Still of the Night [Dead]

[Linkletter]

In the heat of the day I hang my head down low, and hide my face from the sun…

The sky was streaked with brushstrokes of purple, orange, and gray as the top of the sun finally sunk below the horizon, its great lidless eye unable to stay awake any longer. A few pale doves sailed high above the streets of Canterlot, making their way back to their nests after a long day hard at work. Far below, the city streets were all abustle with tired and hungry ponies, who, like the birds overhead, were ready to enjoy a nice dinner and some down time with their families. The chores of the morning could be put aside to start again tomorrow, but for now it was time to relax, time to take things easy. Shopkeepers put up their “closed” signs, bankers counted their tills, and even the bunnies in the fields hopped back to their holes in the woods. Streetlights flickered to life, brightening the roadways for weary travelers eager to tuck in. For most, the day was, at last, done.

But the sun only rules for half of the day.

While most creatures were calling it quits, others were just about to get started. Feathers made way for leather as birds settled in, and bats of black and brown took flight, looking to shake the sleep from their wings and begin the hunt for breakfast. Silken threads filled the trees as the spiders awoke from their slumber to help the bats in their quest. Celestia’s City Guard, pride of Equestria, passed the torch of duty on to their nighttime counterparts, the Bat Ponies of the Lunar Guard. Janitors, street sweepers, bartenders, disk jockeys, pastry chefs, and many others began their day while the rest of Canterlot laid down to rest. Among these creatures, a young stallion could be found stretching on the goldenrod-tile roof of his house, his deep magenta mane matching the hues above. He flexed his wings as the wind ruffled the blue-grays of his coat and feathers, and he smiled at the glowing moon above.

Through the light of the day until the evening time I’m waiting for the night to come.

Midnight Hour was awake, and ready to enjoy the best part of any day. He took a few steps back, then took a trotting leap off of the roof. The air currents swept across his lean body, and as he approached the ground his wings burst open to catch the drafts, and upward he soared. The night was his time, and he was planning on enjoying every second of it.

Midnight watched as streets below that had been quiet all day long, finally came to life with the sights and sounds of evening. The street lamps sparkled their smooth yellow light, looking not unlike stars against the stones of the road. A pulsing beat arose from a local juice bar; another young DJ sharing her music with the night crowd. Mid couldn't tell from the air which DJ, or which song, but the specifics didn't really matter. The important part was that the night was something that should be celebrated, and those ponies were wasting no time in doing so. He would make his way back here after his "morning" flight.

Mid flew and flew across the rooftops of town, weaving leisurely around stovepipes, taking in the luscious scents of a hundred different dinners being cooked. The sweet smells of Honey breads and candied yams, the vinegary tang of brussle sprouts and cole slaw, the rich aromas of gruyere cheese and freshly baked ciabata bread... He was plenty full from his own "breakfast", but that didn't stop him from sampling from the scent buffet that was Canterlot at night. The warm drafts from the chimneys lifted the aromas high into the air, until the whole sky seemed like it was a great feast for the stars themselves.

Mid would never get tired of things like this, things that the morning folk would miss out on. With a satisfied sigh, the Pegasus sailed back toward the juice bar from before, eager to see what characters came out to play today.

[Tartan Lassie]

    Ponies think the night is a dark time but those ponies that revel in it know that it is anything but that. The nightlife of all cities, including Canterlot, is full of bright lights and even brighter personalities. The torches burn to guide a path through the streets and from inside great halls, disco lights flash in time to the DJs beat. Many ponies are uncomfortable in this kind of false light that you can find at night, but many others enjoy it, create it and are a part of it.

    One pony such as this is Witch Hazel, a well known aerial acrobat, better known as The Great Flyte. She made her performances at night when the huge red and white big top she called her home was lit up with fairy lights, torches and spotlights. She may be used to performing in the spotlight, but she knew that behind these lights lay the endless, comforting darkness. More than that, she slept outside most nights and had been raised sleeping under the starry skies with her tribe. Though these days she spent all day travelling, sleeping in the cart or training, she was always at her peak around sundown and at night.

    Tonight, though there were no performances. They had only just arrived in town and Ring Leader had decided that they would simply set up tonight. This way, the news that the circus was back in town would spread further before the show began. Witch Hazel’s circus never advertised. Usually the excitement of the circus was enough to bring ponies pouring in and telling all their friends. So tonight, Flyte had decided to spend her night exploring Canterlot and stocking up on supplies. She knew it was unlikely that she would be able to buy anything whilst out and about at night, but nopony questioned her pretence. When you spend all your days with the same ponies, day and night, in a troupe, it can be difficult to get some privacy and every pony needs it as much as the next. If it took Flyte three hours to go shopping to only return with a cupcake, no one would mind.

    So the slim, sleek and lovely mare trotted leisurely through the streets. She wasn’t wearing any kind of costume though her tail was bandaged, as usual. She grinned cheekily to a Lunar Pegasus out on patrol who nodded politely back. The night was warm and she was glad. The thistle-maned mare didn’t like being out in the cold. She sang quietly as she moved, swaying to her own inner beat. “She flies through the air with the greatest of ease… That daring young mare on the flying trapeze…”

    She didn’t really know where she was and spotted a juice bar. Feeling a little thirsty and being a herd pony, she headed towards the pleasant atmosphere. She leaned her front hooves on the bar and waved to the barcolt. “De Cidre de Pomme, please.” She asked. She had ordered apple cider but because she had asked in Prench, it immediately sounded more elegant. And, as expected, he brought her a simple farm drink in a fancy crystal glass. Continuing to lean on the bar, she glanced around, smiling at the diverse groups of creatures that could always be found out at night.

[darktobias13]

AS the sun set, a figure came soaring back towards Canterlot at high speed, coming in at such a speed that it would make any pony look twice to make sure the shadow was actually there and not just a trick of the light. A deep laughing could be heard from it as it came in to land on one of many streets of Canterlot. Its wings, over sized as they were, clumsily flapped to bring him to a halt, as he took several steps to reduce his forward momentum. He took a moment to think about his day, conversing quietly with himself.

"Three packages in twelve hours....would seem like a waste of time, but who else can travel all over delivering these packages to these towns?" He smirked.

As he walked back to the post office, he wasn't surprised to see that the outside lights were out, as this was about the time that the main functions closed to the city. The express delivery was the only thing that was still open, mainly for emergency reasons, but they had hired a night worker for the later express delivery. Warp walked into his boss's room, and turned in his gear for the night.

"Thank you, Warp. Always knew i could count on you for these, being the most reliable and all."

Warp bowed his head at the praise and turned to leave, but a quick word from his boss stopped him.

"Hey Warp, i want to thank you for all your hard work, here."

Warp picked up the envelope, and opened it to reveal a fair amount of bits, and he turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Go and enjoy yourself tonight, Warp. You work so much, that i feel like i take away any chance for you to have an outside life. Now go, and thats an order."

Warp rolled his eyes and gave a small smile, before walking back to the main boulevard, looking for what he could do. He passed by the movie theatre and what looked like a giant circus tent, preferring to avoid the bigger crowds. He eventually spotted what looked like a cider house, and tightened his always present blue scarf before walking in. He was not fully aware of the different drinks, but knew exactly what he wanted.

"Just a mug of your best cider." He stated to the bartender, who complied and took his bits. Warp grinned as he chugged down the mug in one go. Enjoying the warm feeling in his stomach, stretching out with both his legs and wings, which went to full length and accidentally hit somepony, and he immediately retracted his wings and turned to see who he had hit, ready to immediately apologize.

[Linkletter]

Mid flew around outside a bit longer, giving his wings a nice wakeup before landing and sauntering casually into the bar. His trademark half-smile played at the corner of his lips as he took a look around, scanning the small crowd for familiar faces. The night was still young, so there weren't too many ponies there yet, but there were a few early birds already active this early.

A pair of tired-looking Earth Ponies were huddled over a pile of papers covering a table in the corner of the room. The female of the pair was marking things with a red pen, while the younger colt was trying to explain each thing being circled. Student and tutor? Author and publisher? Mid shrugged, and left the pair alone; they clearly had enough on their plate. A few tables closer to the center, four elderly Bat Ponies were about a dozen bones deep into a game of dominoes. Mid broke out into a grin as he called out to them.

"Hey there youngsters! Which one of you is taking home the tab tonight?" The group called back greetings of their own, which quickly devolved into friendly bickering about who was the better player. Mid managed to catch the phrase, "Your goldfish has better game than you, you daft old fool!" and chuckled as he continued on his way to the bar. The four of them could always be counted on for a good night. The venue and the game changed as often as a chameleon changed colors, but they always placed bets so that the loser had to pick up the tab for the table. The loser would always complain that they "always lost" and that the other three were "filthy cheaters", but as far as Mid could tell, the four were evenly matched. He was fairly certain that all four of them were cheats, but would only cheat to lose, whenever they were feeling generous.

Over along the opposite wall, the blue maned DJ was busy chatting with a small group of ponies, while her magic was hard at work untangling cords behind her. The black cables danced like snakes weaving in and out of each other, producing a rather hypnotic effect. The DJ was clearly not a beginner, as the weaving behind her was happening with virtually no attention given; she was more focused on talking with her fans (and possibly making new ones). This was likely going to be a good night.

Mid sat down at the end of the bar, and ordered a glass of milk. The bartender smiled and slid the glass down, while Mid deftly rolled a few bits the opposite direction, the metal giving a satisfying -clink- as it skimmed the edge of the glass as they passed one another. Taking a nice long sip, he noticed a dark manned mare with an oddly bandaged tail trying to extrecate herself from the wing of her dark green neighbor. 'More new faces than old, so far' he thought to himself, sighing at the satisfying taste of dairy. "To a good night indeed"

[Tartan Lassie]

    Flyte sipped her cider quietly. She was examining the other customers, since people watching she was something she enjoyed and was good at. When you are performer, it helps if you’re good at reading your audience. For example, it was an exceedingly bad idea to bring up a controversial subject in the company of many bulky and rowdy looking ex-guards. Not that I couldn’t do it, thought Flyte, I could have them buying me drinks before the sun went down. Confident as always in her skills she looked at the mare and colt pouring over a load of papers. She frowned, not really understanding the situation. Flyte had never been very good at academic subjects; in fact she had never gone to school. In her tribe, calves weren’t sent to school, they were raised learning everything they would need to grow up to be well-round individuals and hard-working members of the tribe. They were taught basic numeracy and literary skills, but beyond that, they learned how to set up tents, read smoke signals, bushcraft and the like. While Flyte considered herself good at reading and writing and was a well disciplined pony, she’d never engaged in academia.


    Sighing, she looked away from the pair and gave the young stallion behind the bar a cheeky wink. He looked away, embarrassed that he had been caught staring at the alluring mare. She laughed to herself and was about to move to a table when a large feathered wing suddenly swung out in front of her and she walked smack into it. Dizzily, she shook her head and turned to the pony on her side. It was a yellow-maned stallion; he looked a few years younger than she. “Watch yourself there, friend!” She said amicably “You nearly gave me a concussion!” The tavern was relatively quiet, being so early in the evening and Flyte was surprised that she hadn’t seen the stallion come to sit at the bar. She smiled at him, her eyes drawn to his cutie mark, as they often were when she met knew ponies, told her that he was involved in some kind of postal service. The thistle-maned mare heard another voice from behind her and turned to see a stallion around her ages and of a similar colour scheme. His tail was long, straight and a lovely shade of purple. She smiled warmly at him too as he seemed to be entertained by their situation. He was drinking milk and seemed to be in an excellent mood.


    “And I’m sure it shall be a wonderful night!” Flyte replied confidently, always enjoying meeting new ponies. She changed her mind about moving to a table and replaced her glass on the bar. “And what brings you two stallions out on a dark night like this?” Her voice, deep as was sounded exotic and sensual rather than masculine and she was feeling like making some new friends. “My name is Witch Hazel, but I am better known as Flyte. You may call me whatever you wish.”

[darktobias13]

Warp hastily folded his wing back up, trying to keep from just walking out of the place from embarrassment.

"I apologize, i did not mean to give you a concussion." His voice could barely be heard over the crowds that were filling up the cider house fairly quickly, and he turned to leave, but heard the pony introduce herself and sighed. His polite nature made him turn back to the pony in question. Witch Hazel, or as she wished to be called, Flyte, seemed to be an interesting specimen. He picked up another glass of cider as the bartender handed it to him, and proceeded to down with one gulp, and used his hoof to wipe off his mouth. Standing to full size, he was quite a bit taller than most ponies were used to, and he gave a small grin, as he used his wing to gesture in a bowing motion, his voice low and polite.

"Well, Ms. Flyte, my name is Warp Delivery, or just Warp as some call me. As for what i am doing here, i am afraid to say i really don't know. I was sorta ordered by my boss to spend some time out on the time, but i haven't really....well...had any reason to go out on nights. I cannot for one thing, stand to be enclosed by large crowds, as this place seems to be going that direction. What exactly is it that ponies do on nights like this, i work so much i don't know what to do with free time...." He trailed off as he went into thought.

[Linkletter]

Mid couldn’t help but smile as the pair of ponies introduced themselves. This was always the best part of meeting someone new; First Impressions. The first chance for each of them to showcase a part of who they were. The first opportunity to learn something about each of their characters. The first moment with which one would invariably make snap judgements, to the benefit or detriment of the encounter. It was something that not everyone was experienced at doing, both on the introductions side and the analytical side; but this was Mid’s favorite game, one which he felt he had grown rather good at.

The noise level of the bar had risen over time, and would only get louder as the night wore on, so Mid finished his milk and made his way over to his new playmates; his mind rapidly filling in details on how best to proceed. The mare was roughly his age, and spoke with a confidence that told Mid that she knew this game well. She had two names, one of which seemed to have nothing to do with the other. It was too out of place for a nickname, but a glance to her flank revealed a hanging bar… Ah, a stage name then! They had passed by a circus tent on their way in, and this “Witch Hazel” being a Circus performer would explain both the second name and the confidence she exuded. He made a mental note to take a shot at the connection. Even if he was wrong, he guessed that she would be more than happy to give him the correct answer.

The second new face, on the other hoof, was the youngest of the trio, and quickly showed himself to be… Well, not quite as good at this game. The bow and the smile were courteous enough, but Mid could see plain as day that this one wanted out of the situation. Within a moment, he had practically said as much on his own with mention of his boss and the growing crowd. Ponies like this one were usually harder to befriend, so Mid was going to have to work to get to know him better. His boss had forced him to take a night off? His cutie mark hinted at mail delivery, but that was usually a day job. “Warp Delivery” was larger than most of the ponies around here, especially for his age. Heavy shipments? Perhaps long-distance travel? That one would need more digging, and could potentially cause embarrassment if Mid guessed incorrectly. He would tread lightly there for now, but the poor thing seemed to be floundering through his introduction, and Mid took his turn to give Warp a brief reprieve.

”Midnight Hour, at your service.” He began confidently, bowing his head slightly. ”A fine evening such as this should never go to waste, and this establishment seemed as good a place as any to begin.". There was a small flash from the corner of the room as a young filly took a picture with the DJ, and the light seemed to make Mid's eyes sparkle mischievously as he grinned. "And how quickly I met some potential new friends tonight! Clearly this bar was a good choice."

He waved the bartender over and ordered another round for the three of them, paying before they had the chance to refuse. He hopped up onto one of the stools and swiveled around once to show his glee at the encounter. "So, tell me about yourselves! It's not every day you get to meet a circus performer outside a tent." There goes the first one, now for the other... he thought to himself, sifting his gaze from the mare to the stallion. "And we can always move somewhere quieter if this place gets to be too much for you, Warp. Crowds can certainly be overwhelming if you're not used to them." He wanted to wink at Hazel on that one, but thought that might come off a little strong, especially if he was wrong about her.

[Dark Star]

After the sun had set in Canterlot, the entire city was soon enveloped in a veil of darkness. The clopping of hooves could be heard as the street lights were being activated. In the pitch-black darkness, multiple streaks of red could be seen on the otherwise-dark background. Bright-red eyes glowed eerily as a smile could be seen widening. The last of the street lights came on and revealed a unicorn with a black pelt and many red accents all across its body. The unicorn in question appearing with a figure most effeminate, trotting gracefully around the city streets. She looked up at the sky and sighed dreamily. "A wonderful night as always, Princess Luna" she said. This was Dark Star.

Earlier that day, she had been delivering her research papers to her employer at the university, after which she decided to stick around until night had fallen, wanting to get a feel for how it was at night. She was greatly satisfied with how things had turned out, feeling as though the night air felt better here than in Ponyville. It reminded her of her home town, which wasn't surprising considering that it was just a few hours away by train. Nevertheless, the night air was exquisite, perfect for a nocturne such as Dark Star.

As she walked, she was enveloped by a multitude of different farces towards her senses. She could hear other ponies enjoying themselves and could smell fragrant aromas coming from a cider house nearby. Thinking that she should acquire some social interaction before moving on to other activities for the night, she headed right towards the building and opened the door. She had done with a bit more zest than she had had wanted and suddenly became the center of attention from the others there. Many had stopped everything they were doing and stared at her in complete silence.

If it was one thing Dark Star didn't like, it was attention. As if it were some cruel joke, she had been born with several traits that made her stand out so much; her black coat, her red hooves, her above-average height, her horn-sharp enough to puncture a rock-, even her eyes made her stand out-especially the way they were glowing. She knew that it was one of those things that most of the ponies there were staring at, and it only made feel even more awkward than usual. She carefully trotted over to the bar and tried to ignore the many eyes on her.

She sat up on one of the stools next to a small group of ponies: a bulky-looking green stallion, a exotic-looking mare that looked a bit older than she was, and another stallion looking the same age as the last one, sharing the same pelt color as well. She looked back at them and saw they too were staring at her. She tried to keep a strong facial expression in front of them, but couldn't help looking away shyly. She looked over at the bartender and faked a smile in his direction. "A mug of cider, please" she ordered quietly as she levitated a few bits out in exchange. The bartender complied silently, sliding a mug of cider down gently to the dark mare. She sipped it quietly as she turned to face the others at the bar, trying to find the strength to speak to them. All she could muster was an awkward-looking smile as her eyes began to glow once again.

[Tartan Lassie]

    The green stallion had apologised very politely and Flyte felt he had been very gentlecoltly. She did feel a little bad when he turned back to answer her question. He didn’t look very much like he wanted to be there. He told her he had been sent out and told to have fun. She smiled, so he’s one of those ponies, she thought. Flyte had a friend like that in Fillydelphia who would only leave her work if you pestered her for hours. “You don’t need to do anything, Mr Warp. Just have some fun! And please, just Flyte is fine.”


    The second stallion rather impressed her. Midnight Hour as he introduced himself, very kindly bought them all another drink. Flyte took hers and thanked Midnight heartily. Then, to impress her further, he made an excellent guess as to her profession. She wasn’t in costume and the troupe had only arrived a short while ago, so she was surprised at his guess. True, her cutie mark was trapeze bar, but it could easily be mistaken for something else, and she often had ponies not knowing what it was. She grinned cheekily “Ah, very clever Mr Midnight. It’s true I am from the circus that has just arrived in town. You could say I’m the… high flyer of the troupe.” She added, raising her eyebrows at her own joke. “What gave it away?” She gestured with her tail to the mark she was so proud of. “My cutie mark?” Then the smiling mare flicked her tail gracefully and tossed her mane back a little “Or just my general exotic allure?”


    Flyte took a moment to examine Midnight Hour’s cutie mark. It was crescent moon and some scattered stars. She frowned at it, it was one of those obscure cutie marks that could mean anything, but it must have something to do with the night, perhaps an astronomer? “You’re a bit of a night-owl yourself, then?” She hadn’t noticed the dark-pelted pony come in and sit near the, and continued to chatter idly away.

[darktobias13]

"Nice to meet you Midnight Hour. And thanks for the cider." He took the mug from the barkeep and drank this one a bit more slowly. He felt a bit loosened up from the drinks, and was slowly overcoming his shyness.

"Ah so you are part of that circus that i saw come into town. I would say i would like to know what it is like to fly on those bars, but...you know. Wings. And honestly, I can't imagine being restricted in my flight, since its all about the freedom. There is not any feeling that i have encountered so far like the feeling of soaring through the night sky at high speeds, the air rushing through my feathers..." He blushed a bit. "But that's just my opinion. Being an Express Delivery Pegasus gives you plenty of time to think, given that i fly for hours on end." He grinned as he sipped some more cider. "And i will agree, this place is quite a good place to go for cider, its not bad, but not the best. I might have to start coming here more often after I'm done with my deliveries for the day."

He raised an internal eyebrow as the new mare joined them, but smiled. Bowing his head, he decided to greet her.

"Greetings Stranger. I must admit, its not very often that i meet another pony that is on the taller side. But its nice to meet you, I'm Warp Delivery. May i ask your name? And what are you doing here on such an evening?"

[Dark Star]

Dark Star listened in on the others' conversations. She didn't particularly enjoy eavesdropping, but there was no other way for her to hear everything without trying to include herself. Luckily for both her and the group, one of them spoke up, that being the green stallion. He introduced himself as Warp Delivery and commented how he rarely ever met another tall pony. Usually, her height was among the last things ponies noticed, but she considered it a compliment in this context. Afterwords, he asked her for her reasoning behind coming to the cider bar.

She smiled at him, and by extension the others, and began to explain. "I just love the night air, you see. The night sky in Canterlot alone is simply divine, the only thing is that it gets incredibly lonely. I noticed the crowd gathering here and thought it would be a good place for social interaction" she explained gleefully. She took another sip of cider and realized something, she had forgotten to introduce herself. She mentally smacked herself and turned back to the others. "My name is Dark Star, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you, Warp Delivery. And you too...." She trailed off as she looked at the other two, waiting for them to introduce themselves. Hopefully, they wouldn't mind being included in a conversation such as this, even more-so that she didn't interrupt the three of them when she entered. There were a multitude of things that could've been going on before she entered; the trio could've been a group of friends getting together after a long days work, or they could've arranged to meet somewhere like this. The possibilities were endless, and the thought of it made Dark Stars heart beat faster than it should have been.

[Linkletter]

Midnight was fairly confident in his assumptions, and was elated to discover that he was right on point with both of his new acquaintances. He listened intently as the pair described themselves a bit further; both confirming initial suspicions and adding new details to the mix. The mare seemed pleased with the recognition, and practically challenged him to continue. ”A lucky guess Miss Hazel, but an educated one, as it were. You’d given me a few clues to work with, after all.” Mid paused for a moment, recalling a few stories he had read of a famous detective who was a master at this sort of thing. He did his best to emulate the detective’s style, and presented the evidence as nonchalantly as he could muster. ”None of the other ponies here seemed to recognize you, so it stood to reason that you were either new in town, or were just passing through. Your natural charm and presence speaks of a confidence gained from being in the public eye. Mixed with that intoxicating aire you carry around you, and it all but screamed “performer”. With the circus newly arrived in town, and indeed, your fabulous cutie-mark, I figured the guess couldn’t be that far off.” He spun to the side to allow his cutie-mark to be more easily visible before continuing, ”You’ll have to forgive my rather lackluster mark by comparison. It makes reading me a bit more difficult than some.” He smiled, knowingly, ”My penchant is the study of all things night. The stars in the sky, the bugs of the fields…” he gestured to the pair he was addressing. ”The ponies of the evening.” His attention was momentarily broken by the arrival of the black and red mare, but he brushed it off for the moment. After all, he still had another pony before him that he had to discuss.

Midnight Hour was actually rather proud of his cutie-mark for just the reason that he outwardly downplayed it. While many ponies had a mark that laid their talents or personalities bare for all the world to see, his mark was vague and unassuming. It was initially frustrating as a child, but as he grew older he learned just what a blessing this sort of cutie-mark truly was; he could be anything. If Mid needed to be an Astronomer, all he had to do was learn all of the different constellations and BAM! If he wanted to pretend to be an overnight delivery pony? If he needed to look tough and make others think he was a ninja? All it really took was a little research and a great poker face, and his “special talent” was whatever he needed it to be. With as much time as Mid spent at the library pretending to be something, he often wondered why his cutie-mark wasn’t a book or acting related. He knew what he wanted it to represent, but…

He cleared his throat, pushing his own thoughts back deep into the recesses of his mind; now was certainly not the time to bring up his own insecurities. He was on a roll and intended to continue. ”And it is a pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Delivery. The cider’s the least I can do for a couple of fellow sky ponies, even if one of us doesn’t need feathers to fly” He nodded at Warp’s description of the sky. So that was what made him tick! Mid was going to have to find a way to get Warp Delivery airborne before the night was over. That would really loosen up the pegasus; the chance to be in their element was all that it took to get some ponies to shine. He’d think of something in due time, something that could allow Witch Hazel to show off too, perhaps? He smiled at the younger pony’s sudden fluster. ”I can completely understand that feeling of freedom. Nothing but sky above and the ground far below, it’s that thrill that really gets the blood pumping, right? Express delivery sounds like a job where you spend most of your time in the air, so you must feel a little out of place stuck here on the ground.” He nodded approvingly of Warp’s assessment of the bar, and then turned as the pegasus welcomed the second mare to the party. ’Player four enters the game’ Mid thought to himself, studying the newcomer.

The red-maned mare was younger than he was, but managed to match him in height. She drew attention to herself with her looks, but didn’t seem to be doing it on purpose. She was shy, but not in the same way that Warp was. With him, he was out of his element, but this “Dark Star” was just… Quiet. She was confident enough a proper introduction, but had waited until Warp had made the first gesture. He listened as she raved about the night air and the crowds, her eyes seeming to glow with… Wait, no… Were they actually glowing? Mid knew that Unicorn Magic usually had a telling glow about the horn, but the eyes? That was a new one. For someone who seemed to not want to make a scene, her physical features worked against her. Hard. He scanned her for other markings, making note of her star-comet cutie-mark. An astronomer, perhaps? A shooting star was about as ambiguous as a letter with wings, so he’d have to wait to guess there as well. She paused, waiting for an introduction from him and Flyte, so he obliged.

”The name’s Midnight Hour. ‘Tis a pleasure to meet you Miss Star." He stopped there, giving the circus pony a chance to introduce herself, and to give himself a little more time to gather information.


((I think that now that we have four, we should try and keep to a posting order, but for these introductions it's not too much of a problem, especially since Dark Star's true introduction didn't actually add her to the conversation, but that's just my thought.))

[Sun Riser]

   The sun lets go of it's burden and slowly drops from the sky, which was then surpassed by the silent moon, shining it's guiding light on those to stay to witness it.
   Walking across Canterlot streets, the sound hooves emanating from a single figure. The figure was an earth pony, one which seemed intent with the quiet night and calming lights. Covered head to toe in a glossy white pelt, the pony took hoofstep after hoofstep on the cobble roads, making sure not to step on her gray mane, which cascaded down one shoulder to the ground. 
   Ah... Canterlot. It's been awhile. Robo reminisced of her last trip to Canterlot, which seemed exactly the same. Even though there was one great difference, the last time she had traversed these cobble roads was not at night. It was in the bright light of the sun. When all of Canterlot was wide and awake, tons of ponies of every species running to-and-fro Which did seem to be quite much for Robo, causing a postpone in her next trip to Canterlot.
   Robo Sentry, a quiet earth pony liked to be alone, away from bustling crowds and others who may hurt or criticize her. So to tour the silent Canterlot was a good way for her to go sightseeing. Yet to her surprise, there was quite a large group of other ponies with seemed clustered together. They seemed to be talking and having a good time.
   Robo gathered strength, seeming to start to overcome her timid nature, and went to talk to the others, ont his seemingly silent night.
   As she got there, her shyness started to ebb at her, she pushed it away, focusing at making friends. "H-Hello... I'm Robo Sentry." She introduced herself as calmly as she could, starting to feel more relaxed as that had been done.

[Tartan Lassie]

((Sorry for the wait, I was on holiday. I have returned now!))

    Flyte was enjoying the company of the two Pegasus stallions and smiled as Warp Delivery spoke about how flying makes him feel. Though her personal experiences weren’t exactly the same, she still knew what he meant about feel the wind rushing past. “I’m a little the opposite, I suppose. Being a very fast-moving profession, I often don’t have time to think.” She laughed lightly. “But I definitely understand what you mean. I do sometimes wish I could fly for real!”


    As the green pony greeted the new arrival, Flyte frowned almost imperceptibly. As a general rule, she didn’t often get on with mares, especially if they were a threat the attention she herself was receiving. But Flyte was not one to judge a book by its cover, and smiled amiably at red-maned unicorn. “Witch Hazel.” She said, providing a name. “But, please, call me Flyte. Pleased to meet you, Miss Dark Star.” She turned back to Midnight Hour to be even further impressed. Flyte was secretly besotted with masters of deduction, especially when their skills were displayed so nonchalantly. She smiled widely at him as he listed his reasons for guessing who she was. Though she was far too used to compliments to show it on the outside, internally she flushed pink. Intoxicating aire? Well well… She was liking this stallion more and more… “Why, thank you very much, kind sir.” She curtseyed slightly. “I bow to your superior skills.”


    Though her guess had been far vaguer than his, she had been right. His cutie mark signified his love of the study of all the secrets of the night. She was very impressed at such an interesting and expansive cutie mark. Just as she was about to start asking questions, another pony appeared. Flyte was thrown by the new arrival as her standard wariness of mare was confused by the fact that this pony was just a filly! She couldn’t be more than eleven or twelve. What in the wide world of Equestria is she doing all alone, in a cider bar in Canterlot, at night? The appearance of the filly made Flyte nervous and she didn’t really know how to react. She waved a hoof vaguely, hoping that somepony better with children would take over.

[darktobias13]

Warp grinned as he heard that Flyte wanted to know what it was like to actually fly, and his mind immediately went into a planning state, as an idea came to mind. He thought about the packages he had delivered, including some fairly heavy ones, and due to his wing power, he was fairly sure he could carry a pony.

"Well Flyte, if you wish to see what its like to fly, I might be able to help there. I carry heavy packages all the time, and I am sure they were heavier than you, so perhaps I could carry you, maybe with use of your trapeze rope?" He blushed again a bit at his own brashness.

His thoughts went to all of the clues that Midnight used to deduce everything. Quite the quick mind to go with his quick tongue. He grinned a little and stood up, stretching out his wings once again, and noticed that the ground had yet another arrival. His eyebrows shot up as he noticed that she seemed to be hardly more than a filly, but he knew the signs of a pony trying to face their shyness more than anypony, and smiled.

"Why greetings Robo Sentry," He bowed his head, "I am Warped Delivery. Forgive me for asking, but what is such a young pony doing out at night in a cider house at this hour?" He looked around and noticed that the cider house was getting uncomfortably full, and mused out loud. "On that note however, with our group getting bigger, i suggest we all head outside, this crowd is going to get out of control soon." Stretching again, he set down a tip for the bartender and started walking to the door, doing his best to clear a path for the others, managing to get to the front door. He breathed in the night air, and stretched out to his full extent, before bracing his wings and taking off into the night sky, flying a lazy loop around the cider house before coming down to hover just off the ground, turning around to see who had followed him.