Twilight chuckled gleefully as she blew the candles, her family, including Spike and Celestia seemed to cheer. The purple mare's smile brightened, she was twenty now. That was a big number for her, and almost overwhelming. "... Mom, thank you! This has been a great day." She nuzzled Twilight Velvet.

"You remind me of your mom," Nightlight said with a small smile, unknowingly drawing connections to Luna, and not Twilight Velvet. Twilight tilted her head with a laugh. "She always loved books." Nightlight seemed to have a weak smile as it faltered slightly, Twilight Velvet gave the slightest frown to him and elbowed him slightly.

"Well, mom has always been more of the adventurous type," Twilight said with a goofy smile, seemingly her eyes scattered over the cake. She wanted to retreat to her room, she loved her family, but a part of her desperately wished to be in solitude. "Great party! Great books... I should... go read them right now." She didn't like the crowd, even if it was small, even family friends she barely knew were there, she just wanted the comfort of her room.

"Yes, just like her mom," Nightlight whispered with a sad sigh, recalling Luna always retreating to her room to get away from the crowds, he hoped Twilight would turn out more like Twilight Velvet, outgoing and adventurous, but he saw so much of Luna in Twilight, it was uncanny. Twilight Velvet's ears flattened.

"Are we ready to tell her?" Twilight Velvet huffed sorrowfully, she had promised Nightlight to tell her every Birthday, but couldn't bring herself. "No... she isn't ready, she's much too young." Perhaps she was paranoid that Twilight would never view her as a mom ever again. They were of the few ponies in Equestria to know Nightmare Moon's true identity, it was a secret they had to keep. "Luna shouldn't have any connection to her, have you seen her intentions?"

"Luna loves Twilight just as much as I do. She never got to say goodbye." Nightlight reassured toward his wife. His eyes grew with panic, he was so very sorrowful about the whole situation, he had missed Luna. They were good friends as foals, he simply was one of her only friends, too bad he couldn't stand her tears and her dependence on him.

'No, don't go! Please, thou is all I have, Celestia won't listen.'

Those words ringed in his head, the night he left her behind, she was in tears and was on her bed and it seemed her pain had reached its' peak. He had given up on her, and his love for her dwindled. He was a bad young colt, he regretted each decision he blindly made in his youth, he pledged his 'love' for Luna just so she wouldn't fall apart. But in the meantime, he was raising a little boy named 'Shining Armor' with his beloved Twilight Velvet.

'Oh, hey! I like your cutiemark, it's a moon. I raise the moon you know, so we're almost twinning with the moon cutiemarks!'

He sat in his chair, recalling the first day he had met Luna, he was never in love. His heart belonged to Twilight Velvet, but still, he lied and prolonged the situation until he could no more. He still cared for her as a friend, but in the end, he left her in shambles, a mess. It was only then, did he hear she had become 'Nightmare Moon' as she called herself, and had vowed to plague Equestria in eternal darkness.

He was a fool. He had left Luna, but he thought it was the best choice. Apparently not, because a foal was at his doorstep, his figure seemed to show through Twilight, but he saw the Luna in her, but she mostly took the appearance of grandparents on each side. She had bright eyes, and it was obvious who she belonged to, and Celestia had warned them of the situation. Twilight Velvet hadn't left him, she had accepted the child as her own.

And eventually, it became like Luna never existed, she wasn't Twilight's mom. Celestia was more of a mother between the two royal sisters. Though she would always catch Twilight looking up at the moon, it had stopped recently, but she always asked if the 'Mare in the Moon' was watching over her, even if in books she was described as evil and unjust. He would always answer with a small and rather truthful 'yes.' He was truly a fool, he loved Twilight, but he never should've given Luna the idea that he truly loved her.

She was undoubtedly desperate, which was intimidating for the young colt at the time, his friend wanted something more of him, just because he gave a smile to her never meant he loved her. She was a fun pony, but it was her fault to be in her sister's shadow, she kept in the solitude and barely presented herself in paranoia. And when others shunned her she didn't see it as just snobby ponies, she saw it as hate. She always said ' just one pony, that would be enough. I'd share the solitude and shadows with them.'

His guilt had vanished, and he just saw it as a past unwanted fling, but he always thought that maybe if he stayed, all her emotions had not been neglected, then maybe she wouldn't have become that. She wasn't unloveable, but she certainly in his eyes, didn't have the gracefulness of her sister. There was nothing wrong with that, but she was always truly the second born, and she couldn't help that. Though, she could've done more than trying to hog the world to herself. Celestia knew what she was doing.

He didn't want Luna back in his life, bitterly he didn't even want her in Twilight's life, he didn't want Luna to influence her daughter wrongly. Though, deep inside he knew that Luna wouldn't even make a move, would she? Would she treat Twilight as a stranger? He didn't know, but Twilight Velvet and himself agreed that she would have no part in Twilight's life. She already had so much to worry about, she was Celestia's personal student after all.

"Do you think she'll find out on her own? She is a bright mare." Twilight Velvet quietly asked, which snapped him out of his little train of thought, he rubbed the back of his head quietly. "...I hope not, I want to be her only mom Nightlight, it might also make her feel like she isn't apart of the family." She said in a weak voice.

"I'm still her father." Nightlight turned slightly, his head lowered sorrowfully. Twilight Velvet opened her jaw to speak, but nothing came out. "... She can't know, how would she react anyway? That her whole life was a lie? When it wasn't... we're her parents. Celestia is her mentor, biologically her aunt, but in the end her mentor. Blood makes no difference." Nightlight reassured to himself, and gradually put a hoof on Twilight Velvet's forearm.

"Luna was a good mare, but I don't know if she should be around Twilight when she comes back... well... she'll be Nightmare Moon. Out to seek revenge." The colt paused at his wife's words, Luna would be returning in a few years? A month? A week? He didn't know. He knew it was recent. When Celestia had sent them all to live in a more future timeline twenty years ago, it was for safety reasons. So the Celestia now had just recently come in contact with them once again, and she was aware of them being sent to the future, in the future they were safe.

But there was something odd, it was almost on purpose Celestia sent them to the future. They were told so they'd be 'safe', but was Celestia trying to play a game and make sure Twilight came in contact with Luna? Twilight certainly couldn't live a thousand years, so it was natural for Celestia to might've sent her near the deadline of Luna's return, no! He wanted to protect his daughter from the mess that was Nightmare Moon.

"Celestia." He turned to Celestia who remained in the home since she was still attending Twilight's Birthday party. She looked up from her book with a slightly puzzled expression. Before she could reply Nightlight found it in him to ask, "Did you send us to this point in the future so Twilight could meet Luna?" He asked with a slight bitterness in his tone.

"Well, if you must know. Yes, I did. I'm sorry, but I believe my sister should know her daughter, even Luna is aware of her existence in the future. I have sent a single letter, even if my sister finds herself angry with me, I will not deny her updates on her daughter's location. I feel so bad for ripping Twilight from Luna." Nightlight's jaw hung loose, and anger arose in his eyes, but he quietly suppressed it. "I do apologize, but I seek the best for my student. She is destined for great things at this point, you will be proud." Celestia said with the softest smile.

"So when is Nightmare Moon returning?--" Twilight Velvet piped up, but Celestia halted Twilight Velvet's words with a quick enough answer.

"Two weeks, precisely." Their jaws were unhinged, as they were not prepared. "I'm scared to do so, but I am sending...Twilight away..." She gulped that down, as pain arose in Celestia's chest at her next mission to send Twilight to Ponyville. That made Nightlight's heart pound against his chest, his teenage fling had truly come to haunt him, he rose to his hooves. "Twilight will be ready then."

"Ready for what?" A purple mare said quietly, which made everypony go silent.

Author's Note

alright, this has the alt universe tag for a reason. man i do not ship nightlight x luna, i dunno who does, but i find it strange, but i thought it might fit with this story to show why this family specifically was picken! haha, hope you all like.