All Hail, Midnight Sparkle!

by MisterEdd

Ending the Evil

Twilight rested her forehooves against the glass, panting heavily as she recovered from another bout with the troublesome fixture. Midnight had somehow discovered a hidden vault housing a grootslang, a creature from the era of the dreaded Reign of Monsters, a time of strife preceding the Umbrum-Draconequus War when Equestria had nearly been conquered by the dark sorcerer Grogar. Such beings were believed to be creatures of legend, even with the concise historical records, and yet one had somehow been kept locked up practically in Ponyville's backyard. Upon witnessing the terror of the fabled chimera, she returned to her attempts at escape, attacking the window with all of her might but to no avail. Now that Midnight was fully aware of Twilight's resistance, the dark alicorn was on high alert, fighting tooth and hoof to keep her new host under her control.

"Stop struggling, Princess. You're only making it worse," Midnight groaned irritably.

"Making it worse? How can it get any worse?!" Twilight spun around and threw a series of frenzied kicks, her hooves bouncing off of the window.

"Knock it off!"

As Twilight's hooves struck the glass, a cyan-blue glow encapsulated the mirror's surface, causing her strike to send her tumbling through the air. She rolled and collided with the floor, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Hoisting herself to a half-seated position, Twilight winced and rubbed her right wing. Her mouth hung open in shock and confusion, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

"How can this hurt? I-I don't even have a body."

"Because you're inside your own head and since I'm in charge, that means that I WILLED it to hurt," Midnight scowled. "Now sit there like a good little filly or I'll think up FAR worse ways of keeping you quiet!"

Twilight let out a groan as she stood up and dragged herself back to the window. So it seemed that she was little more than a mental projection trapped within another's mindscape. Of course! Everything in here is powered by thought and imagination, hence the so-called "room," which was no doubt a manifestation of the mind. As for the "window," it had to be representative of her, or Midnight's, point of view, though Twilight had no idea how that worked.

They were once more at the Castle of the Two Sisters, Midnight seated atop the platform that used to hold the Elements of Harmony, a decision that had to have been consciously chosen for the sheer irony. She kept her focus upon the door, intently waiting for the arrival of Twilight's friends to face her. Twilight dreaded this moment; the growing apprehension of the wait sending her heart into overdrive at the coming confrontation. She'd seen first-hoof the power that Midnight wielded and knew that without the Elements of Harmony, none of them stood a chance. The villainess was not only a skilled magic user but was also cunning with a volatile nature, a very dangerous combination to have in an enemy.

"Why do you hate the princesses so much?"

Midnight practically leapt to her hooves. "Why? Because like all ponies, they have such a precious gift and yet they waste it on petty squabbles and vainglorious insecurities!"

Twilight tumbled back away from the mirror, caught completely off guard by Midnight's outburst. The dark entity had been so egotistically cheerful that the surge of anger came completely out of left field.

"What gift?"

"Life. They came into the world, got to experience joy and love, to know what it feels like to have the sun shine on their fur or the succulent taste of fresh strawberries on their tongues." Pausing, Midnight lowered her head, her voice now coming out in a near-whisper. "They grew up in the lap of luxury, heirs to the throne and beloved by all but it's not enough for them. What I would give to have lived for even one day."

This was a side Twilight didn't even know Midnight possessed. Her hoof gently made contact with the window's cool surface, wishing that she was physically in the room with the other mare. She could almost feel her despair, the emotion engulfing every fiber of her being.

"Do Celestia and Luna know about you?"

Midnight returned to her seat, swallowing lightly as she stared off towards the main entrance.

"No. My time on the moon is a bit foggy but I do know that Luna became aware of me at some point, although the Elements of Harmony seemed to have affected both of our memories when we were separated. Then there's the fact that spending the last thousand years alone doesn't exactly help one's recollection. It was by the second or third century that we started talking to rocks."

"Midnight, I'm so sorry-..."

"Don't you dare pity me!" Midnight scowled. "I'm not some wayward soul you can fix with an apology and a hug. When I'm queen of this land, no longer will I have this pain in my heart. And I will destroy anyone that gets in the way of my goal!"

"What about my friends? You're not actually going to...kill them, are you?"

Midnight grinned. "That depends entirely on YOU, my little dove."

"Me?"

"Yes. Don't fight me and I promise your little friends will come out of this alive and intact."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You have the word of a Princess of Equestria. Isn't that enough?"

As much as Twilight was aware of Midnight's wrathful, deceiving personality, she didn't want to risk her friends getting hurt as a result of upsetting the being. Reluctantly, she agreed.

"Yes-..."

"Good. Now shut up. We have company...."

~*~

Passing the wobbly old bridge, the party arrived at the Castle of the Two Sisters. Even in the light of the day, its crumbling battlements and crooked towers loomed overhead like the corpse of some foul beast. Each and every one of them shuddered, recalling their past experiences with the place, from their first battle with Nightmare Moon, to spending a hair-raising night in the old castle. For Sombra, however, the ruins held no memories for him; the castle hadn't even finished construction until after his takeover of the Crystal Empire. Instead, the dark energies encompassing the grounds kept his attention hooked, his every nerve screaming out warnings at the inhospitable atmosphere.

Although the whole forest was a nexus for dark magic, this point in particular was seeping with malefic energies. Sombra's long stride was interrupted as his hoofsteps became more unsteady, a malaise washing over him like swamp water. His heartbeat quickened, his chest catapulting air out in bursts. A sense akin to vertigo began to take a hold of him. Sombra fought the needlepoint jabs at the back of his head and continued forward, his mind focused on the battle ahead.

Pain like a vice suddenly seized the stallion's skull, sending him pitching forward and nearly causing Applejack to tumble off his back. He hissed, clutching his head as the others hurried to his side, all of them worried about his abrupt outburst. Sombra's face was twisted into one of agony, his lips peeled back to expose his fangs while muffled grunts flowed between his firmly clamped jaws. Something was clawing at his horn, transmitting spasms of stabbing pain into his forehead.

"Sombra!"

"What's wrong with him?" Spike asked concernedly.

Applejack patted Sombra's neck. "Ya alright? Yer not lookin' too good."

Shaking his head, Sombra grimaced, "It's...it's this place. There's so much darkness here."

Rarity twisted the end of her walking stick into the dirt. "I can't sense anything."

"Not surprising. I was trained heavily in the forbidden arts so I can sense the usage of dark magic," Sombra groaned in between breaths. Sweat raced down his brow, his breathing slightly ragged. "There's so much here. I didn't know that hatred this strong could even exist."

Rainbow looked as though she was going to place a hoof on his shoulder but then drew back.

"So what's causing it?"

"Tambelon," he uttered, creating an instant wave of goosebumps in everyone in attendance.

"Tha's jus' a story, right? A myth ponies made up t' scare foals?"

Sombra exhaled, standing up straight once more. "Myth is often truth contorted into fiction. Every legend, every story we've ever heard or read has some basis in reality, some more horrifying than others."

"Are you okay?"

Sombra nodded, patting the top of Pinkie's head. "I'm fine. Believe me, I've experienced far worse than this."

Although concerned with the umbrum's well being, they resumed their trek, one-by-one pushing past the rickety wooden doors and passing through the castle's main entrance. Sombra soon took the lead, his horn alight with a burning, black-edged red glow, illuminating the dusty and crevasse-marked halls. The broken stone floors crackled beneath their hooves, a thin layer of mist clinging around their forelegs like transparent claws. Spiders scurried on overhanging webs, their multitudinous eyes glinting in the darkness. The walls creaked as a gust of wind flew past the septet, filling the air with a screeching moan that would've scared off the weak-hearted due to its despondent intonation. If Midnight's intention was to chill them to the bone with a creepy atmosphere, then she was succeeding. However, as scared as the ragtag team was, not one of them faltered nor fled, not when their best friend was in peril.

"So how do we free Twilight anyway?" Rainbow pondered.

"I know how," Pinkie stated, raising a foreleg.

"We're not going to throw her a party," Sombra replied, causing Pinkie to lower her foreleg. He then frowned when a pink limb raised itself again. "Yes, I'm certain."

Sombra then cleared his throat. "Eidolons are tricky beings. Once they have their hooks inserted into a host, they'll fight tooth and claw to keep it. What we need is an emotional anchor, something-or someone-to appeal to Twilight and this will give her the strength to fight back."

Rarity nodded, "Right, you."

"No, not me. As much as we care for one another, it has to be deeper than that. Someone that she's known for a long time, one akin to family, such as an ersatz younger brother."

Spike halted. "Me?"

"Yes, you. Someone she trusts unquestionably, someone with tons of memories attached to them."

Rainbow darted in front of Sombra. "Hold on! Spike was there when Midnight first appeared and that didn't do anything! What's so different about this time that it'll actually work?"

A red aura surrounded Rainbow and lifted her out of Sombra's way, allowing him to stride right past her.

"You didn't have me."

They made it a few feet before Sombra let out an introspective hum.

"What's wrong?" Applejack wondered.

"I was just thinking...eidolons are essentially just bad emotions, existing only to feed on others, to survive. From what you've told me, this one is especially vicious, using psychological warfare to take down its foes. Whatever has Twilight under its spell goes far beyond a simple angry spirit." He then shook his head. "Come, we have a mission to complete."

They soon found themselves in a massive conservatory, the very same one where they defeated Nightmare Moon in what felt like ages ago. Atop the former resting place of the Elements of Harmony, Midnight Sparkle stood poised, wings outstretched and eyes aglow. Everyone stopped in mid-stride, taking care to stay close to each other and preparing themselves for whatever tricks she had lying in wait. She grinned, the shadows framing her face, giving her an air of malevolence. Leaping off of the platform, Midnight gracefully landed and began prowling towards the group in a predatory fashion.

"Ah, my old friends have come to pay me a visit. How quaint."

Undaunted, Sombra levitated Applejack onto the floor before taking a step forward in front of the drake.

"Twilight Sparkle is no longer your plaything, eidolon. Leave her at once."

Midnight giggled sultrily, "Oh, well aren't you the clever one! Mmm, I can see why she has such an interest in you." Sashaying towards Sombra, the alicorn stopped before him, her added height allowing her to meet his steely gaze. "Handsome and smart, with a dash of dark and brooding. We could have such fun together, you and I."

Purple smoke filtered out of Sombra's eyes. "Leave Twilight's body now. I won't ask a third time."

Sighing, Midnight shook her head ruefully. "Such a waste. Oh well."

A bolt of cyan energy leapt towards Sombra, the umbrum just barely deflecting it and redirecting it skyward, sending the bolt smashing through the roof. Dancing around the debris, he raised a magical barrier to keep the larger chunks from striking his companions as he charged his foe at full gallop. Blue light surged through the walls and floor, collecting the stone and piling it into two ten-foot golems, their bodies composed of jagged rocks with glowing eyes and veins. The colossi lumbered forward, their clubs raised to crush the intruder for their mistress. The closest golem's club descended, impacting the floor with a thunderous crash, seemingly crushing Sombra.

When the golem lifted up its club however, there wasn't a body or even a hint of one, instead finding a black smudge on the weapon's surface. Two glowing green spots appeared in the smudge, which then sprang out and, kicking off of the golem's head, hurtled towards Midnight with a black, green and purple magic greatsword. He swung his weapon at Midnight, only for a cyan-colored energy sword to deflect his strikes, blocking each and every blow with practiced finesse. The two engaged in a flurry of parries too fast for anyone to track, their strikes cleaving through air and stone alike as the swords flashed like lightning. Midnight pelted Sombra with diamond-shaped missiles but the stallion was prepared, the flying blades each bisected by an orbiting wheel of swords.

Meanwhile, the others evaded the two golems, the behemoths' clubs thundering with every missed blow upon the rapidly crumbling floor. Spike dove away from the golems, finding difficulty with both keeping his balance and ensuring Rarity remained where she was on his back. Huffing, Rainbow Dash evaded a horizontal swing, keeping a foreleg protectively around Flutterfoal's face. Astride Pinkie, Applejack grabbed a length of rope from Spike's saddlebag and cursed to herself as she tried to tie a knot. What was normally a routine practice had been made nearly impossible by her new digits.

"Spike, Rainbow, keep those things offa muh tail 'til Ah can get this lasso ready!"

"On it!"

"Pinkie, can you-...?"

In her normal undefinable way, Pinkie had managed to wheel out a party cannon.

"...Never mind. It's time t' rock an' roll!"

Pinkie's party cannon boomed, battering one golem with compressed bursts of confetti, greatly slowing its advancement. This kept it distracted as Spike dove between the golem's legs, Rarity managing to fire off several magic bolts and nailing it in the face, blasting off its right eye and half of its jaw. Suddenly rendered half-blind, the golem madly swung its club around, nearly taking Spike's head off. At that moment, the second one was busy playing Whack-a-Pony with Rainbow and Flutterfoal, the former bobbing and weaving to evade the golem's blows. Despite the loss of her wings, the prismatic-maned pegasus was no slouch when it came to running, nimbly zig-zagging from her assailant's frenzied attacks with surprising speed and grace.

Applejack semi-audibly murmured to herself, her clawed hands fumbling with the rope before she managed to form a loop. She began recalling the rope-tying lessons she'd received as a filly, taking her back to a midsummer afternoon with her grandfather Cortland Apple. Let's see...little brown rattlesnake comes out of the burrow...slithers into the hole...comes out of the hole...goes back into the burrow again. Finally managing to complete the knot, she held it up with pride.

"Awright, y'all, Ah've got it! Move 'em on!"

Nodding to one another, the gang took their cue to try and corral the behemoths, rolling and sprinting in an attempt to get their attention. Waving her arm around, Applejack swung the lasso as high above her head as she could and gave Pinkie's mane a firm squeeze.

"Giddyup, Pinkie! Let's cut 'em out!"

Spinning around her party cannon, Pinkie kicked the hunk of metal in the direction of the one-eyed golem, slamming the device into its leg and slightly tripping it. Zipping past Spike, Rainbow ensured that the golem was advancing on her, bringing it closer and closer not only to Applejack but its counterpart. The two golems now stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder as they lumbered towards the ponies. Rarity assaulted them with a weak but efficient barrage while Pinkie hopped-galloped just out of arm's reach of the nearest golem. Almost there...

"C'mon, ride 'em in! Heeyah!"

With that, Applejack tossed the lasso as hard as she could, the loop securing itself around one golem's neck. As it raised its weapon, Spike and Rainbow both wove between its legs and, grasping the rope with their teeth, began to pull with all of their might. The rope went taut, causing the golem to lurch forward and crash into the one-eyed golem, smashing them both to pieces. Gradually, their veins flicked in and out before vanishing, followed shortly by the glow of their now empty sockets. Their enemies reduced to rubble, the dragon and ponies cheered.

Sombra's sword cut through air, his cut narrowly missing Midnight's head, though this was by design. Ducking the slash, Midnight inadvertently opened herself up to an attack, which came in the form of an energy blast to the chest, propelling her backwards. She barely had time to blink when Sombra followed this up by seizing her limbs with ebony appendages, stretching her out in an X-shaped position. Closing the distance, Sombra's horn glowed a smoky purple and several black crystals sprouted from Midnight's own horn. Despite this, her smile widened.

"Mmm, I had no idea you were into this sort of thing."

"Just do us both a favor and shut up," Sombra growled, his patience long since vacated.

Midnight clicked her tongue. "Such rotten manners for an ex-prince. Tell me Sombra, what do you think the others will do once this is over? Throw you a parade? Invite you over for a slumber party? You and I both know that no matter what you do, they will never accept you."

An incensed rumble emanated in his throat. "Perhaps you'd prefer to be back on the moon? I can arrange that."

They were quickly joined by Applejack and the others.

"Nice work, Sombra. Spike, yer up."

Hesitantly, Spike trotted forward and gulped. "T-twilight? I don't know if you can hear me but it's me, Spike. You know, your Number One Assistant?" Tears sprang forth from his green eyes. "Please Twilight, I need you."

Midnight's features softened. "S-spike? I-..." She shook her head, pupil-less glowing blue eyes flashing from her skull. "No! She's mine! I'll destroy you all!" She screeched while thrashing around in a beast-like manner. "I-I'm in control! I'm the Queen of Magic!"

Telekinetically holding Midnight's head still, Sombra locked eyes with her, his own a pair of burning green orbs. "You're going to-stop! You're going to halt what you're doing and submit."

Spike was crying now, his voice trembling at the sight of his adoptive sister and guardian. "Twilight, fight it! We've faced bigger odds than this and we've beaten them! Fight, Twilight! Fight!"

"NOOOOOOO!"

Tossing her head back, Midnight let loose an unearthly wail as beams of light filtered out of her mouth and eyes. Gusts of wind swept through the room, sliding everypony back except for Sombra, who held on for dear life as the beams widened. They swirled above Midnight's head, forming the visage of a shadowy mare shrieking in agony before exploding in an eruption of crackling, popping coronas. Twilight's head slumped forward, smoke pouring out of her horn. She blinked, once, twice, until her violet eyes caught glimpse of all in attendance, sleepy recognition registering on her face.

"G-girls? Spike?" Twilight turned to the gasping stallion. "Sombra?"

"Welcome back," Sombra managed and took a gulp of air. He then carefully freed Twilight from his shadowy hold and pulled her into his embrace, which she wholeheartedly reciprocated.

Spike waddled forward and reached a hand out before gazing upon it. Touching his face, he excitedly whooped, "Hey, I'm me! I'm me again!"

"Well Ah'll be, me too!" Applejack tilted her hat on her head and released a sigh of relief.

Pinkie's mane poofed back into its normal, unruly cluster as she bounded around the room with several audible squeaks. "Yay, I'm bouncy again! Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce!"

Rainbow quickly took to the air with her restored wings and hollered excitedly while Rarity tossed aside her now-useless cane and stood under her own power. Fluttershy gave Rarity a hug and rejoined the others, relieved to no longer be a diaper-clad foal.

"Is it over?"

Everyone turned to Twilight.

"I think so. Spike, could you write a letter to the princesses-...?"

"Already on it!"

"Good. I just want this nightmare to be over and I'd feel a lot safer if they were here."

~*~

The sun set gently in Canterlot, the burning orb giving way to its pale but gentle twin as the last of the sun's rays vanished in the horizon. Princess Celestia touched down on her bedroom window balcony and made her way inside, thankful for another long but productive day. Setting aside her crown and slippers, she magically poured herself some pink lemonade and sipped the beverage, deciding that wine no longer suited her as a casual beverage. Ever since confronting a captive Sombra in a drunken, spiteful rage, Celestia had become aware of her inner demons and quit all alcoholic drinks now and forever. She flopped down onto her bed and let out a groan of relief at the chance of relaxation.

One day, she'd like to be able to leave her little ponies in more capable hooves but for now, she was just happy to serve. Day Court was busy but nothing that she couldn't manage, just the usual taxes and government budget discussions. The only real issue she'd experienced was another session of her "nephew" Prince Blueblood bringing some starry-eyed fan girls into the palace for a private tour...again. How was it that a colt that she'd raised had turned into such a thankless brat yet her biological daughter, who'd been brought up by different ponies, was a sweet and kind-hearted cherub? Motherhood was in all honesty one of the hardest challenges of her life and this came from the mare that once had to perform a dance-wrestle-smashing ritual to appease a yak king.

Many innocent tables and chairs were lost in that ritual.

A scroll plopped and rolled onto the bed, snapping Celestia out of her musings. The seal informed her that it was from Twilight and she idly wondered what sort of strange shenanigans she'd been roped into this time. Unfurling the parchment, she began to leisurely read it when certain keywords caught her attention, leading to her racing through to the bottom. The darkness that had converted Luna into Nightmare Moon had returned and possessed Twilight! Whew, thankfully her friends, with the aid of Sombra of all ponies, had managed to vanquish the dark spirit and were now awaiting both her and her sister's immediate presence in Ponyville for their combined guidance.

Once more donning her royal regalia, Celestia hurried to find Luna and get to the bottom of this latest development.

It was time that this ended once and for all.

Comments

[Darth Revan the Gray]

I have a feeling that things aren’t as done as they may seem.

[Ingsoc]

Wonderful to see a new chapter! Surprised that it was that easy to defeat the spirit but eh, I am not the writer.

[Ingsoc]

Regardless, good work!

[MisterEdd]

10402485
Your feelings serve you well, Sith Lord.