The Return of Midnight Sparkle

                                                                                                       Chapter Six:

                                                                                                     The ride to

                                                                                                  Applejacks farm.

Rarity while driving looked over at Celestia who was sitting next to her in the passenger seat and asked her.

“Your majesty can you please open the glove box that is in front of you? Inside it there should be a phone I need to call the others that are following us and find out who’s home we will be stopping by first.” Rarity said as she turned her attention back to the road and her driving.

Celestia looked at the box in front of her then back at Rarity politely saying to her.

“My dear Rarity I am afraid I do not know how to open what you call a ‘glove box’. Could you please explain to me how to open it so that I can comply with your request?”

Rarity looked at Celestia then back at the road and sighed to herself before speaking.

“Your majesty it is really quite simple take your hand either left or right it doesn’t matter which one. Place your thumb on the left side of the switch and your pointer finger on the right side of the switch. Then gently push both buttons in at the same time while that is happening pull back on the front of the box and it should open.”

Celestia did as she was told and was able to open the glove box once it was open she took out a small purple phone that had Rarity's cutie mark on it. Looked at it then handed it to Rarity who took it with a smile. Rarity while still driving held the phone in her right hand then pressing her thumb on the unlock button unlocked her phone. Fiddling with the device for a few seconds she was able to send it to voice command and saying out loud.

“Call Applejack’s phone.”

Celestia was about to say something to her about this when the phone chimed out with.

“Calling Applejack’s phone.” The device rang out in a dull monotone tune.

In the next car Applejacks phone buzzed and vibrated to the tune of a ring tone that she had set up for Rarity’s incoming calls. Applejack sitting next to Rainbow Dash who was looking out the window on her side of the car looked at the phone then sighed to herself.

“Really Rarity I ah’don’t see why Y’all gotta be ah’calling me when you're one car in front of us now.” Applejack said grimly as she answered her phone.

“Darling I just need to know who’s place are we going to first yours or Fluttershy’s?”

“We will go to mine first then Fluttershy’s then to your home then Pinkies after that we need to figure about how we are going to find Twilight er I mean Midnight.”

“Alright darling. Oh, would you please tell Rainbow that Princess Celestia would like to have a word in private with her once we stop and all get out that is.” Rarity said while looking a Princess Celestia who didn't look happy in the least with the comment she made.

Looking over at Rainbow then answering Rarity, Applejack couldn’t help feel just a little sorry for the blue skinned athlete that was sitting next to her sulking.

“Will do y’all just hang up now and keep yer eyes on the road.”

“Darling you….” Rarity started to protest but was cut off when she heard a loud click from the other end of her phone.

CLICK.

Applejack hung up on Rarity then turned to Rainbow saying calmly yet sternly to her.

“Look sugar cube I know things look bad right now, and I know you really messed up back there so if you want to talk I will at least listen to y’all. I promise I won't yell at you any more sugar cube.”

Rainbow turned and looked at her then back outside the window before saying.

“Pinkie promise I won’t talk to you unless you make it an official Pinkie Pie promise and you have to do the gesture too.”

“Y’all lost your contention picking mind RAINBOW DASH! I mean really to go and make me your friend and the one who took you in after you got kicked out of Twilights and Sunsets home promise you a Pinkie Pie promise.”

“Either you promise with a Pinkie Pie full promise gesture and all, or I will not talk to you Applejack. And by the way that was low even for you.” Rainbow shot back.

Applejack looked at her then at the floor then back at her friend. She had made a mistake by bringing up the fact that Rainbow had gotten her self kicked out of Twilight’s and Sunsets home. Applejack slowly let out a sigh then turned and looked her friend deadpan in the eyes. Saying as she made the gesture to the promise.

“Your right sugar cube that was...low of me to do alright. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

Applejack looked at her friend after saying the promise in hopes that Rainbow would now actually talk to her instead of sit there and sulk. Rainbow lowered her head and looked at the floor of the car. For what felt like three hours but was actually a full three minutes before speaking to her.

“I was just so angry with Celestia at what she had thought would have been a good plan to stop Twilight for carrying out her threats. I mean to actually want to kill someone over the fact that they have become well to put it mildly a demon is just well it’s wrong.” Rainbow said while looking at the floor of the car.

“I ah’know how you feel sugar cube but doing what you did to her in that car well you could have gotten yourself and her killed.” Applejack said as she tenderly placed a hand on Rainbow’s knee trying to reassure her friend.

“I just can’t…..no….. I won’t go to any more funeral’s. It is bad enough that we have to attend Sunsets. And that I will never get the chance to say how very sorry I am to her for how I acted the day that I left their home. So I wanted in my own way to teach Celestia that I wasn't’ someone to mess with. I know that I am going to have to pack up and leave when we get back to the farm. I only ask that I be allowed to stay at your place a little while longer at least until this whole mess is taken care of that is.” Rainbow said as she sniffed wiping a tear from her eyes.

Applejack lend in and gently kissed Rainbow on the cheek. Rainbow was generally rather shocked by this action as she looked at her friend with pure confusion plastered on her face. As Rainbow tried to speak she was silenced when two fingers were placed up against her lips by Applejack as she said to her.

“Now don’t you go being all silly ya hear me sugar cube. I aint about to kick no friend of mine out to them dirty cold harsh streets just cause my friend had one mishap. However don’t you go messing up like this again ok sugar cube.”

Rainbow reached over and pulled Applejack into a tight hug then kissed her on her lips and slowly ended the embrace with another kiss to her forehead. Applejack just blushed at this. Ever since Rainbow had moved in with her and her family not only did she help out around the farm and learn about farm life she also had begun to fall in love with Applejack. Pinkie who was driving at the time being looked up into the rear view mirror and said almost giggling.

“Hey you two want to get a room I mean come on Dashie save the kissing stuff for after we find Twilight and have something to truly celebrate over.”

Rolling her eyes in utter annoyances Rainbow replied.

“You know Pinkie I really hate it when you call me ‘dashie’ I mean it is rather well annoying” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile as this was going on Rarity looked over to Celestia and asked her.

“Your majesty I fully understand that you might not want to tell us what exactly happened between you and Midnight but, I think it would help us to know how she became a demon if that is alright with you I mean?”

Celestia looked down at the floor of the car then back out at her window at all the trees and buildings that we zipping by as Rarity drove. She sighed then began to speak slowly to Rarity.

“As I have already said it was my fault that Midnight became a demon I……..killed her.”

“We know that your majesty what we need to know is why did you kill her and how did she wind up like this perhaps that information could help us.” Rarity said as she continued to look out towards the street that she was driving on.

Celestia pursed her lips together then looked at Rarity before speaking again.

“Alright young one. I suppose you and your friends do need to know what actually happened that night. Does your uh phone is it? Have any means on it to which every one in the uh er umm”

  “Car?” Rarity offered when she realized Celestia was unable to find the right words for her statement to her.

“Yes car is what I meant to say. But tell me does your phone have the means to make my voice travel from this car to the one that is behind us?”

“Why yes of course my phone has the very means of which you speak of your majesty.” Rarity said with a slight gleam in her eyes.

“OK Twilight already knows of what happened that day that Midnight became what she is now. So when I tell you please activate your magic and I will do the rest from there.” Celestia said as she cleared her throat getting ready to speak.

Rarity took her phone out again and called Applejacks phone only this time on speaker phone.

“Rarity why do you keep calling my phone?” Replied Applejack as Rainbow dash snickered next to her.

“Darling I need you to put your phone onto speaker Princess Celestia has something very important to tell all of us. I would rather not have to stop the cars and get out to listen to her only to get back in and drive when this is so much faster.”

“OH for….. well….. this had better be good! Because I am using up many good minutes on my here phone doing this phone tag with Y’all.” Applejack said as she set her phone to speaker.

Rarity nodded to the Princess and Celestia began to speak while Rarity held the device in her hand.

“Hello every po, ….er, every one. I would like to tell you all how Midnight became who she is today. First you all need to know that I met Midnight over nine hundred moons ago. During that time Equestria was a very different place than it is today. We were constantly under threat of war.” Celestia spoke calmly as Rarity held up the phone for her.

“WHOA you're over nine hundred years old that is like the most awesome thing ever! Rainbow chimed in forgetting that the phone was on speaker.

“Which one of you said that?” Asked Princess Celestia a bit complexed as to who said that.

“uh begging your pardon your majesty but, that here was Rainbow Dash. I ah’figured she hasn’t learned any manners but, you don’t go fretting now I will ‘teach’ here all the manors she needs when we get back to my place.” Applejack with a slight smirk on her face.

Applejack looked over at Rainbow who was blushing deeply wondering what Applejack had in mind as a means to 'teach' her proper manners with. Fluttershy was also blushing but, only because she felt more embarrassed for the Princess rather than for anything else. Celestia cleared her throat once again and began to speak once again ignoring Rainbow’s insolence to her. Twilight just sat in the back seat with a hand raised up to her head lightly shaking her head back and forth. Her movements suggested some one saying ‘really you just had to go and actually say that out loud’.

“Any ways over nine hundred moons ago I met Midnight she taught me much in the way of sword spell magic. She even taught me about sun magic. It was through her teachings that I found my calling in life and because of her I was able to obtain my cutie mark.” Celestia said into the device being held up to her by Rarity.

“Uh your majesty this is Fluttershy I was wondering umm what is a cutie mark?”

“Hello there Fluttershy it is so good to hear your beautiful angelic voice child. Now to answer your question a cutie mark is a mark that all ponies including myself get when we discover out calling in life. It is a mark that tells us what we are meant to do in life.”

Fluttershy was fully blushing at hearing someone call her voice ‘angelic’. Before she could say anything further though Rainbow chipped in with.

“So it defines who you are and what you do in life while also look totally awesome. oh ooh I bet IF I went to Equestria right now I would have a mark of all the sports that I like.” Rainbow said with some excitement in her voice.

To her surprise however, rather than being yelled at for interrupting both Fluttershy and the Princess she heard coming over the speaker of the phone. Very loud raucous laughter both rarity and Princess Celestia where almost rolling on the ground laughing. The happy moment quickly faded though when the Princess regained her composer and started to speak again.

“No, my dear Rainbow Dash your counterpart; actually has a cloud and a rainbow colored lightning bolt running from the bottom of it. However this isn’t the time to talk about such things. So as I was saying Midnight was my teacher and my friend she taught me much about sword magic and about sun magic. However all that changed when she went in search of the dragon ring. It was said that her village knew where the ring was and how to use it. So she took Twenty of our best royal guards to her village and came back changed for the worst.”

“What happened that caused her to go all well evil your majesty.” Asked Fluttershy.

“It wasn’t until after she had killed many royal palace guards. And had killed my father and threatened to kill my mother who was protecting my new born baby sister Luna. That we learned the truth. You see before I killed her she screamed at my mother that my family was to blame for her village being raised to the ground and her family being slaughtered. My family of course was not responsible for this tragedy yet there was no convincing Midnight of this. She left me with no choice it was either kill her or watch as she would have certainly killed my mother and sister. Just as she had killed my father and the royal guards.” Celestia said into the phone while tears started to come out of her eyes.

“How did she come to suspect that one as good as you were and are were responsible for this horrible act vested upon her family celestia?” Asked Applejack as she tried to hold back the tears from hearing what had happened that caused Midnight to become evil.

“She had with her a piece of parchment that had my cutie mark, my father’s cutie mark and my mother's cutie mark on it. This alone was enough to drive her insane with the need for revenge. She had already been through many wars and I think that had something to do with her going mad. Although I am not sure.”

“OK well that explains why you had to kill her. Yet it don’t explain how she became a demon.” Applejack said.

“She became a demon after I cut her head off and sent her body into Turaturs. A demon appeared to me and my mother with Midnight standing next to him saying to me.” Celestia said as she recalled the very words spoken to her by the demon she had summoned as a young filly. Princess Celestia repeated the words that were spoken to her as a young filly that day so that each of Twilight's friends would understand them. Saying coldly as she spoke the words aloud.

“You realize that your friend is now one of us and that as such she is forever a demon. She died with vengeance on her lips. Because of this she is now and forever more the demon embodiment of vengeance. Whenever somepony wants to take revenge on somepony else she will be there in spirit guiding them. This is what you have caused to happen and this is what you must now live with. Someday many moons from now she will fully return and you will have to make your choice. Let her live and watch as your world burns or send her back to Tartarus. Oh before I go, you should know that there is one that is yet to be born on the path to darkness. That one pony or spirit will become the vessel that will carry her vengeful soul in it forever.”

Celestia recited these words precisely for her new friends all the while looking down at the floor of the car she was sitting in. As the last eighteen words rolled off her lips and were fully spoken tears flowed freely down her cheeks and landing on her golden armour. Rarity laid a gentle hand onto Celestia's leg and squeezed it softly to reassure the Princess that everything would be OK. The princess sniffed and then smiled at Rarity before saying to all over the speaker of the cell phone she was holding in her hand.

“I need to know when you saw Twilight in Midnight’s armor did she have a cutie mark of a half moon and star on her chest. It would be located where my cutie mark is on my armor. I believe you call it the ‘breastplate’.”

Rarity said nothing as she was trying to concentrate on her driving, Pinkie who had not actually gotten a good look at Twilight's armour when Twilight had knelt before them chose to say nothing either. Fluttershy and Rainbow dash also remained quiet they like the other two had not really gotten a good look at the armor that Twilight was wearing. It was left up to Applejack who sighed to herself before talking.

“Your majesty I was the one closest to Twilight when she appeared to us holding Sunset in her arms before she laid her down on the ground in front of us. I was also the one that was able to get close enough to Twilight to pick up Sunset’s body.”

“Young one all I need to hear from you or your friends is a 'yes' or a 'no' that is all I need nothing more than that.”

“No your majesty I did not see any such mark on her armor as you have spoken thereof.” Applejack said calmly trying to hold back the tears in her eyes.

The car came to a bend and onto a dirt road around a large oak tree and every one looked up to see a long white picket fence that had a large open field behind it. Opening the window Rainbow’s nose was suddenly filled with the scents of freshly mowed hay, growing corn fields and cows and cows and more cows. As the two cars followed a dirt road they could see horses of all shapes and colors running and playing in the open fields. There nose’s were filled with sweet scents of freshly picked apples and freshly baked apple pie, fritters and apple cobblers. Applejack smiled as she proudly proclaimed a big welcome to every one to her home.

“Everyone and your majesty especially welcome to my humble abode ‘sweet apple acres’. I can’t wait to show you around the place your majesty Celestia or you too Twilight. I mean your counterpart has indeed been here but well you yourself have not been.”

“Thank you so very much for inviting us to your home while we get the items we need to help turn this world's Twilight back to normal.” Celestia said gratefully.

“Yeah about that Princess Celestia are you still on the phone with us?” Asked Rainbow as she sat up taking in the sweet smells of the farm.

“Yes young one I am still here as is Twilight and Rarity.”

“Why did you want to know if our worlds Twilight had a I think you called it ‘cutie mark’ on her armor. I really don’t see what good knowing if she has some sort of weird mark on her armor will do.” Rainbow said a bit complexed by not understanding what was going on.

Celestia sighed again to herself then spoke softly into the phone’s speaker.

“Because my dear Rainbow Dash. If that mark does actually show. Then it means there is no way to change her back to normal. It would mean I will have no choice other than to kill her.” Celestia said with a heavy heart.

“I see so you are sure that if that mark shows up there is no way to save her from Midnight’s spirit then?” Rainbow asked as she quirked an eyebrow at Celestia.

“Yes young one I am sure there is no way to save your friend from Midnight's wrath. However if we are able to get to Twilight in time then we should have a chance at saving her…..I hope.” Celestia replied with a tint of hope in her voice.

"uh your majesty what was Midnight's special calling if her cutie mark was a half moon and a half star?" Asked Fluttershy as she too took in the the sweet smells of the farm.

"Her magic was derived of 'night magic' so there for she could control and actually talk to any animal that was nocturnal."

"That must have been impressive to see" Fluttershy said.

"Actually I never got the chance to see her use her magic like that. But she was able to control the 'night sword' and such a sword is only ever able to be fully controlled by one that is them pony self of the night or a filly of the night." Princess Celestia replied warmly.

The cars drove down the dirt road for another ten minutes before rolling to a stop and Applejack was the first one out. Heading up to the house she looked around seeing a note was taped to the door she picked it up and read it. The note was a yellow piece of paper and it was written in crayon. Seeing that it was written in purple crayon Applejack knew right away that it must have been written by Apple Bloom her little sister. Looking at the note Applejack  and upon further inspection. Applejack could see there was also a pen written message from Granny Smith as well. Both message’s read.

“Applle Jaack,

Me and Freends are go’n to sleep ovver at thee grouup scouts loggee  toknight B back in 3 days your sister Apple bloum.

Dear,

Applejack your little sister is going to sleep over at her group scouts lodge tonight. There is some sort of get together that is going on over there. As for me well you big brother McIntosh is going being taking me up north to visit with Apple Rose for a few days. He and I will also be selling so fritters and pies so he won’t be back for the next week or so.

Love always

Granny Smith and Applebloom.”

After reading the note Applejack took a hold of the door handle and stepped to the side to allow the others who were now just coming up the front door inside her home. Everyone was heading up to the door except Rainbow Dash who was heading to the stables. Applejack noticed this and after everyone was safely inside she said to them all while still holding the door open.

“Every one make yourselves comfortable I’ll be ah’right back in a few minutes.”

Applejack gave them a warm smile then closed the door and headed off to the stables to talk to Rainbow dash. Sensing that Rainbow was more than likely upset about this whole affair over Twilight Applejack was sure she knew how to help both her friend and her lover.