Blaze the Pony Tale

by Wolven5


129. The Midnight Dour - Part 9

At Sombra’s instruction, everypony got to work. Big Mac and Soarin brought a wagon, onto which Sombra placed the crystallized Terror, instructing them to transport the demon to Sweet Apple Acres. He instructed Twilight to find for him a magical conductor to connect their prisoner with Midnight, and also instructed Fluttershy, Rarity, and Thunderlane to fetch Midnight from the hospital and likewise bring him to the farm.

Before long, everypony was at the farm, right in front of the barn house.

Terror had been placed securely onto a metal pad, the edges engraved with some strange runes, and a cable composed of a specially-prepared metal was tied around the prisoner while the other end was gently attached to Midnight’s horn. Midnight was lying on a bed that had been set up and he looked the same as before, the only difference was he looked thinner. Almost emaciated.

Sombra had also brought a bowl and a small quartz crystal, Twilight asking, “What’re those for?”

“If all goes well, you’ll find out,” Sombra replied cryptically. “Everypony! Let me explain what’s going to happen here. Even as we speak, Terror is being dissolved inside his prison.”

“Ugh, dissolved?” Rarity echoed while the others showed similar expressions of disgust or looked confused.

“Exactly. Though he looked it, Terror was not truly flesh & blood,” Sombra explained, “rather he was a manifestation of the combined essence of the Whisperer and Midnight’s inner darkness that coalesced into a physical form. The crystal in which I entrapped him has reverted him into a mana-like state. Once we are fully prepared, I will send that mana along the conduit into Midnight’s horn. After that, it’s all up to Midnight…”

“Whattya mean?” Big Mac asked, his tone concerned and almost demanding. “Wha’s gonna happen t’ mah brother?!”

“The point of this procedure, Big Macintosh, is to reunite Midnight with his inner darkness,” Sombra went on. “But first he must accept the worst side of himself, and trust me… That is not going to be easy.”

“Everything’s ready, sir,” Twilight reported, sounding hesitant as she looked at her beloved student, and remembered their first kiss. Please, Midnight… be strong!

“Very good,” Sombra approached the conduit bridging the tainted essence and the weakened guardian. His horn flared as he cast a spell, vacuuming the prismatic prison of all the energy inside, sending it along the cable, and everypony watched as the energy flowed along the conduit straight to Midnight’s horn.

However, the moment the energy touched Midnight’s horn, his eyes snapped open and he screamed!

“Quick! Hold him down or he’ll ruin the procedure!” Sombra yelled as he double-tasked in maintaining the spell and keeping the conduit attached to Midnight’s horn, and instantly, Big Mac, Thunderlane, Blueblood, and Soarin each took one of Midnight’s hooves as he struggled to free himself. He screamed, whimpered, but never said a word. His horn emanated darkness and a glimmer of light that struggled to shine, his eyes glowing completely white, as he was stirred from his oblivion.

”What is it…?”

He opened his eyes and found himself in an open field of flowers, the babble of a brook nearby, and somehow he felt like he knew this place.

He stood up on his hooves and looked around, seeing the distant mountain with Canterlot, and he suddenly realized!
”This is where I first woke up in Equestria!”

And yet, something was not right. The sky was a dismal gray, the flowers bland and lacking any fragrance, the grass beneath his hooves dry and dusty. There was no sun, no clouds, the air left an unappealing taste in his mouth, and it felt cold, like winter was just beginning to settle in.

”Why am I here…?” he wondered. ”The last thing I remember…!”

The ritual. His friends arriving just as he’d completed it, and before that, Twilight crying when he’d lashed out on her. He felt his heart ache, his ears droop, and he sunk to his belly, as he felt the tears well up.
”…What did I do? How could it come to this?

He sobbed into his hooves, wishing to fall back into whatever void he had been in, so engrossed in his self-pity, he didn’t hear the hoofsteps.

Because you’re weak!

Midnight gasped and flinched.
That voice…!

He slowly looked up from his hooves and the pony glaring down at him with eyes blazing with hate was himself!

But not exactly – If Midnight had a picture of himself in a negative spectrum, this pony before would be it. This Midnight in front of him had a coat like molten gold, a mane of pure white aside from the streaks of sunshine yellow. Such colors wouldn’t seem so scary but it was the eyes!

The scleras were pure black instead of white, the pupils were red like blood spilled upon snow, and they were filled with the kind of hate or rage one might have against someone who they had trusted, only to be betrayed in the most horrible way.

And this Midnight was surrounded by a shadowy aura, invoking the worst feelings one could feel and for all the worst reasons.

Midnight realized what this pony was!
”You’re… you’re my…!”

*THWACK*

The other Midnight punched the real Midnight square in the snoot, making him fall back onto his back, and groan in pain as he held his aching muzzle. He checked and saw he was bleeding.
”Wha- Wait!”

*BAMF*

The Other Midnight didn’t let up as he whammed his hoof against the side of the real Midnight’s head, and the sheer strength of the blow sent him tumbling across the field a few yards.

“I am going to enjoy snuffing you out!” the Other Midnight snarled, not at all sounding pleased, but rather focused by a singular hatred of this Midnight who had betrayed him.

He walked over to the groaning blue Midnight and stomped onto his back, making him cry out in agony.
“You brought this upon yourself!!”

Now, now, my friend, let’s take our time with him…

The Other Midnight looked towards the end of the field and saw it – That black infernal thing that had accepted him, made him strong, shown him the way. It was a shadowy thing, surrounding in a haze, the figure of a pony just barely perceivable in it all. Its every step caused the dreary grass and flowers around it to wither into mulch.

The Good Midnight somehow realized what this thing was!
”You…! You’re… the Whisperer!”

Yes, yes I am… the Whisperer replied in an menacing tone. It’s voice was harsh, like the crack of bone. Your annoying friends and that ingrate Sombra might have put us in a bit of a setback, but their little plan will fail… once we break you, Midnight Blaze!

The Whisperer reared up and brought down its forehooves, causing a tremor that shook the ground beneath them, and Midnight watched in horror as the landscape around him shattered like glass!

Not only the land around him, but the sky above, and everything became a black void with naught but small pieces of land and familiar sites here and there, drifting about as if lost in the cosmos.
“What is this?!” Midnight gaped around fearfully, the Whisperer snickering.

These are you’re the sites of some of your memories, some in particular we’ll be reviewing.

“And once I’ve forced you to see the kind of lowdown piece of filth you are,” the Other Midnight growled as his golden coat started to blacken, “you will break! And then there will be only Midnight Terror! AUGH!!!”

Terror lunged at Midnight, who’d managed to get to his hooves and dodge-roll out of the way. Thinking quickly, Midnight quickly tackled against Terror, knocking the dark stallion down but Terror lashed out with his rear hoof, kicking Midnight under his chin.

As they fought, the ground around them darkened and the trees nearby began to wither. But the two angry stallions were too engrossed in killing each other to notice.

They both reared up and tried to hit each other with their front hooves, and the more they fought the more Terror began to look like the monster he was when he was fused with the Whisperer.

The Whisperer watched in morbid glee, knowing the more Midnight fought against the worst side of himself, the more he only gave it strength. Soon, Terror would eclipse Midnight and break him, the Whisperer would take Terror and reawaken to the world and then truly would the Reign of Terror begin!


Midnight grunted and groaned as he was knocked down again, Terror leering at him hatefully.
“You have only yourself to blame! You feared me and sought to be rid of me! All you did was unleash a new evil upon Equestria!”

Spitting out blood, Midnight looked up at Terror, who had completely transformed into the monster he’d been in the waking world.

But then Midnight noticed something wrong around them. The trees had withered and died, the ground was barren, the nearby brook had become sludge, and dark crystals had erupted like thorns of broken glass here and there.

Midnight looked up at the memory sites drifting above as Terror extended a spear of fire from his horn.
“Ready to die?!”

He lowered his horn and lunged…! *FLASH*

The spear of fire impaled the dying ground and snuffed out as Terror stumbled plot over fetlocks. Vexed, Terror got to his hooves growling, “Come out, Midnight! Face your end like a stallion!”

Panting, Midnight looked around in the memory he’d landed, and saw, “The Library!

He was all but compelled to run inside, and maybe Twilight would be there, but then he noticed something.
“Th- That’s me!

He saw himself looking mopey as the other him walked hesitantly towards the library and knocked on the door.
“What is this…?” Midnight wondered.

Don’t you remember…? This is the night when you went to see Twilight after the love poison…

Midnight watched the memory of himself and Twilight, looking awkward and talking hesitantly.
It was also the night… she hurt your feelings!

There was some kind of dark ripple and Midnight gasped to see Twilight slap him in the face and slam it in her door.
“Wha- I don’t rem- That can’t be-”

But it is, Midnight… and that was just one of many hiccups in your sad pursuits in courting her…

The memory changed and Midnight gasped to see it was the Grand Galloping Gala! Luna was singing her gentle and alluring song, and ponies were dancing slowly as couples. And there he was, dancing with Twilight! But then there was another ripple and he saw Twilight yelling, ‘Ow! You stepped on my hoof!’

He felt his heart hurt as the scene unfolded with Twilight yelling at his memory self, not caring about the undue attention, and his memory self looked so hurt and uncomfortable that he teleported away.

The memory changed again and he saw his past self glaring down at the captured Chrysalis. Another ripple and Midnight watched in horror as his past self raised his horn, but he couldn’t watch and looked away. However he could hear the sound of a head rolling. He peered and was struck in his very core as he saw Twilight looking at his past self in horror.

How many times have you given into your darkest desires…? How can you dare to face her after the terrible things you’ve done…?

“I… I-” Midnight began to hyperventilate, on the verge of breaking into tears when…

”Ah-ha! There you are!

Midnight whirled around and saw Terror rise up from the abyss with a flap of flaming wings, leering down at him vengefully.
“I’m not through with you yet!”

He zoomed and pummeled into Midnight, the both of them flames of energy streaking across the drifting memories. As they tussled and fought, Midnight would have flashbacks of the memories they passed by.

He remembered Twilight’s mania and the ‘want it-need it’ spell.

Dash’s bad attitude during the pegasi’ training for Tornado Day.

Applejack’s unreasonable stubbornness from Applebucking.

Pinkie’s psychotic accusations after her bosses’ cake for the National Desert Competition had been ruined.

Fluttershy’s bullheaded jerkiness after that seminar she took from that blowhard minotaur, Iron Will.

Rarity’s vain and obnoxious behavior because of the wings she got from him and Twilight and how she showed them off in the Best Young Fliers Competition.

He remembered his guy friends teasing him unmerciful after his and Twilight’s unfortunate ingestion of that love poison.

He remembered how everypony avoided Zecora like the plague and called her a witch just because she was different.

So much bad behavior however minor or significant. As he thought more about it, he realized he’d seen bad sides of all his friends, all of them showing behavior stemming from spite, vanity, greed, anger, hubris.

And Terror. However much he reviled him, scared him, disgusted him, Midnight realized something.
He’s still me! …And I pushed him away.


Finally, the two of them landed in a familiar decrepit hall. Terror scraped his hooves along the stone floor, the sparks igniting them aflame as he lunged at Midnight and started pummeling him, Midnight trying his best to get away or block.
All I ever did, I did to make you strong!!! – THWACK – “Show me how strong you are without me, Midnight Blaze!” – POW – ”Show me!” – BASH – SHOW ME!!!!!!!!

Terror brought his hooves together and slammed them both into Midnight’s barrel, an explosive pulse sending Midnight flying straight into a wall, a frightful crack sounding, as Midnight slumped to the floor in agony.

Good, Terror, good…

Terror looked to see the Whisperer on some kind of platform. He then looked around and realized where they were.
“This is the Castle of the Two Sisters… where this waste of flesh protected that whorse Sparkle from Nightmare Moon…”

And where the seed to our destiny was sown… The time has come, Midnight Terror. Finish him, and assume your rightful place as the most powerful being in Equestria!!

As he lay there, broken, battered, unable to so much as cry out in the agony he was in, Midnight whimpered, ashamed, heartbroken, disgusted with himself.
What I wouldn’t give… to stop this. What I wouldn’t give… to see her one last time, if only to tell her…

But then something happened. Even in his fevered and weakened mind, Midnight saw Terror and the Whisperer weren’t moving, as if they were frozen in time.
“What just…?”


You are the Element of Faith. You, of all creatures, cannot give up.


Midnight suddenly found himself surrounded by clouds radiating the gentle gold of a sunrise, he was no longer in pain, and was literally floating.
“Where am I?”

The flap of wings drew his attention and he saw a figure flying through the clouds. For a moment, Midnight thought it was Princess Celestia, given it looked like an alicorn. But then he saw the mane and tail were different, in style and color. The alicorn came forward, radiating a gentle light and Midnight knew this was not Princess Celestia!

It was somepony above even her.

“Who are you…?” he dared to ask.

I am the beginning, I am the end. I am the maker, I am the breaker. the alicorn answered, and Her voice was unmistakably female.

But the voice itself! It made Midnight feel warm, loved, it made him feel safe as though he were a baby being held by his mother for the first time. It made tears, not of sorrow but of joy, well up in his eyes.

Be welcome, my foal. I have long been expecting you. the alicorn opened Her wings and smiled invitingly.

Midnight hunkered and hesitantly approached, so respectful of this creature before him, and before he knew it, She was holding him close in Her wings, hugging him to Her barrel, and Midnight couldn’t help but sob a little.

She gently shushed him and said, Walk with me, Midnight Blaze.

At Her words, a path of gold appeared and She alighted them onto it. She walked ahead for several yards, Midnight transfixed until he hurried to catch up.

“Are... are you…? He was too afraid to ask anything about Her.

I am the Creator of Equestria and everypony in it. Or at least, I am of the Equestria you are in.

Midnight looked at Her in confusion that it made Her laugh a little, the very sound of Her laughter making Midnight smile sheepishly, as though he were a silly foal who'd made his mother laugh.
You are confused, but I believe a certain princess explained something to you after you helped to defeat Nightmare Moon.

Midnight furrowed his brows as he searched his memories and as he did, he realized the Whisperer had been toying with him distorting some of his most cherished memories into visions of horror and hate. But then one memory called to his attention and it made itself known in his mind!

“You see, my little pony, there exist an infinite number of universe spanning the cosmos! Each a reflection of another, some so similar you could search a lifetime for any distinction. Whereas others…”

“Others like Equestria, so different, they defy comprehension.”

Midnight looked up at the alicorn in realization and She smiled at his understanding.
There is truth to Princess Celestia’s explanation – The Multiverse Theory is a truth many would dare to face if only to broaden their horizons whereas others would shy out of fear of the unknown, fear of seeing something they know to be true presented as foreign and unfamiliar.

“Kind of sound like what I was facing…” Midnight looked down shamefully, the alicorn stopping and looking at him inquisitively. “I was so afraid of what I would do if the evil inside became too powerful, I began to think of it like a cancer, and the only option was to cut out the disease… But as I fought him, I saw glimpses of my time in Equestria. I saw sides of my friends and family I was repelled by, some so ugly I was disgusted with them. But I was too afraid to realize that there was a side of me like that too.”

The alicorn touched Midnight under the chin and lifted his face to look at Her.
All of us hold darkness within, Midnight Blaze. All of us have faults, sides of ourselves we would rather ignore instead of face, too afraid to realize how important those sides of ourselves are needed to keep us balanced, grounded, how they can compel us to strive and endeavor regardless of motive.

It is only when we face the worst of ourselves with honest and open minds that we can embrace all that they have to offer and help us find a strength we never knew was there. But if you still have doubt, then allow me to give you glimpse of what can be…


She lowered Her horn and touched it to Midnight’s, and the moment they touched, Midnight found himself not seeing a vision, but living it!