If Starry had to admit one thing to herself, it was that the past two weeks had passed by in a blur. Preparing Stone and herself for an interview, to see her little sister again, and to have two different styles of lives colliding.

Starry spent her days preparing for the impending interview, helping Stone practice with the proper questions and prepare for the onslaught that her sister was bound to bring. And the fact that it was her sister that she had to prepare Stone for?

It was something that did not dwell well with her.

She had grown up with Nova by her side, and she missed her dearly. Their bond had been strong, as powerful as the princesses, she liked to think. Every moment she thought of Nova coming to Ponyville and not knowing that she would see her sister again, Starry cursed her father for separating them.

And yet there were nerves in the pits of her stomach.

Would her sister be the same pony she knew in Canterlot? Or would she be unrecognizable?

Her stomach tightened as the day of Nova's visit drew nearer. She wondered what Nova had become after she left, the new heir to her father's estate. Did her sister agree with what her father had done to her? Was Nova Blight the same pony she had grown up with, or would she be a creature of the elite?

Would the time they hadn't spent together change her?

Starry felt the fear and uncertainty creeping into her heart. As much as she wanted everything to say the same, she knew that they both will have changed. Her sister would be different despite her wishing otherwise.

But that wasn't meant to happen.

Even Stone had noted a change in her that she couldn't describe, the edges of anxiety at seeing her younger sister had gotten to him once he realized the ramifications. Starry had not been the only one to face anxiety, Stone seemed to have more of the flutters than she. Many of the days leading up to the interview had been spent curled on the couch, leaning against one another with blankets and cups of tea.

If it weren't for the anxiety, Starry would have thought it nice.

As the evening before the interview arrived, Starry found herself on top of the complex. Half asleep and leaning against Plaket, enjoying the stars. And this night was peace-filled. The sky above Equestria was filled with the most brilliant of stars, celestial bodies sparking and glimmering as if each one was its own tiny sun.

The sky was alive with the stars, in a celestial dance of magic and wonder.

"Is it strange being up all night?" Plaket asked after moments of silence.

"No-" Starry answered simply ", It's natural for me, it was a lot like the time I spent in Canterlot. Nocturnal nature is normal for me."

"I don't think I could do it-" Plaket laughed with the faintest yawn ", Night means sleep for me."

Starry let out a faint chuckle, tipping her head away from the stars and toward the ground, where a few ponies of the night made their way to their homes or to their work. She liked watching the ponies, going about their normal days.

"Is Stone ready for tomorrow?" Plaket asked after a moment of silence.

"I think so," Starry said with a faint smile "We've been spending some time practicing and I think he's gotten the hang of answering questions she might ask."

Starry glanced back up at the stars, nerves bubbling in her stomach as she heard the opening of a door behind them. She and Plaket's heads snapped toward the door leading back into the complex where Stone stood, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Plaket tipped her head to the stallion, wrapping a hoof around Starry in a hug and starting toward the door herself, "I'm heading to bed. You two enjoy the night air-"

Starry smiled as Stone made his way to her, dipping his head to Plaket as they passed before leaning against the wall with the lunacorn mare. His wing brushed against her back and Starry leaned into this strong side, her head propped on his shoulder.

"Are you excited to see your sister tomorrow?" Stone asked in a quiet voice.

Starry knew that she was. Part of her couldn't wait to see Nova again after all this time they had spent away from each other. Although it made her nervous to know her sister would be the one conducting the interview.

"Yes-" She finally sighed, turning to face him ", Are you nervous about the interview?"

Stone chuckled ", Yes. I keep telling myself it's going to be just like talking to you."

"Well," Starry chuckled softly ", It will be a bit more intense than our conversations have been, I'll give you that. But you'll be fine. You've been practicing, you know the general idea of the questions she'll ask. You just have to stay calm and stay to the truth."

"Well," Stone snorted ", Then I have good news for you. I'm nothing like the Elite. I have no reason to lie."

Starry paused, the idea of waves of reporters that would come once Nova and Stone's essay was put out to the world. It turned her stomach in every direction. Their lives would change forever and there was no telling if that was for the better or worse.

"Try ignoring the rest when they come," She spoke softly, trying to ease both of their worries ", Don't let your words get twisted or anything. And remember, you don't have to answer any questions you don't want to. I know you can do this."

Stone's face slowly relaxed, as he took in her words."Right," he said, his tone lightened slightly. "As long as I stick to the facts, I should be fine."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"Nerves are normal," Starry said with a hint of a smile, "If you were completely relaxed about all of this, I would be worried. So don't be too hard on yourself. You can do this."

"The only reason I'm here is because of you-" He spoke in earnest ", You've given me more hope and strength than I thought I would ever have again. Thank you."

Starry glanced up at the bat pony stallion, but before she could speak, he continued.

"I'd still be cooped up and thought a traitor if it wasn't for you Starry. You are changing me for the better, I didn't expect to be changed or for anyone to see me, not the way you do, Star."

The lunacorn mare smiled, pressing her cheek against his neck and closing her eyes, breathing in his scent along with that of the night air. She could feel the red warming at her cheeks, Star... He had called her Star. And as his wing cloaked her neck and back, keeping her tight against his side, she spoke.

"Stone..." Starry started but hesitated, unable to find the words ", You've changed me as much as you say I changed you. I can't do anything but thank you."

It didn't seem like enough words would ever leave her.

Stone rested his head atop hers, pulling her closer to his side. Starry couldn't help but curl herself closer to him, resting in the warmth of his body. They stayed there for some time, watching the stars rise into the night sky until sleep pulled nearer to the corners of their vision.

"It's getting early-" Starry muttered against his coat ", We should head to bed. The interview is at four in the afternoon."

Stone nodded, standing with her and keeping his wing around her as they started toward the door, down the stairs, and through the halls until they reached the apartment. Starry opened the door with her magic, keeping Stone's wing around her as she started toward the couch.

But he stopped her before she could move any farther.

"Stone?" She asked quietly ", I have to go to bed..."

He didn't answer right away, his jaw opening to speak to her but no words rose from his throat. The glimpse of his mind that Starry caught was a question she hadn't expected from him, before his voice began working, she could hear it echoing in her mind.

"Sleep with me tonight-" Stone asked her ", I- I don't want either of us to be alone tonight."

Starry paused, staring at the stallion before nodding, trying to hide the joy and fear that surged through her heart. It was not proper for a stallion to ask a mare to lay with him, not in Canterlot at least. Though she had fallen prey to that with Hoverstep, there was a different feeling that surfaced in her when Stone asked her to stay with him.

To sleep with him.

Deep down, she knew it was not in the same way Hoverstet had asked her to lay with him.

"Okay..." Starry said softly, stepping toward him once more.

In a way, it was a dream come true, the thought of the two of them laying together was enough to take her breath away, and she did not trust herself to say anything else at the moment.