The ponies could only stare in absolute bewilderment at the sight that now forced itself upon their eyes. They all wanted to tear away, to run back to wherever it was that they came from as quickly as they could, but something kept them fixed to that spot. Their brains froze and turned into complete sludge. Their hooves melted into the ground. Their worst fear had been realized. Midnight, by some method of dark magic, had been resurrected and had returned to try and destroy them once again.
The small black filly looked at the crowd in a rage. "I SAID BOW, YOU MORONS!" She shrieked, "BOW, OR SUFFER YOUR ULTIMATE DEMISE!" With the threat of death looming large, everypony went to their knees. They trembled at the hooves of the two foals, who laughed uproariously at the frightened state that they had caused.
"Oh, this is so much fun, baby!" Iron Wing proclaimed loudly.
Midnight nodded. "Of course it is. Now kiss me while they tremble!"
The two foals began kissing very obnoxiously. The entire sight was incredibly revolting to everypony else. Twilight had to stop herself from regurgitating the small amount of hors d'oeuvres she had consumed. She couldn't believe that her deceased daughter was standing there in front of her. But even more than that, she couldn't believe that a former princess of Equestria was committing herself to such a disgusting public display. The two foals seemed to gain some type of pleasure from watching the fear of the other ponies.
They finished their small, yet somehow overbearing exchange of affection, then Midnight moved over to where her mother cowered before her. She laughed and squealed. "Oh, Mother," she said in a voice that created ice on Twilight's back, "it is truly a great honor to watch you cowering before me in fear. You're afraid of your own daughter! You, the brave Princess of Friendship, who has saved Equestria from countless monsters, are complete putty in the hooves of your offspring! Truly, Zecora's prophecy has been fulfilled this day, and you are all IN MY GRASP!"
She laughed once again, thoroughly reveling in the shock that she was causing. But what the trembling ponies didn't know was that she had returned with a secret weapon. It was a weapon so deadly and powerful, that nopony in Equestria could have ever imagined it could exist. Perhaps a human might, but then again, humans don't live in magical realms dominated by friendship.
She turned to a random pony and her eyes became green. Purple flames shot from her sockets as she fired up a malicious looking spell. Her horn became black as night and she muttered something in some forgotten ancient tongue. A beam of epic proportions shot forth and engulfed the hapless pony. Their eyes also turned green and they began screaming horrifically. "NO! PLEASE, NO! NOT THAT! NOT THAT!" They shrieked over and over again while Midnight looked on, gloating silently.
After a minute or two, the screaming died down and the pony lay on her side, trembling and muttering, "so…much…failure…" She continued this repetitiously as Midnight laughed triumphantly. Twilight took a look at her daughter, who had somehow turned more evil than she had been before. Her viciousness knew no boundaries, and she was hell bent on making Equestria hers to command.
She turned back to her mother. "See, Mommy? Look at this! This is what my magic can do! This is what you kept down all those years! This is the true unlocked potential of the ALMIGHTY MIDNIGHT MARE!"
"Oh, my dearest Midnight Sun," Twilight said as tears came to her eyes, "how I love you. How I wish with all my heart that you would turn to good instead of evil. But I know that you are too far gone. I don't even know the pony that stands in front of me anymore, nor do I consider you my daughter. I don't know how you came back from the dead, but trust me, I will return you to your grave!"
"Oh? You will? Good luck," Midnight said cynically. "By the way, if you're wondering how I came back, here's a hint: The Principle of Zagunis."
The ponies all gasped. Celestia and Luna looked at each other in horror. Twilight looked up at Midnight. "The Principle of Zagunis? You mean the evil pony sorceress who tried to usurp Equestria from Celestia thousands of years ago? That Zagunis?"
"The same," Midnight responded curtly.
"I know you don't give two hoof prints about Equestrian law, but the study of that evil mare's teachings is expressly forbidden! Who gave you this power?"
"Oh, nopony gave it to me. It was given to my dear husband, Iron Wing, here."
"Husband? You'll be married to him over my dead body!"
"Well, that can be arranged…Mommy. Of course, if you want to keep quiet, we'll reconsider that option."
Twilight realized that she was in no position to make threats, so she kept her mouth shut. Midnight stepped onto the highest platform and addressed the entire party. "PONIES OF EQUESTRIA, I AM YOUR NEW MISTRESS! I HOLD YOUR FEAR IN MY HOOVES! WITH THIS BEAM, I CAN SHOW YOU YOUR DARKEST FEARS, THANKS TO SOME HELP FROM KING SOMBRA!"
More gasps were heard. "King Sombra?!" Celestia asked in a panic, "but…he…I thought he was destroyed!"
"Once again, The Principle of Zagunis comes into play. It was very easy to resurrect the dead king; and, with the promise of The Crystal Empire if we won, it was also very easy to sway him to our side!"
Twilight continued staring at her daughter in disbelief. How could her offspring have turned out to be so wretched? She had given birth to a demon, and all the memories of Midnight's first assault on Equestria came flooding back into her mind. She turned and looked at Sunlight, who trembled at her hooves. She gently curled her tail around her other daughter. "It's all gonna be alright," she whispered, trying to calm her.
Suddenly, Sunlight stopped trembling and took on a look that betrayed her own wisdom. Her coat seemed to glow. "Yes, Mother," she said solemnly, "I believe you. But I have to go."
"Go? No, young filly! You stay put!"
But it was too late. Sunlight had already teleported herself away from the party and into the streets of Manehattan. She ran along the boulevards, passing hundreds of dazed ponies who were watching everything unfold on Equestrian television. The big screens in Hay Square were all broadcasting Midnight's spitting hatred, and Sunlight noticed that even the ponies on the streets were trembling in fear. I've got to stop her, she thought to herself, and I know just who I need to help me!
She quickly ran and got on board the Friendship Express. She looked back and noticed that the skies around Manehattan were beginning to turn orange as Midnight gained more power. She ran up to the conductor and unfurled her wings. "As a Princess of Equestria, I order you to take this train to The Crystal Empire as fast as possible!"
The conductor, recognizing Sunlight, immediately nodded and told the engineer. The train whistled loudly and began racing along its tracks at top speed. Sunlight was pushed back against her seat. She didn't realize that this train went this fast. She knew The Crystal Express could go very quickly, but it was a bullet train. This was a normal, steam powered train.
On the way to her cousin's home, she had the chance to map out a strategy for beating Midnight and Iron Wing. I may have to kill them, she said, and if that's the case, so be it. I must protect Equestria and my family and friends. Midnight's downfall is imminent, and this time, I'll make sure she stays in the grave forever.