> Amnesia
>  by Eastwing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some alleyway in Canterlot, not far from the Palace...

A young pegasus slowly came to. He looked around, wondering just where he was. And for that matter...

Who he was.

He shakily rose to his hooves, which he noticed were a nice black, as was the rest if his tiny body. The colt slowly trotted over to a puddle, left over from a recent storm. Upon gazing into it, he learned the color of his mane and tail, a royal blue, along with the outer tips of his wings. He also noticed his eye color was different for each eye. His left was a rich forest green, while his right was the color of his mane and tail. Unsurprisingly, his hair and hide were filthy, but of course a puddle could not fix that, so the colt finally chanced a peek outside of his alleyway. 

The colt was amazed by the sheer number of ponies that cantered by, each seeming to be moving in the direction of a very large and awe-inspiring building. Some looked eager, others emotionless, while the majority kept glancing to the bright circle in the sky, clearly distraught. The Sun was in the process of beginning the process of actually setting. A few of the ponies picked up their pace, though for what reason, the colt did not understand. But, these ponies had to be going there for a reason, so maybe he should to. 

After a quick minute of deliberation, a second minute to make sure he would be able to survive the crowd, the colt worked his way into the sea of ponies. Unfortunately, his tiny legs did not carry him nearly as fast as he needed them to, and he was soon being 'accidentally' pushed and shoved forward, along with the crowd. On more than one occasion, the colt barely avoided being stepped on, only to have to try to avoid another. This was quickly turning into the worst moment of his half-hour long life. 

Eventually, the writhing mass of ponies formed a single file line, the colt standing in between a earth pony with a pitchfork and a unicorn who was too buried into her book to notice anything other than the line moving...and the position of the soon to be setting Sun. 

"If I'm late to the princess' open court, so help me..." The cerulean unicorn complained under her breath, finally lowering her book enough to notice the colt in front of her. "Oh...hello there little guy!"

"Um...H-hi?" the colt shyly responded, a bit surprised to hear how higher pitch his voice was compared to hers."Is he your father?" The unicorn asked, gesturing to the farm-pony in front of them. The colt slowly shook his head, confused as to her reason for the question. "So you're all alone?!" she yelped, resisting the urge to just scoop up the colt, her maternal instincts kicking in. The colt nodded, with one eyebrow raised questioningly. 

"Why are-" the unicorn started to ask, before one of the many pegasi guards cleared his throat, as the Sun disappeared beneath the horizon, to be replaced by the nearly full moon. "Princess Celestia's open court has come to a close. Princess Luna will now hold her open court." the guard announced. "Oh no..." the unicorn cursed, before everypony who had been waiting in line suddenly turned on their hoof and started galloping away from the palace. 

The colt tried to avoid as many of the stampeding ponies as possible, but it was even worse than the trip To the palace. The colt had just nearly dodged an earth pony's comparatively huge hoof, before he was slammed in his side by a similarly sized hoof, knocking him to the cobblestone ground, out of breath and hurting. Before he could regain his hoofing, he was knocked right back down, wincing at the uncomfort of laying on his wing. He quickly slid the feathered appendage out from underneath his tiny body, just in time to feel to feel pain explode across his entire left wing. The colt couldn't even scream, the pain was so excruciating. Right until a third hoof came in contact with the side of his head...


Eventually, the stampede dwindled to a few three or so ponies leisurely trotting back home. A guard noticed a small black form laying on the ground, not that far away from him, and decided to investigate. After, making sure nopony would try to get past his station of course. 

The guard trotted over to the form, now noticing what it truly was. "Hey. Kid. Are you okay?" he asked in a gruff, but not negative voice. 

After receiving silence in response, he carefully bit down gently on the scruff of the colt's neck, before carefully lifting up and placing the colt on his back. The guard walked up to the only other pony who witnessed the event, the guard stationed with him. "Mind keeping an eye on things?" guard #1 asked. "Of course. It's protocol." guard #2 agreed. The first guard nodded, and entered the palace. 

After passing through the foyer, with only a few stares, the guard entered the throne room, after being 'royally' announced. "Good evening...Princess Luna." he greeted, bowing only his head as to not risk dropping the colt. 

"Good evening. Please state your business." The princess replied from her throne. "Princess, I wish to inform you about a matter concerning the change to protocol three months ago." The guard said, easily maintaining his neutral expression. "Which one would that be?" Luna asked. "Regarding ponies that are injured during the change in the Princess holding open court." the guard answered. 

"A pony has been injured again? Why did you not bring them in?" The princess asked, a touch of anger in her voice. "I did your Majesty." the guard quickly answered, turning sideways to reveal the colt. 

The Princess immediately turned to the guard next to her throne. "Send for the royal doctor." she ordered, before turning back the first guard. "Bring...the pony here." The princess ordered, unsure of the gender of the colt. "Yes ma'am." the guard complied, carefully trotting up to the throne. 

"Lay them down." The princess ordered, lowering her voice. The guard nodded, before carefully removing the colt and doing as the princess had said. "I found him just outside the palace. Unconscious." The guard informed her. "Where is that doctor?" The princess asked impatiently. 

A few minutes later, the unicorn himself came galloping in through a side door of the room, his coat flapping behind him. "I'm here Princess! What's the problem??" he yelled, before skidding to a halt in front of the trio. "Doctor Anesthesia, examine this colt. He was trampled earlier during the change of the courts." The princess answered. "Trampled?! Oh dear oh dear oh dear..." the doctor mumbled, beginning his examination of the unconscious colt. 

"Princess, this young pegasus has a broken wing, some bruising and minor head trauma. He should be able to make a full recov-...wait...hold on...what's this?" the doctor started to relay, before noticing something he had missed. "What is it Doctor?" the Princess asked. "This colt...his mane looks like it's been singed. Magically." The doctor answered. "Singed?! How can that...no. Doctor, just repair his wing. When he wakes up, we will be able to question him." The princess said, forcing an air of calm. "Yes Princess. I will be back shortly." the doctor complied, before galloping out of the throne room. 

After a few minutes, the Princess turned back to the silent guard. "What are your thoughts on this matter?" she asked, inquisitively. "I am relieved he will recover, but I am wondering why this colt was all alone in the first place." The guard answered, maintaining his formal voice. "Yes, I am as well. Except when it comes to myself, I would have believed that most ponies would have been concerned about a lone colt, wondering the streets of Canterlot no less." the Princess agreed. 

Doctor Anesthesia returned, a small basketful of medical supplies in his mouth. He set the basket down next to the colt, only briefly contemplating his course of action. "Mister guard, would you be so kind as to assist me with this procedure?" he asked, looking up at him. 

"Oh! O-of course Sir." the guard nervously agreed. "Something wrong?" the Doctor asked, noticing the momentary stutter. "No Sir. I just have no medical experience whatsoever." the guard answered, his calm confident voice returning. "Good. Because you don't really need any. I just need you to hold his wing while I put the cast on. Well, it's more like a brace...but that's beside the point." the Doctor told him, before pulling the cast/brace out of his basket. 

The pure white apparatus was made to go around the colt's torso, with a hole for the uninjured wing, while still completely encasing the broken wing. 

"Now, I need you to grab the tip of his wing, as carefully as you can." the Doctor instructed. "And then what?" the guard asked. "Pull. As gently as possible. The bones must be set correctly or they won't heal properly." the Doctor answered. "Ok Sir." the guard agreed, before ever so gently biting the tip of the colt's wing. "Now...pull..." the Doctor added. The guard complied, tugging gently. 

Until a loud series of sickening pops were heard. 

The guard instantly let go, backing up from the colt, in fear that he had injured him further. "Good job. That's exactly where it should be." the Doctor informed him, smiling as he attached the cast/brace to the colt. "Doctor, even I believe that was a little...what was it Twilight's friend had said...'messed up'." the Princess told him. "Sorry Your Majesty." the Doctor replied, bowing his head, hiding a small smile. 

"There! Done. He should be healed in...six to eight weeks." the Doctor announced, having finished with the cast/brace. "What should be done with him during that time?" The guard asked, having regained his 'calm' again. "Leave him with me for now. I will decide once he wakes up. Doctor, I will send for you if I require you, or once he has healed. Guard, what is your name?" the Princess asked, as the Doctor left the throne room. "Captain Steel Shield." he answered proudly. "Captain, I will send for you as well if I feel I need your assistance. I believe I owe it to you after your involvement thus far. Until then Captain, you are dismissed. Return to your post." The Princess ordered. "Yes Your Majesty." Captain Shield responded, bowing and turning to leave. "Captain, one more thing. Send in Miss Lace on your way out." The Princess added. 

"You requested me Princess Luna?" a pink unicorn asked, entering the throne room. "Yes, I did. Please go fetch a large pillow for my impromptu guest." Luna replied in a kind voice, gesturing towards the colt at her feet. "Yes Ma'am!" Lace complied, exiting. 

Minutes later, the unicorn returned, levitating a fluffly blue pillow behind her. "Awwww, he's a cute little filly." Lace commented, placing the pillow next to the throne, before carefully doing the same to the colt. "Thank you Lace." Luna smiled, mostly for the unicorn not asking questions about the brace. "Of course Princess." Lace replied, bowing and exiting. 

Princess Luna sighed, getting comfortable on her throne, once again bored out of her mind due to the lack of ponies to ever attend her court. She thought back to all the courts of the last month, remembering that nopony ever walked through those ornate doors until tonight. With a frustrated huff, she stood up and started to leave the room. 

"Oh! The colt..." Luna just remembered as she was about to open the doors. Her horn started to glow it's starry blue light, before the same happened to the pillow. Without disturbing the colt, the pillow was levitated across the room to hover next to the Princess. Next, the door handle glowed, pulling the door itself open long enough for Luna to stuck her head out. 

"I am ending court early. You may depart." she informed the guards in the foyer. "Yes ma'am." they replied in chorus, before exiting to return to the barracks. 

Luna sighed, before closing the door and leaving the throne room via a third door. After walking through the halls for a few minutes, the duo arrived at a tower, and more specifically, it's doors. Like every other important door in the palace, it had two guards standing on either side. 

Despite years of training and a rational fear of the Princess, both guards' eyes went wide in surprise upon seeing the colt. Luna sighed as they opened the doors. "Before you two start hypothesizing, are there any questions you want to ask? I will not hold it against you." Luna asked. 

"Princess...a-are you going to...Uh..." the guard on the left started to ask, obviously nervous. "To what?" Luna pressed, glaring. "Gobble him up?" The guard on the right fininshed, clearly more confident than the other. "No. You need to stop listening to or reading whatever gave you that idea. I do not 'gobble up' ponies. In any way, shape or form." Luna answered, forcing herself to not yell as she entered the tower.

Before the guards could say anything else, the doors glowed blue and slammed close behind her. "Sometimes, I wish the next few generations would pass. Maybe then ponies wouldn't be so...so...frustrating..." Luna mumbled, if only to herself. Then she re-remembered the colt. 

Princess Luna lit a candle in the pitch black, revealing the large, luxurious room she called her own. She slowly trotted over to her bed, laying the pillow on top, before climping on. 

After a long, thoughtful glance at the moon, Luna gently nudged the colt. "Time to wake up...little one." She said as soothingly as she could. The colt didn't respond. "Come on, wake up." Luna pressed, nudging him again. The colt groaned a little, causing a big goofy smile to spread across Luna's face. 

"Wake up..." she repeated, nudging him one last time. The colt's eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing his oddly colored irises. "U-um...hello?" the colt shyly mumbled. 

"Hello. I am Princess Luna. Who are you?" Luna asked. "...I'm...Me?" The colt sheepishly guessed. "No, what is your name?" Luna rephrased, trying not to laugh. "...Um...I don't know..." the colt answered, looking at the ground, which turned out to be the top of the bed. 

"You...you don't know your own name?!" Luna stammered. "No, miss Princess Luna..." the colt quickly answered, wincing. "Alright my little filly...why were you found at the entrance to the palace?" Luna asked, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I...woke up not to far from there...and I followed a crowd of ponies...then I was taking to a really nice unicorn...and then everypony suddenly turned around and...and...started galloping...and...I couldn't get out of the way...and...m-my wing..." the colt explained, getting more emotional as he spoke, before frantically turning around in circles, trying to see his injured wing. Suddenly, he was enveloped in a starry blue glow, which forced him to stay still. The colt was turned back around to face the Princess, a few tears sliding down his muzzle. 

"Your wing will be fine. Just a few weeks and you'll be perfectly normal. Now, can you please explain why you 'woke up' where you did?" Luna asked, magically wiping away a tear. "I...I d-don't know..." he sniffled. "You don't remember?" Luna guessed. "No..." The colt answered, tears starting to form again. "Ssssshhhh...it's okay." Luna told him, as reassuringly as possible. "This nicety is really beginning to wear on me..." the Princess thought with a quiet sigh. 

"M-miss Princess Luna?" the colt sniffled. "Yes?" she asked back. "I'm s-scared..." He whimpered. "Why? Did I do something?" Luna asked, sounding annoyed. "N-no!" the colt quickly answered. "Then what's wrong?" Luna pressed, her annoyance being fueled by his reaction. "I-I...I don't know...and that's what scares me...I don't know...anything..." the colt answered. "Oh..." Luna mumbled, realizing her fault. 

"Then I will teach you." Luna said after a moment. "Huh?" the colt sniffled. "You don't know? So I will teach you. I will help you 'know'." Luna added. "B-but...how can you teach me who I am?" The colt asked, confused. "I will help you learn who you are. Obviously I can't 'teach' that. But! I do know of some ponies who would be no doubt willing to help." Luna answered with a smile. 

"But 'sadly', it is the middle of the night. Nopony is awake at this hour." Luna sighed, climbing out of the bed and walking out onto the balcony. "Why not? It's so nice out here." the colt asked, jumping down and following. "You really think so?" Luna asked, not believing him. "Yes. Why wouldn't I? The moon...stars...everything...it's just so calming...there's even a nice breeze." the colt answered, smiling for the first time as he sat next to the Princess. "You are amongst a minority. Almost nopony appreciates my nights. They are all too busy 'frolicking' in the day, and then sleeping through it all." Luna told him, smiling only momentarily. 

"Um...miss Princess Luna? How are they 'your' nights?" the colt asked, confused again. "My little filly...you have so much to learn. I am the Princess of the Night. I raise the moon and lower it for the sun. I create the stars and constellations. I create the night. My older sister Celestia reigns over the sun and daytime. And by default, 'Day-to-Day' affairs. While we both hold court to address the issues of Equestria...that is what this nation is called...most ponies attend her court, and avoid mine like a plague. That is why everypony suddenly stampeded when the courts changed, and why you were brought to me. Ponies do not just avoid my court, they avoid me if at all possible." Luna lengthily explained. "Ummmm.......why do they avoid you?" the colt asked, just deciding to accept everything else. "In short, Everypony seems to be possessed by the belief that I am evil, banishment-prone, and for the strangest reason, inclined to 'gobble up' fillies." Luna answered, her voice holding a bit of venom. "W-why? You don't seem like any of that. From what I can tell." the colt asked. 

"That is a story for another night my little filly..." Luna sighed, looking away. "Um...ok Miss Princess Luna..." the colt mumbled. At this, Luna laughed a little. "The 'Miss' is not necessary. You can just call me Princess Luna, Your Majesty, Your Highness...etc." Luna corrected with a smile. "Yes ma'am O' Great One of many names." the colt joked. "I will have to add that to my list of names I will banish ponies over." Luna told him with a completely straight face. "W-Wha?!" the colt stammered tearfully. "Can nopony take a joke once in a while?" Luna asked, her smile returning. "O-oh!" The colt stammered, laughing a little. "In all seriousness, please call me Princess Luna. Not too formal, not too personal." Luna added. "Okay Princess Luna." the colt agreed, smiling. 

Later...

"My little Filly...for lack of a better name...my Sister will awake soon. I must inform her of what has occurred tonight. Afterward, we may depart for Ponyville. Celestia's 'most faithful student' resides there. She has been studying the magic of friendship and is one of the wisest ponies I know. She may be able to help you...integrate into society. Speaking of society, everypony has a name, which means you need one as well. I can't call you 'My little filly' all the time. So...I will write the letter to my sister, and send it as soon as the sun has risen." Luna informed the colt, as a page of parchment and a quill levatated to her. "Yes ma'am..." the colt mumbled automatically. 


Dearest Sister,

I wish to inform you of the events of which transpired last night. 
A young pegasus was injured during the change of courts. This colt seems to have amnesia, and does not remember anything before awaking near our palace. I have taken it upon myself to temporarily care for this colt, until more permanent arrangements are made. For example, if his parent(s) come looking for him. In which case, he will be immediately returned to them. I wish, also, to introduce him to you, and with your permission, your student Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

Your beloved sister, 
    Luna


"There. The letter is complete. Now, for the sunrise." Luna announced, leading the colt back to the balcony. 

The Princess gestured to a taller tower, as a large pure white pony with flowing, pastel rainbow mane and tail, stepped out onto a similar balcony. "Who's that?" The colt asked, in awe. "My sister, Princess Celestia. Keep watching." Luna answered, smiling a bit. Princess Celestia spread her wings, as her horn glowed a warm golden light. The colt turned to Luna, just noticing the fact that she too had both wings and a horn, which was glowing as well. 

The moon started to sink, making way for the bright sun. Both seemed to touch the horizon at the same time, allowing both to be in view for only a short time, before the moon slowly disappeared. 

Once all was said and done, Luna turned to the colt. "So how did you like the sunrise?" she asked. "I was...um...paying more attention to the moon..." the colt answered sheepishly. "It is that same reason that I have not really seen the sunrise in a very long time." Luna giggled, before turning and re-entering the tower. 

"Now for the letter." Luna announced, as the parchment in question floated over to her. She unraveled it, quickly proofreading, before taking the quill and making a single change. 

"There. NOW it's done." Luna added, before the letter disappeared in a puff of smoke. "W-where'd it go?" the colt asked, amazed. "Princess Celestia of course." She answered with a smile. 

Meanwhile...

Just as Celestia herself had re-entered her tower, she heard the familiar sound of a letter arriving. "What could Twilight have possibly learned this early in the morning?" Celestia cheerfully asked herself, as she levitated the letter in front of her. The parchment unraveled...revealing the sender was in fact, not Twilight, but Luna. 


"...her friends.

P.S. He truly appreciates my nights.

Your beloved sister,
    Luna." Celestia read, smiling. 

"Well then Sister, I believe a reply in person is in order." She added, before stepping back onto her balcony. 

Meanwhile...again...

Princess Luna and the colt were sitting on the bed, patiently awaiting Celestia's reply. Then both heard four clops in rapid-succession...from the balcony. Luna looked up and out the door, to see none other than Princess Celestia. 
"Good morning Sister." Luna greeted. "Good morning to you as well Luna. And to you too." Celestia replied, nodding towards the colt. "G-good morning...Y-Your Highnessness..." he stammered back shyly. "You may call me Princess Celestia if you like." she calmly reminded him. "You received my letter Sister?" Luna asked. "Yes, I did. And I believe that is a great idea. He could learn so much from the six of them, especially with their knowledge combined. Also, Luna, I wish to speak to you, privately." Celestia told her, before nodding towards the doors that lead out of the tower. "Of course Sister." Luna agreed, before turning to the colt. "We will return shortly."


Both Alicorns exited the tower, the doors glowing and shutting behind them. "Guards, you are dismissed for now. You may return in a few minutes." Luna ordered, before turning back to Celestia. "Luna...I know we had this discussion a couple hundred years before your...before Nightmare Moon's banishment...so I'll refresh your memory. Please do not become too attached to this filly. I know he might make you happy for now...but once he...moves on...I just don't want you to end up being sad for a hundred years afterward. I don't want you to be sad Luna..." Celestia told her, unable to look at her sister. "Sister...it is not your place to decide who I may or may not become 'attached to'." Luna argued, forcing eye contact. "I know...I'm just trying to look out for you..." Celestia feebly countered. "I can take care of myself Celestia!" Luna almost yelled. "I know..." the elder sister replied, looking away again. 

 
The two Princesses re-entered the tower room, both a little surprised to see the colt almost completely buried in a massive pile of books, which seemed to have formed a nigh-impenetrable cube around the colt, the main function seeming to serve as a temporary jail cell. 

"H-Hi..." he sheepishly mumbled. "What happened here?" Celestia asked, while Luna barely managed to suppress a giggle. "I believe I can explain." She answered, as a few books glowed blue and replaced themselves on their shelves. "Please do dear Sister." Celestia continued, smiling at the colt. "I have a certain spell on my bookcase. If anypony other than myself attempts to read any of my books, the entire collection will become that pony's prison until I can deal with them personally." Luna explained with a sly grin, as the last of the books were replaced, revealing a very nervous colt. "I'm really s-sorry..." he quickly mumbled, staring at the floor. 

"Alright Luna, he is your responsibility. 'Deal' with him." Celestia teased, smiling as she layed on Luna's bed. Both Sister's heard the colt whimper quietly, clearly terrified of whatever punishment he might receive. "Alright my little filly...I will be lenient...this once. Your punishment is...banishment..." Luna told him, her face devoid of emotion. "Huh? To where?!" Celestia asked surprised, as the colt seemed to be unable to register what she had said. "You are hereby banished from this room...for the rest of the day." Luna finished, a sly smile spread across her face. "Oh..." Celestia sighed, relieved. "Well? What are you waiting for?" Luna asked the colt, still smiling. "Y-yes ma'am..." he quickly stammered before galloping as fast as he could out of the room. Both Sister's could tell he was both relieved and saddened at the same time. 

The moment the colt was in the hallway, the tower doors closed behind him. "Banished eh?" one of the guards asked, smiling. "Y-yeah?" the colt sadly replied. "Ah don't worry kid. At least it's only from the room and only for the duration of the day. Could be much worse." the other guard chimed in. "Could've been Twooo days." the first guard teased. "H-hey!" the colt whined, trying not to smile. "Cheer up kid. They'll be out any moment to continue on with their days. No doubt you'll be able to tag along with one." Guard #2 added. "R-really?" the colt asked, hopeful. "Yes. He is right my little filly." Luna answered, poking her head out of the doors. 

"First order of business. We will travel to Ponyville. There, you will be introduced to the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, and her friends. A letter has already been sent, informing her of our visit. Afterward, I'm sure she would love to start teaching you everything a modern pony needs to know." Luna informed the colt, as they traversed the halls of the palace. "Everything?" the colt asked, a little worried. "Everything she deems necessary. Maybe we will be able to decide upon a name for you. My sister suggested a few things, but I do not think you would agree with any of them. Moonlight is not a good name for a colt." Luna continued. The colt shook his head in agreement. "As for myself, I was never the best at the naming of anything. Much less ponies. Which is why consulting with 'modern' ponies might be a good idea." Luna finished, as the duo arrived at a outside balcony, which served as the runway for the royal chariot. Two guards were already hitched to said chariot, completely emotionless as (almost) always. 

Luna and the colt stepped onto the chariot, the latter a bit more reluctantly than the former. Within moments they were in the air, on the way to Ponyville. The colt peered over the edge, amazed by the ever-changing view. "Careful. Do not fall." Luna warned, as her magic enveloped the colt and sat him next to her. "Yes ma'am..." he sighed, trying to get comfortable once again. 

The trip lasted a few hours, each seeming to take every second to pass. As the chariot landed just outside a well furnished looking tree, complete with windows, a door and a balcony. 

"This is the public Library. Twilight lives here, and runs the establishment. She and her friends should have already arrived. Although, they should be unaware to your existence." Luna informed the colt, before calmly knocking on the door. 

Hearing the approaching hoofsteps, the colt instinctively moved as close to Luna as he could be without actually touching her. 

The door swung wide open, revealing a purple unicorn, with a darker purple mane and tail, with a pink streak through them. "Good afternoon Princess Luna, please come inside." she greeted, steeping aside to allow room for her to enter. "Good afternoon to you as well Twilight Sparkle. And to you all as well." Luna returned the greeting to the five other bowing ponies in the main room, one holding a hat to her chest at the same time.  

"It's mighty fine ta see ya again yer Highness." An orange earth pony greeted, also the one with the hat. "Hiya Princess!" a rainbow-maned cyan Pegasus confidently added. "Good afternoon, Princess." a fancy-looking white unicorn continued, brushing some of her luxurious purple mane out of her face. "Hello Princess!!!" a bouncing pink earth pony excitedly exclaimed. "Um...h-hi...Princess..." a timid yellow pegasus nearly whispered, almost hiding behind her long pink mane. "Greetings to you all." Luna returned, smiling. 

"Not to be rude or sonethin', but who's yer shadow Princess?" the orange hat-wearing mare asked. "Shadow? Oh!" Luna asked, before realizing the source of the confusion. The Princess stepped to her left, leaving the colt in full view. "H-hi..." he nervously greeted. "This colt is the reason I have come Twilight Sparkle. He has amnesia and does not remember much before he was delivered to the palace, injured. Hence the brace. My Sister and I have decided that he needs to be 'caught up' on modern necessity's. Which is why I would like to personally ask you, Twilight Sparkle, to tutor him. While I fully intend to care for him, I simply do not have the time to teach him everything. Plus, interaction with non-royalty will do him some good. So Twilight, do you accept this responsibility?" Luna asked. "Of course Princess. I just have a few questions." The purple unicorn replied. "Yes?" Luna asked. "You said this colt had amnesia earlier. Which means he has forgotten who he once was?" Twilight asked, double-checking. "Yes Twilight." Luna answered, humoring her. 

"So, what is your name?" The pink pony asked the colt. Luna immediately winced. "I...don't know..." the colt answered. "Oh...right. Sorry." she mumbled sheepishly. "I was hoping you and your friends could help us think of a suitable name." Luna added. "Earlier, Ah asked who yer shadow was. Maybe tha could help? Shadow?" The orange mare suggested. "Shadow...Shadow sword...Shadow shield...Shadow moon...Shadow feathers...Shadow cloud..." Twilight shot off. "OhOhOhOhOh!!!! Black Snooty!!! Black Snooty!!!!" the pink mare yelled, bouncing wildly. "No Pinkie." Twilight dismissed. "How bout Shadow Wing? He is a Pegasus after all." the cyan Pegasus suggested, hovering. "My little Shadow Wing. I like it. What about you?" Luna tested and asked the colt. "Uhm huhm!" he hummed, nodding happily. "Well he was 'ShadoWing' you." the white unicorn added, laughing slightly at her pun. "Which is perfectly normal for young, scared or nervous fillies. Stay close to pony you trust the most." Twilight unnecessarily explained. "In his case, Princess Luna." 

"Ain't tha' righ' Shadow?" the orange mare asked teasingly. The colt didn't answer. "Shadow?" She asked again. "Huh?!" the colt quickly asked back. "It'll take some time for him to get used to the name." Twilight informed everypony present, smiling. 'Shadow Wing' nodded awkwardly.

"I am sorry to say this, but I must return to Canterlot. I am usually not awake at this hour, and for good reason. So, my little ponies, Shadow, I must bid thee farewell. I will return in a few days, or upon receiving a letter from you, Twilight. Goodbye..." Luna announced, turning for the door. Shadow tried to follow but was met with a blue glow enveloping his body. "No Shadow, you're staying here. Twilight agreed to tutor you, remember?" Luna asked with a playful smile as he was levitated next to Twilight herself. "Y-yeah...but..." Shadow mumbled. "Maybe she'll teach you to be more confident too." Luna said with a laugh as she stepped outside. The door glowed and closed behind, and the sounds of a chariot taking off could be heard. 
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, welcome to Ponyville." Twilight broke the silence, smiling. "OhOhOhOhOhOh!!! You know what that means!!!" Pinkie declared, ecstatic. "A 'welcome to Ponyville' Party?" The orange mare knowingly asked, rolling her eyes. "EXACTLY!!!!" Pinkie yelled, before galloping out of the room. 

"That's Pinkie Pie fer ya." the orange mare smiled. "Oh! We nearly forgot introductions!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Ah'm Applejack." the orange mare was the first to speak. 
"I'm Rainbow Dash! The fastest flier in Equestria!" the cyan Pegasus not-so-modestly declared. 
"I am Rarity." the white unicorn eloquently stated. 
"I'm...Fluttershy..." the yellow Pegasus shyly mumbled, barely audible. 

"Hi..." Shadow mumbled back, forcing a smile. "There's one more you have to meet Shadow. Spiiiike! You can come down now." Twilight yelled. "Coming!" came a rather young reply. 

Moments later, a green and purple scaled reptile scurried down the stairs, stopping right in front of Twilight. Nopony noticed Shadow go stock still. "You called?" the reptile asked proudly. "Yes Spike. I would like you to meet Shadow Wing. I'm going to be tutoring him for awhile." Twilight answered, gesturing to the colt. "Cool! Hiya, I'm Spike." The reptile greeted, holding out his clawed hand. 


The second Spike had entered his eyesight, Shadow froze. All of his muscles painfully tensed up, making movement impossible. His head felt like it was splitting open, and terrifying images flashed through his mind. 
Fire, razor sharp teeth and claws, glistening scales, smoke, giant red eyes with slitted pupils...And all these images transferred onto Spike. 

"Uh...Twilight? Is he okay?" Spike asked, withdrawing his hand. "Yes Spike, I think he's just amazed to see a dragon." Twilight replied, intentionally. "Really?!" Spike asked, flashing a fanged grin. 

...razor sharp teeth and claws...

Shadow never ran faster in his life. At least that he remembered. He quickly dived behind a couch, not even daring to check to see if he was safe. He covered his head with his hooves, basically making himself into a little trembling ball.

"Shadow?! What's wrong?!"

"Ain't it obvious? He's terrified of Spike." 

"What? How can anypony be scared of him?!"

"Hey! I can be pretty scary!" 

"Not. Helping."

"I think we should..." 

The arguing faded from Shadow's mind as he felt two legs wrap around him and pull him into a very gentle hug. "There there...everything's going to be just fine." A soft voice, barely above a whisper told him, as one of the two legs began to stroke his mane. 

"What is she doing?" 

"Again, isn't it obvious? Shadow's terrified. Hurt. Can't fly. He's tiny, adorable, and defenseless. That's more than enough criteria for Fluttershy." Twilight's voice of reason answered. 

This was the first time he had really been close to anypony after waking up eighteen hours ago. Such a long time ago...and he hadn't slept since. It was all too easy for him to slip into unconsciousness...



"...adow...Shadow.......wake up....time for breakfast...." 

"Huh?" the dazed colt mumbled, slowly opening his eyes to see...wood. He sat up, scanning his surroundings, realizing he was still in the library, except he was in a bed, and seemingly upstairs. There was another bed across from his, with a purple blanket. He looked down at the bed he was occupying, observing the white blanket and sheets. 

Shadow slowly climbed out of bed, before making his way down the stairs. He was quickly greeted by the smell of pancakes. As if sensing the proximately of food, his stomach growled like it hadn't been filled in days. Which is almost correct. Shadow hadn't eaten since he woke up...the night before last. 

"Do you like syrup? Butter?" asked the voice from earlier. "B-both..." he answered, following his nose into the kitchen. Here, he noticed Twilight at a stove, a pan glowing purple, occasionally flipping the pancake inside. "Good morning Shadow. Sleep well?" she asked. "Y-yes...how long did I sleep?" he asked. "Oh about nineteen hours." Twilight easily answered, smiling at him. "Th-that long?!" he stammered. "Yes, and it shows." Twilight giggled, as a mirror levitated in front of him. 

His mane was sticking straight...sideways. "I haven't seen worse bedhead since...well, me." Twilight told him cheerfully. Shadow was doing his best not to laugh at the mental image of Twilight with horizontal hair. "Alright Chuckles, your pancakes are ready." Twilight announced, as a plate full levitated to the table. "Thank you Twilight..." Shadow practically drooled, as he was enveloped in magic and levitated to the chair in front of the plate. Just as he was sat down, a dash of syrup and butter were expertly placed upon the pile of pancakes. "You're welcome Shadow, it's the least I can do after what happened yesterday. Speaking of which, Spike will be staying at Rarity's for the duration of your stay. Oh, and don't worry. It's no trouble." Twilight told him, as a second plate of pancakes floated to land across the table from him, before the unicorn responsible for it all sat down as well. "Go ahead and eat Shadow..." she teased, as a floating glowing fork went to work on her pancakes. 

Shadow grabbed his fork, immediately digging into his stack. After one pancake had been devoured, he allowed himself enough time to ask a question. 

"Princess Luna said you were going to be tutoring me?" he quietly asked. "Yes I am." Twilight answered, once her mouth wasn't full. "On what exactly?" Shadow asked. "Broadly speaking...everything. Although, history may make up the majority of our lessons. Oh! And I know just the book to start with!" Twilight exclaimed, clapping her front hooves together, excited that she was actually going to officially be the teacher instead of the Faithful Student for once. "Uh...okay..." Shadow mumbled, before starting on his second pancake. 

Once breakfast was over, and the dishes clean, both ponies entered the main room of the library. "Now where did I put that book..." Twilight asked herself, as a few volumes glowed and removed themselves from the shelves that housed them, to slowly circle around her. 

"Ah. Here it is. 'The Legend of Nightmare Moon'." Twilight announced, piling the rest of the books in a corner to be resorted later. "That sounds...scary...and if it's a legend, then how is it history?" Shadow asked. "Sometimes they are the same." Twilight vaguely answered, trotting over to the couch. Shadow followed, sitting next to her. 

The book opened, as Twilight began to read. 

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon...and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.

 "Any questions?" Twilight asked. "Yes. Is there really somepony stuck on the moon?" Shadow asked. "No Shadow, not anymore. But there was. She was released not that long ago." She answered. "But...she was banished 'generations' ago..." Shadow added. "Yes. The two sisters are immortal. Still alive to this day." Twilight agreed. "Then why do Princess Celestia and Princess Luna raise the moon and sun, instead of the sisters? Did they just get tired of it or something?" He asked. "Shadow...Celestia and Luna ARE the immortal sisters." Twilight said with a chuckle. "Oooooooh....wait, then that means...Luna had been banished to the moon? But she's not Nightmare Moon...I'm confused..." Shadow tried to work out, rubbing his now aching head. "Luna was banished, yes, and she Was Nightmare Moon, but not anymore. Now she's Princess Luna. You shouldn't let this change your opinion of her. Nor believe anything anypony may say about her. Most are still a little apprehensive about her return...to put it lightly." Twilight answered/warned. "But...Luna's not evil. She's really nice!" Shadow argued, getting defensive. "I know. You don't have to prove it to me. I've known her longer than you." Twilight gently told him. "Oh...r-right...sorry." he mumbled. "It's okay...lil'Wing." Twilight told him, laughing a bit at her new nickname for the colt. "So...what now?" he asked, smiling. "Starswirl the Bearded!" She declared. 


Hours later...
Shadow was mentally exhausted, unable to even think about anything, without some no doubt obscure tidbit of pony history coming up as well. His head ached, as did his tired eyes. 

"Ready for bed lil'Wing?" Twilight asked, after dinner had been finished. "Yeah...I mean yes ma'am miss Sparkle..." he answered, historic manners suddenly surfacing. 
"Ow..." he winced, as if a string in his head suddenly twanged. "Maybe we over did it a bit..." Twilight sheepishly suggested. "A bit?" he asked, rubbing his head. "Yeeeaaah...time for bed." Twilight announced, as she enveloped the colt in magic and carried him up the stairs, before placing him in his bed. "You know I can walk on my own, right?" he asked, laughing a little. "Yes. I know." Twilight smiled, as she crawled inti her own bed. "Goodnight Twilight." Shadow called. "Goodnight Shadow. Sleep well." She replied. 

Shadow dropped off into unconsciousness the moment his head hit the pillow...


 
"Wake up my little Shadow..." came a familiar voice. But not Twilight's...
The colt instantly sat up, looking around as he realized he was back in Luna's room in Canterlot. "P-Princess?" he asked, not seeing her anywhere. "Over here Shadow..." the princess answered from behind him, but she sounded different. "Princess? Is something wrong?" he asked, turning around to see her shadowy form...well...in the shadows. "Nothing is wrong...nothing at all..." She answered, a creepy laugh following. "P-Princess...you're kinda scaring me..." he stammered. "Oh I'm scaring you? Tell me Shadow, just how am I scaring you?" the princess asked, stepping out of the shadow and into the moonlight. 

It wasn't the Princess that Shadow knew. This 'Princess' was taller, darker, her mane much more misty. And then there was the armor. 
"Y-you're n-not P-P-Princess Luna!" Shadow squeaked out, terrified. "Oh but I am. And she is I. We are one and the same. And yet, most ponies still refer to 'me' as...didn't the little foal Twilight teach you that earlier?" she taunted. "Y-you're not Luna...Y-you're...you're...N-Nightmare Moon..." Shadow just barely managed to answer. "That I am dear Shadow, but there is one thing you still don't seem to be able to fit inside the foolish head of yours. Luna and I are the same Pony. Like two sides of a coin. Luna just has the fortune of being seen. But she can't hide me forever...I will prevail eventually...right now, you two are sharing in this dream. Though she watches through my eyes, I control what she hears. Tomorrow morning, she will no doubt return to Ponyville to retrieve you, fearing my return. As she should. You will not remember any of this dream...but tomorrow night, back in Canterlot, with your Princess Luna, you'll learn the true meaning of 'Nightmare'!" Nightmare Moon manically monologued, before her misty mane shot out at him. It obscured his vision, as everything began to fade, leaving him in a dreamless sleep. 


Shadow felt something or somepony nudge his side, seeming to be avoiding his mending wing. "Huh...Wha?" he slurred, slowly opening his eyes. 
He was met with two black eyes staring back at him. "Hello?" Shadow mumbled, confused. Then the creature barked. Shadow yelped in surprise, shooting into the air, with only his good wing stick straight out, causing him to corkscrew on his slowed descent. 

"Winona! Ah said ta let him be!" A familiar accented voice yelled from downstairs. The dog's ears pinned back, before heading downstairs. Shadow decided that this was a good a time as any, and followed. 
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Sorry 'bout that Shadow. Winona can get a little excited sometimes." Applejack apologized, as Shadow descended the stairs. "It's okay Miss Applejack. Good morning." he replied cheerfully. "Aw shucks...y'all don't have ta call me Miss. Just Applejack, plain an' simple." the hatted mare replied. "Yes Ma'am." he agreed. 

"Good morning Shadow." The voice of a certain miss Sparkle called from the kitchen. "Good morning Twilight." Shadow called back, before taking a seat on a couch. 

Moments later, Winona jumps up and sits next to him. "Uh...Hi...Leona, right?" Shadow unsuredly greeted. "Winona." Applejack corrected with a smile. "Hi Winona." Shadow rephrased. The dog in question barked in reply. 

"So, you were saying Applejack?" Twilight asked, trotting out of the kitchen, giving Shadow a glass of orange juice and plate of toast. "Ah was a sayin, actually asking, can you watch Applebloom and her friends for a while? They've been collectively grounded from crusadin', an' neither Rarity or Ah have the time ta watch em. Fluttershy has her animals, an' we all know why Rainbow is outta the question. Pinkie Pie...Ah think she's still plannin' that party for Shadow. Please Twilight?" Applejack pleaded, as Shadow had walked to the table and started eating. "Of course AJ. I don't have anything else planned for today, except tutor Shadow. Just send them over whenever." Twilight told her. "Oh thank ya Twi'! But um...they're outside." Applejack sheepishly told her. "Oh! Girls!! Come on in!" Twilight yelled. 

The door swung open, to reveal a trio of fillies, one of each race. "Howdy Twilight!" the middle one greeted. "Hi girls." The purple flanked mare replied. "Now Applebloom, Ah expect y'all to behave fer Twilight." Applejack warned. "Of course Sis! Right Crusaders?" the middle filly asked. "Right!!" the other two agreed in chorus. 

"Good, now G'bye. Ah've got Apple-buckin' ta do. C'mon Winona!" Applejack declared, as she exited the library, closely followed by the dog. "Bye Sis! So Crusaders? What do we do?" Applebloom asked aloud. "I can answer that." Twilight chimed in. "Huh?" Applebloom asked. "Does it involve books?" the orange Pegasus asked, annoyed. "No Scootaloo." Twilight answered. "Is it us going to bed early?" The white unicorn asked. "Sweetie Belle, wherever did you get that idea?" Twilight asked. "I don't know..." she sheepishly replied. "Listen Girls. I am currently tutoring somepony. Extensively. And I just realized that you three could help with one of the most important subjects a pony can ever learn." Twilight finally told them. "Really? What?" Scootaloo asked. "Friendship." Twilight answered with a smile. 

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, I'd like you to meet Shadow Wing. Shadow, this is Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle." Twilight introduced, after pulling the colt from his half-eaten breakfast. "H-Hi..." he shyly greeted. 

"Hiya!!"
"Nice ta meet'cha!!"
"Cool name. Doesn't really match though." Scootaloo told him, putting a hoof to her chin. "Wh-why not?" Shadow asked, surprised. "Too scary or dark. At least for the way your acting. All Shy and stuff." Scootaloo answered analytically. 

Twilight had resigned herself to let things play out naturally, with no interference on her part. 

"Yeah! You'd be more suited for a name like...Fluffy Cloud!" Scootaloo joked. "B-But..." Shadow mumbled, sadly. "Wait! Don't get upset!! I was just joking!! Your name is awesome!" Scootaloo quickly exclaimed, fearfully. "We obviously ain't gonna get a cutie mark in name changin'." Applebloom rolled her eyes. "Cue-tea Mark?" Shadow asked. 

"Where?!" All three fillies yelled. "W-Wha?" Shadow asked, severely confused. The CMC all turned round and round, staring at their own flanks. "Awww...nothin'." Applebloom sighed. The other two met with similar results. 

"Why were you staring at your flank?" Shadow asked any of the three. "To see if we had our cutie marks yet!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "What's a cue-tea mark?" Shadow asked. 

"Twilight, were did you find this colt?! How can he not know what a cutie mark is?!" Scootaloo asked. "That's the reason he's here. I'm teaching him everything a pony needs to know, and Uh...then some." Twilight sheepishly explained, giggling a bit. "But why? Why doesn't he already know?" Sweetie Belle pressed. 

"I'd...um...appreciate it if you didn't talk about me like I'm not here..." Shadow chimed in, a little upset. "Oh! Uh...sorry? So why don't you know?" Applebloom asked. "I just...don't..." he answered. "He has amnesia Girls. He doesn't remember anything past a few days ago. Not even who he was." Twilight added. 

"What?!" the trio yelled in chorused surprise. "Yeah..." Shadow replied sheepishly. "He was sent to Princess Luna, who sent him here for tuition. Past that, not even he knows. So, I've been teaching him, and as I said before, I would like your help girls, to help him learn about friendship. There's only so much even books can teach on this subject. So girls, would you like to...assist me with this lesson?" Twilight asked, smiling. The three fillies quickly formed a huddle, whispering amongst themselves. "Annnnnnd Break!" they exclaimed, separating. "Well?" Twilight asked, giggling. 

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Friendship Teachers!! YAY!!!" the CMC declared in chorus. "I'll take that as a Yes." Twilight sighed happily. 

"What do we do first?" Scootaloo asked. "I'll leave that up to you four." Twilight answered, as all fillies were enveloped in magic and levitated out the door. Before anypony could respond, the door closed. 

"So, any ideas?" Sweetie Belle asked. Shadow shook his head, No. "Nope..." Applebloom added. "Scootaloo?" Sweetie asked. "Nada..." The Pegasus replied. 

"HIYA GIRLS!! HIYA SHADOW!!!" a loud voice suddenly greeted from behind them. Shadow yelped and jumped into the air. "Hiya Pinkie Pie!" The CMC greeted in return, unfazed. "Have you seen Shadow? I thought I just saw him." Pinkie giggled. The trio all looked up to see the colt latched onto a branch. "H-Hi Miss Pinkie..." he finally greeted. 

"Shadow, come down here. It's not fun to talk to a scared filly." Pinkie giggled. Shadow slowly let go of the branch, extending his good wing, to allow for a lazy corkscrew to the ground. "That's better. Now, we all need to get to Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie declared. "Why?" Scootaloo asked quizzically. 

"For the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for Shadow!! Duh!!" Pinkie exclaimed, somehow appearing from beneath Shadow, positioning him on top of her head. "Party at Sugarcube Corner?! I'm there!!" Scootaloo declared happily. "Me two!" Applebloom agreed. "Me three!" Sweetie added. "Let's go girls!!" Pinkie announced, before galloping off towards the sweetest shop in Ponyville, with Shadow barely being able to hang onto her wild mane. 


"We're here!! Let's get this party started!!" Pinkie announced, swinging open the doors. A chorus of cheers erupted from the main room, which was filled with a good percentage of Ponyville. Shadow visibly paled, as the entire room's focus was turned on him. 

"...h-hi..." he stuttered, barely managing to not fall out of Pinkie's mane. "Welcome to Ponyville!!" the crowd greeted, obviously rehearsed. The sheer number of ponies and how close they had managed to get were bringing up a sense of claustrophobia and a nagging feeling of deja vu and dread. These combined to produce Fear. 

Shadow seemed to shrink away into Pinkie's mane, cowering slightly from the constant staring. 
"Pinkie, I don't think this was such a good idea." Sweetie Belle whispered in the mare's ear. "He's just being shy." Pinkie dismissed, before combing her hoof threw her mane, until the colt was gently ejected onto her back, completely exposed. "Now Shadow, go enjoy yourself." Pinkie told him, sitting down so that he slid off her back to the floor. Almost immediately the crowd formed a tight circle around him. 

"Awww, he's adorable!" somepony squealed. "What's his name?" another asked. 
"Why is he so scared?" 
"Yeah, he looks terrified..."
"Blank Flank..."
"Pinkie! He's shakin like a leaf in the wind!"

Shadow felt something nudge his side. He opened his bicolored eyes to see two light cerulean ones. "You okay?" Pinkie asked. Shadow quickly shook his head, before recovering it with his hooves. "I think this was a bad idea..." she mumbled sadly. "That's what I said!" Sweetie exclaimed, before being silenced by the other two Crusaders. 

"Everypony, I think we should leave. Clearly, someponies can't handle Everypony staring them down as if they did something wrong. I'm sorry Pinkie, but a party was not a good idea for somepony like him. Not with so many ponies at least. Welcome to Ponyville Shadow. I'm sorry this happened." a ashamed mare announced, leading the way to the door. Shadow opened one eye to try and see the one responsible for his salvation, but she was already gone, hidden by the crowd. 

After the room was emptied, save for the CMC, a saddened Pinkie Pie, and Shadow, the pink mare walked to a table. She soon returned to Shadow, hoofing him a cupcake. "Here...this'll cheer you up." she told him, smiling weakly. "Thank you..." he quietly replied, taking a small bite.

"Shadow...I'm sorry for all this!! I didn't mean to scare you like that!!" Pinkie suddenly sobbed, before enveloping him with an almost bone-crushing hug. "I-I-It's o-ok-k-Kay!! He stammered, convinced his spine was on the verge of snapping. Thankfully she had missed his bad wing. "No, it's not! I can't believe I put you through being scared like that!!" Pinkie continued sobbing, somehow squeezing him harder. "M-M-miss Pink-k-k-kie!!!" Shadow yelped. "Huh?! Oh!! I'msosorryShadow!!!" Pinkie realized, suddenly placing him back on the ground. The colt immediately rubbed his aching back, but tried to smile reassuringly at Pinkie. 

There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Pinkie replied. 

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked, as a unicorn stuck her head through the partially open door. "Hello. Wait a minute! Weren't you the mare who got everypony to leave?!" Pinkie asked, sounding accusing. "Yes. I was." the cerulean mare answered, unfazed. 

"Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Pinkie yelled, hugging the newcomare. "Uh...you're welcome. But I came back for a reason. I need to talk to Shadow." she replied, gently pushing Pinkie off. "R-really?" Shadow asked, confused. 

"Shadow, do you remember the other day? Before coming to Ponyville?" The mare asked, seating herself in front of him. "It's all I can remember..." he answered, again confused. "Well, remember when you were in line? Behind somepony with a pitchfork? Remember who you were in front of?" The mare asked. "Yes. Yes. And...yes...a blue unicorn. That looked a lot like...you?" Shadow asked, a little surprised. "Yes, it was me. The reason I was in line was because my son, a pegusus like you, has recently gone missing. I was intending to inform the Princess of the situation, until the court changed. I started talking to you because you remind me so much of him...anywho. The next day, I finally got an audience with Princess Celestia. She told me that a colt was recently found and was now in the care of Princess Luna. She described you, and I told her that you weren't my son. But...then I realized that now two colts have gone missing. I thought you might have known something about my son, so I asked Celestia about it. She promised to inform me of anything that could even possibly be important. The next day, she told me of your trip to Ponyville. I figured I might as well go and try to speak to you myself. And here I am." the mare explained. "I-I'm sorry Miss..." Shadow started to apologize before realizing he didn't know her name. "Sapphire Skies." the mare answered, smiling kindly as she brushed some of her darker blue hair out of her dark green eyes. "I'm sorry Miss Sapphire...but I don't know anything about your son. I don't remember anything before waking up in some alley, and then meeting you..." Shadow sadly told her. "Oh...are you sure?" Sapphire asked, disheartened. Shadow slowly nodded. 

"Alright...it was nice meeting you Shadow. If you remember anything, or just want to talk, Princess Luna should be able to set something up." Sapphire told him, standing up to leave. "Thank you Miss Sapphire..." Shadow said, hugging her foreleg. "F-For what?" she asked, a bit surprised. "For being the first pony to be nice to me..." he answered, looking up at her, smiling. 


After Sapphire Skies left to return to her home in Canterlot, Pinkie decided to show the four fillies how to make a cake. A somewhat simple cake. Which wouldn't be a problem, except that four out of five ponies in that room didn't have the faintest idea of how to cook. Or how not to burn everything that was once edible to a liquid crisp. 

"How is that even possible?" Shadow asked, staring at a bowl of blackened ooze. "Ummmmm..." Pinkie mumbled. "I am not eating that..." Scootaloo chimed in. "How does a cake just up an'...m-move?!" Applebloom yelled, seeing the would-be-cake start to creep over the edge of the bowl. "I knew I shouldn't have tried to use magic on it!!" Sweetie screamed, as the Crusaders strategically retreated from the kitchen. 

"Well...I guess it wasn't all that bad, right? For a first time?" Pinkie giggled, quickly grabbing the bowl and disposing of it, before the creature that lurked within could react. "Th-that seemed pretty bad..." Shadow argued fearfully. "But everything's fine now. I'll go get the girls back. Can't leave this place a mess, now can we?" Pinkie giggled, bouncing merrily out the room. 

"Might as well start cleaning..." Shadow mumbled. He grabbed a bowl with his mouth, carrying it to the sink. then he returned for the butter knife that was supposed to be used to spread the icing, since the tool actually designed for the purpose was dirty. As he was carrying it back to the sink, the small, smooth piece of silverware slipped from his mouth. In a vain attempt to right his 'slip-up', he reached out with his hoof to catch it. 

Pinkie and the Crusaders returned to the kitchen, significantly calmed. That is, until they heard a quiet sniffling. The mare plus three quickly searched the kitchen, finding the source underneath the table. 

"Shadow?! What's wrong?!" Applebloom yelled. Shadow didn't respond. He was holding his hooves to his head, and the quartet of ponies noticed a small trickle of blood trailing down his right hoof, dripping to the floor. The blood was slowly oozing from a small cut on his hoof, nothing major. But Shadow wasn't paying it any mind. His eyes looked dazed and blank, giving the impression of a thousand yard stare. 

"Hello? Equestria to Shadow. Come in Shadow." Pinkie asked, waving her hoof in front of his face, worried. Shadow blinked, looking around briefly, blinking once more, before wildly galloping to an open cabinet, diving inside, and slamming it behind him. 

"S-Shadow?" Sweetie asked, confused. "Go away!!" came his surprisingly loud voice. "Shady, that's not nice. Telling ponies to leave they're own kitchen. No, not nice at all. Now come outta there. Please?" Pinkie asked. "No!! Stay away from me!!!" Shadow yelled. "At least tell us whats wrong." Scootaloo pressed.

There was a long period of silence, during which, Pinkie decided to open the cabinet. She backed slightly, to allow him some more space. The colt was huddled up in the corner, a few pots and pans shoved to the side. "You okay?" she asked gingerly. Shadow quickly shook his head. "Come here Shady, you can tell your Auntie Pie." The pink mare offered kindly. 

Shadow slowly looked up into her cerulean eyes, before crawling out of the cabinet. "Oh! We need to bandage up that hoof too!" Pinkie exclaimed, randomly pulling out a roll of white surgical cloth. 

After attending to his wound, Pinkie resumed her initial objective. "What's wrong Shady? Why'd you yell like that? And hide in the cabinet?" she asked, gently lifting up his head. "I...I...I was t-trying to clean up a bit...I grabbed a knife...but...I dropped it...then I tried to catch it...but...I ended up c-cutting myself...b-but that's not the pr-problem......." Shadow explained, fighting back tears near the end. "What is?" Pinkie pressed. 

"When...When I saw the b-blood...pictures...kinda flashed though my head...but...they seemed so familiar..." Shadow told her, visibly trembling. "What were they? Oh!! Maybe they were memories!!" Pinkie excitedly suggested. Shadow, despite his black coat, visibly paled. 

"The...first was...was...a...c-cave...then...there was a...a....r-really big...d-d-d-dragon! An-and it...it was...t-talking to a bunch of ponies...all wearing hoods...th-then...one had a weird kn-knife...and...he...he walked up to me....and...and....and........that's it....That's all I remember..." Shadow shakily told them. "Woah..." Scootaloo mumbled. "I think we need to take you back to Twilight..." Pinkie suggested, before getting to her hooves and making for the door. The Crusaders, plus one colt, followed. The latter still trembling. 

Once the quartet reached the Golden Oaks Library, the only mare of the four knocked on the door. 
"Coming!" came a very familiar voice. Soon, the door swung open to reveal a somewhat cheerful Miss Sparkle. "Hello Pinkie, girls, ShadowIsSomethingWrong?!" she greeted/asked. "Uh yeah. Shady um...had a small accident. I bandaged it up and all, but...he remembered something. I think." Pinkie answered. 

Twilight was silent for a moment. "Come in. All of you." She finally said, stepping aside. The quartet entered, everypony expressing worry or fear. "Shadow...what did you remember?" Twilight eventually asked. 

The colt re-re-counted the story, starting to tremble again. "Oh dear..." Twilight mumbled, looking away, deep in thought. "T-Twilight?" Shadow asked, scared and worried. "I think we need to inform the Princess." The lavender mare suggested. "Celestia?" Pinkie asked, cocking her head to the left. "No. Princess Luna." Twilight corrected. 

Suddenly, the front door was thrown open, a small purple and green dragon running in. "Spike?! What's going on?!" Twilight demanded, as Shadow yelped and dove behind her, cowering. "It's...a...letter...ha...from....the...Princess...whoa...Princess...Luna..." the reptile panted, looking like he had sprinted the entire way from Rarity's boutique. Which, in fact, he had. 

Spike held out a rolled up and sealed piece of parchment, almost doubled over in exhaustion. The letter glowed purple and levitated out of his hand, unrolling in the same movement, stopping in front of Twilight. 


"Twilight Sparkle,

This is for you and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony's eyes only. Nopony else should know about this, save for Shadow Wing, but I would prefer to explain it to him myself..."


"Crusaders? Please take Shadow upstairs." Twilight said. 


"...Nightmare Moon is attempting to or already has returned. Last night, both Shadow Wing and I shared a rather frightening nightmare, in which The Nightmare herself appeared. As much as I hate to admit it, Shadow has something to do with her return. I don't know how exactly, but he is indeed linked in some form. As such, I intend to return to Ponyville to retrieve him, around noon. 

~Princess Luna"

"Nightmare Moon is back?! The Princess will be here at noon?!" Twilight exclaimed. She glanced at a nearby sundial. 

11:55

"Spike!! Why did you just now get this to me?!" Twilight asked, on the precipice of anger. "I just woke up. The letter came while I was sleeping..." he sheepishly replied. 

Twilight glanced at the sundial again. 

11:56.03893179484216

"The Princess is going to be here any minute!! AND Nightmare Moon is back!!!" Twilight yelled, 'royally' freaking out. "Jeez, calm down Twi'. Just go get Shadow. Princess Luma comes and gets him, and there's no problem. I'm sure the Princesses can handle the 'Nightmare Moon' problem. If they can't, they'll ask. Until then, calm down." Spike told her. "You know what? You're right. I should just calm dow-...please tell me I didn't just hear a chariot land..." Twilight whined. "Uh. You did." Spike reluctantly answered. 

"Oh no..."


A resounding series of knocks were emitted from the front door. 

The door glowed a dark, starry blue before swinging open to allow the source of said glow to enter. 

"Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed, forcing a smile as she bowed. "Greetings Twilight Sparkle. You received my letter?" The Princess asked. "Unfortunatly, only just a few minutes ago. Shadow is upstairs with his friends." Twilight answered sheepishly. "Friends? That is...unexpected. Even so, I must take him back to Canterlot, for reasons you already know." Luna replied, smiling only briefly. "Of course Princess. Be right back." Twilight complied, before galloping up the stairs.

The door to her bedroom was opened to reveal the three Crusaders plus one sitting on the floor in a circle, calmly talking. That in and of itself was suspicious, until Twilight head what they asked her. 

"Is Nigh'mare Moon really back Twilight?" Applebloom asked, worried. "Uh...no. No she's not." Twilight quickly answered, caught off guard. "Then why were you yelling that she was?" Scootaloo asked, not believing the lie. "Oh. Princess Luna was trying to...Uh...play a joke. But it went a bit too far...so yeah. Speaking of which, Shadow, she's here to take you back to Canterlot." Twilight answered, quickly trying to change the subject. 

"Really?!" Shadow asked, excited. "Yes. She's downstairs." Twilight answered, forcing a smile. "Bye Shadow! Don't forget to write!" Scootaloo exclaimed, as the girls descended upon him in a group hug. "Uh...okay..." he stammered, blushing slightly. 

After the fillies gave their goodbyes, Twilight took them downstairs. "Princess Luna!!" Shadow exclaimed happily, galloping over to her before unwillingly remembering archaic manners again, and bowing. "Hello my little Shadow." The Princess greeted, nuzzling him gently, raising him back up. "I missed you so much!" Shadow exclaimed. "We...I missed you too. I take it Twilight has been an excellent tutor?" Luna asked, smiling slightly. "Uh huh!" Shadow replied, smiling. "Good. Because you might be coming back, since this visit was cut short. Speaking of which, we must be on our way. Goodbye Twilight Sparkle, I am in your debt." Luna said, before turning towards the door. "Bye Twilight! Bye Applebloom! Bye Sweetie Belle! Bye Scootaloo!" Shadow exclaimed, happily following the Princess. 

"Goodbye Shadow..."
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow sat as close to Princess Luna as possible without actually touching her, as the chariot was pulled through the air. Even he knew that might be a bit uncalled for. Although, despite having known Twilight longer, he still trusted Luna more. 

"Shadow...I'm sure you're wondering why you must suddenly return to Canterlot, right?" Luna asked, looking down on the colt. "I am now." Shadow answered, laughing a little. Luna sighed as she looked over the side of the chariot. "Princess?" Shadow asked, instantly worried that he did something wrong. "Shadow...Has Twilight told you the story of Nightmare Moon?" Luna eventually asked. "Yes...although I don't really understand how that could have been you..." Shadow answered, confused. 

"It was a...grave mistake on my part...but that is not the main issue now. Nightmare Moon...is back. Last night we shared a dream in which she spoke to you. While you cannot recall this dream, I can. Although I was 'left out' of some moments, only able to watch. Since you cannot remember, I believe the only reason for the dream was to temporarily frighten you, while informing me of her return, and implying that you are somehow involved in this. Which could possibly explain the circumstances of how you were discovered. That is why I am taking you back to Canterlot. My sister and I intend to determine your place in this, as well as what Nightmare Moon is planning." The Princess informed. "N-Nightmare Moon?! But....now I really don't understand...." Shadow mumbled, holding his hooves to his head in a vain attempt to stop the oncoming headache. "We don't either." Luna agreed. "But...if you were Nightmare Moon, and she's back...then...but you're you...and...what?" Shadow asked, confusing himself further. "I was Nightmare Moon. But Twilight and her friends 'fixed' me. They separated her from me, and she was believed to be destroyed. Believed. But we were wrong. She was separated, and must have found a way to reform herself. Or, she's just a spirit. Which explains why she could invade our dreams and bring them together against our will. Regardless, we will find out exactly what has happened." Luna told him.
"Princess Luna?" Shadow asked. "Yes Shadow?" The Princess replied. "I'm scared..." He whimpered. "I'm not surprised..." Luna chuckled, wrapping a wing around his tiny body, before pulling him close. Shadow instantly started to calm down, being close to his Princess. 


Later, in Canterlot...

Luna glided onto her balcony, Shadow floating behind her as a result of her magic. As his hooves touched the ground, the sound of giggling reached Luna's ears. 

"What is so funny?" She asked. "That was fun! I've never actually been flying before...well...that I remember." Shadow answered, smiling. "I see how that could induce laughter." Luna told him, opening the doors to her room. Shadow happily followed her into said room, all worries left behind him. "Shadow, tonight we'll rest. Then, tomorrow, we'll begin working to discover Nightmare Moon's plan." Luna informed, as her crown and regalia glowed, floating away from her to rest on her nightstand. She stepped out of her shoes, before climbing into her rather huge bed. "Um...Princess? Where do I sleep?" Shadow awkwardly asked, noticing a distinct lack of an extra bed or even a cushion this time. "With me." Luna answered, as if it was a normal occurrence. "Really?" Shadow asked, a bit surprised. "Yes, really." Luna answered, smiling playfully as she patted a spot on the bed next to her. "O-ok..." Shadow mumbled, before attempting to climb onto the bed, before comically slipping off. 

"Um....a little help? Please?" Shadow asked sheepishly. Luna laughed as he was enveloped in her magic once again. This time, he floated onto the bed, landing next to her, laying down on his legs to avoid his wing. 

"Goodnight Princess..." Shadow mumbled, drifting off to sleep easily. "Goodnight my little Shadow..." Luna replied...



Shadow opened his eyes to see...nothing. Just an endless black void. 

"Ah. Welcome back my little Shadow. It's about time." A horribly familiar voice echoed around him. "Wh-what?!" He stammered, wildly looking everywhere. "That's right. I'm ba~aa~ack. And luckily for you, you're all alone with me." The voice continued, sounding closer. "N-No!! Where's Lu-" Shadow started to ask. "That little brat can't help you!! Neither can that pompous sister of hers!! Until I say so, you're going to stay here. To be done with as I please. Oh and I've had plenty of time to think of what I would do if and When I would trap lil'Lulu or 'Tia here, in this Realm. I might as well try out a few...ideas..." The voice spoke confidently, before fading away. 

"Shadow?! Shadow!!" Another familiar voice yelled, sounding very very worried. "P-Princess?!" He whimpered, looking in the one direction this voice came from. 

Luna came galloping from out of nowhere, skidding to a stop in front of the colt. "Shadow, are you alright?! Has she done anything?!" She asked, with terrified speed. "N-no...not really..." he answered, looking up at her. 

"Don't you mean...not yet?" Luna asked, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Wh-what?!" Shadow stammered, trying to scoot away, only to find himself not moving even an inch. "You're so easily to fool!! Bwahahahaha!!! While I do prefer my normal form, seeing the unique fear that only comes from being betrayed...it's too good to resist!" Luna exclaimed, in the Nightmare's voice. 

"Let's begin. First, I noticed that you have a cast around your wing. Mind if I fix it? Of course you don't." Nightmare Moon/Luna mused, before the cast disappeared. "But just removing the cast won't help, so..." She continued, as Shadow felt his body tingle all over. "Wh-what did you do?!" he asked, terrified. "I turned you into bread, so your wing's all better." she laughed. "N-No it's not! This...This is a dream!" Shadow argued, unbelieving.  "Oh. Then it doesn't matter if I do...this!" Nightmare exclaimed, before his formerly broken wing was ripped off of his body by magic. Instead of feeling pain, Shadow felt absolutely nothing, aside from the slight tug on his body. He stared in disbelief as his wing floated past his head to Luna's/the Nightmare's, where she took a bite. 

Only now did he feeling the pain, as her teeth ripped into the chunk of bread that was his wing. The agony was so unbearable, he couldn't even scream. 

"The real beauty of this is that, while abstract and unexpected, it's still exceedingly painful And rather tasty. Oh the masterpieces one can create when they have a Thousand years to just think. But, I'm rambling, aren't I? Actually, no. I'm not. I'm just savoring every moment of your agony. Because it's only going to get worse from here. What if I wasn't the only one who enjoyed this? I'm sure all these Crows would just love it." The Nightmare monologued, taking immense pleasure in toying with the one-winged colt. "C-crows?!" Shadow barely managed to squeak out, his voice cracking. "Yes. Crows." Luna repeated with a sly grin, as at least fifty of the birds materialized from the void. 

Again, Shadow tried to run, but this time, he found that his legs simply fell apart. His torso hit the ground, ripping into multiple pieces, sending his head rolling. Luckily, he still didn't feel anything. 

Until the crows descended upon the pieces of his fluffy, edible body. Shadow could feel every single bite and peck of the birds. Only his eyes, which had bounced out of his head when a crow had landed on it, were left unscathed. That is, until Nightmare Moon picked them up with her magic. 

"I didn't know bread could form tears." She taunted, as droplets of moisture silently appeared and fell from the two different colored eyes. By now, nothing was left of his body, save for said eyes. "The crows were very thorough. You're lucky I was able to save this much." Luna gloated, smiling wickedly. "Well, not really. Either way, I think it's time we moved on. The next idea I want to try out is a bit more...familiar to you." Nightmare Moon continued, before Shadow's eyes flickered from existence. 


Shadow opened his eyes again, sighing in relief when he realized the rest of his body was back to normal...except his cast was still gone. He immediately jumped to his hooves, from where he had been laying, fearfully scanning the area. 

Every fiber of his body froze up at the sight of a very familiar, purple-and-green-scaled reptile. 

"Hiya Shadow. What's up?" Spike asked, raising a claw in greeting. "S-S-Spike!! N-no...please...just... just stay away..." Shadow whimpered, backpedaling successfully for once. "Why? What's wrong?!" Spike asked, a hint of worry creeping into his voice as he stepped closer. "Just stay away!" Shadow yelped, terrified. "Aw Shadow, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm 'just a baby dragon after all'." Spike said in a soothing voice, while using air quotes.

Then he started to grow...and grow...and grow. Spike quickly assumed the visage of a fully grown dragon, complete with wings and smoke bellowing from his nostrils. 

"Oooo Spike! You've grown up so fast!" A new voice exclaimed lovingly. Shadow spun around to see none other than Twilight carelessly cantering towards Spike. "T-Twi-Twilight!!" Shadow yelled, both scared and relieved at the same time. "Oh why don't you just shut up for once?!" She suddenly screamed, staring at him hatefully. "W-wha?!" Shadow stammered. "The only reason I was nice to you, the only reason I put up with you was because Nightmare Moon needed me too. And then I had send Spike off so you wouldn't keep crying all the time!! But now he's back!" Twilight continued, trotting onto Spike's now huge claw. Then, she was raised to his head and placed securely atop. She looked into one of his slited emerald eyes, smiling to the reflection of Shadow. 

"Kill him."

In a split-second, Spike sank to all fours, and lunged for the tiny colt. In the split-second immediately following, Shadow had turned and was galloping as fast as his legs could carry him. Suddenly, Nightmare Moon appeared, laughing as he galloped past her. 

She kept laughing, as he galloped past her again. And again. And again. Over and over again he galloped past her, just barely managing to stay out of Spike's reach. Until Luna tripped him. 

Shadow fell muzzle-first, sliding on his face a good ten hooves distance. Before he could get back up, he felt Spike's hot to the touch claws close around him. 

"Hey Spike? Make it hurt." Shadow heard Twilight say. Suddenly, the claws tightened to the point of almost breaking bones. Shadow screamed in pain, but no sound came out. 

"Spike, I didn't hear anything. You must not be doing it hard enough." 

The claws tightened even more, this time actually breaking at least two of Shadow's legs. 

"Ooooo. I heard that one. Hey! Open up your claw. I wanna see his face." 

The claws opened, causing pain in their own right. 

"Awww. He looks so helpless. It's almost adorable. But, he looks so sad. Why don't you put him of out his misery?" Twilight suggested, still smiling that wicked smile. Spike only nodded, as he lifted the smallest digit of his free claw and placed it on Shadow's neck. 

There was only time for a single tear to fall, before Shadow's throat was cut. 


"You didnt think I was done, did you? You would be sorely mistaken." Nightmare Moon taunted, as Shadow opened his eyes again. Again, his body was healed, but, this time he was shackled head to tail in heavy iron chains to the point of making standing impossible. "P-Please just leave me alone..." Shadow sniffled, feebly trying to hold back any tears. "Oh there's an idea. I could put you in a coma. That way you could finally understand what I went through for a thousand years!!!" She yelled, as light suddenly poured in from everywhere. After Shadow's eyes adjusted, he noticed that the ground was now grey. The walls no longer existed, instead revealing an endless expanse of blackness, interspersed with small pinpricks of light. If he looked all the way up, he saw a blue and green circle, that reminded him of something Twilight had shown him during their first session. 

"This is a globe. It represents the entire planet. We know this is what it actually looks like, because of when Princess Luna was released from her banishment on the moon, and after the whole fiasco with Nightmare Moon, she told us about the view she had, and every single detail concerning it..." 

The words echoed in his head, as he slowly realized where he was. "That's right Shadow, you've been on the moon. This entire time. Or at least a version of it. Only now did I let it come into light. But alas, tis but a dream. Except, unlike last time, you will remember every second, as if it actually happened." Nightmare Moon gloated, appearing in front of him. "And who's to say it did not?" Luna asked, smiling. "For all you know, you'll be waking up to another Nightmare! Bwahahahahaha!!"


"...adow....Shadow....Shadow!!!" A voice yelled, violently/gently shaking him awake. 

"Huh?" he slurred, cracking open only one eye. "Oh thank Celestia..." the voice sighed in relief. Shadow opened his other eye and looked up. 

"G-get away from me!!" Shadow yelped, scrambling until he fell off the bed. Thankfully, he managed to land on his hooves, before diving under the bed. "Shadow!! What has gotten into you?!" The voice yelled. 

Very slowly, the door at the end of the room opened, revealing too worried looking guards. "Is everything okay Your Highness?" on asked, exceedingly monotone. "No, Shadow seems to have...Stop Him!!!" she yelled, as a small black blur dashed through the small gap between the guard and the doorframe. 

"Don't let him escape!!" Luna yelled, as the two guards gave chase. Shadow galloped as fast as he could, turning down any hallway that he saw, begging for a way out. "Calm down kid! She's not really going to...do whatever it is you think she's going to do!" One of the guards called after him. Shadow didn't listen, as he dived into a room, and slammed the door shut behind him, gasping for air. 

Examination of the room yielded many interesting things. First of all, he wasn't alone in the room. Second, the only other occupant was a slightly miffed-looking unicorn, with a partially eaten sandwich in his hoof. Third, that sandwich contained what used to be exactly two slices of bread. Fourth, the discovery of 'interesting thing number three' reminded Shadow of the fact that he was currently on the run from a pony he believed to have, at one point, turned him into bread. Fifth, upon discovery of the last two 'interesting things', Shadow decided to hide. 

"Sir...please...hide me...the guards...Nightmare Moon...bread..." Shadow gasped, out of breath from his daring escape. 

"You want me to hide you from 'Nightmare Moon' and the guards? And I'm assuming the 'bread' was  when she was trying to 'gobble you up'?" The unicorn asked, amused. To Shadow, both questions sounded like statements, to which he responded with more panting and the unconscious nod. 

"Alright, I know just the place! Nopony will ever suspect it." The unicorn informed him, a wry grin on his face as his horn started glowing. 

The next thing Shadow knew, he was back in a familiar room. In fact, it was coincidentally the same room he had just ran out of, not five minutes ago. There was a slight difference though. This time, he was chained to the middle of the floor, in a very similar manner as in his nightmare. 

"Shadow!!" Princess Luna yelled, sounding angry and relieved at the same time. "I'm sorry..." he whimpered, before breaking down, sobbing. "What has gotten into you?! Why did you run?! And how did you manage to set off the safety spells?! By teleportation no less!" Luna asked, getting up from her bed, and standing in front of and over him. "I-I ran because I'm sca-scared..." He whimpered, wishing he could just shrink out of her sight. "Of what?" Luna pressed. "You..." Shadow barely squeaked out, terrified of the consequences of his honesty. 

"Did you have another nightmare?" Luna asked, sighing. "Yes...I think...I don't know if I'm still sleeping..." Shadow answered.  "I promise you Shadow, you are awake. This isn't some trick by that wicked mare." Luna told him in a soothingly voice, as his iron bounds faded from existence. 

Almost unwillingly, Shadow glanced to the still partially open door. 

"No. I truly advise against that dicision, not only would you regret it, it would accomplish nothing." Luna  noticed, as the door glowed and closed. Shadow sank even lower to the ground, as if the chains were back. "Shadow...come here." Luna sighed, sitting on a plush cushion. Shadow very slowly walked over and sat in front of her. 

"Listen to me Shadow. This is not a dream. Everything that has happened to you since you went to sleep was, but now you are awake. I promise." Luna told him, extending a wing and wrapping it around him, pulling him to her side. 

Shadow was torn. He didn't know whether to believe the pony he trusted the most, or chalk it up to another round of torture from Nightmare Moon. His heart said to trust her, but his head was telling him to reconsider, just in case. In the end, he choose his heart. 

"Thank you Princess..." he sighed. "You are welcome my little Shadow. But in light of recent events, I firmly believe I should render the hold Nightmare Moon has over you broken. The first step, is to remove her from your dreams, whether she wants to or not. Which means you need to go back to sleep." Luna informed him. "B-but Princess!" Shadow stammered, terrified. "Don't worry Shadow, I will be with you this time. She will not be able to harm you in any way. I promise." Luna continued, smiling at the end. "O-Okay..." the colt reluctantly agreed. 


"Step one. Go to sleep." The Princess ordered. "Yes ma'am..." Shadow replied, laying down in the bed, where Luna's magic had placed him.

 "Shadow?"

"Yes ma'am?" 

"Do not call me ma'am...Luna is fine." 

"Yes m-...Yes Luna..."

"Sleep..."

Shadow closed his eyes, before reopening them. "Pr-...Luna? What if I can't fall asleep?" He asked. "You already have." she answered. 

"But we're still in the same place..." Shadow argued, confused. "Would you prefer to be somewhere else? Your subconscious choose this place." Luna replied. "It did? Why here specifically?" he asked. "You want to be here, with me apparently. It took significantly less effort to enter your dream because you already wanted me to be here." Luna answered smiling, as she hopped off the bed. "Er..." Shadow mumbled sheepishly. "There have been very few ponies who 'allow' me into their dreams. Those who did were my closest of friends. Or Celestia. Despite the fact I would have entered whether you 'wanted' me to or not, I still appreciate your trust." Luna continued. Shadow smiled, still a little embarrassed. 

"Step two: Find the Nightmare." Luna informed the colt, as her horn glowed. Suddenly, the formerly well-lit room was plunged into darkness. Shadow yelped in fear and latched onto the closet thing he could, hoping Luna wouldn't get mad, since the object he had grabbed onto seemed to be her leg. 

"Awww. I see why you like keeping him around, my Dear Luna. For once, a pony who wants to be around you. He seems to trust you with his life. Let's see if I can...remedy this..." A horribly familiar voice monologued, before, in a sudden flick of the leg Shadow was holding onto, he was launched across the pitch-black room  He let out a cry of pain, as he slammed into the wall with an audible thud, before sliding to the ground. 

Whether or not his wing was still broken in this dream was irrelevant at this point, as now both wings felt like they had been snapped in half. Which was a exceedingly accurate representation. 

"Shadow?! Are you okay?!" he heard Luna yell, as the darkness faded away. The colt was unable to reply through the pain and tears, only made worse by what was revealed in the returning light. 

Two 'Luna's now stood before him, completely identical in both expression worried and appearance. "Shadow, are you...alright?" Both Luna's asked in chorus, before turning to one another. "You!!!" they both shouted, taking defensive stances. Shadow, despite the pain in his broken wings, looked back and forth between the two, utterly bewildered. 

"Stay away from Shadow!" Both Alicorns yelled. 
"..."
"..."
"Tia's favorite food are bananas!!" both randomly exclaimed. 
"You are using this dream copy my every action. Trying to fool him. Shadow, I trust that you will be able to distinguish between the two of us and discover which is the true Luna. Ask us individually questions that you think only the Real Luna can answer correctly." both instructed. 

"B-but...y-yes ma'am...'s..." Shadow answered shakily, before trying to get to his hooves. Searing pain erupted from his wings, causing him to yell, and fall onto his side. "Shadow!! You are injured..." Both Luna's observed, as both of their horns glowed. Immediately, his wings healed themselves. 

Shadow successfully rolled onto his hooves, sighing in relief as the pain did not come. "Thank you...Luna...'s. Um...first question? Which of my wings is actually broken?" he asked, as two red buttons appeared in front of the Alicorns. Luna on the left slammed her hoof down on the button, just before Right Luna could, producing a loud buzzing. "Um...yes?" Shadow asked, pointing to Left Luna. "Your Left wing." She answered confidently, and more importantly, solo. "Correct..."

13 questions later. 

"Last question...you two are tied 7-7. Why do I have Metathesiopanemphobia?" Shadow asked, struggling to say the entire name. "What?" Both asked, confused. "A fear of being turned into bread. Twilight told me about it during lunch, when she saw me looking at the bread funny." Shadow explained, embarrassed. Suddenly, Right Luna rang her buzzer. "Because of the nightmare you had earlier with Nightmare Moon." she declared happily. "...Correct..." Shadow announced. 

"Now you know which of us is the real Luna. Make your choice." Right Luna told him. Shadow nodded, before slowly walking to...

The Luna on the...



Left. 

"What?! But I answered the most questions correctly!!" Right Luna yelled, furious. "I n-never told Luna what actually happened in my nightmare..." Shadow informed her, standing behind Left Luna for safety reasons. "Well done Shadow. Outwitting Nightmare Moon is not an easily feat." The Real Luna praised the colt. "Nor one to go unpunished!" Other Luna yelled, as she was engulfed in a starry blue cloud, which swirled and spun, before dissipating to reveal The Nightmare herself. 

"Torturing a mere filly? That's low, even for you." Luna commented. "Thank you. Now did you really think that just because he picked the 'real Luna' that I would just go away?" she asked, disdain dripping from every word. "No. That is why I had a spelled prepared for the eventuality of your interference in Shadow's dreams. I regret not being able to use it before, but I could not just invade every dream. You would never reveal yourself. But the effects of the spell are worth a Nightmare or two. Maybe even three." Luna answered smugly. "And what spell would that be? A fail-safe spell? Fix-a-dream? Or, Ancestors forbid, a Please-make-Nightmare Moon-go-away-forever-and-ever spell?" the wicked mare asked, smiling confidently. "Some of the best spells lack names." Luna answered, unfazed. "Or don't deserve them." Nightmare Moon added. 

Luna simply smiled, as her horn glowed. Suddenly, the entire room was enveloped in pitch-black, save for the three ponies, who seemed to still be in the light. 

"This Spell is designed to send the invader of a dream back to their own body. If they do not have one, then they are merely expelled with a very good chance of destroying them. Judging by our location...you do not have a body. You were just a spirit, resurrected no doubt by some fanatical ponies. Now that we are in your mind, for the time being, I can 'read you like an open book'. " Luna explained smugly. "Oh really? Then why don't you tell your 'little Shadow' all about what happened to him before he 'woke up'? Before he met you? And why I even bothered myself with torturing him?" Nightmare Moon asked, obviously furious with the turn of events. "I will, once he wakes up. We both know your consciousness is collapsing. You are just trying to stall so we might be trapped and killed along with you." Luna answered. "Correct once again my Dear Luna...and to think, I had believed you were an insolent foal that just so happened to be a Goddess. It seems I was mistaken. Very well. You win Luna. Until we meet again, and we shall." Nightmare Moon almost politely accepted defeat, before Luna's horn glowed. "May that time be far from tonight..." Luna replied, as she and Shadow disappeared in a bright flash of light. 

"We shall see my Dear Luna...we shall see..." The Nightmare mused, before fading...



Shadow suddenly jolted awake. "Luna?!" he yelped, terrified it had all been another trick. "I am here Shadow. You are awake and safe." Luna called from his right, laughing slightly. He sighed in relief, turning to face her. "So she's gone? For good?" Shadow asked, hopefully. "Yes." She expertly Lied. Shadow sighed again, before another question popped into his head. "Um Luna? Nightmare Moon said something about what happened before I met you. The stuff I don't remember. What actually happened?" He asked. 


"Shadow...you were coltnapped by a group of ponies who wished to resurrect Nightmare Moon. They needed the blood of an innocent filly, which they acquired from you. They also required the her remains after I had been released from her control. Those remains were burned by dragonfire and mixed with the blood. This mixture, when combined with immense magic, gave her an ethereal form, allowing her to begin her revenge. As for what came before that, I am sorry Shadow, but she did not even know. Aside from the effects the spell used had on you. First, there is the amnesia. But the spell also affected your body color." Luna explained. "...so I wasn't always black?" Shadow asked, all other questions answered. "No. You were actually white. and your eyes used to both be green. Your tail and mane color stayed the same however. Somewhat due to...unicorn heritage I believe. The minescule amount of magic in you fought back, but with very little victory. Hence your hair and your eye being the only things unchanged." Luna answered, smiling. "So one of my real parents has blue hair, green eyes, and is a unicorn?" Shadow asked, excited about the sudden progress. "It is quite li-...Shadow...I believe I know who your mother is..." Luna suddenly realized. "Really?!?! Who?!?!" Shadow asked, bouncing up and down on the bed. "I am sorry Shadow, but I must write a letter immediately. Two in fact." Luna told him, as two pieces of parchment appeared in a flash of light. "But-" Shadow tried to argue. "No Shadow. This cannot wait." Luna interrupted him sternly. "Yes Luna..." he submitted. 

Two sent Letters later...

"Shadow, come with me. We have to go meet somepony very important." Luna instructed, opening the doors to her room. As she walked out, Shadow trotted along behind. 

"Who are we going to meet?" Shadow asked. "You will see when we get there." Luna vaguely replied. "Awww..." Shadow whined. "I cannot ruin the surprise my little Shadow. Where is the...'fun' in that?" Luna asked, gingerly using the strange word. "Okay..." Shadow accepted, laughing slightly. 

A short walk/gallop later resulted in the duo arriving in a suprizingly UNfamiliar location. The Palace Gardens. 

"Woooow..." Shadow mumbled, amazed by the sheer beauty of the fauna and flora. "And somehow only two ponies manage to...manage it." Luna chuckled. "That's crazy..." Shadow added. "Well one of them very may be, but he is very good at his job." Luna smiled. "Is that who we're going to meet?" Shadow asked. "Maybe..." Luna vaguely answered. 

An even shorter walk later saw them arrive in a small clearing. The unicorn Sapphire Skies was laying in the center, eyes closed in relaxation and bliss. Upon hearing Luna and her shadow enter, Sapphire's ears picked up, but her eyes remained closed until Luna spoke. 

"Hello Miss Skies." the Princess greeted. "Hello Princess." she replied, moving into a bow, before rising to a standing position. "Thank you for coming on such short notice." Luna smiled. "Of course Princess. I am unaware, however, of the nature of this meeting." Sapphire replied. "I believe an explanation is in order as well. Shadow, please desist with your shy behavior. I know you two have met before, which leaves no reason for hiding." Luna kindly scolded. "Y-yes Luna..." Shadow quickly stammered, before coming out from her actual shadow. "Hello again Shadow." Sapphire giggled. "H-Hi Miss Skies..." He replied, smiling shyly. 

"Miss Skies, I believe you have waited long enough for the return of your son." Luna said, without any emotion. "Wh-what do you mean Princess?!" Sapphire stammered, shocked. "I am calling off the search. It is no longer nessicary." Luna explained. "B-But Princess..." Shadow mumbled, surprised. "Shadow, tell her the reason behind my actions." Luna ordered, still showing a complete lack of emotion. "B-but her son hasn't been found yet! The s-search can't be called off yet!" Shadow argued. "It can and it has. That was what the second letter was for." Luna countered. "But Princess..." Shadow started to argue, tears starting to form in his bi-colored eyes. "Why Princess? Why?" Sapphire asked calmly, though obviously furious. 

"Because your son has been found." Luna answered, smiling. "What?!" Both Shadow and Sapphire asked at the same time. "Yes, he has been found. He should arrive here at any moment. But, just to make sure, what did he look like again, Miss Skies?" Luna asked. "White coat. Blue mane and tail. Green eyes." She answered in disbelief. "Shadow? Does that description not sound familiar?" Luna asked, expectantly. "Y-yes...it d-does..." He softly answered, suddenly realizing the implications of said answer. "So who is Sapphire Skies' son?" Luna asked. 

"...m-me..." Shadow answered in disbelief. 

"What?" Sapphire calmly asked, bewildered. "After your son was coltnapped, a ritual was preformed on him, in an successful attempt to resurrect Nightmare Moon, which has been handled, so do not worry. This ritual had a few side effects...such as Amnesia, change in coat color and the color in one eye." Luna explained, discretely pushing Shadow towards Sapphire with her magic. Sapphire stared at Shadow, noticing the similarity's between her 'son' and the colt. Just a change in his coat color and one eye was blue. And Shadow conveniently had amnesia. 

"Shadow...is my son?!" Sapphire asked hopefully, tears of joy in her eyes. "Yes." Luna answered, smiling. Suddenly, Sapphire tackled-hugged Shadow, freely sobbing. Shadow was barely able to avoid landing on his wing, and awkwardly hugged her back. 

"Um...Sapphi-...Mom?" Shadow asked, awkwardly. "Yes Shadow?" Sapphire asked back, getting off of him. 

"What was my real name?" 

"Your name was...Starry Skies." Sapphire answered happily. "A fine name." Luna commented. "It made sense, because he was born at night." Sapphire added, hugging Shadow/Starry again. 

"So...um...what now?" Starry asked from his position next to Sapphire. "Aside from hoping that your memory will return eventually, you will no doubt return home with Miss Skies." Luna answered. "But...will I ever see you again?" Starry sadly asked. "Anytime you wish. As long as it is okay with your mother. Just make sure to send a letter in advance." Luna answered, provoking a smile and a nod from the colt. "Thank you Princess." Sapphire said, bowing again. "You are most welcome Sapphire." Luna replied. 

"I do have one question though." The Princess added. "What would that be?" Sapphire asked. 

"What of his father?" 

"Stormy Skies. A pegasus. When Starry was very very young, still a foal, Stormy was struck by a wayward bolt of lightning. The bolt had hit the base of his skull...severing his spinal cortex...leaving him completely paralyzed. Unfortunately, he had been flying at high altitudes at the moment the lightning struck...he was killed on impact with the ground..." Sapphire sadly answered, unable to maintain eye contact. 

"I am sorry to have brought up such painful memories. Please, forgive me..." Luna told her, head hung slightly lower. "It's okay Princess. You of all ponies deserved to know. I just hope you're not too upset Star-...Starry? Where'd he go?!" Sapphire called out, frantic about her now missing (again) colt. 

"Over here!" he called back, from the edge of the clearing. "What are you doing way over there?!" Sapphire asked, surprised. "Just playin' with the animals." He answered innocently, a rabbit bouncing from his back to his head. After some short laughter, the rabbit bounced to the ground, before scampering back into the undergrowth. The colt was soon enveloped in light blue magic and carried back over to the two mares. "Just don't run off like that again, you had me worried." Sapphire childed, as the glow from her horn dissipated. "Okay Sa-...Mom." Starry replied, smiling sheepishly. 

"Miss Skies, something else has also been called to my attention. Did Starry possess a cutie mark before...all of this?" Luna asked, noting his blank flank. "No Princess, he did not. He did, however, seem to take an interest in your night sky, if anything just because of his name." Sapphire answered. "Then that gives me an idea. But it is something for a later date." Luna said, smiling. 

"Well Princess, I believe we must be going. Starry seems to be getting tired...despite it being almost noon." Sapphire informed. "I take the blame for that. I operate on a nocturnal schedule, and as such, Starry has acclimated to nocturnality. Just attempt to keep him awake for the rest of the day, until a suitable hour." Luna prescribed. "Yes Princess, will do. Goodbye." Sapphire replied, bowing. "I bid thee fond farewell Miss Skies. I will miss you very much Starry." Luna returned. "I'll miss you too..." Starry echoed.

"Goodbye Luna!" Starry called as he walked away with his mother, waving his hoof. 

"Goodbye Shadow..."



THE END...






Metathesiophobia is a fear of changes. I just threw in the latin word for bread, which is Panem. I think.