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





Shortly after getting home, Cozy gave a loud yawn, stretching out for extra emphasis.

"I think I'm going to get some sleep. Don't worry about me, I just need a little time to think."

Is it really for the best to leave her to her own devices for now?

I furrowed a brow in concern and nuzzled her.

“Are you absolutely sure? I can stay with you, if you wish.”

She waved a hoof at me, trying to seem relaxed, but it was clear she was still very tense.

“It’s fine, Mom. I mean… it’s not really fine, but just let me work through it. I know I can come to you if I need to.”

She is putting on a brave face for me, but will she really be alright?

Well, I suppose I do understand the need for time to oneself to sort through issues.

I gently tousled her hair.

“You were brave today, Cozy. Many ponies never find the courage to stand up to the ones closest to them.”

She snorted as she trotted up the stairs. “Well, that was my secret. I got closer to a lot of better ponies, so she doesn’t seem quite so important any more.”

I couldn't keep the smile from my face at her warm words, and she smiled back at me before ascending the staircase. And with that, I was left to my own thoughts.

Those streaks in her wings, paired with what I was told by Starlight... it seems Cozy is both more powerful and more disturbed than we had thought.

I fretted, chewing my lip, and I felt a nervous episode coming on. I took a deep breath and grit my teeth.

I need to focus. This is not within my area of experience. Well... I have some experience with dark magic, but it will hardly help here. I need to consult with somepony else, but who?

My thoughts went to the other pony closest to Cozy.

My niece. She lives in the human world... perhaps I should check with her? She could certainly offer me more insight, provided she didn't feel it was a violation of Cozy's privacy.

I struggled with that for a moment, but in the end my concern for my daughter won out. I grabbed my saddlebags in my magic and headed for the crystal castle, surprised to find it still empty; at first, I thought I would need to wait for Starlight Glimmer to return, but I was surprised to find the portal already active.

I suppose Sunset already made it back through. In that case, it shouldn't be too hard to find her, right? I believe I recall her describing where she lives.

I passed through the mirror portal, taking care to stand on my hind legs as I did so, and emerged into a crisp, cool night. I took a deep breath of the fresh air, and took stock of my surroundings. The school was closed, of course, but I spied a dim light shining from one of the windows on the side.

Ah! Some sort of night guard? Perhaps they can assist me.

I strode over to the window and gently rapped on it, hoping not to spook whomever was on the other side. The blinds were pulled up, and I stared at the person on the other side. She did the same.

I looked down at my outfit; a flowing, blue dress with a star pattern. I looked at hers; a casual sweater and trousers.

Not a mirror, then.

I facepalmed at the same time she did. It seems I have hit back upon my knack for making things awkward.

The other woman – Luna, I supposed – pointed at the front door, and walked away from the window and out of her office. I made my way to the door, and in short order she had unlocked the door and looked me up and down. I grimaced, about to apologize, but she spoke first.

"Is it 'meet your doubles' night, or something?"

I stammered. "E-excuse me? I don't know what you mean."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "First, Sunset brought a copy of my sister through the portal, and the three of them left me here to finish the paperwork. Now you've shown up – I presume you are the Equestrian version of me? Luna?"

She stared at me expectantly, and I drew myself up, digesting this new information. "I am Princess Luna, yes. You said my sister came through earlier?"

She nodded stiffly. "She did indeed. I believe she intends to spend some time with Sunset Shimmer. The two are, I gathered, reconnecting."

I smiled at that, a sense of warmth growing in me. "That's fantastic! A-ahem, I'm glad to hear that they've finally started to move past their differences. Erm, could you tell me where they went? I had actually wanted to speak with Sunset Shimmer about something this evening – although..."

I chewed my lip and glanced away. "I suppose if she is reconnecting with my sister, I should leave them to it..."

The other Luna cocked her head. "It must be something important for you to have come here in search of her."

I looked back to her, debating in my mind whether I should trust her. But then again...

If anypony could understand, it would be her, would it not? Or anycreature, in this case, I suppose.

"It is regarding my daughter... I could use some perspective on how to deal with her problems."

She seemed taken aback by that, holding a hand up to her chest in surprise. "You have a daughter? I..."

I nodded sheepishly, smiling. "I adopted her recently. Her name is Cozy Glow."

She stared at me for a few seconds, rubbing her chin, and then opened the door wider. "Why don't you come inside? I think I would like to hear more about this."

Well, I suppose it's not as if I can speak with Sunset this evening, so it could not hurt to get the perspective of my double, could it?

We passed through the halls of the school in silence, coming to stop at an area I identified as a faculty lounge. We took seats at a small card table and the other Luna steepled her fingers much as I had the last time I came through the portal, eliciting a grin from me.

A-ha! So that IS the gesture I was looking for!

The other Luna quirked an eyebrow at me, but seemed to discount the odd face I'd made. "So. What seems to be the trouble with your daughter?"

I leaned back, considering where to even begin. "I suppose I should explain beginning with the first time she caused an incident..."

What followed was the most succinct recap of Cozy's exploits and experiences I could manage, ending in what had occurred this evening. My counterpart only interrupted to ask a few simple questions about magic in Equestria, filling in the blanks. After I had finished, she leaned back, contemplative.

"I see. So you say she seems to have been using this dark magic, but also that she channeled the power of love, at the same time?"

I nodded, folding my arms and leaning back as well. "I don't know what it says for her mental well-being..."

My counterpart gave a nonchalant shrug, surprising me. "I'd say it indicates she's an emotional, traumatized teenager. Based on what you've described, it sounds like she hates herself, her past, and her birth-mother; combine that with her sense of inadequacy now that she's been stripped of her power and purpose, and her fear of losing what she has left, and I'm not surprised that a magic fueled by those same two emotions – hatred and fear – would show up."

I blinked a few times, slowly cupping my chin in thought and considering. "Do you really think it's that simple...?"

She slowly raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "In my experience, even adults' emotional problems tend to be fairly straightforward when you move past focusing on the details. Children, even moreso."

I balked at that. "But dark magic is a dangerous, corrosive force! The more of it she uses, the greater the risk to her mind! She still has marks from using it as it is!"

My counterpart frowned. "But you used dark magic once, did you not? Are you still tainted from its use?"

I shook my head. "That's different! I was cleansed by the elements of harmony—"

"And the power of love magic can also cleanse dark magic, can it not?"

I stopped short, thinking, and nodded slowly. She leaned back forward.

"In that case, it sounds to me like you are overthinking things. Yes, she still has darkness clinging to her, but it was her love for you that helped her hold it at bay. And it's her love for you that will free her from it, in time. Just be there for her, as you have been, and I think things will be fine. If you start treating her differently, being overly cautious and worried about her, it will only push her away and cause further trouble."

I took a deep breath, considering her words, and felt some of the tension I'd been unknowingly hold onto slip away. "You are right, of course. The most important thing is to help her get through this on her own terms. I just need to have faith in her ability to control this magic. I suppose I am just so worried because it is so rare for any pony, especially a non-unicorn, to wield dark magic in the first place... and the results are usually so devastating."

She watched me for a few seconds, and then smiled softly and reached across the table. I hesitated for a moment, and then slowly took her hand, feeling the warmth of it wash over mine. She looked me in the eyes and said, "You worry for your daughter's well-being. It's natural for any mother. And it is clear that this Cozy Glow is an unusual specimen, a child whose situation, interests, and abilities are different from others. Perhaps that is cause to worry, or perhaps it will turn out to be cause for celebration; it has been my experience that unusual children can, with encouragement, grow into their talents and become stunning adults. If their parents or peers shame them for their differences, however, it can make them fight to change things that are beyond their power, leading to misery."

I brushed her hand gently, watching her carefully and weighing her words, and I smiled back at her. "Perhaps I should have become an educator, as my sister did, after all."

She winked at me. "It does impart a certain wisdom and sense of accomplishment."

I considered her for a little while longer, and then I smirked. "So, you seemed quite interested when I brought up Equestrian magic... would you perhaps like to experience it for yourself?"

She smirked back at me, mirroring my expression as she leaned back. "Oh, merely for the sake of better understanding your predicament and helping you, of course."

I stood up, rolling my eyes. "Naturally; such interests are beneath you, otherwise."

She stood up and grinned at me. "Oh, let's go already!"