The collision of living and spirit caused a bright flash that made Twilight wince.
When she opened her eyes again, Luna had swept up Sunsparkle and was swinging her around, tears streaming down her face even as she giggled like an excited filly whose parent had just come home from a long work trip. Her captive had a huge smile as well, whatever she was trying to say caught in fits of giddy laughter.
Even biting her lip, Twilight was unable to keep herself from grinning at the sight. Then a gentle nudge from Rarity directed her attention to Celestia, and the lighthearted feeling instantly faded.
The Princess of the Sun sat stone still, only her eyes moving as her gaze followed the not-dance her sister’s wild spinning made.
For a moment, Twilight was worried-
-then she noticed the faint trembling of a lower lip and the way Celestia’s gaze was steadily misting.
“Ahem,” she said, waving a hoof to the guards, whose attention had also, thankfully, been focused on Luna. “I apologize, sirs, but could you all give us a few minutes?”
“Of course, your Highness,” one said, leaning on his spear as he bowed.
By the time the last guard had left the room, Luna had stopped to catch her breath, her laughter much wheezier as she still held Sunsparkle tight enough that the mare’s ribs would surely have been protesting had she still possessed them. Sunsparkle, for her part, stroked a starry mane with a gentle hoof, whatever she was saying to Luna too soft for Twilight to hear.
Twilight swallowed, wondering if perhaps she and Rarity shouldn’t make themselves scarce as well, but before she could move or voice the option, Sunsparkle reached out with her free foreleg.
“Sunbeam?”
The regal, peaceful mask shattered into a thousand shards.
Had Twilight been counting, she was sure she wouldn’t even have made it to one before Celestia began to sob and flung herself into the embrace of her sister and -yes, Twilight had been given more than enough to believe- mother figure. As Rarity sniffled beside her, she felt her own eyes beginning to well up at the sight and quickly wiped the wetness away with the back of her hoof.
“How?” Celestia rasped when she’d finally regained control of herself. “How are you here? Where’s Auntie Silver?”
Sunsparkle lovingly gave both princesses a final nuzzle before drawing back. “Unfortunately, it seems those are the questions of the evening,” she said, nodding to Twilight.
Twilight took a deep breath and let it out, then stepped forward, lifting the pendant from her throat and floating it back to its rightful owner. “You know how the town markets have started setting up special Nightmare Night sections each year?” At dual nods, she continued. “I found Sunsparkle’s pendant in a stall selling costume jewelry.”
Luna’s eyes narrowed and her whole demeanor darkened as she protectively tightened her hold on Sunsparkle. “Costume jewelry? Somepony actually thought-”
“That’s not all,” Twilight said quickly, trying not to flinch under the glare. Friends they may have been, but Luna was still very good at intimidation, even if it wasn’t aimed at her. “Whoever stole Sunsparkle’s pendant to fence must have also taken Silver’s. I mean what self-respecting thief wouldn’t? But it wasn’t with the merchant I bought Sunsparkle’s from.”
For a moment, Celestia looked as though she would join her sister in bristling, visibly struggling to restrain herself from doing so, then Sunsparkle gently patted her cheek with a hoof.
“Remember, Sunbeam, holding it in only makes you look like an angry albatross chick.”
Twilight’s mouth dropped open and she heard a mortified squeak from her friend behind her. Luna, on the other hoof, was openly snorting in laughter at the poleaxed expression on her sister’s face, and Sunsparkle was grinning.
Celestia wrinkled her nose, then finally sighed and lightly elbowed Luna to get her to stop. “I suppose I should have seen that coming, as often as I heard it as a filly,” she said, releasing Sunsparkle from the three-way embrace with visible regret. “And back to the subject at hoof, we should probably move somewhere more private for the rest of this conversation.”
---
Twilight watched with more than a little apprehension as the Princesses fussed over the cart one of the maids had brought in, purposely blocking view of it as they whispered fervently. In all the times she’d had tea with Celestia as her student, and the few times Luna had joined them after her return, she’d never seen them so… intense about it.
When she turned her attention to the other guests at the table, Rarity looked similarly confused, but Sunsparkle only had an amused smile.
“Did they often do this… before?” Rarity asked, leaning close to Sunsparkle to keep her voice low.
“Only when they thought they were being mistresses of stealth,” the ghost mare replied, her smile widening a bit. “You would not believe how many times they tried to surprise Silver on her birthday.”
“And I’ll have you know we did,” Luna said as she and Celestia finally floated the tea set over to the table.
“Once,” Sunsparkle replied as Luna set a cup and saucer in front of her, then she looked into it and her smile softened. “Oh, girls. You remembered.”
“Only after a bit of argument,” Celestia said, sitting down with her own cup after they had laid out the rest. “We couldn’t decide whether it was almond sugar or vanilla you preferred for sweetening.”
Twilight looked into her own cup and curiously sniffed at the contents. “Dandelion petals and… nettle?” she asked.
“With just a bit of crushed rosehip,” Luna added as she eagerly took the last empty seat beside her aunt. “Auntie Silver always made it for when the weather was dismal.”
Rarity sipped at her own, then made a light hum of appreciation. “It’s very pleasant. I might have to trouble you for the measurements sometime.”
“We’ll be happy to write it down before you set out,” Celestia said. “If that’s what you’re planning to do.”
“Oh, yes,” Twilight said, accepting a scone from the plate Luna offered. She took a bite -ooh, Celestia had asked for cranberry, her favorite- and swallowed before continuing. “We originally planned to return Sunsparkle home, of course, but it would be pretty unfair to do that without finding Silver first.”
“Thank you,” Sunsparkle said. She kept her cup cradled between her hooves, but Twilight noticed she had yet to take a sip. Well… that made sense, actually. She had refused to chance ruining Twilight’s carpet just a few hours before. “Though my personal preference would be to leave as soon as possible, I will defer to those whom have bodies that need rest. Do you have a time in mind?”
“Now that I think about it, early tomorrow morning would be best. That way we can avoid at least one night of sleeping on the train, but we’ll still beat the crowds travelling to join Nightmare Night celebrations this weekend.”
“To save you the trouble of going home just to leave again, you are all more than welcome to stay here if you like,” Luna offered none too subtly, and Twilight had to hide a grin at the way the Night Princess leaned on her aunt in a clear plea.
Sunsparkle gave Luna an indulgent smile and nuzzle, then perked up. “Oh! That reminds me,” she said, setting her cup back into its saucer. “Congratulations on your festival, Moonshine.”
Twilight momentarily choked on a bite of scone. “Euh, Rarity, could you help me get hold of the other girls?” she asked in a rush as she grabbed her friend’s foreleg, then activated a teleport spell before anyone could respond.
Once they reappeared in a hallway nearly on the other side of the castle, Rarity shook her mane back into order, miffed at being yanked. “Well. That certainly wasn't an awkward exit at all,” she muttered, then her expression shifted from mild annoyance to concern. “I do hope Sunsparkle won’t be too angry.”
Twilight fluffed her wings uncomfortably, then inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm the flutter in her stomach. “Whether she is or isn’t, probably best to stay out of the way for just a bit. And I do need to send messages, if just to let everyone know we’re going to be gone awhile.” She looked around herself and frowned, realizing she’d left her saddlebags in the parlour. “After we get some parchment and quills.”
---
Twilight wrinkled her nose, then sighed and crumpled the letters before magically tossing them into a wastebasket they passed.
“I take it we’re embarking on this endeavour alone?”
“Well, Fluttershy has said she can join us, so that’s one more. But Rainbow’s stuck in Vanhoover with the team for another week, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack are up to their eyeballs in Nightmare Night preparation. I don’t want to push them into coming when it’s not a national emergency.”
“Fair enough.” They stopped in front of the door to the parlor, and Rarity’s ears pricked forward. “I don’t hear shouting or anything. Do you think it’s alright to go back in?”
“Mrhm.” Twilight didn’t really want to go blithely traipsing into the room if there were still... certain time periods being discussed. She bit the inside of her cheek in thought, then stomped a hoof. “I’m an idiot. I can just use a Peeking Window spell,” she muttered, causing Rarity to snort in amusement.
A little poof of magic, and a silent vision wrapped in raspberry energia appeared before them. Princess Luna had visibly been crying and still sniffled as Sunsparkle tenderly cradled her face in her hooves and was saying something to her. The tear streaks weren’t as obvious on Princess Celestia’s face as she gently rubbed her sister’s back, but it was obvious that the discussion had taken a toll on her as well.
Twilight quickly dismissed the spell. “We better give them a little while longer. I’m going to go get Fluttershy.”
“Take your time,”
---
When Twilight reappeared in the living room of Fluttershy’s cottage, the mare in question was nowhere to be seen. “Fluttershy?”
“Coming!” Fluttershy trotted down the stairs, saddlebags and Angel on her back. The latter jumped off onto the coffee table, and his owner gave him an affectionate pat on the head. “Now, you be good for the sanctuary assistants and help them keep everyone in line, got it?”
Angel squeaked and saluted, which Twilight raised an eyebrow at. “That’s new.”
Fluttershy smiled. “I promised him I’d try a new honey-roasted carrot recipe if he behaved. Right?” Another affirmative squeak, and she turned away from her companion to approach Twilight. “I admit I’m… just a little bit nervous, though. Traveling with a ghost is…”
“I promise there’s nothing to worry about. Sunsparkle’s a ghost with manners, as Rarity called her, and the Princesses absolutely adore her.”
“Hm. Well, when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad.” Fluttershy took Twilight’s offered hoof, then braced herself. “Ready.”
Only a flash of power later, they were back in the castle hallway and Rarity waved them over to where she had an ear pressed to the door. “They’ve been even more quiet since you left. I think it might be safe to rejoin them,” she said, stepping back from the wood panel.
Twilight nodded and knocked, pulling the door open at the invitation from inside.
The Princesses had made an admirable effort to clean themselves up, but both still looked close to exhausted; Celestia especially, though Twilight supposed that was only fair since by her estimate, it was going on ten o’clock.
“We’re back!” she said brightly, not caring if it was unnecessary. It made the three ponies at the table smile, and that was all that mattered. “And Fluttershy’s joining our search party.”
“H- hello,” Fluttershy said hesitantly from behind her, giving a cautious wave to Sunsparkle.
“A pleasure,” the ghost replied as she made a polite little half-bow, and that was enough for the pegasus to brighten up and come out from her improvised hiding place.
“Oh," she said, giggling a little. "Rarity was right about the manners.”
“I apologize, everyone,” Celestia cut in, before putting a hoof to her mouth to muffle a yawn. “But I’m afraid I must bow out for the night, unless you would rather I constantly interrupt the chatter with my dozing.”
“Probably best we all do the same,” Twilight said. “The sleeping part, I mean.”
Luna puffed herself up mock-imperiously. “Hmph. Fine, fine, all of you go off and leave me alone. At least I’ll get to monopolize my aunt for awhile,” she said, wrapping her forelegs around a chuckling Sunsparkle.
Celestia just grinned. “Oho, what a nefarious plan-”
They didn’t get to hear what the rest of her teasing was going to be. After a knock, a guard poked his head in from the hallway. “Your Highnesses, you have a guest. He says he was invited.”
The Sisters looked at each other and both frowned slightly, then Luna looked to Twilight. “Did you-?”
Before Twilight could answer, the door was pushed open and the guard was nudged aside.
And she felt her stomach sink at a very familiar gruff voice.
“Now see here, Twilight Sparkle, what’s all this nonsense about haunted-”
Three steps into the room, Starswirl the Bearded stopped short and the letter floating behind him fell to the ground as he and Sunsparkle simply stared at each other.
So much for hoping.
“Oh, boy,” Twilight murmured under her breath.