With a loud click, my power shut off. My battery began beeping in quiet lament.

Twilight's wings shot out either way. "What's that?! Did I do something wrong?"

Silly pony, she wasn't even touching the computer. "That means it's nine, and I should be going to bed. I have that timer set up to remind myself, by force."

"Oh." She tilted her head slowly. "Good... idea actually. I stay up late at times when I get caught up in research. Maybe a sleep-timer is something I should look into." She tapped at her chin as she hopped down on her three other legs. "Does that mean you're going to sleep?"

"That's the idea." I stood up stiffly, fresh aches distracting me a moment with little pops only I could hear. "Let's..." I held down the button on the battery a moment to send it to bed, the computer already safely shut down.

But there was a problem, several, actually... "Let me close up." I gave Twilight a gentle pat and slipped from the room.

With the door closed, I strode through the house with a purpose, checking that all the locks were, well, locked.

"Going to bed?" My mother was there, laying on the couch, watching something on the television I had little interest in, especially at that moment.

"That's the idea," I repeated, not that she knew that. "Everything's locked up."

"Thanks. Good night."

"Good night." Making sure the proper lights were flicked off, I headed back to my room. Bringing up the magical pony plush felt... No, she'd actually probably think it was amazingly cool, come to think of it.

She'd also be useless. Did I want to dive into that, right then?

In the morning, yes. That was a fine time...

I slipped back into my bedroom and leaned back against the door, ensuring it was closed. "Everything alright?"

Twilight was sitting attentively on the edge of the bed, her plush hooves dangling. At my question, she perked up.

"Oh yes, all good here! I was just thinking about proper sleep routines and how I might implement them back in Equestria." She tilted her head. "But nevermind me - how are you doing?"

I rubbed at my neck, rolling my head side to side to stretch tense muscles. "Oh, well enough I suppose. Did my nightly lockup rounds, had a quick chat with my mom."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Your mother? Oh goodness, we should bring her in to meet me! She must be worried about your wellbeing with everything you described." The pony made to hop off the bed but I quickly went over to stop her.

"Whoa now, slow down there! I know you want to help but..." I hesitated, thinking how to phrase this. "It's getting rather late for big shocking revelations. And I worry all this magical talking pony business might be, well, too much to process this late at night. Besides, she knows about the MS thing. She was third to know behind me and my doctor at the time."

Twilight looked uncertain but nodded. "Yes, you make a fair point. I should adhere to the sleep schedule guidance rather than pushing late night excitement." She smoothed out the rumpled blanket and settled back again. "Perhaps tomorrow then!"

I smiled wryly with a nod of my own. "Yeah, tomorrow is sounding better and better. But the good news is, now you have a comfy bed ready for you tonight, your highness." I gestured grandly at the thoroughly normal sleeping space.

Twilight giggled. "Why thank you, my kind sir! With such royal accommodations, I shall surely have the sweetest dreams."

I couldn't help but laugh along too as I started my own bedtime prep routine. This whole fantasy scenario was just so surreal - but in the best possible way.

I sank... to the floor.

Twilight inclined her head down at me. "What are you doing?"

"Going to sleep." I didn't even have a blanket, that being on the bed Twilight was using.

"Why are you sleeping on the floor?" She folded her wings up tight. "That doesn't look comfortable."

It wasn't, relatively. "I've had worse, and you're the guest. You have dibs."

"I surrender my 'dibs." She backed into the wall and gestured at the available bedspace. "You're sick. I'm not going to send a sick creature to sleep on the cold ground when there's a bed right here."

Ah... dang it. Someone going and putting me ahead of themselves? Who even does that? It wasn't a common occurence. Fighting her about it felt silly. I kicked off my pants, leaving me with a shirt and boxers. Such was my sleeping attire.

"Alright." I reached over to click the light off with a satisfying chunk. "I don't snore."

"Good... But I already invited you." Twilight even got to tucking me in as I settled onto the bed. "So I don't care if you do." She rolled her eyes. "As if a little snoring will bother me after years with Spike."

She flopped down, plush head on my belly. "I hope he's okay," she almost signed out, wistful look in her eyes. "He was with me last time I went dimension hopping." She giggled sleepily. "He was a cute little dog, like yours, actually. Different color though..."

I gazed up at the darkened ceiling, fingers absently stroking Twilight's yarn mane as she used my belly as a pillow. Her concern for her dragon assistant was just plain cute. I, too, hoped Spike was alright. Would I get to meet him?

"I'm sure Spike is okay, probably just worried about you," I soothed gently. "Were you alone when you appeared?"

"I didn't see anycreature I knew." She nuzzled gently against me. "I tried to use my magic, and threw myself a few times. The last time, you found me." She looked up in the darkness. "I'm glad you did. Though I do hope the magic fizzle just left him safe in Equestria..."

I gave her a reassuring pat, wishing I could truly banish her worries. I adjusted in a vain attempt to quiet my complaining spine. We both had those we fretted over and parts that pained.

"However this magic mishmash shook out, we'll figure it out come morning. But now time for rest, yeah?" I said gently. I could already feel myself sinking deeper towards slumber.

Twilight nodded against me, her plaited mane tickling my arm. "Yes...rest..." she murmured, a note of contentment entering her voice as we both let the grip of sleep take hold.

So... That was why people liked sleeping with people. It was kind of nice, having a living, thinking, creature there to be close to. I didn't get to think about it for too long, sleep claiming me.

I woke in the early hours of the morning, as I made a habit of doing. I could hear taps at my keyboard, plush hoof meeting them awkwardly.

That had me 100% awake in a sharp snap before I remembered what the taps were. "Twilight, what are you doing?"

Twilight looked over her shoulder at me. "Oh, did I wake you? I'm sorry... I just wanted to continue on my own, but I can't get it to work... I tried every button!"

I slid my legs around and stood up smoothly. "That thing's a bit special." I held down the battery until it beeped to life. Then I pressed the dangling button to get the computer to turn on. Then key. Then a password, then a click. There. "Here we are. Before we get to researching though..."

I picked her up and sat down, placing her in my lap as I sank into the available spot. "I need to get my writing done."

"Writing?"

"I write, every day." I stroked her gently with one hand as the other moved my mouse to get some music playing gently. "2000 words, or what was I even doing?"

One could almost see Twilight working out how many words that was. "That's... a lot. I thought you were sick?"

"Being sick and being unproductive are two different things." I tickled under her chin. "Now... is it alright if I put you on the bed? I need my fingers free to get the writing done as quickly as possible, then we can get to researching."

Twilight smiled up at me as I tickled under her plush chin. "Of course, work away! I know all about the drive for productivity." She hopped down, making herself comfortable atop a pillow. "We ponies have a saying: make hay while the sun shines! So please, shine on my friend."

I chuckled at her enthusiasm, flexing my fingers over the keyboard. "Well, let's hope some decent prose comes out anyway. I may not have literal magic, but sometimes tapping into the creative flow feels close."

Twilight nodded sagely. "Oh creativity can have a magic all its own too. Now excuse me..." She pulled out a small notebook from somewhere, tongue sticking out in concentration. "I have some theories and metaphysical hypotheses to jot down!"

We shared a grin before the comfortable silence settled in, both engrossed in our respective writing and musing. My computer keys clacked steadily, the tap of Twilight's tiny quill accompanying them.

I typed busily as inspiration struck, the familiar joy of building new worlds line by line washing over me. Having a kindred spirit nearby, even a pony one, seemed to make my imagination shine brighter.

Now, one might ask, David, how did inspiration strike while you were typing? That's just how I work. I type. I make the words. Writing is an act I decide to do. Sometimes I get inspired, and especially nice prose comes out that I feel super great about. Sometimes I just write, but I write.

And seeing Twilight's own scholar's passion ignited in turn, what could have been a lonely morning now just felt cozily productive. For the first time in awhile, my usual hurts and exhaustion ebbed to the back of my mind, overtaken by creative momentum.

Maybe my magical friend was the cure I needed not for physical maladies, but for lingering isolation. A prescription filled not through medicine but the power of togetherness. As the minutes flew by, I sure was feeling the healing magic.

A chime shattered that nice feeling. I knew that chime.

I brought up the message from my mom, copy and pasted from the day before with her request for breakfast. "My mom's a bit sick herself, joint issues. She relies on me to do breakfast and things."

"Don't let me stop you." Twilight tucked her notebook away. "But... if you've stopped typing, may I use that?" She was looking at the computer hopefully.

How was I going to say no to Twilight? "Alright, stay here, and don't close any windows. Just open things, and maybe you'll find something."

I took a moment to weigh myself. Gained half a pound. "It goes up and it goes down," I sang to myself as I nudged the scale away and slid into my pants. There, I was ready to face the house!

Oops, almost forgot. I grabbed my headset and turned it on. "Tell me the news," I said to the assistant in the headset.

"I don't know the news." Oh, Twilight had heard me. "I can try to search for it..."

"No, no. I was asking these." I tapped at my headphones, already playing the news. "But, thanks."

I left Twilight in my room, door closed, and went to start the morning ritual of doing dishes and preparing breakfast.

I bustled about the familiar motions of breakfast-making, keeping half an ear on the chatter of news headlines piping into my ears. The anchor's voice droned on about politics and economics - nothing too earthshaking.

As I sizzled bacon and got eggs prepared in a bowl for cooking, my thoughts kept drifting back to my unexpected houseguest. Had any luck with research awaited me back in my room? The odds felt dim.

Hopefully, Twilight hadn't gotten too overwhelmed trying to operate my finicky computer. Visions of error messages and crashed programs flashed through my mind. Maybe I should have written down some instructions for the not-so-tech-savvy pony.

The boiling water in the pot shook me from my worried ponderings. I limped over to pour hot water through a filter to get the tea leaves out, the heat seeping comfortingly into my knuckles. The simple task reminded me to stay focused on the now.

With practiced movements, I arranged breakfast on the plate and put a bowl over that to keep in the heat. Twilight's mysteries could wait - I had my own caretaking duties to handle first.

I just had to... wait. She eventually came out and sank onto the couch, sitting. With her there, I came out and poured her water in a tall glass.

I gave her the tall mug of tea and poured some creamer in it. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh..." I rarely got a positive answer from that question. And yet, I kept asking it. A sign of insanity?

We chatted lightly about her plans for the day as she ate. When she finished, I whisked away the dirtied dishes and excused myself.

Those little rituals done, I finally could hurry back to my magical research assistant. What discoveries might we uncover today? As I entered my room, I felt a fresh spark of excitement kindling inside me despite my knots of nerves and tiredness. Or perhaps because of them.

I did not expect to find Twilight reading my fanfiction.

Author's Note

There are so many ways this could go...

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