Raven happily leaned against Nightshade as they left. She took a moment to wave goodbye to Maya. "See you when I see you... Mom." "Mom, huh? I like the sound of that." Maya waved. "You kids take care! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!~"
Nightshade flew up and gathered a few soft-looking clouds, then quickly formed them into a large cloud bed. The entire process only took a few minutes, and the result was a comfortable sleeping spot under the stars.
Raven yawned and laid back on the clouds, leaving ample room for Nightshade. She gazed up at the stars, almost in awe. "Kinda beautiful, huh?"
Nightshade nodded. "This was how I got my cutie mark, you know. Being out, under the stars, above all the troubles of the world below, that was how I figured out that what I really wanted out of life... and what I was truly meant to be." She laid down beside Raven. "Free."
"Free, huh?" Raven scooted closer to Nightshade and leaned her head against her body. "I can relate to that. Maybe too much. Part of the reason I resisted Maya for so long after... I don't think I ever told you."
Nightshade looked over at her, her eyes heavy. "I... I kinda figured it out. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Right. Silly me... well, my parents. Some... crazy pony broke into my house. Ripped..." She choked. "Ripped them apart." She teared up as she remembered vividly what happened. "My dad put up a hell of a fight. But he died. His organs... I... He almost got to me, but Maya happened to be passing through Hollow Shades, and she somehow managed to get in and kill the *squee!*er. I'm not crying..." She tried to hide her face in her hooves.
Nightshade put a wing around her, attempting to comfort her. "I'm sorry. Nopony should ever have to go through something like that." She made a mental note that Maya was more of a badass than she let on. Any pony capable of killing two adult Bat Ponies would have been dangerous indeed.
"She sorta raised me from that point. I outright refused to stay with her for a while, I was a stubborn little fool, but she had ways of making sure I found my way to school, had food, had a place to sleep... I don't know why it went down the way it did, but I'm glad I could tell you." She leaned her head on Night's chest, starting to regain herself. "I've never told anypony that before. Maya, Dustbutt and Uncle Az know. That's it."
"You're welcome, Raven." Nightshade gave the mare a light kiss on the forehead, then leaned back and immediately fell asleep.
***Meanwhile, somewhere in Canterlot*** The stallion couldn't believe his luck. He'd gone to the concert to ogle the singer, some freaky Bat chick they'd talked about on the radio, and had ended up in the mosh pit with Princess Luna. Princess. Freaking. Luna. Mares didn't get much hotter than that. He'd been thrown out of at least a dozen concerts for getting grabby, but the prize this time had been too tempting. She hadn't asked him to stop, which in his mind was as good as permission. Eventually, a few jerks saw what he was doing, and pulled him out of the pit. Jealous a-holes. Still, it had been an awesome night. A decent concert, a few beers, and a little intimate time with a princess. What pony could ask for more? His vision blurred from alcohol, he didn't notice the two pairs of glowing eyes glaring from the couch when he entered his apartment. He flicked his light switch, and swore quietly when nothing happened. Dammit, he'd have to change the light in the dark. Stumbling slightly, he headed for the hall closet for a bulb. That was when he heard the snarl. Confused and suddenly afraid, he turned around and found himself face-to-face with the biggest Timber-Wolf he had ever seen. Suddenly very sober, he turned tail and ran for the fire escape, only to have his way blocked by an armored Bat Pony. The Bat Pony spoke calmly, but his tone was terrifying. "The princess ordered her guards to stand down tonight, did you realize that? 'Let them have their fun,' she said." The old Bat shook his head slowly. "It was hard to watch my Princess being pushed and shoved by commoners, but I held back, because her word is law. Still, it wasn't terrible. Moshing is an aggressive thing, I know, but it was all in good fun." The Bat's tone changed slightly as fury seeped into his voice. "But then there was you. The stallion who just couldn't keep his hooves to himself. You had your fun... but she did not. The princess is a kind pony, and very forgiving." He picked up the terrified stallion by the throat and slammed him into the wall. "But I am not."
(I'm going to guess it's about time skip time?) Back at the bar, Maya said some goodbyes and walked out. After taking a quick look around, and double-checking she had her saddlebags on, she disappeared, seemingly vanishing into thin air. Her husband had been hanging out with Azrael all day, and while he was sure they had fun, it was high time they had a... quality moment together. She would be rather hard to reach until the middle of the next afternoon.
Zeran, who had once again fallen asleep in her favorite corner, woke up again. "I aaaaaam awaaake....." she said groggily
