Manaburn Frailty
Once again, from an age long past that only few can recall, a death-dealing shadow skulks and creeps; a terrifying cycle that thought has been put to rest.
A dimly lit candle, lonely and troubled, is caught in the encroaching shadow's shade.
It burns as it should, but it is fleeting, dwindling to mere embers; ashen-cold and dying.
The shadow's blighted hold, yet tight and restricting, yet fierce and determined, struggles to control the destiny of the candle.
Harmonic voices from above vigorously shout to the candle, hoping to rekindle its fading light.
The candle, though weak and perishing, will not go quietly.
"What's the current condition of the stallion?" Princess Celestia asked as she strode hurriedly to the cells in Canterlot Castle.
An earth pony, a doctor, struggled to quicken his steps to keep up with Princess Celestia. "The prisoner-"
Princess Celestia gave a harsh scowl at the doctor as he quickly reeled back what he said.
"I-I mean the patient is currently stable, but he has shown signs to have... fluctuations regarding his behavior," the doctor explained. "Marking the sixth day after the Tirek Incident, the patient is observed to have horrible recurring nightmares, random fits of violence, and mental degradation which has allowed him to not be fully aware of his actions. The subject had displayed... panic and unrest when completely solitary and-"
"Has he been eating daily? Are the guards rotating correctly?" Princess Celestia implored, cutting off the doctor. He told her that the subject hardly ate, but the guards have been rotating per to her orders. "At least it isn't all bad. What of the status of the families?"
The doctor scratched his head, saying, "The families he assaulted are fine, for the most part, and have shown no desire to press charges if what you said was true," he replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "Princess Celestia, I know you think that he hasn't done anything wrong, but..."
Princess Celestia let out a frustrated groan and rubbed her head. "I've gone over this with everypony for days, and I expect that them, including you, would place their trust in me. Does the validity of the sickness that I speak truly garner such vexing skepticism? Honestly, what have I ever said in the past to result in my subjects doubting me?"
The doctor cleared his throat and continued to wipe the sweat off his face. "I do believe you, it's just that... it hasn't been seen for quite some time."
Princess Celestia and the doctor trailed down a spacious flight of stairs leading deep within the castle. "I know but having your magic rupture your body is a serious matter, whether he's faking it or not. When are my niece and Twilight going to arrive?"
The doctor straightened his glasses before saying, "Both princesses should arrive in five minutes."
Princess Celestia finally cracked a smile after days of concern and frustration. "Good," she says softly.
The ponies made it to the base of the stairs and looked forward, seeing a large corridor with twenty jail cells lined up from the left and right. Dark but well-lit, extremely comfortable, and clean, the jail cells haven't seen much use since the old days of Equestria and now served as nothing more than relics of an old era. All were empty as expected, except for one.
There was a door at the end of the corridor, and the two ponies entered it as another corridor, though much smaller, led to another door where the patient resides. Bright, yet somehow sheltered gloom, the cell door was black and bolted from all sides. Rune symbols of magic served as seals that were meticulously etched into the door's withering frame that suppressed magic of the captive from the inside and doubled as a sound barrier.
A therapist was seen lolling next to another door that led into an observation booth; strands of her mane hung loosely over her countenance. Laying on the floor to the left of the patient's door, Princess Celestia saw her sister, Princess Luna, who was panting and being comforted by four guards. She was weary as her horn glowed faintly from overuse after another dream session with the patient. To the right was a table littered unprofessionally with various medical tools and medicine. The therapist is seen slowly shaking her head back and forth, mirroring Princess Luna's fatigue.
Quickly, Princess Celestia and the doctor approached the two ponies as the mares weakly gave smiles. The guards were promptly dispatched.
"Luna, are you okay?" Princess Celestia embraced her sister as she did the same. "How did the session go?"
Princess Luna broke the hug and looked away, almost in shame. "I am fine... and little progress was made," she regretfully whispered, sighing tiredly; the poor alicorn was exhausted. "His dreams are trying, but I am easing myself through the... ordeal."
Princess Celestia's expression turned grim; she loathed watching her sister push herself. "You haven't slept in days. Take a rest," she pleaded.
Princess Luna snorted. "I can go a few more days," she vehemently retorted, but her aching body said otherwise. "If I could just break through these walls, I know I can help him. After what had transpired, I must help him."
Princess Celestia just sighed and hugged her sister once more before turning to the therapist. "How is he?"
The therapist, Jorah, merely continued to shake her head. "He's unstable, having violent... tendencies to do others harm, and he has very, very dark thoughts of self-destruction," she said, her voice shaking as she proceeded. "Just before you arrived and after Princess Luna took a break, the stallion woke up and went into a fit of rage. He... battered his head against the bars recklessly and lost consciousness. The yelling, the... ringing of the bars as he slammed against them..." Jorah took a deep breath. "I... I-I need to leave. I'll be back tomorrow."
Princess Celestia bid farewell to the troubled therapist, followed by the doctor who was ordered to leave as well. Shortly after, Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance arrived, both holding glum expressions. Princess Celestia greeted the two alicorns and began to explain what has happened so far.
Twilight took in a long intake of air and exhaled. "Has Sùnde made any progress?"
Though tired, Princess Luna nodded. "He has, but it's sparse and nearly negligible," she told the purple alicorn, forcing herself off the floor. "Barriers are erected inside his mind to attempt to stymie my advances. Even as he slumbers, where he should be the most vulnerable, his mind is stronger than I had originally perceived, and it's been a very... trying experience."
Princess Celestia turned to Cadance with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Cadance, are you ready to open his heart again?"
Princess Cadance was reluctant. "The times I've done it before made little change, and each time I do it he gets more resistant. No pony should feel what he's feeling. It's scary..."
Twilight stepped in, holding a clipboard with various pages. "Before we go any further, let us review what we know about our lanky stallion so far. Our subject's name is Sùnde Roofer, a merchant who moved from Saddle Arabia to Canterlot to officially start his business selling his wares. He is an orphan, twenty years of age, and has a black mane and dark blue coat. He bears various miscellaneous items as his cutie mark.
"Sùnde sells exotic spices and clothing attire fashioned after his homeland. Our stallion dislikes being alone and will actively seek out companionship to meet that need by any means that we know of, which is, through some information I had gathered, why he is a shopkeeper. Up until six days ago, Sùnde has never had violent or depressive episodes; he is generally, from what information I could dig up from the citizens in Canterlot who spoke highly of him, a pleasant pony and has never shown malice or enacted any crime whatsoever.
"As we know from this information, Mr. Roofer is a normal unicorn with certain needs that has to be filled or he is viable to experience a panic attack, an issue most likely from his youth. In the aftermath of Tirek's rampage, all the magic he stole safely returned to the ponies that had it taken away, but as we know, that isn't fully the case with Mr. Roofer, unfortunately.
"As Princess Celestia can attest, this phenomenon Mr. Roofer is experiencing is what's called "Manaburn," an archaic term used to describe a pony whose magic is harming them on a deep physical and mental level. It disrupts the magic flowing in the veins, making it go haywire, and in turn, not only causes internal pain, but the recipient is prone to experience violent convulsions. The process is equivalent of being slowly burned in flames...
"This was, unfortunately, a common symptom found in both fillies and colts during their magic surges many centuries ago. Additionally, it was more likely for this oddity to be developed in youth who couldn't properly control their magic. Sùnde Roofer is one of these extremely rare cases, but there's a twist with our subject.
"The magic that returned to Mr. Roofer is his own, but it was volatile, and his body wasn't prepared to deal with such unruly magic. It gravely damaged his psyche upon entry, resulting in the rapid deterioration we have witnessed. If this continues to persist as is, the unstable magic will shatter Mr. Roofer's mind and body, and lead to the destruction of his life from the inside.
"The only way to help him is for Mr. Roofer to reel the magic in and control it properly, but he can't because his mental state has been affected greatly. If we can mend it, Mr. Roofer should have the mental fortitude to reign in his magic. We need him to calm down and think clearly, but as Princess Luna can explain, that isn't easy. Even if we succeed, the recovery process will be agonizingly slow and there might be a chance Mr. Roofer could lose his grip on the magic, and then it's back to square one.
"So, I propose an idea: Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and I will enter his dreams to remove these walls. Whilst doing that, Cadance will use her love magic to keep Mr. Roofer in a comatose state; he needs to be calm. That should prevent him from lashing out while Princess Luna is concentrating. She should be able to allow us to manipulate his dream, if only slightly. These nightmares are the walls to his problem. They must be removed if there is any hope of saving Mr. Roofer from Manaburn and ending his life. Is everypony ready?" The other princesses nodded their heads.
The four princesses steeled themselves and entered through the door to confront Mr. Roofer. As the princesses filed in, their eyes bask at a lonely, damaged cell stained with faint remnants of Mr. Roofer's blood. The cell itself was dark and it had a slight tangy odor. The mares inched themselves closer to the cell until they saw a dull figure lying motionless on the floor.
Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. "Is he dead?" she asked with concern.
Princess Luna shook her head. "No," she replied. "He's awake."
"But why is he just... laying there like that?"
"It seems his... depression has taken over," Princess Celestia said worryingly.
Cadance stepped forward, her horn glowing pink. "Ready everypony?"
"Wait," Twilight said quickly. "We have to let him know what's happening or he might lash out during the process." Twilight tapped on the bars gently. "Mr. Roofer? It's me, Twilight Sparkle, and I'm with the other princesses. Can you sit up for me please?" Sadly, Mr. Roofer was unresponsive. "Mr. Roofer," Twilight said with a bit more volume. "Sit up for me."
That seemed to rile the stallion as he began sitting on his flank, but his head was drooped to the floor. A warm glow from Twilight's horn revealed the ailing stallion in all his misery: his matted, dark blue face displayed fatigue, his usual emerald eyes were sadly replaced by a dull gray, and his once black mane was unkempt and drained of color.
What glumly sat before the four princesses was a pitiful victim of Manaburn; a despondent, broken husk of a pony, but even still, no matter how depressing it looked, he was alive and breathing. To the princesses, that was all they needed.
From the ailing stallion, a low mumble escaped his lips.
Perplexed, Twilight said, "Speak up, Mr. Roofer. I didn't hear you."
"How long?" Sùnde weakly whispers, his voice ragged and shot. "How much longer will you keep me down here?"
Although she has tried to stay positive, Twilight Sparkle's expression shifted to sorrow as she sighed from hearing Mr. Roofer's dejected words. "Mr. Roofer... Sùnde, you aren't well right now. I and the princesses have come up with a plan to help you... but we can't unless you cooperate."
Sùnde slowly raised his head and blankly stared at the Friendship Princess. "I don't want to be here anymore," he said softly. He was so quiet that the mares had to swivel their ears in his direction. "It's too much; you can end this. Please... just..."
"No," Princess Luna abruptly announced, her gaze stern. "We will not elicit such a heinous transgression. We will remove these nightmares that plague you, that I promise. You have to let us in!"
Sùnde shifted his exhausted gaze to the floor. "What's the point?" he asked wearily. "I'm just going to die here anyway."
Twilight shook her head. "Listen to me, Sùnde. If this works, we can save you, don't you want that?"
Sùnde's colorless eyes squinted. "My life is over. I assaulted those ponies. I... I can't control myself anymore, it's too overwhelming..."
"They offered to not press charges if your ailment is cured," Princess Celestia said. "And I'll personally oversee your life is properly back in order, but I can't do that if you don't cooperate. I've seen this before... too many times to count, but you can be saved. Trust us. Please."
Mr. Roofer shook his head, not wanting to believe their honeyed words. He was so tired and miserable. He has nowhere else to go. His magic shut him down, working against him, tearing up his psyche. It was all too much to take, and those sleek drops of sorrow began to trickle down his grieve-stricken countenance. He clenched his teeth with all the might he could muster, grinding them against each other; he struggled so desperately to not wail. He just wanted everything to stop: the pain, the fear, the sadness.
"I just... want this to end," he sniffled, his fresh tears shattering on the floor. "Fine," he uttered coldly. "Do what you want with me..."
Although they got the answer they were seeking, the way Sùnde said it with such emptiness unsettled them greatly, but the princesses have a job to do, and it was time to get to work.
Cadance's horn glowed as it grafted Sùnde's heart and lulled his mind into unconsciousness. Deftly knocked out, Mr. Roofer slumped to the floor as Princess Luna's horn illuminated, taking her, her sister, and Twilight Sparkle into the depths of his mind.
Sùnde Roofer's Dreamscape...
The mares materialized into a black space, landing on a cold surface with echoing thuds. It was eerie and quiet, the mares veering around the murky blackness for any signs of Mr. Roofer. Then, slowly, a figure appeared in view. It was Mr. Roofer hunching in a dejected stance. Quickly, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Twilight rushed over to him, but large shadows barred their path.
The outlines were of ponies lanky and tall with bright white smiles. They corralled around Sùnde and danced like deranged jesters before swiping at the mares. Princess Luna was able to block the attack with a barrier spell, but the force of those creatures violently pushed her away, sending Princess Celestia and Twilight with her. The alicorns slid across the black surface before skidding to a stop.
"Luna," Princess Celestia cried out urgently. The blue alicorn was coughing and gasping for air. "What's wrong?!"
Her sister shook it off quickly. "Those things are the wall," she said weakly, struggling to stand. "We need to purge these aberrations fast."
Princess Celestia scowled at the haunting figures. "What are they exactly?"
"Trauma Imps," Twilight Sparkle said, leaning next to Princess Luna without taking her eyes off the creatures. "Taking the form of our fellow equestrian, these inimical freaks are attracted to trauma and feed off of the pony's painful experiences. Once these malicious monstrosities latch onto a pony, they begin exacerbating that pony's trauma with negative emotions.
"Usually, ponies with trauma can suppress or even remove these meddling monstrosities through extensive therapy, but because of Manaburn and Mr. Roofer's unstable magic, they roam free in his mind; they can induce nightmares. Luckily, they are quite susceptible to magic. We must get rid of them quickly if we are to begin Sùnde's healing process."
"But how," Princess Luna asserted. "No matter how hard I attempt to vanquish these harrowing horrors, they continue to stand resolute!"
"We can't force them to go away," Twilight muttered with a glum expression. "Sùnde has to. We know Sùnde wants to be around other ponies because something happened in his childhood to create such an issue. He could have been isolated for a good majority of his life; one of the creatures could represent that."
Princess Celestia's eyes narrowed. "His loneliness... but what about his aggressiveness?"
"Mr. Roofer could have been tormented and taunted by others, and all that abuse manifested into anger and resentment, but as we know, Sùnde is a joyous pony; he doesn't like violence," Princess Luna explained. "Manaburn has caused his smoldering hate to be free, and that's why he would lash out."
"But there is a third one," Princess Celestia pointed out. "We ruled out hate and depression, so what does the other dark figure be?"
Twilight Sparkle sighed. "Self-hatred...?"
"All the more reason to purge those evil aberrations! Twilight, sister, to me!" The other alicorns rallied next to Princess Luna. "We'll overwhelm one of them, deal with the problem, and move on to the next. When one is weakened, one of us interacts with that trauma, I don't care who it is, while the other two fend off the others. Understood?!"
"Got it," Twilight said, her horn beaming purple.
"Ready!" Princess Celestia's horn began to glow brightly as her wings opened.
"We charge the left one," Princess Luna ordered. "Let us free Sùnde of this haunting nightmare. Go, together!"
All three alicorns flew into the dark sky and blitzed one of the imps. Princess Celestia reared her head back and shot forth a torrent of white magic missiles that collide with the Trauma Imps, causing it to stagger and echo out a groan. She then coated her body in a golden light and struck the monstrosity, forcing the creature to fall to the black surface with a large thud.
The other imps retaliated, rising their hooves to the air in an attempt to slam them on the white alicorn, however, Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle cast shields to counter the attack. The force of the hooves pushed Twilight and Luna to the ground, but they maintained the shields with as much power as they could muster.
"Sister," Princess Luna called out, "interact with the beast post haste! Help Sùnde reign his depression, Twilight and I will make sure the other imps don't interrupt you!"
Princess Celestia nodded. As she studied the fallen body of the imp, something from the corner of her eyes slowly appeared. She turns to Sùnde lumbering over to the alicorn like a zombie and sits beside her. Then, a rift materialized over the fallen imp's body and Princess Celestia saw a distraught colt weeping over his mother in... a hospital bed.
"This was the worst day of my life," Sùnde suddenly spoke, his chilling voice startling Princess Celestia. "I had just gotten home from school only for my father to inform me that my mother was in the hospital. With no time to lose, he grabbed me and shot toward the establishment. We were guided to the room they held her, and I saw my mother laying almost still while staring out a nearby window.
"Father and I rushed over to comfort her. She was pale and cold; her auburn-colored mane lost that wonderful shine, and her coat was dull and gray. I saw her look at me with those beautiful blue eyes, and she smiled. She smiled at me, that's all she did. My parents exchanged words before my mother asked my father to stand outside the door while she talked to me. It was then I heard those words..."
Princess Celestia draped a wing over Sùnde's back to comfort him. "What did she say?"
"'I'm not going to make it,' she told me. My mother was always sick, no amount of medicine or spiritual healing could quell what ailed her; whatever she had there was no way of ridding it. I knew that my birth made her worse. As she lay on her deathbed, she made me promise to stay strong after her passing, that she wouldn't be there to protect me, but always in my heart. I tried to keep that promise.
"After she died, days at school felt dull and long. I couldn't focus on my work. I had no friends, and I was bullied every day. Eventually, after something... terrible happened, I gave up and dropped out, to help my father run the business, but he was never the same after mother died. It took a long time to be happy again, to have a future, but here I am... dying from some sickness. By the Sun, I want to give up so badly..."
Princess Celestia lowered her head to meet Súnde's tired eyes. "Are you?"
It took a few seconds for Súnde to reply. "Princess Twilight was pretty adamant about helping, so who am I to say no? If there is truly a chance... perhaps it's worth the hassle. I just don't know..."
"Súnde, I promise you with all my being to get you back on your hooves," Princess Celestia said. "Don't give up yet, your mother wouldn't want you to."
Súnde Roofer chuckled. "Yeah, she'd tell me to get right back up and buck life in the face. I guess I can't see her yet. Have you ever felt like this?"
Princess Celestia looked at the moving image of a colt crying over his dead mother. "I have... many times," she answered quietly. "When you are my age, you see a myriad of things, and scarcely would they be anything decent. I have seen ponies like you who have succumbed to the sickness, friends that I considered family. It breaks my heart seeing you like this, Súnde, but if I can save you, then all of this will have been worth it."
Súnde Roofer sighed as the imp began to dissipate into nothingness. "And so, the struggle continues," he says aloud.
A loud screech grabs Princess Celestia's attention as she witnesses her sister fall to the ground due to fatigue. Her shield disappears and Twilight Sparkle couldn't keep the other imps away; her shield gets shattered as well, and the purple alicorn kneels to the surface.
Quickly, Princess Celestia engulfed herself in a flood of yellow light and blitzed around her sister and her faithful friend, conjuring a powerful barrier spell that kept the two imps at bay. The Sun Goddess skids to a halt and helps Luna and Twilight off the surface.
"One of the Trauma Imps is gone," Her Radiance informs. Her news got the two other alicorns smiling.
"This is working," Princess Luna uttered happily. "We must keep going!"
Twilight agreed with a nod. "I'll help Celestia keep the two imps at bay while you assist Sùnde with his anger. Let's go!"
Princess Celestia dropped the barrier as she and the other alicorns break away, narrowly avoiding the imps' strikes. Twilight joins her former mentor in separating one of the Pillars from one another by using an incredible wave of magic that sent one of the monsters flying into the black space before landing with a resounding crash. Meanwhile, Princess Luna, through tremendous strain, was able to topple one of the imps to the dark surface by using a large magical lance that had pierced through the creature's torso.
While victorious over the beast, Luna nearly yelped when she suddenly saw Sùnde Roofer sitting next to her. Steadying her rapidly beating heart, Princess Luna says, "Súnde, we are close to mending what ails you. Tell me: What memory does this creature occupy?"
An image of a young colt surrounded by bigger ponies came into view in the form of a storm cloud. The young colt was panting with a blackened right eye and several bruises across his body. School supplies were littered around him, and ponies laughed and mocked the colt.
"I never liked fighting," Sùnde says darkly, his eyes fixated on the painful image. "Hurting others for fun or some other reason, good or not, I didn't like it. When my mother died, it just got worse and worse as the days went by.
"You know why they picked on me? It's because I was frail and emotionally distraught; I was weak in their eyes, and like sharks that smelled blood in the water; they swam toward me without mercy. They didn't care how I felt or what I was going through, why would they? All they saw was a motherless little foal that was a perfect outlet for their sick games.
"They hurt me, Luna. They hurt me and enjoyed it. They teased and laughed at me mercilessly, spouting terrible insults in my ears. They loved every second of it."
Princess Luna draped her wing over Sùnde's back and pulled him close to her. "What happened after? What did you do?"
Sùnde's eyes were glossy but they had a fiery glare to them. "I snapped," he simply said looking down at his shaking hooves. "I lost control. I fought back, ignoring my pain. I was only concerned with taking out all my pent-up emotions on them.
"I lashed at them like a rabid dog, I pummeled their faces one by one until they were on the ground weeping for their parents. I screamed and yelled; I have never been so angry... never felt so primal. I wanted to rip out their throats with my teeth, I wanted to tear their wings and break off their horns. I wanted to so desperately... to make them feel my suffering, cry the tears I shed every single night; I wanted them to drown in the same sorrow I was in. But then... but then..."
"Then what?" Luna whispered. Her soothing voice calmed Sùnde a little.
"I stopped," he muttered, trying to steady his breathing. "I took a step back and saw what I had done. Three colts with bruised, messed up faces... fresh blood staining the ground, the sounds of them coughing and crying. I had realized that I almost murdered my classmates. I took another step back at the horror I almost committed and cried. I didn't like what I did. I wept louder than those three bullies combined. I thought about my mother and how I nearly sullied her memory mere months after her death.
"I cried so hard I passed out. When I came to, I was home snuggled deep within my bed. It was around that time I dropped out of school. Princess Luna... What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing is wrong with you, it's the situations you were thrust into with little say," the alicorn told the distraught stallion. "Your foalhood was stolen away through terrible events I would never wish upon any other pony. I do not blame you for lashing out when you did. I'm glad you stood up for yourself even if the way that it happened wasn't to your liking.
"This beautiful world can be a horrible place for many creatures, Sùnde. Although you were thrown into the worst situations imaginable, you came out of it a stronger pony. Until now, you never raised your hoof to any creature without reason, you faced the day with a smile and friendly wave. You were able to find some measure of peace to balance your future with your past, and I am proud of you for that. I'm sure your mother is as well."
Sùnde inched himself closer to Luna. He looked at her with those faded eyes and raised a question that caught the alicorn off guard. "Are you... happy with your position as co-ruler of Equestria? Honestly, are you okay with sharing... y'know, not being the one to rule it all?"
It took a minute for Princess Luna to answer. A long sigh escaped her lips as her eyes wandered to the opaque darkness above. "I will not lie to you, Sùnde. Some days I feel as if I don't matter or that I don't exist. My sister has taken my place ever since my banishment and she has done quite well to shoulder both burdens.
"When we... I came back, I was feared by the ponies I swore to love and protect. They were stressed when looking at my visage. Around every corner was a face either contorted with fear or even hatred for who I am and what I've done, but even still I tried my best to win over their favor, to be an icon that is to be loved instead of feared.
"There are times we... I wonder if things would be better if I disappeared. As far as I'm concerned, it worked for a thousand years. And yet, here I am, sitting in a dreamscape desperately trying to help a pony while being on the cusp of collapsing from exhaustion."
"What if you won?" Sùnde wondered. Princess Luna gazed at the sickly stallion with a questioning look. "What if you became the ruler you wanted to be back then?"
Luna, like any pony, had desires and wants. Back then, the alicorn let her spite and jealousy take over her sense of self, leaving the alicorn lost. It took her a few seconds to answer Sùnde's question, but the reticence of what should be a quick, easy, and just answer revealed everything.
"The night would rule for all eternity, ponies and creatures kneel to my will, leaving none to challenge me," Princess Luna answered. As much as she hated to admit it, the desire to rule everything gnawed at the innermost corners of her mind.
"However," she said, "I would be alone; no one would love me. I would be on a cold, dusty throne in the darkness with nothing but my thoughts. I would be alone in the dark, thinking to myself if this was truly what I wanted. I would look around an empty throne room and doubt myself and regret my decision.
"There is a part of me that will always want Equestria, but... that would only lead to depression and the end of my life. I am content with my standing in this world, Sùnde. Things have been looking up for me, and I would never change it now."
The figure of the imp slowly dissipated into nothingness before Princess Luna's very eyes. Excited, she turns to Sùnde to see a distant but hopeful look on his face.
Sùnde sighs and gets up. "You guys are truly trying to save me, huh?"
"Of course," Princess Luna said vehemently. Her wings jut out with hope and confidence surging through her body. "It is my job to help my ponies, Sùnde. I won't let this sickness claim you; I will not cease until you are fully cured of your aliment, that I promise you!"
"Thanks," he said quietly. "You've given me more than enough to think about."
Princess Luna smiled and placed her hoof on Sùnde's face. "If you ever need me, call for me in your dreams and I will stay with you as long as you need."
Sùnde nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
A deep bellow cuts the heartwarming conversation short as the third and last imp randomly flailed recklessly. The attack smacked Princess Celestia to the dark surface with a loud crash. Princess Luna tried to help by manifesting a large lance, but she quickly fell to the ground, her body nearly reaching its limit. The lunar princess saw the monster raise its hoof to flatten her sister, but it never got the chance as a ginormous beam of magic collides with the back of the Trauma Imp's neck, sending it to the ground with a boom. Twilight came into view and Princess Luna yelled out her thanks as she crawls to comfort her sister.
Twilight Sparkle landed on the dark surface with a grunt as she attempted to steady her balance; that flood of magic weakened the purple alicorn. She trots to the giant body and sighs in relief. She then catches something in the corner of her eye and whips around to see Sùnde sitting next to her.
Sùnde's ghost-like presence unnerved Twilight, but she shrugged it off and sat with the stallion. With Princess Luna slowly losing consciousness and Princess Celestia nearly out of commission, it was up to Twilight to witness Sùnde's self-hatred.
The stallion turns to the mare and gives her a shadow of a smile. "I... appreciate your willingness to help me, Princess Twilight, I do. It's been quite straightforward to persuade a pony when they yearn for the same thing you do."
Twilight gave him a small reassuring smile. "As a princess of this nation, it is my duty and pleasure to help you, Sùnde. I won't give up on you, you can trust my word on that."
Sùnde chuckled lightly and stared at the fallen creature in front of him. An image of a stallion traveling the sands of Saddle Arabia is seen.
"You got friends?" Sùnde asks the purple princess.
"Yes, I do," she answers. "The best group of friends a mare could ever ask for; I wouldn't trade them for the world. What about you? From what I've heard, you're a pretty good pony to be around."
Sùnde chuckled. "Is that so?" he questioned. "I'm just a nice stallion. I don't have any friends."
Princess Twilight frowned. "Why not?"
Sùnde sighed and continued to gaze at the floating image. "I was never fit for friends. Every creature I met was just an associate or some passerby that I seldom delved into conversation with, but I could never call them friends, though I got many visits.
"As a colt, I knew I wasn't cut out for friends because I always kept to myself, and with all the events that transpired during my time at school; I never once tried, truly, to make a friend. Even when I got older and left my home to pursue a meager lifestyle as a shopkeeper in Canterlot, I never grew out of this line of thinking."
"Sùnde... why didn't you try?" Twilight asks. "With everything I heard, I'm quite skeptical that you would say something like this."
"I was afraid of making friends," Sùnde answered regretfully. "When I dropped out of school, I often locked myself away from the world and I only came out when my father needed help running the business, which was rare."
Twilight placed her hoof over Sùnde's withers with a dreadfully concerned face. "Sùnde, why would you be afraid of making friends?"
Sùnde shied from Twilight's worried gaze, as if embarrassed. "I... feared what others would think of me, so I never tried. It wasn't just my fear, but also the fear of expectation and managing a social life with a group of creatures; it wouldn't just be me anymore, I would have to let others into my life, and that terrified me.
"I was scared of being judged and disparaged. All these thoughts of everything that could go wrong, these... scenarios... frightened me to no end. For the longest time, I managed to nearly convince myself I was unfit for anything special like that."
Twilight scooched herself close to Sùnde's side and nuzzled him. "Do you want friends?"
Sùnde was silent for a good while, but then he says, "Maybe... but I truly don't know yet. I'm not quite adept at having something like that."
Though the alicorn was saddened by the stallion's answer, she musters up a small grin. "That's okay, you don't need to rush. As the Princess of Friendship, I am happy you have considered thinking of having friends in the future. A lot of ponies in this world are very welcoming and understanding and would love nothing more than to be your friend.
"Listen to me, Sùnde: don't you ever think for one second you aren't deserving of friends. And when you have decided to make one, contact me and I'll be your first."
Sùnde gave the alicorn a smile which caused her to giggle. "What's so funny?"
Twilight looked toward the black void above and says, "I used to be like you, albeit under different positions."
"Really? But you're the Princess of Friendship."
Twilight nodded. "That is true, however, every pony has a beginning, Sùnde. I locked myself away, similar to you, though I was more concerned with my studies under Princess Celestia's tutelage. I often ignored those around me, spending my time on what I thought was more important...more meaningful.
"It wasn't until Princess Celestia technically ordered me to head out to Ponyville and oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival that I had found what was truly meaningful."
Sùnde chuckled. "And a good thing too since you and your friends are the Elements of Harmony."
Twilight joined in Sùnde's brief revelry. "Funny how that turned out. It must've been a stroke of good luck that I and my friends were together on that day."
As Twilight talked to Sùnde, the alicorn witnessed the imp dissipating into nothingness, fading away in a flood of black particles.
"I have to keep going," Sùnde uttered aloud, causing Twilight to shift her gaze onto him. "I got to keep living."
Twilight smiled. "Yes, that's it, Sùnde. Although I am glad those evil emanations perished, you are not done yet. Manaburn is still within you, but since these horrid nightmares are gone, it'll be much easier for you to focus."
The stallion raised his brow in confusion. "Focus?"
Twilight nodded. "It will be a slow process, but if you can focus your magic and get a significant grip on it from overrunning your body and mind, then Manaburn will wither away, and you'll be cured. I can't force this sickness out of you, nor can the princesses or doctors, only you can. However, I am quite adept at magic, so I will teach you lessons on how to properly control yours. If everything hopefully goes well, then you'll be your old self again within a few months."
Sùnde was shocked. "Months? But what about my shop?"
Twilight shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Princess Celestia will have that covered," she assured the stallion. "Everything will be taken care of. All I need from you now is your attention so we can purge this sickness."
Sùnde took a deep breath as he exhaled his worries. "So, what happens now?" he pondered aloud, veering his gray gaze around the dank darkness of his dreamscape.
"You'll rest easy tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll work on reigning in your magic properly," she answered verily. "Now that you are more aware and in sound mind, the healing process will begin. I'll have to speak to Princess Celestia and research more books on this obscure sickness to gather more details. You aren't out of this yet, but I fervently believe you'll make it through this tough time, Sùnde. You have my word."
Sùnde gave Twilight a small smile. "Thanks again. When do you think I'll wake up?"
Twilight tapped her hoof on her chin, saying, "Since Cadance lulled you to sleep, you'll awake in a few hours; you're essentially in a magically induced coma, with your consent of course."
Suddenly, Twilight began to flicker. Caught off guard, Sùnde reels away in surprise, but Twilight managed to calm him down.
"Wh-what's happening to you?" Sùnde said worryingly.
"It seems Princess Luna's magic has met its breaking point; that should come as no surprise since she hasn't rested since you were confined to your cell," Twilight spoke calmly. "Very soon, I and the other princesses will exit your dreamscape and appear in the real world. You are in good hooves, Sùnde, I'll see you soon."
Before Sùnde could say anything, Twilight vanished into thin air along with Princess Celestia and Luna.
Back in the real world...
Princess Cadance witnessed three alicorns materialize right in front of her falling to the floor. Princess Twilight groaned, but she was relatively okay, if not a little fatigued. Princess Celestia was the same, although the alicorn expressed her discomfort with pained groans. Princess Luna was in the worst shape: she laid unconscious, her mane and tail had stopped flowing, her colors, though still mainly blue, were slightly washed out, her horn flickered like a dying light, and her face expressed weariness and pain.
Although Cadance wasn't in any peril, she was tired, had a headache and she could feel pain in her heart.
The first to recover is Princess Celestia and then Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia turned her gaze and saw her sister sleeping soundly. "I'll take my sister to bed and come back after. Rest you two, you both have done quite enough today."
Twilight agreed. "I think we all need a moment to recharge, and I'm happy to say that Sùnde is free from those creatures for now... hopefully forever. Tomorrow, I'll help him control his magic so we can start his path of healing."
"Please see that you do, my faithful friend," Princess Celestia told the purple pony as she gently carries her sister out of the cell.
"Cadance," Twilight began, "thank you for coming to help with Sùnde. From this point onwards, I might be fine without your help, but just in case Sùnde hits a roadblock... keep an ear and eye out for a scroll."
Her sister-in-law smiled. "I'll be there when you need me. This stallion's only hope lies within us, Twilight. Do your best." With a swift embrace, Princess Cadance left Twilight Sparkle alone with Sùnde's still-dreaming body.
"I intend to," the purple alicorn whispered. She turns to Sùnde's cell and sees the stallion sleeping soundly. "I hope he gets through this..."