Splitting aMid the Night

Amazing how the two of you have moved in such brief time, what you have become... aside from a coward.

We... are patient.

And buckety.

Midnight wanted to argue, but there was no real defence against such claims if one happened to have just woken up arm in arm with her sleeping marefriend, experiencing unseen beauty in tangled manes and muddled looks. Fortunately, she was the one to be in that situation, so she couldn't mind much. She slipped out and onto the balcony, this time applying the strategies learnt last time. As far as she could tell, Twilight had managed to stay asleep. She was alone. With herself.

"Who would've guessed you'd become a morning pony after all?" Noon said, sitting in one of the chairs aligned outwards.

"Granted that it's probably about one breakfast until my shift starts, I'd argue with it being morning," Midnight replied, settling into another chair herself. "You know, other ponies would visit a psychopath after seeing something the likes of you even once."

"Silly ponies. They couldn't help them, not that there was anything that'd need to be helped. Besides, what kind of difference is there between hearing a voice and imagining it having form?"

"That's beside the point. The defining structure of a pony is her freedom to decide. You - assuming there really are more like you - you take that freedom from us, by convincing us to be wrong at all time, to depend on your judgement, until we give in and it becomes truly so. Without our freedom, we might as well be machines, programmed to do our task, like you." Midnight gazed down into Ponyville. It looked like just yet another sunny morning, endless amounts of ponies wandering around enjoying the warmth, birds singing and flying around freely, seemingly not realising the delusions they put upon themselves for a brighter life.

"What ever said you were anything different, robot?" Noon conjured a floating illusion of two pills which she knew very well. "The mark on your flank, the very only thing that's truly unique for your personality, dictates your task already. Society is built upon the castes established by those very marks. Tell me, where is there freedom to decide in that?"

"The freedom to take the talents we were granted, to apply them as we see fit, to choose our own fate. That is the freedom I fight for, mine and everyone's. You wouldn't understand that. Why did Shy become a murderer if her talent is cute widdle animals?"

A cloud pushed into the way of the Sun's blessed warmth, darkening the environment significantly. "And you believe to have free will, when in truth, you would not be anywhere without me. Accepting your love for Sparkle, coming to Ponyville, doing what was needed to claim her. Was that all really your free choice? Unguided, unchanged? Filly, would you kindly stop lying to us both? You need me, as everypony needs theirs. Flanks aren't all there is to one's destiny."

"Midnight?" a sweet voice asked from behind as the balcony door opened.

"Farewell," Noon breathed whilst transforming into vapour which flowed back into her.

"I hope I didn't wake you again?" Midnight replied while Twilight took in the very same place previously occupied by her own appearance.

"I don't think you did," she mumbled before, during, and after an adorable yawn. "Just woke up, alone, cold, unhugged."

"Ah, sorry for that." Midnight nuzzled her to make up for lost time. "Well, good morning, sweet princess."

Twilight blinked the sleep out of her eyes, though she was apparently not quite successful at that. "I had an odd dream. In the beginning, I thought it was just a normal day, I was sketching down a new spell, it didn't really work, so I fixed it and... then I suddenly had wings like writing runes was anything new and Princess Celestia said I had to come to Canterlot and be a princess there." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "But I didn't want to, I wanted to stay here... with you. The princess got angry, said I would lose everything if I didn't. So be it, I said. Then I woke up."

"Well, at least you've got some fantasy," Midnight joked. "Wait, rune magic?"

"Yeah, what's so special about it?"

"I think Sensei once mentioned it, let me remember his exact words." Midnight continued using her best impression of a stallion voice, which wasn't much considering her already being on the high end normally, but, as she found, worth credit for effort, "Alright class, this is how it works. Now forget about it 'cause they think you to be too stupid to do it. Of course, you're going to prove them wrong - at that point, he gave an odd look towards the back rows - or at least I hope you will." Back in her usual voice, she added, "I was told it's really powerful and really dangerous. So, in brief, I don't know why I questioned that you'd do it."

The lavender mare giggled as only she could do, sadly being eventually interrupted by a constricting cough. "Really, there's not much to it. I bet I could teach you some."

"That is, if I'd let you. But you know what? I won't. In your condition, even you gotta admit that there are easier and faster ways to get yourself killed than to mess with the Flow."

"Yeah, guess you're right. I'll just hang around then and do... stuff." Twilight let her head and ears hang, a gesture that would certainly have been heartbreaking to Midnight if she wasn't near certain that it was as exaggerated as it was.

"You could write a novel," Midnight suggested jokingly.

"Hmm, yes, I suppose I could get to continuing that," Twilight replied without any reflection of her love's attitude. "Maybe we could even have a little workshop! Yay!"

"I once spent a summer in a writing school," Midnight thought aloud. "I wonder how old IV is doing today... oh yeah, right. I don't think I want to talk about that."

"Really? What did you do?" Twilight eagerly asked, as if she hadn't heard the second part of Midnight's speech.

"Eh, I never really published anything. Mostly small stuff, you know." Averting her eyes, Midnight rummaged through her brain in search of a distraction that could bring her away from this topic. "Besides, I've unfortunately got solo duty today, starting in a few minutes, so I'll probably be busy. I might teleport here for foods, though."

"So I'll be alone for today?" Twilight said, her voice foreshadowing that she was going to use a terrible weapon on Midnight, one that she had thought only some, among them Ruby Pinch, capable of.

While there was no defense against adorableness, Midnight was not going to go out without a struggle, "Yeah, sorry, duty calls." Unfortunately, she was overwhelmed soon afterwards and added, "Alright, I suppose I can try to get you a text sample of mine, not like I'm doing anything at work anyhow. And of course, I'll try to squeeze in time to join you at lunch. Anything else, mistress?"

"Well, it seems like you have to get going, but would you kindly help with breakfast? It'd be really sweet of you if you did."

"Of course. Shall we?" She bent and took Twilight's hoof into her own, accompanying her downstairs. On the way, she murmured, "The day I'm sick, you're gonna do the same for... wait, dammit."

"So, let's see... blood phage concentration levels lowering, B on the rise.." Midnight mumbled to herself as she perused the documents for Ruby Pinch. Only when she looked away and at the filly did she realise that she'd slipped into medical language again, one of the worst slangs available. "It means you're getting better."

"Yaay!" Ruby cheered once she understood the message. "Wait, does that mean I'm gonna go home soon?"

"Yeah, soonish." Despite expectations, Midnight was not met with an answer. Ruby looked to be deep in thought, though they didn't seem to be cheerful ones as they should be. She decided to leave her alone if she needed to be. "I'm gonna be off then, you know how to get me if necessary." Still met only with contemplating silence, Midnight slipped away and into the office.

Princess, we need to talk.

I'm kinda busy right now, y'know?

You're looking for the word 'velvet'. And no, it's not about that, though I'd like to see how she'd react to seeing you like this. So would you?

Fine, what is it?

Well, first, it's about time that your fillyfriend got some foods, how fortunate that that coincides with you getting your work done here. But you could take another route there. One on which I've got something to show to you.

Let me guess, it includes rifts. Why should I be interested? You're acting more and more like the villain of some cheesy novel like those in my bedroom.

Who is the villain but the hero of her own story? I know that you don't want to care about it, what with having her now and everything, but believe me, you want to, so would you kindly get yourself into the garden? You can leave, I promise you won't be needed until you're back. So sayeth he.

Figuring that the sooner she obeyed, the sooner Noon would shut up about it, Midnight teleported through the wall and into the back yard. Somehow, it had grown even more verdant now that spring had arrived. She could even swear to hear a bird somewhere within its constraints. More importantly however, her duplicate already awaited her, "Glad you agree. Now, if you would kindly divert your attention down here?" She pointed a hoof at a particular flower which she levitated in Midnight's magic for better view.

"I'd say that's a small lotus," Midnight said objectively.

"Exactly. Over such beauty, wars are fought. With such power, wars are won." She let the lotus fall again, somehow mending it back into roots. "It's not a natural flower, it only grows in selected locations. Special locations. So to speak, those particularly close to an offworld power? I believe there is another entrance here. Can you find it?"

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Well, like you find everything! Do I really have to point that out after all this time?" Noon explained with the depleted patience of a teacher for special first-grade foals at the end of his first week at work.

From within the Magic Flow, Midnight had to admit that things were a lot clearer. Everything looked the same as it ever had, as far as such a statement was applicable within the world's shifting essence, at least. There was, however, a small window through which the clinic's back wall was visible in its normal appearance. With gathered courage, she grabbed its inside which felt like a harmlessly blunt, but infinitely thin, edge, and pulled. As she shifted her vision back, she saw that the hole remained, now showing the same wall in blue instead.

"Wonderful. The path is clear to step through. I will be right behind you," Noon explained from behind, having regained a much calmer voice. "The first step, that which is hardest, is yours to take."

Once again, Midnight pulled on the hole's frame, easily expanding it large enough for her to climb through. As soon as she passed the border, she shivered from an unnatural cold that overcame her from one moment to the next.

"Yes, it is cool. Calculated. Not cold. Bask in the Shadow Star, it is the only source here," her alter ego said while fading in. "Coming to think of it, bask in everything. This is the world. Where you belong."

"It looks just like Pegasus Eye," Midnight stated. A quick survey of her surroundings didn't yield much interesting material, except for the small lotus that now consisted of three blooms subsequently growing out of each other.

"Well, it is the same after all. Except that now you are in it. Also, that'll change, trust me." Noon walked off through the clinic, her head reappearing after a few seconds, "Come on, you don't have to worry about matter any more. The laws of physics don't apply that much here, and by that I mean you're basically free to do whatever the heck you want."

Deciding against better judgement to trust her self, Midnight followed. As she approached the wall, she braced for impact, but ultimately felt only a gentle tickling as if passing through a string curtain. Behind her, the wall flowed back into integrity after momentarily dispersing into a cloud of energy to let her pass through. Lightly impressed, she sped up her pace to catch up with Noon who was trotting ahead of her, seemingly headed towards Ponyville.

As they walked, Midnight was increasingly beset by an odd feeling as the world slowly crumbled around them until only around a path's width of matter remained. Noon didn't appear to care, however, so she simply kept going by her side. Eventually, they reached a peak in height where there was a small platform granting free view of the surrounding area, at least of what area existed. As Midnight carefully spied over the edge of the blank, violet rock, she saw nothing but empty space spreading out below, possible to be mistaken for the normal world's sky if she didn't know better. A few floating islands could be just made out on the horizon with the Shadow Star glooming just above them. It felt different now that she had wandered deeply into the Flow. Its star shined much brighter and warmer and, where the horizon would likely be located if there were any points of reference, clouds welled up to capture and reflect its radiant glory. Above her, however, a star-filled sky reminded her of which reality she was in.

"Wonderful, don't you think? This, princess, is the domain that opens only to you. Your heritage. True, any unicorn with a teleportation spell crosses through here," as Noon spoke, a mint globule of energy whizzed by a little in the distance. "Huh, how convenient a coincidence that was. As I'm saying, anypony can enter, but you are the first organic of known history to stay. Will you continue to deny what belongs to you?"

"But- Where am I, even?" Midnight asked, sitting on the edge and enjoying the light.

"Well." Noon didn't answer further, but discreetly snuck up behind Midnight and pushed her off into the abyss.

So, this is how it ends. Lured into the magic realm by insanity, murdered by misplaced trust. Huh, the irony. Wait, what?

A few second later, the ground came up to meet her and Midnight impacted with about the force of a falling butterfly. Somehow, she had landed on the same platform again. "As mentioned," Noon explained, "you can't really apply physics here. The concept of a beginning or end is unknown to the Flow. Fall off on one end and land on the other. So, as to where we are, where do you want to be?"

"The library, of course. You promised to take me to Sparkle."

"So we are there. Did I not teach you that the Flow gives to those who ask?" Noon faded out. "Go then, she waits." After, to her own surprise, looking around for the source of the voice, Midnight spotted another rift directly in front of her. Crossing it, she discovered that it did in fact drop her off in the library's main room with a flash of excess magic, just besides a thickly wrapped Twilight Sparkle apparently trying to shield herself in a book fort. To Midnight's surroundings, it had to have looked like she had simply teleported, understandable as the method was the exact same.

"Thanks for coming back," Twilight croaked.

"Everything for you."