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!"