That night Willow got even less sleep than the guards assigned to watch her. As the Moon made its way across the sky, Willow bounced all over the room, tidying up each and every plant and clearing the walkways of any and all dust or debris. She adjusted nearly every branch of every tree, as if each individual leaf was a fancy bowtie that had to be just so.
Willow’s unusual amount of energy served as a source of amusement for Trove and Whitehoof all the way until their relief came early the next morning. The daytime guards traded places with Whitehoof and Trove as well as Javelin and Sharpeye who were keeping watch on the outside. The four night guards bid Willow good night and wished her the best of luck with Princess Celestia, should she ever show.
Willow stopped her Spring cleaning of her very Spring-like accommodations only enough to bid them farewell and then she immediately resumed her self-assigned chores. Eventually, the only thing that looked messy in the entire room was the pony cleaning it up.
It had been so long since Willow had combed her mane that whether or not she would even remember how was debatable. Her tail and body were in even worse shape. Frayed hairs and knots abounded in addition to the dirty ends that had been dragging on the ground. There were also more than a few locks that were strained from being stepped on or tripped over by their owner. Such acts of clumsiness were very common to Willow, especially throughout this night.
Every once in a while in her panicked effort to beautify the already aesthetically-pleasing Greenhouse, Willow would stop and try to fix up some of her mane’s imperfections. However, these moments were always cut off immediately when her wandering eyes spotted yet another plant that bothered her in some way. At such a sight, she would instantly drop whatever beauty ritual she was attempting to start and rush towards the offending flora.
These many halted attempts at self-grooming in addition to running around the room like Pinkie Pie on expresso resulted in the Greenhouse looking more and more beautiful and its caretaker looking less and less so.
It wasn’t until well after the Sun became clearly visible through the transparent wall that Willow began grooming herself in earnest. She pulled at every knot, straightened every lock, and cleaned off every end. Granted, she had more success with some parts than others.
One knot in particular though, located halfway down her elongated right bang, became a particular obsession. She yanked at it with her teeth as hard as she could and pulled it in every direction possible, but it just wouldn’t budge. After countless vain attempts and several amused giggles from the onlooking guards, Willow assumed a battle-ready stance and took a deep breath. She stared intently and at the knot dangling just below her face like it was a mortal enemy. Then, like a cat pouncing on a mouse, she lunged at it and locked the knot in a death grip between her jaws.
Unfortunately, locking on to her own hair with such force while lowering her head so quickly caused her rear hooves to lift off the ground. Her body flipped into the air and sent her crashing down onto her back, her hair enveloping her. Willow now laid on the floor covered in hair, looking very much like a poorly-wound ball of yarn. She couldn’t see which guard was laughing.
However, the laughing stopped abruptly and it was instantly replaced with some very different noises coming from outside the doors. The Greenhouse’s watchmen stepped away in opposite directions in anticipation of the incoming party. Once the two external guards had finished pushing the doors open, the two internal ones faced the entrance and kneeled.
Princess Celestia held her head upright and her face straight as she gracefully stepped over the threshold. Once she was completely in the Greenhouse, the guards returned to their hooves. The Princess’s eyes scoured the room.
Not seeing what she expected, the Princess inquired aloud “Where...is Willow?”
“Um, I think she’s that wad of hair on the ground,” said another voice.
A single yellow eye popped out of the green mess. As soon as it confirmed the source of the second voice, Willow sprang to her hooves and shook the hair out of her face. “Smarty mare! You’re here!”
Twilight was standing right behind the Princess. “Long time, no see, huh Willow?” she joked.
“Yeah,” said Willow, chuckling.
“Well, I see you’ve been, um, active,” observed Twilight.
“Huh? Oh yeah!” said Willow eagerly. “I was just, uh, ya know, tidyin’ up ma’ pad,”
Twilight smirked, “Looks like it was a lot of work for you.”
Willow’s eyes widened. She quickly reached up and felt her hair. There were still knots all over the place, and they were now joined with new hairs that were now standing up when they weren’t supposed to.
“Uh, um, yeah. This is, uh, my new groove. Ya dig it?” Willow asked with an ill-confident expression as some loose hairs visibly bobbed up and down.
The Princess chuckled, “It’s alright, Willow. This isn’t the Grand Galloping Gala,” said the regal and well-groomed alicorn.
Willow jumped back, as if just now noticing that Celestia was there.
“And what a relief that is. I’m in no shape for it!” declared yet another voice.
Rarity came into view in the entryway. At first glance, she looked like her usual well-maintained self, but closer examination revealed that a great deal of haste had been applied to her appearance. Her makeup job lacked its usual precision and some parts of her routine had obviously been skipped entirely. Then there were her eyes, which were struggling to stay half opened.
“Oh, uh, hey there, Fancy mare!” greeted Willow with some hesitation. “You, uh, have a busy night too?”
Rarity was slow to respond. “Pardon? Oh, well, not at all, dear. It’s just that one isn’t usually awoken at this ghastly hour by a Princess and a purple Unicorn.” Her sentence was punctuated by a long, loud yawn. “I am glad to see you again, though.”
Willow smiled. “Me too, mare. Sorry, I didn’t mean for Smarty mare to drag you out of bed.”
Twilight laughed, “No, that’s all me. I just thought it would be nice if all of us were here. This could be a big day for you.”
“Uh, all of us?” inquired Willow.
“You heard ‘er right!” said another pony, this one with a familiar accent.
Entering the room just behind Rarity was Applejack, trotting at a pace that made the former pony’s stride look like a full gallop. She bared a smile at Willow as their eyes made contact, but she was having difficulties holding it up.
But while Applejack was busy holding up her face, Willow heard repeated grunts and groans coming from the hallway that sounded like somepony trying to hold up something much heavier.
The heaving revealed itself to be coming from Rainbow Dash as she very slowly and awkwardly hovered into Willow’s view. Her eyes and teeth were clenched and her entire body was strained. She was carrying a heavy object in her forelegs and she was nearly at her limit for doing so.
That object was Fluttershy, who was fast asleep.
As soon as the others made room, Rainbow Dash placed Fluttershy on the ground. Or rather, she just let the unconscious Pegasus slip out of her hooves.
Flutteshy hit the floor with a thud. The impact woke her up, but much more gradually than expected. She took her time getting up, stretching and yawning in the process, as though she was simply continuing where she left off from her bed that morning.
When her eyes finally opened, they quickly widened, “Oh, Willow! Um, aren’t you supposed to be at the Hospital?”
“We are at the hospital!” said Rainbow Dash loudly, “I’ve been carrying you since the train station!”
“Oh, um, that wasn’t a dream?” asked Fluttershy timidly.
The confident smile on Twilight’s face had been slowly eroding as her friends entered the room. Finally, she released it completely and sighed. “I’m sorry Willow. I thought everypony would be more excited.”
“We are, Twilight, we are,” said Applejack right before letting out another yawn. “We’re just still wakin’ up is all.”
“And I didn’t even try Spike,” added Twilight.
Willow laughed, “Well, I don’t know what y’all’s deal is. I’ve been up all night and I’m still groovy!”
“Me too!” shouted Pinkie Pie as she lunged at Willow out of complete nowhere and hugged her to the ground.
“Ow!” exclaimed Willow while laughing at the same time. “Hey there, Funny mare!” Pinkie’s embrace tightened. Willow let out a suffocating cough, “Uh, you can leggo now.” Pinkie quickly obliged and Willow returned to her hooves.
Stepping back, Willow saw how many ponies had come out to see her. She smiled. “Thanks, everypony, for real. Thanks fer comin’ out. It really helps with ma’ vibes.”
“Hey! Now what did I tell you about talking like that?” Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically.
“Heh, sorry Awesome mare, er, Rainbow,” Willow said correcting herself. Rainbow Dash had been meeting with her on occasion to discuss how to talk like “the cool ponies.” The pony from another era still wasn’t quite in the habit.
Willow turned to Princess Celestia. “So...whattaya think of the new necklace, uh, yer highness?” she asked as she stuck her neck out to make the collar more visible.
“...It looks fashionable at least,” replied the Princess hesitantly.
“You don’t have to lie,” said Twilight.
Celestia laughed. “Well what’s important is that it does what it is meant to do.” The Princess glanced behind at the doorway, “Where is Luna?”
“I am here, sister,” Princess Luna called out as she came into everypony’s view. She had been dragging her hooves even more so than the others. Granted, she looked more regal doing it. “Forgive me, I am not accustomed to staying awake this late.”
“Whoah, I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” said Willow greeting her latest guest.
“This is Princess Luna. She watches over the night as I the day,” explained Princess Celestia.
“Far out,” remarked Willow.
Luna suddenly let out a groan. “‘Far out?’ It is true what my sister has told me, then. You are certainly one of them.”
“Uh, one of who?” asked Willow.
“You were a Discordian before, were you not?” said Luna. She sighed, “They all spoke like that, very uncouth they were.”
“Sister!” Celestia shouted indignantly.
Luna closed her eyes and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry — Willow, is it? — I meant no offense.”
“None taken, Spooky mare,” said Willow accepting the dark Alicorn’s apology. Luna might have subtly rolled her eyes.
Princess Celestia turned to her sister. “Well, shall we begin?”
“Yes,” Luna confirmed.
“Uh, begin wha?” asked Willow with a raised eyebrow.
“We are going to perform a little test on you, Willow,” Celestia explained, “Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything and it won’t hurt.” The Princess turned to the other ponies in the room. “We need all of you to stand back,” she declared.
The six ponies obeyed, albeit some more quickly than others.
Princess Luna stepped forward and stood next to her sister. Willow’s eyes closed, her head sank and her teeth clenched as she prepared for a test she knew nothing about. The Princesses closed their eyes and each of their horns lit.
Within seconds, beams of light shot out of the horns, a blue light from Celestia’s and a purple from Luna’s. As soon as the lights connected with Willow’s head, a white canopy of magic spread out from the point of contact and engulfed the green pony’s entire body.
The two sisters held their lights steadily for several seconds. Eventually, Willow opened her eyes. Her body began to loosen. Princess Celestia hadn’t lied to her. There was no pain.
The Princesses focused their magic onto Willow for only a minute or two longer before their horns went dark and Willow was freed from their aura. Celestia and Luna opened their eyes and looked at each other. A strange silence followed, as if neither was sure if she should speak.
Willow, very cautiously broke that silence, “Uh...so what’s the story?”
Princess Celestia turned her head to Willow, then turned it to the others. “Could you please give us a moment in private?” Without waiting for a response. she and Luna separated from the other seven ponies and walked towards the other side of the Greenhouse. They stopped only after they were out of earshot of everypony else.
Willow and others could no longer hear the two royal ponies speak, but all of their eyes were fixed on the sisters’ lip movements. Not everypony can read lips, though.
“Uh, whattaya make of it, Smarty mare?” Willow whispered to Twilight.
“I-I can’t tell from here,” Twilight admitted.
“Do-do you think it’s bad?” asked Willow.
“Don’t worry, Willow,” Twilight assured the shaky pony, “It’s just a serious decision and they need to make sure they get it right.”
Twilight and Willow fell silent again and rejoined the others in watching Celestia and Luna. Neither Alicorn’s face showed any emotion. They were focused and serious, as if strategizing for an important battle. However, while certain ponies may have thought that the conversation lasted a lifetime, the Princesses’ discussion was in reality very brief.
After Princess Luna and Princess Celestia finished their private talk, they returned to the other ponies. The six other guests backed up towards the doorway to make room for them while Willow backed up in the opposite direction. The two Alicorns walked directly in front of Willow and slowly turned to face her.
Willow didn’t speak to them, although her gaping mouth suggested that she wanted to. She was frozen in place, her eyes wide open and gazing at her judges.
Those judges briefly looked at each other, nonverbally asking each other to start, but then switched back to facing the subject of their discussion.
“Willow,’ began Princess Celestia, “We have decided that you will not be released this day.”
Heavy gasps could be heard coming from all ponies in the room.
Willow looked like she was melting. Her body instantly sank, her head bowed and the disheveled hair on her head dripped to the ground.
Twilight spoke up, “What’s wrong?” she asked Princess Celestia. “Is the collar not strong enough?”
“I don’t know, Twilight.” said Princess Celestia plainly.
“And that’s precisely why we cannot authorize her release,” Princess Luna added.
“Our test was inconclusive,” Celestia continued, “Neither of us detected any dark power per se, but her life energy is still...very strange, volatile.”
“I have never sensed anything like it before,” commented Luna.
Willow’s shoulders were visibly twitching and while her head was obscured by her vine-like hair, the sounds of her sniffling made clear her feelings.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack gathered around her. Rarity and Fluttershy each put a hoof on one of Willow’s shoulders. Twilight stood in front of her with her head bowed.
“I’m so sorry, Willow,” Twilight offered, “I know how much you were looking forward to this.”
“Don’t ya’ll fret none, though,” added Applejack, “this ain’t the end. Princess Celestia just needs more time.” She looked up at the two sisters, “...that right?”
“That is correct,” Luna acknowledged.
“Yes. I simply don’t feel comfortable enough letting her go at this time,” said Princess Celestia. “She only received the collar last night and I’m unable to tell if it solves her problem completely. I feel —,” she paused, then continued, “— I feel that she should stay confined a while longer, this time with the collar on. If there are no further incidents, then I will deem it safe to release her.”
“Um, how long were you thinking, Princess Celestia?” asked Fluttershy gently.
Celestia and Luna looked at each other briefly, then turned back to their inquirer. “30 days,” said Luna.
“Did you hear that, darling?” asked Rarity, her hoof still on Willow’s shoulder. “You only have to wait 30 more days. You’ve already been cooped up here far longer. You could handle that little more, couldn’t you?”
The sniffling coming from underneath Willow’s green hair slowed. “I...guess so..,” she stammered.
“That’s the spirit!” encouraged Twilight. “That’s no time at all! It’ll be over before you know it.”
“Ooo! Can we make it 27 days?” blurted out Pinkie Pie at the two Alicorns.
“Why 27, Pinkie Pie?” asked Celestia.
“Because that’s the day of the Canterlot Garden Gallop!” Pinkie exclaimed. “It would be a super-awesome way to celebrate her coming-out-of-the-Greenhouse!”
Princess Celestia smiled. “I hadn’t thought of that. I suppose it would. Very well, 27 days!”
“Woo-hoo!” shouted Pinkie Pie as bounced in place repeatedly
“Wait wait..” said Willow as she regained her composure and shook the hair out of her face, “the Garden Gallow? That don’t sound too groovy.”
“Willow!” shouted Rainbow Dash.
“Uh, cool,” said Willow, correcting herself once again.
“No! the Garden Gallop, silly!” said Pinkie to Willow while still bouncing up and down on a nonexistent trampoline.
“It’s a mighty nice parade,” explained Applejack, “All of the Canterlot gardenin’ and flower shops make floats outta their stock and show ‘em off to everypony. The Apple family is helpin’ out with the Fruit House’s float, uh, naturally I guess.”
“Am I’m tending to the float for Lady Flora’s Flower Boutique.” added Rarity.
“I’m working on the float for Graceful’s Greenery,” declared Fluttershy.
“You don’t say,” said Willow, “That sounds like somethin’ I could wrap with you on!”
“Oh, um, I don’t know…” Fluttershy stammered, “Have you ever arranged greenery before?”
Willow smirked, “You trippin’, Critter mare? Did you notice the Greenhouse this morn’?”
Fluttershy looked around the room. “It’s...very pretty here,” she admitted.
“That’s ‘cuz I was up all night dressin’ ‘er up!” Willow boasted.
“Oh my! Well, I guess that’ll do,” conceded Fluttershy. She smiled at Willow, but then, she backpedaled, “Oh, but how are you going to work on it while you’re stuck here?”
Willow thought for a moment, then turned to Princess Celestia, “Is there any way Critter mare and I can set up shop here, at least during the day or somethin’?”
The Princess pondered for a moment herself, then answered “I suppose that could work as long as the guards were here.”
“Far out!” said Willow. She turned back to Fluttershy and winked. “Maybe it’ll give us more time to work on our Rain Forest idea.”
Fluttershy smiled and nodded.
“That’s great!” said Twilight to Willow, “Maybe this way 27 days won’t seem so long since you’ll have something to do.”
“That’s what I figured,” said Willow, “Hey, speakin’ of which, whatta ya’ll doin’ for the parade?”
“Well, I’m a little too busy to work on a float,” Twilight explained, “but I am helping plan the parade route.”
“And I’m doing what Pegusi do best,” said Rainbow Dash, “keeping the skies clear!”
“Groov—er, uh, awesome!” said Willow, catching herself once again almost uttering one of Rainbow Dash’s forbidden words.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, Willow spotted another pony that had been strangely quiet this whole time. She turned her head and looked at Pinkie Pie.“Uh, do I wanna ask what you’re workin’ on for the parade?”
“Chocolate!” shouted Pinkie Pie as she pulled a chocolate figurine of a pony out of thin air. “I’m doing the float for Merry’s Marvelous Malts!”
Willow raised an eyebrow, “Uh, don’t sound like it jives with the theme. I thought the parade was about flowers n’ plants ‘n stuff.”
“Coco’s a plant!” declared Pinkie Pie.
“Hmmm, touché, Funny mare,” Willow conceded.
The ponies continued in conversation for some time, but eventually the talk came to a lull and each pony realized that she had matters to attend to. They all said their goodbyes to Willow and Fluttershy told her that she would talk to her later about the details of their project.
Soon, the party of eight ponies exited the room and the guards shut the double doors behind them. While the six citizens of Ponyville lead the way towards the hospital’s exit, Princesses Luna and Celestia trailed a few steps behind.
“What if she knows?” asked Princess Luna.
“What do you mean?” Princesss Celestia asked in reply.
“What if Despise is still inside Willow and is aware of what you just told her?” said Luna. “She could simply wait 27 days and then overtake Willow as soon as we release her.”
“According to everypony who’s dealt with Despise,” explained Celestia, “she’s nothing but a mindless brute. I don’t think she would be clever enough to plan something like that. I believe that Despise will emerge the moment she is able.”
“If she’s even still inside Willow at all,” added Luna.
“Indeed,” said Celestia. “Hopefully, Twilight’s collar has performed its task and Despise is only a bad dream now.”
As they neared the exit of the hospital, Princess Luna looked contemplative. “A bad dream…” she muttered.