Splitting aMid the Night

"Oh hey, there you are. Come closer!" called a squeaky voice mere moments after they disconnected. Out of everyone that could have discovered them, it had to have been the dragon.

Midnight closed the distance with a quick spell that dropped her just beside Rarity. "Hey everyone. I did not just do icky things with your mistress, in case you're curious. Look, we didn't even arrive together, since she's over there and I teleported and all that."

"I don't like being left hanging with an empty mouth which no one is there to fill, you know," said Twilight as she arrived on hoof, nudging Midnight in the side.

"Aren't they always adorable, Rarity," the stallion said. His voice flowed liquid as caramel and sweet as oil. He was exactly the sort from which Daylight had always warned her. Luckily for her, Twilight was there to protect her from eventual attempts at charming. He held out a hoof, as she'd expected him to. "I don't think we've met, sweet filly." Midnight hesitated, then took his hoof anyway. "My name's Soarin Markov. Second in command of the Wonderbolts, averted a few crises – though not nearly as many as your charming friend here, of course – and a lot of other five-bit expressions. Might I ask for your name?"

Aren't there only three Wonderbolts, anyway?

One would wonder how you can not know that despite all of their franchise which cluttered your room. Then again, same goes for the Daring Do covers whilst you don't own a single one of her books. Why do you even have all those things?

"Midnight –" she pondered on her answer for a split second "– of Canterlot. It'd be rude to ask what you're doing here, right?"

"Ah, yes, daughter of Daylight, wasn't it. It's a waste, what happened to her." His eye wandered towards the pond, a little too fast to be coincidental. Just a moment after, perhaps because he saw that Midnight had noticed, it returned to her. "Anyhow. I only came to place some orders for her, but I'm sure you know what a charming mare she is, I couldn't resist her invitation to join all of you here. Always love me the company of a few fine mares."

"Oi, just so you know, I'm taken." She reached around Twilight's shoulders and pulled her in close. "By her, so don't try anything there either."

Twilight struggled free, but didn't take any distance from her. He continued, "Ah, how sad. For me, not for you, of course. Anyhow, as I was saying..." He turned back to Rarity. Twilight took the opportunity and led Midnight to the water's edge.

Twilight made her first steps inside without hesitation, other than Midnight. "This would be a good time to tell you that I'm not too great with water deep enough to drown, wouldn't it?" she asked.

Twilight dove forward and re-emerged floating on her back, waving for her to do the same. "And why would that be? Come on, the water's fine. Unless you actually can't come in, in which case we have some serious learning to do." She put on the face of a pony smart enough to teach and mischievous enough to enjoy it.

It was a challenge Midnight wasn't going to deny. She strode along the edge to keep up with Twilight's movements. In the background, Pinkie had started playing ball with the, once wet, quite outgoing Fluttershy. "It's not that I couldn't swim. At least theoretically I can. I just don't like to, especially not when there are murderous things in the water with me." She did the first step inside. It was a gentle slope, but her hoof sank into the mud so that the water ended up over her ankle. It was freezing cold. "Heck, you're a true Canterlot unicorn like me, you should know that there aren't too many pools there." Another step sank just as deep, though at least it felt slightly warmer. "As far as my memory serves, I only really made experiences once, when Mother took me to the sea. Beach holidays, so to speak. Except they weren't holidays for her." She breathed through to the bottom of her lungs and moved forward until there was enough room to support herself. "I did not like it, long story short." She sighed as they moved towards the deeper parts, where the others were. "The things I do to be with you. Hyper and mur– I mean, Pinkie and Fluttershy," she acknowledged them. There was no need for further formalities, not with them.

"Hello, you two. I'm glad you could come." Fluttershy was floating in the water, her wings spread out just below the surface and gently twitching to keep her adrift.

Then, something pounced Midnight from behind. She only just managed to stay above the surface as it piped, "I'm so happy to see you make it, not that I ever doubted you would, but it's still just awesome to see all my friends come together for an afternoon..."

"If you would be so kind," Midnight interrupted, "as to stop drowning me, it'd be appreciated. I would prefer not to end up as the second mare from my family who gets murdered in just ten years." Pinkie disconnected from her and walked across the axis formed between Twilight and Fluttershy when gravity decided to take her again so that they formed somewhat of a circle. "Thank you. There isn't really anypony left besides me, I should get around to the whole procreating part of continuing my bloodline." She caught Twilight's eye, which carried the exact look she'd expected and hoped for. "Any time you're ready, Sparks. No? Well, I guess I'll have to endure a few more years without the monsters which foals are. What a loss. Anyhow. Commence idle chatter."

"It really is refreshing, in more than one sense of the word," said Twilight, turning to let as much of the sun's blessed warmth fall onto her as possible. "Kinda hot today, if I have to be honest. But also, of course, to get out of the house, catch up on everypony, make Spike come home overnight once in a while."

"I have to say, I was a little surprised to see him turn up next to my animals. He must really appreciate the freedom you're giving him." Just as Fluttershy spoke those words, Midnight realised that she didn't have nearly the room she'd like to be comfortable despite that she was swimming. Thus, putting as little force away from staying up top with the life-giving air, she tried to float herself away from the group, though little resulted from it other than proving to herself the concept of magic reactio. She needed an anchor to ignore that effect. Fortunately, there was somepony very close nearby who could equalise the movement using her wings. She tried to apply the necessary force with one or two discreet spells without being noticed, though Twilight's expression gave reason to suspicion that her spells could have been less discreet than she thought.

"He is growing up after all," replied Twilight, her gaze clearly on the dragon onshore. "It's a simple arrangement; I won't have to help him if he gets into trouble, and he gets to go and try other things as long as he stays safe, doesn't cause trouble, and reports back every now and again." She paused, perhaps lost in the sight of the landscape in front of them or perhaps just thinking. "Besides, it got quite handy to have him away for a bit. I had things to do."

"Like me, you mean. Or whatever it is that you do when I'm on shift." She didn't know why, but dipping her head underwater seemed like a wonderful idea, until the cold got a hold of her face and she reconsidered. When she reemerged, blue took up half her vision. Fortunately, she was quite practiced with using only a single eye. "I wonder what, really. Although, no offense, but as I know it, it's probably more reading."

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Twilight looked satisfied, pleased. Too pleased for Midnight's liking.

"Did I ever tell you that I... have a little spell that lets me see things normally hidden?" Slowly, with all due caution, Midnight struggled around the group. Somehow, she still hadn't sunk yet. While she swam back to her previous spot, she even spotted Spike entering the water as if to defy physics even more. "You know, I didn't expect that pegasi would like water. I'd imagine you'd do anything not to get your feathers wet."

"It's a bit inconvenient, but you have to groom them as well one way or another." She lifted her wings out of the water for a moment, spraying droplets onto everyone. "Besides, it doesn't feel bad. Having the water float around them sort of tickles. It's hard to explain, but you don't hate ponies touching your horn either, right?"

"Couldn't tell ya, mine's almost completely insensitive. Unlike somepony else who gets way too much out of it." Without them noticing, Twilight and Pinkie had drifted off into a separate conversation. Instead, Rarity and Spike joined the group. "But enough of that."

Is it not funny to see sworn enemies come together for a lovely little bath? We could drown her right now as the murderer she is, for the Order. They wouldn't know.

I don't kill, not any more. Besides, what good would it do to put her out of her misery based on crimes long past, instead of leaving her to suffer from them?

Whilst the other exchanged meaningless salutations, Midnight's eyes wandered across the shoreline. "I think I'm getting out for a bit, no need to test my luck." With that, she set off on the long and perilous journey of getting back on land without drowning in the process. Once there, Soarin was already waiting to help her out of the water.

You've grown wise after all. She's proud. On that note, if you would kindly see the truth, you'd find that there's more to him than it seems.

"Come back to get some sun, I assume?" he asked while bringing her to her hooves.

"Yeah. Don't like swimming." She shook free and threw herself into the grass on her back. "Don't try getting me into anything. I know your sort, you're as bad as the birdie who actually murdered her."

He stood over her, blocking out the sun. She couldn't decide if she appreciated that or not. "You wouldn't exactly prove much resistance if I was up for anything." He set a hoof on her leg, pushing down stronger than she'd expected he would be able. Before she could respond, it was already gone again. "Not that I am, of course. All of the Order are sisters, right?"

"I'll have you know that my signature spell alone is a Master level teleportation. Peak energy output level seven, best cast time point four seconds, longest intentionally travelled distance three kilometres, give or take seven meters, no rune match in known spells. What you got against that?" It wasn't an argument about the Order any more, nor a normal discussion or any sort. It was a competition.

"Point four? That's all the time that I need." He sat down just next to her head. With her free eye, she could see his cocky grin.

"I'd expect no more out of you. But perhaps we're getting off on the wrong hoof." Following a notion from within, she raised her head just as Twilight was getting out of the water. "Hey, Sparkle. Come here, I need somepony to warm me up!"

She rapidly approached, but didn't lie down as Midnight had hoped. When she bent her head to complain, she noticed tiny sparks dancing on and about her body, evaporating all liquid present there, while Twilight sat besides her. "Warmth of Life. Handy spell in a pinch, or when you want to dry off. You're welcome."

When the sparks vanished, they left her with a fuzzy feeling of warmth and having her entire hair out of order, but far from satisfied. "So you're doing elemental magic. Could've expected that, since you're doing literally any sort of magic and all that. Still, do it with arcane magic or let it be, as one could say."

"I really don't get ponies talking down on others for using a certain school of magic." To break the idleness, Twilight conjured six small orbs, each carrying one school's preferred element, and swirled them in a circle with a hoof. "It's all magic at the core, isn't it?"

"I used to be good friends with a born fire mage." Suddenly no longer comfortable, Midnight rose into a sitting position. "Then her psycho coltfriend happened to give her an unfortunate ending. What is it with pegasi and killing ponies I like. Anyhow, using her own words, she always liked to say that elemental mages are twatheads who can't grasp the higher arts of magic. Ah, Canterlot accent, isn't it wonderful. Makes me wonder why neither of us has it. Maybe there's some secret cave under the city where they feed exclusively on biscuits. Who would know."

When the others tired of the water, it turned out to be a wonderful day for a picnic, especially since Pinkie Pie had somehow smuggled in a mountain of sweets and ice cream impressive even to Midnight. At the start, everypony, especially Twilight, had held their restraints, but soon demonstrated why they were all about Midnight's weight.

Our intervention is needed! Would you kindly do what you can?

While Midnight was still struggling to ignore the latest cryptic message, a barely audible splash, paired with a short call, disturbed the peace. Somehow, Spike had snuck off back into the water and taken the opportunity to sink. First to react, Midnight lifted at the space where she'd just seen him go under.

Our glory has taken hold.

He was much heavier than expected, but she could raise the strength necessary with only a thought of the power she had been promised, as well as the two other levitation spells which came to her aid. With their combined strength, they lifted him back on land, right in the middle between everypony. "What were you thinking?" snapped Twilight as soon as he blinked up at her. "At least tell somepony if you're gonna sink!"

"But, I..." His stutters were going the exact opposite of the way to calm a protective mare. Thus, Midnight forced him quiet under the cover of feeling his pulse.

"Don't try, squirt." Before Twilight could continue, she interrupted, "Thirty breaths, forty pulse. If it's any better to you, everything's normal with him. At least by pony standards. He just got a scare. Alright, continue chewing out."

"So be it. You'll come back to the library today. Maybe we'll talk more about this there." Twilight turned and strode back towards Ponyville.