//------------------------------// // Chapter Nineteen - Welcome Back // Story: Shades of Night // by Sketchy Changeling //------------------------------// Moon and I appeared in my apartment in a flash of light, the sudden feeling of teleportation disorienting me a little. “You okay?” she asked me. “A little dizzy, but I’ll be fine,” I nodded. “It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been here. It hasn’t changed much.” “Well, I was never one for changing the layout of my home very frequently,” I joked, earning a chuckle from the alicorn. “If you’re hungry, there’s some mac and cheese in the fridge that you can heat up.” “Actually, I think I’ll take a shower before I eat,” she answered. “The water at that old house is really cold, so you can imagine how uncomfortable that is.” “Okay, then. The towels are where they usually are. I’ll heat up a bowl for you while you’re in the shower.” “Thanks,” she nodded, turning around and heading towards the towel closet. I reached into the fridge, taking out a large container of leftover mac and cheese and preparing bowls for both Moon and myself. I heated my bowl before hers, and left hers in the microwave once it was done. Taking a fork out of the nearby drawer, I leaned against the counter and began to eat. “It’s weird how fast things are getting back to normal,” I thought. “I figured it would at least be a little weird for me to get used to her being around again, but it’s like she never left. Strange…” I continued to eat silently by myself, until something floated in front of me, casting a shadow. “You kept this?” I looked up in curiosity and saw the portrait of Moon and me at the street fair being held in front of me by the alicorn’s magic. “Huh?” I blinked. The portrait floated back over to Moon, who was already dressed in her black nightgown. “I thought you would’ve gotten rid of this when you dumped me.” “Oh. Well, to be honest, I kinda forgot about it,” I admitted. “Where’d you find it?” “I saw it in the closet when I was looking for something to wear. I’m surprised you didn’t throw away my clothes, either.” “I didn’t really think about that,” I explained. “At the time, I was just happy you were gone…” I shook my head. “That’s in the past now, though. Anyway, your food’s in the microwave.” “Thank you,” she smiled as she opened the microwave and took the food out with her magic. She walked over to me and leaned on the counter beside me, happily eating what might have been her first hot meal in a long time. “So…” she said after a few moments of silence. “I know you said that we’re just friends for now, but… I was wondering if we could still share the bed.” After initially being taken aback by the sudden request, I mulled it over for a moment. “Um… I guess so,” I answered unsurely. Just then, I shivered as something soft and light wrapped itself around my waist loosely, and I looked down to see Moon’s tail caressing my midsection. The sensation was chilling, yet comforting at the same time, like my senses were at war with each other. Should I have been happy, or scared? “Maybe things won’t get back to normal that quickly…” I thought. “I know I’ve been saying this a lot, but thanks, Noah,” Moon told me. My face flushed a little as I gingerly ran my hand across her tail. “Don’t mention it…” I mumbled. Once we finished eating, we tossed our bowls in the sink and headed to my bedroom. It had been a long day, and after all that had happened, I really needed some sleep. “‘Night, Moon,” I yawned as I climbed into bed, getting comfortable under the covers, facing her. “Goodnight, Noah,” she said back, turning off the lights and getting into bed next to me. I shut my eyes, wanting to get some rest, but as I was falling asleep, I felt a hand reach over me, resting on my back, only to recede a few seconds afterward. I opened my eyes to see Moon lying in front of me, sleeping, with an uncomfortable look on her face. I looked under the blanket and could barely make out her hands trying to resist themselves from reaching over to me. “Uh, Moon?” I whispered, waking her up. “You okay?” “I’m fine…” she answered as her eyes fluttered open. “I’m just getting used to not holding you… I know how you don’t like it.” A soft sigh escaped me, and I decided to scoot closer to her and drape my arm over her waist, pulling her closer to me. “Well, I guess it’d be okay. Just for tonight.” Moon looked at me with widened eyes, the teal orbs somehow glowing in the darkened room. I soon heard a content hum from her as she returned my embrace. When her arms wrapped around my back, an instinctive shiver coursed through me, like I still wasn’t quite used to her being this close to me again, but part of me felt more secure with her than I was before. I felt like I could trust her. “Maybe we could do this another night, too…” I thought to myself. The next morning, Moon offered to make breakfast, an offer that I gladly accepted. While she was cooking, I got my phone and conference called Klaus and Maud. “Hello?” they answered at the same time. “Hey, guys. Listen, are you both able to come by my place later today?” “Well, I got up pretty early and showered already, so I’m pretty much ready to go whenever,” Klaus answered. “Same here,” Maud droned. “I’m used to waking up early on the rock farm.” “Uh… okay… Well, can you guys be here in about an hour?” I asked, looking at the clock. “Sure. I’ll be there,” said the griffon. “We can take my car, Klaus,” the earth mare offered. “The ride won’t be that long, in case you’re wondering.” “I know how long it takes to get to Noah’s, Maud. Don’t patronize me.” “Okay! See you two in an hour!” I interrupted loudly before hanging up. Those two could be just too much sometimes. “You’re inviting Klaus and Maud over?” Moon asked. “Yeah. I figured they’d be happy to see you. They really missed you, y’know.” She blinked and stared at me in disbelief. “They did?” “Of course. They’re your friends, aren’t they?” The mare blushed with a light smile on her face. “Yeah… they are.” “So what’s for breakfast?” I asked. “Pancakes. You want syrup on yours?” “Of course.” Moon giggled, levitating the syrup bottle over my pancakes so she could fulfill my request. She then sent the plate my way. “There you go. Bon appetit!” I chuckled as I took the plate from Moon’s magical grip, and she sat next to me once she prepared her own plate. “Noah, can I ask you something?” “Sure. What is it?” “Do you think that… I should tell Klaus and Maud about… well, you know.” Well, that question sure came out of nowhere. A lengthy “Um…” escaped me, unsure of how to answer that question. “I feel that they do deserve to know, and I think that they’d be able to keep the secret,” she explained, “I know that I want to tell them one day, but… I don’t know if I’m ready for them to know.” “Then don’t tell them,” I responded impulsively. Moon turned to me in slight surprise, her wide eyes asking for an explanation for my answer. “What I mean is, if you’re not completely comfortable with telling them just yet, then there’s no need to rush anything. Letting them know your identity is your decision to make, so you don’t need to force yourself if you don’t think you’re ready.” I heard Moon let out a soft breath as I felt her one of her wings reach around my back, resting itself on my shoulder. “I appreciate that, Noah. That makes me feel a lot better.” The initial jolt of anxiety that I’d get from Moon touching me was still there, but it was a lot less intense. I smiled and lightly touched her wing, my fingers gently running over each feather, and I could feel her shaking a little, too. Could she have been just as nervous as me? “No problem,” I told her. Getting up from the couch, I picked up my empty plate and cup, walking over to the kitchen to toss them in the sink. “We should get ready. Maud and Klaus are gonna be here in less than an hour.” “You can go ahead and shower first, then,” she replied. “I’m still eating.” I nodded and headed off to the bathroom to get myself ready for my guests. Nearly an hour had passed, and Moon and I were lying on our bed looking at some TV shows on my laptop. “Did you hear from them yet?” she asked me. “Mm-hm,” I answered with a nod. “Klaus texted me a few minutes ago saying that they’re on their way, so It should be any sec-” *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* “Right on cue,” Moon smirked as she lit up her horn, changing her appearance to that of her unicorn persona. “I’ll let ‘em in,” I told her as I got up off the bed, leaving my room and making my way to the front door. When I opened it, I found my guests of honor standing in the hallway. “Hey, guys. Glad you could make it.” “No problem, Noah!” Klaus answered with a smile. “So, you called us here early in the morning on a weekend. What’s the occasion?” “I’ve been wondering that, too,” said Maud. “Well, come on in and have a seat,” I told them. They looked at each other for a moment but eventually walked in and sat on the couch. “Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.” I walked to my room, poking my head into the doorway. “They’re ready,” I said to Nightshade with a ridiculously cryptic tone. She merely chuckled and got up off my bed, following me into the hallway. I walked ahead of Nightshade, meeting Klaus and Maud back in the living room. “Guys, I have someone here that you might like to see.” The griffon raised an eyebrow while the mare stared blankly at me, both of them wondering who I could possibly be talking about, but not a second later, their eyes widened to a degree that I didn’t even think was possible. Yes. Maud, too. Nightshade had caught up to me and was standing by my side. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Klaus and Maud shot up out of their seats, staring at the mare beside me in disbelief. “No way! Nightshade!?” the griffon exclaimed. “Where have you been? And what are you doing here?” “I thought that I needed some time alone, so I stayed at an old friend’s house for a while,” the unicorn lied. “As for why I’m here, well, Noah and I ran into each other last night and had a long talk. We eventually decided to reconcile our differences.” “Well, I’m glad to see you again, Shady,” Klaus smiled, giving Nightshade a firm hug. “Shady?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “It’s a new nickname I came up with on the spot. You like?” The mare giggled. “It’s cute,” she told him as she let go of him, only to be wrapped in a tighter, almost crushing hug. “M-Maud?” she said in shock. “I missed you,” the earth mare said quietly. “I’m glad you’re back, Nightshade.” “I’m…” the unicorn coughed. “I’m glad to be back, too.” “Jeez, Maud. You’re choking the poor thing!” Klaus objected, pulling at Maud’s shoulder, but it still took her a while for her to let go. “Sorry,” she deadpanned. “I guess I got a little emotional.” “It’s hard for me to believe that with your blank face,” Klaus scoffed. “In any case, that means we’ll have a full party for Mary’s Comet!” “I think the only reason you’re excited is because you’ll get to see me and Nightshade in bathing suits,” Maud quipped. “Not this again,” Nightshade and I groaned to ourselves. “Maud, why would you even think that?” the griffon asked. “You were trying really hard to cover your blush when the four of us went clothes shopping, so I can imagine you seeing Nightshade and me in bikinis.” “Oh, please. You were just seeing things back then. Besides, I think you’re overestimating yourself a little.” “You couldn’t handle my midriff, Klaus,” Maud said with a cold stare. “Don’t make me have to kick you guys out,” I warned them, but Nightshade couldn’t help but chuckle. “What’s got you laughing?” I asked. “Oh, nothing,” she sighed. “I just forgot how fun it was to be with you guys.” After Klaus and Maud stayed for another hour or so, they eventually left, leaving Moon and me alone again. “Have those two been bantering with each other more often?” she asked. “It seems that way to me.” “It’s not just you,” I answered. “They really have been at each other lately.” “It might have been because they missed me so much.” “Oh, sure. It’s about you.” “I’m kidding Noah. But… you know what I really think?” I paused for a moment. “No, but I’m curious.” Moon leaned over to me, like she was about to whisper in my ear. “You do realize we’re the only ones here, right?” “Yeah, but it’s more dramatic if I whisper it to you,” she argued, continuing to lean into me, and she began to whisper. “So, if you ask me, I think those two like each other.” “Oh really?” “Of course, or at least Klaus likes Maud.” I shrugged. “I guess I could see that. Klaus does get a little flustered with Maud sometimes. It’s hard to tell what Maud feels, though.” “I think she gets a kick out of teasing him and doesn’t show it.” “You think so?” I asked. “I don’t know how you can see it.” “I’m just trusting my female intuition,” Moon boasted. “If you say so,” I sighed as I leaned back into the couch. “So… what now?” “Well, I’ll just keep practicing my healing spell until I’m ready to use it on Jade.” “You sure it’ll work?” “Once I’m strong enough, yeah. I’ll admit that I was nervous the first time I tried it, but for some reason it came so naturally to me, and it’s been getting easier the more I do it.” “I hope you don’t expect me to injure myself so you can practice.” “When there’s already a hospital full of people and ponies with broken bones and other wounds?” she retorted. “Don’t worry, Noah. You won’t have to do anything that crazy.” “Well, let’s just hope that you’ll be able to do this, however long it takes.” “Yeah…” said Moon. “I hope so, too.” Two weeks had passed, and Nightshade and I had just arrived at the hospital. We were walking off the bus as I looked at the large building in front of us. Maybe it was because of what Nightshade was about to do today, but for some reason the hospital looked bigger than usual. “You sure you ready for this?” I asked. “I’m sure, Noah,” she answered with determination. “I can do this. Wish me luck, okay?” “Of course,” I said, “although, I’ve been wondering… how do you heal all these patients and not get caught?” “I sneak in using my mist form, and security cameras can’t detect magic.” “How do you know that?” “How do you think I managed to steal food from those corner stores without getting caught?” I gave her an uneasy look. “Well, you haven’t been seen up till now, so I’ll just have to trust you on that one,” I sighed. “Good luck, Nightshade.” “Thanks, I’ll need it,” she replied as we approached a nearby alley. I stood guard while I waited for Nightshade to turn into her mist form, only to feel something wrap around me. I looked down to see Moon’s arms wrapped around my torso. “Just for some extra luck,” she said before turning into mist, the light breeze of her movement passing me by, heading in the direction of the hospital. “God, I hope this works.”