> The Witching Hour - Chaos is Change
>  by Chaotic Ink
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Ch.1 - A Big Ol' Storm of Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Stay together everypony!” Miss Cheerilee called out, shepherding the foals in her class to the next stop on their tour of the Canterlot Sculpture Gardens. It had taken her weeks of writing letters to the castle to allow her class to take their yearly field trip there, but she had done it. It would have been nicer if they could have had the trip during the school year so as to allow for a better learning session (summer is a horrible time to try to teach fillies and colts anything), but most families had agreed it was too good an opportunity for them to pass up, so most of her class was there. “Now, that statue represents victory!”

Everypony, including two unicorns, an earth pony, and the class’ only thestral oohed and ahhed at it as they made their way past. “I think it would be cooler if she was wielding a sword!” Pinchy said, only loud enough that her three friends would hear. “I mean, who ever heard of claiming victory with a flag?”

“Winning a game of Capture the Flag?” Dinky said.

“True, but-”

“Placing it at the top of a really big mountain that you just climbed?” Squeaks added.

“Fine, but-”

“Uthing a little one to thow juth how epic your pile of brownith ith?” Twist said, licking her lips.

“That doesn’t even-!”

“Girls, don’t fall behind!” Cheerilee called out as the class moved on. Grumbling about how a sword would have still looked better, Pinchy followed her friends after the rest of the class.

Pinchy's friend, Squeaky Wings, had only joined the class after being adopted by the kirin, Midnight Storm. Her father, a brutal thestral from an even more brutal colony, had tried to dispose of her in the Everfree Forest. By an amazing amount of luck Midnight had found her wandering the woods, and after saving her from a pack of timberwolves, took her in. They had bonded quickly over the next few days they had spent together, so much so that when Squeaks' father had been discovered in Canterlot, Midnight had refused to give her over, and had even tried to attack the thestral stallion. Princesses Celestia and Luna had spared his life, but turned custody of the bat filly over to Midnight. The two had lived happily with their house-mates, Sapphire Breeze and Windrunner, ever since.

They were now at the center of the gardens, which was dominated by a statue of two figures, one of which Squeaks was sure even her mother’s book of creatures had never described. “Now, what can you all tell me about this statue?”

“That big thing’s got an eagle claw!” Applebloom yelled out.

“And a bat wing!”” Scootaloo said.

“And a goat horn!” Sweetie Belle noted.

The teacher nodded. “The larger creature is what’s known as a draconequus. He has the head of a pony, and the rest of his body is made up of all different things.” Cheerilee clarified.

Squeaks squinted up at the creature’s head. It sure didn’t look like the head of a pony; more like a goat’s if she had to pick something.

“Now, what do you suppose this all means?” Cheerilee asked, noting who had thoughtful looks on their faces.

“Insanity!” AB yelled.

“Confusion!” Sweetie countered.

“Chaos!” Scoots called out.

“It’s not chaos you dodo!” Sweetie chided.

“Don’t call me things I don’t know the meaning of!” Scoots yelled back.

“Yer both wrong!” AB said, starting a brawl between the three friends.

“Whath gotten into them?” Twist whispered to Squeaks.

The bat pony shrugged. Usually the Cutie Mark Crusaders, CMC for short, were as tight as the Pillow Knights. Now, however, they were going at each other as if they were confusing one another for Diamond Tiara. “Maybe they only had two cookies to share on the train ride up here,” she guessed, watching as they continued to struggle with each other. 

“Actually, all three of you are right,” Cheerilee said, putting a halt to the brawl. “These statues represent a lack of harmony between ponies, also known as Discord. In fact, you three have demonstrated a lack of harmony so well, that you’ll each be writing an essay on it.”

The CMC’s mouths dropped open. “But Miss Cheerilee, it’s summer!” AB whined.

“Not on this field trip it’s not. Look on the bright side you three; you have all summer to work on it.” When Cheerilee turned to lead the class to another part of the gardens, all three fillies shot damning looks first at her, then each other.

“It is chaos!” Scoots whispered angrily.

“Insanity!” AB tried again.

Squeaks watched the CMC walk away, then turned back to the statues of Discord. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but something was… off about them. 

“Come on Squeaks!” Pinchy called after her.

“Coming!” She looked back at the statue, then heard a cracking noise, one so faint that she was sure she was the only one to hear it.

A crack had formed up the front of the statue, and with it came what sounded like chuckling. The kind of chuckling you never wanted to hear in a dark place, night vision or not. Squeaks let out a squeak and practically flew back to her friends. 

‘It’s just a creepy statue,’ she thought. ‘Cracks happen in them all the time, and one of the caretakers is just having some fun scaring me.’

“Are you alright Squeaky? You look like you saw a ghost.” Dinky asked her.

“Huh? No, it’s just those statues back there kinda scared me.”

“Those statues aren’t scary.” Pinchy interjected. “My mom’s casseroles; now those are scary!”

They all got a good laugh at that.

What looked like a funnel cake dripping iced tea shot by overhead.

-----------------------------

“Alright, one, two, three!”

With twin grunts Midnight and Windrunner heaved the giant log up off the ground and onto the four saw-horses the kirin had set up earlier. Both wobbled a bit as they landed. They had spent all morning hauling the massive log they had found in the Everfree back to the house and with the last bit of their strength got it ready to be cut. If Midnight had to guess it was at least two and a half times the width of a normal tree and twice as long. ‘And four times as heavy’ she thought bitterly. All four saw-horses sagged under the weight; a testament of just how large it was. 

“Okay, we’ll start cutting this beast up after lunch.”

“No complaints here.” Windrunner agreed. 

Midnight had been pleasantly surprised how resilient the pegasus from the buffalo tribe was when it came to work. She never complained and was always eager to please. Even with the huge piece of wood the two of them had hauled back, she had never once asked for a break. Add to that the fight the two of them had with a manticore just the previous day, where it had been Windrunner who finally drove it off, and Midnight was confident of the recommendation letter she was going to send Celestia later that day.

Midnight had discovered the pegasus on a trip to the desert town of Appleloosa with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. As the captain of the secret Bearer Guard, it was her job to shadow them where ever they went. She'd been bestowed with the title by Princess Celestia after the alicorn's discovery of the kirin in Ponyville, thanks to a letter sent by Twilight Sparkle. The princess had told her she was perfect for the job, both because of her abilities and because in her few months in the town she had become somewhat 'friends' with the bearers. Midnight had hesitantly taken the position, but kept her original job as a woodcutter and firewood provider for Ponyville.

Celestia had also given her an assistant, Sapphire Breeze, to act as a liaison between the two. The two formed a friendship almost right out of the gates. She had been there when she had adopted Squeaks and when she had revealed her reason for traveling from town to town for the three years before settling in Ponyville. She was Midnight's closest friend and confidant.

“Hey, what’s that?” Windrunner asked.

Midnight looked up to where the pegasus was pointing and saw a pink cloud hovering in the sky above the house. “I… I have no idea what that is,” she confessed.

Without a word, Windrunner shot into the air, still wobbling slightly, and came down a minute later holding the pink cloud as if it was trying to bite her. “Whatever this is, it’s not a cloud, unless there are clouds that smell like sugar.”

“Not the last time I checked.” Midnight edged forward and sniffed it. It did indeed smell like sugar and, acting on a bit of faith, she took a bite out of it. A normal cloud, when bitten into, simply became water in one’s mouth. Midnight often did this during her hunts and when out collecting wood so she wouldn’t need to carry a canteen around. When she bit into this cloud though, she got something completely unexpected. “It tastes like… cotton candy?”

“It’s starting to leak, too.” Windrunner said, noticing a brown puddle beginning to form on the ground beneath the atmospheric treat.

Once again Midnight hinged on the hope that it wasn’t something foul and stuck her tongue into the brown rain. “A cotton candy cloud raining chocolate milk. Either Cloudsdale’s weather factory has been taken over by fillies and colts, or there’s some weird magic going on.”

“Maybe Twilight Sparkle is practicing a new spell and it got out of hoof?” Windrunner suggested. She’d been in Ponyville long enough now to know about the Bearer of Magic and how her magical training went sometimes.

“Possibly, but right now I suggest we take advantage of this unexpected treat; the chocolate milk is nice and fresh and cold.”

The pegasus caught the emphasis right away and dug her face into the cloud, biting down gently and being rewarded with the indeed ice-cold chocolate beverage flowing into her parched mouth. Midnight quickly joined her, and soon the candy cloud was disappearing at a rapid pace. 

Sapphire arrived outside just in time to see them finish it off with a few last bites.

“That hit the spot!” Midnight said, licking her lips and patting her stomach with a satisfied, albeit pink, smile on her face. It was too bad Squeaks was in Canterlot for a field trip, but there was always the hope she could get Twilight to do whatever she’d done again. 

Windrunner nodded in agreement.

“Midnight,” Sapphire finally got the kirin’s attention with the worried look on her face. “You need to stop whatever you’re doing and meet up with the bearers,” she said, hoofing the kirin a letter she had just received. “Something weird is going on and the princess wants them and you in Canterlot immediately.”

“Weird like cotton candy clouds raining chocolate milk?” Windrunner asked.

Sapphire raised an eyebrow at them.

“We just had one,” she clarified as she and Midnight wiped the leftover cotton candy from their faces.

Before Sapphire could say anything, Midnight finished the letter and looked up at them. “We need to meet up with the bearers now. Windrunner, you’re coming with me.” The brown pegasus came to attention and Midnight turned to Sapphire. “And I want you to come as well.”

“Why me?” The pegasus asked.

“Whatever is going on is happening all around Equestria, including Canterlot. When we get there I want you to make sure Squeaks, and the others on that field trip she’s on, are safe. Celestia has them taking cover in the castle, but I’d feel better if you were there with her; it’ll be one less thing to worry about.”

Sapphire nodded. If something dangerous was going on, it only made sense that Midnight would think of Squeaky and her safety first. It gave her a warm feeling knowing the kirin still trusted her with her daughter’s safety after what happened with the hydra.

“The fastest way to Canterlot for non-flyers will be the train, so let’s move.” All three of them took to the air and made a bee-line for the station.

-----------------------------

The train to Canterlot had just arrived as the three of them landed and joined the six bearers. Midnight told them they had received a letter from the princess to stay calm and Squeaks was safe, but they still wanted to help. The bearers were all eager for the support as none of them had a clue about what was going on either. It was a bit surprising the trains were still running all things considered, but the conductor said nothing really posed a danger to the train or its passengers yet, so they had to keep running.

On the ride up, Midnight, Sapphire, and Windrunner found out that the cotton candy clouds were only part of what was going on around Ponyville. Apples were growing to four times their normal size in an instant, corn was popping into popcorn right off the stalks, and rabbits were growing long, hoofed legs and running around in herds, and that was only at Sweet Apple Acres. AJ swore she saw a carrot parade, made up of actual carrots, going down one street, while Rainbow said there was a troupe of deer doing what looked like a polka, complete with lederhosen, as well as ice cream clouds raining cola in Cloudsdale.

As they arrived in Canterlot, the situation didn’t look any better. Funnel cake clouds flew by, raining iced tea on anything below while tea sets from the city’s many tea shops clacked around, hurling themselves at any nearby ponies. Midnight thought seeing nobles getting pelted by glass-ware was a funny thing until a teapot nearly beaned her upside the head. It was less amusing after that.  

Getting into the castle was surprisingly easy, but then that could have been because the guards at the gate were busy fending off attacks by tea sets, funnel cake clouds, and pigeons dropping gumballs that exploded into post-chewed gum.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight called out as they all made it into the entrance hall and saw the alabaster alicorn pacing. Before she could start asking questions, a cream and orange blur shot past her and latched onto Midnight’s leg.

“Mom!” Squeaks cried in relief.

“I’m fine Squeaks.” Midnight bent down and nuzzled her. “How are you and the others?”

“We’re all alright. Princess Celestia brought us all inside when everything started getting weird.” The bat pony said, letting go of her mother’s leg.

Midnight nodded. “Good. Windrunner and I are going to see what we can do to help; Sapphire is going to go with you to help Miss Cheerilee keep you all safe, alright?”

Squeaks nodded, nuzzled Midnight one more time, then led Sapphire out of the hall and back to where her class was holding up.

“Princess, what’s going on?” Twilight asked as soon as Squeaks and Sapphire were gone. “Why isn’t my magic working, and what’s going on with the animals and the weather, and why-?” She stopped as Celestia raised a hoof.

“Please, all of you come with me,” she said, gesturing for them to follow. The princess led them down several hallways until they came to a set of large, decorated doors that were about the same size as those leading to the throne room. After they were all inside Celestia sealed the doors with her magic before leading them down the hall inside. 

The hall was lined with alternating windows and stained glass that depicted, Midnight guessed, various events in Equestria’s history. She realized that this was the hall Spike had talked about when he was trying to decide where to take them during the gala just as the princess began speaking.

“I’ve called you all here for a matter of grave importance. One of our old adversaries, someone Princess Luna and I thought we had defeated, has returned. His name is Discord.” They heard Fluttershy let out a squeak of fear. “He’s the self-proclaimed spirit of disharmony. Before Luna, myself, and our allies stood up against him, he ruled Equestria in a state of unrest and unhappiness. We all saw how life was miserable for not just ponies, but all the creatures who called these lands home. After we were lucky enough to discover the Elements of Harmony, the two of us and our allies rose up against him, finally defeating him in one last battle. The power of the Elements turned Discord to stone, and we thought he would be that way for the rest of time. 

“After Luna’s return to us, I had my suspicions that he might also be released as our connection to the Elements was lost, and thus the spell used to contain him weakened, but until today there were no signs of such a thing.”

“But… why aren’t you connected anymore?” Twilight asked. “Why are we-?”

“Hey, look! We’re famous!” Pinkie yelled. They all turned to see the party pony standing beneath one of the stained glass windows which depicted six ponies blasting a black alicorn.

“When I was forced to use the Elements on my corrupted sister, our connection to them was severed. A thousand years later and they have chosen you six as they’re new bearers. I, no, Equestria, the world, needs you six to wield the Elements once again and stop Discord before he can take over as he did all those centuries ago!”

The six bearers looked at each other. Midnight and Windrunner exchanged glances as well. It was a heck of a tall order with a lot riding on it. There would be no fall back, no plan B, and there was little doubt Discord was already setting a plan into motion.

“Don’t worry princess,” Twilight said with a surprisingly confident look. “You can count on us.”

“HOLD IT!” Pinkie yelled out. They all stopped and stared at her. “Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain you guys. Chocolate. RAIN!”

“Uh, don’t mind her, your highness.” Twilight chuckled nervously. “Of course we’ll wield the Elements again.”

Celestia nodded, then turned towards the door between them and the Elements. Inserting her horn into the door like a key, a series of locks opening sounded, and the door opened with a brilliant flash of light. When it dimmed they could all see a decorated box within. The princess levitated the box out. “Have faith; the Elements have chosen you and you alone to wield their power. They will not fail you.” She opened the box.

To reveal it completely empty. 

Not even the velvet the Elements were kept on was left. Out of surprise and shock, Celestia dropped the case with a resounding thud on the floor. They all stared stupidly at it for a second. ‘Boned. We are all completely and utterly BONED.’ Midnight thought.

“Well, if anypony needs me, I’ll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant squiggle straw.” Pinkie said, pulling out said straw from her mane and proceeding to leave the hall. 

Midnight came to her senses fast enough to grab the pink pony by the tail before she could leave.

“But… how… how are they GONE!?” Twilight finally said.

“That chamber is protected by a powerful spell only I can break, and Discord has only been free for a couple of hours at most. This doesn’t make sense!” Celestia exclaimed, confusion clearly written across her face.

As if waiting for that exact line, duel chuckling began ringing out through the hall. “Make sense, oh, what fun is there in making sense?” A disembodied male voice asked.

The look on Celestia’s face went from concerned confusion to burning rage so quick it made everypony, including Midnight, uneasy. “Discord, SHOW YOURSELF!” she roared out.

There was another bit of chuckling, then the rug began to bulge at the other end of the hall, as if something were under it. Then the bulge shot towards them like a bullet. All nine of them got into fighting stances, but not a few pony lengths away the bulge seemed to just… barf out a pony. 

As she stood up they got a proper look at her. She had a violet coat with a violet and white mane which had a beanie capping it, and a screw and baseball for a cutie mark. The strangest part about her, besides the manic grin she wore, was her eyes; they were just swirls on her whites, no pupils or irises at all. Out of nowhere she pulled out a scroll, unfurled it, and began reading.

“Hear ye, hear ye, his lord, Discord, The Spirit of Chaos, Harbinger of Disharmony, Shogun of Sorrow-!”

“Wrong lord Screwball.” Discord’s still disembodied voice said.

“Oops, sorry. Harbinger of Disharmony, and all around funniest guy you’ll ever meet, shall now appear before you all!”

“Better. Did you miss me Celestia?” There was a flash, and everypony in the room turned to look at the window depicting Discord tormenting three ponies representing the three tribes. The figure of Discord on the window was giving them a cheshire grin. “I missed you. It’s quite boring being a statue-” Here he seemed to leap to the next window through the wall. “-but you wouldn’t know that because I don’t turn folks to stone.” He wracked his knuckles on the figure of Fluttershy in the window for emphasis.

“What have you done with the Elements Discord!?” Celestia shouted, her rage growing.

“Oh, I figured I’d just borrow them for a teensy little while so we could talk without itchy trigger hooves.” He made the Elements in the window disappear. 

Celestia pawed the floor, causing the others to take a step or two back from the infuriated alicorn. “There’s nothing to talk about, because you won’t win.” Her voice was a low growl.

“To be honest I forgot how grim you became Celestia. Can’t say I blame you though, after what happened after me and Screwball got stoned.” He looked directly at Midnight and the kirin felt a wave of unease hit her. ‘What does he mean by that?’

Windrunner gave her a concerned look, but Midnight just snorted and composed herself. 

“Hey! Nopony insults the princess!” Rainbow yelled, rocketing at the window. While it looked like she was going to smash through it, she impacted it like it was just another wall.

“Ah, the loyal Rainbow Dash, going into things head first without thinking as usual I see.” Discord chuckled at the angry look the pegasus was giving him.

“I don’t need to think to kick your flank!!” She yelled back.

Discord disappeared from the window. “Indeed.” 

“I can’t believe we’re wasting our time talking with such a tacky creature.” Rarity said, flicking her mane in disapproval.

“The generous Rarity, always ready to give out compliments at a moment’s notice.” With another flash Discord was in the window nearest her.

“So ya know who we all are; big deal.” AJ snorted.

“An honest remark, but what else would I expect from you, Applejack?”

“So, you know who we are and what each Element we represent.” Twilight said.

“And so much more, Twilight Sparkle. It’s hardly surprising Celestia would take you on as her personal student, but then she’s always had a soft spot for those with great abilities in magic.” Celestia let out another angry snort. “Kind Fluttershy is the one behind you trying to hide, and last but certainly not least is Pinkie Pie, always ready to cause some laughter where ever she goes.” He turned the image of Twilight in the window he was currently in into a balloon animal version of her, eliciting a guffaw from Pinkie. 

Then he turned his eyes back on Midnight. “But of course, the one I’m really interested in is you Midnight Storm.” Screwball floated over her with a magnifying glass, which was quite a feat as she had no wings. “It’s been fifteen hundred years since a kirin was last in Equestria, but I’m sure Celestia has told you why that’s the case!”

“Stop stalling Discord!” Celestia interrupted. “Where. Are. The. Elements!?”

The glass-Discord snorted at her. “Such a kill-joy Celestia. Fine, I’ll tell you, but I’ll only tell you my way.” He disappeared again, only to reappear on an opposite window. “To find your missing Elements, just make sense of these turn of events. Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the Elements back where you began.” With that he finally seemed to disappear from the room. Screwball tapped her nose and exploded into confetti. 

Midnight stared at the now frozen glass-Discord, then looked at Celestia. Did the alicorn really know something about the kirins and wasn’t telling her? If so, how long was she planning on keeping it a secret? Was she ever planning on telling her? Celestia caught her eye and the rage quickly vanished from them, replaced by an apologetic sadness.

“That’s it!” Twilight yelled, putting a stop to any conversation the alicorn and kirin might have had then. “Twists and turns are my master plan, which must mean Discord wants us to enter the palace hedge maze!”

“So, we just don’t, right?” Rarity asked.

“The last part of his riddle says we’ll find the Elements back where we began, so while we go to the maze, we won’t go in because the Elements are buried under the entrance!” Twilight said triumphantly.

Celestia nodded. “Then go my little ponies. The fate of Equestria is in your hooves.”

“We won’t let you down princess.” Twilight motioned for the others to follow her out. 

“Midnight, a quick word please.”  The kirin stopped in the hall’s doorway, then motioned for the other to go ahead. “Midnight, Discord is a powerful creature that controls chaos magic but he is also skilled at deceit. He was imprisoned before the kirins disappeared, so anything he claims to know is most likely a lie. Please keep this in mind.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, Midnight’s draconic eyes never flinching from the alicorn. “I understand, your highness,” she finally said before departing. 

Celestia watched the door close behind the kirin and sighed, looking back at the stained glass and the various historical moments they showed. ‘I will tell you what happened eventually Midnight. Now, however, you have an important and dangerous task ahead of you. A focused mind might just mean the difference between victory and defeat.’

-----------------------------

The eight of them quickly made it to the hedge maze outside. It probably had something to do with Discord, but Twilight thought the entrance looked a lot more intimidating than usual.

“S-S-So we d-don’t have to g-go in there, r-right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nope, we just need to start digging.” Twilight assured her.

“I’ll just do a quick fly by to make sure.” Rainbow said, taking off. She didn’t get far, as only a little ways off the ground her wings disappeared. “What the- MY WINGS!” she yelled out as she landed back on the ground. Fluttershy let out a yelp as her wings disappeared as well. Twilight and Rarity screamed like fillies when their horns disappeared.

Midnight and Windrunner were taking their losses just as bad. Windrunner had a panicked look while she kept flexing her back as if her wings had just gone invisible. Midnight could have cared less about her horn; damn thing was useless anyway. She was, however, staring at where her wings had been with an unsettling fast eye-twitch with her mouth open in a silent scream.

The loss of several body parts was interrupted by a blinding flash from the maze entrance, out of which came the flesh and blood version of the creature they had seen in the windows. “MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You-You should see the looks on your faces. Priceless!” 

Midnight wasn’t too inclined to agree. In an instant she had jumped on the draconequus and was eye to eye with him. “Give. Me. My. Wings. Back. NOW!” she roared in his face.

With a snap of his talons he disappeared, dropping Midnight on the ground. Reappearing in the sky above them, he began chuckling again. “Don’t throw a fit Midnight Storm, I simply borrowed them for a bit to ensure that there’s no cheating. See, this is the first rule of my little game,” Screwball popped up over one of the hedges holding a sign with a large number one painted on it, “no flying, and no magic. The second rule,” Screwball pulled up a second sign with a number two on it, “is that all eight of you have to play or the game is over and I win.”

Twilight took a confident step forward. “Make as many rules as you want, because we’ve already figured out where the Elements are!”

Discord raised an amused eyebrow. “Really? Well then, go ahead and find them.”

“Alright girls, let’s start digging!”

-----------------------------

Discord and Screwball yawned as the ponies and kirin continued to dig. 

They had dug down as far as a pony was tall, and Midnight was starting to think Twilight might be wrong about where the Elements where. Speaking of the unicorn, the kirin wished her, Fluttershy, and especially Rarity would just get out of the way. Twilight seemed to be lost without her horn and was digging hooffuls of dirt of out of the hole at random spots. Fluttershy was shaking too much to do much good and was dropping more dirt into the hole than she was taking out, and Rarity had moved barely any dirt at all. “I just got a hooficure this morning!” she had cried. Midnight wanted to punch her. 

Apparently Discord and Screwball were also getting tired of all this, as evident by the unhappy looks on their faces. “As much fun as it was to watch how confident you were for the first five minutes, I’m starting to get bored again ladies. I’ll just speed things along and tell you the Elements are not underground.”

“And how do we know we can trust you?” Twilight shot back.

“Fine, I’ll just go out and make beautiful chaos while you all continue to dig. I’m sure you’ll figure it out yourselves soon enough.” He tossed the popcorn box he and Screwball were sharing away.

“Twilight, I know none of us trust him, but I think he might be telling the truth right now,” Midnight said from the bottom of the hole.

The ex-unicorn hemmed and hawed for a few seconds, then nodded. “I guess this isn’t getting us anywhere.”

Midnight pulled herself out of the hole and rested next to Windrunner and Applejack for a moment. 

“Back where you began, back where you began…” Twilight chanted, shooting a damning look at the draconequus and his lackey.” Began where? Began life, began school, began…” Then it hit her. It was so obvious now! “I know where he hid the Elements!”

“Well, it’s about time this game got back on track.” Discord said, earning glares from the mares.

Twilight only snorted at him, then ran off back towards the castle followed by the others.

“Y’all got an idea, sugarcube?” AJ asked as they ran.

“Yes. I first heard of the Elements back when I was reading The Mare in the Moon, but I began researching them in my old room here in the castle! Discord must have hidden them up there!”

As the group ran off, Discord and Screwball laughed ominously. “Well my dear, it’s been said the castle is like a maze to those who haven’t been there before.” They both disappeared in twin flashes of light.

The group finally reached the doors leading back into the castle. “Don’t worry girls, I’ve practically lived here all my life,” Twilight assured them as she pushed open the doors and led them inside. “We’ll have the Elements back in no time flAAAAAAAaaaaa!” Without warning the section of floor under the lavender mare’s hooves opened up, causing her to disappear into depths unknown.

“TWILIGHT!” They all yelled out, but then each of them had problems of their own as the floor underneath each of them gave way as well. Within a matter of seconds only Midnight was left in the entranceway.

“What the- DISCORD!” she roared. Echoing laughter was all the response she got. Growling and cursing under her breath, Midnight took off into the castle. She needed to find the bearers and the Elements quick, or else.

-----------------------------

AJ had stopped screaming after only a few seconds on the slide to who-knew-where. She needed to keep her wits about her if she wanted to be ready for the eventual landing. Unfortunately, being prepared didn’t make it any easier. Without warning, she was shot out of a wall and collided into what felt like tightly packed pillows. Rubbing her head, she stood up and looked around. She was in the kitchens from the look of it, with all the ovens and utensils hanging above islands throughout the large room. What she had landed on turned out to be sacks of flour.

A sound to her right caused her to turn, and there was Discord in a “Kiss the Draconequus” apron flipping pancakes in a frying pan. “Apple flapjacks, Applejack?” He asked.

AJ snorted. “The day Ah eat anything made by you is the day Ah outright lie.”

“Funny you should mention that.” He flipped the flapjack up again, but this time caught it in his eagle claw, where it changed into a mirror. “I was nosing around Celestia’s little treasure room before I took the Elements and I happened upon this little beauty.” He walked over and showed it to her.

“And… just what is that, exactly?” AJ asked, on guard for any tricks.

“This, dear Applejack, is The Mirror of Truth. Such a remarkable piece of glass; if you ask it any question, it will give you a truthful answer every time. I’m surprised Luna didn’t use this instead for her little outing at the thestral colony, but then again it was in Celestia’s treasure room, and she isn’t one who shares often.”

“And why would Ah care about this?”

“The bearer of honesty not caring about the truth? What kind of bearer are you?” He shoved the mirror into her hooves, then went back to his frying pan.

AJ glared at him, but looked down at the mirror. ‘Ah guess it couldn’t hurt to ask one question.’ Turning away from Discord, she addressed the mirror. “What’s gonna happen with this here mission we’re on? What’s gonna happen to us all?” The mirror’s surface fogged over, then cleared revealing AJ and her friends standing around someplace with a checkerboard ground and floating chunks of land against a purple sky.

“I hope I never see you again!” The refection of Rainbow yelled. 

“Me too!” agreed Fluttershy.

“Fine!” yelled Pinkie.

“FINE!” Rarity yelled back.

“It’s settled then!” Twilight said before they all split off.

“Wait, are y’all saying we won’t be friends after this!?” AJ couldn’t believe that could happen, not after all they’d been through together. They’d still be friends even if they did lose.

“Well, that’s unsettling.” AJ jumped away and saw Discord hovering above and behind where her shoulder had been. “I guess things won’t be turning out well for you ponies after all.”

“That can’t be true!” AJ shot back. “Y’all messed with it somehow!”

“Believe it or not there are things in this world I can’t tamper with, this mirror being one of them.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, because we are going to stop you and we are going to stay friends!” AJ yelled, walking away.

Discord shrugged. “If you want to lie to yourself, that’s fine with me.”

“Excuse me!?” AJ whipped around and glared at him. “Ah am NOT a liar!”

“Well, the mirror said you wouldn’t be friends, so you saying otherwise would make you a liar. But,” he raised his lion paw, forestalling Applejack’s counter, “is honesty really the best policy here? If the others found out you saw them all not being friends anymore… well, that would be a real low blow to everypony’s morale, now wouldn’t it?” AJ made to answer, but Discord interrupted her again. “Then again, if you were to tell a little white lie and tell them you found a mirror that showed you all victorious, wouldn’t that make you all more determined to succeed?” He grabbed the mirror away from her. “What would happen if Applejack lied about what she saw?” He held the mirror up to her, and she saw herself and her friends at a party with a banner saying “WE WON!” draped over the festivities. “A much better outcome for you and your friends if you ask me.”

“But… but why would you be helpin’ me? I thought you wanted to rule Equestria?” AJ asked suspiciously.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I DO want to rule Equestria with a chaotic grip, but what fun would it be if I just did it? Giving you and your friends a chance will make it all the sweeter if I win, and gives me a chance to think of a more comfortable position to be in if I don’t. At the moment I’m thinking of lying in a hammock. But the decision is yours in the end. Choose wisely.” 

AJ glared at him, but then looked back at the mirror and the happy faces of her friends. ‘I could just not tell them what I saw, but then we might still lose. But, if I lied just this once, even if it feels wrong…’ “If a little white lie is what’ll save us, Ah guess it couldn’t hurt.”

Discord chuckled to himself as AJ literally turned a few shades greyer. “Like I said, it’s your choice. Now, I believe you have a friend to get reacquainted with.” With a snap of his claw he and the mirror disappeared.

The doors to the kitchens flew open and Twilight ran in. “Applejack, I’m so glad I found you! It looks like Discord dropped you into the kitchens; the jerk dumped me in a broom closet.” She looked around. “Did you find somepony else? I could have sworn I heard you talking with somepony.”

“Nope! Ah wasn’t talkin’ with nopony!” AJ scrunched her face up and looked anywhere but at Twilight.

“Huh?” AJ just trotted past her and into the corridor. “Did Applejack just… nah, she doesn’t lie.”

As Twilight left, Discord and Screwball popped their heads over a counter. “The Elements are separated from their bearers, the bearers are separated from each other, and now they’ll be separated from themselves.” He and Screwball cackled. “One down, four to go, and a kirin to turn to our side.”

“Don’t we need to corrupt all six of them, and why do we need Midnight Storm to be on our side?” Screwball asked.

“The sixth Element only appears when the other five are present. Take them away, and it disappears. Midnight Storm is one of the few who could prevent that from happening. That and I have a debt to pay to an old friend; a debt I highly doubt Celestia will be able to pay off.” The briefest look of pain and anger passed over the draconequus’ face, but it quickly reverted to his normal calculating one as he bit into the mirror, which had changed back into the flapjack it had always been.

“And what are we going to do with that other pegasus?” the chaos mare asked.

“Let me worry about her role in the game. In the mean time, why don’t you have some fun with the royal guards?”

They cackled as they disappeared. 

-----------------------------

Midnight galloped through another set of doors, slamming them hard against the walls. She had only been here twice and had no real idea where she was or where she was going. Her only hope was to keep barreling through each room, hall, and corridor until something looked familiar. 

Bursting through yet another set of doors Midnight finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally,” she muttered. She was in the throne room anti-chamber, where those wishing to see the princesses waited their turns. With any luck Celestia, Luna, or both of them would be waiting in the throne room for the bearers’ victory. If she explained the situation, perhaps they could lend a hoof in defeating the draconequus. 

“Princess!” Midnight yelled as she made her way inside. But neither princess was there, nor was any guards. Instead, Discord lounged on the throne, idly spinning a few orbs, one orange, one brown, and one blue, as if he had been waiting for her all this time.

“Sorry Midnight Storm, but your princess is in another castle,” Discord chuckled. Midnight growled and turned to exit the throne room when Discord called out to her. “I guess you don’t want to hear what I have to say?”

“Why would I?” In response he snapped his lion paw, causing the orbs to become transparent. Any thought of leaving was erased from her mind when she saw who was in them. “Give. Them. BACK.” She growled. Inside the orbs were Squeaks, Windrunner, and Sapphire; all with looks of panic on their faces.

“Mom!” Squeaks called out, her voice slightly muffled by her prison.

“First your wings and now these three; aren’t we just the demanding one today?” In response blue flames began to form around her hooves. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need for that. All I want is you to promise that we can talk in a civilized manner, and I promise I’ll let them go with not one hair out of place. Deal?”

Midnight looked from him to the others and back. “That’s it?” she growled.

“Nothing crossed.” Discord said, showing her all five limbs and his tongue. 

“Fine,” she said, sitting down but never letting her angry look waver.

“Excellent.” He snapped his claws and the three orbs floated over next to the kirin, popping when they were only an inch from the ground. Squeaks immediately attached herself to one of Midnight’s legs, shaking like a leaf. 

“I’m sorry,” Sapphire said, bowing her head. “I let us get in danger again.”

“It’s not your fault; even Princess Celestia can’t stand up to him on her own,” Midnight assured her. “Where did you end up?” she asked Windrunner.

“I believe it was the guards barracks, but that bubble got me before I got too far.” Windrunner told her.

Discord cleared his throat loudly. “Well, now that I’ve kept up my end of the bargain, I suggest you hold up yours.” He got up off the throne and proceeded down to the floor.

“And what exactly do you want to talk with me about?” Midnight asked, making sure she was between him and the others. 

“What else but the future of the kirin race?” he said with what looked like a genuine smile.

“What do you mean?” Midnight asked.

“Before we go any further, how about you tell me everything you know about the kirins form fifteen hundred years ago?” He stopped in front of her with an expecting look on his face.

“Only that they disappeared around that time. I don’t know why yet, though.”

“You mean Celestia never told you?” He asked with mock surprise.

“She did say that you were turned to stone before what ever happened to them happened, so you couldn’t possibly know yourself.” Midnight accused.

“If I were just any old being, then you’d be right. Thankfully, I’m the spirit of chaos, so normal rules don’t necessarily apply to me.” He waggled a claw at her. “You see, after trapping me as a pigeon-leavings collector, she seemed to think confiding in me might help me through my long sentence and ease whatever guilt she happened to be feeling at the time. She’s told me things she hasn’t even told her precious Luna, so trust me when I say that I know exactly what happened to your kind after being stoned.” He looked down at her with a sly grin.

Midnight still regarded him with skepticism. “And why should I believe the so-called spirit of disharmony? Celestia told me they disappeared from Equestria.”

At this Discord actually had a sense of seriousness about him. “Disappeared? Really, I thought she was beyond the whole ‘a certain point of view’ thing. You know she blames me for what happened to them; says that if it wasn’t for me they might still be around.”

“What happened?” Midnight asked through grated teeth. She was tired of all these games.

His cheshire grin returned. “And just how badly do you want to know?” Midnight gently shook Squeaks off her hooves and let fire spring from them again. “I see. Well, unfortunately my knowledge isn’t exactly free… or cheap.” He snapped his claws and returned to the throne. “I will tell you this, Midnight Storm: those ponies you’re protecting, that you consider friends? They’ll turn on you. It may not be until a hundred years from now, but they’ll turn on you all the same. Backstab you when you least expect it and in the worst way. Even those three you’re putting your very life on the line for.”

“We would NEVER!” Sapphire shouted at him with unexpected rage.

“I’d NEVER hurt my mom!” Squeaks added, despite holding onto her leg again. 

Windrunner growled and got back into a combat stance.

“Just a little something to keep in mind while you’re mulling over my offer.” Discord said.

“What offer?” Midnight growled.

“I will promise to tell you everything about what happened to the kirins, every single detail, if you promise to join me against Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. Not only that, but I can also promise protection from backstabbing ponies. I’ll even promise not to touch a hair on those three you care about so much to sweeten the deal.”

Midnight looked back at the three behind her.

“He’s trying to trick you mom!” Squeaks said shaking her leg.

“He’s lying Midnight!” Sapphire said earnestly.

“He’s given us no reason to trust him.” Windrunner added.

She stared at them a bit longer, then turned back to him.

“The Elements aren’t going to save Equestria this time Midnight Storm. I suggest you come to the winning side.” Discord said, some of the jovialness draining from his face.

Midnight was silent for a minute. “I… I need time to think this over,” she said finally.

Discord clapped his claw and paw together. “I have no problems with that; I need a bit of time myself to wrap up loose ends. I’ll give you…” he summoned a cardboard box filled with what looked like medals and dug his eagle claw into the box, eventually pulling one out, “two hours and twenty-two minutes to decided.” He threw the medal at her, which revealed itself to be a watch. “I’ll expect an answer by then.” With a final snap he disappeared.

“Midnight, you can’t seriously be considering this!?” Sapphire said earnestly.

The kirin shot her a measuring look. “He already has the Elements, and for all we know he could have dumped them into the sea or a volcano and this whole hunt could be a waste of time. If it means keeping Squeaks and you, and Windrunner, safe, then you’re damn right I’m considering it.” She placed the watch around her neck.

Before they could continue the throne room doors bust open and Twilight, AJ, Pinkie, and Fluttershy came in. “Midnight, there you are! Are you feeling normal at all? Not feeling deceptive, angry, or greedy?” Twilight asked, getting uncomfortably close to her.

Midnight pushed her back and cocked an eyebrow. “Why would I be?”

“Well…” Twilight motioned towards her four friends behind her. “I found AJ in the kitchens and all she’d done is lie since then,” AJ’s nose was scrunched up and her eyes were darting around the room. “I found  Pinkie in the ball room looking even worse than she did on her birthday!” Indeed, she had the same straight hair but rather than the accusing glares she had given them then, she had the look of a kicked puppy. “Rarity was by the vaults grabbing anything she can get her hooves on!”

“MINE!” the white unicorn screeched, grabbing one of the bejeweled curtains.

“And to top it all off, Fluttershy’s become just plain mean!” 

“Aw, boo-HOO! Can’t take a little change!?” Fluttershy shot at them, wearing a snarl on her face that looked… just unnatural. All four of them looked like they’d been “grayed out” a bit, their colors dulled to grey tones.

“No, I’m pretty normal, as are the rest of us.” Midnight assured her.

“That’s a relief. By the way, why are Squeaky and Sapphire here? Actually, tell me later. I don’t know what’s happening, but we need to find Rainbow Dash quick, before something similar happens to her!”

As she ran out the doors, followed reluctantly by the other graying bearers, Midnight turned towards Squeaks and Sapphire. “I don’t know if Discord is including you in the game now, but just in case don’t even attempt to fly, or we might just lose the Elements after all.” They both nodded. “We need to help Twilight find Rainbow before he does to her what he’s done to the rest. It might even help snap them out of it.” Hefting Squeaks onto her back, Midnight ran out the doors and after the bearers closely followed by Sapphire and Windrunner.

-----------------------------

Rainbow had no idea how she’d gotten all the way up one of the castle towers. Normally slides led down, not up. Then again, they were dealing with somepony who could do chaotic thing just by thinking about them. Nor did she really care anymore about how she’d gotten there. Something that looked like her cutie mark, and by extension her Element, had zipped by her. She’d immediately given chase, but no matter how fast she ran she just couldn’t keep up with it. 

Finally she saw it duck into a room. Diving after it, she bucked the door shut. “I’ve got you now- what!?”

Before her was not her Element but Discord, laid out on a cloud with sunglasses on. “I don’t know how you pegasi did it, but these clouds are even fluffier then they were fifteen hundred years ago.” 

“You think you can psyche me out!? Come on, let’s go!” She got into a combat stance.

Discord raised his eyebrows at her. “There’ll be no need for that; I’m only here to show you something.” He snapped his eagle claw, and the cutie mark she had been following spun around in front of her, faster and faster until an image appeared. It was Cloudsdale, and it was falling apart and out of the sky. Pegasi screamed and flew off in every direction. Rainbow felt her stomach disappear. 

“W-WHAT DID YOU DO TO CLOUDSDALE!?” she screamed.

“I haven’t done anything… yet. If you head to Cloudsdale and stay there, then nothing will ever happen.” Discord told her.

“Do you honestly believe I’m going to just abandon my friends!?” Rainbow yelled at him.

Screwball flew in front of her holding a box in her hooves.

“First of all, I’m not an apple farmer, and secondly, answer me this first: is your loyalty with those so-called friends of yours who’ve led you into danger time and time again without even a thank you for your efforts, or the town you called home practically all your life and made you the mare you are today?”

“I- that is- I mean-!” Rainbow stammered.

“Your wings are in that box. Stay here and keep looking for the Elements and possibly lose Cloudsdale, or take them and make sure at least one thing important in your life stays safe. Your choice.” He grinned triumphantly as the pegasi’ eyes lingered on the image of her home town.

-----------------------------

“Come on girls, we’re almost there!” Twilight said as they turned another corner. “My room is right up this way, and I’ll bet Rainbow Dash is already there waiting for us!” The lavender mare hoped her upbeat attitude would knock some sense into her friends and get them out of whatever funk they were in. So far, though, they only seemed to get worse. Only Midnight, Sapphire, Windrunner, and Squeaks seemed the same. ‘Once we get the Elements, everything will be fine again,’ she thought as they got closer and closer to their goal.

“Hey look, Rainbow’s coming to save the day!” AJ called out, pointing at a window.

“AJ, if she’s outside that window that means she’s somehow got her wings back and I doubt Discord would-,” Twilight looked out where AJ was pointing anyway. A hole immediately opened in her stomach which cut off the rest of her sentence. Rainbow was indeed outside in the air, but she was flying away from the castle. “What the- where is she going!?”

Before anypony could answer they disappeared in a blinding flash of light, only to reappear in front of the hedge maze. Discord and Screwball were waiting for them with evil smiles. “Well, well, well, it seems somepony broke the no wings, no magic rule!” He snapped his claw, and all their appendages returned. “Game’s over ponies! You didn’t find your precious Elements!” He opened an umbrella upside down that made a cat’s meow as it opened while Screwball opened one that sounded like a tuba. Ominous storm clouds rolled in, accompanied by thunder and lightning. “It looks like we’re due for a big ol’ storm of chaos!”

They all looked on hopelessly as the two chaos entities laughed at their victory.
> Ch.2 - I'm Not a Fan of Puppeteers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord and Screwball continued to laugh as storm clouds rumbled overhead. In fact, they were beginning to roll on the ground they were laughing so hard. “You ponies are the most fun we’ve had since the leaders of Equestria all those centuries ago!” Discord cried out, wiping a tear away. 

“There’s nothing fun about all this,” Pinkie said gloomily.

“It’s always fun to laugh at ponies like you!” Fluttershy said, laughing in Pinkie’s face.

“Hey Rarity, Twilight says y’all should share all them things y’all got, since ya found ‘em durin’ a team mission,” AJ said.

“Try it and I’ll rip your head off!” Rarity yelled back, growling at the apple farmer.

Midnight and her group looked upon all this with varying looks of surprise and concern. “Mom, why are they fighting like that?” Squeaks asked.

“I don’t know Squeaks, but I bet it has something to do with those two.” She glared at Discord and Screwball. “The sooner we stop those two, the better.”

“So, what do we do now?” Windrunner asked.

Midnight looked towards Twilight, who was trying to stop her friends from killing each other. Then the sound of popcorn crunching got their attention. 

“It’s just too entertaining,”  Discord said, once again sharing a bucket of popcorn with Screwball.

“Stop it Discord, you haven’t been playing fair!” Twilight yelled accusingly.

“I haven’t been playing fair? Let me reintroduce myself: I’m Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony. Hello!” He waved his paw in her face and Screwball laughed so hard the bucket fell over. “I just helped your so-called ‘friends’ see a different way of living.”

“But, you cheated! You tricked Rainbow Dash into using her wings!” Twilight yelled. “And what did you do with the princesses and the entire castle staff!?”

“I simply offered them to her. The choice was hers alone on whether or not she took them. Oh, and don’t worry about the princesses…”

-----------------------------

Luna shoved another moon pie into her mouth. “Why wasn’t I told about these sooner! Tia, you could have just given me a month’s worth of these and Nightmare Moon would have folded like a wet blanket, though I would think a wet blanket would be harder to handle…”

Celestia swallowed another bite of cloud cake while doing her best to still look unhappy as she and Luna were stuck in her room surrounded by never-ending desserts. “I highly doubt food would have placated your dark persona. And don’t become too fond of this binging; as soon as Twilight and her friends defeat Discord it’s back to- you’re dripping marshmallow on my pillows!”

-----------------------------

“… They’re enjoying themselves. In the meantime, however,” Discord walked back over to Screwball, who jumped into his miss-matched arms. “Me and Screwball have some chaos to wreak!” He caught the look Twilight was giving him still. “Oh, come now Twilight Sparkle. The ‘magic of friendship’ is sure to work for you this time! Auf wiedersehen!” He snapped his lion’s paw and the two of them disappeared again.

As soon as they were gone a huge bank of cotton candy clouds rolled in and began a downpour. Midnight extended her wings, covering the other three while she took the brunt of the chocolate onslaught. Making sure they all kept pace, Midnight moved over to where Twilight was rapping her hoof against her head.

“Come on, think! Back where you began, back where you began!” Twilight said frustration clear on her face.

“Any other ideas where he might have hid them?” Midnight asked, trying to keep the strain in her own voice in check.

“The maze entrance was a dud and I’d bet all my grades they weren’t up in my room either. Back where you began… maybe-”

“KEEP YOUR DISGUSTING HOOVES OFF OF MY TREASURE!” Without warning Rarity ran headlong into the purple unicorn, knocking her into the mud.

“Twilight was the one who said to take it!” AJ yelled back, running past and pushing her deeper into it.

After the two grayed mares were past, Midnight helped Twilight up. Windrunner made room under Midnight’s wing for Twilight, and as soon as the unicorn was under the wing the dust-colored pegasus began helping her wipe the mud off. 

“Thanks,” Twilight said with a small smile.

The pegasus and the kirin nodded at her with smiles of their own, then turned towards the two that had bowled her over. AJ was almost on top of Rarity when first the white unicorn and then the apple farmer went down into the mud, the fashionista’s precious bag of plundered items spilling out everywhere.

“Oops, sorry.” Fluttershy said as she pulled her tail back, her voice sounding anything but.

Pinkie picked up a gem-encrusted vase that had fallen by her hooves. “This isn’t fun either,” she said, dropping back into the mud.

Twilight rubbed her head again. “I can’t believe Discord did this to my friends! Why couldn’t he just let us all stay friends back home in… Ponyville… no, it couldn’t be that!”

“What couldn’t be that?” Sapphire asked.

“Back where YOU began! You ALL! When he first said that I thought he was talking to all of us, so when we didn’t find the Elements under the labyrinth entrance, I thought he was talking to me, maybe as a way to poke fun at Princess Celestia some more.”

“She did seem very angry with him,” Windrunner said. 

Midnight nodded in agreement. 

“But I was right the first time; he was talking to all of us!”

“And what was he saying exactly?” Midnight asked, wishing she’d get to the point.

“Back where we, this group of friends, began! Back in Ponyville! He’s hidden the Elements back in the place we all first got to know each other as friends!” She turned triumphantly towards the exit from the palace grounds. “He’s hidden the Elements back at Ponyville Library!”

-----------------------------

The trip down the mountain could only be described as infuriating. Getting the grayed-out mares to finally move in the direction of Ponyville was like pulling teeth. AJ constantly pointed out the wrong way down the mountain (the trains had finally stopped on account of circumstances, much to the normal mares’ chagrin), Rarity kept slowing them down as she searched for gems along the pathway, Pinkie needed to be dragged half the time, and Fluttershy did everything in her power to make the descent as torturous as possible.

Twilight somehow managed to stay in a positive frame of mind the whole way down, possibly from the idea that they’d all be normal again when they found the Elements. Sapphire and Windrunner kept up an air of grim determination while Squeaks stayed huddled and quiet on Midnight’s back, afraid to say anything that might get one of the adults angry with her. Midnight would have liked nothing better than to have just flown off back to Ponyville herself and make sure the Elements were where Twilight guessed they were, both so as to get herself, Squeaks, and her friends away from the grayed bearers and to get this new hunt finished as quick as possible.

Thankfully they made it down the mountain without too many incidents and, blessedly soon enough, arrived on the outskirts of Ponyville. “Alright,” Twilight said as she began to jog ahead of them. “Discord must have hid the Elements somewhere in the library, so the first thing we need to do when we get back is- GAH!” Out of nowhere came a roaming hoard of rabbits, each with giraffe-like legs that stampeded over the unfortunate unicorn. Once the herd was clear Midnight and Windrunner helped her back up. “Ow.”

“Good boy Angel!” Fluttershy called out after them. “Somebunny’s getting extra carrots tonight!” Without warning the sun fell below the horizon and the moon shot back up in its place. “Not that he’s actually getting any.”

Midnight and Squeaks quickly looked around. Everypony was still there and nothing seemed to be coming at them.

“How can the moon be out and it still be so dark?” Windrunner asked. “I can barely see anything!”

“Just hold still. Squeaks and I can see fine; we’ll warn you if anything happens.” Midnight assured her.

“This is the best Ah’ve ever seen!” AJ called out into the darkness. 

“Anything worth noting anyway.” Then Midnight felt something wet, slick, and sticky on her hooves. “Off the ground!” She called out in panic, getting airborne with a single panic-induced flap of her wings. Sapphire and Windrunner were quickly in the air with her, staring blindly at the ground.

“What happened!?” Sapphire asked, attempting to get closer to Squeaks and Midnight in the dark. 

“Something’s wrong with the road!” Midnight turned to see how the bearers were doing. All five of them were slipping and sliding along the road and into each other.

“Hey mom, do you smell that?” Squeaks asked, her nose bobbing slightly as she sniffed.

Midnight took a deep sniff herself. “Is that… is that soap?” The kirin came down to just over the road to take another sniff, but then the sun and moon switched places again. The entire dirt roadway was indeed made of soap; soap that had been mixed with water, allowing for innumerous slips and falls onto backsides and faces.

“Really?” Twilight asked, staring at the new road surface as if it was Discord himself.

Said draconequus skated by on the slippery surface, followed by Screwball in a blue ballerina outfit and hefting a baseball bat. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He stopped on top of the last rise before Ponyville, allowing the others who couldn’t fly to slowly and painfully catch up. 

What they saw made their jaws drop. Ponyville was turned completely on its head, in some cases literally. Buildings and trees were floating free in the air, some upside down, while most of the ground had become brightly colored checkerboards, almost like a linoleum floor in a kitchen or bathroom. Cotton candy clouds covered most of the sky and rained chocolate milk in random patches. Groups of transfigured rabbits and buffalo in tutus roamed around freely. Midnight heard Windrunner growl when she saw the buffalo. 

“Nope, not fun either.” Pinkie said.

“This is the new and improved Ponyville. Can you believe these are only our first changes?” He disappeared, only to reappear behind Twilight and Midnight. Pulling them each into one-armed hugs, he showed off his work like a proud father displaying his child’s work. Considering Screwball most likely had a hoof in all of it, it was rather a fair analogy. Squeaks managed to hop from her mother’s back to Sapphire’s forelegs. “Picture it ladies: the chaos capital of the world!” He held them both out for a better look, but then the sun and moon played yoyo again.

“I can’t see anything; it’s too dark.” Twilight said defiantly.

“I don’t have the vision.” Midnight said dully.

Discord dropped them both onto the soapy road. “Well then wait to see it when the sun comes out, if it does, and when you get a bit more imagination. Oh, and Midnight,” he leaned over and tapped the watch hanging around her neck. “You have forty-five minutes left. I hope you’re thinking about it.” With that he vanished.

“If any of you ponies are thinking about entering the soap-skating competition, I’d suggest backing out now.” Screwball swung the bat menacingly. “Accidents can happen. But even if I lose, I can still get on a second-rate comedy show with other has-been talents. Toodles!” She skated down the road and out of sight.

“That mare worries me.” Sapphire said.

“What did he mean ‘you have only forty-five minutes’?” Twilight asked.

“He’s just trying to toy around with me,” Midnight said dismissively. “Let’s just get to the library.”

“Alright then, follow meeEEE!” Twilight, forgetting already the conditions of the roads, slid down them before crashing into a tree.

“I want you two to head home,” Midnight said, turning to Squeaks and Sapphire. “Wait there until this whole thing blows over. Squeaks can guide you until the sun comes out again.”

“Are you sure?” Sapphire asked. Both she and Squeaks didn’t look too happy about separating from the group. 

“You’ll be fine, and this will all be over before you know it.” Midnight reassured them, though not feeling nearly as confident.

“Promise?” Squeaks asked.

There was silence for a moment. “Promise.” Midnight said, reaching out to hug her.

Squeaks leaned forward, but surprisingly Sapphire joined them as well. It wasn’t unwelcomed as the warm feeling the kirin had felt barely two weeks prior resurfaced. The pegasus really did care about her and Squeaks. “You two be careful… and come back,” Sapphire said.

“We will, and same to you.” They broke apart and Midnight watched after them as Squeaks led Sapphire into town.

“They’ll be alright,” Windrunner said, managing to hover next to Midnight despite the darkness.

“Yeah,” the kirin said absentmindedly. She continued to watch them for another minute before turning back to the bearers. “Alright, let’s help end this.”

-----------------------------

The walk into town, led by Midnight, was uneventful. Most ponies seemed to have locked themselves indoors in vain attempts to escape from the madness outside, only for some of their homes to simply detach from the ground and begin floating lazily in the air. From what the kirin could see none of her friends’ homes were floating about, which made her feel better. ‘Less things to worry about’ she told herself.

Amazingly, all it took to get the gray mares into the library once they arrived was simply asking them to go in, although there was commentary.

“Ah absolutely refuse!”

“Whatever.”

“Libraries aren’t fun.”

All three of them grayed-out some more as well, almost to the point one would have a hard time guessing their original coat and mane colors. Rarity proved to be the only bump in the road this time.

“I’m not going in there with those two treasure thieves!” She yelled, pointing an accusing hoof at Midnight. The kirin could only assume the unicorn meant Spike as well. “I’ve worked long and hard to get all this, and I will not have it stolen so easily!”

“Rarity, neither Midnight nor Spike are going to touch your ‘treasure’, even if most of it’s stuff you stole in the first place.”

The fashionista made an indignant sound. “These were owed to me by the princess for all the trouble she’s putting me through!”

“Rarity, that’s just… I can’t believe… UGH, fine!” With a wave of her horn Twilight conjured a rope that tied the loot bag closed and then tied itself to Rarity’s leg. “There, a magic rope that only you can untie, and if anypony else tries to they’ll get sent to Tartarus or something. Can we go in now please?”

The once-white unicorn inspected the rope, then nodded her approval. As she followed the others inside, she also grayed-out more. Muttering darkly under her breath, Twilight, escorted by Midnight and Windrunner, went inside themselves, only to be confronted by Spike the second they got over the threshold. 

“Twilight, Midnight, what in Equestria is going on? Why is everypony acting so weird, and why do they all look so… gray?” The young drake looked between the two groups with concern clearly evident in his eyes. 

“Long story. Right now we need to know if you’ve seen the Elements of Harmony anywhere in here.” Twilight said, making her way into the center of the library floor.

“The Elements? Aren’t they back in Canterlot with the princess?”

“Like I said, it’s a long story and I’ll tell you later, but right now we need to search the whole tree-”

“Hey Twilight, what’s wet and clueless?” Fluttershy asked from above. Spike, wisely, backed away.

“Fluttershy, I’ve had just about enou-!” The Ponyville librarian suddenly found herself dripping wet from the bucket of water drop on her from the now nasty pegasus.

“You are!” She then threw the empty bucket at Midnight and Windrunner, both of whom dodged in time allowing it to hit the stairs with a loud *WANG*.

“What is happening to everypony!?” Spike wailed out again, tugging on his ear-fins.

“Spike, we need to concentrate on looking for the Elements first. You look behind the books. Midnight, you look down in the basement. Windrunner, upstairs. The rest of you… just stay here,” Twilight finished with an exasperated sigh.

“Well, if we’re looking for the Elements, then why don’t we start with the reference guide? It might give a spell that only the bearers can use to summon them, like the way the heros in my comics can!” Spike suggested.

Twilight gave him a quick, lidded stare. “Spike, this isn’t like one of your…” Then her eyes snapped open. “Oh my gosh! You’re a genius Spike!”

The young drake buffed his claws on his chest. “Yeah, I know.”

“So, do you know where the book is?” Windrunner asked.

“Yep! It’s right up here!” Spike bolted to and up the ladder attached to one of the shelves, then pulled out a familiar brown book with gold trappings. “Got it!”

Immediately he was hit with a scroll right in the snout, startling him into dropping the book into the waiting forelimbs of Fluttershy. “I better hold onto this, since you obviously can’t.”

Twilight, Midnight, and Windrunner approached the ladder, the two fliers getting off the ground to help block off the grayed pegasi’ escape routes.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight growled, her resolve finally wearing down. “You’d better give us that book!”

The pegasus just smirked. “KEEP AWAY!” she called out, throwing the book past them to AJ.

“AJ, give me the book!” Twilight yelled as she ran up to her once orange friend.

“Ah don’t have no book!” she said, balancing it clearly on her nose.

Midnight dived out of the air at the apple farmer, but she was able to toss it away before the kirin bowled her over.

The book sailed through the air and towards Pinkie.

“Get it!” Midnight roared at Windrunner, who had been blocking Fluttershy from helping the other grayed mares. Startled, the pegasus dove at Pinkie. 

The party pony didn’t say a word as she first caught the book with her back, then sent it airborne again. 

“Pinkie!” Twilight yelled as Windrunner followed Midnight’s example and plowed into the pony who no longer had the book.

Said book flew back into Fluttershy’s hooves. Both Midnight, with a loud growl, and Windrunner shot off the floor and back towards her. At the last second she threw the book to AJ once again. This time they were both prepared and immediately back pedaled their wings.

“Got it!” Midnight called out, catching the book. Her victory was cut short as a rope lassoed her tail and dragged her down to the floor. With a swift kick, AJ dislodged the book from the kirin’s hooves, catching it herself. 

“Ah got it!” It was gone just as quickly as it had been from Midnight, snatched out of her grip by a speeding brown bullet. 

Windrunner, book in hoof, tried to bank back towards Twilight with Fluttershy hot on her tail. Just as the other pegasus was almost in reach of her tail Spike shot out of nowhere and tackled her, clearing Windrunner’s six. That would have left the pegasus in the clear if they hadn’t forgotten about the other unicorn in the room. In her fixation on getting the book back, Windrunner didn’t notice her wing getting enveloped in a blue magical aura until she was pulled on. The act caused her to crash into the ground a few hooves away from Twilight and sending the book sliding across the floor. 

Just as Rarity was aiming her horn at the book she was viciously yanked backwards by her tail and Midnight threw her back into the other mares, allowing Spike to scramble out of their hooves. A quick glance behind her confirmed that Twilight did indeed have the book now and she let Windrunner use her as a support as she got up. The other’s had recovered but didn’t try and get the book again. With Windrunner and Spike forming a determined barrier between them and Twilight, centered around the growling and flame-snorting Midnight, it didn’t seem worth the effort. 

“Go on Twilight; see if there’s a tracking spell or something!” Spike said over his shoulder.

Twilight, who had been clutching the book while looking at her friends with both anger and worry, shook her head clear and flipped open the book. Her loud gasp of shock caused the three protectors to whirl around. Laid out in the now hollowed out book as if it was a secret hiding place were the Elements of Harmony with not a scratch on them.

“The Elements… we finally got them back!” Twilight cried out with glee.

“Are you sure it’s really them and not another one of Discord’s tricks?” Midnight asked.

Twilight quickly scanned them with her magic, and more relief flooded through her as she felt them react to her magical touch. It was almost like old friends seeing each other again after a long time apart. “Yes, it really is them!”

“Great, now we can beat Discord!” Spike said with a grin.

“See girls,” she addressed her friends. “We found the Elements! Now we can stop Discord and put everything back to normal!” The others continued what they were doing as if they hadn’t heard her... “None of you care, do you?”

“Nope,” was their resounding answer. 

Twilight snorted. “Well, we’re just going to have to fix that!” Using her magic she picked up four of the necklaces and shot them each to their respective owner. Each Element magically attached itself onto their bearer’s neck as soon as it got close enough. Once they were all on Twilight placed the Element of Magic on her head. “Alright, we’ve all got our Elements so let’s go!” 

As she began trotting out Spike ran up next to her. “Aren’t we missing somepony?” he asked a little hesitantly.

“Nope. We’ve got the liar, the hoarder, the buzz kill, and the brute. That pretty much covers the bases.” Twilight’s voice rung with the air of annoyance now, as if the task before her were simply an inconvenience.

“But, what about Rainbow Dash? She’s a bearer too.” Spike stuck out his claw which held the Element of Loyalty in it. The Element glistened for a moment, and Twilight briefly had the impression of a friend asking not to be left behind.

She stared at it for a moment, then picked it up with her magic. “Congratulations Midnight;” she stuck the necklace on Midnight’s neck, “you’re the new Rainbow Dash. You've been loyal enough.”  

Midnight sputtered “H-Hold on a second! I can’t use this thing!”

“Tough, you need to. We don’t have time to go chasing Rainbow down. Now let’s go defeat Discord so we can just get away from each other!”

“YEAH!” the other bearers cheered, hauling tail after Twilight and out of the library.

Windrunner and Spike looked at Midnight, worry etched on both their faces. Worry that she shared and had no problem letting show. “Let’s just hope this works,” she told them, following the rest outside.

“Alright,” Twilight said as soon as Midnight had joined them. “ Now we just need to find Discord and-”

“Well, well, well, it seems you found the Elements of Harmony. Excuse us while we wet ourselves.” All heads turned to see Discord and Screwball a little ways off. Both pulled out a glass of water and dumped it on themselves. 

“Yes, we found the Elements!” Twilight trotted forward, a determined look on her face. “You two are going back to stone!”

“Of course we are. You all have clearly outsmarted us, and now it’s time to get our just desserts.” He conjured up two sets out sunglasses and traded Screwball one of them for one of the targets she had created. “We’re ready anytime now ladies; fire when ready!”

“Alright everypony, let’s get this over with!” The others let out non-committal groans, but didn’t stop Twilight from activating her own Element. 

One by one the Elements flared to life, light shining from them and raising their bearer off the ground. When the Element of Loyalty around Midnight’s neck lit up she didn’t start floating into the air but felt something, something down in her very core. It was like somepony had tapped on her shoulder as if she was somepony they recognized, only to realize they were mistaken when she turned around and immediately gave her the cold shoulder. The feeling baffled the kirin for a moment, then voices started to echo in her mind.

‘When I was forced to use the Elements on my corrupted sister, our connection to them was severed…’

‘…after trapping me as a pigeon-leavings collector, she seemed to think confiding in me might help me through my long sentence…’

‘…our connection to the Elements was lost…’

‘The Elements aren’t going to save Equestria this time Midnight Storm’

A thick, icy knot began to form in Midnight’s stomach. If Discord was telling the truth, then Celestia would have told him about banishing Luna. She would have told him how the Elements no longer worked for her. He corrupted the bearers to be the exact opposite virtues they represented, and if Twilight tried to force the Elements to work in this state…

Midnight returned from her mind to the outside world. Swinging her head to look at Twilight, she could see eldritch light both in her eyes and around her Element. “Twilight, STOP, DON’T-!”

But it was too late. Without warning the eldritch light on not only her Element, but the ones around the other Elements as well, winked out, dropping them all to the ground.

“What… what happened!?” Twilight yelled out.

“Mine’s working. Y’all must have the broken one.” AJ told her.

“What a load of garbage!” Fluttershy took off her Element and threw it away, only for Rarity to catch it and stuff it in her loot pouch. 

“What happened?” Windrunner asked as she and Spike raced up to them.

Midnight looked at Twilight. “Princess Celestia said that when she banished Nightmare Moon, she forced the Elements to work, and when it was all over she couldn’t use them anymore.”

“But, Twilight and the others weren’t turning them on each other, and that was only after they worked on Nightmare Moon!” Spike said.

“No Spike, but…” The look of dawning horror on Twilight’s face told the kirin she was coming to the same conclusion she had. “… but we… I did try and force them to work! The way everypony is and Rainbow Dash not even being here… but I was just so dead set on defeating Discord that I-!” Tears began to well up in the unicorn’s eyes. “I don’t think we can use the Elements anymore.”

The last sentence hung in the air as the implications slowly sank into those present who could understand or even care.

The sound of clapping caused them all to turn towards the draconequus and his lackey. At least it started off as clapping, but then each time his claw and paw came together a completely random sound was made.

“Bravo ponies, bravo! Thanks to you, harmony in Equestria is officially dead!” He laughed at the distraught looks on their faces. “Oh, and Midnight? I know Twilight forced you to participate as well, so I’m just going to give you back, say, fifteen of those minutes you lost helping them find the Elements.” He reached forward and moved the hand on the clock from fifteen minutes left to a half hour. Then he flicked Twilight’s nose. “Discord rules; Celestia drools.” With that he and Screwball skated off down the soap-road, laughing all the way.

“What do we do now?” Windrunner asked, her voice anxious. Spike also had the same anxious, but still a little bit hopeful, look on his face. Neither Midnight nor Twilight looked them in the eye.

“I’m leaving; this isn’t fun.” Pinkie said, getting up and heading in the general direction of Sugarcube Corner.

“Wha- Pinkie, wait!” Twilight called after her.

“Ah’m leavin’ too. Ah got better friends waitin’ at the farm fur me!” AJ left them in a huff.

Rarity left without a word, her bulging bag of loot balanced on her back.

“I’m tired of you losers anyway!” Fluttershy flew off.

Something finally snapped in the unicorn. “Fine! Go ahead and see if I care! With friends like you, who needs… enemies.”

“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked. She didn’t answer him. Instead she simply stood up and began walking away; her body turning gray as she walked off. “Twilight…”

Wordlessly, Midnight took off the Element of Loyalty and shoved it into Spikes claws. “Take care of this Spike; somepony will need it eventually.”

“Wait, where are YOU going!?” Spike demanded, looking even more desperate.

Midnight didn’t answer him. She simply opened her wings and took off into the pink sky. Windrunner gave him an apologetic look before flying off after the kirin.

-----------------------------

Midnight landed outside the side door back at home with Windrunner close behind. “Midnight, what do we do now!? Say something!” But Midnight continued to remain silent as she went through the door.

“Mom!” Squeaks immediately ran up and hugged her. “Did you beat him?”

Again, Midnight said nothing, but picked up Squeaks in her forelegs and hugged her as soon as they fully entered the kitchen.

Sapphire could see plainly from the kitchen window that everything was still wonky looking and chaotic. For them to be back and have those looks, it could only mean something had gone horribly wrong.

“Midnight?” she asked softly.

As with Windrunner, Midnight didn’t answer her.

“Mom?” 

Only when Squeaks made her plea did the kirin finally speak. “Discord beat us,” she said simply. She quickly yet quietly explained to Sapphire what his plan had been all along and how they had figured it out too late. When she was done Sapphire had the same look of numb horror she had when they figured it out and Squeaks pulled herself tighter into Midnight’s chest.

“Now what?” Sapphire asked, unknowingly repeating Windrunner’s question.

“Now… now I need you three to stay here.” Midnight said finally in a voice that sounded utterly defeated. 

Sapphire was about to ask her what she was going to do when she saw the kirin unconsciously touch the clock around her neck. A fresh wave of dread washed over her. “You can’t!” she cried out earnestly.

Both Midnight’s and Windrunner’s wings shot out in surprise at her outburst, but Midnight quickly recovered, placing Squeaks down next to the corner of the table between herself and the blue pegasus. “I have to. What other choice do I have?”

“You’re going to turn your back on Equestria, on Ponyville, on us, just on the chance that he might be telling the truth about knowing about the kirins!?” Sapphire yelled, the feeling of hurt and betrayal clear in her voice.

If Sapphire had ever started yelling at her before then about a choice, the kirin might have felt a little guilty or even cowed in the face of such emotion. All it served then was to bring all her fear, anger, and feeling of hopelessness to the surface with a vengeance. “YOUTHINK THAT’S WHY I’M DOING IT!?” She roared at the pegasus, getting up and slamming her front hooves on the table so hard it actually cracked slightly  under the force. The other three in the room immediately shrunk away. “DO YOU REALLY THINK I’D TURN MY BACK ON YOU SO EASILY!? HE COULD OFFER ME ALL THE KNOWLEDGE IN THE WORLD, ALL THE POWER I COULD EVER DREAM OF, AND I’D STILL TELL HIM TO SHOVE IT! I’M DOING THIS BECAUSE HE SAID HE WOULD SPARE YOU THREE! I’M DOING THIS TO KEEP YOU SAFE!” She slammed her hooves down again and this time the table broke under her fury. A few splinters bounced off them all, but Midnight continued to snort angrily, wisps of blue flame occasionally flaring out her nose. Her eyes shot from one pegasus to the other, daring either of them to disagree with her. 

Finally, Sapphire dared to break the silence. “And-” The kirin’s eyes landed on her and she flinched slightly. “And… what about the rest of Equestria?”

“The rest of Equestria can be flung into Tartarus for all I care! Ever since I was born practically every pony has been dying to do the same to me!”

“And Ponyville?” Sapphire asked, her voice becoming a bit steadier. 

“I don- I can’t help them! He only said he’d leave you three alone if agreed to help him. I… I can’t risk you.” Midnight finally sat down, her voice quieting from anger to defeat.

“My mom and dad are in Cloudsdale. Even if I’m safe, how can I be happy knowing they’re still out there?” Sapphire asked quietly. 

“And my buffalo herd!” Windrunner added. “Can you really expect me to just sit by while that monster makes them dance around in those ridiculous outfits?”

“And what about Berry and Derpy?” Sapphire said and had a guilty bit of satisfaction at seeing Midnight finally squirm a bit. “They’re your best friends and you’d let them face all this alone?”

“And what about Dinky?” They all turned to Squeaks, who was sitting away from Midnight since the kirin’s outburst. “And Pinchy and Twist? They’re my friends… and… and you promised it would all be alright.”

Midnight flinched at that. Slowly, she reached out a wing and a stabbing pain shot through her when Squeaks flinched at the touch. Then, sensing only care and concern behind the motion, Squeaks let her mother lead her back over and into a hug. “I’m so sorry Squeaks; sometimes we promise things but then the choice is taken out of our hooves.” 

“And what about your mom and dad?” Sapphire pressed.

Midnight said nothing but a small, barely noticeable frown formed on her face.

“If you join Discord, finding them might become all but impossible.”

“It probably already is.” Silence gripped the table again. “What would you have me do?” Midnight asked finally.

“What?” Sapphire asked, looking back up at her.

“I said what would you have me do? Either way our families and friends are going to be at his mercy. How do you think I’ll feel if one day I see one of you hurt by something he does?” The anger in her voice was coming back. “Do you have any idea what it would do to me, to see Windrunner or you or SQUEAKS get hurt by him and know I could have done something to stop it!? EQUESTRIA IS DOOMED, AND THE LEAST I CAN DO IS MAKE SURE YOU THREE ARE SAFE!” 

The two other mares didn’t respond to this new outburst. They’d gone back around to square one but this time they both had more to chew on. As much as they didn’t like it, they both had to agree with her, at least partially. If the choice had been in their hooves, could they have condemned the ones they cared about most to suffer with the rest, or would they grasp that lifeline, even if it was thrown by the worst demon from Tartarus? They knew Midnight cared for Squeaks more than life itself, but to care for them as much as well that she’d let Equestria burn for them… it touched them both, especially Sapphire, deeply.

“Ponies survived his first reign.” Sapphire finally said, to which Midnight snorted.

“Unscathed? I doubt it. Besides, there were the Elements back then.”

“We still have them now.” Windrunner offered.

“The bearers are no longer connected to them, you know that.” Midnight snapped.

“But if history is any indicator, then there will be others.” Sapphire said.

Midnight snorted again. “A thousand years is too long a wait. Besides, do you really think Discord is going to just wait for more bearers to appear? As soon as he’s finished conquering all of Equestria, or maybe he’ll even wait to take over the entire world first, but either way as soon as he’s finished I guarantee he’ll take the Elements and either keep them under lock and key someplace only he can get to or destroy them by chucking them into a volcano or something.” She gripped Squeaks tighter. “There just… there just isn’t any other way.”

They all fell silent again. Truly this time there was no more points to be made, no more choices to be seen. Either Midnight would join Discord and hope he kept his word or she would decline him and wait with them for the eventual, chaotic end.

The inhabitants all whipped their heads around at the sound of several loud knocks on the side door. Windrunner made to get up, but Midnight waved her back down. If it was Discord at the door, she wanted to face him without the others in harm’s way. Getting up, she moved over to the door and, with a steadying breath, opened it.

“Midnight! Thank the princess you’re still here!” To the kirin’s amazement Twilight Sparkle was standing on her doorstep, her Element perched on her head, and her colors fully restored. “I was afraid you might have flown away!”

“Uh… no, I wasn’t planning to.” Midnight said, still trying to figure out how what she was seeing was possible.

“Good, because we’ve got a lot of work to do.” Twilight let Spike, who had been riding on her back, hop down before making her way past Midnight inside. 

“And what work would that be? The Elements are useless.” Midnight reminded her. “And how in the name of the almighty Faust did you get back to normal?”

“Princess Celestia began sending back all my reports on friendship. As I read them, I started remembering all the wonderful times with my friends, and how I was just going to throw it all away even though I knew Discord was behind it. They’re some of the most important ponies in my life and I just can’t let Discord think he can drive us apart that easily. I guess I just needed to be reminded of that. As for the Elements, I don’t think we lost our connection to them, only strained it really badly. We didn’t actually force them to do anything, and I can still feel the connection to mine. It’s weak but it’s there.” Twilight took a breath. “Midnight, I need your help to get the others normal again. Will you?”

Midnight stared at the unicorn for a few more moments, then at Spike who had the Element of Loyalty still in his claws, then finally back at Sapphire, Windrunner, and Squeaks.

Sapphire gently cleared her throat. “Midnight, you’ve said your piece about wanting to keep us safe, and I think Squeaky and Windrunner will agree with me that we’re very touched that you care for us so much.” Windrunner and Squeaks nodded in agreement. “But, since this decision affects us as well, we should have a say in it as well.” She smiled at her. “I’d rather you go and help Twilight again. Even if Discord wins again, even if he come after us, we’ll have each other; that’s all I care about.”

“I agree!” Windrunner said, standing up. “Besides, I’d like to get a chance to kick that Screwball’s flank!” They all got a chuckle out of that.

“You can win mom!” Squeaks said as she came over to give her a nuzzle. “You can kick anypony’s plot!”

“Language, young filly!” Midnight scolded. Then she smiled. “But you’re absolutely right I can!” They all laughed out loud and Midnight bent down to return the nuzzle. When she lifted her head back up, a bit of worry had crept back into her face. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t think I’ve been surer of anything else before.” Sapphire said. Windrunner and Squeaks nodded their agreements. “We can win.”

A warmth was creeping through Midnight as she looked around at them all. All her life ponies had treated her with contempt and fear and for the kirin it had become the norm. Then she’d come to this small town and had everything she was used to flipped on its head, and not in a bad way. The ponies around her now knew what she was and still cared for her. Whatever she did now, whatever she decided, it had to be for them. She silently weighed the options in her head again and this time there was only one right answer. She turned to face Twilight, a small, determined grin on her face. “Twilight, you and Spike lead the way; Windrunner and I have your back.”

-----------------------------

Sweet Apple Acres looked normal enough, if you ignored the green sky, checkered ground in places, huge apples, pop corn, and flying pigs. “Can’t tell Squeaks that anymore.” Midnight said.

“Can’t tell her what?” Spike asked.

“’When pigs fly’.” Despite their predicament, they all chuckled.

“Applejack!” Twilight called out as soon as her friend came into view. “We’re here to fight for our friendship!” The fact that she said that with such a serious face made it hard for Midnight not to laugh.

“Oh, NOW ya want ta fight? Where were y’all when Ah was battlin’ Discord?” AJ said, getting up from her apple pile and jabbing at the air.

Twilight turned back and nodded to the two fliers. They had agreed on the way over that if any of the other bearers showed resistance Midnight and Windrunner would hold them down while Twilight performed her memory spell on them that would, in theory, make them normal again. In the blink of an eye both fliers had rushed forward and tackled the farm pony to the ground, making sure to stay clear of her back legs as they kicked and bucked.

“Applejack, you’re not a liar! You’ve got to remember!” Twilight rushed over as soon as it was safe and touched her horn to AJ’s head. The earth pony just went limp with her eyes wide open.

“Uh… you sure that was a memory restore spell Twilight?” Midnight asked as she and Windrunner got off the now docile earth pony.

“Just give it a minute,” she assured them. Sure enough, almost immediately after she’d told them to wait, AJ twitched and the color started to return to her.

“Ugh… what happened?” Then she saw the rest of them. 

“Discord did something to you that made you start telling lies.” Twilight told her gently. 

AJ grimaced and kicked a hoof. “There was a mirror that showed us all fightin’, and Ah thought that if Ah lied about what Ah saw, it wouldn’t come true. Ah’m so sorry y’all.” The orange pony looked around at them all apologetically.

Twilight laid a hoof on her whither. “We forgive you AJ. Now come on, we’ve got to snap the others out if it too!”

-----------------------------

It was a good thing they had gone to AJ’s first. Midnight was sure they’d be chasing Fluttershy for hours if the farm pony hadn’t lassoed her, allowing Midnight and Windrunner to hold her down for the memory spell. Rarity was even easier, as all Midnight had to do was threaten to eat one of her gems and the white mare practically threw herself at the kirin. Pinkie was so far down in the dumps that she didn’t even put up a fight. After each pony was cured they were given their Element to put on, and once they were done with Pinkie that left only one more pony to find. Unfortunately, their once-loyal friend proved to be more difficult than they had anticipated. 

“She’s not here!” Windrunner announced as she came back out of Rainbow’s house. She, Midnight, and Fluttershy had done a thorough search of the cloud-house/mansion and the only rainbow to be seen was the rainbow waterfall that ran down the side.

“Darn it! Where else would she be!?” Twilight rubbed her head in concentration while the other performed similar thinking gestures.

“Don’t you hang out with her a lot?” Midnight asked Windrunner. If she wasn’t working with Midnight, the tribal pegasus was with the multi-chromatic mare. She was nearly as fast as the Cloudsdale native and the two of them spent their times together racing around Ponyville, performing stunts Rainbow practiced for getting into the Wonderbolts, or both.

Windrunner nodded. “Yes, but almost never in the same place twice. She might not even be in Ponyville anymore.” If Rainbow was no longer in Ponyville airspace, finding her in the now chaotic world would be almost impossible.

“Oh, I hope she hasn’t gone all the way back to Cloudsdale.” Fluttershy said softly. 

“Where do we even start lookin’?” AJ asked, worry clear in her voice as well.

“Over there!” Pinkie said simply, pointing a hoof at a small, nearby cloud.

Indeed, a gray Rainbow Dash was lounging upon said cloud as if it was just any other day. Not even a cotton candy cloud that went zipping by roused her. Midnight and Windrunner face-hoofed. How they, as fliers, missed her while Pinkie, a ground-pounder, had seen her hit them both in their winged pride.

“Rainbow! There you are!” Twilight called out in relief, moving closer to talk better.

“Hey guys.” Rainbow called down, not even turning around.

“Rainbow, we need your help! Discord is still on the loose and is terrorizing all of Equestria!” Twilight pleaded.

“That’s nice.” Rainbow waved a dismissive hoof.

“We need you to wield your Element of Loyalty again, or else none of the Elements will work!” Twilight tried again, to, dismally, the same results.

“Loyalty? Pah!” Rainbow finally turned around to face them. “Ponyville’s a disaster and the rest of Equestria is just as bad! I’m staying here in Cloudsdale where everything is normal and awesome!” With that she flopped back down on the cloud to go to sleep.

“How in Equestria can she think that a cloud smaller than a couch can be Cloudsdale?” Rarity asked.

“The same way Discord made you grab anythin’ shiny like a loose diamond dog.” AJ told her with a smug smile.

The fashionista glared at the apple farmer. “Or like how he made you the biggest liar the Apple Family has ever seen?”

“Girls, focus!” Twilight scolded, putting an end to the argument. “Appealing to her won’t work, so it’s time we went to plan B. Applejack, you still have your ropes, right?” The apple farmer held up several lengths of rope and nodded. “Alright, that’s plan C. Midnight, Windrunner, Fluttershy; start plan B!”

With a nod, Midnight and Windrunner shot at Rainbow. Fluttershy flew at a slower pace, not wanting to be so confrontational.  Luck, however, was not on their side, and Rainbow cracked an eye open when she heard Twilight yell. Seeing the two speeding mares racing at her she gave a start, then grabbed the cloud and zipped up and away from them. Both mares instantly gave chase.

It became immediately apparent that Dash may have lost her colors, but she hadn’t lost an ounce of her speed or endurance. As soon as the chase began both pegasi began outdistancing the kirin, her wings, muscles, and flight style more suited for long hours gliding on thermals than speeding over great distances. Windrunner was doing far better than Midnight and staying close to the once-rainbow-maned pegasus as they shot around the sky. Having spent long hours training with her, Windrunner had a better grip of Rainbow’s moves than almost anypony else and was using that to her advantage. Zig-zags, loops, and immelmans did nothing to dislodge her from Rainbow’s six. But, this was still Rainbow Dash, and as fast and skilled as Windrunner was she was still slightly slower and only reacting to Rainbow’s moves. The Cloudsdale flier was slowly and steadily gaining airspace between the two of them and, when they were about ten pony lengths apart, the apparent nasty streak that came with being ‘grayed-out’ finally kicked in. 

Rainbow reverse-immelmaned back over Windrunner and aimed herself at the struggling, but still determined, Midnight, aiming as though she meant to ram her out of the sky. Midnight, however, didn’t try to dive away or avoid her, as those on the ground and in the air were calling out for her to do. Instead, she continued to flap hard right towards the rouge pegasus, a determined look in her eye. At the last second before it looked like they would collide Midnight pulled up straight and snapped open her large wings, giving Rainbow no chance to pull away from their game of chicken. The grayed mare slammed into the kirin, the cloud she had been clutching the entire time exploding from the impact, and the two of them began tumbling out of the air. Midnight snapped her wings shut around them as they fell, ensuring that where heading for the ground and that Rainbow would have a harder time of escape. For her part, Rainbow was biting, punching, and kicking her captor as fast, hard, and frequently as she could, making Midnight twist, dodge, and counter to avoid injury while a loud ringing was going off in her ears. 

“Midnight, the ground!” Twilight yelled out at her as the two became dangerously low. 

The kirin twisted around once more and this time snapped open her wings, resuming forward motion again at barely the height of a door. The fall had helped build up airspeed, and now she was zooming right at the four ponies on the ground, grappling with Rainbow all the way.

“Applejack, when they get close catch Rainbow with one of your lassos so we can bring her and Midnight down safely.” Twilight told the earth pony.

AJ nodded and began swinging the rope around, lining up the shot. Just as she was about to throw, Rainbow finally got a shot in at Midnight, throwing her off balance enough to slam both her rear hooves into the hybrid’s stomach. With a loud “OOF!” Midnight clutched her stomach and veered off to the left and slammed into Twilight as they passed by, sending both of them tumbling. The veteran rodeo pony still took the shot, and her aim was true. Rainbow zipped through the loop, only for it to close around her middle. AJ whooped at her success, but what she didn’t know was the rope she had thrown hadn’t been the one she had secured to herself. In the mess of ropes at her hooves the rope she had thrown had actually been the one she’d ask Pinkie to hold for her. The rope went taught, and as the party pony was pulled up into the air she grabbed hold of Rarity, and the two of them went skyward.

“PINKIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Rarity screamed, a mix of terror and fury.

“Oops,” was all the party pony could offer. 

AJ’s throw hadn’t been in vain, though, as the combined weight of two ponies had a noticeable and desirable effect on the pegasus in the form of her struggling, and failing, to maintain her speed and altitude. Jumping at the opportunity, Windrunner put herself back on Rainbow’s tail, but not before grabbing another one of AJ’s ropes. She was not going to repeat Midnight’s attempt at holding her down with her bare hooves; instead she caught up with the struggling Rainbow and caught her with another loop around the middle. Once she was sure it was secure, she folded her wings and dropped like a stone, pulling Rainbow down further once the line went taught. 

“Fluttershy!” she called out, beckoning her over to grab the rope as well. Seeing it as a non-confrontational way of stopping her friend, the shy pegasus eagerly flew over and added her weight to the rope. There was a loud, pained grunt below them, and they looked down to see Midnight in the air below them, clutching her stomach with a look of pain and determination. As soon as the rope was low enough, Midnight simply grabbed on with her teeth and went limp. They immediately dropped half their current height and continued to fall rapidly. 

Soon enough, Midnight landed with a grunt but got up and began moving away with the rope still in her mouth. As soon as they touched down, the others did the same, with Rarity, Pinkie, and AJ and Spike, who had run over to help, pulling one way and Windrunner and Fluttershy on Midnight’s side pulling the other. Rainbow couldn’t move forward, back, left, right, or fly up again. 

“LET ME GO!” she roared at them, bucking wildly and futilely. Not missing a beat, Twilight rushed up to the enraged pegasus and put her horn to her head. Without warning Rainbow simply stopped moving and stood there with a blank expression. The others didn’t let the ropes go until all her colors were restored. “Wha… what happened?” she asked, dazed, then her eyes flew open. “What happened to the Elements!?” She jumped on top of AJ. “Did we beat Discord!?”

The rest of the mane six ran in to hug their un-grayed friend while Windrunner helped Midnight back up. The kirin grunted in pain as her stomach shot another bolt of pain through her. “That mare can bucking buck,” she gasped out.

“Do you need a minute?” The brown pegasus asked with concern.

Midnight waved her off. “I don’t think I have a minute anymore.” She lifted the watch around her neck for Windrunner to see, and the pegasi’ eyes widened with worry. The watch had struck zero while she had been struggling with Rainbow. Discord would be wanting her answer. 

“…right Midnight?” A voice made her turn her head. Behind her with the six bearers, each wearing their Element and a look of determination. Twilight inclined her head. “Are you alright? Rainbow hit you pretty hard.”

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, embarrassed. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

Midnight nodded. “I can- urgh!” She had barely taken a step before grabbing at her stomach again.

Twilight gave her a sad smile, then opened her saddle bags and pulled out a vile of bright green liquid. “I had a feeling at least one of us would get hurt bringing the others around. Drink this; it should stop the pain for a bit and help you heal quicker.”

Knowing time was of the essence, Midnight didn’t so much as grimace at the unknown liquid and downed it in one gulp. It didn’t taste that bad, and the pain in her stomach almost instantly faded away.

“Better?” Twilight asked.

Midnight nodded. “Definitely. Now, let’s put an end to this.”

-----------------------------

The draconequus and chaos pony (as Screwball’s tribe will now be called) weren’t hard to find. With Ponyville now the chaos capital of the world, it only made sense for its rulers to be seated in the very middle of it. When the nine of them came upon the chaos entities they were toasting with glasses of chocolate milk.

“Chaos is a wonderful, wonderful thing!” Discord cheered. He and Screwball tapped their glasses together, only for his to change into a gecko while hers became a cello.

“It’s not as wonderful as friendship!” Twilight called out, making Midnight groan again at the cheesiness of it.

Discord snorted. “Oh, this again? Didn’t you ladies learn anything from the last time you tried using those things?” He snapped his claws and another glass of chocolate milk appeared in his claw. He drank the glass, then threw the chocolate milk, somehow still holding its in-glass shape, over his shoulder where it exploded as it impacted the ground behind him. “And I see the great Midnight Storm is here as well.” The addressed kirin snorted in kind. “I trust you have an answer for me? Seeing as I didn’t swoop down on you the moment time was up, I hope it’ll be a favorable one.”

All eyes went to the kirin as she stared back at Discord, then looked down at the watch around her neck. She could give into him and secure the safety of her foal and friends. It was the right, responsible thing to do as a mother and friend. But thoughts about all the other friends she had made, their families, and other friends as well surfaced in her mind, and what kind of world would she be allowing Squeaks to grow up in? A second of hesitation more, and then Midnight yanked the clock off her neck, ripping the cloth that held in on her, and threw it down at the base of his throne.

“No” she said simply. “I may be the only kirin alive today, and I’d want to know more about my kind more than anything, as well as keep Squeaks, Sapphire, and Windrunner safe, but Celestia knows just as much about them as you do. Probably even more, and I have more family and friends in my life than just those living with me right now. And then there’s this town. Before I came here I was wandering from place to place because I was never accepted by other ponies.” Discord smirked. “But then I came to this town, and you know what? They welcomed me with open hooves. Even after they knew what I was, all that I was, they still wanted to be my friends and make me happy to be here. I am happy to be here, and I owe it to them as my friends to not throw all that away for a moment’s satisfaction and a false sense of safety. You told me that they would turn on me, and in the worst possible way. I can only assume you were speaking from experience.” The draconequus’ face flashed with a mix of emotions for a brief moment at that. Midnight backed up to be closer with the ponies she was throwing her lot in with. “Yes, they will eventually disappoint and even hurt me in some ways, but they’re only ponies and I know I’ll eventually forgive them, as they will when I make similar blunders. I’ll take my chances and put faith in my friends that history won’t repeat itself.”

Twilight, Windrunner, and the rest nodded respectfully and encouragingly at her. “You see that Discord? Friendship isn’t always easy, but there’s no doubt it’s worth fighting for!”

The embodiment of chaos simply looked at them all for a moment, then face-palmed.

“Oh, GAG!” Screwball said, rolling her eyes.

“Can you two be anymore sappy?” he asked. “But fine, whatever, stay on their side. See if I care.” What looked like pain flashed over his face again, but it quickly returned to contempt. “But are you really planning on threatening me again with those useless trinkets? Last I checked you followed in dear old Sun-butt’s hoof-steps and tried forcing them to work, which I believe broke your little trinkets.”

“You may have weakened our bonds with the Elements, Discord, but you didn’t break them!”  The rest of the bearers gathered around Twilight as they got ready to use the ancient magic once again.

“Well, this should be entertaining,” Discord chuckled. “But, why not make your last stand a bit more interesting?” He snapped his eagle claw, and a series of flashes began appearing around the group of resisters. When each flash cleared, a giant piece of chocolate bar, marshmallow, or graham cracker had appeared, each wielding a toothpick like it was a spear or a sword. When the flashing was done, there were easily a hundred of them surrounding the ponies, dragon, and kirin. “You know that limbo song where they sing ‘how low can you go’? Well, how long can you go?” He snapped his claw once more and a whole tray of movie snacks, including pop corn, nachos, goobers, and the like appeared before the throne. 

“SPIKE!” Midnight roared, letting loose a long blast of fire at the surrounding chaos soldiers. Following her example, the young drake let loose with his own green fire, matching hers to form an encircling wall of flame between the bearers and their attackers. Midnight and Windrunner both jumped up into the air while the sugary enemies stumbled back from the flames. “Stay behind the fire and protect them!” She called down to him. “Patch up the fire if it starts getting too low!” When she was sure Spike knew the plan, she and Windrunner flew out over the crowd of would-be s’mores. 

Windrunner soon found an odd patch of dirt in the checkerboard ground and quickly began making a dust storm to confuse and blind the enemy, if they could be blinded. Midnight, for her part, dive bombed the massed hostile treats and gouged their lines with her fire. After the first few passes it looked like the hundred Discord had called on would fold easily, but then she noticed that the ones that had melted together due to the heat were still moving forward, some still brandishing their toothpicks, and that the ones she had charred or melted completely were being replaced by reinforcements appearing in more flashes of light along the outside of the crowd. 

She grunted and continued her dive bombing. All she could do was to continue slowing the sweets’ advance and pray the bearers did something quick. Discord was no fool, and he was not going to make this easy on them.

-----------------------------

Twilight had closed her eyes, concentrating on the Element sitting on her head, and when she opened them again she had somehow appeared in a void of some kind. She didn’t linger on what was going on long as she could see in front of her the Element of Magic, out of the crown and floating a little ways away. It was dull and didn’t radiate magic like it had done before, as if all the energy had been drained out of it. 

Twilight tried to reach out for it, but soon realized she couldn’t move from her present spot. She tried to call out to it after a few seconds of thinking, wondering if this was some sort of plane that the Element could communicate with her. Once again, her attempts seemed in vain, as only the feeling of trying to get the Element’s attention left her, no sound emanating from her mouth. This time her efforts seemed to bear fruit as her need for the Element somehow seemed to reach it just by her wanting it to. It turned a bit, as if looking at her from over its shoulder, then quickly twisted back around. A feeling of betrayal and anger hit the unicorn hard as if the Element had physically shot the emotions at her. Confused, the mare tried to get its attention again, but it only continued to ignore her.

Twilight had no idea how to reach through to the Element, but she needed to soon if there was going to be any hope of beating Discord at his own game.

-----------------------------

Midnight was forced off her strafing run as several toothpicks flew up at her, sharpened wooden points somehow glistening in the sunlight. They sailed past her and rained down on several of the throwers’ compatriots. The impaled only stopped for a moment, ‘looking’ down at their injuries, then proceeded to pull the weapons out of themselves and began their forward march again, now armed even further. 

Some took their toothpicks, let them sit over the open flames consuming their comrades, and then turned them on Windrunner. She was moving the dust storm around their formation now, using the dust to not only give her cover but to lessen the chance of counter attack by using the dust cloud as a shield as she kicked, bit, and threw any enemies that got caught in her blinding winds. Most thrown toothpicks went wide as the winds caught them and threw them away. The few that did make it through had their fire snuffed out and hit their own more often than not, but the close calls couldn’t last forever. 

Neither could Spike. The young dragon was doing as he had been told and was adding his own fire to the barrier, blocking off the concentrating bearers from their assailants. He was doing a valiant job plugging any perceived weaknesses and holes opening in the ring of fire, but the marshmallow soldiers had actually begun throwing themselves on the flames, their melting bodies suffocating the very flames devouring their bodies, and then more popped up along the edges to take their places. Midnight shot back occasionally to help reinforce the defense, but if nothing changed, and soon, their efforts would end up amounting to nothing.

Discord’s and Screwball’s laughter rang in her ears.

-----------------------------

Twilight still couldn’t get the Element of Magic to yield to her pleas, but there had been some welcome signs of progress. 

Only a little while ago there had been a bright flash off to the side of her vision, and for a terrifying moment thought Discord had come once again to try and finish what he started. What came through, however, was a pink gem in the shape of a butterfly. It was the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy’s Element, and as it came near the starburst-shaped gem it began to orbit it, producing an air of calmness and security as it seemed to comfort the other one. A barely perceptible lighter shade came over the Element and it even seemed to want to follow the other Element, but stopped and turned back as it came close to facing Twilight. 

Almost as soon as this had finished another bright light had appeared, and a blue gem in the shape of a balloon had come zooming over to take its place around Magic. This Element of Laughter produced an air of joy and happy ease, a feeling like that of being at a party hosted by a dear friend, far removed from the patronizing and humiliating perversion of it that was Discord’s hallmark. Magic brightened a little further.

Now it was clear to Twilight what had to be done. Just like when they had first found them about a year ago, the other Elements had to be found first before hers could. Kindness, Laughter, Honesty, Loyalty, and Generosity had to be present before Magic could fuse them all together into Harmony. Two of her friends had done their jobs in reconnecting with their Elements, now the other three needed to do so as well. She hoped they wouldn’t take too long.

-----------------------------

Midnight swung her tail, smashing a graham cracker soldier to bits as it struck. Unfortunately, this only served to aid the marshmallows. Somehow, one of them had discovered that the broken graham crackers shielded them from the fires enough as to allow them to continued forward, and soon the rest of them were armoring themselves. Midnight had fallen back to help Spike keep the barricade up and was currently striking out from within the fire wall, using the flames as an avenue of escape from retaliation. It was only a moderate protection, as the several shallow stab wounds adorning her sides could attest. 

Windrunner continued her dust storm, driving it into some of the more packed parts of the enemy crowd. She was showing signs of fatigue, not ever having kept such a storm going for so long or so vigorously. The scrapes and cuts from near misses from toothpicks weren’t helping her matters either. 

“Mi… Midnight… I can’t… can’t keep this up!” Spike called out to her, gasping for air. His flame was only a small flicker now every time he tried. 

With a grunt, Midnight jumped into the air and did a circuit around the parameter, reinforcing it again with her own fire. It too was beginning to peter out, and Midnight was slowly beginning to lose hope. She had been sure the Elements would have done something by now. Were the bonds truly broken like Discord said and all this a valiant but futile effort?

She didn’t linger on her own diminishing hopes for too long, as a sharp, sudden cry of pain rent the air, causing her to twist her head in the direction of the dust cloud. Windrunner shot out of it and crashed into a group of enemies, sending some flying along with pieces of their comrades as she plowed into them. Without its master, the dust cloud quickly began to dissipate.

With a vicious snarl Midnight took to the air and zoomed over to her fallen friend. The chaos soldiers were quickly regrouping and surrounding the downed pegasus, but with a long, strong blast of fire, Midnight cut through them, grabbed her friend, and jumped back into the air and over to their defensive line. 

She laid the panting pegasus down gently on her right side; a toothpick sticking out of her wing joint on the left. Thankfully the wound was shallow, but Windrunner still stifled a scream of pain as it was pulled out and the wound cauterized by a small tongue of flame from Midnight. “Sorry, I’ll get back- ah!” Windrunner tried to get back up and into the air, but a single flap of her wings brought her back down to her knees. 

Midnight first looked from her, to Spike, the Bearers, Discord and Screwball, the soldiers, then back at her two fellow defenders again. She could change into a wyvern, but she’d be limited in her fire use as it could overwhelm the barrier and incinerate those she was trying to protect. Her great size would also make the floating homes, certainly with ponies inside, impossible to avoid.

“Stay down,” she said, gently pushing her back down with a wing. “Spike and I will keep fighting.”

-----------------------------

‘Come on Rainbow! Come ON!’ Twilight fumed as she waited with ever decreasing patience for the fifth and final Element to show. Honesty and Generosity had taken a while getting there as well, but come they had, floating around Magic along with Kindness and Laughter and brightening Magic up even further. But it wasn’t enough. Loyalty still needed to be present in order to spark Magic back to full power. The Element had even begun warming up to Twilight herself again, albeit with still some reluctance. 

The unicorn forced herself to be calm. Rainbow was her friend, and as her friend she had to trust that the pegasus would come through, no matter how dire the situation was. She was the bearer of Loyalty, and she would always be there for her friends.

As if in answer to this, a final flash of light appeared and the red lightning bolt that was Loyalty shot into view and joined with the others. Great joy and happiness emanated from the Elements as their final lost member came back to them. It joined them in their orbit of Magic, and as one they all began to spin faster and faster  until they became a blur.

Slowly, and with the others still orbiting it in a blur, Magic made its way over to Twilight. It stopped a short distance away and seemed to just stare at her. A feeling of being asked something came over Twilight, and she sent back to it a wave of sorrow, apology, regret, and of wanting to be close again. At first, the Element seemed unsure of her feelings, but the more they ‘talked’, the more it began to believe her. Finally, it seemed to offer her to connect with it again, emphasized by the slight tilt forward towards her. Slowly, and with great reverence and thanks, Twilight reached for the Element and when they touched, she felt the same feeling that had overcome her back in the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters in the battle with Nightmare Moon, that same spark. She let the feeling envelop and guide her.

----------------------------

Screwball eyed the scene in front of her with a critical, swirled eye. It was almost over for them. The fire wall was finally failing in spots and the bearers' defenders were on their last legs. Any minute now they would fall and they and the bearers would be taken prisoner. The Elements, and where they were from, would finally be dealt with, permanently, but there was something about the bearers that the chaos mare just couldn’t place. “You’re sure their ties to the Elements were broken?” she asked Discord, worried about how an eldritch light still played about them.

The draconequus waved her concerns away as he sipped from a cup of cola-flavored motor oil. “They tried to force the Elements to work, and just look at how well that went. Dear old Tia would be proud of them. Now stop being such a worry wart and enjoy the finale!” He shoved more popcorn into her hooves and turned back to the last moments of the battle. Reluctantly, she began snacking again.

After her third hoofful of popcorn, something red shot by her head. It was quickly followed by something orange, then blue. Looking back down at the bearers, she began nudging Discord. “Not now Screwball. Midnight’s about to get- ooo that had to hurt!” But the poking wouldn’t stop, and soon they became hard jabs. “Screwball, what is-!?” She hopped up, grabbed his face, and pointed it at the bearers. Lights in the shapes of the Elements were shooting out from them and the eldritch light was quickly growing brighter.

“Awww, poopy.” Discord said flatly before launching himself towards the bearers. He was shot back into his throne as several of the lights impacted him in the face and gut.

“What was that about not worrying!?” Screwball said accusingly as he groaned in pain.

Spike, Windrunner, and Midnight were backing away from the ever increasing light, there hooves and claws up to help stave off being blinded, only to be stopped at the fire wall. Thankfully, the edible soldiers were too busy turning away from the light to jab at them through the greatly diminished defenses.  

Just as the light became almost too much to bear, a rainbow shot up from the Elements, going high into the sky. It quickly reversed direction, and came screaming down on the two chaos entities. Before the Rainbow of Harmony hit them, they exchanged quick nods to each other.

They let out twin screams of “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” as the rainbow enveloped them. Surprisingly it sounded less like pain and more like someone who’d walked in to find a favorite model broken on the floor.

A blast wave shot out from the impact, changing everything back to normal as it passed over. The sky was again blue, the ground back to its normal green and brown, and even the mutant s’mores ingredients disappeared. 

When the light cleared, Twilight and the rest of the mane six settled gently back down to the ground, having hovered from the power of the Elements flowing through them. Before them, Discord and Screwball were once again statues but they had gotten one last bit of revenge before being defeated. Discord was wearing a shirt that said “Sun-Butt Has a Fat Flank!” while Screwball had a shirt that said “Twilight Likes It and She Just Cannot Lie!” Both shot the world unamused, tabled glares.

Resisting the urge to break them, Twilight turned around to see how Midnight, Windrunner, and Spike were doing when the young drake ran into her. “You did it!” he yelled, relief and happiness evident in his voice as he hugged her.

“We all did it Spike,” she told him as she returned the hug.

“Oh, enough with the sappy lines!” They all looked over to Midnight who was giving them a look that somehow combined relief with exasperation. “I mean who seriously says that kind of stuff!?”

“Ponies who’ve just saved the world.” Twilight said smugly.

The kirin had no rebuttal. 

-----------------------------

The award ceremony at Canterlot castle was the largest event in public memory up to that date. All six bearers were awarded for their service to Equestria for stopping Discord and Screwball. Even Midnight, Windrunner, and Spike were honored for their parts in helping them in the victory. While the press was of course present, Celestia made sure her guards curbed them from harassing them; at least during their victory party. Many a photographer would later develop film that mostly consisted of close ups of the bottoms of guards’ hooves.

Before the ceremony had gotten underway, Midnight and Windrunner had been whisked off to the castle’s medical wing to look over their injuries. Thankfully all of them, including the stabbed wing-joint, were pronounced relatively minor and the best remedy for quick healing was plenty of rest and good food. Celestia had shooed the bearers and Spike out after this in order to let Windrunner know that her induction into the Bearer Guard was approved, much to the pegasi’ confusion. After some explanation by both the princess and Midnight, the pegasus took the news with a much more positive light. “I wondered why we kept going so deep into the forest for trees when there were so many so much closer to the house.” So did the Bearer Guard gain its first lieutenant. 

The hour after the party found the bearers and Spike on a train home while Midnight and her group stayed behind so that Windrunner could, like her new captain, be fitted for her formal outfit and armor. While they waited, the alicorn pulled the kirin to the side for a report on what occurred, not really having a chance to ask any of the others before then.

“…and then the Elements shot them with a rainbow and turned them back to stone. Everything went back to normal after that.” Midnight finished with a shrug.

Celestia looked out a nearby window towards what she could see of the gardens. “I believe I’ll stop talking with Discord from now on,” she said with a tone that was completely absent of any humor. 

“Why did you talk with him in the first place? He was your enemy, wasn’t he?” Midnight asked her, slightly confused.

“I never imagined he’d get free, or remember all of it. I’ve underestimated him again.” She turned back to Midnight. “And he wasn’t always my enemy.” This last part she said with a hint of deep remorse. “But I am grateful you didn’t take his offer, Midnight. I know you took a great risk to yourself, your daughter, and your friends in standing up to him.”

“I nearly didn’t, when we thought the Elements wouldn’t work anymore.” The kirin bit her lip. “He said that you were lying about the kirins, about what happened to them.”

Celestia stiffened. “’Disappeared’ was a vague word to use on my part,” she admitted. “But I use it because I do believe you aren’t the first one born in over a thousand years. It’s too lonely and sad a feeling to let myself think like that, to think myself truly alone for all that time.”

Midnight looked up at her. To be alone for a thousand years as the only alicorn in Equestria, possibly the whole planet; Midnight could sympathize with her on that note. “He was right though. You haven’t told me anything about what happened to the kirins.” 

Celestia turned back to her after another minute’s pause. “Even after all this time, it’s still a painful memory. One which I still feel almost daily, even more so now that you’re here.”

A painful memory. Another thing she could relate to with the princess. “I want to know about them, someday. Not in fifty years mind you, but not right now either. They aren’t here now and that can only mean something horrible happened, and I don’t want to ruin the others mood.” She looked Celestia in the eye. “Just promise me that when I do ask, you’ll hold nothing back. I want to know everything.”

Celestia stared down at her with a thoughtful expression. Then she stuck a wing out in a formal gesture. Midnight stretched her own out after a moment and gripped the princess’s with it, shaking gently. When they were done sealing the accord, they went back to staring out the window in a much more easy silence. 
> Ch.3 - A Mid-Summer's Suprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The city of Manehattan began its day just like it had thousands of times before. Trash collection carriages went up and down both residential and business-lined streets, throwing the bags of garbage haphazardly into them, taxis left their stations in force to collect the first fares from the metropolis’s early risers, and alarm clocks from one end of the city to the other began their symphony, much to their owners’ eternal hatred. Manehattanites didn’t have the luxury of sleeping to whatever time they liked, like those royal snobs in Canterlot. They worked for their fame and fortunes, if they were lucky enough to get them and were damn proud of their accomplishments, even if they had to wake at the crack of dawn like country farmers. Even those who were unknown and had little money were proud of their city, it being made by (mostly) honest work and (mostly) self-earned credentials.

Yes, Manehattanites were proud of their city and even rain that was wine that fell from soufflé’ clouds, dancing skyscrapers, and fire hydrants that did to dogs what they did to them couldn’t dampen their view of it. With said weird events and more lasting only a few hours, the residents treated the whole affair like a bad dream and continued with their lives. Yes, it had been a weird day but stuff seen on the streets everyday could be just as weird, if not as disruptive.

In one of the skyscrapers that had been doing the polka during its brief, animate time, an elevator with two passengers rode to the top floors. Both were white unicorn mares, however one had a blue mane done up in a loose beehive and wore a tie and collar while the other had a yellow mane done up in a bun, small glasses, and a clipboard hovering in front of her. “Has all the commotion been resolved?” the blue-maned mare asked.

“Almost, Miss Ice. Most of what’s left is sorting through clients’ paperwork that spilled all over the office and getting them squared away.”

“Good. The faster that gets righted the faster we can get back on schedule.” The elevator *dinged* as it reached the requested floor and the two mares stepped out into a wide hallway and turned toward an office door down the hall. A chocolate-colored earth-pony mare behind a desk greeted them as they entered.

“Good morning Miss Ice. Your coffee, scone, and newspapers are all at your desk as usual.” 

“Thank you Swiss,” Summer Ice said to her second secretary. If it wasn’t for Swiss and Spark her job as an executive at the Manehattan branch of Fancy Pants Modeling would be almost impossible. 

“Um… I got you large sizes for today,” Swiss told her boss, cringing slightly.

Summer stopped and looked back at her, concern clear on the face. “Is it really going to be that bad of a day?”

“Well, you recall that several clients and interviewees canceled their appointments due to the recent events. Now they’re all rescheduling and demanding to see you as soon as possible, so your schedule is booked for today and tomorrow. Next week doesn’t look too empty either.”

Summer drooped her head slightly at the amount of work before her. “Thank you for letting me know, Swiss. And thank you for the bigger breakfast; I’m going to need it.

“Of course Miss Ice.” Swiss gave the daily schedule to Spark and the two unicorns proceeded past her and down the suite’s only hallway.

There were three other doors in the small hallway. One led to the conference room and the one across from that lead to the vice-executive’s office. The door past them led to Summer’s office. Her vice-executive, Even Stitch, would be in soon and, hopefully, could at least blunt the swarm of ponies who wanted to see her.

As soon as they entered her office Summer went to her chair and flopped down in it. Already she wanted to be back at home and in bed, cuddled up next to her husband and maybe even their young daughter curled up between them. She looked at the picture she had of them on her desk and wanted to be home all the more. Her husband, Orange Glow, had basically left his job as a professional photographer to watch over their now three-year-old daughter while Summer went to work. They both knew she was the one that made more money and that, with his reputation and connections, getting back to work when Autumn finally went to school would be easier for him but it still didn’t feel right to her. The last time she had (seemingly) chosen work over family life, the result had been… well, it wasn’t like she could have stayed home once he left and never showed up again, and when she had thrown a fit like it was all her fault…!

For a moment the two ponies in the picture turned into two others, and a sudden swelling of anger just as quickly dissolved into an old ache. No, no matter how angry she had been, or still was, with them, she could never stop caring about them. They had been her family after all.

Summer shook her head clear of the memories and reached for the coffee. It was going to be a long day. “Who’s first on the list today, Spark?"

The mare brought the schedule up to her face. “Mrs. Perry Winkle and her daughter Merry Weather.”

Summer groaned and took a draft of her coffee.  Perry Winkle was one of those ‘pageant mothers’ that were basically living through their children. They were pompous, preening, self-centered creatures that certainly earned the title of ‘bitch’, and if Summer could have her way she’d find those abused children parents that actually loved them. Tartarus, even sport moms could be considered sane compared to them, and they actually brawled with each other sometimes. Merry Weather was, thankfully, young enough that if Summer could get her into the business, she could at least mentor her so that her mother’s… eccentricities wouldn’t rub off on her. It was the only reason she would agree to even see Perry Winkle. That and she’d feel guilty for leaving the business of turning them away to Swiss. She hadn’t done anything to deserve that. 

Taking some solace in the fact that at least they weren’t there, yet, Summer took another sip of her drink and picked up the first newspaper.


Astounding Victory Over Chaos: Eight Mares And A Baby Dragon Defeat Discord!


The headline blared out at her. Not really surprising; the news had been filled with details of the incident since the previous day. Now it looked like the nation would finally know who was responsible for saving them all. She took a quick look at the article’s large picture, then began reading. Apparently the leader of the group was a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle and she was the apprentice to Princess Celestia herself. Not exactly a big surprise there that she’d been able to defeat Discord then, but it was curious that the princess herself hadn’t contributed to the victory. The other five mares, who apparently wielded the “Elements of Harmony”, the force they had controlled to ultimately beat the chaos-wielding beast, were an apple farmer, a bakers’ apprentice, a weather manager, an animal care taker, and a dress maker. She thought she recognized the dress maker, a white unicorn like herself but with a stylized purple mane and tail, from descriptions offered by several guests at her boss’s many social events.  On top of that they all lived in the same small town just outside of Canterlot called Ponyville. Again, the name of the town rang a bell, but nothing really concrete came to mind. Her job was in hiring and managing models, not the dresses they wore or the designers who made them. 

The baby dragon was apparently either Twilight Sparkle’s assistant, pet, or adopted younger brother; there apparently was some question of his everyday role. The other two mares mentioned in the headline weren’t named, but it was said that just the two of them and the baby dragon held off Discord’s army until the Element’s had finally blasted him back to stone. ‘Just three of them held off an army? Sure wouldn’t want to run into them on a bad day’ Summer said to herself. 

She finally scanned back up to take in the picture. The six Bearers stood out prominently in the center of the picture, each with varying degrees of either pride or humble smiles on their faces as they accepted awards for their actions. Behind them stood Princess Celestia with her wings outstretched in a regal fashion. Looking away from the princess she caught sight of the baby dragon, grinning sheepishly. He was definitely a baby alright; no dragon she’d ever seen had been that young-looking. Next to him must have been the two other mares that had held off Discord’s forces. The first one was a dusty-brown pegasus with feathers in her mane and tail, looking as proud as could be. And next to her… next to her…

Summer froze as she stared down at the picture, her scone and coffee frozen halfway to her mouth. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.

“Miss Ice, is everything alright?” Spark asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

‘She’s… but how… what the… Faust in the Great Plains, can it really be her!? After all this time!?’

“Summer!” Spark practically shouted.

That seemed to jerk Summer out of her thoughts and look back up her assistant. For a second she just stared at her, then the desk was alive with activity as Summer’s horn lit up. A desk draw slammed open and a pen and paper flew onto the desk while a pair of scissors began cutting the article out. Another draw slammed open and an envelope, stamps, and rubber stamps flew onto the desk as well.

Spark took a step away from the desk to avoid getting hit or cut by something. She’d never seen Summer in such a state and to be honest it scared her. 

Summer finally signed whatever she had been writing and crammed it into the envelope, stuck several stamps on it, then stamped it with an address, return address, and marked it urgent with a third. It then nearly flew into Spark’s face. “That needs to get to Fancy Pants before lunch. I don’t care where he is or what he’s doing, he needs to read that now, and I want his response before I leave today! I won’t take any excuses!” Summer slammed her hoof down hard on her desk in an uncharacteristic show of panic and urgency that brokered no tolerance for questioning.

“Yes ma’am!” Spark said, taking the letter and bolting so fast out of the office it almost looked like she fazed though the door. 

A part of Summer felt she had acted rather harshly to her assistant, but looking back down at the cut-out article it was quickly forgotten. “Midnight Storm,” she said quietly. “I’ve finally found you.”

-----------------------------

“Calm down Summer,” Summer told herself as the train finally sped towards Ponyville. The unicorn had woken up early that Saturday morning and had gotten on the first train she could to Ponyville. The problem was that, since it was still just a small town, there were no express lines to it. She had been forced to hit every stop along the way, and the only reason Summer hadn’t gotten an express train to Canterlot first and then hopped on a local one heading back to Ponyville was because she was paranoid that by overshooting Ponyville, Midnight Storm might not be there when she got back. Now she was passing halfway up the aisle and back, her face a perfect visage of worry. “She’s walking around undisguised so she’s not running. She WILL be there,” she told herself.

Summer looked up and out a window. She had looked for the kirin for four years without a trace, only to find out where she was from a newspaper… it was as if she had found out about a wedding from a close relative through the invite. She sat back down and pulled out a photo from her bag. The faces of Autumn Light and Orange Glow smiled back at her. ‘How am I going to explain Orange and Autumn?’ she wondered. ‘Or Midnight to Autumn?’

Other things crossed her mind, each one following on the heels of the other until the stream of thoughts and questions became as loud inside her head as the train itself speeding down the tracks. With a sigh she put the picture of her family away and leaned back into her seat. She just wanted this train to hurry and get to Ponyville. She didn’t want the kirin to get away again, not after all this time.

-----------------------------

Ponyville Station was the complete opposite from Manehattan Grand Central Station. Besides the obvious difference in size, scale, and grandeur, there was the amount of ponies milling around the station. Summer estimated it at a grand total of five ponies tops. Only one other pony got off the train with her and only one boarded before the locomotive pulled out and began its final run to the capital.

Summer took the moment to examine the town from her place on the platform. The small, two story homes, the scarcity of ponies on the cobble and/or dirt streets, the open air market that she could just see down the main street leading towards what she assumed was town hall… it all brought back memories from when she lived with her father in a very similar town north of Manehattan, back before she had been discovered by Lens Flare, father of the now famous Photo Finish. Back before she had met him.

It may have been a small town but the question of where to start looking still loomed over her. Town hall would be the fastest way to find out, but then they could just as easily make a fuss about giving out addresses like they did in the city and would likely take far longer than simply asking a pony on the street. That also carried some risk as another pony could overhear the conversation and tell Midnight somepony was looking for her first and Summer wanted to give Midnight no warning about her arrival. Catching Midnight by surprise was the only sure-fire way to make sure Summer would see her again. A bit paranoid but after four years of nothing it was justifiable. 

After a few more minutes on the platform Summer finally made her decision and made her way onto the main street. She would head for the market and simply look around. Hopefully she’d either see Midnight herself or overhear a conversation about her and ease her way into it. 

As she proceeded down the street and sights, smells, and sounds met her, she again drifted back into her childhood memories. She had always loved going to market with her parents where her father would sell his chopped wood and her mother her herbs. Besides their neighbors, there would always be ponies who were visiting or passing through attending the market place, which meant that each day was a chance to meet somepony new. The smell of the open air market had always been a comfort to her, and eating the fresh produce from a neighbor’s stall had always been a treat. It was, in fact, in that very market where Orange, her friend since foalhood, had begun courting her and where Lens Flare had discovered her after making a wrong turn while heading to Canterlot on hoof to see the sights and become inspired, or so he claimed. 

She had always liked posing, be it in photos or for wood or ice carvings. Several ponies living in her home town bought her father’s wood to make wood carvings for travelers and they often asked her to model for them, even as a filly. She enjoyed seeing the work they made out of wood which had been inspired by her and she never complained about how long she had to hold a pose. She had been so highly praised by those carvers that a visiting ice sculptor during one Hearth’s Warming had asked her to pose for a centerpiece for the holiday. Summer had to hold the desired pose for nearly two days (she had been allowed to sleep and eat during that time while being supervised by the town school mistress) but she had loved every second of it. After the sculptor had finished, Summer had eagerly jumped off her pedestal to get a better look at the ice sculpture, only to find her cutie mark, an ice sculpture of a pony, reflecting back at her. 

From that day forward she had wanted to make a career out of modeling, but who in their right mind would want a mare from the country to pose in magazines that the elite would see? She kept herself contented with modeling for the local wood carvers, even helping Orange with his love of photography, evident by the cutie mark of an umbrella and light fixture used by professionals, until Lens Flare had found her in the market one day when she was in her late teens. After an impromptu photo session during which Orange had to take over the camera from Flare’s own ill camera pony, Lens Flare whisked them off back to Manehattan with him to start the careers of their dreams. Of course, that was until Summer met a certain someone…

Lost in her thoughts, Summer failed to notice the other white unicorn with a stylized purple mane and tail walking straight towards her from the market, also distracted by her own thoughts. They impacted each other with a twin “oof!” and fell back onto their haunches. The few groceries the local unicorn had fell out onto the ground.

“I’m sorry!” Summer said when she realized what happened. “Let me help you with those!” Summer enveloped several items in her light-blue magic and began putting them back into their bags.

“Thank you and please don’t worry about it,” the other mare told her as she rubbed her head and checked her mane. “I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going.”

“That makes two of us,” Summer said with a chuckle. 

“Again, thank you,” the mare said as they refilled the last of the bags. “Now, I really must be going. An order has just come in and-” The other mare stopped as she finally got a good look at Summer. “Sweet Celestia! You’re Summer Ice, the head of Fancy Pants Modeling’s Manehattan branch!” she exclaimed.

Summer was more than a little surprised any pony living in such a rural town would recognize her. “Yes, that’s me,” she said cautiously.

“Oh, forgive me; it’s just that when I was younger you were on the cover of practically all my fashion magazines! You’re one of the reasons I wanted to become a dress maker! Oh, but where are my manners; my name is Rarity, Mrs. Ice.”

‘Rarity; I could have sworn I’ve heard that name before,’ Summer thought. “I’m just surprised anypony would know me out here in the country.”

“I’m surprised a mare such as yourself would be out this far in the country,” Rarity said. “I’d imagine you’d spend your weekends at events and the like.”

“Well, actually…” Summer hesitated for a second as she tried to figure out whether or not to tell Rarity the truth when something finally clicked. Not the name, but the face. “Hold on a moment,” she told her, using her magic to flip open her saddle bags and pull out the newspaper article which was the whole reason she was there. There, among the six mares who wielded the Elements of Harmony against Discord, was the very unicorn she was talking to. That meant… “Forgive me, but this is you, correct?” she asked as she stuck the picture practically right under Rarity’s nose.

“Oh, yes, that is myself and my friends!” she confirmed. “THAT certainly was an interesting day.”

“Then do you know this pony here?” Summer indicated Midnight.

Rarity looked at where she was indicating. “Oh, Midnight, of course I know her! Silly thing helped save Equestria but refused to let the photographers get a good shot of her.”

A wave of relief swept through Summer. Whether by accident or providence she had literally walked into one of the ponies in the best position to help her. “Please, if it isn’t too much trouble, could you take me to her? It’s the whole reason I’ve come here today.”

“Right now?” Rarity asked, concern starting to cross her face.

“If it’s too much trouble you could just point me in the right direction,” Summer suggested.

Rarity thought for a few seconds more, turning her head from one side to the other as she thought, then a smile reappeared on her face. “No, it is no trouble at all darling; I work even better under a bit of pressure. Just follow me and we’ll be there in no time.”

-----------------------------

“I thought I recognized your name!” Summer said as she and Rarity walked through Ponyville to where Midnight lived. “Hoity Toity mentioned you at Fancy’s Hearth’s Warming party; he said your dresses were simply amazing.”

Rarity was practically glowing. “I’m just happy he liked them, especially after the disaster the first showing was.” 

“Oh, it couldn’t have been that bad,” Summer said, noticing how the other unicorn’s glow seemed to dim at remembering the incident with her friends’ dresses. “If they were, he wouldn’t have let you do a second.”

Rarity shook her head. “Trust me dear, they were horrid, and what’s worse they were for my friends for the Grand Galloping Gala. I don’t know how he did it, but Spike was able to get him to stay for one more show. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“Well, good for you. By the way, may I ask who Spike is?” ‘Rather odd name for a pony,’ Summer thought.

“Oh, Spike is my friend Twilight Sparkle’s assistant and either a surrogate younger brother or son. The way those two act with each other you’d think they were siblings but then again she did hatch him, so…” Rarity shrugged.

“Oh, yes, he was mentioned in the article. Wait, she hatched him? How did she even get an egg?” Summer asked. She gave Rarity a look of puzzlement.

“Twilight was participating in an exam to get into Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns and it called for her to use her magic to hatch a dragon egg. Later on she found out that the exam really was just to see her range of spells as well as her endurance. From what she told me the dear nearly failed when the sonic rainboom passed over Canterlot. The surprise jolted her magic and, among other things, caused the egg to actually hatch! It was so impressive that Princess Celestia herself took her on as her personal protégé!”

That sure was a surprise. “Wait, the princess’s personal protégé is staying here in town?” Summer asked, a look of disbelief on her face.

Rarity nodded. “Indeed she is. The princess has her studying the magic of friendship and while I do agree it sounds ridiculous, if it wasn’t for our friendship we never could have wielded the Elements and beat both Nightmare Moon and Discord.”

“Well, I guess that explains how a dragon can live with ponies,” Summer said. “If she’s studying under the princess, she must know some great illusionary or invisibility spells.” She said this in a lowered voice, but Rarity still heard her.

“What do you mean?” the other unicorn asked, slowing her pace a bit.

“Well, surely she isn’t just letting him walk around town? That would start a panic,” Summer said.

This time Rarity stopped completely. “Um, Mrs. Ice, ponies around here do not have a problem with Spike being a dragon. They barely even bat an eyelash at him.” Then something hit her. “You… you do know Midnight isn’t a normal pony, correct? I mean the photo makes that clear, but…” She remembered what Midnight had said about ponies in the cities and how they reacted to her. “I think you should know that Midnight has a bit of a temper. If you’ve come all this way just to do something akin to, well, gawking at her, she might become a bit… irate.”

She was prepared for scoffs of “no such thing,” or “of course not!” What she didn’t expect was for Summer to begin turning red.

“Excuse me?!” She said, truly offended by the implication. “I’ve been searching high and low for her for nearly four years now, and you think that I would do so simply to gawk at her like a common carnival side show!?”

Rarity took a few more steps back from the enraged mare. That certainly seemed like a ‘no’ to her. “Please, forgive me, it’s just that Midnight has told us of how she was treated during her travels and you could say we’ve developed a bit of a protective streak when it comes to her and ponies from the city. Rainbow Dash nearly knocked out a reporter that shoved his camera into Midnight’s face at the party, although that might have been more to save the reporter from Midnight.”

Summer almost snorted at the mental picture of what Midnight would have done to the reporter, but then something else registered in her head. Rarity had called Midnight a friend, something the kirin had actually avoided doing since the incident with her cutie mark. Could things really be that different in Ponyville?

“I’m sorry as well,” Summer apologized. “I guess you could say that I also have a protective streak towards her and you just happen to hit the right nerve.”

“I am sorry again darling, but I had to be sure. Now, her house is just a little farther; shall we continue?”

Summer nodded and began following her again. 

The house came into view a few minutes later and Summer wasn’t sure whether or not to be surprised. It looked like all the other normal houses of the town with their germaneic style and two stories but it was also situated near both the school house and an imposing forest. It looked out of the way enough for her but the proximity to the school wasn’t. For a moment she thought Rarity would lead her into the forest and that Midnight was actually living as a hermit there, however she lead them straight to the front door which had a name emblazoned on it. “Storm’s Firewood?” Summer read out loud.

“Yes, she’s Ponyville’s only wood cutter. She mainly sells firewood but you can special order lumber if you really need it.”

‘She’s a… but how? I never told her...’ Summer followed Rarity inside and was met by a rather sparse front end. There was a rather big area for customers to mill around in, a counter that went the length of the front, and a few shelves behind said counter with wood piles placed on them. The room smelled of cut wood and Summer’s memories of her youth began to play in her mind again, although they were quickly sent to the back of her mind.

“Welcome to Storm’s Firewood!”

Summer looked over at the counter and saw a dark-on-light blue pegasus mare smiling back at her with kind, orange eyes.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Actually Sapphire dear, Mrs. Ice here is looking to meet with Midnight; do you know if she’s in?” Rarity asked.

The mare shook her head and the smile faded to a straight line. “Sorry; she left to visit Derpy earlier this morning.”

“Do you have any idea when she’ll be back?” Rarity asked.

Sapphire’s face turned thoughtful. “I think she said she’d be back by lunch. If Mrs. Ice really needs to see her that badly you could take her to Derpy’s if it isn’t too much trouble.”

“Perhaps Windrunner could shoot on over and let Midnight know?” Rarity tried.

Sapphire shook her head. “Windrunner is out flying with Rainbow. They could be half way to Cloudsdale by now if her retellings of their times together are any indications.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Are you sure she’s going to come back?” Summer asked.

Sapphire looked confused by the question. “Of course she’ll be back. This is her home and business. If you want to wait here I can bring out a chair or cushion if you’d like; I don’t think she’d like strangers hanging around the house.”

Strangers. The word stung Summer. “Thank you; I think I’ll wait.”

-----------------------------

Summer sat and talked with Sapphire for the first half hour; Summer learning all she could about Midnight’s life in Ponyville so far. Rarity had excused herself soon after the conversation began so she could return to getting her latest order finished. When Sapphire finally asked why she was so interested in Midnight, Summer told her that she knew her from Manehattan and just wanted to see an old friend. Sapphire had given her a look at this.

“We were all under the impression that Midnight had only one friend growing up and that she was a filly about the same age as her,” Sapphire said.

‘She told them about Soft Glow?’ “Yes, well, what foal ever calls an adult a friend?” Summer said, hoping she’d diverted suspicion. Again, the paranoia had won out.

“I… suppose that’s true. Midnight did say a few adults other than her mother and father knew about her. I take it you know them or, at least, know her mother?” Sapphire asked.

“You… could say that,” Summer said uneasily.

“Well, when you go back to Manehattan, could you tell her where Midnight is?” Sapphire asked. “We know Midnight wouldn’t like it but we all feel it’s about time she tried and made up with her.”

Summer allowed her hope to grow a little more. Maybe there really wasn’t anything to fear if Midnight’s friends, something she was still coming to grips with, wanted that to happen. Maybe Midnight really wanted to reunite with her too after all this time.

They both heard the side door open and shut loudly.

“Sapphire, I’m back!” a high-pitched voice called from the back.

Sapphire opened the door next to her and stuck her head through. “Hello Squeaky; back so soon?”

“Uh-huh.” Sapphire pulled her head back and held the door open as if to let somepony through although Summer didn’t see anypony. Then she realized that the speaker must be a foal. “Pinchy still has homework to finish, Twist is helping her parents at their shop, and Dinky went with Miss Top to pick up Miss Hooves’ younger sister.”

“That’s right, Midnight is helping Derpy with Sparkler’s welcome party,” Sapphire said, remembering why Midnight had gone over to Derpy’s.

“And Miss Pinkie, too,” Squeaks added.

“Right, and she asked Carrot Top and Dinky to go to meet her instead so they could get ready,” Sapphire guessed, and was rewarded with a nod from the filly. Sapphire nodded back. “Well, I’m sorry none of your friends could play today.”

“That’s okay,” Squeaks said, her voice betraying her disappointment. “I still have some books I haven’t read or colored yet.” Then Squeaks got an idea. “Can I color some of them up here with you?”

Sapphire looked up and over the counter. “I’m sorry Squeaky, but there’s a visitor up front with me already, and you know the rules.”

There was a pause. “Is your mom back again?” Squeaks asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

Sapphire snorted as she tried to contain a burst of laughter. “No, it’s not my mom; the visitor is for your mom.”

Summer’s ears went fully erect. ‘Did she just say…?’ The next moment the filly stuck her head around the corner of the counter and Summer got her first look at her. Cream-colored fur with an orange mane with a white stripe through it, leathery wings, fangs, and yellow, cat-like eyes. Squeaks certainly had the looks to be Midnight’s child, but each one of those features also felt… off somehow. For example, Summer felt that Squeaks’ eyes were more cat-like than draconic and her wings were more bat-like. Then there was how old Squeaks looked. “Dear?” Summer asked. “How old are you?”

“I’m eight.” Squeaks replied, sounding uneasy after being stared at.

‘Eight? But that would mean Midnight had to be about fourteen and a fourteen-year-old just can’t hide that!’

“Midnight adopted her this past winter,” Sapphire provided when she saw the confused and alarmed face Summer was making.

“Adopted… I see. It’s just that they look so similar...” 

“I’ve noticed that myself,” Sapphire agreed. “But Squeaky is a threstral, bat pony, so it’s just coincidence.”

Summer was at a loss for further words. The Midnight she knew was reclusive, anti-social, and, to put it bluntly, often was just plain nasty. The thought of her having friends, going out to places, and being of all things a mother was just alien in the extreme. 

As Summer continued in her own thoughts, Sapphire brought Squeaks around the back of the counter again. “Why don’t you go ahead and color in your room, Squeaky? I think Mrs. Ice here is a bit nervous about meeting with Midnight.”

“Did I do something wrong?” The bat pony asked.

“No…” Sapphire said carefully. “But finding out Midnight is a mother must have freaked her out a bit. Just go upstairs and wait for me to call you down for lunch, okay?”

Squeaks nodded but before she could leave they all heard the side door open again. 

“-And that last eel almost took our tails off!”

“The two of you are going to end up in the hospital sooner or later and trust me when I say it isn’t fun.”

At the sound of the second voice Summer stiffened and her ears shot up again as if to listen to the voices more closely. 

Seeing this, Sapphire reached over and opened the door again. “Midnight, could you come to the front? Somepony is here to see you.”

Sapphire stepped back and allowed a large, black, draconic-like figure Summer hadn’t seen in nearly four years to appear in the doorway. “See me? What do they… want?” Her blue draconic eyes fell upon the visitor and suddenly Midnight couldn’t move or speak. She stared, speechless as the white unicorn with the mane and eyes the same colors as her own took a tentative step toward her.

“Midnight?” Summer asked, her eyes becoming shiny with tears.

“M-Mom!?” Midnight finally croaked.

-----------------------------

Midnight stared across the table at her mother as different emotions fought for dominance inside her. Relief, anger, joy, sadness, and confusion came one after the other and was barely there long enough before another emotion swept in. The only constant was the stare she shot across the kitchen table at her. Summer, for her part, held the look, although a mix of happiness and confusion reigned clear on her face. The silence in the kitchen was palpable and it was clear the happy reunion Summer had hoped for was quickly becoming less likely.

Whatever was brewing, Sapphire and Windrunner knew they had no right to be in it and had retreated, along with Squeaks, upstairs to wait it out. 

At long last Summer broke the silence. “So… I see you have a nice place for yourself.” She smiled hopefully.

“It’s home,” Midnight said evenly. 

Summer tried again. “I… uh… I hear you’re the town’s woodcutter. You know, your grandfather was the town woodcutter back where Orange and I used to live.”

Midnight’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t know that. You never told me about that or him,” the kirin said, the last part coming out as a slight snarl. “And, of course, you just had to mention Orange, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry about that,” Summer said, “it just seemed like-”

“No, that’s fine,” Midnight said, cutting her off.

Summer stopped for a minute, then tried something with a bit more shock value. “You know, you’re a big sister now.”

That elicited a surprised look on the kirin’s face. “Really?” But then her eyes narrowed again. “Let me guess who the father is.”

“Yes, it’s Orange,” Summer confirmed, weariness leaking into her voice. “Even so, it would be great if she finally got to meet her big sister.”

“Maybe,” the kirin said in a tone that was clearly negative.

“And maybe I could get to know my… granddaughter… later as well?” That was still something Summer was having a hard time wrapping her head around but maybe the filly could act as a sort of common ground for them.

Unfortunately, this only seemed to agitate Midnight. “We’ll see,” was all she said.

Silence fell over the table again as Summer fished around for other things to talk about that hopefully wouldn’t set the kirin off more. Midnight was more than ready to be confrontational. As she scanned the kitchen, her gaze fell on the staircase Sapphire, Windrunner, and Squeaks had gone up. They all had looked worried as they left. “I see you’ve gotten yourself some new friends; I’m happy you did.” 

Midnight snorted again but it did look like some tension left her at the mention of the other three in the house. “Believe it or not, I actually have quite a few friends here in town.”

“I’ve heard.” Summer let out a small breath of relief as she found a topic that didn’t rile her eldest daughter up. “Do you do anything together?”

“We have poker nights and watch each others’ foals. Sometimes we just hang around; those sort of things.”

Summer nodded. “Maybe you could introduce me to them later?”

Midnight sighed. “I guess, but I’m pretty sure they’re all busy today.”

“Oh, well, maybe tomorrow?” Summer tried.

Something flashed in Midnight’s eyes but she didn’t say anything.

Realizing that this subject, too, was going downhill, Summer looked around the kitchen for some subject to try when she saw the clock above the stove saying it was almost noon. “Why don’t we make sandwiches for everypony? It really wouldn’t be right if we hogged the kitchen while the others are standing around getting hungry, especially Squeaky.” Bringing Squeaks back up had been a gamble, but it seemed to pay off as Midnight sighed again and nodded.

“Time for lunch!” Midnight called as she got up.

Summer stood up as well and moved to the counter with Midnight as the others tentively came back down stairs. Squeaks went around through the living room so as to get close to her mother while avoiding Summer.

“I can’t believe how hostile Midnight is being,” Windrunner said as she followed Sapphire to the cupboards. “I mean, it’s been four years, right? You’d think Midnight would be happy to see her mother again.”

“Midnight’s always been a bit terse about the subject,” Sapphire offered. “She’s never once talked about it.”

“Maybe she’s angry about her mother starting a new family,” Windrunner guessed. “She’s made it clear she doesn’t like whoever this Orange stallion is.”

“That might be part of it, but I think…” Sapphire trailed off as she turned back towards the table. The other two turned to see Midnight glaring at Summer again. The butter knife that had been brought out was clutched in the kirin’s wing-claw and also surrounded by Summer’s light-blue, almost white, magic.

“Really Midnight, let me do this for you,” Summer said politely as she pulled on the utensil.

“As the host, I insist,” Midnight growled, pulling the knife back towards her.

“But I haven’t seen you in so long, let me make you a sandwich for old time’s sake.” Back to Summer, who was visibly becoming irritated.

“My house, my way, now let go!” Back to Midnight who was also getting her dander up.

Squeaks looked over at Sapphire as if pleading with her to stop them. Sapphire was baffled that Midnight and Summer would be fighting over a simple butter knife when there were plenty more in the utensil draw. Was Midnight really so ready for an argument that she’d start one over a small piece of metal?

“Stop being so stubborn!” Summer grunted, her venire of politeness finally wearing off.

“Stop trying to take over my life again!” Midnight shot back.

“I am not!” Summer yelled, indignant.

“You won’t even trust me with a butter knife!” Midnight roared, her fangs starting to show.

“I do trust you-!”

“LIAR!”

Both mares gave a final pull and the knife shot out from both their grasps. It went up, bounced off the ceiling, then fell to the floor, nearly hitting both Squeaks and Midnight. There was dead silence as everypony either looked at the feuding mares or at the butter knife on the floor. 

Summer broke the silence first. “Are you two alright? I didn’t mean to-”

“WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!?” Summer jumped back at the explosion. “FOURTEEN YEARS LATER AND YOU STILL ACT LIKE THAT!? A FAUST-DAMN BUTTER KNIFE AND YOU ACT LIKE I’M-!” Midnight’s tirade was cut short as she seemed to realize where she was and who was around her. She snorted, growled, and paced her front legs a bit before she spoke again in a more controlled fashion. “You and me need to have a talk. Now.” With that Midnight carefully spun around, making sure not to accidently kick or step on Squeaks, and  headed for the side door.

Summer stayed rooted to the spot for a few seconds, just as shocked as any of them at the kirin’s outburst. She finally came around as Midnight was almost out the door. She gave them all an apologetic look, then followed Midnight out the door.

“That… escalated.” Windrunner said, not sure what else to say. 

Sapphire nodded as Squeaks practically crawled over to her. She’d never seen Midnight so angry. Even Pinkie and Twilight had said she was more irritated than hostile when they first met her. Midnight had admitted she and her mother had an argument which was why she had left, but had it really been that bad? “I just hope it doesn’t get worse.”

-----------------------------

Midnight angrily yet quietly stalked off into the edge of the Everfree, Summer coming up close behind, hesitating only briefly at the forest edge. Midnight decided she would lead her far enough into the forest so that they couldn’t be overheard, but not deep enough to tempt an attack by the local wildlife. 

She had told Sapphire, Celestia, and others that she had run away from home because of a fight she had gotten into with her mother had turned out badly, and that pretty much was correct. As to the reason for the fight, she had told nopony. Midnight had never liked Orange Glow, something both she and her mother felt was something she had taken after her father, and had confronted Summer on the subject one night. Midnight had accused her of being unfaithful and in a rare moment Summer had lost her cool and yelled back that Windstorm being gone for fifteen years without a word made him the unfaithful one. She went on to say how she had put up with the charade until then so that Midnight would have some hope to hold on to, but in truth she had given up long before that. She told Midnight that her father wasn’t coming back and that it was time to grow up and face it. Yes, Summer still had feelings for Orange from before she had met Windstorm and that she was going to act on them whether Midnight liked it or not. Midnight had nearly thrown a fit and yelled back that she would find her father and live with him instead. If her mother could so easily stop loving him, how long before she stopped loving her? The last part had gone unsaid and Summer hadn’t taken her seriously until the next morning when she discovered Midnight, as well as several of the kirin’s personal possessions, gone. Midnight had spent the next three years wandering Equestria until finally settling into Ponyville.

They followed a trail through the forest for a bit before it forked off. The left trail led up to the top of the cliff behind Midnight’s house while the right trail led to a clearing. Midnight turned down the right path with Summer close behind and in less than a minute they were standing under open sky. They reached the center of it before Midnight whipped around on Summer, her tail-blade flying a bit close for the unicorn’s comfort. 

“Fourteen years,” she growled again. “Fourteen years later and you think I can’t even handle a BUTTER KNIFE!?  Unless you’ve forgotten, I have THIS,” she swung her tail-blade into Summer’s face, causing the unicorn to back up a step. “I don’t need a butter knife, or any knife for that matter, to hurt myself! Do you actually think I haven’t picked up anything sharp in all this time!?”

“And after what you did to yourself!?” Summer shot back, her own quick anger startling the kirin a bit. “Do you really think I felt nothing  after seeing what getting your cutie mark did to you!?” No matter how large or even dangerous Midnight may have gotten in the four years she was gone, she was still her daughter and Summer was not about to sit back and be yelled at by her.

“You became terrified of me!” Midnight shouted back. “Every time you looked at me I could see it! ‘When is she going to do it again, who’s she going to go after, how much of the city is she going to destroy?’ I was nothing but a ticking time bomb to you!”

“I was afraid you were going to hurt yourself!” Summer countered. “I was afraid that you were going to do something you would regret the rest of your life! THAT’S what terrified me! Yes, I was scared you would hurt somepony while like that, but I was more scared about how it would have affected you! If you had hurt or even killed somepony how would you have felt then!?” Here some of Summer’s anger seemed to leave her. “What you did to yourself when all you did was scare a few fillies… what would you have done if you actually hurt them? That is what scared me every time I looked at you, because that if was far too close for comfort.” She looked Midnight square in the eye. “A mother never forgets, not even after nearly a decade and a half.” Then she thought of something. “What if Squeaky did what you did? How long would you keep wondering ‘what if’?”

Midnight actually calmed down a bit as well. Her mother made a very good point and it had brought up some things Midnight had worried about when it came to Squeaks. What if she was doing the wrong thing by not giving Squeaks blood to drink? It was part of thestrals’ diets, so what if she was actually hindering or even hurting Squeaks in some way? What if it caused her to lose control one day and she attacked a friend or classmate? It was a frightfully similar situation, but Midnight really hadn’t considered it until just then. Still, she shook her head.

“Even if something did happen, she would always have me to fall back on, which is more than you did!” Her temper flared up again. “All you did was move the knives to a top shelf and go back to work! You took off two days to make sure I was alright and then it was back to leaving at dawn and not coming back to well past sunset! While I was at home trying to figure out what was wrong with me you were in your office playing dress up! I didn’t need a pent house, I needed YOU!”

“You’re damn straight I had to work!” Summer shot back. “Not every pony eats gems, Midnight! And yes, you’re right, I should have stayed home more, a lot more, but you eating animals around the city also endangered the secrecy your father and I agreed on! What if you were seen killing and eating a family pet? That would blow the secret right out of the water, wouldn’t it? Ponies need to mine for gem stones and they’re expensive as Tartarus! Your father told me that you needed either gems or meat to grow up healthy; I chose to provide for you rather than make you hunt on your own and risk getting spotted!”

Midnight snorted. “Well congratulations; you have a normal family now and don’t need to worry about any of that ever again! No more worrying what dead carcass I’ve brought home, no more worrying about what I could have done to myself while you were gone, no more worrying about having a… a… a FREAK of a foal!”

Summer felt as if she’d just been slapped. “I… I NEVER-!”

“OF COURSE YOU DID!” Midnight roared. “You weren’t afraid, you were ASHAMED! You had to give up your modeling career and go into the business side because of ME! You had to work all day and into the night because of ME! You couldn’t spend time with any friends because of ME! All I was to you was a BURDON and I bet you danced with joy when you realized I was gone!”

*SMACK*

Midnight stared in shock at a place somewhere to Summer’s left. Summer hadn’t raised a hoof to her since she’d gotten her cutie mark.

Slowly, Summer lowered her trembling hoof. “I… I was never, EVER happy that you were gone. I can’t even believe you would think of me like that. You were… are my little girl, and only a sick mind would be ashamed of what you are or be happy that you left. How can you ever believe I thought those things?”

Slowly, Midnight looked at her again. “How many times did you have nightmares about me?”

Summer was tripped up by the sudden change of topic. “Uh… I… I don’t know? Why?”

Midnight took a step forward. “I can’t remember how many nightmares about you I’ve had because I’ve lost count.”

Summer took a step back as Midnight took another step forward. The unicorn had gotten used to the fangs and fire from the many arguments with her teenage daughter. What she was not prepared for was the ice cold tone in her voice or the cold stare she was now getting from the adult one.

“Even before I left I had nightmares, although they were thankfully only a few nights a week. I could never talk to you about them because, of course, you were always at work. No matter what the situation was, there was always one constant. Do you know what it was?”

Summer shook her head.

“You. You  were always there, and do you know what? That’s all you ever said. ‘I hate you, you’re an abomination, I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!’ I guess I could have just shrugged them off, but after I left that’s what I looked forward to almost every night. And it didn’t stop at words, either. You turned mobs against me, found me for them, THREW ME OFF CLIFFS WHILE LAUGHING!” Midnight took a rattling breath. Her fangs were fully extended, fire played on her breath, and her wings were open to the point they were trembling. For a few seconds Summer really thought Midnight was going to go after her. “You aren’t my mother; you’re a walking, talking nightmare come to haunt me again but this time we’re in the real world and you don’t have any power over me. Now, why don’t you do us both a favor, go back to your little family, and never see me again.” Midnight held Summer’s gaze a moment longer before turning and beginning to walk away.

Summer stood there, stunned. This… this was beyond anything  she had expected. The four years apart, no matter how much she had tried to find her, had only made the rift between them worse than ever. Summer couldn’t even begin to try and figure out what to do next. Summer whipped her head up at the sound of fire being breathed to see Midnight waiting by the edge of the clearing. She was staring back at her, all anger and hostility apparently gone and replaced by a cold, uncaring look.

“Are you getting out of my forest or not?” she growled.

Summer stared at her for a few moments more. “Midnight...” she finally said. “I’ve spent the past four years praying I’d see you again. I thought of you every day and no amount of work or time spent with Orange or Autumn made me stop. I’ve tried to follow every lead I could hoping that it would lead me to you. Now I’ve found you and… and…” Summer closed her eyes as she felt tears begin to well up. “Those were just nightmares Midnight, things made up in your head. Are you really going to let that rule what you think of me? That those things are really what I would say to you? Are you really going to let it end this way?”

Midnight sneered. “Why not!? I want nothing to do with you! You’ve done nothing but make my life miserable! They may have been nightmares, but they were still you! You still said those things! You still did those things! And now you want to act as if everything is ‘forgive and forget’!?” Midnight slammed her front hooves into the ground with enough force to send out a small tremor. “Well I can’t! I can’t forget! I can’t forget being on my own! I can’t forget being treated as a monster and having to move almost constantly! I can’t forget the times I went hungry! I can’t forget the countless nightmares! I can’t… I can’t…!” Midnight suddenly whipped around, sat down, and was silent. Only the occasional angry grunt or a hoof striking the grass made any noise.

Summer waited for Midnight to start yelling again. When she didn’t she slowly made her way over. Midnight was shaking when she reached her but from what Summer couldn’t tell.

“I just wanted to blame you for everything.” Midnight said in a quiet, yet strained, voice when she sensed Summer was close. “I thought that if I could find dad, if I could just ask him why the bucking Tartarus he left, then maybe, maybe, we could go home together and we could…” Without warning tears began running down Midnight’s face, although she screwed up her face in an effort to hold them back. “I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was. No cutie mark, no nightmares, no fights, I just…” Midnight clenched back a, just as unexpected, sob. 

Summer, unable to stand it anymore, reached out and touched Midnight’s hoof, trying to comfort her. She was angry at Midnight, for running away, for not coming back, for the yelling match they just had, but seeing her suddenly breaking down like that, Summer just couldn’t stay that way. Even if the problem was herself, something was hurting her little girl and she needed to help fix it.

The kirin flinched at the touch at first, but then tentively took it in her own hoof. In the many times Midnight had gone over this very scenario in her head, none had ever turned out like this. There was supposed to be mutual understanding of never wanting to see each other again because her mother was just as horrible a pony as the rest. But if that was the case, then why, after all the shouting and accusing, did she not want her to leave?

Summer reached out and wiped one of the tears away. “Midnight, after all is said and done, please, if nothing else, believe me when I tell you I never, past, present, or future, will think of you as anything  but my beautiful, wonderful little girl. Just promise me you’ll never forget that.”

Midnight finally looked at Summer. Every nightmare, every fight, every reason Midnight ever thought she had to be angry with her mother came to mind again but this time they all seemed petty and childish. If she really hadn’t cared, then why did she put up with her all those years? Why had she even come looking for her? The monster in her dreams would never have done that… but her mother would. Her mother, who raised her alone when her father left, who worked from dawn to dusk so that she could have a proper diet and roof over her head, who, even after every fight they had, still smiled at her and held her close. Four years of near-constant nightmares had done a lot to ruin that image of her. She now knew how wrong she had been. “Mom… I…” 

Without warning, Midnight Storm pulled her mother into a hug and began balling her eyes out. “I-I-I j-just w-w-wanted t-to c-come h-h-home s-so m-much b-but e-every t-time I-I h-had a-another n-nightmare a-and-!”

Summer was momentarily shocked at the suddenness of the action, then embraced her back. “Shhh. There, there baby girl. We’re together again.” Summer patted her daughter as she also began to cry. “And as long as we have each other, we’re home.”
> Ch.4 - Big Sister Midnight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Now remember Midnight; you promised to be civil while Orange is here,” Summer said, reaching over and trying to fuss with her daughter’s mane while they waited on the train station platform Monday morning. After the events on Saturday, Midnight had told her it was alright to send a letter back to Manehattan and let Orange and Autumn know they could come and see her as well. As far as the kirin was concerned, the only reason Orange was coming was because Autumn was too young to ride the train alone but she would be civil for her mother and sister’s sake.

Midnight snorted and took a step back and away from the hoof. “I remember mom and enough with the mane already!”

“Did you even brush it this morning?” Summer asked. “Have you brushed it at all these past four years?”

Midnight let out an exasperated snort. It was true; mothers never changed. “I like it the way it is.”

“I mean it looks like you live outside-”

“I’m a wood cutter; I practically do,” Midnight retorted.

“-and you make up Squeaky’s mane so nicely,” Summer continued as if Midnight hadn’t said anything, “that it’s beyond me why you don’t put your own mane up even a little.”

Midnight looked over at Sapphire, her face a perfect picture of ‘Help Me’.

Sapphire giggled and shrugged. The kirin was on her own when it came to Summer, just like she was when Ruby came.

“You’re no help,” Midnight snorted at her, then turned back to her mother. “I put Squeaks’ mane up because she looks better like that and because she actually likes it. I, on the other hoof, like my mane the way it is.”

Summer let out an exasperated sigh. “For somepony who doesn’t like being considered a wild beast, you make little effort to not look like one.”

“Mom!”

“I can see the train!” Sapphire said, pointing down the rail and stopping the argument. 

Both of them turned their heads to look. Indeed the train was coming, slowing down to stop at the station. “Oh, here they come! Midnight, you stand back here next to Sapphire and wait for me come over with them,” Summer said, pushing Midnight and Sapphire a few steps back and more into each other. “I want to get them both ready to meet you.”

“Sure mom,” Midnight said with a nod, allowing the grinning Summer to get into position closer to the train.

“Nervous?” Sapphire asked when she saw the smile on the kirin’s face was a bit strained.

“A little bit,” Midnight conceded. “I mean, I was nervous about being a mom after all was said and done with what happened with Squeaks, but she and I had kind of bonded already. Autumn and I have an even bigger gap between us in age; what if instead of a big sister I…” she trailed off.

“I may not have any siblings,” Sapphire told her, “but I get the feeling from seeing others like Rarity and Applejack that the bond is just different between sisters than it is between a parent and a foal. You’ll be a great big sister.”

Midnight was glad her black coat hid her blushing. “Thanks.” She gave her a quick wing hug, one which the pegasus returned, then turned back to watch Summer. The unicorn was embracing an orange pegasus that had just come off the train and Midnight suddenly found herself trying to suppress a growl. Summer had told her that before meeting Windstorm, Orange Glow was more of a childhood crush than somepony she was serious about and the pegasus had respectively bowed to his rival, even if his feelings hadn’t gone completely away. After her father left, Orange had become more and more an emotional rock for Summer, until she found herself having the same feelings for him as he still had for her. Midnight still wanted to bite him, hard, but a very small voice at the back of her mind said what happened wasn’t his fault at all. She’d indulge it… for now.

When they were done Summer and Orange came up to them. “Midnight, you remember Orange Glow, right?” Summer asked pointedly.

In an attempt to cover her extending fangs Midnight smiled broadly. “Hello, Orange,” she said between her teeth, reaching out a hoof for him to shake.

“Hello, Midnight, it’s great to see you happy and healthy,” he told her, shaking her hoof.

“Where’s Autumn?” Midnight asked, quickly retracting her hoof and looking away from Orange to Summer. “I thought she was here, too?”

Summer took a step to the side and looked at a spot behind Orange’s legs. “Autumn? Don’t you want to come and meet your big sister?” After a few seconds a small, grey foal with the same blue eyes as Summer and Midnight and bright orange mane as Orange stuck her head out briefly, then shot back behind the pegasus stallion. “Oh, come now.” Summer stepped back and around Orange and a moment later was pushing the foal in question out into the open. “Autumn, this is your big sister Midnight. Midnight, this is Autumn.”

Midnight and Autumn stared at each other in silence for a whole minute, one trying to figure out what to do next while the other was too scared to move. Finally, grinning sheepishly, Midnight lowered herself to about Autumn’s eye level. “H-Hi, Autumn… I-” Before Midnight could finish, Autumn’s eyes shrunk to pin pricks and she bolted back behind Summer. “Uh…” Midnight lifted her head, a look of hurt clear on her face.

“Autumn!” Summer scolded as she looked around at her youngest. “That’s no way to treat your big sister!”

“It’s alright mom,” Midnight said, taking a step back to stand with Sapphire.

“Autumn,” Summer said, ignoring Midnight, “we are not leaving this train platform until you say hi to your sister.” 

“She’s scary mommy,” Autumn said plaintively, looking up at her parents as if begging for them to agree with her.

“She’s not scary honey,” Orange tried. “She’s just different from other ponies. You’re different from the other foals and they aren’t scared of you.” That was a bit of a stretch; Autumn was the only pegasus foal in their building while all the others were unicorns. 

“But she’s a dragon,” the filly tried again.

“She’s only part dragon,” Summer explained. “She’s what we call a kirin, but she’s just as nice and safe as any other pony; more so, since she’s your sister.”

Autumn peaked her head out again to look at Midnight, only to duck back behind Summer again when the kirin smiled at her.

“Autumn,” Summer said warningly.

“Sorry,” came the quiet response from behind Summer.

Midnight nodded. “Apology accepted,” she said back, almost just as quietly.

“Alright then,” Summer said, somehow managing to sound both pleased and unhappy at the same time, “now that we all know each other, how about we head back to Midnight’s and get settled in?”

-----------------------------

Squeaks let out a silent sigh as she sat on the couch, sucking on a watermelon while she waited for her mom and the others to come back. Windrunner was on the other side of the couch reading a magazine while she kept an eye on the filly. Squeaks had decided to stay behind instead of going to the train station because so far the past day and a half for her had been, at the very least, awkward. 

Midnight had told her that the mare, Summer, was her mother, which meant that she was Squeaks' grandmother. A grandparent was something Squeaks had no experience in. She'd heard that most grandparents were very nice and liked to spoil foals whenever they saw them, but there were a few that could be very mean as well, like Dinky's grandma, and that worried Squeaks. Her mom had acted very hostile towards Summer when they had first seen each other so Squeaks thought of her as a bad pony. Then they went off into the Everfree and came back crying and saying everything was alright. The sudden change of attitude had confused not only Squeaks but Sapphire and Windrunner as well. 

The adults, at least, had gotten over their confusion but Squeaks had stayed reluctant, even to the point of doing her best to have one of the others between her and Summer anytime the two were in a room together. There was also the way Summer looked at her, like she was happy, confused, and uncomfortable all at the same time. Midnight had tried to get the two to interact and Summer had even seemed willing but Squeaks just shied back behind Midnight. She hadn't been comfortable around Windrunner at first either, but then Windrunner hadn't made Midnight angry at all.

There was also the fact that Summer was sleeping in her bed. Since she had a bunk bed and there were no  more guest rooms available, Midnight had told her that Summer would be sleeping in her room. The filly had not liked that idea at all and at the first chance she got she snuck back downstairs to Midnight's room. The kirin had argued that she was perfectly safe alone in a room with Summer, but in the end relented and let Squeaks sleep with her for the night. Midnight had relented the second night as well because, since Summer had paid extra for express delivery of her letter and apparently so had Orange, word had come that the two ponies would be coming from Manehattan and they would also need a place to sleep. Since Squeaks was so against sleeping in her own room with her grandmother, Summer and Autumn would get Squeaks' room while Orange got the couch. Squeaks had no problems with the arrangement; she loved cuddling up and sleeping under her mom's wing. To her it was the absolutely safest place in the world she could be while the other ponies were in the house.

"Are you alright Squeaky?" the pegasus asked her from the other side of the couch, eyeing the filly with a hint of worry. "You're awfully quiet today."

Squeaks pulled her fangs out of the fruit but continued to stare down at it. "I don't think I like Sum- I mean, I don't think I like grandma very much."

"Is there any particular reason why?" Windrunner put her magazine down and turned towards the filly more. If they were all going to spend the week together (Summer had apparently cashed in some vacation and personal days before she left) then it would be for the best if the filly got whatever was on her chest off it, though why ponies considered problems to be on their chests the desert pony had no idea.

Still the small bat pony refused to look up at her but her wings flapped in discomfort. "Mom didn't like her when she first came here."

"Yes, but they seemed to make up."

"But how can somepony be super mad with another pony one minute, then be hugging them the next? It doesn't make sense."

Windrunner thought about it for a minute. "I... don't really know either. Your mother really was angry with her but whatever she was angry about they seemed to work it out in the woods. Maybe whatever she was angry about turned out to have a simple solution they hadn't seen before or perhaps Summer came to apologize for whatever happened and that's all Midnight wanted to hear. Whatever the case may be, Midnight is getting along with her mother and you should try to get along with her as well."

Squeaks nodded and put her fangs back into the melon. She guessed she could try a little harder. Then her ears perked up. "They're back," she said, turning to face the small hallway with the side door.

Windrunner had just gotten off the couch to get the door when it swung open. First through was Sapphire, quickly followed by both Midnight and Summer, then finally an unfamiliar pegasus stallion and filly came in and closed the door behind them. While the two newcomers followed Summer into the kitchen, presumably to put down the bags they had brought in with them, Midnight and Sapphire entered the living room. Both Windrunner and Squeaks saw that Midnight looked worried as she entered.

"Hey," the kirin said in a tired voice, bending over to nuzzle Squeaks who eagerly returned it.

"Is everything alright?" Windrunner asked, looking from Midnight to Sapphire.

"It seems that Autumn Light, Midnight's younger sister, is a bit scared of her," Sapphire said.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Midnight said, laying down so that her head was resting on the couch cushion Squeaks was on. "Only ponies from here and who knew me from when I was little aren't scared when they first see me."

"I'm from Canterlot and Cloudsdale and I never had a problem with you," Sapphire said, moving closer to the kirin.

"Neither was I," Windrunner added.

"I wasn't either," Squeaks said, sounding proud.

Midnight raised an eyebrow at her. "Squeaks, the second you saw me you went tearing into the Everfree the other way."

The bat filly's ears drooped. "W-Well, I didn't go far..."

All three adults snickered and Midnight nuzzled her again. "I know Squeaks. Listen," Midnight's face became serious. "This week is going to involve a lot of things neither of us are used to but at least promise me you'll try and get along with your grandmother and... aunt, okay?"

Slowly, reluctantly, Squeaks nodded. "O-Okay mom. What about grandp-?"

"The only thing you need to know about Orange is that he's married to your grandma." Midnight interrupted, her teeth bearing slightly.

Sapphire and Windrunner gave each other worried looks.

"Well," came Summer's voice from the hallway. Everypony in the living looked over to see Summer, Orange, and Autumn coming in to join them. "How about we all get to know each other?"

-----------------------------

"So... has mom read any good books to you lately?" Midnight asked as she moved her blue piece a few spaces.

Autumn's eyes flicked up to her then back down at the board. All but one of her yellow pieces were on the board while Midnight only had a single blue piece. The game of Trouble had been Summer's idea after she had asked Squeaks what kinds of games she played. As it turned out, it was one of Autumn's favorite games and almost before any of them could blink Summer had come back down with the game in her magic and almost as quick had it set up so that Autumn and Midnight could play. When that was done, she had gone back into the kitchen to play with Squeaks and her favorite game: Uno.

The idea for games had come up after the introductions had all gone around. It had been short as only Sapphire, Windrunner, and Orange had really greeted each other. Orange already knew Midnight and both Squeaks and Autumn had stayed behind their respective parents. Squeaks at least had said hello after a look from Midnight, to be polite. Autumn had to be coaxed out and only whispered out greetings. Saying hi to Squeaks had required even more urging and Midnight was sure that had been because Squeaks had features similar to herself. That and the fact that Autumn had to look at Midnight to see Squeaks. 

Orange had been just as surprised as Summer had been when he had asked the two pegasus mares to talk about themselves. Then again being an aid to the princesses and growing up among buffalo weren't stories one heard every day. Both of them had been equally interested in Orange's work, as well as hearing that he and Summer had grown up in the same village as foals. Midnight acted completely disinterested the whole time, even yawning widely at one point.

Sapphire and Windrunner had left after that, Sapphire saying somepony needed to watch the front while Windrunner said she would go out and at least mark the next few trees they would work on. Before leaving, Sapphire had given the kirin a pointed look. "You know, being hostile to Orange might be sending Autumn bad signals as well," she had whispered.

Midnight had simply snorted at that. 

Seeing that neither Autumn nor Midnight was going to start any conversation, Autumn hiding and Midnight looking uncomfortable, Summer began talking with Squeaks. It was all the general kinds of questions an adult would ask an eight-year-old: how was school, did she have any friends, what were her favorite toys, etc. It had been during this that Summer had asked what kind of games Squeaks usually played and when Squeaks had rattled off Trouble, Autumn visibly perked up. Seizing the opportunity, Summer suggested playing a few games while they talked. Midnight chipped in that they should also try playing Squeaks' favorite game, Uno, while they were at it. Summer had agreed happily, but when she had brought the games down she had told Midnight to stay in the living room and play with Autumn while she and Orange played with Squeaks in the kitchen. Both fillies had looks of horror on their faces but no amount of buts and puppy-eyes could dissuade the adults. 

It had been an eye-opening moment for Midnight that both she and her mom where both in agreement over their respective little ones getting to know the other adult. After years of near-constant arguing, though, it was nice to finally be on the same side for once. It was also weird that both Squeaks and Autumn would act in identical fashion to one another but, then again, Squeaks was simply a shy filly, almost certainly due to her upbringing,  and Midnight was sure Autumn was just acting the same because of her. From what Summer had told her before they had arrived, Autumn was actually quite friendly and hardly ever had a problem walking up to a pony and saying hi. It was a bitter pill for Midnight; after a year in Ponyville she could actually almost forget the looks of terror other ponies in other places had given her. Now, here was her own sister giving her the same look and it reopened those memories.

It was that fact, however, that made Midnight decide that this time had to be different. Autumn was her sister and family was the one thing you should never be scared of. Maybe that had been part of the reason she had been so angry with Summer the whole time as well but either way Midnight wanted to get along with her sister, just like she wanted Squeaks to get along with Summer. So, after the game had started, Midnight had started asking Autumn the same questions Summer had asked Squeaks. Unfortunately, Autumn looked more at the board than anything else. 'At least she's not constantly looking back at the kitchen' Midnight thought.

"You know, I remember some of the books mom read to me when I was little," she tried again. "There was a book about a rabbit, one about a bird, even two books about an octopus and a family of wingless dragons." Unless the kirin missed her guess, she could have sworn Autumn had looked up at her with surprise, but the filly's head went back down the moment Midnight turned back to her. "Maybe it was because I'm part dragon, well wyvern, but I really liked that story." Midnight tapped the bubble with the dice and moved her piece. She turned to look at the window when she was done. "Mom read it to me a lot... heh, she even did the noises for me when she read." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Autumn looking up at her but couldn't make out the look on her face. "I think I liked it so much because no matter what the family stayed together, and even after they got lost they found each other in the end. Maybe that's why I liked it so much, because in the end everything turned out alright." She turned back towards Autumn, who once again lowered her head to the board game. This time, however, the blue eyes flicked up and held hers for a second before dropping back down to the game.

'That's a start, I guess' "Anyway, have you ever had a mango?"

-----------------------------

"Uno," Orange said as he put down a yellow five. 

Squeaks looked down at her two remaining cards, then at her grandmother. She had five cards in her magic, so she wasn't a threat just yet. She looked back down at her own cards, her tongue sticking out as she concentrated on the two. She could just put the one card down and then let Summer go but she could just as easily give Orange the winning move. The other card could be just as damning but then if he didn't have a similar card she could almost certainly win. After a brief hesitation Squeaks put down her card; reverse yellow. "Uno," she said back, challenging him to have a wrong card.

Orange looked at the card, to her, then back to the card. "Red reverse," he said, putting down his final card. 

"UGH!" Squeaks grunted, slapping her last card down on the table, a red two.

"Sorry Squeaky; that's just how it works sometimes," he said with an apologetic grin.

"I bet I could beat you at Go Fish," Squeaks pouted. She hardly ever lost at Uno and here Orange was beating her for a second time in a row. 

"I'm willing to let you try," Orange told her with a smirk.

"You're on!" Squeaks said, then her back legs twisted inward slightly. "After I go to the bathroom." With that the bat filly was off her chair and running up the stairs.

"You can be really manipulative sometimes," Summer said with a laugh. 

Orange shrugged. "If her wanting to beat me helps her open up, I don't see a problem with a little goading." 

Summer laughed again, but she had to admit he was right. While Squeaks had been very withdrawn when they started, she had begun being more open and even talkative once the game got into full swing. By the end, not only was she talking but was becoming competitive with Orange. He had almost won that first game and Squeaks had seem to take it as a personal challenge to her skill in the game. One thing that did bother Summer as they played was that, while Squeaks had begun calling her grandma with less hesitation, she called Orange by his first name. She was sure Midnight had something to do with it.

"Summer, everything alright?" Orange asked, noticing how his wife's face had become a bit annoyed.

"I'm just tired of Midnight acting the way she does towards you. Did you even notice that Squeaky didn't call you 'grandpa' even once?"

Orange let out a sigh. "Summer, I'm not Midnight's father and I'm not going to try to be. Not because I dislike her," he said, stalling Summer, "but because I know if I ever tried to replace Windstorm she would never forgive me. True, I'd like it as well if she would stop growling every time I enter the same room she's in but all I want is to be her friend and to be there if she needs me; that's it. And if I'm not going to ask Midnight to call me dad, I'm certainly not going to ask her foal to call me grandpa."

Summer let out her own sigh. "Orange, I've known you since we were foals and I just have to ask; is there anything that offends you? Windstorm always seemed to want to bite your head off and Midnight never seemed adverse to taking a piece out of you either, yet you just sit there and smile like nothing's wrong."

"Windstorm was a wyvern, Summer. I could hardly blame him for being territorial and as for Midnight, well, she can be just as possessive. I can't fault either of them for having draconic natures."

Summer shook her head. "More patience than a rock," she mumbled. 

-----------------------------

"Autumn, why aren't you getting along with your sister?" Summer asked as she got Autumn ready for bed. "I know you just met her but you're usually so friendly with other ponies." Dinner had shown that there had been little to no progress between the filly and kirin, even though it was clear Midnight was trying.

Autumn spat out the water she had been using to rinse her teeth into the sink. "She's part dragon, mommy!"

"So?" Summer asked, wiping her daughter's face clean of left-over water and spit. "You like that book about dragons; what's so different about Midnight?"

Autumn hopped down from the stool Squeaks usually used and followed Summer out into the hallway. "Well... she's really big."

"So are the dragons in the book."

"Nuh-uh! They're only... this big!" Autumn spread out her front legs to about the size of a dog.

Summer had to suppress a snort of laughter. "No Autumn, dragons are much bigger than that, even the ones in the book. In fact Midnight is actually small for dragons."

Autumn thought about that as she followed her mother into Squeaks' room. "Well... she still looks all scary and stuff."

Summer cocked an eyebrow at her. "How does she look scary?"

"Because she's big, and black, and has sharp teeth, and has big wings with claws on them!"

Summer sighed heavily. She had to admit that to a three-year-old Midnight was more than just big and had sharp teeth and claws belonging to things that tried to eat ponies. Add in the black coat and Summer could suddenly see that to a foal, Midnight could easily be mistaken for some kind of monster that lurks in their closets and tries to gobble them up at night. 'She really does seem cursed sometimes'. "Autumn, since Midnight is your sister, that means she's my little girl as well. That means that, just like you, I know her better than anypony else, so believe me when I tell you that she would never, ever, try to hurt you in any way. All she wants to do is be a good big sister, so please promise me tomorrow you'll at least talk with her? After all, you two may have more in common than you think."

Autumn frowned at this, but finally gave a quiet "okay".

With a satisfied nod Summer levitated Autumn up for a good-night kiss, then up and into the top bunk. "Good night Autumn dear."

"Good night mommy."

'And I think I have an idea on how to help you two along.'

-----------------------------

"Sounds like you had a good time today," Midnight said as she put the story book on her night stand. Despite her best efforts she could hear a bit of resentment in her own voice. She knew it wasn't fair to Squeaks to sound like that but the situation with Autumn really bothered her.

"Yeah, grandma is fun to be with." Squeaks said with a small smile as she curled up next to Midnight. "But Orange was fun to play with, too." The thestral felt her mother suddenly go ridged. Looking up, she could see Midnight looking towards the bedroom door as if she could see through it to Orange laying on the couch. She looked angry, too.

Before Squeaks could ask what was wrong, Midnight snorted and adjusted herself on the bed. "Well, I'm glad you had fun regardless."

"Did you have fun playing with Autumn?" Squeaks asked when it seemed Midnight had cooled down enough.

"That's Aunt Autumn, Squeaks," Midnight told her.

"But... I thought aunts were supposed to be older than their... um..."

"You're her niece, and yes, that's usually how it is, but on rare occasions a niece or nephew can be older."

"So I have to call her that? What if she doesn't like it?"

Midnight thought about it for a second. "We'll ask your grandmother about it tomorrow. Right now I think we could do with a bit of shut-eye. Good night, Squeaks." Midnight turned off the lamp and kissed Squeaks on the forehead.

"Good night mom," Squeaks said back, squirming back under her mother's wing. It was only as she was drifting off that she realized that Midnight never told her how her day with Autumn had gone.

-----------------------------

Tuesday morning seemed to come all too quickly for Midnight. It had only felt like a few seconds but the clock on the night stand had gone from 11:09 PM to 8:11 AM. She had stayed up reading after Squeaks had fallen asleep (thanks to her draconic eyes she could very easily read in the dark) but it was obvious that the situation with Autumn was eating at her more than she liked to admit if she had slept a full nine hours. 

Part of her felt that they were going about the situation all wrong. What if forcing Autumn to spend time with her actually made things worse? Maybe they should all just take a step back and let Autumn come to her on her own. Then again, if she was acting so different than usual, maybe keeping a distance would give the filly an excuse to never get to know her.

Midnight laid her head back down on a pillow. 'It's too early for this' she grumbled silently. A stirring under her left wing made her lift it up to reveal Squeaks just waking up. The small thestral yawned widely, giving Midnight an impressive view of her fangs, and when she was done she looked up at her with a smile.

"'Morning, mom."

"Good morning, Squeaks. Sleep well?"

The filly nodded. "I always sleep good in your bed."

Midnight nuzzled her and rested her head down by her.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Squeaks asked her as another yawn escaped her.

"I don't really know. We need a few groceries so maybe a trip to the market but other than that..." the kirin shrugged.

"Maybe we could all go to the park?" Squeaks suggested.

Another shrug. "Maybe." She rested her head back down and closed her eyes.

As Squeaks thought of what else they could all try to do a scent wafted past her nose. Stopping her train of thought, she took another, deeper sniff.

"What is it Squeaks?" Midnight asked, one of her eyes cracking open.

"It's... cooked fruit? And... *sniff sniff* ...pancakes!"

Intrigued, Midnight raised her own head and sniffed. It took a moment but she also caught the scent. An explosion of memories came to her, and her mouth was instantly watering. "She didn't..."

"What?" Squeaks asked, perplexed.

"Only one of the best breakfasts in the whole world!" All hints of sleep were gone as Midnight did her best to bolt out of bed without hurting Squeaks and made a bee-line for the kitchen.

-----------------------------

Summer looked up from the stove as Midnight barreled into the kitchen from the living room and Autumn from the stair well.

"FRUIT SALAD PANCAKES!!!" they both yelled in unison.

"With extra mangos and cranberries," Summer told them.

Both Midnight and Autumn seemed to be in awe.

"Of course, only good girls who sit next to their sister get my famous Fruit Salad Pancakes, so..." Summer motioned to the table and it was only then that the two siblings noticed each other. 

Midnight smiled awkwardly and edged over to the table, taking a seat on one of the cushions and trying to act as non-threatening as possible. "Good morning Autumn," she said, giving her a soft, toothless smile.

Autumn looked from Midnight to the pancakes several times before she, too, edged up to the table next to Midnight, climbing up onto one of the chairs. 

"Autumn," Summer said in a disapproving tone, "what do we say when someone tells us good morning?"

The filly hesitated a bit but finally said back to Midnight, "good morning."

"That's more like it," Summer said approvingly.

"What's for breakfast?"

They all turned to see Squeaks enter the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Mom's making Fruit Salad Pancakes!" Midnight told her, her mood rising as she motioned the filly to take the seat opposite her. "Trust me, you'll love them!"

Squeaks went around the table to the seat her mother had pointed out for her. They had to be good to make her mom act like they were the same age. 

Once Squeaks was seated Summer laid out three plates, forks, and knives, as well as several bottles of syrup and jellies. "Now I already knew you had a few things like maple syrup and apple butter but I figured I'd be making these eventually so I bought a few more things on Sunday." 

Squeaks and Autumn looked in wonder at the three different syrups (maple, blueberry, and raspberry) and five different jams/jellies (apple butter, orange marmalade, strawberry jam, grape jelly, and peach jam). Midnight seemed more occupied with the pancake stack next to Summer by the stove.

Said plate was enveloped in a blue aura and hovered over to the table. "Remember Midnight, these are for everypony," Summer chided as she set the plate down.

The kirin pulled her tongue in and snorted in dismissal. "Obviously," she retorted.

Squeaks and, surprisingly, Autumn chuckled at this but a third chuckle from the stairway caused Midnight to turn and found Sapphire observing the scene. "You seem excited about something," she said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Several very delicious somethings," Midnight informed her as she deposited three large pancakes onto her plate, which she then proceeded to drown in apple butter.

"Midnight, could you help Autumn with her food before you inhale yours?" Summer asked.

Ignoring both Squeaks' and Sapphire's chuckles, Midnight turned to Autumn and her food. "Okay, just..." She tried to reach in front of the filly with both wings, her fork and knife held each in a wing-claw, but it was apparent that with the size of her wings she would only succeed in pushing the filly off her seat. "...just give me a second here," Midnight told her as she opened her right wing to go around Autumn to reach her plate.

The filly was startled for a second as the large, black wing practically enveloped her, but something about it was calming as well. It was almost like being wrapped in some sort of umbrella/blanket that protected her from the outside world. The unsure look Midnight was wearing as she cut her food also helped ease Autumn's fears of being so close to the kirin. The half-dragon actually looked... scared to her, and monsters are never scared. "Thank you," Autumn said quietly. Midnight nodded back at her and when she was done she brought her wing away and went back to her own food. 

Which she promptly rolled up a whole pancake, dripping apple butter, and stuffed it whole into her mouth with a look of contented bliss. It didn't last.

"Midnight!" Summer snapped.

"Whaa!?" the kirin asked indigently, doing her best to chew, talk, and keep all the food in her mouth at the same time. The effect made her look like an oversized black chipmunk and both Squeaks and Autumn began laughing. Sapphire tried to stifle hers in an attempt to keep the look of a mature adult for the foals and disapproving friend for Summer's benefit but the whole thing was too much for her as well.

"You may be an adult and this may be your house but that doesn't mean you can think you can eat like a pig!" Summer scolded. "Now either eat your food like a civilized pony or you won't get anymore!"

Midnight made to object, mouth still nice and full, but the look Summer was giving her, a look that would make even Celestia and Luna cower if their own mother could still give it to them, convinced her that compliance would be the better part of valor. The kirin shut her mouth, chewed what was left of the food in her maw, then began cutting the food still on her plate into bite-sized pieces. Relatively, of course, out of defiance. 

As satisfied as she realized she would be, Summer turned back to the stove.

Through her laughing fit, Autumn looked back and forth from her mother to Midnight. The kirin had gotten the same look on her face as she and her friends did when they were in trouble. That was something else monsters didn't do. Maybe... maybe that was because Midnight wasn't a monster...

-----------------------------

"Well, at least things seem to be getting better," Rarity told Midnight. "Though you really can't expect her to go from fearing to loving you in less than a day. Besides, they'll be here the whole week, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know one another."

"I know," Midnight sighed.

"Don't worry Midnight; family always comes around in the end," Applejack said from behind her stand.
Midnight had gone out after breakfast (why did it have to end?) to do some shopping and also to find Rarity and Applejack to see if they, as fellow older sisters, had any ideas about what she and Autumn could do together to help bond. As luck would have it both of them were already at AJ's apple cart when she'd arrived.

"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "No matter what kind of arguments Sweetie Belle and I have, we always make up with each other. You'll see Autumn come around in no-time."

"It's too bad the Social ain't this week," AJ said. "It's a great way to bond with yur kin."

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "The 'Social'?"

"It's a day of games and contests for mares and fillies. It's called the Sisterhood Social because it was originally for sisters, but we've gotten a bit lax over the years since not a lot of families 'round these parts have two or more fillies," the farm pony explained. "Now we get mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, and even cousins sometimes. Berry Punch and her daughter Ruby Pinch have already signed up, as well as Dinky Hooves and her aunt Sparkler."

"Didn't Sparkler just get here?" Midnight asked.

"Yeah, but from the sounds of it they're gettin' along like two peas in a pod." Then Applejack remembered what they were talking about. "Sorry."

Midnight only grumbled. 

"Perhaps a stroll through the park would help things along?" Rarity suggested. "A foal her age could spend hours there having fun playing all sorts of games. Even Sweetie Belle and her crusader friends are actually taking a break and going there for some fun today."

Midnight thought about it for a minute. It wasn't exactly the place she spent a lot of time at but then again it might be better for Autumn. If part of the reason was that the filly felt trapped in the house with her, then time out at the park might help her ease up and get more comfortable around her. Maybe they could even agree on a game, though Hide-and-Seek probably wouldn't be a good idea to suggest. 

"Mind, it was only a suggestion," Rarity said when the kirin had been silent for a bit.

"No, it might actually be a good idea; even Squeaks brought it up earlier. I'll talk to you guys later." Grabbing a couple of apples and hoofing AJ the required bits, Midnight left to finish her errands. 

-----------------------------

"Orange,  I want to talk with you about something."

The pegasus stallion looked over at his wife, momentarily taking his eyes off the five foals they were watching play in the schoolyard. After Midnight had left on her errands, Squeaks' friends had shown up asking if Squeaks could come out to play. Summer had volunteered herself and Orange to watch them, allowing Sapphire and Windrunner to do their own jobs. This had the added bonus of taking Autumn along to try and get her acclimated to the bat filly as well. 

"You know I'm always ready to listen."

"I know but..." Summer hesitated a moment, looking towards the foals, Squeaks and Autumn in particular. The idea had firmly entrenched itself when she first thought of it but now that she had him alone to talk with she was suddenly feeling nervous about the whole thing. "Maybe I shouldn't... "

Orange touched her reassuringly with a wing. He hadn't seen her this nervous about something in a while, not counting the news about Midnight. "Summer, whatever it is, just talking about it won't hurt anything."

"Have you been getting tired of the city at all?" she blurted out. "I mean, have you ever wanted to move back to someplace rural, like where we grew up?"

"Hmm...," Orange thought for a moment. "I have on occasion. I love photography enough but it would be nice to be able to live someplace like home again. Why?"

"Well..." Summer bit her lower lip. "I've been feeling that way for a while now. I never brought it up because I was hoping Midnight would come back one day and I wanted to be there when she did. On top of that, any private school we send Autumn to is going to be filled with fillies and colts that might start making bad impressions on her."

"We could always send her to public school," Orange offered. Maybe it was their rural backgrounds but neither of them had ever developed the high-society attitude that many of their peers exuded. It worried both Summer and Orange that even being friends with foals with the same attitudes might cause Autumn to start behaving like another Shining Star or Crystal Goblet. 

"We could, but..." Summer hesitated. "Orange, I'm tired of the city. I took one look around Ponyville and I knew it was the place I wanted to spend the rest of my life. You, Autumn, and Midnight are all the family I have left and I want us all to be close."

"What about our careers?" Orange asked. "I guess we could at least start here with the money we've saved, but we'll need jobs again eventually. And Midnight is an adult now, Summer. Now that you two have settled things she can always come visit us in the city."

"I've already got an idea about jobs out here. Do you remember me telling you a little while back about how Fancy Pants wants a rural branch?" 

"Yes..." Orange said uncertainly. "Something about an untapped market or new photo shoot location?"

"Both, actually. Fancy thinks that having models take photo shoots in more rural locations might convince country ponies to buy a dress or suit or two. That means an office in a town like this one."

"This all sounds a bit too convenient," Orange said. 

"It was in a memo," Summer told him a bit defensively. "He wanted to know if anypony had any ideas and I didn't say anything because... well, I already told you why."

Orange nodded. "Alright, that solves that problem, but Summer, did you ever stop and think about what Midnight would think of the arrangement?"

Summer gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I don't think Midnight would like us all moving in to her house even if she had the room. She might take it as you trying to take over her life." Summer stared at him a few moments, then she started laughing. "What?" he asked indigently.

"Orange," Summer said as she calmed down, "I never said anything about moving in with Midnight! Sweet Celestia, we'd be at each other almost every other day and making everypony miserable! No, I was thinking about buying our own home here in Ponyville, one like Midnight's were we can set up the business in as well."

Orange thought that over for a few minutes. "I... guess that's good then."

"What's still wrong with the idea?" Summer asked, becoming more annoyed than nervous at this point.

"Well, it's just that moving is a big deal. We need to find a house in town, sell the apartment, move all our things out here and set it up in the new house... it's a lot to think about."

"Wait, does that mean you agree?" Summer asked.

Orange stayed quiet a little longer. "Yes, I think it would be a nice idea."

Summer let out a sigh of relief and leaned back into the bench they were sitting on. The city had been her home for more than twenty years but now, after all this time, she could almost feel like she was really coming home.

-----------------------------

"So, um, just... just do whatever you want for now and we'll head back home for dinner at sunset," Midnight told Autumn as they reached the lake at the center of the park. After getting home around lunch and telling Summer over sandwiches what Rarity had told her about going to the park, her mother had jumped at the idea and had immediately told Autumn. The filly, of course, looked like she'd rather not but in the end Summer gave her no choice. Squeaks had added in her own two bits and said that Autumn could take a toy with her if she wanted, so the filly was carting a ball with her as well.

Another thing that had perked Summer's interest was when Midnight had told her she had run into Mayor Mare on her way home. The politician had been in great spirits when the kirin ran into her and she was more than happy to share her reasons.  Apparently that morning she had received a letter from the princesses themselves saying that several building projects, homes mostly, would soon begin in several empty plots of land and that the crown was funding them all. While that was nice and all, it was the second and third parts of the letter that had made the mayor jump for joy. The princesses also said that any building projects, including repairs and renovations, would be covered by them as well as long as a formal work order was sent to them. This meant that several structures that needed work, such as the town hall and the water tower, could now be repaired without raising taxes or waiting either months or years to raise the funds. Lastly, they were going to fund an actual police force for the town. Nothing fancy or elaborate, but enough so they could say the town actually had one.

It was good news to those in the Storm Household as well. The plans Midnight, Sapphire, and Windrunner had been discussing and haggling with the local construction companies about could now be paid for by the crown. As well as a new house for Summer, Orange, and Autumn as no new houses had been built since Midnight had moved in. Summer hadn't said anything to Midnight about moving to town yet; they had the rest of the week for her to be in a better mood to drop the announcement. 

The kirin yawned widely as she settled on the sandy shore of the lake to watch Autumn play. It wasn't as nice as the sandy beaches off Baltimare, but they would do for now. She had offered to play with the ball with her, but Autumn had only shaken her head timidly at Midnight's question. So the kirin found herself laying on the sand watching her sister kick and chase after said ball, with only the odd pony passing by to break the monotony. 

Time passed this way for nearly an hour before something strange happened. Midnight was watching the water, contemplating going for a swim and seeing if that somehow would get the filly's attention when she felt the air pop next to her. Turning her head sharply she found herself nearly nose-to-nose with a frazzled looking Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight?" Midnight finally asked after a minute of taking in the other mare's appearance. She looked like a pony that either had too much coffee or had been through the worst of a wind storm. Though the manic, almost unblinking staring was more indicative of mental instability. Knowing Twi, Midnight chose the latter.

"Midnight!" the unicorn responded. "I heard earlier from Rarity that you were having problems becoming friends with your little sister, and as a good friend I thought I'd offer my help!" The equally manic smile grew.

"Uh, no thanks Twilight. This is something that needs to stay between me and Autumn," Midnight told her, hoping that would send the crazy mare away. No such luck.

"But, how can you two be bonding if you're over here doing nothing while she's over there playing!? Don't worry, I can fix that!" Before Midnight could make any kind of protest, Twilight waved her horn and both Autumn and the ball disappeared then reappeared next to the kirin, Autumn staggering slightly from the unwarned teleport. "There! Now, the first thing you two need to do is-"

"Twilight, we seriously don't need your help," Midnight interrupted, keeping her temper in check for Autumn's sake as she used a wing to steady the filly. "This is something between Autumn and myself, so could you please leave us alone right now?"

"Oh Midnight, anypony with a knowledge of psychiatry can see that you two are working through some issues and, as such a pony, it is my responsibility to help you two work through this."

"I said no Twilight, now as a good friend I expect you to respect my answer." Turning to Autumn with a soft smile, Midnight bumped the ball back over to her and motioned for her to go back to playing.

"But, but-!" Twilight stammered as Autumn moved away with the ball. Before she could form a cohesive protest, Midnight's hoof reached up, grabbed her frazzled mane, then painfully pulled in down so that her face was lower than Midnight's.

"Twilight, I am doing my best to keep my temper in check so that Autumn doesn't become even more afraid of me. Now, you are making an already short fuse even shorter, and if I have to yell I am going to ROAR in your ear so that you're deaf for the rest of the day. For the last time, we don't need you here, so GO. AWAY." With that Midnight released Twilight's mane and the unicorn only hesitated a second before teleporting away. Midnight sighed unhappily and laid back down. She was going to bite Rarity later.

Almost a minute later something touched her again, this time bopping her lightly on the nose. Her head snapped up and she found the ball sitting in front of her. Looking around she saw Autumn, not a pony's length away, looking from the ball to her and back again. "I'm not mad," Midnight said, lightly tapping the ball towards her. The filly edged a little closer until she was in legs-reach of the toy, then she tentively reached out a hoof for the ball. Midnight reached out and pushed the ball all the way over to her. The filly grabbed it, said a quick "thank you", and ran off a little ways with it. 

The kirin once again let out an unhappy sigh but this time she wouldn't let herself lie back down and stew in her own unhappy thoughts. She stood up and again contemplated going for a swim before she saw a bunch of sticks under several of the trees off to the side. An idea came to mind and she went over to fetch them, all the while keeping an eye on where Autumn was. She returned to her spot a minute later with several sticks gripped in both wing-claws and her mouth. Setting them down next to her, she laid back down on the sand and picked up two sticks. She laid them down parallel to each other and almost as far apart as they were long, then took two more sticks and laid them down once again parallel to each other but this time perpendicular to and on top of the first two. She continued like this until the square-shape stack of sticks were even with her chest.

She was about to get up to get more when the ball once again came her way, only this time it struck the stick tower, knocking it over. Midnight looked up to see Autumn stop a few hooves away and looking as if she'd just broken something expensive. "I'm sorry!" she said, looking form the pile of sticks to Midnight. "The ball bounced off a tree and-!"

"It's alright Autumn," Midnight said, trying to calm the filly. "It's just a pile of sticks; I was getting up to get more anyway." She kicked the ball back over to her and left to get more sticks. To her surprise Autumn was still there when she got back, examining the knocked-over stick tower and seemingly to have forgotten the ball entirely. "I told you it was fine Autumn," Midnight said as she dropped her haul.

The filly jumped slightly but this time the nervousness was hardly there. "I was just wondering what you were building," she told the kirin. 

'Wow, a whole sentence,' Midnight thought with actual surprise. 'Maybe this...' "I was just stacking sticks into a square, like this..." She reached out and began stacking the sticks again like she had before. To her amusement Autumn actually began getting excited. 

"I build these all the time with mommy and daddy whenever we go to the park back home!" the filly told her. "Can I build one too?" 

"Of course, just grab some sticks and build away," Midnight told her, waving a hoof at the stick pile. The kirin laughed silently to herself as Autumn practically dived onto the stick pile and in a few minutes they were both engaged with their towers. 
It all went down almost exactly like everypony had said it would. All of Autumn's concentration went into building her stick tower to the point that she was going under Midnight's legs to get a better look at some angles. At one point she even asked Midnight to lift her up so she could see down the center of the tower. They finally stopped when the towers were both taller than Autumn.

"That was fun," Midnight said as they stepped back to admire their work. 

"Yeah..."

The kirin couldn't help but notice the unhappiness in the filly's voice. "Something wrong?"

Autumn squirmed slightly. "It's just... whenever I build with mommy or daddy, I ask them if we can use mud to keep them together but they always tell me no because I'll get dirty."

Midnight thought about that for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. "Well, you want to know something about older sisters?"

Autumn nodded slightly.

"They help you break the rules sometimes." Midnight walked over to the water, scooped some up in her wing, then headed over to a bare patch of dirt near the edge of the sand and dumped the water on it. After mixing it up with her hoof she went for water two more times, after which the spot was nice and muddy. 

Autumn looked up at her. "Really?" she asked enthusiastically. 

Midnight nodded. "Really."

Autumn squeaked in delight as she hurried over to the mud, got a hoofful, then went back to her tower and began carefully applying it. 

With a chuckle to herself Midnight also got some mud and began pasting her tower with it. 

They were almost done when Autumn got a little too excited and a glob flew from her hoof and hit Midnight in the chest. "Sorry!" Autumn said, looking guiltily at the mud-covered spot.

Midnight looked from the splotch, then to Autumn, then back at the mud. As an answer, she flicked a bit of mud from her own hoof onto Autumn, splattering her small barrel with wet dirt.

Autumn looked down at the dirt on her, then looked up at Midnight with an annoyed expression. 

Of course Midnight could only laugh at it. That is until Autumn went off to the mud spot and came back with more in her hoof. It only took a second for Midnight to figure out what was coming next. "Don't you even think-!" *splat* "-about it." The kirin now had large glob of mud stuck to her chest and barrel. "So that's how we're going to play, are we?" Before Autumn could get away Midnight reached out with her wings and gathered the squirming foal up in them, making sure not to hurt her with her wing-claws.

"What are you going to do?" Autumn asked nervously, realizing she was caught.

Midnight calmly walked over to the mud spot and held her younger sister over it. "Get even." With that she gently dropped the filly belly-first into the mud. Her laughter at the antic was interrupted by yet another splattering of mud on her coat. "I'm hit, I'm going down!" she laughed, "falling" into the mud next to Autumn. She got hit with mud again, this time with some actual force behind it.

"I said I wanted to build with mud, not play in it!" Autumn said angrily. "Now I'm going to get in trouble!"

Midnight looked over at her and saw that the game was indeed over. Autumn had an angry look on her face as well as tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry," she told her, "but you know what else big sisters are good for?" Autumn shook her head as she tried to wipe mud off herself. "Getting out of trouble." Once again she scooped up Autumn into her wings and began carrying her toward the lake.

"What are we doing now?" Autumn ask apprehensively.

"Washing the mud off," Midnight told her matter-of-fact like.

"But, there's no bath tub here!"

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "I see a rather large one right in front of us."

Autumn turned and looked at the lake they were heading for. "But that's not a bath tub!"

"All a bath is, is water in a hole."

"But I can't swim!"

"Who said anything about swimming?" Autumn felt herself slide out of Midnight's wings and into the cool water, which only came up to her chest. "Now you wash up here while I go in deeper." Before Autumn could say anything Midnight had jumped up and gotten air born. "Cannon ball!" She yelled out when she was a couple of lengths away. Tucking her wings in, the kirin proceeded to fall into the water. The ensuing splash and wave drenched the filly in shallower water, so when Midnight made her way back over to her, Autumn looked like a half drowned gray-and-orange rat. "At least most of the mud is off you now," Midnight said with a smile. 

Her answer was to be splashed. Thus both sisters engaged in trying to splash the other into submission, getting almost all the mud off in the process. When they had finally tuckered each other out Midnight helped Autumn onto her back so she could rest out of the water. "Are we having fun yet?" the kirin asked her as she settled herself down into the water. She hadn't bathed liked this in some time and the feeling of water surrounding her was a nice one. 'I should do this with Squeaks some time.' 

A gentle tapping on the back of her neck made her turn to look at Autumn. "Everything alright?" she asked.

The filly nodded. "I'm... I'm sorry I said you're scary," Autumn told her.

"That's alright," Midnight said. "I know I look like something from Nightmare Night to a filly your age; to most ponies actually, with my fangs and size..."

"And the teeth, and eyes, and the roaring..." Autumn added.

"You're still scared of me, aren't you?" Midnight asked as the filly trailed off.

Autumn only nodded slightly.

Midnight bent back and nuzzled her the best she could. "Like I said, I can't blame you. Plenty of ponies have been scared of me. It's just that, well, you're my sister and I just don't think sisters should be scared of one another."

"I'm not that scared of you," Autumn protested. "It's just that..."

"The way I look, I know," Midnight said a little warily. Then she brightened up. "But, we still have the rest of the week to spend together; maybe by then you won't be." Midnight got up and got out of the lake, deposited Autumn on the ground, then shook herself like a dog to the amusement of the filly. "Alright, it's getting close to sunset so we better start heading home."

"But, won't mommy ask why we're all wet?" Autumn asked as she got the ball and washed it off. 

"Ah, but mom is a unicorn and forgets we fliers can self-dry easily." Midnight opened her wings for emphasis. 

"But, daddy says I'm too young to fly," Autumn protested. 

"Well, daddy isn't here right now," Midnight said a bit tersely. "But I understand if you're too scared to fly with the big bad kirin..."

"I am not!" In the blink of an eye Autumn was next to Midnight and trying to climb up on her. 

With a laugh Midnight lowered herself so Autumn could climb on.

"Can we come back and build again tomorrow?" Autumn asked as she got herself situated.

"We can come back every day this week if you want," Midnight told her.

Autumn nodded. "I'd like that."

'Me too' the kirin thought as they took off. 'Me too'

-----------------------------

'I DON'T LIKE THIS!'

"Midnight, hold still!"

"Stop dabbing me with acid and I will!"

Summer snorted. "Midnight, it's peroxide, not acid."

The kirin grunted but held still as her mother dabbed more medicine on her. 

On the way home from the park,  Midnight and Autumn had spotted something happening on the ground, something that seemed to include her six charges. Upon landing the two had found out that, in an attempt to solve a friend's problem to write to Princess Celestia about, Twilight had decided to make a problem. It involved a doll of hers, Farty Pants or something, and a spell called 'Want It, Need It' that was causing everypony who laid eyes on the doll to fight over it. Given her natural immunity to unicorn magic, Midnight figured she could get the doll away from the fighting ponies long enough for Twilight to turn off the spell. 

Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on there being so many pegasi, or that the unicorns would start hurling everything not tied down at her, or just how hard Big Mac could buck. By the time Princess Celestia arrived, the kirin was curled up in a ball at the bottom of a pile of ponies. When she had finally realized that she was no longer being ganged up on, she had summarily hit Twilight with the doll several times and told her she hoped Celestia did send her back to Magic Kindergarten for doing something so stupid. Ignoring the glares from the others,  Midnight had collected Autumn and resumed their flight home. 

It hadn't all turned out that bad. Autumn had seemed genuinely concerned about all the little scrapes and bruises her older sister had gotten while at the same time really impressed that she could take such a beating and not have a lot more. As soon as they got home, Summer had begun fretting over Midnight's state and immediately tending to her wounds. Autumn and Squeaks, the heartless traitors, had laughed the entire time at the kirin's discomfort. The situation became a little better when they told her how their time at the park was otherwise, sans the mud and dip in the lake. 

"Well, I'm glad everything went so well," Summer said, dabbing at another spot. "Which is good, because I have something to tell you."

Midnight groaned. Why did ponies like to deliver bad news when the other was in a good mood? "What is it?"

"Midnight! Sunny Skies has come to visit!" Sapphire called out from the front.

"Well, I talked it over with Orange, and we're going to move here to Ponyville!"

"She says she wants to talk with you about somethings you said and did to Twi... light?" Sapphire stopped as she entered the kitchen. Sunny Skies looked over her shoulder, her unhappy look quickly changing to one of confusion. Sapphire could only groan. "Now why is your eye twitching?"
> Ch.5 - Pillow Knights and Draconic Fights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And so, by the power invisited-"

"Invested."

"-invested in me by... um... me... I now pronounce you, Autumn Light, squire to Pillow Knight Squeaky Wings!"

Squeaks, Dinky, and Twist all stamped their hooves on the floor in applause as Pinchy tapped Autumn with a pillow on her shoulder, finishing her induction into the Pillow Knights.

Midnight, half asleep on the couch as she watched them with one eye, smiled. Autumn had come a long way in being comfortable around her and Squeaks since she had first met them a month ago. Back during that first week, Midnight had discovered that one of the things Autumn truly loved to do was build things. The two of them had simply started with stick towers held together with mud but when Squeaks had started coming with them to the park the bat filly had come up with several other ideas for building projects, all of which Autumn had immediately jumped on. By the last day of the week they had built bridges, tunnels, and even (very) crude airships using leaves as balloons. Both fillies had even loved the swimming at the end of the days. Of course, on the last day Summer had come to the park to tell them she and Orange were going to treat them all out and had caught all three of them covered in mud and leaves just as they were about to get into the water. The unicorn had proceeded to lecture her kirin daughter on why she shouldn't let her sister and daughter play in the mud and why a lake wasn't proper for bathing. Midnight had taken the reprimand in stride and promised she wouldn't do it anymore. 

A promise she immediately broke when Autumn had come to visit the next weekend. Before they had all left, Autumn had asked when they would be coming back, to everypony's surprise, and so Midnight and Summer had come up with the idea that the filly should visit every weekend so she could start acclimating to the town she would soon be moving to. Summer would ride down with Autumn each Friday night from Manehattan, stay the weekend, then leave for home Sunday night. The reason for this was twofold. On the one hoof Autumn was too young to ride the train by herself, and on the other it allowed Summer to check up on how their new home was coming along. Summer's request to her boss, Fancy Pants, to be the head of the new rural branch had been approved and now all they were waiting for was the house to be finished.

As it turned out, this meant that Autumn had been in town when the Sisterhood Social was held. Midnight had entered herself, Autumn, and Squeaks into the activities and both fillies had a blast, with Squeaks enjoying the weekend with both her mom and her friends and Autumn's inherent friendliness finally shining through. There weren't many foals her age there but she was more than willing to make friends with Berry and Sparkler, as well as Pinchy and Dinky. Sparkler was a good egg in Midnight's opinion. A little too protective when it came to her older sister and niece (a joke at Derpy's expense had not gone down very well) but a decent pony all the same. They had all won several of the weekend-long events and had some good laughs (Midnight getting stuck in the doorway of the chicken coop in the final race, for example) and it even seemed that Rarity and Sweetie Belle had gotten over some sisterly issues as well.

Speaking of houses, the extension onto Midnight's was almost finished by now. The plans almost doubled the width of the house as the main point was to add a whole new set of rooms opposite the ones upstairs; three new ones in total. The front sales area would now be much bigger, as would the downstairs bathroom under the stairwell (thank Celestia). For the extension in the living room, however, Summer had given her daughter an idea. If they were expecting to have more guests,  then trying to fit them all in the kitchen would never do. She suggested making the new living room area into a dining room big enough for them all to sit and dine comfortably, and either remove the kitchen table and replace it with an island or keep it only for use by the immediate family. Both Sapphire and Squeaks had jumped onboard the idea, both voting for the island, forcing Midnight to concede to it. She had to agree, though, that the fire place acting as the divider between the two rooms would be a nice touch, and the island would give her more room to move about in the kitchen. 

This week around, Autumn had learned about the Pillow Knights and had asked Squeaks if she could play as well. The bat filly had no problem letting her younger aunt join and neither did any of her friends but there had been a disagreement about whether or not Autumn should be allowed in as a full knight. Dinky argued that they let Twist in as a full knight while Pinchy said she was too young to be one yet. Squeaks had intervened and suggested that she be a squire under her, after hearing about them in one of the stories in her story book. They all agreed after she explained what a squire was and so did follow the scene in the living room. 

"Now what do we do?" Autumn asked eagerly.

"Now, we must build our fort," Pinchy told them. "Sir Dinky, you collect the pillows from the mountains!"

Dinky saluted and ran towards the stairs.

"Sir Twist, you collect them from Storm Dragon's den."

Twist did like-wise.

"Who's Storm Dragon?" Autumn asked as Pinchy went over to the couch to collect the pillows there and start the fort. 

"That would be me," Midnight said lazily. For a second she contemplated letting out a large, fang-filled yawn but she remembered Autumn was still uncomfortable about such things, so she settled for stretching her wings out fully.

"That will be your job, Sir Squeaky," Pinchy said as she set up the first pillows. "You will introduce your squire to all those living here in Pillow Valley and beyond!"

Squeaks saluted, turned, and pointed at Midnight. "You've already met Storm Dragon. She can be good or bad depending on... well, depending."

Midnight waved a wing at them. "I'm good today."

Autumn laughed at her sister as Squeaks led her into the kitchen where Sapphire was making some tea.

"This is Lady Sapphire of Snack Land! Her snacks are so good that sometimes we have to save her from evil doers that want them all to themselves!"

Autumn and Sapphire waved at each other.  "Giving her the tour?" the older pegasus asked with a laugh.

"Only until the fort is finished. Is Windrunner, I mean, is The Wind Runner around?" Squeaks asked.

Sapphire shook her head. "No, The Wind Runner is out and about I'm afraid."

"Aw, shoot," Squeaks said disappointedly. "The Wind Runner is this big bird that can fly really fast and guards things sometimes," she told Autumn.

"Oh," Autumn said with an understanding nod. "That's it?"

Squeaks shook her head. "No, there's Fruit Ogre from the Valley of Forbidden Waters," Berry Punch, "Queen Bubbles of Muffin Land and her advisor Smart Carrot," Derpy and Carrot Top, "and the Candy-Smiths of the Sugar Range," Twist's family.

"Do I get to meet any of them?" Autumn asked.

"Well, we can't leave the house, I mean valley, just yet, but maybe next weekend you can meet some of them," Squeaks told her, using her wing to steer Autumn back towards the living room. 

"Hold on," Sapphire said, causing the two to stop and turn back towards her. The pegasus reached into the cookie jar at the far end of the counter and pulled out five cookies. "Lady Sapphire has an important mission for you. Please see that these cookies reach Fort Pillow safely." She placed the cookies into Squeaks' hooves. "Perhaps your squire can help you with this mission?" Sapphire asked with a smirk.

"Yes, excellent idea, Lady Sapphire!" Squeaks agreed. "Squire Autumn, your first duty ever is to help guard these cookies from Lady Sapphire back all the way to Fort Pillow!"

Squire Autumn saluted and took three of the cookies. "I won't lose, Sir Squeaky!"

The two turned back toward the living room, but then Squeaks let out an unhappy squeak. "Oh no, I've forgotten my trusty Pillow Sword! Squire Autumn, we must go forward with all possible speed to avoid the dangers between us and Pillow Valley!"

Autumn saluted again, almost dropping one of the precious cookies, as her small wings buzzed. "To Pillow Fort!" she called out as they both darted into the next room.

-----------------------------

"And thus, I declare that this day's Fort Pillow finished!" Pinchy said to cheers from her fellow knights and squire. She popped the last bite of her cookie into her mouth and chewed it like a gruff drill sergeant would a wad of tobacco. "And so, our next order of business is... um..." Pinchy turned to the rest of them. "What are we going to do today?"

The other fillies gave her shrugs in return. 

"Um... ooo! Storm Dragon can attack the fort, since she's so cleverly made herself part of it!" Dinky suggested, pointing out how some of the upper pillows were leaning against her. "Then we can fight her to avenge it!"

"Can't, I'm good today," Midnight said lazily. "I agreed to be part of the fort."

"Oh," Dinky said.

"How about we explore the Land of Table Treeth?" Twist asked, referring to the stump-filled area where Midnight had first started cutting down trees.

"No," Squeaks said. "We need Storm Dragon, Lady Sapphire, or The Wind Runner to take us there with their powers and they're all busy right now." They all looked at her next for an idea. "Um... oh! How about we try to find the lost toy treasure again? We didn't find it last time."

"But it was Storm Dragon that hid it last time, and she's busy this time!" Pinchy pointed out. "Besides, it's no fun not winning!"
As the group descended into arguing what was fun and what wasn't and what they should do, Autumn got a sudden inspiration. Midnight, Sapphire, and Windrunner all had characters, and the others Squeaks mentioned had to be Dinky, Pinchy's, and Twist's families. That meant everypony was part of the game in some way, except her mom and dad. Since Orange was still back home in Manehattan, that left only Summer. "I've got an idea!" she burst out, bringing a halt to the fighting and even causing her sister to open a sleepy eye in curiosity. "We can go fight the... um... the Vegetable Witch!"

"The Vegetable Witch?" they all repeated.

"Yeah! She's an evil witch who makes ponies eat nasty vegetables instead of candy and cookies!" Autumn told them. Her mom was always trying to make her eat those nasty vegetables and she could use magic like a witch could.

All the pillow knights gasped in mock horror. "Truly she is an evil to be reckoned with!" Pinchy said.

"Vegetables aren't all bad, though," Squeaks said.

"See!? She has already cast an evil spell on Sir Squeaky! We must stop her before it's too late!" Autumn said, pointing a trembling hoof at Squeaks.

"Oh no, you're right!" Squeaks yelled, grabbing her cheeks with her hooves as she did so. "Quick, Squire Autumn, where can we find this Vegetable Witch and what does she look like!?" 

"Uh..." Autumn pointed at the stairwell and gave them all a confused looked.

"The livth in the mountainth?" Twist asked.

"Yes! She lives in the mountains where she can create her spells in secret! We must go up there and stop her!" Autumn confirmed. "She takes the form of a pure-white mare, but we can't be desive... declive... we must not be tricked!"

"It is decided then," Pinchy said. "Pillow Knights, grab your trusty Pillow Swords and let us be off to save ponies everywhere from the scourge that is vegetables!"

They all cheered as they grabbed their pillows and made for the distant mountains. 

-----------------------------

"Truly, this witch is formidable if she can live at the top of the mountains," Sir Pinchy huffed as they rested near the top after their long climb. Between the blasts of powerful winds, rock slides, and the occasional monster popping up to harass them, the climb to the summit had been one of the most dangerous expeditions the pillow knights had ever been on. Only force of will, their tough-as-nails training, and sheer luck prevented the loss of any of their number. 

"At least getting down will be easier and faster," Sir Dinky said, looking back down the mountain side. 

"How are our rations, Sir Twist?" Sir Pinchy asked. In the future Squire Autumn would be the one to hold all the supplies, however this time she was acting as their guide and she couldn't be distracted or weighed down with such things.

Sir Twist checked her saddlebags. "We're low on thnackth."

"Already!?" Sir Pinchy whined.

"You had us stop halfway up here for a snack break," Sir Squeaky informed her. "If you had waited until we reached the top, like the rest of us suggested, we could face the witch without worrying about making it back down again."

Sir Pinchy gave the only thestral pillow knight the stink-eye. "Well, as Sir Dinky has said, the climb back down should be easier and faster, so snacks shouldn't be a concern."

"Yeah, if the jumpth firth," Sir Twist whispered to the others, who did their best to hide their giggles. 

"Anyway," Sir Pinchy said, getting up. "Squire Autumn, how much farther must we travel to reach the witch's lair?"

Squire Autumn pointed to a cave a little ways down the ridge. "She resides right there, m'lord."

"Good. Onwards and upwards to glory, knights!"

"But it's straight ahead," Sir Dinky pointed out. "And we can't go up any higher unless the rest of us grow wings."

"Real cute," Sir Pinchy told her with a deadpan look. 

Sir Dinky pressed her hooves into her cheeks, made fish-lips, and batted her eyes. "I know, right?"

They all laughed as they made their way to the witch's lair.

-----------------------------

"I'm home!" Summer called out as she entered through the side door, several bags floating in her magic behind her. When she turned towards the kitchen, she found Midnight on her back and head in the cabinet under the sink. A small tool bag rested near the cabinet door and the kirin's tail and wings twitched in time to grunts coming from inside. "Midnight, what in Equestria are you doing?" Summer asked as she put the bags down on the kitchen table. 

"Fixing the drain pipe," came the grunt. "Sapphire said it was leaking again."

"So why are you fixing it? Can't you just get a plumber from one of the other jobs to help you?"

Midnight grunted again. "They have the weekend off. Besides, how do you think I earned a living while I was out on my own for four years?"

"Well, I... it's just..." Summer stammered, confused by the odd change of direction. To be honest, and ashamed, she had pictured Midnight begging on the street.

"I learned how to do useful things," Midnight provided for her. "A bit of plumbing here, some carpentry there; not an expert in any of them but I learned enough to be useful. Heck, I put this place back together myself mostly."

"I see..." Summer said, embarrassed. "So... where are the girls?" she asked in an attempt to change the topic.

Midnight waved a wing at the stairs. "Upstairs in Squeak's room from the sound of it, on one of their Pillow Knights quests. Looking for you, actually."

Summer raised an eyebrow. "Looking for me? But they know I went out earlier."

Midnight waved a wing at her. "Doesn't stop them from playing. Besides, it gives them a new character to play with."

"New character?"

"Yeah. I told you about their game, right?"

Summer shook her head. "No, not about this 'Pillow Knight' game."

"Basically, they're all knights who wear pillows as armor and use pillows as weapons and call themselves 'Pillow Knights'. They make up adventures for around the house and each of us is a different character. I'm a dragon called Storm Dragon, Sapphire is Lady Sapphire of Snack Land, and Windrunner is some type of giant bird. What?" Midnight asked, pulling herself out from the pipes to see her mother laughing. 

"It's just so cute!" Summer told her between giggles. "And imaginative! Where in Equestria did they get such an idea?"

Midnight shrugged, then pulled herself back under the pipes. "Dinky and Pinchy came up with it. Anyway, Autumn came up with the idea to look for you."

"Autumn is playing with them as well? That's good to hear, but again I have to ask why they're looking for me."

"They couldn't decide on an idea until Autumn suggested they go and try to defeat the Vegetable Witch who lives up in the mountains."

Summer stared down at her. "The what from where?"

"The Vegetable Witch in the mountains." She gestured again with her wing at the stairs. "I get the feeling Autumn doesn't like veggies."

"Well, we can't always have them drowning in butter and cheese," Summer said, a frown appearing on her face at the thought of her daughter's cooking habits.

Midnight only grunted in reply. "They're looking for you so they can defeat you in order to save all the sugary snacks of the world. I figure they're all sitting in Squeaks room waiting to ambush you."

"Oh, well, I better not disappoint them then." Summer levitated some vegetables out of the bags as she got into the spirit of the game. "Anything else I should know before I go and face my impending demise?"

"Stay open-minded. Apparently my one weakness is the base of my tail," Midnight told her.

With another laugh, Summer ascended the stairs. 

-----------------------------

"Are you sure this is where the Vegetable Witch lives?" Sir Pinchy asked as she circled the cave once more.

"Uh huh!" Squire Autumn confirmed. "See this here?" She held up a tube of what looked like toothpaste. "She even brushes her teeth with vegetables; just look at the leaves on the side! Who brushes their teeth with leaf-flavored toothpaste!?"

All the knights shuddered at the thought of any other flavor of toothpaste except bubblegum. 

"Thuch a fiend!" Twist said, feigning almost fainting. 

"And look at all these disguises!" Sir Squeaky said as she lifted an article of clothing from a nearby trunk. "This must be how she sneaks into towns without being noticed! She could slip in, replace all the cookies in a cookie jar with alfalfa, and be gone without anypony realizing she was there!"

Shivers ran through all the knights and single squire. This witch needed to be stopped.

"But we have been here so long already!" Sir Dinky noted. "What if she caught on to what we're doing and has fled?"

"It is a risk we must take!" Sir Squeaky said, stamping a hoof. "We have her things in her own home, so she must come back to get them! If it takes all day and all night, we will wait for her!"

"Why wait when I'm here now?" came a voice from the mouth of the cave. All the knights turned to see a pony entering the cave and gasped. She looked like a normal pony, except her fur was green, had alfalfa for a mane and tail, and a carrot for a horn. In her magical grasp floated enough vegetables to fill an entire vegetable patch. "Who dares enter the lair of the Vegetable Witch?"

"It is us, the Pillow Knights!" Sir Pinchy said, stepping forward with her pillow sword ready. "We have come to stop your reign of yucky-tasting-terror! For snacks everywhere!"

"For snacks everywhere!" Her fellow knights shouted, getting in line with her.

"Squire Autumn, stay back and watch how evil is dealt with!" Sir Pinchy told their newest member. 

Squire Autumn nodded and stayed back by the trunk of disguises and got ready to watch her friends defeat the witch.

-----------------------------

Summer did her best not to break out laughing. Her granddaughter and her friends were all lined up, ready to bludgeon her with pillows while talking in such a funny way while her daughter was standing by watching. Yes, she could certainly see why the others indulged the girls with the game, but if the 'Pillow Knights' thought they could just wail on the 'Vegetable Witch' with impunity, then they'd better think again.

-----------------------------

"A little over confident, aren't we?" Vegetable Witch said silkily as she glided into the cave. "Do you really believe that you can just waltz into my lair and defeat me as easy as one, two, three?"

"With all of us together, nothing is impossible!" Sir Dinky cried out. With such a challenge issued, the four Pillow Knights charged.

Vegetable Witch laughed. "Foolish Pillow Knights! Your pillows can do nothing against my vegetable force field!" With a flick of her carrot horn the vegetable garden surrounding her quickly placed itself between its mistress and the four heroes.

"Your produth-bathed forth field cannot withthtand our pillowy might!" Sir Twist cried out, smacking away a tomato. The others followed suit, chipping away at her produce wall with their own weapons. But it seemed like for every veggie they hit away, two more would take its place. 

Thus the fight continued for some time with neither side giving ground. The stalemate ended when Sir Squeaky took one step too close to the Vegetable Witch. "And now my trap is sprung!" she crowed as she slammed (gently landed) a pepper down onto the knight's head. "And now I'll turn you into one of my mind-controlled vegetable slaves!"

"NOOOO!!!" Sir Squeaky cried out, trying to dislodge the produce from her head. "I love cookies! I love sweets! I love candied apples! I love... I love... I love broccoli!"

"No! Fight it Sir Squeaky!" Sir Dinky called out. "Don't let her turn you!"

"But Sir Dinky, vegetables are awesome!"

"Yes they are Sir Squeaky!" Vegetable Witch cackled. "And if your fellow Pillow Knights won't have them willingly, then you must force them to!"

"Yes, my vegetable mistress! For the glory of the greens!"

Sir Dinky turned and began to battle her former comrade in arms while the other two knights continued to try and break through the vegetable force field. 

Squire Autumn continued to watch from the side lines, unsure if she should continue to just stand there and watch or actually try to help as the battle quickly spun out of control. While Sir Dinky was busy battling Sir Squeaky, Vegetable Witch used the distraction and less pressure on her force field to land a vegetable on the embattled unicorn's head and turn her as well. With half of the pillow knights under her control, the other two fell swiftly. First Sir Twist was beaned by a cabbage, then Sir Pinchy took an asparagus to the noggin. 

"Yes, I have won!" Vegetable Witch cried out once Sir Pinchy was (finally) done rolling on the floor of the cave, proclaiming she'd never give in to the nasty, disgusting, tasty rutabagas. "Only the squire remains, and what can she do against four mind-controlled Pillow Knights and my magnificent vegetable-ness?" 

Squire Autumn looked fearfully around the cave. What could she do? She was only a squire, made so only that very morning! If four Pillow Knights couldn't defeat her, how could she?

'Squire Autumn,' a voice in her head said. 'Some villains cannot be beaten by brute strength alone. Sometimes it is brains that truly triumphs over brawn.' Lady Sapphire of Snack Land had told her privately before they had ascended the mountain. 'Thus, I will give you these for your journey. Do not look at them yet; you will know when to use them.' 

As the Vegetable Witch and the turned Pillow Knights advanced on her, Squire Autumn took off her saddle bags and pulled out the items Lady Sapphire had given her. One look was all it took to know she could still win. "Pillow Knights! Is it true you love vegetables?"

"Yes!"

"Indeed!"

"Of Courth!"

"Without question!"

"Then how do you like them with some butter?" Squire Autumn asked, aiming a smirk at their foe.

Vegetable Witch reeled back in surprise. "What are you doing with that!? Butter doesn't go on vegetables! They're meant to be eaten plain!" 

"We'll see about that!" Squire Autumn yelled back, tossing the butter bomb at her. It exploded on contact, covering the witch with sticky, yummy butter.

"NO! My perfect vegetable glory!"

"That's not all!" Squire Autumn told her, revealing cheese and spices bombs as well.  "You want to eat vegetables?" she asked the knights. "Well, eat that one!" She threw the other two bombs straight and true, covering Vegetable Witch from carrot horn to hoof in the things that made nasty greens yummy treats.

"Look at such a feast!" Sir Pinchy said. "We can't possibly turn it down!"

"It's the biggest, tastiest vegetable I've ever seen!" Sir Squeaky agreed, moving in with her fellow mind-controlled knights.

"No! You can't do this to me! I control you!"

"You showed us how great vegetables are!" Sir Dinky told her.

"And now, we're going to eat the biggeth, tathieth vegetable of all!"

"NO! How could you turn my slaves against me and ruin my beautiful vegetable-ness!?" Vegetable Witch cried out as the Pillow Knights jumped on her and began to eat her bite by bite.

-----------------------------

As she was swarmed by four fillies pretending to eat her, Summer looked over to see Midnight and Sapphire watching from the stairs. Sapphire was doing her best not to bust a gut while Midnight was rolling around at the top of the stairs laughing her flank off. She was laughing so hard she actually lost her footing on the stairs and slid back down a few of them.

"Enjoying the show?" Summer snickered as Midnight pulled herself back up to the top of the stairs.

"I just wish we had one of those movie cameras to record it with!" the kirin wheezed out.

"To be honest, we were coming up to tell everypony that its lunch time," Sapphire told her. "Then it'll be time to head over to Golden Oaks for Spike's birthday party."

The five fillies present all had their ears shoot up at this.

"That's right, the party!" Squeaks said.

"To lunch then, Sir Squeaky!" Pinchy said. "Then we may celebrate our victory properly!" The girls made tracks out of Squeaks' room and down the stairs past Sapphire and Midnight.

"So," Midnight asked as Summer pulled herself up. "How'd you enjoy being 'Vegetable Witch'?"

"I'll agree it was fun while it lasted." There was a gleam in the unicorn's eye, "but you can never keep a good Vegetable Witch down for long."

-----------------------------

Midnight, Summer, Sapphire, and the girls made their way across town to Golden Oaks Library after they had all finished lunch. In an effort to have Spike make friends of his own, Twilight had asked Midnight to bring along Squeaks and Autumn to the party with them. Midnight had decided to add a few more foals to the mix and bring along the rest of the Pillow Knights along too, with their parents' permissions of course. From what she heard the Cutie Mark Crusaders were going to be there as well. 

It was also a chance to help Autumn with her fear of dragons. Seeing as Spike was about the same size as she had thought the dragons in her book were, Midnight and Summer figured meeting him might help her start to get over her fear. Then again, it hadn't helped Fluttershy get over her own fear of dragons, but Midnight suspected her sister was made of tougher stuff. It also helped that she was surrounded by friends and family, all of which were telling her nothing bad would happen.

"Besides," Pinchy told her, "you took on Vegetable Witch all by yourself, how much worse can a dragon the size of a colt be?"

Other words of encouragement kept her from hiding behind Summer as they reached Golden Oaks Library. "Come on in everypony!" Twilight said as she answered the door. "The party's just getting started!"

Entering, they found the entirety of Golden Oaks decorated with streamers, ribbons, confetti, and balloons. The rest of the Bearers were already there, as well as Windrunner, who had arrived with Rainbow, and the CMC. The dragon of the hour was mingling with them all, talking and having a good time. After depositing their gifts next to the others, they went over to make their hellos. 

"Awesome, you guys all made it!" he said, hugging them all.

"'Course we made it; birthdays only happen once a year," Midnight told him.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Spike," Summer said. She'd seen him a few times during her weekend visits, but hadn't been able to meet him face to face. The few times she had seen him in the crowds he'd been running around with a list like a crazed chicken.

"Hi, you must be Midnight's mom!" the young dragon said back with a smile

"That's me. Somepony else is here to meet you as well. Autumn?" Summer looked around and found her youngest hiding behind her back legs. "Autumn, it's rude not to say hello to a host, especially on their birthday."

Autumn still didn't move.

"Is she alright?" Twilight asked Midnight in a whisper. 

"Looks like we got another Fluttershy on our hooves," Rainbow whispered as well, although not as quietly.

"No, she's just afraid of dragons," Midnight told them, turning back and nuzzling Autumn. "Come on," she whispered, "you're telling me that he's scarier than I am?" 

"But... you're still half pony," Autumn whispered back, "and he's all dragon!" 

"Autumn, compared to me, he's a chew toy; I bet he'd squeak like one too," Midnight said with a smirk, making her younger sister giggle. "I'm telling you, you have more to be scared of from a dog than you do him." The kirin gently nuzzled the filly out from behind Summer and lead her over to Spike, her head down the whole way to act as something Autumn could press against for comfort.

"Hi Autumn," Spike said when they got close enough. 

"Hi," Autumn said back, pushing herself further into Midnight's face. 

There was a pause of uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, come on!" Scootaloo suddenly said, jumping on Spike from behind. "I'm scarier than he could ever be!"

"So are me and mom!" Squeaks added, tackling them both to the ground, starting a filly pile-up on top of the birthday dragon. 

Midnight grimaced slightly at that comment, but let it slide. "You know, I'm actually really scared of spiders," she told Autumn, who looked back up at her. "But, every once in a while, even I get brave enough to crush one with my own hooves. Can you be brave enough to enjoy this party with your friends even with a dragon in the room?"

Autumn looked back at the pile of fillies, hesitated for a second, then nodded.

-----------------------------

Autumn was, mostly, true to her word. Squeaks and the other Pillow Knights made sure she was in the middle of every party game they played, giving her little choice but to be close to the baby dragon almost constantly. Whenever a game finished she would retreat back to either Midnight or Summer's side but the reprieve would be a short one before the next game began. 

Besides Autumn's baby steps in getting over her fear of dragons, the adults were also happy to see that the two groups of fillies and Spike were also getting along. There was history between Apple Bloom and Twist as it turned out. The two had been good friends until the later had gotten her cutie mark, at which point AB had started being friends with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo instead, being fellow "blank flanks" and all. Twist had been basically all alone until she and Squeaks had met during the bat filly's first day of school. For what it was worth, the youngest Apple looked regretful about how she had acted. "Sometimes youngin's just don't realize what their actions really mean ta others," AJ said when she saw the two girls making up. 

After the rather large assortment of party games had come the cake and the gifts soon after. Midnight's gift to Spike was a professional gem-aging kit, with Sapphire's, Windrunner's, and Summer's gifts all being gemstones so he could start using the kit right away. Midnight had gotten the idea for it when she had heard that Spike had given Rarity the fire ruby he'd been aging for months. It had irked her, convinced Rarity had coerced him out of it somehow; she even had the gall to wear it to the party right in front of him! It was his birthday, however, so she'd hold her tongue on the subject for now. 

"Wow you guys. All these gifts and everybody being here to celebrate my birthday with me? I wish this party could last forever," Spike said happily.

"Well, of course it can't last forever silly!" Pinkie said, bouncing on a nearby balloon. "Eventually you'll need to head over to Sugarcube Corner 'cuz the Cakes have a super, duper, extra-awesome surprise for you for your birthday!" 

"No way! Seriously!?" Spike yelled out, making to bolt for the door.

"I know I said the party can't last forever, but it doesn't have to end now!" Pinkie called after him.

He didn't get far as Midnight landed in front of the door, blocking his path and bouncing him back almost halfway across the room after he ran into her. 'He can certainly make an impact' Midnight thought as she rubbed the spot where he hit her. 'Hate to see how hard he can hit when he's grown.'

"Spike, you can't just go running off and abandoning everypony at your own party!" Twilight scolded.

"Sorry Twilight; I guess I'm just a bit overwhelmed by getting all these nice things at once," Spike apologized. 

"Well, it is getting late and I do have to take the girls home," Midnight spoke up. "Maybe I can take them all over to Sugarcube Corner first, after the party ends?"

Summer and Sapphire gave her looks that asked if she was seriously considering buying sweets for eight fillies.
Midnight shot a look back, trying to convey that it wasn't that big of a deal. Sapphire knew she could afford it and it wasn't like she spoiled the lot of them every time they came over. 

"That sounds like a great idea," AJ said as she poured another cup of punch for herself. Rarity agreed as well.

"Besides, there are still a bunch of party games to play!" Pinkie said, holding up a piñata and a board with a turner, colored dots, and hooves. 

-----------------------------

"Hey Midnight, what do gems actually taste like?"

The kirin drew her gaze away from the cupcake covered in sapphires to look down at Scootaloo. The Cakes' surprise had been a doozy, alright. Somehow the two bakers had come across a recipe for adding gems to cupcakes. Why anypony would have ever made such a recipe was a mystery, but neither Spike nor Midnight were really in the mood to question. It had more of an exercise in curiosity as to why the Cakes had decided to bake them and Spike's birthday had been a nice little excuse for them to try their hooves at it. Neither draconic being had bit into their treat yet, but both of their mouth's were watering enough to cause their companions to start laughing. Surprisingly it actually made the normally action-oriented pegasus filly to ask about something. 

"Well... it's actually really hard to describe. I've already tried to explain to Squeaks but..." she looked at all the young, expecting faces. "Apple Bloom, let's say somepony comes up to you and says they've never had an apple before and asks you to tell them how it tastes. How would you describe how an apple tastes to somepony who's never had one before?"

The youngest Apple stopped in her tracks and thought about that for a minute, sitting back on her haunches so she could rub her chin while still holding onto her cineole. "Uh, well... they're crisp and juicy, and kinda sweet..."

"Yeah, but what do they taste like?" Midnight pressed. 

"Well... shoot, all they taste like are apples!" AB said in frustration. 

"And that's the best way I can describe how gemstones taste," Midnight told them. "A sapphire only tastes like a sapphire, a ruby like a ruby, and so on. It stinks, I know, but just know that to those of us who can eat them, they are delicious." They all laughed as Midnight took a bite out of her cupcakes and licked her lips. Truly, sapphires were the best gemstone. 

"Watch out Spike!" Dinky yelled.

*BONK*

Midnight brought herself back from gemstone bliss in time to see Spike and Cheerilee fall back onto their rumps and Spike's cupcake go sailing. Amazingly, Spike saw it in time and caught the pastry with his tongue, almost like a frog. While he pulled himself up the fillies rushed over to their teacher and proceeded to help her back to her hooves and collect her dropped groceries. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry Cheerilee!" Spike said as he got to his feet. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That's alright Spike," the earth pony told him, nodding gratefully at her students as she took the refilled bag from them. "What has you so distracted, anyway?" 

"Well, today's my birthday and Pinkie said that the cakes had a surprise for me. So me, Midnight, and the girls all came here to see what it was and it turned out to be some special sapphire cupcakes!"

"Well, happy birthday Spike! I hope you enjoy those cupcakes. Hmm... I wish I had something to give to you for your birthday. Oh, wait a second!" Reaching into her bag, Cheerilee pulled out a rather snazzy white hat with a red feather in it. "Here you go!"

"Wow, really?" Spike asked, looking up at the new cover for his head.

"Sure; everypony should get fun gifts on their birthday." She picked up her bag and waved goodbye to them all. "Happy birthday again Spike! See you all later!"

They all waved the cherry-colored pony goodbye. "Well Spike, this is where we part ways for now," Midnight told him. "Better get home quick so you can give Cheerilee a piece of cake as a thank you."

"Great idea! See ya later!" With that, Spike was moving down the street away from them and back towards the library.

Midnight and her flock turned themselves in their own direction to deliver the foals back to their respective homes. 

-----------------------------

Sunday morning found Sapphire coming down  late into the kitchen, only to hear an odd sound coming from the living room. It sounded almost like something between a grunt and a contented growl. Sticking her head into the living room, she found Midnight sprawled on the couch again, only this time with Summer standing over her and Squeaks and Autumn watching from nearby the fire place and trying to hold in a fit of giggles. Midnight's face expressed pure bliss and she opened her mouth slightly to let the noise come out again.

"What's going on?" the pegasus asked, perplexed at the scene before her.

"Oh, good morning Sapphire," Summer said. "I just thought I'd give Midnight a little back scratch as a thank you for how she tried to help Autumn yesterday." A closer inspection showed that Summer did indeed have a back scratcher in her magic and was raking it gently between the kirin's wings. 

"Spike should have more birthdays," Midnight said absently, making the noise yet again. 

This time the fillies could no longer hold in their laughter and both fell over holding their sides.

"Laugh all you want; I am in heaven.  Any chance you could, um..." One of Midnight's back legs flexed a bit.

"No," Summer said flatly. "This is a back scratcher, not a frog scratcher. If you want to scratch there, then get your own and do it yourself."

A brief flicker of disappointment crossed the kirin's face, but she just as quickly went back to being content, her outstretched wings flapping gently. 

Sapphire stifled her own laughter at the scene and headed back into the kitchen. Midnight had been right yesterday; they needed one of those film cameras. Windrunner had witnessed the scene as well, judging by how she was trying to hold in her own laughter.

She was barely set up in the store front with her mug of coffee when the morning took a turn for the weird and possibly ominous. Twilight Sparkle burst in through the front door dragging... a grown Spike? It certainly looked like him, only he was as tall as a full grown pony with longer legs, arms and tail. He was looking around the store front like a foal who'd been brought to a candy store. Or maybe a dog in a doggy treat store; that bowl in his claws had both in it.

"Sapphire, I need to talk with Midnight right away! Something's happened to Spike and I was hoping she might know something."

Sapphire looked Spike up and down again. "Sure... she's back in the living room," she told the unicorn, trying to understand what was going on herself.

"Come on Spike," Twilight said, grabbing him magically by his ear-fin and guiding him through to the kitchen. "And don't touch anything!"

"What's going on?" they heard Midnight call out from the living room.

"Twilight and Spike are here to see you!" Sapphire called back over their shoulders. "Something's happened with Spike." She exchanged a look with Windrunner. This didn't bode well with either pegasus.

Midnight was off the couch and facing the kitchen when the two of them entered. "What in the name of Faust is going on?" she asked when she got her first good look at Spike.

Autumn took one look at the dragon, now bigger and meaner looking, and was behind Summer before any of them could blink.

"I don't know. He was like this when we woke up this morning," Twilight told her. "And on top of the new size, he's getting all grabby with things!" She swatted one of Spike's claws away from the lamp he was reaching towards. "I've already been to the doctor and vet and neither of them know what's going on! I was hoping that, maybe, being part dragon yourself, you've gone through something like this."

Without hesitation Midnight began to slowly circle Spike. "I can't remember anything like this. Mom?"

Summer shook her head. "You were a bit grabby when you were little, but then again so are most toddlers. You certainly never doubled your size in one night... and stayed that way," she said with a flinch. 

Midnight grunted and continued to circle. She'd already told her about the incident with the hydra and how Sapphire, Squeaks, Windrunner, and the bearers all knew what her cutie mark meant. Summer had actually been more relieved than upset, saying how it was wonderful for Midnight to have friends that new such a secret and still didn't see her as something to fear. Now she just needed to keep it from Autumn; at least until she was old enough to understand.

The growing dragon seemed to have enough of her circling and blocking his view of all the pretty things he could add to his hoard. He growled at her when her wing claw got too close to his small hoard of candy and doggy treats. Midnight, in turn, growled back, spreading her wings out and baring her fangs at the still smaller dragon. He backed off, made a whimpering sound, then slinked back behind Twilight. Another whimper from behind Summer made Midnight groan mentally. 'Great; and just when we were making progress.' "Sorry Twilight, I've got nothing to help you with. I grew up like a regular pony."

"Alright," Twilight groaned. "Thanks for your help anyway."

"Hold on a second," Midnight said as the unicorn turned to leave. "Whatever's happening with Spike, you might need some help reigning him in." She wasn't looking forward to running around town all day, but they were friends and this situation had the potential to hit the fan fast and hard.

Twilight smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you. I was thinking about asking Zecora next."

"Alright then; we'll be back soon," Midnight told the rest of them. "I don't think this will take long."

"Do you want any help?" Windrunner asked.

"No. We'll probably just run around all day and literally trip over the cure when we've just about given up hope. Just keep an eye and ear out in case he somehow gives us the slip."

The pegasus gave a quick salute, as if she was wiping a stray strand of mane out of her face. 

"Good luck!" Summer called after them as they exited through the side door.

"They'll be alright," Sapphire assured her. 

"I know." Summer turned back to her still hiding filly. "How about we go shopping? Maybe I'll even let you pick out something for dinner tonight?"

It took a minute, but eventually Autumn stuck her head out and nodded hesitantly.

-----------------------------

Getting Spike to Zecora's was rather easy. All Midnight had to do along the way was stay in the air and dive bomb him if he started to change direction. It kept him in line, although the angry stare she got back from him every time was starting to get annoying. Thankfully he was well behaved while the zebra examined him. 

A few pokes and prods there, a tap on a joint here, and a wagging of limbs to top everything off was enough for the zebra to make a diagnosis. "He is beginning to mature, of this I am quite sure."

"Wait, so he's just getting older? All this is natural?" Midnight asked. 

"But that still doesn't explain why he grabs everything he sees," Twilight pointed out.

"A dragon's heart is prone to greed, a steady diet to make growth speed," Zecora told them, making her way over to her cauldron. 

"So, he collects so he grows, and when he grows he just wants more. Is this normal for all dragons?" Midnight asked, a bit of worry leaking into her voice. She'd never gone through such a stage before, and from the way Spike was acting she didn't think anypony would like her doing the same.

"For a wyvern, love and compassion is all they require. A hoard of family and friends are what stoke their fire. So, you need not worry about unexpected growth, your heart and mind are filled with both. But for Spike, that is not his pleasure, for his want is for physical treasure." 

A sense of relief came over Midnight. At least they wouldn't have to worry about her getting bigger and becoming a kleptomaniac. As Twilight and Zecora talked over the cauldron, she saw out of the corner of her eye Spike reaching for yet something else to add to his small hoard. She carefully flicked her tail in his face, startling him back away from the object. 

Once he recovered he hissed at her, only to be hissed back at dismissively. His threat casually dismissed, he decided he needed to show the half-wyvern he meant business. As if cradling his own newborn, he gently placed his small hoard of candy and treats down behind him and turned back to face the kirin. His nostrils flared smoke in a challenge as he took a step towards her. 

Midnight got up on all four hooves and snorted back at him. "Spike, don't you even think about it," she warned, flaring her wings and brandishing her tail blade. If he thought he could pick a fight after only doubling his original size, he'd better think again. She still towered over him and wasn't above using pain as a lesson in this case. Why she was so ready to go tooth and claw with him, a good friend, escaped her. Maybe it was a territorial thing he'd brought out in her?

She didn't have long to contemplate the situation as the growing dragon sprung at her so fast it caught her off guard and he succeeded in knocking her over. Midnight didn't stay down long as she wrapped a wing around him to both pull herself up and to hold him down. Before she was fully up he stopped clawing at the wing and jumped at her again. This time they both went down, rolling around on the floor and knocking various objects and items over as they tussled. 

Apparently both Twilight and Zecora were too busy with their own discussion to notice the fight that had broken out. 
Spike finally succeeded is getting away from Midnight by hitting her several time in the head with a book he had somehow grabbed. He rolled away as Midnight got up and staggered a bit from the blows to the head. The little son of a lizard had use the spine. "You... are going to regret-" 

*WHAM*

Midnight staggered as her head was enveloped in darkness. "SPIKE!" she roared, pulling at the mask now stuck to her head. As she rolled around trying to get it off, she could hear various crashes and things slamming. 

Things quickly died down and the mask was enveloped in purple magic. "Midnight, what happened!?" Twilight yelled as she teleported the mask off the kirin's face. Zecora's hut was now as bare as if the zebra had never moved in. 

"What happened is that Spike has signed himself away to be a purse!" Midnight roared. "That little lizard attacked me and smashed my head into that mask!"

"What!?" Twilight yelped. "Come on Midnight, he's still only a baby! Him attacking you is as ridiculous as-"

"As him growing bigger and meaner due to greed?" Midnight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"...Okay, you have a point, but what can we do to stop him?"

"If his monstrous ways you wish to impede, you must stop him from practicing greed. Through denial or generosity, this may be accomplished. Through either action, this incident may be finished."

"Alright, so which do we try first?" Midnight asked, making her way to the door. 

"He'll be heading back towards Ponyville, so let's follow after him and see what we can do from there. Zecora, as soon as we get Spike under control we'll bring back your things," Twilight promised as she followed the kirin out the door. 

"This is the second time she has come here seeking aid," Zecora mumbled as she looked around her now bare home. "I think next time I'll ask to be paid!"

-----------------------------

"You really think this is going to work?" Midnight asked Twilight as the door they were barricading was slammed multiple time by an irate and now even larger Spike. They had lured him back to the library with a broom, of all things, after he tried to steal Scootaloo's scooter. Somehow that had made him grow to about Midnight's size, taking away one of the kirin's key advantages over him. 

"Of course it will work! There's nothing left in that room, so he can't practice greed! All we have to do now is wait for him to go back to normal and we can put this whole incident behind us!" Twilight assured her. 

The banging went on for another five minutes before finally settling down. "See? What'd I tell-" 

*SMASH*

"-you." 

"This can't be good," Midnight groaned as they eyed the door.

"Hold on," Twilight said, stopping the kirin from opening the door to check on the situation. "I'll teleport in and see what happened. Don't want him escaping." She winked out of sight with a flash of purple magic, only to reappear a few seconds later. "There is now a giant, Spike-shaped hole in the side of my library," she groaned.

"Think they make windows in that shape?" Midnight offered.

"You're hilarious. We need help if we're going to stop Spike now; let's head to Applejacks first. Hopefully hogtieing him will stop him."

"Stop him? After he busted through your wall on brute strength alone?"

"It's worth a shot," Twilight shot back. "Besides, I never said we'd only use one rope."

-----------------------------

"Alright girls, broccoli or cauliflower?" 

"Broccoli."

"Broccoli."

"Two heads of broccoli, please." Summer paid the vendor and slipped the vegetables into her saddle bag. "Now we just need some flowers and we'll be all set."

"Grandma, what do you think is wrong with Spike?" Squeaks asked as they trotted through the market place towards the Flower Sisters' Shop. They had met the CMC earlier, and from what they had told them he had tried to steal Scootaloo's scooter. Both Twilight and Midnight had been able to make him drop it by dangling a broom in front of him. As there was no sounds of roaring, bouts of fire appearing in the air, and everypony was as calm as a babbling brook in Whitetail Wood, they must have everything under control.

"I don't really know Squeaky. All I do know is that for a pony and kirin that stood up against the likes of Discord, a baby dragon growing a bit bigger over night shouldn't be a problem."

Sapphire and Windrunner exchanged a glance at this. When it came to the bearers and Midnight, something as simple as going to the store could turn into a life or death situation. It did make life more exciting though.

"But, what if he just keeps getting bigger?" Autumn asked quietly from beside Summer. "What if he gets so big they can't control him anymore?"

Summer looked down at her youngest and saw the familiar blue eyes filled with fear. "Nonsense dear," she cooed reassuringly. "From what Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo told us they have the situation well in hoof. You'll see; Spike will be back to his old, right size before dinner time."

That was something else Summer was going to have to learn about living Ponyville: never say anything related to the phrase "What could possibly go wrong?", because it will. Every time.

The roof of Sugarcube Corner popped off without warning, sending the cupcake on top that was Pinkie's room sailing off into the distance. In its place was a building-sized dragon with a very familiar purple and green color scheme. Looking around, it spotted something it liked and bulldozed its way out the side of the building. Thus commenced the screaming, crying, wails of despair, and general panic the town was becoming accustomed to. In her office in city hall, Mayor Mare popped an aspirin as soon as the first scream arose. It was going to be another long day. 

Just as predictably, Autumn was now cowering behind Summer's rear legs. Both Sapphire and Windrunner took to the air and put themselves between the dragon and the foals. A mostly meaningless gesture; they couldn't really stop the dragon on their own and it didn't even seem to notice them, but it did help calm Summer and Squeaks a bit.

Out of the rubble emerged Midnight and all of the bearers except Rarity. For once, Pinkie was left utterly speechless at the destruction of her home and place of employment and was being dragged out by Applejack. Midnight, Twilight, and Rainbow were talking animatedly when Midnight spotted them down the street. Saying something, she flew over while the others tried to snap Pinkie out of it so they could chase after Spike.

"Was that...?" Summer asked as the kirin landed in front of them.

"Yeah. Listen; take Autumn and Squeaks back home and wait there. It's out on the edge of town and the safest place right now," Midnight told them, looking back and fidgeting slightly. 

"But how did he get so big!?" Sapphire asked, her eyes tracking the sounds of a dragon marching through town.

"Apparently dragons start getting greedy at a certain age and they grow in size to match it. At this point I don't know what to do to stop him, so just get somewhere safe!" Midnight insisted.

Summer nodded. "I'll take them home right away."

"Sapphire, go with them. Windrunner, you're with us." The two pegasi nodded.

One particular scream made itself heard above the rest of the noise building in the streets. "And that makes Rarity," Midnight sighed, taking off with Windrunner right behind her.

"Alright girls, time to head home," Summer said, forcefully nudging Autumn to get her to move as they began making their way back down the street. 

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Squeaks said, trotting ahead of the rest of them. She remembered quite clearly what happened the last time she popped up in the middle of a fight between her mom and a giant monster.  

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Summer asked Sapphire with a hesitant look. The story of the encounter with the hydra similarly coming to mind. 

"Even if he's grow that big, he's still Spike; he won't harm them," 'on purpose, anyway' Sapphire told her, saying that last part only to herself. Something that big could cause a pony pain and not even notice.

"Sapphire, Summer!" a voice called out suddenly. Both mares looked around and saw Berry Punch waving at them from her front step. "Get in here and off the street!"

"It's alright; he went the other way!" Sapphire called back. She'd much rather have Berry come with them away from the center of town.

"I've got a new emergency shelter under the store! It'll be quicker for you to hide in here with us!" she insisted.

Sapphire and Summer exchanged glances. True, home was probably safer, even without a shelter, but Spike could just as easily come charging back the way they were going. 

"Mommy!" Autumn said, as frightened as she'd ever sounded.

"It's probably better to get off the streets as soon as we can, Sapphire," Summer told the pegasus. 

Sapphire looked back down the street, to Berry's, then towards the direction the roaring was now coming from. "You're probably right," she conceded. Each one picked up a foal and darted into the liquor store. Inside they found not only Berry and Pinchy, but Derpy, Sparkler, and Dinky.

"Good thing that whole "free construction" thing's been going on," Berry said as she closed the door behind them. "After that ursa attack, I started wanting a emergency shelter under the store. Made sure it was rated for just such an emergency."

"Ursa attack?" Summer said, looking around at the others as she put down Autumn.

"You'll have to ask Berry; it happened before Squeaky or I came to town," Sapphire told her. 

"Forget what happened before; can somepony tell us why a freaking dragon is rampaging through town?" Sparkler asked.

-----------------------------

"So, is there a plan right now?" Windrunner asked as they circled around the rampaging dragon. After grabbing Rarity he'd stolen the town's water tower and proceeded to stuff even more things into it. Midnight, Windrunner, Rainbow, and Fluttershy circled Spike in the air while Twilight, AJ, and Pinkie followed as close as they dared on the ground. The good news was that he still seemed conscious of living creatures as Rarity was being held by his tail and not shoved into the growing hoard and he even watched his step now and again. The bad news was that he was still big, still greedy, and not giving two hoots about property damage. 

"Hey, Rarity's got his attention!" Windrunner said.

Spike roared at the pony in his tail and continued what he was doing.

"Or not."

"Come on!" Rainbow said, waving for the rest of them to follow her down. "If one pony can get his attention, then four should be able to hold it!"

"Dash, I don't think-!" Midnight tried, but the chromatic pegasus was already diving down, followed by Fluttershy. She grunted and followed her down along with Windrunner.

Flying past Rarity, Rainbow flew right up to Spikes face. "Put her down right now, dragon boy!" she yelled at him.

Fluttershy, amazingly enough, also flew in close to his face. Her knowing that it was Spike was probably the only reason she would be so close. "If you wouldn't mind that is, we'd be ever so grateful!"

"Spike, look at all the damage you're causing!" Windrunner told him, motioning at the path of destruction he'd caused. "A lot of ponies are going to be really angry at you!"

"Wait, that's SPIKE!?" Rarity yelped.

"Yep," Midnight confirmed as she flew past her to land on Spike's upper jaw. "Spike, you know what I can do when I get serious enough, so I'm telling you now to put Rarity down, drop the water tower, and sit outside of town until you shrink back to normal!"

For a second, it actually seemed like they had gotten through to him. Then he growled and flicked his nose upwards. Midnight, unprepared and not holding on, was sent skywards until she was nothing more than a tiny black dot high above them. Spike then whipped his tail around to disperse the three pegasi. 

"Now what do we do?" Fluttershy squeaked as Spike went stomping away.

"I say we give the big guy his birthday punches!" Rainbow said, slamming a hoof into the other.

"We should wait for Midnight to come back down first," Windrunner said. "She might have a plan by the time she gets back down."

"Or she could agree with me," Dash said, pointing up at a now rapidly growing black form. She was angling right at Spike and her wings were open only to the bare minimum for control. At the last second she pulled up, opened her wings, and slammed into the back of Spike's head. The blow was enough to make the dragon see stars and he stood there stunned for nearly a minute. 

Meanwhile, Midnight wobbled as she flew back over to the three pegasi. "And now my legs hurt." 

"So, uh, didn't happen to come up with any plans on your way back down, did ya?" Rainbow asked. 

"Actually, yes," Midnight informed them, wincing as she checked her legs to make sure none were broken. "We need to get Spike out of the town so he'll stop breaking things but, since he simply won't listen, we need to do something else to make him follow us."

"Such as?" Windrunner asked.

"Such as steal stuff from his hoard. He'll get so pissed he'll track us no matter where we go."

"I'm in," Rainbow said without hesitating.

"Me too," agreed Windrunner.

"Fluttershy, go to Twilight and the others and let them know what we're doing," Midnight told the timid pegasus. "We're going to need the two speed-demons for this one."

With a grateful nod, she started for the spot the others were standing.

"So what's the plan? He won't exactly let us get close to his stuff," Rainbow said.

"Simple; I pull a you and start kicking him in the face and while he's busy trying to eat me the two of you swoop in, grab something, then taunt him with it. When he goes after you, lead him out of town. Once he gets far enough away I'll transform, beat the snot out of him, and hopefully that will get him to change back to normal."

Rainbow and Windrunner looked at each other.

"Sounds good to me!" Rainbow said, turning around and gaining altitude. 

"Be careful," Windrunner told her friend before also climbing to get on perch.

Giving her a nod, Midnight turned back towards the now recovering Spike. "Okay, that last hit was for flicking me. This one is for the mask you shoved onto my head."

-----------------------------

"It looks like they're leading him out of town!" Derpy called from upstairs as the dragon let out an angry roar. When it became obvious that it wasn't heading back towards where they were hiding, they had given into their morbid curiosity and watched the disaster outside unfold. For Summer, Squeaks, and even to some degree Sapphire, it was an excuse to keep an eye on the kirin who was in the thick of it. 

"I always knew Midnight was a fighter, but did you see that hit she laid out on him?" Berry asked. "She almost knocked him out! Seriously, never piss her off!"

"Yes..." Summer said absently. She hadn't shown it but the story of Midnight facing off against the hydra had deeply scared her. All they had told her was that Midnight had gone to the hospital afterwards but her mother's intuition had known that it had been worse than they had made it sound. A lot worse. Now here again was her daughter going up against another huge beast. Even if he was a friend, Spike wasn't himself and could do a lot of damage if he wanted to. A cold stone of dread had formed in the unicorn's stomach. 

"She'll be alright," Sapphire said comfortingly as she laid a wing on her back.

"I hope so," Summer whispered, hugging Autumn closer.

-----------------------------

How Midnight managed to forget that dragons breathed fire, when she herself did, was completely lost on her. Of course, it wasn't like it bothered her, just something that slipped her mind. She jinxed out of the green cloud of fire and corkscrewed back up again as the flames dissipated. Her plan was going rather perfectly. A few quick bucks to his jaw and Spike was too preoccupied to notice the two pegasi dive down and grab something out of his hoard. Until they waved them in his face, that is. 

Both Rainbow and Windrunner had enough foresight to lead him down the biggest streets to get him out rather than simply flying away and letting him bulldoze through even more homes and businesses. Now they were on the plain outside of town and heading for Smokey Mountain where that red dragon had been about a year ago. If they could lead him to just around the other side, Midnight could change, literally drop down on him, and pin him to the ground until he tired out and (hopefully) shrank back down to normal size. 

"Spike, you put me down this instant!" Rarity yelled from somewhere behind the purple and green hulk.

Of course it would probably be best if they got Rarity away first. It was a good thing that when he'd been distracted by Rainbow and Windrunner stealing from his hoard, Midnight had been able to grab something as well. Speaking of the two pegasi, both were diving, jinxing, and climbing just out of range of his fire blasts. Midnight could have been that far away as well if she wanted, but she didn't want him getting discouraged and turning back for town. That, and she'd forgotten about the fire. "Hey Spike! You want this?" Midnight called out to him, lifting the, now scorched, folding tray she was carrying for him to see.

He roared in anger.

"Then catch!" With a heave, she threw the tray straight up into the air. Looking up at his stolen prize, Spike paid Midnight no attention as she dove under and past his massive arm and bee-lined for the tip of his tail. For a second it looked like he was going to snap his tail in a different direction, but reaching out with her wing claw, Midnight snagged the tail and pulled herself onto it, gripping on with both wing claws and all four hooves. 

"Midnight, please be a dear and get me out of here!" Rarity shrieked. 

"Don't yell at me and I will!" Midnight shouted back, trying to figure out how to get her out of the coiled tail without letting Spike know what was going on. A quick test of the coils showed that he was holding on too tightly for the unicorn to wriggle free and any attempt to pull the tail away would just alert him to what they were doing. "Rarity, do you trust me?" Midnight asked, examining the coil in front of her, then looking skyward to see if Rainbow and Windrunner could see what was happening. They did.

"After saying that? Not really!" she cried back.

"Too bad! I'm making this up as I go and right now this is the only way!" Rearing her head back like a snake and exposing her fangs, Midnight bit down hard on the softest part of the tail she could find, as well as driving her tail blade in as well. The effect was like a bee sting on a soft digit. Hurts like a bitch, but otherwise a very minor injury (if you're not allergic). 

Spike reacted just as Midnight had hoped; letting out a screaming roar of pain and flicking his tail in an attempt to be rid of whatever was hurting him. 

Rarity let out her loudest shriek yet as the coils unrolled like a whip and she was sent flying. Midnight let go of the tail and made to chase after her, but a blue and brown blur shot past over head, deftly snatching the screaming white unicorn out of the air. Rainbow and Windrunner circled down to the ground and gently set the shaking unicorn down onto her own hooves.

"Never, ever, do that again!" Rarity screeched as Midnight flew down to meet them. 

"We need to get back up there and draw him behind the mountain," Midnight told the other two, ignoring the frazzled unicorn. 

"Isn't he far enough out of town already?" Rainbow asked. They were at least half way between it and the mountain with plenty of space for him and Midnight to duke it out. 

"No," Midnight said with a hint of a growl in her voice, "we're not."

"Uh, sorry to disrupt this impending argument, but..." Windrunner pointed back at the purple and green hulk.  After rubbing his tail at the spot where Midnight had hurt it, he looked up at them, his eyes narrow slits of anger. 

"Point taken. Rarity, get back to Ponyville ASAP," Midnight said as she jumped into the air again followed closely by the two pegasi.

Spike, however, was not going to give them a chance to try hurting him or his hoard again. Looking around, he found a great deal of boulders around him, picked one up, then chucked it their way. All three flyers dodged it effortlessly and it crashed into the ground harmlessly some distance away. Rarity squeaked as the argument about being left behind died in her throat. 

"Rarity won't be able to get back to town safely with all those rocks he's going to throw!" Windrunner pointed out. 

"Then try and fly her back to town," Midnight grunted. "Rainbow and I can get him further out."

"I still don't see why you can't fight him here!" Rainbow said as Windrunner dove to help Rarity.

"Because the town can see me!" Midnight hollered back as they dodged another boulder. 

"So!?"

"So, I don't want them seeing me transform!" 

"So you can turn into a wyvern; big deal!"

"Exactly, it's a VERY big deal!" An involuntary shiver went up the kirin's spine at the very thought of the town seeing her change. 'It's the biggest deal there can be, for me.' "I'm not changing in sight of the town, and that's that!" As another rock soared past them, Midnight cut off any rebuttal Rainbow was going to make and flew back towards the enraged dragon.

Rainbow grunted in frustration, but followed close behind her. 

-----------------------------

Back in town, Summer and Sapphire, as well as everypony else hiding in Berry's shop, tentively stepped outside with everypony else. The roaring was much farther off now and few pegasi were even going airborne to take stock of the situation. 

"So... now what?" Berry asked nervously, making sure to keep Pinchy close. Derpy stayed on the ground with them, unwilling to leave her daughter and younger sister alone.

"We just have to wait until the others get back," Sapphire told her, making a sideways glance over at Summer. The unicorn had Autumn on her back and was absentmindedly holding up a hoof for the filly to cling to.

"Does anypony else feel that thumping?" Squeaks asked after a minute, looking down at her hooves.

Now that she mentioned it, Sapphire could feel an occasional *thump* through the ground, but it wasn't constant enough to be giant, stomping feet.

"Now the big brute's throwing boulders around!" one of the airborne pegasi called out.

-----------------------------

Midnight and Rainbow were having a distinctively hard time getting close enough to grab another piece of Spike's hoard, mainly because of the boulders the dragon was picking up and swinging and/or throwing at them. The kirin quietly congratulated herself on bringing Spike to a place where he could actually defend himself from what were essentially gnats to something his size. 

"Now what do we do!?" Rainbow yelled at her, flipping backwards to avoid another swing of a boulder. 

"He'll run out eventually!" Midnight assured her, dodging the two boulders he'd thrown at the same time in frustration. 

Spike leaned down to get some more boulders but stopped short as he pulled and failed to lift the next one he'd gotten hold of. 

"Now!" Rainbow called out, diving down on him, Midnight following in close pursuit. 

Seeing the two annoying thieves diving for his hoard again, Spike redoubled his efforts to pull the rock out of the ground. With a loud, grinding scrapping the rock came loose from the ground and the two other buried boulders holding it place. Not ready for the sudden loss of resistance, his arms swung away and lost their grip on the rock, sending it skywards. 

Rainbow dodged the speeding lump effortlessly.

Midnight was too busy aiming to notice it until it was too late. 'Not another hospital trip!' she begged as it slammed into her, flattening her against it and taking her up with it.

Rainbow and Spike watched as the rock continued its upward climb until it started to level out. Given her years of stunt flying, Rainbow could easily figure out where it was going to land. Right in the center of Ponyville. 

"Oh, horse apples!" the pegasus yelled as she tore after it. 

-----------------------------

Out of nowhere all the pegasi that were airborne started screaming. "Run for it; one of them is heading this way!" one of them screamed as the flock scattered.

Panic once again took hold of the residents of Ponyville as they all started running somewhere, anywhere, that wasn't where they currently were. 

"Quick, back to the store!" Berry called out, hoisting Pinchy onto her back. The others followed suit and began tearing back, all the while stealing quick glances upwards at the black pebble that was quickly growing.

-----------------------------

'Why do I get the feeling that this is going to become a thing?' Midnight asked herself as she tried to ignore the pain. She ached all over but thankfully still nothing seemed broken. 'Seemed that way last time, too.' Craning her neck around to see where she'd end up becoming a stain, Ponyville quickly filled her entire field of vision. 'No, no, no! Not good, not good!' Pulling herself off the rock, she opened her wings to fly off when she took one more look around, and time seemed to slow down. Below in the street she could see her mother, sister, daughter, and best friend running away from the rock's supposed impact point. As far as she could tell, they weren't anywhere near it, but the looks on their faces... 

The kirin could feel boiling heat rising up in her throat as her fangs extended once again. One of the biggest differences between dragons and wyverns, as Zecora had stated, was their view of valuables and hoards. Dragons valued objects above most other things and as such kept the nicest things as part of their own hoard. Yes, they ate gems as food, but they and such things as gold and silver were so beautiful that what else could possibly matter, beyond the occasional mating season?

Wyverns, on the other claw, saw things much more differently. What good was a mountain of treasure if it meant being alone almost all of one's life? There would always be more gold, silver, and gems. Another being could never be replaced, and so wyverns had formed clans. They were each other's hoard and to threaten or hurt one was to threaten or hurt the whole. That was why Midnight was such a mama bear when it came to Squeaks. It was why now, despite all her fears her nightmares had instilled in her, blue fire erupted from her hooves and enveloped her. Because, when it came down to it, her family and friends were in danger, and nothing was going to stop her from keeping them safe.

Back on the ground, Summer saw the blue sky above her become brighter for a few seconds, followed by a familiar heat wash over her. She skidded to a halt to find Berry, Derpy, Sparkler, and the foals all staring up into the sky with mouths agape. Only Sapphire and Squeaks looked up without a hint of surprise. Following the others' gazes upwards, Summer and Autumn were met with the sight of a full grown, jet-black wyvern hovering in  the air with the previously falling rock clenched in its talons. Wisps of blue flame still danced around it as it looked down at them briefly, then looked back up and out towards the distant earth dragon staring confusedly, and maybe even fearfully, back at it. "Midnight..." she breathed. 

The wyvern then lurched forward, back the way the rock had fallen. They all found their hooves again and made to follow so as to keep her in sight. Once Midnight had reached the edge of town she kicked her legs back and threw the rock forwards onto the plain. Once she was rid of her burden she landed, then reared back on her legs and let out an earth-shaking roar of challenge and defiance at the dragon across the way. When it was done, no sound arose from the town. Nopony screamed, shouted, or even whimpered. Midnight fell back onto all fours and raised her head on her serpentine neck, waiting for Spike's response.

Summer, Sapphire, and the others met the bearers, now including Rarity and Rainbow Dash, as well as Windrunner, on the bridge leading out of that particular part of town. Midnight's huge size partially blocked out the sun on the bridge, and like the rest of the town none of them made a sound. "Does somepony want to explain why Midnight exploded into a blue fireball that became another dragon?" Berry demanded, breaking the silence.

"Wyvern," Sapphire corrected.

"A what?"

"A wyvern," Sapphire repeated. "It's her special talent. She can become a fully grown wyvern at will."

"And... why hasn't she shared this with us before?" Derpy asked. "I mean, I kind of understand, but it's not like we would have been scared of her; she seems in control of herself."

"Because the last time she showed that talent, she scared away the only friend she had," Summer explained in barely more than a whisper. Now her little girl might scare the only town that had ever seemed to accept her. 

Berry and Derpy looked at each other. Neither had ever pushed the kirin into telling them what her mark meant, and now it was clear why. "Well, she sure as Tartarus ain't losing these friends," Berry said.

"Darn straight!" Derpy agreed. "Kick his flank, Midnight!"

"Knock his fangs out!" Berry added. They weren't sure if she could hear them, but it was more about showing their friend support than anything. 

Summer looked over at the two of them. It was the last reaction she had ever expected anypony to have to her daughter's ability. 

"Yeah Midnight, tan his flank good!" Rainbow chipped in.

"Give the youngin' a spankin' he'll never forget!" AJ added.

"Be careful!" Twilight and Fluttershy shouted.

"Don't hurt him too much!" Rarity called out.

"Anypony want popcorn?" Pinkie asked. "What?" she asked when they all stared at her. "It's just like those giant fighting monster comics that always level Canterlot! How often are we really going to see stuff like this?"

"This isn't a comic or a game," Summer said sternly.

"Is... is that Midnight?" Autumn asked in a quiet voice.

Summer looked around at her youngest daughter perched on her back. "Yes Autumn, it is," she told her just as quietly, "and she's like that to protect us from the other dragon." 

Autumn looked up at the large black thing from her nightmares, then back at her mother, nodded slightly, then buried her head in her mane. 

"Should we do something?" Windrunner asked, still staring at Midnight. She'd heard the story, but never imagined her wyvern form to be so gigantic.

"Let them go at each other first," Sapphire told her. "Nothing we do is going to stop that from happening now anyway."

Back across the plain, whatever hesitation the earth dragon felt, it finally drained away and he too let out a roar of defiance. Before he had even finished he began to charge, both powerful back legs propelling him at the speed of a locomotive. Midnight also charged forward, her arms/wings making her own forward momentum look ungainly and clumsy, but she never faltered. 

Just as they were about to meet, Midnight jumped into the air, swinging her talons up and forward, past Spike's grasping claws and slamming into his chest. He tumbled backwards from the hit, his still forward moving legs going out from under him and slamming hard into the ground. Due to the speeds they were going at, Midnight continued her own forward momentum, rolling off the stunned dragon. Not hesitating a second, she used the tumble to propel herself into the air with only a few beats of her massive wings. 

"Nice hit mom!" Squeaks cheered from Sapphire's back. By now several townsfolk had hesitantly inched forward to watch the fight between the titans from the town side of the bridge.

Spike rolled over and pushed himself up on one arm, the other holding his chest where Midnight had hit. A small trickle of blood oozed out from where her talons had impacted. Before he could get back to his feet, Midnight plummeted out of the sky onto him, slamming him back down and taking off before his tail could rise up and whip her. Spike may have had more bulk and overall strength than Midnight, but she was the far more experienced, running on logic instead of instinct, and possibly more driven.

Recovering faster from the latest blow, Spike got up in time to face Midnight on her next pass. He opened his massive jaws and unleashed a torrent of green fire at her. Stopping in midair, the wyvern opened her mouth and shot off her own tsunami of blue fire. The two met and roiled, neither stream of rock-melting heat gaining the edge on the other. 

"Ooo, ooo! Anypony want some s'mores?" Pinkie asked. Everypony on the bridge gave her a glare. "I still stand by my previous statement."

As the two fires began dying off, Midnight accelerated forwards again, using the fire as cover to get in close and deal another heavy blow to Spike's chest. This time he was ready, though. As she hit him, Spike clamped his jaws onto one of her legs and took her down with him. Stunned by the sudden halt and fall, Midnight wasn't as quick to recover and was grabbed by the back of the neck. 

Spike growled menacingly as he raised her to eye level, keeping one foot on a wing to keep her pinned. Meeting his gaze, she gave no warning as her tail whipped forward, scoring a shallow cut along the top of Spike's muzzle. Shocked by the sudden pain and possible realization of how close a more grievous wound was, he let go and staggered back, unpinning her. Midnight reared back, beat both wings experimentally, and let out another roar of challenge. 

"Midnight!" Rarity and Twilight yelled disapprovingly. Now even more ponies were gathering at the bridge to watch the battle.

After making sure it really was only a small flesh wound, Spike returned the challenge, charging her yet again. Midnight stood still in the face of the charging purple and green mountain. Just before he collided with her, Midnight twisted to the side, tripping him with a single out-stretched leg and smacking him in the back with the flat side of her tail blade. He went sprawling down onto his stomach with Midnight right on top of him. The wyvern locked her jaws onto the largest of his spines and held his head down while also pinning his arms with her own. Her talons dug into his thighs, flexing every time his legs tried to move and driving them deeper. Their tails were entwined in a sort of tail-wrestle with neither side giving ground. Spike tried shooting off more fire, only to have Midnight slam his face into the ground. 

"Alright, that's enough!" Rarity yelled out, running off the bridge and towards the combatants. 

"Rarity, wait!" Twilight called after her, following her off the bridge. "It's too dangerous!"

"Twilight, it's clear Midnight has the upper hoof and if she keeps this up she might really hurt Spike! We have to try and stop them!"

"I know, but the only way they'll stop is if Spike changes back to normal! The only way to do that is to stop him from being greedy or make him do something generous!"

Rarity pondered this as the others caught up to them. "Or... if we make him remember doing something generous!" she announced, glancing back down at the fire ruby she still wore around her neck.

"Ya'll think that'll really work?" AJ asked her.

"It's worth a shot," Twilight said. "Just... be careful."

"Wouldn't dream of being anything but, Twilight darling," Rarity said with a flick of her mane. They all watched as the fashioniesta approached the battling behemoths. "Spikey-wikey!" Rarity called out as soon as she was close. 

Both fighters looked down at her. 

"I just want to say how disappointed I am that a dragon so generous as yourself is out here fighting over junk when you so graciously gave me the fire ruby you were saving up for so many months!" She buffed the ruby in question and allowed it to shine clearly for Spike to see. 

Catching sight of the ruby, the dragon finally paused in his attempts to get back up. Sensing this, Midnight eased up slightly in her own efforts to keep him down. 

"I know you're better than to let greed rule you, Spikey-wikey, and the proof is right around my neck. Now, either prove me right by changing back to normal, or stay that way and lose our friendship!"

Spike grunted as he continued to look down at her. It was a confused sounding grunt, as if he was lost deep in thought. After a few more seconds his eyes seemed to unfocus, like he was remembering something. Out of nowhere his whole body began to vibrate, then the dragon Midnight was battling disappeared and the wyvern landed on the ground with a loud thud. Confused, she lifter her middle up to reveal a normal-sized Spike sitting under her. He looked a bit battered and worse for wear, but otherwise okay.

Seeing this as well, everypony else came charging forward as Midnight sat back on her haunches and let the blue flames envelop her. Once she was back to normal she let herself flop down onto the ground. She hurt everywhere, but at least she wasn't blacking out from blood loss. 

"Midnight!" Summer cried out as she came to a skidding halt next to her, then gathered her up in her hooves. "Dear Celestia, are you okay!?"

"I will be when you let go!" Midnight hollered back. "I'm in so much pain right now!"

"Sorry!" Summer apologized, laying her gently back down.

"What hurts?" Sapphire asked as she and the rest of them got to them.

"Everything," Midnight groaned. "I got hit by a giant rock, remember?"

"Um... sorry about that," Spike said from where Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy were fussing over him. A lot of his superficial wounds were gone, such as the graze on the nose and most of the claw marks. The places on his chest and thighs where her talons had dug into him were now scabbed over as were the teeth marks on his head spine. 

"Just... never do this again," the kirin told him. "Next time I'm doing something permanent." She ignored the disapproving glares from the other mares. 

"Can you get up?" Summer asked gently. 

"Do I have to?"

"You'd be more comfortable in a bed," Sapphire told her. "You'd be more tolerable of Red Heart, too."

Midnight rolled her eyes, but slowly pulled herself up. As they slowly made their way back to the bridge however, Sapphire and Windrunner helping to support her, Midnight realized that Derpy, Berry, and their family members were all there as well. "Wait, what are you all doing here?"

"We all saw you fighting Spike," Berry told her. "What, you think nopony saw the two of you duking it out out here?"

Midnight's gate slowed. "You mean, you saw... you saw me like... like that?" The kirin's irises began to shrink.

"Pretty much the whole town saw you!" Derpy said happily. "You did save some folks from getting squashed by a flying boulder after all. That and changing right above the whole town."

The group had made it to the top of the bridge now, and here Midnight halted as Derpy's words sunk in. 'The whole town knows!? They all know?!' This continued to repeat in her head as she slowly turned to see practically the entire town looking up at them, looking up at her. Her irises were the size of pinpricks now, and her breathing was become more rapid.

"Midnight?" Sapphire asked nervously.

She didn't hear her. She didn't even see the others around her now. All there was, was the crowd in front of her. No, not a crowd, an angry mob. They knew what she really was, and they hated and feared her for it. She took a step back. She had to get away, she had to hide. They'd never accept her. And there it was; the roar of the crowd, screaming for her to leave and never come back, for her to go limp off to some far away cave and die so they could be rid of her forever. 

"Midnight!"

Her eyes flicked down to see her mother in front of her, her face a look of disgust and disappointment. But, the longer she looked, the disgust and disappointment dissolved into a mirror of her own fear. "Mom...?" she said weakly.

"It's alright dear, it's alright. Nothing's going to happen." Summer gently nuzzled her, tears now in her eyes as well. "Just listen to them; really listen." 

Midnight obeyed, trying to hear past her the voices in her head and take in what the residents of Ponyville, not the nightmare townsfolk of her mind, were saying.

Was... was that... cheering?

As that strangeness began pulling her back out of her own head, she realized that Autumn was sitting on her mother's back, looking almost as frightened as she felt. 

"You... were protecting us?" her sister asked in a quiet voice. 

Midnight could only nod slightly. Autumn seemed to consider that. Then, to Midnight's shock and amazement, the filly reached up and nuzzled her as well. It was only for a second, and she ducked back into Summer's mane afterwards, but it spoke volumes to the kirin. 

As she became more aware of the world around her again, she realized they really were cheering for her. Several times she picked out ponies thanking her for saving the town. Most of it anyway. Looking around she saw that she was now the center of a giant group hug. Sapphire and Windrunner both had a wing over her back and were pulled into her, Sapphire even sharing the space in the crook of her neck with Summer. Squeaks was hugging the back of her head. Although they couldn't reach her directly, the bearers, Spike, Derpy, Berry, Dinky, Pinchy, and even Sparkler were all there as well.

"I... I don't..."

"Shhh..." Summer told her. "Let's get back home, bandage you up, and have a nice, relaxing evening together. You've earned it."

"Alright," Midnight said quietly. She didn't hurt anymore; her body was numb all over but there was the faintest feeling of relief and joy past the numbness. Maybe, just maybe, her nights plagued with nightmares were really over as easily as that.

Without warning Spike suddenly burped up a letter. Twilight caught it in her magic and read it out loud.

"Dear Twilight,

I'm sorry, but it completely slipped my mind that this might be the year that Spike might start exhibiting signs of what is known as "Greed-Growth", a common condition among young dragons form what we have seen over the years. If he starts getting greedy suddenly, please bring him to Canterlot right away so we can stop the problem before it gets too big, both figuratively and literally.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia"

Silence.

"Seriously?" Midnight groaned.

> Ch.6 - Beach Daze
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The warm sand felt good on her stomach; equally so as her hooves trailed through it. It wasn't like the sand out in the desert around Appleloosa; all gritty and uncomfortable. The sand here was as soft and welcoming as a comforter on a bed, most likely due to being formed from the sea only a little ways away. Her wings, spread out as far as they could go, twitched slightly in the late summer sun. Content and settled, she cracked open an eye. Squeaks and Autumn were playing down by the water, following the waves out and then running back in, screeching happily as they tried to out-pace the incoming water. Summer and Sapphire were resting on the nearby blanket, keeping an eye on the girls while either talking or reading a book or a magazine. Nearly out of sight, Orange was up on the walkway that was the barrier between the city and the beach, buying some ice cream for them all. She closed her eye and took in another deep breath of the salty air. Yes, Midnight thought, this was a good idea.

--------p------------p-------

"It's not a good idea at all!" Midnight snapped as she and Windrunner put down the last bed.

"You've been working all summer! What's wrong with a single week of vacation?" Summer snapped back from the doorway of one of the three new bedrooms the expansion had provided. Midnight, Sapphire, and Windrunner were finishing furnishing them with a simple bed, night table, and dresser each. Although the bedrooms and new bathroom had already been agreed upon before construction had begun, looking at them now Midnight wondered if she was getting ready to open a bed and breakfast or something of the like. 

Along with the bedrooms, the dining room was also finished and dominated by a huge table. The store front was now doubled in size (length wise)and the bathroom under the stairs was now larger and more comfortable to use, with its door opening up into the new room between the store front and the dining room. The room the bathroom now opened up to was the only one that stood empty as nopony really had any idea what to do with it. They already had a storage space for the wood and three new bedrooms and Midnight wasn't about to move her meat operations out the shed anytime soon. At this point, they had decided to just leave it alone until some need was found. 

"What's wrong is that summer is my busy time. I need to get as much wood cut down as I can before cold weather sets in and demand for firewood goes up." 'And I have my other job to consider. It wouldn't be fair to leave everything on Windrunner's shoulders for a week and Celestia certainly won't let the entire Bearer Guard leave their charges alone for so long. *sigh* I need to find more recruits.' 

Summer rolled her eyes. "Midnight, I've seen how much wood you have stored away. If you run out of wood this winter, then ponies around here eat it like termites." 

Windrunner gave a snort of laughter at this, but Midnight remained stern. "If you're so set on a trip to Balitmare then take Squeaks; I'm sure she'd love it."

"I'm sure she'd love it even more if she could see it with you. I know Autumn would love to spend time there with you, too. I bet a love for the beach would be something else you two would have in common."

Midnight flinched slightly at the mention of her sister. Her fight with a greed-fueled Spike had resulted in the entire town, as well as her three-year-old sister, learning exactly what her cutie mark meant. Midnight had been ready to bolt when she had realized this despite what all her friends and her mother had immediately said and done to try and persuade her that nothing was going to happen. The kirin hadn't heard a word until she'd made eye contact with Autumn. The filly was just as cripplingly afraid of dragons as she was of spiders, and Midnight fully expected her to never want to be near her ever again. Instead, she had asked if Midnight was like that to defend them. When Midnight had told her that was indeed the case, the filly had reached up, briefly nuzzled her, then went back to hiding in their mother's mane. That simple act had helped give the kirin enough courage to face her worst nightmare. 

The town, to her shock and bewilderment, had praised her for saving it from the rampaging dragon rather than forming into an angry mob to try and drive her out. None of them had made a comment about how she could be just as dangerous; in fact, a few of them had suggested making her part of the new police force to handle such threats in the future. How none of them had guessed the dragon was Spike, with both he and the other dragon having the same color scheme, none of them could be sure but they were determined not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Spike was in control of himself, the town was being rebuilt with funds from the crown, and nopony had gotten hurt, so there was no reason anypony had to know the details. 

Afterwards, Autumn had talked to her like they had been, but there was now a small distance she kept from her. Both Midnight and Summer had become distressed by this and the latter had redoubled her attempts to get the two of them to do things together to repair whatever damage Midnight's change had caused between them. The suggestion that a vacation together might help them become close again was, in Midnight's opinion, effective but unfeasible. 

"Mom... I'd love to, I really would... but I can't. I've got too many responsibilities here in Ponyville and I can't just up and leave at the drop of a hat."

Summer sighed. "It's great that you recognize you have responsibilities here in town but even Princess Celestia takes a break now and again."

Not from what Midnight had heard and she had heard it from the most reliable source there was.

"Can you really tell me, truthfully, that your business would go under if your weren't open for a whole week?"

Before the kirin could continue her side of the debate, Sapphire poked her head around the door frame. "How's everything going?"

"Sapphire, would the store go under if Midnight went on vacation for a week?" Summer asked before anypony else could say anything.

"Umm... well..." Sapphire stammered, surprised by the question. "If you mean this coming week, then no, it wouldn't. This is the time she's set as the "stocking up" period but she worked all through winter as well, cutting down trees. We've got plenty of stock if she wanted to leave for a week."

Summer nodded triumphantly. "See? You have no reason not to go!"

Midnight sent a glare Sapphire's way but couldn't put a lot of effort behind it. It wasn't her fault Summer had sprung the question on her, although she could have tried to stall a bit. "Not to go where?" she asked.

"Baltimare," Midnight provided. "Mom's trying to convince me to go on vacation with them, but I've told her I've got too many responsibilities," Sapphire caught the enfaces in her voice, "to go gallivanting across Equestria."

"How about when you went to that town down south?" Summer asked, nodding towards Windrunner. "You didn't seem to have an issue hopping a train there."

"That was for the weekend," Midnight countered. 

"Actually I was hoping to talk with Midnight for a minute alone, if that's alright," Sapphire said with a smile. A smile that seemed a bit strained in Midnight's opinion.

"Alright," Summer said reluctantly. "But this conversation isn't over young lady."

Midnight snorted after her as she left with Windrunner. "So what did you want to talk about?" she asked when she was sure that at least Summer was downstairs and out of earshot.

"Well, I just wanted to say, I think going on vacation is a good idea for you."

Midnight's wing flared slightly in surprise. "Sapphire, I can't, you know that! It's only me and Windrunner and Celestia-!"

"I know why you think you can't go but Midnight, you need to! I'm worried about you!"

Midnight's wings flared again, wider than before while a bit of heat rose to her face. Sapphire was worried about her?

Seeming to realize what she said, the pegasus turned away to try and hide the slight darkening in her own face. "Ever since the whole mess with Spike and the town finding out about your ability, you've been more and more reclusive. We all see it and I'm... we're getting worried that you might end up doing something drastic."

"Such as?" There was less accusation in her voice and more curious worry than Sapphire expected there to be, as well as a much softer tone.

"Well... we're afraid you might decide to leave again," Sapphire said quietly.

They stood in silence for a minute with only the wind and the chirp of a bird from outside the window for noise. Neither one of them made eye contact with the other. 

"You... you all don't need to worry about that," Midnight finally said. "Ponyville is my home now and I have too many ponies I care about here to leave." Sapphire finally looked back up at her. "But, Sapphire, I can't leave. It's only me and Windrunner right now and I couldn't leave her alone to go on vacation when something might happen! In the past few months we've been nearly taken over by  a creature that can kick the princesses around like a schoolyard bully, Twilight went nuts and brainwashed the town, Apple Bloom nearly infected the town with an ancient disease by her own hoof, and Spike just went on a rampage that caused thousands of bits worth of damage. What's next? The town... and the bearers... need me here more."

"What they need," Sapphire said, taking a small step closer, "what we all need, is for you to be the physically and emotionally strong pillar we all see you as. You curling up in a corner and acting depressed... that's just not you. That's not like you at all and it's scaring us; Squeaks and... and me especially. Hearing how you were when you were younger from Summer isn't helping either. And then there's Autumn; you and her were making such progress together that even after you changed she still nuzzled you. Do you really want all that time getting to know one another to amount to nothing now?"

Midnight looked down at the pegasus in an amazed silence. Poking at her feelings for Squeaks and Autumn was pretty much expected but to throw in her own feelings for the kirin as well... that just seemed to change the entire feel of the conversation. The only other time she had seemed so scared was right after the fight with the hydra, apologizing to her for letting the girls talk her and Berry into going into the swamp in the first place. There was almost a sense of... desperation in her words that certainly wasn't there before. How were things different? How had they changed? 

She had a brief flashback of right after her fight with Spike. Her mother was nuzzling her neck, trying to get her to calm down in the face of what was her worst nightmare. Sapphire had been doing the exact same thing. Her face felt like an oven now and, not for the first time, she was grateful her black coat prevented blushes from being visible. 

"I... I'm sorry if I scared you... all," Midnight said quietly, refusing to look Sapphire in the eye. "If you think it'll help at all, I guess I can go. But that still means leaving the bearers unguarded."

Finally, a smile emerged onto Sapphire's face. "Celestia can always have a few of her undercover guard stop in town for a few things. New dresses, a taste of local food, the whole "break from the city" thing your mom is doing for a week. Besides, your contract gives you holidays and a week's vacation."

"'Undercover guard'? What undercover guard?" Midnight asked, agitation returning. 

"Haven't you ever wondered why the princess has only stallions as guards in armor?" Sapphire asked with a sly smirk. "Yet she's got enough maids for at least two castles?"

Midnight felt her jaw drop slightly. "Son of a... why hasn't she said anything!?"

"State secret," Sapphire informed her. "Plus the visiting nobles wouldn't be so open about what their proposals, deals, and other legislative were really about if they thought the help was reporting directly back to the princess everything they said."

"Huh," Midnight said, not sure what else to really say to that. Then a smirk crossed her face. "Does Captain Shining know about this?"

"No, only Princess Celestia hires them. I only know about it because I was her personal aid for a time. Why?"

"Just... nah, don't worry about it," Midnight told her with a laugh. "Fine, I'll tell mom I'll go, but there is one condition," the kirin said with a sly smile.

"Yes?" Sapphire asked, suddenly unsure about the situation. 

"You have to come too. After all, you seem so concerned about my welfare that I would think you'd want to make sure I was feeling fine while we're there." The kirin chuckled as the pegasus tried to hide the sudden darkening of her cheeks.

------------f----------------

Midnight looked from her nest in the sand at the two mares on the blanket as they broke out laughing at some joke or another. Something about how Sapphire had acted that day during that talk had stirred something in the kirin. Why had she sounded so distressed at the idea of Midnight leaving? Why had she blushed so much and so often when she told her how worried she was about her? And why had she felt the way she had when Sapphire had gotten closer to her?

"Midnight, is everything alright?" Summer called, seeing the kirin staring at them. Sapphire looked around at Midnight and the kirin quickly turned to look back at the ocean.

"I'm fine!" she called back. "Tell Orange to hurry up with the ice cream!" 

Summer sighed as she turned her attention back to the magazine she and Sapphire had been reading. "Can't call it a total success so far, but she does seem better."

Sapphire hummed and nodded in agreement. After talking in private with Midnight and convincing her to go on this vacation, she had more or less avoided the kirin in one way or another. Every time they were close together Sapphire could feel heat rise back up into her face. It was embarrassing and sent the wrong message to other ponies. Sure, she liked Midnight but she didn't... like her. "So, is this another one of your company's models?" she asked Summer as another wave of heat threatened to cover her face. She really needed to get a grip on whatever was going on. 

"Yes she is. Oh, I have to tell you about the time...

-----------------------------

"And we'll build that one tomorrow, and that one, and that one!" Squeaks told Autumn as she examined the bag of beach toys her mother was carting along on her back. With their first day at the beach at an end, they had all begun heading back to the hotel when the girls had spotted a beach vendor along the path selling bags of beach toys. Each bag had contained things like toy boats, beach balls, shovels, and sand castle molds. These last things were the real reason both fillies had begun begging for a bag. Summer hadn't hesitated and now the two of them were talking about all the things they were going to build with their new toys. "Do you want to build anything, mom?" Squeaks asked unexpectedly.

"I... might just add on to whatever you two decide to make," she told her, smiling a little bit. She glanced over at Autumn who was also examining the bag's contents. When she noticed her older sister looking at her, she smiled back but quickened  her pace so that she was even with her parents' back legs. The kirin let out a silent sigh and resumed looking ahead.

"Things will get better," Sapphire said, coming up even with her. "They did after that first trip to the park."

"Yeah, but... I don't know. Things seem even worse now. There's a look in her eyes now, like I betrayed her or something and now all she sees when she looks at me is a hulking dragon time bomb that could go off at any second. No amount of stick towers or sand castles is going to fix that."

Sapphire hummed in thought for a second. Midnight was so worried about how to fix things with Autumn that she was ignoring the looks she was getting from other ponies they passed by. None of them seemed hostile, just surprised and maybe a bit cautious around the kirin. Maybe Midnight had been wrong about ponies in the cities and had been unintentionally exaggerating their actions. She'd seemed to have done the same with Summer, so why not strangers? "Fix? No. Open negotiations? It's a start. Just show her that, no matter what, you're still her sister and would never do anything to hurt her. And she's getting along great with Squeaky still, so maybe have her help out a bit."

Midnight let out her own hum of thought. "It's a start," she parroted. "I just... wait a second." The kirin came to an abrupt stop, looking around like she just realized where they were.

"Something wrong?" Sapphire asked.

"...No... but I can't believe I didn't recognize where we were earlier!" A grin was starting to spread onto her face despite the conversation they were just having. "I use to come this way all the time when I was living here! Well, I came up the other way, but I recognize that ice cream parlor!" She indicated the ice cream shop a little ways down from the hotel. "Long Line's Seafood Emporium is just a little ways past that!"

"Oh, that's right! You talked about going there often when we first met, right?" Sapphire asked.

Midnight didn't know why but when the pegasus said "when we first met", she could feel the heat rise to her face again slightly. Part of it was that weird feeling she'd been having whenever she was around Sapphire these days, but another part of it was a feeling of guilt. She'd threatened her with her tail blade at the time. Midnight realized another thing then: she'd known Sapphire for almost, if not exactly, a year now this week. Had it really only been a year? So much had happened that it felt like much longer.

"Is it any good?" Summer asked, bringing the kirin back out of her thoughts. 

"Best seafood I ever tasted," Midnight told her, already feeling her mouth begin to water. She could almost taste the lobster salad sandwiches and the shrimp scampi and the fried fish and chips (he had told her that where the recipe came from they called fries "chips" for whatever odd reason).

"Well, why don't we go there for dinner then?" Summer said. "Get a bit more authentic Baltimare cuisine." 

The kirin was jolted out of her visions of heaps of lobster-based entrees. "Wait, all of us?"

"Of course! You're making it sound so good that I think the rest of us want a taste." Orange, Squeaks, and Autumn nodded.

"But... you did hear me say seafood, as in shellfish and fish, right?"

"They have such things at the parties Orange and I go to, and at the Gala which you were at if I'm not mistaken." Summer countered.

"It's not exactly a five-star restaurant," Midnight tried again. It wasn't that it was a dump either, just not exactly... what they would be expecting. It was more or less a glorified shack with tables, chairs, a counter with stools, and occasional clientele that she wasn't sure she wanted her family rubbing elbows with. Due to her size and mysterious nature, patrons who frequented the place when she was living in the city left her alone for the most part. She didn't think they'd be afforded the same courtesy. 

"Do they sell alcohol?" Summer pressed.

"No! Well yes, but not on any scale like a bar!"

"Then I don't think there'll be a problem," Summer said with an air of finality, ushering the girls into the hotel so they could clean up and get ready.

"What's wrong?" Sapphire asked as they followed the others.

"It's just that Long Line's can get a bit... seedy at times and I don't want you all getting stuck next to a table of degenerates," Midnight told her. 

Sapphire giggled. "You really think they're going to mess with us with you sitting right there in all your kirin glory?"

"You'd be surprised," Midnight said darkly, two certain stallions swimming up to the forefront of her mind.

"Come on," Sapphire said, bumping her hip against Midnight's as she headed into the lobby. "How bad could it turn out?"

"You know you just jinxed it, right?" Midnight said flatly as she followed her inside. 

"We're not in Ponyville, so I'll take my chances."

-----------------------------

The kirin let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. To her unbounded relief, Long Line's Seafood Emporium had improved over the years since she had skipped town. Well, it looked cleaner at any rate and more like a restaurant with its various decorations over the previously bare walls. When their group entered the few patrons at the counter looked them over, then went back to their food.

"It certainly is... quaint," Summer said, looking the place over.

"Midnight did warn us," Orange told her.

The kirin in question wasn't sure whether to bristle or look smug. She chose to snort indecisively. 

"Should we sit down or...?" Sapphire started, only for a tan unicorn mare, a teenager really, with a red string of fate cutie mark to come out a door from behind the counter.

"Oh, hello!" she said, momentarily stunned by the group of ponies standing in the doorway. Usually only two or three ponies walked in at a time; six was unheard of, especially a family with foals.

"Hello!" Summer said back with a smile. "I'm sorry, but should we wait to be seated or...?"

"Oh no! Please, take whatever table you want!" the filly told them, levitating some menus over. "Just let me know when you're ready to order."

Summer nodded to her in thanks as they took the corner table.

"He's upped his game," Midnight said as she examined the menu. "That, or he's hired a cook."

"Makes sense; Canterlot castle buys from him exclusively now," Sapphire said as she and the rest also browsed their options. "I'd be more surprised if he couldn't hire." 

"How have things changed?" Summer asked conversationally. 

"Well, for starters, everything he used to serve was either in the form of a sandwich or just fried and slapped onto a plate. Now there's pastas and stuffings and dishes that just weren't here before." Midnight's eyes slid further and further down the menu. She was almost to the bottom when she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Faust he still has the lobster salad sandwiches." 

"Anything else you personally recommend?" Orange asked her.

"I personally prefer anything shellfish," Midnight responded from behind her menu. "But the fried fish smelled good from time to time. Just avoid the tilapia; no matter what he does that stuff still tastes awful."

"What are scallops?" Autumn asked from her place next to Squeaks in the corner.

"They're shellfish like clams or oysters," Squeaks told her. Having dined at Canterlot castle, she had an idea of what she was looking at. That and the times Midnight had decided to send in an order when she got tired of squirrel and rabbit. "They're like wet marshmallows, only salty and made of meat." 

All four adults snorted in an attempt to keep from bursting out laughing at the analogy.

"What?"

"No... nothing Squeaks," Midnight chortled. Faust help them all when Cheerilee finally got around to teaching health. 

Autumn looked around at them all. "Are they good?" she pressed on, undeterred by her niece's description. 

"Yes sweetie," Summer said, getting control of herself and looking at where her youngest was pointing. "And they're mixed into angel hair pasta with a cream sauce. You like that, right?"

Autumn nodded.

"Then we'll get that for you. Hmm... the salad with anchovies looks good."

"I think I'll get the fish and chips," Orange said.

"Those "chips" are actually potato fries," Midnight told him, again from behind her menu. "Just giving you a heads up."

"Even better! I was going to ask if I could get those instead. I wonder why they call them "chips"?"

"I want the shrimp in the fet-oo-ceenee (fettuccini) that's covered in garlic and butter!" Squeaks said, turning her menu around and showing Midnight what she wanted.

The kirin heard a grumbling from Summer that sounded like "uses too much butter as it is" but chose to ignore it and nod in agreement at her daughter's choice. 

"I'll give the tuna salad sandwich a try," Sapphire said, putting her menu down.

They waited until the filly returned from the back before calling her over to place their orders. "Out of curiosity, is Long Line here today?" Midnight asked.

"Yes, he's in the back right now," the waitress told her, using her magic to move some yellow mane out of her face. "Did you want to speak to him or...?"

Midnight noticed how the unicorn seemed to take stock of her. Her gaze seemed to be a mix of curiosity and nervousness. She also didn't fail to notice the occasional look back their way from the patrons at the counter. "I don't want to bother him if he's cooking. I just want to say hi; I've been... out of town for a while."

The unicorn nodded. "I'll let him know. Can I get your name, if he asks?"

"Midnight Storm."

She smiled and nodded again, whisked the menus away in her magic, then returned behind the counter.

"How well did you know Long Line?" Summer asked as they settled in to wait. 

"Like I told Sapphire, I ate here as much as I could. Turned into a regular, actually. I knew him well enough that we'd talk for a while every time I came in. Didn't care that I was bigger than others or that I was a magicless unicorn or even how my eyes looked. He was really the only pony I could call a  friend before I got to Ponyville." Midnight grew silent as she thought about her time in the city.

"But then why did you leave?" Squeaks asked. "If he was your friend then shouldn't you have stayed?"

"Well Squeaks... it's complicated," Midnight said, just as the door leading to the back slammed open, making everypony in the establishment jump.

An old stallion was standing in the doorway, staring at their group; at Midnight in particular. He was blue with his mane, tail, beard, and mustache a seafoam green, almost like Lyra's coat, with sharp green eyes that told of a long, adventurous life. He was dressed in one of those fisherman raincoats, wore a captain's hat, and had an unlit corn-cob pipe clenched between his teeth. "Dump chum on my head and call me bait! It really is you, Midnight!"

The kirin gave him a sheepish wave. "Hey Long Line."

The stallion walked out from behind the counter and over to their table. He looked Midnight over once, then gave her a smart smack on her front leg. Everypony at the table, sans Autumn and Midnight, started to say something at the unprovoked action but Long Line spoke before the rest of them could. "Up and disappear for damn near two years and all you can say is "Hey"? Ought ta use your sorry flank as tomorrow's catch of the day!"

"Long Line, there are foals present," Midnight said flatly.

"And shame on you for bringing them here! You forget the barnacle eaters that like to eat here, too? Serves you right if they start cussin' like a sailor!"

Both fillies giggled and Midnight was sure she heard one of them say "butt-head".

"Excuse me!" Summer said hotly. "But what gives you the right to walk over here and hit my daughter like that!?"

Long Line turned to her, removed his hat, then bowed his head at her. "Forgive me miss, but when one of your favorite customers up and vanishes one day, only to reappear in the news and then back in your shop nearly two years later, one tends to forget themselves."

"It's not a big deal mom; didn't really even hurt," Midnight told her. "I guess you saw that news article, too?"

"Damn-," he caught the look the four adults gave him,"-darn right I saw it! Came back in to port a few days after the craziest seas you've ever seen to find your sorry hide smack on the front page along with all them other fine looking young fillies. Gone from fixing pipes and laying boards to saving the world; heck of a career change if you ask me."

"It wasn't by choice, I assure you," Midnight told him, as smile finally forming on her face.

Long Line gave her a quick once over like the waitress had, eyes lingering on her wings and tail. "I see those two nit-wits weren't talking crazy after all," he said, his voice going gentle all of a sudden.

"Yeah..." Midnight said, frowning. The whole table went quiet as the rest of them looked worriedly between the two.

"Bah, don't you give those bottom feeders any thought!" He told her, giving her a hard pat on the back and returning to a light-hearted mood. "You look even finer than the last time you were in here! I told you that cloak didn't suit ya one bit! Now's not the time to be moping about anyway! I'll get your order out here on the double and then we can talk, eat, and drink like the old days!" With a finale laugh and hit to her back, he got up and returned to the kitchen.

"He's... lively," Orange offered.

"He's a crazy old kook who doesn't care what any other pony thinks," Midnight told them. "Has a heart of gold, too."

"Did he say that you two drank?" Summer said, giving her eldest the stink-eye.

"He drank beer, I chugged lemonade," Midnight said nonchalantly. "The only beer I had was beer-battered flounder." 

-----------------------------

"...and now we're here on vacation for the week," Midnight said, wrapping up the summery of what had happened since she left Baltimare. It was the same short-version of her travels that she'd given her mother, only updated to include the most recent events. She even told him about what her cutie mark was and meant; she sort of felt he deserved to know after all this time. "Uh... Long Line?" Midnight asked, seeing that he'd had the same piece of food on his fork for a while now, forgotten as he listened to her story.

Realizing he'd been gawking at her for some time, the stallion gave an embarrassing cough and took a bite of his meal. "That's some tale," he said after he had finished chewing. "Quite an interesting life you've lived since you've left."

"Yeah," the kirin said, taking a slightly aggressive bite out of her sandwich. 

Summer leaned over and gave her a nuzzle. She hadn't liked hearing her daughter's tale the first time and to hear it all again just re-awoke the knot of guilt in her stomach from not trying harder to find Midnight in the first place. Sapphire looked just as ready to lean over and comfort the kirin but held herself in place. The girls and Orange looked just as distressed.

"Ponyville sounds like a great place though," Long Line said, trying to lighten the mood around the table. "After all the bottom feeders you've run into, I'm glad you found a place with such welcoming ponies; and that you've reconciled with you family." He nodded at Summer and Orange. For a brief second, Midnight could have sworn he made a quick glance at the young waitress, Honeysuckle. She was cleaning a table nearby and humming something to herself. "It's just too bad you didn't stay here longer; I was planning on asking you to be my new first mate." At her confused look, Long Line continued, "I just got the royal order for a sample of my catch the same day you left. If you'd stayed a week more, I'd have offered you the position. I figured the steady work and all the fish you could eat, as well as a stable roof over your head," he indicated the second floor of the place, "would have been too enticing to pass up."

"I don't know if it would have been enough to make me stay after... that, but I would certainly appreciated it," Midnight told him, a small smile once again returning to her face. "So, why don't you tell me how things have been going back here? It's obvious that Princess Celestia liked your food, but I'm surprised you cleaned this place up for your other clientele."

"And I wouldn't have if workers from Canterlot Castle hadn't come down here personally. Before you know it word got out and suddenly I was getting more than seedy dock workers and boat hooves walking in. Needed to spruce the place up a bit and then I'm looking like one of those tourist traps they call restaurants and I need a staff to work the place while I head out each day." He paused and took a swig of his beer. "Then again, Honeysuckle and Grill Mate are great ponies to have around; better company then them brainless barnacle-suckers from the docks." He took another swig.

"That's good to hear at least," Midnight said, taking another bite out of her sandwich. 

"Yeah. Hey, you wanna try something new for me?" Long line asked with unexpected enthusiasm.

"Uh, sure?" Midnight said, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Octopus fritters!" he said proudly.

-----------------------------

"Are you sure mom?" Squeaks asked, looking over the edge of the cloud.

"I'm sure Squeaks," Midnight told the filly, pulling her back to the center of the mass of condensed water vapor. "And what have I told you about being afraid of falling?"

"If I keep thinking about it I won't ever fly?"

"Exactly. I'm never going to put you in a situation I don't think you can't handle. The worst thing that can happen today is that you belly-flop. Besides, I'll be right here the whole time." In an effort to relieve Squeaks, Midnight hopped off the cloud they were standing on and did a quick loop. "You can't let fear run your life; trust me, I've learned the hard way," Midnight told her, landing back on the cloud. "You, we, have to push the boundaries once and awhile."

"Like with those Octopus Fritters last night?" the filly asked.

Midnight shivered as she remembered the taste. She had actually liked the first few of them; a mixture of some type of cream sauce and octopus tentacles wrapped up in a light dough covering and fried, but after that the cream sauce was too rich and it made the tentacles feel slimy and unpleasant to chew. Thankfully by the tenth one Long Line had taken the hint and took away the rest. Nopony else had even dared to pick one up.

Long Line had been a good sport about the results, saying he'd try again with a less rich sauce and offering her a beer to wash away the taste. It helped, for the most part; she'd never liked beer to begin with. The taste test over with and dinner consumed, he'd surprised them again by refusing to be paid. "It's all on the house tonight. Consider it a "welcome back" dinner for Midnight." They had all thanked him graciously and promised to dine there again at least once before their vacation was over.

The next morning they returned to the beach after having breakfast at the hotel's diner. The pancakes there didn't match up to Summer's Fruit Salad ones, but they were enough to get the last of the fritters' taste off of Midnight's tongue. They had first built a sand castle, then buried Orange in the sand ("Midnight, do NOT bury his head!") and now she and Squeaks were having an impromptu flying lesson before lunch and a trip to the famed Baltimare Open Air Market. 

Midnight had remembered from her previous stay that, even at night, thermals were far more prevalent over the ocean, making it a great training spot for new flyers. As such, she had found a rogue cloud, guided it over to them, and flew Squeaks up to it, making sure not to block the sun for anypony else on the beach. That in itself was weird. Her mother had told her that she and her father had agreed that she needed to stay a secret since most ponies would freak out at the sight of her. In every city she'd been to, including this one, there had been ponies that had done so when they found out what she was. Now ponies were just eyeing her with mild curiosity as far as she could tell. Could it be she just had really bad luck all those years and simply ran into the most panicky of ponies, reinforcing her parents' fears? It was one theory. Then again, there were some beach goers who were moving away from their spot while shooting glances up at her.

Looking back down again she saw her baby sister looking up at them from where she was making another sand castle. She had wanted to bring along Autumn but both Summer and Orange shot the idea down. Autumn was too young and her wings too underdeveloped. The kirin had (finally) conceded and the pegasus filly was forced to watch her sister and niece practice from the ground. The free reign over the sand toys was a decent consolation. 

"Alright," Midnight said as she recovered from the memory. "Today, we're going to practice gliding. To start with, extend your wings out as far as they'll go." As an example, Midnight extended her own giant, black, leathery wings. In her mother's shade, Squeaks did the same, stretching out her own dark orange wings. "Gliding helps save energy over long-distance flights and helps you get back to the ground safely in case you've gotten hurt. One of the most important things you'll need to learn about this is how to feel the air currents as you descend. If you misread them, you could come down a lot faster from a lot higher than you intended to. Do you feel the air currents?"

"Mmm-hmm," Squeaks hummed, concentrating on the air going over her wings. It felt nice and she could feel her wings lift slightly.

"Those warm-ish updrafts are called thermals; they're what you need to look, well, feel for when you glide. Those updrafts keep you aloft. Now, keep an eye on my wings." The kirin launched herself off the cloud again and out over the water.

Squeaks watched her mother glide, her eyes concentrating on her wings. She noted how they twitched and seemed to "feel" the air, even bulging upward as what she took to be a thermal caught the membrane. She also noted how the wings would fold and extend when she turned to come back to the cloud. Still gliding, Midnight swept under the white fluff and came back up the other side, settling down gently back into her previous spot. "Alright, now you try." 

"Do you want me to turn back after a certain point or...?"

"Just keep going until I say so. Don't worry, I won't let you go out to sea."

Squeaks nodded, backed up, then took a running leap off the cloud. Forcing herself to look straight ahead and not down, the bat filly extended her wings out as far as they would go, keeping them as stiff as could be. She could feel the wind in her wings, felt it pushing her up and away from gravity's hold on her.

She got maybe three full seconds of hang time before dropping out of the sky like a rock. 

She let out a squeak of surprise as she fell, landing rump-first into the ocean. Having already learned how to swim in Ponyville's lakes and ponds, she had no problem getting back to the surface. As she did so something large crashed into the water a little ways away, revealing itself to be Midnight when the kirin's head broke the surface and whooped. 

"I counted about three seconds of hang time! Great job Squeaks!"

"But I didn't go far at all!" she said back, unhappiness quite clear in her young voice.

Midnight swam over and nuzzled her. "Squeaks, you're still learning. I half expected you to fall first thing but you proved me wrong. Flying takes a lot of practice and you're going to fall a lot before you fly, so take each victory as they come, no matter how small. Trust me, before you know it you'll be hopping from cloud to cloud in no time and having a good laugh over times like this."

"Really?" Squeaks asked, still sounding unsure.

"Really. What, you think I was born and just began flying around the nursery like a pro? Remind me to tell you about all the times I face-planted on our roof."

Squeaks giggled.

"Anyway, you remember what I taught you back home? About swimming with your wings?"

Squeaks nodded and flapped her wings harder, showing how she'd been treading water with them the whole time and splashing her mother. 

"Good. Onwards to shore and hopefully we'll get a few more practice runs in before we head to market, even if it is the same as the one at home."

-----------------------------

During her short stay in Baltimare, Midnight had never really gone to the market, which in her opinion was just a larger version of the one in Ponyville. As much as she had slandered it before, more so to get Filthy’s and Diamond’s goat, Barnyard Bargains had been more within her limited price range, allowing her to save up for meals at Long Line’s. Now, as she followed the others past the various vendors and stalls, she could see its appeal.  To tourists and well-off ponies, anyway. There was more than just food being sold; every conceivable thing one would want while visiting a beach town/city was there for sale as well. And it was all ridiculously expensive. What would get you a dozen apples at AJ's cart barely afforded two at a stall here in the city.

Summer, of course, was eating it all up despite the prices. Thankfully, she wasn’t dropping their bits for over-priced food (she had more business sense than that) but she was still falling for tourist traps. Sunglasses, sun hats, knick-knacks commemorating one’s stay in the city, Summer was getting her hooves on them all. “This is our first family vacation,” she argued in defense of her spending. “We need these for the memories!”

“Isn’t that why you bought me a whole new roll of film before we left?” Orange asked. For once, he and Midnight were in agreement about something. Both of their saddle bags were filled with various knick-knacks, picture frames, various other items, and even a souvenir coconut. Midnight might have been more forgiving about the last one if the skull-splitting fruit was locally grown and hadn’t cost ten bits. Squeaks or Autumn could have done a better job painting the damn thing.

Speaking of which, Sapphire, Squeaks, and Autumn hadn’t been spared, either. Both fillies now sported huge sunglasses that covered most of their faces, sun hats that shaded most of their bodies and almost completely enveloped their heads, and their saddle bags  were just as full as their respective parents'. Sapphire was also sporting the same look, albeit her decorations were more appropriately sized. Her saddle bags weren’t as full, but that was only because Summer had saved her bags for last.

“Oh, again with the details!” Summer huffed, waving a dismissive hoof. “You’ll thank me for thinking ahead later.”

“And for the wasted bits when she tells me to throw most of this stuff out in a few years,” he whispered to the two other mares. Midnight grunted in agreement and Sapphire merely shrugged. The whole thing was rather amusing to her.

“At least she’s doing it out of a desire to remember good times with those she cares about,” she offered. ‘And it’s getting you two to agree with each other for once’.

One of the large, orange sun hats purposefully poked one of Midnight’s legs. “Mom, how much longer are we going to be out here? My bags are starting to get heavy,” Squeaks said.

Thanks to said hat, it was impossible for Midnight to see her daughter’s face, but she could imagine it with the first inklings of a foal who was tired and wanted to do something else.

“Can we go back to the beach?” Autumn whined to her parents, the sun hat that was taking over her head rotating back and forth from Summer to Orange.

“See? This is what I’m talking about!” Summer said, motioning to the two fillies. “When they’re older they’ll both look back and say “gee, I wish we’d done that instead of spending all day at the beach!” As I said before, you’ll thank me later.”

A general groan went up from everypony except Sapphire.

“Oh, enough! A few hours at a market during a week-long vacation isn’t going to be the end of you! Now come along; there are some more stalls over this way.”

They all obediently followed. Deciding to head off a foreseeable problem, Midnight leaned down and forced her face through the hat canopy. “If you two promise to bear with this just a little while longer, then I promise to get you both banana splits for dessert tonight.”

“Really!?” Both fillies exclaimed.

“Midnight…” Orange said warningly.

“Seriously Midnight; you can’t keep bribing them with sweets!” Sapphire scolded. “You’ll spoil them!”

The kirin lifted her head up and rolled her eyes. “When was the last time I spoiled them?”

“After Spike’s birthday party,” Sapphire deadpanned.

“Alright, but before that.”

Sapphire opened her mouth to respond, but stopped short. When was the last time she’d spoiled them? “I… well… that is…” The pegasus snorted at the triumphant look on the kirin’s face. “Well, it seems like you do!”

"But I don't; guess I'm just brilliant like that,” she said, spreading her wings out, smiling smugly .

Which promptly beaned a nearby mare in the head. “Whoops! Sorry about that!” Midnight apologized, quickly folding them back in.

“That’s alright,” the mare reassured her as she turned to see what hit her. “Didn’t really hurt at all anyway.”

It was only then that Midnight recognized her. The tan coat, the yellow mane, and the weird ribbon cutie mark. “Hey, you’re that waitress at Long Line’s. Honeysuckle, right?”

The mare nodded. “Yep, that’s me. You’re that friend of Long Line’s from last night, right?”

“Also correct,” Midnight said with a nod. “What are you doing out here right now? Isn’t the restaurant open today?”

“It’s open,” Honeysuckle confirmed, “but we’re low on some of our ingredients. Long Line gives me a small budget and sends me out here to get them when that happens.” She opened her saddle bags with her magic to show them the small collection of vegetables within. “I wish we could get more, though. Everything in this market is so expensive!”

Midnight rolled her eyes. “An expert fisherstallion Long Line may be, but a smart shopper he is not. Give me a second.” Turning away from them, the kirin walked up beside her mother, who was looking over some seapony figurines. “Hey, mom? Can you do your big girl a big favor?” she asked in as sweet and sincere voice she could make. 

Startled, Summer looked up at her. “Sure, what is it?”

“Can you hold this,” she pulled off her sun hat and placed it over Summer’s own. “And this,” Midnight pulled off her sunglasses and set them on the brim of the sun hat. “And this.” Summer let out an “oomph!” as Midnight took off her saddle bags and placed them on her unsuspecting mother. “Thank you!”

“Wha… wait a minute! Where are you going!?” Summer called out after the retreating kirin.

“I’m going to show Honeysuckle here how to save a few bits. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

“Midnight!”

“Don’t worry Summer, I’ll make sure she gets back,” Sapphire said, starting after the quickly fleeing kirin and the unicorn who was trying to keep pace. 

“Typical,” Summer snorted, levitating Midnight’s saddle bags over onto Orange. 

-----------------------------

"So, how did you meet Long Line?" Honeysuckle asked as they made their way out of the market. Sapphire, having just caught up with them, removed her saddle bags and dropped them on Midnight's back as she had done to Summer.

The kirin raised an eyebrow at her. Sapphire just smiled innocently back. Shrugging, Midnight answered Honey. "I met him shortly after I first arrived in town. I was just following the seaside trail and caught a whiff of the restaurant. Mind you, it was more of a shack two years ago. Anyway, I followed the scent to it and went inside. Met Long Line and became a regular after that." Midnight shrugged. "Not exactly a grand tale of adventure."

"How did you meet him?" Sapphire asked. 

"The same as Midnight, I suppose," Honeysuckle said. "After I came to town I was walking along the seaside trail and noticed a Help Wanted sign propped outside the emporium. I went in, applied, and next thing I know I'm the waitress," Honey said, also shrugging. "I was lucky enough that he also offered me a place to stay on the second floor."

Sapphire eyed the filly up and down for a second. "I don't mean to pry but you seem kind of young to be wandering around on your own. I mean, Midnight and I aren't much older but..."

Honeysuckle fidgeted slightly and quickened her pace a bit. "Yeah, um... let's just say things weren't going well at home."

Midnight and Sapphire shared a glance. That certainly sounded familiar. 

"Well... look at it this way," Midnight told her. "You've got a job with a great boss, live in a great city, and you don't even need to worry about what you look like, being a normal unicorn."

'You'd be surprised,' Honeysuckle thought. Then what Midnight said last really registered with her. "Wait, I didn't see anypony giving you funny looks last night."

"It... hasn't been as bad as I first thought it was and ponies that work the dock are used to seeing strange things, so I've heard," the kirin confessed. "But I've seen the way ponies have been looking at me since we got here. Nothing hostile, just... untrusting, like I might take a bite out of them when they aren't looking."

Sapphire pushed herself up against Midnight comfortingly and the kirin gently leaned into her as they both came to a stop.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Honeysuckle said after nearly a full minute of silence. "If it's any consolation, I think griffons are scarier looking than you are."

Midnight gave a dismissive snort. "It's not like I'm out here trying to win a popularity contest," her face softened slightly, "but thank you."
Honeysuckle nodded and they set out again. 

"So, Honeysuckle, what does your cutie mark mean?" Sapphire asked a few minutes later, trying to get rid of the funk. "Do you help find special someponies for others?"

"Oh, no," Honeysuckle said, a slight blush blossoming on her cheeks. "Actually, I can sort of "see" connections between ponies; they just happen to appear as red strings to me. Like, the connection between Long Line and Grill mate is a normal sized string with simple knots connecting them. That means they're simply friends or good co-workers. Connections between family members and best friends are usually a lot thicker and have really sturdy knots, while lines between lovers mostly have sturdy knots but thin lines."

"I wonder why," Sapphire said aloud. "You'd think they'd have the strongest."

Honeysuckle shrugged. "Friendships and family bonds are simple and straight forward; it takes real effort to break those bonds from the outside. Lovers aren't as on guard for such things. They're invested in the relationship, hence the strong knots, but simple things can severe the line itself and lead to a break up. I can only really see the strings if I concentrate and I usually don't like to pry," the unicorn finished quickly. 

"Any chance you could show us?" Sapphire asked with genuine curiosity.

"You mean, read the relationship between the two of you?"

Midnight's and Sapphire's eyes flew open, looked at each other, then each took a small step apart. "Uh, sure, I guess," Midnight said, failing miserably at acting nonchalant about it. "I don't see a problem with-." 

"HEY, IT'S THE FREAK!"

Midnight froze in midsentence with her mouth hanging open as her eyes shrunk to pinpricks.

Sapphire and Honeysuckle looked to where the yell had come from and saw two stallions walking up to them. One was a steel blue unicorn with a navy blue mane while the other was a bottle green earth pony with a seafoam mane. "Holy shit, can you believe it actually came back!?" The blue one said to his friend.

"Wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it," the green one said. "Even ditched its crumby cloak, too."

"Um, excuse me," Sapphire said, recovering from her confusion and replacing it with instant dislike and annoyance. "Just who are you two?"

"Arbor Knot and Bimini Twist," Midnight said, surprisingly calm. She slowly turned her head around to look at them as well. Her face had gone completely impassive but Sapphire could still see the hint of a fang out of the corner of her mouth. Her wings were slightly flared and her tail was twitching.

"Aw, it remembered our names!" the blue one, Arbor Knot, said mockingly.

"Can't be that smart if it's come back," the green one, Bimini Twist, added. "This freak bothering you two ladies? We can get rid of it for you." The two of them waggled their eyebrows at Sapphire and Honey.

The two mares cringed in disgust. 

"Midnight isn't a freak or an it, so stop calling her that," Sapphire said in a tone that suggested she was talking to something revolting. "Second of all, she's our friend and we're with her by choice." She moved closer to the still kirin.

Honeysuckle did the same. "Long Line kicked you out of the restaurant; why would I want to associate with either one of you?"

Both stallions snorted. "You're kidding, right? Who in their right mind would be friends with that?" Bimini asked. "And so what if the old coot threw us out? Just because he doesn't like us doesn't mean you have to, too."

"That thing's nothing but a freak of nature," Arbor continued. "Probably crawled out of a sewer and started living on the streets after its gator mom tried eating it."

Sapphire felt Midnight stiffen, but still the kirin did nothing as the two hecklers continued their insults. The pegasus could feel her own anger rising as they went on. Why was Midnight taking all this? She expected her to be flipping out on them by now. A silent vibration went through Midnight's body and Sapphire looked up to see the kirin baring her teeth at the stallions. The rest of her body was going into threatening mode as well; her wings flared out more, her tail began to arc up, and another low growl reverberated through her.

"Uh-oh! Better look out Arbor, it's mad," Bimini said.

"Oh, I'm so scared! Please don't eat me Miss Freak!" Arbor teased, then burst out laughing with his friend.

"If you think that is going to intimidate us, try again. Lay one hoof on us and you'll be in the slammer so quick your messed-up head would spin."

"I've had enough of this," Sapphire said, turning away with a snort of disgust. "Come one Midnight, Honeysuckle, let's find that store we were looking for."

Bimini's face darkened as she did so. "Hey, don't think you can just walk away and ignore us, bitch!" he yelled after her, making as if to follow.

He took three steps before being bowled over by a large, black, furious hybrid. "IF YOU EVER," Midnight roared, literally, in his face, "EVEN LOOK AT HER AGAIN, HER OR HONEYSUCKLE," she amended, "I'LL RIP YOUR THROATS OUT BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN THINK TO CALL FOR HELP! I'VE FOUGHT A HYDRA, DRAGON, AND EVEN WENT HOOF TO CLAW WITH DISCORD. DON'T THINK I WON'T TRASH YOUR SORRY HIDES WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT!"

"D-D-Do something!" Bimini yelled at Arbor from under the enraged kirin's hooves. Panicking, Arbor shot a spell at Midnight, only to see it splash against her as if it was nothing but mist. Seeing this, the unicorn turned and bolted back down the alley they came from, howling about how a demon from Tartarus had escaped and was on the loose. His only ally having turned tail, Bimini shot a kick at Midnight's leg, one she barely registered, then scrambled to his hooves and took off after Arbor.

Midnight didn't chase them; she only stood there, panting heavily while still baring her fangs down the alleyway. 

The two other mares gave her a minute to calm down before getting close to her again. "Who were those two... those two..." Sapphire paused to try and come up with an appropriate description of the two.

"Those two plot-sucking wastes of life are Bimini Twist and Arbor Knot. Those two where, are, the reason I left Baltimare in the first place," Midnight said with a snort. After a few more seconds she whipped around and began walking away. "We still need to show Honeysuckle that store," she grumbled. 

Sapphire and Honeysuckle looked at each other, unsure if they should tell the kirin to forget about it and head back. With Midnight quickly moving back in the direction they were originally heading, they had little choice but to follow her.

-----------------------------

Midnight, Sapphire, Honeysuckle, Grill Mate, and Long Line sat around the center table of the restaurant later that night after dinner. Midnight had told Summer and Orange to take the girls back to the hotel while Long Line told them some of the more... interesting stories that had happened to him out at sea and in the restaurant. 

"Are you okay?" Summer had asked before they left. "You've seemed a bit down ever since you came back with Honey."

"I'm fine," she lied. "Just some old memories cropping up. I'll be fine with all the others here."

"Alright. We'll see you back at the hotel. Don't stay out too late."

"Like a set of bad bits, those two," Long Line said heavily as Midnight rejoined them and took a sip of her rum and coke. "Surprised folks haven't driven them out of town by now."

"Why hasn't anypony done anything about them?" Sapphire asked angrily. "If some ponies acted like that back in Cloudsdale, they'd be kicked out tied up to thunder clouds!"

Long Line shrugged. "You ever hang out in the seedier part of Cloudsdale?"

"Cloudsdale doesn't have a seedier part," Sapphire defended. 

"They have a shipping port up there?" Long Line asked, to which Sapphire nodded. "Then they do. Every city has an underbelly, though I'll meet you halfway and say that the docks up there are a lot more policed than down here. Plus you can't just have anypony wander in." He took a swig of his beer. "From what I've heard, their work ethic runs just about as hard as their attitudes.  Nopony wants to be the one to make two of the best dock workers to git the Tartarus out of town but at the same time it's what everypony's hopin' for. I hoped I was givin' somepony the courage enough to do it when I finally banned 'em from my restaurant; no dice." He took another swig of his beer. "Figured they were the reason you left," he told Midnight. "Them two bottom feeding plot-suckers walked in here one day sputterin' about how you were some demon of Nightmare Night or the like and how we needed to 'round up a posse and hunt you down. Mind, we all had a good laugh at 'em and I told 'em to get the buck out of my place if they wanted to keep talking about you that way. Then you never showed up again."

All eyes drifted over to the kirin and she took a deep breath. "They cornered me one night, trying to get me to go out with one of them. I said no, of course, but they just kept pushing me. Finally Bimini grabbed my cloak and pulled at me, asking what the hay I was hiding. It came off, they saw what I was, then ran the other way. Well, Arbor ran; Bimini had the balls to take a swing at me before he took off." 

"Turds," Grill Mate gruffed over his whisky. "Only pieces of shit like them would do something like that. Would have thrown them out myself, literally, if you hadn't done it first boss."

"Would have done it sooner if I had any sense," Long Line growled. 

"Is there really nothing we can do?" Honeysuckle asked over her hard(ish) lemonade. Long Line believed she was responsible enough to handle a little bit of alcohol. 

"Seriously," Sapphire piped up. "Midnight, they tried to-!"

"The police will say they only harassed me and slap them with a fine," Midnight told her. "As much as I hate to say it, I agree with them. If they had gone that far, they'd have been in the hospital or dead. They're not harmless but they're also not dangerous, just scum. At this point let's just enjoy the rest of our vacation and avoid the docks and alleys as much as possible."

"They try anything again, you three let me and Grill Mate know," Long Line said. "'Bout time I changed up my chum and bait."

They all got a laugh out of that.

"Must be nice, not having to deal with folks like that in Ponyville," Long Line said.

Midnight cocked an ear his way. The way he had said that, not to mention the mention of Ponyville coming out of left field, was rather odd. "Anypony in Ponyville tried that and they'd be railed so hard out of town you'd swear they'd been made into a trolley car," she told him, the alcohol slurring her speech slightly. Summer was going to give her the stink eye when they got back.

"Good... good," Long Line said casually.

The kirin saw him shoot a quick glance over at Honeysuckle as he did so.

-----------------------------

"They really are majestic," Summer said as the dolphins swam past the observation window/wall. Both Squeaks and Autumn squeezed their faces against the glass to try and get a better look at the sea mammals. It was the middle of the week and, as planned, they were at the famous Baltimare Aquarium. Midnight and Sapphire stood a little ways back from the rest, allowing a few more foals and their parents to get close to the glass. They'd be seeing the dolphin show soon enough as it was. 

"So, do you know what you're going to say?" Sapphire asked in a low voice.

"Only thing left to say," Midnight whispered back. She shot a glance at the foals. If what Honeysuckle had said was true, then this last, desperate play was all the kirin had left in order to be on good terms with her baby sister again. It both worried and irked her.

The previous day Honeysuckle had joined them on their trip to the jetty a little ways past the main path and hotels. Long Line had given her the day off, saying that she needed to recover emotionally from what had happened. According to him, that meant spending time with friends, with strong hints that Midnight and Sapphire were just the ponies for the role. When the unicorn had told them this, Midnight knew the fisherstallion was up to something. She doubted it was anything nefarious and he'd done stuff like this before (he got two ponies to date using nothing more than a few scrapes of paper, a tuba, and several over ripe bananas) but the goal was lost on her. 

Honeysuckle got along great with Summer, Orange, and the girls. Here, Autumn's rumored outgoing nature shined. She took to Honeysuckle like a duck to water, chatting her up about anything and everything. 

What had set the upcoming event at the aquarium was when Honeysuckle, after insistent questioning from Autumn, had told the rest of them what her cutie mark meant. Autumn, Squeaks, and Summer had all asked enthusiastically that she read their lines and, slightly intimidated by the attention and requests, she agreed. Summer and Orange had the typical strings and knots of a loving couple and Autumn the typical strings between parents and foal. Squeaks was evidently confident enough in her own relations to ask Honeysuckle to read the string between Midnight and Autumn.

"I'm sure they have the same relationship any sisters share," Summer had said quickly, trying not to let her granddaughter inadvertently air the situation between the two and make things even more awkward. 

"But, they've been-" Squeaks started.

"Why don't I try the string between Midnight and Orange instead?" Honeysuckle offered, waving her horn before the bat filly could protest further. A quick scan and the unicorn found herself in another situation. While the string on Oranges end seemed normal enough, the string on Midnight's looked... mauled. How it was still attached was beyond her. 

"Oh, hey, horseshoe crabs!" Midnight called out when Honeysuckle stayed quiet on her findings. "Mom, go take the girls over and take a look at them!" Quick to catch on, Summer herded the girls towards the water, where there were indeed several of the rock-shaped crabs at the water's edge. Orange followed them while Sapphire stayed behind.

"Don't worry about it," Midnight told her. "It's not really a secret. However, I would like you to do a quick read between me and Autumn, now that she's not in ear-shot." Seeing the confused looked on Honeysuckle's face, she explained the situation they were in. 

"I see," Honeysuckle said when Midnight had finished. "But how can I possibly help?"

"I just want to know how bad things are between us. If the string is alright, then I we can just take our time again. If it's not... well..." the kirin trailed off.

Without a word, Honeysuckle's horn flared gently with her magic. The other two mares watched as her eyes zipped around under her eyelids, presumably taking in the imaginary string's condition. Finally, the unicorn's magic faded as she opened her eyes. Any hope of good news died away when Honeysuckle took one look at Midnight and quickly looked away. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "The string is there and it's knotted on her end... but it's a very loose knot and the string is very thin."

Numbly, Midnight nodded and turned to look at her baby sister. From that moment on she had agonized over what she needed to do in order to, again, try and get back into the filly's good graces. It had been late the previous night that she'd come up with what she would say to her and, for Midnight, it felt more like a last chance gamble than a almost-certain solution. She'd talked her plan over with Sapphire, Summer, and even allowed Orange to add in his two bits. They all agreed that it was probably the best way to approach the situation.

Looking back towards the glass wall, she caught her mother's eye. The older mare nodded, then turned back towards the glass, waiting for the other two to get close before doing her part to help her daughters. "I think we should get ourselves some good seats for the show," she announced. "The earlier we get there, the better seats we'll have."

"Can we sit in the splash zone!?" Autumn asked excitedly.

"We'll see," Summer told her, moving to leave. 

Before Autumn could follow her mother, however, she was blocked by a large, black wing. "Before we all head up I'd just like to have a quick, private word with my little sister, if that's alright," Midnight asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Of course," Summer said before Autumn had any sort of chance to protest. "We'll wave to you when you get in. Come along Squeaky." The two fillies watched their group separate, but neither put up as much of a fuss as the adults had feared. Soon enough the other four were out of sight, unintentionally taking the other ponies in the area with them. Apparently they all wanted good seats to the dolphin show.

"What do you-?"Autumn started, only to have her mouth covered by a black hoof.

"First, why don't we get comfortable? I didn't get a chance to get a good view of the dolphins yet," Midnight told her, guiding her back over to the glass and laying down there, making sure the filly was laying down as well and comfortable against her side. She was, but she was still stiff. A frown crossed the kirin's face as she stared into the tank. As she did so, two dolphins swam by, one a calf and the other an adult. More than likely it was a mother/child pair, but it still felt to Midnight like a reflection of the two sisters watching them. Once they swam away, Midnight finally readied herself. "Autumn, I wanted to talk with you about us; our relationship," Midnight said, glancing down at her sister.

The filly looked back up at her, her face reflecting several emotions. Fear and uncertainty was there, as expected, but at Midnight's words a hint of guilt made its way into the mix as well. The kirin would have been lying if she said she was unhappy to see that.

"To be blunt, Autumn, I'm not happy with how we're getting along. We were doing so well before... well, before, and now you don't want to even stand next to me anymore."

The filly tried to say something, but was once again blocked by her sister's hoof. 

"Let me say my peace first. Now, to be fair, I really can't relate to this situation. I'm not trying to interact with a half-spider-half-pony thing and if I was, I'd probably act a lot like you're acting now. The difference, though, is that after a few month's I'd probably get used to them. Even if you're younger than I am, nearly two months of knowing each other should show you that all I want to do is be the best big sister for you that I can be. But, all you do now is push me away, and it really hurts me to see you do that."

Midnight paused for a second here before continuing with a sigh. "Autumn, before you were born, I ran away from home. Growing up, I was told many times that the ponies of Equestria would be scared of me; going out into the world alone showed me that was mostly true. Anytime anypony would discover what I was they would either run away in fear or try to hurt me, just because of the way I looked. Would you like anypony treating you like that, simply because you looked different?"

Realizing her sister had truly asked her a question, Autumn slowly shook her head.

"Exactly, so you can imagine how badly it made me feel to have ponies act like that. Deep down I guess I knew mom didn't feel that way, but I still couldn't escape the feeling that on some level she did. That hurt the most. I'm not out to win a popularity contest, but even the chance of my own mother..." Midnight shook her head slowly. "I was so happy when we reunited, got back together again," she clarified, "because it meant that somepony didn't care what I was or what I looked like; what mattered was that we were family. Sure, other ponies in town didn't mind how I looked either, just look at Sapphire, but this was my mom. That mattered so much more. Then I found out I had a little sister and I thought things would only get better. Another pony who wouldn't care what I looked like and only saw her big sister. I think we both know things didn't exactly turn out that way."

The guilty look on Autumn's face grew as her older sister's became suddenly more stony.

"What's even worse now, Autumn, is that I'm tired. Tired of hiding, tired of feeling wrongly ashamed, tired of being treated like some sort of boogey-monster. Yesterday I was willing to do anything to try and get back in your good graces. Now... now I'm tired of walking on eggshells around you and trying to suppress my wyvern half. I'm a kirin, I was born this way, and there's nothing I can do about it; it's who and what I am. I can't keep reaching across the gap between us alone; I need to be met half-way. If you can't even do that..." Midnight trailed off, then let out a soft snort and shook her head. "Anyway, that's all I have to say. I just wanted to let you know how I feel before it gets too much later."

The two of them fell back into silence and resumed watching the dolphins again.

"You turned into a dragon," Autumn finally said simply. "You turned into a huge, fire-breathing dragon! You could have eaten us up in one gulp!" Tears began forming at the corners of her eyes. "You were so scary and mommy wasn't moving! I thought you were going to hurt us!"

Before the filly could really start crying, Midnight pulled her in against her chest and nuzzled her. "Again, I'm sorry I scared you like that. You know, the first time I changed, I was just as scared of myself as you are." That stopped Autumn's crying short.

"You were?"

Midnight nodded. "I had no idea I could do it. I thought I was losing control of myself and that really scared me. What if I hurt somepony when I changed or worse? How could I live with myself if something happened? So, for the next twelve years or so, I lived in fear of the power I had. I lost the only friend I had back then and I thought mom might not want me around anymore." Amazingly, a small smile worked its way onto her face. "Then, when I was between cities, I decided to try and transform again. Despite my fears, I remembered being in control of myself the whole time I was a wyvern. So I found a canyon away from any pony settlements, concentrated, and changed right there. And you know what? I was completely in control of myself the whole time. There wasn't any second, primal mind waiting to take over the moment I changed, just myself. I can't tell you how much of a relief that was. After that I only changed two more times. Once to protect Squeaks, Sapphire, and the rest of our friends from a hydra and then to protect you, mom, and the rest of Ponyville from Spike's rampage. If I can promise you anything Autumn, it's that when I become a wyvern, it's because I'm protecting you from something that really does want to hurt you."

Autumn squirmed. "It's still scary."

Midnight nodded. "I can imagine. Just try to keep that all in mind next time it happens. Which, hopefully, it never will again." Twice in less than a year wasn't a good omen, but with any luck it meant they were in for a nice, long, uneventful time ahead to balance everything out. Hopefully.

"You promise? Not to turn into a dragon again unless something even scarier is after us?" Autumn finally asked after another minute of silence.

"On my honor as your big sister, I promise," Midnight told her, bowing her head.

"Good," Autumn said, still sounding a bit hesitant.

"Come on," Midnight said, standing up and stretching a bit. "Mom and Squeaks probably have seats by now."

Autumn nodded and followed Midnight away from the glass wall.

-----------------------------

"So," Sapphire asked as they each settled into their respective beds later that night. "How do you think the talk went?" She'd avoided asking how things went until then so that the kirin could make a proper assessment of just how well her plan had worked.

The kirin wriggled down under the sheets before answering. "I... think something good came out of it," she told her. "Autumn seemed to stay around me more afterwards."

"Well, as you like to say: baby steps."

The kirin grunted. "That's still the problem. You only take baby steps for so long before you have to start walking and as I told Autumn I'm tired of waiting. Something has to give."

The two mares fell into silence, neither one knowing what to say next. Their solitude was broken when the door connecting the two hotel rooms opened slowly and Squeaks stuck her head around it. "Hi mom," the thestral said quietly.

"Hey Squeaks, what's up?" Midnight asked her. "Shouldn't you and Autumn already be asleep?"

"Autumn is, but I can't," Squeaks told her, coming fully into the room.

"Any particular reason why not?"

Squeaks made it to the side of the bed. "Because something's wrong with you and Autumn again and I can't figure out how to help." 

"Oh, Squeaks." Midnight helped her up onto the bed and drew her up next to her. "All I need you to do is be there for the two of us." The kirin nuzzled her daughter.

"Isn't there anything else I can do?" the bat filly asked again, nestling in against her mother.

"Try to understand Squeaks, this is between your aunt and I; only the two of us can make things right. Like I said, the best way you can help is just to be there for us, like you're doing right now." Midnight nuzzled her again. "Time for bed young lady."

Squeaks nodded, yawned widely, then allowed herself to be covered by Midnight's wing. 

Midnight looked over at Sapphire to see the pegasus wearing a soft smile. At least some things were staying the same; that was something she could hold onto. "Good night Sapphire."

"Good night, Midnight."

-----------------------------

Midnight trotted along the sea-side path, the trinket her mother had sent her to get jingling slightly as she did so. The last rays of the sun were barely visible between the buildings she passed while the moon and stars shone brightly over the ocean. It was their last night in the city. As the kirin walked along the path and admired the night sky over the water, she couldn't help but think back on how the past two days had gone. If she was forced to say whether or not her gamble had been a success or failure, then she'd have to say success. If she was allowed to be a bit more vague, she'd say that things were different for the better but it wasn't a complete change. As long as Summer was in sight, Autumn was willing to include Midnight in whatever she was doing. That very morning had seemed like a repeat of when they first played in one of Ponyville's parks, with Autumn practically ignoring Midnight as they built the biggest sand castle they could. The second Summer made to leave, however, Autumn would either follow her away or latch onto her father. Midnight simply took it as the best she was going to get for the time being and continued to teach Squeaks how to glide whenever playtime with sister was over. 

She was brought back to the present when she saw Long Line hovering near a corner of an alleyway several blocks down from his restaurant. Noticing the kirin at the same time she noticed him, he motioned for her to come over but to stay quiet. The look on his face told her that this was no game. With a few quick beats of her wings she flew up and over him, landed, then turned and came up to his wither. "What's up?" she whispered.

"We might finally have some muck on our two mutual  disgusts," Long Line told her, motioning around the corner of the alley. 
Midnight looked, and immediately every hair stood on end. Down at the other end of the alley, Bimini and Arbor were blocking Honeysuckle in. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but the looks on their faces said it all. Their faces had lewd looks about them, giving away their intentions as blatantly as if they had been saying them out loud. What was worse was the look of understanding, disgust, and fear clear on Honeysuckle's face. Midnight could relate; this was the exact same situation those two had put her in before she had left town. "Why aren't we doing anything!?" the kirin hissed at Long Line, fully prepared to charge to Honeysuckle's rescue. 

"I've already sent Grill Mate to go get the cops," Long Line told her. "With any luck they'll get back before they do anything really serious and we have to step in. If the cops see what we're seeing the whole thing will be cut and dry instead of having to sort out who did what and possibly letting them go."

It was a good plan, Midnight had to admit, but the idea of letting things continue unabated without Honeysuckle in on the plan, thinking she really was alone in an alley without any help coming and at the mercy of two of the biggest sleaze-balls she'd ever heard of. Her fangs were already extending when Bimini pawed at Honeysuckle. That pushed Midnight over the edge. Without a word, she pushed past Long Line into the alleyway.

"Midnight, what are you doing!?" he hissed after her. "Wait for the cops to show up!"

She ignored him, marching down the alleyway, stopping a little more than half way down to them when she saw Honeysuckle spot her. She could hear the lewd comments each one of them were making now and she shivered involuntarily when similar words echoed from her memory. "Get away from her," Midnight growled.

The two stallions froze, front hooves still raised and mouths open in mid-sentence as they turned to see who had caught them. When their eyes fell on the angry kirin, they both rolled their eyes and snorted in contempt. "Look at that, Arbor, the freak thinks it's a hero. Get lost and mind your own business."

Arbor laughed. "Yeah, get lost! We're trying to get lucky! Hey, I'll bet that's why it's here, too! Remember how it acted the other day? It's probably likes the two of them!"

Bimini laughed as well. "Bet you're into that kind of thing, too," he said to Honeysuckle. "What, you need a freak to turn you on? I can be pretty freaking, too. In bed that is."

Midnight growled again, louder and more threatening. She took another step forward and flared her wings.

"You try anything and we'll do more than run you out of town again!" Bimini snapped at her. "Lay a hoof on us and you think the cops will side with you? Only a retard of a cop would side with a freak like you over us normal ponies. Then again, a cage is exactly the kind of place you belong!"

Midnight saw red. What she had told Autumn had been the truth; she was tired of feeling ashamed for being different. The year in Ponyville and the reprieve it gave her from the years of being treated as such, even if it had been by only a few ponies per city, had worn away her tolerance of such things. She was not going to take such things from anypony anymore and damn the consequences. 

She leapt forward.

-----------------------------

"How much farther, Grill Mate?" the sergeant huffed as he and his partner followed the cook towards the beach. The sergeant and his partner, a private with at least a few weeks on the force, were the first two police he'd run into after leaving his boss behind to keep an eye on what was going on in the alley. Grill Mate hoped they would get back before Long Line had to step in. The earth pony stallion had half-hoped he'd run into Midnight Storm in his search for the authorities; no matter how much manure those two could shovel out of their mouths, he doubted either of them could stand up to a pissed off kirin, especially one with a chip on her shoulder. 

"Not much farther now!" Grill Mate informed them. It wasn't either. One more turn found them on the sea-side path and towards Long Line, who was backing away from the alley. "Boss, I've got the cops! What... what's wrong?" Grill Mate panted as he caught the look on his boss's face. A weird mix of fear and impressed.

"Just learnin' never to piss off a kirin," he said. As if to punctuate this statement, a beat up Arbor Knot came sailing out of the alleyway and landed in a heap in the middle of the path. The thug scrambled to get up, only to be promptly flattened by his buddy, who had also been beaten and thrown out of the alley. 

Before any of them could say anything, Midnight Storm emerged from the alley, followed closely by Honeysuckle. "And if I EVER hear you've been down this way again, I WILL-!" She stopped mid-roar when she saw she now had an audience, two of which were officers of the law.

"Help us!" Arbor cried out when he saw the two police stallions. "That monster tried to kill us!"

"I'm pressing charges!" Bimini added. "Unprovoked assault and attempted murder!"

Midnight growled at them.

"That's a load of bilge!" Long Line yelled back. "You two were sexually harassing my employee!"

"Were not!" Bimini yelled.

"Were so!" hollered Grill Mate.

"QUIET!" the sergeant shouted, shutting them all up. "First things first; Grill Mate brought us down here because he said that he and Long Line saw Bimini Twist and Arbor Knot harassing Miss Honeysuckle."

"They're lying!" Bimini exclaimed. "Yeah, we were hitting on her, but we weren't doing anything illegal!"

"You cornered her in an alleyway and began pawing at her! Celestia only knows what you said!" Long Line yelled.

"Shut up old stallion!" Bimini shot back. "I bet you and that freak set this whole thing up! If you really thought we were doing something, why didn't you come in and stop us yourself!?"

"ENOUGH!" the sergeant once again cried out to bring order back. "Let's start with the obvious: why do you two look like you got on the wrong side of a manticore?"

"That thing did it!" Bimini yelled, pointing at Midnight. "It charged into the alley and started wailing on us!"

The sergeant looked over at Midnight and eyed her up and down. "This true miss?"

"No," Midnight told him. "I entered the alleyway, told them to stop, and when I insisted they listen, Bimini here took a swing at me. What I did was self-defense."

The sergeant eyed the two on the ground, taking in her version of "self-defense".

"They were harassing me, officers," Honeysuckle piped up from where she was standing next to Midnight. "I kept telling them to just go away, but they kept at it, even grabbing at my saddle bags."

"You lying bitch!" Bimini cursed.

"Quiet you!" the sergeant spat, stepping past them and taking a look down the dead end. "There are four ponies here all hoofing you two for the same crime. One of them came looking for us, which would be rather stupid if they were the ones committing a crime. Furthermore, if all you were doing was making a pass at this mare, you couldn't have done it in a worse place. Cornering somepony in an alleyway is harassment, you idiots."

Said idiots looked at each other as they stood up. That didn't sound well for them.

"What's more, Miss... um...?" He looked over at Midnight.

"Midnight Storm, officer," she said with a respectable bow of the head.

"Miss Storm was perfectly justified hoofing out the amount of beating she did. Seeing as neither of you are screaming in pain from a break and standing perfectly fine, I'd say your injuries are all superficial. Don't even try and start faking it now!" the sergeant barked, seeing the idea cross their faces. "You two are going down to the station as soon as we get statements from everypony. From there we'll see if either Miss Honeysuckle or Miss Storm want to press charges against the two of you. Either way, you're going to finally have a criminal record, Bimini Twist and Arbor Knot, which is enough of an excuse for no sensible business pony around here to hire you. Hopefully, this will teach you not to think you can do whatever you please without consequences. Private, cuff these two and get them back to the station! Get some back up to help you." 

-----------------------------

"Finally got the bastards," Grill Mate said after the sergeant had left with all their statements. Neither Midnight nor Honeysuckle had decided to press charges; from what Long Line and the police sergeant had said, it was unlikely that either pony was going to be working in Baltimare again and the beating the kirin had laid down on them was punishment enough.

"Too bad they didn't try it in Ponyville," Long Line said. "Bet they would have been tarred, feathered, then chased out of town by a bunch of ravenous foxes."

"Alright, that's it," Midnight said, turning on Long Line and giving him a measuring look. "What the hay are you up to? Ever since I've shown up you been going on about the place almost non-stop. And don't bother trying to deny it; I know you too well Long Line."

The earth pony sputtered, tried to defend himself, then fell silent. For a long moment, he just stood there silently, giving Midnight an equally measuring look. Then he dropped all pretences with a defeated sigh. "Am I really that obvious?"

"Subtlety is not your forte, my friend," Midnight told him, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"Fine. If you must know... I was trying to give Honeysuckle some hints that moving out to the country might be better for her in the long run."

"Huh?" Honeysuckle said, confused. She thought Long Line liked her.

Long Line turned to face her. "Honeysuckle, ever since you came to town you've acted lost and overwhelmed. You've only looked more vulnerable as time's gone on. Then Midnight decides to come wandering back, no disguise what so ever and happy as a clam and from what I understand it's all because of this small country town call Ponyville. The two of you came to me with practically the same story of running away from home and if Ponyville could help Midnight find a new one, I figured it could help you as well. I'm not trying to get rid of you, Honeysuckle, not at all; I'm just trying to give you a chance at a better life. That's all a friend wants for another, right?"

The two mares looked at each other. It certainly wasn't what they were expecting him to say. "Well... that's kind of you Long Line, but why didn't you say something from the start? Even just an aside to me?" Midnight asked him.

He shrugged. "I thought one of you would take the suggestion the wrong way, like I wanted to get rid of Honeysuckle."

"I think we would understand," Midnight reassured him. "In the end, the decision is up to Honeysuckle." Midnight and the two stallions looked over at the unicorn, who fidgeted a bit at the attention.

"The city is a bit overwhelming," she admitted, "and I have gotten looks from other stallions... but is a country town really so different when you get down to it? And isn't such a close-knit community not very welcoming to strangers?"

"If they were I wouldn't be here right now," Midnight told her. "Ponyville is very welcoming and they look out for each other. There aren't any ponies like those two living there; Long Line's right when he said they'd be run out of town. A particularly nasty griffin didn't even last a day. In the end, it's your decision, though."

Honeysuckle looked around at the faces of her friends; the only ones who really cared about her since she lost her mother. She liked Long Line and Grill Mate a lot, but all her world had been since becoming the restaurant's waitress was the restaurant itself, her room, and the few places Long Line or Grill Mate would send her. Not a lot of ponies in the city were willing to meet her. The idea of a whole new town full of ponies willing to meet her...

"I'll... I'll think about," she said finally.

"Take your time," Midnight told her. "We aren't leaving Ponyville anytime soon."
> Ch.7 - Hippogriffs, Kirins, and Owlursuses, Oh My!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I told you, we're lost," the earth pony said, pushing aside another branch and sweeping his flashlight into the dark woods around them.

"We can't be that lost," his companion retorted from a few steps ahead.

The dark green earth pony stallion stopped, finding her with his head-light and raised an eyebrow. "Scarlet, this doesn't look remotely like White-Tail Wood." His lime-green tail whipped behind him in annoyance.

In front of him a female hippogriff, the front of her body like a red-tailed hawk and her back half like a pony's with chocolate-brown fur and a red tail, stopped as well and turned to face him, shining her own flashlight at him in turn. "Come on Tight; all forests look the same at night."

"Uh-huh" Tight said, a note of tiredness in his voice. "Why don't you fly up and prove I'm right?"

She snorted back at him. "I was going to... but I didn't want to leave you all alone down here; ya' know, because you're scared and everything," she taunted.

Tight snorted right back. "I'm not scared; I just don't like the idea of wandering around the Everfree Forest at night."

"I already told you; we're still in White-Tail Wood!"

"Then fly up there already!"

Grumbling about scaredy-cats, the hippogriff took off into the trees. Tight's eyes followed her up, wishing he could at least see the moon through the dark canopy. He waited a full minute for her to come back down. "So... funny thing..." She ran a claw through her head feathers, which were all combed to one side and had a string of beads in it.

"You can't even see White-Tail Wood anymore, can you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Of course I can!" Scarlet shot back. "It's over that way!" She pointed with a claw.

"And how far away is that?"

"Umm... two hours?"

Tight groaned and held the bridge of his nose with a hoof. "Scarlet..."

"Oh, come on! We've been walking for days! What's two more hours?"

"Because, like I said, we're in the EVERFREE FOREST. There are tons of creatures in here that would consider a pony and hippogriff food."

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Seriously? We've been in here two hours already and we haven't even heard anything. Do you really expect something big, mean, and hungry to just come marching out of the bushes at us without some kind of warning? Come on Tight, I'll bet you a bit we walk out of here without seeing or hearing a thing."

A loud roar split the relative silence of the forest around them and they both jumped, spinning to look in the direction of the noise. "I'd rather just get out of here in one piece!" Tight said, eyes bulging as something emerged from the far bushes.

Whatever it was, it was big; larger even than a grizzly bear. An apt description, as it looked and moved just like a bear, but at the same time it wasn't. Its head was avian-like and it took Scarlet a moment to realize it looked like an owl. A short beak, large round eyes, wide face, and feathers but its wings seemed to be attached to its legs. Then she noticed the stubby peg teeth lining the beak and before she could note how odd that was it raised itself up onto its hind feet. Seeing it this way, it was clear that both animal descriptions were correct; it was something half bear, half owl. And it was looking down at them with very angry, very hungry eyes.

"Uh... Scarlet?" Tight choked out.

The owl-bear roared, raising a massive, talon-tipped paw. 

Before Scarlet could decide to charge the thing and hope to get the first hit in or try and get Tight away, something black as the night rammed into its side, making it stumble and abort its attack. "Run!" It shouted at them before shooting blue fire at the larger creature. The owl-bear roared again, sounding more annoyed with the flames than hurt. As it lashed out at the fire with a paw, something streaked in and connected with its head, making it stumble away again, quickly followed by a second. Out of the trees came five more figures that resolved themselves into five ponies as Scarlet and Tight pulled their flashlights away from the fight to identify these newcomers. One of them, an orange mare, charged past them to join the three already fighting the owl-bear. 

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" a yellow pegasus whimpered as she came to hover near them. "Please, try not to hurt it too much!"

"Somehow I don't think that'll be a problem Fluttershy," a purple unicorn said as she trotted up as well. She looked the two of them over. "What are you two doing out here? Don't you know the Everfree Forest is dangerous, especially at night?"

"We got lost going through White-Tail Wood," Tight explained before Scarlet could say anything.

Something blue flew past them and impacted with the pink mare in the group. "I'm okay!" the blue thing, which turned out to be a rainbow-maned pegasus, called out from the heap. 

They all looked back to the fight as the black one that first started the fray let loose another gout of blue fire at the monster. It roared and swatted at the flames, only taking a small step backward. "Twi, Rares; a stun spell would be nice!" the black one called back over her shoulder.

"Right!" The purple unicorn, Twi, apparently, moved past them and shot a series of spells at the creature. That seemed to bother it even less than the fire, the owl-bear barely taking notice of them. "It must be magic resistant too!"

"Oh joy!" the black one yelled back, dodging another swat of the massive paws.

The blue pegasus flew back past them, but stopped and turned halfway between them and the fight. "Hey Fluttershy! How 'bout trying The Stare on it?" she called back.

"Oh, um... I guess I could give it a try..." Fluttershy mumbled, looking apprehensively at the owl-bear as it swatted at the orange mare who had just bucked it in the leg. She rolled out of the way in time for the black one to spit more fire at it. This time the fire seemed to have more of an effect as , for the first time, the owl-bear let out a pained roar and the slight stench of burnt feathers reached their noses. "All right, all right! Just stop hurting the poor creature!"

Fluttershy swooped in and got as close to the owl-bear's head as she dared. When it finally caught sight of her, she waited until it was looking directly at her, then flexed her eyes all the way open. Unbelievably, the owl-bear stopped roaring and swinging and just stood there stupidly for a few seconds.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. 

Then the owl-bear snorted and shook its head. Growling, it looked away, eyes closed, and began swinging at Fluttershy.

"Watch out!" the orange mare yelled, charging forward and leaping up to tackle the pegasus out of the way. The two connected and fell away from the enraged creature but not before its talons raked the earth pony's rear leg. She let out a shriek of pain as they landed, Fluttershy quickly pulling her friend further away.

The blue pegasus was back in the fight, once again nailing the owl-bear in the head. The black mare came back as well, ignoring her fire and opting to also buck it in the head. This hit actually knocked the creature onto its back. The last attacking flier, another pegasus, this one brown, flew in and used her wings to kick up a cloud of dirt right into the owl-bear, aiming for its already smarting head. Once she was satisfied with her work she flew back to the rest of them. 

The black flier was examining the orange earth pony's wounds. "We need to get her out of here, quick. I'll take her myself. Windrunner, take Rarity. Rainbow, Pinkie. Fluttershy, Twilight; she can start teleporting you two higher if you can't keep it up. You," she turned towards Scarlet and Tight. "Take your coltfriend up with you and keep up."

"He's not my coltfriend!" Scarlet squawked. Tight turned away with a blush of embarrassment.

"But, what do we do about-!?" Rainbow asked, pointing at the dust cloud. A roar emanated from it.

"We'll take care of it later! AJ needs a doctor now!" Without waiting for an argument, she picked up the hurt pony in all four hooves and took off.

"Ah'm not that hurt!" AJ yelped as they went air borne.

"Keep struggling and I'll cauterize it here and now!" the black flier shot back. 

Grumbling, Rainbow scooped Pinkie into her hooves and followed her up. Windrunner and Fluttershy picked up their passengers and Scarlet scooped up Tight and followed the other eight into the night sky. The roaring of the owl-bear soon fell away as the lights of a town quickly came into view. 

-----------------------------

The rest of the Mane 6, Windrunner, Scarlet, and Tight all sat around Ponyville Medical's waiting room as the doctors saw to AJ's wounds. After dropping off the farm pony, the black pony had flown off back home, telling Rainbow, Pinkie, Windrunner, and Rarity that she wanted to identify the creature they had fought. Scarlet, Tight, Fluttershy, and Twilight had fallen behind in the flight and had arrived after she had gone. She'd been forced to cauterize AJ's wounds in flight anyway when the farm pony had started saying she felt light-headed.

"What were you guys doing chasing that thing around the Everfree Forest anyway?" Tight asked as Rainbow once again paced past him.

"What were you to doing in the Everfree Forest yourselves?" Twilight asked in response. 

"We were trying to get here to Ponyville," Tight told them. "Miss I-Don't-Need-Directions got us lost from our path through White-Tail Wood." He shot Scarlet a scowl.

Scarlet harrumphed, which got her a scowl from Rainbow as well. "So, you were chasing that thing because...?"

"Because it attacked Fluttershy's cottage!" Rainbow snapped.

"Actually, it was raiding my shed for all the animal food I had in there," Fluttershy corrected. "It only went back into the forest because it started chasing a boar that had come by earlier.  It hurt a tusk on a rock while digging for food and I was mending it over-night."

"With any luck it won't come back," Twilight said, glancing once again at the double doors AJ and the doctors had disappeared through, all the others following suit. "Magic, fire, and The Stare combined hardly did anything to it."

*Smack!*

They all jumped when the double doors flew open to reveal an annoyed kirin. "And if I had bothered to read the "O" section again since coming to town, I might have recognized it," she said as she let a large book drop into the magazine table. "How's AJ?" she asked in a more subdued voice.

"We don't know; the doctors haven't come back out yet," Fluttershy said.

The hybrid hummed unhappily at this news. The wounds had been long but not really deep from what she could tell on the flight back. The farm pony was at least getting stitches. 

"What did you find out?" Twilight asked her, looking down at the book she had brought; The Detailed Guide to Mythical and Rare Creatures.

"It's something called an owlursus." She flipped the book open to a bookmarked spot. "Rare, as you can imagine, but apparently considered more realistic than yours truly. It inhabits mainly old forests where caves can be easily found and has no problem eating anything that comes across its path. They're very strong and are somewhat crafty, apparently."

"Does it say anything about being magic-proof?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. You know how bears are naturally resistant to bee stings? Well, somehow getting fused with an owl makes it resistant to magic. Guess nopony ever took a flame thrower to it 'cause they never mention fire resistance."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second!" Rainbow interrupted. "Twilight juggled an Ursa Minor; how can something barely as big as its paw be a problem?"

"Ursas are made of magic, so it was, fundamentally, easy for me to magically interact with it. Midnight has very little magical potential in her-"

"Doesn't stop her from dragoning-out on us," Rainbow quipped.

"-so my magic has no effect on her. I can only suspect that the owlursus is either equally low on natural magic or its natural magic functions differently from that of ponies, like a Will-O-The-Wisp which draws magic from its environment rather than from inside itself."

"It would be nice to know why it's fire-proof as well," Rarity chimed in. "If Midnight had shot that much fire into any other bird then, at the very least, its feathers should have all been burnt off."

"Might have something to do with the makeup of the feathers," Midnight guessed. "Some type of natural secretion or their structure to help protect it from predators. My fire did seem to effect a little bit near the end."

"What could possibly consider such a horrible thing as that as food?" Rarity asked.

"Dragons," Midnight said simply. "I can only think of three things big enough and mean enough to take on something like that: dragons, hydras, and rocs."

"What about wyverns?" Pinkie asked.

"I was just lumping them in with dragons, but sure; four things."

"And what about killer whales and sharks?"

"Pinkie, those live in the oc-"

"And what about giant crocodiles and snakes and-!" Her list was cut short by Rainbow's hoof in her mouth.

"My point," Midnight continued with a nod to the pegasus, "is that it takes something we wouldn't want to mess with to mess with an owlursus. Thankfully it seems that a few good, fast, hard hits to the head helps it reconsider things as well."

"It'll definitely reconsider ever coming back to Ponyville," Rainbow said with a smug smile. 

"Now that that's settled," Midnight said, turning towards the two newcomers. "Mind telling us what-?" She stopped short, her turn faltering. The hippogriff was staring open-mouthed at her. The earth pony waved a hoof in front of her face but only shrugged at them when he got no response.

"Hey, Scarlet? Equestria to Scarlet; you're acting weird, again."

"Is she always like this?" Midnight asked him. 

Tight shrugged again and the other six traded worried glances.

That seemed to bring the hippogriff back to her senses. "Oh my gosh; I know you!"

Midnight took a hesitant step back. "You do?".

"Yeah! You're that hybrid from the newspaper! Tight, help me fish it out!"

Just as surprised at his friend's actions as the rest of them were, Tight moved over to the saddlebag she was indicating and carefully opened it up. 

As he fished around inside, Midnight shot a glance over at the rest of them, only to be met with equally confused stares. What newspaper article? Surely she didn't mean that one about them defeating Discord? That was at least three months ago! Had somepony published an article about the fight between her and Spike?

Finally, Tight found what Scarlet wanted. "See? Right here on the side near the bottom; that's you!" she said, snatching a clipping away from him and holding it up to Midnight's face.

Midnight took the newspaper clipping and, sure enough, it was a copy of the article about them defeating the lord of chaos, complete with the same picture that had compelled her mother to travel from Manehattan to find her. "Okay," the kirin said slowly. "Is there any particular reason you're looking for me?"

"Duh! Because I wanted to meet our hero!" Scarlet said with a smile that was threatening to engulf her entire face.

"Uh..." Midnight trailed off, dumbfounded. Hero? What in Equestria was this loopy half-bird, half-pony talking about? She again looked back at the others who had the same confused looks on their faces. Except Pinkie, who only smiled back at her in that I-don't-know-what's-going-on-but-I'm-happy-to-be-here look she usually had.

Their confusion finally got through to the hippogriff as her smile faded a bit.

"Hey, Scarlet? You might want to explain a bit before you scare them anymore," Tight whispered to her.

The hippogriff shot him a look but grumbled in agreement. "You see, there are hybrids scattered across Equestria. Hippogriffs like myself mostly, but you also get the rare pony/minotaur cross and even a bit of cross-breeding with diamond dogs and the like now and again."

"Who in their right mind would mate with those horrid canines!?" Rarity yelped. 

"The same kinds of ponies who marry griffons, dragons, minotaurs, and goats," Scarlet said, narrowing her eyes slightly at the unicorn.

"Oh, um, yes, of course..." Rarity said, blushing a bit. "Forgive me darling, but the only diamond dogs we've even run into were... how can I put this politely? Uncivilized I believe describes them best. They certainly didn't know how to treat a lady properly."

"So every diamond dog is exactly the same?"

"Scarlet," Tight strained, giving her a quick jab in the side.

The hippogriff rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. The point is that there are hybrids here in Equestria but we don't really have anyone to look up to. Ponies have the princesses and heroes and the like. There's never been a hybrid who was the mayor of a town or city or been portrayed as the hero in a story and you can forget about one being a princess or noble. Then we all read about you in the paper and now we finally have someone!" Her large smile returned. "You have no idea how much that means to us!"

"Okay..." Midnight said as she processed the information. "But, if hybrids are so numerous, then how come I've never seen any of you when I was wandering around Equestria for three years? I've been to every city and never saw even a hint that you all were there."

Scarlet rubbed the back of her head as she sat back on her haunches. "Well...  we and our families tend to move out to rural towns like Ponyville or end up in the outskirts of cities; we kind of stay low-key that way. Many of us don't exactly have the best childhoods."

"Sorry to hear that," Midnight said, her voice not exactly sympathetic but not dismissive either. Other hybrids right under her nose for all these years and not even the vaguest hint they were around. They weren't even trying to hide and she was getting tired of having her beliefs about Equestria at large be proven wrong again. "And you came all this way to find me because...?"

"Like I said; you're a hero to us!" Scarlet said, beginning to bounce in place as her excitement came back. "And I really wanted to meet you! Ooo! Could you autograph that article!? I can send it to my folks and friends back home! Lock Jaw will be so jealous!"

Before Midnight could really rationalize that a hippogriff was treating her as if she was like some version of Sapphire Shores, a doctor came through the double doors and interrupted the scene. "I'm pleased to say that Applejack will be making a full recovery," he announced. A chorus of relieved sighs rang out. "Yes but she will be laid up for a few weeks with such wounds. We'll keep her overnight for observation and let her go after breakfast in the morning."

A muffled yell from behind the doors that sounded suspiciously like "Ah'm fine, dag nab it!" could be heard.

"Could one of you come and pick her up?"

"We'll let Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom know," Twilight told him. "I'm sure they're worried enough as it is."

The doctor nodded. "Excellent. Now, unless there are any other injuries I suggest you all head home and get some rest. Doctor's orders."

They all chuckled as they began to file out of the waiting room and back out the hospital's front doors. They were beginning to feel tired, but who could blame them? Chasing an owlursus into the Everfree, fighting it, then flying all the way back only to sit in a room and worry was enough to take it out of anypony. Not to mention how late it was.

As they all left, Midnight found Scarlet and Tight following her and Windrunner down the road. The hippogriff was practically bumping cutie marks with her while the earth pony was following behind at a more respectable distance. "Yes?"she asked uncertainly.

Scarlet grinned at her again. "So, uh, me and Tight need someplace to crash for the night; could we stay at your place?"

-----------------------------

Sapphire watched the hippogriff across the kitchen's island as the hybrid chugged the coffee she had just given her. The pegasus had come downstairs that morning to find an unfamiliar hippogriff and earth pony asleep on the living room couch. When Midnight had come out of her room before they had woken up, she'd explained the situation to her. Midnight had been equally surprised to find out that there where at least a couple of hippogriffs living in Cloudsdale. "I told you how pegasi are very friendly towards other flying creatures; I'm surprised you're surprised that there'd be griffons in Cloudsdale, much less that a few would marry ponies and have children with them." 

Still tired and now perturbed, Midnight had only snorted and began taking out ingredients for omelets. The smell of cooking eggs and freshly brewed coffee had roused the two newcomers from their slumber and both groggily entered the kitchen. They had politely asked for mugs of coffee to help wake themselves up and Sapphire had introduced herself as she poured. Tight Fit took normal sips of his brew while Scarlet Claw downed hers in one go. A surprising feat, as she'd only ever seen Midnight able to do the same thing with the scalding hot liquid.

"Aw yeah... that hit the spot," the hippogriff said happily, patting her stomach. 

"So what are you two planning to do here in Ponyville?" Sapphire asked as she took a sip of her own brew.

"Well, I'm here to meet Midnight Storm. She's the first hero we hybrids have ever had!"

There was a snort from the kirin, followed by aggravated moving of the spatula. 

"Can I ask how she's a hero?" Sapphire asked, genuinely curious. 

"She helped the Elements of Harmony defeat Discord! That's, like, EPIC levels of heroism!" Scarlet gushed.

"Please keep it down; there are still ponies asleep in this house," Midnight said as she took a break from the eggs to refill her coffee mug. 

Sapphire looked over at her friend and raised an eyebrow at the slight growl in her voice.

"Sorry. The second reason I'm here..." Scarlet trailed off as creaking came from the stairwell, and both Windrunner and Squeaky Wings appeared at the bottom. 

"Good morning," the other pegasus said with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. "What's all the noise about?"

Squeaks had frozen completely at the sight of the two strangers, one almost as big as her mom, sitting in the kitchen. While Windrunner stepped from the tiny hallway into the room, Squeaks creeped into the living room and out of sight. 

"Is she alright?" Scarlet asked, looking to Midnight and Sapphire and then back to where Squeaks had disappeared. 

"Just wary of strangers," Midnight told her, turning around lowering her voice. "She'll come back in when she gets hungry enough." To emphasize this she flipped one of the omelets. "You were saying what your second reason was?"

"Oh, right! The second reason I'm here is to find a job," Scarlet told them.

"You came all this way for a job?" Midnight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you see, when griffons reach a certain age, they're expected to 'leave the nest', make their own way in the world. My mom wouldn't let me off the hook just because I was half griffon and pretty much booted me out. So, I figured I'd trek out here to find you and a job while I was at it." Scarlet perked up suddenly. "Hey, you're not hiring, are you?"

Midnight shook her head as she laid out the omelets on the island. "Nope. Sorry, but right now everything's going smoothly with just Sapphire and Windrunner on board."

"Oh..." Scarlet said, her head drooping.

"Well, do you have an idea what you'd like to do? What's your cutie mark?" Windrunner asked.

Scarlet perked up a bit. "Oh, yeah, I've got a wicked cutie mark!" Standing up, she presented her side to them. On it was what looked like four animal prints pointing out in four different directions, each of them a bright cream color in contrast with her coat. "I can track animals really well. Hardly ever lose one on a hunt." She froze when she realized what she said and looked around at the others gathered. To her surprise, none of them seemed shocked or outraged at the mention of eating other animals. Then she noticed that three of the omelets had pieces of meat mixed in them. "Oh, right; part dragon."

Midnight nodded as she took a bite of her food. 

"We could see if Fluttershy needs a talent like that," Windrunner suggested. 

"What's your cutie mark, Tight Fit?" Sapphire asked. 

The stallion swallowed his recent swig of coffee. "I'm actually really good at packing things." He got up and showed his cutie mark, a tightly packed trunk. "That's why Scarlet had me look through her pack last night; sometimes I pack it too tight and when you try pulling something out... everything comes out."

"But why are you traveling with Scarlet?" Windrunner asked. "Is she your sister and you both got kicked out?"

Tight actually blushed. "N-No! I'm just her friend! We've known each other since we were foals! When I heard she was leaving, I just thought it was an opportunity to see the rest of Equestria with some good company is all." His smile was just a smidge too big, but they let it go. 

Off to the side, Midnight saw Squeaks trying to sneak into the kitchen from the living room through the hallway by the fridge. Faking a need to stretch her wings, she covered the space enough that the bat filly could scamper over to her without being seen by the hippogriff. The clacking of her hooves on the tiled floor gave her away to everyone in the room but as soon as she was between Midnight and Sapphire that didn't really matter. 

"Good morning, Squeaky," Sapphire said, smiling down at the corner between herself and Midnight. "Would you like some juice with your eggs?"

"Yes, please," came the small, squeaky voice.

As Sapphire got up, Scarlet looked around the corner of the island and caught sight of the small thestral. Squeaks caught sight of the hippogriff as well and ducked further around the opposite corner. "Never seen a thestral before," she noted as she straightened back up. 

Midnight quirked an eyebrow and for the first time that morning seemed genuinely interested in what the hippogriff had to say. "Really?"

"Yep," Scarlet confirmed. "A few other hybrids I've met from out in the country think they've seen them before, at night and near mountains, but none of us have actually met one. Where'd you find her?"

"Long story," was all Midnight said as she took a bite of her food. "To make it short, I adopted her more than half a year ago." 

Scarlet looked back at Tight. "A hero and a mom. Awe-some!" she sing-songed. Tight merely rolled his eyes and took another sip of coffee. 

"Well Midnight," Sapphire said as she returned with pineapple juice for Squeaks, "since you aren't hiring at the moment, do you have any ideas where these two could get hired?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," the kirin informed her.

-----------------------------

"Ah'm sorry Midnight, but Ah don't know where we could use 'em," AJ apologized as she hobbled from one work bench to the other. "With cider season over and fall comin' in, ain't really a need fur extra hooves; and claws," she amended with another glance towards Scarlet. "Even with mah leg like it is."

Midnight had led Scarlet and Tight up to Sweet Apple Acres to speak with AJ, Big Mac, and/or Granny Smith about hiring some hooves to help out around the farm. Sapphire had come along as well while Windrunner stayed behind to get started on the day's woodcutting. Squeaks had gone to school, though it was doubtful she would have come anyway. They found AJ doing some minor chores around the barn, grumbling and looking about as happy as a grounded workaholic could be. Big Mac had made it a point to tell his sister on the way back from the hospital that there would be plenty of trees to buck and chores to do after she got better. 

Midnight frowned at the farmer, both at her stance on new hooves and the mention of her leg. "How is it?" she finally asked. 

The earth pony frowned even more. "Not that bad. Docs say Ah should be fine in a couple of weeks. They gave me meds to help with the pain but they say that whole time Ah can't be apple buckin'." She kicked the ground. "Still can't believe The Stare didn't work on that over-sized varmint!"

"I don't know how much the others have told you, but that thing, the owlursus, is really resilient." Midnight growled and kicked at the dirt as well. "I should have gone wyvern! I could have just stepped on it then!"

AJ shook her head. "Doubt Flutters would 'a forgiven you fur that, Midnight. Even though it did kinda attack her house, she was dead set on us not hurting it."

"Probably wanted to keep it as a pet," the kirin snorted. 

Big Mac came trotting past, hauling a large load of apples behind him. AJ didn't even try to hide her unhappy look. Pausing to look them all over, the large stallion nodded at them. "Miss Storm, Miss Breeze." Then he looked over Scarlet and Tight. "Ma'am. Sir."

Midnight and Sapphire both nodded back and Scarlet and Tight did the same. "Hey Big Mac, do you think the farm could use another set of hooves and claws?" Midnight asked, getting a hostile glare from AJ for her troubles. Midnight could have cared less; after what happened this past cider season  she was prepared to do what she had to. 

All four Apples had let a pair of travelling con-artists talk them into a cider making contest against their machine for the rights to the farm itself. When the wager had been made (winner was whoever produced the most cider), Midnight had panicked and threw down her own bet. Not only did the Flim Flam Brothers need to make more cider than the Apples, they had to make it better. "After all," she had announced to the crowd gathered around, "what good is barrels and barrels of cider if it all tastes like muck?" Her end of the bargain was free firewood to the new owners of the farm, whenever and however much they wanted if they won. The muttering of agreement from the crowd had forced the brothers to agree to the new terms.

It had been a close race, but only because the brothers had allowed the rest of the bearers and Midnight's group to help the Apples. "We don't care if the whole of Canterlot helps! It's a lost cause!" Flam, or at least Midnight thought Flam was the one with the mustache, had proclaimed. When it became obvious how bad of an idea that had been the two shysters revved up their production, ignoring their little quality indicator in favor of more product. Seeing this, Midnight had figured the win was inevitable since, even though they won the quantity part, they'd never pass the quality part of the bet. To her unhappy surprise, the brothers had brought out their very first barrels of cider, set aside to avoid just such a disaster. Everypony watched with baited breath as the taste testers, randomly selected from the crowd thanks to Pinkie and a hat full of names, went to work on first the Apple Family's then the Brothers' cider (Pinkie provided some sherbet for them to eat between mugs to help eliminate cross-tasting). In the end, they announced that Apples had won the contest. 

Surprisingly, the Apples had extended a hoof to the defeated brothers. "Ya'll can still sell that there cider ya made, but only if'n you split yur earnins a fair 50/50 with us. Ya'll made that cider with our apples." AJ had told them.

"Perhaps more of a 33/67 split?" Flim had proposed. "Yes, they were your apples but we both picked and made cider with them." The look everypony gave them convinced the two AJ's proposal was the better deal. So, in  the end, that had actually worked out. Even so, Midnight had decided to take any measures she could to help avoid such problems in the future. Getting extra workers on the Apple farm was one.

"Sure be a help," he said, eyeing the other earth pony and hippogriff. "They lookin' for work?"

Midnight nodded. "Think you can use them?"

"Ah reckon," he said, still looking them over. "What are y'alls special talents?"

"I-I can track game, animals, really well," Scarlet said, intimidated by the large earth pony's stare.

"A-And I can pack things much better than almost anypony else I've met," Tight told him, just as intimidated.

The red earth pony continued to eye the two with a low "hmm". "Might use ya fur packin' the sales cart and such," he told Tight, then turned to Scarlet. "Not a whole lotta need to track animals on the farm but Ah hear griffons are plenty strong, so we'll find sumthin' fur ya to do."

"Now wait a minute!" AJ hollered at her brother. "This is Sweet Apple Acres, as in worked by the Apple family!"

"An' the four of us have been lucky up till now!" Big Mac yelled back, making them all jump and stare at the normally quiet stallion. "We just near lost the farm because we're the only hooves workin' it! We all need the help!"

"How can we possibly afford it!?" AJ challenged back. "We just finally replaced the roof to the barn!"

"We've had the bits fur a while now!" Here Big Mac's voice started to lower back down. "We ain't replaced it sooner 'cause Ah've been tryin' ta convince Granny ta use it ta pay for a new hip, but she just won't take it. She finally convinced me to replace the roof before savin' up fur her hip."

"And yur plow?" AJ asked, also in a more reasonable tone.

Big Mac actually looked embarrassed. "Pa's ol' plow, remember?"

"Oh, yeah..." AJ said, finally calmed down. "So... what about savin' up fur Granny's hip?"

"Make more money with extra hooves than with no farm at all," was all Big Mac said.

The orange mare looked around at each of them a bit more, the look on her face still one of unhappy indecision, then she looked at her brother and let out a sigh. "Alright, fine, we'll hire'm. Y'all know the books better than me anyway. I guess we'll set y'all up in the guest cabins," she said to Scarlet and Tight. "Ya'll just need one or-?"

Their faces blushed. "Two please!" they both said loudly.

Everypony chuckled a bit at their expense. "Alright then. Scarlet, we do git varmints out in the orchard sometimes, so maybe we can set y'all up doin' that 'til we figure out somehtin' a bit more productive fur ya." She waved them to follow her. "Cabins are just on the other side of the farm house."

Now smiling with the promise of employment, Scarlet and Tight picked up their bags and followed Applejack away. Before they got out of sight, Scarlet turned back and waved at them. "Hey Midnight, maybe we can hang out sometime soon!"

"Sounds great!" Midnight called back, sounding less than enthused. Scarlet smiled and again followed AJ away.

Just as the kirin was unfolding her wings to take off, Sapphire placed a hoof on her wither. "Can we talk on the way back to the house?"

Midnight eyed her, confused and a bit suspicious. "I... guess that's alright. Anything particular?"

"Something private," she assured her. There was something strange about her smile, but the kirin shook it off.

-----------------------------

It was ten minutes into their flight before Sapphire said anything. They had just landed on a high cloud floating over Carousel Boutique when the pegasus regarded Midnight with a look of disappointment. "Is there a reason you were rude to Scarlet and Tight this morning? Scarlet especially seemed happy to meet you and all you did was be short with her!" 

The kirin flinched. She'd suspected something was up, but didn't think the pegasus would jump right into it. "I wasn't short with her," Midnight defended herself.

"You were still rude for no good reason," Sapphire said unhappily.

"She was rude to Rarity last night for no good reason," Midnight countered. Not exactly true but close enough for the kirin.

"That doesn't mean you can be rude back to her! Besides, I would think the hero worshiping she's giving you would be making you preen!"

"I'M NOT RAINBOW DASH!" Midnight roared in her face, her temper flaring suddenly and alarmingly. Seeing the pegasus shrink away from her, Midnight took a breath and reigned herself in, whining softly and fidgeting her wings as she let her breath out. That whole Mare Do Well thing was still a sore point with her. "Look," she said finally, "I don't like the way she got on Rarity when there was a comment about hybrids; it was almost as if she wanted Rarity to give her an excuse to start something."

"I think you're misinterpreting things," Sapphire said. "If she was so hostile towards ponies, then why did she act so civil at breakfast?"

"Just woke up and was too tired to argue?"

"I'm being serious!" Sapphire shouted, stamping her hoof into the cloud and dispersing some of it. In all honesty, she didn't really know why Midnight's attitude with Scarlet was rubbing her the wrong way. The kirin had been this way before, so why was it bothering her now? "Why are you acting this way!?"

Midnight was just as perplexed at her friend's hostility. That didn't stop the kirin's dander going back up, however. She knew exactly why the kirin had been in a foul mood before this. "For one thing, the fact that one of the bearers nearly got killed trying to choose a pet! Then another bets her home on some stupid race! And don't even get me started on the whole Mare Do Well thing!" Yeah, her job was to keep the bearers safe but she'd imagined stuff like hydras, chaos lords, and the occasional lunatic, not having to save them from their own stupid decisions. 

"You're supposed to protect them from whatever could destroy them or their connection to the Elements! That includes protecting them from themselves!" Sapphire retorted.

"Then we're all doomed, aren't we!? The way they've all been acting lately, it's like trying to take care of a lemming!" 

"Well if you hate this job so much then why don't you quit!? You made sure that was in your contract with Princess Celestia!"

"Maybe I will then!" Midnight snarled. "Then we can pack up this whole three-ring circus and you can go back to work in Canterlot since you don't like it here!" 

Midnight instantly regretted saying that. Sapphire looked like she'd just been slapped. Before she could respond, Midnight took off and shot away over the town.

-----------------------------

“Just be glad you weren’t around for her teenage years,” Summer said, taking a sip of her coffee. She hummed happily as the hints of maple and cinnamon flavorings she’d added hit her tongue. Perfect flavors for early fall.

Sapphire took a small sip herself, more out of politeness than anything else. The two had started sharing a drink together after Summer finished with clients for the day; a new little ritual that helped the two get to know one another better. It also gave Autumn and Squeaks a chance to see and play with each other more often. 

The mint flavoring in her own just reminded her of the kirin and the fight they had earlier. She hadn’t meant to start it, but Midnight shouldn’t have gotten her feathers… tail… whatever, in a knot over a hippogriff she’d just met. And she was being so contradicting! If she didn’t like Scarlet, then why let her stay overnight? Why did she help find her a job?

“I just can’t figure out why she’s just so stressed out right now,” Summer continued. “So some of her friends have done some dumb things; she has her own life to worry about and it’s no reason for her to throw a fit like that.”

It didn’t help that they had to keep making excuses to Summer about why Midnight was so concerned about the bearers’ lives. Perhaps it was time they asked Princess Celestia if they could bring her into the know. 

“Just because she’s half dragon, wyvern, doesn’t mean she can act like one all the time; she IS half pony after all,” Summer continued, still leading the conversation. Then she noticed that Sapphire hadn’t said a word since telling her about the fight, her face scrunched up in concentration. “Oh, cheer up Sapphire dear; even the best of friends are bound to fight sometimes. I’ve even heard it’s a sign of a healthy relationship if a couple engages in some verbal warfare every once in a while; shows that they’re still each their own pony.” 

As Sapphire took another sip, an idea struck the pegasus. “M-Maybe she’s angry because she doesn’t know how to feel,” Sapphire suggested. 

Summer eyed her for another second before asking “What do you mean?”

“Well, Scarlet is the first hybrid she’s ever run into, right?”

“As far as I know,” Summer confirmed.

“Well, I think she’s conflicted, now that I think about it. On the one hoof, this is the only other hybrid she’s ever run into and I think she really wants to know somepony like herself. On the other hoof, Scarlet has said or did things that rubbed her the wrong way. If it was any other pony, she’d just snort at her and leave.”

“But because Scarlet is the only other hybrid she knows, she can’t just ignore her,” Summer said, slowly nodding in understanding. 

“Which explains the hypocritical behavior and why she got angry so quickly,” Sapphire finished. 

“That may be so,” Summer said slowly, “but how long before her being another hybrid no longer matters?” She took another sip of her coffee, then looked at the clock above the window. “Uh-oh, I’d better get home and help Orange with dinner. Just remember, Sapphire; a little spat isn't the end of everything."

-----------------------------

Midnight landed in front of the shed, entered it, and dumped the contents of her bloody saddlebags on the cutting board/work bench. In an effort to cool herself down she'd gotten her hunting bags, flown into the Everfree, and tore into whatever small woodland critters she could sink her teeth or tail blade into. The final tally was five squirrels, four birds, and a rabbit she'd actually dug after when it tried to go down its hole. She'd also ambushed a small group of timberwolves from the air, setting all three ablaze. She wasn't angry at Sapphire nor even with Scarlet very much. She was angry at the bearers and herself. 

She’d just began work on the first squirrel when there was a quiet knock on the shed door. "Who is it?" Midnight called out, checking her voice and trying to sound at least non-hostile.

"It's me," came Sapphire's soft voice.

The kirin groaned internally but still said "Come in." She owed it to her friend to apologize and try to be more civil.

Slowly, Sapphire opened the door and slipped inside. With the two of them both in the shed with the door closed it was a little cramped. Ignoring the blood and partially dismembered woodland creatures, the pegasus cleared her throat. "I want to start off by saying I'm not going to apologize for starting this... disagreement earlier. Stressed or not, I don’t like the way you’ve been acting lately and I’m not going to pretend like I don’t. I’m not asking you to change; that isn’t what’s bothering me. What’s bothering me is that you’re upset but won’t talk with me or Windrunner or your mom about it. You’re letting it fester when there’s no reason to! And then you were being so contradicting by letting Scarlet and Tight stay the night and help get them jobs but at the same time acting like it was such a problem! Being grumpy is one thing, but why are you letting yourself be miserable!?”

Midnight felt her dander go up again and wanted to snap back that she wasn’t miserable, just frustrated, but stopped herself. Even if she didn’t think she was miserable, Sapphire seemed to think she was. “I’m not… I just…” she sighed as she tried to get the right words out without sounding defensive. “I’m not miserable, I’m frustrated. Rainbow nearly gets killed trying to choose a pet, Applejack nearly loses the farm because of a bet, then they all gang up on Rainbow and humiliate her because she got cocky from saving a few lives. Then we’ve got some new creature attacking Fluttershy’s cottage to top it all off. At least that I can buck in the face; I can’t fight rock slides, beat up sleazy business ponies, no matter how much I'd like to, nor can I continually smack them upside the head when they’re doing something stupid. I swear, I’m getting pissed just because they wore costumes!” She brought the cleaver she’d been holding (it was too tight inside to use her tail blade even without Sapphire there) down and decapitated the squirrel. The head bounced away from the impact, rolled off the cutting board / work bench, hit the ground, and came to a stop by Sapphire’s hoof. The pegasus flinched away from it and Midnight kicked it under where she was working. 

“As for Scarlet… I don’t know. I invited them to sleep over because I figured it was too late to try and get them into the inn. I found them a job with the Apples because they need more workers. Maybe her getting snippy with Rarity rubbed me the wrong way; maybe it was how she kept putting so much emphasis on hybrids.” The kirin laid her head against the wall, looking tired. “She's also the only other hybrid I've ever met, so maybe that has something to do with it, too. I should see a therapist,” she sighed.

“You know, Princess Celestia told me something while I was working with her,” Sapphire said gently. “She told me that what we call “therapy” today, they used to call “listening”. Maybe you just need somepony to vent to, to hear out what’s bothering you. That certainly seems better than just holding it all up inside.”

Midnight eyed her. “You volunteering?”

“I wouldn’t mind going on a flight now and again after dinner,” Sapphire said, “but you also have Windrunner, your mom, Berry, Derpy, Lyra, Vinyl, even the bearers; you’ve got plenty of ponies to talk too!”

“Not sure Lyra or Vinyl would be good ideas,” Midnight murmured, “but you’ve got a point.”

“Want to start now? You didn’t seem to like how Scarlet talked about hybrids.”

“You sure you wouldn’t want to wait for me to finish this first?” Midnight asked, motioning towards her gruesome work. 

The pegasus had been trying to avoid looking that way the entire time. She had no problem with Midnight eating meat, never had, but seeing how one prepared it was something else entirely. “I’ll… manage,” she said with an unconvincing smile. "Any particular reason you got so many?"

"Hunting is my stress ball, I guess." The kirin turned back to the squirrel, her body and wings purposely blocking the scene from her friend. Her ears swiveled to show she was still paying attention. “I guess what I didn’t like was how hard she seemed to be trying to stress how different we were from ponies. “Ponies have all this while we’ve got nothing!” was what it sounded like she was saying and how I was now some rallying point for all the hybrids in Equestria for helping stop Discord.” She paused as she finished with the rodent and moved on to a bird. “It rubbed me the wrong way because all my life I just wanted to be normal, not different. It’s like she forgot she was half pony, not just half griffon.”

“Well… maybe that was the point she was trying to make,” Sapphire tried. Midnight looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, let’s face it Midnight, you aren’t normal. You’re half wyvern but “different” isn’t the word I would use.”

“What would you use?” Midnight asked, an edge in her voice. 

“Unique, special,” Sapphire said, only to blush right after she said it and looked away. “I-I mean, you are the only kirin in Equestria, probably the whole world, after all. That pretty much makes you the rarest of the rare and, well…” she trailed off. 

“Thanks,” Midnight said, looking a bit awkward herself. Her mom had used the same words to describe her before, but coming from Sapphire they seemed special. She inwardly shook herself. So she’d complimented her; it wasn’t a big deal. The memory of her nuzzling into her neck popped up. “Still, the idea that a group would use me as a rallying point… it feels uncomfortable. What if some of them are those fringe nut-jobs and get it into their heads to do something so that I notice them?”

“That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?” Sapphire asked.

“Maybe, but I still can’t help thinking about it. I’m already hyped up thinking the bearers are going to screw themselves over and now this. I’m going to have the same mane as Squeaks before too long.” That both got them to laugh.

“If you’re so worried, then why don’t you spend more time with Scarlet then? Get to know each other and you might find there’s nothing to worry about. She might stop the hero worshiping if she sees you’re just like anypony else,” Sapphire suggested.

Midnight nodded. “I bet a few fans might think differently of Sapphire Shores if they lived with her for a week.” They chuckled again. “Alright, I’ll give her another chance. And Sapphire; sorry about snapping at you earlier. I... shouldn't have said what I did.” Her wings drooped but then stiffened slightly as she felt a feathered wing touched her leathery one. 

“Just promise me to talk to somepony before it gets that bad again,” Sapphire said softly.

“... I will,” Midnight told her, her voice equally as soft. With that Sapphire left Midnight to her work.

-----------------------------

The next day found the kirin circling over the town market. It wasn't long before she found her target: the Apple Family cart. Today it seemed it was Big Mac's turn to take the cart into town and joining him was just the hippogriff Midnight wanted to see. "Morning," she said as she landed.

"Miss Storm," Big Mac said with a nod.

"Morning Midnight!" Scarlet shouted enthusiastically. 

"Come to buy some apples?" the large stallion inquired, shifting the wheat stalk he was chewing from one side of his mouth to the other.

"That, and I'd like to talk with Scarlet for a moment. Five red delicious please."

As Big Mac bagged her order, Midnight turned back to Scarlet. "Look, I just wanted to apologies for being rude to you and Tight yesterday morning."

The hippogriff waved a claw dismissively. "Rude? Please, if what you did or said yesterday is considered rude, then I've been severely abused my whole life."

"All the same, I'd like to take you up on that offer on hanging out sometime." 

"Great! Gotta see about hours and days off, but definitely!"

Midnight nodded and accepted her bag of apples from Big Mac. When Scarlet turned to help another customer, she leaned in close to him. “She hasn’t said anything… disconcerting, has she? Like, anything sounding like hybrid pride or the like? I know she’s only been working for you for a day but still.”

The big stallion shifted the stalk in his mouth again. “Not really. Eager as a beaver and ready to put the cart before the horse but nothing to really raise an eyebrow at. Does talk the ear off about ya’ll, though, given half the chance. Know anything about that?”

“It’s that article about how I helped beat Discord. Somehow that’s gotten me a following among hybrids and I’m just a little worried how fanatical some might be.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So ya’ll are followin' her around town to keep an eye on her then?”

“That, and I’m hoping spending some real time with me might wear away some of my apparent sheen.”

Big Mac nodded. “Can’t hurt. Ah don’t think she’s that short a few bushels, though; just a bit hero-blind is all.”

That helped put her mind to ease, and she took off back into the sky.

-----------------------------

Midnight yawned as she searched the forest below her. Next to and facing away from her, Scarlet did the same, flicking her tail as she did so. Neither one said anything; they were too professional at hunting and knew better. If one saw the prey they were looking for, they’d give the other a slight kick and they’d both dive down on it together.

As she once again scanned the same clump of trees, Midnight reflected back over how the rest of the week had gone since she'd followed Sapphire's advice and actually tried to be friendly with Scarlet. After her short talk with him, Big Mac had been very accommodating and had given both his new employees  almost every night off. "Ya'll need ta get out and about and meet folks if ya'll plan ta stay here long," he'd told them as way of an excuse. Midnight had found the hippogriff on her doorstep each night after dinner, ready and raring to go.

The first night Midnight had taken her around to meet all her other friends. Berry and Derpy liked her well enough but agreed that she was a bit... hyper. That and both mentioned they too caught an undercurrent of hybrid pride but neither seemed very worried about it. "It's no different than an earth pony, unicorn, or pegasus taking pride in their own tribe," Berry told her with a shrug. "The Hearth's Warming Tale is a perfect example, or just head to Canterlot, Cloudsdale, or any other earth pony village and see how the majority tribe acts towards the others."

Vinyl and Lyra took to Scarlet like peas in a pod and quickly got her to agree to come to their poker nights. Midnight silently wondered how long it would be until they had so many ponies in on their games that the card pile would reach the ceiling or needed to rent out town hall. 

Things only got better as she and Scarlet spent more time together. Yes, the hippogriff had a tendency to talk all the time, but she left enough space so that one could interject. The talk of hybrids and Midnight’s actions tapered off as well as Midnight insisted to her that they weren’t that big of a deal. “It wasn’t like I outright beat him single hoofed; I just kept him occupied while the bearers blasted him back to stone.”

“But you still stood up to him! That took some serious guts!”

“But why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t I stand up to somepony who was going to hurt my friends and family?” Midnight asked her before taking a sip of her strawberry shake from Sugarcube Corner.

“But no normal pony could stand up to him!” Scarlet insisted, waving her own chocolate shake around.

“The bearers did.”

“Yeah, but they have magical do-dads that turn bad-guys to stone. What if you were just another pony? Would you have stood up to him then?”

“The guard stood up to him for a bit,” Midnight pointed out, “and they’re all “normal” ponies. And look at Windrunner; she’s just your average pegasus but she flew and fought right beside me. Are you really going to say she doesn’t deserve praise for what she did? I’m nothing special Scarlet.”

And just like that, Scarlet dropped it. Well, she didn't really, but only for comparison to some of the other things Midnight had done. The kirin was surprised the hippogriff had so easily eased up. Although she did seem a bit more vehement when she did bring it up. 

“A lot of times first impressions are wrong,” Sapphire told her during breakfast the morning after. “Just think about it; when you meet somepony new, formally anyway, they usually put their best hoof forward. You don’t really get to know them until after you’ve spent time with them. Or how about the buffalo? We first met them when they attacked the train but that didn’t stop us from trying to help them.”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Midnight said with a wave of her hoof. “Don’t judge until you get to know them; lesson learned. You can take off the Sapphire suit now mom.”

The pegasus slapped her with a wing, but they both laughed.

And so the week progressed and as it did Midnight’s mood improved. Even Rainbow lost her own bit of hostility towards her when she realized Scarlet wasn’t just Gilda 2.0. It had all culminated with Scarlet asking Midnight if she’d like to join her on a deer hunt Saturday morning. “I haven’t had deer in a while and Mr. McIntosh-”

“Just call him Big Mac,” Midnight told her.

“-Big Mac said I could start late Saturday, so whaddya say?”

Midnight had to admit she’d never gone after deer before. It was just too much meat for herself and Squeaks didn’t make that big of a dent in the supply. Tartarus, a boar could last them a month. Scarlet assured her that Midnight would love the taste of it so much they wouldn’t be able to keep up with her demand. 

So there they were, early Saturday morning with the sun just peaking over the horizon, sitting on a cloud over White-Tail Wood waiting for a deer to wander by. Both periodically used their wings to move the cloud so as to both scan new ground and to try and make the cloud look like it was naturally plodding through the sky. Scarlet showed a new side of herself by staying as quiet and still as Midnight while they hunted. The only thing she had said after they arrived on the cloud was that deer were hard to chase down, so they needed to stay high, quiet, and wait for one to come to them. She’d even dumped a few rotten apples below as bait.

And so they waited.

It had been a full two hours and still nothing had come below them except a few smaller critters who took bits of the apples for themselves. Waiting to ambush prey wasn’t her ideal form of hunting. Waiting for food to come to her was… well, boring. For the kirin, hunting was more of an active activity. She was just on the edge of suggesting they try it her way when she felt a hoof prod her side. Looking back, Scarlet motioned for her to look down to the side. Down in the brush, moving cautiously towards what remained of the apple pile, was a buck. It was a decent sized one, with six points on its antlers. Those antlers would be a problem if the deer suspected anything and decided to fight. 

Midnight looked back up at Scarlet and the hippogriff pantomimed bringing her claws together, grasping each other tightly over a patch of cloud. Pincer maneuver. Midnight nodded, and they both waited until the deer was right under them before they dived off the cloud.

-----------------------------

Midnight grunted as she and Scarlet hauled the deer up and over the cliff behind her house and finally descended towards the shed. From now on she was going to stick to hunting in the Everfree. It wasn’t that there had really been any problems killing the deer other than a few cuts on Scarlet’s front leg; it was that they needed to haul the thing all the way around the town limits so that nopony would panic upon seeing a dead, gutted deer flown over head. That had made a five minute flight turn into twenty, and there was no way to simply glide with their catch. Once they were close enough and low enough Midnight dropped the deer carcass and landed in a heap almost right next to it, huffing and puffing while letting her wings fall where they would. 

“Geez, it wasn’t that hard of a flight,” Scarlet admonished, landing and wiping sweat from her brow. “I thought you were a great flier?” 

“Can’t… flap… that… long…” the kirin wheezed out. “Normally… glide… for… a while…” She did need to train for that more often. Maybe timed laps?

“Well, let’s get this thing in the shed before anyone sees it. Kinda screws up the whole point of flying around the town.”

“Next time… we bring… a sack of some kind…”

The side door opened and Sapphire flew out to them, two large glasses filled with ice and water in her hooves. 

Midnight greedily took hers and chugged it, despite the pegasus telling her to take her time. Scarlet drank hers with a bit more dignity, but with no less eagerness. 

“By the way,” Sapphire said as she took the finished cups from them. “Something’s up at the schoolhouse; I saw Cheerilee running from it, then coming back with the two police officers soon after.”

“Probably some foals broke a window because they got an F or something,” Midnight said from her place on the ground. 

“I don’t think she’d look so panicked over something like that,” Sapphire insisted. “I mean, the police are there but since it’s so close to the house, I think we’d all feel better if you checked it out. Windrunner and Squeaky will hear about it soon enough.”

Midnight groaned. “Fine, I’ll check it out, just give me a minute to breathe here.”

“More water?” Sapphire asked, her face a mix of concern and amusement. 

“Dear Faust, yes!” Midnight cried.

“I’ll have another, too, please,” Scarlet said.

Sapphire nodded and went back inside.

“I didn’t know you were a follower of the Fausticorn,” Scarlet said, interested.

“M’not; just got tired of everypony praising Celestia when she isn’t even a god,” Midnight told her as she sucked on the ice cube she'd almost swallowed when she sucked down the water.

“Then why not just evoke the Makers?”

“I was a teenager. Did a lot of stupid things. This one just stuck. Like saying ‘buck’ instead of….”

-----------------------------

Midnight stared at what Cheerilee had been panicking about and she could sure understand why. There was a giant hole in the back of the schoolhouse, as if something had smashed into it. All the desks and school supplies had either been destroyed or thrown around the room. The black board had been knocked askew and deep gouge marks were in it. 

“It’s like some wild animal came through here,” Cheerilee said, distressed. The school was close to the Everfree, for whatever reason, so that was what most likely happened, but something about how this looked was unhappily familiar.

“And you just found it like this?” Midnight asked as she inspected the black board. The teacher had already given her report to the police, but Midnight wanted to hear it again. This was someplace Squeaks and the other foals were supposed to be safe, and it was damn near close to home.

“Yes! I was just coming by to pick up some papers I forgot when I found it like this! What do you think could have done this?” the teacher asked, glancing back out the hole and at the forest beyond.

Scarlet was also picking through the wreckage, trying to help the earth pony set some things to right. 

Midnight shrugged. “Manticore or timberwolves, most likely. There’s a bunch of other things living in the forest that could do this as well.”

“Hey, I found something!” Scarlet called out as she righted another desk. She picked out something stuck between the metal parts of the chair and held it up for them to see. “Looks like a feather.”

A very familiar looking feather, and it ruled out manticores and timberwolves. “We need to see Twilight,” Midnight told them, her voice a growl.

-----------------------------

“It’s definitely an owlursus feather,” Twilight said as she backed away from the microscope, located in her basement lab. “It has the exact same structure as the one I found at Fluttershy’s supplies shed.”

"But what's it doing back here?" Midnight asked her. "I thought ringing its bell like we did would have made it think twice before coming back." The kirin was seated right next to Twilight as if proximity would give her answers any quicker. Word had yet to spread among the rest of Ponyville about what happened at the school house, but it was only a matter of time and Midnight wanted the situation under control before the whole town went into another panic.

"I've been doing my own research on them, like I did when that show-pony Trixie boasted about beating an Ursa Major."

"Still can't believe you slept through that," Scarlet said from her seat opposite them, referring to the rampage of the Ursa Minor she'd been told about.

"Yes, well," Twilight continued. "Turns out that one of the reasons owlursuses are so rare is because they require a lot of territory per individual. At its maximum, Equestria could only accommodate about twenty of them if they were each evenly spaced out. That number shrinks when you take into account how much of the land is run by ponies, and..."

"So this one's claimed the Everfree and Ponyville as part of its territory?" Midnight interjected before the unicorn could go off on a tangent. 

"Yes. Its attack on Fluttershy's shed was probably just it scouting its new territory. The damage it did to the school house was probably a warning to us as well as a scavenging trip. We need to find a way to keep the owlursus out of town and away from ponies before somepony gets hurt or worse." Using her magic, Twilight picked up several more books, opening all of them. "I've been trying to find out what repels them, but so far the only thing that seems to get them to move are larger, more aggressive predators or their prey supply running out."

"Well, we can't wait around for it to get tired of picking pony bones out of its beak, so scare it off with a giant predator it is," Midnight said. "And we'll play it safe this time. If the thing's nocturnal, then we'll just find it during the day, scare the feathers off it, and be back in time for dinner."

"And just how do you plan to find it?" Twilight asked. "The Everfree Forest is still dangerous during the day and there are probably dozens of caves out there, many likely covered by foliage too dense to see through."

"I could help with that!" Scarlet said, bolting up and presenting her flank to them. "Great tracker, remember? All I've got to do is start at the school first thing in the morning and I'll find it by lunch time for sure!"

Midnight shot this down almost immediately. "No way. I can't be worrying about anypony while I'm a wyvern and dealing with the owlursus. While I'm attacking it something else could shoot in and grab you for lunch. It's better if I go this one alone."

"But... but how are you gonna track it?" Scarlet asked, her feathers fluffing slightly at the quick dismissal. "Besides, Windrunner also goes into the forest to work with you, so it can't be that dangerous."

"Windrunner and I don't go in as deep as this thing supposedly is," Midnight told her, "And she's proven she can take care of herself." She turned back to Twilight. "I'll set up a search pattern starting from the deepest spot I've worked at. First I'll check around where we first found Scarlet and Tight, then work my way back towards the school. From there I'll check out the route to the old castle, then I'll try to section off the forest from the air. And even if there are dozens of caves, I doubt many of them that are big enough to hold the thing can be hidden very easily in the undergrowth."

"I guess that could work," Twilight said, not sounding very confident with Midnight's plan. "Are you sure you wouldn't want one of our pegasus friends to go with you and plot out where you've been? I could even go up with that observation balloon and stay in one place while you fly around."

Again, Midnight shook her head. "Staying in place would be even worse, especially if we end up going deep into the forest. I've seen rocs once or twice out that way and a balloon would be a very easy target for them. Besides, we all know Spike's the one that'll be driving the thing so that's two of you that'll be in danger." The kirin ignored the annoyed look the unicorn gave her.

"I still say I should go with you," Scarlet said, not backing down. "I think if I can kill a buck, I can handle most anything else in there."

"Both of us got the buck, and you got cut pretty good in the process." Midnight nodded at the bandage on her front leg. "Whatever else we run into out there will be trying to eat us, which is a whole lot different than something trying to get away from us. My answer is no and that's final. Thanks for confirming that, Twilight," Midnight said, turning back to the unicorn. "I'll start looking first thing tomorrow and I'll let you know when I've driven the thing off."

-----------------------------

Scarlet kicked the door to her guest house close behind her. Tracking was what she was good at, what she was best at, and Midnight had told her off for suggesting it like she was a child! It wasn't like she was asking to fight the thing when they found it! Grabbing the pillow from the bed, she dug her talons into it. "I just want to help!" she growled out. 

*Knock Knock*

"Who is it?" she snapped.

"Scarlet? Can I come in?" Tight's muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

Taking a breath to try and calm down, Scarlet put her pillow back, tucking it under the blanket to hide the claw marks, and opened the door. 

Tight was standing on the other side with a worried look. "Hey, is everything alright?"

"No," she bit out, turning back inside and walking into the small kitchenette. She pulled some apple juice from the personal refrigerator there and chugged it down as if it was what had done her wrong. 

Tight had seen her like this before and let the hippogriff fume before pressing her for more details. As he expected, after she finished off the drink, she went back into the fridge, pulled out a container, then tore into its contents. From the look of the pieces and the sound of cracking bone, it was bird leftovers. "So... want to talk about it?" he finally asked when she'd put the food back.

"That owlursus came back last night and ripped up the school!" Scarlet told him, beginning to pace. "Midnight's going after it but won't let me help! She needs a tracker to find the damn thing but says it's too dangerous for anyone else to go after it with her! I don't get why she's being so bull-headed!"

Great, so the monster was still around. The idea that the thing was prowling just outside of town and looking for ponies to eat sent a shiver down Tight's spine. It didn't help that the farm was on the border with the forest either. "Well, she's trying to keep everyone safe," he tried. "I mean, how would you feel if someone got hurt while trying to help you do something dangerous?"

"But I wouldn't!" Scarlet shot back. "I can take care of myself! Why else would mom kick me out if I wasn't ready?" She kicked one of the legs of the room's table. "Just... just leave me alone for the night, alright Tight?"

Reluctantly, the stallion nodded. "Alright. Just remember she's not doing this to be a hero; she's doing it because she cares." The hippogriff grunted and Tight figured it was the best response he was going to get. 

Once the door shut behind him, Scarlet moved over to the dresser next to the bed and opened the bottom draw. "I'll show her," she muttered as she pulled out some equipment, including a compass, rope, and a first aid kit. "I got this cutie mark for a reason and I'm going to do what I can to help out."

-----------------------------

'Okay, I MAY have rushed into this,' Scarlet thought as she watched the manticore below her finally give up trying to find her. She'd set out just before dawn that morning and started tracking the owlursus from the school before Midnight could get up and start her own search. She understood Midnight wasn't trying to be a hero; the kirin seemed to hate the very idea of being one. However, doing this alone was stupid and could very well end up with someone getting hurt before she found the owlursus and drove it off. With the hippogriff on the case, they'd find the monster's hiding spot before the end of the day.

That is if the other forest inhabitants didn't get a piece of her first. That particular manticore had set her off course for a good half hour. After going two hours through the forest in the dark and hearing how Midnight went into it every day, she figured that the area's bark was worse than its bite. That had swiftly been reevaluated as she'd run into creature after creature. Plants that snapped at her legs and wings, nightmare insects that got WAY too close for comfort, and predators that wanted to try hippogriff for the first time made tracking the owlursus almost impossible. She could now see why Midnight only went so far in to cut wood as she had. 

She waited another few minutes after the beast stomped out of sight before gliding down out of the tree and continuing. If there was something good about tracking down an owlursus, it was that the thing was big enough that it left plenty of signs of its passing in the underbrush. Thus, picking up where she left off wasn't a problem. The other bit of good news was the manticore had left in the opposite direction of where she was going, so there was no chance of a repeat run in. Thank the Makers it went around that patch of blue flowers...

-----------------------------

Above the forest, Midnight yawned as she glided. She'd already found three caves big enough to house an owlursus and so far all she'd gotten was a couple of manticores and a face full of bats. She'd already checked the area from the school to the end of her cut, her cut to the old castle, and from there to Zecora's hut and then back to town. All that meant was that she was right in thinking the thing had set up shop deep into the forest, deeper than she really wanted to go. It seemed like the deeper in you went, the more dangerous the creatures and things located there were. 

She was just considering laying a trap close to Ponyville as a safer course of action when Windrunner shot up to her. "Geez!" the kirin shouted as the brown pegasus stopped only a few hooves away from her. "A little warning next time! And what are you doing out here? I told everypony to stay back in town and wait for me!"

Windrunner nodded and took a sip form one of the two canteens she had with her. "I know, but Tight Fit just showed up and said he thinks Scarlet Claw is in the forest tracking down the owlursus."

Midnight felt her stomach bottom out a bit. "Please, please tell me he has a good reason to think that."

Windrunner nodded. "He says that all her tracking equipment is gone and that nopony has seen her all morning. He and the Apples thought she might have gone into town, so they didn't check up on her until a little while ago."

"They didn't check to see where one of their new employees where when they didn't show up for work?" Midnight asked incredulously. 

"Apparently they start late on Sundays," Windrunner told her.

Midnight shook her head and groaned. "Great. Alright, I'll keep an eye out for her as well. Now get back to the house."

Windrunner shook her head. "Scarlet was right about one thing: you need back up, somepony to watch your back if things are going to get as dangerous as you say they will."

Midnight growled. "That's an order-" 

"Then you may discharge me when we get back but for now you're stuck with me," Windrunner told her firmly, sticking the other canteen into the kirin's hooves. 

Midnight looked from the canteen to the pegasus and let out a sigh of defeat. "Did he say if she has some way of signaling us when she finds the thing or when she gets lost?" 

"He said she has both flares and a signal mirror in her gear for just such a thing."

The kirin nodded. "Good; keep an eye out for both because at this point I'd rather wait for the damn thing back home than fly any deeper over the forest. I told you I saw rocs before."

-----------------------------

The past hour had been... odd in Scarlet's opinion. What had almost been a one after another  stream of oddities in her way had slowly but surely trickled off into almost nothing. There were still insects and snapping plants, but they were few and far between. On more than one occasion she'd seen patches where the snapping plants had been torn up and thrown off into the brush. The trail she'd been following had become more distinct as well. It was most likely the owlursus' handiwork, clearing the area around its home of stuff that bothered it. That would also explain why there were so few, if any, predators around.

She rounded a thick tree and came to a stop. There was a small clearing in front of her and on the opposite side was a large cave mouth. The trail she'd been following lead right into it. She'd found the owlursus' lair. Looking up, she could see it was late in the afternoon. She needed to work quickly if they were still going to surprise it.

Quietly unslinging her pack from her shoulders, she pulled out both her signaling mirror and flare kit. Looking up, it was obvious the mirror wouldn't do her any good. The light it reflected needed to be seen by someone over head, and there was currently no one up there. That left the flares, which were bright and noisy things. Then again, if she fired them from where she was, she could duck back into the trees and stay hidden just in case the monster woke up. Grinning at the thought of the look on Midnight's face when the kirin would show up, she carefully loaded a flare into the gun.

Just as she was about to aim it skyward and shoot it off, she felt something on her back leg. Looking around, she found a large, horrifying looking nope-bug almost up to her cutie mark. 

She jumped, quickly grabbing her beak to stop the scream of fear she'd almost let out with her free claw. Her wings and tail smacked at the abomination as she reared up. This dislodged it, but as she came back down to buck it away into the brush, she forgot to let go of her beak. The claw holding the flare gun landed with a clatter, and the impact pushed her claw back into the trigger. With a loud *whoosh* and a whine, the flare shot out.

Right into the cave.

Scarlet watched the flare go deep into the cave, eventually outlining the form of a large, feather and fur-covered hulk. A hulk that roared a second later.

Her mind and body remained frozen a few seconds more, then she bolted back up and drove another flare home. She got it up into the sky just as the owlursus stuck its head out of the cave, spotted her, and roared again before charging. 

-----------------------------

"Sweet bucking Faust," Midnight mumbled as she once again looked over at the sun. It was late afternoon and the orb was starting its decent towards the horizon. They hadn't found any sign of either the owlursus or Scarlet and both the kirin and pegasus were starting to really worry now.

"What do we do if it gets dark?" Windrunner asked.

"Nothing we can do at that point. You can't see in the dark at all and my night vision has a hard time seeing anything not bathed in moonlight. I hate to say it, but we'll have to leave Scarlet out here if we don't find her soon."

Windrunner hummed unhappily and darted around in agitation. She knew Midnight didn't like it either, but there would be no way they could help after the sun went down. More than likely they'd end up with their own bit of trouble before they found the hippogriff. The pegasus darted around a few more times before she saw a bright red orb fly up into the sky from the trees a mile or two away. "Midnight, what does a flare look like?"

"Big ball of bright red light, shoots up from the ground and hangs in the air for about half a minute," she said absently as she scanned the opposite section of jungle. "Makes a loud noise, too,  from what I understand." Then she realized why the pegasus would be asking that now and whirled around. "Exactly like that! Get over there and see what's up!"

Windrunner bolted for the slowly fading orb of light. Midnight followed after but didn't pour on the speed. She'd catch up with the pegasus after a few wing beats.

-----------------------------

Scarlet ducked as the owlursus' paw flew through the space her head had been a few moments ago. The creature was using its size to take up as much of the small clearing as possible, limiting Scarlet's movements and making it impossible to get airborne. If she tried to stretch her wings to get aloft, one could easily get caught by the surprisingly quick paws or jaws. If she'd been given a moment to think clearly she could have ducked into the forest or back down the trail to get some distance but the owlursus wouldn't let up its attempt to catch her. The best thing her racing mind could think up was to keep ducking and dodging until Midnight came to her rescue. If she even saw the flare.

As she dove away again, she saw that the creature's rear legs were far enough apart that she could duck through them when it swung again. Without a second thought she dove between them. In the blink of an eye she was through with open forest in front. All she needed was a few seconds of running and she'd be airborne.

The owlursus spun around to catch her and in the process lost its balance. As it fell, it reached out a paw after Scarlet, which slammed down on her tail. The hippogriff, a mere hoof away from the tree line, was jerked to a stop. In mad panic to get away, her instincts kicked in and she went berserk on the paw that held her. The owlursus roared in surprised pain this time as the hippogriff's talons and sharp beak tore at the paw, but it was all superficial; it had no intention of letting her go.

It raised a paw to finish off the struggling hippogriff but before it could it was hit hard and fast upside the head. It roared out in real pain then, swinging both paws up into the air to try and catch its attacker. Scarlet took the opportunity to haul flank into the forest, running blindly to just get away from her attacker. Before she could hop into the sky, things quickly became darker and a set of large, jet-black talons slammed into the ground ahead of her, crushing a few trees and shrubs. This was followed by an immense roaring behind her and Windrunner landing next to her.

"You okay!?" the pegasus asked, looking her over as if expecting to find her ripped up.

"I... I... I... think so...?" Scarlet said as she was finally able to get a moment to think. Windrunner was here and it had to be Midnight roaring in her wyvern form. "I... I just..." 

Windrunner stuck her canteen in the hippogriff's talons. "Drink," she ordered. Scarlet didn't argue.

The creaking and breaking of trees made them first look back towards Midnight's legs, then up when they saw she was sitting back on her haunches. To their amazement, the owlursus was clenched tightly in her right wing claws, cowed by the wyvern's sudden arrival and roars to the face. As they watched it regain a bit of ferocity and tried to bite the claw holding it, only for the claw to squeeze tighter and another roar to be delivered at point blank range. 

"Now you listen to me," Midnight growled out, her grumbling voice thick with threat. "I'm fully ready to eat you right now and be done with it but my pony friends, who you tried to kill, want me to give you one more chance, so here it is. You stay away from the pony town and the forest directly around it and we'll leave you alone too. Bother us again, and I have owlursus steak for dinner. Understand?"

The owlursus just stared up at her.

"UNDERSTAND!?" she roared, shaking it. When she was done it nodded vigorously. "You had better," she growled. Then she leaned forward and stuffed it back into its den. "I MEAN IT!" she roared in after it, then she turned to Windrunner and Scarlet, nodded, and took off. The pegasus and hippogriff followed her aloft.

-----------------------------

Scarlet hadn't felt so low since she'd broken Grandma Peregrine's fine china. Midnight marched up and down in front of her, berating her for going out without telling anybody after she specifically said not to and gave very good reasons and how she nearly got killed and was lucky to be alive. Tight looked torn between wanting to make sure she was okay and yelling at her himself while the rest had varying degrees of disapproval, worry, and relief on their faces. Sapphire currently had her hooves over Squeaks' ears to try and block out the profanity Midnight was using. She'd dropped the 'buck' and was dropping F-bombs like a piñata drops candy. "And what exactly do you have to say for yourself!?" Midnight finally finished, sitting and starring down at her. With her rant over, all the anger that had been building up since after the trip to Baltimare had finally gotten out of her system and now she was just tired.

"I... uh..." Scarlet tried, but stopped. Saying sorry would not cut it in any way here, but what else could she say to show how sorry she was?

With her anger spent and the situation resolved with no permanent injuries, Midnight cut her a break. "I've already had somepony not do what I told them and it nearly cost them their life too. I should have told  you the story before, but what I need you to take out of this is that when I tell you to not do something, it's not because I'm trying to be a plot-hole and say I'm better than you, it's because if you do it an owlursus could kill you or something. As far as I'm concerned what's done is done and you just better not do it again, clear?" Scarlet nodded. "Good. Big Mac, she's all yours."

Sapphire, Windrunner, and Squeaks got up and followed her back to the house, leaving the hippogriff to the tender mercies of her employer. "So..." Sapphire said once they'd gotten out of ear shot. "...feeling better?"

"A bit. Dear Faust what was she thinking? And Fluttershy is lucky I was able to scare the crap out of it; I really didn't think her plan would work. Still don't actually, but then again I'd rather straighten this one out than have to do this all over again when another one shows up."

"If I may?" Windrunner asked. They all turned to her. "As reckless as she was, she does have a talent for tracking. If she had an escort, I think we would have found the owlursus before lunch like she said." Seeing Midnight about to argue, she raised a wing. "I know why you said what you did and to a degree I agree with you. However, Scarlet Claw has promise. You may not have noticed, but I saw her struggle with the owlursus and had the beast not caught her tail, she would have gotten away. Even when she was caught, she was willing to fight to the end. She has initiative, resourcefulness, and tenacity, but just not the training to put all those to proper use. I think we could help her with that. She would be the perfect one to track down a wayward bearer."

Midnight felt her mouth drop open. "You... you can't be serious! Scarlet in the Bearer Guard!?"

"I'm perfectly serious. She could make a fine soldier, I think, if trained properly and learns discipline. Didn't you say just last week we need more guards?"

Midnight opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, then sighed and shook her head. "If you really think she could be a guard, then we'll give her a chance. Start by getting her on some sort of daily routine so she can learn some discipline, then think of an excuse for us to take her into the woods and throw timberwolves at her." She sighed again. "And we have poker night tomorrow... great."
> Ch.8 - Nightmare Night...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pinkie, I appreciate that you're giving it your all for my birthday, but walking all the way from Sugarcube Corner back home blindfolded is losing its appeal. Fast."

"Aw, come on silly-filly! A surprise isn't a surprise if you see it coming, and then all the ponies that helped set it all up would be sad and wouldn't get to yell SURPRISE!" This last bit she yelled right next to Midnight's ear, much to the kirin's immense discomfort. 

"Can you at least tell me how close we are?" she asked, holding a hoof over her ear in an attempt to protect it from further harm.

"Almost ther-re!" Pinkie sang out, hopping ahead a few lengths.

"We really are this time," Scarlet, who had been helping to guide the kirin most of the way, said. "Trust me, when you see what she did with the place, you'll say it was worth double the distance."

Midnight merely grumbled a bit and let out a snort. She really was looking forward to what Pinkie had in store for her, and so far she'd been having a pleasant day, but she'd also tripped several times now, fouling her mood a bit. 'It's just a little further,' she told herself. 'Besides, what's a few trip-ups compared to tonight?'  And a smile began to make its way back onto her face.

After the incident with the owlursus, Nightmare Night had slowly but surely wormed its way into the kirin's thoughts until it was practically all she had thought about for the past few days. While this wasn't her first one, not by a long shot, nor was it her first one in Ponyville, this Nightmare Night was going to be special. This would be the first time she was going to truly enjoy it like everypony else did. 

Growing up, it had been the one night of the year she could go out in public as herself, saying that she was dressed up as a dragon-pony hybrid to hide the fact that she wasn't dressed up. During her three years wandering the cities she hadn't celebrated it at all, choosing to risk flying around during the night, ducking from cloud to cloud and basking in the light of Luna's moon as she turned yet another year older. She may have also scared the daylights out of some bullies for a few bags of candy; cakes were expensive in the city after all. Then last year she'd spent her first Nightmare Night in Ponyville hoofing out a few treats then retreating to her room for her first birthday cake in four years. She'd only known Sapphire for about two or three months at that point and hadn't shared the occasion with her, or anypony for that matter, until she'd had reveal it on Squeaks' adoption papers. 

This year she was going to go all out for her favorite holiday. First a birthday party with her family and friends, then they were all going to get in costume, head out into town, trick-or-treat and play games until they all dropped from exhaustion, sugar crash, or both. As her smile grew at the thoughts of what all would be happening that night, her wings began to flap and her tail whipped about in anticipation. The flapping even gained her some altitude, which was good because that meant she sailed over several rocks which Scarlet was sure she would have tripped over.

"Okay, we're here!" Pinkie called out a few minutes later. 

Scarlet pulled Midnight back down to the ground and made her sit down.

"Are ya ready?" Pinkie asked, sounding just as excited as Midnight was feeling now that they finally made it.

"Yep," Midnight said, bouncing in place as the party pony worked her up.

"Alright then," Pinkie said, drawing it out. "On three! One... twoooooooo... THREE!"

Scarlet whipped the blindfold off her.

"SURPRISE!!!" everypony yelled out. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIDNIGHT!!!"  In front of her was all of her family and friends, decked out in party hats, some holding gifts while others blew noise makers.

Midnight ignored them; she was too fixated by her house. 

It was made up for Nightmare Night like no house she'd ever seen before. Fake bats roosted under the second story eves while several owl figures in various poses stood watch on the edge of the roof above them. In the upper windows she could just make out black cut-outs, most likely of either monsters or horror scenes that would be illuminated from behind once night fell. The store front window had been painted (with what she hoped was washable paint) over with a scene of a haunted house on the left and a haunted castle on the right with a large full moon, complete with the Mare in the Moon, sitting between them. The front door's upper corners were covered with the traditional Nightmare Moon head cut-outs while its window was also painted over, this time completely blacked out with only a set of evil-looking cyan draconic eyes and a fang-filled smile. To the side was a small, gated cemetery, complete with tombstones and a fake dead tree. Scattered from the cemetery all the way back to the storehouse were dummies made up to look like zombies in various states of decay and position. That side of the house had a flock of fake bats "flying" into a large black tarp folded and cut to look like a cave mouth set against the cliff face and covering the store room door while the other side had goblins climbing up the walls. Finally, the shed had been splashed with red paint in several spots and a sign hung on the outside said "WE ALL NEED OUR POUND OF FLESH". In short, it looked like Nightmare Night exploded all over it. 

"So, ya like it!?" Pinkie asked with a smile. "I even made sure not to use any spiders or cobwebs!"

All Midnight could do was fly up to the house and inspect the decorations more closely, taking her time eyeing each piece. 

Everypony's smiles began to fade as they looked from Midnight to each other and back worriedly. Sure, they had to take down some of the decorations Midnight had already set up to do so, but they hadn't thought the kirin would have minded at all. Summer, Sapphire, Squeaks, and Windrunner were especially troubled by her reaction; this night was all Midnight had talked about all week.

"Pinkie," Midnight said evenly as she came back down. 

Everypony tensed. 

The kirin reached out and pulled Pinkie into a bone-crushing hug. "It's WONDERFUL!" she gushed. "I mean, this is all just AMAZING! You all did this while I was out this morning?" she asked, turning to look at the rest of them. They all nodded and, to their surprise, Midnight's eyes actually started to get wet. "I just can't believe it; it's PERFECT! I just wish you had all done this a week ago!"

"But then we couldn't have done it for your birthday silly!" Pinkie squeaked out.

"But I can only enjoy it for a day; two at most before it all has to come down!" Midnight said, looking longingly at the decorated house.

"Oh Midnight, that's what camera's are for!" And without missing a beat Pinkie whipped out a camera and took a picture at point blank range. 

Midnight dropped Pinkie with a pained grunt as she covered her eyes too late, rubbing them to try and clear her vision and stop the stinging. Was this her version of birthday punches or something?

"Well, we'll keep that in mind for next year," Summer said, coming up beside her. "Right now, I think you'll want to see the inside as well."

"Inside?" Midnight asked, blinking her vision back into focus.

"You don't think Pinkie stopped out here, do ya?" Rainbow said, opening the front door. "Thought ya would 'a learned better by now!"

-----------------------------

Midnight took another bite of her birthday cake and hummed happily. Double-layered chocolate cake with mint frosting and peanut butter in the middle holding the layers together. It would have tasted even better with powdered sapphires but everypony else needed to have a piece, too. As she washed the bite down with orange-colored chocolate milk (a gimmick for the holiday), she looked around her decorated home again with a large smile. 

Just like on the outside, it looked like Nightmare Night had exploded everywhere. Almost every flat surface had some kind of decoration on it, the curtains over the windows had been replaced with black funeral shrouds, the rug in the living room was now a smiling Jack-o-Lantern, and bats, owls, ghosts, and other flying creatures and spooks of the night hung from the ceiling by string. Even the fireplace had been decked out for the holiday, the bricks painted a sickly green and the fire burning inside it was black with a bit of blue licking out near the top of the flames; Twilight's hoof in the decorating she was told.

The party was Nightmare Night themed as well, as if attempting to burn the kirin out on the holiday. A valiant, but laughable, attempt. A black and orange checkered table cloth covered the dining room table, the party games had twists suited to the holiday (pin the horn on Nightmare Moon, for example), as had all the party cups, plates, and utensils. Most of the games were set up in the still unused room between the dining room and the front, which Midnight had given up trying to turn into something useful and now just referred to it as the "whatever" room.

The foals were having fits at the very idea of dessert before dinner, followed by even more dessert later on after that. All the pillow knights were there, as well as the CMC and Spike, all of which were gathered near the blue and black dragon piñata like a pack of wolves under a suspended sheep, cake slices already polished off. 

Her presents and cards were all stacked on the couch and out of the way until the party ended. Among them was a bottle of Pumpkin Spice rum from Berry, a Nightmare Night record from Vinyl, and a non-horror novel from her mother. "Honestly Midnight, how can you like those things?" Summer had asked her daughter when the gift had been opened. "What most ponies would think if they could see your little library!" Midnight's only response was to wave at the holiday decorations around them and raise an eyebrow.

Her two favorite gifts were from Sapphire and Squeaks. Sapphire had gotten her a basket of gems carved into various holiday shapes, such as bats, pumpkins, and the like. Squeaks, insisting that she use her own allowance to get her mother something herself, had gotten her a wooden bookmark etched with a dragon and a bat circling around the moon. Midnight had immediately taken out the book of stories she had gotten Squeaks for her birthday and replaced the bookmark. The little bat filly was so happy that she liked the gift she'd been fluttering around the house since then, just nearly getting airborne several times.

"I'm making you dinner tonight," Scarlet had said proudly when she'd given Midnight her birthday card. "My own mom's special recipe: fried deer steak!" It certainly sounded good, and even now the hippogriff was in the kitchen and, discreetly, cutting up the defrosted deer meat they had caught during their first hunt together and preparing the other ingredients. She had tried to apologize for the mess she was making of the counter, what with the blood spatters, but Midnight had said it added to the décor.

"I gotta say, Midnight, that after seeing all this I'm surprised you were so low key about it last year," Berry told her as she returned from the kitchen, taking a swig of her chocolate milk. "It must have been killing you to just sit around inside all night."

"I agree," Sapphire said, balancing her cake slice on her wing. "I mean, I know why you like today but you never said anything about going all out like this."

"Because I never could go all out like this!" she told them, duel notes of exasperation and bliss in her voice. "Every year I saw houses done up and parties going on but I couldn't be a part of or have any of that! Now I can and, as Vinyl likes to say, I plan on dialing it all up to eleven."

Sapphire and Berry shot each other an amused look. It was another unknown side of her that neither one of them would have guessed at, but at least this one didn't have the potential to squash anypony or set the town on fire. Both also had to agree, however, that at some point the kirin would have to get tired of the theme.

"So, where and when do you want to meet up tonight?" Berry asked, motioning at the foals and baby dragon still talking excitedly under the piñata.

"Well, how about in town square, say, an hour after dinner? That'll give us time to eat, get into our costumes, and see some of the town decorations before we all head out trick-or-treating." Midnight suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Berry said. "I'll ask Derpy how that sounds to her when she's done playing with Pinkie." The two ponies were playing some kind of connect 4 game using Nightmare Night decorations as pieces. "She's determined to beat Pinkie at least once."

"So who is going to be part of our little pack tonight?" Summer asked as she trotted over and away from Orange, who had been roped into another party game. To everypony's surprise, Midnight had actually been friendly to the pegasus all day. Perhaps she was just too happy about everything else to remember to be rude to him. It was certainly an improvement, even if it turned out to only be temporary.

"Well, there's Squeaks and Autumn, then we're meeting Berry, Pinchy, Derpy, Dinky, and Twist at the town square. We'll start from there, then pick up the CMC when we run into them so Granny Smith can head on back to the farm to help Big Mac with that corn maze of theirs, then we'll do the same thing with Spike, and then we keep going 'til somepony drops," Midnight told her.

"That's an awful lot of foals to keep track of and ride herd on," Summer told her, knowing that Berry and Derpy would be at the town festival while Midnight took the foals out trick-or-treating. Applejack and Rarity would be helping out with the festivities while Rainbow apparently had her own plans for the evening. 

"Relax mom; Sapphire, Windrunner, and Honeysuckle will be there with me, not to mention Scarlet and Tight for at least a little bit." In fact she was sure that at least Scarlet would be with her group all night. The hippogriff wasn't seeing her nearly every day like she had been when she first arrived in Ponyville, but when she did she still stuck around for hours at a time. 

Honeysuckle had arrived unannounced on their doorstep two weeks before, saying that she was ready to take Midnight up on her offer to live in Ponyville with them. The reason why she had changed her mind was that after a local newspaper had done an article on Long Line's, a lot more stallions had started coming to the restaurant. Most were all nice but at the same time many of them had a wistful eye on her whenever she was out front and it had made her uncomfortable. After Long Line and Grill Mate had asked a few of them what was up, they told them they had come to see "the pretty mare in that article about this place". The photographer had gotten Honey to put on some makeup for the shoot and, as was the purpose of the product, she'd caught the eye of many a stallion. When she'd showed them the picture it hadn't been so surprising; even just a dab of makeup made Honey that much more attractive in their opinion. Long story short, she'd decided she didn't like all the attention and had left for Ponyville with Long Line's blessings. Midnight had put her to work with her newest idea: bringing a cart filled with firewood to sell in town at the market, like how AJ brought her apples to town. It was a success, even if that meant that Sapphire had less to do up front. 

To all of their surprise, Squeaks had taken to Honeysuckle very well, not even hiding behind Midnight when they reintroduced the two. Having previously met probably had something to do with it but Squeaks still acted a lot more comfortable around Honey sooner than she had around Windrunner or Summer. She had even requested Honey to be her babysitter when Midnight and Sapphire had gone out for poker night instead of Windrunner, allowing the pegasus to hang out with Rainbow instead. Whatever the reason, Midnight was happy to see Squeaks getting over her fear of strangers.

"Everything's under control," the kirin assured her.

"Uh-huh," Summer said skeptically, looking at the others.

Midnight never had to deal with the whole lot of them, each and every one, hyped up on sugar and excitement. But she seemed determined to put herself through the wringer and they all silently prayed to Celestia that they wouldn't ruin her evening too much.

A tug on her wing brought Midnight's head down to look at Squeaks. "Hey, mom? Can we do the piñata now?" she asked, the excitement and happy air of the party winding the filly up so much she was hopping in place as she looked up at her mother with eager eyes.

The adults all looked over to see a small crowd of equally eager young eyes staring back at them. 

"Alright Squeaks, just let me finish this slice and I'll be right over," Midnight told her, pulling back up and, to Summer's and Sapphire's chagrin, shoving the rest of her cake slice into her mouth. When she had finished the display, to the laughter and/or disgust of those present, she wiped her mouth with the napkin provided by Summer and marched over, picking up the bat and giving it a few test swings. "Alright, let's take this dragon down!"

-----------------------------

With a final jerk and a squeak, Squeaks was belted into her costume. The filly looked herself over once more in the mirror as Midnight pulled and pinched at her own costume a bit. 

For her first Nightmare Night, Squeaks was a moth. Midnight had come up with the idea after admitting that she had thought Squeaks had looked like a grub wrapped up in all those blankets when she had first brought her in out of the cold. They had all quickly decided that a grub wasn't a really good costume idea for an eight-year-old. Sapphire had proposed a butterfly instead and while they liked that better it just didn't fit her either. Midnight had then suggested a moth, since she was a thestral and thus nocturnal like most moths. The agreement had been unanimous. Her costume was made up of a pair of feathered ear clips that doubled the size of her ears to act as antennae, a fuzzy orange collar, and wing-mitts in the shape of moth wings, the same color as her own wings, connected to a clear strap rapping around her barrel and back. She also already had a few fruit-wraps for "fabric" for her to snack on in her candy bag. 

As they had set about designing her costume, Squeaks had heard of "themed group costumes" and she had immediately started begging Midnight for them to do that. Midnight had told her they could it next year but, seeing as this was the first time she'd be in costume as well, she wanted to be the antagonist from The Rainbow Factory. She was even planning to ask Rainbow to make a quick run to Cloudsdale to get an official weather factory uniform. To her surprise, Squeaks had dug her hooves in and wouldn't be swayed from the idea. She told her that this was also their first Nightmare Night together and themed costumes would be perfect to show that. This argument, and the threat of a truly heartbroken Squeaks, and a promise not to ask to do it again next year had finally broken Midnight down. After some deliberation, they had decided the kirin would be a lantern with Squeaks as the moth that would flit around it. The thestral filly had then gotten Sapphire in on the theme as well by proposing she be one of those ponies that used to go around lighting the old gas street lights. To Midnight's surprise the pegasus had agreed to the idea and their theme was set. 

Rarity had been all too enamored with the idea of group costumes and had eagerly taken on the job of making their costumes. Midnight had used the last of her royal checks to pay for them and felt it a check well spent. When they had gotten the costumes back, the unicorn had a surprise for the kirin. Her costume now included an actual light bulb, battery powered, inside the lamp that would light up for about five minutes at a time. To reactivate it one merely had to stick the end of Sapphire's stick into a hole on the side, as if she was lighting it for real. "I just know you all will look so cute together! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to work on Sweetie's and my costumes!"

Windrunner and Honeysuckle had been spared the theme and had their own costumes. Windrunner, having lived in the desert all her life, had chosen to go out as a seapony, complete with tail, fake pearls, and seaweed. "The point is go out as something other than yourself, right?" she had asked when they had stared at her choice of costume. Honeysuckle had chosen to go out as a "pumpkin creature", coloring her whole body in orange body paint, mixing the paint with some black to make the groove lines, then dying her mane green and adding some leaves for effect. Midnight was sure it would take her the whole hour to get ready, but she was done just as the others got finished with their costumes and looking as if a professional had done it. Midnight made a mental note to see if Rarity could use that kind of talent.

Speaking of talent, Scarlet, their chef for the evening, had flown out the door as soon as dinner was over to get her own costume on and meet them in the town square on time. The fried deer meat, breaded and fried in oil in strips, had been very good, even more so covered in the orange sauce she had made for it and laid out on a bed of rice. Midnight and Squeaks had certainly enjoyed it while the others had their fried pumpkin slices. She just hoped the bathroom breaks wouldn't interrupt their night out too much.

As they all got ready to leave there came a knock at the front door. Beating them all to it and snatching the bowl away from Sapphire, Midnight peeked out past the paint over the window as much as she could. "What's the magic words?" she sang out once she saw who it was.

From the other side of the door came a timid "Nightmare Night, what a fright; give me something sweet to bite?"

Opening the front door, Midnight smiled down at Autumn and scooped a few pieces of candy into her candy bag.

Summer had heard about the theme costume idea and had hopped aboard the idea as well. On Midnight's stoop now stood Summer dressed as a witch, Autumn as her black cat, and Orange as her cauldron. Originally, Orange was supposed to be her broom, but Midnight had fallen over laughing when she'd seen Rarity's design. "It... it looks like you shoved it up his plot!" the kirin had guffawed, rolling on the floor of the boutique, much to Summer and Rarity's chagrin. In the end they had given up on the idea when Orange himself had agreed with Midnight, albeit with more tact. Now his costume was a lot more like Midnight's; they both had their wings hidden and going through doors was a lot more tricky.

There was the obligatory cooing over Autumn and Squeaks as they left the house, the bowl of candy left on a stool outside with a note for foals to take only three pieces each. As they made their way down the street, Squeaks looked over at the new houses along the road, starting right next store and going on back into town. "Hey mom, has anypony moved in to the new houses yet?" she asked.

"Not as far as I know," Midnight told her, stretching out her wings one more time before folding them back in for the night. Sapphire closed the flaps in the costume that allowed her wings to stretch if need be and lit her bulb for her. "I get the feeling you're getting a kick out of that," Midnight said wryly. 

"Maybe," Sapphire said back with an impish smirk. 

Windrunner, Honeysuckle, Summer, and Orange exchanged glances but didn't say anything. Ever since their little fight the two of them had been acting... closer.

"Don't worry about it Squeaks," Midnight said, turning back to her. "If we get neighbors, we get neighbors. If we don't, we don't. I'm sure the crown did all this building and funding for something." The kirin looked dramatically back down the road. "For now, Nightmare Night awaits!"

-----------------------------

Their group made their way through the town square, Midnight and Windrunner taking everything in with every bit of excitement as the foals were, to the amusement of the rest of the adults. Stalls of all kinds were up and decorated for the occasion, some selling sweets or drinks while others hosted games. On the side closest to town hall was a stage with a band upon it, playing music that was both country and appropriate sounding for the night, which had set about a half hour earlier than expected. Perhaps Princess Celestia was giving her sister a sort of treat? 

As Big Mac passed them pulling a hay wagon filled with ponies, they caught sight of the rest of their party. Dinky, Pinchy, and Twist ran forward to meet Squeaks while Berry and Derpy followed behind them. Dinky was a firemare, Twist a bat, and Pinchy, strangely, was a lady bug. Midnight fully expected the brash filly to be in a hero costume or the like, like her mother who was dressed as Daring Do. Derpy... had paper bags on her hooves and head. "I'm the bag lady!" she said proudly. When she was sure Dinky wasn't looking she leaned in closer and whispered. "I couldn't afford a costume for us both but she really wanted me to come out with everyone tonight."

"I wish you would have told me," Midnight whispered back. "I could have helped gotten you something!"

Derpy only shook her head. "That's alright; I'm just glad I could think of what to call myself."

Midnight let the conversation drop. She'd already seen Carrot Top walking around in costume and it was starting to irk the kirin that if the two really were friends then why didn't she lend her a few bits for a proper costume to make Dinky happy? Tartarus, how much did that ghost sheet that other pony was wearing cost? For that matter, how little were her jobs paying her if she could only afford one costume for a filly?

She silently snorted and waved the thoughts away. Dinky was happy, as was Derpy, and she'd been looking forward to this night. She'd concern herself with Derpy's predicament tomorrow. Besides, what was with that lady bug costume?

"I kind of took advantage of her on that one," Berry admitted. "See, she mistook Lady Pug, a diamond dog from one of the Daring Do books, and thought I read Lady Bug. She finally realized what was up after I got the costume, but I told her I wasn't getting another one and to make the best of it; she has. Besides, she looks so cute in it."

The others nodded. She was rather cute in the get-up. 

The other foals, however, weren't as convinced.

"Are you thure thereth a mutant lady bug in the bookth, Pinchy?" Twist asked. Their friend was trying to convince them that the Daring Do books featured a mutant lady bug in one of them.

"Of course I am! Look, I've even got some green goop for radioactive spit!" The filly ducked a hoof onto a pouch by her wing and pulled out some sort of green slime. Dangling said hoof in front of her mouth, she allowed the green stuff to drip a bit as she advanced on the others. "I hunger for your liver!"

The foals shrieked in delight as they ran away from the radioactive lady bug, ducking behind their parents for safety.

Laughing, Berry and Derpy said their goodbyes as they left to join in the various activities around the square while the rest of them went ahead to trick-or-treating. Berry made sure to tell Pinchy to go easy with the green goop; she wasn't getting her another can at 5 bits a pop.

"What about the others?" Summer asked, adjusting Autumn's cat ears which had gone askew. 

"We'll meet them on the rounds," Midnight told her. "Remember that Pinkie and Granny Smith are watching them until we meet-"

"MIDNIGHT!" By some divine will Pinkie didn't bowl the kirin over in her mad rush over to them. "You'rehereyou'rehereyou'rehere!" she cheered, hopping up and down as the CMC and a few other foals came up to them, Granny Smith slowly bringing up the rear. 

"I would hope so," Midnight said calmly, gently pushing the party pony back a few steps.

"Didya get any candy yet?!" She squawked, appropriate as per her costume a chicken. The kirin swore she could hear her make chicken noises as she pecked the ground.

"No, we were just getting started," Midnight told her, looking over the newly arrived foals. Apple Bloom was dressed as Frankenpony's Monster, Scootaloo as a Marewolf, and Sweetie Belle as Count Vlad Trotish. The three other foals with them were Sunny Days, dressed as a princess, Peachy Pie, dressed as an astronaut, and a new colt to town.

"Pipsqueak the Pirate, at yur service!" the little colt, even smaller than Squeaks, said, saluting them all. 

"Ah hope it's alright we brought them along, Midnight," Apple Bloom said. "When we went ta git candy from their houses, we found out their families were sick and couldn't take 'em out. We were kinda hopin' they'd come with us," she finished with a hopeful grin. Indeed, all the foals were looking up at her hopefully. 

"Oh... well..." Midnight stammered under the assault. "I... guess it's alright," she finished with an awkward smile. A cheer went up from the crowd of foals. "Windrunner, can you fly to each of their houses and let their parent know who they're with?"

The pegasus nodded, got the addresses from the foals, and flew off like a fishy bullet. 

-----------------------------

Even with the addition of three more foals, bringing the total of the cute, costumed horde up to eleven, they all behaved well enough. Scootaloo and Pinchy may have had a tendency to run off ahead and Pinkie may also have worked them all up into terrified screams at the least bit of provocation, but Midnight and the rest where equal to the task of keeping them together and somewhat calm. The party of chaperones increased when Scarlet and Tight joined them on their third block. 

"He had all week to fix it!" Scarlet said accusingly, meaning Tight and his manticore costume. It had apparently gotten stuck in some machinery and she had returned from Midnight's to find him still patching the holes up. 

"When did I have anytime for that?" he shot back. "We've been busy all week while the Apples have been getting things ready for tonight!"

"Then you should have kept it safe like I did!" She posed, showing off her owlursus costume. Both were clearly hoof stitched by themselves, but Scarlet had put more care and consideration into hers, evident by the placement of the stitches and the detail she had put into it. One example was how she had tied her wings to her front legs and the set of fake teeth in her beak. 

"Both your costumes look fine," Midnight said, forestalling anymore arguing. "Just help us keep an eye on the foals."

Said foals were a lot more ingenious than the adults first thought. Instead of running together as a mob from one house to the next, they had each paired off and went to a different house on the block, then worked in a counter clockwise motion until they each hit every house. Using this method, they made shorter work of each block than any of the adults had expected. The arrangement made it easier on the adults as well, needing only a lookout at both ends of the block and the rest stationed in the middle instead of following them house to house.

Midnight was the only one to complain about the arrangement.

"But mom!" she whined, to the befuddlement of the rest. "Pinkie's doing it!"

"Midnight, you may be a grown mare and can make your own decisions, but that's also the reason you can't trick-or-treat anymore! It's just so... unsettling! And if Pinkie was sticking her tongue into an electrical outlet, would you want to as well?"

Midnight refused to be deterred. "You took me out when I was seventeen!"

Summer placed a hoof over her face. "Midnight, that was out of pity. Pity and some vague hope at the time it would help mend what we were going through. It was the most embarrassing thing you ever put me through and since we're both adults I'm telling you I won't do it again. If you want to escort Autumn or Squeaky up to the door that's fine, but if I see you asking for candy as well I can promise the fun and games will stop right there. Do you understand me?" Summer had not once raised her voice nor did it become a growl once during her little speech, which made it all the more unnerving to the kirin. Midnight meekly nodded understanding and shrunk into her costume a bit more, edging away from her mother and closer to Sapphire.

"Don't look at me for sympathy; I agree with her," the pegasus told her, arching an eyebrow under her disheveled top hat. "Midnight, honestly, doesn't it seem just a little bit awkward for a grown mare to go up to a house and ask for candy?"

"Not tonight," the kirin mumbled under her breath. 

Before anypony could say anything else, Pinkie popped up in between Scarlet and Tight. "Hey, why's everypony acting all unhappy? Did you all forget it's Nightmare Night?"

"We were just telling Midnight how she's too old to be trick-or-treating anymore," Summer told her, eyeing the pink party pony and her very full candy bag.

"Too old for free candy!?" Pinkie squawked in disbelief. "NEVER! That's the whole point of Nightmare Night!"

"Not really helping out here Pinks," Scarlet said.

"Besides, aren't there plenty of treats back at the festival?" Honeysuckle pointed out. "Even if she doesn't get any candy out here at the houses, won't she be able to get all she wants back there?"

That picked the kirin's mood back up. "And it's not like this is going to be the last Nightmare Night either," she admitted.

"See? Just because you can't go trick-or-treating doesn't mean you can't enjoy Nightmare Night," Summer said, turning to greet a returning Autumn.

Before she could respond, Pinkie sidled up to Midnight and the two quietly exchanged a few words. After a quick movement of hooves, the kirin began to make her way over to her mother. "Well mom, you're only half right," Midnight said, a grin spreading across her face.

"What do you mean, Midni-AHHHHH!" Summer's question ended in a scream of panic as she turned and was greeted by a snarling snake in her face. The unicorn flew back a few lengths, Autumn caught up in her magical grip.

Midnight nearly fell on the ground laughing, the plastic snake still clutched in her hoof. "I can still trick!" 

-----------------------------

"I can't wait to do that to Twilight! You should have seen her during Winter Wrap Up!" Midnight told them later, still laughing, as they made their way back towards town square. Her laughing only increased when Sapphire smacked her with a disapproving wing. 

"That wasn't funny, and don't you dare!" the pegasus said, trying not to show that she found it just as funny in retrospect.

"I beg to differ!" the kirin laughed. "And dare I do! I bet I scare the bells right off her costume!" The Starswirl the Bearded costume was good, but you could hear the unicorn coming a block away. A very easy and tempting target.

"I agree with Midnight!" Scarlet wheezed. "The old snake in the face! Classic!"

"Yes, well, let's just see how funny it is when I stick a fake spider in your face," Summer said. After recovering from the scare Midnight gave her with that snake, she'd actually laughed with them. What she'd just said was less of a threat and more of a reminder how much a double edge sword pranking was. Eventually, one of your victims was going to get their revenge.

The kirin's laughing quickly cut off and she shot her mother a mixed look of disbelief and fear. "You wouldn't!"

"Of course I wouldn't do that to you," Summer said. "But somepony else might and you should be prepared for that if this is your course of action for the night."

Midnight didn't say anything but moved closer to the group of foals they were trailing into the town square. It was unlikely any of them would stick a spider, fake or not, in her face. 

"Hey mom, look at what I got at the last house!" Squeaks said happily, sticking her hoof under her mother's nose. On it was a black spider hoof ring, and a rather realistic-looking one at that.

Thus the ponies in the town square they had just entered were treated to the scene of a kirin, shrieking bloody murder, trying to get away from a bat filly by attempting to climb up on her mother's back.

"Midnight! I... can't... hold...!" Summer gasped as she tried to, unsuccessfully, pull the kirin off her with her magic.

"KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Midnight screamed, not even registering her mother's difficulty. The sides of her costume were being battered as her confined wings tried to unfurl and take to the air, the one place she was sure the hell-spawn from Tartarus couldn't follow.

Sapphire, Scarlet, Orange, and Windrunner leapt forward to pry the kirin off her mother only to have her try to use them to stay off the ground. "You know... you can breathe fire," Scarlet grunted.

"Not while it's on Squeaks I can't!" Midnight shot back, her eyes never straying from the offending toy. If she looked away, it would get on her and nest in her ear, or hide in her costume and wait until she was in bed to climb into her mouth, or just sit next to her face until the next morning until she woke up, then climb into her screaming, paralyzed mouth. In short, the kirin had a fear of spiders. Not phobia-levels bad, as Summer had seen her calmly smashing smaller ones under hoof or setting them on fire (not because she was a psycho candidate, but because she could breathe it, it was a more realistic option), but sticking one right in her face, no matter what size, was sure to set her into panic mode. It was reassuring, however, to see that her maternal instincts hadn't been overpowered by her fear of the toy.

Squeaks looked up at her terrified mother with confusion and slowly increasing fear of her own. It was just a spider ring, but if her mom was that scared of it, shouldn't she be as well? Thankfully her grandmother hobbled over and explained what was going on.

"Squeaky, it's just your mom doesn't like spiders very much. Putting a spider ring right under her nose like that just gave her a bit of a scare. I think it would be for the best if you put that back in your bag or, better yet, trade it with one of your friends for a piece of candy or a bat ring instead."

Squeaks nodded and turned back to her friends, almost all of which were staring at the frightened kirin. "It's just a spider ring!" Spike scolded the kirin. "You've faced a hydra and the Lord of Chaos without flinching, but a spider ring is what terrifies you?"

"Spiders are unholy abominations from the deepest pits of Tartarus," Midnight said in a disturbingly calm voice. "They are either to be killed on site or avoided at every possibility."

While Spike had her mother distracted, Squeaks snuck over to Sunny Daze. "Any chance you'd want to trade for this?" Squeaks asked, indicating her spider ring. Sunny nodded and picked out an orange gumball from her bag. Squeaks eagerly pulled off the ring and made the exchange. With the offending ring now gone, Squeaks made her way back over to her mother. 

"Mom, the spider ring is gone now; you can come back down," Squeaks called up to her.

Seeing that there was indeed no longer a spider adorning any part of her daughter, Midnight hopped off Scarlet's and Windrunner's shoulders. In the struggle to keep her up, Sapphire had managed to open the wing pockets on her costume. "Sorry about that," Midnight said, pulling Squeaks close and looking embarrassed now that her wits were back. 

"I think we should leave your wings out," Sapphire said, coming over and resting against Midnight's side. "There's just no way we can hold you up like that again."

"Sorry," the kirin apologized again, using her wing to help hold up her pegasus friend and give her a bit of relief. They stayed like that for a bit while the others caught their breath as well and worked the soreness out of their backs and withers. Summer and Autumn examined Orange's costume to make sure Midnight's leg hadn't gone through it, Scarlet had Tight rubbing her back, and Windrunner had taken to the sky, doing some loops and making light shine off her seapony tail like some weird disco ball. Squeaks carefully squeezed herself between Midnight and Sapphire, nuzzling them both. The remaining foals and Pinkie sat down and went over their individual hauls, making trades and popping some of their favorites into their mouths.

"Hi everypony!" They all turned to see Twilight, her Starswirl the Bearded costume jingling, approach them. "Is everypony alright? What was all that screaming about?"

"Yeah," Berry agreed, coming up with Derpy on their other side. "I wouldn't be surprised if the whole town heard you."

"Just got scared by a spider ring," Midnight told them,  not meeting their eyes.

"A spider... ring?" Berry asked, an eyebrow going up. "All that commotion was because of a spider ring?" 

"It startled me," Midnight said defensively.

"A spider ring startled you that badly?"

"How about I stick a rubber snake in your face and see how you like that?" Midnight told her irritably. One way or the other, she wasn't going to hear the end of this until after Hearth's Warming.

"What's all the fuss about?" Vinyl asked, trotting up with Lyra in toe. The DJ was dressed up as a twittermite, a costume both her personality and mane style lent itself towards, while Lyra was wrapped up as a mummy.

"Midnight got spooked by a spider ring," Berry told her, her face a mix of exasperation and humor.

Make that Hearts and Hooves day.

Predictably, both unicorns fell on the ground laughing. "Aw, is ittle Midnight afwaid of a ittle bug wing?" Vinyl choked out.

"May I remind both of you that your costumes are highly flammable?" Midnight said, miffed.

"How was the trick-or-treating?" Berry asked the foals, getting out of the perceived line of fire. 

"Oh, it was great!" Pinkie exclaimed. "We went to so many houses and got so much candy!" She stuck her full bag under Berry's nose to show her just how much candy she had. "We stopped at Cheerilee's house, then Matilda's, then Colgate's, and while she gave us all mints she said they were better for our teeth than normal candy, which is fine but-"

*BOOM*

"PUCKAWK!" Pinkie squawked/screamed, bolting up and running around in panicked circles, followed by almost all the foals. Only Squeaks, Autumn, Spike, and Dinky did something different, and that was to duck under their mothers. In Squeaks' case, disappearing entirely under Midnight, while Spike choked on a mouth full of candy.

All the adults looked up to see Rainbow Dash, laying on a small, dark storm cloud with her costumed legs kicking up in the air as she laughed her head off.

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted up to her. "That wasn't funny!"

"Aw, lighten up old timer!" Rainbow called down, poking fun at Twilight's costume and revealing her own to be some sort of spin-off of the Wonderbolts uniform. "Tonight's perfect for pranks!"

"But look at what you did to the foals and to Spike!" She waved a hoof at the spooked foals, Pinkie, and a recovering Spike. 

"Come on, Twilight, it's all in good fun!" Rainbow called back.

A small jet of blue flame hit the cloud, cooking it away and causing the unprepared pegasus riding it to drop to the ground.

"Ow!" Rainbow yelped as she impacted. "What the hay!?"

"Oh, come on Rainbow, it's all in good fun," Midnight said with a smirk.

"Alright, I see how it is," Rainbow said as she got up. "But you'd better watch out Midnight; a bucket of spider rings doesn't cost that much."

The kirin's only response was to growl.

"Good comeback though," Rainbow said with a smirk. "Got a few others stashed by my house, so no big deal. Long night full of pranks still ahead!" With that she took off, sailing over the houses and out of view.

"Now that you all have gotten a few pranks out of your systems, we should head over to the stage," Berry told them. "They'll be doing the candy offering soon."

"Candy offering?" Squeaks piped up from under Midnight's wing as the group continued on.

"It's where... oh, you'll see in a bit. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for you, now would I?" Midnight told her with a nuzzle. 

-----------------------------

They found a large open section for them all to sit down together on the dance floor farthest away from the stage. The foals all gathered in the middle while the adults ringed around them. Squeaks and Autumn stayed with Midnight and Summer, sitting between their front legs while sucking on lollipops.

"Has Autumn ever done this part before?" Midnight asked her mother as the band on stage wound down their song so Mayor Mare could get up to speak. 

"No, we've put it off until this year. I guess it would be silly to ask if Squeaky has done this before. Do you think she'll be alright with it?"

Midnight shrugged. "I think if Autumn can handle it, Squeaks can. Besides, she knows Princess Luna from the times we've been up to Canterlot before; I don't think she'll be scared."

"Right, I remember; first when you went up to adopt her and then when Princess Celestia wanted to ask you a few things?"

"Yep," Midnight said with a nod. The excuse for the second trip up to Canterlot to see the princesses was that Princess Celestia wanted to ask her a vague series of questions about kirins.

"Well, I hope you're right. Out here in the country it's a lot easier to make a scary atmosphere around the Nightmare Moon statue than in the city." 

Midnight nodded again. "Between the cabbies and folks on the street yelling and teens defacing the statue, not to mention all the pigeons sitting and taking a dump all over it, it never was a really scary experience." And after she had read the tale of the two sisters, it was even harder for her to be scared of a pony that was locked all the way up in the moon. How could she even get down to feed on anything?

"Yeah," Scarlet agreed. "The whole Nightmare Moon story is a lot less scary in the city. My mom and dad took me out to a small town one Nightmare Night to get the real scary deal for once. I'll tell ya; BIG difference."

Squeaks, who had moved forward to participate in some more candy swapping, turned to ask what they were talking about, but then applause started as the band gave the stage over to the mayor, and she looked back to the front. She could just make out the mayor's rainbow afro wig over the heads of every pony else.

"Thank you everypony, and welcome to the Nightmare Night Festival!" she called out over the crowd, eliciting another round of applause. "Now, all the foals that have been out collecting candy should follow our friend Zecora to hear the legend of..." here the mayor paused for dramatic effect,"... Nightmare Moooon, muhahahaha!" 

"It would sound scarier if she wasn't dressed so silly," Spike muttered. Most of them agreed with him.

"I'm surprised they got Zecora to do the story. I thought they were all afraid of her barely a year ago?" Sapphire said as she moved closer to whisper to Midnight. 

Midnight just shrugged.

Squeaks took a step back towards Midnight and Sapphire. She'd met the zebra a few times but couldn't stop being just a little afraid of her. Something about her was just... off, and Squeaks avoided her whenever she could while the zebra was in town.

Green smoke exploded on the stage, and out trotted Zecora, decked out in a witch's shawl, her mane a ghostly white and flowing about her head instead of up in its usual mohawk. Mini skulls clacked around the edges of her shawl and fake spiders were clipped in her mane. 'Oh goody' Midnight thought sourly. Then again, from here they looked like circles with some legs sticking out of them, not like that realistic spider ring. She could deal with that.

"Follow me and very soon, you'll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon," Zecora said, flourishing her shawl as she descended from the stage. 

"Oh, this is going to be good," Midnight said, an evil smirk growing on her face. "Between Zecora's rhyming, the way she's dressed, and doing it right under the statue in White-Tail Woods, she'll be having the foals wetting themselves."

"That's rather mean, wanting to scare the foals so badly," Sapphire scolded, but with a smirk.

"Maybe," Midnight said with a shrug, "but I'll also bet they'll look back on it with a smile."

"Will it really be that scary?" Squeaks asked, taking another step towards Midnight as they got up to follow.

"Maybe, but just remember: all it is, is Zecora telling a tale and I'll be right here next to you if it gets that bad," Midnight told her with another nuzzle, using it to gently push Squeaks back towards her friends.

"Come on Squeaks, it's not scary at all!" Pinchy told her, looking back from the front of the group of foals. "They just tell us the Nightmare Moon story, we drop a few pieces of candy in front of the statue, then we come back here for all the games and prizes!" A cheer went up from the foals, and Squeaks felt a bit better at that.

Their group and several others followed Zecora into White-Tail Wood a short ways until they reached a clearing, a large statue of Nightmare Moon on the opposite side. All the foals huddled a little closer together when they saw it, with Pinkie right in the middle of them. 

Zecora stopped at the base of the statue and whipped around to face them, startling the foals in the front.  "Listen close, my little dears, and I'll tell you how you got your fears. Of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary," here the zebra pulled some green powder from under her cloak and blew it into the air. "Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary." The green smoke curled up into the air and coalesced into the form of Nightmare Moon. The apparition snarled down at them, then dove into the gathering of foals, exploding into a green fog cloud when it hit the ground that enveloped the entire clearing. "Each year we put on a disguise, to save ourselves from her prying eyes." All around them, sets of cat eyes emerged from the smoke, followed by yelps and screams of foals, along with one or two adults. One set of eyes materialized right next to Sapphire, who let out a loud "eep!" and hopped away, pushing herself up next to Midnight. They both looked at each other in surprise, then blushed and looked away. They didn't move apart, however. "But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing, to gobble up ponies in one quick swing!" 

From her place near the back of the group, Squeaks looked nervously around as her friends went about screeching like Nightmare Moon herself was on their tail. She had taken a few steps back towards her mother herself, and looking back she could see that Autumn was already on Summer's back, covering her head with her cat-feet booties. Then she saw Midnight and Sapphire standing together and looking, well, happy and amused. Squeaks felt her own fear fade away a little. If her mom wasn't scared, then she shouldn't be either. It was still weird she'd been so scared of a little spider ring earlier, but she guessed it was something like how she was scared of the Everfree Forest. That was one of the reasons the filly was still scared of the zebra, but she swallowed her nervousness and turned her attention back to the story teller.

Just as the green dust cloud began to dissipate, Zecora threw another hoofful of it into the air, clouding the clearing once again. Again, a green apparition of Nightmare Moon emerged from the cloud and began to search the area for foals. "Hungrily she soars the sky. If she sees nopony, she passes by." This time, foals hit the ground on their bellies, trying to stay out of sight. "So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe another year!" 'Nightmare Moon' flew up into the sky and disappeared again.

"Uh, Miss Zecora?" Pipsqueak asked, tugging gently on her cloak. "If we wear costumes so that she doesn't find us and gobble us up, then why do we still have to give her some of our candy?"

"Y-Yeah!" Pinchy spoke up, trying to not sound scared. "If she can't find us, then why do we have to give up our loot?" Many of the foals had looks of agreement now that 'Nightmare Moon' wasn't flying over their heads.

"Perfect questions, my little friends," Zecora said, never once losing character to the short line of questioning. Immediately some of the foals lost the little courage they'd gained. "For Nightmare Moon, you must not offend!" For a third time she blew the green dust, which again took on the form of Nightmare Moon. None of the foals looked brave anymore. "Fill up her belly with a treat or two..." The smoke Nightmare stalked forwards, ghostly fangs glistening in her mouth. Squeaks could feel her own courage draining away. Moving like that, she looked like some predator from the Everfree. "...so she won't return to come. Eat. YOU!" Zecora's voice boomed as the smoke monster jumped, mouth agape, and landed among the foals, once again exploding into a green smoke cloud.

They all screamed again, and Midnight could here Pinkie squawking over all of them. "Everypony, dump some candy and let's get out of here!" she cried, running forward to throw candy at the base of the statue. All the foals followed suit except for Squeaks and Autumn; Squeaks jumped back towards Midnight while Autumn was still holding on to Summer.

"Come on; you don't want Nightmare Moon to go hungry and come back, do you?" Midnight asked Squeaks with a playful smile. The bat filly shook her head, but it still took a gentle shove of Midnight's nose to get the filly to make her way forward. Autumn refused to go forward herself, so Summer stepped up and began making her way towards the statue with the both of them. Just as they were half-way to the statue, something changed. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but it made every pony in the clearing freeze up and look around wearily. Midnight felt a shiver run down her spine and she looked down at Sapphire. The pegasus was looking up at her, a look of blossoming fear in her eyes. Something wasn't right. "Squeaks, mom," she called out, doing her best to mask the sudden nervousness she felt. The wind was picking up and a large bank of clouds was beginning to cover the sky, but not the moon for some reason. The kirin's voice was all the warning they all needed to bunch up close to each other. Squeaks bolted back to them and held onto Sapphire; if her mother needed to fight, she couldn't do so with her latched on. Windrunner took to the air over the group. 

Scarlet, seeing the two of them ready themselves, unhooked her wings from her costume and took to the air next to the pegasus. "What can I do?" she asked. Her tone, to Midnight's approval, was more serious than eager. The few disguised lessons the two had been putting her through were rubbing off.

Before they could answer her, a light shone in the sky, like lightning, only without the ensuing thunder or jagged rip in the sky. This was more of a ball of light, and it quickly disappeared as something massive flew out of it, racing down towards the ground and, from the looks of it, right at them.

Now everypony was really beginning to panic. "Stay with the foals!" Midnight barked at the few other adults in the clearing, most of whom looked like they wanted to run as well. Most of them remembered their small charges and began to huddle some of them around themselves. Berry and Derpy were doing a great job running herd on their group, stroking manes and keeping the foals from panicking as they slowly backed into the trees to get out of sight. 

Pinkie, however, took the opposite course of action. "It's Nightmare Moon! RUN!" The pink party pony screamed as she bolted from the clearing, several foals, including Pip, Sunny, Peachy, and the CMC chasing after her.

Midnight snorted in their direction. As one of the bearers, she knew perfectly well it wasn't Nightmare Moon. That, and if this really was a threat, she'd just made their job a whole lot harder. At least Twilight was staying close. When Midnight looked back up at the approaching form, she saw something was off about it. Now it looked like many smaller forms and the two out front, who were pulling some sort of chariot, looked sort of familiar as well. "Thestrals?" Midnight said out loud, squinting at them. 

This got Squeaks' attention, and she too looked up. "Yeah," she said slowly. "Yeah, they are!" Hopping up first onto Sapphire's back, then onto Midnight's, she pulled herself up her mother's neck to get a better view. "I think those two up front are two of Princess Luna's guards!"

Almost upon them now, Midnight realized that Squeaks was indeed right. Blasting over them, she recognized the two guards pulling the chariot, even spotting Night Skimmer fly by right next to it. Many of those who followed, however, she didn't recognize. When the cloud of bat ponies had passed by, Midnight realized that it was heading straight towards town. "It's alright everypony!" she called out, relaxing her stance. "They're not dangerous, but I do need to talk with them. Mom, Berry, Derpy; I need you all to watch the foals. Sapphire and Windrunner; I need you to come with me." She paused for a second. "You can come too Squeaks," she told the filly holding onto the back of her head.

"Can I do anything?" Scarlet asked again from her place next to Windrunner.

Midnight hummed as she looked up at the hippogriff. "I guess you can join us, but you do whatever me, Windrunner, or Sapphire says, understand?"

The hippogriff snapped a salute. "Yes ma'am!"

Midnight groaned silently to herself. Scarlet's playing was unknowingly going to blow her cover one of these days.

"Why do you need to talk with them if they aren't dangerous?" Tight asked as she and Sapphire jumped into the air. 

"Because I'd like to know why Princess Luna's personal guards are leading a herd of thestrals into town," Midnight told him. "Just stay with the others!"

> Ch.9 - ...What A Fright!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midnight, Squeaks, Sapphire, Windrunner, and Scarlet all made it back to town just behind Pinkie, her group of panicked foals, and the thestral flock (herd?). As Pinkie and the foals following her screamed and ran about on the ground, a figure, the apparent rider of the chariot, detached themselves from the airborne group and quickly descended to the ground. Midnight, Sapphire, and Squeaks all landed among their neighbors to meet the newcomer while Windrunner and Scarlet stayed in the air, weary of the bat ponies above. The figure on the ground threw its hood back.

"Princess Luna!" Squeaks squeaked happily, any concern gone from her voice. She was echoed by Twilight who had followed them back to town.

Midnight and Sapphire breathed a sigh of relief. If this was Princess Luna, then the thestrals above them were her guards and the ones from the colony she had brought back. Windrunner and Scarlet landed next to them and gave confused looks. "It's all good; we have a royal guest tonight, apparently," Midnight reassured them.

"Should we bow as well?" Scarlet asked, nodding towards Sapphire and the rest of the town.

"Oh, uh, right," Midnight mumbled, bowing her head and spreading her wings towards the princess, Scarlet and Windrunner following suit. Squeaks hopped off her back and did the same, but kept her eager eyes on the princess. A frown crossed Midnight's face when she saw everypony else had thrown themselves on their stomachs rather than simply bow. 

Princess Luna's cape changed into a flock of bats as she took a few steps forward towards the mayor.

"Cool," Midnight heard Scarlet mutter.

"Citizens of Ponyville!" Luna thundered, the Royal Canterlot Voice booming in their ears. "We have graced your tiny village with Our followers' and Our presence, so that you may behold the real Princess of the Night! A creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration! Together, we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!" This announcement was punctuated by some thunder and lighting. A small squeak of fear and Squeaks was up against Midnight's leg again. 

Midnight herself was both confused and a bit miffed. Confused because the princess was bellowing at them like they were all deaf, and miffed because she'd called Nightmare Night a "dreadful celebration". Sure, it's centerpiece was her alter-ego running around eating foals, but nopony really believed it, not any sane adult, anyway.

Pinkie was not a sane adult. "Did you hear that everypony? Nightmare Moon says she's going to feast on us all!" Once again, she screamed and ran off, sans a few of the children this time , who were cowering with their parents. Unfortunately, Pip and the girls were easily spotted trailing the pink chicken. Midnight did not look forward to explaining to their parents how she'd pretty much let them run around unsupervised. 

Princess Luna, as well as the rest of the thestrals who were now landing, looked after the retreating costumed pony in confusion. Disapproving glares were common among the thestrals. "What!? No, no, you no longer have reason to fear Us!" Luna called out, thankfully in a much more appropriate volume. "Screams of delight is what your princess desires, not screams of terror!" Luna stomped her hoof, causing a few cracks in the ground and the still bowing ponies closest to her to flinch. After another second, the Lunar Princess apparently gave up on Pinkie returning and turned around. "Madam Mayor, thy princess of the night hath arrived!" she announced, sticking her hoof down at the mayor as if she was expected to kiss it.

"Uh, Sapphire?" Midnight whispered. "Is she expecting the mayor to do what I think she wants her to do?"

"I... guess so," Sapphire said with equal confusion. "But I've never seen Princess Celestia make anypony do that."

"Something tells me that even after a year back, Luna hasn't gotten all the memos yet," Midnight said, not sure whether to find the scene funny or a train wreck waiting to happen. Probably both. Unsuccessful with Mayor Mare, Luna tried the same with her assistant and two other ponies. What concerned Midnight more than the agitated princess was the slowly increasingly unhappy looks the thestrals were giving the local population each time their princess was apparently snubbed. 

"Fine, be that way!" Luna finally announced, tired of trying to get somepony to finish the ritual. "We won't even bother with the traditional royal farewell!" She turned and began walking away.

"Alright, that would be our cue," Midnight told them, slipping Squeaks onto her back and trotting forward, followed by Sapphire, Twilight, and a nervous Windrunner and Scarlet. "Princess Luna! Hello!" she called after the dark blue alicorn.

Luna looked back and her frown quickly became a large grin. Many of the thestrals also smiled at the kirin's approach. "Midnight Storm! We are so very happy to see thee here tonight!" Luna belted out at almost point-blank range. Midnight's ears slammed down at the assault on her hearing. From the way Squeaks hunched down behind her neck she hadn't taken it well either. Both Windrunner and Scarlet flinched back and stayed behind Midnight. Only Sapphire and Twilight stayed up with her as if they'd barely noticed, although Twilight was looking pretty surprised. Now that she was closer, Midnight could also see many of the non-guard thestrals also wincing at the volume the princess was using. 

"It's good to see you too, Princess," Midnight agreed, pointedly rubbing her ears. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, as well as the entire thestral colony?"

"As We have said, We are here to make this a proper celebration of the night!" Luna hadn't gotten the hint. "We are also here to oversee that Our loyal followers' move into the town goes smoothly." 

"They're moving here?" Midnight asked, looking around at the herd. "I mean, I just figured they'd like living up on Canterlot Mountain since that was more like their old home."

"True, but we never felt very welcome in Canterlot itself." Captain Night Skimmer came out from behind the princess. "We even got reports of nobles running away from some of us screaming. Rather odd." He smiled as if making a joke, but both Midnight and Sapphire could see it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, well, those nobles do some really weird stuff," Midnight agreed, trying to help lighten the mood. "I heard they like bathing in mud; a really bad example to set for foals." Laughter went through the assembled thestrals this time, and the kirin could see both her counterpart and the princess relax a bit more. "So I take it all those houses that went up were because you wanted to move down here?"

"Indeed; a most clever plan. They are close enough to Canterlot that We may visit them at Our leisure and away from the nobility that has... distained their company," Luna told them with a frown. Midnight was sure said nobles had told both princesses exactly how they felt on the matter of thestrals walking and flying the streets of the capitol. 

"There's another reason we chose to move here," a thestral mare said, stepping forward. She was grey, like many of them, with a night-blue mane, tail, and wings. Strapped to her back like a set of saddle bags were two thestral foals, both still only babies. One had the same coat color as the mare but had a very dark orange mane, while the other was strikingly different, with a pink coat and lighter blue mane. 

The color combination brought a name up out of Midnight's memory. "Pastel Dawn," she said as she stared down at the filly, who yawned as if in response.

The thestral mare nodded. "One of the foals you helped save. It's an honor to meet you, Midnight Storm." The mare, who had to be Skimmer's sister Night Sky and the stallion close to her, his brother-in-law Night Saber, bowed to the kirin. Many of the others followed suit, while a few gave her a simple smile and respectful nod of the head.

Midnight's wings flared and her ears flattened at the gestures. Luna had said they wanted to thank her, but she'd expected a chorus of heart-felt thank-yous and maybe a few hoof shakes. Being bowed to like that was far more than she felt she deserved. Looking to either side, she found the other three just as dumbfounded as her. "It's, uh, an honor to meet you all as well. You can stop bowing now, please," she told them, grateful when they had straightened up.

Scarlet leaned in. "Wow; got a whole legion of bat ponies at your disposal."

Midnight turned and growled at her. "Not funny or appropriate, Scarlet."

The hippogriff shut her beak and tried to look innocent. 

"And I take it that this is Squeaky Wings?" Night Sky asked, peering around Midnight's head to get a better look at the costumed foal sitting there. Squeaks squirmed as she tried to make herself smaller under the adult thestral's gaze. "Skimmer told us who her father was... she does look a lot like Evening Dream..." Night Sky trailed off, her eyes unfocusing into memories. 

"Squeaks," Midnight said gently, turning her head to look at the filly. "Don't you think you should say hello to your colony?"

Squeaks looked up at her, her ears twitching nervously, but then she leaned out a bit and looked at the rest of her kind. "Hello," she said softly before ducking back again.

Midnight discreetly rolled her eyes in exasperation at Sapphire but kept silent. At least she had only to ask her once. Baby steps. As she did so she caught several of her fellow Ponyvillians starting to get up, many looking more curious than afraid now as one of their own talked with the princess and the newcomers like they were just an average pony on the street. 

"We also want to express our gratitude," another mare said, trotting up beside Night Sky with her own husband. She turned slightly to reveal another light colored thestral foal, this one a colt with a yellow coat and white mane.

"I remember hearing about you as well, but I didn't catch any names," Midnight told her, reaching forward and gently rubbing the colt's head with the flat of her wing claw. He, too, yawned a bit at the touch, then went back to sleep.

"His name is Bright Star. My name is Evening Breeze and my husband is Star Claw," she told her.

"Midnight!"

They all turned to see Summer, Orange, Honeysuckle, Tight, and the rest of their original group come trotting around a group of buildings. Midnight mentally smacked herself. How could she forget about leaving her mother, sister, and friends out in White-Tail Woods like that? Well, a Lunar Princess and an entourage consisting of an entire thestral colony (sort of) were pretty distracting things.

"Mom, over here!" Midnight called back, waving them over with a wing.

They were only a few paces away when Summer finally recognized Princess Luna, who had been blocked from her view by Midnight and her costume. "P-Princess Luna!" she yelped, immediately flattening herself to the ground with Autumn still riding on her back. The others quickly followed suit.

Before the princess could say something in greeting, Sapphire moved in between the two parties. "Your highness, perhaps we could postpone the exchange of greetings for just a bit? I'm sure the thestrals would like to see their new homes before taking part in the festivities, which should last most of the night. It would give the villagers time to arrange a more appropriate welcome for your visit as well."

Luna eyed her ex-aid for a moment, then smiled. "An excellent suggestion, Sapphire Breeze! Madam Mayor, the keys to the new homes, if you please!"

The mayor jumped as she was singled out. "B-B-But there's also the paper work to consider, y-y-your highness!" she stuttered out. Even scared out of her wits, Mayor Mare was determined to follow protocol. That's a politician for you. 

Sapphire trotted over and leaned in to whisper. "Mayor, I think it would be best if you gave myself and Midnight an excuse to remove the princess and the others from the scene for a bit so as the public can gather its wits about itself... and maybe give them a warmer welcome when we return. It might also help calm them down if they see the mayor taking control of things."

"Oh, um, right," the mayor said, taking Sapphire's hints. "I-If you'll excuse my aid and I, we'll be back shortly with the keys."

-----------------------------
"We knew thine birthday twas on this night, Midnight Storm, but We had no idea thou would be so festive," Princess Luna told the kirin as she looked over the fully decorated house. It was quite an impressive sight and the most decorated home in the entire town. The image of Nightmare Moon staring out from the front door ruffled her feathers a bit, however. She and her guards had opted to stay with the kirin and the rest of the Ponyvillians while the civilian thestrals flew around the recently constructed houses, each family trying to figure out which one they wanted.

"To be honest, we can thank Pinkie for organizing all my friends and family into doing this as a surprise for both my birthday and Nightmare Night," Midnight told her, waving a hoof at Sapphire, Scarlet, Windrunner, Summer, Honeysuckle, Tight, and Orange.

Luna smiled at them. "We are charmed to meet the mother of Midnight Storm, as well as her younger sister and stepfather."

Orange and Summer smiled and bowed. Autumn looked torn between the excitement of meeting new ponies and fright at being addressed so loudly and aggressively as the princess was doing. 

She turned to the other four. "We are also glad to meet her friends as well. Things have certainly changed for the better for you since you first arrived in this humble little town."

Said four followed Summer and Orange's lead. Midnight chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "I suppose so."

"Wasn't the Element of Laughter the one leading the screaming group of foals and calling the princess Nightmare Moon?" Skimmer asked with a raised eyebrow.

'I swear to Faust, the Maker, or whoever Pinkie that I WILL get you for that.' "She has a way of working both herself and others up," Midnight said, trying to pass the party pony's actions off as a quirk. "I'm sure somepony in town will tell her how rude she was being and she'll stop." Unlikely, but it seemed to smooth some of the ruffled nerves around her.

"I don't think they were trying to be mean, princess," Squeaks said from her spot next to Midnight. The filly had been all smiles during their walk home and had willingly chatted with Luna about everything and anything since the last time they'd met. She was even getting talkative with the other thestrals, most notably Night Sky and Evening Breeze. Midnight was sure that she was more willing to talk with Sky since she was Skimmer's sister but the only reason she could come up with for Evening was that she had a baby with her. Ponies were probably less scary when they had an infant with them. "I know a few of those foals from school, and they aren't mean at all. I think Pinkie was just trying to scare them some more; she's not mean either, just weird."

They all laughed. Out of the mouth of babes, but the princess and her guards looked a little better.

Speaking of the Element Bearers, Twilight Sparkle unexpectedly came around the group of thestrals, the bells on her costume jingling gently as she came forward. "We're all sorry that Pinkie acted the way she did," she told the princess with a small bow. Midnight had completely forgotten that she and Spike had followed them out of the center of town, falling behind the others as she stopped to inspect the thestrals. "By the way, my name is-"

"Starswirl the Bearded. Commendable costume; thou even got the bells right," Luna noted.

"Thank you! Finally, somepony who gets my costume! Do you have any idea how frustrating it is for ponies to keep calling me 'grandpa' or 'old timer'?" She shot a look at Spike, who tried to act innocent. "Forget the bells and the beard, it should be obvious that I'm a wizard!" Then Twilight noticed the indifferent look on the princess' face. "Uh, I just wanted to give my own apologies as well for how the town acted when you first arrived. My real name is-"

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna interrupted again. "It was thou who unleashed the powers of harmony upon Us and took away Our dark powers!"

Everypony's ears snapped flat against their heads. Spike and Scarlet used their claws to cover their own. "Okay," Midnight muttered, "time we did something about that." Looking around, she noticed some thestral foals hanging around her fake cemetery. Nudging Squeaks, she said, "Squeaks, how about you go and make friends with those foals over by the cemetery while Sapphire and I talk with the princess about something for a minute?"

The filly was about to protest when she saw the look in her mother's eye. She nodded and made her way over to the house. 

Midnight straightened back up, briefly thinking that she'd have to find some more candy in the house; the bowl they had left outside was predictably empty when they'd arrived.

"And, that was a good thing, right?" Twilight asked hesitantly.

"But of course! We could not be happier! Is that not clear!?" Luna shouted, this time keeping the volume below a roar.

"Well, you kinda sound like you're yelling at me," Twilight explained.

"It's true, your highness," Sapphire agreed carefully. "While we know you're only using the Royal Canterlot Voice, the ponies of the town aren't so used to how you address them."

"And to top it off I don't think the thestrals are too pleased with it either," Midnight said bluntly. "I'm surprised you haven't woken the foals up." She motioned towards the sleeping babies.

"Midnight!" Summer said, flabbergasted that her daughter had been so crass with royalty. She quickly looked around, but nopony seemed upset or scandalized by what Midnight had said.

"But this is traditional to speak as such!" Luna said, almost conversationally if it wasn't for the force. "The use of the royal "we" and to use this much volume when addressing Our subjects is expected of Us! And our thestral allies have not once made an objection to it this night!"

The wincing most of those present did as she said this lost her argument its weight, but Midnight decided not to press the point. 

"Actually, it's no problem for the foals," Evening said. "We fed them some milk-suckle before we left Canterlot. It has an effect of knocking the drinker out cold for a few hours after feeding, but it's never done anything more harmful to foals than that. They could sleep with a train powering past them. Not that you sound as such, princess," Evening apologized with a bow.

"That might also explain why your arrival was met with such... mixed results," Twilight said. "Perhaps if you just changed your approach, lowered the volume, you might be met with a warmer reception."

"And princess, I must point out that the Royal Canterlot Voice has not been in use since almost after... the events that led up to the creation of this holiday," Sapphire said, catching herself.

"And if I may recite a quote, your highness, "tradition is a guide for the wise and a rule for the foolish". Nopony here is expecting you to speak so loudly, so you shouldn't have to," Midnight told her.

"Might help if she spoke with normal words, too," Scarlet muttered. 

Midnight responded with a jab to her ribs, but this was also heard. "That last bit isn't a problem, but it is rather confusing that you're talking that way when you spoke like an average pony at the Grand Galloping Gala," Midnight said, trying to look apologetic for Scarlet.

"This is true, We suppose," Luna said. "And thou makes a good argument with how tradition should be viewed. We have already been in talks with Our sister about the presentation of the Hearth's Warming Pageant. We will try to keep the volume of our voice down around our subjects and see how We are received. As for Our way of speaking, We have always preferred such and only spoke as the modern pony has done on account of appeasing the nobles." She said that last bit with some heat.

"Well, no nobles around here, princess," Midnight assured her. "Just some villagers enjoying one of their favorite holidays." Sapphire and Summer shot her warning looks at the emphasis, but the kirin pushed on. "Maybe after our friends choose their new homes, we can all head back to the festival and we can show you why this holiday is so popular."

The princess considered that for a moment. "Twould be fair to try and see this night as thou sees it. Very well, We shall try."

"Great! How about we wait inside and have something to drink? I'm actually kind of thirsty from walking around all night."

-----------------------------

Squeaks trotted over to the three thestral foals lingering around the fake cemetery next to her house. That had been one of the parts she had helped decorate earlier that day, holding some of the tombstones in placed while Honeysuckle hammered them into the ground. The filly was happy to see that it looked just as spooky as she had hoped it would be. More, with the zombies "rising" out of the ground behind it and the cloud of bats leaving the "cave" even further back. Besides the part with Nightmare Moon, she really was enjoying the creepy atmosphere of the holiday.

"This pony sure likes this holiday," one of them said. A colt and probably a year or two older than Squeaks. He was grey like many of the other thestrals with a black mane and yellow eyes.

"Yeah; I hope Princess Luna doesn't get too angry with her." This from the only filly in the group, about the same age as Squeaks and the other foal, another colt. She had a dark blue mane with a line of silver in it and blue eyes.

"Why would Princess Luna be angry with my mom?"

All three looked around at Squeaks.

"Because the princess doesn't like it; the holiday I mean," the younger colt explained. This one had a purple mane and eyes.

"She told us that she didn't like how ponies were celebrating her time as Nightmare Moon, so she said she wanted to stop it," the filly elaborated. "I kinda wish she wasn't going to stop it; these decorations are all so cool!"

Squeaks tilted her head and cocked her ears in confusion. She understood why Princess Luna wouldn't like the part about Nightmare Moon; her mom had read the tale of the two sisters to her enough times to get that. What she didn't understand was why everything else had to be stopped with it. Decorating, getting dressed up in costume, and going trick-or-treating with her friends was all really fun. Why did the princess want to stop that?

"Wait, you said your mom put all this up?" the older colt asked. "But I thought that kirnin lived here?"

"It's pronounced kirin, Nocturne," the filly corrected.

"Whatever; I thought she adopted one of those light-coated foals our colony banished." The colt, Nocturne, then noticed how Squeaks' eyes and fangs didn't go with the rest of the costume. "Oh."

"Hey, you're that filly all the grownups were talking about!" the younger colt said.
Squeaks sat back on her haunches and looked a bit worried at that. "They were talking about me?"

"Yeah," said the filly. "They were saying how things wouldn't have changed at home if you hadn't been adopted." At the mention of their destroyed home in the mountains, Nocturne grimaced and looked away. "I'm really glad they did; I heard a lot of the other grownups did some pretty bad things. I'm Star Glider, by the way."

Squeaks looked down at her hooves as she remembered what one particular grownup did to her.

"I'm glad too, and my name's Silent Arrow," said the younger colt. 

"I'm Squeaky Wings," Squeaks told them.

"Nocturne Bolt," said the oldest. 

All four of them ducked and flattened their ears as the princess used the RCV again.

"I wish she wouldn't do that anymore," Squeaks said when she had stopped. "She didn't do that the last time my mom and I saw her."

"She's been doing that all night," Arrow told her. "I asked my mom if we could ask her to stop, but she said that would be rude."

"Well, it is the princess," Nocturne pointed out. "She can do whatever she wants to."

"Yeah, but she was kinda scaring everypony back in town, so maybe it would be better if somepony told her not to be so loud," Squeaks said, looking back towards the princess and her mother. "Hey, you don't sound too happy either," she said, turning to look back at Nocturne. "Is it because you don't like Nightmare Night either?"

"Who doesn't like Nightmare Night?"

They all turned to see Spike coming up to them.

"Princess Luna," Squeaks told him.

"Oh, well, yeah, I can see why. Having stories about your evil side eating foals would be kind of a downer. But hey, there's lots of other things about Nightmare Night that are fun! Maybe Midnight and Twilight can help her see that."

"That's what I said."

"Who are you?" Star Glider asked.

"I'm Spike the dragon, number one assistant to Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé of Princess Celestia herself," Spike said proudly. 

"Oh," the other three said, not sounding very impressed.

Spike raised an eyebrow at this lack-lust response, then turned to Squeaks."I thought they were all cool with Princess Celestia?" he whispered to her. 

The filly only shrugged in response. "So what are they talking about over there?"

"Oh, just asking the princess what's up with all the yelling and to see if she'll stop. I think they'll convince her." He popped a candy from his bag into his mouth.

"So, why don't you like Nightmare Night?" Squeaks asked Nocturne again.

"I never said I did," he said defensively.

"He just doesn't like that we've moved," Arrow said, earning him a glare from Nocturne.

"I don't see why we had to! Princess Luna already took away all the bad ponies! It's not fair!" He crossed his forelegs and turned away with a scowl.

The other four looked around at each other. Star and Arrow looked like they'd heard this before while Spike and Squeaks looked at the back of his head with sympathy. Squeaks could sympathize, but not relate. The only move she ever made was from under her abusive father's wing to Midnight's kind, loving one. Spike, on the other claw, could.

"Yeah, moving from the place you grew up stinks," he told him. "Everything's different; the ponies, the places, heck, even the air you breath." Then he smiled. "But you also get to meet a bunch of new ponies, explore some place new, and try new things. Ponyville might not be your old home, and it sure isn't Canterlot, but it's a really great place once you get used to it."

"I still don't like it," Nocturne said, turning back around to face them.

"I already said moving stinks! All I'm saying is to try and look at the good parts about it. Besides, you've got your friends with you; that's more than a lot of other ponies can say."

"I... guess..." Nocturne said slowly, looking around at Star and Arrow. The corners of his mouth twitching up in a small smile.

"And me and Spike can be your first friends here in Ponyville!" Squeaks said happily. "Ooo! Everypony else should still be back at the festival! You guys can come with us and meet them too!"

All three thestral foals perked up a bit more at that.

"Squeaks, Spike, come on inside," Midnight called over. "We're getting something to drink, take a quick bathroom break, then head back out."

"Can Arrow, Star, and Nocturne come with us?" Squeaks asked.

"We want to show them around town so they can meet everypony!" Spike added.

Midnight looked over the three other foals. She already lost six others and wasn't keen on possibly losing anymore. Then again many of the other thestrals would probably follow the princess back into town, so they'd have more eyes and hooves to help keep track of them.

"If their parents say yes, then they can," she finally said. "Now hurry up; I'd like us to get back to the festival as quick as possible."

-----------------------------

"Pinkie..." Midnight growled as they neared the center of town once more. "I swear the next time I see her I'm going to flambé that crazy mane and tail of hers!" It was telling just how much the others were getting annoyed with the party pony when nopony objected or reprimanded the kirin for the comment.

They had all been finishing their drinks when Pinkie had burst through the side door, begging the kirin to hide them from Nightmare Moon since Fluttershy wouldn't even open her door. As it turned out, Midnight had been sticking her head into the stove to try and scrape out some spilled liquid that had burnt up while dinner had been cooking earlier. Luna had been right behind her, both in the middle of conversation. Pinkie screamed that Nightmare Moon was trying to cook Midnight so she could eat her, then ran out of the house, the shrieks of children following her away. Everypony had called out after them after they'd spilled out of the house, telling them to come back and to stop being so silly. 

To Midnight's surprise Squeaks had been right up front with everypony else, calling after her friends and schoolmates that the princess wasn't scary at all. "You're all being stupid!" she'd finally shrieked at their disappearing forms.

It had left everypony in a sour mood as they left for the festival. As they got closer to the center of town, however, and the sounds of ponies having a good time got louder, their collective mood began to brighten. Squeaks and Spike had started telling the thestral foals and the princess about their friends that hadn't been running around with Pinkie and who would certainly be a lot nicer. 

"Berry and Derpy ought to be more sensible as well," Midnight agreed, her own foul mood starting to ebb away. "Bet Vinyl gets a kick out of meeting everypony as well," she said to Sapphire.

"What about Lyra?"

"Eh, she's crazy to begin with so either she'll pull a Pinkie or be in their faces," Midnight said with a shrug. 
When they entered the town square, however, things didn't go as any of their group had hoped. One of the nearby ponies gave a startled yelp loud enough to be heard over the band when she saw them. All heads turned towards them, then ducked low in frightened bows. 

"Seriously?" Midnight asked loudly, looking around at them all, eyes tabled. 

"Twas a noble effort, Midnight Storm," Luna said with an aggravated sigh. "But twould seem thine fellow villagers have not changed at all in Our absence." 

"Oh no, we are not playing this game again!" Twilight said, looking around. "I'm going to get Applejack; I'm sure she'll have some ideas on how to get past all this."

"I'll get Berry and Derpy," Midnight said, spotting the two and peeling away to collect them. Squeaks trotted away with her. They both stopped in front of them, the kirin and bat filly eyeing their friends unhappily. Not only were they bowing but also sheltering Pinchy, Dinky, and Twist between themselves. "Ladies," Midnight said down to them, arching an eyebrow.

"What are you all doing?" Squeaks said, sounding equally unhappy.

They all glanced up at her. "Midnight, Squeaks; what are you doing!?" Berry whispered. "Get down!"

"Why?"

"Because!" the purple earth pony nodded towards the princess.

"Because Princess Luna showed up?"

"Because she showed up and started yelling at everypony!" Pinchy told them.

"And she was really scary when she made all the lightning!" Dinky added.

"But she's not doing that now!" Squeaks said, looking unhappily from one of her friends to the next. "Yeah, she was loud before and made all that lightning," she shivered a bit, "but she knows she messed up and she wants to try and start over! All she wants to do is be friends with everypony!"

"But what about all thoth bat ponith?" Twist asked. "Aren't they all her evil guard or something?"

"What? No!" Midnight said, pinching the bridge of her muzzle in exasperation.

"I'm a bat pony, and I'm not evil!" Squeaks said, starting to feel a bit hurt. They were just normal ponies like everypony else; why couldn't they see that?

"Look," Midnight said with a sigh, "Princess Luna was stuck on the moon for a thousand years as some demonic night alicorn. Personally, I think that would lead to one heck of a culture shock and I would appreciate it if as many ponies tried to reach out and help her adjust to this new time. Trust me when I tell you that ponies being scared of you SUCKS."

The light went on for Berry and Derpy then. Of course Midnight would be angry they were acting like this to the princess; ponies had acted that way towards Midnight herself. Slowly, the two of them got off the ground. "And you promise it's safe?"

"Yes! Sweet Faust on a stick, why is everypony scared of everything else but me!? I'm a half-breed that could burn or flatten this whole town by myself, but Makers forbid if a zebra or princess comes to town!"

They made their way back to the princess who was talking with a recently returned Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack. The two had been helping run some of the stands when Twilight collected them. "All one needs is the right attitude," the farm pony was saying. "Loosen up a bit, be positive!"

"And don't take what the ponies around here do to heart, your highness," Rarity added. "Why, I've seen them faint away at the sight of a rabbit stampede."

AJ shot the unicorn a dirty look but what was even funnier was the look the thestrals had at the idea of anypony being scared of a group of rabbits. Sure, they themselves were predators, but still.

"Anyway," AJ continued, "just play a few games and have some fun!"

"Fun?" Luna asked. "What is this "fun" thou speakest of?" Every single Ponyvillian standing stared at the princess. "What?"

"Fun, your highness," Sapphire said uncertainly, caught completely off guard by her question.

"Yes, what is "fun"?"

"Uh..." Midnight said uncertainly, looking over at the thestrals. Skimmer unhelpfully shrugged.

-----------------------------

Somewhere up the north coast of Equestria, past even the yet still frozen Crystal Empire, a creature looked up from her photo album. She blinked her blue and purple eyes and looked to the wyvern next to her. "I've got the weirdest urge to sing a song about how to spell fun, and maybe make a yellow sponge sing along, too."

The wyvern, black with vivid orange streaks on his belly and bright orange horns, looked back at her. "No matter how long we know each other, I doubt I'll ever not be surprised by something you do or say."

"I hope that's a good thing!" she said with a broad smile. "Time to set off the fireworks anyway! It's a special day!"

"Not in the-!"

Somewhere around a hundred fireworks, all different kinds, went off, setting the cave they were in a blaze with light and sound, much of which spilled out into the crater and startling the other wyverns clustered around the sides.

"Happy Birthday Midnight!"

-----------------------------

"Wait, thou mentioned games; does thou mean merrymaking?"

"Yes!" Midnight and Sapphire said together, grasping at the life line.

"Oh, well then, let the merriment commence! Where shalt we begin?" The alicorn looked around and one game close by caught her interest. "Pray tell, what purpose do these serve?" she asked the game vendor, who was still on the ground.

"Try to land the sp-sp-spiders on the w-web!" she got out.

Immediately Midnight took a long step back away from the game. 

Gingerly, Luna took one of the fake spiders and tossed it at the web. It landed short with a squeak and a bounce.

"You can do it princess!" AJ shouted encouragingly. 

"Perhaps more force behind the throw, your highness?" Skimmer suggested.

"Aim higher, your majesty!" Another thestral called out. "Arc it in!"

Picking up another spider, she tried again, both throwing it harder and higher. This time she got a perfect bull's-eye. "This is most "fun" indeed!" she said happily. 

More ponies were beginning to get up off the ground now, emboldened by what Midnight had said to Berry and Derpy and from seeing the princess playing a common carnival game.

"What other games are there that We may play?"

"Princess, I see some trebuchets a little ways off," Skimmer said.

"Yep! That there's the pumpkin chuckin' game!" AJ said proudly.

A smirk crossed the princess' face. "Oh, I am well aware how those work."

"Would you like Lieutenant Star Chaser and I to accompany you on the other two?"

"How about she plays with Berry and Derpy here?" Midnight suggested, motioning to the two mares standing next to her. "It wouldn't be very fair if her guards or our new neighbors hogged the princess to themselves all night."

-----------------------------

Midnight looked around and smiled. Ponyville and the princess, as well as the thestrals, were now intermingled. Perhaps it had been the princess playing carnival games with Berry and Derpy that did it, or maybe it was when Derpy actually managed to beat her at pumpkin chuckin' and she didn't incinerate her on the spot. Or perhaps they'd all finally come to their senses. Whatever the reason, and the kirin didn't really care at that point, the princess and the thestrals were now completely mixed in with the townsfolk; playing games, trying holiday treats together, or even just talking. Midnight overheard Sky and Evening talking with Mr. and Mrs. Cake about milk-suckle, which the two thestrals were planning to grow and sell as a source of income. "Oh, thank goodness," Mrs. Cake said upon hearing about the sleeping side effect. "It'll make raising the baby and running the store so much easier than we thought." The bakers had just announced barely a week ago that they were going to have a baby sometime after Hearth's Warming. Mrs. Cake had done a good job hiding it.

"It's nice to see everypony finally getting along," Sapphire said, sitting down next to Midnight at the table they were sharing. The two were enjoying some fried pumpkin on a stick and some mix of pumpkin and carrot juice. Midnight planned to get some cranberry soda to wash the taste down when they were finished. 

"Yep," she said around another bite of fried pumpkin. "And it's nice seeing Squeaks making friends so easily instead of hiding behind my legs for once. Between Honeysuckle and tonight, I hope this is the start of a new trend."

Squeaks, the thestral foals, the pillow knights, and Spike were all busy playing games and trying to get sick on their candy. Squeaks had guilted Pinchy, Dinky, and Twist into playing the first few games with her new thestral friends, saying that if they wouldn't play with the new thestrals, then they couldn't play with any. Her plan worked, and now Pinchy and Nocturne were trying to out-win each other, Glider and Dinky were trying some pumpkin spice popcorn, and Arrow and Twist were going over the various candies in Twist's bag and she would explain how certain ones were made.

Berry, Derpy, Vinyl, and Lyra were also making headway with their new thestral neighbors. Vinyl, as Midnight had expected, was gushing all over the thestrals, admiring them as much as Scarlet had admired Midnight when she first came to town. Midnight wished she had a camera to capture all their confused faces. Berry and Derpy had gone back to watching over the foals, along with Nocturne's and Glider's mothers. All four adults were chatting up a storm. Lyra... was bugging the heck out of the guard, and it was taking an effort not to laugh at the questions she was plying them with.

"So... just where is that magical clock that actually moves the sun and the moon? It's below the dungeons, isn't it?"
"There's a theory going around that the princesses don't actually exist but are just powerful unicorns in disguise. Any comments on that?"
"Where did the princesses stash the mirror!?"

"Should we stop her?" Sapphire asked nervously.

"Yeah... but I also want to see how deep she can dig herself," Midnight said with a grin.

Sapphire smacked her with a wing but there was a playful smile behind it. "You're horrible."

"I know."

The cherry on the whole thing was that Luna had started speaking in "modern" again and that seemed to bring the last few nervous hold-outs over. Speaking of the princess, Midnight noticed her heading towards the  bobbing apples stand with AJ and Twilight. Whatever opinion Luna had about Nightmare Night when she first arrived, it was changing for the better. 

As her gaze moved from them towards their destination, she saw Pipsqueak dangling over the tub of water. Where the colt had come from, Midnight had no idea; Pinkie and her wayward brood had been missing the whole time. As she watched, the colt leaned too far forward trying to snag an apple and fell in. Not sure if he could swim or not, Midnight got to her hooves but Luna was quicker, darting over and plucking Pip out by his costume.

"Hey everypony!" came a familiar and unwelcomed voice. "Anypony seen Pip? He wandered off from where we were hiding from-," she stopped as she saw Luna holding up Pipsqueak. "NIGHTMARE MOON'S GOBBILING UP PIPSQUEAK! EVERYPONY RUN!" she squawked, bolting. 

"PINKIE PIE!" Midnight roared, launching after her. But between the many strings hung between various tents, stands, and houses, the cumbersome and un-aerodynamic shape of her costume, and the panicking foals, now running in every direction not only from "Nightmare Moon" but also from her many "followers" mixed in with the crowd, the panicking party pony was soon lost from sight.

"Help! My backside's been gobbled!" Pip yelped as her was let down, trying to run after Pinkie.

"Tis a lie!" Luna shouted after him.

Quicker than anypony had ever seen her move, Squeaks jumped in front of the panicking colt and pushed him back onto his haunches. "Say you're sorry!" she snapped in his face, baring her fangs at him. "Somepony who lies has to say their sorry! Princess Luna didn't do anything to you but pull you out of the water!"

Midnight felt her jaw drop at this display. Looking over at Sapphire, she could see the pegasus just as shocked face looking back at her. Squeaks was so timid and kind that to see her angry, really angry, was a heck of a shock.

"Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!" Once again, the princess' punctuated herself with a hard stomp of the hoof along with thunder and lightning. Several ponies nearest her began to mutter to one another and back away. Even Squeaks jumped and lost some of her ferocity. "Please, do not back away!" Luna called after them, "Let us continue to have fun on this night!" Picking up another of the fake spiders, she tossed it towards the crowd as if trying to play a game of catch. The toy simple bounced onto the ground with a squeak. 

"Princess, remember how the yelling and the lightning only makes things worse!" Twilight said, putting herself between the town and the princess.

"I know how infuriating Pinkie is being right now," Midnight told her, giving the toy spider a wide birth as she flew over. "But if you go back to doing all that again, everything that's been going on, the townsfolk getting along with their new neighbors, welcoming you properly, all that'll be for nothing!"

"But what am I to do when I am called... that mare," she fumed, "at almost every turn by the same pony all night long!? Does she dare think she has the right to continue to condemn me for my past crimes!?" With an angry flick of her horn she sent two beams of magic lancing out at the toy spider on the ground and the ones still in their bowl. 

Midnight expected them to explode or something of the like. What she did not expect was for them to all come alive. The spiders came pouring out of the bowl and the kirin took off into the air like a bullet, only briefly diving back down to scoop up Squeaks as several of them neared her. As she shot back up, one panicking pony kicked several into the air right at her. Seeing the flying Tartarus-spawns, Midnight jinked just in time to let the lot of them sail past her.

The panic on the ground didn't last long, however. The Lunar Guards jumped forward, scooping up the spiders and dumping them into a basket. Within a few seconds of their creation, all the spiders were rounded up. 

Luna sat back and rubbed her head with a hoof. "Now I'm just making things worse!" She sighed. "Perhaps I should just return to Canterlot and let you all finish your celebration in peace."

"Please don't, your highness."

Luna looked up to see that Berry and Derpy had taken a step towards her. "Everypony was having so much fun getting to know you, your guard, and our new neighbors before Pinkie showed up. We acted pretty poorly when you first came to town and we're sorry for that." They both looked over apologetically at where Zecora was standing. " Please, won't you stay and finish celebrating Nightmare Night with us?"

"You would... have me stay?" Luna asked, disbelievingly. 

Both mares nodded. "Don't worry about Pinkie Pie," Berry told her. "We're all pretty sure she's got a screw loose. Next time she shows up, we'll grab her and lock her in Sugarcube Corner's basement."

Midnight landed next to them, putting Squeaks down and growling. "I'm going to kill Pinkie," she muttered darkly. Looking back toward the crowd, she was pleased to see that most, if not all, of the previously wayward foals had been rounded up before they could follow Pinkie again. AJ and Rarity in particular were laying into the CMC, all three looking properly ashamed of themselves. Squeaks was even still shooting angry looks at Pip and a few of the other town foals. 

"But there is still the children to consider," Luna continued. "Even if you are able to put a halt to the Element of Laughter's antics, many have been tainted by her constant accusations."

"Well, when we catch her, we'll just make her apologize!" Derpy said with a determined look. "Once the foals see that she was wrong, then they shouldn't be scared of you anymore."

"I don't know about you guys but I don't want to wait around for her again," Midnight said, leaning slightly against the recently arrived Sapphire. "I'm getting tired of having my good time suddenly interrupted by her shrieking."

"But no pony's been able to find her all night," Berry said. 

"I might be able to help with that," Twilight said, also coming up and pulling a map of the town out from under her robes. "I took this so I could help Spike keep track of where he and the others collected candy from already. I just need to get something of Pinkie's to make a scrying spell, then we can find her where ever she's hiding."

"And..." Midnight said, holding up a hoof, a look of realization spreading across her face. "I just got an idea. Windrunner!" The pegasus came shooting over. "I need you to find Rainbow and bring her back here."

"Why do we need Rainbow if I've got the map?" Twilight asked. 

Everypony else stared as a wicked grin grew on Midnight, exposing her fangs and making her look like a hunter about to pounce on its prey. "Because I doubt she'll want to miss a prank on both Pinkie Pie and the whole town."

-----------------------------

The pink party pony popped another sweet into her mouth and chewed happily. Her entire entourage of foals was gone now, but that was alright. Now that "Nightmare Moon" had caught them all, they'd see just how nice and fun Princess Luna really was. Sure, she'd been convinced at first that she really had been Nightmare Moon with that entrance of hers, but it had been clear pretty quick who it was once the cape came off. 

And Nightmare Night was all about fun and frights after all, right? And Princess Luna HAD to know all about that, right? So, Pinkie had come up with a fun little plan of scaring the foals by declaring Princess Luna to be Nightmare Moon every chance she got, then the princess would catch them and give them candy instead of gobbling them up. Then they'd all have a good laugh and enjoy the rest of the night. 

That plan had sort of worked; Midnight, Princess Luna, and the thestrals had seemed a bit more frustrated then she had imagined they'd be, and the towns folk were acting a bit odd, but all the foals had been caught, and now it was just a matter of deciding when and where she'd let herself get snagged.

A pony jumped out of the shadows and stalked towards her. Pinkie jumped, but let out a sigh as she saw the leathery wings and ear tuffs. It was just one of the thestrals; looks like her time was up. "Oh, hey, you finally caught me! About time; I don't want to miss out on those carnival prizes!"

The thestral didn't answer but paused momentarily before it continued to stalk towards her. Closer now, Pinkie could see that this one looked a bit more feral than the others. Its fur was shaggy, its stalking was more serious than playful, and its silted eyes were just a little too intent, like a hunter sizing up prey. "H-Hey, what's with the silent treatment?  Game's over now, right?"

"A game, was it?"

Pinkie froze up. She'd heard that voice before, two Summer Sun Celebrations ago, when she'd first met Twilight. Smooth, regal, with an undercurrent of danger. But that couldn't be; they cured Princess Luna! Whipping around, she found herself nose to nose with one of the last ponies she thought she'd ever see again. Cyan, draconic eyes, jet-black coat and wings, razor teeth, ethereal star-filled mane, and night-blue helmet with matching chest piece and shoes. 

The nightmare grinned, exposing more of its fangs. Even without them, it sent a shiver down her spine, like a hunter with caught prey. "Well, it is very much over now."

Darkness enveloped her before she could let out a squawk of terror.

-----------------------------

Pipsqueak watched as Princess Luna, her guards, and the other thestrals flew into the sky back towards Canterlot. He hadn't meant to be mean to the princess, but Pinkie had kept saying she was Nightmare Moon and that she was going to gobble them up and all his friends had kept running away, too. Well, except Squeaky Wings, and she was really mad at him right now. Maybe not as much as his parents would be when they found out what he'd done, but still pretty mad all the same. "Wow, I can't believe how bad everything went tonight," he said mournfully. "I feel right awful."

"Well, if that's how you feel," a sultry voice behind him said, "then maybe I'll gobble you up first."

Pip whipped his head around and found jet-black legs with night-blue shoes right behind him. He looked up to see the pony that had spoken. And looked up. And up. Finally, nearly falling backwards in an effort to see the speaker, he finally found her face, and then he did fall onto his back. Above him, far more scary in real life than any statue of her could ever be, was the REAL Nightmare Moon, draconic eyes, fang-filled smile, and all. "N-N-N-N-Night..."

She leaned down toward him, her smile growing more wicked as her head descended, finally stopping a few inches from his face. "Boo."

"NIGHTMARE MOON! NIGHTMARE MOON!" Pip squealed, pulling himself away and bolting towards Squeaks across the town square. Even with his mind in panic mode again, he knew that there was one pony in town that could possibly save them from the nightmare mare now that the princess and her guards were gone. The same pony that had stopped that dragon about a month ago; Squeaks' mom.

Several nearby adults turned to admonish the screaming colt; after all, it was their fault the princess and thestrals had just let feeling insulted. They all stopped when they saw where he was running away from. Princess Luna had scared them of her own merits by entering town while shooting off lightning, screaming at them, and basically making herself unapproachable. None of the adults had believed Pinkie Pie screaming about Nightmare Moon because they had all seen her during the Summer Sun Celebration two years ago. They knew what Nightmare Moon looked like. The mare Pipsqueak was currently running away from was Nightmare Moon in the flesh. 

They stared at her. She looked right back. "Well, well, well..." she said smoothly, taking a step forward. 

Town square became bedlam. Ponies screamed and ran in any direction that wasn't towards her, often running into stalls and polls. The only ponies not panicking was the bearers, minus Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, and Midnight's group. Strangely, the kirin was nowhere to be seen.

"SILENCE!!!" Nightmare Moon roared out, slamming her own hoof into the ground as Luna had done. Everypony froze. "It would seem nothing has changed in the past thousand years; my alter-ego is still just as shunned as ever."

"That's not true!" Twilight yelled back. "What happened tonight was a misunderstanding! Princess Luna is more than welcomed here!"

Nightmare Moon smiled. "And yet, she just left, once again feeling unloved and unwanted, and all because a mare and some foals couldn't tell the difference between us."

Pip, now hiding behind Sapphire, felt a fair amount of eyes turn towards himself. Looking around, he could see several ponies looking not just at him, but also at the CMC and other foals that had run around with Pinkie. He gulped.

"We stopped you once and we'll do it again!" Twilight told her.

"Oh, really? Tell me, how do you plan to do so when I have this one?" Nightmare Moon motioned with a wing and a feral-looking thestral dashed out from the shadows of any alley, dropping something at the nightmare's hooves. It was Pinkie, tied up and gagged, still in her costume. "Without her, the Elements are useless. Oh, and I wouldn't count on your rainbow-maned friend to help you either. She was such an annoying fly that I..." she licked her fangs, "swatted her."

"Somepony will stop you!" Twilight said, not faltering.

Nightmare Moon laughed. "Who could possibly stop me now!? Your princesses are far off in Canterlot, you can't use the Elements, and that kirin of yours has gone chasing off after my weaker side! Even if help does arrive, they'll be too late to stop me from collecting my tribute!" She lowered herself into a predatory crouch. "And I'm far to hungry for candy."

From out of nowhere a blue beam of magic shot out and hit Nightmare Moon square in the side, knocking her over. A second shot did likewise for her lackey. "All you will find here is your end, villain!" From above on the houses descended Princess Luna, all the thestrals, not just the guards, flanking her.

Nightmare Moon looked up and growled. "How did you return here so quickly!?"

"That is not important. We have returned to send you back to the shadowed you slinked out from! Have at thee!" Luna charged her next shot, but Nightmare Moon was faster, sending her own bolt of magic at the princess and her followers.

"After them!" Nightmare Moon shouted at her minion, who shot up and at the reorganizing thestrals.

Luna landed and sent her magic at her alter-ego, but the nightmare shot up and into the sky. The princess quickly followed and soon the two were dogfighting with no clear advantage to either side. The hench-thestral was also holding its own against the others.

As the fight above the town dragged on, Pip turned toward Squeaky to ask if they should try and get her mom, but he stopped short. The filly was watching the fight as if... as if it was some kind of play, not a hint of concern on her face. She was even whispering "come on" while looking at both Luna and Nightmare Moon. A quick glance around showed that all those immediately around him were also watching the fight as if it was no more than mere entertainment. Before he could ask what they were doing , Nightmare Moon, her lackey, Princess Luna, and the thestrals all landed on the ground facing each other. 

Breathing heavy, Nightmare Moon snarled. "I will not be defeated again!" she roared, rearing up and charging her horn.

"Thou shall not win!" Luna roared back, also charging her horn.
The feral thestral charged for the princess, but Captain Skimmer was faster, shooting forward and upper-cutting it back into its mistress. It slammed into her, sending Nightmare Moon's shot wildly into the sky. Luna let loose her own shot, hitting both her alter-ego and her hench-thestral. They both screamed in agony, then slowly fell to the ground in a heap. 

A second passed. Two seconds...

"Nightmare Moon is defeated! Never again will the creature harm Equestria!" Luna shouted. 

The entire town erupted into cheers and applause, rushing forward to congratulate and thank the princess and thestrals. All that is, except the bearers and Midnight's group.

"Why aren't you guys congratulating the princess?" Pip asked.

"Oh, well..." Sapphire said, looking embarrassed. 

Before she could answer, a resounding "OW, DAMNIT!" came from the spot Nightmare Moon and her hench-thestral had fallen. Two teenage colts were standing by them; one had dared the other to flick the defeated villain's horn to show that he wasn't really afraid of her. Said villain was sitting up and rubbing the base of her horn. "That's attached, you little-!" Then she noticed the entire town starring at her. "Uh... too soon?"

The thestral sat up and spit its fake fangs out. "Whelp, jigs up," it said, clearly in Rainbow's voice.

-----------------------------

The town took the ruse in stride. The whole point had been to scare the foals with a "real" Nightmare Moon and thestral lackey, only for Luna to come in and defeat her, showing them that Luna was indeed and truly one of the good guys. Midnight had gotten the idea from one of the stories she had read to Squeaks a few times. Her group, the bearers, sans Pinkie, the princess, and the thestrals had been in on the whole thing. Twilight and Luna had created the magic costumes for Midnight and Rainbow by transfiguring their original costumes. Midnight's "magic shots" were no more than a light show from a gem attached to her horn that Twilight could activate remotely with her own magic.

And it all worked out in the end. Even with the plot discovered, all the foals previously scared of the princess now flocked around their new hero, playing games and sharing goodies with her and the thestrals. Glider, Arrow, and Nocturne were now up to the tips of their leathery wings in fellow foals pulling them this way and that, trying to hang out with them.

"That," Vinyl said after she finished chugging a soda, "was brilliant."

Midnight just shrugged. "I try." She, Vinyl, Sapphire, and Summer were all at a table near the foals, taking a quick break from the games.

"I mean it! Seriously! You are one heck of a villain! I mean, I knew what was going on and I was getting shivers! Here's to hoping you stay on our side!" Vinyl grabbed another soda and began chugging it, too.

"I'm just glad everything worked out," Sapphire said, taking a sip of her pomegranate juice. "For a second I thought we'd lose everypony to either panicking when you showed up or when they realized it was all a performance."

Summer nodded. "All in all, I'd say tonight was a success. It's certainly one to remember and... Midnight, what are you doing?"

The kirin was scratching herself, trying to get at the base of her left wing. "Ever since Luna transformed my costume, I've been so itchy right here!" She curled her wing so that the tip could slide into the slot of her costume and scratched the inside violently. She sighed and smiled, seemingly ridding herself of the discomfort, only to look confused immediately afterwards. She pulled her wing back out, extending it all the way and looked at what she pulled out. 

Everypony at the table froze. Holding on to the tip of her wing was one of the spiders Luna had created after Pinkie had run the last time. One of the few shot into the air must have caught onto her costume and hid inside it. The face-size arachnid stared back at Midnight, its four eyes looking innocently at her. It even waved a leg at her after a few seconds.

"Midnight," Summer said slowly, easing back from the table and powering her horn up. "Just... give me a second..."

But the kirin didn't seem to hear her. Sapphire thought she was going to fly into a panic before any of them could do anything. However, as she watched, the kirin's eyes went from wide surprise to something resembling curiosity. She twisted her wing slightly, getting a better look at the thing. Then, to their collective shock, she actually brought the tip of her wing closer to her face, getting eye to eye with the spider. Slowly, the spider reached out a leg again and, gently, tapped the tip of the leg against the kirin's snout, chirping a bit as it did so. Again, to their collective shock, Midnight smiled at it. "Well, you aren't nearly as terrifying as other spiders, so I guess it's okay."

"Midnight?" Summer said again. "You do know that's a spider, right?"

The kirin looked over at her. "Well, yeah, but... this is just a ball of fluff with some legs and eyes. Other spiders are eldritch horrors."

"So... you aren't going to freak out like before?" Vinyl asked. "Bummer."

"How is everypony doing?" They all turned to see Luna coming towards them. She stopped when she saw the spider on Midnight's wing. "Ah, I see I missed one. I'll just change it back and put it with the others at the spider toss game."

But when she powered up her horn, the spider cringed away, chirping fearfully, and Midnight pulled it closer to her. "No!" she practically shouted, again shocking those present. "I mean, I don't think she'd like that. If it's alright with you, princess... I'd actually like to keep her."

Summer felt her jaw drop. Her daughter, the kirin that had this very night flipped out over a spider ring, was now suggesting that she wanted a spider as a pet. She turned and saw Sapphire equally as floored.

"Any particular reason?" Luna asked.

Midnight shrugged. "I guess we just connect or something. That and she's not the abomination all other spiders are. I mean, look at her; she just a cute little ball of fluff with legs." The spider was now sitting on her front hooves, still looking innocently up at them all. "And I get the feeling she doesn't want to "die", if you know what I mean."

Luna nodded. "I see. Well, I don't see any harm in keeping it, but if you're sure I must insist on performing a few spells on it so that it continues living past dawn, as well as a few other important things."

Midnight nodded, extending the spider out to the princess. It chirped worriedly back at her, but the kirin petted it reassuredly with a wing. "It's alright," she said softly.

"What do you wish to call her?" Luna asked when she was done. Along with an actual life spell, Luna had also confirmed it was a female, shown them her rather small, cute actually, fangs hidden in her fur, and changed her eye color from red to blue to match her new owner. 

Midnight studied her new pet for a few seconds. "...Arina."

"Arina?" Sapphire asked.

Midnight shrugged again. "It just came to me."

"I like it," Vinyl put it. From her chirping, Arina liked it too.

"Mom, there's a spider on you!"

They all turned to see a panicked Squeaks staring up at the spider.

Midnight chuckled. "I know Squeaks. Her name's Arina and... she's our new pet."

Squeaks stared up at her mother, then at Arina, then back again. "Really?" she asked, disbelief in her voice. She'd been wanting a pet ever since hearing about Rainbow getting one.

Midnight nodded. "Really."

The bat filly's shriek of delight could be heard clear across town. "BEST NIGHTMARE NIGHT EVER!!!"
> Ch.10 - My Captain, My Friend, My Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midnight sighed as she pulled off the rest of her gala dress. She was glad to finally be out if it but even gladder to be done with the party and away from those damned nobles. Through the open door to her suite she could see Sapphire and Windrunner exiting their own rooms and heading for the kitchenette. Her gaze lingered on the blue pegasus until a series of chirps brought her attention back to the bed. Arina chirped again, two of her four eyes raised. "Don't start this again, Arina; I'm not in the mood." The spider chirped questioningly, stopped at her owner's look, then sighed and scuttled off the bed and out of the room. The kirin watched her go, then sighed again and finished putting the discarded dress away. 

She'd had to wear the thing because she, Sapphire, and Squeaks had been invited to go along with Summer, Orange, and Autumn up to Canterlot to attend a garden party held by Summer's boss, Fancy Pants, who was apparently interested in meeting Summer's family as well as hearing how the Ponyville branch was doing. She would have used the first of her new royal checks, given to her by the princesses for her birthday, for new dresses for herself, Sapphire, and Squeaks, except that Rarity was already in Canterlot for supplies for the boutique. So, they'd pulled out their gala dresses, minus a few things like the shoes and hair pieces, and Summer had gotten something for Squeaks, just as she'd gotten dresses for herself, Autumn, and a suit for Orange. Almost as soon as they'd gotten that squared away, a note had come via dragon fire from Celestia saying that she was calling together another meeting of the captains. While the note said nothing of urgency both Midnight and Sapphire had gotten nervous; the princess had said she wanted to keep these meetings to once a year and they'd already had one in the spring.

This time, however, there'd be one less thing to worry about. Windrunner would be staying behind to keep an eye on things and stop anything dangerous from happening to the bearers while they celebrated Twilight's birthday. Arina would be there, too, acting as Midnight's eyes just in case. Literally.

Before departing for Canterlot at the end of the Nightmare Night Celebration, Luna had pulled Midnight and her new pet aside and showed them that when she'd changed Arina's eye color, she had also sneaked in a spell that allowed Midnight to see whatever Arina saw and vice versa as long as they concentrated on each other. It was obvious just how useful such a spell could be and they'd practiced with it a lot afterwards, sending Arina out into town or leaving the spider at home while Midnight went out to work in the forest until it's use had become second nature to both.

By Friday morning everything was ready, including the lie Midnight and Sapphire were going to feed Summer and Orange about staying up at the castle; Princess Luna wanted a chance to speak with her privately about how the thestrals were fairing Ponyville. Then had come the news that Rarity couldn't make it back to Ponyville that day. Apparently her cat was sick and it would just mean one less pony Windrunner would have to look out for, except that Twilight had come by to tell them that she'd decided to move her birthday party to Canterlot instead so she could include Rarity in the festivities (and save her folks a few bits in train tickets). That hadn't really been a problem and was even welcomed by Midnight and Summer as it provided an escape for Squeaks and Autumn when they finally got bored of all the stuffy adults talking about stuffy things in stuffy voices. Midnight had also told Windrunner to bring Honeysuckle along so she wouldn't be alone in the house. That mare needed to get out and make some friends of her own.

When they'd all arrived at Canterlot Castle, Midnight's opinion of the garden party was that it was just a smaller, more concentrated version of the Grand Galloping Gala, with noble and wealthy ponies talking about how noble and wealthy they were. That is, all except Fancy Pants. When Summer had introduced them, Midnight was sure he'd say some kind of back-hoofed comment about her appearance. Instead, he'd seemed genuinely curious about her, her origins, and her life in general. He even politely snubbed a few of the other guests to hear about how she'd adopted Squeaks and reunited with her mother. Overall, Midnight had found the stallion a very pleasant alternative to the rest of the high society ponies and he even got Squeaks and Autumn to come out from under herself and Summer; they'd been hiding from the reproachful looks the other guests had been giving their group.

Then Rarity had appeared. It quickly became obvious that Fancy Pants and several others knew her from her time spent in Canterlot but once introductions were over the unicorn had disappeared almost as quickly as she arrived. With Fancy Pants now occupied with entertaining his other guests and said guests no longer shooting the kirin disapproving looks, Midnight, Sapphire, and the two fillies had moved off to the side to pony watch. That was when she'd noticed Rarity popping in and out of the great hall, where they could see Twilight's birthday being held. She'd sent the girls after Rarity when the mare had once again headed into the hall, this time with a crochet mallet lodged in her mouth.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Sapphire had said as the girls bounded off.

"We're not in Ponyville, so I'll take my chances," Midnight told her. "Besides, they learned at the Grand Galloping Gala, so why would they possibly want to come out here?"

Apparently the lesson of the gala hadn't sunk in yet, as they had come out in a conga line with Pinkie blasting away with her party cannon, followed by a confused and worried Windrunner and Honeysuckle. Squeaks had also given several ponies a good fright when she came back over to Midnight and Sapphire with Arina riding atop her head, much to their amusement. The filly had taken to the family pet like a duck to water, and if the spider wasn't near Midnight, she was probably with Squeaks.

Things hadn't dissolved as they had done with the gala, however, and this was thanks to Fancy Pants. The stallion was quick and noted that as a group he recognized them as the ponies who stopped Discord and were heroes of Equestria. To top it off he noted the plain dress Rarity had made for Twilight was "absolutely exquisite" and that he'd like to talk with her later about placing some orders. Summer had pitched in, saying she could keep a direct line between Fancy and Rarity if he wanted. For her part, Midnight had been a bit disappointed things hadn't ended in bedlam, but a stern look from Sapphire was all that was needed to keep the amount of dresses on fire down to zero.

So, while Summer and Orange had stayed behind at the garden party, everypony else had retreated into the grand hall to finish Twilight's birthday, which lasted late into the night. At some point they'd been joined by both princesses, Captain Armor, Twilight's parents, and, to Midnight's surprise, another alicorn, one with a pink coat and tri-colored mane and tail. Princess Celestia introduced her to Midnight  as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or just Princess Cadance for short, who was her and Luna's niece by adoption. Cadance knew Twilight from when she'd done some community service as a teen, volunteering for the Big Brothers and Sisters program, one which paired a volunteer with a young filly or colt as a foal sitter/mentor/tutor. In fact, it was her recommendation that helped get Twilight get into the entrance exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She still had a weak spot for foals apparently, as she doted over Squeaks and Autumn when they were introduced. 

Before long said foals started to show signs of using their dresses as blankets, and Midnight and Summer began to say their goodnights and goodbyes. Celestia surprised them by extending the invitation she'd given to Midnight, Sapphire, and Squeaks to spend the weekend to Summer, Orange, Autumn, Windrunner, and Honeysuckle. They'd all been pleasantly shocked, and at Autumn's and Squeaks' pleadings, Summer had agreed. As all the bearers would be spending the weekend in the city with Twilight, Windrunner staying in Canterlot as well wasn't a problem.

The suites they'd been lead to had three bedrooms each with their own bathrooms, as well as a common area and kitchenette. As it stood, Midnight, Sapphire, and Windrunner where in one suite while Summer, Orange, Squeaks, Autumn, and Honeysuckle were in the other (Squeaks and Autumn were bunking together). A nice arrangement, as those who knew about the bearer guard would be able to talk freely about it without worry of being overheard. 

With the dress put away, Midnight flopped onto the bed, barely getting under the blanket and sheets as she settled herself. Tomorrow they'd find out why this meeting had been called, but for now her mind was preoccupied with the brief talk she and Arina had. She grunted again before drifting off.

-----------------------------

"So, I hear things were a bit hectic this morning before breakfast," Princess Celestia said, taking another bite of her breakfast wrap.

Summer shot Midnight a glare across the table before smiling back at the princess. "Just a few small hiccups, your highness."

Midnight rolled her eyes at Sapphire, who made sure to hide her smile from Summer. The unicorn had felt that they all needed to look formal for breakfast with the princesses, so she'd gotten them all up early to get ready. 

Well, almost all of them.  

Midnight flat-out refused to get up, even after Summer had pulled off everything off the bed, exposing the kirin to the cool morning air. Midnight had simply curled up and used her wings as a blanket. She finally eased up after Sapphire explained that, really, the same routine they had at home would be fine, but Summer still had expectations. "You're not going to look like a rag-a-muffin in front of the princesses!" She called into Midnight's room when she'd finished getting Autumn ready.

"How come you aren't bothering Sapphire, Windrunner, or Honeysuckle?" Midnight had shot back.

"Because they understand the importance of proper grooming!"

In the end it had been Sapphire who finally got Midnight out of bed. "Come on, is it really such a big deal to just look a little proper for your mom's sake?" she asked gently. "A bit of brushing isn't going to kill you... and don't you think it might make a bad example to follow if Squeaks and Autumn see you acting like this?"

Midnight was about to reply, then stopped. Reflecting on how they'd acted since reuniting, it did seem like they'd just picked up where they'd left off after a long break. Midnight the rebellious teen and Summer the exasperated mother. And it was a bad example to set for the girls, even as well behaved as they both were. At some point, the two of them were going to have to sit down and have a serious discussion on how they interacted with each other. Now, however, it probably would do to simply indulge her mother; not everypony knew the princesses like she did, after all.

So, in the end, she'd gotten up and gotten ready mostly to Summer's standards. Maybe it was still the teen in her, but damned if she was going to bow down all the way to the floor.

Summer had also forbidden Arina from coming as well, and the spider would have likely tried to hide in Summer's mane or tail for revenge had Midnight not promised her some tropical juice from the palace kitchens as a replacement for the sugar the kirin usually mixed in to the spider's meals, which consisted of a mix of water, sugar, and blood from the animals Midnight hunted. As long as she didn't spin webs or leave cocooned bugs all over the house, Midnight didn't really care what she ate.

"Well, it's certainly nice to finally meet Midnight's mother after all this time," Celestia continued, taking a sip from her tea cup. "I would like to discuss a few things with you, if it's not too inconvenient. Say, around mid-afternoon. Some petitioners trickle away around that time."

"Of course, your highness, it would be a pleasure," Summer assured her, bowing.

Midnight raised an eyebrow at Celestia, but the alicorn simply took another sip of tea. Feeling her stomach growl, the kirin returned to her own food; scrambled eggs with bits of gems, meat, and drowning in some kind of breakfast sauce. As she chewed, she gazed around at the rest of those sitting at the table. Princess Celestia sat at the head, as one would expect, while Princess Cadance sat on her left. Down the same side was herself, Squeaks, Sapphire, Windrunner, and a mare Solar Guard in formal wear. On Celestia's right were Captain Armor, Summer, Autumn, Orange, Honeysuckle, and one other Solar Guard, an older stallion, also in formal wear. Luna and her guard weren't at breakfast; something about a long, hard night of work and being too tired to attend. Celestia assured them that with a good day's sleep, her sister would be ready to see them in good spirits.

After a few bites she noticed Squeaks shooting looks past her to Princess Cadance. "What's up Squeaks?" Midnight asked, leaning down to whisper. Sapphire also bent an ear to the conversation, but more discreetly. 

"I'm trying to figure out how to ask her nicely why we've never seen her before," Squeaks whispered back. That was actually a good question. Somehow during the previous evening's introductions, that particular bit of information never came up.

"Let me give it a shot," Midnight offered. Sitting back up, she turned to the pink alicorn next to her. "Excuse me, Princess Cadance?"

"Yes?" she asked, lowering her fork.

"I'm sorry but I'm just a little curious about how come we haven't seen you around the palace the previous times we've been here." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Shining shoot her a look. He probably took the question to mean "so, where the Tartarus has your pink, anonymous flank been?".

Cadance smiled. "That's alright. I've actually been out touring the neighboring countries, keeping Equestria's relationships with them as strong as possible."

"Cadance is a great ambassador," Celestia said. "No matter the situation, she's always had the ability to bring ponies, and others, together, at the very least to be reasonable."

"So is that what your cutie mark means? That you're good at bringing folks together?" Squeaks asked.

"Actually, my cutie mark means that I have a very good understanding of love and how it works," she explained. 

Squeaks' ears perked up. "Oh, just like Honeysuckle! Her special talent is seeing the love connections between ponies!"

Further down, the unicorn in question looked up at the mention of her name. "A-Actually, my talent is seeing the relationships between ponies with something like a magical representation of the red string of fate. I'm sure it's not the same thing your cutie mark means, your highness."

Cadance smiled down towards her. "That sounds like a great special talent. I'd love to see how that works sometime. Maybe later today?"

"We'll have to see, your highness," Shining Armor interrupted. "There are still several things to go over for your next tour."

"Unfortunately there are a few more countries Cadance must work her diplomatic skills on," Celestia supplied for the rest of them. "Countries that aren't as friendly with Equestria as we'd like. Because of that, Captain Shining Armor will be leading her protective guard. In his absence, both First Lieutenant Holly and former Captain Broom will be taking over the Solar Guard until Captain Shining's return."

Turning her attention back to the two new ponies, Midnight examined them more closely. Holly was a unicorn mare with a grey coat with a black patch on her muzzle, emerald green mane, and berry-red eyes. She looked around and nodded at them with the typical military indifference. The Ex-Captain Broom, on the other hoof, was smiling good-naturedly at them all. His coat was a graying brown, his mane grey-white, and his eyes a light mint. "Reminds me of the time my squad and I escorted Princess Celestia out into the minotaur lands; bunch of dreadful brutes who'd just as soon hit you with a hammer as look at you," Broom said with the air of a pony about to go into a long story, mindlessly stroking his goatee with a wing. 

"Perhaps another time, Captain," Lieutenant Holly interrupted. "For now I'd like to speak with Miss Storm after breakfast. That defense she put up against Discord might be useful in other situations and I'd like to hear the particulars."

Celestia nodded. "Of course." She turned towards Summer. "And while they're discussing that, perhaps you'd like to see a few of the sights the city has to offer? The view of the valley between here and Ponyville is quite a sight from several of the terraces."

-----------------------------

"This is it?" Midnight asked, looking down at the small pile on the table before her.

"That it is, lass," the royal blacksmith said proudly. "Eh may not look like much now, but put 'em on an' yee see jus' how much work wen' inta 'em."

Midnight looked back down at the small pile, then shrugged and began putting the various items on. All in all, her 'armor', which took months to make, consisted of a horn ring, a thin chest plate similar to what the princesses wore, four hoof shoes, and a ring that fit snuggly around the base of her tail. The whole thing felt rather silly. "Yes, I can see just how effective this would all be in battle," she said flatly. Nearby, Sapphire, Windrunner, Shining, Cadance, Holly, and Broom looked just as skeptical as she was. Despite needing to go over the details of her trips, the princess had insisted on seeing Midnight and Windrunner demonstrate their defense for Lieutenant Holly and Captain Broom.

"Ah, lass, don't be thinkin' Ah've lost me touch jus' yet," the blacksmith said. "Yee have tee concentrate on yur armor; feel like yee need it."

Midnight raised an eyebrow at him, but indulged him and closed her eyes. As she concentrated, Arina decided to inspect the 'armor' for herself, climbing up Midnight's leg and gently poking the chest piece. Midnight took a sharp intake of breath, and without further warning, the armor expanded over her in interconnecting plates. The ring over her horn became a helmet, forming over the bridge of her nose and down the back of her head, leaving openings for her eyes, ears, and mouth in a similar, but more utilitarian version of the helmet Nightmare Moon wore. Another difference was that, instead of leaving her horn exposed, the armor covered it as well, creating a sharp, four-bladed arrow head over it. The chest piece went up her neck and along her barrel, and Arina barely jumped off the kirin before the armor caught her. Part of the armor went out along the leading edge of her wings, ending at her wing claws and capping them with blade-like armor. The hoof shoes shot up her legs, and the two front ones popped out a set of blades. The tail ring similarly shot down her tail, capping her tail blade the same way it had capped her wing claws. Once it was done, Midnight looked down at herself. "This is... interesting."

The blacksmith nodded. "Aye. The princesses felt that a traditional set o' armor wouldn' a done yee much good, bein' undercover and all that. So, they enchanted certain bits o' the armor so that it looked more like jewelry. Yee can even jus' put one piece on an' activate it by i'self. Since yee don't be doing a lot o' fightin' with traditional weapons, I gave yee a set o' them fightin' claws the Lunar Guard use from time ta time. Not ta mention focusin' on yur natural weapons and puttin' that horn ta good use as well. About the only things I couldn't do anthin' about are yur fangs and fire."

Midnight nodded as she examined herself closer in a nearby mirror. In her opinion she looked like some goddess of war with the whole thing on. Arina crawled back onto her and settled onto the head, careful of the now very pointy horn. Examining her owner in the mirror as well, she let out a long chirp. "Damn is right," Midnight agreed, picking up a front hoof and examining the blades on either side of it. They flicked forwards, nearly poking her muzzle.

"You certainly look fierce enough."

Looking away from her reflection, Midnight found Sapphire standing next to her, also looking the armor over. Standing next to the fully armored kirin, the pegasus looked smaller and even a bit fragile in the reflection. Midnight had a sudden urge to bend down and nuzzle her reassuringly, but shook it off. As if in response, the armor 'folded' back up again.

"So, Ah take it yee like it then?" the blacksmith asked.

"Yeah," Midnight told him, a bit absently, then she stood straighter. "Yes, I'm sure this will do nicely." She chuckled. "I almost wish I had this thing back when the owlursus attacked. Have the princesses said anything about Lieutenant Windrunner getting any similar armor?"

The blacksmith nodded. "Aye, an' similarly one suited fur her special talents. If yee could stand over here, lass, I can get yur measurements," he told Windrunner, motioning to a spot next to his work table. 

As the pegasus moved to get fitted, Midnight and Sapphire moved away from the mirror and back to the group. "So, Armor, I'm surprised you didn't convince Celestia to cart me out with Cadance and leave you behind to watch over your sister," Midnight snarked.

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you would have caused an international incident," Shining shot back.

"Captains, if we could," Lieutenant Holly spoke up, "perhaps we could move on to the training grounds? Captain Broom and I would like to get to know our counterpart  and I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to hear about how Captain Storm helped defeat Discord."

"Oh, well, that's easy; marshmallows and a flamethrower," Midnight said with a grin.

"Well, if guarding is so easy, perhaps you can give us all a demonstration up on the training field," Shining said back.

As they made their way out of the armory, Sapphire and Cadance shared a glance and rolled their eyes.

-----------------------------

"Your grandmother really likes to shop, doesn't she?" Honeysuckle asked Squeaks as they rested on a bench outside a shop in Canterlot's shopping district. The older unicorn had been leading them up and down the streets, stopping to look in this store, wondering if something was worth the price in another, and generally making a repeat of their time in Baltimare, minus going on about making memories. She'd finally given them all a break when she decided to try on some outfits in a boutique so she'd have some formal wear for around the castle. Orange and Autumn stayed inside while Squeaks and Honeysuckle stayed outside with everypony's drinks and snacks.

Squeaks shrugged and took a break from her (non alcoholic) pina colada smoothie. "I think this is how she likes to spend time with us but I'd rather be back at the castle with mom and Sapphire and Windrunner."

"But isn't it boring just listening to adults talk?" Honeysuckle asked, raising an eyebrow.

Squeaks shrugged. "I don't mind. Besides, they always talk about interesting things when we're up at the castle."

"Such as?"

"Well..." Squeaks caught herself. She'd completely forgotten that Honeysuckle didn't know her mother was the captain of a secret guard. "Uh... secret stuff?"

Honeysuckle raised an eyebrow. "What kind of secret stuff?"

"Secret... kirin stuff?" Squeaks tried.

The eyebrow stayed up, but the unicorn decided to give the filly a break. Apparently she'd heard something she wasn't suppose to and nearly let it slip.

"Well, since you like listening to grownups talk, then can I talk with you for a minute?" The filly nodded as her mouth re-glued itself to the straw of her drink. "Well, in the future, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't point me out like you did this morning at breakfast; it makes me uncomfortable."

Squeaks' ears drooped. "I'm sorry, but you and Princess Cadance sort of have the same cutie mark, so I figured you could try being friends with her since mom says you need to make some besides her and Sapphire."

Honeysuckle both smiled and winced. "Well, who says I need to have more friends than that?"

The bat filly thought about that for a minute. "Nopony, I guess, but you almost never leave the house and even with mom and Sapphire you still seem sad. Why are you sad so much?" Squeaks asked, genuinely curious.

"Well..." Honey started, then stopped, took a sip of her strawberry-banana milkshake, and wondered if she should tell the young thestral the truth. Not the whole truth, but the gist of it. "I was kicked out of the only home I had by my aunt. She... she blamed me for something really bad happening."

"Why didn't your mom or dad stop her?" Squeaks asked.

"I never knew my father and my mother... my mother wasn't around anymore. I guess after that I never really felt like I belonged anywhere." 

Silence fell between them.

"Well, then you definitely belong in Ponyville," Squeaks finally said. When Honeysuckle looked over at her, she continued. "Mom says that Ponyville is the only place in Equestria that accepts you for who you are no matter what, so if you don't feel like you belong anywhere else, you belong in Ponyville."

Honey smiled at that. Such a simple view of things, yet it made her feel a bit better inside.

"And I think you'd be happier if you made a few more friends that don't live in the house," Squeaks continued. "I heard that one way ponies become friends is because they like the same things. Maybe if you found somepony in Ponyville who likes the same things you do, then you could spend time with them doing those things. I like playing Pillow Knights with Pinchy, Dinky and Twist, mom and Sapphire like playing poker with their moms, and Windrunner likes racing with Rainbow Dash. Somepony in Ponyville hast to like something you do."

Honeysuckle continued to smile and playfully rubbed the filly's mane. "You're a smart little filly, aren't you?"

Squeaks laughed and squirmed out of her reach. "Miss Cheerilee says I'm doing really good in school."

They both laughed.

"Well, in that case, could you explain something else to me?" Honeysuckle asked. Squeaks stared up at her expectantly. "Could you tell me why you weren't scared of me when I came to live with you? Midnight warned me that you didn't like strangers but you never seemed to have a problem with me."

Squeaks turned back to her drink and thought for another minute. "I guess... because you never seemed scary. Mom and Sapphire took care of me, so I wasn't ever afraid of them, but... I guess because you seemed so sad and kinda scared about being with us that I just couldn't be scared of you." She smiled up at the unicorn. "And since I wasn't scared of you, I wanted to be your friend, and now we are!"

Honeysuckle smiled back down at her. Using her magic, she pulled the filly in for a hug, using the gesture to hide the bit of wetness in her eyes. "Thank you Squeaks. If you think it's a good idea, then maybe I will try and make some more friends."

"If you're still shy around other ponies, maybe you could try being friends with Fluttershy; she's really shy around others, too, so maybe you can help each other," Squeaks suggested.

"I think that's a great place to start," Honeysuckle agreed.

As they parted, Summer, Orange, and Autumn came out of the boutique. "Alright you two, on to our next stop!"

-----------------------------

"This is idiotic," Midnight grumbled. Her patience pretty much gone, she swung her front right leg, new hoof-blades extended, and smashed the spear the Solar Guard was wielding in half. She then spun around and smashed him with the flat of her tail blade, sending him flying across the field. Behind her, Windrunner hit another guard that had slipped by the kirin, trying to damage one of those under their 'protection'. Which, for Midnight, was the source of her annoyance. "You do realize that the bearers won't just be sitting around in a fight, right!?" Her words were directed at Shining Armor, sitting on the sidelines and directing his troops along with Cadance, Holly, Broom, and Sapphire. 

"Last time I checked, that's exactly what they did when you fought Discord," he called back.

Oh yes, she was going to give him a proper military mane cut before he left. One that used fire instead of scissors. On the other hoof, he did have a point, even if she hated to admit it. She also had to admit that he'd done a good job training his soldiers; not one had flinched away or showed any fear of her as they charged in, determined to hit one of the practice dummies the only two members of the Bearer Guard were guarding. So far, the defense Midnight and Windrunner had mounted had been successful despite some close calls. Midnight, in her new armor, took the attackers head on, breaking them up and forcing them back. Windrunner was acting as backup and intercepting any 'enemies' that got past the kirin. She'd also intercepted a few flanking maneuvers, holding them at bay long enough for Midnight to come around and force them back as well. 

Now though, Shining had sent in a three prong attack and the only thing keeping the third group from claiming victory was the dust cloud ring Windrunner had kicked up when she had spotted the second and third group charging in. The pegasus was engaged with the second group, which had a couple of pegasi in it this time who were trying to break up the dust cloud for their comrades. With the first group pushed back, Midnight jumped up and hovered over the dummies, trying to see through the dust and pick out the third group. A yellow magic aura enveloped one of the dummies and she saw the faint glow of the offending unicorn horn through the cloud of dirt. She dove down, ramming into him and knocking him back out of the dust devil. 

When she got up in the air again, she saw two more guards breaking out of the dust and wind. They were too close and she'd never get both before they were on the dummies, but damned if she wasn't going to try. She dove again, angling for the one closest to the targets. Right before she hit the first guard, she snapped her right wing forwards, throwing the concealed Arina at the second guard. The spider hit him square in the side of the head. Now, the spider certainly didn't have enough mass, even after being thrown, to knock the guard over, but nopony can simply ignore one big enough to hug their face latching onto the side of their head. Give the guy credit; he only screamed like a filly once. Throwing the first guard back through the dust cloud, Midnight sprinted over to the second guard, paused for just a second for Arina to jump back over to her, then bucked the guard in the general direction of his partner.

She'd barely caught her breath when yet another guard barreled past her, his spear held aloft by his magic. Midnight twisted after him, diving on top of him and pushing him to the ground. As he fell, he used his magic to shoot the spear, and as they hit the ground, the weapon impaled one of the dummies in the barrel, a clean kill shot.

"A bearer is down! The fight is over!" Broom called from overhead, his voice magically amplified to carry over the battle. Immediately, the sound of fighting from the other side of the dummy pile stopped, followed by the sound of strong wing beats, and the dust cloud began to dissipate. Midnight got up, then pulled the other guard to his hooves.

"Good throw," Midnight grunted. She meant it, too; this was as much an exercise for them as it was for herself and Windrunner and, judging by how tired she felt, she was sure that they'd lasted just as long against the Solar Guard as they had against Discord's s'mores army. If they'd had Spike and a wall of burning marshmallow soldiers as well, she was sure they could have lasted longer. She didn't even mind the dents and scrapes on her new armor; the damn thing was meant to be used after all.

The guard nodded at her, then rejoined his squad mates. 

As her armor re-sheathed itself, Windrunner flew over with two large mugs of cold water. The kirin gratefully took hers and downed it. "How long did we last?" she asked when she was done.

"About a half hour," Windrunner said, taking a more controlled but no less eager drink of her own. "I don't remember how long we faced Discord for."

"Neither do I, but it sure felt like that long at least," Midnight said with a sigh. She didn't really think the Elements took that long to reconnect with the bearers, nor that the draconequus had been that patient to see their end, but a half hour sounded right.

Her counterparts for the Solar Guard came over as Windrunner, this time joined by Arina, took off for more water. Princess Cadance and Sapphire were with them as well. "Impressive," Shining said. "I didn't think you two would last so long."

"What, you thought Spike was the whole reason we lasted so long against Discord?" Midnight retorted. 

"What I believe Captain Armor means," Lieutenant Holly said, interrupting, "is that given the odds against just the two of you, you lasted far longer than expected."

"Indeed, good show!" Captain Broom agreed.

Midnight nodded in thanks. "Truth be told, I was holding back. There were plenty of opportunities to blast them with fire, use my tail blade, or just become a wyvern; didn't want to do anything permanent since this was just training."

"And we thank you for considering that," Holly told her. "We all know this would have been a lot messier if this was a real skirmish."

"Now that training is over," Shining said as Windrunner and Arina returned with more water, "I insist that we work on your tour, Princess Cadance. A day and a half is pushing it to make sure everything is in order."

"Agreed, Captain Armor," the alicorn said, then nodded at the kirin. "After seeing Captain Storm and Lieutenant Windrunner in action, I have to agree with my aunts that the Element Bearers are in good hooves." 

"I understand it's a source of contention between you and Captain Armor," Holly said as the two left the training field, "and that the princesses have sided with you on this, but I have to agree with the captain and point out that it would be much better if you had more ponies in your guard."

"I agree as well," Broom said. "Two ponies does not a guard make, as it were."

Midnight sighed but didn't snap back. These two genuinely wanted to help. "We're currently 'training' a hippogriff whose showing some promise. As I've told Captain Armor, I'm in a sort of catch 22 situation where I agree I need more guards but I want experienced ones and the only experienced ones are all ones Twilight has a good chance of recognizing, which blows our cover."

Holly tapped her lip with a hoof as she thought for a minute, letting the kirin finish her second drink of water. "With your permission captain, I could go through the postings to see if any guards, here or in other locations, meet your criteria. It might take some time, but finding even just one would make the Bearer Guard more well off."

"I'm surprised Captain Armor didn't think of that," Midnight said with a raised eyebrow.

"With respect to Captain Armor, I believe he had his own choices in mind."

"The boy can't help it," Captain Broom said with a shrug. "One of the best cadets I've seen in my entire career but if you didn't go through the same training he doesn't think you can cut it. In fact, there was this one time where him and this police officer..."

-----------------------------

"You shouldn't have, mom," Midnight grumbled in annoyance, picking at the silver choker around her neck. The thing was something Summer had bought while out in the city for Midnight to wear that night to dinner. Summer had been just as insistent, if not even more so, about getting dressed up for this meal as she had for breakfast. In an attempt to form a middle ground of some kind, Midnight hadn't put up a fuss about getting dressed up and even allowed Summer to dab a bit of makeup on her. It wasn't like she hated being dolled up every now and again; she just felt like there was a time and place for it. Grand Galloping Gala? Sure. A garden party with her mom's boss. Of course. Dinner with the princesses? Eh, for some, but not her. The choker was pushing things just a little too far.

"I know, but it just looks so good on you!" Summer told her with a smile. The unicorn was sporting a new dress that, while not as done up and expensive as one would wear to an event such as the Grand Galloping Gala, was still a bit overkill for a simple dinner. All the mares, sans Midnight, and the two fillies were wearing something like it, all courteously of Summer, and Orange was in the same suit as the one her wore to the garden party except with a new cravat. 

Arina was, once again, bared from the meal, much to the spider's annoyance. When Summer had once again put her hoof down on letting a pet eat at the table, she'd given her the scariest look Midnight had ever seen the spider give, then scuttled away into Midnight's room. The kirin was sure the spider was planning retribution on her mother but had little desire to curb it at the moment. It would probably be funny as heck, anyway.

Midnight opened her mouth to respond, then closed it with a snort. The choker was around her neck, the makeup on her face, and her mane done up; end of discussion. Sapphire moved up next to her and laid a wing on her whither. The pegasus was dressed in a simple silver dress and dark blue shawl that matched her mane, which was in a bun with a few strands falling down the sides of her face. 

"It looks good on you," she told her, making the kirin's face burn a bit more.

"I wouldn't mind it so much if it didn't feel like a collar," Midnight whispered back. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear she'd yank it the second I do something she doesn't like."

Sapphire snorted in amusement and slapped her playfully with her wing. "She's not going to treat you like a dog on a leash. Besides, what's the problem with being "girled up" once in a while? You didn't have a problem with it for the gala."

"That was different," Midnight said dismissively. "That was... just how it is. A big shin-dig where everypony dresses up. This is a dinner with the princesses, which we've been through before without being made up as if we were going on a date." As soon as the words left her mouth her eyes shot wide open and she looked over at Sapphire, her face burning yet again. The pegasus was looking up at her with an equally shocked expression with an equally deep blush that wasn't naturally hidden. "I-I mean dates with other ponies... separate... not together... not that you don't look good... I'm going to be quiet now." 'Stupid, Stupid, STUPID!' Midnight roared at herself as they entered the dining hall. 

Looking anywhere but at the pegasus next to her, she took in the seating arrangements. At the head of the table, this one wider than the one they had at breakfast, sat both Celestia and Luna; Celestia to the left and Luna to the right. This time Cadance was on Luna's right, followed by Shining Armor, Broom, Holly, Night Skimmer, and Lieutenant Star Chaser. All of them were in their military dress uniforms and Midnight silently wished she could have come dressed in her own; she didn't have any problems wearing that. Oddly enough, Night Skimmer wasn't in uniform, but in a civilian dress coat.

The side of the table to Celestia's left was completely vacant. "Ah, come in and sit down everypony; we're just getting ready to order," the princess of the day told them, motioning to the empty seats. Midnight took the lead and sat down next to Celestia, followed by Sapphire, then the fillies, Summer, Orange, Windrunner, and finally Honeysuckle. The alicorn raised an eyebrow at their attire. "Quite the formal wardrobe this evening," she said with a smile.

"My mother felt it would be appropriate for the evening," Midnight told her with a straight face, but with just enough exasperation in her voice to make Summer shoot a look up the table at her. 

"I can see she has good taste; as expected of somepony whose run a successful branch of a modeling agency," Celestia said diplomatically, soothing Summer. "Now, I'd say I'm in the mood for some pasta tonight..."

-----------------------------

"I am glad to hear they're doing well."

Princess Luna, Midnight, and Sapphire stood near one of the large windows near the front of the dining hall. For both security and upcoming seasonal reasons, the windows were shut to the night outside, though the moon and stars of the night sky were easily visible. Everypony but Luna, Celestia, and Night Skimmer had already left and the princess of the night had come up to them after the meal was over and had asked how the thestrals were adjusting to life in Ponyville. The two had reported that all were now established and, while not booming, their businesses were bearing fruit.

"Even with more and more ponies staying up later and later into the night, there still aren't enough ponies going out shopping for the things they're offering so late at night," Midnight explained. "We've been talking about maybe setting a stall for daytime hours, but we can't find anypony to run it at the moment."

There was a slight feeling of movement to her left, and Midnight turned to find Night Skimmer there. "Forgive me, I don't mean to interrupt," he said with a nod to Midnight and Sapphire, as well as a bow to the princess. "But, I was hoping to ask Captain Storm something, if I may."

"Of course, Captain Skimmer," Luna said with a nod.

Skimmer turned more fully to Midnight. "You see, I have tonight off and I was just wondering if you'd like to... to go out with me on a... date?" His eyes shot nervously away for a second and Midnight's grew wide. "I know we've just had dinner, so we don't have to do that if you don't want to, but there are a lot of things to do at night here in the city if you want to, like night clubs, bars, or just walk in a park or two or... or something."

Midnight stared down at him, hardly believing what was happening. Night Skimmer wanted to go out on a date with her? In a way, it was exactly what she wanted her whole life; somepony who knew who and what she was but still liked her and liked her enough to want to date her, just like she was any other pony in the world. But, at the same time, she didn't really have any romantic feelings for him. He was a fellow captain and a good friend but she didn't see him as a coltfriend or anything of the like. Then again, if he was showing interest in her, then maybe going on a date would change that? 

Her eyes flicked over to Sapphire, and she could see several emotions flashing over the mare's face. Shock and confusion were clear but there were others beneath them that were going by too quickly for the kirin to ascertain. Luna, while also looking somewhat blindsided by her captain's action, was quickly recovering and looking interested in how things were going to play out. 

Looking back, she found Skimmer's awkward smile had become a disappointed frown. "Look, I know this is all really sudden and if you don't want to that's okay..."

"N-No! I'll to go out with... with you," she finally said. "I just... nopony's ever asked before so I was just... shocked is all." She smiled, but it didn't feel right.

The smile returned to Skimmer's face. "Oh, well, okay then. Do you want to do anything before you go, like add some more makeup or...?"

"No, this is fine. Um, Sapphire?" The kirin turned to the pegasus and found her staring back up at her. She almost looked... pleading. As quick as that thought crossed her mind, Sapphire's face returned to its usual, content look. "Can you tell everypony what's going on so they don't get worried?"

Sapphire nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you." She turned back to Skimmer. "So... I guess we can go then?"

"Great! I know a few places close to the palace we could hit up first if you want, or we could..." their conversation trailed off as the two left the hall.

Luna watched them go, then turned towards Sapphire. The pegasus looked like she'd just lost something very important to her. "Miss Breeze?" the night princess said softly.

The pegasus jumped, as if she'd forgotten the alicorn was there with her. "Y-Yes, your highness?"

"Is everything alright? You seem... unhappy about what just transpired."

Sapphire shook her head, and the soft smile once again returned to her face. "Not at all! I'm glad Midnight found somepony interested in her. If you'll excuse me, I have to tell the others the good news." With a bow, Sapphire left the room as well.

Luna watched her leave, then turned to look at Celestia. The white alicorn was looking back. Both of them raised an eyebrow.

-----------------------------

Summer dropped the brush she'd been using, almost conking Autumn in the head. "She's WHAT!?" the unicorn exclaimed. Windrunner, Orange, and Honeysuckle looked equally as shocked as Summer. Arina squeaked something that sounded very similar and fell off the back of the chair she was climbing on.

Sapphire nodded. "Yes, she and Captain Skimmer are out on a date. She told me to tell all of you so you wouldn't get worried."

Summer sat back on her haunches. "Sweet Celestia, I almost thought I'd never see the day! Midnight's never shown any interest in anypony before..." She trailed off, then a grin split her face. "Oh, my baby girl is growing up! I'm so happy for her! I hope it goes great for them!"

Arina, also having recovered, began to chirp in what sounded like rather angry tones, waving her front legs around like she was possessed. A few chirps seemed to be aim Sapphire's way.

"Yes," Sapphire said quietly. "I'm sorry, everypony, but I'm feeling really tired; I'm going to go to bed a bit early tonight." She yawned and stretched out her wings.

"Everything alright?" Windrunner asked, eyeing the other pegasus.

Sapphire waved a hoof. "Yes, just... just tired is all. The princesses asked me to take care of a few things while I'm back and I've fallen out of the rhythm; easy life in the country and all that. I'll see you all in the morning." With that she trotted into her room and closed the door for the evening.

Except it didn't stay closed for the rest of the night.

A little over an hour later Sapphire's door swung open again, the pegasus stepping out and looking around. The lights in the common room were out but the one in the kitchenette shone brightly. Its light showed Windrunner closing the door to her own room behind her and the quiet clattering of cups told the blue pegasus that Honeysuckle must still be inside.

Sapphire made her way into the room just as Honey was turning towards the entranceway with a cup of water in her magic. "Oh, Sapphire, I thought you went to bed already." The unicorn cocked her head slightly. "Is something wrong?" 

At first, Sapphire was going to shake her head, but she reminded herself why she was out here. "It's nothing serious but I still want to talk about it with somepony, if it's alright."

Honey nodded and motioned to follow her to the table where Arina was having her own drink of water-downed juice laid out in a saucer. As they sat down a second glass of water landed in front of Sapphire, and she nodded thanks to the unicorn. Her throat was starting to feel dry already.

"Well, you see, the thing is... uh..." Sapphire started, only to trail off. Honey stayed focused on her, waiting for her to continue, and Arina stopped her own drinking to listen in. "You see, I... I... I have this friend here in the castle..." Mentally she face-hoofed. Who in all of Equestria didn't know what that meant? Oh well, she'd already said it; might as well ride it to the end. "...and she's having some... romantic issues."

Honey nodded and took a sip of her water. "Just for the record, you do remember that I just see connections between ponies; I'm not like Princess Cadance who can hoof out love advise."

Sapphire nodded. "I know; I just need somepony else to bounce this all off of. Anyway, my friend has... feelings for another friend of hers, but she doesn't think the other friend feels the same way about her and she asked me what she should do. I don't really know and I thought I'd ask somepony I knew with at least a little bit of knowledge on the subject."

Honey tapped her chin for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Just tell your friend to pull him to the side and tell him how she feels. I know that always seems hard but that's the best I can tell you."

"Well, she would have done that already but the pony she likes is another mare, not a stallion."

Honey raised an eyebrow. "So? There're plenty of same-sex couples all over Equestria. Aren't Lyra and Bon Bon a couple?"

"So she doesn't even know if she likes mares like that!" Sapphire whispered loudly. "What if she doesn't!?"

"Then she'll tell her when they talk in private," Honey said matter-of-factly.

"But... but they couldn't be friends anymore after she told her that, right? Wouldn't things get a bit awkward if they know one has a crush on the other but the other doesn't?" Sapphire asked pleadingly.

Honey leaned back a bit. "Well, that's why you, she, talks with her friend in private, so she won't feel put on the spot. And, if they're friends, they should be able to find a way to stay friends even if one of them likes the other as more than a friend. Yeah, things might be awkward at first but the friendship won't end as long as they don't let it." She got up from the table. "Ponies make such a big deal out of love, even before it really ever takes root. As far as I'm concerned, it's very simple. If it works out, great, but if it doesn't, then there's always more ponies in the hills and sky. It isn't like you only get one chance at it. Just tell your friend not to worry about it too much." With that Honey walked out of the room, leaving Sapphire to study her water in silence. Arina climbed up onto her whither and nuzzled her neck, chirping softly.

-----------------------------

Princess Cadance trotted through the doors and out into one of the more secluded gardens on the castle grounds. She loved this time of night, so peaceful and quiet. It was the perfect time for couples to snuggle into bed together, to share secrets, to just be close to one another. It was also the time some of her favorite flowers were open and this night would be one of the last times she'd get to see them in bloom before the upcoming winter and her royal duties separated her from them. 

She yawned and stretched her wings. If only she could have gotten Shining to come out with her but he was still reviewing their route and plans for each visit. He may be a great captain of the guard but he also needed to loosen up a bit. Then again, that's why she requested that he come along with her, wasn't it? She smiled, but it quickly disappeared when she rounded the last bush before the clearing she was aiming for.

Across the way and standing on the shore of the fish pond was the kirin Midnight Storm, still in her evening wear and staring out over the water. Her wings, tail, and ears were all drooped slightly and she didn't even twitch as Cadance slowly approached. She didn't even acknowledge the alicorn's presence until they were standing next to each other and Cadance had cleared her throat.

"Huh? Oh, Princess Cadance, hello," Midnight muttered, giving her a small, polite bow. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you approach. Is there something I can do for you?"

"No, I'm fine," Cadance assured her. "I'm just taking a break from going over the itinerary with Captain Armor. It's already done but he wants to make sure we didn't overlook anything."

Midnight let out a snort of amusement. "Like sister, like brother I guess."

Cadance chuckled. "They have rubbed off on each other in some ways. By the way, I heard about Captain Skimmer asking you out on a date earlier; can I ask how it went?"

Midnight was about to ask her how she'd heard about that but remembered who her aunts were. She let out a sigh. "It was alright. He took me out to a few places, we took a walk through a park, the usual romantic stuff you read about." Her wings and tail fidgeted, then she continued. "However... I don't think Captain Skimmer and I will be going out on a second one."

"Oh my, can I ask what happened?" Cadance asked gently. It didn't sound like the kirin was angry but disappointed and depressed. On the one hoof that was good because whatever was going on probably wasn't Skimmer's fault but on the other, something had certainly gone wrong for Midnight to be acting this way.

"Nothing; like I said it was a nice night out on the town. It's just... I just don't feel the same way about Skimmer as he obviously feels about me." She drooped a bit more.

"Well, if that's all it is, then you should tell him now before things get too serious or things might become downright unpleasant between the two of you," Cadance told her seriously.

Midnight nodded. "I should, and I will, but things on my end are a bit more complicated than that. The thing is, he's the first pony ever to ask me out and I might have still given the two of us a try anyway if it wasn't for the fact that I... well..."

Cadance's ears perked up. "You like somepony else, don't you?"

Midnight hesitated, then nodded. She wasn't about to go spilling her guts out but she did agree with Sapphire that talking things out was better than holding it all in. In this case, however, Sapphire was the problem and who better to talk about relationships than with a pony who had love for a cutie mark? "I do."

"Then why did you agree to go out with Skimmer in the first place?"

"Because he sprung the question on me and I just..." she shook her head. "I didn't know what else to say. He's been a good friend and I didn't want to ruin things between us by flat-out refusing him, especially with others around. Actually... that's the reason I haven't said anything to the pony I like."

Cadance looked up slightly in thought. She had feeling for a friend; things could indeed get complicated then. "Have you shown him you're interested at all? A stroke of a wing or walking very close next to him?"

Midnight's head ducked lower. "Well... up till now I've never really thought about being in a relationship with a pony like that until recently and... I'm not really into stallions, I guess. I think I might have sent a few signals her way, but I don't think I sent them right, if I did."

Cadance raised an eyebrow. So, she likes a mare then? "Well, the first thing you should do, after talking with Skimmer, is pull her to the side and, in private, tell her you like her as more than a friend and if she could possibly feel the same way about you. The privacy thing is really important so that you don't put her in an awkward position like Skimmer did to you. I might drop that in his ear the next time I see him, for his own sake next time."

Midnight nodded. "I'm just scared I'll ruin our friendship. I've heard of that before, one friend telling the other they like them that way and then things are never the same. I don't want to ruin that." Then her face grew hard and she slapped the water. "Of course I would. Why would she want to be with me anyway? I'm a grouch, I kill things so I can eat them, I look like, like this!" She gestured to herself. "Sure, we're friends, but she wouldn't want to be intimate with something like me-ow!" Midnight rubbed her head as Cadance threw the stick she'd just hit the kirin with away.

"Stop thinking like that right now! There's nothing wrong with the way you act or look and if any of those bothered her she wouldn't be your friend in the first place." She took a breath. "Love is scary and makes you feel and think things you'd normally never even consider. Yes, she may not feel the same way about you and you have to be ready for that possibility but you can't let the fear of rejection stop you from even trying. Yes, rejection hurts, but knowing where you both stand is far better than always looking back and asking yourself "what if?", because that 'what if' will haunt you for a very long time. So she doesn't feel the same way; it isn't like this is your only shot at love with somepony. If you're afraid of losing a friend, then be mature about it; find a way you both can still be friends without making things awkward." She took another breath. "Confidence. You have to be confident when telling her how you feel, you have to be confident that you'll still be friends no matter how things turn out, and you have to be confident that there'll be somepony else for you if she isn't the one."

"But what if-"

Cadance smacked her with a wing. "No buts! No what ifs! No second guessing! You start thinking that way and you'll never find out if she feels the same way about you. Tell me, how do you feel about flying?"

"I... well, I love it," Midnight told her, surprised by the change of subject.

"And how did you first feel when you looked out over a really high takeoff point when you were still learning?" the alicorn pressed.

"Like I was doing the stupidest thing in the world," Midnight said, thinking back to the first time she jumped off her roof. At the time she was sure she'd just landed herself in the hospital, even though she'd been able to get airborne from jumping off boxes and such.

"But you still did it, because you wanted to fly so badly you ignored how bad the consequences could be and jumped anyway. That's the attitude you have to have here."

Midnight snorted. "You make it sound so easy."

"It isn't, but it is worth it," Cadance told her. She stretched her wings again. "Hey, it's late. Why don't we both call it a night? Some sleep ought to do us good."

Midnight nodded and followed the alicorn back inside the castle.

-----------------------------

Sapphire forced back a yawn as she nodded towards a maid she was passing in the hallway early the next morning. She could have sworn she'd seen the mare's eyes flash green for a second, but she was sure it was just her half asleep brain playing tricks with her. 

Even after her short talk with Honey, she still couldn't sleep. Why did stuff like this have to be so hard? The way her mother made it sound, she and her father had met and fallen in love right then. Tartarus, he'd asked her out on the spot and she'd just said yes. No hesitation, no hemming and hawing, just "yes, let's start dating!". Maybe because they hadn't known each other was why it had been so easy.

She sighed and continued on her way. Her destination was the fish pond in the back garden. It was the most secluded of all the palace gardens and a great place to think, even more so with the sun just peaking over the horizon and only the guards out and about. 

'I have to tell her how I feel,' she thought as she made her way outside. 'Maybe when we go out on a flight back home we could find a big, secluded cloud and...' She froze as she made her way around some bushes. There, across the clearing on the bank of the pond, was Midnight. Her mouth felt suddenly dry and she couldn't get her legs to move. What was she doing out here so early, and why here of all the places within the castle grounds? Slowly, she forced herself to move forward again. 

Midnight didn't even notice her until she was next to her, and even then Sapphire had to cough to get her attention, which seemed fixed on the center of the pond.The kirin practically jumped when she realized Sapphire was there. "S-Sapphire! W-What are you doing up so early!?"

"I... I couldn't sleep," she admitted, not making eye contact. "How about you? If there isn't work then you usually aren't up for another few hours yourself."

"I... couldn't sleep either," the kirin confessed. 

"I'm sorry," Sapphire said, making Midnight's head swing around. "I guess the date didn't go so well last night." A small part of her hoped Skimmer had royally screwed up in some way, but she shoved it away. Skimmer was a great pony who had fought against his own colony to make Equestria a better place and was a captain of a royal guard. She was just some secretary who'd been assigned to Midnight. It wouldn't be surprising if the kirin had fallen for him. She'd said yes to him last night after all.

"No, it was nice. Skimmer knows how to treat a mare," Midnight said, looking away again and rubbing her leg with a hoof. "But... I just don't think I'll be going out with him again. It turns out I don't feel the same way about him as he feels about me."

Sapphire looked up at the kirin. "But... you said yes when he asked you out last night!" she said, some accusation in her voice. "If you don't like him that way, why did you go out with him in the first place?"

"Because he sprung the question on me and I was so surprised it just came out," Midnight told her. "Maybe if he'd pulled me to the side first but you and Luna were there and looking at me and I thought if I said no we'd both look... I don't know, stupid, embarrassed, jerkish?" She sighed. "I don't know," she repeated, then fell silent.

"So, I guess you've been trying to figure out a way to break it to him?" Sapphire asked.

Midnight shook her head. "No, that bit I've got all figured out. The truth is, I've been trying to figure out a way to say something to somepony else."

They both looked at each other.

"Sapphire-"
"Midnight-"

They stopped and looked away again.

"I'm sorry, you first," Sapphire said.

"No, I've been doing a lot of talking already."

"Really, I insist."

Midnight opened her mouth to object, but closed it. Her wings and tail fidgeted. "To tell you the truth, there's another reason I don't want to go out with him again. I'm... not really into a relationship with a stallion. I've never really thought of romance until now and it took a date with one for me to realize that. I... actually want one with a mare, one mare in particular, so... there's that."

Sapphire felt her heart begin to beat faster and her cheek begin to warm.

Midnight turned her body to face the pegasus. "Sapphire, we've only know each other for a year and a half but you're my best friend. I... I..." 'Confidence; just tell her!' "The thing is, all of my friends and family are like my horde, as Zecora put it, and even in a horde the size of a mountain, a dragon has his favorite pieces. Squeaks is my daughter, so of course I love her with all my heart, but, right now, there's another gem and I like that one a lot, too, so..." Sapphire was looking up at her, a blush clear on her face but she also looked confused at the analogy Midnight was trying to make. Midnight could also feel her face burning and she found her words caught in her throat. "Sapphire, I... I..." 'Damn it, Midnight, just tell her!' 

"I... I like you!" she blurted out "I like you as more than a friend! I want to be near you and keep you safe and make you happy! I want to go out on dates with you and be there when you need a shoulder to cry on and... and..." Midnight finally caught herself. Sapphire was looking up at her, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. Midnight looked back over the pond, her wings and tail pulled in close. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "but that's how I feel. If you don't like me that way I understand; I just hope we can still be friends after this and..." She trailed off as she felt a muzzle rub her neck. Looking down, she found Sapphire against her, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. "Sapphire?"

"Every time my mom talked about me settling down with somepony, I always pictured myself with a stallion and it never made me happy. I figured it was because I always pictured the wrong kind of stallion but recently I figured out it was because I was thinking only of stallions. When I started thinking of myself with mares, I started to like the idea more and then I began thinking of one mare in particular. You're brave, kind hearted, selfless, and strong. When you've been scared, hurt, or sad, I wanted to be there for you because it hurt to see you like that. I want to be there to make you smile, to make you happy and tell you everything will be alright."

Even as Sapphire wrapped her wings around the kirin, Midnight's even larger wings engulfed them, shielding them from the rest of the world. "I was afraid to say anything because I wasn't even sure..."

"...if I even liked mares to begin with?" Midnight finished for her. Sapphire nodded. "I could say the same thing. Then, even when I actually thought about it, I wasn't even sure why'd you like me that way. I mean, I'm a grouch, I kill things, and I look like... well..." She flexed her body. "I'm not exactly normal."

Sapphire actually chuckled at that. "And all I am is a secretary! I thought you'd want somepony in the guard or something!"

"I guess we both have a lot to learn about each other still," Midnight said, leaning down and nuzzling her forehead.

"I'd like that," Sapphire said, leaning up to nuzzle her back.

They found themselves nose to nose with each other.

They stared at one another for a bit, then leaned their heads back. It was a short, chaste kiss, and a little awkward, but it sent jolts through both of them. 

-----------------------------

"Well, it appears you were right, dear Cadance," Princess Luna said as she watched the kirin and pegasus settle down next to each other near the pond. "Although, I was sure she was talking about her lieutenant. Miss Breeze seems a bit... tame for her, as it were."

"True, but I think they complement each other perfectly," Cadance said as she, too, looked down on the new couple. 

Next to them, Arina was hopping up and down, chirping excitedly and waving her front legs, which each held a cotton ball that somehow had a M and an S on them.

"By the way, Aunt Luna, where did you find... her?" Cadance asked, eyeing the arachnid. 

"In one of the halls following her owner. I scooped her up so that Captain Storm might have some time alone to think... and allow this to happen uninterrupted. I'm sure my sister will be happy to hear about this as well; it may not have been her intention, but she always did enjoy playing match-maker."

Behind them, Night Skimmer looked like a colt that had been promised a puppy for Hearth's Warming, only to find out all his presents were alfalfa that was also going to be Hearth's Warming dinner. "What did I do wrong?" he asked plaintively. "Did I come on too strong? Not strong enough? Did I take her to the wrong places?"

"I'm sorry captain, but sometimes things just don't work out like we hope," Cadance said, trying to sound as sorry as possible. Finding out this way had to suck. 

"Suck it up sir; there are more fish in the sea," Lieutenant Star Chaser said. She marched out past him, and as she did so she swatted him with her tail. "Come on sir; you resume your duties tonight and it's time you hit the sack."

"Right," Skimmer said, getting up and following her.

Luna and Cadance looked at them, then each other. They both grinned and looked back down at the kirin and the pegasus while Arina continued to hop around.
> Ch.11 - Home for Hearth's Warming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The brown liquid spun as it was stirred, its sweet aroma increasing as crushed peppermint was added to the mix. After some more stirring, the spoon was lifted out, blown on a few times, then brought into the stirrer's mouth. She hummed as she tasted it. "Not bad," Sapphire said, returning the spoon to the pot. "But I'm not adding in the banana." From the top of her head, Arina chirped unhappily. "I have no idea where she even got the idea for it, but this is for everypony, so no banana," she told the spider, guessing at what her complaint was about. "She" being Midnight, and the pegasus once again looked towards the side door and out into the white world beyond. It wasn't a blizzard, thank Celestia, but the snow was still coming down steadily to make sure the land was thoroughly blanketed in snow for Hearth's Warming, which was only a little over a week away. She wasn't scared for Midnight or Windrunner or even for Honeysuckle, who'd decided to try her hoof at wood cutting; Midnight could breathe fire and if they did somehow get lost or in trouble, her wyvern form would be large enough to get them back safely. If anything she was worried about having to turn off the stove and risk the cocoa cooling while she collected Squeaky from school herself.

Speaking of school, poor Cheerilee would be spending most of that time interviewing applicants for the new night classes that were going to be held for the thestral foals. It had come as quite a shock to the teacher that the thestrals, as a whole, hadn't even given school a thought. Back in their old colony, book learning was kept to the bare minimum of basic reading and math so the youngsters could focus on more important things, such as combat training and farming with their families. The magenta earth pony had put her hoof down and told the thestral families that there was more to learn than basic reading and math and went so far as to ask Princess Luna, through Midnight, for her support for her argument. Luna had agreed, citing that she herself was studying as much as she could to catch up with the thousand years of history, innovation, and such she'd missed. Besides, it was also some kind of law that made it mandatory for them to attend. The new teacher wouldn't have as big a class as Cheerilee but size wasn't everything.

Her ears perked up as she heard something on the other side of the door, then it opened and the three on her mind stepped in out of the white world, the door quickly snapping shut behind them. Windrunner and Honey moved into the living room to hang up their winter clothes by the fire. When they moved far enough away, Midnight began to work herself over with her fire, melting the snow off herself while careful not to burn the scarf around her neck. The scarf, blue with black ends and Midnight's cutie mark emblazoned against the black background, had been Sapphire's Hearth's Warming gift to her the previous year, given the same day the kirin had adopted Squeaks. It warmed the pegasus that the kirin still wore it and took such care of it. When she was done, Midnight made her way over to Sapphire, throwing a wing over her marefriend and resting her head on top of her's, letting Arina crawl up to the top of her head to settle into her favorite spot behind Midnight's horn. 

"Hmm..." Midnight hummed happily as she sniffed the cocoa. "You add the peppermint and bananas?"

"Peppermint yes, bananas no. Don't give me that look; this isn't only for you," Sapphire said, seeing the kirin beginning to pout. Midnight whined a little, but stopped when she saw Sapphire wasn't going to budge. She squeezed the pegasus with her wing and the two stood there quiet for a few minutes.

"So... have your folks gotten back to you yet?" Midnight finally asked, trying not to sound disappointed with the idea in general. It wasn't that she disliked Ruby and White, she just wasn't looking forward to telling them about her and Sapphire dating. They'd been on two "dates" so far, which hadn't been any different than their usual outings together besides a bit more wing hugging and the occasional kiss. Everypony else had been confused when Midnight had suddenly switched to dating Sapphire instead of Night Skimmer. A quick explanation from the two of them smoothed things out and even gave them all a laugh when Squeaks had asked if she was getting a second mom instead of a dad.

"Yes, they say they're coming," Sapphire told her, her smile becoming a bit strained. She knew she would, but Sapphire hoped that her mother wouldn't get too wound up over her dating somepony. "She'll just get a little... excited for about an hour and then she'll calm down; you'll see."

"Uh huh," Midnight said, unconvinced. 

Her only warning was the feeling of Midnight's jaw moving before the kirin's mouth gently clamped down on one of her ears. "M-Midnight!" Sapphire yelped, trying to pull away but held fast by the leathery wing draped over her.

"Hey, are either of you going to pick up Squeaky?" Honey asked, sticking her head into the kitchen, only to find Sapphire trying to, gently but firmly, beat Midnight off her with the stirring spoon while the kirin stayed latched to one of her ears and baring a goofy grin, hardly noticing the spoon at all. Arina had simply moved to the side of her master's head that wasn't getting pummeled. "...or I could get her instead," she offered turning back to the living room to get her winter clothes.

-----------------------------

"All right class, have a happy and safe Hearth's Warming!" Miss Cheerilee said, smiling as the fillies and colts all cheered.

"Finally!" Pinchy whooped, literally hopping out of her desk. "No school for two whole weeks!"

"Maybe it'll give you time to catch up!" Dinky snickered. 

Pinchy blew a raspberry at her. "Only a pony like you would think about homework during Hearth's Warming! I'm looking forward to all those presents, and the food, and all the cool things we can do out in the snow!"

Squeaks, who had been putting the last of her books away, squeaked and folded her ears down. Snow again?

"Snowball fights, snow forts, snow ponies, snow angels...! I say we have a snowball fight when we get outside!" Pinchy said, pulling her snow cap on like a soldier would a battle helmet. 

"I can't," Twist told them, already decked out in a scarf, snow cap, and snow boots. "I have to help my parentth make candy caneth and thuff for the thop. Thith ith one of the buthyuth timeth of the year for uth." Twist's lisp sounded even worse with her excitement. "I'll try and make that pillow knightth meeting before Hearthth Warming, though! I promith to bring some of the thweets we made!"

"Oh, alright, but you'd better bring more than just peppermint sticks! My mom's bought a ton of those things already!" Pinchy said, pulling the last of her boots on. "The rest of us can think of what to do until then, right?" She got a nod from Dinky, but Squeaks wasn't with them. "Hey, where's Squeaks?" 

They all looked around and found her still by her desk, slowly putting on her winter gear. She'd gotten the whole set of thick coat, ear and wing mittens, and thick boots back when Midnight had adopted her. When she was wearing the entire thing, only her muzzle and eyes would be poking out of the bright orange suit. More than once Pinchy had called her a giant orange marshmallow. Right now she barely had the thing up to her neck, and she still had to put on the boots and mittens. 

"Come on Squeaks! What's taking so long!?" Pinchy called back. "Two weeks of no school and you're acting like you don't want to leave!"

"I'm coming," Squeaks called back, pulling the hood up over her head. "I got stuck," she said, the excuse sounding lame even to her ears. It wasn't that she wanted to stay in school or avoid the others; she didn't want to go out into the snow. The cold, wet, scary snow. Even with the suit on, she shivered as she remembered being abandoned in the Everfree Forest, snow falling constantly and slowly becoming colder and hungrier and hiding from the monsters who lived there. All she wanted to do right then was curl up next to her mom as they sat near the fireplace, a roaring fire going in the grate with a bowl of warm applesauce to eat. 

"Squeaks?" The bat filly jumped and Dinky pulled her hoof back. All three of her friends looked worried. "Is everything alright?" Dinky asked. "You looked liked something really bad happened."

Squeaks looked at all of them, then shook her head. "No, I was just..." she trailed off, unable to give them an excuse. She finished putting on her mitts and boots as fast as she could, ignoring the looks her friends gave her. "Come on, our moms and dads are waiting," she said, trying to look and sound cheerful. 

"Yeah," Pinchy agreed, hoping the unhappy mood was finally past, "it would stink if we got grounded right before Hearth's Warming."

When they got outside, Squeaks was in for a surprise. Instead of her mom or Sapphire, both Honeysuckle and Orange Glow were outside waiting for her. "Hello Squeaky," they both said as the filly trotted up to them. "How was school?" Orange asked. With only a single shoot with one of his wife's clients that morning and no commissions, he had plenty of time on his hooves to head to the school and collect the filly. He had a suspicion that with the weather the way it was, Midnight wouldn't get back from cutting wood in time and Sapphire might have gotten held up shopping for the holiday.

"It was alright grandpa," Squeaks said, huddling up between them. Despite Midnight's wishes, she'd been calling him "grandpa" for at least a month now. She just couldn't understand that if she called Summer "grandma", why couldn't she call Orange "grandpa"? They were married, weren't they? Orange had only warned her that her mother didn't like her calling him that but after a few more slip-ups and a small talk, he over looked it. If Squeaky felt more comfortable calling him that, then what would really be the harm in it? 

"Hey, Squeaks!" They all turned their heads towards Pinchy and Berry. "How about we build a snow fort in your yard tomorrow! Yours is big enough for a big one!"

"O-Okay!" Squeaks called back, waving after her friends as they all left.

"Is everything okay, Squeaks?" Honey asked, bending down.

The thestral nodded. "I'm just... tired and kinda cold; can we go home now?"

Honey and Orange looked at each other again but didn't say anything. If something was up, Squeaks was sure to tell Midnight when she got home. Speaking of which...

"You know, Sapphire's been making a large pot of hot cocoa for when we all got home," Honey told Squeaks. "We better get back quick before it gets cold." 

That did seem to brighten the filly up a bit. "Okay," she said, picking up the pace but still staying in between the two adults and away from the snow piles along the sides of the road.

-----------------------------

"Sapphy!" Ruby Skies cried, engulfing her daughter in a bone crushing hug.

"URK! Nice to see you too, mom," Sapphire grunted, her legs and wings struggling feebly to get free. 

Behind Ruby, White Out just sighed and shook his head as he put down their luggage. 

In the living room, Midnight, Squeaks, Honey, and Orange watched the reunion while Summer and Autumn viewed it from the kitchen. Windrunner would have been there too but she'd left that morning to be with her buffalo herd for the holiday. 

She wasn't the only one to leave Ponyville either. Twilight had gone back to Canterlot, Fluttershy and Rainbow to Cloudsdale, Pinkie to her parents' farm, and Scarlet and Tight had headed back to their home town. Also out of town were Vinyl and Lyra, both of whom had gone back to Canterlot with Twilight. Berry and Pinchy might have also left town to go spend Hearth's Warming with Berry's father, thus ruining the fillies' plans of playing all break together, but he'd surprised them by coming to town and spending it with them instead. Midnight had yet to meet the stallion but she'd only heard good things about him and was looking forward to being introduced. 

Derpy... wasn't having a very merry Hearth's Warming. She'd been fired from both her jobs the previous day, both the delivery/moving company and the post office having finally lost their patience with her. The company was tired of compensating customers for broken/misplaced items and the post office was fed up with her mixing up the mail one too many times. To make it even worse they'd both sacked her on the same day. While all her friends had been angry about the timing of the duel sacking, they could at least take comfort that she was finally moving out into her own place. 

Kind of. Ever since Sparkler had come to live with her sister, she'd been putting most of her earnings towards getting their own place to stay and had convinced Derpy to do the same. The recent loss of both her jobs was putting a serious dent in those plans, but Midnight had an idea about how to help her friend out in both getting a new job and a new home. Now if only her neighbors would agree to it... 

Squeaks cringed and huddled closer into her mother at the sight of Ruby while Autumn was up and ready to meet the two new ponies, trotting up to them with a big grin on her face.

"And who's this cute little thing?" Ruby asked, finally releasing Sapphire.

"Hi! I'm Autumn!" the filly told her, her small wings fluttering excitedly.

"Hello Autumn!" Ruby said back, sounding equally excited. Turning to the rest of them, she asked "and who does this cute little thing belong to?" Her eyes flashed to Midnight. "Is Squeaky a big sister now?"

"No, she's ours," Summer said, stepping forward. "Although, that does make Midnight the big sister. I'm Summer Ice and over there is my husband Orange Glow."

Ruby shook hooves with her. "So you're Midnight's parents; it's a pleasure to meet you."

There was a snort from the black, blue, and cream mass by the fireplace. 

"Actually, Orange is Midnight's stepfather," Summer said, shooting a look at her oldest. "But, family is family."

"I couldn't agree more," Ruby said, stepping down into the living room and approaching Midnight and Squeaks. "Hello Squeaky," Ruby said once she was close. "How have things been for you lately?" She was being much more subdued this time around, so Midnight had little issue with unfurling a bit and nudging her daughter.

"Squeaks? Ruby asked you a question."

Reluctantly, the bat filly poked her head out. The sight of first one ear, then the other poking back into sight, followed by the eyes and the rest of her face almost made Ruby squeal out just how cute she was. "H-Hello, Miss Skies; I'm alright," she squeaked.

Again, Ruby contained herself to just a wider smile. "That's good to hear. I hope we can build a snowpony later together."

"Okay," Squeaks said quietly, folding her ears back and shrinking back into Midnight's side. 

Midnight shared a worried glance past Ruby with Sapphire and found the other adults sharing the same look. They all knew the thestral was wary of new ponies and Midnight and Sapphire knew how much Ruby had shaken her last time but this was more than that. This behavior had been going on since school had let out, with Squeaks almost perfectly reenacting  her first days with them as she followed Midnight all over the house, avoided the front and side doors, and even got under hoof at times. In some weird way Midnight had hoped Ruby and White's arrival would shake her out of it. With an apologetic look to Ruby, Midnight covered Squeaks with a wing. "So, how was the flight from Cloudsdale?" she asked.

Ruby took the change of subject. "It was alright. The snow clouds were a pain at times, but nothing really serious." She took a step back and looked around. "I must say Midnight, you've decorated quite nicely for the season."

While decorating for Nightmare Night could have tentively been called Pinkie going hog-wild with her party cannon, decorating for Hearth's Warming was a much more subdued affair. Most of the decorations were simple strands of mini poinsettias and holly strung around window frames with electric candles in the windows. Both the side and front doors had wreaths on them and both the store front window and living room window had been touched up with the same kind of window paint from Nightmare Night to make it look like the bottom and sides were frosted over. Strands of C7 lights were hung from the eves of the house and around the outside edges of the two large windows. There was a smaller wreath laid out on the dining room table, some mistletoe hung at the bottom of the stairs, and Sapphire had even wrapped a bit of festive ribbon around the bundles of wood they had in the front. Fake snow adorned the fireplace mantle, upon which Midnight's, Sapphire's, Windrunner's,  Honey's, and Squeaks' Hearth's Warming dolls sat. The Hearth's Warming tree stood in the corner next to the couch and against the wall separating Midnight's bedroom. It was covered with some of the traditional red and gold balls and strings of bead, as well as a few candy canes and a Fire of Friendship at the top. There were also four ornaments on it which they each had picked out as a new tradition for them all to share.

The tree had become a substitute symbol for the holiday when poorer ponies had been unable to afford logs that magically burned a bright pink color, similar to the original Fire of Friendship. The type of tree had been associated with surviving winter even before the windigos had come to freeze the land, so was considered an adequate substitute. Red, gold, and pink reflective ornaments were eventually added to simulate fire, which led to the addition of Fire of Friendship ornament placed at the top of the tree. The division today was more along the lines of urban versus rural, so when Summer had moved to the Manehattan, she'd set up both a tree and magic firewood. Midnight, having grown up with both, continued this, though she'd also indulged in the fashion of getting wood with flame colors other than pink, such as blue, white, red, and green. She also found that if one burned two logs of different colors, say, white and red for example, they made a very festive fire. 

"Thank you," Midnight nodded. 

"How about I show you where you'll be sleeping?" Sapphire said, picking up some of their luggage. "Once you're settled in,  then we can start doing things together."

Ruby was about to protest when she saw the look her husband and daughter were giving her. "Oh, alright," she pouted, picking up a bag and following Sapphire and White to the stairs.

Summer scooped up Autumn and also made to leave but stopped when she saw that Orange wasn't following. "Orange?" she asked quietly.

"Go on; I'll be right behind," he told her, smiling to reassure. 

Summer looked over at Midnight then back, gave him a raised eyebrow, then shrugged and trotted back into the kitchen.

Nothing was said until the door to the front closed behind Summer. Arina, who'd been hiding around the far side of the chimney because of what Squeaks had told her about Ruby, cautiously came back into sight.

Midnight looked at Honey and Orange, that latter getting a raised eyebrow. After a few seconds he was apparently accepted as she turned her attention back to Squeaks instead of chasing him out. Lifting her wing, she nuzzled the cream-colored ball curled up next to her, making some weird imitation of a purr in her throat as she did so. When that didn't work, she turned to trying to nibble Squeaks' ears. The bat filly squirmed away from her questing mouth while doing her best not to laugh. "What's wrong Squeaks?" Midnight asked her, leaning back to show she was done trying to get her ears. "I know you don't like Ruby all that much, but is that really the reason you've been moping the past few days?" Squeaks only looked away. "Squeaks?" Midnight asked again, this time a hint of sternness in her voice. Squeaks' ears flattened again and a small whine escaped her, but still she said nothing. "Squeaky Wings," Midnight said, and this time there was no mistaking the firm undertone to how gently she'd said her daughter's name. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong and we're not leaving this room until you do." 

This time Squeaks did meet her gaze at the uncommon use of her full name but only mumbled "I can't."

"Squeaky, you know you can always tell us if something's bothering you," Orange said, moving close. Midnight looked up at him, her eyes slightly narrowed at the word "us", but didn't say anything.

"That's right," Honey said, joining them. "Don't think we'll never listen if something's wrong."

Squeaks looked around at all three of them, then wrapped her wings around herself. "You'll laugh," she said, then her eyes flicked toward Midnight, "or get mad at me."

Midnight reached out and pulled her into her chest, nuzzling her and giving her several soft kisses. Her hold on Squeaks only grew stronger when she felt the filly's cheek getting a bit wet. "Why in Equestria would we laugh or get angry at you?" she asked softly. 

"B-Because... I'm afraid of s-snow," Squeaks told them, rubbing forcefully at her eyes.

Midnight suppressed the sigh of relief she almost let out. For whatever reason this was a serious matter to Squeaks, so she wouldn't do anything to make herself sound dismissive but it was still such a relief that it wasn't something Midnight feared might happen, like the other thestrals saying something about her not being nocturnal or sharing their taste for blood or the like. She'd take Squeaks being scared of frozen water over that any day. 

"Sn-ow?" Honey and Orange said together, both catching themselves as they said the word.

"It reminds me of being in the Everfree Forest again," Squeaks said. "Being cold and hungry... and alone... and I'm already scared of the forest, and thunder and lightning, and being alone... I thought if you knew I was scared of something else, you might get mad."

"Squeaks," Midnight said gently, "nopony is afraid of only one thing."

"But the only thing you're scared of is spiders!" Squeaks said. As if to emphasize her point, Arina appeared on top of Midnight's head.
"I'm scared of spiders, yes," Midnight agreed. "But Squeaks, I'm also scared of something happening to you or Sapphire or Windrunner or Honey or Autumn or your grandmother... or Orange," she added, more as an afterthought to the stallion's visible discomfort. "I'm scared of what might happen if I screw up my job, I'm scared I'm not raising you right, scared that I'll somehow ruin the new relationship me and Sapphire have, scared that something will ruin what we've made here... there's an awful lot I'm scared of, Squeaks."

Squeaks looked up at her. "Really? All that?"

"And more if I sit and think long enough," Midnight told her. "And Honey and Orange will tell you the same thing, so if something scares you Squeaks, tell us, alright?"

The bat filly looked up at the other two. When they nodded, so did she.

"And you know, you aren't as scared of it as you might think," Midnight told her with a nuzzle.

"Huh?" Squeaks cocked her head at her mother.

"For two days you walked in it to and from school; you can't be that scared of it if you did that."

"But that's because I had to!" Squeaks argued. 

"Squeaks, if that blanket of snow was a blanket of spiders,  I wouldn't be able to even look outside, let alone go. We'd all starve because I'd never let anypony open a door or window. Either you're not as afraid of snow as you think or you're far braver than I'll ever be."

Squeaks hugged her. "You're the bravest pony I know mom."

"Thanks baby girl," Midnight said as she hugged her back. "Now, I need you to be brave for me, because I need you to do something." 

Squeaks nodded carefully.

"I need you to go upstairs and tell Ruby and White a proper hello, alright?" The speed at which Squeaks' eye became pinpricks was almost too much. 

"Do I have to?" Squeaks asked plaintively.

Midnight sighed. "Yes, for two reasons. The first is because they're Sapphire's parents and you'll make all three of them very unhappy if you don't at least make the effort to be nice and welcoming." She sighed again. "And because it would be even ruder since they got you a Hearth's Warming present and you can't even say hello properly to them."

That certainly got her attention. "Okay," she said, now a good bit more willing.

"Here," Midnight said, plucking Arina from her head and placing her on Squeaks'. "Go show her to Ruby and you might get away quicker."

The spider let out a loud chirp of protest, but Squeaks was already heading for the stairs.

"You know she's going to be mad at you for that," Honey said as Midnight got up.

"Oh, let the little fuzz ball be mad; if it helps Squeaks then it'll be worth it."

With a chuckle and a nod, Honey left the room. Orange was about to follow her out when Midnight cleared her throat.

"I... we need to talk," the kirin said, looking uncomfortable. 

"Okay," Orange said, turning back and sitting down.

Midnight sat back down as well, but her wings and tail continued to twitch. Her face was resolute but still he could see subtle changes in it, as if she didn't know how to feel about what was going on. "Look," she finally started, "I want to thank you for going to pick up Squeaks during the last week of school. You didn't have to do it and it let me get a lot of work done. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Orange said, confused but glad she wasn't snapping at him in some way.

"I also know you two have been spending a lot of time with each other and that she's been calling you... grandpa," Midnight said and this time there was no missing the agitation in her voice.

Orange stiffened. He'd hoped Squeaks wouldn't say anything if only so she wouldn't get into trouble. He felt something stir in him as he said "she has." Maybe after all these years and putting up with Windstorm's and Midnight's feelings towards him, but he was suddenly tired of the snark and aggression.

Midnight frowned at the sound of his words and her wings flared, but she took a deep breath and folded her wings back in. "I don't know if it's some influence I picked up from my father or if I genuinely have a problem with you and that's something I need to figure out for myself. All you've been is kind to my mother, my sister, my friends, my daughter, and myself. If she wants to spend time with you and call you... call you grandpa, then there's no reason she can't. That's all I have to say about it."

Orange sat there, surprised at the turn around. He'd expected her to tell him to knock it off and possibly even to stop seeing Squeaky so much but here she was, saying she was alright with it all. "Why?"

She eyed him. "Why what?"

"Why are you okay with this? I mean, the way you've always felt and acted towards me..."

"I just said I don't know why I did but as far as I can tell you haven't done anything to warrant it." She raised an eyebrow. "What, you like it when I roar in your face?"

"No," Orange said, shaking his head. "Just... caught off balance."

"Well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Midnight said, getting up and brushing past him. "Just keep it to a minimum around me...please."

"Alright," Orange said, getting up to go as well. As sappy as it sounded, maybe Hearth Warming miracles, small ones at least, did happen.

-----------------------------

"Midnight, sometimes you amaze me," Sapphire said later that evening.

"Sometimes I amaze even myself," the kirin quipped. 

Derpy looked liked she was about to burst out crying. "You... you mean they'll give me a job?" she asked quietly, as if asking any louder would make them retract the offer. 

"Yes," Night Sky confirmed, looking up from playing with Pastel Dawn and Night Wind. They were all in Night Sky and Night Saber's living room, drinking milk-suckle tea and hashing out the details of Derpy's new employment. Sky's house was less decorated for Hearth's Warming, with only a small tree sitting on a coffee table and a few decorations on the front door and window. "And Star Axe is willing to let you all move in with him. He's old but not crotchety and living in a whole house by himself. He's got the room for you, your sister, daughter, and the new shop. On top of that he says he's a heavy sleeper, so noise shouldn't be an issue, according to him."

Midnight had just enough time to put down her drink before Derpy jumped on her. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!" the pegasus cried. "You don't know how much this means!"

"I have a feeling," Midnight grunted.

"What in Equestria made you think of this idea in the first place?" Sapphire asked, amazed and proud of what her mare-friend had just done.

"Well," she started, trying to peel Derpy off as she did so, "when I asked how things were going, Sky told me they weren't selling as much as they'd wanted to because not very many ponies were coming around. I figured they needed to start selling during the day, then Derpy told us about getting fired, so..." she shrugged as she finally got the elated pegasus off her. '"Two apples, one kick."'

"We should head over to his house tonight so you can meet him," Sky said, motioning for her husband to come take the foals. "He's the kind of pony that likes to get formalities out of the way as fast as possible."

As they made their way out into the snow, Sapphire leaned against Midnight, enjoying the feel or the kirin's wing draping over her. "Putting Squeaks at ease and finding Derpy work and a home; sometimes you just seem too perfect."

Midnight let out a loud belch, startling the two ahead of them. "Blame the holiday."

-----------------------------

"Alright, now just pat the snow down here..." Ruby pointed at the spot that was the snow pony's flank and Squeaks patted the snow more firmly in place with a snow boot while Twist shored up one of its legs. Further out in the yard Pinchy and Dinky were building snow forts, getting ready for a promised snowball fight. Orange, Autumn, and White were making the ammunition. Midnight, Sapphire, and Honey were helping Derpy and Sparkler move into their new home and hopefully would be back in time to pick sides. 

It had taken a few days to get all the legal stuff through town hall and while Derpy and her family didn't have as much as other families, they still needed to pack it, move it, then unpack it. Axe was a kind old stallion who actually seemed eager to have other ponies living with him. "Can't say I actually trust any pony from the colony, even after everything that's happened," he said when inquired why he wasn't living with any of the other thestrals. "My boy and his wife were just as idiot-minded as the governor-general and if they were still alive they'd be in the Canterlot dungeons with the rest of them. Keep this lesson in mind young lady; just because they're the same thing you are doesn't mean they think the same as you. Might run into a kirin one day that eats ponies for all you know." Like Midnight, Axe hadn't taken the main bedroom for himself, instead setting himself up in the far back guest bedroom similar to where Windrunner's room was. "What do I need all that space for? It's just me and a few personal belongings. Besides, now the girls have a bedroom large enough for both of them!" 

Dinky had been apprehensive of the old stallion at first, still a bit spooked that he was a thestral and at the way he kept his house dark. That had changed when Axe had shown an interest in helping the filly with some of her homework, which made Dinky more at ease around him. It also helped that he'd begun sneaking her sweets whenever Derpy or Sparkler wasn't looking. 

"Doeth your mom have any coal?" Twist asked Squeaks when she was finished with the snowpony's leg.

Squeaks shook her head. "Why?"

"It's how we make his eyes and mouth," Ruby told her. "Instead of coal, why don't we use some fruit instead? It'll make him more colorful and when we get hungry later we'll have snacks right here."

"Okay," Squeaks nodded and motioned for Twist to follow her inside.

Ruby smiled as she watched the two head inside. Sapphire had told her, discreetly, how the filly felt about snow and while she was still bundled up from ear tuft to hoof in her snow suit, she was still out and enjoying herself in it. She was happy the filly was facing her fears.

A crunch in the snow behind her made her turn and she found Midnight and Sapphire landing close by. "We're back," Sapphire announced.

"How'd everything go?" Ruby asked.

"Fine; they're all moved in, so Dinky will have a brand-new bed ready and waiting for her when she heads home tonight," Sapphire told her, leaning over and... resting herself against Midnight.

"Speaking of beds, why in Tartarus were those frames so damn heavy?" Midnight grumbled, resting... her head on top of Sapphire's as she draped a wing over her. "It was like they were made of stone instead of wood."

Sapphire was about to reply when she saw her mother starring at them. More importantly, how she was staring at them. "Uh, Midnight?"

"Hmm?"

"We haven't told my parents yet."

Midnight's eyes flew open and she looked over at Ruby. "Buuuuuuuuuuuuck."

Pulling herself free of the kirin, Sapphire carefully approached her mother. "So, mom, there's something I wanted to tell you... Midnight and I are dating." 'Might as well just tell her and get this over with.'

Ruby just stared at the two of them for a few seconds longer, then Sapphire found her face pressed into her mom's chest. "MY SAPPHY'S FOUND A SPECIAL SOMEPONY!"

'Let her get it out of her system...'

"White! Sapphire's got a mare-friend! And it's Midnight!"

"So I've heard," White called back. He and everypony else was starring at the scene unfolding before them. 

Ruby turned her gaze on Midnight and the kirin backed up a step. The giant smile the pegasus was sporting was starting to look creepy. "And you two look so cute together!"

"I'm glad you appr-no no no no!" Midnight's wings snapped open, but Ruby was faster. Before the kirin could even take one flap, she was also pulled into the vice-like hug, her head squeezed next to Sapphire. 

"I can't stand it! I can't stand it! You two make such a cute couple! I can just imagine how you'll both look on your wedding day and then the foals you'll have together- Squeaky will be my grandfoal!"

"Don't you think... we should date a little more... before thinking about... marriage?" Midnight grunted, trying unsuccessfully to pry herself loose.

"But that's what dating leads to, doesn't it?" Ruby asked, unfazed. "I mean, you two wouldn't be dating if you didn't like each other, right?"

"But... we don't know... if we want to... live together for... the rest of... our lives," Sapphire choked out.

"Oh, fiddle sticks! You've lived with each other for nearly two years now! You'd know by now if you couldn't stand living with each other."

"Completely... different... when just... friends," Midnight got out.

"Ruby, dear, they've obviously just started," White said, landing next to his wife. "It's inappropriate to talk to them about getting married so early into their relationship and not every pony marries the first pony they date."

Ruby blink owlishly at him. "They don't?"

"No dear, they don't," White said exasperatedly. "You weren't the first mare I dated, for example."

"I wasn't!?"

"You were the third, Ruby."

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

"Because it wasn't important and you never asked." White sighed. "Look, you're happy for them and that's good but you need to, one, let them breath, and two, let them figure things out for themselves. Maybe it will work out between them and they do end up getting married or maybe their fire will go out for each other and they'll find somepony else. That's just how life is."

Ruby looked up at her husband, her eyes becoming watery. "So... do you still have feelings for those other mares?"

White rolled his eyes, then kissed her on the nose. "I didn't marry or have a wonderful foal with either one of them, did I?"

Ruby shook her head, let Midnight and Sapphire go (both collapsing into the snow together gasping for air), and buried herself in White's chest. "You're a jerk for not telling me sooner," she mumbled.

"I know," he said, patting her mane.

"That went... pretty much how I expected..." Midnight panted, filling her lungs and flexing her jaw.

"Agreed..." Sapphire panted back.

"I'm still using this as an excuse to spoil Squeaky!" Ruby said, turning and pointing at Midnight, her pep back.

White shook his head. He loved Ruby with all his heart but her mood swings could give worse whip-lash than a carriage crash sometimes.

"Somehow, I get the feeling I have very little say in the matter," Midnight grumbled, getting to her hooves and helping Sapphire up. 

"Are you okay mom?" Squeaks asked. She and Twist both had bowls filled with fruit balanced on their backs.

"YOU young lady," Ruby announced, pointing her hoof at Squeaks this time, who flared her wings and nearly dropped her bowl in surprise, "are getting three presents from us!"

"One, dear."

"Five!"

"That's not how it works Ruby."

"Seven!"

They all face-hoofed.

-----------------------------

Midnight sighed contently as she laid next to the roaring pink fire, a mug of hot mint cocoa between her front hooves and Sapphire snuggled up beside her. This Hearth's Warming had been one of the absolute best Midnight could ever remember. One Hearth's Warming Eve they'd all gone to the local reenactment of the founding (Celestia and Luna invited them to the one in Canterlot but none of them wanted their night eaten up with two train rides), then they'd eaten dinner made up mostly of fish dishes, followed by caroling. The fish dinner was an old tradition that came around because during the winters of old there sometimes wasn't enough fruits, vegetables, and flowers to go around, so, especially in the sea side communities, fish sometimes supplemented their winter diets.  Midnight and Squeaks ended the night by reading two stories out of their big story book.

The next morning had found a pile of presents under the tree. Most were for those present  but some were for those away. Windrunner had several presents waiting for her and there were a few more for their other friends out of town seeing their own families. While they were still going through them Summer, Orange, and Autumn had come over to exchange gifts with them and so Summer and Ruby could make them all breakfast. All their friends came over around lunch time, Pinchy, Dinky, and Twist bringing some of their presents over so they could all play with them. Midnight finally got to meet Berry's dad, who was a stern yet approachable stallion, who'd given Berry the liquor store after she'd gotten pregnant with Ruby Pinch. "If you're going to have a foal, you need a way to support yourself and learn how to be responsible for that income," he'd told her. Midnight didn't know whether to be impressed that he'd taken her getting pregnancy in stride and even given her a way to support herself while still teaching her a lesson or shocked he'd just dump a business on her and tell her to fend for herself but she was leaning towards the former.

Right now the kitchen was packed with ponies putting dinner together. They were all going to have Hearth's Warming dinner together and everypony had brought something for it. Oddly, there was room enough in the kitchen for everypony except the foals and Midnight and Sapphire. "I think they did it on purpose," Sapphire said, snuggling deeper into Midnight's side.

"I'd put my bits on your mom having something to do with it," Midnight retorted, taking a swing of her cocoa before curling more around the pegasus. "Not that I'm complaining." They both chuckled and kissed.

Their reverie in front of the fire was interrupted when Derpy flew into the room. "Midnight, somepony just brought a letter for you!"

Midnight's ears perked up. "A letter? I didn't know the post office delivered on Hearth's Warming."

Derpy shook her head. "They don't! She wasn't a post mare; she was at the front door and asked that one of us give you this letter, then she just took off!"

Midnight looked past Derpy and saw almost everypony else was starring at them. Carefully, she took the letter from Derpy in one of her wing claws and opened it with the other. Inside was a short letter.



Dear Midnight Storm,

Greetings and a Happy Hearth's Warming to you and yours. I know you do not know me and as such this may seem pretentious of me but suffice to say I would very much like to speak with you. You see I have recently come across a newspaper article that had your picture in it and I feel we have a pressing issue concerning both of us that we should discuss together. I apologize as the article is dated  at the beginning of the summer and I have the feeling this particular subject has been brought up with you before but I've been spending time outside the country for most of this year and as such am behind on what is going on at home. I am on my way back to Canterlot after the holiday and I would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience after I return. Please pen your reply to my estate in Canterlot provided below. I sincerely hope you will consider my offer.

Looking forward to your reply,
Lady Eden Rose of House Rose Thorn



Midnight blinked as she finished the letter. Sapphire, who'd also been reading the letter, frowned. "Lady Eden Rose... House Rose Thorn..."

"That mean anything to you?" Midnight asked.

"It's the House of a noble family, but what noble family has been out of contact with Canterlot for over half a year, let alone Equestria itself? And, no offense, but what could she possibly want to talk with you about?"

"None taken. You know this is the third time somepony has found me because of that article? It's starting to get a bit ridiculous."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Midnight looked at the letter again, then around at all the faces waiting for her answer. "Right now I'm going to continue enjoying Hearth's Warming with my friends and family and save this for tomorrow." She folded the letter back up and set it on one of the end tables next to the couch. "How's the food coming? It smells good."

As the rest moved back into the kitchen, Sapphire looked back up at the kirin. "Midnight..."

"Later," the kirin said, gently but firmly. "Right now we're together, everypony's happy, and I don't want anything disturbing that. I want a good memory to look back on."

Sapphire hesitated for a second, then leaned back in to her. "Me too."

> Ch.12 - Every Rose has its Thorns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midnight flapped her wings vigorously as she and Sapphire stepped out of Canterlot Train Station. Arina, resting on top of Midnight's head, stretched her own legs out with several squeaky chirps. "Maybe we could fly up here once," she said. "It would spare us the cost of the tickets at least."

"We could if we ever came up here for the fun of it," Sapphire told her. "We can't show up tuckered out from flying all the way for something important... and maybe bringing pets might also have not been the best idea."

Arina chirped disgruntledly and Midnight snorted. "If this Lady Eden Rose gets uppity, at least we can end on a high note with her shrieking in terror when Arina jumps onto her face." Sapphire gave her a look. "Anyway... any chance Celestia found something? Didn't she say she'd try and get Eden Rose to spill?"

Sapphire hummed unhappily. "She tried but Lady Eden kept changing the subject. The princess doesn't think she's just looking for a body guard, apparently she already has one. She wants to know exactly what Lady Eden Rose wants to see us for."

Midnight nodded. She'd have no trouble telling Celestia about whatever they ended up talking about. 

On a more pleasant note, Honeysuckle had finally settled down with a job. It was a waitressing job, the same thing she'd had at Long Line's Seafood Emporium, at the recently opened Hay Burger and she seemed happier. Perhaps the return to a regular and familiar routine was what she needed to finally settle down. That and the free hay burgers were a nice perk, even if Midnight was sure Squeaks was going to stuff herself sick one night.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped onto the sidewalk, a dark grey pegasus mare trotted up to them. "Excuse me. Are you Miss Midnight Storm and Miss Sapphire Breeze?" she asked with the air of somepony on official business. She gave them a quick once over, frowning slightly.

"We are," Midnight said, instantly irritated. She wasn't about to take any nonsense of being called up to Canterlot just to be judged.

The mare bowed her head. "I've been instructed to bring the two of you to Rose Thorn Manor. Please, this way." She waved a hoof at a carriage hitched to two stallions. Neither looked around or at their prospective passengers; they just stared straight ahead as if waiting for orders. 

Midnight didn't like any of it; stuck in a confined space with unknown ponies taking her and Sapphire to someplace neither had been to before, to meet with somepony who wanted to meet with them for a reason she was keeping secret even from the princesses. Laid out that way, the most sensible thing to do was turn around, get back on the train, and let the princesses order this Lady Eden Rose to explain herself. Despite this, Midnight had a weird desire to see this through. She wouldn't be stupid about it of course. "We'll follow you from the air," Midnight told her, sitting back on her haunches in a gesture of unmovable stubbornness. Arina laid lower on Midnight's head, imitating the gesture.

Sapphire hesitated, then followed suit, staying close to the kirin. "Midnight?" she whispered.

"I don't like this. I don't like that she's being so secretive about all of this and I'm not putting us in some position that could be dangerous." Arina chirped in agreement.

The pegasus' gaze hardened just noticeably, but in the end she simply shrugged. "As you wish, Miss Storm." She returned to the carriage and the stallions started down the street. 

Midnight and Sapphire took to the air after them, keeping an eye out for landmarks as they flew down the city streets.

-----------------------------

Rose Thorn Manor was located near the edge of Canterlot, nestled deep within the district that all the city's noble houses dwelled, with a main thoroughfare that lead straight towards the castle but still removed enough from the rest of the city that the nobility never had to see the commoners who worked and lived there except by choice.  The manor itself was colored after its namesake, a soft, pinkish red with soft green highlights along the window shutters and eves. The road leading to the front door became a circle whose center was a fountain, shaped as a rose with water flowing out of the center of the flower. Beyond the manor, Midnight and Sapphire could make out large gardens and clearing that were almost certainly used for social events, all of which eventually tapered off into the sides and cliffs of the mountain the city was situated on.

They landed on the front steps as the carriage pulled up and the pegasus mare stepped out. "This way," she said, motioning with a wing for them to follow. "May we take your bags?"

"No," Midnight said shortly, covering her saddle bags with her wings. Midnight had insisted on brining them as she anticipated a day of shopping in the city proper.

They trotted after her into the entrance hall, decorated with vases filled with roses, walls painted with roses and their thorny stems, and a chandelier above sculpted into, surprise, a rose. "And you said the house on Nightmare Night was borderline ridiculous," Midnight muttered to Sapphire as they were led under the main staircase and down a long hallway. Thankfully the rose theme quickly tapered off and was replaced by more variation the deeper into the manor they went, such as the hallway they were in having a blue rug and dark wooden paneling. Rooms they past with open doors showed varying soft colored walls and various styles of rugs or wood. The light fixtures were the only things still with the rose theme, their glass cases shaped as such. A few times they passed servants going about their work, some pausing to stare at the odd visitors while others ignored them completely, either too engrossed in their responsibilities or not caring. 

They eventually reached the end of the corridor, taking a right and then a sharp left through a set of double doors into what Midnight could only describe as an enclosed patio, glass panels letting them see out into the gardens and yards while keeping the cold weather out. Several potted plants, none roses, lined the edges and adding some color to the otherwise white and grey scene. A single table, set with trays of baked goods and a tea set and surrounded by chairs, dominated the center of the room.

"I will inform Lady Eden Rose of your arrival," the pegasus said, swiftly turning and leaving them alone. 

Midnight moved forward and inspected the table. "So, why do you think this Lady Eden Rose asked to speak with me, if you had to guess?" Midnight asked, nudging one of the pastries with a hoof and sniffing the tea pot. "What's the deal with nobility and tea? Can't they just serve coffee?"

Sapphire sighed and took one of the seats. "If I had to guess, I think she wants a body guard that she can parade around and show off to the other nobles. "Oh, have you met Midnight Storm, my personal body guard and hero of Equestria?" If she's anything like the others, then all you'll be is another jewel in the family crest."

"That would also explain why she kept this meeting a secret; she doesn't want the other nobles to try for me first, but what about Celestia's opinion that she doesn't want me for one?"

"Then she's trying to court you to her side strictly for some kind of gain, some influence she feels having you on her side will give her."

Midnight cocked an eyebrow. "Influence? What possible influence could I have?"

Sapphire sighed again. "Midnight, you helped defeat Discord. Even if you don't wield any of the Elements, you still fought him off long enough so that they could reconnect with their bearers and beat him. That's no small feat and almost nopony else can claim to have done so much against him. Then there's the fact you fought off a hydra-"

"And nearly got killed doing it."

"-and then fought off a dragon, and throw on top of all that you know the princesses personally... Midnight, you're much more valuable to them than you think you are. Listing that all out now, I'm surprised none of them have approached you sooner."

Midnight grumbled but didn't argue. She stared at the floor in concentration while Arina chirped quietly and rubbed the base of her horn with a leg. "They can all offer me whatever they want," she finally said, "but I'm not biting. I'm not going to play their politics or their games."

Sapphire smiled. "That's fine, but can you at least promise to be civil and hear her out first?"

Midnight moved over and they nuzzled. "Nope."

The sound of approaching hooves drew them apart and three mares entered. One was the same pegasus mare who'd brought them to the manor, another was a bright yellow earth pony mare in a maid outfit, and in between them was a third mare, a unicorn, done up in an expensive looking gown. "May I present Lady Eden Rose of House Rose Thorn," the pegasus mare said as the unicorn bowed her head.

"It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Storm," Lady Eden said with a deep bow of her head. "I hope the train and subsequent carriage ride were agreeable." She was light green with a light pink mane and tail wearing a dark green dress , green slippers, and gold pendant.

"We didn't ride in the carriage," Midnight said bluntly with barely a nod in return. "We found it more agreeable to fly after the train." The pegasus mare's face darkened noticeably and out of the corner of her eye she could see Sapphire giving her a half pleading, half exasperated look. "But it was a kind offer," she added lamely.

"It was no problem at all," Lady Eden said without a hint she'd noticed the tone Midnight had used. "And I hope the flight over the capitol was pleasant."

"It was... alright."

Lady Eden nodded and turned to Sapphire. "Am I correct in having the pleasure of addressing Miss Sapphire Breeze? The castle staff said you were now staying with Miss Storm."

"Yes, my lady," Sapphire said with a nod. "Midnight insisted that I join her today."

"No trouble at all," Lady Eden said with a smile. "I too have an entourage with me today. May I present Miss Blade Dancer, head of my personal security, and Miss Sun Singer, my personal attendant."

Both ponies bowed. Now that she knew her position, Midnight could recognize the gruffness of a soldier in Blade Dancer's mannerism, just like that of any royal guard. The blatant disrespect hadn't helped either. 

Arina made an indignant chirp from her spot nestled in Midnight's mane and behind her ear. "Oh, and this Arina, my pet spider," Midnight said.

All three of them looked up at the arachnid.

"I... see," Lady Eden said, her grin faltering slightly. "Why don't we partake in some refreshments before we begin?" she continued, motioning to the table. "I can't imagine you've had a decent breakfast this morning with the traveling."

Once they'd all had something and had been sitting in relative silence for some time, Lady Eden turned back to Midnight. "I don't wish to waste anymore of your time than need be, so I'll get right down to business. I believe it's safe to assume that this is indeed you in the photo?" she asked, taking a rolled up newspaper from Sun Singer and opening it on the table for Midnight.

"It is," Midnight said, shortly but with a notable drop in hostility. She was getting tired of the article.

Lady Eden nodded. "Now that that's out of the way, then perhaps you can indulge me and tell us how you came to be here?"

Midnight traded a look with Sapphire. "It's pretty much common knowledge by now," she said slowly. "Discord broke free of his bonds, stole the Elements..."

"Forgive me," Lady Eden interrupted. "I don't mean how you came into the picture; I mean, how did you come to live in Ponyville? I've never heard of a hybrid living so close to a major city."

Midnight's eyes narrowed. "I don't see how that's any of your business," she said with a growl.

Dancer's hooves slammed onto the table, rattling the china. "And I don't see why you're so rude when all Lady Eden is asking is just a few simple questions!"

Midnight's wings fanned out slightly and her fangs poked out. Arina raised up her front legs warningly.

"Calm yourself Dancer," Lady Eden said, placing a hoof on Dancer's whither and pushing her back down. Sapphire similarly laid a wing on Midnight's own to calm her. "It would seem that Miss Storm has had some unfortunate run ins with my peers and has come expecting to be insulted." She turned back to Midnight. "I do not mean to pry or insult, but since I understand you've moved to Ponyville not even two years ago, you must have lived somewhere else first." Her eyes became much more focused on the kirin, even eager, and Midnight could sense they were finally coming to the heart of why she was here. "I want to know about the other hybrids you've met; specifically, the other pony-dragon hybrids."

Midnight's wings flared out again, this time in surprise and bumped Sapphire's also flared wings. "Other... kirins?"

"Kirins?" Lady Eden said, trying the word out for herself. "Is that what you call yourselves? I've never heard it before."

Midnight nodded unhappily. "Not surprising. I'm the only one of my kind; there aren't any other kirins."

"But..." Lady Eden started, then stopped. The positive mood she'd been keeping up began to slip as she processed what Midnight just said. "But... that can't be... that's impossible! There has to be more!"

Midnight only shook her head.

"My Lady," Sapphire interjected, "may I be so bold as to ask why you want to know about kirins?"

Lady Eden looked at her, blinking, looked back at Midnight, then looked away when the kirin said nothing. Sun Singer placed a hoof on her back comfortingly while Dancer did the same with a wing. After a minute she sat straight again, took a swallow of her tea, and took a deep breath.

"I've always been fascinated by hybrids," she began. "Ever since I was little, I found it amazing that ponies could have babies with creatures other than other ponies. It shouldn't be possible, yet hippogriffs and mules clearly exist. Living in Canterlot, one could never just run into one on the street, so all I had to go by was whatever I could convince my parents to let me read on the subject. Finally, when I turned eighteen, my parents let me go on a traveling vacation around Equestria; I used that to search out and meet any hybrids I could find. When we came to this one village, we were told that there was a zebra-pony hybrid living in the forest somewhere. A zebra in Equestria is a rare thing, but for a zebra-pony hybrid!" She shook her head. "I just had to meet them, so I snuck away from my attendants and made my way into the forest. I'm sure you can imagine how idiotic such as decision was, but I was young and impulsive. I learned my lesson quickly enough."

She looked away and seemed to brace herself before she continued. "I never found the zebra-pony, but I did end up running into a gang of dragons. I... I tried staying in the underbrush but I guess either I wasn't hiding very well or the jewels on my dress caught the sunlight, or maybe both. Whatever the reason, they caught me. I was so scared that I didn't even fight back as this big grey and black one with fins for ears, the leader if I had to guess, held me upside down by a leg, picked off the jewels from my dress and ate them like popcorn, and laughed at how scared I was. I figured that if I just stayed still and didn't make a fuss, they'd let me go." She stopped there, and both Dancer and Singer leaned in to comfort her.

Midnight looked over at Sapphire; found her looking right back with a look of dread growing in her eyes. It matched the growing pit in Midnight's stomach. Eden couldn't mean...

"I guess," Eden continued, "that my being so quiet was ruining their fun, because he started shaking me and asking if I was stupid. The others goaded him on and finally he said that if I was just going to hang there like a piece of meat, that's what they'd treat me like. I... I started to panic then and begged them to please just let me go. He laughed and asked what I'd be willing to do in exchange and I said I'd do anything. It... was a bad choice of words... but I was so panicked by that point that when he asked me "Anything?" I just nodded..." She trailed off and hung her head, her body shaking noticeably. 

Midnight felt sick. Even the realization of why Eden was telling her this... what she was implying... that a kirin could be conceived in such a way... such a situation had never even seemed possible to her. While Celestia or Luna had never mentioned kirins being born from ponies mating with dragons, it stood to reason that if kirins had wyvern parents, some could also be the offspring of dragons. 

The sickness mixed with a rising tide of anger. Midnight felt dirty as she realized that by just being here she was probably reopening these old wounds for Eden. It made Midnight wonder just how many of the old kirins had been born and subsequently scorned from something similar. It was a dark and very ugly stain on her image of them. If enough had been born like this, was that why they were gone? Had ponies simply had enough of the walking, talking reminders? She suddenly wanted to curl up next to her mother.

She flinched as she felt something touch her hoof, and she looked over to find Sapphire looking up at her, her own eyes wet. How was this affecting her image of kirins? She felt the touch again and realized it was Sapphire's hoof. She gripped it beneath the table and Arina made low, mournful chirps.

Dancer and Singer were busy consoling Eden, Singer even asking if she wanted Midnight and Sapphire to leave. Eden finally shook her head and levitated a bunch of napkins over to wipe her face and blew her nose. When she'd finished, she straightened up again. "Once... once it was over the dragons flew off, leaving me alone in the forest. I managed to pull myself together and make my way back to town. I didn't want anypony to know what happened, so I told them I fell down a hill and through a thicket. We left that night; I just wanted to leave and never think about it again. I... it turned out it was out of my hooves."

"You got pregnant," Midnight said gently.

Eden nodded. "Yes. Several months later I started showing the signs and my parents accused me of sleeping with a stallion. I had to tell them what actually happened and they immediately began talking of getting rid of the "abomination"."

Midnight snorted but said nothing. 

"I begged them to let me carry it to term; it wasn't the child's fault, what happened to me, and I promised that as soon as it was born I'd give it up. I was horrified that they would want to have something so innocent killed just for existing. They finally agreed, but only on the condition that I stay in the manor and never speak about this to anypony.

"So, I spent the remainder of my pregnancy locked up in the manor. It wasn't so bad... I got to work on my painting..." She paused and took a sip of her tea. "For the first few months, I never once picked up my books about hybrids; I didn't even want to think about the child I was carrying. Then, I suppose, my own words came back to me. It wasn't the child's fault, so why should I neglect it. I began to read my books again and over time... I began to care for it. It was a life growing inside me, my child, and I was ready to throw it out into the world to grow up thinking itself a freak of nature and unloved. The more I thought about it, the less I was willing to follow my parents' ultimatum. At the start of the eleventh month, I convinced one of the servants who was less devoted to my parents to volunteer to take the baby away and let me know where they'd brought it to, so I could at least try and see it again and maybe even reveal myself to it when the time was right.

"But... it didn't happen that way. I suppose my parents caught wind of this scheme, maybe the servant was even bribed to tell them what I was planning, but the day I went into labor my parents fired the servant. Somehow I'd been able to take the pendant I scrounged up from old family heirlooms in the delivery room with me and I had just enough time to slip it in the swaddling before my parents had him taken away from me." She fiddled with the gold pendant around her neck and for the first time Midnight noticed it was made up of only half a rose. "All I know about my son is that he's the same grey color as the one who sired him; that's it. I tried so hard after my recovery to find out where he'd been taken to, but I never found him. My parents finally had enough and threatened to have me institutionalized if I didn't stop what they called "this insane need to play mother to an unnatural creature". I couldn't do anything for him if I got locked up, so I stopped. Anything I did after that, that was in any way about finding him, I had to keep absolutely secret and at a snail's pace. It wasn't long after that, that they hired Sun Singer and Blade Dancer as personal attendants for me, as a way to distract me, I suppose. I can't tell you how much they helped me look for him; helping me sneak behind my parents' backs to make discrete inquiries to as many orphanages as we could.

"As horrible as it might sound, without my parents I've been able to search for him unimpeded and we've made more progress in the past year then in all the previous years put together."

"How long have you been searching?" Midnight asked.

"He'd be about thirteen or fourteen years old now, but I doubt anypony could fail to misidentify him," Eden told them. "Once we checked every orphanage we could find, we set out to check Equestria's borders again, thinking that maybe my parents had him dropped off somewhere along it, since that's where..." She shook her head and continued. "We found nothing. Not even the hybrids I met during my first trip and who I'd been in secret correspondence with had any clue."

"If I could interrupt for just a second," Midnight asked, "I'd just like to know if they told you why no hybrids live in the cities. Until I moved to Ponyville, they were the only kinds of places I'd live in."

Eden looked a little shocked at this bit of information. "I did ask about that, and they told me that many only have family in the small towns and hamlets and would rather stay with those that know them rather than face the same kind of treatment that creatures such as cows and donkeys face in the cities. Some feel they'd have it even worse."

Midnight only hummed to herself at this. It was a good reason.

"I didn't want anything to do with the nobility my parents were part of while we searched, so I deliberately ignored news from the capitol, which is why we didn't find out about you until about two months ago. We had a lead, which is why we didn't come back right away. When I saw you in the picture, a dragon-pony standing unfazed right in the middle of Celestia's court surrounded by other ponies cheering, I thought I finally found the key to getting my son back. You'd be surprised how often hybrids stumble upon one another completely by accident, and I thought that since you were one of his kind... I can see now I put too much blind faith in it."

Midnight and Sapphire looked at each other. "Lady Eden..."

"Please, accept my apologies for any inconveniences this meeting might have had for you; I promise I'll compensate in any way I can."

"Lady Eden Rose," Midnight said, more firmly and even spreading her wings a little for emphasis. "There has been no inconvenience; any news of another kirin is never unimportant, and I'm very grateful you've told us about him. I'm sorry I have no news about your son, but please know that I am ready to help in your search for him in any way I can."

"And I think I speak for all her friends and family," Sapphire added, "that we will do all we can to help as well."

Arina chirped loudly in agreement.

Eden looked up at them, searching each of their faces for a long minute. "Thank you," she said finally, when she was sure they were sincere in their announcement. "Thank you so very much..."

-----------------------------

"The family name goes back almost fourteen hundred years," Eden told them as they left the library. "We're one of the oldest noble houses."

"I guess after what happened with Discord, they had to establish new nobles," Midnight said as she, Sapphire, Arina, Dancer, and Singer followed. "Although why they had to have nobles I have no idea," she whispered to Sapphire.

Eden had invited them to stay for lunch as a thank you for their pledge of support and neither had refused, Midnight wishing to try and make up for her earlier attitude. Until then, Eden had offered them a tour of the manor as well as giving them the history behind it.

"It would appear so and my ancestor was one of those who helped the princesses during that struggle," Eden said, turning a corner and stopping by a set of double doors. "I believe this room will be a bit more interesting for you than all the studies, bedrooms, and bathrooms," she said, opening the doors wide.

Midnight felt her jaw drop slightly. The walls to either side were practically covered with bladed weapons, some looking new, some looking very old. Oddly enough, the floor was padded, as was the wall the doors were connected to. "What is this?"

"My father collected blades as a hobby. After his passing, I helped Dancer turn it into a training room." She blushed. "She's actually been teaching me self-defense with them since she learned about... the incident." 

"And I suspect she learned this from time spent with the royal guard?" Midnight asked, hedging a guess and diverting attention away from the unpleasant topic. 

"Long before that actually," Dancer told her. "I was a performer in a traveling circus before I joined and I believe you can guess my act." She sauntered past them, any resentment from Midnight's actions that morning forgotten, and shook her flank to indicate her cutie mark, three knives dancing around each other.

Sapphire actually snorted a little hotly at the display and Midnight looked down at her with surprise. Which quickly turned into a mischievous smirk. "Sapphire, are you actually jealous?" she whispered.

Sapphire's wings popped out. "W-What!? I am not!" she hissed back.

"Don't worry; I prefer gems over steel anyway," Midnight whispered back, nipping at her nose.

Sapphire jerked back, still looking ruffled but less indigent.

"So, why did you leave for the guard?" Midnight asked, straightening back up.

Dancer sent her own smirk the kirin's way. "How about I tell you while we spar? I've got a feeling you know your way around a fight," she said, moving to one wall and pulling out some chainmail from a cabinet before tying her red mane back in a pony tail. "With My Lady's permission of course."

"Miss Storm?" Eden said, differing to the kirin.

"I'm game," Midnight said, moving towards the opposite wall and pulling her armor slippers out of her saddle bags. 

"Midnight!" Sapphire said, shocked she'd brought actual weapons while Arina climbed up on her.

"What!?" the kirin said, trying to look innocent. "I brought them in case we got mugged on our way home or something!"

Sapphire face-hoofed.

"You sure those slippers will help?" Dancer asked, stretching her wings.

The slippers swiftly became gauntlets with blades similar to what the thestral guards used. "I'm confident. So, you were part of the circus?"

"Since I was a foal," Dancer said, starting to circle. "You aren't going to wear anything else?"

"Don't aim for anything vital," Midnight said, flexing her wings and tail. "Besides, it probably won't fit. You were saying?"

"My father was a manticore tamer, but I preferred the sharp objects that moved only when you moved them." She shot at Midnight, swinging the dagger in her right hoof. Midnight deftly blocked it with her blades, then caught the one from Dancer's left wing with her wing claw. "Impressive," Dancer complimented, then ducked when Midnight twisted away and swung her tail blade at her. She wing-hopped back to put some distance between them. "I trained with our knife thrower, sword swallower, jugglers, even the clowns to create my own acts and I got pretty good."

"What made you leave?"

Dancer pulled out four knives, one in each hoof and one in each wing. She shot to the left, threw the two in her wings, jinxed to the right, then shot back at Midnight again. The kirin ducked and rolled to her left, once again swinging her tail blade up. Dancer blocked the blow with her remaining knives and once again, only to hop back when Midnight shot up, her blades and wing claws coming at her like pincers. She stayed back, but thrust her knives back at her. Midnight dodged one, then caught the other sideways with her teeth. She eyed Dancer smugly, then put noticeable pressure on the blade. "Please don't," Dancer asked, alarmed.

Midnight smiled, then released her hold on the knife. "Well?"

Dancer backed away again, inspecting her blade. "We arrived in Canterlot and put on our show like usual, however it turned out that Princess Celestia and some of her guard were in attendance that night." Satisfied her knife wasn't ruined, she went back to circling again. "I thought one of them was particularly good looking and after the show I got to talking with him. I ended up absolutely smitten with him." She stopped, took out more knives from under her wings and began to juggle them. "He said the guard could use somepony with my talents and I thought he was talking about me specifically. When we were heading out of the city a few days later I jumped ship and signed up for guard training. I put my heart and soul into that training." She changed up her routine, forcing Midnight to keep her attention split between the story and the knives. The kirin, in turn, kept her wings and tail poised. "Then, I find out after boot camp graduation that he's purposed to another mare!" Both her wings flexed, and Midnight was dodging and blocking knife after knife. One grazed her side during a roll, and she landed to find Dancer holding a knife to her throat. "Really bummed me out."

"I can imagine," Midnight agreed. "So focused on the prize you didn't see the competition." She looked purposefully downward. Dancer followed and found Midnight's tail blade poking the spot just below her chainmail tunic. Had this been a real fight, it would have disemboweled her.

"Young and dumb," Dancer said sagely, backing off and offering a hoof up. Midnight took it. "So, when the call went out for volunteers for security for the nobles, I took it, figuring that at least I wouldn't have to see him every day. As it turned out, I ended up as the personal guard for Lady Eden and you could say she's been a close friend ever since."

"You miss the circus?"

Dancer shrugged. "Sometimes, and when they come back around to Canterlot I plan to apologize for ditching them, but right now I'm happy where I am."

"That's the important thing."

"You could have at least tried to put on some armor," Sapphire scolded as they put things away. "You could have gotten hurt!"

"But I didn't. Besides, I'm a fast healer, remember?"

"And what if she hit you some place vital!?"

"She promised she wouldn't."

"Accidents happen!"

Midnight hid them with her wings. "You're cute when you're upset, you know that?" She stole a kiss before Sapphire could respond. "So, Sun Singer, how'd you come to work here?"

"Oh, no special way, really," Singer insisted.

"Her mother got hurt and she gave up her singing carrier to help take care of her," Eden said.

"M-My Lady!" Singer protested.

"Sun Singer, your cutie mark is a singing sun! Furthermore, you're wonderfully talented at it! It's practically a crime that you're working here!" Eden sighed. "I just wish you would take my offer..."

"I could never take money from you my lady; it would be highly improper!"

"Singing career?" Midnight asked, hoping for some clarification.

"Oh, yes. Sun Singer was taking offers from clubs all over Canterlot to get her name and talent in view of some talent agents but stopped when her mother got hurt one day working here at the manor."

"She fell off a ladder while dusting a bookcase in the library," Sun clarified. "Then the ladder fell on her leg."

"Since her mother was a long-time and well-respected member of the staff, my parents had no problem hiring her so she could take over her duties."

"Most of her duties," Sun said. "They wanted me more as a personal attendant to Lady Eden."

"She's most definitely a singer first and foremost, though," Eden said. "I have had her give me private performances and I can say with certainty she could be a star."

"My Lady flatters me," Sun said, blushing.

"Perhaps you could entertain us during lunch and let our guests decide for themselves?" Eden suggested with a wink.

"Speaking of which," Dancer said, nodding at a stuffy stallion in the doorway

"My Lady," he said. "Lunch is served."

-----------------------------

"Miss Storm, Midnight, I've had a thought," Eden said as she followed them to the front door.

"Yes?"

"You've said that you've only met one other hybrid. I, on the other hoof, have met many from all across Equestria. If I may be so bold, perhaps I could host a get-together, a party of sorts, so that you may all become acquainted with one another. You are rather popular in their circles at the moment."

"So Scarlet tells me," Midnight grunted, not too thrilled with the idea of more "fans". "I... suppose it would be nice."

"Excellent! I'll start the planning immediately and you'll be the first to receive an invitation!" When they reached the front door, Eden held out her hoof. "I hope this is the start to a long and prosperous friendship."

Midnight took the hoof. "Same here. Lady Eden," she said with a respectful bow of the head, followed by Sapphire. 

As they trotted out onto the driveway Sapphire moved closer to her. "It went better than we could have hoped, I think," she said.

Midnight nodded. "I certainly wasn't expecting an ally in the nobility. It's too bad Blade Dancer is in Eden's employment, or else I'd ask her to join the bearer guard." Arina chirped in agreement.

"So maybe next time you won't be so hostile or bring weapons with us?" Sapphire asked her pointedly.

"No promises," Midnight teased, taking off into the sky.

From a window, Eden, Dancer, and Singer watched Sapphire chase after Midnight. 

"Another dead end, then," Dancer sighed.

"Maybe... but maybe not," Eden said, making the other two look at her questioningly. "Something tells me Midnight is still an important piece of the puzzle."

"And what if she finds out we've been keeping an eye on her longer than we've led her to think?" Dancer asked. "She seems like the kind of pony, kirin, that would take it personally."

"She'll be miffed, I'm sure, but if we find my son before that, then I think I can justify it to her. I have to; she's important, Dancer. She might just be the key to a whole new Equestria."

Dancer mulled that over a bit. "And a party inviting almost nopony but hybrids is certainly one way of announcing your views to the other nobility."

"Who wouldn't dare say anything with the princesses there." She smiled. "And even if they do create a fuss, they know not to do it publicly. My family legacy is well known to them". She turned and nuzzled both of them affectionately. "After all, every rose has its thorns, does it not?"
> Ch.13 - Glimpses Into A Larger World
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midnight took a swig from her cup as a griffon and diamond dog walked by. 

"Scarlet wasn't joking about ponies and diamond dogs," Sapphire said, surprise clear on her face.

"As long as they don't try and pony-nap anypony," Midnight said, smirking to show she was just joking, and popped a bit of food into her mouth.

Town hall was packed to the brim with not just ponies, but several other races and, of course, hybrids. From where she and Sapphire were standing, Midnight could see griffons, diamond dogs, donkeys, cows, goats, mules, hippogriffs, and hybrids whose species name neither knew. Some were even sporting zebra stripes, although no actual zebras were reported to be attending. In terms of turn out, this "Hybrid Ball" or as some where calling it, a "convention", was a complete success. So many had come, in fact, that several large tents had been set up outside the town hall so folks could have a bit of breathing room. 

Even so, Midnight couldn't help but be glad she'd convinced Eden Rose to change the event location. Based on her own experience and conversations with others, having it in Canterlot would have been intimidating to most. Canterlot was the capital, had been for over a thousand years, and with that came a certain air about it that Midnight couldn't help but feel would have drove potential attendees away. That and an official ball would have meant fancy get-ups, something most would not have been able to afford. Midnight was happy as pie to arrive just as she was.

"Any large city is intimidating to somepony who's grown up in the country," Summer had told Eden when the noble had come to Ponyville to talk with Midnight about the plans she'd come up with. The older unicorn had been surprised at the unexpected visit from nobility but it hadn't glued her mouth shut; she'd had several clients from noble birth over the years after all. "And throwing them into such a social event practically right off the train," she'd shaken her head as if thinking of a bad memory. "No, I don't think Canterlot is the best location and I wouldn't call it a ball. What exactly is this for, anyway?"

"In my travels, I've met many hybrids and their families. They know about families in other towns and regions but have had practically no interaction with each other," Eden had explained. "I want to introduce them all to each other and start giving them a real sense of community."

"Then you need to make them feel comfortable and dragging them into Canterlot is the exact opposite. I'd suggest down-playing the event into more of a meet-and-greet sort of affair and having it in a notable town than in any city. They'll feel more at home and you'd still have a well-known name attached to it."

Eden had tapped her chin has she'd mulled over Summer's suggestion, then grinned and looked over at Midnight, who'd cocked an eyebrow back at her. "A notable town, you say?"

After Eden had gotten everything squared away with Mayor Mare (Midnight suspected Eden had wooed her with vague promises of revenue for the town a small horde of visitors could make), they had town hall booked and a date set for right before Winter Wrap Up. Eden had arranged for the tents when ALL of the RSVPs had come back with at least one guest each and when she'd gotten a note from Midnight asking if the event was going to be an exclusive or open affair. Word had gotten around and several ponies, including Berry, Derpy, and Vinyl, had asked the kirin if they could join the party.

"I know it kinda sounds like we just want to gawk, but how often do you get to meet folks that are so different," Berry had said, admitting she couldn't think of a better, kinder way of putting it. Midnight had said that as long as they actually mingled with the other guests then it shouldn't be a problem, and Eden agreed. 

"We shouldn't promote this as "hybrid only" anyway," she'd told Midnight in her letter back. "They don't want to be separate from Equestria, just more accepted like any of the three tribes. Speaking of which, why don't you invite those thestral neighbors of yours? I think they'd be great additions to the festivities and we can always arrange everything for later in the evening to accommodate them." 

And so everything had been set. 

Everything, except for the food that is. 

From the sound of it, nearly half of those attending would be omnivores at the very least and Midnight knew that she, Squeaks, Scarlet, and the thestrals would all appreciate at least a little meat to snack on during the party. Between an organized hunting party a week before the event and a letter to Long Line, they'd have a nice spread. 

The smirk now on Midnight's face wasn't just from the joke. The recipe for fried deer meat Scarlet had shown her was even better when the hippogriff's mother actually made it herself, having come to Ponyville two days before the social, along with her father, to catch up with her, see how she was doing, and do what she could to help prepare. Gertrude Hawk, upon hearing what their plans were, had immediately taken over preparing and cooking the deer meat, making several other dishes besides the fried meat strips. Iron Hammer, Scarlet's father and his town's blacksmith, had helped set up town hall and the tents. The extra help gave them all a bit more breathing room and a bit of background for their hippogriff friend. "She's always been a bit of a hero worshiper," Gertrude told Midnight and Sapphire as they cooked. "If it wasn't a fairy tale hero, it was a comic book one; now she has a real one. Don't worry, she'll calm down eventually and hardly any of the others we know are as swept off their claws as she is." 

And she was right. While some who had come were a little over zealous in greeting and speaking with her about the fight with Discord, most had been calm, polite, and respectful. It went a long way in soothing Midnight's initial fears of "Hybrid Power" zealots and she was willing to apologize to Scarlet for having the very idea color her perception. If she could even find Scarlet in the crowd.

"Midnight!" The kirin and pegasus turned to see Eden Rose gently but firmly pushing her way over to them. "How are you this evening?" she asked when she finally made it over to them. "Have you spoken with anypony yet?"

"I have, and they've all been very kind so far," Midnight told her.

"I'm glad to hear it. By the way, I met somepony just the other day who says he met you at the Grand Galloping Gala and wanted a chance to meet with you again. He's a professor at Celestia's school who teaches genetics and I think he's a great addition to the guest list."

Looking past Eden, Midnight's pupils shrank as she saw the stallion in question moving towards them. "Aw, buck me," Midnight mumbled as Professor Puzzle Mixer trotted up to them in almost the exact same suit and tie he'd had at the Gala.

"Hello Miss Storm! It's so nice to meet with you once again!" he said enthusiastically.

"Hello professor," Midnight said with a guilty smile. "Sorry about last time with... smacking your horn to shoot flaming cheese balls everywhere."

Sapphire looked away, cheeks darkened with embarrassment, and Eden lifted an eyebrow as she looked between the two.

"Think nothing of it, think nothing of it!" he told her, not one drop of his excitement leaving his face. "It was a rather ingenious trick; one which I doubt most ponies would even consider! Perhaps you would be so kind as to take a few IQ tests..."

"Maybe some other time," Midnight said, trying to stay polite, "when I'm not so busy with my job and organizing events."

"Perfectly understandable!" Mixer said cheerily. "And what an event this is! I overheard Miss Rose and Princess Celestia talking about it around the castle earlier this week and when I heard just how many different hybrids would be attending I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity! Can you just imagine how much my research will benefit from this?" It looked like he was about to cry.

"I'm... glad you're so happy," Midnight told him, looking at the other two and seeing they both had the same 'ooooookay' look on their faces. "But... maybe a party isn't the best time to... interview folks?"

"On the contrary! I've already spoken with several hybrids and their families!" he told her, a pad and pencil levitating into view. "Speaking of which, I must find that diamond dog hybrid and his parents; seeing as how our two species see each other, I MUST find out how they came to have a child together! I hope we can speak again soon!" And with that he plunged back into the crowd.

"I knew he was excited..." Eden said.

"I'm pretty sure he's harmless," Midnight said. "Just needs to understand boundaries a bit better."

Sapphire nodded, then turned to Eden. "He said you were talking with Princess Celestia about this?"

"Yes," Eden admitted. "I had hoped the princesses could attend as well but Princess Celestia told me they were both very busy with matters of state; a pity."

Midnight eyed the unicorn. She would have sworn that, for just an instant, Eden actually looked angry.

"Well, I had best return to our guests," Eden said, back in her normal, upbeat tone. "Hopefully we'll run into each other later."

As she trotted back into the crowd, Midnight leaned over to Sapphire. "Did she seem weird to you for a second there?"

"Yes...and no," Sapphire said in an unsure voice. "I've heard that tone from nobles who've gotten politely snubbed but Eden doesn't seem like the kind of pony who'd act like that."

Midnight swallowed the rest of her drink an shrugged. "It can't be that serious of an issue; the princesses would have told us if it was." She laid a wing on Sapphire's whither. "Come on; let's walk around and see how folks are doing. We are hosts too, after all."

"That sounds nice," Sapphire agreed. As they carefully plowed into the crowd she asked, "Do you think Honeysuckle is doing okay with the foals?"

"I don't think we've got anything to worry about," Midnight said as she swerved to avoid a wing. "Honey's good with foals and Squeaks will help her keep things in line. I DO wish Spike was with them," she added, having caught sight of where Puzzle Mixer had gone and seeing Twilight with him and Spike beside her taking notes. "He'd probably have more fun."

-----------------------------

"B-4!"

"Argh! You hit my weather pony! Again!"

"That's why you need to move it between turns!"

"Maybe y'all should play something different, Pinchy."

"Not before I kick his furry butt!"

"Your butt is furry, too. All our butts are furry."

"Well... his is extra furry!"

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

From their game of Go Fish in the living room, Squeaks, Honeysuckle, Arina, Autumn, Star Glider, Sweetie Belle, and Gin watched the argument unfold. 

"Pinchy," Honey called out, "why don't you let somepony else play for a bit? You've already had two games with Wet Nose."

The young unicorn let out a loud, long groan but finally said "alright!" and hopped down, letting Apple Bloom take her place and joining Scootaloo, Bright Star, and Silent Arrow in a game of Hungry Hungry Hippocampus. 

"Look at it this way Pinchy," Sweetie called over to her, "would you rather be here at least playing some games or at the party and stuck just sitting there and listening to grown-ups talk all night."

"Talking isn't so boring," Honey defended, only to realize who she was talking to when thirteen pairs of tabled eyes looked back at her. "For adults that is. Uh, Gin, do you have a three?"

The pegasus/goat hybrid shook her head. "Go Fish," she said, fiddling with the cards in her cloven hooves as she scratched her wing with one of her horns. She let out a gentle, contented bleat when she finished scratching. 

"But why can't adults bring some games to stuff like this?" Wet Nose asked. "B-4, by the way."

"Miss," Apple Bloom told him with a smile. "Ah'm not like Pinchy."

Said unicorn blew a raspberry at the table.

"I mean, my dad and I play corn hole with other ponies back home and no one says somepony can't play because of how old they are," Wet Nose said, crossing his pawed front legs and thumping his diamond dog tail against the seat in agitation. His dog-like muzzle scrunched up when Apple Bloom hit one of his pieces. 

"Because this is one of those things that needs to be treated seriously," Honey explained. "Maybe if and when they hold it again, maybe then it can be more of a festival atmosphere."

"But why's it got to be so late?" Scootaloo asked. 

"I'm usually still in bed," Bright said.

"Well, Miss Rose wanted to include Bright's, Arrow's, and Glider's parents and since they're only awake at night the party had be held late so they could attend," Honey explained. For her part, she thought it was an excellent idea to have the younger children separate from the get-together as at least some, like Pinchy, would get tired of all the talking and end up making some sort of scene. It also meant they could get to meet hybrids that were their own age and have more in common with. 

At first, Gin and Wet Nose had been reluctant to leave their parents and looked like they were being left in a den of wolves. That changed when they were both swiftly pulled into games by the other foals who, beyond asking a few questions based on what they were, practically ignored the fact that they were different than them. Honey could tell it was a jarring, yet a very welcomed, change from what they were used to and she was glad to know she now lived in such an accepting town. Well, excepting of MOST creatures, anyway... 

"Hey Squeaks, what's that Family Appreciation Day Mr. Night Owl says we'll be doing next week?" Glider asked as she looked over her hoof.

"It's where you bring in somepony from your family to talk about themselves and what they do," Squeaks explained. "Got any princesses?"

Glider hoofed one to her.

"So, what's the point?" Arrow asked as he picked the marbles out of his tray. "Are we supposed to judge who's got the coolest parent or something?"

"It doesn't have to be parents," Squeaks told him, "and I think the whole point is to help everyone understand where we all come from. I mean, Granny Smith seems a bit weird sometimes, but what she deals with is weird, at least around Zap Apple season."

Over at her game with Wet Nose, Apple Bloom blushed. "Yeah, Granny kin get weird sometimes, but it's thanks to her that Ponyville exists at all. Ah wonder why Ah never heard that one b'fore?"

"Shouldn't Granny Smith be the mayor if she made the town?" Scootaloo asked. 

"That would be so cool," Pinchy said. "You could have her throw Diamond and Silver into prison for picking on us!"

"Now Pinchy, abusing your power is never a good thing," Honey said. "Besides, Ponyville doesn't have a prison."

"Throw them in the Everfree Forest then!"

Honey sighed, then noticed Arina's eyes were glowing. "Squeaks, I think your mom wants to see you."

The bat filly looked down at the spider. "Oh, hey mom! We're all good here; just playing some games." Both Wet Nose and Gin looked at her like she was crazy. "Oh, and tell Pinchy's mom not to let her run for mayor, or she's going to throw ponies into the Everfree Forest."

"For justice!" Pinchy yelled.

The spider turned towards Honey. "Everything's fine here Midnight. They've had dinner and we have some games going; hope the get-together is going fine."

"Say hi to my mom for me!" Dinky added. 

Arina nodded, then her eyes stopped glowing.

"Uh," Wet Nose said. "What was that?"

"Princess Luna enchanted Arina so she and my mom can see what each other is seeing," Squeaks said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "It's really useful."

"When I'm mayor, Imma pay her to spy on my enemies!" Pinchy said, rubbing her hooves together like a cheesy villain.

"Nexth time we play Pillow Knighth, can Pinchy be the bad guy?" Twist asked.

---------------------------

"So, uh, just curious, but if you're out of milk, can you just squirt some out or something?"

"VINYL!"

"What!? She's part cow!"

"I am so sorry."

The cow/pegasus laughed. "It's not a problem! Actually, that's one of the funnier questions I've been asked!"

"See? Not a problem. Really need to lighten up there Berry."

Berry just face-hoofed.

"To answer your question, yes, and it saves money at the market."

"I knew it!"

The cow/pegasus, Eir, laughed again. "You know, when I first heard that some of the local ponies were going to attend, I thought things would get awkward."

"What do you mean?" Berry asked.

Eir's smiled faded. "Most of the time, I get questions like "What's it like having a bull for a dad?" and "Is that thing, my udder, sensitive?" It gets really annoying sometimes."

"I'll bet," Berry said, eyes wide that anypony would be so crass as to ask that.

"Yeah, and sometimes... it gets worse," Eir continued. "Sometimes ponies will ask why I'm not with my herd, or, if I'm in a restaurant, why I'm not in the back making milkshakes or something."

"Jeez! What butt-hole of a town do you come from!?" Vinyl practically yelled. "If I ever heard somepony saying that stuff I'd deck them right there and then!"

"I think that's why you basically got kicked out of Canterlot, Vinyl," Berry said.

"Well screw those stuck-up, class-makin'-hatin' snobs! Why would I want to live in a city filled with walkin', talkin' manure!?"

"Actually it's mostly when I head into the city that I get asked that," Eir clarified. "Most folks in my town are very nice."

"See!?" Vinyl said. "Proof that cities suck! Midnight and me got the right idea; rural for life, baby!"

Eir chuckled again at Vinyl's outburst. "I definitely like your enthusiasm, and I'm glad not all ponies outside my town are how I thought they were."

"It's so screwed up that ponies still act like that," Berry said. "Midnight told us about what she went through but, I don't know, I guess I always thought she was exaggerating a bit."

"Well, ponies generally fear dragons, so she might have had a harder time than most," Eir said. "And I also heard that she spent a lot of time alone; it's easier when you have friends with you."

"Yeah, she's gotten a lot less grumpy since we first met her," Vinyl said, then she got a wicked grin. "And since she and Sapphire hooked up. Bow-chicka-bow-ow!" She rubbed the spot where Berry had hit her. "Berry, what the heck!?"

"And that's why Midnight is going to kill you one day."

"Spoil-sport."

A hoof tapped Eir's shoulder and they turned to find a zebra/pegasus. "Hey Amity; how's the party?" Eir asked.

"Fine," the mare said, Berry and Vinyl comparing her to Fluttershy immediately. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. Hey, could you do me a favor and grab me some punch?"

"Sure."

Once she was gone, Eir turned back to the other two. "Amity, my little sister. She's a sweet heart but really shy around... normal ponies." Eir winced a bit like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

Vinyl caught the catch. "Wait, is there something you call ponies that aren't hybrids?"

"I-It's just some slang..."

"Aw, come on!" Vinyl insisted. "After what a bunch of ponies said to you I'd call'm something nasty too. You're not calling us it, so it's fine."

Eir looked side to side, then leaned in real close. "Alright. Sometimes... we call you all... normies."

Vinyl simply blinked, speechless, blinked again, then fell over laughing. "NORMIES!?" she choked out. "THAT'S a dirty word!? Hey, Berry, you're a NORMY!" 

"I would love to know how Octavia puts up with a housemate like you," Berry said, embarrassed at all the looks they were getting.

"Isn't that a question for the ages," Midnight said, walking up to them.

"Hey! Hey, Midnight! You're dating a NORMY!" Vinyl laughed, clutching her sides.

"She does realize she's in the perfect position for me to kick her, right?" Midnight asked.

"I think she thinks it's worth it," Berry said tiredly. 

"Is Vinyl alright?" Sapphire asked, coming up next to Midnight.

"Remember how she reacted to me being scared of spiders?" Midnight asked.

"What set her off this time?"

"Normies!" Vinyl wheezed.

"...That's it?"

"It's what we call pure-blood ponies sometimes," Eir said, looking equal parts embarrassed and wanting to laugh as well.

"It's... it's like calling a white pony 'cracker'!" Vinyl laughed. "It's not insulting, it's hilarious!"

"Is everything alright?" Eden asked, joining the group.

"Normy crackers!"

"What?"

"Ignore her," Midnight advised. "She's easily entertained."

"O...kay..." Eden said, watching in morbid fascination as Vinyl finally picked herself up. "Anyway... Midnight, a couple of ponies are here to see you; they say it's important."

"Who are they?" the kirin asked.

"I'm not sure," Eden said, looking rather distressed, "but they said that their names would be enough. They called themselves Sunny Skies and Moonlit Night; do you know them?"

Both Midnight and Sapphire stiffened. "Yeah, we know them, where are they?"

Eden nodded over her shoulder. "Back in one of the last tents outside. Is there something I should know about?"

"No, just something... private," Midnight told her as she and Sapphire made their way out. "Oh, and Berry," the kirin called back, "don't let Pinchy run for mayor or she'll banish ponies to the Everfree."

Berry sighed. "I don't even want to know."

-----------------------------

"I was told you two weren't attending tonight," Midnight said as she and Sapphire entered one of the farthest tents from town hall. The only other occupants were a white pegasus and a light blue unicorn. 

"As the Princesses, no," the pegasus said. "As normal ponies attending an open social event, yes." 

The word "normal" brought to mind Vinyl laughing her flank off and Midnight had to smother a snicker. "So, what can I do for you this evening," Midnight asked, attempting to sound casual for the benefit of anypony accidently strolling in.

"We have a couple of things to discuss with you," "Moonlit Night" said.

"The first has to do with your co-host," "Sunny Skies" said.

Midnight and Sapphire raised eyebrows but stayed silent.

"I suppose the best thing to do is ask how much of her family history she's told you," Sunny asked.

"Just that it goes back a long way, almost to Discord's defeat if I'm remembering correctly," Midnight told them.

Moonlit nodded. "At the very end of his brief rule, actually. Her ancestors helped us set the stage for Discord's defeat."

"I'd like to hear how they pulled that off," Midnight said, honestly curious how regular unicorns had been able to be anything more than an annoyance to the draconequus.

"They were spies," Sunny told them. "Gifted at stealth and... other attributes."

"Assassins," Moonlit clarified. "Not everything was nice and pretty back then."

"It ain't exactly sunshine and rainbows now," Midnight muttered. "So, are you saying she's actually a danger?" They all noticed the kirin's wing draped more protectively around Sapphire.

"Not in an immediate, physical sense," Sunny said carefully. "Like all nobles, she has her own interests in mind. I knew her parents and I doubt they actually taught her any of her family's... darker arts but they certainly would have trained her in the art of spying."

"We're quite sure she knows more about you than she's letting on, and for far longer," Moonlit said.

"Okay, so if she's not a danger, than what does she want with me?"

"For what we can gather, two things," Sunny said. "One would indeed be helping her find her lost son; on that she's been very truthful with you."

"The other is most likely to use you as a rallying point for the cause she is secondly most devoted to, which would be the bettering of the lots of hybrids," Moonlit added.

Midnight took a deep breath and stamped a hoof. "I knew something like this was going to happen, I said it would."

"The other hybrids aren't planning this with her, are they?" Sapphire asked, leaning against Midnight to try and calm her down.

"We highly doubt it," Sunny said. "More likely this is the first of many gatherings during which she'll slip a word or two here and there to certain ears to gently bring them around to her way of thinking."

"To what end?" Midnight asked.

"From what we can gather, simply to have hybrids be seen as equals in the eyes of ponies everywhere," Moonlit said. "A noble cause but she might try to push the issue a little too hard and too fast for many likings."

"She's not a bad ally to have," Sunny clarified, "just possibly overzealous about her cause. We simply ask that you exercise a cool head when dealing with her."

Everypony's ears, except Sapphire's, flicked. "Do you think she might have taught some of her closer confidants those spying skills you mentioned?" Midnight asked.

"I think it highly likely," Moonlit said, annoyed.

Sapphire looked back as the tent flap made a noise.

"Pegasus or earth pony?" Midnight asked.

"It looked like a pegasus from here," Sunny told her. "Dark fur?"

"Blade Dancer then, her personal body guard. She was part of the royal guard or at least that's her story," Midnight told them.

"That is true; I looked the records up myself," Sunny told her.

"Think she knows who you two are?" Midnight asked.

"She wasn't there when you came in, so I doubt it," Sunny said. "The worst outcome is that Eden Rose knows that you're on to her game. Playing along might be the best way to keep her in check."

"I knew I should have stayed out of that whole ceremony," Midnight muttered. "Or sicked Rainbow on the photographers sooner." She sighed. "Alright, so keep an eye on Eden, that's number one; what's the second reason you wanted to talk with me?"

At this, both disguised alicorns looked at each other, Sunny looking apprehensive while Moonlit rolled her eyes and nodded towards the kirin. Sunny finally sighed and looked Midnight in the eye. "We, I, would like you to look after Discord's statue from now on."

Silence.

"What?" Midnight finally asked.

"Please, Midnight, hear me out first," Sunny pleaded. When Midnight didn't move or say anything, only keeping her eyes narrowed, Sunny continued. "As you recall, my sister and I lost our connections with the Elements..." Both sisters tilted their heads away from each other, "...some time ago, and we are sure that lost connection allowed the magic imprisoning Discord to weaken over time. With new bearers, there is a new factor to consider."

"Mainly that death is more likely to be a more destructive break than how ours was," Moonlit said. Sunny shot her an unpleasant look, but Moonlit pushed on. "The bearers are not alicorns and thus are not blessed with almost immortal life spans; they will grow old and they will pass on and the Elements will lose their power once again. Once that happens, there is a very real chance that this second stone prison will deteriorate much more quickly than the first."

"So, you want me to be an early warning system for when that happens," Midnight asked. "Kind of worrying a bit early for that, don't you think? I know what my job is but I doubt something will happen so soon."

"We can't see the future, Midnight, but we do agree to a certain point," Sunny told her. "But the real reason I would have you look after him is... to talk with him."

Again, the eyebrow went up. "Talk with him?"

"It's obvious now that he blames me, at least partially, for what happened all those centuries ago, so my daily talks with him only helped keep his anger and want for revenge alive," Sunny said. "Spending time with a kirin, however, might make him more docile and more reasonable for when he finally does escape again."

Midnight hummed unhappily for a few minutes, looking between the three in the room with her and various points around the tent. Finally, she said, "I'll do it, but under one condition: did any kirins from fifteen hundred years ago survive or am I literally the first kirin alive since then?"

Sunny's and Moonlit's faces fell. "None survived; of that we are sure," Moonlit said solemnly.

"However, the wyverns left Equestria after that," Sunny continued. "What they did afterwards, we do not know. There may be other kirins out there in faraway lands but as far as Equestria is concerned, you are the first one in all this time."

Midnight hummed again, considering this. "A certain point of view..." she mumbled. 

"What?" Sunny asked. 

"Nothing," Midnight said, shaking her head and sighing. "I'll keep the ugly piece of granite for you but I choose where to put him."

"That's as good of deal as we could have hoped for," Sunny said. "Is it okay if we bring him in tomorrow?"

-----------------------------

"Well, at least everypony had fun," Sapphire said the next night after dinner. She and Midnight were, despite the chill, lounging on a cloud above the house. The pegasus snuggled deeper into the kirin's warm body.

"That is a plus," Midnight agreed. "Not too thrilled with the idea of another one so soon," she added, remembering how Eden had descended on them almost as soon as they reentered town hall and saying how this event was such a success and how they should start planning for the next one right away. "I think I might have gotten more respect from the others by turning her down."

"Did Squeaks tell you that those two foals, Gin and Wet Nose want to visit again, or that Eir and Amity are thinking about moving to Ponyville?" 

Midnight hummed agreement. "A lot of good came out of this, no matter the intentions."

"There is one thing that does bother me, though," Sapphire said.

"What's that?"

"Is it really the best idea to put Discord and Screwball in your shed? I mean, really?"

Midnight gave an amused snort. "Who knows? It might just drive them sane. Besides, I'm sure they like their new fur hats. And shoulder warmers. And face warmers."

Sapphire shook her head. "You are impossible sometimes."

"You still love me anyway," Midnight said with a nuzzle.

"Unfortunately," Sapphire agreed with a smirk.
> Ch.14 - Box of Chocolates for Your Thoughts?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You don't think it's too little?" Midnight asked as she paced the kitchen.

"Midnight, relax. She'll love it," Summer told her, trying to use her magic to hold the kirin still. It didn't work, like she knew it wouldn't, but holding her daughter in place hadn't been her goal. She'd learned that, to the kirin, it was more akin to placing a comforting hoof on her whither.

Arina, sitting on Midnight's head, chirped and stroked her bangs.

"But all we're doing is walking around town all day! We do that practically every night! I should be taking her into Canterlot to a fancy restaurant and spending the night at a fancy hotel! This just seems... lazy."

"I'm sure Sapphire would appreciate it, what with that seemingly bottomless bit pouch of yours," Summer said flatly.

Midnight stopped pacing and, not for the first time, gave her mother a sheepish, guilty look. A second, considerably larger paycheck for being the captain of a secret guard and selling off a few gems that Celestia gave her to eat wasn't something a woodcutter usually had going for them. "Right..." was all Midnight said."Well, maybe not the fanciest restaurant; and a hotel in the capital would be a bit much..."

"Just a little," Summer agreed.

"But still," Midnight pressed.

"You're giving her your undivided attention for a full day and doing whatever she wants to do with you," Summer said. "That's a pretty nice gift if you ask me. Besides, what if she is giving you a fancy dinner and hotel room?"

"I'd probably tell her to save her money and just get me a bag of sapphires," Midnight said, seeing where her mother was going with this. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything else about it." She opened the fridge. "Breakfast, or did Orange already serve you in bed? What are you two doing today, anyway?"

"I like to wash the sheets only once a week and Orange knows it, so no, I haven't had anything yet, and yes, I'd love a quick bite before the train up to Canterlot."

Midnight gave a snort. "Oh, so when I actually want to go to Canterlot, I'm a thoughtless spender, but when you want to go..."

"It's just coincidence," Summer told her. "Fancy Pants wants to go over a list of my current clients to see if he can use them in any of his other projects. After that we'll just be spending the day together, wandering the parks and eating at a nice, out of the way place for dinner, then a train ride home where we'll curl up together next to the fire place. A nice, simple, relaxing day together."

"When you put it that way, it does sound nice," Midnight said.

Summer, with years of experience, could just see the darkening of the black fur on her daughter's cheeks as she blushed. It warmed her to see Midnight so happy, after all the years they spent fighting and then her just disappearing. Times like these, she could almost forget that time had ever happened.

"So, you want tomatoes or peppers with your eggs?" Midnight asked, brandishing the cutting knife she'd just retrieved from the utensil draw.

-----------------------------

Sapphire's wings and heart fluttered as she returned home from dropping Squeaks off at school. She just knew Midnight would love the chocolate covered sapphires and the bottles of guava and mango juice she'd gotten.

Her thoughts of thank you hugs and kisses were derailed when she opened the side door.

"I told you, it's fine!"

"And I said I could make my own breakfast!"

"Not in my house you can't!"

"Oh dear," Sapphire mumbled as she entered the house to find Midnight and Summer arguing and flailing about next to the counter. Arina was hopping from head to head, her chirps a mix of anger and confusion. "Not again."

"I just don't want you to accidently hurt yourself!"

"I have fangs and claws and a freaking TAIL BLADE. If I wanted to hurt myself, I sure as Tartarus wouldn't need a knife!"

"Summer!" Sapphire called, loud enough to be heard. Midnight, Summer, and Arina stopped to look over at her. "Could you help me out with something? I think I can manage by myself, but I'm a little worried I might drop something coming down the stairs."

Summer looked between the kirin and the pegasus a few times, then sighed. "Alright," she said in a defeated tone, letting her magical grip on the knife fade as she followed Sapphire up the stairs. The sound of chopping followed them up to Sapphire's room where she pulled the two bottles and basket out of her closet. She could have held a bottle under each wing and the basket in her mouth but this way would pull Summer away from Midnight long enough to allow her to finish whatever she was making. She'd done this several times now and she'd tried to ask Summer why she seemed so scared of Midnight holding a knife.

"Just a mother worrying," Summer had said, too quick to be anything other than a deflection. She hadn't tried to ask Midnight about it yet, sensing that it might just make her withdrawn again for a while, but with this latest outburst she was determined to figure out why, if only so she could try and help.

Midnight's face, at seeing her gifts, was enough to dispel the worry from Sapphire's mind, even more so was the face Midnight made when she popped one of the chocolate covered sapphires into her mouth. "So good..." she moaned, making Sapphire giggle.

"I'll leave you two alone then," Summer said with a cough and seeing herself out.

Sapphire blushed with embarrassment, which quickly changed when Midnight pulled her into a hug. "Best Hearts and Hooves Day presents ever."

"I'm glad you like them," Sapphire said, nuzzling into the kirin's chest.

"Kinda makes mine seem sucky by comparison," Midnight continued unhappily.

Sapphire leaned back to look up at her. "Which is?"

Midnight fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well..." 'Mom, I am going to kill you. Slowly, and in great pain.' "... I was planning to take us around town, all day, and just, you know, hang out together?"

Sapphire just blinked at her.

"I-I'll get you whatever you want!" Midnight added quickly. "W-We can go to the jewelry store or the flower shop or-!" She stopped when a light blue hoof placed itself over her mouth.

"You mean your gift is a day of uninterrupted time together, just the two of us?" Sapphire asked.

Midnight nodded weakly.

Sapphire leaned up to her ear. "Roseluck told me how she and the girls have a surplus of tiger lilies; maybe we'll have those for breakfast under that secluded willow tree in the park first?" she whispered.

"Okay," Midnight squeaked.

Arina quickly skittered off Midnight; she could tell when she was becoming a third wheel. Besides, Squeaky usually spoiled her when Midnight was away.

Sapphire chuckled and kissed her. "We better get moving before we lose the spot."

"Right!" Midnight said, grabbing her saddle bags and quickly following the pegasus out the door. 'I take it back; I'll make it quick.'

-----------------------------

"I don't know about this," Squeaks said, dubious of the liquid being mixed in the pitcher. Arina chirped in agreement.

With only a half day thanks to the holiday, she, the rest of the pillow knights, and the CMC were all out doing their own thing for the afternoon, under the unofficial supervision of the magical spider. However, what would have been an afternoon of games with her friends became a mission.

A mission of love.

Once they heard that Miss Cheerilee didn't have a special somepony for Hearts and Hooves Day, they had all decided to find her one. An energetic and somewhat confusing hunt through town had ended with them finding only Big Mac without a special somepony of his own.

Now that they had the players, they just needed an arena. An empty gazebo at a nearby park was quickly claimed by the fillies and while Twist went to fetch Cheerilee and Apple Bloom Big Mac, the rest of them set about setting up a romantic picnic. Several times they had to chase off couples who had wandered toward the gazebo, including Midnight and Sapphire.

"Sorry mom but we need it," Squeaks told them, ears and wings wilting, unhappy with the idea of shooing her mom and Sapphire away.

"It's alright Squeaks," Midnight said, tussling her mane and careful to avoid hitting her pet. "Just don't get obsessed with this whole thing; try finding your own special somepony after this."

"Were you serious about Squeaky finding a special somepony for herself?" Sapphire asked as they went away laughing.

Midnight stared ahead, blinked, then shook her head. "Nope, just caught up with the holiday."

'She's going to be as bad as some fathers; I can already tell' Sapphire thought, rubbing up against the kirin and kissing her cheek.

Just as the plates were being set down, Cheerilee and Big Mac showed up with Twist and Apple Bloom in toe. Despite the suspicious looks, and exasperated ones for Apple Bloom, it looked like both adults would actually get into the spirit of things.

For about five seconds.

Their big plan a bust, the group of fillies trudged through town looking dejected until a run in with Twilight renewed their hopes with the idea of a love potion, which they were now mixing the required ingredients to make.

 "Why not? A little love potion never hurt anypony," Apple Bloom said as she stirred.

"Besides, Twilight said that this whole thing started with a love potion; we're just following in tradition," Sweetie Belle said, a big smile on her face. She had been the most disappointed their first attempt hadn't worked.

"And they look really nice together," Pinchy agreed.

"Yeah, but isn't this like forcing them? What if Cheerilee actually likes mares?" Squeaks asked.

"My mom thayth love potionth thould be illegal," Twist said, also looking nervous.

"And won't we get in trouble for doing this without their permission?" asked Dinky.

"Oh come on," Scootaloo said with a snort. "They're perfect together and the book says it wears off in an hour; how much harm could an hour do?"

Squeaks, Dinky, and Twist looked at each other.

"I think mom said something about saying stuff like that," Squeaks muttered.

Arina tapped Squeaks' ear and the filly held up a hoof for her to climb on to. Bringing her to eye level, the spider tapped under one of her eyes.

Squeaks bit her lip. She didn't exactly like the idea her friends had come up with but she didn't want to be a tattle tale. "Not yet," she told Arina. "Let's wait and see first. Maybe this time things will work out right."

Arina's eyes tabled but she crawled back onto Squeaks' head. Maybe this time would indeed turn out fine.

-----------------------------

"That was weird," Derpy said, sucking on her milkshake.

Midnight snorted in exasperation. "Yep, so now, not only can she juggle large, dangerous, magical creatures, she can also time travel. Perfect." With that said, she flopped her head down onto the table. She and Sapphire had run into Derpy doing some shopping and they'd stopped to have some milkshakes with her.

Sapphire stroked her with a wing. "You have to admit Midnight; your face when Cerberus jumped out was kinda funny."

"Wouldn't have been funny if he started eating ponies," Midnight retorted. Then again, she had broken one of her own rules.

"Twilight, seriously, nothing bad is going to happen," she'd told the unicorn after Twilight had spent the day running around Ponyville trying to enlist every pony she'd run across to fix every little thing wrong with the town and spouting about doom and gloom come that Tuesday. Midnight had finally gotten a firm hold on her and had tried to calm her down until she'd uttered that sentence and a massive three-headed dog had jumped over some houses. Midnight's face had been one of shock, fear, and are you kidding me?

"As much as I'd like to know what other emergencies Pinkie is ready for, I don't think my mind would survive," Midnight muttered.

"I'm still concerned about why he wasn't at his post," Sapphire said. "Someone, or something, might have gotten out."

"I'd like to think that there's more in place guarding such things then an oversized mutt," Berry said, getting up from the table. "Well, I need to do some inventory; have a fun day you two."

"Do you think there's more guarding the things down there?" Derpy asked as Berry walked away.

"Hope that there is, but prepared if there isn't," Midnight said. "Besides, they can't be that big of a threat. Discord wasn't down there and I could have beaten the dog to a pulp as a wyvern, so anything he's guarding can't be worse than a rabid manticore."

"Let's hope so," Sapphire said uncertainly.

Midnight snorted again. "The CMC and Pillow Knights cause more havoc than Cerberus did; I feel pretty good about that bet."

"Mom!"

They all turned to see Squeaks running towards them, Arina holding onto her ear tuffs to keep from falling off.

Midnight turned back to them, a grin fighting with a look of resignation for dominance of her face. "See?"

"Mom!" the bat filly repeated, skidding to a halt by her side.

"What's up Squeaks?"

"We were trying to get Miss Cheerilee and Big Mac together for Hearts and Hooves Day but it didn't work so Twilight told us how the holiday got started so we made a love potion that was only suppose to work for an hour but Scootaloo read it wrong and we actually made a love poison and now they can't stop looking at each other but they need to stop looking at each other for an hour for it to wear off and we're trying but I don't think we can without your help and I should have let Arina let you see what we were doing but I didn't want to be a tattle tale and I really thought things would work out this time and I'm really really REALLY sorry!" The little thestral sucked in a huge breath. She'd decided on the way over to just tell her mom and Sapphire the whole story and hope for the best; things were bad enough as it was.

Midnight, Sapphire, and Derpy looked at each other, then back at the filly. Midnight looked up at Arina and sighed at the shrug the spider gave her.

"Squeaks, I'm glad you came to me, even if it's later than you should have, but you DO know you're still in trouble, right?"

Squeaks nodded sadly.

Taking a final sip of her own milkshake, Midnight got up to follow the filly. Sapphire did the same.

"Do you want me to come, too?" Derpy asked.

"No, you have work to do," Midnight told her, laying some bits on the table. "If it's really that bad we'll bring Dinky to you."

"It's not that bad, is it Squeaky?" Sapphire asked, trying to get the filly to not look so down.

"Not yet..." Squeaks said, unsure. "When I left Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Pinchy, they had Big Mac tied up at the jewelry store. I don't think they can keep him there, though."

"Alright Squeaks," Midnight said, sharing a look with Sapphire and beginning to trot down the way Squeaks had come. "I want you to tell us everything from the beginning."

-----------------------------

It was a good thing Squeaks had gotten them when she did. While Sapphire flew off to Carousel Boutique to help control Cheerilee, Midnight and Squeaks ran into Big Mac being chased by the three fillies who were supposed to be keeping him away.

"I got him," Midnight said, spreading her wings wide as she stood her ground directly in front of a hopping Big Mac. "Alright lover boy, that's far enou-oof!" Not breaking his pace, the large stallion knocked her to the ground, then hopped on top of her, eliciting and loud, pained grunt from the kirin, before hopping on as if she'd never been there.

"What happened!?" Squeaks yelled as the others caught up.

"He gave us the slip at the jewelry store!" Scoots said, catching her breath.

"How's he so fast!?" Pinchy asked.

"Mah brother's real slippery when he wants to be," Apple Bloom said. "Ah told ya to keep a good eye on him!"

"Not the time for arguing girls," Midnight said as she picked herself up. "I'll slow him down; you four figure out a way to restrain him. You said this thing only lasts an hour?" All four fillies nodded. "How much longer do we have?"

They all looked at the town clock tower. "Less than ten minutes!" Apple Bloom said, a smile returning to her face.

Midnight nodded. "Alright, then let's not mess this up now, get moving!"

The fillies nodded and bolted off. Midnight took to the air and shot after Big Mac. When she caught up, she hovered in front of him, careful not to get to close. "Big Mac, buddy, things are a bit weird right now so how about we stop and talk about it?" Nothing. "Granny Smith says she needs your help right now!" Still nothing. "Sweet Apple Acres is on fire and burning to the ground!" He let out a contented sigh. "Oh, come o-!"

*Wham*

"Ow..." Midnight moaned as she slid down the tree she'd just back-winged into. 'You girls just HAD to do something today, didn't you?'

Said girls ran past her, carrying a long, thick piece of rope. "Alright, tie one end around that building there!" Apple Bloom said as she began twirling the lassoed end. She threw straight and true once she got the signal and the rope went taught as it caught Big Mac's yoke. "YES!" they all chorused when it seemed they'd finally stopped him.

"Hey, this is my house!" Pinchy said as she took another look at the building.

As if summoned, Berry stuck her head out of an upstairs window. "Pinchy what's going on?" Before the filly could answer, the building started to groan. A second after that, it broke off its foundation and was being dragged down the street, the sound of bottles breaking coming from inside after every yank.  "PINCHY!" Berry yelled.

"It's not my fault!" Pinchy yelled back as they took chase again. "Mostly!"

A black blur shot past and hit Big Mac, staggering him but not stopping his forward momentum.

"Let's see how you deal with a kirin on your back!" Midnight yelled, wrapping her legs around his barrel and flapping her wings backward. Her tail flailed around, trying to hit one of his legs with the flat side to trip him up.

All this finally seemed to get his attention as he began to try and buck Midnight off. "Oh... no... you... don't!" Midnight grunted, holding on for dear life. "I'm... not... that... easy... to... lose!" Unfortunately, his bucking proved too much for the kirin to handle. One buck brought Big Mac's head back into Midnight's face, making her reel back in pain and loosening her hold on him. A second buck hit her in the gut, winding her and making her let go entirely. Finally, a double-hoofed kick sent her flying back into Berry's house, impacting just below one of the second floor windows.

"Midnight?" Berry said as she stuck her head out of the window, then winced when she saw her friend stuck in the side of the building.

"All of them..." she grunted, "...grounded... at least a week..."

"I'm sure I'm going to agree with you," Berry said dryly. With a loud snap, the rope broke and Big Mac continued hopping away with the fillies now trying to dog-pile him. "Do I even want to know how and why my house and business is now off its foundation and down the street?"

"When this is over," Midnight said as she pulled herself out of the wall, "we're either going to have filly-kebobs or bookworm flank steak."

-----------------------------

"Come on," Sapphire said, nudging the tea cup in front of Midnight with a wing. "Aloe tea will help you feel better."

"It doesn't taste right," Midnight grumbled down at the cup.

"Well, we can always spend another couple of hours seeing nurse Red Heart..." Sapphire said.

Midnight immediately drained the cup, grimacing when she was done. "I am not wasting another two hours of our first Hearts and Hooves Day together just for her to tell me nothing's broken and to take it easy." She looked up at the sky. "Especially not now."

That trip to the doctor's was preceded by a decidedly heated talk with the girls. To sum it up, all of them were grounded. Squeaks was grounded for a week for not telling Midnight or Sapphire what was going on sooner and for not trying more to stop her friends. Dinky and Twist had been escorted back to their parents by Sapphire and had received similar punishments, although, according to Sapphire, she'd had to calm Twist's mom down enough so that was all the filly was given. Apparently she wasn't a big fan of love potions. From the sound of it, Sweetie and Scoots were going to get off the lightest; Sweetie's parents assuring Sapphire she'd be punished but sounding more as an afterthought and Scoots, who was an orphan, would only not be allowed to hang out with her friends for a while.

On the opposite end of the scale, Pinchy was going to have it the worst. Two weeks grounding at the very least, along with limited time with her friends after that and her allowance completely cut for the foreseeable future. Midnight had been able to go wyvern and place the house back on its foundation, but it still needed to be reattached, pipes reconnected, and inventory restocked. The only reason it wasn't worse was because Midnight had convinced Berry to take some money to help get started and reminding her that Pinchy hadn't been the one to come up with the plan, nor had been the one to pick out the house they used. "Can't even remember what your own home looks like!" she could be heard saying as she marched Pinchy inside.

Big Mac had also grounded Apple Bloom on the spot and both he and Cheerilee had agreed that the fillies should be to do some of Big Mac's chores on the farm and a five hundred word essay from each of them explaining why what they did was such a bad idea.

Arina hadn't been spared either. All Midnight had said about it was that she'd think of an appropriate punishment for her when she got back later. The spider had huddled on Sapphire's head as she'd escorted everypony home while Midnight went to see Red Heart. Nothing was broken and only some bruising, thankfully, but she was still sore a few hours later.

Finally, Midnight had reamed Twilight out about how not all knowledge should be just hoofed out willy nilly. Sapphire had kept her from charging into Golden Oaks, only for the unicorn to walk into them looking for the girls to get her book back. Midnight hoped the literal fire she was breathing near the end of her rant had helped get the message across. How in the holy saddle bag had Celestia not taught her to be more careful about such things!?

Sapphire raised an eyebrow as she also looked up. "What's special about now?"

"Well, I hear that the sunset is the most romantic time of day, for one," Midnight said with a smile. Despite her anger at the girls, she wasn't going to let it ruin the rest of her time with Sapphire. "And two, well, I remembered something while Red Heart was examining me and I want to share it with you."

"Which is?" Sapphire asked playfully, her mischievous smile and batted eyelashes giving Midnight butterflies.

"Let's find a park and I'll show you," Midnight said, getting up, laying some bits on the table, and walking away.

Sapphire caught up with her and gently pressed into her side. She felt Midnight tense as she brushed a bruise and she jumped back. "Sorry!"

"Don't be," Midnight grunted, pulling her back in with a wing. "It feels better already."

They walked for a while, watching other couples and enjoying the feel of each other, until they made it to a park with an unoccupied hilltop. "This is beautiful," Sapphire said, sitting down.

"This is nothing," Midnight, who hadn't sat down, said, stretching her wings and flapping a few times. Before Sapphire could ask anything, the kirin had jumped up into the air, beating hard for a set of clouds right above them.

Sapphire shot up after her, wondering what the kirin was up to. When she caught up to Midnight, the two landed on a large, fluffy cloud, and laid down. It was far more comfy than the grass on the hilltop, and the view of the sunset was even more stunning. "You're right; this is better," she said, leaning into Midnight.

"Yeah," Midnight agreed, draping a wing over her and letting out that growl-purr as she nuzzled her mare friend.

They stayed like that, bathed in the last rays of the setting sun and each other's warmth, until the sun was almost below the horizon. From her time working under Celestia, Sapphire knew the alicorn liked to drop the sun a lot slower on this day to give couples more of this magical time.

Without warning, Midnight got up and stretched, flapping her wings and stirring the cloud around them. "Midnight?" Sapphire asked.

"That was the sunset," Midnight said. "Now for what I wanted to share with you." Once Sapphire was up, Midnight nodded towards the open sky. "Just follow me," she said, hopping off the cloud, her wings stretched open to catch the thermals. Sapphire flew off after her, unable to glide like her but still able to keep up.

Midnight led her in a gentle corkscrew around several clouds, her wing tips stirring the water vapor on their edges and refracting the light around them so that the line she traced was a rainbow that followed her and seemed to wrap the clouds in multicolored bows.

When she was done with the fifth cloud she abruptly turned and ducked into one of the larger clouds. Sapphire hesitated for a second, then followed her in. "Midnight?" she called out, unable to see.

"Just keep flying another few seconds," Midnight called back through the fog, her voice trailing as if waiting to say something. "Okay," she finally said. "Up, now!"

Sapphire shot up and out of the cloud and was greeted by the night sky, exploded with stars and the rising moon, full and bright. She hovered there, amazed by the whole thing. She and Midnight had flown together in the evening, sure, but never once the sun was fully gone. Part of that was she couldn't see in the dark but now the moon light reflected off the clouds and she could see. It was almost as bright as day up here, only with a nighttime atmosphere that left her feeling like she was in another world.

Something shot across the surface of the moon and Midnight popped up in front of her, only half of her face obscuring the moon really visible. "Like it?" she asked, a genuine, full toothed smile on her face.

"This... is amazing," Sapphire whispered. "How did you...?"

"Know about this?" Midnight dropped and began flying lazy circles around her. "How did you think I learned to fly if I couldn't go out during the day?"

"You flew at night!"

Midnight nodded. "Yep. Draconic eyes helped me see and when I got better I flew higher and found out about what it's like up here on cloudy nights." She did a loop and flew on her back for a few seconds. "Sort of made a friend of the Mare in the Moon, too. Good listener." She frowned. "Kinda miss her up there," referring to the now missing mark. "Oh well." She dived back down and flew up to Sapphire again. "I always loved coming up here when I could. I almost wish there was a thunderstorm coming through; really amazing light show."

"So, what do we do now?" Sapphire asked. She really loved this view Midnight was showing her but the kirin never seemed that keen on just enjoying the view.

The kirin's grin grew playful and she flitted over and gave her a kiss. "You're it." With that she dove down towards the clouds, ducking into a break in them and disappearing into the darkness.

"H-Hey!" Sapphire shouted, then laughed and dived after her.

They spent nearly an hour that way, chasing after each other and tagging one another with a kiss. More often than not it was Sapphire who was chasing after Midnight, then latter using the darkness of the starry sky and breaks in the clouds to disappear and leave Sapphire flitting around the lit clouds as if the reflected light would protect her. At some points they would just end up cruising around a cloud that spiraled into the sky, enjoying the cool air and the patterns of the stars above.

Finally, after her sixth or seventh time getting tagged, Sapphire flopped onto a cloud, tuckered out and ready to rest. Midnight landed next to her a few seconds later, wrapping her in her wing and nuzzling her.

"You're certainly energetic tonight," Sapphire chuckled as she returned the nuzzle.

"This just feels so good, sharing this with you. When I got to fly like this back over Manehattan, they were the only times I really felt free and happy, like nothing could stop me." She sighed happily as she rested her head on the cloud. "Sometimes I wonder if my mom was a pegasus, maybe we'd have gotten along better."

The mention of Summer reminded Sapphire of the question she wanted to ask Midnight earlier. Now seemed like both the perfect and worst time to ask. No pony was around to interrupt or overhear but she didn't want to ruin the moment either.

Sensing the pegasus fidgeting, Midnight looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

Sapphire bit her lip. "I... I want to ask you something but it's very personal; I don't want to get you upset for a second time today; not now especially."

Midnight lifted her head and nuzzled her again. "Unless it's something we wouldn't want Squeaks to overhear, I doubt it'll bother me much."

Sapphire's sudden, deep blush made Midnight laugh, but the pegasus pushed on. "Why is your mom so afraid of seeing you with a knife?"

Midnight stopped laughing but it wasn't replaced by anger or unhappiness like Sapphire had feared. In its place was a frown of defeat. "Thought that was going to come up sooner or later."

"If you don't want to talk about it-!" Sapphire began.

"No, it's fine," Midnight interrupted, waving a dismissive wing. "I haven't been helping things either. I keep deliberately waving around a knife to try and show her it's no big deal. She still thinks it is but..." she shrugged, "hasn't helped any." She sighed, took a deep breath, then sighed again. "Before I tell you, you have to promise, promise, you won't make a big deal out if this. I get why she's paranoid now but it happened long ago and while it sounds bad I'm telling you it's not, okay?"

Sapphire nodded. "I promise."

Midnight narrowed her eyes. "Do you Pinkie promise?"

Sapphire nodded and said the words and did the motions. Midnight had to be very serious about this to evoke such a thing from her.

When she was done, Midnight sighed again. "Alright; you know about my cutie mark story? What I told you when I was in the hospital after the hydra attack?" Sapphire nodded; she'd never forget it. "Well, a few days later I got the idea to get rid of it. You know how foals are; they don't understand how hot a stove can be until they get burned. Well, I got it into my head that I could just, well, cut it off." Sapphire gasped but Midnight continued, determined to finish before she could ask any questions. "When mom went out I got a knife and headed up to the roof. I saw her cut up fruit and veggies all the time. I figured a quick slice on each side and it would be done. At first I just shaved off the fur over the mark, so I got frustrated and more or less ended up stabbing myself." She flinched at the memory. "Not my brightest moment. I kept trying other ways because I thought there had to be a way to get rid of them that didn't hurt. Eventually, mom found me on the roof and freaked out. Like I said, I can imagine why now, her seeing me covered in blood with a knife in my hoof; I'd freak out too if I saw Squeaks like that." She fell silent for a second, the moonlight reflecting off the wetness in her eyes. Sapphire nuzzled her neck and wrapped a fore hoof around Midnight's. "That's how we learned I'm such a fast healer," Midnight continued, "and why mom freaks when she sees me with a knife. I've tried to tell her I never wanted to do it again after that and now I have other ways to hurt myself it I really wanted to, which I don't, but she won't listen. After today, I think I'm going to give up trying." Her story over, she sighed again and hugged Sapphire. "That answer your question?"

"Yes..." she said, sounding like she was lost in thought.

"Bit for your thoughts?" Midnight asked.

"No, I'm just... I'm glad you told me," she said, reaching up and kissing her cheek.

"Now, I told you it's behind me," Midnight said. "I never wanted to hurt myself and I still don't."

"I know," Sapphire said, kissing her again. "And I'm glad; I'm just thinking of a way I can make it up to you for dredging it up."

"And what exactly have you come up with?" Midnight asked, her voice soft. The blush was back on Sapphire's cheeks but her eyes were determined.

Sapphire kissed her again. "I'll show you," she whispered.

-----------------------------

Windrunner left the bathroom, heading for bed. She sighed unhappily as she remembered how Squeaky's and Arina had come home. Yes, they were wrong for letting their friends make a love potion but the way they had looked as they slowly made their way up to Squeaky's room was the same as a buffalo being ejected from the herd. It wasn't as bad as all that, according to Sapphire, but the filly was still in a lot of trouble and probably wasn't looking forward to when Midnight got home.

If they got home, that was. She'd been waiting up for them to return and tell her what happened but she'd grown tired and decided she could wait to hear it tomorrow. Who knew; things could have settled down by then. A good night's sleep often did wonders.

As she was just passing the end of the staircase she heard the side door quietly open. When she heard Midnight's and Sapphire's voices, she relaxed and was wondering if she should go down and see them when she heard both voices fade off, as if they were heading into the living room, then the sound of Midnight's bedroom door opening, closing, and then silence.

Windrunner waited there for a another minute, wondering what they were doing. Then her mind clicked back to a memory of a male buffalo and a female buffalo slipping into a new teepee together. Her face blushed and she made a beeline for her bed room. She could ask them in the morning. Late morning.
> Ch.15 - There is Another
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*click*

The sound of the alarm clock's switch being turned to “off” was barely audible but it still made Midnight wince. She knew it was becoming a bad habit and Sapphire was going to get mad at her but she just couldn't help it; cuddling in bed with Sapphire was her new favorite thing in the world. Her closeness, her scent, the knowledge that she wanted to be there with her, it all combined into the best feeling Midnight had ever felt. That and waking up to Sapphire’s bed head every morning. Priceless.

As she settled back down around her marefriend, gently tucking her wing back around her and considering what to make for breakfast, the carefully worked silence was broken by a loud *POP* as a scroll magically appeared on the night stand.

Sapphire jumped and Midnight groaned and buried her face into a pillow. So much for another hour of bliss.

“Wha… what happened?” Sapphire asked, looking around.

“Scroll,” Midnight whined through the pillow, pointing with her wing claw.

Turning to the night stand, Sapphire saw the offending scroll and the royal seal keeping it closed. “It’s from the princess,” she noted as she picked it up.

“Which one?” Midnight growled. ‘I wonder if Twilight is strong enough to move a celestial body?’

“Both of them, actually,” Sapphire told her as she scanned the letter.

‘Okay, well, she's good at organization; she can get two groups of unicorns together without too many problems.’

“They want to see you at the castle as soon as possible,” Sapphire said, turning the scroll to show her.

“Ten it is then.”

“Midnight,” Sapphire warned.

“But Sapphire!” Whined the kirin as she groped at the pegasus, trying to pull her back under the covers.

Avoiding the searching limbs, Sapphire got out of bed. “As a captain you need to go when the princesses need you,” she said firmly. Then she looked at the alarm clock. “It also means you shouldn't be turning off your alarm clock for an extra hour of sleep.”

Midnight grinned sheepishly. Sapphire’s bed head didn't look so funny anymore.

-----------------------------

“You’re kidding me,” Midnight said in a loud whisper, hardly believing what they’d just told her was true. Any trace of sleepiness or annoyance at being dragged to Canterlot so early was gone.

The serine smile never left Celestia’s face. Luna, who stood on the dais next to her sister, had a look of controlled excitement.  “Never about something like this. We wouldn’t even be telling you if we were doubtful of its validity.”

“But… but another kirin!? You actually found one!? How!? Where!?” Midnight sputtered, her mind revving up from a dead stop to a mile a minute as the news fully sunk in.

“Reliable witnesses who’ve described something very kirin-like living in their town,” Celestia said, raising a folder into view.

“From what witnesses have described, it sounds like a dragon-born kirin rather than a wyvern one,” Luna said, her grin fading a bit. “It doesn’t sound like the child of Lady Eden Rose, however.”

Midnight frowned as the rising bubble of excitement deflated a bit at this news. When they’d first met, Eden had treated her like she was the answer to all her prayers of finding her long-lost son. Now here was another blow to that hope. While she was still unhappy that Eden was using her for her other goals, this was something she sympathized completely with the unicorn.

“While it is sad that the description of the supposed kirin does not match Lady Eden’s son, this is more good news than bad,” Celestia said. At Midnight’s confused look, she continued. “It means that there isn’t two kirins in Equestria, but three.”

Midnight could only blink at this. Three kirins. Midnight shook herself and gently took the folder that was now levitating in front of her face.

Opening it, she found written reports from ponies living in the town of Hollow Shades. Most were written by police officers on night patrol but some were from members of the community who’d been out during evening hours. All of them described a creature slightly larger than a foal Squeaks’ age with a tail and wings similar to hers, draconic eyes, and horns. The last file even had a blurry photograph of the supposed kirin, looking more like an orange-red blob than anything else. Definitely not Eden’s son, who, according to her, was whitish and would be a teenager by now.

“As you’ve probably guessed, we would like you to go to Hollow Shades and personally confirm if there is indeed a kirin living in the town,” Celestia said.

“And what do we do if it is a kirin?” Midnight asked, closing the folder and making to give it back to them.

Celestia waved the folder away. “You keep it, to help with your investigation. As for what we’ll do if it is a kirin... we’re not sure. There are now procedures in place for when a kirin is born but nothing on what to do when one drops down at our hooves.”

“There has been discussion,” Luna added. “However, nothing satisfactory has come of it. That being said, an open search for a kirin by one of their own will cause ponies to talk, which, in turn, might bring any others in hiding into the light by their own volition. Upon your return, successful or not, we believe your input in the matter would be of great importance.”

“Until then, you are our representative on the scene and will have full authority to do whatever is necessary to keep them and others safe,” Celestia said. “A letter will be sent ahead of you to the local police force instructing them to aid you in any way they can, as well as a royal stipend for food and lodging for as long you are out there.” A sealed scroll and a checkbook floated over to Midnight.

“Lieutenant Holly’s efforts have also borne fruit,” Luna added. “Five ponies have been found that she feels would be beneficial in the Bearer Guard. They will go with you on this mission.”

“I hope to be pleasantly surprised,” Midnight told them, stashing away the scroll and book in her saddle bags. “And it’s a good way to bring up why they are here.” All three turned their attention to the three thestrals sitting by the doors to the throne room. They had come in with Midnight but had hung back to let the kirin and alicorns hash out their business. Luna instantly recognized her captain’s sister Night Sky, Star Claw, father of the light-colored thestral colt, and Dark Cleaver, one of the few older teens left with the free thestrals. At Midnight’s nod they rose and moved toward the throne, bowing when they reached the spot next to the kirin.

“What has brought you all before us this morning?” Luna asked.

“Your majesties,” Night Sky started. “We’ve come to request to join the Bearer Guard.”

The eyebrows on both princesses shot upwards. “An unusual request,” Celestia said. “One would think you would all want to join the Lunar Guard alongside your fellow thestrals.”

“And what of your businesses in Ponyville?” Luna inquired. “Surely they have become more profitable by now?”

“They have,” Night Sky assured her, ”but being a farmer is also… dull,” she finished lamely with a shrug. “All of us went through some basic training while the colony still existed and cultivating the crops was considered a necessary punishment. It pays bills and has helped get us on our hooves, but not all of us want to continue doing it forever. The three of us feel the Bearer Guard would be a good place to start, if nothing else.”

“As for why we would rather join the Bearer Guard instead of the Lunar one…” Star Claw started.

“Patrolling the same corridors night after night isn’t a welcome change of pace,” Cleaver said. “The Bearer Guard would be more interesting.”

Star Claw smacked the teen in the back of the head while Sky tried to look sheepish. Midnight and Luna shared a tabled look before the kirin shrugged.

“And your families?” Celestia asked, hiding the upturned corners of her mouth as she spoke. “Have you discussed this with them?”

“Yes,” Star Claw said, “they all support our decision and, like the rest, know to keep the existence of the Bearer Guard a secret.”

“We would also provide something the Bearer Guard has been lacking up until now and would be useful for this situation,” Sky added. “Neither of their current members, nor any current prospects, are nocturnal, so they have nopony reliable for a night shift as of yet. We could fill that gap in security.”

“With your highness' permission, I’m fully willing and ready to induct them into the Bearer Guard,” Midnight said. “They’re reliable, hard working, and each knows at least one Bearer personally. They fit all the requirements we’ve set down.”

Both alicorns’ horns lit up with magic and they began to converse with each other, their voices muted by whatever spell they were casting. After a few minutes they broke apart and the magic dispersed from their horns. “We grant thee full membership into the Bearer Guard,” Celestia announced with ceremony. “Defend our heroes and serve your captain well.”

All three thestrals bowed again, then saluted Midnight when they rose. “Your orders, captain?” Night Sky asked.

-----------------------------

“Are you sure about this?” Sapphire asked, shooting a meaningful look at Squeaks and Honey ahead of them.

“I don’t like taking her out of school, no,” Midnight admitted, “but if it’s really a kirin out there, it’s a foal and children often respond best with other children.”

“True.”

“And Squeaky seems more approachable than other foals,” Windrunner chimed in. “If she doesn’t respond to one of her own kind, then a shy child like themselves is more likely to work.”

“Better than having eight guards descend on them anyway,” Midnight muttered. Arina chirped in agreement. The six of them were making their way back to the train station from the house. Midnight and her entourage had stopped off in Ponyville to switch trains and so that the kirin could collect a few things from home and inform the others of the situation.

The princesses had agreed that Midnight could take her prospects and her new thestral guards on the expedition to Hollow Shades, provided that at least Windrunner stayed behind to watch over the rest of the bearers. With only five to lookout for (AJ being in Canterlot for a rodeo and thus under direct but discrete royal guard supervision) Midnight was sure Windrunner could manage whatever might pop up. If things got truly desperate, she had permission to bring Scarlet into the loop. Sapphire would also be staying behind to fulfill her role as a liaison between the guard and the princesses. If something went wrong, she’d be the one sending notices to the princesses and Midnight while Windrunner and Scarlet could deal with the issue.

Midnight had also sent a scroll ahead to Sapphire, telling her to tell Cheerilee that Squeaks would be out for a few days and to please give them any school work she would be missing so she could keep up with her classmates. Honeysuckle would be coming with them as Squeaks' tutor so as to make sure said school work was done.

Based on her own experience, the idea of another kirin searching for her would have been enough to draw Midnight out. Having somepony her own age who would have seen nothing unusual about her and would have possibly been her friend would have kept her out. She hoped that line of thinking would be the same for this kirin as well.

“I’m glad Holly was able to find you more ponies willing to sign up,” Sapphire said, nuzzling up under Midnight’s chin. “Now you won’t have to do everything yourself.”

Midnight wrapped a wing around the pegasus. “I’m also glad Sky, Star, and Cleaver signed up. I plan to have us keeping a round-the-clock look-out for this kirin. Not to mention our own little walking spy camera.” She petted the spider with a wing claw to a series of pleased chirps.

“You’ll find them,” Sapphire said, this time kissing her cheek. “I’d like to meet the rest of the bearer guards before you leave , though.”

The prospects were standing a little ways away from where the thestrals, Eden, and her personal servants were talking. Midnight nodded at Honey and Squeaks to join them while she, Sapphire, and Windrunner approached the others. “Ma’am,” one of the two sergeants, Wild Mane, said, nodding in place of a salute.

Midnight nodded back. “Sergeant.”

Sergeant Wild Mane, named such as he had a large mop of a mane and tail, as well as thick chest fur, was built along the same proportions as Big Mac with a brown coat and dark brown mane and tail and was also an earth pony. According to the report Holly had made for her, he routinely went head-to-head with the dangerous wildlife found around his previous posting. Far from being reckless, it was to save ponies who’d wandered too far out into the woods. The only blotch on his service record was that he tended to get into arguments with his previous superior over how things were being run. His cutie mark was a furry bear claw.

First Sergeant Hazelnut, also an earth pony, was about normal size with light brown fur and sandy-colored mane and tail. He was good at rallying troops around himself and had a good service record but suffered from the same issue with authority as Wild Mane. His insubordination, however, was less confrontational and more issuing his own commands when getting out into the field. His cutie mark was a pendent flapping in the breeze. Both had claimed that their commanding officers had given them questionable orders, resulting in their reported insubordination, and while the Canterlot brass had sided with them and Midnight was willing to start things fresh, she was also willing to dump them back to their previous postings if they tried the same thing with her.

Corporal Blackberry, the only mare in the group, was a pegasus with a duller light blue coat than Sapphire’s with a dark purple mane and tail and her namesake for a cutie mark. While a model guard, she had a habit of getting either too wrapped up in her work or spending too much time getting to know ponies. A problem at her old post; an asset to her new one.

Private Dandelion was a tan unicorn with a green mane and tail and an open book for a cutie mark. He and Private Spread Eagle, a pegasus with cream-colored fur, red mane and tail, and a hammock cutie mark, the fifth and last on the list, had come from the same outpost and were both considered slackers and sometimes trouble makers. Dandelion liked to tell stories all day while Eagle would lay about in the grass next to him, doing nothing and complaining loudly when they were caught. These two were her biggest concerns. While she felt she could work with Dandelion, she also felt that she’d gotten Spread Eagle because they only came as a pair. One glimmer of hope was that, surprisingly, all five came from the same village, so there was a chance that any of the other three might be able to keep him in line and at his post better than his previous officers.

All five would keep their previous ranks if they passed their trial period and it was also agreed that Night Sky would start off as a sergeant, Star Claw a corporal, and Dark Cleaver a private. It gave them the chain of command that Midnight and Windrunner agreed the Bearer Guard needed.

“I’d like you all to meet Lieutenant Windrunner and our Liaison Officer Sapphire Breeze,” Midnight said, indicating the two at her side. "And my second set of eyes Arina."

The five gave variations of hello and respectful nods.

Sapphire looked up at Midnight. “Liaison Officer?” she whispered.

“Sounds better than the company mail mare,” Midnight whispered back. “And you work for me, right? That makes you part of the guard, too.” She turned back to the others. “Windrunner and Sapphire will be staying behind to keep an eye on the bearers while we go to Hollow Shades to find the kirin.”

“With all due respect,” Blackberry spoke up, “isn’t our job to keep an eye on the bearers? Why are we hunting down a dragon-thing?”

“I need to know I can trust you with that task,” Midnight told her. “Consider this a test. Also, it’s a kirin, and possibly only the third one in Equestria, next to myself and another.”

“Apologies ma’am.”

“So, are we protecting them, then?” Dandelion asked, pointing at Eden, Dancer, Singer, and Puzzle Mixer, who’d just returned from the restroom.

Midnight had run into Eden in the castle as she’d been leaving. Feeling guilty about having news about a kirin that wasn’t her son, Midnight had told her about the expedition. On the spot, Eden had announced she would go as well and would not back down. In the end, Midnight had agreed to wait for her at the train station while she made all the necessary arrangements. She’d met back up with Midnight not an hour later, bringing Puzzle Mixer along with Dancer and Singer. The two had become fast friends ever since the social.

Mixer was over the moon about the prospect of another kirin. “And a foal at that! Now I’ll be able to study the differences of a young specimen versus a mature one! How exciting!” Midnight later cornered him on the train, warning him that if he endangered the search or the eventual meeting for his own agenda in anyway, she was going to provide him that plaster cast of her teeth he’d asked for, he’d just have to pull it from his own hide first. He quickly agreed to her terms.

“No,” Midnight told them, looking the second group over. “We can consider them civilian... consultants for this. Miss Blade Dancer is their security and the fact that we’ll be working with the local police should be enough to deter anything from happening. We’ll discuss this more on the train, but for now orders are that you five are the day shift and the thestrals are the night shift. I’ll be working with both as best as I can. I’d also suggest that you discuss among yourselves your back stories and jobs for when we return; staying undercover is a top priority around others.”

“What cover story are we giving those four?” Hazelnut asked.

“I told Lady Eden Rose that you five are Solar Guards who owe the Lunar Guard some favors. When you heard that several of their relatives are helping me with the search, you volunteered to help.”

The five guards nodded.

Midnight rummaged around in her saddlebags and pulled out the folder the princesses had given her. “These are accounts of locals running across the kirin. Read them over and we’ll discuss how we should proceed later once we’re all settled on the train.”

With a nod, Midnight left them to go over the folder’s contents.

“They seem willing enough,” Sapphire said as they approached Eden’s group.

“Hopefully when all this is finished we’ll be coming back with a kirin and a new, improved Bearer Guard,” Midnight said. “What do you think?” she asked Windrunner.

“A little stiff,” the buffalo-raised pegasus said.

Midnight grunted. “Yeah but the two of us don’t have any formal guard training, nor have we lived the life; that’s why we’re good for this role as it currently is. We, the Bearer Guard, need to have ponies like them who know how a guard is supposed to work. If they can stiffen us up some and we loosen them up a bit, I think we’ll find a good middle ground.”

“I know you said to bring Scarlet into our confidence if something truly problematic happens but I also have to ask about Tight Fit,” Windrunner asked.

Midnight hummed unhappily. The stallion had begun to come with Scarlet to the disguised training sessions they had been holding for her, the hippogriff saying that it would be good for him to push himself now and again. Unable to come up with a good excuse to keep him out, Midnight and Windrunner had allowed him to join. For the most part, they tried to keep away from the inhabitants of the Everfree and the more strenuous exercises they usually put Scarlet through, including the one where they had Scarlet protect a group of dummies similar to the one the Solar Guard had done with Midnight and Windrunner. They’d caved sometimes when Scarlet had been very insistent he do the same exercises as well and refusal would have led to awkward questions.

“If something comes up and there’s no way to avoid it, bring him in as well. He’s not a great fighter but he does help Big Mac with the books; we’ll need a supply officer of our own eventually and he might fit the bill,” Midnight finally told her.

When they reached the others, Squeaks looked up at her mother with wide eyes. "Mom, Mr. Mixer says that the woods around Hollow Shades has even more monsters in it than the Everfree!"

"Does he now?" Midnight asked, eyeing the unicorn darkly.

"It is noted that Hollow Shades has had no reasonable growth since its founding nearly one hundred years ago," Mixer said, slipping into lecture mode. "Many cite the mostly unexplored terrain and creatures who live there as the cause of this stagnation, while Ponyville has only grown despite the proximity of the Everfree Forest."

"Maybe that's because Ponyville has room to expand away from the forest unlike Hollow Shades which is surrounded by theirs?" Midnight pointed out.

Mixer blinked for a few seconds. "That's certainly one theory," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Squeaks, there's nothing to worry about," she told the filly holding onto her leg. "There's no reason for you to go out into the woods and you'll be with either me or Honeysuckle or Arina the entire time. Besides," Midnight ruffled her mane, "I eat timberwolves and manticores for breakfast; this forest can't be much worse."

"Uh, Midnight?" Sapphire said worriedly.

"I know, but I'm not talking about Ponyville, so it's fine," Midnight said. The train whistle blew and the conductor called for everyone to come aboard. "That's our cue." She nuzzled Sapphire and wing-hugged Windrunner. "Keep safe and don't be afraid to send word if something goes wrong; the kirin isn't as important as you-know-who."

"Good luck," Sapphire told her with another nuzzle. "And we will. Just remember; that kirin is just as  important in other ways, too."

Midnight nodded, then herded everypony else onto the train. Taking their spot between the prospects and Eden's group, she, Squeaks, Arina, and Honeysuckle waved to Sapphire and Windrunner as the train pulled out of the station. "Alright, we should be there by nightfall, which means you can get started on your first bit of homework," Midnight said as she got up from her seat.

"Aww!" Squeaks whined but stopped when she saw the look in her mother's eye.

"Squeaky Wings, this was a condition for coming on this trip, so there won't be any more of that," Midnight said sternly. Squeaks had served out her grounding for the love poison incident but that didn't mean Midnight was giving any leniency, for the most part. "Do it without any fuss, and I might just buy you a fruit drink from the trolley. Deal?"

Her eyes lighting up, Squeaks nodded and pulled the books out of her bag.

"Bribery?" Honey asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Positive reinforcement," Midnight clarified, moving to join her guard. "So, does anypony know anything about Hollow Shades?"

"I know a few stories from there," Dandelion said. "Uh, they're all ghost stories, though."

-----------------------------

Hollow Shades was... darker than Midnight anticipated. Sure, it was dusk, but she'd been in the Everfree at the same time and it was never as dark. It was like the trees themselves were sucking in all the light so Midnight could only see a few trees in.

"Seems a little dark, doesn't it?" Spread Eagle said.

"What's a'matter mate? Scared of the dark?" Wild Mane teased.

"We're barely back together for a day and already you two are at it," Hazelnut huffed. "Any chance our time out here won't end up in a shouting match?"

"If it does," Midnight interjected, "and the search gets derailed because of it, getting sent back to your previous posts will be the least of your problems."

The two stallions cleared their throats and stood straighter.

"It really is dark," Squeaks agreed, huddling between Midnight and Honey.

"Says the thestral," Midnight chuckled, rubbing Squeaks' back comfortingly with a wing.

"She's right," Sky said, staring hard into the forest herself. "It's... really dark in there."

"We'll worry about that later," Midnight said, cutting off Sky from saying anything else. Dandelion had told his ghost stories on the train and it had given them all the heebie jeebies to some extent. That didn't mean Midnight believed any of it. Not yet, anyway. Right now they needed to stay focused. "Let's get to the inn and get settled first; we can discuss boogie-ponies and ghouls then."

"Excuse me." They all turned to see a police officer coming across the platform toward them. He faltered at the sight of Midnight and the thestrals but quickly recovered. "Are you the ponies sent from Canterlot?"

"We are," Midnight said with what she hoped was a friendly nod. The spider perched on her head probably didn't help.

The officer gave her another once over, then nodded back. "The chief would like to see you as soon as you settle in. He's waiting for you at the inn and he's told me to show you the way there."

"Thank you," Midnight said, nodding. "The faster we get started, the faster we'll find what we've come looking for."

As they followed the officer through the town, they noticed something else that made it unnerving. While Ponyville had wide streets and decent space between houses, the streets of Hollow Shades were narrow and the houses crowded together. It made the atmosphere even more foreboding. Even the officer seemed to be hurrying along in order to get his errand over as quick as he could.

"At least you won't have to worry about moving around in the open too much," she whispered to Arina. The spider shivered in response; she didn't like this place either.

The inn itself was a modest two-story building several blocks away from the train station. The first floor had a bar, tables, chairs, benches, and two fire places. It looked like a regular meeting place for the locals. When they walked in, only a few ponies were left around one of the fire places, not including the barkeep and a mare going around cleaning the tables. They all stopped and looked up at the party as they walked in. Midnight was aware that many, if not all, of the eyes upon them lingered on her and the thestrals, just like the officer had done.

"Are these them?" asked one of the older stallions near the fireplace, more well groomed than the rest.

"They are chief," the officer confirmed.

The stallion nodded. "Rumchata runs the inn along with his daughter Mint Julep; they'll get you settled in." The barkeep nodded at the mare and she beckoned them to a flight of stairs. "Before you retire for the night I'd like to know what your plan is and how long you're planning on staying."

"Of course." Midnight looked over the group. "Hazelnut, Night Sky; we'll talk with the chief. The rest of you head up and get the rooms squared away." There were nods of agreement and the three started towards the fire place when Midnight noticed Eden and Mixer following them instead of the others going up the stairs behind Mint. "Eden?" Midnight asked, authority mixing into her voice. Now that they were actually in the town her patience for games was a lot thinner.

"My group is looking as well, aren't we?" Eden asked. "If that's true then I think we need to hear anything the three of you hear, don't you agree?"

Midnight thought about it for a second, then snorted. "Point," she said, turning back to the fire. A couple of ponies slid back away around their tables from her and Sky as they passed. The two hesitated for a second before joining the others at the police chief's table. The chief, on the other hoof, didn't even bat an eye at them.

"Name's Night Stick," the chief said, offering a hoof. Midnight took it with a hearty shake, as did the other four. "Now, how much do you all know about Hollow Shades?"

"Not as much as we like," Midnight admitted.

"Well, with why you're here, I'm sure you've heard at least a few of the ghost stories about this place. Tell ya right now; take them with a bit of salt but also keep alert at night and when you're near the woods. We might not have ghosts and goblins hiding under every bed and in every closet but the woods sure as Tartarus aren't safe by any stretch of the imagination."

"Anything in particular we need to watch out for?" Hazelnut asked.

Night Stick took a swig of his drink. "Timberwolves and wild dogs for sure but other than that..." He shook his head. "For some reason any time somepony tries to make a home, farm, or whatever past the town limits, it fails, spectacularly. Most of the time they just up and leave; won't say why, just got a haunted look in their eyes. The rest..." he took another swig. "Don't hear from them for a month or two and when we going looking, all we find is their places overgrown like they've been gone for a long time. Whatever's out there, for some reason they doesn't mind the town or the rail line, just don't go past either. If you DO need to go in those woods for any reason, go as a group and NEVER split up."

Midnight nodded. "Hopefully we won't have to go out there. All the eye witnesses said they saw it inside the town?"

Night Stick nodded. "I don't think it's something native to the area. The sightings only began last year and it's too different from other things ponies have reported seeing."

"I'm telling ya, it's some kinda vampire-demon pony!" one of the patrons shouted. "I've even got proof this time chief!" He pointed at Midnight and Sky.

"I'm a thestral," Sky growled.

"Wild Theory, will you, for once, shut up about vampire ponies?" Night Stick said tiredly. "If there were as many of them as you say, then all of Equestria would be over run. Besides, do you really think the princesses would send some here to sniff out another one? Actually, you know what? Don't answer that one."

"And if we're right, then what it is, is a kirin, just like me," Midnight added. "Half dragon, half pony."

The inn was silent for a few seconds.

"How would a dragon and a pony even...?" another patron started.

"So what's your plan for finding it?" Night Stick interrupted.

"We've got two shifts; a day shift consisting of the five guards and a night shift made up of Night Sky and the other thestrals. Lady Eden Rose's group is a private venture that's working to find the same kirin. If it's alright, the day shift's plan is to talk with the witnesses and see if they can get any more details from them. The thestrals will search the streets at night hoping to catch it. I'll be with both groups as often as I can. As for how long we'll be here... I really can't say. If the makers are really kind we'll find it tonight and be on a train out of here tomorrow."

"And if you're really unlucky you'll be here for a nice long while," Night Stick finished for her with a sigh. "Well, here's to luck." He drained his mug. "My police force will do what we can to help. Don't take this the wrong way but I hope you're out of here in a day or two. Ponies are going to be ruffled up enough with you all here as it is." Getting up from the table, he again wished them all luck and a good night, paid Rumchata, and left.

"So what do we do if it turns out the kirin is hiding out in the forest?" Hazelnut asked as they also got up and headed for the stairs.

"We'll discuss that if and when it comes to that," Midnight said. If Night Stick was right, then they'd have to dart in, grab the foal, and bee-line it out of there before they met whatever lived in the forest that was worse than Timberwolves.

"What is their problem?" Sky muttered, shooting a look back at the ponies still around the fire place. "It's like we were back in Canterlot."

"I'd put bits on it that they're spooked of anything that isn't an earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn and already suspicious of outsiders," Midnight said. "Just forget about them; you won't have to deal with them that much anyway."

"What about that Wild Theory?" Sky pressed.

Midnight snorted. "You've met Lyra and he doesn't seem any worse than her."

"But if the locals are unwelcoming, that might make our trying to get information a bit harder," Hazelnut point out.

"Just keep a friendly smile on and make it clear that all we want to know is anything related to the kirin. No ghost stories, no mysteries, no questions about income." They all snickered at that. "Alright," Midnight said as they reached the upper hallway. "Sky, take Star and Cleaver up to the roof and start our first watch; I wasn't blowing smoke about possibly finding the kirin tonight."

"On it." She darted into a room where the other two thestrals were unpacking.

"Hazelnut, brief your team about what the chief told us. First thing I want your group to do tomorrow is get us some maps of the town so we don't get lost."

"Will do." He peeled off into another room with the other four guards in it.

"How are you all going to sleep in two beds?" Midnight asked, looking in behind him.

"Hazelnut and myself in one, Blackberry in the other, and Dandelion and Spread on the floor," Wild Mane said with a laugh.

"We'll take turns ma'am," Hazelnut clarified. "Don't worry about us; we've had worse."

Midnight nodded and went back into the hallway. "Eden," Midnight whispered as the unicorn walked past, catching her front leg. "Please, just keep Mixer reigned in. The last thing we need is for him to scare the locals into not talking to us."

"I know how to speak to townsfolk," Eden assured her. "And I'm quite sure the three of us can keep Dr. Mixer from doing anything foalish."

Midnight sighed, nodded, then turned into the room she could see Honey and Squeaks unpacking in.

"Everything alright?" Honey asked as she entered.

"Yeah, just a quick briefing with the police chief," Midnight said. She already felt exhausted.

"Are you staying up with Sky, Star, and Cleaver all night?" Squeaks asked.

"No baby girl," Midnight said, nuzzling her. "I'll just be up for a few more hours with them, then come back down. In the mean time, get ready for bed and go to sleep; you need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for your school work in the morning so you can join the search after lunch."

"Okay."

"Right, now, Arina." The spider chirped and saluted. "Your job is to move around town unnoticed. You know what to do if you see anything. You're also the only one I'm going to tell to do this but if you see something suspicious inside any of the buildings, don't hesitate to go in." Arina nodded. "Also, stay out of the woods. No pony goes in there alone and that includes you, understand?" Arina gave another chirp, hopped out of Midnight's hooves, and crawled out the window. "And be careful!" Midnight called out after her.

-----------------------------

"So, nothing last night?" Wild Mane asked.

"Nothing about the kirin," Midnight muttered as she sipped her coffee.

She, the day shift, Eden and her group, Squeaks, and Honey were all convening in the town's bakery/coffee shop for lunch. Midnight had just woken up after staying up late with the thestrals and had followed Squeaks and Honey to where they'd agreed to meet with the guards and Eden.

"What DID you learn then?" Blade Dancer asked, noting how Midnight answered.

Midnight took another sip of her coffee. "Well, according to Sky, Star, and Cleaver, there are apparently big owls flying around in the forest."

"How big?" Blackberry asked.

"As big as me, apparently," Midnight said. "I may have some night vision but it's nothing compared to a thestral's." She patted Squeaks on the head. "All I could see of them was dark shapes moving on a dark background. I swear that forest is blacker at night than I am. Anyway, they could see that they were large birds of some kind, easily big enough to grab a foal and carry it off. On top of that they were flying in groups, so carrying off somepony as big as Wild Mane or myself isn't out of the question. I think this definitely puts an end to any serious thinking about going into the woods at night. If we absolutely have to, we'll only go in during the day and only for a couple of hours."

They all nodded.

"Any news from Arina?" Honey asked.

Midnight shook her head. "We linked up briefly after discovering the owls and I told her the same thing. She won't go in the woods now unless it's absolutely necessary. So far nothing seems to come in and out of the town at night, so that's one thing we don't have to worry about." She bit into her blueberry muffin. She would have preferred something with meat but hunting was out of the question with the woods off limits. It would be the first thing she and the thestrals were going to do as soon as they got back. "So, any luck asking around?"

Hazelnut shook his head. "You were right about them not liking outsiders. Most don't want to talk to us about it; seem to think doing so will bring it around again."

"Or talk about it too much," Wild Mane said. "I had this one old lady ramble on for nearly a half hour about different monsters and what you use to ward them away."

"Which is the opposite of what we want," Midnight grunted. "Alright, I guess we'll keep at it. Hazelnut, head over to the police station and see if there are any recent reports of missing pets."

"And what do missing pets have to do with finding the kirin?" Spread Eagle asked.

"It's hungry," Midnight clarified. "Baked goods and daisy sandwiches are good for only so long before we want something more... substantial." She fished a pouch out of her saddle bags and dropped it on the table. "Case in point." Opening it, she pulled out a small gem stone and popped it into her mouth. "I want to save it as a peace offering for when we finally find the kirin but I might end up using it as bait. Missing pets might be how it's getting meat if it's staying out of the forest."

They all looked at her.

"Interesting, interesting," Mixer said, writing something down in a journal. "Is there any personal preference between house pets and strays?"

Midnight let one of her fangs pop out as she grinned. "Strays are more stringy."

"Okay!" Dandelion said, standing up from his chair. "I think it's about time we get back to talking to folks!"

"Any preference between dogs and cats?" Wild Mane asked with a laugh.

"Dogs have more meat but cats taste better," Midnight told him.

"Right behind you Dandelion!" Spread Eagle said, chasing his buddy out the door.

"That's..." Blade Dancer said, looking disgusted.

"You do what you have to," Midnight said, her grin fading to a serious frown. "It would be like you just eating sweets all the time; eventually your body says you NEED some vegetables. Same goes for a kirin when it comes to meat and gems. I got lucky enough to have a mom that could afford to buy me gems. I guess pet food could do as a substitute, seeing how much meat is in those..." She grimaced. "Thankfully mom never got the idea into her head and there were plenty of pigeons and rats in the city that I didn't need to go after cats and dogs very often."

"Speaking of your mother," Honey piped up. "What was that letter you sent her when you first woke up? I thought the dragon fire was only for emergencies?"

"It is," Midnight admitted, "but the forest's bugging me. I think it's the trees themselves that are making it that way. My grandfather was a life-long woodcutter and I just want to know if he ever told mom about such trees."

"It could be a spell placed on the area," Sun Singer offered.

"It could," Midnight agreed, "but I still think it's the trees themselves. Let's just get back to asking around; no matter what it is the forest isn't why we came here."

They all nodded and got up. As they left the bakery, one of Night Stick's officers came up to them. "You're that group from Canterlot the chief mentioned was here, right?"

"That we are lad," Wild Mane said. "What can we do for you?"

"I just thought it would help to let you know that some of us have been finding remains of chickens out near the edge of the forest some nights," the officer told them, eyeing Midnight uncomfortably. "It might just be from some of the wild dogs but I've never heard of them leaving food out like that."

"Hasn't anyone reported them missing?" Midnight asked.

The officer shook his head. "Farms fail a lot out here and that means a lot gets left behind, like chickens and dogs."

"And now there's a chance our mystery kirin has been hunting chickens in the forest. Great," Spread Eagle grumbled. "Please don't tell me we have to go look around in there."

"No, not yet," Midnight said. "Guess we need to keep an eye out for dogs running the streets at night now, too."

"Funny enough they never come into town," the officer assured them. "No idea why."

"It's something to work with." Midnight nodded. "Thank you for telling us this." The officer nodded in return and left. "That explains some of what they're eating, anyway."

"But a whole chicken should last a foal a while, shouldn't it?" Eden asked.

Midnight shook her head. "More than likely they're living on the streets or their pony parent doesn't know. That means that they can't refrigerate the leftovers which means a fresh kill each time. In the city it's easy to just throw the remains in a dumpster or a gutter. Here, though, finding dead chickens would be the talk of the town. Sounds like they're throwing the remains into the forest..."

"Or taking them in there to eat," Blackberry finished. "We might have to go into the forest after all."

"Or worse," Hazelnut said. "If they're living with their parent, then that means they might have heard about us looking for them by now."

Midnight nodded unhappily. "Mom wasn't prone to panic but she would have denied up, down, and sideways that I was there if somepony came looking for me. If it came down to it, she might have even smuggled me out of the city."

"But that would be pretty hard to do here," Eden pointed out. "The train station is out in the open and they would be waiting there long enough for somepony to question them. It would be too big a risk."

"And since that's the case, they'd most likely go to ground and try to wait us out," Dancer said.

"True, but there is one bit of good news in all this," Midnight said. "If they're living alone, they won't have heard about ponies looking for them. If they have a parent, then that means they're sneaking out without permission. Either way, we still have a chance."
> Ch.16 - Found You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, dark wood trees, huh?" Sky asked.

"Yep."

"You'd think they'd come up with a more interesting name. What was the wood used for, exactly?"

"Offices, floors, chairs, tables, you name it. Apparently they were in style for a few years." Midnight snorted, sending some of the water still left on her muzzle flying.

Just like the Everfree, the forest around Hollow Shades had wild, untamed weather. Unlike Ponyville, Hallow Shades had no weather team. There was almost no point when nopony would fly over the forest, day or night, and at night everypony stayed indoors, which meant that when a storm front rolled in, like it had today at dusk, all they could do was weather it. There had been debate about whether to suspend their night operations but Midnight refused. "It's the perfect time for them to sneak out for something, especially if they know where food is," she told them. So, she, the thestrals, and Arina were all out in the soup, trying to spot a kirin foal in the rain and between lightning flashes. In hind sight she realized the irony in trying to find a kirin in better conditions for it and worse ones for them.

One bit of consolation was that her mother had finally gotten back to her after waiting for a day and a half. Her grandfather had indeed cut these kinds of trees once, simply called dark wood trees. They had a magical property of absorbing nearby light, making the area around them darker. It had been in style for a few years after a noble had used a lot of it in creating a retreat in the woods.

"Yeah, because that's what I want when I have to wake up to go to the bathroom: not being able to see well enough even with a flashlight or candle," Midnight muttered.

"Nobles are weird," Sky agreed.

Midnight sighed and scanned the street below them again. Two days and three nights they'd been in Hollow Shades and they were barely any closer to finding the kirin than they had been when they arrived.

Actually, she had to admit that Arina had seen an animal carcass by the tree line last night but something had snatched it out of sight as she watched, so she'd understandably scurried back into the cover of a house. And at the market that day Spread Eagle had seen somepony bolt into an alley when he and the others had been questioning the locals at the market near the end of the day. All he could tell was that it was a brown mare, but not the mane color and not the cutie mark. Not the best description to go on but it did give them a pony of interest to look for. It would have to just wait until morning.

So here they were, stuck under a lean-to on a house's roof in a thunder storm still looking for the kirin. If nothing came of this night or the mare in the morning, Midnight was going to use that bag of gems as bait like she said. At least she had a warm bed and curling up with Squeaks to look forward to. Curled around the filly safe under her wing; Midnight would feel loads better.

She was just thinking about calling it a night after the up-teenth gust of wind blew yet another spray of rain into her face when she felt a familiar pressure behind her eyes. Closing them, they immediately flashed open again but with a different view. No longer was she on a rooftop looking over a street but hanging off the side of a house, trying to stay out of the rain while three objects raced down an alley. She focused on the smallest one in the lead. There was a flash of lightning and the small shadow became a blur of orange.

'Follow them!' Midnight mentally shouted to Arina as she bolted up, almost knocking over the lean-to in her haste. She'd never felt so excited in her life.

"Wha-!?" Sky yelped.

"Found them!" Midnight yelled as she shot off the roof, ignorant of the rain and wind.

"Wait!" Sky shouted after her, quickly giving chase.

But Midnight couldn't wait. After years and years of thinking she was the only one of her kind, here, finally, was another kirin. The only thing tempering her excitement was that two other, larger shadows had been following it and it didn't look like the young kirin was playing tag.

As she flew over the buildings her vision became split. Arina, using her two main eyes to focus on the chase, had used her two smaller secondary eyes to try and look for landmarks for Midnight to follow or to spot the adult kirin herself, thus giving her a direction to go.

Just as Arina skittered around the corner of a building, Midnight saw herself shoot by overhead. Turning sharply, she nearly hit a chimney as she turned down the alley Arina was in. "Flare!" she shouted as she flew past the spider. She could see the shadows herself now.

Not long after Midnight had gotten Arina, she'd gotten hold of some custom flares for the spider to use in case their connection was somehow severed or there were others besides Midnight out with her. The flares, though small, would be easy for the three thestrals to hone in on, leaving Midnight free to continue the chase.

She followed the shadows around another corner only for it to come to a dead end. Midnight pulled up and looked over the scene as another bolt of lightning lit up the area. Seeing all three figures clearly, her excitement turned to fear and rage and she hurtled down, fangs bared.

-----------------------------

Her heart pounded in her ears as she shot around another corner.

'Stupid, stupid, STUPID!' she yelled to herself as she tried to pay attention to where she was going. She should have NEVER gone back to the old farm for a third time but chicken just tasted so good and there was a bunch of them still there! She didn't think some of the wild dogs would be there, they hadn't before, but three had been there this time, had seen her, and went tearing after her.

By some miracle she'd made it back to town and thankfully she'd lost one when she dropped the chicken she caught. Now, though, she could feel herself tiring. Cooped up inside all the time had not given her the endurance she needed right now and her only hope was to somehow get out of sight of the dogs. The rain would hide her scent from them and after they'd gone she could make it back without any more trouble.

She made another turn and any hope of escape ended as she ran into a dead end. Skidding to a halt against the wall, she looked around franticly for a ladder, trash cans, anything that could get her up and away from her pursuers long enough to maybe hop back down and head back the way she came.

Nothing. Not even windows to throw pebbles at and get somepony's attention, even if she got in trouble for it.

The two dogs came around the corner and, seeing their quarry stuck, slowed down to catch their own breath. The chase was over, they could take their time now.

They moved forward slowly, a flash of lightning illuminating their prey. They'd feed well tonight.

Just before the dogs pounced, something huge and black SLAMED down in front of the filly, cracking the cobblestones beneath it and ROARED in the dogs' faces, making them yelp and jump back.

Stunned, the filly looked up at the large thing that had come between her and the dogs, then there was another flash of lightning. The intruder had the body of a pony but was much larger, had large, leathery wings, and a tail similar to hers but that ended in a large blade. She had what looked like a unicorn horn on her forehead and large fangs that she was baring at the dogs. It was another dragon-pony like her.

And she looked pissed.

The two dogs had recovered and the lead dog began to growl again, quickly followed by the second. The adult dragon-pony growled back, her body and wings moving to block her from the dogs' view while her tail arced up to bring the tail blade to bare. Both parties stood there for a few more seconds growling at each other, then the lead dog pounced at the dragon-pony, jaws snapping. The dragon-pony reared back, flashing teeth and smacking the dog into a wall with a hoof. The second dog jumped forward as well, but the dragon-pony turned side-ways and swung her tail at it, catching it in the shoulder with the blade and slamming it into the other wall. The first dog came back and tried to bite the exposed tail but the dragon-pony whirled around and bit down on the back of the first dog's neck. The dog yelped and tried to bite back but the dragon-pony simply lifted the dog up off the ground and slammed it full force back down. It drove the dog into the ground a few more times, smacked it against the walls for good measure, then sent it to the ground once more where it let it go. Just when it seemed that was the end of it, the dragon-pony opened her mouth and blue flames gushed forth, enveloping the dog in the powerful blast and illuminating the alleyway in a bright, blue light. She burned the dog for a full five seconds before stopping, the air now reeking of burnt fur and cooked meat. Taking a few breaths, the dragon-pony looked at the second dog that was just getting back up. Seeing what happened to the first, when they made eye contact the second dog yelped and ran out of the alley, limping on the leg with the deep gash in it.

The dragon-pony watched it go for a few seconds before visibly calming down, her wings and tail becoming more relaxed. After another few seconds she turned around and the two made eye contact for the first time.

They studied each other, neither speaking. Finally, finally somepony just like herself and she couldn't think of a single word to say to her. She just knew it had to be something epic, something important, something to symbolize this historic meeting.

"Hi," the older dragon-pony finally said awkwardly.

"Hi," the filly said back, just as awkwardly.

-----------------------------

"'Hi'? You finally meet another kirin and all you can say is 'hi'?" Sky asked.

"I didn't think violently killing a dog would be how we would meet," Midnight whispered back before taking another bite of her dog leg. The spider, three thestrals and two, TWO, kirins were back up at the lean-to, collecting themselves. Seeing as the dog was dead and they hadn't had any meat for a few days, Midnight and the thestrals had decided not to let the carcass go to waste. It was already partly cooked anyhow and the storm had finally blown out into a light drizzle which wouldn't get the meat sopping wet and ruin it.

Midnight looked back over at the kirin filly. Her name was Ember and she was bright orange with black belly fur, yellow eyes, and had a black mane with bright green tips. Her tail was just like hers without the tail blade with the black belly fur continuing on to it and a tail mane similar to the one on her head. The two biggest differences where the two large horns jutting out of the top of her head and her front legs ending in dragon claws rather than hooves. The horns started off as black as her mane at the base, faded to dark red about half way up, then ended in bright orange at the tips. Her claws were similar to Spike's in number and she held her bit of meat the way he would have.

And she was a talker.

"Dog meat is really good! Do you have it a lot? What's the best part? Is the liver good? I like chicken liver." At least she seemed comfortable, judging by how fast she was tearing through her dog meat between questions. It was rather off-putting to be bombarded like that since at first it looked like she was going to be as meek as Squeaks. Her subsequent freak out over meeting another kirin had changed that idea quite quickly and Midnight was kind of glad about that. It made it a lot easier to get her to come up to the roof tops with them so they could talk with her in relative privacy.

"Slow down," Midnight told her, resting a wing on her back as a bit of motherly instinct kicked in. "You're going to give yourself hiccups talking and eating that fast."

"Sorry," she said, taking one big bite and chewing it for a few seconds.

"Not a problem," Midnight assured her. "Actually, before I answer your questions, maybe you could answer some of mine?"

"Sure!" Ember nodded excitedly.

"Then first, are you living here with anypony?"

Ember nodded but her ears also wilted a bit. "My mom but please don't tell her I snuck out! She told me not to and she'll get really angry if she finds out."

Midnight exchanged glances with the thestrals. "What will she do exactly?"

"Yell that I'm not supposed to go out and put me in the corner for a while." She huffed. "It's so boring! Even more boring than being stuck inside all day long."

Midnight let out a sigh of relief. If that was all she was worried about then Ember's mom was the kind of pony they'd want in Ponyville. Actually, her having a mom made how they moved forward a bit more questionable. Had Ember been living alone out here then Midnight would have simply scooped her up and taken her back home, end of story. Ember's mom might not want to leave town and certainly wouldn't want to be parted from her daughter. Well, they'd figure that out when they got to it. "Another question: were you born in this town or did you and your mom move here?"

"Moved here," Ember said. "We were in another town called Troton but Mom brought us here after somepony saw me. I don't know if we were anyplace else before that." She looked back down at her food, not feeling so hungry anymore, then found a wing draped over her.

"It's not fun, not being able to let anypony see you, is it?" Midnight said sympathetically.

Ember shook her head. "I just want to go outside sometimes."

"Well, now you'll be able to," Midnight said, "just like me."

"You mean you'll help me sneak out at night!?" Ember asked, jumping up happily. "Awesome!"

"No, I mean outside during the day with ponies and only after I've had a talk with your mom," Midnight clarified.

Ember stopped celebrating. "Oh," she said, then looked up at Midnight with wide eyes. "You go outside with other ponies!?"

"I do indeed," Midnight said. "I've even been to the big cities, like Baltimare, and Van Hoover, and Manehattan, and Canterlot, just to name a few."

"Wow," Ember said, awestruck. "And ponies weren't mean to you?"

Midnight's smiled wavered. "Not as much as your mom might have told you they would be. When ponies are scared someone they love might get hurt, they might exaggerate the truth to make sure they're careful."

"Oh," Ember said, looking down at her meat thoughtfully before yawning quite widely, showing off her own set of fangs.

Midnight shared a knowing smile with Sky. "Well, it is rather late for a filly your age to be up. How about I take you home?"

Ember nodded. "But you have to take me back to my window so my mom doesn't find out."

Midnight nodded. "Understood," she said seriously, lowering her body. "So, care to hop on?"

Ember's eyes grew large again. "You mean fly!?"

"It's faster than walking. Never done it?"

Ember shook her head. "Mom says not to try it in the house because I could break something and I only go outside when I really want some meat."

"Well, hop on," Midnight said. "I guarantee you'll want to do it yourself once you've got a taste. I'll be back," she told the others. "Get some rest and tell Squeaks I'll be back soon. Arina, you come with me."

The thestrals nodded and took off. Arina climbed up to her perch on Midnight's head and they took off as well.

"Who's Squeaks?" Ember asked after she pointed out which direction her house was in.

"My daughter," Midnight explained. "She'll get worried if I'm not back soon."

"She's a kirin too!?" Ember asked excitedly.

"No, she's a thestral like the others but she's very fun and kind," Midnight said. "You'll meet her tomorrow."

"Okay."

The flight to Ember's house was a short one but Ember did catch the flying bug like Midnight had predicted. "That was fun!" Ember said as they landed outside the house she indicated, one near the edge of the forest. "Can you show me how to do it tomorrow when you come over?" she asked, her own wings beating rapidly.

"Flying takes time and a lot of practice," Midnight told her. When Ember slumped at this, she continued, "however, I'm still teaching Squeaks how to fly so you might be able to learn with her."

"Really?" Ember asked and when Midnight nodded the new spring in her step made her almost literally bounce around to the back of the house. "That's my room there," she said, pointing at a window overlooking the woods on the second floor. "Mom let me have it since she didn't think anypony would look up at it."

"If you can't fly then how do you get in and out?" Midnight asked, looking for something like the emergency ladders homes in Manehattan had or balconies like in Ponyville.

"The gutter," Ember said, pointing at the scraped and dented metal running down the side of the house and right past her window.

"Yeah, I'm not letting you climb back up that," Midnight said, picking her up and taking off again, coming to a hovering outside the window. "This should be better."

Ember reached out and slowly pulled the window pane up, both kirins wincing as it squeaked. When it was opened all the way Ember crawled inside and Midnight hooked herself onto the sill with her forelegs and plucked Arina off her head with a wing. "Keep an eye on things," she told the spider, who saluted and climbed up to the house's eves.

With her limited night vision Midnight could make out a bed and what looked like a small toy chest as she looked around the room but that was about it. Granted, Squeaks only had a night stand and bookcase more but the room still seemed rather barren and it bothered Midnight. It looked more like just a place to sleep than a bedroom.

"Do you want to come inside?" Ember asked. "We can play a game before you go."

"I don't think I can fit," Midnight said. "Besides, you need to get back into bed before-"

The door to the bedroom slammed open and a light flicked on.

"EMBER!" a brown and green mare yelled. "I TOLD YOU to... never... go..." she trailed off at seeing the second, much bigger kirin outside of the window.

"Hi," Midnight said, grinning awkwardly. "Okay, so, before you scream..."

------------------------------

"She sounds almost as sweet as Squeaky," Eden said after Midnight had finally gone through the whole story the next morning. Excitement at meeting a new kirin had kept her up most of the rest of the night and in truth she was only running on about three hours of sleep. A giant yawn similar to Ember's was testament to that.

"Perhaps we could visit when you've been more rested?" Sun suggested.

The yawn finished, Midnight shook her head. "Not on your life. I'll sleep plenty when we get back to Ponyville."

Speaking of home, Sapphire should be writing them back by now. The letter Midnight had Honey write saying how their search had been successful would be circulating with all their friends and may even have made it to the princesses. Chief Night Stick certainly knew by now, Midnight having sent Hazelnut to let him know their search was over.

"Speaking of heading home, what's the plan now?" Dancer asked.

Midnight didn't answer. It was a question that had been bothering her ever since she'd gotten back to the inn. They'd see Ember and her mom today, then... leave? Ask them to move to Ponyville? Would they ask her to move to Hollow Shades?

"One step at a time Dancer," Eden said, saving the kirin from having to come up with an answer.

"And you said she has claws instead of front hooves?" Mixer jumped in.

"Yes Mixer," Midnight groaned. "And again, you'll see her when we get to her house and you can make all the observations you want."

"Yes but does she breathe fire? How is her night vision compared to yours?"

"Doctor," Eden interjected, "I'm sure all your questions and more will be answered, like Midnight said, when we reach Ember's home. Until then, why not look around and enjoy this beautiful morning? The world seems to be waking up brighter today."

"Is she nice?" Squeaks asked.

Midnight smiled. "Completely," she told her. "I think you two will get along like two bats in a cave."

A few more minutes' walking found them at the doorstep to Ember's home. "Alright," Midnight said as they approached the door, "Ember's mom is expecting us but I think they'll both still be overwhelmed by so many of us dropping in on them at once. Let me do the introductions, give them a few minutes to get used to us, then keep the questions to one at a time." She looked pointedly at Mixer. "As Eden pointed out, let's take this one step at a time and see where the day takes us."

Midnight knocked on the door and a moment later it opened a crack. "Yes?" a mare answered, her dark green eye peeking out from the crack.

"Hi again," Midnight said, waving, trying to look as meek as a foal herself. "I've come back with the others, if this is a good time that is."

"Oh, yes, hello," the mare on the other side of the door said, opening it further and examining the other ponies. Ember's mother was a dark brown earth pony with a dark green mane, tail, and eyes and her cutie mark was a couple of red and white mushrooms. "These are the friends you were talking about?" she asked.

"Yes," Midnight confirmed. "Forest Floor, may I introduce Lady Eden Rose of House Rose Thorn and her two personal attendants Blade Dancer and Sun Singer."

"An honor and a pleasure to meet you," Eden said, bowing slightly. Dancer and Singer did the same.

"It's... nice to meet you, too," Forest said, not sure what else to say. The older kirin hadn't mentioned that one of her friends was a noble mare.

"And this..." Midnight said more hesitantly, "is Dr. Puzzle Mixer from Princess Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns."

"Vice-head of the science department and specialist in genetics," Mixer added. "Tell me, does Ember stash her kills here at home?"

Forest blinked at him while Midnight's smile became strained.

"He's just excited," Eden said, seeing that Midnight was closer to biting him than anything else. "He's writing a book on kirins; the first in over a thousand years I believe."

"Kirins: A Reborn Wonder of the World," he pronounced proudly, like a father giving the name of his first born. "I already have quite a bit of information on wyvern-type kirins but with Miss Rose's son missing, Miss Ember is the first dragon-type I can interview!"

Forest looked at Eden. "You've had foal that was a... kirin?" she asked, trying out the word.

"Perhaps," Midnight interjected, "we could continue inside? Things might look a bit off with all of us standing here on your doorstep."

"Of course," Forest said, stepping back to let them in. A professor from Princess Celestia's personal school, too? And she apparently walked over with them, so she wasn't afraid of ponies either, even in this town. His blunt question barely registered.

"And this," Midnight said once they were all inside, "is my daughter Squeaky Wings."

"Hello," Squeaks said with a reserved hoof wave.

"Hello," Forest said back, returning the wave and studying the foal. She wasn't a normal pony, not with the leathery wings, slit-pupil eyes, and ear tufts. That said, she acted like a normal filly. Just like Ember.

"Is, ah, Ember here?" Midnight asked, looking around. "I just thought that with us coming and all..."

"She's upstairs in her room," Forest said, her voice becoming more stern. "Grounded, as I'm sure you know from last night."

Midnight's ears went flat. "Ah, right."

Then Forest smiled. "That being said, I think I can suspend her punishment for a bit."

As Forest made her way over to the staircase to call Ember down, Midnight took the opportunity to look around at the home of another kirin. The inside of the house seemed much larger than the outside would lead one to believe at first glance, then Midnight realized it was because there was so little in it. There were the basic amenities such as a refrigerator, stove, sink, kitchen table, a couple of chairs, and a coffee table, but otherwise it hardly looked like anypony actually lived inside of it. No pictures, no nick-knacks, nothing that really made the place personal. It made Midnight frown; the apartment she lived in growing up at least felt like a home. To Ember, this must seem like just some place she and her mom lived.

A loud thumping down the stairs signaled Ember's arrival. "Hi Midnight!" she said, skidding to a halt in front of the older kirin.

"Good Morning. Sleep well?" Midnight asked.

In answer, Ember let out a large yawn, her fangs clearly visible. Mixer was already scribbling away in his note book.

"Cover your mouth when you yawn," Forest told her. "It's impolite to show guests the back of your throat."

"Sorry," Ember said, trying her best to look abashed while still grinning broadly at Midnight.

"Well, it's obvious we both got the same amount of sleep," Midnight chuckled before introducing Ember to everypony.

"Is he the kind of doctor that uses needles?" Ember asked, backing away from Mixer a little. "Needles sound scary."

"No," Midnight said quickly, cutting off the unicorn before he could say anything, "he's not that kind of doctor, are you?"

"Uh, no, no I'm not," Mixer said when he saw Midnight's fangs in the smile she gave him and the tone of her voice.

"And finally, this is my daughter Squeaky Wings," Midnight said, a genuine smile returning  as she indicating the thestral filly next to her. Midnight was proud to see that Squeaks wasn't hiding behind her legs and was even stepping forward.

"Hi," she squeaked.

"Hi," Ember said back, seeming unsure about what to do next.

Midnight realized that this might be Ember's first time meeting a foal her own age. To her growing pride in Squeaks, the bat filly made the next move.

"Do you like coloring books?" she asked, puling one partly out of her saddle bags.

Ember nodded and looked up at her mom pleadingly.

"Go ahead," Forest said with both a sigh and a smile.

Ember's smile was from ear to ear and she hurried Squeaks over to the kitchen table.

"Why don't we all have a seat," Midnight suggested. "I'm sure we all have questions for each other and we might be here for a bit discussing things."

"That sounds fine," Forest agreed.

"May Sun make us some tea while we talk?" Eden asked, nodding toward the maid. "Forgive me, but I haven't had any yet this morning and Sun makes an excellent cup."

"Actually, I don't have any tea," Forest apologized, not sure how the noble would take that. "Just coffee. I can run out and get some..."

"Nonsense," Eden said with a wave of her hoof. "Coffee might be better anyhow. I think we all need a bit of caffeine, especially after we heard that Midnight had finally found Ember." Eden shot Midnight a coy smile and the older kirin rolled her eyes.

"So..." Forest said as they sat down. She looked over at Mixer who had sat down next to Ember and was busy scribbling in his note book as he looked her over.

Midnight, seeing this, grabbed him with a wing claw and yanked him away, setting herself between the foals and him and growling at him. "I swear to the makers," Midnight growled, just audible.

"I understand this must all be overwhelming and unprecedented," Eden said, trying to pull attention away from the professor, "but please understand that these are unprecedented circumstances. Ember is only the third kirin in all of Equestria so we're all very excited to meet her as well as yourself."

"Me?" Forest asked.

"Yes. Raising a kirin is... well, not hard, per se..." she gave Midnight an apologetic frown, "...unique I think is the best word. Without any other kirins around, I imagine you have a lot of questions about how best to raise her and if you're doing the right things for her."

Forest slowly nodded. "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't the truth."

"Which is why we mothers of kirins have to stay together, to learn from one another and form a pillar of strength for our children," Eden continued. It sounded like she was going to go into a speech like she had at the hybrid gathering.

"Right," Midnight said, beginning to think that Eden might not have been a wise idea to bring along either. "It just seems important with so few of us that our families all know each other."

Forest nodded again. "So, you're really just here to meet with Ember? You just want to get to know her?"

Midnight nodded. "I know it might seem weird but she's the only other kirin I've ever met. I'd like to know more about my kind, even if she's only a foal still learning about the world herself."

"Okay," Forest said, seeming to relax some more, "so where do you want to start?"

"The beginning is about as good a place as any," Midnight said. "Why don't you tell us how the two of you came to be here?"

Forest took a deep breath. She hadn't had anypony to really call a friend in over a year so talking about herself wasn't something she was used to any more. She reminded herself that here was another kirin, a creature just like her daughter, who just wanted to know about another of her kind. She believed Midnight about that now.

"It was about eight, nine years ago," she started. "I was living in my hometown, Pumpkin Plains, up along the northern border of Equestria, with my parents. My special talent is mushrooms, where to find them, which ones to eat and not to eat, how to grow them. Well, I was out collecting some one day when I ran into a dragon."

Eden reached across the table and placed a hoof on Forest's. "It's alright dear; you're among friends here. You don't have to say what happened next; I went through the same thing myself."

Forest blinked. "Wait, but Midnight said Ember's the only other kirin she's ever met. You've given birth to a kirin as well?"

"Yes dear, although he was taken from me when he was born." A frown momentarily crossed her face but it was quickly replaced by a determined smile. "Even so, I'm fully committed to being the best mother I can for him when he's finally found and friend to both you and Midnight's mother."

"So you fell in love with a dragon, too?" Forest asked. "Or was it... what was the other thing Dr. Mixer said?"

"A wyvern," Midnight said, eyeing Eden. "And Eden... well, the father of her foal is indeed a dragon, but..."

"But..." Eden said slowly, staring at Forest. "... are you saying that this dragon didn't... didn't force himself on you?"

This time it was Forest's turn to look shocked. "No! Spine would never do anything like that!"

Eden sat back, both Dancer and Sun at her side and holding her comfortingly.

"Oh, makers," Forest whispered as she realized what Eden had gone through. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"

"No, I'm sorry for presuming like that," Eden said softly.

Midnight reached over to her with a wing. It had been pretty forward of her to assume such a thing but with her own experience being the only pony-dragon mating she knew of until now, how could she not?

"I'm glad you cared for each other," Eden finally said, forcing a smile. "I assume Ember looks just like him?"

"Yes," Forest said carefully. "Except for the spines running down his back, she looks just like him. I suppose it's the same with you and your father?" she asked Midnight.

Midnight waggled her hoof in a so-so motion.  "Kirins sired by wyverns have certain qualities about them that are more determined by what tribe their pony parent is from." She pointed at the horn on her head. "Case in point, my mom's a unicorn so I was born with a horn but my wyvern blood cancels any magic ability I might have had. Ember's father is a dragon, so she reflects what he looks like for the most part." She shrugged. "Princess Celestia told me that's how things were with the kirins she once knew, so it stands to reason that it would still be the same after all this time."

"Wait, there's been other kirins?" Forest asked and Ember looked up from her coloring book.

"There were; they all died off fifteen hundred years ago," Midnight clarified, frowning.

"Oh."

"So, things obviously got interesting between you two," Midnight said, getting back to her story.

Forest blushed. "Yes. First we were friends, then we got closer..." the blush deepened. "After... afterwards, he told me he had to leave with his mother: they were moving to some place that had more gem stones. I had no idea that a pony and a dragon could have a foal together, so we sadly said our goodbyes and I thought that was that."

"Until you found out you were pregnant," Midnight supplied.

Forest nodded. "I panicked. I knew my parents would be furious so I managed to convince them to let me move out to live with an older friend who had already moved to another town. They only agreed because they knew her and I had already talked about moving out and making my own way in the world; they saw it as a safe first step. Thankfully I was already moved in by the time I was really starting to show and Minty didn't press when I didn't want to say who the father was. I managed to get to the doctor's on my own when my water broke so only me, the doctor, and the nurse knew what Ember was. I told Minty that she was a sickly foal and that the doctor said the fewer ponies that got close to her, the better. That's how I was able to keep Ember hidden for the first six years." She sighed, her eyes becoming wet. "I know that sounds horrible, to keep her locked away since she was born but I was so scared about what others would think of her, how they would treat her." She looked Midnight square in the eyes. "I was wrong, wasn't I?"

"My parents agreed to keep me hidden after I was born," Midnight sighed. "My dad convinced my mom that Equestria wasn't ready for a kirin and they had more resources at their disposal to work with. I will admit..." she looked over at Ember, "I wasn't treated very kindly out in the world. Ponies did see me as a... an oddity..." She took a deep breath. "But at the same time I was looking for ponies to be scared of me. If I had gone around undisguised, perhaps I would have made real friends sooner. I think it's best that we think the best of ponies first and see what happens; I've been pleasantly surprised when I follow that advice."

Forest nodded. "I thought that if my parents wouldn't like her, then strangers would treat her even worse. I didn't even trust Minty." She sighed regretfully.

"So, how old is Ember now?" Mixer asked, trying to get something while there seemed a break in the conversation.

"She'll be eight at the end of the summer," Forest told them.

"So what made you move here?" Eden asked.

"Ember started getting... cravings," Forest said.

"She wanted meat," Midnight clarified. "We all know kirins eat it, so don't be shy about it."

Forest winced but nodded. "I suppose so," she agreed, remembering what Midnight was. "She snuck out one night and a neighbor saw her. Again, I thought the worst and when Minty was out of town I packed everything up and came here. I heard that Hollow Shades was a pretty private place, so I thought it would be a great place to just disappear to. I guess I was wrong." She gave them a small smile. "She's also had cravings for something else but when she tries to explain it to me..."

Midnight pulled a sack out of her saddle bags. "Gemstones," she said, setting it on the table and pulling out a sapphire. "Nothing to compare it to, so she couldn't have understood herself." She popped the sapphire in her mouth and chewed, then passed the bag to Ember. "Try some."

Ember eyed the bag, then reached in and took out a few. "I can eat them?"

Midnight nodded. "Yep. I bet they're just what you're looking for.

Hesitantly, Ember popped one in her mouth, chewed, then her eyes lit up and she swallowed. "Can I have some more!?"

"Have as many as you like," Midnight chuckled. "This is my own personal supply."

Forest eyed the large bag nervously as Ember took out a claw full. "Ember, one at a time," she admonished the younger kirin, then turned to the older one. "That's a lot of gems."

"A couple of bites a day are usually enough," Midnight said, understanding what Forest was getting at. "And I actually brought these to give to Ember. I have more at home so it's fine."

"Your special talent must be finding gems if you have so many," Forest said. "That or you own a gem mine."

"Actually that's one of my friend's talents; helps her with her fashion lines. That and I get some from the princesses every month," Midnight clarified.

"Okay," Forest continued, processing that. "So why do the princesses give you gems once a month?"

"It's some kind of policy or program they set up," Midnight said, looking uncomfortable. "Any kirin in Equestria gets a supply of them monthly since not all of them are going to have a mom who works for the biggest modeling agency in the country and can afford them on her own."

Forest blinked at that. "I... see," she finally said. "So Ember will get gems every month now?"

Midnight nodded. "Once we tell the princesses we found another kirin, they might even make special arrangements to provide you with other aid."

"I see," Forest said, not sounding very happy about that.

Midnight's ears and wings wilted slightly. "I know it sounds like a hoofout," she said, "But at the very least I'd urge you to take the gems. My mom worked herself ragged sometimes to buy them for me and she has a high-paying job.

"And after you tell the princesses about her, are you coming back?"

Midnight's ears flattened against her skull. Suddenly she knew where Forest was going with this. If she was honest with herself then what she really wanted to do was invite them both to live in Ponyville, possibly even move in with her. She'd seen how the ponies of Hollow Shades looked at her and Squeaks and didn't believe for a second that Ember would be accepted or even be able to make friends here. On the other hoof, how selfish would it seem for her to even ask them to do that? Then again, this didn't seem like home for them, did it? She didn't want to just come in and take control of their lives but...

"I... I do have an idea," Midnight started slowly. "It's rather forward of me to ask this but..." Eden's hoof laid itself on hers, stopping her.

Eden gave her a nod and turned to Forest. "Hollow Shades isn't really home for you, either of you, is it?" she asked bluntly.

Forest sighed and shook her head. "No, it isn't."

"And I think we can all agree we're all thinking about what's best for Ember in the long run." Both Forest and Midnight nodded. "Then what I believe Midnight is trying to ask in the most polite and inoffensive way possible is if you would consider moving to Ponyville with her? The two of you would be surrounded by a very supportive community, Ember could openly go to school and make plenty of friends, and Midnight and her mother would be there anytime either of you needed them and they you. I think it's a win-win situation, don't you agree?"

"Is Ponyville really such a great place?" Forest asked, looking back at Midnight.

"It is," Midnight said. "I've never seen anyplace else so accepting. I think, I KNOW Ember would be much happier there even if I wasn't living there. And I think it would be better for both of us if we lived in the same town; perhaps even in the same house? I have plenty of room."

Forest's face flushed with color, this time out of indignation. "I've been able to support myself and Ember on my own. My job here may not pay much but we get by just fine."

Midnight wilted. "N-No! I didn't mean... I'm just thinking that it would be even easier to ask me things if I was just downstairs or in the other room rather than across town! I've got enough space in the front now that you could set up your own business if you wanted to!"

"Can I ask what your current employment is?" Eden asked, trying to calm the situation.

"I work as a part-time cleaning mare," Forest said, calming down. "My special talent is everything mushrooms. Where they grow, which ones are edible; I had a small business back home and in Troton but with the forest here off limits I had to figure something else out."

"Well, there are plenty of mushrooms in the Everfree," Midnight told her.

Forest looked past Midnight to where Ember and Squeaks had gone back to coloring. Ember was grinning more than Forest had ever seen before and she was just coloring in a book. No, she was playing with a foal her own age for the first time in her life. If Midnight was right, she'd have many more friends to play with if they moved to Ponyville with her. And she'd been so excited last night after meeting Midnight for the first time, somepony just like her, how much more accepted would she feel having Midnight close by, helping to guide her? Hollow Shades wasn't for them; ponies here were suspicious of other ponies simply stopping through for the night. Ember would never be truly accepted here.

"I'll think on your offer to move in with you; that's all I'll say about that for now" she said, "but as for moving to Ponyville, I can certainly say we'll be doing that as soon as possible.

 Midnight visibly relaxed. "I didn't want to seem like I was trying to push you and Ember into something..."

Ember gawked up at her mom. "Really!?" she asked.

Forest nodded. "If Ponyville is even half the place Midnight is making it out to be, and her living there, I think we'd both be a lot happier living there then here in Hollow Shades."

Ember continued to stare at her mother, then at Midnight, at Squeaks, then back at her mom. Without warning she rocketed around the table and tackled Forest, hugging her tight. "Does that mean I can go outside!?"

"Yes, it does," Forest said, returning the hug and trying not to let her happy tears show.

Midnight smiled, feeling her own eyes beginning to get wet. "Being the only one of your kind is a special kind of lonely. I know that if a kirin had been around when I was younger and told me they came from a place that would accept me for what I was, I would have begged my mom around the clock for us to move there."

"What about your father? Didn't he also think it was best to keep you hidden?" Forest asked.

The smile turned into a frown. "My father left when I was two and I haven't seen him since. I think if there had been another kirin around, he would have done everything he could to get us to meet."

"I'm sorry," Forest said. "At least you got to know yours."

"I'll find him one day," Midnight said, pulling out of her funk and smiling again. "And when I do I'm going to bite him so hard for not coming back they'll need surgery to remove me."

That actually got them all chuckling.

-----------------------------

"So your special talent is becoming a wyvern?" Ember asked, staring at the mark on Midnight's flank.

"Yes, and it's rude to stare at another kirin's butt," Midnight said with a smirk. The group laughed as they continued through town towards the police station/town hall.

It had only taken about a half hour for Ember and Forest to pack everything they wanted to take with them on their first trip to Ponyville. The furniture would be moved out later when they found a place to live there. Things would be better for them in Ponyville and that sentiment was further justified by the looks of fear the other townsfolk were giving her and the ones of confusion and sometimes disappointment sent Forest's way. Thankfully Ember was too wrapped up in asking Midnight and Squeaks about themselves and Ponyville to notice and Forest kept up a look of dignified indifference. She wouldn't have to worry about what they thought for much longer. A quick trip to collect the solar guards Midnight had brought with her and start the moving paper work at town hall, then over to the inn so Midnight's party could pack their own things and then it would be off to the train station and from there to Ponyville.

"I think when we get back I'll round up Scarlet and we'll hunt down a deer to celebrate," Midnight continued, licking her lips. "Wait until you try the fried deer steaks she made for my birthday. And my mom's fruit salad pancakes. And a seafood platter from Long Line's."

"Sounds like we should send Sapphire a letter to start getting a party started," Eden chuckled.

"Might as well; Pinkie will be throwing one regardless," Midnight agreed.

They found Hazelnut, Wild Mane, Blackberry, Dandelion, Spread Eagle, and, surprisingly, Honey, all milling about the area outside town hall when they arrived. Night Stick came out as the others gathered around.

"So, this is her is it?" he asked, inspecting Ember for himself. She wilted a bit at his stare and Forest moved between them.

"Well, I don't know what we were all worried about," Wild Mane said, "filly looks like she could take on a timberwolf herself." This set off another round of chuckles and Night Stick nodded.

"So, now that you've found her, what will you do?"

"We've decided to move to Ponyville," Forest told him. "I think it'll be better for us in the long run."

"We'll be leaving as soon as she's squared away with town hall and we get our own things together," Midnight told him.

Honey stepped up and cleared her throat. "Actually, we'll have to make a detour before heading home," she said, hoofing Midnight a letter.

Eyebrow arched, Midnight took it. It was from Sapphire and she read it silently to herself. It was a short letter and she was frowning when she was finished.

"Problem?" Hazelnut asked.

"Hopefully not," she said, her voice becoming a whisper. "To be honest I was half hoping something would happen out here so I could see you five in action; now it looks like I will." She looked around at the rest of them. "AJ seems to have gotten herself into a jam and I need to help get her out of it. First Sergeant Hazelnut, can you and your group help us out a little longer?"

Hazelnut nodded. "It won't be a problem."

She looked at Ember and Forest. "I can send you with Honey and Squeaks back to Ponyville if you want."

Forest shook her head. "Any friend of yours is a friend of ours; we'll do what we can to help."

"Yeah, let's show 'em what kirins can do!" Ember agreed.

Midnight sighed and smiled. She couldn't shake these two now if she tried and she didn't want to. "Alright then. Everypony, get your things together; we're heading for Dodge Junction!"
> Ch.17 - Cherries and Apples Hit the Fan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Windrunner coughed up another lung-full of water as her tired limbs pulled her up onto the rocky bank. Beside her, Scarlet dragged Tight up and out of the water before also flopping down in exhaustion.

"Is everypony alright?" Twilight called out wearily.

Windrunner looked around and her pain was mitigated somewhat when she saw everypony on the bank as well. She didn't think she'd have the strength to dive back in and save any of them.

"Fine here, darling," Rarity said.

"Okie... doki... loki..." Pinkie puffed.

Spike raised a claw and his head, only to cough up more water himself.

"We're alive," Windrunner said. She tried to wave a wing but the simple gesture shot waves of pain from it into her back, making her wince.

"Ah!" Scarlet yelped as she tried her own wings, as did Rainbow.

"Not again!" the blue pegasus yelled. "Damn it AJ! You better have a good excuse for running off like that! If I have to stay in the hospital again, you're staying with me!"

All eyes turned to the apple farmer, who simply lowered her head to the dirt and covered her eyes with her hat, which had amazingly stayed on despite the rapids.

They'd followed her from Canterlot to Dodge Junction, trying to find out why she never returned to Ponyville after the rodeo and make her explain the brief letter she'd sent back home. They'd found her working on a cherry farm and she had dodged all their questions until finally promising to explain things at breakfast the next morning after being hopelessly cornered. However, she'd run off before breakfast, starting another chase. Windrunner had made a mental note to never break a promise with Pinkie when she saw how the pink pony took the promise breaking.

When Applejack had jumped in a cart that was hauled away by four stallions, they had grabbed an empty one and given chase. Pinkie had managed to get onto AJ's cart but had jumped back off when AJ told her she technically hadn't broken the promise. Only Scarlet and Tight's quick actions had stopped Pinkie and Rarity, who she crashed into upon jumping back into the cart, from going over the side.

After narrowly missing an oncoming train, the stallions had kicked AJ off their cart and she'd continued running on hoof until they'd caught up and cornered her at a rope bridge over a ravine. They'd all piled on, not recognizing the danger, and before they could get AJ to talk, the ropes had snapped, dropping them all into a raging river below. Rainbow, Windrunner, Scarlet, and Fluttershy had all tried to pull their friends out of the water but the current was too strong. They'd all been pulled in themselves eventually and buffered and beaten by the raging water and the rocks they slammed into. Only luck had kept them together in the torrent for what felt like hours. After reaching a calmer section of the river they'd been able to crawl out onto the bank they were on now.

"Applejack, please tell us why you ran off," Rarity asked softly as she finally found her hooves.

AJ's face scrunched up. "'CAUSE AH DIDN'T WIN ANY PRIZE MONEY!" she finally snapped. "Ah promised Mayor Mare and everypony else I'd get enough money to fix up town hall and Ah didn't! After the send off everypony gave me, even my family, Ah just couldn't come back empty-hoofed. That's why when Miss Jubilee asked if Ah would want to work on her cherry farm for awhile, Ah said yes."

"You couldn't have said any of that in your letter?" Scarlet asked.

"Ah didn't want anypony to know."

"Oh Applejack," Fluttershy said, sitting down next to her. "We wouldn't care if you came home with money or not; we're all proud of you no matter what."

"That's right," Twilight added, "and we can always find a way to fix the town hall roof on our own but what we need in Ponyville more than anything is you."

The bearers and Spike all piled in for a group hug while Windrunner, Scarlet, and Tight looked around.

"How far down river do you think we went?" Scarlet asked.

"Far enough that the remains of the bridge are out of sight," Windrunner said tiredly. She tried her wings again, only to stifle a gasp of pain.

Scarlet also tried her wings out as well, only to grimace in pain as well. "Those rocks did a number on us."

"And Rainbow would already be airborne if she could and Fluttershy is a weak flier to start with," Windrunner said unhappily. A few minutes flying with other pegasi to create a tornado was one thing. Sending her out on a scouting patrol alone in unknown country with no idea how far away anything was, was another.

"So what do we do now?" Tight asked. The bearers and Spike also looked to Windrunner and each other, their faces asking the same thing.

"We can't fly," Windrunner finally said, "so we have to walk back. We'll follow the river back upstream to the bridge and see if there's any way back up from there."

"Why don't we just go up here and follow the edge of the ravine?" Rarity asked, giving the rocky river bank a wary eye. "Wouldn't it be a safer, less arduous hike?"

"Not a good idea Rares," AJ spoke up. "Jubilee says that, in places, the ravines are just like tree roots. If we go up top and lose track of which ravine the river's in, we could get even more lost, not to mention run out of water real fast. Ah agree with Windrunner; let's stick to the river until we can see what's left of the bridge and then climb out. Hopefully by that time somepony's wings will feel better."

In agreement, they all took a few more minutes to gather their strength and drink some water before moving out.

As they did so, Windrunner noticed AJ looking around. "Something wrong?" Windrunner asked.

"No," AJ said slowly. "Jubilee mentioned to never come out in these ravines but I can't remember if she ever said why. Ah want to say it's because it's easy to get lost in them but Ah think she mentioned something else; just checkin' if I can see any other reason why."

Windrunner looked around herself but didn't see anything. "Let's focus on getting back to the bridge without falling back in the water for now," she said. "We're in enough trouble as it is."

AJ nodded and resumed walking.

Windrunner took another look around before following, an old story from the buffalo tribe slowly coming to mind. At least Sapphire would have written to Midnight by now.

-----------------------------

"You've got to be kidding!" Rainbow yelled up at the dimming sky hours later. "Just how far down river could we have gone!?"

"Far enough," Windrunner said tiredly. Like the rest, she'd thought the bridge only an hour or two away by hoof. Accounting for the slower pace they were making due to injuries and trying not to fall into the river, then at max it should have been four hours. Now that the sun was setting, it was clear they'd gone further than any of them had imagined. "We should camp here for the night," she said, seeing they were moving through a relatively flat spot mostly devoid of rocks. "A night's rest should give us the strength to push on at a better pace tomorrow. One of us might even recover her wings enough to scout ahead."

Everypony else looked at each other, then nodded tiredly.

"Spike an Ah will get some firewood," AJ said. "A fire to keep warm next to should help some."

"I'll see if there are any of those edible plants, like the ones near Appleloosa, are around for us to eat," Twilight said.

Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Tight began moving rocks and other debris to make the area more comfortable while Fluttershy began to look around to see if she could find any animals to talk to and see if they knew anything about where they were.

"We should be out of here in no time," Scarlet said, carefully standing on the bolder she and Windrunner had climbed to try and get a better look down the ravine before the sun fully set. "I'd bet a week's pay one of the animals Fluttershy finds knows exactly how to get back."

"Hmm," Windrunner said, scanning the walls on both sides of the river with a wary eye.

"Something up?" Scarlet asked.

"I've just... seen things for the past few hours, out of the corner of my eye; I don't like it."

"It's probably just the animals Fluttershy is looking for," Scarlet said. "That's good; means it shouldn't take her long to find one who knows something."

Windrunner hummed in agreement. She hoped Scarlet was right but she just couldn't get the old stories out of her head. Paranoid, as Midnight would call it, but the kirin has also said that paranoia could be useful at times. It didn't help that when they got back down Fluttershy was back, saying that, oddly, she couldn't find any animals. That was odd, seeing how close to water they were.

"Maybe they all just go to sleep early around here," Scarlet said.

Windrunner doubted it. More likely this part of the river was too dangerous for animals to get close to, or else... She dug into her bowl of mush that Twilight had prepared, it's familiar flavor reminding her of home and easing her nerves.

"Hey, you know what? It's almost like we're camping out here!" Pinkie said, looking around after she finished eating.

"I could see that," Rainbow said. "Hey, why don't we tell some scary stories?"

"Honestly Rainbow, we're trying to sleep, not stay up all night scared out of our wits," Rarity said.

Rainbow waved a hoof. "Oh, please, we're all so tired I bet most of us fall asleep halfway through the first one. Heck, I'll even do the first one to help."

"Unless y'all got somethin' other than the Ol'din Pony that also doesn't involve you kicking flank in the end and saving anypony, Ah think your right that most of us will fall asleep half way through," AJ said, making everypony but Rainbow chuckle.

"Why don't we have Windrunner start us off?" Scarlet said. "Maybe she's got a legend or two from the buffalo."

"Oh, well, I..." Windrunner stammered as all eyes turned toward her. "I shouldn't."

"Come on," Rainbow egged, "you got to tell us now!"

The tan pegasus looked around at all the expectant faces, then sighed. "Alright. I guess the first thing that really comes to mind is the bunyip. It's a creature that supposedly stalks watering holes and streams and eats anything and anyone that comes down to the water to take a drink."

"So it's some sort of crocodile?" Rainbow asked.

Windrunner shook her head. "It doesn't swim or attack from the water. It's perfectly camouflaged to hide along the shoreline and even buries itself partly into the ground to hide better. It just waits until something comes past and... they're supposed to be big enough to take down a buffalo in one bite.

Chief Thunderhooves told me and Strongheart a story from when he was just a calf. He and a friend had gone down to the river to play, even though the elders had told all the calves to stay away from it unless they were with an adult. He didn't see what happened, only that one minute they were both happily playing and he turned away from his friend for a second, then there was a loud splash, the chief got drenched, and by the time he recovered and turned back around, his friend was simply... gone. No scream, no roar, no sign that anything had happened besides the disturbed water. The chief ran back to get help but none would come. The elders said a bunyip got him and no one was allowed near the river again."

"But that doesn't make sense," Twilight said. "I've read about tri-horned bunyips and all they eat is seaweed and cucumbers."

Windrunner shrugged. "I don't know anything about that. Maybe they're a distant relative of some kind that only eats plants but the ones my tribe talk about only ever eat other creatures. And they're always hungry."

"Ah don't know," AJ said slowly, tapping her chin in concentration. "Ah hav'ta agree with Dash; sounds more like a crocodile ta me."

Windrunner shook her head. "Some of the rivers we stampede near have crocs in them and I've seen one take an antelope once. They aren't that quiet and who they attack usually makes some sort of noise and struggles before they're dragged under, not to mention that there's a lot of blood. This was just as if the river had swallowed him up. It's said that if you see a bunyip, it's the last thing you see in this world."

"Well, considering how big they're supposed to be, I doubt one could easily hide itself in a canyon like this," Twilight said, "and if it was here, we would have seen it. And I have to agree with Rarity; we should all get some sleep so we can be ready for the eventual climb tomorrow. Agreed?"

Everypony but Rainbow nodded.

The cyan pegasus huffed in disappointment but curled up and closed her eyes. One by one, the rest followed suit until Windrunner was the only one left awake. She looked around at the cliff walls and the river running nearby. The stories of the bunyips had always frightened her, almost to the same point as Midnight was afraid of spiders. The only difference was that she'd never seen a bunyip before, so all she really was afraid of was the idea of bunyips. Like many times before, she used that to get to sleep. They were only a story to keep calves away from dangerous areas. Her last thought before sleep took her, though, was that Chief Thunderhooves wasn't a liar and if it wasn't a crocodile that got his friend, then what did?

-------------------------

Conscious came back a little too quickly for her taste and Windrunner kept her eyes closed, hoping sleep would claim her again. When it didn't, she flexed a bit. She was still sore from the rough ride in the river and her wings still hurt, but they were better than yesterday and if she didn't do anything to strain them, then she might be able to make a quick flight up the side of the cliff once they reached the bridge.

Finally opening her eyes, she was surprised to see the sun peaking over the horizon. But... that couldn't be. They were at the bottom of a ravine and she could clearly see the far wall behind the "sun" so how... wait... the sun didn't have a thin, black line down the middle of it.

Windrunner's eyes snapped open as cold adrenaline rushed through her like a tsunami. She jumped up and back, her wings immediately protesting, and screamed as the head the eye was attached to swung out at her, huge, gleaming teeth snapping closed on where she had been not a split second before.

All the others' heads popped up at her shout as the monster advanced on Windrunner again.

"What in sam-hill!?" AJ yelped, hopping out of the way of the swinging tail.

"BUNYIP!" Rainbow and Spike yelled at the same time.

The creature was twice as large as the owlursus they fought, with a body like a large lizard that was mottled brown and red that matched the surrounding rocks. Its head was spade shaped and became quite flat and pointed near the nose, like a croc's. As it snapped again, they could see the mouth could open impossibly wide, wide enough to grab a buffalo if it wanted. It used the two stubby horns sticking out the back of its skull to push the large bolder Windrunner had been standing on and knock the pegasus off balance and send her falling to the ground only a little ways away.

As it shot at her again, Twilight reacted first and sent a magic beam into the side of its head, trying vainly to distract it before it could grab Windrunner. The effect was surprising as the bunyip howled in pain as it was struck, stopping its charge completely and even taking a few steps back.

"Alright Twilight!" Rainbow crowed.

"I don't get it," the unicorn said. "The owlursus barely felt my magic blasts, why is the bunyip-?"

"Less thinking, more shooting!" Scarlet yelled, charging into pull Windrunner back. AJ was right behind her.

"Right!" Twilight took more shots at the beast, distracting it long enough for the two to reach Windrunner.

"You okay!?" AJ asked as she skidded to a halt.

"She doesn't look it," Scarlet said, grabbing one of her hooves and pulling her up.

Windrunner looked pale and her eyes were wide with the irises small. Her mouth was barely moving and they could just make out the word "real" repeated over and over again.

"Windrunner!" Scarlet yelled, shaking  her. "Pull it together! We gotta move!"

The tan pegasus went ridged for a moment, then nodded. "Right," she said weakly and ran with them back to the clearing as the bunyip let out another bellow of pain. They turned just in time to see it lift up one of the huge boulders and crawl under it. They just barely spotted the walls of a tunnel before the rock came down and blocked it from view.

The ravine was quiet for a long moment, the only noise being the heavy breathing of the ponies and hippogriff as they recovered from the attack.

"What. The hay," Rainbow finally said.

"That wasn't a croc," AJ said, giving Windrunner an apologetic look.

The tan pegasus just stared at the spot the bunyip had retreated to as if expecting it to charge out again.

"Windrunner?" Scarlet asked, laying a claw on her back.

Windrunner spun to look at her, then visibly relaxed. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I just... I just always hoped they were just legends..."

"It's alright, darling," Rarity said. "We always thought Nightmare Moon was just a legend."

"Wait!" Pinkie yelped, interrupting. "Does this mean they can be under any rock!?" She eyed a rock no wider than her hoof barely a stone's throw away.

"I think they need something bigger than that," Twilight said, turning back and inspecting the rock the bunyip had gone under. "It needs boulders big enough to disguise its burrow but not so big that it can't move it. I think this rock is just the right size for it."

"Do the stories say anything about there being more of them?" Tight asked looking at the rock-covered ravine floor they still had to cross.

"No," Windrunner said. "They didn't even know how to properly describe them."

"Well, if we know what kind of rock to look out for, then maybe we can avoid anymore encounters?" Rarity suggested.

"That's a good idea," Twilight said, "but what makes any of you think there might be more of them? A creature as big as that would have to eat a lot and there aren't any other animals around. This ravine can't support more than one of them."

"Billy goats!" AJ suddenly shouted.

They all turned to look at her.

"Say again?" Spike asked.

"That's the other thing Cherry Jubilee warned me about. Billy goats migrated through the ravines and sometimes they knock unwary ponies down to the bottom! That bunyip must hunt them as they pass!"

"Then it can't have just the one burrow," Twilight said. "The goats would know where it is and avoid it."

"Unless it had more than one burrow," Fluttershy said, joining Tight and staring at their route.

"Still, there can be only one, so as long as we avoid similar rocks, we'll be fine," Twilight said, gathering up their things. "And it won't matter once we get out of here, so let's get moving!"

They all nodded and began to move out. Windrunner looked back at the rock one more time. She still felt very uneasy.

-----------------------------

Within an hour they passed three more boulders of similar size to the one the bunyip had disappeared under. Nothing came out but low, almost inaudible growls could be heard and Windrunner was still catching things out of the corner of her eye.

Despite her fear, the pegasus continually put herself between the rocks and the others, ready to distract the bunyip if it came back out again.

Scarlet watched this with growing concern. It was like Windrunner had something to prove, which was unusual for her, and only putting herself out like that would do. When she froze up when a mouse went scurrying by, the first other animal they'd seen down here and too fast for Fluttershy to give chase, Scarlet resolved to get to the bottom of it.

She got her chance when they stopped for water. Windrunner was perched on top of a rock, too small for a bunyip to hide under, and staring off at one that was big enough further along. Scarlet came up, followed by Tight, and they sat on either side of her.

"You alright?" Scarlet asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Windrunner said.

"You sure?" Tight pressed.

"Of course," she said.

Scarlet narrowed her eyes. "You're lying."

"No, I'm fine!" Windrunner snapped, then she winced back. "Sorry. I'm fine, really."

Scarlet sighed. "As Applejack would say, you're wound tighter than a coo coo clock. I saw how terrified you were when it attacked this morning and yet you keep putting yourself between its burrows and us. You don't have to prove you're not scared; we all are."

Windrunner began to nod, stopped, then shook her head. "That's not why."

"Then why are you?" Tight asked.

She looked up at them, her eyes shifting as she thought. "I... I can't tell you."

"Why?" Scarlet pressed.

"This isn't the right time; it would be wrong to ask you now!" How could she ask them to suddenly put the bearers before themselves? To possibly sacrifice their own lives so that the others could live? Yes, it was what Midnight said to do, if it came down to it, but she just couldn't.

"How about we be the judge of that?" Scarlet said, crossing her front claws stubbornly.

"Scarlet..."

Tight looked like he wanted to side with Windrunner but he kept his mouth shut. Scarlet had already pressed that it was for Windrunner's own good.

Seeing they weren't going to let up, Windrunner finally nodded and took a deep breath. "You know how Midnight and I have been... exercising with you?"

Scarlet nodded.

"That wasn't exercising. That was training."

Scarlet and Tight looked at each other. "Training for what?" Scarlet asked.

"Midnight and I..." she paused, looked back to make sure none of the others were listening in, then turned back. "We're part of the Bearer Guard. It's like the Solar or Lunar Guard, only instead of the princesses, we protect the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, which are those six." She motioned to the six mares behind them. "Princess Celestia and Midnight founded this new guard branch and I've been the only one recruited up until now. Those five solar guards and three thestrals Twilight and I said went with her are supposed to be more recruits."

"Okay," Scarlet said slowly. "That explains what you're up to. But, wait, does that mean you two were using me in training fights?"

Windrunner shook her head. "After the owlursus attack, I convinced Midnight you'd actually be good for the guard, so that was training for you."

"Oh," Scarlet said, blinking.

"So you were planning this whole time to make Scarlet a guards pony?" Tight asked, anger leaking into his voice.

"We were going to ask her," Windrunner clarified. "I was only asked and I accepted. Those solar guards were asked and Midnight is seeing if they would be good for the role. The thestrals actually volunteered. We were going to ask Scarlet... and you, if you wanted join when we felt the time was ready."

"Me!?" Tight yelped. "What in Equestria makes you think I would make a good guards pony!?"

Windrunner motioned to keep his voice down. "We were going to ask if you wanted to be our supply officer. Midnight says we're going to need one sooner or later and Scarlet and Big Mac say you're good with the books."

"Oh... okay," Tight said, slightly abashed.

"So when were you going to ask?" Scarlet said.

Windrunner looked uneasy again. "I don't know. Soon, I think, but when Midnight left she told me... she told me to tell you about it if things got out of hoof. This... this qualifies."

"So, you're asking us to join this Bearer Guard now!?" Tight hissed. "What makes you think-?"

"I'm in," Scarlet said.

"What?" Both Tight and Windrunner said.

"I said I'm in," Scarlet repeated. "I had a feeling it was more than just exercising and you guys help save Equestria; that's something I want to get in on!"

"This isn't a game!" Tight snapped.

"And we only did that once," Windrunner corrected, "and I hope we don't have to do it again for a long time."

"But you still did it!" Scarlet pressed. "And it's not about getting my name in the paper, although that'd be nice. I can actually do something that means something, something big! I've always wanted to be part of something like that!"

"Then why didn't you say you wanted to join the guard?" Tight asked.

Scarlet looked down and rubbed her arm. "I didn't think they'd take me."

Windrunner laid a wing on Scarlet's shoulder. It felt better now. "Are you sure?"

Scarlet nodded. "Yeah. I know Midnight; she's a good leader and not concerned about what others think. Same thing with AJ and the others; they should have someone looking over their shoulders and covering their backs."

Windrunner nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I'm sorry I'm asking now but I really need your help the rest of the way."

Scarlet nodded again, then leaned over and looked at Tight expectantly.

"Seriously?" the earth pony asked, then sighed. "I'm not a fighter."

"We're not asking you to be, just keep an eye on the supplies and order more when we break 'em," Scarlet said with a grin.

Tight rolled his eyes, snorted, then nodded. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Good boy."

Windrunner let out a deep breath. It was like a heavy weight had been lifted, even just a little, off her shoulders and the rocky road ahead seemed more passable with the two now in the know.

A strong breeze swept through the ravine and the wind in her outstretched wings felt wonderful. As it blew past them, it caught something far down on the side of the cliff and blew it out like a wind sock.

A wind sock made of wood and rope.

"The bridge!" Windrunner shouted, hope rising even further.

Every head swung to look, followed by cries of joy and relief. They were almost there, almost out and away from the bunyip.

They hurried towards it, probably more recklessly than they should have, still skirting the certain boulders. Within fifteen minutes they were within a hundred yards of it, the clacking and creaking of the broken bridge clearly audible. They thought they could even see some smoke off to the side. A rescue party?

"We made it!" Rainbow crowed!

"We're gettin' out of here!" AJ agreed.

"We-!" Twilight started, then her voice stopped, just as she and the rest of them did.

The bunyip was standing under the bridge, big as life and clearly visible for all to see.

"We got this," Rainbow said, getting into an attack stance. "We'll send him running like last time."

Then another popped up next to the first.

"...We still have two unicorns," Rainbow said, sounding less certain.

Then another popped up on the other side of the first.

And another from the rocks behind them.

And another.

And another.

In the blink of an eye ten bunyips surrounded them, twenty yellow, hungry eyes focused solely on them.

"Can you fly?" Twilight asked quietly, not daring to look away from the large predators.

"I can make it to the top, I think?" Rainbow said, one eye on the bunyips, the other on the cliff wall.

"I can get somepony up there," Windrunner said, indicating a huge, flat outcropping jutting out about thirty hooves up.

"So can I," Scarlet agreed.

"I-I can try," Fluttershy squeaked. There was something about these bunyips that told her the Stare or kind, gentle words would do nothing. There was a hunger in their eyes that nothing the ponies could do, other than offering themselves up, would satiate. And cornered and starving animals were the most dangerous and least rational.

"Alright, Rainbow takes AJ, Windrunner takes Rarity, Scarlet takes Tight, and Fluttershy takes Pinkie," Twilight said.

"What about us?" Spike asked.

"You're with me."

"But-!"

"On three," Twilight said, cutting Spike off and tensing. The bunyips tensed as well, a few taking a step towards them.

"Twilight," Windrunner started, then caught the unicorn's eye. She had a plan and they needed to do what she said if they all wanted to get out alive.

"One."

Windrunner nodded and leaned towards Rarity, her still sore but usable wings out and flexing.

"Two."

More bunyips took a step, their fang-filled mouths bared and ready to rip them apart.

"Three!"

All four fliers shot up, their passengers clutched tightly as they shot for the outcropping while Twilight unleashed magical shot after magical shot at the charging bunyips, staggering them and buying her friends more time.

The initial wave of adrenaline spent, all four fliers started to struggle to reach the edge of the outcropping. Rainbow began to swing AJ and the farm pony reached out and caught the edge with her back hoof, pulling the two up on it. Scarlet and Tight did the same thing, and Rarity used her magic to pull her and Windrunner up as well. Fluttershy, a weak flier to start with, was beginning to sink too low for Pinkie to grab the edge.

"Fluttershy! Pinkie!" Rainbow yelled.

Looking down, both ponies saw one of the bunyips almost on top of them. A short hop and it would be able to reach them.

Fluttershy shrieked and beat her wings harder but still she sank.

Pinkie reached into her hair and pulled out a cupcake. "Sorry, the main course isn't ready yet. Have some desert first!" She lobbed the cupcake into the bunyip's mouth and the jaws snapped close on the treat. It paused, then wailed shrilly and began whipping its head back and forth as if trying to get rid of something.

With the bunyip distracted, Rainbow and Windrunner shot back out and pulled the two in. "What was that?" Rainbow asked.

"Chimmie-cherry-chili-cupcake with cherry-racha frosting!" She pulled another one out and ate it. "I guess bunyips don't like spicy food."

"Twilight! Spike!" Fluttershy yelled and they all ran back to the edge.

Twilight was running towards them, Spike riding on her back and shooting flames behind him towards any bunyips that got too close while Twilight magic-blasted any that got in front. When two popped up in front of her, she yelled to Spike "hold on!" and magic built up around her horn. The bunyips sprung and Twilight and Spike disappeared just before the flying maws snapped shut on them, only to reappear on the ledge behind the rest and run headlong into the cliff wall.

Everypony ran to help the two up.

"Brilliant, darling, absolutely brilliant!" Rarity praised. "But don't ever do that again! You scared us half to death!"

"Sorry," Twilight muttered, staggering a bit, "but I knew they were weak against magic, so I figured I had a better chance than any of you."

"As scary as it was, it was still a heck of a plan!" AJ said. "Now we just gotta climb out of here and we can leave them varmints in the dust!"

"Uh, slightly bad news," Tight said, pointing up at the almost smooth rock face going up from the outcropping.

"So?" Rainbow said, flapping her wings. "Those bunyips can't get up here, so me, Windrunner, and Scarlet will fly up there, get some help, and we'll be back in no time."

The outcropping shuddered.

"Girls?" Pinkie said, looking back from the edge of the outcropping. "More bad news."

They all looked over the edge.

Three of the bunyips were lined up below from three dents in the wall. Three more were moving in and starting to dig into the cracks, pulling dirt and rocks away at speed that even amazed Rainbow. Another shudder and they saw the remaining four bunyips doing the same on both sides, two on each one. At the rate they were digging and how fast the dirt and rocks were flying, they'd either dig up through the ground or collapse the sides enough to climb up in no time. Either way, there wasn't time to wait for help.

Twilight began shooting the bunyips again while the others examined the rock wall.

"It's too solid to dig hoof-holds," Scarlet said, scratching experimentally with her claws.

"Maybe Rarity could use her magic?" Pinkie asked.

"Sorry Pinkie dear, but my magic is good for finding gems, not cutting through rock," Rarity said, still giving it a try but accomplishing nothing.

"Aw, if only my big sister Maud was here, she'd bust through this rock like it was butter! Mmm... butter-cream."

"Maybe y'all kin still fly us out of here?" AJ asked.

Rainbow and Windrunner flapped their wings, only to stop and grimace. "I think getting up here is all we could do for now," Windrunner apologized, eyeing one of the sides as some rock began to crumble away.

"Okay, so we can't climb out, we can't fly out... I got it!" Rarity cried. Before any of them could ask her, her horn lit up and one of the ropes of the bridge began to untie itself.

"Great idea Rarity!" AJ said. "We can make a ladder out of what's left and climb up!"

They all cheered as the bridge came free and began to float towards them. It was just about to reach them when the edge of the outcropping gave way.

"Look out!" Twilight yelled, bounding over and sending a blast down the embankment.

The first bunyip staggered and fell, rolling back down. The second one shot past and jumped up, grabbing the bridge and yanking down out of Rarity's grip. It whipped its head as it landed, jerking the bridge around and ripping it apart in seconds.

"Uh-oh," Pinkie whimpered.

Then another edge collapsed. And another. Then a third and finally a fourth. The bunyips now had five ways up to the outcropping.

Twilight, AJ, Windrunner, Rainbow, and Scarlet all took fighting stances. Pinkie, Rarity, Tight, Spike, and Fluttershy gathered in the middle, ready to help however they could. Only Twilight had any real chance of fending them off but the others would give it their all.

"Any chance of a last minute large group teleport?" Scarlet asked.

Twilight shook her head. "If I was at my peak, maybe, but with all we've been through..." she trailed off. There wasn't any need to explain further.

The first bunyip came up over the side.

"HEADS UP!"

A bright red ball, bright enough to sting their eyes, flashed overhead and directly into the face of the bunyip, making it howl in surprise and pain before it fell back. Another head popped up and it was hit by a yellow magical blast. A third also took a red light ball to the face. Looking up, they saw a cream-colored pegasus flying down towards them carrying a tan unicorn holding a flare gun. Both were in guard uniforms and behind them a bright red flare was high in the sky. When they landed Windrunner recognized them as Privates Dandelion and Spread Eagle, two of the prospects Midnight had taken with her. And if they were here...

"Help's on the way," Dandelion said as they landed. "Might take a bit, though. We got search parties in other ravines."

"Join the guard, see Equestria," Spread Eagle grumbled, eyeing the edges. "Get eaten by giant lizards." He caught the flare gun Dandelion tossed him, reloaded, and took stance next to Dandelion.

Heartened by the thought of imminent rescue, they continued to hold the bunyips back. AJ, Rainbow, Scarlet, and Windrunner would team up to distract and buck back any bunyip that got up while Twilight, Dandelion, and Spread Eagle were distracted and Rarity, Spike, Tight, and Pinkie also helped by chucking down whatever they could get a hold of at the others waiting their turn to climb or recovering from a charge. Fluttershy flapped her wings gently to give them all a cool breeze to avoid over-heating.

While their hope had been restored with the appearance of the two guards and the promise of more, they were still beginning to tire out. Twilight's and Dandelion's magic was beginning to weaken and not hurt the bunyips as much, Spread Eagle was running low on flares, and the others were losing whatever punch they may have had.

"I'm out!" Spread Eagle yelled after firing off one last flare. He threw the gun at another bunyip, stopping it long enough for Twilight to shoot it, but this time it only staggered back before catching its footing and advancing forward again.

Windrunner breathed heavily as she watched the bunyips move closer. They couldn't go down, not now, not with help so close! She was just about to spring forward and hope to buck the nearest one in the jaw again when several flares rained down around them, striking the bunyips harmlessly but still getting their attention. One and all, the ponies, hippogriff, and bunyips seemed to pause as another round of flares rained down on them, accompanied by shouts from the top of the cliff.

Then bright day became dark night with a roar as something huge and black enveloped them, slamming into the earth and nearly knocking them all off their hooves. Two earth ponies appeared out of the darkness and bucked the nearest bunyip, sending back over the side to land on massive talons. The talons flexed and the bunyip was sent squalling into the river.

Both earth ponies landed and turned to face them.

"Glad to see you two aren't completely useless," Wild Mane said with a smirk.

"Just get us out of here!" Spread Eagle shot back.

A bunyip, recovering quicker than its allies, shot up over the edge and charged the group, only for it to stop short and be pulled back, its tail clamped in the jaws of a draconic head. Midnight pulled it up into the air, whipped her head, and slammed the bunyip into the cliff wall. There was a sickening splat-crack when it impacted and she threw the body down the ravine. With another roar, her head dove back down to snap at another one. The one she snapped at and two others turned tail and ran while the remaining five shot up to the top of the outcropping, intent on getting something for their troubles. Midnight was able to catch another one by the tail with her mouth and step on another before they got to the top. The three that did make it were hit by two fully charged magic blasts and a fusillade of flares, courtesy of the two unicorns with energy drinks and the pegasus and three thestrals who'd joined the fray, having come down with a large carrying net. They screeched, fell back, and finally ran off, Midnight catching one more by the tail and, out of sight but not out of ear shot, ripped the tail off and crushed the rest under her talons. After quickly throwing her head back to swallow the mouth-full, she chased the last two with a blast of blue fire that roiled down the ravine and steamed the ravine floor with boiled river water. Content that all the attackers were finally gone or dealt with, she reared back and let out a triumphant roar.

-----------------------------

Windrunner took another large gulp of water as she rested in the shade of one of the tents the guard had set up near the broken bridge. Compared to the past twenty-four hours, it was heaven.

"So, Scarlet and Tight know?" Midnight asked, laying down next to her.

Windrunner nodded. "I had to."

"I know," Midnight said, laying a calming wing over her back. "I said to do as much."

"So, that's the kirin?" Windrunner asked, nodding to where Ember, Forest, Squeaks, Honey, Eden, Sunny, and Dancer were tending to the others, applying bandages and giving out food and drink. Mixer was far off to the side studying one of the bunyip corpses Midnight had dragged up. Apparently she liked how they tasted. She was welcome to them.

Midnight nodded, a smile growing. "Ember, the second, well, third, kirin in Equestria in fifteen hundred years, and her mother Forest Floor."

"Are they coming back to Ponyville with us?"

Midnight nodded again. "They might be staying with us or move into their own home; not sure yet."

"And the new recruits?"

"I had my doubts about Dandelion and Spread Eagle but I think I can lay those to rest. Hazelnut, Wild Mane, and Blackberry are all definites. Now we just need to figure out how to keep them in Ponyville without raising suspicion."

Windrunner hummed in agreement and took another sip. "So, now we go home?"

"Oh yeah," Midnight agreed. "Just one last thing, though: why was Applejack out here in the first place?"

Windrunner suddenly couldn't look at her friend. "Well..."

-----------------------------

Mayor Mare sat back in her office chair, a nice salad and cup of her favorite tea on her desk ready for lunch. Things had been nice and peaceful for the past week and she hoped it would continue. That and that Applejack would be back soon with all that money to fix town hall.

She was just about to take a bite when she heard a commotion outside. Looking up, she jumped when her office doors banged open, her secretary protesting as she backed into the room followed by a decidedly unhappy looking Midnight Storm.

"Shut up and move!" the kirin snapped at the secretary, pushing her out of the way and back outside with a wing before slamming the doors shut behind her.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Mayor Mare demanded.

Midnight turned back to her, then slammed her hooves on the mayor's desk and leaned over, forcing her back into her seat. "You. Me." She was so close all Mayor Mare could see were angry blue draconic eyes and a sheet of paper with writing and the royal seal on it. "Loooooooong talk."
> Ch.18 - From One Kirin To Another
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Clang*
*Clang*
*Clang*

"Don't keep using both at the same time."

*Clang*

"You said keep both up!"

*Clang*

"Yes, but keep one as a guard until an opportunity presents itself."

*Clang*

"But you aren’t giving me one!"

*Clang*
*Clink*

Midnight looked up from the hoof blade she'd just deflected into the stone floor with a raised eyebrow. "You think a real opponent is going to give you a free shot?"

"Sorry," Sapphire said, falling back on her haunches, her wings drooping in exhaustion. 

"I think that's enough for today," Midnight sighed, eyeing the exit of the ruins and the path back to the house, then the pegasus breathing hard a few steps away. “We both need a rest.”

Sapphire shot back up, immediately going into a combat stance. "I can keep going!"

"Sapphire," Midnight said, her voice part tired, part exasperated, and part amused. She’d been like this ever since they got back from Dodge Junction, brooding and begging her every hour or so to teach her how to fight. Midnight had finally relented and gotten a spare set of hoof blades from Night Sky and had begun training Sapphire at the ruins of the old castle she'd found a ways into the Everfree. According to Twilight it was the Castle of the Two Sisters (five bits on who those sisters were) and where she and the other bearers had found the Elements. Since that was the case, it seemed appropriate for the ruins to be where the guard should train in secret. That and how the creatures of the Everfree seemed to avoid the place.

The pegasus stared defiantly at her for a few seconds more before letting out an explosive breath and sitting back down. "I need to be ready."

"For what, exactly?" Midnight asked, kicking off her own blades and moving to sit next to her.

"Whatever comes next!"  Sapphire said, her wings flaring slightly. "I was just sitting at home while everything was happening; I should have gone with Windrunner and the others!"

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "I can honestly say I'm glad you didn't."

"I know," Sapphire said, sliding to the ground. "I just don't like being useless! I want to be able to help!"

Midnight slid down next to her, resting a wing over her marefriend’s back and pulling her close. "You were helpful; you got word to me as soon as you could so I could get there as fast as I did."

"And then I just sat around at home and twiddled my hooves! What use did I have then!?"

"And what use would you have been down in that ravine with them?" Midnight asked, a note of agitation in her voice. "You would have been one more pony they'd have to worry about, one more thing that could have gone wrong." She sighed and nuzzled the pegasus. "You've watched over Squeaks every time something's happened and I can't tell you how much that has meant to the two of us. You're there when we get home, you cook, you run the front of the store, you listen to me every night..." she grinned, "you're my favorite cuddle-buddy..." That finally got Sapphire to crack a smile of her own. "I don't need another pony next to me in a fight; I've got the Bearer Guard for that. I need to know somepony is with Squeaks and staying safe, that somepony's going to be there when I get home. You're that pony. You're anything but useless."

Sapphire finally returned the nuzzle. "When you put it that way, I sound a little spoiled, don't I?"

"A little," Midnight agreed, adding an occasional nip and growl-purr to her nuzzling as she moved from her cheek to the side of her head.

"I'm sorry. I have to ask, then, why you agreed to teach me how to fight if you think I do enough already?"

"Because, as much as I hate to say it, I won't always be around when something happens and I'd rather give you something to help you help yourself until I get there than just praying everything will be fine. I'll drop the same suggestion in Squeaks' ear when she's older. Look, you’ll get it eventually but these things take time. Promise me you won’t let a few practice fights mess with your head."

"Alright then," Sapphire said, "I'll promise to not push it with these training sessions if YOU promise not to nip my ear like I know you're planning. Deal?" She heard Midnight hum. "MidniIIIEEE!" she shrieked as the kirin quickly but gently chomped down on her ear and began to nibble. "NO! Bad Kirin! BAD!" She swatted and pushed against the kirin.

Midnight just laid there with a contented, goofy grin.

-----------------------------

“To the right, Sir Dinky! The Right!” Sir Pinchy called out from her cover. Sir Dinky belly-flopped to the right just in time to avoid the fiery blast.

“Mwha-ha-ha-ah! How can you possibly hope to beat the likes of Storm Dragon if you can’t even beat me!?” called out the guard in front of the knights’ treasure.

“Storm Dragon isn’t always a bad guy!” Sir Squeaks called out from the cover she shared with Sir Twist.

“Shifamtics,” the guard said.

“Semantics,” Sir Dinky called out the correction.

“What are you, a dictionary?” Sir Pinchy asked.

“Nah, thath Thweetie Belle,” Sir Twist quipped. They all laughed.

“Okay, seriously, how are we going to beat her!?” Sir Pinchy called out.

“Not calling out your plan for me to hear would be a start!” The guard chuckled.

“Okay, that’s it,” Sir Pinchy said, adjusting her helmet. “Cover me!” She called out to the others, then, with a war yell, she charged out from cover.

“Ith a good thing we have protection thpellth,” Sir Twist muttered as they watched Sir Pinchy charge, only to get engulfed in flames.

“True, but she’s distracted!” Sir Squeaks said as she also broke cover. “All together! She can’t get all of us!”

Sir Twist followed after her friend and Sir Dinky also rushed out from behind cover, angling into the defending guard from a different direction.

Having dealt with one knight so easily, the guard wasn’t prepared for the other knights to do the same thing only more coordinated. Whipping her head back and forth in indecision for a second too long, she turned towards Sir Squeaks and let loose another torrent of flame. She caught the knight in the fiery blast, but at the last second Sir Squeaks threw her secret weapon: The Terror of Tartarus, which landed smack in the middle of the guard’s face.

“Ah! It’s eating my face!” the guard yelled, swatting at The Terror to little effect.

Sir Twist used her fellow knight’s sacrifice to duck around the flame and catch the guard in a pincer maneuver with Sir Dinky and they struck her down with twin hits from their swords. 

“No! I am beaten!” the guard called out, flopping down to the ground, The Terror still on her face. “How could you possibly beat me!?”

“Well, there were more of us, Sir Ember, for one thing,” Sir Dinky pointed out.

“I demand a recount!”

-----------------------------

“One, two, three, four, on attackers; one, on defenders,” Squeaks counted. “Nope still more of us.”

Once Arina finally crawled off her face, Ember blew them a raspberry. “How come I’m always the defender?”

“You’re the only one who can breathe fire,” Dinky pointed out.

“And pick up, like, all of us at once,” Pinchy added.

“Eh,” Twist said, making a so-so motion with her hoof.

“So, because I’m the best?” Ember said with a grin, ignoring Twist and buffing a claw on her chest. “When you put it that way, it makes sense.”

“Best my flank!” Pinchy yelled, tackling the kirin and starting yet another play-scuffle between the two. Ever since Ember had been introduced to them, she and Pinchy had a friendly rivalry going, one that often ended with play-fights like this one. Like Midnight, Squeaks was glad Ember was getting along so well with everypony. Well, except for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon at school but who ever got along fine with them? 

Just as Honey, who’d been watching from next to the house, got up to put a stop to the rough-housing, somepony else beat her to it.

“Alright you two, break it up!” Midnight called out as she and Sapphire dove in for a landing. 

At the elder kirin’s approach, both fillies separated with one last punch to each other’s shoulders. 

“I’d consider it a personal favor if I didn’t find you two fighting every time you’re left together,” Midnight said as she landed, a small grin on her face.

“She started it!” they both yelled, pointing accusing hooves/claws at each other.

“Sure she did,” Midnight said, unconvinced. “So, how’d training go?”

“We beat Ember,” Pinchy said smugly. Ember would have punched her again if Midnight hadn’t leveled a gaze at her.

“Four against one? That’s hardly fair,” Midnight noted. Arina squeaked unhappily. “Five against one; pardon me,” Midnight said as the spider scuttled over to her owner and crawled up to her favorite perch. “As I was saying, maybe one of you could be on Ember’s team? Otherwise it kind of seems like you all are ganging up on her?” The elder kirin emphasized her observation with raised eyebrows. 

The fillies all looked at each other with wide eyes. 

“Goth, we didn’t mean for it to theem like that,” Twist said.

“Sorry Ember,” Dinky said. “We weren’t trying to be mean.”

“I know,” Ember said, waving a claw. “You already said I’m the best, so it’s alright.”

“How did training go for you two?” Squeaks asked.

“Better,” Midnight told her, “It took me five seconds to beat Sapphire this time instead of three.”

Sapphire smacked her with a wing.

“And they wonder why foals these days are so much more violent! Have you no shame?” Midnight asked dramatically as she looked over at Sapphire, hoof on her chest like she’d seen some offended nobles do, sending all the girls into giggling fits.

With a playful smirk, Sapphire gave her another, gentler, smack across the face that was more like a hard caress. “Well, we all can’t be as classy and dainty as you.”

“Indubitably,” Midnight agreed, fixing an invisible monocle and sending the girls into another laughing fit.

“Ember!” They all turned to see Forest trotting up to them, her saddle bags full of mushrooms. “Did you clean your room before coming out to play, like I asked?”

“Yes mom,” Ember practically groaned, her mood dropping instantly. “And why am I always the one cleaning it up? It’s Squeaks’ room, too!”

“Because Squeaks cleans up after herself all the time,” Midnight said before either Forest or Squeaks could say anything, “and how fair would it be if she left out a mess and you had to clean it up?”

“Not very fair,” Ember reluctantly conceded. “Sorry Squeaks.”

“It’s okay,” Squeaks said.

“So,” Forest continued, “if I go upstairs right now it’ll be spotless?”

Ember looked like a deer staring down an approaching train. “Uh…” Looking around quickly, her eyes fell on the pile of toys they’d been using as treasure. “I think I left a few pieces of treasure upstairs,” she said with an unconvincing smile as she trotted towards the side door, “I better go get them!”

“We’ll come, too!” Pinchy said, leading the others after Ember. “We don’t want you forgetting anything else!”

Ember glared at the unicorn, but there was little heat behind it and it was quickly traded for one of gratitude as the foals made their way into the house.

“That girl…” Forest sighed as she watched them go.

“I take it the collecting went well?” Midnight asked, nodding at Forest’s saddlebags.

“Very well, actually,” Forest said, picking one of her haul out to show them. “Want one?”

“No, thanks,” Midnight said, cringing back from the fungus. To ask those close to her, Midnight was not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination. 

Except when it came to onions and mushrooms. 

When it came to those foods she could be just as bad as any foal with alfalfa except she couldn’t be made to sit at the table until she finished. It also drove Summer up the wall that the only way she would eat them was breaded and deep-fried. Add in all the cheese and butter on other vegetables she made and the unicorn privately wondered why her daughter didn’t have the same… figure as one Mrs. Cake. 

Then again who could explain Pinkie?

Forest shrugged. “Suit yourself.” As she put the mushroom back in her saddle bags, she looked across the road and sighed longingly. “I can’t wait for them to be done.” She was referring to the house going up across the road from Midnight’s home, courtesy of the royal sisters and the… bill? Petition? Law? Whatever they drafted after they’d returned from Dodge Junction. 

In a nutshell, the document gave them the power to assist any kirin (or their family if under-age) in any way they saw fit to help said kirin in any way they needed, such as providing them with a monthly supply of gems or a new house. Sapphire was sure the royal bean-counters were either still at their desks staring at the papers before them in horror or crying under their desks at the implications. She’d also told Midnight that, no, it didn’t mean she could ask Celestia and Luna to bulldoze Saddle Row in Manehattan and turn it into a fish market “because that would make the city more kirin friendly”.

“I still don’t see why you can’t just stay here with us,” Midnight said, “we’ve got the room.”

“And Ember and I appreciate you letting us live with you for now but I want my own home and Ember should have her own room. Besides, it’s only across the street; the two of you can see each other anytime you want.”

There was an undercurrent of… something in Forest’s voice but none of the others made any serious note of it. They figured Ember was just stressing her out again, something the little kirin had been doing a lot lately.

There had been issues at school (she was a fidgeter, found most subjects boring, and had come to logger-heads with the Gruesome-Twosome by the end of day two), issues at home (previously mentioned messy room, generally leaving a mess anywhere, table manners), and just wandering off whenever her new friends were busy. That last one had really run Forest ragged and according to her Ember was doing it more here in Ponyville then she ever did back in Hallow Shades. On the one hoof Midnight could see why Ember was doing, at least, all the wandering. In Hallow Shades her only time outdoors had been at night and strictly for hunting. In Ponyville, she could wander around to her heart’s content without a care in the world and she was more than likely making the most of it. On the other hoof, as a mother, she could understand the fear of not knowing where one’s child was and all the bad things that could happen.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Sapphire said, making them both look over at her. “Being able to say “that’s my home” instead of “I live with” should make her more comfortable; maybe that’s why she’s been so excitable since the two of you came here.”

“I hope so,” Forest sighed, adjusting her saddle bags and heading inside.

“Another day,” Midnight said, resting her chin on Sapphire’s head and letting out a sigh of her own. “You really believe that; that all of this is because she’s moved to a new place?”

“And has a bit more freedom, yes,” Sapphire said. “All foals act differently to such things. Some see it as an adventure, while others mope about wishing things hadn’t changed. I think she just needs to find a balance and things will get better. She has you as a role model, after all.”

Arina chirped sarcastically. 

“Nopony asked you,” Midnight growled.

-----------------------------

“You’re going hunting?” Ember asked, spraying a bit of food onto the table while they all ate dinner that night.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Forest said, exasperated as she wiped the half-chewed bean sprouts off the table with a napkin.

Ember finished chewing and swallowed. “Sorry,” she apologized, then turned back to Midnight and asked again, “you’re going hunting?”

“Just with Scarlet tomorrow,” Midnight said, between her own bites of turkey meat and hay. “Both of us are running low on meat and she coaxed me into going after a deer or two, though I wouldn’t be opposed to a boar.” She licked her lips and took another bite of turkey. “I especially love the loin and the cuts from the hind quarters.” She refused to say “from the butt” after letting it slip once around the pillow knights and being renamed “Storm Dragon, Eater of Butts”. Squeaks, at least, had looked properly apologetic at calling her so, at least between her own bouts of giggling. “We’ll be going out about mid-afternoon and hopefully be back by dinner time.”

“Can I go, too!?” Ember asked excitedly.

“Absolutely not!” Forest said before Midnight could say anything. “You’re too young!”

“No I’m not!” Ember shot back. “I hunted back in Hallow Shades!”

“When I expressly told you not to!” Forest said. “I was worried sick every time I found you went out! How many times did I tell you how dangerous it was outside at night!? You’re lucky Midnight found you when she did!”

“And deer and boar aren’t as easy to catch as chickens and squirrels,” Midnight put in, trying to ease the situation. “A deer can hurt you really bad if it bucks you or stabs you with its antlers, not to mention how much bigger they are than you. Boar are even more dangerous. I agree with your mother on this one, Ember; better wait until you’re older, bigger, and more experienced before you come out on a hunt with me.”

“But-!”

“No buts!” Forest snapped. “You’re not going hunting and that’s that! Now once you’re finished eating you’re finishing your homework before you do anymore playing.”

Ember let out a loud whine of protest and looked over at Midnight who continued to eat without looking up. “Fine,” she finally growled before going back to her food, attacking it like it had done her wrong.

The older kirin flicked her ear in thought as she watched the younger kirin and her mother argue. Was this what somepony would have seen back when Midnight was Ember’s age, when she and her mother argued? There was almost a sense of déjà vu in it but like watching through a window, detached. 

With that odd sense came the reminder of where that kind of arguing eventually lead to and the regret that had soon followed. Midnight had hoped that the relationship Ember and Forest had was better than the one she and her own mother had, exacerbated by Midnight’s idolization of her father. With a pang, she realized that they might indeed have had a better one if she hadn’t shown up like she did and swept Ember off her hooves, giving her one of her own kind to idolize.

But Midnight had the power to interfere and not let the past repeat itself, a power she fully intended to exercise. Tonight was a little to sudden and the arguing too fresh for her, though, so she’d put off asking Forest to speak directly with Ember about it until a better time. She didn’t want to seem like she was undermining any of Forest’s authority but going straight to Ember. Perhaps after the hunt would be best, Ember having listened to Forest and putting the earth pony in a better mood to listen and agree.

As they all kept eating, Midnight began working on what exactly she would say to Ember, from one kirin to another.

-----------------------------

Leaves rustled gently in the slight breeze that traveled through the upper branches of trees in Whitetail Woods. The sun shone brightly and reflected off the many droplets that clung to plants like dew, the remnants of that morning’s rain shower, and made said plant life even more enticing to the wild herbivores that called the woods home.

Midnight watched the buck below intently, her body as still as a statue and perfectly balanced between a thick limb and where the tree she was stalking from forked. Scarlet was similarly unmoving in her own tree a little ways away. Both had their wings folded tightly against their bodies so that the wind wouldn’t catch and throw them off balance, possibly scaring off their intended target. There were several other deer nearby, including several large does but this buck was even bigger, possibly explaining why he was so content to move so far away from the rest with so little concern. 

He was currently munching on some grass a few paces away from beneath Midnight’s tree. A few steps closer and he’d be in the perfect spot for Midnight to pounce. If he turned and headed back to the herd, Scarlet would get him. With her heavier form and fangs, Midnight hoped he would come closer to her. She could kill him with almost no sound if given the chance and then tracking the herd for the thestrals or even getting a second one for them would be that much easier. She had talked to several the night before and her hunt had come up. It wasn’t that they couldn’t hunt or that they didn’t have the time but deer usually bedded down by the time they could go out to hunt and deer were hard enough to get during the day. Finding one hunkered down under a tree or make-shift bedding at night, even if you had night vision, was much, much harder. If she could track a herd until night fall, she could tell them where the deer were and give them a better chance.

Of course, if she could get two, then she could get home a lot sooner. 

The buck swung its head towards the base of Midnight’s tree and a patch of clover growing there. It took several steps closer.

Three steps away…

Two…

One…

Midnight stepped off her branch and fell like a stone, her wings only opening slightly near the end of her fall for just the slightest bit of control before she hit. Her back legs slammed into the bucks back, breaking it so the animal couldn’t run away if it somehow managed to throw her off, while her front legs nailed the deer’s whithers, forcing down to the ground. Quick as a snake her jaws shot forward and clamped down the deer’s muzzle, muffling the whine of pain it let out. Moving a leg to pin down the deer’s neck, she gave a quick jerk and heard the wet snap of broken bone. She held her new stance as perfectly still and quiet as she had in the tree, her eyes and ears focused on where the rest of the herd had been.

All had gone quiet. 

After several seconds she could hear a snort come from the other side of the bushes and she looked up at Scarlet who gave her a nod. The herd didn’t suspect a thing, nor would they get any kind of further warning from her prey; all tension was gone and no air was going in or out of him. They’d gotten their first deer and with no need to get a third, they could be as loud and violent getting their second as they wished. 

Midnight quietly dropped the dead deer and nodded back at Scarlet. The hippogriff would take the next one, striking from above like Midnight had, if not from directly above and if she missed Midnight would charge through the bushes, causing even more panic and confusion and allowing them a chance for a second strike. 

Just as Midnight took her first step towards the bushes an explosive rustle of leaves came from the other side of them and the deer there immediately bellowed and squealed in panic. Looking up at Scarlet, Midnight saw the hippogriff’s eyes were wide with surprise but, thankfully, not panic. Oddly enough it was disappointment that Midnight saw mixed in with the surprise but she quickly found out why as something small and orange hustled through the bushes between her and the deer. 

Ember was hurrying towards her, a young deer fawn, still with little white spots on its back, being dragged along next to her, and what Midnight assumed was the fawn’s mother racing through the bushes barely a second latter.

Midnight immediately jumped forward, landing next to Ember and roaring in the perusing deer’s face. The deer reared up and back, her front legs kicking at Midnight. One hoof scored her cheek before the kirin could back out of range and shoot off a small gout of fire. That made the deer back up and reconsider its actions for a second, which was all it took for Scarlet to jump down on it. A few seconds of struggling and the hippogriff stood over her own kill.

With the danger out of the way and their second kill taken, if not maybe how they wanted it to have gone down, Midnight turned on the younger kirin, the proud smile she was wearing fading at the elder kirin’s furious look.

“Ember? What. The. TARTARUS!?”Midnight snapped. “We told you that you couldn’t come out here to hunt!”

“But I can!” Ember insisted, motioning at the fawn between them. “See!? I got it all by myself!”

Midnight did see and couldn’t hide her disappointment. It was true that predators hunted the old, the weak, and the young because they were easy but Midnight wasn’t a normal predator, nor was any of the other carnivores now living in Ponyville. Whatever they didn’t finish could be saved for later and they were feeding more than themselves, so it made sense to go after the large, physically fit members of the herd. Ember taking a fawn like this, when the buck alone would have been enough to share out between the two kirins, Squeaks, and Scarlet, was just an unnecessary waste.

“The buck was enough!” Midnight said. “There was no reason to take the fawn and what just happened proves the point we made about it being dangerous! That doe could have killed you!” Here she paused and wiped her cheek with a hoof. It still stung but when she brought her hoof back there wasn’t any blood, so she brushed it off and continued. “Or it could have seriously hurt me or Scarlet and I KNOW your mother didn’t give you the okay to come out here! She’s probably worried sick by now!” It was then that part of her anger turned into an anxious lump inside her stomach. She was not looking forward to bringing Ember home only to hear the resulting shouting, nor about being involved as she would be the one to present Ember to Forest. Midnight said a quick, silent prayer of thanks to the makers for giving her such a well behaved foal as her own daughter. If Ember had been her daughter, she probably would have gone crawling back to Summer, begging her forgiveness. 

“As soon as we dress these deer, we are going home and you are going to apologize to your mother and promise to never do anything like this ever again, understand?” Midnight asked, her voice back down to a normal, if still very angry, tone.

“But-!” Ember protested. 

“Do you understand!?” Midnight shouted, even making Scarlet flinch away.

Cowed, Ember nodded. “Yes,” she finally said when Midnight made it clear she wanted to hear Ember say it.

“So, just how much trouble is she in?” Scarlet whispered as she and Midnight began the dirty work on the buck. Ember had been told to stay away from the corpses and not to get a drop of blood on herself. The last thing they needed was for her to show up bloody and give Forest another reason to scream.

“The real question is: how much manure am I going to get hit with when we get back with her in toe?” Midnight groaned. “Finding another kirin was supposed to make life better, not more frustrating!” And now all her plans to have a nice, peaceful talk with Forest and Ember were shot; the earth pony would be more pissed than ever after this.

Midnight ripped out the deer’s guts with a bit more violence than she meant to. At least here she could vent her frustration constructively. 

-----------------------------

Sapphire’s ears folded back in sympathy for her marefriend as Forest turned her perfectly understandable wrath on the older kirin, her tirade on the younger one finished and said younger kirin now up in her and Squeaky’s room awaiting punishment. It had been her who found Ember coming out of the woods in the company of Midnight and Scarlet and the older kirin had, with a great fatalistic air that showed she knew exactly what was coming, told Sapphire to find Forest and tell her Ember was alright and with her. 

Even though Midnight had almost physically pushed Ember in front of Forest and looked down on the younger kirin with as much disappointment as Sapphire had ever seen her give somepony, that hadn’t spared her from getting an earful by the earth pony as well. 

“And even if you didn’t encourage it, she still followed you!” Forest yelled. “You were supposed to help her, help us, with whatever issue we had! All you’ve done is created problems!”

“Forest, I-“ Midnight tried, but Forest quickly cut her off. Midnight let her, hoping that letting her yell herself out would lead to her being willing to listen, even if this wasn’t the ideal circumstance Midnight had wanted to ask Forest to speak with Ember in.

What she said next, however, ruined any further thoughts of letting things calm down naturally. 

“And you keep insisting on us staying here, in your house! You say everything is for her benefit and I don’t seem to be anywhere in those plans! Where do I fit into my daughter’s life, or am I just an inconvenience!?”

The implication that Midnight was trying to supplant herself into Forest’s role in Ember’s life immediately made the other three in the room lose most of their sympathy and understanding and replace it with outraged indignation of their own. It was a good thing Sapphire had told Honey to take Squeaks outside but Windrunner really didn’t need to be here for this. Bad luck had her show up just before Midnight and Ember.

“Midnight would never!” Sapphire shouted.

“Midnight isn’t like that!” Windrunner agreed. 

“ENOUGH!” Midnight roared, her wings outstretched to help intimidate the others into silence while her eyes became hard and cold. Sapphire and Windrunner immediately quieted, though Sapphire looked at the kirin with undisguised worry. Forest also stayed quiet, though the look of angry defiance stayed. “THAT,” she said in a dangerous tone, “is too far, Forest. You’re angry but don’t you dare imply that I’m trying to drive you and Ember apart. Everything I’ve offered I’ve done so to try and help. BOTH of you.” Here she took a deep breath and visible calmed somewhat. When she opened her eyes again, the cold was gone, but the hardness remained. “That being said, I will agree that I could have made it sound more like I was helping the both of you rather than just talking about Ember.” When Forest didn’t say anything, she continued. “We’ve all seen how Ember has been acting since she got here and it is partly my fault it came to what happened today but not because I encouraged it. I failed to see how much she was acting like myself at that age because she wasn’t doing so for the same reasons. Not entirely, anyway.”

At long last, something other than anger crossed Forest’s face. Seeing the curiosity as a sign, Midnight continued. 

“When I was her age, I fought with my mother all the time, too. My reasons were that I blamed her for not looking for my dad and not really understanding me. I thought that she thought I was just a burden and I grew to hate her for it, so much so that one day I ran away and never went home again. Last night, I saw the same thing starting to happen to you two.”

Here all anger had gone from Forest’s face to be replaced by worry.

“When I realized it, I knew I had to talk with Ember about it, so she wouldn’t make the same mistakes I eventually did, mistakes I still regret making. However, as she’s your daughter, I wanted to wait and ask your permission to do so. I’d be pretty pissed, too, if Sapphire had tried parenting Squeaks behind my back so soon after I adopted her, or even if it just seemed like she was. I kept asking you to stay here in this house because I thought it would be easier for me to spot issues like this before they got out of hoof. Seeing how long it’s taken me to spot this, even with it right under my muzzle, I can see the argument doesn’t hold any real weight,  and I promise I won’t ask it again.

“I know this isn’t anywhere near the best time to ask this, but can I please talk with Ember about how she’s behaving? She needs to understand what path she’s putting herself on and she needs to hear it from somepony who’s been down that road before.”

Forest continued to look up at Midnight for a few seconds longer, looked at Sapphire, Windrunner, then Midnight again, then let out an unhappy sigh. “Why can’t I tell her what you just told me? Wouldn’t it be better if I spoke to her? As her mother?”

“Because you didn’t live it, because you wouldn’t be able to impress on her just how damaging her action would be to your relationship.”

“I ran away from home, too,” Forest pointed out.

“Because you were scared, not angry,” Midnight said. “It’s not the same and you don’t sound like you regret it.”

Forest opened her mouth to argue but stopped before any words came out. To her shock, she realized she didn’t regret leaving home. Unhappy? Of course, but she left to protect her daughter and to even protect her parents from any social ostracizing having a pregnant, unmarried daughter would cause, made even worse by the father not being a pony. Midnight had done so to deliberately hurt her mother as much as possible. There was no comparison. “You’re right, I don’t and I can’t but she’s still going to you for help and advice, not me. Even if you aren’t doing it on purpose, I’m still losing her to you.”

“No, you’re not,” Midnight said firmly, “she’s not my daughter and I don’t want her to be. If I have to lay that out as plain as day for her I will. Let me talk with her and it’ll be the last time, I promise.”

Forest kept eye contact with Midnight for a little while more, searching those draconic eyes for any hint of deceit in them. When she was finally convinced she couldn’t find any, she closed her eyes and sighed again. “Don’t make me regret this.”

Midnight nodded.

-----------------------------

Ember kept up with Midnight as the older kirin led her further into the Everfree Forest, towards the clearing she and Sapphire headed off to sometimes. The younger kirin wasn’t sure what to feel right then; Midnight and her mom both still looked pretty angry when she’d been called downstairs but if she was heading someplace alone with Midnight it couldn’t be bad, right? Then again, Midnight still looked angry and hadn’t said anything to her since they left the house.

When they came to a fork in the road, Midnight turned left and Ember realized that she was leading her to the top of the cliff behind the house. She’d never been up there (the path still lead through the Everfree, and she and her friends were all still forbidden from going in there alone) and her pace picked up in anticipation of seeing it for the first time.

They reached the top of the cliff just as the sun was beginning to descend below the horizon, the warm orange glow and cool breeze made Ember flap her wings happily. Midnight, on the other hoof, just sat down and stared off into town without acknowledging either. Ember quickly sat down next to her. “You said you wanted to talk?” she asked, looking up at the larger kirin. 

“Yes,” Midnight said, as if not really paying attention to her. In truth, this whole thing had jarred the half-coherent talk she’d already planned out and now she wasn’t sure how to properly proceed. Straightening, she finally asked, “Ember, do you like living here? In Ponyville?”

“Yeah, it’s alright, I guess,” Ember said slowly, not sure where Midnight was going with this.

“Would you still like it if I wasn’t here?”

This took longer for Ember to respond. “I dunno, maybe? Pinchy and Dinky and Twist are fun and so are some other ponies. School is alright, even if it is a little boring, and nopony looks at me like I’m weird and I can go outside all the time, so that’s good!” she finished, more excited than when she started. 

Midnight nodded. “That’s good but, you know, there are rules every pony needs to follow so things can stay nice around here.”

Ember frowned. “Yeah, but so many of them are so stupid! I mean, I’m just going to get dirty again, so a bath doesn’t make any sense and why do I have to eat everything on my plate? Adults don’t have to!”

“If you stink, nopony’s gonna want to play with you and the food your mom gives you is so you can grow up as healthy as possible. Yes, I can eat whatever I want, like if I wanted to eat nothing but cupcakes starting tomorrow I could, but it isn’t healthy for me and I can make myself sick and others would have to take care of me, which isn’t fair to them.”

“What about Pinkie Pie? She eats nothing but sweets all the time.”

“Pinkie is… not normal. My point is that there are rules and you need to follow them. If you don’t, there are consequences; like being grounded.”

Ember looked dubiously down at the house. “Am I getting-?”

“From now on Ember, when we tell you to do something, you do it. If you’re told to leave it alone, you leave it alone. If you’re told to clean your room, you clean your room. If you’re told not to follow me or anyone else out hunting, you don’t follow on a hunt!”

“But I can hunt! I told you; you’ve seen me!”

“You’re not listening!” Midnight shouted, “If your mom says not to do something, you don’t do it! I don’t know how to make it any plainer than that! It doesn’t matter what I know or have seen!”

“That’s why I wish you were my mom! You’d understand me!”

Silence.

Midnight only stared down at her, her face blank. It was so unnerving that Ember reached forward, intending to shake her to try and snap her out of whatever it was that was making her that way, when she came out of it on her own.

Getting up, Midnight bent over Ember and roared, practically in Ember’s face. The smaller kirin immediately shrank back and into the ground, making herself into a ball and as small as she could make herself. 

“DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN! DON’T YOU EVEN THINK THAT AGAIN! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE’S DONE, WHAT SHE’S SACRIFICED, TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE HAPPY! SHE YELLS AND SCOLDS YOU BECAUSE SHE’S WORRIED ABOUT YOU!” Midnight snorted heavily and pulled back from the frightened, almost crying, child. “You’re just like I was when I was young, thinking that my mother didn’t care about me, even hated me. I asked you about Ponyville because I only found it after I’d been wandering around Equestria for years. Do you know why I was wandering around Equestria for years?” Hesitantly, Ember shook her head. “Because I ran away from home, again because I was so sure that my mother hated me because she couldn’t understand me! Do you know what I found out, looking back, after I came here?” Again, Ember shook her head. “I found out that I had made the biggest mistake of my entire life! I had no idea what all my mother did to make me as happy as I had been, what she went through and sacrificed for every bit of joy I had growing up. I never saw it because what parent wants their child to know? By running away, I threw everything she did for me right back in her face as if it had been worthless.

“No, she didn’t understand everything about what or who I was but that was because she didn’t see me as a kirin, she saw me as her child, and for the most part that was all she needed to know. That’s all your mother needs to know to be the best mother she can to you. That’s why you listen to her, that’s why you do what she tells you to do, because she does so much for you that you might never see that you owe it to her to be the best daughter you can be to her.” Midnight took a deep breath. “I’m telling you all this, how important this all is, because if I could go back in time, I would back-hoof my younger self and call me… several unrepeatable names for how I thought and acted. I can’t tell you how much I regret a lot of what I did and I’m seeing you starting to make those same mistakes. 

“Your mother loves you, Ember, and no matter how angry she ever gets, that’s not going to change. So, no matter how angry you ever get at her, don’t you ever say you hate her or want someone else to be your mom. One day you’ll look back and wish you could take it all back.”

“But…” Ember finally said, “you said you would teach me how to be a kirin; she can’t do that.”

“And she also doesn’t have the time to teach you proper schooling; that doesn’t mean Cheerilee is a better mom. When I found you Ember, I was so happy to finally meet another kirin that I made some very bad mistakes and assumptions again, being like a lot of ponies I’ve met before and concentrating on what you are and not who you are. All I should be to you is a teacher and a guide to only certain things that you’re mom doesn’t know or can’t handle. She can’t teach you how to safely breathe fire or fly or fine-tune your hunting skills when I, not you, think the time is right.” She sighed heavily. “Do you understand what I’ve been saying?”

Ember nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think. When mom tells me to do something or not to do something, it’s because she’s trying to be good to me?”

“She’s trying to teach you life lessons for being a good pony, er, being, things that every adult knows to do or not to do in certain situations. It’s like she’s preparing you for a role in a play and you have to know how to say your lines properly and where to stand.”

Ember nodded again and Midnight was glad to see she seemed to understand that. “And when she’s angry, she really isn’t?”

“She is,” Midnight said, “but to use the play metaphor again, it’s because you messed up so bad you could mess the whole play up, not just a line or two. She’s teaching you that when you do something wrong, there are consequences, and if you learn why what you did was wrong and that it’s a bad idea to ever do it again, then she’ll never have to yell at you for it ever again. Got it?”

“Yeah.” 

“Alright then,” she sighed again, a sudden need rising in her chest. “I need to go somewhere for a while. When I drop you off at the house, you are going to go apologize to your mother for what you did, promise you’ll never do it again, mean it, and accept whatever punishment she has for you, understand?”

“Yes,” Ember said, nodding. She didn’t look too pleased with the prospect of punishment, but what child ever did?

“Alright then, hop on,” Midnight said, lowering herself so Ember could climb onto her back. It was dark now and even if the path from the cliff back to the house was safer than the rest of the forest, it was still not very safe at night.

Ember obediently climbed up and once she was secure Midnight dropped down to the side door below.

-----------------------------

“Midnight!” Summer said in surprise as she opened her front door. “Is everything alright? You’re here awfully late.”

“Hey mom,” Midnight said, a bit sheepishly. “Yeah, everything’s alright, I just wanted to come by and visit for a bit.”

Summer looked at a nearby clock. “At 8:30 at night?”

Midnight shrugged. “Do I need a reason?”

Summer stared at her older daughter for a second, then smiled warmly. “Not at all. Come in, come in. Would you like some coffee or tea?”

“Coffee, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

As it turned out, Summer had already made up a pot before Midnight got there.

“Autumn already asleep?” Midnight asked as Summer poured her a steaming cup.

“Yes, and so is Orange; he’s heading back to Manehattan to pick up a camera one of his buddies fixed for him and he wants to get there as early as he can.”

Midnight hummed as she added the cream and sugar.

“So, anything new going one with you? I heard you went hunting with Scarlet today.”

“Yeah,” Midnight said, following Summer to the kitchen table and sitting down next to her. She fiddled with her cup before saying, “I guess why I came over was to tell you… tell you how sorry I am for how I acted when I was younger, for running away, and how thankful I am for everything you did for me.” She leaned over and hugged her mother, even drawing her wings around her. “I wish I wasn’t such an idiot back then.”

Surprised, Summer returned the hug. “Oh, baby girl, you didn’t mean any of it, you were just too young to say it properly. And how where you supposed to know what I was going through? What parent would let their child know something like that?” she said, unknowingly echoing Midnight’s own words. 

“Even so.”

“Well, all’s forgiven.”

“…I love you mom.”

“I love you, too, baby girl. I love you, too.”
> Ch.19 - Migration Lag
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Shored up sides?"

"Check."

"Camouflage netting?"

"Check."

"Fire Extinguishers?"

"Double Check."

Sapphire hummed unhappily as she looked around. "Dragon deterrent?"

Summer, Windrunner, Scarlet, and Honey all looked over the edges of the trench and scanned in all directions.

"No check," Scarlet said.

"She'll be here," Summer said in an attempt to assure the pegasus but the worry was clear in her voice. "There's nothing in Equestria that would make her miss this."

"She did make most of the trench yesterday," Windrunner pointed out.

"Good thing, too," AJ said as she finished shoveling. "Otherwise we'd've been doing this all week."

"She might have just gone home to get a drink," Scarlet added.

"Mom looked kinda distracted," Squeaks piped up, "like when she's thinking a lot."

Sapphire stroked the filly with a wing. "You don't think she'd do something reckless during something like this?" she asked Summer.

The white unicorn could only hum unhappily. "Windstorm said he was leaving on a migration, so..." she trailed off. This could be the event that would lead Midnight to her father; she would do something reckless if it meant finding him. That said, Summer had seen a great deal of change in her daughter and while she might be doing something she hadn't told any of them about, it was sure to be planned to keep them all out of danger. Perhaps she was just checking in on Autumn and Orange along with the others in Berry's shelter?

A small smile grew as she thought about that. Midnight really was a great big sister to Autumn, even if she did allow her to play in mud and swim in park ponds.

"I don't see any dragons yet," Ember said from Forest's back, binoculars held tight against her face.

'Midnight's not the only one out here looking for someone,' Summer thought.

"Me neither," AJ agreed.

"Me neither neither!" Pinkie said, her binoculars flipped backwards.

"Actually, I'm rather glad about that," Twilight said. "I wouldn't want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves." That was aimed at Rarity, who’d shown up to the trench with a red carpet, confetti, and announcing herself at the top of her voice.

“Just because this is a dirt trench does not mean one shouldn’t dress her best,” Rarity said, pulling out a compact with her magic and looking herself over once again. “And where is Fluttershy? I haven’t seen her all day!”

“She… didn’t want to come,” Twilight said, looking sympathetically over at Rainbow, who flinched and rubbed her stomach. “She was very insistent about it.”

Twilight was kept from further explanations as a large shadow and the sound of large, leathery wings passed overhead, catching everypony's attention. At first, Summer and Sapphire thought it was Midnight, but a quick look up showed that it was the first of many dragons emerging from a nearby cloud bank.

It was a truly awesome sight. Dragons of every shape and size by the dozen were overhead, their massive bulks actually blotting out the sun at times. While the others either "oohed" and "aahed"  or watched in amazed silence, Summer was on the lookout for two specific individuals. 'I hope Midnight's seeing this,' she thought as she looked for a black body with a blue belly and horns among the oddly colorful horde of fire-breathing beasts above. She knew dragons came in colors other than black and blue, due to Windstorm's description of other wyverns and Spike, but she hadn't expected some to be so bright or flashy.

"Amazing," Twilight said.

"Bad-flank," said Scarlet.

"Formidable," agreed Rarity.

"And a bit fierce," Honey said, hunkering down further into the trench.

"You know it," Spike said, handing her a muffin from his tea cart. "We dragons are a force to be reckoned with."

Scarlet snickered while Rainbow did her best to keep her laughing low. "You got that right Spike; that's the scariest apron ever!"

Spike looked down at what he was wearing, then glared back at Rainbow. "Hey, blueberry stains are a pain to get out! I'd like to see how long it takes to get some out of your coat and feathers!"

"I completely agree Spike," Rarity said, "and your look is unique! You don't have to look like other dragons."

"Or act like them," Twilight agreed.

"I... don't act like other dragons?" Spike asked,

"And I think we can all agree that's for the best," Sapphire said, still looking around for Midnight. "I think the greed-growth incident is proof enough of that."

Spike sighed. "Yeah, you got a point there."

"What's greed growth?" Ember asked innocently.

They all froze. While Midnight had never gone through it, something they all chalked up to her wyvern ancestry, they had no idea if that extended to kirins born from dragons.

"We'll... explain later," Summer said, catching Forest’s eye. 

"Besides, in that outfit you're just the cutest thing ever!" Rarity gushed.

"C-Cute!?" Spike sputtered, embarrassment clear on his face. "Dragons aren't supposed to be cute!"

A strong gust of wind blew through the trench as an even darker shadow shot by, lower than the dragons.

"I bet Midnight would agree with me!" Spike said as they recognized the newcomer.

"Oh..." Summer moaned as she watched the wyvern climb to meet the migrants.

To their surprise, she didn't push herself into the stream of dragons. Coming to a hover several lengths away, her head moved from side to side as if she was looking for something in particular. Several dragons looked her way and either looked forward again, ignoring her, or narrowed their eyes.

"What is she...?" Sapphire started.

"Excuse me!" Midnight called out. "Have any of you seen a wyvern named Windstorm? I really need to speak with him!"

One dragon studied her, then snorted. "Wyverns don't migrate with dragons," he said with a tone that said not to push it.

Either not catching the tone or ignoring it, Midnight continued. "He said he was joining the last migration! One of you must have met him!"

"Well we didn't!" another one snapped. Now several more were turning their attention towards her and none of it looked pleasant.

"And even if he did try to migrate with us," yet another added, "he wouldn't get to try a second time!"

"But he said-!" Midnight pressed.

"Then he lied!" a fourth interrupted, already fed up with her presence. "Dragons and wyverns don't do anything together, much less migrate! Now beat it!"

He shot a flame at her, which Midnight ducked away from, going to a lower altitude but still staying in the air and looking up at them. Satisfied with her reaction to being told off, the dragons continued on their way, ignoring the wyvern that looked increasingly lost, her head and eyes still searching the stream of dragons.

Summer wanted to call her down, to get her in the trench and tell her... tell her what? If she was being honest, she had always felt that the migration thing had been a lie; even looking for Windstorm today was just some errant last hope for closure. Midnight, on the other hoof, had genuinely believed she was finally going to see her father again.

Beside her, Sapphire flapped her wings uncertainty. "I'll get her..." she began.

"No," Summer said, gently but firmly laying a hoof on her whither, "she won't leave now, not until she has to change back." Sapphire saw Summer's eye become wet. "Let her see this out."

For another half hour Midnight stayed in the air, moving from place to place and hovering like a giant hummingbird, looking more lost and agitated by the minute. At last she ducked away one final time and flew off over the Everfree, looking confused, distracted, and dejected.

-----------------------------

They found her in bed when they finally got back to the house. Midnight was curled up in a nest of blankets, sheets, and pillows with her wings covering her head and shoulders from sight. Arina was perched on Midnight’s back, rubbing it with a leg and trying to comfort her owner.

Summer tried to say a few comforting things but all she got in response was a few high-pitched grunts. 

Squeaks and Sapphire had more success. Once Summer left the two had come in and immediately Midnight gathered them both onto the bed, each under a wing. They spent several minutes just nuzzling each other, Midnight making her growl-purr noise and Squeaks squeaking in response whenever her mother’s muzzle rubbed her. Then Midnight wordlessly shifted Squeaks to between Sapphire and herself, pulled them both in tight with her wing, laid her head down on a pillow and closed her eyes. Squeaks did the same, sticking her head into the crook of Midnight’s neck, and in a few minutes they were both breathing in the rhythm of sleep. Sapphire had Arina fetch Windrunner, told the other pegasus to come get her in another hour if she was still there, then laid her own head down muzzle to muzzle with Midnight’s and let sleep take her as well. 

-----------------------------

“I’m sorry,” Midnight said after dinner. She had picked unenthusiastically at her plate of mashed potatoes, deer meat, and green beans the entire time, then went to the couch and tried to act like she wasn’t depressed by reading a book. When Sapphire and Squeaks joined her and Sapphire saw she hadn’t even turned the page yet, Midnight gave up.

“For?” Sapphire asked gently, resting her head against the kirin’s neck.

“For acting like this. I should have known better; mom did…”

“And how were either of you supposed to know how today would turn out?” Sapphire asked. 

“I just…” Midnight grimaced and hit the cushion. “He was supposed to be there! That’s why he said he left!” Her voice hitched and a tear began to pool at the corner of her eye. “All these years that’s all I’ve had to go on! If he’s not with the migration…” 

Sapphire and Squeaks nuzzled her until her breathing returned to normal. “You’ll find him,” Sapphire assured her.

“No idea how…” Midnight said, her head falling to the side as she absently stroked Squeaks’ head. 

This was no good. She wanted to just crawl back into bed and not come back out but she couldn’t do that. Squeaks, Sapphire, Windrunner, Honeysuckle and everypony else relied on her too much for her to just crawl into a corner somewhere and lay around like a wet lump. She already felt childish enough for giving her mother the cold shoulder earlier.

With a deep breath, she packed her sadness and frustration away for a future talk with Sapphire, looked at the clock over the kitchen doorway, and kissed Squeaks on the head. “How does a few stories before bed sound?”

“Okay,” Squeaks agreed, nuzzling her back.

As the filly got up and went up the stairs to get ready, Sapphire held Midnight back with a wing. “Do you…” she began.

“Tomorrow,” the kirin told her, laying a wing across her back. “I’ll feel better by then. Just… let me be a little more selfish tonight, please? I just need more time to think.”

Sapphire nodded and kissed her. “I’m here when you need me.”

The stories Midnight read to Squeaks and the hug and kiss goodnight they shared were therapeutic enough that when Midnight got back downstairs, she didn’t feel as tired as she had before. She was even able to go through several games of Go Fish with her housemates before finally retiring to bed.

“You sound like you’re feeling better,” Sapphire noted as they settled down in bed together. For the night they’d keep the nest Midnight had made of the bed but it would be set back to order in the morning. Speaking of which…

“Midnight?” Sapphire asked quietly once they were settled.

“Hmm?”

The pegasus bit her lip. “Just… out of curiosity, let’s say you did meet your dad today; what would you have done?”

Midnight blinked and raised her head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… your dad would have been migrating, so he would have left as quickly as he arrived. You’ve been looking for him for so long… would you have gone with him?”

Even in the darkness, Midnight could see the pools of orange looking up at her. “Would you have left us for him?” was the unspoken question.

“No,” Midnight said, pulling Sapphire into a tight embrace. “Ponyville is my home; you and Squeaks are my family; I just want to find him for closure, that’s all.”

Sapphire nuzzled into Midnight’s neck. Her family; her heart soared at that. “I guess I’m being selfish again, making it sound like you’d choose between us like that…I’m just worried that you’d leave to find him like you did when you left Summer.”

“No, I’m sorry I’ve been acting like I have to make you think that way.” She bent her head and hooked the bridge of her muzzle with Sapphire’s so that they were looking right into each other’s eyes. “I would fly around the world to find my dad... but I would sooner face a hundred Discords alone to get to you and Squeaks. Please, don’t ever forget that.”

“I won’t.” Sapphire tilted her head back so they could kiss. “Goodnight; sweet dreams.”

“I hope I’m in them,” Midnight whispered back.

Sapphire hummed happily as they drifted off to sleep. 

-----------------------------

“So, back to work then?” Windrunner asked, having finished the last of her eggs and toast.

“I won’t hold it against you if you want to keep dragon gazing,” Midnight said, having finished her own meal and skimming through the daily paper. “It’s a rare thing to see, so I’m told, but I’m getting back to work.”

“I’ll get back to work with you,” Windrunner said. “I can still see the dragons from the forest if I really want to.”

Midnight hummed at that. The first thing she’d seen out the living room window that morning was the smaller but steady flow of dragons from the south. For a brief moment she had panicked that her father might have passed by in the night but she pushed it down. It was obvious how her mood was effecting everypony around her and she wouldn’t let it continue. 

“Actually,” Sapphire said, raising a wing, “I wanted to talk with you before you went out today. It has to do with what we talked about last night.”

“Alright,” Midnight assented, raising a curious eyebrow at her marefriend. Once the breakfast dishes were cleaned and Windrunner had opened the front up and Honey brought Squeaks over to Ember’s, Midnight met Sapphire in the living room. “What’s wrong?” Midnight asked quietly, bringing her wings forward to shelter the two of them.

Sapphire bit her lip. “When I asked you what you would do if you found him, part of why I asked that was because I thought of something. I’m… still not sure I want to say it. I know you said you’d come back no matter what but… but what if you can’t? What if something happens to you and you can’t make it back home? That’s what I’m scared of most of all.”

“And a tree could fall on me in the forest; you aren’t scared of that,” Midnight pointed out as she pulled her close.

“That’s different! We could find you in the forest! If you followed the migration, maker knows where you could end up!”

“Follow the migration?” Midnight echoed. “Sapphire, what…?”

“What if he’s already there?” Sapphire asked. “What if he took a different route and is already where all these dragons are migrating to? You were so depressed at first I thought I’d come up with a way to give you back some hope but then… I got scared you wouldn’t come back.” She looked the kirin in the eye. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to tell Squeaky you’re never coming back.”

Midnight nuzzled her. “Getting a bit extreme on me, don’t ya think? You’re starting to worry me, you know.”

“I blame my mother,” Sapphire said with a sigh, nuzzling her back. “I think I’m turning into her.”

“That would explain the clinginess,” Midnight agreed, “but you know I’ve faced worse than a long hike; we all have, and those times weren’t by choice. At least this time I’ve got some idea about what I’d be facing. And what about when I went looking for Ember? You didn’t get anywhere near as clingy then.”

“I knew where you were going and you had others with you.” Sapphire sighed. “I just... are you going to go then?”

Midnight looked down at her, staring into her orange eyes and contemplating every reason to and not to go. Before she could give her an answer, Honey stuck her head into the room. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, seeing she was interrupting, “but Twilight, Spike, Rarity, and Rainbow want to see you. They say it’s important.”

Midnight sighed and kissed Sapphire on the tip of her muzzle. “Duty calls,” She said with a weary half smile.

“Duty calls,” she agreed and the two followed Honey to the front. Arina zipped from her hiding spot and climbed up to her perch on Midnight’s head. 

“Good morning all,” Midnight said as she entered the store front. “One of the dragons decided the town would look better on fire?”

“Good morning,” they chorused, “and, no, the town is fine,” Twilight said. “Speaking of which, how are you feeling this morning?”

“Better,” Midnight admitted. “But if the town isn’t on fire, then what can I do for you? Important usually means something’s gone wrong.”

“Nothing this time, thank goodness. Actually, we’re here for Spike,” Rarity said, gesturing to the small dragon. 

“Not getting grabby again, are we?” Midnight asked mock seriously.

Spike gave her an unamused stare back.

“No, nothing like that,” Twilight said. “You see, last night Spike got curious about dragons. We did as much research as we could but nopony has ever really done any in-depth study on them. We couldn’t find anything to help him.”

“That’s when I decided to join the migration and find out what dragons are really like,” Spike said and for the first time Midnight realized he had a stick with a picnic blanket tied up on the end, the same kind wandering ponies usually had.

“We were hoping you could keep an eye on the little guy,” Rainbow added.

“We talked it over,” Twilight said quickly before Spike or Midnight could say anything, “and we also think that your dad might have taken a different way to the migration spot. Princess Celestia said that dragons follow different paths to it depending on where they start. You could still catch him.”

Midnight looked between Twilight and Sapphire. “Great minds think alike,” she said with a smirk. Sapphire blushed. “Sapphire and I were just discussing this before you all came. Spike, how long to you plan to be there?”

“As long as it takes to learn to be a proper dragon!” He said, a determined glint in his eye.

Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow all gave her pleading looks.

“I’m not sure I can help you then,” Midnight said. “If I go, I’d only stay until I found my dad and said what I have to say. I have responsibilities here at home; I can’t just up and leave for who knows how long.”

“So, you can’t go with him then?” Rarity asked. “You’ll forgive me, Midnight, but I don’t think that Ponyville will suffer a firewood shortage if you leave for a few weeks.”

“I also have familial responsibilities,” Midnight said. “I’m not going to up and leave my daughter for that long, nor my marefriend, and my mom and Orange have clients and will need somepony to watch Autumn; how often is Sweetie Belle over at your house that you can up and leave town for that long?” She felt a wing drape across her back and she looked over at Sapphire.

“What if you only stayed a week?” She asked, looking a lot less concerned than before. “Spike can send a letter when you arrive, you two stay there looking for your dad and learning about dragons, then you send another letter when the week is over telling us you’re coming back… or not.”

“Stay in communication in case something goes wrong, you mean?” Midnight asked with a knowing smile. It was a great idea; if something happened to one the other could go and get help. Alone, Spike might not have been able to write a letter in time and Midnight might have lost her dragon fire lighter. “That’s a much better plan than just harrying off after a pack of dragons willy-nilly. And we will be coming back.” She gave Spike a look that broke no argument.

Her ear flicked as one of Arina’s legs rubbed against it and another idea came to her. “And Arina can stay here as well.” The spider began to chirp unhappily. “Our shared sight is faster than any letter and if things do end up bad enough we need a search party, it would be easier to find us if you could see the same landmarks we do.”

“I think it’s the best way to make sure Midnight and Spike come home safe,” Sapphire added. “Besides, what if these two get stuck and only you can go for help? By the time you manage to get all the way back here and let us know what’s going on, we could have already sent out a party and found them.”

Arina chirped some more, then let out one last, long chirp and deflated in defeat. 

“That’s my girl,” Midnight smirked.

“So, you’ll go then?” Rainbow asked. 

“Go where?” 

They all looked towards the kitchen door to find Squeak and Ember peering up at them. The two must have come over to get a toy or game.

“First, does Forest know you’re over here?” Midnight asked. Both nodded and when they told her they were sure, she told them what they were talking about.

“I hope you find grandpa,” Squeaks said.

“I hope so too, baby girl,” Midnight said, nuzzling her.

“Can I ask you something?” Ember asked conspiratorially. When Midnight nodded, Ember backed up into the kitchen more, then whispered into the older kirin’s ear. “Can you look for my dad, too?”

Midnight smiled and winked. “You got it.”

“So, you’re going?” Windrunner asked.

“...Yes,” Midnight finally said. She gave Windrunner a meaningful look and the pegasus returned it with a barely noticeable nod. As First Lieutenant, she’d keep things from spiraling out of control here at home; easier now with more than just herself to rely on. “Let me get some things packed and we’ll get on our way.” 

It didn’t take very long; a few sacks of gems, her armor pieces, just in case, paper and pencil for writing letters, and some photos to show her father what had gone on in her life since he left and she was all set to go. 

“Please, remember to write,” Sapphire said as they all stood outside to wish them good luck.

Midnight kissed her. “Paper and pencil is at the ready. And let my mom know what I’m doing.”

“Of course.”

She looked over the two foals sitting between Sapphire and Forest, who came over when she heard what was going on. “And you two; behave yourselves. I don’t want Sapphire or Forest telling be how the cupcake hit the fan while I was gone.”

“Yes ma’am!” They both chorused. 

“You don’t need to look for Long Spine,” Forest whispered when Midnight was done hugging the foals. “You have your own father to find.”

“If I don’t find my dad, possibly the only wyvern out of hundreds of dragons, on the first day, then what else am I going to do all week?” Midnight asked. “Besides, she needs her dad, too.” 

Forest nodded, then Midnight turned to Spike. “Ready buddy?”

“Ready!” Spike said, giving her the thumbs up.

She lowered herself to the ground. “Then hop on; I ain’t walking all the way.”

Spike clambered up, careful not to knock her saddle bags off. When he was secure, Midnight got up and spread her wings. Everyone called out goodbyes one more time as the pair took off, both returning the sentiments and that they’d be back soon.

As they flew on under the stream of dragons and Ponyville got farther away, Midnight couldn’t help a feeling of excitement compete with her unease of leaving. After all these years, she finally had a solid lead.

-----------------------------

Following the dragon migration turned out to be surprisingly simple as there were always at least a few dragons overhead to guide the way. What wasn’t simple was how they followed them. Midnight flew just over the treetops in order to avoid being spotted by the dragons above but that meant that her normal way of flying, by gliding and using thermals, was useless. This meant that she needed to fly like a pegasus and constantly flap her wings. Her training with Windrunner had boosted her endurance to an hour of flying like this but she still needed to stop and rest for at least an hour before going aloft again. At night they rested for two hours before going aloft so as to make sure they never lost the trail of flying flamethrowers. On a few lucky occasions they managed to hitch a ride on a passing raft and some mountain goats, who bleated insistently as they carried the kirin.

“As if I’d eat them,” Midnight huffed on their next break after flying down the opposite side of the mountain. “Only an idiot bites the hoof that feeds them.” Speaking of food, the two had set up on a couple of logs for a quick bite to eat and Midnight punctuated her statement by ripping into the roasted squirrel she had skewered on a stick. 

Spike only shrugged as he ate his own snack of gems, doing his best to avoid looking at the remains of the tree-dwelling rodent.

“It’s been a few days now,” Midnight continued after she swallowed her bite, “and I think we’ve left Equestria.” She craned her neck to look over the other nearby hills towards the blue strip that was the waters of north Celestial Sea. If she flew high enough, she could probably have made out the Griffish Isles. “We should be almost there… I hope.”

“So, what are you going to say when you find your dad?” Spike asked as he sucked on an emerald. 

Midnight shrugged. She’d always imagined how reuniting with her father would go but age and cynicism had diminished the glorious reunion into what would more than likely end up as nothing more than a social call. “Tell him what’s happened to me over all these years. How much I missed him, how I ran away, that I’m now living in Ponyville, that he’s a grandfather. I’ll just catch him up then go looking for Ember’s dad.”

“That’s it? You don’t want to say anything else to him? You don’t want him to come back with you?” Spike asked, surprised how dull Midnight imagined things would go. 

“Honestly Spike? I’m not sure what I want,” Midnight confessed. “He’s been gone for so long and I have a family of my own now.” She stared at her food for a long moment, then took a rather vicious bite out of it. “For whatever reason he never came back; no matter what I’m going back. I don’t care if he tells me he found a whole island of kirins, I have a home and family that’s more important.” She took another bite of squirrel. “What about you? Are you really planning to stay with the dragons until you think you’ve learned enough? What if they tell you there’s things you can only learn in far off lands? What then?”

Spike swallowed the gem he’d been chewing on. “I… didn’t really think about that. Do you think they will?”

Midnight shrugged. “If I were in your place, I’d learn as much as I can during the week we’re here and then head home. Yeah, they’re your kind, but they don’t know you like Twilight and the others do. Twilight is your family, right?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah. She hatched me, after all, and her family is mine, too. I guess they’d really miss me if I didn’t come back for a long time.”

Midnight took a final bite of her food and nodded. “You bet they would. Come on, we better get back on the move.”

“Right!” Popping the last bit of the gem in his mouth, Spike settled himself back on Midnight’s back and the kirin took off.

-----------------------------

It took them the rest of the day and the entire night (thanks to a now broken alarm clock and days of wonky sleep schedules, they ended up sleeping for six hours instead of just two) but by dawn the next morning the two were flying just above the canopy of a forest below a mountain range practically covered in dragons.

They’d finally reached the end of the migration. 

“Finally,” Midnight wheezed, dropping to the ground under a tree hosting a nesting pair of, of all things, phoenixes. “Damn, stupid alarm clock… I just want to go back to sleep.”

“Come on, Midnight! The dragons are all right there!” Spike insisted, motioning up at the horde.

“Exactly, and this thing’s just started,” the kirin sighed out, her eyelids drooping. “I’d also like to point out how much more sleep you got while on my back. They shouldn’t be going anywhere soon.”

“But, your dad…”

“Will be better chewed out if I’m not nodding off in front of him. I think this is the best place for us to split up anyway,” she looked up at the nest above her, “I think phoenix nests are rare enough we can use them as landmarks, so why don’t we use this as the place to meet back up? That okay with you two?” she called up to the nest.

Above, the phoenix parents-to-be, who had been watching the two creatures below their nest, looked at each other and seemed to shrug. With twin caws of what sounded like acceptance, they both ducked back into the nest. 

“Thanks,” Midnight called after them.

“So, you’re just going to sleep here for now?” Spike asked.

“A little bit, yeah. One more reason is that I don’t want to search around as a kirin and I’m too tired to transform right now.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier for your dad to recognize you if you were a kirin?”

“It would be easier to spot a full-grown wyvern in all this,” Midnight said, motioning at the crowd of large dragons above, “and being bite-size isn’t a good place to be if I tick one off. A little rest and a bite to eat afterwards and I’ll be better. Now, stop wasting time; you’ve got a letter to send and dragon things to learn.”

“Alright, well, good luck finding your dad then! See you soon!” Spike said as he walked toward the mountains, his pace picking up as he got closer.

Midnight watched him go through a cracked eyelid. “Good luck to you, too, buddy,” she murmured. 

Just as she was about to clock out, she felt a weight land on her head. Cracking her eye open once again, she found herself eye to eye with one of the phoenixes, it’s head upside down to look at her. “I didn’t mean you when I mentioned food,” she said, “but if I feel something wet and nasty on me, I’m testing that immortality you’re so famous for.”

The phoenix just stared back at her for another few seconds, cooed, then straightened back up and stayed perched on her head. Midnight snorted, then drifted off to sleep.
> Ch.20 - Your Kind Might Not Be the Best Kind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After writing the letter to let everyone at home know they were safe, Spike hurried up the side of the mountain. Reaching the top, he looked around and took in all the draconic glory around him.

Until one of the larger ones nearest him shot off a stream of flame right over his head, nearly knocking him back down the mountain side.

“Okay, let’s see if there are any other dragons that would be willing to teach me,” he mumbled as he got to his feet again. Looking around, all the dragons he could see around the lip of what was actually a volcano looked as approachable as the first one. 

A noise that sounded like cheering drew his attention down into the crater below and Spike saw several other dragons, much smaller than those on the rim, playing a game of some kind. “Alright! That’s more my speed! And size.”

Hurrying down the crater, he found them in a circle, cheering on the two wrestling in the middle of it. “Um, excuse me?” He called out, loud enough to be heard in a momentary lull in the cheering. All the teenage dragons looked around, then down at him. “Hi, I’m Spike,” he continued into the silence. One of the wrestling dragons dropped his opponent.

Then one of the dragons snorted a laugh. “You sure it’s not shrimp!?” That got the other dragons laughing. 

“He looks more like a peewee to me!” another dragon said, setting up another round of chuckling.

“Come on guys,” a third dragon said, stepping forward. He looked familiar, with the orange, black, and green scales and two large horns on top of his head. He almost looked… well, he’d tell Midnight about him after she found her own dad. “Seriously, I know we’ve got better things to do than pick on a hatchling.”

“You’re right, Long Spine,” a fourth dragon said, stepping forward, “he might just fly away, if he had any wings!” Again, all the other dragons laughed. 

Long Spine rolled his eyes.

“Nah, he’ll just run back to mommy! I bet he still sucks his claw at night!” the first dragon exclaimed. 

“No I don’t! I haven’t sucked my claw in months! And I got here all by myself, all the way from Ponyville!” Spike defended, puffing his chest out to try and look tough. 

“Ponyville!?” The red dragon burst out, once again laughing along with the rest of them. “That explains it! I knew you were acting vaguely pony-ish!”

“And what’s wrong with ponies, Garble?” Long Spine growled.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how much you like ponies,” Garble sneered, “maybe you and little Spike here can hang out and talk about how much you love them!”

Long Spine leaned in, sneering in return and exposing his own fangs while the spines along his back quivered.

Garble leaned forward as well and the other teen dragons began chanting “fight, fight, fight!” loud enough that several of the adult dragons around the rim looked up in interest. 

“Hey, look!” Spike yelled, trying to defuse the situation. “I came here to learn how to be a dragon! Can any of you teach me?”

Garble, Spine, and the others looked down at him. 

“Well, that’s more like it,” Garble said, straightening back up. “At least one of you has the right idea.” Spine snorted but Garble pointedly ignored him. “First, you gotta prove you can be a real dragon.”

“Yeah? How?” Spike asked, suddenly not too sure he really wanted to know.

“To start things off, who’s up for a belching contest!?”

All the other teenage dragons roared in approval.

“I hope you know what you’re getting into,” Spine warned.

Spike gulped.

-----------------------------

Midnight chewed her freshly fried squirrel thoughtfully as she wound her way through the trees at the base of the mountain range. In her opinion the place where she and Spike had separated had too many dragons in sight for her to change and she was currently moving through the trees in order to find some place more discrete. Back in Ponyville she’d changed over the Everfree because exposing her true self as pony-sized made her uneasy. Pissing off a dragon as a wyvern might at least make him think twice before picking a fight. Pissing off a dragon like Rainbow did might end in the town burning down. Pissing off one here might end up with a completely innocent town feeling their wrath. No, she’d approach them as a wyvern and leave them as a wyvern. If she found her dad, it might be a different story.

Finally she came to a point where she hadn’t seen any dragons immediately over the cliff edges for a little while. Finishing her food, she bounded into the open and let the blue flames engulf her body, taking off immediately into the sky. 

She’d gotten further along than she thought; the only dragons near her were a small cluster removed from the main gathering. Gaining a bit more altitude, she winged back in forth for a minute, indecisive about how to approach and address them without seeming threatening or demanding. Finally, with a snort, she angled towards them in a slow glide and tried to look as casual as one approaching a horde of dragons could be.

As she approached the group, none rose to meet her but they all looked up and growled at her, hunkering down further. Midnight elected to circle once before landing a length away from the nearest one, giving them space and trying to show she was no threat. Despite this, she still received nothing but hostile glares. “Hi,” she said, waving a wing claw at them.

All she got in response was a series of threatening growls. Apparently these dragons were even more hostile than the ones she met before. Great.

“I was just curious if any of you had seen another wyvern around here. Any chance of that?”

Again, she was only growled at. One of the dragons shifted themselves and Midnight caught the glimpse of eggshell between her legs. If she currently had ears they would have gone flat. Looking around she noticed all the other dragons were sitting with splayed legs and that they were all female. 

In her attempt to make herself seem as peaceful as possible, she’d landed right next to a whole group of brooding dragon mothers and their nests. She might as well have landed next to a circle of males quarreling over a heap of gems and gold with a loud “howdy!”. 

“Okay, I can see I’ve made a mistake,” Midnight said, taking a step back, “and I will rectify that right now by going away.” She took one more step back and was preparing to turn and fly off when a large shadow spread over and around her. Whipping her head around, her eyes became pinpricks as she saw what was descending towards her. ‘Oh, buck me…’ she whined as the largest dragon she’d ever seen landed right behind her, looking down at her curiously and blocking her escape. 

She was half again as big as Spike had been full grown but she also had wings so large they put Midnight’s to shame. Her body was a light sky blue and her belly scales and insides of her massive wings were a light purple. The eyes that looked down at Midnight in curiosity were a bright sea green and her head was adorned by two horns, the same color as her belly scales, that first bowed in then out again. For the first time ever in her wyvern form, Midnight felt small.

“Shoal!” one of the brooding mothers snapped, “it’s about time! Do your job and get this thing away from our nests!”

“Easy, Sheen, she hasn’t done anything yet,” the large dragon, Shoal, said with a calming gesture, still looking down at Midnight.

“She got close to the nests!” another hissed. “If you were doing your job she wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near!”

“I have to eat, too,” Shoal said calmly, “AND find food for the lot of you as well AND keep an eye on the young ones. I have several important jobs that all demand my attention, thank you.”

“Then while you’re here do this one!” the first snapped, growling at Midnight again.

“Alright, alright, I’ll take care of it; keep your scales on.” She brought a massive claw up between Midnight and the others. “Come along, you’re not wanted here.”

Midnight only nodded and slunk away, keeping her head low in what she hoped was a sign of submission and respect. Once she was clear of the large dragon’s shadow she took off, hauling herself up and away as quick as she could, only for the shadow to cover her again. Looking up, she found Shoal above her, her large wings easily letting her keep up.

“A quick word, if you please,” she asked, pointing at a nearby mountain, half of which had been flattened into a plateau. 

“Okay,” Midnight said with a gulp. If this devolved into a fight now, even just one-on-one, there was no question about who would win. At least this particular dragon was being nice about the whole thing. 

“After I land, would you mind making a noise?” she added, and again Midnight nodded, puzzled.

Landing on the flattened area first, she noticed a pile of dead trees at the other end. Above, Shoal tucked her wings in and dropped, one leg landing hard on the pile and the trees breaking sounded just like bones cracking. Taking the hint, Midnight immediately set up a wail. “OH, MAKERS, WHY-HY-HY!? I WAS LEAVING!” 

“Good enough,” Shoal said, coming down to rest on all fours, then down onto her belly. “Can’t have them complaining that I just let intruders go with a few words. Now,” she said, kicking some of the broken trees away to make the space more comfortable, “what is a wyvern doing at a dragon migration? I assume you know that dragons and wyverns don’t get along very well.”

At first, Midnight contemplated telling Shoal that she’d gotten lost, which seemed like the easiest and most acceptable excuse to give. However, something about Shoal, be it her manners, the way she held herself, or some other quality Midnight couldn’t identify, made her think that the truth would be the best way to proceed. “No, I mean, yes, I do know,” Midnight said, shifting uncomfortably. “I came because my dad said he’d be here.”

Shoal raised an eyebrow at this. “Rather odd for a wyvern to use a dragon migration as a meeting place. Why didn’t you question that?”

“Because… I was two at the time,” Midnight said, suddenly feeling very dumb, “and he made it sound like that was normal.”

Shoal stared at Midnight and the wyvern shrunk down even further. “Okay…” Shoal said slowly, “let’s say I believe that; why didn’t your mother tell you different?”

Midnight gulped. “Oh, because she’s a pony!” made her feel that would lead to more uncomfortable questions. “I, uh, see I’ve overstayed my welcome, I’ll just stop bothering you,” she said instead, making to crawl the rest of the way down the mountain. She stopped at the grating sound one of Shoal’s claws made as she clenched it, rubbing them across the ground. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” she said evenly.

“I…” Midnight said, trying to come up with a convincing lie. “I… can’t say,” she finally said, hunkering down flat against the ground.

Shoal eyed her some more, then grinned. “A runaway, eh? Don’t see many wyverns doing that. What clan are you from?”

“The Storm Clan,” Midnight said.

Shoal’s eyes grew wide. “Really? Is Firestorm still Patriarch? What about his son, Windstorm?”

That got Midnight’s attention. “Wait, you know Windstorm? He’s the one I’m looking for!”

“Really?” Shoal rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Without warning she leaned over and studied Midnight more closely, making humming noises to herself. When she finally pulled back, her grin had morphed from one of curiosity to one that reminded Midnight of Summer and the motherly smile she often gave her. “I can understand why Windstorm would come here himself,” she said. “However… I have not seen him in a very long time and he would have received as pleasant a reception as you have.”

Midnight’s head drooped. So, yet again, she was no closer to finding her father.

“Don’t despair dear; you’ll find him,” Shoal said, lifting Midnight’s chin with a claw which surprised the kirin-turned-wyvern. “He was always more adventurous than other wyverns. If he told you he would meet you here, I’m sure he had his reasons. Not sure why he’d tell you when you were only two but again, I’m sure he had a reason. For now I think it would be best, and safest, for you to head back home. I’m sure your mother is worried sick.”

“Maybe not sick, but yeah, I’m sure she’s worried,” Midnight agreed. “I’ll get into the trees and wait until night; I’ll be able to get away unseen then.”

“Very well. Before you leave, though, could I get your name?” Shoal asked.

“Midnight Storm,” Midnight told her.

Shoal nodded. “I wish you luck, Midnight, and hope you find your father soon.”

Midnight nodded back, “Me too,” then she slipped down the side of the mountain and into the trees.

-----------------------------

“Wow, that was a great party,” Spike said from where he laid on the ground. 

Nearby, Garble belched. “Great, huh? Maybe by pony standards.”

Long Spine shot him another glare but didn’t say anything. He might be at odds with Garble, but that hadn’t stopped him from gorging on the pile of gems with the others upon Spike being “initiated” into their group, something Spike was still surprised he’d been able to accomplish.

The belching contest had ended in failure when he’d burped up a letter from Princess Celestia. Garble had gotten a hold of it before Spike could and had teased him about being pen pals with a “namby-pamby pony princess” before chucking the letter into a nearby lava pool. Thankfully it had only been a letter and not a package so he could write the princess back later and ask her to send the message again. He was also thankful that Twilight wasn’t there or she would have freaked out at a letter from the princess being treated as such. 

The next test was tail wrestling, which was straight forward enough but since he was the smallest one there it was obvious that he’d lose no matter who he fought. Long Spine had taken pity on him and had been the one to challenge him. To Spike’s surprise the larger dragon had given up after a few seconds, saying that Spike’s tail had gripped his so hard that it cramped. He hadn’t thought he’d squeezed that hard. With buoyed confidence, Spike had challenged the only other dragon present close to his size, only for it to be revealed that this dragon’s size had all gone into his tail. He failed this test when his opponent had sent him sailing across the crater.

Third was King of the Hoard, which was a lot like King of the Hill, only the hill was a pile of gem stones. Again, Spine helped by keeping the larger dragons off Spike as they climbed but at the top Spike was able to get under Garble and Clump and trip them up, sending them down to the bottom. His brief reign as king ended when, in his elation at actually getting the better of the older dragons for once, he did a victory dance and slipped on a gem, sending him back down to the bottom.

The fourth and final test had been Lava Cannonball. With his massive bulk, Clump had been the clear winner even before Spike jumped, coating most of the immediate area in lava. At first the height had scared Spike away from the edge but, figuring that at least jumping, even if he didn’t make the biggest splash, would show them all he was still able to at least keep up with them. So, he jumped.

And promptly belly-flopped on impact. 

To his surprise the teenage dragons all applauded him, saying there was no way a pony could survive such a thing. Thus a small ceremony was held followed by the gut-busting amount of eating.

“Stick with us, Spike. We’ve still got a lot to teach you about being a dragon,” Garble continued, giving Spike a quick punch in the shoulder. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Spike mused. “The way I feel right now, I could stay here forever.”

On Spike’s other side, Long Spine sat up on his elbows. “But don’t you have friends back in Ponyville? I’ll bet they’re waiting for you.” He sounded a little wistful. 

Spike looked over at him and remembered what Midnight had said. “I guess so…”

Garble snorted. “Oh, please, enough of the mushy pony feelings already,” he said, getting up. “And I’ve got just the thing; I think Spike’s ready for a real dragon raid!” All the other dragons cheered in approval. “There’s a phoenix nest nearby full of eggs and we’re going to swipe’em!”

Any elation Spike felt over the idea of his first dragon raid evaporated. First, because if Garble meant the phoenix nest he thought he did, then they were going to end up destroying the only meeting spot he and Midnight had agreed on. If she had found her dad by now, then it probably wouldn’t be an issue but she also might not have, which lead to Spike’s second concern. He knew Midnight had a temper and Garble and the other dragons would probably make it flare up easily, which would lead to a fight and a good chance of drawing more attention to them than either he or Midnight would like. Finally, the phoenixes had been kind enough to let them use their nest as a meeting place and stealing their eggs would be the worst kind of insult. 

“Aren’t you psyched to go on this raid?” Clump asked when Spike didn’t immediately cheer with the rest of them, shoving him to the ground.

“Yeah, totally,” Spike said as he got up.

“Alright then, let’s fly!” Garble said. He, Clump, and another dragon took off into the sky, which was quickly growing darker. 

As they took off, Spike looked behind him and sighed in relief. He had no wings, so he had the perfect excuse not to follow them and not be part of the raid.

“Never seen a dragon so happy not to have wings,” Spine said, standing next to him and looking down with a friendly smirk.

“Aw, well, maybe I need a bit more practice before I head out on a dragon raid; wouldn’t want to mess up or anything.” He laughed nervously.

Long Spine’s smile sank into a frown. “Why do you want to learn how to be a dragon so bad anyway? You said you came from Ponyville; why not just stay and live with the ponies there?”

“Well, I am a dragon after all, and I’ve always wondered where I came from. Wouldn’t you want to know?”

Long Spine rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense but after seeing how dragons act, you’re telling me you don’t want to go back?”

Spike rubbed the back of his head. “I’m… not really sure. I mean, just because one group acts one way, doesn’t mean they all act like that.” He thought back to how the Pillow Knights differed from the Cutie Mark Crusaders and how both groups differed from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “Just because one group is kinda made up of jerks doesn’t mean the rest are.”

The smile returned to Long Spines face, this time more wistful. “Yeah. You know, you kinda sound like a pony I used to know. She sort of said the same thing, how I was different from other dragons.” He sighed. “I really miss her.”

“She misses you, too,” Spike said, then covered his mouth too late. ‘Aw, crud! I wanted to wait and tell Midnight first!’

Spine arched an eyebrow at him. “What d’ya mean?” he asked.

“Nothing, forget I said anything!” Spike said, flashing Spine what he hoped was a winning smile. It wasn’t.

“Are you saying you know Forest Floor?” Spine asked, stepping closer.

“I-!” Spike started. Spine looked truly happy for the first time that day since Spike had met him that morning. Maybe he really missed Forest as much as she missed him.

Before he could make up his mind to tell Spine about one of the reason he and Midnight had come all this way, he was suddenly scooped up and flown away by Clump.

“Damn it!” Spine snarled, opening his wings and giving chase.

-----------------------------

Midnight gnawed on the wing of a turkey she’d found earlier. She’d found it, nearly tripped over it, actually, while thinking over the talk she had with Shoal. It had left her in what some would call a “brown study”. On the one hoof, the one hope she had of finding her father, the one lead she’d had for so many years, was a dead end. On the other, Shoal had possibly opened up another path and told her more about her own heritage than even her mother or the princesses knew. 

Celestia had said that Firestorm was the leader of the Storm Clan last time she’d met them, and Shoal had said that Windstorm, her father, was Firestorm’s son, which meant that Firestorm was her grandfather. She wasn’t just a member of the clan; she was part of its ruling family; if that’s how wyvern clans operated, that was. 

If Windstorm wasn’t here at the dragon migration, then she would find the Storm Clan. They would be the only ones who would know exactly where her father was, they had to be. Some, like Vinyl, had said that if he hadn’t come back after all this time, why bother chasing him down? He obviously didn’t want to come back. Maybe that was true and maybe she should forget about him. She had her own family now, a marefriend, and her mother and sister to worry about after all. Every time the thought began to take serious root, however, the few memories she had of her father would pop up. They were all happy ones and she remembered how warm and safe he felt. There was also the fact that wyverns valued family above all else, so she couldn’t believe that he would just leave them like he did without some reason.

Maybe that was why? Had something happened back at wherever the clan had been? If that was the case, was there a chance he was still there? It was as good as a guess as thinking he was here. Better, even, because if he wasn’t there either, at least she’d be able to meet her grandfather. Hopefully, that would give her what she wanted out of this years-long obsession: closure. Even if Celestia and Luna didn’t know where the clan was, surely some other nation of the world knew? Cadance was out among them; maybe she could ask? Maybe they could convince Firestorm himself to come to Equestria, or for Midnight to go to them? It would be faster by train, it would only take her as long to get to where ever they found them as it had to get here.

Mentally, she pulled the brakes on her line of thinking. Yes, that was a reasonable thing to ask the princesses to look into but it would take time and working herself up wouldn’t help thing go any faster. Besides, she still had business here. Since moving around in her wyvern form would draw too much unwanted attention, she would have to try sneaking around the mountains and hope she spotted him. Or, if he had the time, Spike could inquire after him and arrange a meeting.

Finally tiring of the bland taste of bone in her mouth, Midnight spit out the bone and tore into the flame-cooked flesh of the bird, pulling away a nice mouthful of meat. As she chewed and wondered if a small camp fire would draw unwanted attention, several shadows crossed over her. Looking up into the evening sky, she saw four small dragons, well, relatively small, they were still bigger than her, fly by overhead and land a little ways away from the phoenix nest. 

That was odd; what would they want down here and why so close to the nest?

Covering her catch with some branches, she slipped silently closer to the nest. As she got closer she could hear voices and one sounded like Spike’s. When she finally reached the nest, she stuck her head carefully around a bush and was amazed to see Spike not only taunting the two magical birds, but throw a rock up into the nest. There was an audible *thonk* and both phoenixes popped up out of the nest, looking exceptionally pissed off. Before Midnight could jump out and intercede, both birds dived down at Spike and chased him off into the woods.

‘What the TARTARUS was he THINKING!?’ Midnight wondered, watching them go. She’d chase after them, but only after the phoenixes chased him for a little longer. She didn’t know why he’d done what he did but facing the consequences for his actions would be a good teacher. She was about to turn back and finish her meal when three of the dragons she’d seen before flew out of the bushes and approached the nest. 

The one on the middle, the leader, if she had to guess, chuckled at first, then let out a confused sound. 

“What the…?”

“The eggs have hatched,” the skinnier one said.

“What do we do now?” the fatter one asked.

The leader smirked. “We take the hatchlings, of course!”

The phoenix chicks, which had been silent before, chirped in fright. Before the dragon leader could grab one, something from behind hit him in the back of the head.

“So this is how big, bad dragons spend their free time? Kidnapping defenseless babies? No wonder wyverns don’t like you.”

Garble whipped his head around and found another smaller black dragon, or was it a pony, hovering behind them. “Who the heck are you?”

“The one who’s going to kick your scaly butts back to mommy if you don’t leave those chicks alone,” she growled.

Garble snorted. “I’d like to see you try,” he growled back, him and the other two closing in on her.

Midnight opened her mouth and let out a torrent of blue fire right into their faces. It didn’t hurt them, but it did blind them enough that Garble didn’t see the two rear hooves coming until they connected with his face. Flying back, he slammed into the tree and hit the nest, crushing part of it and making the rest begin to come apart. Midnight wormed her way past the other two dragons, kicked Garble away from the nest, then lowered a wing to the chicks still inside. “You don’t want to stay here,” Midnight told them. Having seen her fight the dragons to protect them, the chicks quickly hopped on and Midnight took off in the general direction the parents had gone. 

Garble snarled as the other two helped him get back into the air, watching the dragon-pony-thing fly off with the chicks that were supposed to be theirs. “Get ‘em!” he roared, launching off the nest and, followed by the other two, gave chase. 

Unseen in all the fracas, one last unhatched egg fell out of the crumbling nest.

-----------------------------

It wasn’t the fastest Spike had ever ran, but he was booking it pretty good. Even so, both phoenixes were right on his tail, beaks snapping angrily. “Is it… too late… to say… I’m really sorry!?” Spike huffed.

In his effort to placate the fiery birds, he took his eyes off the dark path and tripped over a rock, hitting the dirt hard but allowing the phoenixes to shoot by overhead. That didn’t distract them for long and they quickly came arrowing back for him. Ducking his head back down into the dirt, Spike waited for the inevitable pecking. It never came. Instead, a heavy pair of thumps came from either side of him.

“I know he threw a rock at you,” Long Spine called out to the phoenixes, “but he was a distraction so three other dragons could get to your nest and steal your eggs.” 

The phoenix parents stopped a few feet away, hovering as Spine quickly got their attention. 

“If you hurry back you can still get your eggs away before they take off with them,” he insisted. 

Both phoenixes looked at each other, considering, when they all heard a series of loud, frantic chirping. The phoenixes squawked and shot off in the direction of the chirping.

“Well,” Spine said as he watched the phoenixes fly off, “you got lucky. I know you’re trying to learn how to be a dragon, but you should have known better than that. Didn’t the ponies who raised you teach you better?”

“Yeah,” Spike said, pulling himself up. “I guess I was just trying to get it over with so we could all go back and I could slip away once the others were asleep. I’ve had enough of trying to be a “real” dragon; I’ll stick with being the pony kind.” He smirked. “I know Midnight will be happy to hear that.”

“Who’s Midnight?” Spine asked. 

“Somepony very important that I want you to meet,” Spike said, beginning to walk back the way he’d come. “Hopefully we can catch her back at the nest… if there’s anything left of it for her to find, that is.”

-----------------------------

Midnight shot through another pair of short trees, making the dragons in hot pursuit lose ground again by going around and over them. She was keeping the distance, for now, but she wasn’t a marathon flyer and she didn’t want to fly too far away and risk losing the phoenix parents. Speaking of which, she hoped the two of them weren’t punishing Spike too much. They should be coming back to check on their chicks any time now. 

As she weaved through another pair of trees and looking back to see how close the dragons were, she miscalculated the trees beyond them in the dark and nearly bowled right into one. Snapping her wings out like air brakes just in time, she hit the tree with her hooves and pushed off, getting back on track. The chicks chirped loudly and Midnight felt hot breath on her tail. Another quick look back showed the lead dragon almost on top of her, the few seconds she had to slow down were enough to let him get close. Midnight put on a burst of speed and began to whip her tail back and forth, hoping the blade at the end would make him think twice. 

Just then two fire balls burst out of the trees and shot between the dragons and Midnight, making the dragons fall back again. Both adult phoenixes got into formation with the kirin. “Take them!” She said, meaning the chicks, “I’ll hold them off!” They nodded, and the chicks hopped over to their mother’s back. Once they were off, Midnight flared her wings again, letting the phoenixes shoot by. Her plan was to let the dragons run into her, giving the phoenixes enough time to escape. As it turned out, dragons were much sturdier than she realized and they just plowed right through her.

“Get the birds!” the leader yelled as they knocked her aside. 

Falling into a bush, Midnight groaned as she pulled herself up. Getting hit by the dragons was like getting hit by that bolder all over again. As she got out of the bush, there was a bright light and the sound of three heavy objects hitting a tree. “Serves them right,” she muttered as she trotted back to the nest. Hopefully Spike would be back there by now.

-----------------------------

Spike and Spine looked up at the ruined nest and a hole began to form in Spike’s stomach. The phoenixes hadn’t been doing anything to anyone, and he’d helped Garble and his cronies ruin everything for the rare birds. “I hope they got away,” Spike said.

“Me too,” Spine agreed, looking around. “Are you sure this Midnight is half dragon, half pony? I really don’t think such a thing can exist.”

“Believe it, buddy,” a gruff feminine voice called out from behind them. Out of the darkness came… Spine had to rub his eyes… came a black creature that had the body parts of both a dragon and a pony. “And I’m part wyvern, not dragon.” As she came up to them, she looked down at Spike. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Spike said sheepishly. “I also think I’m ready to head back home.”

“Yeah, me too,” Midnight agreed.

“I guess that means you didn’t find your dad?” Spike asked softly.

“We’ll talk about that later,” Midnight told him, then looked back up at Spine. “Your buddies are stuck in the trees back there. While you go get them we’ll get out of here, unless you’ve got a problem with that?”

“They’re not my buddies,” Spine said before Spike could say anything. In fact, something had just caught the younger dragon’s eye. “And as for you leaving, I want to come with you.”

Midnight arched an eyebrow. “Why? And why should we let you?”

“Spike said he knows someone back in Equestria, someone I’ve wanted to see again for a long time. At the end of this migration myself and all of my year-mates are going to be considered adult dragons and be sent off on our own. I was going to look for her then but to heck with it; it’s not like they’ll really care if I leave a month or two early.”

Midnight looked at the dragon more closely. The bright orange color was familiar, as was the black belly scales, and those two large horns on the top of his head reminded her of…

Before all the evidence solidified in her mind, Spike let out an exclamation. “Hey, I found something!”

Both Midnight and Spine looked over to see the younger dragon holding and intact yellow and orange egg with not a blemish on it. “Looks like there was an egg left,” Spine said, moving over to examine it. 

At that moment, Garble and his two lackeys landed nearby. “Damn it, I hate it when they get away!” Then he noticed Spike and what he was holding. “Hold it! You stole an egg!?”

“Well, I, uh…” Spike sputtered.

“He didn’t steal it Garble, he found it,” Spine said, “and he’s giving it back to the parents.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Mr. Pony-lover,” Garble said, “come on Spike, smash and prove you’re a real dragon!”

Midnight growled loudly, baring her fangs and whipping her tail. Without needing to protect phoenix chicks, she was free to actually fight the teens.

Garble only snorted at the display. “And after you smash it, we can show her what happens when you mess with dragons.”

The two lackeys laughed and began to chant “Smash it!” Spike looked from Garble, who was smiling expectantly and dangerously, Spine who shook his head, and to Midnight, who was still crouched and growling. At first, he actually considered doing it, just to shut Garble up so they could try and leave without a fight. Then he realized that by doing so, he’d be no better than Garble, a dragon that reminded him of a smaller version of his greed growth self, something he still looked back on with shame. 

“NO!” he finally shouted. “It’s just a defenseless egg, even more so than those chicks you chased after, and I’m not going to let you hurt it!”

Garble growled. “What did you say?”

“He said “no” Garble,” Long Spine said, getting between Spike and them. “And I’m not letting you harm it either.”

“Like you can take all of us on yourself,” Garble snorted.

“He won’t have to,” Midnight growled, jumping next to Spine. “And trust me, I’m no push over.” Blue fire began to burn at her hooves as the two groups growled at each other. 

Spike was wondering just how far he’d have to run again to avoid Midnight stepping on him when a loud crash came from behind him and what felt like an earthquake trembled through the ground. Everyone present stopped and looked back towards Spike.

And then up.

And UP.

Towering over them, high enough that she would have blotted out the moon had she been standing a little more to the right, was the unmistakable form of Shoal, looking down on them all with an unreadable expression. 

The three opposing teens and Spine gulped. Spike looked ready to faint. Midnight wilted and her fire went out. Shoal had been imposing enough when Midnight had been a wyvern. Back down in her normal kirin self, it was like looking at a living mountain. 

“And what are you all doing out here?” She asked in a surprisingly motherly tone. “the migration isn’t over yet.”

“W-W-We were j-j-just on a raid,” Garble stammered out.

“Oh?” Shoal’s gaze fell on Spike. “And what is a hatchling doing out here with you? Taking a hatching out from under his mother’s wing is an even more serious offense.”

“We didn’t!” Garble argued.

“Oh?”

Midnight gulped. They were both already planning to leave and if Shoal brought him back to the nesting mother dragons, getting him back would be almost impossible. 

“Ma’am!” she finally called out, getting the great dragon’s attention. “He’s with me! We both came from Equestria! His family is back there!”

Shoal stared down at her for a few seconds, then lowered her great bulk down so that her massive head could come even with the ground to see her better. Midnight stiffened as the enormous eye examined her. She could feel the heat of Shoal’s breath and it was impossible to ignore the one-story-tall fangs.

“I see,” she finally said, “but he did come on the migration.”

“He was curious about dragons, since ponies don’t know much about them,” Midnight explained. “He understands a lot better now and his family would be worried if he doesn’t get home soon.”

Shoal seemed to consider that. “I suppose if he has no family here, then he may go back with you, if Equestria is indeed where you’re heading to from here.”

“Yes ma’am,” Midnight assured her.

“That’s settled then.”

“Hey!” They all looked over at Garble, who’d found some of his bravado again. “Why does Spike get to wander off with… whatever that is?” he asked, motioning at Midnight.

“Because he doesn’t belong here,” she said, then looked down at the youngest dragon present, “in a good way.” She looked back up at Garble. “You do, however, so get back up to the volcano where you belong, or I’ll tell your mother how you not only got caught on a raid, but also how you failed to get anything from it. She might decide you need to stay with her until the next migration.”

Garble and the other two were immediately in the air. “Yes ma’am! We were never here!” With that they were off like a shot back to the volcano. Shoal chuckled, then looked down at Spine. “That goes for you too, Spine.”

“With all due respect, I’d like to accompany Spike back to Equestria,” Spine said as respectfully as he could.

“Oh? And why’s that?” Shoal asked, genuinely curious.

“I… Spike still has a lot to learn about being a dragon and it’s clear that here isn’t the best place for him to learn. If I go back with him, I can teach him and the ponies about us.”

“An interesting proposition,” Shoal mused, rubbing her chin. “You do know that if I catch you, I can’t just let you go again; that’s part of the trial of adulthood.”

“Yes,” Spine said, hanging his head in defeat.

“Are you sure you caught us?” Midnight blurted out.

They all looked at her. “Excuse me?” Shoal asked.

Midnight gulped again but continued. “Are you sure you caught us? It’s late and you might be so tired that you thought you saw six of us out here but really only saw the three. I know I don’t see things clearly when I’m tired.” She really hoped she wasn’t crossing a line. If this Spine was the Spine they’d been searching for, then Midnight couldn’t leave without him either, and they couldn’t wait around for the migration to be over. 

Shoal continued to look her over for another minute, enough time for Midnight to really start sweating. “I came out of a century-long nap before the migration started, so I doubt I’m that tired,” she said, making Midnight’s stomach drop. Then her lips broke out in a wide grin. “That said, stranger things have happened and those infernal nesting mothers are running me ragged, so I suppose I’m liable to miss a thing or two. I can’t very well give permission if I didn’t see anything.”

She bent close to Midnight again, examining her. 

“Uh, thank you,” Midnight said, uncomfortable at the newest inspection. It was like she was trying to examine her very being. 

“For what?” Shoal asked, finally pulling up and away.

Midnight made to respond, then stopped when she followed. Nodding at Shoal, she motioned for the other two to follow her deeper into the trees.

Shoal watched them as long as she could. Once they were out of sight, she let out a pleased snort. “So interesting, Windstorm. Then again, you were the most interesting of them all.” The smile was quickly replaced by a frown. “Where are you, little Windy?”

-----------------------------

“You’re kidding,” Spine said, flopping onto a rock in disbelief. 

They were a good ways away from the migration now, there being no more dragons flying over head they could fly straight out. While in the air, Midnight had confirmed that this Spine was indeed the Long Spine they’d been looking for and she’d explained everything to him. Forest’s pregnancy, Ember, their moving to Hallow Shades, her finding them, their moving to Ponyville, everything. 

“No I’m not,” Midnight said with a yawn. Even with the nap she’d taken earlier that day, she was tired all over again, mentally and physically, and the thought that they were going home at least partially successful made her content enough to just nod off right here. “And I’m living proof of it. How else can you explain what I am?”

Spine nodded slowly. “So, she’s not angry, that I wasn’t there?”

“Not at all,” Midnight said. She looked over at where Spike had waddled off to and saw he was already asleep, the phoenix egg held tightly to his chest. With the need to get out of there right then, there wasn’t any time to try and find the phoenix family and return it. Oh well, Ponyville would just have to have another odd resident. Like they weren’t used to it by now. “How could she blame you when neither of you expected it and you were already gone? And how was she going to find you to tell you?” She shook her head. “Trust me, when she sees you, she’ll be the farthest thing from mad and Ember will be over the moon.”

“Ember…” Spine said, then snorted a laugh. “Oh Forest…” 

“Something wrong?” Midnight asked, settling into her own place to sleep.

“No, it’s just that the dragon lord’s daughter is also named that. Officially, that means no other dragon can be named Ember. His decree.”

“That’s stupid,” Midnight mumbled. “And any way, she’s a kirin, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Spike told me the real reason you came,” Spine said, “I’m sorry you didn’t find your own father.”

Midnight waved a wing. “Found new lead. Forget it now. Talk in morning.”

Spine nodded and said no more, allowing the kirin to fall into the first real deep sleep she’d had in a week. 

He found it difficult to let sleep take him. He was going to see Forest again, he was a father! Midnight had described Ember for him but he couldn’t wait to see her for himself. Midnight had said it had taken them about five days to get here the way they traveled. Going back, the way they wanted to travel, would take about two, maybe three if they hit bad weather. Spine smiled. They’d be the two longest days of his life.

-----------------------------

It did indeed take them two days of near constant flying to get back to Ponyville. Fully rested and able to use thermals again, it was no problem for Midnight and it was made even easier by her and Spine sharing Spike between them. They even flew over the ocean for a little bit in an effort to make as straight a line possible to home. They came back over land in sight of Manehattan, Midnight’s eyes lingering for only a little bit on her home town before turning her eyes back South-West to her new home. Her real one, and every pony there that made it so. 

No pony stopped them or even came close as they flew by. Maybe that was because they were too high, soaring above the clouds, or maybe it was because they looked like a couple of dragons and everyone was afraid to come near them. That was alright; the less they were interrupted, the sooner they would get home.

Midnight found it kind of odd that Spine hadn’t said anything about her wyvern heritage but then she never had a problem with him being a dragon. From what she understood, dragons thought that wyverns were snobbish pansies that needed others to get by while wyverns thought dragons were selfish brutes that cared only for themselves. Spine and Shoal were prefect examples why such generalization was wrong and, in Midnight’s opinion, that was a good thing and were prefect examples for Spike to follow. 

The sun was getting low on the second day when they finally saw Ponyville, the familiar sights of town hall and the fields of Sweet Apple Acres filling Midnight’s tired wings with enough energy that she felt she could have kept going around the world for it. They’d come in a bit too much to the East and would have to skirt around the edge of the Everfree but that was fine by Midnight; they would come in right over her house and surprise everyone. Despite what they said, with Spine in toe, both she and Spike agreed surprising everypony with their return would be worth any rebuke. 

When her home came into view, Midnight had Spike hop over to Spine and she rushed ahead. Clearing the cliff behind her house, she saw Sapphire lugging a couple bundles of wood from their supply room cut into the cliff face and her heart soared. She had missed her so much. Her and Squeaks and Windrunner and Honey and everypony else. With that happiness also came a small bit of mischief and she suddenly wanted to give Sapphire the happiest shock of her life. As quietly as she could, she dove down and landed a little bit behind Sapphire. The pegasus dropped one of the bundles as Midnight landed, perfectly covering the kirin’s landing.

“Darn it! I don’t know how Midnight carries so many at one time,” she grumped as she bent down to gather it up again. 

“It helps to have wing claws and a bigger back,” Midnight said, stifling a giggle.

The other bundle dropped as Sapphire froze, then stared up at the kirin, eyes wide.

“Missed me?” Midnight asked.

Sapphire just stared at her for another few seconds, then Midnight found herself being half strangled as Sapphire did her best to wrap every bit of herself around her and cover her face and muzzle with kisses. Makers help them, she really was like her mother. 

“More than you know!” Sapphire between kisses. “We just got Spike’s letter two days ago! We didn’t expect you back for another two weeks!”

“It’s a story,” Midnight said, finally getting Sapphire to sit down with her properly and share a long, deep kiss. “I’ve missed you just as much, if not more. I can’t wait to see everypony again.”

“They won’t be able to wait to see you both either.” Then she noticed the lack of green and purple in their midst. “Where’s Spike? He didn’t stay behind, did he?”

Midnight shook her head. “No, he’s with our newest resident.” She looked up and Sapphire followed to see another draconic form descending towards them, Spike waving from his back.

“Is that…?”

“Yep, we found one dad at least.” Midnight kissed her again to keep her from asking any more questions about fathers. “We need to let everyone know.”

“Right.”

“Sapphire, do you need help?” Honey called as the side door swung open. “I told you it wasn’t-” she stopped short at seeing Midnight out in the yard. “Squeaky!” she called, immediately disappearing back into the house. 

Like an orange and cream lightning bolt Squeaks shot out of the house not a minute later and impacted Midnight hard enough to almost knock the wind out of her. “Mommy!”

“Oof! I’ve missed you too, baby girl!” Midnight said, picking her up and giving her the biggest, tightest hug she could as well as several kisses. Sapphire hugged them both.

Windrunner and Honey quickly followed the young thestrals out and after greeting her as well, ran and flew off to tell everypony else. Spine and Spike had landed and were standing off by the shed while the kirin and her family stayed wrapped in each other’s hooves and wings. For a moment Midnight contemplated waiting for everyone inside but figured it would get cramped soon enough and if she knew Pinkie, she’d have a “welcome home” party ready to go as soon as they got back. It would be easier to have it in the yard.

While Windrunner shot off into town, Honey ran across the road to Forest’s and Ember’s home first. Ember shot out the door on Honey’s heels while Forest came out at a more reserved but still clearly anxious pace. 

“Midnight!” Ember asked as she skidded to a halt next to the older kirin. “Did you find him!?”

Midnight smiled and nodded towards Spine. “You and your mother tell me.”

Ember looked over at the dragon and made her way over at the same pace as her mother, clearly not sure how to approach him. 

Spine clearly didn’t know what to do either. His gaze kept switching from his daughter to Forest and back again. Ember was the first to reach him so he finally settled on her.

“Hello, Ember. Midnight’s told me a lot about you.”

Ember nodded. “Hi, are you my dad?”

“Well…” he trailed off as Forest approached. “Forest.”

“Spine.”

“It’s been… a while.”

“Yes.” Forest reached out and gently laid a hoof on Spine’s hip. “You’re really here.”

“I am.” The hoof was joined by another and then Forest had her forelegs around him. Spine bent down and embraced her as well. Both had tears in their eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” Forest said, choking back a sob. “Spine, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Midnight and Spike told me. So I’m really…?”

“Yes,” Forest confirmed, then turned to Ember. “Ember, sweetie, this is your father, Long Spine. Long Spine, this is your daughter, Ember.”

“He’s really my dad?” Ember asked, looking up at them both eagerly. 

“Yes,” Spine said, “I am.”

Ember squealed and hopped up, hugging both her parents for the first time. 

Still over by the shed, Spike sniffled. 

“Spike? Why are you crying?” Midnight asked.

“I don’t know!” he cried, pulling a tissue out of his travel bag and blowing. 

Midnight rolled her eyes and went back to covering the two most important ponies in her life with her large wings, keeping them as close to her as she possibly could.

It was so good to be home.
> Ch.21 - Change for the Worse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Come on, come on!" Midnight chanted eagerly. To the school house and back again; just a little more, just a little more...

With a double "oof!" Squeaks crashed into her outstretched hooves.

"YES!" Midnight cheered, throwing Squeaks up into the air, then flapped up to meet her hovering daughter.

"I... I did it!" Squeaks, huffing a bit from her first flight, said with a huge smile. "I... I FLEW!"

"Yes you did!" Midnight said, catching her in her forelegs again and bringing them back to the ground. "I'm so proud of you!"

"We all are," Sapphire said, embracing and nuzzling them both.

Arina, who’d been watching from her perch on Midnight’s head, hopped down and hugged the top of Squeaks’ head with a loud series of happy chirps.

Despite the ache, Squeaks continued to flap her wings happily. Ever since she'd met her mom she'd been learning how to fly and now here she was, able to go to the school house and back without ever touching the ground. She could fly!

"Alright Squeaks!" Ember cheered, jumping up and flapping vigorously, still only able to hover for about a minute herself.

"Now we just need to get you airborne," Long Spine said, catching his own daughter mid-air.

"Daaaaaad!" Ember whined, but giggled as he nuzzled her. The two of them were as thick as thieves now and he’d taken over her flight lessons, leaving Midnight to focus solely of teaching Squeaks. Given the results, the older kirin couldn’t complain.

"Well done," said Windrunner, coming over to hug her.

"Good job," Honey said, also hugging her.

Squeaks hugged Honey extra tight. She'd been helping her train whenever her mom, Sapphire, and Windrunner couldn't, like when they were working, working, or with other ponies. Even if it had been to just stay close by and pace her, Honey had helped her as much as any of the other three, and she couldn't even fly herself!

"I think this calls for something special," Sapphire said with a grin. "Say... a giant fruit salad?"

That got Squeaks' attention. "Really!?" she asked, her wings flapping vigorously again.

Sapphire nodded. "With watermelon, grapes, oranges, pineapple..."

Midnight waggled her eyebrows as her grin became more playful like Sapphire's. "And mangos and topped off with whipped cream with a cherry on top. Maybe even several cherries." Both mares had a strong suspicion that Squeaks would make the flight at some point this week and had gone ahead and ordered a large fruit salad to celebrate when it finally happened.

The little bat filly could only emit loud squeaks of joy as she shot back over to her mother, Arina holding on with all eight legs at the sudden acceleration, grabbing her hoof as she fluttered around her, her tiredness completely forgotten. "YesyesyesyesyesYES!" she agreed enthusiastically.

Midnight laughed and pulled her into another hug and turned to Sapphire. "In that case, let her eat fruit!" she declared. Sapphire laughed and Honey followed her inside. "And, before we stuff our faces, I just want it to be said that this doesn't mean you can just jump out the window or off the roof whenever you want, alright? Flying a few hooves above the ground to the school and back is one thing; jumping off the cliff is another."

Squeaks nodded. "No jumping off the roof, got it!" They nuzzled again.

Sapphire and Honey soon returned with one of the largest bowls Squeaks had ever seen (she was sure she could sit in it), filled with more fruit than she'd ever seen at one time, even up at Canterlot Castle! It even already had the whipped cream, with dozens of cherries on top!

Midnight scooped a large helping into a separate bowl and placed it in front of her along with a spoon. Squeaks dug right in, shoveling the fruit pieces and whipped cream into her mouth so fast it looked less like she was eating with a spoon and more like she was just sticking her face in it. "Slow down," Midnight said, laying a wing over her firmly. "This is for you; take your time and enjoy it."

Squeaks swallowed a large mouthful, nodded, and went back to digging in, albeit a tad slower than before.

Midnight couldn't fault her; she'd finally gotten the hang of flying and had been rewarded with a heck of a gift. If her own mom had presented her with a huge bowl of gems after she finally got the hang of flying, she’d have acted pretty much the same.

She heard Sapphire cough meaningfully and turned to look. The pegasus opened her wing slightly and the kirin could see a scroll hidden there with the royal seal on it. Doing her best not to frown, she leaned in close. “Did you open it?”

“No,” Sapphire said, “I only had time to grab it when Honey wasn’t looking.”

With a nod Midnight took the scroll. Waiting until Sapphire had placed herself to block as much of Midnight as she could, the kirin opened the scroll. Several smaller pieces of paper fell out and Midnight quickly gathered them up as she read.

Dear Midnight,
I would not have expected you to hear about this until now, unless Twilight has been telling every last pony in Ponyville, but Captain Shining Armor has asked Princess Cadance for her hoof in marriage. As you can guess, Cadance has agreed but as they only just returned from their diplomatic trip, only immediate family such as Luna and I and Shining’s parents and his sister knew about this already. Enclosed are invitations to the wedding for yourself, Squeaky Wings, Sapphire Breeze, Windrunner, and Honeysuckle, as well as a few extra for anypony else you would like to bring along. Both Cadance and Shining wouldn’t mind a few more ponies celebrating such a special day with them.
  Before you say anything, Twilight and her friends will all be coming to the wedding as well, so I’ve made arrangements for the bearer guard to be housed here at the castle during the event. I know that this pretty much means you have to come to the wedding but I hope that, for this at least, your duties as a captain of the guard will not interfere with your celebrating this glorious occasion with friends and family.

  Yours,
Princess Celestia.
P.S. – Please try not to argue with Shining before the wedding; he’s stressed enough as it is.

There was another page stating what the princess has asked each of the bearers to do to help out with the wedding so that Midnight could plan her guard’s shifts accordingly. Midnight read over the first page again to see how to repeat this to everyone without also giving away her secret orders, then turned back to face them.

She was met by quite a few curious sets of eyes. Even Squeaks had stopped her attempt to mimic a chipmunk and was looking up at her.

“Well, it seems we’ve been invited to a royal wedding,” Midnight said nonchalantly, hoofing over the scroll and invites to Sapphire as she made a bowl of fruit for herself. 

-----------------------------

The train ride up to Canterlot was an exceptionally noisy affair, with the bearers, Spike, and the CMC gushing over their roles in the wedding and Squeaks, Ember, and Autumn all talking a mile a minute about how grand it would all be. The rest of them all spoke in more agreeable volumes but with no less excitement at the idea of a royal wedding. Summer, Orange, Autumn, Forest, Spine, and Ember had all been invited along as plus ones. 

Oddly enough, Twilight was the only one not celebrating or was even in a good mood. She was sulking in the back corner of the car as if something bad had happened.

“What do you think is wrong?” Sapphire asked Midnight, eyeing the unicorn. “You’d think she’d be happy her brother was getting married.”

“No idea,” Midnight said, leaning contentedly against her.

“Maybe you should go talk to her,” Sapphire suggested. 

Midnight snorted. “Why me? The ponies she should be talking with are Shining and Cadance. What am I supposed to tell her?”

“Well, what if it’s something about the wedding she doesn’t like but knows one of them does? Having somepony to talk to could make a world of difference.” She laid her head on the kirin’s shoulder and blinked pointedly. 

Midnight rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine, I’ll throw my two bits at her, but don’t blame me if she goes running into the next car.” Sapphire smacked her with a wing but the kirin only snickered at her and made her way over to Twilight. “Hey,” she said when she reached the seat, getting the moody unicorn’s attention, “mind if I join you?”

“Go ahead,” Twilight said, motioning at the empty spot next to her.

Taking her new seat, Midnight watched Twilight go back to brooding. “So,” Midnight said after a minute of awkward silence, “you wanna tell me what’s up?”

Twilight looked up at her. “What do you mean? Everything’s fine. My BBBFF and the best foal sitter in the world are getting married; why wouldn’t everything be fine?”

“Your… what?” Midnight asked.

“My BBBFF,” Twilight said again. Midnight only blinked. “Big Brother Best Friend Forever? Why does nopony get that!?”

“One, because I only have a little sister, and two, because normal ponies just call each other “brother” and “sister”. Either way you do it is an unnecessary mouth full.”

“No it’s not!” Twilight defended.

Midnight only raised an eyebrow.

“Why’d you come over here anyway?” Twilight snapped.

“Because you’re brooding when you should be the most excited pony on this train.”

“BEST WEDDING EVER!!!” Pinkie screamed.

“And Pinkie is setting a high bar.”

“I’m not-!” Twilight started but gave up her rebuttal with a defeated sigh. “I’m just a bit upset that neither of them let me know about them getting married until I got the invite. I mean, he’s my brother and I’ve known Cadance for over half my life! You’d think one of them would have told me something about such a big decision!”

“Hmm, that is weird…” Midnight said, rubbing her chin with a hoof. No matter how busy either of them would be, Midnight had the impression that neither of them would forget something like telling their families they were getting married. “Well, maybe the letter got lost in the mail? They were traveling outside Equestria when he proposed after all and the mail service from where they were may be more unreliable than they we’re used to.” She couldn’t help thinking about a certain grey pegasus.

“I guess…”

“Look,” Midnight pressed, “I’m not going to pretend like I know your brother or Cadance like the back of my wing, but from the few times I’ve met them they don’t seem like ponies that would deliberately forget to tell someone as important to them as you they were going to do something as big as getting married. When we get to the castle, just find them and tell them what happened. More than likely they’ll shoot out a stream of apologies, hug you, ask for your forgiveness, and then everything will be back to normal. If you consider a royal wedding normal,” she added.

Twilight nodded. “You’re right, it was probably just a misplaced letter. Thanks for the pep-talk.”

“Next time it’ll cost five bits,” Midnight quipped, making to head back to her original seat.

Before she could hop back down into the walkway, a pinkish wall of magic ran through the car, quickly passing over everyone before they could react to it. Just as fast as it appeared, it was gone. 

Senses now on high alert, Midnight looked over everyone on in the car. Seeing the rest of the guard on alert like her and no one looking hurt, Midnight gently pushed Twilight out of the way and opened the window. Sticking her head out, she could see that they were now in Canterlot and beginning to roll into the station. Looking back the way they came, Midnight could see an even more solid wall of magic back the way they came. Following it around, the kirin could see that it was in fact a giant pink bubble surrounding the entire city. Grunting and not wanting to hit her head on anything as the trained slowed down, she pulled her head back in and went towards Sapphire.

“What was that? Twilight asked, unable to look outside herself now that they were in the station proper.

“I think your brother is doing something,” Midnight told her. When she reached Sapphire, she bent close so only the pegasus could hear. “Something’s up.”

-----------------------------

Midnight’s feeling of something not being right might as well have been an air raid klaxon going at full blast by the time they were shown into the castle. The train station had at least double the guards it usually had, half the numbers of patrons as any of them were used to seeing, and each guard seemed to be on as high alert as the bearer guard. They’d even been stopped by one of the guards who demanded to know why they were there. It had taken Twilight’s and Sapphire’s calm explanation, Midnight’s growling, and Hazelnut’s authority as a sergeant combined to finally get them through the station. Once they were outside the amount of guards in the street had also grown, increasing significantly until they reached the castle.

Then things got really interesting. 

It was like somepony had taken Pinkie’s party cannon, filled it with guards and sticky batter, then shot it into the side of the castle until the structure was completely covered in them. 

“Anypony else notice how many guards are out here today?” Rainbow asked.

“Way too many,” Midnight agreed. It was all she could do to keep her wings folded to her sides and not let them fidget too much with all the eyes on their party.

“Well a royal wedding is sure to bring out the strangest ponies,” Rarity said, “I’m sure they’re just taking the necessary precautions.” 

Sapphire shook her head when Midnight shot her a quizzical glance. “An immediate, temporary guard is established and this is the first time in history an alicorn is getting married but I can’t see the princesses ordering this many, well, let’s be realistic here, practically all the royal guard onto the detail. Something else is going on.”

With everyone’s enthusiasm now thoroughly checked, their party was led into the throne room antechamber/waiting room. There were very few petitioners there and most of those that were looked very nervous. Midnight was sure their discomfort was all the hostile-looking guards patrolling in and out at a near constant rate. Midnight was incredulous when their own escort, who they had gotten after a good deal of explaining who they were and why they were there at the gate, just marched off and joined one of the patrol groups passing through.

“I know Celestia asked me not to bother Shining but after everything that has gone on since we got here, compared to how we’ve been treated before, I’m ready to bite him.” It was telling how much Sapphire didn’t like the situation either when she didn’t scold Midnight but scooted a little closer to the kirin. Squeaks, who had become more and more nervous at the looks the guards were giving them, was already wedging herself between the two mares. Arina kept her perch on Midnight’s head, albeit looking the other way, just in case.

Sweeping her gaze around the room once again, the kirin finally saw a familiar and possibly helpful face. “Acting Captain Holly!” Midnight called out, quickly getting up, sweeping Arina from her head onto Squeaks’, and briskly trotting over to the unicorn when she saw her passing through the chamber with a few other guards. Those guards with Holly moved as if to block her but Midnight ignored them. “Or is it back to First Lieutenant now that Captain Armor is back in town? Anyway, how are you?”

Holly looked the kirin up and down with an unimpressed eye. “I’m sorry, but I’m not a recruiting station. If you want to enroll in the guard, I believe there’s a recruitment office just outside the castle gates, or you can ask Princess Celestia when you see her, since that’s why you’re here, I assume.”

“Ah ha ha, enroll in the guard, you’re such a kidder,” Midnight said with a forced laugh. “Seriously, lieutenant, since we’re friends I thought you could at least tell me why I can’t take two steps around here without tripping over a pony in armor.”

“That’s need-to-know information and we don’t like civilians sticking their muzzles where they don’t belong,” Holly replied coolly, she and the guards with her easing into more combat ready positions.  

‘Oooookay, she’s obviously in a mood,’ Midnight thought as she stared the ponies in front of her down. With her resistance to unicorn magic, taking them on shouldn’t be a problem. What was a problem was that there was a problem to begin with. What in the Makers was stressing them out so badly?

“Midnight!” Summer hissed, getting between the kirin and the guards and pushing the kirin back slightly. “What is it with you every time we come up here!?” She turned to Holly. “I am deeply sorry for how my daughter is acting.” She turned back to Midnight. “First disrespecting the princesses-“

“I wasn’t.”

“-and now harassing the royal guard!”

“I’m not.”

“They have important work to do! How would you like it if somepony came up and bothered you while you were chopping wood?”

“I’d be more concerned about why they were in the Everfree Forest than interrupting my work,” Midnight replied, “and this is Holly, you know, the acting captain we met the last time we came up here?”

“That doesn’t mean you can just walk up to her any time you like!”

“First Lieutenant Holly!” A familiar voice rang out. “Where are those reports I asked for!?”

All the guards spun and saluted Shining Armor as he marched into the room. “I was on my way to deliver them to you when I was accosted by this civilian, sir!” Holly said, motioning to Midnight.

“I’ve got something to say to you, mister!” Twilight called out, marching over and stopping Midnight from saying something she was probably going to regret later. 

“There you are!” Princess Cadance said, appearing from another hallway and descending upon them. “Shinning, I’ve been looking all over for you! We still need to go over- Twilight! You’re here!” Cadance moved to embrace the young unicorn, but the librarian stepped out of the way. 

“How could neither of you tell me you were getting married!? And to each other!?” Twilight snapped.

Cadance blinked in confusion and looked over at Shining. “But… I thought we sent out letters to everyone right after you proposed! Your parents and Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna all got back to us; didn’t Twilight as well?”

“I did send them out and I thought she sent a letter back,” Shining said. “I just noticed yesterday it was a separate letter from my mother.” He turned back to Twilight, “I was going to send you another letter but when Celestia said she sent you and your friends a request to help with the wedding directly, I figured I’d just bite the spear and hope that would make up for it a bit.”

“We’d never forget to tell you something so important Twilight,” Cadance said. “Please forgive us? I know I want you to be there,” her grin turned cheshire, “and I know if you’d gotten his letter, you’d be over the moon about being his best mare.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Best mare? You want ME to be best mare!?”

“That is what I put in the letter,” Shining said. Midnight noted that his tone was a bit off. That, and he seemed to be a bit standoff-ish with Twilight, like he was angry or disappointed with her for some reason.

“Oh, yes, yes, yes, YES!” Twilight chanted, starting to hop about. 

“I’m glad you’re here as well, Midnight,” Cadance said, turning her attention to the kirin.

“I’m not being the flower filly,” Midnight said, “Thank you, but no.”

Cadance chuckled and for the first time Midnight noticed how… haggard she looked underneath the smile she was sporting. There were bags under her eyes, her wings, Tartarus, her whole body was a bit limp, and her mane and tail had a noticeable frazzle to it. “We already have some fillies in mind. Actually, it’s Auntie Celestia who wants to see you. Something about a… issue, if you know what I mean. You’ll have to ask around; I don’t really know what part of the castle she’s in right now.” 

Midnight looked meaningfully at the throne room. 

“She hasn’t held court since… well, better let her tell you everything someplace private.”

“Of course,” Midnight said. “Let me just get everypony settled in and then Sapphire can lead me to wherever the princess would like to see me. Congratulations, by the way.”

“Thank you, now I’d better get together with Shining over a few things before he sneaks away again.” After calling over another guard to lead them to their rooms, she flapped over to where Shining, Holly, and several other guards were already moving down the hall he’d come in from. 

“At least you know how to be respectful to somepony around here,” Summer said, turning back towards her husband and younger daughter.

“Gee mom, thanks so much,” Midnight grumbled, but only with a little venom. At least she’d be getting answers soon if she understood Cadance correctly.

Sapphire came up and stood next to her, watching the others leave. “Secret meeting?” she asked.

“Secret meeting,” Midnight confirmed. “Can you find out where Celestia wants to meet? Apparently she’s everywhere in the castle but the throne room.”

“I’ll ask around after we get Squeaks and Honey settled in.” They nuzzled but Midnight couldn’t help feeling that things were not going to be as nice and easy as Celestia’s letter implied. 

-----------------------------

“I don’t believe this,” Sapphire said as they neared the conference room Celestia was supposed to be in. “I had to ask three maids and two secretaries just to find out where the princess is and that’s not counting all the guards who stopped me and asked what I was doing in the halls!”

“I thought everypony knew everypony else who worked in the castle?” Midnight asked.

“They do! The guards are saying it’s some new policy tied to that giant bubble over the city. At least few looked properly abashed.” She leaned into Midnight. “Why are things suddenly so stressful?” 

Midnight slowed her pace and nuzzled her marefriend, giving her a tight hug with one wing. “Convince Squeaks to sleep over with Autumn and Ember, draw a warm bubble bath for two, order a large ice cream sundae?” she proposed with a wag of her eyebrows.

Sapphire chuckled and gave her a sultry look in return. “Deal,” she agreed. 

Picking up their pace again, they made it to the conference room doors and gently pushed them open. 

“Ah, Midnight! Sapphire! Please, come in; it’s been too long since we last saw each other.” Celestia’s voice was as regal as ever but now it, too, held a note of exhaustion Midnight noted as they trotted inside. At least they hadn’t had to ask around for her whereabouts again.

Moving fully into the room, the two of them could see that she certainly looked fine. Her eyes were bright with energy as she looked at the kirin and pegasus. “Unscheduled adventures will do that,” Midnight said, bowing her head in respect before taking the seat nearest the alicorn with Sapphire doing the same on the kirin’s other side. Closer now, Midnight could see that her magically waving mane and tail didn’t look as neat and kept as it usually did. 

Celestia breathed out slowly and her grin became more genuine. “I completely agree. How was your trip to the dragon migration? I don’t suppose…?”

Midnight shook her head. “My father wasn’t there. Alas, his verbal beat-down will have to wait for another time.” She went on to talk about the trip she and Spike took to get there, her being almost attacked by nesting dragons, Spike’s trials to prove he was a real dragon, as well as the letter he belched up during one of them.

“So Twilight didn’t get the letter then,” Celestia said, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “I hope she’s not too upset; learning about her brother’s wedding from an invitation like that must be making her feel horrible.”

“She was ticked,” Midnight confirmed, “but we ran into both of them outside the throne room. Apparently being made the Mare of Honor made everything better.”

Celestia sighed in relief. “I’m glad to hear it. Please, continue, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Midnight continued with Spike meeting Spine and the journey back. “All that said, I did find out something interesting,” she concluded.

“Oh?” Celestia said.

“The dragon that more or less kept me from losing a chunk of my hide to those nesting dragons, she said she was familiar with the Storm Clan. She said she knows my dad, Windstorm, and she said that his father is Firestorm, who you said is the head of the clan.”

“He was, the last time I saw them,” Celestia said, letting that information seep in, then leaning forward and examined the kirin more closely. 

“Um… Celestia?” Midnight asked, leaning back slightly.

The princess pulled back. “I’m sorry, I had only thought it a coincidence when we first met… and your colors threw me off… Midnight, may I try something?”

“What, exactly?” Midnight asked wearily, leaning back further. 

“It’s nothing dangerous, I only wish to confirm something. I want to change your coat, mane, and eye colors,” Celestia said. 

“You want to change my colors?” Midnight asked.

“Only for a moment, yes,” Celestia confirmed, “you look like somepony I knew once.”

Midnight looked at Sapphire, who only shrugged, then looked back at the princess, who almost looked… pleading. “A moment,” Midnight stressed, then sat as still as a statue. 

With an eager nod, Celestia’s horn glowed golden bright and the same colored aura surrounded Midnight. 

Midnight wouldn’t have noticed it even happened if she hadn’t brought up a hoof to look and when she was finished she looked at her reflection in the vase on the table. Her coat was now an emerald green and her mane was the same jet-black as her coat had been. It was weird, seeing her body a completely different color than what it had been all her life but otherwise it didn’t seem any different than if she’d dyed herself. 

“Makers…” Celestia breathed, leaning close again. “You look exactly like her, well, with the right mane cut.”

“Who?” Midnight asked, once again leaning back away from the staring alicorn.

“Firestorm’s sister, Storm Vine. Your great aunt, if the dragon is telling the truth. She was one of the original kirin; their unofficial leader, in fact.”

“Oh,” Midnight said, not sure what to say to that. For her whole life she’d known nothing about her father’s side, then in the span of a few weeks she’d found out that not only was her grandfather the leader of her clan, his sister and her great aunt was a kirin and their leader. It was a lot to take in and it made Midnight realize that finding her clan was now as equally important as finding her dad. Of course, their whereabouts were as equally a mystery as her father’s.

“There were no pictures back then but I’m sure I have a portrait of some kind of her somewhere here in the castle…” Her horn lit up again and she teleported out of the room.

Midnight felt a weight press on her side and she turned to find Sapphire pressing up against her, her wing wrapping supportively across her back. “Your eyes are yellow,” she said simply. 

That got the kirin out of her mental funk. She nuzzled the pegasus, then turned her head and spit out a small stream of fire. That was still the sapphire blue it had always been. 

“What are you thinking about?” Sapphire asked innocently.

“How I want to know more, not just about my dad but my clan and about how elusive both are.” She nuzzled Sapphire again. “Is it too much to ask for both to fall into my lap after all this time? I’m not leaving you and Squeaks again unless I know for sure where either one is.”

“And we appreciate it,” Sapphire said, “and we’ll deal with that when the time comes. I know you’ll find them both.”

Midnight wrapped her wing around Sapphire and pulled her close. Makers knew how such a wonderful mare made it into her life but she wasn’t about to complain. 

“What’s going on in here!?”

Midnight growled and Sapphire grimaced as they both looked up to see Shining Armor and a few guards enter the room. 

“We were told Princess Celestia was here. Where is she and who are you two?”

To Midnight’s surprise, it was Sapphire who got angry first. 

“Seriously!? I’ve known all of you since before I moved to Ponyville! What are you all thinking!?”

Shining glared at her. “I don’t appreciate your tone. We are the royal guard, charged with protecting the princesses, and any suspicious activities or ponies need to be questioned and, if necessary, detained. Right now, you two are in a room that’s supposed to have Princess Celestia, yet she’s nowhere to be found and you two don’t have any guards escorting you.”

“I AM a guard you stupid plot-hat!” Midnight roared, flapping over the table to get nose with Shining. “And not just a guard, a captain, WHICH YOU KNOW! As for tone, I like yours even less, so unless you want to get married with chunks ripped out of you, how about you explain what’s going on!?”

“The only kirin I know is Midnight Storm, and she is black with a blue mane and eyes, not green with a black mane and yellow eyes!” Shining shot back, his horn vibrating with magic. Sickly green magic.

Midnight face-hoofed. “Oh, for the love of- Celestia! I said only a moment!” 

As if they’d heard her, Celestia and a very tired looking Luna suddenly appeared in the room. 

“I’m sorry, Midnight, but it seems that everything was left back at our old castle, or so buried away here that it’ll take a while to find it. Luna can back me up, though. Luna, doesn’t she look like the very image of Storm Vine?”

Luna squinted at Midnight with blood-shot eyes. “Verily,” she mumbled. “May We return to our sanctuary of slumber and speak of this again at a more agreeable time?” With a yawn and without waiting for an answer, she teleported out of the room.

“Luna! Oh, well, she’s been under a lot of stress, too. Anyway, as I was saying…” She turned back to find Midnight and Shining Armor ready to rip into each other. “What is going on here?” she demanded. “Captain Storm, I specifically said to give Captain Armor support during your time here in Canterlot, not threaten his wellbeing!”

Midnight waved a hoof at Celestia. “THERE! There’s your makers-damn proof you moron! And could you please turn me back to normal!?”

“Princess Celestia!” Sapphire said, “What is going on!? All day we’ve been harassed by the royal guard like we’re complete strangers! Now Captain Armor has just threatened to throw us in the dungeons!”

“I said we needed to question and possibly detain suspicious ponies; you two were the ones who were getting hostile!”

“I’ll show you hostile!” Midnight snapped.

“ENOUGH!” Celestia yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Everypony present, even Midnight, flinched at the alicorn’s outburst. “It would seem that I was distracted from my main reason for calling you here, an error which I will fix immediately.” She gestured Midnight back to her original seat, which the kirin slinked back to, still glaring at Shining. Celestia returned Midnight back to her original colors before continuing. “A short time after Shining and Cadance returned, a threat against the capital was made. We are unsure who they are or who they are affiliated with but we cannot ignore such threats.”

“What kind of threat?” Midnight asked.

“All we know is that one of the maids stumbled upon somepony doing something suspicious in one of the halls. They attacked her and when some guards came running after the commotion, they escaped into the shadows yelling “Canterlot will soon fall, enjoy it while you can!” A search of the castle turned up nothing.”

“And the maid couldn’t describe who attacked her?” Midnight asked.

“She received several blows to the head from her attacker,” Celestia explained, “she only remembers seeing the pony, then a frantic and painful fight, then being carried to the infirmary.”

“So what does that have to do with everypony in the guard acting like they don’t know us?” Sapphire asked.

“For all we know, this might just be an agent working on the inside for whoever is behind the threat. The shield around the city is one I made to keep them from getting out or any of their conspirators from getting in. Everypony who works in the castle has been alerted to the incident and has been told that, as far as we know, the suspect could be anypony.” Shining explained. 

“Anypony outside the Lunar or Solar Guard, you mean,” Midnight growled. “I haven’t seen any of them being questioned.”

Celestia flared her wings for silence. “Captain Armor, I believe that, while you had the best intentions in mind, you should suspend your current methods to find the suspect in favor of a new one immediately.”

Shining nodded, although reluctantly. 

“Captain Storm, now that the situation has been made clear to you, I trust things will run much more smoothly between the guards?” Celestia asked.

“There won’t be any problems from the Bearer Guard,” Midnight said evenly, though her point was clear: we’ll play nice as long as you do.

Satisfied that peace, or at least a semblance of it, had been restored, Celestia nodded. “Then, if there are no further questions and the situation is fully understood, I will allow you all to get back to work.”

“Why is the wedding going forward?” Midnight asked. “If there’s a threat then it should be called off until the suspect is found.”

“Absolutely out of the question!” Shining snapped. “With such a threat we must show our enemies a strong front. Going forward with the wedding is that front. That and my shield will give us more than enough warning if there is a major attack.”

“And what if everypony involved in the threat is already in the city? You’re putting everypony attending in danger! Your fiancé, Princess Celestia, your parents, your sister, the bearers, my family and friends, and who knows how many innocent ponies!? This is idiotic!”

“She does have a point, Captain Armor,” Celestia said. “There are quite a few eggs in one exposed basket. Perhaps postponing the wedding is the best idea.” By her tone it sounded like she’d talked with him about this before.

“And many of those eggs are Equestria’s greatest defenses, which should make anypony think twice about attacking. Now, of you will excuse me, I have wedding details to go over with Cadance.” With that he left the table and marched out.

“Stupid,” Midnight growled.

“You both make good arguments,” Celestia said. “And he’s already convinced Cadance. We may not like it but we must give them both our support until this is all done.”

Midnight took a deep breath and bit back her first response. “I will do my job and defend the bearers,” she finally said.

The alicorn and kirin held each other’s gaze for a full minute before Celestia nodded. “Very good, Captain Storm. I will not keep you from your duties any longer.”

Midnight nodded in return, then got up and left, Sapphire following close behind her.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Midnight said once they were a little ways down the hallway, “I shouldn’t have gotten nasty with Shining or Celestia.”

“Maybe not with Celestia but Shining deserves a few teeth marks.”

Midnight groaned. “I think I could go for that bubble bath right after I tell the others what’s going on.”

Sapphire looked away. “I’ll add a basket of gems to that list.”

Midnight raised an eyebrow at her. “Alright, I’ll bite; why?”

“…I think we should see Eden Rose. Let me explain,” Sapphire said before Midnight could object. “Two reasons: she and her ponies are trained spies who can possibly find out who made the threat and with her connections she can also get eyes in other nations to help look for your clan. I know that after the Hybrid Ball you weren’t exactly happy with her…”

“Understatement,” Midnight muttered.

“…but she is still willing to help you out. And what happens when her son is found? Are you really going to try and stand between them?”

“No,” Midnight admitted. “I just don’t want to be used again. Not without knowing, at least.” She sighed. “That better be a big basket and with nothing but sapphires.”

-----------------------------

“Well, I certainly see the issue,” Eden said, daintily setting her tea cup down. They were once again in the enclosed patio in Eden’s mansion, this time with several of the windows open to allow the mild spring breeze in. This also allowed the various scents of flowers and a few early fruits to waft in as well, making the room smell pleasant and inviting. As before, Sunny and Dancer were standing behind their employer, ready to serve or defend her at a moment’s notice. “And I can understand your frustration. However, this sounds like official guard business, not something a civilian, even a noble, should get involved in.”

Midnight bit back her growl into a groan and took a sip of the coffee she’d been offered, with just the hint of mint and chocolate. An obvious ploy to get on her good side that was only slightly working. Sapphire also took a sip of her tea and discreetly stroked her with a wing. “I’m fully willing to host another ball in Ponyville in exchange for your services,” she groaned out. This was the stupid political favors play she’d been afraid of ever since first getting that letter from Eden back at Hearth’s Warming and she still hated the idea of taking part it. If it wasn’t for the fact that Eden’s son was a kirin and still needed finding, that immaculately kept front lawn would be a nice charcoal black by now. As it was, Midnight had known this was coming and knew exactly what Eden would want and so she’d swallow her pride and give it to her. Oil-covered cheese balls, as well as other flammable foods, weren’t that hard to get a hold of after all. That or Arina, who was back at the castle with the others, would find herself a new nest for that evening.

Eden clapped her hooves together. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I was wondering when we could get together for another one!”

Midnight groaned again. “Seriously, Eden, I just want to know who made the threat and why.”

“Only “who” and “why”? Not also “when”?” she asked, genuinely curious and dropping the act. 

“When is obvious: the day of the wedding, if not the very hour of. Shinning is playing right into their hooves like the stubborn idiot he is and I’ve got to head it off before that. I find out who, I can stop them in a few minutes.”

Eden tapped her chin with a hoof. “You’re not giving us a lot of time. The wedding is only in a few days, isn’t it?”

“That’s why I’m coming to you; Shining’s little internal investigation is falling flat on its face. Can you do the job or not?”

“We’ll get the job done,” Eden assured her, “just be sure to come by after the wedding so we can get that second ball started.”

“Right,” Midnight said, finishing her coffee. Beside her, Sapphire also finished her cup. “How is the hunt for your son been going?” she asked, trying not to leave on a hostile note.

For the first time that visit, Eden’s carefully crafted smile fell. “Not well. We’ve found out that he was taken south but that’s about it and he could be anywhere by now.”

“Well, it’s more than you had before,” Midnight said, getting up. Sapphire followed suit. “Thank you for hearing us out.”

“Of course.”

Before they stepped out, something flicked across Midnight’s mind. “One more thing, if I may,” Midnight asked, turning back.

“Yes?” Eden asked, curious.

“Can a unicorn change the color of their magic? Captain Armor’s is a sickly green now, not the pink it used to be,” she turned to Sapphire, “I saw it when we met with Celestia.”

“Now that you mention it,” Sapphire said, “I saw that, too.”

“It’s not common,” Eden spoke up, drawing their attention, “but it can happen. A unicorn could take a supplement to keep their magic going longer than usual and abusing such things have resulted in weird side effects, including changing the color of their magic. You said everypony is stressed; maybe he’s imbibing to keep himself at full strength in case the attack does come at or before the wedding.”

“And still getting tired by the minute,” Midnight mused unhappily, then nodded at Eden. “Thank you.”

“So?” Sapphire asked as then left the estate a few minutes later.

“So, I’m going to start poking around the local places that sell pick-me-ups. If I can find proof that Shining is using stuff to keep him going like he is, that should be enough to convince Celestia and Cadance that he’s taking this too far and put a stop to it until the pony that made the threat is found and whatever they’re planning stopped. Then we can have a proper wedding.”

“Where do you want to start?” Sapphire asked, looking ready.

“You are going to keep an eye on everyone while I go out like I’m looking for some myself.”

“But-!” Sapphire started, her wings flaring out.

“Our deal was that I teach you self-defense and you use it to keep yourself and others safe if somepony comes after you, not to go looking for trouble, remember?”

“And let you go snooping about on your own!?” Sapphire asked. “What if you get into trouble!?”

“First of all, if I get into that much trouble, I can always transform into a wyvern. I’d like to see the guard handle me like that even on their best day. Secondly, if the manure hits the fan that hard, I don’t want you anywhere near it. Third, somepony needs to keep up appearances while I’m gone. The last thing I need is Shining, Celestia, or, Makers forbid, mom finding out what I’m doing and try and stop me.”

Sapphire pouted but gave up when Midnight laughed and nuzzled her. “Can you at least take Windrunner or Wild Mane with you?” she asked.

“No, they’ve got work to do.”

“And you don’t?”

Midnight puffed her chest out. “I can do anything, I’m a captain of the guard.”

“Like Shining?” Sapphire quipped. 

“Anything that doesn’t put others in danger,” Midnight amended. “Come on, let’s get back to the castle; I’ve got an assignment for Arina I want her to start right away.”

-----------------------------

“I want teams Alpha and Delta patrolling the East Wing and teams Epsilon and Omega patrolling the West Wing,” Shining said as he and Holly marched through the corridors. 

Holly, clipboard in hoof, nodded as she wrote down the orders. “What about Captain Night Skimmer and his patrols?”

“We’ll be meeting him in my office to discuss that,” Shining told her. 

As the two ponies made their way down the hall, neither of them noticed the small shadow on the ceiling skittering along behind them. When they stopped, it stopped, and four blue eyes narrowed as they spoke quickly with a passing guard. Midnight’s orders had been to tail Shining Armor and report back anything odd or that would shine the Captain of the Solar Guard in a bad light and Arina had taken on the task with a will. It was boring, to be sure, but the spider also knew her master wanted her to do this for a reason, so she scuttled from shadow to shadow, never once letting the other guard captain out of her four-eyed sight. First Lieutenant Holly had just recently joined him and now they were going to meet Captain Night Skimmer.

In her spidery opinion, Night Skimmer was a nice stallion, if a bit weak for his post, and First Lieutenant Holly was an even nicer mare, if a bit gruff at times, but Captain Shining Armor was a jerk who disliked her master, so Arina disliked him in return. Today he seemed like even more of a jerk to her, barking out orders and never even trying to be nice to anyone else. Oddly enough, Holly was kind of acting that way as well. It probably had something to do with why all the other ponies were either excited or stressed, something about two ponies doing something together?

A few more minutes found them at the door to Shining’s office with Skimmer waiting outside. Oddly, the three ponies didn’t do more than nod at each other before slipping through the door. Arina barely had time to realize how fast they were moving before the door was quickly closing behind them. Almost letting out a chirp of alarm, she bolted of the swiftly shrinking crack and squeezed through, almost catching the tip of one of her back legs. The room itself was brightly lit and the spider almost panicked again when at first she didn’t see any close shadows for her to duck into. A quick look straight up showed a large tapestry hanging from the wall with just enough room for her to squeeze behind and she shot up to it, hiding in place for a few seconds to see if she’d been noticed. When she didn’t hear screams of alarm or the tapestry being ripped from the wall, she hazarded a peak back out. 

“… and two more patrols in the North gardens,” Skimmer was saying.

“Good,” Shining said, rubbing his hooves together with a wicked grin. “That’s over half the Solar and Lunar Guards taken over, not to mention most of the staff. I still can’t believe Celestia had so many undercover guards at her disposal and yet they couldn’t catch us. Fools!”

“With our numbers this large, we could push to take the rest of the guards before the wedding. With the bearers taking control of the preparations, they won’t miss a few of the staff,” Holly added.

Shining grimaced. “No, not with them being as alert as they are. That idiot Thorax!” He hit the top of his desk. “If that moron hadn’t slipped up, we wouldn’t have to tread so lightly! The entire hive could have snuck in! Is he at least doing his new job properly!?”

“Yes, he’s guarding the prisoners below as we speak. Not one issue so far,” Skimmer said.

“At least he can be useful for something. For now we stick to the plan and take over as many guards as possible. Once the wedding is done and we get that little pink alicorn out of Canterlot, I’ll get the shield down and we can take over the entire city and every pony in it!”

“What about Captain Storm and her guard? Should we infiltrate it as well?” Holly asked. “And that noble, Eden Rose? She and her ring of spies might become a problem.”

“No,” Shining said, “she’s off chasing rabbit trails, with our help of course, and her guard is made up of undisciplined, second rate guards and those playing at being guards. They won’t notice a thing until it’s too late and then they won’t be much of a problem. As for Eden Rose and her spies, we’ll take care of them like we will the other one. I’m more concerned about how to deal with the princesses.”

Arina blinked in amazement at what she was hearing. Shining, Holly, and Skimmer were all talking about taking over the guard and the city, betraying the princesses, and hurting her master and her friends! This had to be what her master has wanted her to find out. Building up her magic, she blinked to form the link that would show her master all this. 

When her eyes opened again, her entire field of vision was a bright green.

The spell hit her dead on and she fell off the wall onto the stone floor, her entire body numb and twitching, the link severed before it could be fully established.

“Well, well, Midnight’s little pet,” Shining said, coming around his desk and looking down at the paralyzed spider. “Did you really think we didn’t notice you scurry in behind us or that we’d let you tell your mistress about our plans once you heard them?”

Arina only twitched in response, and that was involuntary. 

“What should we do with it?” Holly asked, her horn flaring a sickly green as well. 

“Get rid of it,” Shining snorted in disgust. “By the time Midnight realizes she’s gone missing, we’ll already have won.”

Arina tired to move a leg, chirp, blink, something, but to no avail. She could only watch as Holly’s hoof came down on her.

-----------------------------

“Thank you for your patronage, please come again!” The slammed door that followed this didn’t speak well for the truth of those words but Midnight shrugged it off. She had her evidence, proof that Shining was using, and possibly abusing, magical supplements in the form of eye witness testimony of him buying them as well as other guards, along with the supplement itself with a list of side effects, one of which was the change in color of a unicorn’s magic aura. This meant they could postpone the wedding from tomorrow to sometime after the threat to Canterlot had been dealt with. It might mean that Celestia would put her in charge of the investigation but she was confident that she could handle it better than Shining was at the moment. If that was the case, it might be better to have Celestia formally announce her guard’s existence finally. Needing to keep the guard a secret was starting to cause more problems, both personally and professionally, than it was solving. Maybe keep a few members secret just in case.

Of course, finding the evidence she needed this close to time of the wedding also made her worry. Neither Arina nor Eden had contacted her yet, something that was setting off several alarm bells in the kirin’s mind. Eden she could see, with the pony who made the threat possibly going to ground more effectively than any of them realized but Arina being silent for so long wasn’t like her. Sure, she’d been out for days when they’d been looking for Ember but she’d still connected with Midnight at least once each day and night as a way to report in. As of right then, she hadn’t seen or heard anything from the spider since she’d sent her off to tail Shining to see if they could catch him in the act of taking the supplements or tripping up the investigation on some way. 

In all honesty, that bothered her, too. Spying on colleagues like this, hoping they’d mess up so she could swoop in and point it out, felt too much like political scheming the nobles did and she hated that. The only thing that made her feel better was that she was doing all this, not to take his job or even to get him fired, but as a splash of cold water to the face so he’d stop and think for a bit. He was getting too worked up between the threat and the wedding to think straight and it was going to get somepony hurt. Even Twilight was starting to question his decision to keep moving forward with the wedding. Midnight had spotted them in a side hall the day before, not exactly arguing, but speaking heatedly with each other and she’d caught the words “wedding”, “exhausted”, and “something wrong”.

About the only thing that would disappoint Midnight about the wedding being postponed would be not being able to see Sapphire and Squeaks in the dresses her mother had picked out for them as soon. She also had picked out a dress for Midnight and to their collective surprise, Midnight was looking forward to wearing it. “How many times do I have to tell all of you, I have no problem wearing a dress when it’s appropriate!” she huffed as she’d been looking herself over in the mirror. “Sapphire, Squeaks, how much complaining did I do when getting ready for last year’s Grand Galloping Gala?”

“None,” had been both their responses. As her mother finally realized that her daughter was actually letting her dress her up nice (even letting her fix up her mane!) and was going over what jewelry she should wear (nothing with gems; she was sure Midnight would just end up snacking on those when nopony was looking and she was kinda right) Midnight had caught Sapphire blushing whenever she looked her way. 

“You look good,” Sapphire said when Summer had gone off to check her room for more jewelry than might suit the kirin.

“Just good?” Midnight teased, pulling her close with a wing and nipping her ear playfully.

Sapphire successfully, though Midnight could tell also unhappily, killed the mood by asking how things were going with finding either the pony who made the threat or evidence to get Shining to postpone the wedding. Just as unhappily, Midnight had told her that there’d been no progress on either front and she was getting worried about not hearing anything yet, even just to say they were still looking. Sapphire had tried to tell her not to worry, that each knew what they were doing and they would hear from them soon, but Midnight was still bothered by the silence and lack of progress. 

So much, in fact, that she’d pretty much ignored Honey when the unicorn had tried to talk with her about something that morning. She would have to make it up to her when she got back. Right now, she had to bring all this to the princesses and get the wedding stopped.

As she entered the castle, she caught sight of First Lieutenant Holly at the same time she saw her and the unicorn made a beeline for the kirin. “Captain Armor needs to see you in his office immediately,” she said.

“It’ll have to wait; I need to see the princesses,” Midnight said, brushing by her and continuing on to the throne room. 

“It’s very important; the Captain wants to see you right away!” Holly said, catching up with her.

“And what I have to say to the princesses is very important, so whatever it is can wait!” Midnight snapped back. She didn’t know what Holly’s deal was but ever since that first meeting when they arrived, the unicorn seemed to act more and more like Shining’s lackey, a far cry from the competent second in command Holly struck her as the first time they met. 

Holly pulled ahead and moved in front of Midnight, blocking her path. “This is not a request; it’s an order,” she said in a threatening tone.

Midnight stopped, bent her head down, and bared her fangs. “He doesn’t order me to do anything. Obviously, the two of you have forgotten that I’m a captain, just like he is, so whatever stupid thing he has to say can wait.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see other guards moving in on them. “Really? You’re really going to try something like this? Here? Now?” She'd put on her armor that morning when she’d gone out, mostly at Sapphire’s request since she was going out without back up. She didn’t think she’d really need it, but now…

“Ma’am, Captain Shining Armor is head of security here in the castle. Even if you disagree with his methods, you are still bound to act accordingly to the rules he sets down to keep the castle safe. This is a matter of security, so we will do this here and now if you don’t come with me.”

Midnight continued to glare at the unicorn, still considering whether or not to activate her armor. Shining had to know, somehow, that she was on to him, but was he really willing to take it this far? Then again, having his guards attack her would be proof enough something was wrong with him and a kirin roaring at the top of her lungs was sure to get Celestia and Luna to come running and demand explanation.

“Try meee!” Something slammed into her rear right leg, leaving it with that pins and needles feeling one had when one’s limb was coming back from being numb. She didn’t go down but when she looked back to see who and what had hit her, she saw Night Skimmer there, a sickly green glow above his head like he had a unicorn horn. “Skimmer, what-?” she asked bewildered, before the rest of the guards around her began hitting her with green shots that sent the rest of her body feeling like pins and needles. 

Things weren’t making sense. How was Skimmer able to use magic? How were the rest of them able to do anything to her with unicorn magic? Why wasn’t her armor responding!? 

Her rear legs finally went down, numb from hoof tip to cutie mark. Her front legs weren’t much farther off but she defiantly kept herself up. Taking a deep breath, she got ready to blast a few of them with her fire but just as she was about to open her mouth, another sickly green aura surrounded her muzzle and pressed her jaws shut. The fire came up but with no place to go backed up and came out her nose instead, flaming harmlessly to the sides. 

“You really are hard to put down, aren’t you?”

Midnight looked back over her shoulder and saw Shining Armor approaching, his horn glowing that odd sickly green that every other guard around was now sporting, unicorn or not. With her jaw now firmly shut, all she could do was growl at him. ‘How the TARTARUS is he doing this!? How are ANY of them doing this!? WHY!? Don’t tell me these things he’s been taking drive ponies crazy, too!’

“And just too nosey for your own good,” he continued. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everypony for you while you’re away.”

Midnight lunged toward him but another volley of stunning blasts put her down completely. As she looked up defiantly at him, desperately trying to focus on activating her special talent and damn the consequences, he smiled wickedly back down at her and his magic grew brighter. The world became engulfed in a painful green before it all went black.
> Ch.22 - Change for the Better
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Look, she’s moving!"

"Finally."

Midnight growled as consciousness came back to her. How could she have been jumped in Canterlot Castle of all places? And how in Celestia's sun-shining flank had Skimmer been able to shoot magic beams, not to mention how unicorn magic had been able to hurt her!?

She growled again. At least one thing was for sure: the next time she saw Shining Armor, she was going to rip his throat out, brother of Twilight Sparkle or not.

She cracked opened her eyes-

"Oh, thank Celestia you're up," Shining Armor said, "We could really use-"

"YOU!"

Midnight sprang up, roaring as she tried to snap at his throat.

Shocked at the sudden attack, Shining instinctively reared up and threw up his forelegs defensively to keep her back.

She didn't get his throat, but her bulk and momentum pushed him to the ground. Immediately there was a tumult of shouting, loudest of all Midnight recognized from Twilight but she ignored it. She didn't know what his game was but right now she felt questions could wait until he was not expected to get up anytime soon under his own power.

When it became clear she wasn't going to get at his throat, she took a deep, open-mouthed breath; the large oxygen intake heating her insides to a burn that began traveling up to her own throat. Before she could as much singe him, something hit her hard in the side and went tumbling over with her, her fire going wide and into the wall.

She and her new assailant scrabbled quickly to their hooves and Midnight found herself muzzle to muzzle with Twilight.

"Move," Midnight snarled, wings outspread and tail poised.

"No!" Twilight snapped back. "Darn it Midnight, will you just calm down!?"

"Calm down? CALM DOWN!? I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN I BREAK HIS HORN OFF!"

Shining's hooves shot to cover said body part.

"He, Holly, Skimmer, and a bunch of others attacked me! He’s up to something and I’m going to beat it out of him!"

"It wasn't him!" Twilight shot back. "Nothing he's done has been him at all!"

"It's true!" Holly called out from what seemed a ways away. "Midnight, you have to believe them!"

"Don't worry, I'll deal with YOU when... I... rip... his..." Her initial fury slowly faded as she looked towards the mare, only to find thick, crystal bars. After a few moments of finally just looking around, she realized they were in a barred-off room of some kind with other barred entrances visible beyond. It looked just like a big, crystal dungeon.  "What the...?"

"Midnight, please," Twilight continued, "there's a good explanation for all this but you need to calm down and listen to us!"

"I'd take her advise if I were you."

Midnight's head snapped back towards Shining, growling once again. "Oh, really?"

A shine on the crystal wall behind him (what was the deal with all the crystal?) and Shining's face, larger than life, appeared on it, smirking menacingly at them.

"Really. I must admit, you're stronger than you look if you recovered from my stun blast so quickly."

Midnight looked over at the regular-sized Shining facing the one on the wall and saw his face was a mix of defiance and fear. "Somepony start talking," she growled warningly.

The Shining on the wall laughed. "You got too nosy for your own good! You and that annoying little sister of his!"

Twilight snorted at the image.

"Then again, I did plan it that way," the image continued. "I needed to remove the Elements from play if my plan was going to work and it was so easy to distract the other Element Bearers that removing you was foal's play."

"What plan?" Twilight asked, nervousness creeping into her voice.

"The plan I have for Princess Cadance, of course," the image replied, as if it was obvious. "Her and the rest of Equestria."

All three cellmates growled.

"And you really think we're just going to stay here and let you do whatever you want?" Midnight asked sourly, moving over to the bars.

"It's not like you have a choice in the matter," Wall-Shining said casually. A bit too casually.

As Midnight inspected the bars, something black, greenish-blue, and nightmare-ish popped up in front of her, fangs bared. “YEEACH!” Midnight yelped, jumping back. What it was looked something like a cross between a pony and a bug. The general pony shape was there, the four legs, head, and ears, along with a unicorn horn, but the legs all looked like something had drilled large holes in them. It didn’t have a mane or tail, but a fin of some kind running down the back of its head and neck and another where the tail should have been. Its eyes looked like large, blue-green orbs and it had some sort of natural armor on its back, same color as its eyes, and the wings she saw were definitely insect-like and even buzzed occasionally. 

“What. The TARTARUS. Are they?” Midnight asked, trying to calm her breathing.

“They’re called changelings,” Shining, the real Shining, supplied. The fake one was gone from the wall. “Cadance and I heard about them on our travels but no-one ever credited them as real. They can take the shape of anypony, even copy their voice, and drain the love from others. Their queen jumped me as soon as we got back and took my place. She’s the one that attacked you and sent you down here.”

“Ah,” Midnight said. “Well, I guess that’s better than you being drugged out of your mind on magic supplements and trying to lead a military coup against the princesses.”

Both Shining and Twilight gave her a look. “Drugged out on magic supplements? What gave you that idea?” Shining asked.

“The, uh, change in color of your magic aura, mostly,” Midnight admitted, scuffing a hoof on the ground. “How was I supposed to guess you’d been replaced by a love-sucking bug pony?” Something clicked in her mind. “Wait, if they thought I was a threat… oh Makers, Arina! Eden!”

“Sunny and I are in here!” Came Dancer’s voice from a few cells down. “Lady Eden isn’t here but…” her voice trailed off but the worry was easy to hear. 

“And Arina?” Midnight asked, loud enough to carry to all the cells.

“Over here,” Twilight said, indicating a small cage near the back of their own. “I haven’t been able to try anything yet; any time I try to use magic, they come over and-”

Midnight brushed past her and when she got a good look in the small cage, her heart sank.

Arina was there, but it looked like she been through Tartarus and back. Most of her legs were skewed at odd angles and her body looked like someone had stepped on her. Her fur was matted with what looked like dried blood and both of the right eyes were shut. Upon seeing Midnight, though, the two left ones seem to come alive and she even managed a quiet, pitiful chirp. “I’m glad to see you, too,” Midnight whispered. “Just stay still and save your strength; I’ll get you out of there in no-time.” Lowering the small crystal cage, Midnight opened her mouth, wrapped as much of it as she could around the cage, and bit down. Being a gem-eater, the cage gave way with little effort and the kirin carefully picked the spider out. She even felt broken, lying there on her hoof with all eight legs dangling and not even trying to stand. “How long have I been out?” Midnight asked in a dangerously calm voice.

“Hours, I think,” Twilight supplied. “I was sent down just before you were but I wasn’t knocked out. When I tried to use magic to get out, the two changelings outside hit me with a stun blast and drained me a bit.”

“That’s how they’ve kept us down here for so long,” Shining added. “They drain us periodically to keep us too weak to try and escape and if we do try, they just drain us some more. From the sounds of it, a lot of ponies down here need medical attention soon or…” he trailed off.

Midnight nuzzled the spider as she looked around their cell. It looked like any other cell in a dungeon, only made of crystal, and of course there were the guards and getting everypony else out as well.

“Damn it!” Shining yelled, kicking the cell wall. “With the two of you down here, I don’t know how we’ll stop them!”

“We will,” Midnight said, gently putting Arina down in the far back corner with a few whispered words of encouragement. 

“How?” Twilight asked. “We can’t use magic and we’re locked in!”

“Give me a few minutes,” Midnight said, inspecting the crystal around them more closely. “I’m thinking.”

-----------------------------

With a final tug, the bow in Squeaks’ mane was set and the filly was done getting dressed. After giving her work one last look-over, Sapphire nodded her approval and looked around at the rest of the ponies gathered there. Windrunner and Honey were finishing up while Forest, Spine, and Ember waited off to the side. Outside the doors to the suite, she could see the rest of the bearer guard waiting for them. All mentioned had some degree of worry on their face since none of them had seen Midnight since the previous morning. Sapphire had finally told the guards what Midnight was up to and why and a few of them had done a quick sweep of the castle and shops but they found nothing. They were all getting increasingly worried.

Summer, on the other hoof, was fuming. 

“Tells me to do whatever I want with the dress, then disappears right before the wedding! Does she have any idea what I spent in time and money on it!? What in Celestia’s name is she thinking!?” She turned her fiery gaze on Sapphire once again. “Are you sure she didn’t say where she was going!?”

“Yes, Summer, Midnight didn’t tell me what she was doing,” Sapphire told her for at least the tenth time. “Whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll make it back before the wedding starts.”

“Then she had better be able to put her dress on properly and Celestia help her if she comes into that chapel with her mane uncombed!” Summer snapped as she marched towards the door, Orange and Autumn following meekly behind. “The ceremony is in half an hour, so she better be running into the castle right now if she means to make it on time!”

“Mom’s alright, isn’t she? Maybe Princess Luna or Princess Celestia can go get her real quick?” Squeaks asked as they followed Summer out. Sapphire had only told her that Midnight had gone out on an errand for the princesses. She didn’t think it right to tell her the whole story just yet; nopony other than the guard even knew about the threat.

“The princesses are very busy right now,” Sapphire told her, “but Midnight said she would be back and she never breaks a promise like that, does she?”

Squeaks shook her head “Nuh-uh,” she agreed, looking a little bit less anxious.

“You still haven’t heard anything?” Sapphire asked Windrunner as they started down the corridor. 

Windrunner shook her head. “Nothing. We haven’t exactly had a lot of time to go searching for her, what with the bearers becoming the bridesmaids as well. What exactly was that all about anyway?”

“Captain Armor said that the original bridesmaids were doing it as some sort of ploy to get in good with the nobles and princesses. With him being as touchy as he is lately, I can see why he got rid of them, even with Cadance’s protests. I suppose he figures the Element Bearers wouldn’t have such ulterior motives and they’re the best friends of his Best Mare, so that would be another reason to trust them,” Sapphire explained. 

“That makes sense,” Windrunner agreed, “but I also haven’t seen Twilight since yesterday; none of us have.”

That made Sapphire pause momentarily. “You don’t think something happened to both of them?”

“Miss Sparkle has family here in the city,” Hazelnut said, coming up on Sapphire’s other side. “She might have went to visit them overnight and come in with them to the wedding. Midnight might have seen her in the street and gone with her just in case.”

“Without any word to us? We also haven’t heard back from Arina yet. Something is off, I just know it.” Out of the corner of her eye, Sapphire saw Honey fidgeting and falling behind. “Keep up Honey; we don’t want to lose you, too,” she said, attempting to joke about the situation and only making herself feel worse.

Honey picked up her pace, opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it with a small shake of her head and continued to follow the group.

-----------------------------

Twilight looked from the broken spider at her hooves to the kirin rubbing her face by the bars of the cell. “Are you sure about this?” she asked, looking over at where her brother was laying, pretty much out of the way. “He could still-”

“Stick to the plan,” Midnight whispered back, rubbing her nose again. She’d gotten blasted in the face by one of their jailers when she began teething one of the crystal bars. She’d also apparently been drained of a bit of love but apparently both their stunning spells and draining magic didn’t have the same effect on her as it did the others. Score another one for her part-wyvern biology. In fact, all it really seemed to do was stoke her increasing anger at the whole situation and she had figured out just how to direct it. The look in her eyes told the purple unicorn not to argue any further.

Taking a breath, Twilight powered up her horn and concentrated on healing the spider in front of her. 

“Hey!” One of the guards shouted and both ran up to the bars. Their horns flared, preparing to stun and drain Twilight, and Midnight made her move.

A quick nibble had been enough to tell the kirin that the crystal was no harder than the gems she regularly ate, which she sometimes also crushed under hoof to sprinkle on other foods. Knowing this, all she had to do was wait for the perfect moment, or better yet stage it, to strike. With both jailers in front of the bars and distracted by Twilight, there was no time for them to react to the kirin leaping up and smashing through the crystal bars, the disguised armor she had with her deploying, bowling both over and sending their spells flying off harmlessly. 

The first guard she bit in to, her extended fangs burying themselves deep into his whither, then she shook him like a ragdoll and flung him against the nearby wall hard enough to audibly knock the wind out of him. The second jailer had enough time to power his horn back up, only for Midnight to turn and bite down on it, using it as a handle as she unmercifully picked him up by it and slammed him repeatedly into the ground. When she felt she’d beaten him enough, she flung him over to join his companion. Two more changelings came rushing around the main entrance of the jail block and shot a few stun spells at her. Midnight dodged them as she rushed forward as well. When they were in range she opened her mouth and blasted one of them with her fire then slashed into the other one with one of her hoof blades, sending them both shrieking to the ground. When she was done there was the scent of burnt skin and the sounds of whimpering in the air. ‘Just like you left Arina, you bastards,’ Midnight thought viciously, roaring in victory loud enough for all present to cover their ears. When the roaring didn’t summon any more jailers, she threw the second two on top of the first just as Twilight and Shining left their cell.  Midnight gladly took the now healed spider from Twilight, who looked at the four changelings apprehensively. 

“Midnight… don’t you think that’s taking it a bit far?”

Midnight looked back at her and Shining with a cold expression. “And what they’re doing, what they’re planning, isn’t?” she asked.

Twilight opened her mouth to respond that they hadn’t nearly killed anypony but the words died on her lips as she caught sight of the other prisoners. Based on what she’d read and some photos she’d seen, many looked to be starving. If the changelings were planning to do the same to the rest of Canterlot, even the rest of Equestria, then maybe a bit of violence was necessary. 

Midnight didn’t wait for a response and went about breaking down the rest of the crystal bars and helping the captured guards and castle staff out into the main area. Most of the mares that looked like castle staff were crying while the guards who could still walk huddled around Shining and the also released Night Skimmer and Holly. Blade Dancer and Sun Singer sat apart from the others but close enough to stay involved.

“Alright, everypony is free,” Shining reported after taking a head count. “By Celestia, they’ve taken over most of both guards.”

“And starved most of them to the point they can barely move,” Holly added. “We need to get most of these ponies to the medical ward, not send them into battle.”

“Not an option,” Midnight said. “The wedding could be happening right now and their plan revolves around that. We need to get back to the castle and quick. Any that can’t move will have to be left here.”

“We can’t do that!” Shining said. “I won’t leave anypony behind!”

“Even if it means losing Cadance!?” Midnight shot back. “Even if it means losing Canterlot!? Sorry, I’m not playing those odds!”

“Then what do you want us to do!?” Night Skimmer spoke up. “Midnight, we can’t just leave them all down here!”

“I think I have an idea,” Twilight said, interrupting. When all eyes were on her, she continued. “These caves were old gems mines, so it stands to reason that some equipment, like rail cars, should be left down here. We can load up the ponies that can’t walk into them and push them out that way.”

“How do you know-?” Holly started. 

“I read about it in Canterlot: a History. It’s a pretty big book.”

Shining just shook his head with a smile. “Twily, what would we do without that big brain of yours?”

Blushing, Twilight trotted over to the entrance of the makeshift prison and looked out into the much wider cave network. “Over there!” she called out after a minute, pointing. Down a ways were a collection of mine carts, lined up and ready to go as if the mines were still in use. 

As the more fit went to bring them over, Midnight flew up and examined the cave from the air. It was a rather spacious cave system from the looks of it. In fact…

She flew back down as they began loading ponies into the carts. “I think I know a way to get us out of here faster but we need a plan for when we do.”

“Myself and any able guards are going straight to the wedding chapel,” Shining said without hesitation. “That’s where the queen will be. We beat her, the rest should surrender.”

“That’s where my guard will be, so I’ll be heading there with you,” Midnight agreed.

“Your guard?” Twilight asked, but Midnight ignored her. 

“Me, too,” both Holly and Night Skimmer said.

“No,” Midnight said. “We need somepony in authority to round up the rest of the guard who haven’t been replaced by changelings. We’ll need them if things go sideways.”

Shining nodded. “First Lieutenant Holly, that’s your job.”

“But sir!” she protested, “you’ll need my help!”

“This will help, lieutenant, and it’s an order.”

Frowning, she accepted it. “Yes sir!”

“Captain Skimmer, you’ll have to be the one to get the others to the infirmary,” Midnight said.

“Now wait a minute!” Skimmer objected.

“They need somepony to escort them and make sure things don’t get crazy when you drop half the guard into the castle doctors’ laps. After that you can…” she trailed off, frowning. “Where is Princess Luna at this time of day?” she asked.

“She should be in her chambers, sleeping. Even with the wedding going on, she’s been more focused on the threat,” Skimmer said, then his eyes went wide. “You don’t think-!?”

“I don’t know, but I doubt it,” Midnight said. “After you get to the infirmary, go and get her up if the changelings haven’t done anything to her yet. If we have both royal sisters in the fight, it might not be much of a fight at all.”

Skimmer nodded. “I’ll be down with her in no time.”

“Alright, now that that’s settled, what did you mean when you said there was a faster way out?” Shining asked.

“From the looks of it, the caves are large enough that I can go wyvern. You tie the carts onto me and I crawl out of here faster and safer than those carts. Once we reach the entrance we can split up.”

“Agreed. Alright, you all heard…” he looked at Midnight, then at Twilight, then back to Midnight, who nodded, “Captain Storm, once everypony is in the carts, she’ll change and we tie them all off to her. Make sure everypony is secure before we move!”

As Shining organized the process, Twilight looked back up at Midnight. “Captain? You’re a Captain of the Guard?”

Midnight sighed. “Do you want to talk about this right now when the fan is about to get hit or afterwards when I can calmly and fully explain things?” Twilight frowned and Midnight signed again. “I promise I will explain everything when this is all over. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she recited, going through the motions and substituting Arina for a cupcake. 

“Alright, fine,” Twilight said, not happy but mollified. “I’m keeping you to that.”

“Pinkie is keeping me to it,” Midnight grumbled. “Now go help them with the ropes, I need room to change. Oh, and take Arina with you; I can’t hold her while I’m so big.” She threw the protesting spider to Twilight, who caught her in her magic before she could land on the unicorn’s face.

It only took a few minutes to sling the carts under Midnight once she’d changed, then they were off. It was a good thing the caves were big enough for her to crawl through because a few of the rails the carts would have traveled on ended with twisted tracks that would have sent the carts into deep chasms and they would have lost all but the pegasi and thestrals that could still fly, those only being a couple dozen at most. The whole way, Twilight used her magic to guide Midnight to where fresh air was coming into the cave system. Finally, they reached a large ledge with an opening into what looked like the deep levels of the castle. Not being big enough for Midnight to go through, she balanced on the edge while the others disembarked. A few were green from motion sickness, but otherwise all had made it. 

“Alright,” Midnight said after she’d shrunk back down and Arina had jumped back up on her, “let’s get moving and-” She stopped as five ponies blocked the entrance to the castle. 

“You’re not going anywhere!” they said in unison, marching forward. They weren’t changelings, Midnight was sure. At this point, why be disguised to confront them?

“Lyra?” Midnight said, recognizing the one in the middle.

“More changelings?” Shining asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Midnight said. “Lyra! What are you doing down here and not in the room with the mirror?” She asked the unicorn in a surprised tone.

“M-Mirror?” Lyra said, halting her approach in confusion.

“Yes! These four mares were supposed to take you to the mirror to the human world! That’s what the princess promised, remember?”

“Mir-ror? HUMANS? MIRROR TO HUMANS!” And like a light switch, the unicorn turned on the other mares. “WHERE MIRROR!?” She shouted, jumping on them.

With odd looks at the scuffle unfolding before them, the group of guards and servants filed into the castle proper.

“What was-?” Shining asked.

“Conspiracy theorist,” Midnight said. “Crazy beats mind control. Alright everyone, let’s get moving! There’s not a moment to lose!”

Nodding, the group split into two and they went barreling towards their respective destinations.

-----------------------------

The wedding was proceeding rather well, Sapphire thought as Celestia neared the end of the ceremony. Even so, something about the whole affair seemed… off and it wasn’t just because both Midnight and Twilight were still missing. Twilight’s absence had caused a bit of a buzz at the beginning, being the Best Mare and all, but Shining said that he and Twilight had gotten into an argument that had something to do with the wedding, he wouldn’t specify what, and after a few minutes had convinced both Celestia and his parents that they could go forward without her. Whatever her problem was, if she thought it was worth skipping out on the wedding over, then perhaps it was best that she wasn’t there. What was even stranger was that Cadance didn’t even make a peep about this. If fact, she looked pretty out of it from her walk down the aisle all the way up to the alter and all through the ceremony. 

Nothing was said about Midnight’s lack of presence beyond their own group and any mention of her got a cold look from Summer. The anger radiating off the unicorn had diminished as the ceremony went on, but it was still noticeable from where Sapphire was standing.

“And now,” Princess Celestia said, “Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you-”

“STOOOP!” came a yell from the closed doors to the entrance hall, making everyone turn towards them. This was immediately followed by a loud, familiar roar that made Sapphire sigh in relief, no matter why the roar had been made.

The large double doors burst open and two guards came sailing into the chapel, landing half way to the alter with twin, metallic thuds.

Midnight swooped in, landing hard in the center aisle and in full armor, making several very intimidated guests scurry hastily away from her. Twilight quickly joined her. 

“What do you think you’re doing!?” Shining yelled down at them. “How dare you interrupt our wedding like this! And Twilight, where have you been!?”

“Don’t you dare talk to her that way!” said… Shining? Another Shining Armor came up and stood with Midnight and Twilight while a good number of guards, both Solar and Lunar, took up positions behind them. “And it’s not your wedding, anyway.”

“What the…!?” The Shining Armor at the alter started, then took a few steps forward in disbelief. 

“Don’t act too surprised,” Midnight said, “you had plenty of time to figure out what we were capable of, miss Queen of the Bugs! Also, you might have wanted to have better security than four unarmed jailers and five brainwashed mares.” Her hoof blades swung forward.

The Shining Armor at the alter looked from the newly arrived group to Celestia and back several times. “I… but… they…” Finally, he took a breath and glared at them. “Good to know,” he growled. 

“I-I don’t get it,” AJ piped up. “How care there be two of’em?”

“He’s a changeling, a creature that can take the form of anypony and feed off your love for them,” Twilight explained. “And this one isn’t just any changeling, it’s their queen.” 

The fake Shining Armor growled, then became enveloped in green fire, something similar to how Midnight changed in and out of her wyvern form.

“BEARER GUARD!” Midnight called out, “TAKE POSITIONS!” As Midnight put herself between Twilight and the changeling queen, the other eleven members shot out of the crowd and in front of the rest of the bearers by the alter. 

“What is going on!?” Summer yelped as Scarlet bolted past.

“We’ll explain later,” Sapphire said as she put Squeaks on Honey’s back and began to pull the unicorn away from the scene. Orange was also pulling Summer back while Forest pulled Ember and Autumn back with Honey and Squeaks. Spine put himself between them and the changeling. “Right now we have to get clear!”

“But Midnight!” Summer protested.

“Can take care of herself! Trust me Summer, she’s safer than us right now!”

As the green fire dissipated, it left behind what was obviously a changeling but a different one from what they’d seen in the crystal caves. This changeling was tall, as tall and lanky as Celestia, with even larger wings and horn, which, unlike the others, was long, gnarled, and seemed to have holes taken out of it like the legs. This one also had a mane, tail, and normal-ish looking eyes, all the same blue-green as her mid-section.. 

“Right you are, little librarian,” the changeling queen chuckled, her voice oddly distorted like two ponies were talking at once. “And as queen, it’s my job to find my subjects fertile hunting grounds. Equestria has more love than any other place I’ve found, not to mention the alicorn of love herself and her almost inexhaustible supply of it. We’ll be able to absorb so much of it that we’ll become the strongest race on the planet! And don’t think your little shield spell will help you any, either. I’ve been slowly undoing your spell ever since I took your place. You may have enough numbers to fight the changelings that made it inside with me before the shield went up but right now it’s so weak the rest of my army should be breaking through any time now!”

Midnight risked a look outside. There, in the sky was… too many black dots to count and the shield itself seemed to be pulsing all over the place like it was being pelted by rain. Rain in the form of changelings either hitting it with their own magic or even slamming into it bodily. ‘Oh, Tartarus…’

“Despite your pathetic efforts, Canterlot will fall! After that, the rest of Equestria will soon follow, then I, Queen Chrysalis, will lead my changelings to conquer the entire world!”

“No, you won’t,” came a regal, commanding voice from behind the queen. Celestia, having first moved the dazed Cadance out of danger, stepped forward. She no longer radiated a sense of calm and peace but now one of an angry sun, ready to scorch anyone who opposed it to ash. “Shining Armor’s shield may fail but since you have so foolishly exposed who you truly are, I can protect my people! We’ll see how yours fair when their leader is defeated!”

With one massive flap of her wings, Celestia took to the air and shot a beam of golden magic at the queen. Chrysalis immediately countered the blast with one of her own. For a moment, as the beams connected, they seemed evenly matched. Then the changeling’s green magic  pushed the golden one back so fast Celestia never had a chance to move. The green beam connected with the princess like an uppercut, knocking her up and back before she fell heavily to the floor of the chapel. Her crown, knocked loose from the hit, clinked in the stunned silence as it hit the floor.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA!” Twilight cried out, immediately rushing to her mentor’s side, Midnight close behind. 

“Fool!” Chrysalis crowed. “Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for you when the time came!? I’ve been absorbing love almost constantly from Princess Cadance and any love you and your sister had for her, not to mention all the other ponies who adore her! Add to that, with all the running around and worrying I’ve been having you do because of the threat; you can barely stand as it is! Right now I’m more powerful than all three alicorns combined!” 

That was too much. All the ponies present began to panic and try to flee, only to be stopped by all the other guards present showing that they, too, were changelings. Out in the entrance hall, Midnight could hear the guards they’d brought with them beginning to fight. Shining ran up to the alter towards Cadance, but what good that would do, Makers knew. Scanning the crowd, she finally saw Sapphire and the rest of her family and friends backed into an alcove. Out of immediate danger, but stuck there all the same. She caught Sapphire’s eye and while the pegasus was clearly frightened, focusing on the kirin seemed to give her more resolve. Midnight wanted nothing more than to go to them but she knew that might just make them a target right now. 

“The… the Elements…” Celestia groaned as Twilight cradled her head. Her horn was scorched black and even her muzzle looked a bit discolored. All the bearers and bearer guard around her looked equally shocked and afraid that she’d gone down so easily. “You must get the Elements and use them to stop the queen!”

“But what about you!?” Twilight asked, panicked. She’d never seen Celestia so weak before. She was the alicorn of the sun, ruler of Equestria, she wasn’t supposed to be like this!

“As long as you get the Elements and defeat Chrysalis and her army, I’ll be fine, now go!”

“Twilight, we have to move,” Midnight said, nudging her away from the alicorn. “There’s more at stake here than just Celestia!”

Twilight looked up at her, stunned, then nodded. “Y-You’re right… you’re right,” she repeated more strongly. “Girls,” she said, turning to her five friends, “let’s go!” 

As they began to run, Spike hopped up and landed on Twilight’s back. “I’m coming, too!”

“Spike!” Twilight protested.

“Hey, if I could help with Discord, I can help here, too!”

“Bearer Guard!” Midnight called out, fangs extended, “you know your duty! I expect nothing less than every last bit of your effort!” She punctuated the last word with her tail blade hitting the tiled floor.

“Ma’am, yes ma’am!” they chorused, quickly following the bearers. 

Midnight only hesitated for a second to look back at Sapphire. She was holding Squeaks now, both looking right at her. She saw Sapphire mouth the word “go” and she tore after the others. “Arina, stay with them!” Midnight said, throwing the spider across the chapel as she ran out the doors. Arina landed squarely on Squeaks’ head, chirping happily at seeing them again.

“No matter what you do, you can’t win!” Chrysalis called after them, laughing. If she wasn’t so fixated on getting the bearers to the Elements, knowing they were the only real hope they had left, Midnight would have turned around and flung herself at the changeling queen.

There was indeed fighting out in the entrance hall, though the guards seemed to be holding their own. Holly was charging towards the fight with several other guards in toe but there was no sign of Night Skimmer. Either his group had been caught on the way to the infirmary or was having their own fight to get to Princess Luna. Either way, it looked like Holly’s group was all the reinforcements they could expect.

Midnight and several of the others took swipes at the changelings they passed to try and help but they were quickly out the door and running through the castle grounds towards the Elements’ vault. All those present with wings took to the air and by instinct Midnight looked up. She could actually see cracks in the pink dome above them and they were quickly spreading. At that moment she realized that the shield would fail and it would be raining changelings before they got near the vault. “Keep going!” Midnight called, stopping. 

“What are you doing!?” Wild Mane called back as the rest of them slowed down. 

“I’ve got this! Just get to the Elements!” Midnight called back, her hooves bursting into blue flames. 

As all present knew what that meant, they picked up speed again and left the kirin behind. 

Like the long ago fight with the hydra, this wasn’t a fight she planned on winning; it was a delaying action with only two goals: divert as much attention as she could from the bearers onto herself and bring down as many changelings as she possible could. That was it.

The changelings above all pulled back as one, and as one hit the shield one final time. As it broke, so did the blue tornado of fire below, revealing the black wyvern within. With a roar, she met the descending horde with a storm of fire.

-----------------------------

“I know this has been said before, but I am so glad she’s on our side,” Spike said, looking back at the fiery hell Midnight was unleashing on the changelings. 

“There it is!” Twilight called out as they quickly neared the vault. Wild Mane and Hazelnut took the lead, body slamming through the front doors. Miracles of miracles, there weren’t any changelings inside. “Alright, all I should have to do is unlock it and we can end this!” Twilight said, running over and, copying what she’d seen Celestia do last time, stuck her horn into the hole in the middle and channeled her magic into the lock. 

The result was like sticking her horn in an outlet.

The magic shot back into her horn, zapping her into a jittery dance, then shot her halfway back down the room.

“Was that supposed to happen?” Scarlet asked.

“Twilight, darling?” Rarity asked as she helped the other unicorn back to her hooves. “You can unlock the vault door, right?”

Shaking herself, Twilight approached the door again, inspecting it more closely this time. “Uh-oh,” she said after a few seconds.

“Uh-oh? Uh-oh!? Twilight, this is not the time for uh-oh!” Rainbow yelled.

“Okay, okay, I think I can unlock it,” Twilight said.

“You think!?” Tight yelped. 

“It’s locked with alicorn magic! That said, I think I can work around it if some of the mechanism is like a schlage, E-V-V-A-M-C-S, or Shi He Chi Me lock.”

“Whatever you’re planning to do, do it fast!” Wild Mane yelled out as he and Hazelnut shut the door behind them. “The captain’s good, but she can’t keep all the attention to herself!”

From outside, there came a loud, ominous buzzing.

-----------------------------

Midnight roared as a shot of magic almost hit her eye. Snapping her head around, she let out another gout of fire at her tormentor. Whether or not she got him, she didn’t know, but she was already busy lunging at another massed group of changelings nearby. In truth, she had no idea if she’d actually killed any of the changelings she’d torched or swatted so far but she doubted most would be getting up soon. Another plus was that where she’d ended up making her stand was probably the most open part of the royal gardens beside where the hedge maze was. She had plenty of room to spin around, flail her tail, and shoot out stream after stream of fire without having to really worry about accidentally hurting anypony. 

She was doing a good job at keeping most of the changelings at bay and not letting many get near the Elements’ vault but the same could not be said of the rest of the city. From her vantage point she could see many more changelings flooding into the streets, shops, and homes, chasing ponies hither and yawn, probably catching many of them. Several times she almost took off into the city when she saw foals being chased but she reminded herself that she had to stay where she was. Once the bearers used the Elements, this nightmare would be over. 

That was, if they would GET the Elements already! What in Equestria was taking them so long!? A look back at the vault and she could see that a large group of changelings had snuck in under her from the direction of the city and were pouring into the vault. It was when the inside started flashing like one of Vinyl’s concerts that Midnight figured they were going to need more direct help. Roaring and falling to all fours, she began charging towards the vault. If they were having such a problem getting it open, she’d just smash in one of the walls for them.

As she approached, she saw another wave of changeling approaching and turned to blast them. Instead, something bright green slammed into the side of her head like a train. Letting out another roar, this one of pain, Midnight toppled over onto her side. Oddly enough, by the time she hit the ground the pain was gone, replaced by a complete numbness. Several other large, painful impacts hit her as she tried to get back up and this time she saw they were coming from the chapel. ‘Damn that bug-queen bitch!’ Midnight growled to herself as she tried to get up yet again and was rewarded with several more shots. While this time she stayed down, she did angle her head so that her next shot of fire could at least come close to the balcony Chrysalis had to be firing from and make her go back into cover. 

When she felt the angle was good enough, she opened her mouth.

Another green blast shot out and hit her squarely in the back of the throat.

Her roar of pain was cut off as her throat went numb. She could still feel her lungs going up and down but couldn’t feel the air moving in and out. It was such an odd sensation that she couldn’t help but focus on it, even as the blue fire engulfed her again and she screamed at herself to concentrate and keep her wyvern form up. 

‘Don’t you screw this up Twilight, not when we’re this close! Not right after you finally know about us! Don’t tell me we held off for too long!’ she thought as a swarm of changelings descended upon her unresponsive body. 

-----------------------------

“Well, that was close,” Chrysalis said as her horn cooled down. “Wouldn’t want someone to ruin all that hard work by just sitting on a wall.”

“You’re a monster,” one of the ponies behind her spat out.

Turning, she realized it had to be from one of those gathered around the dragon she’d laid out shortly after the bearers and their ridiculous guards had made a break for the Elements. As if they could ever reach them anyway. Celestia had them under magical lock and her alicorn magic was the only key to get inside. That or destroying one or more of the walls around them, but the only one who could really come at them that way was currently laid out on the castle lawn. A valiant attempt, but ultimately futile. 

“Would you call Celestia a monster if she invaded another country for food? Such hypocrites, of course you wouldn’t!”

“Celestia would never invade; she’d negotiate with the other country for food!” It was the blue pegasus with the orange eyes, a small thestral filly hiding behind her legs. The honey-colored unicorn hovering near them had something odd about her, something familiar…

“Keep telling yourself that,” Chrysalis said dismissively. The alicorn in question was currently being secured, hooves, wings, and horn all, to the floor by the few guards left with her. With her demonstration of power, few would be foolish enough to try and attack her and she’d already shown what the consequence of that was. “Then again, it won’t matter soon, will it?”

“The bearers will stop you,” Shining said, still trying to snap Cadance out of her trance. 

“We’ll see,” Chrysalis smirked. 

-----------------------------

“Any time, Twilight!” Sky shouted as she dodged several more blows from her doppelgangers. 

“I’m going as fast as I can!” the unicorn shouted back, sweat running down her face as she concentrated. She was sure she was getting close!

It hadn’t taken long for the changelings that had slipped past Midnight to get in, what with all the windows. As soon as they had broken in, they’d begun to change into either the rest of the bearers or their guards in an attempt to confuse them.

“Only go after your own doppelgangers!” First Sergeant Hazelnut had called out. “They could just sit back and watch us beat each other down otherwise!” As it turned out, it was the best order that could have been given. While the changelings could copy what they looked like, they couldn’t copy their skills or special talents.

This was most notable with Rainbow and Windrunner as the changelings copying them couldn’t possibly match their speeds, even confined in the vault like they were. Rainbow Dash after Windrunner fell out of the air, hit hard by the two speeding trails of rainbow and dust brown. Rarity and Dandelion look-a-likes were easily picked out by their green magic while AJ, Mane, and Scarlet copies began piling up as the three originals used their strength to knock around the changelings like they were training mannequins. Sky, Cleaver, and Star Claw all used their loud screeching to stun the changeling impersonating them before knocking them back down to the ground. Pinkie… well, there was no way for the changelings to keep up with whatever she ended up doing, nor could they pull a party cannon out of nowhere, which began to take its own toll on their numbers. Tight, Blackberry, Spread Eagle, and Spike stayed near Twilight and Fluttershy, the butter yellow pegasus doing her best to stay out of the fight, and beating back anyone that came near or torching them with fire. To Spike’s consternation, the marble floor wasn’t letting him set up a ring of fire around them like he and Midnight had done with Discord.

At first things looked to be going their way with the first wave of changelings all falling with none of their own down for the count. Then they all heard Midnight roar in pain and felt the vibration as she hit the ground. “She’s down!” Windrunner confirmed as she poked her head out of one of the windows. She quickly withdrew back inside as several green magic beams flew in, followed by the next wave of changelings pouring into the vault and the fight was on again.

The world quickly became a blur for the combatants as more and more changelings entered the vault. Now, whenever they knocked a changeling out, two more seemed to take their place and this influx soon began taking its toll. 

Rarity was the first to go down, hit by nearly half a dozen stun spells at once right after taking a pot shot at a trailing Rainbow Dash copy. Pinkie, having grabbed Dandelion and begun using him like some fixed magic cannon, took out the unicorn’s attackers but their stationary position left them open to another volley of stun spells. Scarlet, AJ, and Mane were doing their best to shrug the blasts off but with three of their members down the number of enemies they were taking on were too much for them to handle and they, too, soon fell. They made a good account of their last hits as Scarlet simply jumped into a wad of changelings, clawing with all four limbs and biting anything and everything she could until the whole mass went down with her. AJ’s last buck sent two changelings into another approaching group, taking them all down like bowling pins before another group stunned her. Wild Mane lived up to his name, being a wild blur that tore through the changelings at a disconcerting pace, hitting with his front hooves, bucking with his rear ones, and even head-butting a few that got too close to his face. After the other two fell, the numbers became too much, even for him, and he went down with a mountain of changelings dog-piling him. 

With all the forward ground threats taken out, it became only a matter of time before the non-stop barrage of stun blasts from the ground and air began taking out their air cover. All three thestrals fell in quick succession, not being as fast as either Rainbow or Windrunner but their speed couldn’t save them either. Once they got hit by one stun blast, their speed dropped considerably, allowing them to be hit by more and more until they also fell to the ground. 

“Twilight?” Fluttershy whimpered as the mass of changeling all turned their undivided attention on the last five ponies.

“I… think… I… YES!” Twilight cheered, just as Tight went down. “It’s unlock- oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! There’s another layer!?” Before she could even try and start to unlock this new lock layer, she was hit by over a dozen stun blasts. Before she went down, she noted how these blasts didn’t seem as individually effective as the ones the jailers below the castle had been. She’d have to wait to find out why as she said hello to the darkness.

-----------------------------

Her wait, oddly enough, wasn’t that long. “Twilight and the others will stop you!” she heard Shining say as she came to and saw that they were all being carried back into the chapel. “Just because you took a cheap shot at Captain Storm doesn’t mean-!” Cadance, finally awoken from her drained stupor, added, before stopping short as the bearers and their defeated guards were hauled into the room. They were all awake again though they all looked like they’d been through the ring a few times. Midnight looked even worse, being dragged in by four changelings and still out. A cry of alarm turned her attention to the side where she could see Midnight’s family and friends, still trapped here in the chapel. They were all looking at the kirin, now splayed out on the floor where the changeling had dropped her, like they were watching a pony on their death bed. In the crowd of ponies on the other side of the chapel, she could see her parents there. She should have known they wouldn’t have left, not with both their children in trouble.

“You were saying?” Chrysalis asked with a smirk. Laughing, she turned to the changelings that had brought them in. “Go, feed! The guards here will be more than enough to handle any pitiful resistance they try and put up.” Nodding, the changelings shot back out of the chapel, leaving only about a half dozen guards with the changeling queen. “It’s all rather funny, really,” Chrysalis continued to her captive audience. “Both Twilight and Midnight were suspicious of me, though neither of them realized just what my true plans were. It’s a good thing that the rest of you were so caught up in either planning the wedding or chasing false leads to listen to them!”

Twilight hung her head. She’d tried to get the others to understand just how off Shining had seemed but they’d all dismissed it as frayed nerves from the wedding and running the guard, even though Twilight had known her brother could handle things better. Looking back up, she saw that Midnight now had an eye open and was looking at Scarlet. The hippogriff was looking back at her and nodding as covertly as she possibly could while elbowing Wild Mane next to her. 

“We’re sorry we didn’t listen to ya, Twi,” AJ apologized.

“It’s not your fault,” Twilight said, an idea coming to her. She no longer felt any of the effects of the stun spells and again she noted how weird that was. However, if she was feeling fine again, then so must the rest of them who’d been in the vault. And if Midnight was already up after going down like she had… “she fooled all of us, even Midnight.”1

“Hmm, I did, didn’t I?” Chrysalis said, swaggering over to Midnight, the kirin’s eyes closed again, and giving the still supposedly down and out captain a kick. Noises of protest rose from where Sapphire, Summer, and the others were at. “Besides you Element Bearers, she was the only one that was really a threat. Too bad she’s still out; I guess I’ll just have to wait a bit more before I drain the love from every last one of her friends and family here today!”

Had she’d truly done proper research on the kirin, she would have known how bad a choice it was to have just said what she did. Or, at least, not say it while directly over her.

Like a blue and black lightning bolt, Midnight shot up from the floor, fangs out and gleaming, and bit Chrysalis hard in the base of her neck. Chrysalis screamed and reared back but Midnight was already holding on tight, her legs and wings wrapping around the changeling queen, wing claws digging into her hide, as her head began twisting back and forth as if to tear a chuck out her, which was likely the kirin’s plan. Her tail blade whipped around, trying to plant itself into either the Chrysalis’ back or legs to help bring her down.

The few other changelings in the chapel shot up to defend their queen but were quickly jumped upon when Hazelnut yelled out “NOW!” and the bearer guard fell on them, knocking them back down to the ground and beating them into submission. Spine also pushed himself back up to his feet and jumped on the one changeling to break free and make for the windows, possibly to get reinforcements. Spread Eagle hurried over and kicked the changeling struggling under the dragon out cold.

Remembering she had enough magic to beat Celestia, Chrysalis used it to first grab Midnight’s still flailing tail, then the rest of the kirin and pull her off. Midnight wasn’t so easily dislodged and as she was ripped away, her teeth and claws left deep, badly bleeding tears in the changeling queen’s chitinous hide, making her scream as she flung the kirin away.

“You… you little… you dare!?” Chrysalis said as she touched the spot Midnight had bitten into, green blood oozing out of the wound. Charging her horn up, she turned towards Sapphire and the others. “I’ll show you what happens to someone who defies me!”

Midnight was already up and charging back in but Chrysalis was faster, her magic shot flying before the kirin could get close. 

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for the kirin as the bolt flew across the chapel. Too fast for her to do anything about it, she watched as Sapphire surrounded Squeaks and Arina with her own body, as Summer did the same with Autumn and Orange over her, as Spine dove forward to protect Forest and Ember. As she watched this all unfold, something in her clicked and all she could focus on then was that, no matter what it took, no matter what it cost now, she would KILL Chrysalis and grind her body into the ground until all that was left was a green smear. 

As such, her attention fixed solely on the changeling queen now, it never registered to her when Honey jumped in front of the blast, activated her own magic that was also a sickly green, and blocked it with a shield spell of her own. Honey was pushed back several paces as the bolt hit her shield but, straining, she put all her concentrating and magic into the shield, allowing her yellow fur to flash away in small green-flamed puffs, revealing black chitin underneath. By the time the blast finally fizzled out and she dropped her shield, in Honeysuckle’s place was another changeling, about Midnight’s size and similar in body style to Chrysalis but instead of the queen’s blue-green colors and dead-looking mane, her colors were a honey gold and her mane and tail were voluminous, almost like a normal pony’s would be. “Leave… them… alone!” she yelled at the larger changeling, panting with the exertion of negating the blast.

“YOU!” Chrysalis yelled. “I thought I recognized you, Honeycomb! When I’m done with these meddlesome ponies, I’ll deal with you- AAAARGH!” She screamed as Midnight slammed into her again, teeth and claws and even tail this time tearing into her with the will of a creature possessed. 

As the rest of the bearer guard rushed in to help their captain, Sapphire looked up at the changeling standing between them and the queen. Her golden eyes flicked back towards them momentarily and in that moment, Sapphire thought she saw regret there but then the eyes were back on the escalating fight and so was Sapphire’s. Squeaks’ eyes, however, stayed on the changeling a little longer, her whisper of “Honey?” inaudible over the screams and yells of the fight.

With the changeling queen well and truly distracted, both the bearers and Twilight’s parents made it up to the alter to join Shining and Cadance. “Thank Celestia you two are alright!” Twilight Velvet said as she reached her children, pulling them both into a crushing hug. “And you, too, Cadance dear!” she added, also hugging the alicorn. 

“None of us will be alright if we can’t take out the queen!” Shining said, watching as Chrysalis continued to fight off the entire bearer guard while also trying to pry Midnight off again. 

“What about your spell? Can’t you use that to send all the changelings out of the city?” Twilight asked. Shining had told her about it before and she’d done some research to help him fine-tune it. The spell as it was taught was a larger version of a general shield spell. However, it could be tuned to allow certain species in and keep others out, something useful when hiking in the wilderness or among possibly hostile races. 

Shining closed his eyes and focused, putting as much power into his horn as he could, but it barely lit up at the tip. “I… I can’t! I don’t have the strength to perform it!” He tried again, this time stumbling as even less power emitted from his horn. “They drained me too much!”

“My love will give you strength!” Cadance said, helping him back up, only for them all to stumble as Chrysalis blew all her attackers back with a large pulse of magic.

“Ridiculous!” She shouted, one again getting a firm magical hold on Midnight and ripping her off again, causing more of her green blood to spurt out of fresh wounds. “Only changelings can use love like that!” 

Midnight was back up almost as soon as she hit the floor, just in time to catch a blast of magic right to the face. The impact sent her flying back, slamming into one of the pillars holding up the chapel and cracking it before falling to the floor.

“And once I finish off this abominable pest, I’m going to drain you almost dry and show you true power!” Chrysalis screeched, advancing on Midnight who was trying, and clearly failing, to struggle back to her hooves. 

Cadance glared at the queen’s back, then looked at Shining Armor. He looked just as haggard as she felt. Chrysalis was wrong, though; she had to be. If Twilight and her friends could defeat such enemies as Nightmare Moon and Discord with friendship and harmony, why couldn’t love, her own special talent, work for her? Leaning forward, she touched the tip of her horn to Shining’s and focused. Chrysalis herself had said that Cadance was an almost unending font of love and she pulled on those almost inexhaustible reserves now and channeled them into Shining Armor.

Realizing what she was doing, Shining focused on the love she was giving him, allowing it to flow into him and give him hope and the courage and strength to do what had to be done.

Chrysalis was almost on top of Midnight, watching as the kirin fell back to the floor, her eyes unfocused and breathing shallow, even as she still tried to crawl towards her. She’d kill off this persistent vermin, then that little traitor, then drain each and every single pony in this chapel dry before leading her changelings into a glorious new golden era as masters of the continent and, eventually, masters of the entire world! As she powered up her horn for one finale blast, she noticed that the green glow of her horn was being over taken by an even brighter pink and blue glow from behind. Spinning around, she saw Cadance and Shining Armor glowing in their respective magic auras, the power of their magic becoming more and more obvious with every second. “NO!” she screamed, flying towards them.

Too late. Shining’s shield spell detonated and the pink magic slammed into the rushing changeling queen like she’d run into a brick wall. Honey, seeing this, jumped into the air, only to get smacked by the magical wall as well, smacking her into the chapel wall behind. Chrysalis was sent flying out of the chapel windows, out over the castle, and eventually out of the city, the force sending her flying out into the distance. All changelings in the city were also sent flying, many out of the city with their queen but quite a few into the sides of buildings and walls.

And, just like that, the invasion was over.

With Chrysalis gone, Sapphire, Squeaks, Summer, and the others, along with the bearer guard, all swarmed to Midnight’s side. 

Holly and several other guards stormed into the chapel, looking for changelings to fight but the few they saw were in no condition. Shooting a questioning look up at her captain, Shining nodded back wearily. “Medic,” he said in a tired but relieved voice.
> Ch.23 - Change Back to Normal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midnight jerked, only to stiffen and hiss as pain shot through her. Holy smokes did she feel like Tartarus. ‘That’s twice now,’ she mentally grumbled. At least this time there wasn’t any nightmare and she hadn’t lost control when she’d gone wyvern. She could finally check that off her worry list; if nothing else had kicked in this time, it most likely never would.

Then her mind caught up with her. The invasion, fending off the changeling army so the others could get the Elements, her fight with the changeling queen Chrysalis. Panic surged but she quickly fought it down. She felt pain, which meant she was alive. She was on her back and felt sheets around her and a bed underneath cushioning her, which meant that she wasn’t still in the chapel or stuck in another crystal cell. That could only mean that they’d won and she was in a hospital bed. The sound of soft hoof-steps and the occasional moan of pain helped with the conclusion. 

She took a deep breath and felt a comforting hoof on her foreleg. 

“You’re alright; you’re in the castle infirmary,” came Sapphire’s soft voice.

Carefully, Midnight turned her head and cracked open her eyes. Sapphire’s blue face and orange eyes filled her vision and the kirin gave her a weak smile. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she said in a quiet voice. 

The pegasus offered her a cup of water which the kirin took readily. “You’ve only been in the hospital once before, thank the makers,” Sapphire told her as she drank.

“Twice too many,” Midnight grumbled when she was finished. “So, did we win, or is this all some kind of illusion to keep me placated?”

“We won,” Sapphire said, smiling. “If changelings could do the kind of magic you’re talking about, I think we would have been their batteries a long time ago.”

“Sounds fair.” She winced as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position. 

Sapphire immediately put her hooves on her chest. “You need to rest.”

“When I get comfortable,” Midnight said, ignoring the hooves and pain and pushing herself up, only to compromise and settle for an inclined position. She would have stretched her wings out as well, but they were bandaged to her barrel. Probably for the best.

Beds with mares, stallions, and even the odd foal were arranged throughout the very large room while nurses and doctors filed around them, stopping at this patient or that, checking the clipboards and talking with the pony for a minute before moving on. Many she recognized, thankfully none were her family or immediate friends. 

“Most are the ones you, Twilight, and Shining rescued from the caverns,” Sapphire confirmed. “The rest were either found in pods or got hurt fighting the changelings off.” 

A doctor, seeing Midnight was awake, hurried over. “Glad to see you’re awake, Captain Storm. How are you feeling?”

“Like a train hit me,” she said.

The doctor nodded. “Makes sense; you took a beating, not to mention the magic beam point-blank to the face and being slammed into a column hard enough to crack it. The good news is that, most likely thanks to your half-dragon biology, the injuries weren’t as bad as they could have been and you should be back in your own bed by tomorrow night; we’d like to keep you here for observation just in case since you’ve been out since yesterday. The bad news is that you’ll be sore for almost a month at our best guess, so you might want to talk to the princesses about a temporary replacement while you take it easy. Other than that, you should be able to make the wedding. Don’t hesitate to wave somepony down if you need anything.”

Midnight nodded, not bothering to correct him on her biology and waiting until he was a few beds away before snorting at his back. “A month? A broken leg didn’t even take that long…” Then something clicked. “Wait, how did he know I was a captain? And the wedding is still happening?”

“Practically everypony knows by now,” Sapphire said, shuffling a bit. “Twilight clarified it for the other bearers and, of course, everypony was down here getting looked over when she told them, so Summer, Orange, and Autumn also heard, and then Windrunner and Scarlet came clean…” She bit her lip and gave her an apologetic look. “As for the wedding, well…” She nodded off to the side.

Midnight rested a hoof on her’s. “It was bound to come out sooner or later and I knew the jig was up when we went after the Elements. I’m just surprised it’s filtered down so far.”

“Soldiers talk,” said a familiar voice from her other side. “As for the wedding, we agreed morale needed a boost, plus I did propose to her and everything is already set up.”

Midnight looked over to find Shining Armor in the next bed over. In the bed next to his was Princess Cadance and the bed after that had Captain Night Skimmer. All three looked in much better condition than when she’d last seen them.

Midnight grunted. “Didn’t see you take a hit, and what happened with Princess Luna?” she asked Skimmer.

“They had changelings posted outside of her room and knocked her out with spiked milk,” Skimmer said. “By the time we finally got her up, it had been over for a while.”

“And I was down in those caverns for a month,” Shining retorted. “I’d like to see you do any better.”

They held a level gaze for a few more seconds, then both of them grinned.

“Thanks. For everything,” Shining said.

“Just doing my job,” Midnight responded, “though I’m glad to see everyone’s alright.”

Sapphire and Cadance shared a smile. It might have taken an invasion, but the two captains seemed to finally be getting along.

“So, how did we get out of this one?” Midnight asked, laying back with a sigh. 

“Cadance and I blasted them all out of Canterlot,” Shining said proudly.

Midnight raised an eyebrow at him. “How? You were still barely on your hooves from being imprisoned so long and she practically had all her magic drained.”

“Alicorns bounce back a lot faster than normal ponies,” Cadance clarified, “As for Shining, I was able to share my magic with him. We were just so happy to be together again that, well, we just kind of focused on that and our magic surged and became a shield that blasted all the changelings out of Canterlot.”

“Magic wall of love. Heh, like being pummeled with a deer leg,” Midnight chuckled.

Shining grimaced. “Not all the changelings. A lot went flying because they were out in the open, but others were smacked into buildings and walls. The guards who are still on their hooves are rounding them up now.”

“Actually...” Sapphire said hesitantly, wincing, “that’s why Squeaks isn’t here right now.” Midnight had noticed the lack of a young thestral at her bedside but had chalked it up to her resting as well. “You know how close she was with Honeysuckle; when it turned out she was one of them…”

“That’s something else we’re going to have to do,” Shining interrupted. “We need to find everypony the changelings impersonated. Can you think of any point that Honeysuckle suddenly changed, even just a little bit? A personality quirk that came or went out of the blue?”

“Not now Shining,” Cadance chided. “Midnight’s still recovering and the guard has her downstairs with the other changelings; we’ve got plenty of time to talk with her at our leisure.”

“Yeah, but Honeysuckle might not,” he said, a hard light in his eyes.

Midnight’s eyes, in contrast, became thoughtful. Yes, Honeysuckle, or Honeycomb, if Chrysalis was at all to be believed, was indeed a changeling, or at least had been impersonating the unicorn. That said, she’d never seen Squeaks, Sapphire, or Windrunner look as haggard as Cadance had. And Chrysalis had seemed pretty venomous towards her once her disguise was gone. And she had protected Squeaks and the others when Chrysalis had attacked them.

Or was she just protecting her food source?

Her train of thought was interrupted by a commotion at the infirmary entrance. Looking up, she could see her mother, Squeaks on her back, the bearers, Ember, Forest, Spine, and the entire bearer guard outside and arguing with the guards on duty.

She was about to call out for the guard to let them in when she saw the doorway had odd-looking, faintly green lanterns near the top of it.

“What are those?” she asked the room in general.

“Lanterns with an anti-disguise spell on them,” Night Skimmer explained. “If a changeling in disguise gets too close, it shorts it out. Every doorway has them and the ward for the changeling prisoners has one on every bed. This way none of them can sneak out or any remaining outside get in.”

Midnight hummed to herself thoughtfully, then noticed the doctor coming by again. “Hey, doc,” she called out, “are we allowed visitors now?”

“Of course,” he said. “I suppose the crowd outside is here to see you?”

“I’d bet money.”

“Then I’ll let the guard know to let them in. I’d ask that they not stay too long though… oh…” he bowed, and they all looked back to the doorway to see Celestia and Luna leading the others inside. 

“Your majesties,” all three captains, Sapphire, and the doctor said.

“Aunties,” Cadance added.

“Hello everypony; it’s good to see you all doing so well,” Celestia said with a nod.

“Had worse,” Midnight said with a shrug as she ran a hoof through Squeaks’ mane. The filly had her head propped over the bed side while Sapphire held her up. She looked as worried as when she’d seen Midnight after the hydra attack.

“Not something I’d like to hear,” Summer said, disapprovingly, “Captain.”

‘Oh pony-feathers.’ “I didn’t exactly like keeping it a secret…” Midnight started lamely, wincing a bit at her mother’s glare.

“Then when were y’all gonna tell us?” Applejack asked, giving her a penetrating stare of her own. Of course it would be the Bearer of Honesty who’d be the most ticked off.

“My little ponies, please,” Celestia said, cutting off any further questions or points, “I was the one who told her to keep the bearer guard secret. I was concerned that if the guard was known things might change dramatically between you all. It was felt that a secret guard could better protect you from unforeseen dangers and help tremendously with others.”

“Such as Discord,” Midnight clarified, “or bunyips,” she gave AJ a look and the apple farmer looked away. “Or diamond dogs.” It was Rarity’s turn to blush. “Or hydras, or potential war with the buffalo…”

“Alright, alright, we get the picture,” Rainbow said. “Still sucks you didn’t tell us.”

“Actually, I’m surprised it isn’t bigger, now that I think about it,” Twilight said, looking around.

“That’s a very good point, Twily,” Shining said, shooting Midnight a smirk.

“Shining,” Cadance warned. Darn it, they were finally getting along!

“Because,” Midnight growled out, sending him back a death-glare, “the criteria for induction into the Bearer Guard, which Captain Armor knew about, was that they couldn’t be existing guards you could recognize and who could become friends with at least one of you so they could stay close.”

“Wait, so Windrunner hangs out with me because you ordered her to?” Dash asked with a betrayed tone, looking over at the other pegasus. Windrunner winced.

“No,” Midnight said for her. “I asked her to become part of the guard and she agreed. I asked her because she was getting along so well with you. No-one was ordered to like anyone else.”

“Okay,” AJ spoke up, mollified. “So when did Scarlet and Tight join in?”

It was Midnight’s turn to wince. “The same time as Night Sky, Star Claw, Dark Cleaver, Wild Mane, Hazelnut, Blackberry, Dandelion, and Spread Eagle.”

“Wait, it was only you and Windrunner for that whole time!?” Twilight yelp.

“Yeah… I’ll admit to there being some flaws with the whole thing,” Midnight shot another look at Shining, “but it wasn’t all cut and dry like the other guard branches; we couldn’t just openly ask for recruits.”

“Which is probably going to change now,” Scarlet amended. 

Midnight nodded, her face becoming thoughtful.

“So, um, does this mean there’s going to be guards following us around from now on?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“No…” Midnight said slowly, eyeing Celestia and Luna. When neither contradicted her, she continued. “The whole point of keeping the guard a secret was to not disrupt your lives, which, seeing how the Elements work, is still a priority. They might follow you but nowhere near as close as they do for the Princesses. Your friends are still your friends, they just know what to do if things go sideways.”

“Truth,” Princess Luna added. “The six of thee create Equestria’s strongest defense and have already faced such level of crisis thrice. It would be folly not to have others making sure thou art safe and not brought low when the realm would have need of thee the most.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Twilight said.

“So does that mean we just lost two work-hooves for the farm?” AJ asked.

“I don’t see why they can’t still work on the farm,” Midnight said. “The whole point was to be discrete and it would be best if they stayed on the farm.”

“But if everypony has another job, how can they be effective guards?” Twilight asked.

“Again, we needed cover,” Midnight pointed out “and I already had a job. Sapphire was the one who made sure everyone was informed. Now, however,” she turned to the princesses, “I think it would be best, now that everyone knows and won’t ask awkward questions, that we all have some dragon fire to help stay in touch, maybe even use colored paper as codes for even quicker response.”

“Does that mean you’ll finally let Princess Celestia teach you how to use flame mail?” Spike asked.

Midnight snorted. “Tartarus no. Remember how you said Garble threw away that letter from Celestia? The one that would have told us about this particular wedding?”

“Oh, yeah,” Spike said with a wince.

“Well, it would be kinda bad if, say, I got captured and I coughed up a note with our battle plan right into the enemy’s hooves. It would also screw up my hunting. No, I’ll take a dragon fire lighter as well, thanks.”

“Also,” Night Sky spoke up, “now that the guard is no longer secret, we can be full-time guards. Our families can run those businesses without us.”

“And since you’re in the Everfree a lot anyway, you’ll be the first one to run into any trouble out there, which leaves us free to keep an eye on things in town,” Hazelnut added.

That was true. Even if she stopped being a woodcutter, she’d still spend time in there hunting. That would make her the buffer for Fluttershy. Windrunner would still hang out with Rainbow, Scarlet and Tight would be able to cover AJ, the other three would be kept an eye on by the five truly trained guards, and the thestrals could be on patrol all night. It was effective cover for what they had now and would be the basis for how any new guards, and there would be after this, were stationed.

As she mulled the idea around, she looked down and saw Squeaks still looked distressed. “Hey, what’s with the long face?” she asked, rubbing her cheek gently. “I’ll be out of here by tomorrow.”

Squeaks’ ears wilted. “Honey won’t.”

“We’ll find her soon,” Midnight assured her. She hoped that the changeling had taken her after they had met her, otherwise Squeaks would really have lost a friend.

However, Squeaks just wilted further at Midnight’s words.

Midnight looked up at Sapphire with a raised eyebrow. The pegasus bit her lip but refused to say anything. A quick look at Summer showed the unicorn with the same exasperated look she had given her at times now aimed at Squeaks. The bit dropped. ‘Oh, horse apples’

“Squeaks,” Midnight said slowly, “there’s no proof that the changeling downstairs is-”

“She protected us!” Squeaks piped up suddenly. “She kept us safe when the queen attacked us! She didn’t let any changelings get us!”

“Probably just protecting her food,” Shining snarled.

“She wasn’t!” Squeaks insisted.

“Squeaks,” Midnight said, calmly but firmly and deliberately ignoring Shining. “We don’t know why she did what she did but she is a changeling, which means she took someone’s place, which means she foalnapped someone and hid them away somewhere. We have to find that someone and she has to be punished for it.” 

She could see Squeaks’ eyes getting wet and she pulled the filly up onto the bed with her, where she silently curled into her side, looking even smaller than usual. “She protected us,” she said, quietly and pleadingly.

“After you, she’s been asking about her all day,” Sapphire told her. She glanced over at Summer and Shining. “You can imagine how some ponies are taking that.”

“She’s probably under some kind of spell to make her sympathize with it,” Shining said. “The sooner we snap her out of it, the better.”

“Shining!” Cadance snapped. “Enough! She’s confused and scared enough as it is!”

“She’s defending a changeling!” He hissed back.

“Because everyone of the same race is exactly the same,” Midnight huffed. “Just like Spike and Spine are jerks because they’re dragons-”

Said dragons huffed. “I’m not a jerk like Grable was!” Spine said.

“Yeah!” Spike agreed.

“- and Gilda was a jerk because all griffons are jerks-”

“I said I was sorry,” Rainbow shot back.

“- and all phoenixes love to make mischief.” 

“She’s always been a bit of a trouble maker,” Celestia admitted. “I believe the point you’re trying to make is that just because she’s a changeling doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt?”

Midnight nodded. “I will admit that she most likely took the real Honeysuckle’s place. However, I also haven’t seen any of us look as haggard as Cadance since she started living with us and there IS the matter of her defending everyone when she could have simply ran off or helped the invasion. The way Chrysalis acted towards her I really don’t think she was part of it; more likely she was from a different group or even a rogue on her own and got caught in the mix. Of course,” she looked pointedly at the princesses, “we won’t know anything until someone speaks with her; loosens her lips and everything.”

Celestia and Luna shared a quick glance.

“We will look into arranging the matter,” Celestia said. “In the meantime, please relax and focus on getting better.”

Midnight nodded. “Of course and thank you for visiting us.”

Both princesses smiled and nodded before turning back towards the doorway. 

“Well, ponies keepin’ an eye on us’ll take some gettin’ used to,” AJ said, “but I think we know now why ya did it. Thanks for helpin’ us out when ya did.”

“No charge,” Midnight said with a grin. “Don’t be afraid to give us some feedback, either. Now that you know we’re around, we need to work together to make things comfortable.”

The bearers all said agreements and goodbyes before filing out of the room after the princesses.

“Well, it’s not the most reckless thing you’ve done,” Summer said with a sigh. “Then again, you never had to go to the hospital,” her eyes narrowed, “twice.”

“Mom…” Midnight started, then sighed as well. “I know this might sound weird, especially how exasperated I get with how things go sometimes, but… it just feels right, almost like it would be my cutie mark if I didn’t already have one.” Her eyes tabled. “And it’s not like I deliberately throw myself in the meat grinder, I’m just more durable than others and survive worse.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Summer said, “but… I can respect how you feel about it.” She looked up at the ceiling and let out a long breath. “Just… promise me you’ll be careful and not do anything reckless?”

Midnight raised an eyebrow. “Again, you think I’m a masochist?” 

Summer rolled her eyes and nuzzled her. “Get well soon,” she looked down at Squeaks, “and please help her understand.”

“I will, now go on, shoo! I need my beauty sleep, according to everyone.”

Summer stuck her tongue at her but turned away with a smile. Forest and Ember, after a quick, hushed word with Spine, also said their goodbyes and left, leaving Spine behind.

Once the three were out of earshot, Sapphire turned back to her. “What are you up to?”

Midnight blinked innocently. “What?”

“Don’t “what” me; I saw the look you gave the princesses. You’re up to something and I want to know. I’ve been worried about you and it ends now.”

“Sapphire,” Midnight started, then stopped. Sapphire looked to be on the verge of tears and she realized just how upset she’d made her marefriend. Sighing, she motioned for Sapphire to lean in close. When she did, she whispered her plan.

“Midnight…” Sapphire said, disapproval clear on her face, but then she just shrugged. “Fine, just promise me you’ll have others there with you!”

Midnight leaned over and nuzzled her. “Don’t worry, it’s simple, straightforward, and everything is already taken care of, plus I already planned to have a few of the guard with me, just in case.” She looked down at Squeaks. “Just stay with her tonight, okay?”

Sapphire nuzzled her back. “Of course.”

“And what can I do for you, Spine?” Midnight asked, turning her attention to the dragon.

Spine twitched his wings. “How much is a guard paid?”

-----------------------------

“Are you sure about this?” Windrunner asked quietly as she, Night Sky, and Wild Mane followed Midnight down the stairwell. The empty and dark halls of the castle during the night were rather foreboding. The thoughts of changelings hiding in the shadows ready to pounce didn’t help.

“I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t,” Midnight said, eyes fixed ahead determinedly. 

“Lucky break the other captains and princess were already released by the time we came,” Mane noted, “or that none of the doctors saw us leave.”

Midnight’s ear flicked. “Anypony ever tell you you’re too observant, sergeant?”

Mane smiled. “Once or twice.” The smile fell. “Captain, permission to speak freely.”

“Granted.” 

“Aren’t you taking this a little personally? Wouldn’t it be better for somepony else to do this?”

Midnight slowed. “Possibly, but I was also the one who came up with this plan-”

“After barely a minute,” Sky pointed out, fiddling with the pouch fastened around her neck.

“-and I’m going to see it enacted properly. Tell me something sergeant: if we saw a draconequus, not Discord but a new one entirely, around the bend right now, what would you do? What would you think?”

Mane blinked. “Call an alarm, keep it pinned if I could until reinforcements arrive.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a draconequus. I can see what you’re getting at, ma’am, but at the same time, to continue with your imagined situation, the only draconequus we’ve ever met was Discord. This is the first time most ponies have ever even heard of changelings, much less met any, and they didn’t exactly cover themselves with good cheer when they dropped out of the sky.”

“And all of Honeycomb’s actions up to and during the invasion run counter to what Chrysalis was doing,” Midnight said as they rounded another corner and the entrance to the changeling ward came into view. 

“It could still be a ruse; a backup plan,” Windrunner said.

“I get the feeling that Chrysalis was already using several back up plans,” Midnight said, “Either way, there is such a thing as being so clever you outsmart yourself and I don’t think her snarling at Honeycomb was acting.”

They reached the two guards blocking the entrance way. “Captain Storm, First Lieutenant Windrunner, Sergeant Night Sky, and Sergeant Wild Mane of the Bearer Guard,” Midnight announced as she and the other three snapped salutes. “We’re here to conduct an interrogation.”

The two privates saluted as well but looked at each other.

“We weren’t told anything about an interrogation, ma’am,” the left one said, his eyes sliding towards the two lanterns hanging above the doorway.

Midnight mentally sighed. She couldn’t blame them for being on alert. She stepped further into the lanterns’ light, making sure their light gleamed on her fur. Both guards visibly relaxed.

“The decision was made last minute,” Midnight admitted. “I’ve already informed the princesses, however if there is anyone else you can spare, you can have them confirm that with the princesses while we wait.”

The two guards looked at each other again. 

“We’re not concerned that you don’t have clearance, ma’am,” the one on the right said, “just that, given what you were able to do to their queen, your presence might agitate the prisoners to the point of riot.”

“I understand the concern,” Midnight agreed with a nod, “and if things start to get out of hoof, I can assure you, not only will I leave immediately, but I will send the rest of the bearer guard down to assist you in regaining control of the situation.”

The guards hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Is there a particular prisoner you wish to see?” the left one asked. “Perhaps we can direct you to them.”

Midnight nodded. “I’m looking for the female changeling with the honey-colored mane.”

The right guard nodded. “Half way down and against the right-hoof wall. Shouldn’t be hard to miss since she’s the only one in there with an actual mane.”

“Thank you,” Midnight nodded, slipping through the doorway with Windrunner, Sky, and Mane close behind. 

The ward was about the same size as the one she’d been in with what looked like just as many beds. Two nurses, a pegasus and a unicorn, wound their way through the sea of beds. They looked up, caught Midnight’s eye, then went back to their work. The difference here was that each bed had a changeling in it and a lantern hanging off it, the lanterns being the only sources of light in the nighttime darkness. Some gnawed at the restraints on their front legs securing them to their beds, others tried disguising themselves, only to flash back to their original forms. Some of those were going at it constantly, possibly in some kind of attempt to overwhelm the lanterns. The rest, however, laid still, asleep, too injured to even move, or just lying awake and seemed to be lost in thought. 

Honeycomb was one of those. She sat up straight in her bed but her eyes were down and staring at nothing. 

Midnight slowed as they approached, her coat letting her stay more or less hidden from the changeling’s sight. She had only gotten a glance at her when she’d been revealed, focused as she was on tearing Chrysalis’ throat out, and she only knew she was larger than the other changelings save the queen and had the same honey-colored mane her unicorn disguise had.

Face-wise, she looked like any normal pony with the same kind of muzzle, if a bit more square-shaped like Celestia’s or Luna’s with two small fangs sticking out. Her fur… chitin… skin, whatever, was the same jet black as the other changelings but at the same time seemed softer. Her mane, kept straight and at a modest length in her pony disguise, was long and voluminous and seemed to glow in the light from the lantern. The horn sticking out of her head had, like her legs, holes in them but possibly not as many as Chrysalis had. It was shaped like a kukri knife with the point aimed towards her back. Her wings were just as insect-like as Chrysalis’ but they came out of a spot on her back that was just as honey-gold in color as her mane, as were her eyes. That pattern of coloration had been the same as Chrysalis only the queen’s had been a blue-green color. Midnight could only imagine her tail was the same as her mane. 

As Midnight got closer, Honeycomb finally looked up at the sound of approaching hoofsteps. The moment she saw who it was she looked away quickly, trying to hide her face with her mane.

‘No wonder she and Fluttershy got along so well together’ Midnight thought as she reached the side of the bed and sat down, Windrunner, Sky, and Mane taking up positions behind her. It was then she realized that Fluttershy also never looked like Cadance had when Chrysalis had been feeding on her love. Maybe she’d been feeding off a cocooned Honeysuckle? A shiver ran up the kirin’s spine. 

It didn’t seem like the question to start with, nor could she think of just what to get things moving. She felt betrayed, sure, but also confused and curious. She didn’t even know what tone she wanted to use. They stayed there for a few minutes in silence.

“How long?” Midnight finally said, her voice low but sharp with accusation. 

Honeycomb flinched like Midnight had just cut her but stayed silent.

“How long have you been impersonating Honeysuckle? Was it even her decision to come to Ponyville, or was that you fleeing the scene… or escaping with your larder?”

Again, Honeycomb flinched. 

Midnight suspected that was going to happen a lot tonight. “Well?”

“There…” she finally spoke up, then swallowed. “There never was a… a Honeysuckle,” Honeycomb said quietly. “I… I created her.” Her voice had almost that same duel-voice effect Chrysalis had but it was also distinctly Honeysuckle’s.

Midnight snorted. She was tempted to say “liar” to see how she would react but bit it back. “From what I understand, changelings take the place of a pony to feed off the love for that pony.”

“Not all of us.”

“Explain.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Windrunner discreetly scribbling into a notepad. That bit of paper would be the key to her whole plan, after what was in the pouch Night was carrying anyway. ‘One point for her being different’ she thought.

“I…” Honeycomb began, then swallowed. “We’re not supposed to talk about ourselves with other races.”

“A good way to let others think the worst of you,” Midnight snapped. “You want to put your species into our good graces? You want us to not throw any of your kind in jail just for being what you are? Look me in the eye and explain it to me!”

Honeycomb jumped at the sudden raise in volume and looked up at the kirn. To her surprise, Midnight’s eyes weren’t ice cold, nor did they look accusing. They were twin pools of blue fire, searching for something only she had the answers to and she would grill her until she got those answers. Fire could be warm and comforting or burning and painful; right now she couldn’t tell which kind of fire burned in the kirin’s eyes.

“I… I don’t know where to start,” she admitted. 

The fire in Midnight’s eyes lost some of their intensity. “Why did Queen Chrysalis and her army come to Canterlot? If all they were looking for was food, why didn’t they start with a town on the edge of Equestria? You were trying to tell me something the day I got captured and Sapphire said you tried again right before the wedding. Were you trying to warn us about the invasion? Why did you insist how important that was?”

Honeycomb shook her head. “I don’t know. I was banished from… from Aunt Chrysalis’ hive four or five years ago.”

That made all the bearer guards present raise an eyebrow. “Aunt Chrysalis?” Midnight repeated.

Honeycomb nodded. “Yes. I ended up living with her for nearly a year after…” she trailed off, her golden eyes beginning to shine with wetness. “Actually, I think I know where to start,” she said. “As for what I was trying to say, I was trying to warn you that changelings were in the castle but then I didn’t think you’d believe me unless I showed you what I was and… I was scared you’d throw me in prison or banish me. I didn’t want to be alone again.”

Midnight only nodded for her to continue. 

Honeycomb took a deep breath. “My grandmother, Queen Monarch, had three daughters; my oldest aunt, Spinneret, my second aunt, Chrysalis, and my mother, Ambrosia. All three eventually left her hive and created hives of their own.”

“Wait a second,” Midnight interrupted, “if both your grandmother and aunt were, are, queens, then does that mean your mother was a queen, too?”

Honeycomb nodded. “Yes, that makes me a princess, in a sense.”

Midnight looked back at the other three, who were giving her equally surprisingly, confused stares. The two nurses, who were much closer now, also raised their eyebrows.

“Just so you know, the terms “queen” and “hive” don’t exactly mean the same thing for us as they do for insects,” Honeycomb clarified. “A “hive” for us is something other races would call a “city-state”, although its structure could resemble something of a hive. Each one is ruled by their own queen, which I guess is straightforward enough, since they really do rule, unlike a mayor. Changelings live and work within the hive like regular ponies do.”

“Then why attack us?” Midnight repeated.

“It started soon after my grandmother passed. The badlands have always been tough to live in but the hives prospered. Then, without warning, our crops just started to die off.”

“Crops?” Midnight asked.

For the first time Honeycomb actually smiled. “Changelings don’t feed off love exclusively; we only use it to help with digestion. Other than that, we can eat anything any other race can eat. It wouldn’t help to replace somepony, only to be outed because we didn’t like their favorite food.” She took a breath, and her eyes became distant. “All three hives began to panic as year after year the harvest became less and less fruitful. Finally, Aunt Spinneret called for an invasion of Equestria, arguing that why should we starve while the ponies, our prey…” she stopped, swallowed, then continued, “while the ponies got fat off their own land which seemed to become more bountiful every year. Aunt Chrysalis and my mother kept meeting with her, kept reminding her that we couldn’t reveal ourselves, kept telling her that even if she succeeded, her method of collecting love would bring the full might of Equestria down on us…” she trailed off.

“Her… method?” Midnight prodded. 

Honeycomb smiled again but it was an unamused one. “It’s funny; three hives each practicing different ways to gather love. You’ve seen how Aunt Chrysalis does it; replacing a pony and putting them in a cocoon. The thing is, if things were fine back home, the changelings of her hive would still have replaced a victim, but kept the pony in the cocoon alive and simply switched them back after a week or two. It would be like the pony just hit their heads and forgot the time they were captive. You could say she was the middle ground. Aunt Spinnerets’ method was… her changelings would immediately and forcefully drain a pony of their love, which more often than not… killed them. Then they would take their place and actively drain the ponies around them. When they finally felt they’d collected enough love, they often left behind a few more dead or dying ponies. If Aunt Spinneret had her way, it would have been a massacre and Equestria would not only know of us but declare war on us as well. So, my mother and Aunt Chrysalis went to war with her. As bad as things were, the war made it even worse. In the end mother and Aunt Chrysalis won but Aunt Spinneret and most of her hive were dead, as were many of our own dedicated warriors.”

“The ones with armor,” Midnight noted.

Honey nodded. “Even warrior changelings are weaker than pony guards but didn’t it seem strange that the bearers and the rest of the guard were able to fight the other changelings so easily?”

“That was weird,” Mane spoke up. “We blew through them like wet paper, even when they ganged up on us. Only thing that stopped us were those stunning spells.”

“Starved and without training; of course they would be,” Honeycomb said.

“Wait, so those were civilian changelings fighting out there?” Midnight asked.

Honeycomb nodded. “It’s obviously so bad that Aunt Chrysalis led every changeling from the hive on this invasion; the hive is most likely empty right now.”

So, Chrysalis wasn’t lying about coming here for food. This wasn’t even a real invasion; it was last, desperate food raid centered on where they believed the most love was. With the alicorn of love, a virtual unending fount of the stuff, and a royal wedding, it was practically impossible for them to pass it up. All that talk of further invading Equestria must have been the adrenaline talking.

“So, your mother and Chrysalis won; what happened next?” Midnight asked, gentler than before.

“Things actually got better for a time but that was because there were fewer mouths to feed. Soon enough, though, we were all starving again.”

“You told us how your aunts collected love,” Midnight interrupted. “How did your mom do it?” 

Honeycomb smiled. “The hardest and least productive way but with better long-term results. Her way was to study the ponies of an area, then tailor our magic to disguise us as a whole new pony who would “just recently arrive in town”. Of course they’d be disguised as a pony who would be loved by as many as possible but they would only collect love that was sent their way, not drain it if at all possible and even then only small sips the pony wouldn’t even notice. That way they could eventually slip in and out whenever they wanted to, even a different changeling each time as long as they had the same disguise. I think my mother was actually trying to get away from us living in hives. She often said it would be better if we just integrated with pony society, one or two families to a town.” She frowned. “Aunt Chrysalis disagreed, saying that it would be the end of us as a species if we did that. Both my mother and I thought she was exaggerating because supposedly grandmother had sisters of her own somewhere else.

“It didn’t matter. Aunt Chrysalis refused to listen and even threatened to declare war on our hive, too, if we tried to leave the badlands en masse. I think mom told any changeling going on a collection run to find someplace to stay and not come back since fewer and fewer of them ever did. I don’t know if Aunt Chrysalis knew and her threat was an empty one or if she truly didn’t know but it was easy to see that our hive was steadily shrinking.”

Honeycomb took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Then one day, my mother wasn’t able to get out of bed. I hadn’t noticed until then but she kept taking smaller and smaller portions of food and love for herself and had her tenders give them to me. At that point, she practically refused either, only taking enough until Aunt Chrysalis could arrive.” Her voice began to waiver and her eyes became wet. “She… she was so fragile-looking that day, laying in bed, barely able to move and thin… she almost looked like a completely different changeling…” She took another deep breath. “When Aunt Chrysalis arrived, my mother begged her to take me and the rest of the changelings remaining in the hive into her own, like they’d done with what had been left of Aunt Spinnerets’. Aunt Chrysalis agreed, then mother turned to me, said she loved me, and then… and then…”

None of the others pressed her to continue as she quietly cried. Midnight even fidgeted like she wanted to comfort Honeycomb. The pegasus nurse with the pink mane came over with a cup of water, which she pressed into Honeycomb’s hooves when she’d calmed down enough. She nodded the nurse her thanks when she finished the water, took several ragged but steadying breaths, then continued.

“We left the hive the next day, after we… after the funeral. Things seemed better at Aunt Chrysalis’ hive but not by much. Things continued to get worse and as they did so, she started to say things to me. Little things at first, like how much food and love I was taking and how I might consider giving some to the hive’s foals. Then… then she started saying other things. Like, how it was odd I seemed as healthy as I was when other changeling from my hive weren’t, how mother had been wasting away while I continued to “prance about without a care in the world”.” 

Honeycomb paused again, then continued, confirming what Midnight had already guessed at. “Eventually, she just came out and said it: I was the reason my mother died. I had greedily eaten my fill while she had barely anything. It didn’t matter that she’d given me it willingly and hadn’t let me know, I was supposed to have divined it and convinced her to let me starve so she could keep the hive going. It was my fault the hive itself was gone.

“One day she had me brought to her throne room and told me she was banishing me from the hive. She said such a greedy worm that destroyed hives wasn’t to be tolerated and that she wasn’t simply executing me because I was my mother’s daughter and the last thing she could do to honor her sister’s memory was allow me to leave the hive alive. That was that; I was thrown out with only a few things to my name and no idea where to go. It took me a day to remember that my mother had sent changeling up into Equestria to live among the ponies, so, in the end, that’s what I did. I flew north until I left the badlands, then flew towards the ocean. I’d always wanted to see it and I soon came upon a small fishing village. After a few days there, acting like a shipwreck victim who’d lost her memory, I overheard one of the ponies talk about how one could lose themselves in a big city. Once I learned about Baltimare, I took off and the rest… the rest you know.” 

Midnight nodded slowly. If her story was true, then it meant that she was right and, more importantly, it painted the “invasion” and changelings in general in a better light. They might even manage to save some lives.

“Well there it is,” a voice said. They all looked up at the changeling glaring at them from the next bed down. “Queen Chrysalis was right; you are a traitor.”

“Even if that means your species won’t starve?” Midnight asked. “I’d think you’d treat her more as a hero than a traitor.”

“She IS a hero,” another voice said, and they turned to the bed on the other side. “Do you really think Queen Chrysalis is going to somehow bounce back from this, free us all, and take over Equestria?” She, it sounded more like a she, scoffed. “The hives are finished; Queen Ambrosia was right the whole time.”

“So we’re to just bow to our food!?” The first changeling shot back.

“We beg another species for forgiveness and mercy for our poor decisions!” The second snapped. She looked at Honeycomb. “Princess Honeycomb, do you remember me?”

Honeycomb squinted in the dull light, then her eyes widened in recognition. “Verpine?” When the changeling nodded, she turned back to Midnight. “She was one of the royal tenders for my mother.”

“I can corroborate her story,” Verpine said, shifting in her bed. “We should have ignored Chrysalis and left when we could; there would have been no way she could have followed all of us and without our numbers she might not have done this!”

Midnight raised a hoof and Verpine fell silent. “I appreciate your input and I want to believe your story, really I do.” She sighed heavily. “However, and you have no idea how much it pains me to say it, by your very nature I can’t. Trust is a two way street and you’ve broken that trust very badly.”

Honeycomb nodded slowly, finally leaning back into her bed.

“That said, I’m not done here,” Midnight continued. She gestured to Sky, who opened the pouch around her neck and produced a vial of unbelievably clear liquid. It looked like the bottle wasn’t even there if it wasn’t for the cork and the top of the liquid sloshing around as Sky hoofed it to Midnight. “Drink this,” she said, holding the vial up. Honeycomb looked between the vial and Midnight’s face, trying to determine what the liquid was. “If you want me to trust your story is true, then I need you to trust me.” Midnight told her, giving the vile a gentle shake. “Do you?”

Honeycomb silently stared at the vile for a second, two, three… “Yes,” she finally said, reaching out for the vial.

Midnight nodded and gently put the vial into Honeycomb’s hoof. The changeling uncorked it, stared at it again for another second, then drank it. The best way she could describe it was like cold, liquid glass running down her throat and coating it. She shivered.

“Now,” Midnight said, and Honeycomb couldn’t help but notice a small smile playing at the corners of her lips as Windrunner hoofed her the pad. “Where is Honeysuckle?”

-----------------------------

As it was, the week getting ready for the real wedding was equal parts hectic and mind-numbingly boring. On the hectic side was obviously putting together a wedding in only a week, even with a lot already set up, but there was also the matter of organizing the guards (the ones that could stand and were released from doctors) into manageable shifts and arguing with practically every pony who brought the subject up why Honeycomb should be released immediately. 

The veritum serum had proved Honey had been telling the truth. That meant that, changeling or not, Honeycomb was indeed one of her housemates and a very close friend. Her own guard, Sapphire, and especially Squeaks, stood with her that Honey wasn’t a danger and needed to be among friends. 

Summer, Orange, Autumn, Forest, Ember, Spine, and the bearers were at least willing to give her the benefit of the doubt when Midnight explained about the truth serum.

Shining was not. Serum or not, in his mind any and all changelings were guilty and he and Midnight were back to fighting until she was practically spitting fire and his horn was vibrating. At that point the princesses themselves intervened.

“Captain Armor,” Celestia had said while Cadance had shot him a disapproving look, “the veritum serum has proven that Princess Honeycomb is telling the truth about her involvement. Both Princess Luna and myself can attest to the serum’s power.” Before the smug look on Midnight’s face could get any bigger, Celestia had turned to her. “Captain Storm, although Princess Honeycomb is indeed not a criminal, she is, unfortunately, still guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She will be released,” she assured the kirin, who’d begun to protest, “but only after going through official channels. That being said, the matter is closed. Is that understood by you both?”

Midnight and Shining both unhappily nodded. In a show of what she had to admit later was petty prodding on her part, Midnight had allowed Squeaks to visit Honey in the changeling ward every day for as long and often as she wished. Shining had countered by having a guard with them at all times. Thus the argument continued, albeit in a more polite fashion.

On the mind-numbingly boring side was the time she had to spend “recuperating” (laying around for hours on end, often while everyone was out getting the wedding ready) or on actual guard duty, which meant standing around rigidly and silently for hours on end. It was getting so bad she almost wished Chrysalis would come back for revenge. It would be SOMETHING productive to do, in any case.

Something did finally happen the day before the wedding, however. Honey’s official release had finally come down and Midnight, Sapphire, and Squeaks were there to pick her up and bring her back to their guest suite to talk about what to do next. As they were about to leave, twenty changelings, mostly centered around where Honey’s bed had been, flashed white instead of the usual green and their originally blue-ish-green colors became the same honey color as Honeycomb’s. The changeling princess stared dumbfounded at them as the guards on duty raced into the wing, weapons drawn.

“Wait!” Honey called out, and Midnight physically put herself between the guards and changelings when they ignored her.

“What’s going on?” Midnight asked, watching both sides carefully.

“No two living queens have the same color,” Honeycomb said quietly, still staring at the newly colored changelings. “A changeling’s allegiance is shown by what colors they sport. Mother was blue, Aunt Spinneret was blood red, and Aunt Chrysalis is blue-green.”

“And you’re honey-colored,” Midnight said, realization dawning. “That means…”

Honey swallowed. “That means they’ve just proclaimed me their new queen.”

“We’ll have to tell the princesses about this,” Midnight said. When Honey looked back to her, she was surprised that she didn’t look concerned. She looked thoughtful. 

“Does that mean you’ve got your own army now?” Squeaks asked.

“I…” Honey looked back up at the now honey-colored changelings smiling back at her. “Maybe, in a complicated way.”

“We’ll get it sorted out,” Midnight assured her, laying a comforting wing across her back. “Right now, we need to get you to Rarity so she can get your dress together for tomorrow.”

Honey blinked. “Tomorrow? But… that’s-”

“Eeyup,” Midnight said, imitating Big Mac. “You had an invitation, too, you recall.”

“But… but… after everything that’s happened?” Honey stammered.

Midnight shrugged. “So? You’re a friend; what other reason do we need?”

Honey stared at Midnight, then grinned meekly. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Sweet makers above it’s no wonder you and Fluttershy get along so well,” Midnight said with a roll of her eyes as she turned to leave. “The two of you are timid to a fault!”

Sapphire smacked her with a wing.

-----------------------------

Honeycomb shuffled nervously as she stood between Squeaks and Long Spine. While a part of her was relieved and honored that she was even allowed to be there, she also just wanted to leave. The amount of angry glares she was getting made it clear what most ponies thought of her being in attendance. 

Then again, that might have been why Midnight had set her where she was; Squeaks on one side for a friendly and comforting hoof and Spine on the other to intimidate anypony who might get ideas.

Honey felt that possibility was remote with Midnight and her entire guard decked out in their formal uniforms all around. They weren’t on duty, the day guard having filled back out, but most had been invited as guests and Midnight had been told that extra security couldn’t hurt.

Much to Summer’s chagrin, of course.

“And I had the dress all ready to go!”

“And Princess Celestia asked that I come in uniform and heavens forbid I disobey the princess!” At Summer’s look, Midnight rolled her eyes and sighed. “Mom, I was looking forward to the dress! Really!”

Summer just turned her nose up with a huff.

There had been some debate over the uniforms between Rarity and Midnight while the unicorn had been fitting Honey and working on her dress. She agreed that silver complimented the kirin nicely, although it did clash with the epaulets adorned with the bearers’ coat colors. Further, silver wasn’t the best color to match with the rest of the Bearer Guard. Midnight agreed with the epaulets but pointed out that, out of the gold armor the day guards wore, the red of their dress uniforms didn’t go well with many of their colors and dark purple didn’t go well with most natural coat colors of the night guard. 

They finally reached an agreement, with Celestia’s blessings when they brought her into the conversation. Midnight’s dress uniform would remain silver but the epaulets would be bordered with gold, complementing both the silver of the uniform and the coat colors on the epaulets. Windrunner’s dress uniform, a dark blue with the same epaulets, would have the same gold embroidered onto the epaulets and be the standard dress uniform color for the rest of the Bearer Guard, leaving the silver of Midnight’s uniform as a symbol of her rank as head of the guard. Since the entirety of said guard would be in attendance for the wedding the following day, Rarity had Midnight gather up the rest of the guard for fittings so she could have all the uniforms done by the next morning. 

As the guards filed in to be fitted, Celestia sat down next to Honey, making the changeling fidget uncomfortably. The leader of the race her kind had used as a food source and had so recently tried to take over and here she was, relaxing next to her as if nothing had happened. It made Honey wonder just how well the alicorn of the sun could mask her true feelings. 

“Queen Chrysalis is the only face of the changelings my little ponies know right now,” she’d finally said.

“Y-yes?” Honey answered back, not knowing what else to say to that.

“It would be better, for the ponies of Equestria and the remaining changelings of the Badlands to have another public face to counteract Chrysalis’, don’t you agree?”

Honey’s face flushed. “I-I don’t think I’m…” She trailed off as Celestia laid an ivory wing on her back, silencing her.

“You are stronger than you realize and already some are turning to you for guidance, Princess Honeycomb.” She smiled. “Or should I say Queen Honeycomb, after the display in the changeling ward?”

Honey ducked her head. “I’m not a leader; I don’t even know where to start!”

“Would you like to know a secret, from one ruler to another?” Celestia asked, still smiling. Honey nodded and the alicorn leaned over conspiratorially. “When Luna and I first started, we had no idea what we were doing either.”

Honey blinked, trying to imagine the two alicorns looking as lost and unsure of themselves as she felt now. “What did you do?”

“We surrounded ourselves with those we trusted who we knew would get the job done while we smiled and waved. We watched and learned from them until we were confident we could make our own decisions while still keeping their councils for the times we were still unsure. You must do the same, seeking advice from those you trust have your best interest at heart and continue to listen to them even when you’re confident enough to make your own judgments.”

Honey nodded, taking Celestia’s words in and mulling them over. Like it or not, the changelings in the ward had decreed that she was their new queen and she had to step up to that role. She could ask to stay in Canterlot and shadow the princesses, see how they ran things, but looking over at Midnight and the others gathered around her, she didn’t want to stay in Canterlot. Midnight, Squeaks, Sapphire, and Windrunner had all become like family to her and Midnight was a great matriarch and captain of the guard, someone she could learn from and ask for advice when she fully took that role for her changelings.

Honey nodded. “I think I know where to start.”

Celestia had only smiled.

With that memory at the forefront of her mind, she straightened up and tried to look like she belonged. Her gown, a simple black that faded to a honey yellow around the edges and was open at the back to allow her wings to move, fit her and fit the occasion; elegant but not trying to compete with the bride’s gown. In an effort to subdue the holey nature of her limbs, Rarity had made hoof-shoes for her, also honey-yellow in color, with bands that wrapped up to her knees. Her insect-like wings had long veils on them that waved gently in the soft breeze blowing through the chapel or whenever she vibrated her wings. Her mane had been done up in a similar fashion to what Sapphire wore on a daily basis with only a single black band keeping the end of her mane in place and allowing the rest to bounce with its natural volume. 

The dress itself was enough to make Honey blush but Celestia had visited their suite that morning and presented Honey with a small, black, three tipped tiara, similar to her own and Princess Luna’s, with a small canary yellow tourmaline set in the middle. It was so small it was barely noticeable in her mane when she’d finally and reluctantly put it on. 

“A queen should be in her formal best at times like these,” Celestia had said, “and what is a princess or a queen without her crown?”

Squeaks had gushed, Sapphire had complimented her, and Midnight had simply shrugged and said “it fits you”. That alone was why Honey hadn’t “accidently” left it behind on her bed.

She was just about to ask Midnight what time Squeaks should be in bed that night, an attempt at trying to get things back to normal, when Shining Armor stepped up to the top of the altar steps and the wedding music began to play. 

This time, the wedding went off without a hitch. The CMC showered the velvet carpet with flowers for Cadance to walk across before ascending to the top of the altar steps with her fiancé. Celestia led the ceremony, announcing how the couple has shown true love and commitment to one another and how the whole of Equestria would gain from the love they shared. Each proclaimed their vows to continue to love one another no matter what might happen and as the rings slid onto their horns and they kissed, sealing their vows, Honey could feel a wave of love emanate from them and the entire chapel. Nervously, she gathered the free-flowing love, only the bits floating her way, as was her nature, and stored the energy in her reserves. The changelings that had announced her as their queen would be released tomorrow and this would help them get back on their hooves. It was a shame that so much love would go to waste and she was tempted to siphon a bit more but stopped herself. This was not the time or the place.

However, instead of leaving the altar after their kiss, the newlyweds waited for the cheers to die down somewhat before Princess Cadance raised a wing for silence.

“We again want to thank all of you for sharing this special day with us. However, before we can begin to celebrate it properly, we first must acknowledge those who, without their help and sacrifices, would not have made this day possible.”

“Would Captain Midnight Storm, Captain Night Skimmer, First Lieutenant Windrunner, First Lieutenant Holly, First Sergeant Hazelnut, Sergeant Wild Mane, Sergeant Night Sky, Corporal Blackberry, Corporal Star Claw, Private Dandelion, Private Spread Eagle, Private Dark Cleaver, Private Scarlet Claw, and Private Tight Fit please come forward,” Celestia asked. 

Those called out respectfully made their way to the steps of the altar, looking just as confused as the rest of the crowd. 

“First, we wish to acknowledge Captain Night Skimmer and First Lieutenant Holly for their efforts in rallying the remaining guards once the changeling plot had been discovered,” Shining announced. “With the troops they lead into the fight and trying to free Princess Luna, it became that much harder for the invaders and prevented a complete route. For this, we are pleased to honor you both with the Defense of Ponydom medal, the highest award a serving guard can receive.” Skimmer and Holly just stood there, saluting and, in Skimmer’s case, wide-eyed as Shining placed the medal around their necks. “And nice two-weeks paid vacation bonus,” he stage-whispered. 

“T-thank you, sir! Uh,Your highness- sir!” Skimmer sputtered out, to the general amusement of all.

“”Sir” is fine captain,” Shining chuckled, saluting back.

“Thank you, sir!” Holly said with a salute, then both backed down to the bottom of the steps.

Celestia raised her wings for quiet. “A short while after the defeat of Nightmare Moon, the return of Princess Luna, and the revelation of the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony, I realized that these new bearers would need a guardian, somepony to watch over them and help keep our greatest defense from falling apart at the seams. That pony was Midnight Storm, the first kirin to be born in Equestria in over one thousand years.” There was a general murmuring at that and Midnight’s wings twitched. “I dubbed her the captain of the new, and at that time secret, Bearer Guard. Secrecy was needed because it was felt that an open, visible guard would counteract the very thing they were meant to protect: the unity of the bearers. It is clear now that such secrecy has served its purpose and is no longer necessary. With that in mind, I wish to formally announce and honor the Bearer Guard. Captain Storm, please step forward.” With a nod of her head, Midnight did so. “For everything your guard has done for the bearers and Equestria, I bestow on you and all the guards under your command the Defense of Ponydom medal.” Twelve medals similar to the one Skimmer now wore floated forward in a golden glow to each member of the Bearer Guard. All twelve lowered their heads and accepted them around their necks to cheering from the crowd, with especially loud cheers from the section they’d been standing in. 

“With these medals, I am also proud to bestow upon each of you the insignia of your guard. Wear them with pride.” Once again, twelve objects flew out to them in a golden glow. These, however, were pins, shaped in a wheel with five spokes with a gem at the end of each and one in the center. They looked like a picture of the Elements Midnight had once seen on one of Twilight’s books. Celestia’s magic pinned the pins on the right side of their uniforms, above their name tags.

Another round of cheers was silenced by Celestia’s wings. “First Sergeant Hazelnut, step forward and be recognized.” 

Slightly puzzled, already being recognized twice now, he stepped forward and salute. “Your highness!”

“For your loyalty to your comrades, kindness to others, and honest resolve in the face of danger, I am honored to promote you to Lieutenant.” Her horn glowed again, and the gold pins on Hazelnut’s collar glowed until they solidified into a single silver bar on either collar. 

“I will wear them with pride and honor, ma’am,” Hazelnut said, bowing low.

The rest of the bearer guard, sans Midnight and Windrunner, were also promoted. Now they were Lieutenant Hazelnut, First Sergeant Wild Mane, First Sergeant Night Sky, Sergeant Blackberry, Sergeant Star Claw, Corporal Dandelion, Corporal Spread Eagle, Corporal Dark Cleaver, Corporal Scarlet Claw, and Supply Sergeant Tight Fit. 

“We all appreciate your service and sacrifices and hope we will continue to be worthy of them,” Celestia said, finally nodding that they could return to their places. 

Before she could turn, Midnight found Cadance’s wing blocking her path. 

“One more thing,” she whispered, then announced to the crowd, “Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Long Spine, and Queen Honeycomb, please come forward.”

The announcement of the last name stunted the cheer the crowd had been ready to give at the first seven names and all eyes immediately glued themselves to the lone changeling in the chapel. Honey visibly wilted at the stares aimed her way and only Sapphire’s, Windrunner’s, and Squeaks’ prodding finally got her to move towards the altar. The entire time she kept her head down, not meeting anypony’s eye until she stood, almost quivering, next to Midnight. Only then did she look up to find only Captain, though now probably Prince, Shining Armor giving her anything like a disapproving look. All the rest, the princesses, the bearers, Spine, and especially Midnight, were smiling at her. Slightly emboldened by this, Honey stood straighter. 

“For taking action in the face of danger and putting the well being of Equestria above yourselves, we are pleased to award Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Long Spine the Citizen of Equestria award, the highest award a civilian can be given.”

“Wait,” Twilight whispered to Shining as the medal floated over and came down around her head, “I thought you can earn this only once?”

“It’s rare, but both the Citizen of Equestria and Defense of Ponydom can be earned a second time,” Shining whispered back. “And trust me, Twily; you earned it.”

Twilight blushed and stepped back into place.

“Queen Honeycomb,” Cadance continued and the chapel grew quiet. Honey’s wing’s flickered nervously. “It was observed during the invasion that you did not aid your fellow changelings in their attack but instead defended ponies against your kind that tried to attack them. After the attack had failed, you gave us detailed knowledge of your species, not to place or divert blame, but to teach us why the invasion happened in the first place and with the hope that both our species could become friends in the future. Because of this, the Royal Diarchy is pleased to grant you citizenship of Equestria.” She leaned in close so only those immediately around them could hear, “and your changelings as well.”

This time the crowd answered this declaration with cries of protest, many calling for the changeling to be imprisoned with the rest or banished. One or two loud voices were even calling for… worse.

Before Celestia could raise her own wings for silence, Midnight’s own shot out, the leather making a sharp, loud *SNAP* sound that instantly silenced everypony. As her wings lowered back into position, the crowd caught her single, blue, draconic eyes staring them all down, daring anypony to say anything else, her fangs clearly visible. The kirin counted a full ten seconds before turning back and nodding at the princesses. 

They nodded back. “With this union and recognitions of the ponies we owe this glorious day to,” Celestia announced, “let us celebrate!”

-----------------------------




“So, what do we do now that we’re out in the open?” Hazelnut asked as he drank some punch.

“Eat, drink, and be merry,” Midnight responded, popping another gemstone into her mouth. “Then go home and sleep for a day.” When nopony except Squeaks and a polite Honeycomb chuckled she rolled her eyes and sighed. “We keep doing what we did before: guarding the bearers. Stuff is bound to change but right now I don’t know what.” She took a sip of her own drink. “Actually, that’s not true; Celestia’s already given me the okay to talk with Mayor Mare about expanding the barracks and possibly set up some outposts around and maybe even in the Everfree. I asked about maybe sending a crew over to that castle in the forest and rebuilding it into a proper training facility or forward fort but she only said she’d think about it.”

“Expand the barracks?” Mane repeated. “You mean there’s already a line to get in?”

“That or she thinks one will form up pretty quick,” Midnight said, then sighed. “Speaking of plans, I need to see Eden Rose tomorrow about that promise I made her. Apparently, the payment was considered “up front”.” She groaned.

“We should focus on recruiting unicorns,” Hazelnut put in. “We’ve got plenty of flyers and muscle, but only one magic user, which leaves us pretty weak to magical attacks or situations where magic is the only realistic option. We could have lasted longer against the changelings, for example, if we had a few more unicorns casting defensive spells.”

“Agreed,” Midnight said. 

“Maybe you could make Honey and her changelings part of the guard,” Squeaks piped up. “They can use magic!”

All the adults stiffened and exchanged glances. “Ah… well…” Midnight tried, catching Honeycomb’s eye. The changeling’s eyes were just as surprised as her own. “It’s just that… it doesn’t seem like the changelings who’ve pledged themselves to Honey are the kind who want to be guards, Squeaks,” Midnight said.

“Oh,” the little thestral said, ears wilting slightly as she looked back at Honeycomb.

“It was a nice idea, Squeaky,” Honey consoled her, “but it’s true that the others just want to live in peace right now and they can’t do that if they’re in the guard.”

“We’ll find some unicorns, don’t you worry,” Sapphire added.

“Okay,” Squeaks said, mollified and took a sip of her punch.

The music the DJ was playing (the DJ was Vinyl Scratch, recommended by both Pinkie and Midnight) switched from the usual party mix to another slow dance. “Alright everypony, let’s show the newlyweds some company on the dance floor! This one is for all the couples!”

Midnight chugged the last of her own punch and set the cup on a nearby table. “Well, I suppose that means us,” Midnight said with mock resignation, lifting an eyebrow suggestively at Sapphire.

“I suppose it does,” Sapphire agreed with a giggle.

Midnight raised a hoof. “Shall we?”

Sapphire took it. “We shall.”

Squeaks giggled loudly as her mom and might-as-well-be other mom entered the dance floor together and began to slow-dance. 

“They do make a nice couple,” Honey said as Hazelnut and Mane split off to do their own things. 

“Now we just need to find you and Windrunner special someponies!” Squeaks said.

“Starting matchmaking young, are we?” Honey asked, tussling the filly’s mane. 

Squeaks playfully swatted at the offending hoof. “Honeeeey! Sapphire spent a lot of time on that!”

They both laughed and Honey looked back up at the dancers. She owed them, for this moment, for her race, and for being a second family to her. For the first time she could remember since she was a foal, she didn’t have to think about what tomorrow would bring; she could spend her time in the present with those she cared about. Watching the kirin dance in her captain’s uniform, she realized that they had something in common: they both could finally be who they were openly. Midnight, a captain of a guard and, to a lesser extent now, a kirin, and Honey, a changeling. 

It felt good to be herself again.
> Season 2 Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Truly, “the hits keep coming”, sister,” Luna said as she and Celestia, along with most of the royal guard, flew around to the backside of Canterlot Mountain. It was only a week after the wedding and Cadance and Shining Armor were on their honeymoon and, hopefully, away from any new crises. Like this one might turn into. 

“Agreed,” Celestia said unhappily. Up ahead, they could see the vanguard milling about one of the larger holes in the mountain. Seeing which one it was, she let out a silent sigh of relief. At least it hadn’t been the other one. The project in that one needed to be ready soon, she just knew it. 

As they approached, a chariot pulled by two pegasi guards came to meet them. “Anything to report?” Celestia asked.

“Only that it… she is still inside,” Acting-Captain Holly said with a salute. 

“You went close enough to recognize gender?” Luna asked.

“She came out, your highness. At least, her head did.”

“And what did she say?” Celestia asked. It was rather unusual for a dragon to tolerate others flying around right outside “its” cave.

Holly looked uneasy. “She… asked to speak with the two of you, actually.”

Celestia and Luna shared a look.

“Very well, we will speak with her,” Celestia said. “Is there any chance she gave her name?”

“No ma’am,” Holly said.

“Very well.” Both princesses swooped down to the mouth of the cave with most of the guard taking up positions right outside, ready to shoot in to rescue them both if need be. 

They spotted her as soon as they entered: a large, light blue dragon with light purple belly scales and sea green colored eyes and two horns spiraling out from the back of her skull. She was chewing a mouthful of gems and when she saw them she quickly swallowed. “My, that was fast,” she said, moving her bulk as to look directly at the two alicorns. “Though I shouldn’t be too surprised; I picked this cave specifically to get attention.”

Both Celestia and Luna nodded. “We are Celestia and Luna, the rulers of Equestria,” Celestia announced. “May we ask who you are and why you wished to see us?”

The dragoness smiled. “A diarchy? Don’t see many of those; interesting. I am Shoal, recently released from my duties for the Dragon Migration and here in Equestria to look for a certain individual. I hoped you could help with that.”

The royal sisters shared another look. This wasn’t exactly how interactions with dragons normally went. There was usually a lot more fire and smashed… everything. 

“We will… do what we can,” Luna hedged. “Who is this individual you speak of?”

“I’m not exactly sure where to begin,” she admitted, scratching her chin with a claw. “I met her during the dragon migration but she was an odd one. The first time, she was a wyvern and said she was from the Storm Clan. Are they here in Equestria?”

Celestia and Luna blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry to say that, no, the Storm Clan is no longer in Equestria and haven’t been for quite some time.”

Shoal hummed thoughtfully. “That would explain the confusion… well, to continue, the next time I saw her, she… wasn’t a wyvern. As near as I could tell she seemed to be a mix of a pony and a dragon.”

“Her kind is called kirins,” Celestia supplied.

“Kirins…” Shoal tried the word. “Interesting… this is the first I’ve ever heard of them.”

“There were never very many and they all but disappeared nearly fifteen hundred years ago,” Celestia told her. “The one you seek is the first we’ve met after all that time.”

“So you know her then?” Shoal asked interestedly. 

“She is a great hero of our land, well known and loved by many,” Luna said, a bit defensively. “What business would you have with her?”

“Luna,” Celestia hissed quietly.

“She is a dragon, sister!” Luna shot back. “You know the rivalry between dragons and wyverns; why else would she be here if she didn’t see Captain Midnight’s entering of the migration as a slight!?”

“Dragons also don’t normally act so civil! Maybe she would continue to explain herself in such a manner as long as we act so as well?”

Luna “hmph”-ed and nodded for Celestia to speak.

“What my sister means is,” Celestia continued apologetically, “is that, yes, we know her. Did she do something to offend during the migration?”

Shoal waved a claw dismissively. “No crime worse than a wyvern showing up to a gathering of dragons. Otherwise she was perfectly respectful. No, I’d like to know more about her because she didn’t seem to know anything about the rather foolish feud between our races. That, and the fact that she is the offspring between a pony and a wyvern from the Storm Clan.” She picked up a small clawfull of gems. “I’d like to hear her story, if you know it.”

Both sisters hesitated, looked to each other, then turned back and Celestia began. “It started with a letter my student sent to me some time ago…”