~

"I've always marveled at the aspects of nature, young and old. To think that such elements could be the salvation and destruction of us all in the early years of our history… Then, of course, the Pegasi were created, and we no longer need to fear such deadly elements.

“But think about the wind, dearest one, the wind! How it uplifted the spirits of the crying and the feeble, graced their manes with calming breath and the gentle caress of coolness like a stroking, comforting hoof through one's fur. Do you remember in those early years, before the Harmonaya? Remember how we played for days in that wind, marveling at such a creation? It was in that moment, in those updrafts sailing us throughout the cool currents and waves of turbulence in the sky, that I realized everypony should enjoy such a wonderful thing.

Was I... wrong, maybe?

Perhaps. I mean, when I really look back and think on it, we probably should have taken into some consideration the power those elements had behind them. We've seen what they're capable of; ripping up trees, splitting the earth with their mighty roars, flooding the land in a great cascading rush of never-ending water whenever it pleased. Was I naive to think even the Pegasi could keep such things at bay? They do not possess the Mana Leylines of magic, nor could they ever hope to fully understand or grasp its vast concepts, yet it was still their purpose to control it, to an extent… Such an oddity, don't you agree?"

"...mmpgreehm..."

"Ah...the sound is muffled still. That is completely alright with me, dearest, I... I would just like to know someone is at least listening to me. I can't... possibly express how maddening it is to speak to nothing."

"Ahunmmnrstnd..."

"Thank you, indeed. As I was saying, how interesting was it to place into their hooves, elements that could have easily destroyed their entire existence at a moment's notice. Were we mad? Crazy? Insane!? What if such a thing backfired... what if it all went wrong and everypony in the sky and on the ground succumbed to nature's wrath? I'm sure I wouldn't be too happy either to have my very element of existence bended and molded to one's own preference. I would hardly feel like myself again, forced against a purpose I felt was not like my own.

...

But then again... I-I suppose I am guilty of such crimes. You know what I did, what I did similar to this, what backfired when I tried to take matters into my own hooves..."

"Melsnnia..."

"It's true though, isn't it? I can't stop thinking about it! I am sorry every day that I am still breathing upon this world, shamed by my existence. They're all right, all of them! I should have died, I should have been slaughtered like the genocidal monster I am! Oh what would mother say, what would Twili-"

The helmet was removed...

"Enough of this! Hush now, my beloved, you are relapsing again..."

"I... I am sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"’Tis a process...and we understand. Hush darling, hush... allow yourself to be well in time. Rest now."

"Thank you, my dearest Luna."

~

The air was colder than it had been the previous night.

Such an observation could be easily made by any equine with enough cognitive thought to process such a thing through one's mind. But, to a few others, the elements always meant something different to them. It was the attention to detail that was required by this few; the biting of the chilly air, the taste of the wind across one’s idle tongue, the dryness of a throat as the winter frost was drunken down in small gulps.

It was these acts that were being performed by one such being, one of pony shape, but the stripes of a species that was not native to the land. Simple black hooves rested firmly in the lavish grass that the being had come to love and adore with all her heart. The female casually ran a hoof through her striped mane and sniffed it shortly afterwards, nodding simply to herself.

"Ah..." she began, smiling slightly as a windy chill brushed through her again, "I cannot wait to see this ground aglow, when it finally comes time for it to snow!" She smiled at herself, imagining the wondrous colors and winds that she ever enjoyed.

It had made her remember the times that she visited with the lavender unicorn that loved to visit her so often in her lonely home of the forest, as they would spend many evenings together in the bittersweet snow, conversing of simple, kind topics and learning new things about each other, teaching…

Although, ever since the librarian had been turned into and back out of the form of stone by a cockatrice, there had been some less frequent visits. The striped mare understood, it was not very safe in the forest where she resided, but it was the only really good place where she could harvest the many natural ingredients needed for her potions and medicine.

Though she did miss those visits, learning about pony culture, about the many adventures the librarian had with her friends. She had often wondered what it would have been like to have those kinds of adventures of her own, what stories she would tell. She sighed, hanging her striped muzzle slightly and turning to go back inside her home.

It was nothing more than a simple dream anyway. She knew she'd be happy enough living alone in her forest, making medicine and potions to sell to clinics and hospitals or to simply experiment with different combinations of concoctions to share with her family if she ever traveled back home.

It still made her feel dreary though; knowing those times with the librarian would never come again...

The hut door opened as quietly as it closed, the breezy air continuing to whip about across the forest. The inside of the small wooden home was as roomy and cozy as she remembered it, the shelves upon shelves of ingredients, bottles, and other little odds and ends greeting her like the unique expressions of her tribal masks did. The zebra smiled, approaching her bubbling cauldron and taking a deep smell of the greenish vapors that rose quietly from its bubbling mass.

She licked her lips quickly before quickly stating to herself, "Maybe just a single teaspoon, and this potion will be done very soon." She frowned after a moment though, as she smelled the mixture again, "Mmh… maybe two to be sure, I would not like for this to turn out poor..."

She turned her head towards one of her ingredient shelves, her hooves automatically grasping a simple flask out and popping it open, slowly dripping a small amount into the cauldron.

She smiled as the redness of the bottle started to come out slowly, like syrup down a tree but slightly faster. She would have to be fast if she was going to add the exact amount. If she didn't, the mixture might not turn out as she hoped. The zebra was alone in the Everfree Forest, the chances of anything actually happening to interrupt her were few and far between.

It was this thought she had in etched in her brain as a thunderous explosion rocked her hut violently, causing her hoof to slip and drop the entire flask into the cauldron. The zebra whipped her head around at the sound of the thunderous crack.

Her windows flashed with the color of purple as she rushed towards her door, crashing through it as the sky flashed with the colors of lavender and purple for only a few seconds before suddenly disappearing. The forest was in a complete uproar, animals crying and roaring with alarm as scores of birds and bats took to the skies in a panic.

"What the...?" whispered the zebra, her native way of speaking abandoned in a fit of fear and nervousness. After a few moments of serene silence, she decided it must’ve been a simple spell mishap, she’d know if it was serious. Sighing, she turned back towards her cauldron and frowned as it began to overflow with a bubbling red mixture, the ruins of many days of hard labor and calculating wasted. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she made her way back inside the hut to begin cleaning up.

A furious pounding sounded upon her freshly closed door, causing the zebra to look back in uncertainty, turning to open the door again. As she pushed it open, a throaty gasp echoed out of her suddenly icy lungs. "By the waters of the Nile, what is the meaning of th- librarian!?"

Twilight Sparkle stood before the zebra, her brown cloak and hood shredded to near nothingness, her bandages unraveling slightly to reveal red marks scorched into her fur. She looked like she had been viciously attacked by a pack of javelinas.

Her crimson-filled eyes shut tight, a couple tears of blood leaking down her muzzle as her expression displayed the very clear indications of pain. "Z-Zecora..." Twilight wheezed, her breath coming out in ragged heaves.

"Hush now, child, come inside, quick!" Zecora whispered urgently, ushering the limping unicorn inside and kicking the door closed quickly after her. She helped Twilight to her bed, stripping off her ruined cloak and discarding it on the floor. As Twilight gently sat upon the edge of the bed, Zecora quickly rushed to fetch her a cup of water.

As she returned and pushed the cup between Twilight's hooves, the zebra asked in worry "Child what in Equestria has happened to you? You look as if you have lost to the second battle with the manticore you told me stalks these woods!"

Twilight grunted as she pounded the cup back, keeping her eyes shut tight as she wheezed painfully, "I-I mass teleported, took part of the tower with me. I had to get... I had to escape Canterlot before he..." She let out a choking sob as a fresh tear of crimson leaked from her eye, making Zecora press a hoof to her mouth in shock.

After a few tense moments, the zebra whispered "Twilight... you have the dark blood coming out of your eyes...do you ne-"

"Don’t touch it!” She snarled, dropping the cup in her hands and pushing her own hooves up against her eyes, quickly wiping them away, "Don't touch my blood, keep away!"

Zecora stepped back quickly but calmly, speaking quickly, "I am away from you! I am away from your blood. I know enough its effects, believe me!"

Twilight let out a tiny, weak whimper. "I'm sorry... I just, I don't want to end up losing you too..." She took in a few shuddering breaths before opening her eyes slowly, revealing her gleaming, glowing violets, and the dark reds that infested her once pearly whites "I'm so sorry..."

Zecora's eyes softened considerably as she whispered "By the savannahs, you don't need to apologize to me. You are alive and well in a world that believes you dead!” Zecora’s eyes swept across the unicorn with confused happiness, “This is wonderful news, but what on earth has put you in such a shredded state? Have you encountered the red-eyed demons again? Have they returned?"

Twilight shook her head, getting up off the bed and wincing as she felt a twinge of pain shoot through the back of one of her legs "There's no time Zecora, I'll explain later, but I need to know if you have anything that can cover up the smell of blood."

The zebra blinked for a moment before she whispered "Well...I do have some potions that can do such a thing, but in your condition there could be side effects, I don't know if it's a good ide-"

“It’s not for me!” Twilight abruptly interrupted, glancing out the window, knowing her time was running short. “Do you have anything?”

Zecora nodded, closing her mouth as she quickly trotted towards one of her shelves, sifting through it with quick hooves. She was feeling several things at that moment; fear, panic, uncertainty, confusion. She trusted the librarian though, knew that when she spoke that there was always truth behind her words. Sick or not, she was Twilight Sparkle, and she could be trusted. That was all the zebra needed.

"I think this one will do the trick you wish." Zecora explained as she showed a flask of yellow contents to the unicorn.

She nodded. “Good, I want you to go outside and sprinkle it on all of your doors and windows carefully, and do it fast.” Twilight explained as she rose from the chair, wincing in pain again but walking forward towards the front door.

"Of course..." Zecora whispered, nodding slightly, albeit slightly confused, but she didn’t question it, "Whatever you need of me, librarian."

The unicorn smiled and eyed a dark brown traveling cloak hanging beside the entrance. “Can I borrow this?” she asked the zebra passively, earning a simple nod in return. Twilight thanked her quickly and carefully slipped it over her, dropping the fluttering fabric over her tail and obscuring most of her bright color.

As she did so, her eye caught something metal and glinting on a nearby counter. Twilight slowly walked over, staring at it, emotions swiftly rushing back to her as she saw it slightly dirtied on the tip with a rusty color…

Carefully fitting her hoof through the specially-designed battle-knife strap, she raised it up and met Zecora’s eyes, who answered the silent question with a fateful nod.

"I'm so sorry for all of this trouble..." Twilight whispered, turning towards the door "I'll explain it all when I get back, I promise." She quickly made for the door, limping all the way and opening up the entrance to a world dangerous and diseased once more. "Oh..." Twilight whispered, turning her back towards Zecora, "One more thing... and please do this for your own safety." Zecora blinked and nodded once more, allowing Twilight to continue.

The unicorn sighed and quickly spoke with a voice clear and steady as she said the fateful words.

"When you're done with the potion...close your windows, make little to no noise, and please... don't, go, outside."

~

At first, a single hoof. Then a second, a third, twelve, twenty… they started crashing and pounding against the sides of the cottage, pummeling its surface with cracks and scrapes as the beasts below snarled with ferocious anger, and an insatiable hunger.

An orange and yellow mare inside worked together to quickly push a large wooden dresser in front of the cottage door, barricading it as much as they could with furniture. Fluttershy was swift to close all of her curtains, even though she knew they were too high for any of the danger to get inside. And any with wings wouldn’t bother if all was dark and quiet inside…

Finally, the Pegasus was silent as she plopped down into a nearby chair, watching her friend continuously run around the house, checking everything for signs of anything bad, and blowing out all candles and forms of light, “Applejack… please, sit down.” She spoke quietly as the orange mare walked by.

Applejack paused, walking over to the timid pony and looking at her. “You alright? Ya didn’t get bit, did ya?”

Fluttershy merely shook her head, quietly tucking her legs in under her and laying her head on the chair’s arm rest. “How… h-how did this happen?” she asked, speaking to the air. Applejack knew what she meant, and was instantly silent as a response.

She only walked forward a bit and was about to reach a hoof around to comfort her friend, but she was interrupted with a loud screech from beyond the blocked doors. The Pegasus trembled slightly from the sound, knowing exactly what it meant.

They had all watched as their entire town fell apart once more, by the ravaged forms of their friends. Turned into something far beyond what they were before; just a mindless creature. Applejack sighed, hearing the furious pounding on the sides of the cottage begin to slowly dwindle as the two ponies kept quiet.

The mare tilted her Stetson and glanced at one of the closed window curtains anxiously, unsure if they were fully safe just yet. But she knew they were never safe, but at least for now, they could find some time for peace and regaining their thoughts after the horrible event.

As long as they didn’t go outside.

“Why don’t I go grab us a cuppa’ tea or somethin’?” Applejack asked absently. Her friend said nothing as she trotted off into the kitchen to prepare their drinks. The yellow mare simply closed her eyes, shutting away the dark room’s horrid ambiance.

In a matter of minutes, the entire town that the citizens were so recently repairing had become a living hell once more. It was such a violent thrust back into a world so cold, a world full of fear, and death, full of locked doors, and quiet, dark lives every waking moment, a world where you could never go outside.

The outside wasn’t friendly.

A stumbling pair of two hooves crashed onto the roof of Fluttershy’s cottage near the outer edge of the Everfree Forest. A young-looking Pegasus, once going by the name of Cloudchaser, had pure blood-red eyes, scanning the air around her, sniffing multiple times and snarling ferociously, she could sense the building she stood on was occupied.

…by food.

Her ragged-looking blue wings flapped wildly as her power-spiked hooves clambered onto the chimney of the dark cottage. The magenta irises of the creature grew slightly in size as her nose was filled with the scent from the inside of the house when she breathed in the chimney. She stood upon it and looked down into the darkness.

Hunger was what she felt, and she wanted to satisfy that.

The yellow mare raised her head slightly, ears perking up at a strange sound. Her head swiveled as she searched for its source, knowing any little thing could mean danger at this point. “A-Applejack, is that you?” she whispered timidly, but knew the question fell unheard, as her friend was preparing their drinks in the kitchen.

‘crack’

Fluttershy’s curiosity and worry peaked. She rose from her chair, tentatively stepping her hooves onto her hard wooden floor and walking around, ears flicking at the annoyingly continuous scratching sound. She looked at the closed window curtains, still closed fine. The pounding on the walls from earlier had eventually subsided as the beasts from outside quietly lurked around her front yard.

The mare peeked at her fireplace opening, glancing curiously at the idle logs sitting there, untouched since a couple days previously. That’s when something crashed down in front of her.

Fluttershy did the last thing she should’ve: …screamed.

Applejack rounded the living room corner just in time to watch her friend get tackled to the ground by a flesh-hungry blue Pegasus.

The experienced earth-pony gasped in shock, reacting with stunning speed and reaching for a fire poker set next to the house’s chimney opening. The infected Cloudchaser screamed in fury as Applejack whipped the weapon across her face, knocking her cleanly off her friend before any damage could be done.

Fluttershy jumped to her feet and ran to her friend, throwing her arms around her in a swift hug. “Sh-she came through the fireplace, I-I never would’ve expected that!” Fluttershy explained quickly, hysterical from the shocking attack, and near death. Her friend nodded, acting quick and inspecting said fireplace, making sure none had followed the pony down. It was luckily empty.

Fluttershy gulped, timidly grabbing one of the fireplace tools and walking over to the knocked-out Pegasus on the floor. She was groaning quietly, eyes having opened once more and looking around wildly, the blow seemed to have damaged her brain. “Fluttershy, I’m gonna re-check any other alternate entrances, now that we know these darn things can get clever.” She snarled angrily. They had never seen the creatures pull a maneuver like that one before.

“And finish that one off.” She noted, glancing at the stirring form of Cloudchaser.

The yellow Pegasus gulped, but nodded. “Right.” She was just raised her tool, knowing what to do. The head was the quickest way; she knew from experience…

‘growl’

Her eyes widened as her three living room windows all shattered at once.

“NO!”

Applejack dashed back into the room, looking with horror as it was suddenly filled with four snarling Pegasi creatures broke inside and dashed straight for her friend again. She gripped her weapon tightly and jumped through the air, ramming one of the attacks out of the way and into Fluttershy’s chair, knocking both obstacles over.

The other three quickly jumped straight for the orange mare, who spun on her fore hooves and with expert precision, bucked two of them in their broadened chests, sending them tumbling into the ground and delivering a fore hoof blow to the final one, taking the brief moment to spin and shout to her friend.

“We gotta get outta here!”

“O-outside?”

“No other choice, they already know we’re here and how to get in.” she shouted, slamming the fire poker tool into the rising Cloudchaser’s head again, drawing blood this time from the side. She winced, that was never something to get used to.

It was useless, two more of the snarling Pegasi had barreled into the compromised cottage, Applejack couldn’t fight off more than three at a time, and that many were surrounding her. Fluttershy stared with horror, trembling at the sight, they were doomed already.

“Just go!” her friend shouted, launching herself at the nearest beast, crashing her shoulder into its chest and barreling it into the ground with fury.

Fluttershy knew that she couldn’t freeze like this, it would mean her life was at stake, it only took a single moment to get bit… and her friend was surrounded. One of the hungry beasts broke off and dove for the yellow mare.

A brown flash through the moonlit cottage was followed by the scream of the three infected creatures advancing on Applejack as they were thrown into the air without warning.

The fourth roared out in rage and swiped a powerful hoof through the air blindly, attacking something that Fluttershy hadn’t seen. It cried out in shock as its arm was twisted, and snapped like a twig, right before its body was sent hurling against a wall.

A bright glint of silver flashed through the air as a sharp blade drove straight the head of the fifth attacking Pegasus. Its screams were cut off instantly, and the lifeless corpse dropped to the ground, marking the presence of something new. But yet, the other four still rose to their feet, fury only rose powerfully as their red eyes searched for the new attacker, and they lurched once more.

“Ceeeaasssse!!”

The dark, hissing voice silenced everything. The four Pegasi merely stood for a moment, staring at the shadowed figure standing there before them, eyes covered by a brown hood. They snarled once more before dashing out the broken windows as quick as they came.

“What in the hay…” Applejack mumbled, staring at the dark creature with utter confusion. It had just saved them, and scared the creatures off.

Bandaged hooves reached up and gripped the brown hood, lowered it down to the traveling cloak. The figure turned around and Twilight Sparkle’s face illuminated in the moonlight.

“New rule, girls.”

The yellow and orange mare exchanged stunned expressions for a moment, eyes wide with utter shock.

“Fight the hell back.”

~

"Rule number one... Don't Go Outside..."

~

Twilight ran. her breath heavy but under control as she headed towards one of the buildings lining the town's outskirts. She dove with her flank sliding across the ground, the mare stealthily pressing herself against the firm wall of the building. She looked around frantically, spotting two pairs of the bloody ponies approaching from both sides of her, patrolling the perimeter of the town. She quickly scooted along the wall as fast as she could, slipping into an alleyway and heading towards the other side.

As she moved, however, her side bumped a trashcan, which clanged loudly against the wooden building, making the unicorn swear under her breath. She heard the sudden growls and barks of one of the creatures from the entrance of the alley, as well as the sounds of the patrolling ones behind her. She bit her lip, looking up towards her horn. She sighed, knowing she shouldn’t take the risk. But her options were running short because of time.

As she started to collect her energy, a hoof pressing against her yelping mouth and dragging her backwards into a pile of garbage halted her move.

"Shhh!" hissed a voice in her ear, the two of them growing still in the garbage as a few bloody ponies ran by the spot that Twilight had only recently occupied. They looked up and down the alleyway, growling and dripping a small amount of blood and saliva all over the ground. After a few tense moments, the diseased ones growled and grunted dismissively, retreating from the alley. "Whew, that was close," whispered the mare holding Twilight, her voice stunningly familiar to the unicorn.

"It... it was. Thanks for th-" She stopped as she got up and turned to face her savior, face lighting up in a state of shock as the mare before her looked upon her with equal surprise.

"Pinkie!?"

"Twilight!?"

They wheezed each others’ names at the same time, with Twilight looking upon the straightened, pink mane of her once happy and bouncy friend. "Twilight!" Pinkie whispered in glee, her hair curling slightly as she threw her hooves around her old friend, squeezing her tight. "I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, her eyes brimming with hot tears.

"To everypony else, I still am... I’m surprised you took that so well," Twilight whispered back, hugging her friend.

"Where have you been Twilight?" Pinkie's eyes were wide as Twilight looked around, constantly on the lookout for further danger.

"I'll explain it all in time, Pinkie... I promise." Twilight whispered, pulling back to look her in the eyes "What I wanna know is why you're out here in the garbage, outside!"

"I got caught outside when everything went down," Pinkie whispered quickly, "I found the closest hiding place and hid. That meany Discord is back and he's terrorizing everypony, I left the twins with Macintosh for awhile and-"

"And that's the safest they can be right now Pinkie, ok?" Twilight whispered, drawing a nod out of the mare, "We'll come back for them, all of them, I promise. Right now, though, I need you to find Rainbow Dash and get her to Zecora's, ok? Fluttershy and...and Applejack are already on their way there.” She felt a low, somber tone creeping up in her voice as she mentioned her old country friend.

Pinkie nodded grimly, watching as Twilight moved towards the front of the alleyway. "Twilight!" She whispered, causing the unicorn to turn towards her "It's… good to have you back."

Twilight smiled, nodding once and turning back towards the entrance to the alleyway. Time was running out... the infected would start to catch on that something's going on... somepony was here... and that their leader would need to know.

~

"Ugh, how horrid! How is a lady supposed to do anything in this, darkness?" Rarity whined quietly, sitting in her upstairs bedroom, staring at the wall. She looked tired, weary, defeated. How could this have happened again?

Twilight defeated the disease; that was what everypony had said. That golden magic... that wave of love... it had stopped all the pain, all the suffering. But now it was back… had her friend’s death been in vain? Was there nothing to stop evil from returning anyway?

"Woe is us... what ever are we to do now..." Rarity whimpered, burying her face in her hooves and feeling hot tears wetting her eyes. "What am I supposed to do...what are any of us supposed to do now?"

"Live..." whispered a voice in the darkness, causing Rarity to gasp and jump slightly. The unicorn looked up quickly, her eyes wide and staring into the darkness as a form emerged from the shadows. "We live, just as we always have." whispered the voice, drawing Rarity to peer closer at the unicorn walking closer to her.

As she saw the lavender fur and the familiar streaks of color throughout that wonderfully violet and pink-blue mane, she had to try her hardest not to scream. "T...Twilight?" She whispered, her thoughts jumbled and confused as Twilight nodded and quickly gave her friend a firm hug.

"It's me... I'm here, but we don't have a lot of time! Is Sweetie Belle safe?" Twilight asked, pulling away from their embrace and looking into Rarity's half-smiling face.

"She's with our parents on holiday..." she whispered, looking Twilight over as if she were a ghost.

Twilight chuckled, moving back towards the door that lead downstairs, and whispering fast, "You can critique me later on how I’m not dead, now we have to go, quickly!"

Rarity nodded and followed her swiftly, the two of them stealthily leaving the front door to the boutique. They started to move quickly and quietly into the fields, moving as fast and as silently as possible. The wind started to pick up, shifting upwind towards Twilight and carrying with the scent of blood.

The bandaged unicorn scrunched up her nose as the sounds of hooves galloping in the distance started to draw near. "Shit..." she swore, causing Rarity to stop and look around her.

"What is it?" she whispered in fright, "Is it them?!"

"It might be, we need to move, now!" Twilight urged, starting a gallop towards the outskirts of town. The trees of the Everfree were starting to come into sight, making Twilight turn and shout back "We're almost there, Rarity, keep run-"

The unicorn had barely the time to react as the sounds of an explosive shriek sounded off above them both. The bloody forms of three Pegasus ponies dropped from the air towards the two of them, hooves extended and teeth bared and ready to maul.

Twilight instantly drew Zecora’s battle knife, unhooking its hold and slinging it into position, and with perfect strength and precision, slicing the sharp knife straight through the head of the first descending Pegasus.

The second crashed into Rarity, the mare shrieking as they rolled across the dark grass. "Don't let him bite you!" Twilight shrieked as she slammed a hoof into the stomach of the third Pegasus as it landed on the ground and lunged at her.

The hit knocked this Pegasus off balance, sending its wings flapping wildly to the side. As Twilight rushed towards the remaining Pegasus, she could only listen and watch in horror as Rarity let out a shrill cry of pain, the sounds of teeth sinking into skin echoing through her ears.

“NOOO!!" Twilight roared, shoving the blade through the back of the Pegasus’ head and killing it instantly.

Rarity wept as she held a spot just under her neck, her hooves trying to stop the blood that gushed from her wound. "Tw…Twilight it bu- oh it burns already!" She cried, her head pounding with sudden pain and the sounds of galloping hooves that were drawing near.

"Shh! Rarity just hold on!" Twilight cried, a tear of blood leaking from her eyes as she hoisted Rarity up over her back "Fight it Rarity! Fight it as long as you can!" Her friend let out a choking sob as the two entered the forest. Twilight moved with as much speed as she could, listening as Rarity growled and shook her head violently, trying her best to keep her mind intact.

"Can't, won't…" Rarity growled savagely, blood dripping from her mouth as she felt her insides burn. "I can't! Have to... where am I... have to breathe! Hungry!"

Twilight continued to weave through the trees, panting as she struggled to keep the struggling Rarity stable on her back. In her mind, however, she was calculating. She remembered studying it, studying the disease. It could have been several seconds, it could be several minutes.

Whatever the case, Twilight was only reminded yet again of the simplicity of the dire matter that continued to plague her every bloody step.

That time, was indeed over.

~

A.N.>

(Massive kudos to BlackSnowyOwl, who went through sleep deprivation and constant focus to get this chapter edited and back to me! He's truly an awesome bro! Congrats to his new baby sister for being born!)

-W.K. /)