Richie stood rooted to the spot, staring as Twilight walked toward him.
Yor and Anya behind him could not even keep up with Twilight. In that instant, Richie read so many things in Twilight's eyes.
There was panic, uncertainty, fear, helplessness, sorrow, and pain.
Those tangled emotions left Richie unable to tell what his father was thinking.
Richie stood motionless as Twilight seemed to fire up a rocket, appearing before him with a whoosh.
Twilight pulled Richie into his arms, and time stood still for a dozen seconds.
Once again, Richie saw Twilight lose his composure like this. The father he knew never let his thoughts or feelings show.
Except when something happened to him or Anya.
After hugging Richie, Twilight held his head and examined it, then checked his hands, his back, and every part of his body.
Once he had checked everything and seen that Richie's clothes were still clean, he felt relieved that Richie had not been kidnapped.
The moment Richie went missing, Twilight had felt a panic unlike anything he had ever experienced.
He had feared that information had leaked from within their ranks, or that the enemy had discovered their plan and abducted Richie.
If their plan failed, they would not only lose Richie-it might even spark a war between the two countries.
He was relieved that Richie had simply wandered off, gotten lost, and only now found his way home.
He was even more relieved that Richie had returned safely, without suffering the slightest harm.
Most of all, he was relieved that he had kept this family intact, allowing the mission to continue and their family to go on living happily together.
Twilight crouched on the ground, looking at Richie with complicated emotions in his eyes as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Anya's