"You should be honoured, Miss Sparkle. It's dreadfully rare that someone is worthy of being graced with my magnificent presence."
"That's Doctor Sparkle to you, Your Majesty." As Midnight Sparkle stepped through the Veil Between Worlds, the air around her crackled with pulses of electricity. "Proper forms of address are important, or one might think you were trying to insult me."
Seated on an ornate throne of ivory and jewels, Queen Nightmare Rarity eyed Midnight with a cool sneer. "Perish the thought." All around her, glittering crystals twinkled in the air, reflecting an unseen light. "I've had quite enough incivility in getting here."
"Having trouble keeping your subjects in line?" With a wave of her hand, Midnight conjured up a complex matrix of circuitry on her side of the void they stood in, forcing the electric impulses of her mind into something more systemic. She also manifested a more utilitarian office chair for herself and sat down before the queen.
Midnight would have preferred to continue standing, as this position made her feel more vulnerable, but she couldn't show any weakness in front of Rarity. To refuse to sit would have been a concession that shifted the balance of wills in her foe's favour.
And willpower was everything in this realm-between-realms.
"Oh, you know how it is," Rarity said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Freedom fighters are like roaches — filthy, disgusting little creatures that get all underhoof, and no matter how many of them you stamp out, there's always another ragtag band of ruffians waiting in the wings." A few of the gems closest to her flashed in response to her annoyance.
"Well, that's what you get for crowning yourself Queen." Midnight made sure to sneer at that last word to fully convey her disdain. "Such a primitive, medieval concept." She tapped her fingers against the chair, sending pulses of energy outwards towards Rarity while she kept her occupied with her barbs. "If you'd studied people as much as I have, you'd have known that rebel groups would be coming out of the woodwork to try to bring you into the modern world."
A smug smirk from the mare was her response. "Says the merchant who wouldn't know class if it was handed to her on a silver platter." Midnight's probes fizzled as they struck an invisible barrier between their two halves of the plane that existed between worlds, and the Nightmare Queen's smirk grew wider. "Really, did you actually think that would work? I should be insulted at your lack of subtlety."
Midnight shrugged. "It was more of a formality than anything." Electricity continued to crackle around her and she maintained the spectacle of re-imagining her side of the divide in her image. "And everyone knows that money is power. Founding Equinox Labs has allowed me to obtain all the resources I need to pursue my ultimate objective. Which brings us to the purpose of our meeting."
"Yes, quite." Nightmare Rarity's posture straightened, though her tone remained playful. Her horn ignited, and the largest crystal on her right opened up like a glistering flower to reveal a delicate magitech construct made of silicon and gold threads wrapped around the old circular pendant that had first brought Twilight into the world of magic. "Tell me, how did you manage to lose such a beautiful accessory? It certainly wasn't because you still have a soft spot for that little firecracker of yours, hmm?"
A snarl flashed on Midnight's expression for a split second before turning back into a casual smirk, and the space between them buckled as the tapestry of diamonds on Nightmare Rarity's side began to encroach on her array of circuitry. The Queen's smile widened as her will pressed forward, seizing the small advantage given to her to gain ground in this subtle battle between them.
"I wouldn't mention her if I was you." A little strain shone through her voice as Midnight shored up her defences and directed her mental efforts into growing a lattice of filaments to reclaim her dominion.
"Oh dear, have I perhaps struck a nerve?" Rarity's bright blue eyes lit up with malicious glee. "Don't tell me you actually allowed your dear little Sunset to entice you away from your lust for knowledge long enough for her to steal your magnum opus!"
"If you want this exchange to go peacefully, you'll stop talking about her right now," Midnight said through gritted teeth as she lost another inch to the starry abyss.
"You still love her!" The laugh that Nightmare Rarity let out grated against Midnight's ears. "Oh, now I'm even more put out that I didn't capture her during the raid on the exchange. Wouldn't that have been a fine morsel to dangle in front of you."
Lightning flashed, and the entire network of ethereal wires behind Midnight glowed deep purple as thunder crashed down loud enough to almost drown her shout. "I will end you!" Anger seared her soul as she channelled her rage into a singular bolt of unformed magic with only one goal: to make the unicorn in front of her cease to exist.
A hexagonal plane of crystallized magic formed in front of Nightmare Rarity, absorbing the blast. She winced at the blow, but to Midnight's disappointment didn't appear to have suffered any other ill effects. "My, such passion!" she exclaimed instead, hiding the strain in her voice well enough that Midnight could barely detect it. "I wonder, are you this intense in all your activities?"
Midnight snorted, forcing her mind to remain calm, lest she give her opponent an opening to attack her. "Why, are you jealous that you never got that much attention from your own Twilight? She is the leader of those rebels you took the Detector Matrix from, isn't she?" She took the ripple on Nightmare Rarity's side of the boundary as a good sign and pressed on. "I assume your own marriage didn't survive your transformation. So much for 'til death do us part, huh?"
Nightmare Rarity's mask of calm shattered for an instance, revealing the seething rage beneath before she stilled herself and her backdrop. "Some ponies need a little more encouragement to find... enlightenment, I'm afraid. It's no matter — once we complete this little exchange, it'll be no trouble at all to track her down and... re-educate her at my leisure." She affected a yawn. "This is all getting rather tiresome. I think it's time we move onto the main event, yes?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You do have what I asked for, I hope."
Midnight snapped her fingers — purely for the flair — and several of the circuit panels lining the floor opened up to reveal a winged amulet with a unicorn's head extending from its top, oozing with malevolent energy. "I'm not even sure why you want this thing," she said as she floated the Alicorn Amulet in front of herself. "You probably have a dozen artifacts in your vault more powerful than it."
"Oh, I do." Nightmare Rarity replied. "But this one is yours." Her eyes sparkled with greed. "I know that after it released your true self from its imprisonment within your mind, the geodes stopped functioning for you. The Alicorn Amulet is your only source of magic so long as I can keep your grubby hands off my world, and that is why I want it."
On her side on the boundary, within the vast network of circuitry she'd been conjuring up, the final tendrils of ethereal superconductor locked into place, and Midnight allowed herself a triumphant smirk. "Actually, about that..."
"Is this the part where you reveal your master plan to me in painstaking detail?" Nightmare Rarity rolled her eyes. "Darling, I can respect a dramatic monologue, but I thought you were more avant-garde than that."
Midnight shrugged. "I have some respect for the classics." Electricity crackled along two lightning rods she'd summoned on either side of her, providing a nice frame for her gloating. "And I have to admit, I'm really disappointed that you actually brought the Matrix into this realm without doing any research on it."
The current from the lightning rods pulsed outwards, and the entire grid of carefully-laid-out wires illuminated the shared realm, projecting a pattern that mirrored the one in the Detector Matrix. In response, the device on Nightmare Rarity's side of the boundary began to glow, lines of circuity beginning to appear on its petals.
The Queen's eyes widened as she stood up and backed away from the purple glow that reflected off the diamond constructs surrounding the Matrix. "W-What have you done?" she whispered, fear making her voice waver.
"Like I said, you really shouldn't be bringing tech that you don't understand here," Midnight replied, the ultimate high of a plan coming together flooding her senses and making her feel weightless and all-powerful. "The Detector Matrix is a triumph of magitech engineering. It was the first piece of technology with ontological inertia, and the modifications I've made to it have only amplified that capacity."
Nightmare Rarity's eyes widened and she lit up her horn, weaving what Midnight recognized as a portal spell to return her to Equestria. Before the spell could complete, the crystalline lattice flashed, and her horn fizzled out.
"It's still primitive in what it can achieve, especially if I can only control it by creating a giant circuit out of thin air to imprint into its control module." With a grand, sweeping gesture, Midnight pointed to the complex network of wires she'd been building since her arrival. "And you thought I was just doing all that for show, weren't you?"
When Nightmare Rarity simply glared at her in silence, Midnight took that as a sign to continue her gloating. "The primary circuit prevents anyone from leaving this realm unless I allow it, as you saw already. In a few moments, the secondary circuit should activate and open a portal to my world, and once I have some loyal associates here to help me upend this balance of wills, I'll have you completely at my mercy. And once I take you out of the equation, I'll have access to all the magic I could ever want."
A tear in space opened up next to the Matrix. The scent of victory was almost palpable.
Midnight stroked her chin thoughtfully as she continued to look down at the monarch that she was about to dethrone. "I wonder what I should do first with all that power?" she mused to herself, taking a step towards the boundary that rent the worlds of magic and technology into two. "I'll be studying it, for sure, but one should always look into practical application for theory, especially if those applications allow for even more collection of knowledge.
"Maybe I'll stop ruling my world from the shadows. It's useful to be able the pull the strings and not have to worry myself with minutiae, but there's something to be said for having direct control over any resources I need for my studies. And as primitive as your kind are, I'll admit there's a certain gravitas to your titles." Midnight smiled. "Perhaps I'll crown myself Empress of both worlds and get your Twilight to act as my regent in Equestria. I'm sure I could turn her to my side eventually."
The tear widened, revealing an empty void. Any moment now the connection to the other side would solidify, and she would have the leverage she needed over her rival.
And yet, the boundary between them hadn't changed, even though Nightmare Rarity's will should have been shaken — if not broken — by Midnight's revelations. In fact, on closer look, she saw the smallest upward curving on the dark unicorn's lips.
"Did you really think I would be foolish enough to hand you one of your own inventions without studying it first?" The smugness in Nightmare Rarity's tone burrowed into Midnight's ears. "Your Sunset provided some wonderfully-sketched schematics that we retrieved during the raid."
The portal void shimmered, revealing an armoury with stone walls and racks holding swords, lances, and other weapons that were decidedly not part of a modern arsenal. "It took a fair bit of tweaking," Nightmare Rarity continued, walking over towards the portal, "but I am, of course, a master of creating and manipulating patterns, and I eventually managed to alter the structure of the Matrix's core to weigh the scales in my own direction."
Dread seized Midnight's heart as the first pony soldier stepped through the portal, clad from hoof to head in black armour. Another one followed soon after, and another, until, to Midnight's horror, she found herself outnumbered twelve to one.
"Is something the matter, Doctor Sparkle?" Nightmare Rarity taunted, flanked by her loyal minions. "You shouldn't be surprised that events played out as they did. After all, did you really think that brutish, unsophisticated brain of yours could really devise a plan that could outsmart moi?"
Despite her precarious position, Midnight stood firm, steeling her will and refusing to go down without a fight, even as she frantically tried to come up with an escape plan. "My mind has transcended limits you couldn't even conceive of!" Nothing short of sheer bravado bolstered her words, but this was a plane of willpower, and that bravado was the only thing keeping the boundary between their two domains locked in stalemate still. "Your lackeys probably don't even have the resolve to displace me more than a few inches!"
A mocking laugh issued forth from her opponent. "Defiant until the end, I see," she said with a titter. "I would expect nothing less. Still, I am going to enjoy having you all to myself, every part of you under my control in my domain.
"I think I'm going to start by reshaping your mind so that your only desire in the entire world is to serve me faithfully. I imagine with your passion for knowledge redirected to more useful pursuits, you'll be a valuable thrall, and I'm certain I can find a place for you."
The boundary rippled as a wave of victorious conviction washed over the realm, exuded by Nightmare Rarity. "Hmm, perhaps I shall make you my personal courtesan for the moment. Only until I can replace you with your double, of course. You'd be a poor substitute, but I do believe I could find some amusement in seeing my mortal enemy devoted entirely to my pleasure."
She stepped forward, her eyes locked on Midnight's and filled with malevolent glee. "Now, be a dear and bow to your Mistress."
Nightmare Rarity stomped on the ground, signalling for her army to act.
Nothing happened.
Nightmare Rarity turned around, anger and confusion marring her beautiful face. "Fools," she hissed. "Your Queen commands you to obliterate this peasant's world!"
The armoured ponies didn't speak. Midnight felt the exertion of an astonishing amount of willpower, and suddenly the plates of armour and helmets faded away, revealing eleven familiar ponies.
"Sorry we're late," Sunset Shimmer said, her horn glowing as she smirked at the two bewildered tyrants. "Had to stop by Queen Nightmare's armory so that we could replace her guards. Thanks for taking the bait and giving us a way into this place." She stomped her hoof onto the ground, and a bubble of light expanded outwards from her heart, transforming the terrain into a lush, verdant field of grass and flowers.
Midnight quickly recovered from her shock and focused on resisting this new intruder, an unspoken agreement between her and Nightmare Rarity to combat the larger threat before returning to their contest. Together, they managed to quarantine the do-gooders into a small sphere that barely covered all of them.
"Now!" Sunset cried out, and suddenly, each of the ponies was wearing a new accessory. Six of them wore colored geodes around their necks, and the other five were outfitted with four cutie-mark-inscribed necklaces and a starry crown, which easily allowed Midnight to identify which of the doppelgangers were from her world, and which hailed from Equestria.
The two groups of ponies split off, and Midnight's skin crawled as she felt the familiar wave of rainbow light erupt from her former friends and surround them, cutting off all sight of the rest of the realm and trapping Sunset and herself in a ring of her other friends.
Her breath caught in her throat as Sunset stepped up to her, every bit as beautiful as a pony as she was in her human form. "Hey, Twilight." She waved awkwardly as she stopped a short distance away from her.
Midnight could feel the magic of Harmony tugging at her soul, amplifying the love she felt for this mare. Still, she wasn't some defenceless kid anymore; she didn't have to allow her emotions to rule her. "Sunset Shimmer." She infused every bit of disdain she could muster up for this deluded, brilliant, annoying, breathtaking mage. "Was this your plan from the start? To steal the Detector Matrix and deliver it to the Queen, then find a way to sneak into this realm between realms?"
Sunset nodded. "We even made sure to have the schematics on hand when Nightmare Rarity raided the exchange, so that she'd know what to do."
"How thorough." Oh, how she wanted to embrace the mare before her, to pepper kisses along her cheeks and neck and to profess her feelings for — no. That was the Harmony talking. Midnight would find a way to escape from this encounter unscathed. "You know that those geodes aren't the real ones, right? They're summoned constructs, which means they'll only have a fraction of their power in this place. If you leave now, I might not follow you and you might get to live to fight another day."
"I'm tired of fighting," Sunset replied, and when Midnight looked into her eyes, really looked, she saw that it was true. Exhaustion and sadness beyond her years marred her gaze, and Midnight felt a pang in her heart in response. "I miss you, Twilight. I miss all the times we used to hang out together. I miss doing magic and science with you, playing music with our friends, and just talking about life and philosophy and books with you."
"Those were pursuits from a younger, more naive time," Midnight countered, keeping her eyes on the wall of rainbows for signs of surprise attacks from the others. "I grew up and saw what was really important in this world. Power. The power to pursue knowledge without limits, and achieve my true destiny."
"What's the point of power and knowledge if you don't have anyone to share it with?" Sunset asked, taking another step forward. "You've had all the power you could ever want since you let your darker side take over, but has it made you happy? Has it made you feel fulfilled? Loved?"
"That's because I don't have all the power I want!" The words sounded hollow even to herself as Midnight said them. "Once I destroy you and that Queen, I'll have everything I need to tear apart both worlds and uncover their secrets!" And then she would be fulfilled... and alone. So alone.
"That's not what you really want, though, is it?" Another step closer. Sunset burned with the warmth of love, a searing presence that Midnight couldn't help but be drawn to. "I know you can feel it in your heart. Deep down, you want to do the right thing, to accept friendship and love in your heart again."
Midnight turned away, unable to look Sunset in the eyes. "It's too late for me," she whispered. "I've gone too far this time, let the darkness in me be in control for too long."
"I know you're scared, but you've fought the darkness before and won." There was no rebuke in Sunset's voice, only understanding and unwavering faith. "I know you can do it again. And just like last time, you have all your friends here to help you."
"Yeah, we totally believe in you!"
"I know you can do it, Twilight!"
"We're behind you every step of the way, dear."
"We'll never leave you hanging!"
"It's time to come home, sugarcube."
All around her, Midnight saw her friends cheering and smiling at her, filling the space between them with so much love that she was humbled beyond words.
Sunset was right, and Midnight knew what her next course of action would be.
With a smile, she looked up to see Sunset reaching out a hoof to her, and without hesitation, she took it. Love filled her heart at the touch, and as she closed her eyes and let the power of Harmony surround her, she felt peace for the first time in years.
Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes.
"Welcome back, Twilight." Standing on an endless field of green, Sunset Shimmer smiled at her old friend. "We've missed you."
"Oh, Sunset." The weight of her sins crashed down on Twilight, and she fell to her knees, tears spilling from her eyes. "What have I done?"
"It's okay, Twilight." Sunset wrapped her forelegs around her in an awkward but sincere hug. "We'll get through it together."
In short order, she was joined by the rest of her friends, who all piled onto her in a crushing group hug. It was suffocating, but Twilight couldn't begrudge them this gesture.
Craning her head, she looked across the field and saw the other world's Rarity in a similar situation, holding onto her own Twilight like a drowning victim. Their eyes met, and in them Twilight saw the same shame that now burned in her heart.
An unspoken agreement settled between them, and Twilight carefully extricated herself from her friends' embrace. "I'm really glad to see all of you again," she said, "but there's someone else I need to talk to right now."
Sunset followed the direction of Twilight's gaze and nodded. "We'll be here for you when you need us. Always."
"I know." Feeling a thrill of fear, Twilight leaned over on a whim and kissed Sunset on the cheek. "I love you."
"Love you too, Sparky."
With her spirit bolstered by that exchange, Twilight began walking over to Rarity, who was doing the same. Just as before, they stood in front of each other, and even though there wasn't a visible boundary separating them anymore, it still felt like there was a chasm between them that neither side could cross.
"Hey, Rarity." There was no scorn or challenge in her words, now. Only a desperate attempt to reach out to someone who understand how she felt in this moment. "So, umm, I'm glad to see you're not evil either anymore."
Rarity laughed without humour. "I wouldn't be so hasty to judge, darling. I still have much to answer for when I return to Equestria."
"Join the club." Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry for trying to enslave you." The words sounded so... weak. Almost insulting, like she thought a simple apology could even begin to tip the scales she had unbalanced so far against herself.
But when Rarity smiled, there was an understanding in her eyes that made Twilight feel less silly. "I accept your apology, Twilight, and I hope you'll accept my own in return."
"I do." It wasn't much, but it was a beginning, and Twilight found that she could smile at this mare who had walked in darkness alongside her. "Thank you. I guess I'm going to be having to do a lot of apologizing soon."
"As will I." Endless regret and pain emanated from Rarity's lithe frame, and Twilight felt her own heart pulse in an echo of that hurt. "I will have to face justice for what I've done, of course."
"It wasn't your fault." Twilight didn't know why she said those words. Even if they were true, Rarity's wouldn't believe them. Twilight certainly didn't believe them about herself. Still, they needed to be said. "You weren't yourself. The Nightmare possessed you."
"Only because I allowed it to." Rarity shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Guilty or not, I must still take responsibility for what I did, and to do whatever I can to help Equestria heal."
"Yeah. I— I'll be handing over control of my company to Sunset." There was no way she was going to trust herself with that much power right now. "And then, I don't know. I'll have to find a way to help people."
Rarity smiled. "I have absolutely no doubt that you'll rise to the occasion, darling. Twilight Sparkle will always be a force to be reckoned with, in any universe, and so long as we keep our friends with us and don't draw away from them when we need them most, I'm sure we'll both be fine one day."
"You really think so?" Twilight asked hopefully.
"Of course I do, dear. We've both been through too much to falter now."
"Maybe you're right." Feeling much better about herself, Twilight reached out a hand to shake Rarity's hoof. "We should stay in touch after. I think, the more friends we have, the less likely we are to... relapse."
"Quite." Rarity allowed Twilight to shake her hoof before stepping back. "I'll have my Twilight look into making more of those books that allow us to talk between realms. Do remember to write to me often when we have them, will you?"
"I will," Twilight promised.
With that, she turned back to her friends and lover, leaving the mare she had once named her mortal enemy behind for now. So much pain and suffering had been wrought in the time she had been consumed by the darkness, but those times were over. Twilight had made a new friend from her former foe, and that silver lining in this sea of despair let her keep her smile as she rejoined Sunset and the others.
The past had been filled with darkness, and the present might look bleak, but as she looked around and saw the endless bright skies and lush meadows, Twilight Sparkle knew that tomorrow would bring about a brighter day.
