Nightmare Lifeby MSMagic31ChaptersThrough the Colt's EyesA Night's DreamNightmare NightThe Princess of His DreamsA Wish Come TrueHomeThe LeaveThrough the Colt's Eyes~Through the Colt's Eyes~ From the beginning of his life he was small, Night Riser was. Counters and tables would seem so high to him, that he would stand there and gaze at the top that surely, he believed, was there. Every staircase seemed like a mountainous climb, taking him so long until he finally reached the top, and as usual, he would be out of breath and fall off his hooves and to the floor. No, the young colt was never able to be of any use, and with clumsiness added to his repertoire, the poor thing was more of an annoying scrap of life that just happened to be there. Only he wasn't happened, he was intended. But intentions can sometimes fail. It were these miserable features of Night Riser that always gave him trouble as a young, because every night, Dr. Zoid would ask for his medicine, calling down the stairs for the feeble pony to fetch for him. But of course, Night was hardly successful at doing the task right, for the medicine was always in the cabinet above the tallest counter, and Dr. Zoid was up the stairs of the dark home. He could not come down himself because of his paralyzed back hooves, and so he expected Night Riser to be very punctual about performing to his bidding. However, the colt was always scolded for his lack of doing things right, which is why Night Riser always trembled towards the time he would need to get his master's medicine. And this was the time. "Night Riser!" bellowed the creaky voice from the upper hall. "Bring me the Dantrium!" The colt jerked his head up from the floor. He had neatly rolled himself up into a ball in the corner to sit, and was staring at an unseen crack through the stone wall at the moonlight that was gazing though. He swallowed hard and turned his gaze to the cabinet where the Dantrium vials were. It was time again. Quickly, the colt did his work. He hopped off the floor and sped over to a dining table with wooded chairs surrounding it. He ran up to the leg of one and carefully arranged his mouth on it. He wanted to make sure the master didn't know he was biting his furniture, and due to the fact the colt had tiny fangs in his mouth, he had to be cautious when dragging the chair. However, Night Riser had done this before. He pulled the chair up against the counter until the edges touched. Then, using all the strength he had, Night Riser stood on his hind legs and reached for the seat of the chair. He was able to get a small hold onto it, but enough to pull his small body up and onto the chair itself. From there it was easy to get up on the counter and to the cabinet, which inside contained many vials of clear-green liquid with the master's medicine. Carefully, the colt stretched his neck back into the cabinet and grabbed the nearest vial. He pulled his head out, the glass container in his mouth, and shut the door with his head. Then agilely, Night Riser hopped to the floor, and using his head, pushed the chair back to the table. As fast as his legs could take him, the colt ran for the staircase and began to hop up each one, losing energy as he went and feeling the Dantrium slosh inside of the vial. Soon, Night Riser made it to the top of the stairs. He set the vial down and opened his mouth to pant. He looked at the ground when a voice came from an open door down the dark hallway on that floor. "I know you're up here, little worm, now get in here and bring me the Dantrium!" shouted the voice of Dr. Zoid. Frantically Night Riser grabbed the vial and sprinted into the lit room. At a desk filled with all sorts of papers and chemical beakers sat the master, Dr. Zoid himself. He was sitting in his rustic wheelchair with his back towards Night Riser. All the young colt could see was his cream-colored head peeping from the top of it, his wispy white hair sticking up. The old pony soon turned the chair around to reveal his slouchy figure in a stained white coat, a pair of old goggles over his wrinkly, always grouchy face. "You stupid brat, do you know I have a schedule to keep?" he cracked at Night Riser. The colt brought the old pony the vial, which the doctor sucked into a syringe. "You have time for your worthless daydreams at night, you know. That's why they're called dreams." He stuck the syringe into his lower back and shot the medicine into his body. "Now scram," said the doctor. "Do do whatever you do until I have another task." He turned back to his work. Night Riser hesitated to leave. He wanted to ask the question he asked every day. But he was afraid. Afraid the master would do The Torture to him. Night Riser was always afraid of The Torture, but had hope in his heart. Hope that the master would someday give him the answer he longed for. "Master sir," squeaked the young pony, attempting to make his small voice bigger than it was. "I was wondering...can I go outside today?" Today Dr. Zoid did something different. He turned around and faced the colt with his goggles. "And why, dear boy, would you want that?" Night Riser scratched the back of his hoof. "Well, Master, sir, tonight is a special night," he replied. "What makes it so special then?" asked the doctor. "Tonight is Nightmare Night," said Night Riser enthusiastically. "It's very great, they celebrate it in Ponyville every year, sir. There's always candy and everyone is happy. I want to go this year, Master." Dr. Zoid gave the colt a smile. "Follow me, boy, and I'll let you answer that question yourself," said the old doctor. He started wheeling his chair to the back of the room. Night Riser was worried, he knew what was in that direction. But the master was seeming nice today. Night Riser followed in curiosity. "Come now," said the doctor. He opened a closet door and pointed a hoof to the inside. Night Riser stopped and cowered. That was the room of The Torture. "But...but Master..." he stuttered. "Get in the room!" Dr. Zoid commanded. Night Riser looked at the unfriendly face of his master and did as he was told, walking into the dark room with his tail between his legs. Night Riser entered the pitch black closet, the doctor slamming the door behind him. Suddenly from above, a bright light flickered on and almost blinded the colt. He familiarized himself with the room once again, looking up at the light with squinted eyes and then around the hexagonal room. Each of the skinny walls had on it a dirty mirror, including the door. The colt stared at the reflection in front of him, first catching the sight of his slit-pupiled, golden eyes. His black messy hair sat like a mop atop his head and around his round face and big, floppy ears. He zoned his focus out, then looking at his frail, thin body. His musty blue coat covered him from head to toe, but still he could see signs of his ribs, hips, and skinny flank, bare and dusty. He then stared at the one feature of his body that made him so different from the other ponies, and that was his wings. His navy, translucent, skeleton-like, bat wings. For a while, Night Riser stared, and it was only for a few moments. Then The Torture began. "Take a good look, take a good, long, look, Night Riser!" came the doctor's grumpy voice from behind the door. "You're pathetic, useless, a wretched thing if I ever saw one. Think about how you would've turned out boy! If you deep down in your genes hadn't been so mistaken, you would've been out in the world as a full and worthy pegasus! But you're not! You're a bat, boy, a bat! A sick hybrid of the greatest species, only to be spoiled by your ratty bat self! Do you think you deserve to live?! NO! You are a waste! You can't fly your wings are so weak! You have no future, no past! You are lucky you didn't have any parents, your mother would've aborted you if she knew you would be a disgraceful child like this! There is no hope for you! Oh, you want to go outside? DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GO OUTSIDE?! YOU WOULD BE PERSECUTED OUT THERE! YOU ARE WASTE TO THE PONIES OUTSIDE! YOUR LIFE WOULD BE MORE MISERABLE THAN IT IS! NIGHT RISER, YOU ARE A DIRTY, NOTHING, WASTE OF MY PRECIOUS EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES, JUST PLAIN SCUM! LOOK IN THAT MIRROR! LOOK AT YOUR MEANINGLESS SELF AND TRY TO SAY YOU'RE BETTER THAN THE ROTTEN PONY YOU ARE!" Night Riser felt the burning words hit his ears and travel down his throat like acid. He held his breath and tried. Tried not to cry. He had wanted to somehow show his master he was strong and was worth it in the world. But the doctor always won, and the colt, halfway through The Torture, would fall to the ground in tears, weeping and screaming for the doctor to stop. Dr. Zoid would always finish his bit, though, and then leave the door to finish his work. Today however he sat by the door, mercilessly listening to the colt inside the room cry. Night Riser, as always, tried to hit the mirrors in the room. After such descriptions he didn't want to see himself, he wanted to be gone. Dead. He wanted that vision dead. But he was too weak to even crack the mirrors and always failed. Night Riser curled up on the floor and sobbed for a good half hour. Then, he sat in the choking silence, listening. He would always listen, always wait for the master to finish his studies and then use the lift to slowly lower himself to his personal quarters for the night. But the colt didn't hear the electronic buzzing through the walls, the hum of the lift. Maybe he had cried so long that the doctor had already gone down for the night. Little did he know that Zoid was waiting right outside the door, abnormal to the usual routine. Night Riser reached high and slowly pulled at the handle to leave the room, as usual, to go to bed and finish his sad day there. However, he hobbled right into Dr. Zoid's wheelchair. SPRACK! The doctor had reached forward, gripped the colt's wing and smacked him across the muzzle. "Listen, boy, I'm growing tired of this every single day!" the doctor spat angrily into Night Riser's eyes. "You obviously haven't learned by now, idiot, that you get punished for asking that same stupid question every day! You want to go outside? The answer is NO! It has always been NO! And it will always be NO! You got it?!" Night Riser bit is tongue. He didn't see this extra bit coming. Already shaken, and physically beaten more, he fell to the ground. "Never, Master, I'll never ask you the question again! I promise on my life!" the colt trembled. "Good," said Dr. Zoid dryly. He began to wheel away to the lift. "Get shut eye, now, you have chores at dawn." With that, the hallway was silent. All for Night Riser's whimpers and his broken but madly beating heart. When Night Riser felt a motive to get up, he trudged his way through the door of the study and towards the end of the dark hall, his eyes and nose wet in misery. The young colt then came to a door at the end of the hallway, opened it, and began a climb up a twisted staircase to the top of a tower, where he would push through a flimsy trap door to the one room where the master could never hurt him. There, at the top of that tower, Night Riser felt the tears fall once again, like they did every night after The Torture. He would cry, lying on the ground, and then climb a rusty metal ladder to the ceiling of his room, where a bar hung in the middle. He would then grab hold of it, scoot his way to the center, and then flop his hind hooves over it, then commencing to hang upside-down. He would wrap his papery wings around his body and then sleep, exactly like a bat. Night Riser did this, and was hanging there, staring out his window that faced the East. He always faced this window, one, because the sun would rise in that direction and he would know when to get up, but also because Ponyville was there. Every night he would gaze upon Ponyville, wishing he'd visit it one day. Or night. Nighttime was when he liked it the best, for it had pretty lights shining with the stars. This night of the year was his favorite, however. Nightmare Night. It was this night when the town was the most lively at night. He could hear the laughter of so many ponies, hear music and singing in the distance, and smell sweet scents of candy, which by what he could see ponies gave at their doors. Night Riser smiled for a moment, but that moment faded. He would never get the chance to see the great holiday, nor other ponies but the cruel Dr. Zoid. He didn't really even know what other ponies looked like. But he knew one thing. All of them would be in dreams from now on. "This place looks creepy awesome!" It was that sudden, high-pitched, squeaky voice that caught Night Riser's attention. He about fell off his bar. In fact...he did, and landed square on his nose where the doctor had hit him earlier. But he got up quickly and dashed over to his window to look out and be bewildered. There, on the twisty and thorny path that led to the lab, his home, were two fillies about his age. He looked for the one who had spoken. It was the only one in clear view as he could see and it was a small pegasus. The filly was dressed in a makeshift blue suit from head to toe, yellow lightning bolts going down the sides. So this is how ponies dress... thought Night Riser. How weird. What really stuck out as strange to him was that the filly had the messiest mane and tail ever, and that the colors were that of the entire rainbow. "I bet this will be the best place to get candy from tonight!" said the filly in her squeaky voice again. "Look! It's like a haunted mansion! Let's go ring the doorbell!" The filly started to walk forward, only to get annoyed and run back to some bushes where another filly was hiding. Night Riser saw the rainbow-haired filly reach in and pull out another pony her age. And at this, Night Riser gasped. It was another bat pony, just like him! He looked at her closely. Her wings were strangely thick, she didn't have floppy ears like him, and her fang-teeth were really big for her size. But Night Riser was for sure certain that she was another bat pony. And how pretty she was! Night Riser had only known his whole life that bat ponies, which was only him, were ugly and disgusting. But in shook his head at this thought. She wasn't ugly and disgusting at all! Her coat was yellow, he thought, like sunshine, and she had hair that looked like the apple blossoms he would see out his window in spring. But what really made him thought she was pretty was her eyes. They were a blueish green. Night Riser had a box of crayons, and a crayon color that was blueish green. He never used the crayon because it was too pretty of a color to use on paper. And he thought her eyes looked just like that crayon. "Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," the bat pony said softly. "This place is too scary for me." Yes it is, thought Night Riser. He wanted her to fly away, she didn't belong in a place like where he was. But he didn't dare yell out, for fear Dr. Zoid would run out and capture her. He visioned her being locked in The Torture. No, she didn't deserve that at all. She needed to run. "Aw, come on, scardey pony, let's go!" said the other filly. Night Riser watched as she flew quickly to the door step. Her swallowed a breath. "Please come back," pleaded the bat pony. But the rainbow filly knocked on the door. "Trick or Treat!" she yelled. Suddenly a glass broke from the other side of the door. Night Riser knew it was the master, very cross. He knew Dr. Zoid hated visitors, and was very tense at this moment. How he wanted to scream for those fillies, especially the bat pony, to run, fly away! "Get off my land, no trespassing!" screamed the old pony from the other side of the door. The rainbow filly jumped back. "Whoa whoa whoa!" she yelped. "Let's get outta here!" But the bat pony had already started running, Night Riser saw, she was so scared. "Run to Ponyville," he whispered. "Run, bat princess." Night Riser felt the words on his tongue. Bat Princess. But it was true, she was a bat pony like him, but so pretty to be a princess. That memory, that one moment in the night, Night Riser had hope that there was something good in the world, and something that made his life all the better in the lab. It was that vision, that dream, of that filly he had seen. The Bat Princess. And from then on he had been in love with her. A Night's Dream~A Night's Dream~ It was the crack of dawn. The sun had pulled itself gracefully over the hillside past Ponyville and beyond the great unknown, waking up the world slowly with it's rays that gently kissed the dew-covered grasses. It was this light that was the only kindness to Night Riser in the morning, a friendly "hello, good morning dear" to wake his sleepy self. And such was this morning. The sun had risen once again, dutifully, at dawn's embrace, shedding light on the land that sang autumn, the trees bare and the leaves playfully assorted on the ground. It was this season that Night Riser woke up best to, Autumn. It was the host of his favorite holiday: Nightmare Night. Which was, in fact, that very night. When dawn broke so did the lids of Night Riser's eyes as he stretched and yawned from his bar that hung on the ceiling. He looked out the window and smiled. It was, in deed, a beautiful day, and such one that he would rather spend dreaming. The bat-pony liked to dream. He did, in fact, dream so much. He remembered the start of his greatest dream. It had happened one night, while he was gazing out his window, his head swirling with fantasies, and that picture he had remembered from not so long ago from that point. It was the Bat Princess. That whole week since the night he first saw her he had dreamed of meeting her, to say hello, to know that she wasn't alone, nor he, in the world that so discriminated their kind. And it was that night he wrote his dreams down, in fact, he drew them on paper. He drew a lot of things, what with his one box of crayons, but that first picture of the Bat Princess was special. Night Riser remembered staying up all the way until dawn, using the moon for light, and drawing all he could remember of the pretty pony before his mind could let the image go. It was then his greatest dream struck true through his heart, that he would definitely meet her. He just had to. And tonight was going to be the night, he knew it for sure. Quickly the pony shook his head from his recalls. His chores needed tending to first. With haste, Night Riser sped out of his room and slid down the grip of the spiraling staircase. He dashed through the hallway filled with rooms of the Master's studies, including the dreaded closet of his past, the room which held The Torture. He hadn't been there for years, and had wondered what Dr. Zoid had ended up using the old room for, or if he forgot about it altogether. Either way, Night Riser remembered that his foalhood was filled with misery and hatred from there and from the doctor. The pony tumbled down the staircase to the main floor, and once there, stopped at the bottom quietly and perked his ears. Attentively, he listened for the Master's breathing, which wasn't difficult considering that Zoid was a heavy snorer and that Night's large, bat-like ears could pick up the slightest noise. He then smiled. The place was his for a while. Instantly Night Riser dashed for the cleaning supplies on a shelf. They were there, right at his nose for reaching. He remembered when he was six doing these chores, how hard it was for him to get a hold of things, how he had to cautiously maneuver the chair to see anything in the lab. But that was eleven years ago. Now, Night Riser was much taller, and though not as tall as most stallions, was still able to reach things with more ease. The pony was still thin, however, probably with little to no muscle strength and still showing vague signs of malnourishment. Night Riser's mane, tail, and coat was a sloppy mess, the doctor cutting it crudely with a scalpel every couple months and never providing many ways for the boy to stay clean. The other feature that remained the same with Night Riser was his flank. It was bare, with no cutie mark. This didn't bother him, however. He never knew the term "cutie mark" to begin with, Dr. Zoid never mentioning nor showing his for Night's questioning. So a blank flank was he, but that never got to his attention. In fact, none of these features really did, but they didn't matter anyhow. Because now, Night Riser was happy. Especially today, when he would plan his escape. First, the stallion had to get through the course of the day. He did his morning chores quickly, dusting the furniture, sweeping and mopping the floors, getting rid of spider and cobwebs, and washing the windows. The reason the chores were done so fast was so Night Riser could find the sliver in the day between then and when the Master woke that he could have peace. Peace to dream and create. Carefully, the bat-pony put everything back into place. He bolted up the stairs, down the hallway, and up to his room, almost forgetting to close the door, but still minded it. He sat at the top in his solitary room, breathing for a while, then looking out at the still rising sun. He had time. Night Riser walked over to a loose stone in the windowsill of his room and pulled it up to reveal his neatly arranged and secret belongings inside. They were a stack of papers, clean, others with drawings on them already. He pulled out one piece and held it in his mouth, careful not to bite through with his sharp canines. Then, he pulled out a tin box from which all the magic came from: his crayon box. He brought these things to the center of the floor, laid the paper neatly in front of him, and with his jaw popped the lid off his box. He then chose the smallest crayons in the box, the ones he had used countless times. They were the yellow, the pink, the black, but also, the most unexpected, his blue-green. It was the most beautiful tint he had in his collection, and he was honored to use it for what he always spared it for on his papers. Night Riser picked up one of these crayons and began sketching. He was going to be sure that this was the best picture he would draw, knowing it would be his last, for the stallion was planning that he would meet the subject of his artwork that night. The Bat Princess. Now Night Riser always drew her the same way, but he was just so fascinated by her that he found himself creating her image multiple times, and as he grew, so did she on the paper. (He figured that since she was his age that she would definitely grow up with him too.) He always drew her standing as she had that night, her wings outstretched. But Night Riser always left her mouth bare. He didn't see her smile that night, but didn't want to draw her frowning. So he left it blank until he met her. His favorite part was putting the last touch on her with his favorite crayon, and that was her big, shining, and innocent eyes. After his masterpiece was complete, he put his crayons back in his tin as they were. Night Riser took time right afterwards to admire what he had done, or more so, the Bat Princess he had dreamed of for so many years. Was it really tonight that he was going to see her? A smile fell upon his face. Definitely. He had wished for the night for so long, gone through so much, he would have to see her before all else changed. The dream left his mind in a spin through the clouded unknown. Night Riser found his eyes drifting out of his window, to the quaint town of Ponyville, and then to a wonderful fade into his own mind. His eyelids became heavy and he laid his head gently on his hooves, his breathing slowing... * * * "I didn't know you were taking up a new hobby, Night Riser. You should've mentioned this to me sooner." Night Riser felt his eyes burn open at the sound of the rusty voice. Instantly his throat tightened and grasped a hold of his breath, and his coat froze. Night Riser felt a burning in his head as he came to his senses. That was when he caught his bearings. And that was when he realized that there was somepony behind him. Dr. Zoid. "What have you been doing, rat?!" he screamed at the unexpectedly knowing young stallion. Night Riser jolted around and barely held a stance on his knees. He faced the burning eyes of Dr. Zoid, which he knew were reeking anger behind his goggles. The question that was reeling through his mind was how the doctor came up to his room. "M-master! Dear sir!" Night Riser trembled as he tried to choke back reality. "B-but how-" "Shut your unwholesome trap!" bellowed the Master. "I bet you think this is your private sector, huh? That you have a special privacy all to yourself? Do you know who owns you, Night Riser, who owns your life?!" The bat-pony was lost for words. He couldn't do anything but shake where he was. "Most importantly, do you know what time of day it is?!" Night Riser trotted weakly to his window, pulling his muzzle over the sill to see outside. It was late afternoon. "As for this disgusting habit of yours," said the doctor behind him. Night turned around. Zoid had his picture of the Bat Princess in his hooves! "Master!" Night Riser choked. "WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS HORRID DISPLAY?!" demanded the Master. "WHO IS THIS?!" Night Riser stood in silence. "TELL ME BOY!" "The...my...my...she's my dream," stuttered Night Riser. He was too afraid to claim her existence. His safest place for the Bat Princess was in his mind. Dr. Zoid cackled hoarsely. "Did I raise you this way, boy?" he asked cruelly. "DID I?! To result to fantasies? What have I told you, Riser?! There is no other bat-pony, there is no other place for you out there! You can't even fly on your own still, you're so weak, you have no life, no talent, no hope! That's why you're here! WITH ME! UNDERSTAND, BOY?!" Night Riser's face fell to the floor. He felt his eyes sting in guilt, in shame, in whatever. He didn't know. But the tears fell. It was like The Torture. Only it was worse. It was here, real, and came from nowhere. He heard the sound of ripping paper and Dr. Zoid cough in his throat. "Do you have more?" he asked. "ANSWER ME NOW, NIGHT RISER!" And there, he had no choice. Night Riser revealed the secret stash of drawings, his beloved crayon box. Dr. Zoid took all of them. He ripped all the pictures, one-by-one, disgracing each one before tearing it to shreds. He left the room with all the scraps, the crayons which he claimed he would melt at the fire. Then, slowly, he descended down the stairs with difficulty, but in a way that showed he had all the time in the world that day to be able to come up in the first place. But Night Riser didn't watch him go. He buried his face in the ground, weak and broken in front of his Master, who gave one final call. "I'll be here for you at dawn," said the doctor, wheeling down another step. "You shall receive you punishment then, since you've kept me all day getting up these blasted steps. Better have those stupid and unworthy dreams this last night, Riser, because tomorrow will be your worst nightmare, I'll promise you that." The old pony took more minutes fumbling down the staircase, Night Riser listening to the echo of each step until the door opened and shut below. For moments of silence afterwards, Night Riser felt the tears cease to fall and his breathing slow again. But he didn't remain sad for long. He past dreams, his foalhood wishes, they may have been torn, burned, and lost forever. This night was his. There was something he still had kept a secret from Dr. Zoid, more than the pictures and dreams in his mind. He still didn't know that the Bat Princess was real, that he had seen her that night. No, had had only scratched the surface. And Dr. Zoid had underestimated his physical ability. For Night Riser, even though weak in the past and somewhat now, had been preparing for this night of escape, to leave. He was going to leave through the window, too, the wishing window. And he was going to fly. Nightmare Night~Nightmare Night~ "Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!" chimed a small group of fillies and colts. A mare at the doorway gave them all a wonderful treat from her bowl, the foals then running off to the next house. They passed through the square of Ponyville, where much of the activity was going on. Off on one side was a catapult shooting pumpkins to targets set afar, mares and stallions attempting to land them on the center. In another area was an apple bobbing pool, where many ponies tried their hardest to fit their teeth around one of the crunchy fruits. There were many other games of the such, a spider-throwing booth where ponies would chuck the toy spiders at a sticky web, a place set for those who wanted to hay-rack ride, many places pushing out candy, caramel apples, popcorn balls, and plenty other sticky, gooey, and delightfully sweet and yummy treats for everypony to enjoy. But of course, there was the screams, not of fright, however, of laughing matter. Fillies to old stallions of all ages getting frightened by the silliest of things and cackling at the joke afterwards. Night Riser saw all of this looking into the town, and it was the screams that confused him the most. How could anyone like screaming or the mere sensation of fear? Riser had known terror his whole life, mostly during The Torture, and really couldn't imagine how ponies could live with it as a joke. The stallion decided to observe longer, seeing if something would come up, if something would change, or if likely, he would spot the Bat Princess in the crowd. He found her not there, nor anything changing, or in the farthest place of his mind, if any other bat-ponies would be there. However he still didn't find the right time to show himself, not openly, but at least not into the public yet. For his gutsy motivations, he was surprised he was so nervous at this first attempt with contact to other ponies. What really amazed him was the strange ponies with extra noses, or what he assumed were extra noses. They stuck out of some of the ponies' heads like horns, although Night Riser told himself to be logical, that ponies couldn't possibly have horns. He had never seen one of the such, but yet there were so many. Was this normal? He saw one of these ponies use their extra nose, only it would glow and pick up things, like it was magical. Night Riser then understood. They had to be ponies with magic wands, if they existed, glued or grown on their heads! Night Riser was also curious of the ponies' dress. Some dressed in capes, others in dresses, with here and there a pony with a mask, and even some that looked evil. He wondered why they dressed so funny or so darkly, but he didn't judge. It must've been part of their culture, or maybe it was to ward off ghosts. But Ponyville was decorated in ghosts and goblins. He just shook his head and decided to ask later. It was then he realized that all of the population was moving away from what they were doing, and most of these were foals. They were all walking toward the center of town. Curious, and willing to make a move, Night Riser stepped into the border of Ponyville. He followed the crowd, however, keeping his distance and staying in the shadows of the alleys. It was very peculiar. All of the young moving to the center of the town. There, an old stage sat, and on it was a podium. An old mare stepped onto the stage, dressed like a safari adventurer (as Night Riser saw in books. He also assumed she was one herself, being in such an outfit). The mare tapped the microphone on the podium and greeted the foals warmly. "Welcome back to Nightmare Night, everypony!" she cheered. The crowd gave enthusiasm. "Now, as you all know, at this time of year, on this night, we must all do what we can, for it isn't just our night, but the night of...NIGHTMARE MOON!" She gave a spooky coo and cackled menacingly. The foals cowered, but then laughed afterwards. Night Riser didn't know what to think of it. Who was Nightmare Moon? And why did she seem so spooky? Is this why they wore strange clothes and did creepy things? He continued to listen. "As you all know, young fillies and colts, it is time for the tale of the year! Zecora will gladly show you the way!" The old mare said this line as a cloud of green smoke appeared on stage. Night Riser almost jumped as much as the other ponies did. But he jumped more when he saw the strangest pony, Zecora as the old mare called her, appear on stage. She was clothed in a long, black cape, white ghoulish hair hanging down on her face with spiders entangled in it. What the strangest feature of her was her coat. She was striped. Night Riser had never seen, nor imagined, a striped pony before. He looked at the crowd. Nopony was striped. Just Zecora. Maybe this was a good sign, for if this pony was different from all the others, maybe this gave him room to fit in as well as she did. The striped pony then started to speak, slow and melodically. She rhymed every line she flicked off of her tongue, telling that she would portray the tale of Nightmare Night to all the young foals who wished to listen by following her down a path that led outside of Ponyville. Night Riser perked his ears. This was the exact explanation he was looking for. So he decided to follow. It was fascinating, the journey with the young and the small ponies was. Night Riser was beginning to learn so much. He, of course, hid back a ways in bushes from the others, but still, clearly, he could hear the tale. He understood, now, that all the ponies in Ponyville didn't really dress as they did. They put on costumes, disguises, to hide their pony forms from a wicked mare called Nightmare Moon. They also had to give up all of their candy to the mare so that she wouldn't eat them. Night Riser got really sick hearing the tale, he turned white in the brush. Was his favorite holiday circled around masking all ponies from an evil that lurked in the world. And if all the ponies wore disguises every year... The Bat Princess. Was...was she even real? Night Riser smashed a hoof on his head. Of course she was real! He had met her in his dreams so many times for it to be fake! And the tales, well, he suspected were just tales. Nothing could be true or fake as he didn't see it before! The clouds changed his mind. They began to circle, slowly and increasing darkness as they went. The moonlight and the millions of twinkling stars began to vanish and were replaced by enormous shocks of lightning. Chaos and confusion ran through the ponies' faces, including the striped one, who was caught in the fear. Night Riser wanted to look away, but his senses told him not to. He knew something was going to happen. From the sky a whirl of indigo cloud spiraled to the ground, taking hold of the earth and forcing itself to take form. From this, it was shunned away by a dark, tall, and slender figure that emerged from the mass. Night Riser felt his heart stop. He knew for sure that this figure, a pitch-black, silver-armored mare staring into the depths of the night with her turquoise eyes, towering over the world with her tremendous magic wand on her forehead, swooping, thick-feathered wings and mane of the clouded whirl, was certainly the mare of the tale. Nightmare Moon. "AHAAAHAAHAA!" she cackled, showing her fangs and seemingly hovering over the ponies. "I wonder if I should eat the candy tonight...or EAT ALL OF YOU INSTEAD!" Instantly the ponies screamed in terror, some falling on their flanks first, before sprinting as fast as they could away from the monster that had appeared in front of them. Night Riser felt the terror, but not of the beast itself. It was what the beast was doing to the foals. They had vanished as fast as the wicked mare had arrived, yelping all the way back to Ponyville. Night Riser choked as he saw them go, but he turned his attention back toward Nightmare Moon. He saw not that she was chasing after them, nor that she was doing anything evil. She was...laughing. Not horribly, though. Innocently. He then saw the almost impossible. The mare glowed for an instant, shrinking, not as small as the others but still much in comparison to before. The mare had also changed appearance, the armor vanishing, the eyes not so beady, and the mane and coat a soft navy, the hair sparkling like the night sky and waving in the wind. The strange pony spat somthing out of her mouth, something white and sharp-looking, and Night Riser saw the dark clouds above vanish. But the mare was still laughing. He couldn't stand it anymore. He was just too curious. "What is so funny?" he said, gathering courage and speaking loudly through the bushes. The mare stopped and smiled. "Ha, who goes there, little brave soul who apparently wasn't scared this year!" she said merrily. Night Riser peeked through the leaves. The mare looked friendly, in fact, he was uncertain that it was she who was the Nightmare Moon before. And that was when he took a chance to step out. Night Riser came into the clearing, facing the mare. "I said, what was so funny?" he repeated. The pony stopped looking happy. Instead, she looked shocked. But her nerves seemed to calm and she regained a warm grin. "I scare the children as they please, and as I do yearly, they like that a lot," she said. "You must not know about that, do you?" Night Riser shook his head. "I didn't think so," continued the pony. "You must be new here, and new to this holiday, are you not?" Night Riser looked confused. "Um..." "I thought so," interrupted the mare knowingly. "But you needn't worry, young friend, for I can tell you all. I am good at explaining things, I do so for many ponies. I can tell you about Nightmare Night so you can enjoy it without much confusion. Would you like that?" Night Riser was hesitant at first, but something about this mare seemed to give him a positive connection. He nodded. "Well, then, come sit over here and I'll tell you everything and answer your questions," said the mare, beckoning him over. "By the way, you may call me Luna. That is my name." For the next long while, Night Riser became acquainted with Luna. First, of course, she told him of the holiday, explaining that colts and fillies dress up for fun, play games for fun, eat candy for fun, and do scary things and become scared all for fun. Night Riser had a hard time grasping the concept, but Luna was able to explain it thoroughly. She seemed to be the keeper of fun herself. It was then Night Riser had some of his own questions asked, like why some ponies were striped and why some had weird things sticking out of their heads. Luna just laughed and explained: the striped ponies were a special kind called zebras, and the horns Night Riser thought of were actually horns, on ponies called unicorns who used them for magic. Luna then had to explain that since she was an alicorn, a mix of a unicorn and a pegasus, that she was completely different, a princess. That struck something in Night Riser. The Bat Princess. "Luna," he then said, looking up to her with wondering eyes, "I have always wondered about bat-ponies...do...do they really exist?" Luna looked at him, almost with sadness in her expression. She sighed. "I'm afraid not," she said. "Not in this world, at least." Night Riser then fiddled with his hooves. He took a deep breath. "Can I tell you a secret," he said nervously. "Anything, and it will be kept well," replied the princess. "I...am...I am a bat-pony." He closed his eyes, waiting. Waiting for the shock, the fear, the horror of his look. But none of that came. "I know," said the mare, smiling. Night Riser was bewildered. "But...but you said-" "I did say," said Luna. "But you are special, aren't you, Night Riser?" "How did you know my name? I didn't tell you it?" "You didn't, but I knew," said Luna. "Night Riser, I already know you, and that you were here. You have been dreaming about it for a while." Night Riser widened his eyes. "Don't be frightened about it. I am the Princess of the Night. It is in my royal duty to visit ponies' dreams, even if I had hardship the past many years...I still did what I did with the dreams of many ponies. I saw yours too, Night Riser. You had always dreamed that you could be free, have ponies surrounding you with love and acceptance, if I'm not mistaken?" "Y-yes," confirmed Night Riser. He looked at Luna with hope. "So you also know...know what I'm going through, don't you? And you're a princess, right? You can help me?" Luna closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Night, I don't know for sure. I only visit your dreams, not your life. What is it like?" And there, the stallion poured out everything, from Dr. Zoid, to The Tourture, to his creation. Luna shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry that you have gone through that hardship," she said. "But you must know that I have know right to do anything without knowing for sure, and to investigate your own home would require consulting with my sister, the Princess of the Sun, who rules with me." She gave him a smile. "But I will do all I can with that. In fact, I can go now, right now, so that I can come back to help in the morning." She stood, looking at the sky. Night Riser looked at her like a child. "Thank you," he said. Luna looked back and gave him a warm face. "You are most certainly welcome," she said, extending her wings. Luna suddenly stopped. "Oh, yes, I did forget to mention the other part of your dream." "What other part?" asked Night Riser, almost ashamed he forgot. Luna winked. "The Bat Princess." She came over to him and whispered in his ear, "She's real, you know. She's not a bat as you dreamed, for she was in costume when you saw her, but she is real." Night Riser felt a flood of warmth come to his face he turned to Luna, almost unable to hide his happiness. "Really?" he asked. Luna nodded. "Yes," she said. "And you can meet her tonight if you'd like, Night Riser." The Princess of His Dreams~The Princess of His Dreams Night Riser had run as fast as he could as soon as Luna gave him directions to the home of the pony he had wished to see for so many years. He could hardly take control of his heartbeat and breath they were moving so fast as he sprinted through the woods. But a smile was lining his face, a laugh of joy in his heart. This was going to be the day, the night. All he had dreamed for. It was then Night Riser saw it, the cottage the Night Princess had described. It was as beautiful as he imagined, not in Luna's description alone, but also in the vision from his dream. It was a wooden place, warm and soft, not cold and rough like the lab, and it was full of life and blooming every second, whereas his home symbolized death and horror. He stopped, yes, to take this in, but it didn't satisfy him. He wanted to see the pony, even though not a Bat Princess anymore, herself. He ran up a quaint bridge that led to the front door, almost tripping over his own hooves. However, he did manage to hit an up-grown root in the ground just beyond that, his back leg catching and leaving the rest of his body to fall flat to the ground. Night Riser hit his jaw on the unforgiving earth, and cried in pain. He also felt a tinge in his hoof where it caught. How embarrassing and undreamlike this was... The pain, however, was not good in his leg. Night Riser clenched his teeth, hoping that maybe the pain would stop traveling through his nerves. But they persisted and he laid there groaning until a click came before him. A creak followed, along with a shimmer of light and a whisking smell of fresh lilacs. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't due to how he was. "Um, excuse me, who's there?" asked a whispering voice. Night Riser perked his ears. That voice...the tone of an angel pony. It was just the same as the one he had heard many years prior... "Oh my goodness!" the voice then proclaimed. Night Riser saw through his lids that the light increased and he heard a door slam open. He sensed that the pony who owned the voice, whom he figured was the pony he was searching for, coming toward him. "Are you alright? Can you speak?" she asked. Night Riser then forced himself to open his eyes. That was when he knew he had arrived...that he had found her. For when his eyes opened, they faced the two, blue-green shimmering irises that he had seen in his dream, treasured in his drawings. This was her. "I...I..." he tried to say, but the pain came back. That, and all this time he had dreamed of seeing her, he had no idea what to say. He was lost for words. The mare in front of him grew panicked. "Oh, I'll have to get you in right away!" she said, trying to pull him to his feet. "Here, I'll try to help you, maybe I'll get some other and-" "No, it's fine," Night Riser said through his clenched jaw. "I can walk on the other three." "Are you sure?" she asked. Night Riser confirmed. He then struggled to stay on his uninjured legs as best he could, trying not to make the mare work so hard. She hardly seemed up for carrying anyhow, and was amazed at how eager she was to help even though she was weak. But before long, he was in the cozy house lying on a sofa, the mare pulling out bandages beginning to wrap them around his injured leg, carefully and gently. "There, that should be better," she then said while tying the bandage off in a neat bow. " Why, you must have fallen hard on that root. I really should've gotten that taken care of weeks ago, but, I'm sorry I didn't." "It's fine, really, I should be able to heal in no time," Night Riser replied. Secretly, he hoped he was right. Who knows what would happen if he appeared to Dr. Zoid with an injured hoof. "I really do hope so," said the mare. She then looked at him curiously, her pastel pink mane dropping in front of her face. "What brings you this way anyhow?" "I...well, I was...looking," stuttered Night Riser. He really didn't know what to say at this point, and he definitely couldn't say it was she he was looking for, just when they had met. "Oh, that's nice. Maybe we can find it soon," she said shyly. Night Riser looked hard at her covered face, only wishing that he was one of those unicorns he learned about. He really hated the mare covering her wonderful eyes with her drooping mane. "What is your name?" he asked her. The pony backed up a little and looked away. "Um...it's Fluttershy," she said so soft it was almost inaudible. But Night Riser was excellent at hearing. He caught the name instantly. Fluttershy. He said the word in his name in his mind over and over. Fluttershy. So lovely. "My name is Night Riser," he replied to Fluttershy. "I've never seen you here before," she responded. "I'm here for Nightmare Night, really," said Night Riser. "I was wondering about that," she said. " You must be here because I heard that here Nightmare Night is very good. And you do have a very good costume." Night Riser took a look at his wings, which were laid out this way and that under him. He kept staring at them, and then remembering that Fluttershy, as Luna said, wasn't a bat-pony. She was a pegasus, but that wasn't the same. He fumbled with the idea of telling her the truth. "I thank you for that," he said slowly. "But...Fluttershy..." "Yes?" "These wings of mine...well...they are real." He closed his eyes tight when he said this. Again, he was waiting for the mock, for the discrimination. Fluttershy wasn't Luna, she didn't know anything. In fact, Night Riser started to feel stupid he revealed such a thing. But Fluttershy surprised him. "Amazing," she said. "I've never seen, or even heard, of a bat-pony before." She come closer and looked at his wings. "You're so unique. I wish I had wings like that." Night Riser widened his eyes. "You do?!" "But of course!" said Fluttershy with a smile. "When I was a little filly, I was so fascinated by bats. Especially their wings. I love animals of all kinds, but at one point, I do remember wanting that I wanted to be a bat. I wanted to be able to fly at night and well...." She stopped, heat drawing to her face as she then backed away. "Well...I wanted to be a bat, that's all." "And what?" asked Night Riser. "Oh, nothing much, really," said Fluttershy. "It was just a silly dream, I suppose." "Oh, but it can't be silly! Dreams are never silly!" retorted Night Riser. "Why, isn't it dreams that lead us to where we wish to go, to our futures?" "They don't really mean anything," said Fluttershy. "I mean, I've never seen a dream come true." Night Riser looked away from her a second, when he caught the craziest idea in his mind. He turned back to her, smiling. "Tell me," he said. "Tell you what?" "The dream." "Oh, no! I couldn't! It's far too absurd!" "It can't be as absurd as me having the wings of a bat, can it?" Fluttershy looked at his wings and sighed. "I...wanted...to touch the moon," she mumbled very quietly. Night Riser smiled. "I don't think that sounds silly at all," he said in a comforting tone. "Not at all." "You can hear me?" Fluttershy said surprisingly. "I usually speak that quiet so that...no one...can, you know..." "I have very good hearing," said Night Riser twitching his ears. "I have the ears of a bat too." "Oh," said Fluttershy, turning red. "Well, yes, that...that was my dream." Night Riser turned closer to Fluttershy. "Did you ever imagine that it could come true?" he asked her. Fluttershy looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you crazy?" she asked. "No, and I'm not mocking you either. I think the dream is wonderful," Night Riser reassured. "But I need to ask...do you want a dream of yours, any dream, to come true?" Fluttershy let her hair fall in front of her face. She looked away, and then back. "I guess," she said. Night Riser then placed is front hooves on the floor, then the last good one, and limping, began to walk toward the door. Fluttershy ran to his side. "What are you doing?" she asked. "You need to rest!" But Night Riser opened the door, letting the chilly autumn air flow into the home. He let it whisk through his mane. "Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked, now very confused. But Night Riser looked at her with his blissful golden eyes, and with a warm smile he whispered three words to her. "Come with me." A Wish Come True~A Wish Come True~ "Oh, Night Riser, I'm not sure about this," said Fluttershy as she nervously looked at the stallion with his injured hoof, then up at the sky. "Do you know how high it will be up in the air?" "I guess I do, but that's where we'll have to find out," he said, facing her. "And I'm not going to find out alone, am I?" Fluttershy gave him a nervous look. "But...I don't know..." "You would trust me, would you?" he asked, facing her with an open and curious look. Fluttershy peeked up at him. "Yes. I guess...I guess I would." "Then let's go," he said, spreading out his wings. Fluttershy did the same, but her wings collapsed to her sides and stuck. "But...but I'm not good at flying!" she said, scared. "And it's high up! I could fall...I could...I could..." Night Riser put a hoof on her shoulder to calm her. "It will be all right. I promise," he said solemnly. Fluttershy saw the structure in his confidence through his face, and gained enough courage to nod. "Ok," she said. "Ok." Then, gracefully, she spread her delicate, feathered wings. Night Riser looked back at her, then focused his gaze at the sky. Then, with a jump, he launched himself into the air, Fluttershy following. The pair paddled the air in their wings as the ascended from the earth below, higher and higher into the stars. Night Rider, in all honesty, had never actually been this high in the air, but he told himself that it was wonderful, that the view was pleasant, that the forms of the sky were in reach. Fluttershy was right next to him, panting as she tried to keep herself from looking down and to keep her gaze focused above. But it was too hard for her. Her eyes fell downward on the ground hundreds of feet below. Instantly she screamed. "I can't do it!" she cried as she tried to run in the air. Night Riser turned around as suddenly her wings snapped to her sides. His pulse stopped as in the moment of time, a dark vision of fear cast before his eyes. And he would not let it happen. Instantly the stallion dropped and was falling right beside Fluttershy, who was screaming and crying for her life, her hooves covering her face. Night Riser met up with her in the air and through his hooves around her middle, and then, using all the strength he had, pumped the muscle energy through his wings. But they were still falling. He grit his teeth, fought hard against all strain. The jolt through his wings certainly was worse than his leg, but that was futile compared to this. This was the life of another pony, one he would not dare let the ground take, and would try with all the might he could muster to keep her in the air. Wind whooshed by their faces. The air grew colder. Their hearts pound so hard that it was almost heard by the night itself. Everything was moving....moving....moving..... Fluttershy felt that suddenly everything was still, that she wasn't moving anymore. She wasn't falling. She pulled the hooves away from her eyes and found her hooves were not touching the ground, and, to her, a pair of strong arms was wrapped around her, holding her to where she was. She opened her eyes wide. And she saw. The moon. Right there. "I...I..." she tried to search for words to say. But she couldn't. She was looking right at the heart of the brilliant light. She couldn't see what was below her, either, but a blanket of clouds. She was high in the air, in a place that seemed like heaven. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" said the quiet voice of Night Riser's behind her. Fluttershy was caught in wonder. "But...but how? How did you do it?" she asked. Really, Night Riser had found his strength in his wings and instead of falling, he had pulled Fluttershy toward the sky, to the stars.....to the moon. But he didn't answer this way. "I believe that all dreams should come true, Fluttershy." * * * Night Riser had brought Fluttershy safely down to the ground again, his wings feeling stronger and his leg feeling a little better. But even more, he felt wonderful. He had done something wonderful, or at least, he hoped it was what he thought. Fluttershy was now with Night Riser at the front of her home. He had escorted her back, and even though she had been thankful to be on the ground again, he saw the sadness float around her, like she wanted to stay in the cloud and moon world for a longer time. But Night Riser knew that his curfew was coming. He would have to go. "Thank you again for showing me something as beautiful as that, Night Riser," she said in her doorway. Night Riser smiled, not only because of the complement, but because Fluttershy seemed much more relaxed, happier, and more comfortable. Also, her hair had fallen back out of her eyes. "It wasn't much but a silly dream, remember?" he laughed. Fluttershy chuckled along. "Oh, yes, I remember," she said. Then her tone got serious, but with curiosity. "But you have to leave. Where are you going?" "Home," he said. "I have to be there every day, and I can't come out until night." Fluttershy looked at the ground, fumbled with her hoof, and then looked back at Night Riser with pleading eyes. "You'll come back though, tomorrow, won't you?" she asked. Night Riser was taken aback. Of course, he wasn't at all unhappy with her question, he was just surprised. "But why?" he asked. "Well, you showed me something I've always wanted to see but couldn't," Fluttershy responded. "And you've still lost something. I wanted to help you find it." "Oh, well, Fluttershy, I already have." "Really? What was it?" "My wish, or dream, is all." "What was it?" Night Riser smiled and looked at Fluttershy with glimmering eyes. "You, Fluttershy," he said, almost choking on the words as he admitted it. He leaned forward to her, just to kiss her on the cheek, to confirm that what he said was true. But Fluttershy returned that kiss first. Home~Home~ As giddy and warmed to his heart as Night Riser felt, he knew that his mind needed to settle back to the way things were so that he could hide everything that had happened from the Master. He couldn't let out a single hint, for that would throw him off. No. He needed to act miserable again. At least until the time came when he would leave forever... And why couldn't he? The next night? Yes! Why couldn't he then? He knew that the Master was wicked, and that Luna knew it, that she was debating with her sister now, and that they would certainly investigate soon. And Fluttershy! He had found her, something that he could fly to, away from the lab. Somepony that would care for him besides the aching love that Dr. Zoid barely gave at all. He had decided, and a smiled crossed his face. Yes, tonight would be it. Late, he would sneak out. And everything would be better. He wouldn't be locked up in the hell that Dr. Zoid called the one place he belonged. He would go home. Night Riser found that he was a little late to arriving to the window, and made haste to getting himself above the dreaded gate and through the thin walls of the portal that brought him back to his miserable life before all that had happened prior. He landed on the floor, all four hooves touching. He then ran down the stairs as fast as he could. The sun was already partially up, and he needed to at least be hallway through his chores by now. Night Riser made way for the main room, neglecting the fact a bandage was still tied to his hoof. The stallion raced through the dark hallway and to the stairs. Instinctively he trotted down the main stairs, turned the corner and- He froze in his tracks. Dr. Zoid was sitting, his back toward Night Riser, in his wheelchair. He was at the counter, holding a coffee. "We're up late again, aren't we boy?" he asked in a steady tone. Night Riser moved behind him. "Yes, sorry Master, I-I was not watching the sun, I suppose. I'll get to work right away-" "No," bellowed the doctor. Night Riser froze, ready to be scolded. Had Dr. Zoid found out? What would his punishment be? Did he know of Night Riser's flight? "I have been thinking," said the doctor slowly. "Yesterday I may have been a little on the hard side of me. I do believe all ponies have dreams after all. Yes, that's how I had the idea of this, this lab. You. Maybe I was rash...suppose I was a little tempered at the moment. My boy, I don't know what, but I do know that I have deep sorrow in my mind...this one time..." Night Riser stalled at the sound of Dr. Zoid's turning voice. He knew the Master was never kind, and usually meant there was something worse to come. But this was different than that. This...had sincerity. "Master..." Night Riser said. "Go," waved off Dr. Zoid. "Go to your room. Rest for one day. Your chores can be done tomorrow! That's when we will talk, understand?" Night Riser nodded. "Yes sir." "Good, now go." * * * Night riser watched the sun set as he laid in his room. He had been thinking all day, about so many things. Dr. Zoid's new leaf, mainly. He was also wondering when Luna would come, when she'd save him. He also thought about Fluttershy, whom he already missed. But night was falling. He was going to see her very soon. "Night Riser!" Dr. Zoid suddenly called from the second floor. Instantly the stallion flew to the staircase and slid down the grip and to the floor. He ran to the outside of the pony's study. "Yes, Master?" he asked. "Bring me the Dantrium, boy!" he said. Night Riser felt his stomach turn. Had Dr. Zoid gone back. Possibly. But either way, the old pony felt that his life revolved around the drug and wouldn't have wanted to wait on it. Night Riser fled after it right away. Down the stairs he tumbled and to the cabinet that contained the many vials of the muscle relaxer. He stood on his hind legs and opened the door, revealing the glass containers inside. He picked up the nearest one in his mouth, careful of his teeth, and shut the door. With haste, he took to the stairs, and then galloped down the hallway and into the study. He showed the vial to his Master. "Here it is, sir," said Night Riser dutifully. Dr. Zoid did something very strange then. He smiled. "Ah, yes, boy, bring it right here so I can inject myself!" The bat-pony stepped forward and hesitantly gave the Master the vial. He raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "Oh don't look at me like that!" said Dr. Zoid. "I've figured I turn to a better side of me to you. After all, I really couldn't have made anything else but you, and if I were you, Night Riser, I'd appreciate this better mood of me." The doctor turned the chair around to fill the syringe. "I suppose I can...what then?" asked Night Riser. "Go, leave me, do what you'd like, I guess," said the doctor. "Maybe...and I'm thinking..." he turned back around, "we can see the outside. You'd like that? I need to stretch the old bones myself." Night Riser nodded. "Yes. I guess so." He turned to leave when Dr. Zoid put a hoof on his shoulder. "Listen, son, I really am trying, but after so many years...I know this change will be hard. But I've got the wish for it. The will. The dream." He leaned back. "Do you, Night Riser?" Night looked at his creator with his yellow eyes, big and bright. Was this something new? For real? Something better? The stallion grinned. "Yes," he replied. "I suppose...I do." "Good," sighed the doctor. Night Riser then turned to leave. His heart somehow felt a lot lighter, like a burden came off of him. Sure, the time before were so dark and stormy, but now...now there was nothing left of that. Nothing but a bright future. "Oh, before you go, boy," said Dr. Zoid, "will you inject this for me into my back? I've seemed to be getting a little old, as you know." He chuckled. Night Riser came obediently forward. "Of course," he said. Dr. Zoid gratefully held out the injector to Night Riser, ready to take. But the young stallion stopped. Something about the syringe wasn't correct. His eyes saw clearly that the liquid in the syringe was purple, not the normal clearish green he always saw. "Master..." he said to begin his observation. But before anything more could escape his mouth, the doctor clutched the syringe tightly in his hoof and drove it fast into the shoulder of the bat-pony, sinking the needle in his skin and letting the blood draw. Night Riser cried in pain. His eyes dilated as he struggled for screaming more, but nothing could muffle through. Instead, a blank look crossed his face, his color paling. His joints froze as he fell to the ground, the liquid having gone completely inside of him. And all that was facing him was the cruel eyes, the malicious grin of Dr. Zoid, who made sure Night Riser knew one last thing before his mind shut out to the world forever. "Now you will be sent to where you belong, rat!" The Leave~The Leave~ Night Riser felt the edge of the windowsill leave his hooves once the sun went down. It was all he had planned for, this night. For those years he had suffocated in the lab he still clung to that inspirational dream that one day he would leave, and that he would do so by flying away. Away from it all. He of course kept his building skill a secret, for if Dr. Zoid had known, Night Riser would have no chance of escape. It was the belief the Master had that Night Riser's wings were too feeble to fly that let the colt have an open window for fresh air and not stones like it was everywhere else. But the stallion was also afraid of this night. What if he failed? Failed either in flying from his window alive or unseen? Failed at finding the acceptance in Ponyville he had dreamed for? And what if he never did find the Bat Princess? Foolish thoughts, he thought to himself. I will find her, and I will fly tonight, away from this place forever. Of course, he knew it wouldn't be forever. Not yet anyways. First, he planned, he would sneak out at nights, only to be sure the Master had no idea he was vanishing, and then, when the time came, when the ponies outside loved him enough to stay. He would leave forever. He would live without anguish, in paradise, forever. Night Riser dreamed it, and he knew it would come true. And that's what took him to the first second in the air, the first stomach-dropping moment where he found himself in a strange space he had never known. But like he had practiced, Night Riser flapped his wings steadily as he could, up and down. He regained posture and kept from falling; however, he was losing altitude quickly. The sooner I land, the better, he told himself. I can walk much better, besides. He had to struggle over the large gate first that encircled the lab, but considering his starting height, he was fine. It was the return that scared him, but he would mind that later. Over the gate Night Riser went, down into the brush just behind. That's where he slowed himself down to the earth below to set his hooves upon and regain his breath. His wings, he admitted, were still shaky, and may be for the rest of his life, which meant it was hard work to keep himself defying gravity. Nevertheless, Night Riser was where he wanted to be, and began a trot to Ponyville, far off in the bushes and fields, somewhere in a happy existence celebrating the most glorious festivity to Night Riser, Nightmare Night.
Through the Colt's Eyes~Through the Colt's Eyes~ From the beginning of his life he was small, Night Riser was. Counters and tables would seem so high to him, that he would stand there and gaze at the top that surely, he believed, was there. Every staircase seemed like a mountainous climb, taking him so long until he finally reached the top, and as usual, he would be out of breath and fall off his hooves and to the floor. No, the young colt was never able to be of any use, and with clumsiness added to his repertoire, the poor thing was more of an annoying scrap of life that just happened to be there. Only he wasn't happened, he was intended. But intentions can sometimes fail. It were these miserable features of Night Riser that always gave him trouble as a young, because every night, Dr. Zoid would ask for his medicine, calling down the stairs for the feeble pony to fetch for him. But of course, Night was hardly successful at doing the task right, for the medicine was always in the cabinet above the tallest counter, and Dr. Zoid was up the stairs of the dark home. He could not come down himself because of his paralyzed back hooves, and so he expected Night Riser to be very punctual about performing to his bidding. However, the colt was always scolded for his lack of doing things right, which is why Night Riser always trembled towards the time he would need to get his master's medicine. And this was the time. "Night Riser!" bellowed the creaky voice from the upper hall. "Bring me the Dantrium!" The colt jerked his head up from the floor. He had neatly rolled himself up into a ball in the corner to sit, and was staring at an unseen crack through the stone wall at the moonlight that was gazing though. He swallowed hard and turned his gaze to the cabinet where the Dantrium vials were. It was time again. Quickly, the colt did his work. He hopped off the floor and sped over to a dining table with wooded chairs surrounding it. He ran up to the leg of one and carefully arranged his mouth on it. He wanted to make sure the master didn't know he was biting his furniture, and due to the fact the colt had tiny fangs in his mouth, he had to be cautious when dragging the chair. However, Night Riser had done this before. He pulled the chair up against the counter until the edges touched. Then, using all the strength he had, Night Riser stood on his hind legs and reached for the seat of the chair. He was able to get a small hold onto it, but enough to pull his small body up and onto the chair itself. From there it was easy to get up on the counter and to the cabinet, which inside contained many vials of clear-green liquid with the master's medicine. Carefully, the colt stretched his neck back into the cabinet and grabbed the nearest vial. He pulled his head out, the glass container in his mouth, and shut the door with his head. Then agilely, Night Riser hopped to the floor, and using his head, pushed the chair back to the table. As fast as his legs could take him, the colt ran for the staircase and began to hop up each one, losing energy as he went and feeling the Dantrium slosh inside of the vial. Soon, Night Riser made it to the top of the stairs. He set the vial down and opened his mouth to pant. He looked at the ground when a voice came from an open door down the dark hallway on that floor. "I know you're up here, little worm, now get in here and bring me the Dantrium!" shouted the voice of Dr. Zoid. Frantically Night Riser grabbed the vial and sprinted into the lit room. At a desk filled with all sorts of papers and chemical beakers sat the master, Dr. Zoid himself. He was sitting in his rustic wheelchair with his back towards Night Riser. All the young colt could see was his cream-colored head peeping from the top of it, his wispy white hair sticking up. The old pony soon turned the chair around to reveal his slouchy figure in a stained white coat, a pair of old goggles over his wrinkly, always grouchy face. "You stupid brat, do you know I have a schedule to keep?" he cracked at Night Riser. The colt brought the old pony the vial, which the doctor sucked into a syringe. "You have time for your worthless daydreams at night, you know. That's why they're called dreams." He stuck the syringe into his lower back and shot the medicine into his body. "Now scram," said the doctor. "Do do whatever you do until I have another task." He turned back to his work. Night Riser hesitated to leave. He wanted to ask the question he asked every day. But he was afraid. Afraid the master would do The Torture to him. Night Riser was always afraid of The Torture, but had hope in his heart. Hope that the master would someday give him the answer he longed for. "Master sir," squeaked the young pony, attempting to make his small voice bigger than it was. "I was wondering...can I go outside today?" Today Dr. Zoid did something different. He turned around and faced the colt with his goggles. "And why, dear boy, would you want that?" Night Riser scratched the back of his hoof. "Well, Master, sir, tonight is a special night," he replied. "What makes it so special then?" asked the doctor. "Tonight is Nightmare Night," said Night Riser enthusiastically. "It's very great, they celebrate it in Ponyville every year, sir. There's always candy and everyone is happy. I want to go this year, Master." Dr. Zoid gave the colt a smile. "Follow me, boy, and I'll let you answer that question yourself," said the old doctor. He started wheeling his chair to the back of the room. Night Riser was worried, he knew what was in that direction. But the master was seeming nice today. Night Riser followed in curiosity. "Come now," said the doctor. He opened a closet door and pointed a hoof to the inside. Night Riser stopped and cowered. That was the room of The Torture. "But...but Master..." he stuttered. "Get in the room!" Dr. Zoid commanded. Night Riser looked at the unfriendly face of his master and did as he was told, walking into the dark room with his tail between his legs. Night Riser entered the pitch black closet, the doctor slamming the door behind him. Suddenly from above, a bright light flickered on and almost blinded the colt. He familiarized himself with the room once again, looking up at the light with squinted eyes and then around the hexagonal room. Each of the skinny walls had on it a dirty mirror, including the door. The colt stared at the reflection in front of him, first catching the sight of his slit-pupiled, golden eyes. His black messy hair sat like a mop atop his head and around his round face and big, floppy ears. He zoned his focus out, then looking at his frail, thin body. His musty blue coat covered him from head to toe, but still he could see signs of his ribs, hips, and skinny flank, bare and dusty. He then stared at the one feature of his body that made him so different from the other ponies, and that was his wings. His navy, translucent, skeleton-like, bat wings. For a while, Night Riser stared, and it was only for a few moments. Then The Torture began. "Take a good look, take a good, long, look, Night Riser!" came the doctor's grumpy voice from behind the door. "You're pathetic, useless, a wretched thing if I ever saw one. Think about how you would've turned out boy! If you deep down in your genes hadn't been so mistaken, you would've been out in the world as a full and worthy pegasus! But you're not! You're a bat, boy, a bat! A sick hybrid of the greatest species, only to be spoiled by your ratty bat self! Do you think you deserve to live?! NO! You are a waste! You can't fly your wings are so weak! You have no future, no past! You are lucky you didn't have any parents, your mother would've aborted you if she knew you would be a disgraceful child like this! There is no hope for you! Oh, you want to go outside? DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GO OUTSIDE?! YOU WOULD BE PERSECUTED OUT THERE! YOU ARE WASTE TO THE PONIES OUTSIDE! YOUR LIFE WOULD BE MORE MISERABLE THAN IT IS! NIGHT RISER, YOU ARE A DIRTY, NOTHING, WASTE OF MY PRECIOUS EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES, JUST PLAIN SCUM! LOOK IN THAT MIRROR! LOOK AT YOUR MEANINGLESS SELF AND TRY TO SAY YOU'RE BETTER THAN THE ROTTEN PONY YOU ARE!" Night Riser felt the burning words hit his ears and travel down his throat like acid. He held his breath and tried. Tried not to cry. He had wanted to somehow show his master he was strong and was worth it in the world. But the doctor always won, and the colt, halfway through The Torture, would fall to the ground in tears, weeping and screaming for the doctor to stop. Dr. Zoid would always finish his bit, though, and then leave the door to finish his work. Today however he sat by the door, mercilessly listening to the colt inside the room cry. Night Riser, as always, tried to hit the mirrors in the room. After such descriptions he didn't want to see himself, he wanted to be gone. Dead. He wanted that vision dead. But he was too weak to even crack the mirrors and always failed. Night Riser curled up on the floor and sobbed for a good half hour. Then, he sat in the choking silence, listening. He would always listen, always wait for the master to finish his studies and then use the lift to slowly lower himself to his personal quarters for the night. But the colt didn't hear the electronic buzzing through the walls, the hum of the lift. Maybe he had cried so long that the doctor had already gone down for the night. Little did he know that Zoid was waiting right outside the door, abnormal to the usual routine. Night Riser reached high and slowly pulled at the handle to leave the room, as usual, to go to bed and finish his sad day there. However, he hobbled right into Dr. Zoid's wheelchair. SPRACK! The doctor had reached forward, gripped the colt's wing and smacked him across the muzzle. "Listen, boy, I'm growing tired of this every single day!" the doctor spat angrily into Night Riser's eyes. "You obviously haven't learned by now, idiot, that you get punished for asking that same stupid question every day! You want to go outside? The answer is NO! It has always been NO! And it will always be NO! You got it?!" Night Riser bit is tongue. He didn't see this extra bit coming. Already shaken, and physically beaten more, he fell to the ground. "Never, Master, I'll never ask you the question again! I promise on my life!" the colt trembled. "Good," said Dr. Zoid dryly. He began to wheel away to the lift. "Get shut eye, now, you have chores at dawn." With that, the hallway was silent. All for Night Riser's whimpers and his broken but madly beating heart. When Night Riser felt a motive to get up, he trudged his way through the door of the study and towards the end of the dark hall, his eyes and nose wet in misery. The young colt then came to a door at the end of the hallway, opened it, and began a climb up a twisted staircase to the top of a tower, where he would push through a flimsy trap door to the one room where the master could never hurt him. There, at the top of that tower, Night Riser felt the tears fall once again, like they did every night after The Torture. He would cry, lying on the ground, and then climb a rusty metal ladder to the ceiling of his room, where a bar hung in the middle. He would then grab hold of it, scoot his way to the center, and then flop his hind hooves over it, then commencing to hang upside-down. He would wrap his papery wings around his body and then sleep, exactly like a bat. Night Riser did this, and was hanging there, staring out his window that faced the East. He always faced this window, one, because the sun would rise in that direction and he would know when to get up, but also because Ponyville was there. Every night he would gaze upon Ponyville, wishing he'd visit it one day. Or night. Nighttime was when he liked it the best, for it had pretty lights shining with the stars. This night of the year was his favorite, however. Nightmare Night. It was this night when the town was the most lively at night. He could hear the laughter of so many ponies, hear music and singing in the distance, and smell sweet scents of candy, which by what he could see ponies gave at their doors. Night Riser smiled for a moment, but that moment faded. He would never get the chance to see the great holiday, nor other ponies but the cruel Dr. Zoid. He didn't really even know what other ponies looked like. But he knew one thing. All of them would be in dreams from now on. "This place looks creepy awesome!" It was that sudden, high-pitched, squeaky voice that caught Night Riser's attention. He about fell off his bar. In fact...he did, and landed square on his nose where the doctor had hit him earlier. But he got up quickly and dashed over to his window to look out and be bewildered. There, on the twisty and thorny path that led to the lab, his home, were two fillies about his age. He looked for the one who had spoken. It was the only one in clear view as he could see and it was a small pegasus. The filly was dressed in a makeshift blue suit from head to toe, yellow lightning bolts going down the sides. So this is how ponies dress... thought Night Riser. How weird. What really stuck out as strange to him was that the filly had the messiest mane and tail ever, and that the colors were that of the entire rainbow. "I bet this will be the best place to get candy from tonight!" said the filly in her squeaky voice again. "Look! It's like a haunted mansion! Let's go ring the doorbell!" The filly started to walk forward, only to get annoyed and run back to some bushes where another filly was hiding. Night Riser saw the rainbow-haired filly reach in and pull out another pony her age. And at this, Night Riser gasped. It was another bat pony, just like him! He looked at her closely. Her wings were strangely thick, she didn't have floppy ears like him, and her fang-teeth were really big for her size. But Night Riser was for sure certain that she was another bat pony. And how pretty she was! Night Riser had only known his whole life that bat ponies, which was only him, were ugly and disgusting. But in shook his head at this thought. She wasn't ugly and disgusting at all! Her coat was yellow, he thought, like sunshine, and she had hair that looked like the apple blossoms he would see out his window in spring. But what really made him thought she was pretty was her eyes. They were a blueish green. Night Riser had a box of crayons, and a crayon color that was blueish green. He never used the crayon because it was too pretty of a color to use on paper. And he thought her eyes looked just like that crayon. "Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," the bat pony said softly. "This place is too scary for me." Yes it is, thought Night Riser. He wanted her to fly away, she didn't belong in a place like where he was. But he didn't dare yell out, for fear Dr. Zoid would run out and capture her. He visioned her being locked in The Torture. No, she didn't deserve that at all. She needed to run. "Aw, come on, scardey pony, let's go!" said the other filly. Night Riser watched as she flew quickly to the door step. Her swallowed a breath. "Please come back," pleaded the bat pony. But the rainbow filly knocked on the door. "Trick or Treat!" she yelled. Suddenly a glass broke from the other side of the door. Night Riser knew it was the master, very cross. He knew Dr. Zoid hated visitors, and was very tense at this moment. How he wanted to scream for those fillies, especially the bat pony, to run, fly away! "Get off my land, no trespassing!" screamed the old pony from the other side of the door. The rainbow filly jumped back. "Whoa whoa whoa!" she yelped. "Let's get outta here!" But the bat pony had already started running, Night Riser saw, she was so scared. "Run to Ponyville," he whispered. "Run, bat princess." Night Riser felt the words on his tongue. Bat Princess. But it was true, she was a bat pony like him, but so pretty to be a princess. That memory, that one moment in the night, Night Riser had hope that there was something good in the world, and something that made his life all the better in the lab. It was that vision, that dream, of that filly he had seen. The Bat Princess. And from then on he had been in love with her.
A Night's Dream~A Night's Dream~ It was the crack of dawn. The sun had pulled itself gracefully over the hillside past Ponyville and beyond the great unknown, waking up the world slowly with it's rays that gently kissed the dew-covered grasses. It was this light that was the only kindness to Night Riser in the morning, a friendly "hello, good morning dear" to wake his sleepy self. And such was this morning. The sun had risen once again, dutifully, at dawn's embrace, shedding light on the land that sang autumn, the trees bare and the leaves playfully assorted on the ground. It was this season that Night Riser woke up best to, Autumn. It was the host of his favorite holiday: Nightmare Night. Which was, in fact, that very night. When dawn broke so did the lids of Night Riser's eyes as he stretched and yawned from his bar that hung on the ceiling. He looked out the window and smiled. It was, in deed, a beautiful day, and such one that he would rather spend dreaming. The bat-pony liked to dream. He did, in fact, dream so much. He remembered the start of his greatest dream. It had happened one night, while he was gazing out his window, his head swirling with fantasies, and that picture he had remembered from not so long ago from that point. It was the Bat Princess. That whole week since the night he first saw her he had dreamed of meeting her, to say hello, to know that she wasn't alone, nor he, in the world that so discriminated their kind. And it was that night he wrote his dreams down, in fact, he drew them on paper. He drew a lot of things, what with his one box of crayons, but that first picture of the Bat Princess was special. Night Riser remembered staying up all the way until dawn, using the moon for light, and drawing all he could remember of the pretty pony before his mind could let the image go. It was then his greatest dream struck true through his heart, that he would definitely meet her. He just had to. And tonight was going to be the night, he knew it for sure. Quickly the pony shook his head from his recalls. His chores needed tending to first. With haste, Night Riser sped out of his room and slid down the grip of the spiraling staircase. He dashed through the hallway filled with rooms of the Master's studies, including the dreaded closet of his past, the room which held The Torture. He hadn't been there for years, and had wondered what Dr. Zoid had ended up using the old room for, or if he forgot about it altogether. Either way, Night Riser remembered that his foalhood was filled with misery and hatred from there and from the doctor. The pony tumbled down the staircase to the main floor, and once there, stopped at the bottom quietly and perked his ears. Attentively, he listened for the Master's breathing, which wasn't difficult considering that Zoid was a heavy snorer and that Night's large, bat-like ears could pick up the slightest noise. He then smiled. The place was his for a while. Instantly Night Riser dashed for the cleaning supplies on a shelf. They were there, right at his nose for reaching. He remembered when he was six doing these chores, how hard it was for him to get a hold of things, how he had to cautiously maneuver the chair to see anything in the lab. But that was eleven years ago. Now, Night Riser was much taller, and though not as tall as most stallions, was still able to reach things with more ease. The pony was still thin, however, probably with little to no muscle strength and still showing vague signs of malnourishment. Night Riser's mane, tail, and coat was a sloppy mess, the doctor cutting it crudely with a scalpel every couple months and never providing many ways for the boy to stay clean. The other feature that remained the same with Night Riser was his flank. It was bare, with no cutie mark. This didn't bother him, however. He never knew the term "cutie mark" to begin with, Dr. Zoid never mentioning nor showing his for Night's questioning. So a blank flank was he, but that never got to his attention. In fact, none of these features really did, but they didn't matter anyhow. Because now, Night Riser was happy. Especially today, when he would plan his escape. First, the stallion had to get through the course of the day. He did his morning chores quickly, dusting the furniture, sweeping and mopping the floors, getting rid of spider and cobwebs, and washing the windows. The reason the chores were done so fast was so Night Riser could find the sliver in the day between then and when the Master woke that he could have peace. Peace to dream and create. Carefully, the bat-pony put everything back into place. He bolted up the stairs, down the hallway, and up to his room, almost forgetting to close the door, but still minded it. He sat at the top in his solitary room, breathing for a while, then looking out at the still rising sun. He had time. Night Riser walked over to a loose stone in the windowsill of his room and pulled it up to reveal his neatly arranged and secret belongings inside. They were a stack of papers, clean, others with drawings on them already. He pulled out one piece and held it in his mouth, careful not to bite through with his sharp canines. Then, he pulled out a tin box from which all the magic came from: his crayon box. He brought these things to the center of the floor, laid the paper neatly in front of him, and with his jaw popped the lid off his box. He then chose the smallest crayons in the box, the ones he had used countless times. They were the yellow, the pink, the black, but also, the most unexpected, his blue-green. It was the most beautiful tint he had in his collection, and he was honored to use it for what he always spared it for on his papers. Night Riser picked up one of these crayons and began sketching. He was going to be sure that this was the best picture he would draw, knowing it would be his last, for the stallion was planning that he would meet the subject of his artwork that night. The Bat Princess. Now Night Riser always drew her the same way, but he was just so fascinated by her that he found himself creating her image multiple times, and as he grew, so did she on the paper. (He figured that since she was his age that she would definitely grow up with him too.) He always drew her standing as she had that night, her wings outstretched. But Night Riser always left her mouth bare. He didn't see her smile that night, but didn't want to draw her frowning. So he left it blank until he met her. His favorite part was putting the last touch on her with his favorite crayon, and that was her big, shining, and innocent eyes. After his masterpiece was complete, he put his crayons back in his tin as they were. Night Riser took time right afterwards to admire what he had done, or more so, the Bat Princess he had dreamed of for so many years. Was it really tonight that he was going to see her? A smile fell upon his face. Definitely. He had wished for the night for so long, gone through so much, he would have to see her before all else changed. The dream left his mind in a spin through the clouded unknown. Night Riser found his eyes drifting out of his window, to the quaint town of Ponyville, and then to a wonderful fade into his own mind. His eyelids became heavy and he laid his head gently on his hooves, his breathing slowing... * * * "I didn't know you were taking up a new hobby, Night Riser. You should've mentioned this to me sooner." Night Riser felt his eyes burn open at the sound of the rusty voice. Instantly his throat tightened and grasped a hold of his breath, and his coat froze. Night Riser felt a burning in his head as he came to his senses. That was when he caught his bearings. And that was when he realized that there was somepony behind him. Dr. Zoid. "What have you been doing, rat?!" he screamed at the unexpectedly knowing young stallion. Night Riser jolted around and barely held a stance on his knees. He faced the burning eyes of Dr. Zoid, which he knew were reeking anger behind his goggles. The question that was reeling through his mind was how the doctor came up to his room. "M-master! Dear sir!" Night Riser trembled as he tried to choke back reality. "B-but how-" "Shut your unwholesome trap!" bellowed the Master. "I bet you think this is your private sector, huh? That you have a special privacy all to yourself? Do you know who owns you, Night Riser, who owns your life?!" The bat-pony was lost for words. He couldn't do anything but shake where he was. "Most importantly, do you know what time of day it is?!" Night Riser trotted weakly to his window, pulling his muzzle over the sill to see outside. It was late afternoon. "As for this disgusting habit of yours," said the doctor behind him. Night turned around. Zoid had his picture of the Bat Princess in his hooves! "Master!" Night Riser choked. "WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS HORRID DISPLAY?!" demanded the Master. "WHO IS THIS?!" Night Riser stood in silence. "TELL ME BOY!" "The...my...my...she's my dream," stuttered Night Riser. He was too afraid to claim her existence. His safest place for the Bat Princess was in his mind. Dr. Zoid cackled hoarsely. "Did I raise you this way, boy?" he asked cruelly. "DID I?! To result to fantasies? What have I told you, Riser?! There is no other bat-pony, there is no other place for you out there! You can't even fly on your own still, you're so weak, you have no life, no talent, no hope! That's why you're here! WITH ME! UNDERSTAND, BOY?!" Night Riser's face fell to the floor. He felt his eyes sting in guilt, in shame, in whatever. He didn't know. But the tears fell. It was like The Torture. Only it was worse. It was here, real, and came from nowhere. He heard the sound of ripping paper and Dr. Zoid cough in his throat. "Do you have more?" he asked. "ANSWER ME NOW, NIGHT RISER!" And there, he had no choice. Night Riser revealed the secret stash of drawings, his beloved crayon box. Dr. Zoid took all of them. He ripped all the pictures, one-by-one, disgracing each one before tearing it to shreds. He left the room with all the scraps, the crayons which he claimed he would melt at the fire. Then, slowly, he descended down the stairs with difficulty, but in a way that showed he had all the time in the world that day to be able to come up in the first place. But Night Riser didn't watch him go. He buried his face in the ground, weak and broken in front of his Master, who gave one final call. "I'll be here for you at dawn," said the doctor, wheeling down another step. "You shall receive you punishment then, since you've kept me all day getting up these blasted steps. Better have those stupid and unworthy dreams this last night, Riser, because tomorrow will be your worst nightmare, I'll promise you that." The old pony took more minutes fumbling down the staircase, Night Riser listening to the echo of each step until the door opened and shut below. For moments of silence afterwards, Night Riser felt the tears cease to fall and his breathing slow again. But he didn't remain sad for long. He past dreams, his foalhood wishes, they may have been torn, burned, and lost forever. This night was his. There was something he still had kept a secret from Dr. Zoid, more than the pictures and dreams in his mind. He still didn't know that the Bat Princess was real, that he had seen her that night. No, had had only scratched the surface. And Dr. Zoid had underestimated his physical ability. For Night Riser, even though weak in the past and somewhat now, had been preparing for this night of escape, to leave. He was going to leave through the window, too, the wishing window. And he was going to fly.
Nightmare Night~Nightmare Night~ "Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!" chimed a small group of fillies and colts. A mare at the doorway gave them all a wonderful treat from her bowl, the foals then running off to the next house. They passed through the square of Ponyville, where much of the activity was going on. Off on one side was a catapult shooting pumpkins to targets set afar, mares and stallions attempting to land them on the center. In another area was an apple bobbing pool, where many ponies tried their hardest to fit their teeth around one of the crunchy fruits. There were many other games of the such, a spider-throwing booth where ponies would chuck the toy spiders at a sticky web, a place set for those who wanted to hay-rack ride, many places pushing out candy, caramel apples, popcorn balls, and plenty other sticky, gooey, and delightfully sweet and yummy treats for everypony to enjoy. But of course, there was the screams, not of fright, however, of laughing matter. Fillies to old stallions of all ages getting frightened by the silliest of things and cackling at the joke afterwards. Night Riser saw all of this looking into the town, and it was the screams that confused him the most. How could anyone like screaming or the mere sensation of fear? Riser had known terror his whole life, mostly during The Torture, and really couldn't imagine how ponies could live with it as a joke. The stallion decided to observe longer, seeing if something would come up, if something would change, or if likely, he would spot the Bat Princess in the crowd. He found her not there, nor anything changing, or in the farthest place of his mind, if any other bat-ponies would be there. However he still didn't find the right time to show himself, not openly, but at least not into the public yet. For his gutsy motivations, he was surprised he was so nervous at this first attempt with contact to other ponies. What really amazed him was the strange ponies with extra noses, or what he assumed were extra noses. They stuck out of some of the ponies' heads like horns, although Night Riser told himself to be logical, that ponies couldn't possibly have horns. He had never seen one of the such, but yet there were so many. Was this normal? He saw one of these ponies use their extra nose, only it would glow and pick up things, like it was magical. Night Riser then understood. They had to be ponies with magic wands, if they existed, glued or grown on their heads! Night Riser was also curious of the ponies' dress. Some dressed in capes, others in dresses, with here and there a pony with a mask, and even some that looked evil. He wondered why they dressed so funny or so darkly, but he didn't judge. It must've been part of their culture, or maybe it was to ward off ghosts. But Ponyville was decorated in ghosts and goblins. He just shook his head and decided to ask later. It was then he realized that all of the population was moving away from what they were doing, and most of these were foals. They were all walking toward the center of town. Curious, and willing to make a move, Night Riser stepped into the border of Ponyville. He followed the crowd, however, keeping his distance and staying in the shadows of the alleys. It was very peculiar. All of the young moving to the center of the town. There, an old stage sat, and on it was a podium. An old mare stepped onto the stage, dressed like a safari adventurer (as Night Riser saw in books. He also assumed she was one herself, being in such an outfit). The mare tapped the microphone on the podium and greeted the foals warmly. "Welcome back to Nightmare Night, everypony!" she cheered. The crowd gave enthusiasm. "Now, as you all know, at this time of year, on this night, we must all do what we can, for it isn't just our night, but the night of...NIGHTMARE MOON!" She gave a spooky coo and cackled menacingly. The foals cowered, but then laughed afterwards. Night Riser didn't know what to think of it. Who was Nightmare Moon? And why did she seem so spooky? Is this why they wore strange clothes and did creepy things? He continued to listen. "As you all know, young fillies and colts, it is time for the tale of the year! Zecora will gladly show you the way!" The old mare said this line as a cloud of green smoke appeared on stage. Night Riser almost jumped as much as the other ponies did. But he jumped more when he saw the strangest pony, Zecora as the old mare called her, appear on stage. She was clothed in a long, black cape, white ghoulish hair hanging down on her face with spiders entangled in it. What the strangest feature of her was her coat. She was striped. Night Riser had never seen, nor imagined, a striped pony before. He looked at the crowd. Nopony was striped. Just Zecora. Maybe this was a good sign, for if this pony was different from all the others, maybe this gave him room to fit in as well as she did. The striped pony then started to speak, slow and melodically. She rhymed every line she flicked off of her tongue, telling that she would portray the tale of Nightmare Night to all the young foals who wished to listen by following her down a path that led outside of Ponyville. Night Riser perked his ears. This was the exact explanation he was looking for. So he decided to follow. It was fascinating, the journey with the young and the small ponies was. Night Riser was beginning to learn so much. He, of course, hid back a ways in bushes from the others, but still, clearly, he could hear the tale. He understood, now, that all the ponies in Ponyville didn't really dress as they did. They put on costumes, disguises, to hide their pony forms from a wicked mare called Nightmare Moon. They also had to give up all of their candy to the mare so that she wouldn't eat them. Night Riser got really sick hearing the tale, he turned white in the brush. Was his favorite holiday circled around masking all ponies from an evil that lurked in the world. And if all the ponies wore disguises every year... The Bat Princess. Was...was she even real? Night Riser smashed a hoof on his head. Of course she was real! He had met her in his dreams so many times for it to be fake! And the tales, well, he suspected were just tales. Nothing could be true or fake as he didn't see it before! The clouds changed his mind. They began to circle, slowly and increasing darkness as they went. The moonlight and the millions of twinkling stars began to vanish and were replaced by enormous shocks of lightning. Chaos and confusion ran through the ponies' faces, including the striped one, who was caught in the fear. Night Riser wanted to look away, but his senses told him not to. He knew something was going to happen. From the sky a whirl of indigo cloud spiraled to the ground, taking hold of the earth and forcing itself to take form. From this, it was shunned away by a dark, tall, and slender figure that emerged from the mass. Night Riser felt his heart stop. He knew for sure that this figure, a pitch-black, silver-armored mare staring into the depths of the night with her turquoise eyes, towering over the world with her tremendous magic wand on her forehead, swooping, thick-feathered wings and mane of the clouded whirl, was certainly the mare of the tale. Nightmare Moon. "AHAAAHAAHAA!" she cackled, showing her fangs and seemingly hovering over the ponies. "I wonder if I should eat the candy tonight...or EAT ALL OF YOU INSTEAD!" Instantly the ponies screamed in terror, some falling on their flanks first, before sprinting as fast as they could away from the monster that had appeared in front of them. Night Riser felt the terror, but not of the beast itself. It was what the beast was doing to the foals. They had vanished as fast as the wicked mare had arrived, yelping all the way back to Ponyville. Night Riser choked as he saw them go, but he turned his attention back toward Nightmare Moon. He saw not that she was chasing after them, nor that she was doing anything evil. She was...laughing. Not horribly, though. Innocently. He then saw the almost impossible. The mare glowed for an instant, shrinking, not as small as the others but still much in comparison to before. The mare had also changed appearance, the armor vanishing, the eyes not so beady, and the mane and coat a soft navy, the hair sparkling like the night sky and waving in the wind. The strange pony spat somthing out of her mouth, something white and sharp-looking, and Night Riser saw the dark clouds above vanish. But the mare was still laughing. He couldn't stand it anymore. He was just too curious. "What is so funny?" he said, gathering courage and speaking loudly through the bushes. The mare stopped and smiled. "Ha, who goes there, little brave soul who apparently wasn't scared this year!" she said merrily. Night Riser peeked through the leaves. The mare looked friendly, in fact, he was uncertain that it was she who was the Nightmare Moon before. And that was when he took a chance to step out. Night Riser came into the clearing, facing the mare. "I said, what was so funny?" he repeated. The pony stopped looking happy. Instead, she looked shocked. But her nerves seemed to calm and she regained a warm grin. "I scare the children as they please, and as I do yearly, they like that a lot," she said. "You must not know about that, do you?" Night Riser shook his head. "I didn't think so," continued the pony. "You must be new here, and new to this holiday, are you not?" Night Riser looked confused. "Um..." "I thought so," interrupted the mare knowingly. "But you needn't worry, young friend, for I can tell you all. I am good at explaining things, I do so for many ponies. I can tell you about Nightmare Night so you can enjoy it without much confusion. Would you like that?" Night Riser was hesitant at first, but something about this mare seemed to give him a positive connection. He nodded. "Well, then, come sit over here and I'll tell you everything and answer your questions," said the mare, beckoning him over. "By the way, you may call me Luna. That is my name." For the next long while, Night Riser became acquainted with Luna. First, of course, she told him of the holiday, explaining that colts and fillies dress up for fun, play games for fun, eat candy for fun, and do scary things and become scared all for fun. Night Riser had a hard time grasping the concept, but Luna was able to explain it thoroughly. She seemed to be the keeper of fun herself. It was then Night Riser had some of his own questions asked, like why some ponies were striped and why some had weird things sticking out of their heads. Luna just laughed and explained: the striped ponies were a special kind called zebras, and the horns Night Riser thought of were actually horns, on ponies called unicorns who used them for magic. Luna then had to explain that since she was an alicorn, a mix of a unicorn and a pegasus, that she was completely different, a princess. That struck something in Night Riser. The Bat Princess. "Luna," he then said, looking up to her with wondering eyes, "I have always wondered about bat-ponies...do...do they really exist?" Luna looked at him, almost with sadness in her expression. She sighed. "I'm afraid not," she said. "Not in this world, at least." Night Riser then fiddled with his hooves. He took a deep breath. "Can I tell you a secret," he said nervously. "Anything, and it will be kept well," replied the princess. "I...am...I am a bat-pony." He closed his eyes, waiting. Waiting for the shock, the fear, the horror of his look. But none of that came. "I know," said the mare, smiling. Night Riser was bewildered. "But...but you said-" "I did say," said Luna. "But you are special, aren't you, Night Riser?" "How did you know my name? I didn't tell you it?" "You didn't, but I knew," said Luna. "Night Riser, I already know you, and that you were here. You have been dreaming about it for a while." Night Riser widened his eyes. "Don't be frightened about it. I am the Princess of the Night. It is in my royal duty to visit ponies' dreams, even if I had hardship the past many years...I still did what I did with the dreams of many ponies. I saw yours too, Night Riser. You had always dreamed that you could be free, have ponies surrounding you with love and acceptance, if I'm not mistaken?" "Y-yes," confirmed Night Riser. He looked at Luna with hope. "So you also know...know what I'm going through, don't you? And you're a princess, right? You can help me?" Luna closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Night, I don't know for sure. I only visit your dreams, not your life. What is it like?" And there, the stallion poured out everything, from Dr. Zoid, to The Tourture, to his creation. Luna shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry that you have gone through that hardship," she said. "But you must know that I have know right to do anything without knowing for sure, and to investigate your own home would require consulting with my sister, the Princess of the Sun, who rules with me." She gave him a smile. "But I will do all I can with that. In fact, I can go now, right now, so that I can come back to help in the morning." She stood, looking at the sky. Night Riser looked at her like a child. "Thank you," he said. Luna looked back and gave him a warm face. "You are most certainly welcome," she said, extending her wings. Luna suddenly stopped. "Oh, yes, I did forget to mention the other part of your dream." "What other part?" asked Night Riser, almost ashamed he forgot. Luna winked. "The Bat Princess." She came over to him and whispered in his ear, "She's real, you know. She's not a bat as you dreamed, for she was in costume when you saw her, but she is real." Night Riser felt a flood of warmth come to his face he turned to Luna, almost unable to hide his happiness. "Really?" he asked. Luna nodded. "Yes," she said. "And you can meet her tonight if you'd like, Night Riser."
The Princess of His Dreams~The Princess of His Dreams Night Riser had run as fast as he could as soon as Luna gave him directions to the home of the pony he had wished to see for so many years. He could hardly take control of his heartbeat and breath they were moving so fast as he sprinted through the woods. But a smile was lining his face, a laugh of joy in his heart. This was going to be the day, the night. All he had dreamed for. It was then Night Riser saw it, the cottage the Night Princess had described. It was as beautiful as he imagined, not in Luna's description alone, but also in the vision from his dream. It was a wooden place, warm and soft, not cold and rough like the lab, and it was full of life and blooming every second, whereas his home symbolized death and horror. He stopped, yes, to take this in, but it didn't satisfy him. He wanted to see the pony, even though not a Bat Princess anymore, herself. He ran up a quaint bridge that led to the front door, almost tripping over his own hooves. However, he did manage to hit an up-grown root in the ground just beyond that, his back leg catching and leaving the rest of his body to fall flat to the ground. Night Riser hit his jaw on the unforgiving earth, and cried in pain. He also felt a tinge in his hoof where it caught. How embarrassing and undreamlike this was... The pain, however, was not good in his leg. Night Riser clenched his teeth, hoping that maybe the pain would stop traveling through his nerves. But they persisted and he laid there groaning until a click came before him. A creak followed, along with a shimmer of light and a whisking smell of fresh lilacs. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't due to how he was. "Um, excuse me, who's there?" asked a whispering voice. Night Riser perked his ears. That voice...the tone of an angel pony. It was just the same as the one he had heard many years prior... "Oh my goodness!" the voice then proclaimed. Night Riser saw through his lids that the light increased and he heard a door slam open. He sensed that the pony who owned the voice, whom he figured was the pony he was searching for, coming toward him. "Are you alright? Can you speak?" she asked. Night Riser then forced himself to open his eyes. That was when he knew he had arrived...that he had found her. For when his eyes opened, they faced the two, blue-green shimmering irises that he had seen in his dream, treasured in his drawings. This was her. "I...I..." he tried to say, but the pain came back. That, and all this time he had dreamed of seeing her, he had no idea what to say. He was lost for words. The mare in front of him grew panicked. "Oh, I'll have to get you in right away!" she said, trying to pull him to his feet. "Here, I'll try to help you, maybe I'll get some other and-" "No, it's fine," Night Riser said through his clenched jaw. "I can walk on the other three." "Are you sure?" she asked. Night Riser confirmed. He then struggled to stay on his uninjured legs as best he could, trying not to make the mare work so hard. She hardly seemed up for carrying anyhow, and was amazed at how eager she was to help even though she was weak. But before long, he was in the cozy house lying on a sofa, the mare pulling out bandages beginning to wrap them around his injured leg, carefully and gently. "There, that should be better," she then said while tying the bandage off in a neat bow. " Why, you must have fallen hard on that root. I really should've gotten that taken care of weeks ago, but, I'm sorry I didn't." "It's fine, really, I should be able to heal in no time," Night Riser replied. Secretly, he hoped he was right. Who knows what would happen if he appeared to Dr. Zoid with an injured hoof. "I really do hope so," said the mare. She then looked at him curiously, her pastel pink mane dropping in front of her face. "What brings you this way anyhow?" "I...well, I was...looking," stuttered Night Riser. He really didn't know what to say at this point, and he definitely couldn't say it was she he was looking for, just when they had met. "Oh, that's nice. Maybe we can find it soon," she said shyly. Night Riser looked hard at her covered face, only wishing that he was one of those unicorns he learned about. He really hated the mare covering her wonderful eyes with her drooping mane. "What is your name?" he asked her. The pony backed up a little and looked away. "Um...it's Fluttershy," she said so soft it was almost inaudible. But Night Riser was excellent at hearing. He caught the name instantly. Fluttershy. He said the word in his name in his mind over and over. Fluttershy. So lovely. "My name is Night Riser," he replied to Fluttershy. "I've never seen you here before," she responded. "I'm here for Nightmare Night, really," said Night Riser. "I was wondering about that," she said. " You must be here because I heard that here Nightmare Night is very good. And you do have a very good costume." Night Riser took a look at his wings, which were laid out this way and that under him. He kept staring at them, and then remembering that Fluttershy, as Luna said, wasn't a bat-pony. She was a pegasus, but that wasn't the same. He fumbled with the idea of telling her the truth. "I thank you for that," he said slowly. "But...Fluttershy..." "Yes?" "These wings of mine...well...they are real." He closed his eyes tight when he said this. Again, he was waiting for the mock, for the discrimination. Fluttershy wasn't Luna, she didn't know anything. In fact, Night Riser started to feel stupid he revealed such a thing. But Fluttershy surprised him. "Amazing," she said. "I've never seen, or even heard, of a bat-pony before." She come closer and looked at his wings. "You're so unique. I wish I had wings like that." Night Riser widened his eyes. "You do?!" "But of course!" said Fluttershy with a smile. "When I was a little filly, I was so fascinated by bats. Especially their wings. I love animals of all kinds, but at one point, I do remember wanting that I wanted to be a bat. I wanted to be able to fly at night and well...." She stopped, heat drawing to her face as she then backed away. "Well...I wanted to be a bat, that's all." "And what?" asked Night Riser. "Oh, nothing much, really," said Fluttershy. "It was just a silly dream, I suppose." "Oh, but it can't be silly! Dreams are never silly!" retorted Night Riser. "Why, isn't it dreams that lead us to where we wish to go, to our futures?" "They don't really mean anything," said Fluttershy. "I mean, I've never seen a dream come true." Night Riser looked away from her a second, when he caught the craziest idea in his mind. He turned back to her, smiling. "Tell me," he said. "Tell you what?" "The dream." "Oh, no! I couldn't! It's far too absurd!" "It can't be as absurd as me having the wings of a bat, can it?" Fluttershy looked at his wings and sighed. "I...wanted...to touch the moon," she mumbled very quietly. Night Riser smiled. "I don't think that sounds silly at all," he said in a comforting tone. "Not at all." "You can hear me?" Fluttershy said surprisingly. "I usually speak that quiet so that...no one...can, you know..." "I have very good hearing," said Night Riser twitching his ears. "I have the ears of a bat too." "Oh," said Fluttershy, turning red. "Well, yes, that...that was my dream." Night Riser turned closer to Fluttershy. "Did you ever imagine that it could come true?" he asked her. Fluttershy looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you crazy?" she asked. "No, and I'm not mocking you either. I think the dream is wonderful," Night Riser reassured. "But I need to ask...do you want a dream of yours, any dream, to come true?" Fluttershy let her hair fall in front of her face. She looked away, and then back. "I guess," she said. Night Riser then placed is front hooves on the floor, then the last good one, and limping, began to walk toward the door. Fluttershy ran to his side. "What are you doing?" she asked. "You need to rest!" But Night Riser opened the door, letting the chilly autumn air flow into the home. He let it whisk through his mane. "Where are you going?" Fluttershy asked, now very confused. But Night Riser looked at her with his blissful golden eyes, and with a warm smile he whispered three words to her. "Come with me."
A Wish Come True~A Wish Come True~ "Oh, Night Riser, I'm not sure about this," said Fluttershy as she nervously looked at the stallion with his injured hoof, then up at the sky. "Do you know how high it will be up in the air?" "I guess I do, but that's where we'll have to find out," he said, facing her. "And I'm not going to find out alone, am I?" Fluttershy gave him a nervous look. "But...I don't know..." "You would trust me, would you?" he asked, facing her with an open and curious look. Fluttershy peeked up at him. "Yes. I guess...I guess I would." "Then let's go," he said, spreading out his wings. Fluttershy did the same, but her wings collapsed to her sides and stuck. "But...but I'm not good at flying!" she said, scared. "And it's high up! I could fall...I could...I could..." Night Riser put a hoof on her shoulder to calm her. "It will be all right. I promise," he said solemnly. Fluttershy saw the structure in his confidence through his face, and gained enough courage to nod. "Ok," she said. "Ok." Then, gracefully, she spread her delicate, feathered wings. Night Riser looked back at her, then focused his gaze at the sky. Then, with a jump, he launched himself into the air, Fluttershy following. The pair paddled the air in their wings as the ascended from the earth below, higher and higher into the stars. Night Rider, in all honesty, had never actually been this high in the air, but he told himself that it was wonderful, that the view was pleasant, that the forms of the sky were in reach. Fluttershy was right next to him, panting as she tried to keep herself from looking down and to keep her gaze focused above. But it was too hard for her. Her eyes fell downward on the ground hundreds of feet below. Instantly she screamed. "I can't do it!" she cried as she tried to run in the air. Night Riser turned around as suddenly her wings snapped to her sides. His pulse stopped as in the moment of time, a dark vision of fear cast before his eyes. And he would not let it happen. Instantly the stallion dropped and was falling right beside Fluttershy, who was screaming and crying for her life, her hooves covering her face. Night Riser met up with her in the air and through his hooves around her middle, and then, using all the strength he had, pumped the muscle energy through his wings. But they were still falling. He grit his teeth, fought hard against all strain. The jolt through his wings certainly was worse than his leg, but that was futile compared to this. This was the life of another pony, one he would not dare let the ground take, and would try with all the might he could muster to keep her in the air. Wind whooshed by their faces. The air grew colder. Their hearts pound so hard that it was almost heard by the night itself. Everything was moving....moving....moving..... Fluttershy felt that suddenly everything was still, that she wasn't moving anymore. She wasn't falling. She pulled the hooves away from her eyes and found her hooves were not touching the ground, and, to her, a pair of strong arms was wrapped around her, holding her to where she was. She opened her eyes wide. And she saw. The moon. Right there. "I...I..." she tried to search for words to say. But she couldn't. She was looking right at the heart of the brilliant light. She couldn't see what was below her, either, but a blanket of clouds. She was high in the air, in a place that seemed like heaven. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" said the quiet voice of Night Riser's behind her. Fluttershy was caught in wonder. "But...but how? How did you do it?" she asked. Really, Night Riser had found his strength in his wings and instead of falling, he had pulled Fluttershy toward the sky, to the stars.....to the moon. But he didn't answer this way. "I believe that all dreams should come true, Fluttershy." * * * Night Riser had brought Fluttershy safely down to the ground again, his wings feeling stronger and his leg feeling a little better. But even more, he felt wonderful. He had done something wonderful, or at least, he hoped it was what he thought. Fluttershy was now with Night Riser at the front of her home. He had escorted her back, and even though she had been thankful to be on the ground again, he saw the sadness float around her, like she wanted to stay in the cloud and moon world for a longer time. But Night Riser knew that his curfew was coming. He would have to go. "Thank you again for showing me something as beautiful as that, Night Riser," she said in her doorway. Night Riser smiled, not only because of the complement, but because Fluttershy seemed much more relaxed, happier, and more comfortable. Also, her hair had fallen back out of her eyes. "It wasn't much but a silly dream, remember?" he laughed. Fluttershy chuckled along. "Oh, yes, I remember," she said. Then her tone got serious, but with curiosity. "But you have to leave. Where are you going?" "Home," he said. "I have to be there every day, and I can't come out until night." Fluttershy looked at the ground, fumbled with her hoof, and then looked back at Night Riser with pleading eyes. "You'll come back though, tomorrow, won't you?" she asked. Night Riser was taken aback. Of course, he wasn't at all unhappy with her question, he was just surprised. "But why?" he asked. "Well, you showed me something I've always wanted to see but couldn't," Fluttershy responded. "And you've still lost something. I wanted to help you find it." "Oh, well, Fluttershy, I already have." "Really? What was it?" "My wish, or dream, is all." "What was it?" Night Riser smiled and looked at Fluttershy with glimmering eyes. "You, Fluttershy," he said, almost choking on the words as he admitted it. He leaned forward to her, just to kiss her on the cheek, to confirm that what he said was true. But Fluttershy returned that kiss first.
Home~Home~ As giddy and warmed to his heart as Night Riser felt, he knew that his mind needed to settle back to the way things were so that he could hide everything that had happened from the Master. He couldn't let out a single hint, for that would throw him off. No. He needed to act miserable again. At least until the time came when he would leave forever... And why couldn't he? The next night? Yes! Why couldn't he then? He knew that the Master was wicked, and that Luna knew it, that she was debating with her sister now, and that they would certainly investigate soon. And Fluttershy! He had found her, something that he could fly to, away from the lab. Somepony that would care for him besides the aching love that Dr. Zoid barely gave at all. He had decided, and a smiled crossed his face. Yes, tonight would be it. Late, he would sneak out. And everything would be better. He wouldn't be locked up in the hell that Dr. Zoid called the one place he belonged. He would go home. Night Riser found that he was a little late to arriving to the window, and made haste to getting himself above the dreaded gate and through the thin walls of the portal that brought him back to his miserable life before all that had happened prior. He landed on the floor, all four hooves touching. He then ran down the stairs as fast as he could. The sun was already partially up, and he needed to at least be hallway through his chores by now. Night Riser made way for the main room, neglecting the fact a bandage was still tied to his hoof. The stallion raced through the dark hallway and to the stairs. Instinctively he trotted down the main stairs, turned the corner and- He froze in his tracks. Dr. Zoid was sitting, his back toward Night Riser, in his wheelchair. He was at the counter, holding a coffee. "We're up late again, aren't we boy?" he asked in a steady tone. Night Riser moved behind him. "Yes, sorry Master, I-I was not watching the sun, I suppose. I'll get to work right away-" "No," bellowed the doctor. Night Riser froze, ready to be scolded. Had Dr. Zoid found out? What would his punishment be? Did he know of Night Riser's flight? "I have been thinking," said the doctor slowly. "Yesterday I may have been a little on the hard side of me. I do believe all ponies have dreams after all. Yes, that's how I had the idea of this, this lab. You. Maybe I was rash...suppose I was a little tempered at the moment. My boy, I don't know what, but I do know that I have deep sorrow in my mind...this one time..." Night Riser stalled at the sound of Dr. Zoid's turning voice. He knew the Master was never kind, and usually meant there was something worse to come. But this was different than that. This...had sincerity. "Master..." Night Riser said. "Go," waved off Dr. Zoid. "Go to your room. Rest for one day. Your chores can be done tomorrow! That's when we will talk, understand?" Night Riser nodded. "Yes sir." "Good, now go." * * * Night riser watched the sun set as he laid in his room. He had been thinking all day, about so many things. Dr. Zoid's new leaf, mainly. He was also wondering when Luna would come, when she'd save him. He also thought about Fluttershy, whom he already missed. But night was falling. He was going to see her very soon. "Night Riser!" Dr. Zoid suddenly called from the second floor. Instantly the stallion flew to the staircase and slid down the grip and to the floor. He ran to the outside of the pony's study. "Yes, Master?" he asked. "Bring me the Dantrium, boy!" he said. Night Riser felt his stomach turn. Had Dr. Zoid gone back. Possibly. But either way, the old pony felt that his life revolved around the drug and wouldn't have wanted to wait on it. Night Riser fled after it right away. Down the stairs he tumbled and to the cabinet that contained the many vials of the muscle relaxer. He stood on his hind legs and opened the door, revealing the glass containers inside. He picked up the nearest one in his mouth, careful of his teeth, and shut the door. With haste, he took to the stairs, and then galloped down the hallway and into the study. He showed the vial to his Master. "Here it is, sir," said Night Riser dutifully. Dr. Zoid did something very strange then. He smiled. "Ah, yes, boy, bring it right here so I can inject myself!" The bat-pony stepped forward and hesitantly gave the Master the vial. He raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "Oh don't look at me like that!" said Dr. Zoid. "I've figured I turn to a better side of me to you. After all, I really couldn't have made anything else but you, and if I were you, Night Riser, I'd appreciate this better mood of me." The doctor turned the chair around to fill the syringe. "I suppose I can...what then?" asked Night Riser. "Go, leave me, do what you'd like, I guess," said the doctor. "Maybe...and I'm thinking..." he turned back around, "we can see the outside. You'd like that? I need to stretch the old bones myself." Night Riser nodded. "Yes. I guess so." He turned to leave when Dr. Zoid put a hoof on his shoulder. "Listen, son, I really am trying, but after so many years...I know this change will be hard. But I've got the wish for it. The will. The dream." He leaned back. "Do you, Night Riser?" Night looked at his creator with his yellow eyes, big and bright. Was this something new? For real? Something better? The stallion grinned. "Yes," he replied. "I suppose...I do." "Good," sighed the doctor. Night Riser then turned to leave. His heart somehow felt a lot lighter, like a burden came off of him. Sure, the time before were so dark and stormy, but now...now there was nothing left of that. Nothing but a bright future. "Oh, before you go, boy," said Dr. Zoid, "will you inject this for me into my back? I've seemed to be getting a little old, as you know." He chuckled. Night Riser came obediently forward. "Of course," he said. Dr. Zoid gratefully held out the injector to Night Riser, ready to take. But the young stallion stopped. Something about the syringe wasn't correct. His eyes saw clearly that the liquid in the syringe was purple, not the normal clearish green he always saw. "Master..." he said to begin his observation. But before anything more could escape his mouth, the doctor clutched the syringe tightly in his hoof and drove it fast into the shoulder of the bat-pony, sinking the needle in his skin and letting the blood draw. Night Riser cried in pain. His eyes dilated as he struggled for screaming more, but nothing could muffle through. Instead, a blank look crossed his face, his color paling. His joints froze as he fell to the ground, the liquid having gone completely inside of him. And all that was facing him was the cruel eyes, the malicious grin of Dr. Zoid, who made sure Night Riser knew one last thing before his mind shut out to the world forever. "Now you will be sent to where you belong, rat!"
The Leave~The Leave~ Night Riser felt the edge of the windowsill leave his hooves once the sun went down. It was all he had planned for, this night. For those years he had suffocated in the lab he still clung to that inspirational dream that one day he would leave, and that he would do so by flying away. Away from it all. He of course kept his building skill a secret, for if Dr. Zoid had known, Night Riser would have no chance of escape. It was the belief the Master had that Night Riser's wings were too feeble to fly that let the colt have an open window for fresh air and not stones like it was everywhere else. But the stallion was also afraid of this night. What if he failed? Failed either in flying from his window alive or unseen? Failed at finding the acceptance in Ponyville he had dreamed for? And what if he never did find the Bat Princess? Foolish thoughts, he thought to himself. I will find her, and I will fly tonight, away from this place forever. Of course, he knew it wouldn't be forever. Not yet anyways. First, he planned, he would sneak out at nights, only to be sure the Master had no idea he was vanishing, and then, when the time came, when the ponies outside loved him enough to stay. He would leave forever. He would live without anguish, in paradise, forever. Night Riser dreamed it, and he knew it would come true. And that's what took him to the first second in the air, the first stomach-dropping moment where he found himself in a strange space he had never known. But like he had practiced, Night Riser flapped his wings steadily as he could, up and down. He regained posture and kept from falling; however, he was losing altitude quickly. The sooner I land, the better, he told himself. I can walk much better, besides. He had to struggle over the large gate first that encircled the lab, but considering his starting height, he was fine. It was the return that scared him, but he would mind that later. Over the gate Night Riser went, down into the brush just behind. That's where he slowed himself down to the earth below to set his hooves upon and regain his breath. His wings, he admitted, were still shaky, and may be for the rest of his life, which meant it was hard work to keep himself defying gravity. Nevertheless, Night Riser was where he wanted to be, and began a trot to Ponyville, far off in the bushes and fields, somewhere in a happy existence celebrating the most glorious festivity to Night Riser, Nightmare Night.
