Twilight awoke in bed in her crystal castle in Ponyville. The book on the kirin was on her bedside table, along with a letter written in Celestia’s personal script. She picked it up and opened it, reading the message.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle, I heard you took in on your recent trip due to your interest in the kirin. I paid the owner generously for the book you’d gone out of your way to get. I hope you feel better soon. Love, Princess Celestia.”
“Oh…” Twilight picked up the book and looked at the cured, wooden cover. She smiled and opened it, devouring the contents greedily until Spike poked his head in the door.
“Twilight, how are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m feeling great, Spike!” she said from her spot on the bed. He came up to the bed and fidgeted, peering up at her.
“Oh, that’s good. Do you need anything?”
“Nope!”
“Oh, well, okay. Let me know if you do? And… don’t go anywhere without me, okay? I was worried sick.”
“Awww, that’s so sweet, Spike. Okay. I’ll try to take you with me when I go.”
“G-good!” His face screwed up before he grabbed the blankets shoved his face in them. He didn’t cry, but it looked like he was about to. Twilight patted him on the back and rubbed until he pulled his head out. The blanket was wet, but she didn’t say anything about it. “I’m just worried about you, okay? Anytime you go somewhere I’m not allowed, something bad happens, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Take me with you next time, okay?”
“You’re a teenage dragon now, so okay, I promise I will.”
“Thanks, Twilight.” Spike pulled away from the bed and walked back to the door, he stepped outside without offering to make her something to eat, but she didn’t mind. He was a little sad now.
She continued reading the book, enjoying all the information about the Kirin she could until it was time for work. She got up, readied herself, and waited patiently for Spike before leaving for the friendship school. They got there early, as Twilight was wont to do, and prepared for the day.
Teaching went as normal as could be expected. Twilight handled a few problems in class, took care of some of the students who needed a bit of extra guidance along with Starlight, and then watched as they played ball out in the fields. She was sitting, reading her book on Kirin while the students played, when a discus came flying out of nowhere.
“Look out!” somepony shouted. Twilight looked up just in time for the discus to strike her right across the eyes! She found herself on the ground, staring up at the sky, with only a fuzzy feeling in her right cheek.
Spike was immediately at her side, claws covering her face. “Oh, no, Twilight! come on, let’s get back to the castle!”
“Spike? What… I can’t see out of my eye, is it bleeding?”
“No no no no. It’s not bleeding. But it’s really bruised. Come on.” He tugged at Twilight’s hoof and she staggered to stand. Others were coming around to watch. The yak that had hurled the discus looked ashamed and worried.
“Okay… okay.” Twilight’s face still felt fuzzy and she smelled something acrid. She reached out with her magic and picked up her book from where it fell. Spike kept his claws over her face, pushing her gently but insistently away from the crowd.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
“She’s fine, come on, Twilight, teleport home!” Spike said with his claws on her face.
Twilight still wasn’t sure what was happening, but with her head ringing, her nose stinging, and the crowd coming quick, she listened to him and teleported them back to the Crystal Castle.
Spike pulled his claws away from her face the moment they arrived and stared up at her. “Come on, come on!”
“Come on, what?” she asked. The fuzzy-feeling sting on her cheek and eye answered her question. Slowly her sight returned. She could see shapes and dots at first, but the more time passed the better her vision became. She felt something slide up her cheek and the smell of ozone hit her nose, then she could see again. She blinked and shook her head. “What was that?”
“Nothing, Twilight,” Spike insisted. “It was nothing. I’m just glad you’re okay.” He patted her on the leg.
“Wait… I was hit by a discus. In the eye, I shouldn’t be okay so quickly! That’s not how ponies work!” She patted her cheek. “It doesn’t even hurt anymore!”
“Isn’t that good?” Spike asked. “The crystal castle is just helping.”
“That’s… that doesn’t make sense!” She squinted at him. “Can it do that? Heal ponies? Should I be bringing everypony inside when they get sick.”
Spike looked awkward. “Ah, I think it only helps you and the other elements.”
“That’s awfully specific.”
“It is, but isn’t that good? You are the ones doing all the dangerous stuff.”
“Hmm… a good point, but I need to know more.” She trotted out of the room to her library.
Once again, Twilight found herself hunting and not finding information on the tree of harmony. Once again, she found herself out in Canterlot, hunting through book after book, looking for information again. Once again, Celestia appeared before her in the late afternoon, and once again she invited Twilight to have dinner with a grab of her wing.
This time, Twilight ducked away. “Wait! I have questions! I can’t stop to have supper when this is so important!”
Celestia looked at her curiously. “How do you mean, dear Twilight?”
“I mean I was hit today. In the eye. I couldn’t see out of it until Spike insisted I come back home. When we got there, it fixed itself, almost instantly. No blood, no bruise, not even a mark or a scar. If the crystal castle can heal ponies, shouldn’t I be using that to help?”
Celestia laughed lightly. “My dear Twilight. Always thinking of others before yourself. You really are the princess of Friendship, aren’t you?”
Twilight blushed and pawed at the floor. “Well, I try to be. It’s been hard, but I’m trying.”
“Twilight, dearest. You want to help others, but what if the castle is keeping you unhurt because you’re the princess?”
“Spike said that too. It just seems wrong to keep it for myself.” She lowered her head, looking at the floor.
Celestia put a wing around her, pulling her away from the shelves. She took the book Twilight was reading in her magic and placed it back on the shelf. They walked slowly toward the door.
“Why don’t we have dinner and talk about this, okay?”
“Dinner?”
“Yes. You can tell me about your injury and how it fixed itself in the castle, and I can tell you anything I know that might help you better understand what’s going on.”
Twilight struggled out from under Celestia’s wing. “No! I can’t do that! I can possibly help ponies in need! Have something sent up!”
Ever patient, Celestia turned to watch her pull away, that half-smile on her face. “Twilight, you can’t help other ponies if you can’t even help yourself.”
“I just… feel like there’s more that I can do. That there’s something I’m missing. Something important. Something I don’t understand about the castle…” she trailed off, unsure what she was trying to understand, but sure that she needed to. Whatever had just happened to her was important. She needed to test it. “I think, I should go back home.”
“You’re not even going to stay for dinner? I can have something sent up like you asked. We’ll eat in here.”
“No. No no. I have to test something.”
“Twilight…” Celestia said, a note of concern creeping into her voice. “What are you going to do?”
“I know how to test the castle.”
“Twilight…!” Celestia said, moving closer.
“If I can figure out what it does then I can try to study it myself…”
“Twilight!” Celestia said, breaking into a trot.
“Then I can make it work on other ponies, too!” Twilight lit her horn just as Celestia reached her. “And I can figure it out!”
Celestia reached the purple sparkle as it disappeared, Twilight gone.