, Faust, let me claim this stallion as my husband so I can ride him!! I will not be satisfied with dreams any longer!!!

~~~

It was an odd sensation to walk alongside a number of top gangsters, but perhaps it was because Moonshine hadn’t been walking among what was considered the “bad guys” for quite some time. It wasn’t a bad sensation, but it definitely felt different from walking among the nobility in the night. Still, she kept her mouth shut. No reason to cause any issues, after all.

The group of lieutenants and made mares slowly entered a well-decorated restaurant by the name of the Carbonara Caravan, evoking imagery of vineyards, classical architecture, and merchants. It was a little slice of home for some of these ponies, and for them, this was their territory as shown by the moment they entered, the hostess bowed to them and guided them to the backroom with no hesitation.

The back of the restaurant had a special place just for special occasions, and those occasions were almost always gang-related. They would receive menus and be brought top-shelf wines, all the while making idle conversation about home and their front businesses. North would be concluded in these talks.

“So, North. How’s Canterlot treatin’ you?” One of the mares asked.

“Fine…” North nodded. “It’s a bit tough with the high elevation though.”

The group chuckled, and another of the gang spoke up. “Any other cute mares catch your eye?”

North quietly shook his head, putting a hoof on Moonshine’s. “Nope. Only Moony…”

Moonshine blushed and looked at him, the others judging the two with quiet glances as they all placed their orders. Each member had been forged from their time working within the Hay-lem Haymakers, a time which made them grizzled stallions and mares. Even if North was never directly working with them, his prowess as one of their best fighters made them feel that he earned his place in their ranks. Now to some, he seemed softer, and to those ponies, they felt a deep sense of rage and betrayal. This mare wasn’t fit to be a part of the family.

“So tell us, North…” One of the mares spoke as she finished her glass. “How did you two meet?”

North quietly grabbed a bit of salad from the appetizers on the table as well as some bread. “Well… I met her on one of my patrols. She was working, I was working, and we ended up having a talk.”

“Oh really?” Another stallion butted in, eyes focused on the pair. “Did you say anything about us? Anything… Important?”

North sighed, shaking his head. “Nothing that didn’t involve me…”

“Good colt…” The stallion sat down. “You know our motto. The family business…”

“Stays family business…” North muttered and looked down at his plate. He began to pick at the food, only taking small nibbles. This wasn’t what he expected when he returned.

“So tell me, Miss… Moonshine, was it?” A tall, slender mare spoke, one eye focusing on the other mare. “What do you like to do? Any hobbies or interests?”

Clearing her throat, Moonshine tried to remain as polite as possible, despite the obviously antagonistic behavior of the others. “W-Well, I usually spend my time in the cellars of Canterlot Castle, testing wine and experimenting. It’s kind of a longstanding tradition. But when I’m not doing that, I’m usually reading Neighponese comics and playing games.”

“Really now…” The mare muttered, looking at their boss as a sign that she was making progress on their theory. However, all she was proving to him was how much he was frustrating him with his angry expression. He stayed quiet, but as North looked at his uncle, he could tell something was wrong.

Soon, the food arrived, and each of the ponies soon received a plate of food. Licking his lips, North dug into his pasta along with his uncle. Flare’s attitude seemed to vanish as he ate. He knew that the others were in the wrong, but his favorite spicy pasta always helped keep his head cool. Slurping up a long strand of noodles, he finally spoke.

“So North. What are your plans here?” Flare said with a sigh. “Hope it’s not spendin’ every single day with us.”

North shook his head. “Got a few things in mind. Visiting the art museum, seeing a few of the sights, showing my girl around…” He paused, looking down at his pasta. “A-And… I’m visiting dad.”

A few of them choked on some pasta as soon as they heard him say that. Even Diamond Flare, normally calm with a pirate swagger, couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. “Really… Do you think he’ll even let you be close to him?”

North shook his head. “I have a plan for that. But… I need to try and tie up loose ends while I’m here. This… This may be the last time I come here.”

“WHAT???”

This caused most of the members to choke on the food, a couple spitting out their wine in shock. They looked at the stallion like he was insane, bombarding him with statements, questions, and a few borderline threats.

“Have you lost your mind?!?”

“You can’t abandon family! You’ll regret it!”

“Abandoning us… What, you think you’re too good for us??”

The whole time, he stayed quiet, eating his food as he waited for everypony to calm down. However, under the table, Moonshine could feel North’s grip tightening on her hoof from trying to put on a brave face.

CLANG!!!

The sounds of metal hitting hardwood silenced eveypony, and they turned to see Diamond Flare, his hindleg slammed against the table revealing a horseshoe reading ‘Made In Tartarus’.

“Are you all quite done harassing my nephew and his marefriend? If so, get back in your seats.”

“But boss-!”

“I didn’t ask any of yous to speak on my behalf, did I??” He shouted, slipping into a thick Manehatten accent. The others went silent and slowly sat down, letting Diamond have his words. “North. As much as it pains me to have you stepping away for good… I get it. You got somepony precious to you now, and you don’t want her involved in all of this. I wouldn’t want anypony I cared about involved either.”

He went quiet, looking down at his wine before taking it in his hooves. “There was a time, when I was your age, when I had to make a choice between love and business. I chose business… And I regret the actions I took for that. I’m not regretting my gang, but I do regret losing…”

Flare took a breath, holding up the wine. “Don’t worry about us, North. As much as we’re gonna miss our heaviest hitter, we’ll make do. Thanks to that vigilante, we ended up consolidating a lot of power and are safe for the time being.”

“Easy for you to say!” One of the lieutenants shouted. “My brother was beaten by that sack of horseapples.”

“Your brother was getting involved in the Diamond Dust trade, which I have explicitly prohibited.”

“You can’t prove that it wasn't planted!”

As the table devolved into bickering, North dropped his head on the table just short of the pasta. It was a long night, his sleep schedule was ruined, and he just wanted to go to bed.

~~~

Luna sighed as she walked the dreamscapes. The night’s arguments had ended with North collapsing on the futon and falling asleep, so she decided that it would be best to let him rest. She still had a job to do after all. As she toured the dreams of Equestria, she noticed her sister’s dreamscape. It appeared she was having a nightmare.

“Oh sister…” She sighed as she approached the bubble. “What visions ail you now?”

“Sister… No… Be careful…”

“Huh?” She inspected the dream closer. She saw it was of… Her, as Moonshine Drop. She was in an art gallery, standing still as something lurked in the shadows…