Chapter 1: A Royal Welcome
Canterlot Castle
Celestia and Luna were sitting in their throne room hosting day court, it was a rather quiet day that day as they addressed dignitaries from other countries and such. The last dignitary left just as a guard came in to speak with the sisters. He approached and bowed before them. “Your majesties, I have news on the latest sighting.”
Celestia rose from her throne, Luna following suit. “Report, what news do you have?”
The guard rose from his bow and began to speak. “The latest sighting turned out to be another dead end. The pony we searched for was gone, there was no sign of him.”
Celestia was disappointed by this. “Thank you, you are dismissed, please inform me as soon as there is another sighting.”
The guard gave another bow. “Yes princess.” He rose and left the throne room.
Luna looked to her older sister and spoke. “Sister, this pony is proving to be quite elusive, just when we think we find him, he disappears again. I fear we may never find this so called son of Sombra.”
Celestia looked back at her sister. “We will find him Luna, it is only a matter of time before he runs out of places to hide.”
Luna then had a thought. “Sister, if this pony is supposed to be evil, then why has he not made a move against us or our ponies?”
“I don’t know, but we cannot take any chances, he may need to stay in one place for a long time before he makes whatever move he has planned without being discovered.”
Luna then had another thought. “Celestia, what towns has he been to so far, if we narrow down what places he hasn’t been to, then perhaps we can predict where he will show up next?”
Celestia smiled at her sister’s brilliance. “That is excellent thinking. Let’s see, he has been to…..no.” Celestia’s face then became fearful as realization struck her. “He has been to every town in Equestria so far except for Cloudsdale, which is impossible for him to be at, and,”
Luna finished as she realized what her older sister thought of. “Ponyville. We must warn Twilight and her friends.” Luna said in a panic.
Celestia produced a scroll and wrote down a letter for Twilight.
My most faithful student Twilight Sparkle, I must inform you that for the past five years, we have been receiving reports of a pony who may very well be the son of the evil King Sombra. We have reason to belive that he may show up in Ponyville sometime in the future, please be on your guard, I will send some guards to be on the lookout for him soon, whatever you do, please be careful and stay away from him.
Signed, Princess Celestia.
Celestia then sent the scroll on its way to Twilight.
Ponyville
After some strenuous paperwork at Town hall, Midnight Star was able to get his house back. The girls were more than happy to offer their bits to help him buy the place back, but he didn’t want to trouble them anymore than he already had, an agreement was made that he would pay the mayor in monthly payments until the 2000 bits were paid. Midnight Star was more than happy with this since it meant he would have a home again. “I’m terribly sorry for all the confusion Mayor Mare, and thank you again for letting me have the house back, I promise that I will be staying for real.”
“That’s fine, as long as you manage to make the payments we agreed upon.” Mayor Mare said from behind her desk. Midnight Star was going to have to pay 100 bits a month for his house.
Midnight gave a thank you smile and left the office. The six Ponies who managed to convince him to stay were all waiting outside to hear the news. Pinkie was the first to jump in front of him. “Well, did you get it, did you, did you, did you?!” She hopped up and down in anticipation.
Midnight smiled at her. “It’s official, I’m back in Ponyville, I just have to pay 100 bits a month for the house until I make the 2000 bit mark to town hall.”
The girls all cheered. “YAHOO!”
Applejack then came forward. “Well shoot, congratulations partner, but won’t it be difficult to get up the first hundred bits before the end of the month when you have ta restart yer art studio?”
Midnight frowned a little at the question. “Yeah it will, I only have a few bits left. I still have some paint left, and my brushes, sketch book and colored pencils, but not enough to get me a new canvas to make a new painting. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Fluttershy then had a thought. “Well, I could pay you for the painting of that beautiful sunset you gave me, would that help?” She asked rather shyly.
Applejack then had a thought. “Yeah, and you still owe me a paintin I can use to advertise my business, I can pay you right now fer it before you make it.”
Midnight Star smiled big at their offers. “Thank you so much, that will help. Let’s see, for the sunset painting, I guess I can say about…..30 bits for it, does that sound reasonable Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy nodded her head. “Oh, yes, I can pay that, thank you very much Midnight.”
“No, thank you for your offer, and if you want, I could still make that self-portrait of you that you asked me for, but that will have to wait until I get my business really going.”
“That’s fine, I can wait.”
Midnight then turned to Applejack. “And as for your painting for advertisement purposes, I could say the same amount, does that sound fair?”
“Shoot, only 30 bits, I can pay ya a bit more fer it ya know?”
“I know, but I still feel awful for exploding at you like I did when you first asked about my family when I was at your house. I am really sorry about that by the way.”
Applejack gave a reassuring smile. “I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have pressed it when you said you didn’t want ta talk about it.”
Rarity then came forward. “You know darling, I would simply love a self-portrait myself, I would very much like to hire you to make one for me once you get more supplies for your art.”
Midnight Star then looked to Rarity. “Really, you would like to hire me to make a painting for you too?”
“But of course dear, I just know you could make me look fabulous in your art, what do you say?”
“I say you have a deal.”
Pinkie then started bouncing up and down in joy in front of Midnight. “OOH OOH, can you make one for me too, a fun looking party scene with all of us in it having fun?”
Midnight chuckled at Pinkie’s enthusiasm. “*Heh heh* I certainly will, I’ll be sure to do my best for you.”
Rainbow Dash then came in. “And you can make one for me too, one that captures my awesomeness.”
Midnight then smirked at her. “I don’t know Rainbow Dash, I’m not sure even I can capture all that ego in my painting.”
Rainbow gave a bit of an angry look. “HEY!” It soon disappeared when she heard Midnight laugh. It was then that she realized he was joking. “Ha ha, very funny Mr. artist.” She said with a smirk.
That elicited every pony to start laughing. Twilight finally spoke up as well. “I would like a painting as well Midnight, perhaps a nice scenic painting for me. Looks like you’ve got your first customers already.”
Midnight Star glanced at all his new friends. “Thank you all so much, with all this business you’re giving me, I’m sure to have the bits I’ll need to not only stock up on art supplies, but also have the bits to make my first months payment.”
Rarity spoke again. “And once we have our paintings, we’ll be sure to let every pony know about how great an artist you are and let them see the wonderful works you make for us.”
Pinkie jumped in again. “Yeah, we’ll also let them know about how great an artist you are before you make our paintings.”
Rainbow chimed in again. “You’re sure to get lots of customers with our help.”
Midnight Star’s smile couldn’t possibly get any bigger. “Thank you all so much, I promise to make each painting a master piece for you all.” They all smiled back. Before leaving for their respective homes, the girls all agreed to go ahead and pay Midnight in advance for his work. They then parted ways from there.
While Midnight Star was busy at town hall with the paper work for getting the house back, Twilight had taken the time to inform Spike of everything that Midnight had told her and her friends. Upon hearing Midnight’s tale from Twilight, Spike felt sad for the guy and a little guilty for what happened to his father. Twilight assured him that Midnight would forgive him too, since he forgave her and her friends. Spike still had yet to meet him though.
Twilight arrived at her library and greeted Spike with a warm smile. “Spike, I’m back, did anything interesting happen while I was gone?”
Spike approached her with a warm smile of his own. “Nope, all quiet here, how did things go at the town hall, does Midnight have his house back?”
“He does, and me and the others are going to be his first customers to help him out and jump start his art studio.”
“That’s good to hear, I can’t wait to meet him myself.” After saying that, Spike felt pressure build up in his stomach, his cheeks puffed out and he let out a belch with green flames, the flames swirled and turned into a scroll.
“A letter from the princess!” Twilight exclaimed.
Spike picked it up and read it out loud for Twilight. Once he finished, Twilight and Spike felt a little panicked. Spike was the first to voice his concerns. “What do we do Twilight, Celestia already knows about Midnight Star and is sending guards here to find him.”
“I-I don’t know, we just have to try and convince Celestia that he isn’t a threat. Spike, take a letter please.”
Spike then ran to get a quill and parchment. Twilight began to dictate as Spike wrote out her words.
Dear Princess Celestia, the pony you are looking for is already here, his name is Midnight Star, but he is not a threat, me and my friends met with him and he is a very nice pony. He’s even a talented artist, It would take a long time to explain his situation, I would be more than happy to tell you all about him in person if you like, but please believe me when I say that he is not a threat.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
Spike then rolled it into a scroll and sent it on its way to Celestia. “I hope your right about this Twilight.” Spike said with concern.
Twilight then went to her room to gather a few bits for Midnight to pay for the painting he would make for her. She figured that this would also be a good opportunity for Spike to finally meet Midnight. She came back down and addressed him. “Spike, why don’t you come with me, this is a good chance for you two to meet.”
“Sure thing Twilight.” Spike happily accepted. He hopped on Twilight’s back and the two made for the door.
Just as they stepped out, they were blinded by a brilliant flash. “What the!” Twilight exclaimed. Once she was able to see, Celestia and Luna were now standing before her.
Celestia did not look pleased. She spoke rather sternly. “Where is he Twilight?”
Twilight was stunned to see them in front of her like this. “Princesses.” Spike hopped off Twilight’s back and gave a bow. Twilight quickly followed suit. She got back up and spoke. “What are you doing here?”
Luna answered. “We are here for the pony you told us about. King Sombra’s son, the one named Midnight star, where is he Twilight?”
Twilight and Spike both grew worried. “Princess, he’s not evil, if you would just-“
Celestia cut her off. “WHERE IS HE, I am not about to risk the safety of my beloved subjects! Tell me where he is now Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight was very fearful now. “Princess, please, calm down, he’s not dangerous!”
Luna took notice of the sincerity in Twilight’s voice, she spoke to try and get her big sister to calm down. “Sister, I believe Twilight may be telling the truth, perhaps you should take a moment to calm yourself.”
Celestia looked to her sister. “Perhaps you are right. Forgive me Twilight, but we have been trying to track him down for five years, then all of a sudden you send a letter telling us that he’s here in Ponyville. It is just very troublesome to try and track some pony down only to find a dead end, then have a positive lead suddenly pop up.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Feeling any better big sister?” Luna asked.
Celestia looked at her younger sister as she answered. “Yes, I do feel calmer. Now Twilight, back to the matter at hand, you say that this Midnight Star, who is the son of Sombra , is not evil, correct?”
Twilight smiled a little, glad that Celestia was finally ready to listen. “Yes Princess, he is a very nice pony, and a gifted artist. My friends and I all made the mistake of jumping to the conclusion that he was evil because of him being the son of Sombra.”
Luna then asked. “And how did you all come to find out that his father was Sombra?”
“It’s kind of a long story, but it may surprise you that Sombra wasn’t always evil either. That, however is a story for him to tell.”
Celestia looked to her student with a warm smile. “Would you be willing to take us to him? I would like to hear this tale myself.”
Twilight felt a little relief at this. “Of course Princess, I was just on my way to see him.” Twilight and Spike then led the two princesses to where Midnight Star was.
Upon their arrival, Twilight saw the others gathered at Midnight’s front door with Midnight talking with them. Midnight was smiling as he spoke with his new friends, he then looked up past them and saw Twilight approaching, but then grew quite fearful upon seeing the princesses coming up behind her. He quickly darted in his house and slammed the door, leaving the others with confused and worried expressions.
Twilight saw this and quickly ran up to the others. “Midnight, wait, it’s all right, they just want to talk with you.”
Midnight yelled from behind his door. “GO AWAY, THERES NO PONY HOME!”
Applejack turned to Twilight. “Twi, what in tarnation is goin on here, why did Midnight suddenly rush in like that?”
Celestia spoke to make her presence known. “I believe I am the source of his fears.”
The girls all turned to face the source of the voice. They all exclaimed. “Princess Celestia and Luna!” They all bowed before them.
Rainbow was the first to address them. “Princesses, what are you doing here?” She asked rather nervously.
Luna answered. “We are here to meet with your new friend Midnight Star. Twilight has already informed us of him and we decided to come and meet with him.”
Rarity gave Twilight a look. “Twilight, how much do the princesses know about Midnight?”
Twilight gave a sheepish smile. “Hehe, well, you see……um.”
Before she could answer, Celestia answered for her. “We know enough about him, for now. For the past five years, we have received reports of a pony who may be the son of King Sombra, we have been trying to track him down. Thanks to Twilight, we know he is here, but we will not take action until we hear what he has to say.”
Twilight then turned back to the door. “You see Midnight, they just want to talk with you, please come out.”
A moment passed before the door finally creaked open. “You promise that’s all they want, I’m not going to get dragged off to a prison or something?”
Luna answered. “We promise that we only wish to hear what you have to say and talk.”
Midnight then opened his door more and came out, the girls let him pass to stand before the princesses. As he walked forward, he had his head hung low. Once he stopped before them, he looked up at them and was then struck with utter terror. His eyes shrunk to pin points and started shaking quite noticeably. He then collapsed to the ground and covered his head with his hooves. “NO, PLEASE DON’T”
The girls cried out to him “MIDNIGHT!” They all gathered around him. The princesses grew concerned about this.
Rainbow was the first to speak to Midnight. “Midnight, what’s wrong, why are you so scared?”
Midnight answered back with terror evident in his voice. “Please don’t let them seal me away again, PLEASE, I haven’t done anything wrong I swear!”
Celestia and Luna loked at each other, confused by his words. Celestia asked. “Girls, what does he mean sealed away again?”
Rarity answered. “You see, when you went to seal away Sombra and turn him to shadow, Midnight was there on the balcony when you showed up, he was caught in the spell you used to seal Sombra away. He too was sealed away for a thousand years with his father.”
Midnight was muttering, but the others could still make out what he was saying. “Please don’t seal me away again, please don’t send me back to the darkness.”
They all looked at him with worry. Twilight came up beside him and put a hoof on his shoulder to try and calm him down. She spoke as sweetly as she could. “Midnight, it’s ok, they’re not here to seal you away again, I promise.”
Midnight didn’t seem to hear her. “Please don’t send back to the darkness, please don’t send me away to the darkness.”
The girls were very worried for Midnight. Twilight looked up to Celestia with a sad hopeful look.
Celestia took a few steps forward to Midnight Star. “Midnight,” Upon hearing her voice, Midnight seemed to clench up more as he tried to make himself as small as possible. Celestia tried again. “Midnight Star, I am truly sorry for what happened to you, my sister and I did not know you were there when we sealed Sombra away. I swear to you on my honor as a princess, that I am not going to seal you away again. Please do not be afraid.”
Her words seemed to work as Midnight’s shaking let up some. He poked his eyes up from behind his hooves. “Y-y-you p-promise that you w-w-won’t seal me away?”
Celestia and Luna gave a warm smile at Midnight. Luna reassured Midnight. “We are only here to speak with you, we are curious about your past and wish to hear your tale. Will you be willing to share it with us?”
Midnight Stayed low to the ground. He looked back up at them for a moment and started cringing again. “I-I can’t, every time I look at you, I keeping thinking I’ll be sent back to that dark void of nothingness.”
Luna stepped forward. “Sister, if I may try and speak with him.”
Celestia nodded her head. Luna walked up to Midnight Star and got down on all fours to speak with him. Twilight stepped away to let Luna speak. “Midnight, I know what it’s like to be sealed away in darkness for one thousand years. It is indeed a nightmare, but it’s over now, you have nothing more to be afraid of.”
Midnight looked up at the night princess. “You-you know what it is like? How could you possibly know?”
“Some time after you and your father were sealed away, I started to grow jelous of my sister, I felt unappreciated by our subjects for sleeping away the nights while they played during the day. One day, my bitterness got the better of me and I was changed into a wicked pony who’s soul purpose was to make the night last forever. Celestia had no choice but to use the elements of harmony on me and sealed me away in the moon for a thousand years. I know what you have been through, and me and my sister are truly sorry for it. Even now, some of our subjects still see me as Nightmare Moon, and fear me. I know what it is like to be feared for actions that were not your own.”
Midnight Star perked up as Luna told her tale. “So, you know what I must have been going through myself when the seal finally broke and I was set free. To be judged by the actions of my father and not my own.”
Luna nodded. “I do, that is why we are willing to hear you out, please tell us what your story is, we will listen.”
Midnight Star still felt a little jittery around the princesses, but he looked at Luna with a smile. “Th-thank you princess L-Luna. I….I really appreciate it.”
Luna smiled back, Celestia then approached as Luna and Midnight Star got back up. The girls were all smiling now, glad that Midnight Star seemed less afraid. And so, Midnight Star told the princesses all about what happened to his family. How his mother died, what his father did when she died, how he became corrupted, how he had become the dreaded King Sombra that ever pony feared, and finally, about how he lost his father, which the princesses already knew about.
“So, ever since then, I’ve been going from town to town to try and start a new life for myself, but eventually, some pony manages to find out that my father was King Sombra and am forced to leave and find a new place. Finally I came here, and the rest is history.”
Celestia and Luna felt awful for Midnight Star, he really wasn’t evil like his father became, he was just dealt a bad hand in life. Celestia began to speak. “Midnight Star, I am truly sorry for all that has happened to you, and we are very sorry for having sealed you away with your father for a thousand years. If there is ever anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Midnight waved a hoof in front of the princesses. “It’s fine your majesties, it was an accident. I just wish the ponies would see me for who I am and not who my father was.”
Luna then had a thought. “Well then, perhaps we should hold a town meeting and let everypony know about you so they can get the chance to know you instead of finding out on their own and immediately fearing the worst.”
Celestia agreed. “That sounds like a wonderful idea Luna, with us introducing you, the ponies are sure to accept you.”
Pinkie Pie then started jumping up and down in excitement. “Ooh, ooh, we could make it into a PARTY!” She cheered.
Twilight then chimed in. “We’ll all help let the ponies get to know you Midnight.”
Applejack then came in. “That’s right, we’d be more than happy ta let every pony know what a nice guy ya are.”
“And I could make a wonderful suit for you so you can make a good impression on them.” Rarity offered.
Midnight felt such joy now with his new friends, and the princesses themselves willing to help him be welcomed in Ponyville and recognized for who HE is and not who his father was. “Thank you all so much, this means so much to me. I can’t thank you enough.” Midnight Star was almost ready to cry tears of joy. He finally had the chance to be accepted by others.