//------------------------------// // Midnight Revelations // Story: Pepper Jack // by Kuroy //------------------------------// Midnight Revelations As the moon met its peak in the sky many things could be said about the serene night Luna had provided the new acquaintances. The frogs in the lake and the crickets in the field chirped. The pale moonlight lit the landscape. As the stars shone bright in the sky so too did the fireflies in the field, flickering a pale green. It was a completely beautiful and peaceful night. If you could ignore the laughter. Sonata had been laughing for awhile now. Forelegs wrapped around her barrel and tears streaming from her eyes. Pepperjack just stood there, face red in embarrassment and scowling at the laughing Lunar Loony. Yeah I’ll call her that to her face. Laughing at me. Everyone is afraid of something. “It’s NOT FUNNY.” “AHha AAH NOO YES YES IT IS. Oh MY LUNA I can’t breath aha.” *Toot* Sonata stopped laughing. Still on her back laying on the ground she looked at Pepperjack. Her eyes where wide and she started to blush. His expression softened at the sound and now seeing the look on her face made a couple of new thoughts enter his mind. Aww she’s kinda cute when she’s embarrassed. He snickered. Hehe, I know exactly how to get her back now. “So THAT’S why your name is Sonata.” The unicorn declared sarcastically. “You certainly are melodious, I mean I’ve never seen a pony who could sing from both ends.” She glared back at him. ”I’ll bite you.” “Whatever.” Pepperjack was starting to get brave. He trotted over to her and laid down. “So how do you eat shadows? If you don’t mind my asking?” “Well I do mind.” She rolled over onto her belly next to him and stared out at the lake. She was still like a statue she had the look of intense focus, but Pepperjack saw in her eyes that her mind had wandered elsewhere. He assumed the same sort of expression staring out at the moon over the waters. He silently cursed himself. He wasn’t use to meeting new ponies and he felt like he might have done something to upset her. He thought of his little sister Sage. “Pepper, what if you get eaten by Timberwolves. You don’t have to do the circuit this year. Uncle Bleu said he would be glad to do it.” His sister was a worrying kind of unicorn. She was a protector and her brother was her idol. He was a kind and caring brother and he always tried to make her smile. Suddenly Pepperjack’s horn glowed with an audible. *DING* He had an idea. He lifted his Stetson up off his head and set it on Sonata’s. The pegasus blinked in surprise and looked directly at Pepperjack. He was smiling. “Why are you smiling?” “Sometimes someponies just need a smile when they feel down.” Pepperjack felt a warm smugness in his words. He was happy and felt he had made a new friend. He laid his head down on his fore hooves and closed his eyes. “Are you going to sleep?” Sonata as incredulously. “Eeyup. I’ve had a long day and you’re really warm.” She blushed at his words. “Well, What if I decide I want to bite you? Huh? I got fangs.” She bared her mouth open ridiculously showing all her teeth, to which Pepperjack didn’t see because his eyes were closed. “Na I’m good I trust you.” “But why?” “I like to give other ponies the benefit of the doubt, plus you are nice, a little scary at first but nice.” The pegasus didn’t know what to think of this unicorn. Not even an hour ago she had scared the life out of him and he was timid and afraid, but now. It was almost as if he acted like he knew her for a long time. The grey Stetson started to slip over her eyes. A piece of paper was on the inside. Sonata carefully took it out and unfolded it. It was a picture of Pepperjack, he was smiling and he had a young filly on his back. Her coat was butter yellow and her hair was two tone green. She was smiling as if nothing else in the world mattered. Sonata’s brow furrowed, she had never had a brother before and she felt envious of the little filly. Her train of thought was interrupted as she heard Pepperjack start snoring. Great he is just as loud asleep. “You feinna, you fiend…I’ll get you count.” *SNOOORE* Great he sleep talks too. I met a real charmer this one. I wonder what he is dreaming about. Lunar Pegasi had many different talents and a few select individuals could dream walk like Princess Luna could. The only difference being they had to have physical contact with the person whose dream they were entering. It was too easy for Sonata seeing as she was laying right next to him. She closed her eyes and entered his dreamland. *DRAMATIC MUSIC* Sonata found herself in a cave with a concrete floor and various pipes and hoses coming out of the rock face. In the distance she saw a grey unicorn wearing a black and white cape and a strange black and red mask with his white snout uncovered. She stared….For a bit not sure of what she was seeing. “MUAHAHAHAAAAA.” The maniacal laugh from nowhere cut through the cave and Sonata’s distracted mind. Snapping her back to attention. “Show yourself Count and return La Salsa to me.” The obviously Pepperjack/hero proclaimed to the air. The ground rumbled and quaked as the concrete floor split with mechanical precision as a lone figure rose up on a pedestal high into the air. The figure was a Lunar Pegasus with black ragged fur and the most cheesy pompadour manecut. He also had a cape, red and black, which had a high collar covering nearly half of his head. His fangs where over exaggerated and silly looking to the actual lunar pegasus that watched this strange dream. The villain cackled, "Now is the time for my revenge. Show me your face Los Jalapeño and I may spare her life." "You'll never get away with this. I will save La Salsa." Sonata was not sure what she was seeing, but she had a gut feeling that it was the cheesiest thing she would ever see...Until. "LOW AND BEHOLD SONATA. WE SEE YOU HAVE MET UP WITH HONORABLE PEPPERJACK." He irises grew small and her head made a rusty sound as she turned her head. Princess Luna greeted her gaze waving one hoof while holding a bucket of popcorn in the other. "M-Mistress LUNA!?!?" "Calm thyself, it is getting to the good part." The princess returned her attention to the show. "You may have escaped last time Count, but I have quested long and hard for the weapon that would bring your end." Los Jalapeño flashed his cape showing a rather long beguette in his magic. He brandished it like a bready broadsword. "AUGH NOO NOT GARLIC BREAD. My one true weekness...among other things." "Your rain of gluttonous terror ends here." "And how pray tell are your going to reach me up here you wingless cur." Luna smiled and nudged Sonata. "That is why the count is our favorite villain. He has a...nostalgic vocabulary." Sonata just shifted from shocked looks of confusion back and forth between the princess and "the play." Splat Splish SPoCH sPURRRCH Four light brown squishy blobs lay infront of Los Jalapeño. "With my Stickybread!!" The hero stepped into the lumps and started galloping towards the platform making slurpy scrunchy noises as his hooves hit the cave floor. HE LEAPED!!!Landing sideways on the pillar he ran vertical to the amazement of all. His momentum carried him over the edge of the top of the platform. A whirling and twisting blur in the air, the stickybread flew from his hooves pinning the Count to the ground. The hero ceased his dervish and started falling towards the Count, Garlic Bread Raised HIGH. A battlecry for the ages as he fell towards his foe. RAAAAAAAAAAGH- POOF. Everything went white. Sonata had seen this before. Pepperjack had awoke leaving the dreamscape blank with only her and Princess Luna still sitting there in the blank purgatory. "Well, we believe the climax was good, But we wish Pepperjack would finish his dream every now and again. "What?" Sonata turned to the alicorn with a mild concern spread on her face. "Our dearest subject Pepperjack never seems to have endings to his dreams. It always ends right before...the end. "Princess why did you send me to meet this guy? So far he has been the weirdest unicorn I've ever met. The weirdest PONY I've ever met." "My subject. Thine previous company was less than pleasant and thou need-ith a hero. Young Pepperjack will keep thou safe and he doth not know it yet." The dreamscape collapsed and Sonata awoke to see Pepperjack getting up. "Oh, sorry I woke you. Would you like some breakfeast?"