Nightshade remembered the first time she arrived in Equestria. She and Sugar were exiting the revitalized moonstream, a long, cylinder passageway that linked the moon and the planet to allow safe travel when they encountered a single cloud. It was not accompanied by any other clouds. Instead, the rogue white cluster of dense particles drifted freely, high above the ground below. The two sisters then sat on the white platform and allowed themselves to be gently carried as the cloud gave them a tour of the green planes.
Nightshade was acquainted with clouds on the moon before, as the terrariums that scattered across the moon housed several facilities to create them. However, there was never enough room for any thestrals to sit on them because the clouds would always coagulate at the very top of their glass dome.
With their new world available, Nightshade allowed herself to become solus on a cloud from time to time, letting herself and the platform drift.
Nightshade lied on her belly, her forearms dangling over a puffy, white edge. The Crystal Empire’s Castle poked the sky, the spire much higher than the thestral and her cloud. She looked down to the shopping district, recalling Mineral’s words.
“He wants Sugar to hug him,” Nightshade said aloud to nopony, “but he can’t let her…” She scowled at the area Mineral was last spotted.
“Why can’t you let her do that? My sister loves you!” Nightshade barked. Her anger against Mineral didn’t get the best of her for long. Mineral’s story really gave more depth to the already sensitive stallion. Nopony needed to tell Nightshade why he put so much effort into Sugar and their friendship. For all he went through, Mineral did not want to repeat his past mistakes. Nightshade respected him for that, and she approved of his pursuit for Sugar’s heart.
Far in the north-east wing of the Crystal Empire was the stadium. Nightshade’s mind drifted to Saradiamond and was swallowed with frustration. “And what’s your problem, huh? Can’t you tell Mineral was sorry! You just couldn’t move forward and accept that his mistake was a mistake!”
Nightshade then shifted her mind to Steadfast. Never has she even considered being upset with him. “Did you once consider that maybe work should come first? I get it, work shouldn’t be all he thinks about. But… it’s his business!”
The mare shook her head, “No, no, that doesn’t sound right… There’s that gray area that Mineral bit off more than he could chew… Still, Sugar goes to work and Mineral does the same. They both work for hours before they can see each other for what little time they can spare.”
At last, Nightshade looked at the Bright Spotlight offices, the location of Morganite’s workplace. A pang of sadness knotted in the thestral’s breast. “That leaves you…” Nightshade muttered. In their two-month friendship, Nightshade never found herself angry at her beloved friend, and that day was no exception.
There was just one thing that always bothered Nightshade. It involved not just Morganite, but many crystal ponies. All of their pain circled around one cause: King Sombra. Just the thought of Morganite being enslaved encouraged Nightshade to treat her teeth on the cloud out of anger. Instead of having a mouthful of musty water, the mare continued to think about the tyrant while attempting to maintain her temper.
Nightshade was very familiar with dealing with oppressive power. Nightmare Moon was very demanding, especially when having to upkeep the terrariums. Nightmare Moon was the worst whenever her sister was mentioned. Some have been killed because they got in the way of her rage. There was a reason why the role of advisor would always open up from time to time.
That didn’t mean the ruler of the moon had a pure-black heart. If she ever did execute without control of herself, Nightmare Moon would lament bitterly. After all, Princess Luna gave birth to the first thestral, and every thestral after was her blood. And when any thestral would pass away, Nightmare Moon would always mourn her children, no matter what.
Once Nightmare Moon was no more, Princess Luna begged for her childrens’ forgiveness. To her shock and awe, every thestral retained their loyal love and accepted her new character. Nightshade felt pity for Luna the day she regretted her 1000 year grudge. It tore her entire family away from Equestria, leaving many generations to never see the sunrise, or to experience natural snow or rainfall.
Nightshade knew what rage was. She recognized it as many things: to protect, to intimidate, to destroy. It was a hard monster to contain, especially when it came to watching over Sugar Crush, her sister. Her father and even Nightmare Moon mentioned to Nightshade that rage is an excellent tool to guard what is precious to a pony. That mindset burrowed into the deepest part of Nightshade’s brain.
But Sugar Cane would not allow her daughter to be a walking embodiment of anger. Instead, Sugar Cane allowed Nightshade to be soft and show compassion. Her mother’s behavior was easily expressed by Sugar Crush.
The combination of trying to be kind and angry at appropriate times confused Nightshade. Her counselor on the matter was surprisingly Nightmare Moon. The alicorn lectured Nightshade how they were both soldiers, sworn to protect their family. Those who were not equipped with the will to fight were the ones they needed to guard.
“Love your family and share your affection with them. And those who interfere with their peace will be shown a rage that cannot be bested.”
Even though the lecture did bring Nightshade some peace of mind, maintaining the amount of rage that occasionally seeped out her pores was always a challenge. Nevertheless, the balance of love and anger allowed Nightshade to relate to Nightmare Moon on a level she never considered. Thus, her forgiveness toward Princess Luna was swift. Nightshade gave the revived alicorn, her ancient mother, a second chance at redemption.
The past was the past. However, it was not just that for the crystal ponies. What was history still plagued many of the inhabitants of the beautiful city.
“How come my kind can move forward while this place struggles?” Nightshade asked.
The thestral stood from the cloud, her hooves sinking into its body. But Nightshade was not about to allow something so soft keep her held down. It was time to talk to her friend; and eventually, Saradiamond.