I had a perfectly decent life, until these ponies abducted me. Now this Luna lady is saying she's my birth mother.
I had a perfectly decent life, until these ponies abducted me. Now this Luna lady is saying she's my birth mother. Featured on July 10, 2014! (If only for a minute) https://herofanon.fandom.com/wiki/Tristan
Hi. My name's Tristan Sharp. I'm 13 years old, and live with both my parents. I had a pretty normal life. That is, until IT happened. It happened during Thanksgiving dinner with my family. My Grandparents, Cousin, Aunt and Uncle came over. I was halfway through dinner, when I had to go to the bathroom. I went upstairs and did my business, and then went to wash my hands. I looked up to the mirror, and looked at my reflection. Suddenly, I started to feel lightheaded. My vision started to go black. I fell and hit my head on the sink. It knocked me clean out. But before I fell unconscious, I thought I heard a women's voice:
"My son has returned."
...
As I woke, I felt cold marble beneath my body. I opened my eyes, and looked up. You'll never believe what I saw. I saw 9 candy colored horses. The first one was the tallest, with white fur, a horn, wings and a rainbow ethereal mane. The second was a little shorter, same deal as the first, only she was dark blue, with a night sky like mane. The Next two had horns and wings, but their manes were normal. One was purple, the other pink. Apart from them were five grouped together. One was blue, with wings, and a rainbow mane and tail. The next one was yellow, with wings and pink hair. After that was a white unicorn, with purple mane and tail. The last two were orang and pink, and they both lacked horns and wings.
"Whoa, what's with all the horses?" I said.
"Actually, we are ponies," came a women's voice. I looked around, but didn't see anyone.
"Who said that?" I asked.
"I did," said the tall white one. My eyes went wide.
"Oh my FREAKING GOD!" I yelled.
"I'm sure you're a bit confused," said the tall dark blue one.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled, screaming and running around until I tripped. It was then that I noticed that I had been running on all fours. I took a look at myself, but I wasin't prepared for what I saw. "I need a mirror, I need a mirror!"
"Oh, I think I have one," said the small white pony with purple hair. Her horn glowed blue, and a mirror, enveloped in the same blue was levitated over to me.
"Whoa! How'd you do that!" I yelled.
"Oh, it's just simple levitation magic," she said. I took a moment to process this, then took a look in the mirror. What I saw was a small pony with wings and a horn. My fur was grey, and my mane was black. My bangs hung over my left eye.
"What's going on here!" I yelled. The ponies looked toward each other, then the tall dark blue one stepped forward.
"It's not going to be easy for you to hear this, but here it goes...I'm your mother!" That shocked me for a second, but once I processed this new information, I did the only thing I could do. I started laughing.
"AAAHHH hahahaha! Y-yeah sure, and I'm the king of Venus! Ahhahahah!" The Purple pony looked cross for a second, but then she spoke up again.
"It's true!" she said. I stopped laughing and wiped a tear from my eye with my han-I mean hoof.
"Lady, my mom's name is Katherine, and she's a human."
"No...she's not. You were adopted."
"Nah uh!"
"Please, let me explain. Here me out. Please."
"Alright fine." She took a deep breath, then spoke.
"Well, it all started 13 years ago. I gave birth to a beautiful foal, whom I named Midnight. But it was not long after, that tragedy struck. A powerful spirit of Chaos called Discord returned from his stone imprisonment. He caused much chaos that day, but none as heartbreaking as when he took my child. We found out that Discord sent my child to another realm, and turned him from a pony, to a human."
"Alright," I said. "I'm guessing that kid was supposed to be me, right?" She nodded. "Let's say that I believe you. Why wait 13 years to bring me back?".
This time the small purple one spoke. "The spell is extremely high level, so much that it takes four Alicorns to perform. We didn't have four, until just recently."
"What's an Alicorn?" I asked.
"An Alicorn has Pegasus wings, and a unicorn horn. Me, my sister Celestia, Twilight, Cadence, and you are all Alicorns," said the purple one, who claimed to be my mom.
"Alright. Well how do you know you didn't make a mistake? How do you know I'm this Midnight?" I asked.
The tall white one spoke: "The spell we used also functioned as a DNA tracker. We used some of Princess Luna's hair, and the spell led us to you." I was starting to get anxious, there's no way this can be true.
"No, no this can't be true! I want to go back to my parents back home on earth!" I exclaimed. Princess Luna, who claimed to be my mother, looked guilty at this point.
"I'm afraid that cannot be done," she said.
"What do you mean? You can perform the spell again can't you!?" I asked.
"Well yes, but-"
"Then send me back! My parents will notice I'm gone!"
"No...they won't," she said.
"W-what? What do you mean?"
"We...I...I used a spell to erase all traces of your existence from your world. Your Parents memory of you is gone." She looked SUPER guilty.
"You...you what? No...nononononono." I said, grabbing my head, and shaking it.
"I am SO sorry. But I couldn't lose you again. You are MY son, and I wanted you back so badly that I-,"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR DAMNED EXCUSES!" I screamed with tears in my eyes.
"Please son,-"
"Shut up! You...you took my life away, and you expect me to just call you mom. I HATE you!" I yelled. Then I started crying.
"Please, just give me a chance!"
"No! I'm out of here!" I yelled, and ran for the door. I shoved open the door and ran down the hall. I took a turn down the stairs, and ran out the door, not caring where I ended up.
"Ahhhh," cried Luna. Her cries of anguish filled her hospital room. She squeezed her sisters hoof, and breathed heavily and rhythmically.
"You're doing great princess," said Doctor WarmHeart. "Alright, now on three, I want you to push. Alright, one...two...three!"
"Aghhh!" cried Luna as she pushed. The doctor reached down and grabbed the baby's head, and began to pull. Luna's anguish finally ended as the infant was fully pulled out of the womb. Doctor WarmHeart held the baby by the legs, and carefully patted the foal on the back, clearing its lungs, causing the baby to cry. The Doctor swaddled the colt, and then handed him to his mother.
"Congratulations Princess, you've given birth to a healthy young colt," said the doctor, as he handed the infant to his mother. Luna cradled her child in her arms, rocking and cooing him until his crying died down.
"He's beautiful," said Celestia, as she stood next to her sister.
"He looks like his father." As Luna said this, she began to tear up. "I wish he was here."
"I'm sure he would be proud," said Celestia. "What are you going to name him?"
"Midnight," replied Luna. "My Little Midnight." Luna gazed lovingly at her child, and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I will love him always."
Present Day
I burst out the front door, and stared at the scene around me. Ponies, everywhere I looked there were ponies. I'd never seen so many ponies in one place. For some reason, they were all looking at the sky. 'Weird,' I thought. I then noticed the environment. It kind of looked like France, fancy buildings everywhere. I saw a couple sitting at a table, eating lunch.
"Hey you, stop right there!" Well, looks like I don't have time to take in the rest of the scenery. I looked behind me to see the two ponies in golden armor, running towards me.
"Oh S**t!" I cried, knowing I had to get out of there fast.
I ran towards the crowd of ponies. I had to navigate through the crowd.
"God, look where you're going you prissy bastards!" I yelled at all these fancy ponies. Who do they think they are! Thinking there better than me! I heard one of them say something like; 'Why I never!' I looked back and saw the guards were having trouble getting through the crowd. I guess my size is working to my favor, but I knew I needed to find a place to hide. I rounded a corner, and found what I was looking for.
Meanwhile in the Canterlot thrown room
Luna lied, sobbing on the floor, hooves covering her eyes. The ponies around her were doing their best to comfort her.''
"It'll be ok Luna," said Twilight.
"I-I *sniff* should have n-never brought him back here!" cried Luna. "I-it was a mistake to bring him here!" Fluttershy walked up to Luna and patted her on the back.
"Don't feel bad Princess. I mean, well uh, you see, we all saw how hurt you were when Midnight was taken away. It broke your heart, and I know Discord feels really bad about what he did."
"Where is Discord," asked Rarity.
"I don't know," replied Fluttershy.
"Maybe he can help our situation with Midnight," said Twilight.
"How could he possibly help?" asked Applejack.
"Maybe he can help find him," suggested Twilight.
"Guard," called Celestia.
"Yes your highness," replied the guard.
"Go to Discords room and bring him here." The guard saluted, then left the room.
Back with Tristan
I managed to get out of the guards line of sight, and was now hiding in a wagon, that was hauling a bunch of stuff in boxes. I heard the clopping sound of hoof steps approaching. I peered past the boxes and saw two soldiers talking with the pony who was hauling the cart I was in.
"Excuse me sir, but have you seen an Alicorn colt anywhere? He has grey fur, and a black mane," said the one guard.
"An ALICORN colt? No, can't say that I have," said the Pony. He had light blue fur, and a green mane and tail. Boy did those colors clash.
"Alright well if you do see him, please let us know," replied the other guard.
"Will do." The guards left, and soon after, the cart began to move. I snuck a peak and saw that the cart was heading towards the city gate. I don't know where this cart is going, but as long as it's far away from here, I don't care. ________________________________________________________
It was a long time before the cart stopped, but when it did, I found myself in some town called 'Ponyville'. God, what a name. I slipped out of the cart and ran into an alleyway behind this awesome smelling building that looked like it was made of candy. It looked like no one could see me back there, so I took the time to think about what I was going to do next. I needed to find a way home. Wait, now I remember what that Luna Lady said. She used magic to erase my parents minds. Well, I'm one of those Alicorn things too, maybe I can use magic to undo everything Luna did. I could restore my parents memory, and transport myself back home. I know they said it took four Alicorns to perform the transport spell, but maybe...hm. Maybe I could find a way to boost my power. But first things first, I need to find out how to perform these spells. Maybe there's a spell book I could find. But to do that I need to find some sort of bookstore or a library. And for that, I need to go out and about in town. I need to find some way to hide either my wings or my horn.
"So that's the situation. Can you help us?" asked Twilight. In front of her, Discord stroked his beard.
"So, midnights back in town ehy?" asked Discord. "Well, I could find him. But what fun would there be in that?" Luna, who stood behind Twilight, suddenly took on a look of anger.
"Listen you, It's your fault all of this happened in the first place! You took Midnight from me, and now you're going to bring him back! If you don't, I'll kick your sorry flank so hard, you'll cough up horseshoes!" yelled Luna.
"Whoa, easy there Lulu. I already said I was sorry, what more do you want from me?"
"I already told you, I want you to bring him back here!"
"Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do. It might take me a while to lock on to his energy signature. Give me a little while, and I should be able to find him."
"Just hurry. The longer we wait, the more chance there is that my son will be hurt," said Luna. ____________________________________________
It took me a while of going through the garbage, but I finally found something to hide my horn; a black top hat, just like the one that Slash wears. I popped it on, and covered my horn just right. I was ready to find those books. I left the alley, and started wandering around town. I saw a lot of houses, but they all looked the same. I walked past a couple of those houses, when something caught my eye. A large tree, right in the center of town. It took a closer look, and saw a sigh that said 'Golden Oaks Library'. YES! I found it! With that, I set off towards the Library, in the hopes of finding those spell books.
I found myself standing in front of a large tree, with doors and windows. THIS was the library? That seemed very unsafe. I mean we learned in school that in a thunderstorm, lighting is most likely gonna strike a tree. And what about wood rot? And don't insects live inside the wood? All in all, putting a library in a tree seems pretty stupid. But in a world full of talking magic ponies, logic gets thrown out the window. I walked up to the door and knocked three times. I then sat down, and waited. I looked around while I waited. These houses looked cartoonish, brightly colored, with straw roofs. After a few moments of waiting, I knocked again. Still no answer. I guess whoever works here is out doing whatever. I tried the doorknob, but it was locked. Damn, I need to get in there. Maybe there's another way. I looked and saw a balcony higher up. It has a glass door behind it. If I can get up there, I can break the window and get inside. I need a way up there. It was then that I stretched my wings and took a look at them. If only I knew how to fly. I can't climb with hooves. Guess I'll need to fly. I tried to flap my wings, but they didn't move. I have no Idea how to move my wings. Arg, I NEED to get up there! Suddenly, I felt my horn tingle and my vision flashed. When my vision returned, I found myself in front of the glass wall.
"How'd I get up here?" I asked myself. Maybe...did I do magic? Well, I can't think of any other explanation. Well I guess that doesn't matter. I need to get inside. I walked up to the glass, and turned to face away from it. I reared back, and then bucked the glass as hard as I could. The glass shattered. I ran up to the edge of the balcony and looked around to see if anyone heard. No one was around. Good. I ran inside the library, and took a look around. I was next to a groove with a bed, and a basket next to it. I guess someone lives here. And I guess they have a pet. I walked down the stairs, and found myself in a round room, with bookshelves carved into the wood of the surrounding wall. I decided to start looking around for the books I needed.
12 years ago
Houses were floating in the air, cotton candy clouds were raining chocolate milk, and stampeding rabbits were roaming the area. Sitting on a thrown was a creature, a creature that looked like multiple animals sewn together, like some kind of Frankenstein. And standing in front of the creature were six colorful ponies. Five of them wore golden necklaces with gems on them. The other one had a tiara with a gem on it.
"It's over Discord! Now tell us what you did with Midnight!" said Twilight.
"Who?" asked Discord.
"Princess Luna's son!" replied Twilight.
"Oh him. Don't worry, he's safe. But I doubt you'll be seeing him again any time soon," said Discord.
"You better tell us where he is or else!" threatened Rainbow Dash.
"Or what? You'll turn me to stone? You're going to do that anyway."
"Girls, formation!" said Twilight. The elements began to glow, and the mane six rose into the air. Their eyes glowed white, and a rainbow shot from Twilight's tiara, connecting with the other elements. Then, the rainbow shot towards Discord.
"Noooooooooo! cried Discord as the rainbow blasted him, turning him to stone. The light subsided, and discords body was now encased in stone. The chaos that he caused had been returned to normal. But even though they had defeated their enemy, the six looked solemn.
"Well, we beat Discord. But we couldn't figure out where he sent Midnight," said Twilight.
"Princess Luna will be so upset," said Fluttershy.
"Yeah, we failed to find out where Midnight went," said Rainbow.
" *sigh* Come on girls, we need to get back to the princesses. I'm sure we'll find some solution to our problem."
a few hours earlier
Terrence and Katherine Sharp were sitting down at their dinner table, enjoying a steak dinner.
"Delicious as always dear," said Terrence.
"Thanks honey," replied Katherine, as she took another bite of her dinner. As she took a sip of her wine, she heard the doorbell ring.
"Who do you think that could be?" asked Terrence.
"No idea," replied Katherine. The two stood up and walked to their front door. Katherine reached out and grasped the doorknob. She turned it and opened the door. No one was there. She looked left and then right, but all she saw was their neighborhood in the dark of the night. She was about to close the door when she heard crying. Both Terrence and Katherine looked down to see a baby crying. Both Terrence and Katherine looked down to see a baby in a basket.
"A baby? In a basket?" questioned Terrence. Katherine picked up the basket. "What are you doing?" asked Terrence.
"Well, we can't just leave him out here," replied Katherine. The two took the baby inside, and set the basket on the floor.
"I'll go, uh, call somebody about this. Just not sure who to call," said Terrence as he walked into the kitchen to use the phone. Meanwhile, Kathy took the baby out of the basket, and held him. 'What a beautiful baby' she thought. She and Terrence had been trying to get pregnant for a few years, but to no avail. Maybe this was their solution. Terrence returned to the room a few minutes later.
"OK, I called social services, and reported a found baby. Someone should come by to take him off our hands," said Terrence.
"Terry...maybe...maybe WE should keep him," said Katherine.
"What?" said Terrence.
"Well, we haven't been having any luck getting pregnant. Maybe we could adopt him."
"Hm...I suppose we could."
"Oh Terrence, thank you!" Terrence walked over and hugged his wife, and their new baby.
"Well, what do you think we should call him?" asked Terrence.
"How about Tristan," suggested Katherine.
"Hm, that's a nice name. Tristan it is."
"Our little Tristan," said Katherine, smiling down at her new baby. He was there son now. And he always would be.
present day
Thankfully, there was one of those rolling ladders in the library, so I was able to reach all the books I needed. It was kinda weird to climb a ladder as a pony, but I was able to do it. I found a few things of interest in those books. I couldn't find a portal spell, or a memory spell, but I did find an interesting section describing a power boosting artifact called the Alicorn Amulet. If I can find that, maybe I'll have the power to get myself home. I could demand the princesses show me the spells to get home, and fix my parents memory. But I need to find that amulet. And luckily, I found a way to find it. There's instructions to a tracking spell called Clairvoyance. All I need to do is say the name of the object, and then charge my horn with energy. If you're wondering how to do that, I figured it out. I kinda clench my brain, and push with my mind. Well, alright, I have what I need. Time to bail.
"Having fun there?" Startled, I turned around to see who said that. I turned to face the strangest creature I have ever seen. It was all mismatched, a lions arm here, an eagles claw there. Really weird.
"W-who are you?" I asked. The creature snapped his fingers, and he was sitting on a lawn chair.
"Oh me? I'm just your friendly neighborhood Dracconoquess. My name is Discord," said the creature.
"Discord? Discord, Discord..." I said thinking. Then I remembered. "DISCORD! You're the guy who started all this!" I yelled angrily.
"Hehe, yeah," he said nervously while rubbing the back of his neck. "That was me. But I'm trying to make up for what I've don."
"Wait a second! You, you have the power to send me back to my human family!"
"Well, yes I COULD do that."
"Alright then, send me back!"
"Oh, I, I can't do that. Luna would KILL me!"
"You didn't seem to care about that when I was a baby."
"Well, I've been reformed. I've come to embrace the magic of friendship."
"Well then, why are you here?"
"I'm here to take you back to the castle."
"Oh hell no! I'm not going anywhere!"
"Sorry, but I have my orders. Let's go," said Discord, as he reached for me.
"NO!" I yelled. I felt my horn tingle, and there was a blinding light. I shut my eyes as tight as I could. I heard a loud thump, and the sound of wood breaking. When I opened my eyes, I saw a statue that looked like Discord. It had made a small hole in the floor, probably from the weight. "Did I do that?" I have no idea how I was able to do something like this, but I didn't care. I knew I needed to make tracks, and fast. I was about to reach for the doorknob when I saw it turn by itself. The door opened, and I saw something I've never seen before.
Standing before me was something I was not prepared to see. It stopped me dead in my tracks. I was staring face to face with a bipedal, fat, purple lizard with green frills. He was the same height as me, and was carrying a brown paper bag full of groceries.
"Whoa, just what in the hell are YOU supposed to be?" I asked.
"Excuse me?" replied the creature.
"What are you?" I repeated.
"Uh, I'm a dragon," replied the lizard.
"Whoa, that's so cool! I've never seen a real dragon before!" The dragon took on a look of pride.
"He, yeah, I guess I am pretty cool," he replied.
"Hey, hey say; 'I will kill the dovakiin'!"
"I will what the what?"
"Oh, never mind. Well, I'll see you later," I said as I started to walk out the door. The dragon put a hand (or claw) to my chest, and held me back.
"Whoa, whoa, not so fast! You broke into my home, and you ransacked the library! You know, I have to clean that up. And, and is that Discord? Why is he stone again?"
"Uh...you know, we could sit here and listen to my boring explanations, but that would be a waste of time, so, I'm leaving." I tried to leave again, but he stopped me yet again.
"Not gonna happen, you're in big trouble!"
"Well, OK, I guess that's fair-OH MY GOD, THAT IS THAT!" I screamed while pointing my right hoof behind the dragon.
"Huh, what?" he said as he turned around to look at my distraction. Carefully, and quickly, I used my two front hooves to grab a nearby vase. I reared back on my hind legs, and brought the vase strait down on the dragons head. The vase shattered, and the dragon went down with an 'oomf'. I looked around to make sure no one saw. Then, I quickly dragged the dragon inside and shut the door. I moved him towards the Discord statue, and then checked to see if he was breathing. Don't worry, he was. After that, I walked to the door and opened it. I shut it behind me, and then focused on my horn, and cast the clairvoyance spell. A blue misty trail appeared in front of me, and ran strait ahead. The book said only the caster would be able to see the trail, which means it won't attract any unwanted attention. I then proceeded to follow the trail.
About an hour later, the elements of harmony had teleported home, and Celestia had returned to her royal duties. However, Princess Luna was busy pacing in circles, and running a groove into the floor of her room.
"Oh, where are they? They should have been here by now," said Luna. AS she paced, her mind was trying to figure our what could be keeping Discord from bringing her son back. "What could be keeping them?" Just then, there was a knocking at her door. "Come in," she said. Her door opened, and in walked her sister Celestia.
"Luna, I have news about Midnight," said Celestia. Luna gasped and rushed towards her sister.
"Oh, that is wonderful!" cried Luna.
"Well, just note that I didn't say it was good news," replied Celestia. Luna stepped back, a look of worry on her face.
"Well, I received a letter from Twilight. Apparently, Midnight was last seen in Ponyville."
"And the bad news?"
"Well, apparently, he broke into Twilights home, ransacked her library, turned Discord into stone, and knocked Spike unconscious." Luna stood there in shock for about ten seconds before she responded.
"He did what!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not sure what caused him to do such things, but I assume it has somthing to do with finding a way home."
"Come sister, we must find him before he gets into more trouble," said Luna as she rushed out the door, followed by her sister.
My search for the Alicorn Amulet brought me to the edge of a creepy looking forest. I was hesitant to enter, but the clairvoyance spell says the Amulet is in the forest. And I need that Amulet if I want to get home. So, without any other option, I went inside.
If the forest was creepy from the outside, Imagine how terrifying it was on the inside! All the trees had scary faces on them. And boy was it dark in here. And the wolf howls in the distance scared the crap out of me! But despite these things, I pushed on. Eventually, I came to a tribalistic hut that was carved into a tree. It looked like a witchdoctors hut, it had tribal masks lying around, and decorations made with bone hung form the roof.
"So, the Amulet is in there," I said to myself. What if someones in there? The owner of the hut must know what they have in there. I need a plan.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew high above the streets of Ponyville, in their search for Lunas missing son. Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack searched on the ground below. Little did they know that the colt they were searching for was no longer in Ponyville. Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were waiting in the front of the library with the statue of Discord sitting next to them. Twilight looked to the sky to see the royal chariot arriving, with Luna and Celestia in tow. The chariot touched down near the library, and Luna and Celestia walked off, and went over to Twilight.
"Princess's, I'm glad you're here!" Twilight ran over, and hugged Celestia. When there embrace finished, Twilight hugged Luna as well.
"Twilight, Spike, I must apologize for what my son did to you and your library. I take full responsibility for what happened," said Luna.
"Oh, it's OK Princess. Isn't that right Spike?" asked Twilight.
"Are you kidding? That little bastard hit me on the head! And who do you think has to clean up all those books!" yelled Spike.
"SPIKE!" yelled Twilight, as she hit Spike upside the head. "Go clean the library!" Spike walked towards the library, while muttering something about being a slave. When he was gone, Twilight turned to face Luna.
"I'm sorry about that Princess," said Twilight.
"Um, i-it's alright Twilight. I understand Spikes frustration, and I promise to pay for your broken window," said Luna.
"Well thank you princess," replied Twilight.
"Well now that that is out of the way, I suggest that we begin our search for Midnight," said Celestia.
"Right," said Twilight. And with that, they set out on their search for the missing colt. _______________________________________________________________________________
Luckily for me, no one was in the hut. It's as if some lazy guy controlling events was simplifying my situation in an attempt to avoid thinking about complex situations! Well, I found what I was looking for. It was a little black box on a shelf above what appeared to be a bed. I hopped up onto the bed, and grabbed the box. I set it down on the floor, and opened it. Inside was the Amulet. It had a red gem in the center. There where two feathered wings and a pony head surrounding the gem.
"Yes! Mom, Dad, I'm coming!" I reached into the box and grabbed the necklace. As soon as I put it on, I could feel it's power. I decided to test it. I focused on levitating this black cauldron. It glowed grey, and levitated a few feet into the air. I let it drop back down. Now that I knew the amulet worked, it was time for me to leave. _______________________________________________________________________________
Celestia and Luna found themselves on the outskirts of town, by the edge of the Everfree forest.
"We've searched the whole town, and still we cannot find Midnight! Where is he!" said Luna. Suddenly, Celestia saw something coming out of the forest.
"Sister, Look!" said Celestia as she pointed towards the forest. The two turned to see none other than Midnight trotting out of the forest.
"Midnight!" exclaimed Luna as she ran towards her son, but stopped when she saw what was around his neck.
"Oh, hello Luna," said Midnight coldly.
"Midnight! What is that around your neck?" asked Luna. Celestia trotted next to her, and gasped when she saw the Amulet around Midnights neck.
"My name is Tristan! And this is the Alicorn Amulet, or as I like to call it, my way home," said Midnight.
"You don't understand! The Alicorn Amulet will corrupt your mind!" said Luna.
"Yeah right. You just want to stop me from going home! But with this Amulet, I will have the power to send myself back to the human world, and restore my parents memory!"
"She speaks the truth," said Celestia. "The Alicorn Amulet grants an increase in power, but it corrupts the users mind!"
"I don't care!" shouted Midnight. "I'm going home, and if you won't send me back, then I'll get there myself!"
"Please, take off that Amulet, and come back to the castle! We can work this out!" cried Luna.
"Not a chance!" yelled Midnight. "Now tell me the spells to get home, and fix my parents memory!"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that," said Luna.
"Then you leave me no choice," said Midnight. "If you won't tell me how to get home, then I'll have to force you to tell me!"
"W-what?" said Luna. Midnights eyes glowed red, as he lowered his head, and shot a blast of magic towards the two princesses. And with that, the battle between the royal family began.
Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie found themselves in front of Sugar Cube Corner.
"I couldn't find him," said Twilight. "Did you girls have any luck?"
"Nopey dopey!" chirped Pinkie.
"I was plum outa' luck," said Applejack.
"I searched and searched, but I simply could not find him," said Rarity.
"Darn it, where could he be?" asked Twilight.
"Hey Twilight!" The girls looked up to see Rainbow and Fluttershy flying towards them. The two Pegasi lowered themselves to the ground. As soon as their hooves touched the ground, they trotted over to the other four.
"Rainbow, Fluttershy, did you find Midnight?" asked Twilight.
"No luck," said Rainbow, while Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"Alright, well then, we better go find the Princesses-" suddenly the group heard a loud explosion. They turned to face the direction that the blast came from.
"What in tarnation' was that?" exclaimed Applejack.
"It sounded like it came that way!" said Rainbow, while pointing in the direction that the sound came from.
"We should go check it out!" said Twilight. "Come on girls!" Then, the six friends galloped towards the explosion.
Luna barely had time to erect a magical shield to block the attack. As soon as the energy blast hit the shield, it cracked and shattered like glass. Luna stumbled back.
"My son...my own son attacked me!" muttered Luna.
"It's the amulet Luna! It's corrupting his mind! We must get the amulet away from him!" exclaimed Celestia.
"How do we do that?" asked Luna.
"I have no idea!" replied Celestia. The two watched as Midnight spread his wings and gave a powerful flap, shooting him up into the air. When he reached the peak of his ascent, Midnight lit his horn and shot an exercise ball sized ball of fire, heading strait for the two sisters. Purely due to instinct and reaction, Luna launched her own blast of ice towards Midnight. The two blasts connected, causing a loud and bright explosion.
"Sister, how does he know these spells? And how is it he's able to fly?" asked Luna.
"It's all the amulet Luna! Not only does it increase his power, but it also grants him the knowledge that is stored within it," replied Celestia.
Celestia watched as Midnight glided down to the ground, eyes glowing red, a darkness in his eyes. Midnight shot forward like a bullet, aiming strait for Celestia. Celestia erected an energy shield, which Midnight bounced off of like a trampoline. He crashed against a tree, and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Oh my goodness, Midnight!" exclaimed Luna as she put a hoof to her mouth. Then she ran towards her son.
"Luna, wait!" yelled Celestia. But Luna continued galloping towards Midnight. When she reached him, she kneeled down next to him. She noticed that his eyes where closed.
"Midnight, Midnight! Can you hear me?" Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and with a flash of light, he dissapeared. He reappered about ten feet away, standing on all fours.
"My.Name.IS.TRISTAN!" screamed Midnight as he shot a blast of magic towards Luna. It struck her in the side, causing her to cry out in pain.
Celestia was just about to run to her sisters aid, when she heard her name being called out. She turned to see the elements of harmony running towards her.
"Girls!" cried Celestia. The six ponies reached the princess. When they saw Luna and Midnight fighting, a look of panic appeared on their faces.
"Princess, what's happened?!" asked Twilight.
"Yeah, what was that explosion?" asked Rainbow.
"Midnight somehow found and put on the Alicorn Amulet!" said Celestia.
"What!" cried the six friends at the same time.
"B-but that can't be!" said Twilight. "We hid it away!"
"Well, somehow he found it," replied Celestia. "We need your help to remove the amulet."
"You can count on us Princess!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. The group, plus Celestia, turned to see Midnight and Luna. Luna had been firing knock out spells in an attempt to render her son unconscious. Midnight on the other hand was attempting to injure Luna, in his attempt to force her to tell him how to get home. The Princess and the mane six gathered behind Luna. She was breathing heavily, clearly becoming tired from the battle.
"Princess, are you alright?" asked Rarity.
"I...I could...could be better," replied Luna. She took in a deep breath, then spoke again. "But I think I have an idea how to remove the amulet."
"What's your idea?" asked Fluttershy.
"We need to destroy the necklace part of the amulet. We need to hit him with everything we have."
"But Princess, that could really hurt Midnight," said Twilight.
"As reluctant as I am to do this, we have to free him from the amulets control. Also, I don't think he will be hurt to bad. He has Alicorn endurance, and the amulet increases that endurance even further. He should be fine." Meanwhile, Midnight was catching his breath, trying to think of a way to overcome his adversaries.
'I need to give this everything I have,' thought Midnight. 'If I break them, they'll tell me how to get home.' With his decision made, he flapped his wings, sending him higher up into the air. Meanwhile, Celestia, Luna, and Twilight where gathered together, their horns glowing. The three of them unleashed a powerful blast of magic, which was a combination of all their efforts. Midnights own blast met with the incoming magic missile. The two blasts met, causing a large explosion. The three Princesses were pushed back by the blast. But Midnight was closer to the blast, and thus he felt the full blast. He felt an incredible heat. The immense power that filled him faded, and he no longer felt the necklace around his neck. The explosion propelled him strait into the everfree forest.
When the explosion ended, the Princesses and the elements of harmony opened their eyes to see that Midnight was no longer in front of them.
Luna was quick to react. "Midnight!" She galloped forward towards the forest, quickly followed by the others. When they reached the edge of the forest, they saw the Alicorn colt lying in front of a tree. Luna rushed to her son, and picked him up in her hooves. "Midnight! Midnight! Are you alright?" He didn't answer. The others approached Luna with looks of worry on their faces.
"Is he alright?" asked Fluttershy. Luna put her ear to Midnights chest. She heard his heart beat, and she removed her head from him.
"He is alive. He's just unconscious. Quick, we must take him to the hospital!" Luna levitated her son onto her back, and then the group galloped away, their destination, Ponyville hospital.
The group sprinted towards Ponyville hospital, with the young colt in tow. Many ponies bowed down to the rushing royals, only for them to be ignored by the group. They reached the hospital, to find the waiting room nearly empty, except for the nurse sitting behind the desk. The nurse looked up from her paperwork, and gasped when she saw the princess in front of her.
“P-princess Luna! How can I help you?” said the nurse. Luna turned to show the unconscious colt on her back, causing the nurse to gasp.
“It’s my son! He’s been injured!” replied a panicked Luna.
“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed the nurse. “I’ll go get a stretcher!” The nurse galloped away from the desk, and went through a set of doors. A few moments later, she along with another nurse and a doctor came through with a stretcher. The doctor used his magic to levitate the youngling onto the stretcher, and then the three hospital staff rolled the injured colt through the doors. Luna attempted to follow, but was stopped by the doctor.
“I’m sorry your highness, but you’ll have to stay here until we’ve assessed his condition.”
“But-but,” stuttered Luna.
“Don’t worry your highness, we’ll do everything in our power to help him.” The doctor patted Luna on the withers, and then left to go inspect the colt. Luna lowered herself to a sitting position, head hanging low. Luna could hear the faint clip clops of approaching hooves. She turned her head to gaze upon a familiar yellow Pegasus.
“Don’t worry Princess. I’m sure Midnight will be alright,” assured Fluttershy in her usual timid voice.
“Thank you kind Fluttershy, but it’s not that that worries me.”
“Then what’s the matter?” asked Twilight as she trotted up to sit next to Luna. Luna sighed as the rest of the ponies gathered around her.
“It’s just…I fear that Midnight will never accept me as his mother. And it breaks my heart, and it’s all DISCORDS FAULT!” Luna’s breath became heavy after her outburst, her shoulders rising and falling. Then Luna felt a wing drape over her withers. She looked up to see her sister, with her wing resting over her.
“Luna…in all my years, I’ve never encountered a situation quite like this but…well I don’t know what to say. Midnight, or Tristan as he likes to be called, has had his whole world turned upside down. It will take time for his anger to subside. And it will also take a lot of work for him to accept you. It won’t be easy but…well, I think you can rise to this challenge. Just be patient.” Luna sniffled, and then spoke.
“Thank you sister,” said as she offered a weak smile.
“Come on every pony. We should all return home and rest. Twilight, do you mind if my sister and I spend the night at your library?”
“Oh, um sure, I just need to run home and make sure spike finished cleaning,” replied Twilight.
“Alright, we’ll meet you there,” replied Celestia, as Twilight ran out the door, heading towards her home. A few minutes later, the group left the hospital, and returned to their respective residencies.
It was late at night, and the moon and stars hung in the sky. But to anyone who gazed upon the night, they would notice a distinct lack of the usual beauty it had become associated with. That is because Luna had just gone through the motions, without putting her soul into her art like she usually did. Luna sat on the balcony of the library gazing up at her precious moon. She had once hoped to share this sight with her son. She didn’t know if that dream would ever become a reality.
Meanwhile, Twilight was skulking around the scene of the fight between mother and son, searching for the Alicorn Amulet.
“Let’s see…this is where he landed after the magical blast. And this,” she said as she walked over to a new area. “-is where he was during the blast. So where is the amulet. Oh, I need to do some calculations. “ She used her magic to summon a quill and notebook, and started scribbling a bunch of mathematics only a complete nerd like her could understand.
“Ah ha!” she exclaimed as she finished. She turned to face her right, and took 20 paces in that direction. It brought her in front of a large oak tree. She walked around to the other side, but did not see anything there. “Hm. Maybe it landed up in the branches.” Twilight flapped her wings, causing her to ascend into the air. She hovered, while searching the tree for the amulet
After a few minutes with no luck, she eventually saw a glint out of the corner of her eye. She turned, and looked into the leaves, and saw what she was looking for. She used her magic to bring the item closer to her for inspection. She saw the red gem, only there was no amulet, just the gem. “Well, now I can give this to the Princess for her to lock away.” And with that, Twilight flew back to her home in a tree.
It was early in the morning when Luna was roused from her slumber by a prodding on her side. She could hear her name being said, though it was quiet. Luna. “Uh, five more minutes Celestia,” grumbled Luna. Luna? Luna.
“LUNA!” The princess of the night jolted awake, looking left and right. Her gaze fell upon the face of her older sister.
“Oh, sister. What is it?” she asked.
“I heard from the doctors at the Ponyville hospital sister. Midnight is going to wake up soon.”
“Well then,” said Luna as she sat up. “ Let’s get going.”
A half hour later, the entire group found themselves sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. Then, a doctor, the same one from yesterday walked through the doors.
“Princess, your son is about to wake up. I can let your group through to go see him.”
“Thank you doctor.” The group followed the doctor through the door, and came to the colt’s room. The group went into the room to find the colt sleeping in the bed. Luna walked to the side of the bed, and sat down, waiting. After a few minutes of waiting, she saw the colt rouse from his sleep.
“Midnight. Midnight, are you all right?” asked the princess.
“M-midnight?” asked the colt. “Who’s that? Who are you? Who am I?”
Everyone in the room gasped, except for Luna. Her eyes widened slightly, the gears in her mind turning. ‘He doesn’t remember. He must have hit his head during the explosion. And if he doesn’t remember anything, then maybe…but would it be right to take advantage of his amnesia?’ Luna felt her body temperature rise with the conflict of the situation. Her moral conscious battled with her desire to have her sons love. Before she could complete her thought process, she heard her sister speak up.
“Well, I guess we should tell you the truth. You see your name is-“ but she stopped when she felt Luna’s hoof block her mouth.
“Please dear sister, allow me to explain,” said Luna. Celestia raised her eyebrow, not sure how exactly Luna planned to address the situation. But she decided to see where Luna intended to go with this. She closed her eyes and nodded. Luna then removed her hoof, and turned to face her son once more. Luna walked up to her son’s bed, and began stroking his mane. Midnight looked somewhat uneasy, not sure why this strange pony was touching him, but he decided to hear her out. Luna cleared her throat and then began.
“You see, your name is Midnight. And you are my loving son,” once again, everyone in the room gasped. Luna turned her head to them and shushed them. Confused by the outburst, Midnight voiced a question.
“What’s wrong with them?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing,” said Luna nervously. “Anyway, you are my son, and Prince of the Night. I myself am Princess Luna, matriarch of the Night, and co-ruler of the Nation of Equestria. And you are my dear prince,” said Luna lovingly. Midnight seemed to contemplate this for a moment, before looking back to his mother.
“I…I-m a Prince?” he asked. Luna nodded. “And you’re my mom?” once again Luna nodded. Midnight once again thought about this, before looking at the other ponies in the room. “Who are they?” Luna stepped away from Midnight, and gestured to Celestia.
“This is Celestia, Ruler of the son, and Princess of Equestria. She is also my sister, and your aunt.” Then Luna pointed to the mane six. “These are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and defenders of this land. This is Twilight Sparkle, bearer of the Element of Magic. She is also a Princess, and former student of my sister.” Midnight nodded, somewhat unsure of what the elements were, and how anyone could rule the sun. Luna then continued her introductions. “These are the other Elements; AppleJack, Element of Honesty, Rarity, Element of Generosity, Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter, Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, and Fluttershy, Element of Kindness.”
“Oh, well it’s nice to meet you,” said Midnight, shyly. The Elements and Celestia nodded, but their eyes looked to Luna. She had already lied about him being a loving son. How much more of his life did she intend to fabricate? “So…what happened to me? Why can’t I remember anything?”
“Well…that is because…well, you see, Twilight happens to be your magic instructor. She was teaching you a new spell, when it backfired. You hit your head pretty hard. We brought you here to the hospital.”
“Do we live near here?”
“No, we live in the capital city of Canterlot. This is Ponyville. We fly here for your schooling and Magic lessons.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Just then, there was a knock at the door. Everyone turned to look at the door to see nurse Red Heart step inside.
“Alright everypony, it’s time to give Midnight some time to rest."
“Oh, of course,” said Luna. One by one the ponies filed out of the room. But on her way out, Celestia turned to face her sister.
“Luna, after you say goodbye to your son, there is something I wish to discuss with you.
“Of course sister,” said Luna. She then turned to her son, and hugged him, while planting a kiss on his forehead. “Mama loves you Midnight.”
“I…I love you to mom,” replied Midnight. At that moment, Luna’s heart skipped a beat; as she felt her smile grow. She turned away from her son, and left the room, happy that she and her son now had a second chance. When she left the room, and shut the door, she found herself looking at her sister, who was wearing a stern expression.
“We need to talk,” said Celestia. Luna nodded, and then the two started their walk. When they were a decent distance away from the room, Celestia spoke up.
“How can you lie to your own son? How could you take advantage of his amnesia?”
“Sister, you do not know what it is like, to have your own flesh and blood resent you so,” said Luna. Celestia merely raised her eyebrow, giving Luna an “Are you serious” look. Luna Chuckled in embarrassment. “Alright, maybe you do, but not your own offspring. He’s my son Tia, and all I desire is for him to love me as his mother.”
“But Luna, what if he remembers the truth? What will you do then?”
“I will burn that bridge when we come to it,” replied Luna.
“Cross. It’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” corrected Celestia.
“Oh. My mistake,” replied Luna.
“Luna, I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Think of it this way sister. If I told him the truth, he would just be filled with anger and sadness. We both know that there is no way back to the human world for him. At least this way, he might be happier.”
“I see your point. But still, I just have a bad feeling about this. Like something bad will happen.”
“Don’t worry sister. I plan to give him the perfect life. And if he does remember, hopefully his memory will be filled with happy memories of the two of us.”
“I hope you are right sister. I hope you are right.”
After the nurse came in to tell Midnights visitors that it was time to rest, the ponies returned to their respective homes, while Midnight himself drifted into sleep. Currently, the three princesses were walking away from the hospital.
“I am going to return to Canterlot, and prepare Midnights room at the castle,” said Princess Luna.
“Princess, I mean Luna. Far be it from me to question you, but are you sure this is the best idea? I mean, lying to Midnight?” asked Twilight.
“I agree with Twilight, sister. I truly believe the best option would to be honest with him,” said Celestia.
“Please do not think of me as a heartless Psychopath, who tells lies as easily as she breathes. It was not easy for me to lie to my son, but I truly believe this is the best option. If I had told him the truth, he would merely respond with anger, and mistrust. I hope to provide him with happy memories of the two of us, and hopefully, if he does remember the truth, he will remember the good times we’ve had, and it will be easier for him to put the past behind him, and accept me as his mother.”
“This is your choice Luna, and I will not interfere. I have said my peace.” With that, Celestia spread her wings, and took to the air, her destination; Canterlot. That left just Luna and Twilight, walking towards Ponyville.
“Twilight, I have a favor to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Well, as you may recall, I told Midnight that you were his magic instructor. Would it be possible for you to teach him magic? I told him that we come to Ponyville for his magic lessons, and schooling, so I have decided to enroll him in school here. If you could instruct him in magic, I would greatly appreciated it.”
“Well, I guess I can. It’s just, well, I’m not sure I feel comfortable lying to him about his life.”
“Please, Twilight, I need your help!”
“Well…alright. I’ll teach him magic, but only twice a week. Does that sound fair?”
“It is perfect! Thank you Twilight!” exclaimed Luna as she hugged Twilight tightly.
“Your welcome… Now, could you do me a favor?”
“Yes, anything!”
“Please stop trying to break me in half!”
“Oh, my apologies!” said Luna, as she released her grip on Twilight, who then took in greedy amounts of air. Once she got her lungs filled, she spoke again.
“That does leave one thing though. What about his schooling? You told him that he goes to school here, but he’ll figure out that isn’t true, when he goes there, and none of his classmates know him.”
“Well…you see, I was kind of hoping you could tutor Midnight as well.”
“Luna,” said Twilight in an exhausted tone.
“I know, I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just, well, I can’t just enroll him in Ponyville Elementary, and tell him he’s gone there for the whole term. He’d figure something is wrong, when he finds that none of the students know him. That is, unless I brainwashed the teacher, and her class of course…”
“Luna…you know you can’t do that…right?”
“Yes, yes of course. That is why I need your help Twilight. Can you please tutor him?”
“Luna, I know it’s still relatively new, but I do in fact have a life.”
“Please Twilight, I really need your help,” begged Luna. Twilight closed her eyes, and sighed.
“Okay, but… only on the same days as his magic lessons, and one more day. I have duties, and things that I need, and want to do.”
“Thank you Twilight, that will be perfect! Thank you so much!”
“Your welcome Luna…your welcome.”
After the group of ponies left Midnight’s room, the young colt found himself still feeling tired. He leaned back on his pillow, and closed his eyes, drifting into sleep. It was a peaceful sleep. After a while, he started to dream.
When his dream started, Midnight found himself in what looked like a playground. Only, instead of other ponies, the park was populated by strange, two legged creatures that the colt had never seen before. He heard them, running and playing, the sounds of children.
Then, one of the creatures approached him, and spoke with the voice of a child.
“You wanna play tag?” asked the creature. Midnights head nodded in conformation, and then he began to chase the creature, only, when he started running, he found that two strange appendages that he wasn’t supposed to have, popped into his vision. They were like legs, except they ended in five digits, just like the other strange children. Then, Midnights vision lowered to show that his own rear hooves where not hooves at all, but instead strange things in shoes.
The scene wiped away, and changed before his eyes. Now, instead he found himself in a room, in what appeared to be a house. This time, he saw a white frosted cake, with lit candles in it, and another candle, shaped like a 6. He also saw a group of creatures similar to the previous ones surrounding the cake. Except, some of them looked larger, and older. A few of them had strange lumps where their chest should be. One in particular, walked over to Tristan was, and crouched next to him.
“Make a wish sweetie,” said the female. Tristan did as he was told, and blew out the candles. He heard the creatures around him clapping, and cheering.
Before his dream could go any further, he was roused from his sleep by the gentle calling of his name, along with a nudging. Tristan awoke to see his mother, Princess Luna nudging him.
“M-mom?” questioned the colt.
“Wake up sweetie. It’s time to go home,” said the princess of the night.
“Oh, ok,” said Midnight as he removed his sheets, and got to his hooves.
“Did you have good dreams?” asked Luna as she levitated him onto the floor.
As Luna and Midnight made their way through the hallway of the hospital leading from his room, the young colt saw that the other ponies littering the hallway were bowing towards them as they walked. Midnight wasn’t sure if they were bowing to him, his mother, or both. But, the idea of ponies bowing to him, or his mother, filled the colt with a special warm feeling. He didn’t know how he used to react to being bowed to, but this time, it made him feel special, and important.
The two royals journeyed to the 1st floor of the hospital. Once they entered the lobby, Luna turned to look at her son.
“Alright Midnight, I need to sign a few things to get you discharged. Why don’t you go have a seat?” Midnight nodded in confirmation, and then trotted toward the waiting room seats. He took a seat next to another young pony, a filly with a blue mane, with sand colored fur. The filly didn’t seem to pay him much attention at first, but after glancing towards Midnight, she returned her gaze towards the colt prince with wide eyes.
“Y-you’re an Alicorn!” said the filly. Midnight turned his attention to the young filly. “A-are you a prince?”
“Oh, um, yeah, I guess so,” replied Midnight.
“That’s so cool! Wait, is that Princess Luna!” said the filly as she spotted Luna out of her peripherals.
“Yeah, she’s, she’s my mom,” said the prince.
“Wow, that’s so cool. It’s weird though, I never heard anything about Princess Luna having a kid.” Neither child noticed Princess Luna’s ear twitch at that moment.
“You haven’t?” replied Midnight. ‘That’s weird, you’d think the prince of a nation would be better well known,' thought Midnight. Just then, the sound of clopping hoofs could be heard, as the two turned to see Princess Luna walking towards them. The young filly got off her seat, and bowed towards the princess of the night.
“Rise my little pony,” said Luna. The young filly did as instructed, and just looked at Luna, eyes widened in amazement.
“Wow…your mane really does shine like the night sky,” said the awestruck filly. Luna giggled in response, before turning her attention to Midnight.
“Are you ready to go home?”
“Yeah, sure,” said Midnight as he stood up off the chair, and proceeded to follow Luna towards the exit.
“Goodbye your highnesses!” called the filly. Midnight turned to face the filly and waved his goodbye.
Luna led Midnight out the front entrance, into the beautiful sunny day that waited there. The wind was blowing comfortably, causing the grass to sway with it. The two made their way towards a chariot, with two Pegasus guards strapped to it. Luna took her seat, and waited for Midnight to take his. Midnight trotted over to the chariot, and took a seat next to his mother. Once he was seated Luna nodded towards the two guards, who then started running forward, flapping their wings. Soon enough, the Chariot lifted into the air, it’s destination; Canterlot Castle.
A few minutes into the flight, Midnight found himself leaning against the side of the chariot, looking at the ground passing beneath them. Midnight found himself feeling a sense of excitement in his stomach. Being so high in the air, flying at such speeds, it was the most exciting feeling he could remember feeling. The only thing that sounded more fun would be flying with his own two wings.
“Hey mom?”
“Yes son?” replied the lunar princess.
“I want to fly,” said the colt as he turned to face Luna. “Is that something I knew how to do before I lost my memory?” Luna thought back to when Midnight was in possession of the Alicorn amulet. Through it’s power, he had achieved flight. But Luna wasn’t sure if he had the ability to fly on his own. But most colts his age were well versed in flight. Should she tell him he didn’t know how to fly, or tell him that he did know, and just forgot. After a few seconds of thought, she spoke.
“You were able to fly, yes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you needed a few lessons to refresh you memory.” Luna thought this was perfect. Flying wasn’t essentially that hard to learn, it really just required proper technique and wing strength. As Midnight’s wings were big enough, it should not be that hard to teach.
“I would really like to re learn flying then,” said Midnight.
“Well then, we shall defiantly get to it. But first we need to get you reacquainted to your life in Canterlot.”
“Alright.” Soon enough, the chariot made its approach over the City of Canterlot. The sight was amazing to Midnight. He’d never seen so many ponies on one place. The city itself was magnificent, a metropolis. There were beautifully constructed buildings and parks. It was truly a sight to behold. But as soon as he saw the palace, his awe increased dramatically. The palace had beautifully crafted towers, with gold spires, and clear windows.
“Wow…we live THERE?” questioned Midnight in awe.
“Indeed my son,” replied Luna.
“It’s beautiful,” said Midnight. The chariot began to descend, lowering towards a patch of green grass just outside of the palace entrance. The chariot gently touched down, coming to a smooth stop. Once the Chariot was still, the two royals disembarked, and made their way towards the front door. Midnight thanked the two Pegasi, and then followed his mother to the entrance.
There were two unicorn guards stationed at the entrance. Once they saw the two alicorns, they used their magic to open the doors to the palace, allowing Midnight and Luna passage.
“Thank you,” said Luna.
“Your welcome your highness,” said the guard on the left.
“Welcome back Prince Midnight,” said the guard on the right. Midnight thanked him, and proceeded to go inside. What Midnight didn’t know was that Luna and Celestia had ordered the castle staff to pretend that the young prince had lived there the whole time.
As the two made their way through the castle, various ponies would bow and greet Midnight along with his mother, to which Midnight would reply with his thanks.
Finally, they reached the Luna’s side of the castle, the tower in which her room was housed. It was there that Luna had Midnights room prepared. They came to his room, which was blocked by a large dark grey door. Luna used her magic to open it, and brought Midnight inside.
Midnight looked at his room. The walls were purple, the ceiling a slightly darker shade. There was a queen-sized bed against one of the walls. The bed’s sheet was dark grey, with images of the moon, and nighttime clouds on it. There were several posters hung on the walls. Midnight looked to see one of them had blue suited pegasi flying, with the words; “The Wonderbolts” imprinted on them. There was a toy chest underneath a large circular window. The chest was opened to reveal several toys and action figures in it. There was a mahogany desk lying against another wall, and finally there was a bookshelf, filled with various books. Luna had had it set up a few days prior, with all the things a young colt might like, as well as adding a Nighttime theme.
“This is my room?” asked Midnight.
“Yes it is,” said Luna gleefully. Midnight walked inside and looked around at the various things. He saw a wooden sword lying against one of the walls. He used his magic to levitate the sword towards him, and looked at it. After a few moments, he returned it to its place.
“I wish I could remember all this stuff,” said the colt. Luna looked to the side, slightly dejected, before turning back to her son.
“Don’t worry about that right now. Why don’t you take some time to look around, and get reacquainted?”
“Ok.” Luna turned, and walked out of the room. But before she left, she turned her head towards Midnight.
“Welcome home son.” And with that she left, closing the door behind her.
For the next half an hour or so, Midnight stayed in his room, just looking around, and looking at the stuff in the room. After Luna had left, he walked up and looked at the poster on the wall labeled; “The Wonderbolts.” It appeared to be some sort of sports team, or something similar. He looked to another poster, one entitled; “Daring Doo.” Out of the corner of his eye, the young colt saw a certain title in the bookshelf.
Midnight walked to his bookshelf, and used his magic to pull out the book that caught his eye. When he levitated it in front of him, he saw that it was called “Daring Doo and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.”
“Hm, must be a book series. I don’t know if I’ve read it before, but I guess I might be able to read it for the first time again,” said Midnight to himself. He then used his magic to return the book to its proper place.
Midnight walked over to the toy chest, and opened it, to reveal it to be stuffed with toys. The colt reached in and pulled out the first item, a plastic royal guard helmet. The prince sat down on his hind hoofs, and turned the helmet over in his hoofs. After looking at it for a few seconds, he placed it on his head. It fit perfectly.
The colt then reached in and pulled out a wooden sword. The colt gripped the sword in his right hoof, and began swinging and twirling it, or at least attempting to. The young pony found that the sword was a bit difficult to handle with his hoof. The colt instead, levitated the sword in his magic, and started handling it again. This time, it proved to be much easier, and smoother.
After having enough for now, the colt returned the items to his toy chest, and shut the lid. Midnight then turned to look at his bed, when something caught his eye. The colt walked closer to the chest, and hopped up onto it to get a better look. When he was about a foot away, the colt saw what appeared to be a plushy. But what caught his attention was what the stuffy was of. It was his mother, Princess Luna. He picked up the plushy with his magic, and then gripped it in his hoofs, cocking his head to the side.
‘This must have been from when I was little, probably has some sentimental value. Though, I wonder why I’d still need it now, especially since I have the real thing here at home,’ thought Midnight. He set the plushy back down on the bed. Just as he was about to hop down, the sound of his stomach grumbling caught his ear, followed by the feeling of hunger.
The colt hopped off of the bed, and walked to the door to his room. He opened it, and walked out, to see a unicorn guard standing at attention opposite of his room.
“Um, sir?” questioned the prince.
“Yes your highness?” asked the guard.
“I’m hungry. Could you tell me how to get to the kitchen?”
“Of course. Follow me.” The guard began walking down the hall, followed by Midnight. As the two walked, they passed several castle staff and guards, who bowed at the colt. The young prince nodded at them as they did so. Eventually, the two came to the royal dining room. The guard led the colt to a seat at the table, which the prince took.
“This isn’t the kitchen?” asked the prince.
“Oh, you don’t need to go to the kitchen your highness. The waiter will bring any food you request.” As he said that, Midnight saw a pony in a butler uniform trotting towards them. The guard walked over to the far end of the room, keeping his eyes on the prince. The waiter trotted up to the colt, and took out a notepad.
“Good day your highness. What can I get you?” he asked with a posh sounding voice. The prince took a few moments to think, looking uncertain, before turning back to the waiter.
“Um, I’m not sure. What do I usually have?”
“Perhaps a daffodil sandwich, as well a side of potatoes would be acceptable?”
“Oh, yeah sure.” The waiter then left, making his way back to the kitchen to give the cooks Midnights order.
After lunch, Midnight left the dining room, being escorted by the guard. The two wandered around the castle, taking in the sights, and exploring. After a while, the prince and his escort came to a more populated part of the castle. Castle staff, as well as outsiders who had appeared for the day court were wandering about. They would often bow to the colt as he passed. Eventually, they came to a large set of double door, where ponies were lined up from the door, to down the hall.
“What’s through there?” asked Midnight.
“Through there is the throne room, where your Aunt holds the day court,” replied the guard.
“Can we go in?”
“I don’t think so. Celestia has a lot of ponies to see, I believe it best that we don’t disturb her.”
“Oh, all right.”
“So, your highness, where do you wish to go now?”
“I think I want to go back to my room for a little while,” said Midnight.
“Very well, I shall lead you back,” said the guard.
“Oh, that’s ok, I think I know the way.”
“Well…very well then, I shall attend to my other duties. If you need help, just find another member of the castle staff.”
“Thanks, I will.” With that, the two went their separate ways. Midnight made his way down the halls, trying to make it back to his room. He felt it was important for him to know the way around the castle, and wanted to test his memory. As he made his way down the hall, he could hear a faint voice coming from ahead, down a perpendicular hallway. The voice sounded somewhat tempered, and so, he slowed down, and stopped to listen to what was being said.
“You will make sure not to say a word about this to my son. Are we clear?”
‘Mother?’ thought the young prince.
“Yes, auntie,” came a trembling male voice. 'Auntie? I have a cousin? Celestia has a son?’
“Good. I’m glad we understand each other.” The sound of hoof steps could be heard, getting fainter, signaling that Luna was heading down the opposite way through the hallway. After a few seconds, Midnight made his way forward, wondering what that was about. As he rounded the corner, he bumped face first into another pony.
“Oof! Watch where you’re going you filthy-oh, Midnight, I did not realize it was you!” Midnight looked up to see a white unicorn, with a well-styled blonde mane. The unicorn was also wearing an expensive looking piece of clothing on his breast.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you ,” said the prince.
“No, no it was my fault,” said the pony. Only, Midnight picked up a sense of fear and trepidation in his voice, as if he was scared of him.
“Um, I’m sorry, but who are you?” questioned the lunar prince.
“Oh, of course. I am prince Blueblood,” replied the stallion.
“Prince? Are you Aunt Celestia’s son?”
“No, I am more of an…honorary member of the family. My parents are nobles, who are close to Celestia and Luna. Therefore I consider them my Aunts.”
“Oh. Well then, should I call you cousin?”
“You may,” replied Blueblood, still with that tone of fear in his voice. “Listen, It was good to get reacquainted, but I, I must be off. So for now, farewell,” said Blueblood as he made his way past Midnight, down the hall. Once he was gone, Midnight turned, and proceeded to make his way towards his room.
“That was strange. I wonder what all that was about.”
Midnight slept peacefully in his soft, warm bed. Slowly, as the sun began to rise into the sky, the rays of sunlight shined through his window, casting its rays on his eyes. Slowly, he opened his eyes, waking up for the day. He removed his covers, stretching and yawning, while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Once he did that, he crawled out of bed, and hopped onto the floor, ready to start the day.
It had been a few days since his return to Canterlot, and for the most part, he had been ‘Readjusting’ well. He was learning his way around the castle, and learning about what it meant to be a prince of Equestria. And Midnight could defiantly say that being a prince had its advantages. Servants would provide him what he needed, and ponies would bow to him wherever he went. It made him feel…special.
He had been eagerly waiting for this day. Today was the first day that he would be going to Ponyville to ‘continue’ his lessons. He was excited to learn about magic. His mother also told him that after his lessons with Twilight, he would be given his first flying lesson. All in all, today was going to be a good day.
Midnight made his way towards the door to his room, and opened it, stepping into the hall. There standing in front of him was a guard standing at attention.
“Good morning your highness,” greeted the guard.
“Good morning,” replied the Alicorn colt.
“Shall I escort you the dinning room for breakfast?”
“Actually, I think I know the way now. Is it ok for me to head there myself?”
“Of course your highness.” Midnight nodded his head, and then trotted his way towards the dining room. As he walked, he saw various castle staff bow towards him as he walked, which he would return with a nod. As he walked, his mind drifted to a few days before, when he had overheard the conversation between his mother, and Blueblood. ‘You will make sure not to say a word about this to my son. Are we clear?’ He wondered just what that was about. What was so important that he wasn’t to hear about it?
Suddenly, Midnight felt a feeling in his stomach. It didn’t feel quite like anger, more like a sense of anxiousness, and a bit of annoyance. What were they keeping from him? He stopped walking for a moment, and sat down in the hallway, staring at the floor. After staring for a few moments, he closed his eyes, and shook his head. What ever it was, it must be for the best. His mother wouldn’t keep something important from him unless it was for the best. Without his memory, she was just about all he had.
Midnight stood back up, and continued his journey towards the dining room. During his walk, his mind drifted once again, this time, to his father. He had not seen, or heard anything about the stallion, yet he must have one. He decided that he would ask his mother about it the next chance he had.
Finally, he came to the dining room door. Two guards stood on either side. Seeing the prince approach, they stood to the side, opening the door for the colt.
“Thank you,” greeted the prince. Heading into the dining room, the colt saw his mother, his aunt, and his cousin, all sitting the table. The two mares greeted him with smiles, while Bluebloods eyes widened, before he quickly turned his attention to his breakfast.
“Good morning everypony,” said Midnight. Celestia and Luna returned their greetings, while Blueblood simply muttered his. Midnight took his place the table, next to his mother. She used her wing to hug him, and kissed him on the forehead.
A waiter trotted up to Midnight, ready to take his order. The colt requested cereal, and pancakes, to which the waiter complied with, and then left to fulfill his order. While waiting, a conversation was started.
“So, Midnight, are you excited to begin your lessons today?” questioned Celestia.
“Yes, I really am!”
“That’s good. You’ll be learning from the best.” Midnight smiled, and then turned his head to see the waiter trotting up to him with his breakfast. The waiter set the plate down in front of the princess, bowed, and left. Midnight smelled the food, before taking a bite. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste. After taking a few bites, the colt turned his head towards his mother, who was nearly finished with her food.
“By the way, who’s going to be teaching me to fly?”
“One of Twilights friends will be helping you get into the air. Her names Rainbow Dash, and she’s the fastest flier in all of Equestria,” answered Luna.
“Wow, cool!” said Midnight. The rest of the meal passed with the group, minus Blueblood making small talk. Once breakfast was finished, Celestia gave her goodbyes, and left to start her duties. Blueblood excused himself; to go do whatever it is that he does, leaving Luna to escort Midnight to the carriage that would take him to Ponyville.
The mother and son left the castle, trotting into the grounds outside. They made their way towards a golden chariot with two pegasi guards hooked up to it.
“Alright honey, these two guards will take you to Ponyville, where you will meet with Twilight.”
“You’re not coming?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have duties to attend to. But, I will be here when you return. Then we can talk all about what you have learned.”
“Well…alright!” said Midnight, cheering up. Luna gave him a kiss on the forehead, before the guards started their trotting, taking off into the air, heading for Ponyville.
The chariot touched down in Ponyville, right in front of Ponyville Library. Midnight stepped off, thanking the guards, who then took off into the air, returning to Canterlot. Midnight walked up to the front door of the tree house, and knocked. After a few moments, he heard the pitter patter of feet, walking up to the door.
The door was opened by a creature that the young colt didn’t recognize. It was a purple-scaled bipedal lizard, with green frills. One thing the prince noticed about the creature, was that the moment he saw him, his face appeared to show discontent, if not down right anger.
“Oh…it’s you,” said the creature. Midnight reeled back a little. Something about this creature seemed familiar. The way he stood on two legs, had arms, and digits at the end of his arms had a sense of familiarity, prodding at something at the back of his mind, something he couldn’t quite reach. He decided to push it to the back of his mind for the moment.
“Oh, um, hi. My name is Midnight,” greeted the Alicorn.
“Oh yeah…hey, I’m Spike.”
“Nice to meet you. If you don’t mind me asking, just what are you?”
“I’m a dragon.”
“Wow cool!”
“So I’ve heard,” said Spike, lightening up a bit. “Uh, come on in, and I’ll get Twilight,” said Spike, holding the door open for Midnight, who trotted in. Once he was in, Spike closed the door behind him. “Hold on a moment, I’ll go get her.” Midnight nodded, as Spike headed up the stairs. A few seconds later, Twilight trotted down the steps, greeting the prince.
“Oh, um, hello Midnight! How are you today?” questioned Twilight. Midnight took noticed that she seemed a little…nervous? As if picking up on this, Twilight’s demeanor changed, and she perked up.
“Hello, Ms. Twilight. I’m doing fine.”
“Oh, you don’t need to call me Ms. Just Twilight is fine.”
“Oh, alright.” Twilight led the colt towards the couch, with a coffee table sitting in front of it, and in front of that was a seat cushion. Midnight took a seat on the couch, while Twilight sat on the cushion.
“So…before we begin, do want anything to eat or drink?” questioned Twilight.
“No, I’m good,” replied the colt.
“Alright then. So tell me, do you remember anything about magic?”
“Not really,” replied the colt, sounding a bit downtrodden. “The only magic I can really do is levitation magic. That’s about it. Was…was I any good at magic before I lost my memory?”
“Oh, um, yes, y-you were learning. And don’t worry, I’m sure that soon, you’ll be casting all sorts of spells!”
“You really think so?”
“Of course,” said Twilight, smiling, which Midnight returned. “Alright, let’s get started.” Twilight levitated a spell book over, and set it on the table. It was time to begin.
The lesson had begun with basic magic instruction. Over the coarse of the lesson, Twilight had explained the foundations of magic, how it operated, and how it was channeled. There was offensive, defensive magic, as well as miscellaneous, which was used for things like teleportation, telekinesis, and such. Then there was Dark Magic, a topic they didn’t get into. In fact, Twilight made sure not to even mention it.
The lesson focused on miscellaneous magic, starting with the easier stuff, such as transmogrification, and teleportation. Twilight had levitated an apple onto the table, and explained the basics of how to turn it red. It would take a while before he was strong enough to attempt turning it into something else; after all, she hadn’t done it until she moved to Ponyville. Of course, she knew he had a vast amount of magical potential, as shown by him turning Discord to stone. That being said, Luna wanted to treat this like his first magic lesson, due to the amnesia.
After the magic lessons, which lasted for about 2 hours, Twilight had given Midnight lessons of the basic school curriculum, teaching him about Equestria’s history, such as the unification of the three tribes, the founding of the kingdom, and other stuff like that. Luna had requested two things be omitted from the lesson. #1. Discords reign. She thought remembering him might…trigger him. #2 the banishment of Nightmare Moon. Luna didn’t want him to know about her dark past…not yet anyway. She would tell him, when she felt the time was right.
Soon enough, Midnights lessons with Twilight came to an end. A few minutes after the lesson ended, and just as Midnight was getting ready to leave, there was a knocking at the door.
“Oh, that must be Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight, as she made her way towards the door, and opened it, revealing a familiar blue Pegasus. “Hi Rainbow Dash,” greeted Twilight.
“Hey Twi,” replied Rainbow.
“You here for Midnight?”
“Uh, yeah, yeah I am.”
“Alright, come on in, I’ll get Midnight.” Rainbow stepped into the house, and Twilight shut the door behind her. Twilight then left the room, and after a few moments, she returned with Midnight in tow. “Midnight, you remember Rainbow Dash. She’s going to give you a few lessons to get you back into the air.”
“Hello,” greeted Midnight.
“Hey kid,” replied Rainbow Dash. “All right, we’ll see you later Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash as the two left the library.
“See you later!” said Twilight. Then the two left, to go to their flying lesson. The two went through Ponyville, their destination being an open hill in the outskirts of town. As the two walked, Midnight noticed many of the ponies in town gave him strange looks when they saw him. Some looked at him with awe, and some with a little hint of fear.
“Um, Miss Rainbow?” said Midnight.
“Hm, yeah?”
“Why are they all looking at me funny?”
“Oh, uh, well you know, it’s not everyday Royalty visits Ponyville…well, except Twilight.”
“But some of them look kind of scared.” The thing was, most of the ponies in town had witnessed, or had heard of the fight between Midnight and his family. But, by request of the princesses, they were asked not to mention it to him.
“Don’t mind them kid, the ponies in town can be a bit skittish.”
“Oh, well ok.” After walking through town, the two came to their destination. Rainbow flapped her wings, floating in the air, and then landed a couple of feet away from Midnight
“Alright kid, as your mom told you, you were able to fly before that accident, so all you need is a few pointers to get you back in the air.”
“Sounds good to me,” replied the Prince.
“Ok, let’s get started.”
The lesson had gone, with a decent amount of success. Rainbow had demonstrated the act of performing slow, yet powerful flaps, to get oneself into the air, instead of bug like buzzing. Midnight was a fast learner, and was doing quite well. By the end of the lesson, he was able to hover in the air for a few second, but actual flight was not yet achieved.
The sun was still in the sky, although it would start to set in a few hours. Rainbow walked Midnight through the town, heading towards the library. When they reached it, they saw a familiar golden chariot in front of the tree, with two respective pegasi. Standing next to them, was the lavender princess, Twilight.
“How was your lesson?” questioned Twilight, once the two fliers had reached their location.
“It was good, I can’t wait to fly!” exclaimed the colt, who turned to face the Pegasus. “Thanks Rainbow Dash!”
“No problem kid,” replied the mare. Midnight climbed into the chariot, and said his goodbyes. The pegasi then began their trot, ascending into the sky, leaving Ponyville behind. The two mares waved until he was out of sight. When he was, they lowered their hooves, and sighed.
“Twilight?”
“Yes Rainbow?”
“I have a bad feeling about all this. All this lying to the kid, it doesn’t seem right.”
“I know Rainbow. And I have a feeling he will remember the truth eventually. And I don’t think anything good is going to happen when that happens.”
“Yeah...well, I better head home, I’ll see you later.”
“See you later.” The two hugged, and then Rainbow took off into the sky, heading for her home, leaving Twilight to head back into her tree house. Hopefully she could relax for the rest of the day, but she knew the situation would continue to nip at the back of her mind. Maybe it always would.
The light of his mothers moon shined down on the sleeping form of Midnight, through the window of his room. He lay there peacefully, exhausted from his first day of lessons. Using his magic, and wings had drained him physically, and mentally. He had gone to bed happy, after saying goodnight to his mother. And while in the physical world he was lying peacefully in his bed, in his mind, he was living his dreams. In his dream world, he flew though the sky, at speeds only matched by Rainbow Dash. He bobbed and weaved through the clouds.
The feeling of the wind blowing through his mane, souring hundreds of feet above the ground, it was an indescribable thrill, even in dream form. Approaching max speeds, he spun his body, and dived down, heading strait for the ground. He accelerated, going faster and faster. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he turned his wings, and bounced off the air, rocketing back into the air. As he did this, his speed reached its peak, causing a sonic boom. The sound rocketed through the air, as a silver and black explosion of color erupted from the spot he just occupied.
He slowed his flight down, and dived down to land. As he lowered, he could hear the cheers of his family and friends. His hoofs touched down on the grass of the hill that Twilight and her friends occupied, along with his mother and aunt.
“That was wonderful sweetheart!” exclaimed Luna as she trotted over to her son, and wrapped him up in a hug. At this moment, the colt felt pure joy. He was living his dream, he had achieved the peak of his flying ability, and his family and friends were here the share in his moment.
“I love you so much.” Midnight’s eyes shot open. That wasn’t his mother’s voice. The scene before him was washed away, until he was trapped in a void of white. Panicked, he looked around him, spinning, trying to find anything other than the void. When he failed to find anything else, he started running, hoping to find something, anything. As he ran, the scene once again melted away.
“Happy birthday dear Tristan! Happy birthday to you!” Midnight found himself in an entirely new setting. He was in what looked like a dining room; only it was different than the ones he had seen. He turned his head, looking around, not recognizing the scene he was in. There were several objects that he didn’t recognize, like this wide black rectangle that was resting on a stand.
The voices returned, singing a song to celebrate a birthday. Midnight turned to see strange creatures he had never seen before. They were tall, hairless, and fleshy. They were gathered around a table, with a pink, decorated birthday cake, with a burning candle shaped like the number 7. Sitting in front of the cake, was a smaller one of the creatures. It had dirty blonde hair, and a cone shaped birthday hat on his head.
The creature blew out the candle. And as the flame died away, so did the scene, only to be replaced by a new one. Midnight now found himself outside; the sun shining high in the sky, the green summer leaves waving as the wind blew against the trees. Midnight looked to see that in front of a modern looking house, was the creature from before, the small one. He was sitting on some sort of strange two-wheeled thing, with a larger creature holding him.
The larger creature started jogging, with the child in his grip. As the wheeled object started rolling, the larger creature let go, allowing the child to ride the device on his own.
“Don’t let go!” cried the youngling, only for him to look behind him, and see that the adult had let go long ago.
“You’re doing it!” called the adult. The child started laughing as he rode the machine, cheering, excited about his accomplishment.
None of this made sense to Midnight. He had no idea who or what these creatures were, or why he was dreaming about them. But he felt…like somehow, he’d seen them before. And he felt…sad. He didn’t know why, but he was worried he would never see them again. He felt a connection, one that he couldn’t explain.
The creature on the vehicle changed direction, and started speeding strait towards Midnight. The colt raised his forearm to protect himself and let out a yell of surprise.
Midnight silently jolted awake in his bed. He looked around the room, searching for the creatures that just occupied his senses. A few seconds passed before he recognized that the scene he was just in was a dream. The colt blinked a few times, and discovered a wetness near his eyes, running down his cheeks. He raised his hoof to his face, and wiped away what were now revealed to be tears.
‘What was that dream? What were those things? And why do I feel so sad?’ Midnight just sat there, breathing silently, thinking. The dream left a deep, empty feeling in his stomach. He considered going to find his mother for comfort, but decided against it. She was most likely busy with her night court. Midnight decided that he would just try to get back to sleep, and talk with his mother about it in the morning. If he could get back to sleep that is.
The next morning, Midnight sluggishly opened his eyes. He sat up, and slowly got out of his bed. He hadn’t gotten much sleep that night. After his dream, he had drifted in and out through the night, but never actually slept. He was only half asleep, while also being half awake.
As his hooves touched the ground, he made his way over to the door and opened it. A guard stood stationed in front of his room, standing at attention.
“Good morning your highness,” greeted the guard. “Shall I escort you to the dining hall?”
“Um, no thanks, I think I know the way,” replied the prince.
“Very well you highness,” nodded the guard. Midnight in turned nodded, and made his way towards the dining hall. He passed dozens of castle staff, who all bowed as he passed, which he would return with a nod. Eventually he made it to the hall, where he opened the door, and made his way inside. He saw his mother and his aunt sitting at the table, eating breakfast and talking. They turned their attention towards the colt as he entered the room.
“Good morning Midnight!” greeted Luna.
“Morning,” mumbled the prince as he made his way to a seat at the table.
“You sound like your barely awake. Didn’t you sleep well?” asked Celestia.
“No, not really. I had this dream, and couldn’t get back to sleep afterwards.”
“What was it about,” questioned Luna. She was intrigued; she had begun her task of watching over Equestria’s dreams after she had retired the Night Court, but hadn’t noticed any dreams coming from her son. He must have had the dream before she had ended the day court.
“Well, it started out normal. I was flying, and I did this really cool trick, and everypony was congratulating me. But then everything changed. I saw these weird two legged creatures. They acted a lot like ponies, but they didn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before.” Luna’s eyes widened, and a clang could be heard as she dropped her spoon onto the table.
“Are you alright mom?” questioned the colt, wondering what had caused the sudden change of atmosphere.
Noticing this, Luna regained her composure, and lifted her spoon back up with her magic.
“Y-yes my son, I am fine. T-tell us more about your dream,” suggested the lunar diarch, trying to keep a calm face.
“Well, at first they were singing a birthday song to a little one. Then it changed, and the smaller creature was riding this weird two wheeled thing.”
“Really,” said Celestia, whose eyes traveled to her peripherals to look at Luna.
“I’m sure it was nothing Midnight,” said Luna, trying to sound reassuring.
“I guess so. It’s just, that during the dream, seeing those creatures made me feel…sad. And I don’t know why.” Luna looked down to the side, thinking, before turning her attention back to her son.
“Well my son, I am the protector of dreams. I could help banish the nightmares should they come again.”
“No!”
“Midnights quick outburst caused his two relatives to look at him in surprise. The colt quickly composed himself, looking back to the sisters.
“I mean, it wasn’t a bad dream. I know I said it made me feel sad…but at the same time, I felt kinda happy. And the dream was kind of interesting. I don’t think you need to intervene mom.” Luna looked a little worried, before clearing her throat, and addressing the prince.
“Well…if that is what you wish Midnight, so be it. But I’ll be there if you need me.” Luna quickly finished the last of her breakfast, and then got up from her chair. She walked over to her son, and gave him a quick hug, and a kiss on the forehead. “I have duties to attend to. I will see the two of you later.” She then took her leave from the room, leaving the Aunt and Nephew alone.
Luna was in deep concentration, as she read through her ancient books of magic in her room. The current book that sat in front of her was entitled Magic of Dreams, Charms, and the Consciousness Vol. 1. So engrossed was she, that she did not notice a knocking on her chamber door. After a few moments, the knocking could be heard again, louder this time. Yet, once again, Luna remained oblivious. This time, the knocking was now a loud pounding. Startled, Luna jolted up, and turned to look at the door. She took a second to calm back down, and then addressed the pony on the other side.
“Come in!” called Luna. The door opened to reveal a familiar white Alicorn walking into the room. Seeing it was her sister, Luna marked her page, and closed the book, turning to greet Celestia.
“Hello Tia, what brings you by?”
“What are you planning, Luna?” questioned Celestia, all emotion gone from her voice.
“What do you mean? Why would I be planning anything?” asked Luna, feigning ignorance? Celestia did not look amused.
“You know what I mean sister. We both heard what Midnight had to say. He’s starting to remember his past. And I know you’ll do anything to prevent that from happening. So, I’m asking again, what are you planning?”
“Nothing!” protested Luna. Celestia craned her neck, and caught a glimpse at the tome on Luna’s desk.
“What are you reading?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Luna…lulu, look at me,” requested Celestia, in a softer tone of voice. Luna looked up, and met her gaze.
“Sister…I went along with this, because Midnight loosing his memory was an accident. But if you are planning on altering his memories, or his mind, that is something I cannot allow.”
“Please sister! I-I just need a little more time. Just a little!”
“No Luna. I’m putting my hoof down. I will not allow you to mess with the mind of a child.”
“But he is MY child! Mine!” roared Luna, tears flowing from her eyes. Celestia did not remover her gaze, keeping her eyes locked with Luna’s.
“Luna…he’s an Alicorn. We live for thousands of years. He will remember eventually. Do you really think you can do this to him the rest of his life?”
“I-I…I don’t know…. I just- I just need a little more time. Please sister, I will tell him the truth. But that’s the thing, I need to tell him. It has to be me! If he learns the truth, and I wasn’t the one to tell him, it would shatter any chance of him seeing me as his mother!”
“Luna.”
“Just one week sister, one week! I promise I will tell him then, I swear!” Luna was getting desperate, and her voice was clearly showing it.
Celestia closed her eyes, and took a deep breath through her nose.
“One week,” said Celestia, her voice devoid of any emotion, other than a hint of irritability. Celestia turned, and made her way towards the door.
“Thank you Tia,” said Luna, her voice filled with gratitude. Celestia did not answer, she merely walked out of the room, and closed the door. Luna stared at the door for several moments, before turning back to her book. “Alright…where was I. Ah yes, the dream catcher charm!” And with that, Luna returned to her reading.
Midnight sat in his bed, his reading lamp illuminating the pages of the book that he gripped in his hoofs. It was the Daring Do book he had found earlier. It was way better than he had anticipated.
Just as Midnight turned to the last page, he heard a knocking at the door. Midnight wanted to keep reading, but he had a whole page left, so he decided he could wait a few minutes more before finishing. Besides, the anticipation was a fun feeling to have.
“Come in!” he called. The door opened to reveal his mother. She shut the door, and made her way towards his bed.
“Hi mom,” greeted the prince.
“How are you sweetie?” questioned the mare.
“I’m good,” replied Midnight. Luna stopped when she reached his bed, and cast her gaze down to the book lying on the covers.
“Ah, I see you are reading a Daring Do book. How is it?”
“It’s really good, I’m almost done!” replied the lunar prince.
“Well then, I won’t keep you, I just wanted to ask if you’d like to spend the day together tomorrow?”
“Sure!” replied the colt.
“Wonderful!” Luna looked to the side for a second, before returning her gaze to her son. “Also, I brought you something.”
“Really? What is it?” Luna used her magic to levitate the present towards Midnight, who took it in his hoof.
“It is called a dream catcher. It is supposed to guarantee good dreams,” said Luna.
Midnight held the dream catcher in his magic, letting it slowly spin as he examined it. It appeared to be a wooden circle with bits of string weaved inside the hollow circle, almost like a spider web.
“Wow, thanks mom! But why did you get this for me?”
“Well, I remember you said how that dream you had made you feel a bit sad, so brought you this. It should make those dreams of you’re a bit happier.”
“Does it really work?”
“Of course, the Zebras have used them for generations.”
“Thanks mom!” Midnight levitated the catcher to the post of his bed, and used the looping string at the top to tie it to his bed. Luna leaned down and gave Midnight a goodnight hug, and kissed, before turning to leave the room.
“Have sweet dreams Midnight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight mom!” Luna then left the room, and shut the door. She walked down the hall; making sure nopony was around, before she let out a sigh. ‘Let’s just hope the enchantment I placed works.’
That night, Midnight slept well past the sunrise, his sleep uninterrupted by intrusive dreams. It wasn’t until the sunlight peered through his window did he wake up. When the suns rays casted themselves on his eyes, they slowly fluttered open. Coming awake, the young prince sat up, stretched and yawned. Once he did this, he removed the sheets covering him, and stepped onto the floor of his room. He made his way towards the door, while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His mind was clear; he at the moment didn’t even remember his previous dream. It didn’t return to his memory until he had started making his way towards the dining hall.
Midnight had to admit, he felt a bit happier today, and there was a slight spring in his step. Castle staff would bow to him, and with a smile, he would nod to them in acknowledgement. When he finally made it to the dining hall, he pushed open the door, and entered the room. Instead of seeing his mother and aunt eating, he saw only Celestia at the table, absentmindedly munching on her food.
“Good morning Aunt Celestia!” greeted the colt. Only, he didn’t seem to have the Alicorns attention. So, he tried again. “Aunt Celestia?” This second greeting seemed to wake Celestia from her thoughts. She turned her head to see her nephew sitting himself down at the table.
“Oh…sorry. Good morning Nephew,” replied Celestia.
“Are you okay?” questioned the prince.
“Oh, yes, I am fine just thinking.” This was partially a lie. She was thinking, but there was something wrong. She was having feelings of guilt, guilt over lying to her only biological nephew. She was starting to feel as though she was being too lenient with Luna. That she should have put her hoof down. But she didn’t want to press to hard. Luna wasn’t in the best state of mind at the moment. She needed some time to collect herself. That being said, Celestia had clearly stated that Luna had a week. ONE week, and the solar princess was counting down the hours.
“Oh, alright then. Where’s mom?”
“She’s in the kitchen.”
“What’s she doing in there?”
“She said it was a surprise.”
As if on cue, the doors separating the dining hall and the kitchen opened, to reveal the familiar dark blue Alicorn, trotting in, with three plates in her magical grasp.
“Good morning my son!” said Luna in a cheery voice as she strutted in.
“Morning mom,” replied the Colt. “What’s that?”
“Just a little surprise I’ve made for the three of us,” replied Luna as she took her seat. She used her magic to distribute the three plates among the three ponies. Midnight looked down to see a very decorative plate of pancakes. He saw that the pastries were shaped like a ponies head, with whipped cream for hair, strawberries for eyes, and blueberries forming the mouth. Midnight looked to see that Luna and Celestia both had plates with pancakes on them as well, decorated with banana and a few other fruits. They weren’t decorated in faces like his, but they looked pretty nonetheless.
“Wow, thanks mom! I didn’t know you could cook!”
“Neither did I,” said Celestia.
“It’s just something I decided to try today!” said Luna with a smile, her eyes closed. Midnight wasted no time pouring syrup onto his pancakes, which followed by him eagerly starting to eat. Luna smiled as she saw her son’s enjoyment of her culinary creation. She then too started to eat her own breakfast, followed by Celestia.
“So, Midnight, are you ready to spend the day together?” asked Luna.
“I sure am,” replied Midnight, with a mouth full of pancake.
“What will the two of you be doing,” asked Celestia as she sipped on her morning tea.
“Yeah, what are we doing?” questioned the colt.
“I think I’ll keep it a surprise.”
“Whoa!” exclaimed Midnight as he set his eyes upon what looked to be the largest (technically only) carnival he had eve seen. His mother had brought him to one of the more open areas of Canterlot, where a carnival had been set up. By who you may ask? Well let’s just say, Mr. D owed Luna a favor.
As the two made their way into the carnival, Midnight took a look around him. He was amazed with what he saw. Roller coasters, as high as you would expect in an actual amusement park, along with an assortment of other rides along with a Ferris wheel. There was also a wide assortment of carnival games, food stands, and tents with other activities to join in. The carnival had many other families as its patrons. There were many other kids, some around Midnights age, others much younger. They would look at the royal couple, but didn’t bow, mostly due to the request of the Princess herself. She wanted to give her son a fun, normal day.
“So, what would you like to do first?” questioned Luna.
“I’m not sure…Oh, let’s go on that roller coaster!” said Midnight as he spotted the attraction. He grabbed his mother’s hoof and led her towards the ride. The two made their way towards the roller coaster, but stopped when they reached the line. Midnight’s mood instantly soured.
“Aw…there’s a line,” pouted the prince.
“It would seem that way. Then again…” said Luna with a smirk as she used her magic to levitate two lanyards into the air.
“What are those?” questioned her son.
“Fast passes,” said Luna with a smile. She took one pass, and hung it around her neck, while placing the other around Midnights.
“What are fast passes?” asked Midnight.
“They let us take a separate, shorter line,” explained Luna.
“Cool! How did you get them?”
“Let’s just say, there are perks to being royalty.” The two then left the longer line, and moved to the adjacent one, which only had one pony in it, who was currently boarding the ride. With the roller coaster full, the connected cars shot off, taking the passengers on a thrill ride.
“Wow, that looks so fun!” exclaimed Midnight. The two then waited for the next car to roll along. The previous riders exited the cars, allowing the new passengers to enter. Luna and Midnight got the front row seats, and then the other ponies filled the car. The handlebars lowered, locking the passengers in place. Then, without warning, the ride shot strait forward in a burst of speed. It rocketed up an incline, before descending again. The roller coaster performed various twists and turns, ups and downs, maximizing the thrill. The two raised their fore hooves in the air as the coaster went along the tracks. After about a minute, the ride came to a slow stop. The mother and son exited the ride, making room for new passengers to board the attraction.
“That was awesome!” exclaimed Midnight.
“Indeed, it was quite fun!” agreed Luna. “So, what shall we do next?”
Hours passed as the members of the Royal Family sampled the various attractions. Midnight’s favorite by far was the swinging pendulum ride. It was like a large swing, where everypony sat on a small ship, which swung, with them uninhibited by safety belts, adding to the thrill.
The two had decided to take a break from the rides, and enjoy some of the food that the carnival had to offer. The two sat themselves down on a picnic table, and were sampling some meatless corndogs and hay fries. Luna had to admit, this food was quite good. Perhaps she should sample “normal ponies” food more often, instead of the prepared meals that the castle staff prepared.
Midnight shoved a hoof full of hay fries into his mouth. He then chewed and swallowed before opening his mouth again, this time to speak.
“Hey mom? I have a question.”
“What is it my son?”
“Well, I was just wondering…. where’s dad?” Luna dropped the corndog she was about to take a bite out of, her eyes slightly widening. She shouldn’t be surprised. He was bound to ask about his father eventually. Luna composed herself, before looking her son in the eye.
“Midnight, your father…well, he died before you were born,” said Luna in a sad tone of voice, with a matching facial expression.
“Oh…” said Midnight, dejected by the news that he would never get to meet his father. “How…how did he die?”
“He was afflicted with an illness, one that could not be cured. It was a virus that…well, it was a very bad virus, one that I wouldn’t wish on anypony.”
“Oh.” Midnight looked down at his food, and started to eat, slowly. The two sat there in silence for several minutes, before Midnight spoke up once again. “Well, can you tell me about him?”
“Of course! What would you like to know?”
“Well, what did he do?”
“You mean, his career?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, believe it or not, he was a very talented artist,” said Luna with a hint of pride.
“Really?”
“Yes indeed! He was a great painter, and he actually designed some of the stained glass window depictions in the castle.”
“Wow…so how did you two meet?”
“Well, Brush Stroke was commissioned to paint a portrait of my sister and I. As he would paint, the three of us would talk, and eventually, the two of us developed a friendship. And well, it just sort blossomed into a romance from there.” Midnight stared at the table for a brief few seconds, before facing his mother again.
“I wish I could have met him.”
“So do I Midnight…so do I….”
The sun had set by the time the mother and son had returned from the carnival. Midnight lay down on Luna’s back as the two made their way through the castle to Midnights room. The two had had a fun time. It was a day spent enjoying good food, rides, and a few games.
Midnight was dozing off by the time they reached his room. Luna quietly opened the door, and walked in. She gently levitated her son off her back, and set him on the bed. Midnight seemed to wake up a bit, and he opened his eyes.
“Did you have fun today, sweetie?” questioned Luna.
“I sure did. That was so much fun!” replied the dozing colt.
“I am glad you enjoyed it,” said Luna with a warm, motherly smile.
“Can we do something again tomorrow?” asked the prince.
“Well, you have your lessons tomorrow. But, after that, I don’t see why not! We could see a movie, or perhaps go to the spa! Whatever you wish!”
“Can’t wait!”
“Me neither honey,” said Luna as she kissed her son on the forehead. She then turned, to leave her son to rest alone. But as she reached the door, her son spoke.
“Goodnight mom…I love you,” said the colt as he fell asleep. Luna’s eyes widened before, they softened, her heart relishing in what he had said.
“I love you too Midnight,” said Luna as she left the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was on the other side, her heart filled with joy, as expressed on her face. ‘He said he loved me!’ Luna had heard him say this before, but never as warm and genuine as he just had. Luna made her way towards her room, with a spring in her step. It seemed as though things were finally going her way. She just had to show Midnight that she loved him, and by the time it was time to tell him the truth, he would be much likelier to accept her as his mother.
“Perhaps we will finally be a happy family!”
The next morning found the three royals sitting at the dining room table, eating their breakfast together. The three ate, in silent content, until Celestia broke the silence.
“So, what do you two have planned for today?”
“Well, Midnight has his lessons today, but after that, the two of us are planning on doing something afterwards.” Celestia just nodded, and continued eating. A few minutes passed, before Midnight lowered his silverware onto his plate, and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“I’m all done!” said the colt.
“Already?” asked Luna, before she gulped down another bite of food. “Well, alright, you know where to find the pegasi that will be taking you to Ponyville, right?”
“Yeah, I do,” replied the prince.
“Well, alright, I’ll see you afterwards then.”
“Ok, bye mom, bye Aunt Celestia!” said Midnight as he got up from his chair, and headed out of the room. When he was gone, the two sisters resumed their breakfast. Luna was quite happy with the way things were going; her son was finally warming up to her. Things were going to work out after all. Things had started out so rocky when she had first brought him back to Equestria, but it was now working out in her favor. She would tell him the truth, and because his amnesia would not alleviate by then, he would be more likely to accept her as his mother.
“Five days,” said Celestia, breaking Luna from her thoughts.
“What?” questioned the Lunar Princess.
“You have five days until you tell Midnight the truth. I’ve been keeping track.”
“Oh, yes of course. Don’t worry sister, I plan on living up to my end of the deal,” said Luna in a genuine tone of voice.
“Good,” said Celestia, taking a sip of her tea.
Midnight’s ride in the flying chariot came to an end as Ponyville came into view. Soon enough, the wheels touched down on the dirt road, and then came to a grinding halt. As soon as it was still, Midnight exited the chariot, and thanked the two pegasi. The two stallions nodded, and then took off back into the air, heading back to Canterlot, while Midnight made his way to the library. He stopped once he reached it, and knocked on the door. He heard the muffled voice of Twilight saying; ‘Just a minute’, before the door opened to reveal a familiar purple Alicorn.
“Good morning Midnight,” greeted Twilight with a friendly tone.
“Morning Twilight,” returned Midnight. Twilight opened the door wider, and stood to the side to allow Midnight into the library. He made his way in, which followed by Twilight closing the door behind him.
“So, what’s the lesson plan for today?” questioned the colt.
“Well, I was thinking we could continue with our lessons regarding Teleportation,” answered Twilight.
“Sounds good to me,” replied the colt. He made his way over to the lesson area that Twilight had set up, which had a small desk, a cushion, and a blackboard. Midnight sat down on the cushion, while Twilight took her position in front of him.
“So, as we learned last session, teleportation works by focusing your magical energies on an object, person, or yourself, and willing the affected individual into another place. You have to think about both the thing you’re teleporting, and the place you want to send it to. So today, I though we’d start with something simple.” Twilight levitated a quill onto the desk, and set it down.
“Alright, so what I want you to do, is cast your magic over the quill, as if you were going to levitate it. Then focus on where you want to send it, and make sure to WANT to send it to that place.”
“Ok,” replied Midnight with a nod. He charged his horn, and focused on his magic aura surrounding the quill. He then chose a spot to send it, and started to concentrate. He focused on sending it, but the only success he had was with making the object move a little bit. After a little while of trying, with no success, the prince then closed his eyes, and focused harder. This time, he could feel the spell starting to work. He focused harder, and could hear the familiar noise of an object teleporting. He opened his eyes, and found that the quill pen was no longer on the desk. He looked over to the side, and saw the quill lying on the floor, a few feet away.
“Good job Midnight, excellent work!” praised Twilight. A smile came to Midnights face, as he relished in his accomplishment. “Alright, let’s see if you can bring it back to desk,” said Twilight.
Midnight nodded, and shut his eyes again, focusing on teleporting the quill. A few seconds later, and he found he had succeeded yet again.
“Very good, you’re getting this quick. Now let’s try something a little harder,” suggested Twilight as she took the quill back, and replaced it with a bright red apple. The lesson continued in this fashion, with Twilight giving Midnight gradually harder objects. Eventually, he found could start doing the task with his eyes opened. After about half an hour, he was feeling confident, yet a little tired.
“You’ve done extremely well today,” said Twilight. “Well, we still have a while until your lesson ends, so why don’t we try another spell?”
“Well, can I try teleporting myself?” questioned the colt, with eagerness.
“Um, I don’t know…teleporting an object is one thing, but an actual pony is a lot harder.”
“Please, I know I can do it!” begged Midnight.
“Well…ok, I guess, but first I think you need to rest a bit.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Midnight.
“Are you hungry?” asked Twilight.
“Not really, but I could use a little something to drink,” replied Midnight.
“Sure, what would you like?” said Twilight, as the two made their way towards the kitchen.
“Do you have apple juice?”
“Sure, strait from Sweet Apple Acres,” replied the princess. Midnight sat down at the table, and Twilight poured him a glass of juice. The two rested for about 20 minutes, before the two mutually decided that Midnight was ready to attempt the spell again. The two made their way back into the lesson area of the library, and Twilight then explained how the new technique.
“Alright Midnight, teleporting yourself is a bit different than teleporting an apple, or a pen. You need to let your magic flow from your horn, but instead of sending it at an object, you need to let it overflow onto your body, like a cup overflowing with water. The rest of the spell operates the same, except you need to put a lot more energy into it. Do you think you can do it?”
“I know I can!” replied Midnight.
“All right, then let’s get started,” replied Twilight. Midnight took a spot in an open area of the library, and shut his eyes. He started focusing on letting the magic flow out of his horn, and envelope his body. He felt himself straining a little, but he kept at hit. He focused hard, and pushed himself as hard as he could.
Twilight watched Midnight, making sure nothing went wrong. She saw that he was exerting a lot of magical energy. Beads of sweat began forming on his face. She was about to ask him to stop, but before she could, he could feel a spike of power coming from him. It seemed that he was about to teleport. Twilight watched, as it seemed that he was about to succeed.
Just then, Twilight felt the air getting dryer, as small sparks started to form in the area around Midnights horn. This wasn’t the normal kind of spark that emanated from normal magic use. This was more volatile, and usually signified magical backlash. The spell was going to fail!
“Midnight, quick, stop!” yelled Twilight.
“I…almost…got it,” replied Midnight through gritted teeth.
“No, Midnight, you need to-“ but before Twilight could finish, a small explosion went off right in front of Midnight. Midnight yelped in surprise, as he was launched from where he was standing, right into the wall of the library. As the back of his head hit the wall, he saw a flash of white in his vision. And just like that, images came rushing into his head. He saw visions of his past, names and faces. This image triggered memories, which rushed back into his head from where they were locked away. In a single moment, everything returned to him. He slumped down onto the floor, where he stayed, until Twilight rushed over to him.
“Midnight! Midnight, are you ok?” Twilight bent down next to Midnight, and put her hoof to his body. “Can you hear me?” Slowly, Midnight rose back up to a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head.
“Midnight, can you hear me? Are you Ok?” But Midnight didn’t focus on what Twilight was saying. Only one thought was in his head.
The words sounded distant, and echoed in the young boys mind. Like something you’d hear in a waking dream. Even if he could fully process the words being spoken, his mind was focused on other things. All he could focus on were newly returned memories, of the lies and deception. Everything he’d lost, his family, his friends, his humanity. It all came back to him. Midnight, no, Tristan could not tell if the ache in his head was from the impact of his botched spell, or if it was from the flooding of his old memories.
“She lied to me…”
“Midnight, are you alright? Midnight?”
“SHE lied to me.”
“Midnight!”
“She manipulated me! Took advantage of my amnesia!”
“MIDNIGHT!”
The sound of the purple mare shouting roused the colt from his thoughts. He blinked a few times, before raising his head to look his teacher in her eyes. He could see worry and concern.
“She lied to me too.”
“Midnight, can you hear me?”
“Yeah,” said the Prince, raising a hoof to his head. “I…I-my head hurts.”
“Uh oh, you might have a concussion,” said Twilight, her voice full of concern. Midnight tried to stand up, but stumbled back onto the floor.
“Careful, don’t try to move!” said the Princess as she laid the colt back down. “Here, I’m going to check my books for a medical scanning spell. I know where to look, I should be able to find it quickly, just give me a minute. And do NOT fall asleep.”
“Yeah…sure.” As Twilight went to go search her books for the spell in question, Tristan was left alone with his thoughts. His mind drifted back to his current situation. He remembered fighting Luna and Celestia, only to have it backfire on him, robbing him of his memory. Luna had taken advantage of this, and took it as an opportunity to come in, and be portrayed as the perfect loving mother. This information left a sick, horrible feeling in his gut. It was clear she would leave no line uncrossed, in her attempts to win his love. So what was he to do?
The thought of continuing to pretend Luna was his mother made him sick. It wasn’t just that he hated her, which he did. But he was also…scared of her. She was powerful, and she had proven that she was willing to do anything to make him love her as his mother. Just how far would she go? Would she try to brainwash him? Re-inflict amnesia?
Tristan decided he couldn’t live in that castle anymore, not with that crazy mare there. He needed a way out, a way back home, or at least away from his ‘Mother’, away from Equestria. The sound of clopping hooves growing louder roused him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Twilight with a book in her magical grasp. She stopped a foot away from him, and lowered the book.
“Ok, this scan spell should let me know if anything is physically wrong with you. Just lie still; it’ll only take a few seconds.
“Ok,” replied the colt. Twilight set the book down on the floor, and lit her horn. A second later, Tristan felt his body experience a warm tingling sensation. He felt this for a good five seconds, before it died down. Twilight relaxed afterwards, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Well according to this spell, everything is perfectly normal. Just a little bruise, and some dizziness, but other than that, everything’s fine. If you still have a headache by the time you go to sleep, let somepony know.”
“Will do,” replied the colt. He got up from his sitting position, and stood on his hooves.
“We probably shouldn’t do anymore magic right now, you’re probably magically exhausted. Do you still want to go flying with Rainbow Dash?” Tristan thought about this for a moment. Honestly, he didn’t want to be around these ponies anymore. Luna may have orchestrated this deception, but they had gone along with it. And right now, he needed some time to think. So he suppressed his emotions, and kept himself surprisingly calm.
“N-no, I kind of want to just go home,” said the Prince after some contemplation.
“Alright, I’ll send a message to the castle to send some guards to pick you up.” said Twilight as she made her way out of the room, to her study. “You know, you came very close to teleporting. You should feel proud!” Tristan followed her with his eyes, until she left the room.
‘Teleporting…’ this gave Tristan an idea! The spell that had brought him here was basically a teleportation spell. Maybe if he searched the library for books involving teleportation, he’d eventually find a spell that could send him home! With Twilight out of the room, he rushed over to the bookshelves, and started scanning the tomes with his eyes. As he started searching, he recalled the first conversation he had with the ponies. They said that in order to bring him here, they needed the power of four Alicorns.
This meant that even if he could find the spell, he wouldn’t have the magical strength to perform it. What was he to do? There was no way Luna or Celestia would help him go home. He didn’t know if that pink Alicorn would help, and he also wasn’t sure about Twilight. He had a feeling she was slightly indifferent to the situation, but she wouldn’t dare go against Luna’s wishes.
Tristan needed more magical power. But how would he come across it? Wait a second…memories once again returned to Tristan, he remembered just what caused his memory loss. The Alicorn Amulet! If he had that, maybe he’d have the power to return home! But where could it be?
As Tristan thought about this, he also searched the bookshelves. He found books of all kinds, some about history, some about nature, and others about Magic. There were books of all kinds. And this was only the first shelf. Completing his search of that first shelf, Tristan then moved to the next one.
About half way down, he spotted something of interest. The book he found was called; Advanced Magic, Theory and Practice. Perhaps this one would have the answers he seeked. He could worry about the amulet later, after he had the spell. He was about to take the book, when he heard the clip clop of Twilight returning. Startled, he fast walked away from the shelf, more towards the spot were he was when Twilight left.
“Alright Midnight, I sent a message to your Aunt, and she’s sending some ponies to pick you up.”
“Ok,” replied Tristan.
“They’ll be here soon. In the meantime, do you want something to eat?” Tristan was about to say that he wasn’t hungry, when his stomach interrupted him, with a growl. Twilight chuckled in response.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Is a daffodil sandwich Ok?” questioned the Princess as she turned and started making her way towards the kitchen.
“Yeah, thanks,” replied the colt. When Twilight was out of sight, Tristan’s eyes returned to the book. He had a good feeling that was the book he needed. But Twilight would surely notice if it was missing, and even if she didn’t, she’d definitely notice him trying to sneak it out with him. He could ask to borrow it, but he hadn’t learned any previous magic that was that advanced, so it would be suspicious that he’d want to jump strait to that high a level.
So, he couldn’t get the book out of the library. But maybe the library at Canterlot castle would have it, and he could get it from there. It was a bigger, more public library, and it would probably arouse less suspicion. It was decided that that was the path he’d take. And after he found the book, he’d look for the amulet. And then he’d go home.
Tristan finished his sandwich, using his hoof to wipe off the crumbs. Twilight was also finished with hers, and she proceeded to place both plates in the sink.
“Thanks for lunch Twilight,” said the Prince.
“You’re welcome,” replied the purple mare. Just then, the sound of the door being knocked on could be heard. Twilight and Tristan’s ears perked up, and Twilight started making her way towards the front of the library.
“That must be your escort,” said Twilight as she walked past Tristan. The colt got off of his chair, and followed. Twilight then opened the door, to reveal two white Pegasus guards.
“Good day Princess Twilight,” greeted one of the guards.
“Hello, here to pick up Midnight?” The guards nodded in response. Twilight turned to see the prince making his way towards the door. She then turned back to face the guards. “Make sure he doesn’t fall asleep. I didn’t detect a concussion when I scanned him, but he said he had a headache, so don’t let him fall asleep in the carriage. If he still has a headache by bed time, have him checked by a doctor.”
“Of course your highness,” replied the other guard. Tristan now stood next to Twilight, and looked between her and the guards.
“Well Midnight, I’ll see you for your next lesson. Feel better, Ok?” said Twilight.
“Yeah sure. Thanks, I’ll see you later,” said the colt, who then made his way out the door, towards the chariot. As the pegasi strapped themselves in, Twilight waved goodbye to the colt, and he returned the gesture. The guards then started galloping forward, taking off into the sky, and heading towards Canterlot.
Tristan didn’t need to be told twice not to go to sleep. It was the furthest thing from his mind. All that he was focusing on now was his plan. When he returned to the castle, Luna would most likely be extremely worried about him. He’d deal with that, and pretend he still had amnesia. Then, when she left him alone, he’d go to the library, get the book that he needed. The difficult part would be finding out where the Alicorn Amulet was located. It had to be somewhere in the castle, locked in a vault or something. He’d find it. He wouldn’t rest until he did.
After about an hour of flying, the castle came into view. Tristan’s stomach lurched, and he felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. He was nervicited. This was it. Either he’d make it home, or…or…well to be honest, he didn’t know for sure what the alternative was. The truth would be out then, Luna would know he no longer had amnesia. And if something went wrong, he had no idea what would happen next. Maybe she’d brainwash him, or something else equally terrible. The colt took in a breath, steeling his resolve. It wasn’t going to come to that. He was going to succeed. He was going to go home.
The chariot touched down on the green grass of the Canterlot gardens. Tristan saw Luna standing there, and saw a concerned expression on her face as soon as he saw her. When the chariot came to a stop, she was already almost on him. He hopped off the vehicle, and was instantly embraced in a tight hug.
“Oh Midnight, are you Ok? I heard you had an accident!” exclaimed the worried mother. Midnight’s head was pressed against her barrel, concealing his expression.
“I’m fine mom,” said the colt, with a grimace. The very act of calling her “mom” sickened him, and almost had a bitter taste on his tongue. He fought it, and quickly hid his distaste. Luna extended her forearms, so that she could look her child in the eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I kinda have a headache, but that’s all.”
“Princess Twilight said that if he still has it by the time he must go to bed, to have him checked out by a doctor,” said one of the royal chariot drivers.
“Thank you, I will keep that in mind. You are dismissed.” The guards nodded, and then left the two Alicorns alone. Luna turned back to face her son. “Don’t worry, I’ll spend the day with you, to make sure you’re alright.” An alarm went off in Tristan’s head. This would be very detrimental to his plans.
“That’s Ok mom, it’s just a little headache. I can handle it; I’m a big pony. I know you have work to do.”
“Are you sure?” questioned the lunar diarchic with concern.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll just wander around the castle for a while, and keep myself entertained.”
“Well…alright, but make SURE you don’t fall asleep. And let somepony know if you need anything. If you need me, just call.”
“Sure thing.”
Luna gave her son another hug. “I heard you almost teleported. I’m proud of you, that’s very complex magic!”
“Thanks mom.”
The two broke their hug, and Luna then kissed him on the forehead. The two then went their separate ways. Tristan started walking towards the direction of the library, and as soon as he was sure that Luna was gone, he released a shudder he had been holding in. He was surprised at how well he was able to hold in his true feelings, and play pretend. He would’ve made a great actor.
The Prince made his way through the castle, navigating through the halls, past the guards, and maids and various other castle staff, until he finally reached a large open doorway. He could see that past the front desk, were rows of shelves, stretching farther than he could see.
‘Perfect,’ thought the colt. He started trotting into the room, and stopped in front of the circular desk. Behind it sat an aging light grey earth pony, with a white mane. He was wearing a sweater, with a white under shirt, and a black tie. He wore a pair of spectacles, and his mane was combed back and to the side. He was currently reading something written on some sheets of paper, and didn’t seem to notice the colt. Tristan cleared his throat, which roused the pony’s attention. He looked up from what he’d been reading, somewhat annoyed, until he saw who was interrupting him.
“Oh, ah, Prince Midnight! I’m sorry your highness, I didn’t see you there,” said the stallion.
“That’s ok, Mr.…?”
“Oh, it seems we’ve never been properly acquainted,” said the librarian, as he made his way out of the desk, and towards the colt. His voice was polite, though with a faint touch of the upper class. He extended a hoof to Tristan, who took it and turn, and shook. “My name is Bookworm. I am the librarian here at Canterlot Castle.”
“Nice to meet you,” replied the Prince.
“So, your highness, what brings you to my library?”
“I’m just here to browse around,” replied Tristan. That seemed like the least suspicious motive.
“Oh, well are you searching for anything in particular?”
“Not really.”
“Oh, well, if you need my assistance, just let me know.”
“Sure. Thank you,” replied the colt. Bookworm nodded, and returned to his post, and Tristan made his way past the desk, towards the shelves. As he walked, he saw a couple of other ponies browsing as well, though they didn’t seem to notice him. He turned his attention to the books, searching for the title he had seen in Twilight’s library. He saw that the books were arranged by genre, so he searched for the educational section.
After about five minutes of searching, Tristan’s mind was starting to lose attention, and beginning to mindlessly scan the titles. But just as he was about to finish searching the shelf he was on, he stopped. His attention was caught by a particular tome. Advanced Magic, Theory and Practice. That was it! Tristan used his magic to bring down the book, and he looked at the cover. The book looked a bit old, but still in good shape. He set the book down, and opened it. It was a thick book, so Tristan went to the glossary to search for particular chapters. After some searching, he found what he was looking for, Chapter 9. He flipped to the chapter, and started reading the first sentence.
“Teleportation is a very complicated spell, but is also held as one of the utmost contributive spells, which holds a wide array of uses, such as transportation, and even has its use in combat. Teleporting can be performed on one’s self, others, or objects. Teleporting can range from just a few feet, to traversing miles at a time. In the very most advanced cases it can be used to traverse continents.
There has been rumor of this kind of magic being used to teleport to other worlds, though the idea has yet to be proven anything other than a concept. If such magic were possible, it would only be achievable through the highest of levels of magic. It stands to reason that the performance of the spell would be reserved for the Alicorns, or beings of equivalent magical ability.”
“This is what I need!” thought the colt, as he stopped reading. He had what he needed. He’d take the book back to his room, and finish reading there. Then, he’d find the amulet
Tristan tucked the book under his wing, and made his way back to the front of the library. He placed the tome on the desk, which caught Bookworms attention.
“Ah, your highness, found what you were looking for?”
“Well, I found this, which piqued my interest.” The librarian took the book and observed it.
“Hm… Advanced Magic, Theory and Practice? That seems a little advanced for you, doesn’t it?” questioned the stallion.
“Oh, well I saw it as I was browsing and it looked interesting. I probably can’t understand most of it yet, but I thought it would be interesting to read up on some of the spells that I’ll be able to perform someday.”
“Ah! Well then, feel free to return this whenever you finish it, just don’t forget!” said the librarian as he handed the book to the Prince after he had taken record of it.
“Sure. Thanks!” replied the Prince as he put the book under his wing, and started making his way back out of the library and towards his room. The colt prince kept the book tucked under his wing, so as to hide it as best he could from any passersby. There was very little traffic on his way to his room, and five minutes later, he was in his room, alone with the book. After closing the door, he set the book down, and opened it to the desired chapter, and began reading.
It was now a couple hours after the Alicorn prince’s departure, and Twilight was now heavily engrossed in one of her books. It was a new one that she had ordered, which had arrived a day ago. She had been hoping for time to read it, and now the perfect opportunity had arrived, even if she wished it had been under different circumstances.
Spike was gone for the day, leaving Twilight alone, with just her reading. She wished she had more times like this, but being the Element of Magic, a Princess, AND a tutor had taken up quite a bit of her time. It was nice to have an unexpected variance in her schedule to just relax.
Twilight just turned the page of her book, when the sound of knocking on wood could be heard. The Alicorns ears perked up, and she set the book down. She got up from where she was sitting, and made her way to the front door. She opened it, to reveal none other than Rainbow Dash.
“Hey Twilight!” greeted the Pegasus.
“Oh, hello Rainbow, what brings you by?” Confused, Rainbow cocked her head to the side.
“Uh, I’m here to pick up Midnight for his flying lesson, same as usual.”
“Oh, right! I’m sorry Rainbow, I forgot to tell you! Midnight had a little accident with our magic lesson and hit his head. He went home. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, it completely slipped my mind,” said Twilight regretfully.
“Oh, that’s ok Twilight. Is he Ok?”
“Yes, he has a little bit of a headache, but other than that, he’s A-Okay!”
“Did you take him to a doctor or something?”
“Oh no, I performed a check up myself. I used a medical scanning spell on him,” said Twilight closing her eyes with a hint of pride.
“Oh, cool. So he’s good then?”
“Yep, my spell didn’t detect any serious problems. Everything’s as it should be!”
“Yeah, well, you know, except his memory.” Twilight’s eyes opened immediately to reveal dilated pupils.
“W…what did you say?” stuttered the princess.
“Uh, nothing, just that he still hasn’t gotten his memory back,” replied Rainbow, not sure what had just unnerved Twilight.
“Oh no…this isn’t good!” exclaimed Twilight as she turned and dashed into the library. Rainbow Dash followed her inside, looking a bit confused.
“What’s wrong?” questioned the prismatic mare.
“That’s just it! Nothings wrong!”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“No! Don’t you see, NOTHINGS wrong! If Midnight still had amnesia, my spell would’ve detected it! Don’t you see? He’s gotten his memory back!” As the new information sunk its way into Rainbow’s head, she too got a worried look on her face.
“That-that’s not good is it?”
“No Rainbow, it’s not! If he remembers everything, it means he remembers who he is, and how angry he is at Princess Luna! He might try something to get home, or make some sort of action against his mother! I need to let her now!” Twilight ran upstairs, into her study, and rapidly started searching for quills and parchment. Rainbow followed her quickly by air, floating in the air behind Twilight.
“So, what do we do?” asked Rainbow.
“I need to write a letter, but I can’t send it without Spike! Can you go find him?”
“Yeah, sure, do you know where he is?”
“No, I don’t! He said he was going to be out all day, he could be anywhere in Ponyville!”
“Well, I am the fastest Pegasus in Equestria, I’m sure I can find him in no time!”
“All right, you do that, while I write up the letter.” Rainbow saluted, and then dashed off out of the library to chase down the dragon. Twilight pulled up a piece of parchment, and dipped her quill, and began writing.
“I just hope we aren’t too late…”
Tristan shut the book, and stood up, stretching his limbs. He had finished reading the spell. It used a lot of big words, but he believed he grasped the basic concept. It was like normal teleporting, just a bit different. He had to think of the location he wanted to go, but because it was a different world, it required an additional action. What he basically had to do was draw in the energy from the core of his world, and pull it into his horn. This required magic, as well as an image of the energy being drawn in his mind. But drawing in the magic was the issue; it required advanced skill and power. That meant it was time for stage two.
Tristan made his way to the door of his room, and opened it. He stepped outside, and saw no other ponies in the hallway. Closing the door behind him, he began walking. Finding out where the amulet was located would be a challenge. He had no idea where important things were kept. In order to find out, he’d need to ask somepony, but without alerting anypony to his plan. That was going to be complicated.
As the former human made his way down the hall, he recalled hearing about the Elements of Harmony. They were those powerful artifacts that Twilight and her friends wielded. They were no doubt located somewhere secure; perhaps the amulet was near, or even in the same place. He could work with this. He could pretend to be interested about them, and thus find out where they were located.
A look of determination came to his face. He had his plan, now he needed to put it into action. Nearing the end of a hallway, he stopped before crossing into the adjacent hallway. He stood still and listened. After about a minute, he could hear the steady clip clopping of hooves. He listened, as they got closer. He positioned himself, waiting. As soon as it sounded like the pony was about to turn the corner, Tristan started trotting forward. As planned he collided with the pony, and fell on his rear. The pony was a guard, just as he had hoped. The pony looked surprised, then looked down to see the Prince.
“Oh, Prince Midnight, my apologies, I did not see you!” said the stallion, helping the colt up.
“Oh, that’s ok. Sorry, I wasn’t looking were I was going.”
“That’s perfectly alright your highness.” The stallion was about to leave, when Tristan stopped him.
“Oh, wait a second, I’m actually glad I bumped into you! I’m looking for something, do you think you could help me?”
“What is it you are searching for my liege?”
“Liege? That’s a new one,” thought the colt. “Well, I remember hearing about these things called the Elements of Harmony, and how they were supposed to be held here in the castle. I wanted to check them out, see what they looked like. Do you know where they are?” The guard looked a little uncomfortable at the question.
“Well, we aren’t really supposed to speak of it. It’s classified.”
“I just want to look at them, I’ll even get my mother or aunt to accompany me. Please?”
“Well…ok. The Princesses keep them in the throne rooms vault. But the vault can not be unlocked by anypony except the two princesses.”
“Thanks, I’ll go try to find one of them!” The former human nodded his thanks to the guard, and the two went their separate ways. A smile grew on the colts face. “Mom, dad…I’ll see you soon!”
Celestia sat in her room, sipping on a cup of tea, while doing her paperwork. It was one of the most boring parts of the job as princess, but it had to be done. She was just glad that she had Luna to share the workload. The princess levitated the cup to her lips, and took a sip, before setting it down on its saucer, and signed her signature on a document, before setting it off to the side, and replacing it with another.
Celestia was about to start reading the scroll, when sparks materialized in the air before her. She caught the newly appeared scroll in her magic, before it fell. “Oh good, a distraction!” A smile came to her face, as she opened the scroll, and began reading. Her smile fell as she read.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I have urgent news! Earlier today, when Midnight and I were practicing magic, we had an incident. I scanned him to make sure he was injury
free, and the spell said he was fine. It was only much later that I realized that the spell didn’t detect anything wrong with him! That means that his
amnesia is gone! I thought it urgent, considering what he tried to do last time, and felt I needed to tell you. I am deeply sorry that I let such an
important matter like this slip my mind! I think you should find Midnight and Luna before something bad happens!
-Sincerely Twilight Sparkle
Celestia lowered the letter, and placed it on her desk, letting the news sink in. “Oh goodness…. I new something like this was going to happen!” Celestia got up from her desk, and dashed for the door. She had to find Luna, Midnight, or both as soon as possible. Remembering all this information was surely going to spark some heavy emotion in her nephew. Last time he froze Discord in stone, and used the Alicorn Amulet to challenge her and Luna. If something bad happened it would be on her hooves as well as Luna’s. Celestia ran out the door, and into the hallway.
“Luna should be in her room,” thought the princess. Celestia stopped her running, and lit her horn, deciding that would be a quicker coarse of action. In a flash, the Solar Princess appeared in her sister’s room. This surprised Luna, who was currently working on paperwork of her own. She turned her head to see her freshly materialized sister.
“Tia? What are you doing here?” she questioned.
“Luna…something’s happened.”
“Walk normally, don’t draw attention to yourself,” thought Tristan as he made his way through the halls, to the throne room. He remembered the exact location of the throne room. It was where this whole mess started. It was where it would end. As he made his way through the halls, ponies would all bow to him. He’d nod in response, but did not decrease his pace.
Soon enough, his trek came to an end, when he found himself in front of the double doors that served as the entrance to the throne room. Two armored stallions stood in front of it, one a unicorn, the other a Pegasus. When the colt stopped in front of them, the two guards turned their attention to their prince.
“Good evening your highness. Is there something we can do for you?” questioned the Pegasus.
“Yes, I wanted to go into the throne room,” replied the former human.
“The throne room is empty, your aunt and mother are somewhere else in the castle,” said the unicorn.
“Yeah, I know, I wanted to just look around in there. I haven’t really gotten a good look at the stained glass windows yet, or the throne.”
“Well, I suppose that is all right,” said the unicorn again. The two ponies stepped to the side, and the unicorn used his magic to open the doors.
“Thanks,” said the colt, as he made his way into the throne room. The doors were partially shut behind him, leaving him with a decent amount of privacy. He calmly trotted into the room, and started searching for anything that could be a vault.
He didn’t see anything on the walls of the room, but he did see the throne at the end of the hall. Aside from that the room was basically empty. If the vault was anywhere, it was probably near there. Tristan galloped towards the throne, and saw something behind it. Moving around the throne, he saw a structure lying behind it. It was looked like a wall, with an emblem of the sun with a hole in it, with six circles surrounding it.
“That must be it…” he thought. He made his way to it, and looked at the hole in the emblem. It looked like the keyhole. The guard said only the princesses could unlock it. That meant it probably didn’t rely on a regular key. Then what would open it? Maybe…maybe it needed a horn to unlock it? But it probably couldn’t be just any horn. Was it deep enough that only a long horn could hit a button or something to unlock it? No, that would mean anyone could just stick a long rod inside, and poke it. It probably required some sort of magic pulse to open it. If that was the case, he would never be able to unlock it. But maybe he could break the lock with a strong enough magic pulse? He did after all turn Discord to stone.
Tristan saw that the keyhole was quite a bit taller than him. Luckily, he had some basic flying skills. Using his wings, he ascended into the air, and floated there. Once he was at the right height, he moved forward, and stuck his horn into the lock. As expected, his horn wasn’t long enough. “Alright. I need to put as much magic into this as I can.”
Tristan concentrated, and started using his magic. He used all his might, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that nothing was happening. Shutting his eyes again, he put even more effort into it. His horn sizzled, and he opened his eyes to see the lock faintly glowing, but not opening. He tried again with no success. He tried again, and again, but could never get enough energy. “This is going to take awhile…”
Luna galloped as fast as she could through the halls of the castle, searching for her son. If it was true he had his memory back, that meant he probably wouldn’t respond to her calling him out. So, she and Celestia had decided to split up, and ask the various castle staff if they had seen him. Luna was currently running down the hall, towards her son’s room. As soon as she reached it, she flung the doors opened, and rushed inside. At first glance the room was empty. She searched the room further, looking under the bed, in the closet and the bathroom, but he wasn’t there.
Crossing Midnights room off the mental checklist, Luna ran out of the room and down the halls. As she ran, she saw a maid walking towards her. Luna ran in desperation up to the maid, who looked surprised to see the Princess in such a state. Wasting no time, Luna questioned the pony.
“Have you seen Midnight anywhere?” questioned the princess.
“No, your highness, I haven’t. Is something wrong?”
“No time!” said Luna as she rushed past the mare. She ran down the hall, and turned the corner. She saw two guards trotting down the hall. Luan ran up to them, and asked them if they’d seen her son. The first guard shook his head, but the other responded verbally.
“Well, I saw him a while ago. He said that he wanted to see the Elements of Harmony and asked where they were. I told him they were in the throne room, but I also told him only you or your sister could open the vault that they’re kept in. He said he’d find you, and ask you to open it so he could see them.”
“The vault? What could he possibly want with the vault?” questioned the Princess internally. It didn’t matter right now; she knew where he was now. Luna thanked the guards, and ran back down the hall. She ran as fast as she could, heading towards the throne room.
Halfway down the hallway, Luna recalled that teleporting would be a much faster method of reaching her son. Lighting her horn, as she continued running, she vanished in an instant.
Materializing in the throne room, Luna dashed as fast as she could to where the vault was. Rounding the throne, she saw her young son, floating in the air, his horn sticking into the keyhole that would unlock the vault.
“Midnight!”
Tristan had been at this for a good few minutes. He’d try to put as much effort into opening the vault as possible, but he could never get it. His wings were getting tired. He hadn’t built up any muscle endurance, or at least not as much as he needed. He was starting to get frustrated. He needed to get this thing open, and NOW. Perhaps he needed a break, a few minutes to recharge. He was about to when he heard the clopping of hooves rapidly approaching.
“Oh no, someone’s coming!” The clopping stopped after a few seconds, only to be interrupted by a shout.
“Midnight!” The boy’s blood ran cold, and he nearly dropped from the air right there. SHE was here. She knew he remembered. She’d do something to him, that much was for sure. He needed to open this vault NOW!
Desperate, with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he stuck his horn back in the lock, and put absolutely everything he had into it. He felt his horn radiate a large amount of magical energy. The feeling of being caught, and knowing he was out of time fueled him with adrenaline. The feeling put more motivation into him than he had felt since he had met Discord. The colt let out a scream, as he put all the power he could into opening the vault.
Then, Tristan could feel something happening. He opened an eye, and chanced a peak to see the sun emblem glowing, along with six other circles on the door. Removing his horn, he receded from the vault. The glowing continued as the door opened. Slowly, the door creaked open.
As soon as he could, Tristan flung the door opened and dashed inside. Rapidly, he searched for the amulet. This had all been a gamble at this point. If the amulet wasn’t there, he was screwed. It had to be there. It HAD too! He heard Luna’s voice calling him, but he paid her no mind. He shifted through the items in the vault. There were these necklaces with gemstones in them, as well as a tiara, which he dismissed, throwing them out of the vault behind him. He searched for several seconds, finding several other artifacts that he didn’t recognize.
He lifted what appeared to be a staff, and tossed it behind him. When he did, it revealed a familiar blood red gemstone. Picking it up, Tristan saw that it was the amulet he needed. He turned around, with the amulet in hand to see Luna standing right outside of the vault, with wide eyes.
“Midnight DON’T!” He didn’t listen. As quick as he could, he clasped the amulet around his neck. Instantly, a familiar feeling of power coursed through his veins. His eyes glowed red, and with a quick flap of his wings, he shot out of the vault, shooting past Luna, and into the center of the room, where he landed swiftly. Luna turned and followed as fast as she could, racing towards her son.
“MIDNIGHT, TAKE THAT OFF! TAKE IT OFF NOW!”
“NO!” Using his magic, and returned knowledge of the arcane, the colt erected a shield around his body. Luna skidded to a halt in front of it. She ran up to it and started banging on it with her hoof.
“MIDNIGHT STOP! THE AMULET IS TOO DANGEROUS! I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU PLAN TO DO, BUT PLEASE, DON’T DO IT!”
“I’M GOING HOME! AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STOP ME!” Sitting down, Tristan closed his eyes, and started to concentrate. He imagined his home planets energy streaming into him. He focused on his home and his family, and started channeling his magic, willing himself to teleport there.
Luna was beyond desperate. Even if he did have the Alicorn Amulet, this was too dangerous. If done improperly, the consequences could be disastrous. Midnight could explode himself, and possibly take the entire wing of the castle with him! With tears in her eyes, Luna backed up from the shield. She had to stop Midnight, not just for his safety, but also for the safety of the other ponies in the castle.
This was not how it was supposed to go. Luna was supposed to earn her son’s love, and then gently reveal his past to him. He would know the truth, but he wouldn’t have the hurt and painful memories attached to them, making it easier for him to accept her as his mother. But she had waited too long. Now if she didn’t put a stop to her son once again, somepony could get hurt!
Luna charged a spell, and shot it at the shield, only for it to bounce off, flying into one of the stained glass windows, shattering it instantly. Realizing that she needed to put more power into it, she charged her horn again, and shot another spell at the shield, though she aimed it so it wouldn’t collide with Midnight. This time, the shield cracked, but didn’t break. She charged another spell of equal strength, and this time it shattered the shield.
Luna shot forward towards her son, in an attempt to get him under control. At that very moment, the former humans eyes opened wide, revealing a hot white glow. A powerful pulse of magic shot forward, pushing Luna back. She skidded backwards, but didn’t lose her footing. She started pushing forward, having to shield her eyes. The energy and light was pushing back at her like a rushing river. She trudged forward, but it felt like she was moving through molasses, she wasn’t moving fast enough. Hot energy propelled into her, but she kept moving forward.
“MIDNIGHT PLEASE STOP! YOU’RE GOING TO HURT YOURSELF! I’LL MAKE THIS ALL UP TO YOU, I’LL FIND A WAY TO MAKE YOU HAPPY AGAIN, JUST PLEASE STOP!” Though Luna used all her vocal power and magic to amplify her voice, she had a feeling her son couldn’t hear it over the rushing magical energy.
Meanwhile, for Tristan, he was in immense pain. His entire body felt hot, like the hot energy comprising his magic was coursing through his veins. He tried to focus on his home, but it was getting harder and harder to concentrate. He could hear the faint calling of his birth mother, calling for him to stop, trying to convince him of the danger, but he knew she was just trying to deceive him. Besides, he felt that he wouldn’t be able to stop, even if he wanted to. The energy was flowing through him, and he couldn’t stop it.
Then, he started to feel a new sensation. It was like his body was being compressed. The energy was getting overwhelming, and he screamed in pain, no longer to hold it in. He let out a scream of pain, and in an instant, his pain amplified.
Luna had almost reached him. She was pushing as hard as she could, and was about to touch Midnight with her hoof, when she was blasted back once again. It launched her backward, and all she could hear was her sons screaming, and the pulsing of magic. Then, a pulse of white light erupted from her son. It was like a nuclear explosion being triggered, or an imploding star. Luna was launched into the throne, causing it to break as she fell through.
Tristan’s sensations now felt completely numb. He couldn’t see, or hear. His vision was consumed with white, then black. Then, he knew nothing.
Luna felt an intense soreness in her body, particularly her barrel. Her ears where ringing, and when she opened her eyes, she had imprints on them from the intense light. She grit her eyes tight, wincing as she stood up from the wreckage of the throne. When she had gotten to her knees, she looked to her left. There was a huge crater embedded right into the floor of the throne room. “Midnight!” Luna got to her hooves, and climbed over the wreckage, hobbling towards the crater. Luna’s eyes widened as she neared the crater. She looked down to see the crater completely empty, except for charred scorch marks lining the sides.
“No…n-no…. it can’t be…” Tears came to her eyes, and she brought her hoof up to her muzzle. She heard the sound of the doors to the throne room opening, but she didn’t move her gaze from the spot where her son once occupied. He had exploded. He couldn’t handle the magic…he was…he was dead.
“Luna! Luna, what happened?” The lunar princess could hear her sister speaking, but paid it no mind, unable to take her attention away from the spot where her son used to be. She shut her eyes, but the tears flowed rapidly from them anyway. She felt a hoof on her wither, but didn’t react to it at all.
“Luna…where’s Midnight?” questioned Celestia. Luna pointed a shaky hoof to the crater, before breaking down completely, her sobs turning to wails. Celestia’s wide eyes traveled to the spot, before she looked back to her sister.
“Oh…oh no….” Tears came to Celestia as well, but she didn’t break down in the same manner as Luna. She sat next to her sister for a few moments, just stroking her back with her hoof. She shut her eyes, and lowered her head. Then, she felt something squeezing her barrel. She looked down to see her sister hugging her tightly, crying into her fur. Luna was hiccupping, her tears staining both their coats.
“I’m so sorry Luna…I’m so sorry…” others came to see the commotion, guards and castle staff. All stopped when they saw the crater, and all stopped when they saw the princesses, their strong and all knowing leaders, holding each other tightly and crying. Nopony knew what was wrong, but they new that something tragic had happened.
As for the princesses, an intense sorrow gripped their hearts, as well as guilt. Celestia didn’t know exactly what happened, but she knew that Midnight was gone. And it was most likely due to their lying to the colt.
As for Luna, her sorrow and guilt were at an all time high, higher than from her Nightmare moon incident. She knew this was her fault, and that this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t deceived her son. And now he was gone. Celestia, now feeling an intense sorrow like her sister, broke down even further, and hugged her sister tighter. The two princesses held each other, neither moving from that spot. Eventually, their energy ran dry, and the two fell into an uneasy slumber. They’d awake hours later, having been placed in their beds. Both would wonder what had happened, until the memory of the recent tragedy returned. And then…they’d cry again.
Blackness covered Tristan’s vision. The first sensation to return to him was touch. He felt a cold hard rocklike texture beneath his body. And it was…slimy. The next sensation was hearing. He could hear the sound of buzzing wings, but much bigger than an average insect. He slowly opened his eyes. The room was dark, except for various green glowing, emanating form different objects that he couldn’t make out. He felt a strong headache, and put a hoof to his forehead, while hoisting himself up with the other.
He sat up, feeling dizzy, and exhausted. His head rolled around on his neck as he tried to get his bearings. He could hear the buzzing, it was getting louder and louder. He also heard the clip clopping of hooves. “It’s her!” The colt shot up, ignoring his pain, and looked to the source of the sound, expecting to see Luna, or one of her underlings. But what greeted his vision wasn’t his birth mother, nor was it any sort of creature he’d ever seen before. But it spoke to him, with a feminine voice. One that sounded predatory, and intrigued. A voice with echoes and varying tones, like multiple people speaking at once.
