//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 // Story: The Eyes Are Blind // by Fe94Knight //------------------------------// Chapter twenty three After a rather brief explanation to the monarch of the castle. Followed by a few good ‘luck’s and ‘see you soon’s from the others. Both Luna, and Midnight have found themselves already out the door faster than was expected, or could have been hoped, and onward towards their destination. Soaring through the air on their own power, and making great time at that. Midnight, having been up far earlier while studying over the map, guides them towards the town of Coltsdale. For what amounts to a midafternoon flight it’s none the less pleasant. Especially given the company for the trip. With each a pair of powerful wings to propel them, it takes neither the princess nor her, more or less, escort very long to reach the outskirts of the town itself. As they land just out of the limits with a graceful step. “And princess I welcome you to…” Midnight extends a hoof pointing out to the establishments in view, “Coltsdale.” “Not a bad little flight, even enjoyable I would go to say,” She summarizes, trotting ahead of him a bit while he catches up to her side, “Though I will say that now that we are here and all… The order of business is to find, the library.” “I haven’t known her very long, but just from my brief experience,” Midnight starts to chuckle to himself while walking at the connection he’s made, “You sound like Twilight.” “That mare has been around more often lately, so I guess she’s rubbing off on me,” She giggles with him for a moment before explaining her piece, “Though, as we are looking for records, the best place would be the library after all,” They both nod to one another, and start to trot a little faster while they now enter the town. Being the middle of the day, the town center bustles with other ponies going about their daily tasks of buying groceries, selling their own products, cleaning up shop, or taking care of miscellaneous different tasks of their own lives. However, being on what amounts to the back end of Equestria, you never get to have that many visitors. Let alone an appearance from one of the nation’s regal sisters. A single earth pony colt carting around, well, a cart just happens to be the first to see her, and even has to pause to do a double take to make sure he hasn’t been exhorting himself too much with his wagon. “Ahh…” He stumbles to the ground in a bow while she starts to close the distance in between them, “…Your majesty, welcome!” The final word brings the attention to many of the others near him, and as they drop to the ground and a domino effect takes hold. After a few seconds, what seems like the whole town square, is now at her hooves. “Is it always like this?” Midnight leans in to her ear, while looking at the masses. “Well I don’t come here often,” Luna shrugs off at him before addressing the rest of the town in the Royal Canterlot Voice just to get her point across, “CITIZENS OF COLTSDALE. YOUR PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT HAS GRACED YOU WITH HER PRESENCE. HOWEVER, SHE BECKONS YOU TO ENJOY THE DAY, AND CARRY ON AS SUCH. SO PLEASE, RISE!” The single command beckons them to get to their feet where they are greeted by her warm smile, “Much better,” Luna leans in to the earth pony who started it all, as he gets to his hooves, “Though perhaps you could direct me, and my companion, to the town library?” she asks in hushed tones. “Oh…well, three streets down,” He points in a single direction with his hoof past them, “On your right. You can’t miss it, your majesty.” “Thank you, kind colt…” She nods to him, while now she and Midnight trot off to follow the directions given to them. Coming across the old building just outside the center, several chairs outside are set up for patrons to read to their hearts desire in the warm sun. Or should the weather not hold up, then they can come inside to where they will meet the warm reception of a unicorn mare who looks to be about as old as the building itself. “Good afternoon, Princess Luna,” The elderly mare lightly bows down to her before raising herself back up, and readjusting the spectacles on her muzzle as she notices the peculiar colt near her, “And to you as well sir…to what do I owe the pleasure?” “Good day ma’am,” Midnight takes the stand before Luna even gets the chance to, “We have come from Canterlot, and were hoping to get a look at your town records… Older ones if at all possible.” “Well let’s see now,” The mare holds a hoof to her chin. Going over the entire mental image, and layout of the library itself, having been here long enough to nearly memorize it, “Well just how old are ya looking for?” “All the way back to when this town was known by a different name,” Luna interjects as they both begin to follow the mare back in to the aisles, “Flankton, around that time period.” “Ahh Flankton!” Her old eyes light up, while just the simple mention of the name brings back memories, “I haven’t heard that name in a while now, it seems most ponies around here have forgotten it…” Her small horn lights up with a violet tinge, picking up a book from a shelf above them. Before laying it neatly down on the colt’s back so he can carry it for the princess, “That there is the list of many town residences, occupations, and businesses that were here…” the mare takes a much needed sigh, “Though sadly there isn’t anything else from around that time. Several years ago there was a storm, and with this places leaky roof, needless to say many of the books didn’t last long.” “We appreciate the help miss,” Luna nods to her, while the librarian trots off in the distance. Luna waits for her to get out of distance, before bringing up the topic between them, “Well… This is the best we’ve got.” “I remember neither the name of the pony who raised me, nor any of their kin that surrounded me,” Midnight grumbles while scrapping his hoof at the ground below him. Silently kicking himself at the fault he has to blame on himself. Of all the things he could have forgotten over the many, many years. He has lost track of the names to those that were the closest thing he had to a family growing up, ‘and now I’m stuck with a book, that has nothing of use to me, but names,’ Midnight thinks before biting the inner part of his lip with a fang, trying to hide his displeasure. Though no matter how quiet he may be about the failure, one mare is able to hear him loud and clear. “It’s not your fault you can’t remember,” A gentle hoof rests itself on the colt’s shoulder as Luna stands even closer to him, while they go over to a desk to look through the tomb, “After all it has been literally century’s sense then, and Shard’s presence hasn’t likely helped.” “And yet almost five hundred years is what it took for me to even really start looking to where it all could have begun,” He does not even open the book, instead Midnight decides to slam his head atop the cover in shame. Though with the thump that came from the action, neither of them hear the mighty gasp from a colt who had only entered the library for a good book. “Can it be…?” The Pegasus steps closer to them. His hoof steps and words finally registering to the couple, and bidding them to turn around. Upon seeing the large colt beside the princess, the one that just entered the library halts his way, and is left slack jawed at the sight, “…It is…” he mutters still in shock. “Ahh… sir? Can we help you?” Luna waves a hoof in front of him to get his attention, snapping him back in to reality. Instantly recognizing the princess far faster than he did the other colt, the Pegasus hits the floor for an instant before rising back up, “My apologies Princess… Though I was more taken back by your companion,” He gestures to Midnight. Who simply steps back a few paces, thinking that at first this may be a pony who somehow remembers his less than stellar moments in the town. “I must apologize sir,” he answers quickly, “but if I did something to offend you in the past, I am sorry.” “Oh no, no, no… nothing of that sort. Where are my manners,” The colt shakes his head, and extends a hoof to him, “Mr. Midnight allow me to introduce myself… my name is North Cloud. I’m a decedent of Fall Cloud,” North answers confidently. Expecting the name to bring up some memories, though the blank stare that the colt gives him brings him to explain more, “the one that raised you?” The speechless manner of the stallion in front of him, tells North that he left Midnight’s mind even worse off than it was, “Why of course there is much to discuss… please, come with me… I’ll fill you in with what I can.” __________________ The short walk to North’s house after checking out the record book, is over in a few moments. The pure white Pegasus opening up the door to a comfortable looking cottage, and leads them in. Beckoning the two to come in, he leads them to the living room with the book tucked under his wing. Opening it up on a low coffee table, North flips through a few pages, and rests it there to show them what he found in only a couple of seconds, “See there…” He points with a hoof, “… Fall Cloud moved here when the town first was established… The fact that you don’t remember the name though is understandable,” He now points to the date, far in to Luna’s own banishment. The fact that he knows more about Midnight than originally guessed already apparent on the snowy colt’s face, as he beams widely to them both, “Fall was my great, great, great grandfather… and you Midnight, have been around for quite a while.” “How is it you know all this?” The baffled nocturnal mare leans in from the couch. “Midnight here is a story that stuck around in the Cloud family… Fall’s kids, and grandkids were around you and told their own children about you in the past, kind of a mysterious one that little foals like to hear about,” North gets up for a moment, and returns with a photo album to share. Flipping steadily through the pages that show many family moments between them all. Several of them, showing a rather odd pony that seems to stick out like a sore hoof. The smaller colt in the beginning, is further away from most of the others in the pictures as they begin looking through, though as the years progressed. Not only did his size dramatically grow, but so did the appearance of a more warming acceptance to the group, as a young Midnight embraced his family. “…Fall brought you in under his wing when you were just a pup. Though you stuck together with us up until his own grandchildren, just as Fall himself, did…” A single tear falls from North’s eye as he remembers the memories that have been passed down from his ancestor. To his children, grandchildren, and eventually to himself, “Bless his kind heart. Fall started our line, oddly enough it was always the family joke that he said he wasn’t going to get married, have kids, or anything of the sort… Whelp, look how that turned out,” The decedent points to himself. Out of the many pictures that they see of Fall, he always has a smile on his face, and usually with a unicorn mare under his wing. Though in the silence of them taking in the pictures, Midnight himself has a tear beading up in his eyes. Touching the picture with a single hoof, the other two look at him now to see their friend attempting to fight back water works, “I… I remember. Not much, but some…” He points to another one. Of himself, along with Fall, and the unicorn out at a park at what looks to be dusk, “Here… This was the first memory of a park I have.” “But who took the pictures?” Luna turns slightly to North for an answer. “One of the doctors in town was a friend of Fall’s. Didn’t really care of what Midnight here looked like. Heck if I remember correctly he helped deliver the little tike,” North shrugged off. “But the unicorn…” The taken colt runs his hoof lightly across the mares form in the photo “…she’s the one that helped me with my gift…” “Aye that makes sense now… Fall Cloud, and Floral,” North points out to him as he goes in to more of an explanation, “You were their first foal, well kinda… He found you, and brought you in. Helping to raise you, they ended up getting married not long after that,” He snickers at the small joke. Though the memory of Midnight being rescued, is a myth to him that he hasn’t even solved. “You said Fall found Midnight?” Luna perks up, waiting for her question to grab North, “What do you mean, did he explain that?” Soft eyes on the Pegasus’s face fall slowly to the floor in a moment of silence, “Sadly no… The only thing Fall ever conveyed about your discovery, was that he only wished he could have forgotten it himself,” Before anything more on that matter can be spilled. the door opens wide once more, and the slight sequels of a foal pierce the air. “Daddy!” a small Pegasus darts forward, and topples her father out of the chair, and on to the floor. Not even noticing the other two ponies there in the room while North does the fatherly thing... Rough house with his child, and let them win. “I love you too, Cirrus,” He kisses the tip of her muzzle while the small foal stays atop his chest. That is before being lifted back up in an amber glow around her, and to the back of a mare. “She does love her father…” the rose unicorn comes in, and kisses North for what she can only say, is never long enough. Though the presences of others in the room as she opens one eye urges her to cut the show of affection short. Mostly because the fact of who one of the guests is, “…well it would be nice to get a note that we were having company,” She chuckles to herself, and extends a hoof to both Midnight, and even the princess without missing a beat. Though even if she isn’t showing it. The mother is slightly unnerved by having the unexpected royalty in her home without even the chance to clean things up a bit, “It is a pleasure to have you here your majesty, both of you…” “Why the pleasure is all mine,” Luna insists, though the light feel of a pair of wings running below her beckons the mare to look down, only to see the foal sitting there idly with wide eyes at the princess of the night. “Hello Miss Luna,” She mutters while trying to speak around the hoof in her mouth. “Good evening little one,” She smiles back. Even using her own magic to lift up the foal, and put her on her own back. Though the foal’s attention is broken by the noticing of the other colt there in the room. His strange appearance captivating her, and even causing the young pony to twist her head back and forth as she looks over Midnight’s form. “Cirrus? Was it?” Midnight asks calmly as he leans down to be on eye level with her, “After Cirrus clouds that are high above the others in the air. Did you know that?” “Yep!” she beams widely at the colt, “Mommy says it’s because I’m going high places in the world!” The simple incite relaxes her a bit, to the point where she even starts to ask the new comer a thing or two, “Why do you have fangs?” The blunt question stumps the parents for a second. Though Midnight simply answers the questions as they come, “I was born with them actually.” “Do you know my daddy?” “No, not exactly…” Midnight takes a moment to answer. Recalling the relation, “But I do know one of his old relatives.” “Are…” Cirrus starts to put it together, “Are you the pony my dad would talk about? The one with the magic but no horn?” At that moment, Midnight knows that the foal is more than just curious. Bringing out a single hoof, he points it towards the photo album on the table, and levitates it with a slight glow in his hoof over to them to answer the foal’s question, “That I am…” He beams back at her, as they go back in to the living room to chat. Cirrus sits atop Midnight’s lap while North fills his wife in, “Crimson… this is Midnight. He is the one that you see in the photos, the one Fall rescued.” “I remember you talking about him many times. Though I honestly never thought I’d see him for myself,” Crimson smiles lightly at the similar colored colt, “North here has shared many stories with our little Cirrus over the years. However, she will be able to tell her kids one day, that she actually met you.” “Hehe that she will,” Luna giggles a bit as the foal pokes, and prods the bat like wings of the colt. Though at heart she can’t find the words to describe how adorable it is to see Midnight going along with it, and even to the point of bringing one out a bit so she can lay down in it like a hammock, ‘This is just too precious…’ She tries to cover her muzzle to stave off the laughter, “I would have expected Cirrus to be a little more hesitant, around a new pony such as yourself, no offence,” Luna follows up quickly as she bites her tongue, while herself and the parents watch Cirrus climb all over the colt, “usually kids are frightened more easily.” “Sometimes yes…” Midnight answers, already knowing how to answer this, “though for the most part when they are young. To see a pony like me inspires more awe and wonder than fear, even with the fangs,” he recalls a few of the instances of running in to a foal while out in the world. One young colt found Midnight hanging in a tree before by his very tail, though when his golden eyes snapped open. The foal didn’t run, only looked in amazement that a pony could even suspend themselves like that. Another time a little filly bumped in to him while out in a village, that’s when she noticed that the cloak he was wearing was actually his wings, and being a Pegasus, never imagined that wings on a pony could be that big. While out in the city once, Midnight saved a mother and her daughter from a couple muggers while the parent took a short cut at night through an ally. Though while the criminals were shocked that he levitated a dumpster in to them, and rather hurt at that, the foal just stared in wonder at what he did with no horn. However, no matter how harmless he may be. Midnight still got the same treatment by their parents when they came around. The colt’s father hurtled a few energy bolts at him when he saw the fangs. Half of the village chased him out when the mother noticed his slit eyes. And even after being rescued. Upon seeing he wasn’t a unicorn, the mare in the ally grabbed her daughter and screamed, taking off away from the colt that just likely saved her live. Midnight is, needless to say, used to that sort of treatment. Though his little memory trip did give North something to ponder on while he watched his daughter play. “However, I must ask, is there anything we can help you with?” He asks the pair, “After all I doubt you would have come here all the way from Canterlot just to chat, especially after I found you in the library.” “Well then you would assume right,” Midnight answers, letting the little mare play on him while he explains their position. Starting off from where he should, in the Crystal Empire, and how he was brought to Canterlot. He jumps onwards to Luna, and Twilight helping him to understand what his wrong, after explaining that for a good minute. Finally capping off with the little ‘following of bread crumbs’ to find his origins. The final detail on his less than perfect mind, bringing only a sympathetic hoof to Crimson’s muzzle as she gasps. “Oh my…” She takes in another breath, “…How is it now though? Is he gone? I mean you seem quite healthy.” “For now, Shard’s at bay,” Midnight answers while the slight tingle in the back of his mind lets him know that it isn’t gone. “Well if you are looking for answers then… I may be able to help you,” North brings out a small map of the area, and with a quill circles a single town that doesn’t seem too far off from them, “As I said, Midnight, Fall moved here when the town was built… Though he was originally from a town nearby. Though the name has changed, much of the town hasn’t, and even to this day their library is far better than ours… Perhaps you can find your records there?” Midnight graciously accepts the map from the colt, and tucks it in to his wing while Cirrus takes her place by her mother, “Thank you very much, North Cloud… you don’t know how much this means for me.” “Oh I can imagine,” North, who considers Midnight not a stranger but family in his mind, wraps a single wing around the massive bat like Pegasus, and squeezes slightly. It’s an odd action at first for the recipient, though even in time Midnight melts a bit, and puts a wing around North in response. Soon being followed by Cirrus, as she wraps her hooves around the colt’s leg. All three of them lightly relinquishing the embrace, as the family Midnight never knew he had leads him, and Luna to the door. “Take care you two… I hope you find what you’re looking for,” North waves them on. Now with Crimson, and their daughter waving goodbye to them as they go down the road towards their target. “Make sure you stop by again sometime, Mr. Midnight!” Crimson calls back to them as the sun starts to dip down towards the horizon. “I’ll be sure he does!” Luna responds to them while they go down to road, and off in to the distance.