Dreams of Midnight

    "TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT!!"

    Twilight groaned, and covered her head with her pillow. Trixie had only gotten up a couple of minutes ago, damn it! It was her turn anyways! One thing that the books had never warned her about was how often a parent would need to get up to tend to a newborn foal. Perhaps they didn't mention it because the authors were afraid that nopony would ever become a parent knowing that. Sleep was becoming a luxury, and other, more enjoyable, nocturnal activities were rapidly becoming the dream of a previous life.

    If she didn't know better, she would have believed that Luna had done something to their daughter to ensure that Midnight would be a night pony. Perhaps they shouldn't have named her after a time of night, too. Something like 'Sunshine' or 'Midday', that would have been a better idea. Or 'Noon'. There were ponies named Noon, weren't there? It had seemed so poignant at the time to name her after Trixie's late mother, but at 3 in the morning...

    That brought them to tonight. Midnight had been especially fussy, and both of them had been forced to be up with her multiple times already. Finally, finally, it seemed like she had settled down for a couple of hours, only for the peace of the house to be broken by weak crying. But it was Trixie's turn this time, and she wasn't going to get up! She was probably only messing up the diaper again anyways. Twilight couldn't figure out how somepony who was so good with knots and ropes, was so terrible with tying up a diaper.   

    Of course, Twilight had to admit she was jealous on how easily Trixie was able to get Midnight to eat. She supposed that she had an edge in that department anyways.
   
    No, she would just roll over, and pretend to be asl-
   
    "TWILIGHT, SHE'S SICK!"
   
    It was amazing how quickly she could move: she was halfway to the nursery before she knew it. She threw open the door, any trace of sleepiness gone, and nearly tripped over Spike, who, of course, was still asleep. It was truly amazing how deep that dragon could sleep.
   
    For a moment, she thought it was Trixie who was sick. Trixie was paler than Twilight had ever seen her, save for the day of the reunion. The only thing breaking up that pallid look were her red-rimmed eyes. She looked frantically at Twilight, clutching the tiny bundle tightly against her protectively.
   
    "S-she's b-burning up..." Trixie choked. Twilight swallowed down her own rising panic, and gently pushed in to check on her daughter. The fact that she wasn't crying worried her...
   
    She was shivering gently, and Midnight's normally bright and vivid eyes were dulled with pain. Trembling, Twilight checked beneath her coat, and saw that her skin was bright red. Her tiny horn was glowing, the occasional spark shooting forth from it. Midnight was letting out small little whimpers, her breathing was shallow, but stubborn. Twilight pressed a hoof gently against her forehead, and nearly recoiled. Trixie was right, Midnight was burning up, and it was a higher fever than she had been anticipating.
   
    Those eyes looked up at her, already believing, knowing with all of her tiny heart, that her parents would be able to help her. To make the pain go away.
   
    "W-What's wrong with her? What do we do?" Trixie immediately deferred to Twilight. This was not the time for pride, earned or not. Of the two of them, Twilight was most likely to know what to do, know how to help their weeks-old child...

    "I...I..." Where was all the knowledge that she had prided herself in? Trixie and her daughter, they needed her, they were looking up at her, secure in the fact that she would think of something. Twilight Sparkle, most knowledgeable pony in all of Equestria.

    Nothing was coming to mind.

    "I...don't know..."

    She had never felt so helpless.

    It wasn't what Trixie wanted to hear.

    "You don't know? You're telling me Princess Celestia's favorite student can beat an Ursa Minor, but she doesn't know what's wrong with her daughter?!" Trixie's voice raised, as she clutched Midnight tightly. She stared at Twilight accusingly, who flinched.

    "I-I don't recognize the symptoms, Trixie! I mean, it's not that, I don't recognize this combination of symptoms! She's feverish, but not sweating! She's in pain, but I don't see where! I don't know why she's breathing so shallowly, there's nothing wrong with her chest, and I don't even know why her horn is glowing! A unicorn's horn shouldn't be glowing at all yet!" Twilight babbled out a defense, her own voice belying her panic. Why was she bringing up old wounds that hadn't been touched now of all times? It had been months since...

    "You think you're Great and Powerful, but you can't do anything to help her!" Trixie yelled.

    That was why.

    Twilight rose up, and embraced Trixie. At the touch of her wife, Trixie immediately broke down, sobbing against Twilight's chest. She kept a tight hold of Midnight, as if sheer contact could heal the pain their daughter was suffering.

    "We have to help her...I can't lose her already..." Trixie whispered, and Twilight nuzzled at her comfortingly.

    They were going to need help. But who? Ponyville didn't have a hospital, it had a clinic, and she doubted Nurse Redheart would be able to help much, she was an expert in Earth Pony health. The clinic wasn't even open at this time of night anyways. Zecora was out, it was too dangerous to go through the Everfree Forest during the night, especially with a sick filly in tow. Was there nopony else in Ponyville that could help them at this time of night?

    Wait...how could she be so foalish? The answer had always been there.

    "The Princesses!" Quill and scroll were already in the air. "Celestia will be asleep, but Luna..."

    "Luna?" Trixie said uncertainly, when Twilight trailed off. Twilight had been reminded of a certain event that had happened only weeks ago.

    It was still odd to think about, Luna's heartfelt, almost desperate, request to be Midnight's parent, her 'third mother'. It had honestly never occurred to them that Luna would want any part of what that night had created. But then, they had accepted, hadn't they? That made her the third parent, and so she was as important as Trixie or herself. That made this not just a matter of getting a Princesses help. She deserved to know that her daughter was sick, too.

Luna,
Midnight's sick, come quickly!
-Twilight

Not her most eloquent letter, but perhaps her most to-the-point.

"SPIKE!" The small dragon began to stir in his basket. He wearily lifted his head, sleepy eyes blinking.

"Twilight? Why are you-MMPHH!" His eyes widened, as the scroll was stuffed into his mouth. Reflexively, that green flame licked out of his mouth, burning the scroll into magical ashes, which floated out the window, to its destination. Spike glared at Twilight. "What was that for? Couldn't you have asked like a normal pony?"

"Spike, Midnight's sick, we need Luna as quickly as possible," Twilight quickly explained, and Spike craned his neck, looking at the tiny bundle in Trixie's hooves.

"Oh, geez, the kid's sick? What's wrong with her?" Twilight bit her lip at Spike's question.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," she replied, turning back to her daughter.

Just in time to see Midnight's horn to catch on fire.

Trixie yelped, as green flames licked out from Midnight's forehead, the frightened newborn letting out a tiny little cry. Immediately the showmare's own horn flared, her magic creating a tiny raincloud, which rained down on mother and daughter. It did nothing to staunch the magical green flames.

    Twilight rushed forwards, intent to do something, anything to help. Just inches away from them, her hoof outstretched, her magic at the ready, the fire flared brilliantly and consumed their daughter in an instant.

    The magical ashes drifted out the window.

                   
                    ***
   
   
    Luna was aware of the irony of her situation.

    Things had changed in the thousand years that Luna had been away. The main time that petitioners came to the court to request judgement on their grievances was now in the evening, the time when day and night met, while both sisters were awake. Even in this late hour, Luna was not alone. She had a horde of servants, cooks, guards, and handmaidens ready to attend to her every need. She had even slowly begun to notice that ponies were staying up later than she recalled a thousand years ago, and that they used the night for play and revelry.

    That wasn't even getting into the hundreds, if not thousands of works of art, story, and song that had been made about the grace and beauty of the night.

    In other words, Luna and the night had the love, companionship, and respect that she had so jealously craved as Nightmare Moon. How funny it seemed that she didn't want any of that now. How much of a burden it was now.

    Finally having a moment to herself, she strode onto her balcony and looked out on Equestria. Her gaze focused in the same direction that it had last night, the night before it, and for the past few weeks. She looked far past Canterlot to the small country town in the distance. Such an insignificant little town in all respects.

    Save her heart was there.

    She entertained a brief fantasy. Descending down on that small town, and spiriting away those three in the night. She would bring them back to the castle, to Canterlot, and make a home there. Twilight would resume her studies in Canterlot, and Trixie would have an even grander audience to perform to. Together, the three would raise their child, the filly that had stolen her heart from her. They would live and laugh together, as a family...

    But no. She could not do that.

    Ponyville was home to Twilight and Trixie, and they had fought hard to make it their home. She could not take them away from the place they loved most in the world, away from the friends and life they had forged and tempered so painstakingly. It was more than that, though. Her daughter deserved a chance to have a normal life. That she was the only child thus far from the Princesses would ensure that would never happen, could never happen if she were to grow up in the court of Canterlot and be surrounded by its chaos. She would be seen as a pawn to be used by nobles jockeying for position and favor, and that thought terrified Luna. No, it would be better for her this way. Better for the three of them.

    Even if it felt like Luna's heart was torn from her chest.

    Oh yes, Luna was well aware of the irony of her situati-

    "Princess?" interrupted one of her handmaidens. "We have lunch prepared for you in the dining room."

    Her thoughts now jumbled by the words of the servant, she nodded and said, "Very well, I will be there in a moment." The servant bowed, and trotted back into the castle.

    Luna was about to follow, when her keen eyes spotted something. The magical green ashes of a letter inbound.

    That was unusual. Even with Trixie's letters to her, she usually woke up to them. Why would they be writing to her-or Celestia, she supposed-at this time of night? She swiftly unrolled the scroll once it manifested.

Luna,
Midnight's sick, come quickly!
-Twilight

    Luna felt her throat constrict. Her duty and position meant nothing at that moment. Already she was weaving a spell she hadn't used since she was the Nightmare. Her body dissolved into stars and mist, and she swept away from the palace, shooting towards the important little town at speeds that could rival the fastest pegasus pony.

    Closer to the town, her senses picked up something of interest. Apparently they had sent another letter, as a second patch of green mist and ash escaped from the library. Yet, this one was not headed for the castle. In fact, Luna could not figure out for the life of her why they had sent a letter in that direction.

After all, it was towards the Everfree Forest.


                         ***

    "MIDNIGHT! MIDNIGHT!" Trixie screamed, springing from her chair in hot pursuit of the magic mist that their daughter had become. She pushed past Twilight, who stumbled to the floor, so shocked at what had just happened that her mind froze up. Not until she realized that Trixie was about to spring from the window did her brain start working again. Trixie's hooves were just at the windowsill when Twilight caught her in her magic, stopping her in her tracks.
   
    "Trixie, stop!"

    "T-Twilight? Let me go!" Trixie screamed at the betrayal, her legs kicking helplessly in the air, trying to find purchase to dig in. "Our daughter! Our daughter is out there! Let me go!"

    "You're going to leap out the top floor window! You can't help Midnight with four broken legs!" Twilight yelled. "Calm down, Trixie! I-I'm sure that if she copied the transit spell, that she's with Luna right now!"

    It was a logical thought, and it was one that Twilight was clinging to, to keep herself from panicking and leaping out the window in pursuit herself. Trixie let out a soft whimper, straining for a moment against Twilight's magic, but she finally gave in, no longer trying to dash herself to the cold ground below.

    "How did she do that anyways, Twilight?" Spike asked, his eyes wide. It was a question that Twilight was trying to puzzle out herself. How did she do that? She had no idea. Perhaps it was some sort of instinctual mimicry? Midnight couldn't possibly know the complex imagery that the spell required. It must have been some fashion of mimicry, but she couldn't have access to that level of magic to call upon! She was just a little foal! What was...what was....

    No! There was no need for panic. There was no need for panic. They would wait for Luna, Midnight would almost certainly be with her, and they would all solve this together. She released Trixie, who pulled herself reluctantly from the window, just in time for a cloud of mist and stars to flow in after her. Twilight inhaled. Luna had responded quickly, no doubt because Midnight was with her. She wouldn't want her fellow mothers to worry for too long. The stars and mist coalesced, the dark beauty of Princess Luna taking form.

    Midnight didn't.

    "Where is she? What's wrong with her?" Luna swiftly inquired, stepping forwards to meet with her two fellow parents. Her eyes widened as she beheld the mortified looks on Twilight and Trixie's faces, as reality came crashing down upon them.

    Midnight wasn't with her.

    Luna gasped as Trixie pulled away from them. She galloped down the stairs, crashed through the front doors, and shattered the peace of Ponyville's night with her cries, as if their child could respond to her. Luna looked at Twilight, who was struggling to refrain from taking off after Trixie to help her. The Princess needed to know what was going on.

    "P-Princess..."
   
    "Twilight, what's going on? Where is Midnight?"

    "We thought...We thought she was with you!" She explained to Luna everything that had happened, how sick Midnight had been, and how she somehow mimicked the letter transit spell, only with her body. As Twilight explained, Luna's face drained of color.

    "Oh no...oh no...I saw where she went, Twilight! I saw the smoke headed into the Everfree Forest!" Luna said, and Twilight staggered. A terrible image exploded into her mind. One of her tiny daughter, sick and helpless, lost in the Everfree Forest. Laying on the cold ground, exposed to the elements, and surrounded by hydras, dragons, and cockatrice. Easy prey.

    Twilight heaved, her hoof going to her mouth, as she nearly lost the contents of her stomach. Luna moved to help her, but Twilight forced it down. She couldn't afford to be sick.

    "SPIKE!" She yelled, and the baby dragon jumped to her call, clearly eager to help in any way he could. "Go get the others, and tell them what happened! Get them to organize search parties, and catch up with us!"

    "I'm on it, Twilight! But where are you going?"

    "Where do you think? There's no time to wait for them, we're going to catch up with Trixie, and get our daughter back!"


                    ***

                Deep in the Everfree,
                A tiny voice cried out in need,
                  The forest heeded the call.

           
                    ***
   

    Trixie was cursed. That was it. That was the explanation. She wasn't allowed to have a mother, and she wasn't allowed to be a mother. How else could she explain why they were searching the Everfree Forest in the darkest time of the night, looking for her month old, deathly sick daughter? She kept picturing them finding her cold, lifeless body, or perhaps worse than that, not finding her at all. They had been plaguing her ever since Luna and Twilight had finally caught up to her and told her where Midnight had been sent to. It had done little to stop her panic, and the two had been forced to hold her down to keep her from charging off into the Forest without them.
   
     She had been so afraid of Midnight someday losing her before her time, that the reverse would happen had never crossed her mind. That Trixie would lose the daughter she had already given her heart to. It had taken her years to recover from her mother's death, how long would it take to recover from her daughter's? Would she ever?
   
    No. That was the wrong way to think. It wouldn't help anypony, least of all Midnight. She was the Great and Powerful Trixie, she had earned that title, and there was no way she was going to fall to despair again. Their story would have a happy ending. She was a storyteller, and she would make it so. They would find their daughter.
   
    "So those are the symptoms, Luna," she overheard Twilight behind her. She was barely paying attention to their conversation, knowing it was a way for the two to keep from lapsing into the panic that threatened to consume them all, and knowing that if they were to find Midnight, there was still her illness to deal with. The normally loud Trixie was very quiet, busy stretching out with her senses and magic, desperate to pick up on some sign of her daughter. A faint cry, a small moan, a soft rustle, anything to indicate that they were close...
   
    "It could be a case of magic overload. It's not uncommon for a unicorn to get sick when their magic grows too strong for their bodies to contain, and they don't have the ability to safely release it." Luna said after giving it a moment of thought. "Her fever, her horn glowing, and her general discomfort and pain all are symptoms of that. Her magic is burning her up from inside."

    "Magic overload? But that shouldn't be affecting her at her age! It's something that developing unicorns have happen to them, not a newborn! I've never heard of it affecting a pony so young, it's dangerous enough for adolescents!" Twilight said in disbelief.
   
    They had been fortunate so far. They hadn't been accosted by any of the denizens of the Forest, although Trixie supposed being escorted by a Princess did a lot to keep them safe. Her daughter had no such defense.

    "Think of who her parents are, Twilight. Magic is in her blood."

    "But it's so early..." Twilight protested, until a thought crossed her mind. "Do you think that's why she copied the transit spell?"

    They carefully strode over a rickety rope bridge, that was strung over a perilously high chasm. Trixie's normal dislike of heights would have kicked in, if this were any other situation, any other time. Now, she ignored it.

    "It's possible her body did it to vent off some of its pent-up magic. I hear from my sister that you did something simil-" Luna paused, her head tilting for a moment. Twilight slowed to a stop.

    "Luna? What's wrong? Trixie, hold on for a moment." She called out to Trixie, who scowled. There wasn't any time for this! What was Luna doing?

    "Something is wrong. There's something different about the forest up ahead." Luna said, her horn glowing faintly. "It's like something magical is disturbing it."

    "Do you think it could be Midnight?" Twilight asked nervously.

    "I'm not sure, but it does feel almost familiar..." Luna wondered, and that was enough for Trixie. If it was her daughter, she wasn't going to waste anymore time standing around here! She broke into a full gallop; Twilight let out a cry in surprised protest, and then she and Luna raced to catch up. As the three ran, a strange fog descended down on them, cloaking the rest of the world from view. Trixie couldn't see more than a hoof-length ahead of her, and the normal sounds of the wild Everfree went silent, as if the fog bank could muffle sound as well as sight.

    "What is this? Trixie, slow down, I can't see you!"

    Trixie looked back, and couldn't see Twilight or Luna. It was almost like they were each trapped in their own little world of fog. Barely able to see her own hooves, Trixie took a bad step, and went crashing to the ground.

    "Did somepony fall? Twilight, Trixie, are you okay?" Luna called out. Trixie heard Twilight call out an affirmative. She slowly picked herself up, wincing as she put weight on the hoof that had made that bad step. She had twisted it.

    "Trixie, how about you?" Trixie was about to respond when her ears twitched, a new sound started to flow through the fog they were trapped in, clear as day.

    Somepony was singing.

    "Wait....do you two hear that?" Trixie finally spoke up, looking around. The singing was lyrical and elegant, not so much words but soothing, wonderful sounds. A feeling of nostalgia swept over Trixie, like a warm blanket surrounding her and comforting her. Had she heard it before? It quelled the panic that had been her partner all night, leaving her with a sense of peace and...love. She barely heard her fellow mothers agreeing that they heard it. She began to walk instinctively towards the source of the song, the pain in her hoof not feeling nearly as bad as it felt even moments before.
   
    The fog swept away, as quickly as it had descended.

    "Where are we?" Twilight whispered, as if speaking any louder would break the peace of the place. The three ponies had found themselves in a small glade, and looked around in wonderment. They were surrounded by trees that were not gnarled and twisted, but instead growing straight and true. Brilliant flowers dotted the floor of the forest, blooming brilliant blues, purples, and silvers in the shining moonlight that descended from the canopy.  There was a palpable sense of peace, of harmony. Twilight stooped to examine one of the flowers. "I don't recognize any of these!"

    "Are we even still in the Everfree?" Luna wondered. "Did she do this?"

    The three made their way deeper into the glade, following the singing. They passed by slumbering forest animals, and felt the eyes of owls staring at them from the trees. Passing through a thicket of small trees, they came to the center of the glade.

    Curled in a bed of small night-flowers were two ponies, the moonlight shimmering down upon them. One was a tiny filly, barely a month old. She was slumbering quietly, no longer touched by the sickness and pain that had ravaged her all night. A small smile played along her face, her horn was no longer glowing, and her chest rose and fell in deep, peaceful breaths. Trixie had never seen her daughter so calm. She slept against the other pony who was curled lovingly around the foal. That mare was brimming with life, her light purple coat almost shining in the moonlight. Her soft pink tail and mane seemed to flow as she shifted slightly to make the child more comfortable. She looked down at the foal with bright, loving eyes.

    Beside Trixie, Twilight's hoof went to her mouth, her eyes wide.

    Trixie felt weak. Unbelieving, she slowly stepped forwards. Her heart began to pound in her chest.

    "M...Momma?"

    The eyes that she could never forget looked up at her, and Midnight smiled.

    "MOMMA!"
   
    It was like Trixie wasn't a mare anymore. As she dove into her mothers hooves, it was like she was a child again, all legs and head, gangly and awkward. She buried her head tightly against Midnight's chest, crushing herself as tightly as she could against her mother...her momma...She felt the same, she looked the same, she smelled the same. It was her momma!

    "Trixie...My Great and Powerful Trixie..." Midnight whispered, her hoof stroking through Trixie's mane. Now she knew what the song was, why it was so familiar. It was the one that her Momma had used to sing to her, whenever she couldn't sleep. "I'm so, so proud of you.."

    "Y-You are?" Trixie choked out, daring to look at her mother's face, into her eyes. "But I failed so much, I forgot everything you taught me, I did bad things, Momma..."

    Midnight interrupted her protest with a stroke of her daughter's chin, and Trixie knew everything was alright. That none of it mattered.

    "Look at what you've done, even after everything that happened. You've made a family for yourself, friends, and you're going to be a greater showmare than I was even at my greatest. You've found life, passion, everything that I wanted for you. How could I not be proud of my daughter?"
   
    Trixie quivered in joy.

    "What is going on here? How is this possible? Where is this place?" Twilight asked, and then fidgeted as Midnight looked up at her. "I-I mean, Miss Midnight, Ma'am."
   
    "My, you've grown, Twilight Sparkle! The last time I saw you, you were a nervous little filly asking me for my autograph! You are still Celly's student, are you not?" She giggled as Twilight went beet red, and nodded. "I could not owe a pony a greater debt. You saved my daughter from the loneliness and despair that I unwillingly left her in."

    "O-Oh, oh no. Trixie saved herself. I only helped." Twilight flustered, rubbing the back of her head, her face positively scarlet. Trixie couldn't help but giggle at the modesty of her wife.
   
    "To answer your question, my dear daughter-in-law, I guess the closest explanation I can give you is that you're in dream. A dream of the future and the past." Midnight tilted her head at the slumbering foal who shared her name. "A tiny voice cried out in need, and the forest responded to the call."

    "That makes absolutely no sense." Twilight groaned, and then her mind went to work. "Midnight's pent up magic must have interacted with the forest's latent magic. She must have gone out of control, and affected the forest like this. Which had the effect of relieving her of her magic overload!"

    "She's the type who has to know how every magic trick works, isn't she?" Midnight grinned at her daughter. "She has no sense of mystery, does she?"

    "That may be true, but she's the best audience that I could possibly ask for." Trixie giggled. "Oh, Momma, now that you're back, there's so much we can do! Oh, I can't wait for you to meet all of our friends! And we can perform together, like we wanted! The Amazing Midnight and the Great and Powerful Trixie! Wait, there's Celesti-"

    "Trixie." Trixie blinked, and looked at Luna, for the Princess had finally said something. She was looking directly at the elder Midnight, and made no mistake that her next words for her alone. "You said that this is a dream. Does that mean what I think it does?"

    Midnight's smile twitched slightly, a hint of sadness marring her features.

    "You of all ponies should know the answer to that question, Princess of the Moon." Her words caused Luna to blink in surprise.

    "You know who I am?"

    "Of course I do. My Celly told me about you, Luna. She spoke often on how much she missed you, and of the good times between you two." She looked up at the Princess. "Celly must be so overjoyed to have you back."

    "My sister told you about me?" Luna whispered. Midnight nodded, and then looked down at her descendant.
   
    "I can see you in her, you know. The mark that you've left."

    "I-I didn't...do anything..."

    "You have, even if you didn't realize it. Things are clearer to me than they are to you all." Her smile faded. "For what you suspect is true."

    Trixie looked between her mother and Luna, her ears twitching.

    "Momma, what..what are you two talking about?" Trixie asked, and shivered slightly, as Midnight looked at her gently.

    "It's as I said before, my dear little Trixie. This place and I are just a dream. This glade is a dream for the future of the Everfree Forest, and I am a dream of the past, called by need and heritage. But dreams only last as long as the dreamer sleeps, and she will awaken soon." She indicated to the edges of the glade, where the mist and fog seemed to be encroaching on it. Trixie's eyes widened, and she pressed herself tighter against her mother.

    "What?! No! NO! You can't leave me again! Please, don't leave me again! I-I'll stay! I'll stay with you! Please, please!"

    "Trixie." Midnight looked sternly at her. "I am just a dream. Would you sacrifice what you've so built and fought for, for an illusion?"

    Trixie the Daughter was about to beg and plead, say yes, she would do anything, anything at all to stay with her, give anything, when she felt a new, small warmth press up against her side.

    "Would you leave her for a dream?"

    A tiny foal was snuggled peacefully against her. Her foal. Her daughter. Her daughter had sought her out, even in her sleep, reached out for the touch and the love of her mother. Trixie wasn't a child any longer. She had a child.

    Trixie the Mother smiled tearfully down at her daughter, and kissed her forehead.

    "No. Never. Not even for you, Momma."

    "That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear."

    The fog was starting to roll in.

    Trixie rose up, and gathered up her daughter. She brought the foal one last time to Midnight, who looked down adoringly at the filly who had been gifted with her name, and kissed her on the head, in the same place as Trixie had.

    "She's the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen." She whispered, as Trixie was joined by Twilight and Luna, standing beside her. For now, and forever. "I could not have asked for a more wondrous grandchild."

    Midnight the dreamer stirred, and the mists were at their hooves now, the trees starting to fade, dissolving into dream-stuff.

    "Miss Midnight, it was an honor to meet you again." Twilight said. "I will always be thankful to you, for all the gifts that you gave me."

    "No, Twilight. The honor is all mine. Now, you take good care of my daughter and granddaughter, or else I'll haunt you until the day you die!" Midnight warned, causing everypony to giggle.

    "I will, I promise." Twilight said, once she had recovered, and nuzzled herself against Trixie, sharing her warmth with her mates. "And they will for me."

    "Luna? Could you pass a message on to my dear Celly, please?" The elder Midnight turned to the Princess next. She was growing hazy, indistinct.

    "O-Of course, what is it?" Luna asked, still trying to recover from what Midnight had told her earlier, about Celestia, and about Midnight. Her namesake gave a playful grin.

    "Tell her it's good to see her lightening up. I thought that Gala prank was positively inspired!" Twilight blushed, and Luna lapsed into giggling again. "Tell her, too, that I love her, always."
   
    Luna nodded softly. It was all the Princess needed, she would pass that message on. Of that, there was no doubt.

    In Trixie's hooves, Midnight let out a tiny yawn. The beautiful night-flowers burst into brilliant lights, that ascended towards the heavens, flickering and fading like sparks from a fire.

    There was so little time now. Trixie looked at her mother one last time, burning the image into her mind.

    "Will...will I ever see you again?" She dared whisper, and her mother smiled reassuringly.

    "It will not be for a long time, a very long time, but we will meet again, on a plain of endless green. When that time comes, you must have many stories to tell me. Stories of the life that you lived, the ponies that you loved, and the adventures you experienced.  Tell me the tale of a full life. Promise me, my dear filly..."

    Trixie smiled.

    "I promise, Momma. For what good is a storyteller without any stories to tell?"

    They could barely see one another, now. The veil was being drawn, and there was only a moment left. One last moment in time. But it would be enough.

    "I love you, Momma!"
   
    "I love you too, my Great and Powerful Trixie. Until the end of time."

    The mists blew away, the lights faded. The glade and its guardian dissolved, as the first light of the day's sun began to trickle through the forest Everfree.

    The joyous giggle of a foal echoed through the trees.


                    ***


    It was with a heavy heart that Luna returned to Canterlot.
   
    They had been fortunate, the journey back out of the Everfree Forest had been uneventful, boring even. After leaving the glade...or perhaps, more accurately, after the glade had left them, it had taken scant moments for the others to find the exhausted family. In fact, they had sworn that they had actually already searched where the glade had been just minutes before, and had found nothing.
   
    Just another mystery.

    It was only until they had reached Ponyville again did they learn that once the sun had come up, Spike had sent a second message to Canterlot, calling for Celestia's help. Reluctantly, Luna had volunteered to return, because she could tell how exhausted everypony else was. She would be the one to carry the message that Midnight was safe to her sister.

    There was much she needed to discuss with her, anyways. Many mysteries that this night had revealed existed, ones that would needed to be solved not only for the future of Equestria as a whole, but for the future of her daughter. She had a very special message she needed to pass on as well.

    As soon as Luna arrived, she realized she had done so just in the nick of time. In the courtyard, Celestia was at the head of what Luna thought had to be close to the entire palace guard. Luna rushed forwards, before Celestia decided to wage war on the Everfree, or something.

    "CELESTIA!"

    "Is everypony ready? At my command, we-Luna?" Celestia blinked, and looked in her sisters direction.

    "It's okay, Midnight's safe! She's home!"

    "Oh, thank goodness." Celestia immediately relaxed. Turning to the guards, she dismissed them, apologizing for the false alarm. The guards efficiently and silently left the courtyard, leaving the two sisters to their privacy. "So, she's okay? She's not hurt, is she?"

    "She's tired, as are her mothers. I left them in the midst of a party they wanted no part of, I'm afraid." Luna couldn't help but chuckle at "Aunt Pinkie's" exuberance. "But she's safe. It's been quite the night, however, and we have much we need to discuss."

    "It can wait. My granddaughter is safe." Celestia was beaming with relief, her energy infectious, even to the fatigued Luna. "I wish you would have told me what was going on before you had left, however, sister. Not only for my sakes, I think you scared half of the staff with your disappearing act."

    Luna blushed under Celestia's gentle teasing.
   
    "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm not sorry about leaving so quickly, however. My daughter was in danger, and I wanted to be there as soon as possible."

    "My, you really are her mother, aren't you?" Celestia remarked, and then nodded softly. "Very well. This incident has actually reminded me of something that I wanted to talk to you about."

    "Oh? What is it, sister?"

    "Well, as you know, I ruled over all of Equestria for a thousand years before your return." Luna gave her sister a puzzled look, but Celestia continued. "What I mean is, it would not be a burden for me to handle things alone for a couple of months now."

    Realization dawned on Luna, and her heart skipped a beat.

    "'Tia, do you mean it?!"

    "Of course I do. I'm sure that our dear students could use the help during the night. It would be a great asset for them to have the nocturnal mother around during this time of Midnight's life." Celestia said with a small, playful smile, and a gleam in her eyes.

    Luna now knew where her sister had gotten them from.

    "Thank you so much!" Luna cried, and rushed to embrace her sister.

    "You're welcome, my dear sister." Celestia said, as they released the hug. "But I must admit, I half expected you to leave as soon as I told you!"

    "I intend to leave as soon as possible...but I have a duty I need to perform first." Luna said, and Celestia tilted her head, at Luna's shift to a solemn expression.

    "Oh?"

    "I must convey a message that I was given. A very special message, to you alone, 'Celly'."

    Celestia's eyes widened.


                    ***


    It was past noon when the exhausted family finally managed to escape from the party, using how sleepy Midnight and Spike were as an excuse. As soon as it was learned that Midnight and her parents were safe, and once all the search parties returned, Pinkie had insisted on a celebration, despite the parents' protests. Luna escaped quickly, having had to tell her sister that everything was okay, but Trixie and Twilight were surrounded by well-wishers and their friends, all relieved to see that they were okay, all intensely curious on what had happened.

    They didn't tell anypony about the Glade of Dreams. They weren't ready to, yet. Perhaps they never would be.

    Spike was the first one down, having found one of the more comfortable cushions in the main room of the library, and curling up in it. Twilight reminded herself to give the baby dragon a special reward once he was awake again. Spike had spent all night organizing everypony into search parties, and had even tried himself to join in on one, despite the danger, only held back by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. He was going to make a wonderful big brother. No, that was wrong. He already was.

    As it was, Twilight retrieved a blanket, and tenderly draped it over the sleeping dragon, giving his cheek a soft kiss. Once she had made sure he was comfortable, she ascended the stairs to catch up with Trixie, who had taken Midnight to the nursery. The poor foal had a rough night, after all, and even after the...special...sleep that she had experienced, the child couldn't hope to stave off exhaustion for too long.

    What had truly happened in the Everfree? Twilight had to admit that her theory, while being relatively sound, had some distressing holes in it. The key problem was the difference between Midnight's magical outburst, and her own. Twilight's outburst had been pure chaos, magic casting in every direction, and effecting everypony and everything differently. It was almost like something Discord could have been responsible for.

     But Midnight's had been the exact opposite. It had brought harmony to chaos, however temporarily. Was it because she had been in the Everfree Forest at the time it happened, or was it something about their daughter?

    Then there was Midnight I. Was what they had seen truly her, brought back to this world, or perhaps she was a figment made of memory and magic? Had she existed before they had entered the fog, guarding their daughter, or had she been created when Trixie and her strong emotions had entered the glade?

    And why, of all places Midnight could have gone with that transit spell, did she go to the Everfree Forest? Was it a random accident of magic, or was there something more behind it?

    Normally, so many unanswered questions would have sent Twilight into a tizzy of reading and research in hopes of uncovering the answer. But right now, there were more important things to concentrate on. How quickly priorities changed.

    She had a feeling, too, that the answers would be revealed to them one day anyways.

    She paused at the door to the nursery when she heard shuddering breaths coming from within. Somepony inside was crying, and she doubted it was Midnight. Twilight felt her stomach twist. She couldn't imagine what Trixie must have been going through. No matter what the truth of the matter was, Midnight I had been real to her, and so she had lost her again.

    This time, however, Trixie wasn't going to have to deal with this alone. Twilight took a deep breath, pushed open the ajar door, and stepped into the nursery.

    "Trixie? Are you okay? I know it's been a really long night, and with what happened in the Glade and all, if there's anything you wanted to talk about..."

    Trixie and Midnight were in much the same position that Twilight had found them at of the start of the night's chaos, with Trixie holding Midnight close to her. This time, though, Midnight was sleeping peacefully, wrapped not in a blanket, but a brilliant purple cloak. Trixie looked up at her wife, the tears trickling down her cheeks, but there was a difference there too.

    Trixie was smiling.

    "Everything's okay, because she's home, Twi...she's home and safe, and with us." Twilight nodded softly, smiling, and sat next to her wife, sharing her warmth. She gently stroked Midnight's mane with her hoof. "She gave me such a wonderful gift tonight, too..."

    "A gift?"

    "I can see her again, Twi. I can see my Momma as she was, bright and shining. It's not hidden by the shell that she had become at the end. All I can remember is the good times now...everything she gave me, in the short time we had. She gave my Mom back to me." Twilight smiled at her wife, and leaned in, kissing the azure unicorn lovingly. She knew, everything was going to be alright. Better than alright.

    "We're going to have to keep an eye on her, to make sure she doesn't get so sick again," Twilight said, once they had finally come back up for air. "I guess we're going to have to start teaching her magic as soon as she's able to read, too."

    "Well, that shouldn't be too much longer, then. If she takes after you, she'll probably be reading huge tomes within two weeks from now!" Trixie teased, and the two lovers laughed. Perhaps a little too loudly, for Midnight stirred, and her sleepy eyes opened, clearly wondering why her parents would be so mean to wake her up.

    "Oops, oh dear." Twilight said, looking chagrined. Trixie smiled at her wife.

    "It's alright, Twi. I know what to do." Trixie brought her head down, and began to sing a song without words.

    It was a gift from mother to daughter. A link from the past to the future.

    Midnight closed her eyes, and drifted off into the world of dreams.