Everypony was blown! They couldn’t understand what they had just witnessed – Midnight had performed some kind of ritual and the result had created this hellish thing before them, sneering at the looks on their faces and revealing his fangs, his mane and tail blistering flames, his coat black like oil with the same shimmer of oil in water, his eyes red with bloodlust, and a horn that had curved up and smoothed out.
Wherever he stepped he left behind a flaming hoofprint, heat waves shimmered around him, making him look like a bad dream come to life, and that’s exactly what he was.
Behind him, Midnight Blaze laid unconscious, his coat paled and his mane turned white. He looked sickly and helpless, as though his very health had been sucked dry.
“You-” All eyes turned to Twilight, who looked on the verge of spazzing out. “You’re not Midnight!”
“Twilight, you hurt me,” the creature acted upset but his voice and manner were spurious. “Of course I’m Midnight! …Or rather, I was a part of him, a part so vile and depraved he endeavored to hide how disgusting I made him feel from all of you!”
“Well I’m gonna make you feel the hurt!” Rainbow started flying at the creature who smirked and stomped his hoof.
Instantly, a monolith of dark crystal erupted from the ground, into which Rainbow Dash went splat!
“Simmer down, Rainbow Crash,” the creature sniggered, “the grownups are talking.”
He turned his attention to Twilight and went on.
“Although, dear Twilight, you are half-correct that I’m not Midnight Blaze. I need my own identity, it must be alluding, foreboding…”
Twilight was put off by this abomination’s air of aloofness but worked up the nerve to demand, “Who are you and what have you done to Midnight?!”
He mused with an impish smirk before perking, “Ah! Howsabout you all call me… Midnight Terror! Alluding, foreboding, it’s perfect! It’s me… As for your second question, I have done nothing to Midnight! Well… if you’re referring to just now. Because honestly, heh-heh… I’ve been having a lot of fun toying with Midnight these past months…”
“Explain yourself,” Twilight demanded, everypony watching the exchange as Terror sneered.
"Do you recall that night, dearest Twilight, back in the time when friends meant nothing to you, when they were but a distraction to your sad pursuit of being a perfect teacher’s pet? Look back and think… what did poor Midnight do to help you? What was it he did to prove himself worthy of the Element of Faith?”
Everypony looked at each other in confusion, whispering questions while Twilight searched her memory.
What did Midnight do to prove himself as the Element of Faith? …He…
It slowly began to dawn on her as she recollected the night she and everypony sans Blueblood and Soarin journeyed through the Everfree Forest to the Castle of the Two Sisters in order to find the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon.
When she had been whisked away by the Mare in the Moon and initially failed to power the Elements, Nightmare Moon had fired an energy bolt at her, but from out of nowhere, Midnight had shielded Twilight with his very body, injuring himself.
“He… he protected me from Nightmare Moon!” she said aloud in realization.
Chuckling, Terror smirked, “Smart girl… You see, my poor, little, pathetic ponies, I am more than just some evil that has haunted Midnight’s dreams and spurred his undesirable habits into light, I am… I suppose you could almost call me… the reincarnation of Nightmare Moon!”
Everypony gasped at Terror’s words as he went on.
“As you all recall, before she was Nightmare Moon, she was her esteemed and Royal Majesty, Princess Luna of the Night! Heh, and because she was jealous of big sister, it made her vulnerable to an evil none of you can begin to understand… This evil took hold of Luna and turned her into that frightful creature you faced on the Thousandth Summer Solstice since Celestia imprisoned her so long ago. When Midnight selflessly took that blow meant for you, Twilight, the evil had left within him a wisp of itself.”
Twilight felt her heart ache as she recalled that terrible moment and how touched she’d been Midnight had literally put himself on the line for her.
“This wisp seeded itself within Midnight. It took time to grow since this waste of flesh here" - He cruelly kicked the unconscious Midnight - " Heh, not exactly the baddest cat in the whole damn town… But in certain moments, when he felt angry at something or someone, when he felt that dark temptation of taking vengeance… the wisp of the evil fed on it, and invigorated Midnight to get down with his bad self, yo, heh-heh-heh! Under the influence of this evil, he tricked a cockatrice into turning itself into stone, and once he made sure nopony was watching… he shattered the helpless creature to pieces!”
Fluttershy gasped in shock as she remembered that night when Midnight protected her and the crusaders from the cockatrice. She had no idea what he’d done to it!
“Then there was the time when that airhead seamstress went and got her dear little self ponynapped by those mongrel diamond dogs who wanted to enslave her and use her nifty little gem-finding spell. After you all went to rescue her and found her not needing it, you all turned to leave. But Midnight remained behind a short moment and cast a spell to bury those beasts alive!”
Rarity was horrified! Sure those brutes had been rough and tried to enslave her, but she wouldn’t wish being buried alive on anyone.
“And when that whiny dragon of yours was having identity issues, and you sent the boys to keep an eye on him, Midnight helped protect your little Spike from some teenaged dragons by crippling their wings!”
Soarin and Blueblood were shocked that Midnight had done something so cruel as to render creatures that could fly forever earthbound.
“And then as the evil began to gain more strength, it formed a consciousness, and I began to haunt Midnight in his dreams… His fear, his anger, his frustrations, all of it and knowing how it made him squirm was just priceless…! But then I got tired of being nothing more than a bad dream – I wanted a body, and I intended to take Midnight over. First however, I had to break the loser down. How he changed, how it made him act, and none of you thought or cared enough to truly be there for the poor thing… How alone he felt, how afraid he was! How desperate he became to be rid of me!”
Now it was all starting to make sense, Twilight feeling the guilt dampen her spark, suffocate her, but Terror wasn’t quite done.
“By a stroke of luck, Midnight came across a tome to a ritual that he wanted to use to exorcise himself of me! And it worked… just not how he had hoped! The means weren’t what I originally intended but the results speak for themselves! I’m out! And before long all of Equestria will be faced with a choice.”
“And what choice is that?” Twilight asked and the answer Terror gave them was devoid of emotion.
“Bow… or burn…!” A wicked glee spread across his face as he began to chuckle darkly before throwing back his head in barking maniacal laughter!
“Seize that creature!” Blueblood shouted and everypony charged past Twilight, Terror sneering.
“Stand back you fools!!!” He reared up and stamped his hooves, igniting a wall of flame to cut them off as he himself was engulfed in cursed fires and Flamed away, his evil cackles lingering in taunting echoes.
“He’s gone!” Thunderlane gasped as everypony looked around to be sure the monster had left.
“Midnight…?”
They all looked and felt their hearts sink as they saw Twilight kneeling down and holding Midnight’s head. He looked so frail, so helpless, and didn’t stir. Only his slight wheezing indicated he was alive. Twilight felt her heart break as it all fell upon her in realization.
Midnight had been struggling, desperate for a solution to find a way to free himself of this burden, and all she had done was stoke the flames that were burning away at his sanity by her confronting him when he’d snuck into her home. Her demanding of answers he was too afraid to give had backed him into a corner, leaving all he could do was to lash out.
And when he realized what he had done, he had been crushed with guilt, a guilt, Twilight, that had only spurred him further into his desperation.
“Sugarcube?”
Twilight looked up tearfully at Applejack, who was also shedding tears as she knelt down in front of her friend and ailed brother.
“We need t’ get him some help,” she stated.
“…You’re right, Applejack,” Twilight gently put Midnight’s head down and looked to Big Mac and he instantly nodded in understanding. Twilight carefully enveloped the unconscious unicorn in her aura and even more carefully placed him onto Macintosh’s back.
“Thunderlane, Blueblood, accompany Big Mac, the rest of us are gonna head to the hospital and alert them of Midnight’s condition!”
In Canterlot Castle, Celestia furrowed her brows as she gazed at the cover of smog over Ponyville, slowly but surely spreading like a destructive oil spill. If nothing was done soon, it would blot out the entire sky, block away the sun, poison the clouds, and all of Equestria – nay, the entire world – would be in danger.
“I can’t believe you’ve done this…”
From the shadow of the awning over the balcony, the Hooded Pony slipped out, his head hung heavy with guilt.
“…I can’t believe I did it either, Your Majesty, but it sickens me to justify myself and the situation with this simple reason – It is necessary.”
“You stole that book from my secret sanctum…” seethed Celestia, her resplendent mane and tail intensifying with a harsh radiance. The Hooded Pony held up his cloak from the heat.
“I should’ve destroyed it long ago.”
“Had you then everything you know, everything you love, all of it would have been for nothing,” the Hooded Pony maintained. “Princess, I had a similar conversation with Shining Armor before the wedding. I told him the events and all involved, good and bad, had a role to play. Furthermore, I told him that as long as he had faith, it would all work out, and it did. I say the same to you, as well as bring up that the time has come for old sins to be redeemed, mine and his.”
“His?” Celestia echoed as she looked curiously at the Hooded Pony. From the folds of his cloak he levitated out a something she had not seen for over a thousand years, and it began to dawn on her.
“…I need a quill. They’ll want to know help is on the way.”
Everypony sat in the waiting room of Ponyville Hospital. Big Mac held a sniffling Fluttershy, as Rarity rested her head on Blueblood’s shoulder, Soarin had his wing around Rainbow, to comfort her as well as discourage her squirming. Pinkie Pie fidgeted so much Applejack had to hogtie her to sit still but out of them all, Twilight alone stood in front of the doors, looking up at the letters that read ‘Emergency Room’.
They had delivered Midnight to Doctor Stable and done their best to explain but Stable had only gotten a gist of what they said before insisting they get out of the way so he and Nurse Redheart could get their patient in for medical diagnosis.
Twilight prayed with all her heart they’d find a way to help her student, her friend. She even dared to think of him as the one.
Please… Don’t give in, Midnight!
“Twilight! Everypony!”
They all jolted to see Spike run in, waving a scroll as he panted, “Twilight…” – Pant! – “The Princess…” – Gasp! – “sent me this…” – “Real… important…”
Spike almost keeled over but Thunderlane caught the little dragon while Twilight took the message and read it aloud for everypony to hear.
“‘My Dearest Twilight,
I have sensed a great darkness has made itself known and fear for the safety of Ponyville. From Canterlot I observe a mass of smog spreading across the heavens over Ponyville and it is for this reason I remain in Canterlot, to use my power to try and contain whatever this haze may be, if only to prevent whatever sinister purpose its origin may have.
But do not despair, I have already sent somepony to help you. He should arrive not long after you receive this message. Who this help is may surprise you but I give you my word he can be trusted and his area of expertise will be vital in stopping the threat, whatever it is.
If you do not have the Elements of Harmony with you, I urge you and your friends to collect them as soon as possible. The spell I placed upon them to protect them from Discord Forgive me, Eris, should prevent this entity from touching them but take no chances.
I pray you are safe and will keep a clear head.
Sincerely yours,
Princess Celestia’.”
For a few moments, silence.
And then Thunderlane asked, “So then… somepony’s coming to help?”
“I wonder who it’s gonna be!” Pinkie gasped, “Maybe it’s Eris, or Shining Armor, or some totally unexpected form of aid we’d never expect in a bajillion years!”
“I just hope that whoever it is really can help,” Fluttershy wiped away her tears as Big Mac held his arm around her shoulders. “But even more, I hope that Midnight will be okay!”
*Ding*
All eyes turned to the emergency room doors as out came Dr. Stable, looking troubled before Twilight asked the million bit question.
“Doctor, how is he?”
“He’s… not good, Miss Sparkle,” Stable explained morosely. “We’ve run every test, considered any feasible explanation, we just can’t accurately diagnosis Midnight Blaze’s condition! What I can tell you, is, although biologically speaking he should be sound Midnight’s health is… deteriorating.”
“What’s that mean?!” Rainbow Dash looked around for anypony who had an answer.
"It means..." Soarin said sadly, "Midnight’s health is just getting worse, Dashie.”
“Exactly,” Stable sighed. “Right now, Midnight is in what appears to be a magically-induced coma. He’s still breathing, his heart’s beating, there are several burns across his body that we healed with little trouble, but right now, he is just… lost in a dreamless sleep.”
Everypony shared troubled looks, shifted anxiously but then Stable added, “There’s one more thing. There is something wrong with Midnight’s mana. Like Midnight himself, it’s growing weaker, but what’s disturbing is… it appears to be missing something. Like… his magic itself is incomplete, I’m not sure how to describe it because I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Perhaps I can shed some light on the situation.”
All attention turned to the source of the voice and everypony gasped, Thunderlane and Big Macintosh especially.
“Sombra!”
It was indeed the former tyrant king of the Crystal Empire, once infamously known as the Unicorn whose Heart is as Black as Night.
Sombra stood there, looking hesitant yet standing his ground. He wore nothing except for saddlebags strapped to his barrel, his ash gray coat recently brushed, his ebony mane swept back, streaked with dark blue, his eyes were green, and his cutie-mark was a three-point cluster of red crystal. He stood taller than everypony present, including Big Mac, and he had a strong build that showed some impressive muscles, large but not bulky.
Blueblood and Soarin stood in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash respectively, Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane’s wings raised as though ready for a fight, Big Mac narrowed his eyes while Fluttershy pressed against him nervously, and Twilight’s horn subtly lit up as she considered what sort of spell to use.
“What’re you doing here?!” Thunderlane demanded.
Sombra opened one of his bags with his magic and levitated out a paper stamped with something that caught Twilight’s eye.
“That’s the Royal Seal!”
“Indeed, Twilight Sparkle,” Sombra nodded sagely. “This document will explain I was charged by Princess Celestia to come to help the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, as well as their Guardians, however I can.”
“Hi!” Pinkie popped up in front of him, startling Sombra, “I’m Pinkie Pie! I’ve heard lots about you, that you used to be a real meany-pants but I also heard Midnight made you nice and good. You seem to know Twilight, so I’ll introduce everypony-”
A zipper conjured and sealed Pinkie’s mouth shut, making her throw a stink eye at Twilight, who shook no, “Not now Pinkie!”
Pinkie pouted and moved out of Sombra’s way as he approached Doctor Stable.
“If I may, doctor, I would like to examine Midnight Blaze myself.”