The tall glass doors to the library slowly creak open.
Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer hobble through the door-frame, bathed in moonlight from the windows. Their manes are a frazzled mess and there are bags under their eyes from countless, untold hours of intense experimentation. Still—even as they teeter from utter exhaustion—they are both smiling. Tenderly.
They turn to look towards me. Twilight nods.
One leg at a time...
...I hobble past them.
My joints are stiff, my muscles even stiffer.
But...
It doesn't stop me.
I limp forward, my eyes glued to a series of sleeping bags stretched out across the floor of the library.
Two of the mats are empty. That's because Maud and Marble have scooted into the center—where their older sister Limestone has both mares safely tucked away beneath her strong forelimbs. Together, the three slumber the nightly hours away, silent and still. Limestone, of course, is drooling a bit. Maud's body slowly rises and falls while Marble clings to the other two in a fetal position.
I take in all of the details that I can, because I already feel tears fogging up the corners of my vision.
"Mmmmmm..." The air fills with song. My song. I crawl on my knees and slide over to the group. "Silly fillies..." I sweep all three of them into the fuzziest, cuddliest hug. "...how can I ever stop smiling when I've got the absolute best sisters in the world?"
They say nothing. Limestone snorts in mid-sleep, and I try not to giggle. Marble's tail wraps quietly around me while Maud's cheek cuddles into my fetlock.
There's a choking sound from behind me. Twilight shushes Starlight, and the two unicorns make a quiet exit, leaving the four of us to snuggle warmly together until sunrise.
Four slices.