The Hidden Student

Twilight and the rest of the group went outside Canterlot onto the plains, making their way to the forest- the only forest nearby the city. It was a well rounded, nearby there was nothing but green pastures up until the dense thickness of trees to signal that the forest had started.

“Oh I can’t wait to see him…he must be so dashing.” Rarity suddenly said with a happy smile and trot.

“He’s not so dashing!” Pinkie Pie bounced around higher than any of the ponies even measured in height. “He’s Mystery!”

“He’s A mystery,” Twilight commented. “I just hope he knows something about Celestia.”

“I’m sure he will.” Applejack joined in, putting a hoof around Twilight. “He’s the only student that lives near Canterlot that we haven’t checked.”

“Sorry…” Fluttershy said quietly, behind the group. “There was just…nothing on him...I couldn’t learn anything.”

“It’s quite alright sugar cube.” Applejack replied.

“I also can’t believe that I just looked at his profile and didn’t even think about it- I just wrote down what it said word for word. I usually pay such good attention to details! A profile like that I would have checked first, not LAST!”

“Nothing you can do about it now.” Rainbow Dash flew over the group, her belly facing the sky. “Besides, with our luck, this guy has to know something.”

“Well, I guess he can’t be too bad either, if Luna knows him.” Twilight smiled faintly.

“Oh yeah!” Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement. “Remember when Luna was all like,” she suddenly stretched her face, frowned, and rolled her eyes to the top of her head. “RARGH!” and then her face suddenly returned to normal. “And then we snapped her out of it and she became all nice and friendly! Luna’s been making a ton of friends ever since that!”

“Yeah…” Twilight fell quiet, as did the other ponies.

They approached the first of the isolated forest- large trees standing ten times their height looming over them like an adult scolding a child. Fluttershy gulped and hid behind Twilight, though she was still pressing forward with the ponies as they entered.

“Just remember…giggle…at the ghosties…” Fluttershy tried to remind herself. Luckily for her, the trees didn’t seem to take shape. They were just…trees. What was stranger yet was that there were no animal noises in the forest whatsoever.

“Man, what’s WITH this place? It’s so quiet!” Rainbow Dash was the first to mention it.

“Well, it is the ISOLATED forest.” Twilight replied with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

“Still, you’d think there’d be some sort of…animals around here.” Spike said suddenly, riding on Twilights back. He didn’t have too much to say- what was there to say? He was glad he was about to see another male for once.

Rarity suddenly shivered. “I’m not complaining…all the frogs and bugs…ugh. I don’t want any of that.”

Twilight did think it was strange. It was the first forest she’d ever seen that didn’t have any wildlife in it whatsoever.

“Why would someone even want to live here? It must be very lonely.” Pinkie suddenly said.

“Don’t think too much about it.” Twilight looked back at her and then looked ahead- pausing in her tracks at the sight before her.

A house stood before them, but not just a normal house- this house was huge. It’s outer walls stretched farther than any pony could even see. The paint looked to be very dark brown, almost on the edge of black with gray colored pillars holding up a small roof below the main roof. Windows were placed now and then but not one pony could tell what was beyond the windows. Right in front of them too, was a set of double doors- black in color, and standing as tall as Celestia stood.

“This must be it,” Twilight nodded, making her way to the door. “hard to believe only one pony lives here.”

“Fancy!” Rarity commented. “But…I wouldn’t have chosen the color for this place.”

“It’s certainly something.” Applejack had to admit. “This place is bigger than our barn, and our house put together.”

“Focus girls.” Twilight said in a quiet tone, walking up to the door and knocking on it. A hollow sound could be heard echoing just beyond the door.

Just after a moment, Fluttershy gave a nervous smile. “Well…it doesn’t look like he’s home. Let’s just head back shall we?”

“Oh come on, we got to at least give him a minute…okay time’s up. HEY! ANYBODY HOME?!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

Just as Twilight was about to knock again, an unlocking sound was heard from the inside. Soon after the door opened partially and a head stuck out- a head no larger, or much different, from the rest of the ponies, his dark blue eyes only partially open, staring at the one whom had knocked on the door in the first place. The pony’s mane was pitch black with traces of gray, rather flat though but tips sticking out in front of him. His horn was plainly obvious sticking out of his hair.

“Hello.” Twilight said to the pony that simply stuck his head out and nothing more; she tried to force a smile on her face.

The male pony stayed quiet, looking at Twilight with his lips unmoving.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends.” She said again, trying to get him to say something.

The colt’s eyes shot from one pony to the next- his eyes focusing on the jewelry that they all wore, including the tiara on Twilight’s hat. “Speak your business.” He said suddenly, in a rather dull and quiet tone, though his tone was still louder than Fluttershy’s own.

“We’re looking for Princess Celestia- she went missing. We know a student of hers visited her before she was gone and we thought you might know something about that.”

“And other students?” the pony asked.

“We checked EVERY student nearby- nothing. The only one we haven’t checked is YOU.” Rainbow Dash suddenly said.

“It’s true.” Twilight said trying to keep her forced smile. “Is your name Mystery?”

“Yes.” The colt merely replied.

“And were you trying to see Celestia on the night of the Gala?”
“Yes.”

“And…did you end up needing to meet with her again later because you couldn’t?”

“I don’t play 21 questions. Yes I wanted to see Celestia, no I couldn’t see her during the Gala, and yes, I was supposed to see her again.”

Applejack suddenly had to ask. “When?”

“Today.”

Spike was getting impatient. “Did you see her today or not?”

“I did.” The gray pony was hardly saying a word. His line of speaking would have been much like Macintosh's own.

Twilight had to ask, just out of curiosity sake. “Why?”

“That’s NONE of your concern,” Mystery suddenly said, his eyes turning into a leer.

“Hey- don’t talk to Twilight like that!” Rainbow Dash said, leering right back at Mystery.

“It’s a sensitive subject.” Mystery closed his eyes before reopening them in their half gaze.

Twilight sighed “No no…it’s alright. It’s not what we’re here for- we just want to know what happened with you and Celestia, and where she might have gone. She paused. “And if we can have your hoofprint too.” She added.

“My…hoofprint?” Mystery asked, curiously.

“Already on it!” Pinkie pie said, trying to keep herself out of plain sight by crouching down right in front of Mystery’s hooves. She raised one of his hooves, put ink on it, and then put his hoof on a piece of paper, giving the paper to Twilight. “Here! See if it fits!”

Mystery shook his head down at Pinkie, letting her do what she wanted with his hooves, but he didn’t seem happy about it. “Thanks for asking if you could do that.” He mumbled.

Pinkie Pie grinned, unable to detect his sarcasm. “You’re welcome!”

Twilight was already comparing the two prints, Mystery’s, to the note that had been left. “It looks…” she lowered the papers, revealing her head to Mystery. “Like a perfect match.”

Hearing that, Rainbow Dash couldn’t wait. “What did you do with our princess?!” She suddenly lived true to her name and dashed through the door, grabbing Mystery and pinning him to the ground inside his home.

The interior of the home was dark and looked very empty- just past the main entrance was a tall, and wide, staircase leading up, while the rest of the interior that they could see had nothing in it.

Mystery’s full body was revealed too- he had wings! Pitch black wings giving off traces of magic. His wingspan looking to be just as large as Rainbow’s, but still folded neatly by his side. It was Twilight though, that noticed his flanks. On his flanks laid…nothing. No cutie mark whatsoever was visible to her.

“She has an engagement she promised to help out with.” Mystery replied rather calmly.

Twilight had to wonder- was this the student? The hoofprint matched, but Luna said nothing about an Alicorn- much less ones with wings that stuck out like a pair of thumbs compared to the rest of him!

“Hey…” Pinkie walked inside, looking down at Mystery’s rear. “Where’s your cutie mark?”

Suddenly Mystery’s eyes lit on fire as he suddenly forced Rainbow off of him and jumped up on his hooves. “DON’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MY MARK!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, the word ‘mark’ echoing through the hollow halls.

Pinkie seemed oblivious to his tone. “You look as old as us and no cutie mark? Wow! Don’t worry, we-“ Suddenly Pinkie’s mouth had a silver lining on the top and bottom with tiny squares on the sides- a zipper. One that suddenly zipped up on it’s own, preventing Pinkie from saying anything but muffled noises. The magic around her mouth a light gray, certainly not of Twilight's own.

Twilight could tell it was Mystery that made her mouth that way. “Mystery. Tell us where Celestia is, now.”

The ponies, and even spike, surrounded Mystery- each looking at him with leers, ready to defend themselves if need be- even Pinkie who was still talking muffled noises.

Mystery just sighed. “I have no intent on fighting. Stand down.” He mainly looked at Twilight as he spoke. “Celestia is unharmed I assure you, and I will take you to her.”

One by one, the ponies nodded and let Mystery lead them to where their princess was.