//------------------------------//
// Day 2, Part 3 - Hospital Blues 
// Story: Winds of the Past 
// by Fantasia 
//------------------------------//

And so, with that unexpected welcome, the two mares were once again back in the same hospital lobby as yesterday. Only this time it was... emptier. Actually, looking around, both unicorn and pegasus noticed it was empty, save for a few employees seemingly at work. Another thing only Twilight seemed to pick up on was it felt no different than their last visit. The room felt empty, so... silent, so discomforting. Nothing but the sound of early-working hooves clattering along the floor could be heard, and accommodating the dank, chilling atmosphere... it was all so... dreary.

All the more reason as to why she hated them, she supposed.

Normally she'd welcome the silence, but after her meeting with Rainbow, she had adjusted to the constant ramblings and distractions Rainbow would often cause.

She wondered if Rainbow felt the same about all this, and as she went to glance over her shoulder, back at the pegasus, her ears suddenly perked as she heard the doctor clear his throat before beginning to speak.

"You realize, when you left, we had no idea what to think," he began, turning to face Rainbow. "A pony taking flight during the midst of her treatment, while in no condition to fly, much less move about was... unheard of, to say the least." With his eyes focused on the young pegasus, all Rainbow could muster was a sheepish grin before averting her gaze to the side.

After a brief sigh, he continued where he left off. "When you left, none of us here knew whether or not you'd be returning, but yet... here you are." His amused expression lasted a mere moment before changing into a look of curiosity as he continued, "Though I must ask... why did you leave?"

The doctor looked at the pegasus as she scrambled for an answer. "Uh, well... you know..."

"S-she, uh... s-said it was 'boring', Sir," Twilight cut in, finding the words that Rainbow had struggled to say, but not without struggling a bit herself. "Among other things..." Twilight added in a low murmur, going unnoticed by the others.

"Boring?" he questioned in disbelief as his eyes once again met Rainbow's. Every patient experiences boredom during a stay, and yet, this one pegasus... couldn't bare it? Shaking his head upon hearing her reasoning, he said, "Well, this may come as a surprise to you, Miss, but a hospital stay is unlike a trip to the local amusement park." Shaking his head once, he added in a murmur, "Why Princess Celestia excused a pony like yourself I'll never know..."

Taking note of the silent, blank stares the two mares gave in response, he asked, "She did inform you two of this, did she not—?"

"Oh uh, y-yes!" Twilight hastily blurted out in embarrassment, having barely given the stallion enough time to finish his own question... which Twilight immediately regretted doing and placed a hoof over her lips. Seconds passed and Twilight's hoof fell beneath her chin and with a shy grin, said, "Yes... we were. Sorry, I... I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Clearly..." The stallion nodded understandingly, though slightly put off by her response. "Well personally I don't agree with letting you two off the hook so easily, but I can't argue with the Princess's decisions... Rainbow is free to return to her room," he said, nodding reassuringly towards the both of them before turning his gaze towards Twilight as he asked, "I'm assuming from what the Princess told us, you'll be joining her?"

Twilight stood staring absentmindedly back at the stallion for seconds before even realizing he had been addressing her, and once she did, shook her head and quickly worked to think up a response. "Oh uh, yes! I mean, maybe... I don't know! Can I? Am I allowed to?" After a moment of awkward silence passed, she assumed the worst as her head fell and she asked, "I'm not allowed to, am I?"

"Well under normal circumstances, no... However, the Princess is allowing it—"

"That, and if she doesn't stay, I won't stay," Rainbow added, surprising both Twilight and the stallion, if only because of the way Rainbow had put it, or the fact that Rainbow actually said she'd leave a second time in front of ponies who were only willing to help her. "If I escaped once, I can do it again—"

"Rainbow!" Twilight said suddenly in response, her temper rising and voice noticeably raised. She clenched her teeth for a moment, her inner voice telling her to remain calm. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, exhaled and after a few more moments, reopened her eyes and added, "Please, don't be rude."

As Twilight began lecturing Rainbow—Rainbow arguing she was merely speaking the truth and hadn't meant anything bad by it—the doctor all the while had been taken aback by Rainbow's comment. It was incomprehensible...

Incomprehensible as to why anyone would refuse treatment all because one pony in particular wouldn't be staying with her. "So... you'll leave if she is not allowed by your side, is that right?"

Both mares' mouths snapped shut, both their eyes turning attentively towards the stallion. Then, not a moment later, Rainbow spoke. "What can I say? She really livens things up... and makes things less boring for me, you know?" she explained through a sheepish grin, and with an admiring gaze, which she looked down upon Twilight with, that lasted but a moment. But Twilight had caught it, and although it surprised her, although she had the suspicion Rainbow had simply meant it as some sort of joke... Twilight couldn't help but smile back.

It seemed that deep down, she felt the exact same way about Rainbow, for better or worse.

"Well," he continued, "I suppose I don't have much of a choice in the matter. I'll allow it." He sighed, turning and motioning the mares further into the lobby and down a hallway to their left. Excited, Rainbow breathed out a quiet "Yes!"

"But," the doctor continued, "allow me to remind the both of you to behave yourselves. No disturbing the other patients, no loud noises... no more escape attempts..." His voice drifted for a moment as he looked over his shoulder at the two trailing closely behind, specifically Rainbow, shooting her an unamused look. "While Miss Sparkle has permission to come and go as she may choose—"

"Which she wouldn't do, but whatever," Rainbow muttered the second she heard him pause for a brief moment. Quietly—almost at a whisper—not wishing to get scolded by Twilight over being 'rude' again.

"—You are to remain in your room at all times." He finished explaining the rules, then turned to Twilight. "I realize you'll be staying by her side during her stay, but I don't want you prolonging her recovery. Please, allow Rainbow time to recover and get plenty of sleep."

"But I already got some sleep, Doc!" Rainbow insisted. "A lot actually! Please," —She rolled her eyes to the side with a smug grin— "sleep is the last thing I need."

"Rest then," the stallion replied, his hooves coming to a halt and stopping before a wooden door Twilight could only assume was Rainbow's room. "Anything that will keep you in one place..." His voice drifted as he turned to Twilight again, this time taking notice of the saddle Twilight wore. He pointed a hoof past her, at the packed sleeves of her saddle. "I see that you came prepared..."

At first Twilight turned her head in the direction he had pointed, forgetting she had been wearing a saddle. Looking over her shoulder, it all came back to her and waving it off, replied, "Oh, uh this old stuff? Uh... no worries, it's stuff I brought along to keep me occupied. Just me, nopony else," she finished explaining with a wide grin, staring nervously back at the stallion and praying he'd buy into her lie. Her gaze shifted to the right, then the left, and eventually back to the stallion. The silence was starting to get to her...

"...Right." He sighed, not wishing to make a fuss over it. He found her behavior suspicious—sure, it seemed she had been lying. Then again, it seemed she was also a stuttering, nervous, and rather shy klutz of a unicorn. Not to mention, the odd behavior both mares seemed to exhibit during their visits. Perhaps then, it was normal behavior for her? Whatever the case, it wasn't worth over thinking. If she said the stuff was for her, it was for her.

"Well anyway, here we are." The door was pushed open to reveal a typical hospital room. A cushioned chair in one corner, a cabinet in the other, a crafted nightstand to the left of the bed, curtains, an open window— Was that how Rainbow escaped? It seemed plausible. The thought passed through Twilight's mind for a brief moment, before another popped into her head. They really should close that...

The only other thing that stuck out to her was a hospital bed centered in the middle of the room, presumably for patients. Heck, this was a first for Twilight, having never set hoof in a hospital room before. Looked comfy, at least...

"I'll give you some time to get situated," the doctor said, focusing his words on Twilight as he walked into the room. Twilight soon followed, her first instinct being to head over to the bed and settle Rainbow in, which she eagerly hopped into upon letting her go. Taking another quick look around the room, she spotted the chair and, after plopping her saddle down on the floor beside her and bringing it beside Rainbow's bedside, decided she'd take a seat on her haunches beside her.

"Now there will be nurses checking in here every now and then, alright?" he went on to say as both Twilight and Rainbow nodded their heads in unison. "Alright then..." He nodded as well, and seeing both mares had settled in, reassuringly added, "This will all be over before you know it."

Shouldn't be more than another day or two, he thought. It's amazing how fast her body has managed to recuperate... But even with her condition improving, it was clear her body was still in pain. It would be some time until her body healed completely and she was free to leave.

"Though please, do try and get some sleep; it's important that your body receives plenty of it," he continued, turning to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me..." With that, the stallion slipped out into the hall, softly closing the door behind him and leaving both Rainbow and Twilight in an awkward, lingering silence.

Until Rainbow broke it, that is.

"Sleep, pfft... they tell that to everypony, don't they?" Rainbow crossed her forelegs and grumbled, leaning back and resting her head upon the headboard behind her.

"Probably, though it's hard to say." Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "I said before how I don't visit hospitals often, so you're the only patient I've ever heard them say that to."

Rainbow's head shifted to the right, turning to glance out the window with her brow furrowed in thought, letting out a huff of irritation. "Yeah well, you can forget it! Ain't no way I'm doing that!"

Twilight simply rolled her eyes in response before she soon found herself smiling back at the pegasus. "Well I'm not a doctor, Rainbow, I won't make you..." Her smile faltered into a small, humored smirk and her gaze lowered as she added in a low murmur, "Not that I could anyway." Rainbow's face lit up upon hearing her words, though before she could thank her, Twilight continued. "But at the very least, stay off your hooves... It won't do you much good walking around on them."

So in other words, lounge about in bed with nothing to do but talk. She sighed and turned towards Twilight. "That's so boring, Twi."

"Which is why I brought this along!" Twilight exclaimed suddenly, drawing the pegasus's attention to the lone saddle with both her forelegs.

Rainbow could only stare back at the mare with a baffled look. "A... saddle?" Twilight seemed excited about it—that somehow it would resolve her boredom, but Rainbow didn't understand how exactly an over-packed saddle would solve anything.

"No... er well, yes. I packed some things I figured we could do together... or by ourselves too, I suppose." She figured hospitals had no problem with patients partaking in certain activities during their stay, but thinking back to the way that one doctor had sounded... It seemed as though Rainbow was the exception.

Still, Rainbow was insistent on having something to do, and so long as neither of them got caught...

"Oh really?" Rainbow's curiosity peaked as she leaned over towards the violet mare and more importantly, the saddle that may just hold the answer to her boredom. "Like what exactly?"

"Well..." Twilight's horn flared and soon the saddle was reeled into her lap. She unlocked the pouches and revealed its contents to the curious pegasus... only for any and all hopes she had of Twilight having... anything she actually cared about ultimately crushed. "As you can see, I packed many books. Many of which are personal favorites of mine! Oh, and some I figured you may like as well."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Books...? Seriously?" She should have known. It was Twilight, after all.

"Well, yeah." To her, books would ease anypony's boredom! She found them to be chock full of excitement and wonders... Surely Rainbow would feel the same about them. "What's the problem?"

What's the problem? What did she mean, 'what's the problem?' "Twi... even if I can't remember, I'm certain I was never into reading books. I mean, it's nothing but pages and pages of boring text, right?"

"Well, not really—"

"Whatever. Look, don't ya have something in there that's like, more fun than books?" And by that, Rainbow meant anything other than books. "Like... oh I dunno, a game or something?"

A game? Now that she mentioned it... "Actually..." Twilight skimmed through her tightly-packed together selection of books until she found a much larger, yet slim cardboard box. Spike was more into this than she was and she rarely ever found herself using it, but there was a chance maybe Rainbow would like it...





"So... how does this game-thing work again?" Rainbow stared blankly at a game of sorts which Twilight had set up at the end of her bed. Two plastic trays, connected by a screen going up the middle. Apparently this made it so either pony couldn't see the others' moves.

"It's not that complicated, Rainbow. It's just a strategy-based guessing game designed for two ponies in which they attempt to hit each others' games pieces."

"Sounds boring," Rainbow scoffed, "and not really my type of game."

Type of game? Could Rainbow even remember what her 'type of game' was? "But you haven't even tried it yet!" Twilight replied, disbelieving that somepony so persistent on looking for something to keep herself occupied, kept shooting down every suggestion she made. "Look, you may or may not like it, but you'll never know for sure if you don't try. Besides, I think you'll like this..."

"You think, huh?" Twilight was pretty smart, and hay, if she said she'd like it, well... she probably would. But still... She examined the board, then the opened game box which contained the apparent game pieces off to the side. "I still don't know Twi. I mean, a game that involves attacking weather ponies, clouds, and... eh, seagulls is definitely, undoubtedly, lame."

"Well you wanted something to do!"

"Yeah, but..." A game involving seagulls? The concept alone sounded lame, sure, but... how could a game featuring seagulls possibly be fun? "I don't know..."

"Look, just... give it a shot. If you don't like it, we'll stop, okay?"

Twilight's this insistent, huh? Well, she supposed she could give it a try. Besides, if it passed the time... "Okay, alright, fine... you win. I'll play ya."

So the two began playing with Rainbow curled up at one end of the bed, and Twilight seated at the bedside; the game board positioned at an angle between them. It started out slow, with Rainbow unsure of what to do and more often than not finding herself referring to the game's instructions. Even with Twilight guiding her, it took her minutes before she even began to learn the basics of it all. But once she caught on, suddenly that game of clouds and seagulls didn't seem so lame after all. Hay, she was loving every second of it!

Which one would be captured next? Which one would be found, zapped, maybe even stung! Or which piece would get lucky and breeze on by? It was almost sorta fun not knowing! Both ponies soon found themselves caught up in it all, calling out the names of spaces on the board. Cloud three! Cloud one! Sky seven! Cloud four!

And oddly enough, Rainbow was the one winning... Then with one final call, Twilight had been beat.

"You... won?" Twilight questioned, still in a state of shock over her loss.

"I did?" Rainbow herself asked, no less surprised than Twilight that she had managed to pull off a victory.

"You actually won..." Twilight quietly muttered out, mouth hanging open and gaze fixed on the game board before her.

"Oh hey, I did!"

"B-but I don't understand... this was your first time playing..."

Rainbow leaned back, shrugging lightly. "Yeah well, guess I'm just naturally good at it," she found herself boasting, though she did briefly question if it actually were true, or if she simply got lucky. The game was purely luck-based, after all. But even so... Maybe I used to play this...

Twilight smirked, shaking her head. "I guess you are," she said, looking up at Rainbow before asking, "Want to play again?"

"Nah, once was enough. I think we should pack it up." The two had spent some time playing together and having lost track of time, neither of them had any idea when somepony might walk in unannounced, like the doctor had mentioned to them both briefly before. "After all, that doctor guy from earlier said other ponies would be stopping by to check up on us and I doubt it'd look good if me," she continued, pointing both her hooves up at her, "a pony who's supposed to be resting, was up playing a board game."

"Good point," Twilight said in agreement, and on that note, began disassembling and putting it away into its box. Though now that they were done, Rainbow was bound to become bored again... There had to be something else they could do together, or that Rainbow could do anyway. Well, she still had sleeves full of books... "But you could still try reading!"

She's not gonna give up on this idea, is she? Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Twi, I'm not reading, alright?"

"Oh come on." Twilight leaned towards her, prodding her chest once with a hoof while sporting a small grin. "One book."

"No," Rainbow quickly denied, without giving the idea a second thought.

Stubborn mare. Why anypony would be against the idea of reading so much was beyond her, but regardless, Rainbow was refusing. Though maybe... "Half a book?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Okay..." Twilight was almost out of options. Her grin slowly fading, she cocked her head to the side and asked, "One paragraph?"

"Nope."

Relax, Twi— Great. Now she was addressing herself as such. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, placing her hoof over the book in Rainbow's lap. "Okay look... how about I read and you just listen. How's that sound?"

"Terrific..." Rainbow grumbled. The only problem however, was Twilight could rarely tell when and if Rainbow was being sarcastic or simply stating how she felt.

"Great!" Twilight sat back, using her magic to lift the book along with her, flipping open to the first page, clearing her throat then levitating the book before her eyes.

"No no, Twilight, I didn't mean—!" She paused, finding it pointless to try and stop her... Once Twilight put her mind to something, it was clear she'd go through with it. Heck, it almost seemed like she was the one who had been wanting to read from the start. So why stop her then? It didn't seem so bad. She wouldn't be reading herself; Twilight was willing to read for her, and all she had to do was lie back, relax, and listen. At least it'd keep her mind occupied.

Rainbow wriggled beneath the sheets and sunk deeper into the bed, giving in to the idea of Twilight reading to her. She listened as Twilight began reading about an injured pegasus crash landing in an unfamiliar and hostile environment, on a quest to discover some temple she had sought after for days on end. Daring was her name, and in some ways, Rainbow found herself relating to the fictional mare in more ways than one. Though she was lucky. Her wing was the only thing she had injured.

More time passed as Rainbow lay still in bed, eyes shut and listening to the words Twilight was speaking, and doing her best to envision them in her head... even if it were true she had no idea what it was she was envisioning, she did her best.

The sound of approaching hooves and the door handle being turned, alerted both mares. While Rainbow snapped from her thoughts and turned her attention to the door; Twilight's magic had been disrupted from the sudden sounds and the book fell from her sight onto the floor, startling her further. As she scrambled to retrieve it, the door opened and in came a mare slightly taller than the two of them, with a caramel brown mane and tail and wearing a traditional nurses' uniform. She entered, carrying a tray of... food, it seemed, with the use of magic. That made Twilight curious. Was everypony who worked here a unicorn?

She walked over, greeting the both of them before lying the tray down before Rainbow on the bed. "It's time for dinner now, Rainbow," she told her with a smile, though Rainbow found herself focusing more on the contents of the tray before her.

Disgusted, she looked back at her and forced a grin. "Yeah, uh... thanks... looks good."

"Well then, if you're both all set, I'll be on my way." The second the nurse turned and left the room, closing the door as she left, Rainbow let out a sigh of relief.

She quickly dropped the facade, looking at the food in question. "Ugh, what is this?"

"I'm not sure myself..." Twilight replied with the same confused look as Rainbow. It was certainly food. Unidentifiable food, but food nonetheless. Though Twilight could sense Rainbow's hesitation and decided she'd help her out the only way she could think of. "If you don't want it, give it here. I still haven't had anything to eat today, and—" She paused, looking once more at the assortment of food. "—I'm sure it's edible. Can't be that bad, right?"

"Be my guest," Rainbow said, handing her the tray. "But..." Her expression began to grow serious, and even more so curious as to why Twilight would be willing to eat this slop instead of going out and treating herself to something she considered tasty. Then again, this is the same mare who thinks hay is tasty... Rainbow grinned at the thought, finding herself forcibly holding back a snicker or two. In a moment's passing however, both her grin and the thought faded, her tone once again growing serious. "Twi, you can leave," Rainbow said, reminding the unicorn that unlike herself, Twilight was free to leave whenever she wished. "So why not go and bring back something that, oh I don't know... actually looks and tastes good?"

"You mean go out and buy something?"

"Duh," Rainbow replied with a laugh.

"Well as much as I would love to, I don't have any bits on me at the moment—"

Then as quickly as it came, Rainbow's smile faded as she threw her forelegs up in frustration. "Oh, come on!"

"W-what?" Twilight questioned, taken aback by Rainbow's actions and began pondering what exactly she said or did to trigger such a response.

"Do you ever carry money with you?"

"S-sometimes...!" she shot back defensively with a hint of a blush. "Look, maybe I'll pick some stuff up later. For now I'm fine eating... this. Whatever it is."

"Good luck," Rainbow said with another chuckle.

Twilight turned her attention back to the dish before her and took a closer inspection of the green, yellowish... glutinous blob of... food? Whatever it was, it had to be edible. She poked it with her hoof, and to her displeasure, bits of the substance stuck to it. Ew... she thought, grossed as she now stared at her stained hoof from all sides. Well there was only one way she'd get it off...

"Oh Celestia." Her cheeks inflated and threw both her hooves over her mouth, barely able to keep the substance in her mouth. Her eyes squinted shut as she was eventually able to force it down, letting out a few deep breaths as a result.

"Having trouble?" Rainbow watched with an amused grin on her face, doing everything in her power not to grin or fall back in a fit of laughter right at that moment.

"It's strong..." Twilight choked out, her eyes slowly reopening. "V-very bitter, and ugh... a tad spicy..." Its appearance hadn't helped things either, making her sick to her stomach simply looking at the mashed slop.

"It's that bad, huh?" This was too painful to watch... seeing Twilight forced to eat what had been meant for her in the first place. Seeing it only made Rainbow feel worse for eating her breakfast earlier and reducing her to eating... that. Whatever that was. "Look, Twi, I can't ask you to do this, I'll finish it."

"N-no, really Rainbow, I don't mind the taste—"

Rainbow chose to ignore the mare however, knowing full well she didn't really mean any of it. She reached over and scooped up a bit of the sticky substance with a hoof and bringing it back to her mouth, lapped it up. Twilight watched as Rainbow finished, wiping her hoof off and aside from her a moment where she appeared to have shivered slightly, seemed fine. "Well I don't see what the big deal was, Twi," Rainbow remarked, a massive grin on her face. "It's not so bad—"





"Honestly Rainbow..." Twilight stepped out from the room's bathroom carrying a washed out wastebasket, shaking her head with nothing more than a peeved expression written all over her face. As Twilight walked closer, Rainbow's series of coughs seemed to slow, and as Twilight placed the basket surrounded by her magical aura back on the floor, she noticed Rainbow slowly starting to catch her breath. "You're so reckless; I could have told you that would happen."

Taking a few more breaths, Rainbow kept her gaze averted to the floor and only after a few moments had passed, chose to softly mutter, "I-I didn't think it'd be so bad."

Twilight once again shook her head, turning to the nightstand where she had placed the tray of food before Rainbow's... accident. "Here, try and wash the taste of it away with this." She picked a large glass filled with a dark blue liquid off the tray with her magic and brought it close to her muzzle, taking a couple curious sniffs before quietly letting out a sigh and lifting it over to Rainbow. "I... think it's some kind of juice."

"Thanks," said Rainbow as she quickly wiped her lips dry and without a second thought, graciously accepted the beverage.

Twilight nodded and soon turned to take a seat back in the chair, stumblingly climbing up and falling back on her haunches. She smiled, turning to face Rainbow. "Still... thanks for trying to help, even if you did end up regurgitating."

Rainbow lowered the glass into her lap, meeting Twilight's gaze and giving a small sarcastic laugh in response. "Funny."

"Oh, no no, I wasn't trying to be, though... I did mean it when I said I appreciated you trying to help." She breathed out a sigh, lifting the emptying tray in a pale, orchid glow, and placing it upon her lap. "I'll finish what's left of this..." Maybe if she plugged her nose or ate it all in one quick flash, she'd barely sense the taste. Then perhaps it wouldn't seem so bad.

"Whoa, wait... you're actually gonna try and finish that stuff? You're crazy, Twi." Rainbow chuckled softly, turning her gaze to that in front of her and after spending a bit of time fiddling the glass in her hooves, casually held it out to Twilight. "Here, you'll be needing this back then."

"Oh uh, thanks..." Twilight reluctantly took the glass in her hooves, thankful she'd have something to drink, and attempted to eat the remainder of her dish in small, yet quick, bites.

The two sat quietly for a while longer, both partaking in some small talk as the time passed. It then occurred to Twilight, she hadn't been keeping track of the time, or how long the two had been here. More importantly, she had promised Spike she'd stop by later and had she neglected to keep that promise, she just knew she would have a hard time forgiving herself. So she began scanning the room for a clock and it hadn't taken her long to find one hanging above the doorway. She squinted at the clock while taking a quick drink, only to nearly spit it out when she realized just how late it actually was.

Five already? she thought, eyes wide and absolutely bewildered that it was already so late into the day. Well this day sure went by quickly... Almost too quickly. She'd have to make a mental note to stop and pay her assistant a visit later. But she supposed she still had some time until then; time she could spend reading, or studying... or—

"Hey Twi?" Twilight snapped from her thoughts the second she heard Rainbow's voice.

Or chatting with Rainbow some more, apparently.

Though her tone this time around sounded so somber, so... different than her usual high-spirited, energetic tone. Curious, and unknowingly a tad worried, Twilight turned to face her, almost immediately taking note of the uneasy expression she wore as she stared straight ahead. Now she knew something was bothering her. "Yes, Rainbow?"

Several moments passed with neither of them saying a word, Rainbow sitting with her back against the headboard and forelegs crossed. She narrowed her eyes in concentration, gazing out the window. "You... you think they've noticed?" she spoke up at last, amongst the silence and in a low, scratchy whisper.

"Noticed what?" Twilight was quick to ask, slightly tilting her head to the right for a moment as she continued. "And who's 'they'?"

Rainbow let out an irritated huff. "You know..."

"No, Rainbow, I don't," Twilight replied dryly, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Care to elaborate?"

Rainbow bit the left corner of her lip, lowering her eyelids while staring absently out the window. "My hometown, or... wherever the hay I came from," Rainbow explained after a few more moments in silence had passed. "Do you think they've noticed my disappearance?"

Twilight looked stunned as the realization of what Rainbow had been trying to say sunk in. Rainbow actually made an allusion to her home... the ponies she used to live with. That's... progress, Twilight supposed, smiling inwardly at the fact that Rainbow had decided to open up to her, and that she actually cared about a life she once had before crashing into her own home. Yet on the outside, she fretted over what to tell her. "O-oh! Uhm, well..."

Come on Twilight, answer her! Her mind pressed her to say something, but she hadn't a clue what to say. To say she had been caught off guard would have been an understatement. She had expected Rainbow to make some absurd remark or comment on how bored she was, but instead her voice showed signs of doing neither. Instead it came out soft and wistful, hints of worry in Rainbow's voice that surprised her all the more. In the short time they had known each other... for the first time Twilight sensed genuine anguish; a need for her to tell the pegasus that somewhere in the wide world of Equestria, there existed a town she grew up in, and was a part of, full of familiar faces longing for her return.

But she couldn't promise Rainbow that... not when she wasn't sure herself. Yet, she realized there was something else she could say. Something she could state with certainty, with the possibility of raising Rainbow's mood in the process.

"I wouldn't worry too hard, Rainbow. You've only been gone for roughly a day and a half now, and that's barely enough time for somepony to have noticed—" Then she stopped herself. Oh what am I saying? Sure it may seem unlikely others have already noticed her disappearance, but... Oh I can't tell her that. She reached over and nervously and almost reluctantly—drawing her hoof back a couple inches for the briefest moment, placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sure plenty of ponies have already noticed your disappearance and have set out to find you."

Well, she supposed it was possible, if not a tad unlikely; and in ways, it seemed Rainbow was beginning to feel the same.

"But what if they haven't?" Rainbow rebutted, instantly shifting her shoulder out from beneath Twilight's hoof and turning to face her. "Hay, what if... what if I never even had a home to begin with?"

Now she was suggesting she never even had a home? That was crazy. Of course she did. She had to... or so Twilight hoped. Though whether she did or didn't, this all sounded rather strange coming from the prismatic, and often cheery pegasus.

"Gee, what happened to all that positivity of yours?" she joked, though proving ineffective once she took notice of the indifferent look Rainbow gave her. "Alright, sorry, but look, the Princess said she would be sending out notices to neighboring towns and cities across Equestria. Heck, she's even sending members of the Royal Guard!" Her voice raised, attempting to place emphasize on the fact Princess Celestia had actually gone through the trouble of doing so. "Somepony is bound to reply or come looking for you, just you wait."

Rainbow looked into Twilight's eyes for a few seconds longer, searching for truth in the words she spoke. Then, averting her gaze and allowing her eyes to close, Rainbow realized the only thing she saw in the unicorn's eyes was uncertainty.

With a faint nod and a sigh of relief, Rainbow replied with a simple, yet dispirited, "Yeah..." Her eyes once again opened and she glanced towards Twilight. "I hope you're right."

"Me too..." Twilight quickly added under her breath before she soon got an idea. A harmless little joke, one she had a feeling Rainbow would catch on to. "And hey," she continued, directing her gaze back at the pegasus, all while struggling to hold back a grin. "If you really have no home... or if nopony comes looking for you, you can always live with me; hay, you've practically moved in already." That had to lighten her mood, after all, why would Rainbow ever want to live with her? She was sure the idea alone would trigger a grin, maybe a laugh of two from the pegasus, and sure enough she noticed Rainbow staring back at her, eyes wide and seemingly in disbelief before her face broke into a widening grin.

And for a while, Twilight believed she had raised Rainbow's spirits a little. The two made idle chit-chat, all the while Rainbow acting like a completely changed mare, and even stating that Twilight was 'kind of awesome' after all. Though she hadn't the slightest clue why.

Then after some time had passed, Twilight began to notice Rainbow had grown quiet, her expression somber and full of thought. Full a moment, there was silence, and instantly, Twilight became worried. Before she had gotten the chance to question her however, Rainbow spoke. "Hey, uh Twi... can I tell you something?"

At first, Twilight was motionless and didn't respond, baffled by what she had asked. "I guess so, but... you've never had any trouble speaking freely the whole time I've known you. So why are you suddenly asking me if it's alright?"

"Yeah well, look it's uh... different than all that other stuff, alright? It's something I've sort of uh... kept to myself this whole time and," —She paused to let out a sigh— "I think it's about time I let you know."

So she has been hiding something... figures. Twilight rolled her eyes. She should've suspected, after the incident, that Rainbow had been hiding something from her.

Then again, she hid it pretty well, Twilight supposed. All this time Rainbow had fooled her, and convinced her she was fine. Guess I should've known better...

So Twilight nodded, telling her it was okay, and after looking into her eyes, Rainbow knew she could tell her. "Whenever I try to remember something—anything about myself really, it... well, it sorta uh..." She averted her gaze to the bedside, appearing a bit flustered and muttering out a few inaudible last words.

"Please Rainbow, do you think you could try and enunciate? It would make things a whole lot easier."

Rainbow rolled her eyes before turning to face Twilight, shooting her a vexed look. "I don't even know what that means, Twi!" she retorted. "Urgh, whatever," she then continued, turning to face forward and crossing her forelegs. "Look, it's probably gonna sound stupid and all, but... it hurts."

It... hurts? With wide eyes, Twilight stared at her, a million questions racing through her head. "How fascinating—!" She paused mid-sentence once she took note of the excitement in her own voice, and the sullen-turned-perturbed expression Rainbow now wore. "I-I mean, uh, it's not like I think that's a good thing, but..." Her horn glowed and within a moment she had drawn out some objects from a compartment on her saddle; on her right she held a quill and on her left, a notepad. "Please... tell me more. How exactly does it hurt? Does it perhaps cause some sort of emotional distress for you? Oh! Or maybe it's due to all those injuries you sustained yesterday! Or—"

"Argh, I don't know!" Rainbow exclaimed suddenly, throwing both her forelegs into the air. The sudden act startled Twilight, causing her mouth to snap shut, and for a little while, not a sound could be heard as the two sat in an uncomfortable silence.

Twilight, after a couple moments, leaned back and closed her eyes, letting out a single quivering breath as she allowed her magic to fade. The items dropped into her lap, though it all went unnoticed as she thought over what she had said... how she pestered a pony for an answer she didn't have, so she scolded herself. Brilliant, Twilight... you got so caught up in trying to get an answer, you forgot who you were dealing with.

"Sorry," she uttered out. Then, her eyes shot back towards Rainbow, believing she heard her say the same thing at the exact moment. Rainbow met her glance, and the two found themselves in awkward silence, staring into one another's eyes and attempting to keep a straight face... only to break into a small fit of laughter mere seconds later.

Moments passed and their laughter began to die down, both of their smiles beginning to fade.

Rainbow fell back upon the bed, a saddened smile on her lips. "It's just that... my head starts hurting whenever I like, try to remember something, alright?" She rolled onto her left side, facing Twilight, a sheepish grin replacing her once saddened smile. "Couldn't tell ya why... just does."

'Just does', huh? Twilight chewed over those words. Rainbow could have been hiding something, but after her confession, it seemed to Twilight she was telling the truth. It seemed Rainbow truly didn't know.

It didn't make any sense... but then again, hardly anything about Rainbow made an ounce of sense. Twilight shook her head and began jotting down a few notes in her notepad as a small grin formed. "You are one strange pegasus, you know that?"

Rainbow chuckled at the remark. "And you're an even stranger unicorn, Twi," she replied.

She smirked, lowering the objects for a moment to give Rainbow an inquisitive look. "Oh, and since when am I the strange one?" There certainly wasn't one strange thing about her—well, aside from what Rainbow said about her magical ability the day before. Not that she saw anything strange with it herself.

"Since you took this strange pegasus in and decided to watch over her," Rainbow responded, much to Twilight's surprise. Honestly, she had been expecting some wisecrack about her magic. Though for Rainbow to bring up residing with her and Spike instead was... unexpected, to say the least.

"Yeah... Why'd I do that again?" she asked, jokingly while placing a hoof over her lips as another smile formed.

Rainbow grinned at the comment, then turned away from the unicorn, looking straight ahead as silence filled the room once more. Her grin began to fade away as she began to speak. "Must've done something terrible, then. I mean, if it hurts this badly—"

"Rainbow..." Twilight began. She had a feeling she knew where Rainbow was headed. "You may be an obnoxious, rude, self-centered, egotistical, slob of a mare..."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed, staring at Twilight with an unamused, deadpan expression. "You've known me for a day, Twi."

"But, I'm almost certain you're not malicious," she finished, smiling back at the pegasus. Rainbow's expression however, morphed into a look of puzzlement and after Twilight explained what she meant, the room once again fell into silence. Even after Twilight explained that she couldn't have done anything terrible—that she wasn't like that—and even after her mood seemed to have lifted, neither knew what to say. Rainbow placed a hoof behind her head and ruffled the back of her mane nervously while Twilight searched for a potential topic starter. "Uh, so hey!" she exclaimed, spotting the book she had been reading laying upon the nightstand, and whisked it off with in a magical aura. "You still have an unfinished book; why not focus on reading some more?" she said, placing a hoof over the book's cover and subsequently drawing Rainbow's attention to it. "It'll help get your mind off all that nonsense." After a motionless response however, and a perplexed expression from the prismatic pegasus, Twilight suggested, "or perhaps I'll continue reading, and you can listen as I read... alright?"

Rainbow shrugged, turning to look straight ahead and cuing Twilight that she didn't seem to mind either way. So turning to where she remembered last leaving off, Twilight cleared her throat and began reading once more, doing her to best act out the differing voices of the characters.

All the while, Rainbow had one final thought before listening in on the story Twilight was telling.

Though Twilight had insisted she couldn't have done anything wrong, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had messed up. The pain in her head wasn't helping things... neither was the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She began to worry, What if I'm not accepted? What if they don't want me anymore? Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. What if... what if they hate me for what I did—?

"Hey... are you okay?" Twilight's voice entered Rainbow's mind, snapping her out of her thoughts. realizing she must had seen the tears, Rainbow quickly blinked her eyes clear and turned to face her, a faint blush on her cheeks. "I... never expected you to have a sensitive side," Twilight continued, softly smiling before once again turning her attention to the pages of the book. "Then again, this is a rather emotional turning point in the story, and you are sort of like her, so I suppose—"

"Uh, yeah," Rainbow cut in. "Yeah Twi, I'm fine." She smiled sheepishly back at the unicorn mare. "Sorry... you were right, it really got to me... but I'm good now." With a reassuring nod, she added, "You can continue reading now, if you want."

"Oh... well, a-alright, if you're certain." She noted Rainbow reply with a little nod before turning away, and that was a good enough answer for her. She turned back to the book before her, and leaning in with squinted eyes, began scanning line after line of the page she had been reading. "Now then, where did I leave off...?"

A moment was all it had taken for Twilight to find the spot where she had left off, and before long she was carelessly reading away.

And Twilight continued reading, until the very end, and as Rainbow listened to the story being told, she again began to think.

Perhaps it didn't matter what mistakes she made— What she did, who she was... It was all behind her now. Nothing more than forgotten memories; strange, yet dreadful feelings gnawing at the back of her mind... and it caused an irksome pain each time she attempted to recall them.

So why try at all? Why bother when it caused her pain? Why bother when... she had a new home now. A new name, a new life... a life that didn't cause her pain. She looked as the bookworm read away, seemingly lost in her own little world, simply enjoying what she loved doing. And watching her made Rainbow smile.

A home with Twilight, like she had assured her earlier... it sounded nice.

Of course there was still the matter of whether or not ponies would come looking for her, and, as Twilight stated, if nopony showed, then she would be assured a home with her. So—if anypony even came—she'd turn them down... preferably without Twilight knowing.

Even if she did find out, what would Twilight do? Scold her? Forcibly send her back home? No... she wasn't like that. Hay, she'd probably be honored I chose her over... whatever I had before all this happened—

Or shocked, her inner voice proposed. She'd probably be a little upset as well...

Oh what do you know? she argued with the sudden voice in her head. I don't see what the big deal is; she said I could live with her—

Only if you have nowhere to go, the voice corrected, causing Rainbow to let out a quiet huff of annoyance. Besides, the voice continued, her tone seemingly provocative. Aren't you acting sorta brash here? Giving up a life you know nothing about all for a new life with a unicorn you've only just met?

Rainbow crossed her forelegs as those words sunk in. She hated to admit it, particularly to that bothersome voice in her head, but it was right. Who knew what she had before meeting Twilight, or what she was leaving behind. Maybe a part of her was curious as to what awaited her beyond this city... what kind of ponies she used to live with, the friends and relations she might have had... But another, more convincing part of her was telling her that there was nothing waiting for her; that if there was, she wouldn't be wanted... and deep down, she hated it. She hated the thought of being alone, the thought of a hometown that didn't want a thing to do with her.

At least a life with Twilight, she figured, would be one a little less lonely. Besides, she isn't 'some unicorn' I just met, Rainbow thought. She's... she's my friend. Possibly the only friend she had at this point. And... I like her, she added, and I kinda like it here as well; neither cause me any pain when I think about them... She glanced down at the bedspread with a half-hearted smile. It's weird, but... I feel drawn to her. There's something about her. She glanced over in Twilight's direction, casting a warm smile at the sight. I haven't known her for long, but hay... I don't think I could abandon her even if I tried.

A couple moments passed in spellbound silence, Rainbow continuously watching as Twilight turned another page. But then, to her dismay, the voice in her head spoke again, this time in a disapproving tone. You're lying to yourself, you know, the voice told her. Trying to justify all this nonsense. Convincing yourself you're not wanted anymore, that you belong here... that some moody egghead is actually your friend—

"Argh, shut up already!" Rainbow grumbled out, raising her tone in response to the voice, and surely enough it did. Her only mistake however, was speaking it aloud. Her eyes widened in realization and she quickly covered her mouth with a hoof and gulped. Keeping her gaze fixed firmly ahead and not daring to look in Twilight's direction, attempted an apology. "I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean—!" Before Rainbow could say anything else however, she was cut off by a sudden laugh, and turning in surprise, Rainbow saw Twilight with a hoof over her own lips and chuckling softly.

"Well I suppose the villain's monologue is a bit jarring..." She looked Rainbow in the eyes, an amused grin remaining on her lips, though partially hidden by her hoof. Lowering her hoof and taking a quick breath, she shifted her glance away from the pegasus, and instead back down at the page. "Sorry, I'll just skip over this remaining bit."

And Twilight resumed reading, thinking nothing of what the pegasus had said, much to Rainbow's relief.

Letting out a sigh, Rainbow slouched back into the comfort of the mattress. She wasn't lying to herself. She wasn't trying to convince herself of anything, nor was she running away from anything. She wanted to live with Twilight, simple as that. And she had to believe that Twilight wouldn't mind her decision.

Turning again to her left, she took one last look at Twilight before taking note of the book Twilight had been reading. Rainbow could only stare at it in surprise, shocked that the unicorn had read through it all, save for a remaining pages. In the time span of an hour or two—Rainbow didn't know, having been lost in thought while occasionally listening in on the story being told—Twilight had read through an entire novel.

And then before Rainbow even knew it, she closed the book with the words, "The end."

"So," Twilight began, setting the book aside and looking towards Rainbow with an affable grin. "What did you think?"

Rainbow however, at that moment, remained oblivious to all around her and only after Twilight's expression become one of worry, did Rainbow realize the unicorn had been talking to her. She briefly shook her head and scrambled to think up a reply. "O-oh! Uhm, well..."

Taking note of Rainbow's flustered behavior, Twilight chuckled lightly, figuring the story left her speechless. "It was wonderful, wasn't it? Oh I just knew you'd end up liking it."

"Uh... y-yeah," Rainbow agreed, while in her head, pondering how Twilight came to that conclusion. She supposed she was right though; she had liked it, or, what she had heard of it anyway. Rainbow broke into an amused grin. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Twilight nodded, returning the smile. Though as her eyes glanced to the nightstand, particularly the book which rested upon it, her smile broke and her eyes narrowed. "Though I suppose it wasn't perfect. I mean, the writing was a bit weak at times..."

"It was fine Twi, really—" Rainbow tried to tell her, though her words fell on deaf ears as she continued.

"Then again, this was the first book in the series and I'm sure mo—er, the author was probably a little inexperienced," Twilight concluded, brandishing the same friendly smile from moments ago, though there might have been some truth behind what she had said. To her, the series had seemed to grow and improve with each new installment. "Perhaps you'll enjoy some of the later books in the series even more."

Rainbow's ears perked at the mentioning of a series. "Wait wait wait... you're saying there's more?" she asked, excitement in her voice.

"Oh uh, well yes," Twilight answered, startled by how much she must have liked the book.

"Well why didn't you mention that before, Twi?" Rainbow asked, suddenly becoming more eager, and interested to know more about this 'series'. "Come on, you have more in that saddle of yours, right?"

More? Twilight peered down at the spot on the floor where the aforementioned saddle lay, and shook her head. "Actually... I don't," she admitted, much to Rainbow's dismay. She breathed out a sigh before continuing. "I was kind of in a rush earlier this morning—"

"Yeah, you don't say," Rainbow teased, flashing back to earlier that morning.

"Well, I grabbed what I could, and... well, I wasn't sure whether or not you'd even like the series! I wasn't going to bring an entire series with me only for you to end up not liking the first volume."

"Alright, I get it," Rainbow said, holding her hooves out in front of her chest and prompting her to relax. She gazed down at the saddle. "What else ya got in there then?"

"Well..." She lifted the saddle off the floor in a light magical aura over to the bed where Rainbow lay, emptying out the pouches at the opposite end. Rainbow leaned up and scooted closer, examining the pile and without hesitation, began pawing through the selection... only to end up disappointed, and a bit annoyed over the books Twilight had chosen.

"Canter in the Sky, Ponies and Prejudice, The Horseback of Notre Dame, To Catch a Mockingbird, The Great Gallopsby, Artemis Foal, Hairy Trotter, Lord of the Pegasi—

"Bor-ring," Rainbow simply stated, then leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes, tilting her head to the right and crossing her forelegs. The act, needless to say, left Twilight dumbfounded.

"What...? No they're not!" Twilight shot back defensively. True, none of them were quite as adventurous or action-packed as the Daring Do books, and no doubt had Rainbow been looking for something similar, but they certainly weren't what she'd call 'boring'. "I mean, you haven't even read them! How can you say they're boring?"

"Just can," Rainbow replied, cracking a sly grin as she glanced towards Twilight with an accusing hoof now pointed directly at her. "You're into boring books, Twi."

"I'm not 'into them', Rainbow," Twilight retorted, crossing her own forelegs. "They're just... nicely-written stories that I enjoyed reading. That's all."

"Uh-huh..." Rainbow raised a suspicious eyebrow in her direction. "And you thought I'd enjoy them too?"

"I thought, yes, but..." Twilight sighed and leaned towards the pile, her horn aglow, deciding she may as well pack them up. She knew she should have brought some of Spike's comic collection, or maybe that vampire pony series... At least that would teach her to appreciate what she already brought... "If you don't want to read them..."

"Oh no, I'll give 'em a chance," Rainbow assured, placing a hoof over the pile while casting a smile in Twilight's direction. "It'll give me something to do... and hey, how bad could they be?"

But despite what Rainbow told her, Twilight could only stare back at her with disbelieving eyes. She couldn't have heard right. Sure Rainbow seemed willing, but... seconds ago she claimed they were boring! So why would she change her mind so quickly? Unless... No, she's probably just being nice, Twilight concluded, rolling her eyes and deciding that was the case.

Still, she was willing to try, and the fact alone caused Twilight to smile. Spike never gave them a chance, but at least with Rainbow, she was willing to.

It excited her, knowing that somepony was actually taking an interest in the books she loved. And so, without thinking, Twilight began digging through the pile of books, all the while bearing an excited grin. "Then allow me to recommend one for you! This one is one of my favorites."

Rainbow examined the book that Twilight now held close to her chest, taking particular notice of the size. It was huge—a thousand pages, at least! It was that 'Lord' book she noted moments ago, but... Twilight couldn't seriously be expecting her to read it. The promise of pegasi aside, it looked complex—the type of book an egghead would read for hours on end, and not to mention the length—

Twilight however, was quick to note Rainbow's weariness regarding the book. "No worries, Rainbow," she assured. "I know this may be seem a bit daunting, seeing as how it's an omnibus, and quite lengthy, but this also happens to be an abridged copy."

"Huh?"

"It means it'll be easier for ponies like you to understand."

Rainbow let out a short "oh" of understanding before her expression contorted into one of surprise, then annoyance. "Hey wait! What do you mean, 'ponies like you'?"

Twilight giggled into her left hoof she had placed over her lips. "Relax, Rainbow," she said, though a smile remained present on her lips. "Look, all this means is that it's shorter, more to the point... alright? I figured you'd rather read this than some thousand-page novel."

"So in other words... short and sweet, huh?" Rainbow glanced at the book for a moment, then up at Twilight with a relieved grin across her muzzle. "I like the way you think, Twi." Twilight's face flushed in embarrassment in response to the comment, staring back at the pegasus mare with wide eyes and a look of disbelief written all over her face.

Until Rainbow's own grinned faltered and the pegasus began to question whether or not she was okay, which Twilight replied with a haste "uh-huh," after a shake of her head. Twilight then turned away, placing her other hoof over her left foreleg and biting the left corner of her lower lip.

"So, uhm..." Twilight continued, her eyes drifting to the floor as she extended the book over to the bed where Rainbow lay. "Now that that's out of the way, you may read it now, if you like."

Rainbow nodded and reached out with a hoof to collect the book. "Tha—" The book dropped from Twilight's magical hold right into her lap, leaving the pegasus stunned for a couple moments before she reluctantly brought the foreleg back to her side. "—nks..." she muttered out, briefly rolling her eyes and scooping the book up in her hooves.

Rainbow sighed, opening up to the first page... then groaned seconds later, narrowing her eyes. On the upside, it was readable, as Twilight had assured her. On the downside, she hardly understood a word of it...

She let out a yawn.

This was going to be tougher than she thought...





More time passed—time Twilight spent answering every question Rainbow tossed her way, though most of her questions simply asked what certain words meant, or how to pronounce them. She had gotten over the embarrassment from earlier, though now found herself more peeved than anything.

But eventually the questions came to a stop, and for a short while, there was silence. No questions, grumbling or complaints from the pegasus... only a series of long, drawn-out yawns—

Then it dawned on her. She didn't... she couldn't have... Twilight thought, figuring there was no way she could have dozed off. But surely enough, Twilight turned to look at Rainbow and there she was, sprawled out beneath the sheets, one foreleg bent above her head and the other dangling off the bedside, with the open book covering her face and a soft, barely audible snoring coming from beneath the pages.

Twilight simply watched the sight with her jaw hanging wide open for a moment before soon closing it and shaking her head. The sight shouldn't have surprised her; it wasn't the first time Rainbow fell asleep on her, completely unnoticed no less.

And reflecting on their day together, Twilight almost couldn't believe Rainbow stayed awake for as long as she did. In the end, Twilight couldn't really blame her for falling asleep.

Though whether or not she fell asleep because of the book was a mystery—if anything, the book helped. But... she didn't seem to mind, even if it had been the cause of her falling asleep. True, the fact that somepony fell asleep while reading a favorite of hers did irritate her, but... At least she tried, Twilight thought. When she didn't even want to... that's something, I guess.

Twilight got down from her seat, now standing by Rainbow's bedside. "Hey," she spoke, only to go unnoticed. She frowned and tried again, prodding Rainbow's shoulder once with her hoof. But it was no use.

As she assumed, Rainbow was in a deep sleep, and decided she may as well let the pegasus sleep. Rainbow needed it, she supposed.

Twilight sighed again and removed the book from where it lay on the pegasus's face, closing it and setting it upon the nightstand. Returning her gaze to the sleeping pegasus, Twilight was given a clearer view of the mare, and she froze. That same look of innocence, each and every time she caught Rainbow sleeping soundly.

She could've passed for an almost entirely different pegasus when she slept. The innocent, peaceful expression she wore... Twilight hardly ever saw it when Rainbow was awake... and although she didn't realize it, she liked seeing it.

Shaking her head free of these thoughts, she continued where she left off, she grabbed hold of Rainbow's hanging foreleg with her magic, and after a short chuckle from the sleeping pegasus, proceeded to tuck it securely under the covers. Rainbow's own grin faltered, though a content smile could now be seen. Wonder what she's dreaming about... Twilight thought, simply watching Rainbow, a warm smile on her muzzle.

Standing there for a few moments, her own warm smile became saddened as she continued to think, At least hers seem pleasant...

Sighing, she remembered there was someplace else she needed to be, that she couldn't waste time pegasus watching. She turned, deciding that Rainbow would be fine while she was out—and presumably asleep the whole time as well—and began packing all the unwanted books back into the sleeves of her saddle, all except for the one Rainbow had attempted to read. Somehow, she had a feeling Rainbow would be interested in reading more, or having somepony read it to her, anyway. Locking the pouches, Twilight secured the saddle around her body and casting one last glance and smile back at the pegasus, turned and left the room.





It was late in the evening city as Twilight walked home, the city of Canterlot glimmering all around her, strings of lights draped up and across the front of buildings, streets signs, lampposts... The city streets themselves were alive with the sound of bustling hooves and ponies chatting with one another along the crowded cobblestone roads, while others trudged on past to their destination. Others, Twilight noticed, were seated around nearby tables at the outside dining areas of local cafés, or window shopping outside various boutiques.

It truly was a beautiful evening, and yet Twilight found herself paying little mind to it. The only thing on her mind was heading home, then heading back to the hospital. It was odd... she couldn't explain why, but that was the only place she wanted to be at that moment. Just her and Rainbow, together without any distractions... maybe even partaking in a little reading together!

...Once she awoke, that is.

Twilight stopped, shaking her head. Oh, why am I even thinking this way? Sure, reading with somepony else around is fun, but... Her thoughts focused on the little dragon of hers, waiting for her to return home. Spike's my top priority at the moment, not Rainbow, and, —Staring ahead with a confident smile while taking a step forward, thought— I'd never forsake my own assistant for some pegasus—!

"Twilight!"

Startled, Twilight's eyes went wide and she snapped from her thoughts, and jumped at the sound of the outcry... only to end up tripping over her own hooves.

And before she knew it, she had hit the ground, landing face first on the stone pavement.

"Twilight!" the voice once again called out, the sound of panicked hoofsteps drawing towards her with each passing second. Twilight herself let out a groan before glancing up, her head aching and eyes spinning.

"Rain... bow...?" Twilight sputtered out, gazing at the blurred creature before her.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Okay, that's definitely not Rainbow... Twilight concluded, placing a well-needed hoof over her head and blinking her eyes clear. "Uh, y-yes..." she answered. Whoever you are... Shakily standing up on all fours and breathing out a sigh, Twilight lifted a hoof to clear her eyes while for the first time getting a look at the... presumable pony before her.

Or ponies. Before her stood three unicorn mares, around her own age, each with a shared look of concern etched on their faces. The one, whose voice Twilight had heard, bared a curly cerise mane and ivory coat, and stared back at her through arctic blue eyes. A foot behind her stood two others, the one on the left bearing a blue coat with a periwinkle and blue-streaked mane, while the mare on the right had a light yellow coat and blue mane.

And as the three stood facing her, with looks of relief on their faces and looking back at her with their best friendly smiles, all Twilight could think was, Oh no... why now? She didn't know their names, who they were, what they did. All she knew was they had all been in the same class together.

She also hated it whenever they tried to talk with her... and they were currently keeping her from her destination.

Twilight gulped, putting on her best smile and gazing past the trio at the road ahead of her, all the while in her head thinking up a way out of this. A way that hopefully wouldn't involve striking up a conversation. If I can just get the first word in, Twilight thought, parting her lips to speak, I'll politely excuse myself, then make a dash for it—

Or so she had planned.

"So Twilight—"

Oh Celestia...

Twilight's head fell as she heard the ivory mare opposite her speak her name.

"—we hardly ever get to see you!" she continued, sporting a wide grin and poking Twilight's right shoulder with her left hoof. "So, Celestia's favorite protégée, what have you been up to?"

Twilight looked up, wide-eyed, at the sudden touch of her hoof. "Oh, um..." She removed the hoof from her shoulder as her mind thought up an answer. "S-studying!" Twilight exclaimed. "Yeah, uhm... lots and lots of studying," she finished with an uneasy grin, praying they'd believe her.

Instead, all Twilight heard was a suspicious-sounding "uh-huh," followed by the ivory-coated mare raising an eyebrow in response. Behind her, the two mare's accompanying her snickered quietly into their hooves.

"So..." the leading mare began, looking towards Twilight, now with a shrewd grin along her muzzle. "Studying, huh?" Twilight simply nodded, unsure of what she was getting at. "With that new pegasus?"

Twilight's jaw dropped.

"We saw you two together yesterday," the yellow-coated mare explained, taking a step forward. "Aiding that poor dear to the hospital... it was so sweet of you, Twilight!" She clasped both her hooves together with a dreamy expression, looking towards Twilight and adding, "The two of you are really quite cute together."

Twilight's jaw hit the street.

She scrambled backwards, falling back on her flank, and desperate to deny... whatever she just heard. "We weren't—I mean, we aren't, we... I would never—"

"I haven't the slightest clue where you met a mare like that," the remaining blue-coated mare chimed in, looking thoughtfully at Twilight. Another thought occurred to her, and she turned to the others. "Did you see her mane? Why, it was simply stunning!" Her smile soon broke as she remembered something else. Something that made her nose crinkle in disgust, and she frowned. "Although the style could use a bit of work..."

"Yeah, and she didn't sound or seem all that bright either..." the yellow one spoke, sharing a similar look of distaste.

"Yeah," the blue one agreed, letting out a chuckle as she then said, "I bet she can't even read—"

"Uhm, girls..." the ivory mare intervened with a worried expression, turning to her friends, and proceeded to speak in a whisper, "I don't think we should be talking this way about Twilight's girlfriend." She glanced at Twilight from the corner of her eye, pointing a hoof at her. "I mean, she's like, right there."

The pointed hoof, the glances, the whispers—even the world itself all went unnoticed as Twilight sat back on her haunches, staring mindlessly ahead of her. Her eyes were wide, and her body grew hot as she began to sweat, but everything continued on unnoticed; the only thought on the young mare's mind being how things ended up like this...

Or how Rainbow was suddenly thought to be her girlfriend.

Then she remembered what the one mare said about the two of them looking, —Twilight shuddered— cute together, and right then, the pieces in her mind clicked together... and she broke into an uncontrollable blush.

And she hated it. Twilight now knew what she had meant, and it made her sick to her stomach. Her and Rainbow. Together. She once again thought over how that worked... How a relationship between two mares could even begin to work, but thinking about it only caused her to grow light-headed.

Twilight squinted her eyes shut and clasped a hoof over her forehead. I need to get out of here.

Twilight's eyes slowly opened, taking note of the unicorn mares standing before her, whispering amongst themselves. "She isn't... I mean we aren't—" Twilight spoke out to them with deep, steady breaths. Hind legs buckling, Twilight slowly stood up in time for the trio of mares to direct their attention back at her.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. What was that you were saying?" the ivory one asked, with what Twilight could only assume was a fake tone of concernment. "If this is about what they—" She paused, glaring behind her at the other two before turning and casting a kind smile back at Twilight. "—said about your girlfriend—"

"Argh, she is not my girlfriend!" Twilight shouted back at them, and upon doing so, felt her heart pound heavily in her chest. She could feel it hammering away, threatening to leap from her chest, and it only made her feel sicker than she already felt. She gulped nervously and stepped to the left. With a shaky breath, Twilight added, "And by the way... she can too read. Now if you'll excuse me..." Not bothering to look and see their expressions, or hear another word from any of them, Twilight carefully trudged onward. Though another thought soon came over her that made her ears fall flat and head lower to the ground. Just not very well...

And as Twilight walked from the group, and the tension between them lessened, the yellow-coated one couldn't help but ask, "So like... they're not dating?" She looked to the other two with a stumped expression. "They are still living together though... right?"





Twilight shook her head and began to run, doing her best to forget what just happened. The sound of her name being called out could barely be heard as she ran down the street, then another, and soon it couldn't be heard at all. Her steps slowly came to a stop as she paused to catch her breath, and have a look around. Not much further... she told herself in thought, noting the familiar buildings while stepping over to a convenient park bench to her right.

She collapsed upon the bench and rested her aching hooves and more importantly, head against the backing, letting out a tired groan as the street lamp above her flickered.

"I don't think we should be talking this way about Twilight's girlfriend."

The words echoed in Twilight's head, finding that she couldn't shake them from her thoughts as easily as she had hoped. But why? What was so special about what some mare thought? What was so special about her and Rainbow accused of being... girlfriends...

"Hey, Shining?" The young purple-coated filly looked up from her book to the older colt seated beside her on the park bench. The street lamp beside them flickered while ponies of differing shapes and sizes walked on by, paying no mind to the best friends seated on the bench to the side of the road. Brother and sister, sitting beside one another and simply enjoying each other's company, snacking on the ice cream cones the two of them held close to their muzzles with a magical hold.

"Yeah, Twily?" The white colt looked down from his treat and towards his sister, sharing her look of curiosity.

Twilight smiled affectionately at the nickname, though returned her gaze to the book before her as the question lingering in her mind caused her cheeks to redden. "Brother... do you have somepony that you love?" Twilight asked with her muzzle buried in the pages of the book, as innocently as she could. The question had caught Shining off-guard, finding himself staring back at her with a mixed look of shock and embarrassment.

"I-I'm assuming you mean brotherly love... right, Twilight?" Shining asked, following up the question with a nervous chuckle. "You know I—"

"No, brother!" Twilight shook her head and let out a frustrated groan. "I meant... uhm," she continued as her voice grew quieter, "romantic love..."

"Oh... o-oh!" Shining's eyes widened and he looked in the opposite direction, placing a hoof behind his neck. "Uh Twilight, aren't you a little young—?"

"To ask about romance?" Twilight guessed, and sure enough, Shining gave a reluctant nod in response. He turned back to her only to see her looking back at him with a slight pout. "Big brother, might I remind you that I've spent the past few months studying advanced magic. I mean, Mother and Father have even decided to enroll me in Princess Celestia's—"

"—School for Gifted Unicorns. I know." Shining sighed and turned his attention back to the street. "And soon," he added, "I'll be joining the ranks of the Royal Guard." Shining focused his gaze on a family of ponies as they walked on by. "I'll be responsible for the protection of this city and the lives of everyone who live here." Shining took a small bite out of his cone, a saddened smile overcoming his face. "We've both accomplished so much so early on... Looks like we won't be meeting like this as often, huh?"

"Yeah..." Twilight agreed, a momentary hint of sadness in her tone before she shook it away. "We may not see each other as often, but... we'll still see each other, right?"

Shining thought over the question in his head, and then having decided on an answer, told her, "right." It was an uncertain answer, but it was the answer Twilight wanted to hear.

The young filly beamed at her brother's answer.

"So... uhm," Twilight started to say before getting cut off by Shining pointing a hoof at her ice cream cone.

"Twilight, your ice cream's melting," Shining told her. Twilight turned, looking in the direction of his hoof, to the forgotten ice cream she held to the side. And without hesitation, brought it close to her muzzle and made quick work of it, eagerly chomping down on the creamy confection, and right then her face scrunched up and body shivered, her teeth stung from the cold, and she placed a hoof over her head.

"Brain freeze?" Shining asked in a teasing voice, letting a chuckle slip out as he watched his sister. She always had a soft spot for sweets, he knew that much. So he'd always remember to treat her to ice cream when they went out. The two of them would meet up outside of the the local confectionery shop, Twilight carrying a different book with her every time, and the two would take a seat on the bench outside and talk. He was one of the few ponies Twilight could talk to. One of the few Twilight felt comfortable around, and wanted to talk to.

"I-I don't g-get those..." Twilight stuttered out in defense before falling back into silence, simply waiting for the chills to leave her system.

Shining rolled his eyes. He had learned to stop counting the number of times she insisted on that after the tenth.

"Now, as I was saying..." Twilight looked to her brother who did his best to hide the amused smirk across his muzzle. Her eyes narrowed. "About my question..."

Shining's smile fell as he backed away and beckoned the little filly to calm down. "That's right, your question... "Do I have somepony who I love"...?" He put on a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his mane. "I guess you could say it's sort of one-sided at the moment." His attention turned from the curious filly whose expression asked that he continue, and his gaze fell to the street. "She'd never be interested in a colt like me anyway..."

The silence between the two siblings became unnerving as Twilight sat still, unsure of what to say or even do. She had taken in every word her brother had said. Shining had somepony whom he loved, and that alone sent her mind into a frenzy. She pondered who it could be, and how long he's kept this from her... and what he meant when he said she'd never be 'interested' in him.

She looked towards him, taking note of his saddened gaze, and it made her feel uneasy. Why wouldn't somepony love him? He's my big brother best friend forever, she thought. The best brother, and friend anypony could ever ask for! How could she, whoever this pony was, not love him...?

Twilight sighed. She supposed she really didn't know the first thing about love...

Twilight shook these thoughts from her head and decided to speak, to try and break the silence, but to her surprise, Shining spoke first.

"Now I get to ask you a question, Twilight." He turned to her with a questioning gaze. "Since when did my little sister become so interested in love?" he asked, surprising her as one of his hooves reached over and ruffled her mane.

For a moment, Twilight was stunned by her brother's sudden shift in attitude.

And before she even knew it, he was back to his old self, and for a moment, she smiled before soon fading as Shining's hoof began to test her patience. "Ugh, I'm not 'interested', Shining," Twilight corrected, moving her head out from under Shining's hoof and with a hoof of her own, proceeded to brush it back to its original form. "But I've been spending time with Cadance recently..."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "Your foal-sitter?" he asked, smiling warmly at the image of the cerise alicorn. "I suppose she does have a way of spreading love..."

Twilight nodded softly though didn't say a word, instead choosing to look down on the book before her. "Spending time with her, and seeing what she can do with her magic... it has made me curious. Do you think there's someone out there for everypony?"

Twilight noted her brother's hesitant but eventual nod from the corner of her eye. "Even a bookish filly like myself?"

"Twilight... What is this about?"

Twilight bit her lower lip before reluctantly explaining, "I was thinking that perhaps love could make my magic stronger, and yet... I can't shake the feeling that I'll always be alone, and... my magic will probably never grow any stronger because of that, or maybe it will—argh, I don't know!"

So she thinks finding love will strengthen her magic... Shining shook his head. "Twilight... there's much more to love than magic; I may not know as much about love as Cadance does, but I do know that you're rushing into it for the wrong reasons."

Wrong reasons? Twilight pondered this. What reasons were there...? Love strengthened magic, and it had something to do with finding somepony, but... "Oh what does it matter?" Saddened, Twilight sighed and sunk lower in her spot on the bench. "I'll never understand any of this..." She paused, and looked up with wide eyes once she felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

"All of this will become clear to you someday, Twilight," Shining assured her with a comforting smile.

Twilight turned to her brother, uncertainty in her eyes. "But what if it does, and I still can't find it?"

"I'm sure you will." Shining's hoof returned to his side as he turned back to the street, hoping his reassurance had been enough. But it was Twilight he was talking with; things were never quite as simple when it involved his little sister.

Twilight's voice raised. "But—!" she began to say. Then her shoulders slumped and her head fell back to the open pages of the book, her voice quieting. "It's like I said... nopony would ever be interested in a filly like myself..."

Shining's head titled back towards Twilight, his muzzle twisted into a worried frown. "Where did you get an idea like that, Twily?"

"Well...!" Twilight tried to explain, but found herself at a loss of words.

"Look... Twilight," Shining spoke with certainty, his voice comforting. "I'm sure there are a lot of ponies who would love a pony like you."

"Yeah?" Twilight turned and looked her brother in the eyes, and as Twilight stared into them, she could tell he was telling her the truth. Unknowingly, a smile crept along her muzzle.

"Sure," Shining replied. "Why, I even know a nice pegasus colt around your age. Name's Brad—"

Right then, Twilight's face scrunched in detest. "What kind of name is Brad...? I mean, pegasi are okay, but..."

Taking note of his little sister's reaction, Shining let out a soft chuckle. "I was kidding about the name, Twily; his name is Flash, and something tells me he'd love a girl like you—not that I'd let him anywhere near you of course. Sorry Twily, it's just a part of being my duty as your older brother."

Twilight thought over his words for only a moment before shaking her head. It was nice knowing there existed ponies who'd be interested in her for who she was after all, but... "He sounds too flashy," she dejected. "But maybe instead of a flash, a dash; you know, somepony dashing!" Twilight beamed back at Shining, maintaining a grin.

"Dashing?" Shining thought over what Twilight had said as the aforementioned mare snapped from her thoughts at the sound of her brother's voice. "Well," Shining began, "you may have to wait a while if you hope to meet a colt like that in this city..."

Twilight's grin faltered as she pondered why, and as she did, neither talked after that. Until at last, the sun began to set. "Twilight, it's getting late... you should head on home soon."

Twilight groaned, wishing she could stay for a little while longer, but as she directed her gaze towards the setting sun, she knew he was right. "Okay..." She let out a sigh, closing her book shut and hopping down from the bench. She stood still for a moment before spinning around, and as Shining was about to question her, her face lit up. "But only if you see me off on my first day of school."

"I'll be there," Shining replied as the surprise wore off. He shook his head, an amused grin across his muzzle as he walked over and ruffled the unicorn's mane. "And I expect you to be by my side when I'm welcomed into the ranks of the Guard. Deal?"

Twilight nodded, stepping back with a playful smile across her lips. After a few more seconds, her smile fell as another thought entered her mind. "Hey, Shining? Before you leave, I... I have another question."

"Another?"

"Throughout our conversation, you consistently used the word 'colt'." Twilight paused before dubiously asking, "Does this somepony... need to be a colt?"

Shining stood stunned for a moment, unsure of what to say. Another part of him was slightly surprised that she had bothered to keep track of the number of times he used a specific word... But only slightly. It was his sister, after all. With a shake of his head, he placed a hoof the filly's left shoulder and gave his answer. "Well..."

"Anything else would be unnatural," Twilight repeated as she finished what her brother had told her all those years ago. She breathed out an annoyed sigh as the memory came to an end. "Right."

All this time, she had forgotten about her talk with Shining, and in the end, she supposed it didn't really matter if she had remembered or not. I haven't given any thought to the idea of finding love in the longest time... not since I began my tutelage under Princess Celestia... Admittedly, she found the idea to be a funny one. To think she used to long for love, when studying proved to be a much more efficient way of improving one's own magic.

Now, years later, she found herself no less clueless when the subject of love was brought up. Other than the belief it could be used to strengthen magic, she hadn't the slightest clue how to find it or how you were supposed to know you were in love in the first place, what the signs were, how it felt to be in love...

Then, next thing she knew, Rainbow and her were accused of being girlfriends... Being in love... What could they see that she couldn't?

And why Rainbow...? She was a tomcolt, sure, but... she was not a colt, and... This is giving me a headache... Twilight groaned, sitting upright. She really was clueless about love... The only time she remembered the matter being brought up again was when she talked with Cadance, like Shining had suggested.

It was so long ago... Twilight smiled ironically at the thought. Guess my memory isn't that great either... Her smile faltered as thoughts of Rainbow resurfaced in her head. If she did know one thing about love, it was that girlfriends didn't exist. Whatever love was, it was strictly between a mare and a colt.

She sighed, stepping down from the bench. Rainbow was just somepony she knew, and admittedly, she felt closer to her than most other ponies she knew. But that's all Rainbow was, and she foolishly wasted time assuring herself of what she already knew.

She had wasted time when she had someplace she needed to be.

And besides, Twilight thought, Rainbow probably has somepony who loves her, and is waiting for her... waiting for her to return home. Just another reason why the two of them could never be together, she supposed as she made her way home.





A short time later, and Twilight was home at last. She pushed open the doors to the lobby, then once inside, swiftly closed them with a magical glow, and walked to her left, to a nice window seat, and promptly collapsed upon it. Home. At. Last... She sighed contently, slouching further into the sun-soaked, azure cushion and smiled as the sun warmed her coat. She yawned; the heat of the sun was no doubt getting to her and she could already feel her eyelids growing heavy... when the sudden sound of a familiar voice shook her out of it.

"Twilight?"

The mare in question jolted upwards, and turned impulsively towards the source to find Spike, frozen in his tracks with a container of ice cream in one claw and looking surprised to see her home so soon. He threw the container behind his back, attempting to hide it from the unicorn, as he nervously grinned back at her. "I uh, didn't think you'd be back so soon."

Twilight's eyes returned to their normal size at the sight of her assistant, and smiled, seeing he was seemingly unharmed. However her smile soon turned curious as she pondered his words. "You didn't?" she asked, tilting her head. "But... I said I would stop by later, when I had the chance." She turned back to the window, taking note of the setting sun. "Sorry, Spike," she continued, growing sheepish. "I realize it's late... guess I lost track of time—"

"That's not like you," Spike spoke in a bitter tone. His eyes fell to the floor as he continued, his voice lowering. "It's almost like you're starting to enjoy spending time with her..."

Spike's tone, and attitude all went unnoticed by Twilight however as she focused solely on what he had told her. "I'm... enjoying my time with—? Spike, that's not..." Then another thought occurred to her. "Oh, that reminds me!" Twilight exclaimed, springing to her hooves and stepping down from the seat. She ran towards the winding stairwell, leading down into the living corridors of the tower, stopping only for a moment to call out, "Come along, Spike," as she headed out of the lobby with Spike, after tossing away the emptied container into a nearby trash bin, grudgingly followed. Spike aside, she had returned home for a reason. There was something she had meant to grab and bring with her to the hospital later, though, Twilight supposed they could talk as she did precisely that.

"Now," Twilight began as she descended the flight of stairs. "What did you mean when you said I was starting to enjoy spending time with Rainbow?" She paused, turning her head back towards Spike. "You were referring to Rainbow, correct?"

Spike shrugged, avoiding her querying gaze. "Never mind, Twilight... it's nothing."

"Oh, well..." Twilight turned back ahead, her thoughts too focused on other matters. Particularly, on the set of books she'd be bringing Rainbow later, and how surprised she'll be when she sees them. She'll be glad though, Twilight thought, smiling at the thought as she stopped before the door leading into her room... before her thoughts returned to the little dragon following her. She frowned. He's quieter than usual... something's on his mind... Before setting hoof into their room, she turned, once more with the same questioning look. "Are you sure it's nothing, Spike? Seems like something to me."

Spike's eyes widened for only a moment before gazing to his right. He shuffled nervously on the lone stair which he stood upon, a few steps above where Twilight stood.

He was almost surprised she had noticed. With his gaze directed away from Twilight, with one claw clutching his right arm, and after a soft exhale, he told her. "It's just... you're spending more and more time with her lately... and it seems like you're actually enjoying her company."

"That's an assumption, Spike," Twilight replied, turning and trotting forward into the bedroom Spike and her shared. "It only feels like I'm spending more time with her because I'm tasked with looking after her, and I am most certainly not 'enjoying' it." With that said, she went over to the crowded bookshelf beside her bedside and began scanning the rows until she reached the Ds, and after unloading the previous books that filled her saddle bags back upon the shelf, she began loading in a new series of books.

"Twilight... you're not fooling anyone," Spike said, standing in the doorway. Twilight's ears perked as she squeezed in the final novel, and turned to face Spike with a mystified look on her face. "You may not see it, but you're starting to... and I—it feels like—"

"Oh," Twilight drew out the word as the realization hit her. "I see, you're feeling neglected... aren't you?"

When she saw Spike begin to nod his head, Twilight didn't know what to think, or do. So her body acted for her, and before Twilight knew it, she had dropped to the floor and held the baby dragon tightly in her hooves, affectionately rubbing her cheek against Spike's own. "Oh Spike... you know I would never do such a thing," Twilight assured, as her voice broke a little. "I know things have been different around here... but you're my number one assistant. There's no way I'd ever choose some pegasus—that I'm still adjusting to no less—over you."

Spike however, stood shocked, over not only her words, but her actions. For all the time they had known one another, Twilight had never once hugged him.

With Twilight, it always seemed to be a simple smile or a gentle hoof placed over his shoulder, but now it was something else... and he couldn't have been more unsure of what to do next. His eyes slowly returning from their widened state, he gazed down with a somber smile. "I... really hope you mean that," Spike whispered, with his head resting above Twilight's shoulder.

Me too... Twilight bit her lip, pushing all thoughts from her mind and simply focused on the present moment, and the dragon she couldn't quite let go of. So the two remained as they were for a few more moments until as last, it became too much for the young dragon.

Spike shuffled uncomfortably between Twilight's hooves, and after several seconds of struggling, managed to free both his arms and placing his claws against Twilight's chest, pushed away from the mare. "T-that's enough of that... okay, Twilight?"

Twilight sat upright, blinking once. "Y-yeah..." she agreed, but in her mind, pondered why he did such a thing. First she inadvertently hurts Rainbow by hugging her, and now somehow, someway she messed up with Spike too. Unless... I didn't hurt him too... did I? Overcome with a sudden panic, Twilight looked for any signs of injury, and to her relief, she never found a single one. But that left her no less curious, and she couldn't help but think she had made things worse.

Twilight groaned inwardly. Why does hugging somepony have to be so difficult—?

"Twilight?" Spike's voice broke Twilight from her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"M-me? Am I okay? But what about you? I mean, I-I hurt you! Or, well, I did... something to you, and...!"

"Twilight," he began, beckoning for her to calm down. "You didn't do anything, alright? I feel a lot better even... just knowing you aren't making some pegasus your new assistant," he finished with a soft chuckle. "But maybe you could ease up on the hugs? Like, have them be brief... alright?"

That's all? That's what she had fretted over? Shorter hugs? Twilight couldn't help but smile at the realization, which soon broke into a quiet laughter. "Alright," Twilight replied with a nod, overcome with relief. "Shorter hugs, got it." She wiped a hoof over her right eye, and stood, now looking around the room until she spotted what she needed and trotted over to a shelf on her right to fetch it.

"Now come on, how about you and me go out and grab something to eat? That dessert shop you like should still be open." She smiled back at her assistant who stood motionless, his eyes too focused on the ample bag of bits to notice anything else.

After seconds of staring with his mouth agape, his gaze slowly made its way back to Twilight. "...Pony Joe's?" he asked, to which she nodded.

Twilight smiled, packing the pouch of bits into her saddle. "That's the one."

However, as Twilight and Spike left, and as the two made their way up the spiral stairwell and out the door, Twilight couldn't shake away the feeling that Spike had been right about her and Rainbow. It was true after all; she was beginning to enjoy Rainbow's company more and more it seemed. She couldn't understand, or come up with a logical explanation as to why... other than Rainbow was another mare. Irritating as she was, Rainbow was... almost physically the same as her—minus the whole 'wings and horn' thing, and she supposed it was nice having another mare around. A mare she didn't mind being around.

It wasn't love like those ponies had thought, nor was it friendship like Princess Celestia had spoke of. But... there was something there, and she couldn't fight the fact that perhaps she was starting to like being around Rainbow; she'd be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward to seeing her again.

...But she couldn't tell Spike that. Not after she told Spike that she'd never forsake him for Rainbow. Perhaps what she needed, she thought, was to spend some much needed time with Spike, to help her feel the same way about him that she now felt around Rainbow.

Though, it was hard when all she could think about was seeing Rainbow again.

It felt like she was forcing herself, for Spike's sake... but why? To her, Spike was a part of her family; he was one of the few whom she had always thought fondly of, and she had always given him her full attention... But the second some stranger came into her life, she threw it all out the window.

She was the worst.

...But perhaps she didn't have to be. She'd be sure to spend more time with Spike, as often as she could... Anything to make things go back to the way that they were. Then, when it came time for Rainbow to leave and they all said their goodbyes, things would return to normal for her and Spike... and once again he would have her undivided attention.

Yes, Twilight thought. Somehow, I'll make this all work.





Rainbow's nose twitched. Something smelled good... really good. She blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights illuminating from above, and remained still, her head on its side and facing the window. She let out a tired yawn, carefully rolling onto her back. Whatever that scent was, it was really making her hungry.

Then it occurred to her that she had dozed off. For how long, she had no idea. But she had, with Twilight in the room—well, it wasn't the first time she had fallen asleep on her—though this time she couldn't help but feel bad about falling asleep on her, while reading some book she apparently really liked no less.

Was Twilight even still with her? The room was quiet, and it seemed unlikely Twilight would have hung around while she slept. Maybe she had left? Or perhaps she had decided to get some sleep as well. Well, there was one way to find out—that was to her liking, anyway. Not willing to turn over and see for herself whether the unicorn was sitting—or sleeping, beside her, she groaned out the mare's name, hoping somepony would reply.

"Over here, sleepyhead," Twilight's all-too familiar voice replied, this time with a hint of laughter.

That was Twilight all right. Well, even if Twilight had left, or fallen asleep, at least she was still around when she woke up. Rainbow grinned as she replied, "Hey, there you are," turning around to face her. Then, after a few quick moments, scolded herself over what she should have said instead. "Look, I uh... I'm sorry for fallin' asleep on you like that," Rainbow apologized, though figured Twilight wouldn't mind... too much. Hay, she didn't even sound mad! Still, keeping her temperament in mind, she figured she'd rather play it safe this time around.

What Twilight told her however, surprised her. "Oh no need to apologize, Rainbow," Twilight told her with a warm smile. "It's alright."

Hearing those words, Rainbow could've sworn she was still dreaming— Rainbow shook her head and looked to Twilight with a nervous blush. "So uh, how long was I out?"

Twilight's smile faltered at the question, and she turned to the only clock in the room, hung above the door. Her eyes squinted as she focused on the object of her interest. "Hm, well from what I can tell... around an hour, maybe two at the most," Twilight informed the pegasus who seemingly appeared half-asleep. She turned back to face Rainbow, only to notice she was now looking for something.

"And I fell asleep because, uhm... Because of that book, right?"

"I believe so, yes," Twilight answered, though after a quick pause, decided she'd elaborate a bit further. "Or rather, you kept struggling and gave up... then you fell asleep."

Rainbow let out a tired yawn as it all started coming back to her. "Oh, right..." That little detail had slipped her mind. "I remember now."

"Yeah... I figured then would be a good enough time as any to go check up on Spike," Twilight proceeded to say, confirming Rainbow's earlier thoughts about her leaving. "Sorry I left without letting you know first."

"Nah, it's cool," Rainbow assured her, finding it funny how Twilight was now the one giving some unnecessary apology. "So, how was the little guy?"

Twilight's eyes went wide. How was he? Great. What was she supposed to tell her? That he had been feeling neglected over her presence? Twilight scrambled to think up an answer. "F-fine," she stammered out. "Everything was exactly how we left it."

"Uh-huh..." Rainbow nodded, though her attention was now focused elsewhere. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as Rainbow's eyes were now fixed on the contents of the nightstand before her. Aside from the few photo frames and lamp that littered the counter top, there was now a stack of books and a packed brown paper bag as well. "Yeah, uh... where'd this stuff come from?"

"Oh, that stuff's for you!" Twilight explained, almost forgetting about the stuff she had brought with her, or that it was now laid out upon the nightstand. "After checking up on Spike, I thought I'd bring along the remaining Daring Do books."

Okay, so that explained the stack of books. "And the bag—?"

"Doughnuts!" Twilight exclaimed suddenly, and not a second later, placed a hoof over her lips. "Uhm... for you," she added, in a quieter tone. "You said I should go out and buy something, so I did."

"Oh... well um, thanks, Twi." Rainbow looked thoughtfully towards her for a couple moments before breaking into a disbelieving smile. "But I meant you should buy something for yourself, not me."

"Oh I know," Twilight assured her. "I guess I filled up on... whatever it was I ate earlier. But I figured you may have gotten a little hungry."

"Maybe a little," Rainbow admitted, though a bit sheepishly. All the various scents coming from the bag were beginning to drive her taste buds wild, and it didn't help that she hadn't eaten since breakfast.

She reached over and scooped up the bag in her hooves, leaning up and setting the bag in her lap. She leaned closer, taking a quick sniff and peaked inside the bag. With a smirk, she nearly dove right in, stuffing her muzzle into the opening of the bag, only stopping when a sudden thought hit her.

It didn't feel right.

Time and time again, Twilight got stuck eating her leftovers, or whatever the rainbow-maned pegasus didn't want. Or nothing at all... She sighed in defeat, removing her muzzle from the bag and turning to Twilight. "I... can't eat all these. Come on, help me out here."

...Couldn't eat them all? Twilight stared back at the mare in question. There weren't that many, and the only thing Rainbow had eaten today, to her knowledge, was their breakfast earlier. So surely she would be starved by this point, having gone practically the entire day without a thing to eat. Besides, Twilight had purchased them specifically for her... "No no no, they're yours," she insisted, waving off Rainbow's offer.

However Rainbow was a bit more persistent than Twilight would have thought. "Yeah, and I want to share them with you," she said, though noticing Twilight's hesitation, asked, "What? Hasn't anypony ever offered you anything before?"

Well, she supposed she had never been asked that before, but it hadn't taken long at all for the mare in question to think up an answer. Her family aside, ponies had hardly ever offered to share anything with her. Hay, even if they did, she'd rarely accept it.

Twilight sunk back in her chair, biting the corner of her lip, and weakly admitting, "Not really..." If there was a reason, it was due to her almost never going out in public, or socializing with others. Though Twilight herself saw nothing wrong with this, Rainbow on the other hoof...

It wouldn't have surprised her if Rainbow suddenly burst out laughing at the fact. If, for whatever reason, Rainbow found the idea of ponies never sharing with her a humorous one. Well, it wouldn't have been the first time the pegasus laughed at something she said or did.

Twilight sighed, squinting her eyes shut and bracing for the worst. Alright, cue obnoxious laughter in three, two...

But what she had been expecting, never came. Curious, her eyes opened slowly, and right away she was meant with those same cerise eyes she had come to know, staring inquisitively back at her. "Uh, you okay?" Rainbow asked, puzzled by her companion's sudden actions.

"Uh..." Twilight scratched a nonexistent itch in the back of her mane as her face flushed bright red and looked to the floor, hoping to advert Rainbow's gaze. "Uh-huh."

"Well, I meant it when I said I'd like to share some of these with ya," Rainbow continued to say. "I dunno if you're feeling  hungry at the moment, but... well, I think it's time somepony treated you to something." Noticing Twilight had the same flustered look and remained staring down at the floor, Rainbow added, "Look, I uh, didn't mean to embarrass you—"

"You didn't embarrass me!" Twilight defensively shot back, suddenly raising her voice, and redirecting her gaze back at Rainbow. A blush had remained on her face however, and from that, it had been made clear she wasn't fooling anyone. Though Twilight had been willing to prove otherwise. "Argh but fine! If you're going to be so adamant about this... I'll accept."

"Well come on over then and have a seat!" Rainbow exclaimed. Twilight nodded, and leaped down from the chair, proceeding to push it closer to the bedside when Rainbow cut in. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean, Rainbow? I was only doing what you said."

"I meant come sit on the bed, smart one."

On the...? Her heart skipped a beat and Twilight scurried backwards as far as she could, until she clumsily backed into the wall. "On the... what now?"

"Look, I'm not asking you to sleep with me, alright? Just," —Rainbow leaned and tapped an open spot further down the bed— "take a seat at the end of the bed, okay? Has to be more comfortable than sitting in some old chair, right?"

Perhaps, Twilight thought. It probably would have been more comfortable, if not for Rainbow taking up the other half. She backed away from the wall, taking a few steps forward and insisting, "The chair's fine, thanks."

She walked back over to where she had been seated, becoming particularly interested in the floor tiles as she walked. She had no intention of meeting Rainbow's gaze after that. Though as she was about to take a seat, she heard small sniffles coming from the pegasus, and—what she decided was sheer curiosity and nothing more—turned to face the pegasus... and in an instant, regretted doing so.

Though she sat with her head tilted down, Rainbow's glistening eyes were clearly visible. She bit her inner lip as her sniffling continued and in a weak voice, muttered out, "Twi doesn't wanna sit with me..." With that, she closed both her eyes and wiped an absent tear from her right eye.

Oh please. Twilight rolled her eyes. She denied her offer and what? She was supposed to feel bad about doing so? Who did Rainbow think she was fooling? She knew Rainbow was faking this. It was so obviously a ploy to win her over. She closed her eyes, turning back around. "I'm not falling for it, Rainbow."

As she turned, she prayed to Celestia that would be the end of it. And it would have been, had it been anypony else. This was Rainbow she was dealing with. Knowing her, she wouldn't quit until she got her way. So perhaps I should just— She sighed and looked over her shoulder, back at Rainbow. "Fine, fine... I'll sit with you, alright?"

And not a moment later, Rainbow's face broke into a wide grin.

Twilight merely shook her head and climbed up, doing as Rainbow had suggested, taking a seat at the furthest possible spot from the pegasus; and after an awkward exchange of glances, Rainbow nudged the bag towards Twilight. "So..." Rainbow held a hoof behind her head as she spoke with a nervous grin across her muzzle. "Here you go."

"Uh-huh... uhm, thanks," Twilight said, taking the bag into her hooves and picked out a powdered doughnut in a magical glow before passing it back over to Rainbow, who simply smiled and began pawing through the bag.

For a little while after, the two sat in silence, simply enjoying the treats and the now peaceful, relaxing ambiance that filled the room. The feeling of an occasional warm, summer air against their coats as it drifted in through the open window; the magnificent array of reds, oranges, yellows, and a multitude of other shades and hues spread across the sky, illuminating the cloud cover overhead and cascading the entire hospital room in a golden, celestial glow.

And yet, the only thing Twilight found herself paying any mind to at that moment was Rainbow.

Twilight chuckled inwardly, watching as Rainbow licked at a spot of jelly that had somehow wound up on her muzzle. "You could always use a napkin, you know," she chimed in. "It'd probably be more efficient than lapping away at some place you can barely reach—"

"Nah, I'm good," came Rainbow's simple response, and not giving the idea a second thought, kept at it... until it started to get to her. "Agh, come on already!" she grumbled, straining her tongue to reach that bothersome dab, when at last she drew her tongue back and let out a sigh in defeat. "Fine," Rainbow spoke, shoulders slumped as she looked to Twilight with a sheepish grin. "Give me a napkin."

Or she could sit back and allow Twilight to get it for her. That was always an option too, she supposed.

"Seriously, I could've gotten it on my own, you know," Rainbow insisted as Twilight backed away from her, an accomplished smile on her muzzle as she returned to her spot on the bed.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I think the words you're looking for are 'thank you'."

"Yeah yeah..." Rainbow smirked and leaned back against the headboard, and after another moment passed, Twilight couldn't help but smile herself. She should've expected as much.

"So... are you planning on reading more of those books later?" Twilight asked, pointing to the stack of Daring Do books. She licked away some powdered frosting from her lips and swallowed another bit before adding, "It's just, I know how much you liked the first and well, I'm sure you're eager to get a start on the next one."

"Oh uh, those... right." Rainbow turned her attention to the stack of books, placing a hoof behind her head. She had forgotten about those... But as tempting as that sounded, there was one she had yet to finish. "Uh actually, Twi, I was actually thinking of finishing that other one first."

"Oh you were, huh?" Twilight inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Even if you can barely understand a word?"

"Hey, I can too!" Rainbow shot back, then paused as an uncomfortable silence came between them. "But... um, y'know, just 'cause I struggled a teensy bit doesn't mean I'm not interested in what happens next... though perhaps you could read for a while—since you like it so much!" Rainbow offered, a wide grin across her lips. "And hay," she added with a small chuckle, "you're a way faster reader compared to me, anyway."

Twilight blushed at the comment as she stared at the begging grin Rainbow beamed back at her, before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. A moment later, her eyes reopened, a defeated smile on her lips as she said, "You win."





So Twilight continued to read, for a couple hours longer. Twilight took up a more comfortable position on the bed, her body finding itself sprawled out at the edge of the bed, while Rainbow simply collapsed back into the warm embrace of the bed.

And the two stayed like that, until at last the moon hung over Canterlot. Moonlight streamed in through the window, shining over the shared bed and cascading the two mares in a shimmering light.

But Twilight kept reading, until her eyes could no longer manage to stay awake.

"Alright." She shut the book and with her magic, levitated it over to the stack of books, revealing her tired eyes in the process. "That's all for tonight..." Twilight said, placing a hoof over her mouth as she let out a drawn-out yawn.

Rainbow rolled over onto her back, looking towards Twilight with a sly smile. "Story bored you too, huh?"

Twilight shook her head. "No it did not 'bore' me," came her irritated response. "It's just late, and I've been reading nonstop for hours and haven't had the chance to sleep, and—wait," Twilight paused as Rainbow's words sunk in. "What do you mean, 'bored you too'? You were bored?"

"A little, yeah," Rainbow admitted with a chuckle.

"Well not all books are thrilling fast-paced action adventures, Rainbow—" Another yawn overtook the sleepy unicorn. "Sorry Rainbow, we'll finish the book some other time; I'm too tired to stay awake any longer, and I'm already up well past my curfew..." Her voice drifted as she glanced over her shoulder to take a look at the clock behind her. "Uhm, I don't think they'd appreciate me sleeping here," she joked, turning around and pointing a hoof out at the bed. "Looks like I'll be sleeping in the chair then."

"Aw, sure ya don't want to—?"

"Yes, Rainbow, I'm sure." Twilight hopped down and walked over to take a seat in the chair, and as she climbed up and attempted to get into a more comfortable sleeping position, she noticed Rainbow now holding one of her pillows between her hooves.

"Uh, Rainbow...what are you—?"

"Catch," Rainbow told her, tossing the pillow at Twilight. Twilight barely had time to react to the object now flying at her before it collided with her face, and fell to the ground as a result. She stared back at Rainbow, bewildered, and almost uncertain of what just happened. Rainbow had thrown something at her? What had she done to—? No, she had told her to catch it, and she had simply failed to do so.

Though as she leaned to pick it up off the floor, she couldn't help but wonder why. Had Rainbow planned to share one with her—?

"So are you actually going to put that to use, or just stare at it some more?" Twilight's gaze shifted away from the pillow still firmly planted between her hooves, and back towards Rainbow. So she had been right, then...

"I suppose... but, are you sure though? I mean... you don't need the support?"

"Nah, I'm good," Rainbow assured. "Besides, I think you'll need it more than me if you're planning on sleeping there."

"I guess I can't argue with you there... Thanks, Rainbow."

Rainbow nodded, and soon Twilight went to setting the pillow against the armrest and began adjusting her body, curling up and nestling deeper into the seat, with her tail lazily hanging off the side. She turned away from Rainbow and sighed contently. Her eyelids couldn't stay open any longer, even if she had wanted them to... and remembering her unusual string of dreams from the day before, she wouldn't have minded keeping them open another hour or two. If only she could've found the strength...

Though before drifting off, Twilight muttered a quick, "Goodnight, Rainbow," into her pillow.

Rainbow's ears perked. Goodnight? "Oh uh, actually I was planning on staying up for a little while. I mean, I did just get some sleep some hours ago, and—"

"Just say goodnight, Rainbow," Twilight grumbled into her pillow.

Rainbow's ears fell flat, and she turned away, scratching the back of her mane with a hoof. "Right... Goodnight, Twi."

Twilight's horn flickered briefly, the same orchid glow enveloping the lamp switch, the sudden spark of magic startling Rainbow as the room grew darker; nothing but the natural, pale glow of the moonlight remained.

And before long, the room fell into silence.

Rainbow looked over the mare curled up on the chair beside her, and already she knew Twilight was fast asleep. Must've been tired, Rainbow thought. It's been a long day though... She turned straight ahead and after an exhausted sigh, fell back upon the bed as her mind recollected the events of their day together. Everything from their raucous morning to becoming acquainted with the so-called 'Princess of Equestria' and being allowed to stay with Twilight, to making the decision to live with Twilight.

Rainbow sighed as a smile crossed her lips; she was making the right decision—

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the quietest whimper, and turning in the direction of the sudden cry, Rainbow saw that the sound had come from Twilight. Another cry came, then another, Twilight struggling in her sleep as she did so.

Rainbow could only watch, her expression a mix of fear and concern as Twilight tossed and turned, faintly muttering in her sleep. It was like the evening before, when she awoke to the sight of Twilight murmuring in her sleep, though at the time, she hadn't thought much of it.

Now, seeing Twilight in such a state made her feel differently. She looked to Twilight, hoping it'd all stop, and that the unicorn would fall back into a peaceful slumber... but no such luck.

Rainbow nervously chewed on her inner lip. "Come on, Twi," she whispered in a plea as she lay, helplessly watching Twilight. "Just... snap out of it already."

She watched in worry, until at last she could stand it no longer, and reached out with a hoof in an attempt to wake her. "Twi...?" Her hoof gently touched the sleeping unicorn's shoulder, and gave it a light nudge. "H-hey... Twilight...?" No response was given right away, and with that, it became clear to Rainbow that it would take more than a nudge.

So, as Rainbow continued to whisper Twilight's name in the stillness of the night, she gave the unicorn's shoulder a light shake, then another, each with more force than the last; until at last, Twilight began to stir, having been seemingly shaken awake from her nightmare.

But what happened next, Rainbow never saw coming.

Twilight's horn shimmered and before Rainbow knew it, her hoof was caught in a magical hold, clasped and twisted by Twilight's magic.

And she found herself unable to pull away.

Tears of pain welled up within her eyes as Rainbow screamed through clenched teeth, her throat already aching from the pain of having her hoof practically crushed by Twilight's magic. Until one last cry of her name rung out, and right then, Twilight turned to her, eyes wide and fearful. The faintest white glow left her eyes as her magic ceased, allowing Rainbow's foreleg to fall limp.

Immediately, Rainbow drew back her foreleg, cringing as she brought it back to the bed, and again when she attempted to lay the throbbing hoof down on the sheets. Letting out a sniffle and blinking her eyes shut, Rainbow chose not to move, but instead only wondered... Why did Twilight do that to her? Her mind was a jumbled mess of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Had... had she been wrong about this? About Twilight? Had she made the wrong decision—?

Then Rainbow felt something push up against her. Something warm, something soft, something... tearful. Rainbow reopened her eyes in bewilderment, and gazed down at the object made visible by the moonlight, only for her eyes to widen in surprise when she saw Twilight with her forelegs wrapped around her.

Her body instinctively tried to move away, only for Twilight to move with her, unwilling to let go. When she scooted further away, Twilight followed, climbing up onto the bed. And when Rainbow lied down, turning her gaze away to look out the window, Twilight lied down beside her, tucking her head beneath Rainbow's left wing...

...And then she began crying, right into Rainbow's coat.

"Erm..." Rainbow shifted slightly as Twilight let out a few sniffles into her coat, and began looking around uncomfortably. A hug she didn't mind so much, and one from Twilight, she had no problem with. But when it was from Twilight, and came out of nowhere, when she was unsure what to think...

Rainbow lifted her uninjured hoof up off the bed slightly, yearning to wrap it around Twilight and return the hug, when she paused. Remembering what happened, she gazed down and frowned upon her injured hoof. Something told her that Twilight hadn't done what she did on purpose, it wasn't like her. That she had simply been frightened, or half-asleep when it happened...

And if Twilight holding her while dampening her coat wasn't proof of that, what she said next was.

"S-sorry," Twilight sputtered out, her eyes squeezed shut. "I-I was dreaming when I heard somepony's voice, t-then I turned and saw you were in pain, and realized it was my magic that was hurting you, and—oh Rainbow, I'm so, so sorry!" Twilight buried her face deeper, her sobs growing louder.

The surprise slowly faded away as Twilight's words sunk in, and without really thinking, Rainbow placed a reassuring foreleg around the unicorn. On second thought, maybe she had been right about Twilight after all.

Though what Twilight said, and the way she was acting made Rainbow wonder. Furrowing her brow, Rainbow asked in a whisper, "You don't remember using your magic...?"

Twilight sniffled, shaking her head. "Honestly... I don't. My magic rarely ever acts on its own." Not since that day she deemed the most important of her entire life, all those years ago... "I never lose control of it so easily, I—!"

"It's okay, Twilight," Rainbow assured her in a soft tone. "There's no need to apologize..." Twilight's eyes blinked open. She turned to gaze up at the pegasus, and for the first time since the incident, Rainbow got a clear look into Twilight's eyes. They were hazy, dull and darkened by a spellbinding smog... and it took every fiber of her being to look away.

"A-and hay, my hoof doesn't even hurt that much! No less than any other part of me anyway..." Rainbow muttered, keeping her gaze averted as she looked down at both her hooves. "Though, I think I might be a little cautious about other ponies touching my hooves from now on," she added with a brief chuckle.

Twilight chuckled inwardly as she shut her eyes and nestled her head once again by Rainbow's side, her mane lightly brushing against the pegasus's soft secondaries. "Your coat is so soft..." she cooed, subconsciously draping a foreleg over the pegasus.

Rainbow's heartbeat quickened and a blush formed along her muzzle at the gesture. "Somepony's flustered." Twilight let out a girlish giggle as she felt Rainbow's heartbeat speed up a little under her touch.

Rainbow's blush deepened. She's just exhausted, she has no idea what she's saying... "Y-you're just tired, Twi; you should get back to sleep—"

Twilight's grin fell and her eyes blinked open as she gazed up in fear. "But... what if I have another nightmare?" Twilight asked, and for a few moments, Rainbow looked towards the open window, her gaze focusing on the moon as she sat in thought.

Then, in the most soothing tone she could muster, she spoke. "Don't worry, Twilight... I'll keep you safe."

Twilight's head tilted slightly. "From a dream?" she asked, bearing a look of uncertainty.

"Er, well when you say it like that..." Rainbow scratched the side of her mane sheepishly. "Um, I could... comfort you, I guess." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't think I was ever very good at this..."

You're better at it than me... Twilight mused. "Thanks, but... are you sure? It won't be too uncomfortable for you?"

"Nah," Rainbow simply replied. "Honestly? It's the least I can do."

Twilight smiled, too tired to think anything of what Rainbow had meant at that moment, and instead nodded, laying her head once again by Rainbow's side.

And as Rainbow turned her gaze back in Twilight's direction, right before the unicorn chose to lie down, Rainbow could've sworn she saw Twilight's eyes begin to return to their familiar, violet color.

And the sight made her smile.

"It's going to be okay, Twilight..." Rainbow whispered with a few gentle strokes of the mare's mane.

Twilight nodded, her lips curling into a childish smile as she curled her body up beside, what her tired mind deemed at that moment, her guardian angel.

Regardless of how absurd it sounded.

The two lay there for a while longer, neither saying a word... neither wanting the moment to end. But soon the time came when Twilight couldn't stay awake any longer, and slowly her eyes drifted shut... only to be rudely awoken moments later by the sound of the door opening and Rainbow suddenly frantically shouting... something.

"We weren't doing anything, I swear!"

"Mm... Rainbow, what...?" Twilight reluctantly blinked her eyes open to the sight of blue fur and tilted her head up to see Rainbow staring nervously at the doorway.

And once Twilight saw what had grabbed Rainbow's attention, her eyes shot open, her head bolting upwards at the sight of another nurse standing in the doorway. Whether she had heard the shouts from earlier, or was simply checking in on them, Twilight didn't know. All she knew was they had been caught, and that nothing good was going to come from this.

Cheeks burning red, and with a fear of what was to come, Twilight's horn lit up, and she disappeared in a sudden flash of light.

And soon rematerialized in the lobby of the hospital.

Twilight fell back on her haunches, letting out a long, drawn-out sigh, her heart beating faster than she ever thought possible. They had been caught like that. Together. How could I have been so thoughtless? Of course somepony was bound to walk in... And to make matters worse, after everything, she had left Rainbow in there, by herself... to deal with the consequences.

No, she couldn't do that. Not after what Rainbow did for her. With her heartbeat steadily returning to normal, Twilight shakily stood, her mind made up. She would return and explain... that Princess Celestia asked that she comfort Rainbow while she slept.

However, as she made her way back to their hospital room, something caught her eye as she passed by a hallway window. Staring back at her reflection, Twilight noticed a light cerulean feather caught in her bedraggled mane. She stared at it for a few seconds longer before removing it from the matted mess, and began examining it as it floated in her magical grip.

She frowned in thought. The feather was a tad ruffled, but otherwise seemed fine. But what to do with it...? She couldn't exactly give it back to Rainbow... She looked back at her reflection, raising the feather and placing it between her ear and mane, then hesitantly removed it. She repeated the act a few times, until at last she made her decision.

She liked the new look. And so, with a content sigh, Twilight turned and happily trotted on back to the room.