The sun was setting by the time that Golden Horizon left, flying off the same balcony he arrived on. He gave Twilight a final parting hug and flew off into the sunset, his watery blue mane fluttering in the breeze.

At last Twilight was left alone with her thoughts. She stood in the same spot for more than hour, staring into the darkening sky until the details of the landscape were nothing but shapes and colors to her. Both her wives were gone today, leaving her with their eldest. Fluttershy had taken the twins into the Everfree for a camping trip with Zecora and her family, and Rainbow Dash was in Cloudsdale visiting their son at school. She was alone in the castle with Stormdrop, who had been in her suite all day, only coming out to collect her meals like she usually did when there were guests.

Twilight considered staying on the balcony all night until her wives came home in the morning. With their support maybe she would be able to talk to Stormy without losing her composure. She considered it for some time, mulling over her choices. There was no avoiding the truth, no way to not tell her daughter that Celestia had burdened her with a life and power that she did not ask for. In the end, Twilight decided she would keep this secret to herself until after Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had come home. She did, however, also decide to go and wish her daughter goodnight before she went to bed, like she always had since Stormy was just a filly.

So the purple mare made her way across the residential wing of the castle, listening to the steady clip-clop of her hooves on the polished crystal floors. She eventually found herself standing at Stormy’s door, her hoof hovering over the doorknob.

Before she could go any further, the door swung open, with Stormy standing in the doorway, levitating her dinner plate in the clear blue aura of her magic.

“Oh, hi, Mom.” She said, startled. “Did you need something?”

Twilight just stared at her daughter, her chest tight with a misery she could not describe.

“Stormdrop, honey.” Twilight stepped forward and pulled the dark blue mare into her embrace. “I’m sorry.”

“Mom, what’s the matter?” She returned her mother’s hug, leaning into the mare’s warm touch. “Did something happen?”

Twilight did not answer, and instead started bawling into Stormdrop’s shoulder. She threw her forelimbs around her child and clung tightly to her.

Stormy, who was never good at handling the emotions of others, simply leaned in, drawing her own forelimbs around her mother.

“I’m sorry, Stormy.” said Twilight in a watery voice. “I’m so, so sorry.”