Splitting aMid the Night

"Welcome to the Animus, Master Templar," spoke a voice, distant, yet right in her ear. She'd never get used to it, even with her experience on disembodied voices. Something was different about this one. It was cold as a spirit that had never lived, yet could just as well be somepony next to her.

Ah, your heritage. Is it not wonderful. I think I've dug out something interesting today. Let me know what you think about her.

Wait, one question. Exactly how does this differ from the tech we already have? How does this even work without an actual animus?

Those were two. Such a machine is nothing other than a workaround for nonicorns. In the beginning, everything was through pure magic power. Then ponies forgot from where they came. You've only revived the old methods.

Wonderful. On another note, why does every transition within my mind have to end with me losing consciousness?

Safety. You don't want to experience a full-on Bleeding. With a mind unstable as yours, already this is technically too much, but where would be the fun in that. Since I know you aren't listening to me, have a taste of what it's like. I present, your entire ancestry, five generations back. You already carry all of them within your essence, but let's see how well you do when they're awoken.

Midnight had but a second to contemplate Noon's sentence until her mind was flooded with images, sounds and scenes, memories she knew were not her own. She sunk to the ground, holding her head, seconds from passing out.

Oh gosh, the headache, feels like my brain's bleeding... alright, gotta concentrate, Stellar can't... no, she can't. Just need to stick close to Burning... oh Luna, the pain... who is that? What century do we have? Make it stop!

And that is a Bleeding. First you stay as you enter another's body, then they stay as you go out. Then your little brain gets confused and can't separate the memories of Midnight from those of Fireball or Dusk. At best, you'll get stuck on the astral plane, living three lives at once while your body falls into a coma and dies. At worst, you make it out and bring them with you. That is when it gets unpleasant. You'd be them as much as you are yourself.

You know a lot for somepony who's just a projection.

I should know; I lived it. This is what results when the dream wakes whilst the dreamer goes into eternal sleep.

Before she could try to dig deeper, the white surrounding her rose and blocked her senses, until even her sense of self vanished and she faded into darkness.

Midnight soared through the sky, through and around a city both familiar and foreign. It was Canterlot, yet as she knew it only from stories and paintings. By the third pass, she seemed to have found her target and moved inwards into a mansion not entirely strange to her, into a body somehow still relatable.

"So this is to what we've come? A Sparkle mare fooling around with another dirty little mare?" She knew the pony staring at her new form; she was its mother, it told her that. She wasn't a bad mother, but bound by ancestral traditions, which combined with her strict attitude into a dangerous mix.

"You liked her before we started dating," Midnight said, though the words were not her own. She'd taken the shape of a white unicorn with long, red hair. It spoke for her.

"That's beside the point. Quantum, you know this isn't true. We can help you." She took her into a loose embrace, though it was stained with knowing exactly with what she wanted to help. "The Sparkle family hasn't had any filly foolers in centuries and you are not going to start it. Not with that commoner."

She didn't respond, knowing there was no point in it. Instead, she invocated a handy spell she had once discovered in a spellbook from ages past, which allowed her a few minutes' rest on the roof. They would find her, of course, they knew where she was. Nevertheless, a few minutes could be more than enough to enjoy the wonderful sunset over Canterlot, perhaps even to be visited by a certain pegasus.

I think that would be enough.

The world broke and shattered, falling into oblivion. Beyond it, only white remained. As she brushed the glimmers of a dying world off of her – normal again – body, the thoughts which were not her own fled her mind.

I wanted to see that story unfold! Send me back! Show me how they came together despite all odds!

Princess, that never happened. Quantum Sparkle and the other one broke up and lost contact after a while. Later in her life, she was forced into a political marriage with royalty, who was, ironically, another mare. They enjoyed themselves a little too much, and as both of them did love the other, so did their offspring turn to yet another mare and founded the mess of circles which is your family tree. Star did, anyhow. Their other child, seeing as she was still by the name Sparkle, continued the traditions of her ancestors, and thus the families drifted apart even though connected by a pair of sisters. Tragic, but informative. Useful, too, since now nobody complains when you make out with Sparkle even though she's something like your fifth degree cousin. To come back to the story, the pegasus found love elsewhere and made the tree that would, far in the future, bear Shimmer. I found that interesting.

"Ngh, Twilight!" moaned a meek voice, tearing Midnight out of her well-deserved sleep. She was about to ignore it and continue sleeping when her living hug dispenser jumped out of bed, dragging her along until her head came to rest against the floor.

Get up, you are needed!

"No, not good," pleaded another, much sweeter voice, burdened by a tone she had hoped never to hear. "Help me, him!"

After a short pause to get her senses back, she rose as fast as she could without exerting herself. On the other side of the room, Twilight was bent over the small basket which served as her dragon's resting place. He did not seem very well, her first few tests confirmed that. "Heart racing, boiling hot, yet missing colour... blood vessels must've contracted, hard. He's definitely got something, Sparkle."

"Yes, but what? Can you help him?" She looked to be about ready to pounce Midnight if she wouldn't give out the information she wanted. He apparently meant more to her than Midnight had expected.

"I have no idea." She felt the storm coming ahead of time, so she pressed a hoof onto Twilight's lips to silence her, then wrapped the same leg around her neck. "Hear me out. I can't do anything for him, because I'm a pony nurse, for ponies. Without knowing what it is, I can't treat him and any spell in my arsenal would only make it worse. There are ponies in Canterlot who can help him, I promise. You just need to get him there, as fast as possible. Which might be a slight problem since it's way out of range for a teleport, even for you. Don't even try, I won't let you. If the flying taxi you got out of Canterlot goes two ways, now would be a good time to say it."

"Yeah, that's– gotta do that." She dashed downstairs and returned seconds later, quill already racing across a floating piece of parchment as she ran. Just as soon, she tossed it aside. It'd leave a nasty ink stain on the bed, but that was besides importance at the moment. She rolled and wrapped the scroll, then murmured to Spike, as if scared that noise could worsen his condition, "There. Can you send that?"

He didn't respond other than through the tiny flame that erupted upwards and consumed the scroll. "What a handy little trick. I bet I could've used that before. I know this might sound harsh, but look on the bright side. It's not like any other thing which I'd recognise, so it probably won't transmit to ponies. This isn't helping, is it. Oh no." One rapid spell brought her down to fetch a certain bowl, another returned her to the bedroom. Just as she arrived, Spike already made good use of it. Above the former contents of a dragon's stomach, a scroll materialised, saved from an untimely demise by quick spellcasting. It was Midnight's magic that took it as Twilight was occupied adding hot tears to the contents of the bowl, a fact which she only realised after reading the scroll. "Help is coming. Hold out. That's what it says." Not knowing what else to do, she wrapped herself around Twilight's neck and whispered, "He'll be fine, trust me. As long as you have the strength to beat this, he does."

The flow ceased somewhat. With a bit of magic cleaning them, Midnight was once again allowed another glance at those amazing crystal orbs. "You're right. I'm just unsure what to do, so afraid..." Pure despair flickered in her eyes before they turned away. "I don't want to lose him."

"Yes, I know that sting. Is there really a difference between losing a son you didn't raise and a mother you didn't know? You'll get over those fears, I know it. Might be a longer stay, you probably want to pack a few things." Midnight released her for a moment of introspection, after which she was already bent over the basket again. "Or I could do it. Don't give in to your fears, Sparkle, as much as it might seem to ease the pain. I'll be quick. Keep fighting."

Chaining one spell to another, Midnight flashed through the house, collecting the necessities for a brief stay at Canterlot. With just what she'd already seen from her relationship with the princess, together with that she was from Canterlot in the first place, Twilight was unlikely to need much, Midnight figured. Thus, the bag was barely filled when she returned. Twilight had calmed down a little in the meantime, though she was still whispering pleas over her tiny assistant and only looked up when Midnight stepped close. "That's not much," she said once her voice had stabilised, peeking inside the pack.

"It'll be enough for you." Midnight took and washed the bowl. Somepony had to, after all.

"You won't be coming?" Twilight's expression was unreadable. It held the glimmer of hope for a misunderstanding, the slate of silent agreement, and the shards of bitter realisation, all at once, none stronger than the other.

Midnight couldn't bear any of them staring down on her and turned back to the bowl. "No, I don't think I will. Not because I hate him or anything, even though that wouldn't be entirely false. But I'm on shift today, can't leave. Besides, one pony is enough, doesn't need both of us." With the bowl cleaner than it had been before, she had no more excuse for avoiding Twilight's gaze. It wasn't angry or judgmental, just plain, cold curious, and it burned her insides so much that she wished Twilight was yelling at her. "Unless you want me to come along. But think it through, please. If you remember from our time in Canterlot, I used to live two minutes away from the hospital. It'd be near unavoidable for my father to find out what's going on, especially since I would almost have to stay with him. He'd insist on coming along, where you would already be by the bedside. What I'm going at is that he doesn't really know about you, and I'd prefer that it stays that way."

Twilight didn't respond. She just stared at her, her eyes occasionally flinching a hair's width. As the seconds stretched into eternity, Midnight wished only for an end. She was about to give in when Twilight's lips parted at long last and let out, "So be it. I understand. You've got your duties as I've got mine." There was a heavy impact outside. "They're here." She took Spike onto her back and led her outside. Once on the back of the pegasus carriage that had awaited them, she continued, "Tell the others where I am." They came together one last time, a single kiss to last them over the coming time of separation. "I'll let you know how things stand as soon as I can. Don't go getting yourself killed."