//------------------------------//
// Love, A Strange Mistress 
// Story: Love, A Strange Mistress 
// by TheGreatPandaKing 
//------------------------------//

   It was a cold day. Not surprising considering the time of the year it was, if anything it was proof the weather team was doing their job, that didn't stop many members of Ponyville from complaining though. It always seemed there was only one that never seemed bothered by the cold weather, a bat red bat pony named Midnight Premiere. 
Midnight was never a very social pony, usually opting to shop in the evenings or walk around at night. It wasn't that he hated the other ponies, he just always felt like the odd one out, like he was missing a part of himself. He would never tell anypony this, of course, he didn't want to be considered even more weird than he already was. It seems that ponies never get used to seeing a bat pony living outside of Canterlot, or one that was up during morning hours at times. Even though the Thestrall, bat ponies, were more known to be a nocturnal race, they weren't only around in the embrace of the night. Midnight was one of those that loved the night but also didn't mind watching the sun rise or set, the orange-red sky was always soothing to him.
Midnight knew he wasn't the most popular pony in town, he was even surprised that the pink pony of energy knew his name. Imagine his surprise when he found a letter inside his mailbox that had nothing to do with his work as a playwrite. The card was a deep red in color and in the shape of a heart. Midnight raised his eye in confusion before he actually flipped over 
the card and read what it was for.
"Dear friend,
You are invited to a special Hearts and Hooves day party thrown by none other than the best pony party planner, PinkiePie! this is an event like none offered before in the history of Hearts and Hooves day celebrations! Bring nothing but yourself,
an appetite and your dancing shoes!
P. Pie"
'Another Pinkie Pie party?' he thought, a small frown working its way onto his muzzle, 'I thought I told her that I didn't like to party. As for Hearts and Hooves day, what was there to celebrate? The fact that you're alone while everypony else is together? I'm sure she'll understand if I don't go.'
As Midnight came to that conclusion he turned around and qjumped when his eyes fell onto a pink cotton candy mane. He quickly got back up and patted his chest to calm its ponding. No matter how many years he lives in Ponyville, he'll never get used to that. He looked at the pink niqnja party pony with an awkward smile.
"Hey, Midnight! Just thought I'd come to remind you about the
party tonight." she said with almost as much bounce as her mane.
"Oh, hey Pinkie," Midnight meekly muttered, "um, I'm sorry but I don't think I'll come to the party. You know how I am."
His words only seemed to make the mare's already unnatural smile widden. He knew she was always a happy bundle of sugar-fueled energy as well as a great pony to everyone, no matter species, gender or mental dissorder.
"Oh, you silly billy, that's where the part about it not being like other parties comes from."
"Pinkie, I don't care to be around groups of ponies." Midnight said with a slight frown, "I especially don't like to on, well, that day. I think that shouldn't be a day for crowds."
This just caused the pastry mare to giggle before giving him a playful hug.
"Come on, just trust Auntie Pinkie."
"We're the same age."
"Right, so like I was saying, you'll like this one, I Pinkie Promise." Pinkie Pie said, ignoring my last statement, followed by the ritualistic gestures of what is known as the Pinkie Promise.
Before he could even ask her how she could be so sure in herself, she was off again, her springy hops propelling her to her next target to startle. Midnight just shook his head and headed back into his house, it was not the day to deal with her right now...it seems that would have to be tomorrow night. Midnight just spit out the cad onto the table before he got back to his desk and continued writing his newest work before he let Princess Luna claim him with sleep.



The following morning, actually more around afternoon, Midnight woke up with a yawn and a flex of his leathery wings. With his eyes still recovering from sleep, he made his way to his modest kitchen where he prepared a dish from his homeland: crushed insects and fruit mixed with chilled milk. He knew one common misconception was that all of his kind drank blood, and while there were those that did, he couldn't stand the taste. 
While drinking his breakfast smoothie, his eyes landed on the card and his mind groggily brought up Pinkie's words, how she even Pinkie Promised that he'd like it. With a bit of a sharp breath, he picked up the card and began thinking about it again. Maybe he should go. If nothing else, it'd be a place where he could get some food. Heck, after this maybe Pinkie will get that he doesn't like parties once and fir all. As he looked outside the window he noticed it was close to the time the party was going to be. So, with a final swig, he finished his breakfast and went to the door, stopping only to get his fedora and a scarf he received from home last year.
After a brisk walk, Midnight, found himself in front of the confectionary shop known as Sugar Cube Corner, the usual partyplace of the pink party mare's parties. Midnight sighed a bit before he opened the door to the pastry refinery. As he slipped inside, he heard the sound of music all around him and the lights were dimmed.
'What's this, the last dance of the spring formal?' he thoughtbefore turning around and bracing himself for the crowd that he, surprisingly, didn't see. He instead saw a relatively empty room with only one other pony, a mare in front of a punch bowl.
'Huh, must be early.' he thought right before he heard the sound of shifting metal and a soft click.
"Might as well make yourself at home, that lock's pretty stuborn." said the mare.
Midnight's pupils shank to pinpricks from what he heard. Locks? There were actual LOCKS on the doors?! He tried to calm down as he turned around and tried to open the standard double door to freedom only for it to not budge an inch. Not willing to believe the situation, he tried again. He tried shaking the door but was only rewarded with the usual locked door rumble.
An exhausted sigh came from the mare at the punch bowl as she levitated a glass of the red liquid to her muzzle, it was only then that Midnight Premiere actually looked at the mare.Her black mane almost looked a bit unkempt and had a white line through it. Her green fur was the color of slime from one of those old sci-fi horror movies. Her eyes were slitted with a red hue almost as if to compliment his slitted orange.
"So, what's this about?" asked Midnight.
"How should I know? All I know is I was looking into ideal locations for my next movie, when bam, Pinkie." the unicorn mare stated with a bit of a huf, "She could make a killer drop horse apples with her speed."
"Ha! Tell me about it, Bloody Mare-y doesn't have anything on her!" Midnight said with a laugh.
That brought a slight smile to the mare's face. She set down her cup and patted her black and white tail to her side. Midnight Premiere gave a small smile of his own before going to the mare.
"I didn't know there were any Thestral in Ponyville."
"I don't get out much, not a big fan of crowds."
Midnight looked away a bit shyly. He never had really met a mare with her sense of humor before, it was a pleasant change. As he looked away though, his eyes seemed drawn to her flank where he saw her cutie mark, a movie reel. He quickly looked back up at the mare who had a slightly amused expression on her face. Midnight cleared his throat to try to regain his composure.
"So, what does a Thestral with an open book of comedy and tragedy call himself?"
"U-um, I'm M-Midnight Premiere." he slightly stuttered out, "Mind if I ask your name?"
"Smash Cut." she replied with a soft smile.
"Smash Cut." he replied almost mirroring her smile.
The two began small conversations, mostly on small jokes and old horror cliches. For a few hours, the sound of laughter rang through the halls of Sugar Cube Corner. Smash Cut, and, Midnight Premiere, seemed to forget all about their predicament about being locked in an empty confectionary shop.
"So, you write some plays? Any I've heard of?" Smash Cut asked after yet another bout of laughter.
"Well, m-my piece called 'Fallen Stars' was popular for a bit." Midnight replied with a small blush, nearly unnoticeable from his red coat. "What about you? You said you were in film."
"I did, didn't I? Well, nothing really too big, just little horrors and comedic horrors."
It was then that the clock on the wall of the corner rang signaling midnight. The two looked at the clock with raised eyebrows before reality came back.
"So, shouldn't Pinkie Pie have let us out by now?" Midnight asked in a bit of a tired voice.
"I dunno."
The two waited for a few more minutes tiredness apparent. It was then that Smash looked to Midnight.
"What do you think we should do?" she said with no real alarm.
"I dunno." Midnight responded.



At noon Pinkie woke up at another Hearts and Hooves Day party while all the others were still asleep.
'Hm...maybe I should make them an I'm sorry I put so much alcohol in the punch cake.' she thought before her pupils shrunk and she bolted off saying something about a special party.
It wasn't long before Pinkie was at Sugar Cube Corne, her hair holding a key. She quickly unlocked and opened the door and immediately gave an "awww" at the scene.



On the floor of the Corner was Smash Cut cuddled up to a sleeping Midnight Premiere's barrel fast asleep with his foreleg around her.


THE END