//------------------------------// // Ruses and Meetings // Story: Stroke of Midnight // by FanNotANerd //------------------------------// There was something that never got old about relaxing on a cloud. Maybe it was the way it conformed to her body, pressing into her aching flight muscles just so…or maybe it was the fact that she was on a cloud. Either way, Rainbow Dash had decided a long time ago that clouds were her favorite places to catch a nap after a hard practice session. Or to recline on while reading a novel. Or, in this case, both. An hour or so of Daring Do was an excellent reward for successfully performing a seven-twenty reverse loop followed by a...well, it was awesome. Leave it at that. Though in reality, it couldn't compare to stealing a two-hundred karat diamond from under a dragon's nose, as Daring Do was doing at that precise moment. Turned out that diamond had to be used to activate an ancient refractory array showing the path to... Just as she turned the page, the ache had faded from her muscles, replaced with that maddening itch to get up and get moving. Rainbow Dash cast a longing glance at the book, but her body was not to be denied. If she stayed still, that itch would just get worse and worse, no matter how good the book was. She finally relented and tucked the book under one of her forelegs, pressing it against the side of her chest. She'd fly home, drop the book off, and then do some more flying before dealing with those encroaching clouds. A moment after unfurling her wings and taking to the air, she noticed a light blue blur alarmingly close to her left. The other pegasus blended in with the sky almost perfectly, and was quickly growing larger and larger… Oh. The two pegasi collided in an explosion of feathers, the impact stunning both for a moment. Dammit! she thought as the book was knocked from her grasp and spiralled toward the ground. Twilight was going to kill her. Of course, the ground was likely going to do that first. After a moment, she managed to snap her wings open and level herself off. The other pegasus circled down to join her, having managed to do the same an instant before. Dash abandoned any hope of retrieving the book and decided to take her frustration out on the one responsible for its loss. “What the hay is wrong with you?” she yelled, wincing as her flight muscles screamed in protest. “Ever heard of looking, you feather-brained idiot?” The other pegasus, a stallion, now that Dash had gotten a good look at him, puffed his chest out in indignation. “Says the one who jumped off a cloud without even looking. You don’t own the sky, you know.” Rainbow Dash frowned, momentarily stymied. He had a good point. But she couldn’t let him have the last word. “Well…neither do you,” she shot back. The mystery pegasus looked back over his shoulder, as if somepony was following him. "Well...if neither of us was hurt, it should be fine. You're okay, right?" He suddenly frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere?” Dash’s eyes widened. No wonder the pegasus looked familiar! She’d just never seen him before without his uniform. Her mouth worked for a moment, but no sound came out. A second try resulted in a couple feeble squeaks that would have put Fluttershy to shame. Finally, she managed to get something out. “Soarin?” she gasped. The Wonderbolt brightened. “I’ve got it! You’re Rainbow Dash!” Dash managed to draw her composure together into something resembling her usual swagger. “The one and only.” Her voice shook, betraying her nervousness. Half of her wanted to scream like an obsessed fangirl and An awkward silence followed, which the cyan pegasus broke by chuckling meekly. “I guess I owe you an apology for getting in your way like that.” Soarin shrugged. “Like I said, neither of us was hurt. Don’t worry about it.” Rainbow mentally slapped herself. Of all the people to slam into, it had to be one of her idols. “Anyway,” she said nervously, “I can see you’re in a rush, so I’ll just-“ Soarin laughed. “I’m not in a rush!” He frowned, and reconsidered. “Well, maybe I am. I was just trying to get away from Spitfire.” His expression darkened a touch when he mentioned the Wonerbolt captain’s name. “Any reason?” Dash said. Soarin grinned nervously. “Me and Spitfire had a…falling out. I’m just flying around until things cool down. With any luck, she’s lost sight of me.” The cyan pegasus cocked her head. “Hey, she can’t be that mad.” “Wanna bet?” the Wonderbolt responded. “I decided to get out of there as she was describing, in very precise detail, might I add, exactly how badly she was going to hurt me. She was just mentioning which wing bones she was going to break when I decided to leave.” Dash shrugged. “Doesn’t seem so bad.” “Oh, right. Forgot to mention that Fleetfoot, Rapidfire and High Winds were all holding her down at the moment. She broke free when I went out the nearest window.” Now that the cyan pegasus knew what to look for, she noticed the skin around the stallion’s eye was darkening slightly. “I take it she got a shot or two in?” Soarin’s ears flattened. “She caught me by surprise!” he said indignantly. “Sure she did,” Dash teased. “You just don’t want to admit you lost a fight. I probably could’ve taken her!” The Wonderbolt suddenly gave her a very serious look. “Don’t say that when Spitfire’s in earshot. Last colt that said that ended up breathing through a tube for six weeks. She’s not angry very often, but when she is…it’s scary. Hay, I’d know better than anypony else.” Rainbow Dash smiled slightly. For some reason, a vastly entertaining image of Spitfire beating the tar out of the larger pegasus' face popped into her head. "What's so funny?" Soarin asked, frowning. Say something! she screamed to herself. Anything! Don’t just gape like some dumbstruck foal! “Cupcakes!” she blurted. Soarin frowned. “I’m not sure what-“ “I mean…” Dash mentally slapped herself. “We should go to Sugarcube Corner. It’s a good place to hang out. And if you’re hungry…” She mentally slapped herself again. Now it sounded like she was asking him out. Abort! her mind screamed. Change the topic! Right as she was forcing her disobedient tongue to form a logical sentence about the weather, Soarin nodded. “Why not? I feel like a pie or two anyway.” Dash immediately bit her tongue, hoping it would be enough to stop her carefully prepared query about the weather from passing her lips. She ignored the pain in her mouth and nodded dumbly. “This way,” she managed, flying to Ponyville’s main square. XXX Big Macintosh trotted over to the train station, casting the occasional nervous glance over his shoulder. It appeared his ruse had worked. The night before, he’d gone to bed early, complaining of nausea and a slight headache. In the early morning, he’d snuck out and galloped around the property, trying to work up as heavy a sweat as possible. When he returned to his bed, around the time Applejack would have woken up, he appeared to be in the grips of a severe fever. His sister had taken the bait, hook, line and sinker. Her concerned questions were deflected with an insistence that he simply needed some rest, and to go finish the barn floor without him. Moments after she had left, Macintosh had grabbed what he could in the way of formal wear, snuck out the window and made a beeline for the train station. Hopefully, by the time his sister realized she’d been deceived, he’d be well on his way to Canterlot. And the bundled clothes under the sheets might fool her for another couple minutes. He hated deceiving Applejack, but he saw no other solution. The farm needed an infusion of cash, simple as that. They simply didn’t have the know-how to mill their own wood, and there was no chance of salvaging any from the barn. To top it all off, they’d used up their stock of preserves over the previous winter in anticipation of the cost of the barn. Their root cellar was completely empty. Which all lead to why Big Macintosh was going to Canterlot. He was going to speak directly to Princess Celestia about a boon Applejack would never even consider. He was going to ask for a loan. The draught horse had thought long and hard about it, and had decided there was no other solution. The Apple family simply couldn’t get through the winter without help, and the last thing he wanted to do was burden his cousins with their problems. The only issue was how Applejack would react to- Something slammed into his side, knocking him off balance for a moment. For a second, the stallion’s brain flooded with panic, leaping to the conclusion that his sister had discovered his ruse and come to drag him back to the farm… Then he realized that if it was his sister, he’d likely be on the ground, getting the stuffing bucked out of him. This realization prompted him to look down, into the startled eyes of a familiar violet unicorn. “Ah’m sorry ‘bout that, Miss Sparkle,” Macintosh drawled, helping his sister’s friend to her hooves. Twilight shook her head. “No, I should be apologizing. I was rushing to the train station, and wasn’t looking where I was going, and-“ “Did my sister send you?” Macintosh asked sharply. The purple unicorn frowned. “No.” The red stallion sighed in relief. “All right. You had me worried fer a second. Applejack don’t know Ah’m out here.” He jerked his head toward the train station. “Seems we’re both goin’ to th’ same place, anyway.” Twilight nodded slowly, brow furrowed. From the little time he’d spent with her, Macintosh recognized that as being suddenly deep in thought. He shook his head and led her onto the train. She glanced back, to where Macintosh was exchanging quiet words with the conductor. “You coming?” “Jus’ a moment,” Macintosh called back. Him and the conductor seemed to reach an accord, for both nodded, and the draught horse joined Twilight on the train. Both ponies went to separate compartments as the steam engine hissed to life, and the conductor hauled on the whistle, warning away anypony stupid enough to be on the tracks. Macintosh squeezed himself into a bed that was much too small for him, and stared out the window, watching the countryside go past. The clothing he planned to wear during his audience with the princess was stowed safely under the seat. It was a little surprising to run into Twilight, but the unicorn had to go to Canterlot too. Maybe he could get her to show him around the city a bit when they’d finished their respective errands. XXX “But then after I had the whole thing set up, a stray wind whipped everything into a cumulonimbus thunderhead! Nothing I couldn’t handle, but I got my wings ruffled a bit. Lost a primary or two on the right one.” Soarin shut his mouth with considerable effort. “Wow,” he said. “I just thought you guys had to move clouds around. I never thought there was so much skill involved in it.” Rainbow’s starved ego screamed at her to accept the praise and sate its appetite, but she managed to keep it down. “It’s mostly just practice. That and knowing your limits. Don’t get me started on the time I tried to calm that waterspout. Long story short: I got thrown to land and ended up with three broken ribs and a mild concussion. Not something I would ever recommend.” The Wonderbolt raised an eyebrow, mouth currently occupied with a bite of cherry pie. “You’re being too modest,” he said when he swallowed. “Ponies have been killed trying that. How the hay Spitfire has never heard of you is completely beyond me.” He hastily backtracked once he saw Rainbow’s wounded expression. “Before the Best Young Flier’s competition, I mean. Soarin turned his attention back to the pie, closing his eyes in bliss. “Mmm. These Cake ponies are misnamed. They should be called the Pies.” Dash chuckled. “Pinkie would say they should be called the Cupcakes. And a certain mailmare thinks they should be called the Muffins…” “Oh, so that’s what Derpy’s up to these days?” Soarin asked. The cyan pegasus chuckled nervously. “Don’t call her that when she’s in earshot. She’s not a fan of that nickname.” Soarin reflexively looked around the bakery before being distracted again by the last few crumbs of pie. “I might have to ask for the recipe for this,” he said, brushing crumbs from his muzzle. “Don’t let Applejack hear that,” Rainbow said. “She always gets a little protective when her apple pie’s concerned.” Soarin, along with half the customers in the bakery, nearly jumped out of his skin when the door slammed open. “Speak of the devil,” Rainbow said, being one of the only ponies present to keep her cool. Odd, that. She’d honestly expected talking with one of her idols to give her the most fragile nerves in the building. Still, she found herself still feeling oddly mellow when a very irate Applejack stomped into Sugarcube Corner. “Any of y’all seen my brother?” she asked without preamble. Silence and a few shaken heads were her only answer. “Ponyfeathers,” the earth pony spat, stomping in frustration. Mr. Cake flinched. “Now Applejack, there’s no call for that kind of language here. There are babies here, in case you’ve forgotten.” Beside him, Pinkie Pie gasped, and belatedly clapped her hooves over the ears of the two foals frolicking in the corner. Applejack managed to hold back a profanity-laden retort only through a supreme effort of will. “Beggin’ your pardon,” she said stiffly. “If none of y’all have seen him, then Ah’ll be on my way.” She stormed out of the shop, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the frame. Dash stared after her for a moment, rendered speechless. Soarin cleared his throat. “She seemed a lot nicer when she sold me that pie.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Something’s wrong. I haven’t seen her that angry since…well, in a while.” She looked up. “Sorry. Can you handle yourself here for a bit? I’ve gotta go talk to her.” The Wonderbolt shrugged. “No problem. I can always hide under the table if Spitfire walks in.” Dash frowned, making a mental note to ask exactly what Soarin had done. But for the moment, she had an angry friend to grill. She caught up with Applejack just outside. “Hey, AJ?” she ventured. The earth pony turned around, fixing the pegasus with a withering glare. “You got somethin’ important t’ say?” Dash gritted her teeth. “You know what? Up to this point, I was actually planning to be polite. What the hay is your problem?” “Good question,” Applejack snarled. “Maybe you should ask m’brother. Oh, wait. He ain’t here!” Dash scratched her head. “So…what’s the issue?” The orange pony in front of her took a deep breath, making an obvious effort to calm down. When she spoke, it was in a much more subdued tone. “Last night, he told me he was feelin’ sick. And he sure didn’t look up to doin’ anything this morning. So Ah decided to check on him an hour or so ago, jus’ to see how he was comin’ along, and he wasn’t there. Or anywhere else on th’ property.” “And your point is…” Applejack’s eyebrows met. “My point is that the flea-bitten mule lied to me. And when Ah find him…he better talk fast, or Ah’ll be buckin’ his sorry rump all the way back home!” Dash held up her hooves at that last statement, taken aback by the hostility in her friend’s voice. “Applejack, just chill. He’ll turn up eventually.” “It’s not even that!” Applejack hollered. “He’s gone, right when Ah really need him!” She sighed, studying her hooves. “Ah’m not sure how much more a’ this Ah kin take…” The pegasus swallowed past a lump in her throat. Her friend looked on the verge of tears. She carefully extended a hoof and placed it on Applejack’s shoulder. To her relief, it wasn’t shaken off. “Take it easy. Slow down and tell me what’s wrong.” Applejack took a deep shuddering breath, and managed to meet her friend’s eyes. “It’s Applebloom,” she whispered. “She’s disappeared.” XXX Midnight stretched in the sunlight, letting the kinks finally work themselves out of his spine. While he made an effort to maintain good posture, standing in front of a canvas for hours wasn’t good for anything, really. Muscles had a tendency to seize up. Now, if only there was some way he could keep- “Midnight?” Unlike when Celestia had walked in, the stallion jumped, letting out a yelp of surprise. “Please,” he shouted into the main chamber, pulling his cloak over his back. “Knock before entering!” He quickly checked his appearance in the mirror before leaving the alcove, making sure everything was in place. It wouldn’t do for his appearance to slip when talking to somepony. Reassured, Midnight walked out into the main bedchamber, intent on reminding whoever this interloper was that a closed door was not meant to be opened without invitation- He stopped, blinking. “Oh,” he said. “It’s you.” Princess Luna backed off slightly. “We hope we are not intruding. We simply thought that since our sister was-“ “You can dispense with the royal ‘we’, you know,” Midnight interjected. “There’s nopony to impress here.” Luna frowned. “But…we must speak this way to our subjects…” “Well, I came from outside the borders of Equestria, and therefore am not a subject. So I think we can dispense with that formality. Besides, I could be nobility where I come from. You never know.” The lunar princess found herself speechless. “Well played,” she finally said. Midnight inclined his head in thanks. “Now, if you please, I’d like to know why you decided to barge into my room.” Normally, he wasn’t this touchy, but the near miss earlier had frayed his nerves somewhat. Luna looked away, blushing slightly. “I…wish to apologize for accosting you earlier. My sister failed to inform me of your presence, and I jumped to conclusions.” “Out of curiosity,” Midnight said, his good humor beginning to return, “What did you think I was?” “At first? A spy. Then, seeing by how you were mingling with the guards, I deduced that you were an assassin that had been inserted into the guard force, thereby giving you the greatest probability of…something the matter?” Midnight wiped his pained smirk off his face. “I’m sorry. Just the thought of me as a guard…it’s laughable, really. I wouldn’t last ten seconds in that armor.” Luna frowned. “You do not find my other assumptions strange?” “No. Of course not. They’re all fairly logical, in fact. And I assumed you thought I was an assassin or the like from your reaction.” Luna blushed again as she remembered slamming the stallion against a wall, conjuring a spear, and pressing the tip to his throat. “I am surprised you are so…unconcerned. I could have killed you there.” “Oh, I’ve been through worse,” Midnight said seriously. “And no, you wouldn’t have killed me. I could see it in your eyes.” The lunar princess paused for a long moment, thinking it over. In the heat of the moment, could she really have taken this stallion’s life? She had seen the brutal realities of combat, but had never taken part in it herself. No, she finally realized. Had the stallion been hostile, she likely would have had the guards do the deed. She turned her attention back to Midnight, who was examining her face with such direct intensity that it was almost insulting. “No,” he breathed. “You’re not a killer. That edge I see in some…just isn’t there. An edge that is all too common, I think.” Luna forced her jaw to work. “Please stop. This is making me uncomfortable.” Midnight bowed his head. “I apologize, princess. I was merely proving a point.” The lunar princess quickly stuttered some excuse and left, sweat beading her brow. He’s an artist, she told herself. Artists are prone to eccentricities. But those odd quirks usually manifested themselves in the form of manic personalities, or unusual interests. This stallion…was different. He seemed too stable to be a mere eccentric. There was only one conclusion. The carefree, eccentric personality he displayed was an act. What are you hiding, Midnight? Luna thought as she walked to the throne room. And more importantly…why are you hiding it?