Warm Care was roused from his dreamless sleep by the crying of a foal. He remained in his bed for a few more seconds before his tired mind finally registered what it was he was hearing. Groaning, the old stallion pulled himself from the warmth of his bed and staggered from the room, his old bones creaking loudly.

Shuffling sleepily down the chilly hall towards the source of the cries, Warm Care glanced out of a passing frost-covered window. The sun was barely starting to peak above the horizon, casting the world in a deep orange hue. Stifling a yawn, the elderly stallion continued his slow journey down the hall, following the sound of crying.

Reaching the door to the nursery, Warm Care pushed it open with a grunt. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a hoof, he entered and turned his attention to the only occupant of the room.

“Selena, what’s the matter?” he muttered, running a hoof through his short mane as he approached the bed the filly was in. Leaning against the edge of the cradle, Warm Care glanced down at the distressed filly.

At the sound of Warm Care’s voice, Selena’s cries grew louder, and she held out her hooves, begging to be picked up. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her sightless eyes darted back and forth. Her tail lashed against the bars of the crib in agitation, her ears pressed firmly against her head.

Sighing heavily, Warm Care reached down and picked the sobbing filly up. She instantly latched onto his neck, burying her head into his shoulder as she continued to cry.

“It’s okay,” Warm Care cooed, shushing the upset foal. “It’s okay.” Bouncing the filly gently in his hooves, the old stallion continued to murmur quietly, trying to ease the filly’s distress.

“What’s the matter? You hungry?” he asked her as he trotted slowly over to a small fridge in the corner of the room. Cracking it open, Warm Care removed one of the bottles of milk provided to him by the hospital. However, when he tried to place the tip of the nipple in the filly’s mouth, she balked, turning her head away.

“Come on,” Warm Care insisted gently, holding the bottle in front of Selena’s face. “Let’s get something into that stomach of yours.” Selena just turned her head again, refusing to suckle. Sighing, Warm Care placed the bottle back in the fridge before closing the door with a soft click. Unsure of what else to do, Warm Care slowly walked around the room, humming softly to the filly in his hooves as he rocked her.

After a few minutes, the old caretaker's limbs were growing tired, and he was forced to return the still-crying filly to her bed.

As he trotted towards the crib, the door to the nursery swung open and in walked two ponies: Merriweather, Warm Care’s assistant, and a little, pink pegasus filly. Both were rubbing their eyes, yawning as they blinked owlishly at Warm Care.

“Whaz d’ matter?” Merriweather slurred, stretching her wings with an audible pop. Her long, orange mane was completely disheveled in a bad case of bedhead, her bangs hanging down low in front of her eyes.

“I’m not sure,” Warm Care replied, pulling Selena off of his neck with some difficulty, before placing her back down in her bed. She squirmed around, tears still flowing down her face from her sightless eyes. She kicked her hind legs, pushing her blankets into a scrunched up pile at the bottom of her crib.

Glancing at his assistant, Warm Care stifled another yawn before he spoke, “Merri, I hate to ask this of you so early in the morning, but can you do me a big favor?”

“Watchya need?” she muttered, still half-asleep.

“Fly down to the hospital and see if you can find Nurse Blue Cross and bring her back here. Hopefully she’s on staff at the moment.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” Merriweather asked, her eyes widening in worry, all tiredness temporarily forgotten. Warm Care shook his head, frowning slightly.

“I don’t believe so, but I’d rather err on the side of caution.” Nodding her head in understanding, Merriweather let out another long yawn. Turning, the light gray pegasus trotted out of the room, murmuring softly to herself as she closed the door behind her.

The small pink filly stayed behind, however, and slowly approached the crib. Sitting down beside Warm Care, she placed her hooves over her ears in an attempt to shut out the sound of Selena’s cries.

“What’s wrong with her?!” she asked loudly, looking up at Warm Care in confusion.

“I don’t know,” the old caretaker said, rocking the cradle back and forth gently. “I’m fairly sure she got plenty of sleep last night, so I don’t think she’s crying because she’s tired.” Frowning, the filly spread her miniature wings and jumped up, grabbing at the edge of the crib. Scrabbling with her back hooves, she pulled herself up with a grunt, and glanced down at the dark-coated foal within.

“Maybe she’s hungry,” she said, her face scrunched up in thought.

“I’m afraid not, Honey Ray,” Warm Care said, shaking his head slowly. “I tried to feed her before you and Merriweather showed up, but she refused to eat. Besides, she had a full two bottles of milk last night before bed, so I think she’s fine for a while. No, there's something else bothering her.”

A small smile touched the old caretaker’s lips as he watched the pink pegasus stare down at Selena, clearly lost in thought. She sucked on her bottom lip, her ear twitching occasionally as her young mind tried to figure the problem out.

“Maybe her tummy hurts?” Honey Ray said, cocking her head to the side.

“While that is a possibility, she hasn't shown any real signs of having an upset stomach,” Warm Care said, glancing down at the still crying foal as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I burped her successfully last night after her feeding, and she hasn't spit up anything. So once again, probably not the issue.”

“Full diaper?” Honey Ray asked, glancing up at Warm Care, her ears splaying backwards again.

“Doesn't appear to be the case,” the elderly stallion chuckled, motioning to Selena’s dry—and clearly empty—diaper. Honey Ray fell silent, turning to stare once more at the crying foal in the cradle. Selena continued to wail, squirming around in distress.

After a few minutes, Honey Ray lowered her head and sighed.

“I got nuthin’,” she grunted, releasing her grip on the edge of the crib and falling to the floor. Her tiny wings spread, slowing her descent. Warm Care couldn't help but laugh at the defeated look on the young filly’s face.

“Thank you for trying, Honey Ray,” he said, patting the pegasus on the head. “I appreciate your concern, but we’ll just have to wait until Nurse Blue Cross gets here. Hopefully she’ll know what’s wrong.” The pegasus nodded before sitting down beside Warm Care. As she got comfortable, she placed her hooves back over her ears.

Warm Care had just settled down beside her when the door to the nursery swung open again, allowing a light-red unicorn filly to enter. Her black mane and tail were a tangled mess, strands sticking out at odd angles with knots mixed in. Warm Care winced as he thought about the amount of stress the filly was going to have when she tried to comb it later.

“What’s No-Eyes crying about this time?” she grumbled, angrily rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a hoof. “It’s too early to deal with this.”

Warm Care frowned at the filly’s words, giving her a disappointed look. She was one of the orphanage’s older residents, and knew about his ‘no bullying’ rule. That didn't seem to stop her from calling Selena names whenever she saw her.

“I really wish you wouldn't call her that, Rose,” the old caretaker said, shaking his head.

“Why not? It’s not like she can understand me,” the filly, Rose, said as she moved to stand next to crib. She stared down at the crying fill, a sour look on her face.

“That doesn't mean you get to call her names,” Warm Care scolded. "Yes, she's blind, but that doesn't give you the right to insult her. Please refrain from doing so in the future."

“Whatever,” Rose yawned, placing a hoof over her mouth.

“Rose,” Warm Care said, a hint of warning in his voice. The unicorn flinched, hanging her head. Just like his name suggested, Warm Care was an exceptionally caring pony. There wasn't much that would get his temper up. Bullying just so happened to be one of those things and most foals learned quickly that you did not bully other ponies while in Warm Care's presence. Keyword: presence.

“Sorry, Warmy,” Rose muttered, her tail flicking slightly. “I just haven’t been sleeping very well these past few nights.” Warm Care’s gaze turned sympathetic as he watched the filly yawn again.

“Nightmares?” he asked softly, his words barely heard over the sounds of Selena’s cries. Wordlessly, Rose nodded her head, staring at the floor. “Unfortunately, you aren't the only one,” Warm Care said, staring off into the distance with a small frown on his face. “It seems like half the orphanage has been suffering from them recently.” Beside him, Honey Ray nodded her head, her hooves still over her ears.

“Well, I wished they'd stop,” Rose grumbled. "I'm barely getting any sleep at night as it is with this one crying all the time." She glanced back at Selena, giving the filly an annoyed look.

“Try to not let them bother you too much,” Warm Care said with a soft smile. “They’re just nightmares, after all. They can’t hurt you.”

“Easier said than done,” Rose muttered under her breath, stifling another yawn. "You aren't the one watching your parents fall into the river again and again." Rose's face suddenly fell, her ears drooping.

“Tell you what,” Warm Care said quickly, trying to change the subject. “How about you head down to the kitchen and get breakfast ready for everypony, okay? You can even get the doughnuts off of the top shelf.” Rose’s eye lit up, and she nodded her head eagerly before rushing from the room, leaving the door open behind her. Off in the distance, Warm Care could just make out low groans as the other residents of the orphanage slowly began to stir, awaken by Selena’s cries.

Chuckling softly, he turned to the small filly sitting beside him.

“Honey Ray, would you be a dear and close the door?” Silently, the filly nodded and—removing her makeshift earplugs—got to her hooves. Trotting towards the door, she proceeded to attempt to close it, but was stopped by a hoof wedging itself between the door and its frame. Yelping in surprise, Honey Ray jumped back as the door swung open again.

A confused Nurse Blue Cross stood in the doorway, blinking down at the startled filly in front of her. She had her signature nurse cap on atop her tied-back mane. A pair of white saddlebags sat across her back, a red cross emblazoned upon the sides. She was slightly out of breath, indicating that she had hurried over from the hospital.

“O-oh, I'm sorry!” Honey Ray squeaked, shying back. “I d-didn't mean to do that. I-I was just trying to—”

“It's quite alright,” Blue Cross reassured, cutting Honey Ray's panic short. Looking down at her hoof, she chuckled softly. “I just wasn't expecting to have to fight to get to my patient.” Honey Ray's ears splayed backwards and a small blush appeared on her cheeks. She shuffled her hooves, refusing to look up.

“Don't worry, hun,” Blue Cross laughed, ruffling the filly's mane as she walked into the room. “No harm done.” Turning her attention to Warm Care, the nurse adopted a more professional air. “Ms. Merriweather said you were having issues with Selena. What appears to be the problem?”

“I'm not sure,” Warm Care said, groaning slightly as he got to his hooves, his stiff limbs creaking. “She started crying earlier this morning, and we haven't been able to get her to stop. I tried feeding her, but she refused to eat.”

“You realize when I said the hospital was willing to help you out, I didn't mean like this,” Blue Cross said, giving the old stallion a deadpan look. “I thought you said you had past experience with foals. Just because she wakes you in the early hours of the morning, doesn't mean somethings wrong. It's typical of a foal her age to wake you up several times during the night.”

“I know that,” Warm Care said, returning the nurse's stare, “and I do have past experience caring for infants. I know very well that getting a good night sleep is a godsend. I can assure you that this is different. Normally I wouldn't have called on you for something like this, but see as she's been at it for—“ Warm Care paused to glance at a nearby clock “—nearly an hour now, and we can't figure out what's wrong, I thought it would be best to contact the hospital.”

Nurse Blue Cross blinked, her brow furrowing.

“She's been crying non-stop for an hour?” she asked, glancing down at the sobbing filly in the crib. “Has she had anything to drink in that time frame?”

“No,” replied Warm Care, shaking his head. “I've tried to, but she has refused to eat anything at all.”

“That's not good,” Blue Cross tsked, leaning over the crib to get a better look at the distressed foal. “If she isn't already, she could be bordering on dehydration.” Reaching back into her saddlebags, she pulled out a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Perching them on the tip of her muzzle, Blue Cross reached down and gently grabbed the side of Selena's head with a hoof.

The minute the she felt the older mare's touch, Selena's cries grew louder and she latched onto the hoof, nuzzling her head against it fervently. Blue Cross's brow creased further at the action, and she hummed thoughtfully as she tilted Selena's head from side to side, studying it.

“No fever, no signs of injury,” she said, sucking on the inside of her cheek. She tugged her hoof gently, trying to get Selena to let go, but the young filly just tightened her grip, hanging on desperately. “Shows an increased desire for physical contact, yet doesn't relax when it's given.” Leaning back, Blue Cross continued to stare into the crib for several more seconds before turning to look at Warm Care.

“Has she had any trouble keeping food down?”

“Nope,” Warm Care replied with a small chuckle. “If anything, she an avid eater. Easily empties the bottle with no trouble.”

“A healthy appetite is a good sign. Any blood in her stool, or trouble going to the bathroom at all? Excessive urination?” Blue Cross asked, gently rubbing the side of Selena's head with her hoof.

“No, everything appears to be normal.” Allowing Selena to keep a hold of her hoof, Blue Cross reached up and removed her glasses. Chewing on one of the earpieces, the nurse sighed heavily as she stared off into the distance, a contemplative look on her face.

After a few minutes, Warm Care spoke up.

“Do you have any idea what's wrong?” he asked, worry etched into his wizened face. Slowly, Blue Cross shook her head, frowning.

“No," she admitted finally. "I normally would suggest night terrors, but the fact that she hasn't calmed down yet is strange, especially if you've been here with her.” She glanced back down at Selena, who was still rubbing her head against Blue Cross's hoof, causing her fetlocks to become damp with tears. “Short of taking her back to the hospital and running some scans, I can't give you a definitive answer based off what I'm—" Suddenly, with a loud yelp, Blue Cross yanked her hoof from Selena's grasp and jumped away from the cradle as though it was on fire. Shaking her hoof—which was smoking slightly—in front of her, the nurse gazed back at the crib with a mixture of alarm and worry.

"...what the buck?" she breathed, nursing her singed hoof.

“Are you alright?” Warm Care asked, moving to help the shocked nurse. However, the concern on his face was replaced with confusion when he caught sight of what was happening in the confines of crib.

Blue sparks were crackling up and down Selena's horn, jumping off of the appendage like a sparkler. Magic flashed around the tip of her horn, the light blue cloud forming and dispersing in rapid succession. Her dull, faded eyes were beginning to glow with a faint white light. The moon on her flank seemed to spark was well, the glow around it brightening and dimming quickly. Steam seemed to waft from her limbs as her crying increased in volume.

“What's going on?” Warm Care asked, having to shout to be heard over the wailing.

“I don't know,” Blue Cross yelled, scrunching up her face at the noise, “but we've got to—“

Whatever she was going to suggest was lost as Selena let out one last massive scream before her eyes flashed pure white. The sparking around her horn ceased for a split-second before a massive eruption of magic flared forth, spreading out for the tip in a wave of pure energy. The force of the blast shook the walls and ceiling, rattling the windows and causing picture frames to fall from their pegs.

As the wave of magic passed through Warm Care's body, he felt an immediate, jarring pain in his neck and chest, almost as if something was constricting his airway. For a second he choked, unable to breath, but as soon as it had come, the pressure ceased, leaving Warm Care gasping for breath.

A quick glance over at Blue Cross showed that she had experienced something similar. Her hoof was pressed against her chest, her eyes wide in fright. Her nurse's cap had slipped from her head and had fallen to the floor.

A sudden pressure against his hind legs caused Warm Care to flinch. Glancing down, he saw Honey Ray had taken shelter beneath him, her head buried in her hooves. She was trembling horribly, her little wings clamped tightly against her sides in a shielding manner.

Glancing back up, Warm Care licked his lips as he eyed the smoking crib in front of him. Selena lay in the middle of the blackened blankets, blinking dazedly up at the ceiling. Small sparks continued to leap from her horn, but with less intensity than before. Tears still streamed down her face, but her wails had ceased.

Silence fell over the room, both adults staring at the smoking foal in wonder. The faint sound of startled ponies could be heard coming from the other side of the orphanage, along with clatter of plates and pounding of hooves.

After several seconds, Warm Care slowly released the breath he didn't even know he was holding.

“...what was that?” he asked tentatively, glancing over at Blue Cross. The shocked nurse just slowly shook her head, her mouth agape.

“I don't know,” she said, her voice faint, a slight tremor to it. “It looked like a magical surge, but... it was all wrong. The buildup of magic didn't stay within the body, it dispersed quickly through the horn. Plus, there was no attempt at using magic beforehoof, it just happened suddenly and without warning. That's not even counting the fact that a foal of her age shouldn't even have that much magic to begin with.”

“Well, whatever happened, it seems to have calm her down,” Warm Care observed, walking forward guardedly, lest whatever had happened happened again. As he moved, Honey Ray scrambled quickly, trying to stay beneath the old stallion.

The old caretaker eyed Selena, his gaze full of concern and curiosity. The dark-coated unicorn just laid there, hiccupping occasionally as tears slowly continued to roll down her face. Her bottom lips trembled and she whimpered softly as her sightless eyes stared up at the ceiling.

“Well,” Blue Cross said, laughing shakily as she bent down to pick up her glasses and nurse's cap. “That's one heck of a way to wake up in the morning. Plus, it gave us some insight into why she was possibly abandoned. If this type of thing happens on a regular basis for her, it probably added to the reasons her parents left her in the snow." Warm Care shot the chuckling nurse an affronted look.

“We don't know for sure that her parents abandoned her yet,” he huffed, reaching a hoof into the crib. As he gently rubbed Selena's cheek, she leaned into his hoof, wrapping her forelegs around it like one would a teddy bear. Warm Care noted dimly that despite the smoking, burnt blankets around her, Selena's body was surprising cold. Reaching down to the small rack beneath the crib, the elderly stallion pulled out a spare blanket and draped it over the filly.

“Has anypony answered the missing foal reports?” Blue Cross asked, raising an eyebrow. Warm Care's ears splayed backwards.

“No, but—“

“Then I'm pretty sure that nopony will,” the nurse sighed, placing her cap back on her head. Folding her glasses, she slipped them back into her saddlebags. “Just let it go, Care. Focus instead on caring for her. She needs love and comfort, and if anypony can give it to her, it's you.” Adjusting the straps to her bags, Blue Cross cast one last look at Selena before turning and trotting towards the door.

“Wait,” Warm Care called after her, causing the mare to pause. “What do I do about this?” He asked, motioning towards Selena with a free hoof.

“Well, as you said, whatever it was seems to have stopped and she seems to have calmed down. I would suggest trying to get her to feed again in order to replace the fluids lost through her crying. Try to get her rehydrated again, but don't overdo it.”

“What about that whole magical-explosion thingy?” Warm Care asked, an eyebrow raised. "We're just going to ignore that?"

“As I said before, I have no idea what that was, but it seems to have passed. There's nothing we can do about it now except wait to see if it happens again. If it does, bring her down to the hospital and we'll have a unicorn doctor take a look at her. Other than that, just keep caring for her as normal.” With that, Blue Cross turned and slipped out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Warm Care stared at the closed door for several more seconds, his brows furrowed in thought, before a small voice broke the silence.

“That wasn't fun,” Honey Ray muttered, her body still shaking slightly. Glancing down at the pegasus, Warm Care rubbed a hoof along her back.

“Don't worry, Honey,” he said. “It's over now.”

“What happened?” the filly asked, her wings unfolding from her sides as her muscles slowly relaxed. Warm Care chewed on the inside of cheek for several seconds before replying.

“Just a unicorn having trouble with her magic,” he said softly, glancing back at Selena. All the stress had tired the filly out. Her eyes were now closed, and her chest rose and fell softly. Tiny snores escaped her mouth ever couple of seconds, her ears twitching.

As Warm Care watched the unique foal sleep, he couldn't help the small frown that touched his lips.

“I wonder what caused it, though,” he muttered softly, turning his head to stare out one of the cracked windows. In the distance, the sun slowly continued its climb upwards, bring light to the world below.

Archduke Black Spark hummed softly to himself as he swirled the remainder of his wine around his glass before allowing it to settle at the bottom. Raising the glass, he silently eyed the crimson liquid with narrowed eyes as sunlight filtered through it. After a few seconds, he levitated the glass to his lips and took a sip.

Swishing the wine around his mouth slowly, Black Spark savored the taste before slowly allowing the liquid to flow down his throat. He ran his tongue over his teeth, enjoying the aftertaste of wine that was older than him. It truly was a delicacy, one that he didn't partake in enough.

Although, today of all days was day to celebrate. After all, he had taken another step closer to purging Equestria of the filth that was slowly corrupting it.

Far above the stallion, the sun shone down upon the snow-covered courtyard, causing the snow to glisten.

“Such a lovely day today,” the Archduke said nonchalantly to his companion, the only other pony in the courtyard with him. “Princess Celestia really outdid herself, don’t you think? It's truly a thing of beauty.” His companion remained quiet, staring out across the expanse of snow-covered ground. Around the pair, icicles hung from the parapets, glinting in the sunlight. Encased in a layer of ice, the entire palace—including the grounds—looked as though it was made of crystal.

A patrolling guard passed by atop one of the walls, glancing down into the courtyard quickly before returning to his rounds. In a little while his counterpart would come by, heading in the opposite direction.

High above the courtyard, a lone buzzard circled, obviously spying something below that interested it.

The Archduke glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye before huffing. Returning his gaze forwards, he just shook his head, a small smirking playing across his muzzle.

“You’re quieter than usual today,” he said softly, playing absentmindedly with his glass. “Feeling a bit hung up after last night?” Again, his companion said nothing. Sighing, the Archduke grew silent, content to just stand in the snow and watch the ice sparkle.

After a few minutes the silence was broken by the sound of approaching hoofsteps. Glancing over his shoulder, Black Spark watched the approaching unicorn guard with a raised eyebrow.

As the guard stopped behind the Archduke, he glance at Black Spark’s companion, his gaze bewildered and uneasy. The Archduke just eyed the stallion coyly, gently spinning the glass of wine in his red magic.

The guard was a young stallion with a strong build. His coat was a light gray speckled with black that slowly darkening towards his hooves. His silver mane was cut short, his tail braided, the base of which was wrapped with blackened bandages. His golden armor was polished so that it glinted in the sunlight. It rested upon a red saddle blanket. A helmet was clipped to his side, along with a pair of black saddlebags.

As Black Spark inspected the guard, the stallion just stood there, his eyes constantly jumping back and forth between the Archduke and his silent companion.

After several seconds, the Archduke cleared his throat, his blue eyes narrowing. “Can I help you?”

Jumping slightly, the guard quickly snapped his attention back to the Archduke and threw a hasty salute.

“S-sorry, sir!" he stammered. "Sergeant Stone Wall reporting in as ordered, sir!”

“Ah,” Black Spark said, his eyes lighting up slightly. “So, you’re the young pup the captain was going to send my way. A sort of promotion, wasn't it?”

“Yes, sir! Captain Ivory Blaze sent me, sir!”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Black Spark growled, turning his head back along. “I heard you the first time.”

“Sorry, sir,” Stone Wall said, lowering his voice. “Just a little, um—” glancing back at Black Spark’s silent companion, the guard flinched “—nervous.”

“Just ignore her, Sergeant,” Black Spark said, taking another sip of wine. “She isn't feeling very talkative today anyways.” The Archduke’s companion shifted slightly as a light breeze blew around the courtyard, tossing a dusting of snow into the air.

At Black Spark's words, Stone Wall flinched.

“...I see,” he said slowly, casting one last, uneasy glance at the silent pony before turning his full attention back to the Archduke.

“Do try and relax, Sergeant,” Black Spark said, taking another sip of wine. “You have no reason to be so nervous. If anything, you should be honored that you're going to be working under me. I have high hopes for you."

“What’s the first order of business, sir?” Stone Wall asked, trying to quell the uneasy feeling growing in his stomach. At first, Black Spark did not reply. The massive unicorn just stood there, staring down into his glass of wine as he swirled it slowly with his magic. Then, huffing loudly, Black Spark threw back his head and downed the last of the crimson liquid, before, with a burst of magic, teleporting the glass away.

Turning, the Archduke slowly began to walk away, leaving Stone Wall standing there along with his silent companion.

“Your first task, Sergeant,” the Archduke called back over his shoulder, “is to cut that… thing down and dispose of it.”

As Black Spark continued to walk away, Stone Wall turned slowly to the other pony, frowning slightly as he eyed her.

Theia did not return his gaze. She just continued to stare off across the snow-covered courtyard, her dull eyes seeing nothing. The rope around her neck tightened slightly as another breeze caused her to sway back and forth, her hooves a few inches above the ground. Overhead, the gallows creaked with a morbid finality.

Further above, the circling buzzard cawed loudly as it slowly began to descend to the world below.