//------------------------------// // Another Night in Ponyville // Story: Strangers In the Night // by Joshwolf999 //------------------------------// The Cutie Mark Crusaders frowned as they trekked back to the center of town. The three fillies had failed at another attempt to earn their Cutie Marks. The night sky rumbled with the threat of rain, and on hearing this the yellow filly with a red mane and pink bow turned to her friends. "Alright girls, ah'll see yall tomorrow." She said with jovially. She hugged her friends as they went there separate ways, but the yellow filly stopped after a few steps and turned to the orange pegasus. "Hey Scootaloo, if you want I could see if you could stay over tonight." Her southern drawl hinted with the slightest amount of sympathy for her friend. She and the white unicorn knew something was wrong with her home life, it's just they didn't know what it was or how to approach it. "No thanks Apple Bloom. I'll see you and Sweetie Belle tomorrow, okay?" Scootaloo replied with a faux smile on her face, and Apple Bloom returned it with unease. "Alright Scoot's, ah'll see ya." "See ya later Applebloom" Scootaloo left her friend behind, Sweetie Belle looking to the filly before turning her head to the young apple. "I really hope she'll be okay." The white unicorn whispered as she watched her friend leave. With her friends behind her the false smile leaves as a frown soon takes it's place. Scootaloo walked for awhile before she came to her alley. She sighed as she came to an old refrigerator box, she opened the box looking at her possessions, resting by the blue blanket on the boxes floor rested the picture of her mother and father, next to that a picture of herself and Rainbow Dash. On the other side of the blanket rested her goggles and helmet, her scooter resting against the box by a trash can. Scootaloo's head dropped as she laid in the blanket with her eyes closed, it was on nights like this she wished her mom and dad didn't die, she still had nightmares about the accident that took them from her and wept as she thought of it. She then felt water rip her box's roof, drenching her in rainwater. She cursed as she tugged her wet blanket out of the now torn box. The filly fell to her haunches and just sobbed as the rain mercilessly pelts her trembling body. "Hey, are you okay?" A unknown voice questioned. The orange pegasus jumped around to find the voice's owner. Standing before her was a stallion as tall as Apple Bloom's brother Big Mac, his mane was charcoal black while a dark grey jacket that covered most of his body, a hood hid his eyes from her view while his fur was a chocolate brown. She saw his Cutie Mark was that of a big dot that loped then curved at the end, two dots were on the right while four music notes rested inside of four surrounding clouds. Her violet eyes were filled with mistrust for the stranger walking down the alleyway at night. She looked down next to him and found a bag from Sugar Cube Corner, the smell of the baked treats reminding her just how hungry she was. Scootaloo saw she was noticed by the stranger then went back to the sopping wet blanket, the stallion sat next to her box. "So, how long have you been on the streets?" he inquired taking a blueberry muffin out of the bag. Scootaloo rolled her eyes to the stranger finally pulling her blanket free, unfortunately she was now soaked by the night's storm while her pictures thankfully remained untouched. The pony stood up shaking his head as he walked next to her. "We'll, I'm gonna head home. I know im a stranger and all and this might seem weird, but you can stay at my house for the night if you don't have anywhere to go." As he walked away from the area he was glad to hear the sound of wheels following him. His house was in Scootaloo's opinion... a dump. The mint green paint looked faded and areas were chipping away. The windows were boarded up though from what she could see, they were broken anyways. The mystery pony walked in first followed by Scootaloo, her mouth now agape. The small filly did a double take looking back outside before returning inside. The inside was the clear opposite of the outside, it was clean and well taken care of, in a corner of the room rested a piano with a guitar resting on the wall next to it. On a bench by the other wall were pieces of another instrument resting with tools surrounding it. Scootaloo turned to the generous pony but stopped, her eyes wide with fear as she dropped her scooter. The pony had removed his hoodie and hung it on a hook, the things of the pony his hoodie covered were his wings and eyes. His amber eyes were slit though filled with fear while his wings weren't like her's, they looked more like a bats. She backed to the wall frightened by the fact she was in the home of a Batpony. "Sorry, I know im... well yeah," He sighed, his head dropping down. "But there's a bed in the room down the hall you can use. Also if you want you can help yourself to whatevers in the fridge." He offered with a sad smile, Scootaloo stayed where she was, fear evident in her eyes. He frowned, looking back to the ground as he walked over to the bench. He placed the bag next to him as Scootaloo slowly walked over to the kitchen, around the Batpony. "By the way, I'm Mezzanotte Cleftwing. You can call me Mezz or Note." He said, keeping his eyes on the project before him. Mezzanotte tested the now glued bridge of the violin to see if it wouldn't move, he let out a satisfied sigh as it didn't move. Mezzanotte removed the damaged A and G pegs to replace them, his mind coming back to the young frightened filly inside his house. He expected her to be afraid of him, after all he's a Batpony, in all of Ponyville only two ponies know who he his, now three. "What are you doing?" A voice questioned from his side. Mezzanotte looked at Scootaloo, the fear she once had was now replaced with a quizzical stare. He smiled as he then raised the instrument for her to see. "This, was a violin I found thrown away. I'm almost done fixing it actually." Mezzanotte turned around and looked down to the young pegasus. "So, I hope this means your not scared of me anymore miss... Sorry, I don't know your name." The small filly smiled up at the stallion working at the bench. "Oh, I'm Scootaloo, it's nice to meet you." She examined the unstrung instrument then at some of the broken and non-broken items and tools scattered around the bench. Some of the different objects seemed too big for the violin while others were smaller. She looked back to Mezz and spoke, "So, who are you fixing that thing up for?" The stallion looked at the instrument with a melancholy look before he sighed. "Nopony really. I just found it awhile ago, it was in some bad condition but so far with TLC, I'm putting it back in good condition." Keeping his eyes on the wooden object his eyes became burdened with a thought. "You never answered me before." He began in a sad voice, turning back to the orange pony his face held a look of comfort. "So, how long has it been?" She seemed to understand what it was he was really asking as she wouldn't meet his eyes in the silence which followed, the stallion stopped what he was doing so his attention was on the small pony next to him. He was going to tell her she could wait if she needed to but was stopped as she began to cry. He took hold of her shaking form, gently rubbing her back as her tears were soaked up by his brown coat. "I-I lost them in a fire... H-h-how d-did you know?" She sobbed, she couldn't believe how he possible knew what she was going through. His face looked pained as he admitted the truth. "I'm the same... I mean I lost my family when I was little but...But your folks didn't have a choice, mine did." She looked up to him in disbelief, looking into his eyes to find the lie somepony would would tell another pony. What she found however, was the pain of loneliness, the same look she saw in her reflection. Scootaloo took a tight hold on Mezz giving him a hug, the feeling of tears falling on top of her head. "If you want... You can stay." He began, his bloodshot eyes looking into her own. "I won't feel right letting you go back on the streets, but if you want to go, Scootaloo, I won't stop you. Just know, you'll always have a warm bed." Scootaloo was taken back by the kindness of the Batpony. Her mind went to the stories she heard of foal's being taken in by older ponies for more... nefarious reasons masquerading as kindness, however what she felt told to her by this Stallion was as far from that as the sun from the town. "Thank you, Mezz. Thank you." Scootaloo laid sound asleep in a bed upstairs one week after she first met the brown pony, on the nightstand rested a red cape with a unknown crest while a scooter with a purple helmet rested on the handlebars with goggles, the two pictures still sat where she put them the first night he brought her home. He smiled at the sleeping filly then left her alone, he trotted down stairs before looking to his right wing, he tried to open it feeling the familiar ache which kept him grounded. Tears fell from his eyes as he looked at the moon in the sky. "Are you thinking of me?" He whispered before he headed back to the violin and began to play it, testing his repairs. The sad piece stopped every now and then as his tears causing him to stop every so often.