An odd feeling of deja vu came over Twilight as consciousness slowly came back to her. Memories of a long time ago, of when she was still a filly living in Canterlot, waking up in the castle infirmary after a seemingly endless barrage of visions of a life she lived in another incarnation. Warm sheets, the beeping of a heart monitor, and the unmistakable sensation of weakness. Shriveled muscles, shortness of air, a head made of helium and lead at the same time.

But it was different, this time. This wasn’t the atrophy of months in a coma. There was a tingling under her fur and skin, a crawling sense of violation. Deeper still, where once she might have found the beating pulse of her magic, she found only a dark and empty void. Hollow. The silence echoing in her mind like the tranquil stillness of a cave that knew only death. And in her mind, a deeper silence, till.

And then she remembered. The sudden storm. The coughing in the alley. The hooded figure. Those awful eyes. And then the devil on her shoulder, for once, screaming in her defence rather than belittling and demeaning her.

Midnight.

Midnight.

Twilight’s eyes snapped open as she sucked in a sharp gasp of air. She looked around frantically, her sluggish mind trying to make sense of her surroundings. It only took her a few moments to identify her surroundings as an emergency room in the Ponyville Clinic. She was hooked up to all of the usual machinery monitoring her condition. And she wasn’t alone. Four others were in the room with her.

“She’s awake,” Luna was the first to speak, her voice just loud enough to alert the others. At once, Rainbow Dash’s eyes locked onto hers, and Twilight’s heart twisted at seeing the raw, primal fear in them.

“Twilight!” Rainbow exclaimed, visibly tensing, as if fighting to keep from lunging forward. “How do you feel?”

Twilight lifted a hoof to rub at her head where Tirek had stomped on it. She winced, sucking in a sharp breath through clenched teeth as her hoof found a large and impressively painful bump. It took her mind, still struggling to fully wake up, a few seconds to realize she had been asked a question. In answer, Twilight let her foreleg drop and stared up at the ceiling. “Ow.”

Despite the scenario, Rainbow Dash managed a small laugh. The others in the room, however, were not so easily amused. Spike, in particular, leaped onto the bed before anyone could stop him. Twilight squeaked as his claws hands gripped the edge of her sheets as if he were trying to hoist her up by an imaginary collar. “Why?!” he exclaimed at her, his eyes glistening and his voice thick. “Why do you all have to keep scaring me like this?!”

“Spike,” Celestia chided softly.

The small dragon’s teeth were visible for a moment, the tension in his shoulder never abating. Then, with a small whimper, he allowed himself to crumple against Twilight’s chest. She felt him shaking against her, the spines atop his head nestling into the crook of her neck. She lay there for a moment, paralyzed by surprise.

“I’m sorry,” Spike blubbered into her chest floof. “I just… I just want you guys to stop getting hurt.”

Twilight sighed softly and gingerly wrapped her hooves around him, pulling him into a tight hug. “No. I’m sorry. But if it’s any consolation, I don’t go looking for trouble like this,” she managed to lightly quip.

“And yet it is remarkably capable of finding you,” Luna noted, finally drawing Twilight’s attention. It was only now dawning on her just who all was in attendance.

“Luna? Princess Celestia?” she asked in dumbfounded surprise, looking between the two. “When did you get here? And how long have I been out?”

“We’ve been here for about half an hour,” Celestia replied simply. “As for how long you’ve been out, a little over double that.”

“We came as soon as we got word,” Luna added. “My niece deserves much credit. Her first instinct when she learned of your condition was to have Spike send for us even as she hauled you here on her back.”

“I wasn’t just gonna sit around while she shriveled,” Rainbow replied firmly. “And I dunno the first thing about treating severe head trauma.”

Twilight half expected a quip from Midnight about how surprising that was, given Rainbow’s history with head injuries. But there was only that accursed silence, and it made Twilight sick.

“What about the others?” Twilight asked after a moment. “Fluttershy? Applejack? Everypony else?”

“Spike got ‘em all up to speed,” Rainbow said. “They’re all out in the waiting room. But, well…” she glanced expectantly at Celestia. “Mom wanted to talk to you alone first. Said she didn’t want to crowd you.”

Twilight focused on the alicorn in question as she rose from her seat. A lump formed in her throat, and she involuntarily tightened her hold on Spike as if he were a plush toy. If her grip in any way made him uncomfortable, however, he did not say it.

“Rainbow told us what you said to her,” Celestia began. There was an odd edge to her voice. It wasn’t fear, but the princess was unquestionably uneasy. Her brow was furrowed, her jaw set, her wings pressing tightly against her barrel. “But I want to hear the story from your lips. If you have the strength, then please, tell us what happened. Do not omit a single detail.”

The lump grew larger, and Twilight’s muscles began to tense and tighten. She felt like a coiled spring, ready to snap. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest at the memory of what happened. She swallowed hard, tried to find her voice a few times, before at last, the story began to spill out of her. “There isn’t much to say. When I was walking home, I thought I heard somepony coughing in a nearby alleyway. I went to see who it was. I found somepony under a hooded cloak. He sounded old, weak. I asked him if he needed help. He…”

Twilight shuddered. “He looked at me hungrily. Like he thought I’d make a good meal. He seemed surprised to learn that there were more alicorns besides you and Luna. Then he opened his mouth, and…”

“Stole your magic,” Luna concluded.

Twilight bit her lip and nodded. “Yes. I couldn’t stop it. It all happened so fast. And when he was done, he got bigger. Then he stomped on my head…”

“Trying to kill you, no doubt,” Luna said slowly.

“His name,” Celestia pressed, leaning forward somewhat. “What was his name?”

Luna shot her a look. “Sister, you know who it is as well as I.”

“I have to be sure, Luna.”

Luna shrugged, but said nothing more. The lump in Twilight’s throat grew bigger. If Celestia was worried, then this was even more serious than Twilight had imagined. She licked suddenly dry lips and spoke. “Tirek. He called himself Tirek.”

Celestia almost flinched. She nodded slowly, her expression darkening considerably, and Twilight’s dread only grew. “Then he has returned…” the princess finally said, falling back to her haunches.

“You know him, don’t you?” Twilight asked, not surprised at this point. It seemed her mentor often had some sort of past experience with the evils that kept making her life harder than it had to be. “Who is he?”

“I’d like to know that, too,” Rainbow said, her own voice lowering into a hateful rasp.

Luna and Celestia shared a glance before the latter began to speak. “Tirek was… is a despotic prince from a distant land, a kingdom governed by centaurs.”

“It should be noted that we were on cordial terms with that nation at the time,” Luna added solemnly. “The king was a stern, severe, but ultimately fair and just ruler. The same can not be said for his son. A lust for power and a lack of satisfaction with his station led Tirek to studying forms of forbidden dark magic. Who he went to and how he learned these powers, we do not know for certain. But they enable him to wrench magic, in all its forms, from those who are either weaker than him, or those who had no chance to raise their defenses, and absorb them into himself.”

“Great, more dark magic,” Rainbow scowled. “He doesn’t brainwash ponies like Sombra, does he?”

“No, thankfully,” Luna assured, her face twisting as if she just bit down on something bitter. “Sombra was powerful, but his greatest evils were of a far more subtle nature. Tirek is direct. Blunt. Ruthless.”

“For those traits, and for his abuse of these forbidden magics, Tirek was banished from his homeland,” Celestia continued. “Not that his banishment mattered, for he left of his own accord, coming here to Equestria. For our magic.”

Twilight nodded along. “It makes sense. Ponies tend to have more inherent and varied magical potential than any other creatures we know of.”

“Exactly. And in the end, the alicorns were to be his primary prey,” Luna added, her scowl deepening. “Oblivious to his powers and distracted with rebuilding in Discord’s wake as we were, we likely would have been unable to stand up to him when he came for us. Were it not for his brother, Scorpan, the devil may well have succeeded.”

Rainbow lifted her head, her ears perking with interest. “Scorpan? Whose that?”

“Tirek’s adopted younger brother,” Celestia supplied, and an actual, tiny sparkle of a smile crossed her face. “A sweet, gentle-hearted creature, too passive for his own good. When he arrived in Equestria with Tirek, he found kindred spirits in ponykind. He discovered the magic of friendship.”

“A friendship that would spell the end of Tirek’s incursion,” Luna continued. “For when Tirek refused to abandon his plans, Scorpan came to us, warning us of his brother’s intentions and of his powers.”

“And then you beat him up,” Rainbow finished with a nod. “Elements, right?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes. The power of the Elements imprisoned him in Tartarus, where he has remained for many centuries.”

“But now he has escaped,” Luna added, her lips twitching up to show her teeth for a moment. “We believe it happened during the changeling occupation. It would have been easy for Cerberus to be distracted away from his post during the chaos caused by Chrysalis’ swarm.”

Suddenly, Spike came away from Twilight and spun to face the alicorns. “Wait, hold on a minute! If Tirek’s been in Tartarus for centuries, then how the heck is he even alive?! Don’t ponies, or centaurs, or whatever, you know, die when they get old enough!”

Celestia flinched, then nodded. “Tartarus is a powerful place. The very stone is thick with magic as old as the world itself. I do not doubt Tirek gorged himself on what scraps and shreds of magic fell at the base of his cell to preserve himself.”

“But a millennium of imprisonment will have left him mad,” Luna pointed out. “Which makes him even more dangerous than he was before.”

“Which means we need to take him out pronto,” Rainbow declared, slamming her hooves together with a resounding clack.

Celestia nodded and rose to her full height. “On that, we are in agreement. Spike?” she said, her voice turning firm and authoritative.

Spike stood at attention. “Yes, princess?”

“Write a letter to Princess Cadance in the Crystal Empire. Though it is doubtful Tirek will be able to reach her anytime soon, it would be best if she and Shining are aware of the threat as soon as possible. Just in case,” Celestia commanded before turning to Luna. “Sister, I want you to return to Canterlot. Appraise Squall of the situation and coordinate with the Solar guard with my full authority. In the event that he cannot be apprehended quickly, then word must be spread as quickly as possible that this thief is on the loose.”

Spike threw a sharp salute and leaped down from the bed, scampering out of the room. Luna rose as well, nodding gracefully. “And what will you be doing, sister?” she asked curiously.

Celestia held her head high, her jaw set, and a quiet fury blazing in her eyes that made Twilight gulp. “I will speak with the ponies in Ponyville. Somepony must have seen what direction Tirek was heading. Once I know that, I will track Tirek down myself and bring him down.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “What?! After what he did to me?! Are you—” her words cut off, replaced by a string of violent coughs as her shriveled lungs struggled to accommodate her voice. Rainbow was beside her at a moment, a hoof on her back and soothing words whispered into Twilight’s ear.

Celestia gave her a reassuring smile when the fit passed her by. “Have no fear, my faithful student. Tirek is strong now, yes, but by all accounts, he fled as soon as he feasted upon you. Given your youth and early development as an alicorn, the power he obtained from you will not be sufficient to overpower me. So long as my defenses are raised — and they will be raised — he will be unable to steal from me.”

“In theory, any of the other Alicorns could manage the same,” Luna pointed out. “But my sister does have the best chance out of all of us.”

Twilight swallowed hard. She still didn’t like the sound of this, but she had to trust that Celestia knew what she was doing. And besides, she was too tired to argue. So she slowly lay back down in her bed with a glum nod. “Alright. Just be careful, Princess. This feeling… I wouldn’t wish this even on my worst enemies. It’s awful.”

Celestia nodded. “I will take every precaution. I know my foe. He will not get the better of me.”

Before anypony could say anything else, Rainbow Dash zipped into the air, smacking her hooves together again. “I’m coming with you!” she declared. “No way am I sitting this one out! Not after what that jerk did to Twi!”

Celestia’s expression hardened. She gave Rainbow a fierce look that almost instantly slaughtered the pegasus’ bravado. “No, Rainbow Dash. You are not fit to fight this foe. You need to remain here in Ponyville and keep the peace. We do not want anypony to panic, and the sudden departure of Ponyville’s resident princess will only cause unrest that Tirek can take advantage of.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but the words died quickly. She slowly lowered back to the floor, closing her eyes. Twilight watched as she took in a slow, deep breath, before releasing it in a tired sigh. She opened her eyes. “Yeah… Yeah, you’re right,” she admitted glumly. Then she turned to Twilight, an apologetic look on her face. “Besides… somepony’s gotta look after Twi, right?”

Celestia nodded. “Precisely.”

Rainbow gave a small nod before focusing on Celestia again. “Just give him a few good knocks from the two of us, would ya?”

There was a look in Celestia’s eye, then, and it sent chills crawling up Twilight’s spine. “I promise.”

Rainbow nodded sharply. “Well, then let’s get to it! Tirek has a big enough head start on ya as it is. I can help ask around if you think it’ll speed things up.”

“I would welcome the aid,” Celestia said before giving Twilight another look, this time a tender smile. “But tend to your other duties, first. Twilight needs you more than I do right now.”

Twilight hummed softly. She spotted Luna already heading for the exit, her features grim and unreadable. But then something occurred to Twilight, and before she could stop herself, a question rose unbidden to her lips. “W-wait. Can I talk to Luna for a minute? In private?”

Everypony stopped, giving Twilight a curious glance. Luna was the first to answer, turning to Twilight and offering her full and undivided attention. Rainbow frowned, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Twi? What’s up?”

“Confidentiality, my niece,” Luna reminded her. “If Twilight does not wish you to hear this…”

“She can stay,” Twilight quickly added, giving Rainbow a tender smile. She raised her hoof, once again startled by how frail and shriveled she was. “Please. Stay.”

Rainbow came around the bedside and took Twilight’s hoof in her own. The two shared a quiet few seconds, holding one another's gazes while Celestia silently saw herself out. Once the door slid shut, Luna cleared her throat, breaking the moment. “I do not wish to rush you, but time is a limited commodity at the moment. Be brief, if you can,” the lunar alicorn urged gently.

Twilight nodded and quietly nudged Rainbow back. She turned to Luna, trying to find the words to express what was on her mind. But the silence in her mind was louder than a thundercrack and twice as deafening. She waited, on impulse, for the berating remarks. There were none. Finally, she found two words that could at least get her started.

“Midnight’s gone.”

Rainbow’s eyes flew wide. “Wait, what? Gone? Whaddya mean, gone?”

Twilight looked down, her brow furrowing. “The last time Midnight said anything to me was when Tirek stole my magic… She told me to run. She hasn’t said anything since then. She’s gone. It’s so… quiet.”

The silence within spread to the room around her, and a part of Twilight regretted bringing it up. She’d grown so used to a never-silent voice commentating on her every move. Its absence was growing more and more unsettling by the moment.

“But… isn’t that a good thing?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head. “Midnight sucks.”

“She does,” Twilight agreed, curling in on herself. “But… it’s not right. I feel wrong. M-maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome, but…”

“No,” Luna said in a low, soothing whimper. “The way you feel is only natural. Tirek stole a part of you. And Midnight, whatever your opinion of her, is one of your voices. And now he has deprived you of it, deprived you of a piece of your self. There is no other way you could feel. No other way you should.”

Rainbow’s frown deepened. “Wait, so, does this mean that Tirek has that snarky little tick causing grief in his head?” she asked, scratching her temple.

“Midnight is not Tirek’s shadow,” Luna provided. “He will hear nothing.”

Rainbow scoffed. “Oh, she’ll love that, I bet. Attention seeking little—”

“W-will she come back?” Twilight cut her off, and she flinched when she heard how hopeful she sounded. Stars, she really did have Stockholm syndrome. Beside her, Rainbow’s glower faded, replaced with a more tender look. The pegasus reached out to take a hold of Twilight’s shoulder, comforting her.

Luna afforded Twilight a soothing nod and reassuring smile. “Yes. When your alicorn magic is returned to you, its light will once again cast Midnight’s shadow,” she said before her expression hardened. “But be warned. The violation you feel now will morph into fury and rage. Midnight will want blood. She will want revenge. No matter how much you despise Tirek, you must not feed those impulses.”

“I try not to feed any impulses she sends my way,” Twilight said with a nod. “I’ll be ready.”

Luna studied Twilight a moment longer, searching for something. Twilight met her gaze steadily, and that seemed to satisfy the larger alicorn. Luna nodded. “Good. Rainbow Dash, see to it that Twilight Sparkle is well tended to. The attention of the clinic will not do her any good, I am afraid. Her affliction is beyond conventional medicine. At home, in the company of those she loves, is where she will find the greatest peace during this ordeal.”

Rainbow gave Luna a slow nod, her hold on Twilight’s shoulder tightening. “Like you had to ask.”

Luna gave the two a small smile, then a small nod of her head. “I will send the doctor in,” she said before stepping out through the door, leaving Twilight and Rainbow Dash alone. Several seconds ticked by, each one longer than the last.

Finally, Twilight gave Rainbow a small smile. “Thank you, Dash,” she said quietly, lifting her hoof to turn the pegasus’ head toward her by the chin.

“For what?” Rainbow asked.

“Getting me here.”

Rainbow smiled and nuzzled into Twilight’s neck. “I keep tellin’ ya, don’t I?” she whispered, hugging Twilight as well as she could from her awkward position beside the bed. “I ain’t lettin’ ya down. Not again. You needed help, I got you help. Simple as that.”

Twilight’s heart bloomed warmly in her chest, the first positive sensation she’d had since this whole ordeal started, and she drew the other mare into a quick, if uncoordinated, kiss. When the two came away, Twilight spoke in a low whisper. “When we get back, do you mind getting a notebook and writing some things down for me?”

“Sure. Whaddya need?”

“We should do something nice for Spike. To make up for, well… you know. This.”

“You know none of this is your fault, Twi,” Rainbow pointed out, furrowing her brow.

Twilight shrugged. “I know. But… I feel like we keep forgetting that he’s still a baby dragon. He’s so strong for us so often, and whenever these bad things happen, he’s a rock for both of us. But he shouldn’t have to carry so much of the burden. I feel awful for him.”

Rainbow nodded along quietly. “Yeah, I hear ya. He was basically my best friend back when we were trapped in the Empire. Dude was my little confidant. Thanked him a bunch, but… You’ve got a point.”

“So we should brainstorm ideas. Make a checklist of all the things he really likes.”

“Belly rubs,” Rainbow said automatically. “Minuette’s belly rubs.”

Twilight might have protested were she not so tired. But as it was, she could only laugh quietly in exasperation. “Donuts. Can’t forget those.”

“Can import a bunch from Joe’s, probably.”

“Probably, yeah.”

The two traded soft-spoken ideas with one another for a short while longer, before eventually being interrupted by the arrival of the doctor. By Twilight’s estimation, he was remarkably unfrazzled by the whole ordeal. But then again, he’d been here for basically everything that their little friend group had gone through.

This doctor is basically a war veteran at this point, she realized as she was being discharged and given her instruction paperwork. Then, a small bottle of painkillers and Rainbow supporting her weight, Twilight left the clinic room and made her way out to the waiting room. As she had been told, the rest of their friends were waiting there for her. She was too tired to truly internalize the things they said as they quietly crowded around her. Most of them were questions, and rightly so. None of them had been given the same info dump she had. But just hearing them, seeing their concerned faces staring into hers, took away the worst of her discomfort.

“Hey, girls,” she finally said with a weak, crooked smile. “Sleepover at the library?”

Author's Note

Right, so, it has been a WHILE since I've been here doing this. If Y'all could keep an eye open for any spelling errors or continuity errors I missed, please let me know.