"Do you even know where we're going?" Scootaloo asked, looking to the obscured form of Even Later through the darkness. "I can't see a darn thing out here."

"Uh... maybe?" the mare replied, her voice shaky. "I can't really see either, but I think this is at least sort of the way we came."

There was a rustle of leaves somewhere behind them, which caused both Scootaloo and Later to turn. "Wait up," came Mochi's voice, growing closer. "I know which way we went."

"How do you know?" Scootaloo asked, eyebrow raised even though nopony else could see her.

"I just know, m'kay?" Mochi huffed, pulling up between them. Although Scootaloo couldn't make her out well, she could at least tell by the way the mare's shadowy form moved that she was still carrying their limp comrade on her back. "Call it an earth pony's intuition. I'm usually pretty darn good at knowin' where I need to go."

"Might as well follow you," Later replied through gritted teeth. "Not much else we can do but wait for the sun to come up, but I'm not even sure if being able to see would really help."

"What about your magic?" Scootaloo asked. "Can't you just light the way with your horn?"

Later sighed. "Even if I hadn't splinched my darn ear off, I'm super drained from teleporting—I've never done that before, and my magic reserves are probably the lowest they've ever been."

"Through the dark it is, then," Mochi replied, gazing ahead. She started at a slow trot and Scootaloo and Later were left to follow behind her, forced to go much slower than they had before. Step by step, they traversed a path through the forest and their slow speed proved to be a boon; Scootaloo and Later were able to navigate the forest floor, using the time to make sure they weren't about to run headfirst into any trees or bushes.

A half hour later...

Mochi stopped. Scootaloo and Later nearly didn't notice; if they'd noticed just a moment later, they would have both run straight into her flank.

"We're here," the mare ahead whispered.

"We noticed," Later replied in a raspy voice, stepping around Mochi. She paused, remaining still just long enough that she could hear the deep breaths of three ponies lying in a grassy patch between the bushes. "Looks like they've fallen asleep. That's probably good that they got some z's... I really doubt we're gonna be able to."

Scootaloo sighed. "But I'm soooo tired..." she trailed off, yawning. "I guess I can sleep at... um... wherever we're going next."

"If you really wanna sleep, I can carry you on my back," Later offered. "Granted, your hooves might drag on the ground a bit..."

"...I think I'll be fine."

"Aww, Kevin and Flight are holdin' hooves and they don't even know it," Mochi murmured as she took a few more steps toward the slumbering ponies. Indeed, the two young ponies who were asleep next to each other had their forelegs outstretched, which looked to have become somehow entwined as they slept. "Too bad we gotta wake 'em up."

"This one's Cotton Fluff, right?" Later asked, stepping over to the largest pony. Without waiting for a response, she leaned in and shook the mare's shoulder with a hoof. "Hey, Cotton, it's time to get up."

"Nnngh..." Cotton groaned, stirring. She blinked her eyes. "Wha—?"

"We've gotta go, sweetheart," Later said in a droll tone. "Naptime's over."

Cotton Fluff grunted as she shook herself awake, rolling over so she could stand. Not a metre away, Scootaloo had crept up on the pair of ponies her age and was standing right beside them, trying to decide which one to wake first. She only took a moment before settling on the one she knew she'd choose all alone.

She tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Kev, it's time to wake up," she said matter-of-factly. Through the faint light of the stars that shone down from above, she could sort of make out his eyelids fluttering open.

"Mmmfff...?" he mmmfff'd, slowly moving his unencumbered foreleg. "What... what time is it?"

"Probably time for you to let go of your girlfriend's hoof, silly," Scootaloo teased, giggling.

Kevin blinked. Then, in an instant, his other foreleg jolted away from Flight's grasp. Scootaloo giggled again as she watched the still-slumbering Flight reach out unconsciously, attempting to grab back what she had been holding.

"She's not my—I don't—ugh!" Kevin finally sputtered. "Scootaloo!"

"Great to see you too, Kev," the filly replied, grinning. "C'mon, let's wake her up and get going."