Twily's Back

by Rough_Draft


What Are Friends For?

Two – What Are Friends For?

Five ponies came charging down the hospital corridor as the doctor emerged from the examination room. The older pony took one look at the group and offered a hesitant smile.

“Thank you for coming,” he said. “Let me say that Twilight is doing fine—”

“Fine?” Rarity exclaimed. “She was turned into a filly!”

“Well then, as a filly, she’s fine. She’ll have to go back to eating and sleeping like a foal, so we know how to handle that.” The doctor shrugged apologetically. “Unfortunately, there’s not much else we can do for her. This is a magical condition and she’s royalty. I’d recommend consulting Princess Celestia before you do anything else.”

Spike sighed. “Well, guess I’d better start writing that letter.”

Applejack reached over and patted him on the shoulder. “Now don’t go feelin’ down on yerself, Spike. You should at least go in an’ see her before you do that.”

“That’s right,” said Fluttershy. “Twilight needs our support now more than ever!”

Seeing their brave smiles warmed Spike’s heart. He nodded and led them past the doctor into the examination room.

Twilight was sitting on the table, wearing a hospital gown designed for pegasi. Her wings were tucked close against her body and her head was dropped between her front hooves. She barely glanced up as her friends entered the room.

Spike coughed into his hand. “Uh, hey, Twilight—”

“Hey, Twilight!” said Pinkie Pie. She cartwheeled in between Applejack and Rarity. “How’s it feel to be a filly all over again?”

Twilight’s glum expression never changed. “I don’t wanna talk about it, Pinkie.”

“There, there,” said Fluttershy. She flew over and stroked Twilight’s back with her hoof. “I’m sure you’ll be back to normal soon. We’ll write to Princess Celestia—”

“Please don’t!” Twilight squeaked. Then, when she heard her own voice, she cupped her mouth with her hoof. Tears formed in her eyes.

Applejack trotted closer. “Now don’t you fret, Sugarcube. Nopony knows magic better than the Princess. An’ I’m sure she’d be mighty happy to help out her best student, too.”

“Yeah, like that time you caused a riot with your ‘Want It, Need It’ spell!” Rainbow Dash added. When everypony turned to glare at her, she frowned. “What? Was that not helpful?”

“What she’s trying to say,” Rarity said, “is that you’ve nothing to worry about, darling. With the Princess’s help, you’ll be back to normal in no time. And in the meantime, we’re here to help you with whatever you need.”

Applejack looked around the room. “Which begs the question. Who’s gonna watch Twilight until all this here nonsense is over?”

Everypony awkwardly looked at each other. Spike stepped closer to Twilight, putting a comforting claw on her tiny shoulder.

“I mean,” Applejack continued, “it’s almost winter. I’ve gotta handle the farm.”

“And I’m pulling double-shifts on weather duty,” said Rainbow Dash.

“And I’ve got a whole list of orders for winter clothing to finish this week!” Rarity exclaimed, pressing a hoof to her forehead.

Pinkie Pie grinned as she looked at Fluttershy. “Guess that means we’re in charge!”

Fluttershy rubbed her chin. “I suppose it does. All my animal friends are going into hibernation, so there’s not a lot else for me to do.”

“See, Twilight?” Spike prodded the filly’s flank, right above her cutie mark. “We’re not going through this alone.”

Twilight lifted her head, just enough to meet her friends’ expectant looks. Slowly, she tried to conjure up a smile. “I guess not.”

Fluttershy hovered over Twilight as she picked her up from the table and hugged her close. Then Pinkie Pie grabbed them both in a bear hug that pulled Fluttershy back toward the floor. Spike watched the scene with misty eyes, grateful for the handkerchief that Rarity discreetly pressed into his hand.


“It’s fine, Fluttershy,” Twilight insisted. She kept blushing every time she heard herself speak. Had her voice always been so high when she was little? “I can walk on my own, really.”

Upon leaving the hospital, Fluttershy had found a foal carrier and immediately strapped Twilight into it. Apparently, the age spell had affected her magic since she couldn’t pull herself free. All she could do was hang in the carrier, pressed against Fluttershy’s chest as the pegasus flew back to the library.

“I know, but I worry about you,” said Fluttershy. “I promised that nothing would happen to you while I’m around.”

“But I don’t need to be treated like a foal!” Twilight wailed in protest. She kicked against the harness, regretting how small she was now. It was like trying to wrestle a full-grown dragon.

“Well, how else were you going to get home?”

“I could walk out in the open like everypony else!”

“You mean, where everypony could see you?”

That stopped Twilight’s protests. She realized that Fluttershy had a good point. Even though she’d grown up in Canterlot, almost everypony in Ponyville knew what she looked like. They’d be quick to take note of a filly roaming the streets who had the horn and wings of an alicorn princess. There’d be questions and concerns and she’d never get a moment’s privacy. Ponies would be having a field day with the news of her transformation.

Sometimes it was easy to forget just how smart Fluttershy could be.

“Okay,” said Twilight. “I’ll be good.”

Great, she thought. I’m already sounding like a foal.

“And here we are!” Fluttershy announced. She flew them right through the open window of the library’s top floor, landing inside Twilight’s bedroom. As she unstrapped the foal carrier, Twilight tumbled free and landed on her stomach. She groaned, mostly in disbelief.

After all that progress in learning how to fly and cast royal-class spells, here she was, having to learn how to walk all over again.

“Pinkie Pie and Spike should be here any minute with some supplies,” said Fluttershy. “In the meantime, how about I make you some lunch?”

It amazed Twilight how quickly her friend had adopted a more assertive tone as her foalsitter. Then she marveled at how weird it was to think of Fluttershy as her foalsitter. The last pony to foalsit Twilight had been Cadance, now living all the way in the Crystal Empire.

Gee, if only she could see me now…

“That would be nice,” Twilight answered slowly. She got up from the floor and took a wobbly step forward. Then she took another, willing herself to stay balanced on her own four hooves.

She could do this. She was still a princess, no matter how young she’d accidentally become.

“You’re doing great!” Fluttershy. She lifted a hoof in encouragement before flying downstairs to the kitchen.


By the time Twilight made it downstairs—after two failed attempts to fly down on a pair of underdeveloped wings—she found lunch had been served. Fluttershy had cut up some carrots and celery, serving them with a tall glass of apple juice.

“Thanks for the meal,” Twilight said as she sat down at the kitchen table. “I’m usually terrible at remembering to eat on study days. Spike has to practically cram a sandwich down my throat.”

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy answered. She took a bite from her carrot, smiling as she savored it.

As Twilight began to eat, she realized that she was starving. Without bothering to chew, she began to wolf down her vegetables.

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy lifted a napkin. “You have a little something on your—”

“On my what?” Twilight paused to take a long gulp of juice. Then she looked down at her plate. In her hunger, she’d made quite a mess. Bits of carrots and celery were strewn across her plate—and her face. “Oh. Sorry about that. I guess I was just—”

The napkin being rubbed over her mouth cut off the rest of her sentence. Twilight flinched away as Fluttershy gently cleaned her face. She lifted a hoof to fend off her friend’s efforts, but to no avail.

“That’s better!” Fluttershy cheerfully exclaimed. She took a sip from her own glass. “Mmm. This is lovely. We should have lunch together more often.”

“I completely agree,” Twilight replied. She frowned and added mentally, Just so long as you never try to clean my face like I’m some kind of…

The word foal was on the tip of her tongue, but Twilight refused to accept it. She’d been turned back into a filly by a faulty age spell, nothing more. All she could do now was get in touch with Princess Celestia and find a solution.

Twilight was still mulling over her situation when she tried to pick up her juice glass for another sip. But for whatever reason, she was having trouble keeping her hooves on it. She frowned and focused on getting a secure grip.

“Ergh… come on…” Twilight slumped back in her seat as she let the glass drop back onto the table, awkwardly wobbling into place. “I don’t get it. I never had this kind of trouble when I was… when I was this age!”

Fluttershy offered a patient smile. “Would you like help with that?”

Twilight blushed. She had an idea of what her friend was suggesting, and she didn’t like it. But when faced with the alternative of spilling her juice everywhere… “Yes, please.”

Fluttershy trotted over to Twilight’s side of the table and picked up the glass with one hoof. With her other hoof, she pulled Twilight close and held the glass to her lips. Twilight closed her eyes and took a cautious sip.

“Okay, I’m done,” she said quickly. Being cradled in Fluttershy’s arm made her feel like she had a whole swarm of butterflies in her stomach. Which seemed oddly appropriate when she considered that Fluttershy’s cutie mark was a trio of butterflies.

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy swirled around the half-finished juice in its glass.

Twilight smacked her lips and took one more sip for good measure. Then she nodded fervently.

Fluttershy set the glass aside and picked up her napkin again. Twilight knew what she planning and decided not to make a fuss as Fluttershy gently wiped her lips with the napkin. She supposed this was the sort of thing that was expected between really good friends.

We’re just friends, Twilight reminded herself desperately. Despite how my body looks, we are practically the same age.

When she heard the front door open, her heart warmed a little. With any luck, Spike had written and sent off a letter to the Princess and all would be well before the day was over. Twilight squirmed out of Fluttershy’s grasp and trotted into the main room.

“Hey, Twily!” Pinkie Pie called out. She bounced over to Twilight, carrying a pair of very loaded saddlebags on her back. “Are you ready for a fun-filled afternoon with the best foalsitter in all of Equestria?”

Twilight’s ears flattened. She glared at Spike as he entered the library. “Did you tell her my nickname, Spike?” Her wings fluttered, mirroring her agitation. “The nickname that only Shining Armor and Cadance call me?”

Spike’s eyes dropped toward the floor. “Uh… maybe? Please don’t be mad?”

“And for your information, Pinkie,” Twilight added, “Cadance is the best foalsitter in all of Equestria.” Her proud smile lasted for only a second, turning into a scowl. “But I’m not a foal!”

“Aww, don’t worry, Twilight.” Fluttershy was at her side in an instant, wrapping her up in a hug. “You probably just need to get some rest.” Her confident tone faltered when she added, “M-maybe you could go upstairs and take a nap?”

“Fluttershy, I’m not a foal! I just look like one! And eat like one!” She slumped in defeat. “And drink like one. And have trouble walking like one…”

Pinkie Pie turned to Spike with a quizzical frown. “But if she’s not a foal, then why’d the doctor say we had to bring all this?”

She opened up her saddlebags, letting the contents spill out onto the floor. Inside were a pair of foal bottles, a coloring book, crayons, construction paper, several brightly colored toys, and a package of diapers.

Twilight stared at the pile. Then, when she could no longer bear it, she started to cry.