Splitting aMid the Night

Slow music. Pathetic silence among the audience. The Sun shining down as if to tell everypony 'Hey look, I don't care about your business, I'm a giant ball of burning gas!'. Midnight lifted her head and looked around with her right eye, the other hidden behind her long blue mane. Both of them were still sore from excreting salty water. What a terrible charade this was. Half the ponies present had never met her mother, Midnight was sure of that. The other half were either estranged relatives or those that she had maybe talked to once. And then there were her father and her. The only ones Midnight could think of who really deserved their presence at this event. Charade again. Neither of them wanted to be there. Midnight had a saying that brought her surprisingly far in life. 'The past is dead and buried.'.

Well, the first part was literal and the second was about to. They had done all kinds of things for her. Lied to her. Forced her into therapies she neither wanted nor needed. Tried to make her forget. To make her accept it. Even now, she could hear their lies reverb in her head. 'What happened to Daylight wasn't your fault.' 'The pony who did this has been brought to justice.' 'She died at peace and with her family.'

Midnight hated all of those sentences because she knew they weren't true. It was surprising what ponies made up when trying to lessen the pain of others. Everything hated her, and she hated everything. A nudge in her side. Her father brought her attention to the body being carried in. Midnight didn't see a reason to look. She had seen her mother many times in life and in death and even steplessly anywhere inbetween the two. This ritual had no point. That pony's brain had run out of any one of the many factors it needed to survive, now she was dead, end of the story, drop her somewhere she won't stink and get on with your life. That was a lot easier to say to herself when the only thing her opened eye could see was night blue hair.

Midnight shifted in her chair. She had been fairly strong at school before, but only then she took the determination to do whatever what was needed to ensure she didn't have to see what had happened to her ever again. She, the average unicorn, the kind that filled up the million for those who were one in a million, set her mind to become the best medical to have ever lived, as her cutie mark destined for her. And nothing could dare stand between her and that goal. Not the lack of genes to create an absurd amount of magic in her horn. Not anypony telling her to socialise more. Not even the nightly nightmares which involved a ridiculous amount of blood leaking from a certain unicorn's body. Nothing at all. She'd achieve what she wanted or literally die trying.

Monday. Midnight wasn't bothered by sleeping less than on the weekend. No, she'd even have preferred not sleeping at all. Not when Noon was out there and activating memories at will. Like the one she had just lived through again. A memory of Daylight, her oh so beloved mother. This was disrespectful. They had both loved each other stronger even than mother and child. But such thoughts were pointless. She was gone. To never return. So every thought about her was wasted.

Those who forget their past are damned to repeat it. Only helping you remember.

Sounds good. How about we both repeat what happened to her with you right now?

"Midnight, can I have a word with you?"

This was odd. Midnight didn't remember having done anything wrong. Consequently, this couldn't be something bad. He was their designated class teacher, so most likely, he just had some organisation stuff to talk about.

"Um, sure."

He waited until the rest of the class had left his room, then continued speaking.

"Do you have an employment offer yet? For after school, I mean?"

Of course. This was something she had kind of forgotten in favor of other stuff.

"Not really. Why?"

"Well, you know, everypony should have a job after school, so we receive requests for fresh ponies every cycle, and there's something in I think would fit you. It's kind of off ways, but you could live out your talents."

"Stop talking around the matter... please. What and where is the job you're offering me?"

"Ponyville clinic. It's currently only mared by one earth pony and she's requested a unicorn to help out with magic. That village's quite growing and she can't handle all without magic."

Ponyville? Isn't that where Sparkle really lives?

Oh, now you're going chasing after your fillyfriend?

Shut up. It's just what I want.

Midnight and Sparkle, sitting in a tree...

"Sounds pretty nice to me."

"I knew you'd like it. Since you're so tired of the Canterlot decadence and all that. Yeah, I think that will suit you. I'll respond and tell them I have someone for the job then, is that alright?"

"Yeah, do that. Thanks for helping me with finding work and all that."

"Heh, no problem. By the way, I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but it seems your study sessions were effective. Miss Sparkle, as well as you, nearly aced the test."

"Awesome. Wait, how did you find out about that?"

"I have sources. Namely, I happened to visit the park and see you two study and... do stuff." The knowing grin into which his face fell after saying that made Midnight turn right around and run out of the classroom. They hadn't been so alone at all.

At least, he would probably be thoughtful enough not to tell Sparkle what Midnight obviously had attempted. That'd be a premature advance in their relationship.

An advance entirely unwanted, to be accurate. Midnight did not want anything from that pony. And if she did, she couldn't want. For Sparkle's sake.

Midnight had managed to get through another day. Now there she was again, meditating on her many mistakes in life while waiting for sleep to overcome her. The topic of death had proven to be quite interesting. Death. What a meaningless word. Midnight had no fear of it. She had brought too many ponies to and from its doorstep to really care. She didn't understand why so many ponies made a fuss about it, either. There was nothing to it. Live your life, accomplishing nothing of value at all. Then, when it's time, He would come for you. There was no point in running or hiding. He was faster than anypony and could see everything.

No, the only way to beat Death was to greet and accompany him to the far side like a friend, not run away and be caught like a coward. Then again, this comprehension required understanding of the futility. The futility of fear. If something was going to happen, it was going to happen. One could only make the best of it, which required a clear mind. No reason to fear. Midnight hadn't been afraid of anything for many years, even before she had managed to banish the demon inside her. Except snakes. Snakes were evil. If she saw one and couldn't squish it right away, she fled to a safer location. But she didn't truly fear snakes, either. She just knew how much better the world would be off without them. They would still call it Ophidiophobia. She didn't care. But one also had to understand the futility of life. What did one pony more or less matter to the world? Who could verily say that they had done something for it? That their memory would stay to more than their close family and friends?

It did not matter. Given that, why should one be afraid of Death, when He would only bring the next world to explore and not be cared about in? Midnight turned. The moon just wouldn't let her sleep. Apparently, everypony around her had found a reason. What fools they were. With such a revelation, the rational thing to do would be self destruction. But Midnight wasn't insane. Even Noon agreed on that. Well, maybe she was. A tiny bit. But Death despised equally of those fleeing from Him and those running right towards Him. So the best Midnight could do would be to dedicate her existence to brightening the life of others. Those not having to live with what she knew was a fact. Somehow, it was only fitting that her talent was medical aid.