Archmage: Beyond the Crystal Mirror “Branches”

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Twilight woke to the sound of plates clinking together. She blinked a few times, clearing the cloud of sleep from her mind. She stretched atop her covers and yawned widely, feeling awake and energized. And, as the smells of last night came to her, a little aroused. She blushed and hopped off of her bed, stripping the sheets with a smile.

“Are you making breakfast?” Twilight called out of their bedroom.

“I am indeed.” Luna emerged, wearing a rather cute apron and wielding a spatula. “Good morning, my love.”

“Good morning to you, too.” Twilight bubbled and went to go kiss Luna. “Sleep well?”

“Foals don’t sleep that well.” Luna moaned, her own cheeks flushed in the aftermath of the warm kiss. “Doing some laundry?”

“You don’t smell that?” Twilight grinned as she lifted the rumpled sheets up, though she had to laugh as Luna scrunched her nose. “You really ought to learn how to control yourself, Luna… I don’t think there are enough linens in Equestria to soak you up.”

“Hush, you.” Luna growled playfully, swatting at Twilight’s flanks with the spatula. She got a yelp and another furious blush in return. “You act like you didn’t contribute any.”

“Not nearly as much as you did.” Twilight’s horn glowed as she scooped Luna up, pulling the lunar princess around and into another hot kiss. When it broke, she was breathing heavily, matching Luna’s pants. “You forget, I’m not the one who was on bottom last night.”

“Twilight,” Luna complained, writhing in her magic. “Not right now, the hash browns will burn…”

“Fine,” Twilight sighed and let Luna go, though she didn’t miss the chance to pass her magic over Luna’s flanks very pointedly. “You go finish our breakfast, and I’ll get started on these.”

“Might as well just put them back on,” Luna turned towards the door, her hips swaying rather provocatively. Twilight could catch glimpses of her more intimate bits when her tail swished to the side. “We’re going to make a mess anyways.”

Twilight watched Luna disappear through the door towards their kitchen before slowly putting the sheets back on the bed.

“No sense in making more work for ourselves… Hey Luna, do we have any strawberries?”

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“Haa… Haa… That was… Amazing.” Luna whimpered, laying spread-eagle on their bed. Twilight lay next to her, both of them lathered in sweat and panting.

“I can’h… Feeh mah ‘ongue…” Twilight worked her jaw, drooling a little more.

“Silly,” Luna rolled on top of her, pressing against Twilight with all of her slight weight. “Open your mouth.”

“Aah,” Twilight obliged, fighting a smile as Luna laid the tip of her horn against her tongue. She felt Luna’s magic pulse into her, massaging and healing her aching tongue. “Better?” Luna asked, raising her head with a smile.

“Much.” Twilight smacked her lips a few times before nuzzling into Luna’s neck. “Thank you.”

“Can’t have you damaging valuable property now,” Luna tucked her head against Twilight’s gently. “I need that tongue.”

“So I’m your property now?” Twilight teased, her hooves teasing Luna’s ribs. “Is that it? Hmm?”

“Twilight!” Luna giggled, squirming atop her. “St-stop! You know I’m t-ticklish! PFFT- hee hee!” They devolved into a playful tickling match, rolling around on their rumpled bed, kissing and laughing together. When they finished, Twilight stood atop Luna, her lips hovering a mere inch from the princess’.

“I love you, Luna.” Twilight whispered, pressing their lips together once more. “With all my heart.”

“And I you, Twilight.” Luna smiled up at her. “I’m glad we’re back in Canterlot.”

“Me too.” Twilight admitted, standing up to stretch languorously. “I missed this bed.”

“And our shower?”

“Ooh yes.” Twilight groaned audibly. “The shower too… Shall we?”

“Why don’t you go get it started, and I’ll strip these sheets?”

“Gonna have to burn these ones.” Twilight leaned in to sniff the soiled fabric, scrunching her nose. “You really can’t hold back at all, can you?”

“Not when your tongue’s involved, no.” Luna gave Twilight’s neck a quick, teasing kiss before playfully pushing her off. Twilight flapped several times to land on the floor, her cheeks still red. Luna rolled off of the bed and began stripping the sheets. Twilight looked at her for a few more moments before padding towards their bathroom.

Shortly after Twilight had accepted all of her duties as Archmage, she and Luna had issued an official statement about their relationship. Their schedules were far too busy to facilitate a wedding or celebration of any sort, but they were effectively married to one another. Before Twilight had left to the library in the East, they had more-or-less come out in public with one very heated, passionate kiss. Since then, the two had been a staple of love in Canterlot. Ponies everywhere looked up to them for their excellent example of timeless love.

Therefore, shortly after Twilight had assumed all her duties, the two of them had made it official. She was wed to Luna, and Luna to her. Therefore, the two of them had to live together. Twilight’s old quarters had been converted, and Luna’s had been refurnished into a new library. Many of her books had been allocated to the small library in Twilight’s quarters, but a few had remained behind in the newer library, along with the less-important tomes that Twilight had among her own collection. She remembered organizing and cataloguing all the books Luna owned warmly.

But the new quarters weren’t quite big enough for the two of them. Twilight had been given permission to take over the few small storage rooms and one guest bedroom next door to her own, and had renovated her quarters to be large enough to accommodate both of them. The new addition had given her and Luna room for a small alchemy laboratory, more storage for personal effects and books, a larger kitchen and a formal dining room, and their balcony had been expanded to fit a decently-sized garden.

The two of them had lived here for almost three hundred years by now. The entirety of Twilight’s career as Archmage and the past few years since she had become a Princess herself had been spent laughing, loving, and living in these warm, comfortable rooms. As Twilight cranked the shower on, she heaved a soft sigh of welcome. Being home was a wonderful feeling. Her whole life had been spent here, in Luna’s embrace, stretched out on one of the chairs in their den, eating meals from her kitchen… She ran a hoof over the lip of the shower, feeling the sunken-in alcove for all the warm, passionate lovemaking and tender mane-care that had been done here.

“You look happy.” Luna whispered in Twilight’s ear, barely audible over the kiss of water on tile.

“Why, did you expect me to be angry?” Twilight smiled and pressed her lips against Luna’s tenderly. “I’m just happy to be home.”

“You and me both, Twilight.” Luna nudged her into the shower. “Come on, now… Can’t let that beautiful coat get dirtied any more.”

“Hey no fair.” Twilight stepped under the hot stream of water. “You got just as dirty as I did.”

“And I fully expect you to clean me.” Luna was already delegating soap and shampoo. “After I’m done with you.”

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“Long morning?” Celestia asked with a teasing smile. Twilight shot her a grin in return as she and Luna entered the balcony.

“You could say that.”

“I could hear it, too.” Celestia rolled her eyes, getting a hearty laugh from both Twilight and Luna. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you two are back.”

“So are we.” Twilight smiled and went to hug Celestia warmly. “What’s on the agenda this morning?”

“Nothing, actually.” Celestia shrugged. “A rare day off from any obigations.”

“Rare indeed.” Twilight gave a soft ‘huh’ of interest before Luna chimed in.

“Do you have anything planned, Celestia?”

“Not really.” Celestia shrugged once more, looking out over the balcony at the shadowy, pre-dawn Canterlot. “I’m probably just going to catch up on some reading, might take a flight somewhere. The apple trees in Ponyville ought to be in bloom.”

“That’ll be lovely.” Twilight smiled at the thought. She still remembered Ponyville fondly, even though the old elements of harmony had passed long ago.

“What about you two?” Celestia asked, looking between them. “Certainly you can’t ruin any more linens…”

“Hey!”

“What? Fine Saddle Arabian cotton costs, you know.” Celestia winked at the two of them playfully. Twilight just blushed and went to nuzzle up against Luna tenderly.

“I don’t know… It’s odd, now that the mirror is in Canterlot, I don’t feel this need to explore anything… I’m just glad it’s here.” The mood darkened a little, the three of them sobering up at the mention of the dangerous artifact. Twilight pulled away from Luna with a contemplative expression. “It’s almost like I don’t even want to touch it again…”

“Hmm… We’ve certainly discovered much about it in the past few weeks.” Celestia nodded. “Even I don’t fully understand how it works, and I sent Chronos through it… He might know more, but we won’t be hearing from him until he wakes.”

“Which could be in millennia.” Twilight rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. “It’s strange, though… My first time through the mirror, I was in a world that had existed for thousands of years after my change… And then again after that, there was a world where it was only six or seven years after I had been named Archmage. Time seems like a pretty open variable when visiting other worlds.”

“It could be because of Chronos’ influence.” Luna offered. “Spike allegedly slumbered in that chamber for a hundred years. Perhaps during that time, when he became Chronos, he altered the mirror?”

“Or maybe the mirror was altered in the first place.” Twilight mused. “Perhaps we can visit different times AND different worlds?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Celestia sighed. “Back into the portal?”

Twilight and Luna shared a somber look.

“Back into the portal.”

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“Any idea what you want to explore this time around?” Luna asked quietly. The three of them stood in front of the mirror once more, frowning at the smooth, flawless surface. Twilight slowly rose to her hooves, closing the distance to the mirror tentatively. She stared at her disapproving reflection, her mind working.

“We need to find someplace that’s changed, but not drastically… No failures of prophecy or anything majorly world-altering, but enough that I’d easily be able to tell them apart. With any luck, I can tell what time period we’re in… And it won’t be too far back, or too far forwards…” Twilight sighed and turned to Luna. “Is there any way you can control what time I end up in?”

“There’s a mechanism on the spell interface,” Luna frowned at the mirror intently. It’s new, and I’ve never experienced anything like it before. I can make an attempt, but I doubt I’m going to send you exactly where you want.”

“Did you mess with it before?” Twilight asked, glancing back at the mirror. “When I asked to go to the world where I was Archmage?”

“I touched it, but I didn’t adjust it.” Luna’s frown intensified. “Do you think that would have been enough to set it off?”

“Possibly.” Twilight sighed and turned back to the mirror. “Just send me to a world, and adjust that mechanism as you see fit.”

“Alright. Which world do you want to see?” Luna’s horn was already glowing. Twilight thought for a few moments.

“… Send me to the world you both decided to tell me about my parents, rather than keep it a secret from me.” She could almost feel Celestia and Luna tense up behind her. They were clearly on-edge about doing such a thing. But as Twilight stood adamantly in front of the mirror, neither of them complained. Twilight blinked as the surface wiped aside, revealing a dark, nondescript cave. She stepped forwards, feeling the mirror slide over her coat, like oil in a bath.

She emerged in the other world with a soft breath. Glancing around, she couldn’t immediately tell where she was. This place was dark, and smelled faintly of mildew. Yet at the same time, it seemed hauntingly familiar. Twilight’s horn glowed with a soft, faint light, casting enough illumination about the room that she could finally see where she was.

Only that there was a slumbering dragon here.

“Why in the blue blazes of everything beneath the sky,” Twilight’s horn died down immediately, her heart thundering in her chest. “Does a dragon have the crystal mirror?” The dragon gave a snort, a blast of hot air shooting into the room. Twilight jumped back, very nearly having missed getting roasted. Her wings caught the wave of heat, propelling her further back. She skidded to a stop, trying hard not to cry out from the sudden blast of super-heated air. She could hardly see, and every part of her body was hot. She began to sweat, looking between the dragon and the mirror with a soft whimper. Half of her wanted to go back, to ask Luna to pick a different world. But half of her was curious…

“Have to find out.” Twilight bit back the pain and focused her horn, lighting the chamber once more. Her light manifested in an orb, casting a very slight, small bit of illumination, and only in a small area. She guided it forwards, passing over the dragon’s rising and falling flanks… “I knew it.” She let the spell die away, a smile across her lips.

“Sleep tight, Spike.”

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Getting out proved to be a bit of a hassle. Twilight found the entrance to the chamber with the mirror easy enough, but the cave system up to the palace was broken and twisted in areas she wasn’t familiar with. This world must have changed enough that the way back to the crystal kingdom proper was much more different, filled with dead-ends and junctions that confused and disoriented Twilight. It took her many hours of wondering if she’d ever even get back to the mirror before she finally found a roughly-hewn staircase leading up and out of the caves.

“Okay,” She grumbled, willing her tired legs to carry her up the stairs. “Let’s not do that again…” Twilight had had enough of interfering with other worlds, so she decided to go with a sleuthing, invisible approach this time around. Better to observe than let anypony know she was there. As she came upon the barricaded, hidden entryway to the cavern that held the mirror beneath the crystal palace, Twilight prepared several long-term invisibility, muffling, and anti-detection spells. She even included a ghosting spell she had learned that helped her move through minor objects like thin walls and treetops with moderate ease, provided she was going slow enough.

While she had never thought of a use for the ghosting spell before, it was nice to have now. Aside from several very sturdy-looking bars and a few locks, the wall that concealed this cavern seemed to be relatively thin. Cadance was likely relying on anonymity and good disguising to help conceal the entrance. As Twilight disengaged the bars and unlocked the locks, she found the cave really was incredibly well-hidden. The wall she slipped through melded perfectly with a nondescript corridor in the castle. There were a few large, well-made paintings to either side of the wall, and one opposite it. Anypony taking a leisurely stroll would very easily glean over the minute differences in the wall in favor of some rather tasteful art. Twilight herself stopped to look at it for a few moments.

But the grumbling in her stomach would not be denied. Twilight sighed and made for the castle proper, intent on finding the kitchens and swiping something to get her by. A few guards patrolled by here and there, none of them really close to her position. She moved slowly and carefully, checking around each corner before rounding it. Being invisible was actually kind of fun. She enjoyed slipping past guards and walking through protected archways that likely nopony was allowed to go through on normal occasions.

Thankfully, Twilight found the kitchens before dark. Dinner was being wrapped up, it seemed, and there were plenty of table scraps to be had that were on the verge of being thrown away anyways. The crystal berries were delicious. She ate her fill and swiped a small tote bag that wasn’t being used to carry some more supplies she snuck out of the pantry. She didn’t expect to make the flight to Canterlot as she was, so a bit of rest was in order.

After taking the bag of supplies past a curious guard pony, Twilight was out of a back door and off into the late-evening sky. She thanked the powers that be Luna sent her to a time of the year that was nice and hot. Clouds were scarce, but she cornered a of cirrus a few short miles away and curled up peacefully.

Tomorrow, she would be in Canterlot, and would investigate the differences between this world and the others.

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The castle sprawled beneath her hooves as Twilight wheeled around, the mid-day air feeling otherwise still around her. There were no drafts or currents for her to worry about, and only very few pegasi in the sky. Twilight made for Celestia’s private garden, landing with a flutter of her wings. The old oak tree was half-barren and massive. Twilight laid a hoof against it with a soft smile.

“Hello again, old friend… Fancy meeting you here.” She sighed happily, feeling the whispers of the tree’s dying soul press against her. Like an old friend come to say goodbye. “I hope my counterpart gets around to sending you off soon… I hate to see you suffer.” She rubbed the trunk whimsically and stepped back, giving the rest of the garden a quick glance before making her way to the service hallway nearby.

That was when she had the most difficulty. Twilight wasn’t exactly a small pony anymore. Maneuvering around the servants and guards who used the back corridors proved tricky, and at one point, downright impossible. Twilight resorted to re-entering the main hallways and using them to fly above the heads of everypony. She drew many comments about open windows and stray breezes, but nothing too curious or concerning.

She was on a mission. And that mission was to find herself. Or rather, her counterpart. She started in high-traffic areas where she might find herself on a busy day, beginning with the libraries she frequented. Sadly, she wasn’t in any of them. She checked Luna’s quarters next, and found no sign of either the lunar princess or herself. Next came her own quarters, the dining hall, the palace grounds, and Celestia’s private office. She was nowhere to be found.

“Only once place left I’d possibly be,” Twilight muttered to herself. She made her way into one of the more obscure basement levels of the castle and waited beside a rather nondescript door. As if on cue, her counterpart and a very much younger-looking Bastion emerged from the door leading into the caverns beneath the palace with a glimmer of powerful magic and a smile.

“So, you see, the anterior arch of the fourth bi-node is-“

“Not fractured. See, I thought it would be, since- hey, do you smell that?” Her counterpart picked her head up, sniffing the air tenuously.

“Ugh, my allergies… I can’t smell a thing.” Bastion sniffed, sounding rather congested. Twilight stilled herself, pulling her wings in tight and flattening herself against a corner.

“I swear I smell something…” Her counterpart sniffed the air some more, closing her eyes to concentrate on the smell. Twilight gave a soft breath, praying she hadn’t given herself away. Her exit was blocked by the other two ponies. “Huh. Oh well.” She shrugged and turned to Bastion, continuing their chat about fractured nodes and their impact on the stability of long-term barriers. Satisfied she had remained anonymous, Twilight cast a quick particle-dispersion barrier around herself, to help nullify any more wayward smells.

“Stupid cupcakes,” Twilight cursed the scent that had clung to her since her quick jot by the kitchens. “Mental note: Cupcake scent nullification smell…” Sighing, Twilight followed herself up and out of the basement and into the castle proper. It seemed they were headed for the banquet hall, as Bastion kept making passing mentions of his ability to eat a whole bale of hay. Twilight seemed uninterested.

“Aah, at last.” Bastion stopped short of the banquet hall doors, glancing at Twilight.

“Any idea why Luna and Celestia keep dragging you to these things?”

“Ugh. No clue.” Twilight shook her head slowly. “Part of me feels as if they want me to grow closer to them… It’s strange, and I don’t like it.”

“Heh. True. You and Stardust probably get all the attention you could ever want.”

“What can I say?” Twilight chuckled, pushing the doors open. “It’s not everyday somepony gets to say they’re married to the Archmage.”

Twilight nearly tripped and fell.

’Married to the Archmage?! And it isn’t Luna?! What in the name of all things beneath the sky is going on here…’ Twilight and Bastion pushed into the banquet hall to the sound of laughter, merrymaking, and conversation. Twilight followed after slowly, using her ghost spell to walk through the wall beside the door. Her counterpart had separated from Bastion to chat with a small group of unicorns before moving on to banter with a rather bulky pegasus and an earth pony who appeared to be from Saddle Arabia. Twilight couldn’t possibly get close enough to eavesdrop, so she settled on simply watching.

Her counterpart seemed rather well-received. She was social, laughing and talking with ease. She could swing from serious and matter-of-fact topics of conversation to lighthearted joking in the blink of an eye. If she were being fair with herself, this Twilight was a much better speaker than herself. But she seemed to be avoiding something. Twilight wondered what in the world she might possibly be stalling for when her counterpart finally arrived at the head table, where Celestia and Luna sat. The conversation in the entire room seemed to die down, giving Twilight a chance to slip in close and eavesdrop.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.” Her counterpart bowed respectfully, and was greeted with a pair of stoic nods.

“I trust your survey of the shields went well?” Celestia inquired. Twilight nodded confidently.

“Bastion’s input was invaluable. I had had a question about that particular node a few months ago, but he had been too busy. Alas, the issue is resolved and we are safe once more.”

“Very good.” Celestia nodded. “Well, it was nice speaking with you, Twilight. But we have an appointment with Warden and Night Dancer Enjoy the rest of the party, Archmage. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, princesses.” Twilight bowed respectfully as Luna and Celestia departed. Twilight frowned as they left, obviously off to go set the sun and raise the moon… Twilight had just emerged from the caverns, so she had likely made arrangements to be replaced for the evening on account of her exhaustion. True enough, Twilight’s other self turned from the head of the table and began to make for the exit. Much to her surprise, her double was stopped near the door by a rather exuberant Gable.

“Long time no see, Twilight! How are you?”

“I’m fine, Gable. It’s good to see you too. How’s Warden?”

“Oh you know, same old same old. He and Night Dancer are getting along well. It’s actually because he was covering for you this evening I came at all, I wanted to catch up a bit. It’s been, what, two years? Three?”

“Coming up on three now, yeah.” Twilight smiled. “I can’t believe we haven’t spoken since I took my last lesson and the Canterlot Preservation Society from you.”

“The time sure flies. And speaking of, there’s no time like the present to catch up. Do you have a moment?”

“I’m sorry, Gable.” Twilight hung her head. “I just got back from surveying the shields… I’m actually quite exhausted, and I was looking forward to going home.”

“Well, if it’s not too much to ask, might I walk you home?”

“That would actually be quite lovely. Shall we?” Twilight offered a hoof, and Gable swept in front of her smoothly. Twilight clipped through the door on her way out, following the eccentric duo. Gable prattled on about the goings-on of the castle gardens and Twilight seemed content to listen quietly. They didn’t move to her quarters, though. Instead, Twilight led Gable away from the castle and out into the city streets. Though not very far.

Twilight watched as her counterpart was greeted on the front lawn by a rather handsome-looking stallion. He was a dark blue unicorn with a black mane, highlighted with white stripes. His cutie mark was that of a single wand, standing straight up with a few glimmers of magic around the tip. Twilight embraced him warmly, a genuine smile across her lips.

“Gable, allow me to introduce you to Stardust, my husband.” Twilight watched as the two ponies shook hooves, smiling at one another. Just as Stardust was about to open his mouth, though, the damndest thing happened.

A small mare galloped from the house, squealing with delight as she flung herself at Twilight. Her counterpart picked the young filly up and spun her in a circle, laughing warmly.

“Oh, and who’s this?” Gable asked, a smile of his own on his lips.

“Gable, this is Dusk.” Twilight smiled down at the young pony.

“My daughter.”

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Twilight was in the library once more, her nose buried in a genealogy book. All of her family’s medical records were stored here. She had just found this particular tome after a full night spent searching. “A daughter. Incredible.” She sporadically muttered to herself, shaking her head now and then. “The things you learn around here… A daughter. Wow.”

Sure enough, the elusive tome had information about the Sparkle line straight up until her counterpart.

“Let’s see… Twilight sparkle, born of Orion and Glimmer, preceded by one brother, Shining Armor… Yada yada, blood type, mane and coat color, whatever… Aah… Here we are. Married to one Stardust. Born one daughter, Dusk, just two years ago… Fascinating.” She set the book down, staring blankly at the page for a few long moments. One thought kept crossing her mind, boring into her psyche:

”How?”

“Who goes there?”

“Shit.” Twilight cursed and took off, flitting to the top of the nearest book case as a librarian rounded the corner.

“Damnit,” The librarian cursed as he stepped into the aisle. “I thought I told Measure to stop leaving books out… What does she want with genealogy anyways?” Twilight snuck off as the stallion picked up her book and replaced it on the shelf. Not that she minded, she had learned all she needed to know. At least, from the book. She was going to have to do some more digging to discover how such a drastic change could have taken place. The best place to start would be in the marriage certificate department.

She found her own certificate in the folder for March, two years prior to this world’s current date. It even had a list of attendees, and at the very top were two names that made her heart skip a beat.

“Mom… Dad… So you got to see me marry somepony.” Twilight fought off tears as she continued scanning the list. There were many ponies in attendance for the wedding, including Cadance, Shining Armor, Bastion, Gable, and quite a few names she recognized from her past endeavors. Even Regal had shown up, along with all of the other Elements of Harmony. It must have been incredible…

And fast. Unless this world had changed the timeline drastically, Twilight had married Stardust only a month after being named Archmage, and Dusk had been born eight months later. ’She must have been conceived on the honeymoon… I wonder if Luna had any pull in this, since she’d have needed me to learn shadow magic as soon as I had been named Archmage…’ Twilight decided to get to the bottom of things. There were only a few other ponies who might have known Orion and Glimmer before they passed, and as such be able to answer the questions regarding Twilight’s involvement with Stardust and how it revolved around the princesses telling her the truth about her parents illness.

She began to think of a clever disguise that would get her close to the princesses.

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Turns out it didn’t take much. Twilight simply had to pose as a columnist from Trottingham to be able to set an appointment with Princess Celestia. She had done both of these under a disguise and an alias, and had summoned some stationary to take notes on.

“Good morning, Quill.” Celestia smiled as a disguised Twilight slipped into her office, already wielding a quill and paper.

“Good morning to you, Princess Celestia.” Twilight’s gruff, stallion voice sounded alien and out-of-place, but she liked to think she had pulled it off well. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

“Anything for somepony so interested in the Archmage’s family.” Celestia beamed and swept a hoof towards one of the two chairs opposite her desk. “Shall we?”

“Right to it. I like that.” Twilight grinned and slipped into the seat, smiling at Celestia before launching into her first question. “The Archmage’s husband, Stardust, how did the two of them come to meet?”

“Aah, a good question.” Celestia smiled and leaned in, launching into her explanation immediately. “Stardust and Orion actually worked together for a short while when Orion visited Trottingham for a little auxiliary research. Inversely, Stardust made a trip to Canterlot a few months after that, and was offered a position on Canterlot’s Heavenly Observation Committee. He accepted, much to his family’s surprise, and had since been living in Canterlot. He maintained a close, friendly relationship with Orion, but… Well…”

“Their sickness…”

“Yes. Such a tragedy.” Celestia hung her head sadly. “They were still very young… But at the very least, they got to see their daughter marry a good friend.” She brightened a little then, and Twilight made a show of jotting down notes. “Nevertheless, Stardust was introduced to Twilight on behalf of her parents. She had, thankfully, been informed of their sickness as soon as it manifested. Despite the unfortunate timing with her new position, Twilight was able to spend some time with her parents; and with Stardust. The two of them hit it off, and the rest is history.”

“Aah, but not everypony’s got the full story.” Twilight tapped the quill to her paper. “How did Twilight learn of her parent’s illness? One would think with all of her newly-acquired professional obligations, she’d have little time to spend doing much of anything other than assuming the responsibilities of the Archmage.”

“Aah, now allow me to shed some light on that situation.” Celestia gave a slight chuckle. “Pun intended. Ahem. Luna and I had maintained a moderately close relationship with Orion and Glimmer, and their sickness did not go unnoticed by us. Shortly after Twilight had been named Archmage, we discovered their predicament, and immediately informed Twilight. Together, the three of us came to a solution. Losing one’s parents to illness is not a nice thing for a mare as young as Twilight to have to endure. So Luna and I more-or-less solidified the council during her mourning period. The councilpony’s regular duties were delegated evenly among their peers, while they were asked to spend more time covering for Twilight while she spent as much time with her parents as possible.

“As it turned out, that was all for the best. Twilight was able to come to terms with many of her feelings towards her parents, met up with Stardust, married, and all-in-all got to enjoy life some more. Funny thing,” Celestia shook her head a little, chuckling patronizingly. “Orion and Glimmer originally didn’t want to bother Twilight with their illness. They were content to pass on quietly, if only it meant seeing Twilight prosper as the Archmage. Now, three years down the line, I can’t possibly imagine Twilight as the ARchmage without having spent those three months with her parents.”

’Oh if only you knew, Princess…’ Twilight finished scrambling some faux notes before looking at the page.

“That’s very informative, princess. Thank you very much for your input on this situation. I dare say this article would make the headlines back in Trottingham. ‘Archmage explained: The heartfelt truth behind Archmage Twilight’s three-month absence.’ Again, thank you, Princess.” Twilight smiled at Celestia before slipping off of her chair. “You’ve, heh, shed some light on some very important facts. Thank you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, Quill. I’ll be sure to send for a copy of the Trottingham Inquirer so I can read this article.”

“I’ll send you one personally.” Twilight grimaced and turned for the door.

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“Have fun?” Luna smiled as Twilight emerged from the portal, but her smile quickly faded at the sight of Twilight’s serious expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Stardust.” Twilight clipped. “Does the name ring a bell?”

“Stardust?” Luna blinked a few times, her eyes indicating how badly she was wracking her brain just then. “I know of him… No, I do. I know that pony. Unicorn. A, uuh… An astronomer. From Trottingham! Yes, he and your father studied together quite a bit before he passed… Oh. Oh I see.” Luna connected the dots with a slight smile. “You met him while in that world, no?”

“Not just met him.” Twilight shook her head slightly. “My counterpart in that world loved him… More than that, she married him. Gave him a child.”

“No.” Luna’s playful tone feigned disbelief. “You’re kidding me.”

“I’m not!” Twilight blushed. “That Twilight married Stardust and had a child. Her name was Dusk. Luna,” Twilight bubbled a little, grasping her love by the sides of her neck. “She was… She was…”

“She was what?” Luna raised her eyebrow questioningly. Twilight finally broke down with a gleeful giggle.

“SHE WAS SO CUUUUUUUTE!”

----------

“But you don’t regret it, do you?” It was several hours later, and a very tired Twilight and Luna were preparing for bed. Twilight looked up at her love as they tugged a new fitted sheet over the mattress.

“Regret what?”

“Not knowing your parents before… You know.” Luna appeared guilty. Twilight just smiled at her and slipped around the bed to embrace her lover.

“While I will admit the two of you keeping it from me wasn’t very nice, no… I don’t regret it at all. You did what you thought was best. Heavens know I’ve had to do the same myself sometimes. It might not be the best solution, but it’s all we had at the moment.”

“Still,” Luna sighed, wrapping Twilight in a tender embrace. “Not knowing your parents in their final moments…”

“It’s done now, Luna.” Twilight pressed a hoof against Luna’s lips. “What happened in the past made me the pony I am today. Do you not love me the way I am?”

“No, I do! It’s just-“

“Then shush.” Twilight pulled her close, their lips brushing ever so softly. “And kiss me, Luna. I think I need you to remind me how much better you are than any ‘Stardust’ I might encounter.”

“Consider it done.” Luna moaned and pulled Twilight down to their bed.

Come morning, she was very thoroughly reminded how much better than any other stallion Luna was. At least, if the sheets were any indication.