You will always be...
It was late at night in Canterlot. Much later than anypony should be awake with Luna's moon hanging so brightly above the city; the clear skies allowing its soft moonlight to grace the land below. All the lights were out in the fair city, save for one window alone in the darkness. If one looked inside they would notice a pony laying comfortably on a sofa with a book between her forehooves.
The center of the room was lit by a small candle on a coffee table; its tiny flame giving enough light to keep the darkness at bay surrounding the pony. In her hooves was a small book which held no markings or letters to tell its contents, but the pony holding it knew exactly what it held. A treasure she would never let go of, or forget.
She opened the front cover and smiled fondly at the first picture as she found herself flashing back to memories at the hospital. Celestia's sun greeted her through the window to her right; it's warmth nothing compared to what laid against her chest. She looked down at her foal with so much love that everything else didn't exist in the room. All her worries for the future disappeared, for at that very moment all that mattered was in her hooves. She kept it close to her heart, just so the foal could know how much she truly loved her with every beat of her heart.
The next picture thrusted her back into her home, only now a foal was on the floor with several blocks to play with. She spoke encouraging words that she hardly remembered and the foal looked at her with a bright smile. Such a reaction only made her heart leap with joy. Her words only urged for her daughter to train hard to learn magic. She was so proud when she first... She first...
Her heart couldn't handle it anymore and she began to sob, tears rolling down her face and dotting the photo album she had been looking at. She remembered at least getting to the part where Twilight graduates Celestia's magic school, but every day the pain in her chest got worse. Every day she was gone her heart ached in pain.
It all started ever since Celestia sent Twilight to Ponyville to study the magic of friendship. She knew the small village was only several hours out from Canterlot, but she couldn't afford the time to ever visit with her life here. Shining Armor would always try to comfort her and she was grateful for his help, but she still misses her Twilight.
Inevitably, the more she thought about it, the more her thoughts chose Celestia to blame. Celestia may be the ruler of Equestria, but does that mean she has the right to separate a mother and daughter? The school itself had its own dorms so the need to return home was irreverent. Her daughter had everything she needed to continue her studies. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to include her mother.
Of course how could she decline such an invitation for her daughter to join such a prestigious school? Is it right to decline her daughter to learn more about magic? The smile on Twilight's face when on her first day made it hard for her to say it was.
These days all she got was an occasional letter to say hello or greeting during the holidays, and the times her daughter did show up were few and far between. During Shining Armor's wedding they barely had a chance to talk. Even after the events she departed with her friends; not even saying farewell. Every day she felt herself growing further and further apart from her daughter.
"Am I just being selfish for wanting Twilight back home? For me to be happy as well?" She was excited to hear Twilight living a full and happy life as Ponyville's librarian, but where does a pony draw the line when one party is left miserable? Where are the times her Twilight can visit just to talk over tea. Or at least say "I love you, mom"?
"Is that too much to ask?" She asked the empty room with a choked voice as she covered her eyes with both hooves. Fresh tears spilled out and a heaving shudder racked her body. Too exhausted from the bouts of crying and not willing to go back upstairs to bed, she fell forward against the album and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Sunlight settled across her face and gave a relaxing warmth. She mumbled incoherently from the dissipating drowsiness before cracking both eyes open to find it early morning. She closed her eyes once more from the dazzling sunlight and fumbled with her magic to shift the curtains to block the rays. When she stood up to go prepare breakfast, like she does every morning, an audible rip broke the silence in the room.
“Oh no. No. NO!" She wailed, barely restraining her voice so her husband couldn't hear. Even if she wasn't sure he already left for work, he wouldn't want him to see her like this.
She looked at her forelimb to find she had ripped out the second page of the album from after it had stuck to the drying tears from last night. Her lip quivered for a moment, but she couldn't cry now. She loved Nightlight just as dearly, and he had no need to worry for her problems. Or have him see her in such a state with her face matted with dry tears. As she carefully placed the torn page back in the book, her ears flicked towards the sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by the sound of hoofsteps heading upstairs.
“Oh dear. I hope he didn't see me like this when he woke up, but what is he doing up so early? Did he have an early shift and come back? He's always forgetting to grab something after rushing to work,” she mused quietly to herself.
Doing her best to clean herself, she cleared away the dry tears on her face with magic. After several rubs with a hoof to put her mane back together, she smiled to find her appearance back to normal in a nearby mirror. She had discovered it became easier every passing day to put this mask on and hide such feelings from the world.
Clearing her throat to make sure her voice was fine, she left the small study. "Dear? Is that you upstairs?"
"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute, hun," he shouted upstairs. "I, uh... forgot my watch again."
She rolled her eyes and smiled, glad to have a moment to forget her pain. "Did you check behind the dresser? You know how things get stuck there."
"Yeah, I already looked. Say, could you go into the kitchen and get my thermos? I forgot that too."
"Forgot two things today? You must be getting pretty good at this," she replied with a chuckle. Going with his request, she walked across the entry hallway and took a left through the white swing-door. However, Instead of finding his thermos, she found something else quite surprising. Somepony that made her heart race and brought back all those memories she had looked at during those late nights. A pony who she loved with all her heart.
Her foal, Twilight Sparkle, sat at the dinner table with a smile as bright as Celestia's sun on her face. "Good morning, mother!" she said in her usual high-pitched tone when she was young.
With quivering lips threatening to break into a sob, she ran towards her and wrapped both forelegs around Twilight in a loving and almost crushing embrace. Twilight was taken by surprise at such a reaction, but didn't hesitate to return the gesture. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long and she withdrew from the hug enough to look into her daughters eyes. To her surprise, she found Twilight back to a fully grown mare.
"I-I don't understand. What are you doing here? Is Canterlot under attack? Why is your father back from work?"
Twilight giggled at such a thought then shook her head, answering each question her mother spouted off. "I'm here to see you. No. And he actually has the day off."
Even if she trusted Twilight, what she said didn't make sense to her. She couldn't accept the fact Twilight was here on her own. "Wait, did the changelings return?"
"Uh-uh," Twilight shook her head.
"Royal emergency from Celestia herself?"
"Nope!"
"T-Then why?" She asked in defeat.
Twilight frowned and fidgeted in her embrace.. "Father told me everything two days ago. He told me how you would stay up late at night and..." she swallowed as she felt tears brimming, but not flowing out yet. The thought of her own mother crying for her would soon break it. "And cry. How you would always look through the family photo album and try to comfort yourself. Father noticed your state four days ago. He thought it would pass, but two days after he found out he sent me a letter." She wiped away the tears with a hoof. "Why didn't you tell me how much it hurt with me gone?"
Her mother looked away, unable to look her daughter in the eye. "I... I didn't want to have you worry over me. You seemed so happy with your friends, and Princess Celestia always has you saving Equestria."
"So you torture yourself like this? My friends are important to me, but my family is just as special. Even more special than Princess Celestia." Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder, which forced her mother to finally look her in the eye. "I love you mother with all my heart. Please don't ever forget that."
She stifled a sob as she hugged in full force, enjoying the warmth that surged into her chest as Twilight returned it. "You have no idea how much I missed you saying that." She took a moment to break the hug again and looked at her daughter. A laugh escaped her throat. "My goodness look at us." She wiped away more tears. "We're a mess."
Twilight chuckled. "Yeah, but at least you don't need to cry anymore. I'll be staying here at home for the whole weekend." Her mother only gave a loving squeeze in response to that statement, followed by a warm hum as her head rested against Twilight's shoulder. "Mom?"
"Hmm?" She responded, not feeling up to leaving the position they were in anytime soon.
"Could you get the photo album you looked at every night when I was gone?"
She broke the embrace with a sad sigh. "Very well." Finally breaking their extended hug, she trotted back to the home's study and found the album still resting on the couch. She picked it up with magic, noticing one page sticking out at an odd angle, and made her way back to the kitchen. Before she did, she found her husband coming back down the stairs.
"Hey, honey. How are you feeling?" He asked quietly enough that Twilight couldn't hear through the kitchen door.
She waiting for him to reach the bottom before standing beside him and giving a small peck on the cheek, which he returned with one of his own. "Just wonderful," she stated dreamily. "I should thank you for doing such a thing, but not now. I wish to have some time with Twilight." He was about to speak, but a hoof to his lips silenced him. "Dont worry, Dear. You'll be properly rewarded later," she added in a sultry tone. With that said, she left him in the entryway with a goofy smile. The same he always had after being given such a promise.
"Here it is." She said in hesitance while moving through the kitchen door, the album floating beside her. While the thought of her daughter's reaction scared her, she knew Twilight cherished books and cared for them every day. She at least deserved to know what happened. After gently placing the book on the kitchen table she helped herself to a seat beside her.
Twilight looked at the book with worry knitted on her brow. "Mom... why is the second page torn out?"
A frown tugged at her mother's lips. "I didn't mean to. I was so tired last night after crying that I fell asleep. When I woke up I... ripped it out from it being stuck to my foreleg."
"Oh, it's quite alright," Twilight responded casually. "I've repaired worse damage from the books in my library." She opened the book to study the tear and smiled briefly at the picture of herself as a foal practicing magic. "I've improved quite a lot since I was young," she whispered as her horn glowed purple. She pressed both ends of the tear together as she cast a mending spell, making the act of breathing seem more complex. "All done!" She stated proudly with a grin of accomplishment before floating the album back over to her mother.
She held the now repaired book in her hooves and admired her daughters work. "I-I don't..." she looked at her daughter with a smile and loving gaze. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this book means to me." She chuckled at the cheesy line that came up in her mind. "You might even say you've repaired my broken heart."
Twilight joined in her laughter. "Hey, I thought dad was the one who said the cheesy one-liners?"
"He must be rubbing off on me," she replied with a mock defeated sigh. "But truly, thank you." She shared a short hug with her before returning to the album and flipping through several pages. "Ah, remember this photo?" Lifting the book up for her daughter to see. It showed Twilight with a small book bag beside her, and Shining Armor with his cadet uniform on.
"That's when Shining started his training, and my first day at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!" She looked at the purple filly with her face giddy to go to school. The same smile formed on her face as the memories flooded back to her.
"I was so proud for the both of you that day." Her very chest swelling with pride at the memory. "You've become such a beautiful and talented mare, Twilight." A sly grin formed on her lips. "I just don't understand why you haven't found a nice stallion to-"
"Mom!" Twilight groaned in embarrassment.
Her wide grin turned towards an understanding smile. “I know, I know. You’re much too busy saving the world and nose-deep in your studies. I swear one day you’ll marry one of those books in your library,” she joked.
“They say love is blind,” Twilight pointed out.
“And that’s why I’ll love you no matter what you do,” she replied quickly. “You could pierce your ears and dye your hair red and black, but you’ll always be my daughter.”
Twilight smiled and leaned over to nuzzle her mother, which she returned the affection “While I’ll never-ever do those things, thanks for the support.”
They stayed next to each other, enjoying each others company and looking through the album together with smiles on their faces. One would occasionally point at a particular photo and talk at lengths about it, bonding even further. All of her worries of the past and future disappeared with Twilight beside her, and she kept her close to her heart with Shining and her husband.
No matter what evil she vanquished or achievements she acquired... No matter who she married and how many foals of her own she would have... She would always be the adorable and lovable foal she had grown from. Her little pony whom she loved.
Her little Twilight.
Author's Note
Thought I'd try a hand at a generally sad fanfic, though it felt a bit awkward with her mother not having a canon name. (At least none that I'm aware of except I think 'Twilight Velvet'?)
Edit thanks to DerpyJr!
