Twilight stood in the center of the library. She watched as Applejack, one of her best friends, ran from her in terror. She was ashamed, embarrassed by her own foolish behavior. Her eyes darted nervously away from the door where she saw the farm pony sprint through the opening in fright. She looked down at her deformed hooves and placed her head in them.

'How could it have come to this? I've frightened Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack, two of my best friends! I've been through so much with them, and here I am threatening their well-being! I threatened AJ's family, for Equestria's sake! I wouldn't be surprised if they hated me! I really am turning into a monster!' She thought to herself, as her eyes started to well up with tears.

This had to stop. She was spiraling out of control, pushing her friends away, and with her experiment going awry, going through an unknown change, she couldn't predict, and if she couldn't predict, she couldn't control. Twilight needed to be in control, it was just in her nature. She was losing her grip on the world around her, and the pressure was getting to her. It was making it harder to think, harder to reason. What was the next step? Where did she go from here? She had too many thoughts, to many questions. She needed to regain her composure. Taking a deep breath, Twilight stood up, and made her way back to the basement. She made her way over to her notes, and began her calculations. She had to concentrate extra hard, possibly a side effect from the transformation. She was determined, however, to find a cure. If she could reverse this transformation, she could go back to her friends. She needed answers, and she was determined to find them.

TWO WEEKS LATER…

Fluttershy awoke with a scream, shooting up out of bed. Sweat drenched her form, as the moonlight washed over her through her half open curtains. She was taking in gulps of air as she nervously looked around her bedroom. She had not been able to sleep since the "incident." She could not even bring herself to acknowledge the event itself, simply labeling it something generic in order to give herself some piece of mind. Being an animal caretaker, one sees things that can be horrible. She has seen her share of death. After all, only the alicorns are immortal. It was always hard for her to lose a creature, but she had always accepted it as a natural way of life. What happened with Angel was something entirely different, however. She had trusted her friend. Twilight was one of the most trustworthy ponies she had ever met. Yet, on that day, her friend betrayed her trust. Twilight had sacrificed it to her machines, and her own hubris. Could she ever look her in the eye on her again? Could she ever forgive her? The Pegasus had been mulling over these questions for weeks now. She was no closer to an answer than when the "incident" occurred.

'I guess I just have to give it time. Maybe a cup of nice warm tea will get me sleeping again,' she thought to herself.

She made her way downstairs slowly. Even her own house could be scary at night. There were shadows everywhere. She could hear the soft snoring of all the little creatures that took up residence there. Occasionally, one of them would shift, causing Fluttershy to jump. She was able to maintain her composure, at least long enough to make it into the kitchen. As she made her way to her cupboard, she heard a rustling. At first, she thought it was one of the animals in the pens outside. It startled her a bit, but she quickly went back to what she was doing. She heard the noise again. This time, she could tell it was coming from the chicken coup. She gulped as she stepped tentatively towards her door. She opened it slightly, looking at her pen. She could only make out shimmering images thanks to the moonlight. She lit her lantern, and made her way out the door. As she got closer to the chicken coup, she began to muster the courage needed for a sound to escape her throat.

"Hel…Hello? Is…Is there somepony there?" she stammered, as she slowly made her way towards the pen.

Suddenly a cloaked figure appeared at the entrance. The figure had one of her chickens in its mouth. She knew which animal it was immediately.

"Elizabeak? Who are you? What do you want with Elizabeak?!?" she shouted as her anger started to replace her fear.

The figure didn't respond. Instead, it moved forward at an incredible speed. Elizabeak was squawking, trying desperately to get away. Fluttershy threw herself into the path of her animal's assailant, only to be bowled over. Fluttershy grunted as she tumbled away, hitting her head on one of the posts that held the pen in place. Her eyes went blurry as she saw the figure taking off in the distance. She reached out with her hoof, letting out a soft moan before passing out.
-

Rarity sighed as a wave of tiredness overwhelmed her. It was the last project of the night, and she had worked late into the evening on it. It was for a very important client in Canterlot. It was an emergency job, but she wanted to be there for her customers. After all, she wanted to maintain her reputation as a dressmaker and fashion designer that anyone could turn to in their hour of need. If she could show the Canterlot elite that she could handle any situation at any time, she would develop even better contacts than she already had. Even though she had a lovely face, she was shrewd business pony, and she looked forward to moving onto the next level of her career. However, even now, while working on a Canterlot ensemble, she was still preoccupied by thoughts of home.

'It has been awhile since I've seen the poor dear. I hope she is all right. Knowing her, she probably figured out what the problem was though, so I needn't worry,' she thought to herself.

Twilight had worried her during their argument a few weeks ago. Her fellow unicorn seemed different somehow. Ever since that day, when she spotted those sores on her face, she hadn't heard anything from her. It wasn't odd for Twilight to get caught up in something scholastic. After all, she was the prized student of Princess Celestia, and always working on some sort of research project. Twilight's behavior became strange as of late, however. She hadn't seen her friends in over a month. Rarity had stopped by the library herself plenty of times. Deep down, she knew the sign was a fake, but a lady never intruded where she wasn't wanted. She was slowly changing her mind on that subject however. She had noticed a recent difference in her friends' attitudes and behaviors. Pinkie Pie for instance, always seemed to be drifting in thought. Usually she had her own opinions and theories on a subject, and was quite vocal about them. Now, however, she seemed quiet, if one can believe. She would just stare into the distance, and would just say, "It's nothing" when anyone asked. Rainbow Dash had been busy with the weather and training, so Rarity hadn't really seen her very much in recent weeks. When they would get together, Rainbow would just scowl and huff to herself muttering about how the "egghead" needed to learn better manners. Rarity just assumed that it was her bravado talking. She knew that the pegasus was just worried for her friend and this was her way of showing it. She had just as much success contacting Twilight as she had. Fluttershy was still a wreck. Rarity had tried numerous times to cheer up her gentle companion, but to no avail. She would bring her something to eat once in a while, but she mostly gave the pink haired mare her space. The one that worried her the most was Applejack. Applejack was always a terrible liar, but now she seemed more skittish than Fluttershy, if that was even possible. When they were together, every little sound made her jump, and her eyes darted nervously from side to side while they talked. She would never stay anywhere long, always making a transparent excuse to get back to the farm.

Rarity huffed in frustration. Didn't Twilight know that her friends just wanted to help her? They had all been through so much together, and Twilight would not even talk to anyone, let alone ask for help. She could be stubborn, though, especially when it came to her studies. The fashion designer yawned as she made her way over to her bed. Usually, she would prim herself up before settling in for the evening, but she was just so tired and worn, not just from the project, but also from her emotions. She shut out the light, and sandwiched herself between her covers and mattress, and was soon lightly snoring. Opalescence watched her owner fall asleep and decided to join her by hopping up on the side of her bed and making a little spot for herself. She curled into a ball, and rested her head gently on the blankets, as she drifted off to sleep.
-

Twilight hung over the side of Rarity's window, waiting for the time to strike. She heard the soft purring of her friend's feline companion before she lightly touched down in her fellow unicorn's bedchambers. She started to move towards the bed and stopped at the foot of it. She just stared at her friend's sleeping form. It amazed her that even asleep she could still look so beautiful. Using her magic, she gently lifted Opalescence off the bed and made her way towards the window with the feline in tow. She looked back one last time, a look of longing crossing her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. Within an instant, she was out the window and using her newfound gift to scale the side of the house as she made her way back to the library.
-

Rainbow Dash tossed and turned in her bed. She had a scowl as she thought back to earlier that day. Her training sessions were lacking lately. Every time she went to do a trick, she kept messing it up. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was worried about Twilight. The pegasus was quicker on the uptake than most ponies gave her credit. She had noticed the changes in her friends, Applejack being more skittish than Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie not laughing and smiling nearly as much as before. If she followed the timeline back, it all started to happen when Twilight used that machine on herself. She still couldn't believe that the purple unicorn had taken such a big risk. She would be impressed if it wasn't so foolish. Twilight was practically a scientist, so she should have known better. Now the element of magic has barricaded herself in her library and won't talk to her or anyone else. She couldn't sleep now, she was too angry. She got out of bed and flew through the window into the night sky. She thought that the fresh air would do her some good. She didn't want to be alone, though. She couldn't wake anyone else up, so she made her way to a tree on the outskirts of Ponyville where she had made a little nest for her pet tortoise, Tank. She landed gracefully in front of the little nest spot and called out softly to her pet.

"Hey, Tank. You awake? Sorry, buddy, I just don't feel like being alone right now. Mind keeping me company?" she whispered.

She moved the door away from the small enclosure, and looked in the hole. It was rather dark, so she moved over to let some moonlight in. The nest was empty. She dug around with her hoof, looking to feel for her little friend's shell. Again, there was nothing. She backed away and looked at the opening curiously.

"Hmm… that's weird. He couldn't have gone that far. He's only a tortoise, after all," she said to herself.

She looked around and noticed a figure walking off in the distance. 'Who else would be out at this time of night?' she thought to herself. She called out to the stranger. When the figure turned, she saw that whoever it was, was wearing some sort of cloak, like the ones that Zecora used to wear. Beside the stranger was Tank, asleep, and apparently wrapped with magic.

"COME BACK HERE!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she took to the air after the kidnapper. She quickly gained on her adversary, and dove in for a tackle, but was surprised when the mystery pony dodged the attack. She tried again with the same result. 'Who is with this guy? I've never such quick reaction time! Even from Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense!' The pegasus had enough. She shot ahead and touched down right in front of the cloaked figure.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOU THIEF! IF YOU THINK I'M GONNA LET YOU TAKE TANK, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!" she yelled as she charged forward.

The mysterious figure stopped dead in its tracks, as it braced for Rainbow Dash's approach. Just before Rainbow Dash reached her target, the stranger moved. It ducked and bucked straight up, catching the element of loyalty right in her belly. She felt the wind leave her lungs as the kick thrust her skyward. She tried feebly to flap her wings, but ended up crashing into a heap on the ground. She moaned as the figure slowly walked up to her. Her vision was blurry, and then went black as a hoof struck her face.
-

"Pinkie Pie, are you sure you don't want something to eat, dear?" Mrs. Cake asked after she finished wiping down the counter. She was worried about her employee. For the last few weeks, she was not her usual cheerful self. Sure, she was fine with the customers, but the co-owner of Sugar Cube corner had spent enough time around the pink party mare to know that something was amiss.

"Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Cake. I think I'm just going to go to bed. I'm pretty tired," Pinkie said, as she made her way to the staircase.

"Pinkie Pie, Is there something bothering you? You just don't seem to be yourself lately," her boss and friend said as she approached the earth pony.

"Did I do something wrong, Mrs. Cake? I thought that was where the new flour delivery was supposed to go. I didn't mean…" Pinkie stammered out.

"No, Pinkie, your work has been just fine. I'm just worried about you. You know you can always come to me if you have something on your mind, right?" Mrs. Cake said.

"Of course, Mrs. Cake. Thanks, but really, I'm just tired. Good night, I'll see you in the morning," she said quietly.

She made her way to her room, and got into bed. Gummy, her pet alligator, just stared at her. She sighed and turned over closing her eyes. She couldn't help but worry about Twilight. What she had seen… It just wasn't natural. Twilight had made her promise not to tell anyone anything about that night, and she desperately wanted to keep that promise, but it was getting tougher and tougher to hold out. She was so confused, so conflicted. To her, it was simple. She made a promise, and she had to keep it. As time went on and she saw the subtle changes in her friends, she was starting to realize it was more complicated than that. She needed to let out her worry and frustrations. She knew her friend needed help, but she had made a promise, and she didn't want to betray her friend's trust. Her emotions finally took their toll on her energy, and she was soon fast asleep. She hadn't noticed the figure lurking by her window.
-

Twilight had waited patiently until her pink friend was asleep to make her move. She crept into Pinkie's room and gently made her way over to Gummy. He didn't seem to notice, and didn't even jump when she picked him up with her magic. There was one last stop to make.

'And now, to see Applejack,' she thought to herself as she made her way back to the library with the alligator in tow.
-

Applejack looked terrible. Ever since the incident with Twilight, she was looking over her shoulder at every turn. Every little noise bothered her, and she had barely slept. She needed to keep a constant eye on her family. Even though she knew she was no match for Twilight in her current state, she hoped she could at least talk her out of doing any real harm to her kin. She had never been more scared in her life. Even her subconscious was no escape as the incident had cause nightmares. She was reliving the experience over and over again in her mind. Big Mac and even Granny Smith had to wake her up since it turned out she was screaming in her sleep. Things finally came to a head last night when Applebloom walked in on her as she was having an episode. The poor filly cried her eyes out at the sight of her sister, the strongest, most dependable mare she knew, writhing and crying in her sleep.

The arguments didn't help either. Big Mac and Granny Smith both had confronted her on numerous occasions about the bad dreams and the nervous behavior. It was easy to deal with Granny Smith, since Applejack could just change the subject. Her attention span wasn't what it used to be. Big Mac was a different story. At first, he would let it go, but now their discussions had degenerated into screaming matches. He knew that she was a terrible liar, and that didn't help her case when she tried desperately to make up excuses. The biggest one was last night after what had happened with Applebloom. He was so angry that his sister wouldn't let her in emotionally. It finally came to a head when the farm mare broke down in tears and hugged her brother with all her might. She sobbed into his thick coat making it sopping wet. Big Mac could not resist the sensation and feeling of her sister's body wracked with sobs, huddled into his chest like a filly. He had just let her cry herself to sleep, and she had taken today off from her farm duties to rest after such an emotional night. She went to lie in bed with Wynona lying down beside her on the floor. She tried to get in comfortable position, when she heard footsteps. She gasped as she looked at the window in her room. The steps seemed to be coming from outside the house. A cloaked figure appeared in her window and leaped into her room. She froze with fear. She tried to scream but she only whimpered as the figure moved forward.

"Hi…AppleJack." The figure whispered softly.

"Twi…Twilight! Pl… please don't hurt me! Ah didn't tell nopony! Ah swear!" she stammered with tears forming in her eyes.

"Its ok, AJ. I'm sorry. I was rude and mean to you and you were only trying to help. I should never have threatened you or your family. That's not how friends are supposed to treat each other," Twilight stated.

She moved forward towards the earth pony, and continued.

"AJ, I've gotten worse. A lot worse," the unicorn used her magic to lower her hood and Applejack almost vomited at the sight.

Twilight was now a walking mummification of flesh. A thick outer layer completely replaced her skin and fur coat, and there were huge bumps and growths all over her. Her eyes were sunken in, and her muzzle was pushed in. Her mane was gone, and so was her tail. Her outer layer was a dark grey color, with even more white web pockets and decaying pieces of epidermis scattered about. Applejack started to cry. She couldn't believe what was happening to her friend.

"Sugarcube," she whispered as she reached out to her, all previous anger and fear gone at the sight of her friend's decaying body.

"AJ, I think I have a way out of this, but I need help. I need….Wynona," Twilight said, hesitating on the last word.

Applejack's eyes went wide, and she was about to protest, when Twilight stopped her again.

"AJ, I need to do this. I… I don't think I have that much time left, and I only have time to run this experiment once. I know it's a lot to ask, but AJ… I… I may be dying. Please, help me. Please don't let me die."

Applejack's world had collapsed. Wynona was a part of her family, and she was sure that whatever Twilight had planned, that she would never see Wynona again. How could she refuse her friend? It's not as if she could stop her if she tried. She just wanted the madness over, and if this is what it took, then so be it.

"OK, Twilight. Ah trust you. Please be careful," Applejack said.

Twilight nodded and picked up the sleeping Wynona with her magic. She made her way to the window and turned to her friend once more.

"AJ, I am so sorry. For all of this. I didn't mean to cause anypony pain like I have. Please, gather the other element bearers tomorrow night in your barn. I will come by and explain everything. I've kept so much from everypony, but I promise I will tell everypony the truth tomorrow. If this experiment works, I should be able to take the next step in saving myself… and AJ?" Twilight said.

Applejack looked up at her.

"If… if anything happens to me, I just wanted to say thanks. For everything," Twilight said as she made her way out the window and back towards the library.

Applejack ran towards the window and watched the unicorn and her dog disappear into the night. She cried to herself softly knowing that was the last time she would ever see Wynona alive.

I’m sorry this chapter is a bit late. I got caught up with some stuff over the weekend. Anyway, please review, and see you all in chapter 9…