Lunar Rebirth

The soft ‘clip-clop’ of hooves filled the air as Celestia made her way down the hallway. She limped along slowly, favoring her back leg as she traversed through the halls of the palace. There were faint black rings beneath her eyes, and her mane and tail wafted behind her sluggishly, reflecting her mood.

She had just returned a few hours ago from a diplomatic trip to the Griffon Empire. The Griffon Empress had wished to discuss trading arrangements with Equestria, and while the discussion had started out good, it had quickly dissolved when the Empress’s brother—an imbecilic oaf of a griffon—had taken insult to something Celestia had said in passing. Upon voicing this perceived slight and demanding that she apologize immediately, he had grown angry when she refused. This had then led to three days of heated debate, in which nothing had gotten accomplished and Celestia’s guards had nearly come to blow with the griffon soldiers. It had all come to head when the Empress, disgusted by her brother’s behavior, had him thrown bodily from the room.

Celestia closed her eye and sighed heavily, trying to keep her throbbing headache from getting any worse. There was still much she had to do today. She had only just arrived back in Canterlot, and yet she still had Solar Court to deal with. An eight-hour session with the nobles, and she already had a migraine growing within her skull.

It was not going to be a good day, especially if Blueblood was present.

Rounding the corner, she perked up upon seeing a pair of guards standing outside the throne room doors. They saluted as she approached, and she nodded softly to them, a weak smile on her face.

“Good morning,” she said, trying to keep the weariness from her voice. “You two are here early, I see. I thought I asked Captain Blaze to inform the guards, but it seems that it slipped her mind. Court was delayed due to the recent trip to the Griffon Empire. It doesn’t start for another twenty minutes.”

The guards glanced at one another, a look of unease passing between the two.

“Ma’am, court is already in session,” the guard on the right said.

Celestia gave the guard a blank look. “What?”

“Solar Court is currently in session. It started at its usual time, and all nobles are present and accounted for,” the guard repeated, a brief look of nervousness flashing across his face before it returned to its usual stoic expression.

“Impossible,” Celestia said, feeling the muscles along her scar spasm. She tried to keep her expression impassive, but her lips twitched as she ground her teeth together. “The Solar Court does not start until I am present. All the nobles know this. By whose authority has court started?”

“Archduke Black Spark, ma’am,” the other guard replied, still saluting. “He figured you’d be tense from your visit with the griffons, so he took over Solar Court for the day.”

Celestia paused, her eye widening slightly in surprise.

“Did he now?” she hummed, the corners of her mouth beginning to twitch upwards as her previous ire slowly dissipated. Her ears perked as the faint murmur of voices finally reached her attention, and she stared at the throne room doors for a few seconds before a large smile split her face. “Well, this is certainly unexpected, although not unwelcome. I’ll have to remember to thank him later, as well as stand in for him during Lunar Court. Now, if you’d both excuse me, I need to go unwind.”

The guards saluted again before Celestia turned and head off down the corridor towards her own private quarters, a newfound spring in her step. This was a pleasant surprise, and she could feel her headache slowly lessening. The tension in her muscles seemed to fade the further she got from the throne room and the nobles within.

She had a date with the hot springs.

Walking up the main flight of stairs, Celestia headed towards her personal quarters. As she neared the top, she happened upon a unicorn guard that was out of uniform. The mare was sitting on a window sill near the top of the stairs, her hind legs dangling off the ledge. She had a dark grayish-blue coat, while her mane was dark gray with a lighter gray streak through it. Her left foreleg was missing, and bandages were wrapped around the shoulder. A toothpick hung from her lip, held in place by the thinnest layer of moisture.

As Celestia drew nearer, the mare glanced up. Her expression remained passive as she watched Celestia climb the stairs.

Upon reaching the mare, Celestia paused. “Sergeant Black Night.”

“Princess,” Black Night replied, her voice gruff. She chewed on her toothpick as she eyed Celestia, a bored expression on her face.

“How are we doing today, sergeant?” Celestia asked.

“Horrible. You still haven’t done anything about all of these stairs.”

“What is wrong with them?” Celestia asked, giving the stairs a faux look of concern. “They appear to be in good condition to me.”

“You also have four working legs,” Black Night grunted, moving the toothpick from one corner of her mouth to another. “I don’t see why you just can’t enchant them to move on their own. Keep me from having to walk up and down them.”

“But if I did that, all the guards would become lazy and fat. Stairs are a good source of exercise.”

“Exercise my flank,” Black Night huffed.

“Exactly!” Celestia chirped.

Black Night gave her a bemused look, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“If they are bothering you so much, you could always have one of the pegasi guards carry you up them,” Celestia said with a smirk. “I’m sure if you asked Sergeant Stone Wall nicely he’d help you.”

Black Night’s eyes narrowed even more. “I’d rather eat a parasprite.”

“I’ll be sure to tell the good sergeant,” Celestia chuckled as she continued up the stairs, well aware of the fact that Black Night was sticking her tongue out at her. She always found the ornery mare’s behavior to be a nice change of pace compared to the brown-nosing she was used to.

She had only been walking for several minutes when she reached the private wing of the palace. Rounding the corner, she paused, blinking in surprise at what she saw.

Raven was standing beside the doors to the hot spring, a small smile on her face and a tray with a bottle of Fireweed Whiskey in her magic.

Celestia stared blankly at her aid for a moment before laughing softly. “Raven, you’re spoiling me again.”

“I spoke with the guards that were with you in the Griffon Empire. If what they are saying is true, then you could use a good spoiling,” Raven replied, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“Isn’t it a bit early to be drinking, Raven?” Celestia asked as she trotted slowly up to the waiting mare. “It’s not even noon yet.”

Raven snorted, rolling her eyes. “That hasn’t stopped you before.”

Smirking, Celestia grabbed the bottle in her own magic, and, popping the corking, took a long swig of the golden liquid inside. It burned going down, but left a wonderful aftertaste in her mouth. Taking another gulp, she smacked her lips before glancing down at Raven. “Is there anything that needs my immediate attention?”

“Nope,” Raven said, shaking her head. “Black Spark is taking care of the Solar Court, and I’ve taken care of the tax forms the Department of Agriculture wanted you to look at. The rest of the day is yours.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Celestia said. Turning her attention to the door, she pushed it open and made to enter, only to pause and glance back down at Raven. “You should take the rest of the day off as well, Raven. Barring something major happening, we’ll have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Raven smiled, cocking her head to the side. “I just need to finish up one more thing, and then I’ll do just that.”

Smiling down at her aid, Celestia nodded once before turning and making her way into the hot springs. The door closed behind her, but not before Raven called through, “Don’t fall asleep in there… again!”

Celestia smirked to herself before moving further into the room. Unlike the rest of the rooms within the palace, this one was designed to imitate a natural spring. It was dimly lit, the only light coming from several candles cradled within holes carved into the walls, which were made from moss-covered cave walls. Water trickled softly down a backsplash of rocks, spilling down into a large basin of water. Steam wafted lazily across the water’s surface, filling the air with a comfortable humidity.

Taking a slow breath, Celestia closed her eye before sighing deeply. She quickly removed her breastplate and crown, placing them haphazardly on a rubber mat beside the door; her golden shoe covers soon followed. Lighting up her horn, she carefully removed the wire that held her left wing in place. The lame wing fell to her side almost as soon as the brace had been removed, and Celestia groaned happily.

With the bottle of Fireweed Whiskey still hovering close by, Celestia moved eagerly towards the pool of water. She waded the first couple of feet in before she flung herself forward with a splash. Ripples expanded outward as she sunk deeper into the basin. It was relatively large, the water coming up to her chin at the deepest part. However, she opted to stay near the shallow end this time. Drifting lazily along, she cooed happily as the heated water began to work at her muscles, relaxing them and easing the tension from her body.

After a few minutes of paddling along, she maneuvered herself over to an underwater plateau located in the center of the basin. She settled down upon the flat surface, making herself comfortable. Her bad wing floated on the water beside her, the feathers spread out across the surface, a few loose ones drifting away. Taking another long sip of Fireweed Whiskey, she took a deep breath… and then relaxed.

“Ahhh,” she sighed, “I really needed this. Good drink, warm water, relaxing atmosphere. This couldn’t be more perfect at the moment.” Just as she finished speaking, a low hiss filled the air. Opening her eye, Celestia watched as a thick haze of smoke suddenly swirled up in front of her. It consolidated into a gout of green fire before a scroll appeared with a soft ‘pop’. Lighting up her horn, she caught the scroll before it landed in the water in front of her.

“Hmmm, it appears that I might have spoken too soon,” she hummed, eyeing the scroll with some amusement. “Let’s see what you’ve learned now, my faithful student.” A smile crossed Celestia’s face as, with a lazy flick of magic, she unfurled the scroll and began to read. The first few sentences caused her smile to fade slightly, but it returned as she reached the end of the first paragraph.

“An interesting observation, Twilight. What have you and your friends been up to?” she murmured, taking a sip of Fireweed as she continued reading. Happiness crossed her face as she reached the part about her student making a new friend, only to be quickly replaced by concern at learning that this ‘Selena’ was in the hospital, although Twilight was strangely quiet about the reason why.

Skimming the next few lines, she raised the bottle of Fireweed to her lips and took a generous swig, only to nearly choke on it when she suddenly inhaled sharply. Coughing loudly, she stared wide-eyed at the letter in front of her, not daring to believe what she had just read. She lifted the scroll to her eye, double-checking that she had read it correctly. Sure enough, there it was, written in Twilight’s immaculate hornwriting.

After all, it’s not every day you meet a blind pony that can survive on their own for nearly a decade, especially at such a young age.

A blind pony.

Blind.

I-it… It can’t be, can it? Heart pounding in her ear, Celestia stared at that one word for several long seconds before closing her eye and releasing a shaky breath. No, she was getting excited over nothing. There were plenty of blind ponies out there. Just because Twilight made friends with one didn’t mean that she was the pony Celestia was looking—neigh, praying for. She had spent many fruitless centuries searching with no results. Why should now be any different?

Silently scolding herself for needlessly getting her hopes up, Celestia took a large gulp from the bottle before returning to Twilight’s letter. With a hooded eye and a more somber mood, she skimmed the rest of the scroll, only to freeze, her eye widening until it threatened to pop from her head. Inside her chest, her heart skipped a beat. The world around her seemed to disappear as she stared down at the last paragraph of the letter, which contained a brief description of Selena’s cutie mark. As vague as the description was, it contained the three words that Celestia could hardly believe she was reading.

A shining crescent moon.

The bottle of Fireweed Whiskey shattered suddenly, sending the remaining liquid cascading into the water below. Celestia’s horn glowed white as she tapped into her vast reserve of magic. Almost immediately, she latched onto Twilight’s magical signature—as faint as it was—all the way down in Ponyville.

There was a loud crack and a blinding flash, and Celestia vanished from the room in an explosion of water and magic.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

—Earlier

Various items flew around Twilight’s head as she mindlessly worked. Books that had been returned yesterday while she was out were placed back on the shelves in their proper place after she made sure to mark them as ‘returned’ in the log book. Scrolls and quills were gathered, some placed on the shelves above her desk for later while the rest were placed inside of her saddlebags, which were draped over the back of the couch.

She cleaned as she worked, dusting shelves and sweeping the floor. Usually Spike would take care of such tasks, as they were part of his chores. However, in her current state, Twilight was too distracted to realize what she was doing. She may have been in the library, but her thoughts were at the hospital with Selena.

I hope she’s alright, Twilight mused as a book floated past her head. Nurse Blue Cross had said she would be fine, but Selena’s condition still concerned Twilight. She had never seen a pony as thin as Selena had been. She had been nothing but skin and bones, to the point that she had almost looked like a walking skeleton. During her time in Canterlot, Twilight had heard of models starving themselves in order to get the figure they wanted, but this was so much worse. It was unintentional, horrible, and, Twilight had realized late last night, possibly fatal. A normal, healthy pony could survive for several weeks without food, but how long had Selena been starving? How long had she been without food? If Twilight hadn’t intervened in the marketplace, if Selena had decided to not show up for the picnic. How long would it have been before she starved to death?

Twilight shuddered, the scrolls in front of her wavering slightly before her magic recovered.

No, best not to think of that now, she chided herself. That was all in the past. Selena was at the hospital, being treated right now. She was getting better, and Twilight would help her once she got out. She already had plans to clear out the guest room and have Selena stay with her until she could get back on her hooves. She got enough stipends from Celestia to support her and Selena comfortable for the next couple of months. If, by then, Selena hadn’t managed to find employment, Twilight could always ask Celestia for personal assistance. Given Selena’s disability, she was sure that Celestia would agree to increase Twilight stipends to help out.

She was sure Celestia would understand.

The sudden chiming of a clock drew Twilight from her thoughts with a start. Blinking, she glanced up at the clock above her fireplace, only for her eyes to widen in shock. It was nearly noon! Visitation started at ten! She was running late!

She was tardy!

“Ohmygosh!” Twilight shouted as she began to gallop around the room. “Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!” Her horn flared brighter and the room dissolved into a veritable hurricane of objects as she finished her tasks. Books flew around the room, slipping gently into their proper places on the shelves. The broom and dustpan quickly dumped their contents into the nearest trash can before zipping into the supply closet. Stuffing the last few items into her saddlebags, she quickly threw them across her back and tightened the straps.

Twilight was halfway to the door when she remembered one last thing she needed to finish. Dashing to her desk, she pulled out the letter she had written for Celestia last night and placed it on the coffee table.

“Spike, there’s a letter for Celestia on the table! Please send it as soon as you can,” she shouted up the stairs. A low grumble echoed down the stairs, causing her to scrunch up her face in annoyance. “Spike!”

“I got it!” he shouted from upstairs. “Letter, table, Celestia. Got it.” He trailed off, and the faint sound of bedsheets being shuffled about reached Twilight’s ears.

“...last time I let him sleep in,” she muttered under her breath. Turning, she quickly approached the front door, calling back loudly over her shoulder as she went. “Don’t forget, Spike, or no gems for two weeks!” Not waiting for an answer, she flipped the sign on the door to ‘closed’ before exiting the library.

Unlike the previous day, the weather was overcast. Dark-gray clouds hung low in the sky, threatening the population below with the possibility of an early start to the rainstorm that was planned for the late evening. Despite the fact it was currently summer, a chilly wind blew through the town, sapping the warmth from any ponies unlucky enough to be out-and-about at the moment. However, most of Ponyville's population was indoors, seeking shelter from the weird weather in the bars and restaurants that dotted Ponyville's outskirts.

Trotting along as quickly as she could without becoming winded, Twilight hurried through the deserted streets. It was just over a ten minute walk from the library to hospital, and by the time she arrived, she was shivering.

“What pony in their right mind would plan weather like this during the summer?” Twilight muttered to herself as the hospital doors closed behind her. A warm rush of air washed over her, chasing away the chill and causing her to hum happily. Shaking her shoulders to clear the last of the cold away, she moved further into the waiting area.

“I have half a mind to write to the Weather Factory about this,” she continued under her breath. “Not only is this kind of cold not appropriate for this time of year, but it could cause damage to the farmers' crops if they're not careful. Somepony up there is clearly not thinking clearly. Maybe I'll talk to Rainbow about this after—“ The sound of a throat being cleared caused Twilight to pause her tirade. Glancing around, she blushed when she saw Nurse Blue Cross standing there, an amused smirk on her face.

“I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?” she asked, causing Twilight's blush to deepen.

“N-no, I was just talking to myself,” she stuttered, before slapping a hoof to her forehead. “I mean, I was talking out loud. No, what I meant was thinking out loud. Never mind! How's Selena?” she asked, an overly large smile crossing her face as an eye twitched.

“About the same as yesterday,” Blue Cross replied, “although we found some... complications in the stool sample we took. Or what little we could get.”

“Complications?” Twilight asked worriedly.

Blue Cross sighed. “From what we could determine from the small sample we were able to get last night, she has several parasites living inside of her at the moment.”

“You can get rid of them though, can't you?” Twilight asked. “I remember reading that there was medicine that could be taken to help kill the parasites.”

“Normally, yes, they're easily treated when caught quickly enough,” Blue Cross said with a nod. “However, we aren't sure how long she's been infested. From the amount of eggs in her system though, we'd hazard it's been a while. There's probably quite a few in her intestines at the moment.”

“So, there's nothing you can do?” Twilight asked dejectedly, her ears splaying backwards.

Blue Cross winced. “I never said that. We started giving her the medicine last night in her IV. The parasites should be dead within a few weeks, or at least most of them should.”

“So what's the complications?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

“They have to come out of her at some point,” Blue Cross explained, “and when they do, it isn't going to be pretty or comfortable. Especially for her.”

Twilight stared at her blankly for a few seconds before her face took on a green hue.

“I see,” she said, her ears pressing firmly against her head. “Well, that... unpleasant situation aside, are there any other complications that have come up?”

“It's only been one night, Ms. Sparkle,” Blue Cross tsk, a smirk shifting across her muzzle. When Twilight lowered her head, a blush touching her cheeks, Blue Cross laughed softly. “Don't worry. We're keeping a close eye on her. If anything comes up, we'll take care of it. I'm happy to see that you care about her though.”

“Of course I care about her!” Twilight said a little too loudly. “We're friends, after all. Why wouldn't I be concerned that she's in the hospital?”

“'Friends'?” Blue Cross echoed. She gave Twilight a careful look before a small smile touched her lips. “The only friends that Selena had growing up were the books that Warm Care could find that were in braille. Most foals were too busy making fun of her to actually be her friend.” She trailed off, continuing to give Twilight a weird look for a few more seconds before shaking her head. Turning, she trotted off towards the nurse station, but not before calling over her shoulder to Twilight. “She's in the same room as last night. I just finished changing her IV bags. Everypony else is already here. You appear to be the last one to arrive.”

Twilight gave the retreating mare a confused look before her eyes widened suddenly.

“I'm the last one?” she yelped. “Rainbow Dash beat me here!?” Not waiting for an answer, Twilight hurried off down the hall, half running-half walking as she went, making sure to abide the 'no running in the hall' signs that were posted around the hospital. They were probably there for a good reason, and the last thing Twilight needed to do was end up in the hospital as well. It would be hard to help Selena if she had a twisted hoof or broken leg.

Pausing in front of the last door on the right, she took a deep breath and straightened out her saddlebags before pushing the door open. The others glanced up as she entered, and she gave them all a sheepish grin.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I’m afraid I lost track of the time.”

“That’s quite alright, darling,” Rarity replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “It happens to me too, on occasion. Especially when I get a large order. It’s understandable.” Beside her, Fluttershy nodded her head and gave Twilight a small smile.

“It’s not like anything’s happening anyway,” Rainbow crumbled from her spot on the window sill. She had her forelegs crossed, and a scowl plastered on her face.

Giving her friend a curious look, Twilight’s gaze slowly drifted over to the bed that contained Selena. Her eyes widened when she saw that Selena’s eyes were closed and her breathing even.

“She’s still asleep?” she asked in disbelief, making sure to keep her voice low. “It’s half past noon!”

“The nurse said that she was having trouble sleeping last night,” Rarity explained softly.

“'Trouble sleeping?'”

“She claimed that the bed was too soft and she couldn’t get comfortable,” Rarity sighed. “However, when Blue Cross came in to check on her, she said that Selena had been whimpering in her sleep.”

“Nightmares?” Twilight asked, giving Selena a concerned look.

Rarity shook her head. “She wouldn’t say. Nightmares or sleeping arrangements aside, she was positively exhausted when we showed up, and she fell asleep maybe five minutes into our visit.”

Making her way to the only remaining empty seat, Twilight eyed Selena. Now that she had been washed, her coat was clearly visible, the dark blue fur standing out in high contrast against the light-colored sheets on the bed. Though Rarity had combed her mane last night, it had become tangled again sometime in the night and strands now surrounded her head in a tangled mess of hair. Several bandages covered her legs and barrel, hiding her more severe cuts and scrapes. An IV ran from the crook of her right leg up to a dangling bag of fluids. All-in-all, she looked like a different pony than the one they had brought in yesterday just from the bath alone.

Placing her saddlebags down beside the chair, Twilight took a seat before glancing around at her friends, only to notice that one was missing. “Where’s Applejack?”

“Back on the farm, darling,” Rarity answered. “I passed her on my way here this morning. She apologizes for not being able to make it but apparently her brother injured himself yesterday while she was here with us, and now she’s trying to figure out how to take care of the harvest without him. She said that she might come visit this evening if she has time.”

“I hope she doesn’t plan on doing it all by herself,” Twilight mused, rubbing her chin with a hoof.

“Why not? Applejack’s a strong mare. I’m sure she could handle it,” Rainbow said, blowing a strand of mane from her face.

“That much work isn’t good for a pony, Rainbow,” Twilight tsked.

“Yeah, all work and no play isn’t good for ponies!” Pinkie chirped, bouncing up and down in her chair.

“I’m in agreement with Twilight on this one,” Rarity said, humming softly. “While it is true that Applejack is a hard worker, I do hope that she remembers her limits. I’d hate for her to bite off more than she could chew.

“Silly Rarity,” Pinkie giggled, covering her mouth with her hooves, “Applejack doesn’t eat the apples, she sells them. She can’t eat all those apples!”

This caused Rarity to roll her eyes. “Oh, har har, Pinkie.”

Before anything else could be said, Selena shifted slightly, causing everyone to pause and look at her. She mumbled something under her breath, a small frown crossing her face, before she snuggled deeper into the mattress and fell still again.

“O-oh dear. If it’s not too much trouble, could you be a little quieter?” Fluttershy murmured, hiding partially behind her mane. “She needs plenty of rest to heal, and if she’s having trouble sleeping then we shouldn’t interrupt what little she gets.”

“I wonder what she’s having nightmares about,” Twilight muttered as she glanced over at Selena.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Selena tried to move, but found that she couldn’t. Her limbs were bound, and every time she pulled against the restraints, the soft clink of chains filled the air. There was even one attached to a steel collar around her neck, preventing her from moving her head about.

Huffing softly, she lit up her horn and cast her mapping spell. The pulse of magic flowed through the room, allowing her to ‘see’ where she was. The room was small, the ceiling barely a half-a-foot above her; the same was true with the walls. Holes were drilled into the walls near the floor, each one evenly spaced with the others. Taut chains ran from her bound limbs to welded hooks jammed into the walls, ceiling, and floor. They held her in place, preventing her from moving so much as an inch in any direction except for the chain connected to her collar, which was bolted to the floor and allowed her to only lower her head. The room had a musty smell to it, almost like there was a thin layer of mildew over everything.

As her mapping spell died, Selena huffed again.

“H-hello?” she called out, her voice wavering slightly. Her ears pressed against her head as the close walls amplified the sound. “I-is there anypony there? What’s going on? Hello?” No answer came, and silence quickly fell over the room.

Swallowing thickly, Selena took a deep breath of the musty air and tried to calm her thundering heart. Magic danced down her horn as she strained to cast the mapping spell again in order to search for a door. However, she was unable to locate one within her field of ‘vision’. That meant that the door was either behind her, or one didn’t exist.

As soon as the thought entered her brain, Selena scoffed. Of course a door exists. How else would I get in here?

As the mapping spell faded, she turned her attention to the collar around her neck—or more specifically, the chain connected to the collar. Lowering her head, she blinked in surprise when she didn’t feel the chain loosen. Instead, it remained taut and a series of clicking noises filled the air. Pausing long enough to cast the mapping spell one more time, Selena ‘watched’ as she continued to lower her head towards the floor. The chain disappeared steadily into a small slot in the floor from which the clicking noise was coming from.

Unable to use her hooves to touch the device, Selena nosed it with the tip of her muzzle instead. She grimaced as the musty odor grew stronger, and her muzzle was suddenly covered in a thin layer of mildew from off the floor. Still, she continued to rub her nose against the metal, trying to get a feel of what was there. Her brows furrowed slightly as she picked up a faint vibration coming from somewhere below.

A gurgling noise reached her ears, causing her to pause her examination. The sound was faint but growing steadily louder, and sounded like it was coming from all around her. The vibration in the floor grew stronger too.

Curious as to what was happening, Selena gathered up her dwindling reserves of magic and tried casting the mapping spell again, only to wince as pain flared up in her head. She tried once more, only to meet with the same result. It looked like she wasn’t going to be able to rely on the spell anymore.

Quietly cursing her luck, Selena leaned down and—bending her neck at an awkward angle—pressed an ear to the floor. She strained to pick up something that might clue her into what was going on, but she couldn’t hear anything over the rumble of machinery.

As she pulled her ear from the floor, the gurgling sound dissolved into a low trickle, the noise echoing around the room ominously. The noise continued for several seconds until Selena realized with a start that her hooves were getting wet. Lowering her nose, she tentatively touched the ground, only for her eyes to widen in alarm. A thin layer of water now covered the floor of the room, and it was growing at a steady rate.

With the water rising, Selena quickly lifted her head, only to choke when the chain suddenly snagged on something. Gritting her teeth, she pulled against the chain but it wouldn’t budge. She strained and heaved, but was unable to lift her head more than half a foot off the ground.

With the water level now passing her fetlocks, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Eyes wide with panic, she began to try and channel magic through her horn—although no spells came to mind that could help her—only for her to gasp in pain as the magic fizzled out. She jerked and tugged at the collar, but the chain held fast—unyielding.

So caught up in trying to lift her head, Selena temporarily forgot about the rising water level until the tip of her nose was suddenly submerged in water. Snorting in alarm, she instinctively pulled her head back, only for the chain to jerk taut again. No, no, no, no, no!

She tried desperately to twist her head to the side—trying to keep her nose above the growing water level—but the collar kept her head forcibly pointed towards the floor. She could only stand there, all her working senses running on overdrive as she felt the water slowly creeping up her muzzle. Opening her mouth to try one last cry for help, she only succeeded in gagging as she got a mouthful of foul-tasting water. Bubbles erupted around her muzzle as she sputtered and coughed. She barely had time to take a shaky breath before her nostrils were submerged beneath the water.

Desperately holding on to her last lungful of air, Selena struggled frantically against her bonds, trying to get free. The collar cut into her skin, the wound stinging as the water enveloped her head and neck. Her lungs were starting to ache, and the more she struggled, the worse the sensation became. Regardless, she continued to fight against the chain, trying to get her head above the water. Air was just inches—inches—above her, and if she could just get her head up—get another lungful of much-needed oxygen.

Gritting her teeth, she strained against the collar until her neck began to creak and pop. A low groan reverberated through the water before, with a muffled ‘crack’ the chain snapped in two. Whipping her head up, Selena searched desperately for the shrinking pocket of air, only to realize with growing horror that the entire room was now flooded, the water level having reached the ceiling.

Her lungs burning, her mind darkening, Selena fought furiously against the chains around her, but was unable to move all but her head. In a last ditch effort to get free, she pushed as much magic as she could down her horn while ignoring the sudden spike of pain the drove into the back of her skull. Her horn lit up for a brief second before it exploded into the surrounding water in a shower of bone shards.

A soundless scream escaped Selena’s lips as her concentration was broken, and in an explosion of bubbles, water rushed down her mouth and into her lungs.

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Selena awoke with a start, her sightless eyes snapping open. Her heart was pounding in her throat and ears, and her entire body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Breaths coming in quick gasps, she tried to sit up, only to wince in pain. Lifting a trembling hoof to her muzzle, she paused when she felt something tug on her leg. Brow furrowing, she felt along the crook of her leg until she found a needle stuck in her vein. As confusion and panic began to well up inside of her, she slowly became aware that she was resting on something uncomfortably soft.

Her senses immediately went on high alert as Selena realized that she wasn’t in her cardboard box. A faint chemical scent hung in the air, and she could hear the gentle murmur of voices from somewhere close by. She didn’t remember what had happened or where she was, but something was very clear: she wasn’t alone in the room.

Starting to hyperventilate, she was about to dissolve into a panic attack when a familiar voice spoke up from nearby, causing her to freeze. “Oh, look, she’s awake.”

That sounded like… Twilight? Instantly, the memories of what had transpired yesterday flooded her mind, and she slumped against the pillow behind her.

“T-Twilight?” she asked, her voice coming out in a dry croak. There was the sound of something shifting of to her right before the voice spoke again.

“I’m here,” Twilight said softly. “Are you okay?”

Taking a deep breath, Selena closed her useless eyes and tried to calm her thunder heart. Her hooves were shaking horribly, and she grabbed the bedsheets in an attempt to steady them. Relief welled up in her chest, replacing the fear that had been there moments ago. Yesterday's events hadn't been a dream. Twilight had brought her to the hospital, and she was now being looked after. She was fine, she was safe, she was being looked after. Repeating that in her head, Selena took several deep breaths as her heart rate slowly returned to normal.

Realizing the Twilight had asked her something, she shook her head before replying. "I'm... I'm fine.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, her tone uncertain. “You looked like you were having a nightmare.”

“I-I'm fine, really,” Selena stuttered, running a hoof through her disheveled mane. Her mind drifted back to the nightmare, and her brow furrowed slightly. A shiver ran up her spine as she recalled the feeling of water flooding her lungs. Despite the fact that it had been a dream, it had felt real at the time.

The shiver had apparently been visible, because another voice spoke up from the same direction as Twilight's. “Are you sure you're alright, darling? You look a little tense.”

It took Selena a few seconds to remember who the voice belong to, but when she did, she sighed before sinking deeper into the pillow.

“I'm fine, Rarity. The bed was just a little... uncomfortable,” she said weakly. Licking her dry lips, she began to tentatively feel around the bedside table with a hoof.

The sound of hoofsteps reached her ears, and few seconds later Twilight spoke up from beside her. “What are you looking for?”

“Water,” she rasped, still searching.

“Oh, oh, I'll go get it!” a loud, cheery voice shouted, causing Selena to jump. The door slammed, and silence fell over the room again.

“Um, w-who else is here?” Selena asked, her ears splaying back against her head.

“Well, there's me,” Twilight said. “Rarity and Fluttershy are sitting in the corner. Pinkie just ran to get you some water. Oh, and Rainbow is on the window sill, glaring at you as per usual.” The last sentence seemed to have some heat behind it, and a low 'harrumph' came from the direction of the window. Selena was almost positive that somepony was glaring at somepony else.

Trying to ignore the awkward feeling, she racked her brain for a second before asking. “Where's, um... Applejack?”

“She had some work to do on the farm, but she might be coming to visit later in the day,” Rarity answered.

“Oh, I see,” Selena muttered before falling silent. Her thoughts drifted to the ponies around her, the first ponies to show her any real kindness in nearly a decade. One of them had even expressed the desire to be her friend. The first friend she had ever had.

Selena blinked once before a small frown worked its way onto her muzzle.

“Um, Twilight?” she asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes?” came the reply after a brief pause.

Selena tapped her hooves together nervously. “Um... t-this might sound a little weird, but, um... I... I don't know what you, uh... look like.”

“Well, no duh!” the voice near the window scoffed, causing Selena to flinch. “You're blind! How are you supposed to know what she looks like?”

“Rainbow! Don't be rude!” Rarity snapped. A low grumbling came from the window sill before she continued. “You were saying, Selena?”

Selena swallowed thickly. “Um, I-I don't know what you look like, so I... I was wondering if I might... um... might be allowed to...” Unable to finish the request, she just held up her hooves and weakly waved them about.

“Ah, I see,” Twilight said with a soft laugh. “You want to 'see' what I look like.”

Selena flinched as her hooves were suddenly pulled forward, only to blink in surprise when Twilight placed them on either side of her head. Most ponies didn't realize that in order to get a good mental picture of them, Selena needed to feel their face. The mapping spell was good for figuring out the general size and shape of nearby objects and ponies, but it never gave her a detailed look at the individual. For that, she needed her hooves.

“Go ahead,” Twilight said softly, and Selena could feel her smile.

Selena began to run her hooves tentatively over Twilight's face, taking in her features. Carefully tracing Twilight's face with her frog, she took in the information and began to paint a mental picture of what Twilight looked like. Her cheeks were full, a comfortable layer of fat resting beneath the skin implying that she probably wasn't the most active pony out there. Her muzzle was a little shorter than Selena had expected, and she felt along the tip of her nose until Twilight giggled softly into her hoof, causing her to blush.

“Sorry,” she murmured before moving on. She carefully moved her hooves over Twilight's closed eyes, moving up to her forehead. The bangs of her mane were straight and well-cared for. Her horn was longer than Selena's, the spirals well cared for and the tip filed to a nice, rounded point. Selena didn't linger long on the horn, however, as Twilight was beginning to squirm slightly due to the attention. Quickly running her hoof over Twilight's face one last time before putting it all to memory, Selena withdrew her hooves and sighed.

“Thank you,” she murmured, a weak smile touching her lips.

“It was my pleasure,” Twilight said. “So, what do you think?”

“You... you're a little chubbier than I thought you'd be,” Selena muttered, grimacing at the sudden intake of breath. A choking sound came from the window sill, and it took Selena a second to realize that somepony was trying to hold in their laughter. Her ears pressed against the top of her head.

“But,” she continued quickly, “your horn is impressive and I really like your mane.” Her cheeks heated up, and she lowered her head as the snickering grew worse.

“T-thanks,” Twilight said weakly, sounding flustered.

Selena opened her mouth to say something that might make the awkward situation better, but before she could speak the door burst open with a loud 'bang'.

“I got the water!” Pinkie cheered. “Who's thirsty—“

All the unicorns in the room grunted at the same time as a large magical pressure suddenly fell upon the room. The very air seemed to crackle with electricity as the pressure grew worse and worse. A low thrum reverberated around them, causing the very floor to vibrate.

Selena clasped her head in her hooves, groaning in pain. Her head felt like it was in a vice, all of her sinuses feeling like they were stuffed full. Sparks flew from her horn as the magical pressure grew and grew until it reached its breaking point. With a loud 'crack', the world seemed to fold in upon itself before erupting outward.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ—KRACKOOM!!!

A large wave of magic passed over Selena, causing the hair of her coat to stand up on end and all her limbs to feel like they had fallen asleep. Magic crackled around the room, filling the air with the smell of burning ozone. The sound of loud panting filled the air, and Selena became aware of an overbearing presence within the room.

Heart rating rising, Selena quickly cast her mapping spell, only to freeze when it picked up a large form that she was sure hadn't been there a few seconds ago. The figure stood nearly twice as tall as a normal pony, and possessed both wings and a horn. Energy flickered around the figure's neck and dock, the power being emitted from it causing her spell to fizzle and pop. Wincing in pain, Selena was forced to let the spell die out, but not before something deep within her stirred.

“...Tia!”

~ ~ ~ ~ > > < < ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight stood there, mouth agape at the sight before her. Around her, her friends had similar expressions on their faces. Rainbow had fallen off of the window sill and was now lying on her back with her flank in the air.

Twilight blinked before rubbing her eyes with a hoof, thinking that she must be seeing things. However, upon looking again, the sight hadn't changed: Princess Celestia was standing in the center of the room.

She was completely bare, her usual royal attire missing. Her fur was soaked, water dripping down her body and wings and onto the floor, where it was forming a large puddle at her bare hooves. Her lame wing hung by her side, the dull feathers dangling inches from the floor. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving as she took in great lungfuls of air. Her horn was smoking, golden sparks dancing up and down the length, causing the water located there to evaporate with tiny hisses. Her single magenta eye was wide, the whites of it showing as her gaze darted around the room. Her entire body was tense, her muscles quivering visibly.

The sight caused worry to begin to slowly worm its way through Twilight's shock. She had never seen Celestia this tense before, not even when negotiating with the dragons.

Opening and closing her mouth wordlessly, Twilight swallowed thickly before finally finding her voice.

“P-Princess Celestia?” she breathed.

If Celestia heard her, she didn’t show it. Her gaze was locked firmly on the occupant of the hospital bed, her pupil constricted to a mere pinprick. A look of disbelief was plastered to the Solar Princess’s face, as a growing look of something else.

Taking a shaky step forward, Celestia breathed out one word.

“...Luna?”