It was the night that changed everything. Celestia hadn't heard or seen Twilight in many moons. No pony she asked had seen her. No magic could find her. While Celestia had reassured all Twilights friends that she was smart, that no matter what situation she was in she would find a way to get out of it. But after so much time even Celestia had started to fear the worse. All until that night when she was called by what felt like herself. It took her but a moment to arrive, and there she saw her filly, her student, her Twilight Sparkle. There was a shock to finally see the one she cared for so much. The relief of seeing her again, the worry over her having turned grey, the panic over her having lost her wings, and the utter lack of understanding of her repeating that "she doesn't love me". For while she saw her filly she did not yet see her folly. She sat down next to her and covered her with her wing, which Twilight turned into a crushing embrace while crying. And so they sat for what could have been a minute but may have been hours. They sat in embrace while Twilight cried out all her rage, her sadness, her loneliness, until she no longer had anything to give and fell into a deep slumber. It wasn't often that Celestia didn't know what to do, yet now all she could do was to try and comfort the one she cared so much for, the one who had suffered so much in her absence. How could she have let this happen? She took the passed out twilight back to Canterlot, but informed no one yet. There was too much she didn't know yet. She didn't yet know if Twilight would even stay. Better not to get anypony's hopes up.
After a day of rest Twilight finally awoke. Celestia had not left her side since. No royal duty carried any weight right now. Now Twilight had awoken they could finally speak. Through Twilights tale of how she came to resent Celestia for carving a path for her. How she disappeared to finally not be under her control. How she removed her wings to defy the path Celestia had laid out for her, an attempt to go back to the way things where supposed to be. How she used the alicorn amulet in an attempt to finally silence her ever rotating doubts. How she left everypony she loved behind as no pony could be able to understand her. Trough her tale Celestia finally saw her folly. How she didn't see the signs earlier. How she didn't explain her actions to one she cared for so much and who needed to know why. She explained how she was sorry that she failed her so much. She asked if there was anything she could do for her, to which Twilight asked if she could get spike. Without hesitation Celestia set of, fully aware that, if she wished, Twilight could easily disappear again. While she hoped she wouldn't she had to trust that Twilight wanted to be in her life once more, but it was her choice to make.
Spike didn't get much of a moment to understand what was happening. One moment he was making sure all the books are properly organised, the next he was levitated of his feet, firmly placed on the back of Celestia and flying at break neck speed. He didn't hear much over the wind, but he heard all he needed to: Twilight was finally found. Their reunion was the only way it could be: Twilight explaining how she was so sorry about what she'd done and Spike just hugging her and telling her he didn't care and was just so happy to see her again. She spend over a week in Canterlot working out with Spike and Celestia how she wanted her life to move forward and building up the courage to finally see her friends again. Their reunion was much like the others, gasps where had, excuses where given and drowned out, hugs where received and many tears where shed. While it was obvious there was an unease as not all understood the dark place Twilight had fallen into and Twilight felt wrong about trying to start of again, this unease was overruled by how happy everypony was to see each other again. It took a couple more weeks before Twilight fell she could go outside again. First disguised and making sure her sides where always covered, much later as herself again. Eventually, over time with the guidance of her friends including Celestia, now always explaining her actions, she brought back an air of normality to her life.
Author's Note
a point of potential required specification to understand what direction i'm taking this in:
the only difference i see between Vesper (the twilight in this story) and Twilight (chat character that has already left and isn't mentioned in this) is in their focus while analizing. Vesper puts a lot more weight on the negatives of the action taken and the positives of actions not taken, aka the negatives of not taking those actions, while Twilight doesn't appear to have this focus on the negative. and this focus on the negative can spiral.
The next couple moons where the most conflicting Twilight had ever experienced. Every day was a confrontation with the darkness. Each day a feeling she got a second chance she didn't deserve. Each day the views of ponies. She couldn't decide which where worse, the ones that didn't know her story, or those that did. Yet everyday so glad to be amongst those she cared for again. To be amongst friends who'd try to bring back normality, like they could truly rebuild. Who'd spend their time to honestly listen to all her struggles, from the big struggles to the smallest of niggles. There where times when she wanted to flee, go get away from the confrontations, where she almost wished for the simple anger to return. But with her friends this turned into travels. Away from the eyes of those that knew her, away from the confrontations. Just her and one or a couple of friends sharing in good times. These where the moments she knew she made the right decision to stay. On their travels they met plenty a pony who'd help them on their travel. Ponies who themselves got a damaged body and told of how they dealt with the looks they'd gotten. Ponies who had themselves fallen into the darkness who told of their paths out of it. Some of them having made it out, others still on the path happy to walk with her for a while. Some of them she knew, some of them she didn't.
Once Twilight finally found a way to get trough most days without a serious struggle she was ready for the next step: to return. Not just literally, but figuratively. And she saw but one way she could properly do that: literarity. So she started writing. Her tale, her full tale. The descend and fall into the darkness, and her current climb and struggle out of it. While the book was wildly successful, as would any book by the princess of friendship who had disappeared many moons ago, it was also a heavy book to write and publish. She couldn't forget about the past, instead she had to dive deep into it. Recollect all the darkness she now struggled to get away from and recall why she ended up with it. Ponies getting their hooves on it didn't make it any easier. Now everypony knew. everypony could read how deep she had fallen. How she had failed. Celestia made sure that she wouldn't be bothered against her will, and her friends made sure she wouldn't relapse. And yet, despite all that, it was an amazingly gratifying experience. Now everypony knew. everypony knew how even a princess could fall. How even with friends looking out for you darkness could still take hold. She also included some of the stories from the ponies she had met. Now everypony knew that it could be happening right next to them. Many ponies wrote to Twilight of how her openness about the darkness she fell into helped them open up about the darkness they struggled with.
When the buzz around the book had died down a little it was time for the last step for the foreseeable future: to once more become a princess. Her friends had suggested that Celestia could grow her new wings, or that magic could grow back the ones she lost. But Twilight rejected the ideas, explaining that this was part of her, that undoing it wouldn't be right, that it would be denying something she went trough. Instead she had prosthetics made. Wings that would never allow her to fly, but would aid in glide at most. To this day she rarely if ever takes them of. A symbol to all of the darkness she succame to and climbed out of. It was only many moons later while looking trough photo's that she saw that no day she was less grey then the day before, yet over many moons her colour had returned.
She only once more used the spell towards the other dimension to send a short letter: "thank you for giving me the opportunity to get my new wings". Attached to the letter was a picture of Twilight and all her friends in front of her castle, Celestia by her side.
Author's Note
probably sais something that i accidentally switched from third person to first person while writing this. i'm definitely writing partially from myself here, as there is a relatively clear mirror between this and the book written in the story.
the ponies she met on the road is kind of implied to have been characters like Fizzlepop Berrytwist, Kerfuffle, Luna, Stygian, and many more. some we know, many we don't.
