//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: Day 11 
// Story: An Equestrian Freedom 
// by FullMetalFurbee 
//------------------------------//

	Something wasn't right. It was obvious the very instant Twilight woke up. Her back stung something fierce, but it wasn't what woke her. A nauseating waterfall of dread crashed upon her with each passing second. She breathed heavily and wiped her head. The sinister feeling could have been a remnant of the black magic taking its toll. Surely Princess Luna would be able to offer assistance. She and the males had camped out in her room.
She clamored out of bed and wobbled over to the pile of blankets by the door. Walking was still no menial task. She slouched against the frame of the door and cringed at not only the pain radiating from her back, but from the crushing sensation of enveloping dismay.
A look out the window revealed a sky dark as pitch. The sun's pale crest had yet to rise. She could hear immodest snoring from the floor, indicating the boys certainly weren't up yet. 
Why in Equestria am I up so early? What is this...horrible feeling?
Luna wasn't with them. Cian and Neeson were the only ones in the room.
Twilight shuffled into the hallway. No later did she turn to look for Luna, than the princess nearly came barreling into her. Luna grunted and skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding giving Twilight a serious concussion.
“Ack! Princess Luna!” shouted the startled patient.
Luna didn't look good. “Twilight. Do you feel that too? That abominable sense of urgency?”
“Yes. It woke me up. I was hoping you could shed some light on that. What's going on?”
“I don't know,” voiced Luna quickly. She looked around the room then back to Twilight. “There have been very few times I've  had this feeling. Gather your belongings. We're leaving right now.”
Twilight trudged back to her bed. “Right now? Isn't it a little early? My balance hasn't even come back yet.”
Luna stared at her intensely. “I said pack your bags! Do as I say!”
Twilight jumped and took a few steps back. “S-sorry, Princess. I'll get my things.”
Luna swiftly nudged the boys awake. “Neeson! Cian! Pack your bags up! We need to get out of here! It's an emergency!”
Groans arose. Twilight opened the drawer of her night table. Only her scarf and the two books lay inside. She tried to levitate them, but cried out as her horn sparked and pulsed with lingering black magic. 
Right... she thought. Magic poison. Great.
“Well this is a right fine way to start the morning!” complained Neeson from the floor. “Princess Luna, what's the meanin' of this?
“I don't know, but something's wrong!”
The stallion grumbled to himself. “C'mon. Get up, boy. Apparently we gotta go. I need a drink...”  
Twilight put on her scarf and dropped the books into the burlap sack Cian brought. She made her way into the hall and sat on a bench. 
“Load those into the chariot, Twilight,” commanded Luna. “Every second counts. Go!”
Twilight then limped out of the hospital into the frigid predawn. She promptly stuffed the sack into the chariot's storage bin.
“Well well, look who's awake,” came a sleepy voice from behind her. Cian trotted up to her. “Feelin' better yet?” He lifted a hoof and tousled her hair. “Had enough fightin' in the snow?” 
“I was looking for you,” she responded matter-o-factly. “You ran outside straight into the blizzard. It would have been irresponsible of me not to follow you.”
Cian bowed and looked down. “Ya must be very responsible then. But in the future, I don't recommend ya pull anything like that again. From what I gather, your life's a lot more import than mine. Don't risk it.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “What makes you say that? I'd risk my life for any of my friends. In fact, I frequently do. Every life is worth saving. No matter who it is.”
“You're kind, Twilight,” Cian said back. “Thank ya. That means a lot to me. I'm just glad to see you're alive.” He paused for a second. “I need to help Granddad.” He turned and headed back in.
“Well that was weird,” Twilight muttered. She slowly climbed into the chariot while taking care not to cause herself further damage. It wasn't long until the others arrived. Luna strapped herself in and Cian helped his grandfather onto the vehicle. As soon as he saw Twilight, Neeson's mood lifted.
“How ya feelin' today? Your brush with death still freakin' ya out?”
Twilight was quickly growing tired of hearing how close to death she'd been. “I'm just happy to be alive,” she responded politely with a curt smile.
“Everypony ready?” asked Luna. She didn't wait for a response. “Good. We're not coming back.”
The massive chariot lurched off the frozen ground to take to the skies once more.
“So Twilight,” asked Cian. “What's the emergency? I figured we'd probably stay long enough to let ya recover a bit more. Did somethin' happen in Canterlot?”
“Nopony is sure. Something awful has happened, yes. We don't have any details though. Luna and I were both woken up by this peculiar, unsettling feeling. There's just something... wrong.”
Cian stroked his goatee. “I see. Do you think it's Celestia?”
“No. Luna would have known if something happened to Celestia. She's still fine.”
“I'm glad,” said Neeson. “You know, I admire Celestia. She's a lot friendlier than Salvator.”
“You got that right,” Twilight replied. The memory of Luna's argument with her sister surfaced briefly, but she suppressed it. They could worry about the truth when they got there. “Cian,” she then said, “I wanted to thank you for saving those books. As it turns out, one of them is an heirloom here in Equestria.”
“Not only that,” Luna chipped in from the harness. “The spellbook is strictly banned. It's quite illegal to possess.”
“Really now?” asked Neeson. 
Luna took a moment to explain. “Oh yes. Black magic is against the law without exception. That book used to belong to my parents back when I was only a filly. They said it was only for emergencies, and I was never to read it. Seeing it surface again is the oddest thing. I have no earthly idea how it ended up here in the north. I wasn't even aware it was missing. Maybe Sombra had something to do with it when he was terrorizing the crystal empire the first time.”
“Sombra, eh? The name sounds familiar.” Neeson stated.
“His name carries much weight,” said Luna. “Maybe his infamy reached all the way to Halcyon. Maybe Celestia will know.”
“There's so much I want to ask her,” said Twilight.
“You'll have your chance,” Luna promised. “She owes you several explanations. If the feeling that woke us up has something to do with her, maybe more than that.”