Everypony was asleep and the castle was quiet, only a couple of guards patrolling.
It was too quiet, giving me much too much time to think and worry as I walked through those silent halls.
I considered switching to being awake during the day despite the fact that sunlight made me sleepy. But that would mean being around more ponies.
My ear perked up at a soft sound and I rounded the corner to see a door cracked open slightly, a slight light shining through the opening. Likely a candle or two.
Well, slight for a day pony, for me it might as well be a spotlight this close.
That was Midnight’s bedroom. Bit strange that she was still up, it was the middle of the night. Should leave her alone.
Another soft sound drifted from the room and I froze.
Crying.
I moved closer and peeked inside. Midnight was on her couch, a book laid before her in the light of the candles, but it was ignored as she sobbed quietly.
I felt like I should just leave her alone, but…
She looked so much like Sparks and she was a friend and… and seeing her like that tore into me. I knocked on the door and she gasped softly in surprise,
“Y-yes?”
“It’s Page,” I said quietly, “Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine.”
I pushed the door open and poked my head in, “Can I come in?”
Midnight dried her eyes the best she could with a pastern before she nodded, “O-okay.”
I frowned slightly and slipped inside, pushing the door closed behind me as I crossed the room, looking around slightly.
A comfortable looking room despite the crystal walls, a large soft bed and an overstuffed couch, everything else was covered with books.
“How do you do that?” Midnight asked with a small curious frown, her curiosity breaking through her sadness.
“Do what?” I asked and jumped onto the couch next to her.
“Walk so quietly on the stone floor.”
“Oh,” I said and then smiled, “Thestral magic. I only figured it out a couple of months ago. I actually think it’s related to pegasus cloud magic, but when I focus magic to my hooves, my hoofsteps make no sound. I use it here so I don’t wake anypony. And this place echoes a lot, my ears hate it.”
Midnight blinked at me, “Has any other thestral tried it?”
I frowned, “No, haven’t told anypony. I mean, it would be useful for the guard, but I haven’t had the time yet. Why?”
“Because it might not be a thestral thing, it may be a ‘you’ thing,” she said, “Illusions are part of your domain.”
I had not considered that.
“Maybe,” I admitted, “I’ll have to test it. What about you, you notice anything?”
Midnight smiled, “Mostly that magic has been getting easier. It might just be practice, but some difficult spells I had to work for before, I can do easier now. Even teleporting is getting easier.”
“Really?”
Midnight nodded, “At least when it’s just me. Might still be practice, I’m teleporting a lot more in Nocturnis than when I lived anywhere else, but Tempest thinks tha-” she paused as her voice broke slightly and she sniffed, “...Sorry…”
I sighed softly and slipped my wing around her, “You miss her.”
Midnight squeezed her eyes closed tight, nodding before she leaned against me, pressing her face against my neck.
I just held her softly as she shook in silent sobs.
“It’ll be alright,” I whispered softly, “We’ll find a way for it to be alright.”
Midnight shook her head, “It won’t. I-I’ll never see her again. A-and I talked to Luna.”
Oh.
“You will,” I told her firmly, “You send me home and I’ll talk to her. She’ll want to come join you here.”
Midnight shook her head again, looking at me, “S-she won’t come. Page, she thinks her duty is in Nocturnis because you healed her horn. She takes that seriously.”
I shook my head, “We’ll find a way. Maybe if I order her to go?”
Midnight sighed softly, “...She’d come then, but she would be unhappy,” she said quietly, “...and it’s not just Tempest. It’s everypony else we left too. Starry Night, Glide Slip, Steel Circlet, Twilight and Sunset and…”
Her voice broke again and I pulled her close as she started to cry again.
I didn’t really know those first three, but I knew they were friends of hers in Nocturnis. I had met them of course, but I didn’t know them.
I stroked her side gently with my wing as I just let her cry. She was right. There was no good solution here.
It took a long time, but she slowly started to fall asleep as she cried herself out.
“...I’m sorry,” she mumbled softly, “...I got snot in your coat…”
“That’s alright,” I said quietly and stroked her back softly, “Just get some sleep. You’ll feel better tomorrow. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
But it was already too late, she was already deep asleep.
Very carefully, I moved my wing from her and slipped off the couch. I looked at her for a second before looking around and moving to get her blanket.
Had to do it by hoof and mouth, didn’t want to risk waking her by using magic knowing how sensitive she was to feeling it.
Settling the blanket over her, I then silently retreated and left the room.
Next time I see Discord, I’m going to punch him in the face.
Why would he punch discord, again? I forgot.
Celestia might want to think about saying goodbye to twilight and sending her back. I know that she is supposed to be there but most of the stuff twilight and the girls took care of well anyone can do it if they work together and Celestia is the boss but she lets the head of eea to spout racist notion which don't make a lick of sense and almost offend the leaders of many nations.
11310596
discord brought midnight to the pageverse
I Realy hope that they end up making something like the mirror to sunsets world.
When they find a way to send Page back, go with him and ask the others if they want to come as weel. I am sure Celestia finds another pony to take over after her retirment. Starlight or Trixie for example
11310596
well he started the whole multiverse shenanigans by pulling Midnight out of the time loop against Starlight, Link to Chapter
Midnight attacked Amber because she was a Changling, Page retaliated and destroyed with his shot the time scroll unintentionally; the Tether to here Timeline etc.
11310596
Because everything traces back to Discord trying to Stupidly prove a Point to page that got Twilight, Midnight, redirected from the Time Fuckery into their World. But even then that is unfair to Discord as they had no clue anyone would pull her and Talon back.
Damn... Discord of Page universe did the Pageverse a major favor, but this universe Twilight a major missfavor.
Discord might just singel Claw destroyed Celestias and Harmonys plan for Twilight Alicorn Sparkle... Than again he give the Pageverse a major boon.
Page: okay Discord, you're off the hook
*not even an hour later*
Page: I have a new better hook with extra barbs!
Discord: *snap, snap, snap* damn you chaos immunity!
The hardest lesson in friendship is learning that friendships can change; that you cannot make everyone happy.
If Midnight stays, Page may be able to keep Nocturnis from feeling she betrayed them by telling a story that she died saving his life, or couldn't come back for some reason, but his world and Midnight would be miserable, and the 'canon' world will one day realize what they did simply because they wanted thier Twilight back, forever staining thier hearts with guilt.
But if Midinght returns to Page's world... losing thier Twilight was a punch in the gut to the 'canon' world, but seeing thier princess of friendship willingly leave them would be more akin to stabbing them in the heart. Both sides can't win unless a two-way portal is possible.
That being said... Midnight is being a bad princess of friendship right now, hiding her feelings. She needs to talk to her friends, all of them. The mane 6, the CMC, the Princesses, her family. They all need to sit down and Midnight needs to tell the the truth. How she feels. They got along without her through the Storm King, they can survive. (In fact, following true Canon, the only remaining threat is Chrysalis, given that Cozy won't have a school to overtake and Stygian is stuck in limbo.)
If the 'canon' world truly loves Twilight... they will set her free. The only question is will she come back to them.
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It's not unfair, Discord did this from pure envy toward Page, despite not knowing, if he will be able to reverse it. And only later finding out he couldn't.
He seriously hurted not only Midnight and Talon, but also a lot of persons in two universes at once, only because he felt slighty angry. And he didn't even show remorse or even sayed sorry at any point for this. This was act of actual mindless malice.
Discord does bring that impulse out in people.
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I think that "bad princess of friendship" is a bit harsh, and kinda not really true. She's experiencing a separation from a loved one that's almost as final as death, without anyone actually dying. As far as I know, she has never dealt the loss of a loved one before, and she's not only facing that but also losing the home she helped build and put her heart into on top of that. This is new, it's heavy and it hurts her and completely unfamiliar to it on top of trying to put on a "brave face" for Talon, a child who also experiencing the same thing. It's not a stretch of the imagination that she's not thinking as clearly or rationally as she normally would be.
Thanks for chapter!
Have a good day!
*In the Pageverse Discord's spine shivers and vibrates uncontrollably*
*When Page finally returns to his pony dimension*
Page: Hey Discord?
Discord: Yes Page?
*Page slugs Discord so hard he falls from Nocturnis's throne room all the way to the ground floor, and from the landing he heard this sound before he passed out unconsciously.*
https://youtu.be/HMvbXapVmvs
It’s all doom and gloom until someone remembers the mirror portal, and begins studying it to create one to go to Page’s Equestria.
At least, I hope it would go to Equestria, and not his Earth.
MEANWHILE IN THE PAGEVERSE JUNGLE PYRAMID...
Discord: So my wormholes and Cadance's crystal balls can't get to where Page is but YOUR eyes and ears can observe him??
Statue: Pretty much..by the way Page wants to punch you in the face.
Discord: Great! Not only I can't walk around Nocturnis publicly AGAIN, I'm back to square one with Page! THIS IS NO FUN!
Statue: Could be worse. You could STILL be trapped like a statue like me.
Discord: At least this pyramid won't be too bad. Time to do some re-decorating!
Statue: If you make this pyramid into a Willy Wonka's factory, I'll stop relaying Page updates.
Discord: FINE! I'll keep things dank and boring, you ancient piece of---WAIT. How do you know who Willy Wonka is?! Does this mean you ARE an alternate version of Page after all?!
Statue: .....*activates shut down maintenance mode*
Discord: Hey! HEY! You can't avoid me forever! COWARD!
To quote Aragorn: 'The hasty stroke goes oft astray.'
Midnight needs to get over the initial anxieties and think rationally before making a decision. She has the time to settle and do this while working on the fix for Page. And let us not forget Talon in all this either.
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11310810
Well, Starswirl is still out there in suspended animation...
11310626
Assuming she does retire. There's also the issue that Starlight and Trixie are both decidedly mortal.
No grammar jackboots to be found today, well done!
11310596
mostly because he started this mess but also because he wants to punch discord in the face, though page should probably maybe know by now that messing with gods or godlike beings often has consiquences
11310883
Please, like there isn't something Celestia could set up for them to overcome that little obstacle. Who knows whatr she keeps hidden in her secur faults
11311075
I would hardly call mortality a minor obstacle. There's a reason there aren't many Alicorns running around and based on precedent it isn't because Celestia's been hoarding the elixir of life or whatnot. Plus I seriously doubt Starlight or Trixie would be good candidates. More likely she would have to wait until another prodigy with the right qualities came along... Which is hardly certain, given Sunset.
Of course, she could just pass everything over to Luna, assuming Luna actually wants the job solo.
Nice
Hmm... might be an indicator on how to find and open the door back to his home--quantum resonances with the magic in each dimension, after all.
Midnight: "Try doing a fire spell, Page."
*Page shoots a fireball across an empty field that erupts into a stable wormhole*
Midnight: "YIPPEE! WE DID IT! "
Talon: "Uh--they're all melting over there--well, except for Princess Celestia and the dragons...."
Midnight: "ohshit! SHUT IT DOWN! SHUT IT DOWN, NOW, PAGE!"
Page: "I CAN'T!! "
Farside Celestia: "You should've known not to rely on a single point of failure in your spellwork, Midnight! "
Hiver *clicks on TAG and Complete buttons*: "Well, this story suddenly took a very dark turn!"
What if they made a mirror or semi permanent portal?