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Becoming One With the Night

by Spacecowboy

Chapter 13: Chapter 9 - Aftermath (Part 1)

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“...and that’s what happened.” Twilight finished recounting the events leading into her fall, filling in the holes with the information that Raindrops had given her. The group of ponies slowly ambled their way towards the library, being ever mindful of Twilight's injury.

"That's just... awful, darling. I am thrilled that you are fine, but to have to suffer through such an event? Tragedy, pure tragedy I say!" Rarity exclaimed, raising a hoof to her forehead in an exaggerated manner. "I do think that you've made up my mind; I'll not be setting hoof in a carriage for the near future."

"Ah'm mighty glad you're fine Twilight. I believe the girls all agree with me here, we'd be lost without ya...” Applejack's voice wavered, her volume so low that it nearly rivaled Fluttershy's. She walked closer to Rarity, intertwining a front hoof with her. “Not to mention Ponyville would just be too darn boring!” Her volume quickly spiked, ending in a near yell as she clung to Rarity as a lifeline.

"Twilight, please try not to scare us like that again... Even with all that we've done together, this was the closest we've come to losing you..." Fluttershy lost it as tears began streaming down her cheeks. Pinkie moved and offered herself as support for the crying pegasus. As they slowly moved forward, a stray wing found itself laid over Pinkie's back.

Dash hesitated, opening her mouth to speak then rapidly closing it as words failed to come. Her face screwed up in thought, one eye comically shutting as the other remained wide open. Letting out a sigh, she simply began speaking. “That’s got to be the most uncool thing, ever. I actually have to thank Raindrops now, so not cool... But it’s totally worth it, this time.”

“We need to have a ‘Twilight nearly died, but she’s still with us party!” Pinkie began, getting close to Twilight’s face as she began walking backwards, matching their paces. Her hair fell down flat as she began speaking once more. “You’re very important to us all, Twilight.” She spread her gaze across the group before focusing in again. “Without you, a part of each of us would be gone, forever...” The words trailed off as they reached the library.

“Girls...” Twilight began, tears moistening her cheeks as she raised a hoof to wipe some away. “We've all been through a lot together. I..." Her words faltered, tears freely flowing as she looked at her friends, her back to the library door. Before she had a chance to gather her thoughts, five ponies surrounded her offering their comfort.

The commotion on the porch of the library caught the lone occupant's attention, who opened the door in time to see the six friends surrounding each other. "Twilight! You're back!" a deep voice called out from inside, startling the group hug.

After the entanglement of limbs were cleared, Twilight turned around and began speaking. "Now, I don't know wh— Spike?!" Greeting her eyes, he stood in the doorway. "Y-You're... big!" Spike stood before her on all fours, their eyes level with one another. His scales held a brighter sheen in the afternoon sun, and his spines had elongated to match his new stature.

Twilight was speechless as she found herself wrapped up in a massive hug. "Sp-pike, air!" He loosened his grip as Twilight gasped for air. Wow, he’s so much stronger too!

"Twilight, it's great to see that you're alright!” She felt moisture hitting her neck. “We were all so worried when we heard that you'd been brought to the hospital! I was worried!" He tightened his grip on her, the deep rumbling bass of his voice washed over her, erasing away any doubt that Spike was a child. "I, uh, had a bit of a growth spurt, although I'm not exactly sure why. It's nice being larger, I might not even need a ladder for the higher shelves! Even if I don't have wings yet..." He wistfully twisted his head around to look at his back.

All six mares let out various laughs as the dreary mood lifted. “Ha! You should see the look on your face Twi!” Dash said, laughing at Twilight as she began frantically looking up and down at Spike. Dash turned towards Spike, a large grin plastered on her face. “When you do get wings, I totally call dibs on teaching you to fly.” She raised a hoof and Spike met it with a fist.

Dash was broken from her laughter as a hoof tapped her on the shoulder. “Oh, Dash...” Twilight was glaring at the pegasus, all humor removed from her face. “You didn’t happen to neglect the fact that Spike had grown, did you? You and Spike wouldn’t dream of not telling me something so important, right?”

All noise ceased as Twilight finished speaking. A few moments later, Spike let out an audible gulp. Oh man, even being the same size now doesn’t help when she gets angry... “Twilight, calm down, please?” He tried to defuse the situation before it could get any further out of hoof. “With you being in the hospital and all, it probably just slipped her mind, that’s all.” Spike shot a quick glare at Dash while Twilight wasn’t looking.

Dash caught on to what Spike was attempting to do. The rest of the girls watched the tense situation, not wanting to catch Twilight’s attention, or more importantly, her ire. Okay, where to go with this. Thanks a bunch, Spike! Now c’mon brain, give me something to work with! “Twilight...” She hesitantly began, carefully gauging her reaction. “While it’s true that I didn’t tell you even though I knew, there were kind of other things just a bit more important to worry about.” I can’t get a read on her... “Besides, it just means that you get to experiment later on, right?”

Twilight’s anger immediately subsided, a glimmer forming in her eyes as she directed her sight towards Spike. “So. You don’t know what caused your growth, Spike?” Chuckles filled the air from the mares as he attempted to crawl back into the library. She slowly advanced towards him, her horn illuminating with magic, as a manic smile spread across her features.

With a very un-dragon like yell, Spike bolted inside the library and disappeared from sight. Twilight waited for a moment, then broke out in laughter. She enjoyed herself for a bits, before abruptly cutting herself off and rounding on Dash. “Don’t worry Dash, I’ve got to think about how to get back at you. I promise you, it’ll come when you least expect it.” She smiled broadly at her friends.

Dash grinned sheepishly and rubbed her mane with a hoof. “I just remembered Twi, I forgot to leave out some food for Tank. I need to go and, uh, take care of that. See ya later!” She took to the air, disappearing in a rainbow blur.

Pinkie laughed and started bouncing up and down. “Sooooooo, Twilight. Party tomorrow night, Sugarcube Corner, seven o’clock! You can’t be late!” She stopped and let out a giant gasp. "Oh! I need to get it set up! Bye!" She waved and ran off, then dove into a trashcan.

Rarity gently shook her head as Fluttershy giggled at her marefriend's antics. "That mare..." The fashionista muttered as Pinkie appeared out of the mailbox outside Sugarcube Corner. Turning towards the other three mares, she smiled brightly. "Well, Twilight, I shall take my leave for now. I'm afraid that I fell behind while you were hospitalized, and I truly need to catch up to my orders." She turned to leave, but paused. "I truly am glad you're alright, darling. Do take care."

They all waved at Rarity as she departed. "Would you two like to go inside?" Twilight motioned with a hoof as she opened the door with magic, awaiting their replies.

"Actually... I need to get back home; the poor animals haven't been fed for two days now..." Fluttershy mumbled, her thoughts straying to Angel. Oh, I do hope he hasn't gotten into any trouble while I was gone. "Sorry, Twilight. I'd love to stay and talk, another time, maybe? If you don't mind, that is."

Twilight’s ears drooped. "That's okay Fluttershy, I know how much your animals mean to you. Perhaps we could meet for some tea later?" She brightened. "It means a lot to me that you'd rather spend time waiting on my recovery than being back home with your animals. Thank you." She gently hugged her, a slight twinge at her side reminding her of the few remaining bruises from the accident.

"Bye, Twilight, Applejack. I'll see you two at Pinkie's party." Fluttershy took to the air, slowly winging her way home.

"You know, Ah'm mighty proud that she's found some confidence after all this time, Twilight." Applejack mentioned as she watched the form of Fluttershy slowly dwindle over the horizon. She let out a small sigh and turned back towards Twilight. "As much as Ah might like to join you for a while, I'm behind on work. Mac has been doin' all he can to keep up, but I really can't afford any more delays, especially with it bein' the middle of harvest season. Take care, sugarcube. See ya at Pinkie's party." Applejack waved bye to Twilight, leaving her alone in front of the library.

With a slight shrug, Twilight walked inside. "Well, I suppose I can get caught up on some things then. Spike!" She hollered, her voice echoing throughout the treehouse.

"No, Twi! You'll never take me alive!" Was the muted reply that reached her ears, muffled by at least two doors and a floor. She heard numerous thumping sounds coming from upstairs and sighed as she walked to the kitchen.

Pulling out some food, she made a quick daisy sandwich to sate her hunger. Turning around, she noticed two large parcels, each with a corresponding letter. Taking a bite, she looked at the parcels first, then the letters attached to them.

Twilight,

I know that I only mentioned sending you six weeks of the scheduled events, however I figured that you would most likely have this accomplished quickly. Therefore, I also sent an additional ten weeks of documents for planning purposes. The meetings requiring my attention are marked with the sun, while ones requiring Luna's are labeled with her moon. If one required both of our attention, you'll find a waning moon within my sun on the paper(s).

Another thing to note is that Court (Monday - Friday) can be cut back to three days a week, although we would prefer if you tried keeping it to four. We can't be seen as getting too lazy, after all! Let us know when you are done and we'll begin making preparations to visit Ponyville as per your schedule.

And, again, Twilight. It was wonderful seeing you again. You have accomplished much in such a short time. Luna and myself are most proud to call you a friend.

Your Friend
Celestia

P.S. - When you know what day(s) will be free for our visit, could you please inform Rarity that I'll need an hour or two of her time during one of those days? Thank you!

Twilight smiled as she set down the letter and looked at the bundles before her. Moving to unbundle the first one, she paused and moved for the two letters that had been set off to the side. Opening the one with Celestia's seal on it first, she unfolded it and began reading.

Twilight,

I heard about your accident on the trip, and I'm very thrilled that you are fine! I've personally began looking into the events that led to the storm, and you've my word that those responsible shall be held accountable for their negligence.

Additionally, I thought that you might like to know that both guards Breeze and Sentinel are well. I couldn't in good conscious hold them responsible for circumstances beyond their control. Both of them send word that they're glad to know that you're awake and fine, Breeze in particular wanted to stay around, however their duty called them back to the castle.

Celestia

She set down the letter and removed the lunar seal on the other then began to read.

Twi,

I heard of what happened. I wanted to find the foal(s) responsible and smite them myself, however Tia recommended a less severe approach on how to handle the situation. While I still do not agree, she has always been a better judge of how to handle such situations. I suppose settling for the removal of the bureaucrats from the weather factories might bring some satisfaction. Expect me in your dreams tonight so that we may talk further on the matter, mostly on how you are doing.

Luna

Twilight chuckled as she read what Luna had written. I wonder if she could drop a star on them. If it weren't so morbid, it'd be humorous! Setting the letter down, and now with something to look forward to while she slept, Twilight left the kitchen and headed upstairs for the study. Carrying the bundles of appointment letters with her, she dropped them down on the desk and began pulling out the various items she needed.

With parchment, quills, ink and a ruler, Twilight made separate calendars for Luna and Celestia. Pulling the first letter from the stack, she began reading through it, looking for the symbol and specifics of the meeting. Huh. Bi-annual tax law revisions, requiring Luna's attention. August the sixth at one o'clock. Twilight wrote down the details and moved on to the next piece of parchment.

Afternoon gave way to early evening, the sun's ray beginning to become obscured by the trees in the distance, casting long shadows across the town. Spike poked his head in the doorway and saw Twilight furiously scribbling away at numerous rolls of parchment. A stack of papers lay on the floor behind her, while two more stacks sat on the desk's surface.

"Hey, Twi. You hun—"

"And done!" Twilight shouted, jumping from her chair as she set down her quill, only to have her rear hooves buckle underneath her due to the hours spent sitting upon them. "Ooops... Oh, hey, what's up?"

Spike cautiously walked into the room and helped Twilight to her hooves. "I was stopping by to see if you were hungry. I figured if you hadn't hunted me down after the first hour, I'd be safe." He weakly chuckled as he scratched at his neck.

"Oh, don't worry, Spike. We'll experiment soon enough, I promise that. To think, I could be the first pony to document a growth induced by something other than greed!" Twilight began rambling on about potential correlations of environmental sources to his growth while Spike facepalmed.

She rambled on for a few minutes before Spike loudly cleared his throat, stopping her tirade. "Sorry again, Spike. Yes, dinner does sound good. Do you mind making it while I write a letter to the princesses?"

"Sure thing. Don't take too long, it'll only be about ten minutes or so. Meet you down in the kitchen." He left the room and waved over his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen.

Celestia and Luna,

Along with this letter you'll find two schedules for each of you. The first option, A, allows for four days of Court, held in conjunction with each other. The second option, B, cuts Court down to three days, but each of you will field separate petitioners, actually allowing the number of ponies to be seen to increase by approximately fifty percent, with an error margin of three percent. It also allows for more down time, although not necessarily at the same time, affording you both some relaxation.

Regardless of which choice you decide to go with, the schedules are good for three months out. The first time off is shared, the fourth and fifth of August. I'll make sure to inform Rarity of your visit. I'm certain she'll be looking forward to working on your Gala gowns some more.

Your Friend,
Twilight

She carefully rolled the schedules up with the letters, then bound them in ribbon before heading downstairs. The rustling sounds in the kitchen alerted her to the fact that Spike was still preparing the food, so she sat down at the table and waited for him to finish.

He walked in a minute or two later carrying a tray in his paws, glasses of apple juice and plates with sandwiches on it. Twilight set the rolled up letters to the side as Spike served her, then sat down himself to eat dinner together.

Twilight set down her empty glass, joining the plate on the table as she finished dinner. "Thank you, Spike. Please send that off to Celestia. I'm exhausted, so I think it's time to call it a night. She gazed out the window. The moon had begun its journey through the sky while the sun had departed, waiting to herald the next day.

Twilight removed herself from the table and made her way upstairs. She took note of Spike's old basket laying at the foot of her bed before she pulled back the covers and laid down, using her magic to pull them back over herself. Closing her eyes, Twilight let the soft embrace of sleep wash over her.

~{B}~{O}~{W}~{T}~{N}~

Twilight's dream was a bright, cheerful place, at first. She was flying high in the sky on lavender wings, exhilarating feelings accompanying the motions. As she went into a dive, however, the sense of wings disappeared, leaving her plummeting to the ground. Screaming, she tried calling on her magic, willing it to do something, anything, but it failed her.

"Come on now, I thought you would know enough of dreams from our first lesson to influence your own!" a thunderous voice echoed, ringing in her ears.

Twilight forced herself to calm down, and then closed her eyes as she envisioned the area around her. Rather than falling through the sky, she thought of herself as seated in a chair on the balcony in her room, the sky filled with stars. Slowly opening her eyes, she noticed that the scene had shifted to reflect exactly that.

"Well done, Twilight!" Luna appeared next to her, sitting down in a chair that Twilight thought up for her. "I heard about what happened. I snuck out for as long as possible, but unfortunately I was unable stay until you awoke. How are you doing?" Luna asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I'm doing well. After spending some time with the girls once I woke up, I spent the rest of the evening going through all of the appointments you all have these next three months. It’s truly amazing how much work you and Celestia do, yet you also hold court on the weekdays." Twilight looked at Luna, a thin smile spread across her face.

Luna fixated her stare, her gaze penetrating into Twilight. “I know denial when I hear it, Twilight Sparkle! It has taken me five years to open back up, and even now I am sometimes loathe to admit how I truly feel. Especially in regard to the events I caused a thousand years ago.” she admonished. Her tone shifted to a calm, quiet one as her eyes pooled with concern. “Twilight, I know that you are not ‘doing well,’ just as I was not when Tia would inquire shortly after my return. You have been through a harrowing experience and had a brush with death. You are anything but well right now.” She placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and locked eyes with her love. “Please, let me help.” Luna plead, begging Twilight to let her help in any way she could.

Twilight’s eyes watered as Luna gently nuzzled her. A single, ragged, breath escaped her. Unable to hold back anymore, she started sobbing uncontrollably, collapsing into Luna’s outstretched hooves. The scenery around them began to blur, fading into darkness leaving only the balcony behind.

Luna laid there and let Twilight cry her heart out. Seconds, minutes, hours, time lost all meaning until Twilight's tears finally came to an end. Luna cradle her while she came to terms with all that had transpired.

"You're right. I'm not okay. I'm scared and have no idea what to do about it right now." Twilight's voice was soft, quivering as she confessed to Luna. "I haven't even lived a quarter of my life, yet it almost ended. Just. Like. That." She punctuated her last word with a stomp. "I was already panicking even before I fell from the chariot, but... during the time in the air,” Twilight paused, her shoulders slumping, “I've never felt so helpless."

Luna gently held Twilight, looking at her. “Twilight...” She rubbed her cheek against her love's neck. The soft tingle of Twilight's voice on her face would've been pleasant, if not for the terror she could feel in it.

"Even though I've been up against impossible odds and had my life in jeopardy before... I always had the girls to rely on. Every situation we went up against, I knew that they had my back, all of us supporting each other. As I was falling, though... it was just me. Alone. My mind was running so fast, nothing came to mind, no one was there to catch me. I'm only here because of a lucky fluke..." Twilight shuddered as Luna calmly listened and wrapped a wing around her for support.

"That feeling... I never want to feel it again." Twilight paused, staring deep into Luna's eyes. I wonder... "Luna... is this how you felt before... Nightmare Moon?"

Luna jerked slightly, the motion rocking to Twilight. Before she could open her mouth, however, Luna began softly speaking. "Yes. Before... Nightmare Moon, I thought that it was the world against me. Near the end, I didn't even consider that Tia was there for me, regardless of what was happening." Her hold on Twilight loosened slightly.

"But!" Luna tightened her grip on Twilight. "I was foolish. Although I had convinced myself that I had no one whom I could count on, I always will. Celestia is one such pony, and I recently found another..." She lovingly buried her muzzle in Twilight's mane, breathing in deeply before pulling back.

They sat in relative silence for some time, the dream shifting from the black abyss to a more comfortable environment. Stars lit the night sky, framing a full moon whose light shone down on an open hilltop.

"Luna." Twilight pierced the silence, a question that had formed earlier screaming to be known. "What would you do once I'm... gone?"

The question rattled Luna to her core. Why must she ask such a question, now? What should I tell her... "There is still quite some time before I would even have to worry about such a thing. However..." She raised a hoof and began stroking Twilight's mane. "I would think that, no matter how hard I took it, Tia would be there to help. We would both be devastated, if such a thing were to happen."

Think, Luna, think! There has to be a way! Maybe Celestia knows something. If I ask though, she'll know something is going on. An old memory of a solemn promise came to the forefront of her mind. There is that, but... I'll have to go looking for it later. I'll not lose her. She was broken from her thoughts by Twilight nudging her.

"Do you think it's... worth it? Knowing that no matter how long it lasts, you will ultimately lose it? Lose me?" Twilight's voice wavered.

"Yes." Luna replied, her tone solid, unyielding. "No matter how brief something might be, you take the time to enjoy it while you can. Especially love..." She barely whispered. The surroundings began to fuzz slightly, stealing Luna's focus. "Seems the night has passed, love. I promise to come down as soon as I..."

~{B}~{O}~{W}~{T}~{N}~

Sharp Plane sat down in his chair, dumbfounded at the latest report that one of the construction members had brought. The poor stallion still stood before him, his trembling having finally calmed down. Poor Earth Pony, they only have their strength to rely on. Against one of those, I can imagine why he'd be so shaken up. "So," he began, a slight hesitation in his voice, "let me get this straight. You encountered a manticore roughly one hour ago in sector Charlie Delta Three, where you were checking on the density of vegetation for tomorrow's work. Correct?"

"Y-yes, I was gauging the workforce we'd need for t-tomorrow morning when I ran into it, Mr. Plane." The stallion replied, fear and bewilderment running throughout his voice.

"Okay. Now, for the sake of clarity, please reiterate what happened one more time." He picked up a quill and began to take notes as the stallion spoke.

"Yes sir. I encountered the manticore right on the edge of the land marked for leveling tomorrow morning. We both froze, and before I could turn tail and run, the oddest thing occurred. The manticore's eyes widened in... fear it seemed, and it turned tail and tried to fly away. It managed to entangle itself in some vines in the denser section of trees along that area, and, well..." The stallion paused, unsure about whether or not to continue.

"And?" Sharp Plane asked curtly, wanting to get the story one hundred percent straight before sending his progress report to Princess Celestia.

"And it defecated on itself, Sir. It was more afraid of me than I was of it. It managed to untangle itself, I think. I was already running back by that point.”

"I see. Thank you very much. For your run-in, please take the next day off. Go relax or something, you deserve it. We'll see you back at work in two days." He dismissed the stallion with the wave of a hoof and focused his attention towards the letter he was composing in front of him. Dear Princess Celestia... What did you do?!? He lowered the quill to the parchment and began writing.

~{B}~{O}~{W}~{T}~{N}~

Next Chapter: Chapter 9 - Aftermath (Part 2) Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 38 Minutes
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