The New Student
Snails was walking alone through a forest. It was pretty late, the sky being pitch dark. There was also a thin fog surrounding the trees, making the place look even creepier. It would be impossible to see if it wasn't for a weak light coming from the moon.
The little unicorn wasn't sure how he got there. It felt like he was summoned in the middle of the forest. But that wasn't the first of his worries: no matter where he looked, he couldn't find a way to leave it. The entire forest felt like a maze, without having any unique features that could be used to offer some guidance.
“Hello?!”, shouted Snails. He stopped for a bit, waiting for an answer... but nothing followed besides silence.
Snails then noticed that there wasn't a single sound in the entire forest. Not even the sound of the wind… of insects, an owl or some other animal. It felt like the entire forest was dead.
The colt started shaking, scared. Questions like ‘What if I never find an exit?’ and ‘Will I be trapped here forever?’ began ringing on his mind. Losing control over his feelings, he started to run in a random direction, hoping to find an exit.
As he ran through the woods, Snails arrived at what seemed to be a swamp. Seeing that running over it would be impossible, he started following through the side, circling the swamp in his search for Ponyville, his home.
As he went through the swamp, he saw several lights in the middle of the fog. Approaching, he saw what seemed to be a graveyard. While a graveyard seemed like the worst place to go in such a creepy night, it was the closest thing he had saw of civilization. Faced with the choice of turning back to the forest or advance, Snail let out a loud *gulp* before slowly approaching it.
As he got closer, he noticed that the graves and the stone walls were dirty and old, like forgotten for many years. Snails started walking slowly through the graves, stopping only to read them. On the stone slabs names like Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, Twist and Cheerilee were inscribed.
"This is creepy.", Snails said to himself. He kept walking through the graves, until he found one that was open. Reading the stone slab, the name Snails was written on it.
“Woah, I need to lay off those horror stories.” whispered Snails. By now he was sure this was a nightmare, however he was still scared. He secretly wished that it would end soon.
Suddenly everything started to get a red glow. The moon became like blood and the fog ceased. Snails could only look in horror was everything become even creepier.
"Gosh, I don't want this anymore!", Snails shouted, shaking. Determined to wake up, he tried to pinch himself... only to remember he didn't have fingers. "Oh right, chucks."
He suddenly saw a figure emerging from the darkness. As the figure approached, it revealed to be a stallion... a skeleton stallion to be more precise. He was bony, having deep glowing red eyes and a bright horn on his head. He was also wearing a black robe . He approached Featherweight, giving him a smile.
"Hello there, how are you doing?", the skeleton said friendly.
"Huh, who are you?", asked Snails. He was a bit shocked, but for some reason he felt comfortable around him.
"Ah, me?", the skeleton pony rhetorically asked, before answering "I am the Grim Reaper."
"Oh, just like on those comic books?", that being the first comparison that popped on Snails mind.
"Heh, sure I guess." The skeleton pony added. “So, what do you think of here? Isn't this a beautiful place?”
“Uh… I think this is very creepy.”, Snails answered truthfully.
“Why is the living always so picky?” he said, a bit offended. "What did you expect, a grave made of pure gold with air conditioning?"
“Uh... I dunno?” Snails wasn't sure where this is going.
"Oh, fine then. Listen, I will go up to the point.", the Grim Reaper said with a serious stare. "You are going to die today."
"Oh... that's bad." Snails frowned. "I like being alive, mister."
"Well, I don't make rules. I have come here just to confer your name, to put it on my list.", the Grim Reaper said annoyed. "But don't worry, I guarantee you that your process will be an efficient and quickly one."
Not paying attention to the Grim Reaper second phrase, Snails quickly jumped on the ground, hugging his bony legs. "Mister, cannot I stay alive? Pretty please?"
"No.", the Grim Reaper sternly said.
"Pretty please?", Snails tried again, this time giving him the puppy eyes. For some reason, they appeared more unnerving than actually cute.
"Stop that! You are giving me the creeps!", the Grim Reaper started to shake his leg, trying to get Snails to release him.
"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please..." Snails started to say quickly in sequence, holding and not releasing his bony legs.
"No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! Ah, fine. So be it." The Grim Reaper released, defeated by losing his patience. Making a hoof gesture to Snails to follow him, he added: "Here, come with me."
The duo then leaved the graveyard, approaching a hill. On the top of it was a figure who seemed like a filly.
"Do you see this filly? Do not approach her. Really, she scares even me.”, confessed the Grim Reaper, shaking a little as he said that. "Don't approach her, you will be joining the dead before you know it."
“Who is that?” asked Snails, sweeping his eyes to see if he could see her better.
Looking at the figure, Snails noticed she was approaching from the hill. Her body was dark purple, her eyes being the same color. It was possible to see a horn on her head, showing that she was indeed an unicorn. She had a short mane and tail, and her cutie mark was a red full moon. She looked at Snails, giving him a wicked smile.
Snails got frozen in shock, looking at her. This filly… just looking at her gave him a sense of dread. Was this filly some kind of monster or something?
"It's really simple. Just don't approach her.", the Grim Reaper continued. "Don't do that and another idiot will die today. Not you. Which is good."
“Wake up.” a voice suddenly came from the sky.
Everything started to shake. The whole dream world of Snails started to collapse, fading back to the darkness.
"What is happening?!", Snails shouted.
"Oh, time for school. He he.", laughed the Grim Reaper. "I may be undead, but I would rather die than go to school again."
The earthquake got worse and worse, the world collapsing until there was nothing left of it...
***
“Wake up.” said a voice very familiar to Snails. He could feel a pair of hooves shaking his body, trying to get him out of bed.
“Mom?” answered Snails, still a bit sleepy.
On top of him was a mare, one who shared his same coat of color. Her mane however was yellow, her cutie mark being of a rolling pin with a loaf of bread. Her neck was also very long, but her face lacked the dots that he had.
“You overslept again!” said Snails mother, shaking him wildly. “Just look at how bright the day already is! How can you sleep so much?!”
Snails slowly opened his eyes, looking at the window of his bedroom. His mother was right, the day was completely clear!
The shock made him lose all of his slothfulness, making him jump straight out of bed. He quickly went to the bathroom, flushing his teeth and taking a fast shower. Then he picked up a towel and dried his body, everything in a matter of minutes. After finishing his everyday hygiene he went straight to the kitchen.
Arriving there he saw his mother waiting on a chair, sitting near the table. The table had a loaf of bread, a bowl of cereal, a carton of milk and a bottle filled with chocolate powder. Snails, don’t wishing to miss any more time, started to chow down the food like a professional eater.
“Don’t eat so fast, Snails! Chew before gulping it down.” his mother scolded him.
“*munch* *munch* can’t do, mom. *munch* Cheerilee will be extra angry *munch* if I arrive late again! *munch*” Snails usually arrived late at school, which made Cheerilee call his mother multiple times. While he ate, he remembered his strange dream: could it be the reason he woke up so late today? 'Nah', thought Snails. Just like in the other days where he lost control of the time, it was probably because he was always super lazy.
After gulping his breakfast he quickly said “Goodbye, Mrs. Spice!”, handing the mare a peek on the cheek and then starting to run towards the door.
"Spice, no. It's 'Mom' for you!", his mother quickly corrected. She didn't like to see her son saying her name.
"Uh, sure." Snails stopped. "Bye mom!"
Snails then went towards the door, picking a schoolbag which was sitting on the nearby counter and immediately leaving...
***
Snails ran through Ponyville with all his ability, wishing to arrive at class as fast as possible. Since his stamina wasn't much, however, he ended stopping to breath every now and then, which probably didn't help much in his quest of arriving on time.
Regardless, he eventually succeeded in arriving at school. Getting closer to it, he suddenly stopped: he could hear that class had already started. “Oh boy… I am in so much trouble.” he lamented.
Knowing that receiving a rebuke was now inevitable, he mustered the courage to get close to the door, knocking. Cheerilee opened it, staring at the complete sweaty little colt.
“Mrs. Cheerilee… I can explain!” pleaded Snails, trying to make the puppy eyes to her.
“No explaining. Go sit on your chair.” she answered, a frustrated look on her face. Snails entered inside the class, getting funny looks from all his classmates. He could see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon having small giggles at his misery. Cheerilee closed the door and returned to write on the blackboard.
Snails was going to sit at his usual place... when he noticed a new school table near him. Sitting on it was a filly who he hadn't ever seen before… or thinking better, perhaps he did? She was dark purple, with purple eyes and mane… her cutie mark being a red full moon. He suddenly froze in place: it was her, the filly from his dreams! (Or nightmares?)
“Snails, I know you are pretty slow, but to not even be able to sit on your chair? Being slow doesn't mean being invisible!” shouted Diamond Tiara, who was angrily trying to copy the lesson Cheerilee was passing. Silver Spoon seemed a bit shocked because of her friend sudden outburst, but quickly joined in having a small giggles... being then accompanied by the rest of the class.
Snails got so embarrassed, his eyes starting to leak water. Snails weak point was always being slow. Ponies would call him things like ‘turtle’, ‘broken wheel’ and in the harsher cases even ‘retard’, just to mock him. As he covered his head in shame, suddenly a voice said: “I would rather be slow than have such a fat rear.”
The giggling stopped. That voice was stern but a joy to listen. Diamond Tiara froze staring at the new student, the purple colored filly. Suddenly the whole class blew in laughter, Diamond Tiara defending herself: "My rear isn't fat! It's the same size than you ponies!"
"It's so plump that I am sure you could use it as a pillow.", the purple filly attacked again. The class started to laugh even louder, Diamond Tiara suddenly hiding her face behind her schoolbook, feeling shame.
“Class, pay attention! I am going to make questions about this lesson!”, shouted Cheerilee, trying to gain back control of the class. The students immediately obeyed, stopping laughing and returning to copy the lesson. Snails gave a short smile before sitting on his place. It was the first time somepony openly mocked Diamond Tiara like this.
After sitting, he looked at the purple filly. Without the dark graveyard and the pitch black night, she was cute. Very cute. And she did just defend him. That was surely one of the coolest things somepony had ever done to him. Feeling confident, Snails whispered: “Thank you so much for helping me.”
“No need for thanks.” she whispered back. Her voice was beautiful, like of a famous singer. “I just can’t stand bullies.”
“Hum… I never saw you before. Well, I actually did… no wait. I mean, well… you seem so cool and...” Snails bited his tongue. He didn't know how to handle what he was feeling… how to gather the words to share what he meant.
“My name is Midnight. That brat called you Snails, correct?”, Midnight smiled. “This name fits you.”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s my name… probably because… well, I like snails... and I am pretty slow.” he frowned, lowering his ears in a bit of shame.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. I think it’s a beautiful name.” Midnight reassured him with another smile. “You still look delicious to me.”
“He he, thanks I guess.” Snails smiled back to her, his cheeks getting red. He found that ‘delicious’ compliment a bit strange, but she seemed just so nice.
“Hmm… I have an idea.” Midnight gave him a wide look, her purple eyes shining like gems. “Do you want to hang out after school?”
“Huuuhhh…” Snails murmured. He was so shy… and that nightmare was still bothering him. Still… she was the first cute filly who seemed to care about him. It wouldn't be fair to let something like a dream get in the way. “Sure!” he finally answered.
“Great! Meet me at the park after dinner.” Midnight looked enthusiastic.
“Hush… does it have to be after dinner? I am not sure my mom let’s me stay out late.” Snails frowned. He felt like such a baby.
“No problem. Can I visit your home instead?” she asked, quickly adding: "Do you invite me?"
“Yes, sure thing.” Snails smiled. He was sure his mom wouldn't have a problem with that. In fact his mom bugged him every now and then, saying that he needed to become close with his other friends... besides Snips, that is.
“Deal. I will have you for dinner.” Midnight said with a huge grin. “No, wait… I mean after dinner. He he.” she gave him a weak giggle.
Snails gave a confused look. Was he in trouble? She seemed a bit weird. His mind started remembering the dream: was he going to die today? Well, he felt in peace near her. This was just so strange.
His thoughts were interrupted however when he noticed Silver Spoon glaring at him. Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, Snips, Featherweight, Pipsqueak… the whole class was looking at him and his new friend. Confused, he looked back only to meet Cheerilee's menacing glare.
“Did you two finish talking? Because I have an entire book of lessons to pass and you two keep interrupting me.” Cheerilee said, clearly trying to hold her anger.
“Uhhh… sorry?” answered Snails.
The whole class returned to copy the lesson from the blackboard. The rest of the morning was basically just writing and hearing Cheerilee talking about fancy mathematics. Strangely, Midnight disappeared during break time. Snails found it strange at first, but later he discovered that she had stood at the classroom the whole time.
***
After class was over, Snails approached Midnight. She was fully cloaked, hiding her from head until flank. She was also hearing a scarf around her snout, hiding almost her entire body from the outside.
“Hmm. Are you okay, miss?” asked Snails. The more he looked, the stranger she looked. The day was pretty warm too, there was just no reason for a pony to wear so many clothes.
“Ah, don’t worry. You see… I feel so cold during daytime… so I like to use a lot of clothes. It’s like a protection. Is the invite still on?” Midnight said, her voice showing a bit of worry.
Snails looked at her. The feeling like something bad was going to happen was getting stronger. Still, he didn’t want to return in his word. “Yup!” he answered.
“Alright, see you later.” She gave him a small peck in the cheek before going away, leaving through the road.
Snails looked shocked: it was the first time a filly peeked him there. Small hearts started floating around his head. It was official now: he was in love!
He then touched his cheek with his hoof, like trying to feel what had happened. Suddenly a voice interrupted him from behind: "Dude... you got a crush!"
"Hu?", turned Snails confused. He saw Snips staring at him, a grin on his face.
"How did you do that? Midnight is a fox!", exclaimed Snips, approaching him and giving a small tap on his back.
"Dunno. Natural charm I guess?", replied Snails. "She really seems to like me, huh?"
"Yeah, dude!", shouted Snips, quickly adding: "You hit the jackpot! I still haven't figured out how did a pony like you do that!"
"Huh? Thanks I guess.", Snails answered. 'What exactly he meant with that?'
"Well, no matter.", Snips shrugged. "Just tell me about how it goes out, lover colt!"
Saying those words, Snips then gave him another pat on his back. The short unicorn turned back, starting to walk away from school.
Snails looked at his best friend go. Things were just getting too weird for his taste. Still... he was enjoying it. 'Well... I guess I am a big pony now!’, he thought. Feeling proud, Snails took the path back to his home, happily whistling through the way.
***
“Hello darling. How was your day at school?” said Spice, Snails's mother, greeting him with a big smile. Snails entered inside his house, giving her a quick peek in the cheek.
“It was fine mom.” Snails answered. “Ah, one of my friends is going to visit me today.”
“He will? Excellent! I will make sure to prepare a cake and some cookies for you to share.” Spice got excited. She loved cooking… and she loved even more when her son got a visit from his friends. The only pony who visited him was usually Snips, and she wasn't sure if he was a desirable influence.
“It’s a girl, mom!” shouted Snails, clearly blushing. He didn’t know why, but he felt the urge to correct her.
“A girl? Oh, my little baby is growing up!" she suddenly got a huge grin, small hearts appearing on top of her head. She always were an emotional pony. "Why, that reminds me of when I and your daddy dated. We would stay up until night, watching movies and eating popcorn. Ah, I can remember the taste of the butter on those delicious white circles and..."
"Uhh, mom?". Snails wasn't comfortable hearing about his mother romantic adventures.
“Ah yes, all right then. I guess I will use my strawberry topping!” She shrugged, noticing her son reaction. "Ah, anyway, lunch is ready! Put your school things away and eat up.”
Snails nodded. He put his backpack on a shelf before returning to the kitchen. He sat at the table: there was an apple pie on the middle, cut in half. There was one piece in his plate, another in the plate that belonged to his mother. Snails started eating the pie, enjoying it a lot: it was one of his favorites. Also because his mother, as her name implied, was a great baker.
After finishing, he cleaned his plate and went straight to his bedroom. He got there and jumped at the bed, lying down. ‘Hush… I am so anxious. A filly on my home! Who could have thought?’, he thought. 'There was that weird dream, but I am sure it was nothing. Ah, today will be a great day!' Trying to kill time, Snails then picked up a book from a nearby shelf, starting reading.
***
Some hours later, he finally heard a knock on his door. “Snails, your friend is here!” said his mother.
“Okay, mom!” Snails answered. The door opened, Midnight, the purple filly from before entering. She was wearing nothing, like when she was inside class. His mother gave them a smile before going away. The filly gave him a smile, before entering and then closing the door. She then approached the bed, sitting down near him.
“So, what are you doing?” she asked, a soft smile on her face. Before Snails could answer, she crawled in the bed until she was right at his side. She started to read the book: “Daring Do? You like adventure books?”
“Hum… yes. They are fun. He he.” Snails said, clearly embarrassed. She approached him even more, resting her head near his neck, her eyes trying to read alongside him.
Snails was now a nervous wreck. Never in his entire life had a filly gotten so close to him. His heart was like a machine, pumping blood very fast.
“Hmmm… I can hear your heart beating, Snails! It’s lovely.” Midnight said. Snails looked at her with a shocked expression. He could feel the cold breath she was releasing upon him. He quickly jumped out of bed, now starting to get scared.
“Midnight… perhaps we could play cards? I also have some photos; do you want to see them?” Snails said, quickly opening his wardrobe and starting to get things.
Midnight then looked at him, a disappointed look on her face. "Play cards? Aren't you sure you don't wanna do something more fun?"
"Hey, want to see something pretty cool?" Snails smiled. She gave herself a facehoof, while Snails picked something from a nearby box. He then approached her, a hoof on his back. With a huge grin he showed what he was carrying:
"WHAAAA!!!!", Midnight screamed. Snails was holding a very slimy snail pretty close to her face!
"Calm down, miss. It's just my pet snail.", Snails said, passing the snail against his cheek. "I like snails. They remind me of me."
"What the fudge is your problem?!" she shouted at him. "I came here for a quick night feast... and you receive me with a disgusting creature!"
"Huh, what you said?", Snails said, not paying much attention.
"Ah, nothing.", Midnight fast replied, an uncomfortable smile on her face. 'Patience, Midnight. Patience.'
Midnight stared at him a few minutes, seeing him playing with his pet snail. She was getting pretty pissed off, but she was not going to let him break her composure: "Yeeeah... that is a pretty cool pet. Yup, surely. Still, perhaps we could do something fun together?"
"You want to play with him too?", Snails offered her the snail.
"Huh, no please." She was disgusted.
"Oh, okay...", Snails noticed that his possible new girlfriend was bored. 'Oh no, I must do something fast! But what? Wait... I know of a game we can have fun together!'
Snails then smiled at her, answering: "Sure. We will have lots of fun now!"
***
Midnight couldn't believe what had happened: she had seem some stupid ponies, but never one stupid as this one. Inviting her to play a round of Ponopoly, the banker pony game? Talk about a more tedious way to spend the night.
"Ha, you feel on my hotel!", Snails said happily. "Pay up, miss!"
"Sun, please arise soon. Becoming dust is better than this." Midnight frowned.
Snails was now sitting near a huge pile of money. That kid seemed to have some type of supernatural luck on this game. Not having a choice, Midnight handed him a few more Ponopoly bills.
She suddenly had an idea: she picked her entire pile, putting it near his. She then shouted: "Oh look, I am out of money. I guess that means I lost!"
"Thank Celestia for this.", Midnight quickly added.
"Ah, no problem. I can give you a loan." Snails smiled, picking one of his piles of false money and giving it to her.
"What the..." , Midnight face-hoofed herself again. She suddenly got up, saying: "You know what, to the abyss with this."
"Huh, Midnight?" Snails said a bit worried. That feeling of dread... was starting to appear now.
"Never in my entire life I was so humiliated.", Midnight put a hoof on her heart, her eyes started to glow. "Me, a daughter of the night!"
The filly then started to approach him, a hateful stare on her face: "Do not play coy with me. I know why you are doing that. No pony can be so naturally stupid!"
Snails looked at her confused. What was she talking about? He simply answered: "What?"
"You figured out the truth about me! You was right, I am indeed a vampire!", she shouted, her eyes getting red. "And I will ensure you will pay for this!"
"He he, silly Midnight. Vampires are not real.", Snails answered with a smugly smile. "Even I know that... and I still believe in the Great Squash."
That was the final straw. Midnight suddenly got glowing red eyes, a huge pair of fangs growing from her mouth. Her expression got paler, released a feeling of dread just like in his dream.
Snails was a bit slow, but not that slow. His eyes suddenly widened, he jumping back and starting to shake. He pleaded: "Excuse me, miss! I really didn't know that! I didn't mean to!"
"Doesn't matter. I am hungry and you will die now!", she shouted, quickly jumping on top of him. She used her hoof to push his head a little, showing his huge neck. She then started to approach it with her fangs...
Suddenly, the door opened, a voice saying: "Hey, are you guys having fun...?"
Spice stared at the scene, the filly on top of her son with her lips near his neck. Midnight and Snails suddenly blushed, noticing how unsavory the picture must have been for her. Snails's mother stood still for a few minutes, deeply blushing.
"Uhhh... mom?", Snails said shyly. The entire feeling of dread left the room.
"Oh.. we were just playing. Right, Snails?" Midnight said, sweating bullets.
"Yup, mom. Nothing objectionable. I promise.", replied Snails, putting his hoof over his eyes.
"Oh, never mind then.", Spice said embarrassed, putting her hoof over her eyes. She quickly closed the door.
The duo stared at each other for a few seconds, before bursting in laughter. Seeing the older mare face was hilarious.
"Ha ha, we did it Midnight! Boy, that was close." Snails said, shrugging some sweat from his forehead.
"Ha ha, we sure did. That was funny.", Midnight agreed. She suddenly stopped, giving him a smile: "So where were we? Ah yes, back to killing you."
"Ha ha ha, ah yes, ha ha, back to killing me!" Snails agreed, still laughing. A moment later, however, he just noticed what he had said: "Oh, rotten apples."
Midnight didn't say another word, just answering by craving her fangs at his neck. Snails felt a sharp pain, blood seeping from the wound. The mare then put her mouth over it, starting to feed on him.
Snails tried to shake her over, but his entire body got numb. It was like her bite took his control over it completely.
"You know, don't think this attack as the start of something special.", she suddenly said, stopping feeding for a moment. "I cannot believe I am putting your blood inside myself. The only good thing is that I will suck you dry, making sure that your stupidity doesn't infect this world another day."
“And to think I just wanted to try an unicorn. Then I saw your huge neck and thought 'perfect'. That was the worst day... and date of my life. That is quite an accomplishment.” Midnight kept whining during her meal.
“Do you have an idea of how many ponies I have sucked dry? And you are the worst. The worst! Even I cannot believe what I have to go just to have a night snack. I mean, seriously, what in the night is your problem?!", the filly kept venting.
"Huh, can you go quickly? My mom will be here soon." Asked Snails, who was pretty dizzy now. "And can you please not kill me?"
“Ah, you really didn’t read about vampires, did you?”, Midnight then gave a short laugh at the colt innocence. “I will tell you exactly what will happen: I will wipe from your mother memory that I have ever visited you. When she comes to see you, she will find you dead, cold as ice on your bed. Then she will probably call the guards, who will do an investigation… which will never point to me, a school filly. Don't worry, she will be fine. Removing the fact she lost her son, that is.”
"Talking with you was cool, but you must die now. Bye!", Midnight finished. She then released his neck for a second, before getting a bit of impulse and biting again, this time even deeper. Snails vision got darker and darker, until it finally faded...
