I watched in a whirlwind of confusion, horror, and shock as I saw my colt-friend pass out at Celestia's hooves. I... I didn't know what to say... what to think... All I knew was that I'd just observed, for the first time in our ENTIRE time together... that he somehow used magic...

"WHOA! What just happened??" somepony called from the sky. I looked up to see Rainbow Dash, seeming just as alarmed as I was, quickly making her way down to observe.

"My word..." Another voice commented from behind me. Rarity, followed by Lyra, Zecora, A.J. Spike, and Pinkie. Each of them gathered around, collective expressions of complete stupefaction on their faces to match my own.

"P-Princess...?" I weakly called to my mentor. "Wh... what just...?"

"It is as I feared. He was goaded into utilizing the magic I healed him with... and was further persuaded into attacking Gillian with it..." Her explanation of her premonition only served to befuddle me further. 'As she feared?'

"But... y-you... knew about this?"

"I did to an extent... However, I only knew about there being side effects to the spell I used to heal him. I didn't know what particular effects would occur because of it... I wish I'd have made it a priority to warn you in advance..."

"What...? What do you--?"

"You deserve an explanation, but it cannot be delivered to you at this time, my student. For now, we draw this situation to a veritable close. Can you use your magic?" Rather than answer her right away, I tried to focus energy into my horn. Unfortunately, all I got was a insignificant fizzle that died out faster than it formed.

"No... Gillian's disablement spell still binds my ability..."

"I see... May I ask that you close your eyes and lower your head? I will see if I can lift the effects of the spell from you." Wordlessly, I complied, doing exactly what she asked. I heard her horn activate and just a few seconds later, its tip touched the tip of my own horn. The instant contact was made, a rush of serene warmth enshrouded me. Before I knew it, a sudden influx of energy introduced itself to me. Celestia then pulled her horn away from mine, allowing me to open my eyes and look back up at her. "Now try focusing your energy once more." I did so, and surprisingly found that my magic was back up to par.

"Yes, it works. Thank you, Your Highness."

"It is my pleasure. But now we must move. I ask that you take Ty with you and look over him while I deal with our other pressing matter..." she said, turning to look at Gillian, who'd been knocked unconscious; his coat blackened in various places and smoldering from the impact of the blast he took. Taking that into consideration, I formed a thought...

"She must've used QUITE a lot of magic to heal him... Is it possible he forced it all out when he attacked...? And... just HOW badly was he injured for her to use so much...?" Keeping my questions in mind, I walked over to the human, feeling terrible for his critical condition, as well as flabbergasted by his attack. I made sure he was still breathing when I carefully brought one of my hooves to his face. The faint, light bursts of air making their way in and out of his nostrils told me he was still alive, bringing me some sense of relief.

"Oh, Ty... I..." I faltered, saddened by the state of the human. Why did it have to come to THIS?

"Before you depart, Twilight... may I ask where Ms. Gazer is located?"

"I... I have no idea... She and Gillian got into an argument while they were hiding me in the forest... She stormed off after Gillian cut his ties with her..."

"She's with Fluttershy..." Rainbow spoke up. "Fluttershy told me Comet was crying in the woods and that Ty told her to bring her out of the forest to comfort her."

"I see... I must ask you to retrieve her for me, then. I shall take Gillian to the Ponyville Hospital to be checked for injuries before I take them back to Canterlot to deliver unto them their punishment. We must move quickly."

"But..." I spoke up. "Wouldn't it be safe to take Ty to the hospital as well?"

"Much as I'd like to, nopony here is more familiar with the structure of the human body than you are, which is why I'm requesting that you take him with you. I'd go with you, but I need to make absolutely sure no more unnecessary situations are created in the wake of him being left unattended. I'm also... wary about using magic to repair Ty's injuries once more after this most recent display, but it is our only plausible option as of yet. If you are to magically soothe his pain, do so with caution."

"Yes, Princess..."

"It's almost over, my student..." the elegant Alicorn consoled as she trotted over to lay a hoof upon my cheek. I managed to fight back my somber displeasure enough to look up at her and force a small grin. However, she didn't smile back; she seemed concerned.

"You may want to take a look at your cheek. It seems notably discolored and swollen," she advised, reminding me of everything that happened in the Everfree Forest not too long ago. That was enough for me to lose my smile as I gazed up at my teacher, which she seemed to have read as a sign to move things along.

"Let us move," the Sun Princess ordered as she stepped away from me to pick up the incapacitated stallion.

"...Right..." With that, I placed my hoof on Ty's back and charged up my horn, ready to take him home.

"Wait... Twilight?" asked Spike.

"Yes, sweetie?" I replied, the building sorrow becoming evident in my wavering tone. I even called Spike outside of his name, which is something I'd rarely do unless I was completely distraught.

"Do... do you want me to go with you?" he asked, seeming to already sense that I was about to lose myself in a torrent of sadness.

"...No, that's okay," I declined, thoroughly shaken. "...I-I think you'd... be better off going with the others... to get Comet..." I stuttered, my pent-up emotions beginning to get the better of me.

"Are you sure...? I mean..."

"Yes, Spike. I... I just need a bit of time alone with him..." I said, my distress becoming steadily more evident as my voice involuntarily wavered, a lump in my throat forming in mere seconds. I knew it wasn't an adequate time to vent my emotions out, though... I still had a mission to accomplish. Crying would only serve to distract me, so I withheld the fragile dam of tears with all the mental strength I could.

"Y'know... We're all here for ya... If'in ya need us..." A.J. nobly let me know.

"I know... Thank you..." and with that, I cast a teleportation spell that sent the human and I back home...

*POOF*

I hurriedly brought the human back to the library, hoping to the high heavens he was still okay. With his limp body in the grasp of my levitation spell, I brought him to lie face-up on the floor beside my bed, all the while I was trying very hard not to lose myself in a torrent of distraught despondence over the fact that he'd apparently reopened wounds that Celestia repaired. Once I had him situated, I cast a spell that allowed me to, in a sense, scan his anatomy for any abnormalities in the functions and structure of his body. As I searched his body for what wounds needed mending, I grew increasingly worried, driven almost into a state of anxiety over what I'd seen...

"My gosh... He's been ripped to shreds...! Torn ligaments and muscles all over the place... A hairline fracture in his rib... Sprains in his left shoulder, both wrists, and both of his ankles... Then there's his organs... His heartbeat is slow... almost TOO slow... His lungs... He's breathing irregularly... as if it actually hurts him to simply take in air... Still, I can pick up extremely faint traces of Celestia's magic in him, which means he didn't use ALL of it, but came dangerously close... Still, exactly HOW much magic did it take to fix you, Ty...? And how much worse could it have been if Princess Celestia didn't arrive when she did this morning...?" After some time to gather my heavily grief-burdened thoughts, I began working to the best of my ability to fix him... Although, given the severity of his injuries, I wasn't exactly sure of how much I could do for him...

My magic, while plentiful, I didn't think would be enough to completely cure him of his pain. I didn't have that much experience with spells that dealt with the healing of bodily injuries. At this point in time, I was, at most, able to heal minor injuries such as cuts, bruises, and minor sprains. I could also tone down the pain factor in more severe ailments as the healing process took its natural course. I was, by NO credible means a doctor, and this particular scenario would prove to test the limits of my ability. I hypothesized that the most I could've done for the human was either fix his most taxing injuries, but run the risk of exhausting myself trying to minimize the discomfort of the others, or ration exactly how much energy was going into each injury, thus stabilizing him, but not fully rejuvenating him in any specific area...

Without Princess Celestia's assistance, I had very little leeway in what to I could do for him. However, given that the hospital here has never accounted for something like this AND that the Princess was forced to keep watch over Gillian so as to avoid any further conflict, I had to do my best to at least bring my lover into a state of stability...

Nonetheless I calmed myself with a deep, quiet, quaky breath and began, starting with his irregular breathing and dangerously sluggish heartbeat.

"Okay... I'll do my best for you, honey... I-I promise... I hope to Celestia you'll be okay..." I worriedly muttered to the unconscious human as his body was illuminated with a similar signature to my horn. I had my work cut out for me, but I was determined to at the very least, stabilize his condition. As I commenced this unexpected, unnerving procedure, thoughts began running through my mind about what could have happened throughout this entire weekend... How different scenarios would have played out if different measures were taken... If different mindsets were implemented... What would happen if I were unable to...

"NO!" I venomously chided myself for thinking the worst at a time like this. "He's going to be alright. He HAS to be...! I can do this... I-I... I can... Just hang in there..." As that thought ran through my scattered mind, my eyes welled up with liquid as I locked my gaze on Ty... I needed to clear my mind if I was going to help him. Doubting myself in a time of hardship was the last thing I needed... Despite my resolve, I accidentally allowed myself a moment of weakness as the lump in my throat increased in size as I exhaled. Before I realized it, my cheeks were suddenly stained with the wetness of my own tears as I magically operated on him...

"Please don't go, Ty... PLEASE...?"

...

...

...Huh?? Oh, my turn now? Didn't think I'd get another go at this narrating thing, but alright.

"Things have gotten WAY out of hoof lately..." Lyra commented as we headed toward Fluttershy's cottage.

"Tell me about it..." I agreed. "I'm still wondering how Ty could've used magic..."

"Princess Celestia already warned us of the horrible side effects of the spell she cast on him..." Rarity answered.

"Yeah, but for the side effect to be that he could actually use it to take down Gillian?"

"However, it was at a cost; it seemed that all his strength was lost," Zecora added in, making a good point.

"So I'm guessin' what we can figure is that however much magic the Princess used t' patch 'im up, he used every last bit of t' knock ol' Gillian fer a loop or two..." Applejack deduced. "After that, Ty musta passed out from exhaustion..."

"That's what it looked like," Spike agreed. The rest of us gave our signs of agreement on the statement as well.

"What about Twilight, though...?" Lyra commented, seeming a bit upset. "I mean, how awful can it be for her to have gone through everything she's dealt with?"

"Indeed, both of them have had a rather hard time. From Twilight undergoing her heat cycle, to everything we as a whole had to deal with in regard to that incorrigible duo..." Rarity continued.

"Hey, that reminds me... Could somepony PLEASE tell me what this 'heat' thing is?" Spike chose the worst time to ask.

"NO!!" Everypony else shouted.

"Okay okay, jeez..."

"My apologies, Spike..." Rarity apologized. "But it's simply not an appropriate time to tell you about such a... racy, complicating, taxing issue... Like I said before, you'll get to understand such a concept when you're older."

"Right..."

"Indeed," she replied before looking somewhere else in thought. "I can only wonder if our human companion will be okay... I heard him mention something about every part of his body hurting as he crumpled over in front of Princess Celestia..."

"I'm not sure..." I answered. "If it really IS true he used up all the energy he had and wound up undoing everything the Princess did to heal him, then how bad could it have been?"

"Well... when ya think about how outright awful he looked after Gillian hurt him with that under-hooved attack before Celestia came..." Lyra reasoned. "It's only a wonder that the Princess showed up when she did..."

"I must say that with Lyra, I concur," inserted Zecora. "Without her appearance, something awful may have spurred."

"Good point... but... you're not trying to say there's a chance he could be... *gulp*" I trailed off in a sudden sense of fear, not wanting to entertain the thought of something THAT awful happening...

"No! Of course not, Dashie! No way in a bazillion years! Or, however many years a hu-mumbo-jumbo-thingy lives..." countered Pinkie Pie. "But then again... We don't really know for sure. The Princess showed up right away and pulled a reverse Humpty-Dumpty on him right after Fluttershy got done yelling at Gillian for zapping him senseless."

"True. I only wonder how things WOULD'VE played out if she showed up later or... or didn't show up at all..." I worriedly pondered.

"I don't know, but I'm sure he'd be dead as a door nail in those cases," Pinkie informed, which, given how grim her statement was, HORRIBLY contradicted her blunt tone of voice. I wasn't the only one surprised, seeing as everypony else looked just as appalled as I was.

"Pinkie!!" Rarity shouted, saving me the air.

"Oops... Sorry. What I meant to say was that it's a good thing she did. But then, if Ty really DID throw all of Celestia's energy at Gillian, and he was in a REALLY bad way before she gave it to him, then... th-then..." she stuttered, suddenly acting like she'd seen a ghost as she froze in place, forcing everyone else to stop around her. She was actually starting to get me a little worked up about this...

"Then... what?" Spike fearfully asked.

"M-maybe Twilight might not... be able to... um... s-save..." she trailed off as she scrunched her face up in sadness at the gruesome thought. I stared at her as I anxiously wondered if it was really possible...

"There's no WAY he could possibly... No, there CAN'T be! No way in Equestria...! Not if Twilight's got anything to do about it... R-right?"

"WAAAH!" Not a second too soon, the pink mare broke into a spontaneous fit of tears that could've watered Canterlot's biggest garden. Not even kidding, either; her eyes might as well have just turned into giant sprinklers as she dramatically screamed her head off after successfully scaring the daylights out of everyone.

"Now that's just crazy talk, y'all... I'm sure Twi can fix 'im up good as new. If anypony knows what t' do, it's her..."

"Heh, yeah... Good point, A.J..." I praised with a nervous chuckle as I hovered toward Pinkie to pat her on the back.

"For both his AND Twilight's sake, I hope you're right, Applejack..."

"Y... *sniffle* You think so, A.J.?" Pinkie asked as she recovered from her foalish tantrum.

"I KNOW so, sugarcube. Would I ever tell a fib?" the orange farm pony assured with a smile. Of course, that was all it took for Pinkie Pie to cheer up as she clung onto Applejack tighter than a vice grip.

"Aw, you're right. We shouldn't be such Negative Nancies; especially when Dr. Twilight's on the case!" I just rolled my eyes and sighed at her immature display.

"Any more dramatic, and I'd actually think you were in a relationship with both of 'em... Sheesh..."

"...Sooo, how do you girls think Comet will be when we get to her?" Lyra asked, probably to shift the conversation to a less doom-and-gloom subject.

"If Fluttershy has anything to say about it, I'd say Comet won't put up a fight," I answered. "Like I said before, Fluttershy told me that Comet and Gillian had a nasty break-up in the Forest and that she and Ty found her crying her eyes out."

"Oh dear... I could only ponder what nasty things must've gone down for the two of them to end their relationship so abruptly..." The girls, Spike, and I spent the rest of our trip trying to speculate what happened to bring the situation to this point as we journeyed to the cottage to pick up Comet. We got there in a good amount of time, each of us gathering up on the yellow pegasus's doorstep to hear some talking going on from inside. Rather than eavesdrop on them, I knocked. Within a few seconds, the door opened to reveal the mare of the hour, Fluttershy, seeming in just as good a condition as I left her; which was good, because if that Comet had done ANYTHING suspicious...

"Hello, everypony," the yellow mare brightly greeted, though nopony was exactly in high spirits. She seemed to notice as her smile faded almost instantly.

"Hey, Fluttershy," I greeted back, trying my best to seem happy to see her.

"What's wrong? Why does everypony look so sad...?" she questioned.

"Um... You MIGHT wanna sit down for this," Spike suggested.

"Why? Did something bad happen?"

"Is it okay for us to come in?" I asked. "It's better if you got the full scoop on everything..."

"Oh... Okay..." Following that, she opened her door to let everypony in. The first thing I saw was Comet, who seemed just as unsettled as she looked, given her eyes were soaked with her tears and her mane was a little out of shape. She'd been wrapped in a fuzzy white blanket and holding a teacup as she sat on Fluttershy's couch, staring at us like we were going to pounce on her. I guess she must've known we were there to take her to Princess Celestia.

"Wow... she REALLY looks out of it..." Seeing her in that state actually convinced me to drop my guard. In any case, we had some bad news to break to her and Fluttershy. We all got settled so we could explain to her what she missed since tending to Comet Gazer...

"WHAT???" my fellow pegasus shrieked in horror.

"Y-yeah..." I worriedly admitted. "Twilight's back at the library trying to fix him up now..."

"But... but..." she was already on the brink of tears and she hadn't even seen anything. "What would've made him...? What COULD'VE made him?"

"Like Princess Celestia said," Applejack began. "The spell she used t' heal 'im was unstable. What we caught sight of were side effects o' the spell. We reckon that he used up all the magic she gave 'im an' threw it at Gillian. He hit that ornery varmint harder than a speedin' locomotive full o' cattle..." Fluttershy only cringed at A.J.'s comparison. Comet gasped in shock.

"Gillian... I-is he... okay?" Comet gathered the courage to ask as she joined the group. She was, of course, met with a silence that could've physically turned into a python and strangled each of us as everypony just looked at her with a mix of confusion and contempt.

"She's got a LOT of nerve speaking up after everything SHE put us through... And to ask THAT of all questions? Bad move, sister..."

"...Well, he's certainly not in a HORRIBLE condition, if that's what you're wondering..." Lyra built up the courage to answer, although she didn't sound like she was in the best of moods. "Y'know, if being knocked unconscious with your body smoking like a chimney is anything less than horrible..." Comet's eyes shot wide open at the bright green mare's comment.

"Oh..." was all she could muster, clearly hurt by the bluntness of Lyra's answer. "Wh... where might I find him...?"

"He's at the hospital," Pinkie Pie answered. "Princess Celestia took him with her and is probably there watching over him now."

"Wait... Why isn't Ty there as well?" asked Fluttershy.

"She said that nopony at the hospital would know where to begin with trying to treat something-- or someONE-- they don't have any sort of record of and that Twilight was the only pony in this entire world who had any idea of what to do because she's the only one who has any knowledge of how Ty's body works," answered the carnation pink Earth mare.

"Yeah, and from there, she told us to come and get Comet and bring her there with us," Spike finished.

"Oh... How is Twilight, Spike?"

"I... don't know for sure," the dragon answered. "She seemed pretty calm when she took Ty back to the library, but... knowing Twilight, she's probably in a REALLY bad state right now..."

"How do you know?"

"She called me 'sweetie' before she left," he answered, which only served to baffle the rest of the ponies in the cottage; myself included.

"Well... What's so strange about that?" I questioned.

"She almost NEVER calls me any sugar-coated names like that unless something's really bothering her."

"My goodness... Maybe we should head out to comfort her..." Fluttershy suggested, now worried about the purple unicorn.

"I dunno," I replied. "I think she said she wanted to be alone with him... I can only guess that she probably needs to focus on healing him without us there to distract her..."

"...I... guess that makes sense... but... shouldn't we at least check up on her? To see how she's holding up?"

"That sounds like a feasible idea," Rarity answered. "Our first issue at hoof, however, is escorting Ms. Gazer to the hospital. I suggest we move now to save time."

"Okay... Are you ready to go, Ms. Comet?"

"You may simply address me as 'Comet,'" the cerulean mare advised, which, given how prim and proper she sounded, kinda irked me. "And... much as I'd HATE to see... HIM again... I'd suppose it'd be worse not seeing him while not knowing exactly what he'd brought upon himself... Plus, I have my own crimes to answer for... I will go without resistance..." she submitted.

"Okay, is everypony ready?" I asked, which was met with a collection of nods and Yeses. We wasted no time in mobilizing out of the cottage and toward the hospital. The trip was mostly silent, save for some idle conversation between some of the ponies in our group. But, as Fluttershy hovered beside me, I could practically FEEL the concern radiating off of her like mist from a freshly-busted cloud. Her head was hung low in thought as she stared at the ground like she was looking for something.

"Something wrong, 'Shy?" I asked in a whisper, so as not to attract the attention of anypony else on our way toward Celestia.

"Huh? Oh, um... No... Nothing..." she mumbled unconvincingly.

"I know you better than anypony else here does, and I've got a pretty good idea of what you're thinking about..."

"...It's about Ty... Isn't it?" I quietly guessed. She only nodded weakly, which was all the confirmation I needed. "Y'know... I'm sure he didn't mean to lose his cool like that... You heard what the others told you... right?"

"Yes... It's just that... that I didn't think things could get any worse for him... And for him to do what he did to Gillian..."

"I'm just as surprised as you are, Fluttershy... but can we really blame him for being so mad? After everything that--?"

"I know..." she interrupted. "We talked about it in the woods... He said he wouldn't... That he just wanted Twilight back and that was it... I just don't understand what would make him change his mind and do something so... so awful..."

"I'm not sure either..." I pondered before I realized something. "...but it probably had something to do with something that happened in the Forest..."

"How?"

"When I ran into Twi, she had a really nasty-looking bruise on her cheek..."

"A bruise??" she asked, gasping in astonishment.

"Yeah. Given how mad Ty was when he chased him out of there... I could guess that... maybe Gillian... I dunno... hit Twi or something before Ty got there..." At that confession, the other pegasus gasped in horror.

"Oh...! Oh, no..."

"Yeah..." We both went quiet for a few seconds, thinking about what could've happened.

"I... I need to go to the library..." she informed me, much to my surprise. Before I got a word in edgewise, she changed course to fly off. Feeling like it wasn't in her best interests to do that, I stopped her by maneuvering to block her path.

"Fluttershy, don't. Twilight said she wanted to be alone with him."

"I know, but I just want to see if they're okay..." she adamantly answered.

"I'm sure they're fine... Twilight is probably in the middle of healing him, anyway. I wouldn't risk distracting her and having her mess up whatever spell she's casting on him."

"Yes, but what if she wants somepony there to support her while she heals him?"

"You are intent on going there. I can't let you, though. I just feel it in my gut that you're not gonna be happy with what you might see if you do..."

"Fluttershy..." I called to her, hovering toward her to place my hoof on her shoulder, causing her to look at me with pleading eyes that just told me that I shouldn't stop her. But I knew I was doing the right thing in keeping her from venturing off to the library. "Twi and Ty are going to be fine. I bet they'll meet up with us at the hospital once she's done healing him. And if they don't, then we can just pop on by as soon as we finish up our business with Celestia. Just be patient," I urged. I didn't get a response right away... She just stared at me, seeming to be trying to convince me without speaking to let her go... I feared that she was still contemplating going anyway, which provoked me to study her just as she was studying me.

"...I'm sorry, Dashie, but I have to know for myself if they're okay..." With that, she gently brushed my hoof off her shoulder and flew by me. Determined to convince her otherwise, I grabbed hold of her tail; an action she, judging by the uncharacteristically ticked-off glare she shot me, did NOT appreciate.

"Fluttershy, don't! You're only gonna mess things up if you go there!" I pleaded.

"Let me go, Rainbow. Please..." she insisted, not listening to a word I said.

"I never took you to be THIS stubborn, 'Shy... At least, not unless you were REALLY convinced about something... But I just know it's the right thing to do to stop you this time..."

"No. I'm telling you, you should come with us and wait it out... The two of them will come to us when they're ready..." I reasoned. She seemingly agreed with me as she didn't show any resistance. I took it as a sign to let go of her tail... When I did, we stared at each other for a few long, tense seconds. I managed a grin at her, but she didn't smile back... Instead, she shot me an apologetic glance, turned and flew off.

"Fluttershy!!" I yelled, surprised at her for not listening to me. She didn't respond. She ignored me, leaving me to watch as she went on her way to making a huge mistake. Seeing no more point in stopping her, I turned around and approached the rest of the gang, saddened, worried, and confused at what just happened. The looks on their faces told me they were just as lost as I was.

"I warned you..."

"Where is she going?" Rarity asked in concern.

"...She'll be back. She just has to run an errand..." was all I could think to reply with. "Come on, we've wasted enough time as it is," I added, my patience already worn out. "Let's just drop Comet off at the hospital so we can check up on Twilight..."

"Alright then..." the white unicorn mare uncertainly agreed as we continued to trek to the hospital...

I'd finished up the healing spell, though I wound up exhausting myself doing so, as I predicted I would. Once I'd completed the process (for a given term of 'completed'), I found a resting place atop the human's torso as I wept tears of anxious dissatisfaction with the gravity of everything that'd gone on... I lost track of time as I let loose all of my worry and frustration in a fit of silent weeping as I laid my forelegs on Ty's unmoving shoulders as I nestled my cheek to his. The only reward I'd gotten for my efforts was the rhythmic expansion and contraction of his abdomen, telling me that I'd done well enough to heal his lungs so that they'd worked correctly. It was also a small bonus that his heart, while still beating somewhat slowly, was more active in its function.

Even so, just the fact that I'd come so close to losing him... The possibilities of if I wasn't able to heal him... What I would do... I lifted my head up to gaze down upon the human to see that the product of my grieving was smeared all over his cheek. I was compelled to smile at the now-peaceful expression he wore, despite his face and the collar of his shirt being drenched in my optic fluid. The reserves of my physical energy fleeting, I watched him for a minute or so, admiring the inexplicably... cute portrait displayed before me.

"You may not be at a hundred percent when you wake up... but at least you'll be okay..." With that thought, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his smooth, yet dampened cheek. I absorbed the rush of exhilaration that came in the form of kissing my significant other as I closed my eyes and lost myself in the moment... I needed something to get my mind off of this horrible situation and the fear-addled premonitions that came along with it; even if only temporarily. However, my moment was interrupted when I heard a grunt coming from him. Startled, I swiftly pulled away from the kiss and looked as Ty's face scrunched up in what seemed to be pain as he grunted and shifted his position. That sent my heart sinking like an anvil in a lake.

"Oh, no...! It must've not been enough...!" I vocally muttered to myself as I hopped off of him. "He's in pain...! But I don't have any energy left to do any more for him...! Oh, no... I failed...! Oh, no...! Oh, Celestia, please, no...! I failed...!" I buried my face in my forelegs as I started up a fresh new tidal wave of sorrow as I took in the realization of my pitiful failure.

"Hey...!" somepony rasped, prompting me to lift up my head to see probably the most relieving thing I'd laid my eyes on in years: The eyes of my colt-friend, open and looking right at me. "What did you fail...?"

"Ty!!" I was overjoyed to see him awake as I practically pounced on him, straddling him as I hugged him tight.

"Aa-ha-howch...!" He groaned in agony, provoking me to end my celebration early as I pushed myself up on my haunches, still sitting on top of him.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry...!." I apologized as I moved to climb off, only to be stopped by his hand pressing itself against my side. I sat back down on his waist, although being mindful to be extremely cautious. He proceeded to stroke my back with his hand, causing me to involuntarily squirm into him with a wave of pleasure as I stifled a moan.

"Huh... I didn't know I was still so sensitive to the touch..."

"What happened...?" he asked as he tried moving to sit up. "Mmph! Oh god, it feels like somebody dropped a crate full o' bricks on my chest...!"

"I'd be careful if I were you..." I warned. "Your injuries aren't fully healed."

"Wha? But I thought--!"

"The energy Celestia healed you with, you wound up expending to attack Gillian," I explained, although the look on his face told me he didn't understand. "She didn't tell me much, but she said that the spell she healed you with was unstable and that there were some side effects to be had if you'd gotten riled up enough. Evidently, you exhibited the side effects..."

"Ohh... NOW it makes sense..." he commented, seeming to have his thoughts come back to him. "Now I remember... I was chasin' Gillian... He shattered the potion... I got so mad that I made some kinda weird energy blast thing... an' I threw it at him..."

"Yeah... After that, you passed out at Celestia's hooves..."

"Yea, I remember... *sigh* I am so screwed..." he lamented.

"Huh? Why?"

"She saw me do it... Didn't she?"

"Yes, but--!"

"I'm prolly on the same boat as him now..." he brought his hand to cover his face and groaned. "I'll be lucky if she doesn't send ME away with him for what I did..."

"I wouldn't think so," I countered, consoling him. "It wasn't entirely your fault..."

"How?"

"Well... it wasn't your intention to harm him; only to stop him. And um... I think she can understand that you were placed under a spell where the side effects weren't explicitly known about. Nopony could've predicted you would manage to channel her magic like you did... But then, I wasn't informed how the spell worked yet..."

"Yea, but I dunno if he's still alive after that... I feel... I feel like I might've gone too far..."

"He's very much alive; just not very well after taking such an attack full-force. Also, I'm not sure myself to what lengths we would've had to go in order to stop him if you didn't..." I admitted. "...but at the very least, I can assure you that you weren't totally unjustified in your action. Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't have even done it if you weren't so livid... Right?"

"O' course not... I prolly wouldn't even have been able t' use Celestia's magic like that... But... I still did..."

"I'm sure Celestia will understand your view of what happened... She's known you much too long for her to hold any contempt toward you for what happened..."

"I... guess tha'ss true... I jus' don't know, though..." he trailed off, bringing his hand to his chest, only to tug at his shirt and examine it. "Why is my shirt all wet? Did you dump water on me t' wake me up?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous..." I denied.

"Wait... Your eyes..." he said as he focused his eyes on mine. "You... you've been cryin'...?"

"Yes..." I admitted.

"Over me?" I nodded, feeling a bit disheartened. "Wow..." he practically rasped, seeming to come to grips with something horrible as he brought one of his hands to his forehead. "How come?"

"It's... because... because I... um..."

"...You said you had t' heal me again... right?" he asked, seeming to obtain a clue.

"Yeah... Why?"

"I don't really feel like I was healed all the way, even with your magic... Did you get t' finish ya spell?"

"I did as much as I could... I used up almost all of my magic to help you..." I admitted, much to his surprise. "And judging by how you're feeling, I can only conclude that it wasn't enough..."

"Really...? What... What shape was I in when you brought me here...?" I froze up at his question, as I hadn't necessarily prepared to inform him of the severity of his ailments.

"Well... It could've... um... You weren't in the best of conditions..."

"...Would... *gulp* Would it have been possible for me to... to die...?" He frightfully asked. Just when I thought I was shocked enough, my body went numb at the mention of... Of that... In that instant, a vicious tornado of despair and terrible grief formed in within me as I simply stared at him, unable to answer his question... I couldn't lie to him... It wouldn't have been right to allow him to believe that he would've been perfectly okay after all the damage inflicted upon him, but... It would've been so much better than simply telling him that his... his untimely demise could've been a possibility... I honestly didn't know the answer myself, but that served to hurt the worst of all as I kept silent, blankly staring at him. With each agonizing second that passed that I didn't answer him, his towering remorse made itself more evident in his stress-reddened eyes as my own eyes welled up once more, conveying to him an answer he was less than happy to interpret.

"I... I am SO sorry, Twi..." the human solemnly apologized as he struggled to sit himself up.

"Ty, be careful... You'll hurt--!" I was cut off when, in a single fluent motion, he wrapped me up in his arms and began caressing my body as he held me. The sudden, eccentrically strong shocks of pleasure from the feeling of his hands as they ran along my back were more than enough to coax me into returning the hug. Pleased as I was to hold him, I felt a bit... strange...

"He keeps doing this, and we're gonna have another problem on our hooves... The Heat cycle isn't quite finished yet..."

"I know... Now isn't the time to focus on that, though..."

"I'm really sorry, Twilight... I didn't mean t' worry you like I did..." he woefully apologized, stroking me rhythmically and bringing me out of my train of thought. "I knew I shoulda listened t' you when you told me not t' lose it..."

"It's okay..." I tried to assure.

"I had no idea... If I'd jus' thought things through... If I'd-a known..." he continued, his voice cracking with guilt and fear as he trembled in my grip. I could feel his heartbeat pick up its pace as he tightened his grip around me. His body temperature also increased as he seemed to be processing and registering his near-death experience.

"Ty, please... Don't worry about it..." I urged, not wanting to think anymore about what could've happened to him as I gripped him tighter.

"What a fool I been..." he sadly ranted as he held me, running the fingers of one of his hands through my mane. "I can't believe I coulda died..."

"Stop talking like that... You're not a fool. And it's okay now... You're still here right now, aren't you...?"

"I'm sorry... I'ss jus'... I don't know how t' feel... Mad cuz I let Gillian get int' my head enough for me to attack him so viciously in front o' Celestia... horrified that I irresponsibly almost lost my life AGAIN... devastated that I wound up hurtin' you so much... or--!"

"I can't listen to this anymore!" Intent on getting him to stop his heartrendingly dejected rambling, I pulled my head off of his shoulder and pulled him into a preemptive, heated kiss; not for relief, joy, or physical lust... but of consolation... One I felt he needed me to give him... to show him I understood his thoughts, but would rather not hear him tearing himself apart over them... After a few lengthy, passionate seconds, I slowly pulled away, staring right into his eyes as my own were leaking optic fluid. It was surprising to see that his seemed to be exhibiting the same problem. Nevertheless, he simply stared back, his speechless gaze conveying everything I knew he was feeling... his guilt, his surprise... and even a bit of his desire as he noticed a strand of saliva that kept our lips connected. I raised a hoof to wipe his mouth clean, prompting him to do the same with me, though he merely needed to brush his thumb across my bottom lip as his hand cupped around my chin.

"I know how you feel, Tyshawn... I understand... but you should at least be happy that I was able to heal you... You're not dead... That's what's important..." I reasoned, wanting to cheer him up a little as I brought a hoof to wipe a tear off of his cheek. "And you've done nothing to hurt me..."

"But... You were cryin'... How could I not have--?"

"Out of frustration... and a little bit of worry about if I was able to revive you or not..."

"But... You're not mad at me? At all?"

"...Well, I'm not ENTIRELY upset with you..."

"Entirely?"

"While you DID ignore my warning, which almost cost you your life, you were only angry at him because of what he tried to do to me... and what you found out he did to HIS special somepony... I'm not going to say you were totally okay in injuring him, but... I'd like to believe that while your head wasn't in the right place... Your heart was..." At that, he lightly chuckled, stopping abruptly to clutch his abdomen.

"Hm. Right out of a sappy, cliche romance novel..." he quipped, a bit to my chagrin as I frowned at him. "But... you're right, I guess. All I could think about when I was holdin' that ki blast... was how much harm he caused... From the day I ran int' him... to him almost killin' me... t' him takin' you away... all the way t' what he tried t' pull with you in the woods... ESPECIALLY what he tried t' pull with you in the woods...!"

"Oh... Believe me, I was just as surprised as you were when he made his lecherous move... You know I would never do that to you, though..."

"I know... Jus' like how I wouldn't go runnin' off with some other mare," he shot back. I quickly got the reference.

"Right..." I glumly acquiesced, causing him to rub my back once more.

"Jus' wanna make sure we're clear on that... But that wasn't even what set the bomb off in my head, though... I'ss what would've happened t' you if I didn't get there in time t' prevent it... If I got there too late t' help you..." he huffed through his nose. "...Le'ss jus' say that he's lucky that energy attack was ALL he got for his troubles..."

"Ooh... I don't want to imagine... In any case, I hope my spell was enough to suffice for now..."

"...Trust me, it is..." the human calmly, dreamily replied. "Thank you, Twilight... for everything..." he added, smiling sweetly as he caressed my face, his other hand stroking my back. "I don't know if I'd ever be able t' repay you..."

"Mmph~!" I couldn't resist moaning in joy... Those hands of his always DID work wonders on me... *AHEM!* But I digress. "Y-you don't have to thank me or... or repay me... It's... Ah... It's reward enough that you're... alive and... Mmm, mostly well..." I stammered, the euphoria of being massaged by him getting the better of me.

"Well surely, you could allow me t' show you SOME appreciation for savin' my life... Hm?" he suggested, though I noted the lascivious tone in his voice.

"...No. I'm still upset with you for not listening to me..." I sternly rebuffed, getting the idea of his 'offer'. "You put yourself in jeopardy, and I will not be swayed by a simple massage..."

"Understandable... I know I got a LONG way t' go for you t' forgive me."

"That's right. Plus, now isn't a good time. We still have to remedy the predicament at hoof."

"I know... but who's t' say you couldn't use some stress-relief for your efforts...?"

"Even after what JUST happened, he's STILL willing to--?"

"Don't question it."

"No. He's not gonna persuade me to forgive him so easily..."

"Nuh-uh," I replied, shaking my head and crossing my forelegs in resistance. "You're in NO shape for that sort of thing, and I will not have you further exacerbating your conditi... Ahhn~...!" I trailed off as he traced the fingers on one hand from my belly to my chin as he rubbed my back.

"Oh, horseapples... That doesn't help my case... Darn those magnificent hands of his...!"

"I'm not askin' you t' forgive me, Twilight... I know for a fact it'll take much more than this t' change your mind... I jus' wanna thank you for what you've done for me..."

"I told you, you don't have to..."

"Oh, but I most definitely do... The least I could do is help you ease some o' the tension I caused you..." he obstinately rebutted as he continued stroking me.

"...I-if you feel it necessary," I innocently replied without thinking, realizing almost immediately the seductive inflection in my own voice.

"That does it: We need to do it... Now!"

"No! We've still got an issue to resolve... I-I couldn't..." Before I knew it, the human leaned in and kissed me as he scratched behind my ear and massaged my neck, eliciting a hot, melty moan out of me as I pushed deeper into our smooches. I wanted to resist... To tell him that now wasn't an appropriate time...

"Oh, that feels WONDERFUL~...!" I droned, enshrouded in the heat of the moment... with an emphasis on 'Heat.'

"Well... Maybe if we're quick about it..." ...Alas, my thought process was clouded by my own guilty indulgence in our show of affection. We continued this bout of temptation of the flesh for what felt like an eternity; to the point where he'd begun letting his hands explore more areas of my form as I sat on his lap. Just as we were about to REALLY lose control of ourselves...

*Knock Knock Knock* "Twilight?" somepony called from outside the front door, abruptly shattering the image of the luscious mural of love that my colt-friend and I were about to paint into reality. The voice sounded light and soft, yet wracked with concern. "Twilight? Are you okay?" the voice asked.

"Of course! Thanks a lot, Fluttershy!"

"'Thanks' is right. How could I let myself fall victim to THAT at a time like this?"

"Easy: Just keep doing what we were doing."

"That's enough..." I, now in full control of my mind once again, climbed off of Ty, who seemed mildly (understandably) disappointed, in order to go and let in our surprise visitor. The human followed suit, though he showed a great deal of labor in trying to get back up. He could hardly bring himself to stand, and when he followed me down the stairs, he had to painfully stagger all the way to the bottom step, clutching the railing for dear life as if his ankles were shackled together.

"Hmph... And to think he was actually trying to woo me with how much pain he's in..."

"Just stay right there. I can see you're in worse shape than I'd hoped..." I instructed. He complied when he eased himself to a sitting position, propping himself up against the nearby wall. I turned toward the door and opened it to let in our unexpected guest. "Hey, Fluttershy," I greeted.

"Hello, Twilight," the other mare greeted back, although seeming quite unnerved at the sight of me. "I just wanted to check in and see if you two were okay..." she informed, staring at me with an expression of worry. "Is your cheek okay? Mr. Gillian didn't hit you too hard, did he?"

"I'm okay. I actually forgot that this bruise was even there. How'd you know about that?"

"Rainbow Dash told me."

"Oh." I replied before realizing something. "How did SHE know that?"

"She didn't. It was more of a guess..."

"Oh. Okay... I suppose you guessed right, then."

"Is Ty okay? I heard something terrible happened..." she asked.

"I could be better... but I ain't dead..." the human in question answered for himself, prompting the canary-yellow mare to gallop toward the stairwell to see him.

"*GASP*! Are you okay?? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?? I heard something happened between you and Mr. Gillian..."

"I'm fine, really... Kinda. I sorta did hurt myself in a sense. But Gillian, I'm not so sure about."

"I thought you weren't going to do anything to hurt him... Why did you?"

"Because minds are like the sails in ships, Fluttershy... Perpetually swayed at the mercy o' the wind... Which means I was provoked int' doin' it..."

"Oh. Did it have to do with Mr. Gillian hitting Twilight?"

"Yea. I'ss a li'l bit more than that, but I'd rather not flash back to it... If tha'ss alright with you..."

"Oh. Yes, of course."

"Where are the others?" I asked as I approached the two of them.

"They all went with Comet to the Ponyville Hospital after picking her up from my home. Apparently, Princess Celestia is there making sure Gillian doesn't try to escape again."

"Oh. What brought you here, then?" At that, the mare seemed to freeze up in a sense of extraordinary apprehension, as if I'd just asked her to reveal a life-changing secret.

"I um... I just wanted to... to see if you two were okay..."

"We're fine now, yes. Thank you for your concern. Is there anything else you needed? Like if you had a message to deliver to me or something of that variety?"

"No, no..." she meekly replied.

"Peculiar... Why would she come here alone if everypony else is at the hospital?"

"...Did somepony send you to come and tell us to come to the hospital?"

"No..."

"...So you only came here to check up on us...?" I asked, suddenly a bit wary about the stipulations of her visit.

"Y-yes..." an awkward silence passed over us before anypony said anything. "Well, I should probably get going now... I'm sure the others are worried about me..." she muttered as she was about to take off.

"Wait..." Ty called, freezing the yellow mare in place as she turned to face him. "You're already here now... Ya might as well stay here an' hang with us until they get here..."

"Oh no, I couldn't. I don't want to be a burden..."

"You? A burden? Don't make me laugh..." he joked, but didn't laugh. "No, seriously. Don't. It hurts like a bi...zzness proposal t' laugh..."

"Like a wh--?" she was about to ask.

"Jus' chill here. The others will show up when they get done." She stayed silent, seeming to be contemplating the offer before turning toward me.

"Twilight? I-is that okay?"

"Of course. I'm actually pretty sure I could use your help, anyway. Somepony might need your help moving around."

"Guilty..." Ty groaned, trying to pick himself up, only to nearly collapse as he latched onto the railing like he was about to fall into a pit of molten lava.

"Oh, dear... Here, let me help you." Fluttershy generously offered.

"Nonsense... I might be injured, but I ain't helpless..." he said, though I could tell by the labored tone in his voice that he'd been less than honest.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to walking on your own?" I skeptically questioned. Without a worded answer, he let go of the wall he was hanging onto and tried walking a couple of steps...

"Agh...!" ...only to be brought to a knee afterward. "Nope. My legs feel wobblier than a fat man's gut..."

"Interesting choice of words... In any case, Fluttershy?" Without a word, she flew to his side, where he lifted an arm and slung it over her shoulders as she levitated next to him. Judging by the fact that she almost went down with him, I could tell that he was heavily relying on her. I took the liberty of using some of what little magic I had left to form a net behind him in case he stumbled and fell, as he put most of his body weight on a struggling Fluttershy and the railing. Though it took a bit longer than I'd anticipated, we'd managed to bring the injured human back to my room, where he was carefully allowed to sit, propped up against a wall.

"Is there anything else you need help with?" Fluttershy graciously asked.

"Some water would be nice..." answered the human.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Nurse Fluttershy..." Fluttershy merely smiled before disappearing through the doorway. Once I was sure she was out of earshot, I turned toward the human with a feeling of perplexity. "Somethin' on ya mind?"

"I'm still wondering why she came here alone... What do you think would bring her here by herself...?" I whispered.

"A few things, I'm sure. General concern for us, her kind nature in relation t' said concern... Or maybe even somethin' that rhymes with 'brush...'"

"Oh..." I droned in realization. "I'd rather not make her feel uncomfortable while she's here if that's the case... Maybe we should talk to her about that?"

"I... guess so, but maybe i'ss jus' a passin' thing. Surely, this sorta thing don't last forever?"

"That may be true, but she's one of my best friends. I'd like to make sure that she's alright... This isn't exactly something I'd slide under the rug."

"Good point. I'd be lyin' if I said I ain't wanna address it myself, but I still don't know how t' approach it... Even after I tried talkin' t' her about it twice..."

"Twice?"

"The second time was while we were lookin' for you. She said she could try t' get over it, but I dunno... I haven't dealt with somethin' like this before, but I don't want the poor girl t' be hurt over somethin' like this..."

"That settles it, then. We'll form a group discussion once we clear up the other errands on our mental to-do lists..."

"Sounds like a plan. And... Once this is finished, maybe we can continue where we left off...?" he suggestively whispered toward me, sounding hopeful.

"Oh-ho, no," I declined, somewhat amused at his eagerness. "I'm not falling for that one again, mister. I'm still mad at you."

"Damn..." he muttered in defeat as he slowly adjusted himself to get more comfortable.

"...Although, maybe if you're feeling any better by tonight, we could..." I have to admit, I WAS feeling a bit... 'bothered' about that issue myself. Another 'errand' for the to-do list.

"What can I do t' make you not mad at me?" he asked, which I shot him an incredulous, deadpanned look for. "Not so we could do... THAT again, but jus' so I know we're back on good terms... I'd rather you not be upset with me." I relaxed and thought for a second before I got an idea.

"Don't worry about that. I'll figure something out when you're in more of a condition to fulfill the task."

"Hm. Fine... What t' do for now?"

"You wait right here while Fluttershy gets you your drink. I'll make us some lunch. Would you like anything?"

"Surprise me," he said with a wink before motioning to stroke my mane. The distance seemed to get the better of him, however, as he winced in pain while completing the loving gesture. "Aw, man...! My arms feel worse than Snakes on a Plane..." I couldn't help but giggle at his cryptic comment about the pain in his arms. Nonetheless, I headed downstairs passing by Fluttershy carrying a glass of water to its intended recipient.

"Hey..." I called to the other mare, although I was't sure what to say to her considering I wanted to talk to her.

"Yes?"

"Ehh, don't bring it up now. A better time for that will come..."

"...Are you hungry? I'm on my way to the kitchen to make everypony something."

"A little..." she answered uncertainly. "But I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Nonsense. I'd be glad to make you something."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Twilight," she praised, smiling lightly at me.

"It's no problem," I delightfully replied, nodding my head before turning and heading into my dining area to prepare something for us to eat. In that time, I reflected upon what I'd been faced with not too long ago... A scenario where I was abducted and almost assaulted after trying to help somepony before my colt-friend saved me... A lengthy, aggravating chase around the town that seemed to drag itself out for just a little too long... It actually kind of annoyed me that Gillian would go so far and do so much just to get his own way. It was sickening to say the least. Despite how mean-spirited it sounds, I was glad he'd finally been stopped; even IF he'd had to suffer for it. It was just relieving to finally draw things to a definite close.

But then, what I most recently had to go through by myself... A life or death situation where the survival of someone I loved dearly hung in the balance... Completely reliant on whether I could pump enough of my magic into him to keep his proverbial candle from blowing out... A life or death situation... Completely reliant on my abilities...

I gasped in aggregate shock as I came to a horrifying epiphany that I'd initially acknowledged, but hadn't fully processed until this moment while I prepared our lunches: He... almost died... His life as we knew it... could have legitimately ended if I didn't intervene in time...

The gruesome thought made my heart sink as I suddenly froze, the butter knife in my magic grasp falling to the floor with a definitive *CLANG!* as I suddenly went catatonic. Once it hit me, I had no idea what to make of it, but... it scared me senseless... At first, it seemed to be a passing thing, but taking it into consideration... How devastating it would be if he were to... to pass... What everypony would do if he were to leave this world... What Princess Celestia would do... What I would do... An overwhelming series of dreadful, awful scenarios invaded the recesses of my mind without prejudice, taking over without contest... How close any ONE of those scenarios came to spawning as a terrifying reality... Everything else on my mind whited out in an instant... I could hardly believe it myself... I didn't want to... but deny it as I may, the ominous truth still stood that Ty... could have quite possibly lost his life...

For all I knew, I may not have done enough... What if his injuries were still too great? What if he were to suddenly keel over at a moment's glance without warning because of one bad movement? What if... If he were to fall asleep and lose consciousness? Or worse... if he'd lost consciousness already? But it just LOOKED like he was asleep?? No, that couldn't be... It wouldn't be plausible... or WOULD it?

As I stood there, wide-eyed and deathly silent, my breathing and heartbeat became intense and audibly heavy, almost to the point of hyperventilating... My eyes were flooding rapidly, but I couldn't bring myself to blink or wipe them dry... It suddenly felt hard just to even stand there as my legs suddenly felt frighteningly shaky... The petrified trembling made its way across my entire body as I suddenly found myself ensnared within a tormenting whirlwind of despair and heartrending terror. I broke down in a spontaneous spell of woeful mourning in the middle of my kitchen, overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation we'd just narrowly avoided... I wasn't sure if I'd truly saved him or if I'd just delayed the inevitable, and it was frustrating not knowing... It was only worse that, in the case that the latter came to fruition at ANY point before Princess Celestia arrived, I would be able to do nothing about it... I sat there for a few long, painful, frightening minutes, unable to stop crying my eyes out before somepony came down to find me.

"Twilight...? Twi-- Oh my gosh! Are you okay??" asked Fluttershy as she came and patted me on the back while I sat, huddled up in a wave of my own despair. Hearing her voice somewhat snapped me out of the vicious cycle of hypothetical scenarios playing in my head, allowing me to sigh heavily, though only releasing a diminutive amount of anxiety.

"...No... I... I'm not... if it's okay to ask, could... *sniffle* could you finish making lunch...? I-I need to talk to him... Badly..." I requested, almost choking on my own words as I just barely managed to pick myself up.

"Of course. I'm also here if you need me..."

"...Thank you..." I weakly replied. Rather than walk back upstairs right away, I hugged Fluttershy tightly; an embrace I knew she'd be surprised by, but one I desperately needed. Seeming to understand, she silently returned the embrace just as firmly. After a few seconds, I broke away from it and slowly proceeded back to my room to make absolutely sure my most horrid thoughts wouldn't become tangible...