Book of Nightmares - Midnight

>The world around you twists, turns, lurches, and sways as you walk into the town square.

>You weren't walking strangely because of the alcohol.

>Echo's nightmare came as a complete surprise.

>It had almost sobered you up completely, but also put you in another drunken state.

>Really, it was more of a state of disbelief.

>You lean against the water fountain in the middle of the square and look down into the clear water.

>Were there others that had similar nightmares?

>Echo's nightmare was the first and only one that you've heard of that bore any similarities to your own.

>But, if there were others...

>Maybe you could all discuss it and see if there was anything you could do?

>What you really needed was Princess Luna, but she wouldn't be able to watch over Equestria's dreams until she returned to Canterlot.

>You didn't understand why she couldn't just watch over Equestria from the Crystal Empire.

>Maybe something happened and none of the scouts were able to make it back?

>Nah, her closest guards were the best of the best in the Night Guard.

>You were just too good to join them.

>You sigh and splash a hoof into the fountain.

>Your pride betrayed your dreams, and your dreams betrayed your pride.

>Hollow Shades needed you and you couldn't abandon it to pursue your dream to be Luna's personal bodyguard.

>You slap the water with disgust.

"Ugh! Why couldn't I have just left? I would've made it!"

>A hoof caresses your shoulder.

>"Midnight? Are you alright?"

>The leader of your group, Florence, sits beside you.

>You turn from the fountain and slump against it.

"Of course I am. I'm always... at the top of my game."

>She was munching on a banana.

>She stopped chewing for a moment and looked at it, then looked back at you, as she noticed you staring.

>"Want a bite?"

>This mare was never without food, even during patrol.

>She might have been a gluttonous fool, but at least she always offered to share.

>You smile softly and chuckle.

"Sure. I haven't really eaten much today."

>She extends the banana toward you and you take a small bite of it.

>"It's good right? I just bought a few dozen bunches of these."

>A few dozen?

"You know all of those are going to go rotten, right?"

>She shakes her head, her blonde mane falling over her blue eyes.

>"I can eat all these bananas, Midnight. I'm not some wimpy little earth pony that can't even eat two bushels of apples."

>What a weird analogy.

>Then again, she was the weirdest bat p0ny you knew.

>And you've known her since she was a foal.

 

>"Oh, I almost forgot."

>She reaches into one of her bags and extracts a hefty bag of bits.

>"The Mayor said tomorrow's our last day of patrol."

>You take the bag from her and set it in one of your satchels.

"I never bothered to ask, but what exactly are we looking for?"

>Florence shakes her head.

>"The Mayor wouldn't even tell me. He just said, 'Get a group of your closest, strongest friends, and sit there for four hours.'"

>You roll your eyes.

>"Why are you even complaining? It's not like we aren't getting paid a good sum."

"I don't like how our own Mayor is being secretive with something like this."

>"You're still complaining, Midnight."

>You shake your head.

"Sorry, Florence. Where were you earlier? You never showed up for patrol. Neither did Aux, now that I think about it."

>She sighs and looks away as she rolls an apple between her hooves.

>"I'm sorry. I've just kind of noticed... You have trouble looking at me. I didn't want to cause you any grief since I've noticed."

>Oh.

>She noticed that then.

>"You resent me because I'm the captain of our squad. I know you're better than I am, Midnight. You're one of the best guards I've ever seen."

>You start to laugh, but she just gets up and walks away.

"Florence, wait!"

>You rush to catch up to her.

"Florence. I-"

>She cuts you off.

>"It's because I look different from everyp0ny else, right?"

>She gasps as you step in front of her and grab her face.

"No. I can't look at you, because you remind me of somep0ny I used to love."

>She does everything she can not to look into your eyes.

>A tugging pain surges in your chest.

>You ignore it and hug Florence tight.

"You know, you might be younger than the rest of the group, but you're shaping up to be an incredible p0ny."

>This was hurting your pride, but one of your friends was upset by your actions.

>If Echo saw this, you'd probably have to quit everything and move very far away.

>"Midnight? You're kinda... Can you let go?"

"Oh!"

>You quickly let go of her and try to suppress your blush.

"Sorry."

>She shakes her head and taps a hoof against your shoulder.

>"It's alright. I'm just... glad that you don't hate me."

>She tilts her head as she finally looks into your eyes.

>"You look tired. Have you been sleeping well?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I've been sleeping just fine."

>Her brow furrows.

>"You're lying, Midnight. You've been having nightmares, haven't you?"

 

>You turn from her and scoff.

"No! Of course not!"

>She places a hoof on your side.

>You shrug her off and fly away as fast as you can.

>This wasn't something you could deal with right now.

>Echo's nightmare, your nightmare, and everything to do with Florence.

>Everything just piled on and piled on, and you needed a break.

>Maybe the spa would help you relax.

>You veer downward as you start flying to your destination.

>You pull into an aileron roll as you see the spa come into view.

>As you rocket towards the ground, several p0nies standing outside point up at you and screech.

>A smirk draws across your lips as you spread your wings last minute, barely skimming the ground as you slow yourself.

>You come to a complete halt just outside of the spa.

"Excellent, Midnight. Truly excellent."

>You compliment yourself as you trot into the building.

>"Good evening, miss Midnight. The usual?"

>You nod.

>The usual consisted of a full body massage, a soak, and a mud and peach facial.

>It was always just enough to wind you down and calm you.

>"Right this way."

>The p0ny behind the desk leads you off to a back room where you'll get to start the massage.

>"I hope you don't mind some company during your treatment, dearie. We just had a nice young gentleman come in and order a massage."

>You raise a brow as she opens the door to the back room.

>As you enter, you notice a gray bat stallion with a black mane lying on one of the tables, facing away from you.

>You climb up onto the table next to his as one of the masseuses starts preparing for your massage.

>"Oooh, yeah."

>His voice vibrates, but you think you recognize it.

>You really hope it isn't... him.

>"So, beautiful... Are you doing anything after your shift?"

>His masseuse giggles and nods.

>"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I'm going on a date with my husband."

>Yeah, it was definitely him.

>Wonderful.

>"O-oh... Sorry."

>Your masseuse starts pressing and rubbing her hooves into your back.

>This causes you to groan in pleasure.

>And, of course, this catches the attention of the stallion next to you.

>"Oh, well hello gorg- Midnight?!"

>He threatens to topple himself and his masseuse over as he jumps up.

>"Wh-what're you doing here?"

>You sigh and close your eyes, trying to enjoy your massage.

>Two hooves dig into your shoulders.

 

"I'm trying to relax after a stressful day."

>He stops hyperventilating for a moment and slowly lies back down on his table.

>"S-sorry I wasn't at the post today."

"It's fine. More money for the rest of us."

>You groan again as a series of knots come loose from your muscles.

>"It's just that... I have a date later tonight, and I wanted to relax and pamper up a little."

"Mhm. Tomorrow's the last day we have to patrol."

>He grunts in either acknowledgement or relief.

>You believe it to be the latter, as you hear a bone pop.

>"I'll be there, Midnight. I promise."

"Mmm. So who's the lucky mare?"

>You turn your head to look at him.

>"It's... Echo. She's been kind of... I don't know, off? I figure, maybe this will cheer her up, and maybe I'll have someone to call my own, right?"

>It takes all of your willpower to not burst out laughing.

>Your rival, going on a date with this loser?

>He's hit on you before and you've turned him down repeatedly, but for him to downgrade to your rival?

>Oh, how priceless.

>You will definitely have to milk this for all it's worth.

>After all, the best of the best don't have time for such relations.

>This little bit of information will be the metaphorical straw that breaks Echo's back.

"Well, Aux. I wish you the absolute best of luck."

>"R-really? Wow, Midnight. Thanks, that means a lot."

>You grin and nod.

>"Sir, your massage is finished."

>"O-oh. Thank you."

>He rolls off of the table and crashes to the floor, nearly knocking over a cart of lotions and creams.

>He laughs weakly as he tries to get up.

>"Sorry about that."

>He quickly trots out of the room, blushing the whole way out.

>That stallion was going to get himself killed in the most embarrassing way.

>"That guy's a little gutsy, isn't he? Asking another mare out when he already has a date set up."

>You grunt.

"He likes to keep his options open, even though he always screws up on the first date."

>Both masseuses start laughing.

>Aux might have been useless on the patrol, and generally everywhere else.

>But you could always get a good laugh out of him.

>And he was kind of enjoyable to be around, when he wasn't flirting with every mare in sight.

>Or in that one case where that mare turned out to be a stallion.

>That was hilarious.

>You thought Aux was going to start crying.

 

>The masseuse finishes with you after a short while.

>She drags a small cart behind her as the two of you head to the soaking room.

>"There shouldn't be anyp0ny in here this time, so you'll have the entire duration to relax."

>You sigh and smile as she opens the door.

>She leads you up a short set of stairs, you hop into the massive, steaming tub.

>Absolutely perfect.

>You lean back against the side and rest your head on a pillow as the masseuse applies your facial mask.

>It smears into the fur on your face.

>Oh, Luna, does it feel amazing.

>The masseuse speaks up as she finishes applying the mask.

>"I'll come get you in half an hour. You just sit back and relax."

>You sink a little farther into the water, its warmth enveloping you as you close your eyes.

>A few bubbles trail past your hind leg.

>It kind of tickles.

>The bubbles must have been turned on automatic or something.

>More bubbles flow up past your legs.

>A few find their way through your tail or up your back.

>You giggle softly.

>Something brushes against your hind hoof, causing you to furrow your brow.

"Hm?"

>It didn't feel like a bubble.

>You open your eyes and raise your head.

>Nothing.

"Strange..."

>The bubbles start surfacing in full force at this point, and so frequently that they threaten to hold you on the top of the water.

>You lean over to the bubble control switch to turn them to a lower setting.

>What you see causes your heart to skip a beat.

>The switch was off.

>Something brushes against your hoof again.

>You nearly leap out of the tub as you turn your head.

>What you see nearly scares you to death.

>Two dull orange eyes stare up at you from just above the water's surface.

>Water cascades down its face as it rises from the water.

>You can feel your throat constricting, preventing you from screaming.

>The creature smiles at you, its mane plastered to the side of its face and neck.

>"Hello, Midnight. Getting pampered up after a long day on patrol? How... vain of you."

>It grins, flashing its sharp, blood-stained teeth at you.

>The smell of the blood is potent enough to force you to scrunch your nose up.

>It was stale, maybe a week old, even though it still dripped from her gaping maw.

 

>"Don't you think you've relaxed enough? Or do you have to be better than all of your friends at absolutely everything?"

>She moves closer to you.

>"You just think so highly of yourself. You think you're the best bat to ever walk the lands of Equestria."

>She cackles, her lips mere inches from your nose.

>"You just rub everything in everyp0ny else's faces. But what have you ever really accomplished? Nothing."

"I've... done plenty."

>You feel sick to your stomach from the smell.

>The creature in front of you just cackles louder.

>"If that's what you believe, then maybe, just maybe, it'll come true. Or maybe you'll just die all alone with nothing to leave behind to-"

>You cut her off with a screech.

>She backs off a little, but not how you wanted.

>Instead she just glares at you.

>"If that's how you want to play, little p0ny... So be it."

>She lunges at you with her mouth open.

>You close your eyes as she comes within inches of you.

>Just like all of the other times you've had this nightmare, nothing happens.

>You slowly open your eyes and look up.

>Your masseuse looks down at you with a disturbed look on her face.

>"Miss Midnight? Are you okay?"

>You nod and climb out of the tub, quickly wrapping your damp frame in a towel.

"Just a... nightmare."

>"You know if you aren't fully relaxed by the end of your trip, you're entitled to a full refund."

>You shake your head as you dry off.

"No, no. I'm fine. Thanks."

>She nods and leaves the room.

>You follow her out and leave the spa.

>Maybe you needed a vacation.

>Just to get away from Hollow Shades and everything you had here.

>Maybe you could even leave.

>You had plenty of money, you could move far away.

>No, you couldn't.

>You had too much here, too much to look out for, too much to tie you down.

>A tear falls down your cheek as you look up to the sky.

"Oh, Cloud Skipper. I'm so sorry."

>You spread your wings and take to the sky, no destination in mind.