Splitting aMid the Night

Food. I like food. Foodses are tasty.

I knew our mind was degenerating into madness, but the rate at which you manage to do it astounds me.

Nom. Om nom.

Midnight had to admit that she was a bit amazed herself about how she had managed to do a complete mood turnaround within fifteen hours, half of which she'd been asleep. Perhaps she had found a way into the numbed state of consciousness that made Sparkle enjoy life so much. Though eating a hay sandwich in the kitchen sounded like a silly trigger. Or maybe her fuzzy little problem had intensified, growing while ignored, and worsened her already highly shifting emotions.

I'd like to have it noted that I'm not fuzzy at all. In fact, my majestic long mane is smooth as silk as it is blowing in the wind while I strike a dramatic pose standing on the edge of the cliff staring into the distance.

Yes you are. You're a fwuffy widdle wabbit. Wubwubwub!

I appreciate recognition, but mental belly rubs? That's a bit overdone... did I say stop?

After cleaning up her lunch, Midnight had found that she didn't really have anything to do besides going after Sparkle trying to charm her. She didn't quite feel like doing that yet, however, so daytime TV seemed like an appropriate substitute.

"We now return to our previous programme, Dangers From Below, as part of our annual shark week. Woo sharks!"

Curiosity Channel used to be more professional once upon a time... I'm complaining about how everything is worse than in earlier times. Oh, I'm so old.

The picture changed to a moderator pony standing on a regular boat on a normal summer day, which Midnight found rather ironic that they'd air it as freshly recorded. In February.

"Long before ponies existed, sharks roamed the waters. No other species inspires so much respect... and fear. They can see you in pitch blackness. They can hear your heart beating inside your chest. They can sniff out a drop of blood. They've got those huge muscles, cruising underwater, until they see something moving. Then, boom, bang, they get it! It's the bite of the Great White, almost a death blow by itself." To accompany this narration, they cut quickly to and fro between various shots of sharks claiming their prey, not missing one detail of the bloody action that came with bigger victims.

Oh, how wonderful. A calm little show for celebrating having successfully gone some time without bumping into Sparkle. Ah, who am I kidding, I can't hold a grudge. I forgave murderers and heartbreakers. How could I not forgive my eternal love?

You get sentimental when our brain is underused. That is to say, all the time.

"Now, when Great Whites want something, they really go hard to get it. If they wanted us, nopony could get away. Nopony could get away."

Midnight adjusted her position lying on the sofa.

Ooh! Ten bits on the sharks.

In the Multiverse, there are infinite planes of existence. Accordingly, there are infinite planes where Sparkle has a Y chromosome and you are with him. Think about that.

And what would that change? Love the pony, not their accessoires. I'm content here.

Exactly.

Though, from that logic, there are also infinite planes where I'm, in this very moment, taking his love. So we could finally... wait, did I? I really just thought about becoming a mother... having a family of my own... with Sparkle's equivalent... is that my deep desire? To settle down and escape the madness that has been chasing me for years?

Dramatic silence.

I guess this fantasy could also become reality here... I wonder if she would get the hint if I'd request literature concerning mare on mare reproduction. Though I've been told that giving birth really really hurts. If something, it'd have to be her who is impregnated. Not that I wouldn't give birth for her, of course. Well, surely not both of us. Just imagine the destruction the two of us could do with spare tickets on the emotional rollercoaster given to us by the rush of hormones. I'd want... a daughter. Maybe another foal after that, fulfill the quota. And I'd probably name her... why, we both know Daylight would be the only acceptable name. Oh, little Midnight is planning a family, the original Daylight would be so proud of me. Well, given that Sparkle even wants me, of course. I can't believe I'm thinking about this. Foals are noisy, expensive, dirty... yet, some day, I want one...

Saturday's portion of Shark Week passed by Midnight without much recognition, as she was far too distracted by the many things she had to think about. Some time later, her drawing equipment had found its way next to her, creating while she stared off into the distance through the window, the television turned off again.

They said that true art was drawn from the heart without letting the head intervene. In this case, this was surely true, as Midnight couldn't spare the strength to consciously focus on her drawing, instead letting her imagination, or perhaps it was Noon, guide her magic on its own as it drew and colored three unicorns, the one in the middle about half the others' size, merrily walking away from the viewpoint.

Midnight gave her picture another look. It was quite beautiful, perhaps the best she had yet produced. Unfortunately, when Octavia came in to make her come to dinner, she was startled and quickly burned the paper up in a magical flame. In a way, one could interpret that as society forcing her to destroy her own dreams. She didn't want it to end like that, though. She was unwilling to show the product to anypony, not before it was time, so it hadn't been that bad that she had obliterated it, but Midnight wouldn't let her dreams die with their embodiment.

It was a bit hard to keep up her hopes, though, as even the skies had darkened over time, covered in the work of unrelenting pegasi executing the weather as designed, artificially causing darkness to fall earlier. As much as she tried to hide it, Midnight couldn't mask a slight lack of motivation when she poked at her food with the fork, suddenly aware of where she stood in life.

"Now, what is the matter?" Octavia asked her, radiating genuine interest or at least properly faking it.

"Had time to think about what happened yesterday and now she's unsure what she does and doesn't feel. Standard pony romance state number twenty-one," Vinyl Scratch replied for her.

"Yeah, just the normal, nothing above the average, as usual. Why should I be. My goals and wishes in life weigh nothing." Midnight let her head drop to the table.

"Youngsters. They're always a mess to handle, aren't they," murmured Octavia.

"Hey, you can list the hormones that are making you behave like that yourself. Isn't that something?" Vinyl attempted to cheer Midnight up, though it was obvious she wasn't exactly being serious.

Midnight slightly lifted her head to shoot Vinyl a look that could easily be deadly under the right conditions, "I could also tell you the order in which your organ systems will give up if you keep that up."

"Alright, serious advice. Erm... you should follow your heart and... in the end, everything will work out."

"Seriously now?"

"I'm trying, okay?" Vinyl scratched her head. "How did you get to know each other again?"

Something was different. Vinyl was no longer sarcastically commenting on her situation, she was actually trying to help. Hearing her change in tone inspired Midnight to do the same. "Came into my class after the holidays, we've been good friends basically the entire time."

"And did she never show any interest?"

"Uhm... not directly, though she didn't show disinterest either. Well, there might be something. She took it relatively well when I kissed her... oh, what have I done..."

"You what?" intersected Octavia.

"It was only a quick one, she didn't even see it coming, and it was part of a bet. Which I won. Didn't have time to enjoy it, sadly."

"She didn't make a big deal out of getting surprised with her first kiss and you still wonder if she likes you? You get out there and make her realise what she's missing, right now," commanded Vinyl.

Midnight shrugged, "I've been told ponies don't take it well if you barge into their homes at nighttime with something like that."

"Not now, silly. Want to hear a secret? An undisclosed pony you probably already know has told me she's rather unhappy with her current status as a single," said Octavia, causing Midnight's heart to temporarily beat a clear twice as fast. "She's ripe for the taking if you act in time. You know, filly, there's nothing big to love. Surely, you need to match, but very often, it is plainly a result of evolved friendship. Ponies that have been good friends for some time, which I think you two have, according to your descriptions, often discover they have feelings for each other. She wants you, you just have to show her."

"Oh, but what if she doesn't? I mean, at this rate, she might as well be attracted to her other friends. I don't want to be the awkward one to be refused. That's happened to me too often already. I'd prefer silent observation until the moment has arrived."

"You said they took you into their group, yes? Five of them barely know you. Twilight must've put in a pretty good word for you. Can you imagine why? Also, funny that you mention her friends. Two of them are about to marry, as you may know. Each other, of course. Do you know how they got into that? One evening, Applejack just took the initiative and did a leap of faith. Love isn't calculable. You have to trust your feelings and take the ultimate chance, regardless of how slim the odds are."

"I'll see what results, I guess. I'm... patient."

"Heh. Don't miss your opportunity. I'd hate to see her out with a stallion 'cause you didn't act in time."

For three months, we have been... patient. Now it is time to awaken. You have been sleeping for decades, but now the time for your task has come, robot.

I have a gift for you, princess. It took me all day, but seeing that we have a heart after all... it was worth it. Remember when you found our heart's desire? I found a fitting plane. Well, you're not exactly yourself here. Coincidentally, there's a unicorn nurse named Midnight here as well, but that's not you. You've been born as a pegasus. And your name is Glimmer. But that doesn't matter, because that's still your equivalent. And you're preggo from her!

"It's bad enough that I'd go through all of this in the real world, can't we just skip ahead until afterwards?" Midnight asked the darkness enveloping her.

How about just afterwards? I've heard the feeling of having your womb ripped open to squeeze out a foal five times the size that you normally would be is quite enjoyable.

"Skip to the part where she no longer soils diapers. It's a she, right?"

No answer came. Instead, the darkness around her slowly crept towards Midnight, closing until she was tightly packed in, starting to feel asphyxiation. However, with the slightest struggle, it shattered and put Midnight into a new body.

It looked like yet another great day in Ponyville. There was not a single cloud rivalling for the Sun's place high above everything. As expected, Midnight could no longer feel the flow of magic all throughout her, but instead the wind of flight in her face as her wings beat instinctively, carrying her across the skies. After taking a second to get used to the whole new situation, she shook her head and took in the rest of her surroundings. At least, she would have, but her eyes stopped just as she spotted Sparkle flying to her right, still of normal growth instead of big like regular alicorns, but nevertheless equipped with both wings and horn. She could wonder where she had acquired those, but she honestly didn't care. For in that moment, she saw a silver filly lying on Twilight's back, excitedly fluttering its tiny wings and looking down while clinging to Sparkle's neck. Just then, she looked up and caught Midnight's eye inspecting her. Midnight smiled at her and did a few corkscrews just for her amusement, which appeared to succeed. When she returned to Twilight's side, the filly was giggling.

"You're the best, mommy," it exclaimed.

Mommy. Being called such a word felt indescribable, yet at the same time, burned deep down in Midnight's heart. However, she managed to suppress that fire by enjoying the time they had together and when she had to leave, that is to say, when it was time to wake up, swearing to herself and whoever may happen to listen that she'd make it happen in her own world.

There is more than a simple emotional pendulum in us after all. You impress me, Midnight.