Twilight glanced up at the moon. The bright white orb dominated the night sky and despite the dark craters which served as scars from past events, her moon looked eager. She smiled as her ethereal mane blew in an astral breeze across the edge of her vision. She took a deep breath, then glanced at the tent. Her magic and her senses told her that Zenith and Rainbow were asleep, although she wasn't sure how much longer they would be asleep. With any luck, it wouldn't take long.
She glanced down at Fluttershy. The timid, pale yellow pegasus looked up at her expectantly, awaiting her to say or do something. "Thank you for offering to come with me," Twilight said calmly.
"Well... I figured it would be better to keep you company since we're not tired," Fluttershy replied with a gentle smile.
Twilight smiled back. "I appreciate that..." She looked away from them and scanned the treeline. The dark forest, though hidden from the sight of normal ponies, was well known to her. She had mapped it with her magic, and she knew everything in the forest. Three years ago, knowing just how much life flourished in that forest would have surprised her, but not anymore. Plants, animals, insects, the occasional pony she didn't recognize, and a few varying other life forms inhabited the forest. The forest was also teeming with predators, but they could all sense her and her magic. Her presence was more than enough to keep them at bay, and they knew to stay clear of the clearing she inhabited, even while she was temporarily away.
"I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing Pinkie Pie again," Twilight said idly as she lit her horn. As soon as the pink glow filled the air, a blue, balloon shaped crystal flashed into existence, held in Twilight's powerful magic.
"I really am," Fluttershy answered eagerly. "Even if she is a bit excitable..." she trailed off more reserved, looking at the ground and idly running her hoof through the moonlit grass. Discord laid his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly. Fluttershy looked over at him and smiled her thanks.
Twilight smiled at the display which she saw out of the corner of her eye. She sat down on her haunches and took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. She levitated the Element of Laughter closer to herself, then cast the same spell she had cast on the Element of Kindness. Whether it was because she had used the spell before or the Element of Laughter was more receptive to her, she didn't know, but the result was clear almost immediately. The gem pulsed with a soft, inner light-blue light, one which Twilight could see through her closed eyelids. The crystal radiated warmth and happiness, almost as if it sought to comfort her. She opened her eyes, smiling at the gem. She snorted lightly and stood up. "I should have known that," she said, shaking her head.
"What?" Fluttershy asked curiously, stepping closer to Twilight.
Twilight teleported the gem away and looked down at Fluttershy with a warm smile. "She went back home, to her family," she answered. She tilted her head to the side. "While it may not be as fun as being with us... it's still her home," she added. She shook her head, then leveled her horn forward and cast another spell. Her magic shot forth into the air, then coalesced into a portal, rippling with magic and distorting the air. "I really like that spell," Twilight said idly. She stepped forward and looked through the portal. While she had never visited the rock farm where Pinkie had grown up, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the portal lead to that rock farm.
Twilight glanced back at Fluttershy and then at Discord. "Let's go," she said. She turned back to the portal, then stepped through it. Once on the other side, she carefully looked around. The portal was in a wide open barren field, sparsely populated by special rocks which were slowly absorbing minerals and growing. She glanced back at the portal and stepped out of the way, allowing Fluttershy and Discord to walk through, side by side. Both the mare and the draconequus looked around.
Twilight stepped around the portal and gazed upon a lone house set atop a hill. Near a sheer cliff face, there was a large, egg-shaped rock, precariously standing up, looking as if it was ready to roll over the edge of the cliff and crush anything in its path. She eyed the boulder cautiously, then turned around to face the portal. She pointed her horn at it, then collapsed it. In the wake of the collapsing portal, Fluttershy's mane and tail blew in the wind, causing her to turn around, looking back with fear. Discord stood right there beside her, hand still on her back.
Twilight extended her senses and magic, examining the area, making sure it was safe and that they hadn't walked into a trap. While she knew it was next to impossible, she had learned to be cautious over the past three years. She smiled once more as she felt a familiar mare's presence. She immediately teleported her companions and herself up the cliff.
No sooner had they appeared than something pulled Twilight into a hug and nearly strangled her to death. Twilight wheezed under the unexpected assault and barely avoided using her magic. "P-Pinkie..." she squeaked out.
Pinkie loosened her grip on Twilight but kept her in a firm hug. "Twilight! I'm so happy to see you again! You have no idea how excited I was when my tail told me that you were coming! After what happened three years ago I didn't think I was ever going to see you again but then my tail was all shaky and my legs were itchy and I just knew that you were going to come back and show up and I'm so happy to see you! I missed you and the rest of the girls so much, and my Pinkie Sense also told me that you're getting the gang back together again!"
Twilight already had a headache. She shook her head slowly, then sat down on her haunches and pulled Pinkie close to her, then nuzzled her. Pinkie giggled and returned the nuzzle. "I've missed your antics, Pinkie... I really could use a good laugh after what I've been through..." After a few more seconds, Pinkie pulled back from Twilight. Twilight smiled down at the earth pony, even though she had nearly driven her insane on multiple occasions. She frowned and filed that thought away, it wasn't the same kind of insanity she was dealing with.
"Don't worry about that, Twilight. You'll be fine!" Pinkie replied.
Twilight opened her mouth, "How did-" she promptly shut her mouth. "Nevermind," she said, remembering that sometimes it was better not to ask Pinkie how she knew something. She sat up, then stepped aside, letting Fluttershy walk over to Pinkie.
Discord looked leery about the pink pony, and Fluttershy's well-known timidness was on display in her slow walk toward them, as if she was afraid of Pinkie. Pinkie Pie bounced forward and pulled Fluttershy into another firm hug. Fluttershy squeaked and winced, but returned the hug. "It's... good to see you too, Pinkie..." she wheezed out. Pinkie tightened her grip, then let go after nuzzling her.
Discord eyed Pinkie cautiously, as if he was unsure about her, while she walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his body, then nuzzled him, drawing a confused look from the draconequus. Fluttershy glared at Discord, causing him to smile eagerly and quickly return the hug. Twilight suppressed a giggle, then looked back at the house. "How's your family doing?"
"They're doing great!" Pinkie answered from beside Twilight. Twilight glanced over at her, then wrapped her wing around the earth pony. Pinkie sighed happily and nuzzled her. "You're really soft and cuddly now!" Pinkie exclaimed, rubbing her side against Twilight.
Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it, although her disgruntled expression remained. Fluttershy smiled softly and walked over to them. Twilight shot a glance at Fluttershy that said 'help me.' Fluttershy laughed lightly, then sat down beside pinkie, under Twilight's wing.
Eventually, Pinkie settled down, still smiling happily. Twilight glanced at Discord and motioned him over to her with a nod of her head.
Discord sighed. "Well, I suppose I could join you I guess," he said casually. He made his way over to them, then sat down beside Twilight. There was barely enough room for him under Twilight's wings, but he managed to fit.
"How have you been, Pinkie?" Twilight asked idly.
"Oh, I've been okay," Pinkie answered. "Other than... well... you know," she trailed off looking at the barren ground.
Twilight grimaced and looked at her. Even in the soft moonlight, she could see that her mane wasn't as poofy as she remembered. She felt a stab of guilt in her chest at the sight. "I'll make things right, I promise," she said.
Pinkie looked up at her, smiling weakly. "I know you will."
"I'm going to kill him," Twilight said heavily.
Pinkie's smile wavered and she slowly looked down at her hooves. "I... I know." The thought of anypony dying was enough to cripple her, and yet, she knew that either the Inquisitor would die, or Twilight would die. She didn't like that, but she knew that as long as one of them lived, the other wouldn't rest. One of them had to die. It weighed heavily on her, even with all the Inquisitor had done, she didn't believe killing him was the right thing to do, but the alternatives were either more ponies suffering and dying, or Twilight dying, which would mean more ponies suffering and dying because of the Inquisitor.
She didn't like it one bit, but she knew that it came down to Twilight or the Inquisitor, and she missed her friend. "He... he deserves it," she whimpered. "S-so much... pain and suffering... all be-because of him," her soft, pain-filled voice was unrecognizable to everypony beside her, and even Discord was taken aback. She turned to Twilight and buried her head into her side. She struggled to stifle her cries, but despite herself, she broke down sobbing into Twilight's coat. Fluttershy buried her head into Pinkie's side and pulled her into a hug, though both of them leaned on Twilight.
Twilight closed her eyes and lowered her head. She pulled everypony closer to her and pulled Pinkie against her with her arm. "It..." she trailed off. "It will be okay," she reassured. Her own reassurance, while directed entirely at Pinkie, somehow made herself feel better. "I promise," she added.
Even without looking at Pinkie, her alicorn senses alone told Twilight just how much pain Pinkie was really in, to say nothing of what her ears heard, and what she felt from Pinkie burying her head into her side. Fluttershy had been lucky in comparison, she hadn't been in Equestria for the past three years, Pinkie, on the other hoof, had. The earth pony tentatively pulled her head back from Twilight's side and looked up at her. Twilight knew that if she looked at her, it would hurt, but she braced herself and looked down at her anyway. "P-pinkie promise?" Pinkie asked through tear-filled eyes, accented by matted fur along her muzzle where her tears had flown down her face. With Pinkie having pulled back, the fur that she had cried into grew cold.
Twilight struggled to give her a smile but managed to pull one off and smiled warmly. She raised her hoof and made a motion of crossing her chest, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she said in a soft voice, covering her left eye with her hoof as she finished.
A little of the puffiness of Pinkie's mane returned, and a small, subtle smile grew out of a twitch of her lips. Pinkie grabbed Twilight again and held onto her as if her life depended on Twilight. She clung desperately to Twilight, putting her trust, faith, and hope in her friend.
Twilight leaned down and nuzzled Pinkie's neck, then glanced at the door of the house. Four ponies stood watching them, and although she hadn't seen them before, she immediately recognized Pinkie's father, mother, and two of her three sisters. The two older ponies met Twilight's gaze, and without saying anything, they reached an understanding, which led to an unspoken agreement. The lighter of the two younger ponies looked mournful, yet content, while the darker one looked unhappy and apprehensive.
Twilight looked away from the rest of Pinkie's family and pulled her head back from Pinkie. "We should get going."
Pinkie pulled back from Twilight and nodded sadly. She slowly stood up and made her way back over to her family, then hugged each one of them in turn, each hug lasted a few seconds longer than the last. Eventually, she turned back around and walked back over to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Discord, her walk was still slow and heavy, but it was a little cheerier than before.
Twilight stood up and beckoned Pinkie over to her with her wing, then gave her another quick hug, then she folded her wing back to her side, releasing Pinkie. She turned around, then cast her portal spell. She watched the air ripple from her magic, then distort. The barren field beyond where the portal lay was replaced with a soft meadow filled with the sounds of a babbling river gently flowing by.
"Oooh! What's that?" Pinkie asked, excitement replacing anguish.
Twilight smiled and let her eyes scan the other side of the portal for a few seconds. "It's a new spell I created. It is essentially an efficient method for long range teleportation, although it uses a lot of magic, making it inefficient for short range teleportation. It more or less links two... and I lost you didn't I?"
"Yup!" Pinkie said enthusiastically, giggling. She bounced through the portal to the other side, then turned around and eagerly awaited the others. Fluttershy and Discord followed her through, but Twilight hesitated. She tilted her head to the side and looked at Twilight, curious as to why she wasn't coming yet.
"I will be right there," Twilight said. "You don't have to wait for me to start the party." She smirked and turned around. The smirk faded as her gaze fell on the four present members of Pinkie's family. She subtly shifted her head to her right and glanced back at the portal, making sure nopony was watching, then she faced them again. She took a deep breath, then casually strode over to them.
"Princess," the stallion greeted, bowing his head in a reserved gesture of respect. It was clear to her that Pinkie hadn't been joking when she said her parents were very reserved, both of them were dressed very conservatively, in a way so as to not draw attention to themselves, yet by dressing in such a manner, they drew more attention to themselves. Twilight found it strange.
Twilight nodded, acknowledging him. "You're Pinkie's Father, right?"
The stallion nodded. "Take care of her," he said, his voice neither threatening nor overbearing, but respectful.
Twilight bowed her head in affirmation. "You have my word," she said in a heavy, yet regal voice. "And I'll fix this all, I promise," she added.
Pinkie's father lifted his head up a little, then nodded. Twilight glanced at the rest of them, then turned around and made her way back to the portal.
"Hiya Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed.
One rainbow maned pegasus bolted out of her sleeping bag, wings fully extending out, feathers flying, eyes nearly popping out of her head, and heart sent into overdrive. Any thoughts of sleep were immediately banished from her mind at the sound of Pinkie's high-pitched, jubilant voice. For several seconds, feathers fluttered down from Rainbow's new position near the top of the tent. Zenith groaned and looked between the pink earth pony and Rainbow Dash. She squinted, unsure about the situation. Rainbow's lips slowly pulled up into a smile, and she slowly returned to the ground, smiling at a beaming Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie..." Rainbow said, overwhelmed. It had been so long, and she had missed her. She had so much she wanted to say, she wasn't sure what to say first. "You shouldn't sneak up on ponies like that."
Discord pulled the tent flap open, then Fluttershy walked in, followed by Discord. "We tried to stop her... but she was just too excited to see you again," Fluttershy apologized.
"Yup!" Pinkie exclaimed cheerily, then pulled Rainbow into a hug. Rainbow gasped as the air was stolen from her lungs. Pinkie smiled sheepishly and lightened her grip, giving Rainbow an opportunity to breathe, one which she quickly took.
"It's good to see you again too, Pinkie," Rainbow chuckled, returning the hug.
Zenith blinked, then rubbed her eyes with her hooves. She watched Pinkie and Rainbow for a few seconds, then blinked again and turned to Fluttershy. The pegasus caught her curious glance, she shrugged and smiled sheepishly in reply. Zenith tentatively stood from her sleeping bag and looked passed Fluttershy and Discord. "Where's Twilight?" she asked when the sight of the alicorn eluded her.
"She'll be here shortly," Fluttershy answered.
Pinkie released Rainbow, then bounced over to the unfamiliar unicorn. "Hi! I don't recognize you, so you must be one of Twilight's new friends! What's your name?"
"Uh..." Zenith stammered, uncomfortable with how friendly and excited the pink earth pony was, even more so since she had been sleeping up until her arrival. "Zenith Star," she answered, frowning at the mare's mane, which reminded her of cotton candy for some reason. She pushed the thought aside and stifled a yawn. "I'm Twilight's student," she added with more than a hint of pride.
"Ooooh!" Pinkie pulled Zenith into a hug, one which was more reserved than the one she gave Rainbow, though still warm and friendly. After a couple of seconds, she pulled back, leaving an unnerved unicorn watching her carefully. "I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie said. "Twilight's one of my best friends, and you're her student! Does she teach you really cool magic tricks? What about spells that can turn rocks into cupcakes? Eggs into baby chickens?" Pinkie frowned in thought and sat down on her haunches. "Although I guess you really wouldn't need magic to do that since you'd just need a chicken to sit on one. Although knowing Twilight, she probably knows several spells to do that..."
Zenith tilted her head away from Pinkie and looked at Rainbow disconcertedly. "Is she... always like that?"
Rainbow smirked. "Normally, she's worse."
Pinkie bounced back up and frowned at Rainbow. "Hey! That wasn't very nice Dashie!"
Rainbow smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Pinkie... You can just get a bit... too excitable at times."
Pinkie smiled sheepishly.
"I see you're all getting acquainted," Twilight greeted evenly, standing just outside of the tent, absently scrutinizing the ponies within. "I'm going to have to make this tent larger at this rate," she commented idly, then stepped inside and closed the tent flap behind her.
Rainbow turned to face Twilight and shot her a firm look. "You didn't tell us that you were going after Pinkie."
Twilight bobbed her head to the right. "I didn't think it warranted telling you. It wasn't like I was going to be gone for a while or have..." she trailed off, squinting at the tent wall, searching for the right word, "issues." She shook her head and smiled. "Besides, you know I'm going after Rarity, Spike, and Applejack. I wanted to get Pinkie first because..." she trailed off, bobbing her head. "Nopony knew where she was."
"You were worried about me?" Pinkie asked quietly.
Twilight grimaced and met her gaze, then nodded. She could only look at Pinkie for a few seconds before looking away. "I... was worried, yes," she answered simply, choosing not to go into detail. "I am glad that you are safe, Pinkie."
Pinkie bounced over to Twilight and hugged her. "Silly! You didn't need to worry about me!" she giggled.
Twilight smiled and shook her head, even though she disagreed with what the mare said. After a few seconds, Pinkie pulled back from Twilight and bounced back over to Rainbow. Twilight looked over everypony, then nodded to herself. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon." She turned around and pulled the tent flap open, then stepped outside.
Zenith glanced around, then hurriedly walked across the tent. She caught the tent flap in her magic as Twilight lowered it back down, causing the alicorn to glance back at her. "You want some company?" Zenith asked with a warm, yet tired smile.
Twilight smiled and lifted the tent flap back up. "I would like that," she said. She beckoned Zenith with her wing, the young mare happily walked over beside her, then she draped her wing over Zenith's back and closed the tent opening. Zenith stayed close to Twilight, beneath her wing, while they walked. Twilight kept Zenith close and lead her through the clearing, and then into the forest.
The stillness of the forest took Zenith by surprise. It was as if the whole forest was asleep, and the thought weighed heavily upon her tired mind. The only sounds came from the babbling stream, which grew quieter as they walked further away from it, the wind occasionally rustling the leaves and branches of the trees, and their hoofsteps falling on the ground. She was surprised by how well Twilight was navigating the almost non-existent path, but her skill and alicorn status were well on display, never once tripping or letting Zenith fall. Although the forest was dark, soft and pale moonlight occasionally broke through, illuminating the forest with a gentle white light. Twilight occasionally cast her gaze upwards at the moon, her moon.
Zenith stifled a yawn, drawing Twilight's gaze back to her, and coaxing her to slow down, though she didn't come to a stop. "You are tired," Twilight surmised.
Zenith smiled sheepishly. "Well, you did kind of just wake us up."
Twilight bobbed her head and grimaced. "That I did... I am sorry for interrupting your sleep."
Zenith frowned. "It's fine... besides, I offered to come with you, didn't I?"
Twilight bit her lip and tentatively nodded. "You did," she said simply. "I appreciate the company, but... perhaps it would have been better if you had stayed and rested. You are still growing."
"So are you," Zenith countered.
Twilight looked at her blankly before turning back around. "I can carry you if you wish it."
"I'm fine," Zenith answered. A few seconds passed in silence and she stifled another yawn. "For now," she added. Twilight glanced back at her and smiled at her the way a mother would smile at a newborn foal. It caught Zenith off guard, but she quickly recovered. "Are you okay?"
Twilight nodded. "At the moment, yes. I believe I am fine," she answered.
Zenith squinted and scrutinized Twilight. "You seem a bit... off?"
Twilight bobbed her head. "Perhaps. I think Luna and Celestia's memories are influencing me right now. Moreso Luna's. And on top of that, I am on the verge of going insane."
Zenith grimaced. "You're so... frank about that. It's a bit unnerving."
Twilight winced. "Sorry."
Zenith sighed and leaned against Twilight. "Besides, you're not going insane, you're just dealing with a lot. I can't imagine what it's like to have six sets of memories affecting me. I'm sure it would drive anypony crazy..." she trailed off. "Especially if they had their brother and sister-in-law's memories..." she mumbled.
Twilight nodded absently. "It's... strange." She paused and came to a stop. She glanced around, then sat down on her haunches. "You know, I'm fascinated by my own power. My special talent is magic, and I think that... my niece's talent might have related to magic somehow... It seems that having both of them has an exponentially multiplicative effect on the strength of my magic. And of course Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had very strong magic, which I now possess..." she trailed off and lit her horn, a faint pink aura surrounded it, combined with light blue and pale yellow. "And I took on some of their traits." She shook her head, then pointed her horn in the air and channeled her magic out into a point. Zenith watched in wonder as Twilight's magic coalesced into a small multi-colored orb about the size of a hoof, flowing with pink, blue, and yellow magic. Despite the orbs small size, heat radiated off of it in waves, distorting the air, and it's light illuminated the surrounding forest almost as if it was the evening. Even with as much light as the orb gave off, it didn't hurt to look at, nor did it blind them after looking at it for several seconds, instead, it left both of them with a deep feeling of peace and calm.
"It's beautiful," Zenith said. Twilight smiled and bobbed her head. Zenith averted her gaze from the small, wondrous orb and looked at Twilight. "Do you think you could teach me to do that?"
Twilight frowned in thought. "I... I don't know. I might be able to teach you how to do it, but I don't think you're strong enough to attempt to make something like this. I'm not even sure you could make one the size of a bit without exhausting yourself... although I suppose with enough practice, your magic would grow a lot stronger from this..." Twilight licked her lips. "I'm not sure that I should, though."
"I'd like to know how to do that, even if I couldn't make one very big..." Zenith trailed off, nuzzling Twilight's side.
Twilight glanced back at Zenith. The filly's eyes were closed, and she looked on the verge of falling asleep. Twilight let her eyes wonder over Zenith for a few seconds, then looked back at her orb. Zenith's breathing and heartbeat gradually slowed as she drifted back into sleep. Twilight glanced back at Zenith and lifted her wing from around her, then ran it over her side before wrapping it back around her, covering her body protectively. She pointed her horn at the orb, then drew the magic away from it and back into herself. The orb shrank in size as the magic left it until all the magic was gone and it blinked out of existence, casting their area in darkness, illuminated only by Twilight's magic and the soft light of her moon.
Twilight glanced at Zenith and cast a quick spell. Immediately, a small smile crossed her lips. "Sleep well, my little pony," Twilight whispered as she looked away from Zenith.
Rainbow and Fluttershy were both happy to see Pinkie Pie again. Discord was also, but to a much lesser extent than both pegasi. Still, something weighed heavily on Rainbow's mind. Despite the cheery voice of Pinkie and the soft laugh of Fluttershy, or perhaps because of it. "Twilight told you what she's going to do, right?" Rainbow asked. Almost immediately, a silence fell over the tent. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Discord all turned to Rainbow. Rainbow looked at each of them in turn until her gaze settled on Pinkie. None of them were fighters, Discord might have been an exception if he had his magic, but it was stolen from him.
"She's going after him," Pinkie replied quietly. "I... know," she said. "She's going to kill him... he deserves it."
Rainbow frowned. Behind Pinkie's cheery smile, she could see the pain, although now, that cheery smile had faded. "You're... okay with that?" Pinkie slowly nodded. Rainbow said nothing for several seconds, Pinkie's answers sinking in. Eventually, she set them aside to deal with later. "You know being with us puts you in danger."
"I've been in danger before! All of us have..." Pinkie replied, a strained smile crossing her lips, her mind traveling back to warmer days.
"It's different now," Rainbow said gravely.
"You're right," Pinkie agreed. "It is... Applejack and Rarity aren't with us."
"Nor are Celestia and Luna," Rainbow added. "They're gone... So is Cadance and Shining Armor, and... Flurry Heart."
Pinkie put up a valiant fight, attempting to hold back the surge of emotion she felt, but her best efforts weren't enough. She took a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes. "She was... so... so young... How could he..." her voice faded.
"Pinkie..." Rainbow said softly. Fluttershy shot her a firm look and pulled Pinkie into a hug. Rainbow glanced at the floor, then walked over to Pinkie and hugged her.
"An-and that's... that's why he des-deserves it..." Pinkie said softly.
Rainbow squeezed Pinkie and Fluttershy and held them comfortingly for several seconds, then she stepped back. "It's also why I don't know if you should really be with us... if something happens and he manages to catch us off-guard or find us, you could be in danger." Rainbow grimaced. "You're not... you couldn't handle this." She glanced at Fluttershy and smiled wryly. "And neither could you..."
Fluttershy smiled sadly but nodded.
"Twilight will keep us safe!" Pinkie countered, frowning deeply.
Rainbow wasn't sure what to reply to that. She knew for a fact that Pinkie was right, though she still worried about it. "Yeah, but at greater risk to herself," she said cautiously.
Pinkie squinted and rubbed her chin with a hoof as she thought about it. "Well... I guess that's kiiiiiiiiind of true..." she reluctantly agreed. A few seconds passed, and her crestfallen expression returned in force as she looked up at Rainbow. "You don't... want me to leave, do you?"
"What? No!" Rainbow answered quickly. "We just got you back! I don't want you to leave." Pinkie's smile returned and she pulled Rainbow into a hug.
"I would hope that you don't want her to leave considering I just went through all of the effort to go and bring her back," Twilight said dryly as she opened the tent flap up, then stepped inside. Everypony looked at her and frowned, noticing the lack of a gray unicorn beside Twilight. After closer inspection and Twilight stepping inside, however, their fears were alleviated at the sight of the sleeping unicorn resting on her back.
Rainbow frowned at the sight. "Is she okay?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. We stopped for a bit and she fell asleep beside me, so I carried her back."
"It's really nice of you to carry her back on your back, rather than in your magic," Fluttershy commented with a soft smile.
Twilight looked at Fluttershy curiously. "What? What's wrong with using my magic to carry her back?"
"Nothing, I just think it shows how much you care for her... and for us. That you'd be willing to carry her on your back, rather than in your magic. You went through the trouble of carrying her weight," Fluttershy answered.
Twilight shifted her weight. "I... had not thought of it that way..." she trailed off. "That... might be Celestia's influence?"
"You used to carry Spike around on your back all the time," Rainbow commented off-hoof. "So maybe it's just you?"
Twilight bobbed her head and walked in passed them, making her way over to Zenith's sleeping bag. She glanced back at her, then lit her horn and slowly lifted her from her back and gently laid her down in the sleeping bag. "I suppose that could be the case..." she agreed, "but you make it sound like I'm his mother," she said sarcastically.
"Princess Celestia was kind of a mother figure to Equestria," Pinkie commented happily. "And you were her student, and then she turned you into an alicorn and coronated you and taught you to be a princess..."
Twilight turned around and walked over to her sleeping bag. It looked so inviting. As she walked passed Pinkie, she teleported another sleeping bag and laid it down beside Fluttershy's sleeping bag. "It's probably just the fact that I'm an alicorn," she muttered absently under her breath while walking passed Rainbow.
Rainbow followed Twilight for a few seconds. "Why would that have something to do with you being an alicorn?"
Twilight paused, then stood up straighter and turned around. "Alicorns have somewhat strong emotions. We can get quite emotional and attached to ponies. Celestia treated most ponies like they were her own foals, and called ponies her 'little ponies.' Luna, on the other hoof, tried to kill her sister out of jealousy." She paused and looked at the floor. "You remember how attached Flurry was to Pinkie..." she trailed off, a wave of pain flowing through her entire being. For a few seconds, she stood completely still in the silent tent, then she shook her head and continued on to her sleeping bag. As she slid into it, she glanced at the pink orb hovering near the top of the tent. "Goodnight, everypony," she said and closed her eyes.
Rainbow looked at her incredulously. "You're going to bed now? Now that you just brought Pinkie back? We haven't even had a party."
"Yeah!" Pinkie eagerly agreed. "You need to lighten up a little!"
Twilight opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, sighing. "I... guess you have a point," she agreed.
"Unfortunately, I kind of exhausted my party supplies and haven't been able to restock them..." Pinkie said with a nervous smile.
Twilight stood up and lit her horn. "What do you need?" she asked with a smirk.