//------------------------------//
// 14. Twilight Sparkle: Harmony Chlorine 
// Story: Rise of Ponietheus 
// by twitterdick 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight shook herself awake. There was no indication of the passage of time. She panted to herself in worry; there were no dreams of Princess Luna the night before. She felt tired, despite just sleeping. She scanned the dim room. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash lay still in their beds, asleep. Rarity was not.
Twilight collapsed back into her pillow. Her body ached. She didn't want to get up. She turned over and stared at the wall. She felt strangely placid, but still quite dull. It bothered immensely that they had such a feeble plan. She closed her eyes and relished in the the calm, comfortable silence for just a few more minutes. She then sat up, stretched and looked around for Rarity.
Rarity stood outside on small balcony. Twilight pulled herself from the bed and moved passed her sleeping comrades to that balcony. There were small cracks in the cloud line that exposed the sky above. It was filled with stars, and the moon stood promptly up overhead. The air was still and quiet, apart from a slight breeze, but had no sense of foreboding to it. It smelled cool and fresh, like a beach.  
Rarity stood quietly and braced herself with her hooves up on the railing. She peered at the stars in the sky like it was everything she could cling to. Twilight Sparkle approached and settled her chin on the railing beside her. She looked up at Rarity's face. She had this weird mix of existential wonder and foreboding. Rarity looked at her and forced a smile.
"Good morning, Twilight," she said softly.
Twilight yawned. "Good morning to you too."
They were both just quiet for a while.
"What are you doing up so early?" Twilight asked. 'What a stupid question. Rarity didn't 'decide' to wake up this early. We don't even know if it is early.'
"I don't know. I'm just… watching the stars," Rarity said. Her voice was soft and weary. "I've never really looked at them like this before. They're beautiful, aren't they?"
The clove between the storm clouds leaned and beckoned before them.
"All the rainclouds have certainly given me a new appreciation for them," Twilight said, "Back before all this started, I found myself with a sudden fascination with space and the stars. You be surprised how much yet how little we know about them."
"It's funny, isn't it?" Rarity said. Her eyes stayed fixed on the stars. "When I woke up a few days ago I could never had imagined this would happen. But, here we are. Everything that felt so important back then seems so inconsequential right now. All those things I worried about and doubted then mean pretty much nothing. But now, all I feel for is my baby sister… and for Spike, for all our friends caught in this. And we still have no idea how to even keep this darkness at bay, let alone defeat it. Kinda makes you feel so helpless, huh?"
"Yeah," Twilight said.
Rarity wiped her nose and whimpered. "I," she said. She paused for a bit and took a deep breath. "What's it all mean? What's the point? We're out here throwing ourselves at this and nothing is any different…"
"What are you saying?" Twilight said, "That we should just give up?"
"Of course not," Rarity said.
'What Rarity is saying… is that she's giving up. She's got a point. Why are we out here? What is the point? I guess I didn't know what else to do. I should've gotten everypony out when I had the chance. Now we've lost Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike… and who knows where Princess Luna or that Protean Joy are. Or his friend, for that matter. What if we don't stop it? What if the storm spreads and takes everything over? What if…'
"No," Twilight said assuredly, but hushed. 'Leaders do not think like this.'
"What?"
The clouds began to close over the shimmering moon like a hound snapping up his food. Thunder echoed from a distance very softly.
Twilight smiled at her. "This will all end, for better or worse. For better or worse, everything ends. Whether we defeat it or fall to it, this darkness will pass. But I'm not going to just sit around and let this thing beat me without a fight. And those stars… they will remember us for this."
Rarity sighed, "I guess you're right."
Twilight Sparkle watched the clouds slowly swallow the sky, and listen to the somber wind wisp at her ears. She closed her eyes and breathed out. 
'I think about this kind of stuff a lot - about the heroes in the stories and how they must've been years before their great adventure. I was always relished in the thought that that was where I was; I was living in that weird time before my adventure story started and that the quest would find me like it did all the heroes in all the stories I loved. And I was thrilled and entertained, even while they suffered such hardship and tribulation, because I knew it would all work out in the end. Now here I am, right in the middle of my story, and I miss that comfort. I don't know if everything's going to work out in the end...'
"Maybe… maybe defeat is the wrong way to look at it," Rarity said..
Twilight Sparkle was pulled from her little world. "What do you mean by that?"
"Just… Oh, I don't know," Rarity said, "Maybe looking at this as an obstacle to overcome isn't the right way to look at it. Like, maybe this isn't a problem that can be solved by convention. Maybe that's why we're failing. Does that make sense?"
'No.'
"I think I get what you're saying," Twilight said.
'Liar.'
"Well, if the way we've been going about this is the wrong way, what's the right way?"
Rarity shrugged. "I don't know," she said.
She looked back up at clouds as they consumed the view of the stars. "Do you think Harbinger is evil? Like, 'Sombra' evil or… or maybe 'Discord' evil… Or-"
Twilight sneered at this thought. "…or 'Nightmare Moon' evil?"
"Yeah, exactly!" Rarity said.
'Whether or not Harbinger is evil is irrelevant. The point is that he's attacking us. He brought the storm and he is attacking us.'
"Whether he's more Sombra or Nightmare Moon, we've got to stop him. He's attacking us and we've got to stop him."
Rarity didn't seem satisfied with that answer. 'Maybe such is too 'conventional' for her.'
"I mean, we don't know anything about him," Rarity said, "Imagine how much easier Discord or Nightmare Moon would've been if we'd known more about them before. If defeating is the wrong way to go, maybe we should try understanding him."
Twilight scoffed. "What, do you want to just walk up and talk to him?"
Rarity puzzled for a while. "Well, yeah. Maybe," she said.
'I don't think friendship is going to conquer this one, Rarity. We knew all we needed to know about Nightmare Moon and about Discord. It isn't about what we know, it's about what we can do… Wait, is it? Since when did I start to think like that? I've never been one to charge in without information. Information… Maybe we could use as much information on the Harbinger as we need on the darkness. Or, maybe this will all be for nothing when Princess Luna shows up with whomever. Wait, Princess Luna? The moon?'
"Hey, who raised the moon?"
"Huh?" Rarity said.
"The moon - who raised it?" Twilight said, "The sun was out before, now it's the moon. Who raised the moon and who set the sun?"
"You're right…" Rarity said, "Do you think it's a sign? Do you think Princess Luna is coming back with that whoever-she's-getting?"
Twilight rubbed her chin. She felt anxious. "Let's just get to the Town Square and see if we can't find any other ponies. Then, we'll focus on trying to figure out a countermeasure on the darkness. Then… who knows? Maybe Princess Luna will sweep in and clean everything up. Maybe her reinforcements will take care of the Harbinger. There's no way to know for certain. Even if we can cure the darkness, we've still got to find the Elements at the library AND find Fluttershy and Applejack. There's no point in vigorously planning out everything when there are so many unknowns."
"Yeah, okay," said Rarity.
"We're going to make it, Rarity," Twilight said. 'You can't know that.'
"I know," Rarity said with a forced smile, "I'm alright."
Rainbow Dash then poked her head through the doorway to the balcony and said, "Hey, you two, if your pow-wow is over, me and Pinkie Pie are starving."
Twilight Sparkle nodded. "Yeah, let's get inside. It might rain soon anyway."
The room was still dark. Rainbow Dash had already headed downstairs, and Rarity was quick to join. Soon, it was just Twilight and Pinkie Pie. She too still seemed tired, yet she smiled at Twilight like there was nothing else she could do. They headed downstairs together.
"How'd you sleep?" Twilight asked. 'What a stupid question. Of course none of us slept well.'
"Fine," Pinkie Pie said, "'though I had a… well, I had a bad dream."
Twilight cocked her head. "What about?"
Pinkie Pie stopped as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She had a grim look about her.
"I dreamt that all of you had dark eyes and pale skin," Pinkie Pie said. She was shaken. "I called out to each of you, but none of answered, like none of you even knew me. The more I called out, the farther and farther away you all moved. And then I was in a desert, all alone. Then I woke up."
"That sounds terrible."
"…Hey, Twilight?"
"Yeah?"
"You'd… Oh, never mind."
"What is it?"
Pinkie Pie rubbed her shoulder and sighed. "You'd never forget about me, would you?"
"Of course not, Pinkie," Twilight said, "You're one of my dearest friends. I couldn't possible forget about you."
Pinkie Pie fidgeted in place like she was embarrassed. "Thanks."
"What's with you all of a sudden."
Pinkie Pie scrunched her face and shuffled. "Nothing. No, I've been thinking. I didn't sleep much last night. I've been reading that book… You know, the book of legends I talked to you about yesterday…"
"What about it?"
"I… I've been thinking about that first legend a lot - the one about Ponietheus. I mean, he's just stuck in that city and nopony comes back for him. One character mentions him a little later, but after that, there's just nothing. That kinda stuff just gets to me, you know? Can you image fighting and struggling alongside so many friends for so long just to have them all forget about you in the end? I… It would be devastating, wouldn't it?"
Twilight Sparkle swallowed then hugged Pinkie Pie tightly.
"That isn't going to happen to you," she said.
Pinkie Pie sniffled. "Promise?"
"I promise."
"Pinkie-Promise?"
"I Pinkie-Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye."
"Thanks, Twilight."
"You're welcome. Now let's get something to eat."
"Yeah…"
They both walked into the kitchen. The fridge was wide open, Rarity was fixing herself something at the counter and Rainbow Dash was already at the table chomping at some apples.
"Mornin' egghead!" Rainbow Dash said with weary chipper. Her mouth was still full of apple. She swallowed and continued. "Nice of you to join us for breakfast!"
"How are you feeling, Rainbow? Did you sleep well." Twilight asked. She felt her stomach rumble. She hadn't eaten in a while.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Rainbow Dash responded, "I'm really hungry!" She returned to munching on her apple.
"She's eaten four of them," Rarity taunted as she settled down at the table next to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash elbowed her playfully. "Oh, shut up! I need the energy, seeing as I do more 'sides cry and yell the whole time!"
Rarity scoffed. "Uck! I've been rather distressed, you know. Three days without a shower! Disgusting! But you know, I seem to recall a certain brash pony cracking a bit in a forest somewhere…"
As Rainbow Dash and Rarity continued to rib each other, Twilight stuck her head into the fridge. She sniffled, and the smell made her cough. The fridge had been without power for three days, and, apart from a few apples tucked away on the shelves in the door, most of the food had begun to spoil. She closed the door and peered into the cupboard where she found a nice loaf of bread and some dried vegetables. She fixed herself a plate and said on the floor near Pinkie Pie.
Her stomach let out a terrible roar.
"Whoa!" said Rainbow Dash, "What, are you hiding a bear in there? They probably heard that in Manehatten."
"Oh, hush!" Twilight said, "I've haven't eaten in a very long time."
"Why, yes," Rarity said, "And Her Majesty is so used to the fine banquets of Canterlot that our meek peasant food simply won't due. You wait right there, Princess, and I'll whip you up some caviar and filet mignon!"
They all shared a laugh, though Pinkie Pie's was considerably more quiet. Twilight noticed she wasn't eating anything.
"Not hungry?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie Pie shook her head. "Nope," she said somberly.
Rarity peered down at the her. "Are you alright, Pinkie?"
Pinkie Pie smiled weakly. "I'm fine... just not hungry."
Rarity tilted her head with a look of gentle concern. "How long has it been since you last ate, dear?"
"I don't really know."
Twilight pushed her plate towards her. "Try to eat something, please."
Pinkie Pie just stared at Twilight's food a while. She frowned. Nevertheless, she leaned down and took a piece of bread with her teeth and chewed on it. At that, they all seemed to relax. Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but notice Pinkie Pie's somber attitude. She seemed so worried about something, yet so detached, so un-Pinkie-Pie. Twilight couldn't help but laugh to herself. 
'I'm the one that should be worried, not her. All I do is worry.'
Rarity looked at Twilight and broke the silence. "Tell me about Spike," she said, "What's going on with him?"
Twilight hurried her chewing, swallowed and cleared her throat. "Back at Sweet Apple Acres, I discovered that I could… well, 'talk' to Spike with the sound amplification side effect of my barrier. I can't really explain how or why, but it worked. He's conscious in there, and, if we can get to a safe place, I'd like to study him."
Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair. "I don't get it," she said, "What, did you hear his thoughts or something? I didn't think that was even possible."
Twilight shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it. I 'listened' to him. I just thought about it really hard is all." 
Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Hmm… Glad I don't have to deal with that magic stuff."
"After breakfast, we're heading to the town square," Twilight said, "Whether or not we find others, we'll focus on making those hazmat suits and seeing if we can get in contact with Princess Luna. Then, I'll study Spike."
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "What about Harbinger?"
'Walk up and talk to him.'
"Let's just avoid him for now. There's no use in confronting him until we've dealt with the storm and the darkness. I don't think we can take him out without the elements anyway, and if Princess Luna's reinforcements are coming, I'm sure they'll take care of him. Let's focus on the darkness for now."
"Yeah, okay," Rainbow Dash said.
Pinkie Pie looked over at Twilight. "Do you think Applejack and Fluttershy are okay?" she asked.
Twilight didn't answer immediately. She took a quite bite of her food and chewed, like that was what postponed the answer. She swallowed and frown. "I don't know, Pinkie. We don't even know where Fluttershy is."
"Shouldn't she be back at the library?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Not if she's moving around like Applejack was…" said Rarity.
"We can't think like this," Twilight said, "We need to just focus on one thing at a time. If we over-think, we'll just exhaust ourselves with worrying. Let's just finish our food and head to the town's square."
They continued to eat quietly before packing up and leaving.
It was colder outside, but the wind had died down. Still, it was much harder to see, and Pinkie's flashlight flickered and was dim. The town was quiet and the black puddles had collected by the sides of buildings like trash heaps in a story-book slum. Twilight rubbed her tongue against her teeth. It filled her muffled ears with a strange distorted rubbing sound, but that was better than the dead silence. She was so tired. Spike was actually pretty heavy and his chin dug quite uncomfortably into her side. At least it wasn't raining and she didn't have to maintain that barrier.
'I'm so sick of this.'
That feeling seemed universal. None of them were talking. Pinkie Pie had started a cheery hum when they had first set out, but that quickly died. The town wasn't very big, however, and they weren't far from the town hall.
Twilight felt a twitch in her cheek and she stopped. The group stopped behind her.
"Hey, what's up?" said Rainbow Dash.
"Don't you feel that?" Twilight said.
She was compelled to look up. Her heart rate picked up for whatever reason, and the distant echo of hooves on rooftops danced around her ears. The buildings around her seemed to exhale. Then there was a silhouette on the auburn roof to her right. 
"Hey!" she called.
The others turned to face that direction as the silhouette ducked away into stillness. Twilight heard Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie speaking, but she didn't really process what they were saying. She closed her eyes and felt like heavy breathing and eyes darting in disbelief reverberated from that direction. She struggled.
"I saw you!" she called again, "Hey, it's Twilight Sparkle, if you're listening. Can you hear me?"
"Twilight, I don't see anypony," Rainbow Dash whispered to her.
"No, I saw them!" said Rarity, "Wait a bit! I know they're there!"
"What if it's Harbinger?" whispered Pinkie Pie.
"It wasn't big enough," said Rarity, "Besides, he flies. Why would he hide up on a roof?"
"It's okay, we're not infected!" Twilight shouted again, "We're looking for others. We just might have a way to reverse all this!"
Somepony was up there. Twilight could feel them.
The silhouette reappeared as a pony in black stained rain gear. It cried out in a shaky female voice, "Stay there! I'm coming down."  Then, she disappeared again.
"What was that all about?" said Rainbow Dash.
"We weren't the only ones to make it through this," Twilight said, "Whomever she is, she's used to being cautious."
They stood there and waited for a few minutes. Simply standing there made Twilight nervous. Her heart raced and she contemplated setting Spike down, but never got around to it. The silhouette emerged soon from an alleyway near them. She wore a tattered patchwork rain gown that covered her head and back, as well as thick black boots. She pulled her hood down.
"Hey, it's Cheerilee!" said Pinkie Pie.
"Where on Earth have you girls been?" Cheerilee said. She was scuffed up with her share of scraps, and her coat had scatter black stains all over it.
"It's a long story," Twilight said, "But we have hopeful news. Are you among the ponies hiding out in the town hall?"
Cheerilee blinked. "Why… yes! How did you know?"
"Princess Luna told me."
Cheerilee cocked her head. "Princess Luna? She's okay?"
Twilight nodded her head. 'I don't know. I haven't heard from her in a while.'
"Yeah, I've been keeping contact with her. Could you take us to the town hall. I've got news for everypony."
Cheerilee nodded but eyed Spike nervously. "Yeah… but what about him? How long has he been like that?"
Pinkie Pie shook her head and smiled. "No, he's different!"
Cheerilee cocked her head. "Different?"
Twilight nodded and smiled. "I'll explain everything later."
"Right," Cheerilee said, "Well, follow me then…"

---

The interior of the town hall was quite somber. Sleeping bags and boxes of dried wheat were scattered around the atrium. Bruised cloaks like Cheerilee's hung upon hooks near the door. The air was musky and this place was dimly lit. There was also a large hole in the ceiling that exposed part of the atrium to the sky. Nopony loitered beneath it.
There were maybe a dozen ponies sheltered there. They seemed focused on their work. Some kept track of the supplies and some mended to the damages sustained by the structure. They all took notice of Twilight's group and Cheerilee showed them inside. They gave exuberant gasps and whispered hopefully into each others ears before more stern members hushed them and hurried them back to work.
Twilight sighed. 'No pressure…'
"The mayor will want to see you," Cheerilee said. She motioned towards a hallway on the left side of the atrium. 
"Thanks," Twilight said with a smile.
Cheerilee did not return the smile. She looked at the other ponies nervously than whispered in Twilight's ear. "Do you really think you can fix this."
Twilight bit her tongue and held her breath. 'No.'
"…I think we have a good chance, yes."
Cheerilee back away and nodded somberly. "I wish you all the luck in the world," she said. She turned away and attended to other duties.
Twilight's back hurt. She turned to her friends. "Alright, everypony, I think we're close but we're not out of the woods yet. Don't give up on me now," she said.	
They all nodded wearily. 
"We're with you until the end, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said.
Twilight smiled. "Let's see the mayor."
Twilight set Spike down on a nearby table, and her friends settled their supplies and saddle bags beside him. They then entered the hallway Cheerilee had pointed them to. The hallway was fairly dark, although light shimmered from doorways to different offices on either side. The door at the end belonged to the Mayor, and it was cracked open, more luminous and echoed with muffled voices. As they approached it, they heard strange noises in the rooms on either side of them. Each door had a mighty lock. 
Twilight shook a deep sense of foreboding and simply entered the Mayor's office. As she opened the door, the voices inside quickly hushed, and the two occupants quickly shifted their attention towards her. 
"Mayor Mare! Zecora! It's nice to see both of you!" Twilight exclaimed.
Zecora merely smiled at them. Mayor Mare, however, lit up and got up from her desk. She approached them.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" she said, "Words cannot express how relieved I am to see you. We were starting the fear Equestria's royalty had forgotten about us! …If, um, that is, if you were all still upright."
Twilight breathed out. Her royal disposition was returning. "On behalf of the Equestrian Royalty, I sincerely apologize for what you've been through. I… We would've come sooner if…"
She paused. 'Should I tell them? I'm not their salvation and the Equestrian Royalty has no firm grasp on the situation. Princess Celestia is…'
"'If?' If what?" Mayor Mare asked.
Twilight sighed. "If we, too, weren't beset so heavily by what has happened."
Mayor Mare pined. "But… but royal forces are coming to rescue us, right?"
'I guess it's better to be honest.'
"Princess Luna has gone for help and that help should be arriving any day," Twilight said, "But for now we-"
"'Any day!?'" Mayor Mare bellowed, "Why, it's been three days already! I don't know how much more I can handle here! The hope that you all would be coming to rescue us is all that has kept us going!"
"Hey, let Twilight talk!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
'Rainbow, please…'
"…Be quiet," Twilight snapped.
Rainbow Dash glared at her.
"Forgive me, Mayor," Twilight said, "I sympathize with your position but you must understand that these events are like nothing we've ever faced before."
"Madam Mayor, Twilight Sparkle's words are true," Zecora said calmly. "I'd relax and listen to her if I were you."
Mayor Mare frowned. "Alright, alright, I apologize for my outburst," she said. "Please, tell me what you have to tell me."
"…The situation is dire, Mayor. I won't lie to you," Twilight began. "But it is not hopeless. The last time I was in communication with Princess Luna, she told me those she'd gone to ask for help were coming. In that regard, it's only a matter of time. However, our principle challenge now is the storm itself, not Harbinger."
The Mayor cocked her head. "Harbinger?"
Twilight nodded. "That's what we've taken to calling the one who carries the storm. You've seen him, haven't you?"
"Many of our scavengers say they saw such a carrier in the sky," Zecora said, "For such an ominous figure, the name 'Harbinger' might apply."
The Mayor nodded. "Please, continue."
Twilight nodded. "As you no doubt have noticed, the rain changes ponies - freezes them. Some of our own have been taken by the storm."
"Yes, I have seen it. I have studied it myself," Zecora said, "Many hours I have spend examining their health."
Twilight turned to her. "You've studied the infected?"
Zecora nodded. "Yes, I have. I have seen those the storm has claimed. But I feel your interpretation of such has been inappropriately named. It is not that way - they do not grow sick, shake or weep. They grow sick and quiet. I believe they sleep. Yet, they awake shortly after; some burrow, some wander and some attack. Their motions are all eclectic. There's no pattern I can track."
"How do you know all this?" Twilight asked.
Mayor Mare motioned her head towards the hallway. "Did you notice the locked offices on your way here?"
Twilight nodded.
"We put some ponies that got the rain on them in there a few days ago. They turned and we took to studying them," the Mayor said, "Nothing unethical of course! We don't hurt them. We just wanted to know if we could treat them."
"Can you?" Twilight asked.
Zecora shook her head. "My potions are all useless. This condition they cannot sway. I fear the worldly forces of nature this ailment does not obey."
Twilight nodded. "That's because nothing is physically wrong with them. You said it yourself, Zecora. They're sleeping. The infection is all in their heads!"
Mayor Mare cocked her eyebrow. "What? Then why do they get up and move around?"
Twilight shrugged. "They're sleepwalking. Their behavior must correlate with whatever they're dreaming about."
She turned to Zecora. "I've studied the infection a bit myself. You see, it has to do with fear. When the infected pony grows fearful, they turn completely back and begin dreaming. They don't need to be cured, they need to wake up."
"How do you know this?" the Mayor asked.
"It was Spike, I… heard his thoughts," Twilight said. She shuttered at how foolish this sounded out loud. "The rain got on him and he went under soon. I don't know how I did it, but I listened to him and I heard him. He told me what he was seeing. He said he say us abandoning him. That's what he was afraid of."
"What a mysterious power you seem to have found," Zecora said, "Still, we've more information now that you've come around. Where is this Spike the storm does so affect. Perhaps together, the spell's cure we could detect."
Twilight Sparkle nodded. "That's one of the reason I came here, actually. I wanted to study Spike more."
"Bring him to this office after you and your own have a rest," Zecora said, "We shall conduct our research when we're both at our best."
"Zecora's right," Rarity said. She looked at Twilight. "You're no good to anypony if you're exhausted. Get some rest, Twilight. The three of us will find something to do."
Twilight nodded. "Okay, I'll take a breather. Don't get into trouble, you three."
"Don't worry about us," Pinkie Pie said, "I'm sure there's something around here we could help out with."
"…Maybe patch up that big hole for starters," Rainbow Dash grumbled.
"Sounds like a plan, you guys," Twilight said, "We'll see about finding Fluttershy and Applejack as well as collecting the Elements when the time comes. Until then, we do our best to help out the ponies here."
They returned to the atrium and split up. Twilight Sparkle went alone to the table where she'd left Spike. His face was almost calm and there was something oddly tranquil about him. Still, Twilight couldn't help but feel nervous. She went to pick him up again, but her hoof slipped past the blanket and onto his skin. Panic struck her and she whipped her hoof away from the stinging could.
The black residue remained.
"Oh no," she whispered trepidatiously to herself. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
She stared helplessly at the black spot on her hoof. Her heart raced.
"Not now," she lamented in a hushed, wheezy voice, "Not now! Not now!"
She closed her eyes.
'Calm down. Calm down. It's alright. It's okay. We can think our way out of this. Just don't panic. That's what triggered it.'
Twilight took deep breaths and looked around at the busy ponies all throughout the room. Luckily, none of them seemed to have noticed. She brought her infected hoof down and sat at the table.
'We've got time. We've got time. Oh, but how much time? This can't be happening to me right now. This can't be. It isn't supposed to be happening. We were turning it around! We were on our way out. No, no, no!!'
She looked at Spike as she pined. She covered her mouth with her other hoof and fought back tears and their choking accompaniment. She continued to take deeper and deeper breaths to calm herself down. Her heart still pounded.
'What would they have expected me to do anyway - looking at me like I'm some white knight. I've got no clue how this works, how long before it takes me or why Harbinger-'
She paused and ceased her whimpering. A strained idea light up in her brain. 
"Harbinger…" she whispered.
'Walk right up and talk to him. What could I possibly lose?'
She considered telling the others her awful condition and awful idea, but she couldn't bear to do it. It would be like admitting how little control she had on the situation. She picked herself up and choked down her impulse to whine. She eyed the other ponies nervously and slipped out when nopony was looking. 
She stood alone outside the doors and immediately wanted to retreat back inside, but she couldn't. She just stood there and allowed herself to cry. It was a strange eruption of tears that subsided relatively quickly, like her body just wanted to get it over with. She breathed out and looked all around. 
She could at least attempt to do some good before she turned.

---

It had gotten noticeably cold. The stale air seemed to bite at her. Twilight's leg stung.
'It's okay. It's okay. We just need to find Harbinger and make him fix it.'
She breathed out and suppressed her panic. Her eyes were pretty well adjusted to the dark and she decided the best place to start looking for Harbinger would be the library. She figured such would be a win-win; if he were there, she could walk up and talk to him. If not, she could look for the Elements of Harmony.
'Like that would matter. I don't think I can reverse whatever spell that is. Not to mention the difficulty in returning to Sweet Apple Acres and trying to cure Applejack. Oh, just don't think about. Don't think about it. It's okay, Twilight. Everything's going to work out.'
She walked alone through the quiet town. Every step she took pounded at her. The further she got, the more this all seemed like a bad idea.	
'This isn't a storybook. You have no idea if everything's going to work out.'
It wasn't windy, at least. Still, the storm had sat eerily still the past few hours, like it was just waiting for something. Twilight Sparkle did her best to just shake off that foreboding thought as little more than nerves, but such a twisted knot of anxiety rested on her guts. She felt like a raincloud herself. She was all set to burst.
'Can't think like that. It isn't like I have much of a choice.'
She winced and impulsively looked back at her leg. The dark patch basically taunted her.
She soon arrived at her library, as sullen as it looked now. She paused for a few seconds and decided to look around for Harbinger. And sure enough, there he was right above her. He danced among the clouds above her. He was flying around in circles.
Twilight rested her eyes and calmed her nerves.
'No going back now.'
"Harbinger!" she called out. A purple shockwave then poured from her. She had triggered an accidental spell. Her shockwave targeted and struck him, and he dropped from the clouds frantically. The smokey darkness still trickled around him as he fell. He tried to land graciously, but his legs were weak and he fell to his side. It was shocking to see him behave this way.
He got up and looked at her. He just started blinking like she'd kicked his guts. His iridescent blue eye was blood shot and beset by dark lines, like he hadn't been sleep. Or, perhaps, like he'd been crying. He just stared at her incredulously and continued blinking. He was hunched over and trembled slightly.
Twilight stood there as taken aback as he seemed to be. All her words left her. He was not what she was expecting. Her leg stung.
"…What?" she whispered to herself.
He breathed heavily. "What… what do you want?" he said.
"You're… I wanted to talk to you," she said.
"Talk to… Why?" he asked. He began trembling worse than before. His words were shaky and unfocused. Twilight cocked her head slightly.
'Is he freaking out?'
"I just… I just wanted to know why. I just want to know why you're doing this," she said. She pointed to the dark spot on her leg. "I want to know why so I can fix it. This need to stop! Tell me how to stop it!" 
She began to panic as well, with all her little half baked plans falling apart one by one. Her throat felt like it was closing up and she could shake this awful high pitch squealing in her ears. 
He was quiet.
"Answer me!" Twilight shouted, "Tell me why! Why'd you have to do this to us!? Who are you anyway!"
His eye widened. It was like she was kicking his ribs. He choked and coughed at that. Then he sat down and whimpered.
"I… I was wrong," he said quietly, "I thought… I thought you all were…"
"You control to storm, right?" Twilight shouted. "You control the infection and the dreams. You can put an end to it, right? You… You can stop this, can't you!?"
"I don't know," he whispered. "I don't know."
"If you can't stop it than I can stop it, right?" Twilight was bordering hysterics now. "Tell me how to stop it and I will!"
"I… I…" he said.
"How do I stop it!?" Twilight cried.
Harbinger choked. "I-I… I don't know!" he said, "I thought I was in control! But… But this! The storm won't listen to me anymore!
"What!? What do you mean it doesn't listen to you!!"
"I…"
Twilight froze in place. That frozen look of fear burned through that covered face of his, and she felt like an ice bag had burst atop her stomach. The chill dripped down her belly and she brought her hoof to her face.
'Don't be afraid, that's what triggers it. Just don't be afraid.'
Her eyes twitched and she felt the chill on her leg spread all over her body. Her eyes were forced shut.
'Too late...'
Twilight's eyes stung. She winced and blinked, but every time she opened her eyes they stung worse. She instinctively teared up and was stiff. She rubbed her eyes and whimpered. Her shoulder muscles waned and her hind legs buckled. She fell to her side and continued to rub her eyes. The sound around her ears trickled and churned like a fingernail dragged across copper wiring. Twilight grit her teeth and tried to talk deep breaths.
"It isn't real," she told herself, "It's in my head!"
"It isn't real," called a voice outside. It sounded pained and underwater. "It's in your head! All in your head! You should've seen this coming!"
Twilight curled herself up. Her head stung. Her eyes were burning. All her muscles seemed to lock up. "Stop it!" she whispered.
She continued to try to calm herself down, but her chest murmured and her throat seemed to be closing up. The scraping and screaming sounds around her closed in. She tried to open her eyes again but she couldn't see anything through dust and tears. She felt wind begin to whip around her.
"Should've known better!" 
"Should've seen this coming!"
"Shouldn't be surprised!"
"Enough!" Twilight screamed. At that, it all seemed to stop.
Twilight caught her breath again. Her muscles relaxed and she felt herself on cold, smooth stone. She sighed, wiped tears from her eyes and dared to open them. There seemed nothing but darkness. She focused a good deal of her attention on maintaining her breathing so her chest wouldn't seize up again. She reached her front hooves out before her and felt around. There was only more cold stone.
Her eyes and hears adjusted and she herd a gale and violent storm far away and saw a wide plumage of twisting wind all around her. She seemed to be in the middle of a large twister. Everything seemed so lucid. She pulled herself up and peered around that empty place.
Then she saw the Harbinger in his decadence push his way through the contour of the twister far off in front of her. The black wind circled around him, and his exposed left eye was filled with what seemed like black steam. His dark tears streamed down the side of his face and his body twitched beneath his bandages.
Twilight shuddered but called out to him. "Harbinger!?"
He pulled closer to her and his twitching movements didn't seem real. Twilight bit her tongue in shock and fell back. He was in front of her now and leered over her. The twister began to move inward.
Twilight wiped her mouth and panted. "It's not real. It isn't real."
Harbinger slowly cocked his head to left, and she felt her head mirror his. He brought his head back up and bent it left. Hers followed. He leveled his head again and seemed to sport a wicked grin.
Twilight was speechless.
And so, attune to the noises of thunder, he spread his wings and lifted himself up into the air. Twilight Sparkle felt herself seize up as she rose up with him. The blackness leaked violently from Harbinger's eye as he cocked it to left again. His mouth fell open and ripped some of the bandages. It wasn't right. It was too wide, like his jaw wasn't attached correctly. 
The sounds of wind and thunder faded into the background before becoming completely inaudible. A bleak, chitinous lightning bolt shot up form Harbinger's horn and it spread to the twister. Everything began to spin. Twilight began to rotate with the harbinger revolving opposite of her so that he remain immediately across from her. She couldn't close her eyes. His remained on her.
Twilight's head and eyes stung. She felt a pain worming and slithering around her thoughts like track of a terrible sound. It felt like a harmony of chlorine rushing through her ears; like a bleak symphony stretching its rusted, melancholic strings across her body. 
To this noise, Harbinger chanted wearily, "Rain! Come down and fall forever…"
Heavy rain fell from the epicenter there. "Drain the dirt into the wasteland…"
Twilight was stiff and her mouth fell open. It was hard to breathe.
"Pray for sound to quiet the howling…"
'You could've avoided this.'
"Kneel to fade the day's corrosion."
'You didn't have to come here.'
"Crawl…depart onto perdition."
'All you would've had to do was wait.'
"Gray…upon the bruise within you…" 
'So afraid not to know. Couldn't let it be. Had to see it for yourself.'
Twilight felt sick to her stomach. 
'You could've just waited.'
"Feel ashamed to break! Feel afraid to wait forever!"  
Twilight fell into the same bleak darkness that had claimed the minds of so many others.