“Ugh…” Rainbow Dash groaned. With eyelids like lead weights, she slowly opened her eyes. Blurry shapes swam in an out of focus causing her to feel slightly seasick. Her head pounded as her mind struggled to catch up with her. Hadn’t she just been in the middle of a swamp?

She tried to tilt her head to look around which caused a stiffness to swell up in her neck. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she resigned herself to her position and just focused on her vision. If she could just get it to clear up… What was that thing directly above her? Where was she, and why was it just so bright?

After a few moments of focusing her eyes, a voice drifted past her. She couldn’t understand it for some reason, the tone sounding incredibly muffled… Or maybe it was just her ears? Were they all fuzzy like her vision? Wait, sound couldn’t get fuzzy…

Okay, enough’s enough.

With waning strength, Rainbow used her forelegs to try and lift her upper body. As she did, she found that the ground was surprisingly soft and comfortable, tempting her to give up and fall back asleep. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself into a sitting position, the task leaving her breathless and tired. Just as she could feel her muscles preparing to give out, a sudden push against her back assisted her in sitting up the rest of the way.

“What-” was all she could manage to say before a wave of exhaustion hit her. She weakly glanced to her side and saw a purple blob next to her. It had extended a leg and was helping her to sit up, though it became even harder to see as darkness started ebbing through her vision once more. Though maybe this was just her eyes going to sleep? They did feel… tired…

A mechanical beeping was the first thing Rainbow Dash heard, the gentle tones giving her a slow return to consciousness. The first thing she noticed was that her body didn’t feel as stiff as before. She was even able to gently roll her head around on top of whatever it was lying on. She let herself lay there for a minute, just enjoying the comfort and soaking it all in. It was completely different from when she had woken up last time…

But wait, where was here, anyways?

“Huh…?” was all she could say as she opened her eyes and stared upwards into darkness. Her voice was scratchy and rough, and talking made her want to cough. She blinked a few times and screwed up her eyes to try and make out anything in the darkness.

After a few moments and more than a few huffs of annoyance, her eyes adjusted and she began to see shapes above her. Tiles. She was staring at ceiling tiles stretched out in all directions until they each reached their own smooth wall. She tilted her head and looked about the sides, seeing some machinery, a window, and a door. It didn’t take long for her to realize where she was.

How did I get in a hospital…?

Right as the realization hit her, her gaze fell on a shape that she had mistaken for a pillow next to the window. It was a pony, around her age, curled up in a little ball and snoring softly. She watched the tiny pony sleep for a moment, listening to the rhythmic beeping of the nearby heart monitor mingle with the quiet snores of her sleeping roommate.

She blinked, wondering briefly who the pony was, before she looked away. She had decided it was time to find out just what condition her body was really in… After all, she couldn’t remember much, but she could recall the pain she was in when she woke up in that swamp.

Slowly and carefully, she lifted her right foreleg and inspected the bandages that covered it. Her leg seemed to be okay and the bandages looked fresh. Using her now freed hoof, she gently stripped her body of the blanket which covered her lower half and stared down at her barrel.

Her back left leg, the one which had been broken, was now in a splint and a cast, bandages crisscrossing their way up before meeting with her pelvis. Likewise, her entire barrel and chest were bandaged up as well, and she recalled that she had a pretty massive gash somewhere around there. That explains why the bandage looks darker and slightly wet…

She gently rolled herself onto her right side, propping her torso up with her right elbow, and inspected her back and her wings. The bandages from the frontside went all the way around, and were similarly stained in spots, seemingly needing to be changed. She tried to move her wings and found them responsive, yet stiff. She sighed, happy to have at least that bit of good news.

She lay back down and pulled the covers up over her body, knowing now that she was somewhere safe. She could relax, she could rest, there was no more danger… There was no more…

Wait… Her head turned to the side again as she looked towards her snoozing roommate. She could see the moon through the window, it’s soft light stretching in and illuminating half of the sleeping pony. She looks familiar…

Rainbow frowned, trying to remember where she had seen this filly before. She was sure she had seen her somewhere recently... The swamp? Rainbow gasped and looked back to the snoozing filly. She was at the swamp! She... she saved me from that monster!

Her mouth had dropped open as she stared at the sleeping figure. Indeed, the longer she looked over this pony’s body, the more obvious it became. She had wings and a horn, just like the pony who rescued her, and she was even hurt herself; bruises and cuts trailed up and down her body. Unlike Rainbow's, this filly's looked untreated and rather painful.

Wait… What happened next…? Rainbow frowned again and furrowed her brow. She couldn’t remember anything after the filly had jumped to her defense. She could see in her mind’s eye the monster getting up and stalking forwards, and this… alicorn filly turning around to fight back. But then it went blank…

Before Rainbow could think about it much further, some movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She rolled her head to the right, away from the sleeping filly, and looked at the door. Sure enough, some shadows of a pony standing on the other side were seeping under the crack. The hallway beyond was well lit, and somepony on the other side was trying to get in.

The pony rapped a hoof on the door, awaking the formerly sleeping filly with a snort. The next thing Rainbow Dash knew, a bright light had filled the room momentarily, causing her to blink and cover her eyes with a hoof. Once she was able to see again, she discovered that the pony was now next to the door, instantaneously, though her horn had a sharp glow about it that was illuminating her half of the room.

For the first time, Rainbow was able to see the color of the pony’s fur. Her coat was a rich purple, accented by the dark violet of her mane and tail, though both had some streaks of pinkish hues in the middle.

“I told you already! I’m not letting you in!” the filly cried out in a harsh whisper, probably assuming that Rainbow was still asleep. “I can take care of her myself! Nopony is going to take her away from me!”

Rainbow’s eyebrows rose in surprise as a flurry of questions bounced around in her head. Who was this mystery pony? Why did she care so much about Rainbow? What made her so important that this random pony would risk her life in the swamp to save her? Rainbow shook her head as it throbbed with the beginnings of a headache.

The purple filly let her magic die out as she continued to glare at the door, as if she was daring it to open. After a few tense moments of silence, the shadow on the other side moved away. The filly’s eyes softened and a look of sheer exhaustion broke through her tough act. Her wings slumped to the floor and her whole body sagged. She looked like she hadn’t slept well in days…

Slowly, she began to trudge back towards her spot next to the window, not even once glancing in Rainbow’s direction. She simply looked too tired to do anything else.

“Twilight Sparkle.”

The filly’s eyes opened wide and her head snapped up. The voice had come from the other side of the door where there now stood another pony, one who had shown up without Rainbow even noticing. A soothing comfort flowed through Rainbow upon hearing the disembodied voice, it’s dulcet tones relaxing her stressed body. She had never heard the voice before, of that she was certain, but somehow… it instinctively felt safe.

“Princess Celestia…?” the filly said, whom Rainbow now assumed to be named Twilight. “What… Why are you here?” She had turned around and was facing the door, but she didn’t dare move.

Rainbow gaped at Twilight and then at the door. Wh-what? P-princess… Celestia!? Here!?

A soft golden glow lit up the room as it enveloped the hinges of the hospital door. After a few moments, a sharp click emanated from them at the same time as a purple hue dissipated from within the door frame. The pony named Twilight grimaced, her cheeks lit up with a soft blush.

A moment later the door was open and sure enough, standing on the other side, was none other than Princess Celestia herself. The light of the hallway beamed in from behind her, spilling into the room. It almost felt as though Celestia herself was merely a painting, the light beyond her backdrop and the door frame her portrait.

“I am here at the behest of the Ponyville Hospital staff,” Princess Celestia said calmly, her countenance kind and comforting. As she spoke she began to enter the room. “They had informed Canterlot that a tiny, purple princess had locked herself in one of their rooms with a wounded pony and was refusing assistance.”

Twilight looked away, her ears wilting. She looked more tired than ever. “They wanted to take me away from her…”

“I spoke with the doctors, Twilight, and they only wanted to remove you from the room so that they could tend to your injuries as well as hers. They are doctors, it is their duty to help the injured.”

Twilight stared at the floor below Princess Celestia’s hooves. Guilt flashed across her face before she firmly set her jaw. “I don’t care. After everything that’s happened I am not leaving this room without Rainbow Dash. I can take care of both of us, so the doctors aren’t needed.”

Celestia merely looked at Twilight, her eyes soft and caring. “I understand. I had hoped that you would explain to me exactly what made you flee Canterlot so suddenly, but it appears that will have to wait for the moment.”

Twilight tilted her head upwards in confusion, looking into the Princess’ eyes. Celestia merely smiled back, her ethereal mane flowing behind her. Without saying a word, she nodded her head towards Rainbow Dash with a slight glint in her eyes. Twilight’s eyebrows knit together in thought as she connected the dots. After a moment, she let out a soft gasp of realization.

Rainbow Dash could only watch as Twilight slowly turned towards her, her eyes widening and her lips curling into a wide smile. Rainbow felt strange, as though a spotlight had suddenly been thrown onto her. For the last few minutes, she had merely been a silent observer, witnessing the strangest event ever. How often did a pony get to meet a princess, let alone two?

Yet here she was, the center of attention from some ponies that she didn’t know how to react to. Deciding that something would be better than nothing, she put on a smile which she knew was weak and attempted to wave. “Uh… Sup?”

That had apparently been enough. Twilight immediately let out a sob, her cheerfulness being stained by tears as they leaked from her eyes. “Rainbow Dash!” she cried out as she pounced onto the bed, landing just above Rainbow’s barrel, her hooves to each side of Rainbow’s body.

“Whoa!” was all Rainbow could say, her eyes staring up into Twilight’s with a mixture of shock and confusion as the bed shook from Twilight’s landing.

“I can’t believe you’re okay! I thought I’d lost you again!” Twilight started sobbing and hiccoughing in between her words. “You were so hurt… I just –” she sniffled and rubbed a hoof over her eyes “– I can’t believe I’m really seeing you again…”

Bewildered, Rainbow looked from the sobbing filly to Princess Celestia and back again.

“Uhh… Why’re you crying?”

Twilight looked her in the eyes, a hint of laughter coming through her sobs. “Because… It’s really you…”

At that, Twilight carefully stepped over Rainbow’s body so as not to aggravate her injuries and positioned herself nearby Rainbow’s left shoulder. A soft flump shook the bed one more time as Twilight fell to her chest, her muzzle nestled against the side of Rainbow’s head. Rainbow could feel the warmth of Twilight’s breathing as it flowed over her neck.

Rainbow twisted her body so she could look at Twilight a bit more directly. “Um… Please don’t take this the wrong way or nothin’, but… do we know each other?”

An expression flashed across Twilight’s face so fast that Rainbow couldn’t quite catch it. She did notice that Princess Celestia seemed to be paying a lot more attention now and had her eyes firmly locked on the two of them.

“You… O-of course, you don’t remember me… You haven’t met me until now…” Regret bogged down Twilight’s facial features, her body seeming to sag into itself as she slowly pulled her muzzle away from Rainbow’s head. She screwed up her eyes and bit her lip to try and hold in her crying.

“N-no, please… Don’t cry, it’s okay!” Rainbow felt terrible. She raked her mind, trying desperately to remember anything about this filly. As far as she knew the two of them had never met before, yet that concept only seemed to make Twilight feel even sadder.

“No, you’re right… We haven’t met before. Not really, anyways.” Twilight opened her eyes and looked back into Rainbow’s. All Rainbow could see in those purple eyes was a pain so buried, it felt like she was interacting directly with Twilight’s soul itself.

“I don’t understand… You were acting like you knew me a minute ago, a-and you even found me in the swamp. How did you…? I mean, who are you? And really, why are you crying? Maybe I don’t remember you or something, but… if that’s the case, we could always just become friends again!”

Twilight stayed silent for a few moments, just looking into Rainbow’s eyes and letting her tears leak out. Just as the silence had stretched on long enough that Rainbow warily glanced at Princess Celestia for help, Twilight finally smiled and sniffled one last time before drying her eyes.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash… I would love nothing more than to get to know you again…”

Rainbow, glad to see that Twilight had stopped crying, relaxed a bit. Finally, she thought, this is a conversation I can handle. “Of course, I’m totally awesome. Every filly wants to know me.” She grinned for a moment before remembering who else was in the room and sheepishly glancing back to the foot of the bed where Princess Celestia was standing.

“Do not worry about me,” she said, her eyes shining happily despite the only light source coming from the open door somewhere to her back left. “Twilight, I’m going to return to Canterlot. I trust you will let the doctors into the room now?”

“Okay, but I swear… If any of them try to make me leave this spot, they’re going to wake up tomorrow as a potted cactus!”

Celestia merely smiled as she turned and walked out of the room, the door closing softly behind her. Rainbow briefly wondered whether that had been some inside joke between the two of them.

The room descended into darkness once more as the door clicked shut, leaving the light from the moon to once again crawl it’s way along the floor. Rainbow laid down on her back causing her to have to roll her head in order to look at Twilight. She frowned upon seeing the small alicorn sitting there with a pained grimace on her face. Twilight had her head on her hooves and her eyes locked on the far wall.

I guess we’re alone now… Should I say something…?

“I’m sorry, Rainbow…” Twilight whispered, her voice despondent.

“Huh?”

Twilight shifted her eyes to the window briefly before standing up and lightly hopping off the bed. Rainbow pushed herself up into a sitting position, grunting a bit as her sore muscles complained from the exertion, and watched as Twilight trotted over to the window. Rainbow’s shoulders slumped as Twilight laid back down on the floor, once more half in the moonlight and half in the shadow.

Rainbow bit her lip, not sure what to say. There was something going on here with this other pony, of that she was certain, but she didn’t know what. Idly smoothing the blanket up around her hind legs, she thought hard about her situation… She wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to cheer Twilight up. She didn’t want her to have to sit there on the cold floor, alone.

But more than that… I also don’t want to be alone… She sucked in a breath and made her decision. There was something hanging in the air here, she could feel it, but it didn’t matter. Whatever was wrong could wait until morning. However, until then…

“So… Your name is Twilight Sparkle, right? I heard the Princess call you that.”

Twilight almost looked startled as she lifted her head from her hooves and looked Rainbow in the eyes. “Uh, yes…”

“Okay, w-well… Twilight Sparkle…” Rainbow Dash didn’t want to keep tripping over her words, so she huffed and set her jaw before continuing. “You look pretty cold down there, and, uh… I mean, this bed is easily big enough for an adult pony, so… Well, the thing is, you and I could both fit in here and you wouldn’t have to be so cold… uh, down there…”

When she had finished speaking, she had been resolutely looking at the blanket on her bed which her hooves were idly playing with. A small burning sensation had built up a bit in her cheeks, and really, she wasn’t stupid; she knew why she felt embarrassed about it. However, this wasn’t a normal situation, and right now… she really wanted to have a friend nearby.

And it looks like Twilight needs one too.

After a few moments of staring, Twilight lowered her head back to her hooves, her eyes looking at a spot on the floor in front of her. “No, it’s okay… You should get some sleep, Rainbow. You have a long recovery ahead of you.”

“Wow, just wow. You’re gonna do that to me?”

Twilight looked shocked, her eyes widening instantaneously in response to Rainbow’s accusing tone. “W-what…?”

“You just said I got a long recovery ahead of me, and you’re gonna make me spend it on the floor with you instead of this perfectly comfortable bed?”

Twilight lifted her head up, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to form words. “But… Wha-”

“Yeah, that’s right. Get up here with me or I’m coming down there with you.” Rainbow crossed her forelegs over her chest, keeping her face straight despite the slight discomfort the position put her through. Her eyes had narrowed, though not threateningly, and her mouth was thin.

For a few moments Twilight’s eyes looked between the floor and Rainbow’s face. She looked conflicted, unsure of herself, and did not seem to be close to making a decision. Not one for waiting, Rainbow figured she’d just push a little more and force Twilight into deciding.

“Alright then, I’m coming down there… But at least let me bring the blanket.” With that, she started to stand up, carefully avoiding putting any stress on her broken leg.

Twilight stood up as though a fire had been set beneath her tush. In less than a second, she had winged her way up to Rainbow’s side and began gently lowering her back to the comfort of the bed. She said nothing, not even once Rainbow was again laying down beneath the blanket. She just stood there next to her, looking awkward and unsure of herself.

“Well, are you gonna sleep standing up?” Rainbow asked, causing Twilight to look her in the eyes.

Something in Twilight’s eyes gave Rainbow pause for a moment, almost as if there was something deeper there that she was supposed to be seeing… She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but the more she thought about it, the more her mind itched. Or no, was that an itch? It felt weird, almost as though she-

Her thoughts were interrupted by something warm and fuzzy; in her moment of distraction, Twilight had apparently made her decision and got in under the blanket on Rainbow’s left side. She carefully positioned her hind legs so that they wouldn’t risk touching Rainbow’s broken one. With her head on the pillow, Twilight looked over at Rainbow Dash who had likewise twisted around.

“... Thank you…”

It had been soft and quiet, but in the stillness of the hospital room, there was no way Rainbow could have missed it. “Anything for a friend,” she replied, a genuine smile touching her lips.

Sure, this whole scenario was confusing and she certainly did have a lot of questions, but… Twilight was kind. Rainbow could just tell. Even if she hadn’t known that this filly was responsible for saving her in the swamp, her actions insofar proved that she was a good pony. Rainbow had no problem with her realization that Twilight was a good friend.

“Good night, Rainbow…”

“Good night, Twilight…”

The last thing Rainbow noticed as her mind slowly phased into a comfortable sleep was the warmth from two hooves pressed tight around her body. She returned the gesture and squeezed tight, happy just to be alive and able to hold somepony else in her hooves.

Two reunited fillies were not the only thing the moonlight touched upon that night. Far away from the hospital, in a remote locale hidden deep within a forest, four more friends found themselves climbing the steps of an ancient, weathered castle. Their hooves clacked against the cracked cobbled halls and steps, echoes emanating out to rebound amongst the broken roofs and walls.

“We’re here, at last…” Rarity cried out, her voice higher pitched and squeakier due to her filly body. She led their small group up the steps, sweat matting her mane and white coat.

“I had kinda hoped Twilight would be here, to be honest,” Applejack said from her position in the back of their group. Like Rarity, she was a filly again, an unfortunate result of Twilight’s spell having taken them too far into the past. Her eyes roved over the rest of their group; Fluttershy, as well as Pinkie Pie, had accompanied her and Rarity to this dangerous place.

“It’s like I said before,” Rarity replied without turning around. She kept moving forwards, deeper into the ancient remains. “The first place she probably went was to find Rainbow Dash.”

At this, Fluttershy piped in, her voice quiet and soft as she spoke. “It’s also possible she doesn’t know… Don’t you remember? She didn’t hear us when we were calling out to her.”

Rarity scoffed. “Calling out? Please, Fluttershy, we were screaming for her and she didn’t hear us. The four of us are the only ponies who know.”

“But you can’t blame her,” Pinkie Pie added, her voice even more high pitched than it had been in the past. Her wild mane somehow seemed even more chaotic when it was put on her tiny body. “If she didn’t know, then it wasn’t like she meant for it to happen.”

Applejack shook her head as she sidled up beside Pinkie. “That’s true, but it changes nothin’. The fact is that right now, she’s up there, trapped, and she likely doesn’t even know what the heck happened.”

“Aha, we’re here!” Rarity said, as they at last entered the final room of the castle.

All of them looked upwards and saw the statue before them, towering over them in their small bodies. Applejack instinctively reached up to push on the brim of her stetson, only to remember that she wasn’t big enough yet to wear it and had to leave it at her home.

The contraption before them was just as they recalled it from the first time they had come here, when Nightmare Moon had threatened Equestria and Twilight had led them to this location. A central pillar rose up out of the ground with five stone arms extending out from it in different directions. On each of the arms rested a perfectly round stone; the Elements of Harmony.

Rarity glanced upwards through the broken roof, seeing the moon hanging in the sky directly above the statue holding the Elements. It’s light cascaded down upon them and covered their presence in a twilit glow.

“Come girls. There’s no time to waste.”