//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Looking Glass 
// by Hiver 
//------------------------------//

Sunset walked into the room, floating her helmet from her head and shaking her mane back. Her magic ran through her mane, releasing it from its braid.

I leaned forward to watch from my spot next to Luna, looking past her as I did. I always found the view of Sunset doing that fascinating for some reason.

Which from the way she kept doing it after getting back home told me that she realized that.

Sunset crossed the room and jumped onto the bed, sinking down next to us before leaning against Luna with a small sigh, "Hey... how was the trip?" she asked.

"It was fine, Sunset," Luna answered and slipped a wing across her back, "Page said you were with the guard."

Sunset nodded, "We have been on high alert, doing sweeps of the inside perimeter. We need to make sure nothing big is inside the dome or wanders inside before the shield goes up tonight. Wouldn't be good if we brought the dome up, ponies dared to go down onto the surface and got eaten by something that stayed hidden inside."

I rolled onto my back, looking up at them, "You know, you could very easily leave that to the regular guard. You have the very good excuse of... you know, not having wings!"

Sunset smiled tiredly, looking at me, "Would you have? Besides, I can hold my own by teleporting."

Luna lit her horn and started to help Sunset off with her armor, "Even so," Luna said quietly, "I would have told you the same thing about that as I would have said to Page. Stop being dumb."

Sunset grinned, "Too late for that," and let Luna remove the armor to float it over to hang it over a stand by the wall, “But we’re almost done.”

Groaning softly, Sunset stretched out, "Mmm... Twi with her brother's family?"

I nodded, "Making sure they get settled in okay."

"Train went okay?" Sunset asked, looking up at Luna, raising her head and giving her a small nuzzle, "The work the train ponies did to get it working again was amazing."

"Didn't notice anything," Luna said and nosed, "I understand a Pegasus flies ahead while in the jungle?"

"Nocturnis guard, a team of five that rotates," Sunset agreed and relaxed again, "Make the train ride a day longer because it has to slow down a little, but makes things a lot safer. The train running again made a massive difference."

The year it took to get it up had been a difficult one.

A very difficult one. It has been tough for all of us and we had a lot of shortages.

Some of the most urgent and low volume items had been able to be shipped in via airship, such as medicine.

But a lot of things had run out or gotten really low.

But the ponies of Nocturnis had come together. Everypony had worked together, found alternatives, and gathered what food we needed.

We had refused special treatment too. We ate the same as everypony else, our grain supplies were limited to non-thestrals as they needed it a lot more than us. Well, more than me anyway, Twilight and Sunset got the same rations as everypony.

It had been an eight month period where I had run out of tea.

At least for the first three months, then an enterprising earth pony had discovered a plant you could make something approaching tea from. I mean, it wasn't tea, tea. But it was still pretty decent.

Even now when we have real tea, I still prefer the local blend in the mornings. There wasn't any caffeine in it that I could detect and it was very mild which was nice.

But we got through it.

Even now when things were up and running, our imports were way down compared to before. Sure, tools, metals and such, but our food imports? Something like twenty percent of before.

Most of which was grain for the non-thestral ponies and spices. Some fruits that didn't grow here yet such as apples.

But when it came to what we had to have in the food department, we were fairly self-sufficient already, at least when it came to pure calories.

In a few days the dome was up and we could clear some ground for rice along the river and...

We would be self-sufficient. At least when it came to food. Maybe we could even start farming animals for meat.

We were actually doing this.

Luna nodded, "In any case, it seems to be working," she said before she smiled at me, "I should prepare to lower the moon."

"We'll be here when you return."

Smiling, she gave me a small kiss before slipping off the bed and heading to the balcony.

As she did, Sunset scooted into the spot Luna had vacated and rested her head against my chest. I pulled her softly closer as I looked towards Luna, "You're exhausted," I told her quietly.

"Mmm," Sunset mumbled, "...Need to be up at sunset again."

"Sunny," I said and nosed at her ear, "You work too hard."

That got a small snort from her and a sleepy look, "Says you."

"I learned, so can you."

She made a small sleepy sound, "Mmm... only another night. Then we're done."

I stroked her mane as she fell asleep.