//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Awakenings // Story: MIA // by Gravitys Rainboom //------------------------------// Awakenings Go away, sun. Twilight awoke with a yawn. Well, some would call it a yawn, while others would be more inclined to call it a groan. Regardless, she woke up with some noise and cursed the sun for its brightness. With heavy eyes, a disheveled mane, and a sour taste in her mouth, she ambled towards her shower, doing her best to keep her footing and not to wobble too much or bump into anything. She failed, and one bruised shoulder later, she located her prize and promptly collapsed onto the floor of her shower with a groan. A distinct groan at that, yawn enthusiasts conceded. She had not slept well. After the previous night’s excitements, she had hardly slept a wink. Her mind was a flurry with thoughts of the Royal Guards who had assaulted Jorge, and with it, the fear of another incident. Even when she finally did manage to sleep, her dreams were no less tranquil. As she slumped under the torrent of warm water, hazy flashes of changeling queens, stoic minotaurs, flamboyant griffins, and screaming orange ponies lingered in her eyes. The only thing more maddening than the anxiety was the calm with which Jorge took everything. It was infuriating; there her and her friends were, climbing up the walls with worry, but Jorge took everything with the composure of someone who had gone for a leisurely stroll through a park . With a second groan (or third, depending on who you asked), she fumbled with the faucet then stumbled out, dried herself off, and headed to the dining room for some much needed breakfast. She decided to see if the others had gotten as little sleep as she had. With a final shake of her head, she cleared the last of her grogginess and walked into the cavernous hall, only to be greeted by more yelling… Which she really wasn’t all that fond of. “Ah tell ye, they’re all too soft, the lot of ‘em! Back in mah day, we’dah hung ‘em from their tadgers and watched ‘em squeal. Mighta even gotten a fine lassey tah swish her tail in front o’ ‘em tah make it more memorable. Ya know, get some blood flowin’ down there.” And that was how Twilight Sparkle, protégé of Princess Celestia, started her morning. “Commander Prescience!” cried Rarity indignantly, her coat taking on a brilliant red hue. Cadence shook her head in bemusement, while Shining just shook his head. “There are ladies present, Percy.” “That’s Commander Percy tah you, boy! Oh, and sorry ladies,” he added with an awkward chuckle. “Wha, did he pfay fomphin’?” asked Dash between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs. “Percy was just saying how they used to hang guards by their—” “Pinkie, please! Such talk is unbecoming of a lady.” Rarity glared at Dash. “As is speaking with one’s mouth full.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and stuck her egg-covered tongue out at the unicorn. “Good morning, Twilight,” greeted Celestia, turning all eyes to the unicorn. “Good morning, everypony.” She took a seat next to her mentor and yawned. “Tired, Twily?” She nodded. “Didn’t get that much sleep is all. I’ll be fine.” “Ah’ll say. Don’t reckon’ how anypony could sleep after last night.” “What are you talking about, Applejack?” mumbled Rainbow Dash, trying to talk and drink orange juice at the same time. “I slept like a foal.” “What a shocker,” deadpanned Applejack. “Ah’m just sayin’ that yesterday was pretty rough. Ah still can’t get over how quickly Jorge just… just… just got over everythin’.” “I’m sure Jorge was more upset than you believe, my little ponies,” said Celestia as a floating piece of toast buttered itself next to her head. “Yeah.” Twilight nodded, lost in thought.  With a sudden smile, she hopped off her chair and headed to the kitchen. “Where are you going, Twily?” asked Shining. “To the kitchen,” answered Twilight without looking back. “I just got a great idea!” Twilight left everypony glancing at each other in confusion as she rushed through the kitchen doors. Not twenty minutes later, she was cantering through the castle’s corridors on her way to Jorge’s room, a crystal tray floating in a purple aura next to her. The tray was laden with all manner of delights, from brightly exotic fruits and imported cheeses from the royal pantry, to more mundane goodies like fried eggs and toast accompanied by orange juice. Celestia’s right, mused Twilight. Jorge was probably more shaken up than he let on. A little breakfast in bed’ll cheer him up. Twilight had even managed to get some bacon from the disgusted chefs. While the greasy aroma made her stomach churn, she recalled from one of her books that Griffons considered it a delicacy. He is going to love this! “I’m not touching yoooouuu~” “Midnight, I swear to Celestia…” “But. I’m. Not. Touching you.” Had anyone been lucky enough to stroll past Jorge’s room, they would have seen a most curious, albeit common, sight; at least, more common than Captain Prescience liked to admit. Mainly that two Eclipse Guards, members of the most elite, disciplined, and above all, brutal guards under Celestia’s service were behaving with all the maturity and moral fortitude of six-year-old foals. Cloud Skipper stood ramrod stiff at his post in front of Jorge’s door. Eyes cast forward and face chiseled into an expression of stony determination, he was the very picture of discipline. Midnight Blossom, on the other hand, stood on the tip of her hooves with her tongue stuck out, leering at her companion and waving her hoof a mere inch from Cloud’s face. “Midnight…” growled Cloud dangerously. “But I’m not touching you.” Cloud Skipper groaned mentally. Sticking to his guns, he steeled himself and ignored Midnight with the full might of his will. But with the batpony grinning manically at him, and the oh-so-subtle feeling of the hoof’s essence simply grazing the hairs on his cheek, the stallion lasted a whopping five seconds before caving. “Midnight, if you don’t stop that, I—” “You told me not to touch you. That was the request you made to me that I agreed to. Because neither my hoof, nor any other part of my body, is in direct contact with any part of your body, I am honoring said request. Ergo, your anger is misdirected and completely unwarranted.” Cloud blinked… repeatedly. “I… uh…” “Therefore, in conclusion, and to reiterate my previous point...” Midnight broke into childish grin. “Not touching you~” Cloud grit his teeth. “Fine, I’ll play your game, Midnight. I desire a new caveat to our verbal contract.” “I’m listening.” “I propose that you stay at least five feet away from me at all times and remain in perfect silence.” Midnight hummed and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Deal.” The stallion all but breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he would be able to guard the human’s door in peac— Midnight tackled the sullen guard to the ground, pinning him on his back. In one fluid motion, she ran her tongue up from the base of his neck to his cheek, giving him a long, sensuous lick. Cloud’s brain took a few minutes to process the new information that it was being blasted with. In the blink of an eye, his white fur turned bright red, glowing brilliantly in a blush that should have by all rights been melting Midnight’s face from pure heat. Doing the only logical thing, Cloud began babbling like an idiot. “M-Midnight… I-I… you… w-w-wha!?” “Hmm… I changed my mind,” purred Midnight. “I nullify our contract.” “Am I interrupting something?” Cloud was horrified to see a befuddled Twilight watching from a few feet away. Cloud was no ordinary guard; trained as one of the Crown’s most elite, he had long since been conditioned to remain calm in the most trying circumstances, from combat situations to natural catastrophes. Harnessing all of his training, he quickly got Midnight off and returned to his post… …by sucker punching the bat pony in a blind panic and scrambling back onto his hooves. “Miss Sparkle,” he grunted with a salute, ignoring that his helmet was crooked and blocking half his vision. Midnight Blossom imitated her partner, now sporting a rather conspicuous black eye. Both guards were intent on pretending like nothing was out of the ordinary. “Uh… right,” muttered Twilight. “I was passing by to drop this off for Jorge. Is he in?” Cloud and Midnight glanced at each other. “We came by to escort him to breakfast a few hours ago, but he hasn’t come out yet,” explained Midnight, her eye swelling considerably. “How do you know he’s in there?” “The door’s locked.” “Oh. Well then... ” Twilight’s horn lit up, and a light click echoed from the door. “What are you doing?” asked Cloud suspiciously, stepping in front of the door. “I’m just going to leave this in there and walk out.” “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes a little bit. “Don’t worry, I won’t wake him,” she said, stepping past the guard and swinging the door open. “Besides, I’m sure he’ll appreciate this little sur… prise…” Twilight trailed off as Jorge’s room came into view. Shards of broken glass and wood littered the floor. The tapestry was ripped in half and had fallen over a crushed bed, and half of the furniture was in shambles. Long trails of blood ran across the floor, leaving the walls and the furniture tarnished, before pooling in the center of the chaos. The tray clattered onto the ground, as the sound of smashing glass and a dozen hooves frantically rushing down the corridor echoed through the castle’s corridors. “We’ve searched everywhere, Your Highness, but the human is nowhere to be found.” The castle was a flurry of chattering voices and panicked servants.  All exits and entrances to the citadel were locked down. In the blink of an eye, the castle had turned from an extravagant residence for the royalty and nobility of Equestria into a military fortress; steely-eyed guards roamed the hallways, questioning anyone that looked the least bit suspicious.  Pegasi patrolled the air, flying between soaring towers and preparing for any sort of attack. Even the streets of Canterlot were not spared the excitement, and ponies were perplexed to find guards clad in golden armor mixed in with their city’s militia. “Double the number of guards searching, and send squads of pegasi into the outlying countryside. Interview all the guards who had the night shift, station blockades on every road leaving the city, post a company of Eclipse Guards at the train station, and send me reports on your progress every fifteen minutes; I don’t want anyone, pony or otherwise, leaving the city without my knowledge.” The guard was taken aback by the intensity and speed with which Celestia barked out orders. “Your Highness, a-are you sure t-that all this is necess—” “The Princess gave you an order, boy!” snapped Percy. “Are you questioning her authority?” “N-no!” “Good, now get out before I decide to teach you how we used to punish insubordination back in the day.” Percy’s stories being well known among the Royal Guard, the stallion paled; but before he could scurry away, the captain grabbed a hold of him. “And if I hear you address me without sayin’ ‘sir’ again, I’ll teach you how the Minotaurs used to discipline their troops. And believe me, they did a heck of lot more than just hang you by it.” Yelping a quick ‘yes, sir,’ the guard scrambled away down the hall and as far from Percy as fast as his legs could carry him. “Thank you, Captain,” said Celestia absentmindedly. “My pleasure, Your Highness.” The joy of abusing his underlings was short-lived, and Percy’s grin melted into a grim frown. “So… any ideas, Princess?” Celestia sighed wearily. “I don’t know, but it’s clear that Jorge didn’t simply go missing after taking a midnight stroll.” “What do you reckon, kidnapping?” The word hung in the air and grew thicker and thicker before shattering after a high pitched squeal came from a corner of the room. Fluttershy stared at Celestia and Percy in horror, while the rest of the Elements glanced at each other worriedly. “Y-y-you mean J-Jorge was k-kidn… k-kidna..." Applejack patted Fluttershy comfortingly. “Don’t worry sugarcube, Jorge is real tough. Ah’m sure he’s fine.” “Yeah,” added Dash. “No way he’d let anyone mess with him. He’s got one heck of a right hook.” She rubbed her eye and muttered to herself, “I would know…” “Since when’d you become president of Jorge’s fan club, Rainbow,” asked Applejack suspiciously. “I’m just trying to make Fluttershy feel better,” said Dash defensively. “You don’t really believe that’s what happened, do you, Princess?” “I don’t know, Twilight. I’ve convened an emergency meeting with the delegates and scrambled the Guard. In the meantime, there’s little we can do but wait and hope for the best.” “Auntie, we should wake Luna,” said Cadence, trying to comfort Fluttershy. Celestia sighed. “Yes, she needs to know. Stay here, Cadance, I’ll go.” Without another word, the Princess headed up to her sister’s room. She waved away her escorts; the last thing she wanted was to be suffocated by her nagging guards. The hallway felt particularly dismal as she climbed up the claustrophobic stairway to Luna’s chambers. Just when things were going so well. The door’s smooth blue wood was adorned with Luna’s cutie mark, carved from pure marble and platinum, but Celestia felt it was rather dull that morning. Celestia knocked on the door gently. “Luna, it’s Celestia. Please let me in.” When there was no reply, the Princess knocked more forcefully. Still no reply. Why now of all times? Her horn flared up, and Luna’s lock began glowing gold. Celestia stuck her tongue out in concentration as the magic aura shifted and small clicking sounds came from the lock. After a few moments, a final click was heard. I haven’t done that since we were fillies, reflected Celestia as she admired the recently picked lock. Pushing the door aside, she stepped into the cool room. Luna’s chamber was dark, almost pitch black, and cold, like Celestia had stepped into a brisk autumn night. Luna had always messier than her more meticulous sister, and it showed. The room was, to put it bluntly, an utter disaster. The bed hadn’t been made since the night of the Princess’ return, almost three years ago. Jewelry and clothing was strewn across the floor, and the curtains hung ajar, letting faint cracks of light crumble the darkness. It looked less like the chambers of a regent than that of a teenaged mare. Honestly, despite the blood and destroyed furniture, Jorge’s room was probably more organized than this mess. Worst of all were the piles and piles of books and papers. Since her return, Luna had insisting on acquiring any and every text on contemporary Equestria that she could get her hooves on. Coupled with her lack of any organizational skills whatsoever, the Princess of the Night was left with a room that would have given Twilight Sparkle an aneurism. Stepping over a particularly thick tome on the Equestrian judiciary, Celestia avoided bumping into one of the many towers of books that populated the room and saw that her sister’s bed was empty. “Lulu, it’s me, Tia. Are you awake?” A vaguely alicorn-shaped shadow caught the corner of her eye. Luna was lying in the middle of her room among a carpet of papers, her back to her sister. Ever so gently, Celestia walked up to her and nuzzled her. “Lulu, I need you to wake up.” But Luna didn’t stir; in fact, Celestia noticed that her fur felt alarmingly cold. “Luna, you must wake up. Something has happened to Jorge.” Silence. “Luna?” Celestia’s voice was now laced with concern. She began nudging her sister, first gently, then more and more forcefully until she was practically shaking the alicorn in panic. Luna rolled over, and Celestia gasped. The young Princess’ eyes were wide open and bathed in a white glow. Celestia recognized this look; she had seen it many times: her sister was wandering the dreamscape. Something’s wrong, thought Celestia. She outstretched her magical senses to her sister. Gold tendons erupted from her horn and slowly wove their way around Luna’s. Much to her horror, instead of the cool pleasantness she expected, she felt a stab of ice in her horn from a discharge of magical backlash. Celestia’s head swam, and her body felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand needles. Fortunately, the sensation was fleeting. Celestia was on the verge of an utter breakdown; she had never seen her sister in such an alarming state. Taking a step back, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. She gently placed her sister on her bed and briskly walked back down the stairs; it was all she could do to keep herself from bursting into hysterics. “Guard!” she called out to the first armored pony she saw. Normally gentle with her subjects, that was the last thing on her mind when she spotted the unicorn guard standing sentry. The poor mare, previously bored out of her skull, nearly fell over in shock at the Princess’ tone. “Y-yes, Your Highness?” “Summon the Archmage and the Royal Physician to my sister’s quarters,” she ordered. The guard opened her mouth to speak. “Now!” she yelled. Celestia turned away from the scrambling guard and cast a worried eye out the window and towards her sister’s tower. What else could go wrong? “Auntie, we should wake Luna,” said Cadence. Her aunt gave a tired sigh. Despite seemingly taking the situation well, Cadence could tell Celestia was gripped by anxiety. Her flowing rainbow mane was less illustrious, and she seemed to move with stiffness, as if all her muscles were taut from stress. It broke Cadence’s heart to see her aunt like that. “Yes, she needs to know. Stay here, Cadance, I’ll go.” Before Cadence could protest, Celestia briskly left, leaving her in Jorge’s room with the others. The Elements of Harmony waited in Jorge’s room, trying to ignore the pool of blood next to them. Rarity and Lyra were sitting on Jorge’s massive bed, attempting to distract Fluttershy from the goings on; the little pegasus hadn’t stopped shivering yet. Twilight and Applejack were talking to the guards, hoping to glean any information or help in some way. Dash was pacing the room restlessly, wings twitching anxiously. Cadence, meanwhile, sat on one of the pieces of furniture that hadn’t been destroyed, holding Lyra as the sullen unicorn stared blankly at the puddle of blood. “Any ideas, Cadence?” asked Twilight. Cadence shook her head. “What about the delegates?” “We’ve told them what’s happened, and we’re… keeping them under supervision. Captain Prescience doesn’t want to rule anyone out.” Twilight looked perturbed at the news. “You don’t… you don’t think that one of the nations had something to do with this, do you?” Cadence sighed. Her shoulder felt tighter and tighter with each passing minute. “I don’t know, Twilight. The delegates didn’t exactly take a liking to him.” “But, to go so far?” Twilight shot a pitiful glance at Fluttershy. “I bet that… that monster Chrysalis did this,” she spat. Cadence didn’t say anything; she stared, transfixed, at the blood drying on the bright marble floor.     The door of Jorge’s room burst open. “Your Highness!” panted a Royal Guard “Yes?” “Celestia demands your presence in Luna’s chambers immediately. Yours too, Lady Twilight.” Twilight and Cadence glanced at each in concern. “What’s going on?” asked Twilight “She would not say, only that your presence was required immediately.” “Woah, woah, woah!” Dash swooped in front of the guard. “What about us?” “I’m sorry, Miss Dash, but I only have orders to bring Princess Cadence and Lady Sparkle.” “No way! We have a right to know what’s going on.” “Darn tootin’!” whooped Applejack, backing up her friend. “No,” ordered Cadence sharply. “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, now is not the time for this. Twilight and I will go.” “But—” Cadence squeezed Dash’s shoulder. “I understand how you must feel, but you must stay here.” She glanced over at Fluttershy, who lay trembling on the couch. Dash sighed. “Fine.” Cadence smiled. “Thank you. Twilight, let’s go.” “Oh, uh… sure,” stammered Twilight. I’ve never seen Cadence this tense, she thought, throwing the Cadence a nervous glance. The two of them followed the guard through the castle and up the tower’s seemingly endless spiral staircase, passing by dozens of sentinels until coming before Luna’s chamber door. It’s like every guard in the castle is here, thought Cadence with trepidation. What is going on? “Thank you,” she said to the guard, who nodded and took his place guarding the staircase. Without stalling, she and Twilight stepped through into Luna’s chamber. The room was full of ponies, each of them nycha from the Lunar Guard. Celestia stood over Luna, who was lying on her bed with wide glowing eyes and a glimmering horn. Next to her were two other ponies, an elderly unicorn stallion wearing a golden robe and a younger-looking pegasus mare with a stethoscope hanging around her neck. It didn’t take long for Cadence to recognize them. Oh no… She forced herself through the throngs of night guards towards the bed. “Auntie!” Celestia startled. “Cadance?” “What’s happened to Luna?” Cadence held Luna’s leg in her hooves. Even though she felt a weak heartbeat, her flesh felt alarmingly chill. “That is what we are trying to find out, my niece.” “What happened?” gasped Twilight. “I came to wake Luna, and I found her like this,” explained the Princess. The burgundy pegasus next to Celestia shook her head. “I’m sorry Princess, but near as I can tell, this is no physical malady. She’s catatonic, that much is certain, and she is ignoring all external stimuli. However, she’s also suffering from arrhythmia. Until Twinkles here finishes, I won’t be of much help.” “I’d greatly appreciate it if you did not call me that, Swineheart,” hummed the bearded unicorn. The pegasus snorted furiously. “Thank you, Wineheart,” soothed Celestia. “Regardless, I’d appreciate your company here. Your presence alleviates my nerves.” “Excuse me,” said Twilight, stepping in front of Wineheart. “But who exactly are you?” “Oh, my manners,” said Celestia. “I apologize, Twilight. Allow me to introduce you to Doctor Wineheart, Royal Physician.” “You’re the Royal Physician?” said Twilight, glancing at Wineheart’s heavily pierced ear. “But you’re so… so…” “Young?” answered Wineheart, no shortage of distaste in her tone. “Well, uh, yes?” Wineheart scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Freakin’ typical. I’ll have you know, Sparkly, that I’m the best damn surgeon this side of the Kivuli Mountains.” “What happened to Doctor Moss?” “He retired last year,” explained Celestia. “It seems that all the recent excitements in Equestria were too much for him. Wineheart was his top student.” Twilight huffed. “I liked Doctor Moss better,” she mumbled to herself. The light brown unicorn opened his eyes as his horn’s glow gradually faded. “Well, that was interesting.” “Professor Pliny!” Pliny blinked. “Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight hopped over to the elder stallion and gave him a hug, which he eagerly returned. “My, my, Twilight, how you’ve grown.” “Where have you been the last… what is it, eight years?” “Mostly continuing my research in the western provinces. It’s good to see you again, Twilight. I only wish it was under better circumstances.” “Have you found anything, Professor?” asked Celestia, trying and failing to keep her worry in check. Pliny gave a thoughtful hum and stroked his long beard. “Well, she’s asleep, that much is certain.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her patience ran deep, yet even she was struggling to keep her calm demeanor. “Yes, I can see that,” she muttered, strained. “That is fairly obvious under the most basic observation, Archmage. Please, is there anything else?” The Archmage took a deep breath. “I’ve had to limit my examination, considering the painful amount of magical discharge, but… there may be something. Tell me, Twilight, do you remember Astral’s Four Types of Magical Essence?” “Uh, yes, of course; they’re some of the most influential theories in the history of magic.” “Would you mind reciting them for me?” “Why? It’s been an obsolete theory for millennia.” Pliny smiled. “Humor me.” Twilight sighed. “Astral’s four types of magical essence, or ‘states being,’ as the word is more aptly translated from Old Equestrian, are as follows: Ethereal, the most common; Elemental, the most petulant; Natural, the eldest; and Animus, the life breather.” “Very good,” praised Pliny. “Of course, now we know that Animus was more or less the same as Ethereal, and Natural was more of a category than its own type of specific magic… more or less.” “I’m sorry, Archmage, but how is this relevant?” asked Celestia. “Because, Your Highness, I’ve detected faint traces of very old magic within Luna.” “Well she is a couple thousand years old,” snarked Wineheart. “That’s probably something you’re going to run into.” “Not like this,” said Pliney grimly. “I mean very old magic. Very old and very earthy.” “Earthy?” “Natural. It’s not weaved like most unicorn spells. It feels… grown, earthy—similar to some types of Zebraican shamanism I’ve encountered. But there’s too little to be sure.” “Is there anything that you can do to reverse it?” asked Celestia “I’m not sure; there isn’t enough of this magic to properly analyze it. At least, not without copious amounts of time. Otherwise, if it is Nature magic, and I’m not saying it is, then it is likely tethered to an anchor—a talisman, probably; but there’s no way to find out where this anchor is.” “Well, until this anchor is found, I want you to keep trying to find an alternate way to free Luna. Twilight, I want you to help.” “Of course, Princess,” said Twilight with a bow. Pliny hummed deeply. “You know, Princess, I’m sure the Zebras have an expert shaman amongst their ranks. Surely they could help us with th—“ “No!” shot Celestia sharply. “I want to keep this among our magical experts.” “Very well,” hummed the Archmage with a disapproving  frown . “Doctor Wineheart, please go to Mister Jorge’s room and help the guards in any way you can. Cadence, I want you to come with me.” Both alicorns headed out into the hallway. Once they were safe from any of the guards’ prying eyes, Celestia took a deep haggard breath and leaned against the wall. Cadence had never seen her aunt look so old before. “Auntie, are you alright?” “No, I most certainly am not,” laughed Celestia mirthlessly, slumping against the wall. “How bitterly ironic: untold magic and thousands of years of experience at my disposable, and I’m wandering back and forth through this accursed castle, helpless to do anything.” “Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” assured Cadence. Celestia smiled thankfully at her niece and picked herself up. “Yes, I’m sure you’re right.” “Is there anything you need me to do? Talk to the delegates perhaps?” “No, for now it’d be best to ignore them. I don’t want to spring an interrogation on them; the last thing we need now is them leaving.” “Right, right…” mumbled Cadence, lost in thought. Celestia frowned. “Is something troubling you?” Cadence was about to say something, but hesitated. She shook her head and strained a small smile. “No, sorry, Auntie. Just… thinking.” Celestia gave her niece an unconvinced look. “Very well, Cadence. Go back to Jorge’s room and help keep the Elements calm, I need to discuss some things with Prescience.” The Princess was about to leave her niece when she paused and looked back to her. “And, Cadence, I ask you to not do anything rash, understood?” Cadence nodded stiffly. Celestia held a hard gaze but eventually relented, and Cadence watched her aunt leave. Rainbow Dash sighed. “This blows.” “Really, Rainbow Dash?” asked Rarity. “What makes you say that? The blood or the fact that one of our friends is probably in mortal danger?” Rarity winced at Dash’s glare. “I’m… I’m sorry, darling. That was entirely uncalled for.” “It’s fine, Rarity. I’m just sayin’ it sucks that we have to stay in here doing nothing.”   “Well, what do you suggest we do?” asked Applejack, ignoring the pages of the book she was flipping through. “I say we bust out of here and look for him ourselves.” “That’s a great plan, Dash!” Dash was about to retort but stopped herself and gave Applejack an odd look. “Really?” “No,” deadpanned Applejack. “What makes you think that we could find him when half the guards in Equestria can’t?” “Because I’m the fastest flyer in Equestria, duh.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “That would be great, if you knew where to look for him.” Dash waved her hoof dismissively. “That doesn’t matter; I’d find him in ten seconds flat.” “So your saying you’d comb all of Equestria in ten seconds?” asked Rarity flatly. “Yeah, I mean, how big could it be?” Applejack facehoofed. While Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash discussed Dash’s impromptu rescue plan, Lyra and Pinkie were trying to comfort Fluttershy. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, the Princesses will find Jorgie, just you wait.” “I know,” sniffed Fluttershy. “I’m just afraid he’s hurt.” “Hurt? Jorge? Pfft c’mooon,” dismissed Lyra. “Have you seen his hands? I be he could, like, punch through walls with those bad boys!” Lyra flailed her legs and made explodey noises, earning a faint giggle from Fluttershy. “Besides, even if Jorgie was hurt, I’m sure you could make him all better.” “You really think so?” “Of course, Fluttershy!” beamed Pinkie. “You’re the best.” Fluttershy smiled thankfully, and the two shared a hug. “D’awww,” cooed Lyra. Unfortunately, the tender moment was interrupted by the sound of the chamber door swinging open. “This way, ma’am.” Cloud Skipper and Midnight Blossom walked in, followed by a burgundy pegasus mare wearing lime-green scrubs and a stethoscope around her neck. “Thank you,” she said. “Alright, listen up! I’m going to need everypony to leave immediately.” “Uh… and who are you exactly?” asked Rainbow Dash. “My name’s Doctor Wineheart, and I’ve been tasked by Princess Celestia to help the guards here with forensics, so if you’ll all please leave, I can get to work.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Who do you think you are, bossing us around?” Wineheart sighed before putting on a forced smile. “I’m sorry sweetie, but I’m too busy to examine your ears, so buzz off and this’ll go much quicker for everypony.” Dash growled and brought her face right up to the doctor’s snout. “You think you have the authority to get rid of us?” “No,” answered Wineheart condescendingly. “But I know someone who does. Guard!” Cloud scowled at the mare. “Yes, ma’am?” he asked grudgingly “Please escort these civilians off the premises immediately. I need to get to work.” Cloud glanced between Wineheart and Dash. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but Miss Dash is an Element of Harmony. She has clearance to be here.” “Who in Tartarus is ‘Miss Dash’?” “—Ahem— ” The doctor turned to see Dash giving her smug grin. Her eyes widened before narrowing over the sound of grinding teeth. “I can’t believe I have to work with stupid civilians…” she grumbled between long strings of unintelligible expletives. She pushed her way past Dash and towards the center of the room. “Just stay out of my way.” Wineheart stepped towards the small smattering of blood on the floor and pulled off her satchel. Fumbling with its straps, she quickly put on a surgical mask. She began pulling out all manner of tools: from cotton swabs to scalpels, all manner of instruments came out of it in a seemingly endless string until nearly a dozen expertly organized devices lay out in front of her. All eyes in the room were drawn to the doctor as her precision and intensity captivated nearly everypony, particularly Rainbow Dash, whose animosity had drifted away on a current of curiosity. Dash floated over to Wineheart and glanced over her shoulder. “Watcha doing?” The red mare tensed in surprise, causing a pair of scissors to clatter to the ground. She glared at Dash. “I’m working,” she said tersely. “Oh… watcha working on?” Wineheart grit her teeth, trying to keep her cool. “I’m about to take a sample of this blood to try and determine from what species it belongs to.” “Oh… and how’re you gonna to that?” “By swabbing it and mixing it with one of these potions,” shot Wineheart, keeping her eyes on her work. “Oh… and what good’ll that do?” Wineheart tore her mask off and spun around towards Dash. “Don’t you have anything else you could be doing, Miss Element of Harmony?” she spat, putting all her effort in keeping her eye from twitching. “Hmm…” thought Dash aloud, rubbing her chin in contemplation. Her eye began to twitch regardless. “…Nope.”   Wineheart all but screeched in frustration. She stiffly returned her attention back to her work, trying with all her might to block out any distraction. “So… how long’ll this take?” “Well,” she perked up with sudden saccharine, giving Dash a huge smile. “It should go really quickly, but you see, something’s been distracting me.” “Really?” Wineheart nodded vigorously. “Oh yes, and it would be a real big help for me if this distraction just buzzed off.” “Huh, that sucks.” Wineheart’s smile slowly crumbled under the crushing weight of Dash’s obliviousness, gradually forming into a bitter scowl. Midnight Blossom, for her part, had been watching the entire conversation and was doing all she could to keep from bursting out into a fit of laughter; even Cloud had trouble keeping in his amusement. “Sooo…” said Dash, still hovering behind Wineheart. “Need any help?” “No,” grumbled the doctor, taking some blood samples. “You sure?” “Yes.” “Like, really, really sure? I am the fastest flyer in Equestria,” she added proudly. “Really sure.” “I mean, I could help you find that distraction of yours.” Years of medical school had taught Wineheart that violent migraines were anything but healthy, and that she should probably take a potion for it before it got more serious. Ironically, she was too distracted by a violent migraine to remember that, so she opted to simply grit her teeth and mumble. “I bet you could,” she seethed. “But no thanks. I. Am. All. Good!” “Are you really, really, really su—?” “You know what!?” burst out Wineheart. “Now that you mention it, I do need your help.” “Really?” Eye twitch. “Oh yeaeeaah!” Wineheart grabbed a hold of Rainbow Dash and brought her close. “You see those books over there?” she said, pointing to a pair of bookshelves on the far side of the room. “Yeah?” “I need you to go over there and organize them. Waaay over there.” “What kind of job is that?” complained Dash. “Super important. I’m going to… uh… swab those books later, and I need them to be in order.” “Uh, O-kay?” Dash pulled herself from the doctor’s grip and flapped her way to the books. “Over here?” “Yeah, that’s perfect,” waved Wineheart. “Just stay way over there and do that.” She turned her attention back to her work and began grumbling. “That way maybe I can finally get some bucking work done around here.” Rainbow Dash shrugged and began doing as she was told. Not having any remote idea what the Dewey Decimal system was, she simply began pulling out books and rearranging them in any particular order. Not surprisingly, she got bored after a few minutes. “Are you sure this’ll help?” asked Dash, oblivious to her companions’ eye rolling and facehoofing. “You’re doing great, hon!” replied the doctor without looking back. “Uh… Dash?” said Twilight. “You realize she’s—” “Quiet, Twilight!” shushed Pinkie as she held a tub of popcorn. “You’ll ruin it.” Twilight gave her a disapproving look. “Don’t you think it’s a little mean?” “Ah don’t know, Twi,” said Applejack with a grin. “I’m hoping to see how long it takes her.” Pinkie offered Applejack and Rarity some popcorn, and the two were more than happy indulge themselves. Dash huffed, pursed her lips, and continued pulling books out rearranging them. I’m starting to think that this isn’t actually gonna help much, she thought, her shoulders sagging in boredom. Her eyes scanned the dozens of titles, trying to find something interesting. Where’s all the Daring Do? Eventually she came across a particularly dusty tome jutting out slightly. Unlike the other books, this one looked ancient. The golden lettering on its spine had faded until it was no longer legible. Without even opening it, Dash could tell its pages were probably crumbling within its cover. Dash grabbed a hold of it, but when she tried to pull it out, it wouldn’t budge. What the? She tried yanking on it again, but it still didn’t move. Dash’s eyes narrowed. She spat in both of her hooves and rubbed them together before gripping the stubborn book tightly. With a mighty flap of her wings, she pulled as hard as she could. The book shifted with a loud click, catching Dash off guard and causing her to stumble back. The grinding and twisting of large machinery could be heard coming from the walls. “Uh, doctor?” said Dash, stepping back nervously. “You’re doing fine, Dash,” answered Wineheart, not paying attention. The wall started shaking, rattling the room and dropping books unto the floor. Everypony except the doctor put space between them and the door as deep clicking began emanating through the room. With a loud screech, one of the shelves began sliding into the wall. Wineheart scoffed in irritation. “Dash, is there anyway you can do… that… quietly…?” She trailed off as the shelf finished sliding open with a final, echoing clang. Everyone gawked in shocked silence as the dust finished settling to reveal a cavernous set of stone stairs leading through the secret passage and into depths unknown. Dash glanced down the stairway and back to Wineheart. “Uh, I think I found something.” “Everypony back up!” barked Cloud Skipper, snapping himself from his stupor. He pushed Dash out of the way and looked down the dark passage, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “Midnight, do you see anything?” The nycha rushed to her partner’s side and squinted down the stairs. “There’s more blood leading down there,” she said grimly. Cloud nodded. “Double echelon formation, you take point.” Midnight’s claws crackled with power. “Got it.” “Do you need any help, sir?” asked one of the Royal Guards. “No, we’ll move quicker as a pair. You stay here and guard the Elements.” “We can take care of ourselves,” protested Applejack. “I wasn’t asking,” threatened Skipper. “Midnight, move out.” With one flap of their wings, the pair shot down the stairs and fired a blinding gust of wind through the flabbergasted room. The two silently glided down the passage at breakneck speeds. Occasionally, Midnight would slow down and let out a series of high-pitched clicks, prompting Cloud to grip his spear tightly. Despite the dim glow of Midnight’s claws, he felt utterly blind confronted by the icy pitch-black. He was forced to rely on the slight changes in air pressure from Midnight’s movements in order to navigate the mazelike corridor. The cold stone stairs seemed to go down forever. Deeper and deeper they went, into depths of the castle that hadn’t been explored for millennia, with no sound except for their breathing to keep them company. The pair came to a fork in the stairs. Midnight stopped and began sniffing the air, squeaking and clicking as she did so. “The left passage reeks of blood,” she said matter-of-factly. Cloud nodded, and without another word the two rushed down the left passage, their hooves barely grazing the cobbled floor. Cloud could feel specks of sweat trailing down his temple as he pushed his wings to their limit. The two quickly came across a dead end. Midnight put her ear against the door and listened. After a second, she began twitching and waving her wings towards Cloud. The stallion nodded. Without a word his spear crackling to life, washing the corridor in a weak light. He positioned himself behind Midnight, who began tracing an outline around the iron lock with one of her claws. The heavy metal glowed a brilliant red as orange sparks fell. Carefully, she pulled out the now molten iron. She shifted her body until her back was facing the door and her face was mere millimeters from Cloud’s. The two shared a nod, and Cloud put a hoof on her shoulder, bennding his knees. Midnight bucked the door with all her might, and the wood exploded inward in a shower of splinters. Cloud Skipper flapped his wings and jumped over Midnight into the room, spear at the ready; Midnight whipped around and rushed after him. Ancient. That was what came to mind. The chamber was utterly ancient, the product of a bygone era. The torches hung from the walls, flickering and bathing the cold stone in warm light. The only piece of furniture was a cracked desk, the wood long since rotted. A canopy of cobwebs hung from the roof, having claimed these catacombs as theirs, away from creatures that thrived under the warm sun. Cloud and Midnight relaxed as it became apparent that the room was largely empty. “Stay frosty,” ordered the stallion. Spear raised, he headed to the only other door in the cramped room, carefully stepping over cobwebs and the sheets of parchment they had ensnared. The door was alike to the front entrance, except the hinges and lock were curiously absent of any rust. Tentatively, he grabbed a hold of the latch and was surprised to find it unlocked. He raised his spear and waited for a second. In one swift motion, he threw the door open and rushed through the doorway, only to yelp in surprise and frantically leap back. A powerful gust of wind shook the silky threads creeping along the walls as the door parted to reveal a vast ocean of empty blue. Cloud caught his breath and peered over the edge. Lush, vibrant countryside carpeted the horizon, resting at the bottom of a thousand foot drop. A massive shadow lay across the farms below, and Cloud looked up to see the grandeur of Canterlot Mountain gazing down at him. Why would this door be carved in the side of the mountain? “Cloud.” Cloud closed the door and joined Midnight, who knelt at a corner of the room. “What is it?” Without a word, Midnight parted a tangle of cobwebs, sending a group of spiders scurrying. Cloud reared back in shock. “Found the source of the smell.” Spiders crawled from the swollen tongue and onto dry orange fur, while drops of blood lay trickled down threads of web. “Slit throat.” “Is he…?” Midnight nodded “Dammit!” Midnight waited for Cloud to finish his outburst. She glanced back at the dead eyes partly rolled back into the dead pony’s head. Looks like I’ll never get to geld you after all, eh Stout?  “What do we do, Cloud?” Cloud took a deep breath. “We have to tell the Princesses, now.” The two left the spiders to their feast and climbed the endless staircase back to the surface. “Guards!” barked Cloud as he rushed through the bookcase, rousing the Royal Guards. “Escort the doctor down the passage; we’ve found a body.” A loud squeal drew everypony’s eyes to Fluttershy, who recoiled into one of the nightstands in horror, knocking down a clock and the dream catcher. “B-b-body?” asked Lyra shakily, but Cloud and Midnight ignored them and continued directing the rest of the guards. She glanced at the girls, who stood shocked, trying to process the information. “Woah, woah, what do y’all mean body?” asked Applejack, trying to comfort Fluttershy. “We don’t have time to explain this.” “Like hay you don’t!” spat Dash Midnight jumped at the pegasus and hissed, knocking her back. Cloud glared coldly at the Elements and Lyra. “You will stay here.” He turned back to Midnight. “Let’s go.” As Midnight and Cloud galloped out of the room, neither saw one of the tiny threads on the dream catcher they had knocked down begin to unravel. It was the smallest thread: tight mere seconds before, but in one fell swoop, it loosened. In fact, nobody noticed this thread slowly unravel, slipping through knots of carefully sewn string, woven betwixt fiery phoenix feathers and onyx beads. And nobody noticed this thread rise with a whisper and disappear. A groan. That was all it took to leave the bedroom breathless. “Luna?” Her eyelids stung. They opened, and sound was shattered. Celestia smiled in absolute joy, one that soured under the tears that started welling under her sister’s eyes. Luna threw herself out of her bed and held onto Celestia as hard as she could. Her sheets floated onto the floor, and the guards watched in horror as cries deafened them. And Celestia was helpless but to hold Luna as her shoulder was matted with tears. The breathless, raspy sobs eclipsed the chamber’s door slamming open, revealing to the outside a broken figure pouring unknown pain and anguish into the closest source of warmth, and the Princess, holding on, afraid to let her drown. Even though he couldn’t see, he could feel the flesh reddening across his face. It was a sensation preceded by the pain that had been lingering in the back of his mind, now came in full force, reminding him of the tooth he was conspicuously missing. Someone had hit him, now he remembered. Someone had hit him… Jorge groaned: a sound that was equal parts pain and slowly trickling anger. He shook his head and became aware of the tight, cold grip hugging his neck, rubbing his skin raw. The soft sound of clinking metal echoed around him, and his slowly trickling anger became a torrent. He tried flexing his muscles, only to discover that he couldn’t move them. There was no dull ache, no fog shrouding his tendons like his arms and legs had fallen asleep. There just wasn’t. Jorge opened his eyes, only to discover that whatever pain was lacking in his extremities was punishing his eyelids in full force. He poured his whole effort in trying to lift them. He was eventually able to open his eyes, but it took him a second to realize it; he was greeted by absolute darkness. He sighed, and even through the engulfing darkness, he could feel his breath floating through the cold chamber as a fine mist. His arms were stretched out and pulled back towards the wall behind him by a pair of chains, while another pair kept his legs spread out in a compromising position. It didn’t take him long to notice the collar around his neck. It was attached to a short chain fastened to the floor in front of him, forcing his upper body to stay hunched forward.  Jorge had long since lost track of how much time had passed by the time the lock lurched open. He raised his head as much as he could to see a crack of light reveal the smooth, icy steel encasing him. The metal door screeched open, blinding Jorge as light poured in. He heard the door clank shut and a set of footsteps vibrating through the room. “Light the torches.” The breath of flames brought meager warmth. “Open your eyes, human” He did so. The hornless giant brought his snout up to Jorge.   “Welcome, creature, to The City of Chains.”