Midnight Greenby Voyd211ChaptersPrologueChapter OneChapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 4Prologue“Alright, just break it to me. How lost am I?” “You are so lost that your Equestrian Positioning System has no idea how you could have possibly traveled that distance in such a short time.” “Friggin' figures.” A lone, tired-looking unicorn pulled a ramshackle cart along behind him. The cart was in a horrid state of disrepair, to the point that it was impossible to tell what it may have originally looked like. It was painted in bold colors, although they were so mismatch and random as to cause discomfort to look at. Two of its wheels were cracked, and the other two were simple rocks jammed onto the axles. The cart's owner was an average-looking, pale green unicorn, although very tall and slender. He wore glasses and a black vest, and his dark green mane was styled to travel up his horn. His tail had the strange appearance of having recently exploded. A microphone mark decorated his flank. “Now approaching Ponyville. Population 50. A quiet little village in the Equestrian countryside.” The unicorn's ears perked up. “A town? Excellent, towns have food, water and places to sleep. Not a pile of dulled splinters like this piece of crap.” He looked down a hill at the small village. The unicorn sighed. “Well, if nothing else, I can finally smash this cart and try to rebuild it from the ground up.” He started down the hill. The moment he felt gravity take hold, he jumped onto the cart. “Alright, folks. Nobody lives forever. LEEEEROOOOOOOOOY–” Midnight Green Author: Voyd211 “Alright, that's good!” Twilight Sparkle surveyed her handiwork. Princess Celestia had decided that this year, the Grand Galloping Gala would be here in Ponyville. Sure, the upper-class mares and stallions would gripe about it, but what did that matter? Judging from the last Gala, most of them were insufferable. “Would yer stop prettifyin' every bush ya see and help me hang up decorations?” “Oh, for goodness' sake, Applejack, I thought we'd dealt with this before.” Rarity and Applejack pulled Twilight back into a sense of reality, when she realized that Rarity was making far more topiaries than were necessary. Still, they were nice to have aro- “–JEEEENKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!!!!!” Her thoughts were interupted yet again, although this interruption was much worse. What seemed to be a giant, half-smashed crate on wheels careened wildly into Ponyville. Twilight's heart skipped a beat. “Everypony, stop that cart!” She was a moment too late; the cart came to a stop against the tree Applejack and Rarity had just been arguing about, fragmenting and throwing pieces of plywood everywhere. As the dust cleared, it was apparent that, amazingly, the tree had been totally unharmed, while the cart was completely destroyed. The wreckage stirred, and a green unicorn head pushed its way out. “Whew.... that was the most fun I've ever had in this rolling lump of plywood and chewing gum.” He was cut off by an angry hoof smashing the ground in front of his face. He looked up and saw a very, VERY peeved purple unicorn staring down at him. The stallion in the former cart sighed. “Oh boy.... this is gonna be a bad day, I can tell.” Chapter OneChapter 1 “Alright, who are you? Who do you think you are, charging into town, possibly injuring somepony, while we're all in the middle of working?” The unicorn attempted to extricate himself from the remains of his cart as he answered. “I'm Midnight Green, I'm a traveling entertainer. Of course, my poor cart has seen better days, and it's been about two weeks since I last saw civilization.” He gave up trying to free himself and promptly tried to fall asleep, figuring that the wreckage would be gone when he woke up. Twilight was outraged. This pony could have very easily hurt somepony, and here he was, not apologizing, and instead of reacting, he had simply fallen asleep. She kicked his head. “Ow! Sunuva– what was that for?” “You are going to get up and clean up this mess, right now.” “Hey, lady, I don't know if you can tell, but I'm kind of TRAPPED here. So, I'm the one that needs help at the mo–” “Hi, what's going on?” Twilight rolled her eyes as Pinkie Pie bounced toward the cart, cheerful as ever. “Oh, you've got a cart on top of you.” Midnight took a moment to respond. “Um.... hi?” Twilight abruptly shoved her face into his. “Can't you, I don't know, move it with magic?” Midnight quickly became deadpan again. “Listen,lady, the only spells I'm good at are stage effects with light and sound. Moving the smashed remains of a minstrel cart isn't exactly on my resumé.” To prove his point, he tried to move the cart with a spell. The wreckage rose into the air a scant few inches.... and then immediately slammed back down with far more force than just falling. Twilight was exasperated by this unicorn that had obviously knocked the wind out of himself and cast her own spell. Rather quickly, the cart moved off of him and settled down out of the way. Midnight leapt up, shook himself off, and dropped the deadpan look. “Thank you kindly, madam. Now, I came here because I desperately need food, water, and rest, but from the looks of things, you fine folks are throwing a party around here. Am I wrong?” Twilight slipped into deadpan herself. “Yes. A party. Fun for everyone.” Pinkie Pie couldn't help herself. “Not just any party, silly: It's the Grand Galloping Gala!” Midnight was genuinely surprised. “Wait, what? I thought the Gala was in Canterlot, goodness knows how long ago I was last there, but this is a million miles from anywhere!” “Actually, it is approximately a day's journey from Ponyville to Canterlot.” “Oh no, don't tell me that stupid thing still works...” He had desperately hoped that his thus-far-useless Equestrian Positioning System had been destroyed in the crash. Unfortunately, it was completely intact. “Bugger... well, if that waste of forty bits made it through the crash, then surely other pieces of my tackle survived... Chapter 2Chapter 2 Midnight managed to piece together some of his possessions, which seemed to mostly be useless and impractical for a traveler; heavy tackle, pictures, various objects that couldn't hold much more than sentimental value. Only a few actually seemed to be useful to his trade, which included a microphone, an easel, plenty of parchment, and a black bundle that he kept hidden from the ponies around him. Twilight was somewhat confused by him. The first thing he did after getting his cargo together was attempting to rebuild his cart into a sort of house, although this quickly met with failure; Twilight recalled the sorry state his cart was in, and realized that this was probably how it had ended up as such. Midnight's construction and repair skills were nigh-nonexistent, and his shack more resembled a pile of firewood than anything else the first try. After four attempts, each worse than the last, Applejack decided to bring Big Macintosh, who deigned to build the shack himself. It more resembled an actual house than the last few attempts. Midnight was beside himself. “Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou givemeaminutetothinkofhowIcanpayyouback” This was a rather surprising reaction, since previously Midnight had been nothing but snide and cynical; now he was a good deal happier. “How can you pay me back fer building you a little shelter? Don't think nuthin' of it.” “It doesn't have to be me paying you, or working for you. I just thought of something, give me a few hours or so.” – Just as the sun started going down, Twilight and Rarity put the finishing touches on an ice sculpture of the princesses. Rarity looked proudly at the beautiful work of art. “My, isn't it just darling? It's so beautiful, especially with the sun shining through it.” Twilight couldn't help but agree with her, with sunlight dancing through the perfectly made sculpture. “Meh, it'd be prettier by moonlight.” Rarity whirled around, stung by the comment. Midnight was standing there, with a roll of parchment on his back. “But I didn't come here to insult anyone. Where's the big red earth pony?” Twilight quickly responded. “Big Macintosh? He's over at Sweet Apple Acres, but why do you need him?” Midnight gestured at the scroll on his back with his head. “This is his payment.” Without another word, he headed off.... in the exact opposite direction to Sweet Apple Acres. Rarity stared after him with a face like thunder. “I will not stand here and be insulted by a newcomer, an amateur!” Twilight snickered. “I can already imagine his reaction to that. 'Then sit down, or stand somewhere else, and I'll insult you there!” Rarity could not help but giggle at that. “Oh dear... and he went in the wrong direction. I think Fluttershy will be surprised. Ah well, let's go see how they're doing with the lights.” They strolled to the library, as the sun went down on Ponyville. Chapter 3Chapter 3 Because nopony knew exactly when Celestia was going to arrive, only the date of the Gala, several of the Ponyvillagers had taken to waiting around at night for her to arrive. Obviously, this included Twilight Sparkle and her friends. However, she noticed that somepony she'd expected was missing. “Where's Midnight?” Pinkie Pie responded. “Last time I saw him, he was talking to me and asking what my favorite food was, so of course I told him, 'I like CUPCAAAAAKES,' and then he said, 'Good, that's all I needed, thank you,' and then he went into his house and then I came over here and you asked me where Midnight was, and I said–” “Thank you, Pinkie Pie.” So Midnight was asleep, or working on something. She turned to look at the ice sculpture. Midnight had a point, the cool light of the moon complemented ice much better than the warm sunlight.... not that she'd ever tell him that. She didn't want to hurt Rarity's feelings, and she still felt slightly bitter about how snippy he was. Fluttershy noticed something and began edging away from it. “Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but where's all that smoke coming from?” As her friends turned to where she had indicated, they saw a thick curtain of smoke billowing out of an alley. They quickly prepared themselves for danger. Part of the smoke cleared, and a black-and-white figure stood framed by the clouds. It was a pony of indeterminate type and gender, garbed in an outfit that alternated black and wihte with each article of clothing. A fedora crowned its head, a cape with a high collar covered its body, and its face... the pony wore a mask. The left side was white, with a black grin. The right half was black, with a white frown. The figure deigned to speak; the voice was deep, powerful, and clearly male. “Bonne Nuit, ma belle-dames. You may call me Zebra Mask.” The figure suddenly moved; in a trice he was alongside Rainbow Dash. “My only wish is to entertain you. You all look simply delightful. Hm, although you could stand for a new hairstyle...” As he spoke, Mask repeatedly vanished and reappeared around Twilight and her friends. “...and some glasses would go perfectly on that face!” He continued chattering to a disinterested audience of six. “And if I could just give this charming damsel a scorpion necklace...” Twilight had enough: she let out a shockwave of magic that knocked those present head over tail. However, Mask, instead of tumbling, collapsed. Twilight knew without needing to investigate that the costume was empty; likely a puppet controlled by a somepony elsewhere in Ponyville. “Come on girls, this thing is a puppet. Let's find the puppeteer!” Rainbow Dash thought she'd be the first to find Zebra Mask, as she traveled far more quickly than her friends. She saw him standing on a rooftop and immediately charged at him; she was disappointed when she simply ploughed through another floating costume. Pinkie Pie simply bounded along through town, meeting Mask at odd turns and attempting to talk to him. However, each time she moved toward him, he simply vanished into thin air; there was no trace that he had ever been there. Fluttershy stayed where she was, being afraid of the dark and simply not wanting to be alone and wandering through Ponyville at night. Zebra Mask appeared to her a few times; she backed away each time, and each time Mask simply slid off elsewhere. Applejack ran through Ponyville, her method of searching being roughly the same as Rainbow Dash, though earthbound. She met much the same results, however, the first Mask she found simply had no physical form. She passed right through it, feeling nothing but air. While all six of them combed the town through most of the night, they could not find the real Zebra Mask, only more illusions and empty cloaks. They met up in front of the library, ascertaining that none of them could find him. Twilight was frustrated that somepony had outwitted her, and judging by the looks on her friends' faces she wasn't the only one. “Oh well... it seems like we'll have to try to find him another night.” “Find me another night? Oh, what a wonderful game! Although I am disheartened that you are so easily discouraged.” Zebra Mask appeared before them again; Twilight and her friends were too exhausted to try and seize him. As well, they believed it yet another apparition. Only Rainbow Dash had the energy left for a response. “Heh... bite me.” Mask's eyeholes seemed to widen. “Please, milady, I have no wish to. Until tomorrow night...” He moved forward; he lifted Pinkie Pie's hoof and pressed it to the mouthhole. “...adieu.” They had just enough time to register that the real, corporeal Zebra Mask had just been there before he vanished again into the darkness. Chapter 5Chapter 5 “Oh, I like this! Thanks Midnight!” “Meh, it was nothing.” His gift to Pinkie Pie was a full-body portrait of her with a tray of cupcakes. “I did one for Big Macintosh, too.” Pinkie Pie noticed Twilight outside talking to somepony. “Oh, come on Midnight, I want to show this to Twilight!” “Um, sure.” The moment he walked out the door he regretted his decision; Twilight was talking to his mother. He couldn't quite get away, as Pinkie Pie started dragging him along. “Twilight! Twilight! Look what Midnight gave me!” – Twilight saw Pinkie Pie dragging a struggling Midnight behind her, but couldn't really do anything about it, as she was trying to engage in polite conversation with Horizon. “My son's been wandering around, and we're regulars at the Grand Galloping Gala, so I figured that he'd be here, since the Gala's going to be here!” “How do you know that he'd be here, just because of the Gala? That seems like bad logic to go on.” “Well, he's ALWAYS at the Gala, even if he tries to get away the week before. He gets so lost that he finds himself there anyway! I have the odd feeling that he gave up on trying to get away, and just wanders for its own sake. Oh, there you are Midnight! I was just talking about you with this lovely mare here!” Midnight remained unhappily silent. Pinkie Pie's exclamations were providing an excellent distraction from his inability to say anything. “Twilight, look at what Midnight gave me!” “Wow, that's a pretty good picture! Did you have to pose for it?” “Nope, he said he did it all from memory!” Midnight finally screwed up his nerves to say something. “Where's Dad and my siblings? Shouldn't they be with you?” Horizon just now seemed to realize she was alone. “Hm? They were right beside me when I left... although I suppose they wouldn't have walked through deserts to get to here from Canterlot, heheheh.” Midnight breathed an inward sigh of relief. He got along best with his mother, and wouldn't have to deal with his siblings immediately. “Hey Midnight, have you done any songs for these fine pony folks?” Horizon's question reminded him that most of his entertainment things were in pieces, due to sudden and forceful introduction to a tree trunk. “Um, no, Mom. My stuff's kind of broken, I'll have to get it fixed.” Horizon's grin never wavered. “Oh, come on, you don't need a microphone and speakers to sing, and– oh, is that a bakery? I love bakeries!” She strolled toward Sugarcube Corner, and then she proved Midnight's point about her sense of direction being worse than his. She got lost in the crowd, and ended up at Rarity's boutique. Twilight's curiosity was piqued. “You can sing? You haven't done that yet.” “I haven't had any reason to. Didn't feel like singing, among other things.” Pinkie Pie started bouncing up and down. “Sing for us, come on, sing, sing, sing!” Midnight sighed upon the realization that there was simply no escape. He took a deep breath... and very suddenly launched himself into a lightning-fast recitation that would have left most ponies tongue-tied. However, it was quite clear to Twilight that it was right on the edge of his vocal range, and that he was straining to keep his voice from cracking. “GonnamakeabreakandtakeafakeIlikeastinkinachinshakeIliAAAAWK. Well, crap, now I have to start over. It's been~” Chapter 6Chapter 6 Midnight's father arrived fully six hours later, and dropped off his siblings. The older of the two was an orange earth pony colt, whose name was Tangerine. He loved bugs, and this showed in his magnifying glass cutie mark. The younger was a purple pegasus filly named Violet Shimmer. She had inherited her mother's constant grin, although at the moment she lacked a cutie mark. Tangerine was mischievous, with a look in his eyes that suggested that he was looking for ways to cause trouble. Aside from orange color and a lack of glasses, he looked like a younger version of Midnight. Shimmer, on the other hand, was quiet and introverted, but she opened up if her family was present. Horizon decided to take the little ones around Ponyville. Midnight snickered as Tangerine and Shimmer ended up leading her around. “Yeah, Mom's sense of direction is worse than mine, but we're the only ones. Everyone else has an impeccable knowledge of how to get around.” Midnight managed to pull some of his musical equipment together, but decided to save it for later; after all, the Gala was coming up. He had some other plans, and he decided to work on something else. He put up a large canvas, dipped a paintbrush into a pallette, and went to work. – Tangerine and Shimmer figured out where everything in Ponyville was rather quickly, while their mother STILL couldn't find her way from the library to one of the shops across the street. Tangerine was, as was usual for him, looking for opportunities for mischief. Shimmer followed behind him, not wanting to be alone even if she knew exactly where each brick was. Just as Tangerine spotted a bunch of ponies carrying around heavy-looking glass objects, Horizon leapt out in front of him. “There you are! I was looking all over for you. The castle, the forest, the buffalo camp... anyway, we're going to find someplace to stay for the night, it's getting late. Come along now!” Rather unhappily he followed her. Shimmer, however, had spotted an interesting-looking toy across the street and strolled across to it. – “Alright girls, you know what we're doing. We're splitting up and finding Zebra Mask!” Twilight and her friends knew that Zebra Mask would come back tonight; why wouldn't he? He had said that he'd return the following night, hadn't he? So of course they would try to find him. All they had to do was look for smoke and listen for the voice. He was hardly difficult to miss. As if on cue, Zebra Mask appeared to them again. He had obviously been expecting them, since Rainbow Dash charged and passed through him. “Another splendid night to thee, and to another round of hide-and-seek, phantom edition!” He stalked away and vanished into the darkness. Twilight and her friends split up again, and met similar results as the night before. Yet more mirages, floating capes and masks on sticks were strewn about to confuse and confound the ponies. And as before, they were the only ones that saw him; when they asked other ponies they found roaming at night, none of them had seen the Zebra Mask. They ranged a bit farther in their search than they had previously, going to Fluttershy's house, Sweet Apple Acres, and several areas not technically in Ponyville, but close enough to get to easily. Mask had obviously predicted this, and set up yet more frustrating fakes for them. Now he began taunting them in earnest. “Go on, you're nearly there, I'm over here!” “No he's not, are you daft? I'm the real Zebra Mask, not that one!” “Hello, ma belle-fleur, perhaps your hair would look better if dripping wet.” This particular taunt was punctuated by dumping a bucket of water on Rarity. “Oh, I must say, you look positively stunning, if I say so myself.” Rarity scowled, wishing she could see Mask and knock some sense into him. “You are simply a rogue, a scoundrel! I won't let this go unpunished!” “Ah, but I thought ladies loved the rogues! Ah well, yet another thing to not learn from literature.” Yet more pranks and taunts followed. When they met back up at the library, Rarity was drenched to the bone, Fluttershy's mane was bright blue, Rainbow Dash was dyed red, Applejack was covered in smashed pineapple, and Twilight's tail was slightly singed. Only Pinkie Pie was completely unharmed. Rainbow Dash was furious. “Who... in the world... does that pony think he is? He can't just torment us like this.” “Normally, I would be gone by now, but I believe this young filly is looking for her mother.” Again they turned toward the voice; Zebra Mask stood there. He stepped to the side, revealing a frightened and tired Violet Shimmer. As amazing as her sense of direction was during the day, she had difficulty finding her way in the dark, and had gotten lost, without any idea where Horizon was. Mask nudged her forward, and she ran towards the other ponies. Before they could question him, Zebra Mask faded again. While the other ponies went home to vent their frustration, and Twilight took Shimmer to her mother, Pinkie Pie bounced over to where Mask had been standing. He had left his costume in its entirety. Chapter 7Chapter 7 “You have arrived at: Canterlot, capital of Equestria.” Midnight looked up from his EPS. This was clearly not Canterlot. If his memory served him correctly, he was in the Evertree Forest, and the house in front of him was of Zebra make. “Uurrgh, I hate this stupid thing!” "This area holds an annual Grand Galloping Gala–” “Oh, for the love of Luna, shut up.” – Twilight couldn't find Midnight the next morning. The note on his door read, in unnecessarily flourished writing, “Gone to get microphone. Back in 10... hours. MG” She had wanted to ask him if he knew of Zebra Mask, but his note meant that would have to wait until MUCH later. She sighed and went to help put up more decorations for the Gala. – Midnight found himself at a completely barren landscape of rocks. He'd been here before; a family of ponies owned a rock farm here. They hadn't been too keen on his presence, so he kept going. “Note to self, ask Mom to get me a better EPS.” “Now arriving in: Cloudsdale, city of pegasi.” “How did you even get that location? It's kinda impossible for an earthbound unicorn like me...” -- Rarity stared at the black-and-white bundle on the floor in front of her. “And you brought this to me because...?” Pinkie Pie explained. “Well, after Zebra Mask left last night, and you went off to... how was it worded? Vent your frustration? … I went over to where he'd been standing, and I found the costume there. So, since you're soooo good with clothes and such, I thought you could help me figure out who it might belong to!” Rarity sighed, and then tried to set up the outfit on one of her mannequins. However, it didn't quite work as she planned; the main problem being that under the whole outfit was a jumpsuit, split vertically into black and white. The bodysuit was simply built for a different body type than she had any mannequins for, as the Mask costume was very slim and long. After a quick spell to change a mannequin's body specifics, she managed to get the costume to fit. She made her observations. “Hm... it seems to be for a male pony, and it all looks designer-made. This was made for one pony and one pony only...” She noticed a hole in the forehead of the bodysuit, and just how tall the hat was. “Ah, so our guest is a unicorn! Makes sense, really, how else could he pull those tricks?” Unfortunately, she was unable to find any more clues as to the Zebra Mask's identity. All she could decipher was that the wearer was a male unicorn, very long and thin. The outer parts were of no use, consisting of a suit, a cape, a mask, a fedora and, most worryingly, a wig. All were the same alternating black-white motif. The wig meant it could literally be anypony. – Midnight was getting a bit frustrated. All he wanted was to buy a new microphone, and yet he had somehow ended up tramping all over Equestria. This, however, was the final straw. He knew that there was no way he could possibly be here, yet here he stood. “I think physics and logic are crying in a corner somewhere, because I'm somehow in Cloudsdale.” “You have arrived at: Ponyville. A quiet little village–” “You know, I've got half a mind to chuck this worthless thing off a cliff.” – Rainbow Dash entered Midnight's shack. Presumably, he was at the other end of Equestria trying to find his way to the shops. She had no idea why she was in here, she just had an odd feeling. She looked through his possessions, wondering what Rarity's reaction would be; there was simply no organization whatsoever. All of his belongings were strewn randomly about, with no rhyme or reason to the space they took up. Although, that wasn't completely true, she saw. There HAD been organization once, although it had mostly fallen apart, but there were marked drawers and cabinets in the back corner. She decided to look in one labeled “Arts and designs.” “Let's see, music sheets, a picture of the cart as it was originally... huh, where was that when he needed it? Hm...” Towards the back, she found something interesting: portraits of various ponies, seemingly from all over Equestria. Looking through a bit farther, she found portraits of herself and her friends, and even Princess Celestia. However, her last find made her look twice to make sure that her eyes weren't fooling her. The final portrait, at the very back of the drawer, was of Zebra Mask. Chapter 8Chapter 8 Twilight and her friends looked over their clues, arranged in the floor of Midnight's shack. They had learned a few new things about both Midnight and Zebra Mask, which was more than they bargained for. Thus far, they had determined what type of pony Mask was, as well as a connection between the two. However, the Zebra Mask findings were found less interesting than the other portraits. Twilight made an observation. “I'm noticing a pattern here. There seem to be different numbers of pictures for each of us. Who has the least?” Applejack spoke up. “Erm... it seems that'd be me. I could only find ONE of those goldarned portraits that had me on it.” “Okay... who's next up?” Twilight looked around. There seemed to be portraits of practically every resident of Ponyville, and a few ponies besides. Midnight was obviously well-traveled, although most of it was likely caused by being lost. Twilight and her friends had the most portraits: all drawn from memory, all perfect likenesses, all thrown rather haphazardly around the shack. Fluttershy began to feel uneasy. “Um, I think we should leave... what if he comes back?” Rarity reassured her. “We'll just say we wanted to have a look around, that's all.” “If you say so...” Time passed as they examined the contents of the shack. They were so absorbed in their work, that it was some time before they realized that the sun had gone down. Applejack leapt up. “Uh-oh... we better get outside. What if the Princess arrives?” “Oh, she won't be here tonight, you can be certain of that.” Everypony present started at the sound. There, large as life, stood Zebra Mask. “She's encountered a slight delay, and won't arrive until tomorrow night. Alas, my dears, I shall not be here when she is.” Rainbow Dash charged yet again at Zebra Mask, though she forgot his intangible act and slammed into a wall across the street. “Really now, that's failed two nights in a row, what makes you think it would work this time?” He turned back to the ponies still in Midnight's shack. “As for why I won't be here, I'm saving a big surprise for nothing less than the Grand Galloping Gala. Do enjoy yourselves, would you? Let's try this again.” He turned and walked away. Once again the ponies set off wildly through Ponyville, searching vainly for Zebra Mask. However, Twilight had ideas of her own and went straight to the library. That mystery stallion wouldn't get away this time. Much later, Twilight's friends arrived ragged, tired, wet and otherwise ill-favored, with the exception of Pinkie Pie yet again. Zebra Mask materialized out of the darkness. “Well, it seems that you have...” A pause. “Wait.... one's missing. Where's...” Twilight, who'd remained where she was to avoid wearing herself out, charged at the apparition. For the first time, there was physical contact with Zebra Mask. Winded, he extricated himself from Twilight. “Hm... impressive. That's the first time anypony's outwitted me. I must commend you, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight's response was blunt. “Who are you, under that mask? What do you want?” The smile on the white half of his mask seemed to grow. “I'm afraid I can't answer those. Although I'm astonished that you have not yet answered the first question yourself. The second... well, you'll just have to wait, now won't you?” And with that, he vanished again. Chapter 9Chapter 9 Celestia arrived the next morning, with one day to the Gala. She was thrilled to be in Ponyville, although some of her attendants thought otherwise. Midnight was unable to even catch a glimpse of the Princess, due to crowds in his way. “Motherf– Why can't these ponies move along?” He sighed; he had no other option. he turned off the constant spell he had on his voice. Midnight had been born very, VERY loud. He was also partially deaf to his own mouth; normal speaking volume for others was like whispering for him. Most of the time, he had a low-energy spell on his voice that kept it at a normal level. And when he turned it off... “OI. I'D LIKE TO SEE THE PRINCESS PLEASE. YOU FOLKS PROBABLY SEE HER A LOT MORE THAN I DO, SO PLEASE STEP ASIDE OR I WILL AMPLIFY MY VOICE FURTHER.” He didn't need to say more, as the first word had bowled over the ponies nearest him, and startled the rest into confusion. He quickly turned the spell back on and waded through the thinned crowd. Just a glimpse, that was all he needed... “Hey Midnight, can we talk?” Midnight jumped about five feet in the air. After landing with a thud, he reprimanded Twilight. “Don't sneak up on me! I hate that. Also sure, what do you want to talk about?” “What do you know about the Zebra Mask? I know that you're familiar with him, you have a portrait of him in your house.” “I can't say I've actually met him. Or spoken with him, anyway. Hard to talk to somepony that can vanish.” “I'll have to agree on that one... But you had to have seen him!” “Sure I've seen him. I can't tell ya much more than that, I'm afraid.” Midnight turned back around, but the Princess had already gone. “Sigh... I think this is going to be an uneventful day.” – Midnight's father was working elsewhere, and Tangerine had gotten himself in huge trouble. As punishment, he wasn't going to the Gala, and Horizon couldn't leave Shimmer with Midnight. As such, Midnight found out that he was the only member of his family that would be attending the Gala. Twilight went to his house later to try and question him further, but the door was locked. She could hear ruffling paper and muffled thuds from inside, but the shack had no windows, so she had no idea what he was doing. She figured not to disturb him, since she thought that whatever he was doing, disturbing him would cause catastrophe. – “–to be tripped down the stairs, I'll be there, and I'm waiting round the corner– no, wait, I keep getting that line wrong.” Midnight turned his songbook back a page. His plan for the Gala was simple: He would sing to his heart's content. He had earlier sent a letter to whoever was organizing the Gala. They had responded promptly, and permission was granted. He had to make sure that he was reciting the lyrics perfectly. Thus the musical rehearsal. “Alright, alright... one more time... two, three, When the devil is too busy, and death's a bit too much~” – By the time the sun had gone down, Midnight had perfected his songlist. He usually had song lyrics commited to memory, but he didn't like taking chances. He also knew that sometimes he'd forget one word, and (to him, anyway) the entire song would be ruined. He grinned tiredly at the black-and-white-garbed mannequin standing near him before falling asleep. Chapter 10Chapter 10 “...and so, let the Grand Galloping Gala begin!” Thus started this year's Gala. Twilight and her friends were wearing their (repaired) dresses from the previous year. None of them could contain their excitement. With the folks in Ponyville here, a bit more fun was to be had. Midnight arrived dressed only slightly snappier than usual. He had abandoned his usual black vest in exchange for a white tuxedo, bedecked with a pineapple blossom that he'd gone to some trouble to procure. He was wearing smaller glasses as well, and he had attempted to tame his tail. He'd had no luck; it was as wild and explosive-looking as ever, with a broken comb to prove it. He also had a somewhat ragged blue tie that was obviously the oldest part of his outfit. He had a few tricks up his sleeve for this Gala. He had interviewed some of the previous year's attendants, and knew most of what had happened. One of the ponies he'd attempted to speak with was one Prince Blueblood. Blueblood had simply looked down on him for his shabby outfit and seeming bad attitude(actually social ineptitude), and made no secret of his arrogance. Midnight was a very tolerant pony –after all, he'd have to be to live with his siblings without completely losing his mind– but Blueblood had stretched his limits. One thing Midnight couldn't stand was being made to feel inferior. And while he wasn't strong, he had his ways of making somepony else's life hell. He allowed himself a wicked grin. – Twilight was hanging around with Fluttershy, both sipping some of the drinks Applejack had been selling. She was simply enjoying talking to her friend, who had a few of her forest friends with her. They were trying to have a pleasant time, and thus far they had been successful. And – hold on. Was that–? “Fluttershy? I think the Gala has just been crashed by the Zebra Mask.” – For what seemed to be the first time, more than six ponies were aware of the tall, masked, dichromatic stranger. Zebra Mask seemed to have no particular goal, and wandered aimlessly through the crowd of attendants. He stopped for a moment, and then spoke in a foghorn voice. “Greetings to all present at this momentous occasion, the Grand Galloping Gala.” Immediately, all eyes were upon the stranger. “I am Zebra Mask. I know that a small hoofful of thy number here tonight are familiar with me. I am simply here to entertain thee.” Something about the way he said entertain struck a chord in Twilight's mind. Where had she heard that tone before? “First... I believe there is one Prince Blueblood among thee?” The white stallion was shoved unceremoniously in front of Mask. The black smile seemed to increase in size. “Come with me for a moment, would you? I think we need to... talk. Kuhuhuhu~” That high-pitched chuckle sent shivers down everypony's spine as BlueBlood, trying to retain an air of dignity, was led away by the stange visitor. – Twilight got up from her seat. “I'm going to follow him. I want to know what he's up to.” “No, no, ladies, allow me.” Rarity appeared next to her. “I'll see what he's doing to Blueblood. After all, it was me he humiliated last year.” Rarity walked over to the patch of trees that Blueblood and Zebra Mask had vanished into. Seconds later, she was speeding back as though demons were chasing her, with an appropriate look of terror on her face. Twilight's first response was concern. “What happened?” “You don't want to go back there! The shadows were moving, there were these dark, monstrous shapes floating about...” “I thought we took care of this problem back when I first came to Ponyville.” “I'm not finished. There was this sound, like the screams of the dead... I don't want to go back there! I'm not finding out what he's doi–” She was interrupted by a booming report from the trees, and an enormous flash of light. “YOU... INSOLENT... ASS!” – Zebra Mask was displaying something he'd never shown before: anger. Prince Blueblood cowered in front of him as the powerful voice drove him back, practically dripping with venom. Explosions of shadows and light could be seen behind the outraged stallion. “I have NEVER been so insulted in all my life! If I have to endure the arrogant swaggering of a pathetic, overdressed throwback for one second more, I'm going to break off that flimsy horn of yours and shove it up your ass! Begone with ye, before I do something that I'll regret!” BlueBlood, still scared, sat on the ground unsure of what to do. “Did you hear me? I said begone! That means GET OUT OF HERE, YOU WORTHLESS WASTE OF FLESH!” BlueBlood had gone before he got any further. Zebra Mask stood panting for a moment, and then beat a hasty retreat towards the trees. – A few moments later, the party had recommenced as though nothing had happened, although several mares were chattering animatedly about Blueblood's humiliation. Midnight Green stowed the black-and-white costume in a box, before rejoining the festivities. He thought he'd spotted some caramel apples, and he wasn't one to resist a sweet snack. Chapter 11Chapter 11 Twilight was startled by Midnight speaking right next to her. “Hello, you know me.” He sat down with an entire tray of caramel apples, which Twilight regarded curiously. “Um, are you going to eat all of those?” “Nah, I'll save one for you and each of your friends.” Rarity eyed Midnight's tail contemptuously. “Don't you have any sense of style? That tail looks awful next to your lovely suit. Also, what's that flower on your shirt?” “Look, lady, there's a broken comb in my tail, in case you didn't see it. It ain't gonna fix, unless you cut off my tail at the root and let it grow back. Also, that's a pineapple blossom.” He dug into the candy apples with relish. “Nomnomdeelishscromfchompgulpmmmwonderful!” In about five seconds, there were only six apples left of a tray of twenty-four. Midnight noticed that both Rarity and Twilight were gaping at him. “What? I'm a glutton, I eat a lot and I eat fast.” He was distracted by something, and then resumed speaking. “Have you ever had somepony walk by you, and you had a sudden urge to kiss them? For the purposes of this exercise we shall disregard gender.” Rarity and Twilight were shocked by the sudden, very random question that had come out of Midnight's mouth. “Gasp! I feel like that all the time! I wonder why I haven't done it, though. It seems like the kind of thing you'd expect me to do, right Twilight?” Pinkie Pie's sudden entrance shocked Midnight about as much as his question had done to his present company. Before anypony could answer her, she bounded off happily. When Twilight looked at Midnight again, she noticed that his face had gone slightly red. “I'm not sure whether to be overjoyed or terrified at that statement. I'll get back to you as soon as I determine what kinds of random crap are flying through my mind. Like pegasi. Powder plue, rainbow-haired pegasi that are about to land on top of m–” He was cut off by Rainbow Dash suddenly crashing into him. “Ow! Friggin' mother of–” He got up and looked very much in an insulting mood, when something caught his eye before he could complain further. “Hm, it seems that I am needed elsewhere. Later!” He vanished into the crowd. Twilight didn't quite know what to think of his previous question, or the bizarrely precise statement that had preceded a rather prompt invitation to be struck by a pegasus. Said pegasus dusted herself off before speaking. “I wish he'd learn to move... what was he talking about before?” “I'm... not quite sure. Something about feeling like kissing the pony in front of you?” Rarity was still slackjawed from the question and hadn't quite regained her composure. “Buh, what? Kissing? Feelings? Clouds?” — Midnight readied himself for his performance. The black-and-white costume he'd constructed himself would be key to his success. That, and the massive array of illusory spells he'd accrued over the years, as well as his own vocal prowess. As long as it was within his vocal range, he was a pitch-perfect mimic that gave his aunt's old parrot a run for his money. The Zebra Mask voice was as simple as lowering his normal pitch, and reducing the spell on his voice. He was also proficient with spells involving the manipulation of light, and was known back home for making shadows dance. As he removed his glasses and slipped the mask on, he allowed himself a grin. Tonight was going to be fun. Chapter 12Chapter 12 Twilight saw Midnight give a slip of paper to the cellist before he vanished. She tried to occupy her mind for a moment. What was her name..... Octa-something.... Octavia? That sounded right. In any case she motioned for the other musicians to stop playing for a moment. After a moment of tuning, she drew the bow across the strings, emitting a haunting, sibilant melody. “Kuhuhuhuhuhu~” Zebra Mask's high-pitched chuckle filled the air. Once it faded, a deep bass voice started singing. When the devil is too busy, And death's a bit too much. They call on me By name you see, For my special touch~ At that moment, Twilight, her friends, and all attending the Grand Galloping Gala that night beheld a chilling sight. The shadow of Zebra Mask, grotesquely deformed, appeared on the ground. In addition to the four slender limbs that they all knew he had, the shadow had a multitude of dancing tendrils, with limbs and grinning faces of their own. The split expression of Mask was clearly visible, a hole in the shadows, as the voice continued. To the gentlecolts I'm Miss Fortune, To the ladies, I'm Sir Prize. But call me by any name, Any way it's all the saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame~ The music stopped abruptly, as Mask himself materialized from the ground. When the music resumed, it was clear that the voice was his. I'm the fly in your soup, I'm the pebble in your shoe, I'm the pea beneath the bed I'm the bump on every head~ As he sang, various small misfortunes described by the lyrics punctuated each line: a mare screamed at a fat fly in her food; a stallion close to Mask suddenly drew back a hoof in pain, a pebble lodged in it, and at least two ponies hit their heads on some badly-placed piece of ornamentation. I'm the peel on which you slip I'm the pin in every hip I'm the thorn in your side, makes you wriggle and writhe... Mask vanished into his monstrous shadow, which seemed to continue the song by itself. And it's so easy when you're evil.... This is the life, you see The devil tips his hat to me I do it all because I'm evil And I do it all for free... The shadow surprised all present by rising into the air; a smoky, obscure thing with the Zebra Mask's general shape. Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need! As the song continued, the dancing shadows conjured frightening images of monsters and demons that left many of the attendants in a dead faint. They recovered quickly enough, thanks to some offstage intervention. When the song seemed to be over, the melody took a sad tone, and the shadows seemed to settle slightly. In addition, the faces were no longer grinning, but fixed in a mourning frown. It gets so lonely being evil.... What I'd do to see you smile Even for a little while. And no one loves you when you're evil......... The melody halted as the shadows melted to reveal Zebra Mask himself, completely black and bearing a frown. The seeming air of melancholy was infectious; Even Pinkie Pie had watery eyes. An abrupt start of music and Mask quickly turning into a grinning white specter shocked them all. I'm lying through my teeth! Your tears are all the comforting I need! The song came to an end, and Zebra Mask – and his terrifying shadow – vanished completely. — Midnight reentered the Gala in the midst of the shocked silence. He was completely worn out from the enormous burst of magic he just had to perform. He would clean out a section of the buffet, regain his energy, and continue his performance in an hour or so. “The show must go on.... Even if that show is made of shadows.” Chapter 13Chapter 13 (Apologies in advance if this chapter sucks. I'm a bit rusty, and it's been a while since I wrote the last chapter..) Once again, the Zebra Mask had caused quite a stir. The crowd started gossiping and speculating who he might be. Midnight retrieved an entire tray of pineapple and placed himself at an isolated table. He was so lost in thought that it took him a moment to notice he was chewing on the leaves. After spitting out the distasteful greens and slicing the fruits, he set to it with a will. As he resumed thinking (accidentally taking a bite out of the tray in the process), he decided to look over the mares present. His mother wasn't here to get on him about it, and he was certain that others would be more interested in the contents of his mouth than who he was looking at. Musicians.... meh, he wasn't fond of snobbish ponies, and that's what the cellist and brass player looked like to him. No... no.... Geezum crap, what is wrong with her EYES?... His eyes stopped at the purple unicorn he'd met upon arrival in Ponyville. She had some of her friends with her. Twilight's kind of irritable.... Rarity looks like another snob.... I hate jocks... Must resist girly squeal for the yellow pegasus... not going to dwell on Pinkie Pie. He got bored of this, and returned to reality long enough to realize that the entire tray and its contents were gone. Huh.... note to self, always pay attention to what you're eating. He mentally went over his next act, which thankfully wouldn't require the Zebra Mask. — Twilight noticed Midnight going up to the stage with a microphone. The music halted, and the pianist opened up a lively rhythm. Midnight started singing. Head under water And they tell me To breathe easy for a while But breathing gets harder Even I know that.... The cellist and brass player left the stage; it was obvious that this song only needed piano and vocals. Twilight dismissed her earlier conclusion on the Zebra Mask's identity, as Midnight Green was a soprano, whereas Mask was bass. Who exactly was in that costume continued to elude her. You mean well But you make this hard on me.... I'm not gonna write you a love song! 'Cause you asked for it 'Cause you need one You see~ Midnight liked this song. It was relatively calming, and this performance made it even better, since he didn't need any extra spells to make it more spectacular, as he would for a Zebra Mask act. Convinced me To please you Made me think That I need this too! I'm tryin'... To let you hear me as I am! The song drew to a close, relatively simply. No spectacular light effects, just his own voice and a piano backing him. I won't write you a love song.... 'Cause you asked for it 'Cause you need one.... You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song 'Cause you tell me it's Make or break in this... Is that what you wanted, a love song!? 'Cause you asked for it 'Cause you need one! You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song 'Cause you tell me it's Make or break in this, If you're on your way I'm not gonna write you To staaay~ If your heart is nowhere in it I don't want it for a minute Babe, I'll walk the seven seas When I believe that there's a reason To write you A love song Today! Midnight retreated from the stage again as the attendants applauded. He didn't need to eat as much as with the first performance, since he had used a bare minimum of magic. He was still going to eat though. He loved eating too much to do otherwise. Chapter 4Chapter 4 Midnight stretched in the pile of dulled splinters that served him as a bed. “Good morning to all the world! Now then, where's that portrait...” After finding what he was looking for, he walked out of his shack and a package promptly landed on his head. “Ow! Friggin–! What is it with this town and hitting my head? Sigh... Alright, presuming this is for me, who is this from?” He turned it over and saw the return address. “Oh... oh dear gods.” – “Has anypony here seen a pony that looks like this?” Twilight tried to figure out just who Zebra Mask could have been. However, it seemed that she and her friends were the only ones who had seen Zebra Mask the previous night; he had only appeared to them and only seemed interested in them. She still didn't know where Midnight Green could be, as he had left his shack and was presumably lost somewhere else in Ponyville. “HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME” Midnight charging past her screaming snapped Twilight out of her reverie. “Okay I have two questions first question where is Pinkie Pie second question do you know anyplace I can hide please help me I need to stay undercover!” Twilight had to take a moment to process what Midnight said. “Um, Pinkie Pie's at Sugarcube Corner, right over there. And why do you need to hide?” Twilight took a moment to catch his breath, and then yelled out his answer; his voice was powerful and deafening. “MY FAMILY IS COMING TO PONYVILLE!” Twilight grinned a bit. Well, at least Midnight wasn't totally alone... She spoke after recovering her hearing. “Why is that a bad thing? It's your family after all...” Midnight took a moment; he was still fairly loud and fast, but no longer with a gale-force voice. “Well, you know how I can get lost easily? My mother is even worse at that. She'll have started on a straight path from Canterlot to Ponyville; more than likely she'll enter on the other side of town. My sister is sweet and innocent, but she's so young that trouble is a given. And my little brother....” He seemed to lose the ability to speak for a moment; he was obviously distressed at this in particular. “I need someplace to hide, right freaking NOW.” Twilight pondered this for a moment before responding. “Well, we could try to make them welcome and help you deal with them. In the meantime, Sugarcube Corner is right there, so hopefully you won't get lost.” Midnight grinned. “Don't count on it, I could get lost in a walk-in closet.” He walked across the street, however, comically enough, he turned away right at the door of Sugarcube Corner. Had Pinkie Pie not opened the door to let him in, he probably would have wandered to Appleoosa and back trying to find the place. Right as he walked into the building, Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself facing a short, purple unicorn mare with glasses and a grin that looked like it would never leave. “Hi there! My name's Horizon. Have you seen my son Midnight Green?”
Prologue“Alright, just break it to me. How lost am I?” “You are so lost that your Equestrian Positioning System has no idea how you could have possibly traveled that distance in such a short time.” “Friggin' figures.” A lone, tired-looking unicorn pulled a ramshackle cart along behind him. The cart was in a horrid state of disrepair, to the point that it was impossible to tell what it may have originally looked like. It was painted in bold colors, although they were so mismatch and random as to cause discomfort to look at. Two of its wheels were cracked, and the other two were simple rocks jammed onto the axles. The cart's owner was an average-looking, pale green unicorn, although very tall and slender. He wore glasses and a black vest, and his dark green mane was styled to travel up his horn. His tail had the strange appearance of having recently exploded. A microphone mark decorated his flank. “Now approaching Ponyville. Population 50. A quiet little village in the Equestrian countryside.” The unicorn's ears perked up. “A town? Excellent, towns have food, water and places to sleep. Not a pile of dulled splinters like this piece of crap.” He looked down a hill at the small village. The unicorn sighed. “Well, if nothing else, I can finally smash this cart and try to rebuild it from the ground up.” He started down the hill. The moment he felt gravity take hold, he jumped onto the cart. “Alright, folks. Nobody lives forever. LEEEEROOOOOOOOOY–” Midnight Green Author: Voyd211 “Alright, that's good!” Twilight Sparkle surveyed her handiwork. Princess Celestia had decided that this year, the Grand Galloping Gala would be here in Ponyville. Sure, the upper-class mares and stallions would gripe about it, but what did that matter? Judging from the last Gala, most of them were insufferable. “Would yer stop prettifyin' every bush ya see and help me hang up decorations?” “Oh, for goodness' sake, Applejack, I thought we'd dealt with this before.” Rarity and Applejack pulled Twilight back into a sense of reality, when she realized that Rarity was making far more topiaries than were necessary. Still, they were nice to have aro- “–JEEEENKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!!!!!” Her thoughts were interupted yet again, although this interruption was much worse. What seemed to be a giant, half-smashed crate on wheels careened wildly into Ponyville. Twilight's heart skipped a beat. “Everypony, stop that cart!” She was a moment too late; the cart came to a stop against the tree Applejack and Rarity had just been arguing about, fragmenting and throwing pieces of plywood everywhere. As the dust cleared, it was apparent that, amazingly, the tree had been totally unharmed, while the cart was completely destroyed. The wreckage stirred, and a green unicorn head pushed its way out. “Whew.... that was the most fun I've ever had in this rolling lump of plywood and chewing gum.” He was cut off by an angry hoof smashing the ground in front of his face. He looked up and saw a very, VERY peeved purple unicorn staring down at him. The stallion in the former cart sighed. “Oh boy.... this is gonna be a bad day, I can tell.”
Chapter OneChapter 1 “Alright, who are you? Who do you think you are, charging into town, possibly injuring somepony, while we're all in the middle of working?” The unicorn attempted to extricate himself from the remains of his cart as he answered. “I'm Midnight Green, I'm a traveling entertainer. Of course, my poor cart has seen better days, and it's been about two weeks since I last saw civilization.” He gave up trying to free himself and promptly tried to fall asleep, figuring that the wreckage would be gone when he woke up. Twilight was outraged. This pony could have very easily hurt somepony, and here he was, not apologizing, and instead of reacting, he had simply fallen asleep. She kicked his head. “Ow! Sunuva– what was that for?” “You are going to get up and clean up this mess, right now.” “Hey, lady, I don't know if you can tell, but I'm kind of TRAPPED here. So, I'm the one that needs help at the mo–” “Hi, what's going on?” Twilight rolled her eyes as Pinkie Pie bounced toward the cart, cheerful as ever. “Oh, you've got a cart on top of you.” Midnight took a moment to respond. “Um.... hi?” Twilight abruptly shoved her face into his. “Can't you, I don't know, move it with magic?” Midnight quickly became deadpan again. “Listen,lady, the only spells I'm good at are stage effects with light and sound. Moving the smashed remains of a minstrel cart isn't exactly on my resumé.” To prove his point, he tried to move the cart with a spell. The wreckage rose into the air a scant few inches.... and then immediately slammed back down with far more force than just falling. Twilight was exasperated by this unicorn that had obviously knocked the wind out of himself and cast her own spell. Rather quickly, the cart moved off of him and settled down out of the way. Midnight leapt up, shook himself off, and dropped the deadpan look. “Thank you kindly, madam. Now, I came here because I desperately need food, water, and rest, but from the looks of things, you fine folks are throwing a party around here. Am I wrong?” Twilight slipped into deadpan herself. “Yes. A party. Fun for everyone.” Pinkie Pie couldn't help herself. “Not just any party, silly: It's the Grand Galloping Gala!” Midnight was genuinely surprised. “Wait, what? I thought the Gala was in Canterlot, goodness knows how long ago I was last there, but this is a million miles from anywhere!” “Actually, it is approximately a day's journey from Ponyville to Canterlot.” “Oh no, don't tell me that stupid thing still works...” He had desperately hoped that his thus-far-useless Equestrian Positioning System had been destroyed in the crash. Unfortunately, it was completely intact. “Bugger... well, if that waste of forty bits made it through the crash, then surely other pieces of my tackle survived...
Chapter 2Chapter 2 Midnight managed to piece together some of his possessions, which seemed to mostly be useless and impractical for a traveler; heavy tackle, pictures, various objects that couldn't hold much more than sentimental value. Only a few actually seemed to be useful to his trade, which included a microphone, an easel, plenty of parchment, and a black bundle that he kept hidden from the ponies around him. Twilight was somewhat confused by him. The first thing he did after getting his cargo together was attempting to rebuild his cart into a sort of house, although this quickly met with failure; Twilight recalled the sorry state his cart was in, and realized that this was probably how it had ended up as such. Midnight's construction and repair skills were nigh-nonexistent, and his shack more resembled a pile of firewood than anything else the first try. After four attempts, each worse than the last, Applejack decided to bring Big Macintosh, who deigned to build the shack himself. It more resembled an actual house than the last few attempts. Midnight was beside himself. “Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou givemeaminutetothinkofhowIcanpayyouback” This was a rather surprising reaction, since previously Midnight had been nothing but snide and cynical; now he was a good deal happier. “How can you pay me back fer building you a little shelter? Don't think nuthin' of it.” “It doesn't have to be me paying you, or working for you. I just thought of something, give me a few hours or so.” – Just as the sun started going down, Twilight and Rarity put the finishing touches on an ice sculpture of the princesses. Rarity looked proudly at the beautiful work of art. “My, isn't it just darling? It's so beautiful, especially with the sun shining through it.” Twilight couldn't help but agree with her, with sunlight dancing through the perfectly made sculpture. “Meh, it'd be prettier by moonlight.” Rarity whirled around, stung by the comment. Midnight was standing there, with a roll of parchment on his back. “But I didn't come here to insult anyone. Where's the big red earth pony?” Twilight quickly responded. “Big Macintosh? He's over at Sweet Apple Acres, but why do you need him?” Midnight gestured at the scroll on his back with his head. “This is his payment.” Without another word, he headed off.... in the exact opposite direction to Sweet Apple Acres. Rarity stared after him with a face like thunder. “I will not stand here and be insulted by a newcomer, an amateur!” Twilight snickered. “I can already imagine his reaction to that. 'Then sit down, or stand somewhere else, and I'll insult you there!” Rarity could not help but giggle at that. “Oh dear... and he went in the wrong direction. I think Fluttershy will be surprised. Ah well, let's go see how they're doing with the lights.” They strolled to the library, as the sun went down on Ponyville.
Chapter 3Chapter 3 Because nopony knew exactly when Celestia was going to arrive, only the date of the Gala, several of the Ponyvillagers had taken to waiting around at night for her to arrive. Obviously, this included Twilight Sparkle and her friends. However, she noticed that somepony she'd expected was missing. “Where's Midnight?” Pinkie Pie responded. “Last time I saw him, he was talking to me and asking what my favorite food was, so of course I told him, 'I like CUPCAAAAAKES,' and then he said, 'Good, that's all I needed, thank you,' and then he went into his house and then I came over here and you asked me where Midnight was, and I said–” “Thank you, Pinkie Pie.” So Midnight was asleep, or working on something. She turned to look at the ice sculpture. Midnight had a point, the cool light of the moon complemented ice much better than the warm sunlight.... not that she'd ever tell him that. She didn't want to hurt Rarity's feelings, and she still felt slightly bitter about how snippy he was. Fluttershy noticed something and began edging away from it. “Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but where's all that smoke coming from?” As her friends turned to where she had indicated, they saw a thick curtain of smoke billowing out of an alley. They quickly prepared themselves for danger. Part of the smoke cleared, and a black-and-white figure stood framed by the clouds. It was a pony of indeterminate type and gender, garbed in an outfit that alternated black and wihte with each article of clothing. A fedora crowned its head, a cape with a high collar covered its body, and its face... the pony wore a mask. The left side was white, with a black grin. The right half was black, with a white frown. The figure deigned to speak; the voice was deep, powerful, and clearly male. “Bonne Nuit, ma belle-dames. You may call me Zebra Mask.” The figure suddenly moved; in a trice he was alongside Rainbow Dash. “My only wish is to entertain you. You all look simply delightful. Hm, although you could stand for a new hairstyle...” As he spoke, Mask repeatedly vanished and reappeared around Twilight and her friends. “...and some glasses would go perfectly on that face!” He continued chattering to a disinterested audience of six. “And if I could just give this charming damsel a scorpion necklace...” Twilight had enough: she let out a shockwave of magic that knocked those present head over tail. However, Mask, instead of tumbling, collapsed. Twilight knew without needing to investigate that the costume was empty; likely a puppet controlled by a somepony elsewhere in Ponyville. “Come on girls, this thing is a puppet. Let's find the puppeteer!” Rainbow Dash thought she'd be the first to find Zebra Mask, as she traveled far more quickly than her friends. She saw him standing on a rooftop and immediately charged at him; she was disappointed when she simply ploughed through another floating costume. Pinkie Pie simply bounded along through town, meeting Mask at odd turns and attempting to talk to him. However, each time she moved toward him, he simply vanished into thin air; there was no trace that he had ever been there. Fluttershy stayed where she was, being afraid of the dark and simply not wanting to be alone and wandering through Ponyville at night. Zebra Mask appeared to her a few times; she backed away each time, and each time Mask simply slid off elsewhere. Applejack ran through Ponyville, her method of searching being roughly the same as Rainbow Dash, though earthbound. She met much the same results, however, the first Mask she found simply had no physical form. She passed right through it, feeling nothing but air. While all six of them combed the town through most of the night, they could not find the real Zebra Mask, only more illusions and empty cloaks. They met up in front of the library, ascertaining that none of them could find him. Twilight was frustrated that somepony had outwitted her, and judging by the looks on her friends' faces she wasn't the only one. “Oh well... it seems like we'll have to try to find him another night.” “Find me another night? Oh, what a wonderful game! Although I am disheartened that you are so easily discouraged.” Zebra Mask appeared before them again; Twilight and her friends were too exhausted to try and seize him. As well, they believed it yet another apparition. Only Rainbow Dash had the energy left for a response. “Heh... bite me.” Mask's eyeholes seemed to widen. “Please, milady, I have no wish to. Until tomorrow night...” He moved forward; he lifted Pinkie Pie's hoof and pressed it to the mouthhole. “...adieu.” They had just enough time to register that the real, corporeal Zebra Mask had just been there before he vanished again into the darkness.
Chapter 5Chapter 5 “Oh, I like this! Thanks Midnight!” “Meh, it was nothing.” His gift to Pinkie Pie was a full-body portrait of her with a tray of cupcakes. “I did one for Big Macintosh, too.” Pinkie Pie noticed Twilight outside talking to somepony. “Oh, come on Midnight, I want to show this to Twilight!” “Um, sure.” The moment he walked out the door he regretted his decision; Twilight was talking to his mother. He couldn't quite get away, as Pinkie Pie started dragging him along. “Twilight! Twilight! Look what Midnight gave me!” – Twilight saw Pinkie Pie dragging a struggling Midnight behind her, but couldn't really do anything about it, as she was trying to engage in polite conversation with Horizon. “My son's been wandering around, and we're regulars at the Grand Galloping Gala, so I figured that he'd be here, since the Gala's going to be here!” “How do you know that he'd be here, just because of the Gala? That seems like bad logic to go on.” “Well, he's ALWAYS at the Gala, even if he tries to get away the week before. He gets so lost that he finds himself there anyway! I have the odd feeling that he gave up on trying to get away, and just wanders for its own sake. Oh, there you are Midnight! I was just talking about you with this lovely mare here!” Midnight remained unhappily silent. Pinkie Pie's exclamations were providing an excellent distraction from his inability to say anything. “Twilight, look at what Midnight gave me!” “Wow, that's a pretty good picture! Did you have to pose for it?” “Nope, he said he did it all from memory!” Midnight finally screwed up his nerves to say something. “Where's Dad and my siblings? Shouldn't they be with you?” Horizon just now seemed to realize she was alone. “Hm? They were right beside me when I left... although I suppose they wouldn't have walked through deserts to get to here from Canterlot, heheheh.” Midnight breathed an inward sigh of relief. He got along best with his mother, and wouldn't have to deal with his siblings immediately. “Hey Midnight, have you done any songs for these fine pony folks?” Horizon's question reminded him that most of his entertainment things were in pieces, due to sudden and forceful introduction to a tree trunk. “Um, no, Mom. My stuff's kind of broken, I'll have to get it fixed.” Horizon's grin never wavered. “Oh, come on, you don't need a microphone and speakers to sing, and– oh, is that a bakery? I love bakeries!” She strolled toward Sugarcube Corner, and then she proved Midnight's point about her sense of direction being worse than his. She got lost in the crowd, and ended up at Rarity's boutique. Twilight's curiosity was piqued. “You can sing? You haven't done that yet.” “I haven't had any reason to. Didn't feel like singing, among other things.” Pinkie Pie started bouncing up and down. “Sing for us, come on, sing, sing, sing!” Midnight sighed upon the realization that there was simply no escape. He took a deep breath... and very suddenly launched himself into a lightning-fast recitation that would have left most ponies tongue-tied. However, it was quite clear to Twilight that it was right on the edge of his vocal range, and that he was straining to keep his voice from cracking. “GonnamakeabreakandtakeafakeIlikeastinkinachinshakeIliAAAAWK. Well, crap, now I have to start over. It's been~”
Chapter 6Chapter 6 Midnight's father arrived fully six hours later, and dropped off his siblings. The older of the two was an orange earth pony colt, whose name was Tangerine. He loved bugs, and this showed in his magnifying glass cutie mark. The younger was a purple pegasus filly named Violet Shimmer. She had inherited her mother's constant grin, although at the moment she lacked a cutie mark. Tangerine was mischievous, with a look in his eyes that suggested that he was looking for ways to cause trouble. Aside from orange color and a lack of glasses, he looked like a younger version of Midnight. Shimmer, on the other hand, was quiet and introverted, but she opened up if her family was present. Horizon decided to take the little ones around Ponyville. Midnight snickered as Tangerine and Shimmer ended up leading her around. “Yeah, Mom's sense of direction is worse than mine, but we're the only ones. Everyone else has an impeccable knowledge of how to get around.” Midnight managed to pull some of his musical equipment together, but decided to save it for later; after all, the Gala was coming up. He had some other plans, and he decided to work on something else. He put up a large canvas, dipped a paintbrush into a pallette, and went to work. – Tangerine and Shimmer figured out where everything in Ponyville was rather quickly, while their mother STILL couldn't find her way from the library to one of the shops across the street. Tangerine was, as was usual for him, looking for opportunities for mischief. Shimmer followed behind him, not wanting to be alone even if she knew exactly where each brick was. Just as Tangerine spotted a bunch of ponies carrying around heavy-looking glass objects, Horizon leapt out in front of him. “There you are! I was looking all over for you. The castle, the forest, the buffalo camp... anyway, we're going to find someplace to stay for the night, it's getting late. Come along now!” Rather unhappily he followed her. Shimmer, however, had spotted an interesting-looking toy across the street and strolled across to it. – “Alright girls, you know what we're doing. We're splitting up and finding Zebra Mask!” Twilight and her friends knew that Zebra Mask would come back tonight; why wouldn't he? He had said that he'd return the following night, hadn't he? So of course they would try to find him. All they had to do was look for smoke and listen for the voice. He was hardly difficult to miss. As if on cue, Zebra Mask appeared to them again. He had obviously been expecting them, since Rainbow Dash charged and passed through him. “Another splendid night to thee, and to another round of hide-and-seek, phantom edition!” He stalked away and vanished into the darkness. Twilight and her friends split up again, and met similar results as the night before. Yet more mirages, floating capes and masks on sticks were strewn about to confuse and confound the ponies. And as before, they were the only ones that saw him; when they asked other ponies they found roaming at night, none of them had seen the Zebra Mask. They ranged a bit farther in their search than they had previously, going to Fluttershy's house, Sweet Apple Acres, and several areas not technically in Ponyville, but close enough to get to easily. Mask had obviously predicted this, and set up yet more frustrating fakes for them. Now he began taunting them in earnest. “Go on, you're nearly there, I'm over here!” “No he's not, are you daft? I'm the real Zebra Mask, not that one!” “Hello, ma belle-fleur, perhaps your hair would look better if dripping wet.” This particular taunt was punctuated by dumping a bucket of water on Rarity. “Oh, I must say, you look positively stunning, if I say so myself.” Rarity scowled, wishing she could see Mask and knock some sense into him. “You are simply a rogue, a scoundrel! I won't let this go unpunished!” “Ah, but I thought ladies loved the rogues! Ah well, yet another thing to not learn from literature.” Yet more pranks and taunts followed. When they met back up at the library, Rarity was drenched to the bone, Fluttershy's mane was bright blue, Rainbow Dash was dyed red, Applejack was covered in smashed pineapple, and Twilight's tail was slightly singed. Only Pinkie Pie was completely unharmed. Rainbow Dash was furious. “Who... in the world... does that pony think he is? He can't just torment us like this.” “Normally, I would be gone by now, but I believe this young filly is looking for her mother.” Again they turned toward the voice; Zebra Mask stood there. He stepped to the side, revealing a frightened and tired Violet Shimmer. As amazing as her sense of direction was during the day, she had difficulty finding her way in the dark, and had gotten lost, without any idea where Horizon was. Mask nudged her forward, and she ran towards the other ponies. Before they could question him, Zebra Mask faded again. While the other ponies went home to vent their frustration, and Twilight took Shimmer to her mother, Pinkie Pie bounced over to where Mask had been standing. He had left his costume in its entirety.
Chapter 7Chapter 7 “You have arrived at: Canterlot, capital of Equestria.” Midnight looked up from his EPS. This was clearly not Canterlot. If his memory served him correctly, he was in the Evertree Forest, and the house in front of him was of Zebra make. “Uurrgh, I hate this stupid thing!” "This area holds an annual Grand Galloping Gala–” “Oh, for the love of Luna, shut up.” – Twilight couldn't find Midnight the next morning. The note on his door read, in unnecessarily flourished writing, “Gone to get microphone. Back in 10... hours. MG” She had wanted to ask him if he knew of Zebra Mask, but his note meant that would have to wait until MUCH later. She sighed and went to help put up more decorations for the Gala. – Midnight found himself at a completely barren landscape of rocks. He'd been here before; a family of ponies owned a rock farm here. They hadn't been too keen on his presence, so he kept going. “Note to self, ask Mom to get me a better EPS.” “Now arriving in: Cloudsdale, city of pegasi.” “How did you even get that location? It's kinda impossible for an earthbound unicorn like me...” -- Rarity stared at the black-and-white bundle on the floor in front of her. “And you brought this to me because...?” Pinkie Pie explained. “Well, after Zebra Mask left last night, and you went off to... how was it worded? Vent your frustration? … I went over to where he'd been standing, and I found the costume there. So, since you're soooo good with clothes and such, I thought you could help me figure out who it might belong to!” Rarity sighed, and then tried to set up the outfit on one of her mannequins. However, it didn't quite work as she planned; the main problem being that under the whole outfit was a jumpsuit, split vertically into black and white. The bodysuit was simply built for a different body type than she had any mannequins for, as the Mask costume was very slim and long. After a quick spell to change a mannequin's body specifics, she managed to get the costume to fit. She made her observations. “Hm... it seems to be for a male pony, and it all looks designer-made. This was made for one pony and one pony only...” She noticed a hole in the forehead of the bodysuit, and just how tall the hat was. “Ah, so our guest is a unicorn! Makes sense, really, how else could he pull those tricks?” Unfortunately, she was unable to find any more clues as to the Zebra Mask's identity. All she could decipher was that the wearer was a male unicorn, very long and thin. The outer parts were of no use, consisting of a suit, a cape, a mask, a fedora and, most worryingly, a wig. All were the same alternating black-white motif. The wig meant it could literally be anypony. – Midnight was getting a bit frustrated. All he wanted was to buy a new microphone, and yet he had somehow ended up tramping all over Equestria. This, however, was the final straw. He knew that there was no way he could possibly be here, yet here he stood. “I think physics and logic are crying in a corner somewhere, because I'm somehow in Cloudsdale.” “You have arrived at: Ponyville. A quiet little village–” “You know, I've got half a mind to chuck this worthless thing off a cliff.” – Rainbow Dash entered Midnight's shack. Presumably, he was at the other end of Equestria trying to find his way to the shops. She had no idea why she was in here, she just had an odd feeling. She looked through his possessions, wondering what Rarity's reaction would be; there was simply no organization whatsoever. All of his belongings were strewn randomly about, with no rhyme or reason to the space they took up. Although, that wasn't completely true, she saw. There HAD been organization once, although it had mostly fallen apart, but there were marked drawers and cabinets in the back corner. She decided to look in one labeled “Arts and designs.” “Let's see, music sheets, a picture of the cart as it was originally... huh, where was that when he needed it? Hm...” Towards the back, she found something interesting: portraits of various ponies, seemingly from all over Equestria. Looking through a bit farther, she found portraits of herself and her friends, and even Princess Celestia. However, her last find made her look twice to make sure that her eyes weren't fooling her. The final portrait, at the very back of the drawer, was of Zebra Mask.
Chapter 8Chapter 8 Twilight and her friends looked over their clues, arranged in the floor of Midnight's shack. They had learned a few new things about both Midnight and Zebra Mask, which was more than they bargained for. Thus far, they had determined what type of pony Mask was, as well as a connection between the two. However, the Zebra Mask findings were found less interesting than the other portraits. Twilight made an observation. “I'm noticing a pattern here. There seem to be different numbers of pictures for each of us. Who has the least?” Applejack spoke up. “Erm... it seems that'd be me. I could only find ONE of those goldarned portraits that had me on it.” “Okay... who's next up?” Twilight looked around. There seemed to be portraits of practically every resident of Ponyville, and a few ponies besides. Midnight was obviously well-traveled, although most of it was likely caused by being lost. Twilight and her friends had the most portraits: all drawn from memory, all perfect likenesses, all thrown rather haphazardly around the shack. Fluttershy began to feel uneasy. “Um, I think we should leave... what if he comes back?” Rarity reassured her. “We'll just say we wanted to have a look around, that's all.” “If you say so...” Time passed as they examined the contents of the shack. They were so absorbed in their work, that it was some time before they realized that the sun had gone down. Applejack leapt up. “Uh-oh... we better get outside. What if the Princess arrives?” “Oh, she won't be here tonight, you can be certain of that.” Everypony present started at the sound. There, large as life, stood Zebra Mask. “She's encountered a slight delay, and won't arrive until tomorrow night. Alas, my dears, I shall not be here when she is.” Rainbow Dash charged yet again at Zebra Mask, though she forgot his intangible act and slammed into a wall across the street. “Really now, that's failed two nights in a row, what makes you think it would work this time?” He turned back to the ponies still in Midnight's shack. “As for why I won't be here, I'm saving a big surprise for nothing less than the Grand Galloping Gala. Do enjoy yourselves, would you? Let's try this again.” He turned and walked away. Once again the ponies set off wildly through Ponyville, searching vainly for Zebra Mask. However, Twilight had ideas of her own and went straight to the library. That mystery stallion wouldn't get away this time. Much later, Twilight's friends arrived ragged, tired, wet and otherwise ill-favored, with the exception of Pinkie Pie yet again. Zebra Mask materialized out of the darkness. “Well, it seems that you have...” A pause. “Wait.... one's missing. Where's...” Twilight, who'd remained where she was to avoid wearing herself out, charged at the apparition. For the first time, there was physical contact with Zebra Mask. Winded, he extricated himself from Twilight. “Hm... impressive. That's the first time anypony's outwitted me. I must commend you, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight's response was blunt. “Who are you, under that mask? What do you want?” The smile on the white half of his mask seemed to grow. “I'm afraid I can't answer those. Although I'm astonished that you have not yet answered the first question yourself. The second... well, you'll just have to wait, now won't you?” And with that, he vanished again.
Chapter 9Chapter 9 Celestia arrived the next morning, with one day to the Gala. She was thrilled to be in Ponyville, although some of her attendants thought otherwise. Midnight was unable to even catch a glimpse of the Princess, due to crowds in his way. “Motherf– Why can't these ponies move along?” He sighed; he had no other option. he turned off the constant spell he had on his voice. Midnight had been born very, VERY loud. He was also partially deaf to his own mouth; normal speaking volume for others was like whispering for him. Most of the time, he had a low-energy spell on his voice that kept it at a normal level. And when he turned it off... “OI. I'D LIKE TO SEE THE PRINCESS PLEASE. YOU FOLKS PROBABLY SEE HER A LOT MORE THAN I DO, SO PLEASE STEP ASIDE OR I WILL AMPLIFY MY VOICE FURTHER.” He didn't need to say more, as the first word had bowled over the ponies nearest him, and startled the rest into confusion. He quickly turned the spell back on and waded through the thinned crowd. Just a glimpse, that was all he needed... “Hey Midnight, can we talk?” Midnight jumped about five feet in the air. After landing with a thud, he reprimanded Twilight. “Don't sneak up on me! I hate that. Also sure, what do you want to talk about?” “What do you know about the Zebra Mask? I know that you're familiar with him, you have a portrait of him in your house.” “I can't say I've actually met him. Or spoken with him, anyway. Hard to talk to somepony that can vanish.” “I'll have to agree on that one... But you had to have seen him!” “Sure I've seen him. I can't tell ya much more than that, I'm afraid.” Midnight turned back around, but the Princess had already gone. “Sigh... I think this is going to be an uneventful day.” – Midnight's father was working elsewhere, and Tangerine had gotten himself in huge trouble. As punishment, he wasn't going to the Gala, and Horizon couldn't leave Shimmer with Midnight. As such, Midnight found out that he was the only member of his family that would be attending the Gala. Twilight went to his house later to try and question him further, but the door was locked. She could hear ruffling paper and muffled thuds from inside, but the shack had no windows, so she had no idea what he was doing. She figured not to disturb him, since she thought that whatever he was doing, disturbing him would cause catastrophe. – “–to be tripped down the stairs, I'll be there, and I'm waiting round the corner– no, wait, I keep getting that line wrong.” Midnight turned his songbook back a page. His plan for the Gala was simple: He would sing to his heart's content. He had earlier sent a letter to whoever was organizing the Gala. They had responded promptly, and permission was granted. He had to make sure that he was reciting the lyrics perfectly. Thus the musical rehearsal. “Alright, alright... one more time... two, three, When the devil is too busy, and death's a bit too much~” – By the time the sun had gone down, Midnight had perfected his songlist. He usually had song lyrics commited to memory, but he didn't like taking chances. He also knew that sometimes he'd forget one word, and (to him, anyway) the entire song would be ruined. He grinned tiredly at the black-and-white-garbed mannequin standing near him before falling asleep.
Chapter 10Chapter 10 “...and so, let the Grand Galloping Gala begin!” Thus started this year's Gala. Twilight and her friends were wearing their (repaired) dresses from the previous year. None of them could contain their excitement. With the folks in Ponyville here, a bit more fun was to be had. Midnight arrived dressed only slightly snappier than usual. He had abandoned his usual black vest in exchange for a white tuxedo, bedecked with a pineapple blossom that he'd gone to some trouble to procure. He was wearing smaller glasses as well, and he had attempted to tame his tail. He'd had no luck; it was as wild and explosive-looking as ever, with a broken comb to prove it. He also had a somewhat ragged blue tie that was obviously the oldest part of his outfit. He had a few tricks up his sleeve for this Gala. He had interviewed some of the previous year's attendants, and knew most of what had happened. One of the ponies he'd attempted to speak with was one Prince Blueblood. Blueblood had simply looked down on him for his shabby outfit and seeming bad attitude(actually social ineptitude), and made no secret of his arrogance. Midnight was a very tolerant pony –after all, he'd have to be to live with his siblings without completely losing his mind– but Blueblood had stretched his limits. One thing Midnight couldn't stand was being made to feel inferior. And while he wasn't strong, he had his ways of making somepony else's life hell. He allowed himself a wicked grin. – Twilight was hanging around with Fluttershy, both sipping some of the drinks Applejack had been selling. She was simply enjoying talking to her friend, who had a few of her forest friends with her. They were trying to have a pleasant time, and thus far they had been successful. And – hold on. Was that–? “Fluttershy? I think the Gala has just been crashed by the Zebra Mask.” – For what seemed to be the first time, more than six ponies were aware of the tall, masked, dichromatic stranger. Zebra Mask seemed to have no particular goal, and wandered aimlessly through the crowd of attendants. He stopped for a moment, and then spoke in a foghorn voice. “Greetings to all present at this momentous occasion, the Grand Galloping Gala.” Immediately, all eyes were upon the stranger. “I am Zebra Mask. I know that a small hoofful of thy number here tonight are familiar with me. I am simply here to entertain thee.” Something about the way he said entertain struck a chord in Twilight's mind. Where had she heard that tone before? “First... I believe there is one Prince Blueblood among thee?” The white stallion was shoved unceremoniously in front of Mask. The black smile seemed to increase in size. “Come with me for a moment, would you? I think we need to... talk. Kuhuhuhu~” That high-pitched chuckle sent shivers down everypony's spine as BlueBlood, trying to retain an air of dignity, was led away by the stange visitor. – Twilight got up from her seat. “I'm going to follow him. I want to know what he's up to.” “No, no, ladies, allow me.” Rarity appeared next to her. “I'll see what he's doing to Blueblood. After all, it was me he humiliated last year.” Rarity walked over to the patch of trees that Blueblood and Zebra Mask had vanished into. Seconds later, she was speeding back as though demons were chasing her, with an appropriate look of terror on her face. Twilight's first response was concern. “What happened?” “You don't want to go back there! The shadows were moving, there were these dark, monstrous shapes floating about...” “I thought we took care of this problem back when I first came to Ponyville.” “I'm not finished. There was this sound, like the screams of the dead... I don't want to go back there! I'm not finding out what he's doi–” She was interrupted by a booming report from the trees, and an enormous flash of light. “YOU... INSOLENT... ASS!” – Zebra Mask was displaying something he'd never shown before: anger. Prince Blueblood cowered in front of him as the powerful voice drove him back, practically dripping with venom. Explosions of shadows and light could be seen behind the outraged stallion. “I have NEVER been so insulted in all my life! If I have to endure the arrogant swaggering of a pathetic, overdressed throwback for one second more, I'm going to break off that flimsy horn of yours and shove it up your ass! Begone with ye, before I do something that I'll regret!” BlueBlood, still scared, sat on the ground unsure of what to do. “Did you hear me? I said begone! That means GET OUT OF HERE, YOU WORTHLESS WASTE OF FLESH!” BlueBlood had gone before he got any further. Zebra Mask stood panting for a moment, and then beat a hasty retreat towards the trees. – A few moments later, the party had recommenced as though nothing had happened, although several mares were chattering animatedly about Blueblood's humiliation. Midnight Green stowed the black-and-white costume in a box, before rejoining the festivities. He thought he'd spotted some caramel apples, and he wasn't one to resist a sweet snack.
Chapter 11Chapter 11 Twilight was startled by Midnight speaking right next to her. “Hello, you know me.” He sat down with an entire tray of caramel apples, which Twilight regarded curiously. “Um, are you going to eat all of those?” “Nah, I'll save one for you and each of your friends.” Rarity eyed Midnight's tail contemptuously. “Don't you have any sense of style? That tail looks awful next to your lovely suit. Also, what's that flower on your shirt?” “Look, lady, there's a broken comb in my tail, in case you didn't see it. It ain't gonna fix, unless you cut off my tail at the root and let it grow back. Also, that's a pineapple blossom.” He dug into the candy apples with relish. “Nomnomdeelishscromfchompgulpmmmwonderful!” In about five seconds, there were only six apples left of a tray of twenty-four. Midnight noticed that both Rarity and Twilight were gaping at him. “What? I'm a glutton, I eat a lot and I eat fast.” He was distracted by something, and then resumed speaking. “Have you ever had somepony walk by you, and you had a sudden urge to kiss them? For the purposes of this exercise we shall disregard gender.” Rarity and Twilight were shocked by the sudden, very random question that had come out of Midnight's mouth. “Gasp! I feel like that all the time! I wonder why I haven't done it, though. It seems like the kind of thing you'd expect me to do, right Twilight?” Pinkie Pie's sudden entrance shocked Midnight about as much as his question had done to his present company. Before anypony could answer her, she bounded off happily. When Twilight looked at Midnight again, she noticed that his face had gone slightly red. “I'm not sure whether to be overjoyed or terrified at that statement. I'll get back to you as soon as I determine what kinds of random crap are flying through my mind. Like pegasi. Powder plue, rainbow-haired pegasi that are about to land on top of m–” He was cut off by Rainbow Dash suddenly crashing into him. “Ow! Friggin' mother of–” He got up and looked very much in an insulting mood, when something caught his eye before he could complain further. “Hm, it seems that I am needed elsewhere. Later!” He vanished into the crowd. Twilight didn't quite know what to think of his previous question, or the bizarrely precise statement that had preceded a rather prompt invitation to be struck by a pegasus. Said pegasus dusted herself off before speaking. “I wish he'd learn to move... what was he talking about before?” “I'm... not quite sure. Something about feeling like kissing the pony in front of you?” Rarity was still slackjawed from the question and hadn't quite regained her composure. “Buh, what? Kissing? Feelings? Clouds?” — Midnight readied himself for his performance. The black-and-white costume he'd constructed himself would be key to his success. That, and the massive array of illusory spells he'd accrued over the years, as well as his own vocal prowess. As long as it was within his vocal range, he was a pitch-perfect mimic that gave his aunt's old parrot a run for his money. The Zebra Mask voice was as simple as lowering his normal pitch, and reducing the spell on his voice. He was also proficient with spells involving the manipulation of light, and was known back home for making shadows dance. As he removed his glasses and slipped the mask on, he allowed himself a grin. Tonight was going to be fun.
Chapter 12Chapter 12 Twilight saw Midnight give a slip of paper to the cellist before he vanished. She tried to occupy her mind for a moment. What was her name..... Octa-something.... Octavia? That sounded right. In any case she motioned for the other musicians to stop playing for a moment. After a moment of tuning, she drew the bow across the strings, emitting a haunting, sibilant melody. “Kuhuhuhuhuhu~” Zebra Mask's high-pitched chuckle filled the air. Once it faded, a deep bass voice started singing. When the devil is too busy, And death's a bit too much. They call on me By name you see, For my special touch~ At that moment, Twilight, her friends, and all attending the Grand Galloping Gala that night beheld a chilling sight. The shadow of Zebra Mask, grotesquely deformed, appeared on the ground. In addition to the four slender limbs that they all knew he had, the shadow had a multitude of dancing tendrils, with limbs and grinning faces of their own. The split expression of Mask was clearly visible, a hole in the shadows, as the voice continued. To the gentlecolts I'm Miss Fortune, To the ladies, I'm Sir Prize. But call me by any name, Any way it's all the saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame~ The music stopped abruptly, as Mask himself materialized from the ground. When the music resumed, it was clear that the voice was his. I'm the fly in your soup, I'm the pebble in your shoe, I'm the pea beneath the bed I'm the bump on every head~ As he sang, various small misfortunes described by the lyrics punctuated each line: a mare screamed at a fat fly in her food; a stallion close to Mask suddenly drew back a hoof in pain, a pebble lodged in it, and at least two ponies hit their heads on some badly-placed piece of ornamentation. I'm the peel on which you slip I'm the pin in every hip I'm the thorn in your side, makes you wriggle and writhe... Mask vanished into his monstrous shadow, which seemed to continue the song by itself. And it's so easy when you're evil.... This is the life, you see The devil tips his hat to me I do it all because I'm evil And I do it all for free... The shadow surprised all present by rising into the air; a smoky, obscure thing with the Zebra Mask's general shape. Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need! As the song continued, the dancing shadows conjured frightening images of monsters and demons that left many of the attendants in a dead faint. They recovered quickly enough, thanks to some offstage intervention. When the song seemed to be over, the melody took a sad tone, and the shadows seemed to settle slightly. In addition, the faces were no longer grinning, but fixed in a mourning frown. It gets so lonely being evil.... What I'd do to see you smile Even for a little while. And no one loves you when you're evil......... The melody halted as the shadows melted to reveal Zebra Mask himself, completely black and bearing a frown. The seeming air of melancholy was infectious; Even Pinkie Pie had watery eyes. An abrupt start of music and Mask quickly turning into a grinning white specter shocked them all. I'm lying through my teeth! Your tears are all the comforting I need! The song came to an end, and Zebra Mask – and his terrifying shadow – vanished completely. — Midnight reentered the Gala in the midst of the shocked silence. He was completely worn out from the enormous burst of magic he just had to perform. He would clean out a section of the buffet, regain his energy, and continue his performance in an hour or so. “The show must go on.... Even if that show is made of shadows.”
Chapter 13Chapter 13 (Apologies in advance if this chapter sucks. I'm a bit rusty, and it's been a while since I wrote the last chapter..) Once again, the Zebra Mask had caused quite a stir. The crowd started gossiping and speculating who he might be. Midnight retrieved an entire tray of pineapple and placed himself at an isolated table. He was so lost in thought that it took him a moment to notice he was chewing on the leaves. After spitting out the distasteful greens and slicing the fruits, he set to it with a will. As he resumed thinking (accidentally taking a bite out of the tray in the process), he decided to look over the mares present. His mother wasn't here to get on him about it, and he was certain that others would be more interested in the contents of his mouth than who he was looking at. Musicians.... meh, he wasn't fond of snobbish ponies, and that's what the cellist and brass player looked like to him. No... no.... Geezum crap, what is wrong with her EYES?... His eyes stopped at the purple unicorn he'd met upon arrival in Ponyville. She had some of her friends with her. Twilight's kind of irritable.... Rarity looks like another snob.... I hate jocks... Must resist girly squeal for the yellow pegasus... not going to dwell on Pinkie Pie. He got bored of this, and returned to reality long enough to realize that the entire tray and its contents were gone. Huh.... note to self, always pay attention to what you're eating. He mentally went over his next act, which thankfully wouldn't require the Zebra Mask. — Twilight noticed Midnight going up to the stage with a microphone. The music halted, and the pianist opened up a lively rhythm. Midnight started singing. Head under water And they tell me To breathe easy for a while But breathing gets harder Even I know that.... The cellist and brass player left the stage; it was obvious that this song only needed piano and vocals. Twilight dismissed her earlier conclusion on the Zebra Mask's identity, as Midnight Green was a soprano, whereas Mask was bass. Who exactly was in that costume continued to elude her. You mean well But you make this hard on me.... I'm not gonna write you a love song! 'Cause you asked for it 'Cause you need one You see~ Midnight liked this song. It was relatively calming, and this performance made it even better, since he didn't need any extra spells to make it more spectacular, as he would for a Zebra Mask act. Convinced me To please you Made me think That I need this too! I'm tryin'... To let you hear me as I am! The song drew to a close, relatively simply. No spectacular light effects, just his own voice and a piano backing him. I won't write you a love song.... 'Cause you asked for it 'Cause you need one.... You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song 'Cause you tell me it's Make or break in this... Is that what you wanted, a love song!? 'Cause you asked for it 'Cause you need one! You see, I'm not gonna write you a love song 'Cause you tell me it's Make or break in this, If you're on your way I'm not gonna write you To staaay~ If your heart is nowhere in it I don't want it for a minute Babe, I'll walk the seven seas When I believe that there's a reason To write you A love song Today! Midnight retreated from the stage again as the attendants applauded. He didn't need to eat as much as with the first performance, since he had used a bare minimum of magic. He was still going to eat though. He loved eating too much to do otherwise.
Chapter 4Chapter 4 Midnight stretched in the pile of dulled splinters that served him as a bed. “Good morning to all the world! Now then, where's that portrait...” After finding what he was looking for, he walked out of his shack and a package promptly landed on his head. “Ow! Friggin–! What is it with this town and hitting my head? Sigh... Alright, presuming this is for me, who is this from?” He turned it over and saw the return address. “Oh... oh dear gods.” – “Has anypony here seen a pony that looks like this?” Twilight tried to figure out just who Zebra Mask could have been. However, it seemed that she and her friends were the only ones who had seen Zebra Mask the previous night; he had only appeared to them and only seemed interested in them. She still didn't know where Midnight Green could be, as he had left his shack and was presumably lost somewhere else in Ponyville. “HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME HIDE ME” Midnight charging past her screaming snapped Twilight out of her reverie. “Okay I have two questions first question where is Pinkie Pie second question do you know anyplace I can hide please help me I need to stay undercover!” Twilight had to take a moment to process what Midnight said. “Um, Pinkie Pie's at Sugarcube Corner, right over there. And why do you need to hide?” Twilight took a moment to catch his breath, and then yelled out his answer; his voice was powerful and deafening. “MY FAMILY IS COMING TO PONYVILLE!” Twilight grinned a bit. Well, at least Midnight wasn't totally alone... She spoke after recovering her hearing. “Why is that a bad thing? It's your family after all...” Midnight took a moment; he was still fairly loud and fast, but no longer with a gale-force voice. “Well, you know how I can get lost easily? My mother is even worse at that. She'll have started on a straight path from Canterlot to Ponyville; more than likely she'll enter on the other side of town. My sister is sweet and innocent, but she's so young that trouble is a given. And my little brother....” He seemed to lose the ability to speak for a moment; he was obviously distressed at this in particular. “I need someplace to hide, right freaking NOW.” Twilight pondered this for a moment before responding. “Well, we could try to make them welcome and help you deal with them. In the meantime, Sugarcube Corner is right there, so hopefully you won't get lost.” Midnight grinned. “Don't count on it, I could get lost in a walk-in closet.” He walked across the street, however, comically enough, he turned away right at the door of Sugarcube Corner. Had Pinkie Pie not opened the door to let him in, he probably would have wandered to Appleoosa and back trying to find the place. Right as he walked into the building, Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself facing a short, purple unicorn mare with glasses and a grin that looked like it would never leave. “Hi there! My name's Horizon. Have you seen my son Midnight Green?”
