It Runs in the Family

Once upon a time, there were two sisters. No, not the two sisters that you're probably thinking about. We're not talking princess stuff here, so forget the whole sun-moon thing. Yeah, when I say two sisters, I mean Twilight Velvet and Midnight Velvet. You probably only know one of them. You see, the Velvet sisters were both Unicorns who would eventually have very skilled daughters. One of them would become more skilled than the other, admittedly. But that's not important. Here's the full scoop...

Twilight Velvet was a serious schoolmare. She would study day and night, perfecting her magic for the practical world. On the other hand, Midnight Velvet used her magic for entertainment. Her pranks and tricks were infamous (in a good way) throughout Ponyville. Despite their obvious differences, the sisters managed to live in harmony. However, as they got older, they drifted apart more and more. Twilight Velvet flourished in school, bringing pride to her parents, while the other became a dropout.

When the news of their child's bad academics reached Midnight's parents, she was punished very badly. What the punishment was, I'll leave that up to your imagination. Let's just say it was bad. Fearing the worst, she packed up her things and galloped away into the night, disappearing into the Everfree forest.

Life continued on for Twilight Velvet. When she graduated, her parents celebrated and cried tears of joy. Not a word was mentioned of Midnight Velvet. A stallion by the name of Night Light moved into town, and she was smitten. Eventually they got married, on a bright summer day with a clear blue sky. Not a word was mentioned of Midnight Velvet. Even when Twilight Velvet's and Night Light's children were born, not a word was mentioned of Midnight Velvet.

Things were different for Midnight. She hid in the Everfree forest, not daring to go back home. Occasionally, she found berries and nuts to live off of.After staying for a few weeks, she left for Baltimare. A long journey there exhausted her energy, and she fell asleep on the doorstep of an inn. When Midnight Velvet awoke, she was staring at the faces of the inn keepers, a friendly middle-aged couple. The couple took her in, and treated her just like family, introducing her to their son and inviting her to stay. The inn was warm, cozy, and everything Midnight could ever ask for. Even the walls were downright welcoming. As their son, Trick Question, had a similar interest in fun pranks and was the same age as Midnight, the two fell in deep, deep love.

One day, the inn-keepers died after an earthquake hit Baltimare. Both Midnight and Trick survived, and the news hit them hard. They barely managed to keep the inn going after their initial grief. Both tried to deny their growing love for each other, and tried to focus on the inn, but ultimately failed. Trick Question proposed to Midnight, and it was all sealed. The marriage was a quiet affair, as there wasn't much money left. After selling the inn, the newlyweds built a traveling caravan and rode off into the sunset.