//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Critical Mass // by SC_Orion //------------------------------// Starlight quietly navigated the hallways of Twilight's castle. She was content with the silence, and she knew that the pegasus accompanying her didn't mind it either. Both of them walked along, enjoying the calmness offered by the peaceful castle as they made their way to Twilight's room. "I hate thinking that we left Twilight alone when we went out and ate lunch..." Fluttershy said in a timid, tentative voice, breaking the silence. She stopped and looked down at the floor, then idly ran her right forehoof in circles over the cold crystalline floor. "It doesn't feel right..." she added quietly. Starlight, who had been walking ahead of Fluttershy, paused, then turned around and looked at Fluttershy. A grimace pulled on her lips, and she nodded slowly. "I invited her, but... she said she wanted to stay," she sighed. "She's... she's happier when she's not alone. Having somepony around really helps her a lot. She... gets lonely easy, I think. She worries a lot... And somepony being there with her helps with that..." she trailed off. Fluttershy nodded sadly. "It's probably because we've not been able to spend as much time together as we used to..." She trailed off and sighed, her gaze becoming distant and longing. "I... wonder if she worries that... she's the Princess of Friendship, but... she hasn't been spending as much time with us as she did before she was a princess..." Starlight pursed her lips, then shifted her weight. She turned around to face Fluttershy, then looked around to make sure they were alone. "She... Fluttershy, she worries about a lot, and... while that's part of it, there's a lot me than just that, that she worries about..." she trailed off and swallowed. Fluttershy slowly looked up at her. A look of uncertainty swept over Starlight's expression, and she hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, "She... to paraphrase something she's said before, you all made her who she is today." Fluttershy nodded and smiled softly. "I remember her saying that to all of us not long after her ascension..." she trailed off, her smile fading and a pained frown replacing it. "We... really have neglected her lately, haven't we? She... almost died, and we weren't there for her..." "Fluttershy..." Starlight started in a strained voice. She walked over and lifted a foreleg, then wrapped it around Fluttershy's neck and gave her a hug. "You all did take the time to be there for her. Yes, you're all busier than what you used to be, but she was too. It's not your fault..." she said softly. She pulled back and offered the pegasus a gentle smile. "So, don't blame yourself!" Fluttershy swallowed and quickly nodded. She lifted a forehoof up and rubbed her eyes, which while still dry, were filled with pain. She closed her eyes and stood up straighter, then took a deep breath. "Let's go visit Twilight, okay? We can see if she wants to go for a picnic or to just enjoy the day. If she doesn't, then I'm sure she wouldn't mind us staying for a little bit to keep her company," Starlight said. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Starlight turned around, then resumed walking. The timid pegasus started walking close behind her once again, keeping her pace even with Starlight. The pair of mares leisurely made their way through Twilight's castle, with every step making their way closer to Twilight's room. Starlight kept an eye out for Spike, hoping to find him before Twilight to see if he'd be willing to watch the castle for them while they were all gone and to see if Twilight had eaten anything yet. As they approached the door to Twilight's room, Spike still absent, Starlight pushed the thought aside for the moment. Starlight approached the door, then rapped her forehoof on the solid crystalline door a few times, then lit her horn and opened the door with her magic, only to find the door locked. Her brow creased, and she frowned. She leaned in a little closer to the door, "Hey, Twilight? It's Fluttershy and me," she called out. Silence greeted her answer. "Um... maybe she's in the bathroom?" Fluttershy asked unsurely. "Or... Or maybe she fell asleep? She did say that her... sleep schedule had been messed up by... you know..." her uncertainty faded to sadness at the reminder of what Twilight went through. Starlight shrugged, then knocked again, then waited for a few seconds. "Maybe she fell asleep... I kind of doubt it, though. She was having problems sleeping at night, but-" she caught herself, then shifted her weight, "but she managed to get herself back on track. Maybe she's in the bathroom. I don't know why she would lock the bedroom door, though." "Maybe she wanted to be alone?" Fluttershy suggested, her lip pulling downward. Starlight mulled over her options, then knocked on the door again. She waited a few seconds, continuing to ponder her options while she waited. "Well, I'm going to teleport in there to check on her," she said. "Um... maybe you shouldn't do that?" Fluttershy asked, growing timider than before. "If she locked the door, she probably wanted to be alone..." Starlight grimaced. "Yeah, but she would have said so if she was in there. I'll be back," she said. Before Fluttershy could protest again, Starlight disappeared in a flash of magic, then appeared on the other side of the door. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the already-made bed before her. She pursed her lips and looked around, "Twi-!" her call was cut off in an instant, and her blood chilled by a few degrees as her gaze swept over a section of the wall that had a red stain on it. Her face became expressionless as she struggled to process the red stain. She felt a knot growing in her throat and an ache of unease welling up inside her. A shiver slid down her spine. Her gaze shot around the room more frantically, finding another red stain on a wall, the stain more prominent than the one closer to Twilight's bed. Her gaze barely noticed the second red stain, let alone did she process it before her eyes darted down to the floor at the base of the red smear. The next few seconds passed in a blur for her. Without conscious thought, her magic unlocked and practically ripped open the door. "Fluttershy!" she screamed, already running over to the lavender alicorn lying beside the wall. She slid to a stop, then sat down and examined Twilight with her eyes and magic, enveloping the weak alicorn with her aura. Starlight's body visibly shook, though a little relief passed through her body when she saw Twilight's barrel rise, then fall with her breathing. Fluttershy took longer to react, having been startled by Starlight's scream. When she finally recovered and rushed into the room, she froze as the first thing she saw was Starlight sitting beside Twilight, who was crumbled up on the floor, her forehooves clutching her head. She took a step back and lifted a forehoof to her mouth as she let out a quiet, shocked gasp. Her eyes grew misty, then overflowed, all the while, she stayed still, frozen in fear, while Starlight's head darted about, looking over Twilight. Starlight placed a forehoof on Twilight's body and felt her warmth and pulse. The alicorn was noticeably cooler than normal, and her pulse was faint. She swallowed and slid her shaky hoof up to Twilight's neck and pressed against her artery. She jumped back up, then swiveled around to face Fluttershy. "Stay with Twilight," she ordered, then disappeared in a flash of light. Fluttershy hastily galloped over to Starlight's former position, then sat down. She clenched her eyes shut and barred her teeth, then placed a forehoof on Twilight's body. Starlight hastily, frantically teleported down to the castle's library, searching for the one creature of most value at the moment- Spike. Starlight rushed around the library looking every which way, but Spike was nowhere to be seen. Starlight clenched her jaw, then released and chewed on her lip. She continued looking left and right even as she cast another frantic teleportation spell, using more magic than necessary in her haste and thus creating a larger flash and a louder crack. She arrived in the dining room. Her head jerked around, and her expression grew frantic as she still found herself unable to locate the dragon. "Spike!" she called out, nearly screaming. "Ah!" a cry of surprise shot out from the kitchen. She heard the sound of plates clattering to the floor, along with something breaking. Wasting no time, Starlight teleported into the kitchen and hastily surveyed the entire room, looking for Spike or the mess he made to indicate his position. Spike groaned and rubbed his chest over where his heart would be while he looked down at the newly created mess. "Starlight! What was that for!?" he said, looking at Starlight an unsure, yet disappointed look. Noticing her anguished expression, he immediately forgot the mess and rushed over. "Starlight?" "S-Spike! I need you to send a message to Princess Celestia right now! She needs to come immediately! It's an emergency, Twilight's hurt!" Without wasting any time, she teleported a scroll and quill out, then hastily wrote out a letter. She rolled up the scroll, then tied a ribbon around it, then sealed it with Twilight's seal. "Twilight's... hurt?" Spike asked, his mind still not fully processing what his ears told him. He swallowed then took a deep breath as he took the scroll in his claws. He quickly exhaled and breathed out his fire breath. The flame consumed the scroll and sent it off. "What... what happened!?" he demanded. His mouth didn't fully close after he finished, and he balled up his fists. "N-no time!" Starlight said. She closed her eyes, then levitated Spike up in her magic and teleported the both of them to Twilight's room before Spike could protest, leaving the dragon reeling from the suddenness of it. Fluttershy tensed up and squeaked at the crack of magic, then looked back at the two. Spike groaned and rubbed his head as Starlight set him down on the floor, but his own pain was forgotten at the sight of Twilight. "Twilight? Twilight!" He rushed over then came to a stop beside Fluttershy. He bit his lip and slid up beside Twilight and hugged her. "C-come on, Twilight!" "You two, stay with her," Starlight said in a solemn, tone. "I had Spike send a letter to Princess Celestia, telling her that we needed her. I don't know when she'll get here. I will be right back, I'm getting help. Don't try to move her!" Without awaiting a response, she teleported straight to the hospital. The nurse at the front desk barely had time to register the sudden teleport before Starlight was all but muzzle to muzzle with her, causing the nurse to blink in surprise and jerk her head back. Starlight looked the nurse in the eye, "I need Doctor Manner right now, Princess Twilight has been hurt!" she said seriously. The nurse opened her mouth to say something, then clenched her jaw and nodded. She turned and headed out from behind the desk, "I will go get him, please wait here and stay calm miss," she said hastily as she hurried off. Spike held Twilight close, hugging her, hoping that his hug would help her, all the while, Fluttershy sat beside him. Both of them tried their hardest to retain their composure, but it wasn't working, the state Twilight was in dominated their thoughts, leaving both of them shivering and shaking. Neither of them knew what to do. Spike was always used to Twilight, or somepony else, being there to tell him what to do, and Fluttershy was handling it even worse than Spike. Twilight was still alive, but seeing her lying on the floor, unconscious, wasn't easy for either of them, especially given the two blood smears on the wall, along with crimson on the floor, originating from Twilight's head. A sharp crack of magic filled the air. Spike and Fluttershy tore their gazes away from Twilight to see Princess Celestia standing in the room. Princess Celestia's expression slipped into concern the moment she took in the scene. She clenched her jaw, then without saying a word, hurried across the room to Twilight. Fluttershy and Spike both immediately backed away from Twilight. "Is s-she going to be o-okay?" Spike asked quietly, halfway afraid of the answer. Princess Celestia's brow creased. A second later, her warm, golden aura enveloped Twilight's form. A grimace tugged on her lip, pulling it down into a broken frown. She closed her eyes, then took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. "Starlight's letter said she was getting Doctor Manner. I do not know how long that will take. I can stabilize her and amplify her body's ability to heal, but she needs medical attention," she said in a calm, concerned voice. She looked over Twilight for a few more seconds, then tore her gaze away from her. Looking up, her gaze fell on the blood smear on the wall. She studied it for a moment and felt repulsed and angered by the sight, then she looked around to the other side of the room. "What happened?" she asked, her voice taking on a cooler tone, though still remaining friendly. "Starlight... she... we... just... found her like this..." Fluttershy said quietly. Celestia nodded once, then closed her eyes. "My sister will be here soon... did you find anything out of place?" she asked. "N-no... we didn't... really look, either..." Fluttershy whispered. "T-the door was locked, and... Starlight teleported inside..." Celestia clenched her jaw, then gritted her teeth, although in the back of her mind, a creeping fear ate away at her resolve, and a growing dullness swelled up inside her chest. "My sister will be here within the hour, along with a detatchment of the Royal Guard..." she said quietly. Spike swallowed. "Y-you don't think..." Princess Celestia hesitated, then strode over to the balcony door. She paused, then went to open it with her magic, only to find it still locked. "Chrysalis was behind this..." Celestia stated. Her gaze sharpened, then softened and she shook her head. "She shouldn't have been able to do this... she didn't have the resources, and she was nowhere near here!" she mused. "Twilight was supposed to be safe..." she whispered to herself. A wave of pain rolled over her expression. She slowly exhaled, then she walked back over to Twilight. "But... I thought that you had Queen Chrysalis on the run?" Spike asked, his tone sober, and his eyes dulled. Celestia opened her mouth to respond, only to close her mouth and shake her head. "There is a lot I need to take care of right now, Spike, Fluttershy. I will stay with Twilight until Starlight returns with a doctor. If Queen Chrysalis is still here, she will not defeat me this time." "Y-you think... sh-she's still here?" Fluttershy squeaked, shying back and hiding her face behind her mane in fear. Celestia's expression softened. She walked over to Fluttershy. "It is unlikely that she is still here... I do not know if something scared her off, or if she chose to leave Twilight in such a state... The latter... I do not want to think about..." she trailed off, swallowing. 'Chrysalis, you left her for dead... Did you do that out of vengeance? You had to have known she was still alive... you wanted her to suffer...' She swallowed and took a deep breath, then shifted her weight on her hooves, trying to distract herself from the anguish the thought brought her. 'Twilight... I am so sorry, I failed you... I didn't protect you...' She closed her eyes. "Princess, are you okay?" Spike asked quietly. Princess Celestia opened her eyes. She hesitated, then nodded. "Please see to it that Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash are informed immediately..." she trailed off, her brow creasing. "Where... is Rainbow Dash?" she asked, her concern shifting to the pegasus whom her student loved. Fluttershy bit her lip. "She's... at the Wonderbolt Academy right now... Twilight... she... didn't want Rainbow to give up on being a Wonderbolt..." she said softly. Celestia visibly grimaced. "It... might take me a while to get there, but... I can go and get her..." "No," Celestia said. "I will get her myself..." As soon as the words left her mouth, a new uneasiness filled her. 'Rainbow... I am sorry...' "Gather the rest of your friends at the hospital. As soon as Luna arrives, I will go bring Rainbow Dash back. Luna will be able to better protect Twilight than I, but Queen Chrysalis is likely long gone by now, otherwise, she would not have left Twilight..." she trailed off, searching for the right way to say it, "like this..." she said tentatively. "The Royal Guard will secure Ponyville and the castle, then we'll find out what happened..." Fluttershy timidly nodded. She lifted a forehoof up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her forehooves, drying them as best she could. "Let's g-go, Spike..." she said, turning and hastily trotting over to the door. Spike lingered for a moment, his eyes darting between Twilight and Celestia. His gaze stayed on Celestia more than Twilight. She looked physically pained, her coat seemed to have lost it's sheen, and her mane and tail both flowed much slower than normal. Celestia looked over at Spike and offered him a weak, reassuring smile. "Twilight will be fine, Spike... I may not be the tactician or warrior that my sister is... but Chrysalis is in a weakened enough state that she cannot match me. I promise you that Twilight will be safe." Spike swallowed, then quickly nodded and scurried off after Fluttershy. Celestia watched him leave, then turned back to Twilight. She sat down on her haunches and closed her eyes. A loud crack of magic disrupted the silence. Celestia opened her eyes and looked at the two new arrivals. "Starlight... Doctor Manner," she acknowledged warily. Starlight swallowed. "Princess..." she trailed off as she looked behind Celestia at Twilight. Doctor Manner grimaced and remained silent, then strode over to Twilight's limp body. He levitated out a stethoscope and placed it on her neck, then listened to her. "She's still alive... It's faint, but she's still there..." he muttered to himself. He stepped back, then looked up at the wall. "She was... thrown into the wall?" he asked, squinting. "It appears that way..." Celestia said quietly. Doctor Manner's grimace grew. He slid around in front of Twilight' then levitated out a small flashlight. He turned it on, then using his magic, lifted one of Twilight's eyelids opened. He shined the light in her eye, then flicked it out of her eye, gauging her reaction. "Possible concussion... she's unconscious..." he said to himself. He gently lifted her head up, then grimaced as he scrutinized her head. "Her head has suffered blunt force trauma..." he said a little louder. "Whoever it was, their goal was to do something like this... Her brain might be bleeding..." He clenched his jaw, then turned to face Celestia. "I used my magic to attempt to accelerate her healing," Celestia answered before Doctor Manner could say anything. The doctor nodded. "I wasn't hoping to ever have to deal with something like this..." he muttered. He shined the flashlight at Twilight's wound. "It looks like the bleeding has stopped..." he commented, then stood back up. "I would feel much better if you would teleport us and carry her, Princess," he said. Celestia nodded, then wrapped her magic around Twilight's body and carefully levitated her up off of the floor, then she teleported the four of them to the hospital. Five very worried mares and one baby dragon sat quietly in one of the waiting room in the Ponyville hospital. Rarity scowled at the sense of deja vu she felt, but the rest of them wore weary, worried expressions that revealed what they were thinking about, and only added to the oppressive, glum atmosphere permeating the room. "It's like the reactor all over again," Applejack muttered. "And now Twilight's back in the hospital again... How did this happen?" she asked. "I thought that the princesses were taking care of Queen Chrysalis!" Starlight looked up from her hooves and turned her gaze to Applejack. "It's Queen Chrysalis we're talking about... the Queen of the Changelings, she isn't exactly the least intelligent enemy you've faced..." Applejack shook her head. "They didn't do their job to protect her!" she argued. Rarity bit her lip and shot a glare over at Applejack. "You can't just say that! They tried, dear, I'm sure they tried. Do you really think they wanted something like this to happen again?" she asked. Applejack grimaced and sighed. "Besides," Rarity said, sticking her head up in the air, "we have no way of knowing that... she was behind it. Besides, we're not supposed to be talking about her having been behind the accident that Twilight stopped," she quipped. "Princess Celestia said she thought Queen Chrysalis was responsible..." Fluttershy said in a soft, timid voice which barely carried through the private waiting room. Spike laid a claw on Fluttershy's shoulder and smiled at her, though his smile was weak and strained, he was too preoccupied with Twilight's condition to offer anything better. None of them could offer anything better. "Somepony at least told Rainbow Dash, right?" Starlight asked, wincing. She turned to Fluttershy, who slowly shook her head. "Princess Celestia said she would take care of it as soon as she had the chance to," she answered. Starlight grimaced and slowly nodded, then looked back down at the floor. "This is my fault, I should have stayed there..." she said quietly. "None of us blame you, Starlight. You couldn't have known, besides, Queen Chrysalis is a big old meanie pants..." Pinkie replied, her voice devoid of her normal enthusiasm. Starlight closed her eyes and hung her head. "I had a chance to stop her the last time I saw her, though. I could have stopped her when she was flying off, but I didn't... Twilight's in this mess all because of me..." she whispered. "Pinkie's right, Starlight, you couldn't have known," Applejack said. She slid out of her chair, then walked over to Starlight, then sat down beside her and gave her a sideways hug. Starlight shifted her weight, then turned to face Applejack and buried her head into her shoulder. Applejack wrapped her foreleg around Starlight's withers and gently rubbed her side with her forehoof. "Twilight wouldn't blame you either, dear," Rarity said calmly. The sharp crack of magic from a teleportation spell prevented anypony from saying anything else. Luna glanced around at the ponies and baby dragon warily. "Princess Luna..." the mares acknowledged, tiredness evident in their less than eager greeting. "The Royal Guard is searching Ponyville, but so far we have found no signs of Queen Chrysalis," Luna stated, her voice heavy and avoiding any formalities. "We've sent messengers to get in contact with the forces who were supposed to be chasing down Queen Chrysalis. The last messages we received from them were the usual, 'close on her tail,' messages, along with an update on their location. The changelings were retreating further to the south," she said. "Then how is it that..." Applejack started, then trailed off under a glare from Rarity. Luna pursed her lips, then looked down at her hooves and opened her mouth. "I... do not know. She has eluded us and..." she trailed off, exhaling heavily. She looked back up at the ponies and dragon, meeting each of their gazes, but never lingering. "I will go switch places with my sister. You have my word that I will not let any more harm come to her while she is under my watch," Luna stated firmly. She lit her horn, then teleported away without hesitation. "Princess Luna seems to be taking this hard..." Fluttershy said quietly, not looking away from the spot the alicorn formerly occupied. Rarity nodded in agreement. After a few more seconds, her thoughts drifted to the one pegasus missing from the room. "Rainbow Dash won't take this well..." she said in a low, cautious voice. A couple of ponies turned to look at Rarity, but all of them remained silent following what she said. Nopony wanted to break the silence, and nothing felt right to say. Celestia's glossed-over gaze focused on Twilight was broken by the sharp crack of somepony teleporting. She inhaled and tore her gaze away from the unconscious alicorn lying in the hospital bed and turned to face the door. Luna slowly peeked around and into the room, then tentatively stepped inside. "Luna..." Celestia greeted, her voice weary. Luna came to a stop and grimaced, her gaze drawn away from her sister and redirected on Twilight. After a few moments, she looked back at Celestia, then walked over and stood beside her. As soon as Luna came to a stop beside her, Celestia leaned over and nuzzled her younger sister. Luna waited for a few seconds, then leaned into her sister and hesitantly returned her nuzzle. "How is she doing?" Luna asked calmly. Celestia lifted her head back away from Luna, then sat down on her haunches. "Her brain is still bleeding some. Doctor Manner is worried about it but says that she should be fine, so long as nothing else happens to her. They're still running tests to make sure that she's alright other than that..." she spoke in a quiet, reserved voice. Luna nodded. "Her castle along with Ponyville has been secured, there is no sign of Queen Chrysalis lingering to finish her work, but you were correct. I could feel Queen Chrysalis's magic all over Twilight's room... how she managed to get here continues to elude me." Celestia grimaced. "I need to contact her parents, Cadance and Shining Armor, and King Thorax..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "It's going to be a long day, and probably an even longer night." "Go retrieve Rainbow Dash. I shall stay here and watch over Twilight," Luna said. Celestia looked over at her sister and grimaced. "I do not envy that job, sister," Luna said in a concerned, low voice. "But you did say that you would. If you would rather I take care of it, I would." She paused and pursed her lips while Celestia's brow furrowed in thought. "The forces we had chasing down Queen Chrysalis reported that they still had eyes on her... I am beginning to suspect that we never truly knew her location. Perhaps the 'Chrysalis' we were following was simply a drone disguised as the queen." Celestia clenched her jaw. "If that is the case, then Queen Chrysalis has once more taken us by surprise and defeated us..." "Twilight still lives," Luna replied. "And I will ensure that remains the case." She turned to face her sister, then lowered her head and looked at her meaningfully. "Go. Bring back Rainbow Dash and take care of what you need to do. I will protect Twilight with my life, and as soon as we know more, I will inform her friends." Celestia slowly nodded, then slowly rose back up to her hooves. "I wish there was more we could do for Twilight, but it seems that my magic didn't accelerate her healing as much as I had hoped it would... The doctors don't want anypony to see her until she wakes up, and at this rate, that may be a while..." "You are worried about Rainbow Dash," Luna said slowly, nodding her head. Luna's lips pulled into a strained grimace. "We promised them that she would be safe, and... here we are once more, sister..." "I know, Lulu..." Celestia sighed. "This would be so much easier if you could find Queen Chrysalis in the realm of dreams to ascertain her location..." "That would be most welcome, but I can only do that with ponies... Perhaps if I could do it with all creatures, we would not have had so many problems as of late," Luna mused. "I cannot sense Twilight having any dreams, likely because she is unconscious. I will have to watch her closely after she awakens, lest she suffer from the undue burden of nightmares brought on by our failures." Celestia nodded, then walked over to Twilight's bed and looked over the lone alicorn laying on the bed beneath the blankets. It hurt to look away from her form under the covers, the left side of her head was bandaged, covering the wound she had sustained from being thrown into the walls by magic multiple times. Celestia clenched her jaw, then looked away from Twilight. She lit her horn, then cast her teleportation spell. Princess Celestia took a deep breath, put on a gentle smile, and stood up straight as she arrived at her destination. Her unannounced arrival spurred on some confusion among the nearby pegasi, who almost immediately bowed, or landed to bow. She looked around for two specific ponies- one with a vibrant rainbow mane, and the other with a fiery orange mane. Neither of the pegasi were in her immediate vicinity. "Princess?" a pegasus called from behind. Celestia's smile twitched upward momentarily, having recognized the voice. "Soarin," she acknowledged as she turned around. She spotted the pegasus not far from her, tentatively rising from a bow, but not standing all the way up. "I wish I was here under better circumstances, but Princess Twilight has been attacked..." she trailed off and let a grimace slip through to show on her lips. Soarin's expression grew grave. "I need to speak with both Spitfire and Rainbow Dash. Preferably, I will speak to Rainbow Dash first," she said. Soarin stood all the way up and nodded. "Yes, Princess... Rainbow should be in the barracks right now. I can go get her if you want-" Celestia shook her head. "That will not be necessary, I will speak to her myself. In private," she specified. "Please do inform Spitfire of my arrival and that I will be speaking with her momentarily," she added. Soarin nodded, then bowed again before flying off toward the building housing Spitfire's office. Celestia glanced around momentarily, then hastily strode toward the barracks, leaving the remaining pegasi to their prior engagements without saying anything else. The two stallions guarding the doors fell into bows as she approached, then swiftly opened the doors for her. Celestia's stride didn't break as she made her way into the facility. Celestia scanned the facility with her magic and made her way in the general direction that she found Rainbow Dash. While she wasn't very familiar with the building's layout, a combination of her magic and the signs allowed her to relatively easily locate the pegasus in the locker room. She came to a stop in the doorway and looked at Rainbow. Fresh discomfort welled up inside her chest. She looked away from Rainbow and took in two more pegasi in the room. Of the three, only two looked familiar to her, and none of them noticed her. "My little ponies," she acknowledged. At the sound of Celestia's voice, the three pegasi turned to face her and bowed. While all of them were confused and surprised, the confusion written across Rainbow's features were most dominant. "Please rise. I need to speak to Rainbow Dash alone," she said as she walked into the room. The three pegasi rose to their hooves. The two aside from Rainbow looked at the mare uneasily, then flew passed Celestia and out into the hallway. Celestia watched them leave, then walked over to Rainbow and looked at her. Rainbow shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Uh... Princess?" she asked. Celestia glanced around once more, then came to a stop and sat down on her haunches. Her smile slipped into a grimace, and her expression turned somber. Rainbow's brow creased, and worry filled her eyes. "Rainbow... Twilight has been... injured," she said quietly. Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, then caught herself. She took a second to compose herself, then continued, "W... What?" she swallowed. Celestia pursed her lips. She wanted to look away from Rainbow for what she was going to say next, but it wasn't right. She met Rainbow's gaze, then hesitantly opened her mouth, "Twilight... she was attacked by Queen Chrysalis. She was in her room, alone. Starlight was out eating, and Spike was in the library. When Starlight came back, she found Twilight unconscious, and..." she trailed off, bobbing her head as a grimace grew to dominate her lips. "She's back in the hospital." Rainbow remained silent for several seconds. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She shook her head and swallowed back a knot, then looked at the floor, then at her hooves. She didn't know what to say. 'What... I... but... how... why... Twilight...' Her thoughts were scattered and incoherent, worry, concern, fear, and pain swelling up inside her, along with something else. She took a deep breath, then growled before looking back up at Celestia, her eyes filled with pain and anger. "How did this... happen!?" she demanded. "Rainbow," Celestia cautioned, her voice wary, "We're trying to figure that out... Queen Chrysalis took us by surprise again," she said calmly, hoping her soothing voice would relax the pegasus. Rainbow looked exasperated for a moment, then she slumped down a little and stared at the floor. "But... this... she... how did..." she said quietly, not able to decide exactly what to ask or say. She swallowed and closed her eyes. "She's... she's gonna be... okay, r-right?" she asked pleadingly. She looked up at Celestia, trying her best to hide the hurt and stop herself from falling apart in front of somepony. 'Twilight...' She fought back sniffles, and barely succeeded, but as it was, her breathing came out stuttered, making her body shake with each breath. Celestia slowly unfurled one of her wings, then extended it out and wrapped it around Rainbow's back, then slowly pulled her close. She lifted a foreleg up, then brought Rainbow in against her body. "She was hurt badly, but she will be okay, I give you my word. Luna is with her right now, protecting her, although we have no reason to believe Queen Chrysalis is anywhere near Ponyville now..." she said quietly. Rainbow tentatively lifted her forelegs up, then uneasily wrapped them around Celestia's body, the informal action making her even more nervous. Celestia responded by leaning down and laying her head on Rainbow's head and holding her tight with her wing. "How... bad... was it?" Celestia swallowed and stared across the room at the wall. "Chrysalis left her for dead..." she answered gravely. Rainbow choked a little and pressed her forehead into Celestia's body. Celestia shared Rainbow's pain. She lifted her forehoof, then gently ran it down Rainbow's body, trying to comfort her. "We will find Chrysalis, and my sister will make sure that nothing like this will ever happen again," she said solemnly. Rainbow took a deep, shaky breath. "I-I want to... go with Princess Luna... wh-when you go after Chrysalis," she stated, determination evident in her voice, even if it did come out weak. "We will see," Celestia replied. "I do not believe Twilight would be okay with that," she said at length. "But... you can see her for yourself when she wakes up. Right now, the only ponies allowed in her room are my sister, the doctors, and myself." "Is-is it t-that bad?" Rainbow asked quietly. "They don't want to make her condition any worse... they don't want to risk it," Celestia answered. She lifted her head back off of Rainbow, then swallowed. She took a deep breath. "I... need to speak to Spitfire. I'm going to have the Wonderbolts deploy to locate Queen Chrysalis... but I think I would rather keep you in Ponyville, for the time being," she said. Rainbow waited a few seconds to process Celestia's statement, then quickly nodded. "Y-yeah... I... I want to be with the girls, right now..." she trailed off, then pulled her head away from Celestia. She timidly pulled her forelegs back and then set them on the floor. She looked away from Celestia. "I... um... I'm sorry that..." she trailed off. Celestia felt a little tickle of joy at Rainbow's reaction, but it was swiftly consumed by other thoughts. "It's quite alright, Rainbow. Twilight is close to both of us," she said. "And... I would like to consider us close since you two are close," she added. She offered Rainbow a gentle, soft smile. Rainbow swallowed and tentatively looked up at Celestia. The elder alicorn's reassuring smile helped a little, and Rainbow nodded. She closed her eyes, then lifted a forehoof and rubbed her eyes, trying to dry them as best she could. Celestia teleported a dry cloth to her, then levitated it down in front of Rainbow. Rainbow hesitantly took it in a hoof, then dried her eyes off. When she finished, Celestia took the cloth in her magic, then teleported it away. Celestia swallowed, then licked her lips. "I... was expecting you to react differently if I am being honest..." she said tentatively. Rainbow frowned a little but said nothing. "I was... halfway expecting you to be upset at me and my sister... since we did not protect her like we said we would..." she said quietly. Rainbow slowly nodded, then looked down at her hooves and Celestia's hooves. "I... am a little mad at you, but... I can't blame you... You wouldn't want this to have happened to Twilight, and if you could have stopped it, you would have..." she said. She bobbed her head to the right. "And... Twilight wouldn't be happy with me if she found out..." she trailed off and smiled a weak, sheepish smile, which quickly faded. Celestia closed her eyes as a dull ache shot out through her chest, emanating from her heart. "I... am worried that we didn't do all that we could have... We could have had more Royal Guards in Ponyville, but... we... we thought Chrysalis wouldn't be able to... do something like this... she shouldn't have the power left now..." Rainbow pulled back from Celestia, then slowly stood up. "I... can we go, now? I... don't want to be here right now..." she said. Celestia nodded, then stood up. "I will go talk to Spitfire. It will only take a minute, then I will be back and I will teleport us back to Ponyville." "Rainbow Dash..." Pinkie said quietly as the pegasus came to a stop in the doorway and looked around at everypony present. Standing beside her, Princess Celestia stood, looking downcast, though not to the extent of the mares in the room. Slowly, the rest of the ponies in the room turned to face her and noticed Princess Celestia. "Rainbow Dash..." Rarity said quietly. Rainbow looked at Rarity with a tired expression. Right then, Rainbow would not have cared if Rarity said anything about her relationship with Twilight. It wouldn't have mattered since she was too worried about the alicorn to deal with Rarity. She quietly walked into the room, then sat down in a secluded spot away from the rest of the girls and Spike. "This... is hard on all of us," Celestia acknowledged, her gaze directed on Rainbow. Rainbow shifted in her seat and ruffled her wings, then looked up at Celestia. Celestia watched Rainbow for a few more seconds, then looked over the rest of the room's occupants. "I have yet to send word to Twilight's family, but I have sent word to King Thorax and his brood. We are going to find Queen Chrysalis. The Wonderbolts and Royal Guard are scouring Equestria as we speak. It's only a matter of time," she said. Celestia licked her lips and sighed. "Somepony will come and get you as soon as anything changes, or if she wakes up," she said. "Stay strong, my little ponies," she whispered, then turned and slowly walked away. A few minutes passed in silence after Princess Celestia left. "Rainbow, dear... how are you doing?" Rarity asked, watching the pegasus. Rainbow looked up at Rarity wanting to snap at her, but as soon as she saw Rarity's expression, she felt guilty about the thought. She lowered her head back down, avoiding looking at the unicorn, though the picture of her smudged mascara trailing down from her eyes remained in her mind. "I'll be fine," she said quietly. "Twilight's... she'll be fine," she added in the same voice, drawing the attention of a few more of her friends. After a few more seconds, she shivered and held her wings a little closer to her body, the chill of the all too familiar hospital air sapping the warmth from her body. The chill brought back bad memories which left a bad taste in her mouth. 'Why did I say no... I was so stupid... I shouldn't have put you through that! How could I have done that to you...' She closed her eyes, then clenched them shut tight and bared her teeth as she pressed them together forcefully. 'Why did I leave her? She wanted me to... but it was a bad idea! I should have stayed, she didn't really want me to go, she just...' the thought trailed off, leaving her wanting to hit something with her hoof to vent some of the frustration she felt. Her heart ached with every pulse, and it only hurt more to think about Twilight. She didn't dare think about what Twilight went through when Queen Chrysalis showed up. She couldn't think about that. She shivered again, and the cold only made her worry about Twilight more. 'What if... No! She's going to be fine! Princess Celestia promised!' she steeled her resolve and took a deep breath. 'I am going to make this up to you, Twilight,' she promised. Rainbow shifted her weight, trying to get more comfortable in her chair, but it was a futile attempt. The distress she felt in her heart refused to budge. 'I... Twilight... I wish you were here... I wish I was there with you...' A dull ache of loneliness throbbed in her heart. She missed Twilight, even knowing that Twilight was nearby, she wasn't in the same room with her, she wasn't there to be there for Twilight, and it hurt. Celestia and Luna shared grimaces as they watched the vital signs monitor for Twilight. Every continued beep was a relief. "She should be healing quicker than this," Celestia commented quietly. "It may be a result of the radiation," Luna replied, tearing her gaze from the monitor to look at Twilight's still form, watching as her gentle breathing slowly lifted and lowered the blankets. "Or perhaps the injuries she suffered was greater than we initially believed." Celestia frowned. "I used the improved version of the healing spell you found. I didn't put as much magic into it as we did, but I was hoping it would be as effective, but perhaps I was mistaken..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "The spell is improved," Luna agreed, "but we have not had a chance to perfect it. It is still inefficient, but perhaps putting more magic into the spell would help." Celestia hesitated a moment, then walked over beside Twilight's bed and lit her horn, then enveloped her in her warm, golden aura. She closed her eyes and channeled her magic into the spell. After a few seconds, she stopped, then stepped back. She turned to look at the vital signs monitor, searching for any noticeable change, only to find none. "Give it time, sister," Luna said. Celestia slowly turned back to face Luna and grimaced. She reluctantly nodded, then walked over back beside her and sat down on her haunches. "How are they doing?" Luna asked, not looking away from Twilight. "Rainbow is handling it better than I expected... and the rest of them are handling it about as well as I expected. Starlight seems to blame herself now... Once she found out that Queen Chrysalis was the pony responsible for sabotaging the reactor... I could see it in her, she blamed herself for what happened to Twilight. I should have talked to her then, but there was so much going on... I am hoping that the others will have talked some sense into her." Luna nodded promptly. "I am sure they will. I will talk to Starlight tonight if it proves necessary." A flash of light and a whooshing sound brought their attention to a rolled up scroll hovering in the air, surrounded by a light blue aura. Celestia warily eyed the scroll, then took it in her aura after noticing Cadance's seal. She levitated it over, broke the seal, then unrolled it and read the message. "Good news, I hope," Luna said calmly. Celestia absently nodded and rolled the scroll up, then levitated it over to Luna, who took the scroll in her magic and read it over herself while Celestia spoke, "Shining Armor is on his way, but Cadance and Flurry are staying in the Crystal Empire... Shining is coming to assist us with locating Chrysalis and protecting Twilight." Luna nodded. "His assistance will be most welcome," she said. Her expression grew weary once more, "Though, I do not know how much assistance the Crystal Guard will be able to offer in tracking her down... Their lack of pegasi means they won't have the same ability to cover enough ground..." An hour passed, and then another came and went. Rainbow hated it. Waiting, and not being there with Twilight. It felt wrong, and she found herself scolding herself for her patience, or, more specifically, waiting with the rest of the girls instead of with Twilight. She looked up from the floor to briefly glimpse the clock. A scowl momentarily broke her drained expression, only for the exhaustion to creep back into her features a second later. 'You would want me to be there with you...' she thought for the umpteenth time. Unlike all the other times before when the words echoed through her mind, this time, they spurred her to action. She quietly, without any prior indication or hesitation, hopped down from her chair and hurried toward the door. Nopony stopped her or questioned where she was going, and she was thankful for that. It gave her some small sense of relief. As she walked out into the hallway, she hastily looked both ways, then headed to the left. 'I don't know what room they have you in, and I don't really want to have to search the entire hospital... I would probably know it if I found it because there'd be guards...' she mused. Spurred on by the thought, she continued to make her way through the hallway, glancing around and looking over the few ponies who tred the same path she did. None of them wore the distinguished golden armor of the Royal Guard. Most of them were nurses and doctors. There was the occasional visitor, and there were also a couple of janitors. She grimaced and turned to the right at the end of the hallway, then continued on the path. She navigated through the hospital, making her way to the room where Twilight had stayed the first time she had been in the hospital in the past few months, with an ease that left her feeling even duller. 'Was it really that long that I would know this so well?' Eventually, she made her way to the room, then came to a stop, staring at it. The door was opened and unguarded, and her lips pulled into a neutral line. 'No... but it was worth a try...' she thought with a sigh. She slowly made her way back through the hospital's hallways and found the front desk. She paused and looked around the room, noticing just how empty and quiet it was. She could count how many ponies occupied seats in the room on her hooves. She shook the thought aside, then spread her wings out and leisurely flew across the room, then landed in front of the desk. Rainbow didn't recognize the pony behind the desk, a whitish unicorn mare with a light purple mane and tail who had a cutie mark that was a series of light-blue medical crosses. "Um, hi," she greeted. "How may I help you?" the unicorn asked in a gentle, cheerful voice and smiled warmly, turning all of her attention away from her paperwork and focusing on Rainbow Dash. "I um... my friend's in one of the rooms here, but I wasn't told which one," Rainbow replied. She shifted her weight and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, Princess Twilight?" she asked. The unicorn blinked, then nodded and looked down at a clipboard with paper. After a few seconds, she looked away from it, then rolled her chair across the desk a few hoof lengths, then lit her horn and accessed the desktop computer near the wall. Several seconds passed, and each one left Rainbow fidgeting uncomfortably. The unicorn frowned, then slowly pushed the chair back over to Rainbow. "It says that it's supposed to be kept secret," she said apologetically. Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, Princess Celestia said that the doctors didn't want anypony visiting her because of her condition, and I know that it would be asked to be kept a secret, she is a princess, after all," she replied. "Look, can you please just tell me where it is? I'm Rainbow Dash, one of her closest friends? Element of Loyalty? Wonderbolt?" she asked. The unicorn nibbled on her lip. "I know who you are..." she said quietly. She sighed, then looked away from Rainbow, her ears falling back against her head. "Then you know that you can tell me!" Rainbow said, putting a little more energy into her words and expression. She smiled hopefully. "Look, if you don't, then I'm just going to end up searching the whole hospital until I find her room," she said a little bluntly. "So, why don't you just tell me and save me the time. I know I can find her room, simply because I know what to look for. It'll be guarded, and Princess Luna or Princess Celestia, heck, maybe both of them, will be there." The unicorn grimaced. "I can't. I could lose my job if I were to help you. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to find it yourself." Rainbow hesitated a moment, looking at the unicorn pleadingly, then sighed and turned away from her. "Thanks anyway..." she muttered. She hung her head, then slowly made her way back into the hospital's many hallways in search of Twilight. A soft, almost unnoticeable sound came from the sole bed in Twilight's room. Celestia and Luna's ears both perked up and swiveled toward the source of the sound. A quiet, pained groan followed, along with the sound of fur sliding around underneath the bedsheets. Celestia and Luna's heads shot around to face Twilight's bed to see the alicorn writhing around slightly. "Twilight..." Celestia said quietly, walking passed Luna and then stopping beside her bed. "Twilight?" she repeated a little louder, though still maintaining her warm, welcoming mother-like voice. Twilight clenched her eyes shut, then hesitantly blinked them open. Her vision was filled by Celestia and her bright, joyous smile. Panic momentarily gripped her, and the adrenaline surge made her kick away from her slightly, only for the pain to make her wince and stop. "Twilight," Celestia said in a warning voice. The joy filling her was swiftly stolen away from her without any recourse as Twilight visibly shook under the blankets. "Twilight..." she said in a soft, heartbroken voice. "It's okay... you're safe now..." she cooed. Twilight hesitantly cracked open an eye and looked around. Her shivering died down as she took in where she was. She went to roll her head over to get a better look at Celestia, only to tense up and hiss in pain as the slightest pressure was put on her wound. She shook again. "P-Princess..." she whimpered. "It's okay, we're here, Twilight," Celestia cooed softly. She looked back at Luna. "Go get the others," she said softly. Luna, who up to this point had been staring at Twilight, feeling a mixture of different, conflicting emotions, turned to Celestia and nodded. She hastily hurried out of the room, then down the hallway. Twilight whimpered again, and Celestia's attention turned back to her beloved friend. Seeing Twilight in such a state made her heart feel weak and heavy, every pump from it felt harder than the last. "I am so, so sorry, Twilight..." she said softly, knowing the phrase was one she had said too many times already. "But I promise you'll be okay... Luna's going to go get your friends..." she cooed. Twilight looked even more physically pained for a moment, then quickly nodded, barely nudging her head up and down. "Rainbow Dash will be relieved that you're awake... I'm sure you would like to be alone with her for a little while... I think we can manage that, at least after the rest of the girls have to leave..." Celestia whispered. "Y-yeah..." Twilight said uncertainly. "Th-that... w-would be n-nice..." Celestia smiled a soft smile. Despite her best attempts to mask her pain, it was clearly visible. Luna's appearance in the doorway was met by the gaze of everypony present in the room. Luna looked them over and frowned, noting the absence of Rainbow Dash. Everypony else looked at her expectantly. "Twilight has awoken," she said. "Where is Rainbow Dash?" she asked. Applejack and Rarity looked at each other. "She just... left half an hour ago or so," Rarity answered. A pained grimace grew upon Luna's lips. "Please come with me. I will send a guard to find and bring Rainbow Dash," she said. She turned around and headed out into the hallway, then paused and turned back to watch the ponies stand up and rather hastily join her in the hallway. "While she is awake, it would be best if you would keep your distance from her," Luna commented as she started walking down the hallway at a quick, yet relaxed pace that her company could easily keep up. "It would not do to aggravate her condition any further. She has been through a lot." "She really has..." Fluttershy agreed in a soft, timid voice. Eventually, they arrived at a door with two unicorns standing at attention. Luna came to a stop and looked at the one on the left. "Please go find Rainbow Dash and bring her back here," she said. The unicorn bowed, then pursed his lips and hesitantly set off, though his pace quickened as he grew surer. Luna opened the door with her magic, then strode inside. She was unsurprised to see her sister sitting on her haunches beside Twilight's bedside to where Twilight wasn't strained to see her. Doctor Manner eyed Luna and the rest of her company warily as they walked inside, but he said nothing and returned to check up on Twilight. Luna walked around to one of the chairs, then sat down in it, letting Twilight's friends have the floor while refusing to leave Twilight without her protection. Twilight's friends spread out some but kept close. They all tentatively walked over beside Celestia, who stood up. "I have matters I must attend to," she said tentatively. She glanced at Luna, then looked back at Twilight. "I will be back later, Twilight... For now, I will leave you in the very capable hooves of your friends," she said, then hesitantly walked to the door, then left the room. "G-Girls..." Twilight acknowledged, swallowing. "Twilight..." Rarity greeted, putting on a strained smile. "You don't look so good, sugarcube," Applejack commented warily, smiling wryly. "I'm so glad you're okay," Fluttershy said. She walked around closer to Twilight's bed, then sat down and hung her head. Rarity swallowed, then joined Fluttershy and wrapped a foreleg around her to comfort her. Fluttershy welcomed Rarity's hug and leaned into her, shaking a little. "Twilight... I'm sorry," Starlight apologized. "I should have-" "It-it's fine..." Twilight said hastily, cutting her off, though she didn't meet Starlight's gaze. "You really need to stop getting hurt, Twilight, it's not good for you!" Pinkie said in an attempt to lighten the mood. Twilight's only reaction was to grimace. Pinkie, seeing that her attempt failed, slumped down, and her mane lost some of its puffiness. The silence lingered for seconds, which gradually grew into minutes. Eventually, the silence was broken by the door opening. Rainbow Dash strode into the room, then came to a stop, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of Twilight. Twilight glanced at her and shifted her weight, then looked away from her. "Rainbow... where were you?" Applejack asked quietly. Rainbow shook her head, dismissing Applejack's question, then walked over to the rest of the girls. She swallowed and licked her lips. "Hey, Twilight..." she greeted, barely managing to keep her voice even. A few seconds passed in silence, which left Rainbow's heart feeling ready to give out from Twilight's lack of response. Twilight looked unsure like she didn't know what to say, or how to respond, and everypony noticed it. "Thanks... for being here..." she said tentatively. "What... what happened?" Rainbow asked, half fearing the answer. Twilight's expression went blank, her breathing quickened, and the heart rate monitor beeped a little faster. Rainbow glanced at the monitor and winced, then shifted her weight. "Sorry, I... sorry..." she relented, sighing. "I... I can't..." Twilight whispered, closing her eyes and shivering a little. Luna took that time to stand up, then walk over to Twilight. "Rest easy, Twilight, I am here and I will protect you. I promise." Luna's assurance did little to comfort the alicorn, and her shivering continued unabated. Applejack swallowed. "Maybe we should go and come back tomorrow..." she said in an uneasy tone. Rarity shot the earth pony a fierce glare. "You really want to just leave her here alone like this?" she snapped. Applejack shifted her weight and winced. "Rarity, that's not what I meant... Luna will be here, but... she's been through a lot. I reckon that giving her time to recover and rest would be the best thing we can do for her right now... For pony's sake, Rarity, she was unconscious most of the day after being attacked! And from the looks of things, she hit her head real bad!" Rarity's frigid gaze slowly relented. "Perhaps you have a point," she replied in a tone that sounded like she had just taken bitter medicine. She sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Applejack..." "It's alright, Rarity... This is stressful on all of us..." Applejack replied. Twilight remained silent through the display, her expression impassive, save for fear and pain. "Stay safe, alright Twilight?" Spike pleaded. Twilight looked at him and idly nodded, her mind elsewhere. "Goodnight, Twilight... have a good night and get better soon..." Fluttershy whispered, standing up on shaky hooves. Pinkie looked over Twilight uncertainly. "I'll throw you a get-well soon party tomorrow, Twilight... I promise!" "Don't you worry none, Twilight, we'll stop Chrysalis," Applejack said firmly. Luna nodded in agreement. "Indeed we will. She will not escape us this time," she said firmly, her nostrils flaring in anger. The mares and baby dragon slowly filed out of the room. Rainbow hesitated, but made her way in the general direction of the door, though her gaze lingered on Twilight. 'I... I should stay... but... maybe I should go, since... she needs to rest, but...' She was at a loss of what to do, and Luna noticed this. "Stay safe, Twilight... I'll be back tomorrow morning, I promise..." Luna glanced at Doctor Manner, then motioned him over toward the door. The doctor shifted his weight, then hesitantly obeyed Luna's directive. Luna headed over to the door along with the doctor. "Rainbow, we will give you two a minute alone..." she said. Rainbow swallowed and shifted her weight. She turned around, then shuffled a few steps closer to Twilight's bed, though lingered near the wall. Luna walked on passed her and left the room. Doctor Manner hesitated a moment and looked over Rainbow closely. "Please be careful," he said gently, then proceeded to leave the room. He closed the door behind him with his magic, leaving the two friends alone. Rainbow glanced back behind her, then slowly bobbed her head. She hung her head guiltily and walked over to the bed beside Twilight, then sat down on her haunches. Twilight perked up a little, though not much, and the alicorn studied Rainbow's crestfallen expression, or what she could with her head hung. Eventually, Rainbow took a deep breath, then lifted her head back up. She smiled softly at Twilight, though pain was evident behind the smile. "Hey... you... doing okay?" she asked tenderly. Twilight swallowed and hastily nudged her head in a motion to say 'no.' Rainbow's smile faded. Twilight closed her eyes and shivered again. "Hey, it's okay..." Rainbow said softly. She placed a forehoof on the bed. She bit her lip and mulled over her options. Her mind, heart, and body all yearned to climb up into the bed with Twilight and just hold her, protecting her, and comforting her, but fear left her incapable of deciding or moving further. 'What if I hurt her and make it worse?' was one of her predominant fears. She bit her lip harder and pushed the fear away, only to find unease lingering about the decision. She wanted to join Twilight, but a part of her didn't want to. She released her lip, then clenched her jaw and forced the dissenting discomfort away, suppressing it. She tentatively pulled herself up onto the bed. Twilight opened her eyes and looked at Rainbow questioningly. She went to open her mouth, only to stop as Rainbow smiled. She shifted her weight a little, leaning back from the pegasus. Rainbow's smiler faltered. She quickly and carefully repositioned herself, then slid a foreleg under Twilight's neck and wrapped her other foreleg around her. She carefully avoided Twilight's injured head and hugged her. Twilight didn't resist, but neither did she return the hug. Rainbow held Twilight comfortingly, but it didn't seem to help either of them feel better. It didn't feel right to Rainbow, her alicorn was hurt and in pain, and she couldn't do anything about it. She was at least partially responsible for it, too. And that hurt her. But there was more to it than just that, she realized as her hug lingered. It didn't feel the same, Twilight didn't feel the same. She felt vulnerable, but her coat wasn't as soft, nor welcoming, nor was she as warm as normal. The joy she normally felt from holding Twilight didn't spark to life, instead her unease, discomfort, and fear only balooned from holding her. Rainbow tentatively leaned down and gently nuzzled the back of Twilight's head, rubbing into her mane. As with the embrace, it felt wrong. She shifted her muzzle slightly and pressed her nose into Twilight's mane, then briefly inhaled. It smelt wrong. Rainbow's unease only grew. She blinked in confusion as she went over everything she felt. She swallowed and held her for a few more seconds, then let go of her and set her back down on the pillow. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't, her eyes meeting Twilight's eyes. They weren't as vibrant as normal, and they looked wrong, even more than normal. The fear and pain visible in her eyes was worse than normal, but something was still wrong. Rainbow hesitantly hopped back off the bed, then slowly made her way to the door. Every step sent her mind reeling, and her heart beat faster. After what felt like an eternity, she reached the door. She hastily pulled it open, then slipped outside and closed the door behind her. She hastily looked around for one of the princesses. "Luna!" Princess Luna's head shot toward Rainbow Dash, then she looked down at Doctor Manner, whose expression turned grim. "What happened?" Luna asked quickly, walking over to Rainbow. She pushed open the door with her magic. "That... That's not Twilight!" Rainbow replied, her eyes filled with fear. "I know Twilight, and that, is not Twilight." Luna pursed her lips, then looked at Doctor Manner, whose brow creased. "That..." she trailed off. "What?" she asked, looking back at Rainbow. Her expression faltered. "That... did..." she trailed off, horror starting to well up inside her at a simple realization. "That... could be a changeling drone..." she said gravely. Doctor Manner's eyes widened. "I'll go check in with the lab to see if anything abnormal came up in her blood tests..." he muttered, then took off at a gallop. Luna strode over to the door, then stopped and listened intently. Assuring herself that the room's sole occupant was still there, she silently closed the door, then cast a spell to prevent anything from entering or leaving. "I know for a fact that the blood was Twilight's blood..." she said hastily. "Are you sure that isn't Twilight?" "Y-yes!" Rainbow answered frantically. "If that is just a changeling drone, then Queen Chrysalis has out bested us twice in one day..." she whispered to herself. "I need to contact my sister about this..." she muttered. "Isn't... isn't there some spell you can use to check?" Rainbow asked quickly. Luna clenched her jaw. "I had used that spell, and it came back that that was Twilight. If Chrysalis found out a way to defeat that countermeasure..." she trailed off, the implications leaving a sour taste in her mouth. Rainbow swallowed. "L-Luna... if... if that's not Twilight, th-then..." "Twilight is at the mercy of a monster... Chrysalis may have Twilight in her clutches..." Princess Luna paced back and forth in front of the door she guarded. Every second that passed agitated her more than the last. Doctor Manner was taking too long, and it had only been a few minutes. Her sister had been contacted, and now Celestia was heading to a meeting with King Thorax personally. Rainbow, for her part, sat silently on her haunches against the wall, staring at the other side of the hallway. Princess Luna's pacing eventually drew to a close as the sound of a pony gallopping down the hall caught her attention. She swiveled around on her hooves and met Doctor Manner halfway between their positions. "What do you know?" Luna said without wasting any time. "The results are conclusive, that isn't Twilight. The biosigns were close to an alicorn, but after further scrutiny, they matched that of a changeling," Doctor Manner answered. "They somehow managed to disguise it almost perfectly. I have no idea how Rainbow managed to detect it, but if she hadn't, it might have been days before we figured it out." Luna bared her teeth and lit her horn. She stormed across the hallway, then stood in front of the door. She took a moment to compose herself. "We need this drone alive, it is our only link to Chrysalis and Twilight," she said in an icy voice. She took a deep breath and braced herself, then quietly opened the door and strode inside. The quiet, calm beeping of the heart rate monitor had nearly doubled in pace since she had left, and the changeling looked at her fearfully, remaining deathly quiet, as if it knew it had been discovered. Luna strode across the room. The changeling shifted its weight on the bed, as if trying to put more distance between it and the alicorn, but pain shot through its expression, and it whimpered in pain. "Drop the act," Luna commanded, horn glowing threateningly. Rainbow cautiously walked in behind Luna, then hesitantly walked out from behind her and looked at the changeling impersonating Twilight. After a few seconds of receiving no response, Luna closed the distance between her and the bed, then cast a spell. The changeling hissed as its form was stolen from it. Luna was about to pick the changeling up and throw it on the floor with her magic, but stopped out of shock, noticing that the injury the changeling had received was in fact, very real. That didn't stop the changeling from looking around frantically, but it did stop it from attempting to escape. 'If Queen Chrysalis was willing to do that to one of her drones...' the thought only elevated fear Luna felt for Twilight to new levels. She quickly restrained the changeling with her magic, then walked over to it and removed the bandage from its head to further scrutinize the wound. "What is it?" Rainbow asked. Luna grimaced and looked at Rainbow. "Chrysalis almost killed a drone in order to convince us that it was actually Twilight," she answered. She glared down at the changeling. "I need to inform my sister of this development..." she growled. She looked over toward the door. "Doctor, Guards!" she called. The two guards rushed in, followed close behind by Doctor Manner. The three of them looked at Luna and the changeling skeptically. "Make sure the drone doesn't escape and make sure it survives," she ordered. Without waiting for a response, she teleported away. Twilight groaned and slowly shifted her forelegs back closer to her head. The first thing she noticed was an intense pain emanating from the left side of her head. She wanted the pain to go away, but the pain refused to relent, leaving her head aching and throbbing. Next, she noticed her forelegs were being scraped by sharp rocks. She winced in pain, which sent another throb of pain throughout her being. She was afraid to open her eyes, and her eyes felt heavy. She fought through her exhaustion and anguish, then managed to crack open an eye. To her delight, she was somewhere dark. She could barely see anything due to the darkness, and she couldn't make anything out. It was all blurry. She felt like ice, and her surroundings were cold and damp. She rolled over onto her right side. Her muzzle scrunched up in pain, shifting her weight causing her head to pound. She slowly drew her head down against her neck and curled up into a little ball. She tentatively slid her forehoof up to her head. She barely touched the edge of her head, and she barely held back a scream of pain as she recoiled from the touch. She slid her forehoof down over her muzzle and pressed herself tighter into her own body as waves of pain rolled through her head. She clenched her jaw shut hard and pressed her eyes closed. She shivered from cold, then fear as the last thing she remembered replaced through her mind, though it was a hazy blur, she knew. She swallowed and listened intently, half afraid of what she would hear. In the distance, she could hear the echo of faint chittering. Her body started to shake. Closer, she could hear a faint echo of water dripping into a shallow pool. She was alone, nopony else was around. She welcomed that knowledge for a brief second then felt trapped and isolated by it, knowing that none of her friends were there to comfort her, knowing that nopony was there to protect her. She felt herself starting to hyperventilate. As she regained more feeling, she wished she hadn't. Her head felt hot and sticky, but the cold, damp air felt wonderful to her wound. She sniffled, then quietly sobbed, her body shuddering.