(sigh) I ALMOST made it 3 weeks on time. Sorry, guys. :( I actually had the chapter finished, but read it over to see how it sounded and, honestly... not my best work. I deleted it and re-wrote like, half the chapter over again cause I thought I dropped the ball the first time. It was a pain, but I'd rather give you guys material of a better quality than quickly thrown together crap in large quantities. anyways, I know what the next chapter is going to be from start to finish, so it should get done faster. so... sit back and enjoy!

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Chapter 15

The Human World

Midnight scratched the back of his head with a hoof, trying to call the name to mind but drawing a blank. “I’m sorry, Bedlam, but I never heard of him. And I definitely never heard of a draco... whatever it was you said you are.”

“Draconequus, my boy. We’re a very distant cousin of the chimera, and very rare, so I don’t blame you if you never heard of us. Why, I only know of six other draconequus besides myself, and they’re all my brothers and sisters.” Bedlam stood up, shaking his head, the thin fur of his neck rustling slightly in the breeze. “Anyways... It’s about time I headed off. I have big plans in motion, and they demand my personal attention.” He paused for a moment, looking over the charcoal-grey stallion. Midnight stood up , extending a hoof to the towering creature. He looked down on the pegacorn, a little surprised, then gave him a warm grin.

“Well, good luck with that, Bedlam. Nice meeting you.” Midnight said with a smile. The draconequus took his hoof, with one of his paws this time, and gave it a hearty shake.

“Thank you, my boy. Nice meeting you as well. Have a good evening.” Bedlam spread his mis-matched wings and took off slowly towards the forest. Just before he disappeared over the tops of the tall trees, midnight gave him one more shout.

“Good luck finding your brother!” As the creature vanished, Midnight turned back once again to the city below. The sun was very near the horizon, now. It wouldn’t be long before the princesses raised and lowered the sun and moon. Maybe I’ll head back now... maybe I’ll even..” A thought suddenly popped into his head, causing him to quickly gallop toward the cliff. “If I make it in time, maybe Luna and Celestia will let me watch them do their thing!”

Spreading his wings as he leapt into the open air, Midnight caught a good updraft, sending him off at high speeds back toward the palace. With the low sun shining bright in his eyes, he quickly flapped his wings as he made his way home.

===

The large commingled creature set himself down in the clearing, his minions rushing back through the growth to meet him. Sitting on his haunches beside the lead carriage of Klokwerk’s convoy, he materialized a milkshake in a fancy glass, complete with a cherry on top. Inserting a straw in the mix, he took a long sip, the glass holding the milkshake disappearing up the straw as the cool ice-cream concoction remained in his paw, solid and in one piece. His followers just sat before him, each wondering about his actions but not one wanting to be the first to bring it up.

“Um, Master? I think I speak for all five of us when I say... we’re confused.” Klokwerk managed to timidly stumble out in his usual proper manner. Bedlam raised an eyebrow, tossing the solid-liquid of the milkshake off into the forest, resulting in a loud explosion.

“Yeah, why didn’t you rip him to shreds?” Grimdark asked, the rest of the group backing away and cringing at his brashness. Their master only laughed, walking over and patting the large wolf on the head.

“Why, my dear, sweet little minions... he’s of no consequence, that’s why.” he chimed, suddenly floating just above them around the clearing without using his wings. “Think about it; First, he’s new to the whole ‘magical, flying pony’ thing, so he’s too green to really be a threat to us. Secondly, he’s good friends with all the Elements of Harmony, the Royal Guards AND both princesses. Next, eliminating him now would draw the attention of WAY too many prying eyes. And finally, he has NO idea whatsoever of his own origins! Which I find just PRICELESS!” the draconequus yelled, breaking into a loud, uproarious laugh. The five warriors just looked at each other, wonder what their master meant.

“Um... master...?” Klokwerk asked. “Midnight’s ‘origins?’ What do you mean, exactly?” Bedlam placed the pinkie of his paw to his chin, rolling his eyes. He pulled back his arm, a razor-sharp claw suddenly springing from each digit of his paw. Swinging his arm, the claws all seemed to sink into mid-air, little sparks flickering around them as he clung to the spot in space.

“Oh, never mind. It would take just TOO long to explain it all right now. Just know that Mr. Midnight Blaze won’t be a problem to us. Tomorrow, you can dispose with him at your leisure.” Swinging his arm in a wide circle, Bedlam’s claws sliced the air in a perfect circle, the image in the energy circle falling in like a cut-out piece of paper, Bedlam’s dilapidated throne room displayed through the newly formed portal. “His little date with Luna tomorrow couldn’t have complimented my original plan better if I set them up together, myself! At sunrise tomorrow, I’ll return and give you all your final orders. Tomorrow, the sun rises on a happy, peaceful Equestria for the last time.” Floating through onto his throne, the draconequus waved back at his followers through the closing portal with a wicked smile.

“Sleep well, my warriors, for tomorrow, we raze Canterlot to the ground!”

===

Midnight ran through the palace, looking for anypony who could answer his question, preferable one that was a regular to the palace. Sure enough, galloping through the guest level, he ran right into Dusty. Literally. The earth pony maid was finishing up her daily rounds when the pegacorn rounded a corner, crashing right into her supply cart, resulting in mini-explosion of spray bottles, mops, brooms and toilet paper. Midnight flew end over end, landing sitting straight up, his horn inside an unopened roll of paper towel. Dusty wound up flat on her belly, a mop splayed over her face. Pulling the still-wet strands away from her eyes, the maid pony quickly scrambled to stand up.

“Midnight?! You nearly scared me out of my fur! What in the world are you doing?!” she asked, shaking the cleaning supplied off of herself. She turned and began picking up the items spilled across the floor from the crash. The stallion responsible removed the paper towel roll from his horn, levitating it around Dusty a few time till she paused and stared, turning back towards him in surprise. “Midnight, are you...? Since when did you learn...?”

“Since this morning. Pretty cool, huh? Anyways, please allow me, my dear mare. I made this mess, and I’ll take care of it.” With a flash of magic from his horn, each of the cleaning items strewn about the hall began to glow, floating in a circle above the cart. One by one, the mops, brooms, bottles, towels and other items flew back into place as Dusty sat still, jaw hanging open, so surprised at Midnight’s skills that she didn’t even notice him magically adjusting her mane and placing her hat back on her head.

“Thank you, thank you!” Midnight said with a bow. Dusty pushed her jaw back up as he came closer. “Really glad I ran into you, Dusty. Do you know where the princesses are right now?”

“Um... They’re up in the... main parapet, getting ready to do their daily duties. They should be starting any mi-“

”THANKS, DUSTY!” With those words, Midnight disappeared down the hallway in a blur of grey and crimson, ruffling the curtains and hanging painting as he went, leaving a silent, very stunned Dusty behind.

“Wow... he can fly AND use magic, now?” she thought aloud, placing her forehooves back on the handle of the cart. She laughed quietly to herself as she started back down the hall. “It’s no wonder why Princess Luna is falling for the guy.”

===

The celestial sisters were on their way to their places on the top of the parapet, each to overlook the countryside. Celestia to face her low-hanging sun in the west, and Luna to face the darkening skies far to the east, their usual positions for the summoning of magic necessary to move their charges into place for the evening. Luna had been ready for a while now, having raced to the top of the palace’s tallest tower, and actually had to wait for Celestia to reach the top. When the older sister reached the top, she found her younger sis ready, bright smile on her face as she greeted her.

“Taking your time, Tia? C’mon! Let’s get this over with! I have things to do, you know?” Luna joked, eliciting a smile from her usually serious sister.

“Oh, do relax, little sister. We still have a few moments to go. Midnight’s not going anywhere.” she said with a sly smile, causing Luna to blush. “Oh, stop that. I know you like him. And it’s clear you like him, too. I’m just teasing.” Celestia extended her wing and swiped it over Luna head, messing her mane a bit. The moon goddess shook her head, making it fall back into place as her big sister took her place behind her.

“Princesses! Wait! Wait a minute!” The two alicorns paused for a moment as a male voice rang up from below them. Suddenly, a grey and red streak burst up from below, stopping and hovering above them, the young stallion slowly lowering himself onto the parapet beside them.

“Midnight? Is everything alright?” Celestia asked the pegacorn. The stallion took a second to catch his breath, still not quite used to flying so fast.

“Oh... yeah, Princess. I just wanted to ask your permission for something, that’s all.” Celestia smiled at his nodding in response.

“Ask away, young Midnight.”

“Well... I just wanted to know... do you allow... ponies to watch as you and Luna move the sun and moon?” he said, sheepishly. The two sisters looked at each other and smiled.

“Well... not usually. Twilight has seen me do it plenty of times, but not the other Elements. I don’t have a problem with it, do you, Luna?” The moon princess nodded with a grin, much to the joy of the stallion, causing him to hop up and down a few times. “Alright, alright, Midnight. Just take a seat over near the edge and relax.”

Midnight took a spot near the edge of the parapet, turning to the two princesses. From his position, he had an equal view of both the sun near the horizon in the west and the darkening sky to the east. The sisters took their places, facing away from each other towards the respective directions of their charges. Spreading their wings, they began to flap slowly, gaining height as a small, flickering aura of magic formed around their horns. Their eyes both slowly shut as they rose up, matching each others moves in a graceful, ethereal ballet, summoning forth the magical energies required to consciously move the two huge astral objects. Since this morning, Midnight could feel the flux of magic from all round him, even from within himself, being drawn toward the two immortal ponies, making him feel both very impressed and very small at the same time. Together, the sister’s eyes shot open wide, now a glowing bright white, causing Midnight to squint and look away to the west. His jaw dropped at the sight before him. The sun, red and dying at the end of it’s day, moved. Sinking at a speed faster than he had ever thought possible by an object so big, the pegacorn watched as it disappeared below the horizon. Quickly, he turned his view to the east, just as a soft, white glow began to form over the mountains. It continued to build, until finally a solid, white orb rose up, finding it’s place above the land. He looked up at the two alicorns before him, their auras slowly fading as they began to lower back to the ground. Folding their wings back to their sides, the sisters shook the remaining sparks of magic from their bodies, allowing the last of the unused energy to scatter to the wind. Midnight sat, jaw hanging open and eyes wide as the two mares faced him.

“Well...” Luna said. “... what do you think? Was that what you expected?” Midnight raised a hoof to speak, but paused. Without a word, his eyes rolled back in his head, the stallion falling flat on his back, passed out.

===

“I can’t believe you fainted! That is the funniest thing I’ve seen a in... well, ever! And coming from an immortal, that’s saying a lot.” The two ponies strolled along through the royal garden, Luna playfully ribbing Midnight over his reaction to her power. From under his blush, the stallion gave a shy smile.

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and tease the new guy, I get it. But that was just TOO incredible. I mean, that was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. And you do that with Celestia every dusk and dawn?” The princess giggled, bumping her rump against Midnight’s as they walked through the stone sculptures and marble carvings that went on through the large open area.

“Yes, every dusk and dawn. And I’m truly glad you liked it. After doing it for so long, raising and lowering the moon can become too routine at times. The fact that you liked it so much kind of reminds me of what an honor it really is.” The two continued through the statues and carvings, Luna almost taking on a role of a tour guide, explaining the various displays, giving a brief history of each. As they rounded the corner, a strange statue came into Midnight’s view. The thing somewhat reminded him of a Chinese dragon, long and thin with a mane, a beard and a set of horns. However, this  was different than the rest of the works of art in the garden. The stone image seemed almost out of place, alive in a way that the rest of the stone effigies were not. Luna seemed preoccupied at the moment, sniffing at some delicate looking night-blooming flowers. Just as Midnight was about to ask her the history of the strange statue, he was interrupted by the gentle patter of hooves running up the walkway.

“Princess Luna?! I NEED to speak with Midnight, immediately!” Twilight yelled as she ran towards them. The stallion turned away from the odd statue to meet the mare as she came running up to him and Luna. The purple unicorn stopped, panting as she reached her target. “Midnight! I’ve hit every mental wall, was blocked at every turn and I’ve had enough. Every route I’ve tried to take to find out how you came to our world had resulted in a dead end. Every option exhausted and ruled out. Every option, that is, except you.” Luna and Midnight looked at the flustered unicorn, then back to each other. Suddenly, from down the walkway, a gentle thundering of hooves rose again, the rest of the Elements arriving in search of their manic friend.

“Oh! Dreadfully sorry, Princess! We’ve been trying to calm her down for a while now, but-” Rarity started to explain. Princess Luna merely held up a wing, quieting her before she went further.

“I can imagine,  Rarity. My sister has spoken to me at lengths about Twilight’s determination when a mystery or problem presents itself, so an as of yet unheard of alien being brought to our world would definitely qualify as a mystery.” Luna cast a gentle eye at Twilight, the unicorn instantly feeling as though she had overstepped her boundaries, blushing deeply.

“I’m.. I’m sorry, Princess Lunn, Midnight. I went too far to find out the answer to a question... again.” She hung her head, realizing the way she had made herself look. The pegacorn- in-question stepped forward, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“That’s alright, Twilight. I know you and I haven’t really had a chance to talk like you wanted to. But... I could maybe have that talk with you now. That is, if it’s alright with Luna, that is.” Looking over at Luna, the stallion was given a nod and bow, much to the delight of Twilight, who jumped for joy at the go-ahead.

“YES! Finally! I mean, I’ve been looking your painting and writings from your bed room since you left to practice, and I can’t WAIT to ask you ALL ABOUT ALL OF THEM!” Midnight grinned politely at her enthusiasm, although still a little apprehensive at her slight obsession with him, his world and his origins.

“Well, I have an idea.” Luna added, seeming to sense his caution. “Why don’t we ALL attend this little Q & A? That way, we can all find out more about our new friend, here?” The other elements all seemed to brighten up at the suggestion, each voicing their agreement with the plan. Together, the seven mares and stallion traveled into the garden, Midnight quickly leaving any thoughts of the strange statue behind as he went on with his friends.

===

“Oh, Luna... you just had to tell them I sang to you, didn’t ya?” The alicorn hid her face behind her forehooves, giggling. The group had been in the large clearing in the garden for more than an hour now. Twilight and Applejack had made a quick trip back to Midnight’s room and gathered up every piece of paper, canvas and scroll he had worked on, bringing them all to their little late-night interview. Since then, the human-pony had answered every question about each painting in great, excruciating detail. From monuments, to cell phones, to skyscrapers, to bridges, computers, airplanes, video games, ocean liners and space shuttles, the mares listened intently. Now, the eight ponies all laid on their backs, shoulder to shoulder in a circle, all staring at the stars and moon above.

“I’m sorry, Midnight. I just thought it was... sweet, is all. You DO have a wonderful voice. And that song seemed to fit so well at the time, for being thought of on the fly.” Luna giggled as Pinkie smiled impossibly wide, nodding at the stallion.

“My, my! That does sound sweet. To think; two star crossed souls from different worlds, finding each other by total chance and twist of fate, only to fall for one another.” Rarity sighed, placing a hoof to her forehead in a dramatic manner. “I wish some handsome young stallion would fall out of the sky for me.”

“C’mon now, ladies! My face is gonna match my mane and tail, soon! Gimmi a break!” Midnight pleaded to no avail. As the giggling died down, he reminded them of the task at hoof.

“Can we maybe just get on with the questions, please? Twilight, I believe you were about to ask me, something?” he said, failing to sound serious but not quite succeeding. Twilight stopped her giggle and cleared her throat, levitating a scroll above the group, slowing rotating it for all to see.

“Is there any other sentient life on your world besides humans? You didn’t mention any before...” The stallion sighed, shaking his head.

“Nope, just us humans. I mean, there’s horses, zebras and buffalo there, just like here, but they’re all... well, for lack of a better term, wild. They don’t talk or use tools or live in homes or anything. Well, humans kinda... use horses for farming, plowing fields and hauling goods and whatnot. They work hard, but are otherwise treated fairly well, if I remember right.” Applejack turned to look at him at the mention of farms, smiling slightly.

“Dang! Humans must work as hard on their farms as us ponies do! What kinda farms do humans usually have?” AJ asked. Twilight’s eyes lit up as another question occurred to her.

“That’s a good one, Applejack! Midnight, what do humans eat?” Out of Twilight’s sight, Midnight’s face dropped. Luna, laying beside him, however, couldn’t help but notice.

“Midnight... are you alright?” He didn’t answer, instead swallowing hard as an uneasy chill went through him.

“Well, Twilight... humans are... omn....” he said trailing off. The purple mare raised an ear, trying to hear him better.

“I’m sorry, Midnight, I didn’t hear you. What was that, again?” Taking a breath to calm himself, Midnight summoned the courage to tell them.

“Humans are... o-omnivores...” At once, the group grew quiet. A part of Midnight suddenly felt very small and fragile. Another part of him felt like a monster.

“Y-y-you mean, h-humans eat... m-meat? From... o-other creatures? W-what kind?” Fluttershy managed to squeak out. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at her.

“Pretty much the main kinds were cows, chicken and pigs...” Midnight waited for a response, receiving only the same silence as from his initial statement. He couldn’t recall a time he’d felt more out of place.

“Look, I’m sorry, alright? Please don’t hate me...” he said quietly, the thought of this now making his new-found friends think differently of him causing a pain in his chest.

“Aw, ain’t yer fault, young buck. Ya can’t help how you were made. We know you ain’t had any animals to eat since you got here, so we ain’t gonna hate cha’ for doin’ that before we met ya.” AJ said, sounding genuinely sympathetic.

“But I’m not like that! Hey, I didn’t even eat any meat while I was there! I... oh, wow... I was a vegetarian! I can’t believe it, I just remembered!” Fluttershy gave him a hopeful look with eyes shining.

“Really, Midnight? But what about being an omnivore?”

“Well, humans have enough food everywhere that they can eat however they want. And I chose to NOT eat meat. Well...” he thought for a moment, another thought coming to the forefront of his mind. “... I couldn’t eat any meat, even if I wanted to. I think I tried, like... twice? But both times, I got really sick from it. The second time I think I wound up in the hospital. So, it was an easy choice. But I’m still sorry, though. I can only assure you that humans WOULDN’T eat anything sentient that could talk or think or reason. And NO, everypony; before you even ask, humans don’t eat ponies.” He heard a few relieved sighs from his friends as Applejack tried to lead the conversation away from the unpleasant subject.

“Well, eatin’ only fruits and veggies was probably easy for ya in that city you lived in. I’m sure they had a big variety of em’ in a city called the ‘Big Apple,’ right?” AJ quickly asked, making him grin.

“Yes, it’s called The Big Apple. But that was more of a nick-name for it. The real name was New York City, and it was pretty varied in the different things you could eat, and also the people you could meet and the art and attractions and... just everything. I remember that I really liked it there. I remember going down to Central Park at the end of 6th street and watching the horses pull the carriages around for tourists while I skate boarded. Horses have always had a special place in human’s hearts.”

“Don’t you mean ‘ponies,’ Midnight? You keep saying horses...” Fluttershy quietly asked.

“Well, in my world, 'horse' is kind of an all-encompassing term. Like... you’re all ponies, but you're also mares, but a young mare is a filly. Still, if I wanted to lump you all into one category, I could just say ponies, or in your case, the Elements. It’s something like that. Come to think of it, you’re all adults, right? So why still refer to yourselves as ponies and not horses?” Twilight was quick to answer him, making a clever point.

“Well, Midnight, it’s kind of a cultural thing, I suppose. Celestia has always referred to her subjects as ponies, and herself as a horse. And if on your world that's the difference between larger and smaller forms of equines, the term just kind of makes more sense.”

“Oh, I get it. Like how I can refer to my race as ‘man’ or ‘people,’ but a more proper way would be human. Ok, understand now.” Pinkie turned to him as he finished, giving him a curious look.

“Wait, Nighty. You didn’t think any of us wasn’t an adult, did you? I mean, we’re all over 14, here. C’mon!”

“Pinkie, WHAT!? Just wait... if I can ask without offending... how old are all of you?” he said, completely clueless at this point.

“Well, Nighty, I’m 16, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are 17, and Twilight, Applejack and Rarity are 18. Why? How old did you think we were?” Midnight’s head started to spin. He had figured that the Elements were young, But THAT young?!

“Ladies... just from what I know about the maturity of female humans back home... I thought you were all at LEAST in your late 20s.” The six mares, all quickly stared at him, each giving him their own version of Fluttershy’s ‘The Stare.” Luna remained quiet, though a muffles snicker still squeaked through her hooves over her mouth from time to time.

“Don’t hurt me!!! I’m sorry! I’ve only had human females to go by, so far! And I don’t have much life experience yet to be a good judge of age, anyway. I’m only 17, myself!” he said, covering his head with his forehooves.

“Oh, my... Midnight, i-if you’d been a pony all your life, you’d probably have a job and be living in a place of your own for a while, now.” Fluttershy added.

“It’s true, rookie. Ponies usually start school at age 3. By the time they’re 7 or 8, they get their cutie marks, and by age 12, they’re done with school.” Rainbow Dash said, counting the milestones in a young pony’s life by extending a single long feather from her right wing for each.

“Yep. A pony usually knows what she or he wants to do for a career by what they enjoy to do. And unless they choose to go to a University or special school to learn more about their special talent, they can go out and get a job right out of school.” Twilight added as she ruffled through some of Midnight’s drawing, hoping to get their conversation back on track.

“I’m... shocked, ladies. Humans usually begin school at 5 and aren’t ALLOWED to stop till they’ve gone through kindergarten and 12 other grades. But, now if ponies finish school that soon... can I ask... about how long to ponies... live?” He felt uneasy asking such a question, but felt he had to know. With their school careers ending so soon, he had hoped their lives wouldn’t end any sooner as well.

“The average pony, mare or stallion, should live to about 80 or 90, easily. With good health and proper diet, that is. Why? How long do humans live?” Luna asked, calmed down enough from her champion’s reaction to now join in.

“Heh. That all depends on how difficult we choose to make our own lives. I’d say... between age 70 to our 90s. And we don’t have cutie marks to guide us to our life’s calling, so whatever you do in life is entirely your choice. And believe me... it can get confusing. Like this one time, at school, I...” Midnight paused, a blank expression on his face. All the mares present turned to look on at his sudden silence. Suddenly, the stallion shot up, standing quickly and startling his friends.

“I remember high school! Girls, I remember the classes I took and the teachers and TONS of my classmates! This is amazing!” he said, hopping up and down for joy.

“Young buck, are you alright? What makes that lil’ bit of info so amazin?’” Applejack asked, placing her Stetson back on. He quickly rushed over to her, shaking her by the shoulders.

“Because I didn’t remember that before! Man, first my diet, then skate boarding at the park, and now THIS! Ladies... I think I’m getting my memory back! Quick! Girls, ask me some personal things about myself! About human life! Anything! Fire away!” he shouted, the 7 mares all obliging him in his excitement. Did some kind of mental wall finally break away? He never thought of his diet before, and now, his school and classmates? While this door was open, Midnight was going to pull as much through as he could.

“Um, ah... SINGING! With how good you are at, Midnight, did you ever take singing lessons?” Pinkie shouted, pointing with her hoof. Midnight paused, then bounded up again.

“NO! Wait.. No? I... didn’t really need them, cause... I was..” His eyes opened wide, the memory rushing to the forefront of his mind. “You don’t need singing lessons when you sing for a rock band! Oh, my GOD!!! I sang in a rock band with my friends! OH, wait a sec...”

Midnight rushed over to the pile of scrolls and paintings, riffling through them, tossing them to either side as he searched. Suddenly he popped up, a single scroll hovering above him in a red aura.

“Here! Look at this! Princess Luna, Elements; I’d like you to meet my human friends!” He unfurled the scroll, showing the drawing inside to the mares. The picture was four humans, three of which were of a body shape similar to the one of the self-portrait Midnight had done of his human self. The fourth, however, was more slender and curved, with a longer mane that the other three combined. “Ladies, I’d like to introduce you to my bandmates and friends; Onyx, Ace, Shamrock and Misty.” The mares looked over the picture, scrutinizing the different humans in the drawing.

“Misty? Ace? Those sound like pony names. Are all human’s names like that?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head to the side as examined the four figures. “And... do all humans look so... different? The dark skin and bright hair and... why is that one’s body so different that the rest?”

“Well, those are just nick-names, RD. Well, kinda like RD is for you. Their real names are Tyler, Horace, Shamus and Aya, but anyway. Misty is the female with the long hair, by the way. She’s the bassist, and an amazing one at that. The big guy with the dark skin? That’s Onyx, the drummer, also amazing! And, depending where your ancestors came from, humans can look VERY different. Like Onyx has that skin color cause his ancestors came from a continent called Africa, and Misty’s eyes are like that cause her ancestors are from Japan, a country part of the continent of Asia.” A collective “OH.” rose up from the group, each sitting down before the scroll as Midnight explained his fellow bandmates.

“This one is Shamrock. Notice the red hair? He’s from Ireland. Well, his ancestors are, but he, himself, came from Ireland. HE moved to the city a few years ago, and plays the guitar like a maniac! And this is Ace, he from the Middle East. Egypt, if I remember, and he’s the groups DJ! And I bet you all can guess who the lead singer was...” he said, raising an eyebrow at Luna. The moon goddess giggled, admiring the great detail in the picture. She walked over beside Midnight, nuzzling him gently.

“Gee, I wonder. Well, if they’re friends of yours, then they must be some pretty incredible humans. What was the name of this band you were in?” Midnight thought for a moment, the name coming to him in a sudden moment of clarity like every other memory.

“Hidden Drive. It was mostly rock, with some punk thrown in. Wait, do you have punk rock in Equestria?” The mares gave him a strange look, having no idea what he was talking about. “Well, I’m guessing that’s a no. Don’t worry, girls. I’ll explain it later.” The stallion reared up on his hind hooves, waving his forehooves in the air. “C’mon, keep the questions coming!”

“Well, you’re still having trouble with your real name, right?” Twilight asked. “How about...” she said, choosing her words carefully. “... what do you remember about your parents?”

“Ohh... that’s a good one! Alright, parents, parents, parents... they were... hmm...” Midnight thought for a moment, the mares surrounding him as Luna placed a hoof on his shoulder, eager to hear what he discovered. They watched as his eyes moved behind their lids, the look of concentration on his face slowly fading into one of concern. Then, dropping fully into a look of sadness. Midnight gave each of his pony friends a dejected look. Then, without a word, he turned and started walking back to the palace. The princess and the Elements looked at each other, unsure of the reason behind his sudden mood change. Luna quickly turned and trotted beside him, nudging him gently.

“Midnight? What’s wrong? What do you remember?” she asked, instantly eliciting a cringe from the pegacorn. He stopped as the others trotted up behind him, all silent in anticipation.

“I... I think I know why I can’t remember my name...” he said, head hanging low, eyes closed. “I... don’t have a name, because I don’t have... parents...”

What? But that’s impossible. Everypony has parents. Is... s it possible you just don’t remember them like your name?” Twilight asked, wide-eyed. The stallion just shook his head.

“Twilight... I was abandoned. They found me outside the emergency room of a hospital with a note saying I was just over two years old. I couldn’t talk, so I could tell anybody about my parents. Hell, I couldn’t even WALK. I just remember going from foster home to foster home... I don’t even remember the names of the different families that took me in. All I know is... they never kept me for long...” The mares stood silent, too shocked to respond. Ever the diplomat, Twilight started to open her mouth, in an attempt to soothe the hurting Midnight. However, she stopped short of speaking any words, realizing that nothing she could say would remove the pain of this new memory come to light. Again, he started to walk away towards the palace. The mares started to follow him again, until Luna stepped between them, extending a wing.

“Twilight, ladies... I think that might be enough questions for tonight. I’ll let you know if I find out anything. Alright?” The group just nodded in agreement, all but Twilight turning to leave.

“Alright, Princess. I hope he’s going to be ok... I’m so sorry he had to find out like this.” the purple mare said, ears folded back as she hung her head low. Twilight turned and trotted away, going to catch up with her friends, soon disappearing from sight off into the garden.

===

By the time Luna had found Midnight again, he had already made it back to his room, the balcony doors still open from when he entered. Luna landed just inside his room, noticing the pegacorn curled up in his bed, the sheet covering him up to his head. Slowly, she approached, climbing into bed behind him and extending a wing over his side.

“Hey there, champion. Are... are you alright?” she asked, rubbing up and down his side. Midnight let out a deep sigh from under the covers, slowly shaking his head yes.

“Yeah... I guess... it’s just that I thought... maybe there was something waiting for me back in my world, is all.”

“But what about the family you’re with now? Surely, they must miss you, right?” Luna said, just above a whisper as she inched closer to him. The princess bit slightly on her lower lip in an attempt to hold back the emotion growing inside her, her new and closest friend hurting in a way that she knew all too well; the pain and fear of feeling unwanted.

“I don’t know... I seem to remember a dozen other couples that didn’t feel like keeping me around that long. I can’t imagine them missing me all that much, too.” Midnight tucked his wings closer to his body as he pulled the cover around himself tighter in a red aura. “It seems, Luna... like... I have really nothing to go back to...”

The pain Luna felt for her friend was overwhelmed her. The night princess reached out, wrapping her forelegs and wings around the stallion, feeling her eyes slowly start to fill with tears. “Oh, Midnight... I’m so sorry... I-I just don’t know what... I mean... I’m sorry.” She squeezed him tightly, tears falling down into the pillow they both shared. Gently, Midnight reached up a hoof to hers.

“Hey... do you think... we could still have out little date tomorrow? I’d still like to go... if you still want to, that is.” he asked. Luna let out a quick laugh through her tears, sniffling a little.

“Yes... of course we can still go... I wouldn’t miss it for the world, my dear Midnight.”

“Good... I just wanna see the way ponies really live before make my decision final.” The princess nuzzled the back of his neck, snuggling closer as she held him tight.

“Midnight, what decision? What are you thinking, my champion?”

“Tomorrow, when we come back, I want to meet privately with Celestia. Luna... with your permission... I’d like to ask her is I can stay in Equestria permanently.”

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I'd say a few words, but I think this chapter speaks for itself. a little shorter than usual, but an important chapter nonetheless. I already know exactly how the next chapter is going to play out, so it should get done fairly quickly. so enjoy it, cause it'll be the last peaceful chapter our beloved hero sees. as always, favorite, comment, like and track, guys! see you in "A Great and Powerful Noise", the next chapter of...

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