• Published 11th Feb 2015
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The Eyes Are Blind - Fe94Knight



A colt, with a broken mind, and a gift he sees as a curse more often than not. A mare, looking for a companion, and willing to help him pull the pieces together.

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Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

His wings? His ears… those fangs…those…eyes,’ Luna manages to keep her gaze at the colt, who only last night insulted her and made a complete turnaround, hidden from those at the table while they all get some grub in their stomach. Admiring ever little feature about Midnight that she can set her eyes on. Luna even feels remorseful about how she treated the stallion earlier.

Well how was I supposed to know this may have not been his fault…?’ she shakes off the thought about her head, ‘wait Cadance told me that one.’ The lunar princess brings a glass of orange juice to top off her plate of freshly diced fruit salad. More, or less burying those thoughts about her head while the others continue to talk, and she only listens for some time.

“You snapped on the colt that hit the mare? Why with so much force?” The princess of love questions as she looks to get an explanation from him.

Midnight only nods in response at first before giving a full explanation, “For as long as I can remember I never really had much tolerance towards violence against those that were vulnerable. It’s just a simple trigger for me,” Midnight awkwardly scratches the back of his head with a hoof, “ironic that I got in to it with a few of your guards. Sorry about that by the way.”

“Oh there was no real harm done,” Cadance assures him, though makes a mental note to have her husband give them extra training later on in hoof to hoof fighting just in case.

“Needless to say it’s not the first one I’ve gotten in to,” He recalls the many scuffles over the years, though most of them all become a blur over time, “Not in my travels.”

“So you have been traveling around Equestria?” Twilight eats another spoonful as the colt in question answers.

“Too many other nations as well, but yes ma’am. I try to stay clear of many towns, and cities for things don’t tend to go well when I come in,” Midnight shakes his head at his careless mistake.

“If you knew the danger then why did you come back though?” Cadance proposes, listening intently on the colt’s words ever sense he said earlier in their meal that he was here before, but not saying how long ago, “I mean surely some pony here would have recognized you?”

“With all due respect your majesty,” He takes a chunk out of an apple. Biting away nearly half of its core with his powerful jaw, and fangs, “That’s errDoubtful.”

Shining, having years in the guard, knows when a pony is distressed about having a subject brought up. The tell tail signs to him that would pass by another, tell him more than he needs to know. While he notes the slight flicker in Midnight’s brow, and the momentary glance off to the side with his golden orbs. Both of which tell Shining that something isn’t quite right with him when it comes to this matter at hoof.

“And why would that be?” He asks calmly. Fully expecting to get some lie that he will be able to call the colt out on.

Shaking his head, Midnight knows that any attempt to tell anything else but the truth, will fail him. For while he may have never been in the guard, and trained to tell truth from deceit like Shining. He has had centuries of experience when it came to finding out who he could trust, and who would stab him in the back. The latter coming true more often than not, as he wipes any sort of shield from his face to hide the truth and comes clean.

“That’s because… I’m close to five hundred years old,” He says as plainly as physically possible. Slowly watching all those present mentally pause for a second and give him a slight scowl.

“Not to be rude, but we did ask a serious question,” Luna pours herself another glass, “So again, how would no pony here recognize you?”

“And I answered truthfully you majes-… err, Luna,” he corrects himself from their previous chat. Trying to think of how to dispel any sort of doubt in his words, “I am far older than I look now. Older than every pony here combined, well except for yourself at least,” he gestures with his glass to the lunar princess.

“Okay try me?” Luna leans in closer to him from across the table, “How can we tell you are being sincere in the matter?”

“Well… I’m sure the guards told you about what they managed to see me do outside the tavern?” Midnight muses as he hopes that he didn’t have to say it so bluntly, though the pause they give forces his card, “Magic?”

“That I am even skeptical about, no offence,” Twilight, ever the studious one, looks for an out to explain his abilities or what the guards had possibly seen, “You seem to be a rather gallant colt. Though I would have to guess that the guards were probably drinking on the job, and imagined what they saw.”

“And why would you guess that?” Shining wonders while taking an interest when the structure of his guards are brought in to question.

“Because I have seen some of the guards, and how they act Shining,” She maintains a regal pose while continuing her rebuttal, “On top of this, I have a brother who is the captain of the royal guard, and a husband who has the rank of captain. Don’t tell me I haven’t heard some interesting stories with the guards, and booze.”

Okay, okay, okay,” Shining holds up his hooves in defense of his honor, “Sheesh… I was just curious.”

“Now that that’s taken care of…” The alicorn sibling turns her attention back to the blood moon colt, “How would you explain what they have seen?”

All their ears perk up at the sound of a few chuckles coming from the colt for the first time meeting him, and it probably not being at the best time either as many consider this a rather serious discussion.

“I think I can explain it far better…” Midnight holds up a single hoof over the table. Glancing at a pitcher of grape punch on the opposite end, “…If I show you.”

With the flick of a wrist, and the slight glow of his hoof in a green hue. The pitcher is draped in an emerald aura as it lifts off the ground, and over to the bunch. Following the rhythm of his hoof’s movements. Each, and every pony feeling their jaw unhinge at the sight that they behold. Almost not even believing their very eyes. Even for the princess that has studied magic in every sense possible, Twilight knows there are many things that can happen when it comes to magic, and so much more that can’t be explained. Though even this baffles her. Holding his glass in another aura, Midnight pours out the liquid, and sets down the jug.

He takes a refreshing sip from the glass as it quenches his thirst, “Ahh… much better,” Midnight sets the glass down without even breaking eye contact with the rest of them as he waits to enlighten the group, “You see… there are many things that I can do. All of which are simply because I have a gift, which is also my curse.”

“How did you…?” Twilight points a hoof at the glass, and the pitcher like it was some kind of sorcery (even if it kind of is). While Luna takes another drink trying to hide her own giggle at the expense of seeing Twi like this.

If I could just save her ‘surprised moment’ face that would be just priceless,’ Luna looks at her younger counter part, ‘it doesn’t happen that often.’

“Oh come now, it can’t be the strangest thing that has been seen?” Midnight vies for an answer. Only to gesture to the good lunar princess herself when he doesn’t get one, “I mean look at Luna, she’s only blushing at the display.”

Instantly aware that her cheeks are still on fire from nearly the entire meal of watching the stallion. Luna attempts to gain control of herself. Though somewhere between action, and success the only result is a mouth full of juice spewing in to the colt’s face as it drenches his hair, and as it leaves him with the wet mane look now covering half his muzzle.

‘Oh way to make an impression, Luna…’ She scowls her own self while suddenly finding her body slumping down behind the table with only her soft aqua eyes peaking over with a horn, and a pair of ears to boot. Thankfully covering the now ever growing temperature that is becoming more present in her cheeks while she levitates a few napkins over to her victim of her carelessness, ‘Well at least I now have a reason to be blushing. If not just sheer embarrassment.’

Not the reaction I was looking for. Though somepony seems to be flushing even more,’ Midnight notes as he accepts the napkins, and dabs his hair and face off, “Much appreciated,” He returns with a simple smile, despite the over the top show of appeal that is still clear on her face.

I spray orange juice in your face like a garden hose, and you say thank you?’ The lunar mare ponders while oblivious that the others there have fallen more or less silent, and just observe the two, ‘Something is seriously wrong with you, Midnight,’ “Ahh… You’re welcome. Sorry about that though,” ‘Dang it! That’s not what I wanted to say!

“I’m probably the one in the wrong here. After all I shouldn’t have pointed out the redness in your cheeks,” Midnight glances away to avoid eye contact with those aqua corneas of hers, “Not very polite, now is it?”

“Well no, not really to call a lady out on her appearance,” She raises her muzzle up in the air. Though fails to hold the posh pose for very long after seeing his ears splay back against his head, and instead Luna fills the air between them with a few soft giggles of her own, “Though I will say that your display of the magical kind isn’t the oddest thing that has been seen. However, that doesn’t explain you being almost half a millennia old? Or the fact that you still would come in to a settlement knowing the risk? If you…ahh,” Hoof in mouth returns to the princess who was holding it together so well as Luna stumbles to get out the last few words, “If you don’t mind… you know… getting back on subject?”

“Not at all Luna,” He nods to her while continuing his explanation. Considering after an OJ barrage they did get a little off topic, “To answer why I came in town. The simple answer is I have been out, and alone for quite a while. Needless to say it does feel good to be around others every so often,” The heart felt smile from the sincerity in his words even brings a warmth to Luna’s own heart as she watches him beam.

“That much I can understand…” She quiets down to a near whisper, “I for one know what’s it’s like to be alone for so long.”

“What was that?” Twilight asks her.

“Nothing at all,” Luna ignores the question entirely. Though some of the more adept ears in the room pick it up. Ears of the nocturnal kind, “Anyway with that explained. What about being half a millennia old?”

Midnight takes a deep breath before this explanation. Seeing as this one will require the most clarification, and will likely lead to another subject entirely, “The magic inside me does harbor a lot of power. With it, for some reason, has come with a rather pleasant means of healing. Needless to say, I’m not the type of pony that many doctors want to see in their waiting room,” he awkwardly scratches behind his ear, “so without a professional opinion, I can only guess that I matured to a capping point, and then stopped from there.”

There is a dull silence between them all at what he has said. Though from his clear demonstration, as simple as it was, there is far more to the colt than meets the eye, “Okay that does make sense to some extent,” Twilight scratches the end of her chin while she thinks, “Many powerful unicorns, and even alicorns, have lived for much longer than normal ponies due to the magic in them. Though yours is on par with that of both Celestia, and Luna. Even Cadance and I will age, yet you have thrown it off almost completely.”

I know where this is going to lead,’ Midnight lowers his head a bit at the fact of why he is here. Why he has become what he is, and the sad truth of what makes him who he is in the end, “Being in the presence of four ponies adept in the field of magic. I would hope that you know the darker side of things?”

“If by dark magic, than yes,” Twilight says rather proudly, probably more than she should have, “I had to learn many spells in that field to get to where I am, and they did come in handy I have to say.”

“Well that princess, is my gift,” He pauses a second to collect himself, “I don’t know when it started. I can’t remember most of my past, and when I try to remember I nearly lose it all together. It’s just been there for as long as I can remember.”

“Memory block?” Shining asks.

“I don’t know sir, honestly,” He crosses what’s left of his heart with a hoof before continuing, “All I know is that the magic in me keeps me healthier than most, considering its power. Though at the cost of it eating away at me more, and more. Even now when I don’t use it. The thing in me is more, or less sleeping, but that’s because I exhausted myself when fighting the guards on purpose in an attempt to hit a ‘reset switch’ essentially.”

“That’s who was bickering with me earlier? That side of you?” Luna asks to confirm her suspicion ever sense he brought up the subject of dark magic.

“Yes, Luna,” Midnight nods, “I call him Shard.”

“You gave the voice in your head a name?” Shining asks.

“He’s been around for as long as I can remember,” the troubled colt shrugs his shoulders, “even when he wasn’t as loud, he was still there. I gave him the name because oddly enough, while in my travels, he was the only companion I had… might as well.”

As Midnight answers Shining, Luna is left to try and pry at the earlier subject further. Seeing as if something is really truly wrong with him, ‘Perhaps it can be fixed?’ “Shard’s…” she tries to think of the best word, “Coma, how long will it last?”

“I don’t know that either, it’s varied in the past. All I know is for now my mind is at peace,” Midnight’s mouth starts to go as many places as his mind is at the moment, “That trick worked last night, I don’t do it often because it leaves me unconscious while he is left to talk freely, as I heal up. Plus if I go too far, needless to say, it could kill me. Usually I have to indulge… in something else,” he remarks without much thought on how much inquiry that last comment would spark in those around him.

Umm… care to explain that?” Cadance is the one to ask the obvious.

“I’m sorry miss,” Midnight bows his head for a moment to show his discontent in the matter, “I would not like to share that. Even if I don’t have a choice in the matter.”

Unexpectedly the nocturnal princess herself leans up, and over the table. Staring deep in to the golden eyes of the colt in front of her. Midnight stays plastered in his own seat, not wanting to move an inch away from her without reason. ‘Fangs… faster healing… slit eyes… dark magic?’ Luna has been slowly putting it all together while he spoke. Now her brain starts to realize what he means as she now finds herself a mere inch from him, so much so that he can feel her warm breath pass by his own muzzle.

An eerie smile creeps its way on her face as it clicks to her, “I’m going to ask this one time, and you should know exactly what I mean when I say this.”

“Yes… Your majesty?” He sinks a bit in his chair.

“Two things,” Luna pauses, “Do you find yourself stronger when you feed? And how long has it been?”

The blunt question stumps him for a few seconds. That is until he finally gets to his own conclusion, ‘If any pony were to know about that urge. Than it would be a princess of her sort,’ “Yes Luna, and I would say a couple of days.”

Mhmm,” She mulls over his words.

After hearing his answer. Luna knows full well what this means. There may be a way to hold off Shard, though to do it. It would be better back at Canterlot. That way Twilight can look in to his condition further as well, while Luna does her own part. After all, Midnight is right about one thing. She is a princess that knows all too much about this subject. Excusing herself from the table, Luna dabs her lips with the cloth, and sets it neatly back down.

Standing regally up with all the poise of a princess, she addresses those around her, “By my conclusion I would have to say that Midnight won’t be able to be helped here, so Twilight if you would like to continue this little mystery.”

“You know I would,” Polishing off her drink while doing the same as Luna. Twilight rises up while the others take the cue, and do the same.

“Hmm I could have guessed that,” She chuckles for a second, “we must be going. Midnight, I trust that your wings are good?”

“Stronger than ever, and will carry me far,” he stretches out the massive appendages for a moment. Those with him stop for a second to admire the view as this is the first time they’ve seen them extended this much. Having only seen wings that large on one such as Celestia, or even a dragon at least. Midnight brings them back in to his sides, “Why do you ask though?”

“Simple… Canterlot will suit us better to try, and help your errcondition. Twilight will be able to look in to you better there,” The mare of the night turns her attention to those that housed them for the night, “Sorry to leave on such short notice. I know a thing, or two about what may help him actually. Thank you for the hospitality you two. We will have to see one another at some point when it isn’t just a matter of business,” Luna nods respectfully to both her relatives that dwell here, “We can handle it from here though.”

They begin to trot off to the court yard to make their trip after leaving from the table, and down the hallway to the door outside. The princess of love coming right up next to her aunt with a minor level of concern about the sudden decision.

Ahh Lulu?” Cadance inquires at the request, and odd incite that her aunt shares on the colt’s situation, “This colt seems to have been through a lot in his past, and having these random outbursts of insanity doesn’t seem to help his case.”

“Your point?”

“Well… how can you help him?”

“Oh that’s actually quite simply, my dear,” A devious grin creeps on Luna’s muzzle as they step outside, “That colt feeds on something that my own lunar guards fed upon many years ago, and considering the startling similarities they share. From the appearance he has, to the dark magic he possesses, or even the healing he gets with a regular feeding of a certain variety.” She pauses for a moment to catch her breath after that mouthful, “All of which I am familiar with due to my association to them. It would stand to reason that I should be able to help him in the field of health, as much as Twilight can with magic.”

“Feeding of a certain variety?” The line repeats itself in the alicorn’s mind for a second, and even third time as she tries to wrap her head around it, “What do you mean? What would you give him?”

Turning ever so slowly to face her. Luna puts it as plainly, and as bluntly as the difference is between day, and night, “Flesh Cadance… he needs red meat.”