//------------------------------//
// Dogpile 
// Story: Never Alone 
// by SoloBrony 
//------------------------------//





Balancing on two legs is tricky enough without throwing all of this crazy stuff into it. Oh well, here goes!

"Like this?"

I dropped down on one leg and swept out, and the momentum carried me back up to standing quite easily. Altogether, I felt quite graceful, despite the freaky human form I was in.

Sunset clapped gently, but Rainbow Dash shook her head.

"That's really close, Cozy, but you have to go all the way down to your hip. If you lie down while doing it, you can draw a lot more power from the ground. Watch, I'll show you. Go ahead and try it again."

Rainbow Dash walked up to stand right in front of me. I bit my lip and focused; if she thought she could keep standing with that kind of kick, she had another thing coming!

I dropped down and swept out again, and my whole body rattled when my shin connected with her calf, stopping me cold. I took a second to shake my head and get my eyes to stop rattling around. Dash nodded confidently.

"See? Once you make contact, all of the power goes out of it. I mean, if your opponent is already unbalanced it can totally work, but if you want a sweep that is basically guaranteed to work on someone bigger than you it's going to have to be the lie-down version. You can still pop back up if you just kick hard enough."

I pulled back into a sitting position and rubbed my shin, listening intently. "Alright. I think I get it. As a pony, I'm used to having a really low center of gravity to work from. This human form is big on agility, but it's just so unstable. I keep thinking I'll have a lot more power than I really do."

Rainbow Dash just laughed at that. "That's what makes human martial arts so awesome! Though, I'd love to go see what kinds of stuff ponies have invented someday. You two will take me, right?"

Sunset and I shared a look, and we both shrugged. She was the one who commented, saying, "I don't see why not, though we should probably warn ponies first that there will be another Rainbow Dash walking around."

Dash fist-pumped. "Aww yeah! Alright, get back in your stance, Cozy! Take it from the top."

I stood up and took my stance, though I tended to hunch a bit more than the other students; I was just so determined to get a little more stability out of these human postures!

"You're sure you'll be okay, Dash?"

Rainbow nodded. "Don't worry, I've taken plenty of spills on this mat. I'll be just fine."

I closed my eyes and concentrated. This is a ground move. Get your human body to act like a pony; you want to get down to the ground, draw your power from it, and whip around. I've been in plenty of real fights! I just need to loosen up and treat this like that!

I took in a sharp breath, and then started to let it out slowly, feeling my whole body relax. As soon as I felt the tension go out of my legs, I started the movement, dropping straight down so fast I'd get hurt, but the kicking motion itself dragged me slightly away from the ground, mitigating the impact. I was back up and on my feet so quickly I barely registered contact with the mat.

I blinked. Wait, where's Rainbow—

"Oof! Wow! That was perfect! Great job, Cozy!"

I looked down to the source of the voice in confusion, and saw Rainbow Dash brushing herself off with a big grin on her face. Sunset walked up clapping. "Very impressive, Cozy! It took me a good bit longer to learn all of these moves."

I smiled at that, though I felt my cheeks burning. Stupid human skin, so sensitive! There's no fur to cover it up, either!

"Well, I mean, I have a lot of practice fighting, and training for fights..."

Dash hopped up and grinned wildly at me. "That's what Sunset's been telling us! You're some kind of superhero, right? You've gotta fill me in on all of that!"

I held up a hand and shook my head, though I couldn't get the grin off of my face. "I just used to be one, I haven't been able to do any of that since I lost my powers!"

Dash laughed at that, rolling her eyes. "Come on, we all know superheroes never stay de-powered unless they get married or something. I'm sure you'll be back at it in no time!"

I wanted to retort, but I couldn't. 

After all, based on the comics I'd read, she was right.

So I just settled for a shrug. "Well, I guess we'll see, huh? I'm sure trying. And in the meantime, I can learn an entire new type of martial arts whenever I come over here to visit Sunset!"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Soon, Dash will be seeing more of you than I do. Come on, let's go get cleaned up and get you back to Equestria."

The three of us started making our way to the lockers, trading small talk in the process. Dash caught me up short with a question, though.

"So, do you train like this over in Equestria with the other me? Is she a good instructor?"

I grimaced at that, looking away. "Actually... she doesn't really want anything to do with me, anymore. We were friends back when I was a superhero, but, well..."

Rainbow facepalmed. "Oh, right, the weird time-reset-thing you went through. So, what, you befriended her once but can't do it again?"

"Well... I kind-of befriended her when neither of us knew who I was. This time, she does know, I'm not a superhero, and she clearly remembers all of the awful things I did to her friends."

Rainbow grumbled as she retrieved her street clothes out of her locker. "Yeah, well, she's missing out. You're a real fighter, and it's clear you're trying to do better. I can't imagine how boring my life would be if I didn't give Sunset a chance because we had bad blood between us; she should think about that."

Sunset sighed. "She doesn't have a Sunset Shimmer to think about, Dash. They don't even know me over there – or, well, barely."

Dash rolled her eyes. "Come on, they must have some other folks who have done bad things and turned over a new leaf in Equestria, right?"

I nodded hurriedly. "Oh, yeah! Plenty. Luna, Discord, Starlight Glimmer, apparently even Trixie at some point..."

Dash held up her hands in a 'see what I mean?' gesture. It took me a second to figure out what it was supposed to be with hands instead of hooves. "See?! So what's the big deal?"

"Well... actually, that Rainbow isn't really close friends with any of those people. Starlight would be the closest of the bunch, but..."

Dash considered that, cupping her chin. A sly grin formed on her face. "Is that so? Hm. Well, we'll just see about that."

I raised an eyebrow in immediate suspicion. "Uh, Dash? What are you planning?"

Rainbow just shook her head. "Nuh-uh! Secret friendship plans stay secret until they stop being plans!"

Sunset and I both just stared at her. Dash looking between us. "What? Pinkie says it sometimes."

I facepalmed. "Of course she does."

I decided to let it go as I retrieved my clothing and headed to the changing stalls. I still couldn't get over how prevalent clothing was over here. Armor was one thing, but wearing clothes all the time...

It really made me uncomfortable.

Well, there's a reason for that, isn't there?

Not going there, right now. I'm supposed to be having fun with Sunset. Come on, focus!

I got changed in silence, and soon the three of us were on the walk back to Canterlot High. Sunset was the first one to speak among us.

"So, Cozy. Speaking of getting your powers back, I know you were putting effort into that... any luck?"

I shrugged, surprised by how little concern I felt about it. "Not yet, but it's a work in progress. I've been studying magic with Celestia, practicing alchemy with Applebloom, learning stage magic from Trixie, brushing up on martial arts... it's been a lot, even as-is. If I had power again I could use it way better than I did before."

Rainbow Dash clapped me on the back and grinned at me. "See, that's where the whole 'de-powered hero' stories really shine! The hero learns stuff they never would have if they still had their powers, and then they're all totally awesome once they get them back!"

I grinned back. "I hope so. Life isn't just like a comic book, but that would be really cool. And power really can distract you from putting in the work you need to improve in other areas."

Sunset barked out a laugh. "Tell me about it! I was so obsessed with magical power when I was younger, it pretty much blocked everything else out. I'm actually happier without it."

I mimicked Rainbow's gesture, laughing and clapping Sunset on the back. "Well you're so awesome you don't even need—Sunset?"

Sunset had frozen in place on contact with me, her eyes glowing white. I leaned back in surprise, but Dash's arm caught my shoulder and braced me.

"Don't worry, Cozy. That's just Sunset's 'thing'. Give her a sec."

Thing? What thing? Sunset has a thing? That's Equestrian magic!

Sunset's eyes stopped glowing, and she staggered slightly before steadying herself. I just looked between her and Rainbow, and I saw Sunset grimacing at me.

"Sorry, Cozy. I, uh, I should have mentioned that I do still have a little bit of magic, here. It's connected to this geode..." she tapped her necklace. I frowned slightly.

"Oh, so you have an artifact. I guess that makes sense. But what happened? Did I hurt you?"

"No! No, no, I'm fine. It's just, sometimes, when I touch someone, I get a sort of... imprint of them. Of their memories. Usually whatever is on their mind at the time."

I froze on the spot. "You, uh... you read minds?"

Oh no. Nopony deserves to be forced to take a look at this mess.

Sunset held up a hand and grimaced. "I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional, it just—"

"I'm not worried about that! Are you okay? I, uh, it wasn't anything really bad was it?"

Sunset paused, and lowered her hand. "No... no, it was fine. I just saw you, um, hanging out with your brother."

I felt a sensation like an anvil dropping in my gut, and froze on the spot.

She saw my... old family?

Sunset and I just stared at each other for a few seconds, and I realized she was worried she had offended me. I quashed my thoughts and sucked in a breath.

"Okay. Well, let's keep going."

I thumbed over at the school – one of the perks of the human form – and got moving, quickly. It took a couple of seconds for the other two to catch up. Sunset fidgeted, but I waved a hand at her.

"Don't worry about it."

"Really...? Because—"

"I don't like talking about it. I don't like thinking about it. But you didn't mean to dig into that, and I'm not mad at you. Accidents happen. Anyway, it's not important anymore."

I could tell she didn't like that. I knew she wouldn't before I even said it. But she still kept quiet about it, and I was grateful for that.

At that point it was all I could do to quash all of the memories trying to come back at me at once.

I'm supposed to be having fun with Sunset. Come on, come on, focus, focus!

"So, uh, Sunset? You said you couldn't come over to Equestria too often, but it's fine if I visit like this, right?"

Sunset fidgeted. "Well, everyone in the school knows about the portal, so at this point it's not like we need to keep it too much of a secret. Still, we try to keep it closed most of the time, to prevent accidents and problems... but yeah, it should be okay to come through as long as you let Starlight know, first. She's the one running the castle now, after all. Eheheh..."

Okay, awkward, but progress!

We reached the portal at that point, and I stood next to it as I spoke.

"Okay, great! Well, I had a lot of fun tonight, so I'll want to do this again soon. I mean, as long as you're up for it too, Dash?"

Dash, who had grown quiet ever since things got awkward, perked up at that. "You know it! Any time!"

I smiled at her and turned back to Sunset, who reached out for my shoulder, but then pulled her hand back and dropped it.

She's worried I don't trust her to touch me.

Well, you don't.

Oh yeah?

I stepped up and gave her a hug. I almost threw us both to the ground – stupid unstable human frame – and I heard an 'oof' come from her, but I could tell she was smiling when I felt her hands on my neck and back and heard her voice.

"Take care, Cozy. I had fun, too. See you next time."





Rainbow Dash leaned on the frame of the portal shortly after Cozy stepped through, staring at me hard. "What was that all about? What happened with her brother?"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "I have no idea! They seemed happy in the memory I saw!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Then why all the sudden drama?! I thought something awful must have happened!"

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. "That's just it, Dash. She never talks about her family. She acts like they never existed, and she hates it whenever someone brings them up. Something awful must have happened, but I have no idea what, or what to do about it. If we should do anything at all!"

Dash chewed her cheek and raised an eyebrow at me, watching me for a few seconds. I finally just sighed and flopped my hands to my sides. "What?"

"Sunset, I know you're really concerned and all, but all I saw tonight was a happy young girl who is really trying to go places with her life. And yeah, she got into superheroics or whatever, and she was a villain before that, but that's not really a big deal in our group."

My mouth opened, and then flew shut as I scratched my head. "Huh."

"Yeah, see what I mean? So I don't really get why you want to go poking in her oh-so-mysterious bad past, or whatever. I mean, I know you have your reasons, and I'm not saying you shouldn't, just... that's what it looks like to me."

I smiled and scratched the back of my head as I thought it over. "Well... you're not wrong, Dash. And I'm not really that eager to dig into her past, I just want to make sure she's really alright."

Dash shrugged with a grin. "Seemed pretty strong to me. The way you'd talked about her, I expected her to go to pieces at the drop of a hat, but she barely missed a beat when you accidentally dug into her head. I think even I would have freaked out more about that. So what's there to worry about?"

I sighed, folding my hands behind my head and looking at the stars as I tried to put it into words. "I just can't shake the feeling that she's like a cracked sculpture. She seems strong and stable, but if just the wrong thing happens..."

Dash huffed. "What, she'll snap? I dunno, Sunset. I mean, you know her better than I do, but she seems like she's got her sights set straight forward like a train. Hard to imagine what it would take to make her veer off-course."

My mind brought up the image of a damaged rail-line causing a train to go flying into a ravine, but I pushed the imagery down. Dash is right. If I let this eat at me, it will just make it harder to be there for Cozy and make things worse in the first place. We should let things be until she's properly settled.

I sighed and smiled. "Yeah, I think you've got the right idea. You know how I can get; stuck on an idea until I've explored it completely."

Dash snickered. "I remember your pony-up lab tests, yeah. But hey, if you want to help Cozy, you should help me with my totally awesome secret friendship plan!"

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I thought it had to stay secret?"

"Duh, that's why you'll have to keep it secret!"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Oh, is that all? Alright, so what's the plan?"

Dash leaned against the base of the mascot statue and smirked at me. "Oh, it's nothing big. I just want to head over to Equestria and have a chat with other-me. Strictly Dash-Dash business, you understand."

I smirked back at her. "You realize she's kicked a dragon in the face and saved Equestria multiple times, right? I don't think you're going to be able to just tell her to be friends with Cozy and have it stick."

Dash closed her eyes and held her hands out. "Sunset, Sunset, you underestimate me. We Dashes, we speak a language all our own."

I snickered. "You realize I have actually met her, right? I technically know her better than you do."

"Pfft. You know what I think of technicalities. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

I rolled my eyes again and flopped my hands down as I shook my head. "Alright, Dash. We'll give it a try. Just don't start an interdimensional incident, okay?"

Dash snorted. "Who wants that kind of paperwork? That would involve paperwork, right?"

I facepalmed, laughing. "Oh yes, I'm sure. Lots and lots of forms to read and sign."

"Well then, I guess you can trust me to be on my best behavior!"

I thumbed over to a nearby cafe. "Alright, hero. You want to get something to eat before I write to Starlight about your friendship plan?"

Dash's stomach rumbled audibly. She stared at it, and then looked back to me. "I'm thinking 'yes' on the food thing."

We started off towards the cafe, and had made it to the sidewalk before I heard the sound of the portal activating behind me. I called out in surprise. "Cozy? Forgot something?"

Starlight Glimmer rounded the portal base, following the sound of my voice, to my surprise.

"Oh, good, you're still here! Sunset, we need to talk about Cozy. Can you spare a few minutes?"

She gestured back at the portal, and I realized she wanted us to follow her through. I raised an eyebrow, confused. "Can't we discuss it here? Or, at the diner we were heading to?"

Starlight grimaced. "Well, we could, but there's—"

I heard the portal go off again, and I walked around to see what was going on. Twilight was standing there with Celestia – dressed in a tasteful and elegant white ballgown that was absolutely not like anything I'd seen the principal wear – looking around at Canterlot High. Twilight stuck her hands on her hips and smiled. "Barely changed!"

Starlight groaned. "... other ponies who want to discuss it, too."

I looked at everyone there, my eyes widening. "Why would Twilight and Celestia be here? Did something bad happen?"

Starlight smiled uneasily. Oh, no. What did you do?

I was about to give voice to my question when the portal shimmered, and Luna stepped through, wearing a killer blue dress that shimmered in the moonlight. I sighed.

"This way, everypony."

Starlight laughed uneasily as I began leading the entourage to the diner.





Starlight was laughing uneasily, sitting across from me in the diner.

I did not feel any amusement whatsoever.

I am not amused.

"I am not amused, Starlight Glimmer."

I slowly raised my hands and set them on the table, steepling my fingers. I wasn't sure if this was the gesture I was going for, but it seemed appropriate.

"Sunset Shimmer informed you of an errant memory of my daughter's that she inadvertently saw. She gave you the information necessary to find Cozy Glow's birth parents. You then did so, without informing me of any of this, and in so doing informed her abusive birth-mother that she was no longer, in fact, entrapped in stone. She then made it abundantly clear to you that she fully intends to reconnect with my daughter, and you stalled for time by saying you needed to confer with Twilight Sparkle in regards to the, as it turns out, entirely legitimate removal of her children. Have I left anything out?"

Starlight sighed and cast her gaze down at the table, rubbing her forehead. "Only the part where I promised Sunset I'd make sure to keep Cozy safe in the process and then blew it. Think that's everything."

I stared daggers at the woman across from me, but started slightly when I felt Celestia's hand on my back. Her voice carried to me softly, those dulcet tones she used whenever she needed to quell an argument.

"Sister, you and I both know Starlight only wished to help Cozy. While I am also displeased at how this has been handled—" the slight increase in tension from her hand and ever-so-slight emphasis in her sentence was sufficient to tell me that her 'displeasure' took the form of 'wrath that would lay waste to a kingdom unchecked' "—we must accept this honest mistake for what it is. Besides which, Starlight intends to go and see this 'Bright Eyes' again in a couple of days, and I doubt we will have difficulty keeping her away from Cozy Glow if it comes down to it."

I sighed slightly in relief, feeling the support of my sister both physically and emotionally. It reassured me greatly to know she was on my side in this, and I felt some of my own anger at this turn of events ebb in turn.

"Very well. And I do appreciate your intentions, Starlight Glimmer. But in matters concerning my daughter, you will keep me informed in the future."

Starlight nodded hurriedly, her expression pained. "Of course! Honestly, I meant to tell you before, but between being swamped with the school and the lead on Dodge City coming up last-minute, I didn't think it would do any harm to stop by and speak with the mare first. I should have taken Sunset's warning more seriously."

I considered this, watching the woman closely for a few moments before responding. I knew it would serve no purpose but to harm her for me to push any further, and I decided to relent. "I do appreciate how difficult it can be to balance one's duties to both station and personal matters. I believe you will grow into the role you have been given, in time, Starlight. Such mistakes are natural."

Starlight took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. "Thank you, Princess. As much as I'd like to spend some time getting to know the 'new' Cozy Glow, I just haven't had the time to focus on one ex-student; we still have a school full of them, and with midterms coming up... it's been a lot."

Celestia laughed slightly at that. "Oh, yes. New faculty and midterms; I do remember that recurring catastrophe. Just remember, Starlight; everypony goes through it, and it will pass."

I smirked. The memory of one particularly bad semester came to me; Celestia, with her mane still a mess from bed, struggling to stay awake through breakfast, and her aide Raven begging me to assist with her duties for the day.

But now is not the time.

I took a stiff breath, wiping the expression from my face, and turned my gaze towards Sunset. The girl had been quiet, hugging her jacket around herself and staying in the corner of the booth. She watched the street through the diner window, seemingly oblivious to our conversation. I cleared my throat. "Sunset?"

Sunset slowly turned to look to me. There was a depth of concern in her eyes I found unsettling. "Mm? Yes, Princess?"

"What are your thoughts on all of this?"

Sunset hesitated, and then shrugged, exhaling sharply. "I don't really know what to make of it. I didn't get a good enough look at Cozy's memories to know for sure what happened; just that there was a lot of pain she was trying to forget. I've never seen memories that distorted or buried before..."

She sighed and looked back out of the window, continuing in a lower tone. "Should I have dug deeper? Should I just leave it alone? I really don't know."

I lowered my hands, watching the girl intently. "I cannot claim to fully understand your power, Sunset, but your reaction to all of this surprises me. If you will forgive me for saying so, you seem far more concerned than I would think was warranted."

Rainbow Dash leaned over the booth divider behind Sunset, where she and Twilight seemed to be racing each other to eat a more obscene amount of food. "That's what I told her! So Cozy's got some nasty baggage, so what? She seems happy enough now!"

I frowned at that. "While I don't agree with the blasé attitude, I must concede Rainbow Dash's general point. Sunset?"

Sunset raised her hands as though holding an object, turning back to face me and grimacing. "It's like... I don't know how to express it. When I use my power, I share the feelings of the person whose memories I view. And in Cozy's case, it wasn't just old pain or bad memories, but more like a... dread." Sunset dropped her hands and shook her head. "It's sort of like a nightmare, just under the surface, just waiting for her to look at it. Even her happy memory of her brother seemed tainted by it. And I guess I just haven't shaken off that dread, yet. Just coming into contact with it was pretty bad, so I don't know how she handles having it in there all the time."

The entire table was quiet for a few moments, before Dash – still leaning over the divider, and now staring at Sunset with wide eyes – broke the silence. "Whoa. Dude, you did not mention that before."

Sunset threw her hands up in frustration. "I didn't know how! I've never dealt with this before. I don't even know what this is. And I hate that it hangs over us every time I try to hang out with her! I like hanging out with her! But ever since that first time I saw her memories, I've just been on edge, wondering if something is going to go horribly wrong. Now I know how Celestia used to feel dealing with me!"

Sunset turned back to look out the window, a stern frown on her face, and silence descended on the table again. I struggled to think of what to say, what I could possibly express to bridge the gap in our feelings, but no words came to me.

Then Twilight's voice echoed from the next booth over. "Hah! First to ten! Pay up, Dash!"

Sunset facepalmed and laughed despite herself at that, and the tension over us all broke.

The rest of the evening passed by far more amicably, as we focused on more pleasant topics. I was pleased to see Twilight and Sunset Shimmer catching up; I knew all too well how the duties of rulership can strain friendships, but Twilight was putting forth a significant effort in that regard, even with a friend as distant as Sunset Shimmer.

Inwardly, I also wished to see more of Twilight, but there would be all the time in the world for us to catch up after she had settled into her new role. Instead, much of my attention was spent in discussion with Starlight Glimmer. As it happened, she had taken a keen interest in dream magic, and I was more than happy to share my insights with her on the topic. We were so caught up in our discussion that I only barely noticed when Sunset and Celestia lagged behind our troupe as we approached the portal once more.

I glanced between them and Starlight, and gestured for her to go on. "I will be along shortly; I wish to support my sister in this."

Starlight looked past me to where Sunset and Celestia were engaged in discussion, and then nodded to me. "Yeah... I get the feeling that's been a long time coming. I'll see you on the other side."

Inexperienced, perhaps, but she must be credited for her awareness.

I moved over to my sister's side, just in time to hear the tail end of her conversation with Sunset.

"... I don't want you to think I saw you that way, Sunset."

"Sorry, Princess. I know that wasn't exactly tactful of me, it's just—"

My sister held her hand out to Sunset, face neutral. Sunset trailed off as she looked at the hand, then back to Celestia, and I saw comprehension dawn on her.

"Are you saying you want me to...?"

Sunset reached up uncertainly, and my sister nodded. The young girl tentatively took Celestia's hand in hers, and her eyes shot wide and glowed white, while my sister merely closed her eyes and lost herself in thought. I swiftly moved beside Sunset, anticipating the need.

It took only a few moments, but I had seen Sunset's power many times over the past few moons; I knew that for the process to take this long meant she was taking in a truly staggering amount of information. In a literal sense, for when the spell ended, Sunset's knees buckled; I caught her, balancing the young girl on my arms until she shook herself free from her reverie enough to stand. She nodded her thanks to me before turning back to Celestia, who opened her eyes and smiled down at her softly.

Sunset stammered for a few moments before she managed to speak. "Oh, Celestia, I didn't know—I had no idea..."

My sister shrugged – most uncharacteristic of her, I noted, but it was a trying moment – and spoke softly. "It's over, now. It's okay, Sunset."

Sunset surged forward to embrace her former mentor, and I let out a deep sigh of relief.

One does not need to spend long around either of these two to understand the folly of letting pride get in the way of love.

The two embraced for some time, while I simply folded my arms, smiled, and waited. Twilight and Starlight had already passed through the portal, while Rainbow Dash had already left for her home; the only one to bear witness to the end of this years-long foolishness was me, but I felt that was just as well.

At length, the two parted, and Sunset looked up at my sister with tears streaming down her face.

"I never meant to put you through all of that. I didn't believe... I didn't think you even cared. I'm so sorry."

Celestia frowned and shook her head. "Sunset, what I wanted you to see was that even when our relationship was strained, I always loved you. You were never simply a burden to me, and I should never have lost my temper with you. We hurt each other, and I want us to move past that now."

Sunset smiled widely, nodding, and clasped my sister's hands in hers. My sister smiled back, and they stayed like that another few moments before Sunset let her go, and bashfully started wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a mess, heh."

My sister snickered. "You know full well I was no better after those same memories. If it's... not too much trouble, would you be comfortable with my visiting you here, from time to time?"

Sunset's laughter rang out over the empty courtyard, and brought a smile to my face. "Of course! Of course! I never thought you would want to!"

I laughed at that, catching their attention and rolling my eyes. "Oh, my sister has wanted to do so since you first ran away, Sunset! She simply never worked up the nerve to broach the subject."

My sister was aghast, her indifferent facade shattered. "Luna!"

I shook my head and strode towards the portal, waving her after me. "Come, sister. The portal cannot remain open all night, and you can come back whenever you wish."

I heard my sister's disgruntled muttering behind me and smiled broadly as I stepped through the portal, careful not to trip over myself as I emerged on the other side. My sister stepped through as well, sparing me one haughty glance before a 'Hmph!', complete with hair-toss. I kept pace with her as she tried to strut away, and bumped my haunch against hers, eliciting a gasp.

She stared at me incredulously for a moment, and I just smirked at her. "It is, as they say, about damned time, sister."

For a moment, I thought Celestia would bury me with one of her classic retorts. Instead, my eyes shot wide as she pressed into me, wrapping me in those enormous wings of hers and pressing her muzzle into my barrel. I heard a mixture of laughter and sobbing coming from her, and slowly wrapped my hooves around her, pulling her tight. I sighed and smiled as I spoke softly into her ear.

"I was wondering how long you could keep it up."

"Sh—shut up, Lulu."

I spied Starlight coming around the corner, a hoof raised and mouth open. She spotted what was happening and just slowly set her hoof down with a smile.

Credit for awareness, indeed.

Starlight just mouthed 'about damned time' silently to me, and crept away silently.

As I held my sister, I reflected on the incredible good fortune our family had found in the past decade. Where Celestia once stood alone, carrying the burden of an entire country on her back, she now had her sister, I now had a daughter, she had reconnected with the closest thing she had to a daughter herself... and we had both begun to make new friends.

"You're no longer alone, sister."

Celestia shuddered, pulling me tighter.