//-------------------------------------------------------// Discovering Midnight -by neobrony7- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Out on the Town Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Out on the Town Part 1 Out on the Town Part 1: ______________________________________________________________________________ A flash of magenta light filled a dark back alley of what is considered the nightlife district of Townsville. Shaking her head, as she always did after a powerful spell, Twilight took in her surroundings. She knew this alley very well, it was the alley behind the nightclub known as Luna’s Den. LD, as many of the patrons called it, was one of the oldest nightclubs in the city and the only one dedicated to the princess of the night and music, Princess Luna. To think a thousand years ago this place might not even be here. Twilight thought to herself recalling the thousand year old story, of how Luna nearly fell to sorrow and madness only to be saved by the power of music and, as some historians like to argue about, the handsome bard that played in the night. Twilight shook that thought from her head. She breathed in and out to steady herself for the next spell she was about to cast, a spell that would change her appearance. Closing her eyes she focused her magic, and her horn glowed with magenta light once again. This time instead of disappearing, her coat became a dark purple, almost black. Her stripes in her mane and tail turned to neon violet and pink, the spell also having the added affect of making them glow. From her saddle bag she pulled out a camo mini skirt, an olive tank top and fishnet stockings for her front hooves. Once she was dressed she did one last spell changing her eye color to bright red. The mare that now stood in the alley was not Twilight, but her alter ego Midnight Glimmer. Let’s get this party started, thought Midnight with a grin on her face, as she walked to the back door of the nightclub. Inside Luna’s Den, the phrase ‘The party is jump’n’ could not do justice to the party that was going down. Vinyl must be pulling out all the stops tonight, thought Midnight, as she entered the nightclub, hearing the loud music all the way in the locker room in the back of the club. After placing her saddle bags in her locker, Midnight made her way to the main floor of the club. Yep, knew it, Vinyl is going all out, Midnight thought with a smile as she saw a packed dance floor full of ponies dancing to the beats coming from the many speakers in the club. On a stage in the right hand corner was the main turntable. Standing behind that turntable, looking out behind her trademark sunglasses, was Vinyl Scratch. “You’re late.” said a voice coming from behind Midnight. “Yes, I know,” said Midnight as she turned to face who was talking to her, “I’m sorry Spike.” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Spike, the current manager of Luna’s Den. “Anyway Vinyl is almost done with her shift, you better get ready.” “Aren’t I always?” replied Midnight. “Don’t take that tone with me or else I will cut your pay.” said Spike while trying to keep a straight face. He started to burst into laughter a few seconds later with Midnight joining in shortly after. “Hey party ponies!” Vinyl’s voice came over the speakers, causing Spike and Midnight to stop laughing, “This is your favorite DJ signing off for the night, but give a round of applause for the queen of late night raves, Midnight Glimmer!” And with that, the sound of hooves meeting the floor roared through the club. Giving Spike a nod, Midnight made her way to the turntable. As she passed Vinyl, she asked the mare, “Hey Vinyl, how is the crowd tonight?” “Looking to party hard.” Vinyl replied with a smirk, as she continued her way to the locker room. “Aren’t they always?” said Midnight, more to herself than Vinyl, who was too far away to hear Midnight’s comment. Midnight reached the turntable and put on the headset, and scanned the turntable. Satisfied that everything was in place, she made a quick glance to the dance floor and the bar, seeing not much business happening at the bar and that the bartender, Berry Punch, was bored out of her mind because of the slow business. Midnight knew what her first song would be for tonight, one guaranteed to get drinks in ponies hooves. Placing her forehooves on the turntable’s knobs and switches, Midnight gave no warning to the dancers, not that it was really needed, the song started off slow, but soon enough, the beat picked up, and soon enough nearly everypony was dancing to the retro rap beat or heading to the bar to get drinks, which the song was telling them to do. Up In Smoke by Ponywood Undead, works every time, thought Midnight, as she watched the ponies either dance or go to the bar to get smashed, the smiles on faces of everypony was a clear sign that everypony was enjoying the club tonight. For the next two hours Midnight switched and transitioned between fast pace dancing songs to slow songs that got everypony in the mood for drinks and food. Vinyl was right, I am the queen of the late night raves, thought Midnight with a giggle. Suddenly struck with inspiration, she knew exactly what song she would play next. Tapping the headset mic, Midnight got everypony’s attention. “Party ponies, are you prepared to RELEASE THE PANIC!!!!!!!” screamed Midnight, and with that she unleashed one of the greatest songs from the band simply known as Red. it started off slow, but soon enough the song picked up to a pace that could cause anypony to go into a full blown panic attack, needless to say the dance floor became a wild mosh pit. The lyrics of this song could also induce panic from the listeners of it. Between the beats and the lyrics of this song there was no pony who didn’t have an increased heart rate. Complete anarchy, now this is a rave, Midnight thought to herself, over looking the mass chaos that was the dance floor. As the song ended, and everypony was catching their breath, the main doors to the club opened up. Midnight looked over to the main doors, at that instant what she saw made her blood run cold and she started to sweat bullets. Oh shit! This is going to be bad, was the last thing that crossed her mind before going into a full panic attack. -Two hours earlier back at the campus- Rarity was crying her eyes out, the amount she was crying was a shock to all but one of the remaining four mares that were left to wonder about Twilight’s sudden disappearing act. “Why is Rarity crying so hard? I know what Twi did was bad, but this is ridiculous!” exclaimed Rainbow. “Umm...I know why” mumbled Fluttershy in a low voice. “Now sugarcube, if’n ya know what is ah buggin poor Rares, ya should tell us.” stated AJ. “I really don’t think that’s for me to say,” The shy mare squeaked. “Maybe- maybe you should ask her... if you want...” “Okay Shy we will try it your way,” replied Rainbow, with a sigh she turned to Rarity and said, “Hey Rarity, what’s up girl, what’s with the water works?” “Oh... Rainbow Dash, darling, what can I do for you?” Rarity said, after quickly drying her tears and putting on a brave face. “You can answer my question.” “And what question is that darling?” “Why are you crying?” Rarity sighed, and looked Rainbow Dash straight in the eyes, “Do you really want to know why I am crying?” Rainbow only nodded. “Seeing as Fluttershy already knows, I assume the two of you want to know as well?” Rarity said as she looked at AJ who was passive about it, and Pinkie, who had also been crying but not to the degree that Rarity had. Pinkie and AJ took quick glances at each other, then they both proceeded to nod. “I assume you all don’t want the long version, so I will be blunt, though I do detest being blunt. It’s just so unlady like,” Rarity confessed with a huff, “I am in love. With Twilight. And no Twilight doesn’t know yet, for I have been too much of a coward to tell her.” “Woah Woah Woah.... hold up for a sec, I get you having a crush on Twi, but that still doesn’t explain all the water works. If you were dating, I could see it but this... no way Rares that’s too much for this situation.” said Rainbow, still puzzled by her dramatic friend, and beginning to wonder why they hang out in the first place. “A’h hate to say it Rares; but Rainbow is right. That’s too many darn tears for ya crush keeping secrets from ya.” Stated AJ. “I will admit, that perhaps I was being a bit more sensitive than I should be,” said Rarity, “But girls, understand this, I know in my heart that Twilight is my soulmate, she completes me, and the thought of not knowing everything about her scares me more than you could ever imagine. Knowing that day after day I watch her continue to slip into her cocoon of self isolation while I sit back and watch rends my soul in twain! But even worse is knowing that I love her, and like a coward I sit back and do nothing! The only reason I have held onto my sanity is thanks to Fluttershy. She always listens and lets me vent.... thank you Fluttershy, you have always helped me when I needed a friend the most.” Fluttershy just blushed and hid behind her mane, clearly not wanting this much praise from her friend. After a few moments of silent contemplation by the remaining three, Pinkie finally said something since Twilight’s exit ten minutes prior, “So....anypony want to get a drink?” “Consider’n what just happened, Ah’d have to agree with Pinks, some nice, ice cold hard cider is what we all be needing right about now,” concurred AJ with a smirk, thinking of the drinks to soon be had. “Got any idea where to go Pinks?” asked Rainbow. “Well... I do have my own ideas, but seeing as Rarity just bore her heart and soul to us all, why don’t we let her decide,” replied Pinkie. Rarity didn’t respond immediately, she seemed to be thinking of where to go, after a few moments of thinking she exclaimed: “Idea! I have heard of many places in the nightlife district, surely we can find something there.” “Okay, off to the nightlife district we go!” said Pinkie, bouncing in place with pure joy on her face “Small problem... no of us have a carriage, and don’t even think about making me carry you.” Rainbow reminded the group. “I think I saw one next to the sorority house.” stated Pinkie “Ya can’t be thinking of taking it, can ya Pinks?” asked AJ “Come on AJ, they’ll be too drunk to even notice it’s gone,” PInkie replied “Darling, even if they are too drunk to notice, it is still stealing, we could go to jail.” Rarity shrieked, the look of pure horror on her face told all present that the idea of jail was a nightmare for the drama queen. “We won’t go to jail as long as we return it before it is missed!” Pinkie said in a nonchalant manner, as if this wasn’t the first time she had stolen a carriage. The remaining four just looked at their pink friend stunned by her easy-go attitude about committing a felony. “You going to stare at me all night , or we going to PARTY!!!” Pinkie said from at top the white carriage, she was sitting in the driver’s podium, she had somehow gotten the carriage from the sorority house to where the girls were in the blink of an eye. After coming out of their shocked states, the girls conceded to the fact that they were now accesories to theft, and all climbed into the carriage. The carriage was a newer model, one with it’s own propulsion system, simple little spell known as ‘come to life’ which could be turned on or off by putting pressure on a peddle on the floor of the driver’s podium, and direction was controlled by a wheel, which also was on the driver’s podium. As soon as the carriage started to go, Rainbow asked “Is it me or does this feel strange?” “In what way sugarcube?” inquired AJ in response to Rainbow’s question. “I mean shouldn’t there be a pony pulling this thing?” said Rainbow. “Well darling, I would normally agree but considering the advances in unicorn magic, the need for physical labor in such cases no longer is the most efficient method.” stated Rarity. The girls didn’t talk much for the remainder of the trip, when they did it was mainly about what they were going to do once they got there. About thirty minutes later, the carriage had finally reached the nightlife district. On both sides of the streets, on all the streets of this district, were nightclubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, motels, and even a few movie theaters, and if you asked some ponies, there are rumors of a red-light district within this district of the city. Some ponies say entertainment district is a better name for this particular part of the city. In the carriage, AJ, Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy were all looking out the windows completely enthralled by the neon lights that made up the signs of the various establishments. Pinkie slowed the carriage down and parked it along side one of the sidewalks, in a designated zone for carriage parking. Hopping down from the driver’s podium, she opened the door for her friends to get out. Once they all were out of the carriage, they decided to walk around to see if something caught their fancy. When they had gotten a few yards away from the carriage, Pinkie said: “You know, normally when I do this kind of stuff, something bad usually happens to the carriage, seems tonight I get a break from my bad luck.” Just as Pinkie said the word ‘luck’, the most inexplicable thing happens: A baby grand piano drops out of the sky, crashing into the carriage, which somehow causes an explosion, engulfing the wooden remains to just turn into a large bonfire. The five mares just stared at the blaze, mouths hanging wide open at the sight before them. “How the heck does that happen?!!!!” exclaimed Rainbow, next to her Fluttershy was in a catatonic state due to the explosion scaring her stiff “Oh I know! The containment unit for the ‘come to life’ spell broke, causing a cascade failure meltdown in the spell matrix, resulting in an explosion,” said Pinkie, looking at her friends who had shocked expressions on their faces, with the exception of Fluttershy who was still catatonic. “Ugh... I helped Twilight with a project once and the same thing happened.” “Care to explain why a dang piano fell from the sky sugarcube?” asked AJ “That’s the one thing that got me stumped.” replied Pinkie with a shrug, the rest of the girls just let it slide, they guessed even somepony as random as Pinkie can get stumped once in awhile. After a few moments to get Fluttershy out of her catatonic state, the five mares continued their journey. After about 45 minutes of walking around and seeing the sights, they stopped off at a bar. The bar was decent, but not all that spectacular in any regard, one might call it average, though it was doing well for itself if you went by the crowd that was there. the group walked up to the L-shaped bar station, and were greeted by one of the bartender “Welcome to Pony Joe’s, I’m Pony Joe, owner operator and bartender of this establishment, how may I serve you ladies tonight.” “Mighty nice to meet ya, Joe, I will have a glass of hard cider, if ya got any.” said AJ. “We do have hard cider.” replied Joe. “I’ll take a glass of that as well,” Rainbow concurred. “Me too!” Pinkie piped up. “A martini for me darling,” stated Rarity. “Ummm...just water please.” squeaked Fluttershy. “Okay, three hard ciders, a martini and a glass of water coming up.” recited Pony Joe. While Pony Joe was getting their drinks, the girls took a closer look at the bar, there were pool tables, dart boards, tables and chairs, but nothing really for them. “I think we should try someplace else, after our drinks,” Rainbow said to the group, in a low voice, trying to be polite for once in her life. “Dashie is right this place isn’t for us,” Pinkie concurred “But where should we go next?” Rarity asked “If you girls are interested in a nightclub, I know of one” Pony Joe said, returning with a tray of drinks, then passing them to their intended pony “And before you ask how it is I heard your conversation, know this: bartenders learn many skills on job, one of them is hearing things ponies say when they think no pony is listening or can’t hear. And I have to agree, you girls aren’t the type for this place.” After taking a sip of her hard cider, AJ asked “Y’all mentioned somethin’ about a nightclub?” “I did.” Pony Joe replied bluntly. “Care to tell us darling?” inquired Rarity. “It’s known as Luna’s Den, it’s about two blocks away, take a left when you leave here, then at the intersection take a left, head straight for two intersections then take a right, and you should see the sign from there, a large crescent moon with the words Luna’s Den next to it.” explained Pony Joe. “Ummm.. can you tell us how you know of this place... if that’s okay with you?” squeaked Fluttershy. “It’s a deal all the owners in the district have. If a pony needs help finding a place send them where you think they should go, keeps the market fresh and lines all the owner’s pockets.” Pony Joe said with a smirk on his face, a few seconds later he left to help another patron. The girls finished their drinks about 10 minutes later, paid their bill, and made their way out of Pony Joe’s. Once again out into the night, it was slightly colder than when they first arrived but wasn’t too bad, they made their way to Luna’s Den. For a friday night, the streets were unusually barren, but the girls shrugged it off. It was late, and that meant ponies were either at home or inside one of the many establishments that made up this district. About fifteen minutes from when they left Pony Joe’s, the girls finally had Luna’s Den in sight. Upon seeing the sign, Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs, “Yeah we made it, PARTY TIME!!!!” “We made it here without too much trouble,” Rainbow commented. “Speak for yourself, Rainbow. You didn’t have that mad pony spouting nonsense in your face!” Rarity snapped at Rainbow. Several blocks away there was a pony with a sign that said ‘The end is nigh, Lord Smooze returns’, and this pony was trying to warn the girls about some sort of disaster. The girls however gave the pony the slip and made it to Luna’s Den without much trouble there after. “So we going in or not?” Pinkie asked with a noticeable bounce in her step. “Yes sugarcube, we are going in.” replied AJ. Nodding in agreement, the girls made their way into the club. For them this would be a night to always enjoy. For one DJ this would be a night she would wish she could forget. ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note Edited by Sam Cole, he also gave me the link for my cover art songs in this chapter: Up In Smoke by Hollywood Undead Release the Panic by Red //-------------------------------------------------------// Out on the Town Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Out on the Town Part 2 Out on the Town Part 2: ______________________________________________________________________________ This is bad, very bad! What in Faust’s name are they doing here? Midnight panically asked herself. Okay, calm down Midnight, remember what Luna taught you about stress management and concealment. Midnight took a deep breath and relaxed. Good, nice and calm, don’t want them to get suspicious. Just keep doing what you normally do and you will make it out of this, Midnight told herself, though if the strands of hair that were now popping out at odd angles were any indication, she was near a breakdown of godly proportions. Taking a quick glance at the turntable’s digital clock, Midnight knew that it was around 11:30, meaning her break would be in 30 minutes. Yep, definitely going to need a drink tonight. Looking at the dance floor, she could clearly see Pinkie Pie living it up, along with Rainbow Dash. The two had somehow gotten to the dance floor without Midnight noticing. Damn, I knew they were party animals, but by the moon, they got moves, Midnight thought as she was treated to the killer dance moves of Pinkie and Rainbow. The two mares were dancing to the beats in such a way that everypony was just standing there awestruck. With a smirk, Midnight lowered the mic piece on her headset, and spoke, “Hey you two party ponies you got some skill. Try this song out.” And with that, Midnight started to play a song from the japonies group known as EXID. The song was simply called ‘I Feel Good,’ but this song is deceptive, with it’s fast paced sections mixed in with slower sections. Needless to say it was the kind of song that could cause the best dancers to mess up. Much to Midnight’s surprise, Rainbow and Pinkie somehow managed to keep up with the song and treated everypony present to the greatest dance performance ever. At the end of it all, they were both exhausted but satisfied that they gave their best shot. Midnight nodded to her dancefloor stars, “Give it up to these crazy party ponies!” The entire club thundered with the sounds of hooves meeting the floor in a standing ovation and the sounds of ponies cheering at the top of their lungs. Maybe tonight won’t be so bad afterall, pondered Midnight as she looked out on the dance floor where the crowd was still cheering for Rainbow and Pinkie, the two were now heading to the bar for what Midnight assumed were some well deserved drinks. At the bar, AJ, Fluttershy, and Rarity were getting their own drinks and watching their two friends rip up the dance floor. After taking a sip of the hard cider she had bought, AJ could no longer contain her chuckle, “Those two got some moves.” “Indeed they do, darling.” Rarity concurred with Fluttershy meekly nodding in agreement. “From the way those two were dancin, ya think we should get them a drink?” AJ asked. “Normally I would say we should, but seeing as they are coming to us, and seeing as I don’t know their taste in drinks I think it is up to them darling.” Noted Rarity as she spotted Rainbow and Pinkie coming up to the bar. “Hey girls. I tell ya, that was one heck of a workout.” Rainbow panted while trying to catch her breath. Pinkie for the moment was quiet, either from exhaustion or contemplation over what drink to have. Before she could snap out of her trance, the bartender Berry Punch walked over to the girls and asked “So, what can I get for you ladies?” Berry looked at Rainbow and Pinkie expectantly. “I’ll have a hard cider.” Rainbow said after a few seconds to think. “Huh... oh... Gin and Tonic.” Pinkie said after being shocked out of whatever stupor she was in. “Okay. Easy enough.” Berry stated, as she prepared the drinks. “So Pinks, what’s on your mind?” asked Rainbow, a hint of concern for her pink friend evident in her voice. “Oh... it’s nothing really.” Pinkie responded, though in a tone that made clear to all present that even she didn’t believe her own words. After a few seconds of silence, Pinkie spoke again “It’s that DJ. Her voice oddly sounds a lot like Twilight’s.” Berry returned with the drinks, but upon overhearing Pinkie’s statement, she added, “I don’t know who this Twilight is, but the DJ’s named Midnight Glimmer. She’s been working here for about a year, maybe two.” Pinkie thought on this for a moment and shrugged before saying, “Oh okay. Again, just saying she sounds like Twilight.” Berry nodded then moved on to the next set of patrons. Pinkie took a sip of her drink before she addressed the rest of the girls, “So, did you notice how quickly the bartender responded to my question? Like, she did even answer it at all?” “What you getting at Pinks?” Rainbow asked with a raise of an eyebrow. “They’re hiding something. And I believe it involves that DJ and Twilight.” Pinkie said shooting a quick glance at Midnight, then back at the girls. “Pinkie, ya seem a might paranoid over this whole Twi deal,” AJ said in a concerned manner. “Oh come on! Am I the only pony who sees this?” Pinkie vividly spoke ,throwing her hooves out, “ I mean really, I know I have to spell it out for these three, but come on Rarity, you have to see the eerie similarities between Twi and this DJ. I mean really how can you say you love Twi and not notice what could be her in a disguise. Though admittedly well thought out, it’s still a disguise.” Pinkie’s words made Rarity do a double take. No, no, it can’t be... can it? I mean yes, this Midnight character and my beloved Twilight do share the same mane style and there is some similarity with the highlights. But honestly, Twilight can’t be a DJ... I mean even if it were true she would tell me.... I mean us, her friends... right? Rarity was in her own mind at this point, not even aware that she had been in thought for a good 15 minutes. It didn’t matter seeing as the rest of the group, save for Pinkie, too were in thought over this development. “Okay, let’s say for a second this is true. Why would Twilight lie to us about this?” Rarity said in a quivering voice still trying to come to terms with the new ideas flooding her head. “Um... maybe she just wanted some space,” Squeaked Fluttershy, “I mean we do a lot together as a group, maybe she just wanted one thing to do on her own.” “I think Fluttershy has the right idea, but this would mean absolutely nothing if it turns out that Twi isn’t that DJ, and I think I know who to ask next.” Proclaimed Pinkie with a smile. “Who do you have in mind Pinks?” Inquired Rainbow “That bouncer in the corner.” Pinkie stated while pointing to a white unicorn stallion. One with a mane and tail colored in three different shades of blue which seemed to transition smoothly, wearing what looked to be a fancy suit with sunglasses, and topped off with an earpiece that wrapped around one of his ears. “Ya sure ya should be buggin a bouncer there Pinks?” AJ questioned her friends judgment in this matter. “Call it a hunch.” That’s all Pinkie said as she made her way to the bouncer. “Hi there....Shining Armor,” Pinkie said to the bouncer while reading his gold plated name tag, “Can I ask you a question?” “Sure, but make it quick I do have a job to do.” Shining said with a smile. “What can you tell me about that DJ Midnight Glimmer?” Pinkie asked, looking Shining straight in the eyes. “Why do you want to know about her?” Shining’s tone became noticeably darker as Pinkie asked a hot button question. “Because.” Pinkie stated nonchalantly. “Because why?” “I think she is really my friend, Twilight.” With a huff, clearly not enjoying this conversation, Shining stated, “Look, I don’t know who this Twilight is, but I can tell you this much: Midnight has been working for two years now, and has never once given me or anypony else reason to suspect she is somepony else.” As he finished saying that, the tell tale sounds of glass breaking was heard. Shining sighed, “I hate to cut this short but it looks like I am needed elsewhere.” With that, the bouncer walked over to were a few ponies were parting a little too hard. Pinkie huffed, I thought I had something there. She sighed and walked back over to her friends. Taking a seat Pinkie confessed “Well that was a bust. Guess our next move is to ask the DJ herself.” “And how do ya figure to do that, Pinks?” AJ inquired. “She has to take a break sometime.” Pinkie replied, with a smirk. Over at the turntable, Midnight was preparing the system to auto run a playlist for her break. This playlist should be good for now, Midnight thought as she did one last check before heading to the bar for her break. Maybe if I am lucky, they won’t notice me. At least I hope they don’t notice me, I really don’t want to explain all this to them. Midnight was pleading with the heavens by the time she reached the bar. As she took her seat, she heard somepony saying, “Hi there, I’m PInkie Pie” Crud, Faust must not like me tonight, Midnight thought with a sigh, then she looked at Pinkie and said, “Hi there, you must be new to Luna’s Den, seeing as I’ve never seen you here before.” Please just say hi and go on your way Pinkie. Faust, if you love me, you will let her go on her merry way soon, Midnight was getting desperate in her pleas for divine intervention. “Your right! Me and my friends are new here, so new that we asked everypony who you were.” Pinkie said with a big, disturbing smile on her face. “Oh.... how come?” Midnight inquired, while in her mind she was panicking. Crud, Crud, double Crud! Are they on to me? “Your voice sounds a lot like a friend of mines is all.” Pinkie glared at Midnight. “Oh...well you see I get that alot.... I just have one of those voices, ehehe.” Midnight tried to placate the suspicion, but from the continuing glare she was getting from Pinkie told her that it wasn’t working. Luckily for Midnight, Rainbow showed up and said to Pinkie, “Hey Pinks, leave her be. She obviously needs a break right now. Come on, we can talk to her later.” With that Rainbow pulled Pinkie back to the rest of the girls, Rainbow then whispered to Pinkie, “Next time, don’t be so blunt. Be cool, like me.” “I know, I know” Pinkie whispered back. When Pinkie and Rainbow made it back to their seats, Midnight let out a sigh of relief, being very thankful for the turn of events. Well, that went well.... I need a drink and bad, tonight’s being one heck of a headache. “Tough night there Midnight?” Berry asked as she came up to her fellow co worker. “Berry, you don’t know the haft of it.” Midnight stated. “That’s because you choose to keep the two halves of your life separate.” Berry jabbed. “True. Maybe if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be as stressed.” Midnight mulled over her choices in life. “Well, the past is the past, got to live for today... So your usual?” Berry inquired. “Actually, I am thinking the Blackout Special tonight. I got a feeling I’ll need it.” Midnight stated. “Damn, you only ask for the Special when you are really stressed. Well by our contracts I can’t deny you what you want, but you know I have to tell Spike. Don’t want an incident like last time, now do we?” Berry commented. “No, no we don’t.” Was all Midnight had to say on the matter. Last time was not pretty. That’s for sure, Midnight thought with a little bit of a shiver. “Anyway I will be back with your drink in a moment.” Berry said as she left to make the so called ‘special’. A few moments later, Berry returned with what appeared to be a normal shot glass. However in this shot glass was no ordinary drink. The Blackout Special was a mix of vodka, gin, lemons, an assortment of berries and other seemingly harmless items. Alone these ingredients could make anypony drunk, or at least affect the taste buds in the terms of the lemons and berries, but together these could cause a blackout with in seconds. Midnight took the shot glass in her hoof, swirled the contents in the glass abit, then looked at Berry and smiled. “Down the hatch.” “Hum.... a little sour this time.” Was all Midnight said, or at least she remembers saying before blacking out. Midnight awoke to sunlight pouring into her apartment's window. Faust, what the heck happened....oh right Blackout Special.... at least this apartment of mine is over the club. Can’t imagine getting too far, Midnight thought as she started to get up, but soon a pounding headache stalled her in her tracks. Damn it to Tartarus, I hate hangovers....Well it’s my own damn fault in the first place.... Glad I didn’t wake up with some other pony in bed this time. Midnight’s last thought was interrupted by the sounds of another pony next to her beginning to stir from slumber. Just great, wonder who it is this time, with my luck it’s probably Vinyl like the last time... Spike really chewed us out for that one.... Had to go to that Faust damned seminar about office romances and how they affect productivity....Worst weekend ever. Heck, anypony is better than that damn stripper Cadence. I mean seriously what does Shining see in that mare. I mean really, she will sleep with anypony that gets her drunk enough. Midnight turned to face this mysterious pony, and was shocked beyond all measure. Oh buck I was wrong! Oh this is bad, this is Faust damned bad. I mean for real, Faust must hate me to no end. Great this is just great. What the heck am i going to do.... In a soft and low voice Midnight spoke. “It just had to be Rarity.” ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note Changed titles and what not, more info on my blog songs in this chapter: 1. I Feel Good by EXID //-------------------------------------------------------// Beware the Blackout Special //-------------------------------------------------------// Beware the Blackout Special Beware the Blackout Special: ______________________________________________________________________________ Well, this is a fine mess I’ve gotten myself into this time....well might as well make some coffee and tea. Midnight thought as she gingerly got out of bed, not wanting to wake Rarity. Before she left the room, Midnight realized her clothes were on the floor. Oops! Better put those back on... I hope Rarity didn’t get a good look at my cutie mark, or that she doesn’t remember seeing it at all... That’s the one thing my spell can’t change, Midnight thought as she put her mini skirt on. Midnight headed to the miniature kitchen in her apartment. I just hope Rarity takes this better than I did when it happened with Vinyl, Midnight cringed at that thought, clearly not enjoying that particular memory. Well, good thing my disguise spell is still active... Vinyl didn’t take it too well when she woke up to regular me, Midnight chuckled to herself as she saw her reflection in the coffee maker. “Huh? Wha...? Where am I!?!” Rarity could be heard screaming at the top of her lungs in the bedroom. Looks like she’s awake, and not taking it as well as I hoped....this is going to suck, Midnight thought as she prepared a cup of coffee for herself and made some hot water for the tea Rarity would most likely be having. With a loud bang the bedroom door opened violently to make way for a very angry Rarity. “You!” Rarity shouted at Midnight, “You have some gall to get me drunk and then have your way with me!” With a sigh, Midnight took a sip of her coffee, looked Rarity in the eyes and said, “First off, I was drunk as well. So drunk I blacked out. That’s why they call the drink I had the Blackout Special. So as to how we wound up in this situation, I have no memory. So I suggest we be civil for now and have something to drink. I have coffee or tea, and then we can get some breakfast before we try and kill each other. Sound good to you?” Never thought I’d be using Vinyl’s lines word for word. “Fine, tea please... Midnight Glimmer?” Rarity grumbled a bit, still feeling hungover. “Tea it is then. And yes my name is Midnight Glimmer, but most call me Midnight.” Midnight chuckled as she prepared the tea. “What kind do you prefer? I have Jasmine and Earl Grey.” “Jasmine is fine.” Rarity stated with a huff. A few moments later Midnight and Rarity took seats at the small table that served as Midnight’s dinner table. They sipped their drinks in silence not sure what to say to the other. After a few more minutes of silence, Midnight finally spoke. “Okay... using my own experience as a good indication of what’s going on and some street knowledge, I got two theories as to why you may be angry right now: One: this is your first time, and you probably didn’t want it to be as drunk sex. Two: you have your eye on somepony else and wanted to save that for with them. Preferably not drunk though.” “How.....” Rarity stuttered stunned at Midnight’s analyzation of her situation. “Like I said, past experience and using some common sense. I mean really, a mare like you getting drunk? There has to be for a reason. And by that I mean you don’t come off as a party pony, unlike the pink and cyan mares that were with you.” Midnight stated calmly. “You are.... Wait! My friends! Where are they?!!” Rarity panicked. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll find them....I hope.” Midnight said, the last part becoming more of a mubble. “Ugh....what the buck happened last night?” Rainbow asked, not sure to who she was asking though. Taking a quick glance at her surroundings told her she was back in her dorm room. “How the heck did I get back here?” Rainbow asked aloud as she made her way out her dorm room and into the main living room of the dorm. Looking about the room she noticed what could be described as the aftermath of a tornado that had occurred in the dorm. “Crap.” “Dashie! Language!” Pinkie shouted as she popped out of the center of it all. After a few seconds for her brain to process what just happened, Rainbow stated, “Pinks, do you know how we got back? Didn’t the carriage get destroyed?” “It did, but I fixed it.” Pinkie said nonchalantly. Resisting the urge to ask how Pinkie accomplished this task, knowing full well that the answer was probably highly unusual, Rainbow merely asked “Have you seen the others?” “Fluttershy is in her room, and AJ is under this mess with me. I have no clue where Rarity is though.” Pinkie said with a shrug. Blinking at the response, Rainbow then shook her head and asked, “Why is AJ in there with you?” “Drunk sex, of course.” Pinkie giggled with a weird smile on her face. Rainbow opened her mouth a few times trying to respond to what Pinkie just said, with a huff she just stated, “I’m going back to bed, this day is just too random for me.” “Okie Dokie Lokie” Pinkie said in a sing-song voice, before submerging herself into the mess once again. Rainbow closed her bedroom door, laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. Ten seconds later, her eyes shot open and screamed, “WE LEFT RARITY BEHIND!!!!! “So...Got an idea where your friends might be?” Midnight asked Rarity, as they walked the streets of the nightlife district. “Not in the slightest.” Rarity stated with a huff. “Hum....Chances are they might not be in this district anymore.” Midnight stated. “Perhaps.” Rarity meekly said. The two walked in silence for a few minutes, till Midnight suddenly stopped. “Want to get lunch? Maybe we’ll have better luck after a bit to eat. All we really had for breakfast was coffee and tea.” Midnight asked Rarity. Rarity mulled over the idea for a bit, then stated: “Very well, but where in this district will we find a place that is open? Are not all the places open at night, and if you have not noticed it is late morning/ early afternoon.” “Valid points,” Midnight chuckled, “However, I know this district better than you. And I know of a few diners that are open right now. You didn’t think that all this district had to offer was a night scene, did you? There are tons of hotels and motels, not to mention diners, within the confines of this district.” “Ehehe... I guess I did.” Rarity said with a visible blush, clearly embarrassed by her mistake in judgement. “Well, let’s get going, we should be able to make the lunchtime special.” Midnight stated as she started to gallop, Rarity close behind as she too started to take a quicker pace. The two mares ran for close to ten minutes, passing block after block till finally they reached a part of the nightlife district which could be described as almost a normal city downtown. At least in terms of the apartment buildings that lined the streets, that is. “Welcome to the nightlife district’s sleeping quarter, most of the workers in the district live here, easier to get to their jobs from here than say the suburban district of the city. Also this place houses the best diner in the whole district.” Midnight stated while throwing her front hooves up into the sky. “Wait, if most of the workers live here, why is your apartment over the nightclub?” inquired Rarity. “One: it’s much cheaper to rent that apartment. Two: this place isn’t as safe as it seems. Hustlers out the wazoo around here.” Midnight said, but mumbled the last part as if scared of being heard. “Anyway, let’s head on to Zippy’s!” Midnight exclaimed after a few seconds. “Zippy’s.... Never heard of that before.” Rarity stated. “Yeah it’s a good place, best food I’ve ever tasted. And it’s run by the kindest guy ever, even though he is very big...Well, you’ll see what I mean when we get in there.” Midnight said with a smile. The two walked for a few more minutes, before seeing a big sign saying ‘Zippy’s’ over a small brick building, which oddly, for the city of Townsville, had no other buildings next to it for at least a good ten yards. “This is Zippy’s.” Midnight stated. “How quaint. Though why are the buildings so far from it?” Rarity asked. “The owner, Zippy Eats, while not the most assertive of folks, does know a thing or two about zoning, and how to make a business run well. Plus, rumors are that he’s dating Zecora, one of Mayor Mare’s assistants.” Midnight stated with a giggle. “Wait, the zebra that rhymes all the time?” Rarity asked. “Yep, that’s her.” stated Midnight with a smile. “Hum... Now I am interested to meet this Zippy Eats.” Rarity mumbled, more to herself than anypony else. “Well then, let’s go in.” Midnight gleefully chirped. The two mares walked into the establishment, taking in the scene. Rarity thought to herself the place was quite quaint, with it’s round wooden tables and chairs that made up the main dining area. This dinner even had what could be described as the stereotypical dining bar area in front of the kitchen with a large open window for food to pass behind. Taking another look around Rarity saw that it was fairly busy. My, this place has quite the crowd. Breaking from her thoughts, Rarity saw Midnight head to the bar counter, whom waved at Rarity to come over and take a seat next to her. As Rarity approached the stool next to Midnight, she took note of the being behind the counter. Oh my! A minotaur!! What have I gotten myself into?!!!!! Taking another look at the minotaur, her thoughts slowed as she took in what she actually seeing. His coloring reminds me of that Iron Will character that’s been in the news, something about assertiveness lessons going awry. Though he doesn’t have a nose ring but those tattoos on his arms and muzzle.... He must be from Equestrian Samarea. Rarity broke from her thoughts just in time to hear Midnight and this minotaur's conversation begin. “Aloha Wahines! Ey! Aloha Mids! Howzit sista?” said Zippy Eats. “Been better Zippy, been better. Anyway, Zippy, I would like you to meet Rarity, Rarity this is my friend Zippy Eats, he owns this place, he’s also the top short order chef here. He makes the best food. Anyway Zippy, Rarity and I would like to get lunch.” Midnight sighed. “Aloha Rarity. You wahines have come at a good time. Da food today brok’ da mout!” Zippy exclaimed. “Oh, braddah. Fo’ Real? You always say that.” Midnight chuckled at her own fake Samarean accent, lucky Zippy too joined in the laughing as well. Meanwhile Rarity was in shock at the scene before her. Who is this Midnight Glimmer? She is an enigma wrapped in a mystery inside a paradox....Wait, where did that thought come from? “Mids? Dis sista be acting lolo.” Zippy stated. “No, she isn’t. She has never been here before, and only just meet me, so I expected such reactions from her. Give her time.” Midnight tried to placate the minotaur’s worries. “K’den. Wat ya wanna eat?” Zippy asked. “Just the usual.” Midnight simply stated. “Ah, choke of lei covered in poi. I will be back wiki wiki.” With that Zippy headed to the kitchen to place the order. From her seat, Midnight could see Zippy talking to the other chef in the back. Turning her attention back to Rarity, she saw that her friend was still in shock over the whole situation. “You okay there Rarity?” Midnight inquired. “Huh?... Oh yes, sorry about that darling. It’s just I never suspected that you knew a fellow such as mister Eats.” Rarity said after she shook off her initial shock. “I suspected as much. Don’t let Eats’ appearance intimidate you. He’s really a big softy.” Midnight snickered. “I guess you’re right.” Rarity sighed. “Want to talk? I can see something is on your mind. We really didn’t get to talk earlier.” Midnight stated with a slight twinge of guilt. Rarity mulled over her thoughts for a few minutes, “I guess. I am more angry at myself than at you for this whole situation.” Rarity finished with a huff. “Well, that’s a start. But I can see something else is on your mind.” Midnight tried to coax Rarity to say more. “Hum, I guess there is, but you think I am silly for having this on my mind.” Rarity sighed. “Oh come on! No I wouldn’t.” Midnight chuckled while batting a hoof at Rarity. “Well, seeing as I told my friends this already, I guess telling you isn’t too bad. You see Midnight, I am in love, and I guess I always pictured my first time being with her.” Rarity finally confessed to Midnight. “Her?” Midnight squeaked. Rarity is a lesbian? Holy Faust, I never would have guessed. Midnight thought to herself, it was the only thought that prevailed in her now shocked state. “Yes, the mare that I love is the smartest, most beautiful, adorkable mare around,” Rarity smiled as thoughts of her beloved filled her mind, before her smile faded to her next thoughts. “She hardly knows what she does to me, just by looking my way. I’d give anything to tell her how I feel, but alas I get cold hooves when I try to say something. It does not help that she is always keeping to herself.” Rarity explained in her usual drama queen fashion. “Wow, sounds tuff. You know from the way you described this mare, she might not be on the market for long. You might want to tell her sooner rather than later. If you wait, she might be picked up by somepony else.” Midnight stated, having shaken off her shock. “You’re right! I must tell her how I feel! But how?” Rarity pleaded. “Geev da sista a tiki, but not any tiki, a tiki of Laka.” Zippy said as he returned with a plate of food. “Laka? Isn’t she the goddess of fertility and the hula?” Midnight asked her Samarean friend. “Fo’ shua, but we from da i’land see ‘er as love as well.” Zippy responded with a big smile. “It’s an interesting idea but I have no such item on me. Nor do I know where to get or how to make such an item.” Rarity confessed. “Tiki can be anything sista, just make shua it come from da heart.” Zippy replied “Really? Oh thank you Zippy, you have given me an idea!” Rarity exclaimed. “No prob sista, just be happy is all I ask.” Zippy smiled, then preceded to help another customer. “Well, let’s eat then find your friends. Sound good Rarity?” Midnight asked. “A most excellent idea.” Rarity replied. After eating the authentic Samarean dish, the two mares said their thanks to Zippy and left the establishment full and prepared for whatever else the day could throw at them. Though one thought prevailed over all other thoughts in the mares’ minds. What are the others up to? -Back at the Lunar dorm - “Girls!!! Wake up!! We got to find Rarity!!!” Rainbow screamed as she frantically tried to wake her friends from their collective stupor. Applejack yawned, “I don’t see what the fuss is about, Rarity is a grown mare she can handle herself.” “But, we just left her Faust knows where.” Rainbow retorted. “Umm... I might know where she might be.” Fluttershy squeaked. “Where?” Rainbow inquired. “I remember her and the DJ having a drunk conversation during the DJ’s second break, seems they might have... Well you know.” Fluttershy confessed with a blush. Rainbow was shocked, more that Fluttershy was saying it and not over what she had just implied. Shaking the thoughts from her head, Rainbow responded, “Still we should find her.” “Oh oh, I get to st-borrow another carriage!!!” Pinkie spoke up, though it was clear, to all present, that she was about to say ‘steal’. “I’d rather not go to jail, Pinks.” Rainbow stated defiantly. “Why? Jail is fun, especially when you break out.” Pinkie said with a smile. Rainbow, AJ and Fluttershy just had one thought going through their heads at this point. When did Pinkie go to jail? And did she say she broke out? “I don’t want to know.” Rainbow, Fluttershy and AJ, all said at the exact same time. “So, let’s get going.” Rainbow stated. “But where to? We have no clue where Rarity is.” Fluttershy said, her head dropping a bit in sadness. “Best place ta start would be where we all last saw ‘er. Ah say we just search that district for Rares then.” AJ stated. “Sounds like a plan.” Rainbow concurred. “I’ll get the carriage.” Pinkie call out to her friends, from outside the dorm. “How did she get out there so fast?” Rainbow asked, as she saw Pinkie run off to get the carriage, from the window. “Not a clue, sugarcube.” AJ relented, Fluttershy just nodded in agreement. A few minutes later Pinkie showed up with a carriage. It was similar in design as the one from last time, but this one was black with silver inlays around the wheel wells on the frame. “Where did ya find this one?” AJ asked. “Oh, I got it from a friend.” Pinkie replied. “Anything we should know about this friend?” Rainbow inquired. “You don’t need to know anything personal about my friend, but incase any cops ask this isn’t the carriage they are looking for. Trust me, you want to play stupid.” Pinkie stated. “How are we friends with her again?” Rainbow whispered to AJ. “Not a clue, sugarcube.” AJ whispered back. “Umm, shouldn’t we be looking for Rarity right now?” Fluttershy squeaked. “Right! Let’s get a move on!” Pinkie said as she hopped down and opened the carriage door, before she proceeded to hop back into the driver’s podium in one fluid movement. AJ, Fluttershy and Rainbow hopped in and they were ready to roll. Now back in the nightlife district, the four friends headed to the last place they remember seeing their friend, Luna’s Den. When they got there, they had forgotten the first rule about nightclubs, namely that they’re not open during the day. “So, what now?” AJ asked. “Give me a minute to think.” Rainbow snapped. “Oh, what was that bar we first went to? Pony Joe’s? Maybe Pony Joe can give us some ideas.” Pinkie suggested. “Better than nothing.” Rainbow relented. They hopped back into the carriage and made a beeline for Pony Joe’s. After a few minutes, the girls found themselves in front of the bar that, for them the night before, started it all. Luckily for the mares, Pony Joe’s was indeed open. When they walked inside, they noticed the bar wasn’t as packed as it was last night. “This place must not get a lot of business during the day.” Rainbow whispered to Pinkie. “For sure.” Pinkie whispered back. Meanwhile, AJ walked over to the bar and waved down Pony Joe. “Hey Joe, Ah need to ask ya somethin.” AJ stated “Sure AJ, what you need? Something go wrong at Luna’s Den?” Pony Joe inquired. “Sorta, ya see we’re tryin to find our friend, and the last place we saw ‘em was at that there nightclub, but it’s closed. We know Rarity is with that there Midnight. We’re hopin ya might know where they might be.” AJ explained. “Hum.... Midnight has an apartment on the second floor of Luna’s Den.....Seeing as it’s noonish, I guess they went to Zippy’s for lunch.” Pony Joe replied with a shrug. “Midnight always eats there. Heck, all the workers ‘round here do.” “Zippy’s huh, care to tell us how to get there?” AJ asked. “Head west for five blocks, then head north for 6, turn left onto Kiwi Street, then you should see a sign that says ‘Zippy’s’.” Pony Joe stated flawlessly, from memory as one who walks that path everyday. “Thank ya kindly.” AJ tipped her stetson. “Come on girls, we got ourselves a lead.” AJ said to her friends. A few seconds later they were out on the street and about to get into the carriage when Rainbow crashed into another pony. “Ow! Oh, who did I bump into this time?” Rainbow asked as she rubbed her head with one of her forehooves. “That would be me. I wish I could say ‘it was nice to meet you,’ but under the circumstances, that’s not likely. Anyway, my name is Cadence.” Said the pony, now identified as Cadence. “Nice to meet ya, I’m AppleJack, this here is Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The pony that crashed into ya is Rainbow Dash.” AJ said. “Now Rainbow apologize to miss Cadence for crashing into ‘er.” AJ snorted at Rainbow. “Ugh... Fine.... Sorry I bumped into you.... Now can we go we got to find Rarity.” Rainbow said with a huff. “Oh, looking for a friend? Need some help?” Cadence asked. “Thank ya kindly, but we know where to go to find ‘er. She’s with that Midnight character.” AJ spoke up. “Oh! She’s with Midnight huh? Well, don’t worry too much then, Midnight is a responsible mare. Oh! When you see Midnight, tell her that I say ‘sunshine.’ She’ll know what that means.” Cadence said as she started to walk away, leaving behind a fairly confused group of mares. “Anypony got a clue what that means?” Rainbow asked. “Not a clue, sugarcube.” AJ shaking her head, Pinkie and Fluttershy doing the same. After a few moments of silence, AJ said “Well, let’s get a move on, we still need to find Rares.” “Hey girls? Did you notice she had wings and a horn.” Pinkie said as she climbed to the driver’s podium. “Yeah.... But no time to figure that out Pinks, we got to find Rares. One mystery at a time.” Rainbow stated, as the girls once again entered the carriage. Once again, the girls found themselves traveling the streets of the nightlife district in an attempt to find their lost friend. After a good ten minutes of driving, the found themselves outside of the diner known as Zippy’s. “I hope she is here.” squeaked Fluttershy as she made her way to the door of the diner. “Yeah, me too.” Rainbow stated. The girls walked into the diner and made a beeline for the counter, once there they only waited a few seconds before Zippy Eats made an appearance, “Aloha Wahines! Welcome ta Zippy’s. I be Zippy Eats, da owner and operator.” “Hello mister Eats, we’re here looking for a friend. We heard she might have come by these parts.” AJ stated calmly. This wasn’t her first rodeo, and a minotaur short order chef was not that odd to the mare. “Ah, I try and help but ya know ya friend’s name?” Zippy asked. “Rarity.” AJ said. “Eh! The sista was ‘ere, left with Mids a few moments ago, ya just missed um.” Zippy stated with a smile. “Great, now where could they be?” Rainbow huffed. “If I ‘ad to guess, Mids probably took Rarity back ta ‘er place.” Zippy thought as he rubbed his chin. The mares just stared at Zippy. The silence that persisted was only broken by Rainbow losing her cool and shouting, “You’re telling us we have to go back to the beginning of this entire mess!” “Settle down, Dash! Thank ya kindly there mister Eats, we will be on our way now.” AJ said. “Was nothin sista, go, find ya friend.” Zippy said with a smile as he waved to the leaving group of mares. Zippy thought to himself, Mids fo’ shua knows how to keep things lolo around dis place. Out on the streets, the carriage carrying the intrepid girls was racing down the streets, making a beeline for Luna’s Den. Or it would have, had it not come to a sudden stop, causing the passengers inside to crash to the floor. “What gives Pinkie?!!” Rainbow screamed. “Sorry Dashie, but I see Rarity on the sidewalk with Midnight.” Pinkie replied from the driver’s podium. “That’s great! Let’s go see what’s up with the drama queen.” Rainbow stated as she threw open the carriage door. Pinkie jumped from the driver’s podium as Fluttershy, AJ and Rainbow raced out of the carriage, and all made a beeline for Rarity, who was a few yards ahead. They all cried her name as they closed the gap, ready to pounce. Rarity turned her head and saw her friends as they plowed into her in dog pile formation. This resulted in the pile of ponies falling to the ground. Rarity groaned, “Oww! Girls! I am happy to see you but if you would please, Get the Hay Off of Me!” “Sorry Rarity, we were just so worried about you.” Fluttershy confessed. “Shy’s right, we were worried.” Rainbow admitted in a rare show of emotion. “Ya got that right, sugarcube. We had a mess of fright when we realized ya were gone.” AJ stated. “Yeah! I was super dupper worried.” Pinkie exclaimed. “I only had like three cakes for breakfast I was so worried.” “Well darlings, I thank you for the concern, but as you can see, I am fine.” Rarity stated as she picked herself up after the girls got up off of her. “Seems like your friends missed you, Rarity.” Midnight chuckled, though thinking to herself, My friends sure are protective. Maybe even crazily so. “Thank you for an interesting day Midnight.” Rarity said with a slight smile. “No problem. Anyway, I got to head back and prepare for my next shift. See you around, maybe?” Midnight said, turning around and heading to her apartment. “Oh, Midnight! We ran into a friend of yours, named Cadence. She said to tell you ‘sunshine’.” Rainbow spoke up. Midnight stopped in her tracks, turned to face Rainbow, and asked in a calm but eerily angry voice, “Cadence said what?” “She said ‘sunshine.’ She said you would know what that means.” Rainbow gulped. “That bitch is dead!” Midnight howled, causing the girls to flinch back in fear. Steeling herself, AJ inquired, “What does ‘sunshine’ mean to ya? And why are you angry at this Cadence character?” Taking a calming breath, Midnight sighed, “The story is long and convoluted, but here is the jist of it: Cadence is a stripper from the red-light mini district around here. She has a reputation of sleeping around with many of her patrons. She even has a system in place where she will date somepony for a time then dump them. When she dumps them, she for some reason calls it ‘sunshine.’ Anyway, her latest date has been the bouncer you meet last night, Shining Armor. The reason I am so mad is because everypony at Luna’s Den is like family. And that bitch is going to break his heart.” “Wow....Just wow. That’s messed up.” Rainbow stated. “Yeah, unfortunately that’s the rules here, all things get messed up.” Midnight sighed, “Anyway, been nice meeting all of you, I should head back to my apartment, something tells me it’s going to be a long night.” Shining is most likely going to be crushed, this is one hell of a weekend. Midnight thought as she left the group of mares. After Midnight was out of sight, Rarity addressed her friends, “Well girls, this has been an experience. Perhaps we should adjourn back to the dorm.” “Sure Rares, but I got to ask what happened last night?” Rainbow inquired. “I hate to say it, but it was what you would expect when two ponies drink too much.” Rarity sighed. “Ohhh....So you and Midnight did the deed then?” Rainbow stated in a hushed voice. “Yes, but it ended surprisingly well, all things considered. I even got advice on how to express my feelings to Twilight.” Rarity stated with a smile. “That’s good news, sugarcube.” AJ cheered. “So, how are you going to do it?” Pinkie asked, with a grin on her face. “That, darling, is going to be my little secret.” Rarity winked seductively. “Does it involve mustaches?” “No- What?” Rarity balked as they began to trot back to the carriage. ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note chapter 4 is up. leave questions and comments below, tell me what you thought? also give it up for my new oc minotaur, Zippy Eats //-------------------------------------------------------// Hit Me Like A Bomb //-------------------------------------------------------// Hit Me Like A Bomb *Author’s note: In the title is a link to the song that inspired this chapter* Hit Me Like A Bomb (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbuBdSW0wQ4) ______________________________________________________________________________ Well, last night sucked. Twilight thought to herself as she walked back to her dorm on the campus of Canterlot University. Shining was so distraught, I’ve never seen a pony so broken. And it’s all that bitch’s fault. Twilight thoughts went from compassion to rage in a flash of an eye, as she felt her face change from a simple frown to teeth grinding hatred. Well, I guess I can’t put all the blame on Cadence, Shining did know what would happen if he started dating her. I guess he hoped he be the one to break her habit. With a sigh, Twilight stopped and thought back to the night before. Luna’s Den the night before - Midnight looked out at the club, the sight before her would have brought tears to her eyes, had it not been for her DJ training. Rule one: show no negative emotions, always keep a positive front, Midnight repeated to herself as she saw everypony try and console the distraught Shining Armor, who from the past hour did nothing but cry his eye’s out and drink nothing but hard cider. The mood in the club was almost funeral like, the kind of mood where there was to be no happy feelings, if only to respect what had occurred. Midnight begrudgingly played sad song after sad song. till finally she had enough. Okay, that’s it time to get out of depression and straight to anger, and I just the band to do it. With that thought, Midnight started to play a song by the name The Bleeding by the minotaur band known as ‘Five Finger Death Punch.’ No band can induce anger quite like this one, Midnight thought. The song that played had a sad, almost rage fueled style to it that, if anypony listened, was about a breakup of some kind. The result was as Midnight predicted, everypony in the club went from depressed to angry and very energetic. Instantly they had formed a rabid mosh pit on the dance floor, shoving and wild dancing everywhere. Even Shining Armor, who had been the source of the depression, had gotten so fired up that he joined in the fracas that had become the dance floor. He later told Spike he was preventing any fights out there, but really he was the cause of most of them. Good, good. Everypony seems to be out of their funk. Better keep the angry music for a while just to be sure, Midnight thought, pleased with herself that night and the impromptu grief counselling she had given the masses. Hmm.... Everypony seems to like this band. I guess to keep the party going, I should play Under and Over It. Under and Over It, a song that could be described as fast paced with rage fueled instrument playing and equally rage fueled lyrics. In other words, this song was meant to induce a riot or at least turn up any mosh pit to eleven. It was needless to say that was exactly what happened when the song started to play. If the mosh pit wasn’t wild and crazy before, it most certainly was right then and there. Midnight, from then till two hours later played angry music from a variety of rock bands. I really should play this kind of music more often. Everypony seems to like it. Midnight thought to herself. It was well into the second hour of the angry music, that everypony was showing signs of fatigue. I better switch to a different sound, don’t want anypony falling over. With that thought Midnight switched to her usual style of music. From then till the end of the night, the mood in Luna’s Den was as it usually was but with a hidden undertone of sadness, it was clear to all present that the next day would be emotionally exhausting. No pony get over heartbreak in a night, Midnight thought while she looked over the crowd, particularly at Shining, if anything this was just an attempt to start the healing process, even if they didn’t get their hearts broken, everypony here is going to have to deal with some sorta sorrow tomorrow. Midnight sighed then smiled, but that’s what you get when you treat everypony here like family. Twilight shivered at that particular memory. Though she wasn’t as sad or angry as before, she still was upset that Shining had his heart broken. New day brings new hope as they say, Twilight thought to herself as she restarted her journey back to the dorm. After a few minutes of walking Twilight made a startling discovery, Wait! Why am I walking to the campus? It’s ten miles away! I should just teleport....Silly Twilight, so caught up in your thoughts. Twilight chuckled before calming herself in order to cast the teleportation spell. In a flash of purple light, Twilight left the nightlife district far behind as she headed for her own nightmare back home. Twilight emerged from the magenta light just outside the main door of the Lunar Dorms. It’s good to be home... the birds are singing and Pinkie is dive bombing her way towards me....Wait! What?!!! Twilight’s train of thought went off rail, as she looked up to the sky, and sure enough her eyes were correct. Pinkie had jumped from the second story window and now as heading straight for Twilight. “Twilight!!!” Pinkie screamed as she plummeted head first towards her friend, who was scared stiff at the sight. A few seconds later, the sound of two bodies colliding and subsequently hitting the pavement could be heard. “Oww....PINKIE!!!!!!!” Twilight roared as she rubbed her head. “Yes Twilight?” Pinkie asked from on top of her friends back. “Pinkie, could you please get off my back, so I can get inside and put my saddlebags away.” Twilight calmly stated from underneath her pink friend, though her voice had a hint of irritation to it. “Sure thing Twi!” Pinkie giggled as she stood up to let her friend get up. “Thanks Pinkie,” Twilight said as she stood up then started to rub her neck, “You might want to lay off the cupcakes. You nearly broke my neck this time.” “Lay off cupcakes?! NEVER!!!!!!” Pinkie proclaimed. “Okay, okay. Just promise me no more dive bombs.” Twilight chuckled. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie stated as she did the respective motions. Twilight started to laugh at her friends randomness. Pinkie joined in a few seconds later. The two friends laughed for a good measure before they got control of themselves and headed inside. A few moments later, Pinkie and Twilight made it to their dorm room. As Twilight opened the door, she could hear a conversation between Applejack and Rainbow in progress, with Fluttershy just sitting quietly not wanting to get involved. “Faust! Rarity has been in her room since yesterday!” Rainbow stated with a slight hint of annoyance. “Calm down there sugarcube. Rares just needs time to work on that there project of ‘ers. Whatever that may be.” AJ tried to calm the stressed pegasus. “Hi girls!” Twilight interjected herself into the conversation, startling AJ, Rainbow and Fluttershy. “Huh... Oh! Hey Twi! Back already?” Rainbow asked. “It’s Sunday, and it’s the afternoon. You know I always come home at this time.” Twilight bluntly stated. “Oh.” Rainbow deadpanned. “So, what’s up with Rarity?” Twilight inquired while thinking, I have a good idea, but better to ask, just in case. “Not rightfully sure sugarcube. But Rares has been working in ‘er room since yesterday.” AJ sighed. “Well, clearly she wants to work on whatever it is alone, so I think we should give her space. Anyway, I am tired, I am going to take a nap. Could one of you wake me up if it gets close to dinner time and I am still asleep by then.” Twilight yawned as she headed to her room. “Sure Twi, have a nice nap.” AJ said as Twilight entered her room and closed the door. Once in her room, Twilight headed straight to the bed and layed down for a nap. I wonder what Rarity is making? Was the last thought Twilight had before sleep overcame her. The sound of light tapping on a door stirred the lavender unicorn from her sleep. Twilight let out a groan, then slowly got up. Twilight’s groggy mind could barely register the words coming from the other side of the door, but assumed it was one of her friends telling her it was dinner time. Twilight shook her head, stretched her limbs and rubbed her eyes. Once she was fully awake, she made her way to her bedroom door. As Twilight stepped out of her room, she rubbed her eyes again to adjust to the light in the main room of the dorm. She took in her surroundings and was surprised that it was devoid of her friends. Where are they? Twilight thought to herself before calling out, “Anypony here?” “In the kitchen, darling.” Rarity called from the kitchen. “Hey Rarity, what are you doing in the kitchen and where did the rest of the girls go?” Twilight asked as she walked into the small dorm kitchen, which was a condensed version of a 1950’s home kitchen. Hmm... wonder what she is up to? Twilight thought as she took notice of the kitchen table done up in a cheesy movie date scene. Looking up from the casserole she was making, Rarity stated, “Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy went out for dinner, probably to the cafeteria. As for what I am doing, I am making dinner.” “Making dinner?” Twilight asked, clearly confused. “Yes, dinner.” Rarity replied as she finished preparing the casserole. “You have a date coming over or something?” Twilight inquired. “You could say that darling.” Rarity giggled, as she placed the casserole on table. “Please, Twilight take a seat.” “It looks delicious.” Twilight smiled uneasily as she took her seat, unsure of what her friend was up to. Twilight’s uneasiness grew as Rarity levitated over a few candles and lit them, while simultaneously turning off the kitchen lights. Rarity then preceded to levitate over two wine glasses and filled them with what appeared to be some sort of red wine. Deciding it was better to just play along and eat rather than fight what was happening, Twilight levitated a fork and began to eat the casserole before her. Got to give Rarity some credit, she can make a mean casserole, Twilight thought to herself. “So darling, how is the casserole?” Rarity inquired, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence between the two mares “It’s fine.” Twilight replied, somewhat shakily, following a quick sip of wine. “Something wrong Twilight?” “No, not really.” Twilight chuckled uneasily, clearly she had lied through her teeth. “Darling, you’re lying.” Rarity grinned mischievously, which caused Twilight to make an audible gulp. “Oh Twilight, you are so cute when nervous.” Rarity giggled as she took a sip of wine. What have I gotten myself into? Twilight panicky asked herself, as she started to sweat bullets. “Oh! Silly me! I forgot your gift.” Rarity suddenly exclaimed, startling Twilight out of her panicked state. “G-Gift?” Twilight squeaked. “Oh yes darling. You will love it.” Rarity smiled, “If you will excuse me, I will go fetch it for you.” Rarity said as she got up and started to walk over to her room. Faust! What should I do? Run or stay? Twilight panically thought, unsure of what was about to happen. Crud, this is bad. Very bad. Cataclysmically bad. Somepony gave Pinkie regular coffee bad. “Twilight darling, can you come here please?” Rarity called from the main living room. Crud, I am so dead. Twilight thought before calling out. “Coming Rarity.” Well, at least I am going to die in the living room, not cliche as say, the bathroom or in a ditch Faust knows where. At least I shouldn’t have any books to get bloody in there. Twilight walked into the living room, dreading what ever was about to happen. Her panic stricken mind coming up with the worst case scenarios. Taking a look at the scene before her, Twilight took notice of a tarp over something, which was standing next to Rarity. “Ah, Twilight. It is my pleasure to give to you this. My greatest masterpiece.” Rarity said as she started to lift the tarp. Meanwhile, Twilight had closed her eyes in fear, clearly not wanting to see what she thought was the tool of her destruction. A few seconds passed by. Why am I not dead? Twilight questioned. She tentatively opened her eyes, and she gasped. Before her, on a ponequin, was the most beautiful dress, it was mostly dark blue but with light blue near the neck and ends of the dress. The dress also had star designs on it, mostly white and blue, somewhere between light blue and dark blue. The dress came with matching shoes and had a star mane pin. “What do you think?” Rarity inquired. “I...I...It’s beautiful. Rarity, this is amazing!” Twilight exclaimed overjoyed. “I am glad you like it. But, that dress is only half of your gift.” Rarity giggled a bit. “More?” Twilight stated, shocked at the fact there was more to come. “Oh yes, much more.” Rarity mischievously grinned once more. “Now darling, close your eyes.” “Okay.” Twilight closed her eyes, and thought; I wonder what Rarity has planned next, I wonder if... Twilight’s thoughts were cut off by Rarity’s latest gift, a kiss on the mouth. Oh...My. Twilight thought as she got over the initial shock of the sudden kiss. Even though the kiss only lasted seconds, to Twilight it felt like minutes. Glorious minutes when everything felt energetic. After Rarity pulled away, Twilight lifted a hoof to her mouth. Still tingles. Twilight thought as she lightly pressed her hoof to her mouth then slowly removed it. “Well darling. If it is not clear after that, then I will say it: I love you, Twilight.” Rarity finally said what she has always wanted to say to Twilight. Twilight tried to respond, but the kiss she had received had been the final shock to her system. Twilight could not speak, and her efforts to do so only resulted in one thing: She fell to the ground, knocked out cold. ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note Chapter 5 everypony!!! like I said before the above link is to the song that got me writing this chapter got rid of comedy tag for what is planed in chapter 6 but that might be a while, college starts up again in about a week so idk when that will come out comments and questions below please songs used: 1. The Bleeding by Five Finger Death Punch 2. Under and Over It by Five Finger Death Punch //-------------------------------------------------------// A Sign of Things to Come Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// A Sign of Things to Come Part 2 A Sign of Things to Come Part 2: ______________________________________________________________________________ A quick teleport spell later, and Twilight was once again in the alley behind Luna’s Den. I assume you have a plan for this, right? Midnight asked as Twilight changed into the Midnight Glimmer disguise. I plan to talk to Spike during our break. Twilight replied. A little simple don’t you think? Sometimes simple works out well. Twilight replied as she walked into the nightclub. Twilight could hear the music from back stage. “Spike really should get that wall soundproofed.” Twilight muttered to herself, as she continued walking to the main hall of the club. “Hey! Midnight!” Vinyl called out to her co-worker, this startled Twilight, causing her to look around. She means you, Twilight. If one could look into Twilight’s mind at that moment, they would see Midnight facehoof. You forgot that you are wearing the Midnight Glimmer disguise. Twilight chuckled to herself before walking up to Vinyl and asked: “Hey Vinyl, what’s up?” “Been hell of a week, Mids. But it’s all good. So what’s new with you?” Vinyl asked as she got ready to leave, and prepped the turntable for her fellow DJ. “Yeah, I too had a hell of a week. One of my college roommates and friends asked me out on a date.” Twilight responded. “That’s cool….SAY WHAT?!?!?!?” Vinyl screamed as her brain shut down, a shocked expression plastered on her face. Twilight had taken a step back at this point, the sudden outburst had her shaking. “Vinyl, you okay?” Twilight inquired as she poked the shocked pony with her right forehoof. Vinyl had be in the shocked state for nearly two minutes and the patrons were starting to notice. Levitating the headset off of Vinyl’s head and over to her, Twilight addressed the crowd: “Okay everypony, I apologize for the wait, but seeing as Vinyl has seemingly frozen in place, there is going to be a delay in starting my shift.” Twilight looked out at the crowd and noticed a familiar bouncer and was struck with inspiration. “Hey! Shining! Get over here and move Vinyl for me, please?!” Twilight called out. It took a few minutes for Shining to get through the crowd to the stage, after which he proceeded to levitate the still frozen Vinyl out of the way, placing her on the couch that was back stage. “You’re clear, Mids.” Shining stated as he walked back to his spot just outside the dance floor. “Thanks Shining.” Twilight chuckled, as she walked over to the turntable to begin her shift. Now, what to play tonight? Twilight thought to herself. Why not My Demons by that new band, Starset. Midnight suggested. Good idea, that song would be perfect to start the night off. You’re welcome. Even though the words were only in Twilight’s mind, she could practically see the smile on Midnight’s face. A rather smug smile that Twilight favored. “Hey everypony! I thought I start the night off with something new, the first single from that new band Starset, this is My Demons.” Twilight spoke into the headset, then started to press play on the new track. The song started out with a bass sounding like a violin, then slowly adding in drums, before picking up in beat, at points in the song there are slight hints of electronic thrown in, the end result was a song that sounded to be rock but with a techno feel to it. Everypony was getting into the groove of the new song. By the time the song ended, a good proportion of the patrons that night were dancing. Not bad, not bad at all. Twilight thought to herself, the night is off to a great start. Just be prepared for talking to Spike later on. Midnight stated. The night wore on without too much trouble for Twilight. Vinyl had finally gotten over her shock, and congratulated her co-worker for finally getting a date. It was two minutes till her break, when Midnight just had to remind Twilight of the unpleasantness to follow. So, the plan is to just up and ask him for a weekend off? Pretty much, Spike is a reasonable being, I’m sure he’ll understand. Twilight thought, or rather hoped. Would you like those to be your famous last words? Haha! Very funny. Twilight dryly replied as she set the turntable to automatically play a playlist, then made her way to the bar for a quick drink before heading to Spike’s office. At the bar, Berry Punch was earning her keep, washing some glasses and filling the rest. “Hey Mids, what can I get you?” Berry asked, as she put down the last glass she needed to clean. “Just a hard cider, I got to talk to Spike about something.” Twilight responded. “Ah. Let me guess, your two lives have finally collided? Tell me I’m wrong. Go ahead, tell me.” Berry stated. “How, how did you know?” Twilight stammered, shocked that the bartender had figured out the situation. “Easy. For starters, I noticed you jump at Vinyl’s greeting, plus you aren’t acting as you usually do. The only thing that I can think of to cause that is something happening in your life outside the club. So want to get anything off your chest?” Berry whispered to Twilight, as not to draw much attention to the two of them. Twilight sighed, then took a deep breath before saying: “First off, I like to say I am now very grateful that every co-worker of mine knows about my other life, really helps to talk to other ponies about my troubles.” “Yeah, and it wasn’t like you could keep it a secret from us, especially how Vinyl was ranting on about how you could change your appearance.” Berry stated with a chuckle remembering that day. “Don’t remind me, that still gives me headaches.” Twilight dryly replied. “So...What’s the trouble?” Berry asked. “I got a date, and it is with one of my best friends, plus it needs to be on the weekend, seeing as we both have class during the week.” Twilight sighed Berry let out a long whistle before saying: “Damn, that’s got to be rough.” “Preaching to the choir there, Berry.” Twilight sighed. “So, can I get a hard cider or do you want play psychologist a bit more?” Berry just chuckled and got Twilight a hard cider. “Here you go Mids, hope everything works out.” She said with a soft smile as she returned with the drink. “Thanks Berry.” Twilight said before downing the drink. Wow, you downed that fast. In a hurry, I see. Midnight commented. Shut up! Twilight snapped, before she called out to Berry: “Hey Berry put this one on my tab.” “Will do Mids, I hope your talk with Spike goes well.” Berry said from the other end of the bar counter. “Me too.” Twilight muttered more to herself as she started to head towards Spike’s office. Twilight walked to the back end of the club. In the back of the club was Spike’s office, the stairs leading to the second floor apartments, and of course the backstage door. The door to Spike’s office had a gold plate which had the dragon’s name on it. Twilight nudged the door open to see what her boss was up to at the moment. “I know, I know Luna! The market has been down despite the good business as of late…. Yes, I know that the club is yours and I am just the manager, I’m just telling you that not even I can predict when business will drop… Fine, fine we’ll increase drink prices. Okay, bye, talk to you next month.” Spike was in his chair, facing away from the door, behind his oak desk that had papers strewn about, he talking into the crystal phone, a magical device that allowed for long distance communication between two beings, made from resonating crystals and shaped like a headset. “I know you’re there, Midnight.” Spike spoke after a few moments of silence. “Sorry Spike. Is this a bad time?” Twilight apologized. “Nah! Just talking to Princess Luna, after all she owns 80% of this place, she likes to know what’s going on. Let’s say she is not pleased with the profits this quarter.” Spike sighed as he swiveled the chair to face the mare that had entered his office. “Oh, sorry to hear, Spike. It must be a bit maddening to be down in profit.” Twilight stated. “It is. However, I have learned to not let my emotions get in the way of business. Getting mad over a downturn in the market is not going to fix the problem. Anyway, enough about my troubles. What can I do for you?” Spike sighed. “Well, how to put this….” Twilight started. “Come on, Mids, you’ve known me for years. Hell, you hatched me in your entrance exam for the Princesses After School Program for Exceptional Ponies. Whatever you have on your mind, I am sure I can help.” Spike tried to comfort the struggling mare. “I may have hatched you, but it was Lulu that raised you. And well, here goes nothing, I got a date next weekend so I need that week off.” Twilight said with a bit of nervousness in her voice. Spike just blinked, his mind was still processing what he had heard, till he finally said: “Well I’ll be, you actually got a date. Congrats.” “And the time off?” Twilight asked. “Sure, why not. It’s not like I pay you or anything, you own 20% of this place and you actually pay to play here, as I see it you can take time off anytime. And actually I was meaning to ask if you would be willing to change up the time at which you play. See we got an up-and-comer and they are pretty good, I was hoping to get them in more often.” Spike explained. “Thanks Spike! And sure, that can be arranged. So who is this new act?” Twilight smiled. “A mare by the name Lyra Heartstrings.” Spike said. “Never heard of her. But if you think she can handle it, then go for it.” Twilight said. “Coming from you, that means a lot.” Spike smiled. “Well, I better get going. My break is almost up. And thanks again, Spike.” Twilight said as she started to leave Spike’s office. “No problem Mids… Hey Midnight! I know I never questioned this before, seeing as you own 20% of this place, but why do you pay to play here?” Spike asked. Twilight sighed, then turned to Spike and said: “The reason is simple: I just love to play the music, and it’s more of a hobby to me than a job, that’s why I pay to play here instead of the other way around.” We both know that’s a lie, it’s not the music you love, it’s the ponies and the parties. You love to see ponies enjoy themselves and get high off the admiration they give you as a DJ. If anything, this is you putting your vanity to good use. Midnight commented. Maybe you’re right. Twilight conceded, not really wanting to get into another argument with herself. “Anyway Spike, I’ll see you later.” Twilight addressed the dragon. “Later Midnight, and I hope your date goes well. I know everypony will want details.” Spike said as Twilight left his office. The rest of the weekend happened without much incident for Twilight. Friday and Saturday came and went, and Twilight enjoyed her weekend activities. Twilight was walking up the sidewalk headed for her dorm, when the familiar voice of Midnight spoke up. So, Twilight, are you ready? For what? Twilight inquired. Did you actually ask ‘for what’, I was referring to telling Rarity about what Spike said. I am sure she will be pleased, he said I can have the time off. That is a given, I mean planning out what happens afterwards, have you even thought of where to take her or if she has a place in mind already? That thought stopped Twilight dead in her tracks, she was so shocked by the statement and had been so distracted by the conversation she didn’t notice she stopped right outside her dorm room. No… I haven’t. Twilight sighed, and hung her head in defeat, not having noticed the door starting to open. A few seconds later and Twilight learned the answer to the oldest question in existence: If a mare gets slammed in the face by a door, does she curse more than an angry sailor? The answer Twilight found was a definite yes. Twilight was cursing for about two minutes, before the pain and anger subsided. Wiping tears from her eyes, she noticed the shocked expression on her rainbow maned roommate. “Uh….Hey Rainbow. How’s it going? Are you heading out?” Twilight tried to ask with a straight face, though she clearly had a blush on her face, knowing full well that Rainbow had heard her cursing right then and there. That was embarrassing. Twilight thought to herself. “W...W...What the heck was that? Rainbow finally managed. “Haven’t you ever just wanted to scream profanities for all you were worth? It’s quite relaxing, you should try it sometime.” Twilight deadpanned. “Oh, Twilight! Was that you darling? Why were you cursing so loudly?” Rarity called out from the living room. having not been privileged to Twilight’s explanation for Rainbow. “Dang Twi, ah ain’t ever heard that much cus’n befer. And Ah’ve seen Granny Smith git angrier than rattlesnake woken from it’s sleep.” AJ stated with a hint of shock in her voice. Pinkie and Fluttershy were standing there with their mouths open, pure shock on their faces. “Sorry about that girls, I wasn’t expecting to be hit by the door today.” Twilight said with a slight chuckle. “N-No problem Twilight.” Rainbow stuttered as she moved from the door frame to let Twilight in the dorm. After Twilight entered the dorm, everything seemed to settle down. After a few minutes of trying, AJ had finally managed to get Fluttershy and Pinkie out of their shocked states. Twilight looked over to Rarity, and gave her a nod towards the kitchen, a clear signal for the two of them to talk alone. Once in the privacy of the pots and pans, the two mares were silent for a few moments, before Rarity asked that leading question. “So, what did your boss say?” “I got the weekend off.” Twilight said with a happy grin. “That’s fantastic, darling!” Rarity practically shouted, giving Twilight a huge hug. “Rarity! Can’t breath!” Twilight gasped out, the force of Rarity’s hug crushing her. “Eheheheh… Sorry darling... So, how does dinner at a restaurant sound for Friday night?” Rarity said with a slight giggle. “Sounds like a plan. But what kind of restaurant?” Twilight inquired. “Oh, it’s a fabulous place. Some find it a bit upscale and fancy, but it does have an old world tavern sort of feel to it. I have been there a few times with family, it’s in the Old Town District.” Rarity smiled “You mean Ponyville.” Twilight corrected. “Well, yes, they are one and the same afterall. So how does that sound?” Rarity asked. “Sounds great. But how are we going to get there?” Twilight counter-inquired. “Leave that to me, darling.” Rarity winked. Why does that scare me? Midnight cringed a bit. No clue. Maybe you’re paranoid? Twilight responded. That applies to you as well. Midnight countered. Touche. Twilight thought before saying to Rarity: “Knowing you, it will be fabulous, though I am afraid we must cut this short. It seems our friends don’t know the meaning of privacy.” The last sentence out of Twilight’s mouth was answered by the sound of four mares bolting to either their rooms or the couch in a vain attempt to feign their innocence in the matter. After a few moments of silence, Twilight and Rarity bursted out in a fit of laughter over their friends antics. Once the laughter died down, both mares took a moment to catch their breaths. Breaking the silence, Twilight stated: “But, seriously Rarity, I do look forward to this Friday night, come whatever may.” Though I hope, whatever it is, it doesn’t break your heart. “Me too, Twilight, me too.” Rarity giddily stated. I pray to the heavens that you like what I have in store. And if that doesn’t, well then I just won’t stop till you are mine, my dearest Twilight. Rarity thought with a grin. ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note edited by Sam Cole and Fusion Fool the Third leave comments and questions below song(s) used: My Demons by Starset Final Note: I like to apologize for these two chapters coming out so late, also the next chapter will be delayed as college starts up again on January 13th for me //-------------------------------------------------------// Date Night //-------------------------------------------------------// Date Night Date Night ______________________________________________________________________________ The week passed as usual and it was Friday once again, but unlike any other Friday Twilight didn’t pack her saddlebags with her usual fair. Tonight she stood in front of one of her mirrors looking over herself in the dress Rarity had made. Rarity did tell me yesterday that I should wear this. Twilight mused to herself. We look great, if you ask me. Midnight commented. I didn’t, but thank you anyway. Twilight smugly smiled. Careful Twilight, your vanity is showing. Twilight giggled at that statement, but it was short lived as she heard a knocking at her bedroom door. “Twilight darling, are you ready?” Rarity called from the closed door. “Yes, Rarity. I will be out in a minute.” Twilight responded. Show time. This should be fun, but what’s with the bit purse? Midnight inquired as Twilight picked up her bit purse. I am not sure what to expect, so better safe then sorry. Twilight commented as she headed to the bedroom door. Let me guess, a can of mace is in there? You know me too well. Twilight chuckled. I should. I am you, remember. Midnight joked, causing Twilight to continue her laughing fit as she opened her bedroom door. “What’s so funny, darling?” Rarity asked. “Just a nervousness, I think.” Twilight commented as she took note of Rarity’s dress. The dress was two-toned pink: a light pink for Rarity’s upper half, and a darker pink for her lower. The dress was paired with a necklace made of gold with a purple crystal and a tiara also made of gold. “Well darling, what do you think?” Rarity inquired, as she noticed Twilight was staring. Twilight tried to respond but was unable, she was taken in by Rarity’s beauty. She opened her mouth over and over but no words came out. Faust! You are messing this up. Here let me…… “Sorry, Rarity. I was mesmerized by your beauty. I say even a goddess would be awestruck by such a sight.” Midnight’s words came flowing elegantly out of Twilight’s mouth. “My, I must say I never thought you too be one for flattery, Twilight.” Rarity blushed. “It’s not flattery when it’s true.” Midnight’s smiled greedily, lavishing in the white mares adoration. “Well darling, on that note, let us depart for the evening.” Rarity stated as she headed for the door. “Right behind you.” Twilight said as she followed Rarity, before calling out to the rest of the girls that the two were heading out. Laying it a bit thick, don’t you think, Midnight? Twilight thought to her inner self. Well, you weren’t doing anything and blowing it. Sorry if I felt you needed help. Plus, you and I both know that was exactly what you were thinking . “So Rarity, how are we getting to Ponyville? You never said how exactly.” Twilight asked, ignoring Midnight, as she and Rarity made it out the front door and onto the sidewalk. The sun is going down now, I wonder how we’re getting to Ponyville. Twilight thought to herself “Oh, silly me. It’s simple darling, I called for a “taxi”. It should be here any moment now.” Rarity replied, while keeping an eye on the road for the “taxi” to come. After a few minutes of waiting, the two mares noticed a very long and elegant looking carriage pull up. “Here it is, my dear.” Rarity stated as she moved her right fore hoof out in a swiping motion ending with her right fore hoof pointing out towards the vehicle and her head slightly bowed. “You call this a taxi? More like limousine to me.” Twilight exclaimed. “Too much?” Rarity inquired. I might have gone a bit overboard. She thought to herself. “N-no, no. It’s fine. Just surprised is all.” Twilight tried to alleviate any concern Rarity had. Got to give Rarity props, not even I would have thought of that as a first date surprise. Midnight said awestruck. “I do recall you saying this restaurant was found to be upscale and fancy by some ponies, so I suppose a limousine would be appropriate.” Twilight continued. “Indeed I did, shall we be off darling?” Rarity said as she stepped up to the limousine and opened to the door for Twilight. “Thank you, Rarity. Yes, let’s be off now.” Twilight giggled as she stepped into the limousine. Twilight found the interior of the limousine to be what she expected, spacious with comfy padded couches lining the sides of the carriage, shag carpeting and mood lights built into the roof. Twilight sat down on one of the couches followed shortly by Rarity, the limousine started to move seconds after Rarity took her seat. Here we go. Midnight said with a twinge of excitement as the limousine rolled along its path. The ride to the restaurant took around twenty minutes and in that time Twilight only asked Rarity more about the restaurant they were going to. As the limousine pulled up to the restaurant, Twilight noticed the establishment had an outdoor patio area with tables and chairs all under an awning, and the perimeter outlined will simple hedges, “Simple but aesthetically pleasing, no?” Rarity commented as she noticed where Twilight’s gaze had gone. “Indeed it is.” Twilight supplied. Fancy place. This should be fun. Midnight commented. “Let us be on our way then.” Rarity said as the limousine door opened, and the lovely couple walked out. As the two mares stepped into the establishment. Rarity lead Twilight past the garden arch and stopped at a velvet rope gate. “Greetings Madams, I am Earl Grey, do you have reservations for the evening?” the unicorn male standing behind the maitre’ d stand inquired with a smile, as Rarity and Twilight approached. “Yes, we do. The reservation should be under Rarity Grace.” Rarity replied. Earl Grey lifted the reservation book and flipped a few pages, then said, “Ah, here we are: Rarity Grace, party of two.” He put down the reservation book and turn towards the door, “If you would, follow me.” Rarity and Twilight followed behind as Earl Grey showed them to their table. As they walked into the restaurant, Twilight noticed that it had a carpet that was a red velvet and the tables and chairs were wooden but stained in a color that she could not name but clearly complemented the carpet very well, with the lighting in the restaurant dimmed pleasantly. This lighting is intentionally low to induce romantic feelings, and the decor is not bad, if not for the fact it is clearly from some cheesy romance film. I think Rares here is trying to get us into the mood. Midnight commented, Twilight however did not retort for she knew Midnight’s explanation made sense. Eventually, Rarity and Twilight were lead to an empty table and were seated. “A waiter will be with you shortly.” Earl Grey stated then left to return to the maitre’d stand. Rarity and Twilight were left to their own devices, a short but awkward silence had formed between the two. Say something already! This silence is pissing me off. Midnight chidded. “This is a lovely place.” Twilight commented. “Oh... Yes it is. To be frank,I never truly understood why my parents brought me here when I was younger. I always got a sense that this place was more for romantic dinners than a family night out, but the times were good and the food even more so.” Rarity explained. “To be honest, this is the first time I have been in this kind of restaurant.” Twilight sighed. “Oh? Realy? Didn’t your parents take you out when you were younger?” Rarity inquired. “They did, but never this fancy.” Twilight hastily supplied. “May I ask why? You told us you lived in Canterlot before moving to Townsville, and Canterlot has many restaurants of higher class than this establishment.” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow. “Ugh…..I hate talking about this, but despite what everypony thinks of Canterlot, not all families are super rich in that city. My parents had to work hoof and horn just to get by. Hell, I might not have made it into high school had fate not smiled on me when I was younger.” Twilight sighed, a distant look in her eyes had formed as she said the last sentence. Rarity was about to ask what Twilight had meant when the waiter showed up. After ordering two orders of angel hair pasta with side salads. Rarity had the opportunity to ask her question. “Darling, may I ask what your childhood was like? Your previous statement has me curious, and let us be frank here, you never really liked to talk about your past with me or the girls for that matter.” Rarity said with a glint of curiosity in her eyes but also much compassion in them as well. Walked right into that one. Midnight sighed while facehooving inside Twilight’s mind. Yep, really dug my grave this time. Twilight thought as she mental prepared herself for this ordeal. “Fine, I will tell you, but in return you must tell me when and why you started to get infatuated with me.” Twilight said. “That seems fair. So where do you wish to begin?” Rarity stated. “Well, my family could have probably been considered lower- middle class at the time of my birth. Dad, worked as an astronomer, and Mom was basically an editor for a book publishing company. Basically, it all added up to not making a lot of money, so we didn’t live in a fancy house or even a decent apartment. My family was living in a one room apartment when I was born.” Twilight stated, as she took a small break in her story, she saw the shocked look on Rarity’s face. Clearly, that shattered some perception of Canterlot she had. Midnight commented solemnly. “Anyway, it was tough, but we managed. The financial problems didn’t start to hit home for me till after I got out of middle school. It was the summer, just after I got out of middle school, my parents wanted to talk to me about something. It turned out my dad had been fired from his job and Mom’s job wasn’t enough to pay the bills and send me to school. So at that point I was thinking, ‘Crud, this sucks.’ But then my parents tell me about the Princess’ After School Program for Exceptional Ponies. I know what you are thinking, how is this going to help. It turns out the Program has a sub-program that helps underprivileged ponies get either the education they need or helps families that struggle with money pay for school. Now, you think it would be easy to get the help, but it wasn’t. I had to pass a test to get in.” Twilight stated, a slight hint of fear coming into her voice as she said ‘test.’ “Oh my….” Rarity stated in what was in Twilight’s opinion an excellent Fluttershy impression. “Yeah, turns out that even if you are underprivileged, the Program still looks for what they called ‘exceptional,’ anyway my test was to hatch a dragon’s egg.” Twilight stated with a sigh. Yeah, that was one big twist they pulled on us. Still gives us shrivers, doesn’t it Twi? Midnight dryly chuckled, trying to keep down the anxiety from the memories. “A dragon’s egg? Really? They made you do that!” Rarity was nearly floored by that comment. “Yeah…. And it wasn’t a walk in the park either. As you know, most foals don’t get their cutie marks till after elementary or mid way through middle school. I was a late bloomer as they say. So there I was in the test chamber, no cutie mark, and was trying to hatch that egg. I tried everything I could think of. Nothing, not even a scratch on the egg. I was about to give up, when some loud crash emanated from the hallway, turns out a science teacher was moving some equipment and it just happened to fall outside the test chamber we were in.” Twilight let out a sigh before continuing. “Anyway that crash startled me, and in a way that is what jump started my magic, before that my magic wasn’t as strong, but that shock caused me to pump out adrenaline and super charged my magic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t control it... so, my parents who were present at the time, got turned into potted plants, and the examiners were levitated and the egg hatched only for the newborn dragon to get a magic induced growth spurt.” Twilight paused. “What happened next?” Rarity inquired when Twilight paused. “Oh….Yeah…. Both the princesses showed up. Turns out they felt the magic output I was putting out and came to investigate. After they calmed me down, and reverted everything to how it was, they asked if I wanted to be their student, they said I had a great gift for magic. Anyway that’s how I got my cutie mark and became the protege of the princesses.” Twilight smiled. “What was that like? If I may ask, being their protege and all.” Rarity inquired, eyes gleaming with curiosity. “It was interesting. Princess Celestia had me constantly studying magic and the theories behind those magics. She was also quite fond of pushing my magical limits. But with Princess Luna, she taught me how to have fun. She took me to concerts and movies when ever we had free time, she even taught me how to sing and play a few instruments. She also taught me much about the night sky and the different constellations. All in all, it was hard work, but at the same time partying as equally hard. Of course, my family eventually moved to Townsville mid junior year of high school, and I couldn’t keep being tutored by them, but I still talk to them, just not as often.” Twilight had a broken smile at the end of that sentence. “Oh… I see, it must have been tough to leave all that behind.” Rarity sighed slightly depressed by what she had heard. “It was, but I made new friends none the less, in the end.” Twilight smiled. “Indeed, How about I answer your question now?” Rarity asked with a smile. “That sounds good.” Twilight smiled. “Well, I first started having romantic feelings for you around…” Rarity started but stopped when the waiter returned with their meals. “Anything else, madams?” The waiter asked. “A bottle of white wine and two glasses.” Twilight said. “Right away, madam.” The waiter bowed and left to get the drink. “White wine?” Rarity inquired. “It goes good with this pasta.” Twilight supplied with a knowing smile. “If you say so. Anyway, as I was saying. It was shortly after the horrid affair with that criminal group and that brute of a science teacher. I was shocked by the lengths you went to just to save me, and I guess I felt like I owed you something. Eventually as time went on, it changed from repaying a debt that I was feeling to something akin to a crush. Looking back at all the times I wanted us to hang out either just the two of us or with our friends, was me subconsciously wanting to be closer to you. Eventually, I realised this crush was something more. I was in love and wanted to be with you.” Rarity paused for a moment then sighed. “However, whenever I tried to get together with you, you would have something to study at the time and pushed me away. I felt hurt every time I saw you, secluding yourself in your studies, with no pony around and not even wanting anypony around you. It hurt me to see you isolate yourself. Of course, I now understand you study and do your best when alone, but still, it hurt to see you so alone.” Rarity paused once more. “And I admit, it hurt the most when you pushed me away all those times I offered to help you study. But then again, when it comes to academics, your best work is done on your own. I guess all those times I asked you if you needed help was my failed attempts to get to know you better. Even though we were friends there were still things you hid, and even now you still hide things from me and our friends, so that too is a reason I love you. You are smart, kind, loyal, beautiful but still have an air of mystery to you, Twilight, and I wish to know all your secrets.” Rarity ended with a sly, almost seductive smile. Twi, what the hell did you do to get this mare this obsessed with you? Midnight asked with a bit of fear in her voice. Apparently, just being my self. Twilight replied in a stunned tone. “Rarity, I- I really don’t know what to say except ‘wow.’ Not that I don’t appreciate you telling me this, b-but it is just a ‘wow moment.’ The way you just described me, I honestly can’t see it.” Twilight stuttered. Rarity responded by trying to suppress a fit of giggles before calming down enough to say: “I’m sorry darling, but that stunned expression of yours is quite priceless. I never thought I would see the day when somepony would leave you speechless. Let alone, that pony would be me.” She has a point. No pony has ever gotten the drop on us, until now of course. Midnight commented, having shaken off the shock of the situation. Twilight gave a quick shake and sighing to calm herself, Twilight said: “Indeed you did, not many ponies can claim that as an achievement.” Twilight let out a little laugh, and was delighted as Rarity decided to laugh as well. The two were roaring with guffaws, completely caught up in their own inside joke, at least until the waiter coughed to get their attention. “Anything else madams?” the waiter asked as he placed the bottle of wine and two glasses on the table.. “Nothing at the moment, thank you.” Twilight giggled as she tried to stifle her laughter. The waiter bowed and left the mares to their devices. “Might I suggest a toast darling?” Rarity asked as she levitated the wine bottle and glasses. “Why not.” Twilight inquired as she received a filled glass of wine. “A toast, to a wonderful date and hopefully many more to come.” Rarity toasted. What do you think Twi, anymore dates in the future? Midnight asked rhetorically, for she already knew the answer. “I will toast to that.” Twilight responded while lifting her glass to take a sip. Indeed, Midnight, I do see more dates in the future. For the rest of the night, Rarity and Twilight talked about how classes were going and other events in their college life. Eventually the meal came to an end. “Tonight was fun, thank you Rarity.” Twilight stated just before finishing off the last drop of wine in her glass. “Thank you darling. I had hoped tonight would have been to your liking. And I hope I made a good impression on you.” Rarity smiled warmly. “You did Rarity, that you did, but to be honest I doubt one date will change my mind so easily. Perhaps another one in the future will sway my thinking.” Twilight grinned, knowing full well Rarity would take it as a challenge. When did you get so mischievous? Midnight asked rhetorically. Since, always, we just never been in a situation when it was needed. Now lets hear Rarity’s response. Twilight retorted. “Yes, darling I do believe what you say has merit.” Rarity replied calmly. Oh! It is on now Twilight, just you wait. I will have you begging to be my marefriend in no time flat. As the two mares were having their conversation, the waiter had returned, offering the final curtain call for their stay. “Madams, will you be having dessert or shall I fetch you your check?” The waiter inquired. “The check, please and thank you.” Rarity gave a smile. “Right away, madam.” the waiter bowed and left to retrieve the check. Once the waiter was out of sight, Rarity said: “ I got the check covered.” “I’d hope so, after all, you asked me out.” Twilight joked. “I’d plan to anyway.” Rarity winked. A few moments later, the waiter returned with the check, and took his leave with a bow as he left to check on other guests. “What’s the bill like?” Twilight asked as Rarity picked up the check to see what she owed. “Hum… Lets see, around 20 bits each for our pasta, and the bottle of white wine we had was at 45 bits. So in total 85 bits.” Rarity read the check, she then got out her bit purse and placed the bits on the check. “Shall we be off darling?” Rarity inquired. “Yes, I believe we shall.” Twilight responded. As she and Rarity got up from their seats, the waiter returned to retrieve the check and bits, he bowed to the mares as they left. Once they left the building, they thanked the maitre'd and went on their way. “The night sky is beautiful tonight.” Twilight stated as she looked up to the night sky, the two had been in the restaurant long enough for the moon to rise a decent amount and the stars were shining bright. “Indeed, and so are you.” Rarity flirted. “Don’t let Princess Luna hear you say that, she really doesn’t like it when somepony outdoes her night sky.” Twilight joked, the two of them shared a laugh as they continued to walk to the sidewalk. “Hey Rarity, when is the limousine returning?” Twilight inquired when they reached the edge of the sidewalk. Taking a small pocket watch out of her bit purse, Rarity stated: “In about five minutes, we finished dinner right on time.” “Okay. And thank you for a wonderful dinner.” Twilight smiled. “No, thank you for giving me the chance.” Rarity slyly grinned. There was a small silence between the two, neither could think of anything else to say at that moment, when Twilight noticed a couple coming their way. Must be date night for more couples tonight. Twilight thought Twi, we may have a problem here. Midnight panicked. What’s wrong, Midnight? Twilight too was starting to panic as well. I never seen you panic like this. Take a good look at that couple. What are you ta- OH! Damn! This is bad. Very bad!!! Yep…. It just had to be them. Why tonight, why did it have to be Zippy and Zecora’s date night. Twilight was inwardly panicky but outwardly was calm. “Ey! Zecora is dat Twi I see?” Twilight could hear her Samarean friend asking his date. “I do believe, for my eyes they do not deceive.” Zecora responded. “Ey! Twi! Ey!” Zippy called out, waving his hand as he and Zecora walked up to the mares. “Oh my, Zippy! Funny running into you here.” Rarity smiled to the minotaur. “Rarity?! Wat ya doin here, sista?” Zippy asked. “Well, Zippy, I took your advice and asked my crush out.” Rarity blushed a bit. “Den why is Twi her-- Oh! Twi da one dat took ya heart.” Zippy ended with a laugh. “Yes, Zippy. It was very surprising, especially for me.” Twilight said slightly bemused by her Samarean friends antics. “Sorry sista, but dis be funny as hell, I never thought ya be on a date.” Zippy tried to collect himself. “True love I can see. Best of luck to both of thee.” Zecora nodded slightly towards Rarity and Twilight. Zecora then turned to Zippy and said: “Come love, we must not be late. Remember my dear, we are on a dinner date.” “Ya right me love. Nice seein ya again sistas.” Zippy said as he and Zecora made their way to the restaurant. Once Zippy and Zecora were out of hearing distance, Rarity said: “What a nice couple they make.” “That they do.” Twilight concurred. “So, how did you meet them?” Rarity inquired. You had to know that was coming. Midnight interjected. That I did. Twilight let out a sigh before she said: “I met Zecora at a fundraiser a few years back, it was just before moving to Townsville and well, Princess Celestia thought it would be a good idea for me to get to know some of the city leaders. Anyway the entire event was some what boring but I did get to meet Zecora and the Mayor. I really don’t know them all to well, we are more of acquaintances, if anything.” “And Zippy?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Would you believe me if I said it was at a rock concert? Yeah, just a few weeks after high school graduation, I get a call from Princess Luna and she wanted to celebrate my graduation with a rock concert. Anyway, I said yes and literally two nights later we are at the Canterlot Stadium, Princess Luna and I were in disguises, I changed my coloration and Princess Luna made herself look like a midnight blue pegasus, now the reason for those disguises was simple: Princess Luna hates the paparazzi.” Twilight paused for a moment. “Anyway,” Twilight started up again. “I remember we were waiting in line for snacks when out of no where two ponies got into some sort of argument which derailed into an all out brawl with everypony present at the time involved. I never found out the reason behind it, but it doesn’t matter now. Princess Luna and I tried our best not to get involved, but that failed horribly, we soon found ourselves surrounded by ponies looking for a fight, luckily the princess and I had a few self defense lessons so we could have taken them. However we never got the chance. As soon as they descended on us this massive blur plowed into half of the attackers, which caused the other half to freeze.” Twilight paused again but this time to take a look at Rarity’s shocked expression. “Heres the best part,” Twilight continued. “The blur turned out to be a male minotaur, and he just stared at the remaining assailants with a look that could kill and that was all it took for them to get the message to back off. After that security calmed everything down, however the event was canceled because of the fight, and as Princess Luna and I were leaving, we ran into the minotaur again and said our thanks, which lead to a long conversation which resulted in the princess and I revealing our true selves to the minotaur and the minotaur introducing himself as Zippy Eats.” Twilight explained. You know, I remember it differently. I recall it was Lulu that started the brawl, after some punk tried to hit on her, and it was Zippy, who was volunteering as a security guard, that broke up the fight. Midnight commented. Well, my version is better, plus I don’t think Rarity wants to hear how I had to bail Lulu out of jail that night or how we had to explain it to Tia. Twilight snapped back. “Anyway that’s how we met.” Twilight finished. “I must say that you have lived a very interesting life darling.” Rarity commented. Curious how Twilight knows two people that Midnight Glimmer knows as well. Rarity thought to herself. “In a way, yes, yes I have.” Twilight concurred. A few moments after their conversation ended, the limousine had returned. The two stepped into the limousine, and the ride back to the dorm that followed was some what silent as both mares were contemplating how the night went for them. Once back at the dorm, just outside the main doorway Twilight broke the silence and said: “Thank you for a wonderful evening Rarity.” “I should be thanking you for taking a chance on this.” Rarity responded with a smile. “Well, I am glad I did.” Twilight smiled back. “So….Same time next week?” Rarity bashfully asked. “Uh…. Let me talk to my boss next week and I can give you a better schedule that will work for me.” Twilight stated as she rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed smile on her face. “Well whatever happens, we will make it work.” Rarity assured. “We better get inside, it is late, plus I think I see Pinkie spying on us.” Twilight said as she pointed to the dorm’s window, there a pink pony was watching them suddenly left having been spotted. Twilight and Rarity shared a laugh at their friend’s antics before heading up to their dorm, where they immediately went to bed after the night they had. They both knew that tomorrow would bring many questions from their friends. ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note Okay it is finally up, sorry it took so long, real life was being unreasonable thanks again to my editor Sam Cole for taking the time to edit this Questions, Comments and other stuff you like to say down below, till next time loyal readers //-------------------------------------------------------// Courtesy Call //-------------------------------------------------------// Courtesy Call Courtesy Call ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Wake Up!!!!!! Midnight yelled, which caused Twilight to suddenly jump out of her bed like a cat having been doused with water, followed by a crash to the floor below. “Oww!” Twilight said as she rubbed her flank. What was that for? It’s almost noon, even though it is a Saturday and we don’t have work, we shouldn’t be sleeping in. Midnight sighed. “Fine, I am up.” Twilight grumbled as she got up off the floor. So, what are we going to do today? Not sure, but first, we should get some breakfast. Midnight suggested. Good Idea. Twilight agreed as she looked herself over in a mirror, satisfied that everything was in order, she headed out of her bedroom. As she walked to the kitchen, she noticed the lack of her friends/roommates. They must still be sleeping. Twilight thought with a shrug as she opened the refrigerator, she looked inside for something to eat. Not much here. She mused as she picked up a carton of milk. I guess just a bowl of cereal today. Summoning the needed utensils, Twilight walked over to one of the chairs in the living room to eat her meager morning meal. Twilight ate quietly for a few minutes, after which she heard one of the other bedroom doors open up. “Morning Twi.” Rainbow yawned. “Up late?” Twilight asked. “No, just thought I sleep in a bit today.” Rainbow responded as she got herself a glass of orange juice. “I have to admit, seeing you here on the weekend is a bit strange.” Rainbow commented. “It is a bit strange to me as well.” Twilight concurred. “However strange it may be, I must say it is very refreshing to have you around darling.” Rarity commented as she walked from her room. “Hey Rarity, how did you sleep?” Twilight asked. “I sleep wonderfully, darling. Last night was perfect.” Rarity giggled as she sauntered over to Twilight. “But there is one thing I feel I forgot to give you.” Rarity said seductively, as she stopped and looked Twilight straight in the eye. “W-what would that be?” Twilight blushed from Rarity being so close. “Why, this darling.” Rarity purred just before she put her forehooves on Twilight’s shoulders and pulled the mare into their second kiss. Once again, time lost all meaning Twilight, her mind was once again blank from the pure bliss of Rarity’s kiss. How in Celestia’s mane does she do it? Twilight thought as their lips parted, leaving behind a familiar tingling. That is a good question. But you gotta admit, no matter how she came by such talent, Rarity sure is good at it. Midnight commented. Twilight slowly gained enough sense to notice that Rainbow had dropped her glass of orange juice, her jaw had dropped and her wings were in what most pegasi would call “wingboner” position. “You okay Rainbow?” Twilight asked concerned. “Darling, I believe we broke her.” Rarity said as she too looked over to the paralyzed pegasus. “Should we do something? I mean she can’t stay like that?” Twilight inquired. Rarity mulled it over for a bit before exclaiming: “Idea!” She then summoned a glass of water, then proceeded to dump it on Rainbow’s head. “Whaaa!” Rainbow shrieked, shaking off the sudden water that she found covering her head. “Rarity! That was mean.” Twilight tried to both stifle the giggle and admonish her marefriend. “I say it worked perfectly darling.” Rarity snickered. “Not cool Rarity!” Rainbow screamed. “It was your own fault for just standing there with your mouth hanging open, like some uncultured beast.” Rarity huffed. “Come on you two, let’s at least be civil about this.” Twilight hoped that would be enough to keep the two mares from fighting. “I think the two of you owe the other an apology.” Rarity let out a sigh, while Rainbow grumbled, then the two said at the same time: “I’m sorry.” “That’s better.” Twilight smiled. “I’m surprised that didn’t wake up the others.” “Shy is probably up but shaking under her covers from all the noise, AJ can sleep through most anything, and well, Pinkie is just Pinkie.” Rainbow huffed. “True.” Twilight conceded the point. “So, any plans for today?” “Not sure as of yet. What about you and Rares?” Rainbow shrugged. “Not sure, any ideas for today Rarity?” Twilight asked her marefriend. “Sorry darling, I have no plans for today.” Rarity sighed. “I guess we will have to see what the others have planned for today.” Twilight said. Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes after their conversation ended, Fluttershy poked her head out of her room, before joining the rest of her friends. Pinkie was next and she just happily skipped into the room. Applejack, usually not the last one up, just walked normally out of her room. “Mor’n ya’ll” AJ yawned. “Morning AJ, but it is nearly noon. So good afternoon.” Twilight greeted. “Really? Darn I slept in.” AJ grumbled. “It’s okay, everypony sleeps in once in awhile.” Pinkie giggled. “Pinkie is right darling, everypony sleeps in late sometimes.” Rarity concurred. Applejack mumbled something incoherent as she headed to the kitchen to make her breakfast, followed shortly by Fluttershy and Pinkie. “So, any plans for today?” Pinkie asked as she brought over a bowl of cereal. “Rainbow, Twilight and I were going to ask you three that very same question. As of right now, none of us have any ideas for today.” Rarity replied as her pink friend found a place to sit. “Sorry Rares, I got nuth’n.” AJ said as she munched on some toast. “Pinkie? Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “I got nothing.” Pinkie shook her head. “Me neither.” Fluttershy meeped. “So, nothing to do today.” Twilight sighed. Slow day. Damn, sorry, I have no ideas. Maybe we should… Midnight started to say but was cut off by a sudden flash of light, which caused all the mares to jump back with screams of fright. As the light faded, a scroll floated down. What the buck!?! Wait! I know that method of mailing anywhere. “It’s a message from the Princesses.” Twilight said as she picked up the scroll. “Why did they send it like that?” Rainbow asked indignantly, clearly having not enjoyed being caught off guard. “Why they sent it at all, is my question.” Rarity inquired as Twilight read the scroll. “The letter is from Princess Luna.” Twilight finally said, after she finished reading the letter. “Looks like she is coming for a visit.” “A VISIT!?!?!” The remaining five mares exclaimed, clearly not expecting these turn of events. That’s odd, usually Lulu gives no warning that she is coming for a visit. Midnight commented. You are usually right, however, this time she wants to talk about the night club. Twilight replied to her inner self. “She should be here in a few minutes.” Twilight said to her now panicking friends. “A few minutes! That’s not enough time to make everything ready!!” Rarity panicked. “Rarity calm down. Princess Luna always does this. She just hates it when somepony tries to make things ‘perfect.’ She would rather have things be real and with faults, than fake and perfect.” Twilight tried to calm down her marefriend. “That I do, my friend.” Called out the voice of Princess Luna, startling all but Twilight. “Okay princess, you can come out now.” Twilight sighed. Instead of replying verbally, Twilight’s shadow merely grew outward and up the near-by wall. The remaining mares watched in awe as the shadow dislodged from the wall and formed into the Princess of the Night. “You always enjoyed the shadow step spell.” Twilight stated. “There is no other way to travel. Thought I will admit Tia might argue that.” Luna commented as she pulled Twilight into a hug. “So, how are things?” “Good, all things considered.” Twilight said as she was released from the princess’s hug. “How are things in Canterlot?” “Nobles and politicians bickering, some sort of crisis to take care of. Same old, same old.” Luna sighed. “I am sorry to interrupt, but Twilight, would you mind some introductions.” Rarity called out. “Oh! Sorry! Princess Luna let me introduce my friends: AppleJack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. And last but certainly not least, my marefriend, Rarity.” Twilight blushed as she introduced Luna to her friends. “It is nice to-Wait a minute! Marefriend? Since when did you start dating?!” Luna exclaimed. Congrats Twi, I think you broke Lulu. Midnight snickered, as it became apparent that Luna was not coming out of her shocked state. “Twi, is the Princess okay?” AJ asked concerned for the frozen princess. “I will be honest AJ, this has never happened before. Normally she’d be fine after a few minutes, but it has already been five.” Twilight sighed exasperatedly. Any ideas, Midnight? Maybe ask Pinkie? This seems to be right up her naturally uncanny ally. Midnight shrugged. “Pinkie? Do you have any way of getting a pony unstuck from... whatever this is?” Twilight inquired to her pink friend. Pinkie shrugged. “I got a few ideas, but most just boil down to me splashing water in her face.” “While a bit crude, I am afraid we have no other ideas.” Rarity commented. “Okay Pinkie, do your stuff.” Twilight sighed. This won’t end well. But you have to admit, this will be hilarious. Midnight commented as Pinkie went to get a glass of water. Pinkie returned and without any objection from the others proceeded to splash the water in Luna’s face. “WAHHHH!!!!!!” Luna shrieked, then started to do multiple double takes trying to figure out what just happened. “What is going on? And why is my face wet?” Luna inquired. “Long story short, you became shell shocked when you found out that I had started dating. And the only way to undo said shell shock was by splashing water in your face.” Twilight informed. Luna took a few minutes to collect herself before she responded: “Well, thank you for getting me out of my stupor. But in all seriousness, when did you start dating?” “Truthfully? We just had our first date last night.” Rarity spoke up as she found her courage to speak to the Diarch of the land. Luna looked at Rarity with a critical eye, then said with a grin, “Rarity was it? You seem to have much courage to speak up. Most ponies would stay silent in the presence of one of their leaders.” Turning to Twilight, still with a grin on her face. “It would appear you have found a keeper.” “Thank you, princess.” Twilight and Rarity said at the same time, both with mild blushes on their faces, clearly embarrassed by the praise and attention given to them. “Twilight, must I always remind you not to call me by my title. You know full well I prefer the other name that we agreed upon.” Luna looked slightly annoyed. “B-but you said only to call you that in private.” Twilight stuttered. “Yes, true, but I am certain your friends and marefriend can keep a secret.” Luna said with a minor glare in her eyes that told all the mares to never tell anypony else what was about to happen. “As you wish, Lulu.” Twilight said with a blush on her face. It still feels weird to call her that. Regardless of what you feel, Lulu wants you to say it. Midnight commented. “Thank you, Twilight.” Luna smiled. “Now, barring any more interruptions, shall we get down to business.” Luna said as she walked over to the couch and sat down, beckoning the other mares to join her near the couch. “Of course, Lulu.” Twilight said as she took a seat across from the princess. Rarity took a seat next to Twilight and the rest just spread themselves across the room. “From your letter, you wish to discuss the nightclub.” This won’t end well. She dreaded what was about to happen. Nothing left to do but bite the bullet on this one. Midnight sighed. “What nightclub?” Rarity asked. The same question has crossed the others’ minds. “It would appear you have been keeping secrets from your friends, Twilight.” Luna commented. “What did Celestia and I tell you about secrets?” The Princess of the Night inquired to her former student. “That they are like medicine. They are good in small amounts, but if you take too much or too often, then they will start to do more harm than good.” Twilight recited, her head bowed down in shame, as if she were a filly being scolded by her parents. “It is good that you at least are admitting to the problem.” Luna huffed a bit, before continuing. “Seeing as you kept them in the dark on the matter. Would you please tell them the relevant information, so we may continue this conversation.” Luna said with a commanding tone. “Of course.” Twilight responded before continuing. “After our high school graduation, Lulu came to my house and said she had a proposition for me. She wanted to know if I was interested in having twenty percent ownership of one of the oldest nightclubs in the city. I was shocked to say the least, and inquired as to why she wanted me as a business partner.” Twilight began, pausing to see if Luna had something to interject with. Seeing she had nothing to add, she continued. “Lulu said that it was a graduation gift, and the fact that it would give us an excuse to talk to each other more was an added bonus. And, before you ask, yes I do get some say in how the club functions, but all my ideas have to be run by Lulu first.” “I have one question.” Rarity stated “What would that be?” Twilight inquired. “What is the name of this club?” “Been think’n that myself.” AJ added as Pinkie and Rainbow just nodded in agreement, while Fluttershy tried to hide the fact that she too wanted to know the name as well. “The nightclub is named after myself, Luna’s Den. Perhaps you have seen it in the city proper.” Luna smiled. “The nightclub in Townsville, is actually part of a franchise of nightclubs located here, Manehatten, and Las Pegasus.” Upon hearing the club’s name, the five mares sat in stunned silence, none daring to say the first word. If I had to guess, they are shocked by what they perceive to be a coincidence. Midnight dryly stated. This should prove interesting. “Something wrong?” Luna asked. “I-It is just that, we have been there before and had an….Interesting, experience with some mare named Midnight Glimmer.” Rarity shakily answered. “You have meet Midnight? Interesting.” Luna muttered, a thoughtful look adorning her face. “How so?” Rarity inquired. “She is the reason I am here today.” Luna answered. “Really? What did she do this time?” Twilight asked. I wonder what Lulu wants to discuss, because I can’t remember doing anything wrong. Don’t look at me, I am in the dark on this one. I can’t recall anything that might have gotten us on Lulu’s bad side. Guess, we'll find out soon enough. “She has done nothing wrong, or I should say what she hasn’t done is what is wrong.” Luna clarified. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked perplexed. “You remember the terms of her contract?” “What do…..Oh! Has it been two years already?” “It has been two years.” “I see, yes, she should have gotten the ball rolling on that.” Twilight nodded. Damn, I totally spaced on that. I can’t believe I forgot. “What are you talking about?” Rainbow spoke up. “Midnight has- or rather had, a two year contract with us. After which, she would no longer be our DJ, seeing as she originally started doing this job as more of a hobby than a career.” Luna stated. “Ah hobby?” AJ asked, she was a bit confused by the situation. “Yes, a hobby. Midnight, when she first took the job, was at a crossroads in her life so to speak. She needed, or maybe wanted, a place to hang out and relax. To find a place where she could truly let herself be free from everything she perceived as holding her down.” Twilight answered, while admitting to some truths about herself. “Indeed, she did, however she also stated that she would only do so for two years.” Luna continued. “I assume she thought she be in a different place by two years time.” Perhaps, two years was a bit of an underestimate on our part. But we are in a different place now than we were back then. Midnight contemplated. However, it is only just recently we got here. Twilight countered. “I see, but why are you telling us this?” Rarity asked. “Twilight, needed to be reminded is all. Seeing as she is at the club more often than not, thus meaning she will be around to help smooth things over. ” Luna stated. “I admit Spike could have handled it on his own. But I have learned over the many years, having higher ups on the same page and around to help out with matters, such as these, is perhaps more preferable than not having them directly involved.” She mused. “Thank you Lulu. I did forget that it had nearly been two years.” Twilight admitted. “So, other than that, anything else new with you?” Twilight asked, trying to change the conversation. “Anything new? No, not really, it’s business as usual in Canterlot. Nobles bickering about something petty or pointless, businesses trying to get more tax breaks. Tia is eating her weight in cake again.” Luna listed off. “Cake? Again?” All but Twilight asked. “What happened this time?” Twilight questioned. “I am not sure what happened this time, but I do know it has Tia depressed enough to eat cornucopious amount of cake again.” Luna sighed. “Though if I had to guess, she tried and failed to get the pink slut to stop doing exotic dancing.” “Who?” Rarity wondered, while the rest sans Twilight were shocked by the princess’s words. “Cadence.” Luna growled. “She, for some reason, has taken up exotic dancing as a hobby, but now that hobby is becoming an addiction. At least in Tia’s eyes, I personally don’t care what that tramp does, as long as it doesn’t harm the rest of Equestria.” She let out a sigh before continuing. “But I can see why it has Tia upset. We alicorns are supposed to be the shining example, the apex of pony elegance, but it is all being tarnished by that pink slut.” “She will find her way, eventually. Ponies always do.” Twilight sighed. “At least that is what you and Celestia taught me.” She finished with a smile. Luna let out a huff, before nodding her head. “Always looking for the bright side to things. Seems you have taken that lesson to heart.” Taking a look up, Luna noticed a clock on the wall. “Hum… I should be getting back to Canterlot.I thank you for your time today.” “No problem, Lulu.” Twilight smiled as the others gave their regards as well. “Before I leave, there is something I must talk to you about Twilight, in private.” Luna spoke. “Care to join me in the hall for a moment.” She said as she made her way for the door. Wonder what this is about? Midnight spoke up. No clue. “I will be right back, girls.” And with that, Twilight left to join the princess in the hall. As the door closed, Rarity said, “What do you think they are discussing?” “Twi will tell us when she gets back.” AJ replied. “So Lulu, what’s the matter?” Twilight asked. “Just an idea I had.” Luna started. “As you know, your contract is up in two weeks.” “Of course, what does that have to do with your idea?” “The five hundredth anniversary of the Luna’s Den franchise is also in two weeks. So I was thinking of doing an open mic night that night.” Luna said with an eager smile on her face. “Open mic? We have never done that before, or not in recent memory. What brought up this idea?” “I got the idea, when cleaning out my closet, I found the guitar we used in your music classes.” “Wait, you found Starburst? I thought it was lost with no way of finding it again?” Twilight was shocked that her favorite musical instrument of the past, which when she lost it was gone for good, was potentially back in her life. Oh my gosh! Starburst is back! That means I can play again. That means….. “You want me to play at the anniversary?” Twilight asked out loud. “I know it’s been years but I hope you will.” Luna stated a bit shyly, clearly trying not to pressure her former student. Not to put a damper on this, but, when ever we play Starburst, we some how wind up in the Midnight Glimmer disguise. Not sure why that happens, just does. But anyway if we do this we run the risk of the secret getting out. Midnight pointed out. True, but maybe it is about time to let the secret out. You did say we would have to make a choice one day. Seems the time is now. Twilight looked back to Luna. “Lulu, I have decided.” __________________________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note And we are back, big thanks to my new editor Rares leave any comments and questions below //-------------------------------------------------------// Dorm Room Discussions //-------------------------------------------------------// Dorm Room Discussions Fast Times at Canterlot University by neobrony7 Dorm Room Discussions: ______________________________________________________________________________ Canterlot University, gets it’s name from the fact it is funded by the city of Canterlot even though it is outside Canterlot by about 25 miles south of the city’s borders, on what used to be the town of Ponyville. The university is the center landmark of what could be described as Manehatten’s rival metropolis. When the city first was built, around the university, the ponies argued on the name. Some wanted Ponyville, while others wanted New Canterlot. It wasn’t until three fillies came to the city that they proposed the name of Townsville. Everypony fell in love with the name and thanked the three fillies, thought the only thing historians can remember about them is that their names all started with the letter B. It was friday night, around 9 pm, in the Lunar dorm of Canterlot University, which could be described as an old fashioned Victorian mansion. And in this beautiful old manor on the second floor, six mares were in a one vs five argument. “Darling, why won’t you tell us where you’re going?” Asked Rarity, a self proclaimed fashionista and a fashion design major. “I’m sorry Rarity, I just can’t.” Twilight replied, the arcane theories major of the six. “Why not egghead? You never kept secrets from us before,” Said Rainbow Dash, a no-nonsense athletics major. “Dashie is right, and losing a friend’s trust is the fastest way to lose a friend FOREVER!” Exclaimed Pinkie Pie, a culinary arts major that would give a psych major a headache. “Twi, A’h agree with Pinkie and Dash,” Chimed the workhorse, AppleJack, a business major. An odd choice seeing as most members of the Apple family have chosen majors that in some way directly relate to their apple farm in the old town district of Ponyville. But AppleJack always wanted to do things her own way. “I wish I could tell you girls, I really do,” Pleaded Twilight “Are you sure you can’t tell us Twilight?” Squeaked Fluttershy, the timid pre med student of the six. Fluttershy is a strange case, she can be scared of her own shadow one minute, but when the need arises she can have the fortitude of the most veteran of trauma surgeons. Twilight groaned, it was clear to all present that this was not how she wanted to spend her night. with a quick glance at the clock, she sighed, it was time to go. “Girls...I love you all dearly, and it pains me to keep secrets from you, but time is of the essence here... so you have two choices; Either let me go or I go through each and everyone of you by force, if I must.” Twilight said in a cool and calm manner. This, of course, shook the rest of the mares to their cores, seeing as the last time Twilight used this tone was on the ringleader of the largest crime ring in Equestria at the time. He had just threatened to kill Rarity, but after Twilight made a speech in that tone, subsequently proceeded to turn him into a ficus, that ringleader happened to be their high school science teacher, and the fallout of this event resulted in the six mares becoming national heros with all expenses paid scholarships to whatever college of their choice. But despite their heroics that day, they never could shake that fear that came from that tone Twilight used. With shakes and shivers the girls relented and let their friend pass. Twilight left the dorm in a rush, at a speed even Rainbow Dash would find impressive. Five minutes after Twilight left, Pinkie got enough courage to finally say something. “We should follow her next time.” “WHAT?!!!!!” The response of the remaining four. “Pinkie! Are you mad!” shrieked Rarity “Maybe, but it is the only way to find out.” After a few moments pause, AppleJack caved. “A’h agree with Pinks” “I’m with AJ,” Rainbow Dash affirmed while Fluttershy was weeping in the corner, muttering something about not actually wanting to be turned into a tree. Rarity sighed, knowing full well that no matter what, they were going ahead with this plan. “Darlings, how do you suppose we do this, in the first place?” Rarity asked the group. “What ya’h mean Rares?” AJ asked. “What I mean darling, is that Twilight is an extremely smart mare. Arcane theories smart. Do you honestly believe we can out wit her?” Rarity offered. For a few seconds nopony spoke, Rarity’s statement having caused them all to think. “Ohhhh!!!... I got it!” exclaimed Pinkie, with a giggle. For the other four, they could sense the next words out of Pinkie’s mouth would cause them all to facehoof. “We wear mustaches!” The sound of four hooves meeting their respective faces was the response Pinkie received. “Pinkie of all the worst ideas you have ever had... THIS. IS. THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. ONE.” groaned Rarity. “Worst than my idea of unleashing sugar crazed bunnies on the bad guys in that crime ring bust in high school?” Pinkie retorted. “Ah’m sorry Rares, but Pinkie’s right. That bunny idea was way worse than this,” said AJ, trying to stifle her laughter. “Um... we could just stick to the shadows and sneak behind her.” Fluttershy suggested. “Not a bad idea, ‘Shy.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “So it is settled then, we follow Twilight when she leaves next Friday,” said Rarity, her voice full of her drama queen conviction. The weekend passed as it always did, the girls didn't see Twilight till she returned on Sunday afternoon smelling like sweat and alcohol, adding another reason for them to find out what was going on. But alas, classes went on as usual, with nothing major happening these days, not since the crime ring bust, which for some reason was called Black Friday, when in actuality it happened on a Saturday morning. The days came and went, and it was Friday night once again. Twilight was packing her saddle bags, as she always did, when she thought to herself, Odd, I thought for sure that they be more persistent on this. As she walked to the door leading to the hall, she looked around to find all her friends going about their business. “Okay girls, I’m heading out, see you later!” Twilight called out. “Okay Twi, see you later,” Pinkie said as she pulled out a cake from the oven in the small kitchen in the dorm. “Till we meet again, darling.” said Rarity, who didn't even look up from her sewing. Applejack and Rainbow, were in the midst of a hoof wrestling match, didn't even give a proper response, they both just grunted. Fluttershy, sitting at the windowsill, just meeped and nodded in Twilight’s direction. Twilight preceded to shrug, and walked out the door. About two minutes later, a sigh from Fluttershy told the others that Twilight was walking on the sidewalk heading east. The five mares got up and bolted out the dorm with break neck speed. They literally and figuratively flew down the stairs and into the night. “Shy, you said she’s heading east, right?” asked Rainbow. “Y-Yes I’m certain.” stuttered Fluttershy. “Let’s git a move on, Twi’s got a lead on us.” spoke AJ. “Anypony know what is east of our dorms?” asked Pinkie. “I believe the science labs, the library, and mess hall for sure,” replied Rarity. “Late night weekend study session” supplied AJ. “Coming back smelling of sweat and booze? I don’t think so AJ.” said Rainbow. “Rainbow is right, darling, something is a hoof...” concurred Rarity. A few moments later, Twilight come into view due to the dim lights of the street lights that lined the sidewalks of the campus. Keeping a fair distance from her, the rest of the girls followed Twilight. They passed the science labs, the library, the mess hall and they even passed an active party at one of the sorority houses. After a few miles of walking, which only took about 30 minutes, Twilight took a path that lead back the way she came. She eventually stopped at the library. “Now why in the name of Celestia ‘erself would Twi double back like that?” asked AJ in a low voice. “Because I knew you were following me,” said Twilight, loud enough for all the girls to hear. “I have to give you credit girls, you are persistent.” Twilight said, in a tone similar to an angry but proud parent, the kind that are proud of their children's actions at the moment but also angry that they disobeyed their orders. “But, now I must be off.” With that statement, Twilight disappeared in a magenta flash of light, her teleportation spell. After a few minutes to realize that they had been played, Fluttershy found enough of her voice to ask “What now?” Rarity answered in a quivering voice, on the brink of tears, a simple “I don’t know...” ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note this is my first fan fic so i hope you liked it leave comments below i like to thank my editor Sam Cole for helping me out and if you don't know who he is find him on this site and read his stories. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Sign of Things to Come Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// A Sign of Things to Come Part 1 A Sign of Things to Come Part 1: ______________________________________________________________________________ Rarity tried to wake Twilight from her slumber, but nothing she tried seem to work. Oh Twilight, what did I do to you? Rarity thought as she looked to the mare of her dreams, who had a goofy grin on her face. What is going on in that head of your’s I wonder? Rarity questioned. -Inside Twilight’s mind- Black, a deep dark black was all Twilight saw for miles without end. “Well, this is pretty pathetic. I mean I just got told by my best friend that she loves me, and all I see in my head is completely dark.” Twilight groaned. “Also why can’t I wake up?” “I can answer that.” a voice called out from the darkness around Twilight. “What!?!! Who’s there!?!!!” Twilight called out. And why do they have my voice? “You should know why I have your voice, Twilight. After all, you in a sense gave me life.” the voice said as the darkness started to receded and condenses into the form of a pony. “That’s not possible! You can’t be real! You are just a mask, a character I play!” TwIlight screamed at the pony before her. “Oh come on Twi! You could at least call me by my name.” The pony groaned in annoyance. “M-M- Midnight Glimmer.” Twilight said. “Yep! That’s me. The part of you that likes to party, and we love to party hard.” Midnight smiled, putting emphasis on ‘we’. “So, why are we here?” Twilight in a sense asked herself. “Oh, yeah. We are here to resolve some issues that are now going to crop up, because let’s face it, we are going to be dating Rarity.” Midnight said with a grin. “What?! No, I am dating her.” Twilight stated. “Yeah, and I am you. Duh.” Midnight deadpanned. “Oh. Then why am I talking to you then?” Twilight inquired. “Because, this new development is going to change a lot of stuff in both our lives, also I’m thinking Lulu may have been right all those years ago when she said we shouldn’t have keep our double life a secret to most ponies.” Midnight stated with a sigh. “No. I mean why am I talking to you? I mean I never had this problem before.” Twilight stated. “Oh! That! Yeah, all the stress as of late finally hit the breaking point and this was the only way to salvage what remained of our sanity.” Midnight chuckled. “But this has never happened before!” Twilight argued. “Smarty Pants?” Midnight raised a brow “What’s my old toy have to do with anything?” Twilight caught off guard by the question. “You loved that doll, yet you threw her aside so willingly. You would never do that, but I would.” Midnight gave a grin. “Impossible.” Twilight denied. “Remember, that was the only time in your life you ever referred to yourself as Twilight.” Midnight stated. Twilight thought back to that day, it was during the final months of junior high. She had thrown out her beloved doll, one she had for years, and as she walked back inside the house from the sidewalk where the garbage can was, she had said “There you go, Twilight. No more dolly holding you back.” “Th-That was you?” Twilight stuttered. “You mean us, but yes, it was my doing. I am the side of you that keeps you on track when things get out of control or the part of you that remedies the problems that you can’t handle. Only recently have I taken the form of your outgoing, party loving self.” Midnight stated calmly. “But, we digress, the reason we are talking is because we are about to come to a crossroads in our life.” “What crossroads?” Twilight demanded. “The crossroads where a choice must be made.” Midnight said with a grin. “What choice?” Twilight groaned. “The choice is whether or not to keep going on as we have, or risk all we know for a chance with Rarity.” Midnight stated calmly. “But luckily, we are not there. At least, not yet.” “And what does that mean?” Twilight snapped. “It means we got some time to enjoy life before the choice has to be made.” Midnight smiled. “So I suggest we go out there and live it up. Also from now on I am going to be the voice in the back of your head. Call it an insurance that you don’t get too stressed over anything that may or may not affect your decision.” “Wait, don’t you get a say in this?” Twilight asked. “No. Well, not really. I am just mental construct with the express purpose of relieving some of your stress at times and solving some problems you may have.” Midnight sighed. “Now get going, you got a mare waiting to hear what you thought of that kiss.” “Yeah…. I probably should go.” Twilight said as she fade from her inner mind with a goofy grin on her face, clearly enjoying the memory of that kiss. As Twilight faded back to the waking world, Midnight shook her head and sighed as she too faded back to the form of the blackness in Twilight’s mind. Twilight slowly awoke to an indefinable sound and the sense of being shaken. She opened her eyes to see a clearly distraught Rarity shaking her in an attempt to wake her. “Twilight! You’re finally awake!!! Thank Faust!!!” Rarity cried as she pulled Twilight into a hug. “Sorry for the scare, Rarity. Could you give me a minute? This is a lot to take in.” Twilight apologized as she meekly pushed Rarity away. “Okay darling. I should have known that this would be too much for you. Take all the time you need, I don’t mind waiting.” Rarity dejectedly stated as she started to get up. “Wait!” Twilight said as she saw Rarity heading towards her door. “Yes, Twilight?” Rarity asked with a small hopeful smile. “I am not saying no but I am not saying yes. Maybe we can go out sometime, see where this takes us.” Twilight suggested. I hope I am doing the right thing here. Twilight thought to herself. “Thank you! Thank you!” Rarity cheered as she ran up to and pulled Twilight into a big hug, nearly crushing Twilight. “Rarity. Can’t breathe.” Twilight managed to cough out. “Oh! Sorry darling. Hehe.” Rarity punctuated with a sharp, dry chuckle, as she let go of Twilight. Twilight coughed a bit, while catching her breath, she then looked at Rarity and said: “No problem, no real harm done.” “So… When would you like to do this test date, darling?” Rarity asked after a few moments of silence between the two mares. “I think in two weeks would be best, for me at least. It gives me time to square away my weekend obligations.” Twilight stated. “Two weeks from now. Hum…. I can work with that.” Rarity half-smiled, after a few moments of thought, not too happy about waiting. Letting out a yawn, Twilight shook her head. “Sorry Rarity, guess I am a little tired.” Twilight apologized. “No darling, you should get some rest, all this must have been very shocking to you. Go, get some rest, we will talk more later.” Rarity softly smiled. “You sure you don’t want any help cleaning up?” “I’m fine darling. Go get some sleep, classes tomorrow and what not.” Rarity reassured. “Okay, if you are sure.” Twilight yawned, and walked back into her room. She closed the bedroom and headed straight to the bed. Tonight sure was interesting, Twilight thought as she laid down to sleep. You know, tomorrow is just the beginning of things to come. A voice said in her head, a voice Twilight was sure that belonged to Midnight Rarity watched Twilight walk back into her room. Well, that may not have gone as I intended, but at least I have a chance now. Rarity sighed as she headed into the kitchen to clean up the dirty dishes. A few minutes passed by as Rarity silently washed the dishes. She was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the return of her friends. “So… Anypony care to guess how Rarity’s plan worked out?” Rainbow asked as she opened the door to the dorm. “It’s ain’t none of our business.” AJ snorted at Rainbow. “But, I need to know how it went, else I can’t plan the right party.” Pinkie interjected. “Maybe... we could just ask Rarity how it went… I mean if it is okay with her to tell us, that is.” Fluttershy squeaked. “Good idea, Fluttershy. See that Applejack, Shy’s a team player.” Rainbow stated, and started to look for Rarity. “There she is. Hey Rarity! What’s up?” Rainbow’s call startled Rarity that she dropped the plate she was washing, which shattered on the floor. “Rainbow! Look what you made me do!” Rarity screamed as she turned around to glare at Rainbow, but instantly covered her mouth since she realized how loud she was, and took a glance at Twilight’s door. Good, she’s still asleep, she sighed. “Now what do you want darling?” “Just wondering how things went between you and Twi.” Rainbow said with a nervous smile on her face. Taking a look behind Rainbow, Rarity noticed the rest of her friends also had anxious looks on their faces, so with a sigh she carried on. “Do you all want to hear this as well?” Fluttershy meekly nodded. “Sure as shoot’n.” AJ stated. “Oh please, please, please!” Pinkie was bouncing and begging at the same time. There was a few moments of silence, while Rarity searched for the right words before sighing, “Twilight and I going out in two weeks, but as Twilight said it’s more of testing the waters if anything. I have a shot but nothing guaranteed.” “Why two weeks?” Rainbow asked. “It gives Twilight a week to clear her weekend obligations.” Rarity responded. “Seems things are going good for ya there, Rares.” AJ smiled. “So, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Cause I can’t tell what kind of party to plan.” Pinkie said while she cocked her head to the side, her mane threatening to deflate from party confusion. “Put a pin in the party plans, would you darling?” Rarity stated, then let out a yawn. “Oh sorry girls, seems tonight’s activities have left me tired. I bid you all a good night and also ask that you keep it down. Twilight is already in bed. Can you believe she fainted when I showed her the gift I made? Luckily she woke back up but she still must be tired after that shock.” “Ya get some rest, Rares. We’ll see you tomorrow.” AJ said. “Night girls, see you tomorrow.” Rarity yawned as she headed to her room. After Rarity closed the door to her room, AJ, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie made their way to the little living room in the center of the dorm. As Fluttershy and Pinkie sat down on the couch, Rainbow plopped down on a beanbag chair across from the couch, while AJ looked out the window and sighed. “What’s up AJ?” Rainbow inquired. “Just thinking.” AJ replied. “Want to talk about it… I mean if that’s okay with you.” Fluttershy squeaked. “Ah just hope things work out between Twi and Rares is all.” AJ sighed as she turned towards her friends. “I have a feeling it will.” Pinkie smiled. “How?” AJ, Fluttershy, and Rainbow asked at the same time. “Call it a hunch.” Pinkie winked. “I don’t want to know. Night everypony.” Rainbow said as she made her way to her room. “Good idea. Night yall.” AJ followed Rainbow’s lead of getting out of dodge, and headed to her room. Fluttershy just nodded her head, and made her way to her room. "Well… Guess it is bedtime for me as well.” Pinkie shrugged and bounced to her room. Wake up Twilight! You’re going to be late for class!!! With a groan, Twilight woke up, Great my mind now has a talking alarm clock. Hey! I am not an alarm clock, I am a part of you, Midnight responded. “This is going to take some getting used to.” Twilight sighed, sluggishly going through her morning routine. This is going to be a long week. Week nothing, I am staying here till you come to terms with the Rarity situation, so I guess you better get used to this voice in your head. “I guess so.” Twilight said as she left her room and headed out the dorm. A new day, a new beginning, better make the best of it. That’s the spirit, but you are right this is going to be a tough week, especially the weekend. With that passing thought, Twilight sighed and prayed that the week would be kind to her. The week came and went, and it was Friday night once again. Twilight was in her room preparing for her weekend job. Glad this week is done, but now the real test, getting Spike to give me a weekend off. Twilight thought. Yep, Spike is going to be tough. Midnight agreed. Twilight’s eye twitched. You have been doing that all week, do you have anything more constructive to say? Because the short snips of either agreement or disagreement is starting to get on my nerves. *Yes, I do have more constructive things to say but we are not there yet. “Fine.” Twilight sighed and left her room. As Twilight left her room, she was almost immediately cut off by Rarity. “Hello darling.” Rarity said while giving Twilight big puppy dog eyes, an unsaid question was conveyed with that look. You knew this was coming, Midnight commented while Twilight audibly groaned, “Rarity, I know you want to come but I just can’t bring you. It’s not you, it’s the rules of my job.” “Fine.” Rarity pouted. “Augh… How about this; seeing as I don’t know if I can get next weekend off, if it turns out I can’t, then I will ask my boss, if I can bring you with me.” Twilight sighed. That’s risky, you know. I know, but that’s the best I got, plus it’s something in case I can’t get out of work next weekend. As Twilight argued with herself, Rarity was mulling over the offer presented to her. After some thought, Rarity stated with a sigh of defeat: “While not the most enjoyable of offers, it is acceptable.” “Thanks Rarity, I promise that no matter what next weekend will be one to remember.” Twilight gave a smile. Now you are just digging your own grave. Midnight groaned. Shut up! I don’t hear you offering anything else to say. Twilight snapped back, before quickly saying her goodbyes to her friends and heading out the door. ______________________________________________________________________________ Author's Note edited by Sam Cole and Fusion Fool the Third leave comments and questions below