Alright, fellas, time to get serious, here. Crazy chaos is starting to occur all over Equestria, and is quickly closing in on Midnight. A training session with Applejack provided a glimpse into the potential this young stallion has, but how will he fare against everypony's favorite ball of sugar-fueled craziness? (That was a rhetorical question. You'll have to read this chapter to find out.)

Chapter 9

Parkour Pony

            Celestia trotted down the stairs of the palace, having recently just raised the sun. She already knew today would be another day of training for her most unwanted guest Midnight, the self-proclaimed human. By all her accounts, he really was what he claimed to be; one of those destructive, violent, cruel, malicious monsters she would have been happy to go the rest of eternity without seeing ever again. All she wanted to do was toss him in the dungeon for the rest of his stay here, until she could find out what to do with him next. The less time her ponies spent exposed to him, the better.

            But Luna had taken a liking to him. Unfortunately, he had managed to pull her out of her shell in a way that, sadly, Celestia had not been able to. And much to Celestia’s aggravation, he seemed to be taking a liking to her as well. That made the situation all the more frustrating for her. Also, for as far as Luna, the Elements of Harmony or anypony else knew, she was as ignorant to the existence of humans as the rest of them. She could not openly admit her knowledge of his kind without revealing that she was lying all this time, and that simply couldn’t be. Luna, Twilight and the others would just have to see him for the beast that he was if she had any hope of disposing of him in a way that satisfied her.

            Celestia continued down the main double stairs that lead to the foyer, pausing at the first landing. From one of the halls, the one leading to the kitchen, she heard what she thought was giggling and… singing? She waited a moment for the owner of the voice, spying Pinkie Pie bouncing out the door, towards the stairs. As Pinkie bounced, her gaze turned up the stairs to Celestia.

            The party pony stopped and gave a cute curtsy to the sun goddess. She was holding a brown paper bag; heavy with whatever items may have been in it, her coat splotched with flour. “Good morning, Princess Celestia! Beautiful sunrise this morning! Good job!” she said, placing the bag delicately on the ground. Celestia grinned warmly at the earth pony’s words. She had heard the compliment countless times before, but the tone of her voice seemed to hold an air of sincerity that gave her a warm feeling of appreciation.

            “Thank you, Pinkie Pie. You seem to be up rather early. Doing something in the kitchen, this morning?” she said to her perkiest subject.

            “Oh, yes, Princess! I was just on my way to wake up Midnight! Wanna come?!” Pinkie said, quickly hopping joyfully in place. Celestia felt a twinge above her eye. Midnight… again.

            “Really? Why would you want to wake him, pray tell?” Pinkie grabbed the bag again and hopped up to landing in front of Princess Celestia. She placed the bag again and opened it, sticking in a hoof. She felt around a moment and pulled out an item, presenting it to Celestia.

            “Cause I made him CUPCAKES! Here, Try one!” she squealed, holding the sugary baked good up to the alicorn. Celestia scrutinized the snack before her; slightly bigger than an apple, made of white cake, speckled throughout with rainbow dots and topped with pink frosting, complimented with a single cherry on top. She levitated it before her and gingerly took a bite.

            “Oh. Oh, my goodness, Pinkie! This is truly delicious! This might be the best cupcake I’ve ever tasted.” Once again, Celestia was surprised by Pinkie Pie. She had been alive for centuries, and nothing much surprised her anymore. However, this simple treat prepared by this silly, often mysterious earth pony had managed to completely take her off guard.

            “Thanks, Princess. I hope Midnight likes em’! That’s kinda like the main part of my plan.” Pinkie chirped, offering the princess another cupcake. “Here, Princess. Could you give this one to your sister when you see her? But maybe in like, an hour or so. Don’t wanna let these babies dry out or get yucky!” she said, tossing the cupcake up in the air before taking the bag once again and bouncing up the stairs. Celestia easily caught the pastry with her magic and called to Pinkie.

            “Wait, YOU’RE going to give Midnight a lesson? In what, exactly?” Pinkie stopped and turned on the stairs, looking a little surprised at Celestia’s question. Celestia was immediately sorry she asked. She knew some earth ponies were sensitive, seeing as how they could neither fly nor perform magic. She hoped she didn’t offend Pinkie in her curiosity.

            But the pink mare happily hopped up and down on the stairs, giggling at the alicorn. “Oh, princess! Sorry, but I can’t tell you that; it’ll ruin the surprise! Why don’t you come along and find out? It’ll be TONS of FUN!” Pinkie turned and hopped up the steps, singing ‘la de-da de daw...’ as she disappeared around the bend. From the landing, Celestia pondered the many friendship reports she had received from Twilight; the many various reports involving Pinkie Pie and her countless random and off-the-wall antics. And now, she was playfully bouncing off to wake Midnight, about to try her hoof at whatever strange notion she had thought of to teach him about ‘life as a pony’, as Luna had put it.

            “Oh, my goodness... THIS I simply MUST see.” Celestia quickly teleported the cupcake to Luna’s bed chambers and ran up the stairs behind Pinkie.

===

            The morning sun shone on Midnight’s face, causing him to roll over and pull the blanket over his eyes. He was thoroughly exhausted from the extensive workout session Applejack had put him through the day before, and hoped whatever pony would be training him today would let him sleep in for a while. Desperately trying to fall back to sleep, he snuggled back into the pillows and pulled the blanket higher up over his head. Suddenly, the faint sound of a giggle could be heard from the corner of the room. But that couldn’t be right; nopony was trying to get him up, yet. He must have been hearing things. He slowly pulled the covers up again, hearing the same giggle, closer this time. He quickly turned his head the other way, the sound of hooves softly clopping in the corner.

            “H-hello? Is somepony there?” he said, wiping the sand and drowsiness from his eyes. He looked toward the balcony doors and back to the main doors of the room, only to come face to face with a sudden flash of pink.

            “GOOD MORNING, SLEEPY HOOVES!”

            Midnight screamed, all six limbs flailing as he spring from the bed and over the other side, landing with a thud. ‘I wonder if this is going to be a daily routine while I’m here.’ He thought, straightening himself and looking up to see a pair of bright blue eyes staring at him from the bed.

            “Hi, there! I’m so glad I finally get to meet the weird, not-a-pony, alien-from-another-world pony today! OhboyohboyohboythisisgonnabesomuchFUN!!!!” Midnight stood up, cracking a few bones and stretching as he looked over his new, um… teacher? The bright blue eyes belonged to an energetic carnation pink pony with a wild magenta mane. She jumped on the bed, a brown paper bag held in her mouth. With a flick of her had, she tossed the bag on the nearby nightstand and hopped down, meeting Midnight face to face.

            “I’m Pinkie Pie, and I’ll be your proctor pony today! We’re gonna have so much super-dee-duper, playtime pony practicing fun today! I can’t wait to get started!!!” Midnight only stared as this living ball off cotton candy hopped around the room in a way that reminded him of a certain love struck, animated skunk. Cautiously, he raised a hoof.

            “H-hi. I’m Midnight. Pleased to meet you, Pi… pi… pink… wow.” His attention was suddenly drawn to the current state of the room. All around him floated balloons of all sizes and colors, with many balloon animal shapes thrown in various places. Streamers hung from wall to wall, swirling and turning around the very bed he just was just sleeping in. An old-time style phonograph sitting in the middle of the room, the record spinning with the needle suspended above it, ready to drop. A long table stood near the far wall, covered with cookies, cakes and a rather large bowl filled with what appeared to be purple punch. He looked from side to side, noticing that Pinkie had now vanished. “H-h-how… did you…” Suddenly, she dropped from above him, a pointy party hat on her head and a party horn in her mouth. She blew into the horn, blowing back Midnight’s mane as she gave the phonograph a kick, starting the record at full volume. Pinkie Pie took a deep breath and prepared to dance.

            “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh…..

            o/` Welcome to Equestria, we hope you like your stay,

Cause we can’t send you back yet, to your own world, anyway!

But even though you’re stuck a while, never should you fear,

Because that is no reason not to party while you’re here! o/`

            Midnight watched as the hyperactive pink whirlwind flipped and spun around the room, bouncing and ricocheting off the walls as she moved and sang to the oompha-style music.

o/` With two Princesses on your side, so happy you will be,

While staying in the palace in the lap of luxury!

So welcome to Equestria, please give our world a try,

And prepare for your lesson from the pony, Pinkie Pie! o/

            The music stopped, and Pinkie was left standing on her hind legs with her forelegs stretched out in the air, breathing heavy as a shower of confetti rained down on Midnight from seemingly nowhere. The charcoal-grey pony stood, awestruck at the mare, searching for the right words to describe what he just witnessed. Pinkie caught her breath and trotted over in front of Midnight, just as he regained his ability to speak.

            “That… was… awesome! How did you get ALL THIS done so fast!?” As he looked around the room, he noticed something bouncing on his head. Midnight looked up and saw a cone party hat planted on his horn. He didn’t even notice when she placed it on his head.

            “Pinkie Pie is full of surprises, young Midnight. But you’ll find that out all about that today.” The two ponies turned their attention across the room, noticing the tall, white alicorn standing in the doorway. Midnight took a few steps forward and bowed to the princess, receiving a nod in return.

            “Good morning, Princess. Sleep well last night?” the young stallion asked. Celestia understood the reasoning behind this question, letting out a polite giggle as she answered.

            “Oh, yes, thank you. I just thought I’d take some time and sit-in on your lesson today. You know; monitor your progress. You seemed so proficient in your routine with Applejack yesterday that I just had to observe you today.”

            “Oh? Alright. That’s excellent. Do you think Luna will join us later, then?” Celestia felt that familiar twinge again at the mention of her sister’s name.

            “Heh. Princess Luna will join us later. She’s currently with Twilight in the library, describing the atmospheric phenomenon that occurred when you first appeared the other night. Perhaps by understanding that, we might find a quicker route to send you back home. She’ll be along shortly.”

            “That’s right, you silly-filly!” Pinkie yelled, hopping on Midnight’s back from behind. He staggered a moment before becoming stable again and looking back at her. “Oh, wait; you’re a STALLION! Anyways, we better get started!” Producing the small brown bag from seemingly nowhere, Pinkie reached inside and pulled out a small, colorful cupcake. “Here you go, Midnight. I baked these cupcakes just for you!” She hopped off his back and held out confection up for his scrutiny. He reached up and took the cupcake in his hoof and, after giving it a sniff, opened wide and popped the entire thing in his mouth. Almost instantly, his face lit up to an expression of pure joy.

            “Ummm! Oh, dang, Pinkie! This is... This is absolutely the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” Pinkie squealed at the praise, hopping up and down again as he savored the taste. The sweet, whipped frosting, the delicate sprinkles, everything perfect. He had been eating very healthy in the last couple days, only having fruits, veggies and all-natural foods brought to him by the palace kitchen staff. However, this simple baked-goods was far beyond anything he had so far. Despite the lack of memories from his life back in his human life, he doubted he would be able to forget something as delicious as this.

            “I’m so SUPER HAPPY you like them! I woke up early just to make them for you! Would you like another one?” Pinkie chirped, reaching into her bag and retrieving another cupcake. Midnight nodded as his eyes lit up at the sight of the equally wonderful looking cupcake. He sat down on his haunches and reached forward with his hooves, almost falling forward as Pinkie quickly pulled the cupcake away from his grasp.

            “Nu-uh-uh! Not so fast, Nighty! You’re in training, remember? You’re gonna have to EARN this one.” She said with a wicked grin. ‘Nighty,’ a bit surprised by his newly appointed nick-name, blinked at her sudden seriousness. She dropped the cupcake back in the bag and hopped over to the door by Princess Celestia. “Don’t worry, this is gonna be real simple. All you have to do is play TAG with me! If you catch me before noon, I’ll give you these, and a WHOLE batch more, JUST FOR YOU! Sound good?” The young stallion only blinked at the strange request, noticing now Celestia stifling her laughter. He slowly started inching his way towards Pinkie Pie, still bouncing with her eyes closed out of sheer joy.

            “You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right? I just have to play tag with you, catch you and you’ll give me those awesome cupcakes, and bake me a whole other batch? You’re on, sister!” he yelled as he dove for her, missing as she hopped straight up to avoid his lunge. He crashed into the wall beside the door, causing Celestia to jump a little. She couldn’t help but let out an audible giggle at the crumpled pegacorn on the floor.

            “I think you’ll find our friend Pinkie is not so easily caught, my dear Midnight Blaze. She has often surprised even me with the amazing feats she has been known to perform. You might as well give up right now and spare yourself some frustration.” She couldn’t help but smile at her own words. Perhaps he WOULD give up and make himself look weak in Luna’s eyes. But Celestia’s dim hope was extinguished as quickly as it came when the human-turned-pony stood up and smiled. He looked back at his bed, and Pinkie Pie happily hopping on it, still holding the bag of cupcakes in her mouth.

            “Oh, no, Princess. I see what she’s doing here.”

            “You do?” Pinkie chirped.

            “You’re trying to make me aggravated so I lose focus and get sloppy.”

            “I am?” Pinkie asked.

            “Yeah, you are.” He stood up and shook his crimson mane, noticing his wings ruffle themselves a bit as his party hat went flying off. He took an aggressive stance, pawing his hoof at the ground. “I’m feeling pretty spry after that workout Applejack gave me yesterday. And I’m not giving up that easily. So you better be ready to run, Pinkie Pie, cause those cupcakes are MINE!” He lunged once again, trying to grab at Pinkie’s legs as she landed down on the bed at the end of a bounce. She once again avoided his grasp easily, flipping above and over him, landing perfectly balanced on her back hooves, forelegs crossed. Midnight turned and came face to face with the pink mare, who leaned in with a smile and tapped her left front hoof against his nose once.

            “Tag, Nighty. YOU’RE IT!” Pinkie squealed as she cart-wheeled back toward the door, prompting Celestia to quickly move to the side to make room for her. She paused a moment and looked back into the room and waved before speeding down the hallway, the charcoal grey stallion bolting out of the room in hot pursuit. Celestia grinned wickedly to herself as the two disappeared around the bend in the hallway.

            “Oh yes. This lesson I DEFINITELY have to see.”

===

            “Are you sure that’s all that happened? I mean… just like that?” Twilight struggled to find a spell she knew of that matched the effects Luna had described. They had been on the task since before Celestia raised her sun, and still found no answers as to the event that brought Midnight to their world. Luna let out a heavy sigh and continued.

            “It all started with a flicker in the night sky. Then, there was a flash, followed by a huge wave of cosmic energy. That’s when Midnight appeared. He actually was falling so fast, he broke the sound barrier, but I believe his uncontrolled fall slowed him down. I don’t know how fast he was falling, but it was enough to make a small crater in the garden floor. The rest of the night was spent with a few members of the palace medical staff and guard medics fixing him up and placing bandages on him while casted healing spells. That’s pretty much it.” Twilight rubbed her head with a hoof, unable to make sense of the events of that night.

            “I hate to say it, Princess. I mean, I REALLY hate to say it, but… I’m completely STUMPED!” She lowered her head to the large library table between a large group of open books, placing her hooves over her head. Luna only shook her head in disappointment. “I mean, judging on what you told me, by all accounts, he… shouldn’t even have survived the fall. But based on what the medics and staff have told me, he only had a few hair-line fractures and lacerations. If he’s truly a pegacorn, then he shouldn’t he nearly tough enough to live though that.” She looked out across the table at the one book on pony biology, remembering she heard Midnight had requested several books of the like. “Unicorns and pegasi are just not built to shrug off that kind of damage, so a pegacorn, being a cross between the two wouldn’t be either. And traditionally, both tribes of pony are physically weaker than earth ponies, but Midnight seemed to keep up, if not… surpass Applejack in his training yesterday. None of this adds up.”

            “Don’t be so tough on yourself, dear Twilight. Perhaps we’re trying too hard.” Luna placed a reassuring hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. She saw how this puzzle was taxing the patience of the young unicorn. Midnight was all they both could think about since he arrived in the palace. However, Luna more often than not, found herself thinking of him quite differently. The mysterious stallion seemed to creep into her thoughts constantly in the last couple days, often bringing a smile to her face she could not explain. Everything about him seemed to resonate in her mind; his mane, his eyes, his voice, his smile…

            “o/` … you make me smile… o/`”

            “Um.. Princess? Are you… singing?” Twilight’s words immediately snapped Luna out of her daydream. Caught off guard, she tried to cover for her sudden foalish behavior.

            “Um… Yes! I was, Twilight. I was just… remembering… that song Midnight sung the other day in his room. It was a song from his world! Perhaps if we spoke to him and learned some facts about his world, about his SPECIES, we could gain insight as to how he came to be in our world.” Luna grinned nervously as Twilight stared at her, hoping the purple mare bought her flimsy explanation.

            “Princess… that’s brilliant! In fact…” Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof. “… we   should ALL be there to ask him questions about his world! Perhaps, with you and all of the Elements there together, we might all gain some insight into this human world where Midnight came from, thus finding out what triggered his arrival in Equestria!” Twilight stood up, steeled with a renewed sense of hope into solving the mystery of their young friends sudden appearance. “We might even find the key to sending him home!”

            Luna paused a moment at those words. ‘Sending him home.’ Yes, Midnight probably wants to go home to his world. The thought put a strange lump in Luna’s chest, a heaviness that she couldn’t readily explain or deny. She had truly grown fond of the strange young stallion in the few days he spent in the palace. Eventually, she knew he would have to go home. The idea of not having him in the palace anymore, however, made Luna drag her hooves as she followed her sister’s perky apprentice. Twilight stood up and trotted happily to the doorway, Luna following behind, head feeling heavy with worry.

            “WATCH OUT, TWILIGHT!!!” A pink blur sped by Twilight, leaving her spinning in place as it curved around the corner. Twilight came to a stop, her mane and tail curled as her eyes spun in her head. Luna ran up behind her as she the pink blur returned from around the corner. “HIYOUTWOIDLOVETOTALKRIGHTNOWBUTIMINAGAMEOFTAGWITHMIDNIGHTSEEYALATER!”

            Pinkie quickly turned and took off again as a dark gray stallion came galloping at full speed down the hall, hot on Pinkie’s trail. He slowed his approach just enough to yell to the two mares as he passes.

            “Can’t talk, gotta catch Pinkie! Playing tag! See ya!”

            Luna blinked in shock as Midnight bounded off the wall and shot down the hall out of sight. Twilight stood up, shaking the dizziness from her head as she regained her balance. “Did… did he just say… he’s playing tag?” She stared up at Luna, who had an equally confused look on her face.

            “I do believe he did. But why would he...” Luna’s eyes went wide at the sight of her big sister, in all her alicorn glory, galloping towards them, following the two previous ponies down the hall. She stopped before them, a beaming, giddy smile on her face as she trotted in place, catching her breath.

            “Luna, Twilight! You must come see this! Pinkie Pie is giving a lesson to Midnight right now!” The student and night princess both looked at each other and gasped before galloping out the door with Celestia, eager to watch the outcome of this disaster they were both sure was mere moments away.

===

            Pinkie Pie navigated the palace with relative ease, at times trotting, galloping and, when she felt Midnight needed a gentle teasing coax, hopping. To the pink mare’s surprise, the human-pony was managing to keep up with relative ease, though some obstacles still kept him from closing the gap. Pinkie approached the main stairs that led down to the front foyer and sprang into the air, flying over a maid’s serving full of empty dishes and landing on the railing of the stairs, keeping her balance on her hind hooves as she hollered “WEEE!” and slid down to the lower level, the bag of cupcakes flailing in the wind as she went.

            Midnight reached the stairs, jaw slack in amazement at the skill Pinkie possessed. “How the hell does she DO that?!” He knew he couldn’t do the same, at least not without breaking his neck in the process. He was about to try running down the steps after her, but stopped when he noticed the maid’s cart, getting a crazy idea. Quickly, he ran to the cart and pulled a large serving tray off the top with his teeth. With a flick of his head, he tossed the tray to the end of the stairs and ran towards it, hopping on it as it teetered on the top step. The force of his momentum sent him sailing forward down the stairs, quickly catching up to Pinkie as the tray slid closer to the bottom.

            “You’re mine, Pinkie Pie!” he shouted, slowly drawing near enough to touch her. The party mare turned with a grin and hopped off the banister, flipping over him and landing on the  railing on the opposite side of the steps as she continued to slide down, out of the stallion’s reach. What happened next, Midnight couldn’t explain. Without a second thought, he followed Pinkie, hopping off the tray and landing on the banister behind her, balancing himself on his hind hooves as she did.

            “You gotta be KIDDING me!” Pinkie slid to the bottom of the stairs, hopping off the end and bolting for the kitchen. Ramming through the doors, she ran to the end of the kitchen, startling the cooking staff as she zipped to a half dozen dumbwaiters built into the wall, leading to the upper floors. She skidded to a stop and began to climb into the small elevator as Midnight burst through the doors. She reached outside the dumbwaiter and hit the ‘up’ button, barely managing to bring her forehoof back inside before the door closed. The last thing she saw before the dumbwaiter closed was Midnight taking a flying leap to the one right next to hers.

===

            Rarity suddenly jumped from her deep sleep, a loud boom coming from somewhere outside her room. She shook her head, pulling her sleep mask from her eyes as she rose from the guest bed and trotted to the door to the hall. Pushing open the door, she stepped into the hall and looked around, finding the doors to Rainbow Dash’s, Applejack’s and Flutershy’s opening one by one, the mares each stepping out, looking up and down the floor. After receiving a few strange looks from her friends due to the many curlers in her mane, she magically unrolled them and returned each to her nightstand before joining her friends in the hall.

            “Darlings, WHAT was that horrible sound?” she said with her usual flair.

            “I d-d-don’t know, Rarity. I t-thought it was a nightmare. Oh, except its morning.” Fluttershy sheepishly noted from behind her mane. Applejack adjusted her Stetson and faced Rainbow.

            “Consarnit, Dash. Were you doing stunt on your bed or somethin’?”

            “It wasn’t me! Hey, it woke me up, too, ya know! Granted, these beds are pretty sweet, but nothing compares to clouds when it comes to catching Zs.” Dash shook her bed-mane and stretched her wings, lazily going into a weak hover near the group. Rarity seemed annoyed that she had to wake up earlier than needed while enjoying the hospitality of the royal palace. A slight bell rang from a nearby dumbwaiter, unnoticed by the four friends in their conversation.

            “Well, if it wasn’t any of us, then wa-” Rarity was suddenly spun around by a pink blur quickly launching out of a small metal door built into the wall. AJ and Dash caught her as the small lift right beside the first burst open, Midnight bursting out and landing before the mares.

            “Quick, where did she go?!” he shouted, shocking each of them. Silently, they all pointed a hoof down the hall. Almost as quick, he took off in the same direction, leaving the friends dazed in his wake. The four mares stared at each other for a moment before turning and running after the two, intent on discovering the reason for raucous chase.

===

            “Which way did they go? I can’t believe how fast those two are going!” Twilight said in disbelief; it’s not every day two normal ponies could elude two alicorns and the most magically powerful unicorn in all of Equestria. Luna and Celestia took to the air of the foyer, circling the chandelier and listening intently for any sign of the two racers ripping through the palace proper. Celestia’s ears perked as she heard hoofsteps coming from the hall of an upper floor. Turning her gaze, she spotted the rest of the Elements galloping down the hall towards the top of the stairs.

            “Princesses, Twilight! What in the world is going on? We just saw Pinkie Pie and Midnight galloping through the hall on our floor. Is everything alright?” Rarity asked as they descended the stairs to the foyer.

            “Girls, you won’t believe it! Pinkie woke up early and now, she’s in the middle of giving Midnight a lesson! We have no idea what they’re trying to do.” The worry was evident in Twilight’s words. Even in Ponyville, where every citizen was used to Pinkie’s antics, there were still times when her silliness could make a pony cross with her. Who knew how Midnight was feeling about her right now, or how he would react when he caught her.

            Luna and Celestia lowered themselves to the foyer level once again as the four remaining friends gathered beside them. Twilight was just about to suggest organizing a search party when a loud “WOO-HOOO!” rang out from the top floor hallway near the ceiling of the foyer. The group turned their attention up just in time to see Pinkie Pie sailing through the air, reaching out and grabbing onto one of the several ropes holding up the chandelier. She turned and looked down the hall she just came from and started hopping from rope to rope, trying desperately to evade capture.

            “I got you now, you ball of cotton candy!” Midnight reached the top of the stairs and jumped to the ropes, easily bounding from one to the next on his hind legs. The group below held their breath as he and Pinkie continued around the circular ceiling of the foyer, the stallion gaining ground rapidly as they navigated the series of supports.

            As Pinkie turned her gaze to keep an eye on her pursuer, her hoof missed the next rope in the series. In a sudden panic, she flailed her front hooves in an attempt to reach for the next length of rope, barely able to catch herself with one hoof, yet somehow miraculously still holding onto a small brown bag with her teeth. Midnight halted a few ropes back as Pinkie hung just a few feet above the sharp points on the extended arms of the chandelier. Pinkie’s eyes went wide as she looked down, now desperately trying to pull herself back up.

            From below, the friends and princesses gave a collective gasp, all moving about the ground floor as their friend hung high above them. “We’re on it! C’mon, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took to the air, heading up to the chandelier to grab Pinkie Pie as the alicorn sisters hovered below, ready to act if they both pegasi should fail. As Fluttershy and Dash circled the large lighting fixture, however, they were forced to hold back their rescue.

            “We can’t get in to grab her!” Fluttershy spoke down to her friends as she examined the rigid arms protruding in every direction. “The edges are too sharp, and it’s too narrow! We can’t get in with our wings!” Pinkies grip on the rope was beginning to give, sliding her inches closer to the sharp edged jutting up towards her. She looked up just again in time to see her hoof slide off the rope. Pinkie could feel her heart stop for a moment as gravity took her, and suddenly, start up again a moment later. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to see Midnight, hind legs wrapped around the same rope she had just slipped from, his front hooves holding tight on her left front hoof.

            “I got her! Somepony give me a han- um... hoof! WHATEVER!” Suspended upside down above Pinkie, Midnight could see her two flying friends circling them, desperately trying to find a way to save their friend. Just ahead of him, he noticed a space between the arms of the chandelier, just big enough for a pony to slip through but not enough for one of the flyers to get through and grab the two distressed ponies.

            “Hold on, Midnight, we’re get you down! Hang in there!” Luna yelled from the floor. Looking through the small space between the metal arms, Midnight noticed something against the wall. A grin played across his face as he got an idea.

            “Actually, that’s the last thing I intend on doing! Hey, you two! Fly-girls! I have a plan!” Rainbow and Fluttershy paused I front of him, hovering just out of reach. “See that huge curtain over there?” The two turned to see a large decorated curtain against the front window of the palace foyer, running from floor to ceiling. “Go and grab the bottom corners of that curtain and pull them tight, away from the wall and towards the middle of the room! Hold on to it like our lives depend on it… because they do!” Midnight arched his body up a little, then relaxed himself, causing Pinkie to sway. He did this several more times, each time causing Pinkie and himself to swing back and forth inside the sharp metal ornate arms of the chandelier, all the while his own grip with his hind legs loosening. Looking down, he could see Pinkie’s hind legs starting to swing farther, passing through the narrow opening and out towards the wall. He turned his eyes downward, noticing the two pegasi ponies holding the end of the curtain tight blow him.

            “Well, Pinkie Pie… wanna go for a ride?” Midnight grinned from above her, a sudden mixture of fear and disbelief on her face, just before their bodies swung out again. At the moment their swinging arch was at its farthest, he relaxed his hind legs and let go of the rope. Somewhere in mid-air, Pinkie let go of the bag and let out a scream, now having pulled herself up and clamped all four legs around Midnight in a vice grip. The force of his swinging had sent them through the slim gap in the metal arms and straight at the curtain, now being held taut by Rainbow and Fluttershy. They hit the curtain hard, almost causing the pegasi to lose their grip on the other end. Together, along with a small brown bag of cupcakes, the two racing ponies slid down the curtain, safely coming to a stop at the end of the curtain just a few feet above the floor. Pinkie opened her eyes and grinned as her friends ran up to meet them, gently lowered to the floor as Rainbow and Fluttershy hovered down, followed by the alicorn sisters.

            “Darling, are you alright?” “How in the hay did y’all get up there?” “Oh, d-d-d-dear! Don’t ever s-scare us like that again!” “Are you alright, dear Pinkie Pie?” All at once, the group surrounded Pinkie as she stepped off the curtain to the floor, Midnight close behind her. She took a few breaths and stood up in the center, the same beaming smile on her face as she was so famous for wearing any other time.

            “Yeah! Of course I’m alright, girls! Just had a little OOF in the hoof, is all. Don’t worry, Nighty was there to catch me!” she said with a wide grin, turning to the dark coated stallion behind her, looking a bit cautious.

            “I’m sorry about that, Pinkie. I would have given you a warning of what I had planned, but I was losing my grip, too. I hope I didn’t hurt you at all…”

            “WHAT? Oh, Nighty, I’m totally fine. In fact, we gotta try that again sometime! Except, you know, without the threat of getting sliced up by sharp lighting fixtures or going KER-SPLAT on the ground from huge fall!” Pinkie giggled, picking up the brown bag with her mouth again. Midnight quizzically raised an eyebrow.

            “So, I guess you’re alright to finish our game, then?”

            “Oh, sure, Nighty! I’m good to -” Pinkie was interrupted by Midnight giving her a flying tackle, sending them both rolling across the floor and coming to a stop at the hooves of Celestia. Pinkie shook her head and looked up from beneath Midnight as he raised a single forehoof high above his head, panting heavily. Celesta’s horn started to glow instinctively, ready to defend her subject should Midnight decide to harm the mare.

            Slowly, Midnight brought his face close to Pinkie’s. He brought his hoof down to her face and gently pressed it against Pinkie’s nose. “Tag… you’re it.” Pinkie Pie laid there for a moment, not sure how to react. From high above the palace, the gentle ringing of a bell could be heard, signaling 12:00 noon. Quietly, Pinkie started to snicker. Then, she started to giggle. Before long, she was in the middle of a full-blown laugh, snorting and gasping in such a way that it spread to all the other ponies present. All ponies, except Celestia.

            “Why are they laughing?" she thought, reaming composed enough to smile and hide her annoyance. “Don’t they realize he almost had her killed?”

            Midnight stood up off of Pinkie, who promptly reached into the bag she was carrying and hoofed him over a cupcake. “Here, Midnight, you earned it!”

            “That’s what this was all about? You two were racing… over cupcakes?” Twilight asked, wide-eyed at the reason for such a dangerous game. Midnight quickly chomped down on the entire cupcake, chewing and swallowing it as he looked innocently at Twilight.

            “What? Have you ever TRIED one of Pinkie’s cupcakes?”

===

            A few minutes later, then entire group was on their way up to Midnight’s room to enjoy the spread Pinkie had laid out. On the way up to the room, Pinkie explained the reason behind the chaotic exercise through the palace, hopping all the way.

            “Yeah, so Midnight LOOKS like a pony, but he’s really something called a HUMAN, and that has fingers instead of hooves and walk only on two legs, so he’s kinda like a diamond dog, only without the CRAZY obsession with gemstones, but he still might miss having fingers and being able to move around like a human, so I just HAD to show him all the different ways he could still move around besides just on four legs by making him chase me through the palace in an epic, awesome, totally off the wall and through some of them, over-the-top game of TAG! And what better way to motivate him than with some of my super-sweet, crazily excellent, delicious cupcakes?!” Pinkie reached Midnight’s room and pushed the door open, allowing the group to step inside and partake of the banquet she had laid out for them all. “Now, I’d like to welcome you all to the official ‘Welcome to Equestria’ party for Midnight!”

            One by one, the friends and entered the room, Midnight being the last. He turned to look at Pinkie, feeling almost like he may tear up any moment.

            “Pinkie… I… I don’t know what to say. I don’t think anybody ever threw me a party before.” She leaned in and gave him a tight hug that took his breath away, almost lifting him off the ground.

            “Aww, don’t worry, Nighty! This won’t be the last of my parties you attend.” She let go of him just as Luna came up besides them, placing her wing over Midnight in a gentle embrace.

            “That was some excellent work back there, Midnight. I’m very proud of the progress you’re making. At this rate, you’ll be fully trained in all abilities of your new body in no time.” She released her grip and headed toward the door to meet her sister, already waiting.

            “Oh, you’re not staying, Princess Luna?” Midnight asked, sounding disappointed. Celestia answered for her sister before she had a chance.

            “I’m afraid not. We have quite a bit of audiences scheduled this morning. It appears that all of Equestria has had quite a bit off troubles lately. We’ll be down in the throne room handling them together for the rest of the day.” Together they left the room, giving a gentle bow as they shut the door behind them. They both trotted down the hall to the throne room, Luna seeming having a bounce in her step as she went. Celestia lagged slightly behind, annoyed that this golden opportunity to expose the human for the violent being he was had passed her by.      

            “Oh, sister! Did you see how amazing he was! He saved her life! Not only that, but I’ve read in Twilight’s reports how unreal Pinkie Pie’s behavior could be. To think he could keep up with her is really incredible.” Luna gushed, giggling as she remembered the tackle he gave Pinkie that sent them both to her sister’s hooves.

            “Oh, yes, little sister. He is really… something else.”

            The two alicorns reached the landing at the back of the foyer just as Sky Shield burst in, spying them and quickly landing on the steps before them. He bowed, panting as the two looked at him in surprise.        

            “My… my princesses! I came to warn you about… about a visitor coming toward the palace. I know how you both feel about him, considering how his last visit to the palace a few days ago went.” The two sisters looked at each other in shock as their expressions dropped to ones of exhaustion. No, it couldn’t be HIM! Sky moved out of the way, allowing them to descend to the bottom of the landing, just as the front doors of the foyer burst open, in walking the very pony that Celestia and Luna had feared. HE looked at them and smiled, raising an eyebrow as he shook his mane behind himself in a grand flourish. With an acidic grin, the foul pony announced himself.

            “Auntie Celly, Auntie Lu-Lu! Your favorite nephew has come for another visit!”

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I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Luna might be my honey-mare, but Pinkie definitely holds a special place in my heart! Anyway, I think we can all guess where this next chapter is heading. (wicked  grin) Seriously, I've been wanting to see this in a fic for a while now, and decided that the only way it was going to happen was if I wrote it myself. Also, to give you all something more to look forward to, I'll be announcing the name of the next chapter in the ending notes here from now on.

So, keep posted, bronys, and get ready for our next exciting chapter, "Black and Blueblood." See ya real soon! Next Chapter: Black and Blueblood Estimated time remaining: 13 Hours, 27 Minutes