With a flittering sparkle, Twilight returns from the past. The crystal castle's floor creaks gently as she finds her footing on its slick yet dirty surface. The room has not been cleaned in quite a while as a layer of dust settles from her return. A cough escapes Twilight's mouth as she tries to brush the dust away. "Agh. Dusty." She mumbles as she quickly trots her way out of the room. With a rapid trot, she closes the door, trailing dust behind her. Twilight squints as the sun shines in her face, the rest of the castle bright and colorful due to being cleaned nearly every day for the past year! Twilight squints as she re-adjusts to how colorful and bright everything is in Equestria now.
"Gee, you'd think the sun would have a smiley face on it or something." Twilight mumbles to herself, cracking a smile and giggling as the thought surfaces. Her imagination gets the best of her as she mindlessly wanders through the halls, only stopping once she's filled with amusement. "Let's not give Celestia any ideas. That'd be bad. Now uh..." Twilight blinks after a moment of looking from left to right.
"Where was the front door again?" Twilight says as she stares at the doors all down the hallway. Twilight awkwardly smiles as she thinks to herself. 'Everything in here looks the same. How did I ever navigate this place?! Uhh...' Twilight then pushes a door open at random, peeking into it, revealing a pristine and hardly used kitchen. The next door reveals a bathroom, then a spare bedroom, and finally, the castle library! This revelation does give her pause, but not for the usual reasons one would think. With a quick trot forward, Twilight rushes to a nearby shelf, digging through books. While she doesn't intend to read any of them, she still treats them gently as each book gets piled and sorted behind her by alphabet and subject. Twilight breaks out in a cold sweat as she opens the book she was looking for, quickly reading down the magical pages and finding it full aside a tiny corner of the final page.
A sigh of relief escapes her lips as she raises a quill and inkwell. With a quick and dirty note, she writes. "I need a few hours to get re-settled. Long story. Will give you a replacement soon. Just wait for the portal to open!" Twilight then closes the book shut. One friend notified and done! Now, there's just the astronomically sized list of ponies left. Taking a deep breath, Twilight closes her eyes and begins to light her horn with its colorless yet magical hue. She should have done this earlier, but her sense of being lost outweighed the need for the spell.
"Alright. Probably the best place to do this." Twilight mumbles to herself as a plume of magic surrounds her, wrapping around like a bloomed purple flower, which quickly tightens and returns to a bud shape. Twilight opens her eyes as the magical flower falls away, stretching her hoof and body, which had returned to its shape and size from before she left all those centuries ago. A little giggle escaped Twilight's mouth as she saw the absurdity of what she just did. Sure, her powers were leagues ahead of anything that anypony could pull off. Even her daughters wouldn't be able to stand a candle to her, but even then, changing her shape so drastically was still something that she only theoretically thought she could do.
"I feel really short." This is the only comment that comes to mind at that moment. Twilight takes a step forward and gets used to a smaller, quicker gait, returning to wandering the castle almost aimlessly, leaving behind a mass of sparkles in the library's air. It would be nearly two hours before Twilight managed to navigate through her home to the front door. Could she have just teleported out? Sure, but that would defeat the entire purpose of the exercise. However, such activities can have unforeseen consequences.
Twilight sighs in relief as she finally finds the entry hall. "Faust above, who designed this castle? A toy company?... oh right, it was Unity." The thought alone makes Twilight's skin crawl as she shudders momentarily and presses her hoof on the door to push it open.
It doesn't open. At least immediately. Twilight blinked momentarily before questioning if it was a pull to open the door. However, she finds the same resistance, only this time inverted upon trying to do so. The door's resistance and having gotten lost earlier very quickly annoys Twilight. 'Okay, I did not just come home after who knows how long to be defeated by a door!' She says to herself before putting both hooves on the door and pressing with all her might, even using both her alicorn and earth pony strength in the act.
Twilight slams the door open with one mighty shove, causing the five ponies trying to enter the castle to fall backward in a heap on the dirt road in front of the castle, a large dust cloud forming around them as Twilight pants from her magical exertion.
"WAA?!" Says a high-pitched, intense voice as she falls right into the dirt road. Pinkie Pie is on the bottom of the sudden dogpile.
"Hey!?" As Rainbow Dash loses control from the sudden launch, says a tom coltish voice. However, she catches herself before falling over, thanks to her position in the air. Her victory is short-lived as Applejack tumbles onto her and causes her to join the dogpile.
"WOAH!" Applejack says as she feels enough weight to put Big Mac to shame. Unfortunately, unlike her friends, she was one of the two putting the most hoof grease into the door-opening attempts. Physics dictated her sudden push as she was thrown backward in the air, colliding with Rainbow Dash and falling into the pile.
"eep!" Said Fluttershy as she ducked down to avoid her friends getting thrown in the air. She had barely arrived at that moment with her basket full of snacks. Luckily, she had successfully avoided any impact from her friends, but she was still startled by the sudden crash.
"Oh my?!" Rarity said after her magic was overwhelmed, not only by physical force but, at its core, broken by the attempt to assist her friends in opening the door. The levitation spell she was using had no chance of magical backlash from being overwhelmed, but the loud cracking noise that rang in her head was enough to startle her. But that couldn't stop her from seeing who was standing on the porch of the castle. "Twilight...?"
Twilight herself was more startled by the sudden thud and loud noises. But it didn't take a genius to realize what was happening as the purple alicorn stood stunned at the top of the steps. She didn't exactly know what to say to them. In fact, she planned on using the time it would take her to wander from house to house to figure out what to say. Without that luxury, Twilight just smiled awkwardly, waving with a hoof. For her friends, it had been well over six months since they saw her last, and even then, it was only for a few moments. However, the first words she said to them were like a friend visiting an old pal. "Hi everyone. I'm back." She says awkwardly.
A moment later, Twilight's friends tackle her in a massive hug. Twilight tensed up in those microseconds before the hug made contact. "TWILIGHT!" They all say simultaneously. Twilight takes a moment before she finally begins to hug them back. A bright smile appeared on her face.
"I'm back everypony," Twilight says with a happy smile. She felt warm. She felt loved. Most of all, though, she felt so thrilled to see everyone again, properly this time.
"You aren't gonna leave again, right? You said next time we saw you that you were here for good!" Rainbow Dash said after the hug finally broke up. Twilight used the moment of silence to look at each of her friends.
"Mhm! Sure am! It took a while, but I did everything I needed to." She smiles brightly. She sighs as she notes every little difference she can spot.
Rainbow Dash didn't change too much. The loyal pony's mane was a little more unkempt, and a Wonderbolt's trainee pin was in it. Rainbow Dash seemed horrifically exhausted, though, yawning uncontrollably after a moment.
Applejack seemed the same, although Twilight could tell that the mare was physically and magically stronger than in the past. She looked pretty tired, too. In fact, on close observation, all her friends looked tired. Almost as if they hadn't slept too well.
Pinkie Pie was quite happy and content, still her bubbly self! Although her mane is quite a bit more poofy than previously.
Rarity was happily wearing a fancy scarf that Twilight had never seen before. Likely one of her newest. Rarity was also obviously using dye for her mane to some degree, although Twilight was proud that she noticed, considering how perfect Rarity's mane was, even with the dye.
Finally, Fluttershy. She seemed the least affected by time but also the most exhausted of the group. Twilight rubbed her forehead. That's right, Fluttershy probably had to deal with Discord after the 'conversation' she had with him previously. That would be a lot to unpack if he said too much.
Twilight giggles off the worry for now. That was a problem for future Twilight. Besides, it may not end up needing to be solved, and if it was, then she could just as easily make a point to Discord later.
"Erm, Sugarcube, yer expression is a lil intense." Applejack says after a moment. Twilight quickly shakes her head as an awkward, dry laugh replaces her dark smirk.
"Ahahah. Sorry, I was thinking about something for later. Uhm. It's only ten in the morning. How about we head inside and have a snack in the castle? Although, I'm guessing that Pinkie will probably want to plan a welcome back party, though." Twilight says as she tilts her head and leans on the crystal wall behind her. "Mmm. How about we meet for lunch in a few hours? I have to tell my family I'm okay, not to mention Celestia, too." She mumbles to herself.
The girls all giggle, Pinkie smiling. "Well, I would love to have a party, but spending time with you now would be nice." The rest of the mane 5 agree with the sentiment, too.
Rainbow Dash chimes in after a moment. "Yeah, I have practice today, so I'd need to talk with Spitfire to make sure I can take today off... Hey, how about I come along? Spitfire is in Canterlot right now for an event so I can catch her there."
Applejack hums, "Sadly, ah can't go. If I wanna make it to a party, then I'll have to make sure that I finish all the farmwork in time.."
Fluttershy taps her chin. "I can come along with you and Rainbow Dash if you don't mind Twilight. I still need to apologize to Tree Hugger for the Gala." She mumbles quietly, which causes Rainbow Dash to give Fluttershy a little tap on the shoulder.
Rainbow huffs at the comment, rolling her eyes. "You've been apologizing to her every time you see her Fluttershy. Nopony could have expected Discord to bring a weird monster like the Smooze to the Gala out of jealousy."
Rarity adds, "Yes, I do believe the one that should continue apologizing to her is Discord, although even then, he's done a swell job of that. It has only been a few months since then. Either way, I will join both of you in Canterlot. I must inform the Boutique there that I will not be available for the rest of the day. Although it's not like I get too much business up there, there is SOOO much competition. Perhaps a little help from a friend would be nice?" She says with a sigh before giving Twilight a poke in the side.
"Hm. Sure, although I haven't done any modeling before. Just go easy on me, alright?" Twilight says with a genuine smile. It sounded fun and, most of all, simple. How bad could doing one little endorsement of a friend's business go? Especially when she knew Rarity's work was far beyond a cut above the rest.
Rarity was positively ecstatic at the answer, smiling widely upon hearing the confirmation. "Oh, thank you, Twilight! I really appreciate it. This will breathe life into the Canterlot branch of my Boutique! Perhaps it'll even reach the number one spot!" She says with excitement. "Let us not tarry then! We must be off so we can make it back for the party!"
Pinkie smiles widely. "In that caseeeee, I'll get the castle ready for the party. No peeking!" She then rushes inside. But a moment passes before she trots back out of the door. "Waiiiitttt. Snacks first!" She says with some pep, "We did come to have a little breakfast together. How about we have some snacks while we're all here?"
Everypony looks at one another and nods in agreement. Twilight had just eaten, but at the very least, spending half an hour with her friends wouldn't do anything terrible. Celestia and Luna can wait a little longer! The group happily sits outside the castle, Pinkie going in and out of it between her chats with the others. The small, short, thirty-minute moment-to-moment chats just felt right to Twilight. Sure, Twilight was never starved for attention back in the past, but something was always missing. This comfort was missing, just the normalcy of her friends and the comfort they brought. They didn't pry into anything that happened. They just treated her like she was never gone. Albeit, there were some questions, mainly pokes about what happened and for details, but overall.
It was calm. There wasn't a monster or creature looming in the background. No great disaster or a desperate noble needing help with something. Twilight was just hanging out with her friends with no strings attached.
Finally, Twilight stood up as a conversation was trailing off. After taking a moment to stretch, she smiles at her friends. "Sounds like I missed a lot. I'm happy for you all, though! I mean, let's be honest, Rainbow Dash getting into the Wonderbolts program was a given. It's the same with Rarity getting into Manehatten and Canterlot. But Fluttershy, you're running an entire pet sanctuary now? I'm thrilled for all of you! Sorry that I couldn't be here to share it with you all..." She says awkwardly, the rest of her friends looking over at each other. Applejack smiles and puts her hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"Well, yer here now. We can all show ya how we've all changed and grown when yah get the time. We're still your friends, Twi, and that won't change." Applejack smiles. "But, Ah do have to get back to the farm so I can make it to the party tonight. Everypony should get to doin' what they need to. Twi's party needs to be good, alright, Pinkie? Make it BIG!" She says as the group nods. Twilight noted that Applejack seemed to be the leader of the group when she was gone. Either way, everypony helped clean up the picnic before going on their way, Twilight trotting toward the train station with Fluttershy and Rarity behind her. Rainbow Dash would join them soon, but she had to grab something from her house first.
As Twilight walked through Ponyville with her friends, she felt some nostalgia. The town itself had not changed much, if at all, since she disappeared. Even then, though, her memory of the town's layout was hazy at best, no, due in part thanks to the millennia of being gone. The Ponyville of the past was much more condensed, and the buildings were tighter together. In the present, though, Ponyville was a lived-in town. The townhouses were moved to be more comfortable, more were added and built, and the houses themselves were upgraded from their wooden walls to stone and thatch.
Usually, such wanderlust and nostalgia would show on one's face. But not Twilight's. Usually, one would express sadness, worry, or even excitement in these situations. Instead, though, Twilight's expression was just a smile. The smile was well-practiced but genuine nonetheless. Twilight's thoughts drifted and shifted as she trotted along, mainly thinking about what she'd say to her mom and dad... Not to mention Celestia.
"Uh, Twilight. Are you alright?" Fluttershy says as she pokes Twilight on the side. The group had arrived at the train station, much to Twilight's surprise. "You were glaring a little."
Twilight blinks "I was?" She said with a confused voice. She wasn't trying to glare at all. Even Rarity was a little confused by the comment.
Fluttershy tilts her head as she tries to explain. "You looked upset like Discord does sometimes. Uhm... It's kind of like silent anger, I guess?" Fluttershy said after thinking about it for a moment. "Either way. If you want to say something, I think you should. Just remember not to be mean about it, alright? That's what I told Discord, at least."
Twilight takes a moment before she giggles a little. Fluttershy caught on that fast? She really had grown. "Of course, Fluttershy. Thanks, though I was just. Frustrated, I guess."
Rainbow Dash took this moment to land nearby. "Got it! Sorry, I had to grab my badge, or I wouldn't be able to get into the barracks!" She says with a little smile. "Although frustrated? I know that feeling. Even with all the help you girls gave me with the Wonderbolt exam, some of the tests we have to take every so often are still rough! But worth it. Only a few more months and I can take the test to become a fully-fledged Wonderbolt instead of a trainee!"
Twilight smiles. "Well, we'll all be there to cheer you on during your test."
Rainbow Dash smiles and nods. "Justttt make sure to buy a ticket this time. We don't want another Lightning Dust incident."
Twilight smiles a little. "Relax, a tornado couldn't stop me even if it wanted to." She says confidently, "But we'll be properly seated at the benches this time."
Twilight then glances around for hidden Applejacks before rubbing the back of her neck and saying sheepishly. "Even I'd have trouble keeping everypony safe in the middle of a tornado."
Rainbow Dash tilts her head, staying silent for a moment before answering. "Well, yeah, duh. Even the best Wonderbolts would have trouble keeping that many ponies safe in an intense storm. Especially one made by yours truly." She says with a smile
Twilight would just let out a little giggle. In reality, Twilight could save an entire town's worth of ponies in the middle of a storm. Maybe even blindfolded if she were having a good day that day. But if she said that, Rainbow Dash would almost certainly want to race or something similar.
She didn't want to show off her newfound abilities TOO soon. After all, surprises are fun. With a whistle, the train would come into the station. Twilight and her small group trotted onto the train and sat in a small group seating booth. There would be a moment of silence as they all got settled before Twilight would break the silence. "Oh. Huh. Uh, quick question. What day is it today anyways?" Twilight, with the Spirit of Time's power, had the luxury of knowing the exact time, but dates were a ponymade concept, which wasn't part of her powers.
Rarity blinks. "Oh, that is quite important. It's Tuesday, Darling. It's precisely one year and twenty-three days after you disappeared." Rarity says, as a matter of fact. "I apologize. I suppose time travel would be a little disorienting.
Twilight nods and calculates the exact date of that. "Thanks, just gotta get reoriented. So that means it's the town hall at the castle today..."
After a moment, a smile appears on Twilight's face. But this smile isn't one of happiness or thrill. No, this is a devious smile. Reminiscent of Discord or Unity even. "Oooh. That gives me an idea!~" She says with a devious giggle.
The rest of the group tilt their heads with varying levels of curiosity and worry. Rainbow chuckles a little. "Well, if you're gonna be pranking somepony, then make sure you make it good, alright, Twilight?" With a nod, she continued, sitting back on the seat. "If you need some pointers, don't be afraid to ask! Pranking is still my thing, ya know. Althoughhhh, I betcha picked some stuff up, so make it good, alright?"
Rarity perks up at the mention of that. "Oh! I had a question along those lines, Twilight. Knowing you, you weren't idle either. Anything fun~? New spells? Ancient magic? Perhaps something to help with clothing and outfits and such?" She tilts her head. "I've been having a horrible amount of creator's block recently." She sighs loudly
Twilight sighs. "Sorry, creator's block isn't curable with magic. You just gotta let it pass. Try doing something else for a while. I personally like to watch plays or go to events. Ponies tend to give the best ideas for things. Maybe you could observe as you wander around Canterlot, see if you notice something you like, and base your next project on it?"
Rarity's eyes twinkle intensely. "That's genius! Twilight. Could I make an outfit based on you and the princesses?! I could call it the princess line of clothing! The tagline could be 'Feel like a princess'! It'd be perfect!"
Twilight leans back and blinks twice. "Oh! Sure! I'm sure they wouldn't mind. I sure don't! Although you shook off that creator's block quickly."
Rarity giggles. "Darling, sometimes all you need is some advice and help. The worst thing you could do with creator's block is stress!" She says with a nod of her head.
Rainbow Dash chuckles a little. "Says the one saying it was the world's end yesterday." Fluttershy giggled a little, too, in agreement.
Rarity huffs and plays along with a smile. "Well, it was! I haven't made a new style of dress in over half a season! It was horrible! Just horrible!" She then giggles a little bit. "In all honesty, I had that idea ages ago, but without Twilight around, I felt the set wouldn't be complete. So I must insist that you come to the Boutique after you speak with the princesses and your family! At the very least, I can get the design phase started."
Twilight smiles. "Sure thing, Rarity. I'll, at the least, try. If not today, tomorrow."
Rarity rubs her ivory chin, contemplating something. "Tomorrow would be best. I apologize for my excitement. I completely forgot about the party for a moment. Tomorrow then."
Twilight smiles. "No need to apologize, but sure. Tomorrow then."
The train pulls into Canterlot station after around an hour, the small group happily talking and interacting with one another. Twilight shares some small stories about the girl's ancestors. Rainbow Dash's eyes sparkle with excitement as she hears about her long legacy of speedsters in her family. "WOW! Ya know, I honestly thought that I was the only one. My mom and dad aren't exactly fast or crazy good fliers. Heck, my dad sometimes forgets he has wings." She says with a giggle, "Although my mom has solid wings. Prism musta been from my mom's side of the family." She mumbles as she tries to work things out in her head, but then she gets a thought.
"Speaking of solid wings." Rainbow Dash says as she suddenly gives Twilight's left wing a poke. Twilight hardly budges from the gentle push, but it catches her off guard. "What the heck kinda training were you doing to go from the wings you used to have to these? I hardly recognized you briefly when you came out of the castle."
Twilight blinks. "Wuh? My wings are the same, I think?" She says as she looks them over. She knows she didn't mess up the disguise spell, so how could Rainbow see her improved wing strength?
Fluttershy looks over Twilight's right wing with a squint. "They do look the same Rainbow. Are you sure they're different?" Upon hearing that, Rainbow squints and looks at the unfolded wing Twilight was looking over.
"I dunno. It FEELS like Twilight's wings are stronger, and I mean WAY stronger. Heck. Stronger than mine even." Rainbow says curiously.
Twilight sighs. "Well, you're half right. I am a WAY better flier than I was before I disappeared. I could probably beat you a good sixty percent of the time, Rainbow~." She says with a smile. She saw no reason to hide her wing strength since Rainbow could see past her guise so easily and passively, although she did wonder why. "What gave it away anyway? Just a feeling?"
Rainbow rubs her chin. "I dunno. They seem like they're glowing. Like everypony with wings, there is some sparkle or light around them. Like my wings glow is as bright as the sun, but yours is just as if not brighter."
Twilight nods as she listens to Rainbow curiously. "So. What about that pegasi?" She points at Derpy, who is flying through the air.
Rainbow tilts her head as she looks and squints. "Kinda a light greyish sparkle, not too strong but not too weak." She says with a smile.
Twilight's eyes sparkle intensely. "Rainbow! I think you can see pegasus magic! That's incredible! I've never heard of anypony that can do that! When did you learn to do that?!" She says as she hops a little in place. Rainbow is chuckling a little at the question.
"Uhm. About half a year after you disappeared! It was real weird but kinda cool." Rainbow says with a bright expression. Being able to see pegasus magic was something unique to her. That's amazing! That just made her even cooler!
Twilight smiles. "We have to do some tests on it to see its limits. That could revolutionize all the industries that use flying! But later."
Rarity giggles. "Need to look stuff about it in the library? That'd be refreshing to see."
Twilight hums and giggles. "Maybe a little. But not enough to make a day of it." She says confidently. "Would be a good excuse to read all day, though." She sighs as they finally leave the station. Twilight smiling. "Alright, we'll meet at the Doughnut shop in an hour. If I'm late, that means either the princesses or my parents held me up a bit. Either way, I'll get my balloon from Celestia so we can get back to Ponyville quickly. Sound good?"
The group nods, and each pony goes their separate ways for the moment. Twilight sighs as she heads to the castle. As she's on approach, though, a slight chill runs down her spine as she enters the castle. The guards are too busy to notice her as they organize all the ponies going for the town hall meeting. With a little flap of her wings, Twilight slides forward on the clean and waxed floor of the castle, sliding along the floor and turning around and freezing time for the moment. "Discord."
"Twilight," Discord says, standing up straight from his attempt to touch her. "Just wanted to see if it was you. I couldn't be too sure after all. Considering everything." He says with a glance, "You've gotten short."
Twilight snerks. "And you've gotten old." She says with a smirk.
Discord gives a half-cocked grin as he tilts his head. "Says the one that's literally timeless. A little bit of an unfair comparison, don't you think?"
Twilight smugly smiles back. "Come on, Discord, why would a lady like myself ever be fair about her age?" She says with a little arrogant tone, the two staring each other down for a moment more. The duo then breaks down and laughs a little. "Nice to see you again, you self-proclaimed loser." She says with a smile
Discord huffs and chuckles. "And It's good to see you too, old lady. Don't forget your walker before you have your chat." He says with a grin. "So am I invited to the welcome back party? I hope so. I did put aside today so that I could show up~."
Twilight rolls her eyes. "Put aside time when you don't even work anymore, sure. But of course, Discord. I'd never wanna go to a party without my frienemy." She says with a cheeky smile and a sarcastic tone. "How could I EVER relax without your constant verbal insults."
Discord dramatically falls onto a random couch, his claw up against his forehead as he cries out, "Oh woe is meeee. My first best friend doesn't understand sarcasm when she hears it. Ohhh, what a world!"
Twilight rolls her eyes again and flicks Discord on the nose with her magic. "Says the one that ignored the sarcasm from me a second ago. Still, it is good to see you again, Discord." She says with a smile. "We can get lunch tomorrow, alright?"
Discord hums, "Tomorrow doesn't work. I'm having a tea party with Fluttershy at my house. Does Friday work for you?" He says as he pulls out a pocketbook made of flowers, his reading glasses appearing on his face.
Twilight thinks a little bit. "Fridays, the girls and I usually rest to prepare for whatever adventure happens on Saturday. But I don't really need to rest anymore, so I think that could work. Ten o'clock as usual?"
Discord nods. "I'll be late or early as usual. Or on time. Probably." He nods. "Now, don't be late. I'm excited to see what kind of chaos you're bringing to that throne room~." He says with a grin.
Twilight's eyes twinkled a little. "Oh, don't worry. I have a little plan for my lovely family." Twilight then slinks away to the main hall, time resuming as she does so.
Ten minutes later, the throneroom guard motions to Twilight, who is wearing a cloak and hood. Of course, Twilight had already spoken with the guard about this. She wanted to surprise the princesses, not make a national emergency.
"Ugh. I'm so tired, sister." Luna mumbles quietly to Celestia as the two watch the ponies cycle through. "I understand waking me up for the earlier question, but why must I stay awake?! I'm exhausted. Not to mention, this will throw off my schedule tonight."
Celestia sighs and whispers back. "Because the last time I let you return to bed, the ponies were upset that only one got to see both princesses. It's a strange source of gloating. Besides, you can bear with a single night of exhaustion." She mumbles, Celestia huffing a bit. After all, she fully believes her sister has a more straightforward job. How hard could it be to replace some flowers and explore the dreams of other ponies? Their mom did it alone for several millennia, and she looked just fine!
Then, a noise rang out, breaking Celestia's train of thought. Twilight raises an eyebrow as she stares at Celestia. The guards had already left the room, aside from a few. Since Twilight notified them about her presence, they much preferred to give the student and teacher their space for the moment at the behest of the 'younger' princess. "Ahem... I was going to do a big reveal. But you two seem to be a little lost. Was a thousand years that hard, you two~?" She says with a grin as she lowers her hood.
In an instant, Celestia and Luna tackle and hug Twilight. "TWILIGHT!"
"M-" and time is frozen as Twilight haphazardly puts up a sound barrier before allowing Luna to finish her sentence. "-other!" the two sisters hugging Twilight tightly.
"Luna!" Celestia says with a quick look around, calming down once she sees the barrier. "Phew... LUNA! Careful!" She says with a glare.
Luna huffs and glares at Celestia. "Let me have this thank you. Sorry if I'm a little starved for attention!" She grumbles a little and hugs Twilight tightly.
Celestia sighs. "Sorry, Twilight, I know you wanted to keep a bit of a lid on this stuff, but... I did miss you, too. A lot." She mumbles a little to herself as she hugs Twilight tight."
Twilight giggles a little. "You can still call me Mom in private! Just give me a bit of a warning." She says with a smile. "Or if you see me not disguised, I suppose." She says as she drops her disguise, scooping her daughters in a tight hug. "I can't say I missed you two since, from my side, I was only gone for like. Five minutes or so. But It's still great to see you two again." Twilight then releases her daughters, looking around and sighing a little nostalgically. "I do like what you've done with the castle. It's lovely." She says with a happy nod.
"But, Celestia. We have to have a conversation. A long one." She says as she looks right at the ivory alicorn with a glare.
Celestia blinks and nervously fidgets. After a moment, she tries to puff up her chest and take control of the conversation. However, as she looked up, she met with the towering figure of her mother standing point-blank in front of her. Not much intimidates Celestia. After all, she is the High Princess of Equestria! The most powerful pony there!
Except she wasn't. Twilight was both intimidating and insurmountable. Her very presence was thinning the magic in the room at a rapid pace. Celestial gulps and gives an awkward smile, entirely cowed by her mom. "Y-yes, Mom," she says as she sits straight down.
Twilight sighs. "Where to start? Firstly, you and Luna ARE equals, right?" she says, starting with the elephant in the room. Celestia nodded quickly and rapidly in response.
"Of course we are! We rule together-" Twilight cut off Celestia by raising a hoof.
"So where is Luna's throne? Is there a reason she only has a cushion in the Grand Hall? I know she has a throne in the proper throne room, but you two hardly ever use that room aside as an office. Explain." Twilight says with a glare.
Celestia blinks and confidently smiles. "Because Luna doesn't do day court! And when she does night court, she uses the throne just like I do!" she smiles and nods. Twilight humming.
"So if you were to be there for night court, you'd sit on the cushion?" Twilight says with a tilt of her head.
Celestia nods. "Of course! In the rare moments that it happens, I suppose." She says with a mumble as she thinks to herself. "Although. I don't remember the last time that actually happened. Ohhhhh." She says as her eyes widen as Twilight raises an eyebrow.
"There it is. Luna's night court is hardly ever full, and I doubt she has to wake you up very often, Celestia. Meanwhile, most ponies prefer to use day court for obvious reasons. You should have noticed, but your little sister is exhausted because you woke her up. You should know better. At the very least, give her the same respect you'd give to yourself. She's your fellow princess." Twilight says with an annoyed smile.
Luna blinked curiously. She never really considered why she didn't have a throne with her sister. Luna had always assumed it was either because it was too expensive or simply that her sister didn't believe she had yet earned it. After all, she hadn't been on the throne with her sister in over one thousand years. However, a sudden dizzy spell hits her head as she swoons a little. "Ugh."
Twilight catches it with a glance, sighing a little. "Luna, go to bed, please." She says, turning towards Luna and hugging her. "Whatever reason your sister said to keep you here isn't worth your mental and physical health."
Luna pauses, almost about to voice a complaint, but she sighs and nods. "Alright. I'll take my leave then. We can talk soon, though, right?" Luna asks with a smile, Twilight giggling and nodding in response.
That was all Luna needed. She would nod slightly to Twilight and her sister before taking the side door to go back to bed. Twilight watched Luna leave with a smile before sighing. "Celestia, I want to know exactly what happened between you and Luna. Not JUST this last time either. What happened at the Crystal Empire when I was out with Unity? Why did Luna end up becoming Nightmare Moon even after everything we did to try and prevent it? And of course." She turns towards Celestia. "Why? You know exactly what I'm asking about Celestia. You knew what would happen if I completed that spell. You KNOW that I would have finished it, regardless of whether I had known the truth. Instead, you kept it from me and stranded me in the past for literal Millenia! Did you even remember that time worked differently back then?! Do you know how much of my life I missed because of you? How worried my FAMILY was going to be?!" She says with a glare, trying to be angry, before exhaling and sitting down.
"Worst of all, I can't even be mad at you. You're my daughter, for Faust's sake. Even then, though, I don't think you realize how much harder you made my life." Twilight says as she rubs the back of her neck with a hoof. "I can't enjoy the same things I used to. Adventures are probably going to be boring as heck." Suddenly, Twilight jolts up, her self-preservation instincts kicking in with a rush of adrenaline. "And NO, I am not going to take over leading Equestria again." She says with a rise in her voice.
"You and Luna handle the politics. I'm retired from the actual princess duties. Oh sorry. Queen duties." Twilight says, nipping the prospect in the bud as quickly as possible. Celestia winced a little at the snap response, about to respond, before a voice rang out from nearby.
"So it WAS you." A pony says from a nearby corner. Somehow, she had gone entirely unnoticed this entire time. "I mean, I had my suspicions, considering your disappearance. But honestly, I just assumed you got assassinated or something. Or tripped and fell into Tartarus." The green earth pony smiles at Celestia and Twilight with a half-cocked smirk.
Twilight raises a wing instantly. "Celestia. Who's this?" She questions. The pony in question was in a maid outfit, and that expression was far too familiar to Twilight. Celestia silently tries to remember, but Twilight breaks the silence first with her revelation. "You're Spectator's descendent."
The pony smiles. "Wallflower, at your disservice. I believe you knew my great great grandma, Unity." She says with a smirk, the mention of the name causing Twilight and Celestia to both prepare their magic. Twilight's horn shimmers while Celestia envelops her horn in a golden hue. Yet Wallflower smiles in the face of her two overwhelming opponents. "Oh, so impatient." She says with a giggle, "I'd be careful, Twilight. Equestria isn't as dense with mana as it used to be. It would be a shame if you hurt somepony. After all, this barrier spell is already pretty intense!"
With those words, Celestia's horn suddenly fizzled and sparked, a grunt escaping her mouth as she stumbled backward onto her throne, groaning as Twilight's spell drew magical energy out of her body. "Wha- AGHH!?" Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as she dropped the barrier spell and the spell she was preparing in her horn, only using her magic to disguise herself and nothing more. Twilight's magic had almost entirely drained the natural magical energy in the room to the point where it was draining it from the ponies themselves. In other words, Celestia.
Wallflower cheekily smiles at Twilight. "Oh noooo. Is the element of magic unable to use magic?! Psh. What a silly conundrum. Oh well.~"
Twilight's glare intensifies. "I can still use regular spells, you know. And unlike your ancestor, I doubt you're even slightly immune to them." She says with a glare.
Wallflower hums as she looks over her hoof. Looking up towards Twilight with a smug look on her face. "Maybe I am, though. After all, ponies do call me 'The true descendent' for a reason. Although, honestly, I find that name quite demeaning. I mean, I'm doing this because I want to, not out of obligation to Granny Unity. But I digress. Are you willing to take that chance?"
Twilight winces in response. The backlash from hitting Unity's defenses with ordinary magic was well ingrained in her mind. It could easily cost her a limb, or worse, her life, taking her reduced powered state into account. There was a reason why Moondancer avoided using too much magic against Unity, especially offensive magic.
Wallflower smirks at Twilight's hesitation. "Well, I'll take your silence as permission to leave. Wouldn't want that brain of yours to problem solve itself out of this situation." She says with a wave of her hoof. "Watch your back 'Your Majesty' because you're going to go through the worst I can throw at you from now on."
Twilight glares and grits her teeth. "Just leave my friends out of this if that's the case."
Wallflower sputters "Well duh! I'm not a horrible pony. You're the only one I care about. If they get in the way, they're collateral, sure, but I'm not going to go out of my way to ruin their lives, nor Celestia or Luna's. But I welcome you to all work together to try and stop me. It sounds like fun." She says with a subdued smirk. "See ya~." She says before vanishing behind the doorway. Even as the guards finally show up, they can't find her anywhere. Wallflower disappeared entirely.
Twilight was startled by Wallflower's speech. Typically, she would have done something midway through it, but the small crowd of ponies watching meant she had to use the little bit of magic left to distort their hearing. There wasn't enough left for her to put up another perception barrier or something similar. "Celestia, are you alright?" She asks quickly, helping her daughter stand up.
"I'm fine, Twilight. Just a little tired. The rest of the day, court is canceled. On account of that, it seems there's another villain on the horizon." Celestia grimly says, the crowd of ponies dispersing after a moment.
Celestia and Twilight quietly sat down on the throne room floor once everyone had left. Twilight breaks the silence. "Why is magic so thin?" She asks, the pair catching their breath, not out of any form of exhaustion but out of sheer anxiety.
Celestia sighs. "That's—a long story. Simply put, I had to use the spirit of magic to force the Elements of Harmony to banish Luna when she became Nightmare Moon. Because of that, the regulation of mana and its creation across Equestria became much weaker. Luckily, everyone was still using standard spells by then, but your magic draws in far too much of it." Celestia winces a little. "I didn't expect it to draw in that much, though."
Twilight's eyebrow twitches a little. "I already scolded you about your treatment of your sister. I won't do so again. But I do expect you to help your sister more than you have. Perhaps learn what she does for Equestria. Rather than the mental warfare you both go through every day." She says with a glare. "We've all gone through more than we should in a lifetime. Let's not make each other's lives harder, too." She says gently to Celestia, giving her a pat on the side.
Celestia nods but giggles after a moment. "You know. I tried not to think of you as Mother while you're like this, but you've matured beyond what you were as my student. It's hard to see past that." She sighs and sits back. "Are you sure you don't want to rule Equestria again, Twilight? Things were so better under you."
Twilight laughs loudly and looks up at the ceiling. "Celestia, did you forget the Millenia of mistakes I made? The constant pain I put you and Luna through? Not to mention the damage I did to myself?" She sighs a little, Twilight looking quietly into the space above them, her eyes unfocused and tired. "You might remember the good days, the adventures, the stories I told you at night, and the little gifts we got for being good rulers, but that was less than half of my very long rule. There was so much wrong with what I did. So much loss. So many wars. Now, there's peace, and I have no idea what to do with it. Even after those last few years with you two as ruler. I'm just tired."
Celestia tenses up for a moment before drooping her head a little. "I understand. For what it's worth, I think you did a better job than I ever could." She says with a little laugh, Celestia sighing quietly.
Twilight smiles. "You've only been in charge for around two thousand years. Give it some time. You'll surpass me faster than you think. Do you know why? Because you aren't alone. You have your sister through everything, even your troubles. I'm willing to help if you wanna take a short break, though." Twilight says with a tilt of her head and a gentle nuzzle to her daughter.
Celestia giggles a little and nods. "I'll hold you to that. Anyways." She stands up and stretches a little. "I'm sure you want to see Spike, so I'll let you go, for now, Mother." She reaches down and hugs Twilight tight. "Make sure to keep everypony safe. Just like you always do."
Twilight smiles. "Course, Celestia." She says as she watches Celestia trot away. Twilight stood up and trotted to the grand door. With a gentle push, Twilight opens the door and smiles at the waiting dragon on the other side of it. The two share a tight and close hug.
Spike holds on tight. He was far too overwhelmed with emotions to speak. Twilight sighs and holds onto him, tears streaming from their faces as they quietly share a moment, reunited at last. Spike is the first to break the silence. "Welcome back, Twilight." He says with a broad smile and tear-laden eyes. There was so much to talk about, so much he wanted to ask. Yet, in the end, he could only be happy that she was finally home.
Twilight holds tight to Spike, the pair taking around five minutes to recompose themselves. They would chat, but right now, it was just a moment to be together. "You wanna come with m-"
Spike cuts Twilight off. "Absolutely."
With that, the two head out of the castle. Twilight goes back to her fillyhood home in Canterlot. A long meeting with her parents ensues as questions fly back and forth. In the end, Twilight is quite late to the meet-up she promised her friends. They understood, of course.
Now, if only she had remembered the chariot, too! It would take another twenty minutes before Twilight would return with the chariots. They would make it back long before the party, but they were around thirty minutes later than they wanted to be.
Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow quickly take off to get some final things ready for the party in less than an hour, leaving Twilight and Spike alone at the castle. Twilight hums as she takes a spare empty journal she grabbed from her house, trotting into the castle.
"Sunset was messaging a ton when you were gone," Spike says. "She filled up the book before I realized it. I told her to leave you some space at the end. Good thing I was keeping an eye on it!" He says proudly, Twilight smiling and nuzzling him gently.
"Very good work, Spike. I'm proud of you." Twilight says with a bit of pep in her step, heading towards the second library, a large decrepit machine resting inside. Twilight looks over the machine with a sigh, grabbing a toolbox from the ground with a quick burst of magic.
She repairs the machine in less than a second.
Twilight smiles. "Well, good to know. Time stop drains about half of the mana in the surrounding area for around twenty seconds of stop. It'll have to do in the future." She smiles as the portal begins to shudder and shake, sparks of familiar pink magic surging down the wires and into a mirror. With a tremendous crash and spark, the portal opens, a bright flash of white light shining.
The portal also drained whatever was left of the mana in the air. Causing Twilight's transformation to be disabled.
"WOAH!" Sunset says as she tumbles through the portal, falling flat on her face at Twilight's hooves. Twilight herself was caught off guard by her transformation being canceled, but there wasn't anything she could do about it until nature restored the ambient magic.
So she just ran with the punches because, at this point, she couldn't be bothered. Even if this happened before the mane six, she probably would just run with it. It's not like she's attached to the secret or anything.
She wants the right time to come for it. As usual, though, fate is cruel.
"Ce- wait, no. Twilight?! Is that you?!" Sunset says with her eyes wide. Pinkie passed by in the hallway and answered for Twilight.
"Yep!"
Twilight, unphased by Pinkie knowing her secret already, nods to Sunset. "Yep! Here's the replacement book you wanted." She says as she lifts the book over. Her transparent magic surprised Sunset enough to the point where she utterly forgot to catch the book, which landed on the ground with a loud thud.
Twilight stares at the book with confusion before looking up at Sunset with a confused expression. Sunset waited another few moments before yelling out. "Okay, NO! You do not get to nonchalant this! Explain! What happened?! Why did you disappear for so long?! Why are you taller than Celestia, and why do I want to hug you?!" She says with a grumble.
Twilight hums a bit. "Well, I was stuck in the past. I got locked down back then because I was made Queen of Equestria. Time worked way differently back then because of how dense magic was. Celestia and Luna are my adopted daughters, and I dunno, probably because we haven't seen each other in ages?" Twilight says before she sits down. "But if you want the long story. Then you'll have to come to the party tonight. Bring the others, too! You haven't shown them around Equestria yet, right?"
Sunset blankly stares as she digests the information Twilight gave her. A few moments later (Along with some willpower), Sunset responds quietly. "Wuh? Well, no, but wouldn't two Pinkies cause the end of existence or something? I feel like that'd cause chaos."
Twilight giggles. "Relax, we've had to deal with more than just two Pinkie Pies before. We can manage, besides. I want to see everyone and explain as much as possible."
Spike cuts in. "To a degree, though." He says bluntly. "I still don't think keeping all the 'being Celestia and Luna's mom' and your time as Queen a secret is a good idea, Twilight."
Twilight winces a little. "Spike, I don't even want to think about some of the stuff from back then. I'll tell them when I'm ready, promise. Right now, though, I just want to relax." Twilight sighs tiredly and sits down, stretching her neck a little.
Sunset looks Twilight over a little. Her eyes quickly lock in on the various scars and scratches over her friend and mentor's larger body. "You really do look like you've been through hell. Erm. Tartarus. I can see why you wanna hide it." She says as she gently traces a scar going down Twilight's side with a hoof, primarily out of blank curiosity.
Twilight just giggles. "Sunset, I don't know how it is in your world, but touching someone's scars without permission is commonly considered rude here." This comment causes Sunset to jolt out of her stupor.
Sunset studders and tries to find her mental footing as she apologizes quickly with a bow. "Sorry! Sorry. Just. I've never seen a pony who's actually war-torn before. Not even in books." She says quietly, curiously looking at Twilight. "Heck, that's not even the only thing. I haven't practiced magic in who knows how long, and I can feel the pressure you put out." Sighing, she stands straight up and lifts the book with her magic, sliding it into her bag. "I'm definitely not jealous of you anymore, though." She laughs a little to herself.
Twilight snickers. "Mm, infinite magic, but no way to use it. I do need to figure out the mana issue at some point. At least when I'm outside, I can use most of my magic freely." With a thoughtful tilt of her head, Twilight thinks quietly to herself. "Hey, Sunset, you're a senior in high school now, right?"
Sunset blinks and nods. "Yeah. I'm graduating in a few months. Why?" She tilts her head before taking a moment longer to think. "Oh. Uh. I don't know about that. I mean, all the girls are moving away for University, and without an ID, I can't exactly do that." She mumbles. "I've gotten by this far, though. I don't wanna move back."
Twilight tilts her head. "Erm, I wasn't actually going to suggest that. I was wondering if you wanted to see Celestia anytime soon! It's your choice to live where you want to live, Sunset. But. Well." She mumbles, "Ya know, I'm glad you had a good life there. Even if it was hard."
Sunset sighs a little and shifts in place. "I just. I'm not ready for that, honestly. Not yet, at least. It's like. I dunno."
Twilight rubs her chin. "Arguing with your adoptive mother, then running away to another dimension and being all pouty there?" She continues, "Then you only find out later that she was trying to protect you and raise you to be better?"
Sunset blinks. "Uh. Yeah. That hits the feeling on the nose. Like, Celestia raised me, I don't really remember my birth parents too much." She mumbles quietly before chuckling. "Heh, guess that makes you my grandma," Sunset says teasingly to Twilight, who rolls her eyes in response.
"If you want, I don't think you could handle my level of doting," Twilight says as she boops Sunset on the nose. "Either way, though, meeting with Celestia is your choice, Sunset," Twilight says as her magic shines momentarily, restoring her disguise. "I'll support you either way." She nods and continues after a moment. "Besides, I've kept bigger secrets from Celestia over the years."
Sunset taps her chin a bit. "Wait, so are you gonna be high Queen again? I always wondered why Celestia was just a princess all this time." Sunset's eyes light up. "Does this mean you know all the Pillars of Equestria? Ohhh! What was Clover the Clever like? And Starswirl the Bearded?!"
Twilight smiles and giggles. "I'll tell you all about it at the party, alright? But as for your first question. Nooooooo never again. However, I do have a plan for that, too. I was saving this for later, but would you like your old position as a student back? Celestia and Luna probably won't last much longer in office; for all I taught them, they're far too fun-loving to stay active royalty much longer. Probably like... Four seasons worth at most." Twilight says to a stunned Sunset before continuing. "Course, you'll have to get back up to speed. It'll take a while, so you'll have plenty of free time to visit your friends AND make new ones. You won't have to worry about finding a job since bits are worth a ton in your dimension, and I can handle your schooling, too."
Sunset blinks and shakes her head. "Are you sure? The other world is a bit more advanced than Equestria."
Twilight smiles and tilts her head. "Try me! Trust me, I can certainly get-"
Sunset rubs her chin before cutting Twilight off. "Integral of e to the two x power."
Twilight rubs her chin a little. "One-half e to the two x power plus the floating constant."
Sunset continues, "The Derivative of E to the power of x to the second power."
Twilight giggles. "Easy one. Two x e to the power of the second power of x."
Sunset sputters a bit. "Calculus hasn't even been invented in Equestria! How the heck?"
Twilight cheekily smiles. "It was actually uninvented in Equestria. I'm lucky enough to be one of the only two ponies that still remembers it. I can certainly teach you too if you wanna avoid the cost of schooling in that world, too." She giggles a little.
Sunset rubs her forehead with her hoof, conflicted in her mind. On one hoof, this is a massive chance for her. On the other, she'll miss her friends dearly. "I. Can I get back to you on this? I just need to think about it." She says with a mumble.
Twilight giggles. "Of course, Sunset, I wouldn't want you to jump into this blindly. It's an offer and stands for as long as you need."
After this, Twilight and Sunset spend around half an hour chatting with each other, with Spike joining in the mix. Sunset would then go back through the mirror to speak with her friends and see if they wanted to try to attend the party, too.
With only a short time before the party starts, Spike and Twilight sit together in the library. Silence overtakes the room as Spike looks over to Twilight. "So uh... Twilight, are you sure you're alright?" He says as he looks up towards the very tall alicorn. Twilight just wistfully stares at the mirror and her reflection.
"Aside from Pinkie, who won't push her nose into it unless I give her an opening, the rest of the girls will ask and ask about every little thing that happened if they see me like this Spike. Every little thing, from the wars to the fights and monsters, they'd ask about everything. Sure, I'm sure some of them have an idea about what's going on, but. I don't want them to see exactly who I've become."
Spike tilts his head and continues to listen as Twilight speaks. "I've killed, hurt, nearly destroyed Equestria, almost died, got hurt, saw my best friend killed because I was too mentally weak. Heck, Rarity would faint seeing me like this." She says with a laugh. Without any cosmetic magic on herself, Twilight's body is adorned with scars and scratches that never fully healed right. Usually, she has some level of cosmetic magic on to look presentable, but right now, she has none.
"Then why'd you tell and show Sunset?" Spike asks, confused by Twilight's actions. If she really did hate how she was, how her body looked, then why was she so willing to talk about it?
Twilight just giggles. "Because I want to tell everyone, I really do, Spike. But. I'm just a coward now." She says with a little dry laugh. "I'm scared of what they'll say and think. Sunset is like me, so I knew she'd not really dig into anything. Sure, she'll be curious and poke at it from time to time, but she's like Celestia when she was younger. I know that type well enough. Sunset and I, on a one-on-one basis, are close. We used to write literally every night, after all." She sighs. "And I guess I'm way more scared of the girls and their reaction than Sunset's. Way more." Twilight says truthfully, resting her head on the floor of the room. "There's just too many ways things can go wrong. It can blow up in my face in way too many ways. I mean, think about it. I'm Celestia and Luna's mom. That alone would change anypony's perspective of me."
Spike looks as if he's about to protest before thinking about it for a moment. Ponies were swift to make assumptions, and word traveled quickly. He truly couldn't refute that statement, not confidently, at least. "Well. I think you should still take the chance. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But soon." He says. "Keeping secrets from your close friends like that sucks. So just. Do your best with it, Twilight." He says with a smile. "Now, how about we get ready for the party."
Twilight takes a deep breath, sighing a little as she does so. "Let's do it."
Twilight and Spike stand up, trotting out of the room to get ready. Twilight's disguise returns as they exit the room with a gentle sparkle of her horn. She didn't know what the future held for them. But she knew one thing.
She was home after those long years. She was finally home.