Equestria, Sweet Equestria...

Home….the word drifted through Rick’s head as he tried to push all his thoughts together and focus on it….drawing a blank…or just blurred images with nothing distinguishable about them.

“My home is a small,” Rick finally said to Twilight, finding a mindset and sticking with it, “Not much really. Warm bed…cozy environment…you know the basics.”

Rick watched as Twilight approached the bed listening with curiosity as he kept elaborating. He brought up a few minor facts of an average home…keeping it veg at best hoping it would be enough to side step the conversation of….home.

“Well anyway, could you tell me a bit more about the town?” Rick asked looking out the window.

Despite what a part of him wanted him to feel, he had a sense of curiosity, parallel to the one exhibited on Twilight, about not just the town but his new surroundings…if he was to be honest with himself. An audible churn in his stomach brought his mind back in tune with the rest of his body as he directed his eyes towards the sandwich on the plate.

“Well, for Ponyville, much of what I told you plays a part in its history,” He heard Twilight begin before she stopped at the sound of the churn, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Yeah…just a little off…with the broken leg that is,” Rick replied before looking down at the plate again, “Please continue.”

Rick kept listening as he bent down towards the plate. He hesitantly opened his mouth and bite down taking a bit of the sandwich in. Digging his teeth in, he managed to get a single bite and began to chew it. He was greeted with the familiar taste of beard but suddenly came the taste off…grass. He felt his cheeks bloat out but drew them back in holding the chew mesh of beard and grass in his mouth. Instinct was telling him to spit the stuff out right onto the plate, but not wanting to give another reason for Twilight to be…

He slowly chewed the sandwich in his mouth a bit more before swallowing… forcing the mush down his throat.

“You ok?” Twilight asked while stopping her story with a worried but slightly curious look on her face.

“Sorry. The sandwich tasted a bit funny,” Rick quickly explained before giving another gulp hoping to get rid of the taste, “Probably just the medicine from earlier. Please, continue.”

Then in a split second came the sudden sound of a muffled swoosh. Rick darted his head towards the window only to catch a glimpse of something soaring right by the window and out of sight with the nearby bush rustling from the breeze.

“It’s probably just Rainbow,” Twilight commented taking Rick’s attention from the window, “She’s usually training around this time…when she isn’t napping of course.”

“Speaking of napping,” Rick said chuckling a bit before looking at his bounded hoof, “I’m gonna be doing that for a while.”

“Not exactly,” Twilight explained, “It’ll probably be only a couple days.”

Rick tore his gaze from the hoof and looked at Twilight with a look of confusion. Given his acceptance of the reality, he knew despite it that matters such as broken bone were mostly likely similar…

“Broken bones like this don’t take usually that long to heal.” Twilight commented while motioning towards Rick’s injury, “That’s comes from both the medicine and that fact you’re an earth pony.”

“Exactly what I said,” A voice said from the other side of the curtain, “But I’ll probably in a bit longer...”

“Oh. Sorry…” Twilight said as she turned her attention to the curtain.

“It’s fine. I’ll get out when I get out. Funny thing is,” The pony began before giving a small chuckle, “This is first decent amount of rest I’ve had in a while.”

Rick heard the pony let out a sigh before going silent. Rick turned back and laid his head down on the bed as his brain processed the information that been given to him. He looked down to his bounded hoof with the relaxing thought that he would be out soon. However…another thought crept in. He began to wonder what exactly he would do when….

“Speaking of rest, I think I think should leave you to yours,” Twilight said, interrupting his thoughts while coming a bit closer to the side of the bed and extending a single front leg towards him, “It was nice talking to you.”

Rick hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and extending his good front leg forward and his hoof meeting Twilight’s. He found himself shaking Twilight’s hoof with ease almost like a regular hand shake...aside from the obvious difference.

“Same here,” Rick said with a small smile while leaning back on the bed, “Hope this didn’t...mess with anything you had for today.”

“Not at all,” Twilight assured with a small smile, “Now I’ll leave you to rest.”

With that, Rick saw Twilight turned and walk off. He heard the door open and slowly close finding himself alone with the injured pony. He looked back at the sandwich lying on the plate before him with the chuck he had swallowed missing. His stomach still had the feeling of emptiness giving signs it would growl again if not dealt with. He began eating the sandwich in the same manner of his first bite using his right front leg to try and keep the plate in place. That taste of grass engulfed his tongue, but he forced the bites down. After gulping down the sandwich, he made several attempts to sink down any strangling bits that he could feel lingering in his throat. However he found himself being ripped from his attempts when the sound of the room’s door opening filled his ears.

“Hello,” A hearty voice announced.

Rick heard the sound of a rolling kart that came to a quick stop and then the sounds of steps across the floor. He heard the sound of a plate being picked up and placed on a kart before…

“I assume you’ll be paying as you usually do, dear?”

Rick stopped mid gulp letting out a small gah as he felt as if a chunk of the sandwich was now lodge in his throat before sitting there…wide eyed in realization.

“Oh!”

Looking out of his peripheral vision, he saw that same light yellow nurse pony come from behind the curtain in a hurry leaving her kart behind.

“Everything alright?” She asked with a worried look on her face.

Rick just stared at her for the longest time not making a single sound as his mind fail to process a response…..before letting out a chuckle with an equally nervous smile on his wide eyed face.

“Rainbow!”

Rainbow Dash came to a halt in midair at the sound of her name. Hovering for a moment, she looked down to see Twilight standing right outside the hospital looking up at her. Dash immediately soared towards her friend coming to a swift stop before landing on her hooves.

“Rainbow, what are you doing here,” Twilight asked immediately catching Rainbow’s full attention.

“What’s it look like, Twilight” Rainbow replied while casually stretching, “Just catching some air.”

“Rainbow…” Twilight continued with lowered eyebrows and a frown, “What are you doing here?”

Rainbow ceased her for show stretching and let out a sigh as her lie diminished….a partial lie when she first thought of it. She had been exercising after waking up for the day which would have given her lie credibility. During which she tried to keep her concentration in training, but…she couldn’t help in letting the events of Winter Wrap Up ease her exercising towards the vicinity of Ponyville hospital.

“You know why,” Rainbow mumbled out with a sense of defeat in her voice before looking curiously at Twilight as she recalled what Twilight had said the other day, “So what did you find out?”

“Well….” Rainbow saw Twilight begin before hesitating as if she was collecting her thoughts, “To be honest Rainbow, he seems rather harmless.”

Rainbow stood there staring at Twilight for the longest time as the memory of the other day crept into her mind…particularly….

“Harmless? Harmless!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she motioned to her nose with a hoof, “You call this harmless Twilight?”

“Well, what did you expect with chasing him?”

Rainbow reluctantly took the suggestion to thought and saw where Twilight was coming from, but being completely honest with herself, bloody nose or not, she wasn’t ready to push off the idea of a single pony creating a crater, taking off without an explanation, and once confront claiming they had no idea just yet..

“So now what?” Rainbow asked drawing from her thoughts.

“I’m not sure,” Twilight replied while shaking her head, “I’m going to go back home and see if I can come up with anything..”

Rainbow turned her attention to the hospital for moment feeling the urge to do some investigation herself, but quickly remembered her promise to Twilight and…she’d be damned if she broke it.

“Twilight!”

Rainbow Dash whipped her head in the direction of the voice to see Spike running towards them with a scroll in hand. She easily could tell it was from Princess Celestia and was confident enough that if she could of. She would have bet several bits on it, if she had it on her at the time.

“Twilight…Celestia…important,” Spike mumbled out, confirming Dash’s if win, while holding out the scroll.

Rainbow stood there as Twilight took the scroll in her magic bringing it towards her to read. While Twilight began reading the letter’s contents to herself, Rainbow turned to look at the hospital once more. Her train of thought was cut off at the sound of Twilight gasping. She looked back and saw Twilight with a mile yard stare as her magic aura around the letter fizzled out allowing it to float onto the grass below.

“Spike, we need to get home,” She said almost blankly with a hint of surprise in her tone.

“Twilight, what’s-” Rainbow began taking a step forward towards her friend.

Dash saw Twilight quickly channeling her magic before she and spike disappeared in a split second. Rainbow let out a sigh while cursing herself for not being a bit faster. Her attention however…came onto the letter settled on the ground. Walking around it till the words were right side up, she began skimming the letter hoping to find the cause of Twilight’s urgent leave.

To my most faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

While dealing with matters here in Canterlot…

I’m happy to be the bearer of great news…

Nothing seemed worthy enough for Twilight to react the way she did, but upon further reading…

Rainbow wasted no time in scoping up an end of the scroll in her mouth before taking off into the air. She adjusted her directions towards Twilight’s home picking up speed quickly. However, during mid-flight, she changed direction quickly towards Sugar Cube Corner. Remembering the state she had last seen Twilight in, she knew it would be in her best interest to get their other friends. It had become the understood procedure anytime Twilight got into a state of near crazy and past experiences had given more credibility towards this precaution. Dash kicked it into high gear soaring over the buildings of Ponyville forgetting the pony at the hospital…for now.

“Oh no no no no,” Twilight muttered as she quickly ran about the library, “Spike…Spike!”

She multi-tasked her magic clearing the desk of the guide and book that had been sitting there before quickly shelving them as she proceeded to check every square inch of the place. She stopped only for a moment to face Spike whom was standing by at the ready.

“If there’s anything out of place,” Twilight began shifting her attention around the room, “We need to deal with it.”

“Twilight, don’t you think your taking this a bit out of...” Spike began nervously.

“Spike, we can’t waste time. Please?” Twilight begged with the anxiety taking full control.

“Gotcha Twilight,” Spike replied with a sigh before taking off.

Twilight ran over to where she kept the quills making sure they were all accounted for and with the pointed ends inside the cupboard. She even went to the lengths of making sure every book in the library was pushed back as far as it would go. During which, the contents of Celestia’s letter ran through her mind as anxiety only thrived further….and further...

After a while, there came the sound of someone knocking on the door drawing Twilight’s attention from her work.

“Twilight, darling, is everything alright?”

“Yes, Rarity,” Twilight called out trying to get back to her work, “Just…studying.”

“Twilight dear, Rainbow came charging into my boutique saying 'you were having an episode” as she put,' Rarity’s voice replied with concern rising in her voice, “Why don’t you come out so we can talk?”

Twilight immediately scolded herself remembering she had dropped the letter before coming home. She went back to her work knowing well it wasn’t a time to talk. However, she well that Rainbow probably told the…

“Hello hello,” A recognizable energetic voice called out at the door after Rarity had made several more attempts to convince Twilight to talk.

“Pinkie. Rarity. Please go away. I’ll be fine I promise,” Twilight called out once more.

However her pleas fell flat, as she heard more voices join the ones currently at the door one by one while trying to concentrate once more.

“Twilight..?”

“Talk to us, sugarcube.”

Twilight’s mind raced furiously between the contents of Celestia’s letter to her friends just outside the doors. She drew from her thoughts slightly at the sound of something knocking from above. She looked over to the staircase leading to where she and Spike spelt focusing on the nearby window. Rainbow Dash was there holding the letter up to the window between the glass and her hoof while motioning to the letter with her free hoof and a suspicious but at the same time concerned look on her face. Despite the words being unreadable from where she was, Twilight could remember the snippets of the letter as if they were embedded right into her mind…

A message from the Crystal Empire arrived…

Shining Armor has told that Princess Cadence is currently three months into her…