MLP: Friendship is Adventure

They went to Ponyville Theatre where Midnight said, “Next up, the play!”

Inside was a lovely auditorium with box seats and balconies all before a classic stage where they saw fillies and colts setting up a set.

“Well, the décor for tonight’s play seems to be coming along nicely,” Midnight commented when they heard a loud bray.

“Cut! No, no, no, Cotton Cloudy!”

They watched as a curtain rose and they saw a black unicorn stallion with a snow-white mane slicked back, a well-kept tail, amethyst eyes, and a cutie mark of two spotlights. He appeared to be directing and was talking to a little Pegasus filly.

“You need to feel the part, dear, act as though it’s all real!”

He sighed and said, “Take five, everypony, we’ll continue rehearsing after lunch. Dinky Doo, Button Mash, help me finish this back drop, if you please.”

Midnight approached, saying, “Hello.”

“Just a moment please,” the unicorn said, not looking to see who it was. “My vision is slowly becoming realization! Now, just a little higher, Button, Dinky, keep it in place… Yes! Perfect!”

The backdrop was in place as the unicorn thanked the two foals and let them go eat as he then said to himself, “My vision is complete, Bravissimo you are talent! Now, ahem!”

He turned, saying, “How can I help you- Augh!”

Getting a look at Midnight, Bravissimo neighed, “My goodness gracious, sir! Whatever happened to your coiffure?!”

“Oh, you mean my mane? Well it’s no big deal,” Midnight insisted. “I’m just here to check on the play, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“My hair? What about your hair?” Bravissimo asked before he suddenly pushed Midnight, who yelped “Help!”

Thunderlane just followed, shaking his head in good-natured submission. He knew Bravissimo well-enough that nothing would stop him from correcting a grooming-related error.

Bravissimo ended up taking Midnight to a place called Carousel Boutique, where he insisted on getting the stallion a fix up for his mane. They tried different styles, but Bravissimo found a flaw in each one.

“Hmm, no, no… too long, too short, too wavy, don’t like it… Uh! Disgusting, no!”

Midnight finally convinced Bravissimo to let him put it back in its normal style.

“Ah, yes!” Bravissimo said, as Midnight regained his original hairstyle. “I must say, I find your choice to be a blend of casual and formal, ingenious!”

“If I may, gentlecolts,” interrupted Rarity, the proprietress and seamstress of the business, as unicorn mare with a marble-white coast and pristine royal purple mane and tail styled carefully into elegant curls, her cutie-mark a trio of diamonds, “I would say our overseer could do with something to wear to the celebration!”

“Rarity, my muse!” Bravissimo beamed. “Perhaps you’ve something our friend here would find dashing?”

Rarity chose a burgundy-colored bow tie and absent-mindedly tied it around Midnight’s neck, a little too tight.

“Now my good stallion, you were telling me about yourself?”

“I – was – assigned by… Agh! Princess Florinda to-!” Midnight choked, and Rarity and Bravissimo both gasped, thankfully with her letting go of the bow tie, and Midnight gasped for breath.

“Princess Florinda?!” Rarity gasped, Bravissimo getting up in Midight’s face as he asked, his eyes seeing stars, “You know the princess of the seasons? I’m so jealous! You must be a very important pony!”

“We simply must arrange an outing sometime!” Rarity insisted, Bravissimo saying, “Wait, let me get you some diamond cufflinks! Rarity, if you would accompany me?”

The two drama-queens went to get the cufflinks when Midnight ran off, telling Thunderlane, “Let’s get out of here before they hang me with an ascot!”

Later outside, Midnight sighed as he asked, “What’s next?”

“Actually,” Thunderlane said, holding the check-list with his wing, scratching his head with one of his fore-feathers, “I think we got everything!”

Sighing in relief, midnight said, “Well, of we’re really done, I’m gonna go check on Twinken although perhaps I should go see Twilight at the library.”

“Before you do,” Thunderlane brought up, “why don’t we take a break and grab a snack? It’s been pretty hectic, huh?”

“You can say that again,” Midnight agreed. All the excitement had worked up an appetite for him, especially after he tossed his apples back at the hospital.

“Know any good places around here, besides Sweet Apple Acres?”

“I know just the place,” Thunderlane said with a smirk.

The Pegasus led Midnight to…

“There she is, Sugarcube Corner!” Thunderlane pointed it out. “The perfect place anywhere for you to sink your sweet-tooth!”

Midnight saw what looked like a life-size gingerbread house topped by a giant cupcake.

“Don’t tell me you can actually eat it,” Midnight cracked, Thunderlane chuckled and they hoof-bumped.

But as they entered, Midnight was put off by how quiet it was and it was dark.

“Strange, it’s not even sunset yet and the places looks empty. Thunder, are you sure the place isn’t closed for the celebration tomorrow?”

“…Not exactly,” Thunderlane trailed, sounding like he was up to something.

“Well, where’s the light?” Midnight asked, and no sooner did he did the lights flick on and…

“SURPRISE!!!!”

Midnight yelped as he found himself surrounded by ponies, along with party decorations. Balloons, streamers, confetti, you name it, it was there. A lot of the attendees he didn’t know but he did recognize some of them. Big McIntosh and Applejack were there, along with a few more of their family members, he saw Forester and Fluttershy, Bravissimo and Rarity, Starfyre, along with a Pegasus mare who could only be the famous Rainbow Dash, even Twilight Sparkle and Spike were there.

But before he had a chance to talk with her did a very familiar face pop up in front of him, the same pink earth pony mare who’d been talking with Thunderlane. Pinkie Pie.

“Surprise!!!” she cheered. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you and your brother! Were you surprised, were you, were you? Huh-huh-huh?!”

“Very surprised,” Midnight admitted, nervously. “But I didn’t exactly ask for a party…”

“Well, that’s silly!” Pinkie giggled, “How could this be a surprise party if you knew beforehoof? I mean – Duh! Bo-ring!”

Midnight sighed and walked towards the refreshments table, as Pinkie went on. And on. And on.

“Y'see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all,” she made a deep gasp, just as she did when they first met, “remember? Y'see I've never saw you before and if I've never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean Everypony in Ponyville!”

Midnight groaned, unable to comprehend how one pony could have so much to say and say it all as fast as she was going. So he just helped himself to a drink.

“And if you're new, that meant you haven't met anyone yet – Well, you did meet Thunderlane – and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, especially after I heard about your little brother! Then I had an idea, and that's why I went” she made a deep gasp again. “I must throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! See? And now you have lots and lots of friends!”

But as soon as Midnight had taken a sip, his mouth felt hot, his face turned red, he was sweating as he turned around, Big Mac asking, “You alright, haystack?”

Midnight leapt into the air, his mane and tail bursting into flames as he zoomed off to look for water.

Pinkie said, “Aw, he’s so happy he’s speechless!”

Unbeknownst to the partygoers, Midnight had run outside and dove into a nearby water-well, Thunderlane and Big Mac following him outside. They heard him sighing in relief, his voice echoing in the well.

“Hey Midnight!” Thunderlane called down to him. “You need any help?”

They heard a poof behind them and found Midnight soaking wet, not looking happy.

“No! All the ponies around here are nuts!!”

He then conjured what looked like a chess piece, a rook to be exact.

“What’cha got there?” Big Mac asked.

“Call it my home away from home,” Midnight sighed as he walked away, the other two stallions following. “You don’t have to follow me anymore, the overseeing is done, I’ll be fine.”

“We just wanna make sure you’re ok, Midnight,” Thunderlane replied.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac seconded as they found Midnight had led them to a large clearing, a good way away from the other residences.

They watched as Midnight set the rook piece on the ground and backed away from it. They heard Midnight whisper what sounded like an incantation, and his horn flared with light. They watched as a stream of magic extended to the rook like a ribbon of light, shimmering blue and silver, and the rook started to grow in size, and they saw it was turning into a real tower!

In no time at all, they found themselves standing before a tower-house, at least five stories tall, the top sided with turrets, windows here and there, and a banner hanging above the door emblazoned with Midnight’s cutie-mark.

“Whoa…!” Thunderlane and Big Mac both said in awe as Midnight went to the door.

“I’m getting some rest,” he declared. “I don’t want to be disturbed until the beginning of the celebration, at which point either of you are welcome to let me know.”

Without waiting for a response, he slammed the door, a portcullis falling from the archway above, and Thunderlane and Big Mac looked at each other, looking a little worried.

“Something tells me today didn’t quite go as he hoped.”

“Eeyup.”

As the night dragged on, Midnight laid in a bed, trying to relax as he muttered, “All I wanted was to speak with Twilight Sparkle about the Spirits of Adventure. But nooo! I get shanghaied to eating till I puke my guts out, my little brother ends up in the hospital, I get plowed into the dirt by a pony with a huge ego, he makes me eat my words, I almost get suffocated by a fashion accessory, and a party favor almost scorches my esophagus!!”

Sighing, he looked outside. Seeing the position of the moon, he knew dawn wasn’t far off as he recited, “‘On the night before the five-hundredth spring since his imprisonment, the thaw will aid in his escape and bring about Endless Winter.’ Perhaps the princess is right. Maybe it really is just an old ponytale…”

Then from outside he heard somepony yell, “Come on, Midnight! It’s almost time to watch the sunrise for the Dawn of Spring!”

“Eeyup!!”

Everypony in town had turned out for the event. Midnight stood with Big Mac and Thunderlane who said to Midnight, “Isn’t this exciting?! Seeing the Dawn of Spring is gonna be so cool!”

Suddenly, a chorus of music played by some birds at Fluttershy’s direction silenced everypony as the mayor walked onto the stage and announced, “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my pleasure to announce the beginning of the Dawn of Spring Celebration!”

Everypony cheered until the mayor went on.

“In mere moments, we shall witness the magic of the sunrise, as we celebrate the beginning of Spring! And without further ado, it is my great honor to introduce to you her royal highness, the very pony who brings us spring and winter every year!”

On a balcony above the mayor, Rarity and Bravissimo stood ready to pull the curtains as the mayor announced, “The kind, the humble, the bringer of happiness to Equestria, Princess Florinda!”

Bravissimo pulled a chord, causing the billowing curtains to move away to reveal... nopony?!

Everypony started to chatter in alarm, Midnight saying, “This doesn’t look good.”

“Calm down, everypony,” the mayor said, “I’m sure there’s an explanation!”

Bravissimo appeared on the balcony, announcing, “She’s not here!”

“Is it just me or is it getting cold?” Thunderlane asked.

“E-e-eyup,” Big Mac shivered then gasped as everypony saw the balcony slowly freeze over in ice and frost, Bravissimo teleporting away as a snowy wind whirled until it revealed…

“Frostfright!” Midnight whispered in alarm.

A tall alicorn stallion stood on the balcony, his horn like a sharp piercing icicle yet it radiated the colors of the northern lights with a harsh brilliance, his eyes a cold unfeeling icy blue, his coat a freezing bluish-black like his whole body had suffered frostbite, his hooves looked like they were made of solid ice, as everywhere he stepped the floor froze beneath him, his mane looked like a sharp glacier, his tail like a blizzard of flowing snow. His cutie mark was a fanciful pattern of frost, like one might find on their window during winter. On his head he wore a helmet similar to the helmets worn by the princesses’ royal guard, but with a plume of icicles, and similar armor around his shoulders, a bone-chilling cold spread through the room for every beat of his wings, as he sneered.

“Ah, my beloved subjects,” he spoke in a voice that sounded like the harsh crack of ice. “It’s been such a long time since last I saw your precious spring-loving faces.”

“What did you do to our princess?!” Starfyre brayed, trying to fly at Frostfright but Big Mac grabbed Starfyre’s tail in his teeth, stopping him as the farmer said, “Nnope!”

“Why, am I not royal enough for you?” Frostfright chuckled darkly. “Do you not know who I am?”

“Ooh, ooh! A guessing game!” Pinkie gasped. “How `bout… Freezie-Breezie? Or King Nasty? Or-”

Applejack shut her up by stuffing an apple into the party pony’s mouth.

“Does my name no longer count since I’ve been imprisoned for five hundred years?” Frostfright asked in an accusatory yet rhetorical manner. “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”

“I did!”

Frostfright looked to see Midnight.

“And I know who you are – You’re the Frozen Horse, Frostfright!”

Everypony gasped as Frostfright simply chuckled, “Well, well, well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here.”

“You’re here to…” Midnight spoke, sounding nervous.

“Think fondly of your last spring, my little ponies, for indeed it was your last!” Frostfright declared. “From this moment forth, the Winter shall last forever!!!”

Frostfright laughed wickedly as his magic whipped up a whirling blizzard, freezing everything around them, the clouds covering the sky, snow fell, icicles formed, lakes, trees, flowers, all froze, to everypony’s horror.