Canterlot. The Fortress City. The Heart of Equestria. The Jewel of Pony Civilization. The city had been given many titles throughout history, each one conveying some form of significance. Celestia stared in awe of the city that was no longer familiar to her. In her time, Canterlot had sat comfortably on the side of the mountain. Now, it was as if the city itself had swallowed the mountain whole, engulfing it in a blanket of stone and wood.

From the base of the mountain, massive towers stood, connected to one another by walls that formed a perimeter around the entire mountain. Near the top, where the royal palace once stood, a castle of great magnitude took its place. Gone were the fantastical architectural feats from an age long ago. Gone were the large stain glass windows that depicted Equestrian history. The city had become ridged and ordered. Swirling domes had been replaced with flat topped defense towers and lookout posts. Each tier of the city had its own secondary defense wall. The once free flowing architecture of Canterlot had been replaced with a design that favored security.

There was one thing that remained though. This was color. In a world of endless white, Canterlot was a beacon that called forth every color of the rainbow and beyond. Large banners hung from everywhere and everything. Wondrous works of art expanded across every structure. An entire side of the mountain had been dedicated to creating an expansive port where massive airships of every shape, size, and color transported goods and ponies. Currently, each was docked given the current weather conditions, but the oversized storm spires that surrounded the entire city protected them from being violently thrashed around.

Despite the city's new castle like appearance, it quickly became clear to Celestia that this was indeed a place of culture. The ponies of this era had not only survived, but they had thrived in a way that the old Equestria had not yet seen. A small smile came to Celestia as she looked out on the great city.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Bastion said after noticing Celestia's hopeful look.

"Yes," Celestia answered as their train entered the outer perimeter. "It is certainly a sight to behold."

Suddenly, the train's breaks began to squeal as it passed the last of the outer walls and pulled into a station within the city itself. From the window, Celestia could see several full squads of soldiers marching down the platform in every which direction, each wearing a specialized snow suit similar to those of her own escorts. A small team of three was waiting outside the door of their own train car, ready to meet them. Two of the ponies were what appeared to be medical staff, no doubt a result of the call Nightfall had made earlier that day.

The thestral in question now stood at the door, having been awoken when the train made it through the first of the checkpoints.

When the doors finally opened, they all stepped out where they were greeted by a pony with a tray, four hot beverages sitting upon it. Once the tray was cleared by the small group, he took off to the next platform to meet another team of returning rangers. The drink was hot chocolate, a simple recipe in Celestia's time, but there was something far different about what Celestia was currently bringing to her lips. This drink was incredible. It was if the gods themselves had dropped chocolate from the heavens just so it could be mixed into a liquid for pony consumption.

"It's good, right?" Paper asked, his expression lighting up into pure joy at seeing just how happy the drink made the alicorn.

Celestia smiled gleefully with a few nods, a brown mustache forming under her nose, which she hastily cleared with her tongue. "It has been forever since I last had hot chocolate, even not counting the years I was away. This is far better than I remember though."

"Just goes to show you," Nightfall began. "If you want quality, you go private sector."

"Indeed," Celestia agreed.

Though they were enjoying the moment, they were interrupted only seconds later as one of the medical ponies began to address Celestia. "We're going to need to get you checked out. If you'd please follow me to the aid station."

"Whatever for?" Celestia questioned.

"It's just precautionary, ma'am," the mare answered with a smile. "We just need to run some tests. It will only take a few minutes. Then you can be on your way."

"Sounds reasonable," Celestia replied. She suddenly glanced back at Nightfall who seemed not at all interested in sticking around. "Could you... give me a moment?" Celestia asked the nurse.

"Certainly," the nurse answered cheerfully.

Celestia turned back to Nightfall. "You didn't tell them?"

"They'll figure it out," Nightfall dismissed with a shrug. "I figured it would be best if we avoided a crowd directly out of the gate."

"Are you all not coming with me?" Celestia asked, noticing that Nightfall, Bastion, and Paper did not seem to be following her any longer.

"This is actually where we split up," Bastion informed. "We got to head to debriefing, before we can go anywhere else."

"Dont worry, Princess," Nightfall said. "Someone will meet you at the medical facility. You can reveal yourself to them however you like."

"I see," Celestia began after thinking for a moment. She wasn't sure why, but she felt almost sad at having to part from her escorts. Over the last few days she had come to know them on some level. She would dare say that they were the closest things she had to friends now. No. As a matter of fact, they were her friends. "In that case," she continued somewhat sadly, "it has been a pleasure making your acquaintance."

"Likewise," Bastion replied happily.

Nightfall just gave a nod.

"Celestia wait," Paper suddenly called before the alicorn could take off. "Before you go..." He reached into one of his pouches and handed her a small slip of paper with a ten digit number written on it. "Here. This is the number for the Canterlot Times. It will probably be a while, but once you're ready, give them a call and ask for me. We can have that interview we talked about. That is... you know... if you're still interested."

Celestia smiled down at the unicorn. "Of course I'm still interested," she said. "I look forward to seeing you again."

"Oh." Paper said in surprise, perking up a bit as he did. "Good. I'll uh... I'll see you then."

And with that they parted ways. Celestia knew that what came next would not be easy. There would be much work to be done in the coming days. For now, there was little she could do, but once she got herself acquainted with whoever it was that was currently running Equestria, gears would begin turning very rapidly. The only question she needed to worry about at the moment, was how were they going to react?

Self propelled carriages were something that Celestia had somehow expected to see at some point. What she did not expect was to find herself in one so soon. It was no bigger than a normal carriage from her own time and the overall aesthetic appeared to be mostly the same. The only real difference was the fact that this one ran on rails and nopony was pulling. Instead, a motor of some sort was fixed to the front, quietly humming away as it applied power to the wheels. It was a very simple design, truth be told.

Within, Celestia was accompanied by four guards, two across from her facing her, and another two, one on either side of her. Though she had revealed herself only a few minutes ago, the ponies in charge at the rail station had wasted little time in getting her to where she desired to go, and where she currently desired to go was the palace, or castle as everypony seemed set on calling it. She couldn't help but wonder if her new escorts were aware of who she was, as they remained completely silent and stoic.

She was completely unsurprised to see that their armor had changed quite a great deal since her vanishing. The plating had gone from reflective gold to a matte navy blue with a grey under suit underneath. The geometry was much less free flowing and much more ridged, just like the city they guarded. Each guard had their own personalized configuration of pouches, pockets, and patches. All in all, the armor had gone from a ceremonial design to one of functionality. That was not to say that they did not look good. Though it was somewhat smaller, the crest along the top of the helmet had remained, though it was now full metal without the hair. Celestia couldn't help but to feel somewhat happy about this choice. She liked her guards, and some familiarity was certainly welcome.

As their horseless carriage passed through the city, what Celestia saw only brought a smile to her expression. Life. It was everywhere. From the window, she could see ponies carrying on with their lives as if it were any normal day. It was cold and the way in which they were bundled up reflected this, but she could see that most were happy. There was commerce, gatherings, and smiles. The world around Celestia may have changed, but she knew in her heart that these were the same ponies that she had come to love.

Eventually they did reach the castle at the top of the city, filing out into the courtyard that was surrounded by towering walls and... well, towers. A line of guards had formed on either side of the stairs that led to the front door. At this door, three ponies stood. One was a unicorn guard, though his uniform seemed to be much more ornate than those around him. The other two were earth ponies who wore formal wear, each of them looking quite nervous.

As Celestia made her way up the stairs toward the welcoming committee, the guards began to fall in line behind her, forming a sort of protective barrier between her and the main gate from which they had entered. When she made it to the top of the stairs, the two earth ponies threw themselves before her.

"Welcome, your highness," one of the ponies greeted, bowing far more dramatically than was needed. "We are so pleased to see that you have arrived safely. My name is Lucky Charm."

"And I am Platinum," the other said with an equally dramatic bow.

Celestia simply returned the pleasantry with a nod to each of them. "Greetings, my little ponies. I was told that I would be meeting the Chancellor."

"Yes, yes, of course," Platinum began. "Please, your highness. A thousand pardons, but the Chancellor was quite busy and will have to receive you directly in his office, your most gracious excellency."

"If you would please follow us, your royal majesty," Lucky said, exuberantly bowing every time Celestia was addressed. "It would be our highest honor to lead your most spectacular splendidness to him."

Celestia gave the two a skeptical look. She was beginning to believe that they were going to just keep making up titles at this point. "Please," she said suddenly. "Princess is more than adequate."

From there the two led Celestia through the castle to the upper floors. Despite the complete makeover in her absence, Celestia noticed that the layout of the halls was more or less the same as when she had left, with the exception of a few added halls and rooms every so often. The overall aesthetic had not changed much either. It was a welcome sight. She must have gotten caught up in her own thoughts, because she didn't even notice that they had stopped at a rather large oak double door.

"Right this way," Lucky said, opening a side of the door for Celestia.

"Please, allow me," Platinum insisted, pulling open the other side of the door.

Celestia sighed, and with a roll of her eyes stepped into the large office space. It was dimly lit, the rays from the setting sun and a few candles being the only source of light. At the far end was a large wooden desk with a countless amount of papers strewn upon it. An older gentleman of a stallion was currently making it his impromptu pillow, as he laid his head on it, now fast asleep.

Before either of the earth ponies could say anything, and they certainly were about to, they were pushed out of the way by the unicorn guard who had been following close behind the entire time. He made his way to the desk and gave the stallion a few pats on the shoulder, waking him from his slumber.

The two exchanged a few quiet words, ones that Celestia could not hear over the sound of Platinum and Lucky complaining amongst themselves. Then the guard returned back, grabbing the two by their collars in his magic, and quite literally dragging them out the door, which shut behind them.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," the older stallion began. "I had sent the captain of the guard to receive you, but it would seem those two let their ambition ruin even a simple greeting." He coughed and cleared his throat before continuing. "Please though, do come and have a seat. I sense we have much to discuss." When Celestia had made her way to one of the two seats across from him, the stallion peered through his spectacles at her. "My, you are a sight to behold. Oh, but of course, a proper introduction is in order. Isn't it? I am Chancellor Cobalt."

Celestia smiled. "It is very good to finally meet you, Chancellor. My name is Princess Celestia."

"I must say," Cobalt said, "when I received word that an alicorn had shown up on the city doorstep, I didn't initially believe it." He coughed violently, before pardoning himself and taking a sip of water. "I thought for sure it was another noble pony wasting time with absurd claims, but here you are. Safe, sound, and very much an alicorn. A princess no less. I do hope that your stay thus far has been a pleasant one."

Celestia nodded. "Indeed it has. I had the great privilege of traveling with a group of TRST Initiative Rangers from western Equestria to here. After everything that I saw in the tundra, I feared that pony society had fallen into disarray. I am pleasantly surprised that the case is just the opposite."

"Yes, well, we have had great fortune in the past few years," Cobalt replied. "Now that you are here though, we can begin the process of getting you reinstated. There is so much that you have yet to see if you are to be an effective ruler."

Celestia stopped and just stared at Cobalt for a moment. She somewhat surprised that he had been the one to bring up the matter so willingly. Her arrival certainly implied many things for Equestria's government. "I assure you, Chancellor," Celestia began. "I am not here to relieve anyone of their position. As far as I have seen and heard, Equestria has been ruled quite well in my absence."

Chancellor Cobalt sighed. "You are a blessing unto us, Princess. More than you know it would seem. I am going to be perfectly honest with you. I may be Equestria's ruler today, but my health is declining. I fear what may come tomorrow."

Celestia suddenly felt very sad. "You're dying," she stated, her ears splaying onto the back of her head.

Cobalt nodded. "It would seem my time to leave is drawing near. I have done many good things with this life. Lived it the best I could for the betterment of those around me. I could not ask for a better run, but... I do not know if I can trust that my successor will be able to humble themselves to serve Equestria as I have striven to do so."

"You fear corruption, don't you?"

"Yes," Cobalt answered. "The problem with the parliament these days is that there are too many private interests. I have been able to stave off the worst ideas, but... I dont know what will be unleashed when I am gone." Yet again, he coughed. "What Equestria needs is a guiding hoof, now more than ever."

Celestia thought for a moment about the current situation. "Does anypony else know... about your health, I mean?"

"No," Cobalt answered simply.

"In that case, I am honored that you would share such information with me."

"Thank you," Cobalt replied. "Now. Enough of this unpleasantness. Let us get down to business."

Celestia nodded in agreement. There was much for them to discuss."

The sun had now begun to touch the horizon as it continued to fall in the sky. The Chancellor now knew Celestia's story and she knew a part of his. Seeing as how late it was getting though, they both agreed to meet in the morning and discuss the remaining details over breakfast.

Celestia had been given a vacant bedroom for the night. Despite her own tiredness, she found herself drawn to the balcony.

She leaned up against the balcony railing, looking out as the sun continued to set on the land she had inherited. It was white. Every square inch of it, with the exception of the colorful city below her. She sighed, knowing full and well that this was her life now. The old Equestria was gone. There was no turning back. All she could do now, was move forward. The large puffs of white from her breathing did little to console her.

"Nice night, isn't it?" a voice suddenly asked from the shadows.

Celestia nearly jumped out of her spot in surprise. She was not alone. She looked over to see a familiar thestral leaning over the railing, just as she had been doing. "Yes, I suppose so," she finally answered after composing herself.

Nightfall gave just a bit of a chuckle as he joined her. "Sorry if I startled you. Didn't mean to."

"It's quite alright," Celestia dismissed. She stared Nightfall down for a moment before looking back to the door. It was still closed. Then she looked to him again. "How... did you...?"

"Get in?" Nightfall finished, keeping his eyes fixated on the horizon from beneath a pair of heavily tented shades. "This room is usually vacant. I got here an hour or so before you walked in."

"I see," Celestia said, not entirely sure where to go from here. In truth, she did not much expect to ever see him again and he was the last pony she would have expected to find in her new bedroom. She hesitated, but did eventually break the silence that fell between them. "So, what brings you up here this evening," she asked, curious as to why the thestral was on her balcony.

"I come up here to think on occasion," Nightfall answered. "I'm not really supposed to be on castle grounds, but rules have never really stopped me before, so..."

"Is that why you're here now," Celestia asked, "to think?"

"I guess," Nightfall answered, not sounding so sure of himself. "I'm actually here on "official business" this time though. Some higher ups wanted to talk to me personally since I led the team that found you. Wanted to do a comprehensive debriefing and all that jazz. It basically boiled down to them telling me to keep my mouth shut. I'm just waiting for them to finish the paperwork, then I'm free to go."

"Speaking of official business," Celestia began. "How exactly did you end up with the Initiative. Back in the tundra you said you got stuck, like you didn't want to be there."

Nightfall just sighed before thinking for a moment. He played with the idea of keeping her entirely in the dark on the details and even juggled it with the idea of just giving her false information, but decided against it. It was probably best if he told her himself. "You're gonna hear somethings... about me at some point. I guess I might as well tell you myself."

"It certainly wouldn't hurt to hear your side of the story."

"Yeah, my side... if that's what you want to call it." Nightfall stopped for a moment to take a deep breath, taking in the crisp night air. As the sun finally began to dip below the horizon, he was able to remove his sun glasses. "I made some mistakes a number of years ago. I ended up with the Initiative by court order. It was that or spend twenty something years in a cell."

"What did you do?" Celestia asked calmly.

Nightfall looked over, half expecting to see Celestia recoiling in disgust, but she didn't. Instead, the alicorn simply leaned in, clearly just curious. It was comforting. "I got caught," Nightfall joked, before turning gravely serious. "I took part in a few robberies over the years. Heists, really. Banks, penthouses, mansions, all really high profile stuff. We didn't steal from the poor or anything like that. Of course, we didn't give to the poor either, so..." He trailed off before going silent again.

"How did you get involved with that?"

To Nightfall, Celestia sounded almost like a disappointed mother. It was a weird feeling even talking about this to begin with. He remained quiet for a more than a few moments. He just looked down in deep thought, memories of a long time ago coming back to him. Finally, he answered. "I... um..." He rolled a few words around his mouth, trying to find a way to say what he wanted.

Celestia frowned. She could see it in his eyes there was pain he was not ready to talk about. He hid it well, but still she could see it. It was the same look she had seen in her sister when reminiscing about the past. Because she was experienced in that sort of thing, she called off her question. "Forget I asked," she suddenly said.

Nightfall looked to her, somewhat surprised, but also grateful, before returning his gaze back out into the night. "Thanks."

A silence grew between the two, as they each sat on the balcony, each lost in their own thoughts.

"When do you get out?" Celestia asked. "Of the Initiative I mean."

A smile cracked across Nightfall's expression. "That was my last mission, believe it or not. Now I'm just waiting for them to get finished downstairs so I can head home. It will be... nice... to just be able to relax for once. No more worrying about some next big assignment. No more annoying brass shouting at me. I can finally breath again." He took a deep breath and let it out. "Feels good."

"What will you do now that you're out? It seems to me that you have a very particular set of skills that you can no longer use. What now?"

Nightfall's expression grew thoughtful. "I'm not sure," he answered. "I've got some friends in a few places that could help me out. Nothing illegal this time around though. I think I'm ready to start over. Being out there in the tundra, it's... well, it's given me some perspective on a few things, y'know?"

"What about family?" Celestia pried.

"A few," Nightfall answered.

That was the only answer Celestia got, before silence grew between them yet again.

Canterlot was the same city that Nightfall remembered. Anytime he returned from his travels in the tundra there would always be something new. Either it was road construction, a building renovation, a completely new construction project all together. This time was no different. One of the guard towers on the outer walls had some scaffolding around it as part of a restoration project and one of the mid tiers was getting a new bakery, but it was still the same city.

Nightfall didn't really care to look and see what had changed in his absence this time though. He had a destination in mind and was more concerned about getting there than taking in whatever new sights Canterlot had to offer. Besides, he had spent nearly his entire life in the fortress city and would have plenty of time later to catch up. Right now, he just wanted to get where he was going.

It was a small bar called The Hideout, that was only open from the evening until morning. It was in one of the lower tiers, on the edge of a residential district just above one of the city's main industrial tiers. From the castle, it would have only taken him a few minutes to fly down, but he was tired enough at this point that he instead opted to take one of the cable cars that ran between the city tiers.

After exiting the cable car station, it was only a few blocks down, about a ten minute walk. The Hideout was usually his first stop after returning from the tundra. It was a warm and familiar place where he could grab a drink, greet a few friends, and hopefully meet a specific pony, assuming she was working a shift that night. He had actually been one of the founding employees. In a way, The Hideout was his home.

Upon entering The Hideout, a warm and relaxing wave of air brushed over Nightfall. His nose was met by the smells of food and drink and his ears were greeted with the sounds of a busy kitchen and ponies socializing. The lights in this place were much dimmer than the stark white light that gleamed from the snow outside. There were no actual electrical fixtures here. Rather, the entire place was lit with candles. Each table had at least one and the rest were mounted on the walls. It was all very easy on the eyes, a consequence of being a thestral run business.

Nightfall could still recall back to when they first opened The Hideout ten years ago, back when there were barely any lights at all. Originally, the bar had been meant for just the thestrals here, but as time went on more and more ponies began to show up. It was because of this that they were eventually forced to install these candles.

Business had started out slow. There had only been four employees at the beginning. First there was Scotch. He could make just about any thing into a palatable drink. Even when the stocks ran low, he kept them afloat with his skill for drink mixing. In their marketing sector was Grey. He was a young thestral with little experience out in the real world, but he knew how to sell an idea. His experience as a graffiti artist had come in quite handy when coming up with ways to promote the business. Nightfall's brother, Specter, was considered to be the brains and had spent countless nights over a law book, learning all manners of rules and loopholes that could be exploited to give them an edge. And of course, there was Nightfall. At the time, he was what one would have called a procurement specialist. If there was something that they needed he could get it by any means necessary, legally and otherwise.

The climb to success had not been simple though, or even easy for that matter. There were those in the higher tiers of Canterlot that wished only to see the thestrals fail. It was a common belief amongst the high class ponies that thestrals were all unethical and usually up to no good. The last thing they wanted to see was an organized group of thestrals taking refuge within the city walls. And so they attempted to wage a war on the small enclave that had popped up seemingly over night.

Health inspector after health inspector would show up outside the door, always unannounced, and each time The Hideout had passed with flying colors. Even the fire marshal had been called in in an attempt to close them down, but they had been ahead of the game with renovations that kept the dream from sinking right there and then.

It wasn't long before ponies started catching on to what was actually going on between the thestrals and the aristocracy and as if in an act of defiance the bar began to get more and more business. Occasional customers became regulars and before anyone knew it the thestrals had found solid footing.

Of course, the thestrals recognized what the nobles thought of them and to some extent there was some truth to their accusations. They would only be lying to themselves if they said they never served more than a few ponies who didn't exactly have spotless records, but they were never given any trouble. In fact, the thestrals were now virtually untouchable as their feud had earned them the respect of the common pony. In one final act of defiance, the bar, which had previously gone unnamed, was named The Hideout. It had been Grey's idea, meant as a taunt.

Nightfall always enjoyed hearing the story of how they had essentially told the nobles to 'stick it.' Anytime he entered he was reminded of the events and couldn't help but wear a smile. There had been rumors at a time that the nobles took their claims to the highest levels of the government and been left only disappointed. Nightfall didn't really believe this, but it made for a good story nonetheless.

Nightfall sighed after closing the door behind him, finally able to take off his scarf and remove his sunglasses. This was home for him and it was good to be back. He scanned the room, looking for any familiar faces. Despite the fact that the majority of the clientele were thestrals, there were more than a few other types of ponies strewn throughout the bar. In one of the far corners a group of gryphons occupied a booth, telling jokes and sharing drinks. A few tables down, a changeling played cards with a friends. A zebra couple had taken a table along one of the walls a few tables over from that.

In this setting, non-thestrals stuck out like sore thumbs and of course they were glad to have them, but there was one pony in particular that Nightfall kept an eye out for. He walked over to the bar only to be greeted by an old friend.

"Hey, hey, Nightfall," Scotch called from the other side of the bar in an accent quite appropriate for the setting. "Long time no see. How's the tundra been treating you?"

"Same as always, Scotchy," Nightfall replied with a smile. "It's still cold as all hell and the windigos still try to kill me, so I guess I'm doing something right. How have things been here?"

Scotch motioned Nightfall over. "Things are going great," he said, leaning across the countertop. "Just last week, we got a new contract with the brewery up in the third tier."

"Wow, that's great," Nightfall said. "Look at you moving up in the world."

"Ah, you give me too much credit. You cant forget that you helped to build the old girl. Now she's growing up," Scotch reminded. As their conversation continued, they were forced to walk back and forth along the bar so Scotch could tend to the empty glasses of a few pegasi. "Any chance you'll come back and join us now that you're sentence is over?"

"I don't know," Nightfall answered as he scratched the back of his head. "Now that I'm done, I think I want to try something honest."

Scotch just chuckled. "I'm sure we could put you to work in the back. Maybe you could be a cook."

"I dont know," Nightfall replied with not much confidence. "I'm not all that great at cooking."

"No better time to learn," Scotch pointed out. "We'd love to have you."

Nightfall chuckled. "I'll have to think about it," he said. "Speaking of work, is Meadow on shift tonight? I was hoping to meet up with her as usual."

"Nope," Scotch answered simply. "But, she is upstairs. She took a day shift today. Been waiting for you up there ever since she got off. Now that I think about it, I probably should have opened with that. Anyways, I wont keep you any longer. You two have a lot of catching up to do."

Nightfall had practically jumped off the bar stool after hearing that Meadow was present, a gleeful smile cracking across his expression like the opening of a chest filled with silver. "Yeah," Nightfall said. I... uh..." He fumbled his words before finding his tongue. "I should head up there." After taking a few steps towards the door that lead to the stairs, he
turned back to Scotch for a moment. "Oh, Scotch. Thanks."

Scotch just gave him a nod, before sending him on his way.

As Nightfall opened a door upstairs, he found that the room beyond, despite being furnished, was mostly empty. There was a pony at the far end of the room gazing out the window, waiting for something. The fading light from outside cast her long shadow across the floor and she appeared only as a silhouette from where Nightfall stood.

He closed the door lightly and cleared his throat. The mare at the window jumped in surprise at the sound from behind her. She turned and walked out from the beams of the sun to see the thestral waiting there for her. Neither pony made a sound. They just stood there staring at each other for a moment.

"Nightfall," the mare finally said. She looked tired. Her voice was soft and there were bags under her eyes.

"Meadow," Nightfall replied. He sighed and chuckled a little. "It's over."

Meadow's eyes grew large as she processed the two words that had just been spoken. They were two little words, but they meant the world to her. It was all finally over. For a moment she tried to say something, but the words were never able to come before her eyes filled with tears of joy. She tried to wipe them away and finding that it was no use she darted across the room to receive Nightfall with a hug.

Nightfall staggered back a bit as Meadow practically launched herself into him. He laughed and returned the hug. "Did you wait for me up here all day?"

Even with the tears still flowing from her eyes, staining both of their coats, Meadow began to laugh. She had indeed waited for him here all day long, taking an extra shift just to do so, and the way Nightfall asked made it all sound so ridiculous, but this moment made all the others that she had spent just watching the snowflakes fall and wondering if she'd ever see him again feel worth it. "It's over," she repeated with a smile.

"Yeah," Nightfall said in a voice barely above a whisper as he caressed the back of Meadows neck. He planted a single kiss on her head. "It's over."

The two remained this way for some time, each being content with simply being with one another in total silence. At the moment, they didn't need any words. It seemed as if they could both stay there for an eternity and given the circumstances, Nightfall wouldn't have minded. He was just happy to be with her.

As the hug prolonged for several more minutes, Nightfall eventually found himself looking down only to find that Meadow had, in fact, fallen asleep. She had nestled herself into his shoulder and had fully drifted away. "Poor girl," was all Nightfall could think at that moment. She had spent the entirety of the day working and waiting for him to return and now that he was here, she couldn't even stay awake.

Nightfall took Meadow in his hooves and carried her to the bed only a few meters away. He gently placed her down and sat next to her. She was adorable when she slept. He couldn't help but to wonder how he could end up so lucky. After all the messed up and backwards relationships he had been in, Meadow was a godsend.

She was kind, smart, and she always understood. No matter what, she understood him and even when she didn't, she'd make the extra effort to at least try. He loved her for that. She had the patience of a saint and at times Nightfall felt as if he wasn't worthy of that. He certainly hadn't been as good towards her as he would have liked. That was all going to change come morning. Now that his sentence was over, it was time for him to fulfill his promise to her. It was time for him to be there for her.

As the last of the light faded from the room with the setting of the sun, Nightfall laid down next to Meadow. He put a hoof around her and pulled her in, before grabbing the covers and throwing them overtop of them.

Nightfall was more than happy this way, just being with her. Finally he was out of the harsh cold world and in a warm place where he belonged. As he wrapped his hooves around her and held her close, he relaxed, letting his guard down for the first time in what felt like an age unending. He closed his eyes and let the rest that he so desperately desired overtake him.

Meadow Spring slept soundly on the bed, warm air from under the covers enveloping her in comfort. The mattress was just the right amount of soft and firm. She could have stayed there and slept for an eternity had she not been roused from her slumber by a sudden shifting of weight on the other side of the bed.

"Meadow," a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"Uhh," she groaned as she rolled over towards the center of the bed, burying herself deeper under the soft blankets. "Nightfall," she moaned without even opening her eyes. "It's too early."

"I know, but I want to show you something," he said from the side of the bed.

Meadow rolled back over and opened her eyes. Sure enough, Nightfall stood there, wrapped in a coat and scarf. His emerald green eyes watching her behind his heavily tented shades. She sighed. "Where are we going?" she asked, sounding less than enthused at the fact that the alarm clock only displayed '5:49'.

"It's a surprise," Nightfall said with a grin.

Meadow returned the smile. "Well," she said, finally pulling her head from the pillow stack. "I do like surprises."

"Good," Nightfall said as Meadow quite literally fell out of bed and slumped across the floor towards her winter apparel. Nightfall just rolled his eyes at her exaggerated exhaustion. "I'll get us some coffee," he said, heading for the door. "Meet me downstairs when you're ready."

Meadow just nodded as she found her way to her hooves. After dawning a coat, scarf, and hat with a little puffball on top, Meadow headed for the ground floor, where Nightfall was waiting. She was met with a cup of hot coffee on the counter. Scotch was behind the bar, serving a few thestrals at the other end.

"Does he ever sleep?" Meadow asked.

Nightfall just shrugged, not entirely sure if he had ever seen Scotch behind the bar since they opened.

When the two were finished, Nightfall called over a unicorn, a pony Meadow recognized as their friend Astral. "You ready?" Astral asked as his horn began to charge with a yellow magical aura.

"For what?" Meadow asked nervously.

Astral looked to Nightfall. "Wait, you didn't tell her?" he asked.

"It's a surprise," Nightfall answered.

"Ah," Astral replied. "Okay don't worry. Just sit still and relax. This wont take long."

Meadow gave a nervous laugh as Astral pointed his horn at her. "Uh, Nightfall. What's going on?" Suddenly, she was hit with a wave of magic that caused her body to jolt slightly, although that may have just been the caffeine. She felt warm and her hooves tingled, but after a few seconds, she went back to feeling normal again.

"There," Astral said happily. "You're good to go. Have fun."

Meadow gave Nightfall a confused look, who thanked Astral and gave him a hoof-bump. "What is going on?"

Nightfall smiled and headed to the front door leading her outside into the city streets of Canterlot. It was still brutally cold. The air seemingly pierced straight to their skin and sent chills through their bones.

"Okay," Nightfall said as he shook slightly, more than ready to get this show on the road. "Relax. Close your eyes," he instructed.

Meadow sat down, closed her eyes, and waited, only to feel Nightfall wrap his hooves around her midsection. She giggled, being just a little ticklish. The more she waited, the more the anticipation grew inside her.

"Ready?"

Meadow just nodded with excitement.

"Oh, and one more thing." Nightfall put his muzzle to her ear and whispered. "Don't look down."

Meadow's eyes opened suddenly and she looked over her shoulder to the thestral behind her. "Wait, wha- HOLY SHIT!" she screamed as she found herself being rocketed up towards the sky.

"I told you to close your eyes," Nightfall laughed over the sound of air rushing passed them.

For a moment, Meadow thought that surely this was all just a joke, like the many they had played on each other over the course of the last several years. But as Canterlot grew smaller and smaller below them, Meadow found herself shutting her eyes and covering her face with her hooves. "You are in so much trouble!" was all she could think to say, as she felt them shoot closer and closer to the stratosphere. Seconds later, she could feel their climb slow and before long, they had stopped. This was no comfort to her though.

"You can open your eyes now," Nightfall instructed.

Meadow shook her head, keeping her hooves clamped over her face. It took several more tries of Nightfall reassuring her before she slowly accepted that she was safe and peeked out from under her hooves. Before her, was a vast cloudscape of white rolling puffs. Though it was still cold, her body began to feel at ease and her adrenaline gradually subsided. She looked up. The sky was still just dim enough to provide an everlasting clear view of the stars, each shining and sparkling in its own way. For a moment, she was speechless. And then, against her protests, Nightfall let go. Her body tensed only for a second, before she found herself sitting on the very clouds themselves.

"Easy," Nightfall cautioned. "The air is thinner up here, so you'll need a second to adjust.

Meadow closed her eyes and with a single deep breath, took in the crisp sky air. "This is incredible," she finally said. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"You haven't even seen the best part yet." Nightfall pointed to what could be considered the horizon. "Sun should be rising in a few minutes." He sat down next to Meadow. The cloud beneath them gave way just slightly as his weight was added. He could feel Meadow shaking just slightly, still somewhat unnerved by the fact that they were currently 6,000 meters up. Of course, this explained why Meadow's breathing was slow and heavy.

Nightfall took her hooves in his own, but before he could say any of the things that he wanted, she nuzzled up against him. Nightfall wrapped his hooves and wings around her, pulling her in closer; their combined body heat more than enough to fend off the chill in the wind.

"I love you, Meadow," Nightfall said, finally breaking the moment of silence. "I wish we could stay this way forever."

Meadow looked up into Nightfall's eyes and for a few moments it seemed as if their hearts beat together as one. "I love you too."

It could not be said who had begun to kiss who first. They had both slowly, but surely, gone for it at the same time, each leaning in and giving themselves freely to each other. This was not the first time they had done this. The words had been spoken before and a kiss had been exchanged on several occasions, but in the past it had always been a casual thing. It was as if it were merely something ponies in a relationship did just because the status demanded it. Not this time though. This time was different. The inflection in their tones was one of pure emotion and their kiss was full of life and meaning, like a spark that had always been there, but only now did it take to its kindling and produce a flame.

As the two continued, the sun began to rise over the clouds, and they were washed over by a wave of warmth. When their lips finally parted, their bodies stayed intertwined on one another. Hoof in hoof. Fur on fur. They were illuminated by the large orange star, that cast an array of colors through the clouds, turning those under them into a cherry blossom red.

"I've never even seen the sun this clearly before," Meadow said.

"Most earth ponies haven't," Nightfall said, a contemplated look on his face. He smiled down at her after a quick thought.

Meadow returned the smile as she placed a hoof on his chest. She buried it into the warm fur, feeling the steady beat of his heart, before running it upward towards his neck. She hooked her hoof under his scarf and pulled down, bringing him in for another kiss. This one was short, not lasting nearly as long, but it was still full of fire and passion. After parting, she nuzzled up against him, humming softly in delight as she leaned in.

Nightfall's wings flared outward before coming around and wrapping around Meadow to keep her close in their own little world, even if only for a moment. Together, they watched as the sun slowly rose into the sky, beginning the first day of their new lives.

Yet again, Celestia found herself surrounded by snow. It blew harshly across her body, chilling her to the very bone. There was something very different about the tundra this time though. Unlike her past experiences, she was not trapped in what seemed like an endless void of white. Instead, large featureless concrete structures arose around her, creating a seemingly infinite treeless forest.

"Celestia," an indistinguishable voice echoed from somewhere.

Celestia looked around her, trying as hard as she could to find the source of this mysterious call. It was for naught though. The storm was blinding as the wind whipped around her, changing directions every so often and blasting her in the face with snow. "Hello! Who is there?" she finally called out.

Suddenly, Celestia felt a presence near her. She turned to see that just beyond where she could see clearly, a tall dark figure stood, staring at her.

"You must help us," the figure managed to say before dissolving with the wind and disappearing once more.

"Wait," Celestia called out. Then, without warning, the storm grew in intensity and everything went white.

It was the dawning of a new day in this strange world that Celestia now found herself in. She still had not gotten used to the sun rising without her, the Unicorn Council going to work to move the star above the horizon while she lay there in bed, her magic still mostly burnt out from the failed spell.

Celestia shifted under her covers uncomfortably as the rays of light shown through the window and began to warm the room. For thousands of years, she had gotten up early every day to raise the sun. There were plenty of times she wished she could just stay in bed and she would only be lying to herself if she said that she hadn't raised the sun a few minutes late from time to time, but now the responsibility fell on somepony else's shoulders instead of her own. For the first time, Celestia was simply allowed to lie there and relax. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to do so.

She slowly rolled her tired body out of her unfamiliar bed, which sat in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar castle. Even the sun itself seemed different somehow, as if her absence had caused it to grow even farther away. Or perhaps it was just the layer of clouds that covered the entire sky in a blanket, dimming the sun's light slightly.

Celestia made her way to the balcony where she took a seat, still covering herself with a thick blanket to stave off the cold morning air. She looked out over her once great kingdom that had seemed to fall to ruin. The city below her was far different than the Canterlot she once knew and the land beyond the walls was one of pure white. Gone were the green rolling hills. Gone were the dense forests. Gone were the fertile farm lands. This was Equestria, the land of her ancestors. And yet, she could not recognize a single part of it.

Her head fell into her hooves as she leaned against the cold metal railing. It all felt like a dream to her, a terrible dream. But it was not a dream. It was real. There would be no waking up.

"How am going to fix this?" Celestia muttered to herself as she ran her hooves through her disheveled mane. It was a question she did not know the answer to. She didn't even know how to start going about answering it. Harmony was gone and so too it seemed was any hope of reversing the damage done. Despite this, she knew she had to do something. She wasn't about to give up on Equestria. She wasn't going to give up on her home. Much had changed in the last thousand years, but this was still the land that she loved and these were still the ponies that she cared for deeply.

She sighed. "I wish you were here, sister." Having Luna here with her would have made everything much more simple, or at the very least, far more bearable. This was not the case though. For now, Celestia would have to tough it out. With one final glance towards the sky, Celestia left the balcony and headed back inside. It was time for her to join the Chancellor and go to work.

"I'm really glad you're back, Nightfall," Meadow said as the two walked down the street. "And yes. I do realize I've said that like twenty times today already, but I like saying it."

Nightfall smiled as they continued onward. "Good," he said simply. "I like hearing it. I also like that fact that you agreed to come with me."

"Well, of course I agreed to come with you," Meadow replied. "You just got back."

Nightfall continued to smile happily. He did just get back and things were only going to get better for him. The two eventually made their way out of the main city districts on the mountain, talking about what ever came to mind and enjoying the relatively nice weather as well as each other's company. Then they entered the large residential district at the foot of the mountain, that spread out for a few miles. The area was comparable to a suburb, but was well within the main walls of the city itself.

"Here we are," Nightfall said as they came across a medium sized house in one of the many large neighborhoods that stretched across the land.

"You seem nervous," Meadow pointed out.

Nightfall sighed. "It's been a few months since I last saw them. A lot of things can change in that time."

"So?" Meadow replied. "Your family loves you, Nightfall. That's something that will never change."

"I know," Nightfall admitted a bit bashfully. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, before hopping up the steps to the front door. He gave the piece of oak a couple of sturdy knocks before stepping back next to Meadow and waiting. There was nothing for a few seconds, before the sound of the lock's mechanism turning met their ears.

The door opened and the two were greeted by the sight of a thestral similar to Nightfall in stature and height. His bright golden eyes suddenly widened at the ponies before him. "Nightfall!" Spectre practically shouted in excitement as he pulled his brother into a quick hug. "It's good to see you, brother."

"You too, Specter," Nightfall replied, letting his brother go after returning the embrace for a moment. "Sorry I didn't call. It's been an... exciting past few days."

"Bah, nonsense," Specter dismissed. "This is your house too. You don't have to call to come here." He looked to Meadow and wrapped a hoof around her. "Neither do you, Meadow. You're practically a part of the family at this point. When are you two getting married again?"

Meadow went completely red after hearing Specter's words. No matter how hard she tried to hide behind her mane and hooves, she just couldn't stop smiling at the idea. Nightfall gave a bit of a nervous laugh, a blush of his own quickly spreading across his face.

"I'm just teasing you guys," Specter said. "Come on in. Get out of the cold. The kids will be happy to see you both."

The small group of three entered the house where Nightfall and Meadow could hang up their coats and scarves. It was warm and smelled of cinnamon inside, a result of breakfast having just been finished. Large sofa, Fillyco cabinet radio, an open kitchen with all the necessary appliances, and a set of stairs that led to the upstairs bedrooms. It was all quite cozy really.

"Doppler, Dimmet, Snow," Specter called up the stairs. "Breakfast is ready and we've got a surprise for you."

The sound of small hooves running two and fro suddenly came from upstairs, as three young ponies began to make their way down to the kitchen. Nopony could resist finding amusement in the rumbling sound coming from above and a few snickers escaped each of their mouths.

"They'll be down in a moment," a female thestral began, as she made her own way down the stairs to join the others. Lullay gave her husband, Specter, a kiss before turning to greet Meadow and Nightfall. "I'm so glad you two are finally able to join us," she said, pulling Meadow into a hug.

The four began to talk a bit amongst themselves before they were finally joined by the children of the family, the sound of their hooves on the stairs alerting everyone to their presence. The first down was ten year old Doppler, followed by eight year old Snow Gloom. Lastly was six year old Dimmet, a stuffed pony by the name of Floof Hoof, firmly clutched in her hooves.

Doppler noticed both Nightfall and Meadow, but waited patiently for Dimmet to get to the bottom of the stairs. The little colt, despite his eager and adventurous personality, was very protective of her and refused to go any further before he was certain that his younger sister was safely down the stairs. Snow Gloom was a different case. "Daddy!" Snow squealed in utter glee with the energy that only an eight year old could muster at such an early hour.

Nightfall caught Snow as she launched herself up to him from a dead sprint, using her wings to slow herself just a bit. From there, he flung her up onto his back where she sat happily before wrapping her hooves around his neck in a small hug.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look!" Snow Gloom excitedly began. "My fangs came in while you were away."

"What?" Nightfall asked with excitement of his own to match that of his daughter's. "No way, Snowy. My fangs didn't come in until I was nine. Are you pulling my leg?"

Snow Gloom proudly opened up her mouth, displaying her new teeth for her father to see. Sure enough there were four sharp teeth at the corners of her mouth, framing the other flat ones. "I'm going to crack open a coconut!" she exclaimed.

"That's my girl," Nightfall replied enthusiastically. "Already eager to take on the hard stuff." Of course, as a thestral himself Nightfall was fully aware that attempting to crack open coconuts at such a young age was a terrible idea, unless one wanted to lose their teeth. Snow Gloom would need a little practice and some growing before she was ready to move on to coconuts. Nightfall was more than ecstatic at the fact that he would get to help his daughter learn to use her fangs effectively.

Meadow giggled at the idea of seeing Snow Gloom crack a coconut in two with her fangs. She was pleasantly surprised though when she found herself being pulled into a hug by the little filly who was just as happy to see her as she was her own father.

At seeing this, Nightfall felt a warmth grow inside him. Despite their differences or even the fact that Meadow was an earth pony and Snowy was a bat pony, the two embraced each other as if they were mother and daughter. And in that moment, it seemed as if they were just that: mother and daughter. Nightfall could feel it in his heart that everything was going to work out for them. He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as he was ambushed by an overly excited Doppler.

"Uncle Nightfall! Did you kill any windigos?"

Specter suddenly gave a his son a critical glare, but the look that Nightfall sent back his way assured him that there was no harm in asking about his work with the Initiative.

"I sure did, kiddo," Nightfall answered after returning his attention back to his nephew. "We took down three of them on this last mission. They had taken over an entire town too."

"Wasn't it scary?" Dimmet asked, still grasping Floof Hoof.

"Nah, not at all," Nightfall answered. "Dangerous, but not scary." He looked back to the kitchen where Lullay was now depositing a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls on the breakfast table. "How about we get some breakfast and I tell you guys all about it?"

"Cinnamon rolls!" Snow suddenly exclaimed from atop Meadow, whose back she had climbed up to.

"They're more than ready, everyone," Lullay said cheerfully. "Come and get them while their hot." That was all it took to get the kids moving towards the breakfast table.

"They certainly dont waste any time when it comes to food," Meadow pointed out, a playful smile taking over her expression. She leaned up against Nightfall, nuzzling him lovingly.

Nightfall returned the affection, giving Meadow a soft and drawn out kiss, before the two found themselves at the table with the rest of the family. Family, that's exactly what they were. Truly, it was good to be home.

Author's Notes:

A bit longer than expected, but on time. That's a first. Usually it's shorter and late. Now nobody has to beat me with sticks.