I never thought I would end up back here. Twilight Sparkle stood by herself, alone with just her thoughts. A gentle northern breeze pulled lightly at her mane and tail, and tickled along her coat, earning a reflexive shudder. It had been many moons since she had stood upon a world without her EVA suit, and it gave her a slight feeling of vulnerability.

On the balcony of her castle, the lavender alicorn lifted her head up and drew in a long breath through her nose. She smelled the vibrant scents of autumn’s end; apple trees ripe with fruit over at Sweet Apple Acres, the generous servings of cinnamon and nutmeg from Sugar Cube Corner, and even a faint smoky smell from the first fireplaces lighting up to warm their keepers. With winter right around the corner, only Equestria’s evergreens stood ready to withstand the colder weather sure to come.

The exhilaration she felt in her heart still held the chilly wind at bay and she was able to suppress another shiver from the next northern gust. She felt as light on her feet now as she had when her ship completed its last and final jump. Seeing that special blue and green marble again dispelled any doubts she might have had about turning back.

She could not accelerate home fast enough, and her sole passenger had to remind her more than once to take it easy. It would have been unfortunate to have something blow out on her ship so close to the end of their voyage. Though he kept his calm much better than she did, he still gaped slack-jawed along with her when they crossed over the vast celestial sea and the shores of Equestria came into view.

Twilight had nearly whooped for joy when she recognized the cities of Manehattan and Fillydelphia situated on the winding coast line. At their altitude, they had the rare opportunity of being able to spot both metropolises at the same time. From there, it was a gentle decent all the way past Canterlot and a textbook touchdown in Ponyville’s landing field.

From her perch on the castle, she could see ponies meandering along the town’s winding streets to her castle. The ones who noticed her waved cheerily and she happily returned the gesture. Many carried containers of food or drinks, meant for the party currently being set up downstairs by a certain pink earth pony.

Twilight stared off into the distance where she could just barely see Canterlot lit up by the setting sun behind her. All across Equestria, celebrations like the one unfolding in her castle were apparently being thrown in honor of her return. The entire nation welcomed their princess home with open hooves.

A voice echoed through the castle halls, shouting that they were ready for her to come downstairs. Twilight took one last look across Ponyville before turning around to walk back inside her room. As she made her way past her bed, she eyed a stack of metal crates along the far wall. The top most one had its lid unlatched and open, allowing her to see the device that sat inside. My multi-tool.

She altered her course and stopped in front of the stack. Lifting a hoof, she gently ran it along the multi-tool’s smooth rounded surface. I was so close to reaching the center. Twilight’s lavender eyes remained glued on the sidearm that had held the role of her only companion for many months. Just one more jump and I would have made it.

Twilight Sparkle blinked, taking a half step back from the case. Then, she spun around and took in her room once more. Her bed, her telescope, her favorite books, and then the pictures of her and her best friends she had hanging on the wall; all of these were mementos of her life here. A life I nearly abandoned forever.

A spark of determination flashed across her eyes and she turned once more towards her multi-tool. Reaching out, Twilight Sparkle eased the lid closed and locked it with a soft click. She had no more use for it anymore.

Princess Twilight Sparkle walked away from the crate, making her way towards the doorway to the rest of her castle. In her heart, she finally accepted where her future lay. It wasn’t to leave and explore the universe far away from home. It was to be here in Equestria with her friends and family; to spread friendship and make the world a merrier place.

Just before she crossed the threshold, she remembered something said to her by one of those friends; a pony who had risked everything because he thought she was worth saving. No matter what the future might bring, I will always have my friends and family to stand by my side. And with that thought, she stepped over the threshold and into the next chapter of her life.

Author's Note

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this story!

Here are some Author's notes in case anyone is curious.

I wrote this story alongside my other tale, Heart of Courage, partially because of several reasons. (The two stories are not related and do not exist in the same universe, just as a disclaimer)
First, even though the game, No Man's Sky, did have many issues and problems, I still found enjoyment on the exploration factor of the game. For all it's flaws, I did have fun playing it. I actually had a dream one night that was very similar to the plot of this story, except it was me instead of Twilight. After I woke up, I thought it might be a good Crossover story with FiM.
Second, I was also inspired by Cynewulf's story, 80 Days 'Til the World's Farthest Shore. It is a wonderful piece of work if you haven't read it yet. I don't want to ruin the story, but the same idea of Twilight leaving home to find herself on an adventure helped me write my own story.
Finally, the movie Inception and its soundtrack definitely helped me write the ending. Time is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard and I basically had it on repeat while I wrote this epilogue.

With that said, I also want to make a shout out to MrScroup for letting me use his amazing artwork for this story. Here is a link to his Deviant Art account. He is a very talented artist.

Some of you were curious, so I wanted to put on the record that I intentionally wanted to be vague about Twilight's past, what may have led her to leave Equestria, and the identity of the pony who was chasing her. There were a few small hints as to what might have happened to her back in Ponyville, but I wanted to leave the rest, as well as who the pony who followed her was, up to your imaginations and own headcanon.

Thanks again for reading my story!