//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Critical Mass 
// by SC_Orion 
//------------------------------//

Princess Celestia paced back and forth impatiently. The soft sound of her hooves hitting the marble floor broke the silence that otherwise filled the dining room where she waited. She waited in the room alone, there weren't even any guards- they were stationed outside of the dining room to guard the doors. She wanted to be alone until he arrived, she had a lot to mull over, and she didn't want the guards to see how jittery she felt.


'Chrysalis... why would you sacrifice a drone in such a way? To convince us that it really was Twilight... but the fact that you actually did that, considering that you have so few drones remaining loyal to you...' The thought played back through her mind again and again, and it did nothing to settle her racing mind, nor ease her rapidly pulsating heart. The memory left her with a sense of wrongness, fear, and anxiety. 'If you were willing to do that to a drone... Twilight... please, please be okay...'


She bit her lip. Even with how old she was, even with as much as she had seen, she was still only a pony. She felt fear, fear for Twilight, fear for what would happen, fear about what could be happing that very second, even as each second passed just the same as any other. 'Even in situations as dire as this... life marches on...'


She sighed and hung her head, briefly pausing her pacing in an attempt to get a hold of herself. 'Thorax knows that I am close to Twilight... She lightly nibbled on her lip, then looked up and across the room. She stood there in silence, doing her best to force down the feelings she faced. She wanted, almost needed to pace, moving helped, it occupied at least a small portion of her mind, preventing it from all focusing on Twilight.


'I'm no good to Twilight if I'm in this state... I need to stay calm... but, that's easier said than done when... with everything that has happened...' She closed her eyes, released her lip from in between her teeth, then took a deep breath, filling her lungs to their capacity. She held the breath in and concentrated on her heartbeat. As the seconds gradually rolled away, her pulse slowed, and she felt the unease slowly subside, though it lingered.


She slowly opened her eyes, then calmly exhaled. 'Thorax, I know you are hurrying, but please, get here soon... Every second that passes makes it that much harder for us to locate and rescue Twilight... and it makes it that much more likely that something worse will happen to her at the hooves of Chrysalis.'


She quickly took in another deep breath, then she released it almost immediately. "You would think that it would be easier after being alive for so long..." she said to herself in a soft voice. "If it was anypony else, somepony who I wasn't as close to, maybe it would be easier... Maybe if she hadn't already been through so much, it would be easier... Maybe if I wasn't so worried about her... Oh, please be safe..." She closed her eyes and swallowed.


'After we talk and I inform my sister, I need to rest. I am in no condition to help Twilight like this...' A grimace pulled at Celestia's lips. She didn't like the idea of resting peacefully while Twilight was in danger, but the rest would help her focus and concentrate. Luna was capable of handling things while she rested, but it still left her feeling guilty.


The large, ornate door parted open slightly. At the sound, Celestia turned to face the door and watched as a unicorn ducked his head inside. "Princess Celestia? King Thorax has arrived."


Celestia glanced at the floor, then looked back at the unicorn. She swiftly nodded and recomposed herself. "Thank you, please send him in," she said, her voice calm and warm, though not as happy as usual.


The unicorn nodded, then ducked back out from the room and closed the doors.


Celestia shifted her weight, then strode around to the head of the table facing the doors. She levitated the chair back, then sat down on her haunches in the chair. She watched the door closely as the seconds passed and faded into minutes. Eventually, the door opened once more, breaking the silence again.


King Thorax walked inside in a hurried pace, his expression was one of unease and unsureness. "Princess Celestia," he greeted in a soft voice.


"King Thorax," Celestia acknowledged. She gave him a smile and nodded, then motioned him to sit in a chair near her.


The reformed changeling picked up his foreleg, then hesitated. After a second, he resumed his pace and strode around the table, then came to a stop at the chair to Princess Celestia's immediate right. He pulled it out, then hopped up in it and sat down.


The minute King Thorax sat down, Celestia let her mask of calmness drop. "Please tell me that you have something," she asked, almost pleadingly.


King Thorax's lips pulled into a neutral line. "I'm sorry... we're not making much progress on our end. I can confirm that we were chasing a drone disguised as Queen Chrysalis, though... It seems that she managed to trick us all... again."


Celestia opened her mouth and slowly turned away from Thorax. She stared down at the table and slowly shook her head. "How could this have happened? I thought your kind were supposed to be able to tell that-"


Thorax grimaced. "I don't know. We're supposed to be able to identify a disguised changeling, but it seems that something's changed since we changed." He frowned. "It... doesn't make sense. I can still tell when there's a disguised changeling impersonating a pony- regardless of whether or not they're a reformed one or not, but somehow the drone disguised as Chrysalis was able to mask it. The other reformed changelings like me can tell that too."


Celestia sighed. "I... I'm afraid for Twilight. We're doing everything we can, and... it's only been a few hours, but... a lot can happen in a few hours. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be so afraid for her... but she's alone, without her friends, and... she's been through a lot."


"And Queen Chrysalis has her..." Thorax said quietly.


Celestia lifted her head up and looked at Thorax. She hesitantly nodded. "I knew that Twilight would be able to defeat Lord Tirek... I wasn't sure how she would do it, but I knew she would. But... now... I don't have the same assurances."



"We're doing our best," Thorax assured.


Celestia grimaced. "We did our best too, and yet look where we are... We failed her, Thorax... I failed her. I was supposed to protect her, she was my faithful student... One of my best friends. She's family..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again.


"We'll find her, Princess... Chrysalis doesn't have the resources to stay hidden forever- and now that we know the drones in the south are just a distraction, it's only a matter of time," Thorax said in a firm, determined tone, though his voice still came out in his characteristic softness.


Celestia slowly shook her head. "I'm supposed to be strong, and yet this- this hurts, and..." she trailed off, sitting up straighter. "A lot can happen between now and when we find her. I know it's going to take time, but... that works against us. The longer Twilight is with Chrysalis, the more we have to worry about. Chrysalis nearly killed one of her own drones- the one disguised as Twilight. We think it was an attempt to convince us further that it was her."


Thorax's expression twisted in revulsion. "Chrysalis... she wasn't as... sane... as normal, after failing to capture Equestria when invading Canterlot..." he trailed off warily. "It's part of the reason I broke away..." he said cautiously.


"The changeling's test results matched Twilight's test results. The tests came back indicating that the drone disguised as Twilight said that it was Twilight- they matched the results of Twilight. They said she was an alicorn. How is that possible? To my knowledge, it's not possible for changelings to do that..." Celestia's brow furrowed as she finished.


Thorax looked at Celestia with confusion and perplexity. "But... that's not supposed to be possible. Changelings' magic can disguise us, but we can't alter our body chemistry to match that of another species, or an inanimate object. It should have come back obvious that it was a changeling... Although, if we're wounded when disguised, the disguise should still hold, however, the disguise can fail if the damage is severe enough, or under special conditions."


"This matter warrants further investigation, then," Celestia mused. Thorax nodded slowly in agreement.


"I can see if I can get more changelings to come and help you, if you'd like," Thorax offered. "Twilight's important to me too, but we're not as close as you two are..."


Celestia mulled it over. "I would accept any help you would offer," she replied. "I know you are busy rebuilding your kingdom, but I would appreciate it if we could stay in contact more closely..." she trailed off.


Thorax nodded. "I'll make arrangements for some communication scarabs to be sent over so we can stay in touch more closely."


Celestia smiled in appreciation. "That would be most helpful..." she trailed off and sighed. "I need to inform my sister about this and see if she has any updates for me. I... have had a long day, and an even longer night, as I'm sure you can imagine," she said warily. Thorax grimaced and nodded in understanding. "I... think I will retire for now. Thank you for coming, and... I would appreciate it if you would stay the night so we could talk again in the morning."


"I had planned on staying," Thorax said.


Celestia smiled. "If you would wait here, I will see to it that a room is prepared for your stay."





Rainbow hastily paced back and forth across the waiting room, her head held a little lower than normal and turned down toward the floor. Her jaw was clenched tightly, and her wings bristled every few seconds from agitation. A deep-seated feeling of wrongness permeated her entire body but was most noticeable in her chest, where the unease she felt made her need to keep moving. If she didn't keep moving, she didn't know what would happen, other than knowing that the empty, dull ache and creeping fear and worry would balloon. A knot in the back of her throat ached in pain, and her mouth felt dry.


'This can't be happening, this can't be happening...' she thought to herself, on the verge of a panic attack. Despite her attempts to reassure herself, she knew that it was a lie. She knew that Twilight wasn't with her, that Queen Chrysalis had Twilight, and that Twilight was in danger, and she wasn't there to comfort Twilight.


As her unease and discomfort grew, her pace quickened. She was glad that she was alone, save for Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. Luna had a private waiting room prepared, and she and her sister were quietly discussing something from just across the room. She occasionally tried to listen in, but she couldn't focus on it, and their voices were quiet. Both of them were worried and tired, but at the same time, Celestia's voice was calm, despite the worry, and Luna's voice sounded determined.


Rainbow took solace in knowing that both of them were there, knowing that they were both trying their best to help get Twilight back, and knowing that they were both concerned. She nibbled on her lip and looked up, then glanced back at them. Both of them continued talking, but Celestia noticed her gaze, and she looked at Rainbow. A moment later, Luna's head turned slightly and the younger alicorn looked at her too. After a few seconds, Luna turned back to Celestia. "Rest, sister, this matter is leaving you in a bad state. There is nothing more you can do right now, even while time is of the essence, this matter won't be solved over night," Luna said to Celestia.


Celestia hung her head and sighed a tired, weary sigh. Rainbow's pacing slowed and she turned to watch Celestia. The alicorn's white coat seemed lackluster compared to normal, now that she actually took the time to study it. Her mane and tail flowed much more slowly, and their grace seemed to have been stolen and replaced with an irritated, more violent flow.


"I know," Celestia admitted in a quiet voice. "But... It just doesn't feel right! I was supposed to be there for her."


"We were supposed to be there for her, sister," Luna replied, offering Celestia a weak, soft smile. "You cannot fault only yourself for this, 'Tia. Chrysalis fooled us both... we underestimated her, as we have time and time again. We shall not make that mistake again," Luna said firmly.


Celestia nodded hesitantly. "I just wish that there was something more I could do..." she said softly. "Knowing that Chrysalis has her, combiend with what Chrysalis did to that drone..."


Luna grimaced and looked at Celestia with a wary expression, and she slowly nodded. "The drone will be interrogated before the night is over, and I will be searching for Twilight's location in the dream realm. I will find her, sister," Luna replied. "Once I do, I will rescue her safely, and I will deal with Chrysalis. I will not let something like this happen again," she said the last sentence in a cold, firm voice.


Rainbow shivered, then shifted her weight. She fluffed her wings at her sides and slowly let her eyes wander across the room in a wide arc. She shifted her weight again, then hastily strode over to the two princesses. "Princess?"


Celestia smiled softly at Rainbow, although everypony present could tell that the smile was filled with pain, and they could see a hint of guilt in her eyes. "Rainbow... it is late, you should rest. Staying up all night will not do Twilight any good... although I will admit, I am struggling to convince myself of that," she said, briefly flashing a more genuine smile, though it quickly faded as she finished.


Rainbow looked down at the floor. "I just... I..." she trailed off, grimacing as she looked back up at Celestia. "How did this happen?" she implored.


Luna slowly turned around to face Rainbow. "Chrysalis tricked us both, and somehow managed to trick King Thorax's reformed changelings. The changeling we were after in the south who we believed to be Queen Chrysalis was, in fact, a drone leading us on a wild goose chase. Chrysalis evaded our best attempts to stop her and this whole time, she has been somewhere else, closer than we realized," Luna answered calmly. "It is concerning that a drone was able to mimic the biology of an alicorn. Changelings are not supposed to be able to mimic the biology of whatever they are disguised as. I am sorry, Rainbow, but we do not know anymore. I promise you that you will be one of the first to know when we find anything out. We're looking for her, Rainbow Dash."


"I know," Rainbow replied hastily. "But... Chrysalis has Twilight, every second that Twilight is with her... I-I just... I'm... I'm scared," she admitted, then clenched her jaws. She searched Luna's and Celestia's expression for any signs of mockery or pleasure at her admission but found only understanding, acceptance, and concern. She felt a little better at that, but her unease still lingered, making her heart race. Her mind wondered about how Twilight was doing, and that left her thinking about Chrysalis hurting Twilight, which hurt her and made her feel even more agitation and anxiety. "Chrysalis... she-she could be doing anything to Twilight, and... Twilight... she's... she's not okay. She doesn't have her horn, she... she just..." Rainbow slowly shook her head and clenched her jaw, causing her muscles in her cheeks to visibly show.


Celestia slowly stepped over to Rainbow, then sat down on her haunches in front of her. Rainbow glanced up at her absently. Celestia lifted her left foreleg, then wrapped it around Rainbow's back. She unfolded her wings, then gently draped them around the pegasus, and she gently pulled Rainbow toward her, attempting to coax the pegasus into her embrace.


Rainbow's eyes slowly glanced down from Celestia's chest, then she looked down at her hooves and she relaxed and let Celestia pull her into a hug. She swallowed, then hesitantly wrapped her forelegs around the alicorn's barrel and gently squeezed her.


"Rainbow, I know you are worried. We all are... worrying and losing sleep over it won't help, even with as much as I don't want to believe that," Celestia said softly. "We will rescue her, Rainbow. I promise. We'll save her and we'll make sure it's okay. Chrysalis will not get away with this, not this time," she affirmed. "Losing sleep over this will only make it harder when we do find her."


Rainbow remained quiet for several seconds, then she swallowed and nodded. "I... I want to go with princess Luna when she goes to rescue Twilight. I... need to be there."


Celestia glanced over at Luna. "It could prove beneficial," Luna acknowledged. "Rainbow's presence will help Twilight. She is a trained Wonderbolt as well. If you do let her accompany me, I will not let any harm come to her nor Twilight."


Celestia slowly looked back down at Rainbow. "Very well... When we locate Chrysalis, you may accompany my sister," she said. "Please be careful," she added, smiling a little. "Twilight wouldn't be very happy if anything happened to you, and if she found out that I let you do this, she wouldn't be very happy with me."


A smile pulled at Rainbow's lips, and she snorted. She nodded and then pulled back. Celestia released her, and she scooted back from the alicorn a little. "Thank you, Princess."


"Rainbow, you do not have to call me by my title. I would like to think that we are close enough that you can use my name. I would prefer it," Celestia replied with a soft, warm smile.


Rainbow smiled sheepishly. "Okay... Celestia." Celestia smiled a little brighter. "Is... is there anything I can do to help find her?" she asked.


Celestia's smile dimmed a little and she looked at Luna. "I do not know," Luna answered. "We do not have any leads to go on at this moment, as the drone is being prepared for interrogation. It would not do to have the drone perish from the wounds Chrysalis inflicted upon it. As soon as I have the opportunity, I am going to search the dream realm for Twilight. If I find her, I will ascertain her location and, after reassuring her, I will lead a strike force to take down Chrysalis and rescue Twilight."


Rainbow swallowed as fear returned to the forefront of her mind, spurred on by what Luna said echoing in her mind, bringing it back and reinforcing the nervousness she felt. "If... you find her?"


Luna tentatively nodded. "I may not be able to locate her. She could be in a pod, or the area could be shielded. And... of course, there is the possibility that Twilight is unconscious, or that Chrysalis will not let her sleep..." she said grimly.


Rainbow looked over Luna briefly, then she turned her head a little to the left, then a little to the right, and she slowly looked down at her hooves. "I... How am I supposed to deal with this?" she asked, hesitantly looking up.


"Stay strong for her," Luna said firmly. "This... it is not easy on us, and it may be much, much harder on Twilight. She has been through a lot already, and Chrysalis may force her through much more. You will need to be there for Twilight when we bring her back."


Rainbow frowned a little and her brow creased. "I will," she said, her voice slightly defensive. "I promised that I wouldn't leave her. I promised I'd be there for her, and I promised I'd help her. I'm not going to just leave her," she said firmly.


Luna nodded and smiled. "I know this, Rainbow, but Twilight may not truly understand it. You may need to remind her of it," she said.


Celestia grimaced. "Twilight is intelligent, but... she has her issues." She hesitantly stood up, then looked toward the door. "As much as I want to put my endurance to use to stay up, or use my magic to keep myself rested, the benefits are outweighed by the costs," she said with a sigh. "Rainbow, you should inform your friends of this development, and then you should go try to rest."


Rainbow grimaced and her ears folded back. "How... am I gonna tell them this?" she asked unsurely.


"I will accompany you," Luna replied.


Rainbow offered Luna a half smile. "Thanks..." She slowly stood up and turned to face Celestia, who nodded in acknowledgment. Celestia lit her horn, then teleported away in a flash of magic.





When Rainbow Dash appeared in the doorway to the waiting room where the rest of the girls were waiting, Applejack was the first to notice, being that, unlike the others, she was paying attention. "Rainbow? Where have you been, you've been gone for hours?" A moment later, she frowned as Princess Luna walked in beside her. "Princess Luna? Do you have any good news?"


Fluttershy's gaze shot toward Luna, though her head lingered in her prior position for a few seconds. "Is Twilight awake?" she asked.


Rainbow shifted her weight and walked a few steps into the room. Luna hesitantly walked in and stood beside her, the palpable air of depression only adding to her discomfort. Her expression lingered on hesitation and was soon joined by discomfort and unease. She opened her mouth and pursed her lips. "That was not actually Twilight. It was a changeling drone disguised as her," she said. "As of right now, we do not know where Twilight is, however, we do now have confirmation that it was Queen Chrysalis who attacked her, and this also means that Queen Chrysalis likely captured Twilight and has her right now."


"But... that..." Applejack stared in disbelief. She opened her mouth to continue, only to find nothing forthcoming. She closed her mouth, then shook her head in frustration. "So, this whole time when we thought that Twilight was injured and in the hospital, she was actually captured by Chrysalis?"


Luna nodded slowly. "Twilight was indeed attacked and injured. We can also confirm that. We also know that the drone disguised as Twilight was injured, likely by Chrysalis herself in an attempt to further fool us. She was willing to nearly kill one of her own drones to trick us," she stated. To everypony present, it felt like the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees lower than what the hospital normally was. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight all shivered.


"If... she was willing to do that to a drone, what does that say about... what she would be willing to do to Twilight?" Rarity asked in a small, quiet voice, voicing a question that nopony else wanted to ask, or that they wanted to pointedly avoid.


In the back of Rainbow's throat, the knot which had died quickly grew back. She swallowed in an attempt to force it back, but the knot lingered and started to ache. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Come on, it's Twilight! She'll be fine...' she thought in an attempt to convince herself and ease her distress. The thought didn't have any effect and was met by an immediate rebuttal, 'But she's was in bad shape before...' She clenched her jaw and exhaled sharply through her nostrils, 'Chrysalis... if you lay a hoof on her...'


"We have to go after her," Applejack said firmly.


Luna turned to face Applejack. "We are looking for her. We do not have many leads, and the Royal Guard and Wonderbolts are scouring all of Equestria for Chrysalis and Twilight. We will find her, Applejack."


"Yeah, but we should be out there too!" Applejack retorted. "We're her friends. We weren't there for her like we shoulda been, and now that Chrysalis has her, you could use our help, couldn't you?"


Luna grimaced. "I do not know what help you would be... I understand that you wish to do something, but... without Twilight, there is not much you can do..." she said tentatively.


Applejack's expression shifted to anger, then to regret and fell into acceptance. "Why not? We saved Equestria how many times?"


"That is a different prospect, Applejack," Luna said, frowning a little. "When Queen Chrysalis invaded, my sister had no choice but to ask you to try to stop her with the Elements of Harmony. You do not have access to them. You do have their power imbued in your essences, but to my knowledge, you cannot access it at will, nor will it work without Twilight present. Since Twilight is not here, I do not believe that you will be able to be of much assistance in locating Chrysalis or rescuing Twilight. Rainbow will be accompanying me when we do locate them, but as she has had training, I am making the exception..." she trailed off and squinted unsurely. "Celestia would not have asked you to attempt to stop Chrysalis if there was an alternative. Unlike the other threats which you faced, Chrysalis is much more dangerous. It was her arrogance that we used as an advantage against her," she stated.


"I will bring her back," Luna stated, slowly looking around the room and at each mare and dragon. "I am going to directly engage Chrysalis myself once I locate her. While she may have been able to defeat my sister, she is no match for me. I will ensure that Chrysalis will never be a threat again," she lifted her hoof, then gently pressed it into the floor as she finished. Luna glanced around again, this time in the opposite direction, then she nodded once to herself. "I am going to go join the search for Twilight. I will attempt to find her location while she sleeps..." she trailed off, then turned around and slowly strode out into the hallway at a gentle, yet determined pace, leaving the ponies behind looking around absently and unsurely.


Rainbow glanced around, then turned around and walked toward the door. "There's no reason for us to stay here," she said quietly as she left. Silence lingered in the room for a few minutes after Rainbow's departure, then the assembled ponies gradually dispersed to return to their homes, each one left moping about and more than before.





Rainbow idly looked over the front door of her cloudhouse as she landed. She paid no mind to the soft cloud under her hooves, nor to the gentle, cool night breeze. Her mind felt clouded, and she felt like she was in a haze. Everything seemed fuzzy. Her vision was as sharp as ever, but her interest and mind were preoccupied with worry for her alicorn. Exhaustion lingered in the back of her mind, silently creeping and stalking her, brought on by her arduous day.


Even with the exhaustion plaguing the back of her mind, her heart and body bristled with jittery, nervous energy. She shifted her wings and opened her front door, then walked inside and closed the door behind her. The quietness of her home greeting her felt wrong and condemning, and the coolness only reminded her that Twilight wasn't there beside her. Her friend's missing warmth hurt, and her heart ached.


She shifted her weight and let her gaze idly drift over the living room. After a few seconds, she looked back ahead and set off toward her bedroom. She slowly flew upstairs and shuffled into her bedroom. She silently closed the cloud door to her bedroom behind her. She looked at her bed for a few seconds, then turned to look at the door to the bathroom. 'I don't even feel like taking a hot shower...' she thought dejectedly, then sighed. Her ears folded back as she shuffled over to her bed.


She climbed up on her bed, then laid down on her back in the middle with her head resting on the pillow. The soft cloud mattress shifted to accommodate her form, but it wasn't as comforting or welcoming as normal. It was just as soft, but it just felt wrong. Something was missing, and she knew that something was a pony. She let her legs and wings go limp and absently fall away from her body, splaying out limply as she stared up at the ceiling.


She watched the cloud above her. Her eyes jumped around quickly as she shifted her gaze over the minuscule details of texture in the cloud, but her expression was one of emptiness. Despite the hold exhaustion held on the back of her mind, the tense, uneasy, aching feeling she felt all throughout her body had an even greater hold on her mind. It didn't help that she felt cold.


She shifted her weight, then sat up and slid underneath the blankets, hoping it would comfort her and alleviate some of her pain. The chill she felt lingered even as her body heat warmed the space under the blankets, drawing memories of the hospital back to her mind. It felt wrong. She rolled over onto her side, but the feeling of wrongness lingered. She closed her eyes, hoping it would fade away, but it refused. Seconds turned into minutes as she laid there, but it seemed that, if anything, it only made how she felt worse. The exhaustion plaguing the back of her mind remained, but diminished ever so slightly, still leaving her in a state of mental fatigue, though her body still felt as it it was filled with pent up energy just waiting to be expended.


She slid her foreleg around and pushed herself up into a sitting position, then turned back to look over her pillows. She could almost picture Twilight laying beside her, and the picture in her mind reminded her of the time that she had come home to find the princess asleep on her bed. The memory caused a smile to twitch upon her lips. The smile lingered for a few seconds, then gradually faded.


Rainbow swallowed, then shifted her weight and grabbed a spare pillow beside the one she was laying on. She eyed it cautiously and bit her lip. She averted her gaze from it, then quickly glanced around her room, making sure nopony was there. She quickly slipped the pillow over the blankets, then laid back down. She pulled the covers tight against her body to trap her body heat once more, then she rolled over to face the pillow. She slipped the pillow up into the crook of her neck and slid her right forearm under it, then laid her left foreleg over it. She lightly squeezed it and idly looked at the wall in her line of sight. She nuzzled into the pillow and held it close to her body.


The pillow's softness didn't match Twilight's soft coat. The pillow was cold, a far cry from Twilight's gentle, welcoming warmth. The pillow was too small, she couldn't hold it under her muzzle and hold it in between her legs at the same time. Perhaps what left her longing for Twilight the most, however, was the lack of a heartbeat, the gentle rise and fall of her barrel as she breathed.


She squeezed the pillow, then slid it down and pressed it up against her abdomen and held it in between her legs. She folded her forelegs around and laid her forehooves close to each other, then squeezed the pillow against herself. Even with the pillow warming from her body heat, it didn't help. It didn't bring any of the comforts that Twilight did. It was a poor excuse for the pony she loved.


Minutes wore on, and she found her cheeks and eyes growing colder. She swallowed back a knot in her throat, then slid her left forehoof up to her muzzle and rubbed away the wetness chilling her face. She blinked a few times in an attempt to clear her vision, but it only made it more blurred and distorted. She slid her head up on her pillow and pressed into it, then pulled it down a little, hoping it would somehow help.


A few more minutes passed. Her exhaustion returned in force, and some of her body's agitation had faded, but she still couldn't fall asleep. She rolled her head over and glanced at her clock. She watched it absently, not sure what to think or feel. Enough time passed that the minute changed before she rolled her head back over. She squeezed the pillow closer to her, then tucked her muzzle down and planted her nose in the pillow. She idly watched the blankets rise and fall with her own breathing, and she watched the blank cloud wall do nothing, hoping that the lack of activity would calm her enough for sleep to take her.


She groaned quietly and squeezed the pillow, then let up on it and lay there limply, idly looking over her surroundings without moving her head. Her ears pinned back, and she reluctantly pushed the pillow away from her, then she slowly sat up. She sat on the bed and stared at the floor for a few seconds, then she tentatively hopped down and shuffled to the door. She watched the door for a few seconds, then opened it and hesitantly headed down the stairs and into the kitchen.


She absently looked over the cabinets and the refrigeration. She grimaced and unfurled her wings, then flew up and opened one of her cabinets, then pulled out a bowl. She sat the bowl down, then pulled out some cereal and filled the bowl halfway full, then she turned her attention the refrigerator and pulled out an unopened carton of milk. She quickly opened it, then poured the fresh milk over her cereal, then placed it back in the refrigerator. She grabbed a spoon, then she headed into her living room and sat down on her couch. She stared out the window and watched the stars in the dark night sky while she slowly ate her cereal.


She wasn't that hungry, but she ate regardless, hoping that doing something so boring would help put her mind at rest. Rainbow sighed as she finished, feeling her mind having grown duller and hazier than before, though her anxiety and distress lingering, even if they weren't quite as bad as before. 'This isn't right... Twilight should be here with me, not... Twilight, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you...'


She briefly closed her eyes as guilt grew to encompass her whole being. The guilt she felt swelling up inside her gradually subsided, but it still latched on to her mind and body, staying with her. She opened her eyes and looked down at the bowl of milk. After a few seconds, she lifted it up to her muzzle and drank down the milk, then she hopped off the couch and lazily flew back into the kitchen. She set the bowl and spoon in the sink to deal with later, then she flew back around to the stairs.


She hesitated, neither feeling the same desire nor drive to fly upstairs. She sighed, then landed and shuffled upstairs, then back into her bedroom. She absently crawled up into bed and stared up at the ceiling again. Eventually, she yawned and climbed under the blankets, laying on her side away from the pillow before closing her eyes.





'This is all my fault... if I had just stopped Chrysalis when I had the chance instead of letting her get away, none of this would have happened,' the thought that plagued Starlight's mind replayed itself through her mind. Spike quietly walked the crystalline hallways of Twilight's castle beside her, and because of the silence, there wasn't much to occupy herself with, leaving her at a loss.


'There... there has to be something I can do,' she thought. Despite the haze clouding her mind from a lengthy, stressful, and worrisome day, brought on from first finding Twilight in the state that she was in, then discovering that it wasn't Twilight and that Chrysalis had foalnapped her mentor, the gears in her mind turned, searching for any ideas that could help.


'The easiest thing to do would be to just go back in time and stop myself from letting her escape, or maybe stopping her after she escaped...' she thought with a scowl. The idea left a bad taste in her mouth. She had enough of time travel from her brief experience with it, and the memory that lingered from what Twilight showed her haunted her. 'How did that happen?' she asked. The lingering lack of answer only heightened her unease.


"Uh, Starlight? Are you alright?" Spike asked quietly.


Starlight blinked, then licked her lips and swallowed. She lifted her head up and frowned a little, discovering that as she had walked, she had started to hold her head a little lower than when she had started. She nodded, absently at first, then with more vigor as she looked over at Spike. His expression was a combination of emptiness, loss, and concern. She paused from walking and sat down on her haunches, then extended a foreleg and pulled Spike into her, giving the young dragon a quick hug. "I'll be fine, Spike... I... I still feel like this is my fault... if I had just stopped Chrysalis when I had the chance..." A wave of pain lashed out through her core, and she turned away from Spike. "It was me that Chrysalis was after, and now Twilight's suffering because of it..."


Spike wrapped his arms around Starlight. "Starlight, really, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known that this would happen. Besides, Chrysalis wasn't just targeting you when she... you know..." he trailed off, his voice growing quiet. "She was trying to get back at all of us for being there to stop her before."


"I know, I know," Starlight replied in a strained voice. "But that doesn't change the fact that Twilight's in this position because of me!" she said, her voice wavering on despair. She sighed and her ears pinned back.


"You couldn't have done anything," Spike said in a calm, reassuring voice.


"But I could have!" Starlight argued. "If I had been there with her, I could have stopped Chrysalis! Or I could have at least tried..." she trailed off, looking at the floor. "If I had failed, then maybe Twilight wouldn't be alone right now..."


Spike squeezed Starlight as a dull, throbbing ache formed in his throat. "The princesses will rescue her..." he said, his voice coming out unsure and vulnerable. "Princess Celestia won't let Twilight down..." he said a little more firmly, balling up his claws.


Starlight nodded, then turned her head back over to Spike. She leaned down and nuzzled him, then rested with her muzzle beside his head. "There has to be something we can do, Spike..." Starlight said quietly as she studied the crystalline wall, her eyes barely taking in the details as her mind was elsewhere.


"Yeah..." Spike replied, a little stronger than before. "I mean... it's not the end of the world... It's it's only been half a day." He grimaced, then sighed. "I hope she's okay, Starlight. But I'm scared that she won't be- she was already hurt so badly, and... what if... what if Chrysalis does something worse to her? I don't know if Twilight can take it... What if we don't rescue her soon enough? If Chrysalis hurts Twilight, with the state she's been in... I don't know if she'll be able to recover..." he said gravely, holding back sniffles, despite his body's protest.


Starlight remained silent for several seconds, realizing Spike's vulnerability. His faith in the princesses was a razor thin thread. Even if he was mature, he was still young, and it weighed heavily on her mind. 'I... I need to be strong for Spike.' She swallowed at the realization. "Twilight's saved Equestria several times, Spike, if anypony's going to come out of this alright, it'll be her," she said in an attempt to comfort Spike.


Spike shifted his weight uneasily. "I don't know, Starlight... She didn't handle losing her horn too well..." he said grimly.


Starlight clenched her jaw. "Why don't... Why don't we go to the library. I know it's late, but... but maybe we can find something that will help us find her, or... will help us when she gets back?"


Spike hesitated, then nodded. "Y-yeah... That... that sounds like a good idea," he agreed. He hesitantly pulled away from Starlight, then looked down at his feet and tapped his claws together. After a few seconds, he looked back up a little less disheartened before. "Maybe I could make us some tea?" he asked.


Starlight smiled and nodded. "That would be nice, Spike..." she trailed off, squinting a little. 'I'm going to fall asleep reading again, aren't I?' she mused. 'It... beats not being able to sleep because I'm worried about her, though... At least I'll be doing something, this way.'


"Okay," Spike replied. "I'll go get the tea started... I'll meet you in the library?"


Starlight nodded and smiled. "Do you need any help?"


Spike shook his head. "I can take care of it. I'll meet you in the library," he said. he lingered for a moment, then turned around and headed for the kitchen.


Starlight lit her horn and watched Spike for a couple of seconds, then she teleported straight to the library. As soon as she entered the library, the magical lighting sparked to life, breaking the darkness of the room, though the lights weren't as bright as they would have been at day. The dim lighting would still be enough, and if it wasn't she could always use her magic for light. She took a deep breath, attempting to awaken her weary mind as she scanned the rows upon rows of books before her. She puffed out her cheeks as she exhaled through her mouth. "Where to start..?" she wondered aloud.


She shifted her weight, then walked over to one of the bookcases. She lifted her hoof and slid it along the shelf as she hobbled along on three legs, squinting at book titles, searching for something of promise. 'If Twilight was here, she'd know exactly where to start...' she mused, her pace slowing at the unprovoked thought. 'The princesses would probably know better than me, and neither of them have found her yet...'


She bit her lip and pushed back the errant thoughts, refocusing her attention on the task at hoof. She sighed, then picked out one of the magical tomes at random and levitated it out with her magic. She slowly trotted over to the couch, then hopped up and sat down on her haunches. She held the tome in the air in front of her with her magic, the light from her horn aiding the magical lighting of the room and making it easier for her to read.


She dived into her reading in an attempt to stave off her exhaustion, but she found that with every word, more of the mental fogginess set in. The library doors swung open. She lowered the book a little and lifted her gaze to the young dragon walking in. She smiled thankfully at him, then took the tray he carried in her magic and levitated it around to the table in front of the couch. She levitated the pot of tea up, then filled the two teacups with the steamy, sweet-scented tea. She levitated her teacup up and brought it close to her muzzle as she sat the pot of tea down. She closed her eyes and inhaled, letting the warmth and smell radiating from the tea fill her. She smiled, then took a quick drink from it and savored it before swallowing it. She felt the warmth slide down her throat, and it eased the consternation she suffered from.


Spike walked over to the couch, then hopped up beside her. "Any progress?"


Starlight sighed and opened her eyes. She shook her head sadly. "Not yet," she said. "But I'm just getting started..."


"Need me to find anything for you?" Spike asked.


Starlight slowly shook her head. "I don't even know what I'm looking for. Well, other than something to help find Twilight or something to help her when Princess Luna rescues her."


Spike grimaced. "Maybe we're worrying too much... It's not been that long, and we do have that one drone who was disguised as Twilight... Maybe we'll find her sometime tomorrow, or the day after that?"


"That would be nice, but I don't think that's going to happen," Starlight answered at length.


Spike sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, probably not... But it's not wrong to hope, is it?" He shifted his weight, then laid back against the armrest of the couch. He watched Starlight as the unicorn read through the book and turned the pages with her magic.





Twilight stared at the cold, hard rock beneath her, her eyes having recovered enough and adapted to the darkness to make out where she was. A small room carved out of the rock, with metal bars at the entrance. The rock was harsh and sharp, the room having been recently created, and she could tell that she was its first occupant, which only made her anxiety and distress spike. 'Chrysalis went to the trouble of making this cell for me rather than cocooning me...'


The thought made her shudder once. The movement jostled her head, sending a sharp, shooting pain lancing through her mind from the side of her head. She clenched her eyes closed, causing the fatigue in the back of her mind to surge forward and almost overwhelm her, but fear consumed the fatigue. 'I... I can't fall asleep... if I do... w-what would happen?'


'N-no, focus... I need to focus...' she told herself. She bit her lip, knowing that she needed to open her eyes, but afraid that she would see something she dreaded. 'Chrysalis isn't here right now, I would have heard her if she was...' she told herself. The thought did nothing to comfort her, as it only told her that she was alone, it said nothing of where Chrysalis was, or when she would inevitably show up. She hesitantly cracked opened her eyes, then blinked them open and took a deep, shuddering breath.


She timidly glanced around her cell again. Her body continued to shiver from a combination of fear and cold, and she had yet to stop shivering since she had regained consciousness, despite her best efforts to calm down. 'Okay, okay, don't panic... Panicking is what she would want me to do... Don't give her the satisfaction...' she told herself. She clenched her jaw hard, drawing a prolonged ache from the side of her head. She swallowed, then hesitantly slid her forehoof out from under her and cautiously raised it up to her head. With the lightest of touches, she placed the edge of her forehoof against the edge of her injury.


She bit her lip, jerked her hoof away, and clenched her eyes shut from the agonizing pain. It took several seconds for the pain to ebb away, but her head continued to throb painfully. The feeling of coldness intensified around her eyes. She hastily lifted her now shaking forehoof to her face and brushed away the newfound moisture with the back of her hoof. 'O-okay, I-I'm injured... I have no idea where I am... I have no way of knowing if... if anypony knows I'm gone...' Her expression fell from pain into emptiness, haunted by the last realization. 'N-no, they... they'll figure it out... They have to, t-they wouldn't just... l-leave me...' she told herself as she swallowed a painfully tight knot in her aching throat.


She closed her eyes and inhaled again, trying to calm her mind and body down enough to focus. 'O-okay, so... Let's see... This... this is bad... I-I can't defend myself because I don't have my horn... Queen Chrysalis foalnapped me... And... and I'm not in a cocoon...' She opened her eyes and clenched her jaw. 'I'm... not in a cocoon... it would have been easier to put me in a cocoon... She... took the time to carve out a cell for me...'


As the thought played through her mind, her body's shaking intensified, and her eyes widened. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for anything she might have missed. She slowly turned her head to the right, attempting to avoid agitating her injury any further as she scanned the room. Once she swept her head to the right, she swept her head to the left. 'Okay... Okay... nothing distinguishing this room,' she noted.


She swallowed, then tensed her legs and moved them. After a few seconds, she slowly shifted her forelegs, then slowly stood up. Her head throbbed from the movement, and she winced. She forced the pain aside, but she shook uncontrollably to the point she was afraid her legs would give out beneath her. She slowly lifted a forehoof up, shifting her weight onto three legs, checking to see if she could walk without falling. She bit her lower lip hard. 'If I stay in the middle of the room, she could come at me from any direction... if I go to a corner, then I can't run...' She felt hollow as she considered her choices, but one thing stuck out. 'I can't run anyway... I'm trapped...'


Her ears pinned back, and she bared her teeth as she clenched them. Her hind legs gave out, and she fell down onto her haunches. She winced and tensed up as a new surge of pain erupted from the side of her head. More heat slipped down from her eyes, then quickly cooled her fur to an uncomfortable degree, immediately making her long for warmth. After several seconds, her expression relaxed as the pain turned into a memory. She inhaled, and her body shuddered as more cool air filled her lungs. Her body heaved as she let out a pained sob. She shifted her legs and held them closer together, and she held her wings tight against her sides in an effort to preserve her warmth and to protect herself in the vulnerable state she was in.


'They-They're going to come for m-me, right? They wouldn't just abandon me, but... they might not know I'm gone... H-how long was I unconscious f-for?' Off in the distance, she heard quick chittering echo through the rocky tunnels, breaking her from her thoughts momentarily. After a few seconds, the soft echoes died down, but the panicked, frenzied state of fear the sound left her in lingered.


'Fo-focus,' she told herself. She blinked once, then dropped her gaze back down to her hooves. 'Okay, my vision is improving, that's a good sign... It could just mean that I'm adjusting to the darkness, but likely it means that my head is healing quickly... That's good... I hope...' She swallowed and then her eyes darted up toward the metal bars. Already, just from looking at them, she knew she wouldn't be able to break through them. The bars were thick, rectangular bars. Around the edge of the cell door, she could make out that the door was inlaid to the stone, but by how much, she didn't know. She was an alicorn, but her physical strength hadn't recovered, and without her horn, she couldn't do anything. 'I-I need a plan for dealing with Chrysalis...' she told herself.


Knowing she needed a plan did little to help her feel any better. The jitteriness she felt in her chest, combined with the rhythmic, intensifying, then dispersing electric-like uneasy feeling that swelled in her chest left her at a loss of what to do. 'I-I don't... I don't have any options...' She swallowed and ruffled her wings slowly. She immediately regretted the decision, the warmth trapped underneath her feathers faded. 'My friends... Celestia, Luna... they'll come for me once they figure out... that I'm missing and... where I am... if... if they figure out where... I am...' She pressed her eyes closed. 'No! They will figure it out...' she told herself.


She opened her eyes and shifted her weight. 'I... how am I going to deal with Chrysalis? I... I should stay strong... she... she would want to... to hurt me... to...' the thought trailed off, another thought plaguing her mind and replacing it. 'What's the point? Fighting it won't help... I can't escape. I'm weak. I don't have my horn. I'm pathetic... I'm a burden on my friends...'


She hung her head limply and collapsed forward. She recoiled in pain, tensing up, wincing, and whimpering as her jaw hit the hard rock floor, causing her head wound to hurt worse. 'Rainbow, I am so, so sorry...' she said in her mind. She slowly closed her eyes, wishing that sleep would take her, but the dread in her chest denied her wish. Her whole body felt drained and lifeless. "I can't do anything..." she whispered aloud.


She shifted her muzzled slightly on the cold stone and sobbed again. A new knot swelled to life in her throat. 'W-what would you say if you saw me like this, Rainbow?' The question struck at her heart, tearing it to shreds. She took a deep breath. 'S-stay strong... she would want me to stay strong... I-I can't... she can't know that I... that I'm this pathetic... she... she would hate me... But... I am this pathetic, and... she doesn't know... Am I just lying to her?'


A quick crack of magic and a green flash of light briefly dimly illuminating the doorway immediately banished every thought in her mind. She jerked up, going tense with fear, completely ignoring the pain from her head. Her breathing no longer shuddered, her chest rising and falling with her large breaths. All thoughts of sleep, and all exhaustion plaguing her mind vanished. Her breathing quickened as she made out the sound of chittering coming from nearby, along with hoofsteps.


She swallowed and quickly looked around her cell as panic set in. Her body shook uncontrollably, and each hoofstep sounded like approaching desolation. Much sooner than she had hoped, a dark, twisted figure stepped into view behind the cage door. Chrysalis's expression was lit by the menacing green aura from her horn. She smiled, baring her fangs threateningly, and her eyes held a glint of sadistic glee as she looked at Twilight.


Twilight swallowed and found her mouth dry. Her eyes glanced around the cell for something, anything that she could use to protect herself or fight off Chrysalis or escape. The cell remained as barren as before. She looked back at Chrysalis and scraped her hooves on the stone floor to push herself away from her, knowing that the more distance between them there was, the better. Despite her drive to flee from her captor, in the back of her mind, she knew it was hopeless.


Chrysalis cast an idle glance at the right side of the cell door. A quiet clicking sound filled the air, then Chrysalis lifted a hoof and leisurely pushed the door open. Twilight's heart twisted in fear as the door swung open, and the way it swung open in such an unassuming manner only further served to scare her.


Chrysalis calmly strode inside the cell in slow, proud steps. As soon as her tail cleared the cell door, she shut the door behind her with her magic. "Look at how you cower before me," she hissed. "The mighty Princess of Friendship, savior of Equestria several times over..." she mocked.


Twilight remained silent, her breathing frantic and her body shivering erratically. She took hold of her fear and used it, holding onto it and putting it in front of her in an attempt to shield herself from Chrysalis's insults. Still, a voice in the back of her mind whispered, 'She's right... I can't do anything... I-I'm weak and pathetic...'


"You just had to stand in my way. Not once, not twice... Three times... And now, you're friends are not here to save you. You're mine. You're completely at my mercy, and I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, am not merciful," Chrysalis lifted her hoof, then stamped down on the floor in a lightning-fast motion to punctuate her sentence. Twilight flinched and closed her eyes. Chrysalis smiled. "You know, I was hoping that you would be a bit more fun than this. I was actually hoping for you to ramble on about how your friends would come and save you. I was hoping for your insane attempt to convince me to stop. it would have made breaking you so much more enjoyable..." she trailed off and chuckled, driving Twilight's fear to new heights. After several seconds, Chrysalis calmed down. She slowly walked closer to Twilight.


Twilight pressed her hooves against the floor and shoved herself back in an attempt to stay as far away from Chrysalis as she could, but Chrysalis's smile only grew as she neared. Twilight froze when she felt the cold, hard rock wall against her back. Her jaw quivered in fear with nowhere left to run.


"I was hoping you would try to fight me..." Chrysalis trailed off and glared at Twilight threateningly. "At least with words," she specified. She drew back from Twilight and looked at her with a haughty expression, "But it would seem that I was wrong, you're already broken!" she said gleefully. "A broken toy isn't as much fun to play with, but a broken toy can still serve its uses," she mused. "I am quite saddened, though... I don't get to enjoy breaking you. I don't get to enjoy making you suffer and break. I don't get to watch as I crush your hopes and dreams, I don't get to watch as the light and joy you held close for so long fades from your eyes..." she said harshly. Twilight gulped in fear. "Because you're pathetic. Your princesses? Well, they might not be as pathetic as you, but they're still pretty close. They couldn't even stop me from taking you." She smiled slyly, "Or, perhaps they wanted me to take you?" she asked. "Maybe they wanted you out of the way since you're such a weak, pathetic excuse for an alicorn. But you're not even an alicorn now, are you? You're just a weak, useless pegasus..."


Twilight remained silent. 'Ignore her ignore her ignore her don't respond to her don't respond to her she's lying I know she's lying the princesses wouldn't do this to me they're looking for me right now and they're going to find me and rescue me and... Rainbow...' She saw Chrysalis's expression subtly change, a slight downward twitch in her lips, so fast she wasn't sure if it had actually happened, at least until Chrysalis's smile widen.


"Maybe you have some uses yet..." Chrysalis said in a warm, calm voice, the earlier icy edge having faded. She chuckled a little, and her chuckle reverberated through the cavern, adding an eerie, overbearing echo to her laughter. "You fell in love... How... delicious..." she mused, moaning slightly. She chuckled to herself and slowly turned around, then made her way to the cell door. She opened it leisurely, then strode out and shut the door behind her. A green flash and a crack of magic signaled her teleport away.


A wave of depletion and burnout washed over Twilight's body and mind like a tsunami. Without the presence of Chrysalis to spur on her fear, the exhaustion she felt caught up with her. She slumped forward, still off-put and unable to relax. She tentatively laid down on her stomach and folded her forehooves under her chest, She carefully laid her head down on the stone and blinked several times as she looked over the unforgiving stone wall absently, her eyes glazed over.


Her eyelids grew heavy, the mental fatigue and the draining fear she felt having taken their tolls. She hesitantly let her eyelids fall to cover her eyes. A few seconds passed, and the cell door slammed open. She bolted upright as a changeling drone glared at her, striding toward her with no signs of slowing. She turned her head to the left to protect her injury and tensed up.


The Changeling bared his fangs and hissed at her. "No sleeping!" he shouted.


Twilight flinched and closed her eyes, quickly shaking her head despite her injury's protest. After a few seconds, the cell door slammed shut again. She opened her eyes and leaned her muzzle against the stone wall. "I'm not sure I could anyway..." she whispered in a broken voice. "Rainbow..." she whispered longingly, pressing her eyes closed and letting her body slump forward. She caught herself before she fell to the floor, and she slowly lowered herself down to the ground, though careful to keep her head off of the ground.





Rainbow lazily let her head roll over to the right. Looking out of her window, she could see the sun rising above the horizon and lighting the world. It continued rising into the sky, despite the fact that Twilight wasn't there. She scowled, then sighed. She laid there, even as the lower part of the sun rose above the horizon, not wanting to get up. "I hope we find you soon, Twilight... last night was terrible..." she whispered.


She groggily rolled over and slid out of bed. her body ached, and her eyes burned. She felt heavier than normal, and the fogginess dominating her mind dulled the pain consuming her from Twilight not being there. She held her head low, with her ears not standing up all the way, yet not pinned back, and her expression was strained.


She shuffled into her bathroom and silently closed the cloud door. She walked over in front of her sink and lifted her gaze to her reflection. Her mane was more of a mess than normal, and her eyes looked a little sunken in along with how dull she looked. She took a deep breath, then fluffed her wings and blinked a few times, letting a little energy back into her body. It helped how she looked a little.


She sighed, then jerked her head to the side, flipping her mane around to one side of her neck. She took out her brush, then set it in her wing and leaned forward and sat down on her haunches. She hesitated a moment and looked down at the sink, then she rested her head on the flat surface of the sink and went to work brushing and straightening her mane out. She winced occasionally as the brush snagged on kinks woven into her mane from the restless tossing and turning she went through last night.


Eventually, she turned her attention to her tail. It was in a better state than her mane and didn't take as long, but the monotonous activity did little to make her feel any better, even if it was quick. Once she finished, she stood back up. She slowly swept her head to the left and looked at her shower, then she shuffled toward it. She turned the shower on hot, then jumped under the stream of water before it warmed up.


The cold water bit into her body, sapping her warmth and sending a jolt throughout her mind, clearing the fog she faced. She shivered a little and bit her lip, then started to relax as the water warmed up. She sat down on her haunches and let the water splash the top of her head, then trickle down her mane and down her back. She let herself smile a little, but it wasn't as warm as it would have been if she wasn't alone.


After a couple of minutes of just sitting under the stream of water, she stood up and went to work, grabbing the bottle of shampoo and working the soap into her mane, tail, and coat, then rinsing it out. After she finished, her coat, mane, and tail all looked much better than they had before, though she still felt tired, and her entire body drooped slightly.


She stepped out of the shower after finishing without stopping to dry herself off, and she turned the water off. She stood idly in the middle of her bathroom for a few seconds, then she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. 'Twilight wouldn't want me to mope like this...' she thought. She smiled a little, then took another deep breath. She grabbed a towel with her wing, then spread it out across her back and vigorously dried herself off.


Rainbow deposited the wet towel in her hamper and looked it over briefly, then she walked out into her bedroom. She grimaced slightly, then made her way to her bed and quickly tidied it up. She paused and looked it over, then frowned. 'I just made my bed for no reason,' she thought. 'Twilight...' She groaned a little and shook her head, though her lip twitched upward slightly.


She sighed, then headed downstairs. She bypassed her kitchen and headed straight out her front door. She barely stopped to shut the door, and she ran forward, then jumped off the cloud. For a couple of seconds, she let herself fall and feel the air blowing passed her, then she spread her wings out and glided around a bit. She looked all around the sky and found only a few clouds, and next to no pegasi around, with the exception of the occasional pegasus clad in Royal Guard armor.


She banked around and beat her wings to increase her altitude. For several seconds, she looked around, unsure where to go or what to do. Eventually, her eyes settled on Twilight's castle. 'Maybe Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are there and know something new...' she wondered. She took a deep breath and then set off toward the large tree-like, crystalline castle.


As she approached Twilight's castle, she was unsurprised to see numerous ponies clad in Royal Guard armor patrolling. She ignored them, and they ignored her as she came in and landed, then made her way to the door. Nopony bothered to stop her as she entered the castle, despite several of them having seen her, so she figured it was okay.


She took a deep breath as she strode into the lobby. She slowly looked around and calmly exhaled, not sure exactly where to go. "If Princess Luna or Princess Celestia is here, where would they be? They probably have guest rooms dedicated to them, knowing Twilight..." she muttered. 'I can check the library first, if they're not there, then I can head to the dining room and see if anypony is there... Maybe Starlight knows where they are,' she mused.


Rainbow set off down the castle's hallways, making her way to the library. She was no stranger to walking through the crystalline hallways of Twilight's castle, but somehow it just felt off. She found herself looking around at the walls with no real purpose in mind. She studied the crystal without really taking it in, her mind too preoccupied trying to discern what it was that felt so off.


The quietness was wrong, only broken by the sound of her hooves clipping against the crystal, rather than Twilight's hooves and her hooves. The loneliness was wrong, it left her feeling boxed in and isolated. 'It's only been a day since I've seen you, and... and I hate it...' she groaned, then sighed and stopped. She hung her head and stared down at her hooves. 'I miss you... I really do miss you, Twilight... This... maybe this wouldn't be so bad if I knew you were safe, but... you're not safe...'


She bit her lip and looked back up. She quickly glanced around to make sure that she was still alone and that nopony had seen how crestfallen she was from Twilight's absence. She swallowed and ruffled her wings, then hastened her pace and continued along, hoping that her newfound speed would put some distance between her and the overbearing feeling of being alone she felt.


The fact that she was headed to the library did not help her miss Twilight any less. 'You were such an egghead when you first moved to Ponyville,' she thought with a smirk. 'I never would have imagined... this... Heck, I never would have imagined half of the things we've all done because of you. I was just a weatherpony when you moved to Ponyville, but now, three years later... Almost four, I'm a Wonderbolt, you're a Princess... We've done so much together.'


Her thoughts eventually drew to a close as she reached the intimidating, arched doorway to the library. She was off-put that she found herself intimidated by the door, and she shifted her weight on her hooves and ruffled her wings. She took a deep breath and licked her lips, then looked left before sweeping her gaze to the right. She stepped forward and pushed the door open with a hoof, then peaked inside and glanced around.


She smiled a little, seeing a familiar green-colored spine. She quietly walked into the dimly lit room, then silently closed the door behind her. She carefully unfurled her wings, then quietly flew across the room. As she flew passed the couch, she saw Spike lying asleep on one side, while the other side was dominated by Starlight's sleeping form. She landed and watched them for a couple of seconds. 'Watching ponies sleep is kind of weird...' she mused, then averted her gaze from them and idly looked around.


After a few seconds, she shifted her weight and groaned. She hastily stepped closer to the couch and then stood beside Starlight. 'I don't need to wake both of them up...' She leaned in closer to the mare. "Hey, Starlight?" she whispered, glancing back at Spike. Starlight remained motionless, save for her breathing, and the unicorn made no signs of waking. "Starlight. Wake up," she said a little louder, annoyance slipping into her voice.


Starlight groaned and shifted in her sleep, sliding her foreleg up to her muzzle and brushing her forehoof over her face. "Rainbow Dash?" she groaned as she opened her eyes and took in her dim surroundings, not least of which included the rainbow-maned pegasus. "What time is it..?"


"I don't know, I didn't really pay attention... It's pretty early in the morning, though... I just got up after the sun passed the horizon. So..." Rainbow trailed off, sheepishly lifting a forehoof to the back of her head and ruffling her mane.


Starlight groaned a little. She closed her eyes again and sighed, then slowly sat up. She brushed her forehead with a hoof and slowly shook her head. "What brings you here so early?"


Rainbow grimaced. "I didn't sleep well... I was hoping to find Princess Luna and see if she knew anything or... or something..." she trailed off, growing despondent.


Starlight's lips twisted into a grimace mimicking Rainbow's. "That makes two of us not sleeping well... I don't think any of us slept well last night..." she muttered. She looked at Rainbow with a wry, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Rainbow, I don't know where Princess Luna is."


Rainbow smiled warily at Starlight and groaned. "I was hoping that you'd know, or somepony would know... I was kind of hoping that Princess Luna was here in the castle..." she trailed off, squinting, "I really hope she isn't in Canterlot... I really don't want to fly all that far..." she grumbled, her voice crackling in uncertainty.