Upon awakening Celestia was happy to discover that, for the second time in a row, she was not in the same place she had fallen asleep. However a second niggling feeling lurked in her emotions like a leech, destroying her groggy morning feeling with it's presence alone. Disgusting and slimy and utterly impossible to fully grasp it was a worry that bite into her happiness suddenly and took all of it away from her, leaving her full of nothing but fear.

She shivered under the mysterious blankets that lay over her, though she was more than warm, she was boiling. The floorboards around her felt cool even without touching them, like a spring morning on a temperate farmstead. Above her she could see the roof of the room, leaning into the middle and forming the shelter. It didn’t take her long to realize she was in some kind of attic. But, out of everything, the mattress she rested on was extremely out of place, certainly not one to be stored away.

It’d been a long time since Celestia had been in a place of weakness like this. No comfort, no knowledge of what was going on, utterly alone in this terrifying experience. She looked to her side and saw Daring Do, though her head was now wrapped tightly with bandages, some unknown wound having dyed them red, she was out cold and seemed to be sleeping horribly, fighting and struggling with something in her nightmares.

Her fret grew and climaxed at the sight, her entire set of mental statutes collapsing horribly under a weight she hadn’t been prepared to bear. Her magic was gone, not her unicorn magic, that was still there. But HER magic was gone, the deep seated magic that flowed through her very being and gave her the power to control the sun. It was no longer there, and she felt empty without it, she merely hoped it would one day return.

“S-s-s-so,” Celestia looked to voice immediately, her head snapping to face it. She saw the biped huddled in multiple blankets, his teeth chattering like he was in full exposure to the elements. She glared at him in anger, readying her muscles to attack if he tried anything. He clenched his teeth to gain control of his voice and continued speaking. “Am I a hero, or a villain?”

She stared at him in answer, and he continued to shake like a leaf, a steady half lidded glare on his face despite his horrible affliction. “Neither.” She answered coldly, and he merely stared back with that same look on his features. “Why are you shaking?” The words held no worry for his well being, barely even curiosity, it was closer to something you would ask someone who never does something without a purpose.

“I’m c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c,” He swung his fist angrily into the wall and bit his tongue in a fit of anger. With a deep breath, he started again. “Containing it.” Celestia was about to ask why when she heard hoofsteps approaching from nearby, no doubt summoned by the sound of the attack on the wood supports. Turning her head, Celestia saw the entrance to the attic, a small hatch in the floor towards the corner. It wasn’t but a minute until two ponies, a married couple by the looks, arrived on the scene.

Immediately they looked at their fair princess, approaching her quickly with crippling worry on their faces. She was bombarded with questions immediately, all of them directed to her current state. Was she hungry, did she need any medical attention, where did it hurt, what about water, did she need water? Each question beat against her skull, a migrane growing in her brain with each passing second.

When she spotted the biped standing from his position she had a brief flickering hope that he might make them stopped, but she killed that hope as soon as it was kindled, knowing he wouldn’t. Indeed, he merely walked behind the couple, as if they didn’t know he was there at all. He was about to head down the hatch when he stopped. “Is there still hot cocoa in the kitchen?”

The mare looked to him, as if only just realizing it was not only her and her husband in the room with the princess. She was shell shocked by the question, being drug out of her dream land by something as mundane as hot cocoa. “No.” She answered at last. “I think you finished it off yesterday.”

He nodded. “I’ll go g-g-g-get some more from the market, then.”

“Thank you, James.” She nodded, but it wasn't too long before she turned away from him and put all her attention on Celestia once again.

He went to the wall near the hatch and reached into the, nigh-invisible, bag that Celestia had brought along at the start of their journey, pulling a handful of bits from the bottom. Then without a word he exited down the hatch and out of sight. By the time he had gone Celestia was once again being bombarded by questions, but none of them reached her ears, she was still somewhat out of it.

“He told you his name?” Celestia cut in, surprised that he would give the information to this couple but not to her.

“Well yea, conversation just sorta drifted there one day when we were talkin’. Why?” The husband said, looking back at the hatch with a look of confusion on his face.

“How did you get it out of him?”

“Nothin’ special princess, we just asked him is all.” He answered pretty quickly with a good natured smile on his face.

Celestia paused, realizing she had never really tried to connect with him. She had expected him to start the conversations, something she had grown used to as princess. He never had though, so Celestia had assumed he kept everything secret. She marveled at how disconnected she had become, somewhat ashamed of her actions. But that feeling of shame was cut short when she recalled that he had almost let her die.

“Yea, it must been a few days after he hauled you both into town on his shoulders, shiverin’ like a fool. Yea, I reckon it couldn’t a been too long after that. Figured we'd give him a place to rest the two of ya, since he was kind enough to save ya from whatever had happened to ya.” The husband continued, indicating Daring Do with a hoof, and feeling the need to fill the silence that had elapsed while Celestia fell into her thoughts. She looked at her hosts and then back to the hatch, unsure what to think anymore.

A moan escaped Daring Do, as if awakening to the sound of her name being spoken. “Oh poor dear.” Said the mare, clicking her tongue, “She needs her bandages changed again no doubt, I hope James gets back soon, he doesn’t like it when we try and do it.”

She moaned again and the muffled sound of a closing door echoed through the building. It wasn’t long before James came back into the room with a steaming cup of hot cocoa boiling in his hands. His shivers had noticeably declined. He looked over to Daring Do who struggled in her sleep. “Alright both of you. I’m going to need you to leave, I know you have a lot of questions for the princess, but both these mares need their sleep.”

The couple agreed and filed out of the room shortly, raising the attic entrance as they left. Celestia remained in silence as James took a roll of bandages from her bag on the wall and carefully undid those already around Daring’s head. He washed a gash that ran along the side of her skull, then bound a new set of bandages over it, his own face cold and uncaring as he did so, occasionally stopping to drink some of his hot cocoa.

When he finished he looked at Celestia coldly, then knocked lightly on the hatch until it opened. He exited easily and closed it behind him, leaving them alone in the attic.

For the second time in barely anytime at all, Celestia was completely clueless what to make of the man.