Foxtrot watched Midnight whilst clearing up the dining table. He was doing his daily ritual of marking off the days until the Crystal Mirror was due to reopen. As she finished wiping down the table, the words of Celestia echoed in her mind. It had only been a day since her conversation with the princess the day before and now seemed as good a moment to bring up the subject.
“Midnight,” She began, turning round to find him right behind her, handing out a letter in his hoof.
“Here, this is for you,” He said as Foxtrot took the letter. “I was given it earlier today by Dr. Twinstar.”
Foxtrot’s eyes widen at this, before hurryingly opening the letter and reading its contents.
“She wants to talk to me,” Foxtrot said unbelievingly. “She never wants to talk to me…”
“Why’s that?” Midnight asked.
“Disobeyed her serval years ago, not long after my father died,” Foxtrot replied, looking up at Midnight's puzzled face. “My mother’s always been a little cold.”
“Wait,” He said processing what Foxtrot was saying. “Twister’s your mother!?!”
“Yes,” She answered nodding. “And now she wishes to talk to me. I don’t what to make of this.”
Foxtrot played the out on the table and stared at it intently, its existence throwing her through a loop.
“From what little I know of her, Twinstar is not the kind that who cares about personal affairs,” Midnight commented, not ending the silence that fallen on them.
“This is true. However, she recently lost her job and title. Perhaps she’s finally released that her way of doing things is not the best way.”
“So are you going to talk to her?” Midnight asked.
“I’m not sure,” Came her reply, after a moment.
“Well if there's anything I could do, just let me know,” He said placing a hoof on her shoulder. She looked at him smiling, before a moment of doubt kept in. Upon seeing this, Midnight asked what was wrong.
“Can I ask you something, Midnight,” She asked, her answer coming immediately as he nodded.
“What are you going to do, if the portal reopens?”
Midnight went quiet’ and looked up at the calendar. With less than four moons to go, and he had given it little thought.
“I’m not totally sure,” He said finally, moving other to the calendar. “I do miss my world and the things in it. And despite everything, I still wonder if I belong in this world…”
“You don’t have to go!” Foxtrot blurted out, looking down at her hooves. She wanted to tell him not to go, but couldn't get the words out. “I..I.I mean you don’t have to go if you don’t want, I mean I don’t mind having you around and…”
She stopped talking as she felt a hoof prod her forehead, looking up to see Midnight in front of her.
“Foxtrot, calm down. I’m not going anywhere,” He reassured her. “For one thing, the mirror may not open. And even if it was too, it might not be a wise to go back.”
Foxtrot raised an eyebrow, as he lowered his hoof.
“Planes don’t just disappear out of nowhere in my world, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are still looking for it. And if I were to turn up out of the blue with no explanation, I would find myself under deep suspicion if not worse. I also don’t have anyone to go back to.”
“No-pony else,” Foxtrot asked, “Surly you got friends and family waiting for you?
“No,” -midnight shook his head- “I didn’t have many friends and what family I had was with me on the plane. The closest thing I have to family now is, you….”
"You consider me family," Foxtrot asked, looking him in the air.
"Very much so, yes," Midnight shifted on his hooves, not sure how to say wanted he needed to say. "You're all I have in this world."
The air in the room went still, as this realisation caused both of them to look away blushing slightly.
“Well, erm..” Midnight tried to continue. “What I’m trying to say is that I think that decision has been made for me.”
“Yes, I see,” Foxtrot murmured.
Silence descended on them once more, neither directly able to look the other in the eye. It was broken by the chimes of the wall mounted clock, announcing that it was now half past ten.
“It's getting late,” Foxtrot said. “I do have guard duty tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Midnight nodded, turning slowly towards the door of his bedroom.
“Midnight,” She called, stopping him in his tracks. Foxtrot stepped up to him and grabbed his hoof, before guiding midnight into her room, slowly closing the door behind them.