Chapter 19
Midnight twirled on her hooves, the music gently swirling around her. It had taken a long time to get over being clumsy, even with the dance lessons she'd been gifted. She'd never be the best in the class, but she'd definitely improved the most out of all the ponies who had attended.
Of course, saying she'd never be the best in the class assumed she wasn't going to cheat. A simple casting of Kitten's Grace and Peacock's Splendor before going on stage meant that a performance that would have been only slightly above average turned into something that was only slightly impossible.
She took a bow as the music ended, and the small crowd who had come to watch the recital clapped politely.
Midnight pranced slightly off the stage. The dance instructor, Miss Pirouette, raised an eyebrow.
"Miss Twinkle," the instructor said, quietly. "I am impressed."
"Thank you, miss," Midnight said, happily.
"However, I think perhaps less magical assistance next time, hm?" Pirouette coughed. "While I might be able to believe you could balance on a single hoof whilst upright, I think even the audience noticed when you started to levitate."
"Self-levitation is a very difficult skill," Midnight muttered.
"No doubt," Pirouette agreed. "You would know more of that than I would. But that is what you are learning from your other teacher, non? I want them to see what you've learned from me, not the Princess."
"I understand," Midnight said, looking down.
"Good. That said, your timing was excellent, and your balance and sense of poise is nothing short of flawless." Pirouette smiled. "Even without magic, you could turn heads."
"Thank you, miss," Midnight repeated.
"Good. Believe in yourself more, Midnight. You're more than just what spells you know."
"What's wrong, Midnight?" Cadance asked. "You've looked down ever since we got back."
"I guess I'm kind of disappointed in myself," Midnight admitted. She pushed the last few bites of ice cream around in her bowl. It was, of course, enchanted to keep the ice cream from melting. The wizard who had developed that spell was considered a national hero.
"Why?" Sunset asked. "I thought you did great."
"I did okay," Midnight said. "But I'm never going to be as good as a pony who has a cutie mark in dancing. Which is fine. I mean, I have my cutie mark in magic, and I'd be annoyed if I couldn't say I was one of the best spellcasters in the world."
"Are you thinking about quitting?" Cadance asked.
"No," Midnight shook her head. "I mean, I still like doing it. It's just kind of... I never thought about how other ponies were going to be better than me at things, you know? Like I can't always be the best."
"It takes some getting used to," Sunset sighed.
"It's not a good feeling," Midnight said.
"No, but it would be awful to be the best at everything," Cadance said. "Imagine it. You go out to eat, and you realize you could have cooked something better. You read a book, and you could have written a better story. You'd never be satisfied by anypony else's effort!"
"Actually," a voice cut in, as Celestia looked up from her very large bowl (vat, really — maybe bathtub if we're not being polite) of ice cream. "The worst thing is being expected to be the best when you aren't. Then you can't live up to anyone's expectations."
"Okay, you win," Midnight admitted. "That's the worst."
"It's something I have an unfortunate amount of experience with," Celestia said.
"So, Mom," Midnight said. "I was thinking, this weekend... could I go on a trip?"
"Honey, you know I take over for Celestia on the weekends," Sunset said. "She has the day off. I can't take you—"
"No, no," Midnight corrected her. "Not with you. On my own."
Sunset narrowed her eyes. "And why, exactly, do you want to—"
"Are you going to visit a special friend?" Cadance asked, butting in. Literally. She jumped on Sunset's lap, squishing the smaller pony so she could interrupt more effectively. "Maybe a coltfriend?"
"No! It's not a coltfrield! I just... thought maybe I'd go off on my own as a kind of experience-building thing, you know? Like..." Midnight considered. "Like, um, how you used to go out and explore and stuff on your own."
"You mean when I was hunting monsters," Sunset said, her voice muffled by the wings in her face. "Cadance, you're crushing me!"
"Hush, I'm as light as a feather," Cadance huffed.
"I don't think it's a bad idea," Celestia said, placidly.
Midnight turned to her, surprised.
"When I was her age, I was taking care of myself. Equestria is considerably safer now than it was back then."
"Mostly because you had to avoid dinosaurs," Sunset snorted.
"Sunset, please," Celestia said. "The dinosaurs were cute. I miss having them around. I had this pet stegosaurus named Mister Slowpoke because he could only waddle around. Of course, then the meteor hit and I decided to keep ponies as pets instead. Things have gotten a bit out of hoof with that, I suppose."
"Pfft," Cadance snorted. "Good one, Auntie."
"Good what?" Celestia asked, pretending to be confused.
"The joke," Cadance said, suddenly unsure.
"What joke?" Celestia tilted her head, looking at Midnight and winking so Cadance couldn't see it.
"Auntie!" Cadance pouted. "You weren't really around with dinosaurs, were you? You never talk about when you were a filly!"
"That's because I'm growing in reverse," Celestia said. "Back when dinosaurs were around I was a hundred hooves tall. Give it a few millennia and I'll be a filly again."
"Wait, does that mean I'm going to grow in reverse?" Cadance asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. We'll have to find you a wet nurse soon."
"But—" She frowned. "You're teasing me!"
"A little," Celestia smiled.
Sunset shoved Cadance off her lap and looked at Midnight. "Look, you can go, but only if you promise me a few things. First, you're going to be back by Monday. No missing classes because you want to see Neighagra Falls."
"Fine," Midnight agreed.
"Second, you can't go anywhere dangerous. No Badlands, no Yakyakistan, no Griffonstone, no Manehattan."
"I was just thinking of taking a day trip to Ponyville," Midnight said. "I've never been out of Canterlot, and it's only a little while away by train."
"Okay, that's fine," Sunset said, relieved. "That's close enough you can see it from here."
"And I'll bring some of those letters you use that get sent to Celestia when you burn them," Midnight said. "That way I can let you know when I get there and before I leave and if anything happens while I'm there."
"And what are you going to do while you're there?" Sunset asked.
"Oh, you know. Just... see the sights."
Midnight unfolded her hat and put it on her head, checking herself in the reflection of the window, the landscape flashing past on the other side of the glass. It was a classic tri-corner hat, with a few minor modifications to let it fold up and fit into saddlebags. The black cape came on next, and she looked like a proper adventurer.
Midnight admired her reflection. Maybe she should have gotten sunglasses to go with the look. Really dark and mysterious, just like Flash Fire.
"Awesome," Midnight nodded.
"It's a very nice hat," the other pony in the car said. Midnight blushed. Right. She'd forgotten that she wasn't alone. She turned to the white pegasus, the young mare still brushing her pink mane.
"Thanks," Midnight said. Cadance had told her to always thank ponies for a complement. "Um. I didn't catch your name."
"Sunny Skies," the pegasus replied. "So why are you going to Ponyville?"
"Who said I was going to Ponyville?" Midnight asked, suspicious.
"You did, when the conductor was coming through," Sunny pointed out.
"Oh, right." Midnight nodded. "Well, the truth is, I'm going there to hunt monsters in the Everfree Forest! It's like practically right next to town and it's supposed to be one of the wildest places in Equestria!"
"Aren't you a little young to hunt monsters?" Sunny asked.
"I might look young, but I'm Princess Celestia's personal student," Midnight retorted. "And I have tons of experience in tactical combat simulations."
"Simulations?" Sunny raised her eyebrows.
"Of course. Have you ever heard of Module S1 - The Tomb of Horrendous Doom?" Midnight smirked. "I led a party through that with only moderate casualties."
"Ah," Sunny said. "Only moderate casualties."
"Then there's Module X2, Attack on Titan. It takes a lot to take down giants. No problem with the right planning, though. Module ERP1, the Sexy Dragon Brothel... that was a little weird, though."
"I don't think I need to hear the details of that one."
"I still think Cadance fudged those seduction rolls," Midnight muttered. "The point is, I know how to handle anything the world throws in front of me, even when it's actively trying to stop me."
"I wasn't even aware they were having monster problems in Ponyville," Sunny Skies said.
"Well, I haven't heard any news about it," Midnight admitted. "But think about it. A town on the edge of the Everfree? They've got to have something, and since it'll only be right outside of town, it means I don't have to go on a really long quest. It'll be short and easy."
"You're just going to assume they have monster troubles, I see," Sunny sighed.
"Hey, it's a very valid thing to assume. My mom was a professional monster hunter before she retired. She'd go on adventures all the time. And you know, monsters always have treasure. I bet I can totally get some awesome stuff. Maybe even magical items!"
"That sounds very dangerous," Sunny said. "You know, there's a spa in Ponyville-"
"It is dangerous," Midnight admitted. "But like I said, really lucrative. The most risky part is going alone." She tapped her chin. "How'd you like to make a few bits?"
"Oh?"
"I could use somepony to act as a torchbearer. Have you been to Ponyville before?"
"I'm fairly familiar with it," Sunny said, slowly.
"Great! Because I need a guide, too." She pulled out a list and checked two things off. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you my usual deal. Whoever gets the kill on the monster gets first pick, then the rest goes to even shares. How's that sound?"
"Well..." Sunny hesitated. "I suppose I could use the bits?"
"Great!" Midnight smiled. "This is gonna be awesome!"
Midnight burned a letter with her magic, sending a message along to let the ponies waiting for her know that she had arrived at Ponyville safely. Hiring a guide had already paid off. She knew there was a spa, so she mentioned it in the letter and noted that she was considering spending part of the day there. It might not even be a bad idea, depending on how long it took to track down whatever monsters were in the area. A long hot bath would probably feel good.
"Now where is Sunny?" Midnight huffed, looking around. The pegasus had left her alone to write the letter, and mentioned she'd be back after taking care of personal business, but now Midnight had been waiting for her for almost thirty seconds.
She started tapping her hoof on the ground, annoyed.
An eternity (or at least five minutes of eternity) later, Sunny touched down next to Midnight.
"I'm sorry about that wait," Sunny said. "So, where to first? The Spa?"
"Don't be silly." Midnight rolled her eyes. "First, we go to the local tavern to hear about the rumors."
"The local tavern?" Sunny blinked. "Aren't we a little young to be drinking? Especially at..." She looked up. "Nine thirteen in the morning?"
Midnight followed her gaze, expecting a clock. Instead there was just the sun. Midnight considered that for a moment, then patted Sunny on the back. "You can tell the time by looking at the angle of the sun? Great! That means we'll be able to use it as a compass. According to a book I read, regular compasses don't work in the Everfree. Some kind of chaos magic makes them go all wonky."
"Um, yes," Sunny said. "Something like that."
"Anyway, just trust me. A tavern is the place to go for up-and-coming adventurers. We've just gotta pick a good one." She scratched her chin and looked around as they walked down the main street. "Aha! There!" She pointed.
"Sugarcube Corner?" Sunny asked, amused. "Why there?"
"Because it's a bakery and cafe, and it's breakfast time. There are a bunch of ponies there." Midnight smiled as she walked towards the door. "Plus the fresh pastries look really awesome."
"I can't argue with that," Sunny agreed.
"Let's get a table in a dark corner," Midnight said. She stepped in and looked around and... there really weren't any dark corners.
"It's very cheerful," Sunny noted.
"Darn. If we're not sitting at a dark corner ponies might not take us seriously," Midnight mumbled. "We'll have to take our chances." She led Sunny over to a table and sat down.
"It's polite to take off your hat when you're indoors," Sunny Skies noted. Midnight blushed and took off her Official Monster Hunting hat, putting it on an empty seat.
"Good morning!" A chipper mare said, coming to the table. "You look like new faces in town! What can I get you this morning?"
"I'll have a croissant, with extra butter and some jam," Midnight said. "Do you have cider?"
"Only pear cider," the waitress said. "We used to get apple cider but, well, there was an accident a few years ago." She shook her head. "Doesn't bear thinking about. There's orange juice if you'd prefer."
"I'll have the juice," Midnight said. "I'll cover your breakfast, Sunny."
"Really?" Sunny smiled. "Then I'll have the chocolate cake."
"One slice of double-chocolate cake," the waitress noted.
"Ah, yes. One slice," Sunny mumbled, as if that wasn't quite what she'd intended. "Also some hot tea, if you have it."
"Of course, dear. Is orange pekoe okay?"
"Certainly," Sunny Skies smiled.
As the waitress left, Midnight looked around, making sure she hadn't missed any good spots for brooding in.
"Do you think there are gonna be any ancient crones giving out quests?" Midnight asked, quietly. "I mean usually ponies just come up right away when they see adventurers and tell them what's going on around town."
"Maybe they don't know you're an adventurer," Sunny suggested.
"Hm. I could stand up and give a great speech," Midnight considered. "I did almost bring Shining Armor to tears once when I gave a speech to the ponies of Munchie Town. But that might have been because it was right after Twilight blew all her luck points to one-shot his bad guy in our first encounter with him. She lost the character, but it was a really great way to go. Totally heroic."
"I–I see?" Sunny clearly had no idea what Midnight was talking about. "But you know, I've heard a little about monster hunters."
"I thought you seemed a little too in-the-know for a peasant," Midnight smirked.
"What I heard was that even Celestia's very best monster hunters didn't just go out looking for trouble," Sunny said. "They got their information through official channels. Reports made to the crown, petitions from towns that were having problems, and stories from the local news."
"That's a great idea!" Midnight grinned. The waitress returned with their drinks and food. Before she could say anything, Midnight turned to her. "Could we get a copy of the local paper, too? I want to get caught up on anything strange happening around here."
"Strange, in Ponyville?" the mare smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll find something. I'll bring over a copy of the Foal Free Press. It's complementary to anypony who buys breakfast."
"Thank you, Ma'am!" Midnight said. "You know, Sunny, you're been a great help and- wow, you sure did like that cake." Midnight blinked.
Sunny blushed and put the plate down. She had been licking the crumbs from it.
"It was very good cake," Sunny muttered.
"Here you go," the waitress said, giving Midnight the paper. Midnight thanked her again and started paging through it. She started absent-mindedly nibbling on her pastry, then looked down at it.
"Oh wow," Midnight muttered.
"It's good?" Sunny asked, over her second slice of cake.
"Really good," Midnight nodded. She put the paper down and glanced over it while she ate. "I need to remember to ask if they'll ship to Canterlot."
"So, any news about monsters?" Sunny asked.
"Indeed there is!" Midnight smiled. "Look at this!"
"Pets Missing, Monster At Large," Sunny read. She almost sounded disappointed, which Midnight discounted because it was, of course, impossible. She was getting a full share of any loot, which Midnight knew from memory would improve the morale of any hireling to maximum.
"According to this, there've been a bunch of disappearances of pets," Midnight said. "And at least one pony has reported seeing the monster that dragged her cat away!"
"If there's a monster, maybe you should go back and tell a professional," Sunny suggested. "Like Sunset Shimmer. I've heard she's an expert."
"Nah," Midnight shook her head. "If it's only hunting pets it's not that big of a deal. This is gonna be a cakewalk, and you like cake, so you should enjoy it too. Besides, this way I can show my mom that I can totally handle the responsibility that comes with following in her hoofsteps as a monster hunter!"
"Oh my," Sunny sighed, under her breath.
"Also, I'm gonna show the Princess that I'm the best student she's got. I bet Twilight Sparkle never fought a monster by herself!"
"I don't know if Celestia would make her students fight monsters, especially before they're ready," Sunny said, evenly.
"Maybe you're right," Midnight admitted. "But I want to show her I am ready, you know? Twilight is always impressing her and getting better grades and showing off spells that she dragged out of some book I've never heard of... I sometimes feel like I'm just... there too."
"I'm sure that you're just as important as Twilight," Sunny said, quietly. "And I bet if you applied yourself you could do just as well."
"I probably could," Midnight admitted. "But I don't want to do just as well. If I'm only doing exactly as well as she is, if we're just copies of each other, I'd hate it even more. So I gotta do things she doesn't. She wants to read books and study theory? Fine. But I'm gonna go out and really use my magic. Just like my mom would!"
"..." Sunny looked hesitant. "I understand. You want them to be proud of you, in ways where they won't be comparing you to Twilight."
"Exactly," Midnight nodded. "Plus, you get way more experience points hacking monsters than you do during study and downtime."
"Ah yes, that too," Sunny smiled softly. "I'd almost forgotten."
"Let's go have a look at the scene of the crime."
"And it was standing here?" Midnight asked, standing in the yard and looking around. The pink mare nodded, not leaving the doorway. The home was on the edge of town, part of a new development that had been put in a few years ago after more business had started coming to the small farming community. It wasn't exactly pushed up against the Everfree, but if a monster was going to come out of the woods and go into town, it'd be the first place the beast would find.
"It was as big as a panther!" the mare sighed. "But it was just so horrible! It had tentacles and too many legs and my little Wigglesman saw it and ran howling away, and it chased him, and he never came back!"
"I see," Midnight said, looking at the ground. "Your cat went through the fence here?" She pointed at the low fence around the property, mostly just to keep the garden tidy than to keep anypony out. Or, in the case of the cat, to keep them in.
"That's right," the mare said.
"Hm. But there aren't any tracks here big enough for a creature like the one you described," Midnight muttered. "Did it jump over the fence?"
"No," the mare shook her head. "It just kind of went through. It might have burrowed under it. I haven't gone into the back yard since I saw it. I just can't wait for the Debris Clearing project to be done. Then we won't have these creatures coming so close to our homes."
Midnight looked at the fence. It was flimsy, but not broken, and there weren't any holes dug under it, not that something like a cat would bother when it was only shoulder-height for a pony.
She opened a gate and looked around outside of the yard. There were worn paths there, behind and between the neighboring manors.
"But here..." She stopped and cast a spell, enhancing the pattern in the dirt. Pawprints, as big as her hoof. "Bingo. Hey, Sunny, stop lazing about on the roof! I've got a lead!"
"You do?" Sunny blinked, her head popping over the edge of the roof.
"Yeah." She looked at the yard, then the tracks. "About ten paces... that narrows it down."
"Narrows what down?" Sunny asked, hovering over Midnight.
"No- just land already! That wind will disrupt the tracks!" Midnight huffed. Sunny Skies landed next to her, looking bashful.
"Sorry," Sunny said.
"I still know the way it was going. We'll pick it up again if we go this way."
Midnight led Sunny over the hills towards the distant woods. They passed a few stumps in the ground and piles of cleared brush before either of them realized what they were looking at.
"I think this used to be part of the Everfree," Midnight said. "Can you feel that? The background magic here is all strange."
"But why would they clear it?" Sunny asked, frowning. "The Everfree is a protected forest."
"They might have gotten special dispensation," Midnight noted. "They'd have to go to the local mayor and get permission to get the area zoned for development."
"I'll have to have a chat with people later," Sunny muttered.
"Look," Midnight said, stopping and picking something up. A little scrap of red fabric. "Cat collar. Unfortunately for Mister Wigglesman, I think we're on the right path."
"I'm surprised you know how to track things this well," Sunny said.
"I got some really great tips from the Guard field manual, and Twilight's brother never argues when I use it to get situational modifiers. Plus, simple Eagle's Vision spells help a lot with picking out details." Midnight shrugged. "An earth pony would actually be better at this. Their connection to the earth would give them a situational bonus."
"If you say so," Sunny Skies said, as she trotted beside Midnight. "Are you sure we shouldn't turn back? The Everfree can be very dangerous for the unprepared."
"Unprepared?" Midnight laughed. "I'm the most prepared pony in the world. I've got a collapsable ten-hoof pole, fifty feet of silk rope that I borrowed from Cadance, a bag of marbles, a flask of oil, another flask of whisky-"
"Where did you get a flask of whisky?" Sunny said, sounding displeased.
"One of the Guard officers is sort of sweet on me. He's not really my type, but mare, you wouldn't believe how much Iron Toe has helped me out with. I'd be in so much trouble if Celestia ever found out!"
"I'll keep that in mind if I ever need a favor," Sunny said, very evenly. "I will definitely remember that name."
"Anyway, if I'm right, there should be a cave around here..." She started looking around. "The entrance might be disguised, but it'll be big enough for us to get through pretty easily."
Sunny looked around. The area was still relatively clear, except for the debris of the logging operation.
"Should I look from the air?" Sunny asked.
"Nah, caves are actually really hard to spot from above," Midnight said. "Good thought, though. Ah! Look! A stream!" She ran over towards the water. "Perfect! Caves usually form near streams. Follow me!"
"Why are you so sure there's a cave?"
"There's always a cave, Sunny!" Midnight yelled. "Always!"
"We'll see." Sunny Skies rolled her eyes.
"I can't believe there was a cave," Sunny muttered.
"Look, I know pegasi don't do so great underground, so just stay behind me and hold the torch," Midnight said. "If anything happens, most animals are afraid of fire."
"Is that why we're using a torch instead of a magical light?" Sunny asked.
"That's one reason," Midnight nodded. "It's also important for ambiance. I used to use magical lights all the time, but Cadance convinced me that torches were traditional."
"...Right," Sunny said.
"Hey, what's that?" Midnight asked, pointing. Sunny turned to look and found only a dripping, empty stone corridor. She turned back to ask what Midnight had seen, and found herself looking at another empty corridor. Midnight was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah..." Sunny looked both ways again. "Midnight? Are you there? This isn't funny. I really don't like these tight spaces."
She took a step forwards, trying to see if Midnight had just turned a corner.
"Midnight?" Sunny called out again. "Where did you go?"
Something moved in the shadows. Sunny sighed in relief. Until she saw two tentacles waving in the air, and a creature like a burgundy panther with thin yellow stripes across its body stepped into the torchlight.
"Oh Harmony," Sunny muttered, looking around. "Midnight, you'd better not have gotten eaten by this... thing!"
The monster stepped forwards. Sunny held out her torch.
"No! Bad! Back!" She wiggled the lit torch, the monster watching the flames. maybe Midnight had been right about monsters being afraid of fire. Not afraid enough, though. It took a step forward. It had awfully sharp looking claws on those six legs, and the tentacles were lined with hooks like a squid's.
Sunny threw the torch. If this went much further, she was going to have to do something drastic.
The torch went right through the monster like it was just an illusion spell.
"Hah!" A voice yelled, as a bag popped into visibility before spilling its contents over the corridor. White dust filled the damp air for a moment, and the image of the monster in front of Sunny flickered and faded, another beast showing up a few paces further back, sneezing and caked in the...
"Flour?" Sunny asked.
"I got it from the bakery before we left," Midnight explained, as she dropped her illusion spell and came back into visibility. "Sorry about vanishing there, but I needed to find the monster's exact location."
She charged up a spell and tossed it at the monster, the beast folding and collapsing, lying still.
"Simple Sleep spell," Midnight explained. "Come on and help me tie it up. It won't wake up for at least ten minutes."
"What is it?" Sunny asked, genuinely curious. Midnight took out the rope she'd gotten from Cadance, which had already been used far more for restraining ponies than any sort of mountaineering.
"It's a Common Mountain Displacer Beast," Midnight said. "A female one, to be exact. They're smaller than regular displacer beasts and really vulnerable to sleep spells because they hibernate."
"Is that so?" Sunny raised her eyebrows.
"Of course. See, their fur has a special low-level magical field that moves their image a few paces away, like a mirage. In a tight place like a tunnel, it could only be backwards or forwards of its true location." Midnight smiled. "I was able to figure out the distance thanks to the tracks and the description of where our pet-snatching victim saw the monster standing. It's relatively constant for adult displacer beasts."
"I see..." Sunny muttered. "And when the torch I threw went through the monster-"
"I knew that it had to be in the opposite direction of the apparent image," Midnight nodded. "They sense heat and track it, because their displacement also affects their vision, but not heat senses. The torch was getting all its attention, leaving me free to reveal the true location with flour while you acted as bait."
"That's rather ruthless," Sunny noted.
"I wasn't going to let it hurt you, but a Sleep spell is single-target. I couldn't cast it until I could see what I was aiming at."
"So what now?" Sunny asked.
"Now we find the lair and take the treasure!" Midnight said, brightly. She strutted towards the back of the cave. "That was a female, so it'll be alone. The males don't have stripes and only stay with the females during the mating season, and that was months ago."
"And you learned all this from... simulations?" Sunny asked.
"Yep! The Manual of Menaces is really detailed."
"Maybe they should make it part of standard Royal Guard training," Sunny considered.
"Here we go!" Sunny said. "Treasure room!" The tunnel opened up into a small room, roughly dug out of the dirt and lined with sticks and leaves and ferns like a nest. There was a noise coming from inside.
"I thought you said it would be alone?" Sunny asked.
"It should be, unless..." Midnight frowned and peered over the edge of the nest. Three kittens, newborns who hadn't even opened their eyes yet, were crying softly in the leaf litter there. "Oh."
"Oh indeed," Sunny said. "She was a mother."
"Is a mother. She's still alive."
"Isn't a monster hunter supposed to kill monsters?" Sunny asked, curiously.
"It hasn't hurt any ponies..." Midnight muttered. She grabbed a letter from her pack and started writing a quick note. She was silent for a few minutes as she scribbled on the paper with her quill. "Grab the torch and go outside and burn this."
"Outside?"
"Sometimes when you burn them underground the letter gets stuck and doesn't travel to the intended destination," Midnight explained. "And you wanna get out of here anyway, right?"
"What will you be doing?" Sunny asked.
"Just go burn the letter."
Sunny took the letter outside and looked at it. The front simply said 'Celestia - Important' in large block letters. It was quite an attention-getter. After making sure Midnight hadn't followed her, she opened it up and read the contents.
Princess Celestia,
I apologize for the short letter, but this is an important matter. I found a displacer beast that has been hunting in town and eating pets to feed its litter. It doesn't seem this is typical behavior, and it seems that there is illegal logging in the Everfree forest that has reduced game. The displacer beast is currently unharmed and restrained, but I could use some guidance on what to do with it and its cubs.
- Midnight Twinkle
Midnight was still looking at the kittens when she heard hooves on the stone behind her. "Sunny? What took you so-" She turned to see a massive white pony ducking her tall head to fit into the cave. "Princess Celestia! You got my letter already?"
"I was taking the day off, so I decided to handle it myself," she said. "I told your friend to go to the local spa. She seemed a little worn out, and after your last letter, it sounded like a nice treat for her."
"Thank you for coming, Princess," Midnight said. "Um, I'm not really sure what to do here. The displacer beast isn't really evil or anything. It hasn't even hurt anypony. I couldn't just put it down when it's a hungry mother, you know?"
"I know," Celestia smiled. "That's very wise of you. More wise than I would have expected from a pony who went directly against her mother's wishes about doing something dangerous."
"I, um." Midnight blushed.
"That said, this was the right thing to do," Celestia said. "Do you know I used to have one of these as a pet?" She leaned down to nuzzle one of the kittens. It mewed, pleased with the soft contact. "They're actually very loving creatures when raised properly."
Midnight glanced back down the corridor. "The book didn't mention that..."
"I doubt it would. They were never domesticated. Of course, I'm not sure that any cat has ever been domesticated, they just tolerate ponies because they keep getting fed."
Midnight laughed a little at that.
"I took the liberty of casting a Deep Slumber spell on the mother," Celestia said. "It was starting to wake up and... well, I am surprised at your skill with restraining animals. I don't think it would have hurt itself trying to get free, but I am also not entirely convinced some of the knots aren't purely ornamental."
"Cadance gave me some tips," Midnight said.
"Ah, yes," Celestia noted. "That does explain things."
"What are we going to do with the displacer beast?"
"We?" Celestia blinked.
"Well, I mean, you're here to help, but it's my responsibility, so I should be helping."
"I think in this case all that can be done is relocating them," Celestia said. "The woods are too damaged here to support the amount of game they'd need, and if they could forage further into the woods, it no doubt would have already."
"It's only a Common Mountain Displacer Beast. They're not that strong," Midnight said. "There are probably bigger predators deeper in the Everfree that it's afraid to cross."
"Indeed. Even more afraid than it is of ponies," Celestia agreed. "I will have to ensure that more predators don't find themselves driven into civilization by this."
"So where should they go?" Midnight asked.
"It's already been preying on pets, so it would be too dangerous to put it anywhere near a town, because it's learned it can hunt there. And with new cubs, I would be afraid of moving it too far. I'm afraid the safest thing would be to put it in the Royal Game Reserve. There are some areas sectioned off for predators, and I believe a few are free."
"...And you had one of these as a pet?" Midnight asked.
"A long time ago," Celestia confirmed.
"And having them on hoof on Canterlot doesn't affect your decision at all?"
"Midnight, please," Celestia smiled. "That would be absurd, even if they are fluffy little balls of tentacles and fuzz."
"Of course, Princess," Midnight said.
"And you'll be welcome to see them too. I've alerted the royal game warden to meet me here. Why don't you go into town and meet your friend at the spa? It's going to be a few boring hours of nothing here."
"Okay, Princess," Midnight sighed. "Um... I'll tell mom what I did, okay? Let her hear it from me."
"I think she'll be proud. Also angry." Celestia paused. "And that statement rather describes Sunset quite well. Proud and angry. Have fun at the spa."
Midnight leaned back, relaxing. The spa was actually really nice after a long day. It was probably worth a least a full die of healing. She'd have to bug Twilight's brother about it next time they could get him to actually run a game.
"I'm glad you decided to let it go," Sunny Skies said. "It was probably more scared than you were."
"That's obvious, since I wasn't scared at all," Midnight said.
"Are you upset that you didn't get any treasure?"
Midnight was quiet for a moment. She'd kind of had her heart set on getting a pile of gems and gold and maybe a magical wand or ring.
"No," She said after thinking about it.
"You're not upset?"
"No, I mean, I did find treasure," Midnight said.
"The magic of friendship," Sunny agreed.
Midnight sat up and snorted. "No, I mean that while you were gone getting Celestia, I searched the lair and found the loot stash."
Sunny sputtered. "What?!"
"Yeah. Not much in it. Mostly old pet collars and stuff. But see, Displacer Beasts are attracted to heat sources and also shiny objects, because they can see them clearly." Midnight's horn lit up and she pulled a gem out of her saddlebags. "I don't know if it's a garnet or a ruby."
"It's as big as a chicken's egg," Sunny whispered.
"It's pretty big, yeah," Midnight admitted. "I want you to have it."
"Me?"
"Definitely. This adventure wouldn't have been as fun if I had to do it alone, and I basically took up your whole day. I want you to have something to remember it by."
"Are you sure? It could be worth a lot."
"You said before we started you could use the bits, right? I'm sure. But in return..." Midnight smiled. "I heard my mom talking about something in the north. Apparently some kind of star fell out of the sky up near the Barrier Peaks between Equestria and Yakyakistan. Wanna help me plan an expedition?"
Stats
Page generated in 0.034 seconds
Total duration
738 users online
730,597 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
So Midnight turns into an adventurous fillies while Twilight remains a shut-in scholar. They are really an almost polar opposite of each other. It's gonna be fun when the Summer Sun Celebration comes.
You know, when things like this come up, I can't help but wonder if Midnight doesn't realise what it really means, or if she just tries really, really hard to block it out.
Having grown up with Cadance, I'm assuming the latter.
Now, this is fun.
My my. This chapter was much more fulfilling to read than the previous one. It was immediately clear that Sunny Skies was Celestia, but that just made their interactions much funnier, with Midnight somehow not realizing it.
looks like somepony's treating real life with ogres and oubliettes logic
8997114
That seems to be the best way to handle being around this Cadance. Although 50ft of it is..... well there is some really interesting connotations there.
I'm a little disappointed that, when during Midnight talking about how she wants to look good in the eyes of her mom and Celestia, Sunny didn't claim Celestia probably cares for both her students equally...and Midnight would retort that Celestia told her once that if she had to pick one student, she'd choose Twilight. That would have been interesting.
Still, this was a fun chapter, though worrying Twilight doesn't seem to understand O+O isn't how the real world works (or...is it?) and more proof of the incompetence of the guard if an RPG is more knowledgeable than they are.
Also, why didn't Sunny know what the displacer beast was if Celestia used to keep one as a pet? Yes, she could have been acting, but it said she was genuinely curious, and didn't seem to recognize it when it was just her against it.
So she goes adventuring somewhere safe... Not!
Sunny Skies, really? Well, it did work. I wonder how many adventures it will be before Stormageddon finds it out.
Oh boy, here we go
So in the end she has new kittens. She's going to take one of those to Ponyville in the thousand sun celebration and Fluttershy will go gaga over it, won't she?
Oh, Mcguffin Stone! Maybe not it, but it certainly shows Stormageddon's character
8997114
Honestly? She knows perfectly well what's going on, but she was raised by Cadence too (I still miss her being called Pink Momma) so she got over her sexual hang ups.
I wonder if Midnight kept up her dance lessons to further distance herself from Twilight "Party Seizure" Sparkle.
A refrigeration spell would be a truly heroic deed. Food preservation covers a lot more than just unmelting ice cream.
An accident that stopped the Ponyville cider supply and gave the advantage to the Pears? Even with the Rainboom, this world's dealt with one heck of a buttery effect...
A fun adventure, but I'm concerned about all of Midnight's O&O-based preconceptions getting confirmed. This could lead to some very dangerous habits down the road...
Loving how, as far as Midnight is concerned,
D&DO&O has proven its worth as a tactical combat simulator, fully applicable to reality.Midnight with powered armor and a laser rifle? Yes, please. ;)
8997161
Actually, this might be an oblique reference to the fate of Bright Mac and Pear Butter. By this point, Granny Smith is too old to put in as much physical labor as she used to, and Big Mac isn't quite into his full growth yet let alone Applejack. So Sweet Apple Acres is currently undergoing a temporary decline as the bulk of their orchard is pretty much stuck tending to itself.
Although it is interesting that there are still Pears living in Ponyville. I guess not all of them moved to Vanhoover when Bright Mac and Pear Butter got married.
Oh, wow. The classic 'confusing D&D with reality' would be so much more an issue somewhere those monsters are real and you can actually cast spells.
Also hilarious.
Nice D&D reference.
This was just great! It was fun, hilarious, and heartwarming and very good for Midnight. Her dance teacher was very wise in not scolding her for using magic to assist with her dancing, but rather, knew that Midnight needed some confidence to know she could still do just as well. And excellent job of showing Midnight taking the initiative to develop her confidence rather than being forced to out of some random scenario. It shows her as active and trying to grow, especially when worried about being compared with Twilight.
And Celestia was just as great here as the straight mare as Sunny Skies. She bounced off Midnight really well and I hope we can see more stories of Midnight and "Sunny" in the future. It was great to see Midnight make good use of her O&O skills in real life and show she still has some of her amoral decisions, such as leaving Sunny as bait without telling her. Of course, we see she is not willing to let anything die, knowing there is still a difference between real life and a game. Their adventure was fun and the banter great as Midnight unknowingly revealed much to Celestia.
Also, I wanted to hug those crying monster kittens. They needed them. I can't wait for the next chapter!
Okay, that's funny.
8997161
Of course, remember that writing monster references for O&O is like us writing a "normal animal" up for a D&D manual. The writer has real data to work with and doesn't want to screw up.
8997114
Based upon them casting sound barriers in the last chapter, she knows exactly what is going on. She just chooses not to care.
so this is one orgin of phillamina
You know what? This is probably the best thing to happen to Celestia, being forced to NOT be the hero, but help.
8997111
My poor Queen an't gonna know what hit her.
This whole sequence is beautiful. Celestia is a brilliant troll.
I love how confused Celestia is about all this. Didn’t realize how realistic O&O was, did she? And now Midnight and “Sunny” are an official questing party!
8997133
Yeah, but in this case, it worked.
Great, now I wanna see a spin-off story of Little Midnight on monster hunting adventures!
8997341
That's... kinda scarry, when you consider it... And I don't just mean the Monster Manuals. Just think of all the supplementary books on the different classes, and especially the different schools and disciplines of Magic, both good and bad, and consider that the information in them might actually be accurate enough for Unicorns to learn real spells...
8998339
O&O is closer to a modern adventure RPG for ponies than a fantasy RPG for humans. Sunset Shimmer is literally an adventurer, after all!
the monster watching the flames. maybe Midnight had been right about monsters being afraid of fire
1. Forgot to capitalise.
8997554
If she keeps adventuring with Midnight though she's going to have to figure out some way to redirect her mail. Not game breaking, but problematic, since she probably doesn't want to give herself away. Also, consider, if Celestia picks up some actual combat skills while out adventuring with Midnight as a Pagasus, and therefore unable to use her unicorn magic, how might the Changeling Invasion in a few years go differently for her?
8998480
That's part of it, but the point I was getting at is that the early D&D versions had to be watered down in later editions since the information in the books concerning witchcraft and demonology was more comprehensive than most books on the subjects at the time. Now think of the implications of the O&O monster manual being as accurate as it apparently is, and that the official Magic focused supplementary sources might be just as accurate, even concerning subjects Celestia would probably prefer be locked away in the restricted archives?
8998744
She already has it redirected, as in story Sunset received the mail, not Celestia.
8999378
Note that "Sunny" wasn't present when Midnight sent the first letter, and that she read the second without needing to "Send" it (since she's the intended recipient anyway). The chapter doesn't actually say anywhere that the letter was redirected to Sunset (though I suspect she may have forwarded the first to Sunset on her own anyway), or if she even sent the second letter at all, since it was addressed to her personally and she read it outside the cave and the scene cut back to Midnight right away.
You really went above and beyond!
It's funny that she managed to learn all that from an RPG and that it worked, but as mentioned in another comment, it seems that they really prided accuracy in the old sourcebooks(!).
Beyond that, she just ratted on herself to Celestia's disguise. Trolololol...
Though I guess it does make sure that she can't come to harm!
The moment "Sunny Skies" was mentioned, I already was pretty sure she's Celestia. Simply because in many other stories a similar alias is used.
On any of your adventures, do you feel unprepared? Is there a scenario you can’t solve? A bag of marbles will do the trick! Take out pesky enemies and disable machinery with just one marble! Only 9.99 at Duc- I mean a store near you!
"Celestia had an entire tub of ice cream"
"Heh, I do that sometimes"
"No, a literal tub, a bathtub"
"...what?"
I adore this
I smell shenanigans brewing.
I also assume Pinkie will know it's a different Twilight once Twilight gets actually sent to Ponyville, much to the confusion of everyone else.
Celestia you little spy.
A-accident? P-PEAR cider?
Oh no.
I mean, typically game is 6 xp and downtimes are 4 xp, so she's somewhat correct, and...
Wait, that's MET Vampire, not D&D, my bad.
O&O Midnight is amazing I love her
9014259
Isn't that supposed to be like standard kit? I never have any of that.
I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out.
i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/017/204/CaptainAmerica1_zps8c295f96.JPG
8998480
And no arrows to the knee.
Oh wow sunny is celesia
MLP comic issue 65
oh Celestia... what happened to let her go alone
Oh goddammit, Celestia
All joking aside, this chapter was great.
Hmm... Ponyville, seems safe enough, unless if you travel to the Ever-
*sudden realisation*
Midnight, you cheeky bastard.
At least, she'll be safe.
Wow Midnight really takes after Sunset.
Not gonna lie I was really hoping she was going to investigate the old castle fore clues about luna
Holy smokes. That was so good, dude
Celestia?..
CELESTIA!