Comet screamed again as he continued to thrash about on the table. "I've got nothing for this," Morphine confessed. "What ever is going on with him I can assure you, the answer isn't in any of the books my sister or I have read. It would be more prudent for me to go back to sick bay were I can actually help ponies." Morphine's horn glowed, and a bolt of magic shot into Comet's side. "That's the strongest sedative spell I know. It's not helping him any, but it will keep him from thrashing around and screaming."
"Alright, just send Pumpkin back." Morphine nodded and left.
"Sweetie Belle, we just got the last part of the cave lit that we could. though there are still some places that're dark as night." Apple Bloom came into the room. "The other's are a bit concerned 'bout the force field."
"Button, would you go calm them down please." Button nodded and went to the door. Sweetie Belle rubbed a stray tear out of her eye before Button turned around to close the door. Her horn lit up again. The actions weren't missed by Apple Bloom, but her one of her two oldest and closest friends was kind enough to stay quiet. "Alright let's begin."
"Wait what? Aren't we going to-to," Rumble's voice trailed off as his vision blurred. With a gentle thud he collapsed onto the floor.
"I know what you are doing Sweetie Belle," Zecora leaned against the wall try hard to fight off Sweetie Belle's sleep spell. "Ask the dragon perhaps he knows a way around the books obsession spell." Zecora slid down the wall falling reluctantly into the embrace of sleep.
"I'm sorry Apple bloom, but I was the one that sent the Doo family to Ponyville I'm not going to let Dinky lose a mom and a sister in the same month.
"It's fine Sweetie just be safe, 'kay." With that Apple Bloom too nodded off to sleep. The only sounds in the room were Comet's agonized breaths and Sweetie Belle's magic. She took a deep breath, and cast the second spell. "Storm we need to talk it's about the books. What can you tell me about their obsession spell?"
***
Pound Cake galloped through the cavernous halls. Trying in vain to find Monsoon. Every hall he turned down the panic grew bit by bit. She could have slammed into a wall or jumped and knocked herself out during the blackout. He needed to find them they needed to go and get Scootaloo. She was the one that was always making the big calls when something bad happened, and the look on Sweetie Belle's face was proof that something really bad had happened. Pound bolted down the hall way after a familiar pony. "Pumpkin?"
"Pound what's wrong?"
"Monsoon have you seen her?" Pound landed trying to catch his breath.
"No not yet."
"So she wasn't in the sickbay."
"No she wasn't. Have you checked her room yet?" Pound face hoofed and bolted down the hall way. "You're welcome Feather Brain." Pumpkin laughed as her brother dashed around the rocky corner. Pumpkin continued her steady trot to the planning room. She could already hear the commotion. Doubtless Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had locked the door, so they could figure something out.
Pound opened the door to the medium sized niche that was Monsoon's room. His ears dropped at the sound of whimpering coming from the corner of the room. "Monsoon?" Pound steeped toward the corner. Hoping that she had only bumped into the cave wall while trying to pull off some kind of crazy stunt during the blackout. "Monsoon are you okay?"
"Go away Pound," she said between sobs.
"Right I'll go get Morphine."
"No, just I need-need you to go away." Pound Cake slowly, cautiously moved toward Monsoon. His eyes were beginning to become accustomed to the pitch darkness of the her room. She pulled herself tighter into the corner. "Go away, please. This is so freaking crash."
"You're not hurt, are you Monsoon." Pound sat down next to her. He pulled up beside her, and put his hoof on her shoulder.
"I-I, I'm scared of the dark." She paused waiting for Pound to laugh at her, in steed he just kept his hoof on her shoulder. "When the sun went out I was really little, Then when Cloudsdale got hit everything was dark and black, just like it did." She started taking deep breaths trying to keep her cool, what little of it she still had.
"Don't tell anypony because if you do I'll deny it, but I'm scared of Parasprites. Back when I was really little there was a really big swarm, and Twillight tried to keep them from eating all the food only her spell made them eat town instead." Monsoon looked at Pound. "One or two of them and I'm fine, but ten and I start freaking out. That's why it took so long for us to do patrols back in the Everfree Forest, but Scoots and Rumble were completely fine with it. I totally crashed right?" Pound gave Monsoon a smile.
"Totally not crash little dude." Monsoon laughed, returning the smile she wiped her eyes. "So, why did you come here?"
"Rumble told me to get you and start searching for Scootaloo, and I'm not little, your only 4 months older than me." Monsoon laughed, as she jumped over him, and glided out into the now lit halls.
"Come on little dude, let's get to work."
"Call me little again, and your going to be totally crash!" Pound chased after her.
"In order to crash me you need to catch me, and you're fast little dude, but you're not fast enough to catch me." Monsoon shoot down the halls. She flew at ridiculous speeds around the rocky walls of the cave.
"I bet I am!" Pound bolted down the halls after her.
***
"Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle!" Button's cries bled threw the shield into the room. Sweetie fought the urge to let him in. She knew that if she did he'd stop her. She knew she'd let him. She couldn't do that.
"So There's no way to avoid the obsession spell?"
"That is correct the spell on those books was set up to judge the mind, heart, will, and soul of the one trying to read them." Storms voice filled the room. "Once your eyes fall on the text of both book the spell is activated. They will consume you. If you leave them to soon, you'll never be able to read them, if you do not leave them soon enough, you will eventually starve yourself, as they continue to consume you're every moment."
"So there's nothing to worry about, my friends won't let it get that far."
"Your mind is made up."
"I'm not going to take Dinky's sister from her." Sweetie Belle swept up the books and floated them up to the table in front of her. "She doesn't deserve that."
"You are a good pony I hope that the books see that as well."
"Yeah, me too." Sweetie Belle gulped and opened the books. A minute passed in silence as her eyes scanned the two pages of the books. "Um, Storm, what does it mean if the books are blank?"