Midnight's Tail

by Midnightshadow

Epilogue

Midnight’s Tail

Epilogue

***

Twilight was exhausted. Spike was fast asleep on her back and she was all but fast asleep on her hooves. Travel on Earth was a lot more hard work than it was in Equestria. As she walked, too tired to trot, through the empty streets of Ponyville. The library was just ahead, in a few minutes she could...

“Spike! Spike!” she hissed, stopping in the street. There was a wan light inside the treehouse, an intruder!

“Huh? Whaddaya want Twilight? I’m tired...”

“There’s somepony in my treehouse!”

Spike came wide awake at once, scrambling to stand up on the unicorn’s back, peering over her head between her long ears.
She shook her mane out and pawed the ground, “What do you think, rush the joint?”

“Hi ho Twilight, away!” agreed Spike, holding on for dear life as the unicorn reared up and broke into an immediate gallop. She slammed through the door and slid to a halt inside the main room.

“My it’s windy tonight,” came a voice from a back room, it sounded busy and tired, “do I hear somepony out there? I’m sorry, I’m rather sleepy, the library’s closed. Can you come back tomorrow?”

“I recognize that voice...Midnight?” asked Spike, hopping up and down on Twilight’s back, “It is! It’s Midnight!”

“Spike? Twilight! You’re back! I’m so glad to see you!” Midnight came running out of the back and he pranced around the pair, giving Spike a brohoof. The dragon switched mounts and instantly started jabbering about their adventures, relating several humorous occurences in the various Bureaus around the world - Pinkie had absolutely adored India although nopony could talk her out of attempting to feed cotton candy curry to anypony at the drop of a hat. One attempt in particular had resulted in half the staff calling in sick leaving Pinkie to manage the cooking.

“Pinkie? Cooking? With curry?”

“Oh you haven’t heard the funniest bit yet! She’s all concerned and trying to find something safe to eat for those suffering from the dreaded Deli Belly, right? So she asks me, she goes ‘Spike, how about oatmeal?’ and you know what I said?”

“Oatmeal?”

“Oatmeal! I said, ‘oatmeal, Pinkie, are you crazy?’ and she gives me this look for about five seconds before she’s off rolling around the floor! Hah! I oatmealed Pinkie! Fantastic!”

Twilight just stood there with her mouth hanging open, “he stole my library. He just stole my number one assistant. I’m so going to kick his flank for this...” she yawned heavily, she knew she was just cranky, “in the morning...”

“I bet you’re tired,” said Midnight, smiling, nosing the yawning Spike. The dragon waved his paws and made a face that said ‘getoff’. Midnight led the way upstairs to Twilight’s bedroom. He opened the door and turned up the firefly lamps with a hoof, “I kept it waiting for you, just the way you’d want it.”

The room was pristine, perfect, with clean bedding and a scented candle which Midnight proudly lit with a spark from his horn. Twilight revised her plans from bodily harm down to a chewing out, but collapsed into her bed without complaint. Spike all but leapt at his basket with a cry of “blankie!” whereupon he rolled himself up in it’s warm blue cuddliness and almost immediately started snoring.

Midnight was making breakfast in the kitchenette in the back of the library. Something light today, I think, he thought to himself, tasting the daffodils and dandelions for consistency. He’d not really gotten used to eating flowers yet and found himself putting them in vases and getting odd looks from his guests - what few he had. He liked the mornings in Ponyville, so peaceful, so quie-

“MIIIDDDNIIIGGGHHHTTTT!” shrieked Twilight, “Did you use all the hot water? I need hot water for my mane or it’ll be all frizzy! I have to give my report to the Princess today! I can’t do that looking like a clown!”

Midnight slumped, so much for peace and quiet, “Sorry Twilight!” he called, “I’ll...I’ll have a word with the pegasus ponies, I’m sure you can borrow a cloud...”

“FORGET IT!” grumbled Twilight from the bathroom.

Midnight turned to finish the salad and was just setting it on the table when a wet and dripping Twilight stomped into the kitchenette with a soap bottle in her mouth. She spat it onto the table, “What do you call this?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

Midnight looked, and read the label slowly, not yet up to speed on Equestrian script, “Silver Shine’s Glossy Hair Creme - for a thick, luxurious coat, mane and tail.”

“Correct. Do you notice anything wrong with it?”

“Other than the fact it’s on my table, you mean?”

“It’s empty!” she hissed, “It costs twenty eight bits a bottle on special import from Canterlot and it’s empty!”

“But...” said Midnight, “it’s the only shampoo that keeps my mane in shape! And don’t let me start about my tail!”

“You used all the hot water! You used all my shampoo! You..you...you’re living in my library! Augh! It’s too early for this...I’m going back to bed.”

Midnight slumped at the kitchen table, this was going to be harder than he thought. A bell went off and he raised his head. On top of all that, he was going to be late for school! Cheerilee was going to put him in detention...again! He wrote a quick note, ‘enjoy your breakfast’, and galloped out the door.

Twilight woke up with a start when with a loud, “woah, woah...look out!” a blue and rainbow-haired pegasus came hurtling through an open window and crashed into the bookcase downstairs. She opened her eyes and sighed, “no rest for the weary.”

“Hi, er, hey Twi, glad to see you made it! Have...have you seen Midnight?” Rainbow Dash had the remains of a salad in her teeth, she’d managed to scoff the lot in the few minutes since so decidedly waking the sleepy unicorn.

Twilight yawned, “No, I think you just missed him. Any particular reason?”

“Oh no, no, you know, just...wanted to say hi. We didn’t get a chance yesterday evening before you came to do any...er, talking...the princesses...”

“Midnight was dining with the princesses?” Twilight’s cheeks grew hot.

“Y-yeah, funny thing...” Dash grinned weakly

“And you didn’t invite me?”

“Well you were out of town, you took the later flight...”

“Well some of us had work to do. Some of us don’t have wings.” Twilight spat.

The fight was broken up by a bell ringing. A light blue filly with an hour glass on her flank and an interestingly white and dark-blue striped mane and tail trotted in and looked all around, “Uh, oh...is the librarian not here? I wanted to borrow a book...”

Twilight boiled with rage, “I’M THE LIBRARIAN!”

The filly looked Twilight up and down, “Hardly, he’s a bit bigger than you and a stallion for a start...”

“Augh! And you ate all my breakfast...Dash you greedy pig!”

Rainbow Dash and the filly, Colgate, fled the treehouse, the former in tears of laughter.

Midnight concentrated. He no longer floated around the room when writing using his magic, but he still wasn’t very good at it. He’d also progressed on the reading. He was on ‘Hooves, Manes and Tails - My First Bedtime Story Book’ now and had collected an embarrassing number of gold stars from Cheerilee. He’d given up trying to understand why he was still being sent to school - Mayor Mare said it was a mixup with the paperwork, he personally suspected it was Luna having a long-winded joke. He was making the best of it and to be honest he was learning a lot about Equestria and getting good practice in reading and writing natively. He was currently working on an illustrated story about the time before he was a unicorn when he was a human known as Martin Danielson, for his Equestrian Languages class. He was trying to get out of the habit of drawing himself as he was and instead drawing himself as he used to be. Strangely enough it was difficult. He kept adding the horn, hooves and the tail. He doodled, drawing a pegasus, then picking up a blue pencil with his magic and colouring the lines lightly. He followed it up with all the colours of the rainbow in the mane and tail.

“That’th Rainbow Dathh!” said Twist, a chipper little foal who loved to make peppermint sticks. Midnight could almost count the days until she was working for the Cakes, or even running her own sweet shop. Midnight smiled and looked down. He’d done it again, he’d drawn himself as a unicorn, looking up at Dash flying about in the Ponification Centre.

“It certainly is! This is just after I became a unicorn, not the first time I’ve met Dash. I was having dinner with her last night. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were there too.”

“No way! I don’t believe you!” called another pony

“I’ll prove it, kid. Pop ‘round the library later tonight and I’ll introduce you to Luna.”

Midnight was quickly surrounded by choruses of “me too! And me!” and he had to laugh, even though Cheerilee gave him a light-hearted mock-scowl. He looked at the picture and smiled fondly, then made up his mind, “Miss? I’m going to have to leave early.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow and adjusted her spectacles, “Just because you’re five times as big as the rest of my students, don’t think you get special treatment, young unicorn. You’re just like any other student when in class.”

“It’s official business,” he lied, blushing slightly.

Cheerilee narrowed her eyes, she didn’t believe a word of it but she did have a soft spot for the lummox. Perhaps this time he could get away with it, “Well alright, but see you complete page twenty-three and I want the homework done too! No skimping or I’ll put you in timeout. Again.”

Midnight dipped his head in agreement, blushing, as he collected his things. Timeouts were becoming less common but seemed to come in almost equal measure to the gold stars. He fled before she could change her mind.

A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash poked her head around the door gingerly, scanning around the classroom. She waved a hoof at Scootaloo before she caught sight of Cheerilee and stopped mid-wave. The teacher had a face like a purple thundercloud.

“Miss Rainbow Dash, if you want to stay for lessons all you have to do is ask. Well?”

“Oh, er...no, no, I was just looking for someone...”

“He left, as should you. Scoot!”

Midnight found himself back at the library, he’d looked all over Ponyville to no avail. That darn blue streak of lightning was probably halfway in the clouds and all the way to slumberville. He sniffed. Typical, she’d probably forgotten all about him. He was coming up on the library dejectedly when, with the bright light of day, he realised what looked odd about the place. The grass was getting a bit...wild. He hadn’t noticed in the dark.

“Twilight?” he called out, “Twilight? Who cuts the grass around here?”

“Who does what?” asked Twilight, finally poking her head out of an upstairs window. she looked grumpy.

“Who cuts the grass? I mean I haven’t seen any lawnmowers around here...”

“What’s a lawnmower?”

“The grass...it’s getting a bit long? Shouldn’t there be something to cut it?”

Twilight pulled her head back in and a few moments later appeared at the front door with a puzzled expression on her face, “I thought you were just saving it for later...you’re a pony. Ponies eat grass.”

Midnight blinked. How could he have been so foolish? “Oh...ah. Well, that...that does kind of explain things. I...I don’t think I can eat all of this.”

“Need help?” said a voice from behind him. Somehow, Pinkie was rising out of the undergrowth like the proverbial great pink huntress. Midnight blinked, he’d long ago given up trying to work out how Pinkie managed things like that, he assumed she was some sort of secret agent, super ninja or part unicorn. Or all three.

“I...I can’t eat all of this grass! Oh shoot and that reminds me, after last night I’ve totally forgotten to get the shopping in. Twilight, I’m sorry, you must be hungry.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Twilight, brightly - maybe a little too brightly - although her stomach decided to announce she was lying. Midnight disappeared inside and came back out with a purse of jangling coins.

“I’m not very good with money yet, but...my treat? I think I’ve got enough to scare up some of the Cake’s cakes. And some of Rocky’s coffee...”

Twilight blinked, “where’d you get that?”

“I...I get paid?”

“What? But there’s a small fortune in here!”

“It’s not my fault!” protested Midnight, “The princess just...”

“The Princess? Why would Celestia....”

Midnight shook his head, “Not Celestia, Luna. I kind of work for her? I did send you a letter.”

Twilight grit her teeth, “Let me get this straight; you live in Ponyville, in the library. You work for the princess. I suppose you’ve got a dragon assistant who sends your reports to Luna for you too?”

Midnight shook his head again, “There’s this owl; I call him ‘Hugo’ although all he ever says is ‘hoo’ so I’m...I’m not sure...”

“An owl.” Twilight looked like she would explode. Midnight nodded. “THAT’S IT! I’M GOING FOR A WALK!”

“Tell the rest of the pony gang we’re gonna have ourselves a shearing contest! With grasscake!” called Pinkie, as she happily set to chomping on the delicious foliage. Midnight gingerly started helping. It tasted like lemon sherbet.

Inside and out of the sun, Midnight was putting away his school books before heading out to look for a certain pegasus mare. He was idly chewing on an apple fritter, not just any fritter, but a Sweet Apple Acres apple fritter, studying a map of Ponyville and cross-checking with the day’s weather forcast when he suddenly realised that Twilight was once more in the library. She seemed to be getting angrier and angrier, pacing about from shelf to shelf and levitating down book after book and stomping her hooves. He stopped what he was doing and looked up, “Can I help?”

“Just what did you do in here? I can’t find anything!”

“I...kinda rearranged it a little? Nothing major...”

“You...you...you...”

“Yes, you’d got everything arranged alphabetically. I’ve rearranged it by topic and author. Much simpler!”

“But...half the books are missing!”

“They’re not missing, this is a library. They’re on loan. There’s a ledger somewhere...” Midnight fished it out with his magic, cleaning the crumbs away.

“You...you...” Twilight was snorting

“You said that.” urged Midnight.

“You loan books out? I mean yes...this is a library, and yes I suppose the people of Ponyville are allowed to loan the books but, but, but...they never actually do!”

“I think it’s the newfoals. I’ve ordered a lot of novels from Canterlot and Trottingham - Far Spotter, Madame Pompadour, Hex Bradley...I think the newfoals are writing as many as they’re reading but they really do love the classics.”

“And will you stop eating in here! This is a library, as you were so quick to remind me!”

“Sorry Twilight...” mumbled Midnight, scoffing the last piece, “Hey where’s Pinkie?”

“I think she went off to make you a special Pinkie Pie Grasscake Surprise, said somethng about a party,” Twilight blinked widely and put a hoof on her mouth, “oh rats, it was supposed to be a surprise!”

Midnight grinned, “I’ll act surprised. Tell you what, I’ll...I’ll clear off and come back later, okay? Send Fluttershy after me...no, wait, send AJ or Big Mac once they turn up, knowing Pinkie she’s invited everypony.”

“Why not send Rainbow Dash?” called out Twilight, but Midnight had gone.

Midnight trotted through the town, eyes on the sky, on the lookout for a streak of rainbow tail on blue hide. He found himself heading to Sweet Apple Acres where the pegasus’ weather patrol was supposed to be causing a mild shower. Cobalt was busy tilling the fields with gusto after the relatively-recent winter-wrapup. Midnight hurried to catch up to him, somehow the earth pony was walking in a continuous ray of sunshine whilst around him the downpour happened obliviously.

“Hey Cobalt!” called Midnight, emerging into sudden sunlight and shaking himself dry, “Weird weather we’re having. I’m looking for Rainbow...have you seen Peachy?”

Cobalt looked up from his plodding and came to a halt, “Oh hey Midnight, what’s up?”

“Have you seen Peachy?” repeated Midnight.

“You said that, and I said ‘what’s up’,” said the earth pony with a grin, flicking his ears and tail in mirth, “Peachy’s up, that’s what.”

Midnight looked up, and there staring down at him through a pony-sized hole in the rainclouds was a familiar yellow-orange pegasus with the vibrant dark-red mane and tail.

“Look out below!” she called and leapt through the hole in the cloud cover and landed with a thump in the muddy field. She still hadn’t quite got the landings down pat.

“That’s mah gal,” said Cobalt with a smile, “she runs her own business now!”

“That I do! Peachy Punch’s Cloud Delivery and Removal Specialists at your service, Midnight. I’ll punch a hole in those rainclouds just for you, turning grey days just peachy.”

Midnight’s eyes widened, “you stop the rain?”

“Or bring it, special delivery. Only costs a few bits!”

“Sounds like you two are settling down well here!”

Peachy did a little dance and showed off her flank, “That we are! I got my cutie-mark and everything!” she showed it off, a little cup of sunshine - literally, it was a happy smiley sun-face in a cup.

“That reminds me,” said Cobalt, “an’ I guess now you’re here, it’s as good a time as any. Midnight, you can help do the honours. I’m...not too good with my hooves. I just pull things. Can you fetch the little box out of my saddle-bags? Peachy, you stay right there...”

Midnight watched, searching through the bags for what Cobalt had described. It was a small, felt-covered box with a hinged lid. He lifted it out with his magic as Cobalt got down on one knee and looked up at Peachy, “I...uh...I’m not very good with my words either, but will you be...become...er...misses...Peachy Cobalt, or however it works with these pony-names?”

Peachy wasn’t sure whether to giggle or gasp, as Midnight flipped open the lid and lifted out a fine silver necklace of horse-shoe and feather-shapes, both box and necklace hanging in the air from Midnight’s magic. She looked down at the earth pony and suddenly grinned ear to ear, giving him a whiskery kiss on the nose, “Oh I will, Cobalt! But...I think I’ll keep on being Peachy Punch.”

Midnight, concentrating so hard he was sweating, opened the clasp and put it around Peachy’s neck, his magic giving out just as it finally snapped closed. Peachy Punch opened it awkwardly with her hooves, “What gives? There’s no pictures in here...”

“Not yet,” replied Cobalt, “but there will be one day...hopefully one day soon.”

Midnight thought for a moment, weaving his head back and forth, “Oh in that case...I...uh...allow me to give you a present. Call it a down-payment for a place of your own...I can give you more if it’s not enough.” he fished his money-pouch out of his own neck-bag and gave it to Peachy in his mouth.

She raised an eyebrow at the contents, “Thank you Midnight...I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s what friends are for, right? Now I gotta...have you seen Dash?”

Peachy thought for a moment, “No, can’t say I have. She’s been absent all morning, said something about having to run an errand...”

Midnight’s ears lifted, could she be? “Uh...I have to dash...”

Peachy and Cobalt watched him go, “I bet you do.” she said, giggling.

Midnight looked all about town and nowhere was there so much as a sniff of the pegasus he was looking for. He’d turned and headed dejectedly back to the library and was almost there when there was a thump behind him. He turned, and there she was.

“Rainbow Dash!” said Midnight, running up to her, stopping akwardly a few feet from the pegasus.
She closed the gap, “He-hey Midnight, I...uh...I’ve been looking for-”

“I’ve been looking for you too!” said Midnight. They neck-hugged briefly and then looked at the library door together,

“they’ve got a party in there.” Midnight said after a moment.

“Yeah, I was supposed to keep you out of the library until they finished.”

“Oh,” Midnight’s ears drooped, “s-so you weren’t looking for me, looking for me...”

“Oh, I...kinda was that, too...”

Midnight’s ears perked up again as they opened the door, “You were? Because,” he added in a small voice, “I was kinda thinking about what you said, last time? And I...kinda would, you know?”

“Would what?” asked Rainbow, leaning closer.

“Like to...see, I mean, be...”
The sentence never got completed, as a whole host of ponies jumped out from behind the furniture as the lights went up, yelling, “SURPRISE!”

The party was a success, but then again a Pinkie Pie Party generally always was. There was cake - grass-cake was something Midnight had never tried before and it was surprisingly delicious, as was the carrot-cake. Somehow Pinkie had found chocolate and icecream. He was also wondering about the balloons. Just how did a pony like Pinkie Pie tie up the balloons? Everypony was there, somepony had even hired DJ Scratch and surprisingly few ponies were bowing and scraping to Luna and Celestia, who were quite happily fending off over-excited foals from Midnight’s class.

Cheerilee had even brought him a present, “You do know I give you a hard time because I can’t let them think they can get away with the same, don’t you?” she’d asked.

Midnight had laughed, “You’re a school-teacher, Miss Cheerilee, teaching’s your job. Just try to tone down the timeouts and we’ll get along fine.”

“I only do that because I think you need the sleep.”

“Do I still snore?” he asked

“Only when you’re really tired.”

Eventually the party was over and almost everypony went home, Twilight headed to her bed. Spike passed out in the punch bowl and looked so comfortable that Midnight just put a blanket over him. Midnight tidied up what he could but left the rest for the morning after. Luna had requested a report, so he sat at his bedroom window, a single candle burning, thinking what to write.

Dear Princess Luna,

Being a pony is much like being a human, when all is said and done. We laugh, we love, we live, we struggle. If we’re going to integrate ponified humans in this world, all we really need to do is let them be themselves. The sooner they learn that trick the easier everything becomes. There’s no trick to it really, just dig deep inside and feel the hooves and tail and let it bring a smile to your face.

Your faithful student,

Midnight Shadow

Midnight turned his head back to the bed, he was pretty sure he’d be missed if he took any longer. He blew out the candle and mouthed the scroll to Hugo, turning around with a smile on his face and a spring in his step.

Midnight - no longer a human, now a pony, but still a person - slid into the bed, sharing half a plumped pillow in the darkness. He closed his eyes, just for a moment. There was a giggle next to him and he awoke with a snort.

A light blue hoof, the colour hard to see in the moonlight, gently touched his muzzle, “Do you know you snore?”

Comments

[Chatoyance]

I am soooo glad you put your story here, Midnight. I loved your story, and it is one of the one's that most influenced me to try my own hand at doing a set of Conversion Bureau stories. I enjoyed reading it all over again.

You rock!

[TheGentlemenScholar]

Question, first and foremost, are you planning an continuation of this story? I would very much like to read the progression of young Midnight. If not, I can always read some of your other works, however, I understand your muse leaving you, Thus my inquiry. I await your correspondence.

[Railyn]

13526 Midnight also shows up in A Twist in the Tail, and I'm guessing he'll keep getting used.

[nemryn]

Normally, an OC like Midnight would be the worst kind of Gary Stu, but somehow you make it work.

[Midnightshadow]

13526
I might continue this proper, one day, but I do have a continuation...

[PoptartKitten]

Hugo.

Well, That was a good experience!
I finally decided to get my grips on the conversion bureau universe and this story is something which I sincerely do not regret reading!
I will read onwards and I woulds appreciate it if you could pass on my thanks to "Purple Prose" or whoever wrote "First Contact"
As I found the story and technical explanation to be very reassuring and satisfactory in filling the gaps left purposely vague by the original (and this story).
Now I get to see some of the other authors work, I hope it stands up in quality in comparison to this tale.^
Also I like the semi rivalry you have set up between you character and Twilight I am looking forward to seeing some grudging cooperation between them as well as some arguments and conflicts all ending well in the end of course.

About your admittedly most helpful guide (the RRARSETCBEAUSACD) (Yes I do feel welcome and I agree; those metaphors do get tricky at times).
I think that It basically underlines what I will be reading primarily in the first month of the new year :D
However I do have some qualms/remarks about certain features which it exhibits:
In your description of "A twist in the tale- community service" you have "When she breaks into a Bureau to steal some Potion and is caught, he downs it. She wakes up" I think that the underlined she would be better (and probably was intended as) he; the twist rather showing itself at the second Italicized she.
In the description of "The Breaking Point" the it is funnily enough broken off by the new page divider this leaves us with:
"The Human Liberation Front has been pursuing its agenda of pony" And this ends up as humorous and horribly wrong in the apparent meaning.
"Founding fics" why are they only listed at the near end? and what Lore do they each encompass respectively?
The "Random" section why is there only a single fic in there (I want MOAR random!) that said I really like the looks of said fic in accordance with it's desc...

[Magical Trevor]

... I have to say, I was confused! I read the second part first, so I kinda thought that Midnight and Twilight were going to become a thing! XD Still, that ONE scene with the uh... The punch makes a bit more sense now! XD

~ Moonstone, Minstrel of Equestria

[Zervziel]

I liked the story and I'll definitely look into the next few chapters. The one downside is Twilight seems a little ooc to me. I can understand some frustration, but then it just keeps going. To the point I was wondering if she was Discorded to act so bitchy.

[MariusIoannesP]

386352 No it seemed like a typical Twilight meltdown to me.

[MariusIoannesP]

I enjoy frustrated Twilight. Now she knows what it's like to be threatened with replacement.

[Cool writer]

I JINXED IT!!!