Chapters "I'm a normal pony. So what if my legs are longer than most, or if I look more like a mare, or if I don't have a cutie mark, or even if I live in the Everfree Forest. I'm just as normal as anypony else."
These are the words of a pony who's been picked on, called names, bullied, and even assaulted, yet has managed to keep a smile on his face and a positive outlook on life. Night Wisp, a grey teenaged Earth Pony with short dark purple mane and tail. He smiled and set out for Ponyville. As he would walk by, ponies of all types would stare, point, whisper, laugh, call names, and sometimes even physically attack him. But Night Wisp would never retaliate, and would never act rashly towards another pony, regardless of what they say or do to him. He bought some food and went to Sugarcube Corner. Mrs. Cake smiled at him when he walked in.
"Hello Night!"
"Hi Mrs. Cake! Just the usual."
Mrs. Cake smiled and went into the other room, then said with a laugh, "So how are you today?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Where's Pinkie? Off on another escapade?"
Mrs. Cake laughed.
"Yes, as usual."
"I'm surprised she even gets a paycheck."
"Well, she's quite the worker when she's around."
"And not devouring your displays."
Mrs. Cake laughed again. "You always make me laugh Night."
Night just smiled. Mrs. Cake then came back out with a small box, then set it on the counter. Night paid, then put the box into his saddlebag.
"See you later Mrs. Cake! Say hi to Pinkie for me!"
Mrs. Cake waved and smiled. "Will do, Night! Will do!"
Night walked back to his house, passing by the library on his way. He had a sudden chill run up his spine.
"Oooh..." He said with a shiver. "Why do I always get the chills when I pass by Twilight's place?" He continued into the Everfree, then disappeared from sight. Meanwhile, a certain purple unicorn was watching him walk into the forest. Spike came downstairs and saw Twilight watching Night again. For the 3rd or 4th time that week.
"Twilight, what do you find so interesting in him?"
"He's just so...strange. A teenager with no cutie mark, who lives in the Everfree Forest."
"What's strange about that?"
"Spike, you know about the Everfree. It's full of strange creatures, and plants, and the weather changes all by itself. Why would anypony other than Zecora want to live there?"
Spike just sighed and went back upstairs.Twilight stared at the Everfree Forest.
"I've just got to find out."
Next morning, with his groceries away, and his supplies collected, he had some free time to burn. So he went to Ponyville to see what the current happenings were. Almost immediately after he set foot in Ponyville, Twilight popped out and smiled. Night Wisp jumped back a bit, then blinked.
"Twilight? What's up?"
Twilight kept smiling. Night Wisp just blinked, then continued on, with Twilight following him like a stray puppy.
"Sooooo?" Twilight finally said.
Night just looked at her. "So what?"
"Sooo what's up?"
"Erm...nothing really. I just have some time...so I thought I'd walk around."
"Wanna come into the library? Maybe we can talk?"
Night tapped his chin in thought, then shrugged. "Sure."
Twilight led him into the library, had him seated, then sat with him, a notepad, quill and inkwell levitating in front of her. Night blinked, obviously confused about the writing utensils. She set the inkwell down then sat across from him.
"So whatcha wanna talk about, Twi?"
"How about our past? Have you ever been interested in how I became the Princess' student?"
"Sure."
After a long-winded story about Twilight's past, Night Wisp finally broke free from his trance and blinked.
"Oh, yeah...Nice story, Twi."
"Well what about you? Anything you wanna talk about? Say, your cutie mark? Or your lack thereof?"
Night looked at his flank, then back at Twilight. "Erm, I'd really rather talk about something else."
Twilight blinked. "What about your home? As you can see, I live in a tree! Where do you live?"
Night just stared, then said, "Well, in the Everfree Forest. Nowhere special." Twilight scribbled something on her notepad. "Like, do you live in a building?"
"Yeah." She scribbled on her notepad again. Night Wisp gave her a look. "Are you writing all this down?"
Twilight blinked, then blushed. "What? No! No. I'm just writing a.....list of things...I'll....need."
Night just stared, then stood up. "Well I think I should be going."
"Wait! Please, can you just answer a few more questions?"
Night just walked out and said over his shoulder, "I'm sorry Twi. I just don't feel like being interrogated today." And with that, he walked out. Twilight just grumbled.
"I'll find out more about him yet. Or my name isn't Twilight Sparkle!"
Night continued onward to his home in the Everfree, the cold stone floor echoing as his hooves trotted across it. He opened the old chest he kept his food in. A few apples, a carrot, and a box of cupcakes he had bought the day before. Nothing special. After all, it's only him living there. He took an apple and bit into it. It's sweet yet tart taste made his mouth tingle. It just sighed while chewing his apple, then after his snack he went out and sat on the stone steps that led to the front door. He stared at the sky high above him, a few clouds drifting past the sun. He didn't understand what was so scary about the Everfree Forest. Sure, it was dark, and there were a few scary creatures in there, but it was nothing bad. And so what if the weather changes itself? It's less work for the pegasi.
Night sighed heavily. No one came to visit him or send him anything. He didn't really mind it, but it did get boring. He tossed the apple core into his waste bin, then went inside. Maybe he was too hard on Twilight. She was just curious. Then again, it was kinda creepy. He thought he should go at least apologize and see if he can make things a little better between them. He trotted back to Ponyville, and into the library. He noticed Twilight was gone.
"Hey Spike, where's Twi? I want to talk to her."
Spike was carrying a stack of books to one of the shelves. "Oh. Hey Night. She went out to see the Princess. I dunno why."
Night nodded and left, then looked around. It wasn't like Twilight to just up and leave unless it was important. Or maybe she just had to go speak to her friends...or something. He shrugged, then continued on. He heard Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon calling at him.
"HEY BLANK FLANK! WHERE YA GOIN'?!" the girls laughed.
Night ignored their calls and jeers and continued walking around. He wasn't certain why the two fillies resorted to calling him names. He was a lot older and more matured than the Crusaders. I think they just got desperate to find someone else to bother. Night finally decided to turn and look at them, then called back,
"Well what do YOUR cutie marks represent? Wearing hats and soup-eating?"
The girls were flabbergasted. It was the first time anyone, ESPECIALLY NIGHT, had called back at them. AND IT WAS INSULTING. Night wasn't going to make that a regular thing. He just wanted to shut them up for a while. After all, they were kind of annoying. Night just snickered and continued on his walk. Finally, he stopped in the town centre, and looked around. He felt another chill. Weird...
Meanwhile, Twilight, dressed in camo attire, was watching Night Wisp from afar. The bush she was hiding in shook slightly in the gentle breeze. She stared at him through her binoculars and wrote down almost everything he did. Night just shivered a little and continued on his way. Twilight watched him carefully, making sure not to miss a movement. Suddenly, Pinkie popped out of nowhere and scared Twilight silly. Twilight's ears dropped and she groaned.
"Pinkie, what is it? Can't you see I'm busy spying on-....erm...Watchin-..um....sitting in this bush with binoculars?"
"Of course I did! And I thought you were lonely so I came over to give you some company!" she said with a giggle-snort.
Twilight just rolled her eyes and continued watching Night Wisp. He looked around, then continued on.
"He's heading back to the Everfree Forest!!" Pinkie gave her a strange look, and Twilight turned red. "erm..I mean....uh....Don't you have a party you should be throwing for somepony?" Pinkie gasped.
"Ohmygosh I do! See you later Twi!" She ran off almost as fast as she appeared, and Twilight picked up her things and ran to follow Night. She watched him disappear into the darkness of the forest, then she shivered. There was no way she was going in there, so she called for him, and hid her gear. Night Wisp blinked, then turned. "Oh! There you are Twilight! I just wanted to apologize for-"
"It's okay Night. I was being too nosy. Want to come to my house to chat?" Twilight interrupted. Night blinked, then nodded. "Sure I guess." They went back to the library, then sat together. Night and Twilight just sat there, silent for a while. Finally, Night Wisp broke the silence. "Um, do you still want to know about my cutie mark?" Twilight nodded eagerly. "Please. It's been bugging me for days." Night Wisp rubbed his foreleg, then said,
"Well to be honest, I've just been too lazy to actually find out...I never really cared all that much, so I never bothered trying to get one." Twilight blinked, then said, "But isn't it every pony's dream to find their place in the world?" Night Wisp shrugged. "Not me."
"But you get bugged and teased. Doesn't that bother you?" Night shook his head. "No. Not in the slightest. I know I'm different. I know I'm not like most. And I don't care. I'm just as normal as you or anypony else." Twilight stared. "How do you keep such a positive outlook on life?"
Night Wisp leaned in and smiled at her. "I stopped caring. I still care about my friends and family. I love them. But I stopped caring about anything bad in the world. The truth is, Twilight, the world is a terrible scary place. You just need to find your wisp of light in the night 's darkness~"
Twilight stared at him, speechless. Night just stood up. "Thanks for the chat, Twi." He smiled and left. "Adios." Twilight stared, white as a sheet.
"Wow." she finally said.
Night scrubbed his tail in the bath pool he had in his place of residence. The crystal clear water, somehow forever pure, no matter what is added, slowly poured out of a statue's stone jug, the pony holding it seemed to be some sort of maiden. He had only discovered this bathroom a month upon moving in to this abandoned building. The source of the water was still a mystery. He had peered into the jug, but there was no hole or continuous source of water. He never gave it a second thought.
He rinsed the shampoo out of his tail and stepped out of the pool, then shook some of the water out. He then grabbed a towel and dried himself properly. After his bath, he walked into the main room and looked up at the mossy stone monument. The strange statue also puzzled him. On it was 5 arms, like on a pentagram, but it wasn't shaped like a star. At the end of each arm was a small disk, a pedestal of some sort, as if to hold a sphere. He thought they might've been used as torches, but that proved false. The room was lit more than enough by the other torch stances.
He eventually concluded that they would've held spheres or large stones. The age of the statue seemed to be about 1000 years, maybe even longer. He looked around and walked down one of the hallways. He eventually wandered into his bedroom. His simple bed consisted of a rather large matress, a blanket and a pillow, set in the corner of the room. He left and wandered into his 'kitchen'. Or, the room which he used as a kitchen...There was a large chest and a stone counter, no fridge, no oven...If he wanted hot or cold food, he needed to go into town for that. He never bought a lot of food, and when he did, he bought mostly non-perishable goods. Cupcakes, granola, oats...He bought fruits on occasion, and ate them rather quickly. They would rot after a few days if he didn't.
He finally decided to leave and wander into Ponyville. He took the dusty trail through the Everfree's trees. He heard a timber wolf howl somewhere in the distance and a few things hiss from a bush while he passed. He made a living by finding exotic herbs and selling them to local bakers, as well as Aloe and Lotus, the spa ponies. But today was not for money. Today was for a simple visit to his favorite town. He did spot some rather valuable herbs on his way, and he did admit they were tempting...Hmm...Maybe he would go back and get his saddlebags.
He decided against this and continued walking to Ponyville. He wandered around and finally settled with visiting Pinkie. If she was around, that is...He walked into Sugarcube Corner and walked to the counter. He spotted a cute pink muzzle peek out from the kitchen, then disappear. Then Pinkie came out and smiled.
"Hey Wispy!" Pinkie said with a broad grin.
"Hi Pinkie. How's my favorite party mare?" Night smiled.
"Oh I'm super-fantaboulously fantastic! I just got a request from Vinyl Scratch to do a party! Oh! And the Princess even invited me to the Grand Galloping Gala again!" She grinned.
"Prin-cess?" Night looked confused. "Is a Princess visiting this part of Equus?"
Pinkie then looked confused. "You know...Princess Celestia? The big white alicorn that raises the sun every morning?"
"That's how that happens? And what's an alicorn?"
Pinkie's eyes shrunk to pin-pricks. "You don't know what an alicorn is?!"
"No...Is it a new species?"
Pinkie's brain couldn't really process the information given to her. Not easily. She pushed him out of the bakery.
"Umm...maybe you should see Twilight...I need a minute."
Night blinked and shrugged, not questioning the mare's behaviour. He thought it was just Pinkie being Pinkie. He decided to take her advice and wandered down to the library. Knocking softly, he waited for Twilight's adorable scaly assistant to answer. To his surprise, Twilight answered instead. She smiled and invited him inside.
"I was expecting Spike to answer..." Night said with a chuckle.
"Oh, he's off with Rarity to do some gem hunting." Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Hey Twi, I heard Pinkie mention something about a Grand Galloping Gala..."
"Oh! Yeah! Me and my friends get invites every year! It's this super fun party up in Canterlot. The Princess is the one who picks the ponies who get the golden tickets. You can't get in without one."
"Again, who's this 'princess'?!" Night looked confused again, and a little disappointed that he was left out of the loop.
"Wait you don't know who the Princess is?!"
"No..."
"Didn't you hear me mention her when we were talking that one night?"
"I must've spaced out...Sorry." His ears flattened against his head.
"Princess Celestia is the alicorn that raises the sun every morning. Her sister, Princess Luna, raises the moon every night...Didn't you ever learn this in school?"
"I never went to school..."
Twilight looked ready to snap. "Where did you say you lived?"
"In the Everfree. In this big stone building. Looks a bit like a castle..."
"Is it really really old? And covered in moss and vines? And has this big, 5-armed pedestal in the main area?"
"Yeah...How'd you know?" Night looked confused as to where this was headed.
Twilight twitched. "Excuse me a minute, I need to send a letter..."
Twilight ran out the door with saddlebags stuffed with writing quills and parchment, headed off somewhere into the diamond hills. Night heard her calling for Spike loudly as she ran away. Night shrugged and wandered back home.
"Geez, everypony is acting so strangely today...What's with that?" He kept going and eventually wandered into his 'house'. He didn't actually own it. It was just a big abandoned castle that he put up residence in. He really had no right to be there, but he figured no one would care. Otherwise, it would be better kept. His hooves made a echoing clop noise as he walked in.
"I wonder what they meant by a Princess...and I guess there's two of them...And how did Twi know what my house looked like?" Night thought hard, but couldn't really come up with any answer. He was pretty smart for an uneducated pony. He learned mostly from personal experience. Anything he encountered, he would try to figure out. But this, he was stumped...
"Hmmm..." Night finally muttered. "Maybe I have been missing out..."
Night woke up and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He was still pondering the events of last night...How did Twilight know about this castle? Who was this Princess? And why doesn't he know about any of this? He hadn't even heard of the Grand Galloping Gala until recently...It was too much to think about on an empty stomach, and he wasn't in the mood for what he had around...he needed a cupcake or something. He slipped his saddlebags onto his back and made his way to the door, only to be stopped and startled by a plume of smoke which glimmered, then turned into a roll of parchment, landing at his hooves. He backed up hastily and stared at it. He had never seen a message sent like this, so he didn't know if it was dangerous or not...
When he was absolutely sure it wouldn't explode or something, he reached over and picked it up, unravelling it with his hooves carefully. He read the words carefully, making sure to remember every detail...:
Dear Night Wisp,
I'm not entirely surprised that you do not know who I am...A few ponies actually think the sun and moon raise themselves up from the planet's rotation! What I am curious about, although, is the fact that you're a stallion that happens to be 16 years old, and look more like a mare! And that you do not yet have your cutie mark! When Twilight told me of this, Luna nearly spit her tea all over me and her! Well, I'm sure you have a lot of questions about me. So I formally invite you to the Grand Galloping Gala! Twilight and her friends will provide escort.
Your Princess,
Celestia
P.S.: I understand you happen to be using our old castle as a place of refuge. That's just fine by me and Luna, but if you ever decide to move to Ponyville, let us know and we'll be happy to make arrangements for you!
Night Wisp looked down at the bottom of the scroll. He picked up a golden ticket that said "Admit One: Grand Galloping Gala". He stared at the shiny golden note, then rolled up the scroll and set it aside, putting the ticket into his saddlebag, and then started his walk to Ponyville. He picked a few herbs along the way, setting them in his other saddlebag, then encountered a pack of hungry timber wolves. Night Wisp watched carelessly as the timber wolves slowly circled him. He rolled his eyes and opened a tinderbox, then lit a match and tossed it at them. They burst into flames and ran away, leaving Night to continue his walk.
"You gotta learn these things if you live the Everfree..." He muttered to himself with a smile. After picking up some more herbs, he finally got to town. He wandered around for a while, visiting various shops and selling his plants, then made his way to Sugarcube Corner with his bits. Pinkie greeted him as usual.
"Hey Wispy! Sorry about yesterday! I just didn't get the joke for a while, that's all!"
Night thought back, he didn't remember telling any jokes....
"Yeah, that joke about not knowing the princess?"
Pinkie's smile faded, then quickly returned.
"Ohhhh! You thought you could fool me again! Nope! Not happening!"
Night sighed, then decided not to push it any further...
"Can I have a cupcake, Pinkie? Chocolate, white icing, no sprinkles?"
Night Wisp put 2 golden coins down on the counter, and Pinkie quickly put them into the register, then hoofed him a cupcake. Night smiled and sat at one of the tables and started eating. That's when Twilight and a white unicorn he hadn't met before wandered into the bakery. The unicorn had long royal purple curls in her mane, and her tail was just as curled and purple. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires and her flank had 3 diamonds on it. Clearly, she was either pretty rich, or pretty self-centered...or both.
Night Wisp noticed Twilight and the unicorn walk in, then quickly coughed and choked on his cupcake, then dove under the table so as not to be seen. He wasn't avoiding Twilight, but she didn't look right when she ran out yesterday...Twilight looked in his direction, but saw nothing but a half eaten cupcake and a purple tail sticking out from under the table cloth...She shrugged, assuming it was just some foal playing hide and seek, yet could've sworn she saw that shade of purple before...
"So is my dress ready for the Gala?" Pinkie said eagerly.
That's when Spike ran in carrying a scroll.
"Hey Twilight! The Princess just sent this to you..."
Twilight unravelled the scroll and read through it, then gasped and grinned.
"Well, what's it say?" Pinkie said, eager to know.
Night Wisp took this chance to attempt to grab his cupcake from the table. He slowly reached out and grabbed it, then started to quietly retract....That's when Pinkie suddenly shouted to him,
"Wispy! What are you doing under the table? Come out! We have good news!"
Twilight and the unicorn both looked as Night Wisp slowly peeked out from under the tablecloth. The unicorn looked startled.
"That's Night Wisp?! You're certain that's a stallion and not a mare?"
Night Wisp slowly pulled his muzzle back under the tablecloth, blushing bright red...
"Yes, we're sure...Sure, he has some...confusing facial features, but that doesn't mean he's any different than the rest of us." Twilight said sternly. "Just come out, Night Wisp. No need to be shy."
Night Wisp peeked out again, then stepped out from the under the table, gently pawing at the ground with his hoof.
"Umm...h-h-hi..." He said. "I'm Night Wisp...."
The unicorn smiled awkwardly, then nodded at him. "I'm Rarity. I'm a fashion designer at the Carosel Boutique. Perhaps you've heard of me, or seen some of my works?"
Night Wisp just silently shook his head shyly.
"Oh..." Rarity said. "Well, do you have any formal attire for the Gala? You know it's in about a week!"
Night Wisp shook his head again, then said meekly, "I don't get out much....The closest thing I have to clothing is my saddlebags and my winter clothes...."
Rarity stared at him. "What a curious pony..." She thought to herself. "Well no matter, darling! I can help you with any of your clothing and accessory needs! I'll even design a custom tuxedo for you!"
"I don't have enough bits for a custom-"
"For free? Really?" Night Wisp blinked.
Night Wisp thanked her and left, walking back home.
"Wow...in one day I get a rare ticket to a royal gala, a free tuxedo AND a new friend....The 400 bits from those herbs didn't hurt either~ Whatta day...." Night thought about it.
"I have GOT to get out more...."
Author's Note
Finally updated this story after Celestia knows how long! Sorry for not updating as much! Expect more updates soon guys! DubleTruble96, out!
Night awoke the following morning. He went and took a quick bath in the strange mystery fountain, put on his saddlebags and went out to Ponyville. As was per usual. But for some reason he simply couldn't put his hoof on, something was different. It wasn't his routine...or that he didn't stop to pick some rare herbs on the way. It was simply something he couldn't quite place. He glanced over his shoulder to check if maybe there was something stuck on his tail. No, there wasn't anything. He turned back, then nearly jumped right out of his skin when he saw a pair of big magenta eyes staring at him with curiousity.
Rainbow Dash smiled and giggled a bit, then went back to her curious gazing. Night backed up a little bit and she hovered forward a bit. Night froze, then finally, Rainbow broke the silence.
"Are you Night Wisp?"
Night's ears flattened against his head.
"I know that.....And yes, it IS confusing. But I assure you, I'm a stallion."
Night Wisp chose not to answer that question. The truth was, nothing DID happen. He was simply born this way. Even his own parents thought he was a filly at birth! But he wasn't! He sighed heavily.
"Well, what's your cutie mark?" Rainbow said, leaning to the side to check Night's flank. He turned away and hid his flank from view.
"Nothing. I don't have one."
She grabbed his hoof and before he could utter another protest, he was being dragged to Sweet Apple Acres, and more specifically, a small treehouse off in the orchard.
"This meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders will come to order!" Applebloom said, standing at her little podium. The other (and only other) two members so far, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat down on their stools as Applebloom continued.
"Now we have a pretty full list of things we've got ta do today. We're goin' ta try all sorts of things this tahme!"
That's when they recieved a knock on the door.
"Who could that be?"
Sweetie Belle opened the door and Rainbow stood there, smiling at them. Scootaloo immediately ran over and hugged her.
"He he! Hey squirt! Hey girls!"
Rainbow stepped aside, and Night Wisp shyly waved.
"Hello...." he leaned over to Rainbow. "Dashie, these girls are half my size..."
Meanwhile, the crusaders were staring at Night with bewildered expressions.
"Is this a prank?" Scootaloo accused.
Hearing his voice just made them more confused.
"He's a BOY?" They said in unison.
Night just frowned. He was getting a little sick of hearing that.
"Girls, don't be rude. Yes, he's a boy. And yes, it's...a little.....unusual that he looks the way he does....But he's still in need of a cutie mark and I thought you could help him!"
Night and Rainbow exchanged glances, then Scootaloo came up.
"This isn't our normal protocol, but welcome to Cutie Mark Crusaders....uh...what's your name?"
Night Wisp put on a fake grin as Rainbow Dash flew off.
"Rainbow Dash, you are SO going to get it after this!"
Night Wisp came home after a long day of 'crusading'. They even made him a custom-sized crusader's cape. He didn't really think he'd ever wear it, but it was a sweet gesture. He was finally all set to just get into bed and relax....
*click*
"SURPRISEEEEE!!!!"
Night Wisp jumped a good 10 feet in the air, then landed and his ears flattened against his head. Pinkie hopped over to him and grinned.
"Hey Night Wisp! I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
Night Wisp backed up a bit.
"Well, thank you, but....wait...How'd you even turn on those lights? I don't have any light fixtures...."
Night's eyes shrunk into pinpricks.
"Tomorrow?!"
The other members of the mane 6 approached and noticed how flustered Night Wisp looked.
"Is he alrahte sugercube?" Applejack said to Pinkie.
Suddenly, Night Wisp leapt into the air and screamed, then sped off into the Everfree Forest back toward Ponyville to find a place to hide. The girls looked at one another with confused expressions, then galloped after him.
Night Wisp was later found hiding in a barrel that was previously full of apples. When Night Wisp refused to come out, they decided to just take the whole barrel to Twilight's house. Once there, Twilight got down low and started to talk to him.
"Night Wisp?"
The lid of the barrel slowly raised up and NIght Wisp's muzzle peeked out. Twilight and the others smiled and got a little closer.
"I promise, nothing bad will happen. Besides, we're your escorts. We'll make sure that nothing goes wrong for you, okay?"
Night Wisp removed the lid from his head and climbed out of the barrel, then put the lid aside. The girls gave him a group hug and he even felt one of them nuzzle his cheek. The sudden hug made him blush and shy away from them a little bit, but he knew they meant well.
"So why don't we get back to the party? I'm sure the guests are missing you!"
Night managed a smile and nodded his head, and the 7 of them made their way back to the old castle.