Twilight held her head low as she exited the portal. Her mind was clouded and her heart felt heavy. She had felt failure before but never like this. Her small failures that she deemed near catastrophic at the time, were nothing but a simple student worried about failing something trivial for her teacher. This time is was so much more. She had lost one her friends to Void. She was so close too but was too late. If only she had been quicker… Maybe stronger?
Twilight turned and made her way forward, slowly walking over the study nearby. The plush couch looked like a nice spot to sit and reflect for a moment. Twilight sat down and leaned back, her eyes focusing on nothing. Her mind played back the events as if they had just happened moments ago.
Twilight blinked. They had only happened recently yet it felt like she had been gone for some time. Glancing over at the nearby desk, she could see a calendar sitting in the middle. Levitating the calendar over to her with her magic, Twilight inspected the date, particularly the season: Winter. “That can’t be right.”
She had only been gone a few days. Or at least, she was sure that was the case. If this is correct, I have been gone from here for months.
“But that’s impossible.” She muttered.
Sure I have never really looked into how long I am gone each time but Luna made it seem like I was only gone a few days or so every time so far. What is going on?
Now that Twilight was more focused, she could now notice the dust surrounding her. There was musk in the air. No pony had been in the room in some time. Twilight bolted to her hooves. “Oh no… Luna, Dinky and Nyx must be worried sick.”
With a deep breath, the violent unicorn quickly trotted out of the study, down the steps of the staircase, and to the door at the bottom. With a hard push, Twilight opened the door into a dimly lit hallway. The air was clearer here but at the same time very cold. All of a sudden, the warmth of the room behind her seemed much more inviting. But she had to push on. Her friends needed to know that she was alright. A breeze blew by, sending a shiver down her back. Twilight shook her body to try and ignore the cold and get herself moving.
Her memory was a bit foggy but she had a general idea of where throne room might be. That seemed the best place to look for Luna.
Other than her own room, where else would she be?
Twilight glanced around her, seeing the castle had been under kept. Spider webs hung in every corner, dust had settled on the tables and chairs in the hallway. Some of windows were cracked, letting in some of the cold air from outside. Another breeze blew by, rustling the windows that shook slightly against the frigid air. Somewhere a window must be open as Twilight felt a chill run past her. Letting out a small sneeze, the now freezing unicorn decided it might be better to pick up the pace.
The dark and dreary hallway continued for some time. Twilight could remember this taking a lot less time. But with the castle feeling so vacant and lifeless, it was as if the world around her had stopped; holding its breath for whatever was coming next. Noticing a light up ahead coming into view, Twilight quickened her pace, turning a corner and finding herself in the throne room.
It was here that Twilight realized this is where the cold was coming from. One of the stainless glass windows had been shattered. If memory served her correctly, it was the one of her and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon. One of her greatest moments in life that seems so long ago now. Now with the mural of the incident gone, it felt as if a piece of Twilight was missing. It was one of the last reminders of life before things got so complicated.
Her home is gone, her friends are gone, and now her last piece of history that belonged to her, now lay shattered; letting in the cold and snow from the outside. Twilight shivered, remembering that she was looking for Luna and hopefully some warmth. The light coming in seemed to be from the moon, just barely peeking in through the dark clouds. It lit up everything just enough for Twilight to make her way around.
Looking around her, something caught Twilight’s eye. Outside one of the widows of the throne room, a tower could be seen. Towards the top, a small light could be seen through one of its many windows. Wracking her mind, Twilight remembered that should be Luna’s tower.
Taking a deep breath as her heart nearly leaped from her throat, Twilight sprinted out of the throne room, down the connecting hallway towards the tower. Her mind racing as she ran. Once she reached the base of the tower, Twilight stopped to catch her breath. Luna had to be up there. Taking in another breath, Twilight quickly jogged the rest of the way up the tower, the spiral staircase leading up felt like a journey in of itself but the joy of seeing another friendly face made Twilight barely take notice. Once she got to the top, only then did Twilight freeze up a bit.
A door stood between her and Luna. A light could be seen coming through a crack in the door way. Twilight knew it must have been some time since Luna last saw her. It may be even a bit shocking. Twilight was going to have to show restraint and allow Luna to process the fact that she had returned after being gone so long. Twilight grunted, trying to compose herself as she gently opened the door with her hoof.
A wave of heat washed over her as Twilight could see a roaring fire at the far end of the room. A bed could be seen on the left with stars and moons across the comforter. A shelf full of books could be seen on the right and in the middle, sat a large blue alicorn, her back to Twilight. She appeared to be staring at the fire in deep thought. Not even noticing another presence as Twilight made her way in, closing the door behind her.
“Luna?”
Luna seemed to jolt at her name. Turning quickly around, Twilight could see that Luna had been crying not too long ago. Her face quickly twisted from one of sadness to surprise then joy. “Twi-Twilight?”
Twilight stood proudly at attention, “I have returned.”
The room grew silent as Luna stared at Twilight. The only sound that could be heard was the wind roaring outside and the occasional crackle of the fire. Twilight stared back a full 30 seconds went by without anypony moving. Wondering if perhaps she should say something else, Twilight took a cautionary step forward. That seemed to break Luna from her trance as she dove for Twilight. Twilight cried out in surprise but it only lasted a second as Luna’s fore-hooves quickly rapped themselves around Twilight, bringing her in close with a big bear hug. Twilight only blinked in shock as Luna held her tightly. “You’re back. I’m so glad. I was so worried. You had been gone so long I feared the worst.”
Twilight felt her hooves moving on their own as she accepted the hug. Luna’s body was incredibly warm and after having been so cold, Twilight could only sink into Luna’s warm embrace as she listened to Luna ramble about how must she missed her. It was certainty a shock but a welcome one at that. Luna sniffed as she did her best to compose herself but continued to hold Twilight close to her. “You have been gone for months. I started to wonder if perhaps it had something to do with the portals time placement but I could not help but feel somewhere in the back of my mind that you might have perished.”
Twilight flinched inwardly, “I did have some close calls. But I was just as surprised as you are now when I got back. I was only in that other Equestria for a few days.”
Luna blinked, “A few days? Dear Faust, I may need to study those portals more closely next time. Make sure nothing like this happens again.”
Luna broke from the hug, much to Twilight’s displeasure. Luna lit up her horn and Twilight soon found herself wrapped in a warm blanket.
“Let me make you some tea, I am sure you have much to tell.”
Twilight glanced at the fire as Luna moved grab a small kettle off of the shelf. Hanging it over the fire, she knelt down next to Twilight, wrapping her wing around her in a comforting manner. Twilight welcomed the gesture as she began retelling over her experiences at the Rainbow Factory. About the other Rainbow Dash, her struggles against her, how evil she seemed… But most of all, about the transformation she took on.
Twilight felt her body grow cold despite the constant warmth. It was only thanks to Luna’s comforting that she felt willing and able to tell the full story. Once she finished, Luna could only stare at her with an almost knowing look. Twilight stared back in confusion. Noticing the look Luna gave an apologetic smile before glancing down into the fire. “Twilight, remember what I once told you, ‘you are the bridge between light and dark.’”
Twilight nodded. “But that's the thing though. That thing I turned into. It was not me. It was something far more terrifying.”
Luna let out a small laugh, “Actually Twilight, it was you. You just simply let your darkness control you. Instead of it being the other way around.”
Twilight cringed, “How in the name of Equestria am I supposed to control something like that?!”
Luna shifted her wing slightly as she lit up her horn. The pot had begun to spew out steam. Luna quickly lifted the pot with her magic. She glanced back at the shelf and lifted two cups off of it with her magic. The pot and two cups levitated in front of her as she poured both of them a cup of the hot water. Luna then brought out two tea bags from a cupboard Twilight had not yet noticed near the shelf. She put the tea bags in the cups and handed one to Twilight who accepted it with her own magic. Twilight let it levitate in front of her as she began blowing on the tea to make it cool enough to drink. Luna casually took a sip, not even bothering to blow on it before glancing back at Twilight.
“It won’t be easy. But I know you are strong in a lot of ways. Remember that I am the princess of the night. If anyone knows the powers of darkness better, it’s me.”
Luna gave Twilight a reassuring smile, “I know you will find a way control your darkness because you have a strong light. It's your light as well as your darkness that you draw power from.”
Luna glanced away for moment, “One cannot exist without the other. How my sister was able to go a 1000 years in with only the light at her side, I will never know. But it clearly did not help her mental state in the end.”
Twilight snuggled in closer to Luna, “We will get her back. I promise.”
Luna smiled as she held Twilight closer with her wing. “It’s good to have you back Twilight. I am sure that there are two others who will be happy to hear of your return as well.”
Twilight’s eyes widened as two certain fillies suddenly entered her mind. “Where are Nyx and Dinky?”
Luna chuckled, “Safe. With you.”
Twilight glanced up at Luna in puzzlement.
“Well, not you, you. A certain other Twilight you met early on in your travels.”
Twilight’s eyes suddenly grew wide. “Nyx’s mother. You sent them to be with her?”
Luna chuckled again. “It was a mix of her's and my idea. She came through the portal about a week after you left. If you could have seen the fire in her eyes… She literally crossed dimensions just to get her daughter back. Quite the dedication wouldn’t you say?”
Twilight felt a blush as she quietly praised her other self. “Good job other me.”
Luna smiled as she continued, “After a bit of a misunderstanding, we were able to sit down and discuss things. Nyx was very brave. Not even I could stand up to my own mother like she did. But in the end, she could not last against her lectures and knowledge. She eventually agreed to go back with her but I get the feeling she might try and escape to see you again someday.”
Luna let out a long sigh, “In the end, I’d say the only thing keeping her there now is Dinky whom I managed to convince Twilight of that world to look after her. I am not a mother and that filly deserves to be looked after by a real parental figure. I told Dinky to look after Nyx as well. With those two looking out for one another, maybe they might not get the idea to come back for a while. Things are dangerous enough around here already and while I trust that they can look after themselves, I still fear for their safety.”
Twilight raised a hoof and put it on Luna’s shoulder, “You’ve done a good job taking care of them Luna. You did the right thing. Now we can focus on saving our world so that should they someday come back, they can return to the Equestria that we remember before the Shadows came and screwed things up.”
Luna smiled down at Twilight, “Thank-you Twilight. Now I am sure you are exhausted after such a long journey. You may take my bed, I can sleep on the floor.”
Twilight quickly shook her head, “I couldn’t make you do that. Its cold. We can just share the bed.”
Twilight suddenly felt her cheeks go red. “Platonically of course.”
Luna quickly looked away, a small tinge of red appearing on her face as well. “Of course. I mean, two ponies sleeping next to each other in the same bed during winter time is normal right?”
Twilight quickly shook her head in agreement. "Yeah..."
As both ponies quickly moved into the bed, Twilight could not help but notice how happy she suddenly felt. After going through her whole ordeal, it was nice to snuggle up with a special pony at the end of it all. “I could get used to this,” Twilight muttered.
As Luna quickly got comfy, Twilight curled up close to Luna. In here heart she knew there was plenty of struggles ahead but here in the now, she could not be happier. Perhaps for now, it was best to just live in the moment, next to the one pony who cared about her most.