"Docta? Are you her?"

The black stallion nosed the door open, finding a cross-eyed Derpy standing on the step. "What is it, Ditzy? Hallucinations again?"

She shook her head, wild yellow mane bobbing. "No sir. Somethan weerd is goona happen."

"What makes you think that?" In his mind, the stallion was thinking over diiferent perscriptions.

Suddenly, both of her eyes aligned, fixing him with an even, golden stare. "Because this keeps happening." Her voice was just as abnormally normal. "Everytime I start acting normal, bad things happen. Remember last time? Nightmare Moon returned."

"I am quite aware of that, Ditzy."

"I want to evacuate Ponyville. There's no need to suffer here if my senses are correct again."

"Ditzy, I don't see it as that much of a problem-"

Suddenly, her face was pressed up against his. "You will move all of your patients out as fast as you can. Get them to a safe place where they will not be harmed. I can clear out the town. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes."

Her eyes changed directions again. "Imma coonting on yu!"

She flew away into the center of Ponyville, wings flapping in an odd rythym. The doctor sighed.

"Strawberries?"

The pale red mare was at his side in moments. "Yes, Sterile?"

"Prepare for emergency evac."

She didn't question his order, just trotted back inside and began waking the healthier patients.

"Wha's she doin' yellin like that?" Applejack muttered to herself, watching as Derpy - no - Ditzy Doo tried to warn ponies about something. "Hey, Ditz, whatdya yellin' for?"

The Pegasus arced to the best landing Applejack had ever seen. Her eyes had switched sides, now moving as one. "There's danger coming. My intellect is active."

"Hookay, that was creepy." Applejack admitted. "Who managed to pull off this prank?"

Ditzy grabbed her friend's muzzle, moving into a shoulder-height hover. "This is no prank. You can feel it just as much as I can. I know it." She dropped the earth pony the short distance to the ground. By now, a crowd had started forming. "Pinkie has been acting like she's in a war zone. Fluttershy has grown angry, withdrawn, depressed even! Rarity is scared to go into her basement for some unspoken reason. Twilight has been shunning her books and pacing the park outskirts. We've seen hide nor hair of Coronus. Applejack, you've noticed the apples on your crop are withering early, haven't you?" The filly nodded, not wanting to interrupt.

"I've been delivering the mail as usual, but these moments keep striking - suddenly I know what I'm doing, my words are right, I can see straight. Nopony goes outside anymore. The birds have stopped singing. The ground is layered in dust. The market wasn't even put up this week! Have any of you even noticed you've been hiding?"

There were a few uncertian murmurs among the gathered crowd. This was the first time they'd been out in a while, they realized. Only because all stocks were running low. The ponies who had already shopped realized they were carrying at least three times their usual burden.

"What are you saying we do?" A voice called out from the back. "What's going on?"

"We have to get out. Every time I get episodes where I think straight, which are rare, somethign bad happens. Last time, it was the return of Nightmare Moon. I don't know what's going to happen. Get the caravans ready, everypony. Pack as fast as you can and move out. Head somewhere further away." She paused, and her eyes crossed. "Pweese."

Coronus rolled over in his bed of tree roots, their knarled edges poking against his back. He streched and yawned, looking around for Raven. She was still sleeping against her tree, wings wrapped around her flanks protectively. Coronus got to his feet and looked around for something to do. He saw a squirrel calmly grooming itself on the branches above.

His eyes gleamed as his predator half surfaced. Shaking his tail in anticipation, he shot straight up, grabbing the rodent and snapping its neck in his teeth on the descent. He swallowed the warm meat in chinks, not bothering to chew.

Raven watched through one narrowed eye. The dragon half was growing stronger. As he finished, licking the blood from his lips, she pretended to wake up, shaking out her mane and tail and streching her wings.

"Good morning, colt."

"How much longer will we be flying for?"

Raven tried to figure out how much distance they had covered. "We'll probably get there by noon."

He streched out his back, feeling the vertabrae pop in their places. "You need anyhting to eat?"

"I'll get something when we arrive."

They took wing side-by-side, catching the thermal and slowly circling higher. Like Raven said, the small town was a indistinct blur near the horizon.

"It doesn't look very big." Coronus commented, squinting at it. "Are you sure thats not just a herd of cows?"

"It's a town, trust me. It's called Trottown officially, but everyone just calls it 'that little place in the middle of nowhere'. Both are appropriate." She paused, gliding up to the next thermal. "But stay close to me once we get there, okay? It's not the best of places."

Pinkie held up the box of armour, presenting it to a Pegasus hovering in front of her. "Here."

"I thought Fluttershy was going." Rainbow Dash announced, holding up the helmet. "I didn't think I'd get to go."

"No, you lose in races - no offense - but if he's with the Pegamare, he won't be going very fast. Chances are, you'd be able to catch up." Pinkie's face had returned almost to normal, and she was saying a few random things every so often. But, despite Pinkie's improvment, Ditzy Doo was still sane.

Rainbow Dash had finsihed strapping on the aluminum armour. A chestplate, four boots, wing sheaths, back plate, and helmet. Because it was Rarity who had built it, there were small shards of gemstones implanted along the edges. Rainbow raised on hoof to her head in a salute.

"If I come back, Coronus is coming with me." With those words of semi-encouragement, Rainbow Dash shot into the air. Surprisingly, she could see two dots far away, flying at cruising level. With a yell, she took off after them.

Raven landed in front of a run-down pub. There was an unconcious stallion in front of it, a bottle still in one hoof. Raven nosed the door aside, waiting for Coronus as he sidestepped around the pony. Loud music blared as Coronus entered.

Raven started walking away, and Coronus hurried to follow her. She went behind the bar and upstairs, leaving Coronus behind. The music started to get to him, and he moved closer. There was a filly out in the middle of the flashing floor, mane and tail swinging, dancing almost exactly to the music. The bottle in her hand proved she was drunk, but she danced nonetheless.

Coronus gave in and joined her, his claws clicking on the plastic. She eyed his scales, but didn't comment. "Dance with me?"

He nodded, and started matching her moves. She held out the bottle, and against his common sense, Coronus took a swig.

Upstairs, Raven was knocking on a door. Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Fed up with waiting, she opened it, seeing a bedraggled-looking stallion slouched on a couch, watching TV. He was so drunk she could smell it from the door.

She tried to restrain from gagging. "Dad?"

"Oh, shorry hun. Didna shee you there." He slurred, getting up on wobbly legs. "Been a shwhile, hashn't it? What took sha sho long?"

"I told you four times. Every time I've come to visit I've told you. I've been hired by Princess Luna to find half-dragons, remember? Because there are too many?"

"Oh yesh. You did tells shme. What doesh she do wish them once you drop tshem off?"

"Look, I don't know. Can I stay here for the night?"

"You realishe the Princesshessh are that way? The way shoo came?"

"Yes, I know. That's why I'm here. Now please, can we stay here?"

"Shure you can, my girl. Doorsh alwaysh open."

Raven went to exit the room, but looked back. "Speaking of doors, there's another unconcious pony outside that you should move."

"He'll wake up evenshually."

Raven suddenly sensed something was wrong. She hurried down the stairs, spotting Coronus kissing a pony in a booth across the room.

She swerved through the crowds and skidded to a stop beside the booth. "Coronus!"

He looked up. "Heya Raven."

She saw the dull glaze in his eyes. Whoever this pony was, she had made Coronus drunk. Raven narrowed her eyes, spotting a small difference in the placement of the chin, and the curve of the legs.

"You're a colt-cuddler?!"

"He's not?" The colt replied, sitting back in the chair. "He acted like he was."

With a snort of distaste, Raven picked Coronus up by the tail and lugged him upstairs. Dropping him down on the old, torn mattress, she pinned him under one wing and fell asleep.