//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Midnight Starsong 
// by Pencyke 
//------------------------------//

	The tracks rattled as one of Equestria's seemingly only locomotive's sped northward toward the crystal empire. This particular passenger car was mostly empty with a total of five ponies, a group of four mares was loudly gossiping at the front section of the car while near the back end was a lone brown stallion in a hat reading a newspaper. A young red-eyed mare sat quietly and stared out at the ever changing snowy scene outside of the train.
Midnight Starsong. The dark blue earth pony soundlessly contemplated her name.

"Daddy, why am I so diffewent fwum the otha' dwagons?" The young filly stared up at the utterly huge jet black dragon splayed out upon the mountains of gold and jewelry that made up it's hoard.
Dreconalfmere slowly opened one of it's ruby colored eyes and rumbled affectionately, "What prompts your inquiry, my daughter." The entire cavern shuddered as the dragon spoke his words.
"I was playing with some of the otha' hatchlings and they stawted making fun of me because I'm diffewent and that got me thinking." The young filly's father narrowed his single open eye and blew steam from his nostrils, prompting her to quickly add "B-but I did put them in theiw place."
The dragon flexed his obsidian fins and yawned, showing off hugeness of his maw. "Midnight, the barrier between this day and the next, that which the stars sing of. If you no longer wish to be one as unique as yourself and only a boring clone of those ignorant weaklings with whom you consort with, then will it and it shall be yours. Keep in mind though, while you are not of my blood you are my daughter, and I do not love those reptiles who would suggest otherwise." The humongous adult dragon rose to his feet, gold and jewelry falling rom his black scales. In a large gust Dreconalfmere flared out his wings and bellowed, "Do You Not Wish To Be The Daughter Of The Black Dragon Himself!? The Thunderous Storm, The Blade Of Lightning!" The jet-black dragon bore down upon the little filly, literally towering above her at his full height of approximately 350 meters (OR 13,779.5 inches). The little filly, to her credit, stood without even the slightest of tremors, her ruby eyes fearlessly locked onto those of her father, "I The Leveler Of Mountains, DRECONALFMERE, Demand Your Answer." The giant scaly winged magical creature paused for effect, and then commanded in a slow voice, so intimidating that it could fell fifteen gorilla warriors, and a mid-sized crocodile, "NOW."
Young Midnight Starsong slowly blinked. And blinked. And blinked again.
Then she promptly broke out laughing uncontrollably and rolling along the floor of the cavern, completely destroying the dragon's air of authority and sternness, "Hah-hah-hah-ha-did you-heh-heh weally nee-hee-hee-heed to ask?" Tears were rolling down the sides of her face she was laughing so hard, "I-hah-hah-*cough* *cough* *cough* would nevew-hah-heh-*snort* want to not-hah be youw daughter."
As young Midnight uncontrollably giggled and snorted so too had the fearsome black dragon begun to laugh. It started as a silent chuckle, and rose into a low rumble, then grew into evolved into a thunderous bellow. Their humor stretched out for what seemed like and hour before the giggles resonating from both of them began to subside.
Dreconalfmere flopped onto the floor next to his daughter, resulting in a low strength earthquake. With a chuckle he conceded, "You always know when I'm bluffing, I knew that you would never give up that which makes up who you are. But now that I think about it, how did you know that I was bluffing?"
The dark blue filly showed the dragon her sharp teeth, and simply stated, "You always give big speeches when you bluff."

The fanged mare was staring out of the train window when something shook her from the privacy of cherished memories. Somepony was talking to her, it was one of the boisterous mares, "-pcakes?"
Midnight quickly took in the sight of the one who was speaking words to her. This mare seemed to be a gray pegasus, her blond mane fell slightly to the side. What really stood out though was the pair of golden eyes that appeared incapable of looking in the same direction.
"Please excuse me but I didn't catch what you were asking me, Ms." The smile of the gray pegasus appeared wholly genuine as one eye looked into Midnight's soul, while the other stared back at the group that was intently watching us.
"Which is better, muffins or cupcakes?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well," The pegasus mare began without hesitation. "My friends and I were having a debate about it and since we're split the same on both sides we want an outside opinion." She blinked her golden eyes and now one was pointed at the lone stallion that was at the opposite end of the car from where her friends were staring intently at us and her other eye was now the one peering into the window of my soul.
"I prefer muffins, the frosting on cupcakes makes me sick and then I wouldn't be queen of the hoard."
At this she let out a huge cheer-"HORRAY!" and then bumped her head on the ceiling and spinning out like a pinball back at those friends of hers.
Midnight turned her eyes back towards window and just in time to witness the train pull into the station. While she and the other passengers were filing out of the car Midnight mumbled to herself, "Now where do I find that princess?"
"Why would you want to speak with our princess?" The unknown speaker's voice was filled with that condescending venom that befitted a filly who doubled as a tyrant. 'Chances are,' She thought with a sigh, 'it's a local.'
Slowly, ever so slowly the dark blue mare turned to face the speaker on the train station. The crystal pony who stood in front of Midnight wore upon her body a black and gold couriers uniform that matched her gleaming body. Upon her face was a scowl, "Why I am here is of no importance to you."
Midnight began to move around the golden courier but she stepped in the blue mares way. "You want to see the princess and I make it my business to know why foreign  no ponies want to speak with the crystal princess."
Midnight moved to go around her again but she stepped back into the red eyed pony's way. "Now you're getting on my nerves," Midnight grumbled to herself at a near inaudible volume, "look, lady I don't know who you are but you sure are setting a bad tone for what crystal ponies act like." Now Midnight was projecting her voice to the whole crowd and soon had all of their attention, "Here I am just off of the long train ride I took to get to the Crystal Empire," The fanged pony gestured to the city, "and I whisper, whisper, 'I wonder where I'll find the princess?' and all of a sudden Ms. Goody Four Hooves over here," She paused to gesture the the golden courier who was standing right next to her like a deer in headlights, "Get's up in my face like I ate her last doughnut. I mean, the first crystal pony I ever meet is a complete jerk to me, and because this is the first crystal pony that I've met I will forever have an imprint that crystal ponies are jerks to those they don't know." Midnight stopped to look every mare, foal, and stallion in immediate site in the eyes. As you can imagine this took a while, "And that isn't something that you want a pony who has been sent here by Luna, The Princess Of The Moon to think." Pause for dramatic effect, "Is it?"
The silence boomed across the station as every pony stood and stared at Midnight. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a princess to go speak with." With a flash of her sharp-toothed smile at the stunned courier she  turned to leave.
"You don't have to search anywhere," 'A new character has entered the stage' thought Midnight bitterly, "Midnight Starsong, I presume?" This new character was a white stallion unicorn with a blue streaked mane and purple armor. "Please follow me and I'll lead you to my wife." With that the knight in purple began walking towards the ginormous spire.