//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Lessons in the Moonlight // by Harmony Split //------------------------------// Prologue          “Have a nice trip home!” I had said as I waved towards the princess and her friends while they moved out of sight. That was the last time I had seen them, and though it had only been about a week ago, it felt like so much longer.         For a few days, they were our guests. They helped us in so many ways that I was sure that we could never repay them. Looking at my flank once again, I smiled. My cutie mark was back, the world was fine. My home was still standing, and that villain was finally gone.         “You’re not looking too happy, Night,” a voice said beside me, causing me to turn in time to see Sugar Belle standing at my side.         “I’m still thinking about the Princess and her friends. It feels different without having them around. I’m happy we have our lives and our homes back, but it just feels… off,” I replied, somehow my voice came out almost disappointedly.         “Starlight Glimmer is gone. I don’t think we'll ever see her again, and the princess has her own life to get back to,” Sugar said as she softly touched my coat. She gave me a soft smile before heading back to her shop.         “I know, I know. It just feels like I’m missing something. Something isn’t right,” I whispered to nopony in particular.         I turned and headed back towards Sugar Belle’s shop slowly, my head dipped slightly. The small town was buzzing with activity, since the cutie marks were returned, everything seemed normal. Everypony was happy, without any doubt.         So what’s wrong with me?         I didn’t have an answer to that. Yet, at least. My hooves guided me towards Sugar Belle’s shop, packed with customers. Past Double Diamond’s house, where he was showing off his old set of skis he found while we chased Starlight Glimmer. I also noticed Party Favor, surrounded by some ponies and a few balloons.         They all invited me to join, but every single one I declined. I was happy to have my town back, my friends and my cutie mark. But at the same time, I wasn’t completely happy. It was as if something vital was missing, even though everything was as it should have been.         I had my friends and my home, I had my cutie mark back, and I knew who I was. But I was still missing something, and I wasn’t sure what it was, or why I was still missing it. It shouldn’t be normal that everyone else seemed to be so happy and complete, and I still felt like something big was missing.         Maybe that’s why I didn’t want the princess to leave? She knows more than I do about friendship. I should have asked her while she was still here…         I stopped outside of Sugar Belle’s shop, my eyes drawn back in the direction of the train tracks that Princess Twilight and her friends had disappeared down. They had it figured out, they were all so different, and somehow they still managed to stay friends.         Giving a sigh, I pushed open the door and headed inside to visit with Sugar Belle. Maybe something sweet would help straighten things out.  Sugar Belle’s shop was as welcoming as always, the sounds of faint music playing in the background, the smells of fresh goods being baked and the constant hum of ponies chatting and laughing. It was just the other day that this place was little more than a dingy room where Sugar Belle would cook horrible muffins. Now it felt like home.         Trotting up to the counter, I gave Sugar Belle a smile as I scanned over the chalk boards behind her, thinking about what might help with clearing my head. Something called the Belle Special seemed to be highlighted in multiple shades of chalk, and with nothing better in mind, I settled on that.         Sugar Belle greeted me happily with a wave whenever I stepped up to the counter, “Hey, Night Glider! Feeling better?” she asked with a cheerful smile.         I offered a shrug, “A bit. Kinda feeling like some sweets’ll help,” I said, gesturing behind her, “I’ll try that Belle Special.”         She offered a kind smile, “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure you just miss them because they helped us out so much. They’ll come back to visit,” she said before turning around and heading into the back for a few moments. She reappeared carrying a plate with a slice of multi-layered cake on it, the plate delicately wrapped in her magic.         After setting it down on the counter, she gave me a small giggle, “And if you miss them so much, you can always just go visit them. Ponyville’s not that hard to find, right?”         “Honestly, I don’t have any clue where it is. Princess Twilight said it’s a bit south of Canterlot, but I’m not really sure,” I admitted sheepishly, my ears folding back slightly in embarrassment.         Sugar Belle’s face deadpanned for a few moments before she let out a good-natured sigh, “You could always just get on the train. That’s how they got here, right?”         “Uhh, I guess so?” I replied.         “Gosh, you really are out of it today. Seriously, Night, what’s the matter?” Sugar Belle asked, leaning in as if she was examining a bug on my forehead, “Even before we got our cutie marks back, you were usually more down to Equestria than this.”         I sighed and shook my head as I picked the fork off my plate and started playing with the slice of cake, “I don’t know, Sugar Belle. This whole friendship thing, I don’t know how to make heads or tails of it. We’ve been living in this place for so long, I can’t even remember where to start,” I said, spearing the cake and taking a halfhearted bite out of it.         Sugar Belle leaned back, the scrutinizing look leaving her face in favor of a look of understanding, “I guess I know what you mean, sometimes it feels weird to look out and see friends rather than just neighbors. But, I mean, that’s what friendship is, right? You need to figure it out as you go along,” she said, giving me a supportive smile.         “I don’t even know how to go along after everything that’s happened, Sugar. It’s almost like I’ve lost everything about it. I’ve got my home, my friends, my cutie mark, but the rest is missing, something special.”         “Don’t you have your work?” she asked, raising a brow, “Or any family you can get back in touch with? Something to get back into the swing of things.”         I looked taken aback at that, “Pfft, if only I had something like that,” I muttered.         “Seriously? Nothing?” she asked, causing me to shake my head, “That’s kind of weird, don’t you think? Everypony remembers everything, except you, Night.”         “I know, but I can’t figure it out. It’s just too...fuzzy? Maybe the princess knows what to do,” I mused, fiddling uncomfortably with the utensil in hoof.         Sugar Belle thought in silence for a few moments, looking at the counter as she did. After a few moments, she looked up, “Well, why don’t you go visit her, then? The train’s not expensive, and the next one is going to be here in a few hours. You could just go see what you can learn from Princess Twilight, and then come back home when you’re happy,” she suggested with a smile.         “Just up and leave? There’s no way I can do that! My house is here, my friends, everything I own.”         Sugar Belle laughed lightly and shook her head, “Get a room at an inn while you’re there. It’s not like you’re moving out, you’d just be taking a vacation. Besides, we’ll all make sure that nothing happens to your place while you’re gone,” she said, a grin cracking across her muzzle.         I hesitated for a few moments. It was a possibility; I could just go to Ponyville for a while and see what the princess could teach me. Maybe I could learn something about who I used to be, and what friendship really means. It’s not like I have anything I need to do in town anyways, I could just take a vacation for a few weeks and see what I can learn.         I looked up at Sugar Belle and cracked a smile, finally, “You know what, you might be right. It’s not permanent, I could just go see if she has any advice for me, then come back. Right?”         Sugar Belle nodded enthusiastically, “Right! And then when you get back, you’ll be happy again.”         I nodded back, mimicking her enthusiasm, the smile slipping into a grin and refusing to leave my muzzle, “You’re right! Thank’s Sugar Belle!” I exclaimed, setting a few bits on the counter for the unfinished cake before turning and trotting out in an excited rush. After all, I had some packing to do.