The boys had a great day under Midnight’s supervision – On the way to the park, they met up with Fluttershy, who had volunteered to foalsit for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo and supervise their sleepover at her cottage. The fillies also made sure to give the boys bandannas sewn with the newly-chosen Cutie-Mark Crusaders’ symbol, a rearing golden pony on a blue shield.

At the park, the boys and Midnight played hide n’ seek, soccer, and then enjoyed some cloud-watching, seeing the weather pegasus ponies’ cloud-sculpting. Afterwards, they got an X-tra large pizza with mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and jugs of soda. They belched and laughed and had a great day!

Then Midnight surprised them by taking them to the local toystore, saying they could each choose one thing. Twinken chose a toy periscope, Rumble asked for a scooter (he didn’t say why although he appeared to blush a bit) while Button Mash asked for a new game for his Joy Boy; Midnight bought it on the condition Button didn’t play it until tomorrow, wanting to keep his promise to Love Tap.

They went back to the park where Twinken and Rumble played with their new toys and shared them with Button (who was starting to think he should’ve gotten something else), and Midnight just relaxed on a nearby park bench. Suddenly!

”Girls!” Fluttershy wandered through the Everfree Forest, nervously looking for the three missing fillies.
“Girls!”

She was whispering loudly and flinched at the cold wind blowing against her.
“Get a hold of yourself, Fluttershy! Just put one hoof in front of the other…!”

She failed to notice the twig as she stepped on it and it snapped, making her squeak in fright as she backed up.
“What was that?!”

She didn’t see the tree she backed into, and ran off with a squeal of terror. But as she ran she saw ahead what looked to be, “…Twilight? Is that you?!”

She stopped in front of the figure, sighing in relief, “Twilight, it is you. Thank goodness you’re here, I need your help. The girls are out here somewhere and I’m afraid that they’re-”

Fluttershy gasped in horror as the clouds parted to make way for the moonlight as it fell upon the figure to show it was Twilight except she wasn’t quite right.

“Twilight! What’s happened to you?!” Fluttershy tapped the petrified Twilight on the cheek and squealed as it fell over onto its side in a thunderous thud.
“Oh no! If you’ve been turned to stone it must mean – Oh! Oh no the girls!”

She zipped off but suddenly returned, telling the stone Twilight, “Don’t move, I’ll be back for you.”

She zipped off again, screaming, “GIRLS!”

…Big brother, are you ok? Wake up!”

“Huh?!” Midnight bolted up and found himself lying on the ground in front of the bench, it was well after sundown. He bolted to his hooves, saying, “Yipe! How long have I been out?”

The boys looked up at him, Twinken saying, “We were playing all day we didn’t even notice the time until it got dark. But when we came to tell you we’re ready to go home, you were just lying there, looking like a zombie!”

“Midnight, I gotta get home!” insisted Rumble
“Me too! My mom will ground me till I’m Granny Smith’s age!” worried Button.

“Oh I’m so sorry, boys, uh… let’s get you all home,” Midnight said as he herded them out of the park. And quickly! I gotta find Twilight and Fluttershy!

Midnight apologized up and down to Thunderlane, Love Tap, and the orphanage matron for being tardy with the boys and asked they not be punished for his mistake. After making sure they all got home, Midnight suddenly bolted for the Everfree Forest.
I just hope I’m not too late…!

Midnight hated the Everfree Forest: The tall, foreboding trees that blocked out the sun in its thick canopy, the creepy animals growls, hisses, howls, and chitters, the toxic plants he had to be wary of, especially the carnivorous ones, and the maddening feeling that his every move was being watched.

“Ugh! The Everfree Forest… Why did it have to be the Everfree Forest?!” he whispered anxiously.

“Girls, girls?!”

“Fluttershy?”

He looked through a grove of trees and gasped in relief to see the fillies and Fluttershy as she descended down to them.
“Girls, thank goodness I found you!”

“Fluttershy!”

They all looked and gasped to see, “Midnight? What’re you doing here?”

Midnight flinched and quickly came up with a cover-story.
“I uh… was expecting Twilight to be home a few hours ago and… and she never showed up! So I came looking for her. What’s all the hubbub?”

“We have to get the girls out of the forest, at once!” Fluttershy informed him
“What’re they even doing out here?” asked Midnight.

“We were looking for Fluttershy’s missing chicken!” Sweetie Belle explained.

“There’s no time for that,” Fluttershy insisted, “there’s a cockatrice on the loose!”

“Cockatrice? Why does that name ring a bell?” Midnight wondered out loud.

“It sounds like a’ typo,” Apple Bloom commented.

“A cockatrice! It’s a frightening creature with the head of a chicken and the body of a snake,” Fluttershy explained nervously, wanting to get away from there at once!
“Now come on!”

“The head of a chicken and the body of a snake?”Scootaloo echoed in disbelief. “That doesn’t sound scary, that sounds silly!”

The girls had just walked past Fluttershy when Midnight stepped in front of them as he’d suddenly remembered what he’d read about the cockatrice as he said, “We are leaving, young fillies! I will hear no arguments, unless you’re all looking to be turned to stone!”

“Stone?!” the girls echoed in confusion, Fluttershy stepping in.

“If you look a cockatrice in the eye-”

“There’s the chicken!” Apple Bloom suddenly shouted and the girls chased after the fowl, yelling, “Chick-chick-chick-chick-chick-chick!”

“Girls!” Fluttershy and Midnight shouted as the pursued the fillies.

The girls chased the chicken into a clearing and saw it hide in the bushes but it poked its head out, Sweetie Belle pointing out, “There it is!”

But suddenly, another head popped out, Scootaloo saying, “Two chickens?”

“Ah thawt only one escaped,” Apple Bloom commented.

“Grab them both,” Sweetie Belle insisted as she missed the first one.

But as they approached the second, the saw it rise out of the bushes, and it was not a chicken. Beneath its chicken head was a scaly body vaguely chicken in appearance, with bat-like wings and a long serpentine tail. It growled viciously at the three fillies, revealing its sharp teeth and burning red eyes.

It jumped in front of the poor hen, which was too scared to move, as the cockatrice looked into the hen’s eyes, eyes glowing red, and the fillies all gasped to see the poor bird quickly turned to stone.

“AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH!!!” they streaked off, crashing through a bush, but Scootaloo tripped on a rock, making the others trip as well. But as they got up the gasped to see the petrified Twilight!

“Girls!” Fluttershy and Midnight ran up to them ,the mare saying, “We have to-”

But she was drowned out by the fillies’ screams and panicking, Fluttershy trying to calm them down when Midnight gasped to see the cockatrice approaching.
“Girls, get behind Fluttershy now!”

The fillies did as he said while midnight stood protectively in front of Fluttershy, who had closed her eyes tight but could still hear the wretched creature as it approached them. But Midnight had an idea, an idea born from rage as he looked at the wicked thing.
“Come and get me, scaly!”

The cockatrice flew up to him and its eyes glowed red to inflict its stone-cold stare, but Midnight’s horn shined and in front of him appeared a mirror! Everypony gasped, the cockatrice most of all, as its powers were reflected upon itself and in no time at all, the cockatrice became stone itself.

The girls and Fluttershy all gaped at the calcified cockatrice and they heard a crackling sound and turned to see Twilight getting up, shaking off bits of stone and dust as she groaned.
“Wha- what happened?”

“Buck-buck!”

They turned to see the chicken had also been restored to feather and bone, Midnight saying, “It’s a long story.”

But suddenly, he gave the fillies the stink-eye and they knew they were about to get it.
“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo! You three are in BIG trouble! Sneaking out into the Everfree Forest was not only naughty, it was dangerous! What if Fluttershy and I hadn’t been here? That cockatrice would’ve turned you all to stone and that might have been it for you, it’s possible we’d never even find you after such a thing happened! Not only did you worry us and put yourselves in danger, you disobeyed Fluttershy and caused her no end of trouble!”

The fillies all lowered their heads shamefully, looking on the edge of tears, Fluttershy saying, “I think they’ve learned their lesson, Midnight.”

“Well, I’m sorry Fluttershy but they’re gonna have to be punished, and I will be telling their families,” Midnight insisted, not in the mood to be merciful.
“Now girls, do you have anything to say to Fluttershy?”

The girls all nodded and looked to Fluttershy.
“We’re sorry we caused you so much trouble, Fluttershy,” Sweetie Belle lamented.
“We’ll listen t’ you from now on,” Apple Bloom added.
“We promise!” Scootaloo swore.

“Well then, I think we should all head home,” Twilight spoke up, “and turn in for a good night’s sleep.”

“You all go ahead, I’ll catch up,” Midnight shooed them off.

He waited until he couldn’t see them anymore before he looked to the petrified cockatrice, a frightening gleam in his eyes. A look that showed he was in no mood to be merciful… as he reared out and bucked the cockatrice, shattering its body to pieces!

Without a word, and without a shred of remorse, Midnight trotted off to catch up with the girls, leaving the fragments of the cockatrice to languish in the Everfree Forest forever.

The next morning, the girls were playing tag in front of Fluttershy’s cottage as Fluttershy had tea with Twilight and Midnight.

“…and thanks to Midnight, you were restored from stone!” Fluttershy wrapped it up while Twilight was listening and writing at the same time.

“This is gonna make quite a letter to the princess,” Twilight smiled, “I’m glad things turned out well, and I hope the girls’ families won’t be too hard on them.”

“Maybe I did read them the riot act a little hard last night,” Midnight apologized, rubbing the back of his head.

“Well, it’s partly my fault, I suppose,” Fluttershy amended his guilt, “I assumed I’d be just as good with kids as I am with animals and boy was I wrong! I really learned the hard way about biting off more than I can chew.”

“You and Rarity both,” Twilight agreed when speak of the devil the fashionista showed up. “Good morning, Rarity!”

“I hear you had quite an order to fill,” Midnight commented.

“Just delivered it,” Rarity sighed as she approached Fluttershy, “I must admit, Fluttershy, had you not come to my rescue I might not have completed the order. Thanks again!”

“Won’t you stay for some tea?” invited Fluttershy.

“I really must get back to the shop to clean up,” rarity politely declined. “Girls! Pack your things, it’s time to go. Girls?”

Fluttershy, Twilight, and Midnight watched in good-natured pity as Rarity tried in vain to round up the rambunctious fillies, all ignoring Rarity, as she grew increasingly frustrated.
“GIRLS!!”

Midnight looked at Fluttershy with a raised brow and smirk, and she nodded, going over to Rarity.
“Allow me” – she took a moment to clear her throat – “Girls?”

They suddenly stopped and fell in single file.
“Yes Fluttershy!”
“You called?”

“Go and get your things,” Fluttershy instructed, “Rarity’s here to see you home!”

“And…!” Midnight stepped up with three written messages, “I expect these to make it to your families, and I will be expecting to hear from them.”

The girls all groaned as they had an idea of what was written in those messages but couldn’t think of a way out of it so they submitted and took them as they went to get their things. Rarity gaped at the scenario.
“H-how di- How did you do that?!”

Fluttershy snuck a wink to Midnight and Twilight.
“I guess I’m just as good with kids as I am with animals.”

The Cutie-Mark Crusaders ran past them, each carrying their full saddlebags.
“Bye, Fluttershy! Thank you! See ya later!”

“Uh, speaking of which,” Rarity brought up, “I could use your help with Opal.”

“Of course! How `bout later today?”

*ROWER!!*

Rarity turned to show the cat was clawing onto her side as she begged, “How `bout now?”

Midnight and Twilight stepped up next to Fluttershy and had a good laugh.

Kinda merciless what Midnight did to that cockatrice, eh?