//------------------------------//
// 2 - Pillars and the Filly 
// Story: Child of the Tree 
// by GStarshine 
//------------------------------//

Tally stumbled a little as Luna passed out against her without warning but easily regained her footing as Celestia caught her sister within the golden glow of her magic. She brought Luna down to the ground gently, before rushing forward to check on her.

"What happened?" Celestia demanded, nosing along her sister's neck, looking for a pulse. She relaxed slightly when she found one but she still looked to Tally for an explanation, "What did you do to her?"

"I pushed back the corruption from her mind long enough to talk her down. As hope started to break the corruption away from the bulk of her magic I was able to cut it free." Tally explained, she bit her lip and gave Celestia a sheepish look, "I may have been too fast in cutting it out. Perhaps if I had moved a bit slower she would have had time to prepare herself." Tally bowed her head, "Apologies. We've only ever discussed the theory of such an operation, I've never had the chance to attempt it before."

Celestia let out a shaky breath as her rage tried to escape again, this pony had basically admitted to experimenting on her precious sister. "Did you...did you have any theories on a reaction like this?" Celestia asked as soon as she was sure her voice wouldn't shake.

Tally looked back up at Celestia, "Mistmane thought that if the separation of the corruption was violent enough then it could shred the magical core of the subject."

"Mistmane?" Celestia asked weakly, 'My sister was experimented on by a mentally deranged mare who speaks to the dead.' the alicorn of the sun screamed mentally.

"Yes," Tally said, completely unaware of Celestia's internal dialogue, "If that theory is correct, Meadowbrook said that the subject would fall into a comatose state so that they could heal properly."

Celestia's wings drooped slightly in her overwhelming relief, "A coma." she breathed, "Magical cores take a long time to heal but she will be fine."

Tally nodded, "Of course she will be. I did not go against her with the intent to main or kill. Simply to incapacitate and, after you informed me of who she was, heal. The worse I did to her was the bite from my projection." she moved closer to the two alicorns and ran her magic over Luna's sweat-damp coat to assess her condition. She tilted her head a little, "I may be able to heal her a bit faster, but I would like to have a second opinion on her condition before I attempt anything since this is a much more delicate process." Tally hummed, she looked up at Celestia, "Would you be amenable to coming to my home?"

Celestia hesitated. This mare was a complete mystery, one that needed solving and exploring. Her connection to the Elements, especially, made her somepony that needed to be watched and kept close. On the other hoof, Luna was incredibly vulnerable at the moment and if this went sideways Celestia would need to defend them both.

"It's just a little cave not far from here." Tally continued, seeming to sense Celestia's struggle, "Starswirl told me that you've already been there before. Long before it became my home."

'The Tree of Harmony's Cave.' Celestia supplied for herself, it would be easy for her to escape from if the mare became violent for some reason. The Tree should also disallow any magic that may prevent her from teleporting out with Luna in case things really went sideways. "Very well. We will go with you." she looked toward the door to retrieve her saddlebags with her magic. 

When she looked back it was to find Tally beaming at her with Luna draped over her back, "Great! Follow me!" she trotted off excitedly, seemingly unbothered by the added weight of Luna. Celestia took up her battle shoes and tucked them into her bags before trotting after the two.

Tally led Celestia directly along the line of curious flowers that had invaded old castle and circled the Elements' stand. The young unicorn mare didn't slow as Celestia expected her to after a while under the added weight, she didn't even seem to have trouble with the awkwardness of another pony the same size as her passed out on her back. Celestia could only guess as to what made the mare so comfortable with the arrangement. 

As they walked, Celestia felt the distant tugging at her conscious to alert her of the sun's need to rise. She gently guided the moon down before she set the sun along its path. Ahead of her Tally made a small disgruntled noise as the rising sun shone in her eyes. "Apologies," Celestia said with slight amusement in her tone, "I attempt to keep the schedule as precise as possible."

"It's no problem," Tally returned, "I am simply more of a night pony." Tally didn't even hesitate as she trotted into the nearest treeline of the Everfree Forest, her face relaxed once the trees blocked out the light of the rising sun. "Much better." she chirped.

Celestia might have laughed at that if she hadn't been eyeing their environment, "Tally, please be careful. This forest is filled with dangerous creatures."

"There are no violent animals along the path we're taking," Tally reported smartly, leaping over a fallen log before trotting around a star spider's web. The path of flowers curved slightly, away from where the sun was rising.

"I see..." Celestia said with a frown. "I still ask that you be careful. There are many plants out here that could harm you as well." Tally nodded in agreement but didn't slow. Celestia's gaze moved back to the flower path, "Speaking of such, do you know anything about these flowers? Did you plant them?"

Tally giggled, "I did not plant them per say. When I retrieved the seeds from the castle I had a bit of a magical surge and had trouble controlling my link to the Harmonic Forces. One of the effects of my lack of control was trailing flowers as I moved. Mistmane said she had a similar effect when she was fully tuned to her Harmonic Force. It is a unique effect that has its uses."

'I can certainly think of a few uses for that,' Celestia thought, 'Which Element was it a side effect for I wonder? Laughter? Generosity?'

Celestia shook herself from her thoughts when they stepped out from the cover of the trees and onto the bank of a wide river. She could see, across the fast flowing waters, that the flower trail picked up on the other side. Celestia's thoughts immediately went to Luna's precarious place on Tally's back as the younger mare trotted up to the edge of the river and swished her hoof around in it.

"Tally, please allow me to levitate you over. Swimming with Luna on your back is a recipe for disaster." Celestia said urgently. She could levitate Tally without asking despite its unpoliteness but seeing as how the young mare had shaken off her magic so quickly before, Celestia didn't want to chance Tally pushing her magic away on instinct only for her to drop in the river.

"I would never swim with somepony so vulnerable on my back," Tally said with a frown at the sun princess.

Before Celestia could question the youngers actions, the river heaved and a large purple mass broke from the water. Celestia couldn't stop herself from backing up several feet, her body tensing and her horn charging, but before she could strike, Tally spoke.

"Steven!" she called jovially, "Good morning!"

The enormous creature, 'Sea serpent.' the part of Celestia's brain that was still working supplied, bent in half to put it large mustachioed face right in front of Tally. "Oh my! If it isn't Little Miss Tally Reed! Whatever are you doing out so early in the morning? I thought you were allergic to sunlight dear!"

Celestia felt slightly offended but Tally just laughed, "I'm not allergic. I'd just prefer to be out at night. You know that."

"I most certainly do, you only visit in the middle of my beauty sleep!" the serpent pouted as he curled a giant claw through one side of his mustache. His eyes caught sight of Celestia and Luna, "Who do you have here?"

"Oh right," Tally startled, "Steven this is Starswirl's student, Celestia of the Sun. Celestia, this is Steven Magnet a friend of mine who lives in the river!"

Celestia cleared her throat, "It is nice to meet you good serpent." she said with a slight dip of her head.

"Oh my. I never thought I would be able to see Princess Celestia in the flesh!" Steven said excitedly, bringing his pristine claws up to clutch in front of his chest, from there he swept into a half bow, "It is a pleasure to meet you, your highness!"

Tally cocked her head, looking at Celestia, "Princess?"

Steven let out a scandalized gasp, "Tally Reed! Don't tell me you didn't know you were talking to royalty!"

"No?" Tally answered with a confused look.

Steven fell back into the river dramatically with a cry and only Tally's reflexive shield kept the three ponies from being drenched. "Oh Tally, how could you not know?" he propped his head up on the shore of the river, "You simply must get out of this forest once and a while! Then you would have known the important pony you were meeting!"

Tally huffed, her cheeks darkening as she shuffled in place, "I have everything I need here Steven. I have no need to leave the forest yet." her ears flicked in agitation, "Now, would you help me across the river?"

Steven raised a perfectly groomed orange eyebrow at her, "Why haven't you teleported home?"

Tally turned her body a little bit to show Luna, "This is Luna of the Moon. Her magic is unstable at the moment. I do not wish to strain her if I can avoid it."

"Oh, of course, Tally," Steven said, adjusting his body in the water so that in several places his body arched clear of the water.

"Thank you, Steven." Tally smiled, leaping to the first arc gracefully, "I appreciate the help."

"Of course dear," Steven replied, he looked to Celestia who simply flew over the river. "Do come by to talk again sometime soon. Cranky and I missed you the last time he was here."

Tally landed on the other side of the river and turned to smile at Steven. "I apologize. I meant to come and talk but I read right through it without even realizing it. I will definitely be by for this month's reunion though."

"Excellent! I will see you then!" Steven turned to Celestia with another bow, "I hope to see you again your highness."

Celestia dipped her head again, "I shall try to make it back out here good serpent, you seem like a being with some stories to tell."

"I certainly have a few." Steven chuckled before disappearing back into the river.

Celestia followed after Tally as she continued her journey, "He was pleasant." she noted.

"Steven is a good friend." Tally hummed, "I've known him since I was a filly."

"Yes..." Celestia began slowly, "He said you need to get out of the forest. How long have you lived here?"

Tally glanced back at her, "Since I was two weeks old."

Celestia blinked, "Since you were a foal? How ever did you survive?"

"Fate brought me to the sapling where Starswirl, Mistmane, Meadowbrook, Somnambula, Flash Magnus, and Rockhoof took me in and raised me," Tally said easily.

Celestia's eyes bore into the back of the unicorn mare's head as she considered the new information she was getting, 'What sort of traumatic event could have happened to this mare for her to concoct such a story? Raised by the Pillars? Her mind is certainly hyperactive. The Elements surely could have sustained a pony long enough for them to heal but this? This poor mare. I will have to make sure she has the best when we leave this place.' 

"We're here!" Tally announced, startling Celestia who hadn't realized how far they had come while she was distracted with her own innermost thoughts.

Sure enough, they stood on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the cave of the Tree of Harmony. A cave whose entrance was now covered by a thick screen of woven vines, presumably to insulate the cave and keep out any rain that might be swept into it.

Tally practically skipped down the stairs and held back half of the vine curtain where it split in the middle, "Come on in!" she insisted, smiling at Celestia who was a couple steps behind her.

Celestia stepped into the cave, looking around curiously at the space that she hadn't seen for a thousand years.

The space in front of the Tree of Harmony was dominated by several wooden tables that had odd-looking devices made completely out of branches, rocks, and roughly cut gems scattered over them and a fire that had a large rock cauldron in the center of it. There was also a large empty space that held evidence of magical and physical training. The Tree itself looked as healthy as ever and all six Elements were clearly set in their places. From where she stood, Celestia could see that behind the tree was most likely where the more sedate activities took place. There was a small shelf dug into the rock of the cave that held a few books, books that Celestia knew came from the old castle if the antique but familiar bindings said anything about them. There was also a large dip in the floor filled with soft moss and leaves that the alicorn assumed was Tally's bed.

That assumption was proved true when Tally moved around behind the tree and gently levitated Luna down into the dip. The indention made Luna look even smaller than her fragile state did, as there was still enough room for five or six more ponies Luna's size. Celestia had no idea why such a big space was needed if it was only Tally.

The Alicorn of the Sun stood awkwardly by the Tree of Harmony, watching as Tally ran another diagnostic on Luna, this one more in depth. "Tally..." she began after several silent moments but she was interrupted by a stern voice.

"Tally Reed! Where have you been!"

Celestia's eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped open when light drew away from the Tree to form a translucent version of Starswirl the Bearded just a few feet in front of her. Aside from looking like a ghost, he looked exactly the same as she remembered him from almost fifteen hundred years ago before he had disappeared along with the other Pillars, down to the length of his beard and shine of his cloak bells.

Tally didn't even look up at the sight that was causing Celestia to simultaneously answer and create new questions about the night's events. "I was waylaid. There was a disturbance in the forest. I found your students. Where is Meadowbrook?"

"Right here little one." came another voice chimed in as another figure appeared right next to Tally, "Oh dear." Celestia had never met any of the other Pillars during their time together, but Meadowbrook looked exactly as Starswirl had described her. Watching her now, leaning over Luna with Tally, Celestia stood frozen, mouth opening and closing uselessly.

Starswirl trotted over to the indent in the floor and lit his horn only for the aura to be swatted away by Tally's and for Meadowbrook to glare halfheartedly at him, "Starswirl! How many time must I tell you not to handle sick ponies so callously! They aren't your and Tally's little experiments!"

"I am not as bad as him," Tally grumbled under her breath.

"Yes you are dear." came a third voice. Celestia dropped to her rump with a clank of armor as a third figure appeared. With the flowing hair this could only be one pony. Mistmane.

The rattling of the armor drew all eyes to Celestia; Mistmane and Meadowbrook frowning while a smile broke out on Starswirl's face. "Celestia! My faithful student! It is so good to see you!" he trotted over and put a hoof on her shoulder, "Look how you've grown!"

"S-Starswirl." Celestia stuttered in shock, "How..."

"My dear little sun, did you really think I would leave you with no guidance?" Starswirl asked, his smile turning a bit indulgent when Celestia blushed at the old nickname.

"No, but...we thought you had hidden a book somewhere or something not..." Celestia cleared her throat as her hooves shook a little, "I didn't think you would trap your spirit on the physical plane."

Starswirl let out a small laugh, "I didn't." three more figures appeared around him, "We are semi-corporeal copies of ourselves, The Pillars, as we were directly before we went to fight the Pony of Shadows."

"Although your description of ghosts was pretty close!" the armored pegasus flying behind Starswirl noted with a grin, he held out a hoof, "Flash Magnus by the way, Starswirl has told us lots about you!"

Celestia took the outstretched hoof, jolting slightly when she realized she could really feel it. "Nice to meet you," she said faintly. She looked back to Starswirl, "The Pony of Shadows? Is that where you disappeared to? Were you..."

Starswirl shook his head, "We weren't killed. The sapling that holds our seeds would have felt it. The plan was to send the Pony of Shadows to Limbo. However, the only way to do so was to take him there ourselves. That is where our physical forms remain."

Celestia let out a long breath of relief, though the taste was bittersweet, "We...had no idea. We mourned and yet..."

"Excuse me," Meadowbrook called, Celestia looked over at her, "I hate to interrupt, I assure you that you will have time to catch up in a bit. But we need a more complete story on what has happened to Luna."

Celestia got up shakily as the other Pillars moved to surround Tally, the lavender mare looked up from amidst the translucent ponies, "I only have the last half of the story."

"Of course." Celestia conceded, lowering herself to sit next to Luna. "Around eleven hundred years ago, I and Luna moved to unite all of the tribes and settlements across the land under one flag to strengthen the land and to push back the Chaos by promoting Harmony for every creature. To do so we created a government with us at the head as Princesses, I would preside over the day and Luna the night." everypony nodded in understanding. "Unfortunately, during this time Luna became exceedingly aware that ponies shunned and feared her night but played and rejoiced in my day. And I..." she hung her head, "I was too caught up in the praise and the attention that I received to notice her struggle. When she tried to talk to me about it I waved it off or told she was being..." Celestia winced and shook her head. "It got worse. I didn't even notice until after the fact, but hate groups formed to protest against Luna and they had begun to...worship me." she heaved a sigh, "A thousand years ago, it came to a head and Luna caused a Solar Eclipse to grow in her power and put us on a more level playing field. She...went mad and challenged me for the throne, swearing to cause eternal night. We fought..." Celestia shuddered, "Then I used the Elements of Harmony against her, which banished her to the moon for the last thousand years."

"What?!" six of the seven ponies demanded, causing Celestia to flinch back. 

Starswirl did not shout but he was frowning, "I assume the 'Elements of Harmony' is what you called the seeds within our tree?" he asked, gesturing toward the glowing tree behind them. Celestia nodded hesitantly, "That was incredibly foolish Celestia." the sun alicorn flinched again at the reprimand from her teacher, "The Harmonic forces we tuned into the gems are not meant to be a magical weapon of mass destruction and certainly not as a tool to chain a being to a heavenly body, they are meant to promote Harmony within a certain radius of their location." Celestia hung her head.

"Do not be too hard on her Starswirl," Mistmane spoke up, her face was still drawn from the story but her eyes held a certain understanding. "As misguided as her actions were, do not try to tell us you wouldn't have done something similar before."

Starswirl snorted and turned his nose up, "Perhaps or perhaps not. We shall never know. I would certainly hope I would have considered other options when going against a pony I view as my own child."

"Says the unicorn who tried to ground Tally in the mirror dimension when she was seven." the largest of the ponies, Rockhoof if Celestia had to guess, muttered to the others. Starswirl glared at them as they snickered.

Meadowbrook cleared her throat as she stifled her laughs, "Yes, well, please continue so we can help Luna."

Celestia nodded, "She escaped from the moon last night with the help of aligning stars. I didn't believe the Elements would work for me again so I came ready to do battle. We were fighting when Tally found us and managed to subdue Luna in her corrupted form."

All eyes went to Tally who waved a hoof, "I used my projection to prevent her from moving and using her magic. Celestia told me she was under the influence of corruption and I used our theories to sever it from her."

Starswirl's eyes lit up, "Did our theory work? Was it instantaneous? Did the corruption take on a physical shape? Was she coherent through it? Did the separation amplify the manifestation of-" he was cut off by Mistmane's hoof pressed to his mouth.

"Tally can tell you later Starswirl. Luna needs healing before you two go off on your research." Mistmane scolded lightly. Starswirl huffed and pushed away her hoof but didn't start up again.

Tally sighed, "The first span of the theory went perfectly but when I went to cut the corruption free I separated her too fast. I believe her magical core is shredded but I wanted a second opinion since I have never had the opportunity to see it myself. I certainly didn't want to attempt sewing her core back together without guidance."

Mistmane nodded, "It is a very difficult and delicate process that will leave even you drained, my dear. You did well to come to us before you attempted it."

Meadowbrook leaned into Tally's side with a proud smile, "You most certainly identified the shredded core correctly, little one. This one appears particularly bad but I would think that part of that would be the strain of being magically bound to the moon for a thousand years." she nuzzled Tally's ear, "I do not doubt that you will be able to sew her core back together successfully. You will be able to save her months of healing time."

Tally gave a determined nod, "I'm ready."

Starswirl stood up and nudged Celestia, "Come little sun, we would only be a distraction for them. You can trust Tally with your sister." Celestia gave her sister one more perusal as Mistmane and Meadowbrook lectured Tally on the procedure before she stood and followed after Starswirl, the two pegasi members of the Pillars going with her. "You can take off your armor Celestia, nothing will harm you here." her teacher continued as he led her out to the front of the cave, "We have fresh water preserved in the cave crystals if you are thirsty."

"I'll get you some," Somnambula said kindly.

Celestia nodded in thanks and took her time freeing herself from her armor and stretching out to revel in the feel of her fur being free of the heavy metal. Once her armor was off she focused her magic on it and sent it, as well as her ax, back to Canterlot Castle to be cleaned and repaired. She led herself through her breathing exercises as she pulled her flowing mane from the braid Cadence had put it in. Celestia shook her mane out just as Somnambula placed a simple carved wooden mug full of water on one of the tables next to her. "Thank you."

"Of course," Somnabula said with a respectful tilt of her head, flying over to lay down next to Starswirl and Flash Magnus.

Celestia sank down until her stomach was flat on the ground and sighed, "Much better." she lifted the mug and took a deep drink from it, closing her eyes happily at the clear cold liquid.

Starswirl was smiling at her when she opened her eyes again and set the mug down, "Go on Celestia. I know you have questions."

"The real question is which one first." Celestia mused, dragging her hoof idly through the soil floor. "Is it possible to save you from Limbo?"

"Yes." Starswirl answered calmly, "Tally will do it."

"She promised!" Flash Magnus grinned, "It is her great quest to go on when she leaves here."

Celestia nodded slowly, "Who is she?"

"She is Tally Reed, the future Embodiment of Harmony." Starswirl answered, "Before that, we are not actually sure."

"But how did she come to be here?" Celestia frowned, "She said fate brought her here when she was two weeks old."

"It did." Somnambula agreed, "We don't know how but the timberwolves brought a little, injured foal to the tree eighteen years ago. It woke us up. We have no idea where she came from. Her parents never came looking for her though. So we raised her ourselves."

"And she hasn't left the forest in all this time?" Celestia asked with a huff, "We met a serpent on the walk from the castle who said she hadn't but surely in the time she's been here she's left at least once. At least to go to to the nearby town."

Starswirl sighed, "No, Tally has not left the outer treeline of the Everfree Forest in her eighteen years. We think it is a combination of things that have kept her here. Her attachment to us, the safety she feels here, the small group of friends that live in the forest or venture into it, and a few other bits."

"Those, and the one time she ventured to the treeline along the nearest town there was a bit of an incident." Flash inserted with a wince, "She was jumpy for a month afterword but all she said was that there had been a loud squeal, a flash of pink, and then there was something exploding in her face. When she teleported back to the cave, she climbed the tree and refused to come down for hours." he shook his head, "She's been extra wary of leaving ever since."

Celestia had a quiet moment of inner hysteria as she connected the dots with her own knowledge, 'The Element of Laughter gave the future Embodiment of Harmony PTSD.'

Starswirl nodded, "It is actually fortuitous that she found you." he said, drawing her attention back in, "We thought the time was coming soon but the events of last night prove that it's time."

"I agree." Somnambula hummed, "For her to be able to subdue a corrupted alicorn and then banish the corruption from her without a scratch or even the beginning signs of magical strain." she looked to Starswirl, "We've taught her all we can in our current forms. She is ready."

"Ready for..." Celestia prompted, she already had a good idea of where this was going but she wanted confirmation.

"When she first came to us and we found that she was naturally in tune with the Harmonic forces we received visions of the future." 'Okay, maybe not quite what I was expecting.' Celestia thought, still focusing on Starswirl as he continued. "We saw many things that came to pass while she grew up under our care but the last half of what we were shown was Tally as an alicorn. She is truly the Embodiment of Harmony, an opposite to Discord. She will keep the balance in check."

"I see..." Celestia said, not really surprised by the ascension possibility after what she'd been told and what she had already seen. "Why would her finding us be a good thing?"

Somnambula and Flash traded a heavy look while Starswirl sighed, "To trigger her ascension in these copy forms we will lose our ability to walk with her daily, to manifest at all really. I've calculated everything so that our memories will be preserved for our physical selves to absorb when we are saved and so that we can help keep the Everfree from going out of control but beyond those to things we will essentially be abandoning her." Somnambula dropped her head low, "It will be a big change, not only to herself but her way of life and her support system. She will need you and Luna to help her." Starswirl sighed, "As much as I hesitate to encourage this, it may be best for you to force her out of the forest for a while."

Celestia raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure that's wise?"

The bearded stallion gave a low chuckle, "I hate to admit this but in many aspects, she is just like me. Tally needs new things to focus on and discover or she can get caught in herself and lose sight of what's important. Needing to figure out the rest of the world will keep her from wallowing in the darker emotions or obsessing so much with bringing us back from Limbo that she misses something and ends up hurting herself." he looked Celestia in the eye, "I'm not telling you to completely cut her off from the forest, she is much too attached to it and will fight to get back to it, but she needs something to split her focus so she doesn't burn herself out."

The alabaster alicorn nodded slowly before smiling at her teacher, "I promise to take good care of her, Starswirl." her smile turned a little bit wry, "And with her preference for the night I'm sure Luna will latch onto her quite quickly."

Starswirl chuckled, "Yes, Tally does enjoy the night far more than the daytime. One would think she was allergic to sunlight."

"That's what Steven Magnet said." Celestia laughed, the others joined in as the heavy subjects fell to the wayside for the moment.

"Celestia." came Mistmane's soothing voice, the alicorn looked over to where the unicorn stood by the tree, "Tally is almost done. I'm sure you've had quite the night. You may want to lay down with you sister and Tally."

"That would be wonderful." Celestia agreed, climbing to her hooves once again.

"That was faster than I thought it would be," Flash commented.

Somnambula beamed, "That's our Tally."

Starswirl chuckled with a proud expression on his face, "Indeed, she is a wonder."

Celestia smiled at them before walking back around the tree, taking her saddlebags with her.

She found Tally laying with her barrel pressed against Luna's side and her head bowed over Luna's back. Her horn was glowing and her eyes were closed as her face scrunched up in concentration. 'Cute,' Celestia hummed internally as she moved down into the moss filled indent and pressed into Luna's other side. Celestia gave Tally another glance now that she was closer and could see the signs of large magical expenditure; the throbbing veins and the beads of sweat, the subtle tremors and the minute fluctuation of her horn aura.

Very suddenly, Tally let out a gusty breath and her horn aura died out. Between Celestia and Tally, Luna let out a deep sigh and went completely boneless against the mossy floor.

Tally opened her eyes and gave Celestia a strained smile, "Done."

Celestia gave her a soft smile in return, "I can not thank you enough Tally Reed. You've given me my sister back and for that, I will forever be in your debt."

Tally shook her head before giving a big yawn, "You do not owe me anything. I would help anyone in need if I had the power to do so." she shuffled a bit so she could lay her head down next to Luna's with another yawn, "Sleep time now." she muttered, her eyes already fluttering closed.

Celestia gave a quiet laugh and ran her magic over Tally to clean away the sweat and ease any muscle aches that the magical expenditure may have caused. She did the same with Luna before pulling a light blanket out of her saddlebags. She used her magic to shake it out and drape it over the three of them before she laid her head down, following the younger two into sleep.

The Pillars kept watch over the trio.

Starswirl smiled down at them, "Sleep well, my daughters."