//------------------------------// // A WHAT?!! // Story: The Terrible Tale of Night Blossom // by The Crane //------------------------------// Ponyville nights are often quiet. The lights of the homes and shops that line the streets settle down and eventually blink out just as the stars blink in above them. It is quite easy to see the nightscape above you from any given point. And somenights, I go up to the hills and stare for hours. Until the sun comes up and washes them all away. The ponies that reside in this town close up their shops for the day. Only a rare little business will stay up all night, but those might have something to do with the night as it is. A hotel within town stays up all night for weary travellers. I work there in the mornings. Hardly anypony ever sees me, though. They rarely see the cleaning pony. Some nights, though.... While I was out wandering one night, I heard the most chilling scream!! "SSSSSPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKEEEEEE!!!!!" cut through the library like a hot knife. A shrill incomparable to anything else rocked the entire 'building' and shook the very foundations. The walls trembled. The floors vibrated. Books fell off their shelves. The windows clattered and nearly shattered. The nearest neighbors flicked on their lights in fear of what might happen next. One baby dragon was sleeping (emphasis: was) when the boom came. He could still hear the echoes as he hung from the ceiling over his basket of a bed. Another loud set of sounds came through as he jumbled through the upstairs and quickly made his way down (trying desperately not to roll). "WHAT?!" he shouted. He looked around to find his 'older sister'. It came from the library itself, but she was nowhere to be seen on the floor. "Up here!!" she called. While still trying to get his heart under control from the initial summons, Spike's head and eyes tilted up towards Twilight's voice and found her perched atop one of the bookcases. "What... are you doing up there?!" "I just saw something horrible!!! You have to take care of it for me!!" "What is it? Hydra? Dragon? Chimera?" None of which he could actually take on himself, but apparently his need to impress outweighs his skills. And size. A hydra would've eaten him in a single bite. "I just saw a skunk!! Outside!!" "I hope it was outside..." he said quietly. "Wait. You've taken on the entire 'Handbook of Mythical Creatures'. And you're afraid ...of a skunk?" "It was HUUGE!!" "Well, they are usually about half your size. What'd you expect?!" "NOO!! This was BIGGER!!! It was almost as big as me!!!" "Well, then maybe it WAS a pony!! They do live here, you know!" Twilight's glare could burn holes in the floor if she wanted to. "I think I know what a pony looks like. I also know what BLACK AND WHITE MEANS!!!" "Well, I think you scared it away. Half the town must've heard you!" "I want you to go check!! Make sure it's gone!!" "Me?" Spike asked a bit grumbly. "Why me?" "Because!! You're my number-one assistant!!" Spike's eyes narrowed a bit at the use of that term. Kind of a sideways blackmailing method. "Why don't you just take care of it?" "Oh no!! I've had my fill of skunks!! Remember Winter Wrap-Up?!" He does, in fact. He was the one scrubbing Twilight with tomato juice for long hours with a noseplug that didn't do squat. He remembers laughing at her being sprayed, but groaning when he had to clean up the mess. He remembers the burning stench flowing through his nostrils against his will. He remembers not being able to smell anything else for two days. "Then go get Fluttershy!! I'm sure she'd love to take care of critters like that!!" "I am NOT going to wake up Fluttershy at this time of night!" "But you'll wake ME up...." "Don't make me give a Royal Decree!!" Spike's ears and spines shot straight up at the thought. "You wouldn't dare!!!" But, he immediately saw that she just might actually do that to him. "If I have to go out there myself, I am locking you in the basement WITH it!!!" The thought occurs to him that all this snippy behavior is just out of fear and exhaustion. If it were during the day, it might not be half this bad. Still... "Fine..." he mumbled as he walked towards the wooden door. He angrily snatched a broom as he passed it. "Purple Tyrant," he groaned. He came out of the giant tree with a broomstick. The lighting surrounding the tree isn't all that great. If there's nopony inside, or if they're all asleep, there is no light at all. Any outside lighting would depend on what comes through the windows. Often, that's not much either. "Why do I always have to do stuff like this?" he grumbled. "Tell me about it," I said back without thinking. "Who's there?" he asked. "Hello?" I regretted saying anything. I didn't want to be seen. I just wanted to pass by the library as a shortcut home. And then that blood-curdling scream!! I got scared and ran into the building itself... I was winded and confused. Someone spoke, I answered... "Is anypony out here?" I just hid behind one of the larger roots. I don't know how well dragons can see at night. Especially tired, cranky, burn anything that moves dragons who were just launched out of bed by an overdramatic princess. But, I can see decently. I'm used to being out here at this time. My night vision is pretty good, compared to some of the others. As soon as he leaves, I would bolt out of here myself. "Wish I could see better," he said to himself. "Oh!! Wait!!" He blew out green fire from his mouth and lit the broom up like a torch. "That's better!" He waved it around (probably not thinking about the harmful effects to the tree) and started looking for anything suspicious. Like me. And then I ran. It wouldn't take long for him to find me after all that. My legs took me away quickly. I ran for my coveted hill again. He probably heard me take off, but that doesn't matter. I don't think he saw me. I didn't hear anything about it. And I realized I was running in the wrong direction. But, at least it was away from Pissy Princess and Disgruntled Dragon. ==-==-== I got to my hill and collapsed. I huffed and I puffed and fell over like a ton of bricks. I rolled to my back and looked up at the stars again. My breathing calmed down before I even realized it. Luna's Moon was half-full that night. In a few days, it would be full again. At the beginning of the night, the Moon's luminesence obscures some of the stars, but I don't complain. I tried to forget about what just happened. As long as nopony saw me, there wouldn't be any laughing. Or screaming. Oh. Wait. But they'll forget, right? I hope they forget. I don't want the laughing. The namecalling. The pranks. The humiliation. Not again!! When I lay on the hill, nopony can see me in the night. And then, I am at peace. I work mornings at the hotel because nopony will notice me. I sleep during the day so that I can remain unseen. I run through the night when everypony else is asleep and cannot notice me. I don't WANT to be found. I don't WANT to be seen. There are days.... I don't even want to live....