She returns

Warm sunlight filled the room, creeping across the floor until it came to rest on a canopy bed, the curtains a deep purple color. They were drawn back slightly, allowing a sliver of light to enter and cause the sleeping form to shift under the blankets, waking up from a rather pleasant sleep. She lifted her head up from down filled pillows and reached out with her magic to open the curtains more, tying them back to the posts as she let out a yawn, some dry drool making her fur stick at odd angles.

She blinked away the sleep from her eyes, rubbing them with a foreleg as she got out of bed, making it just right with her magic along with a brush and a glass of water to fix her mane and sipped the cold liquid.

“Ugh.” Setting the glass down on the nightstand, she went to the bathroom, still brushing her mane till it looked presentable. She reached for the light switch before stopping just short of it. This wasn't her bathroom. A few blinks as she looked around in a mild panis before her brain caught up to her and told her it was fine, she’d been here before many times. The black marble sink with it's soft reflections from the light, the almost dark chocolate brown tiles under her hooves, regal looking shower with it's too tall for a normal pony fixtures and the towels nearby. One a dark blue, the other a soft purple as she stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water by mistake.

“Gah! Too hot!” Fixing the temperature, she relaxed under the warm water as she closed her eyes and thought back to last night. Cheeks warmed more than just from the water, she grabbed the shampoo.

She was careful not to touch the bruises and bite marks just yet; she would put some healing saliva on them before heading out to her own room. A tune found its way into her head and she started to softly hum as she bathed herself, thinking of what Queen Nightmare had told her last night before things got heated.

“So, lemme get this straight. You want me, someone who has never once set foot in a place like Ponyville to go and make sure the preparations are done? Why me? Why not send a guard or one of your many advisors?” She tried to look behind her but a firm hoof on her shoulder kept her in place. Nightmare had a brush in her magic and was braiding Twilight’s unkempt hair, a single strand to adorn a black ribbon. She had wanted to give Twilight a proper piece of jewelry to show others who she was dating, but at her insistence from the younger mare, she opted instead for the ribbon; she was still shy about the whole dating thing.

“And I trust them. But I want you to get out more… My guards tell me you have been neglecting to attend social events, even with one of your friends parties.” She was careful to brush the top of twilight's mane, being sure not to bump the comb against her horn. It was a rather sensitive thing for Unicorns. “You need to get better at socializing, love.” Her muzzle nuzzled the young mares neck causing her to lean into it a little.

“I know… But my studies and my experiments are more important, not making… Friends.” She made a face and slumped against her marefriend with a huff as the older mare giggled. She pouted and snuggled up to her chest, laying against her like a filly with her mother by the warm fireplace. Making friends was never something she intended to do, even when her older brother brought his pals over to play hoofball, she always found herself nose deep in a book or made some excuse to stay inside and read.

It wasn't that she never tried, goodness no, she just found the task rather… Boring. It took up so much of her time and interfered with her studies while in the castle training with the queen or studying with cadence when she foalsat the young unicorn. Even then, her foalsitter would take her to the spa or to the library to meet her friends and gal pals, but never got further than a hello or a greeting before she would slip away to find something more interesting to do.

Blowing a strand of hair from her face, she stared at the carpet, a deep red color as it's hue shifted from the firelight. It mezmorized her as she watched the shadows play and dance along the fibers much like watching a pony perform an intricate dance.

“I… I don’t wanna go…” It was almost too quiet for Night to hear, but she rested her chin atop her marefriends head, letting her wings relax on either side of her. Her mane curled under to gently stroke twilight's chin and neck soothingly, neither saying a word as they just enjoy the silence. In a few hours or so, Nightmare would need to raise the sun and head to court, or to a meeting to leave twilight to sleep.

If I tell the real reason why I want her to go, it wouldn't be natural for her to find friends… But if I lie to her and tell her something else, she might resent me. Closing her eyes, she buried her muzzle in Twilight's mane and breathed in the lilac scent.

Twilight prided on the scents she used when she knew a night with her marefriend was coming up, often sampling many different kinds throughout the week until she found a smell that was both practical and exotic. A flick of the tail when she knew her ruler was paying attention, wafting the smell for her and her alone, teasing her with what little she learned from her books. It was always such a thrill for the both of them to test the waters, each trying to outplay the other but never crossing a line.

“... If I go, you owe me a date.” The lavender mare lifted herself off of Nights chest and turned to meet her eyes. “I want a proper date. Theater play, dinner, picnic under the stars.” Her blush was evident, but not as fierce as it was before. She had been thinking about this all week and only now felt enough courage to act on it.

The dark mare smiled softly, her eyes never leaving her lovers eyes. “Deal.” She leaned in and found her lips, closing her eyes as her mane curled around the back of Twilight’s head as they shared in a passionate kiss.

She stepped out of the shower and shook like a dog, water dripping from her mane as she grabbed the warm towel. She walked from the bathroom over to the nightstand to down the rest of her water before spotting a scroll on Nightmares pillow. While she dried her coat, she opened and read the note aloud.

“My dearest Star. I have a lengthy meeting to attend to, but feel free to lounge in my chambers for the day, I believe it was your time off anyway.” A soft blush to her cheeks, smiling all the while, she hung up the towel to dry and layed on the bed. “I got a copy of that new Daring Doo book you’ve been waiting for early. Enjoy yourself, i'll see you tonight, my love. Yours, Night.” She hugged the scroll to her chest and let out a giddy sigh, tail wagging in excitement.

She was the luckiest mare in the world.

***
Twilight laid her head down on her bed, covering her head with a pillow as the music outside of her room blasted, muffled by the thick door. The party had been going on for almost 2 hours now, but all she wanted to do was find a good book and read in peace. But no, Pinkie Pie, an overeager mare with two toned fur and mane that reminded her of cotton candy, had thrown this party for her to welcome her to Ponyville. She tried to block out the music with another pillow before giving up and laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling with a scowl, hugging the pillow to her chest. The headache that was forming increased as she thought back to how she had met her new ‘friends’.

Pinkie Pie had run off after gasping in shock and left her alone for the better part of the day. The farm pony… Applejack had insisted she try every type of food that was going to be served at the celebration, within reason, and left her feeling rather full afterwards. After crashing into her, Rainbow Dash had tried to help clean off the mud by showering her with a cloud and gave her the worst hair day she had ever had before bolting to clear the clouds pretty quickly before leaving.

Rarity, after Insisting that she fix her mane for her without payment, wanted to play dress up and give her an outfit. But she had stopped that pretty quickly and instead opted to tell her about why she was there and never got bowled over at the designer's excitement over learning that she was from Canterlot and the favorite student of the Empress.

It was sheer luck that she was able to get away when she did, the dressmaker wanted to accent her mane with jewels and left her alone giving her time to slip away. After that, she followed the sound of someone singing beautifully and made her way to a grove with a pink and yellow pegasus mare who was singing with exotic birds when she walked up.

The poor thing was so nervous she could hardly catch her name. Fluttershy, that's what it was, a sweet thing that only opened up to her because of her bat companion hanging from her ear. She had forgotten about the little albino dragon bat until the shy mare saw it, she felt bad and the two struck up a conversation about animals as she made her way to the Golden oaks library, a smile on her face. Fluttershy was the only one out of all the mares she met that she wasn't overly opposed to meeting again, even Applejack seemed more relaxed in comparison to the others. Once she had gotten into the library, all she wanted to do was go over her list and rela after finding a good book to read and let her pet bat to bed. She must have jumped nearly five feet in the air when the confetti and the lights went on with the entirety of Ponyville inside the old tree. It took all of her practice with the Queen to not send everyone away with a spark of her horn by accident and pinkie showed up to explain why there was a party in her temporary home.

She groaned again at a particular beat thumping past the doors and made her way to the small balcony to stand out in the cool air of the night. She rested her head on her hoove to gaze up at the stars, twilinking back almost in greeting to the lavender mare and made her smile ever so softly. Even when she was upset, the night had some way of making her calm and relaxed even if only a little bit.

Shifting her gaze from the stars to the glowing white orb above, her mind wandered back to her relationship with the Queen. While officially she was still the student under the protection and guidance of the sovereign, unofficially she was the marefriend and consort to the lunar mare which always made her cheeks flush red. Not that she ever believed in titles such as ‘Royal Consort’ or ‘Marefriend’, it still made her wary whenever her parents asked if there was anypony special in her life yet or if she was seeing anyone in particular she had a fancy for.

Her hoof touched the wingle braided length of her locks, the black ribbon almost shining like a beacon against her light colored coat. She wasn't ashamed for how she felt towards Queen Moon, goodness no, but she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind at how others saw her now that she was being a little more open with the mare whom she cared for above all else.

“Ugh… Romance, why must you be so cruel…!” She huffed as she let her horn glow and brought a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. It was a bit chilly now. Her ear twitched as she stroked her braid and watched ponies file out of the library below, some leaving in pairs while others simply said their goodbyes and headed home. Parties were never her thing, even when the gala came about each year in canterlot, she often found herself by the punch bowl or tried to find a wall to lean on and read a scroll or two to pretend to be busy or feigned an injury.

“Mind if I join you, darling?” the sing-song voice asked before she could answer with no and a mare sat beside her, a cushion fluffed under her with blue magic, a drink levitating beside her. Twilight glanced over and inwardly kicked herself in the head. Rarity was the last pony she wanted to be near right now considering how she seemed to be the town gossip pony or to be in the know as she put it so delicately.

“It is a beautiful night, don't you think? The party has died down some and i was thinking i could keep you company, i even brought us a spot of tea to calm the nerves, dear.'' The white colored mare offered a cup of aromatic tea, steam lazily coming out of it as she held it for twilight to take it, muttering a half hearted thank you. She didn't know her and yet here she was offering her tea and simply sat in silence while they watched ponies or to glance up at the stars. Twilight relaxed as she sipped her tea and let out a soft hum of appreciation.

“Lemon and lavender… A good choice, Rarity. Thank you…” The aforementioned mare smiled and nodded gently, never taking her eyes off of the night sky as she sipped from her own cup. She touched her braid again and smiled up at the moon, wishing she could show her lover just how much she was making progress.

Perhaps tonight wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The next day, ponies gathered in town hall, many of which she recognized from the party the previous night but none she could recall their names. Her bat hung from her ear like a living earring as she walked over to the snack table to grab herself a small cupcake. Pinkie pie, she found out, loved to bake and spent much of her time preparing and trying different combinations until she found one that was amazing or heavenly. Twilight smiled softly to herself as she took a restrained bite of the sweet confection and looked around the packed place, but still had enough breathing room, simple decor around the place thanks to Rarity, and a few guards in dark steel armor stood by the windows and the main doors.

Growing up around them in the castle, she appreciated how their armor complimented the Lunar goddess well, with each soldier being hoof picked for the job by her most trusted advisors. Twilight remembered one time she tried to sneak out of her room late in the day and was followed by a mare dressed in the armor but never once heard anything until she cleared her throat once she made it to the kitchen to snag a cookie.

When the cupcake was finished, she went to find a place to stand while she checked on her bat with a gentle pet with her hoof to the tiny thing. It made a gentle chirping as it snuggled closer to her warm fur to fall asleep again. She spotted Fluttershy up by a balcony with a rack of birds all warming up softly before the event was to start, Rainbow dash flying about anxiously, probably not used to being in confined places. Rarity was up on the balcony, checking on a few decorations she could now reach being so high up, a set of thick curtains to one side as Twilight found a decent spot to stand.

Applejack and Pinkie were chatting when she spotted them close by. She thought for a split second to go over and say hi, but dismissed the thought. I barely know them, besides, i would rather spend time with… She looked up at the moon outside. The celebration would start in minutes which meant she had little time to think before she would see her lover and ruler again and that brought a smile to her face. She had done a fine job getting everything checked off of her list and planned on spending the rest of her time there, a week at most, researching the old books in the library and then it was back to the castle to lay with Moon.

She could really use a good night's sleep…

***

Twilight ran to the library as fast as she could, her little bat clinging to her ear for dear life. It was real. It was happening. She knew something was happening like this, but she had hoped beyond hope that it was just a story to scare little foals, or maybe some ancient ponies way of playing a joke on history, but there was no denying it.

Solar Flare has returned to Equestria.

Skidding into the library she started to frantically search the shelves. She had to find something, anything that could help or maybe a solution that she could send to the… No, the queen wasn't around to help her this time. If she sent a letter to Queen Chrysalis, she wouldn't be able to get here for several days at least, much less be able to actually do anything about this. King Sombra and her foalsitter were too far away to ask for aid and Sunset was off to who knows where again so she was out of the question. So, she was on her own.

“Twilight? You in here?” A voice called as the doors to the large tree opened. Applejack entered first followed by four others, pinkie pie bouncing in with a spring in her step. Rainbow Dash darted over and looked the lavender mare in the eyes with a glare.

“How do you know about Solar Flare, huh? Are you some kind of spy? Whoa!” Applejack pulled her back with her teeth on her tail and glared at her, like a mother scolding her child. RAinbow folded her arms and hovered beside the farm pony as she smiled softly, apologetically at the lavender unicorn before removing her hat.

“Sorry about her, sugarcube. I saw ya running to the library so i gathered up the girls to see if there was any way to help ya.” She offers a warm smile, like a warm apple pie ona cool summer's day which brought Twilight a sense of calm before looking to the book shelves.

“I need to find a book, a specific book in particular. Something about the… The Elements of Harmony. I could use the help if you’d be so kind to offer it…” She gave a small smile at the assembled mares who returned the smile in kind before nodding and going to a bookshelf to help the lavender mare. It was going to be a long night… Er, day. While they looked through the shelves, she carried her little bat companion to a nice dark place and let her hang upside down to sleep, promising to get the little bat a proper nook to rest in back at the castle.

***

“You girls don’t have to come with me, you know… I am more than capable of handling this on my own and finding the elements myself.” She was staring into the foreboding maw of the everfree forest, its thick canopy stealing away sunlight and hoarding the darkness under its dense leaves like a beast guarding a fresh kill. The forest had its share of terrifying stories and tales that made anyone, pony or creature, hesitate to even think of wandering into it and yet here she stood with her five companions.

“There ain't no way we’re gonna let a friend of ours wander into a place like this all by herself. C’mon girls, let's get a move on.” Applejack smiled before leading the rest of the group into the forest, leaving a frankly flabbergasted twilight standing there stunned before following with a groan in mild annoyance. Truth be told, she was glad she didn't have to venture into the place alone, but she felt a sense of duty to find the elements and save her marefriend and empress. They may have only been lovers for less than a year, but she was twilight’s first real love and it tore her up inside at the thought of her trapped somewhere helpless and alone.

No, that’s just silly. She’s back at the castle. Yeah, she's sitting in her bedroom asleep and this was all just a bad dream. She looked up at the foreboding woods around her, warily following the voices of the five mares as her eyes adjusted to the eerie darkness even though it was the middle of the day. A bad dream… Moon, where are you…? She gulped and trudged on. She had to be brave, she had to be.

After a long trek, the group stopped to rest, Pinkie Pie pulling food from… Somewhere, but twilight didn't care much since her stomach answered before logic did and she found herself eating a daffodil sandwich. She took the down time to look around, using her ears and eyes to calculate where they needed to go from where they sat, the rest of the group chatting or complaining about sores. The forest felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen…