The meeting went very well. Everypony there was allowed to stay in Ponyville and help out anypony. As long as they did not create any damage or disaster to the town, they were able to stay. The next day, Midnight got off of his job at Sugarcube Corner early, so he decided to visit Oracle.

"Hey Midnight, where are you heading?" asked Sparkplug.

"I'm going to visit Oracle" he replied.

"You two really have been getting close. I'm curious…" Sparkplug put his hoof onto his chin and a smile came onto his face, "You are going to see Oracle, you two will be alone, and then…"

Sparkplug never finished his sentence when he was lifted into the air and placed closely to Midnight's face. Midnight glared at Sparkplug, "Never make that assumption again…" Midnight put Sparkplug down and walked into the forest. Sparkplug dusted himself off, "Geez, what was HE thinking?" Midnight kept walking down the usual trail to Oracle's ruins. Along the way, something appeared out from the bushes. It seemed like a gold spade with a blue gen in the center. Midnight looked at it, but it quickly disappeared into the bushes. Curiosity got the best of him as he followed after the strange item. Midnight saw a trail that seemed to have barely been used. He continued to walk down the path, looking for the strange object. What he found was a cave. The cave seemed it was natural, but other areas of it showed signs that somepony carved it out. A glint sparkled into his eye, causing him to look down. That object he saw before was on the ground. Midnight reached for it, but the object moved into the bushes before he could grasp it. Laughter ran through the cave, but this laughter was different than Chrysalis's. So Midnight did not have to worry about that again. Instead, two piercing multicolored eyes shone in the cave's darkness. The item that he saw started to come out, but a tail was attached to it. The tail wrapped around Midnight, tightly enough so that he could not move. The eyes grew closer, revealing their owner. It was a dark blue pony with a raggedy black mane. Her eyes were slits and she had layers of irises. Her mouth had visible signs of fangs. However, she only had two legs. Her lower half was a snake tail. The scales were light blue as a purple stripe ran down the back. A gold brace covered with blue gems ran across her waist where the snake half met the pony half. Around her neck was a gold necklace with a light blue gemstone.

"It isss niccce to have a visssitor…" she said, "It hasss been ssso long…"

"W-Who are you…?" asked Midnight.

"My name is Sssapphire…and you do not know how long I have waited for a pony like you…"

"Why…why do you want me?"

"You and I share sssomething…sssomething sssimilar…" She went closer to Midnight's face, her forked tongue tickling his face. "You and I…are different…we are ssshunned from sssociety…we are perfect for each other…"

Midnight saw where this was going. "I'm sorry to disappoint you Sapphire…but I already have an interest."

"Oh…ssso it wasss love firssst sssight for you too…?" Sapphire had a wide smile on her face. Midnight looked away, "Uh…actually…I'm not in love with you…" The smile disappeared from her face. "I'm sorry Sapphire…I'm sure there is somepony out there for you…it's just not me."

Sapphire's tail tightened around Midnight, causing him to groan in pain. "No pony ssshall deny me requessstsss…!" The end of her tail wrapped around Midnight's snout and she turned Midnight's face towards hers. Her eyes began to swirl with several colors. Midnight's eyes began to swirl the same colors and he seemed to be in a daze. "Who do you love little Midnight?" asked Sapphire.

"I…love…Oracle…" he said slowly.

"No, you love me."

"I…love…Or…I...love…love…"

"Repeat after me, you love Sssapphire…you hate Oracle…"

"I…love…Or…I…love…S…I love Sapphire…I hate…I hate Oracle…"

Sapphire smiled, "Very good my love. There is jussst one lassst thing you need to do…"

---

Oracle was inside painting on a large canvas. Several candles illuminated the room. A few drops of paint were on her face as she placed the painting in a hidden area. She did not want to reveal her painting to anypony yet, especially Midnight.

"…Oracle…" said a voice. Oracle turned to see just the pony she was thinking about. She walked happily closer to him, but she was stopped by his magic. "No Oracle, no close encounters. I need to tell you something." Oracle looked at him worryingly. "I just want to tell you that there are no feelings between us."

His statement surprised Oracle. "Midnight…I thought that…"

"You thought wrong" he replied coldly. "Oracle, I never had feelings for you. I never will have feelings for you. Everything you have ever felt or will feel was all an act. I love somepony else, and it is not you. So just stay in your ruined home, never leave the forest, and leave me alone."

Those words stung deeply into Oracle's heart. It wasn't just the words, it was his tone. He sounded like there was no emotion behind it at all. With nothing else to say, Midnight left Oracle in tears. Oracle slowly walked her seemingly lifeless body to her bed and collapsed in it. Her heart has been crushed; her existence to her seemed to shatter. All she could do is lye in her bed and cry, "…Midnight…why…?"

---

Sparkplug just wandered through town, looking at the new stores and bought a few things to eat. He walked near Sugarcube Corner, seeing Midnight leave with a package on his back. Sparkplug galloped towards him, "Hey Midnight, got something for Oracle?" Midnight's gaze never turned to Sparkplug. He noticed this but tried to continue the conversation. "So…how is Oracle…?"

"Oracle…who cares…?" he said.

This stopped Sparkplug short. He was wide eyed as he watched Midnight leave. Lightning approached Sparkplug's side, "Did I just hear that correctly?"

"Something's up" said Sparkplug, "Midnight cares for Oracle more than anypony has shown me before."

"Maybe Oracle could shed some light on this…"

Sparkplug and Lightning galloped to Oracle's home. When they entered, it was pitch black. Sparkplug's broken horn glowed, causing a little bit of light to shine. "Oracle…?" yelled Lightning. An almost silent sob was heard echo through the ruins. Lightning and Sparkplug looked at each other before they walked deeper into her home. Sparkplug's light seemed to dim as he walked closer. Oracle was collapsed onto her bed. The light they provided seemed to dim by the second.

"Sparkplug…what's wrong with your light?" asked Lightning.

"No light can penetrate the darkness in my heart…" said Oracle sadly.

They turned to see Oracle sitting up on her bed, facing them. All of the color seemed to have actually drained out of her. Her mane, tail feathers, and her body seemed completely dark. No bright colors showed at all. "Midnight…he does not even…care for me now…" she said.

"You're wrong Oracle" said Lightning, "Midnight loves you…"

"Then…explain what he just said to me…he said he never cared…her said it was all an act…"

Sparkplug got close to Oracle and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Listen to you Oracle. This is not you. I may be an inconsiderate jerk that loves to pull pranks on others, but I know a caring soul when I see it."

Oracle looked up at him, her face still not showing any form of relief. "But…why did he say those things…?"

"Midnight did seem to be in a daze when I was speaking to him."

"Do you think he was under hypnosis?" asked Lightning.

Oracle's eyes suddenly widened and then an angry gaze filled her eyes. Her colors returned, but she looked slightly evil. Sparkplug stepped back, afraid of her. "If somepony thinks she can take my Midnight…they are sadly mistaken!" Oracle ran off with great speed, knocking both Sparkplug and Lightning.

---

In her cave, Sapphire was happily there with Midnight under her spell. Midnight opened the case and grabbed a cupcake out of it. "A sweet for my sweet…" he said with no tone.

"Oh Midnight…you are the true sssweet…" Sapphire replied white taking the cupcake. "You are posssibly the sssweetessst and mossst thoughtful boyfriend ever…"

"HE IS NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!" shouted a voice.

Sapphire jumped slightly, but Midnight never reacted. Oracle was standing there, eyes full of fury. Sapphire simply blew a small strand if her mane out of her face as she slithered closer. "Well well, you mussst be Oracle…" she said. "I mussst sssay…you are not what I expected…ssstill, you are not asss beautiful asss me…"

Oracle huffed, "You? Beautiful?! Never in your life, you scaly skinned freak!"

Sapphire lunged at Oracle, but Oracle swung her tail around and slammed Sapphire in the face. She was hurled back into her cave, immediately knocking Midnight out of his trance. But, he stayed quiet and watched. Sapphire wiped her mouth off with whatever spit Oracle's tail caused to come out. She lurched back and lunged at Oracle once more. Again, Oracle swung her tail. But, Sapphire curled around her tail and coiled tightly around Oracle's waist. She brought her face close to Oracle's, "You ssstupid little pony! Did you honessstly believe that you could defeat me?! I have twiccce the power you will ever have! Midnight will be mine!"

Oracle struggled against her restraint. Her eyes flared with anger and determination, "No…you…WON'T!" Oracle managed to get a hoof free and she punched Sapphire. Sapphire let go of Oracle to ease her pain, but she only caused it to get it worse. Oracle tackled Sapphire's pony half and began to punch her wildly. "Midnight…is not your boyfriend!" she said while punching. "He doesn't love you! I don't know how anypony would love you!"

Oracle was thrown off and wrapped tightly. The end of Sapphire's tail pointed at her throat. "You do not underssstand what I have to go through. The conssstant everyday feeling like you will be hated for the ressst of your life. I cannot go out without having to risssk my life. You ssstupid poniesss have no idea what love isss really like!"

Oracle bit the end of Sapphire's tail, avoiding the tip. Sapphire let go of her, but she sneered at her. "I don't only hypnotize colts and stallions, I can also hypnotize mares as well."

Sapphire's eyes began to swirl, but Oracle closed hers. Sapphire sneered but kept her hypnosis going. She was going to open her eyes eventually. Oracle smiled, "You are not the only one who can hypnotize ponies…" Her tail feathers opened to their fullest extent. The colors seemed to swirl and Sapphire's swirling colors were replaced with Oracle's. Oracle opened her eyes, ran up, and bucked Sapphire in the face. Sapphire was knocked back, but she slithered back into her cave. Oracle huffed and panted, exhausted from fighting. Her anger was draining as she stood there. "Sapphire…I understand the pain you went through" said Oracle. "But tricking ponies into loving you is not the way to go. There is a love out there for us all, but Midnight is not yours. Midnight is…"

"Oracle…?" said a voice. Oracle turned to see Midnight. His eyes were full of concern and had a tint of love. "Oracle…I had no idea what she made me say but whatever I said I…" Midnight was caught up by Oracle kissing him on the lips. He was surprised at first, but he settled down. The kiss broke, and both ponies were blushing. Midnight's spike glowed and a cupcake flew in front of Oracle, "A sweet for my sweet…?" Oracle gave Midnight a playful push as they walked away.

---

Hours later, Sapphire was deep in her cave. Tears were falling from her eyes as she cried in her cave. The one pony she wanted to be with was now gone. "The only thing I wanted wasss love" she said to herself. "I am beautiful…but my beauty isss under thessse ssscalesss…will I alwaysss be alone…?"

Faint hoovesteps were heard and Sapphire stood frozen. A faint light was behind her, indicating somepony was here. She turned around, and saw Sparkplug. She was surprised to see not only a unicorn, but a unicorn with a broken horn. However, her anger soon returned and she slithered up to him. "You will go away…" she said as her eyes swirled with color. Sparkplug was unfazed, "Sorry…my eyes are different. You cannot hypnotize me…"

Sapphire stopped and turned around, "What do you want…? I've had a rough day…"

"I can tell from the amount of bruises. But I was just telling you that you will find love."

"Yeah…right…like sssomepony would love a pony with ssscalesss…"

"I'm sure there is somepony out there…" Sparkplug seemed a little bashful when he was talking to her.

"Yeah…and where isss thisss sssomepony…?"

"Uh…r-right…right here…"

Sapphire turned around in shock. Although the cave was dark, Sapphire could see the red on Sparkplug's face. His hooves shuffled against the ground in embarrassment. "Call me crazy, but I find you rather beautiful. Your mane and coat is very shiny, not to mention your scales. They shimmer when there is light." To prove this, the light around Sparkplug's broken horn increased. The light reflected off of her scales brilliantly. Sapphire turned back to hide her blush. Sparkplug still thought she was ignoring him, so he started to walk away. However, Sapphire's tail wrapped around his waist and Sparkplug was brought to Sapphire's face. "Hasss anypony told you that your eyesss are very niccce…?" Sparkplug smiled as he stayed in the cave, with her, his new crush.