//------------------------------// // 141. Magical Mystery Cure - Ending // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// As he approached Twilight’s door, his heart quivered like gelatin, and taking deep breaths didn’t help to steady it. Finally, he worked up the nerve and knocked. There was no answer so Midnight creaked it open, calling, “Twilight? It’s me. Can I come in?” His sharp ears picked up the sound of bed covers rustling and Midnight figured she was in bed with the covers over her head. He heard her grunt and grumble, muttering ‘feathers’, which Midnight very well understood. “Twilight? I’m coming in. We really need to talk,” Midnight slowly walked in and looked up towards the elevated area where Twilight’s bed was, seeing the blanket-covered lump. He walked up the stairs and found himself at Twilight’s bedside, her wings poking out from the covers. They were beautiful wings. “Twilight, please talk to me. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you.” Twilight didn’t stir but Midnight sighed. “Alright, you don’t have to talk back. Just hear me out… Heh, I’ve dreamed of this moment for years and- I’m at a loss, I don’t know where to begin” Again he received no response from Twilight and he sighed again. “Well, there’s something about that Summer Sun Celebration that might interest you, Twilight. It was the same one in Canterlot where you saw Celestia raise the sun when you were a filly, that glorious break of dawn that first inspired you to study magic.” That one got a reaction, as Twilight hesitantly pulled down the covers and barely peeked towards Midnight. “You, me, Shining Armor, Cadance…” Midnight sat on the edge of the bed as he reminisced. “The four of us were so close, Shining and I dreamed of joining the Royal Guard together, the both of us bet who would become the next Captain of the Royal Guard after my father. But then… all that happened and… Even as I earned my wings, the memories flooded back that I couldn’t process them all, is why I fell unconscious for a day and night. I dreamed a lot of my memories during that interim, remembering that day we met in Ponyville, how I protected you from Nightmare Moon, how you chose to stay and we both made Ponyville our home. “Then when I woke up, my ten year-old mind felt cluttered and confused, these memories contrasting with the memories I’d made with my parents and you, Shining, and everypony I’d known in Canterlot. Just because the old memories came back didn’t mean I was old enough to take them all in, I was still just ten years-old at the time! It frightened me to realize all that I’d thought I’d known about who I was turned out to be a mere tip of the iceberg… Celestia and I talked for a long time and, as I said, I blurted things out, knowledge of the future, which both intrigued and disturbed Celestia.” Now Twilight was sitting up as she looked at the stallion, unable to hide her curiosity. “When she learned about you, that you were the one she’d been looking for, the one she thought Sunset might be, she asked careful questions to determine our situation. Because the Equestria I knew in my past life did not know of me as an alicorn colt and that in my past life I met you for the first time in Ponyville, Celestia came to that conclusion that measures were taken to insure the timeline would progress without losing its integrity, and the only thing she could do to be absolutely certain was to make it so nopony who’d ever met me would remember me… and she sent me and my parents to live in the countryside until I was older or at least until my past self disappeared for the journey he-I undertook.” Midnight paused, looking hesitantly at Twilight, who lowered her eyes, as she whispered, “What were you doing all this time? All this time that you were hidden and kept away from the rest of the world, you had to have been doing something!” “Training, studying,” Midnight answered with a shrug. “My father and mother taught me as much as they could, and occasionally Celestia would visit to gauge my progress. I studied various arts of magic, world histories, archaeology, and mastered my alicorn powers while also re-familiarizing myself with my lunar pony powers! My father taught me combat and Stud Tsu’s ‘The Art of the Warhorse’, my mother taught me more… intellectual subjects.” “Who are your parents?” Twilight asked. “You’ve met them before, Twilight,” Midnight couldn’t help but smirk in a light-teasing way. “I mentioned them already during the story I told you all.” Twilight gave him a funny look before scrunching her eyes to puzzle out what Midnight just said before it hit her, “Captain Ignitus and Faerie Tail?!” Midnight smiled and nodded. “Mm-hmm, Princess Celestia chose them to be my parents for the reincarnation spell. I was… conceived a few months after Shining Armor was born. Near a year later, I came along. Our parents were friends, and they wanted their children to be friends. It’s how we eventually met! I can still remember seeing you for the first time! You were so tiny and cute…” Twilight sighed heavily, “I still can’t believe she did this… I mean, I can understand why but- Midnight, I am so confused! My head is telling me one thing about you but my heart…!” Twilight held her head, groaning in puzzling confusion, when she felt his arms embrace her, and she gasped a little. He was a little bigger now and certainly more muscled, but as she felt his embrace she felt that same thing, a warm feeling of safety and love. She looked up at him and they met each other’s eyes, and in them she saw that same beautiful turquoise, that ever hopeful glimmer that never went away and she whispered, “It really is you…!” Midnight couldn’t stop the tears as he smiled, “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you.” As the moon peered through the bedroom window, basking them in its serene glow, their lips met in a timeless kiss that spanned millennia in but a single moment. When they leaned back and smiled, Midnight said, “I have something for you.” Twilight leaned back and watched as Midnight conjured a book, “You don’t remember our foalhood together but this will bring those memories back.” “Is it some kind of spellbook?” Twilight asked. “Heh-heh, this will help you remember far better than any old spellbook,” Midnight chuckled as he levitated the book to Twilight’s hooves. She took it hesitantly, looking at Midnight, who looked as giddy as a colt, nodding at her to go ahead. She opened it and gasped! “I-it’s… a photo album!” The first page was titled ‘When we first met’ and below it were pictures of Twilight as a newborn filly in her mother’s arms, her father beside her protectively, a scrawling below said, ‘When Twilight first came home’. The next picture was of Twilight napping in her crib and Shining Armor, almost four years-old, looking down at her lovingly and happily. On the other side of the crib could only be Midnight, almost three years-old, looking curiously at Twilight with a little smile of wonder. Below that picture read ‘When I first saw you’. The next picture was of baby Twilight crawling around in a playpen as Midnight and Shining Armor watched her giggle, Midnight holding a stuffed bunny with his hooves towards her, making her smile. ‘When I first heard you laugh’. Twilight marveled in wonder as she took in the memories immortalized as photographs, seeing more and more, she saw her with her family along with a stallion and mare with Midnight. ‘Our first picnic, shared by our families’. She looked up at Midnight and pointed the stallion and mare out. “Mm-hmm, those are my parents,” Midnight confirmed with a sad smile that disturbed Twilight but she had to see more. She saw herself, Shining Armor, and Midnight playing in the park when she was three, Shining Armor seven, and Midnight six. Then she saw the day she first met Cadance and noticed Midnight teasing a blushing Shining Armor who couldn’t stop looking at the young pink princess. There was a photo showing a fort made of pillows, books, and a blanket with her and Cadance in it, and nearby were Shining Armor and Midnight, holding toy swords and wearing kitchenware like armor. A picture of Twilight’s sixth birthday with her and Midnight’s families as well as Cadance cheering for her after she’d just blown out the candles. And the more she saw these memories, the more it slowly and gently returned to her. “You… you got me my first notebook on my birthday, the one I used when I first started going to school, it-it had…” “A little lock and key for you to keep your secret thoughts,” Midnight nodded. “And when I got bullied and pushed, I skinned my fetlock and you and Shining Armor and Cadance helped me!” “Shining and I beat the jerks up for hurting you and got a week’s detention for it,” Midnight admitted with a shrug. He smiled at her, saying, “It was worth it to make sure they didn’t bully you again, and the smile you gave me, like I was the heroic knight to your damsel in distress.” Twilight gave him a raised brow and couldn’t help but laugh. But then a question crossed her mind, “Where are your parents now?” That one caught Midnight off-guard and he looked away, looking sad. “Midnight?” Twilight reached up and gently cupped his cheek in her hoof and had him look her in the eye. “Did… something happen?” “…You might have noticed Celestia and I weren’t exactly bosom-buddies during our explanations to you all,” Midnight sighed heavily. “She sent me away to a country estate to hide me from the world until it was safe for me to come out, when my past self had begun the journey through Equestria’s history. My father was still the captain of the Royal Guard at the time so he couldn’t stay home often…” “Midnight, what happened?” Twilight felt concerned as she saw Midnight’s face, and in it she saw pain. “As we explained, I was ten when I became an alicorn, earned my cutie-mark, and regained my memories,” Midnight spoke slowly. “When Celestia had me hidden away on that private estate, it broke my heart to leave my life in Canterlot behind, and although Shining Armor was allowed to remember me and stay my friend it still hurt. It got a little better however. When I turned thirteen, my mother gave birth to Twinken.” Twilight gasped as she realized, “Twinken really is your brother!” “Yes,” Midnight confirmed. “When he came into our lives, life on the estate became a little happier. During my time there, my father occasionally brought in visitors who could be trusted to keep my existence secret. I learned alchemy and potions from a zebra shaman woman, I trained under a prior captain of the Wonderbolts to become an excellent flyer, and sometimes Shining Armor would visit. We spent as much time as we could together, playing, sparring, training together. Then my father decided to train some colts alongside me and wanted me to lead them in order to learn leadership skills. “Shining Armor to be one of them even though I tried to say no, because I didn't want Shining Armor to be away from you and your parents, but I had no say in the matter... Besides Shining Armor, my father recruited five young aspiring royal guard cadets, one of them became one of the closest friends I ever had.” “What was his name?” Twilight asked. “He was a pegasus named Flash Sentry,” Midnight answered. “We spent a lot of time together, trained together, raced each other, heh! I usually beat him but sometimes he’d managed to pull a clever move or trick that helped him win some of our races. “Then one day, my father and a few royal guards took us to Whitetail Woods for a training mission – We, that is, me, Shining Armor, Flash, and the rest of my team were to sneak into enemy territory, my dad and his guards posing as the enemy unit, and steal the mission objective from their camp. It was basically a game of capture the flag. “My dad told me to lead but also to listen to my team. With Shining and Flash, I coordinated a ‘divide & conquer’ strategy, but we didn’t count on my dad’s guards taking the fight to us first, and I was separated from my team… That’s where it all began to go so horribly wrong.” Twilight was apprehensive by the sound of Midnight’s voice. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear more but said nothing to dissuade him. “I was captured by someone, a shadowy figure… From the sound of her voice I knew she was a female. She took me to some cave, suspended me from the ground by my front hooves, strapped my wings to my barrel and weighed my rear hooves down with an anvil. She even went to the trouble of nullifying my magic. I was helpless… She acted like she knew me, and she demanded information from me, information I didn’t have. Thinking I was being uncooperative, she tried a different approach…” “What was it?” Twilight felt her heart beat a little fast as Midnight explained. “…She revealed she’d also captured Flash! She… she threatened to kill him if I didn’t talk! I swore to her I didn’t know what it was she wanted, I cried! But... she just didn’t believe me…” “She…?” Twilight held her hooves to her lips in horror and Midnight nodded. “She killed my friend right in front of me…” Midnight was shedding tears, “I was in shock, speechless, unable to take my eyes away from Flash, and she was about to kill me… That’s when my father, Shining Armor, and the guards arrived. They drove her off, rescued me, and I screamed, my spirit crushed that I couldn’t save my friend.” “Did you ever find out who that monster was?” Twilight asked. “No, nor was that last time she scarred my life,” Midnight’s breath shook and Twilight was disturbed by the look in his eyes. “As if what she’d did wasn’t enough, sometime later she attacked my family! My parents fought her off while I protected my baby brother, but during the skirmish… the attacker launched a curse that hit my mother.” Twilight gasped, “Did she…?” “Die? No… the curse didn’t kill her,” Midnight’s eyes were empty yet anguished. “My mom is in Canterlot General Hospital right now. She’s been in a magically-induced coma ever since that terrible night.” Twilight was appalled. She and her friends had faced plenty of villainous individuals but to curse someone into such a state, it was like a living death! “The wretch vanished into the night like the snake she was,” Midnight went on. “My father brought me and baby Twinken back to Canterlot, asking Celestia to take care of us… and he left to hunt down the monster who had hurt our family.” “Where is your father now?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know, Twilight,” Midnight sighed heavily. “That night he left me and my brother with Celestia, as far as I know, is the last time anypony ever heard from him. I haven’t seen or spoken to my father for over ten years.” “What happened after that?” Twilight pressed. “I started dreaming my memories,” Midnight explained. “Part of it to escape my reality, part of it to remember as much as I could of my past life. Then I came across a memory that broke my heart. It was the memory of meeting Twinken at the Ponyville Orphanage.” “I was gonna ask about that,” Twilight noted. “That my past life had met Twinken and adopted him in Ponyville was confusing enough,” Midnight sighed. “It soon became clear what I had to do… One night, without Celestia’s knowledge, I flew to Ponyville, holding Twinken in my arms… I cried, Twilight. I was heartbroken but for the sake of the timeline I had to make sure everything was as it was when my past self came to Equestria. I left Twinken wrapped snugly on the doorstep of the orphanage and watched as the matron took him in. Every now and then I would stop by to check up on him, but I never approached him. I had to guard my heart and watch my brother grow up without his family.” “But then you found him again,” Twilight assured. “Well, the past you.” “Yes,” Midnight nodded. “I was the one who started the Sibling Revelry at the Ponyville Orphanage for locals to volunteer to be big brothers or sisters to the orphans and arranged for the flyers to be set up so that my past self would notice them and find his way to the orphanage, and to Twinken. Then, when I saw my past self grow to love Twinken so much he wanted to be his official brother, I pulled some strings to make sure he got legal custody of Twinken!” “This all kinda sounds a tad shifty,” Twilight voiced. “Trust me, Twilight, I’ve lived for ten years in secret,” Midnight sighed. “So I learned to operate in secret. Since I couldn’t reveal myself to Equestria until the time was right, I passed the time by becoming Celestia’s… eyes and ears in the darker corners of Equestria.” “You were like a spy?” Twilight asked, a slight interested glimmer in her eyes. “It wasn’t all fun and games,” Midnight dashed that interest away. “I actually risked my butt on some of my… excursions. I brought secrets and intel to Celestia and the proper authorities, unearthed vile crimes and dark secrets, stopped conspiracies before they began, it was occasionally exciting, but it was not an enjoyable life. Then my past self arrived in Equestria, and I started keeping an eye on… my self, heh-heh.” “And now here we are,” Twilight said. “Here we are,” Midnight nodded. “A prince long overdue for his coronation, a princess ready for hers.” “I’m… afraid, Midnight,” Twilight admitted. “I never dreamed of becoming an alicorn or a princess! Well, maybe a princes but what filly doesn’t dream of that?” They shared a chuckle, and Twilight went on. “But it’s going to be for real! And… what will this mean? For me, for my friends, for us?” She said ‘us’! Midnight smiled on the inside but kept it to himself as he hugged his Twilight. “I won’t deny, Twilight, that I’m nervous too. I have lived in secret for so long that stepping out into the light like this… Well, the point is, the future is what we make of it, and I’m willing to face it if you’re there with me.” Twilight looked at him smile hopefully at her, that it helped her smile back. “You’re right, we’ll make the future ours! How bad can it be if I face it with you?” Midnight smiled happily at this mare he had loved and missed for so long, and she reached up to pull him close into a passionate kiss. Midnight responded by growling in desire as he allowed Twilight to pull him into her bed. Spike was headed for the door to Twilight’s room, yawning as he yearned for his basket when the sounds coming from the door stopped him in his tracks. He leaned his ear curiously against the wooden door, and heard pleasured moans, sultry growls and shuffling of bed covers, passionate sighs, and then he started hearing more than he wanted to hear. Blushing as he had a pretty good idea of what was going on in there, he decided, “I think I’ll take the couch for tonight.” He hurried downstairs to get away from the sounds of the happily reunited couple as they got busy. A few days passed as the news spread and before long ponies from near and far had gathered in Canterlot. The grand hall was packed with ponies to be witnesses of this glorious event. All the princes and princesses were there, along with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, their Guardians, Blueblood, Soarin, and Spike. Princess Celestia had pulled out all the stocks and had spared no expense, she, her sister, her fiancée, the ruling couple of the Crystal Empire, all of them garbed in their finest attires, as were Applejack, Big Mac, Rainbow Dash, Thunderlane, Rarity, Blueblood, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Soarin, and Spike. Glorious ribbons and banners of gentle white hung from the pillars along with royal purple bouquets, an archway behind Celestia, Sombra, and Luna wreathed in similar flowers, candles alit, all of it to complement the atmosphere in careful and meticulous endeavor to make this event perfect. Celestia stood in the middle, with Sombra and Shining Armor to her right, and Luna and Cadance to her left. Soon it began as everypony quieted to hear the Princess of the Sun. “We are gathered here to celebrate this momentous occasion! My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, and my dear friend and dependable subject, Midnight Blaze, have both performed many an extraordinary feat since they each settled in Ponyville. They even helped to reunite me with my sister, Princess Luna, and my true love, Prince Sombra.” She took the moment to give her sister and her stallion each a loving smile, which they returned. “But it is what they each accomplished mere days ago that truly sets them apart! Twilight Sparkle created new magic while Midnight Blaze single-handedly prevented what could very well have been the end of all Equestria! These miraculous deeds have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are ready to be crowned Equestria’s newest prince and princess!” Night Light and Twilight Velvet smiled in deepest pride, Night Light nuzzling his wife as she shed tears of joy as Celestia announced, “Fillies and gentlecolts, I am proud to present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Midnight Blaze!” All eyes turned to the double doors as they opened to reveal Twilight and Midnight! Twilight was garbed in a gown and dress of soft pink, gentle gold, and pure white, her mane in a more regal style than how it normally was, her wings spread from holes in the back of her dress. At her side was Midnight, wearing a uniform very much like Shining Armor’s but gold instead of red, white collar and borders instead of yellow, black buttons, and a royal purple sash, his mane in a neater style with the bangs combed back with the rest of it. Hanging from a purple ribbon around his neck was a badge that once belonged to his father, displaying the cutie-mark of Ignitus Enflame. While Twilight looked a tad shy Midnight looked more relaxed. Behind them were a royal procession of white mares with blond manes wearing red and white capes, bearing banners emblazoned with Twilight and Midnight’s cutie-marks, and behind them were royal guards as they sung a ballad like a choir. The Princess Twilight cometh Behold, behold The Prince Midnight before us, Behold, behold Behold, behold (behold, behold) The Prince, the Princess cometh Behold, behold (behold, behold) The Prince and The Princess are here! As the two approached Celestia, they noticed Spike walk up to Celestia’s side, holding a velvet cushion bearing the Crown of Magic and the Helm-turned-Crown of Faith. Celestia levitated the Crown of Magic while Sombra proudly took the honor of levitating the Crown of Faith! Both teachers proudly placed the crowns onto their students as the newly-crowned Prince and Princess faced their new subjects, looking to their friends, who all smiled proudly and happily before Celestia and Sombra led them out onto the balcony to gaze upon their subjects outside as ribbons and confetti rained down in celebration. Midnight calmly waved while Twilight smiled a tad nervously at the cheers of the masses beneath. At that moment, Sombra whispered to them, “Say something, Your Highnesses!” “Oh, um…” Twilight was nervous but then she felt somepony take her hoof and saw that it was Midnight, smiling faithfully as he led her up to the balcony rim. Just him being there helped and Twilight cleared her throat. “A little while ago, my teacher and mentor Princess Celestia sent me to live in Ponyville.” “It was shortly before that I had arrived in the same place, a lone pony without purpose or a direction to take,” Midnight added, and Twilight smiled, knowing they should do this together. “Princess Celestia sent me to study friendship, which is something I didn’t really care much about.” “Whereas I simply had no real goals in mind but the both of us had the fortune of finding something worth more than all the treasure in the world.” “Because now, on a day like today,” Twilight looked to their friends and waved them out onto the balcony with them. “I can honestly say neither of us would be standing here were it not for the friendships we’ve made with all of you!” “Each one of you taught the both of us lessons in friendship that helped us through even our darkest hours,” Midnight agreed as Soarin, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Big Macintosh, Fluttershy, Thunderlane, Applejack, Blueblood, and Rarity, all smiled proudly and happily, shedding tears of joy for their two friends. “And for that we will forever be grateful!” “Because today,” Twilight declared, facing the masses, some of her friends waving to the crowd below, “I find the both of us the luckiest ponies in Equestria! Thank you, friends!” Midnight nodded as he finished, “Thank you, everypony!!!” The crowd cheered in honor of that amazing speech as the royals and friends returned inside, Shining Armor and Cadance coming up as the Crystal Prince said, “Twilight, Midnight!” He hugged his sister warmly, saying, “We are so proud of you!” At that moment, Midnight stepped up with a raised brow and smirk, “Are you crying..?” “Of course not,” Shining Armor wiped it away, “It’s… liquid pride, totally different thing!” The siblings and two old friends all laughed when their friends spoke up. “Wait t’ go princess!” “Best coronation day ever!” “Eeyup!” “Kudos to you guys!” “Twilight and Midnight, we love you!” “We love you guys too!” Twilight was close to tears. “Group hug!” Midnight laughed as they did just that. “Hit it!” Pinkie signaled and from out of nowhere did DJPon-3 start up and Midnight smiled as he led Twilight to a royal coach. [Midnight Blaze] Once upon a time, You came into my world and made the stars align! Twilight smiled as she joined Midnight on the coach pulled by royal guards for them to parade by their subjects. [Twilight Sparkle] Now I can see the signs You pick me up when I get down so I can shine! [Midnight and Twilight] Shine like rainbows Shine like rainbows They leapt out of the coach to join their friends in the parade in a happy trot. [The Mane Cast] Shine like rainbows Shine like rainbows [Rainbow Dash] Friends you are in my life [Soarin] And you can count on me to be there by your side! [Big Macintosh] And when the music comes alive [Fluttershy] We sing our songs to lift us up so we can shine [Midnight Blaze, Big Macintosh, Thunderlane, Blueblood, and Soarin] And the sound that we hear in our hearts Makes a crescendo [Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie] And the light that ignites in the dark It makes us all glow! [The Mane Cast] And shine like rainbows We shine like rainbows Shine like rainbows We shine like rainbows [Midnight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Thunderlane, Pinkie Pie, and Big Macintosh] Together we stand As the rain begins to fall [The rest of the Mane Cast joins in one by one] And holding our heads up high As the sun shines through it all [The Mane Cast and the Crowd] And the sound that we hear in our hearts Makes a crescendo And the light that ignites in the dark It makes us all glow! And shine like rainbows We shine like rainbows Shine like rainbows We shine like rainbows Midnight took Twilight’s hoof and began to run, signaling Twilight to open her wings as he took her on her first flight and soared with her high into the sky! [Midnight Blaze] We shine like rainbows It was the best sky-high kiss ever! Far away, a cloaked figure stood on a high rise, able to hear the celebration even from distance. The figure hissed, green eyes with slit pupils flashing in the shadow of the hood. The figure then purred a devious giggle before vanishing in a hazy flash of purple and green.