Nurse Redheart wiped more tears from her eyes as she continued to stare at the monitors. It hurt her greatly to see one of her friends in a hospital bed, unconscious, with wires and machines now attached to her body. What was supposed to be a quiet night with her own thoughts had become a nightmare. After Twilight disappeared, the medical professional checked Rainbow Dash’s unconscious form, as her medicinal training took over. Her vitals were stable, but her wing was badly damaged. Twilight’s bite had crushed part of the bone and torn the muscle. There was no way she could move her, so she ran to the edge of the roof as quickly as she could and began screaming for help. This was a move out of pure desperation, as she hoped with all her might that her voice would carry over the crowd below and the music thumping through the floor. Seconds felt like hours as she screamed as loud as her voice would let her. The pegasus’ instinct about the royal guards patrolling the area was proved right as a few appeared from the crowd, flying up to the roof. After that, everything was a blur. The guards carried the two mares back to the castle, as fast as they could, after Nurse Redheart secured Rainbow Dash’s wing as best she was able. Once they got to the castle, she had the soldiers rush her friend to the infirmary, causing a panic in the hallways of the palace. Royal guards screaming orders, doctors running, and getting Rainbow Dash on a gurney. She hadn’t been allowed to help in the triage as she was still under the influence of alcohol, but there wasn’t a pony alive who could drag her from the Cloudsdale resident’s side right now. Well, maybe there was one…

“TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!! RIGHT NOW!! WHERE IS TWILIGHT?!?” Princess Celestia screamed as the door to the makeshift hospital room flew open.

Nurse Redheart yelped as she fell away from the alicorn whose angry eyes were now mere inches from her own.

“I…I’m sorry, Princess, but I don’t know where Twilight Sparkle is! She just teleported away! There was nothing I could do, I’m sorry!” The nurse pleaded.

Suddenly, only the sound of the monitors could be heard, echoing around them in the sterile room. For a few moments, they just stared at each other, until the princess’ nostrils flared. Her eyes narrowed, as she raised her head up, looking down with fury at the earth pony below her. Alcohol. It was all over her breath.

“You are going to tell me everything, Redheart! EVERYTHING! Do you understand me?!?” Celestia seethed.

Nurse Redheart was shaking as she stared wide-eyed at the alicorn in front of her. She wanted to say something, but she was too scared. She willed a voice, any sound at all, to leave her body, but she was petrified under the princess’ gaze. Suddenly, another voice came from the doorway, startling both of them.

“TIA! What is the matter with you?!? You’re scaring her half to death! You aren’t going to get any answers this way, you know that!” Princess Luna shouted as she slowly entered the room.

The sun princess turned, glaring at her younger sister. She walked slowly over to her, her jaw clenched in anger.

“Stay out of this, Luna! I smell it on her breath!” She spat, as her horn began to glow.

“Tia…sister…please calm down. You’re better than this. Nurse Redheart is terrified. Can’t you see that?” Princess Luna said in the most even voice she could muster.

The elder alicorn closed her eyes, as she sighed deeply. Her younger sibling was right. Frightening a poor earth pony was not going to get her any closer to finding her pupil. What she needed was information, and thundering about in a rage wouldn’t help the situation, but rather hinder it. She kept her eyes closed as she felt her sister embrace her tight.

“Please. I know you’re worried about her. We all are. But you have to be strong, even at your weakest. Just remember that I’m here to help you. I will always be here to help you,” The princess of the moon whispered.

As Luna felt her sister’s neck move up and down, nodding, she broke the hug, greeting her sister with a smile as Celestia opened her eyes again.

“I will talk to Nurse Redheart. Go ahead and wait outside. Take a minute to collect yourself. I’ll be out in a moment, alright?” Luna said sweetly.

Princess Celestia didn’t say anything as she walked out the door, leaving Luna and earth pony alone. At first, the medical professional began to tremble again, thinking that she was in store for the same treatment from the younger sister as she was the elder. A smile from the alicorn set her mind at ease at least for the time being. Luna approached her slowly, finally sitting down next to her. Turning her head to Rainbow Dash‘s unconscious form, a frown replaced the soft smile she wore.

“How is she?” Luna asked.

“Twilight…bit her,” Nurse Redheart stammered.

“What?!?” Luna grimaced, as she turned to stare at the mare wide-eyed.

Nurse Redheart just nodded as tears began to form in her eyes again. She was so emotionally drained from her experience tonight that she didn’t know how much energy she had left in her. She felt a wing caress her back as she looked over at Princess Luna.

“Just tell me what happened. I know that my sister frightened you, but you are not in trouble, I can assure you,” the moon princess whispered.

“I…I just. I needed a change of scenery, that’s all. I went to this little bar that I heard about from the Royal Guards, right by the castle. I…I know that might seem weak of me, but I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts, you know? I know I don’t need to tell you this, but this whole ordeal has been so overwhelming. I’ve never seen ponies in such states before. So broken, and in despair. I… I think what finally made me lose my nerve was something that happened a little over a week ago,” she said, her voice beginning to crack.

“It’s alright. Go on,” Luna encouraged.

“I… I was doing my rounds late that night, when I heard screaming. Terrible screaming, coming from Fluttershy’s room. I ran as fast as I could, and when I went into her room, I saw she wasn’t in her bed. I heard more screaming coming from the bathroom. When I went in there….the stench…. I’ll never forget it as long as I live. She…she was asleep in the bathtub, holding her head. I tried to shake her awake, and finally she woke up. She just stared at me. She had…she’s a friend, Princess. I used to see her walk around Ponyville, I went to parties where she was there, and here she was, in a puddle of her own filth, begging me to take the pain away! To…to do anything to make it stop, and…and I couldn’t! Th…there was nothing I could do! My friend was wallowing in her own urine, and I couldn’t do anything to help her!” The nurse sobbed.

She turned and embraced the princess, who accepted the hug, and began stoking the mare’s back, doing her best to comfort her.

“Shhh. It’s ok,” Luna whispered, trying to calm her down.

“I know it’s difficult, but you have to tell me what happened with Twilight. You are our only lead right now. Please, just tell me what happened,” Luna said again as she broke the embrace.

The earth pony just nodded, as she wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed, doing her best to get her emotions under control before speaking again.

“I…I had a few drinks at the bar, and when I left, Twilight Sparkle was calling to me outside the entrance. We talked for a few moments. I was surprised to see her out of the castle, as I thought she wasn’t allowed to leave the grounds until Princess Celestia had cleared her. She seemed so down. She… she said that she just needed to get away from the castle for a little while. She told me how the others were treating her, and that she didn’t want to be around them. How could I blame her? These were the same things I was feeling, right? She talked me into going to this part of town where there was a bunch of clubs. It was…interesting, to say the least. Well, we found a club that looked nice, and we went inside to have a few drinks. Twilight was dancing up a storm. I was worried about her. I…I figured, if I couldn’t convince her to go back to the palace right away, then I could at least accompany her to make sure she was alright. We…we sat down on one of the couches, and that’s when things got…weird,” she said.

“Weird?” Princess Luna pressed further.

“W…well, when we sat down, she started asking me questions. About…how I wore my mane. And…and then she told me how pretty I was. She began to… touch me. I… I got uncomfortable, so I excused myself to the restroom. She…she followed me in and…well… she pinned me up against the wall. She kissed me. I didn’t want it to happen, but… Princess, her strength was unlike anything I’ve ever felt! No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move. I had to think quickly, so I tried playing along,” she said.

“What do you mean by ‘playing along’?” Luna inquired curiously.

Nurse Redheart’s eyes widened and her throat let out a small yelp at the question. She was embarrassed by her answer, but she knew she had to focus on replying to the princess.

“I…well… I asked her if she wanted to play doctor,” the medical professional whispered.

Luna’s nose crinkled at the thought, but her lips soon curled in a soft smile. If the situation weren’t so dire, she would have laughed aloud. She had to give credit where it was due. The nurse’s idea was certainly original. Luna grunted signaling the earth pony to continue.

“I… I asked her some questions, trying to get as much information as possible, when suddenly, she just stopped,” Nurse Redheart explained.

“Why did she stop?” Luna asked.

“Before I went to the bathroom, I noticed, she was scratching her neck and face furiously. I didn’t know what to make of it. When she… had me pinned, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She froze. It… it was like she saw a ghost! After I… calmed down, I tried to ask her what happened, and she just ran off,” the earth pony stated.

“So, then how did Rainbow Dash become involved?” Luna pried further.

“I couldn’t find her in the club. I tried to think about where she might go. She seemed to be in such a fragile state that I thought she might have gone up to the roof to try to get away from the crowds in the club and out on the streets. When I went up there, Rainbow Dash was up there with her. They looked to be discussing something. Rainbow yelled at me, but then she started talking to Twilight again. I couldn’t really hear what they were saying but Twilight screamed at her, and Rainbow Dash just froze! She…she tried to convince her to come back with us to the castle, but Twilight lost it when Rainbow Dash suggested we should alert the royal guards. She tackled Rainbow, hitting her in the face, and then she bit down on her wing. She looked like she was going to try to tear it off. I… I did my best to calm her down, and finally she snapped out of it. Then she just teleported away. You know the rest after the guards found us,” Nurse Redheart said.

Luna nodded, as she stood up to leave. This was worse than she thought. Twilight’s mind was still going back and forth between sanity and madness. Her skills in magic were second only to herself and her fellow alicorns, and to top it all off, she had otherworldly physical strength. They needed to find her, and quickly, not just for her own safety, but for the safety of everyone she might come into contact with as well as her sister’s own piece of mind.

“I’m… I’m really not in trouble?” Nurse Redheart asked sheepishly.

“No. Just before this incident, I had an encounter with Twilight, where I too felt her physical power. There was no way you would have been able to make her to return to the castle. If anything, had you forced the issue you would have been in mortal danger,” the princess answered as she looked back at Rainbow Dash’s unconscious form.

“You did what you could to look out for her, and for that I am appreciative, Nurse Redheart,” Luna stated, as she turned to walk away.

“Th… thank you, princess,” Nurse Redheart said as she bowed to the princess right before she exited the makeshift hospital room.

-

Rarity was thankful for the robe she wore as she made her way down the hallway in between her Royal Guard escort. It hid the semi-fresh bruises that now adorned her body. She would have been both confused and intrigued had her mind not been preoccupied with her recent incident with Twilight Sparkle. The three guards who now surrounded her had to knock quite a few times before she was able to pull herself out of the bathroom. Ever since her lover left her to go back to work after that horrible night, she became a bundle of nerves. Everything she tried to do to calm herself down was for naught, and soon her anxiety reached its breaking point. Not long before the Royal Guards showed up at her doorstep, she rushed to the bathroom and began vomiting. She thought it was somewhat of a blessing that she didn’t have an appetite, as she emptied what little contents her stomach contained. What she was forced to do sickened her, but how she would handle it became a whole other nightmare. Twilight’s threats were too intimate to be ignored. Whom could she tell? She knew she could never face her fellow unicorn down again, as she was completely outclassed. If she couldn’t fight back, and she couldn’t tell anyone, what was she to do? Now, she was on her way to see the princesses, in some sort of confab. Given the recent events, she shivered at the thought of the princesses knowing what happened. Even if she did risk telling them, the last thing she wanted to do was relive the experience by giving the royal sisters an explanation. With each step she took, however, curiosity began to replace fear. She saw squads of guards running from room to room, in some sort of frantic search. Whatever was happening did not seem to involve her, which relieved her greatly, but also began to raise more questions. Finally, the group turned and entered the palace dining room, where she saw her friends, the princesses, Spike and even Big Mackintosh.

‘What’s he doing here at this hour? What in the world is going on?’ She thought to herself as she walked in to greet the group while the guards waited outside.

“Good. You’re here. Now we can begin,” Princess Luna stated.

Rarity eyed everyone in the room carefully. Most of them looked as bewildered as she was as to why they were called here. Spike seemed to wear a scowl, which was a bit off-putting, given his new size. It wasn’t exactly intimidating, but his newfound maturity shined through, making him look a bit more formidable then in the past. The one who really worried her was Princess Celestia. She had never seen her like this before. She was usually a beacon of calmness and serenity, but now she was shaking. The unicorn could tell that she had been crying. Her train of thought was broken as Princess Luna spoke again.

“I’m sure you are all wondering why you are here right now. There has been a development. Twilight Sparkle is… missing,” she said.

Everyone gasped, as they looked at each other. The moon princess tried to gage their reactions, but they all seemed to be the same.

“What do you mean missing?!?” Fluttershy asked as she began to shiver.

“For those who don’t know, There was an incident earlier today. Twilight lost control of herself while talking to Fluttershy, and she was taken to the infirmary. After my sister got her to calm down, she sent her back to her room to get some rest. When Princess Celestia went to check on her, she wasn’t there. We’ve ordered a search of the castle and the city, as I’m sure you’ve seen the guards by now. About an hour ago, Nurse Redheart came in with a very injured Rainbow Dash. Nurse Redheart ran into Twilight downtown. They had gone to a club in the city, where Twilight had another… episode and attacked Ms. Dash. She is currently stable, but unconscious,” Luna explained.

“She…she hurt Dashie?” Pinkie Pie whispered, looking down at the marble floor in front of her.

“From this point on, the castle is in complete lockdown. You will have guards posted outside all of your rooms, and you are not to roam the grounds without an escort. We are doing this for your own safety. Twilight’s mind is breaking down. She is not herself, and if you do see her, do not approach her. If you do encounter her, do what she says until back up arrives. We are not sure why, but her physical strength has increased immensely, and that combined with her mental instability puts anyone she comes into contact with in grave danger. We will do our best to find her, but our other priority is keeping you safe. Do I make myself clear?” Luna answered in a steady voice.

“Wait a sec. Did you say ‘increased physical strength?’?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, Applejack. She is much stronger than any unicorn, or even any earth pony,” Luna said.

Applejack gasped, as her eyes went wide. She looked back and forth nervously, as she brought her hoof to her mouth. The moon princess noticed the sign. It was clear that the mare knew something.

“Is there something that we should know, Applejack?” The dark coated alicorn inquired.

“W… well. Ah dunno if there’s a connection, but… when she started to change… before… she was… strong… like really strong, stronger even than mah brother! You… you don’t think…” Applejack stammered, as her knees began to shake.

“NO!” Pinkie Pie screamed as she practically jumped to her hooves.

Everyone, including the princesses, was startled by the pink party mare’s harsh reaction to Applejack’s implication. She clenched her jaw, bearing her teeth like an angry timber wolf as she stomped slowly towards Applejack. Her fellow earth pony braced herself for an incoming blow, as she thought Pinkie Pie was going to attack her. Her friends had seen her like this before, but this was different. Pinkie Pie was literally shaking with anger, doing her best to stop the tears from rolling down her face. She wasn’t successful.

“DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT! YOU… YOU JUST HATE HER, THAT’S ALL! YOU HATE THAT SHE’S BACK, YOU… SHE WENT TO ALL OF YOU BEGGING FOR FORGIVENESS, BUT NONE OF YOU WOULD LISTEN! YOU’LL LOOK FOR ANY REASON TO KEEP HATING HER!” Pinkie Pie screamed at her friend, while poking her in the chest with her hoof.

“Pinkie, that’s enough,” Big Mac said calmly, as he stepped in between them.

“Pinkie Pie, we do not know what is causing her bizarre symptoms. We should not jump to conclusions, but we need to consider every possibility. Please, calm down, this isn’t helping anyone,” Princess Luna said, stepping forward.

The pink earth pony turned and looked at Princess Luna. She was just like the others. What was there to consider? This was a new Twilight Sparkle- unchanged and undamaged by those horrid creations so many months ago. To suggest, even for a moment, that Twilight was changing again was callous and shameful. Suddenly, her eyes went wide as she thought about the current speculation.

‘He… he said this might happen! I… I didn’t think it could, but… No! I can’t think like that! She… she’s just confused! She’ll be ok, she’s just…’ Pinkie Pie thought to herself as she walked slowly towards Princess Celestia.

If anyone could see her point of view, it was Princess Celestia. Pinkie Pie knew that no matter what Twilight might have done in the past, the princess would always love her. She looked up and into the eyes of the white alicorn, and she could see a reflection of her own feelings.

“Princess, please! We… we have to find her! She’s… she’s out there, all alone and she’s scared! I know she is! She thinks her friends hate her! We have to get her back! You have to do something! Please!” Pinkie Pie stammered, as she collapsed in front of the sun goddess.

As she sobbed quietly, she felt a wing brush over her shoulder. She looked up again at Princess Celestia who was offering her a comforting smile. Pinkie Pie smiled back, although neither smile was sincere, and they both knew it. They were just masks, a vain attempt to hide their shared insecurities and worry of the unknown.

“We… we are doing everything we can, Pinkie. But, you have to be strong. For her. We will find her, I promise,” the alicorn whispered, as she embraced the earth pony in a hug.

-

Princess Luna made her way down the hall and the guards did their best to keep out of her path. She wore a scowl, which was quite off-putting, and no one dared approach her in fear of angering her further. In the past three days, her sister organized the search for her missing student. However, it yielded no results, and only contributed to angering Celestia further. Luna had finally convinced her sibling to get some rest, but it hadn’t been easy. She tried to be nice, as she knew her sister was in a very fragile state, but their discussion soon devolved into a fight. She hated fighting with her sister, as it reminded her of the mistakes she made so long ago, even if she knew she was in the right. As she came to the infirmary door, she raised her hoof to knock, but she shook her head as she just entered instead. She was done with formalities, and wanted answers. A guard informed her that Rainbow Dash was awake, and the dark coated alicorn made having a talk with her about her recent actions her first priority. She disobeyed an explicit command of the princess, and she needed to know why. As she walked in, she observed a nurse putting something in a medical saddlebag, as she turned to see the princess.

“Princess Luna! I was just changing Ms. Dash’s bandages. Her surgery was a success, and…” the nurse began.

“Thank you. I trust your services are no longer required?” Princess Luna asked flatly.

The nurse practically jumped, startled at the response. She was about to open her mouth again to speak, when she was interrupted again by her superior.

“No, you have not done anything wrong. I merely wish to speak to Ms. Dash… alone,” she stated coldly.

The nurse knew better than to protest. She gave a quick bow and quickly exited the sterile makeshift hospital room, leaving the princess with the young flyer. Rainbow Dash’s glare would have taken her off guard has she not already been angry herself.

“Ms. Dash, I believe we have some items to discuss,” the moon princess started as she walked to the side of the flyer’s bed.

“Seriously?!? I’m a few days out of surgery, and you wanna yell at me?!?” Rainbow Dash inquired roughly.

“You disobeyed my explicit order! I forbade you from flying so you could actually deal with the pain inside you! You kept running away from your problems, so my only choice was to ground you! I didn’t like doing it, but your defiance left me no choice! What do you have to say for yourself?!?” Luna inquired, her volume growing with every word.

“What do I have to say for myself?!? What about you, Princess?!?” Rainbow Dash retorted.

Luna was losing patience with each passing second. Once again, Rainbow Dash was taking a very disrespectful and rebellious tone. Usually, the princess would just smile to herself and admire the pegasus’ spunk, but with recent events, she had no time for games.

“Watch your tone! Do you remember who you’re talking to?!?” The dark coated alicorn shouted.

“Of course I remember! How could I forget the pony who took away the ONE THING that made me special! The pony that denied me the use of my special talent! I mean, really, did you ever stop to think that MAYBE flying IS how I think?!? That flying might be the way I deal with things because when I’m in the air, alone with my thoughts, I just might be able to work things out?!? That maybe I’m not the best wordsmith out there and that I may have trouble expressing myself by gabbing away?!? No, NONE of that EVER entered your mind, did it?!?” Rainbow Dash shouted back.

Luna stared at the pegasus blankly, as she sat on her haunches. Rainbow Dash was right. She should have known better. Most ponies had an activity that they used as a conduit for working things out. Some used their hooves to build things, some sewed or cooked. She denied Rainbow Dash the use of her wings, and therefore the use of her special talent. It would have driven anyone mad, not being able to be who they were. She also never considered that talking things out might be harder for some because they simply had trouble expressing themselves in the first place, rather than be intentionally keeping their feelings bottled up.

“Rainbow Dash… I…I’m sorry,” Princess Luna whispered.

“You…you are?” The pegasus inquired, awestruck at the change she saw in the princess.

“Yes. You are right. I was… misguided…in believing that the same treatments I’d been using based on the doctors recommendations were one size fits all. I made you deny yourself, and for that, I sincerely apologize. Please understand that it was not done intentionally. What happened…what you all went through...no other pony has ever encountered an experience this horrific and grisly. We are completely at a loss as to how we can help you get through this. I know it’s not an excuse for my behavior, but I am sorry,” Luna said, her eyes locked onto the ornate marble floor below them.

Rainbow Dash was surprised at the sincerity of the statement. She fully expected the princess to chastise her, but here she was being humble.

“Look, It’s ok. I know you didn’t do it to be mean to me. You’ve been great and believe me, we really appreciate everything you and Princess Celestia have done for us,” the pegasus stated.

When Luna looked up, she could see the smile on Rainbow Dash’s face, and she quickly felt herself return the smile. All seemed to be forgiven. It was time to start fresh. However, there was another piece of business to take care of first.

“So, what happened with Twilight? It’s been three days and no one has heard from her since your…encounter. Anything you can tell us would be of great help, Rainbow Dash,” Princess Luna said.

“Honestly, not much. I remember her tacking me, and then I felt a lot of pain. When I woke up from surgery, they told me that Twilight bit down on my wing so hard that it crushed the bone and went through the muscle. I should recover, but it’s going to take a while. I must have passed out, so I only remember bits and pieces of our conversation. I just remember that…she was scared. That’s all,” Rainbow Dash answered.

The alicorn nodded and stood up to leave. She knew it was a long shot, but she needed to try. They had no leads on Twilight’s whereabouts and in her condition, she was dangerous. They were back at square one. As she got to the door, she smiled again as she turned her neck back towards the injured pegasus.

“Would you be open to a compromise, Ms. Dash?” Luna inquired slyly.

“What kind of compromise?” Rainbow Dash asked flatly, with a hint of curiosity mixed into her tone.

“When that wing of yours heals, how about flying with me? I still want you to be able to talk about what’s on your mind, and express anything that you might be feeling, but as you said, you think better in the clouds. I may even be able to show you a thing or two. What do you say?” Luna asked.

“YES! That sounds awesome! I can’t wait! Thank you so much, Princess Luna!” Rainbow answered, as she had to keep herself from jumping out of her bed.

Luna just nodded as she walked out, acknowledging the deal the two of them just made. She was looking forward to working with such a talented flyer, but she had to push those thoughts away, as there were more pressing matters to attend. They needed to find Twilight Sparkle as soon as possible. She knew the consequences would be dire if they didn’t.

-

Princess Celestia looked over another report with a scowl on her face. She flipped through the pages, skimming the data, her brow furrowing even more with each line she read. Finally reaching the last page, she grunted in frustration as she used her magic to throw the packet of papers against the wall of her throne room, startling the three guards who stood in front of her. Ten days. Ten days had passed, and not a single word or sighting of her student. It was infuriating. She had even gone out herself with some of the Wonderbolts a few times, searching the capital city, but they found no evidence of Twilight’s whereabouts. She had the Royal Guards going door to door, but there was still no new information. Here she was, up for five days straight, her worry increasing by the minute and the guards bring her these incident reports about a supposed wild animal rummaging through the trash left out by some of the nearby restaurants and sweet shops.

“Tell me, Lieutenant, what exactly was the point of bringing me such useless information?!? With Twilight Sparkle still missing, what makes you believe that I would care at all about something as insignificant as a dog or squirrel craving a midnight snack?!?” She snapped, as she stomped towards the guards.

“W…well, your highness, you… you asked us to report anything unusual, so…we… we just thought…” The Lieutenant stammered.

“NO! YOU DIDN’T THINK! THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM! HOW DARE YOU WASTE MY TIME WITH SUCH TRIVIAL INFORMATION?!? YOU’RE LUCKY I DON’T…” she shouted before she was cut off by another voice

“CELESTIA, THAT’S ENOUGH!” Princess Luna bellowed from the entryway of the main hall.

Luna understood the tremendous stress her sister was under not being able to find her prized pupil, but she was beginning to tire of the anger she’d seen rise up in her sibling. In her eyes, she was only making it more difficult with these angry lectures, as they had the Royal Guards constantly second guessing themselves. At first, the searches had gone smoothly, but by now, the mission turned into a huge debacle. Communication between the squad commanders and Princess Celestia began to break down, as her sister’s behavior became more erratic. She would go days without sleeping, and when Luna continued to try to convince her fellow alicorn to get some rest, tempers would flair and the situation would devolve once again into a screaming match. Luna’s patience was running thin, but she did her best to hold her tongue. There were moments in her distant past where she said things she would later regret and she’d be damned if she’d repeat those mistakes again. Unfortunately, there is only so much fighting one can do before something unintended slips out, and she was coming dangerously close to that line with each argument the pair had. She turned to the guards now cowering under her sister’s glare offering them a sweet smile before speaking.

“Thank you for the information. We will review your findings and give you our report soon. Please, go back to your duties, or if your shift is over, you are free for the rest of the evening,” Luna said in the most pleasant voice she could muster.

Before Celestia could react, the stallions bowed and ran away. In a few seconds, they were through the door, leaving the two alicorns in a stare down. The scowls they each wore informed them both that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

“How dare you usurp my authority in front of the guards?!? That was completely inappropriate, Luna!” Celestia seethed through her teeth, her jaw clenched as she spoke.

“I wouldn’t have to, if you were thinking clearly! We talked about this! You have to calm down! You have the guards running in too many different directions, and you should know that! They don’t even know what they should be reporting to you!” Luna countered.

“That’s ridiculous! They are trained soldiers, Luna! I expect them to carry out their duties just as they were taught!” Celestia exclaimed.

“They can’t carry out anything if they don’t know what their duties are, Tia! You’ve always been the one to keep a cool head, but I think you may be becoming too emotionally involved in this!” Luna said, trying her best to keep her voice at an acceptable volume.

Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she glared at her sister. Was the moon princess actually insinuating that her elder sister was incapable of carrying out her responsibilities? It was a step too far, even for family. It made her blood boil to think that her sister had lost faith in her, and it hurt even more that she was being chastised for becoming emotional about her student. She was tired, furious, and once again, the source of her misery was her own flesh and blood. She kept her rage under control for so long, but she couldn’t anymore. Now, it flowed freely, like a river bursting from a dam.

“OF COURSE I’M EMOTIONAL! THIS IS TWILIGHT! I RAISED HER! I NURTURED HER AS I WOULD MY OWN CHILD! NOW SHE’S OUT THERE ALL ALONE AND PROBABLY SCARED OUT OF HER MIND! HOW EXACTLY WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO REACT?!?” Princess Celestia screamed.

“PERHAPS WITH SOME COMMON SENSE! MAKING THE GUARDS RUN AROUND LIKE CHICKENS WITHOUT HEADS ISN’T DOING ANYONE ONE ANY GOOD! THEY NEED LEADERSHIP!” Luna retorted forcefully.

“OH, AND WHEN DID YOU BECOME THE EXPERT ON LEADERSHIP, LITTLE SISTER?!? HERE’S A TIP; SOMETIMES IT’S NECESSARY TO BE FORCEFULL WITH YOUR TROOPS! WHEN A SITUATION IS THIS DIRE, YOU CAN’T ALWAYS BE SWEET AND GENTLE!” Celestia yelled back.

“OH BELIEVE ME, IF THERE IS ONE THING I KNOW, IT’S THAT YOU HAVE A FORCEFULL SIDE!” Luna shouted.

“OH, HERE WE GO AGAIN! IT’S THE SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE WITH YOU ISN’T IT?!? THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU, LUNA!”

The younger alicorn’s eyes widened at the statement. She continued to speak, but her volume lowered to a whisper.

“Wh…what do you mean?” she said softly.

“YOU TRIED TO DESTROY EQUESTRIA! I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO TO SAVE MY LAND! OUR LAND! I’M SORRY YOU’RE STILL UPSET ABOUT IT, BUT STOP USING IT AS AN EXCUSE TO TRY TO WRESTLE CONTROL FROM ME! THIS IS MY KINGDOM! I HAD TO DO EVERYTHING FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, WITH NO HELP, ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR SELFISHNESS! SO DON’T YOU DARE COME IN HERE AND QUESTION MY METHODS! BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU I’VE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO PRACTICE ON MY OWN!” Princess Celestia screamed again.

Tears were flowing freely down the side of the moon princess’ cheek. Did she really think that she was actually using their history to try to get one over on her, especially at a time like this? Of all the arguments, all the fights, these words hurt Luna most.

“I…I see. After everything I’ve done for you throughout this crisis. After taking the responsibility of helping the element bearers, and trying to keep you from hiding away like a frightened foal, this is what you think of me? You still look at me like I’m some witch trying to trick you?” She whispered, turning away from her elder sister.

Celestia’s eyes widened as the words of her sibling sunk in. Her mind filled with questions, and the one that frightened her most was whether she actually trusted her sister or not. She’s been back over two years, and she forgave her younger sibling. Hadn’t she? The fact that she may still harbor feelings of betrayal struck her very core. Her knees became weak as she took a few steps towards Luna. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, however, the younger alicorn spoke up.

“You don’t deserve to find her,” the moon princess seethed as she turned to walk away.

Princess Celesta’s jaw dropped as she collapsed where she stood. She wanted to scream at her little sister, but after her recent insinuation, she felt that she deserved such harshness. Her own thoughts betrayed her, and she showed the worst part of herself. But what hurt the most was the fact that she made her little sister cry. After everything she did for her, helping with her student and the other element bearers, taking on so much responsibility, charting new territory, and here was her elder sibling accusing her of being a traitor to the throne.

“LUNA, WAIT!” Celestia cried out desperately, her right hoof reaching out towards her sister.

Luna didn’t turn around, but instead disappeared through the large ornate doors that framed the entrance to the throne room. Celestia felt horrible. It took such piercing statements to show her that her little sister was right. She wasn’t thinking straight, and she needed rest. As she slowly walked down the steps and through the doorway, she saw the royal guards she scolded earlier. They hadn’t left and instead stood at attention in front of her. At first, she felt anger boil up again inside her. Had they listened in on her conversation with her sister? Soon the anger dissipated as she felt her lips curl into a soft smile. She was lucky. They were here for her. She felt grateful to have such wonderful guards at the ready. She bowed her head as she spoke softly.

“I apologize for my behavior. I know I haven’t been the best leader I could be right now, and I took out my anger on you. I shouldn’t have done that. In the future, I will be sure to communicate more clearly,” she stated.

The guards were taken back by the humility. They never saw the princess like this, and they couldn’t blame her. Everyone knew what she was going though, and were not angry with her in the least. Finally, the lieutenant stepped forward to speak.

“We serve at the pleasure of the princess, your highness,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you, lieutenant. I need to rest. I wish to not be disturbed for the rest of the night, unless you have found Twilight, or unless it’s an emergency,” she ordered.

“Yes, your highness,” he answered with a salute.

-

Princess Celestia’s nose crinkled slightly as she arose from her slumber. What was that smell? Was she dreaming? After tossing and turning for a few minutes, she gazed over at her clock as her grimace deepened. It was almost time to raise the sun. Her body screamed at her to go back to sleep, but her mind new she needed to find out if there was any new information on Twilight. She rolled out of bed and stretched her legs while a mighty yawn escaped her throat. As she drew in a breath, she coughed.

‘What is that stench?!? I can taste it, it’s so bad!’ The sun princess thought to herself as she turned towards her bathroom.

The sight of the shrouded form in front of her made her jump as her lungs forced out a scream. After a few seconds of regaining her composure, she studied the figure in detail. Whoever it was, wore a grey coat and was facing her mirror. The princess tried to tilt her head to get a reflection, but the being had its head tilted down, hiding the face. What disturbed her most was the fact that it hadn’t been startled when she screamed. As she stepped closer, she began to hear the faint sound of sniffling.

“Who are you? What are you doing in here?” The princess asked in an even voice, trying not to make the intruder even more upset.

“Princess,” the figure whispered.

Princess Celestia shot forward, using her right hoof to hook the being’s shoulder and whirl it around. The voice was unmistakable, and as she turned around, her hood fell.

“TWILIGHT!” Celestia exclaimed.

Her eyes soon widened in horror as she whimpered at the sight in front of her. Twilight’s face looked oily and cracked. There were crevices adorning her face, with a clear milky substance dripping through her pores like sweat. Bald spots were also scattered about her head where most of her mane used to be. She looked down and found the reason for the stench. The remnants of burst pus pockets seeped into the floor. However, what she saw beside her made her want to vomit. There were two fleshy pieces of meat lying there in a puddle of what looked like some sort of mucus. When she looked back up, she brought her hoof to her mouth as she felt tears sting her eyes.

‘Her ears!’ She thought to herself, as she staggered away from her pupil.

“Pr…princess? Please… please help me! Don’t let me die! Please…” Twilight stammered through her own tears.

The princess stood up and wrapped her wings around her student bringing her into a hug.

“I’m so scared,” Twilight whispered.

“It’s going to be alright Twilight. I’m going to help you. If it’s the last thing I do, I swear, I’m going to help you,” the sun princess answered in the most determined voice she could muster.

-

Well, here you are folks! Enjoy!