I do not own MLP or any of the series mentioned in this fanfic
Chapter Nineteen: Our Town
Midnight Sun watched the scenery go by as he sat on the train. He wasn't used to being on one but that was to be expected with most of the advances Equestrian kind had made. The black maned stallion had a bored expression on his face. He didn't really understand why the princess had brought him. 'Unless this is the only way she can keep an eye on me.' the dark grey unicorn sneered in his mind. He sighed a bit before glancing at the other ponies in the same car he was in. Pinkie Pie seemed to be excited about going to a new place, Rarity was complaining about the spa, Rainbow Dash just looked bored, Applejack was talking to Twilight, and Fluttershy was giving him curious glances. He knew that they probably looked at him while he wasn't watching. He was after all a stallion who looked like an enemy they once met.
"Why did you have to bring him along?" hissed Rainbow as she glanced towards Midnight who ignored them. "He's probably just going to get in the way."
"Do you know anyone else who has traveled Equestria?" asked the princess, quietly, looking at her magenta eyed friend. "Aqua Star isn't around and neither is Star Swirl. He could know the area we are going to."
"At least Aqua Star you could get along with." the rainbow maned pegasus mumbled looking out the window not noticing a sage green pony walk in behind them. "Where is she?"
"I don't know." sighed Twilight shaking her head. "But wherever she is she must trust Midnight Sun enough to watch over her son."
"I believe there is more to that stallion than meets the eye." Rarity cut in quietly having overheard most of the conversation. "But shouldn't it be his choice to tell us instead of snooping around?"
"If it wasn't for your snooping we wouldn't have found out what was going on with Gabby Gums." teased Dash causing Rarity to huff just as the train came to a stop. "Besides we aren't snooping, we are guessing."
"If you are done guessing, we should be going." the black maned stallion commented as he walked past them. "A journey is not done by talking."
The light blue pegasus frowned as they continued on watching as Midnight looked around. He seemed tense, as if he was expecting trouble. They walked for sometime with Twilight looking at the map until she exclaimed. "That's it! That's the place on the map!"
"Right." the white unicorn said with a nod before walking forward. "Let's go down there and find the spa."
Twilight teleported in front of her friend saying. "Wait. We don't know why the map sent us here. We shouldn't just walk right in. It could be dangerous."
"Yes!" Rainbow Dash replied looking a bit too happy until Midnight Sun commented. "Oh yes, danger, that always is fun."
"At least I have fun." grumbled the rainbow maned pegasus as Pinkie spoke up rushing to the front of the group. "Stay behind me, everypony! I'm on it."
"Careful, Pinkie!" called Applejack as Rainbow glared at Midnight who was ignoring her in order to watch the pinkie pony tumble off the cliff side. She slid up next to a rock before darting forward completely hiding underneath a different rock. Moving to another rock to a boulder she waved over her friends who were already down from the hill before the large rock fell on her. The dark grey unicorn almost thought she was dead until the boulder began to move. 'I will never completely understand that pony.' he thought as they took a closer look of the town's citizens.
"This is where the map sent us?" Rainbow Dash asked looking at her friends. "It looks like the most boring place in Equestria."
"It's just an ordinary village full of ordinary pony folk." replied AJ none of the ponies noticed that they were followed by the sage green pony who looked around and headed towards another large rock. Pinkie turned her head for a moment taking note that she didn't come out from behind the rock. She had just vanished. The pink pony looked up to see a familiar grey bat like pegasus fly towards the rock another pony behind him. This pony was slightly see through showing the ghostly status a large thick chain wrapped around its neck.
Pinkie waved towards Thanatos before taking note of the town ponies' smiles.
"It could certainly use a few architectural flourishes." Rarity commented quietly not noticing the two ponies that dropped behind the same rock from before. "Or any architectural flourishes."
"I think it's lovely." mused Fluttershy floating down near the white unicorn and Midnight Sun.
"I don't like it!" the pink pony exclaimed glaring down at the town her blue eyes focusing on the smiles. "I don't like it one bit! I know smiles and those smiles they're just not right."
"Forget the smiles look at those cutie marks." Twilight pointed out as the ponies' eyes landed on each of the cutie marks. They were all the same, this got Midnight Sun very worried about what was going on in this town.
"Okay, that's weird." said Rainbow Dash as all of them gave each other a worried look.
"An entire village with the same cutie mark?" the purple princess questioned. "How can that be?"
"I have never heard or seen something like this in my time." Midnight remarked watching the village.
"I bet there is some sort of horrific monster behind it." whispered the rainbow maned pony earning a confused look from her violet friend who asked. "What makes you say that?"
"Cause fighting a horrific monster would be super awesome!" the sky blue pegasus explained earning a glare from Midnight Sun. "What?"
"Ah reckon we oughta just head into town and talk to some locals." suggested Applejack looking at her friends. "Find out what's going on."
"Great idea AJ." replied Rainbow Dash flying down in front of her friend. "Let's go!"
"Those smiles are bad news." Pinkie mumbled before sliding down and following after her friends. Midnight Sun had to agree with that statement. The dark grey stallion walked after them keeping his guard up. When they entered the town the ponies greeted them happily but kind of creepily. It was all the same greeting. "Welcome."
"This must be the most pleasant place in Equestria." commented Fluttershy as she flew along not quite used to her larger wings. She giggled as a dark blue pony greeted her causing Rainbow Dash to groan. "Thanks a lot map."
"Welcome!" greeted a unicorn walking up to the group. "Pardon my forwardness but are you an alicorn?"
"That there is the Princess of Friendship." introduced the farm pony as Twilight just smiled with a worried look in her eyes.
"Well you've certainly come to the right place for friendship." the unicorn stallion replied as Midnight Sun rolled his eyes.
"What brings you to town?" asked a white stallion standing next to the other unicorn.
"We're not entirely sure." the princess replied glancing towards Pinkie who was just watching them.
"I see." said the white unicorn with a nod of his head. "Well all are welcome here in our little village! My name is Double Diamond and this is Party Favor."
"Howdy Double Diamond." greeted Applejack with a smile. "I'm Applejack and this here is Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. Oh that one over there is Midnight Sun."
"And you all have your own unique Cutie Marks." Double Diamond commented as he looked at the flanks of the ponies.
"If you don't mind, has there been any sort of trouble here lately?" Twilight asked looking a little bit concerned.
"Trouble?" questioned the white stallion not noticing the glare that Midnight Sun shot towards the ponies who were gathering around him whispering about his Cutie Mark. "Why I don't think we've ever had trouble in our little village."
"It's true!" Party Favor commented as he tried not to look back at the dark grey stallion. "You'll see."
"Perhaps you care to speak to our founder, Starlight Glimmer." suggested Double Diamond as he showed them the way.
"I wish everypony in Equestria was as friendly as these ponies are." Fluttershy told her friends before looking back at Midnight who was just trailing behind them.
"I've got my eye on them." growled the pink party pony glaring around her. "Something's rotten in whatever the name of this village that we're in right now!"
"Agreed." spoke the black maned unicorn his red eyes watching the smiling ponies as the white unicorn stallion approached a door and knocked on it with Party Favor announcing. "Starlight? We have some new visitors."
The group followed the ponies into the house as they took a look around.
"Be ready to fight." Rainbow warned quietly as Applejack looked at her. "We don't know what is going to come through that door."
"Welcome!" announced a light purple unicorn with a smile on her face. "I'm so pleased to have you here!"
This just caused the rainbow maned pegasus to groan again.
"This is Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Midnight Sun, and Twilight Sparkle." introduced Double Diamond pointing towards each pony as he said their name. Starlight Glimmer looked at Twilight's horn and wings before saying. "Forgive my bluntness, but I'm assuming it's Princess Twilight Sparkle? We don't get many alicorns around here."
"Yes, but Twilight is fine." the princess told her trying to remain polite.
"So! How did you hear of our little village?" asked the purple maned unicorn as the purple alicorn replied. "It's kind of a long story. Let's just say we found it on a map."
"Technically it's a tree chest castle map!" Pinkie informed the strange unicorn before her face turned into a frown again.
"Well however you found us we're happy to have you." replied Starlight her eyes focused on Twilight. "We're happy to have anypony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time."
"Say what?" questioned Applejack looking thoroughly unimpressed. Midnight Sun just began to ignore the pony instead he chose to look around her house.
"Oh indeed." continued the leader of the town as she walked passed them but kept an eye on the dark grey unicorn. "That's what is so unique about our village you see. Around here we don't flaunt our special talents because we don't have any special talents to flaunt."
"Is that why you all have those cutie marks?" the alicorn inquired waving a hoof.
"Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of the village." offered Starlight Glimmer and Midnight just glanced towards her knowing she was hiding something. He was going to find out what. 'I will sneak away from this tour as soon as I can.' the red eye stallion told himself as he followed the group out. That was when Starlight Glimmer began to sing and he basically noped it out of there. He did notice that the some of the village ponies seemed almost afraid to the leader unicorn. What he didn't notice was a small filly following after him.
"What is that on your flank?" she asked causing Midnight Sun to turn around and look at her.
"It is my talent mark." answered the black maned unicorn staring at her. "Where are your parents?"
"Don't have any." the filly replied looking at him. "Don't have a talent either. Is a talent mark like a cutie mark?"
"I believe they are the same thing." sighed Midnight shaking his head as he continued walking around the town. "Do you have a name?"
"No." mumbled the smaller unicorn. "They don't really know what to call me. So I'm just Little One or Child. It's like they don't know what to do with a foal born outside of their little town. The moment any filly or colt gets their cutie mark it is taken away from them. I... don't want that. I mean I do... but seeing those ponies with theirs... I feel kind of jealous."
"How does one remove their cutie mark?" Midnight Sun questioned and listened as the filly explained the process. "I have never heard nor seen anything that sounds like that. Meadow Brook was a bit of an obsessive filly, she always like to do things eight times and hated the number nine so she would have never created nine magical artifacts."
"I can show you where they keep them." offered the filly but Midnight Sun shook his head saying. "I would rather investigate the cave system. This town chooses to lock away their talents, I do not have the right to tell them otherwise. Even if it seems foolish."
"So why the caves?" inquired the filly and that was when the dark grey unicorn took in her appearance. She was a bronze-gold unicorn with two colored eyes. One was the color of an ruby and the other was the color of a sapphire. Her mane was two colored, bronze and brass, as was her tail. It was styled in a similar fashion to the village ponies. She stared at him for a bit before heading up towards the mountain. It was quiet but they made it to the caves without much trouble though Midnight Sun did wonder why there were a pair of skis up there.
"Those probably belonged to Double Diamond." the bronze maned unicorn explained as she continued on. "I think. They don't really talk about their talents much."
"You seem to know your way around these tunnels very well." mused Midnight as he followed the filly who was looking around before she replied. "Not really, this is my first time through here. Why do you say that?"
"You just seem very sure of yourself when walking through here." chuckled the dark grey stallion before looking around. "I've seen these ruins somewhere before."
"That's interesting." the filly hummed as she moved along before looking around her and taking a left into a ruined building. The black maned unicorn followed her in to find her standing at an old and ruined forge. She was staring at it for a while humming a tune before looking over at the wall. Her horned glowed gold and the forge lit up illuminating gears on the wall which began to move.
"Hey, Gears." called Midnight casting his red eyes towards the filly who was focused on her work to even notice what she had on her flank. "Are you sure that you want to get rid of your talent mark? Because you seemed to have brought these old ruins to..."
"Shh!" shushed the smaller unicorn as she continued to work and the older stallion looked around before laying on the stone ground looking around him. It came back to him. These ruins were similar to the ones where Aqua Star had found the barrier spell when they were kids. Also the ruins where they found the spell of Ultimate Protection even though they were mostly iced over and they were running from a large ice golem. 'And she yelled at me that we didn't have to attack the stupid thing.' he thought before closing his eyes to get to sleep wondering what Twilight and the others were up to.
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