The door to Spike's home was jerking about rapidly from the visitor's knocking. Spike walked over to the door and opened it, seeing a very distressed Captain of the Royal Guard. “Uhm, hey Flash-”
To call Flash Sentry's current look frazzled would be an understatement. Poor guy looked like he'd shed a few feathers and had a porcupine nesting on his head due to his mane sticking up on end. “SPIKE! Have you seen Stella?! She's not at home and I can't-” the panicked stallion started, looking into the living room only to see the very filly he was looking for. “OH! THERE YOU ARE!”
The orange pegasus flew in, knocking Spike over as he scooped his daughter up, hugging her tightly. “Why in Celestia's name did you run off like that?! You scared the daylights out of me!!” he cried, hugging her as close to him as he could, rubbing his snout against her head. She in turn clung to his neck, trembling a bit.
“I-I'm sorry, daddy..” she whispered, burying her face in his mane.
He opened his mouth to speak when a baby bottle collided with his head, startling him. “Gah wha-”
“HEY!”
The three occupants looked to the source of the voice, being met with the very irritated face of Scootaloo. “I JUST got Agate to lay down for the night. Either quit shoutin' or go outside!!” she snapped, snorting a bit in a manner that would make one think she was about to puff smoke out her nose. Spike and Flash both felt a bead of sweat roll down their faces a bit. Turns out the 'big bag dragon' had a fear after all! Spike chuckled nervously in response to his wife. Stella poked her head up, getting her father's attention. “Let's go home..”
Later, at the Castle...
Flash and Stella returned home, a spastic Twilight welcoming them back with a tight hug. The three walked in and sat together, and Stella had a long talk with her parents about her feelings and her recent anxieties. They listened with shocked faces, both showing regret and concern in their eyes.
“Stella...I..I never knew you felt this way..” Twilight stammered, looking to her daughter.
“We never wanted to make you feel that way sweetheart..we love you no matter what your skills are!” Flash added. Stella looked to her mother and father, speaking quietly.
”I know now, I'm so sorry mom and dad..”
“We are too..” Flash replied as both ponies reached forward to hug their child. Twilight sat up, looking down to Stella as she frowned. “You're just a little filly. You got confused. I should have told you from the beginning about Sunset and Flare. But I was so focused on getting everything ready that it just, slipped my mind! It slipped further when it turned out that Sunset ascended...”
“Ascended?” Stella asked.
Flash smiled a bit. “She's like your mother, Stelly. She gained a pair of wings.".
Stella recalled something her uncle mentioned, looking to her parents. “Uncle Spike said that...there was a complicated reason with Flare. What is it?”
Flash and Twilight shared a glance, before Twilight took a breath. “Well, Sunset's husband. The one that passed away?” she began. Stella listened intently, noticing her mother's discomfort. “He's...technically your father.”
Stella sat in stunned silence. “My father..? But...how?” she whispered, her only answer being the sheepish faces of Twilight and Flash.
Finally, Twilight shrugged and spoke in honesty. ”The universe that Sunset returned from is an Alternate one. This universe has a copy of nearly everyone from around here.”
”Am I there too..?” the young unicorn asked, mind blowing up from this sort of information. Flash looked to the side, scratching at his ear with a hoof.
“Sort of..”.
”Flare is technically your counterpart. She is also genetically your half-sister. Sunset married the Alternate universe's version of your father, and had Flare.” Twilight explained, having gone through this little realization amongst all the chaos. Stella took a moment to register this information, a sobering reality hitting her.
“A-And...her father..”
The two older ponies looked grave, Twilight whispering. ”I, wanted them here. Both to give my friend some much needed help, as well we wanted to give Flare her father back in some way.”
Stella held a hoof over her mouth as her eyes lined with new tears. “And I...I...I'm so sorry!!” she exclaimed through her growing sobs, the reality of Flare's situation becoming all too clear to the white filly.
”You couldn't have known, sweetie. But...an apology to Flare may be in order.” the purple alicorn began, her husband interjecting.
“More of an explanation really. You didn't do anything on purpose.”
“Of course I will! Where-”
Stella began to speak, but seeing her father and mother look past her gave her the answer. Turning to look, she saw the golden pegasus peeking into the room from the doorway, her sky blue eyes filled with unsure curiosity as she shifted slightly under the royal family's collective gazes.
The two fillies looked to each other in silence, Stella quietly gulping a bit. “Come on in, Flare. Stella wanted to talk to you.” Flash called, motioning with a wing. Flare slowly walked in, uncertainty apparent but wanting to listen, sitting about a foot away from Stella. Stella glanced to her parents, who nodded in turn, and she cleared her throat. “H-Hello Flare.” she stuttered, her ear flicking. Flare shuffled her hooves, speaking quietly in a tiny whisper. “...H-Hi.”
Stella looked down, taking a small breath before speaking. “About earlier...I was... I was under a lot of personal stress. And I was confused upon seeing you and your mother. Both combined to make me..well...blow up and jump to conclusions. I want to tell you that I'm truly sorry for what I did earlier. You didn't deserve any of it. I-I can tell that you're afraid...and I can't imagine how you must feel right now. But, I hope you can grow comfortable and happy here.”
Flare, while still nervous, could hear the sincerity in the other filly's voice. ”S-So..I can stay?” she asked meekly.
”Yes of course! O-Oh! So long as you want to...” Stella responded quickly, pausing and clearing her throat.
“I'd...like to get to know my half-sister, if you'd let me. I don't wanna keep you from our father..” Stella finished, smiling shyly as she extended a hoof. Flare looked to the hoof, and then to Stella's eyes. The pegasus felt a swell of happiness rise in her chest as she slowly rested her hoof on Stella's, smiling.
“Thank you, sis..”
Stella could feel her earlier relief grow further, noticing a yellow shape behind Flare. Shifting her gaze, she could see that it was Flare's mother, Sunset Shimmer. Sunset gazed on in surprise, sharing a look with Twilight and Flash. The two nodded with proud smiles on their faces, and Sunset sighed in relief.
All became well in the Castle of Friendship after that crazy day, and a new relationship was born.