One Castle, Two Alicorns

Chapters

What's in a name?
It's all relative
A Difference of Opinion
Darkness
Family
Fears in the Night
Making Friends?
Troubled
Goodbye
After all these years...
The Intruder
Consulting a Princess

What's in a name?

Dawn had risen over Ponyville, and yet, this pleasant sight did not bring Twilight the same joy and wonder that it normally did. She walked through the halls of her home, carrying herself with a more worrisome feeling than she usually had when doing so. Beside her, engulfed in her magical aura, was a breakfast tray, upon which rested a still-steaming bowl of soup. But her eyes were focused not on this meal, but on the one who now lay ahead. Starlight was sitting quietly by herself, staring intently at the door opposite her, as if worried the thing might explode at any moment. But, when she turned to finally see her teacher, she broke out into a smile.

"Hey."

Twilight smiled back.

"Hey."

Then, the Princess' smile faded a little, as she instead glanced to the door.

"Anything?"

A long sigh from Starlight.

"Nothing. All I've seen so far is a flickering light through the cracks of the door. I think she might have been reading all night."

Twilight looked back to her, surprised.

"She hasn't slept?"

Starlight shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure if someone like her even can sleep!"

Twilight paused for a time, then gave a single nod to her apprentice.

"Alright...I've got this."

Starlight looked back to her, concerned.

"You sure you don't want me staying with you for this?"

Twilight smiled back to that, shaking her head a little.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine. Besides, you need to get yourself some breakfast."

The other mare, understandably, was hesitant to just leave her alone, but she trusted Twilight enough to go along with her instructions. So, off she went, with Twilight watching her until she had walked around the corner, and was no longer in view. Taking in a deep breath, the Princess used her magic to open the door, entering the room along with the tray she was still levitating.

"Good morning."

The room was modest, a typical guest bedroom, and from the looks of it, Starlight had been correct in her guess, as the bed looked like it had not been used all night. Turning her head slightly, Twilight looked upon her doppelganger, who was indeed reading at a nearby desk, with a candle still smouldering from where it had recently run out. As for the clone herself, her eyes were focused on her book, though she did cast a brief glance in Twilight's direction.

"Princess."

The tone had been formal and clinical, with no indication that she was actually happy to see her, which Twilight wasn't all that surprised by. Still, as she entered the room fully, she levitated the tray over to the small table at the side of the desk, laying the soup down upon it.

"I hope you don't mind, but I brought you something to eat."

Here, the clone turned, looking to the soup with some manner of suspicion. Twilight, perhaps sensing what her double was thinking, rolled her eyes in a display of slight irritation.

"It's not poison."

The clone frowned to her.

"One can never be too careful."

Lighting up her own horn, the copy lifted up the spoon that was lying beside the bowl, taking a good scoop of the food before bringing it to her face. After giving it a quick sniff, she slowly opened her mouth, putting the spoon right in. Immediately, her eyes widened, and she winced, looking very uncomfortable right now. Seeing this, Twilight took a step forward, her voice betraying her worry,

"Are you okay? I know I'm not the best cook, but..."

However, the clone shook her head, silencing her host for the time being. Twilight watched as, with great struggle, the double finally swallowed, after which she started to pant, as if having gone through a terrible experience.

"Are...are you okay?" Twilight asked.

The clone, while still looking somewhat unhappy, gave a nod.

"Yeah. It's just...I've never eaten anything before."

She grimaced.

"The act of swallowing, having the food go down my throat, it's...not pleasant."

To that, Twilight giggled.

"Trust me, you'll get used to it."

It wasn't a prospect the clone seemed to relish, but she accepted it for the time being, turning her attention once more to her book. A silence, and a long one at that, during which Twilight shifted from one hoof to the other. She wanted to talk to her guest, to maybe open up some kind of dialogue, but she couldn't really think of anything right now, and so instead resorted to some simple small talk.

"So...how are you finding the room?"

The clone didn't look up from her book as she answered.

"It's fine. I didn't get attacked in the night, so that's something."

Not the happiest answer, but it was at least a response. Then, to her surprise, Twilight saw her try to take yet another sip of her soup, which resulted in a second grimace as she struggled to swallow.

"Um...if it's causing you that much trouble, you don't actually have to eat it."

But her guest seemed almost offended by that suggestion.

"While I acknowledge that there are many things in this world that have the potential to beat me..."

She glared at her bowl.

"...I refuse to let a bowl of soup be one of them!"

She was determined, that much was certain, even though her tone hadn't exactly been the friendliest. Twilight, clearing her throat, took a step closer to the mare who looked so much like her.

"You know...I've been doing some thinking."

Again, with the double focusing on her book, she didn't look to her.

"Oh? About what?"

Twilight cracked a smile, albeit a small one.

"Well, mainly I've been thinking about what to call you."

Here, at last, the clone looked at her, but it wasn't with a look of curiosity, as Twilight had perhaps expected, but rather of irritation.

"Pardon?"

Twilight, still clearly wanting to maintain some measure of cordiality, began to explain herself.

"Well, it's just...we can't very well go around calling you the clone all the time, can we? We've got to give you a name."

Her duplicate narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Forgive me for saying this, your Majesty...but I already have a name. Twilight Sparkle, Remember?"

Twilight gave a quick nod, clearing her throat before speaking again.

"Yes, I realise that, but...I was thinking about maybe you would have a name of your own, rather than sticking to the name of the one you were based on?"

The other mare's eyes narrowed further.

"Twilight...Sparkle."

The words had been spoken firmly, as one would when they were unwilling to move from their position. Clearly, she wasn't enamoured with this idea of having a new name, so Twilight, in her usual fashion, tried the diplomatic approach.

"I understand that this may seem a bit forward on my part, but it would make things a bit less confusing, given that we're living together, don't you think?"

The clone stared at her for a time, blinking slowly.

"This is the only name I have, Princess. If you're going to convince me to choose a different one...I suggest you come up with a pretty good replacement."

It was a fair point, Twilight conceded, but thankfully, she'd been thinking about this for a while, and so smiled to her dark counterpart.

"A while back, a met a girl who lived...well...very far away. She was called Twilight too."

Twilight's clone looked to her with an arched eyebrow, but otherwise kept quiet as the original kept speaking.

"Once, she was overcome with dark magic, and it changed her. She became a dark version of herself, a corrupted mirror image."

Twilight appeared to dwell on that memory for a time.

"When she was like that...she called herself Midnight."

Her smile returned, albeit faintly.

"I was thinking...maybe you could have that name?"

Upon hearing the suggestion, the clone looked away, glancing back to her book as she considered what had been said to her.

"So...you think I should be named after someone who, in all likelihood, was some sort of psychopath?"

Twilight hesitated here.

"I...er...hadn't actually considered that."

She started looking somewhat apologetic.

"I just figured it might be nice to..."

But her clone walked away from her before she could finish, instead walking over to a nearby mirror that was hanging off the wall. The duplicate Twilight stared at her reflection for a while, tapping the end of her chin as she pondered the name.

"Hmmm...Midnight Sparkle."

She nodded.

"A name that suggests that I'm closer to the dark than you are."

Twilight chuckled nervously.

"Yes, well, again, I didn't really think of that at the time."

But the clone shook her head.

"You needn't apologise. I think...it suits me."

She again stared at her reflection.

"Midnight Sparkle...yeah..."

Slowly, she looked back to the Princess, taking on one of her now-expected sly smirks.

"...I think I rather like that name."

It's all relative

Twilight had been watching Midnight for some time now, seeing her stand at the edge of the great balcony of the Friendship Palace. She'd been there for a while, staring at someone or something down there, though Twilight had thus far been hesitant to just go over and see what was up. Now, however, she figured it wouldn't do to just stand out here and watch her, so she began to make her way over. Midnight, for her part, had probably already known that the Princess was there, but did not turn to greet her, or even say anything. Instead, she kept quiet as Twilight reached her, and the latter soon looked down to what her doppelganger had been looking at. It was Applejack, playing with her sister, Apple Bloom, in an adjacent field. They were playing catch with a small ball and seemed to be enjoying themselves, much to Twilight's delight.

"Looks fun, doesn't it?"

Midnight gave a small nod, though again, she didn't look to her host.

"I've never been around children before, Princess. Are all of them so...happy?"

Twilight giggled.

"Around here? Pretty much."

She turned, looking over to the Apples over there, seeing them laugh and smile to each other, which all culminated with Applejack running over to her sister and giving her a big hug. It was all heart-warming sibling stuff, and Twilight gave an understandable smile to it. Midnight, by contrast, continued to look thoughtful, just as she always did, which Twilight was quick to pick up on.

"Family. Always brings a smile to people."

Midnight frowned as she too looked upon the loving sibling scene playing out before her.

"I...don't really have much experience with that."

Twilight looked to her, half confused and half concerned.

"What, with family?"

Midnight gave another short nod.

"Every once in a while...I remember yours though."

That took Twilight by surprise, and she took a slight step backwards, though not too far. She didn't want to give her double the impression of being in any way fearful or intimidated by her after all.

"You...you remember them? But...you've never even met them."

Here, Midnight did look to her, albeit slowly, and the two stared at each other for a long time. Eventually though, Midnight was the first to speak.

"Occasionally...there'll be moments when I'll just...get these images in my mind. Flashes of the past. I see a stallion, white of fur and blue of mane...and he's smiling and laughing at me."

In spite of her earlier hesitation, Twilight too smiled.

"Shining Armor...my brother."

Midnight's face was hard to read as she continued.

"I see others, a stallion and a mare, and they're just as happy to see me. I'm looking up at them, so I'm guessing I was much younger."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Your parents, I assume?"

Twilight nodded.

"They are. We don't know all the details of magical clones like you, but...maybe you're gaining my memories?"

Midnight shook her head a little, turning to gaze out over Ponyville and looking just a touch annoyed.

"They're not my memories, they're someone else's. I don't appreciate getting random images like that just...showing up in my head. To have someone else's life just be rattling around in there? No, thank you."

Twilight's smile faded, and she sighed.

"I'm not sure about someone else having my memories either, but I'm sorry you feel that way. Those memories, those of my family...I've always liked thinking of them. Whenever things get difficult or down for me...I like to think back to those nice days growing up with them."

Midnight frowned, but only briefly, as she tried to maintain her more neutral appearance.

"You had a fortunate life then."

Twilight chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I did have a pretty happy life as a child."

Midnight, after a time, looked down to the ground, seeing Applejack and Apple Bloom continue to play with each other from afar.

"...I never knew family. Not like that anyway."

Twilight looked to her, curious, but letting her say what she needed to.

"I was a creation. I wasn't born like you and your friends were. I had no parents to raise me...only a creator to command me. A situation I loathed every minute of, and wanted nothing more than to get away from."

Here, she frowned in earnest.

"A far cry from your circumstances, eh, Princess?"

There had been mockery in that tone, to be sure, but there was also resentment. And jealous perhaps? Whatever the case, it was clear that the notion of family was a sore spot for her guest, and Twilight, being who she was, was not the type to want to further upset her. But, there was one idea that sprang forth from this discussion that the Princess couldn't help but focus on. Again, she didn't want to risk angering Midnight, yet she felt the need to speak this thought all the same.

"Well...what about the others?"

Midnight looked to her with a raised eyebrow, leading to Twilight trying to explain herself.

"I mean the other clones that Chrysalis created. The ones of Applejack and Fluttershy and the rest. You say you never had family, but might those other clones not be considered, well, your sisters? They were all created at the same time, by the same person and under the same circumstances as you after all."

At first, Midnight looked to her like that was the most absurd suggestion anyone had ever given her. But as the moments passed, the idea began to sink in for her, and her incredulity was gradually replaced with thoughtfulness. She looked away, pondering this new thinking, to the point of muttering to herself.

"Sisters...sisters..."

The idea was taking root in her, that much was certain, and after a minute or two, the clone slowly nodded.

"Yes, I suppose I could think of them that way."

Twilight smiled, happy that her double had accepted this, but the moment was, sadly, short-lived. For just a few moments later, Midnight looked to her, narrowing her eyes somewhat.

"My five sisters...who now no longer exist...because of the Tree of Harmony."

Though she was both embarrassed and mortified by it, Twilight had somehow managed to forget that rather grim fact, and immediately took on a look of shame, looking away from Midnight.

"I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

But Midnight, surprisingly, didn't seem upset or angered, and instead she released a sigh before yet again glancing out to Ponyville.

"Don't worry, you haven't upset my feelings or anything. The six of us weren't exactly close. Our brief time together was marked by constant bickering and infighting. We couldn't stand one another, Princess. At best, we were willing to work together to move against our creator, but that was IT."

A pause, and when it ended, her tone was softer, even quiet.

"Still, they were the only others like me in all the world. So yeah, I guess you could call them family. Incompetent, irritating, foolish family...but family all the same. My entire people."

In truth, Twilight didn't know what to make of her double right now. Her thinking was a complete mystery to her, not helped by the fact that she seemed to have the best poker face in all of Equestria at the moment. Then, to her confusion, the clone actually started laughing, leading to the expected level of uncertainty on the part of the Princess.

"Um...are you okay, Midnight?"

Midnight shook her head.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking...if the other clones could be considered my sisters..."

She paused again, but only for a second.

"...then Queen Chrysalis is, sadly, my Mother."

An empty chuckle from the clone.

"Oh, what an enjoyable thought that's going to be for me."

Her sarcasm was clear, and yet, Twilight found herself laughing right alongside her. It was a strange yet pleasant moment between the two mares, but when that moment ended, Midnight turned to the original beside her with a mischievous look to her.

"Although...I suppose I could consider you to be my Mother too."

Twilight, with her laugh now well and truly halted, snapped her head in Midnight's direction, leading to the latter shrugging her shoulders.

"Your hair combined with Chrysalis' magic? A bit of you and a bit of her? And boom, there I was."

She looked to her host with slyness.

"Twilight Sparkle and Queen Chrysalis...my two Mothers."

Twilight, after hearing all that, and after dwelling on that notion for more than a little while, soon started to grimace, bearing a look that was nothing short of disturbed, complete with a twitching eye.

"That...puts nothing but bad thoughts in my head right now."

She turned, starting to walk back inside the palace.

"I think that's enough discussion of families for one day," she said flatly.

Midnight chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Mom."

Twilight groaned.

"Oh, please tell me that's not going to be a regular thing now!"

A Difference of Opinion

Ever since Midnight had first started living at the Friendship Palace, Starlight had been wary of her. She didn't fear that she would attack her or anything like that, but there was just something about her that was simply off to her. The way she would stare out for long periods, the way she'd avoid talking to other ponies. She was just so unlike the Princess Starlight had come to know that it often took her aback at just how unnerving she was. Today was no exception to this, as Twilight's student looked to her mentor's double, who was, for now, sitting quietly outside the palace, looking out at something that had caught her interest. Starlight had only just left the place herself, and was only now noticing her, but as soon as she did, she at least tried to put on a friendly face.

"So, Midnight. You doing okay today?"

The doppelganger gave her only the slightest of glances.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking."

As usual, the words were blunt and to-the-point, but it was probably the most tempered she'd been with her thus far. Still, Starlight had little time to focus on that, as she instead looked over to what Midnight had been so transfixed by. There, far away from the palace, was a group of colts and fillies. Three of them, all earth ponies from the looks of it, were standing in front of a smaller unicorn filly, with the latter of which looking decidedly concerned with something. She had, in her hoof, an ice cream, and one of the larger colts pointed to it. What they were saying to her, the two mares couldn't make out, but it was clear that it wasn't a good situation, as shown by Starlight's depressed-sounding sigh.

"You know, I'd have hoped that living so close to the Princess of Friendship would teach local ponies to be nicer...but I guess we're always going to get moments like this every once in a while."

Midnight narrowed her eyes.

"...Bullying?"

Starlight nodded in response, and the two of them watched as the filly, after having apparently been given some harsh words by her compatriots, gave her ice cream to them, which was eagerly seized by the largest of the earth pony children. The group moved away soon after, leaving a very unhappy-looking filly behind them. Starlight sighed to this.

"I guess that's a few more children I'll have to squeeze into my counselling sessions."

Midnight looked to her.

"You plan to talk to them?"

Starlight nodded.

"Yeah. We'll talk to the bullies about how wrong it is for them to have done that, and I'll also have to console the filly. She's probably not feeling too good right now."

A moment passed, and then Midnight frowned.

"I think we can do far more than that."

Before Starlight had the chance to ask what she'd meant by that, Midnight's horn glowed, and within seconds, she was gone, having used some kind of teleportation spell. Frantically, Starlight looked around to where she might have gone to, and it wasn't long before she figured it out. She had gone straight over to the bullied filly, causing Starlight's eyes to widen.

"Oh no!"

She charged forward, terrified over what might be about to happen. This was the first time since her arrival that Midnight had spoken to anypony outside of the palace, and as such, Starlight's mind raced with all sorts of dark possibilities. But, she did remember that this was a mare who bore the same face as her mentor, and that fact, above all others, caused even greater fear, given how these yet-to-be actions might be perceived. As for Midnight herself, she confidently strode forward, speaking up and gaining the filly's attention.

"You there!"

The filly turned, and looked on with shock at who was now approaching her.

"Oh! Princess Twilight? I didn't see you there."

Midnight frowned at having been mistaken for her original, but put that irritation aside, instead pointing an accusing hoof at the child.

"Would you care to explain what just happened?"

Realising what she was talking about, the filly hung her head in shame.

"Yeah...they've done that a couple of times. I don't like it, but..."

She trailed off for a moment, then looked back up to the older mare.

"It's fine. They didn't hurt me or anything."

But Midnight wasn't happy with that response.

"That is exactly why I'm here, girl."

The filly wasn't quite sure how to take that tone.

"Um...I'm sorry?"

Midnight glanced off in the direction the other children had gone off to.

"Those delinquents will get a talking to, you mark my words. But..."

She looked back to the child before her.

"...I want you to tell me why you didn't do anything to stop them doing what they did."

Naturally, having words like that come out of the mouth of someone with the face of Princess Twilight took the filly aback quite a bit, and she stumbled greatly.

"I...erm...I'm not sure what you mean."

Midnight sighed.

"You simply let them treat you like that. You let them take something from you and you did nothing to stop it from happening!"

The filly was, understandably, flustered by this.

"Well...I asked them to stop. I told them it wasn't nice!"

Midnight rolled her eyes.

"And they went ahead in spite of your words, didn't they?"

Again, the filly hung her head.

"Y...yes."

Like before, Midnight pointed her hoof to her.

"You should have fought them!"

To that, the filly's head snapped back in Midnight's direction.

"What?!"

Midnight nodded.

"You heard me! You should have defended yourself from what they were doing!"

The filly stood there, mouth agape, and as soon as she'd recovered from the shock of hearing something like that, she once more fumbled her words.

"But...but...but...there were three of them!"

In response, Midnight pointed to the child's horn.

"And you have magic. You have a power they lack. I assure you, their size and numbers would have meant nothing in the face of a unicorn's self-defence."

The filly seemed somewhat upset by this particular brand of advice.

"But...that's mean!"

Midnight scoffed at that.

"Oh, sure, you're the mean one for protecting yourself against bullies. How could I have forgotten that?" she said sarcastically.

Thankfully for the filly, she didn't have to try and counter that point with Midnight for much longer, as it was right here that Starlight finally arrived, prompting a raised eyebrow from Midnight as she saw her.

"Pardon me, Starlight, but the child and I are in the middle of something here."

Now, Starlight was quite unhappy about this so far, but instead of talking to Midnight straight away, she put on a fake smile, forcing a laugh and looking to her in a jovial manner.

"Oh, you silly Changeling! You know better than the play tricks on little fillies like this!"

Instantly, Midnight scowled at her.

"...Pardon me?"

The words had been spoken calmly, but Starlight could hear the ice behind them. But for now, she looked to the filly.

"Don't you worry, little one. This isn't really Princess Twilight. It's just a Changeling pulling a trick. You know the real Twilight wouldn't tell you to do things like that, right?"

Though at first confused, the filly gave a slow nod afterwards.

"Yeah...okay."

The child then frowned at Midnight.

"You're a tricky Changeling! That wasn't nice!"

And with that, the filly ran off, leaving Starlight and Midnight to watch her go. As soon as she was out of earshot, however, the dark clone glowered angrily at her unicorn companion.

"I very much hope that you know I don't like being compared to Changelings."

Normally, Starlight would have been intimidated at having Midnight speak to her like that, but right now, she had a far more pressing thing to focus on.

"And I don't appreciate you giving terrible advice to children! Especially when they might think it was Twilight herself who was saying it!"

Midnight raised an eyebrow.

"And what, pray tell, was the 'bad advice' I was giving?"

Starlight chuckled dryly.

"Do I really have to spell it out? You told that girl she needed to use violence to solve her problems! How is it a good idea to have children fighting one another?!"

Midnight rolled her eyes.

"You're acting like I was telling her to go out and punch anyone she comes across. All I said was that she needed to defend herself against her assailants."

Starlight pointed to her.

"We never give advice like that, Midnight! Violence is never the answer to our problems!"

Midnight took on an amused look as she regarded her.

"Says the pot calling the kettle black?"

Starlight grimaced to that, then softened and let out a sigh.

"Yeah, you're right. I have used violence myself. More times than I care to think about."

Her eyes narrowed.

"And I regretted each and every one of them in the end. I never realised that an open hoof could be more powerful than a shot from a horn. When I did finally accept that lesson, I looked back over my past acts and saw them for what they were...misguided."

Midnight listened to all of that, but continued to remain unconvinced.

"Well, it's a good thing that girl had me here to tell her something useful. If it had been left to you or the Princess, all she would have been told is that trying to be friends with her bullies is what she should want. Hey, maybe they can one day reminisce about the time they took her ice cream from her, wouldn't that be fun?"

Starlight seemed offended by that mocking tone.

"What, you think we're giving them bad advice? Friendship is kind of our job, Midnight!"

Midnight nodded.

"Yes, it is. And yet you seem completely unwilling to accept that there are some people out there that won't accept that friendship. People that will just ignore kind words and just do what they want."

Starlight shook her head.

"That's not true!"

Midnight looked back to her with scorn.

"It is true, Starlight! And believe me, I know that better than any of you! I know how important it is to use force to get yourself out of a tight spot. So don't get all sanctimonious and preachy on me!"

But Starlight, to her credit, did not flinch or budge from that, instead holding her ground and frowning right back.

"Oh really? And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

Taking a single determined step forward, Midnight brought her face within an inch of Starlight's, looking right into her eyes.

"...Because of Chrysalis."

Just like that, Starlight's confidence wavered, for she now knew exactly where this was going. Midnight, seeing that realisation in her counter's eyes, nevertheless explained herself anyway.

"When she and I last met, we came to blows. She used her power in an effort to destroy me. She didn't want compromise, or reconciliation, or peace...she just wanted me dead. Now then..."

She paused, taking a moment to calm herself slightly.

"...you've known her as well, Starlight. So tell me. If I had tried to be friendly, or diplomatic, or open with her...would she have stayed her hoof?"

Starlight said nothing, instead beginning to slowly look away. Midnight, knowing she now had the upper hoof in this, gave a nod.

"Exactly. She would have just kept on going. If I had not used force in that moment, if I had not defended myself...I wouldn't even be here for this little chat of ours."

Her next words were uttered with pure venom in her tone.

"She...would...have...killed me."

For a time afterwards the two mares said nothing to one another, with Starlight continuing to look away from the mirror image of her mentor. After a few minutes had passed, however, Midnight scoffed, then began to turn, heading back towards the palace.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go and find a nice book to read. I think a little privacy would be welcome at this point."

Starlight looked back to her, watching her go. And only when the doppelganger was out of sight did she finally let out a deep sigh.

"Oh, Twilight...I hope you have better luck helping her get past this attitude...because this counselling session, is way out of my league!"

Darkness

Twilight's conversations with Midnight had never really been the friendliest, even in spite of all the times she'd attempted to get closer to her. But, let it never be said that the Princess of Friendship ever gave up on anyone. Walking towards her guest's chambers, she took in a deep breath, then put on a smile in an effort to put on the best face possible. With her horn lighting up, she turned the door's knob, opening it up.

"Midnight? I was wondering if we could..."

But her words were halted as soon as she saw what was transpiring within the room. Midnight was there, sitting quietly in front of her dressing table, but what truly caused shock for Twilight was how she appeared. Her eyes were closed, but from them could be seen small wisps of smoke, purple in colour. In addition to this, the cloned alicorn's horn was glowing a bizarre and unnatural shade, a combination of not only more purple, but also green as well. Recognition immediately came to Twilight, and she rushed in, her voice drenched in worry.

"Midnight!"

The louder tone caused the double's focus to break, and her eyes snapped open. This act caused the strange aura around her to vanish, and now she appeared as she normally did, albeit with a slightly annoyed expression as she turned towards her host.

"Princess, I'd appreciate it if you didn't break my concentration like that. Coming out of magic like that so abruptly can be jarring."

But Twilight had far bigger concerns than that right now.

"You...you were using dark magic?!"

Midnight raised an eyebrow, then gave a nonchalant nod.

"I was. And...your point is...?"

Twilight blinked, utterly astounded that her mirror image would ask such a thing.

"I...you...dark magic is bad, Midnight! That's why it's called dark magic!"

Midnight rolled her eyes.

"Twilight, in case it slipped your notice...I'm made of dark magic! It's kind of unavoidable for me to get involved with it."

Twilight took another step forward, a frown forming on her face.

"Midnight...we don't ever use dark magic like that! It's dangerous!"

Midnight frowned right back.

"Magic, no matter what form it has, is a tool, Princess. The only danger is in its use."

She narrowed her eyes.

"If you used your teleportation powers to send some hapless earth pony a thousand metres into the sky, that would be pretty deadly, right?"

Twilight scoffed at such a suggestion.

"That is completely different! We're not talking about some spell that can simply be misused here, Midnight! Dark magic has only ever been bad! No good has ever come to ponies who indulge in it!"

Slowly, a smirk came to the doppelganger's lips.

"No good, you say?"

Twilight, although she knew by now that her double was probably forming some kind of "gotcha" moment, maintained her stance.

"Yes, that's right."

Chuckling, Midnight hopped off her chair, looking her host right in the eye.

"You know, I'm still sifting through a lot of these memories I have of your life, Princess. And I couldn't help but notice one in particular."

She stepped forward confidently.

"Your first visit to the Crystal Empire, where you and your friends had to search for the Crystal Heart?"

Twilight sighed, knowing where this was going now.

"You're going to mention how I needed to use dark magic to reveal the Heart's whereabouts in the throne room, right?"

Midnight nodded.

"A rather useful application of it, wouldn't you say?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes.

"If dark magic hadn't been responsible for hiding it away in the first place, I wouldn't have had to resort to it!"

Midnight laughed, turning away and walking towards the window.

"The pristine and flawless Princess of Friendship, using dark magic of all things! Oh, what gossip that would yield, eh?"

Twilight looked to her guest with concern, but said nothing as another laugh came from her.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on letting others know. Wouldn't do me any good to antagonise the one giving me sanctuary after all."

Twilight's face softened, and she slowly turned to look at the mirror on the nearby dressing table. After a few moments, her eyes then drifted back to Midnight.

"What were you using dark magic for back there anyway?"

Midnight herself continued to stare out of the window, yet even though she did not look to Twilight, she nevertheless began to answer.

"...Practice."

Twilight took a few steps closer, looking a little curious towards that response.

"Practice? For what?"

Midnight let out a sigh.

"In case...she comes back."

Twilight didn't need to ask who she was referring to, and the young Princess soon gave an understanding nod.

"Chrysalis?"

Midnight, though she continued to stare outside, nodded back.

"I don't doubt that I'm still in her thoughts, one way or another. I'm her failure. Her 'rebel creation'. Sooner or later, she will come back for me, as she will for all who've crossed her. And on that day, should it ever come..."

She finally turned, bearing a clear expression of determination.

"...I need to be ready."

Twilight walked over to her, taking a brief moment to look at the sunny skies out of the window, before facing her copy in earnest.

"I appreciate that you feel the need to prepare yourself for that. Believe me, I've had my fair share of contingencies over the years."

Her frown returned.

"But dark magic, and spells of that nature...aren't the way."

Midnight scoffed.

"I know Chrysalis, Twilight. As do you. We both understand that she won't fight fair if it comes right down to it. She'll use tricks, deception, weapons of power, any advantage she can get her hooves on."

Twilight nodded.

"You're right. Your very existence has proved that she's willing to do anything to try and gain some edge over us."

Midnight pointed to her.

"All the more reason we need to be willing to do so! She's out there, right now, plotting her next move, be it against me or you and your friends. When she comes back..."

She turned, looking out of the window again.

"...and she will, I intend to have every advantage possible on my side."

For a time, she paused, and then, after letting out another sigh, she hung her head slightly.

"She nearly killed me once. I have no intention to let her do so a second time."

Twilight looked to her double, and seemed genuinely surprised to see her like this. Midnight had always come across to her as being confident, so sure of herself. Yet now, in this moment, she appeared fearful, vulnerable. It really took the Princess aback to see just how deeply this fear of Chrysalis was for her. And yet, as she dwelt on that thought, she could not deny that she shared it.

"I worry about her too."

Midnight turned to her as she continued speaking.

"Every once in a while, when it's quiet, I'll think about her, what she might be doing. She rejected friendship, and she's been out there, hiding and scheming to do all sorts of terrible things. There's no question in my mind that she'll be back to finish what she started. Vengeance consumes her every thought, and we'll have to face her."

Her copy studied her face carefully, then took on a more serious look herself.

"Yet you would ask that I restrict the kind of magic I use?"

Twilight looked back to her.

"I do."

A frown re-emerged on the clone's face.

"Your deadliest enemy will return one day, and may bring with her the greatest wrath you and your friends have ever faced. In the tapestry of your lives, she may well be the ultimate final threat. The end-game. How exactly do you plan to stop her?"

Twilight paused, deep in thought over that, admittedly, very important question. But then, as she considered it, a smile formed on her lips, and she again looked to her guest.

"...Together."

Midnight looked to her with incredulity.

"...You'll lose."

A quick chuckle escaped the Princess, and she gave a small nod.

"Then...we'll do that together too."

Now, given the kind of cynical mare Midnight usually appeared to be, Twilight was fully prepared for some kind of scoff or sarcastic retort to her words. Instead, and to her immense surprise, her double merely smirked, laughing briefly before starting to walk past her.

"You're an optimistic one, Princess. I'll give you that much."

To Twilight's credit, she matched her smirk.

"One of us has to be."

The two shared a laugh, which was a nice change of pace for them, and before long, Midnight moved back over to her dressing table, using her horn to open one of the drawers. Twilight watched with curiosity as her fellow mare levitated out a pair of scissors.

"What are you doing?"

Midnight stared at the scissors before her.

"You know...I was mistaken for you the other day."

Twilight nodded.

"I know...Starlight told me."

Midnight made a note of that before continuing.

"No offense, but I'm not fond of being thought of as someone else. So..."

She didn't finish, instead moving the scissors to behind her head. There, and to Twilight's genuine shock, she took hold of much of her mane and, with one single perfect slice, cut right through it. Twilight watched as those long hairs fell to the floor, leaving her now non-identical clone with a much shorter mane, one which only went down to her neck and no further. Midnight, after looking at her new reflection, gave an approving nod, before looking back to her host.

"Well? Does it suit me?"

A pause, and Twilight then broke out into a genuine smile.

"Hey, as long as I don't see any more dark magic from you, you can look however you want."

Midnight snorted.

"I'll take it."

Family

"Pffffft! Who's the cutest little baby alicorn? Pffffffft! You're the cutest little baby alicorn! Yes you are! Yes you are! Pfffffft!"

Twilight's fawning over her niece, Flurry, with the occasional raspberry on her belly thrown in for good measure, excited and amused the small filly to no end, as she gurgled with glee at being with her favourite Aunt. All others smiled to this loving display, though they said nothing on it. Shining and Cadence, naturally, were happy to be here to visit Twilight, as indeed were Twilight's parents. Night and Twilight Velvet were sitting next to Spike on their side of the Cutie Map, talking with their adopted grandson over all the things that had been happening lately, and it was a matter that had caught Cadence's interest too.

"So...he lied to you?"

Spike sighed, nodding.

"Yeah...still kinda bummed out by that."

Reaching forward, Velvet gave the young dragon a playful pinch on his cheek, complete with warm smile.

"Oh, don't you worry your little head, Spikey. At least you've still got us."

Chuckling, Spike rubbed the spot on his cheek where he'd been pinched, then moved in to give his Grandmother a hug.

"Thanks."

Twilight, who had at last moved on from obsessing over flurry, which is no mean feat let's be honest, smiled at the loving display between Spike and her Mother. Using her magic to levitate her niece back over to Cadence, she then turned to her brother.

"So, how's the Empire?"

Shining chuckled.

"Oh, same old, same old. Things up there are never really as hectic as things down here, sis. Well..."

He smirked, looking over to his believed daughter and giving her a quick boop on the nose.

"...except when this little one decides to cause trouble."

Flurry giggled happily at her Father's touch, and everyone laughed over it. Cadence affectionately nuzzled her daughter afterwards, then looked over to Twilight with a touch more seriousness.

"And you, Twilight? How have you been faring? I imagine it must have been difficult, having gone through that terrible business in Tartarus."

But Twilight waved her off, smiling.

"Oh, don't worry about it. You know my friends and I always come out of stuff like that."

A hearty laugh was unleashed by her Father soon afterwards.

"No argument there, sweetie! After all these years, I don't think anyone really expects bad stuff to stick with you!"

Twilight smiled at her Father's confidence in her, but then her smile faded when, just then, he started to gain a look that was both confused and shocked at the same time.

"Um...Twilight? Sweetie? What did you put in this tea? Because I think I'm seeing another you over there."

Twilight's eyes widened, and she looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, Midnight was there, having just entered the main chamber of the palace. But it seemed as though the Cutie Map was not her destination, as she instead ignored the family gathering and turned to head towards the kitchen. The ponies all watched with equal parts wariness and worry, and only when Midnight was within the aforementioned kitchen, door closed behind her, did Twilight finally turn to look at her family. Clearing her throat, she put on a small smile.

"Yes...um...that's Midnight."

A silence followed. Granted, this was an unexpected turn of events for Twilight's family, but even so, seeing them this taken aback was not something she enjoyed. After a while though, it was Cadence who finally spoke up.

"So...how has it been? Living with her?"

Twilight sighed.

"It's been...an experience. She can be gruff, confrontational, and from what I've been told by Starlight she has a few...troublesome opinions, but overall I'd say things have been working out..."

She blinked.

"...sort of."

Shining, who had never let his eyes stray from the kitchen door, kept his voice low.

"Is she a danger?"

The question had, in all honesty, been fully expected, and again, Twilight sighed.

"It's hard to say sometimes. She's powerful, I know that much, and she dabbles in methods that aren't entirely to my liking...but I don't think she's just going to outright become an enemy."

Shining, for now at least, seemed to accept that, but before he or anyone else had the chance to ask anything further, they were interrupted by the sound of the kitchen door opening once more. Midnight had returned, and was levitating a cup of what looked like coffee, which she took occasional sips from as she made her way back towards the hallways she'd come from. Most remained silent as they watched her, clearly wanting to give her some space. All, that is, except a certain blue stallion.

"Would you like to come and join us, Midnight?"

All eyes, Midnight's included, snapped in the direction of Night, who, after looking at all those stunned stares, merely shrugged his shoulders.

"What? There's plenty of space around the table, right?"

Well, the offer had been made, and there was no going back on it now. So after letting out another sigh, Twilight smiled, looking back to her mirror-image and giving her a silent invitation to come over. Midnight, after a moment, of hesitation, started to walk over. All watched as she quietly chose a spot for herself, right between Twilight and Cadence, before taking another sip of her coffee. Things were awkward, no question, but Twilight's Mother, after looking to her daughter's doppelganger for a time, broke out into a smile.

"So...a short mane?"

Looking up to her, Midnight raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a problem?"

In spite of the gruff tone, Velvet simply giggled.

"Not at all. In fact, I remember telling Twilight here back when she was a filly that a short cut might look good on her."

She turned, looking to Twilight with a very definite look of "I told you so".

"See, honey? Guess I was right after all."

Understandably, Twilight frowned to that.

"Mom!"

Midnight, of course, took great amusement in that, sipping her coffee again, before finally turning to look over at Cadence.

"You know...you're the first alicorn besides Princess Twilight that I've ever met."

Cadence, though still a little uncertain towards this newcomer, nevertheless smiled.

"Not a disappointment, I trust?"

Midnight shook her head.

"No, but you are very...pink. Not really the look I expect from one of Equestria's most powerful ponies."

Cadence chuckled to the remark.

"Don't let the colour fool you...I can hold my own."

Midnight smirked.

"I look forward to seeing that one day."

Then, the dark clone's eyes drifted, if only briefly, to Shining. She could see the wariness he had, and her smile faded just a touch as a result of that.

"...My apologies. Perhaps it was wrong for me to come here. This is clearly a family matter."

Shining, who perhaps realised that it was he who caused her to feel that way, spoke up, albeit in a somewhat stern tone.

"You think we don't want you here?"

Midnight responded to that with a frown.

"I was created by the person you hate most in the entire world. And I know from Twilight's memories that you have...difficulties...when it comes to those who remind you of her."

Discomfort came quickly to Shining after that, as well as a degree of shame. Nobody said anything to him, and after a while, he gave an agreeing nod.

"...You're right. Sometimes...I let my hate of Chrysalis cloud my judgement. And...it's made me do and say things that I've come to regret."

He slowly turned to look at her again, putting on a small but genuine smile.

"I meant no offense to you, Midnight. You are not your creator. You are guilty of no crimes...and I was wrong to look at you as though you were."

His smile widened, and he looked over to his sister.

"Besides, if Twily has vouched for you...that's good enough for me."

Twilight blushed at her brother's words, and as such didn't notice as Midnight leaned in closer to her, whispering in her ear.

"...Twily?"

Twilight's blush grew more fierce, and everyone here, Midnight included, laughed at the reaction, all while Twilight pouted a little. Though, in the end, she too joined in on the laughter. Midnight, enjoying this rare moment of camaraderie she was having with these ponies, took another sip of her coffee, after which she was addressed yet again by Twilight's Father.

"You know, if you ever decide you want to go further afield than Ponyville, you're always welcome to come and visit Velvet and me back in Canterlot."

Midnight looked to them with incredulity.

"I...appreciate the offer. But I'm not exactly family."

Velvet gave a hearty laugh to that.

"Oh, that's nonsense! I mean, it's like you're practically a second daughter...sort of."

They were trying to be nice, Midnight knew that, and yet all this sweetness and smiles was starting to get to her, and she seemed fairly uncomfortable all of a sudden, looking down to her half-empty cup of coffee.

"...Thank you. The offer is welcome, but...I don't think I'll be leaving Ponyville anytime soon."

They all looked to her, unsure of her tone, yet staying quiet as she began to explain her response.

"I came to this place, to this castle, for very specific reasons. I wouldn't...wouldn't feel safe leaving it, or Ponyville. At least not yet."

She looked back up to them.

"If I visit you, and that's a big if...it will not be for some time."

The older pair were, of course, a little disappointed by that response, but at the same time it was clear that they understood and appreciated her reasons, as shown when Night perked up again and smiled.

"Well, if you change your mind, our door is always open."

Midnight nodded, but then, before she or anyone else had a chance to speak anything further, something unusual happened. Flurry, who had been watching this stranger ever since she arrived, suddenly wriggled free of her Mother's hold, stretching out her wings and giving a small but powerful flap, sending herself flying towards Midnight.

"Flurry!" Cadence called out.

But the infant alicorn was already there, hovering right in front of Midnight's face, looking to her with great curiosity. Midnight, on her side of things, didn't quite know what to make of this tiny flying pony that was now inches from her muzzle. All others looked on with concern over what might happen next, but then, to the shock of all of them, Flurry broke out into a wide smile, reaching forward and placing her hoof squarely on Midnight's nose.

"Ba! Ba babubu!"

Of course, Midnight had no idea what this was about, but Twilight, by contrast, apparently did, and giggled happily at the sight of it all.

"Awww! She likes you! That's settles it, you're definitely part of the family now!"

Midnight looked to her host, blinking with clear confusion, before turning back to Flurry. The small alicorn gurgled with glee over her apparent new friend, giving her another quick boop on the nose, and Midnight, after spending about a minute just wrapping her head around all this, forced a smile, if only for Flurry's benefit.

"Um...yay?"

Fears in the Night

"...Hello? Is...is anyone out there?"

Something was very wrong here. Mere moments ago, Midnight had been resting upon her bed. But now? Now, she was within a familiar place, yet one she had hoped to never see again. The Everfree Forest. The skies were dark, save for the bright light of the full moon. The ancient trees creaked and cracked in the night-time wind, and Midnight herself was all alone here, looking around at every shadow, every moving tree-branch with wariness. After a time, she closed her eyes, sighing.

"Alright, Midnight, calm yourself. There's...there's got to be an explanation for this!"

"Oh, I assure you...there is!"

Midnight's eyes snapped open, and she spun in place, looking for the source of the voice. She knew who it was, for nobody could ever forget a voice like that. Her eyes narrowed, and she stared into the gloom of the forest before her.

"Show yourself!"

And sure enough, her stalker did indeed reveal herself. Chrysalis, her creator, stepping out into the light of the moon, lookign down at Midnight with an almost predatory smirk.

"Well, well, well...I found you at last, my treacherous creation!"

Midnight glared at her angrily.

"I am no longer your servant, Chrysalis! If you came here to kill me, I promise you, I will not go down without a fight!"

Her horn ignited, but Chrysalis, despite being fully aware of how powerful she was, merely cackled.

"Oh, you foolish mare! You may have bested me once...but this time...I am not alone!"

Confusion came to Midnight, but it was quickly squashed by the sounds of rustling bushes around her. Her eyes darted in every direction, and she found, to her horror, that Changelings now emerged to stand beside Chrysalis. But these were not the reformed people of King Thorax. No, these were original Changelings, vicious and bloodthirsty, and who now hissed angrily at their Queen's enemy. Midnight, though ready to defend herself, nevertheless took a step backwards.

"But...but...how?!"

Chrysalis, walking forward, looked to her wayward spawn with triumph.

"Because, Midnight...I always win in the end!"

Midnight glanced quickly at the growing army that now moved closer to her, and though her mind raced with the knowledge that Chrysalis was no match for her, she knew that even she could not out-fight this many opponents. So, realising that she had no alternative, she spun again, stretching out her wings and beginning to fly off as fast as she could.

"GET HER!!!" Chrysalis commanded.

Her army obeyed, charging forward by land and by air, chasing Midnight down. Midnight herself, panting heavily with just how much effort she was putting into this, ducked and weaved and dodged past every tree that barred her path. She had to get out of here. She had to get to Ponyville. To the Palace. To Twilight. It was her only chance. So she put everything she had into trying to escape, though the way was unfamiliar to her. But then, after turning one corner in particular, she halted dead in her tracks, eyes widening with pure horror.

"No...no! It can't be!"

For right in front of her, in a place where Midnight knew it should not have been, was the Tree of Harmony. It glowed brightly, even more so as it sensed Midnight's presence. Memories of her fallen fellow clones rushed to the forefront of Midnight's mind, and she turned again, ready to make a hasty retreat. Unfortunately, she found the way barred by Chrysalis and her army, with the towering Queen grinning with glee at seeing Midnight so trapped.

"Going somewhere?"

Midnight panted with panic and fear, looking from Chrysalis to the tree, and then back and forth between the two. The tree glowed brighter, and Midnight knew what was coming, and in her utter state of overwhelming fear, she fell to the ground, covering her head with her hooves, a single tear falling down from her left eye.

"SOMEONE!!! HELP ME!!!"

But there was no pain. No feeling of attack or assault from either the Changelings or the tree. Instead, there was only silence, with the exception of Midnight's still-heavy breathing. A moment passed, and to Midnight's confusion, a voice called to her. Not harsh or aggressive like Chrysalis, but soothing and calm.

"Open your eyes, Midnight...for you are safe now."

Midnight didn't want to, and yet, the voice had a somewhat calming effect on her. Ever so slowly, she cracked one eye open, and what she saw amazed her. The Changelings were gone, as indeed was the tree. Instead, it was just her in that same clearing. Yet, in spite of this, Midnight knew she was not alone, and slowly looked upwards. Her eyes narrowed, and she saw, flying high above her, a figure of some sort. One that stirred memories in her that she knew were not her own.

"I...I know you."

The figured descended with grace and care, landing just a short distance from Midnight. It was an alicorn, like her, but with a dark blue coat of fur, and a kind smile.

"Do not fear, Midnight Sparkle. I mean you no harm."

Through the memories of Twilight, Midnight at last recognised this person.

"Princess...Luna?"

The blue mare nodded, and in the quiet that followed, Midnight, now understanding who it was she was speaking to, also came to another realisation.

"...This was a dream, wasn't it?"

Again, Luna nodded.

"Indeed. Well, a nightmare, to be precise."

Her smile faded.

"And a rather terrifying one, I must say."

Midnight frowned, turning away, trying to hide the worry that still dominated her.

"I...I didn't even know I could have nightmares."

Luna looked to her with interest.

"Nor I. I must confess, I was most surprised to sense you during my nightly rounds tonight."

Taking a deep breath, Midnight sighed.

"If this was all fake...then I was a fool for letting myself become so...concerned."

She didn't want to say scared, Luna could tell, and as she smiled once more, she took a few steps forward, until she was standing right next to her.

"There is no shame in our fears, Midnight. We all have them."

Midnight looked to her, continuing to frown.

"I'm better than that! I know I am!"

Luna's smile again diminished, and she looked to Twilight's doppelganger with a greater touch of seriousness.

"To deny what you fear does you no good, my young friend. And it would seem..."

She turned, looking in the direction of the nightmares that had plagued the smaller mare.

"...that you have more than a few."

Midnight stared at the ground, almost ashamed of herself right now.

"The Tree...Chrysalis...there are times when I just can't stop thinking about them. Both want me gone, and I have done all in my power to make sure I never encounter either."

Luna could see her, and though Midnight would not have wanted her to, her slightly shaking hooves betrayed her concern.

"I thought I'd left my fears of those things behind me...but seeing them here...so close to...to..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it, instead gritting her teeth, eventually stamping down on the ground in frustration.

"What's wrong with me?!"

"...Nothing."

Midnight turned to the calm and regal figure of Luna with incredulity.

"Nothing? I refuse to let fear of that old witch control me! If I ever come across her again, I can't just be shaking in terror like I was back there!"

Luna nodded.

"Quite. One such as her should not be backed down from. And you are right to concern yourself with her. I too have thought of her a great deal since the day she took me and those closest to me as her prisoner."

Midnight nodded back.

"Yes...the day her Changelings reformed, correct?"

Luna smiled.

"Indeed. But you must remember something important, Midnight..."

Stepping forward, Luna gently placed her hoof upon the younger mare's shoulder.

"...fear is not something you should feel so ashamed of."

To that, Midnight rolled her eyes.

"You saw what being afraid did to me back there. I was paralyzed. Unable to do anything. I was like a cowering child. What isn't there to be ashamed of?"

A knowing smile came to the mare of the night.

"You are not wrong. Fear can indeed be the great double-edged sword of our lives. It can freeze us, make us feel weak, lesser than what we truly are."

Warmth came to her face.

"But it is also valuable in a way that few can appreciate...even among the wisest of us."

Slowly, Midnight raised an eyebrow.

"...Explain."

And explain Luna did.

"Think of fear...as a guide. A friend who is always with you, there to offer advice when you most need it."

Midnight scoffed at the notion.

"Advice? What sort of advice?"

Luna gave a knowing smile.

"When to flee instead of fight. When you have reached your limit. When it is unwise to tread further."

Midnight's frown returned.

"Sounds more like a hindrance."

A shrug was Luna's response.

"Perhaps...until the day when you finally come to appreciate it."

Slowly, she looked to the younger.

"We often dismiss fear, and see little merit to it. But to ignore it or look down upon it...would be foolishness."

Midnight paused, taking in what was being taught, but soon looked away again.

"I will...take your words under advisement."

The blue alicorn smiled.

"I am glad. And with luck, you shouldn't be bothered by nightmares such as this after tonight."

The reminder of her experiences did little to help Midnight's mood.

"Wish someone would have told me that sleeping came with that kind of nonsense!"

A chuckle escaped the Princess of the Night, and as Midnight looked to her, she watched as she began to walk away from her.

"I'd say it's a good sign, Midnight Sparkle. Dreams and nightmares may be strange to you..."

She stopped, looking over her shoulder to the still-unsure clone.

"...but they prove that, no matter what you might feel...you are indeed becoming more than what you were made to be."

Midnight's face was stony, and almost impossible to read, yet Luna could see just the tiniest flicker of emotion in her eyes, leading to a small smile on her own part. Luna turned again, and Midnight watched as she yet again began to fade into the shadows of the surrounding forest.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have others that require my aid this night. Have restful sleeps, Midnight Sparkle."

But it looked as if sleep was not on Midnight's agenda right now. For as soon as Luna had spoken those final words, her eyes, her real eyes, snapped open, and she found herself once more in her room in the Friendship Palace. In an instant, she sat bolt upright, glancing around, just in time to see the first inklings of light emerge on the horizon through her window. As her thoughts dwelt on all she had experienced in this night, she frowned, grumbling under her breath.

"Note to self...never...sleep...again."

Making Friends?

"So...Midnight. Heard any good jokes lately?" Pinkie asked.

"...No," Midnight replied, rather bluntly.

"Have you...told any good jokes lately?"

"...No."

"Have you...had anything even remotely resembling a joke come into your life at any point in the last few days?"

"Well...all of this certainly seems to qualify."

Midnight's irritation was evident for all to see, and Pinkie was by no means the only person struggling with her right now. In the main chamber of the Friendship Palace, sitting around the Cutie Map, all of Twilight's friends had gathered today, and all of them looked to their absent colleague's clone with some measure of unease. Midnight herself sat in Twilight's throne, though the Princess herself was nowhere to be seen right now. The dark alicorn, after staring at each of the other five mares here, finally sighed, turning to Fluttershy.

"Did Twilight say when she was going to get back from Canterlot?"

Fluttershy shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but no. You know how Princess meetings can go."

Rainbow soon chuckled.

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least you've still got us here to keep you company!"

Midnight grimaced.

"Yeah, that's what bothers me."

Applejack frowned right back to her.

"Now hold up, missy! Ah know we ain't exactly the best o' friends, but ah think if ya gave us a chance, we'd be pretty good fer each other!"

Midnight took on a somewhat amused look after having heard that.

"I made it clear to the Princess some time ago that I had no interest in spending time with others while I was here. I know she thinks that I'll 'make friends' if she asked you all to spend time with me, but let's be honest here...nobody here really believes this is going to work."

The looks on all their faces made it pretty obvious that she wasn't wrong in having said that, leading to more than a little smugness on her part. Shortly afterwards though, Rainbow glowered at her.

"Hey! Twilight was good enough to let you stay in her home, remember? The least you could do in return is try and get along with us!"

Midnight, turning to look the cyan mare in the eye, raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware that you felt that debt was a good foundation for a relationship."

Rainbow opened her mouth to counter, only to be struck with a sudden onset of hesitancy.

"Well...um...I don't but..."

She leaned over to Rarity, bringing her voice down to a whisper.

"Help me out here!"

Clearing her throat, Rarity put on a smile for Midnight's benefit, speaking as calmly and openly as she could.

"Midnight, darling, surely you cannot wish to spend all of your time alone here? Why, it must get so dreadfully boring with nobody to speak to, yes?"

The doppelganger paused, considering that.

"I find I enjoy the silence. It gives me...time to think."

Fluttershy looked to her with curiosity.

"Oh? What do you think about?"

Midnight didn't know if she was actually interested in hearing her answer or whether she was simply trying to be polite, but even so, she answered all the same.

"I like to make plans for myself, in case anything goes wrong."

Applejack looked to her with worry.

"Ya mean...Chrysalis?"

Midnight frowned.

"So...Twilight told you?"

Slight guilt crossed the faces of the other mares, with the exception of Pinkie, who merely smiled and giggled as she always did.

"She did! And shame on you for using dark and creepy magic, Midnight! You know that's not the way!"

Midnight narrowed her eyes.

"Pinkie, I swear, if you say I need to just use friendship to..."

"We can use friendship to save the day!" Pinkie interrupted.

"...Uuuuuuuuuuuugh...sure, why not?" Midnight groaned.

Rainbow again looked to the dark copy of her friend and smirked.

"Hey, don't knock it till you've tired it, Midnight! It's worked out pretty well for all of us so far!"

In spite of her clear irritation, Midnight actually managed to look somewhat amused at that statement.

"You ponies...you all act like friendship is just the cure-all for all the world's ills."

Chuckling, Applejack adjusted her hat a little bit, leaning back into her own throne before addressing Midnight.

"Heck, girl! How could it not? Honesty, generosity, loyalty...those things always make the world better!"

Midnight turned to her, and at first, she said nothing. She simply studied Applejack carefully, much to the latter's discomfort. Though the mares had not really spent that much time around her, they could all tell that she was coming up with something in her head, some sort of way of thinking that, they predicted, would not put them at ease in the slightest. After a time, this prediction came true.

"Tell me, Applejack...you believe in the power and value of honesty, yes?"

Even though she knew Midnight was up to something, Applejack still smiled.

"Ah do!"

Midnight's expression was hard to read as she kept speaking.

"You hold it as a way to behave in all circumstances?"

Again, Applejack nodded.

"Eyup!"

Midnight paused, then glanced downwards, to the Cutie Map that divided them all.

"...Has Twilight ever told you about my memories? Or rather, her memories?"

Rarity was the one to answer her.

"I believe she did. Something about you remembering everything she remembers?"

Midnight looked up to the white unicorn, nodding in confirmation.

"Yes. Everything that happened to Twilight prior to my creation, I remember. At least, in small bursts and flashes."

Slowly, she looked back to Applejack.

"And one thing I remember is the day when you and your friends first encountered her not-yet apprentice, Starlight Glimmer."

Hearing that, Applejack frowned slightly.

"Yeah...what about that day?"

Midnight did not seem to be satisfied in this conversation, yet continued with it all the same.

"How did you first discover about her secret? The deception that she was keeping from all the other villagers?"

The other mares weren't sure of where she was going with this, but, as expected, it was Fluttershy who answered.

"Well...um...I pretended to agree with Starlight so she'd let me out of the cell she'd put us in."

Rainbow chortled.

"Yeah! Then Flutters was able to find out Starlight was lying to them all, so we exposed her and saved the day!"

But, contrary to how Rainbow and the others might have expected, Midnight did not seem impressed by that story. In fact, all she did was turn to look at Applejack, speaking in that cold and professional way of hers.

"So what you're telling me...is that in order to help all those ponies...you had to lie?"

Applejack, having heard that, was naturally taken aback.

"Um...pardon?"

Midnight shrugged.

"Well? Didn't you? You had Fluttershy lie about her intentions to be let out. If you hadn't done that, Starlight may well have won."

Applejack seemed outright offended by that, yet when she tried to counter, the proper words just wouldn't come to her.

"Now wait just a....ya see...yer forgettin' when...ah jus'..."

Midnight sighed, then looked over to Rarity.

"Very well then, let's look at a more recent example instead. Your student, Sandbar, lying to Chancellor Neighsay to be freed from the same captivity he'd placed the other students in. The same circumstances, the same technique, the same outcome. A deception helped lead to a greater good."

Here, Applejack finally spoke.

"Ya can't jus' go an' say stuff like that, Midnight!"

Looking back to her, Midnight frowned.

"Why? Am I wrong?"

As before, Applejack was halted. She wanted very much to try and say something that would convince Midnight not to think this way, as indeed did all the others, but when no answer came, Midnight took a deep breath. She never once seemed angry or irritated with all of this. In fact, she just looked outright tired at the whole situation.

"You ponies, Twilight included, all think the best of the world. That good things like honesty and generosity and kindness are all you need to improve the world and the people in it. But the world is complicated, and always has been. Sooner or later, you'll have to face some problem that won't go away because you acted the 'right' way."

She stayed quiet for a time, looking up to each of them.

"I don't hope that bad things happen to you, even though you may feel that I do...but what I see before me are mares who have let their ideals and their belief in friendship blind them to very real and very ugly truths."

Then, before anyone could say anything, they watched as Midnight hopped off Twilight's throne, letting out a very deep sigh.

"This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come down here today."

Then, as she started to walk off, Rainbow, incensed by everything that had been said, leapt out of her own throne and pointed her hoof straight at Midnight.

"Hey! What's your problem?!"

Midnight stopped, looking over her shoulder and glaring angrily at the enraged pegasus.

"My problem...is all of you."

They were stunned, but still allowed her to explain.

"I look at you, and all I can think of are the others of my kind. The five who no longer are. The only beings like me I ever knew...and ever would know. I look at you...and I will never forget what happened to them."

She grimaced, trying to hold back whatever look of discomfort she was experiencing.

"I didn't like them. We weren't friends. But they were like me. And now they're gone."

Afterwards, she finally looked away.

"So please, do forgive me for not wanting to be reminded of them."

She said nothing else, merely walking away while she left five utterly bewildered mares behind her. They watched in complete silence, until Midnight was finally out of the room. Using her magic, the clone closed the great doors of the chamber behind her, its echo resonating throughout. Silence fell, as did great discomfort for the other ponies, and when it was finally done, Rarity was the one to speak.

"Well...I've certainly known friendlier get-togethers."

They all nodded, and Rainbow, of course, was still upset.

"How are we gonna explain this to Twilight? She wanted us all to be friends, and then that happened!"

Fluttershy nervously looked to Applejack.

"What...what do we do now?"

Thinking on that, the farmer sighed.

"We could...try again? Tomorrow maybe?"

"...No."

All eyes turned, and to their surprise, it had been Pinkie who had spoken. For a while, she was quiet, which was already out-of-the-ordinary for her, but then, she looked up to them, giving a smile that was much smaller than usual.

"Do you girls remember when I first met Cranky?"

They nodded in unison, and so she carried on.

"Well...if there's one thing I learned from that...it's that I shouldn't try to make myself into someone's friend if they're fine with me not being their friend."

She looked up to the door Midnight had walked through.

"If she's decided she doesn't want to be our friend...I think it'd be good if we respect that."

Fluttershy looked to her party-adoring friend with sadness.

"But...that's so lonely. Being all by herself?"

Rarity reached over, patting Fluttershy on the shoulder.

"Pinkie's right, Fluttershy. Maybe Midnight will be ready to be our friend one day...but it will be her choice, not ours."

Rainbow grunted.

"Ugh! This sucks! All the people we've made friends with, and it's a clone of one of us that stumps us?!"

Applejack chortled.

"Well...give it time. She might change her tune eventually."

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Yeah...I wouldn't hold my breath, AJ."

Troubled

"...Nope. Definitely not getting to sleep tonight."

Though Midnight had hardly had the best of experiences when sleeping, she still wanted to sleep, if only to avoid all this irritating tiredness that constantly plagued her right now. But, after having lied awake in her bed for so long, she knew that she wasn't going to be getting any such rest any time soon. So, after letting out a brief snort, she sat upright, her eyes narrowing as she tried to look through the gloom of her room. As she turned to the window, she lit up her horn and pulled back the curtains. It was a bright starry night tonight, with an impressive moon adding further illumination. Releasing a yawn, the clone hopped out of bed, wandering over and opening up the window, allowing herself to go onto the balcony beyond.

"Hmmm, cold. Just how I like it."

It was certainly a chilly night, as evidenced when Midnight exhaled and saw her own breath, but it didn't bother her in the slightest. So, walking further out onto the balcony, she stopped on the edge, looking down at the rest of Ponyville. She could see all the twinkling lights of the windows of each home, no doubt from other ponies who, like her, were struggling to get a good night tonight. She sighed, not really knowing what to do, and that was when she heard it. Some sound above her, like a gentle flapping of wings. Warily, she tensed up, and her horn ignited. With great speed, she spun in place, looking up to the skies with a clear intent to defend herself.

"Who's there?!"

High above her, she could make out a silhouette of some sort, one that she immediately recognised as that of an alicorn, and her eyes narrowed further.

"...Princess Luna?"

A moment or two passed before she finally got a response.

"No...my sister is quite busy tonight."

Those words left very little wiggle-room as to who this was, and so Midnight took a slightly worried step backwards.

"Celestia."

Sure enough, the mare of the sun gracefully descended downwards, landing gently upon the balcony just a few steps away from the younger alicorn. Her face was somewhat serious, but her tone was calm and diplomatic.

"Peace, Midnight Sparkle. I mean you no harm."

Midnight, naturally, was still unsure of her presence here, but nevertheless accepted the offer of peace, allowing the aura around her horn to fade away. Many minutes passed in utter silence for the two mares, as they both studied one another. Midnight, after a time, finally broke that silence.

"Why have you come here?"

To that, Celestia finally dropped the seriousness in her expression, replacing it instead with a small smile.

"I've heard a great deal about you, my young friend, so I decided that the time was right to finally come and meet you."

Midnight was incredulous.

"You came all this way, in the middle of the night...just for a chat?"

An amused chuckle escaped Celestia.

"Well, you were hardly busy, were you?"

Midnight couldn't deny that, and so, after releasing yet another sigh, she finally took a step closer to the towering mare.

"Alright then...what did you want to talk about?"

Celestia watched her closely, her mannerisms, her stance, the expression she wore as she looked to her, and after all of that, she actually started to look like the whole situation was, for lack of a better word, funny. Midnight, as one would expect of her, did not see the same humour in this situation.

"May I ask what the joke is, Princess?"

But Celestia merely waved her off with a hoof.

"Oh, don't mind me. I suppose I just find it odd to have someone who looks...well...like you looking to me in that way."

Midnight understood immediately, then laughed in a dry way.

"Oh, I can imagine, All those years of having Twilight Sparkle look to you with awe and admiration. Must be quite jarring to have someone with her face appear to you without all that good feeling."

Celestia's smile faded a little.

"You are a rather blunt person, has anyone ever told you that?"

Midnight shrugged.

"Rarely to my face."

But her faint semblance of diplomacy could only last so long, and so, after taking yet another step closer, the darker mare asked the obvious question.

"Did you come here to assess me? To judge me with your own eyes?"

Celestia hung her head slightly, her eyes closing.

"I'll admit...it would be a lie to say that such a thing was not one of my intentions here. From the moment you entered Twilight's home, I've been receiving stories and reports about you. The things you've said, the way you've behaved."

Slowly, her eyes opened again, and she looked right at the younger mare.

"And I have been painted a very clear picture of you."

Midnight didn't quite know how to take that, but, given the kind of person she was, she naturally began to assume the worst, and so turned around to look out at Ponyville again.

"Have you now? Let me guess, you've created an image of me as someone dangerous. Someone who's just one step away from turning and posing a threat to your former apprentice and all her friends. You see a mare who's no better than the monster who created her. Someone with no hope of accepting love or friendship or all the other things you Equestrians value so much."

She looked over her shoulder.

"Is that the picture you have of me, Princess?

Now, for most ponies, it would have been utter madness to speak to Princess Celestia in that tone of vice. So aggressive, so confrontational, so borderline insulting. And yet, here was Midnight, doing all of that, and continuing to look to Celestia with little more than irritation. But Celestia, contrary to how most would have expected her to behave, merely stood there, taking in every accusation, without ever once looking offended by it. However, once Midnight had said everything she'd wanted to say, the older Princess allowed a moment of calm to set in before finally giving her response.

"No, Midnight...that is not what I think you are."

Again, Midnight laughed dryly, clearly not having believed that.

"Oh? Then what, pray tell, do you think I am?"

Taking a deep breath, Celestia then sighed, looking to Midnight with a softer face than before.

"...Unhappy."

Of all the possible answers Midnight could have received, that one was definitely unexpected. In that one moment, her confidence dropped, and she looked to the larger alicorn with bewilderment.

"I...beg your pardon?"

Celestia walked closer, but not in any kind of threatening way. After a few short steps, she stopped, looking right into Midnight's eyes.

"I look at you...and I see a mare who possesses no joy in her life. No contentment or satisfaction. You live, you survive, you do all you can to ensure the continuation of your own existence...but you also feel, in spite of all that...empty."

Midnight did not appreciate the analysis this Princess was making of her, and yet, as those words sank in for her, she also found, to her annoyance, that she could not deny them. She turned away, not wanting to look at the sun-mare any longer, and instead just looked out to the night sky.

"...You're right...I am unhappy."

She focused her attention on all those lights down below, in the homes of Ponyville, many of which were now beginning to dwindle and disappear.

"I was not happy as a servant of Chrysalis...I was not happy being granted sanctuary by Twilight...and I am not happy now."

She could hear Celestia walking beside her, but again, she did not turn to look at her.

"I've had a very...brief life. And in that short time, I don't think I have ever felt...good about any of it. I've moved from being a mere creation to someone who only wants to continue living. I've achieved that goal thus far...but I've had nothing else."

Celestia looked down to her.

"Friendship has been offered to you, Midnight, yet you did not accept. I will not condemn you for it...yet I think you and I both know that there is some part of you that still longs for something. Something you have not been able to find."

Here, Midnight finally did look back to her, though it was not with any sense of liking for her.

"I don't enjoy having this kind of talk, Princess."

Celestia nodded.

"Few would. Yet it does lead me to one inescapable question..."

She frowned.

"...what do you want, Midnight Sparkle?"

And there it was. The question Midnight knew was going to be asked of her one day. She simply didn't expect it to come from Celestia of all people. Sighing, Midnight hung her head.

"I...I don't know what I want."

Gradually, she looked back up again, though this time it was towards the Friendship Palace.

"When I first came here...it was for my own protection. I sought a means to carry on living. It was the one thing that mattered to me. The only thing that seemed important. But..."

She grimaced.

"...in the days that followed, I felt...hollow. I was surviving...but I had nothing else. And what's more...I...I..."

Celestia could see she was struggling, and so placed a hoof gently on her shoulder, causing her to look at her.

"It's okay...say whatever you need to," the Princess spoke softly.

Midnight eased up in the face of this, and so soon just started doing exactly that.

"...I didn't want friends. I still don't want friends. That feeling was genuine for me, and yet, I find myself bothered by it. It's...it's like I'm tearing myself apart over who I am and what I really want in my life."

She pulled away, walking away from Celestia and looking downright angry with herself.

"I don't know what's wrong with me! I don't know what I want and...I don't know who Midnight Sparkle...is!"

Celestia, having watched and heard all of this, let out a sigh of her own.

"Well then...I think I've learned all I need to."

Midnight looked back to her, confused.

"What?"

A small smile crept onto Celestia's lips.

"Some small part of me wondered if there was something more to you than both Twilight and Chrysalis. And I see that I was right. You're confused, angry, unsure of yourself and your own wants and desires."

Walking up to her again, Celestia raised her hoof and placed it squarely on Midnight's chest.

"You, Midnight Sparkle...are just like all of us."

Naturally, Midnight was taken aback by this.

"I...fail to see how that's a good thing, Princess."

A hearty chuckle escaped the older mare.

"Oh, I assure you, it is very good! You're your own person, Midnight. You have doubts, you have uncertainties, you have fears and insecurities, and though you've tried to hide all of that behind a wall of disinterest, sarcasm and seriousness, you find it's a part of yourself that can no longer be denied."

Midnight still didn't know how to feel about that, but after a time, she glanced back over to the Palace. Specifically, she looked to the window that she knew led to Twilight's bedroom.

"So...what do I do now?"

Celestia herself pondered that, then, to Midnight's dismay, started to turn around.

"That...I leave to you."

Midnight's head snapped back in her direction.

"Wait, what?! You can't just have me raise all these questions about myself and then leave!"

Celestia looked back to her with a knowing smile.

"These are not questions that can be answered for us by others, Midnight. They are something we have to discover for ourselves."

She gave a slight bow of her head.

"But take heart, for it is most encouraging, to know that there are things about ourselves that we have yet to figure out. It is quite the journey."

She spread out her wings, launching herself back into the sky, before calling back one final piece of advice to the younger mare.

"And like all journeys...you must take the first step!"

Midnight watched, seeing the Princess fly off, until she was finally gone into the darkness of the night sky above. Now alone, Midnight's shoulders slumped, and she stood alone in this place, her mind racing with everything that had been said to her. After a while though, she exhaled deeply, looking again to Twilight's window with no small measure of annoyance.

"Twilight...how did you ever manage to have that mare as a teacher without going crazy?!"

Goodbye

"Um...Twilight? Are you sure this is a good idea? She might not be very...well...receptive to it."

Starlight's concern was similarly shared by Spike as the two walked just a few steps behind their royal friend. But Twilight, being Twilight, maintained a far more positive outlook on the whole matter, trotting along the hallways of her palace with a gleeful smile. And when she heard her friend's worries, she looked over her shoulder and spoke to them in a cheery and upbeat tone.

"Don't worry, Starlight. I've got it all figured out!"

Lighting up her horn, the young Princess levitated the parchment she'd been carrying with her, looking over the schedule she'd written out.

"I spent all night coming up with a proper list of activities we can share with Midnight today. It's all properly thought out, and I don't think any of it will come across to her as being intrusive or irritating. She might find it a welcome change from just being cooped up in her room all day."

Spike scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I don't know, Twilight. She might not like being volunteered for a day like that."

But Twilight merely rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Spike, you worry too much! True, trying to get her to connect with our friends didn't exactly work out that well..."

"That's an understatement," Starlight mumbled under her breath.

"...but with persistence and a friendly attitude, I know we can get her to come out of her shell!"

Spike and Starlight glanced to one another, clearly not as convinced as Twilight was about this plan. But for now, they maintained their silence, watching as their more cheery friend walked ahead. It wasn't long before she finally reached the door of Midnight's bedroom, and as her smile widened, she also began to light up her horn again. This time, it was to turn the knob of the door, and within moments, the Princess of Friendship soon opened it, allowing her entry into the room of her dark clone.

"Good morning, Midnight! I just came by to...to...to..."

Her words had become slower and less peppy with each passing moment, and as a result, Spike and Starlight rushed to her side to see what had caused this reaction. When they did see it, they too were similarly stunned. Midnight was there, standing at the foot of her bed, looking down to, of all things, an open saddle-bag, which rested upon that aforementioned end. From the looks of things, it appeared as though she were in the middle of filling it with a few essentials, like some clothing items for cold weather, as well as other assorted items. Naturally, she wasn't all that happy about being interrupted like this, but, in an uncharacteristic display, she suppressed her irritation, keeping her tone to one of diplomacy, albeit tinted with a hint of annoyance.

"Princess. How can I help you?"

Twilight, looking to the scene before her, blinked a couple of times, then asked the truly obvious question.

"What...what are you doing?"

Midnight, briefly glancing down to her bag, looked back to her host with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, in case it isn't obvious...I'm packing."

That much was indeed obvious, and as Twilight and her two friends entered Midnight's room in earnest, Twilight looked to her double with increasing distress.

"Are...are you going somewhere?"

Midnight, having finally finished packing, closed up her saddle-bags before letting out a deep sigh.

"Yes, Princess. I am going somewhere."

Now, the intent behind those words would have been obvious for anyone, and they may have been so for Twilight as well. Yet the Princess nevertheless seemed like she wanted to deny the very clear and easily-recognised path Midnight was taking here, putting on a somewhat forced smile.

"Oh! Are you going on a vacation? Maybe visiting a friend?"

Midnight looked to her, with nothing but seriousness in her expression.

"Twilight...you know what this is."

Twilight did indeed know, but it brought her no joy to say it.

"You're...leaving?"

Slowly Midnight nodded, and an utter silence followed. Starlight and Spike both looked between the two near-identical mares, but never said anything. Whatever was happening, it was between the two of them. And speaking of whom, Twilight herself, after taking a while to try and regain her mental footing with this new revelation, asked the only suitable question under such circumstances.

"...Why?"

Midnight, for her part, tried to avoid looking at her, at least for a little while. But there eventually came a point when she could no longer do this, and so, after placing her saddle-bags on her back, walked right up to her now-former host.

"Twilight...when I first came here, it was for my own protection. I sought sanctuary, a means of sheltering myself. But in the days that came after that, I began to understand something. Survival was the only thing I'd been working for. There was nothing else in my life. That..."

She winced quickly.

"...that is no life. It is simply...existence."

Looking up to the Princess, she frowned.

"I don't want to simply exist anymore. I want more than that."

Twilight, who found herself being far more upset by this than she expected herself to be, fumbled her words for a time.

"But...but...but...you can still have that here, Midnight! You can find belonging and friendship and...!"

But she was kept from speaking further when Midnight raised a hoof.

"Princess, with respect...no. What I need, more than anything, is not others...but myself."

Twilight tilted her head, showing confusion over those words, which was something even Starlight and Spike seemed to feel also. Midnight, who quietly tried to get her thoughts in order, attempted to explain herself.

"Right now, I don't seek others...I seek to learn more about who I am. My mind has been filled with your memories, and I have been living in your home, meeting your friends and family. What, in my time in this world, has there been that was only me?"

She frowned.

"Nothing, that's what! And that needs to change!"

Twilight looked to her, still not really sure of how to take all of this.

"So...you're leaving...as some sort of quest for self-discovery?"

Hearing that, Midnight unleashed a dry and empty chuckle.

"A bit of a cheesy thing to say, but yes, that just about covers it."

Whatever smile she might have had faded soon after, and she took the time that followed to glance around the room she'd been staying in over the last few months.

"When I came here...I made it into a sanctuary. But, knowingly or not...I had turned it into a prison for myself. A place that kept me separate from everyone and everything."

Her eyes narrowed.

"That can no longer be allowed to continue."

She turned, again looking to Twilight.

"I cannot discover who I am and what I want by remaining here."

Taking a few steps, she walked right past Twilight and towards the door, with Spike and Starlight stepping aside for her. But then, Midnight halted, looking over her shoulder to Twilight again.

"I need to go. This is my journey. And..."

Slowly, a look that seemed to be borderline amusement came to her.

"...I need to be the one to make that first step."

And so it was that Twilight's mirror image vacated the room, and she was simply left there, completely speechless over what had just happened. Starlight and Spike watched her, wanting to comfort her or offer her some kind of reassurance over this, but they simply couldn't find the right words for it. After a while, the Princess regained her senses, and immediately spun around in place, before darting off after her double. Her other two friends followed her, and together the three of them raced down hallways, swiftly going around corners and heading straight for the front door. There, Midnight was just about to step outside, and it was here that Twilight finally called out to her.

"Midnight! Wait!"

The clone stopped, looking back to see the exhausted Princess come after her. She waited patiently as Twilight and the others caught their breaths, and when they had finally done so, Twilight looked to her.

"I just...this is all so sudden!"

Slowly, Midnight shook her head.

"No...this has been coming for a very long time."

Twilight maintained her air of confusion, but Midnight merely sighed.

"I stayed here out of fear...and I have become acutely aware of just how much that bothers me. I will not fear what is out there, or what might happen to me. I will not let the prospect of some chance encounter with Chrysalis keep me here, keep me paralysed."

Her expression softened as she looked back to Twilight.

"To walk the path of darkness would, sooner or later, just lead to my own destruction...and as a pony like you? One who sought friendship and all of that? In that, I would have been miserable."

She looked away, out to Ponyville, and to what might lay beyond.

"I don't know who I am. Not really. And I know the answer will not come to me if I stay here. One can only learn so much by remaining in one spot after all."

A pause, and then, she turned to look right into Twilight's eyes.

"How much would you have learned...if you had stayed in Canterlot your whole life?"

It was a fair question, that much could not be argued, yet Twilight struggled with it all the same. Though she clearly still had some reservations about all this, she soon looked a great deal calmer than she did before, letting out a deep sigh before addressing Midnight in a more reserved tone.

"I cannot say I fully understand your reasons for doing this, Midnight. Nor can I say I completely approve of you just doing this out of the blue."

Midnight looked to her, eyebrow raised, then watched as Twilight developed a small smile.

"But I trust you to make your own choice. If you feel that this is something you have to do...you have my blessing for it."

Midnight was taken aback, but she was grateful all the same, giving a slight bow of her head. Then, in complete silence, she turned her gaze over to Spike and Starlight, giving them a similar nod. The latter two smiled back to her, giving her a friendly wave, after which, Twilight spoke again.

"Would you...like to say goodbye to Applejack and the others?"

Midnight chuckled.

"Let's face it, Twilight. Your friends and me were never the closest. I doubt they'd be all that upset with me leaving like this."

Twilight nodded, though she remained uncertain about that. Then, her smile returned.

"So...where are you going to go first?"

Midnight looked away, out towards the green hills beyond Ponyville. She looked deep in thought as she did this, then turned back to Twilight, appearing, to Twilight's confusion, amused all of a sudden.

"You know what? I have no idea. And I think, for the first time...I'm actually okay with that."

Twilight's smile widened, but she did not get the chance to actually say anything. For just then, to her utter shock, she watched as Midnight lunged forward. It was no attack, but rather, to her eternal surprise, a hug. Such an uncharacteristic move on Midnight's part was greeted with the expected gaping jaws of Spike and Starlight, but Twilight, by contrast, managed to get over her initial shock, finally returning the embrace. When the two finally parted, she maintained her smile.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but...what was that for?"

Midnight, looking to her with genuine softness, gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"For letting me live here...for giving me help...for everything."

Twilight looked to her fondly, before finally raising a hoof and gesturing to the road outside her palace.

"In that case...journey well, Midnight Sparkle."

Midnight nodded silently, then turned to begin walking away. But, after having taken just a few short steps away, she froze, uncertainty coming to her. After a time, she looked over her shoulder, looking back to Twilight with, of all things, longing.

"Goodbye...sister."

Twilight was agape at that, but remained completely quiet as her clone finally carried on with her journey. She didn't even turn to look as Spike and Starlight walked beside her. Together, the three of them kept their eyes on the doppelganger for as long as they could, before she was finally gone from view. There was a long period of time where nobody knew what to say, but after a while, Spike looked up, speaking to his carer with a voice tinted with worry.

"Do...do you think she'll be okay?"

Twilight, having recovered from all of this, took a deep breath, let it all out, then looked to her ward with a smile.

"Yes, Spike...I think she will."

After all these years...

"You know, Spike, if you don't want to come..." Twilight's words were calm, as befitting one who had been ruling for as long as she had, but under the surface there was just the tiniest degree of playfulness. She knew how this would go, but it still brought a smile to her when her lifelong friend reacted exactly as she knew he would.

"Oh no! A royal advisor would never abandon his Princess on a day like this!" Of course, he made doubly sure to emphasise his title in that, prompting a light eye-roll from Twilight. Even after all these years, he still loved hearing that role of his being said out loud. The towering pony earned looks of admiration and awe from those she passed as she gracefully strolled through the streets of Canterlot. But for all the smiles and nods she gave in return, her gaze betrayed the solemnness of her journey. She'd made this trip many times, yet she had no intention of stopping. Eventually, she and her beloved dragon left the busier parts of town, heading instead for the greener parts on the outskirts, and a particular grove that had been made especially for this purpose.

"Twilight? I know you're not exactly happy to do this every year, but..." Spike's words made it clear he was concerned for her, and while his elder friend appreciated the sentiment, she still maintained her air of seriousness as she glanced back to him.

"Thank you, Spike, but you know I have to do this. For myself, if nothing else." She again looked ahead, her ears picking up the sound of Spike walking faster to keep up with her again, However, as she approached the entrance of the grove, she discovered, to her slight confusion, the two guards stationed there. But it was not because they were there, but because they were not at their posts, instead whispering to themselves as they looked into the grove themselves. Twilight, arching an eyebrow, cleared her throat, gaining their attention immediately.

"Oh! Princess Twilight! We were...er..."

"Has something happened?" Twilight asked. She wasn't upset with their behaviour, but had spoken with clear authority all the same. The two guards looked to one another, then the younger looked back to her, gulping loudly before answering.

"Well, it's just...somepony else is in the grove today."

Twilight was surprised, not because others were forbidden from coming here, but because nocreature had actually done so except for her and Spike. Her eyes glanced up to the grove's entrance, before again looking to the younger guard. "Oh? Who? And more importantly, why has this worried you?"

The guards again looked to each other, and after a long quiet, it was instead the older who spoke. "Well, your Highness, the pony is, well...I mean to say, she looks kind of like...you."

"But smaller!" the second guard hastily added

Twilight too fell silent now, and Spike looked to her with the same shock she was probably feeling. But with the role of Princess having been hers for so long now, she never once let it known that was what she was feeling. What she did let known, however, was that this was something to apparently smile about, as her eyes once more turned to the grove's entrance. "Thank you, Sirs. I will deal with this."

"Twilight...you sure?" Spike asked.

Twilight nodded, taking her first steps inside. "Oh yes, Spike. I've been waiting for this for a very long time." She saw her companion's concern, but he gave her a nod all the same. Twilight nodded back in thankfulness, then finally made her way into the grove, earning her a couple of salutes from the nearby guards. She walked past the trees and hedges that had been planted to make this place, never paying them any heed, and before long she was at the centre of it all. There, slap-bang in the middle of this place, was a statue. A trio of those she and those closest to her had vanquished many moons ago, still as they were on that fateful day. But it was not they that Twilight looked to now, but the one beside that statue. Even here, looking at the back of her head, Twilight knew who it was, and as she took her next step forward, the newcomer could feel her approach.

"Do I need to call you 'Queen' now?"

A small smile crept onto Twilight's lips. "No."

The other mare turned, revealing to Twilight a very familiar face. But one that was without much of the harshness she'd remembered upon it. "Hello, sister," the other mare said.

Twilight's smile widened. "And hello to you too, Midnight." She walked forward, as did Midnight, and when the two were close enough, they embraced. There was a time this kind of interaction might have been unthinkable for them, but now, after so long, they couldn't imagine anything else. Time passed though, and they eventually parted, with Twilight sighing. "You know, I always kept my ear out for you. Sometimes rumors would come to me of a mare who looked a lot like me, but she never stayed anywhere long."

Midnight chuckled. "Yeah, it's been quite a journey."

Twilight mused on that, thinking back to her own days after Midnight's departure from her castle. "Yes...it certainly has been."

But it was here when Midnight own smile faded, and she turned, looking up to the statue behind them both. Twilight didn't need to guess who it was she was looking at specifically, especially when she started speaking again. "So...here she is."

Twilight nodded. "Yes...here she is."

Midnight never took her eyes off the paralysed face of her creator. "I told you once, didn't I? That she was still out there? That she would come back? That she would, in one way or another, be the final threat you and your friends would face?"

Again, Twilight nodded. "Indeed. Seems you were right after all."

Midnight briefly enjoyed that moment, but said nothing on it as she asked the truly important question in all this. "So...how did you beat her?"

Twilight took no time whatsoever to come up with an answer. "...Together."

Midnight again laughed dryly. "Well then...I guess we were both right in the end." They shared the laugh, but it soon ended when Midnight started to look a touch more serious. "Why are they here, Twilight?"

Twilight sighed deeply. "I know they were our enemies. I know they did many terrible things. And I know they were undeserving of any kind of respect...but I still wish that things had not come to this." Her eyes fell to the tiniest figure on the pedestal. "One of them was my student once, Midnight. I look to her and I feel it was my failure in teaching her the value of friendship that led to her doing what she did. And the others?" She looked to the horned figured, then the winged. "I have made so many friends, several of them once bitter enemies. Yet these I could not reach out to." She hung her head slightly. "An enemy vanquished...is a bond I failed to forge."

Midnight raised an eyebrow as she looked to her. "Still the naïve idealist, I see."

Twilight raised an eyebrow right back. "And you're still the tired old cynic."

A pause, and then the two finally broke out into simultaneous smiles, sharing another laugh. "Oh, how I've missed these kinds of talks," Midnight remarked.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "As have I." But it wasn't long before the statue was again her focus. "I keep this here, for myself and for all, to serve as a reminder to us that not all are able to be friends, even with all the strides the peoples of this world have made. I come once a year to visit them, perhaps, in some small way, to make whatever peace I can with them."

Though Midnight had once felt nothing but hate and fear to the Changeling who had spawned her, even she couldn't bring herself to criticise Twilight's choice there, instead just nodding silently. In the quiet that followed, the now-smaller doppelganger glanced upwards to her royal counterpart. "...You've grown taller."

Twilight smirked to her. "And you've grown older."

Midnight looked back, seeing the greys in her mane, before smoothly stroking it slightly with her hoof. "Well, what can I say? Not all of us get to have magical flowing manes, Princess."

Twilight snickered, then noted something about her counter's mane now that she really paid attention to it. "I see you decided to grow it out again."

Midnight nodded, again looking to her mane, which was more-or-less at the same length it was before her big cut of it years ago. "I guess I decided that, maybe, being like you wasn't as bad as I thought it was."

The taller mare seemed flattered by the remark, but didn't speak up on it, instead casting a look back towards the grove's entrance. "I'm sure my friends would love to see you again...even if you weren't all that close back in the day."

Midnight considered that. "It might be worth speaking to them. I'll admit, there were times I missed having them around. Those oddballs of yours certainly knew how to liven a day up, if nothing else."

Twilight pondered that remark. "You know, I think that might be the nicest thing you've ever said about them."

Her clone shrugged. "Hey, time changes us all, right?" She snatched a quick side-glance to her mirror image. "Some more than others, admittedly." They again laughed together, but only a little, and soon all that could be heard was the sounds of the wind and the occasional bird flying overhead as they took to looking to the statue once more. Midnight, in this calm time, seemed to be thinking long and hard over something, before finally speaking. "...I have a daughter."

Slowly, Twilight's eyes widened, and she looked down to Midnight. After such an eventful life, there were few things that truly shocked her or took her aback, but this was definitely one of them. Part of her even suspected that her copy was kidding, trying to maybe mess with her or get her off-balance. When it became abundantly clear that this was not the case, Twilight cleared her throat. "I...um...wow! I don't know what to say! I mean...I didn't even know you could...er...you know..."

Midnight took some amusement in finally seeing Twilight's graceful and professional persona cracked, if only a little. In that moment, she saw the awkward and occasionally-bumbling mare she knew so well from long ago. But given what they were talking about, she decided to keep this conversation mock-free. "Trust me, nopony was more surprised than I was. Somepony like me? Yeah, I never thought something like that was even possible for me." Another shrug. "You can imagine the look on my face when I realised what was happening to me. Quite the surprise, I can tell you."

Here, the fierce curiosity and need for answers that Twilight was once so well known for began to reassert itself, and she leaned closer. "So...is she an alicorn? It's just, the last time an alicorn had a daughter, we got Flurry, so..."

Midnight shook her head. "No. Pegasus." She sighed. "Before the birth I was hoping to maybe teach her some magic, but I guess that's out the window." She smirked slightly. "Not the easiest time of my life...but I managed."

Twilight looked to her warily. "I hope your relationship with her is a good one, Midnight."

Midnight chortled. "Oh, don't worry. It is. Though I will say she's a complete Daddy's girl when you get right down to it."

Hearing that, Twilight leaned in closer. "That brings us neatly to the most obvious question in this...who's the lucky stallion? I have a hard time believing anypony would have been able to meet your exacting standards."

Midnight looked to her slyly. "Oh, he's a complete and total doofus. But...he's my doofus," she replied with more than a little affection in her tone. But she soon gave Twilight yet another of her all-too-frequent smirks. "Though it's worth noting he had a somewhat irritating habit of having Princesses randomly bumping into him back in the day."

Twilight understood, and smiled softly to her, as if a pleasant and nostalgic memory had just returned to her. "I'm happy for you. Both of you." Then curiosity resumed its dominance in her. "Oh, I totally forgot. What's her name?"

Midnight hesitated here, then slowly smiled. "...Twilight."

Twilight looked stunned, and then, ever so slowly, her eyes began to well up, and she placed her hoof upon her own chest, sounding borderline choked up. "I'm...I'm honored."

Then excitement came screaming back to the Princess. "I can't believe I'm an Aunt! Er...again! We should arrange a playdate with her and Little Cheese! Oh! That's Pinkie's child by the way!"

Midnight slapped her forehead. "Oh geez, that one's a parent now?!"

Twilight giggled excitedly. "Quite, and a very happy one too. In fact..." She placed her hoof onto Midnight's shoulder. "You should come with us to meet them all. They're due for their monthly visit in Canterlot this afternoon. I'm sure they'd love to hear from you after all this time."

Midnight considered that, pausing to look up to the petrified face of the one whom she knew could no longer harm her. Twilight watched as her clone thought deeply on the proposition, and eventually saw her smile back to her. "Yeah...I think I'd like that," Midnight finally answered.

Twilight squeed in a way she probably hadn't done for some time, embracing her "sister" for a second time, much to Midnight's slight chagrin. When they parted though, Midnight again raised an eyebrow, looking to one side and calling out. "You can come out now Spike. I'm not gonna bite."

Sheepishly, the eavesdropping dragon poked his head into the grove, chuckling nervously. "Hehe, sorry, couldn't help myself."

Midnight rolled her eyes. "Of course you couldn't."

Spike stepped closer to the two, looking from one to the other, then sighed. "Wow...I'd almost forgotten how much taller you'd grown, Twily."

Twilight giggled again. "I know. Quite a blast from the past, isn't it?"

Midnight looked to them both, then gestured to the grove's entrance. "So...shall we?"

Twilight, finally re-assuming her more Princess-like demeanour, gave a slight bow of her head. "Of course. It's not every day we get the whole family back together."

Midnight took a deep breath, finding peace in this reunion, then smiled to the both of them. "Yeah...I should have done this a long time ago." She bowed to her original. "Lead the way, O saviour of Equestria," she said, with just the slightest hint of sarcasm.

Twilight stifled another laugh. "Now there's the Midnight I remember."

Author's Note

I always meant to give proper closure to this story, but I wanted to wait until the show's end before doing so. I hope what I wrote here will satisfy those who've been following it :twilightsmile:

The Intruder

If nothing else, at least the weather was fairly pleasant by the time Twilight and her friends arrived back at the Palace. Their camping trip through the Everfree, if they were being perfectly honest, hadn't gone the way they would have wanted. Getting lost, getting into fights, and just generally having a bad time for the most part. Still, by the time it was over, they were at least able to say that it was an experience if nothing else. So, with smiles on their faces, they walked up the steps of the Palace, looking just a little bit ragged after their forest endeavours. Twilight sighed as her horn lit up, ready to open her doors, only to be halted when, to her surprise, the doors opened without her. Spike, panting furiously, rushed outside, taking a moment to catch his breath, and thus giving Twilight the chance to speak up first.

"Spike? What is it?" she asked, sounding justifiably concerned.

Having finally composed himself, the young dragon looked to his oldest friend with a mixture of both fear and confusion.

"Twilight! There's...there's somebody in the castle!"

Immediately, the smiles the group had been wearing vanished, replaced instead with looks of worry, and even anger.

"Oh my! An intruder?!" Rarity asked.

"In Twilight's castle?!" Rainbow added.

Spike was about to answer, only to instead stop himself, and so started to look somewhat hesitant.

"Yes! Well...no. I mean...kind of?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Well...who is it?"

Here, Spike fell silent, casting a quick glance over his shoulder before looking back to Twilight. From the looks of things, it was almost as if the youth was worried that they'd think him crazy if he just said what he wanted to say. But, after getting his courage together, he finally said it.

"It's...well...you?"

Of course, such a statement made no sense to the Princess, but even so, someone was in her home, and had given her young friend a great deal of worry and alarm. Those facts alone were enough to spur her into action, regardless of how much sense her number one assistant was making right now. So, looking back to her friends, she watched them look onwards with determination, giving her a simultaneous nod, and then looked back to the doors herself.

"Alright, girls...let's go!"

And so, in they went, making sure not to simply rush in like fools. They walked through the hallway with caution, looking around themselves constantly, lest they come across something unpleasant. Spike stayed close to Twilight, and together, they led the way, heading straight for the map chamber. Using her magic, Twilight slowly opened the doors of that aforementioned room, narrowing her eyes as she did so. Soon enough, however, the doors were opened fully, and the ponies walked on in, with Twilight making their presence known.

"Alright, who's...in...here?"

Her voice had become slower with every word, and by the time she was done, she looked on with pure shock and disbelief, as indeed did everyone with her. And this was not without good reason, for there, sitting upon her throne, was a mare. A mare who, for lack of a better word, was her. Or, at least, she looked like her. A purple alicorn, with pretty much the same appearance, although there were a few key differences. The colouring was off, and her cutie mark looked somewhat more erratic than the neat star that Twilight had. But, more than this, there was her expression, which looked to Twilight and her friends with a combination of indifference and irritation. Slowly, this intruder got up from the throne, taking a deep breath, before finally speaking.

"Hello, Twilight."

An eerie silence had fallen over the room, with everyone surrounding Twilight looking from her to her to the other mare and back again. Then, after a while, Pinkie gave her royal friend a frown.

"Oh, so after all that stuff about me using the mirror pool, suddenly you go ahead and use it?!"

But Twilight slowly shook her head.

"This...is no work of the mirror pool, Pinkie."

The party pony looked to her with unease after hearing that, before again turning to the doppelganger on the other side of the Cutie Map. Slowly, she squinted her eyes.

"...Ocellus? Is that you?"

The other mare shook her head.

"No...it isn't."

Here, Twilight felt like she'd stared enough, and so instead started to frown, taking a single firm step forward.

"Who are you?"

The other mare paused, as if trying to think on how best to say what she needed to. Then, after a time, she looked back to her mirror-counterpart with narrowed eyes.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle...and I am a creation...of Queen Chrysalis."

Instantly, all ponies assumed attack postures, ready to engage this mare if need be. If this was indeed a minion of Chrysalis, they were ready for her. But, to their confusion, she did not stir from her position. She did not lunge forward or try to attack them in any way. Instead, she simply remained where she was, looking calm and collected, if a little irritated at their reaction. After a while, and after glancing to each other, the ponies started to relax, if only a little, with Twilight again stepping forward.

"You...you're a creation of Chrysalis?"

The other mare nodded, prompting Twilight to continue speaking.

"As in...a duplicate of me she created by way of dark magic?"

Again, the other mare nodded, this time actually speaking up in response.

"And I was not the only one. Originally, I was but one of six, which she intended to use to try and seize control...of the Elements of Harmony."

The blunt and matter-of-fact way she'd said all that made it very clear that she was not kidding about that in any way, which, naturally, led to the other ponies all gaining worried looks to them. Twilight, by contrast, kept her cool, and she looked as though a thousand questions were pouring through her mind right now. But, rather than simply ask each one, she simply frowned and cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"Explain...please."

And an explanation was indeed given. The other Twilight told them everything that had happened in the past day or two. How Chrysalis had assumed the form of Shutterbug. How she'd come so close to them in order to steal samples and images of them. How she and her fellow creations had encountered the real ponies at various points in the Everfree. And, to top it off, she explained what had become of her fellow clones, and the fate that had befallen them. This latter part of the story she described to them with disturbing detail, causing more than a few looks of disgust among the mares, with Rarity especially looking like she was about to throw up. But, after hearing all of that, there was nevertheless one question, above all, that Twilight could not shake.

"...How did you survive?"

The other Twilight released a long sigh, glancing down to the map for a time and sitting back into the throne as she explained.

"While the others were bickering among themselves, I was battling Chrysalis, having made it clear that I did not intend to follow her lead any further than I had done. It was in that moment the Tree of Harmony seized the others."

She grimaced.

"Several of them called out, and it was there that I finally realised what was happening. Using my magic, I teleported away, just before the power of the Tree could take me as well."

She looked away.

"I managed to get far away enough to avoid meeting the same fate. And from that distance...I saw what that tree did to them."

A pause, and she bore no small amount of discomfort. A pang of sympathy passed trough the group, though they said nothing about it, instead allowing her to continue with her story.

"Chrysalis flew off. She knew she couldn't beat me, and she knew she couldn't take the Elements. There was no reason for her to remain there...and nor was there for me."

Slowly, she looked back to the group, and to Twilight specifically.

"Which brings me...to why I'm here."

Twilight nodded.

"Yes...I was wondering about that. Why are you here?"

The clone shrugged.

"Simply put...I request...sanctuary."

Another silence, but this one tinted with a sense of disbelief. None of the ponies could believe that they'd heard what they'd just heard, and Rainbow, being the kind of mare she was, was not subtle about this.

"Wait...you want us, the ponies you planned to steal the Elements from...to just...keep you around?"

The cloned Twilight nodded.

"It is my best option."

Applejack stepped forward herself, raising an eyebrow.

"Er...how?"

The clone looked down to the map, and specifically towards the spot where the Everfree was.

"Above all else, my priority is my own survival. Had I been able to take the Elements and their power, I might not be here, but..."

She frowned.

"...it's obvious to me that that power will forever be beyond me. Were I to try and take it again...I'd simply be destroyed, just like the others."

Slowly, she looked back to her original.

"And the option of simply wandering the wilderness as a fugitive does not appeal to me. One day, you would have seen me on your own. You would have perceived me as a threat, and you would have most likely used those Elements on me, thinking me to be little more than a tool to be used against you by Chrysalis."

After a time, she leaned back into the throne.

"Instead...I come to you here. And I ask for parley."

Starlight, having heard all of this, walked alongside her mentor, Twilight, giving her a quick look before turning to face the mare who looked so much like her.

"And why should we trust you? Like you said, you plotted against us, you're made from dark magic, and you are, or at least were, a servant of one of our greatest enemies, even if you do say you've turned against her."

The clone nodded.

"I'd be sceptical too. But, as I've already explained, you have more than enough power to be able to stop me if I did anything. And besides..."

Her gaze narrowed at Starlight.

"...this would not be the first time the Princess of Friendship has housed someone who's moved against her in the past."

Immediately, a blush came to Starlight, and she said nothing further. Twilight, who had been silent for some time now, stared intently at her clone, who simply stared right back. Many of the others drifted their gaze from one to the other, never breaking the silence that fell between them. After a time, Twilight turned, as did the others, and they huddled together, quietly discussing the matter among themselves. The clone watched, half afraid of what was going to happen once they'd finished their deliberations. They had no reason to trust her, and she knew it, but even so, as she'd already said to them, she had nothing else right now. So, she waited, until finally, the time came when the other ponies at last looked back to her.

"Well...what's it to be? Am I staying? Or will I be taken to the Tree...to meet the same fates as all the others?"

Twilight frowned to that.

"We're not executioners. We have no intention of taking someone's life when they've effectively surrendered to us."

The clone nodded slowly, getting herself out of Twilight's throne and looking to her with a great deal of calm.

"...Well then?"

Twilight, the Princess of Friendship, took another step towards her.

"...The one evil plan you had failed before you truly had a chance to start it...and knowing Chrysalis, there's no doubt in my mind that she would have indeed turned against you once she no longer found you useful."

Another silence, and then, when it was over, the Princess sighed.

"My decision..."

The clone resisted the urge to wince as she waited.

"...is that you can stay here."

It took all the clone's power not to sigh with relief. If nothing else, she was not going to let them know how terrified she had been in that moment. Instead, she tried to remained as composed as she had been through this whole endeavour, giving a simple nod to the mare who now served as her host and keeper.

"...I am...grateful for your decision."

Twilight nodded, taking another step forward.

"But...I want to make it clear, this is entirely without precedent. A being born of dark magic, as you can probably expect, cannot simply be allowed to roam around unchecked."

She sighed.

"And there's still the issue that we don't know if you're truly sincere about your intentions."

The clone nodded back to that.

"I assure you, doing what I can to continue my own existence is very much my main goal in all this. But, by all means, assign someone to watch me if you like. I'd probably do the same in your position."

It was hardly the friendliest response, but Twilight accepted it nevertheless. She waited for a time, looking over her shoulder to the still-worried faces of her friends, before finally settling her eyes to her new guest.

"In that case...welcome to the Friendship Palace."

The mirror Twilight glanced around.

"Well...home sweet home, I suppose."

A slight frown came to Twilight, and she walked closer to the map, placing her front hooves upon it while never letting her gaze stray from her counterpart.

"I hope you don't mind...but I still have some questions about all this. Many, many questions in fact."

The clone, looking back to her again, gave a firm nod.

"Understood. And let me answer the first of those questions for you straight away."

Slowly, a smirk formed on her lips.

"Yes...you really do look this good."

Author's Note

Yeah, I really liked the Mean Six when it came out, but I was a bit disappointed when those anti-ponies ended up in the way that they did. So I got to thinking about maybe writing a story where at least one of them gets away. Hope you like it :twilightsmile:

Consulting a Princess

"Hmmm...troubling. Most troubling."

Celestia's concern was as clear as the days she ushered in every morning, and after looking over the many, many, many papers that Twilight had brought in for her, she slowly glanced up to look her former apprentice in the eye.

"This is quite unexpected."

Twilight nodded.

"I know. I'd have come to you sooner, but..."

However, Celestia gave a quick shake of her head.

"You needn't apologise, my faithful student. A matter of this nature no doubt took time to properly study."

Gracefully, the eldest of alicorns rose from her throne, stepping down towards the younger Princess before her.

"This clone of yours...this Midnight Sparkle...what do you make of her?"

Twilight sighed, looking away from her old teacher, to the many stained-glass windows that decorated this chamber.

"Hard to say. When she first came to me, she said she sought her own survival. That her continued existence was her greatest priority."

She paused, and then looked back to Celestia.

"I don't think she was lying when she said that. Chrysalis is now her enemy, and I think we can both agree that a mark like that would make anyone nervous."

Celestia nodded, grimacing briefly.

"Indeed. Having been on the receiving end of the Queen's power myself, I can certainly understand a need to stay away from her. And where better to do so than within the home of ones who have thwarted her? Truly this Midnight has your intelligence at least."

That was a prospect that gave Twilight pause. The older alicorn began to walk past her, and so she soon followed, keeping a respectful distance and listening well as her mentor continued.

"Does Midnight seem like a danger to you? Or a threat to others? She was, quite literally, born to be our enemy, after all."

A difficult question, but one that Twilight had apparently been giving thought to already.

"She and I aren't exactly friends right now, but I don't think she's going to just outright attack anyone."

Celestia's eyes narrowed a little bit.

"Not yet at least."

Twilight nodded in acknowledgement of that.

"She was created by one of our greatest enemies, and her very being is dark magic. Those are two things I would not want to have to think about when it comes to people living in my home, or anywhere else for that matter."

Celestia stopped here, as did Twilight, and the former soon turned to look to her, smiling and placing her hoof on her shoulder gently.

"You did not err, Twilight, allowing her into the palace as you did. If she posed no threat to you, and asked for aid, you acted like any Princess would. I'm proud to hear that you would show compassion like that."

Twilight smiled, but only for a short while, as she continued to seem worried about this whole situation.

"I just wish I could talk about her with certainty. There's just so much about her I don't know. I don't know if she has any ulterior motives, I don't know If I can befriend her, I just...don't know! She's a total mystery to me!"

Celestia nodded.

"I understand. It can be frustrating, being near one who is so hard to read."

A quick giggle on her part.

"Reminds me of whenever Discord and I spend time with one another these days. One moment we can be quite cordial, and the next, he may decide that bringing a hydra into the throne room would be fun."

Though briefly amused by that notion, Twilight's mind would not allow her to stray from what this meeting was all about.

"Midnight's certainly a strange one. I've never met someone like her before."

Celestia looked down to her, raising an eyebrow slightly and bearing a small look of mischievousness.

"You mean besides when you're looking in the mirror?"

Twilight, in stark contrast to how she might have behaved around Celestia years ago, rolled her eyes.

"Princess! Be serious about this!"

Another giggle from Celestia.

"Do forgive me, Twilight. But when you've lived as long as I have, and seen so many strange and wonderful things, you learn to find fun where you can."

The white mare looked away, pondering all of this for a little bit longer.

"So now we have two Twilights. Hmmm...I wonder if there's enough books in the world to satisfy that development?"

In spite of herself, Twilight too gave a laugh to that, shared also by Celestia afterwards. But, as pleasant as this quick moment was, it didn't last, and Twilight calmed down a bit, nodding to what was said before.

"She and I may share the same face...but she was created to be my opposite. To be everything I'm not. She's distant, closed off, blunt, and seems to think only in terms of what's pragmatic for her. We've spoken here and there, but nothing about those talks make me think she's interested in forging any kind of relationship with me or anyone else."

Celestia listened well to that, but said nothing as Twilight again looked to the many windows around them. Specifically, the young alicorn focused on the one depicting the triumph of her and her friends over Nightmare Moon. Celestia silently wondered if that's how her apprentice viewed Midnight, as a dark alicorn bent on little more than domination. A shadow to her, just as Luna once was to Celestia in that unhappy distant past. Worry came to Twilight's expression, and she soon looked down to the ground.

"I just...hope I haven't made a mistake in letting her so close. She isn't doing anything wrong now, but what about later? What if I've only let in a future enemy?"

The older Princess, at last being given a silence in which to respond, stood tall and regal, before speaking in the calm-yet-commanding tone she was known for.

"We can never know what nature a person truly is, how they think, or what they may do, until they do it. It is a risk, that much is certain, and a day may well come when this Midnight does something to warrant being fearful of her."

Twilight looked up as Celestia carried on.

"I said before that you did the right thing in helping her when she asked for sanctuary, and I meant it, Twilight. She may have been born in darkness, but that darkness has touched the hearts of many in this nation's history. Luna, Stygian, even your own apprentice once upon a time."

A smile came to her.

"And as you well know, those who have been marked by shadow can still find a path of light."

Like before, she placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, looking to her in the same way a proud and caring Mother might.

"And if there's anyone who might be able to help this lost soul find friendship, or even just a sense of belonging...it's you."

Twilight's smile was a wide one, as was expected when her icon would say such things to her. But, rather than simply rushing forward and giving her teacher a big hug, like every fibre of her being was screaming at her to do, she instead kept her composure, and gave a sweeping bow. Celestia, still smiling, returned the gesture, undoubtedly enjoying this moment. But when the two of them rose, the older alicorn's look was one of seriousness.

"I hope you don't mind, Twilight, but I feel I should inform my sister and Cadence of this development as well. Not only do we now have to deal with the issue of an alicorn made from dark magic, but there's also the rather troubling matter of Chrysalis now knowing of the Elements and their whereabouts. These are things we must all be wary of now."

Twilight nodded, matching her fellow Princess' expression.

"Of course. And I need to get back to Ponyville. I don't want to be away from watching Midnight too long."

Celestia nodded back, stepping aside to allow her younger friend by. Twilight offered her another smile as she left, but before she got too far away, she was stopped by the sound of Celestia's voice.

"And Twilight..."

Twilight turned, seeing the focused and intent expression on Celestia.

"...you know your duty, as a Princess of Equestria. If Midnight does one day pose a threat, to you or others...if she strays back to the dark path of the one who created her...do not hesitate to use the Elements. If you have to."

Twilight didn't like having to hear that, but she nodded in agreement all the same.

"Only if I have to."