Author's Note

Here's the 3rd chapter. I apologize for the long wait. I've been getting a little sidetracked with the anthro waifu series and dealing with my trips to the dentist, but it's finally here. I hope you all enjoy it and many more chapters to come, so stay tuned and brony on.

Not All Hope Is Lost

Another school day had come and gone and just like Twilight promised, she didn't tell any of our friends that I found and took in Midnight to stay with me. The last thing she and I need right now is to cause more drama than there currently was the previous day. And just like I promised Twilight, I kept my eyes focused on my school work and not get distracted by the clock like I usually do. There's gonna be a time when I won't have anyone to have my back and I have to start doing things on my own. It may seem harsh, but that is reality and one of these days it might end up hitting me harder than I expect

Now that I'm off of school for today, I decided to take the time I had to head straight home to check up on Midnight and see how she's doing. Twilight stayed behind with the rest of the girls for band practice, which seemed too big to squeeze one more member. That's okay, I'm much better at singing on my own. Anyways, I crossed the street and ran over to my house, reaching into my pocket and taking out my house key.

I unlocked the door and walked inside before closing the door and locking it back up. "Midnight, I'm home, did you enjoy a nice quiet day to yourself?" I asked. I looked around the living room and the kitchen, but she wasn't there, so I assumed she was still in her room. Guess, she still prefers to be alone. It's fine, no one warms up to anyone after just one day. These things take time and I have to be patient. I sighed and tossed my backpack onto the couch and sat myself down. I took out my books and my pencils shortly afterwards. The tests were starting tomorrow and I couldn't afford to slack off right now.

Turning to the correct pages, I started reading and jotting down some of notes. I pushed myself, urging myself to not let anything distract me. 15 minutes into my studies and already, I'm about halfway done and then I hear the sound on a door opening up in the hallway.

Glancing to my left, I see Midnight coming out of her room and closing the door. She still had that sour look on her face, so I was better off leaving her alone. I continued taking notes from each subject I was studying and re-read the pages I was on in order to double check if I had got anything wrong. So far, I got just about every single question down and had an answer for every single one of them. Now the question remains: are all of them, or at least most of them the correct answers.

Once I finished my studies, I closed my books up and put them back in my backpack. I failed to realize shortly afterwards that Midnight took a seat right next to me until she said something.

"I never pictured you as the bookworm," Midnight said. I turned to my left and became startled when I saw her sitting that close to me. I jumped and placed a hand over my chest. "What's with you, are you not used to having a girl sit right next to you or something?" she asked. "Look, don't get the wrong idea. I don't like you or anything, I just want to know if you can fix up some food. I'm hungry." she turned away, lifting her chin up. It was hard to tell if that was an outright lie or a harsh truth.

"Okay, okay. What do you want me to cook for you?" I asked.

"Bacon double-cheeseburger and don't forget the ketchup," she commanded. I didn't want to start an arguement so I just went along with it. I don't know how she was able to tell about my eyes rolling, but she call out to me about it without even missing a beat. "And if you roll your eyes at me again, I'll send you flying into the next region, you got that?" she threatened. That time, I had to confront her.

"Midnight, there's no need for you to act so rude about it. I'm going to make you your meal, so stop being so ungrateful about it, okay?" I asked.

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm still mad at you for bringing that weak little bookworm to your house yesterday without even telling me about her!" she argued.

"I didn't know you and Twilight were enemies! And considering that you're living under my roof, you should at least show me a little respect!" I argued back.

"Respect? RESPECT?! You probably don't even know the meaning of the word respect! You don't even know what I've been through after what happened between me, that bookworm and that stupid girlfriend of hers when they took everything away from me!" she yelled.

"I'm willing to listen, you just refused to tell me because of your stubborn attitude!" I yelled back.

"Just shut up and make me my burger!" Midnight said, changing the subject. And as much as I wanted to get mad and shout at her, I realized that I had failed to not start any drama. With a deep breath, I just let it all out with a sigh and just got to making her dinner. I don't know what came over me. For some reason, all that tension I released felt half satisfying. But what good is it to get mad over something so childish?

I finished making Midnight's burger and gave it to her. Or rather she took the plate from my hands.

"Gimme that!" she ordered before biting into her burger. I walked over to the TV and put in a movie before sitting back down on the couch. Midnight scooched herself away from me. No doubt she's mad at me and to be honest, I'm still mad at her for acting like she was the owner of this house. I squeezed the bridge of my nose in frustration a little bit, trying my hardest not to start another arguement.

"I might as well make myself something to eat," I said, getting off the couch.

"While you're at it, fetch me some water," Midnight said in a snobbish tone. Now she was beginning to sound like a spoiled brat who thinks she can have anything she wants. That's something I'm not going to ignore, so I turned to look at her with my arms crossed. "What, didn't you hear me?" she asked, rudely.

"Midnight, I'm not going to do everything while you just sit around. I'm fine with feeding you, but I'm not going to let you act like some spoiled brat," I said, sternly.

"What did you just say to me?" Midnight asked, her hostile glare staring right at me. "I don't think you fully understand who you're talking to, Chance! I happen to have some powerful magic which I can use to bend you to my will, or possibly even obliterate you if I want! So unless you want to be turned into a pile of ashes, you'll stop defying me and get me my WATER!"

"And I'm telling you you're living under my roof and I'm not your servant! My only job is to keep a roof over our heads, give you a warm place to sleep in and cook you breakfast, lunch and dinner! Why do you insist on making things difficult on me when I'm trying to help you?" I asked, irritated.

"Why should I waste my breath telling you why I act like this? You wouldn't even understand the concept of what I had to endure after what I... UGH, forget it! I'll just go get my own water just to shut you up! I swear, I don't know why I even bother trying to get through to that thick skull of yours," she said. Although, maybe if she were to ask me nicely, I wouldn't have a problem with getting her some water. But because of her rude behavior, I had to lay down the law and it was a real pain. She and I walked over to the kitchen together and she grabbed a cup from the cupboard and filled it up with water.

Meanwhile I decided to fix myself up a grilled cheese sandwich. At least it'll calm my nerves when I've got a full stomach and watch some old movies.

I sat down in the living room with Midnight, finishing up my sandwich while she was halfway done. I don't know if Midnight was watching with me, but I had put on the Rugrats Movie. I always get a good feel from watching these old movies from back in the 90's and early 2000's. They all seem to teach better life lessons than the ones modern movies and TV shows do these days. Everything seemed quiet for the duration of the movie until I got curious and asked Midnight about something.

"Midnight, earlier you said you had the magic power to obliterate me. I'm not saying you're a coward or anything, I just want to know why you chose not to kill me," I asked.

"Because your friends'll just come and find me and try to erase me afterwards. And I don't have enough magic to ward off those girls. That and you're just far too useful to be obliterated, coupled with the fact tha you did take me in and gave me a place to stay," Midnight answered.

"I understand, Midnight," I said, scooching over to her and patting her on the shoulder. But she yanked her shoulder away from me.

"Don't touch me! I'm still mad at you from what you said earlier!" Midnight scowled. Guess she can really hold a grudge, even over something that was no big deal. I suppose I should just let her be for now and just enjoy the movie until she's cooled down a little.

For the duration of the rest of the movie, neither of us said nothing. And by the time it got to the end credits, I looked over at Midnight and... she was crying.

"What's the matter?" I asked, trying to reach for her. But Midnight turned her whole body away from me and insisted on trying to keep whatever was bothering her all to herself.

"N-Nothing just... mind your own business, okay?" Midnight asked.

This time, I pressed on. "Midnight, something's obviously bothering you. I want to help you. It's not gonna go away unless you tell me what's wrong."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I can't stand to see you suffer like this. I'm not gonna accept "no" for an answer this time, I'm going to help you one way or another. Please, Midnight. I'm asking you as a friend," I said. This time, when I gently grabbed her hand, she didn't yank it away from me or swat at me. She went ahead and locked her fingers with mine, though she still didn't look at me, but I didn't mind.

She sighed in defeat. "Fine, but promise that if you do tell anyone, make sure you don't include all of Twilight's friends, I'd rather not end up between a rock and a hard place," she said, shaken up.

"I promise," I agreed. She finally turned around to look at me and still had tears in her eyes. I turned off the TV and the DVD player so nothing was gonna interrupt us. Everything around us had gone quiet until I finally got the truth from Midnight.

"You see... I was created from this magic pendant that Twilight once had. It happened during the Friendship Games when I was trying to rule both this world and Equestria," Midnight said.

"Equestria? What's that?" I asked.

"It's a whole other world inhabited by ponies. I had it all in the palm of my hands until..." Midnight paused, probably getting to the part she hated most.

"...Until Sunset absorbed the remaining magic and used it against me. I would have won against her, but Twilight's dog, Spike, just had to get in my way and I lost the battle. In the midst of the blast, I was blown out of Twilight's body and ended up lost in this forsaken town with only limited magic. Every day, I've hated Twilight and how she and her friends took away everything from me, after I tried so hard!" she finished. And once she was done, she planted her face into her hands and let loose the waterworks.

Normally, anyone with a story like that would be lying, but this was Midnight's story. The fact that she's different from other people and the fact that she once blasted me with her magic was undeniable.

I gently pull her in for a nice warm hug, unable to say anything. Though I think that if I were to say anything, she would just feel worse. So, I kept Midnight in a compassionate hug. I was surprised when she herself gave me a hug in return and then cried on my shoulder. I didn't mind it at all and just let her get it all out. As we hugged each other, I could feel a couple of tears running down my eyes. In truth, it feels like the both of us have suffered equally at one point in our lives.

After we finished, Midnight pulled away and stared at me. "T-Thanks for... hearing me out, Chance," she said, rubbing her arm in embarrassment.

"What are friends for," I nodded. Midnight gave me one last hug and then suddenly... a kiss on my cheek. I was surprised and was blushing a bit when she did. With a small smile, she got up from the couch and walked back to her room, closing the door and leaving me to contemplate what happened. I thought I was going crazy because Midnight Sparkle actually kissed me! If I'm dreaming, I don't think I'd want to wake up and if I'm awake, I don't ever want to sleep. I finally snapped out of my little daydream. This wasn't a dream and I'm glad to see that Midnight's finally warming up to me a little bit.

I sighed and got up from the couch, heading over to my room with my books. I set my books down on my desk and ran back into the living room. I grabbed the empty plastic plates and tossed them in the trash before washing up the pan and then the grill.

Later on that night, I finished cleaning up the house, took a nice, relaxing shower and then got some extra studying done before bed. Now, here I am, laying in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. My mind seemed to be running all over the place, contemplating over the settlement Midnight and I had after our arguement. I wasn't expecting her to kiss my cheek. I'm not sure if it was just to say thank you or if it meant something else. If only there was some kind of sign that could tell me what it means, anything at all.

I sighed. "Listen to yourself, Chance. You're getting all worked up over a simple kiss. You'll get over it tomorrow after you've gotten a good night sleep," I said to myself. A few minutes went by and I felt myself getting tired and drifted off to sleep.

And so, as I slept, I wasn't sure how or when it began, but my dreams appeared. I didn't know what to think of it, but I was baffled from the sight I saw. I'm standing in a warm, white void and a few feet across from where I was standing, Midnight Sparkle slowly flies over towards me. She seemed to be reaching out for me I felt myself reaching out to her. We drifted closer and closer to each other. As soon as we were closed enough to grab each other's hand, our fingers locked together. We pulled ourselves even closer and we hugged each other, slowly and steadily spinning around in the void.

I couldn't control myself. I felt my hand stroke her cheek. She nuzzled into the palm of my hand before wrapping her arms around my neck. My arms wrapped around Midnight's waist. I felt my face growing warm and she seemed to be blushing.

For a while, we just stood there, admiring each other and never breaking the hug. I don't know why I didn't see it before, but Midnight Sparkle looked so beautiful, especially when she's calm and peaceful. Next, I felt her beautiful wings wrap around me like a blanket. Pretty soon, the white void in my dream changed into a hillside on the outskirts of Canterlot city. Midnight and I stood under a tree, overlooking the city with smiles. I was only looking at the city for only a few seconds and when I turned around... I was surprised.

Midnight Sparkle seemed to be in my arms... in a wedding dress, veil and all. Meanwhile, I found myself wearing a wedding tuxedo like we had just gotten married. It was painfully obvious I was developing these feelings for Midnight, but is it really possible we'd get married?

I wasn't so sure if this was a sign or if it was a prediction. By the time I had gathered up my thoughts, I soon discoved that nighttime had fallen and the stars up in the night sky, as if to set the mood. Boy, my dreams sure knew how to mess around with me, and yet, I was okay with this dream. I held Midnight like she was dear to me, not sure how she's back on her feet, but I didn't care and I didn't want to let go of her, telling her I loved her so much.

"I love you too... Chance," her beautiful voice echoed in my voice in a soft whisper. Right as she said that, everything faded into white, including Midnight. I was devastated as I could feel my body drifting aimlessly and felt myself being brought back to reality.

My phone went off on my nightstand, waking me up. I reached over and grabbed my phone, turning the alarm off and set it back down. I laid there for a few more seconds, contemplating about what had happened in my dreams and these warm fuzzy feelings I had now developed for Midnight. When my hand came into contact with my face, I felt something wet had ran down my cheeks. Did I cry when I was sleeping?

I shook my head and got out of bed. I stretched my body and walked over to the closet, grabbing some nice, clean clothes before I started changing.

Next, I left my room and headed for the bathroom. I quickly got to work on brushing my teeth and putting on my deodorant while still thinking about that dream from last night. It came as a mystery to why I would dream about Midnight like that. Although, I'd be lying if I thought it wasn't a good dream. Far from it, I actually considered the possibility that she and I might end up becoming a couple. But it'd be unwise to rush into the relationship too early, especially since this is all so new to me. Same with Midnight, I'll bet.

After I finished, I exited the bathroom, then headed into the kitchen to fix myself up some breakfast. I took out a few eggs from the fridge and then put them carefully in a small pot filled with water. I set the stove to medium high, then covered the pot with a lid.

Soon, a few minutes passed by and I turned off the stove, then drained the water out of the pot and waited for the hard boiled eggs to cool off before peeling the egg shell off of one of them and took a bite to see if I had boiled it just right. Yup, it was definitely boiled just enough. I put the other eggs in a bowl and placed them on the counter just in case Midnight wanted some.

The guest room door opened up as Midnight walked out, all rested up. I looked over at her and waved at her, though I was a little awkward after that little peck on the cheek she gave me yesterday. Somehow, she felt the same way by how she waved and gave me an awkward smile and went into the bathroom.

I wanted to find out more about this, but I didn't want to get sidetracked anymore than I already have. The tests were going to start soon and I'm gonna make sure that I pass them all. After that, maybe I'll talk to Twilight, see what she has to say about my situation. After all, I'd rather not want to keep on going like this, always feeling awkward whenever Midnight and I would make eye contact. So, after I finished eating my hardboiled egg, I made my way back into my room and grabbed my backpack with all my books and notes.

"I'm heading off to school now, Midnight. I've made some hardboiled eggs if you want some," I called out.

"Okay, thanks," she said, surprisingly in a nicer tone. After I gathered up everything else to take with me, I left the house and locked the front door before heading off to school. Lady luck seemed to be on my side when I saw Twilight arriving at the school first. I ran up to quickly, but not too quickly.

"Hey, Twilight! You got a second?" I asked. She turned to her left and looked at me.

"Oh, hi Chance. What's the matter?" she asked, turning her whole body around to face me.

"Can I talk to you when lunch starts?" you asked.

"Um, sure. I'm not sure what it is you want to talk about, but if something's troubling you, I'll see what I can do to help you and if I can't, then we'll ask our fr-" I stopped her quickly when she brought up our friends.

"No, Twilight. I'd rather keep this between you and me... it's about Midnight," I said.

Twilight blinked in surprise, but didn't say another word. She just nodded once. She knew right away that when Midnight is the subject, it can only be discussed between the two of us. I can only hope I don't have to deal with another confrontation. Especially with my friends.