Something was different. Something had changed.
She wasn't certain when she had actually become aware of it but the merciless black was no longer spinning. A handful of stars, blurry through the frosted glaze of ice that had grown over her eye sockets, were visible just off center from what she could see. They appeared as nothing so much as a faint blush in the endless night sky, but they were real, and more importantly, they gave a point of reference.
She was no longer tumbling, and that made all the difference because if she were no longer turning, something must have happened.
-~oOo~-
The three princesses reappeared in what Twilight recognized as the antechamber to the Royal Treasury. White marble and golden accents littered the room while inlaid stonework gave counterpoint to the almost reckless use of precious metals in everything from floor tiles to the vault doors themselves. Were it any room save the Royal Canterlot Treasury, such decadence would have been hideously gaudy... here though, it was just another room with important contents.
While Twilight had visited the treasury prior, and had received a stipend for many years, she still took a moment to appreciate the careful work that had gone into the rooms construction. Where the average pony might see decoration, and socialites might see regality, Twilight Sparkle saw the combined efforts of weeks of back breaking labor fused with hundreds of hours of spellcraft that culminated in a room so secure that even Discord had trouble breaking in.
Even so, she had long ago spent days studying the spells and forms involved in its construction (a feat in and of itself), and had discovered a few methods of circumventing its safeguards. Having presented a paper detailing her findings, she had been dismayed several years later when it was discovered that the guard she had given the paper to had only paid, the then unicorn filly, lip service to her concerns and nothing had been done to correct the vaults shortcomings. Discord had been able to easily bypass the effects to obtain the Elements of Harmony... something that had quickly been addressed once he had been petrified once more.
Yet, despite the reworked spells, Celestia and Luna stepped away from the vault doors, walking purposefully down a servant doorway and towards a portion of the castle that Twilight, just now, realized she could not recall ever seeing before. Confusion bubbled up from some deep part of her as the notion sank in... she had explored the castle for years, literally walking over every inch of the structure, and mapping each hallway. She had found passages that had gone unnoticed for decades, even going so far as to rediscover the whereabouts of the original cistern used for heating the castles hot running water... something that a clever unicorn architect had hidden away in a pocket of folded space.
That she could have missed such an obvious hallway did not seem possible.
Then again, the Princesses were much older than any other living pony, and were renowned for their forethought. Perhaps Celestia had hidden some part of the castle away from even her most trusted of friends? Perhaps Celestia was only revealing this secret now because she had ascended to become a princess herself?
Were it not for the inquisitive glance from Princess Luna, Twilight might have squealed with glee at the thought of discovering something even the Princesses thought should remain secret. Probably.
Instead, the silent attention of Princess Luna brought back the memory of the reason for their current walk, and in turn, Twilight's thoughts shifted towards the more mundane task of crisis planning.
Whatever they were planning to summon was injured, crying for help with so much force that it had literally been heard across the stars. Medical supplies had been prepared, yes, but would they be enough? What kinds of injury could be so grievous that the victim would attract the attention of beings from another world? Would it even be able to be helped? Would it even be recognizable?
What if the Princesses were too late? What if she made a mistake? What if...
Twilight stopped dead in the hallway, the clattering of her hooves causing Celestia to look back and pause. "Twilight?"
"What if the reason it's in so much pain is that it was defeated?"
While Celestia seemed to consider the question, Luna's response was as quick and pointed as a rapier; "Would that such a thing be, such suffering as this would not instruct such a creature. Wouldst thou have us turn away and maintain its plight?"
Twilight grimaced at the rebuke but quickly stepped towards Luna as she worked the thought over in her head. "No... No, I don't mean we should let it suffer. We don't know what's wrong or how it happened, but I was just thinking that for something to be in such great pain, something big.... something truly powerful must have occurred.... and I just can't help but think that the thing that makes the biggest impact around here are the Elements. I doubt that being hit by them feels all too comfor-" Twilight's eyes suddenly blinked as she stammered out an apology, "I-I didn't mean... I didn't.... you... I'm sorry Princess... I just meant Discord or ...."
Princess Luna's features softened slightly. "Think naught of it. The Nightmare was a cruel and selfish being, I ... regret much of those times, but 'tis not the touch of the Elements that burns... their light so much as the.... realization of what it has cost others and oneself." Luna looked away, as if considering her words carefully, "Nay, for all Discord's dramatics, the Elements themselves are as gentle and loving as thine matron's loving embrace... 'tis the tearing and ravages of wickedness clinging to ones being that elicits such primal woe."
Luna's eyes flicked back to Twilight's, briefly glinting a faded green before she tentatively embraced the kingdom's youngest princess. "And 'tis something I bemoan not - for thine own care, we are returned."
Celestia, who had been silent during the exchange, softly cleared her throat as Luna released the smaller alicorn. "You are not incorrect Twilight, the creature may turn out to be wicked, dangerous, or suffering from a just punishment - these are things we cannot know right now, but it may also be the innocent victim of evil or even simple chance. What we do not know greatly outweighs what we do... and in such times, we must act with the weight of our conscience." Princess Celestia lifted her head a bit higher, a small smile tipping the edges of her lips. "And I would rather bring a monster here and have to resolve its actions amongst our own people than do nothing and cause a kind soul to languish in suffering and the apathy of despair."