~The Professor.
Diving behind a bush, she watched them pass. She knew all of their names, their faces. All of them. So why was she so hollow. So empty inside. Like a painful memory, her days passed, each one getting a little simpler and yet, a bit more complicated as Celestia's sun crossed the sky to rest on the mountains afar. How beautiful this place was. How infected and painful she chose it to be. How much pain must she inflict on herself until she is satisfied with her own guilt?
Her mane was rough and dark gray, almost purple, like the sunset that was now becoming to be. A single tear formed in her eye and rolled down her matted, wet fur. How plain her fur was. How non imaginary and dull, and how despising her eyes were Red, like blood. At least nopony could see her in the shadows of the alleyway.
MoonShadow ran a hoof through her fur, still staring into her own reflection painted like a portrait on the forming puddle beneath her hooves. With a scowl and one swift move of her tail, the puddle was destroyed.
"Come on miss hooves!" She knew that voice. That was the Doctor, she knew every pony's voice.
"I'm coming Doctor!" That was to be what appeared so, his mare friend.
Shadow watched them disappear into their blue box. Dear Celestia knows what magic was held in there. The light above it shone bright and flickered on and off, on and off, until the box disappeared with it's passengers as if fleeing from the ever growing black clouds.
Shadow's coat shivered as a raindrop sunk through to her skin. Every Pony was getting out of the rain...Every pony, but her. It was better to stay in the shadows. Better to hide than to run. MoonShadow continued to pull her hoof through her mane in some attempt to straighten it out. It wouldn't mater, even if it did work, no pony would see it. No pony would care. But maybe he wou- No. She would not allow herself to think like that. Not again. For his sake.
Luna's moon was now overhead and Celestia's sun, long gone. Only the early morning ponies who needed to set up their stands for a busy day of selling were up at this time. She knew all their jobs. All of them.
From her spot in the bushes, she watched AppleJack set up her apple selling stand. She watched as her younger sister, AppleBloom, bounced up and down in excitement even as the rain beat down hard on the filly's back. This was probably because her older sister was finally allowing her to participate with the apple stand. AppleBloom was still a blank flank, but her older sister had three juicy looking red apples printed on her hind quarters. THREE! She glanced down at her own flank. What MoonShadow wouldn't do for just one on hers. Her flank would be bare if not for the red hoof print done in with a permanent substance. She almost smiled, remembering when she had done it as a young filly. Remembering why she had done it brought only beads of most, salty tears to her eyes.
Lifting all four hooves back beneath her, MoonShadow left the alleyway. The sun arose quickly, so the mare decided to pick up speed and from there, disappeared into the EverFree, leaving a dust trail behind her. When the time came, it was easy to sneak past Zecora's hut. That zebra was always mixing or brewing one thing or another, too busy to be on the lookout for intruders. MoonShadow glanced up to the skies above her, even if the sun was risen all the way, overhanging trees and large bushes blocked out all of the sun's rays from reaching the forest ground beneath. The trees. They leaned over her like a pack of timberwolves, silently threatening her every step. MoonShadow growled loudly at them, as if to frighten them back.
Everything about what she called home would send any pony running. The cracked and crumbling stone bricks shook beneath her hooves. The vines and hanging tree branches scrapped and pulled at her mane.
"Hello." She told her home.
It had once been a magnificent palace, the castle of the two sisters. It had once been so beautiful. It had once owned a purpose. It had once been loved and cared for... Once... Once had a mother.... and a home...and-
MoonShadow forced a hoof to her own face, trying to hold back tears and anger and pain, and for the most part, regret. she knew who she was, even though her rump refused to give in to the truth and claim the proper cutiemark as her own, she knew. Shadow reached back and felt around her false cutie mark. Disgraceful!
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The moon was bright that night, that, and an unexpected timberwolf in the bedroom woke her up. She had chased it away with a torch and she knew it wouldn't be long till he was back with his friends for a midnight snack. Timberwolves always hunted in packs of three or more. Still, even if they weren't coming back, she still needed to move. The midnight markets would be open in Ponyville right about now and she planned on being there. It was so easy to be herself in the shadows. The darkness assuring her a save escape from anypony who may see her on her way.
Dowsing the torch in a small pool of water, MoonShadow left the clearing and ventured back into the woods until reaching the outer boundaries of the little town. It was quiet, just the way she liked it to be at this time of night. Staying in the shadows, she still found it a bit harder to stay hidden from their pony eyes. Luna must be planning on doing some late night work if she wanted the moon THIS bright.
"Ah, Professor!" My head span around like a snake. "I take it your here for...well, you know where to get it!"
The voice belonged to BlackSky, the royal guard that was in charge of the "Changeling Cleanup Crew," a team who found the changeling left too close to canterlot and wiped them out, with the exception of one called Zinc, he was said to be in the possession of Princess Luna. Apparently under interrogation according to the royal guards who passed through ponyville.
"Um, yes, thank you."
MoonShadow stepped closer to the two, trying to see who the other was. She had never heard his voice before. It was british and belonged to a stallion, but softer than the usual hard voice of a male pony.
"Right in there."
BlackSky pointed to the ally she had rested in the previous day.
"Off I go then!"
MoonShadow's ears tilted in interest. The stallion stepped into the moon's light, his coat was brown and his mane, well kept. His tail was long and rough yet a slightly lighter brown than his fur. His eyes were light blue and surprisingly hard to look away from.
"Hello! Who are you?"
MoonShadow hadn't noticed that she had stepped out of the shadows! With a gasp, the mare dashed back into her shadowy save haven. The stallion winced and then continued on his way.
MoonShadow breathed heavily, but something made her stop, something made her turn around, and something made her follow him.