Twilight, Spike, and Nighttide made their way through town when they ran into Rainbow Dash placing a cloud overhead. “Hey guys! Wassup?”

“Hey Rainbow,” Twilight said as Spike waved.

Nighttide looked up curiously at the pegasus. “Yo, Rainbow,” she called up, “whatcha' doin' up there?”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Hey, Nighttide, looks like you're back on your hooves again. Still up for that race?”

It was a bright, sunny afternoon with just a couple clouds overhead, and Nighttide felt pretty good after her visit with the Princess. “Yep, better believe it. When will you be available?”

“Give me about an hour to finish setting up today's weather and I should be ready,” Rainbow Dash shouted down as she realigned the cloud.

“…Set up the weather?” Nighttide tilted her head toward Twilight.

“Yep, Rainbow Dash works for the weather committee here in Ponyville.”

Nighttide blinked. “You mean, you ponies can control the weather?”

“Of course!” Rainbow shouted back. “How else would it work?”

Nighttide looked in the general direction of the forest. “But, just the other night, I saw clouds moving on their own over the woods.”

“You mean the Everfree Forest?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, they tend to do that…”

“S-so creepy,” Rainbow commented with a visible shiver.

“Wow, if you guys think that's weird, you should come visit my home. Rains all day and night.” Nighttide studied the few clouds being moved overhead by other pegasi.

“Seriously? All the time? That's no fun,” Rainbow said as she flew away to grab another cloud.

“So, Twilight.” Nighttide looked over at her. “Do all pegasi control the weather?”

“Just the ones that work for the weather committee. They have a schedule of when it will be sunny, raining, or snowing, depending on the season.”

“If I find a way home, tell them to come visit my land. I'd love to be able to see the sky again.” Nighttide and Twilight shared a short laugh.

As Rainbow Dash flew back nearby, Nighttide looked up. “Hey, where do you want to meet for the race?”

Rainbow Dash looked around the horizon for a good place, then spotted just the one. “Hey Twilight, you know where the Running of the Leaves usually starts, right?”

“Of course, Whitetail Woods!” Smirking, she added, “I won fifth place once, remember?”

Rainbow Dash looked away with a frown. “Don't remind me… Anyway, could you take Nighttide over there in about an hour?”

“Yeah, I should be able to.”

“Sweet.” Rainbow Dash looked down at Nighttide. “Then you and I can see who's really the fastest on land.”

Nighttide smirked. “I'm expecting a lot from you.”

“I won't let you down,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin as she flew away to gather more clouds.

Before long, it was time for the race. Twilight dropped Spike off at the library and walked Nighttide to the outer edge of Whitetail Woods, explaining the Running of the Leaves on the way.

“So you guys even have to herald in the different seasons?” Nighttide's curiosity appeared it would be sticking around for a while.

“That's right,” Twilight remarked with a pep in her step.

“But I'm assuming you still have the same seasons, right? Spring, summer, fall, winter?”

“Correct, and there's a different way us ponies contribute to bring in each season.”

“Fascinating,” Nighttide remarked as they approached a wide section of dirt path. Rainbow Dash could be seeing flying toward them in the distance.

“Well, this is where you’ll begin.” Twilight stopped and looked over at Nighttide. “I guess I'll see you back at the library when you're finished?”

“Yeah, I'll stop by so we can figure out what the next step is, then I'll probably check in with Fluttershy to figure out tonight's arrangements.”

“Sounds good. See you after a bit!” With that, Twilight trotted back to Ponyville as Rainbow Dash slowed her approach to land.

“Alright, crazy mane,” Rainbow called out as she touched ground. “This race is simple. All you have to do is follow the path through the trees until the next clearing. There's a good bit of trail before then, so be sure to keep up the pace.”

“Got it.” Nighttide programmed her system for optimal speed and began testing the ground. “So, you mostly race in the air, I take it?”

“The fastest in the sky!” Rainbow was clearly confident in her skills, and her confidence seemed to have a firm foundation. She didn't look like she was just boasting.

“I'll take your word for it,” Nighttide said as she hunched a little toward the ground. “Now, let's do this.”

Rainbow began hoofing at the ground and took a racer's stance. Nighttide lined up directly beside her. “So, Nighttide, you want to start us off?”

“Sure thing. Ready?”

The two firmed their stance low to the ground.

“Get set…”

Just then, Nighttide's back opened to reveal a starter's pistol, firing a loud shot in the air.

Startled, Rainbow Dash jumped as Nighttide took off down the trail. “WHOA-wha… oh crap!” She regained her composure and took off for Nighttide.

Nighttide plowed down the trail at a brisk pace, her legs effortlessly pushing her weight forward. The wind pushed her mane back in a ridiculous fashion as she kicked up the dirt of the trail, enjoying the feel of the cool air against her muzzle. Rainbow was soon nearing her tail when Nighttide looked around her flank. Seeing the pegasus was picking up the pace, Nighttide pushed her velocity to its current maximum and left Rainbow in the dust.

Coughing in her wake, Rainbow looked forward with squinted eyes. “Not bad. Let's see just how much you've got in that gallop of yours.” Like a bullet, she took off down the trail, barely seeming to touch the ground, although her wings remained flush against her side.

Once again, Nighttide spotted the cerulean pegasus gaining on her. This time, she decided to maintain pace and let Rainbow catch back up. Once she edged near the grey mare's side, she looked over at Nighttide with a strained grin. “Hey, you're not so bad!”

“Same goes for you,” Nighttide remarked with seemingly little fatigue. Rainbow blinked.

The two stayed neck-and-neck for several seconds. There was still no clearing in sight, so Nighttide shouted over, “Hey Rainbow, how much farther to the finish?”

“We've still got a way,” she shouted over. “What, starting to get tired?” The pegasus hoped the mare was faking her cool demeanor.

Nighttide shot back a devil-may-care grin. “Can a tired pony do this?” Switching her systems to maximum output, Nighttide pounced forward and began taking off down the trail at incredible speeds, the grass surrounding the trail whipping forward in her wake.

Rainbow couldn't believe it. Not even Applejack could ever hope to keep up with this mare! Her lungs heaving, she maintained her pace. “C'mon, Rainbow… just like last time… show 'em a little Dash.” With a pounce of her own, the pegasus began galloping down the trail at breakneck speeds. Few ponies could ever hope to reach this kind of speed, but she was determined to outshine the foreign pony.

Nighttide glanced around and saw that even at her absolute fastest, Rainbow Dash was slowly beginning to catch up. “No way,” Nighttide muttered to the wind. “No normal pony can run this fast… at least not for very long.”

Nighttide galloped as fast as she could – there was no more speed she could gain. If Rainbow really did catch up with her, depending on how much further it was to the finish, she could get the better of her. But would her stamina hold out that long?

Rainbow left her own wake of grass and dirt behind her, her mane flowing wildly in the wind. She pushed as hard as she could to catch up with Nighttide, observing the slowly closing gap. Choosing not to speak, she kept her focused locked straight ahead and put all of her focus into her gait. She had never run like this before – not even in the Running of the Leaves. She was going to prove herself, and all Equestria in her mind, proud at the end of this.

Rainbow finally pulled alongside Nighttide. Her speed began to slow ever so slightly, making her only nose just a little beyond Nighttide before she matched her speed. It wasn’t long before they could see a clearing up ahead. Nighttide was really curious to see how this would turn out. Keeping up the pace, the two plowed forward toward the sun shining down on the ground ahead of them. But before long, Rainbow began to visibly lose steam.

The pegasus shook her head side to side as she lost momentum, then pointed her muzzle at an angle toward the ground, as if to make herself more aerodynamic. She panted hard against the cool spring air, but timed her breathing perfectly with her pace.

‘Now here is a true athlete if ever I saw one,’ Nighttide thought to herself. Once again, they were neck and neck, and thinking she would probably win this one, Nighttide saw Rainbow close her eyes and reach her whole body for the air in front of her. Then…

They were in the sunlight. Nighttide could tell, Rainbow Dash had won.

As Nighttide slowed her pace, Rainbow stretched her wings out and proceeded to glide up in the air. She did a small circle around, then shouted down, “Looks like a tie.”

“Nope,” Nighttide shouted back as she came to a halt. “You won by a whisker.”

“I did?!” Rainbow glided a loop around Nighttide and landed on the ground in front of her. “Please tell me you're not kidding.”

“I'm serious,” Nighttide nodded. “You won right at the last second as you pulled forward.”

Her eyes wide and gleaming, Rainbow managed a backflip and shouted, “Awright! Yeah! I did it!”

Nighttide trotted forward and lifted a hoof. “Congrats, Rainbow Mane. You're one heck of a runner.”

“Same to you,” Rainbow replied as she bumped hooves with the mare, taking a moment to catch her breath. “It's… heh… just a shame that… I can't race you in the air, too.”

‘… Hmm,’ Nighttide excitedly thought to herself. After a few seconds, while trying her best to keep her cool on the outside, she raised an eyebrow at Rainbow and stepped aside. “Who said anything about that?”

Two small slits opened near the top of either side of Nighttide's barrel. With a muted hiss, two silver fixed wings began to extend outward, adjustable ailerons swinging up and down at the rear. Another set of doors slid down just beneath her wings to reveal two small turbine engines, whirring to life.

Rainbow's jaw dropped as she watched Nighttide begin to gallop forward. Swinging her head upright to brush her mane out of her eyes, Nighttide’s engines roared awake, and with a kick to the ground, she was airborne.

Nighttide took off at a sharp angle upward, eventually banking right and flying a casual loop above Rainbow. The cerulean pegasus continued to watch in awe from the ground for a few seconds, then spread her own wings and joined Nighttide overhead.

As Rainbow met up alongside her, Nighttide looked over at the pegasus. With the same confidence as her new companion evident in her expression, she said, “This is where the fun really begins.”

In an instant, the two took off toward the horizon, leaving a vapor trail of steam and rainbows behind them.

“So, Twilight, how do you feel Nighttide is adjusting to life in Equestria?” Rarity took a sip of tea as Twilight pondered her question. The two sat across from each other in the main room of Carousel Boutique.

“Well, she certainly seems happy to be here. And considering everything she's told me about life back at home, I could understand why.”

“Was it really that bad?” Rarity asked as she placed her tea on a nearby end table.

“‘Bad’ might not even be the word for it. More like horrible.” Rarity tilted her head as she continued. “You know how we go on quests from time to time to vanquish evil, right?” Rarity nodded. “In Nighttide's homeland, they have wars. All the time.”

“You mean a ‘war,’ as in ponies fighting other ponies?”

“Exactly.”

“Nighttide mentioned something about that last night, but I had no idea…”

Another smaller unicorn came down the stairs behind Rarity. “Oh, hello Sweetie Belle!” Twilight called out.

“Hi, Twilight!” Sweetie Belle walked up beside Rarity. “Hey sis, can I borrow some of your emeralds to work on a school project?”

“So long as you promise not to reorganize everything again.” Rarity smiled down at her little sister and considered very hard whether or not she should help Sweetie Belle herself, but gave her the benefit of the doubt.

“I promise,” Sweetie Belle said with a quick nod and grin. As she approached the stairs again, she called back. “Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said they might come over this evening, too.”

“Alright, thanks for letting me know!” Rarity called back as Sweetie Belle walked upstairs. Once she was sure the filly was out of earshot, she let out a heavy sigh, looking back to Twilight. “I'm just so glad that Sweetie Belle has never had to experience anything like Nighttide has.”

“I'm glad none of us have,” Twilight said as she grabbed her own cup of tea.

Just then, Rarity caught a glimpse of a dull rainbow drifting lazily in the air outside the window. “Twilight, look!” Twilight turned toward the window to see the rainbow just fading out of view.

Setting her tea down, Twilight got up to step outside, Rarity close behind. As she opened the door, they could hear an unusual sound overhead as they caught a glimpse of a silver and blue streak in the horizon.

“… Twilight, isn't that—”

“No way!”

As they banked around a small group of clouds, Rainbow Dash and Nighttide sped over Ponyville, a spiraling stream of dew and colors trailing behind them.

“B-but she doesn't have wings!?” Twilight remarked in shock, wide eyes staring at the two mares overhead.

“Well apparently, she does.” Rarity looked up at the spectacular sight, and within seconds, Rainbow and Nighttide were out of sight, the roar of Nighttide's engines fading in the distance.

Twilight returned her focus back to Rarity. “Nighttide seems like a nice pony, but it worries me when surprises like this come up. Especially knowing her history.”

Rarity contemplated her statement before responding. “I wouldn't worry so much, Twilight. For all that she's been through, if she can have fun with someone like Rainbow, I think that's a good sign.”

Twilight looked up at the vanishing trail of rainbows. “Yeah. You're probably right.” With a smile, the two went back inside to continue chatting.

Twilight spent most of the rest of the evening at Rarity's, visiting with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom as well. As the sun began to set, Twilight headed back to the library.

“I hope I haven't been keeping Nighttide waiting,” she muttered to nopony particular. But as she trotted through town, she noticed a small, rather thick cloud overhead, with a familiar rainbow tail hanging off the edge.

Twilight giggled as she watched her sleepy friend loom comfortably overhead. “Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight shouted. “Have you seen Nighttide recently?” Twilight could see her tail flick, but no response.

Just then, Nighttide poked her head over the side and looked down. With a yawn, she said, “Hey Twilight… wassup?”

Twilight blinked several times at the sight. “H-hello, Nighttide. I was just looking for you.”

Rainbow popped her head over the edge beside Nighttide. “Yeah, she's been here napping with me. We've had a long day, right Nighttide?”

“Yeah,” Nighttide responded lethargically. “Lots of fun.” She gave a weak smile. “Oh, by the way, Twilight,” she called down with a little more spark, “did you know ponies could sleep on clouds?”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “Pegasi, yes. Yes I did. But—”

Nighttide jumped over the side and used some rather loud leg-mounted thrusters to come to a safe landing. Twilight watched the curious devices retract back inside her legs and proceeded to ask her something, but Nighttide spoke first.

“Before you saying anything, I want to apologize for not telling you about my wings.” She suggested to the protrusions in her side and let her wings peek out just a little bit. “That's how I got up there with Rainbow.”

“Why didn't you tell me about them earlier?”

“To be honest… these things are supposed to be a secret.” She closed the opening for her wings and turned to face Twilight. “I'm the first model to introduce them to the Labyrinth lineup. But Rainbow and I were having so much fun that… well, I wanted to show her what else I could do.”

Twilight smiled a little, but she asked her a serious question in return. “Won't that get you in trouble back home?”

“Probably,” Nighttide said as she hoofed at the ground. “But I've been having such a good time here in Equestria.” She looked up at Rainbow who had proceeded to continue napping.

“I can understand wanting to show off a little to your friends. I've done it before myself, but you should never risk hurting yourself or others for your own benefit, even if it’s simply a matter of breaking a rule.”

“Well, this isn't going to hurt anyone but the Colonel's pride,” Nighttide remarked with a frustrated tone. “As far as all the dangerous stuff goes, I'm not going to reveal anything to anyone, unless it's an emergency.” Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “And, as I said before, I would promise not to use anything dangerous if I found that Equestria was a safe place.” She glanced around the town surrounding them. “It's definitely a safe place.”

Twilight smirked. “I'm glad to hear that.” She proceeded to lead Nighttide back to the library. “I can't stop you from revealing confidential information, but I would suggest you be more careful next time you decide you want to show off.”

“It's funny you say that. Just last night, after meeting with Princess Luna, I promised myself I’d be more careful as the day went on.” Nighttide giggled. “Guess that didn't work out so well.”

“I'm glad you've become comfortable with us so quickly, but are you sure that's alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when I first came to Ponyville, it took me a while before I fully trusted those around me. It seems like you're coming to trust us pretty fast – maybe even faster than I did with my own friends.”

They were approaching the library when Nighttide stopped Twilight with a raised hoof. “Let me put it this way. I've had friends in the past, but they've never stuck around for very long. It's not that I have a trust issue, it's that I've never known what it's like to be in good company. Believe me when I say that trusting you and your friends is not an insignificant thing. It's very significant. That I can trust you all so quickly, and want to continue getting to know you all, is saying a lot.” She paused for a moment and looked away. “I won't deny that I'm afraid of what might happen tomorrow. What if you guys don't like me anymore? What if I do something wrong? And, I mean… I’ll probably return home at some point. So of course, I won't be able to keep you girls as friends forever.”

Twilight perked up with a big grin and raised eyebrow. “Did I hear you just call us ‘friends?’”

Nighttide stumbled back a few steps and stammered, “Uhm… w-well, that’s kind of—”

Twilight giggled. “Don't worry, Nighttide. There's a whole 'nother day ahead of us, and I don't see anything changing between now and then – not unless my studies come up with something tonight. If you really want to get to know us better and become friends, we would love that. I would love that.”

Twilight gave the mare a smile before turning for the library door. Nighttide regained her composure and followed behind her. “Thanks, Twilight,” she replied softly.

As Spike served some snacks, Twilight and Nighttide sat to talk about how to handle things next. “Nighttide, can you tell me a little more about ‘portals’ – I think is what you called them?”

“Right.” Nighttide took a daffodil sandwich Spike offered and set it on an end table. “Portals are actually a natural phenomenon, more or less. They interact with another dimension which doesn't interfere with this plane of existence. Think of it like this: You know how the sun's rays light the ground, but we can't actually see the rays? Same with sound – we can't see sound, but it's there nevertheless, and we can hear it?” Twilight nodded. “The ‘fourth dimension’ as it’s informally called – lame, I know – is an invisible plain of existence that is completely incapable of being sensed by natural senses. But it can be detected using a certain method that a supercomputer discovered a few years ago.”

“So then, the portal is digital,” Twilight surmised with an uncertain tone.

“Not quite. While the supercomputer figured out a way for us to access it, since the portal deals with a natural phenomenon, all that's really necessary is to apply the right forces in the right space in order for a tangible object, like myself, to access it in our dimension.”

Twilight used her magic to grab a notepad and quill and began taking notes. “Please, continue.”

“I have the basic information available on how to access the dimension, but not the means. To open a portal, one has to manipulate space in such a way as to merge the realm of our dimension and its together in one spot. Think of it as a geometry equation, if that makes sense.”

“Wow… what an interesting concept,” Twilight remarked as she scribbled down her notes, still marveling at how such things could be performed without magic. “Now, what about the pylons you mentioned earlier?”

“Alright, so, let's say you get a portal opened. How are you going to travel through it? Early tests found that solid objects like ourselves don't cope well in the fourth dimension. They tend to… well…” Nighttide made an explosion sound with her mouth and threw her hooves in the air. Twilight’s eyes widened slightly. “Thankfully, we just threw random objects in there, like a keyboard and a sock, to see what would happen. Anyway, over time, we found that a portal could be opened in one location and another – the planes of space could be merged in such a way as to create a ‘direct line of sight,’ if you will, and send a radio transmission through the portal.”

“And what's a radio transmission?”

“It's a kind of electromagnetic radiation, or ‘light’ in laypony terms, that isn't visible to the naked eye.” Twilight nodded and suggested with a hoof for her to continue. “This is where my warp drive comes in. The warp drive deconstructs my molecular structure into a form of digital info transmitted through a radio frequency. Since radio frequencies are not solid, through this method, a pony can travel through the fourth dimension from one portal to another. However, a direct line of sight must be maintained at all times, otherwise the transmission could break up and be lost to the ether.” Nighttide paused as she reflected on the previous day's events. “Which is what I think happened in my case.”

“So, does the warp drive have to be engaged right as the portal is opened?”

“The sooner, the better,” Nighttide said as she watched Spike grab a comic book from the floor. “Portals are rather unstable; we've as of yet to find a way to keep them open for prolonged periods of time. So the method we use is to open the portal and engage the warp drive at pretty much the same time, allowing me to travel through the portals as quickly as possible. The advantage to this method of travel, versus just being broken down into a radio transmission and sent through the air, is that a pony or object can travel at faster-than-light speeds. Plus, the likelihood of a successful transmission being picked up is increased ten-fold… even if it didn't work out for me.” Nighttide gave a half-hearted chuckle.

Twilight finished writing her notes and pondered over them a moment. “Nighttide, would you be able to give me some more details on how portals are opened?”

“I can give you everything in a printout if you want it.”

“Printout?”

Nighttide opened a small cover along her side. A piece of white paper with a smiley pony came out, and she showed it to Twilight.

Twilight giggled and said, “I swear, Nighttide, you're some other kind of pony.”

“Speak for yourself,” Nighttide commented as she reached over for her sandwich and took a bite. “So, y’want me to print out the rest?” Twilight nodded.

Over the next few minutes as Nighttide printed off the materials, Twilight collected some books on spells pertaining to teleportation. “I don't know if magic can help or not, but it certainly wouldn't hurt taking a look. I was up a good bit last night trying to find out if we had any information on biomechanics. All I could find was some basic material on pony anatomy, but nothing like the kind you've described.”

‘So she was up because of me.’ Nighttide felt a little guilty and, after waiting a few seconds, spoke up again. “Twilight, I'm sorry if I've been any trouble to you. I don't mean to waste yours or anyone's time like this.”

“Not at all.” Twilight grabbed a dustier book off the shelf with her magic and brushed it off. “Honestly, I love these sorts of things. So many ponies and creatures have come through Equestria recently that things like this are more like an adventure for us. Not to undermine the severity of your situation, of course,” Twilight quickly added as an afterthought.

“No worries,” Nighttide reassured her with a smirk. “This has been more like a vacation than an accident for me.”

Twilight smiled a moment before a thought occurred to her. “Hey, you're planning to stay the night again at Fluttershy’s, right?”

“Oh crap, I forgot!” Nighttide paused her printing and stood up from the couch. “We didn't even talk about it. Should I go check in with her now?”

“If I know Fluttershy, she’ll keep her room ready for you just in case. But you should probably head back her way once you're finished.”

“Agreed.” Nighttide sat back down to finish printing while Twilight laid out the book on her reading desk.

“If you could meet me sometime tomorrow morning, we can travel out to the Princesses old castle and check out the library there.”

“So the Princesses used to live somewhere else?”

“Yup.” Twilight flipped through the book to the page of contents. “I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.”

After finishing her sandwich and sorting the papers, Nighttide wished Twilight and Spike a good night, then set off for Fluttershy’s. “Do you remember the way back?” Twilight called from the doorway outside.

“Yep! Computer, remember?” Nighttide smiled and waved goodbye to the two.

It was now night, and the streets were lined with the shadows of window frames as yellow lights poured out of a few buildings. There were still some ponies walking around, talking with friends or making purchases. She saw a couple businesses had already closed shop for the day, and some ponies were sweeping the stoops of their homes.

“This is too quaint,” Nighttide muttered under her breath. As she looked behind her at a couple of fillies playing with a ball, she ran slam into a street-post and fell down.

“Ouch! Wha— ugh… really?” She rubbed her forehead as she looked up to see a blue stallion standing nearby.

“Goodness, are you alright?” The stallion walked over to her and offered a hoof to help her up.

“Eeyeah…” Nighttide stumbled to her hooves on her own and brushed herself off. “Just pretend you didn't see that.”

The stallion smiled and looked at her forehead. “Ouch. That's going to leave a bruise.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Nighttide brushed her bangs out of the way and touched her forehead, which she could already tell was going to swell overnight.

“Here,” the stallion said as he reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a small patch. “This has some healing ointment on it. Put it on your forehead and keep there for a while, then take it off before bed. That should help reduce the swelling.”

Nighttide took the patch and looked around at the stallion's flank to find a familiar symbol: a red cross. “So, a doctor, I take it?”

“No, just a scribe,” the stallion coolly remarked. “I'm still in school, but I hope to eventually become a physician’s assistant.”

“Gotcha.” Nighttide placed the patch on her forehead and grinned. “Name’s Nighttide. Nice to meet you.” She extended a hoof.

“Nice to meet you too,” the stallion said as he shook her hoof. “My name is Sterling Lazuli.”

“Well, thank you for your generosity, Mr. Lazuli. Perhaps I will see you again sometime.”

“Perhaps so.” The two smiled, and with that, Nighttide was back on her way to Fluttershy’s.

“Ugh, what a way to meet a pony,” she mumbled to herself as she crossed the bridge leading out of Ponyville. A few minutes later, she walked up the hill to Fluttershy's cottage when she noticed Angel sitting on the bedroom window sill again. “'Sup, Angel,” Nighttide shouted up. The white creature gave her a dirty look and scampered back inside. ‘Did I just see that right?’

After knocking, Fluttershy opened the door for Nighttide. “Good evening, Nighttide. Will you be staying the night again?”

“If that's alright with you.” Nighttide didn't want to be too forward, so she waited until she was invited inside.

“Of course! You're welcome to stay as long as you like.” Fluttershy suggested she come in with a hoof.

Nighttide went upstairs to freshen up from the day's adventures and checked in afterward with Fluttershy downstairs. “If it's alright with you, I think I'll probably head on to bed.”

“Go right ahead, I still have a few things left to do before I turn in,” Fluttershy called up as she was feeding one of her birds.

Nighttide trotted into the bedroom to find the bed made up perfectly once again. ‘What a sweet pony,’ she thought to herself as she nuzzled against the plush comforter. Nighttide then walked over to the window to see the stars again, but noticed there were a few clouds in the way this time. “I should've asked if they were planning for rain,” she whispered as she thought of Rainbow Dash. Sighing under her breath, she hoped that the rain may wait as long as possible.

Just as she pulled up the sheets to get into bed, Fluttershy peeked inside. “Should I expect you for breakfast tomorrow?”

“Only if you feel up to it,” Nighttide replied as she slipped under the sheets.

“Of course. It's so much fun having a house guest over!” The mare appeared to be telling the whole-hearted truth, as her smile radiated a warmth that Nighttide could still not get over.

Nighttide smiled in return and asked, “Who was the last pony to visit? Other than the ones I've met?”

“Well, I have another friend. His name is Discord.”

Nighttide's ears twitched. “Discord? That doesn't sound like a friendly name.”

“Oh, he's not so bad. Perhaps you'll get to meet him one day!”

“Perhaps.” Nighttide didn't like the idea of someone named Discord, but she didn't want to insult Fluttershy, so she returned one last smile and watched her walk out of sight.

Letting out a soft yawn, Nighttide stretched her legs in bed and nuzzled against the soft pillow, shutting down her primary systems. ‘Man, what a day,’ she thought to herself. ‘Maybe I'm no closer to getting home, but this sure is turning out to be a pretty fun detour.’ In a few minutes, Nighttide was asleep.

Fluttershy still had to feed the chickens and pigs outside, and not wanting to disturb Nighttide anymore than necessary, she sneaked outside and did her best to tend to the job quietly. She found the task a little more difficult than she imagined, having to also collect some runaway chicks along the way. The whole process took her about an hour before she finished. Cleaning up the kitchen and living area some, Fluttershy eventually made her way upstairs to freshen up. Just before she went back downstairs, she carefully poked her head into her bedroom to make sure Nighttide was okay.

Fluttershy froze in place the moment she caught sight of Nighttide.

In the time Fluttershy had been busy, Nighttide had managed to kick the covers off her barrel. She held onto one of the pillows with her forelegs, cradling it against her chest with her head tucked above it. It appeared she was sleeping peacefully now, but it looked as if she had fought to fall asleep. And her expression…

“She looks so sad,” Fluttershy whispered under her breath.

Wishing she could do something more, Fluttershy closed the door quietly, not wanting any creature to disturb her in the middle of the night. As she walked back downstairs, she thought about the times when she used to be more afraid, and wondered if there was something that scared Nighttide. Putting the thought to rest until the morning, she hunkered down on the sofa and threw a quilt over her. Soon enough, she too was fast asleep.