• Published 1st Aug 2015
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The Chronicles of Moonshade part 2 - Kix



Moonshade is trying to reconcile with her past actions and prove she isn't the mare she was.

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Chapter Three; Carousel Boutique

Author's Note:

Hey guys, I'm glad to have finally found time to finish redoing this chapter. I know it has been some time but my attention has been drawn elsewhere.

W- what did I- did I… pass out? Where am I? The questions ring about in my head, unanswered as I wake up and find myself surrounded by nine very concerned ponies and a baby dragon. "Wha..... What happened?"

"You had a panic attack, Moon, it freaked us out." As I begin to refocus I notice it's Lily that answers first while standing off to my left. As I look around the room I guess I’m still in Twilight’s place judging by the circular, wooden room. The next thing I notice is that Pinkie looks very different, her mane has fallen straight with her eyes looking sad, even her color seems dulled a bit.

"I- I'm sorry about what happened, Moon. I- I didn't think my parties would ever hurt anypony." She says in a depressed tone as her eyes already begin to fill with tears while her hooves wrap around my neck tightly.

"I think we should let her rest now. Lets go girls." Twilight comments with some lingering concern before leading her friends out the room, leaving Lily, Almond and Sunstreak with me. For a few minutes none of us speak as they wrap me up in a hug.

"I- I'm sorry I ruined what looked to be a good time for you guys." I finally speak up while breaking off the group hug. "I- I don't know why I panicked, just that… I didn't feel right being there, watching everypony else being happy when I wasn't and have no right to be, in fact I feel worse." I confess with a bowed head.

"Hey, we know you're going through a rough time right now. If you ever get to feeling like that again, don’t be afraid to let us know, okay. Plus, we're glad to hear you started to get some help up in Canterlot." Almond offers gently as he backs up a little.

"Yeah, you aren’t alone anymore. You have us, Twilight and her friends, Celestia and Luna s well. Hay, I bet Cadence and Shining Armor will offer to help as well." Sunstreak adds as Lily steps forward.

"The three of us had this specially made for you. Hopefully it'll remind you that you aren't alone." As she speaks a long, thin box is brought out. Before I can ask any questions a thin chain is settled snugly around my throat while a mirror is brought in front of me and all I can do is stare.

"We were debating on what we were gonna do but in the end we eventually decided on this." Almond remarks as I examine the new necklace. On a thin silver chain are three shaped gems, each one a different color. The middle gem is pink and shaped like a lily. The gem on the right is chocolate colored and shaped as a cracked almond while the left gem is yellow and cut to look like three lines, the upper and lower lines angled some to look like they are extending from a distant point.

"It- it's beautiful. Thank you guys." With a cracked smile I sit forward and give them another hug.

"Hey Moon, feeling better?" Twilight asks as she pokes her head through the door.

"Yeah, come on in Twilight, and bring the others in as well please." At the invitation the door swings open and allows six more ponies inside. The first pony I speak to is Pinkie Pie, her mane and tail still lays straight as she approaches. Without warning I wrap the pink mare in a light a hug. "Pinkie, I didn't mean to ruin your party. I just… I must have panicked. When I get some things worked out I'd be honored to have you throw me another party." The hug ends as I fall back into my pillow, smiling softly as I look over at Rarity, who is standing on my right. "We still on for tomorrow, Rarity? I heard you make the best dresses around."

"You heard correct, darling. I'd be very honored to make you a dress, free of charge on top of that." She responds pridefully, puffing up at the praise which earns her a round of giggles from the others. "By the way dear, I made this for you. It's a gift from the six of us." As she speaks another necklace, wrapped in her magical aura, is gently placed around my neck and rests just below the my second chain. This necklace sports the cutie marks of the six girls surrounding me, the gems matching their coats as closely as possible.

"Thank you girls, I like it alot. And again thank you for allowing me to visit." A yawn escapes my muzzle as I notice the time. "Its getting late, thank you for being there for me, even if I really haven’t anything to earn it yet."

The next day I wake up slowly and after a short time I finally start to focus, the new surroundings cause me to jump and panic until I remember I'm at Princess Twilight's. Once I'm calmed down enough I work on making myself presentable with a shower. The steam and hot water sluicing through my fur as I just stand there, my head and horn resting against the wall sporting the showerhead. Why... why can't it be this easy to rid one's self of problems as it is to clean out dirt and other gunk.

"MOON, ARE YOU ALMOST READY YET? WE'RE ALMOST LATE FOR RARITY'S!" Twilight's shout is clearly full of nerves and anxiety as I step out of the bathroom, still drying off. "Come on, get your flank in gear. Do you know what will happen if we're even a SECOND late?" She’s standing there in the hallway, bouncing nervously on her hooves.

As I pass by her I fling the now soaked towel at her with a giggle using my tail. "Wow, somepony seems to be in a better mood." With an actual smile I turn to face the anxious mare, who smiles back. With myself semi ready I sit down at the table and begin to eat. "It is good to see you smiling finally, finish eating and we'll get going." Upon mention of the appointment with Rarity, and the fact it means I have to travel in public, my ears automatically pin back and my smile fades into a frown

"Sure... Uh... let's just… let’s get going." I mumble as I stand up, a cloak with a deep cowl forms around me, causing Twilight to sigh and shake her head before leading me to Rarity's. Despite the heat I keep the hood up, obviously earning some cautious stares from the ponies out on the streets, going about their happy lives with attitudes matching the bright, sunny day and the colorful buildings as birds fly in the nearly cloudless sky.


With each step I notice the growing sadness in my chest, wishing I was back in Canterlot, laying on my bed in my almost all black room. I… I shouldn’t be out here, witnessing all this… happiness. My thoughts are interrupted as I bump into Twilight’s flank, cursing myself for not paying attention. While scrunching my muzzle I notice we have stopped in front of circular, tiered building with a few oval windows painted in a mix of light pink and light blue.

"I'll be right there." Rarity sings out as Twilight knocks on the front door, the wait causing me to glance about nervously as my anxiety grows until it threatens to swallow me. "Twilight darling, you should know by now you do not need to knock, and I take it this mysterious pony is Moonshade? Please lose that… thing you are wearing, there is no need to hide yourself here."

With a sigh the cloak melds back into the shadows, making Rarity shiver as she steps aside, allowing us inside. "Darling, why do you feel the need to hide yourself? You are a very lovely young mare, all you need is the right outfit to accent your beauty." A look of some kind crosses her face and she begins looking me over before a tape measure is magically hauled over in her grasp and she begins to take my size.

"I just... don't feel comfortable being out in public yet. What… what if they don't want me here? What if they hate me?" I blurt out without thinking, staying as still as possible while Rarity works.

"You know you can't let that fear control you forever, don't you?" The first to respond is Twilight as she stands off to the side, watching me as Rarity begins to make some sketches on a large pad once she has finished measuring me. Without answering her I take some time to look around the circular room.

Various shades of pink seem to be the most dominate color used, though a couple shades of purple are also added to some of the spots. Various oval mirrors surround the room along with a couple stations for what I’m guessing are used for makeup. A couple ponyquins dot the floor, but what takes up the majority of the space of the room is a low set stage.

"Hmmm... IDEA!" Rarity's sudden shout startles me as she rushes off into another room and comes back awhile later, dragging a couple bolts of cloth and a ponyquin in her wake. I watch in stunned awe as she quickly works and the dress begins to take shape in almost no time before our eyes. With a deep breath she exclaims her idea about a quarter of the way finished. "We could hold another fashion show!"


‘Great, my traitorous daughter now becoming a mewling model, what else can I expect from you?’ Nightmare Moon’s remnant says with disgust, which I try to ignore, but with no real luck.

"WHAT! no Rarity, just… no, not at this point in time." I blurt out immediately before she can finish the dress, which was done in a surprisingly short amount of time.

"Go and try it on, darling." Rarity urges as I stare at the dress. I have no idea what I expected, but this was not it. With a surprised shout I’m drug behind a curtain, along with the dress and it is magically put on me before she pulls over a full size mirror.

Staring into the mirror I hardly recognize the mare I see wrapped in a bodice of black, shimmering silk with the collar being separated from the rest of the dress. Connecting the collar to the bodice are five silvery chains along the sides and chest. The only part stitched together is hidden by my mane. An artfully crumpled strap mixed with midnight blue and lavender silk graces my arms at the elbows. The skirt of the dress starts in a solid black, but as the material progresses back and down it starts to become more and more transparent. A motif of my cutie mark is placed in the solid black part of the skirt. The moon is done in a semi- transparent silver and the cloud is made from a mixture of transparent midnight blue and lavender that also sparkle. The belt, collar and hem of the entire dress is silver. The shoes I'm wearing are made of silver with my lower front legs wrapped in a pair of thin twisting silver bands.

"You look absolutely STUNNING darling. You should really consider joining the fashion show." Uncertainly I look back at Twilight, hoping to have a possible ally in her, only to have my hopes shredded as she smiles. Defeated I lower my head with ears pinned back, shivering a bit before Rarity pulls out a wheeled rack holding six more dresses and an empty hanger. After my dress is removed and hung back up the rack is pushed back in its hiding place.

"It does sound like a fun idea to do it again, Rarity. Especially if we can avoid the mistakes of our first one." Twilight adds with a giggle. "We do need to get going, Rarity. I know you're busy and can't afford too many distractions, take care." She adds. As we near the door shadows begin to gather around me again, only to be stopped by Rarity's magic as she flicks me on the horn.

"I simply can not allow you to leave here cloaked like... that." Rarity starts as I'm led back into the main room of the shop. "Heaven only knows what other ponies would think if they saw somepony exiting Carousel Boutique hidden by such a hideous thing. No, I must not allow you to wear that." As she winds down her short speech she adds embarrassingly with a look from Twilight. "And of course it is our job to help you deal with whatever is causing you distress, dear. If you wish to leave here clothed I will make you an outfit."

"I- I'd rather go unrecognized for now, Rarity, but thank you for the offer." I hurriedly counter and starts for the door again, this time stopped by Twilight as she surrounds me in a magical bubble.

"Sorry, but she has a point. You won't be getting better if you continue hiding yourself and not attempting to socialize with other ponies." Twilight adds, standing off to my side and I let out a sigh of defeat. "Trust us, Moonshade, things'll work out for you, just wait and see. Now, are you going to walk out there without the cloak or do you need Rarity to make you something that'll make you more comfortable?"

"No I- I don't want to waste Rarity's time anymore. Let’s just… let’s get going." I mutter as I open the door, waiting for Twilight to lead the way.