~~~Canterlot General Hospital, ICU, Room C6, Christmas Morning, 3:37 am~~~

As weak as she was, Sunset Shimmer was restless, as she shifted around bit by bit. Her temperature was close to normal, but with the low blood count within her body, she was sweating, pale, and, unfortunately, almost feverish.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk."

A large, gloved hand came over with a damp cloth, wiping the sweat from Sunset's restless face, as she was mumbling incoherently under her breath. She moved, almost flailed, her arms out, only for the nurses close by to gingerly catch and rest the bandaged, tender wrists back onto the bed. This whole ordeal was something the staff in attendance dreaded to ever see.

"My dear, fräulein…" The owner of the hand said softly, with his very thick German accent. "No one should ever have to endure self-loathing, especially you, mein kind."

Adjusting his glasses and glancing down at the bed ridden patient, he returned his attention to the clipboard with her information… or lack thereof. Which only added to his curiosity of the subject. Or, the patient. This patient.

His patient.

"Ve vill find zhis root cause, mein dear. Don't vorry." He said, then his face went dark. "I vill break down zhe shackles off zhe valls of prisons, keeps, and strongholds of zhe north, if I have too. I vill rain down superb fire power upon zhe doors of destiny. I vill rend zhe skies above, and throw zhem down to the bitter most parts of hell! I vill make God cry in majestic vonder, and zhe devil himself vill be mein puppet! Death! Vill NOT have you zhis day! Nor vill he ever! For mein medicine is SOUND! AND MEIN PRACTICE IS SURE! HEIL HITL---"

"Ahem!!"

Coming down from his self-motivation (or monologue), and before he could finish the "forbidden salute" from the 1930's and '40's, he turned himself toward the door of the small room, and saw the head nurse. Standing there in the doorway, she was tapping her foot, with her hands on her hips, as she gave him a look which could kill even the deadliest of diseases. Which even gave him pause… and lustful exhilaration!

"Ah! Nurse Flower Bud! Vas there somezhing you vould like to add?" He asked giddily, as she said nothing but pointed to a sign out in the hall, that he could see through the room's indoor window.

VISITING HOURS:

8 AM to 9 PM

QUIET TIME:

10 PM to 7 AM

He read it over twice, then looked at his watch, then the clock in the room, then back at his watch. He then paced back and forth in the small room as he was mumbling numbers and calculations. Then he stopped, looked at Nurse Bud, and grinned.

"AH, IT'S QUIET TIME!"

"Shhh!!!" She, the other two nurses in the room, and a few others down the hall sounded out at the same time. While this happened Sunset managed to fidget a bit more in her blankets from the outburst. Noticing this, the man turned to her and gently brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"Oh, mein fräulein. Do not despair. Ve will make your stay…" he said softly, as he leaned closer towards her face. "...comfortable…"

"AHEM!!!"

Before he could connect the kiss, he turned back, again, toward Nurse Bud, as she pointed to the sign again.

"Ja, ja. I know of zhe Quiet Time." He said, irritated.

The nurse just shook her head, and pointed harder toward the wall. Following her hand, he looked back at the sign, but then looked beside it, only to find another sign. Which read:

NO INTIMATE CONTACT BETWEEN HOSPITAL STAFF AND PATIENTS

(THAT INCLUDES KISSING, DOCTOR LUDWIG)

"Ah." With a blank stare, and sudden realization, The doctor pulled back from the patient. "Right. 'State vs. Ludwig.' Don't vant zhat again."

As he got up, he hesitated, not knowing what to do, so he did the first thing that came to his mind. He decided to pat her gently on the head.

"Gut gemacht!" He said, then pranced his way towards the door, as the two nurses watched with both shock and mild disgust.

Already leaving before him, Nurse Flower Bud started back toward the help desk to manage the rounds of other nurses, while Doctor Ludwig followed behind. The two nurses that stayed behind helped Sunset get a bit more comfortable and check her vitals as she calmed down and drifted further into sleep. Then they heard more commotion from the hall.

"My, my, Nurse Flower." Doctor Ludwig said, playfully. "Iz zhat a Bud in mein pants? Trick question. Yes, because I'm happy to see---"

A loud slap could be heard throughout the whole floor.

"Mein Glasses!"

~~~Northbound, Faust Blvd., 3:42 am - 15 minutes from Canterlot General~~~

The ride was quiet, thus far as she peered out of the passenger side window. Holding a somewhat-hot mug of coffee, Celestia had a lot of emotions going through her mind.

For starters, she was tired. It was almost four in the morning, and she was hoping to at least get a couple more hours of sleep before she had to get up and drive over to the school, to then make her way over to her niece's house, for their Traditional Christmas Breakfast. If it was any other circumstance, Luna would have killed her had she been just a minute late. Luna always stayed up all night at the school, putting her whole heart and soul into preparing the food for the holiday. It was always a wonder where she got this very amazing gift from.

Next, she was worried. The main reason why Luna would stay her wrath was because one of the high school students-- their student-- was in the hospital. Looking down at her swirling coffee, she felt a twinge of guilt. There had to be something she could've done to prevent this. She shook the doubtful thoughts from her mind as quickly as they came. Knowing how competent they are, she had faith that Canterlot General would take good care of Sunset and bring her swiftly back to health.

Finally… There was that last feeling as she turned towards the one in the driver's seat, and adopted a mild scowl of frustration as the one in question was driving them to the hospital.
But not just driving…

Though focused on the road, he could sense evil eyes on him.

"Quit looking at me like that, your wrinkles will get worse." Alan said with a monotone voice.

Celestia rolled her eyes and looked away, but that didn't stop her from quipping back.

"Says the 'complete stranger' who is DRIVING MY CAR!" She said, yelling into Alan's ear. She pulled back and looked out the window. "And since it is, shouldn't I be driving, because you haven't slept in two days?" In this circumstance, she was right on both accounts about what was said back at the house.

After finally letting him in, Celestia was heading toward her room to change, as Alan was headed toward the kitchen. When asked what he was doing, he said they both needed coffee. She did, to wake up, and he did, to stay awake. Which ended up with another tirade of bad words thrown at each other. She relented when he brought up Sunset (again) and went to change into something presentable. After getting dressed, and on their way out with coffee, he took the key fob from her, and hopped in her new 2021 Lexus NX, much to her annoyance.

After these events transpired, there was silence for a few minutes, until… Well, the rest is history.

"I don't need to be reminded about what was said. I was there, too, remember?" Alan said, trying to keep his cool. "You need time for the coffee to wake you up, which is why I'm driving." He said, while lifting his borrowed mug of the aforementioned black drink as he took a few gulps himself.

"I don't know about that." Celestia retorted sarcastically. "Because the way I see it, it seemed like you were more interested in the car than my safety." She then eyed him with mild suspicion. "You just wanted to drive my new car, didn't you?"

"..." Not saying a word was all that she needed to not hear to smack Alan in the shoulder. The surprise attack caused him to shift the steering wheel to the left, as the vehicle veered into the oncoming side of the empty road. Thankfully, no other cars were out this early, with the exception of a few early birds or night owls they passed by minutes prior.

He corrected the car back to the right side, and knew that another yelling match was about to start. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He said as evenly as he could while glancing back and forth between her and the road.

"Me?" She loudly said, "you're the one that's driving recklessly!"

"I wouldn't be driving 'recklessly' if the passenger would keep her hands to herself." He retorted. "I thought, being a principal, you'd be all about teaching your students that. How come you don't practice what you preach?"

Celestia rolled her eyes, again. "Oh please, it was just a tap. It didn't even hurt at all!" She said, as though she knew what her little jab felt like. She wasn't wrong, of course, but it was still unexpected to the detective. "You're always so on edge. Don't you ever relax? Oh wait, no you don't. Because you're busy trying to exploit and ruin people's lives for, what was it again...?" She asked, sarcastically putting a finger to her chin, while gaining a false epiphany. "That's right! To prove right your interpretation of the justice system to save your own ass!"

He didn't say anything. Only squeezed the lining of the steering wheel until it creaked under the twisting pressure. His face also went dark at the constant barrage of accusations. He'd defend himself if they didn't carry a bit of truth to them. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his grip and replied with a soft voice.

"Ok, look." He started, breaking the silence, and glancing at the back of Celestia's head as she faced out the window. "I'm sorry for bugging you, I'm sorry for causing you grief…" She relaxed for a second, "... I'm sorry for calling you a cunt…" she stiffened right back up. "... and a bitch, and a vixen…"

She turned to him with a look of confusion rather than annoyance. "When did you---?"

"---in my head."

There it was, she thought as she rolled her eyes and lifted her arms in a shrug and folded them to her chest in exasperation. That didn't stop him.

"But we have pressing matters right now." He said with a hint of both worry and hope. "There's a little girl at the hospital that needs our--- your help. I could only have done so much, and you know that." He said, focusing on the road. "She kept calling your name." This both caught Celestia off guard and relaxed her shoulders significantly. "If that's not a cry for help to you, then I don't know what is."

Guilt flooded Celestia, as she was reminded, again, why she was with Alan in the first place. She took her own deep breath to calm her nerves, and took another sip of her drink.

"You're right. I'm… sorry." She relented. "Now's not the time. Let's just get to the hospital."

He sighed with relief. "Thank you." Thinking of what else to say, he went back to his training. "Now, I just have a few questions." Getting her attention, he continued, "how is Sunset at school?"

An odd question, to be sure, but, seeing as this was an officer of the law wanting to get as much information as he could for a possible report, she happily answered.

"She's amazing." She started, while thinking of other words. "She's kind, generous, out-going. Amazing grades. Practically one of my top students." She said as she thought back a few months. "She's doing much better, all things considered."

"What do you mean?" Alan asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh, she was a bit of a trouble maker." She said off-handedly, thinking back to the fall formal. "A bully, even. She wanted to be crowned 'fall-formal queen' so badly, she did everything she could to get it."

"Hm." He grunted, not expecting this particular information. " you said 'was'?" He asked.

"Oh yes. She, uh, lost badly, and ended up having to clean up the school after vandalizing some of the property." Celestia stated matter of factly. "But she ended up getting help from the winning queen and her friends, and they ended up asking her to join them at a slumber party..."

Celestia went on and on about Sunset's escapades with the rest of the now mentioned 'Friendship Squad'. Six other individual girls, with similar ages, were helping her, as it were, become 'reformed'. Very interesting way of putting it, he thought, as Celestita then spoke about a 'rock concert' thing and how Sunset helped her friends win the competition.

"... and they've been almost inseparable ever since. The rest of the school also forgave her and accepted her as one of their own and she has never seemed happier." Celestia finished, hoping that would suit Alan's inquiry, but to her mild annoyance, it didn't.

"What about recently?" He asked, garnering a confused look from the female passenger.

"What do you mean?"

"Has anything happened the past few days between Sunset and anyone else at the school?" He said, rephrasing the question to hopefully get a quick and honest answer.

She paused, thinking for a second. "No, not that I'm aware… wait," she said, "I didn't notice, but Luna did."

Nodding for her to continue, Alan listened. He came to a stop in the left turn lane at a stop light, right before the hospital.

"I was busy with files and helping the rest of the faculty get their grades in order, when Luna came into my office asking to use my computer to check the cameras. I asked her to keep an eye on the students, as I was busy, so checking the cameras was no big deal." She said, glancing toward Alan. He in turn nodded. "It was an hour after school got out, yesterday, that she pulled up the feed to the east side of the school, by the gym. Rewinding the feed, she stopped it around the group of girls, looking down at Sunset as she knelt on the floor..."

Alan perked up, as his face turned grimmed, hoping that this wasn't turning out as he knew it probably was. Celestia continued, without noticing his change.

"... Luna and I watched intently as they seemed to say something to her, and then walked off, leaving her there. Sunset cupped her face in hands, for a time, and that's when Luna walked up behind her." Celestia said, recounting the tale as she saw it, while Alan was fully invested in listening to said story. "Sunset turned, seeming upset, and as Luna reached out for her she took off in a run. Luna then followed after her, though not for long, as Sunset didn't stop. Going through the school's camera system, she followed where Susnet went. She ran all the way through the school, and left out the main entryway."

As she finished, Alan took it in stride. Something wasn't adding up, so he asked, as the light to the left-turn arrow showed green.

"Do you know why she was upset?" He asked softly, as the car moved, turning onto the hospital property.

"That was just it." She said, after taking a sip of her coffee. "I had no idea what happened. Luna then explained what was happening on the school's student Facebook page. Someone was going around as a 'anonymous' person, or something, sharing a lot of people's personal secrets on there. No one was safe, apparently." She said, looking down at her mug.

Alan, thinking for a moment, tried to put the pieces together, but they didn't add up. There was still… something wrong, he just knew it.

"So, was Sunset responsible?" Alan said, driving up toward the closest parking lot.

"That was the theory, but Luna said otherwise." Celestia said, getting Alan's full attention again. "She said that, looking through the Facebook page as a 'site administrator', whatever that means, and using some 'unorthodox' skills," she said, with floating quotation marks from her free hand, "she found out that, even though many, if not all students were blaming Sunset, it actually turned out to be three other girls." She said, watching as Alan started to park in a spot in the almost, very empty parking lot. "Luna knew this, and already spoke with the three girls, so she went to get Sunset's side of the story and then, well…"

"She ran off…" Alan finished, as he slowed to a stop in the stall. He didn't put it in park, because he was too busy in his head.

It all made sense. Everything, fitting together. Despite her mistakes, she was trying to be a better person. Doing everything she could to fully repent of her past mistakes. Then this whole gossip thing came up. Though he didn't know the full details, he knew enough about high school to realise that, despite everything she'd done to become a good person, it was all worthless when her so-called 'friends' didn't even bother to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Just as before, he clenched the steering wheel tightly, as well as his teeth as well. His face darkened to the point that his hair covered his eyes, obscuring their view of the world. He knew that people made mistakes, but being to stupid to realize that everyone has bad, even terrible days that pushes them to the point of know return? He only thought of one thing to convey his building malice on behalf of Sunset.

Those. Fucking. Children.

Not noticing his state, Celestia drank a bit more from her cup as she finished, "Luna said that a punishment was going to be given to those girls after the holiday break. So I guess there's no need to worry about that. For now, let's get inside to see Sunset." She went to open the door, but realized she forgot something. So she turned to Alan to inquire. "By the way, from what I heard Sunset had an accident, but what exactly happened?"

She saw how still Alan was, and thought that he fell asleep, at first. But as she studied him, she realized that he was facing forward, still as a rock, besides the shaking of his bone-white hands, which were squeezing the life out of the steering wheel. She thought this unorthodox to the stoic nature and professionalism of the detective, especially when dealing with matters like this. This gave her concern.

"Detective, what's wrong?" She asked, a tinge of worry in her voice, as her eyes held a plea for nothing. He said nothing in return, which turned worry to panic for the woman. "Alan…" She said softly. "It… was an accident, right?"

He moved. As he slowly turned his head toward her, he relaxed his hands just enough to put the car in park, and they both made eye contact. When she saw his eyes, they were filled with what she thought could destroy the whole city if it came to life: pure rage. She was terrified, now. It was made worse, however, when the implications about Sunset set in to her already breaking heart as he spoke.

"No." It was soft. Too soft, yet it was heard by the principal all the same. "It wasn't." He finished, as he pressed the car's power button, and the engine went dead.

Just as she saw the detective's face, with godly amounts of anger, turn away from her, she only thought for a split second what her own may have looked like at that moment.

Without thinking, the motherly terror came back to her as she choked back hysterical sobs and tears welled up. She threw the cup to her left, threw open the door, and ran toward the hospital entrance.

Getting woken up from his simmering rage by luke-warm coffee, Alan looked at himself, then the running woman, then back at himself. Giving an exasperated sigh, he slowly got out, did what he could to wipe himself down, made sure the doors were shut and locked, and made his way after the distraught woman.

Author's Note

Hey guys. I just want to apologize for the short and hopefully not too slow chapters and stories. I hope you enjoy them nonetheless.

The next chapter will be longer, this I can assure you. It may take some time, however. So please be patient.

Thanks again!

-Taco Blend.