A Bright Fire Under the Shining Moon (Private)

The mid-day streets of the Canterlot marketplace were always at its most bustling in summer. For some, it just seemed more bustling than it should be. For a young mare, it is just that. She was a dark blue pegasus mare. Her mane and tail were a mix of light gray and pink, and were a little unkempt. She wandered the streets, her saddlebags draped over her back. A maid's cap rested on her head. The reason for that is it made her feel more comfortable and rooted to reality. She didn't want to start deluding that she was president of Pakistan, whatever the buck that was. Sounded made up. That was the last time she went a day without the cap. That cap was also part of her work uniform, since she was a maid at Canterlot Palace. She was thankful for Princess Luna, who got her the gig.

She was not working at the moment though, instead wandering through the bustling marketplace, trying to get some shipping done, as per a request from the Princess of the Night. However, crowds made her nervous. Really nervous. Mainly because she doesn't know who is real and who is a hallucination. One thing was for sure, the cat that just appeared on her back was definitely a hallucination. She continued her shopping nonetheless, slowly filling her saddlebags with assorted goods.

A young unicorn mare, name of Neon Fire, also wandered these crowds. Her spear and shield made others avoid her to a point, but her bright green eyes, like superfocused flames, made most veer away from their intense gaze. She, like most days, had on her padded clothing, it covering most of her body. Her dark grey fur contrasted her eyes greatly, but her fiery mane and tail, both bright green, accented the brightly colored eyes perfectly. She smiled as she glared away a stallion who had been watching her, knowing he probably felt like robbing her or pickpocketing her. He bags held some candy, bits, a bit of groceries, and other things. She bumped into a mare. "Oh! My bad, sorry…" She noticed the maid's cap on her head. "Nice cap."

The mare stumbled back a bit. "Oh, um... It's okay..." She got a look at the mare that bumped into her. She looked like she might be a hallucination, but couldn't be sure of anything or anyone anymore. "Um, thanks... Nice... mane?" She said, though more questionably. She looked around to see if anyone was looking at her weirdly. Seeing none, she assumed either no one noticed her or the mare in front of her was real. "My name's Moongleam. What's yours?" She asked.

"Thanks." She smiled kindly, wondering why she looked around like she was paranoid. "Name's Neon Fire." Her eyes watched Moon gently, but still with that intensity of a blowtorch. "So…How are you today?" She asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof, not good at starting conversations. "Sorry for bumping into you, Moongleam." She then focused on the maid's cap. "Kinda cute on you, actually." She muttered, then blushed as she realized what she said.

Moongleam looked less nervous and paranoid now that she was talking to a real pony. "I'm good, actually. Just running errands for the princess. She said getting out would help me, but really its just making it worse... Anyway, I'm okay. It's okay." She looked up at her cap. "Yes, I guess its cute. I like my cap. Its pretty important to me actually. I value it a lot." She said.

Neon nodded. "My shield is pretty important to me, I make sure to clean and take care of it, you know, keep it safe. Still usable in a fight, but I do take care of the old thing." She smiles warmly as one would expect from a mare with eyes and mane like her. "Nice to meet you, by the way." She holds out her hoof.

Moongleam smiles back and takes a look at her shopping list. "Okay, it looks like I got everything I need." She looked back at neon. "Hey, you busy right now? Want to come back with me?" She asked, maybe a little too eagerly. She didn't get a chance to make friends often. They often left her once they saw she was borderline insane. She was excited for the prospect of friendship. She winced as a sharp pain was felt on her back. The hallucination of the cat dug its claws into her back. She shook the thing off. "Stupid cat..." She mumbled under her breath.

Neon nodded. "Not really busy, I got what I needed." She starts to walk with Moon. Her shield gleamed in the light, but the green parts of it were dark, and did not reflect the light. She idly shifted it to her left side just a little. "What cat?" She asked, confused. She glanced back. "Also, we have a pickpocket following us. I recognize him from a few minutes ago, want to ignore him or shall I deck him?" She grinned a bit playfully, but was serious."

Moongleam looked back to see who Neon was talking about. "I see." She noticed a dark alley to the side. "Lure him into there. I have an idea." She went on ahead into the alley, ignoring her question about the cat, and disappeared into the shadows of the dark alley.

Neon followed with a grin, and began talking about nothing in particular, just rambling slightly about mangoes. She shifted a little, shield sliding a little to the left side of her body.

A stallion walked after them, silent as the grave. He grinned, thinking he had found himself quite the catch, and bolted forward to quickly take what he could before he planned on vanishing.

As the two entered the shadows, the stallion's vision turned pitch black and he bumped into something solid. It turns out Moongleam had put up walls of shadows all around him. She then appeared beside Neon. "You can punch him through the shadows. I just wanted to mess with him." She said with a giggle.

Neon grinned. She looked at it and sent one falcon punch straight through the shadows, smashing into the stallion's nose and knocking him out. She wiped her hoof on the ground then gestured away. "Let us not waste time with a fool." She began trotting off.

The stallion had at first just tried to find a way around the wall, but then was knocked the fuck out.

Moongleam laughed a bit. "That was pretty fun. Alright, let's get going again. The palace isn't too far away, and I'd rather get there before something bad happens." She said. She wasn't referring to other ponies like that pickpocket. She was referring to her hallucinations, which could act up at any time. She started walking again, walking around a pony was again, wasn't there. She couldn't tell though. Just another nameless nonexistent pony.

Neon giggled and followed Moon, standing near her, and close enough to almost bump into her. She smiled at Moongleam. "Nice ability, pretty handy if it's dark around." She said, admiringly and gently. "So, umm, about that cat?" She asks, concerned, but her voice stayed gentle.

Moongleam shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about right now, unless it comes back." She said. And it did. In front of her path was that same cat. No one else could see it but her. She frowned and picked up the cat. "No, you can't with me. you're not real." She whispered and put the cat on a nearby barrel. She turned to Neon and sighed. "Okay, I admit... I have a mental illness..." She hung her head and walked on.

Neon put a hoof around her. "Hey, I am a bit psycho when I get pissed. Not like I mind if you see things." She smiled warmly, and retracted her hoof, walking beside Moon, bumping shoulders with her. She fixed her shield's position idly and yawned, stretching a little. "Hope you do not mind if I give you a compliment. You are too pretty to avoid. I would never mind hanging around you."

Moongleam smiled brightly and hugged Neon suddenly. "Thank you so much!" She suddenly realized what she was doing and let go, blushing. "I-I'm sorry... Not many others still like to be around me after they realize I'm insane... Only Princess Luna and my sister really support me, and I hardly see my sister anymore since she got her job. She travels a lot..." She said.

Neon had hugged back, but now smiled. "I kinda love the psychos, they're the cutest~" She teased lightly, then booped her nose happily. "And you are both. I hope we do not run into any more assholes. Anyway, I bet your sister isn't as cute as you are~" She kept teasing, obviously being a little playfully. "What's her job?"

Moongleam blushed and scrunched her nose at the boop before sneezing cutely. "Your hoof is a bit dusty..." She said, then giggled a bit. "I dunno, my sister was always the popular one. Then again, I was always kind of socially reserved... Either way, she doesn't want me talking about her job in details. I don't even know much about it. She never took me along..." She looked nervously at Neon. "But you think I'm cute?"

Neon smiled. "Absolutely adorable." She corrected herself. "And your sister sounds a bit secretive." She kept along with Moon, seeming happy. "Don't be so nervous around me, I am tolerant about anything but thieves and idiots." She smiled kindly, looking around and noticing they were getting close to the castle. "Do you think they will even let me in? I am not the most docile looking mare."

Moongleam thought for a moment. "Well, I think I can get you in, with an escort at least. My room isn't anywhere important." She approached the guards as they got to the gate, who eyed Neon suspiciously. "Excuse me, I'm taking my friend to my room. Is that okay?" They looked at each other wearily before asking for identification. Moon showed her ID card and they allowed passage. "Well that went easier than expected. Come on, the room in this way." She said, walking down the hall to the right.

Neon had nodded thoughtfully, then stared at the guards, standing confidently, grinning as they passed. "Body language suggested fear, not entirely towards me…" She shrugs then bumped flanks with Moon. "They are afraid of a cute mare like you, very odd." She teased a little, grinning happily. "So we are heading to your room?"

Moongleam giggled at Neon's little tease. "I wonder why they would be afraid of me." She said with a wink, bumping flanks back with Neon, thinking it was something friends like them would do. "Yep. I can't really think where else to go. Sure, I could give a whole tour, but that would take forever." They walked a bit more, passing by another nervous guard. "Geez, all the guards are jumpy looking today, aren't they?"

"Probably because you brought a heavily armed friend with you even though you yourself might scare them with your schizophrenia." Neon smiled, taking that Moon bumping flanks back was that Moon liked Neon, so she was happy. Neon looked at the next gaurd with a cocky, confident, bring-it-on-bitch grin. Her intense eyes filled with excitement and amusement. "No tour, please. Wonder if I might see my brother, he got to get credentials to become an officer because of our family history, so I guess he might be here…"

Moony smiled and giggled. "Maybe. My hallucinations say its because of my flank or what happens when I drink. I've been told stranger things." She said. "Hmm, I wonder what your brother looks like. All the guards look alike to me. Pegasus guards, unicorn guards, night guards... All look similar." They reached a door with Moony's name on it. "Oh, here is my room." Its not much, but its home." She opened the door to reveal a decent sized room with a good bed and fine decor.