And Then Twilight Was A Princess [Action]

[elementofloyalty]

[Suddenly, abruptly, without warning, the formerly-comatose Rainbow Dash opens her eyes.]

[This moment, possibly the most peaceful waking one she has ever had, lasts exactly two seconds before those memories and these memories lace together like a zipper, and she sits bolt-upright.]

TWILIGHT!

[If you don't catch her in the infirmary, she'll be spending a fair amount of time zipping through the entire Garden like a bat out of Tartarus today, as if the ancient evils from said Tartarus are pursuing her.]

Comments

[rewritethis]

[That yell was loud enough to hear all the way outside the infirmary. Is anyone outside to hear it? Not for long.

By the time Ed's made his way to the side of a now pretty familiar-looking bed, though, it seems like he's just missed her. Well, no great loss. If she's already awake enough to drag herself away from it, she'll be around.

...But there's no harm in taking a moment to remove the label from this chair before he heads back out, is there? He wouldn't want anyone to get sappy mistaken ideas.]

[elementofloyalty]

[After zooming around the entire infirmary and the outside halls, Rainbow wonders if maybe she missed Twilight, like she was in the bathroom or something. So Rainbow pokes her head back in to check Twilight's empty bed once more.]

[Wrong person, but someone she's just as glad to see.]

ED!

[With only that much warning, she hurls herself at him at flight speed, forelegs flung wide to catch him in the biggest damn bear hug of his life.]

[rewritethis]

[She might as well have been an incoming bomb.]

What the -

[The token resistance he has enough reaction time to muster as she barrels into him isn't nearly enough to stop him from crashing through both chairs beside Rainbow's vacated bed, and then painfully some distance further across the floor.

In a second or two, he'll probably protest louder. Right now, all he can seem to manage is a lot of "ow"s interspersed with mumbled swearing.

Hey, what's that crumpled up in his hand?]

[elementofloyalty]

[Go ahead and protest, Ed. She's not listening. She's happy as can be to just keep hugging him like she hasn't seen him in months.]

[Which, for how she feels, she hasn't.]

[rewritethis]

Get off! [He gives her a shove from underneath that would probably qualify as rough if he didn't think she was used to it.] You weren't out for that long.

[elementofloyalty]

It felt like a long, long time.

[Her voice is muffled in his chest. She doesn't even acknowledge the shove.]

Shut up for twenty more seconds. I missed you.

[rewritethis]

[He manages about ten.]

Well, good for you, 'cause I hardly noticed.

[And he only happens to be anywhere near the infirmary by uncanny coincidence, obviously.]

[elementofloyalty]

[She ignores him for ten more seconds, then pushes off him into the air, where she makes a show of brushing herself off, smoothing back her hair, and generally recomposing herself.]

Yeah, it was only three days for you, right? Try and answer in a really jerky fashion so we can put a cap on the mushy stuff and pretend it never happened, okay?

[Dere off, tsun on.]

[rewritethis]

[See, requesting that would be an excellent way to get him to be mushier, except he already knows that if he tried it he'd just spontaneously self-destruct.

He picks himself up and quite nonchalantly sticks the label he's holding into one pocket to throw away later. Hell yes, she didn't notice a thing.]

You already knew about that?

[elementofloyalty]

[And by 'mushier' he means 'even a little bit mushy', right?]

It happened to Pinkie Pie a while back. When I saw Twilight was out like she'd been, I did some checking, and I found out that it's almost always about three days.

[rewritethis]

Uh huh.

[He scratches at the back of his head absently.]

Well, that's all the news I had [what he's been up to for three days isn't news, alright?], so... welcome back. Or close enough, I guess. Too bad you didn't stay asleep while you still had the chance.

[elementofloyalty]

I'd say it was boring. But it wasn't!

[She's so full of glee and delight, with her eyes wide and shining. It's a little scary.]

But I'm glad to be awake again!

[marearcana]

[It was no surprise Twilight hadn't seen Rainbow in class today. She'd been told that both of them had fallen to that strange coma, after all. There was no telling when Rainbow would be back up.

But when she sees her friend barreling down the corridors like a mare possessed, she had to wonder just what was going on.]

...Well, you seem to have had a speedy recovery.

[rewritethis]

You are? Really? Can't say I see why.

[Is he overdoing the jerkishness yet?]

How long was it for you, anyway?

[elementofloyalty]

...A while. A pretty long time. A lot happened.

[rewritethis]

[He looks at her, gives her a quick once-over, then shrugs.] Well, you look the same as ever. [He doesn't say this in the most approving possible tone.]

[elementofloyalty]

[It takes Rainbow just a second to process that yes, Twilight has wings now. She dives down without slowing to grab her friend and turn a delighted loop with her, laughing happily.]

[elementofloyalty]

[Of course not, she's still a pony, right?]

But a LOT more awesome!

[rewritethis]

Not from where I'm standing, but keep thinking that if it makes you feel better.

[He's about to sweep away under the pretense of having anything else he's more desperate to get back to right now, but mid-exit he pauses with his back to her.] Although, I gotta say, I was curious about one thing. Is it true you don't remember anything about this place while the rest of you is back over there?

[He still sounds as casual as he ever does. He could've picked up rumours about the comas from anywhere.]

[marearcana]

Careful, don't drop me! So, you saw everything?

[She is not adept with them yet!]

[elementofloyalty]

...No. I didn't remember.

[She ducks her head, because she feels really bad about that, all of a sudden.]

I don't like not remembering important stuff. THAT's why I'm glad I'm awake.

[elementofloyalty]

Ha ha! Even if I dropped you, you'd be fine! But this is me, Twilight, when I have EVER dropped ANYpony?

[She does set Twilight back down on the ground, though, out of courtesy.]

Of course I did! I was THERE, wasn't I?!!

[marearcana]

Just making sure.

[Safety first.]

Well, yes, you were, but that wasn't a guarantee that your "dream" would cover everything mine did.

[elementofloyalty]

[Rainbow points at her wings, with a sort of "well, duh" look.]

[marearcana]

No, hear me out. What if the last thing you saw was the Elements of Harmony blasting me? And then you woke back up here and I was alive and well and suddenly a Princess?

I mean sure, that didn't happen, but you'd probably be really confused.