Like Mother, Like Daughter
Lily looked in through the windows of Jason’s and Nightshine’s home, cupping her front hooves around her head to get a better view inside. They had dodged more than their fair share of lightning bolts on their flight to Ponyville, though this time Lily had the foresight to wear some bad weather gear. A warm hooded waterproof poncho sat upon her back, blocking most of the rain.
The front and back doors were still locked tight and it appeared as if nobody was home. “She said she’d be here in her note…” she mumbled to herself. It was still dark out and no light came from within. Lily knocked on the door once, then twice. “Nightshine, are you home?” She waited a minute, looking in through the windows for any sign of movement. She knocked again, this time harder.
Abigale nudged her on the shoulder. “I don’t think she’s here,” Abigale said. “Based on how the storm is moving, she’s probably somewhere between Detrot and Foaledo.”
“That far? What makes you think that?”
Abigale snatched some grass from the road beneath her and tossed them high into the air. “Based on the estimated speed of the wind and the height of Canterlot, if she glided like you think she did, she could easily have made it that far.”
“If she was strong enough, sure, but…”
“But what? She seems like a tough little filly, just like you. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“But–”
“No buts! She’s fine, we’re going to find her, and you’re going to stay in the guard.”
Lily smiled at her friend’s kind words. “I might get demoted, you know.”
“Yeah, and you’re gonna spend a year cleaning the toilets, too!”
“Hey, you came with!”
“Yeah, but I’m not disobeying a direct order like you are. Princess Luna ordered me to keep an eye on you so that’s what I’m going to do.” She shook herself to get rid of the rain pooling on the back of her poncho, then stretched her wings out wide. “You ready?”
“Sure am.” Lily and Abigale flew northeast, stopping every couple of miles to look around and ask some of the locals if they’d seen a thestral filly. They’d spent all morning and afternoon looking all over, but the further they went, the more they feared that they were looking in the wrong direction. However, Abigale was sure of herself, just like she always was, and kept reassuring her that they were on the right path.
Detrot was devoid of any thestrals. Some were shocked to see two of Luna’s guards in their armor so far away from Canterlot, especially without the princess, but the two of them paid that no mind. They were on a mission and they would not stop until little Nightshine was returned, safe and sound. Foaledo too was of a similar result: Nightshine had not been seen anywhere. In fact, she and Abigale were the only two thestrals in the area, according to the locals.
After another few hours of flying northeast, as the sun started to set behind them, Lily glanced at her friend. Abigale had been lagging behind her, flying at a slower pace than what she wanted. By the pained expression on her friend’s face, she could tell just how weary she was. “Hey!” she called out to get her attention as she pointed towards the ground ahead of them.
Her armor weighed heavily on her head and back. With an empty stomach and sore muscles, Lily nearly stumbled as she landed. Bitsburgh was off in the distance by just another few minutes of flight, but her wings were so sore that they felt like they were about to fall off of her. With the promise of a warm bed, warm food, and the company of her friend, she waited for Abigale to land beside her.
Abigale panted hard. “Dang, girl… I knew you could fly, but…” She took a few more deep breaths. “I didn’t know you had it in you to go that far.”
“I can’t quit. I won’t quit,” she said.
“I know you won’t, and I’m not saying we should, but… whew!” Abigale took another deep breath and collapsed upon the soft ground.
Lily felt a bit of anxiety grow within her. “Come, Abi, we’ll find a hotel to stay in tonight. Dinner is on me, too.”
“Can we rest a minute?” Abigale hopefully asked.
“Sure, but then we gotta get a move on.” Lily let her friend catch her breath for a few minutes, patiently waiting for her to recover. Truth be told, she needed more than a couple minutes to recover herself, but she would never admit it. Abigale stood up and followed her along the train tracks that led into town.
“I spy with my tired eyes a little tavern up on the corner. You think they have some open rooms?”
“I sure hope so because my hooves are beat!”
“This is the place?” Nightshine asked. The sun had long set but they were safely within the confines of Bitsburgh. They stood before an old three-story building. A sign hung above the porch identified the place as The Prancing Puppy, quite an odd name. “It looks… old,” she carefully said, hoping to not offend Star.
“Sure is! It’s kind of our only place to go out and eat in town,” Star Shadow said. “So long as you have bits, that is…” He looked down at her, then sighed. “Here, there’s enough in here for a few meals and a bed if you choose to stay the night.” Star pulled a small bag from his saddlebag and tossed it to her. “I hope you fare well, young Nightshine, for I now must return to my own family.”
“Thank you. I won’t forget your kindness, sir,” Nightshine gratefully accepted the bag of bits with a smile, then tucked it under her right wing.
“Just pay it forward when you can, will ya?” he asked over his shoulder as he walked away.
“I sure will,” she called out after him. Nightshine turned back to face the dilapidated building, mustered her strength, then walked inside. Warmth washed over her as she stepped out of the cold. She closed her eyes for a moment as she smiled. She felt safe.
Nightshine cleared her throat as she walked forward to the bar. She hopped up onto an empty stool between a couple of townsponies. An empty seat sat to her left while an older stallion unicorn sat to her right.
The barkeep, a dark brown pegasus, walked up to her. “How may I help you, young miss?” she asked with a warm smile.
“A room if you have it, please,” Nightshine said, placing her bag of bits on the counter.
The barkeep’s smile faltered. “I’m afraid we just sold the last remaining room to those two a little while ago,” she said, nodding towards Nightshine’s left.
Nightshine followed her gaze, her eyes falling on two Lunar Guards in full armor, save for their helmets that sat on the bar. She recognized them instantly. Her eyes locked with theirs, flicking between the two. “L-Lily? Abigale?” she asked. “What are you two doing here?” Nightshine tensed up.
“Looking for you, of course,” Abigale said from across the bar. “You’ve got most of the guards in Equestria out looking for you, you know. Even though Lily was confined to quarters, she still wanted to come out and help look for you.” She shot a hopeful smile over at her. “We have an open seat over here if you’d like to join us.”
Nightshine’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s Daddy? Is he here?” She looked all across the room and didn’t find him.
“No, he and Twilight took the train back to Ponyville to look for you at the house,” Lily finally spoke up, her tone even and devoid of any hostilities.
“How’d you find me?” she asked.
Lily waved her over. Nightshine clambered out of her stool and walked over to her, then climbed up into the open seat beside Abigale. They both reeked of sweat. “We… uh…” Her voice sounded dry.
“We followed the wind and did a lot of guestimation!” Abigale said with glee. “Just like we were taught in basic training. Isn’t that right, Lily?”
“Y-Yeah, I guess.” Lily’s gaze softened. “Can we talk? I’ve been worried sick about you.” She pushed over her bowl of soup in front of her. “Here, have some food. You look hungry.”
Nightshine looked up at her with distrusting eyes, then glanced down at the soup. Even though she wasn’t too hungry, the smell of the soup was just too tantalizing for her to pass. “T-Thanks,” she said, earning a smile from Lily.
“How did you make it all the way out here?” Lily asked.
Nightshine took a minute to herself and finished the soup in no time at all. “I flew. I sorta got lost in a big storm and ended up here.” She felt Abigale’s hoof come to rest on her back, rubbing her just like a mother would. “I thought I could fly back home, but…”
“But that big ol’ scary storm blew you off course?” Abigale gently asked, finishing her sentence.
Nightshine nodded. “I was so scared,” she whispered. A shiver ran down her back, though the cold was purged from her coat when Abigale draped a warm wing across her back.
“I bet you were, sweetie,” Abigale said. “And I bet you’re exhausted, too. I know we are. We flew all through the night and all through the day and eventually ended up here, what, forty minutes ago or so?” Lily nodded silently. “I think I can speak for both of us when I say just how relieved we are that you ran into us.” Lily nodded again in agreement.
“Me too,” Nightshine said. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get home until I ran into you two. I knew I would figure it out, but… I don’t know.”
“The world sure can be a scary place,” Abigale said. “We heard the bartender say that they didn’t have any rooms left; you’re more than welcome to stay with us. Thing is, though, there are only two small beds so one of us will have to sleep on the floor. I guess it’ll be me since Lily is paying for the room.”
“Don’t be silly, Abi, I’ll sleep on the floor. You’ve risked so much coming with me,” Lily said. “And speaking of sleeping, I think it’s high time we get some shut-eye. I’m bushed!”
“Me too,” Abigale said.
“Me three!” Nightshine laughed.
As they all slipped from their seats, Lily leaned in close to Abigale and asked, “Can you give us five minutes or so? I really want to have a private word with her.”
Abigale nodded. “Of course.”
Nightshine’s shoulders slumped. She had been hoping to head straight to bed, but now she thought she was going to get a stern talking-to. She knew what she did was so incredibly stupid and she knew deep down that she deserved getting disciplined. She followed Lily upstairs and into the second door from the stairs. Two beds on either side of the small room lay before them with a single nightstand in between. A candlestick sat in the middle of the nightstand, its thin, flickering flame barely lighting the room.
As Lily shut the door behind them, Nightshine turned around, sat down, and flicked her tail around so she had something comforting to grab. She lifted her head just in time for her mother to rush forward and hug her, squeezing her half to death.
“You had me so worried, sweetie,” Lily softly said when her grip loosened. “When Jason said you had flown all the way back home, I… Since you can’t fly yet, I–”
“I made it all the way out here, didn’t I?” Nightshine blurted out, feeling a little offended. “I did glide a ton, though.”
“Y-Yes, you did. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but can I speak first? I want to tell you why I did what I did.”
Nightshine warily looked up at her, then nodded. “Okay.”
Lily took a couple of deep breaths. “Back when I gave birth to you, I thought I was doing the right thing giving you up so I could focus on my career. Guards who had kids without a partner in the picture never made it high in the ranks. Growing up, I was a nobody. I wanted the respect that a high station in Luna’s service warranted. I got what I wanted, but I lost sight of what truly was important… you.” She bit her bottom lip, then said, “Once I found out who you really were and what you went through, my heart shattered into a million pieces. If I had known what you were going to experience at the orphanage, I would have left Luna’s guard in a heartbeat to stay with you, I swear!”
“Did you know I was your daughter when you first came down to Ponyville?”
Lily shook her head. “No. I didn’t think it could even be you. Do you really think that Princess Luna of all ponies, and me included, would try to sneak me back into your life like nothing ever happened? Is that why you ran away?”
“When you put it like that…” Nightshine looked away, feeling guiltier than ever before. “Everything has just been so nonstop since I left Canterlot, so I… I don’t know. Are you really my mother?”
Tears brimmed in the corners of Lily’s eyes. “Yes, Nightshine, I am. I’m not asking for forgiveness but for a chance at starting over. I know I’m not perfect and I know I screwed up in a huge way, but maybe we could start over? I know I wasn’t there for the last twelve years of your life but I can be–I want to be–around for the rest. That is, if you'll let me?” she hopefully asked.
Nightshine looked her up and down then relented, throwing herself into her mother’s grasp to hug her. “I'd like that,” she whispered. “It’s easier to love than to hate and I choose to love,” she finished with a wide smile as she sat back on the floor.
“You know, you’re surprisingly mature for your age,” Lily choked out. “I know we have a long road ahead of us but I’m more than ready for the challenge.”
“Me too. It’s gonna take us ages to walk back.”
Lily’s eyebrows furrowed for the briefest of moments. “Oh, I was talking about–never mind. We’re not going to walk, I’ll fly with you on my back.”
“With all your armor and your bag?”
“Of course.”
Nightshine looked up at her with a newfound respect and grinned. “You’re pretty strong, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, just like you.” Someone knocked twice on the door before it opened. “Oh, good, it’s you. Perfect timing,” Lily said with a grin.
“Yeah, just little ol' me,” Abigale said as she dragged her bagged armor into the room. She had a towel wrapped around her head while another one was draped on her back. “Found the shower at the other end of the hall, too.”
“Ah, perfect. I could totally go for a shower,” Lily said.
“Yeah, you should; you stink!” Nightshine said, waving a hoof in front of her nose.
Lily laughed. “I bet you need a shower, too, little one.” Looking at her best friend, she asked, “Will you watch her while I shower?”
“Of course, girl! We’ll be fine,” she said as she hopped onto one of the beds. Once Lily left the room, she stretched out and let loose a long, content sigh. “So…”
“Yeah?”
“Did you two work things out?” Abigale asked.
“Y-Yeah, we did.”
“Good! Now I don’t have to worry about you sneaking out at night,” she jokingly said.
“Yeah, I’m done doing that,” Nightshine said as she laughed with her. “While Lil–my mother is gone, what can you tell me about her? You two are best friends, aren’t you?”
“We sure are!” Abigale sat up on the bed. “She’s one of the nicest mares I’ve ever met. She’s stuck her neck out for me on more than one occasion, too. Heck, I wouldn’t even be a guard if it wasn’t for her.”
“Really? What happened?” Nightshine asked.
Abigale mischievously grinned, baring her fangs for a moment. “Well… There were a couple of things that could have done me in, but first, I must swear you to secrecy. Only Lily and I know what I’m about to tell you and I need to know that you won’t tell anyone else.”
“Sure, I swear I won’t tell anyone,” Nightshine said.
Abigale smiled, relieved. “Excellent. The first one was rather stupid of me; I knew the rules and still broke them. In basic training, they make you work out so hard that it pushes you to your limits, you know? Like, you’re gonna drop and not move for hours because you’re so tired. One night, I snuck out and stole some mangos to share with everyone in our training class but they found out where I'd hidden them. Lily took the blame and had to scrub toilets for a week.”
“Why’d she do that?”
“Because I was already on my second strike and we swore before we signed up that we would make sure that we both made it through. I was a bit of a naughty filly growing up but the Guard set me straight; Lily definitely had a helping hoof in that. That's why she’s my best friend.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “The second thing that should have gotten me kicked out is rather silly; I was so upset that I didn’t get to eat a single mango that I snuck some rotten bananas into the drill instructor’s armor a few nights later; he didn’t know until a disgusting brown banana peel slipped out of his breastplate during drill practice!” Abigale laughed at the top of her lungs. “It looked like he pooped himself in front of the whole training class!”
Nightshine laughed with her, then asked, “Did they ever find out it was you?”
“That’s the best part! They never did find out it was me, but I think he knew all along. I think that drill instructor was buddies with our first commanding officer after basic training because Lily and I had the most dreadful shifts so we got kinda even. At least I came away with an amazing story.”
Nightshine’s smile disappeared as a serious question grew on the tip of her tongue. “Do you know who my father is?”
Abigale’s smile faltered as she grew still. “Y-Yeah, I do, though it’s not my place to say. Lily told me who it was a long time ago after a huge party and I don’t think she meant to tell me.” Nightshine’s ears flicked down, disappointed in the non-answer. “I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready, though! Could be tomorrow, could be a decade; that’s just how she is.”
The door creaked open. “Hey, you two, I’m back,” Lily said. Her armor was slung over her shoulder in a bag. She tossed it on top of Abigale’s bag near the door, then noticed their wide smiles. “What were you two chatting about? What’d I miss? I heard you laughing all the way down the hall.”
“Oh… nothing,” Nightshine said with a sly grin. “Just poopy banana peels, is all.”
“You told her our secret stories, banana mare?” Lily asked, looking at Abigale with a raised eyebrow. She tried to keep a straight face, but failed once Nightshine started snickering.
“It’s fine, I swore her to secrecy with blood magic,” Abigale said with a giggle.
“With blood magic?! What do you–”
“Relax, it was a joke!” Abigale said, her smile deepening. “I did have her swear to stay quiet, though.”
“...Fine.” Looking down at Nightshine, she said, “The shower and bathroom are at the end of the hall if you’d like to freshen up, sweetie.”
Once Nightshine returned from taking a shower, she collapsed on the only open bed, pulled the only pillow close, then wiggled under the sheet. Lily had taken the blanket from Abigale’s bed and had folded it twice lengthwise to form a softer bed than the hardwood floor, though it took up all of the small space between the two beds.
Abigale blew out the candle, the moonlight illuminating the smoke that drifted to the ceiling. “Good night, you two,” she said.
“Nighty night,” Lily responded.
“Good night!” Nightshine softly said, already halfway asleep. While she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, she felt guilty that her mother didn’t have a pillow, so she lifted her head and pushed the pillow to the edge of her bed. “Here, take it,” she said, holding the pillow over the edge of the bed by pinning one of the edges to the bed with a hoof. “You need it more than me. I can sleep without one.”
Lily looked up at her, surprised. “Thank you, but I don’t need it.” She smiled up at her, grateful for her generous offer. “Sleep tight.”
“You too…” Nightshine whispered back as she pulled the pillow back over. She still felt guilty and she didn’t know what to do. Only when Abigale started snoring did an idea pop into her head. Without thinking it through all the way, she slipped from the bed and gingerly stepped over her mother. Her left legs brushed against her side. She felt her tense up, though her mother didn’t move or make a sound.
Praying that she didn’t think that she was running away again, Nightshine couldn’t help but grin as she turned around to lay against Lily’s side, letting her head come to rest against hers. Much better… she thought, finally feeling at peace.
“Hey, little one…” Lily whispered as she draped her wing over Nightshine’s back. “Everything okay?”
“It is now, Mom."
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More good
A cute little chapter befitting Mother's Day.
Very sweet and cute chapter that be perfect for Mother's Day.
Somehow I feel like Star Shadow might be the father
11584958
He's not.
I think my heart has officially melted. I can't wait for the resolution of all this.
Hopefully Princess Luna is not too harsh on Lily, after all they did find her. I'm thinking she'll either be demoted, or quit entirely, but have more time for Nightshine, which leaves Abi by herself though. (Maybe she can be a babysitter for them.)
11585007
Just one more chapter to go.
I'm glad these 2 got some closure. I just hope everything else works out in the end.
11585362
It will.
Not to be an asshole, but I feel like this closer chapter came too soon after that roller-coaster and build up. Just doesn't feel right to have Nightshine and lily make up that quick, and that it would fit better after another chapter or two of them searching and let Nightshine have some sort of deeper heart to heart/friendship with Shadow since he did help her.
Still good chapter though, just feels out of place.
The cuteness hit so hard that the d'aww factor went through the roof.
I just wanna huggle and snuggle Nightshine so hard.
Hmm, perhaps I was a might too harsh previously on Lily.
11585460
Well, these are ponies, not people. Love, friendship, and all that rot, eh?
11585460
I agree that while the concepts are cute, the pacing of this story could give Rainbow Dash a run for her money.
On the other hand, this story is very, very old, so some of that can be forgiven.
11586259
Yeah, but it's also canonical that ponies are hardly shining ideals of these concepts. I dare say that there are times when they would act a little too human. So I know this story is very old, and definitely not 1:1 with the show, but it's a less compelling world if we give ponies the gumdrop and sunshine utopia kiddy gloves treatment.