The Ballad of Midnight Edge

Life went on, as time passed most ponies began to lose interest in the atypical affair and moved on to more juicy stories, eventually it was as if it never happened.

Granny Smith informed Babs Seed's parents about their daughter's relationship, carefully omitting some details to keep them calm. All they knew was that their daughter was dating an older pony who lived in Ponyville and Granny Smith approved him. The old mare's authority was enough to calm them, they considered her wise, and if the Apples had no problem with that pony dating Babs Seed, they would not object, the Apples knew what was best for the Apples.

Eventually summer gave in to autumn. Midnight Edge's research kept on turning few results, reaching the point in which it was no longer possible for him to continue due to his lack of knowledge in the field All he could find was historical evidence of other cutie marks similar to his own, but they were taken for granted, ponies did not seem to care much about their origins. His research managed to gain the attention of some ponies, including Starlight Glimmer, who eventually agreed to help him and continued once he could no longer go on. She confided him she knew a few spells which had effect on cutie marks, and her knowledge could help them find out more about the nature of cutie marks. He was no longer bound to his investigation, now somepony else took the lead, but it was not time for him to leave, not yet, there were some unfinished matters left, and so he moved on to the next thing on his list.

...

Babs Seed was taking the train back to Manehattan. Her visits to Ponyville were less frequent now, mostly because Applejack pushed her to visit less often after the charade fell. Applejack and Big McIntosh took longer to accept their relationship, and so concessions were made on both sides until there was less friction. It would take a while before she went to Ponyville again, but that didn't mean she would not see Midnight Edge soon, in fact he was taking the train with her. He decided to visit Manehattan and stay there for a while, Applejack approved as long as he had a place to stay. But his visit was not a mere sentimental whim, he intended to restock on meat, there were few places where a pony could buy meat in Equestria, and one of them was in Manehattan, the other was in Canterlot, and Midnight Edge had no plans to go back there soon.

Midnight Edge was looking out the window, contemplating his plans and enjoying the scenery. Babs Seed brought him back to the present with her words. – What are you thinking about?

"Not much, just wondering what should I buy once I am there, where to stay, and where to sell stuff. Filthy Rich buys many common jewels I brought from distant lands, but I bet there are ponies who would pay more for them in Manehattan."

"Did you sell him a black star hairpin?"

"The one made of jet black metal? Do you want one? I have like a dozen of those"

"Not really. Diamond Tiara was wearing one. Her dad said they were rare." Babs Seed giggled, knowing they were not as rare as her friend expected.

"In Equestria they are quite rare, but where they came from they are very common, every girl has at least one of those. But this one," Midnight edge released a hairpin from his magical crystal, it was made of a strange red metal and had a green leaf embedded in it. "This one is unique, a friend of mine crafted it and gave it to me."

"Why would you want a hairpin? Isn't it a bit too girly for you?"

Midnight Edge approached and put the hairpin on the filly's mane, then smiled and answered her question. "Yes, it is too girly for me, but it looks just great on you. My friend told me someday I would meet the right girl, and I should give her that hairpin. Keep it."

"I'm not that much into cute stuff, but it looks just fine. Thank you!" Babs Seed got of her seat and hugged Midnight Edge, often she wondered why he would never give any gifts to her, now she knew it was because he wanted to give her something meaningful and not just some trinket, that hairpin was not just any hairpin, it was meant for her.

...

The train arrived at the station on time. Babs Seed's sister, Sunflower, was waiting for her, a pink mare with blonde hair and a cutie mark matching her name. Midnight Edge behaved cautious before her, while he did not actively conceal his relationship with Babs Seed, he made sure to make it seem less serious. For him, nothing good could come from revealing they were engaged under Granny Smith's command. The introduction turned out to be rather awkward.

"Isn't he a bit old for you?"

"Come on sister! You said it was not big deal when I told you."

"I just... Didn't expect him to be that old..."

"He's not much older than you."

Midnight Edge looked with an awkward face, he feared Sunflower's objections could end up in a bigger challenge than Big McIntosh and Applejack. Attempting to regain his often serious expression he spoke with a monotone voice which could turn into nervous laughter without warning. "Babs refused to take “no” for an answer. She is full of determination, and quite clever. She could captivate anypony's heart."

"And of all the ponies she could find, she picked the weird one." Sunflower stated wondering why her sister would fall in love with such an awkward stallion.

"Hey! He is just nervous. He's not used to big cities."

Midnight Edge finally got over his concerns once he noticed Babs Seed kept on supporting him before her sister. The filly's faith in their love felt comforting. Now less stressed, the green eyed stallion managed to act naturally, ready to take on a new challenge, earning Sunflower's trust.

"I have been to some big cities before, larger than this one, however I am not fond of their bustle. Yet my stress was not related to my discomfort, I was overwhelmed by the situation at hand. Meeting my beloved's immediate family for the first time proved to be more stressful than expected."

Babs Seed giggled, noticing how the very same stallion who was held as a war veteran in distant lands found his weakness in something as simple as a first meeting. Sunflower on the other hand was not amused with his statement, it was not because she considered him a bad stallion, but because his manners seemed strange to her. "Is he always that weird?"

Midnight Edge took Sunflower's remark as an opening, a perfect chance to make a display of confidence, as well as a proper exit, he would rather stay with Babs Seed for a little longer, but he needed a place to stay, and the sooner he found one the lower his chances of spending his night as a homeless became. "Oh! I am actually weirder! But there is no much time for awkward introductions. I must find a proper place to stay for the night, I would rather not spend the night as a filthy hobo. I must go. Time is of essence. Farewell my love, I will miss your presence... Oh, and nice to meet you Sunflower, see you later dude!" Midnight Edge left with a wide smile as he walked away heading to the hotel district.

"How did you fall in love with him?"

"You'll get used to him sis. He's just messing with you."

Babs Seed and Sunflower talked about Midnight Edge on their way back home. Sunflower was not sure he was the right pony for her sister, but she trusted Babs Seed and knew she could handle herself quite well in difficult situations. It would take a while before Sunflower grew used to her sister's relationship, but for now she was not that concerned.

...

The hotel room was considerably more comfortable than expected, there was a bed with mints under the pillows, a nightstand with a lamp on it, a small desk with a matching chair, and a closet. The dim evening light came through the window, Midnight Edge left his cape on the chair and laid on the bed, taking the mints under the pillows. The wrapper on the mints had a name written on it, Golden Horseshoe, the hotel's name, it was a cheap rustic hotel which went mostly ignored by most ponies in the hotel district, most of it's profits came from gentlecolt clubs which organized meetings there, there was a meeting planned for that very same night.

A faint beeping sound came from Midnight Edge's gem, getting stronger as time passed, Midnight Edge held the gem with his hoof and released a small golden artifact. The object looked like a small metal flower with a cage like structure in the middle, the cage had three crystals, a red one composing its underside, a green crystal suspended inside of it, and a blue crystal on top of it. Midnight Edge spun the petals to the right and a beam of white light passed through the three crystals, forming an ethereal screen above the artifact.

An alien creature was shown on the screen. It's face was similar to that of the species known as humans, but with horns on it's forehead and scales on it, the face had slender male features and a long ponytail was visible, it was a young reptile like man, the signal was a real time holographic communication, and the reptilian being looked glad to see Midnight Edge on the other side. "Hello pony dude! How are things going! Are you done with your business there? The team is planning to explore a new plane and we wanted to invite you to join us."

"Riv! Long time no see. Yours is always a pleasant face to see. I am not done with my mission, right now I am sort of taking a break."

"So, you are not coming?"

"Not yet, but maybe I will join you later. Well... Maybe."

"Is there something wrong? Don't tell me you want to stay. You said there was nothing for you there anymore."

"I intend to continue traveling, the thrill of adventure calls my name, but I want to stay a little longer. Remember that hairpin?"

"The one made of rubica ore? Greth crafted it right?"

"Yeah, that one. I finally found it's rightful owner."

"A pony? I always thought you would end up with the Kalian nurse. You said she was cute. Well, she is pretty for a lizard face."

"I guess I am not into scales. How is she doing by the way?"

"She is still helping her people with the restoration project. The aftermath of the war revealed the best, and the worst of her people."

"I guessed so. Their loss was great."

"I know I wasn't there during the war, but I can imagine what it was like."

"I saw her..."

"Did you call her? How? I didn't give her a void communicator."

"No, I had a vision, but not through meditation, it was this magical mirror."

"Oh, you can tell me once you join us, I bet you won't miss the best part. Now tell me. How is she? The mare. Do you have pictures?"

The conversation went on for a few hours. Riv was surprised to know Midnight Edge fell in love with a pony younger than him, especially after the execution he once mentioned. The two friends ended the conversation expecting to meet again face to face soon.

...