Back again, and it feels SO GOOD! feels like forever since I last uploaded something for the peoples of the world to enjoy! Well, fear not, my fine furry friends. Without any further delay, here's some brand new tastiness for ya. I already got a few paragraphs of he next chapter on paper, so I know the next one will practically write itself. But until then, ENJOY!

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Chapter 22

Special Agent Midnight

The last of the ancient tomes were loaded below deck on the H.M.A. Imacloud, carefully stowed and guarded by the two dozen royal guards accompanying them. Crystals, vials, scrolls, jars of ink and all manner of artifacts and relics were loaded at the airship docks, ready for transport to the quiet town of Ponyville. Celestia stood in the early morning light, silently looking over the latest ship in her air force. Heavily armored, yet built for speedy delivery of troops and supplies, it would carry her personal prodigy and Canterlot’s newest defender to their destination. The princess sighed, looking over the main body of Equestria from her high perch. The mountain behind the Royal Palace was the perfect place to enjoy what may be one of the last precious moments of peace her world might have. The sun princess turned away, closing her eyes as the cool mountain wind blew through her celestial mane. Slowly, she spread her wings, stepping backwards off the edge of the high platform. They caught the wind, turning her as she dove and glided back down to the Royal Palace below.

“I hope this plan works...” she thought, turning a worried eye over her city once more. “... all the world is now counting on Equestria to save it...”

***

“I can’t begin to tell you all how much this means to my sister and I. Truly, your names will go down in Equestrian history for answering the call in this time of need.” Luna finished her speech, giving a graceful bow to the collection of creatures before her. Trixie, Blueblood, Soarin,’ Spitfire, Big Mac, Breaburn, Gilda, Rover and Strongheart; all standing there with looks of resolve on their faces. The heroes from the battle for the marketplace, now all healed, cleaned up and rested by the well-deserved night of sleep and large, royal breakfast had been gathered in the throne room. The doors had been closed and guarded from the outside as Princess Luna gave them the totality of their situation. All the while, Midnight and the six Element bearers stood silently by, ready to add to any point Luna made in case one of the group had trouble comprehending. However, their participation was not necessary, the night princess painting the picture of their situation with the skill of countless years of speaking in open court. When finished, Luna presented them with their choices: return home and leave the battle to the Elements, the Princesses, the Royal Guards and Midnight, or stay and receive military training, joining the fight against Bedlam and his minions. It took all of ten seconds for the unanimous vote.

“There’s no way I could go back to Appaloosa knowin’ Equestria needed me.” Breaburn said, feeling energized at the prospect of working for the Princesses.

“Eeyup. Besides, ain’t no member of the Apple clan ever turned their back on a friend in need. AJ can vouch for that.” Big Mac added, giving his sister a nod, causing the farmmare to blush and crack a smile.

“Well, we’re honor bound to always lend a wing and a hoof to the princesses, whenever we’re needed.” Spitfire added, her and her teammate lifting off the ground into the air. “Soarin’ and I are in this till the end.”

“If you’d like, Princess, I could travel back to Althera and see if I can gather a few squadrons of Lancers and Mages from our military. I’m sure Lord Veloc has more than a few to spare.” Gilda offered with a bow, as she had been taught to do before speaking to nobility. Luna smiled, holding up her hoof.

“Thank you, Lady Gilda, but my sister has already spoken to both King Veloc and Dragon Overlord Behemoth earlier. They are both aware of our situation, and are watching with great interest. If this escalates, then the entirety of both the Althera military and the Dragon Territory hoards will be charged with hunting Bedlam down and destroying him.” The night princess turned towards the window, the sun still low in the sky from her Celestia having only risen it a short time ago. “But until then, we are diverting all our energy toward countering this threat.”

“Um... Princess...? Did...?” Rover approached Luna timidly, the powerful diamond dog’s ears laying flat as he bowed just as the moon regent interrupted him.

“No need to worry, dear Rover.” Luna said, as though reading the worry on his face. “I’ve made sure to have King Veloc notify your clan to your whereabouts,” Luna said, then turning her gaze towards Breaburn and his mate. “as well as I have sent Royal Guards to contact your father and tribe, Little Strongheart. They will know your are here, in service to the Crown.” The canine and young buffalo sighed in relief as a single white coated Guard entered the throne room.

“Princess Luna.” Sky Shield announced with a salute. “Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle and Midnight Blaze are awaiting your presence at the airship dock. They are ready to depart at any time.” Luna nodded, stepping between the group as they all parted to allow her passing.

“Thank you, Sky Shield. Go and prepare whatever items our new recruits may need. Their training begins immediately.” Turning back towards the Elements and their new friends. “Everypony, you all have your orders. Let’s move.” The group saluted their now commanding Princess, each one trying to look as professional as possible before following after Sky Shield. The young guard lead them out of the throne room and down the hall towards the closest barracks for what would undoubtedly be their first session of special training. Luna watched as the would-be warriors disappeared one by one out, down the hall and out of sight. The five remaining Elements, however, remained behind with Luna.

“Are y’all sure bout’ this, Princess? I mean... relyin’ on critters that ain’t got any trainin’ to stand up to those Killjoy fellas’...” Applejack started, only to be cut of by Rainbow Dash bolting in front of her.

“Yeah! And why do WE have to stay behind, while Twilight and Midnight go to Ponyville? We could help with... whatever it is they’re doing.” Rainbow said, albeit a bit hesitantly. Luna approached the cyan speedster.

“My friends, you have some of the most important jobs of any of us.” Princess Luna turned and started out of the room, motioning for the five to follow her. She lead them down the hall, out into the front foyer and in front of the main two huge main doors. “All of Canterlot, if not all of Equestria knows about the attack on the city by now. There’s a growing panic in the city, the ponies who live here fearing that another attack could come at any time. Ladies, your job will be to simply go about the Royal Guards and the citizenry of Canterlot and reassure and comfort them.” The five friends gave Luna a confused stare, looking at each other as though unsure as to what they just heard.

“Um... Princess?” Rarity started. “I’m sorry, but... it almost sounds like you’re asking us to go out and socialize while everypony else is out training for our coming confrontation.” Luna smiled and nodded, a warm look in her eyes.

“My dear Rarity, that is exactly what I’m asking of you.” Luna raised her hoof, directing their attention towards a large, stained-glass window above the main doors. The young mares marveled at the work of art, showing their six cutie marks as beautiful gemstones, each radiating around stylized versions of the sun and moon. “I’m sure by now, you realize just how respected and idolized you all are around Equestria. As the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, your are revered as heroes, and are loved by everypony in Equestria. All I’m asking is that you continue to act like the stars that you all are and keep hope alive in the hearts of our troops and citizens by just being yourselves.” The five mares gave each other worried looks, Applejack finally stepping forward to rebut the night goddess’s statement.

“Um, beggin’ yer pardon, Princess, but we don’t usually go around flauntin’ that we’re the Element bearers that much.” the farmmare said, Luna tilting her head in confusion at her response.

“You don’t? Why, whatever for, Applejack? I would think that such a responsibility would be a source of great pride for you all.” she said, almost sounding offended. Fluttershy, surprisingly, stepped forward to respond.

“Oh, no, Princess Luna. We ARE proud that we were entrusted with this honor. It’s just that, well... for me personally...” the yellow pegasus stepped back slightly, Applejack partially hiding her from Luna’s gaze. “... I-I-I kind of like my privacy. And my animal friends don’t like many more ponies than my friends running around my cottage all the time.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie said, leaping forward. “I really wouldn’t want anypony wanting me to throw them a super-special, awsomely-awesome party just because I was the Element of Laughter. I’d want them to want me to throw them a super-special, awsomely-awesome  party because they thought I threw a REALLY GREAT PARTY PONY!”

“As strange as this is going to sound, I’m going to have to agree with Pinkie Pie in that regard.” Rarity said. “I put a lot of effort and hard work into every article of clothing I produce. I want my inventory to speak for itself, not have my affiliation with the Crown influence my sales.”

“I feel the same about my flying!” Rainbow added. “I wouldn’t want anypony saying the only reason I got a position in the Wonderbolts was because I pulled the ‘Element of Loyalty’ card. And besides that,” she said, her tone suddenly becoming much quieter as her ears folded back. “...wouldn’t that kinda be like bragging that we...  I don’t know... kicked your flank, Princess?” Luna paused, taken aback by Rainbow’s blunt remark, despite how true it may have been. The rest of the Elements shuffled their hooves and looked away, seemingly embarrassed by their friend’s words. Luna, however, now understood the reasoning behind their modesty.

“Oh... I see. So, that’s why you all don’t flaunt your stations?” Luna moved closer to the mares, giving them a reassuring smile. “My dear Elements, you didn’t ‘kick my flank,’ as you’ve so colorfully put it. You kicked Nightmare Moon’s flank. And I am honestly happy that you did. You came through for Celestia and for me when you took up the responsibility of the Bearers of the Elements, and we are both eternally grateful. And that is precisely the reason why I’m asking this of you. Veloc and Behemoth are keeping Bedlam’s attacks secret from their citizens until we can contain or stop him, but the citizens of Canterlot already know something terrible is going on. I simply want you to reassure them that everything will be fine.” Luna walked past them, heading through a side door leading to the palace’s private airship docks. With their orders now made clear, the Elements followed her, Luna pausing a moment to look over her shoulder and smile.

“And for the record; next time I try to take over the world, you won’t be so lucky, Rainbow Dash.” The five mares froze in place as Luna gave them a stern stare, suddenly breaking into a fit of laughter. “Psych. Gotcha, girls.”

***

Midnight, both princesses and all six of the Elements finally gathered on the airship dock, ready to part ways. Waiting on the dock were six highly trained earth-pony guards, six of the fastest pegasus guards available, three experienced zoology students from the Royal Garden wildlife reserve society and a pair of pastry chefs from the palace kitchen, each group now being lectured by a different member of the Elements. Watching as they all stood there receiving their orders from the hero mares, Midnight couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. By the looks on their faces, these poor souls had NO idea what they were getting themselves into when they volunteered.

“Now, I just know Angel Bunny is going to be difficult with you, but if you keep strong and show him who’s in charge, he shouldn’t give you any trouble.” Fluttershy finished, then paused to reconsider her words. “Well.. he shouldn’t give you TOO much trouble, that is. Well...” The yellow mare thought for a moment, reconsidering her instructions. “...just keep the first-aid kit close at hoof.” she said with a smile. While the three animal caretakers started second guessing their task, the six pegasi royal guards were getting an earful that made their days at boot camp seem like praise by comparison.

“You saps think you got the chops to do MY job! Do you know the FIRST THING about running a weather crew?!” Rainbow Dash was having too much fun, dictating and commanding the guards. For the most part, the Guards, true to their training, stood tall and strong. Although, Rainbow did take pride in noticing a single bead of sweat roll down the side of one of the Guard’s faces. “Of the all the limp-winged, green horned, sorry excuses for feather dusters the Royal Guards could churn out...!” Applejack rolled her eyes, turning back to her six earth-pony Guards, destined for Sweet Apple Acres.

“Alright fellahs,” Aj said, looking the six stallions over. “y’all look like ya got strong backs, and that’s a good thing. Trust me, yer gonna need em.’” She chuckled to herself as she thought of her kind old Granny Smith and sweet little Apple Bloom, sitting back on the front porch and ordering the Guards around the chores on the farm until they collapsed in a heap. Much like RD’s guards, the six stood at attention, determined and eager to please their princesses. The poor guys had no idea what was in store for them. “Heh. Ya know what, y’all?” she said, patting the end Guard on the shoulder. “All I gotta tell ya is good luck. Yer gonna need it when Granny find out she has free help for a while.” Across the dock from AJ and the others, Pinkie Pie seemed the most flustered of all. The pink mare paced back and forth, fanatically going over every one of her favorite recipes while the two chefs struggled to write them down fast enough.

“The important thing is not to add too much sugar! OH! But then you gotta make sure you add enough vanilla so the customers taste just a hint of it above the cherries and strawberries!” Pinkie paced around the two poor chefs, now desperately going back and forth between a number of notes they’d already taken as the party mare went back and double-backed over pervious ingredients and baking instructions she had already given them. “And making sure the oven is the right temperature is ESSENTIAL! Are you guys getting all this?! This is important! We do NOT need another ‘baked bads’ incident in Ponyville!” Midnight could barely contain his laughter as Celestia slowly walked up beside him.

“Are we you ready to go yet, Midnight? The airship is all loaded, and I think my volunteers are more than ready to depart now.” The pegacorn took a breath and composed himself, grinning at the sun goddess.

“Oh! Hi, Princess. Really thoughtful idea, donating guards and palace staff to Ponyville while the Elements were away. But yeah, I’m ready. I’m just waiting for Twilight and Luna, that’s all. As soon as they show up, we’ll be on our way.” At that moment, trotting up the stair access to the dock came Twilight Sparkle, escorted by a white coated unicorn stallion with a bright blue mane. As they reached the top of the stairs, the two paused a moment, giving each other a tight embrace. Midnight raised an eyebrow as the studdly stallion hugged the little purple mare with enough force to almost pick her up off the ground. “Uh oh... does Twilight have herself a little coltfriend, Princess?” the human pony cooed, Celestia giggling softly at his remark.

“Actually Midnight, that’s Shining Armor. Captain of my Royal Guard and Twilight’s older brother.” Midnight immediately blushed, all the good-natured ribbing he was going to give suddenly made useless. However, as he continued to watch the two, the long-lasting love between the two siblings became apparent.

“Well,” he said with a grin. “it seems like saving Equestria is something of a family affair. Twilight and her brother, you and Luna...” The stallion traced his hoof against the ground, peering out along the dock for the latter mentioned sister. “By the way, where IS Luna? I thought she’d be here to see me off.”

“I am here!” A voice called down from high above the two, announcing the arrival of the night goddess. With a gust of wind, Luna landed before the two, a mid-sized wooden box floating behind her in her magic. Luna walked towards Midnight, the pegacorn meeting her in a tender embrace. “I had to get you one special item for your journey, Midnight. Here.” The wooden box floated towards him, The lid lifted off, exposing something shining and metallic inside. Slowly, Luna’s magic lifted it out, the gleam drawing attention of some of the other ponies gathered on the dock. Floating before him was a silver and gold set of armor, more intricate than any possessed by any other pony serving under the Princesses. The pieces that made up the armor broke apart, slowly floating around Midnight as he marveled at them. Luna giggled to herself as she tapped her hoof to get his attention once more. “Now, hold still, champion.”

The layered body plating and chain mail meshing that connected it was a shining silver, reflecting the sun in Midnight’s eyes as it encased him and connected under his chest, his wings easily fitting through the two holes in the back plate. Another piece connected to the first at Midnight’s back, sitting slightly over his rump and tail. Golden bands connected around his fetlocks just above his hooves, extending up his forelegs until they connected with his shoulder plating. A mesh of chain mail wrapped around his neck, staying in place until his golden helmet lowered and rested on his head, his horn sliding through the hole in the center. It was like any other guard’s helmet, save for the lack of a crest and space in the back, allowing his mane to flow freely behind him. When the last piece was connected, Luna willed forth a pony-height mirror, holding it before Midnight.

“Well? What do you think?” Luna chirped, happily. Midnight could only stare silently at the dashing creature looking back at him. He looked surprisingly regal, the gold and silver pieces shining starkly against his grey coat and crimson mane, wings and tail. He already accepted the responsibility of Luna’s champion, her personal protector and chosen warrior. However, seeing himself in this armor, standing tall and proud, he now honestly felt like a true warrior.

“I...” he said quietly, a smile spreading across his face. “Luna... this is amazing! Where did you get this armor? Is this mine?!” Midnight quickly turned his head back and forth, checking himself out as the six Elements gathered to admire the pegacorn’s new outfit.

“It’s all yours, Midnight.” the night princess answered. “The helmet is a mythril-magicite alloy that should both protect your head, AND amplify your focus when spell casting, increasing the power of your magic. The body and leg armor is mythril, coated with a spell to make it lighter on the wearer when walking or flying without taking away from the protective properties of material. It was developed by some of the best mages and most gifted blacksmiths in Canterlot. And now, Midnight, the only working prototype is yours. So... do you li-” Midnight lunged forward, catching the night goddess in a tight embrace, almost knocking her off her hooves. The six Element bearers laughed as Luna struggled to regain her balance, then returned the hug.

“Alright ponies, let’s give these two a moment alone. Everypony on board!” Twilight announced to the dock. One by one, all the palace helpers and Royal Guards shuffled across the gangplank onto the waiting ship. Celestia trotted away from her sister and her friend, approaching the six Elements as Twilight received their goodbye hugs and well wishes.

“Twilight, may I have a word with you? In private?” Celestia asked, her words drawing the attention of all six mares. Seeing the worried looks on the faces of her student’s friends, the Princess gave the five a nod, ushering them back with a slight ruffle of her wing. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing bad. I just need to give Twilight a few last minute instructions, is all.” Reassured, the five friends, said their last goodbyes and trotted away, heading across the platform and down the stairs back to the palace below. As they disappeared from sight, Celestia turned to her student, her expression changing from warm and tender to serious in an instant.

“P-Princess Celestia? Is something the matter?” Twilight asked timidly. Celestia continue to lead her away with a wing, looking over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. Near the far end of the dock, Celestia finally stopped, sighing deeply as she sat before her student.

“Twilight, nothing is the matter. No more than the obvious, right now. However, there is something important I have to discuss with you. Something... I’ve been trying to avoid as your teacher...” Twilight sat silently as Celestia’s horn started to glow. In a flash of magic, a large, ancient looking book appeared before them. The cover was a faded red, the title written across the front in Old Equestrian. Twilight squinted through the aura of magic and read the words, recoiling back in surprise.

“‘Equestrian Combat Magic: Spells to Dominate By?’ Princess, this is... for me?” she said, her voice a mixture of surprise and fear. Celestia looked down at her, closing her eyes as she nodded slowly.

“Yes, my faithful student. This is for you. I know the subject of offensive combat magic was never something we’ve ever touched on before. But in light of recent events, it seems as though it has become a necessity we can no longer go without. Whenever you’re not studying Star Swirl’s journal on the Elements, I want you learning the spells in this book.” Twilight took the book in her own magic, turning it before her as she pondered meaning of this action. Aside from a few shield spells and teleportation, she had barely ever even considered defensive magic, let alone offensive. She knew her own level of power. She knew how easily she could hurt a pony with her skill if she wanted to. She knew that if she ever let herself go, there was the possibility that her powers could even kill. The thought alone turned her stomach, making it one of the main reasons she never looked into destructive spells before. But now, here was her beloved teacher, hoofing her over a book of spells designed to do just that.

“P-Princess... a-are you sure about this? I mean, I... I never even thought about using-” Celestia raised a hoof, silencing her student.

“That is not all, Twilight. As you learn these attack spells, I want you to teach them to Midnight.” Twilight was taken aback by this new order. Not only was she supposed to learn these deadly spells, but she was supposed to teach them to Midnight? The same Midnight that only a few days ago Celestia wanted gone from her city, never to return? “I know this sounds like a strange order, but please understand. In my more than ten thousand years of life, I’ve never seen a unicorn with more raw potential than you. As of right now, you are the most powerful magic-using mortal in the world, Twilight. And Midnight has excelled at every task he’s undertaken since his arrival, including learning all the fundamentals of magic and flight in one day. I believe, under your tutelage, he has the potential to become one of our greatest weapons against Bedlam and his forces.” Twilight sat silently for a moment, ears folded back as she fretted over this new assignment. The purple mare swallowed hard, looking up at the smiling face of her mentor. She couldn’t help but be comforted by the sun regent’s warm smile, reassuring her that this was the right thing to do. Taking comfort in the knowledge that Celestia never gave her an assignment she couldn’t handle, Twilight smiled back.

“I understand, Princess.” Twilight stood up, bowing in reverence to her teacher and princess. “I accept this assignment, and I promise to do my absolute best.” Celestia leaned down, warmly wrapping a foreleg around her student. “I won’t let you down, Princess. I’ll make you proud.”

***

As Twilight and Celestia spoke at one end of the dock, Luna and Midnight were left alone on the other. For a moment, Luna simply looked him over, giving him a smile, albeit weak. She had never had a very good poker face, even in her time ruling Equestria before Nightmare Moon. Now, standing before Midnight, her attempts to hide her worry were no better, the young stallion picking up on something wrong immediately.

“So... what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice calm and low, his own magic removing his new armor and placing it back in it’s box. Luna tried to make her smile more convincing, shuffling her front hooves slightly.

“What? Why do you ask, Midnight? Nothing, really. I...” Luna stopped, noticing the look of skepticism on her warrior’s face. “Oh... alright. I won’t lie. I AM worried. More than worried, actually. I’m... I’m afraid...” Luna looked away, too ashamed to gaze into his eyes. “I’m so afraid of what’s coming, Midnight. Not since Discord has there been a threat to the world this great. And not only that, it seems like... somehow, Bedlam has made me the key element of his plan to destroy the world.”Luna walked past Midnight toward the end of the dock. She stopped at the edge, peering out across the open expanses of the land, taking in the sight. Forests, hills, valleys, towns, cities; all laid out before her. And this was only a fraction of the wonders her world held. “I was almost responsible for the end of the world before, and I was almost lost forever in the process. I was sad and alone, and didn’t think I would be missed by anypony if I was gone. But now, you come along and make me believe that I’m somepony special, again. Not just because of being an alicorn, but because...” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, turning back to Midnight. “... because, somepony cares about me as much as you do.” Midnight walked over to her, taking her in his forelegs and holding her tight. He extended his wings, wrapping them around her as he rubbed his hoof up and down her back, trying to comfort her.

“Hey, it’s alright, princess. You’re champion is here, and he’s not letting anything happen to you OR the world. Bedlam’s gonna have to go through me first, and that’s not gonna happen.” Midnight pulled away slightly, his eyes meeting hers. He ran the edge of his hoof through her ethereal mane, feeling the cool of the night air run up his foreleg. “We’re gonna beat this thing. I promise. Just wait for me to return, and we’ll all be stronger than ever.” Luna cleared her throat and pulled away, slipping gracefully back into the air of nobility. She fluttered her wings back and shook her head, allowing her mane to fall gently back into place.

“Thank you, Midnight.” she said with a weak smile. “I needed that. Heavens help me; when you say it, it actually makes me believe we have a chance.” Though her words were encouraging, Midnight couldn’t help but see the hint of fear still in her eyes. He sat before the gangplank of the airship, Luna joining him as she prepared to say her final goodbye. The night goddess looked over the ship that would take her greatest advocate away from her with a bittersweet feeling in her heart. “Be careful on your trip, my champion. I... I’ll miss you. Please, hurry ba-” As Luna turned, her words were cut off y Midnight, the pegacorn rushing forward and pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss. Luna’s eyes went wide for a moment before slowly closing, her forelegs rising up to embrace the young stallion. He returned the embrace, holding the kiss with his princess until the two heard a very distinctive voice behind them.

“Excuse me, you two.” The pair slowly released their hold, turning to find Celestia and Twilight standing behind them, the sun regent giving them a sly smirk while the purple unicorn simply blushed. “I’d hate to break up this very public display of emotion, but you and Twilight have a ship to catch.” Celestia said, directing their attention toward the airship with a hoof. Sure enough, the two ponies turned to find several ponies waiting on the ship, eyes wide as they had just watched their night princess make out with a handsome, young stallion. The two quickly let each other go, stepping away from each other enough to allow Twilight on board. Midnight chuckled quietly, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof.

“Hehe... sorry, Princess. I, uh...” Celestia leaned down, giggling slightly as she spoke softly into his ear.

“Just keep her in mind when your training, Midnight. She’ll be here when you get back.” Celestia turned and started trotting back over to the stairs back to the palace, stopping and taking a seat as she waited for her sister to join her. Giving Luna one last smile, Midnight turned and walked across the gangplank, joining Twilight on the other side. With the last of it’s passengers finally on board, the plank rose and slid back into the hull of the ship. As the ship’s crew released the tethers from the dock, the ship started to float free, it’s magically powered motor starting to chug as the rear propellers pushed it away.

“Take care, Luna!” Midnight shouted as he waved over the railing. “I’ll be back before you know it! I’ll see you soon!” The airship puffed and floated out into the open air, the magical camouflage kicking in as it left the safety of the dock. In an instant, the brightly colored air bag and body of the ship warbled and morphed into that of a simple white cloud, rising to join the countless others that drifted and traveled in the jet stream. Luna sat at the edge of the dock, watching as the ship changed, rose up and finally vanished from sight.

“... goodbye, Midnight...” Her whisper was barely audible, carried away on the wind of the mountains as her warrior drifted away. After a few moments that seemed to Luna like an eternity, the dark princess turned to join her sister, head and ears drooping down in sadness. She stopped beside her big sister, the elder mare rubbing her back with an outstretched wing.

“He’ll be back, Luna. And when he returns, we’ll be that much closer to saving our world. And... I’ve been thinking it over. After Bedlam is taken care of, and all this chaos is behind us...” Celestia took a deep breath before continuing, still stunned at how much her opinion of this stallion had turned around since they’ve met. “Midnight can stay here in Equestria.” Luna’s ears perked up, the night princess quickly turning toward her sister.

“Tia... do you mean that?” she finally managed to say. Celestia nodded, shaking her mane in the breeze.

“Yes, Luna. After much consideration, I’ve decided to grant Midnight’s request. When Bedlam is defeated, he will be allowed to stay a pony, and live here in our world for the rest of his days. You can even keep him on as your bodyguard, if you like.” Luna lunged at her sister, squeezing her tight enough to easily kill any lesser pony. Celestia gasped, catching her breath as she laughed at her sister’s reaction. “Ugh! Heh... so I take it you’re happy with this, then?”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, sister! Oh, I can’t wait to tell him when he returns! Oh, goodness!” Luna released her sister and trotted across the dock, head turning as a dozen ideas came to mind at once. “I need to gather our best drill instructors and generals! Midnight will want to be schooled in the best combat techniques available! Not to mention he’ll need an official title. Shining Armor will have to integrate him into our fighting force and properly utilize his talents! OH! And of course, he’ll need his own suite in the palace, somewhere close to my personal quarters for quick response.” Celestia laughed as she trotted over to her sister, guiding her with a wing back toward the stairs to the palace.

“Alright, alright, Luna. Let’s start meeting with the press. They’ll want to hear from us about the recent attacks, soon.” The moon goddess continued the bounce in her step as they descended the stairs, never noticing the mischievous grin on her sisters face. “And after that, I think it’s time I gave you that old speech about ‘the birds and the parasprites.’”

“What? Oh, yes, of course. But after what... wait, WHAT did you just say?!”

***

Midnight watched as the small secret dock in the side of the mountain shrank, fading away amid the scattered clouds and jagged peaks. He turned away when he could no longer see his princess, letting himself relax now with a heavy sigh.

“So...” a quiet voice spoke beside him. Midnight looked over, finding a purple unicorn sitting there, smiling at him as she blushed. She looked up at him with a coy smile, half-knowing the way he would respond to her coming question. “... you’re really serious about her, huh?” The young stallion felt his face flush red as he tried to play off the inquiry, clearing his throat as he looked for the right words.

“Heh... I, uh... (cough)... I guess I am. She’s, um... really amazing.” he managed to choke out, trying to maintain a sense of professionalism. A sideways glance at the purple unicorn showed Midnight she wasn’t buying his forced lackluster attitude toward such a remarkable mare. “(sigh) ... Alright, alright... she’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, alright!” he finally admitted. “She’s all I ever think about, day and night. She’s...” Midnight suddenly got a dreams look in his eyes, staring off the end of the airship. “She... she’s been through so much, ya know? I mean, all those years ago, the first citizens of Equestria didn’t appreciate her. She couldn’t handle it, and as result... that...” His eyes closed tightly, the thought of ANYpony neglecting Luna aggravating him to no end. “... that... NIGHTMARE was able to take her over.” If Midnight still hand hands, they’d be clenched into fists. Since she had saved him from the Royal Garden when he first arrived, Luna held a special place in his heart. And the more he got to know her, the more time they spent together, the closer they became.

“I know... she’s gone through a lot. She’s been stuck in the palace, all alone...” Twilight said with a sigh, though not only for Luna. Their task was laid out before them, more important and daunting than ever a pony faced before. The Element of Magic brew in a sharp breath, standing tall beside her companion. “Midnight, how dedicated to saving Luna and our world are you?” Midnight recoiled in shock at her words, furrowing his brow at the mare.

“What?! How can you even ask that? I’d do whatever it takes to defend your world! I would-” Midnight quickly responded to the absurd question, his words being cut off as quick as he could protest.

“Good! Because you and I are going to pull off the impossible! I’ve got to learn a spell that will exponentially amplify the magical output of the most powerful artifact in the world! And you, my dear human friend, are going to learn ten years worth of combat spells by the end of this trip. And to make everything THAT much easier, we both only have seven days to pull this off.” Twilight leaned into the railing, hanging her forelegs over the side. “In all my time as Celestia’s student, she never gave me such an... such an impossible task.” She hung her head, her horn resting on the railing as she pondered their chances.

“Hey, now. We can do it.” Midnight placed a comforting hoof on her back, giving her a few gentle pats. “So far, I’ve had the market cornered on doing the impossible. But still...” he paused, considering the job before them. “... I promise, I’ll do whatever it takes to save this world. You have my word, Twilight.” The mare turned her head, giving him a weak smile. The way he said it, it seemed like the pegacorn really believed they could pull off this incredible task.

“Thanks, Midnight. I needed to hear that. But... I still have one some things I need to ask you.” The mare sat back up, shaking her mane back into place.

“Oh? What’s that, Twilight?” No sooner did Midnight say this than a large book and quill appear before them in a flash of purple magic. Twilight gave him a gentle grin, flipping through the book until her magic stopped on a blank page. Readying the quill, she pressed it to the paper. The faithful student levitated the stallion over to a chair on the deck and plopped him down.

“I’m going to need you to re-explain everything about your world to me, all over again. I need to document it all again, properly this time.”

***

After a more than two hour ride over the beautiful country of Equestria and countless questions from Twilight regarding everything from human agriculture to transportation to ‘mating’ practices, Midnight noticed a large forest crawling into view. Taking this as maybe his one and only chance to escape, Midnight sprang up from his chair and ran over to the railing.

“Hey, Twilight! Look! Is this that forest you were taking about?” he said, hoping Twilight would take the bait. Sure enough, the unicorn couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share her knowledge with an eager mind. She joined him at the railing, feeling a slight chill as she looked down over the dark woods.

“Yeah, that’s it. The Everfree Forest. According to Celestia, that’s the area of our world that is still very much connected to your world.” Twilight suddenly got a quizzical look on her face, touching a hoof to her chin. “Come to think of it, that theory of evolution shared by both our worlds, coupled with the powerful latent magical energies inherent in the area actually explains the collection of various monsters and unnatural beasts quite a bit.” As Twilight continued going on about the different species and sub classes of such, Midnight breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, something had distracted Twilight from the endless questions she was asking him. The mare continued talking about every aspect of the Everfree she could think of, never noticing as the forest slowly thinned, giving way to a rolling hills and, eventually, their destination.

“Twilight? Hey, Twi?” Midnight said, gently shaking her out of her lecture with hoof on her shoulder. “I think we’re here.” Twilight broke from her self-imposed trance, looking behind her as her adopted town came into view. She felt her heart lift as she recognized the various buildings and structures as they drew closer.

“Yes, Midnight, this is it. Please, allow me to be the first to say ‘Welcome to Ponyville.’”

The H.M.A. Imacloud drifted low over the town, drawing the attention of dozens of the pony citizens below. Along the ground, small groups of ponies in the streets gradually grew into one single mob, cantering quickly behind the ship as it started to lower towards the field between Whitetail Woods and the far end of town. The ship came to a stop, hovering silently as four of the pegasi Guards floated to the ground below. From the four corners of the ship, heavy anchors dropped down, each hitting the earth with thud before the being secured by the Guards. Slowly, the chains connected to the anchors grew taut, pulling the ship down. Stopping a mere few feet from the ground, the rail of the starboard side opened, allowing the gangplank to slide out towards the ground. One by one, the civilian ponies and Royal Guards descended the plank and lined up in front of the ship, Twilight and Midnight coming down just as a grey-maned earth pony mare made her way to the front of the crowd.

“Miss Sparkle! Welcome back!” the older mare started, running up and greeting her with a bow. “Spike received a notice from Princess Celestia an hour ago, alerting us to your arrival. Ah, and you must be Special Agent Midnight Blaze.” the mare said, turning to him as she offered a hoof. “I’m Mayor Mare. Please, if there’s anything you need in your mission, don’t hesitate for a moment to ask.” Midnight offered his hoof, the tan earth pony taking it and giving it a firm shake, well practiced over many years in the life of a politician.

“Um... Very well, Miss Mayor.” Midnight said, taken aback by his being called a ‘Special Agent.’ Straightening himself to match his apparent new stature, the stallion cleared his throat, looking around at the crowd. “At the moment, Miss Sparkle and myself will only require some time to ourselves to get situated. If there’s anything else we need, we’ll notify you immediately.” Mayor Mare are fluttered her eyes, blushing a bit at his tone. She stepped aside, the ponies behind her following suit. Twilight and Midnight walked through the hole in the crowd, the Guards and special volunteers following behind them in pairs. As they got out of earshot of the crowd, Midnight gave his purple companion a sideways sneer.

“‘Special Agent Midnight?’ How the buck did they ever get THAT idea?” Twilight giggled nervously, keeping pace.

“Heh... I... might have had something to do with that.” Midnight gave her a surprised look. “What? You needed an official title, and the mantle of ‘Champion’ hasn’t been used in centuries. When this is over, I’m sure Luna and Celestia will anoint you whatever title you want.”

“Fine, fine, fine.” Midnight said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s just get to your library and find this spell. The sooner you master this Elements of Harmony weaponization spell of Star Swirl’s, the sooner we can send Bedlam and his goons packing.”

***

The rest of their morning, and most of the afternoon for that matter, was spent traveling from one corner of Ponyville to the other, dropping off the allotted helpers from the palace to their various destinations. The first stop was Sugarcube Corner to see the Cakes. After a private backroom discussion with the two bakers informed them of Pinkie’s current whereabouts and the situation she and the other Elements were currently involved in. And though upset that they had to make do with the absence of their star chef for a while, the loan of two professional chefs from Canterlot seemed to ease the burden for them quite a bit.

The next stop was the home of Rarity’s parents. Just as Rarity had said, her parents, Magnum and Garden Wishes were there, though Sweetie Belle was off playing with her friends. The two ponies took the news of their ‘Little Rare’s’ mission in stride, knowing that as an Element bearer, she would at time be called upon to serve the crown. It was purely a matter of luck that they were in Ponyville at the time of her departure. The two parent ponies, to both Twilight and Midnight’s surprise, were successful  entrepreneurs, investing in businesses from Los Pegasus to Mexacolt to Whinnypeg. However, the two agreed to watch over the shop until their designer daughter returned, keeping up with walk-in customers and sending custom orders directly to the palace via Dragon Breath express mail through Spike. With a few words of thanks, the Twilight and Midnight headed out to Fluttershy’s cottage.

Using the key that Fluttershy told them was hidden under the second rock to the right of the door, the two ponies gained access to the cottage...

...

...

...

And immediately were caught in a pair of snare traps, set up by Angel Bunny. After some convincing by Twilight and a few choice words from Midnight,(words he doesn’t usually use in pleasant company) they finally convinced the little white monster to cut them down. With a thud.

Angel gathered up the various critters around the house, bringing them all together in Fluttershy’s living room. Midnight was amazed at how every one of the supposed ‘wild’ creatures seemed to have a basic level of intelligence about them. Patiently, they sat and listened to Twilight explain where Fluttershy was and when to expect her back. Finally, when Twilight was finished, Angel hopped over and gave her a hug to one of her fetlocks before he and the other critters flew, hopped and scampered off into the house. Twilight then took the three ponies from the Royal Garden animal reserve around the cottage, showing them where Fluttershy kept her boxes of kibble and various types of animal foods and medicines, making sure they were clear on their tasks at hoof. With a wish of good luck, the two ponies left the three volunteers alone to carry out their duties. In the interest of time, however, Midnight and Twilight chose to ignore the threes cries of terror from the house as they continued on their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

Understandably, Granny Smith was upset she wouldn’t be seeing her two ‘Lil’ appleseed’ for a while. The elderly mare wasn’t as spry as she used to be, and the chores on the family farm always piled up in a matter of a day or so without constant attention. As usual, Applebloom was nowhere to be found, the little filly off with her friends, no doubt on another cutie-mark earning excursion. No matter, though. The Apple family matriarch felt the ‘young un’’would take hearing about her big brother and sister better from her, anyway. The one spot of news that did manage to bring a smile back to her face was in introduction of the six earth-pony Royal Guards being lent to her from the palace. One look at the six massive, military trained stallions made the green-coated mare hop out of her rocking chair, promptly causing her to throw out her hip. As Midnight and Twilight made their way out of the quaint farmhouse, they could already hear Granny Smith start to bark orders, a flurry of clopping hooves echoing from behind the closed door. Final stop, the weather control office.

The news that Rainbow Dash might not be returning to work for some time was met with less than desirable results. Meaning, her supervisor fainted. After Midnight fanned the burley stallion with his wings and Twilight applied a cold compress to his forehead, the supervisor regained his senses. Surprisingly, Rainbow Dash was their most reliable and effective employee, able to do five times the work of any other pony on their roster. It was only after the introduction of the six Royal Guard pegasi did the fretting supervisor finally stop hyperventilating into his paper bag and relax. With Rainbow’s boss satisfied that the highly trained Guards would suffice until his star employee returned, Twilight and Midnight finally decided it was time to head to the library.

***

“Ugh! Finally!” Midnight groaned, stopping after each step to shake a different hoof. The town, much to his dismay, seemed much smaller from the air than it actually was on the ground, the multi-colored businesses and row after row of houses. “I think I walked more today than I did my entire time in Canterlot! My hooves are killing me.” Twilight giggled at the stallion’s comment, Midnight purposely overacting his discomfort. The pair had just walked over the Saddle Street bridge, finally making their way from the west side to the east side of town.

“Don’t worry, big guy. We’re almost there. Oh, look!” Past the last building on their current block, a huge, ancient oak tree. The branches were adorned with balconies and windows, with a large red double door at the base of the trunk. A sign out front showed a picture of an open book, signifying the role of the building in the community. “Midnight, I’d like to welcome you to my home; Golden Oaks Library.” Midnight stood before the library, genuinely impressed. Though the rest of the buildings in town were built to specify their function or speciality, the idea of building a library INSIDE a tree just seemed to... ‘fit,’ somehow. “Come on, Midnight. Let’s get inside. I’ll have Spike draw us up some tea to relax our bones a bit.”

“Spike? Oh, yeah. You mentioned before about another pony  that lives here with you.” Midnight said, following close behind as Twi magicked the door open.

“Oh, no. Spike isn’t a pony.  He’s a dragon, and he’s been my assistant for years.” The stallion paused in the doorway, holding back a little at the mention of that one certain word.

“Wait, did you just say the ‘D’ word? There’s a DRAGON in here?!” Midnight looked around from the doorway, scanning over the ceiling for a pair of glowing eyes and dozens of serrated fangs. A quick gaze around the large room gave Midnight all he needed to know about the library. Row after row of ancient and new looking books of all shapes, sizes and colors. A few statues and vases thrown about the shelves and window sills brought the place a ‘home-y’ feeling, all brought together by a single pony bust in the center of the room. A curved staircase lead up to the second floor, disappearing into the darkness. In the far corner of the room, barely visible from behind a bookcase was a door, leading to who knows where. Alright, surveying over. Quickly, Midnight then turned his attention back to the relatively dark corners and high areas of the room. Twilight ignored him, however, stepping right into the center of the library as she called to the beast within.

“Spike? SPIIIIIKKKKEE? I’m back!” Twilight trotted around her home, seeming to take comfort just in being back. The familiar smell of the paper and wood was a potpourri hat she never imagined she’d miss. Midnight, however, crept low to the ground, keeping his eyes peeled for the aforementioned fire-breathing reptile. As he continued his search, Twilight’s attention turned to the area directly behind him, her face lighting up in delight. “Spike! There you are!” Realizing the reason for Twilight’s sudden elation, Midnight quickly turned, not wanting to be caught off guard by the large lizard. In his haste to meet the great beast head on, he failed to notice the round little purple and green creature run right past him into Twilight’s waiting forelegs.

“Twilight! Oh WOW, am I glad to see you! What’s been going on?! Where have you BEEN?!” the little purple creature yelled as it buried it’s face in Twilight’s chest. The purple mare squeezed him tightly, rubbing a comforting hoof up and down his back.

“Spike! Oh, I missed you so much, ‘#1 Assistant!’ I’m sorry I was away for so long.” Twilight and the little purple lizard held each other for a while, Midnight obviously recognizing the two as being very close. This was... Spike? THIS was a dragon? He was nothing like the Shadow Dragon he fought in Canterlot. The pegacorn patiently waited for the two to get their fill of one another before introducing himself. Finally, when Spike and Twilight broke their embrace, Midnight cleared his throat.

“Um... you must be Spike, then? Hello.” he said, extending a hoof to the little dragon. “I’m Midnight Blaze. Nice to finally meet you.” Despite the small stature of the creature before him, Midnight felt an automatic sense of respect. Even back on his Earth, legends of dragons were often the most potent of stories, inspiring wonder and fear in all that heard them. He could only imagine the type of stigma REAL dragons would have around them in a world that they actually existed. His apprehension was unnecessary, however, as the little dragon slowly walked toward him and grasped his hoof in his claws.

“Oh. Hello, Midnight. Yep, that’s me; Mr. #1 Assistant, himself.” he said with a casual smile. “I heard a lot about you from Twilight already, big guy. Did you really fight off a bunch walking suits of armor all by yourself?” Spike asked with sense of wonder. Midnight only blinked at the little drake, surprised that this legendary creature seemed wowed by anything HE did. Not wanting to let such an interesting little creature down, Midnight grinned as he sat down before Spike with the intent of entertaining him with the tale of his battle against the Killjoys.

“Well, they were robots, actually. And I can’t take all the credit for that. Rover, Blueblood, Trixie and all the others helped a lot, too.” Spikes eyes went wide at the mention of those few names, his jaw dropping comically in shock.

“The diamond dog? The Prince? The GREAT and POWERFUL?! H-How did THEY get involved in this?!” Midnight chuckled at Spike’s shocked expression, the little fellow almost falling back as he recognized Midnight’s new friends.

“Well, it’s all a really interesting story, Spike...”

“Which will have to wait until later.” Twilight interrupted, levitating the little dragon onto her back with a ‘umph.;’ The unicorn then trotted over to the far side of the library, magicking open the small door in the far corner of the room. “Right now, we have a rare piece of history to find. Follow me, Midnight.” Twilight walked through the door, the stallion following close behind. As he passed the threshold, several bright lights hanging from the ceiling flashed on, the magic inside making them buzz almost like incandescent lights in Midnight’s mind. The room quickly illuminated, exposing the many instruments and machines of unknown medical and scientific purpose. Twilight paused as she reached the bottom of the stairs, surveying the equipment, levitating each heavy item as she examined the floor beneath.

“If I understood Princess Celestia’s instructions correctly, Star Swirl’s private notebook should be in tact, held I a preserving spell in a secret compartment right about...” The mare looked over every inch of the floor with intense scrutiny, trying to magically wiggle each and every cobblestone and brick of the ground underhoof, waiting patiently for any variation. Midnight and Spike simply looked at each other as they allowed the determined unicorn to perform her task. “Ah! Here!” Finally, in the furthest corner of the lab, just behind her cyclotron, Twilight discovered the false floor. Sliding all her machines against the walls and out of the way, she concentrated her magic on the interconnected bricks on the lid. Midnight leaned down, allowing Spike to climb on his back as he made his way slowly over to the hole in the ground. As they rounded he machines, the two came upon Twilight, her back turned to them as the purple glow of her magic shined brightly in front of her. Slowly, the glow rose up, shining down on the three as Midnight squinted his eyes, straining to see the object it incased.

“Twi... is that-” he human-pony started, quickly being cut off by his companion.

“Oh, yes yes YES!” Twilight exclaimed, jumping for joy. The mare then started hopping around the basement in a manner that reminded him very much of Pinkie Pie, the glowing object following and moving in sync with her movements. “This is IT! I can FEEL IT! This is really IT!!!” The glowing object lowered onto the small work table against the wall. The three gathered around the ancient relic, Twilight excited almost to the point of tears. Brushing some dust off of the cover with her hoof. There, before them was the answer to all their problems. The secret, hidden notebook of Star Swirl the Bearded. “With this, I should be able to unlock the secret to making the Elements of Harmony exponentially more powerful, effectively turning them into weapons and armor we can use to combat Bedlam!” Twilight grabbed the book in her hooves, clutching it tightly to her chest.

“Alrighty, then!” Midnight placed a hoof on his friend’s shoulder, feeling a renewed sense of hope. Raising his head high, the stallion took his most heroic stance as he spoke in an inspirational voice. “Let’s get started right away, then. The sooner you learn that conversion spell and I learn those attack spells, the sooner we can kick Bedlam’s flank off the planet!” He raised a hoof triumphantly to the sky, the little dragon on his back mimicking his action as he gently held on to his mane. The three friends’ excitement was brought to an abrupt end, the stomachs of both ponies loudly rumbling in unison. Spike snickered on Midnight’s back, covering his mouth with a paw.

“Um... heheh. How about I get you two some lunch before we go off fighting for Celestia, mom and apple pie?” The two equines looked at each other and blushed, chuckling nervously.

“So...” Twilight asked. “... food, THEN save the world.”

“Yeah. Food first, then saving.” Midnight replied. With the book in her magical grip, Twilight led the way back to the first floor. Celestia had already begun setting her sun, the day already quickly coming to an end. Though he didn’t mention it, Midnight already was starting to worry. The day had been spent cris-crossing all over Ponyville, explaining to the residents of the town the whereabouts of some of their most beloved citizens. However, the setting sun meant another thing to Midnight. Soon, he’d see Luna’s work in all it’s bright, brilliant glory.

“Calm down, pony boy. You heard what the Element’s all said about you.” Midnight thought, trying to reassure himself as he waited in the kitchen for Spike to make tea for Twilight and he. “ I mastered four-legged movement quicker than they expected. Hell, I won a game of tag against Pinkie Pie. None of the girls believed I did that! I took to flying in a day, even managing to keep up with RD and the Wonderbolts. And I don’t think I’ll ever forget Rarity’s face when I mastered levitation magic.” The human-pony’s mood improved slightly, the dragon assistant sliding a hot cup of tea in front of him. “You can do this, big guy. The whole world is counting on you.” He gazed out the nearby window, Luna’s moon already starting to rise into the evening sky. “... Luna is counting on me...” he thought with a smile.

“I won’t let her down.”

***

The cackling of electricity and screams of a mare in pain died down, leaving behind whimpering gasps and rancid wisps of white smoke. Nightmare Moon lay barely breathing on the floor of her cage, the tip of her horn smoking and glowing like dying embers. Weakly fluttering her eyes open, the dark alicorn once again saw her two attackers: the demented engineer Dr. Klokwerk and his Chaos lord master, Bedlam.

“Thank you again, my dear. Your generous donation of ethereal cosmic magic is always greatly appreciated.” Klokwerk said with a wicked grin, levitating a glowing quartz crystal with his metallic, artificial horn. He placed the crystal on a pushcart, already piled high with dozens of other crystals, all already fully powered by the exhausted mare. Klokwerk took the handle of the large cart in his ‘magic,’ pushing it up the ramp of the dungeon and off to his lab.

“So, Doctor,” Bedlam started, carefully examining the spent Nightmare Moon behind the bars. “do you have enough cosmic energy to complete Project Horsepower, now? We could always come back tomorrow and suck her dry again.” Bedlam made no attempt sugarcoat his love of tormenting the mare, his forked tongue flicking out between his razor-sharp teeth towards her.

“Not really necessary, master. I’m sure this will suffice for a while. However,” he said with a grin. “too much is never enough when it comes to power.” Bedlam laughed at the wicked his minion’s comment, clapping his claws together in glee.

“Excellent! It’s a date then, my dear Moony!” Bedlam reached inside the cage, pinching his captive’s cheek. The centaur-like monster then turned, following his subordinate out of the dungeon. As he reached the top of the stairs, he turned before closing the door, addressing her one more time. “Sweet dreams, my dear. We’ll be back.”

“...beh...bedlam...” a quiet voice whispered from the dungeon floor. Bedlam stopped suddenly, turning back around and raising an ear to his captive. “... I... I hope I... live just long enough...” Barely noticeable in the dim light of the room, Nightmare gave the Chaos god a wry smile. “... just long enough... to watch Midnight kill you...” The dark Goddesses’ head fall to the floor, her eyes closing as the last of her conscious energy failed her, forcing her to sleep. The evil being said nothing in response, the words only able to fall on deaf ears. Instead, he regarded his subordinate with a sinister scowl, and vanished.

A moment later, Bedlam reappeared in his private study. The dark, dank smell of rotting books and flowing of moth-eaten curtains fit well with the rest of the disheveled castle that he and Killjoys now called their home. In the pale light of the waxing moon, he sat back on his haunches, a heavy sigh escaping his scaled lips. With a snap of his fingers, a flurry of shining images and moving pictures appeared before him, illustrating the stolen memories and thoughts his soldiers as they witnessed Midnight in action. In one memory, he watched the battle with Klokwerk’s ‘Iron Mare’ robots, the battle ending in the automatons’ failing miserably. In another, he and Midnight exchanged harsh words in the courtyard of the Royal Palace, ending with the stallion tossing a flaming barrel of lamp oil in his face. In the final illusion, Midnight performed the Sonic Rainboom, dispersing Bedlam’s beautiful Shadow Dragon, effectively saving Canterlot from destruction.

“Midnight, the human-pony... What a joke.” Bedlam scoffed, “I should have killed you when I had the chance, you little free radical, you...” The beast growled, one final memory appearing before him. It was a memory from his own eyes, the villain staring down on a weak and powerless creature, cowering before him. The memory gave Bedlam a sick comfort, if only for a moment. “I should have killed you fifteen years ago when we first met, Midnight. Fate must have been on your side that day for me to make such a prideful and foolish mistake. But I never put much trust in Faith. She cheats at cards.” All the other images vanished, save for the young, frightened Midnight before him. “Letting you go so you could come back to haunt me was a mistake, but now it’s time for me to correct that mistake.” Finally, the image of the young Midnight vanished, leaving Bedlam once alone in the darkness, the draconequus wrapping his clawed fingers together in the night.

“The next time we meet, my dear boy...will be our last.”

****************************************************************************************************************************

Ah, shit! You dun BUCKED UP, Bedlam! Messin' with lil' kid Midnight like that! Now you not only got 2 mighty alicorns, 6 Elements of Harmony and a SWAT team of kick-ass critters gunning for you, but also one super-powerful human-pony, too! Well, that's if he can survive a week in Ponyville, that is. Will Midnight and Twilight master their new spells in the limited time they have? What exactly IS 'Project Horsepower,' anyway? and most importantly, where can I get me one of those really cool suits of armor?! All these questions and more explored and more in 'Stallion About Town,' the next exciting installment of...

STAR CROSSED!!!

(p.s. - You should know by now. Like, favorite and comment, kiddies. T.T.F.N - Ta-Ta for now!) Next Chapter: Stallion About Town Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 18 Minutes