"I am so terribly sorry about that mister, she's been… a bit upset. Can we pay you for the trouble?" Offers Almond.
"I guess you can pay, that'll be a hundred bits. And you can help clean up and reset the new bowls." As he answers the question his stare is focused on me, I guess in an attempt to frighten me.
"Go on Moon, you broke it you fix it." Lily states, her hoof clenching on the invisible chains which causes me to yelp and growl as the pressure on the cuffs become intolerable. After thirty seconds I finally relent and begin the task, cursing under my breath throughout it all.
Once the cleanup is finished the stallion turns to me. "Thank you for that. Here, take one, I insist." He points at the large collection of stuffed alicorns. The sight of Luna’s and Celestia's dolls hanging with permanent, idiotic smiles brings a snarl to my own lips and the sight of a Twilight plushie and another of an alicorn I cannot identify causes my lips to lift higher, exposing my fangs.
“Moon, relax and choose one. There is no need to get so aggressive, just choose one, please.” A frown crosses her lips as I look at her, and with a huff I finally relent.
"Fine, I guess I'll take the Princess Luna one if I have to choose."
As we walk away, Lily thrusts her plushie into my hoof as well. "Here, you can have mine as well, and no I will not take it back nor will I allow you to destroy it." Before I can retort back a rumbling stomach sounds off, interrupting my thoughts. "Looks like it's time to eat."
"Finally, a break from all this sappiness." I mumble before we head off to eat, my scowl confusing the ponies we come across as they spot the pair of plushies popping out of a saddlebag around my barrel.
Standing in the line my glare focuses on a pair of foals playing in the dirt as my mouth begins salivate. I wonder what it would be like, tasting another pony’s flesh. My thoughts of cannibalism are broken as I’m jerked up to the front of the line. “Hello miss, what can I get for you today?” The orange unicorn stallion in the window asks before taking a glance at my fangs and gulps.
“We are paying as one. Go ahead and order first, Moonshade.” I just snarl at Lily, which earns a snicker from Almond and Sunstreak while she just bats her eyelashes at me.
“You don’t serve meat here, do you?”
A louder gulp and a visible shiver runs through his body at the question as he shrinks back away from me, stammering. “I- I don’t… we don’t serve any… meat here. W- what kind of… m- monster are y-you to be asking th-that?” The line of ponies behind us back slowly away, parents shielding their foals or dragging them away to another food stand.
“Fiiine, a hayburger and large fries with a cherry soda.” The clear annoyance at his question makes me really want to gore him with my horn, though I know lilybutt won’t let me. With a growl I step off to the side, furiously kicking a rock as hard as I can. These simple, idiotic foals. I’ll destroy them when I’m free of these accursed chains.
"Just curious Moon, do you… remember anything about your past?" The question comes as we gather our food, the ponies around us backing away even more as we walk away, even those at the available tables nervously back away from us.
"No." My lie slips quickly off of my tongue as my gaze falls on the Luna plushie and keeps my attention. Flashes of images race through my mind, images of Luna being consumed and turned into a taller, darker being.
Our meal goes by without much incident, though the three foals surrounding me keep pestering me with personal questions, which I either avoid or give short answers to. The questions range from if I’m enjoying myself, any hobbies I have, where I’d like to live, what I’d like to do for a living and so on.
"Well that was good, what's next?" Almond asks after he lets out a loud, extended burp and pats his belly.
"Nope, need to take some time and digest." Retorts Sunstreak as he just leans back with eyes closed, almost as if he is sleeping. “I don’t think I should have ordered that extra helping of pie, I am full.”
"Hey guys, can you two leave us for a second, please?" For some reason I
"Wh... Okay sure."
After a few seconds Lily walks up and softly whispers. "Hey, everything okay?" Her question snaps me out of my trance.
"Huh, of course why would you ask that." My tone, soft at first quickly sharpens with anger.
"By the way you were looking at your Luna doll, something's on your mind, I can tell. Please tell me."
"No, now stop bothering me."
"I'll make you a deal. If you tell me I'll talk to Discord about loosening your chains a little."
"Fine, but not here."
"Okay, it's a deal. Let's go guys and do a few more rides and play some more games." Finally, after a few more hours in that place of torture we head back to our hotel. The pair of saddlebags I’m wearing on my sides are over filled with stuff given to me by the three foals surrounding me.
"Night Lily, night Moon." The two stallions reply in unison as we exit the stairwell and they split off to their individual rooms.
"Whatever." With a humph I barge my way into our room. Before I have a chance to step onto the balcony after dumping my bags onto the floor,r Lily steps in front of me, the Luna doll in her left hoof.
"Okay, let's talk now."
"Fine. I had a... something of an... image of watching Princess Luna turning into her true form, Nightmare Moon. I also, for some reason remembered another name, Sombra, the rest is blank." She settles next to me with a hoof draped lightly across my shoulders as she places the Luna plushie in front of me.
"Well, that is a bit of a breakthrough. Let's see what else we can drudge up."
"Why... Why are you trying so hard to… What's the term? Why do you care so much?" Despite the uncomfortableness of how close she is to me I can’t seem to drudge up the energy to push her away or move. It must be because of the memory of the mental visit from Luna.
"Befriend Moon, the word you're looking for is befriend. As for why? You obviously need a friend, someone to care for and love you, like somepony must have done once a long time ago." She tries to lock her eyes onto mine with a soft smile, but I actively avoid her gaze.
At her explanation a small snippet of conversation flashes through my mind, two voices, both familiar and female echos through my mind. 'I love you my little Moon.' 'I love you as well Moonshade.' Forgetting I have an audience, I unconsciously mumble out the name that was said. "Moonshade."
"What was that? Moonshade? Did you remember something Moon?"
"Huh? I... I need to be alone now. Go, just... just go." With a frown she leaves surprisingly with nothing more than a nod. As soon as she leaves the room, quietly shutting the door, I shout out. "DISCORD, SHOW YOURSELF NOW!"
"You rrrrang little Moony? And I must say, this new look is a lot better than your old scowl, but it's still too depressing. Your day o..."
"Quiet, just… quiet. I need to see the princesses, NOW!"
"Fine then, let's cut the small talk miss Moody, hold your breath." With a pop we leave the hotel and we reappear in the Canterlot castle in a flash. The guards jump but immediately relax at the sight of Discord.
"CELESTIAAAA...... LUNAAAA....... GET DOWN HERE, NOW!" I scream out, causing Discord to flinch.
"Sheesh, give a little warning before doing that. It is, however, remarkable… you have the same style of shouting as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used to have." Discord remarks while making his head shake violently as he pulls something out of his ears, smiling.
Yawning, Princess Celestia appears without her royal accoutrements as her lunar sister hovers down the stairs, both staring surprisingly at me as I stand there, my lips curled up in a snarl as I bare my fangs. "Hm, we see your attempts to help this one hasn't been as successful as you led us to believe, Discord." Luna observes, before he can retort I glare at him.
"Leave Discord, now... I got something to discuss with the 'Princesses'."
"Oh seems like my methods have done some good after all. Well then, I'll see you ladies later." With a pop and flash he leaves with the two rulers staring down at me as I glare back. His departure also removes the cursed chains from my body. In relief I shake myself before finally speaking.
"You know, don't you?" I try to fill my voice with as much venom as I can, my eyes glaring daggers at the two alicorns. The two sisters just stare at me sadly.
"Know what my little pony?" Celestia asks softly, attempting to calm me down.
"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO I AM, DON'T YOU!" I snap after a couple minutes of huffing angrily, then turn to Luna. "I... I SAW YOU TURN INTO NIGHTMARE MOON. I… I HEARD YOUR VOICES, BOTH OF YOURS.... SAYING THAT YOU... THAT YOU… THAT YOU LOVE ME. YOU… YOU… I DREAMT YOU VISITED ME AND SAID THAT I… THAT I WAS... WHO AM I?" A strange, unknown sensation envelopes me as wetness begins to fall from my eyes, leaving stains down my cheeks as I tightly shut my eyelids.
"Yes, we know who you are, Moonshade. After we met at the hospital Luna and I know exactly who you are." Celestia offers softly as a hoof and wing wraps around my left side.
"We thought you were dead. When my sister searched the ruins and failed to find you, she thought you were dead." Luna adds as she moves over to my other side, trapping me like Celestia did with a hoof and wing.
"Who am I then? WHAT AM I?" The wetness flows faster and thicker down my cheeks as I continue to stare up at them.
"You're special Moonshade, and have been so sorely missed-" Celestia says while she leans down and nuzzles me behind an ear tenderly.
Luna finishes her sister's sentence after giving me another nuzzle. "Dear Moonshade, you are my daughter from before I was banished."
With that revelation I jump away from the two, my heart and mind racing faster than ever before as I look at them incredulously. "WH... WHAT? TH... THAT CAN'T... NNNOOOOO… HOW… WHY?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY TO FIND ME IF THAT'S TRUE? WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME?” My legs give out once I finish shouting, causing me to crash hard onto the floor. The two sisters approach gently, wetness, tears I think they were called, soaks their cheeks and gathers in their eyes.
"After the fight with... Nightmare Moon, the castle was a ruin. I searched everywhere I could, but you weren't in your room and I couldn't find you in your favorite hiding place." After a few minutes of silence mixed with me making the same strange sounds Lily made the previous night, darkness finally begins to take over, the sensation of being picked up barely registering. Eventually I'm being lain upon a soft bed, surrounded by two bodies.
"We are truly sorry for not being there for you, our little Moon. And we are sorry you had to grow up alone. We hope someday you can forgive us. We love you so much and never stopped loving you." Those are the last words I hear from the two before unconsciousness fully consumes me.