Potion Brewing

"Hmm, now it says to mix one part manticore venom to two parts poison hemlock, but I think we can increase the potency if we substitute the hemlock with ground nightshade. What do you think?"

"Gruuuggghhhhhhaaaghhhhh."

"No, it will not explode this time, Bertram. You and I both know that innovation is key to potion brewing. I want this hex to be something special. Something personal."

"Grrrrrrrnnnnnnnngggh."

"Oh, shush. I am not going too far with this batch. That filly insulted my mane, Bertram! She has to be punished. And before you chime in with your silly moral high ground-I'm not going to hurt her. Just...scare her a little. That girl will rue the day she crossed Midnight Abyss."

"Raaaggh."

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated, Bertram."

~
just a girl and her zombie, cookin' up some evil brew

 Since I've been focusing so much on Chakra Blossom, peeps asked me to explore my other newest nextgen, Midnight Abyss, the surly wannabe goth daughter of Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer. I thought about what kind of magic she'd have, coming from two magically gifted unicorn parents...and then I thought about how Sunset Shimmer has transformed into a fiery hell she-demon at one point, while Starlight led a cult and used her magic for brainwashing, coercion, and tearing off ponies' cutie marks. That got me thinking that despite Sunset and Starlight's best attempts to be good and reformed and model mummies to their daughter, Midnight still winds up with magic that naturally lends itself to more sinister uses.

Midnight's special talent is witchcraft. She's excellent at potion brewing, hexes, curses, and necromancy. Midnight frequently holds séances to communicate with the dead, and is capable of magically reanimating corpses to use as minions. Honestly, she prefers the company of the dead to that of the living (such goth, wow).

That handsome gentleman next to her is Bertram (not his actual name, just what Midnight named him). Bertram is the first corpse Midnight ever successfully brought back to "life", and her loyal assistant (and friend, not that she'd admit that). Bertram doesn't hunger for the flesh of the living, nor does he wander aimlessly searching for meaning and memories of his past life. Bertram is a pretty chill guy. He's a bro. He is about as intelligent as a very small child, or a particularly clever dog. He can't speak beyond groans and gurgles, but he somehow manages to be pretty expressive. It appears he's capable of sarcasm, but perhaps his snarky mistress has simply rubbed off on him.

Sunset and Starlight are...not particularly happy about their daughter's unusual hobbies, but she's happy palling around with Bertram and other deceased, and she doesn't seem to be hurting anypony, so...they try to be supportive. This is pretty difficult to do when Bertram accidentally trips over their coffee table and his internal organs spill out, but Midnight assures them both that she can stuff those guts right back in and get Bertram stitched up good as new, please stop screaming mom gosh

edit: quickie reference for Bertram
He was a colorful fella when he was alive. He's a little roughed up, but Midnight takes very good care of him, and dutifully repairs him whenever a piece of him falls off.