The walk back to the train station from the Royal Canterlot Archives was almost completely quiet, except when Spike occasionaly groaned from his upset stomach. Twilight Sparkle looked incredibly tired, the fear and adrenalin that had pushed her through the last few days had vanished, and there were several occasions where she looked like she was five seconds from just falling on her face. Pinkie Pie just bounced along, humming something that seemed to change tune every five minutes or so. Ditzy Doo kept staring at either Midday or the Doctor, who seemed to be focused mainly on his own thoughts, though she could swear he was keeping strangely close to her.
*****
Once they got back to Ponyville, Pinkie hopped away, still humming. Ditzy headed off toward Fluttershy's house, while the Doctor just vanished. Midday lifted the small groaning dragon onto her back, while making sure Twilight Sparkle didn't pass out, which she looked like she would do at any moment.
Once they got back to the library, which was devoid of any showboating unicorns Midday noticed, briefly wondering what the mare was up to at that moment, before lifting Spike onto a cushion to groan further. The little dragon looked like he was about to pass out as well, even with his stomach pains. She turned her head to see Twilight shakily making her way up the stairs, still wearing the badly torn spy outfit and eyepatch and bandage from the other day. Midday followed after her, watching and making sure Twilight went to bed instead of reading. As the mare slowly climbed into her bed a smile came across Midday's face.
"Now Twilight, I don't want to see you waking up in ten minutes trying to do some studying. You get some sleep."
Twilight mumbled something as her eyes closed, and not even after a few seconds, she was out like a light. Midday just stood there, looking around at the room, still covered in scattered notes and books and charts from the other night. She felt the urge to say something, and decided eventually to just put a blanket over the mare.
'Sweet dreams, mom' she thought, as she walked out of the room, a faint snoring noise just barely reaching her ears. She walked downstairs and saw Spike, also sleeping, a tiny smile on his face, although at the moment he was probably dreaming of anything but ice cream.
A thought occured to Midday and she went downstairs to fetch a bucket just in case Spike's stomach woke him up again.
*****
Meanwhile, several hundred miles from Ponyville, in the tiny town of Dodge Junction, a bright red pony named Dust Bowl was happily minding his own business, attending to the usual affairs of his day. Until he saw a familiar sight walking the streets, a deep blue coloured stallion with bright orange hair, and the Cutie Mark of several stars walking past the street.
He rushed over to the pony.
"Comet Chaser?" He asked. The pony looked up at him and smiled.
"Morning, Dusty" he said calmly.
"What are you still doing here? I thought you said you were gonna go to Ponyville?"
Comet Chaser looked down at his hooves.
"I was" he said, quietly. "But... I don't know. I got second thoughts. Maybe I shouldn't."
"Why not?"
He looked up at his friend. "Well, the place is just crazy, and it's right next to the Everfree Forest, and the other day, Cerberus attacked it."
Dust Bowl shook his head. "You're scared of meeting this mare, right?"
"No. No, I'm not scared" He said, his orange eyes shifting wildly.
"Maybe nervous, perhaps, but not scared."
Dust Bowl frowned. He'd know Comet Chaser for a while now, he liked the guy, even if he was a bit nerdy and had a tendency to ramble on about things Dust Bowl had absolutely no understanding about, but Dust Bowl was the sort of pony who liked everypony he met, the town funster, in a sense (though in a town like Dodge Junction he wouldn't ever get away with the sort of insanity that Pinkie Pie would get away with in Ponyville). But right now he was annoyed at Comet Chaser, who had spent the last few months mooning over some pony he'd been dreaming about, and then a few weeks ago, a mare matching the one he'd been thinking about had shown up. He remembered his friend eagerly declaring he was going to go to Ponyville, once he'd asked that lady Cherry Jubilee about the mare, how he'd sworn he was going to track her down and find out her mystery...
And apparently that was all horse-apples.
"Okay, CC, I'm going to tell you something" The dust-red pony frowned, and when he spoke it was clearly and distinctly, "You are an idiot."
The ameuteur astronomer stared at him.
"Look, I... don't believe in destiny, or fate, or whatever it's called," the pony continued, defying all sense, since common knowledge was that a Cutie Mark was a sign of fate in action (which like all widely believed things was largely wrong), "But the way I see it, you clearly are meant to find this mare. If you're having dreams about this mare, and there's a version of her running around in the real world, then I'd have to say it's probably a really good idea to go find her, right?"
The two stallions stared at each other for a moment, neither saying anything.
"Just give it a try, buddy. Just get on the train, and go to Ponyville and find her!"
Comet Chaser opened his mouth, but Dust Bowl's glare shut him up.
"Nuh-uh. You. Train. Go. Now. Ponyville." He said. The blue pony stared at him for a few seconds more. Then he turned and headed in the direction of the train station.
"Clever boy" Dust Bowl said, turning and planning to head back to the small saloon he ran, not the main salt-lick in Dodge Junction, but certainly the most cheerful. Then he stopped, and decided to follow his friend to the train station, just in case.
*****
Back in Ponyville, and a pensive Time Lord stared at the screen, his mood growing steadily more and more irritated.
"This isn't possible" he frowned. He had followed the pony calling herself Midday Eclipse because, as far as his not-inconsiderable mind could determine, she was the reason the TARDIS wouldn't fly anywhere, though it wouldn't say why. He'd scanned her in every fashion he knew of, and a few he'd made up, even gone looking through her head, and found nothing. As far as he could tell, she was just an average, ridiculously powerful unicorn. And yet the TARDIS wouldn't let him leave, simply because of her.
He was aware of a knocking noise on the front door, and sat there for a moment, staring at it. He decided to see who it was, and opened the door. Standing there was a grey-furred, blonde-maned mare with a Cutie Mark of bubbles, smiling at him.
"Hello?" he asked. She smiled at him.
"Doctor" she nodded, "I was wondering if you wanted to talk about something"
He stared at her. The mare seemed nice, an average sort of completely normal pony who just happened to have stabismus. She was not a world-breaker, or an heir to a mighty empire, a universal anomaly or a little child whose home had become connected to an interdimensional prison. She was just a mailmare with a little girl to look after. But there was something about her he could easily understand, the long buried desire to see more. And from all appearances, he'd woken that desire.
"Alright" he said eventually, smiling slightly.
*****
As it turned out, Spike had needed the bucket Midday had placed next to him. As the mare moved about, opening the windows and hoping the smell would disappear eventually. After a while Spike spoke up.
"I'm never eating ice cream again..." he muttered, before looking up at Midday, who was sitting on the comfy chair near the window.
"Never say never" she smiled wryly. After that, the day proceeded apace, with Trixie eventually returning to the library at lunchtime, smiling as she went.
"Somepony's in a good mood" Midday said. Trixie just turned her smile on the unicorn.
"Of course, Trixie feels on top of the world, like she could do anything."
For a few seconds after that she just grinned. Spike and Midday exchanged looks.
"Go on" Midday said. Trixie just laughed.
"You'll see. Tomorrow, you will see." And at that she walked through into the kitchen.
"What was that all about?" Spike asked, before leaning over the bucket again.
"Guess we'll see tomorrow" Midday shrugged.
*****
The rest of the day passed without incident, save the Cutie Mark Crusaders making another attempt to get their Cutie Marks, which had resulted in them being catapaulted halfway across town somehow, though nopony was willing to ask where they'd got a book on siege warfare.
*****
The next morning, Midday and Spike were woken up by Trixie excitedly dancing downstairs. Midday rubbed some sleep out of her eyes, and turned to look at the still slumbering form of Twilight Sparkle, only apparently in her slumber someone had placed Smarty Pants inbetween her hooves, and it seemed Twilight had noticed, since she was holding the doll close to her in her slumber.
"How long's she going to sleep for?" Spike asked. Midday looked at him and shrugged.
"She'll wake up when she wakes up. Now come on, I want to see what's got Trixie acting like a foal on Hearth's Warming eve."
The two walked downstairs, only to find no trace of the mare. The spare keys belonging to her were gone, and they found a note lying on one of the work desks. Spike looked at it.
"Just says to show up at the park after lunchtime. Doesn't say anything else" He frowned.
Spike and Midday had breakfast in silence, before the mare said she was going outside for a walk. Spike just nodded, having realised last night that with Twilight asleep all day he could probably do whatever he felt like. Then his smile vanished.
"Midday?" He asked. She stopped, halfway out the door, and stared at him. He looked nervous about something.
"Why don't you just tell her?"
She blinked, before realising what he meant. She closed the door and walked back over to him.
"Because... the longer you put it off, the angrier Twilight's going to be when she learns."
"I know, Spike" she said, calmly, quietly, "I'm working up to it. I'll tell her on my birthday. I promise."
Spike thought about this for a moment, and seemed to agree with the idea.
"Okay. That's in a few days right?" He asked.
"Yeah. A few days" She said calmly.
*****
Midday only managed to walk for about ten minutes when a certain pink pony started bouncing around her.
"Hey, Midday! It's so great out isn't it?" Pinkie smiled, before something occured to her.
"By the way, I need to know if there's anything you'd like for your birthday party because it's not a birthday party until you're enjoying yourself and you can't enjoy yourself if it's not exactly how you want it a-"
"Yeah, Pinkie, but I was just wondering if it could be..." she tried to think of the best way to phrase things to Pinkie, "I don't know, a small afair?"
Pinkie stared at her for a moment, her smile still there but there was something in her eyes, and it was worrying.
"Okay" the mare said eventually, "Now..." Her smile returned in an instant.
"Are we talking fifty ponies small, thirty-five, twenty, or are we going to go smaller than that, because any smaller and it's not really going to be a party, I me-"
Midday just laughed, though not at Pinkie, but because of. There was something truly infectious about the mare's good mood, and her eagerness and her smile.
"You know what, Pinkie?" she said, "How about you figure out the details, and get back to me, okay? Or make it a surprise?"
Pinkie considered this, then her smile grew. "Okie-dokie-lokie, I'll make it the biggest, surprise-iest surprise you'll ever see!"
And with that she bounced away, her smile wide and her mind no doubt racing with a dozen different ideas on what was a suitable surprise for a birthday part. Midday wondered whether she should have told Pinkie to leave out any crocodiles or spiked drinks.
Just for a moment, she found herself thinking that perhaps this birthday would be alright, for once.
*****
Just before lunchtime she returned to the library, to find Spike sitting, reading a newspaper to himself. Or, as it turned out, a tabloid, which this week lacked any speculation as to whether anypony was Celestia or Luna's secret lovechild. Instead it was covered in speculation on the nature of Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding, which hadn't actually been announced, and from what Midday could remember, there had been a media blackout on the whole thing. So much so that the tabloids weren't actually sure who it was who was getting married, and had managed to out-do themselves in rampant speculation. One or two of them even questioned whether Celestia was the one getting married.
Midday ducked into the kitchen, partially because she was hungry, and also because it would stop her thinking about Shining Armor, Cadance or Changelings.
Halfway through her sandwhich, Twilight descended from upstairs, looking better than she had in days. Her bandage had been removed, her outfit had been discarded (and possibly destroyed, especially if it had been given to Rarity for repairs), and her eyepatch was gone, revealing her eye to have healed completely. She also smelt like she'd just been in the shower.
"Good afternoon" she smiled, as she walked over to the stove.
"Afternoon" Midday said, finishing off her sandwich.
"Anything planned for the day?" the mare asked. Midday shook her head.
"Nothing. Except, perhaps checking out whatever it is that Trixie has planned, which I'd say could only be one thing."
"And what's that?" Twilight asked, as she took a bite out of her daisy sandwich.
*****
The two ponies, and one dragon, stared at the small stand in front of them. Well, actually it wasn't in front of them, there was a medium-sized crowd inbetween them and the stand.
"Where'd all these ponies come from?" Twilight asked. Midday looked about, and found Rainbow Dash sitting near the back.
"Rainbow Dash" she called out. The mare looked over at her, and waved an almost casual hoof at her. The two hadn't spoken since the trip to Canterlot, but Rainbow Dash seemed to have stepped off of her suspicions of Midday, or perhaps she'd just stopped caring, considering this younger Rainbow Dash seemed almost impossible to keep the attention of. Either way, she seemed disinterested in Midday.
'About time' she found herself thinking.
"Hey" Rainbow Dash grunted, "Come to check out whatever's going on?" she smiled.
"You wouldn't happen to know why everypony's here would you?" Midday asked. Rainbow Dash looked at her.
"Well, there were all these flyers around town, telling everypony to show up here. And Scootaloo and her friends being 'Cutie Mark Crusaders Town Criers', telling everypony to show up today."
The mare grinned. "I think they're getting a bit low on ideas."
Midday just shook her head. "Then explain why they're right over there, handing out ice cream"
Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spike's heads all turned to see three fillies that were indeed handing out free foods, like they were at a Wonderbolts show or something. Midday's attention was taken up by a thing stallion on the other side of the crowd handing out odd-looking things that could have been mistaken for food, who was staring at the three ponies with a calculating look.
(It is of course a proven universal constant that wherever there is a crowd big enough, a being of the relevant local species will be there to sell product at cut-throat prices, even among species that have no monetary system. What scientists have not yet proven is how they stay in business.)
"So" Twilight asked, "Is Trixie about to do what I think she's about to do?"
Spike looked at her.
"You don't think she is?"
Ever since she'd taken over a new leaf, Trixie had been proclaiming that she would return to the stage 'soon enough', that she just needed to fine-tune her act, and she would be restored to her former glory. After a few months of that, even Rainbow Dash had stopped making sarcastic jibes, but it seemed that Trixie had finally decided she was going to put word into action.
"LADIES, AND GENTLEPONIES" A familiar voiced boomed, silencing the crowd of ponies.
"She is" Twilight said, audibly impressed.
"YOU HAVE SAT IN WONDER FOR TOO LONG!" the voice continued, as Rainbow Dash guffawed, tucking into a box of popcorn she'd procured from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"NOW, BEHOLD THE RESTORATION OF THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE AMAZING AND STUPEFYING!" there was a pause, followed by the sound of a drumroll.
"THE INCOMPARABLE, GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRIXIE!"
The mare leapt out onto the stage, and was met with almost total silence, save for a few polite hoof-stamps. She seemed to take this in stride, however.
"Trixie admits there were ponies she wrong in her first visit to this wonderful town, but this will be a show unlike any you have seen before! Cast all your previous knowledge about Trixie from your mind, and watch..." her voice went quiet...
"In awe!" Fireworks soared into the sky, as she reared onto her hind legs.
*****
It was... different that Midday had heard of. She started off with small sleighs of hand, a few illusions and tricks, nothing truly serious. Then something she paused, and appeared contemplative.
"Now, Trixie's next act will require a volunteer" her voice went serious and quiet, "But... no, nopony could be brave enough to volunteer for what Trixie has in mind."
This was apparently a cue, as a small voice piped up.
"I'll do it!" A tiny grey hoof shot into the air. Trixie beamed.
"Perfect."
Up onto the stage rushed a unicorn filly, beaming away like the sun. Midday recognised this manner of act. Trixie was supposed to choose somepony out of the crowd, although there was never any choice, the partner was pre-chosen. And for whatever reason she'd chosen Dinky, of all ponies.
"AMETHYST!" the recognisable voice of Dinky echoed. All ponies turned to look at who she was yelling at, a startled looking magenta unicorn mare who from the sound of it was Dinky's sister (or half-sister), Amethyst Sparkler.
"Don't look at me" She said defensively, "I had no idea about this."
"Do not worry, young Dinky, Trixie can assure you" The magician said slyly, "That she knows exactly what she is doing."
The filly looked like she was struggling to keep some vast secret to herself, and barely succeeding. Trixie moved toward the litte filly. Midday could only see one side of her face, but she could guess there was a lot of whispering and winking that only a few in the front rows would see.
It was the oldest trick in the book, as far as stage magicians were concerned, the Trixie she'd learnt from had said: Make a heck of a lot of noise in one corner of the stage while you disappear the pony in the other (and then Trixie had muttered something about tigers out of nowhere, and refused to elaborate).
*****
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a train slowly came to a halt at the station. Ponies began to alight, including one with deep blue fur and orange hair, and a Cutie Mark of several stars.
He stopped, and sniffed in the scent of apples, and another scent he couldn't recognise. He set his jaw, and began to walk. He wasn't really sure of where to find the mare he was looking for, but he'd find her.
*****
Trixie's little show went on for a while. Everypony recognised, more or less, that it was nothing more than a warm-up, probably because while Trixie had managed to regain her bombastic attitude, she wasn't feeling entirely confidant in it. Dinky had been disappeared by a simple trap-door, and Trixie resumed, showing off new magics, including a convincing illusion of an Ursa Minor which she zapped with a bolt of lightning.
"No messing about levitating water towers for this mare!" She had declared, looking straight at Twilight Sparkle as she said that. There were a few laughs from the crowd.
Eventually the show finished, and the crowd dispersed, Twilight, Midday and Spike remaining to talk to Trixie. Midday noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Ditzy waiting as well, and decided not to question what they weren't doing at school on a Wednesday.
"That was interesting" Twilight said, and Trixie bowed.
"I was taking it slowly. After all, a good magician doesn't reveal all her tricks in advance."
She looked about the small stage, and a grin went across her face.
"What did you think of that Ursa Minor? Pretty convincing right?"
Twilight opened her mouth to make a remark about scale... and then didn't.
"Impressive, especially considering the last illusions I saw you make on stage were..." she looked about, nervously, but Trixie waved a hoof.
"Don't worry, Trixie knows her old work was sub-par. This is a new Trixie, all-new and amazing and ready to take life by the horn. With my brilliant assistant, of course" She nodded towards Dinky.
"We're going to have a talk about that" said Ditzy, approaching the mare. Trixie grinned sheepishly.
"Trixie can explain everything" she said quickly.
"Then start talking" Ditzy said, her voice never raising
"I think we should go." Midday whispered to Twilight, who looked back at her.
"I think you might be right."
They walked away, Dinky and the Cutie Mark Crusaders rushing past them, giggling slightly. Behind them, Ditzy Doo and Trixie had a long discussion about Dinky. Midday watched as the fillies rushed about, completely cheerful, and remembered what Ditzy had said, how she wasn't sure whether Dinky had any friends her own age. It looked like the Cutie Mark Crusaders were doing their best to fix that.
*****
Ponyville wasn't usually active on a Wednesday, so Twilight went to Sugarcube Corner while Spike rushed back to the library. Midday decided to accompany Twilight, mainly because she felt like she had nothing better to do.
"Goodness" Twilight exclaimed, stopping in her tracks, "I'd almost forgotten."
"Forgotten what?" Midday asked. Twilight looked at her, her eyes blazing with the look of a Twilight Sparkle who was prepared to study something.
"It's almost the time of the dragon migration. And it's going to pass by Ponyville" She squeaked eagerly, "These are once in a lifetime opportunities" she said, beginning to bounce slightly in her step.
"Not for you" Midday muttered, as the two walked into Sugarcube Corner. Mrs Cake was minding the store today.
"Twilight Sparkle, good afternoon" she smiled.
"Good afternoon, Mrs Cake, how are things?"
The mare smiled an uneasy smile. From the looks of it, she wasn't getting enough sleep with Pound and Pumpkin around.
"Well, the little ones are having a nap right now, and Pinkie appears to be planning an upcoming party, so right now everything's quite quiet" Twilight looked at a selection of cakes on display, nodding slightly.
"Although..." The mare's voice went quiet, "Actually Twilight, there was a pony looking for you earlier."
Sugarcube Corner was usually busy, but on a lovely day in March, most ponies would rather sit out in the fields rather than staying inside, and it was slightly after lunchtime, when most ponies were full already, so Mrs Cake's statement was loud enough for Midday to hear.
"Really?" Twilight asked. Normally the ponies who came to her door wanting to be her apprentice knew where she lived already, so this pony was obviously different. Midday felt a strange tension in the air.
"Yes. And I know you have a lot of ponies showing up on your doorstep these days" Mrs Cake shot a glance at Midday as she said this, "But this one was so unusual. He was carrying a drawing of you and asking if anypony knew where you lived. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just said I had no idea and sent him on his way."
Midday listened to this, and felt incredibly nervous. "What did he look like?" she asked, her voice incredibly low.
Mrs Cake shuffled slightly. "Actually, dear, he looked similar to you. Deep blue fur, orange hair, orange eyes."
Midday paused. Something didn't sound right about all of this, about any of what she was hearing. A pony who looked like her was asking for Twilight Sparkle, in Ponyville. She quickly rushed outside, ignoring Twilight as she tried to ask what was going on.
She stood outside, staring into the sky, thinking about when she'd attacked Discord, how he'd gotten angry, and done...
Nothing. He'd done nothing. Hadn't he? She looked about the streets. She was aware she was forgetting something and it was incredibly important. In her memories a phantom voice without a source started speaking.
She kept walking along the street, without aim or purpose, just thinking to herself, until she saw him. A stallion, probably in his late thirties, holding a piece of paper via magic and asking passers-by if he'd seen the pony on it. He had deep blue fur, though nowhere near as deep as Midday, bright orange hair, the exact same shade as the two stripes running through Midday's hair, orange eyes that were a few shades off from her own, and a Cutie Mark of several stars.
It wasn't possible, something inside her head said. It was completely impossible. And then it came roaring out of her mind, as if cutting through layers of memory.
A pony shattering into dust in the wind. Yelling with her mother, her descent into the Underworld itself to look for him. And there he was. Standing there, completely alive and well.
It was impossible, her thoughts screamed. He couldn't be there. It made no logistical sense whatsoever. But she was staring at him and he was there.
Then he turned, looking confused and alone and a bit frightened, and as he turned she began to stride towards him.
He couldn't be there, she told herself, so she had to find out why.
'Later' she told herself. Right now she was going to make absolutely sure it was him.
Her legs began to beat against the ground and a wide smile went across her face, as she ran towards him.
*****
Comet Chaser sighed, gently folding his picture. Whoever the mystery mare he was looking for was, nopony in Ponyville had seen her. He'd even checked what seemed like the local hang-out for everypony in town, and he was certain the middle-aged mare there had recognised the pony in his picture. He looked up at the sky, and thought about the dream he'd had, of sitting on a hill-top with a mare sitting next to him, just calmly looking at the stars, and how he'd woken up feeling tears on his cheek, and how it had felt so real.
'But' he told himself, 'perhaps it was just a dream.'
He was aware of a strange noise, and turned to see a mare rushing toward him, before skidding to a halt. She looked like she was in the middle of a psychological episode, and he considered whether it was an idea to ask whether she knew the pony he was looking for or not.
Then he noticed she looked an awful lot like him, how she had blue fur (but slightly deeper), and orange eyes (though these were darker) and a curious Cutie Mark. And she was staring at him, straight at him, as if he was about to spontaneously explode.
"H-hello?" he said, shakily. She lifted up a shaking hoof and lightly prodded him. A smile instantly began to move across her face.
"Is s-" he didn't finish. She suddenly grabbed him, still smiling and said something that took him completely by surprise.
"Daddy!"