Starry woke the following day, warmth pressing at her back, a wing covering her like a blanket. The afternoon sun peeked through the windows and warmed the body that had curled around her earlier in sleep. 

The mare smiled, enjoying the warmth of Stone's embrace as she slowly woke to the long day ahead of him. There was a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in a long time, like the world was the best it could be, even if just for a few moments.

Starry shifted, turning herself toward the stallion who wrapped around her, and enjoying the peace on his face. A peace that couldn't last as long as she wished. After a moment, she shook him as gently as she could manage.

"Stone-" She whispered, her voice quiet and gentle ", Wake up, Stone... We have a long evening ahead of us..."

The grey stallion grumbled, shifting his wing around the mare and pulling her tighter to his chest. Starry couldn't help herself when she started giggling, but the day had started, they needed to be awake. Starry nuzzled her nose against his ear, her breath warm against his neck. In the next hour, their world would change, hopefully for the better. 

"Stone-" Starry spoke a little firmer ", The interview is in an hour, we have to get up."

The stallion grumbled again, his eyes opening a little too smoothly to have been asleep, and wrapped his wing around her, pulling her tighter to him, both acutely aware of the change. Starry pressed her forehead against his. Her horn pressed carefully against his cheek, and his wing curled around her neck.

"Are you ready?" Starry whispered against his forehead.

"No-" Stone muttered back ", I'm terrified..."

"I know-" Starry sighed, curling her legs around him and keeping him close, she wouldn't let him fall apart ", I'm scared too... But everything will be alright."

Stone nodded against her, pressing his nose to her neck before pressing his hooves against the bed and pressing himself up. Starry couldn't help but groan as he moved, pulling her up with him, his wing arching around her back and pulling her tight to his chest. It took all of her strength for her to bring herself to her hooves and press a kiss to his cheek.

"Everything will be alright-" Stone muttered under his breath ", Go shower- I'll brew some tea before we go."

Starry nodded, pressing another kiss to his opposing cheek, "Alright. I'll be out soon."

The stallion turned from her, a slight limp in his leg as he made his way to the kitchen. Starry followed, turning into the small bathroom as she followed him into the hall, and closed the door behind her.

After a warm shower and a good wash of her mane, Starry left the steam-clouded bathroom with a towel wrapped around her neck. The fragrant smell of tea hit her nose as she made her way to the kitchen, Stone rested at the counter, his eyes closed as he inhaled the tea in front of him. His head tipped up as she trotted in, hooves clicking against the kitchen tiles, and he pushed the cup of tea to her with his wing.

"How long do we have?" He asked quietly.

"Enough time for you to get a shower-" Starry replied easily ", Now go, before we are late."

"Are you..." Stone paused slightly ", Are you nervous? About seeing your sister again?"

Starry paused ", Yes... Only because I've been gone for months now and I don't know who she became."

Stone nodded slightly, tipping his head down and starting past her, shutting the bathroom door behind him. Starry could only watch as he walked by, her Stone was kind and brave and stern, and this Stone was tired and scared. She hadn't seen him like this since she ran out of his apartment.

It was strange, to say the least.

Starry watched his tired and uncertain movements with a growing sense of worry. She had never seen him act like this, he was the confident one, the one who made her feel safe, and this new attitude worried her. She could feel her heart tighten in her chest, taking a nervous step forward as if she wanted to reach out to him.

But the door was closed, and she could hear the start of the water from the other side of the door.

Instead, Starry turned herself to the cups of tea, one half drained and the other full.

She lifted the cup in her magic, bringing it to her lips and taking a sip. Stone knew exactly how she took her tea, after nearly four months of living together, she should have expected as much when it came to him. Starry sipped, everything clouding her mind as she drank.

Stone's nerves.

Seeing Nova again.

The interview.

Her father's rage.

It was all too much to handle at once.

So handle it one at a time... A voice rang out to her, and a chilling cool ran along her spine as she stood in the apartment. She inhaled, the cup falling from her magic and shattering against the counter.

Starry cursed under her breath, turning in a rapid circle, eyes widened at the idea of someone else being there with her.

"Hello?" She whispered to the empty room, but she could feel no spirit standing with her ", Is something there?"

The lunacorn mare took a deep breath and glanced around the room once more, still nothing as she walked closer to the front door. Starry closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind to see what might be there with her, and it was a mare.

A bat pony mare, thin with a long curling mane and thin bat wings and a long curling tail, her green eyes piercing with hope and what seemed to be interest in her. Starry's fur stood on end, it had been a little while since a spirit made itself present to her, and this one was too familiar.

Handle his burdens and he will yours- The mare pressed into her mind, Love him and he will love you. Serve him and he will serve you.

Starry gasped and took a step back, her flank bumping into a solid form. She turned, eyes wide, and there was Stone, standing behind her with his orange mane still wet with water from the shower. His wing reached out, brushing against her back, "Are you alright?"

Starry stuffed the confusion down her throat and gave him a small smile. No need to worry him more today, "Yes- I just thought I saw something."

Stone tipped his head to her, confusion written across his brow, but he conceded to her. With that, Starry helped the stallion dry his mane, twisting locks in her magic and squeezing the water out. Stone, to his credit, did not complain when she did. Before Starry knew it, they were out the door, locking the apartment behind them. 

The warmth of the day tinged in the air as they passed ponies heading home from work.

Stone kept his wing curled around her back as they walked, not minding the eyes that watched the two of them. It was like Canterlot in some ways, at least, Starry felt it. The lunacorn mare also couldn't help but feel like all the dead were watching her too. Like the one in the apartment had left something on her.

But it wasn't the time to think about that, this was Stone's day.

This was Nova's day.

She could sit on the sidelines for one day, and it might be nice, being the first form of comfort that Stone got to bury himself into. Being the one with less to worry about than the other, of course, was no blessing, but perhaps a change of pace was what the two needed.

Starry walked with her, colt-friend? Partner? She wasn't sure what to call Stone yet, but Partner seemed about right. The stallion curled her to his side, shoulders brushing against the others as he led her down the streets of Ponyville toward the coffee shop. She watched his brown eyes as they walked, silently sending all the support she could muster to him as they made their way. The eyes of the ponies around them bothered her less, the judgemental looks didn't bother her as much.

They didn't know the depths of Stone's courage or his kindness.

When the coffee shop came into view, Starry felt her heart flutter, she could see her. The pink-coated young mare just hitting the age of sixteen. Starry had almost forgotten about her sister's birthday, it would be in two days. Her sister's teal mane was pulled back into a tight bun rather than letting it flow down her back like she used to, and she wore a pair of glasses.

Starry snorted slightly with a shake of her head.

"What's wrong?" Stone muttered under his breath, pausing and lowering his head head to Starry ", Is something wrong?"

"Don't mind her glasses- She doesn't need them," Starry chuckled ", She wears them to look more serious."

Stone glanced back, spotting the young pink mare and his eyes widened, "She's- She's so young."

"Don't underestimate her-"

"She found me- How could I?" Stone said with an inhale ", Ready?"

"I should be asking you that-" Starry tried to smile ", Are YOU ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

They started forward, trotting shoulder to shoulder with one another as they made their way towards Starry's little sister. Her heart thrummed in her chest as they stood only six feet away from each other. Nova was no empath or prophet, but she was intuitive. Nova Blight turned as they stepped toward her, smiling until her eyes landed on Starry.

The silence was overbearing.

Nearly four months since they had seen each other, and Nova still looked like the little sister she remembered, she still acted like that little sister. The pink mare's twin blue eyes shimmered, and before Starry knew what was happening, her sister was crying, tears streaming down her fur.

"Nova..." Starry whispered, taken aback by her sister's tears. She stepped forward, closing the space between them and pulling her sister to her chest with a hoof, wanting nothing more than to comfort her. The pink filly sat back on her haunches, wrapping her legs around Starry's neck, her tears warm against her fur.

Nova had always been a pony to protect, and someone who had been there for her every day of her life. And she was here, part of the void that Stone had started filling was full. Her soul felt full again, in a way that it hadn't in some time.

"I missed you-" Starry whispered into her sister's mane.

"You JERK!!" Nova sobbed her hoof tapping against Starry's back ", You could have WRITTEN! SENT ME A LETTER! SENT JIMBAI A LETTER! STARRY- I WAS SO WORRIED!!!"

Starry felt her own eyes prickle with tears, but she steeled herself to be strong. Starry pulled her sister closer, squeezing her tighter. This was not her day, Starry knew that it was time to remind her sister of that too.

"Hey-" Starry whispered into her sister's ear ", I promise- You and I will have our moment. But it's your time to shine- Yours and Stone's-"

Nova straightened, wiping her eyes with her hoof as she listened to her sister. Starry's words seemed to work because the tinge of deep red that crossed her face was clear. 

"You're right-" Nova sniffled, taking a deep breath ", This is my moment. And his. I'm sorry... I've just... I've missed you."

"It's okay-" Starry said with a reassuring smile ", I've missed you too."

Starry turned her attention back to Stone, keeping that reassuring smile on her face, his sympathetic expression slipping into one of nerves and worry. He stepped forward, his orange mane falling into his face as he tipped his head to Nova and placed his wing over Starry's back once more. Nova's face scrunched slightly, watching Stone with such interest, that one wouldn't have been able to tell she was crying only moments before.

Starry took the deepest breath she could, and smiled, "We should sit. This may take some time."