Splitting aMid the Night

The way between Canterlot and Ponyville was near uncrossable without a train, carriage, or particularly potent spell. Fortunately, Midnight had near infinite time on her side and nothing other than wandering around to spend it on.

You've done the right thing, robot. You've brought final glory to a cursed land. See your work.

Midnight reluctantly trotted out into Ponyville's main street. It seemed that Phyrexia had used to have quite a bit more population than Canterlot had implied at first.

My gosh, never seen so many corpses at once... hell, I've never seen more than one of them. Why do they still have to bleed after it already took its effect? I just wanna leave this place.

Should've thought more about killing yourself with a disease.

She passed a dried out spring and turned into a street she recognised particularly well. Funnily enough, her personal key still fit the door even in other planes of existence. She found Octavia and Vinyl Scratch where she had come to expect them, their bodies still pressed firmly against each other hours after the deed. At least Octavia had clearly been crying, but their final expressions were vastly different. They looked content, perhaps even happy, though the blood that still ran from their eyes and mouths made the image simply bizarre. Midnight turned away and walked out again.

Were they glad to see the end of their painful existence... or to see it together?

The things ponies do when they're in love.

There was nothing left for her here. She continued her journey in a random direction until a new destination came to her mind. Fortunately, she had already gone half the way without knowing. With a bit of luck, it could be the one actually worth visiting. Doubling her speed, she galloped over the remaining distance quickly. Once there, she burst through the doors and went straight through the building, knowing that she did not want to stop for anything in between. What she found in the back sadly wasn't much more satisfying, though.

Oh, wow, guess she's not a fellow immune after all. Just unicorns, I guess. With my luck, I'm probably the only unicorn nurse alive right now. Nopony to talk to...

Midnight turned to leave again, but paused once she felt hot liquid dripping onto her hooves. Apparently, it sourced from her mouth, which was a fact that she found out simultaneously to tasting its sweetness.

Did you know there are planes with five suns? You should be glad there is one and only one here. Embrace its glorious dawn, you won't get another one.

I could appreciate it more if it would bloody let me sleep.

Having someone with whom to sleep could possibly ease the problem.

Or make waking up more pleasant. Anyhow, I'm just late enough to arrive on time after eating breakfast, aren't I? Duty above all. Duty neverending.

Don't forget to brushie brushie. Or apply those spells you use when you think nopony's looking to keep your hair so wonderfully silken without actually doing anything for it. Whichever is more appropriate, you lazy filly.

Silently cursing everything between and including the Sun and the unknown depths below, Midnight threw the blanket across the room and lifted one end of the matress, finding that climbing off would require more effort than standing up from the ground. After a quick grooming session which included redefining her continous spell to revert her mane into the colors it had had in Canterlot, she left her room and went down onto ground level, entering the kitchen after a brief stop in another room. There, Octavinyl had just finished setting up breakfast.

Octavia noticed Midnights expression and greeted her, "Just why are you so down already, my dear? It's looking to be another great day. Lighten up if you kindly would, for me. I don't want to see you unhappy."

"Made out all evening and she didn't even buy me dinner," the unicorn mumbled in response.

Silently, Vinyl Scratch levitated the cereal box in front of Midnight. In her stead, Octavia responded, "If it cheers you up, keep in mind that I could not use her during that time. You like that, didn't you? Causing others suffering?"

"Well, given that my talent is literally making ponies' lives better, yeah, you're right." While Octavia was receiving from her dearest mare what they had been lacking the previous evening, Midnight inspected the box, yielding few other results than that it, in fact, contained cereal. "This doesn't count as dinner, by the way."

"And I thought you said you were a student before you left," Vinyl Scratch said before obeying the earth pony's wordless moaning and reconnecting.

"What is this? No added sugar? Gak, begone, healthy demon." Midnight tossed the box to the other side of the table where it slid and just stopped before reaching the border thanks to her flawless prediction of trajectory, though her applying another levitation spell in the critical zone probably also contributed.

You called?

You're not healthy.

More than you could possibly imagine, actually. With all those ponies running around inside of you, who is gonna herd them together and make sure you remain stable as what you are?

I know you're pretty surely not contributing to the problem, at least not to its solution. Any ideas what I'll face today?

Who am I, a convenient little helper feeding you bits of the future once you're ready? Write your own fate, if you feel you can be entrusted with such power. Let me cut to the chase, you can't. Nopony I've been with before could. Ponykind is still struggling to recover from the stuff that some of them did with the illusion of free choice. Did you know that there used to be another mountain next to Canterlot?

What could have removed that?

You've felt the same kind before. Now, what if that was to be destabilised, if there was to be a spark to ignite all the stored up power?

Sparkle's potential? All of us, ponies and whatever you are, I guess, would be changed. I don't want to have to imagine into what. Given that she's the incarnate Flow, more than any of us together, that energy would probably let us share in her glory. I guess we'd sprout wings or a horn, whatever fits. Then, once all are equal, discord would finally be abolished forever... together with any sense of self. We could find a new and wonderful future, to recover the greatness that was lost to time, and surpass it. But, it'd include her death, and I can't even think about that happening. Not to mention, you know, losing all that is individual. But, remind me, how is that related to choosing my own fate again?

It's what happened on Phyrexia, and the plane before that. She should have wiped all enemies there, not befriend them! But, since you were too slow, she got a piece of your mind, which couldn't convince her enough. Sparkle changed fate over there, and what should have been an excuse for buckety love, in the afterlife at least, was twisted and almost killed our mind back here if I hadn't come and rescued you into Phyrexia before deletion could take effect.

Buckety?

Something that makes me want to use a bucket for the only purpose they have. It's a good thing you've become a nurse, else this definition wouldn't work so easily. Imagine if you'd pursued your actual talent in drawing, the possibilities would've been endless! Artists do have endless uses for a bucket, right?

If I didn't have to do what's on my rump.

Fate has given you a mark and fate commands you to follow that pictogram. If only you'd been stronger, strong enough to deny it and pick your own destiny. You could've done anything, drawing, professional teleportation, however you'd do that, hell, even math.

The cube root of three-hundred forty four is seven plus one divided by one-hundred forty seven. Sorry, what? Wasn't paying attention.

Eat well. You'll be on your own for dinner tonight, that is, with the foal you'll have to care about. Good thinking of you to train those mother instincts already, by the way.

If I had any.

Miss TT says she pities you for thinking you could get away with both her and not doing your duty. What a nice, arguably female, much more arguably sentient entity. Wow, we are a mess. The brain doesn't know what whatever part of you thinks.

If she wants to complain about lacking attention, I'd like to point out that that's plain nonsense. I love myself equally and plentiful. Remind her until I can.

"So," Vinyl Scratch started with a tone which implied that she thought Midnight had paid attention to their conversation, "to help you, uh, what did you say again, Tavy? To alleviate your desires, you're not coming home early tonight."

"Because I only spent like, what, one entire evening with her this week alone?" After quick consideration, Midnight continued, "Actually, yeah, that's way too little. The point is, I'm out today and tomorrow anyway. Foalsitting, need to earn money so I can actually afford what you want of me."

"You do realise that you could simply have asked us for a credit, yes? Were you to put it to good use, you wouldn't even have to repay us," Octavia said with repressed, but audible bemusement in her voice.

Tee hee hee.

"Well, anyhow. My shift begins," Midnight's eye wandered over the kitchen clock, "five minutes ago. Here I go then. Poof!" After a moment of waiting if they still wanted to tell her something, she cast her signature into the Flow and vanished from the table, intentionally leaving behind only dirty dishes, and reappeared far away in the back room of the Ponyville clinic, "Here I am, Nurse. Sorry I'm late, but... I honestly have no excuse for this that would leave me in good light."

Nurse Redheart greeted her with a simple understanding smile as she began her shift.

Some time later, Midnight had all patients cared for, thus nothing to do, and was about to enter Ruby Pinch's room to treat, in other words, play with her when her plans were interrupted by another potential patient entering. Back in professional mode, she instantly let off the door knob and turned to ask what troubled the newcomer. The first glance gave her a slight shock of antipathy as it turned out to be a bright pegasus with a fairly long, fiery red mane. Fortunately, that pony's coat was somewhat darker than Shimmer's. On their flank, a pictogram of two ponies' heads in a conversation was imprinted. Midnight had troubles identifying the pegasus' gender, though she also called off the investigation as soon as she spotted a fairly large wound on their foreleg which still had a steady trickle of blood running forth from it.

"Good morning, fine filly, I'm," they managed to say before Midnight raised a hoof to interrupt them and pointed directly towards the back room. While she still couldn't decide if she was dealing with a stallion or a mare even after hearing their voice, she decided to assume the former in order to properly resist attempts at seduction that were clear to follow.

"Lie down," she said after leading him to the examination table. He wordlessly obliged, leaving the leaking limb stretched out for easy access, allowing Midnight to get to work as she had done a hundred times before. "Even though I'm certain I don't actually want to know, how did that even happen?"

"Kitchen knife. On retrospective, this does hurt more than I'd anticipated. I should be more careful not to do such things in the future. Although, this way, I was fortunate enough to meet you little beaugh."

The old trick always worked. For rather obvious reasons, Midnight hadn't told anypony, but there existed a second version of Mend which did little for healing the victim and instead caused a fair amount of pain, especially when applied to a wound yet to be Mended. She didn't know if it caused any long term damage. So far, nopony had made themselves deserving of such a long application. She paused for a moment and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Kinda drowsy, to be honest with you."

Midnight cleaned and inspected the wound while checking for blood pressure. It wasn't entirely healed yet, but closed, and her readings indicated that his condition was caused as expected rather than by blood loss. "Yeah, that's all I can do for you then. Thank you for helping us help you help us all. I hope we can welcome you agai- wait, what? Anyhow, fill in your personal details on this form here," she magicked forth a sheet of paper from the top drawer on the left in the desk as well as writing equipment for nonicorns and placed all on top of a small nearby table, "we'll bill your insurance. Even though it's arguable that that was so much work to be repaid, well, it's the money I get paid, who am I to judge? Oh yeah, almost forgot, stay down for a moment longer." She cleaned out the remaining wound with a flash of magic. "There. If you don't roll around in the mud, this should heal without problems. Want a patch over it?"

"I'll be fine without," he said while climbing back down to his hooves.

Just in that moment, Nurse Redheart came into the room and Midnight began to explain the situation even though she was fairly sure it was obvious given their mutual location and profession.

If all planes are linked in essence and there is an infinite number of them, don't you think there is currently another Midnight from another universe visiting ours?

One where I'm also blind to the truth and in an actually successful relationship with Shimmer and I don't want Sparkle because, yeah, because I'm her foal there. That what you're saying?

Given that endless improbability is multiplied by an infinite number of attempts, there should exist a plane as that. Coincidentally, I believe I have actually seen one. Funnily enough, it seems that you have there been born into Shimmer's body and vice versa. Or, more accurately, what would be you over there never had to go through most of our history, whereas Shimmer's body did. Isn't the shaping of personalities a wonderful miracle of nature? Speaking of which, three seconds.

What in the hay could you mean by that?

Zero.

From the general direction of just a bit left when facing the door, a piercing scream reached her ears, causing everypony in the room to frantically look around for the source while also activating the protective instincts of the two mares present. Midnight knew exactly where it had come from and had teleported there before another heartbeat passed. Once in that room, she was relieved, slightly bemused, and somehow concerned to see her prediction come true.

Seconds later, the Nurse burst inside to see Midnight attempting to calm a panicked Ruby Pinch who was struggling to escape the bloodstained sheets. "Calm down, you're fine, everypony's does that. Uh, hi Nurse, nothing to worry about here. Ruby just needs a bit of good talk she should've had long ago. I can handle her... I guess," Midnight said while stroking the filly's back to try and get her quiet sobbing under control.

"You really are more than ponies would come to expect of you. You know where I am in case you need me, though I'm certain you'll handle yourself. This is a big day in both of your lives, darling. Or something like that. Anyway, I'll be off again then." She turned and walked right back out again, leaving Midnight and her patient alone as she shut the door behind her.

"Hush, calm down," Midnight gently whispered. "There's nothing wrong with what's going on inside your body. I've had it happen to myself, just a week ago! I'm afraid I can't really imagine what this must feel like for you specifically, but nopony is ever prepared for it. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and out of those dirty sheets. It's a difficult time, but you're stronger than it."

Slowly, Ruby managed to collect herself and found her way out onto the ground, then looked up to Midnight with giant, curious eyes. Her obedience and obvious desire to learn were almost painstakingly adorable to the point that even Midnight had to admit it looked cute, though the blood and tears staining her somewhat dampened the effect.

Midnight quickly tore off the sheets, tossed them into laundry, brought new ones into place, and gave the filly a moistened towel. "There. Get yourself clean. Your coat's too pretty to be stained like that."

Just with hooves? Sheesh, will you be so kind and help her?

She watched as Ruby rubbed herself clean and relatively dry all over, occasionally helping her out by magically pushing the towel where it belonged. When that was finished, she threw the towel to the rest of the dirty laundry and readied two chairs nearby, sitting down on one and inviting Ruby to the other. Once she obliged, Midnight opened by saying, "So, while it's prolly safe to assume that it's nothing, what did they tell you yet about what you're going through right now?" It was obvious that the filly knew nothing, so Midnight continued, "Once again, you're fine. This is perfectly normal. You're just... how would the Nurse put this... going through a new phase in becoming an adult mare. Sure it might hurt now, but you'll get used to it over time and be glad it happened after all. You're finally going to really grow in size all throughout, and together with that, your magic will get much stronger once your horn is long enough to accomodate it."

"I thought all of that happened when I got my cutie mark," Ruby said.

"Heh, no, not really. It's about the same period, yes, but there doesn't need to be a link. I could do a bit of magic before I got my cutie mark, and both came before the first cycle. But surely you can already do a few spells yourself?"

Afraid?

As much as she deserves the truth right now, I'd like to avoid telling her that story.

With much concentration, Ruby Pinch managed to somewhat levitate a flower from a nearby vase.

How old is she supposed to be again? She can't be that young, I mean, not like that.

Substandard magic, especially considering we're directly under a line. She's an earth pony with a horn.

Got nothing nice to say? She's trying her best.

Would you judge your own thoughts?

That really is kind of bad, sadly. Can't I use my awesome Flow powers to make it give her more strength or something?

Who ever said that's even possible? Perhaps you could establish a link like back in the day with Sparkle, but that kind of connection is really rare. Maybe if she was yet another main character, no, what do they call themselves? Mane Seven?

How is that group anything more than randomly connected?

Did you think it was a coincidence that brought all of you together? Did you think your destiny was solely to be some random pony to love for someone who needs it to keep herself fit, someone who is smarter, stronger, and in every aspect superior to you? Did you think there were only six Elements? What makes a pony? Is it not more than the sum of deceit, cynicism, selfishness, witchcraft, greed, and cruelty? Does not everypony also carry the strong need to destroy itself, hatred of its own mind and body?

Uh...

In which case, you are right because all the Elements and thus the fame that they bring are already taken. Seven Elements of Harmony? You're the seventh wheel enough as it is. So basically what I'm saying is that there might have been a bit more than chance that brought you here, so it's unlikely you'll be able to link with her. Which is exactly why you just did it.

She deserves it.

She had only opened up a spark of her magic, but Midnight could see the joy in Ruby's eyes as she suddenly had no more trouble moving the object around. After playing around with it for a bit, she set it back where it belonged and brought her eyes back up to Midnight, who then realised her relief might have been a little early. "But why do I feel," she managed to say before Midnight bridged in.

"Uh, yeah, you might want to do some stuff during times like this one, and by all means, if it feels good, do it, but by yourself. Do you understand? Don't let anypony near you when you're like this, even though you might want to. Your rational self would much regret it. That's something for later when you're ready. You'll find when that is once you are. Alright?"

"Mhm."

"Great. Should you need me, you know how to call me," Midnight said as she slowly set to leave.

"Accually," a meek voice said from behind, "can you stay for a bit?"

"Uh, sure, everything for you." Midnight turned around and reassumed her previous position. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"How was, um, it for you?"

Of course she had to ask just this bloody question.

"Well," Midnight began, knowing that she would not get away otherwise, "that was ages ago. I think I was just in potty practice - helping out at the hospital to get some practice - going on about my business as usual, when, you know..."

Ooh! All the details?

You weren't there.

Tsk, thinking a mortal force such as time or death could stop me. But please, keep going. Would you kindly also give sound effects? Imitating your panicked screams from back then would be simply gold.