Troubled
"...Nope. Definitely not getting to sleep tonight."
Though Midnight had hardly had the best of experiences when sleeping, she still wanted to sleep, if only to avoid all this irritating tiredness that constantly plagued her right now. But, after having lied awake in her bed for so long, she knew that she wasn't going to be getting any such rest any time soon. So, after letting out a brief snort, she sat upright, her eyes narrowing as she tried to look through the gloom of her room. As she turned to the window, she lit up her horn and pulled back the curtains. It was a bright starry night tonight, with an impressive moon adding further illumination. Releasing a yawn, the clone hopped out of bed, wandering over and opening up the window, allowing herself to go onto the balcony beyond.
"Hmmm, cold. Just how I like it."
It was certainly a chilly night, as evidenced when Midnight exhaled and saw her own breath, but it didn't bother her in the slightest. So, walking further out onto the balcony, she stopped on the edge, looking down at the rest of Ponyville. She could see all the twinkling lights of the windows of each home, no doubt from other ponies who, like her, were struggling to get a good night tonight. She sighed, not really knowing what to do, and that was when she heard it. Some sound above her, like a gentle flapping of wings. Warily, she tensed up, and her horn ignited. With great speed, she spun in place, looking up to the skies with a clear intent to defend herself.
"Who's there?!"
High above her, she could make out a silhouette of some sort, one that she immediately recognised as that of an alicorn, and her eyes narrowed further.
"...Princess Luna?"
A moment or two passed before she finally got a response.
"No...my sister is quite busy tonight."
Those words left very little wiggle-room as to who this was, and so Midnight took a slightly worried step backwards.
"Celestia."
Sure enough, the mare of the sun gracefully descended downwards, landing gently upon the balcony just a few steps away from the younger alicorn. Her face was somewhat serious, but her tone was calm and diplomatic.
"Peace, Midnight Sparkle. I mean you no harm."
Midnight, naturally, was still unsure of her presence here, but nevertheless accepted the offer of peace, allowing the aura around her horn to fade away. Many minutes passed in utter silence for the two mares, as they both studied one another. Midnight, after a time, finally broke that silence.
"Why have you come here?"
To that, Celestia finally dropped the seriousness in her expression, replacing it instead with a small smile.
"I've heard a great deal about you, my young friend, so I decided that the time was right to finally come and meet you."
Midnight was incredulous.
"You came all this way, in the middle of the night...just for a chat?"
An amused chuckle escaped Celestia.
"Well, you were hardly busy, were you?"
Midnight couldn't deny that, and so, after releasing yet another sigh, she finally took a step closer to the towering mare.
"Alright then...what did you want to talk about?"
Celestia watched her closely, her mannerisms, her stance, the expression she wore as she looked to her, and after all of that, she actually started to look like the whole situation was, for lack of a better word, funny. Midnight, as one would expect of her, did not see the same humour in this situation.
"May I ask what the joke is, Princess?"
But Celestia merely waved her off with a hoof.
"Oh, don't mind me. I suppose I just find it odd to have someone who looks...well...like you looking to me in that way."
Midnight understood immediately, then laughed in a dry way.
"Oh, I can imagine, All those years of having Twilight Sparkle look to you with awe and admiration. Must be quite jarring to have someone with her face appear to you without all that good feeling."
Celestia's smile faded a little.
"You are a rather blunt person, has anyone ever told you that?"
Midnight shrugged.
"Rarely to my face."
But her faint semblance of diplomacy could only last so long, and so, after taking yet another step closer, the darker mare asked the obvious question.
"Did you come here to assess me? To judge me with your own eyes?"
Celestia hung her head slightly, her eyes closing.
"I'll admit...it would be a lie to say that such a thing was not one of my intentions here. From the moment you entered Twilight's home, I've been receiving stories and reports about you. The things you've said, the way you've behaved."
Slowly, her eyes opened again, and she looked right at the younger mare.
"And I have been painted a very clear picture of you."
Midnight didn't quite know how to take that, but, given the kind of person she was, she naturally began to assume the worst, and so turned around to look out at Ponyville again.
"Have you now? Let me guess, you've created an image of me as someone dangerous. Someone who's just one step away from turning and posing a threat to your former apprentice and all her friends. You see a mare who's no better than the monster who created her. Someone with no hope of accepting love or friendship or all the other things you Equestrians value so much."
She looked over her shoulder.
"Is that the picture you have of me, Princess?
Now, for most ponies, it would have been utter madness to speak to Princess Celestia in that tone of vice. So aggressive, so confrontational, so borderline insulting. And yet, here was Midnight, doing all of that, and continuing to look to Celestia with little more than irritation. But Celestia, contrary to how most would have expected her to behave, merely stood there, taking in every accusation, without ever once looking offended by it. However, once Midnight had said everything she'd wanted to say, the older Princess allowed a moment of calm to set in before finally giving her response.
"No, Midnight...that is not what I think you are."
Again, Midnight laughed dryly, clearly not having believed that.
"Oh? Then what, pray tell, do you think I am?"
Taking a deep breath, Celestia then sighed, looking to Midnight with a softer face than before.
"...Unhappy."
Of all the possible answers Midnight could have received, that one was definitely unexpected. In that one moment, her confidence dropped, and she looked to the larger alicorn with bewilderment.
"I...beg your pardon?"
Celestia walked closer, but not in any kind of threatening way. After a few short steps, she stopped, looking right into Midnight's eyes.
"I look at you...and I see a mare who possesses no joy in her life. No contentment or satisfaction. You live, you survive, you do all you can to ensure the continuation of your own existence...but you also feel, in spite of all that...empty."
Midnight did not appreciate the analysis this Princess was making of her, and yet, as those words sank in for her, she also found, to her annoyance, that she could not deny them. She turned away, not wanting to look at the sun-mare any longer, and instead just looked out to the night sky.
"...You're right...I am unhappy."
She focused her attention on all those lights down below, in the homes of Ponyville, many of which were now beginning to dwindle and disappear.
"I was not happy as a servant of Chrysalis...I was not happy being granted sanctuary by Twilight...and I am not happy now."
She could hear Celestia walking beside her, but again, she did not turn to look at her.
"I've had a very...brief life. And in that short time, I don't think I have ever felt...good about any of it. I've moved from being a mere creation to someone who only wants to continue living. I've achieved that goal thus far...but I've had nothing else."
Celestia looked down to her.
"Friendship has been offered to you, Midnight, yet you did not accept. I will not condemn you for it...yet I think you and I both know that there is some part of you that still longs for something. Something you have not been able to find."
Here, Midnight finally did look back to her, though it was not with any sense of liking for her.
"I don't enjoy having this kind of talk, Princess."
Celestia nodded.
"Few would. Yet it does lead me to one inescapable question..."
She frowned.
"...what do you want, Midnight Sparkle?"
And there it was. The question Midnight knew was going to be asked of her one day. She simply didn't expect it to come from Celestia of all people. Sighing, Midnight hung her head.
"I...I don't know what I want."
Gradually, she looked back up again, though this time it was towards the Friendship Palace.
"When I first came here...it was for my own protection. I sought a means to carry on living. It was the one thing that mattered to me. The only thing that seemed important. But..."
She grimaced.
"...in the days that followed, I felt...hollow. I was surviving...but I had nothing else. And what's more...I...I..."
Celestia could see she was struggling, and so placed a hoof gently on her shoulder, causing her to look at her.
"It's okay...say whatever you need to," the Princess spoke softly.
Midnight eased up in the face of this, and so soon just started doing exactly that.
"...I didn't want friends. I still don't want friends. That feeling was genuine for me, and yet, I find myself bothered by it. It's...it's like I'm tearing myself apart over who I am and what I really want in my life."
She pulled away, walking away from Celestia and looking downright angry with herself.
"I don't know what's wrong with me! I don't know what I want and...I don't know who Midnight Sparkle...is!"
Celestia, having watched and heard all of this, let out a sigh of her own.
"Well then...I think I've learned all I need to."
Midnight looked back to her, confused.
"What?"
A small smile crept onto Celestia's lips.
"Some small part of me wondered if there was something more to you than both Twilight and Chrysalis. And I see that I was right. You're confused, angry, unsure of yourself and your own wants and desires."
Walking up to her again, Celestia raised her hoof and placed it squarely on Midnight's chest.
"You, Midnight Sparkle...are just like all of us."
Naturally, Midnight was taken aback by this.
"I...fail to see how that's a good thing, Princess."
A hearty chuckle escaped the older mare.
"Oh, I assure you, it is very good! You're your own person, Midnight. You have doubts, you have uncertainties, you have fears and insecurities, and though you've tried to hide all of that behind a wall of disinterest, sarcasm and seriousness, you find it's a part of yourself that can no longer be denied."
Midnight still didn't know how to feel about that, but after a time, she glanced back over to the Palace. Specifically, she looked to the window that she knew led to Twilight's bedroom.
"So...what do I do now?"
Celestia herself pondered that, then, to Midnight's dismay, started to turn around.
"That...I leave to you."
Midnight's head snapped back in her direction.
"Wait, what?! You can't just have me raise all these questions about myself and then leave!"
Celestia looked back to her with a knowing smile.
"These are not questions that can be answered for us by others, Midnight. They are something we have to discover for ourselves."
She gave a slight bow of her head.
"But take heart, for it is most encouraging, to know that there are things about ourselves that we have yet to figure out. It is quite the journey."
She spread out her wings, launching herself back into the sky, before calling back one final piece of advice to the younger mare.
"And like all journeys...you must take the first step!"
Midnight watched, seeing the Princess fly off, until she was finally gone into the darkness of the night sky above. Now alone, Midnight's shoulders slumped, and she stood alone in this place, her mind racing with everything that had been said to her. After a while though, she exhaled deeply, looking again to Twilight's window with no small measure of annoyance.
"Twilight...how did you ever manage to have that mare as a teacher without going crazy?!"
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That last line is perfect!
Although unfortunately, Twilight's honest answer is probably, "I didn't. Ask Spike about the Smarty Pants incident."
What do you mean "without"?
Well, last I checked, Luna has only 1 sister so, you're probably right.
This is so much fun, you have no idea.
No. Because she's a pony.
I can't imagine you would, no.
Sounds like a teenager.
She can. And she's going to.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.
You DO remember the Smarty Pants incident right? And every other time her own insecurities have made her freak out, right?
Welp Midnight has officially become best pony loved the interaction between her and Celestia
Oh, poor innocent little Midnight.
I find I kinda like Midnight :)
btw
lay
"Twilight...how did you ever manage to have that mare as a teacher without going crazy?!"
Well, we all know that Twilight is crazy.
Is Midnight will be like FMA Envy and commit suicide?
To answer that last line Midnight.
Have you met the mare?
9348476
lain :)
*laid
Celestia was the right pony to have this talk with her. In a way, our insecurities and struggles are gifts - they are opportunities to move forward and grow into better versions of ourselves if we act on them. Midnight is a fun character to explore that with.
9348367
I was thinking something similar
9348352
To be fair, the Smarty Pants incident was mainly because Twilight assumed she had to send a report every single week and freaked out about not having one to send.
Celestia wanted to make sure Midnight was her own pony, not just a warped Twilight clone
9348610
Don't try to bring in context. There is an obvious joke before the hoi polloi, and they will feast at the trough.
Also, the staff has abandoned context in favor of making Twilight just mentally unstable a long time ago.
Did she forget that Chrysalis can shape-shift? Or, even if that's not Chrysalis, in case of her mysteriously disappearing in the middle of the night Twilight would just think that she's crazy and run away and would never think anything related to her beloved teacher.
Why unexpected? "Dangerous freak to be put down" and "pathetic freak to be pitied" are two most obvious theories.
Midnight is not cynical enough
Uhhh.... Twilight DID go crazy. Her neurotic tendencies are proof enough of that.
9348751
Just look at Lesson Zero for more proof!
this i was not expecting
To be honest, this feels forced. It looks like to me they're just going to sure her in with sweetness and all go skipping through the flowery fields together. Plus a surprise visit in the middle of yhe night unbeknownst to everyone is fucking suspicious as hell, it screams "It's Chrysalis in disguise, kill her now!" Plus ponies in general haven't tried to beidge the gap with, understand, or help her they just give the same "Let's be friends!" spiel.
Basically, if feels like the story is builder up to her making a heel turn and becoming just like Twilight, making her character pointless because then you'd have two Twilights instead of a Twilight & Midnight.
Sounds like we're reaching a turning point in Midnight's character growth. I like it.
Have you meet Twilight, she's not exactly the most stable of individuals
Typical Tia.
9348803
That would be her neurotic tendencies. Can't be tardy, after all.
You only ask that because you haven't seen one of her adorkable episodes.
Yet.
Yeah, and for a very good bloody reason! How would you like to be forced to look at the faces of your dead friends/family every time you talked to a "friend"?
Twilight: Who said I didn't?
Midnight Sparkle is about to start reading pilosophy. I can feel it!
That, or taking a vacation to the mental health institute
I see you've Princess Celestia with the genuine 'do it yourself' attitude. Jurt like Gandalf.
Well, she was already slightly crazy when she met Princess Celestia, and that craziness only increased upon meeting her. However, it's less insane craziness and more cute neurotic craziness, so it's fine.
"You do not have to be crazy to live here, but it sure helps!"
Who said she didn't?
I
Twilight: static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lesson-Zero_2541.jpg
Huh. Celestia is the first character I like as much as Midnight. Nice!
Oh Midnight. You have Twilight's memories (well, bits and pieces at least), you should know that Celestia did drive Twilight crazy on more than one occasion. In fact, some of those crazy traits still linger in the princess of friendship.
Yesterday was history.
Tommorow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
Thats why its called the present.