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Chapter Eleven

"You know, I am starting to worry you like landing yourself here, lad." Dr Hoofmeister commented gently as he came in the room, "This time around, you really shouldn't have survived. You've proven incredibly durable but it's still a miracle that you ever woke up at all."

Dr Hoofmeister had been delayed a few hours due to an emergency surgery, according to Nurse Tough. Twilight and I were cuddling quietly not long after finishing the lunch brought to us when the perpetually calm unicorn doctor arrived. He came over to the side of the bed, giving a momentary smile and nod to Twilight laying next to me before turning his eyes to me.

"I know you prefer a more direct approach, Mister Vojin, so I will not mince words. You lost most of the blood in your body due to that thrice cursed effect induced by timber wolf injuries. As unpleasant as the claw lacerations are, they were not life threatening by themselves. As you discovered by direct experience, the magical residue left in your wounds practically reverses the healing process, which is why you bled so severely. As I already informed Princess Twilight, until the dark magic was negated and pushed from your body, no amount of bandages would have helped. Be sure to thank Miss Zecora for that potion she gave you the next time you see her. Most of the dark magic was already gone when you were brought to us. However, by all accounts, you were clinically dead for more than six hours entirely due to blood loss. We could do little for you in that regard as we have no human blood stocked, for obvious reasons. As it is, I was not expecting you to wake up, provided you did survive once your vitals had reappeared, for at least a week longer. As I already stated, you are very fortunate to be alive." Dr Hoofmeister explained in a steady voice.

My eyes simply closed as I absorbed the news, pulling Twilight a little closer. I felt her squeeze me in return while tenderly rubbing her hoof over my stomach. A brief rush of emotion went through me after a moment, feeling I could have done better. Despite Twilight and Zecora being safe behind Twilight's shield spell, what would have happened if I'd been killed before finishing off the wolves?

Once that sounded off in my mind, I pushed the thought away again. The important part was I succeeded, regardless of how much it cost me. Not really wanting to think about being 'clinically dead' for several hours, or how I could have come back, I turned my mind back to present concerns and recovery.

I opened my eyes and looked at Dr Hoofmeister again, "Not really sure how to take that in... What about recovery? Am I going to be back to normal once my blood has restored itself?"

"Surprisingly, that is one bit of good news I can provide you. Not only will you be back to normal, but based upon some contemplation and theory about your capacity for healing from your previous two visits, along with what little I know of the magic link with Princess Twilight being factored in, I am expecting you to recover fully in a matter of weeks. I do wish I knew why you seem able to bounce back so well from grievous injury. If we could replicate it, at least half of all current serious or fatal cases of all kinds each year would be cured, if not more. Should you ever learn even some of the cause behind your ability to heal your body, I implore you take that knowledge directly to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna without delay. It could save many lives." Dr Hoofmeister said with more passion in his voice than usual.

"Dr Hoofmeister, I understand. I'll certainly work on it over time and hopefully something will come to light eventually. How long am I in the hospital for, this time?"

He seemed to sigh a bit, appearing bothered by something, "Therein lies a bit of the rub, Mister Vojin. While I have apparently become your de facto physician for the foreseeable future, I ultimately still lack much knowledge about the nuances of human physiology. While I am fortunately well versed in attending all manner of the sentient races of the world, you being human makes you particularly full of unknowns. Musculature and other major anatomy is fairly consistent with other similar races, but trying to pin down more subtle specifics for you will be most challenging. In light of this most recent event, I would like to schedule some appointments so I might run a number of tests and studies on you in order to gain a better understanding about your physiology. It would be entirely voluntary of course, and you are under no obligations to oblige me. I only offer the option in hopes of being able to improve my capacity to care for you in all situations you might need to come see me. I fear I am lacking, at present."

I hesitated, thinking it over. Though before I even had a chance to think of a response, Twilight somewhat roughly pressed her hoof to my chest, giving me a bit of a glare before looking at the doctor, "He'll do it, Dr Hoofmeister. I want him given the best possible care and if I have to drag him over here so you can better understand what his health needs are, I will whether he likes it or not. I don't ever want to...to see him like that again..."

She started off agitated, but her voice started to waver by the end of it. I caught her eye, nodding a little and earning a look of gratitude from her as a small shiver rippled through her, even her wings quivered. Again, I felt how much she must have gone through and how much worry and fear she must have endured. I pulled her a bit closer and hugged her tight for several seconds, feeling her do the same.

Turning my eyes back to the doctor, I nodded to him, "I am agreeable to that. Particularly because my Purple Angel wants me to. How I feel about putting up with tests is minor against making her happy. Do you have any idea how long I have to stay as things stand right now?"

He gave me a small smile of appreciation, "Thank you for your allowing me to further my knowledge, Mister Vojin. We can decide on appointments later. As for your time here, well all indications are such that the gashes you obtained having been tended, you only need time to recover from the blood loss. I am unable to do much of anything further for you here once again. If you can walk, you may leave at your discretion. You are also quite welcome to remain here until tomorrow morning if you feel it necessary as a 'just in case' precaution. I understand your intuition is quite developed and will well inform you of your health needs."

"As much as I appreciate your efforts, I'm sure you understand my preference to recuperate at home. I am grateful for all you've done." I said quietly, bowing my head a bit.

"Very well then, Mister Vojin. While I find it a pleasure to meet with you, I do hope it is not in the ICU again for a as long as possible. Nurse Tough Love should have you discharged within the hour or sooner. I will have my assistant get in touch with you for our upcoming appointments. Take care of yourself. And Princess Twilight, please remember what I told you about exertion and nutritional boosts. I bid you both a good day, until next we meet."

"Thank you doctor. I'll remember." Twilight returned softly.

She snuggled against my chest again after Dr Hoofmeister left, heaving a sigh. I simply stroked my hand over her mane for a bit, struggling to process my going well beyond close to death and then managing to come back again. All I had felt was being safely held by Twilight at the time.

Twilight occasionally nuzzled or kissed my stomach, otherwise just gently stroking my abdomen with her hoof as she lay quietly with me. I could still sense the underlying stress she felt, the anguish that was slowly fading. For a few long agonizing moments, I felt the despair of having let her endure so much heartache and pain, blaming myself for not being better. My old spectre of self-destructive habits tried to rise in me, only to be quelled like a campfire in a rainstorm when she happened to squeeze me tightly again, the surge sputtering before dying away. I took a slow breath and let those thoughts go, squeezing her in kind as a tear managed to escape from my eye. She made me feel safe beside her, even with so simple a gesture.

***

We waved goodbye to Applejack as she headed back to her farm, having been gracious enough to give me a cart ride to the library again. I was able to walk, but could only remain upright for around a minute before needing to lay down to rest or risk falling over.

I laid down on the couch as soon as we got inside, the endless dizziness that came with standing slowly fading again. Twilight came up to me and nuzzled my cheek, her eyes closed as she stood beside me quietly with a hoof on my chest for a while. We had been talking little since the conversation with Dr Hoofmeister, not really feeling like doing more than being close and taking comfort together.

Thinking about my time in Equestria for a bit as I rested a hand on her shoulder, my mind wandered. I'd been here well over a month. Some things had been an absolute joy. Twilight and I had connected so well, both personally and intellectually, and now I loved her with all I was worth. It had been fairly easy to forge the first parts of strong bonds of friendship with the rest of the Elements, as well as a few other ponies in town. So many had compassionate, open hearts here that I was often lagging behind when getting close to another pony. Life on Earth would all too often backfire painfully if you trusted to fast, even though I always kept trying.

Celestia and Luna, they were interesting to talk to every time. I'd been trading letters with them almost once a day for the past week after Twilight and I visited them in Canterlot. Luna and I had rescheduled our stargazing for the week of the coming summit, having been unable to take the time when I was up there before. Celestia, on the other hand, had requested I bring all my books from Earth with me to the summit so she could have copies made, and translated, so she and Luna could study them, passing along the knowledge gained to appropriate parties. The Royal Guard in particular were intrigued at the idea of studying another world's martial learning. We were also going to test my magic reserves during the summit. Something I was intensely curious to explore.

Even though I'd been outwardly adjusting well, Twilight had come to know how much frustration and difficulty I'd been going through with my entire life being so suddenly turned upside down and inside out by being pulled into Equestria. Our link was always open and we couldn't hide anything from a direct look through it. The strain all the upheaval caused me was fading with time, but sometimes the longing for the two most precious people I left behind would take over for a bit, be it silent depression or quiet tears. Twilight held me close each time, helping me let it out as much as I needed, sometimes just listening until I ran out of words again and others I just needed her to listen while venting frustration or sorrow. She had come to understand how well I kept things buried and contained, far more than I should be doing in her eyes, and was slowly drawing me out of that private inner shell.

We found ourselves talking every other day or so about the looming future that seemed to be the whole reason I arrived here, despite trying not to dwell on it. Sometimes just to let out the buildup of worry, other times trying to devise some additional plans between us. It weighed on all the girls as well, though aside from one lunch at the library so far where they all came over, it was kept private amongst themselves. I guessed, based on Twilight's own inexperience with war even though she was the most studied of all our friends, that the girls had trouble just grasping the true magnitude of what lay ahead. Knowing was not a boon to me lately, even flatly refusing to talk about some aspects of what might happen before the summit specifically because it wouldn't do anything more than worry them. I still hadn't mentioned the military friend I'd lost when he was in a battle overseas. It also didn't help that I already knew how much Twilight feared losing one of her closest friends. The rest of the girls that represented the Elements likely had similar worries to some degree. They didn't need to learn some things yet and I prayed they would learn as little about war as possible when it arrived.

I spent the remainder of the day resting on the couch, reading or lost in my head with Twilight sitting with me or otherwise close by. Her voice drew me out of my thoughts as she put away her book, "I suppose it's late enough to just get ourselves ready for bed. I'll help you in the shower, ok?"

"Thank you, Purple Angel. Think Spike will have the soup ready when we're done?" I asked as I slowly sat up, knowing Twilight was going to let me make the effort first and probably have to levitate me up the stairs before I made it the whole way.

"I'm sure he'll be close, at least. How much do you think you can manage to eat?"

I slowly pushed myself to my feet, immediately feeling the dizziness start its gradual rise as I started for the stairs, "I'll try for two bowls, at least. Appetite isn't saying much but I'm sure I have room. Never thought I'd be feeling intimidated by stairs before today..."

She followed close behind me as I managed each step, lifting me with her magic towards the end when I signaled her. I was under strict orders not to push myself for a couple days or she would make me stay in bed for a full week, if not more. And she refused to give up the option to reconsider doing it anyway.

Soon, I was seated on the floor of the shower, admittedly enjoying her pampering me a bit as she helped me get clean. She refused any assistance for herself and once she finished, she curled up against me under the spray of water for a couple minutes before we actually got out. Twilight simply used some quick spells to dry us off, letting me slide into some sleep shorts before making me get in bed. Spike brought up the soup not long after.

"This came out nice, Spike. The flavors are well balanced." I commented between spoonfuls, the three of us having a quiet dinner together on the bed.

Spike smiled in pride, "Thanks, Vojin! I wasn't sure if I did it right. Twilight told me to make some additions to help you get your strength back but it made something taste funny at first. I'm glad you like it."

"You're welcome, young one." I said with a quiet grin.

"Spike, have you thought about what you wanted to do tomorrow with the day off?" Twilight asked him quietly, her usual demeanor was still gone, looking drawn and weary.

"I still say I'd like to help you looking after Vojin. I know you want to have the day together to try and sort out what happened, but I wish you'd let me help." Spike sighed, looking into his soup, "The Cutie Mark Crusaders asked me to help them tomorrow. So I guess that's what I'll do most of the time. I just hope they don't make me do anything too embarrassing."

Twilight gave her young assistant a somber smile, "I'm grateful for the offer, Spike. You know that. This is just something I just really need to get through with Vojin. I don't think anypony else can really do anything about this just yet...no matter how much they want to help..."

After a fairly straightforward conversation earlier in the day, Twilight and I agreed we really needed to talk some things out together. She admitted to needing it more than I did and said she would probably cry a lot when she told me everything that happened, particularly when I appeared to be dead. She'd never lost anyone before, let alone watched them dying right in front of her. I had the benefit of being totally unaware of anything happening for most of the time. The death of my parents gave me at least some sense of what she was going through and the very thought made my heart ache.

Aside from a few idle bits of conversation, not much was said as we finished dinner. Spike eventually took the leftover soup back to the kitchen before coming back and giving Twilight a tender hug. After shaking my hand, he took the empty bowls and left, closing the door behind himself.

Twilight was quiet and didn't move for a few minutes as she stared at the bedspread she was laying on. Even her wings were sagging at her sides once Spike left us for the night. I could sense she wanted some time just then and simply watched her patiently. When she did finally turn her head and look at me, she was on the verge of crying again, though it felt like she was stuck in that state and unable to break down or find some calm. I beckoned her to come settle in beside me and she dragged herself over and slipped under the covers, clinging to me.

Several long minutes passed before she finally took a shuddering breath, letting it out slowly and sounding at least slightly calmer, her voice nearly a whisper, "I know we're saving the whole story till tomorrow but I wish I had words to describe what it was like to see you fighting for your life, then watching your body give up. I-I don't think I could have kept myself together if I hadn't felt your spirit resting in me...c-comforting me..."

Her hoof traced faint patterns over my stomach as I lay there quietly with her, finding my voice after a minute, "I'm back now. That's all that matters. Whatever you feel you need from me to get through this, just ask and I'll do whatever I can, Purple Angel. I wish I knew what to do..."

She nodded softly, not really moving much otherwise, "I know... Do you think you can sleep tonight?"

"I'm more worried about you. I'm worn out enough though, so probably. Promise me you'll wake me up if you start having nightmares or anything, ok? Please?" I said softly, not restraining the pleading tone of my voice.

Twilight sniffled faintly, hesitating before she spoke, "I don't like the idea of waking you up. You need your rest so much right now..."

"And I need to know you're alright even more. I mean, I know you need time to work through it but please, Twilight, wake me up if you need to talk in the middle of the night. We'll have all day tomorrow to sleep in if we need it." I told her, squeezing her gently.

I felt her body tremble for a second as her breathing sounded strained, then her body relaxed a little again as she sighed, "...I promise, Vojin. I don't want to but I promise...can you try to sleep now?"

"Thank you, Purple Angel... I think I can sleep well enough. Is my heartbeat helping?"

"A bit...I just don't know what I really need right now... Your skin is a little colder than it was before the wolves came after us." Twilight gave another little sniffle, trying to press herself closer, "I hope you get your usual warmth back soon..."

"I can always try a fire spell like my first light spell, if you like...?" I ventured softly, hoping to ease her a little.

Her response nearly made me shed tears, sounding so drained and forlorn, "...it wouldn't...be the same..."

"Twilight...do you think you can sleep...?" I finally asked her.

"I probably will, eventually. I..." Twilight started to tremble, hugging me tighter, "...could you...c-could you...hold me closer tonight...?"

Just hearing how she asked felt painful, easing onto my side and pulling her as close against me as she could get, feeling her mould herself as tightly to me as she could, her form was trembling now. My chin eventually came to rest against the top of her head, her face turned slightly upwards as she wiggled into my embrace, even wrapping her hind legs around my thigh and a wing against my back.

After several more minutes, my hand slowly stroking along her spine, her trembling slowly faded away again. Our link informed me she really was a little calmer than before as her tension reduced throughout her body. Twilight finally whispered a strained but grateful 'thank you' and nuzzled into my neck just a little further.

I felt my own tension unravelling somewhat as hers did, feeling my exhaustion creeping forward as a result and leaving me sleepy. Aside from her occasional shaky breaths or faint whimpers, the sound of her steady breathing was the last focus of my mind before I fell asleep.

***

Twilight only woke me up once during the night, shaking and trying not to cry as she told me about the brief dream that wasn't really a nightmare itself but made her remember my being in a pale, lifeless state again. Something she had to endure for hours. Even without her waking me though, it was a difficult night for both of us. I slept well past dawn and still felt like I'd had little rest. Whether it was my recovering or simply bad sleep, I couldn't tell. At least Twilight was still quietly sleeping next to me, though I could feel her tension through our link.

Drifting back and forth between dreams and wakefulness for a while, I noticed when Twilight began to rouse. For a blessed few moments, she was almost relaxed as she tried to snuggle closer. She then quickly tensed and hugged me tight. My fingers ran along her spine for a while, hoping to either let her drift off again or wake more relaxed. She trembled a little before I felt moisture against my neck, her hold on me tightening like I might suddenly vanish.

My voice was a bit rough, as much from the morning as it was from worry, "Morning, Twilight. Were you able to rest at least a little?"

She let out a tired sigh, her voice faint, "...I...woke up a lot. I kept needing to make sure you were still here. Just...listen to you breathing or your heartbeat for a minute again."

I gave her a gentle squeeze and kissed the top of her head. We'd barely moved all night and were both likely more than a little stiff. Still, I didn't want to move until she was ready to. I couldn't.

Time dragged on for a while before Twilight finally moved her head enough to look at me. Her hoof found it's way to my cheek as I looked back into her eyes, not knowing what to say right then. Another long minute passed before she found her voice again.

"Vojin...are you hungry yet? Need the bathroom? Anything I can get you?" Twilight spoke softly, her words slow and still sounding rushed somehow.

"I don't need anything just yet. Do you want to try talking now or still need to wait a bit?"

Her eyes welled up for a moment before she blinked the fresh tears away, working her mouth a little before she could squeeze her words out, "I...we should but...it's just..."

She stopped and squeezed her eyes shut, shaking a little as I pulled her back into my chest silently. After another moment, Twilight began to cry softly as she started letting some of it out. I held her without a word, some tears of my own falling away. I thought she was starting to slow a few times, only for her to whimper or nuzzle me and it began again.

Several minutes went by before she let enough out for her to stop for a while. Her head moved back slowly again, her eyes seeming to express nothing so much as being lost and desperately searching for direction.

I kissed her on the nose, giving her a soft squeeze of comfort, "Babble if you need to. I don't care what words you use right now, it can start with anything that isn't just a distraction, but you need to talk. Just start talking and let it out. It hurts seeing you in this much pain."

Tears formed in her eyes again as she looked at me, her voice wavering, "I-I...what...how do I even s-say it?"

"I don't know. I know words aren't enough to get it all right. If there was a way to just...share our..." I said softly before trailing off and pausing, remembering something we didn't work with very often as I recalled how we taught each other how to read each other's books. Twilight and I had decided to focus on unicorn magic techniques almost entirely, as the few books I had on magic were very subtle and impractical. We had been so focused on it that I nearly forgot one of the few things my own magic knowledge did have advantages with.

Guarded relief filled me, kissing her nose again and giving her a soft smile before my hand came up between us, seeing her look confused before understanding began to show in her eyes, "We...don't have to talk... You held me when I was...at the edge. Let me hold you this time, Twilight."

She chewed her lip for a few moments as worry, hope, anguish, and love passed across her face as she looked between my eyes and hand. Her hoof came up to my palm and pressed against it as she turned her eyes to mine. She tried to speak but tears rose in her eyes again as she looked at me pleadingly, wordlessly begging me to help ease all the fear and pain she had gone through and now found she couldn't get out of her thoughts.

"Just close your eyes and feel for me. I don't know if it will fix everything but it should help to really feel each other's heart. Just let go if you feel me asking you to, ok?" I told her gently, seeing her nod before she tucked her head under my chin again.

I let myself slip into the beginnings of the trance, having a little trouble relaxing into the state of mind I needed. Years of practice soon carried me down within, starting to let myself drift among, rather than direct, my thoughts.

It wasn't long before I felt the first sense of Twilight's presence and let myself go towards her. There was a strong feeling of fear in her. At once feeling like a fear of death, of losing meaning, of intense loneliness, of being empty and dead inside. It was pervasive throughout her sense of being and I began to truly understand just how deeply standing at the edge of losing me had cut into her.

There was a strange contradiction in her that couldn't decide how to respond to my presence. Part of her was desperately pulling me closer while another was pushing away in fear of enduring all the pain again. So much confusion ran through her. She loved me just as strongly, yet was so afraid of accepting she wasn't dreaming out of desperation that if she let herself relax, I would still be gone and she would have to face the pain in full. And facing it was too much, part of her fully believing at least in delusion she could avoid being broken inside. At the same time, part of her couldn't stand living such a lie, that it was a broken way to live that drained her of who she was.

If I had been feeling my physical self, I would be surely crying at how much pain my near death brought her. Even then, it left me staggering mentally. I pressed myself onward and brushed my sense of self against her, asking her deeper self to let me comfort her now that she needed it so greatly.

In a manner only raw emotion and thought could express, I helped her divide herself a little. Gently coaxing the part of her that desperately needed comfort forward, letting her find a place in my love for her to rest in tender safety. The aspect of her inner self that needed it was allowed to retreat while still seeing the invitation to approach. The whole of her cried as I shared her pain, enfolding her in my love where she needed it and staying at a distance where her fear was too great.

As I felt her own nudging to share my own sadness and fear with her, I simply let her in. I felt flooded with her love as it wrapped around me like a warm blanket on a brisk morning, soothing me in return. Letting her know what seeing her hurt so much felt like to me and the unsettling fears of coming so close to dying. My confusion over how I could be alive.

We resonated together. Spirits swirling around in tandem as we comforted each other. Time was nonexistent, even physical senses were a distant thing. All we could share just then came through. Fears were eased while joys were renewed, circling around the drift of shared need as we healed together. The beauty of it all was at once breathtaking and unfathomable. We even discovered a deep familiarity in one another's spirit that felt unusual, like two puzzles that had a piece swapped between and somehow still fit perfectly in their new places. Adding a shared uniqueness to the whole of each.

Eventually we felt ourselves grow back into a balanced state of self. We both still felt the fears and hurt, yet it had become manageable enough to handle now. Slowly, our spirits drew back to our own physical forms before the gradual return of the world around us came to the fore.

It was several minutes of silent weeping as we listened to each other breathe and felt each other's embrace, before finally moving enough to look into each other's eyes. Still full of tears but able to share small smiles of appreciation and love. Together, we bumped noses and closed our eyes as the tears faded, nuzzling each other faintly. Exhaustion crept over us as we shared our breaths and soon drifted into a dreamless, peaceful deep slumber.

***

The feel of something gently stroking my cheek helped carry me back to consciousness again. I opened my eyes with a faint smile as Twilight rubbed her cheek against mine. Something special was in the touch in a way I couldn't put to words, simply sighing quietly in contentment and turning my head slightly to press into her touch a little more, the feel of her soft fur made my skin tingle. It was hard to grasp how soothing it felt.

After a short while, she drew back and we looked at each other with small smiles, still a bit troubled but much calmer than before. My hand found it's way to cup her cheek and she tilted her head into my touch, eventually nudging her to me again and sharing a very faint, yet powerful kiss. Her smile grew a little more after as she laid her head back down again.

Her voice was faint and still tinged with worry, but much calmer, "...I love you."

I gave her the simple, quiet reply that was all the words necessary, "I love you, too."

We watched each other for a while longer before she snuggled back under my chin. Even the smallest notice of our link told me she was far more relieved now as we lay together. We still had to work on it, but it would be reasonable. Like anything else, time eventually pushed things along and we had to rouse ourselves.

"Mmm...I suppose it's time I need to get up, Purple Angel." I said softly, feeling her embrace tighten around me.

She grumbled weakly, "Can't it wait a while longer?"

Chuckling softly, I began slipping out of her hold towards the edge of the bed, "You know I don't want to move, but I'd rather not pretend we have a leaky waterbed or something."

Twilight made a face and huffed, giving me a small shove, "Ugh...I guess I have to agree. Still going to follow you so I know you won't fall over and hurt yourself, ok?"

Slowly sitting up and letting myself get a feel for my body again, I gave her a small smirk, "I am sure that would be an unpleasant sight...and probably a terrible mess."

"What am I going to do with you, Vojin?" Twilight asked as she got herself up after a stretch, her wings quivering at full extension for a few moments.

I watched her body move around, relishing the view before slowly standing up, "Well...I suppose two options are roast me over a barbeque pit or cuddle me until I explode."

Twilight hopped off the bed next to me, rolling her eyes a little with a warm smile, "You keep interrupting cuddle time and I just might go for the former at some point...wait, what exactly is a barbecue pit?"

Before I had a chance to reply further, I felt myself tipping forward in a rush of dizziness. Almost instantly though, I felt myself pause and lift from the ground as Twilight caught me in her magic with a concerned frown. Without waiting for me to react, she marched towards the bathroom as I floated behind her.

"Just regular dizziness?" Twilight asked me softly.

Grumbling a little before giving a sigh, I nodded, "Yeah...thought I took enough time getting up slowly... You're not letting me walk again for now, are you?"

"No. If it happens too much, you're going to be restricted to bed.," she said softly, fresh worry in her voice.

She helped me through morning needs soon enough and we returned to bed since it was hardly mid-morning. After having some crackers and apples that had been set aside by our bed last night, we just lay together for a while. Her hoof traced lines and contours along my ribs and chest while I had a hand slowly ruffling the fur on her chest, quietly watching each other.

After a time, I saw her eyes begin to tear up, "Vojin...I think I...do you still want to hear what happened after you passed out?"

I gave her a slow nod, "I would like to know. Do you want to snuggle up against me like earlier or...?"

Twilight sniffled and shook her head, "No, I want to see your eyes right now. I might try to avoid it if I get that comfortable again."

"Take your time. You have a captive audience after all..." I mused with a small smile, hoping to ease at least a little of the unpleasant story she was about to share.

She gave a long, slow sigh with her eyes closed as she steadied herself to tell me what happened before I woke up. After another deep breath, she looked at me again as she spoke softly, "After you finally went unconscious, we still had a minute or two before we reached the hospital. Somewhere between then and running in the hospital door, you had stopped breathing, but I didn't realize it until they told me. You had been breathing so faintly..."

"There was a flurry of activity at first as I told them what happened and they did everything they could but after a few minutes, they just...j-just...," she stopped and took another slow breath before continuing, "They...told me there were no signs of life left. That you'd lost too much blood. I could still feel your presence and I knew you weren't gone. I was certain you were still with me, but the doctors and nurses didn't understand why I told them that. I couldn't come up with an explanation for how I knew in a way they could understand. I...I think at some point they began to assume I was just in denial and tried to tell me it w-was over...

"I started telling them to just put you in a room in the ICU and take care of you anyway. That I knew you could make it even though it seemed lost by the usual standards. A-After several minutes of trying to gently tell me you weren't coming back, I began getting angry with them. AJ saw I was telling the truth and even though it was hard to believe, she stood by me the whole time and did her best to keep me calm and help explain. She didn't have any understanding of the magic details and really just stood by me on trust. Fluttershy too.

"After a point, I started giving them blunt orders as a Princess of Equestria in every legal way I could think of. They didn't really listen at first but the moment I saw a pony from the hospital morgue approaching you, I just snapped. There was no more playing nice or being polite for me after that. I didn't do it very hard, but I pushed the pony from the morgue back several feet and screamed at him to not dare lay a hoof on you. Then at the doctors and nurses to get you into a room and start treating you for blood loss.

"They got you into a room after some more warnings and even a few threats. Fluttershy really put her Stare to use. Somehow, Rainbow Dash got wind of things and showed up too. I had her go talk to Spike and get a letter to Celestia about the situation. It couldn't have been more than five minutes before Rainbow came back with a reply already in hoof that the Princess was on her way down. She really helped keep things going with getting you set up with monitors and other stuff.

"Around the time you were only missing an IV, that nurse we met before, Swift Bandage, thought he'd try to be direct and 'make me face the truth' as I heard it mentioned later. He tried arguing with me, trying to make me see what the hospital saw as reality. It wasn't long before I was holding back Rainbow Dash while yelling at him about being an idiot. I still don't know what he said, the girls didn't hear it, but whatever it was he'd told me at one point...I-I snapped again and sent him crashing into the wall three feet off the ground with enough force he was embedded enough to actually be stuck until another nurse pulled him free. Thank Celestia I included a shield spell, the force I hit him with would have killed him and we both knew it. He could barely walk out of the room with how badly he was shaking.

"By the time Princess Celestia arrived about thirty minutes after she got word, none of the hospital staff would go near the room out of fear. Thankfully, she was able to sense what I was talking about with you still being with me and saw you were regenerating. She left the room for just a couple minutes, but she came back with a full medical team that quickly did everything once they understood what was going on. Celestia even had an old and very obscure healing spell to help you recover a little sooner." Twilight paused, taking time to blow her nose before another few calming breaths with the hardest parts now explained.

Once she felt ready again, she continued, "As soon as everything had calmed down and the waiting was all that was left, I just cried against Celestia for at least two hours. Pinkie and Rarity showed up with Spike at some point in all that too. I-I...I've...never cried so hard or so long before. Not much else really happened after I finally stopped crying and we just waited.

"Princess Celestia was able to more clearly explain the situation to the girls and gave an estimate on how long before your body would start responding again. I will never find words to express how much relief I felt when the heart monitor started beeping hours later. Celestia couldn't stay much longer after that, knowing there was little else she could do and the hardest part was over. She said it would be a couple days before you would likely wake up, but that I could trust that you would."

Twilight closed her eyes and tried to calm herself a bit more, taking deliberately slow breaths. As her shaky exhalations smoothed out again, she opened her eyes. She looked exhausted but also somewhat relieved just from telling me what happened. After looking into my eyes for a minute, she snuggled in against me with another sniffle.

She sounded tired, but fairly calm as she finished the course of events, "It was pretty much a waiting game after that. Like I already said before, I never left your side for more than a few minutes at a time and only when one of my friends was present. They came up with a simple schedule so one of them could always be with me during the day for visiting hours. It really helped. You know the rest after you finally woke up..."

With no more than a sniffle or two, she became silent and still. An occasional nuzzle was all that told me she wasn't asleep as I held her close. I simply held her, letting my fingertips trace along her spine.

It was somewhat strange to hear about the situation that took place while I was out. I had a feeling she only told me the more important pieces but it was enough to let me understand. I felt her slowly settle into a more relaxed state as she drifted into a light sleep, her faint cute little snore could be heard easily while she was so close to me.

I spent some time in quiet thought. She had gone through so much for my sake. I didn't want to think much about how I might have reacted in her place, knowing for all the trouble she went through and caused, I would have been far worse. If it wasn't for being able to commune together because of my magic knowledge, I could only guess at how hard it would have been for her to put herself back together. I had seen how deeply she had been hurt and how close she had been to breaking inside.

My eyes went to the window, watching the weather team shifting some clouds in the sky. Twilight and I had the whole day to ourselves if needed. After being able to find some balance together and hearing what happened though, we would likely have the girls visit in the afternoon. I was frustratingly weak and cautioned against trying too much magic for a few days as well, to prevent straining my body as it recovered. I surmised things were on the mend at least. The Royal Guard would hopefully finish their Everfree patrols after another week, once the timber wolves were dispersed or destroyed again.

As I let myself be lulled into a nap by Twilight's presence, I promised myself that once I recovered, I would push myself to learn magic even more than before. I couldn't let the situation ever repeat itself. Not for my sake, but so I never put Twilight through so much pain again. I knew I could have done better with more knowledge, more spells.

Having affirmed the promise in my mind, I took a slow deep breath and relaxed further as my eyes closed. Just listening to that cute little snore that left me feeling like the world made a little more sense somehow. The last thought that crossed my mind as sleep came over me again was wondering why the two of us seemed to have a piece of our spirits exchanged.