Splitting aMid the Night

I should stop sleeping like a student poneeh. I sure hope you didn't do anything important in the meantime. Opened any rifts, perhaps?

Not a chance.

Hey, why aren't you at your new home? How is Sparkle doing? What time is it? Who's the guy with the coat?

To answer those questions in no particular order, fine but insists that I let her dig through her entire library as usual, afternoon, because some presence is needed after all, and Coat Guy, here to get his prescripted antidepressants. Amazing that you saw him already, but not really remembering that stuff like him being behind me never really hindered you.

Because magic, darling. Don't you also find it amazing how you can be cynical and stuff during your normal life, but as soon as there are ponies to cure, you would kindly get to work all smiley et cetera?

"There you go, Mister Guy," Midnight said with a mostly fake smile as she turned back around and gave the stallion his medication. "Have a nice day." He packed it into his bags, thanked her, and left.

Ah yes. Business smiles. I know that kind. Used plenty of 'em in my time. Back in nineteen-hundred four-something, when we had to use four-something because the Queen had stolen the word forty from us.

Except with me?

Of course my widdle bestun would always get a genuine out of me, that's... clever, princess, clever.

Noblesse oblige.

Anyway. As much as I already regret this, I think you want to return to her, don't you? Much you can do back there.

Certainly there is. I suppose Ruby can manage without me, yes. Initiating quantum space-time leap for minor personal gains in three seconds.

Back at the library tree, Midnight arrived just in time to prevent Twilight from being able to answer the door herself. Once certain that her love was going to remain safely where she was, she went to do it. Outside, she found Fluttershy carrying both saddlebags and a given amount of adorableness that may even have found effect if Midnight didn't despise her as much. "Oh, hello, didn't think you'd be here," the pegasus said with a hint of delicious intimidation in her voice, though Midnight figured there wouldn't be much needed to make her timid.

"Breaks us even on being in places where the other didn't expect to find us. A library and a murder scene, what wonderful two locations. I'm certain there is a joke just waiting to be spun with that." Fluttershy shivered visibly during the unicorn's sentence. Perhaps she should relent? "Besides, murderer, you were there on that night, weren't you?"

"How often do I have to remind you all that the door's never locked because this is a public library after all? No need to have yourself let in, you know!" Twilight's croakyvoice sounded from the inside.

"Ah yes, I suppose I'll have to let you in." She stepped aside and they walked into the tree's main room where Twilight was lying enveloped thickly in blankets with in front of her a warm liquid supply on one side and the most recent folio spread open on the other. One thing was certain, Twilight had any intention to let reading be declared an art form and she was not going to stop practicing until that time would come. "Ah-hem," Midnight began before her friend could say anything, "how would she do it? Business. Please, do not approach her who is plagued. We - you, at least - don't want you catching it. Well, what can we do for you today?" she then asked, wearing her best business expression.

"I was looking for something on critter veterinary," Fluttershy responded seemingly unable to decide whether to be amused or befuddled by Midnight's attitude.

Did you know that the world's very essence can have very practical uses for those with the will and, ah, cunning to harness it?

"Diseases And Care For the Smallest Animals, located," Twilight attempted, interrupted when Midnight levitated forth the book. "How did you get that so fast?"

"Female intuition," she responded without thinking. "Or magic. Whichever you think to be more credible." She turned towards Fluttershy, snapping right back into business mode, "Thank you, come honour us again soon. I certainly hope you do 'cause you gotta return that and if you don't, well, you know what'll happen to your parents."

"Midnight! Whatever you mean by that, don't you think it's kinda off limits?" the floor scolded at her.

"She started it!" Midnight moaned.

"Um, anyway," Fluttershy gently pushed her way back into the conversation, almost managing to ignore Midnight with completion the purple pony had thought only an experienced mother to be capable of. She rummaged through her bags, eventually pulling forth long, blue leaves without roots. "Here, I collected those. Hope it'll help."

"Hmm, Blue Thistle... soothing, lindering symptoms, and especially helpful against unwilling patients," Midnight mumbled.

"I refuse to be inactive just because I'm useless!" Twilight exclaimed, instantly being punished for the volume by her revolting lungs.

"Yeah, anyhow. Since when are you a herbalist? I mean, your actual talent is pretty much the literal opposite of that." Midnight herself couldn't believe how genuine and, with a bit of goodwill, even friendly her question was.

"Oh, you pick things up through your life," Fluttershy murmured cheerfully, setting to leave.

Midnight stored the leaves away somewhere where they'd be accessible for extract brewing later, "Plants that can put ponies to sleep for variable amounts of time? I'd guess that you know about those."

"Bye Twilight! Bye Midnight!" Briefly after that, the door shut and there were no pegasi anywhere in sight anymore. Fluttershy had simply slipped out during Midnight's time in the kitchen.

"Well, there she goes. Too bad." Lacking other ponies with whom to interact, Midnight laid down at the side of the one she treasured above all else.

"Why are you acting like that around her?" the sick unicorn asked. This was a bad question. Midnight did not wish for her to be in any way involved in this matter, so she needed to think of an appropriate answer to deflect her curiosity, quickly.

"Just a bit of a type'a thingy between the two of us. You don't have to care about it, really. Besides, I think we're missing something important here." For a few cherishable moments, Midnight delighted in Twilight's uncertainty, but revealed the secret before it could turn to worry, "It's hugs time!" and obeyed the time's directions. Perhaps the cloth surrounding Twilight had an impact on this matter, but Midnight always found her beloved's coat much softer than it should be physically allowed to. After an eternity of simply enjoying each other's proximity, Midnight pressed firmly against Twilight's side, curiosity got the better of her and she had to interrupt the moment, "Whatcha reading?"

Mastering Spellcraft With Which You Could Wipe Out Ponykind (But Please Don't Sue Us If You Do) For Dummies. Classical literature.

"As I mentioned before, I'm researching for an assignment on the different types of spells. There's a difference in the basic casting, you know. So far, I've got down the categories of everyday, combat, and runes, but," she raffled through the pages showing various sketches, "I can't find anything believable on signature spells."

"That being because you just cast everything regardless if you're supposed to or not?" Midnight asked, cheating her way under the blanket and into skin contact with a bit of magic.

"Eek! Cold!" Twilight tried to struggle away, but she was constrained on all sides, so she quickly surrendered again. "Yes, I suppose you could put it that way. You know what, enough of studying for now." She shut the book and turned to give Midnight a brief kiss, surprised to find that she did not meet any cooperation on Midnight's part. "Why so serious?"

"Where is the real T- Sparkle? Who are you?" Midnight questioned with unbudging expression, at least for the initial few seconds. Afterwards, she was unable to sustain it any longer, giggled like a filly, and gladly returned the gesture. "But, coming to think of it, shouldn't there be a dragon around here somewhere?"

"Eh, he's... somewhere. Gone camping with Sweetie Belle and some others, I think he said. Hey, don't give me that look. I know I'm his legal guardian and all, but sometimes, it's also refreshing to have an adolescent dragon out of house for a bit. So to say, he doesn't exactly know about us two yet."

"Well, gives us time to move in my stuffs before he gets a chance to interfere, right?" Midnight joked.

Head first, Twilight crawled out of their comfortable little cocoon, then said, "Yes, I suppose we could do that."

"Sparkle, you can't be serious, I," Midnight explained as she followed suit, but she was cut off.

"Why not? We'll have to do it eventually, right?" While waiting for Midnight to be persuaded, the lavender unicorn walked in a circle around the room, surprisingly enough cleaning up after herself.

"I had in mind to go back to my actual home as soon as you're cared for - I mean, we've only been together for like three days now, only one of which we actually spent together even partially," Midnight said, passing one of the books on the ground from her magic into Twilight's. "Don't you think this is a little early? What's up next, you gonna marry me in two weeks?"

Twilight realised her marefriend's seriousness and thus came over to her in order to best explain her points, "Midnight, are you going to disallow us to do as we please because of some arbitrary time restrictions? If you would accept my kind invitation to host you in my own home, I would gladly take you in. Isn't that what matters? Besides, I feel like all along, we've been a bit in love already, we just didn't notice it. We'll have to make up for lost time."

"With 'we' meaning 'I' as in 'you', right? Well, can't blame me for not trying... okay, I take that back, you can. Romantic words. Wouldn't have expected those out of you. Got a romance section memorised somewhere?"

"Well, remember the shelves up in my bedroom?" Twilight asked, possibly literally holding her tongue in cheek.

Midnight remembered very well what her love meant. After all, she had already spent a night there herself. "You mean, the bedroom walls?"

"Yeah, anyway, that's my romance section." Twilight admitted, gaining just the slightest of additional colour in her face, a fact of which she was apparently oblivious herself.

"Interesting stuff, I know. Especially that one, what was it called? Fourty-nine Hues of..." She didn't need to continue as the heat rose significantly on those adorable cheeks, to the point where their owner simply had to feel it. "Yeah, I read that one. Interesting stuff, as mentioned. But back to the point." Midnight sighed deeply, realising she was fighting against her own heart's opinion. "So be it. I think if we teleport properly, we shoud be done within a few trips. I think Blink could manage both me and the big suitcase, then whatever you do can take yourself and something smaller back. I think you should be able to manage teleportation even now. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, and, Sparkle?" Midnight tore her friend out of the concentration needed to prepare her own transportation spell, but she felt it was necessary that, before initiating their back and forth travels, she said, "Thanks for taking me in. Love ya. Just follow my trail to my room."

Relocating her home had been easier than expected, like due to the fact that everything in her old room that wasn't government-owned could actually fit in a bit of luggage, little enough to take back on the first way home. Reluctantly, she'd gone to say goodbye to the loving musicians, if only to inform them that the room was free once more. As expected, she'd earned cheers and various other reasons to leave quickly. Now, she didn't need them any more. Now, all that mattered in her life was that she was established, that she had Sparkle, that she was going to make the most of it.

An unanimous ballot had placed Midnight in the duty to also prepare dinner, though she insisted that there had to have been many little pathogens influenzaing the results. Still, she couldn't complain about a chance to demonstrate to Twilight the most difficult dish she could reliably pull off, known to others only as pasta with fancily spiced sauce. "You know, Sparkle, we were supposed to have a date yesterday. Ah, what happened, what happened," she happily mumbled across two half-finished plates of pasta.

"Yeah... wait, I know what to do." Twilight left the table, rummaging through one of the nearby cabinets, briefly interrupted by one, two, even three successive sneezes.

"I'm putting you straight to bed after this, you know," Midnight said as she watched her from her seat, trying lightly to make sense of her actions.

"Yeah, yeah." The lavender mare stuck her head out into sight for a second and said, "Will you join me there? I could use a warming bag," before diving back down.

"If it's only that," Midnight lazily replied, staring into her portion. It was amazing how such simple a food could be the best in the world if only through the presence of a certain pony of whom the cupboard door left only certain parts within sight.

"A ha!" said pony called out, returning to her seat, dimming the lights with seemingly the same spell as she lit the candles she'd fetched out, waving a hoof over them for effect. "There. Our very own candlelight dinner."

"Can we just skip the food and go right to the part where we make out?" Midnight asked as innocently as she could.

"I think we can," Twilight answered, going over to her marefriend's side of the table and promptly doing her bidding there.