//------------------------------// // Solace from Midnight // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Unova. Castelia City. Castelia Park. Afternoon. A surprising encounter has been made. Two Twilights have just met up. The one from Universe 6 and the one from Universe One who hailed from the Human World. Here at Castelia Park, the two counterparts from completely different universes had encountered each other. It was a surprise to both of them. Shocking to the Human Twilight but downright terrifying and brought horrible memories back to the pony Twilight. "So that's my pony counterpart...?" Human Twilight marvelled at her pony counterpart. She had already seen her Equestrian counterpart, albeit once, but never in her pony form. Although, this was clearly an older Twilight as she was the same height as Princess Celestia. But while the Human Twilight couldn't help but be amazed, the pony Twilight was haunted by this. Memories of what she had to endure thanks to her human counterpart swelled back to her. Something within Twilight went off. Seeing this counterpart reminded her too much of that horrible feeling. Being stuck in that dungeon for so long, robbed of so many of her years while her friends were also imprisoned elsewhere. Her entire life had been stolen by the Empress who had struck fear into everyone else just by having the same appearance. Twilight wasn't just terrified of her human counterpart, she was also vengeful. Similar to how Princess Luna possesses Nightmare Moon and how Daybreaker is a part of Celestia and so on, that same raging magic was boiling up within Twilight. The same type of entity was known as Midnight Sparkle. She was a constant force that lurked not just within the Human Twilight but also the pony Twilight. They were worlds apart after all, despite being from different universes. Midnight Sparkle rested deep within her at all times. And as if she was possessed, that was when Twilight heard a voice that was sadistically familiar. The voice of Midnight Sparkle. Despite hating this alter-ego, she was also within this Twilight as her voice spoke to her, encouraging this Twilight to do one thing. "You..." She spoke with her head down, channelling all of her anger into the horrible memories. No food. No water. No one else to be there with her for so many years to the point where everyone she knew and loved grew old, believing that their friend had betrayed them. "Huh?" Naturally, HumanTwilight wasn't sure of what was about to come next. Neither could she predict this. The voice of Midnight Sparkle resonated in her head. She hated this voice because it belonged to the one who put her in such a mortifying state. But it encouraged her to lash out. "You...You took everything from me!" This Twilight had the right to be vengeful and upset. The one who robbed her life and history was her human counterpart. Unfortunately, this anger was also directed towards this Twilight. Negative changes in her thinking and mood had emerged, causing a volatile reaction. A reaction that was so volatile that resulted in a furious Twilight unleashing a blast of magic from her horn at this human variant. The Human Twilight was aghast as the blast had narrowly been avoided. It grazed her sleeves, tearing a piece of it off while making a loud noise. The blast flew into the air as it was powerful and loud enough to alert everyone else within the park. "Huh?! W-What are you-" The HUman Twilight had no idea why this attack had suddenly been enacted. Deep down, Twilight knew this was not the same Empress at all, but the Midnight in her still wanted to release Twilight's bottled-up anger. A swelling pulse of magic that was fueled by pure anger had emerged around her before then targeting her human counterpart some more. And because of this anger, this allowed Midnight Sparkle to slowly claw her way out, gradually revealing herself. Deerling backed away after Twilight's raging aura appeared. Twilight screamed with a saddening fury which echoed across the area as the pulse of magic spread out. Afterwards, Twilight had ascended from the ground with her wings spreading out. A hint of Midnight Sparkle's magic also started leaking out, showing itself as highlights within Twilight's natural aura. And the Human Twilight noticed this all too well. "It's you..." She uttered as she could see that Midnight Sparkle was making a reappearance in someone else's body. As Twilight hovered there, the visage of Midnight Sparkle crept out, appearing above the alicorn. Her face was the only thing visible as she also had a purple energy to make up her visage. Already, Midnight Sparkle was able to show herself partially. All of those years of being locked up and forced to be alone with nothing else to do but sit around in a cold, hard dungeon that had a thick air to it had caused this. Thanks to all of that, Midnight Sparkle had a stronger urge to unleash herself as this kind of alter-ego magic was greatly connected to emotions. And nopony was feeling a rush of negative emotions more than this Twilight from Universe 6. However, instead of letting out a burst of maniacal laughter, this version of Midnight Sparkle was not feeling any form of happiness. It was nothing but pure anger that she was feeling. Midnight Sparkle took control once more, changing Twilight's magic from her natural purple into a light blue colour. The signature colour of Midnight. Out of her horn, another beam had been unleashed the Human Twilight made a run for it. The beam had hit the ground, causing damage to it as Twilight flew after her Human Counterpart. The people and Pokemon backed away as Twilight unleashed a continuous magic beam that tore apart the pavement and grass within the park. Twilight immediately fled from Castelia Park, running from a continuous beam of pure hatred. "You took away so much of my life from me!" She roared, letting everything that she held back out at last. The Human Counterpart quickly made a right turn, heading through an alleyway while using the smoke as camouflage. This allowed her to evade the enraged alicorn for a while. "Twilight! What's going on?!" Hisuian Zorua asked while closing her eyes from the sound of the beam tearing up the road. "It's her! Midnight Sparkle." Twilight sat in the alleyway, keeping her voice down. "I feared I'd see her again someday but...not from another me." "She's back?!" Spike gasped before getting back into his bag. The sounds of the beam taring up the ground had ended, but the counterpart from another universe was still on the hunt for Twilight. "I'm afraid so. She's possessed by her too..." Twilight gulped, holding her bag close to her. "But that means my counterparts under her influence right now. Midnight's getting to her in the same way she got to me." "What do you mean by that?" Zorua asked. "She said something about how it was my fault. Something happened to my counterpart and it somehow involves me. But...I don't remember what I did..." Inside Twilight's Mind. Meanwhile, within Twilight's mind, while was in a fit of rage, she found herself coming face to face with her alter-ego, Midnight Sparkle. Now that she had seen the individual that took her life, this parallel to the former Princess of Friendship could now show herself. "That's it. Let all of that hatred out." Midnight encouraged Twilight to lash out, floating around her. "It's good and satisfactory to unleash it all." "But it's not her." Despite this fit of rage, Twilight knew that this Human Counterpart was not the same one. "You heard what mom said. Multiple counterparts from different universes started leaving their worlds to see some Pokemon. She's another counterpart of mine, but she's not the Empress." "Does it matter?!" Midnight roared. "That face...just seeing it brings back those horrible memories! Don't they to you as well?! She locked you up for around 40 years or more and left you there to rot with no food or water. It's a miracle you even survived that long even with restrained magic." "I know but..." "Who's to say she doesn't have it in her? After all, I can tell. Somewhere deep inside of that counterpart, a variation of me exists. She could still become that same Midnight that robbed you of your life. Channel that anger. I already exist within you. You hate me as well, don't you?" "I do. You ruined everything for me." Twilight wept with tears rolling down her face. Indeed, she was already aware that Midnight Sparkle had always resided within her. "But...I always knew you were there." "What?" Midnight pulled back. "All those years I was trapped inside of that dungeon, I could hear you. You were upset just like me. I can't hate you since you and I went through the same thing. We're one and the same." Midnight Sparke couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her pursuit of revenge led her to believe that Twilight would do the same, but that was not the case. Not only did she know that this was not the same Twilight Sparkle who imprisoned her, but she also shared some empathy with her alter-ego. "That's rubbish!" Midnight Sparkle detested that, too blinded by rage to fully understand Twilight. "I say we get rid of any trace of Midnight Sparkle. She can return at any minute. Then...we travel the multiverse...and destroy all of them. Any Twilight that can possibly become her needs to be targeted." "I don't want that though! Please!" Twilight protested, but right now, her alter-ego was in full control. And she was going to be in control until she finds satisfaction. Back to reality. Midnight Sparkle gained control of Twilight's body for the most part now. Her magical aura was overshadowing Twilight's traditional aura now. Deerling still stuck by Twilight's side despite this outburst of rage. The Season Pokemon could see that something was amiss here. One second, Twilight was all peaceful and calm and the next she had the fury of a volcano. Twilight had a constant furious magical aura around her while moving through the air which forced everyone else away from her from just how fierce it was. As for the other Twilight, she knew that hiding wouldn't be the sure-fire option forever. "I need to help her," Twilight said. "You do?" Spike and Zorua both said. "I do. Midnight Sparkle isn't something I can't ignore especially since I have it as we. Plus, this whole city's in as much danger as Canterlot High was back then if something isn't done." Deciding to be brave instead of hiding forever, Twilight would step up and try to help her counterpart. If this was her in the past, she would've kept running, but not anymore. After thing things she's been through so far, Twilight's fears had been diminished, giving birth to an ever-rising sense of bravery and courage as she left the alleyway. "Where are you?!" The enraged alicorn thundered, searching for her Human Counterpart. She made a mild shockwave from her roar that almost pushed Deerling back. "I'm right here!" Immediately responding to her counterpart, Twilight had shown herself in the face of such a terrifying force that could destroy her at any second. She left the alleyway, barely standing up to the clearly superior pony counterpart with overflowing magic. Once she stepped out, the furious alicorn from another universe turned around to see her human counterpart. Her eyes were already flaring a light blue aura that had an unbridled intensity filled with a combination of rage and sadness. Universe 6's Twilight approached the Human Twilight, looking her in the eyes while also slowly descending. Zorua hid deep inside the bag whilst Spike stayed out. He couldn't bring himself to bark at this enraged alicorn because, at the end of the day, it was still Twilight. He could make out this scent as it was strikingly similar to his owner. "Getting rid of you will be the start of something new. All those years of being alone just because of one power-hungry pony. Ridiculous!" "Please listen for a bit!" Twilight held her hands out, trying to reason with the alicorn. "I don't know what happened but I'd like to know and help. What do you mean by power-hungry pony?" "You don't need to know much. All you need to know is that Midnight Sparkle must go. And soon, every other Midnight Sparkle that lives in every Twilight Sparkle." "Every Twilight Sparkle...?" "And after they're all gone...I'll eliminate myself. So that Twilight can have a wave of everlasting peace, free from the memories of what she had to go through." "I...I still don't get it. But I understand the Midnight Sparke part. You want to get rid of it as much as I want to. But does that mean I'm going as well?" "You're the big one...It was your counterpart from another universe that led to this horrible imprisonment for so long. Just seeing your face alone...you're the one who'll unleash a terrible magic, no doubt. You are the direct counterpart to her. The Empress." "I won't. Because I've already unleashed the magic before." "What?!" Now, Midnight was thrown back by this. This was not the response she was expecting, but this was mainly due to how she was unaware of the timeline involving this Twilight's universe. "I already did it. I became Midnight Sparkle once more. I unleashed the magic I didn't mean to unleash and almost brought upon a horrible catastrophe. Deep down, I was even thinking about becoming an Empress, just like you said." "Then...in your world..." Midnight was starting to think of the possible outcome of this Twilight already unleashing the magic. She wondered what it could mean since she was standing before her, looking completely fine. "If I'm a counterpart to another Twilight from another Human World, then she's probably done it already. But, in my world, I had friends by my side who helped me through it. Ash. Sunset and a few more to name." "Sunset?!" Midnight Sparkle was hit with another surprise. She had all the memories of that very day that Midnight Sparkle had attacked and taken everything from her. Midnight remembered the incident with Sunset Shimmer. In her universe, Sunset Shimmer failed, but from what this Twilight was telling her, the opposite happened. "Midnight Sparkle's still in me and I'm still afraid of her. I'm even afraid that she might come out again at the worst time. But I don't have to always worry about that when I know I have my friends to stop me if it all goes wrong. And I want to keep that magic back to make sure no one's hurt again. And if the same goes for every other Twilight Sparkle out there, then I'm wishing the same for them." Midnight took some time to process this. Despite being a complete counterpart to the Empress, there was a colossal difference that helped set her far apart. She had already conquered that specific timeline that ruined the life of this alicorn for years. It was concrete proof that it could be overcome. But then again, alternate universes have that luxury and all these possibilities. Deep down, Twilight smiled at this, wiping her tears away while Midnight Sparke was just thinking of a response. The enraged alicorn was struggling to do so. This one speech managed to backfire her plans greatly. And because of Twilight's smile, the positive energy emerged, overlaying the negative energy. "W-Wait...!" Midnight noticed that she was starting to disappear once Twilight's sadness was being stripped away. Since she was being powered by negative emotions, all it took was something sweet to push it back. "No! It shouldn't..." But before she could get her next word in, Twilight regained control without even doing it on purpose. The raging light blue aura faded away and was replaced by Twilight's natural and calming purple aura. The visage of Midnight vanished too with everyone at the park still feasting their eyes at this. Once Twilight was back, she slowly descended to the ground, feeling slightly winded. "Oh...." The alicorn held her head, almost falling over as Deerling ran to her side. "Deerling!" "Are you alright?!" Twilight ran over, helping her alicorn counterpart stay steady. "I-I am..." Universe 6's Twilight replied. Once she recollected herself, she took a moment to look at her surroundings. Even if for a moment, Twilight ended up causing some damage as Midnight Sparkle, mainly to the pavement and concrete ground. There was a visible path of destruction that had torn the ground up, leaving everyone here at the park surprised. Not the children though. To them, they thought it was cool. "Oh...Oh no." Realizing what she had done, Twilight lowered her head in shame. This was not what she was expecting when deciding to see some Pokemon. Twilight's biggest fear currently was seeing everyone look at her in a bad light because of the Empress. But now, she managed to make everyone look at her strangely without even needing the Empress' influence. Ashamed and embarrassed, she sat down, putting her hooves on her face. "Great...just great." "Hey, it's over now. No need to worry." But her Human Counterpart from another universe was there for her, along with this one Deerling from Deerling Forest. "There's a lot of reason to worry..." The alicorn replied with a low tone. "That was totally awesome!" The children further expressed their amazement with what they had seen. While others may be stunned in the wrong way, the children, at least some of them, would always find time to admire something that looked appealing to the eyes. And even if it was filled with violent intentions, magic was always appealing to the eyes. "Not all bad. But...let's head somewhere else." The Human Twilight suggested that leaving Castelia Park was the best option right now. The closest spot she could think of right now was Café Sonata. She held her pony variant up, leading her away from here with Deerling following along. "Sorry for interrupting your fun, by the way! Twilight then apologized to the people and Pokemon here for the disruption of the peace before leaving with the other Twilight putting on a bright yet nervous smile, not wanting this to be awkward at all. Café Sonata. Late Afternoon. Arriving at Café Sonata gave both Twilights, especially the pony one, time to wind down. She needed this after what had just happened so far. The Human Twilight meanwhile had ordered three bottles of Moomoo Milk and some Lemonade for Zorua, Spike and even Deerling. The alicorn took the lemonade immediately, drinking it as if there was no tomorrow. "Oh, thank Celestia...I needed this." That lemonade was super-effective as the moment she drank it, the pony felt refreshed. So did Deerling after drinking some of the Moomoo Milk. "Deerling!" "Professor Oak told me that this cafe was a nice place to get some relief. The drinks here are great." The Human Twilight replied. "Better?" "I feel better now. Still a bit bummed out from what just happened." The alicorn pouted. "It's fine. I've been there before." She laughed in response. "At least you're happy again and that's all that matters right now." "Mmm. You're right. Especially with what I heard earlier. About you overcoming that moment." The former Princess of Friendship then looked at the can. "In my universe...it wasn't a success much like yours." "Oh." The assistant to Professor Oak leaned forward. "So...I'm guessing your timeline had the opposite outcome. Was it during the Friendship Games?" "That looked to be the case when I showed up there. The same events probably played out but with a different end. The Midnight in my universe won while you managed to overcome yours it sounds like. And Sunset Shimmer and everyone else are fine?" "No one was hurt." The upstart trainer nodded in confirmation, making the alicorn feel relieved. "That's good to hear. I wish that was the same for my universe but...alternate universes after all." It was the moment that the pony Twilight was starting to find some disdain for alternate universes. She found the concept of them to be wonderful but considering what had just happened to her, it wasn't looking as bright in her eyes. "Trapped for so many years in that dungeon with nothing to do. Nopony to talk to or even eat and drink. "I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't know this Empress put you through something so horrible like that." "It was Midnight Sparkle who did so. Even if she's within us all as our alter-ego, she can be seen as another entity." Twilight then picked up the can with her magic. "The Twilight Sparkle within her has been locked away. She may look like us to a T, but in reality, she is just Midnight Sparkle." "Wait, so she's a separate entity?!" Twilight gasped. "Sort of. Midnight can take our place, hide our minds and replace it with her own. But...it looks like that didn't happen to you in time, thankfully. The same could've probably happened to me. But it fully happened with the Empress. At this point, Midnight Sparke is the real entity and Twilight Sparkle is just the alter-ego that's been hidden away for so long." "Ash told me about how she invaded the other world. I had no idea it was far deeper than that. So that's what would've happened if I was never stopped. Oooh..." The Human Twilight shuddered at that thought. Soon, she would've been a second Empress in the making. "But the words you said to me sparked up some hope. And I'm glad. Never thought it would be me that talks some sense into...well, me. Alternate worlds are weird like that." "They sure are." "I'm a little scared. Midnight could pop out from me, just like how your afraid of your Midnight Sparkle showing up again. But you gave me some confidence to try and overcome it. But I want to do more than that." "What do you mean by more?" "Well...I don't think my Midnight is the same as yours and especially not the Empress. My Midnight was the only company I ever truly had. She was always inside of me, but I could never talk to her. I could hear her voice every time, even when I went to sleep, but this is the first time she's ever been unleashed for me. And truthfully I feel sorry for her. Even if she's my alter-ego I still see her as me. Midnight's been stuck in that dungeon, feeling my pain too." "And you don't want to get rid of her, do you?" Twilight deduced her pony counterpart's intentions immediately after processing her sentences. "That's right. If I can, I'd like to help my Midnight. I want to free her from all that rage she's built up. It's possible but, I don't know the probability." "We can't know unless we try." Twilight then laced her hand on her counterpart's hoof. "That's something Ash said to me. You're here now and free from that dungeon. You've got all the chances to catch up with your life, right?" "Mmm. Right. At least, potentially less or more than you." Just then, the alicorn giggled. "Say what now?" Twilight raised her eyebrow. "Right now, I'm far older than you to be your true counterpart. You're still young and since I'm an alicorn, I'll live for a long time. But the same goes for you so...I'm your senior here." "Senior?! I thought that was what I would look like in the other world! We're not the same age?!" "Ah not quite. Not yet at least." She shook her head while her counterpart puffed her cheeks. "Aw..." The Human Twilight was mildly disappointed by that as the sun was slowly setting with the moon beginning to rise, faintly showing the starry skies. The two of them continued to chat for a bit at this cafe. It was clear as day that two Twilight Sparkles from two different worlds and two different universes could bond. A specific combo but it worked perfectly. Both of them had made new friends. Themselves. But after talking with each other about a highly serious situation and putting a patch on it for a while, they were able to form a new bond. Perhaps this was just the result of this one special day where various Twilight Sparkles from different universes come together. Perhaps. As the journey continues. Chapter 809 End.