//------------------------------// // Every Night Has A Dawn // Story: Cheesecake and Changelings // by Dropbear //------------------------------// Midnight blinked her eyes open, the mare awaking from a troubled slumber. Her dreams had been plagued by nightmares, all of them revolving around a certain Lunar guard Captain. The mare shivered a little as she remembered the content of one particular dream. Had she been shunned by the Princess, Luna deciding she was unfit for protection? Midnight leaned in closer to the object she was resting against, the warmth emanating from it drawing her closer. A chill breeze had picked up, Hearts Warming Eve rapidly approaching and the snow would no doubt begin to fall in the next few days. She jolted a bit as a fore-leg rubbed her back, the mare startled by the movement. The memories of the night before flooded back to her however and her body relaxed, Midnight recalling that she fell asleep in the arms of her friend. She looked up at Nigel, the human watching the entrance of the alley with his unusual eyes. Midnight had been told that the only known changeling to possess normal looking eyes was the Queen that had attacked Canterlot a month ago. Maybe Nigel was a special sort of changeling or the eyes were left over from his original form. Midnight hugged him a little tighter, Nigel the only friend she had left. The mare let out a sniffle as she thought about what her family’s reaction would be when they found out about Midnight’s dismissal from the guard, not to mention the fact that she was pregnant. No matter what Nigel said, Midnight knew that they would not be pleased, Nocturne society looking down heavily upon both failures and bastard children. “Morning sleepy head, sleep well?” Midnight looked towards Nigel, the human having halted his watching of the alley entrance to smile at her. “No, I didn’t Nigel,” Midnight replied as she shuddered “I kept on dreaming that Equinox had found us and had us hunted down, It was terrible.” Midnight felt a solid hoof pat her on the back as Nigel attempted to comfort her. “Don’t worry about him Midnight, if that wanker tries anything I’ll kick his arse. However,” Nigel paused, his smile growing wider, “I don’t think he’ll be in any condition to pursue us in the foreseeable future, my main concern is the rest of the guard.” “Where are we going to go Nigel? Knowing the guard they’ll search the entire city for you, and they won’t give up until you’re captured.” Midnight shifted in his grip, the blue cloak covering them both, protecting them somewhat from the harsh breeze blowing through the alley. “Well,” began Nigel, “maybe it would be best if you left the city without me and the-“ “No!” interrupted Midnight “Please don’t go, I can’t deal with this by myself!” “Midnight” Nigel replied calmly, “I won’t leave you by yourself but if I stand any chance of leaving this city alive then we need to split up” Nigel placed his free fore-hoof on the front of Midnight’s muzzle to halt the objection she was about to voice. “Think about it,” he continued “You will be able to leave the city by yourself without drawing attention and without being stopped by the guard. I’ll leave by other means and meet you outside, are there any landmarks that you know about that I can meet you at?” Nigel removed his hoof from the mare’s muzzle, allowing Midnight to reply. “There’s a large stone statue of two solar guards at the bottom of the mountain, that’s the only one that I know of” Midnight answered, Nigel leaving the embrace as he stood up, fastening the cloak around his body so that his form was hidden, four ebony hooves the only part of him that was visible. He looked down at Midnight, the mare standing as she grabbed her bag with her mouth before placing it around her neck, the light purple strap ensuring it was secure. “You promise that you’ll find me?” she asked. Nigel walked forward and placed a hoof on Midnight’s shoulder. “I promise, we’ll meet at statues before nightfall then we can figure out where to go from there. If I don’t show up then it means I either got captured or killed so in that case I want you to head to the nearest settlement and stay there, don’t come and try to save me okay, I’ve already caused enough problems for you.” Nigel removed his hoof and began to walk towards the alley entrance. “I don’t blame you for what happened Nigel,” Midnight said softly, Nigel halting at her words. “You didn’t do anything wrong and the fact that you’re going so far to help me really means a lot.” Nigel turned around at this, Midnight scuffing one of her hooves on the ground as she spoke, “You're one of the best friends I’ve ever had and I just want to say thanks for doing this, I really hope I can pay you back one day.” “Midnight,” Nigel began as looked at the mare from under his cloak, “I don’t pretend that I’m a nice or caring person, truth is I’m a complete arse and my performance over the last couple of days has been a shining example of that fact. You looked past that and still persisted in trying to make my experience in your world more enjoyable so you have nothing to pay me back for. I’m not going to lie, what happens after this will most likely be painful and hard, but if you want to go ahead with this then you should know that I will always be by your side through it all.” Midnight pulled Nigel into a hug at his words, nuzzling the surprised changeling as she whispered “Please stay safe and make it out, you mean a lot to me.” “I will,” Nigel replied as he returned the affection, somehow feeling more energised at the mare’s contact “compared to some of the other things I’ve done escaping from a pony-filled city as a black horse-bug should be a piece of cake. I suggest you fly up and head in another direction, if anything happens you don’t know me, I’m just the prisoner you were guarding before you left the guard alright?” “Yes, I don’t know you at all, you’re just that silly changeling that thinks he’s a human” Midnight responded as she broke the hug, a smile on her face. Nigel grinned back at her, “you got that right, now go on, I’ll leave five minutes after you and we’ll meet up later okay?” “Okay!” Midnight confirmed, her purple wings flapping as she flew over the alley wall, leaving Nigel alone, the former human adjusting the cloak that surround him as he made his way to the Alley mouth in preparation for his escape. __________________________________________________________________________________________ It had been an hour and Nigel had travelled about three hundred meters, guard patrols and pony civilians slowing his progress considerably. The sun had just arisen and Nigel could see that a mass of guards were flying around the castle, no-doubt having discovered his escape. Nigel guessed that the ponies would most likely search every inch of the castle first before moving onto the city, leaving him with some time to escape. He had been moving from one alley to another, many ponies out on the streets despite the early hour. He rounded a bend in a back street, a passing mare giving the cloaked figure a curious glance before he disappeared around the corner. Nigel halted and ducked behind a crate, a large amount of activity happening in the area that the street led to. He poked his head around the corner of the box marked ‘bananas’, a picture of Celestia above the word. Out the front of a building, the large structure appearing to serve as a warehouse of some sort was a number of covered carts currently being unloaded by a multitude of pony workers. The ponies were moving crates marked with various pictures of produce from the carts into the warehouse and replacing them with empty boxes. Nigel pulled his head back and pressed his body against the crate as three ponies moved to pick up a crate beside the one he was hiding against. “This the last one?” A male voice inquired. “Nah, this one then the one for bananas, only two left though so the sooner we get this done the quicker we can finish this convoy” another replied. “Okay,” the first voice again “On three, One, two, three!” Nigel heard three grunts as the ponies picked up the adjacent crate and began to move it towards the wagon. He looked at the box he was splayed against, an idea entering his mind. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Midnight made her way towards the main gate of Canterlot, many of the Equestrians shooting her odd looks as she passed, the ponies not used to seeing a Nocturne out of armour. She tried to move as fast as she could, walking to the gate instead of flying, the mare reasoning that a flying Nocturne would attract too much attention. The small amount of bits in her purple bag jingled as they clinked together, the small amount of currency her only possessions that she had with her. As she neared the gate a large group of guards rushed past her, heading back towards the castle. Midnight felt a brief pang of fear run through her, concerned for Nigel’s safety. She gulped as she dwelled upon the human’s fate if he was caught, no doubt the Princesses would take no second chances. With a start she realised that she had been standing in the middle of the road, the surrounding ponies starting at her in confusion. Midnight blushed as she continued walking towards the gate, her pace quickened. When she arrived at the open barrier she glanced nervously at the surrounding guards, five spear-armed solar guard watching the gate. As Midnight exited through the gate she felt the guards’ stares on her back, hoping that they would allow her to pass withou- “You, Bat-Pony, Halt!” Midnight stopped and turned around, muttering a curse under her breath as one of the guards approached her, the guard’s face harbouring a confused look. “Why are you in the city, Miss, I thought the only Bat-ponies in Equestria were part of the Lunar guard?” Midnight attempted to smile at the unicorn, trying to desperately keep the fear from showing on her face. “I was visiting my Sister, she’s in the guard and she doesn’t get much time off so I thought I’d visit her instead.” “I see,” replied the guard “and do you have a way to get home? Most of you Bat-ponies arrive on the train.” “Um, yes we do but you see I’m going to visit an old friend of mine who lives outside of Canterlot while I’m in Equestria, it’s his… twenty first birthday tomorrow.” “I better not keep you then, look after yourself, a changeling is reported to be lose in the city so please report any suspicious activity to the nearest guard.” “Thankyou Sir, I’ll make sure to do exactly that” she replied, the guard giving her a nod before he began to trot back to his position. Midnight let out a sigh of relief before continuing down the road, two stone statues at the base of the mountain her destination. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ It had taken her four hours of constant walking but she had finally made it to the two statues, the mare plopping down in the shadow of the left one, the stone pony raising a hoof out in a salute with the pony pointing outwards from Canterlot. Her belly grumbled, the mare not having had anything to eat since the night. She checked her bag, a futile action as the only items within the satchel were a mass of coins, not edible in the slightest. She gave a sigh, resting her head against the cool stone of the statue as she tried to ignore the pangs from her stomach. Her thoughts drifted to the creature she was supposed to be meeting at this spot, Midnight wondering whether her friend managed to escape the city. To be honest she wasn’t sure about how she would be able to function without the input from Nigel, the weight of her current situation over-riding all of her other thoughts. Midnight looked down at her stomach, more specifically the space slightly below it. In her womb lay the child of Equinox, the monster that had taken from her something she could never get back. She rubbed the spot of flesh, the coat slightly thinner in that area. She mulled over the idea of getting rid of the child, Midnight having heard of unicorn doctors that could perform the procedure, however an abortion was a rare occurrence from what she had heard back in Nocturnia as the act was frowned upon in both countries. She let out another sigh, realising that even if she found a doctor willing to perform the procedure she would most likely not be able to go through with it. After all, the foal was hers no matter who the father was and she couldn’t see herself ending its life purely because of the stallion that had spawned it. She rolled over onto her side and lay in the grass, the cool leafy blades providing quite a comfortable spot. Midnight had almost drifted off to sleep, the warm sun’s rays heating her tired body. Her eyes burst open when she heard a rustling from beside her, another body sitting down about a meter from her. Midnight’s head darted up, the mare jumping upright as she turned to face the intruder. Midnight flung herself around Nigel, the changeling falling onto his back surprised by the mare’s sudden movement. “You made it out! How did you get through all of the guards around the city?” Nigel stared at the mare pinning him to the ground, the changeling nudging her so that she rolled over to the side. Midnight rested her head on Nigel’s chest and looked up at him, awaiting his answer. Nigel was slightly concerned by the clinginess of the mare, her affection seemingly crossing the line of ‘friendship’ and entering the ‘romantic interest’ area. As soon as this thought entered his mind he dismissed it, after all Midnight was a different species so maybe these ponies showed affection differently to humans. As he thought about it the idea seemed more plausible, Nigel recalling that horses on Terra nuzzled each other often so it probably didn’t mean anything more than close-friendship. He looked at the mare, Midnight staring up at him from her position on his chest, their faces dangerously close. “It was quite easy really, all I did was conceal myself in an empty crate that was due to be taken out of the city and wait until the cart began to move. I waited until I heard the guards at the gate let the wagon through then I opened the crate and got out. Then all I had to do was wait until I saw the statues on this hill and then I jumped out of the wagon. No-one else was around so after the cart had left I made my way up here where I found you in the grass.” Midnight let out a giggle as Nigel said the last part, the mare adopting a thoughtful expression before it turned into a small smile. “Hey Nigel,” she began, her voice soft “I really appreciate what you’ve done; I know I said it before but thanks.” “No problem, I’d be a complete toss if I just left you like that” he replied, eliciting another smile from Midnight. “After all, I am a Gentleman first and foremost” he finished, raising his head like a high-class noble would. Midnight broke into full-blown laughter at Nigel’s gesture, Nigel laughing along with her. Midnight stopped as she looked up at him, the creature that despite all of his own problems had stuck by her, even going so far as to assault a Lunar guard Captain because of what that pig of a Stallion had done. She looked at his face, the cut on the left side-cheek crusted over with green blood. She glanced down at his chest, a few dark green blotches covering the black chitin where armoured hooves had made contact. “Um, Nigel, I just got an idea of how to thank you for everything” she said as she looked back up at his face. “Really, what did you have in min-“ Nigel was cut off as Midnight locked his lips with hers, the mare humming in enjoyment. Nigel felt a burst of energy flow from the mare into him, re-vitalising him almost like he had been injected with combat stimulants. He felt the cut on his cheek begin to fade and the aches around his body dull until they were numb. Midnight broke the kiss, looking at Nigel’s surprised face. Her face felt hot, red no doubt showing through her dark cheeks as she placed her head back down on his chest. To say Nigel was surprised was an understatement, at least he now knew for certain how the mare truly felt about him. While he wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of a relationship now was not the right time. He could understand why she felt the way she did towards him, Nigel most likely serving as the only sort of contact that Midnight had in this troublesome time. It would be completely natural for the mare to bond to the closest support she had access to, in this case Nigel. He had to choose his next words carefully, not wanting to upset the poor mare anymore then he had to. “Midnight,” he began, the mare looking at him with a blush on her cheeks. “I know you’re going through a tough time and you feel like you’re under-valued, but I just think that right now is not the best time for us to… become closer then we already are.” At his words Midnights face fell, the mare looking at him with despair on her features. “Hang on, I’m not finished” Nigel quickly added upon seeing how devastated the mare was. “I’m okay if you want to act more… affectionate it’s just that with the current circumstances I think we need to be able to think clearly okay. Do you understand what I’m getting at here?” “So… you’re not turning me down, you just think I should wait until we’re away from any danger?” She replied, hitting Nigel with a big doe-eyed stare. Every single fibre of Nigel’s being was screaming at him the get the hell out of there but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Rejecting the mare while she was in this emotional turmoil would most likely shatter her, leading to a whole wealth of problems. Weighing up the possible gains and losses, Nigel prepared to answer her. “Yes, I think that it would be for the best if you wait at least until they stop sending guards after me okay, I just don’t want you to get caught up anymore in this train wreck then you already have.” Midnight sighed as she placed her head back down of Nigel’s chest, still not fully convinced with his answer. Her stomach let out a growl, the mare putting a hoof down to rub it. Nigel noticed this, remembering some items he had ‘liberated’ from the wagon he had snuck out in, a few crates containing some items of use. He reached over and unwrapped his cloak which he had bundled up, revealing a few boxes that had been concealed in the cloth. Nigel snared a box with a picture of a blue-berry muffin on the top, opening it with a hoof. The aroma of bakery products filled the air, Midnight’s nose wrinkling as the mare smelt the food, lifting her head to gaze at the box. Nigel offered the box to her, the mare looking at him before she picked up a muffin in her hooves. “Thanks” she mumbled, a small smile having returned to her face as she began to eat, the two mismatched creatures leaning back against the grass as they snuggled against each other, watching the clouds in the sky while they awaited nightfall.