This is chapter 4. Chapter 3 was uploaded incredibly early, so if you missed it, skip back a page.

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She was awake before she'd opened her eyes. Light was filling her vision even behind her eyelids, and reluctantly she opened them up. The sun peaked in the room, flooding it with light, and filling her eyes with it. She noted that the view was absolutely fantastic, but it was slightly lessened by the whole being in a hospital bit.

All her legs felt sore, and breathing proved to be difficult. Her head also hurt, and when she twisted her head her neck felt so rusty and creaky. Her wings, despite the sheer amount of work put on them, actually felt fine.

"Mornin'." Fluttershy turned her head to the side and looked down, over the side of the bed. Twilight looked back up at her, a blanket laid on the ground as did a pillow. "You look lively, feel alright?" Twilight stood with a smile, but Fluttershy's trained eyes noticed she favored her left side. Probably the side she slept on the floor.

"Oh Twilight, why did you spend the night on the floor?" Fluttershy asked with a small sigh, still very much concerned for the pony. Three days with horn pains, one fight night of crazy, and this time she chose her own suffering. She really just needed to lay down of her own choosing and relax.

"You fell asleep while comforting me." Twilight admitted with a small, sheepish smile. "I wasn't sleepy so I got to the floor and noticed they had extra blankets and a pillow underneath along with this." Twilight telekinetically lifted a book into view, simply titled as: 'Cuts, Pains, and Sores: Household Remedies to Household Pains.' "I guess I just spent the whole night reading. I've never really looked at medical books before, they're quite fascinating! I know so much more about Pony anatomy and medical care." She smiled.

Twilight always did love to learn new things. It was a good thing she lived in a library, otherwise she would just visit every day. And live there anyways. Fluttershy smiled softly. "I'm very happy for you Twilight. But really, it's no big deal, you can go home if you-" Twilight stomped a hoof sharply on the tile floor.

"No." Her voice was firm and her stare hard as she spoke, and then she softened. "I need to make up for everything that went wrong, for everything I did. I'm going to start by making you more comfortable." Fluttershy hid her nose under the sheets again while Twilight went to the bathroom and came back with several towels wrapped around something. Twilight pressed the cold packs and gently tied them around the sore area's of Fluttershy's body, and smiled at her handiwork. "How do you feel?"

Fluttershy shifted, thought for a moment, and smiled. "Good, thank you." Twilight smiled hugely as the door opened down the room. The two girls looked as Spike walked inside, carrying a big plate of food above his head. "Good morning Twilight! I brought you something to eat. Hi Fluttershy." Spike smiled at the two girls as he set the plate of pancakes and grilled asparagus on the nightstand.

"Hi Spike! Wow, this looks amazing, I wish I'd been in bed for this…" Twilight sniffed the meal, then floated it to set it on the bed by Fluttershy.

"Good morning Spike. I'd, uh, be a little louder but-"

"I understand Fluttershy." He hopped on top of the bed, and watched as Twilight carefully cut the food with a knife and fork, using her hooves to work through the pastries. She took a small section and held it to Fluttershy's mouth.

Fluttershy, despite her grace and elegance, couldn't stop herself from licking her lips. "I shouldn't Twilight… He made it for you…" She was met with a rough stare, and meekly she opened her mouth and took a bite, then whimpered at the taste. "Oh this is so good Spike! Fantastic even. " Spike smiled in triumph as Twilight ate a bite as well, and took turns presenting it to Fluttershy, then to herself.

"That's why he's my number one assistant. He can do anything." Spike hid a blush as the two girls ate breakfast. While Twilight ate, she wondered if Spike knew what had happened, if he'd reported it to Celestia, if he thought differently of her. She watched him carefully as she ate, but Spike seemed no different. When they finished, Twilight put the dish aside and used a towel to clean any mess off herself or Fluttershy.

"Oh, that reminds me." Spike turned to the unicorn. "Rarity stopped me on the way here. She was wondering if you knew anything about cleaning ash off a doorl." Twilight froze, and before either of them could ask, slipped into the bathroom. "Huh, you think she's-" He stopped when he faced Fluttershy. No mere mortal could face The Stare.

"You are not to make light of Miss Sparkle's condition Spike." She told him, still sounding deathly serious in a pained whisper.

"Alright alright!" Spike held up his little hands. "It's not like I'm trying to be mean, it's just…"

"It is a big deal." Twilight said, passing by, lifting up Spike by his neck using her teeth and set him by her side. She had a very passive look as she faced Fluttershy. "I'm going to be back as soon as I'm done helping Rarity. Actually, I'll visit Zecora and get some herbs to help you first, then I'll be back. Don't worry." Twilight took a step towards the door.

"Twilight, wait, will you come here?" Fluttershy asked, tugging the blanket up to her chin, suddenly shy. Her little heart was beating as Twilight approached slowly. "Look Twilight, what you did yesterday… It wasn't you, but you had the right intentions. Protecting yourself and me. Whatever that part of you was, it went overboard, but you were the one that saved us both. Thank you." Fluttershy leaned in, and planted the lightest kiss on Twilight's cheek, causing the Unicorn to leap back in mild surprise. The two stared at the other, Twilight with wide eyes and Fluttershy with happy ones, and the Unicorn slowly smiled.

"Okay. But I'm still coming back. I promise." Twilight smiled softly. Fluttershy nodded, but the unicorn leaned in. "I mean it. I'm gonna come back and make you nice and comfortable. I-" She paused, and to Spike's and Fluttershy's confusion, let out an exasperated sigh, "I Pinkie Pie Swear."

---

Twilight rubbed her sore eye through the lid as Spike escorted her to the boutique. She couldn't tell because of her eye, but Spike could see the looks in everyone else's eyes. Twilight scared them. Twilight was a stranger. Twilight was too dangerous. Only the ones that genuinely knew who she was offered sympathetic looks, and the only ones that were spared a glare from Spike.

How couldn't he have heard about what happened last night? The deaths, the changes, the terror Twilight had become, but as far as Spike saw, she was the same old Pony, just with a big freaking horn now. Having been raised by the unicorn, he knew better. Whatever had happened, Twilight had a good reason, and if she wasn't in control, she wasn't to blame for her actions. He hung back a bit and rubbed Twilight's side. The unicorn gently hit his tail with a sweep of her own in kind. As they neared the boutique, she began to slow. Spike kept pace, and Twilight turned to look at him with a slightly worried face. He knew her thoughts, he pet her side. "You're the same old Twilight, I don't think you're bad in any way. Now c'mon, let's go look at the door."

On the door of the boutique was another painful reminder of the morning before. The pony had been thrown into the wall, and vaporized, leaving a shadow of his body slumped against the front door. The white unicorn was already standing there, staring at it closely.

Rarity was in a conundrum. Not about the door, it needed to be washed of course, but ever since she'd spied it this morning during her list of chores she couldn't help but start thinking about Twilight. A lot of rumors were flying around town and somebody had even protested her staying in the same hospital as Fluttershy, but the doctor was adamant to keep the two together. She had no doubt it was a good idea, Fluttershy would help Twilight when she woke up, and knowing Twilight she wouldn't leave Fluttershy's-

"Morning Rarity." Spike called, smiling hugely as he approached. "I enlisted some help in cleaning your door!" He smiled as Rarity turned to look to Twilight. Twilight stood tense, not sure what to do under Rarity's stare. As plain and unassuming as it was.

Rarity rubbed her chin with her hoof as she stared at Twilight. "Shouldn't you be with Fluttershy? I figured you'd be spending every waking moment by the poor dear's side." Rarity felt her stomach pinch at the look on Twilight's face. "N-not that you don't have a good reason to be here I'm sure. Helping with the door, right?"

Twilight nodded slowly. "I also wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened. If I was just not stupid and took control-"

"Not another word Twilight Sparkle. It wasn't you who ruined my door, it was that, how did Rainbow Dash put it so crudely? Yes, that b-word with the fancy lightning. From everything I've heard, your body was there, not the true you." Rarity turned back to the door in consideration while Twilight hung her head.

"See Twilight? Your friends don't think you're a bad person. Everything that happened wasn't your fault. Nobody will ever say otherwise." Spike smiled, but it was mystified at Twilight's continued frown. "C'mon Twilight, what's the problem here? You can tell your number one assistant."

"I feel like I'm responsible…" Twilight admitted quietly. Spike just grew more mystified. "It feels good that everybody trusts me but after all that happened I… I could have stopped it. If I stopped scaring myself and took a step forward. If I just tried…"

"Maybe so." Spike admitted with a shrug. "But it's not like we'll know unless it happens again, and I know pretty well that the moment you get to the library you'll do everything you can to research a way into controlling it. Face it Twilight, I know you in and out, you get cranky when something's out of order. Now c'mon, go help her clean that door so we can get to Zecora's."

Twilight hung her head and approached the door, while Rarity stared even more closely at the stain. "You, um, understand that I'm hesitant to clean it myself. Do you have any suggestions? Perhaps a hose from a distance? Splash some soap on it?"

"Don't worry Rarity, I'll get it." Twilight took the nearby sponge in hoof and dipped it in the buckets of water and soap and began to clean slowly, wiping away the pains of yesterday with each stroke.

"What are you doing darling!" Rarity demanded, pushing her leg down with an undignified snort. "Using your bare hooves to clean such a…" She looked to the stain and bowed her head in slight apology. "Don't you think you should use your magic?"

Twilight bit her lip as she pulled her leg away and shook her head. "No, Rarity. I'm not comfortable using magic right now. I'd rather do this manually." She made a move to clean again, but Rarity stopped her again.

Rarity stood there, gave a small, sad smile, and nodded. "I understand. But trust your magic Twilight, it is yours to control after all." Twilight gave a small sigh and kept cleaning. Rarity joined in a moment later, using her own magic to wash the door down. There was not a single comforting thing about the whole ordeal.

---

The news of the attack had sent the Canterlot castle into full red alert mode. An attack on a royal carriage was unheard of. Even bandits dared not disturb the guards no matter how many there were, and such crimes were quickly and easily brought to justice. Celestia did not use her magic to invade the privacy of others unless there was a sufficiently inexcusable crime.

Celestia knew she could not stand idly by, especially since two of her guards had gotten hurt in the process, and worse, their targets were the passengers. She'd spent hours in a trance, guards in every corner of the room to watch the Princess while she was unable to watch herself, and more than one of them was nervous staring at her. Normally she could identify the attackers and have them arrested in an instant, but she was spending far too long in her trance.

There was a knock on the door, and it was opened so three guards could enter, one in the lead, and one pushing the other on a gurney. Celestia drew herself out of her trance to watch the guards approach. The guards were blessed, many assumed, to see Celestia at all times. In public, in private, and in a way, they were right. They saw the Princess at all times, when she was happy, and especially when she was sad. Many commoners did not understand what she endured, but the guards did. The guards performed their duties and acted as a buffer between her and the world around her that, despite her very best, did not pacify itself and leave her subjects unharmed. If worst came to worst, they were there to share in her private moments of gloom, and do whatever she asked to ease the pains.

Since Luna had come, Celestia had been happier, having less moments to simply lay down in silence and consider the world outside the castle, as the two preferred to sit and discuss it. They acted as friends, they acted as advisors, and they acted as comfort. The guards were happy to see the Princess in brighter spirits, but today they knew they'd be hard to come by. Nobody knew that better than the three guards who just entered.

"We come baring new information regarding the attack on Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy." The lead announced, turning his head to the bed-ridden male who squirmed his way into a sitting position.

"You could not have better time. I regret to inform everyone that, despite my best efforts, I can't seem to find the attackers by any magical means." Her voice was shy, and very sorry. The guard waved it away, and sat before Celestia as he cleared his throat.

"I think I may be able to offer some insight into why, ma'am. We've been doing extensive work on the location of the attackers ourselves but have turned up short, until he woke up." He turned his head to the pony in the cot, who had finally gotten comfortable sitting. Celestia's ears flicked forward, and she watched the man carefully.

"…" He stared at the Princess with understanding eyes, and he finally spoke. "Princess, what I'm about to tell you is going to be hard to hear. When I'd fallen and hit the tree I was given the perfect view of everything that went on beneath the clouds. I cannot tell you all of the details, but I'll do my best to explain what I saw." Now every guard in attendance was listening in, and the utter silence of the statement caused the guard to squirm again. "If I am correct Princess Celestia, your sight requires a person as the focus. As in when you use it to find somebody, that person has to exist?"

"Correct." The Princess said immediately, now watching the guard suspiciously. Something didn't seem right with his tone. He knew of terrible things.

"Well, as far as I can tell, the reason you've turned up short is no fault of your own. The people you were trying to find, the attackers…" He worked his jaw slowly. "After miss Sparkle's work, I can safely say there was no possible way there would be any bodies left."

His words hung in the air, which had turned a few degrees colder as Celestia's surprise grew palpable. "Perhaps…" She started, breaking the silence mercifully as she took a few steps closer to the guard. "Perhaps if you could explain more, sir?" The guard nodded his head quietly, and slowly closed his eyes in thought.

"When I'd landed in the tree, I was dazed for several moments, but when I came to I could see Miss Sparkle's Pegasus friend carrying her up to the clouds. What had brought me to was a flash of lightning, much like the one that had grounded me. The two broke through the cloudline and the attackers followed. I couldn't see anything then, but there was a lot of thunder and a lot of flashes. I don't know who was attacking, but I remember seeing the two girls fall. Their attackers followed, and Miss Sparkle had landed on a cloud. Her friend tried to join her, but was driven off and chased back to Ponyville by one of the attackers. The rest of the attackers attempted multiple times to secure Miss Sparkle." The guards and the Princess leaned forward for more information. The guard collected his thoughts, and finally spoke. "I don't want to accuse you of anything, Princess Celestia, but it had always been my understanding that the school does not teach spells made solely to harm others. Miss Sparkle's lightning spell was… Unmatched." The Princess' wings stretched their full length as agitation entered her limbs, forcing her to pace back and forth. "And unfortunately, equally non-survivable. The attackers…" The guard grimly felt his face sink. They were hardened, all hardened, but death not brought on by the years was unusual, and disgusting. "I can safely say you can't find them because there's nothing of them left. What wasn't immediately disintegrated was burned away."

The Princess stopped in front of her throne, staring straight at the sun just above where she would sit, the representation of who she was and what she did, her significance to the world and her care, the warmth she felt for it and chose to gave it, and she felt like ice. "Think back. Carefully." She chose her words wisely. "You're sure this wasn't a dream brought on by the attack?" Her tone her dropped very low.

The guard gulped visibly from the accusation in Celestia's voice. It was a tough thing to accuse the Princess' beloved student of something so drastic as murder. "Princess Celestia, I mean you nor your student any disrespect. I know I was awake for that full thing. For her part, when Rainbow Dash showed up, she no longer attacked. The only ponies she…" He had to be careful with this. He didn't want to wound the Princess any further. "Fought off were her attackers. I've heard she and her friend are both safe in Ponyville."

"I know." The Princess turned back to the sun insignia above her throne. "Take him back to the hospital. And leave the room. All of you. I have much to think about." They complied, slowly, one by one exiting the room. The Princess hadn't asked for her guards to leave in many many years. They hoped, for Princess Celestia's sake, Twilight Sparkle had good reasons.

---

"Well, all washed up." Rarity stared at the freshly washed door with Twilight, who set the sponges to the side. The door stood fine, not a thing wrong with it, yet it still gave them both an uneasy feeling. Especially since the sponges sat there, blackened with ash. "What do you suppose we do with those?" She asked, pointing to the items.

"I was thinking of that…" Twilight sighed softly, apparently not wanting to think about it anymore. "I want to bury them. Give that guy a grave or something. It's the least I can do." She felt a leg around her shoulders, and found Rarity smiling at her.

"One make-up at a time then. Do whatever you feel you need to do Twilight Sparkle, but if I may give you some advice…" She leaned in and whispered to her, "Avoid Rainbow Dash for today. I don't believe she's given up on you yet but she's going to demand answers and explanations. You know how she gets if anything happens to Fluttershy." Twilight gave a slow nod.

"I wouldn't know what to tell her anyways. I couldn't control myself. It's like I was having thoughts that weren't mine either. Ones that just didn't care." Rarity nodded slowly.

"In time, you'll find the answers. For now, we just have to pick up after ourselves and look for them." Rarity noticed Twilight's little smile, and leaned down to get a better look, prompting Twilight to turn away from her in embarrassment.

"Where do you find this advice, Rarity? You don't seem like the sort who'd know." Twilight quickly added, "No offense."

"Comes with being an older sister. Sweetie Belle has so many questions and troubles, I was bound to have some good advice to pass around. It helps she can't cook to save her life, and the only thing Scootaloo seems to get attracted to is food." Twilight gave her a questioning look, and Rarity chortled. "Oh listen to me mouth off. Don't let me hold you up, and I'll help you dig the grave for the, uh, sponges. Just come by when you need me." Twilight nodded. She felt a little better now that it was done and she'd had a talk. She would definitely come get Rarity if she meant it.

As she nudged Spike to get him to follow, Rarity spoke up again. "Oh, uh, Twilight? I don't mean to steal away your friends but I have a big project I need to work on tonight and I need somebody to keep an eye on Sweetie Belle while I work. I was wondering if I could borrow Spike?"

Twilight looked down to the dragon, who looked back up to Twilight with big, round pleading eyes, and the unicorn sighed in amusement. "Alright Rarity. But just to let you know I will be going to Zecora's before I go see Fluttershy again. I should be with her all night." Rarity nodded at that and waved her off as Spike ran to join his crush.

Twilight wished she hadn't allowed it as she walked towards the Everfree Forest. With Spike there, she was always sure she had somebody to watch her back, somebody she could trust, but without him, as she walked through the town full of people now doing their best to avoid her, she felt more isolated than ever before. She'd gotten so used to the warmth of the town and friendship, hearing all the talking turn to whispers, the ponies avoiding her gaze… She wasn't welcome at her own home anymore.

Leaving the town had almost been a relief since she no longer had to see the accusing looks. Her tail even perked up a little as she stepped into the forest. It meant she was a step closer to getting to Zecora and getting some remedies for Fluttershy, and helping her, and making up for-

"Yo, Twilight!" Twilight paused and turned, staring into the sky and cringing as she saw the rainbow. Rainbow Dash slowed to a stop and landed next to the unicorn, and gave her a curious look. "What are you going into the forest for? I've been looking out all day to see when you'd finally take a step out of the hospital, grab a nap, and now you're going into the forest?"

Twilight chuckled nervously, and gave a slow nod, remembering Rarity's advice. Just don't talk about what had happened. "Well, yeah, I was going to see Zecora and see if she had any herbs or remedies to help with Fluttershy's aches."

"Oh, right." Dash's eyes narrowed and Twilight began to walk, Rainbow Dash keeping up, ahead of her in fact as she looked back at her. "I've been wanting to ask you…"

'Oh no…' Twilight didn't want to answer any questions she didn't have the answer to herself. Or answer ones she'd already answered. "Rainbow Dash." She interrupted quickly. "Can we not talk about what happened? I kind of want to just move on and help everyone. Make up for what I did." She walked past the Pegasus, who stopped in her tracks, then sprang ahead of Twilight.

"No way, I have a lot of questions to ask you about what the hay happened! You can't just walk away and say no! This is serious stuff!" She tossed her body in front of Twilight, and to her surprise, took an incredibly aggressive stance, one that spoke 'one more step and you're going to the ground'. She wanted to be mad about this, to be absolutely furious that Dash didn't understand, but then it occurred to her that Dash wasn't afraid of her. That meant more to her right now than Dash's stubbornness.

Still, she wasn't in a talking mood. "No, Dash, I want to hurry back. I've left Fluttershy alone for too long." She tried to walk around the Pegasus, but Dash had charged her, knocking her to the ground, standing over her so Twilight couldn't get away.

"Look Twilight, I'm not too big on hurting my friends but I'm not letting you move until you start talking and answering. This is a huge deal, we can't just ignore it." The Pegasus stiffened her legs as Twilight began to squirm, and stared up at Dash with a mixture of shock and angered annoyance.

"Well I don't want to talk about it right now! I've been thinking about it constantly day in and day out, I dreamed about it all yesterday and watched myself kill them again and again without having the ability to care! I! Don't! Want! To! Talk!" She tossed herself and thrashed, but Rainbow Dash held her still between her legs and glared down into her eyes.

"I'm not talking about the deaths! If you'd sit down and think for a moment you'd realize there's something deeper going on. The others didn't want to talk to you about it yet but I just know if we don't something bad will happen soon and there won't be any answers!" The Pegasus stomped the ground near Twilight's neck, not to intimidate but to show her frustration. It served both purposes.

"Well I don't know what to tell you! You haven't asked me anything and won't let me up!" Twilight's horn glowed for just a moment, considering pushing Dash off of her, but the blue Pegasus shrieked and tossed herself away at the sight of the glow, taking an even more aggressive stance when Twilight sat up. "Dash-!" She gasped at the look in her eyes. "I- I didn't mean to, I was just going to push-"

"How hard!" Dash shouted, taking an uneasy step back. "Fluttershy told us you got a whole lot more magic, how do I know you can control it? How do I know it was just a little 'push'?"

Twilight quivered as she got to her hooves, "Because that's all it was meant to be! I know I can do my magic without going overboard, I already did it in Canterlot. Dash you have to believe me, I don't intent to hurt anypony every again with my magic." She watched as the Pegasus slowly lifted from her crouched pounce, but her face never wavered.

"Fine." Dash softened her muscles and stood still, watching Twilight's every move. "Who the hay were those guys attacking you?"

---

A dragon in the sky was a rare and terrifying sight. Dragons rarely flew by day, and even if they were going anywhere at all, it wouldn't be far from their dens. If they were flying, they were searching for new dens, or perhaps a mate, both which could have destructive repercussions on the surrounding environment. But more than that, a dragon was not a social creature except with its mate and the occasional familial visit, and always flew alone.

"The Trell are getting antsy, she's near." Rukafelth turned his head to the side, his Sky-Tracer barely paying attention to the direction of his mount as the dragon rocked back and forth in the air, trying to dislodge the spurs in its neck as he stared into his pack. "What's our direction, Captain?"

The Juggernaut calmly stroked the side of his powerful companion's neck before he stood, turning to his force of some twenty-three men and their gently gliding beasts, and made a wave for their attention. "The three of you whom I've entrusted in the capture are to take the Trell-bag and let it guide you to her. The rest of you will come with me to our station. Laputa will wait no longer." He called, in his own throat, barely above his normal speaking voice, but to the riders he boomed with authority and power.

"Aye!" Three riders pulled up underneath the Sky-Tracer, riding smaller dragons that barely qualified as drakes themselves, but none-the-less served their purpose incredibly well. The Tracer closed the pack he'd been staring into and dropped it below into the open hooves of the lead Catcher. The three riders fell into seeking formation, dropping from the group of twenty-four as Rukafelth lead his squad far to the south.

---

"I have no idea Dash." She stared down at her hooves quietly, shuffling with agitation she had only just begun to experience. It was odd, she did not feel annoyed at Rainbow Dash, yet some sense of energy entered her, making her tremble. "We thought they were bandits until that one began to speak to me."

"Bandits who summon lightning?" Dash asked dryly, making Twilight wince.

"I honestly have no idea Dash, I've been in Canterlot nearly my whole life studying magic. If I'd known there was such a thing as a Pegasus that could command lightning, I'd have heard about it." Dash began to pace now, also agitated.

"Well I'd have too. Lightning's no easy thing to deal with, and making it without touching the clouds? Impossible without magic. What if they were just unicorns with that wing spell?" But Twilight was shaking her head.

"None of them had horns from what I saw, and you could tell if they started to glow. I saw them seem to summon it using their wings."

"Wings aren't magical, they're all natural." Dash spread her own pair, flapping lightly, not lifting off the ground, just doing so for show. "What about Pegasi with enchanted wings?" But again, Twilight was shaking her head.

"No glow." Dash worked her jaw in a circle as she thought about it, then stomped with a tiny huff.

"Well what the heck is it then? You don't just summon lightning! And that reminds me, that guy yelling at you, calling you false and lies, he certainly seemed to know you." She paused, then glared. "Yeah, that's why I asked you that, he knew you pretty well to call you a liar!"

Twilight twitched, but shook her head. "No no no no, I didn't know him, I knew nothing about what he was talking about. I guess he was talking about my horn or my increase in magic, but, I just thought he was crazy. Just babbling about things…"

"I don't know about that, he seemed pretty sure of himself. There's something about your horn, Twilight." Dash stuck her face in front of Twilight's, and glared. "And I don't like it, and I want it gone. It makes you weird and it caused bad ponies to attack you and Fluttershy. Get. Rid of it." She articulated, making Twilight glare back.

"If I could get rid of my new horn, don't you think I would have? It's caused me nothing but trouble for four days straight, and there's no way I'd get rid of my ability to use magic. Magic is my life! It's what I was meant to do, I'm not going to just go cut the entire thing off!"

"Not even if it keeps hurting Fluttershy? Or yourself? What happens if Pinkie Pie, or me, or Applejack, or Rarity gets caught up in it? You're just going to keep it around even if it's dangerous?"

"We don't KNOW if it's what's dangerous!" Twilight shouted. Normally there'd be a flock of birds flying in fear of the sudden outburst, but neither girl noticed it was too quiet. "It could just be that extra magic and I have no idea how to get rid of it, and I'm not about to chop my horn off just to make sure! This sort of thing requires study, testing, and more than anything, PATIENCE!"

"And look where study, testing, and PATIENCE got us! It got Fluttershy hospitalized!"

"That was because we didn't know what was going on! As soon as I figure out with all the PATIENT STUDYING I'll be doing, it will never happen again, I'll even siphon out all that extra magic if it means safety, but I will not remove my horn!"

"It's just a dumb horn Twilight! Get it off and we won't have any more freaks attacking ponies who matter!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes to match Dash's, and they stared at each other for the longest time. "Only if you remove your wings." She spoke plainly. Rainbow Dash leapt back, wings extended, and wrapped around herself.

"No way! No way in heck! These are way too important to me Twilight! You don't just get rid of somebody's wings! They're my life! I can't live without th-" She froze in mid-sentence and stared at Twilight. Then her horn. She then looked back at her wings and flapped them. Magic was Twilight's life. Flying was hers. If she lost her own wings, she didn't think there'd be anything left. What else was there to do for her? Sure she was athletic but she was meant to be a Pegasus, meant to fly.

She looked to Twilight, who was staring at the ground with a very pained look on her face. Twilight spent her life studying and practicing magic. Sure she'd make a great secretary, perhaps even a good mayor, but that didn't interest her. Dash looked at her wings and then to Twilight's horn.

She approached, slowly, and lifted Twilight's chin with her hoof, and did her best to look as sorry as possible. "Twilight, I didn't mean it. I-… I was scared and not thinking. Twilight, I'm so-" The world turned into a blur as something grabbed her, and she was crushed against Twilight. Something tough and knotted pressed against her side, and she felt the ground leave them.

When she opened her eyes, she could see the sky through a criss-crossed pattern of rope, her snout stuck through one of the square holes. Up above them, she saw a masked pony in dark armor pulling them up while the dragon he rode turned, bringing them south.