//------------------------------// // Two Minutes to Midnight // Story: All Hail, Midnight Sparkle! // by MisterEdd //------------------------------// "Thanks for letting me in, Applejack. I really needed somepony to talk to." Applejack nodded in understanding. "It's no problem, Sugarcube. Now tell me what's on yer mind." The two sat in the kitchen of the Apple family house, a glass pitcher of fresh apple cider and a few sliced apple wedges situated on the table between them. Applejack was in the middle of her daily chores when Spike came up to her and asked to speak to her, looking absolutely distraught and inconsolable. Dropping everything to help her friend, she led the drake inside and waited patiently for him to let her know what it was that was eating at him. Spike wrapped both hands around his cup, staring into the golden liquid as if searching for answers. Finally, he let out a sigh. "It's about Twilight. Ever since that business with Sombra, she starting...changing." Applejack nodded but said nothing, knowing full well what he was talking about. "At first, it was minor stuff, like forgetting things or having trouble sleeping. And then after beating Lord Tirek, things just got worse. Now she's having full-blown nightmares that keep her up all night and just exploding for no reason." "Yer worried 'bout her. Ah am too. Just tha other day, Ah saw her yellin' at a pony fer accidentally bumpin' into her when she walked by," Applejack stated worriedly. "Ah'm not sure if it's missin' Sombra or tha stress of bein' a princess but Twilight's in some serious need of help." Spike sniffled, his green eyes moistening with tears. "I don't know what to do. She won't talk to me, just insisting that everything's fine when it isn't. I look at Twilight and sometimes I don't know who she is anymore. It's like...it's like living with a stranger." Applejack pushed her chair back and quickly made her way to Spike's side, placing a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "There, there, Spike. Things'll work out. They always do." "I don't know about this time," Spike sighed sorrowfully. "Why don't we mosey on down to Sugarcube Corner an' see wha Pinkie's up ta?" Spike gave a sad sniff and nodded. "Okay." ~*~ Twilight Sparkle anxiously paced around her room back and forth like a caged lioness, her mind a torrent of frustrations and negative thoughts. She rubbed at her aching temple, wishing that her migraine would abate and despite all of the medicine and magical remedies, it continued to plague her relentlessly. Of course it did. Lately, things have been progressing from bad to worse with no end in sight, no reprieve from the insurmountable stress that she had to endure. She had Spike cancel all of her appointments and sent the drake out for some leisurely time just so she had a minute alone to herself. It's those ungrateful ponies. Twilight reasoned, gritting her teeth while her body trembled with seething rage. They don't appreciate what I do for them. Especially my so-called "friends." Friends are supposed to help each other, aren't they? The Voice whispered. Whenever somepony has a problem, no matter how insignificant, Twilight was the one who was expected to fix it. Everypony goes to her for help and advice in the misguided belief that she just has all of the answers. What about Twilight? When can somepony else take the lead and let her rest? She may be a princess but she's a pony like everypony else! For saving Equestria time and time again, she deserved it! A series of knocks rang out, breaking Twilight's concentration. Who dared to interrupt her?! Following the intrusive pounding, which were amplified by the castle's crystalline walls, she arrived at the front doors and magically yanked one of them open. There, on the doorstep, there awaited that funny-eyed mailmare. Twilight frowned at her disapprovingly. "Yes?" Derpy, ignorant of Twilight's snippy tone, beamed widely. "Hi Twilight! I got a letter for you!" "A...letter? From whom?" The pegasus held out a sealed enveloped in one wing. "All I know is that it came from Manehattan. There's no name or return address so who knows who it's from." Twilight snatched the envelope and turned away from Derpy. "Well, I hope you enjoy your letter and have a nice-..." Slamming the door in Derpy's face, Twilight hastily ripped the envelope open and roughly unfolded a sheet of paper covered in small but neat hoofwriting. She gasped at the familiar calligraphy and quickly read the letter, hungry for the details that it provided: My dearest Twilight, I know that I am late in writing this and even later in its delivery. Many times have I jotted these words down but I've had the most difficult time in composing them in a proper manner. I know that it has been months since we've last spoken and that in all that time, I could've sent you a thousand letters comprised of my experiences whilst on my travels. However, aside from my current legal state, I found that I could not contact you out of fear that doing so would distract me from my journey. Hearing back from you would no doubt result in me dropping everything to be in your embrace once more. The truth is, I still have no clue as to my place in this world, a world that has moved on since my banishment. Good, evil, harmony, chaos. It's a strange place this new time where such concepts are absolutes. Over a thousand years ago, things were not so black and white. It was a period of war and strife, where survival meant fighting for what was yours in order to protect yourself and your kin. Nowadays, ponies don't have to live in such a way, letting the law and societal niceties dictate their every move. If somepony runs into you, you can't retaliate with physical force and the police are brought in to handle the situation. I learned that lesson the hard way. My point is, I still feel lost and it's taking time to adjust to the changes made in my absence but I'm doing what I can to get with the times. I hope that this letter comes to you during a time of personal joy and fulfillment. Even now, it's astounding that the mare that I'm writing to is a princess, a leader and model citizen for the rest of Equestria to admire. I am so proud of you and if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my foolishness, then I eagerly await your correspondence. I am here for you til the end of time. Love, now and forever, Sombra Droplets of salt water dotted the letter as Twilight finished the last line. She dabbed at her cheeks and held the letter tightly to her chest, almost as if contact with the paper were tantamount to feeling her coltfriend's warmth. For an instant, all of her anger and hatred vanished, washed away in a flood of her love for the umbrum. For all of his faults, Sombra certainly had a way with words. This is so touching. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," they say. You know, Sombra would be here right now if it wasn't for Celestia. She's the reason he can't tell you this in person. And like that, the malice filled Twilight once more. "You're right. Celestia wants Sombra for herself and is keeping me from him." Yes! She takes everything that she wants, regardless of how others feel! A bright cyan light filled Twilight's eyes. "Dear Tia, always being selfish. Almost as bad as that treacherous Luna!" They must both pay for their actions. All must pay. "All will pay." Twilight took a few wobbling steps to the left and shook her head in confusion. "Wh-what was I saying? Sleep. I need sleep." ~*~ Sugarcube Corner, the center for sugary goodness and entertainment for Ponyville, was surprisingly slow that afternoon so Applejack and Spike had no difficulty in obtaining a private table in the back of the shop. The Cakes were busy attending to other customers so Pinkie Pie could join the two in their discussion involving Twilight's deteriorating state. Pinkie deflated upon hearing Spike's account and gave her own two bits on the matter, having become privy to the situation herself through her own interactions. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity soon were added to the meeting, the lack of customers aiding in the confidentiality of their conference. After an unhealthy feast of sweets, they all swapped stories and observations about their friend. "I was simply telling Twilight that the dress she was admiring didn't match her coat color and she went ballistic!" Rarity said in her usual dramatic fashion, though this time it was warranted. "Said something about not asking or needing my input." Fluttershy gulped, "Yesterday I asked Twilight for help relocating some robins' nests and she told me that she didn't have time to worry about...'stupid birds.' Rainbow Dash placed a wing over Fluttershy. "I don't know what's wrong with her but she needs to get over it!" "Ah don't think it's that simple, Dashie. With everythin' that's been happenin' lately, Twilight's been under a tonna stress." "Maybe we should do something to take her stress away!" Pinkie exuberantly declared. "We just need to remind her that we're all here for her!" "Pinkie, darling, I don't think a party is what Twilight needs right now," Rarity frowned. Spike scratched his chin pensively. "It wouldn't hurt to try, right? Things just keep piling up so Twilight feels restricted, right? Maybe a party is exactly what she needs right now." Applejack beamed at the dragon. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we throw Twilight a party ta show how much she means ta us!" ~*~ With the sun lowered and Princess Celestia retiring for the evening, Princess Luna once more tended to her nocturnal duties, namely raising the moon and patrolling the dreams of Equestria's citizens. She entered the Dreamscape, a world between worlds that served as the realm of fantasies but also nightmares. It was here that she protected ponies from their darkest fears, offering guidance and protection as they contemplated the events of their waking lives. There was one, however, who required her immediate attention. Fellow princess Twilight Sparkle was in serious need of aid and Princess Luna was happy to oblige, providing assistance to the mare who freed her from Nightmare Moon's influence and helped her to adjust to the new eon. Passing through a warbling hallway of doors, each one the residence of an individual pony's nighttime self, Princess Luna soon arrived at a particular door, one violet and adorned with the cutie mark of a twelve-sided white and pink star. Tentatively pushing it open, she entered to find herself in a castle of some kind surrounded by an endless maze of bookshelves, all of them reaching towards an unseen ceiling. It figured that Twilight would dream up such a place. She navigated her way through the literary labyrinth to happen upon a mildly shocking sight. Twilight lay curled up on a large chair next to a roaring fire, a book levitating in front of her face. What made this surprising was that the mare wasn't alone. Sombra himself was seated comfortably beside her, a foreleg draped over her withers, a warm smile of contentment dominating his features. At their hooves lay a pair of foals playing with wooden blocks, a colt with Twilight's color scheme and a filly that resembled Sombra. Although this was hardly what Princess Luna herself would conjure up, it was heartwarming nonetheless and she silently approved of the dream. Neither seeing or feeling anything amiss, Princess Luna elected to make her way back to the door and exit Twilight's hopeful reverie, content in her friend's happy imaginings of a future that may or may not ever come true. Closing the door behind her, Princess Luna strode back through the hallway, her mind uneasy despite the sight she'd just witnessed. Spike's letter had informed her that Twilight was suffering terrible nightmares every night for months and yet nothing appeared to be wrong. The Princess of the Night was confounded. How can one suffer from nightmares if she couldn't even sense any signs of emotional or mental turmoil in the Dreamscape? This required further study but for now, she had other ponies to see to and the night did not last forever. ~*~ Upon Luna's departure, Twilight's hypothetical paradise wavered and ripped away, revealing the portrait of horrors concealed underneath. Ponyville was demolished in flames and rubble, the peaceful town buried beneath a thick cloud of smoke and ash that reached up to claw at the blood-red skies above it. The Elements of Harmony lay shattered next to the destroyed Friendship Castle. A charred stetson tumbled through the dirt as a torn Wonderbolts' uniform fluttered on a piece of debris. Sugarcube Corner and Carousel Boutique had both been leveled and a pile of yellow feathers were scattered by the winds that ripped through the empty town. The only sound that echoed in the ruins aside from the still-crackling flames and howling winds were that of agonized weeping. A filly knelt in the dirt and soot, strongly resembling Twilight Sparkle. This was all her fault. She wasn't smart or strong enough to protect everypony. They all believed that she could keep them safe but they were sorely mistaken. A pair of slitted, dark green eyes penetrated the darkness followed by a malicious grin. "Soon, Sweet Luna. Soon."