Slowly, fleeting sparks of consciousness began to intrude on her befuddled mind. Muffled sounds, stray words, a soft, persistent cough. Eventually, she dragged her eyes open – and immediately wished she hadn't. The room was dark, but even that faint light stabbed cruelly at her eyes, adding to the sort of pounding headache she'd only ever had that one and only time she'd let Dash mix her drinks.

The sound of brisk hoofsteps approached. “Twilight Sparkle?” said a gentle voice, enunciating carefully, “My name is Nurse Redheart, you're at Ponyville Urgent Care.”

Twilight tried to speak, but she could barely produce a croak. Something prodded at her lips, and the nurse slipped a straw into her mouth. The water was nirvana, but she forced herself to savour it and not to gulp. The straw was withdrawn, and strong, professional hooves helped her to sit up. A familiar, pretty mare with a white coat and a pale-pink mane done up in a bun smiled down at her. “How are you feeling?”

“What happened?” she croaked, before a thought crashed in on her. “Silver!”

“It's OK, just relax,” said Nurse Redheart, pushing her back down onto the pillow, “Mr. Braise is going to be just fine. In fact, he's right over there.”

She turned her head and sure enough, there was a grey form on a neighbouring bed with several intravenous lines festooning his body and a clear mask clamped over his muzzle. A hundred questions swirled in her head, but the nurse sought to pre-empt some of them.

“You were brought in together. Or, more accurately, you brought him in, burning the last reserves of your magic to do so. I should scold you for doing something so irresponsible, especially a Unicorn that knows magic like you do, but if you'd waited any longer, well, Mr. Braise would have been in a whole lot of trouble. As it is, it was a pretty close-run thing.”

Twilight slumped back against her pillows, tension leaving her in a long, shuddering sigh. “Why, uh...” Twilight trailed off, not quite sure how to frame the question.

“Why is he in here with you? Well, you sort of insisted. We tried to take him away when you arrived, and... well, let's just say there was a bit of a disturbance.”

Redheart was too professional to smile, but Twilight could see the amusement dancing in her eyes, and felt her own cheeks burning. “Uh, sorry,” she mumbled, “What time is it?”

The nurse grinned at her; she seemed to find a lot of this amusing, for some reason. “A better question is, what day is it? You were asleep for just over two days.”

“Two days?!” Twilight yelped, “But the Princesses! The creature!”

“That's enough! Everything is fine,” the nurse said sternly. Twilight was about to protest when she heard a grunt from the neighbouring bed, followed by the soft, careful cough that she had noted earlier, and her complaints drained away.

“I gather that you were teleporting around like a jumping bean and burned up all your magic reserves so fast that they didn't have any time to regenerate. This is your body's natural reaction to magical exhaustion. There should be no long-term effects so long as you take it easy for a week or so. No magic.”

“No magic,” she repeated dully, contemplating life as an Earth pony. Magic was such a part of her everyday life, it was going to be a challenge. Still, she didn't have much to complain about, all things considered. “How is he?”

The nurse hesitated for a moment. “He was in pretty bad shape, but he's doing well and should make a full recovery. He's going to be with us for a while, though; he lost an awful lot of blood and, combined with that big cut and a nasty bump on the head, he has a broken humerus and four broken ribs. In the meantime, perhaps you can tell us why there's a lovely matching set of hoofprints on his shoulder?”

“Did he say anything?” asked Twilight, fishing for time. She didn't really want to get Applejack into trouble if she could avoid it, but that might not be an option.

The nurse scowled, “He said he tripped, although it wasn't clear if he meant the cut or the broken bones. He wasn't really in a condition to be asking, but if he's managed to trip and do that to himself, I think we have a medical first.”

“Oh.” Horseapples! thought Twilight. “I think there might have been a slight misunderstanding,” she added evasively.

“Oh really? We can take measurements of those marks if we have to, you know. You might be surprised how easy it is to match them to a specific pony. Come on, Twilight, they're not your hooves – who was it? An Earth pony probably, judging by the damage. Was it those idiots from the other night that were threatening him?”

Twilight looked away, licking her lips nervously, “No. If you want to know, I think it's best that you ask him,” she said at last.

Nurse Redheart glared at her, irritation vying with disappointment on her face. “Whoever it was, all I can say is that he's very lucky that he's an Earth pony. If he was somepony without the innate Earth pony strength...” Redheart left the threat hanging between them.

Twilight took a deep breath, “Look, I wasn't there. If he wants to take this further, I'll help him as much as I can, but I didn't see anything.”

Which, technically, was true, but she felt like the lowest form of life on the planet for resorting to such weasel words and technicalities. Isn't this what I looked down on the Mayor for? What does this say about me?

The nurse obviously agreed, stalking away to check the chart briefly before stuffing a thermometer in Twilight's mouth. Finally, as Redheart removed the thermometer, Twilight couldn't stand it any longer. “So what did happen with the creature?” she asked.

“You first,” said Redheart brusquely.

Oh come on! Like I told you, I didn't see anything!” Twilight begged.

The nurse let out an annoyed snort but relented, scribbling briefly on the chart and hanging it back on the end of the bed. “The Princesses caught the thing and took it away somehow,” she said shortly, “I really don't know much more than that, for all the lurid speculation in the papers. Some sort of epic battle in the depths of the Everfree, or so they claim. We had a few guardsponies to patch up but that was all, and there's been cartloads of ponies' belongings brought out. All sorts of funny little trinkets. As for Princess Celestia, she's disappeared, leaving Princess Luna in charge. Nopony's saying why, or when she'll be back.”

Twilight could make an educated guess; she'd gone to return the creature to wherever it had escaped from. She knew that her mentor would ensure that the walls were rebuilt thicker and stronger, so that this time it truly would remain 'Buried forever'.

“Your brother came by,” Redheart continued, “He was quite upset that he couldn't see you, but he asked me to pass on his best wishes.”

As Captain of the Guard, Shining Armour would be an incredibly busy pony right now. She was touched that he'd managed to make time to see her, no matter the difficulty it must have caused him.

Redheart plumped her pillows and set the water cup on the edge of her bedside table, the straw within easy reach. “Now, I ought to be checking on my other patients, but is there anything you need right now?”

“No thanks," she said in a small voice. Ridiculously, she felt a strange urge to cry; at the sheer relief that it was all over, that Silver was all right, at the nurse's patience and kindness.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and looked up at Redheart's understanding smile. “Well, if you change your mind, I'll be just down the corridor.”

The headache gnawed painfully at her well into the evening, but she slept like a foal during the night, only stirring once at the sound of a harsh, choking gargle and the murmur of anxious voices. When she awoke the next morning, the curtains were still drawn against the bright light, but she had a companion grinning across the room at her.

“Hey there, sleepyhead!” he said in a harsh whisper. He was still rigged with the intravenous drips, but the mask sat unused beside him.

The relief was incredible. “Silver! I'm so glad to see you! Are you all right?”

“Yeah, loving it – I was just about to go dancing!”

She laughed. He came out with the most ridiculous things, sometimes! “I guess that was a pretty stupid question in a hospital. You don't look so good, though.”

“Yeah, I know. I'm waiting for the next round of whatever it is they put me on. Can't give it to me until breakfast.”

It seemed that he could only speak in short bursts, his voice reduced to that harsh whisper. Sweat darkened the hair on his face, and despite his smile his eyes looked sunken and weary. “Keep talking,” he said, “It helps. Distraction.”

Her good humour drained away. “I'm a bit surprised you're so cheerful, let alone pleased to see me,” she said awkwardly.

“I'm just happy to have somepony to talk to. Besides, it's difficult to be too angry at somepony who's just saved your hide,” he said, with a jittery laugh.

She swallowed heavily and tried to order her thoughts. She had so much to explain to him, and yet the words wouldn't come. Best to start at the beginning, she thought, but she saw his ears prick up and heard the rattle of the approaching breakfast trolley. With his eyes fixed on the door, she tried to tell herself that she wouldn't have his full attention until after their meal, anyway.

“You know, Pinkie Pie's going to throw the most massive party for you when you get out of here,” she said.

“Like she needs an excuse?” he said distractedly.

Twilight tried to keep up the party talk through breakfast, which was surprisingly good, and shortly after their trays were collected Nurse Coldheart arrived with a little pot of pills for each of them. Twilight washed hers down, wondering idly what they were. Whatever they had given Silver knocked him right out, sending him back to sleep until late morning, but he awoke when the doctor came past on his rounds.

“Twilight Sparkle? Doctor Dray, how are you feeling?” he introduced himself brusquely, a weathered-looking tan Unicorn with a greying brown mane and golden pince-nez perched on the end of his muzzle. “Any headache, nausea?” he asked absently, probing with his stethoscope and palpating the frog of her hooves. “You're going to be fine, but I'd like to keep you in for a few days, just to be sure,” he concluded finally.

“Uh, sure,” said Twilight. She wasn't quite sure if it was a request or an order as he turned away from her.

“And Silver Braise. Awake this time, Mr. Braise? I'm Doctor Dray; you haven't seen me, but I've seen a lot of you. Let's have another listen to those lungs.”

He continued the same routine, firing off questions while he examined his patient, although Silver's examination was quite a lot more thorough than hers had been. Some of Silver's answers were rather strange, and he giggled silently to himself sometimes, but the doctor didn't seem to notice.

“Also, you've broken the bone in your upper foreleg, the one that runs up here to your shoulder. I'm sorry about the strap, but we really need to immobilise that so you don't do any more damage,” the doctor said, tapping the thick, padded canvas band that held Silver's left foreleg folded tightly to his barrel. “Also, this way you can't pull the stitches out where we sewed up your cut, or where we put a plate in to stabilise the bone. In case you were wondering what all this looks like, I've got the X-ray right here,” he added, flicking on a light box.

Silver peered closely at it for a moment before putting on a stern face. “I find this.... humerus!” he said in a deep voice, before lapsing into faint, wheezy giggles.

The doctor gave him a pained look, “I can't believe you just said that!” he said, then sighed, “Just what this place needs, another comedian! Well, Chuckles, I'll leave you to work on your act. Any questions before I go?”

The laughter died away and Silver's face creased in genuine confusion. “Yeah,” he said softly, “What do you call a zebra with wings?”

Twilight clapped a hoof to her mouth but couldn't suppress her laughter, especially at the earnest look on his face. Whatever they'd given him, he was as high as a kite!

The doctor just shook his head. “It's going to be a long month, isn't it?”

Nurse Redheart bustled in after lunch with a bright smile, “How are you both feeling today?”

“Pretty good, actually,” said Twilight. Silver said nothing, shifting his weight slightly. Twilight noticed that his strange mood had worn off, and presumably he was starting to feel the pain biting again.

Redheart gave him a contemplative look for a moment. “I have some visitors for you both, but if you're not feeling up to it, just say so.”

“Might as well,” Silver grunted absently.

Again, Redheart gave him a long look but said nothing, trotting back out again and a few minutes later a little black-maned, grey Unicorn came in. She walked like she wanted to crush the cheap linoleum beneath her hooves, her eyes smouldering with barely-contained anger. She ignored Twilight like her bed was empty, stopping close by Silver.

The Earth pony gave her a cautious smile. “Hey.”

Summer closed her eyes, resting her head on his good shoulder for a long moment. “You look awful,” she said, lifting her head again.

Twilight blinked. No 'How are you', no 'I'm glad you're all right', just 'You look awful'. She really shouldn't eavesdrop, but it was kind of difficult not to, and while she was no arbiter of other ponies' relationships, surely a little warmth wouldn't have gone amiss?

The important pony in all this was Silver, though, and he took it in his stride. “Yeah, I've been better. I'll be back on my hooves in a month or so, but I won't be much fun until then,” he said.

Summer chewed on her lower lip, and gradually she lost the stiff set of her neck. “I gave a month's notice on the salon today,” she said softly.

Silver's eyebrows shot up, “A month? I'll be out of here in a month, but I'm not going to be much good for travelling for a while.”

“I know.” Suddenly, tears began to track their way down her cheeks, “I know, Sils, and that's why I don't want you to. I know you like it here, and I don't want to keep dragging you around Equestria for my sake, but I cannot sit here in a town full of liars and hypocrites!” Her voice began to shake, “You should have seen them come crawling out of the woodwork the day before yesterday, with the screams of that thing barely dying away over the Everfree Forest and you lying in here dying for all I knew,” she spat bitterly, “Did they apologise? Did they, ponyfeathers! Of course, they always knew it wasn't us, said it all along. Hypocrites!”

“Summer, ponies were scared,” Silver wheezed carefully.

“So that makes it all right? They were quick enough to turn on us, and why? What did we ever do? They were quick enough to stab us in the back, to call me a brainless tramp, and any other mare with the guts to stick up for us! So now the worm has turned, what makes you think that next time something crops up they won't do the same? No. No more.”

Silver wet his lips and swallowed. Twilight could see the traces of any number of questions flash across his features, but he simply said, “When do you think you'll leave?”

“Not for a while,” she said quietly, her anger deflating, “I want to make sure that you're back on your hooves again first, but I'm going to Canterlot. That was always more my dream than yours, I think. Once I get my deposit back, I should be about even with when we got here.”

There was an awkward silence.

“I've got a few bits squirrelled away. Take 'em, you'll need 'em,” he said gruffly.

“I don't want your money-”

“Take the damn money!” he snapped harshly, or as close to it as he was able.

Nurse Redheart appeared in the doorway, looking stern. Summer raised her head proudly, and Silver looked up at her with anguish all over his face, but didn't speak. Twilight wished desperately that she could use her magic to draw the curtain between them and give the two some privacy, or at least not have to watch their relationship crashing in flames around them.

“There's one more thing to keep you here, Sils,” Summer choked, “There's a mare that's practically lived in that waiting room this past three days. Don't give her up, Sils, because you two are awesome together, and I'd never forgive myself if I wrecked that, too.”

With that, the Unicorn turned tail and hurried out with her head low, pushing blindly past Redheart and out into the corridor. The nurse watched her go with compassion on her face, then cleared her throat. “Silver?” she asked tentatively.

Silver said nothing, but slowly turned his head away. Quietly, Redheart walked in and pulled the curtain across to give him some privacy, and Twilight felt a cowardly rush of relief that she didn't have to see his tears.

The curtain remained drawn all day, and the following morning Silver said little other than to refuse his medication. “I don't like the way it makes me feel,” he told Nurse Coldheart quietly.

To Twilight's surprise, the no-nonsense nurse made no protest but simply nodded and picked several pills out. “Take those, then. I'll speak to the doctor about the rest.”

Twilight tried to while the morning away with a book, but she kept finding herself glancing over at him. Shortly after the cheerful stallion with the tea trolley rattled past, he said abruptly, “Twilight, would you mind telling me what's been going on this last few weeks?”

“Sure,” she said, dreading the conversation. She managed to kill a few seconds fiddling with her book and marking her page, but in the end there was just her and the grim-faced stallion.

It took her over an hour as she explained the Princess' original instructions and then the ebb and flow of uncertainty around the two new ponies in town. She summed up by apologising. “I should have realised just how bad the feeling in Ponyville had got long before it got to this point. I should have pressed the Princess to say something when it was obvious that everypony knew that something was going on. Like Applejack told me, she didn't have to go into specifics, just enough that it was clearly something from the Everfree.”

His eyes flared strangely at the mention of the farm pony's name but he didn't say anything, merely nodded slowly and stared into space. She recognised the look of a pony who needed time to think, but the wait for his reaction – any reaction, from forgiveness to screaming and throwing teacups – was agonising.

Doctor Dray made his rounds, checking both of them over. This time he had another question for Silver.

“So, about those hoofmarks on your shoulder. What happened?”

“I tripped,” said Silver idly, earning himself a stern look from the doctor.

“That's about as likely as me and Princess Celestia going bowling tonight! Come on, I know you were threatened a few days ago?”

“Really?” Silver seemed determined to avoid any sort of answer. “Do you think the Princess ever bowls under 300?”

The doctor made one final effort, “You wouldn't be the first stallion to be slapped around by his mare, Mr. Braise, but that's not just a tap, this is serious.”

Silver just snorted derisively and ignored him. Fuming, the doctor retired, defeated.

Lunch was consumed in silence, and as the plates were cleared away, she tried again. “Silver, I'm sorry.”

He looked up, surprised. “For what?”

“For all this! For landing you in hospital, for Summer, for this whole wretched mess!”

“Ah.”

He settled back, apparently prepared to let it rest there, and she felt a small flare of anger.

“'Ah'? Is that all you're going to say?” she demanded incredulously.

“What do you want me to say, Twilight? Lots of things are simple with hindsight, but that's too late; it's not going to change anything. I guess I'm trying to work out how to live with it.”

His whispery voice held no blame, and for that she felt even worse.

“I'm sorry about Summer,” she repeated, “Maybe she'll change her mind.”

Silver's cheek twitched, almost like he was amused. “She won't change her mind.”

“You seem very sure of that.”

Silver sighed, with a trace of annoyance. “We've grown up together since we were a few days old. We pretty much know how each other thinks by now. There's lots of things I could have said, but none of them would make a difference.”

His voice took on a slight tremor, “Asking if she was sure would be insulting, because I know she would never do something like this lightly. We don't sweat the small stuff, but there were some things said and done that she can't forgive easily, Twilight. She is not a forgiving pony, and some ponies around here would need one hay of a lot of forgiveness.”

Like me, Twilight thought painfully.

With that, he turned away from her and was silent until Redheart came in again.

“I've got some visitors for you today, if you're feeling up to it?” said the nurse, looking closely at him.

“Sure, what else can go wrong?” said Silver with some bitterness.

Redheart blinked in surprise and hesitated for a moment before slipping out. A few minutes later, Twilight heard a crowd of familiar voices approaching along the corridor.

Pinkie Pie, predictably, was first through the door, ricocheting off the walls and leaving Get Well cards and balloons in her wake while talking at the top of her lungs, but there was no mistaking the strength of the hug she gave Twilight. Silver smiled faintly, batting at a balloon tied to his bedstead with his good foreleg and saying, 'Hi' to Rarity, who had made a relatively discreet entrance with Rainbow Dash.

Spike said nothing, but climbed up on the bed and nearly strangled her with the force of his embrace, muttering a few gruff words of welcome. “We came yesterday, but they wouldn't let us in.”

“Hey guys!” said Rainbow Dash slyly, “How did it go? 'I bet the chow here is hoof-lickin' good, hur, hur',” she said in a mocking drawl, before changing to a more sophisticated voice, “'And the gowns match the curtains, daaaarling!',”

Twilight laughed, taking the mocking in good heart, “I think I got a better room-mate than you did, Rainbow.”

“Wouldn't be hard! How you doing, Silver? You're not looking so hot.”

Rainbow's artless lack of tact seemed to go down surprisingly well, and she quickly started a conversation with him as Fluttershy slunk silently in, giving Twilight a shy smile and a wave. She wasn't letting her friend get away with that, though. “Hey, come here, you!”

Blushing, Fluttershy slipped over to the bed and gave Twilight a warm hug. “I'm so glad to see you looking better,” she said in her thready voice. “Everypony was really worried.”

They chattered happily for a few minutes until Twilight noticed the obvious absentee. With some trepidation, she asked, “Where's Applejack?”

There was a moment's awkward silence before Rarity walked determinedly to the door. “Do come along, darling, everypony's waiting. Hiding out there won't change anything.”

After a moment, the blonde Earth pony stepped hesitantly through the door, her head bare. Somehow she looked much younger without her trademark accessory, and less like the unstoppable, indestructible farm pony they all relied on. She walked slowly over to Silver's bed before briefly raising her red-rimmed eyes to meet his. Applejack swallowed and began to speak,

“Silver, I... I can't tell you how sorry I am for what I done. You was hurt bad, real bad, and instead of helpin' you like I should, like a friend, I panicked. Musta near killed you, from what they say.” She looked up at him again, her eyes pleading, “I can't explain it better'n when I saw that ribbon and those little hoofprints all 'round, I just... my mind went blank. That's no excuse for what I done; I knew you better'n that. I knew you'd never hurt no foal, you ain't got that in ya.” She shook her head in disgust, letting out a shaky sigh, “I don't expect you to ever forgive me, Silver. I can't even ask you for that, because I don't deserve it, but if you never see nor speak to me again, I just want you to know that I am so plumb sorry.”

A heavy silence descended and Applejack turned away, her head hanging low.

“Applejack!” Silver called after her in his wheezy whisper. She stopped, standing motionless in the doorway.

“Applejack...,” he trailed off, then shrugged lop-sidedly. “I can see how it must have looked.”

Applejack let out a convulsive sob, “It were like somethin' out of my worst nightmare.”

Silver snorted softly, “Me standing there, covered in blood. Your sister's ribbon tied around me. It's not hard to see how you might have got the wrong idea.”

“An' that tomahawk clutched in your teeth. Why in tarnation were you carrying that?” Applejack asked, still not daring to turn around. The others watched the conversation play out with their hearts in their throats. None of them dared to move for fear of breaking the fragile truce.

“I didn't want it to get rusty,” said Silver sheepishly, “What can I say? I wasn't thinking too clearly at that point.”

Applejack let out a nervous titter, “Help a gal out here, you might have said it weren't what it looked like!”

He chuckled wheezily, breaking off into a round of coughing. When he got his breath back, he said, “Why would I do something as stupid as that? What's the first conclusion you would have jumped to?”

Applejack's breath hitched in her throat, and she turned to face him again at last, “That it were 'zactly what it looked like. Silver, I'm so sorry!” she gasped, tears standing in her eyes.

“Yes, you said. But before you go, Applejack, there's just one thing that I'd like you to know.” He broke off, his shallow, rasping breaths echoing in the silence. “You buck like a filly!”

Applejack flinched, hanging her head. “Yeah, I guess I... I... what? You, you, I what?!” She spluttered to a halt and looked up, hope and shock mingling on her face as he laughed soundlessly at her, “Oh, you did not just say that. You did not just say that! Oh, it is on, Silver Braise! Mister, you are in so much trouble right now! You just wait 'till you get out of here!”

He held out a hoof and slowly, like she couldn't quite believe it was real, Applejack took it. Twilight felt a trace of moisture on her own cheeks as Applejack shook her head, still trying to come to grips with the peace offering. “I told everypony you was a gentlecolt the first time I met you,” she said in bewilderment, “Shoulda listened to my own self at the same time.”

“Whoo, eyelash,” mumbled Rainbow Dash, surreptitiously rubbing her eye and glaring daggers at the incredulous looks from Pinkie and Twilight, who barely muffled their disbelieving snorts of laughter.

The little gathering picked up quite a party mood, but it seemed like only minutes before Rarity was calling them to order.

“This has been wonderful, my dears, but I think we're keeping somepony very special waiting.”

“Dunno why she told us to go first, then,” muttered Rainbow, before wilting under the combined glares of Rarity and Fluttershy, “What?”

They filed out, promising to visit the next day. Spike, who hadn't spoken or moved from his spot tucked up against Twilight's side, was one of the last to leave. It was easy to forget that he was still only a little dragon, Twilight thought wistfully.

Nurse Redheart came in to tidy up for a few moments before pausing by Silver's bedside, checking his temperature with the back of her hoof. “How are you doing there, Silver?”

“A bit tired,” he admitted. He looked it, too, his eyelids sagging heavily.

“Well, there's one more visitor today, and I think it's somepony you'll really want to see,” she said.

He stared pensively into the distance for a moment, “They've been waiting a while, haven't they?”

The nurse's smile widened. “Yes, they certainly have!”

Redheart trotted out, looking very pleased with herself. It was a long wait before the visitor arrived, but eventually a pair of bright, pale-violet eyes above an enormous, fragile grin peeked cautiously around the doorway.

“Hey there, big guy!” said the visitor in a carrying whisper, almost like she was afraid somepony would overhear her.

Twilight saw his face light up, and suddenly there were only two ponies in the room. “Hey, sunshine!”

Cloud Kicker took a slow, nervous step towards the bed. “How're you doing?”

“Been better,” he said with a grin, before proving it by starting a long coughing fit.

When he had his breath back, her smile had slipped a bit, “Seems like you're still a little hoarse?”

He sipped at his straw and laughed softly, “Yeah, always have been. Still bigger than you, though!”

She looked confused for a second and then began to giggle, although Twilight thought it contained an edge of hysteria, too. Cloud Kicker made her way to his bedside and reached out a tentative hoof, blinking her suddenly watery-looking eyes. “C-can I touch...?”

Silver arched an eyebrow at her, “I'm not going to break, you know!”

With that, the Pegasus carefully buried her face in his neck, wrapping a foreleg around him tightly, and after a moment Twilight heard a muffled sob.

“Hey! Hey, hey, hey, what's all this, sunshine?” Silver whispered soothingly to her, stroking her neck with his good hoof, “Shh, it's all right.”

Feeling incredibly self-conscious, Twilight rolled over and tried to give them some privacy, but behind her, Cloud Kicker mumbled something through her tears, almost a moan, and Silver cooed gently back at her. Again, more than anything, Twilight wished she could use her magic. There was nothing wrong with it, and in fact it was one of the only good things to come out of the whole situation, but she just didn't want to have to listen! Feeling that her face must by now be resembling a tomato, she reconsidered her last thought; perhaps it was more accurate to say that it was the best thing to survive this mess.

Desperate for a distraction, she turned her mind to the magic behind Illusory, one of the most astounding reference books she'd ever seen.

Assuming the basic principle of Phaeton's Third Photon Theorem held true, the manipulation of light in trans-dimensional l-space required a delta-µ Theta capability to recreate the first and sixth aspects of...

...leading to the inescapable conclusion that it none of this should be remotely possible. And hence proving to be an Equus-Coprolith theory?

“You need to rest,” she heard Cloud Kicker say softly behind her, “I'll be back tomorrow.”

Twilight braved a look over her shoulder and saw the Pegasus mare smiling down at Silver, whose eyes were already closed. He made a sleepy noise of protest, but she brushed it away. “Shh, sleep now.”

Cloud Kicker leaned over and kissed him gently, lingeringly, on the cheek before pulling back and gazing down tenderly at him. There was a tiny smile on his face – as well there might be, thought Twilight – as the mare fussed at the covers for a moment before letting out a long sigh and turning away. To her surprise, Cloud Kicker crossed the room and stopped at her bed.

“I guess I ought to thank you,” she whispered, her face unreadable.

“For what?” Twilight whispered back, surprised.

“If you hadn't gone after him, if you hadn't gotten him to the hospital in time...” Cloud Kicker trailed off and swallowed heavily, her meaning clear. “I don't think I would have handled that very well, Twilight.”

Twilight looked away, her throat suddenly tight, “You ought to be cursing me. It's my fault it ended like this.”

“It isn't. It really isn't. After all, you can only deal with the clouds the sky gives you. I think I know you a little by now, and whatever you did, I'm sure you had the best of intentions.”

“Perhaps. But sometimes, good intentions aren't enough,” said Twilight softly.

Cloud Kicker gave her a long, considering look in silence. “I guess only you can answer that. I'll see you soon, Twilight.”

Twilight lay still for a long time after the Pegasus had gone, turning things over in her mind. Eventually, she asked the nurse for a pencil and paper; she was unaccustomed to writing the Earth pony way, but setting things down on paper had long since become a way for her to order her thoughts. She knew that her friendship reports weren't entirely for Princess Celestia's consumption alone, and they tended to be all the more formal for it, but sometimes when she needed to let off steam or just get thoughts out of her head she had a private, more informal, correspondence with her mentor. By the time her stream of consciousness ran to its conclusion, her mouth aching abominably from the unaccustomed effort, she realised that all that was lacking was the Princess' name at the top of the first page.

She passed the folded pages to Nurse Redheart when she came around, checking charts and passing out medication.

“Would you be able to post this for me, please?”

“Certainly, Twilight. Who's it for?”

“Princess Celestia. No rush,” she added hastily when she saw the nurse's eyes widen.

It would be at least another day before the Princess returned, and Twilight felt immediately better for having gotten things off her chest.

They let her out of bed the following day after breakfast, although they advised her to keep to her room and not go far.

“You'll find you tire quickly, so take things easy. Remember, no magic,” the doctor told her.

She enjoyed the freedom of being out of bed for a while, and indulged herself with a long bath before returning to the room to read quietly. She looked up from her novel on hearing a minor commotion in the corridor, and was stunned to see a tall, beautiful, midnight-blue Alicorn stride into the room.

“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle!” said the Princess, in her usual haughty, business-like voice.

Twilight's eyes widened along with her smile, “Princess Luna!” she exclaimed happily, leaping to her hooves to make a quick curtsey.

The Princess's broad smile faded abruptly, “Wait! No, please!”

Confused, Twilight turned to follow the Princess' gaze and was shocked to see Silver struggling free of his bedclothes, a fearful look on his face.

“Really, it is not necessary,” Princess Luna protested, but Silver ignored her and swung his legs over the side of the bed. As his first hoof touched the ground, the Princess drew herself up to her full height and a bubble of dark-blue magic encircled him, freezing the grey pony in mid-air.

“HOLD!” Luna thundered sternly, “WE REQUIRE NOT THINE OBEISANCE, MY LITTLE PONY! ESPECIALLY NOT AT THE COST OF THY LIFE'S BLOOD!”

There was a deathly silence throughout the hospital as the echoes died away, and Silver's eyes rolled in abject terror. Twilight looked on, utterly aghast, before pulling herself together, “Um, Princess Luna?” she reminded her liege in a pointed stage whisper, “Indoor voice?”

“Oh! We apologise, Twilight, thou art quite correct,” said the Princess in her more normal tone, shuffling her wing feathers awkwardly.

“Would you mind if I, uh, explained a few things?” Twilight asked nervously.

“By all means,” said the Princess, looking both apologetic and thoroughly amused.

Twilight held up a hoof briefly. “Just give me a second.”

She trotted over to the door and poked her head out into the corridor. It was completely deserted but, judging by the mess on the floor, the Royal Canterlot Voice had claimed another victim. She closed the door and hurried over to Silver, who was still suspended in the Princess' spell, only capable of moving his eyes.

“Uh, Silver? This is Princess Luna,” she explained unnecessarily, “Or to put it another way, out there she's Princess Luna,” she said, pointing at the door. “In here, with the door closed and just us, I think she usually prefers to go by just Luna.”

“That is correct, Twilight, And so, Silver Braise, I do not require the traditional prostrations of fealty. Most especially not here, and from an injured pony. Have I made myself clear?”

Silver could not possibly acknowledge her, but the Princess lifted him and very gently set him back on the bed, his bedclothes flying up to cover him neatly. He was shaking slightly as she let the magic dissipate.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” he stuttered nervously.

“Please! Thou mayst address us as Luna, if only thou wouldst do us the honour of permitting us to call thee Silver,” said the Princess with immense dignity, spoiled only by the devilish gleam in her eye. Twilight suspected that the younger Princess rather enjoyed shocking her subjects.

“I would be greatly honoured, Y-, err, Luna.”

“What are you doing here in Ponyville?” Twilight asked, “I thought you would be busy in Canterlot?”

“Canterlot survived quite happily without me for a thousand years, Twilight, I'm sure they'll manage for a morning.” Luna's voice was sardonic but with no trace of bitterness, and she had reverted to what Twilight thought of as her 'private' voice, softer and with a few more modern colloquialisms.

“My sister returned at dawn,” Luna continued, “Shortly followed by your letter. She insisted on reading it before retiring to her chambers, although she had suffered a long and arduous journey.”

“My letter?” said Twilight, startled, “But I only sent it last night! I told them it wasn't important!”

Luna grinned, “Obviously, they misunderstood. Either that, or you were just NOT SPEAKING LOUDLY ENOUGH!”

Poor Silver looked close to repeating what the poor, startled pony had done in the corridor, while Luna chuckled merrily at her own joke, “I find that I can usually ensure my wishes are obeyed.”

“I'm sure,” said Twilight drily, “Although you are in a hospital, here.”

“Bah! I do not wish to be disturbed, so with the door closed no sound will reach outside this room,” said Luna, “But to return to the subject at hoof; my sister was deeply troubled by your letter, Twilight. You have acted on faith for a very long time, and it is high time that your faith was returned. I undertook to visit you on her behalf, as we owe you both an explanation – and also an apology.

“And also thou, Silver Braise. You and your companion have suffered grievously from our machinations, and thus it is only fair that you hear our reasons. I hope you will judge them worthy, and accept your Princesses' apologies. I had hoped to find Summer Clip attending you here also, but no matter. I shall stop in Ponyville later, instead.”

She paused, looking closely at the bedridden grey pony, “Art thou comfortable, Silver?” she asked solicitously.

He grinned nervously, “No, but I'm as comfortable as I'm likely to get for the moment, thanks.”

The Princess stepped forward and lowered herself onto the floor alongside Twilight, curling her legs neatly beneath herself. Even then, her head reached near eye-level for the reclining Silver. “My sister first became aware of the creature about 250 years ago, when a badly damaged body was found on the outskirts of Trottingham. There was no indication of anything more to the case than possible animal attack, and no culprit was ever found. It was nearly fifteen years later that a similarly-mutilated body was found, almost on the other side of Equestria, but the similarities between the two led my sister to order more wide-ranging enquiries. She discovered that a number of small items had vanished from the town over the preceding months, but no further hint or clue as to the assailant. Lines of enquiry quickly dried up, but she sent a standing order to the mayors of Equestria's towns and villages for any peculiar deaths or disappearances to be reported to her office.”

Luna sighed, “The greatest difficulty was determining what was significant. The clear-cut cases were many years apart, in differing locations, and only ever became apparent long after the fact – the local authorities faced a major challenge in reporting to Canterlot, assuming that they remembered to report it at all. Evidence was usually scanty, as few ponies understood the need to investigate or what they were looking for. Sadly, occasionally ponies disappear around Equestria and their fate sometimes remains a mystery. Sometimes, there will be an outbreak of petty theft. There was no telling whether one such occurrence was important or not in the context of our enquiries.

“One advantage of our long span is the ability to recognise patterns over long periods of time. In recent years, my sister became aware that the frequency of deaths and disappearances was increasing, and as communication across Equestria improved, so did the flow of information. It became apparent to her that the interval between these incidents was decreasing, and shortly after my return she took me into her confidence. In the course of my rehabilitation, I was able to dedicate much time to the systematic analysis of information and try to derive patterns from the data. After the last recorded incident in Coltenhagen, with some deduction and possibly a few educated surmises, together we drew up a shortlist of potential targets. We were able to warn agents in each of these locations to be on the lookout for any of the warning signs. One such town was Ponyville – and one such agent was Twilight Sparkle.

“I must admit that at first, we were a little dismissive of Twilight's first report from Ponyville. It was so soon after she had been briefed that we thought she was jumping at shadows. Also, it coincided with the arrival of two new ponies in Ponyville – you, Silver, and your companion, Summer Clip – and I'm sorry to say that therefore we suspected that if she was correct, it would likely be of mundane explanation. We were more focussed on events in Saddleburn, near Las Pegasus, which were later resolved by the capture of a mare who confessed to stealing from her neighbours. At that point, we asked Twilight for more information about you, Silver. Information which seemed curiously difficult to come by.”

“I wanted to see if she would tell me why she was interested,” Silver admitted sheepishly, “I have been accused of being a bit contrary like that in the past.”

“An attractive young mare wishes to get to know you, Silver?” asked Luna with an insinuating expression, “Is that really so hard to believe?”

Silver chuckled, “I'm hardly that good-looking! And besides, it's not exactly a secret that she's Princess Celestia's student and probably the most powerful Unicorn in Equestria. I think she'd have her sights set a little higher.”

“Status is seldom a consideration in the affairs of the heart, I find,” added Luna mercilessly. Beside the Princess, Twilight felt her cheeks threaten to self-combust as her potential love-life was so casually dissected.

“Even so. She wasn't saying, so neither were we,” said Silver, getting things back on track.

“That was entirely our fault, Celestia and I. We were very explicit in our instruction to Twilight that no word of our suspicions could reach outside a very select group. I even forbade her to discuss it with her fellow Elements of Harmony, although Celestia and Twilight convinced me otherwise.”

“Why, though?” asked Silver. “It would have made everything so much simpler, for everypony.”

“Because at that point, we still had no idea what we were dealing with. It must surely be other than an ordinary pony, but what form did it take? Did it hide itself in plain sight, and live in pony form? Did it pass somehow unnoticed through the crowd? Also, in years past, at least one of those who investigated on our behalf had disappeared. Did they draw its attention, somehow? You can see why we were loath to risk information leaking out and possibly ruining our best chance of stopping these incidents permanently, indeed, our first real chance in over 250 years. Because, for the first time, we were ahead of the culprit.”

Luna paused as a coughing fit overtook Silver, levitating his cup over for him to soothe his throat. He thanked her quietly, and asked, “So Twilight was investigating us; was there anypony else on the list?”

“Twilight and a number of others were also tasked with searching back through written records for anything which may give clues as to what manner of creature the culprit might be. Together, they must have turned the entire Royal Archive upside down, but without sufficient information to guide their search, the results were poor. That in itself was a mistake, as Twilight overtaxed herself to no good end, but I suspect asking her not to research this would have been as futile as asking my sister to stop raising the sun. Twilight and her friends were quickly convinced that it was improbable that you or your companion were responsible, but few alternatives presented themselves.”

“Well, ninety-nine percent convinced. Every now and then, something would come up which would make us wonder a little,” Twilight admitted reluctantly. “It's not exactly a high point in my career.”

“Like what?” Silver asked, intrigued.

“Like... like the day before Summer's salon was attacked; Spike happened to meet you at Rarity's. All he said was that Fluttershy was sick, but you knew that Rainbow Dash had brought her into town, and when.”

Silver looked puzzled, “Well, yeah. She'd thrown poor Cloud Kicker out of bed to cover for the Dawn Patrol. It wasn't much of a leap to work it out.”

Twilight sighed, feeling very foolish now that the answer was so obvious. “Cloud Kicker. Of course. You see, once you know that part, everything falls into place.”

“Indeed. Communication has been a key problem all the way through this sorry episode,” Luna noted, “Take Ponyville's ordinary citizens, for example. Thanks to my sister and I, their only knowledge of the situation was that their belongings were being taken and, perhaps naturally, they closed ranks against the outsiders. Rumour flourishes in the absence of fact, and we judged that it was best to let it do so rather than the creature be alerted and the opportunity lost. Where we misjudged the situation was when it reached a point that some ponies felt compelled to confront you physically. At that point, our subsequent efforts to explain and defuse the situation were always likely to fail, at least partially.”

“Do you regret it?” Silver asked, his voice curiously neutral.

Luna paused for a long moment. “Of course. Innocent ponies suffered through no fault of their own. Would we do it again? Absolutely. The capture of the creature has ensured that the ends justified the means.”

Silver stared thoughtfully at her, considering, and slowly nodded. “And if it escaped?”

Luna sighed sadly, “Then my answer would get rather a lot more complex. Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to see if you would lie to me,” said Silver bluntly. Twilight couldn't stop a sharp intake of breath, but Luna simply nodded crisply.

“I understand. As for the creature, the first real hint as to its identity came from your Zebra shaman, Zecora. Whom we notice you confided in contrary to your orders, Twilight; perhaps there is a lesson in there for Celestia and I. There is little that escapes the attention of a shaman on her own ground, and they are capable of seeing on many levels. Your report was the first to put real momentum into the research in Canterlot, however I think that also, in the back of her mind, my sister first began to have doubts, to feel the first faint stirrings of a memory long, long buried.

“The lack of success of both you and the research team worried her, and her suspicions began to grow when you described Fluttershy's experiences, and more particularly the strange symptoms which accompanied them. They seemed to firm her hypothesis on one hoof, yet weaken it on the other, for while the appearance and effects described were broadly correct, the manner in which the creature acted was not. In fact, it could hardly be more different. It was only when you began to invoke the mythical and semi-mythical in your reports, the Leprefaun, even the Night-Gaunt, that forced her to reconsider. Those stories are mostly nonsense, of course, but they shared some faint, common threads of authenticity with her fears. Celestia confided in me, and together we decided that the quickest and best way to allay her suspicions was to investigate.”

The Princess stared thoughtfully into space, and after a tense wait, eventually Twilight's patience ran out.

“What was it, Luna? What was the creature?” she asked breathlessly.

The Princess' faraway expression did not change. “As the stars turn, so the world changes. What was familiar becomes merely a story, story becomes legend until, eventually, the ancient knowledge passes out of the world and is forgotten. Forgotten by all except us, Twilight, except Celestia and I. Many thousands of years ago, when Equestria was new, the small scatterings of ancient ponies were threatened by many things. Long before the three tribes, even before the Windigos, were fell beasts which preyed upon the unwary ponies. My sister and I began to teach them to protect themselves from slaughter, and so they worshipped us. Our reign and stewardship of the ponies was begun.

“One of the creatures threatening our beloved ponies stood out above all others for their wanton cruelty and the unpredictability of their rampages. Their true name we do not know, if indeed they have one, although they bore many from their prey; the Spirit-Shadows, the Night-Walkers, the Black Mist. Semi-corporeal and able to hide themselves in plain sight, although they always favoured darkness.”

Luna broke off, a bitter smile quirking her ageless features, “Even then, my little ponies learned to fear the night. 'Twas a time of terror, for despite every precaution, despite earthen walls and earnest vigilance, the creatures could fall undetected upon an encampment and slaughter everything, mare, stallion, and foal. Worse, they seemed to delight in the slaughter, and delight in the fear of their victims. Some settlements were wiped out overnight, yet more remote colonies left primitive record of being stalked for days, of individual ponies being taken from their midst before the end came. The creatures brought with them a strange plague, one which racked its victims with paranoia and sickness, fainting spells and weakness, even until the blood ran from their noses.”

The Princess shook her head wearily, “They had to be stopped if Equestria was ever to develop beyond a few scattered gatherings of ponies, all forever fearful. Their only weakness ever discovered was an aversion to cold-iron, which was painful to them. My sister and I took conference and decided that we must act. One by one, we captured them all after many years of effort. Consider our shock when we realised there were but five of them, responsible for the deaths of thousands! My sister and I spent several centuries trying to overcome their natures, but they were unmanageable. They had no self-awareness, such as we could tell. They could not be exiled, for they would return. They would not learn, showing not the slightest understanding of anything beyond their base lusts. And they neither sickened nor died, for in truth they did not appear to be wholly alive.

“Eventually, with much sorrow, we concluded that the only thing to be done was to seal them away and put them far beyond reach of Equestria. Each was entombed in a specially-worked cold-iron casket, sealed forever with the strongest magic we could devise and then buried at the bottom of the deepest ocean.”

“That's horrible,” said Twilight into the growing silence, a sick feeling in her stomach.

“Indeed yes,” said Luna gravely. “Alive and unfading, but trapped for eternity, lightless and alone. Or so we thought, for as we have discovered, there was a flaw in the workings of one of the caskets. Millennia passed, but eventually one of the creatures escaped. When it returned to Equestria is impossible to say, but on its return its nature had changed. Mayhap we were wrong, for it seems to have learned fear, and a patience and caution that it certainly never had before. That is why we did not recognise it, for in its youth it would have annihilated entire towns. The signs of its passage would have been utterly unmistakable.”

“Why couldn't we find any record of them?” Twilight asked, “You said that the ancient ponies left records?”

“They did, Twilight, but only after the manner of their kind. When I said primitive, I mean the scratchings of a burnt stick, or chalk marks on fired clay. The ancient ponies' learning and history was oral, for literacy was exceedingly rare and written records were both immobile and short-lived.”

“How did it escape?” Silver asked, “I mean, you and Princess Celestia-”

“My sister and I are divine beings, within the meaning of such limited understanding, but we are not infallible,” Luna corrected him gently, “There were many other crises threatening our rule, many pressures upon us, and the working of their caskets was long and slow.” She shrugged, “One of us made a mistake; it matters not who, or how.”

“But the other caskets?” Silver pressed, looking uncomfortable.

“Whole and intact, and very much occupied,” Luna confirmed sadly, “Celestia had inspected three before she found one vacant, and was sure to check the last.”

Twilight found herself exchanging a look with Silver, half worry and half relief, while Luna arched her neck serenely and continued, “Once we knew the nature of the beast, the rest was comparatively straightforward. We dispatched the guard in advance while my sister and I prepared ourselves, then proceeded to the Everfree to apprehend the creature.”

“I was wondering about that, actually,” said Twilight, “When you arrived you were a little, uh, noticeable.”

Luna laughed shortly, “Yes, I suppose we were. It mattered not, for we had the creature's trail and it does not move with great speed. In fact, we found it cowering on its nest, lying atop the heap of pathetic treasures it had gathered over the years like a pauper dragon.”

Luna's mirth died away, and her face sobered. “Its resistance, which would have been futile in any case, was merely token. Mayhap it has also learned of despair. Both my sister and I have inspected its reworked prison over and over again. This time, the casket is flawless. Celestia returned it to the ocean deeps, where it will remain until the world is unmade. And there the matter will rest, along with the lives of an unknowable number of our little ponies, upon both our consciences,” she finished softly.

Princess Luna closed her eyes, letting silence fall across the room. When she opened them again, she rose to her hooves, giving them both a benevolent smile. “And thus ends the tale, although not the tale of you and Summer Clip. Twilight has written much of what befell you, Silver, and I am truly sorry for it. You and Summer Clip should not have had to suffer so.”

“Nopony forced anypony to act as they did,” he said guardedly. “I'd like to think that Summer and I were honourable enough on our own merits that ponies could tell we were innocent, and although they may have had their doubts, I think the majority did.”

Luna paused, “Twilight's letter spoke of good intentions, and I have to admit that few of your antagonists acted entirely without them – from their perspective, at least. However the ponies who defaced Summer Clip's salon will be pursued, I think. That was pure malice and spite, and shall not be tolerated.”

“I don't know if it will help anything,” Silver said with a sigh.

Luna looked sternly at him, “I shall not permit it to go unpunished. Ponies shall not be allowed to do such things with impunity, and an example must be made.”

“As you wish, Princess,” he acquiesced.

“As for your injuries; an unfortunate accident combined with a misunderstanding, I believe?”

Silver chuckled, “That's certainly one way of putting it. The first I have nopony but myself to blame for. The second...?” He broke off and shrugged lopsidedly, stifling a yawn.

Luna's look softened, “I have spoken for long enough, Silver, and I see that you are tired, but I am very glad to have met you. I must depart, but remember that your princesses owe you a boon, and you have but to ask to reclaim it.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” he said softly, “It was a great honour to meet you.”

“Rest well, my little pony. Twilight, perhaps you might accompany me for a moment?”

Twilight scrambled to her hooves, but Silver stopped the Princess at the door.

“Princess Luna? There's a salon which will be opening in Canterlot in a month or so. Perhaps some of your staff might like try it, sometime?”

The Princess nodded gracefully, “I'm sure they shall.”

With that, Twilight closed the door behind them and set off down the corridor at the Princess' shoulder.

“An interesting pony,” Luna noted absently, “Perhaps I shall keep an eye on him in future.”

“Uh, great!” said Twilight cautiously. Princess Luna's tone was that of a connoisseur or collector faced with a mild curiosity, a variant of the commonplace. While she knew the Princess would do him no harm, perhaps his life was about to get a little more interesting!

Luna continued, “It's fascinating, really. I believe you referred to him as a 'perfectly ordinary pony' in one of your letters, but I find there is seldom such a thing.”

“He can be a little unusual sometimes,” said Twilight, before adding nervously, “I'm sure he didn't really mean it about testing you.”

Luna gave her an amused look. “Of course he did! It was much the same as he did to you, Twilight – and, I think, to many others over the last few months.”

Twilight looked at her blankly, “How do you mean?”

“I mean, when he recognises a situation, he waits to see what other ponies will do out of free will. To use a modernism, he gives a pony enough rope and waits to see if they tie themselves in knots.”

“Err...oh,” said Twilight awkwardly, wondering how many knots she'd tangled herself in without noticing.

Two Royal Guards fell in behind them at the end of the corridor, their armour jingling heavily as they walked. Luna paused at the top of the stairs before asking, “'Tis true then? Silver's companion is to leave Ponyville?”

“It certainly looks that way. She's angry, and in some ways she had it worse than Silver did. I think she's had enough of Ponyville.”

“Then that is the worst ill to come from our meddling by far,” Luna sighed, “Such friendships are seldom broken lightly. And yet, for that to be so shows how fortunate we have been. A few ponies injured and few broken bones is a tiny price to pay for ridding Equestria of such a deadly threat.”

Luna brightened, chewing her lip thoughtfully, “And still, with Royal favour at his disposal he asks for a trifling consideration for his friend? Yes, a very interesting pony, indeed,” she concluded mysteriously before drawing herself up, her business voice returning.

“Farewell, Twilight Sparkle, and our thanks go with thee. We hope we shall see thee in Canterlot soon, for we are sure that our sister shall have much to discuss with thee.”

Twilight curtseyed deeply. “Goodbye, Princess!”

She watched the Princess and her retinue make their way downstairs and turned to head back to her room, almost walking into Doctor Dray.

“Ah, Miss Sparkle, there you are! The nurse told me that your... visitor... was leaving. How are you feeling this morning?”

“Fine, actually,” Twilight noted with some surprise, “Much better for a bath and walk around, to be honest.”

“I thought you might be. And no doubt you're looking forward to sleeping in your own bed again. If you'll permit a brief examination when you return to your room, I don't see why you can't continue your recovery as an outpatient.”

Over his shoulder, she saw an excited-looking Pegasus mare with a large bundle of flowers in her mouth tapping on the door to their room, and smiled. The doctor turned and watched for a moment before turning back to her with raised eyebrows.

“What it is to be young and in love, eh? Well, I'm not sure I fancy interrupting, so how about we skip that bit and I just let you go?”

Twilight grinned at him, “We could go in there dancing the conga, and I don't think they'd even notice.”