MLP: The Second Chapter

At the train station, she boarded the train to Manehattan unnoticed. After all, she was only a filly and the rest of the ponies assumed that her parents were among the large crowd. She also looked drastically different as Midnight Mare, so nopony recognized her as Midnight Sun. But she also possessed an ability that other fillies and colts could only dream about. Her magic was so powerful, it allowed her to manipulate a pony's eyes so that she looked innocent and sweet to everypony around her. She used this heavily to her advantage. Whenever anypony asked her anything, she would turn on this optical illusion and use it to full effect.

Nopony stopped her. Then again, very few ponies even took notice of her. That was just fine with the young filly, for her mission required as little attention as possible. As far as she was concerned, the entire crowd could just disappear into thin air and she wouldn't lift a hoof. These wretched creatures, she thought viciously, how easy they are duped. How easy it is for me, a mere filly, to manipulate them. They've sealed their own doom, and they don't even know it yet! How wonderful… I wonder if some of them have fillies and colts of their own. If so, that makes it better because I could recruit their children and turn them on their parents! Oh, what joy!

As these evil and malicious thoughts coursed through her brain, she took her seat on the train. Nopony sat beside her, and as the train rolled out and rumbled towards Manehattan, she watched the sights go by. She saw the apple trees of Applejack's farm. Hmph! She scoffed internally, stupid, shallow Applejack. The country ponies are the lumbering oafs of our species. It's rather disgusting. She turned her small nose up at the farm as it passed by.

They continued out of Ponyville. Trees, rivers, and lakes all whizzed by at top speed as the train carrying the veritable incarnation of death itself continued on its journey. Nopony traveling towards Manehattan could have known what the young one was planning. Indeed, some of them were business ponies, traveling to Manehattan from Ponyville and other places for a conference. They did have foals of their own at home, whom they loved very much. None of them could have realized that Midnight Mare was among them, planning and plotting to turn their young ones against them.

As the train went along, Midnight Mare did more thinking, namely about how she would conquer the other towns in Equestria. She pulled out her map and scanned it over. She had used a quill to mark her journey throughout the country. After Manehattan came Fillydelphia, followed by Baltimare, Las Pegasus, and finally Canterlot itself. Her plan was to have amassed an army of protestors and disgusted ponies by delivering them lies and false promises. Then they would descend on Canterlot and demand the deposition of Celestia and Luna. Once that was achieved, she would kill her army and take over Equestria completely. Then, I'll enslave the ponies who used to oppress me! She said to herself, either that, or I'll just kill them. Whatever works.

As she thought these things, the train screeched and skidded to a halt. They had arrived in Manehattan, the biggest city in Equestria. Populated by over a million ponies, it was the home of everything that was cultured and chic. Midnight hated it all. She hated it whenever her mother made her wear one of those disgusting dresses that Rarity made. I think I'll burn Saddle Row to the ground when I become ruler, she said to herself.

She got off the train and headed for the western part of the city. Specifically, she went to an area known as Horn Alley. This was a place where the most destitute and desperate of ponies lived. Thus, they would be manipulated the easiest. Soon, she told herself, just be patient. She wandered through the streets of the city, pretending to admire the skyscrapers and penthouses that had been built there.

She was able to dart her way through the crowd, using her small size to slip in and out unnoticed. Finally, she made her way into Horn Alley. She looked around and, despite her evil, her mouth fell open in shock. The homes here were broken and glass shards littered the street. Most of the doors were broken and the homes looked as if they hadn't been painted or fixed up in decades.

But if the homes looked this terrible, the ponies who lived there looked ten times worse. The stallions walked around with their heads down. The mares looked as if they hadn't had dresses of their own in years, and the ones they now wore were tattered and ripped. The recent crash of the hay market had hit these ponies terribly. Am I really about to feed lies to these poor ponies? Midnight thought. Then, a wicked smile ran across her face. Of course I am! She thought viciously, these ponies are poor, which means they'll listen to anything I say if they think it can help them out of their current situation. I don't give two pony tails about them. Let them rot!

So she steppedup to the first stallion she saw. She threw on the illusory spell that made her appear as an innocent brown foal named Ponita. "Excuse me, sir," she said with a cute voice, "I couldn't help but notice how down you look. Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," he said, "don't you worry about me, little one. My family and I will manage somehow." He stopped and gave her a curious look. "What's a little filly like you doing in this rough neighborhood? You don't look like you live here."

She shook her small head. "No, sir. See, my name's Ponita, and I live in Canterlot."

"Really? Are you in Manehattan on vacation?"

Again, she shook her head and continued feeding him lies. "No, sir, I'm here on a special mission from Princess Twilight herself."

"Princess Twilight? The Princess of Friendship?"

"The same."

He stopped and gave her a suspicious look. "How in Equestria do you know Princess Twilight? For that matter, why would she send a young filly on a mission?"

"Well, you see, sir, I'm an orphan. My mommy and daddy died when I was very young. So a Canterlot orphanage picked me up. One day, Princess Twilight visited us and she said that I was the friendliest filly there. So she gave me a special assignment to help spread friendship across Equestria."

"And you're here…all alone? Well, that doesn't make sense…"

"Oh, but I'm not alone, mister. The princess sent along a special detail with me."

"OK, then where are they?"

Midnight stopped. Shoot! She said to herself, how am I gonna get out of this one? She turned and smiled at the stallion. She tried to brush his inquiry under the rug and change the subject. "Oh, it doesn't matter where they are," she said sweetly, "what matters is that I'm here and I'm here to tell you all about something I heard in Canterlot. It's about the hay market crash."

The stallion's eyebrows furrowed in anger and Midnight knew she had him in her little trap. "Darn those rich ponies over on 5th Street!" He suddenly said in anger, "they think all the hay and all the bits in Equestria are for them! What with their big businesses and corporate attitude, they…" He stopped and looked down at the filly. Her eyes were wide, and he thought he might be frightening her. What he didn't know was that this was exactly what Midnight wanted to hear.

"But, maybe I shouldn't be discussing this with a filly," he said, "after all, what do you know about business and economics?"

"Oh, plenty, sir. For instance, I know that the rich ponies of Canterlot conspired with the rich ponies of Manehattan to dupe all of you!"

The stallion's mouth fell open. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, sir. Completely serious. By the way, do you have children?"

"Oh, I do. Two colts and a filly."

"May I meet them? Part of my mission is to speak with the foals of Equestria."

The stallion smiled. Bingo, Midnight thought. "Of course you can, young one! In fact, why don't you come into my house and eat dinner with us? It's getting to be about that time."

"Oh, thank you, sir. I am a little hungry." This was the only true thing she had said in her web of dishonesty. So, she followed the stallion into one of the battered homes. Inside, she had to retain her composure. A small table with a broken leg sat in one corner of the home, with a small stove and water pump behind it. "We're lucky," the stallion said, "some of the ponies on our street have to go down to the river and bring water back every day."

He walked over to some beaten stairs and called out, "Iron Wing? Cloven Hoof? Daisy? Come down! There's somepony I want you to meet!" As soon as he said that, three small foals bounced down the stairs and skidded to a halt. One of them was a silver colt with brown eyes, the next was a brown colt with blue eyes, and the third was a yellowish mare with bright green eyes.

"Ponita, these are my children"

"Hi, I'm Iron Wing," the silver colt said. He stepped forward and offered a hoof. Midnight shook it in a fake show of respect. Just keep working them, Midnight, she told herself, just keep working them.

"I'm Cloven Hoof, pleased to meet you," the brown colt said as he extended his hoof. She shook it and moved on without saying a word. Then the mare stepped forward. "I'm Daisy," she said as she extended her hoof. Once again, Midnight shook it without saying anything. She just smiled.

"Um, this is Ponita," their father said, "and, according to her, she's on a special mission from Princess Twilight herself."

"WHOA!" The foals all said in unison. They began bombarding Midnight with questions about her mother, but she didn't answer any of them. Instead, she just smiled and nodded a few times. She was gauging these foals to see if they could be of any use to her. That silver colt, she said to herself, he might do.

Soon enough, the mare of the house came down and fixed them some dinner. They might have been a poor family, but Midnight found that they weren't in want for delicious food. She thought it was the best dinner she had ever tasted. It was soup, but the way it was prepared was absolutely outstanding. Yes, she thought to herself, I'm gonna need ponies to cook for my army, and it looks like I've found somepony who can help in that area.

After dinner, she rounded the family up and told them what she had told their father. Their eyes grew wide as her deceitful stories about the rich ponies of Equestria fell upon their ears. She had to control herself and keep from smiling wickedly. As she spoke, she noticed Iron Wing's anger grow. Now she knew she needed to have him in her army. Good, she said, they've bought it hook, like, and sinker. Now, to get them to join my cause.

She finished her story and said, "so, you see, while I'm on my mission from Twilight, I'm gathering ponies to go and rectify this wrongdoing. They must be brave ponies, who would be willing to fight for their futures."

Iron Wing stood to his hooves. "I'm willing, Ponita," he said, "please, take me. I want those rich ponies to be brought to their knees!"

"Oh, bless you, Iron Wing!" She said as she threw her hooves around his neck, "if Equestria survives this, you shall be commended by Princess Twilight. I will personally make sure of that."

The other ponies didn't seem as eager and Iron Wing's mother cried and cried at the thought of her baby going off into something like this. However, his father was happy and heaped praise upon him. "You go show those rich ponies who's boss!" He said as he gave his son a hug.

Midnight watched the entire exchange with great excitement. This was much easier than she had anticipated. These ponies really would believe anything anypony told them, even a small foal like her. All she had to do was look cute and innocent and they would do whatever she told them. She knew she had a faithful disciple in Iron Wing, and she would take full advantage of that. The first pony has fallen to me today, she told herself, there will be more. Many more.