Rainbows hooves clopped along the paved cobble streets of Canterlot. She had decided to walk to Donut joes, despite the long walk. It would likely come back to haunt her later, but it would help satisfy a certain, curiosity, she had acquired.

She didn't know what it was, but something was off about Twilight. Ever since her 'Talk' with Princess Mi Amore, she had been acting weird. She didn't talk much, she looked kind of nervous, and she was, just off. The way she walked, the way she held herself; it was just wrong. What had happened? It was only about a five-minute conversation, for bucks sake! Why was she so shaken up?

Soon, they had arrived outside the donut shop. The familiar black and white tiles and well-lit interior made Rainbow recall the Gala incident. Boy, was that a good time! Meeting Spitfire, even if she was sort of rejected by her. Plus the fact the others had such an equally crappy time somewhat alleviated that.

Back to the present, she was surprised to find the store mostly empty. A few ponies occupying the tables, but other than that it was empty. Pony Joe smiled upon seeing them enter. "Ah, finally!", he exclaimed. "A regular comes my way. Should I get you the regular, Twilight?"

She nodded. Seriously, what was wrong? Joe then looked over at Rainbow. "And what can I get you?"

Rainbow looked through the glass cases along the counter, taking in all the options. There were many donuts, far from just the shops standard rings. Her mouth began to water a little as her gaze shifted from donut to donut. Finally, she settled on one of the bigger ones she could see. "I'll take an Ursa's claw."

Soon, the two of them had paid for their sweets, and had sat at a table. She began to rip into her Ursa's claw like the donuts namesake, ripping and tearing like, well, an Ursa. It was covered in just enough glaze to be firm, but not too much as to be crunchy. Underneath the shell of the glaze was a soft, loose flesh that, once torn from the bulk of the body, melted away into the mouth. Despite this, she couldn't enjoy herself; she kept getting the feeling that something was up with Twilight.

She was eating her donut, but slowly. While she was normally not a very fast eater, but with what she saw after the Gala, donuts were one of the exceptions. Yet here she was: eating her donut at a snails pace. It was weird.

Rainbow took a long look at her face. She looked emotionless, like she was watching a very boring play. It actually kind of reminded her of her face after her aunt took her to see 'Sweeny Trot and the daemon groomer of fleet street'. A face of pure, unadulterated apathy. Half-lidded eyes, stiff jaws, just a look like they want to be anywhere else. Rainbow decided to test something.

"Hey, Twilight", she said. After Twilight looked up, she elaborated, "I went to a book burning at an anti-Celestia organization HQ last week, and had the time of my life. Want to come next time?"

Twilight just nodded. Ok, now something was defiantly up. And Rainbow wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Hey, can we, oh, go outside for a minute or two? I need to talk to you about something." Once again, an apathetic nod was her reply.

The two of them exit the store, going around the side. Once they were in the alley, Rainbow pinned Twilight to the wall. "Ok, Twi. What the hay is going on? Why are you acting like this?"

She said nothing. A second later, she winced, sinking to her knees, clutching the base of her horn. She clenched her eyes shut, and when they opened again, they were glowing a sickly, dark green. Rainbow stepped back in alarm, startled by the sudden activity of her friend. Then, realization came into her head.

Princess Mi Amore was the last pony to speak with Twilight, or have any other interaction with her. So, either Twilight had some sort of weird disease she didn't tell anypony about, or Mi Amore had something to do with it.

Rainbow shot out of the alley like a bolt from a crossbow, arcing back toward the castle. She was determined to get answers. If she only had stayed a few minutes longer, then she would have seen Twilight stop writhing and stand up. She would have seen her eyes fade back down to their normal lavender hue, however, tinted a slight green. She would have seen her stand at attention, rigid as a board, head held stiffly at an angle, as if waiting for orders; a sight the pegasus will become familiar with in the years to come.

And she would have seen a black colored figure step from the shadows, green eyes shining with sadistic glee, and fanged mouth turned into a wide, evil grin.

Rainbow was back at the castle in an instant, not slowed by Twilights' lack of flight. She shot into an open section of the castle, racing at full speed into the corridor. She shot down hall after hall, looking for any sign of the Princess. She wanted answers, and knew that Cadenza had them. However, she never saw her.

Finally, she saw an open door at the end of a corridor. Lowering herself to the ground, she peeked through it. Inside was a bedroom and quite a nice one at that. A large ashwood desk, a walk-in closet, a full-sized mirror, a few ponnequins wearing dresses, and a massive, four-poster bed. Laying on the bed, seeming to just be stirring from sleep, was Princess Cadenza.

Alright then. Time for some answers. She pushed open the door, shutting it behind her. Once it was shut, she rocketed forward at the princess. She barely had time to look surprised, when rainbow slammed her back down onto the bed.

"Alright! What did you do to Twilight!?," She roared.

Cadenza jerked back in alarm. "What are you talking about!? What's wrong with-"

She was cut off by Rainbow grabbing her by the shoulders and tossing her onto the desk. It cracked, and Cadenza fell to the floor. Rainbow once again shot over onto Cadenza, pinning her down.

"Don't play stupid with me! You were the last one to speak with Twilight, and now she's writhing on the ground outside donut Joe's! Now, what did you do to my friend!?"

Cadenza sputtered, stuttering out, "Wa-wait! I didn't do anything to-"

"LIAR!", Rainbow snarled. She grabbed the princess by the side of the head, and began to slam her down onto the floor. hey Her head jerked from the impacts, and a small patch of blood hit the side of the polished floor. The impacts also sent her eyes lolling, and made her mane even more disheveled. After a few hits, she stopped, and looked down at her again. "TWILIGHT ISN'T FINE! NOW, WHAT DID YOU DO!?!"

Suddenly, she was thrown against the bed frame by a force. Her head slammed into the hardwood so hard it cracked, and she began to feel dizzy. She tried to rise for a second, but then slipped into unconsciousness. The last sound she heard was the whipping of flames and the sound of a unicorns horn being lit.

Sorry for the delay. I'm in the middle of finals week, so things are pretty hectic. The next one will be much sooner.