//------------------------------// // 123. The Midnight Dour - Part 3 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// As they walked towards their destination, Midnight lagged as he struggled to keep it together. Help Fluttershy, then get back to my workshop, just stay calm… Come on, you know you want that cute little ass right in front of you… the voice taunted and Midnight shook his head, avoiding looking at Fluttershy in front of him. “Shut up!” he hissed to himself, Fluttershy hearing him. “Pardon me? Did you say something, Midnight?” she inquired. Tell her, Midnight, tell her what a pitiful waste of feathers she is! “Urgh, it’s nothing!” Midnight insisted. “Let’s just… take care of those rabbits, okay?” “Um, okay, if you’re sure you’re fine,” Fluttershy didn’t want to press but she could tell something was indeed bothering her friend. Finding the rabbits was no problem. A few of them had dug a warren into the ground surrounding the base of one of the apple trees. For that reason, the tree itself was becoming unstable and in danger of falling over, because it was one of the biggest trees in the orchard. “There they are,” Fluttershy saw the rabbits snuffling about and looked to Midnight, “Wait here, I’ll go convince them to move to a new home but it’s better if it’s just me. Otherwise they may hide into their warren and who knows when they’ll come out.” “Just get on with it,” sighed Midnight irritably. He watched as Fluttershy slowly approached the rabbits, the three of them noting her presence. But Fluttershy’s slow and gentle approach emitted her kind heart as she crouched down to be eye-level with the rabbits and started speaking with them. From where he stood, Midnight couldn’t hear Fluttershy, partly because, he assumed, she was keeping her voice low so as not to alarm the rabbits. How she does it I’ll never know, but clearly she loves doing it… Midnight thought as he looked at Fluttershy’s cutie-mark, that trio of pink-winged butterflies somehow provoked a light sense of envy. For a long time ever since coming to Equestria from his former life as a human, Midnight had shrugged off the importance of having a cutie-mark. Whenever somepony asked, he’d shrug it off and claim he’d get it eventually. But now looking back, he was wondering if he’d ever get a cutie-mark at all. Maybe not since… I wasn’t born a pony, he thought sadly. Aw, the widdle baby wanna tattoo on his blue butt? How pathetic, why should destiny be glorified and so blatant as a stupid symbol on somepony’s ass?! Midnight growled and scrunched his eyes shut, Go away…! Y’wanna know the real reason you want a cutie-mark? You wanna be truly counted among these worthless ponies! But deep down, you know that will never be… because your very presence in this world is nothing more than a happy mistake! All you are is a hairless ape in pony’s clothing, however much you may pretend otherwise! “SHUT UP!!!” Midnight screamed, and his outburst frightened the rabbits so that they all dove for the warren. “Oh wait, little bunnies come back out!” Fluttershy pleaded. When she was answered by silence, she turned to look at Midnight. He was panting, his eyes twitching, and did not look well. “Midnight, whatever is the matter?” Fluttershy went over to put a hoof on the blue unicorn’s forehead, only for him to knock her hoof away. “Don’t touch me!” he snapped. “Just do what you’re supposed to be doing and get those miserable rodents off of this orchard!” “Midnight! Y-you’re scaring me!” Fluttershy teared up a little, holding her hooves together. “Either you get those wretched vermin out of that hole, or I’ll smoke `em out!” Midnight yelled, his eyes flaring red. “Hey!” They looked to see a very angry Big Macintosh stomp over and stand between his fiancée and his brother. “Ah don’ know what’s got yor lasso in a tangle, but nopony makes muh `Shy cry!” “Oh yeah?! Well I oughta-” Midnight started but something stop him. It was a sniffling, the unmistakable sound of crying, and he looked past his brother to see… Fluttershy trying to hold back her tears. She was hurt at how Midnight could act so mean, as well as how he could threaten poor bunnies and even think of fighting his brother. Midnight felt his heart tighten with guilt as the red left his eyes and he felt a tear well up in his eye. He looked shamefully up at Big Mac, seeing disappointment and a little anger, but there as a glimmer of worry. “I’m sorry!” Midnight instantly Flashed away, leaving Big Mac to hug Fluttershy, comforting her as they both worried for Midnight. He wasn’t himself, but what was making him act this way? Somehow, Midnight wound up on the farthest corner of the orchard, well hidden in trees so thick their canopy blocked out the sun. He sat against a tree trunk, feeling so ashamed and disgusted with himself. “How could I raise my voice against Fluttershy of all ponies…” he felt the tears trail down his face. “And those things I said…!” “Yes, those were terrible things to say…” Midnight was instantly on his hooves, looking around. That wasn’t in my head! “Looking for me, maybe…?” The source of the voice made itself known as the Hooded Pony literally emerged from the shadows, which fell away from him as though they were heavy drapes. “You again!” Midnight growled. “Who are you and what do you want with me?!” “Who I am is for me to know and for you to find out eventually on your own,” the Hooded Pony answered cryptically. “As for what I want… Well, that’s for you to overcome what is coming.” “And what exactly is coming?” Midnight demanded, his horn flaring with a spell ready to attack if it came to that. “Calm down, I’m actually here to help you,” the Hooded Pony said, sounding irritated. He opened his cloak and out levitated some kind of old book. “This tome contains a ritual that can help you do what you must do.” “And what exactly is that?” “By completing this ritual, you will help not only yourself but somepony who is destined to redeem himself of his sins long past. There is a catch however… This tome is written in an all-but forgotten language and the books on how to translate it are exceedingly few.” “Then where am I supposed to find one?” Midnight growled. “If I can’t understand the language of this tome it’s useless to me!” “Relax, I know where you can find one of these books to translate this tome’s language,” assured the Hooded Pony. “…You can find one in Twilight Sparkle’s library.” Late the next morning, everypony gathered at Sugarcube Corner to discuss Midnight’s behavior yesterday. “I know getting hit in the face by the door must’ve left a real owie,” Pinkie recollected, “but blowing it to pieces was kinda overkill! And coming from me, everypony, that’s saying something!” “He wasn’t exactly grateful when I gave him that oilcan,” Blueblood brought up. “Not to mention the way he acted when he came to me at the office,” Thunderlane agreed. “Hmph! And his manner when he came to my boutique was so uncouth,” Rarity huffed. “He seemed like he was in a hurry to get home when we saw him,” Soarin noted, “and he seemed to be making a really creepy chill.” “I’ve never seen Midnight act so mean before,” moped Fluttershy. “He’s always been so nice and encouraging!” “Sumthin’s wrong with mah brother, an’ we gotta find out what!” Big Mac declared. “I agree, because all of this sounds like something bad is going on with Midnight,” Twilight concluded, frowning in worry. Oh Midnight… What’s happened to you that you couldn’t come to your friends? …That you couldn’t come to me… “Hey! Maybe it’s not Midnight at all!” Rainbow suggested, “Maybe he’s been replaced by some weirdo clone that’s got identity issues!” “Or maybe Midnight’s been replaced by a Midnight from an alternate universe where he leads his own version of the Elements of Harmony and winds up getting his body stolen and sharing the body of Shining Armor!” Pinkie babbled, much to everypony giving her a look “What? It could happen!” “Or maybe th’ reason’s a lil’ more sensible,” Applejack deadpanned. All eyes turned to her, “Twinken told me how Midnight’s been havin’ real bad dreams but he never talks about them. Maybe whatever he’s been dreamin’ about is makin’ him all ornery!” “But if he’s just having bad dreams, why wouldn’t he talk to us about them?” Twilight wondered. Then an idea crossed her mind. “Everypony, it’s time we held an intervention!” Everypony went “Huh?” and Thunderlane asked, “What do you have in mind, Twilight?” “I’m gonna run back to the library and get some books,” Twilight explained, “maybe a little therapy or even some hypnosis will allow us to help Midnight with whatever’s bothering him so much. In the meantime, you should all go find Midnight and convince him to agree to get help! If it comes to it, you should probably even be a little forceful.” “Well, he’s always in that crazy workshop of his,” Rainbow brought up, “we’ll probably find him there.” “A’ight y’all, time fer us t’ go wrangle `im up!” Applejack declared, “Twilight, get wha’cha need and we’ll be waitin’ fer ya at Sweet Apple Acres!” As Twilight hurried back to the library, thoughts, confused, worried, and determined buzzed in her mind like a swarm of hungry parasprites, and riling them up even more were questions. Why hadn’t Midnight told her of his dreams? Why had he kept them to himself? What about them could be so terrible it would lead him to act so to his own friends and family? She intended to find out by whatever means necessary. She opened the door to the library and walked in, “Spike! I need ‘The Scroll of all Things Psychologically Sound and Serene’, and maybe a couple books on hypnosis!” “Twilight?!” Spike was setting up the table apparently preparing for snack, but he was gaping at Twilight, obviously confused. “Did you teleport outside just now?” “What’re you talking about, Spike?” Twilight gave him a look. “Well, you came in a bit ago, asking me about the rare books,” Spike said as though he were reminding her. “Once I told you, you told me to take a break and went upstairs to see them.” Twilight looked to the stairs, worry gripping her heart. “Spike… how long ago was that?” “Just a few minutes,” Spike was starting to get anxious. “Is there something wrong?” “Stay here…” Twilight ordered and quietly started making her way up the stairs. Twilight kept the rare books in her bedroom, in a magically-secured compartment on the wall next to her bed. As she approached the door, she could hear shuffling inside. She carefully turned the knob with her aura and slowly creaked the door open. She gasped at what she saw! Midnight was looking through the rare books, putting them on Twilight’s bed before moving onto the next one, speed-reading as though he were looking for something. She noticed how focused he was yet tired he looked. The bags under his eyes, his disheveled mane, unkempt tail, his eyes twitching, and he shook his head as though he were having a headache. But then he whispered, “You won’t stop me!” “Midnight!!!” He flinched and gaped to see Twilight glaring daggers at him. … … … “…Midnight, what are you doing?”