An unknown sensation

Midnight came into her new home just before sunset.

She had expected to see her marefriend just waiting for her, but all that greeted her was an empty library.

It confused Midnight. The mare she loved was not a pony for sudden disappearances. She wasn't a napping pony either.

Her concerns were wiped when she galloped up into the bedroom and found Twilight peacefully asleep.

"How was your sleep, Sparkle?"

The unicorn slowly stirred. when she opened her eyes, she saw the smiling face of her love, bent over her. "How late is it?"

"Look." She pointed towards the window, where the sun just began to vanish behind the horizon.

"Oh my."

"Kind of. Why were you asleep, anyway? Did Glimmer trick you again?"

"She kind of did."

"Are you sure you don't want to get rid of her?"

Twilight decided to tell Midnight about what she had found out later. "Yes."

"Uh? Well, whatever. What do you want for dinner?"

"Whatever you want to make."

As Twilight slowly rose to follow her friend who had rushed downstairs, a memory came to her mind. Or, rather, the lack of one.

Neither of you bought supplies recently, did you?

"You tell me."

Oh really? You WANT me to search your mind for that?

Twilight already knew the answer, and so did Glimmer. But it couldn't hurt to give her a way to make herself useful inbetween visions, Twilight thought.

You do know that everything you think to 'yourself' automatically passes me, right? Well, off to work. As the foalies would say, Cutie Mark Crusaders memory librarian yay!

Indeed, hay sandwiches were all that Midnight had managed to scrape together. Neither of the unicorns minded that. The most important thing for them was eating their food together.

Their peaceful dinner was interrupted by Spike coming home.

"Sorry, Rarity held me for longer than I intended. Doesn't look like you needed me, anyway..."

Twilight had to admit that she hadn't expected the baby dragon. He had been kind of pushed out of her mind by what had happened to her that day. What to do now? The bag of hay was empty and there was not more than one slice of bread left.

Midnight caught Twilight's worried look, responded with a calming chuckle and levitated a third sandwich out of the fridge, stored to prevent it from becoming too dry. She also pulled out a bright red gem.

"For after you've finished."

Spike immediately began eating.

After a slight poke from her late friend, Twilight adressed her assistant.

"Spike, take a note. First thing to do tomorrow, go over to Sweet Apple Acres to restock on apples."

"You won't have to go all that way, Sparkle. Applejack should be on the market tomorrow."

"Fine then, visit Applejack's stand."

The baby dragon was so used to writing for his mistress that he easily scribbled the note while eating.

"Second, buy other groceries. Third..." She dropped into thinking for a second. "Get a flower bouquet for Glimmer."

Her words had the expected impact.

"You want to buy the pegasus inside your mind that you hate so much flowers?"

"I don't... hate her. I'll explain things when we're there."

Spike wasn't surprised too much by the news too much. Rarity had hinted something of severe impact on Twilight to him.

Well played, dear. Well played.

While Twilight had technically slept through half the day, she still found herself deep asleep before too long that night. Glimmer gave her a special treat.

In her dreams, Twilight could live through memories of happier times. Times before the storm.

Halfway through a particular memory where she watched Glimmer soar through the clouds for her joy, there was a crackle, as if she was watching a television with signal problems.

As much as she'd have liked for the disturbance to just go away, it stayed. Everything around her paused and she couldn't see anything clear any more.

"What's going on?" Twilight quickly grew from the foal size she was in the memory to her actual size.

A hatch opened in the air beside her. Glimmer looked out, seemingly standing on the ceiling, her head coming down to Twilight's level.

"It seems there's another barrier in place. It wasn't unlocked by the blast that opened the other memories with me." Glimmer beat on the edge of her hole, which made it spin around until it was the same orientation as the ground.

She looked up. "And I think I know why. I'm about to perform the same trick that killed me later. Do you really want me to work a way through this barrier? There's a reason you put it there, you know."

"I don't want to miss any minute with you. Not for now, at least."

"If you insist..."

Seeing her old friend dive through the cloud stung more than Twilight had expected, but it was nothing against the joy of being together with Glimmer.

Twilight woke up nearly simultaneously with the other inhabitants of the library. After breakfast, Midnight asked her love about her plans for the rest of the day.

"So, what do you want to do today, Sparkle?"

"First work off the checklist from yesterday. After that, I'm open for suggestions."

Midnight was about to head out of the building on her own, when Twilight called for her.

"Could we please do the first duties of the day all together? There's still something I want to show you, remember?"

"All you wish for, dear."

They went out to the market. There were so many ponies there that it was past lunchtime when they could finally drop all of what they'd bought at the library.

"Phew. How about we go to Sugarcube Corner for lunch?"

"Why not."

"Do you really have to share that cupcake? Like, I don't mind, but really?"

Spike's complaint achieved nothing but a smile from both unicorns.

After their lunch, the group headed to Lily's flower shop. Twilight acted a little undecisive, but had a very clear idea of how the bouquet should look in the end, as if somepony had advised her.

Twilight denied questions as she led her housemates to the graveyard. Upon arriving there and going through the rows of stones, she couldn't repress a tear.

"Twilight?" It was the first time since long that Midnight had used her first name. "What's wrong?"

Twilight simply pointed towards the matching grave.

"Here lies... Oh dear. But what does this have to do with you? It's a pegasus with the same name as your little problem, so what?"

Twilight laid the flowers down. "She's not just that. She's my oldest friend. She was like a mother to me when my biological mother couldn't. And now she has returned from the grave to guide me."

"You mean the pony that is buried here is now also inside your head?"

"And in my heart. I wasn't there when she flew through the storm, but simply hearing from it had a giant impact on me. I repressed all memories of her. Most of my foalhood was suddenly gone because it had this mare in it..."

"I had no idea there was such a burden on you."

"She was there from the beginning. Glimmer had watched over my birth. She was a nurse. Do you understand why I hate all but one medical ponies now, Midnight?"

"Subconscious memories of her. They hurt, but you don't know why."

"Now she's here to guide me, I suppose. And I've also got you. I love you, always."

"I know."

Courageous. I couldn't have done that. You're just whom I wanted you to grow up to be.