The ice cold breeze of Hearth's Warming Eve blew through Canterlot, and the ponies of Equestria celebrated yet another year of family, friendship, and happiness. Canterlot Castle was no exception, and hundreds of ponies crammed into its stone walls, all happy to enjoy the annual Hearth's Warming Eve play. Among these many ponies, sat a very happy Midnight Shadow, and and equally happy David Lawson.

The mood was tense as the actors prepared for the coming show. in mere minutes, they would perform in front of a thousand Canterlot nobles, all four princesses of Equestria, and the first ever alien to land on Equestrian soil.

David sat next to none other than Princess Celestia and Luna as the curtains opened and the play began. They sat on the Princess's private balcony overlooking the stage. Twilight sat two seats to David's right. Her mother, Twilight Velvet and her father, Night Light sat next to her, along with her brother, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Cadence carried her foal, Flurry Heart in her hooves as the first actors took the stage.

Although there was an empty seat on David's right, Midnight wouldn't be swayed, and took her place sitting on his lap, nuzzling her head against his neck the entire show. She barely even payed attention to the play as they began the tale of the Founding of Equestria, as she was far too busy showering David with affection.

David was slightly hesitant to return her affections at first, but after a comforting nod of reassurance from Celestia, he happily nuzzled her back. He rubbed her back with his free hand while his other twirled her mane around between his fingers. After the first few minutes, the two lovebirds made no effort to hide their affections, catching the attention of all four princesses and their families from the show.

Princess Celestia watched over them with a genuine smile, and gave a friendly wink to David when he eventually tore his eyes from Midnight's for a moment. Princess Luna glanced over at Celestia and shared a knowing smile with her sister and they both lightly giggled at their hoofwork.

The play continued without a hitch, and before long, the intermission finally arrived. Everypony took the time to get out of their seats and stretch their legs and wings. Everypony except for David. After Midnight hopped off his lap and went to the restroom, David took a minute to rub his temples. A painful migraine forced its way into his skull some time after the play started, but for Midnight's sake, he managed to hide the pain for the duration of the first half of the play.

David moved his hands to his brow and massaged the pain away as best as he could. He managed to subdue the pain for a moment before Midnight returned. He quickly sat up and welcomed her back with open arms and a bright smile.

Midnight hopped into David's lap an kissed him happily. After holding the kiss for a moment, she pulled away and smiled back at him.

"Miss me?" Midnight asked, playfully.

"More than you can imagine." David replied, his voice full of mirth.

Midnight nuzzled David's cheek, and he hugged her tightly in return. Before long, the royal sisters and the Sparkle family returned and took their seats. The second half of the play began a moment later, and with it, David's migraine.

Eventually, the play came to an end and the many actors filled the stage to take one last bow before they were met with a massive round of applause. David and Midnight managed to pry themselves apart from each other for a few moments to join in the applause before everypony began to leave.

As the group made their way out of the performance hall, and into the princess's private chambers, Twilight made her way over to David as he walked beside Midnight.

"Hey, David. What did you think of the play? I think they really got the Windigos down this time. They were so realistic!"

"Wha- oh, yeah. They were super realistic... with their... uh... wind... and stuff." David absentmindedly replied.

"What? David did you even watch the play?" Twilight asked, confusion clear in her voice.

"Uh... yes?" David lied.

Twilight sighed.

"You didn't even pay attention, did you?" Twilight deadpanned.

"Well, I tried... There was just a certain pony who kept distracting me." David said, nudging Midnight with his leg.

"Hey, don't blame me. I can't help it. You're just too cute, big guy." Midnight replied, bumping her hips against David's leg.

"Look who's talking." David replied, rustling Midnight's mane.

"Hehe, stop it, big guy. You goofball." Midnight said through a giggle.

"Haha, anyways, sorry Twi. I guess I was a little distracted." David said.

"Well maybe if you weren't so busy smooching with your special somepony, you'd have understood the play." Twilight said with a pout.

"I promise that you can explain it to me in extreme detail later tonight, Twilight." David said with a slight roll of his eyes.

"So, just out of curious, how did you and Midnight even end up together?" Shining Armor chimed in from behind Twilight.

"Well, that's a loooooooong story..." David began while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Suffice to say that we both felt the same way but weren't sure how to tell each other. At least, until the princesses decided to play matchmaker with us." Midnight added.

"As we said before, Midnight, we only gave you a nudge in the right direction. Everything else that happened between you was your own doing." Celestia said with a smug smile.

"Well, regardless of who did what, we're all incredibly happy for the both of you." Cadence said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, princess." Midnight replied with an equally genuine smile.

"So you've been here for just over two months now, right David?" Shining Armor inquired.

"Yeah. The crash was back in fall. Huh, kinda funny when I think about it. Isaac always talked about how much he loved to watch the leaves turn from green to orange and red. I wish he could have seen this place. I wish they all could have." David said, his tone slowly turning mournful as he spoke.

"I'm sure they would have all loved Equestria just as much as you do, and they would have been more than welcome to stay." Cadence said warmly.

"Thanks, Cadence..." David trailed off.

As the party reached the royal dining room, David slightly strayed away from the group, much to Midnight's surprise. While everypony else headed into the dining room for dinner, David stopped in the doorway and brought his hand to his head. He felt immense pressure in his head, like a bowling ball was competing with his brain for space in his skull. His brow furrowed in discomfort, and there was a slight grimace on his face.

"David? What's wrong?" Midnight asked as the other ponies sat down for dinner.

"Uh... I just got this killer headache out of nowhere. I don't know why, but my head is pounding." David answered while rubbing his temple.

"Do you want me to see if the princesses have some aspirin? Or I think Twilight might have a spell that could help with that." Midnight offered.

"Thanks, Mid, but I think I'll be okay." David said, though clearly in pain.

Midnight's brow furrowed in concern, and she stepped over to David's side to provide whatever support she could. Several of the other ponies present, noticed the lack of a human in the room and started walking over to David to see what was wrong. Celestia was the first to approach and voice her concern of the group.

"David? Are you feeling alright?" She asked.

"Yeah... just... uh, got a headache... out of nowhere. Jesus this hurts." David said with tightly shut eyes and gritted teeth.

"Do you need to sit down?" Celestia asked. "Sister, could you get David a glass of water? Maybe that will help."

"Of course." Luna answered as she levitated a full glass of water over to David.

David quickly grabbed the glass out of the air and downed the drink as fast as he could before pressing his forearm against the wall and leaning his head into it. He shut his eyes as tight as he could but nothing seemed to stop the throbbing pain in his head. Twilight and her family all shared concerned glances before she came forward and spoke.

"Um, David, if you want, I can try a spell to help you with the pain. I have several spells that can deal with a migraine." Twilight offered.

"Y-yeah, do it." David managed to say.

A bright magenta light poured from Twilight's horn, and an equally bright light wrapped itself around David's head. Several seconds passed as the ponies in the room anticipated quick *pop*, and David to shake off the migraine like it never happened. Instead, David screamed out in pain.

"Aahhh!!" David shouted.

Twilight immediately dropped the spell and watched in horror as David fell to his knees. His face was contorted in pain and tears began to leak out of his tightly closed eyes.

Midnight's jaw dropped in horror and she rushed to David's aid. She quickly wrapped her hooves around him and held him close.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Midnight screamed.

"I-I... I was just cast the spell to help his migraine. I-I didn't do anything else, I swear!" Twilight managed to say through her shock.

All eyes in the room fell to David as he writhed about in Midnight's arms. He was in clearly in agony, and from the looks of things, it was only getting worse.

"I'll get a doctor." Shining Armor said as he galloped out of the room.

"Here, let's clear some space on the couch for him." Night Light ordered.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light set about clearing the couch while the princesses and Twilight stayed with David and Midnight.

"We need to do something about the pain." Celestia stated. "Luna, can you do anything with your magic? I don't want to risk using mine in case something worse happens like with Twilight's."

Twilight visibly tensed at the mention of her name, but it went unnoticed as everypony's attention was directed to Luna.

"The best I can do is put him to sleep for the night." Luna said quickly.

"We've got the couch cleared! Bring him over!" Twilight Velvet called out from the other side of the room.

"Right, put him under and then we'll move him to the couch." Celestia commanded.

"Are you sure that's safe? What if it makes things worse!?" Midnight pleaded.

"Midnight, there isn't a better option at the moment. David's clearly in pain. I know you want to protect him, but trust me, we would never harm him. You have my word." Celestia said, her tone firm.

Midnight stared at the princess for a second before her eyes fell down onto David's body as he writhed about in agony. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Okay." Midnight said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Midnight released David and allowed the dark princess room to work. Luna quickly filled the gap and her horn turn a brilliant azure blue. She stepped over David and touched her horn to his head. Almost immediately, he went limp. David's grunting and heavy breathing stilled, and the pained grimace that adorned his face just moments before, was finally gone.

Midnight wasted no time and quickly grabbed his wrist with her hoof. After a moment of searching, she found his pulse. She then pressed her ear against his mouth, waiting for the sensitive fur in her ear to be disturbed by David's breath. One second passed, and with it, every emotion Midnight could possibly comprehend all flooded her mind one by one. Her thoughts spiraled out of control as she waited. Fear, panic, anxiety, and a melting pot of other emotions battled each other for dominance in her frantic mind within the course of only a second. Finally, Midnight felt the tell-tale signs of breathing, and her ear twitched as David finally exhaled. A moment later, he inhaled, and Midnight felt a thousand times lighter.

Midnight breathed a sigh of relief, and sat back on her haunches. The royal sisters sat down on either side of her, and two large wings, one light, and one dark, wrapped themselves around her.

"How did this happen to him?" Celestia asked.

"I-I don't know... One second he was fine, just talking with us like nothing was wrong, then the next..." Midnight trailed off.

"Let's get him to the bed. Shining Armor should be back soon with the castle doctor. We'll have him take a look." Luna announced.

Celestia wrapped her golden magic around David's body and lifted him into the air. She paused for a moment to insure he was still asleep and that her magic was having no adverse effects on him, before moving him over to the couch. Midnight trailed along beside her, her face painted with worry, as the unconscious human was finally lowered onto the couch.

The room fell silent, and all eyes fell onto David as he slept. After a few minutes, Twilight walked over to Midnight's side.

"Midnight... I-I have no idea what went wrong... I swear to you, I would never hurt David. You know I wouldn't... I'm so sorry..." Twilight finished, weakly.

"What could have happened? Why would a migraine-relief spell cause him so much pain?" Midnight thought out loud, her eyes still trained on David's sleeping form.

"I-I'm not sure... I've never seen a creature react like that before. I'd have to do dozens of tests before I know for sure."

"When he wakes up, we'll ask him if he's okay with that, because I'm sure as Tartarus not." Midnight said, her voice was cold and low.

"Midnight... I-" Twilight started, only to be cut off by Midnight.

"Princess, I understand what you were trying to do. I'm not mad at you... I'm upset that he's hurt and I can't do anything to help him..." Midnight said through clenched teeth.

"I'm so sorry." Twilight said, dejectedly.

Twilight walked away from Midnight and David just as Shining Armor arrived with the castle doctor.

The doctor in question was an older looking stallion. His coat was a dark brown, and his mane and tail were a silvery blonde due to his age. He wore a white medical coat around his barrel, and had a pair of spectacles adorning his amber eyes.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Doctor Whinny." Celestia addressed the stallion.

"Of course, your highness. It's my job, after all. Now, where is the human?" He asked, his voice clean and professional.

"David's on the couch over here." Midnight answered, motioning to the doctor to follow her.

She quickly led him to David and Doctor Whinny immediately set to checking David's vitals.

"So what happened exactly?" Doctor Whinny asked while he checked David's blood pressure and pulse.

"We're... not sure. One minute, we were talking about the play, the next, David had a headache, and when I tried to use some magic to help with the pain, it made things a hundred times worse. Princess Luna had to put him to sleep to stop the pain..." Twilight answered, her tone taking a remorseful edge.

"Would it be safe to say that magic caused this then, perhaps?" He mused.

"Normally, I would immediately agree, but... he's been living with Midnight for the last two months and he's never had something like this happen. Has he, Midnight?" Twilight answered.

"No. He's never reacted poorly to magic before. Then again, I never really used any spells on him other than a sleep spell back when he first got here and the occasional levitation spell." Midnight replied.

"Has he had serious headaches in the past? Maybe not something this serious, but something worth noting, perhaps?"

"He's had headaches and migraines before, but nothing this extreme." Midnight said, her brow furrowed in thought.

"I see... Hmm, I still know so little about his species, so it's hard for me to come up with any kind of solid diagnosis..." Doctor Whinny thought aloud.

"What if it was something he ate? Maybe his species can have some kind of allergic reaction to some of the food in Equestria." Shining Armor chimed in.

"He didn't eat anything out of the ordinary today, and he's never had a reaction like this to any food before, so that can't be it." Midnight answered.

Doctor Whinny stepped away from David and turned to face the rest of the ponies in the room.

"Well, the good news is that he seems to be in perfect health, at least physically. His pulse is normal, his blood pressure seems normal, and nothing else seems out of the ordinary for his species. According to those charts Princess Twilight gave us a few weeks ago, everything seems to be in order. Could you perhaps be more specific as to what exactly led up to the casting of the migraine spell? What exactly happened?" Doctor Whinny asked.

"Well, we watched the play, nothing out of the ordinary happened there. Then while we were walking back in the hall, we were talking about something... Uh, it was something about the leaves during fall... Shining, didn't you mention his friends?" Cadence answered, her muzzle scrunched up in thought.

"Um... Yeah.. Yeah, he mentioned one of his friends and how he would have loved to see the leaves changing during fall." Shining recollected.

"Right, thank you Shiny. If I recall right, we talked about his friends and then he complained about the pain to Midnight while the rest of us came into the room." Cadence finished.

"And has he spoken about his friends before?" The doctor mused.

"Very little. He doesn't like to talk about them very much. Every time I brought them up, he just shot me down the first chance he got." Midnight answered.

Luna followed up quickly, "He blames himself for their deaths. He has struggled, for the last few months, to put that behind him... His dreams are haunted by their memory most nights."

"Does he seem rather distant when they come up in conversation? Almost as if he's reminiscing or lost in though?" Doctor Whinny asked.

"Now that you mention it, yeah... At least, recently he has." Midnight answered.

"Hmm... Perhaps he suffers from survivor's guilt. While it isn't very common, having a mental breakdown somewhat akin to what you've described is a possible symptom. I've had several patients with similar reactions to far less perilous situations." Doctor Whinny explained.

"Are you saying that her magic somehow triggered a mental breakdown?" Midnight asked.

"It could be possible. Tell me, Princess, did you even finish the spell? Or did David react before you finished." Doctor Whinny asked.

"Uh... actually, no. I didn't even get halfway through the spell." Twilight said. Perking up slightly.

"Well, if that's the case, then it's also possible that what happened could have been caused by a chemical imbalance in his brain due to the stress of being the only survivor." Doctor Whinny explained.

"How, and why now? Why wouldn't it have happened last week, or last month, or any other time since he got here? Why would it happen right now when he was so happy?" Midnight pressed.

"I don't know. Maybe Princess Twilight's magic was the metaphorical spark to light the fire? Like I said, my knowledge on his species is very limited. As it stands, there are two probable causes we can hypothesize. First, that magic was the cause, although, since Princess Twilight confirmed she didn't even complete the spell, and he's lived with you for the last two months and shown no signs of damage, I'm not entirely convinced that was the cause. Second, that he suffers from acute survivor's guilt and the stress of living with that for the last two months has finally caught up with him." Doctor Whinny reasoned.

Midnight sank to her haunches. The pit in her stomach only worsened as the doctor's words swam about in her mind.

"So... whether it was magic or just some kind of mental breakdown... how do we help him?" She asked, after several moments of deliberation.

"I'm not a psychologist by any means, but I think the best move for now would be to confirm which of the two it was. This will be difficult. If magic is indeed the cause, then scanning for magical damage with a scanner spell could make things worse." Doctor Whinny suggested.

"And if the cause is survivor's guilt?" Midnight asked.

"Usually the way to handle these types of problems is to confront one's guilt and ackowledge that there was nothing they could do. They have to be reminded that it's not their fault."

"How do we do that?" Midnight pressed.

"Well, like I said, I'm not a psychologist, I'm not completely sure." Doctor Whinny admitted.

"Well where's the nearest psychologist then?" Midnight asked, impatiently.

"It's Hearth's Warming Eve, Midnight. The local psychologist is with his family in Las Pegasus. Finding one in Canterlot will be difficult until at least two days from now. Regrettably, the castle isnt staffed with a psychologist at the moment." Celestia admitted.

"Well we have to do something! We can't just sit here and wait for a psychologist to just show up." Midnight demanded.

"I understand your frustrations, and I'll be the first to admit that my theory is just that, a theory. However, if I'm right, then then only way that I can think of helping him would be to talk to him about it. If you can help him realize that it wasn't his fault, then maybe that will prevent this from happening again in the future." Doctor Whinny said in an effort to comfort Midnight.

"But what if it's magic then? We just hope that he gets better somehow?" Midnight asked, her brow furrowed in irritation.

Celestia spoke next, her voice calm and collected, "Midnight, please, calm down. Regardless of which one is the cause, I don't believe we can provide a diagnosis until David awakes anyways."

"Um, Princess, I think I might have an idea." Twilight's meek voice chimed in.

"Of course, Twilight." Celestia responded.

"Well, it has to do with the spell you asked me to research a few days ago... The transfiguration spell. Just, as a hypothetical, it might be a viable option if magic is the cause." Twilight said, painfully aware of Midnight's questioning gaze.

"Hmm... I don't think I follow, Twilight." Celestia said after much consideration.

"Wait, what transfiguration spell?" Midnight asked.

"It's a spell that could turn any other species into a pony. Star Swirl the Bearded came up with the spell over a millennia ago to defeat large monsters without having to use conventional magic or risk damaging th-" Twilight began to explain.

Midnight did a double take at Twilight's words.

"I'm sorry, what? You want to turn him into a pony? With magic? When we don't even know if that's what hurt him yet? Are you trying to kill him?" Midnight chastised, anger clawing its way into her voice again.

"No! Or course not, Midnight! The only reason I bring it up is to give us more options. If magic damages his human biology, then turning him into a pony could prevent that from happening. I can't know for sure - not yet at least - but if I'm right, and Equestrian magic is causing his pain, then there's no way he could continue to live here without being a pony. If I'm right, it would be cruel for him to stay here as a human. I know that it has risks, but if our magic is the cause, then it might be the only thing that we can do for him." Twilight countered.

"There's no way he would agree to that! He can't just give up what he is on the assumption that you might be right!" Midnight retorted.

"If he has a breakdown this intense again, he might not be the one to make that choice." Celestia said, drawing the attention of everypony in the room.

"What do you mean? You're not seriously considering this, are you?" Midnight asked, exasperated.

"Don't worry, Midnight. We won't be changing David's species tonight. That's a permanent solution to a potentially temporary problem and will only be used as an absolute last resort. Not to mention, we still don't even have a proper diagnosis. We will try to diagnose the problem accurately first, and if the problem is in fact that his biology can not handle equestrian magic, then, and only then will we consult him on making that change... That said, if something like this were to happen again in the unforeseen future, it might become impossible to ask for his consent with regards to using the spell. I'm afraid that that decision, will have to fall on you, Midnight." Celestia said, drawing everyone's eyes to Midnight.

"What?! M-Me? I can't make that decision for him! That's not my choice to make!" Midnight reasoned, her tone growing more frantic.

"Midnight, please calm down. I understand that it's a massive responsibility, but you are the one David trusts the most. If anypony could make that decision for him, it'd be you." Celestia said, trying to calm the nearly hyperventilating mare in front of her.

Before Midnight could formulate a response, a navy blue wing was draped over her, and she turned her head to see Luna giving her a comforting smile. After a few moments, she sighed heavily and hung her head low.

"I understand your fears, Midnight. Please try to remember that this is all very hypothetical at the moment. If our magic is the cause of what happened here tonight, and Twilight's spell can help him, then the decision will only fall on you if David absolutely cannot make that choice himself. We're going to try everything we can to help him before it comes to that." Luna said, warmth emanating from her voice.

"But... I can't make that choice for him... It's not fair to David." Midnight pleaded.

"Midnight, you are the most important pony in David's life. Do you think he'd trust anyone else with that responsibility?"

"I... I'll think about it..." Midnight said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Let's just pray that it doesn't come to that. If it is just his psyche causing this, then neither of you will have to make that choice." Doctor Whinny chimed in.

"Regardless, we're not going to make any decisions tonight. We'll have to tackle this once David is awake again." Celestia declared.

"We might not be able to make any decisions tonight, but I do believe I might be able to at least rule out one of those potential causes, sister." Luna spoke up and all eyes fell on her. "Ever since David arrived, I've struggled to see his dreams. Now that we've discussed his mental state and memories, I've realized something. Without getting too into the details, I might be able to access David's mind through his dreams and discern the true cause of his pain from there."

"How?" Celestia asked, clearly intrigued.

"Like I said, I do not wish to get too into the details since it's very complicated, but the idea is that if I can enter his subconscious, I should be able to visually see if there is any equestrian magic from there. If there is, and it is the source of David's pain, then there should be severe damage surrounding it." Luna explained.

"What do you mean? What kind of 'damage'?" Midnight asked.

"Well, it's difficult to explain, but essentially, the dreamer's subconscious creates a metaphorical world around them when they dream. I enter this metaphorical world, and usually, it mimics the real world. The only difference is what certain things represent. A simple road in one pony's dream could actually be a key neurological pathway in his or her mind, but they subconsciously correlate the two without knowing it. The damage would be exactly like the real world. A burnt down house, a broken wheel, or even a bent pole. I should be able to find magical residue that exists near the damaged parts of his subconscious mind. That's how I'll be able to discern actual damage from normal parts of the dream. If I find nothing, then we'll know that magic does not harm him." Luna answered.

"I'm not sure... Doesn't that sound a little... Invasive, sister?" Celestia asked.

"I'm afraid it is. I would never do this to somepony without their consent, but unfortunately, David cannot consent at the moment. Therefore, it falls to you, Midnight. Would you be alright with me doing this?" Luna asked, her eyes intensely trained on Midnight's.

"Princess, if there's anything you could do, please, do it. I can't see him in pain like that again... Not again..." Midnight sadly trailed off.

"Very well. I will begin at once. This might take several hours, and it is already late. You all might want to rest soon. Don't stay awake on my account." Luna addressed everypony in the room.

"I'm not going anywhere." Midnight said, her mind having been made up long ago.

"I will stay as well." Princess Celestia said, firmly.

"I'd like to stay, if it'd be alright with you, Midnight." Twilight came forward as well.

Midnight took a moment to respond.

"Of course, Princess. You're David's friend too. I know you didn't mean to hurt him." Midnight said with a weak smile.

"Thank you. I'll do anything I can to help." Twilight responded, perking back up slightly.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light shared a quick glance before looking back at David's sleeping form.

"I think we should stay too." They both said in unison.

"David is a fine stallion, and I think we'd like to make sure that he's alright." Twilight Velvet finished for them.

"I'll stay too. Sunburst is taking care of Flurry Heart, just a few rooms over, so we shouldn't have anything to worry about." Cadence said.

"Same here." Shining Armor followed.

Midnight took a moment to look at each of the ponies filling the room. Her eyes fell on each pony slowly, and before she even made it half way around the room, tears were blurring her vision.

"You... all want to stay?" Midnight managed to say. "Even though it's Hearth's Warming Eve?"

"Our whole family's here anyways. Besides it's David's first Hearth's Warming. Let's make it special." Night Light responded.

Midnight held the tears back as best as she could, but despite her efforts, a several tears streamed down her face and dampened the fur on her cheeks. She looked down and away from the group and wiped the tears away with her foreleg.

"T-thank you... Thank you all so much..." She spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

Celestia's brilliant white wing found it's way around Midnight's whither and pulled her close. Midnight looked up to see Celestia's magenta orbs smiling down on her.

"I promise you that David will be alright, Midnight. You have my word." Celestia spoke, her voice full of kindness and compassion.

Midnight slowly nodded her head, and after another comforting squeeze from Celestia's wing, Midnight was released from her grasp.

Princess Celestia requested several mattresses to be brought to the room for the excess guests that would be staying over through the night. Within half an hour, the castle servants provided four queen sized mattresses for the Princesses and several twin sized mattresses for the rest of the Sparkle family and Midnight.

Regardless of the many comfortable mattresses in the room, everypony tried their hardest to stay awake while Luna worked. The Sparkle family found some board games and a deck of playing cards to pass the time. After several hours, Night Light proved his skill by beating even Celestia in a game of 'Go-Fish'.

Shining Armor and Cadence cuddled on their respective mattress and watched as Twilight Velvet proceeded to destroy her husband's perfect win streak. They shared a laugh at his expense before Cadence had to stifle a yawn. The hours passed quickly for some, but so, so painfully slowly for one pony in the room.

Despite all of the general atmosphere of the room being somewhat jovial, one pony sat in silence. Her eyes glued to the only human being in the room. Midnight sat on her haunches only a foot away from David. Every time he moved in his sleep, or his eyelids twitched just enough, she rose to her hooves to make sure he was okay.

Eventually, everypony's energy fizzled out and died, and they prepared for bed, fully intending to see a healthy human in the morning. Celestia ensured everypony had any blankets or other necessities before her ever watchful gaze fell on Midnight as she checked David for what must have been the hundredth time. As she watched her, the Sparkle family said their goodnights to each other and went to bed. Cadence and Shining Armor had long since fallen asleep, holding each other in their forelegs. A sad sigh forced itself out of her lips, and Celestia walked over to the dark unicorn.

"Midnight... I know you want to make sure he's alright... But there's nothing you can do right now. It's already one in the morning. Please get some rest. Luna will ensure David is alright for the rest of the night." Celestia tiredly said.

"You go ahead, Princess. I want to be awake when he wakes up." Midnight replied, absentmindedly.

"Midnight-" Celestia began.

"Princess, please... I can't help him, I know that... I just... I just have to do something... If I lose a night's worth of sleep at the cost of making sure he's okay, then I'd say it was a night well spent." Midnight interrupted.

A small smile forced its way onto Celestia's lips.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" She asked.

"I... yes..." Midnight said, her eyes staying trained on David.

"He's lucky to have you. I will be just across the room if you need anything. Good night, Midnight." Celestia warmly said.

"Good night, Princess... and thank you." Midnight replied.

The soft and steady breathing of the many bodies in the room filled the air as the last of the ponies fell asleep. Even Midnight, despite her efforts, drifted off eventually, and fell asleep on the floor, her hoof just barely making contact with David's hand as it hung off the couch. The only source of light the filled the room was the brilliant light from Luna's horn as she worked in the dreamscape. A dreamscape that was far less peaceful than that quiet room.

Hopefully I didnt overdo it with the public display of affection in the beginning. Anyways, here we are. Hopefully ya'll saw this coming. I know it might be confusing and hopefully there aren't any major plot holes I missed. I pretty much had to completely rewrite this chapter over the last week because I realized that I left so many plotholes and issues that it would have been a horrible chapter to upload. I think I will completely rewrite this chapter once the story is finished, just because I'm still not very happy with how it turned out. I hope you enjoy regardless. The next chapter will be better, I promise. I know this chapter is going to leave a lot of questions, and I promise that if you read until the end of the story, they will be answered. I know that waiting for a few more weeks sucks, but we're almost there guys. Stay with me here. Everything will be answered in the end.