---- Epilogue: Wings as Black as Night ----
However much change sways a pony in their life, they will always be the same pony at their roots.
Twilight Sparkle slowly reached down and brushed aside the light dusting of snow that covered the grave, exposing the rough dirt that filled it. She could have used magic to blow away the offending substance but she felt a sort of satisfaction in using her hooves. That, and she wasn't even sure she could trust her magic anymore. A gust of wind carresed the unicorn and sent a shudder running along her spine. "Oh Celestia it's cold." Her breath misted the air as she spoke, looking so much like the mist that had plagued her trip into somepony else's mind so many years ago.
"Twilight Sparkle, what, pray tell, are you doing here?" The question was soft and gentle, much like a concerned mother would ask of her child. "Tis a cold night for a pony to be out by herself."
"I guess the same could be said for you, Princess Luna." Twilight didn't turn around as the quiet hooves of the Princess of the Night plodded on the dead winter grass.
"We suppose that you are right." The regal voice was tinged with a slight childish pout as the Princess acknowleged Twilight's wit. "Regardless, we do not know of the reason as to why you, Twilight Sparkle, would brave the cold winter air in your condition." A wing brushing against her side was Twilight's only warning before being pulled into a warm hug. "After all," the concern in the voice melted into something more playful, "we were under the impression that the castle physician had instructed you to remain indoors at all times."
"Yes, and I was under the impression that Princess Celestia had instructed you to remain at the Lunar Court to care for things that require royal attention." After a moment of shared silence, Twilight turned to look up at the wise-yet-unwise face of Princess Luna and allowed herself a small smile. "I think we are both out-of-bounds tonight."
"Yes, we think that we are as well." Another moment of silence, longer than before, passed between the two before the larger pony spoke again. "We suppose you are here to visit her as well, Twilight Sparkle?"
"Yeah..."
"You know, Twilight Sparkle, you never did tell us what happened that day you brought her here."
"I don't think I can tell you... Not now, or ever." Agony ripped through the unicorn as she watched Princess Luna turn away. "I... I can't... Princess I'm sorry but..." Tears welled up and overflowed from her eyes as she tried to explain why she couldn't tell anypony what had happened. The sound of hooves rang out in the courtyard as the lunar goddess began to slowly trot away. "Wait!" The echoing sound of hoofsteps stopped for a brief moment as the midnight-blue pony turned to look at the librarian with pained eyes. "I... I can show you..."
The alicorn slowly trotted over to her with an air of apprehension. "Twilight... Are you sure?"
"Yes, Princess. You deserve to know, even if I can't tell you." Twilight couldn't help but look apprehensively at the horn that slowly lowered down to touch her forhead with a magical glow. The events of that day suddenly found themselves resurfacing from where Twilight had buried them deep in her mind. Every second of life, both hers and the snippits that Trixie had shown her, were now Luna's to see. It seemed to take an eternity for the spell to be finished but before long the magical glow faded away from Twilight's consciousness. "There... Now... You know... Everything..."
"It was that dark magic. That amulet that we created in the ages of old. We did not know it had existed any longer." Luna seemed to be babbling out confusion, her hooves nervously trotting in place and in circles as she tried to make sense of the memories. "And... Trixie found it... That must mean that she had... the wings? And the red magic?"
Twilight nodded grimly at Princess Luna's questioning stare. "Just as I do, Princess." Twilight found herself enveloped in the wings of the night once more
The air trembled with anticipation as both ponies shifted awkwardly apart and stared at the headstone with their eyes just barely holding back tears. "Trixie Lulamoon..." Luna's voice caressed the two parts of the name like a cloud touching a pegasus' hooves for the first time. "Friend, enemy, performer." Each description grew more and more bitter as Luna read them from the stone face. "That is not all she was. Not in the slightest." Luna's horn glowed azure as she cast a simple lance of light at the granite, slowly carving out more letters. The tears finally began falling from Twilight's eyes as she watched the Regent of the Night spell out one last word on the surface of the stone.
Daughter.
Wiping away the few tears that she had left to shed, Twilight turned around and spread her wings, flying after Princess Luna on a pair of wings that were as black as night.