MLP: The Second Chapter

After Midnight Sun's transformation into Midnight Mare, she quickly began packing up her small saddlebag. Tonight began her self-imposed pilgrimage around Equestria, to gather foals who thought the same way she did. Together, they would take their parents to their knees and forever rid Equestria of what she saw as a great menace. Mommy and Daddy will be made to see exactly what their "punishments" and "rules" do to me!

The best news for her was that, whenever she got through with her subordinates, she could just kill them as well. All ponies shall bow to me one day, she thought viciously and arrogantly, I will bring even Celestia and Luna down! I shall be made famous, and the only pony to blame for it will be my mother. If I don't personally kill her, all of Equestria shall turn on her and blame her for the hell I'm going to rain down on this despicable country.

She maneuvered around her room as her thoughts grew steadily more evil. The hatred her mind had begun manufacturing toward her parents soon spread to every pony in Equestria, especially the older foals who had always made fun of her and teased her for being so small for her age. I'm not a baby anymore, she told herself, and they will be made to pay. I shall cast them into a blood soaked nightmare and I will never regret it!

She threw the necessary items for survival into her saddlebag. Some food, a blanket in case the nights got chilly, and some water for hydration. She also threw in some books she had been reading. One was by a pony philosopher who went by the pseudonym Dr. Manesford. Nopony knew his real name, but she was increasingly interested in his ideology. In his book, Manesford consistently complained about how the ponies who ran the biggest businesses and had the most private property in Equestria were oppressing those who had the least. His logic had a lot of holes in it, and most of it was completely pointless rhetoric, but Midnight loved it all the same. She loved it because she knew she could use it to dupe the ponies who would fall to anything as long as it said exactly what they wanted to hear.

And as soon as I'm through with them, she thought as an evil smile spread across her face, their place among the dead will be duly assigned. She threw the book in along with all of her other belongings and zipped up the bag, ready for her journey through Equestria. She dug out a small map she had been given as a birthday present by her mother. A ridiculous "gift," she thought, but a useful tool…

She opened it and scanned through Equestria, mapping out her journey. Her mind unraveled the path she would take to bring death and destruction to all Equestria. First, she would head for Manehattan and recruit foals there to join her cause. It wasn't the closest town to Ponyville, but it might prove to be a breeding ground for the shallow minded and ignorant among her age group. That's who I'm after, she thought as she imagined an entire army of her own, following her and remaining blindly loyal to everything she said. She could kill their families, ruin their farms, cottages, and lives, and still they would remain loyal to her. Why? Because she had a radical way of thinking, and radicalism always seemed to cling to ponies like that. They were so desperate for change and for something new to come into their lives, that she could manipulate them to do whatever she said.

She also knew that the closest town to Ponyville was the capital of Canterlot. She wasn't a stupid foal like the ones she looked to recruit. She knew if she were to go there right off the bat, she could get caught by either Celestia or Luna and her entire mission could be destroyed before it properly began. No, she said, I must keep this as quiet as possible for the moment. Yes, I want an army of my own, but not right now. Even in Manehattan, those… she stopped and spat the title ...PRINCESSES might have eyes watching for trouble. No, I won't get caught. By the time they realize what my true motivations are, it will be too late. My mother and father will lie dead at my hooves, and Celestia and Luna will be next on the menu. But I must find ponies to join me who will remain loyal and quiet.

Here, she encountered her first problem. She wanted to recruit ponies who had minds the size of the average pea to join her, because they could be manipulated the easiest. However, their stupidity could play a role in her own downfall. If they couldn't be made to keep their mouths shut about the rebellion, then her self-created future as Equestria's dictator could be put in jeopardy. Horns and horse feathers, she said to herself, using a popular Equestrian curse, this is quite the conundrum.

She paced around her room, trying to figure out how to solve this problem. Hm…if I recruit ponies who are dumb enough to listen to every word I say, then I would have to make the group small enough to keep a secret. But there's no telling what they might say if they go into a town or meet up with some of their friends. The revolution could be over before I've even swiped a hoof! But if the group is too small, then we won't be taken seriously. What to do… what to do…

Then she realized something else. She could prey on somepony's desperation. She knew that the ponies of Manehattan, especially those more destitute than others, had fallen on hard times lately. The hay market had recently crashed, bringing an era of hard times on the city. She could use this to her advantage. A wicked smile worked its way across her visage. Yes… she thought, the most desperate pony is willing to listen to anypony! I can use this. A combination of the most ignorant and most desperate ponies. But I'll have to find ponies among them who have some semblance of competency to guide the others. They'll just have to be desperate enough to follow my orders, and smart enough to manipulate the dumber ones to do my dirty work.

Her small mind worked the scenarios over and over, and finally mapped out a plan for just what she would do when she arrived in Manehattan. When she found a small group of ponies whom she deemed desperate, dumb, or both, she would befriend them. She would try and make them see that she knew about their problems and sympathized with them. Then she would tell them about this new way of thinking that was guaranteed to solve their problems. Once she had them hooked, she would reel them in and trap them. Then there would be no escape. Their death would be sealed. Once they no longer served any purpose to her, she would kill them. She didn't know just how she would do it, but she would.

Then, with her bag packed and an evil smile stretching across her small face, the young filly left her room and began fulfilling a prophecy that she didn't even know existed. She snuck through the castle under cover of darkness. She made her way past her parents' room, ever so slightly. Then she got a wicked idea. She turned to her parents' door and cast a small spell to temporarily remove all noise from the area. Then she used her horn to vandalize the beautiful crystal that decorated the entranceway. She smiled, pleased with her handiwork, and continued out of the castle.

Once outside, she ran towards the train station. She didn't need anypony else from this town. None of them would have joined her anyway. Soon, she thought, my parents will pay for their rules and punishments, Equestria will pay for its existence, and the foals of this country will lie dead at my hooves, having spent their last breaths crowning me Queen. I will bring everypony in this wretched land to their knees. I AM MIDNIGHT MARE!