Year 11, 290th day-

My hour of greatest triumph is coming swiftly now, I must simply bide my time until the moment is right.

Everything is proceeding as planned. I go about my daily life in the household to keep up appearances, and work on my little project when Dinky is at school, and Ditzy is on her mail rounds. My sister occasionally comes by to criticize and berate me, but she usually leaves after awhile if I ignore her long enough. So far, I have been successful in keeping my family from learning what I am working on, and if I am to succeed, it must remain that way.

I have been pouring ceaselessly over the forbidden tomes of biological transmutation, which I 'liberated' from the academy library during my last visit there. It's not like they were going to use them, anyway. Taking a few hairs from my mane, and a few strands of fur from a bison, I put them to boil in a massive cauldron, casting the magic spells over the brew that will fuse the DNA together. Using my magic, I make small alterations to the DNA soup, adding a set of arms with hands and opposable thumbs to the creature that I will grow in this brew.

The body of a horned centaur... the perfect vessel to carry out my revenge against ponykind. It will take months for the cell culture to grow into a full organism that can survive outside the magical brew, but it will be well worth the wait. As the weeks pass, I nourish the growing mass on the energies of the rainbow of darkness, filling the monster that will be born from the soup on the hate, rage, and suffering that will drive it on it's holy mission of retribution. The only thing my creation will lack is a mind- a personality- of it's own. That is something I cannot create with even my most powerful magics.

It is a problem I mean to soon rectify.

My so-called 'normal' life has taken an unusual and unexpected turn. Dinky, the little filly who for so long despised my presence, finally warmed up to me. It occurred about two weeks ago, when I came across my daughter auguring with two of her friends. Apparently, the fillies- Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I believe their names were- were making fun of Dinky's mother, calling her all sorts of names due to her eyesight problem. Dinky was yelling at them for this, and they were now making fun of her as well. Getting angry at this insult to my wife and daughter, I quietly stepped up behind the girls, and hissed;

"Oh, so you think she and her mother are freaks, do you? Wait till you get a load of me!"

I punctuated my performance with a hideous evil laugh, which made the two bullies flee in terror. Dinky just stared up at me in shock for a moment, and I told her-

"No pony has the right to make fun of our family, Dinky. Your mother is special... and so are you."

My daughter stared up at me in silence for a moment, then trotted quietly back to the house. I thought the whole incident was forgotten, until later that night, when I felt a small face nuzzling my mane, before trotting off to her bed.

"Good night, daddy."

This cannot happen... my resolve is breaking, buckling under due to these weak emotions of love and compassion that still reside within me. I must keep telling myself I am doing this for Ditzy and Dinky, it is the only way to keep my guilt from tearing me apart from the inside out. No matter what happens, I must not let any harm to come to my wife or my daughter.

Year 11, 320th day-

My worst fears are realized.

Great Celestia, I am too weak.

Just a few short days ago, I was out on a stroll with Ditzy through Ponyville, something she wanted to do for the holiday season, despite my misgivings. It was when we reached the square when we happened to see a crowd of ponies gathered over by the fountain. Curious, we drew closer... only for me to see my former apprentice there, bragging once again about her latest adventure.

"Trixie" I hissed.

"Midnight, let's go." Ditzy pleaded.

I reluctantly started to follow her away, until Trixie spotted me. "Lover Boy!" She gave out a cry, and before I knew it, I felt a warm pair of pony lips pressed against mine. Ditzy reared back in Shock.

"Good to see you again, teacher. Too bad you're not as cute as you used to be."

I had never zapped a mare before, so it was a horrifying experience for me, despite my anger. She was thrown back into her traveling cart, which she knocked over, and I was on top of her in a second, kicking and bucking up a storm. Trixie let out a whinny of pain.

"I see you're suffering, Miss Lulamoon!" I snorted in rage. "It must be a novel experience for you... being on the receiving end, instead of being the one causing pain!"

"Midnight!" Ditzy shrieked. "Stop it! STOP!"

My wife rushed up and slapped me hard across the face with her hoof. I stopped, stunned. I looked down at Trixie, whose mouth had begun to bleed. Then I looked over at ditzy's tear stained face, and saw the pain that I had caused.

"Ditzy...I..."

"Get away from that mare, Midnight!"

I spun around to find none other than twilight sparkle, and the other five bearers of the elements of harmony, standing before me. All this commotion had apparently drawn their attention to the square.

"Hitting a lady, so ungentlemanly" The one called Rarity piped up.

"I'd hardly call Trixie a lady, Rarity." Rainbow Dash replied. "But it's still not right to hit her."

"Midnight, ah can't believe ya'll just did that!" Applejack, Big Mac's sister, replied. "Ah've known ya since I was a filly, and ya'll were never this mean!"

"Hey, I remember you! You're the funny magic teacher I turned plaid in Cheerilee's class!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Boy, I had no idea you were such a bully!"

"How could a Stallion bring himself to hurt a mare!" The Pegasus called Fluttershy spoke up. "That's just terrible!"

"Professor Midnight Hooves of the academy... I had hoped we'd meet under better circumstances than this!" Twilight Sparkle warned. "But if you don't back down right now, you're going to regret it!"

Surrounded by six of the most powerful and skilled ponies in Equestria, and having left the rainbow of Darkness's bag back in my laboratory, I did the only sensible thing I could do.

I ran. I fled from Ditzy, the Harmony bearers, and the rest of the citizens of Ponyville. And as I left the square behind me, I could hear Ditzy panicked sobs fading away as I galloped into the distance.

And that brings us to now, my dear journal. I have sealed myself in here, within my laboratory... they will be coming for me soon. As I write this, I am putting the finishing touches on the spell that will transfer my essence into the powerful new body of Tirek, which has now finished growing in the cauldron. I will then take the rainbow of Darkness, and flee from Equestria to the lands beyond. Biding my time until the day comes that I shall strike back at all of ponykind.

Behind in this scarred and frail pony body, I leave my compassion, my kindness, and my love for Ditzy and Dinky- all weaknesses that could hold me back from achieving my goals. I also leave Midnight Hooves's immortal soul behind in this body- let my pathetic and weak 'good half' live out the rest of his days with his precious Ditzy, then pass on into the afterlife with her for all eternity. By the time I am ready to strike at the Royal sisters and their kingdom a few centuries from now, Midnight and his entire family will be long dead.

Farewell, Ditzy Doo and Dinky, I leave you now to bring my judgement upon Ponykind. I wish I could say I will miss you, but soon I will no longer be able to feel anything but rage.

Now I must be away... For the darkness calls to me...

12th year, 13th day-

Oh my words! Dear Journal, what a terrifying nightmare I have returned from! The time that has passed since my last entry has been like some terrible dream, and looking back on it, I do not even remember what had transpired during that time.

I awoke just a few short weeks ago in my own bed, and a tearful Ditzy threw her arms around me. She told me I had been in a coma for a long time. Apparently, the evil inside the rainbow of darkness had gotten to me during the time since my return to ponyville, and I ended up falling into my own delusions and paranoia. From what Ditzy told me, I even went so far as to attack my former pupil, Trixie, right in the center of town! The six element of Harmony bearers then tracked me down, eventually finding me comatose in my laboratory, with a large smashed cauldron nearby. Not taking any chances, they blasted me with the elements of harmony while I was out, and apparently purifying me and sending me into a coma at the same time.

I have not been blamed for any of my actions though, as Twilight Sparkle believes all of my actions were being controlled by the Rainbow of Darkness while it possessed me. I can believe it, as I no longer feel any anger towards anypony... I don't think I'm even capable of causing any pony the slightest bit of harm or discomfort! I apologized to Trixie for hurting her, though she rebuffed my attempts to make amends. My sister and I have even started talking to each other, as Ditzy gave her a stern talking to about 'treating me with respect. She even says "You might not be so worthless after all."

Wanting to make up for all my past mistakes, I even freed Goldie from her statue state... though she is angry, and wishes me punished for my actions, Princess Celestia's decree of my pardon prevents her from doing anything. Nevertheless, I am glad to have undone another of my past sins.

I have talked to the University, and they've offered me a teaching position, from which I can commute to and from Ponyville. The only stipulation being that I never engage in research again... a condition I am more than happy to agree to. As to the rainbow of Darkness, it was never found... Twilight believes it was destroyed in the Elements of Harmony blast. The journal entries I made while under the rainbow's influence both Twilight and I regard as utter nonsense. (Tirek? Really? How absurd!) Even Breezey and Big Mac have renewed our friendship, and we sit daily and drink tea at the local cafe, just as we always have.

For the first time, Ditzy, Dinky, and myself are all a family. Whenever somepony makes a cruel remark about Ditzy these days, we all laugh it off together, pitying the shallow equine, who has to make fun of another pony to make themselves feel better. Besides, what do any of us care what the rest of Equestria thinks. As long as we three have each other, that will be enough.

And so, dear journal, this is where I conclude our time together. I shall now turn you over to the University archives, to be studied by any Unicorn students who might find value in it's pages. Perhaps some pony in the future can read these words, and learn from my arrogance. For I have learned that perfection is something you will never achieve by striving for it. It is something you find in the warmth and love of your family and friends, for that is where the true power of magic is to be found.

Kindest Regards,

Professor Midnight Hooves

Canterlot Academy of Magic

Archivist's Note: We may never know if Midnight's chaotic ramblings in the last few entries are true or not, despite the whispers of a "Dark Lord of the Night" named Tirek, that come in from out beyond our borders. Midnight and his wife are both long dead of old age, while Dinky Doo Hooves is a senile old mare at the ponyville retirement village. One can only wonder if anypony will ever know the truth...