Nighty-night, my little Twili.🌙

They were obviously hiding something.

Her heart pounded a million times a second as the room went quiet. Nopony said anything besides a few coughs and mumbles here and there, Twilight automatically felt as if something was being hidden from her. She choked on her words, she couldn't comprehend the situation. "What's...going on?" She curiously huffed out.

Everypony's jaws unhinged, but they oddly couldn't manage words. She stared in disbelief, anger boiled within her since she felt so very lied to, she knew something was being hidden from her. The purple mare quietly approached Celestia. "Twilight." Twilight Velvet squeaked out, which made her attention bolt to her mother.

"Mom?" Twilight whispered out in a curious manner, which made her voice go weak. She looked dedicatedly to her mother, she wouldn't usually hide things, and it wasn't a delicate secret by the look in everypony's eyes. "I--" Nightlight stepped forward.

There was an eerie science in the room, nopony dared to break it. Nightlight felt Celestia gaining the courage to finally admit something along the lines. "Long ago..." Celestia began which caught her student's attention widely, Twilight's mouth went agape as Celestia's horn glowed and a book gradually appeared.

It wasn't like any other book she had ever seen. She had sworn she ready every single book that Celestia had to offer, but no, before Twilight was worn and ancient book that most likely had tales of the olden days. Though it had a charm, yet even if it proved to be slightly torn, it almost seemed well taken care of. Her eyes tore from the book when her mentor finally found her pipes to speak.

"Long ago... " She whispered once again, but it had more of a lasting effect than the last time she spoke it. "There was a moon who had bitterness toward those who had more light than her, the moon was her only friend. Saddened by the loneliness of the moon, the sun tried to brighten her day, but the night overpowered the sun. Jealous of the beauties the sun gets to see and all the ponies who adore the sun. She grew even more bitter, she had accepted many children as her own for equal love and protection ever since the creature who reigned chaos destroyed the beautiful lands." Twilight was listening closely.

Celestia continued, "Soon enough, the sun would forbid this uprise, and soon enough the moon fell back into despair. She soon enough found prosper in the love of a star, but the star burned out and found a new form with another star, but in the ends of the love a new sparkle formed. She was taken away from the moon, and the moon declared the night to be infinity, but the sun took action, and put the moon in chains and kept balance." Twilight seemed to be connecting some dots already in her mind, she opened her jaw to speak, but nothing came out. All she could muster was a confused expression.

"... The Mare in the Moon." Her voice was weak, but it had a silky texture to it, she gulped quietly. What did this have to do with her? She needed answers, even if she silently desired to find them on her own. Celestia stared down at her, but a gradual nod brought even more questions to her. "... What--"

"Celestia is trying to say that... the tale is true. So, we just wanted you to know the story is very very true. Happy Birthday, sweetheart! Maybe you should go for a walk." Nightlight interrupted, Celestia was usually very patient with the both of them, but as kind, as Twilight Velvet and Nightlight were, they seemed to be putting their desires ahead of Luna's and Twilights. Celestia stared under hooded eyes.

"Pardon me, Nightlight? I think she's ready." Celestia looked down, she clearly wasn't pleased with his actions, but she wouldn't outright try to be rude or anything of the sort. She just decided to take matters upon herself, she huffed as she lowered her head. "Twilight." Celestia put her hoof under Twilight's chin, with a soft look she smiled at her student, the princess wanted her to know so bad that Celestia was her aunt, her family. But... not yet, there would be years for that. She would never throw the weight onto her student.

"... I accept any test you have for me, Celestia." Celestia's eyes widened a bit, but eventually, she put on a brave face for Twilight. She would never directly tell Twilight, it was for her to discover. But she would not keep her here and cooped up with parents who denied her the destiny she was meant for.

Celestia's horn glowed momentarily before a few pictures were handed to Twilight, the purple mare couldn't comprehend it, she turned to ask the white alicorn what in Equestria these pictures had to do with her assumed test, but the alicorn found herself gone. Celestia? Her heart pounded, not exactly looking at the pictures quite yet. She didn't feel quite safe right now, she wanted her mentor, she didn't know what was happening. For once in her life, she was quite unsure.

Celestia, come back.

Finally, she tore her eyes away from the wall, and she found herself staring wildly at the photos. She didn't understand. One of the photos... what? "Dad?" Her father seemed younger, much younger, and he wore a tux, it seemed like a much older version of a gala. He was with some mare, she was oddly pretty, but her father seemed so distressed. Her jaw opened as if she was trying to make words, but nothing came out.

"Ah, one of my...flings," Nightlight whispered as he stared at the photo, his ears flattening, his heart pounded viciously with guilt swarming into his soul. He scanned over the photos, no, no. What was happening? Really, her mind understood but didn't.

Twilight Velvet was so silent it was almost uncanny, her eyes were wide. Deep inside, behind her caring smile, there was a kind mare who let her past coltfriend now-husband cheat on her with the princess herself, as a young mare she was so flattered he chose her over the princess herself. The child though? She didn't accept the little purple mare at first, but the day she held Twilight. Well, to put it vaguely, the bundle of warmth was her little TwilI.

But the pictures reinstated the envy she had worked up over the years, especially the few photos where Nightlight seemed happy in the princess' presence, but unlike Nightlight, she wouldn't stop her daughter. She loved her daughter more than anything and knew that Twilight wouldn't replace her. Though, it didn't stop what came next.

From Twilight Velvet's perspective, there was only one loud yelp which made her eyes widen with sudden confusion, her ears perked as she watched her daughter stare in horror. It was obvious what was happening. Twilight had melted into the fantasy of the photos, the connection with her eyes to Luna's was obvious. Even the embarrassing teenage photo she had with her best friend, Nightlight, made Twilight's heart swell.

It felt so special. Like this was something more than what it seemed. Though, she didn't have enough time to understand the reason why the empty piece of her soul finally pieced together. She might've figured it out, she might have recalled everything.

But right now? ... She was focused on the shock of the fire's blaze igniting even brighter, as it burned the connection eternal, the photos and the love in the unknown mare's eyes had shriveled to ash, right before Twilight's eyes.

"NO! DAD!..dad... who was she? Who was she?!" Twilight knew this was serious, she knew that mare had something to do with her, that her emotions swung up and down, the pain in her voice creaked quietly as she processed what had just happened. Her own father snatched the photos right from her burning gaze, and the photos she had so deeply connected with had just turned to ash.

Nightlight had the faintest whisper, one only Twilight herself could her in the eerie nature and sorrowful atmosphere of the room, "Just a fling, sweetheart."