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"Princess..." Ditzy stood stock still at the intruder's voice, then dropped into a curtsey. "I'm sorry, I should've brushed my mane before coming here, it's just I was so worried about her-"

"Hush, my little pony... I understand. I'm just sorry that you have to." Celestia's voice was back to its usual regality, the slight wobble long since gone in the name of preserving her image to her subjects. Power does that to you. "This will take some time, so it's best that I start now. And it begins back in Canterlot."

*******

"Twilight Sparkle, I know you're in here!" The Sun Princess's boomed out across the library, earning her an acid look from the chief librarian and a small squeak of fear from the very back of the room. A snapping sound later, Celestia was stood beside a fortress made entirely of thick treatises on tax law and the semiotics of fifth-century Zebraramaic, all held together by tough-looking magic that set the air shimmering. Sighing to herself, the princess located the capstone rune set and tapped it with her magic, sending the whole edifice into a cascade failure. The net result was that her student shot out of the collapsing fort like a shot bolt and a book fell on her hoof.

Celestia was not pleased.

A flash of magic later, a purple filly who seemed largely composed of gigantic eyes and even bigger fringe was floating along behind the princess like a terrified duck-on-a-string toy. She was shaking slightly, and eventually the Princess set her down in a chair across the room from her in her private quarters.

"Twilight... this has to stop. You've been in my care for two years now and you've not been out to play with the other foals once. There's nothing scary about going outside-"

"Yes there is." Twilight's forceful demeanour vanished like blossom in the north wind when Celestia gave a small, polite, utterly displeased cough. "Um, I mean... yes there is, Princess."

"Pray tell," the Princess said with a raised eyebrow that definitely didn't make her think about her sister, thank you for asking.

Twilight gulped. "It's... it's the bigness going out, Princess. Seeing the sky, it just, it just doesn't ever end, Princess, it goes on forever and that's... I can't take it. I just can't." Her gaze flicked away to her hooves, shame boiling off her. She continued in a much smaller voice, "If you want me to leave, Princess-" She got no further. Alicorns are very strong creatures and perfectly capable of silencing a filly with a well-placed cuddle.

"Oh, my little pony... I will never send you from my side. Never." A swell of motherly affection ran through the Princess' whole being as Twilight nuzzled at her breast.

She almost regretted how easily the lie had come.

*******

"Wait, wait, back up. What do you mean, the lie came easily?" Spike's small face was curling up with rage, his fists having gone that way some time before. "What did you think was going to happen to her-"

"Spike, have you ever had a hunch?" Celestia's tone was as measured as it had been throughout her anecdote, something that infuriated Spike even more. She seemed to show only mild boredom when talking about such things. Ditzy, being sensible in spite of her reputation, had seen through it some time ago.

"Well, yeah, of course I have-"

"When you're a - when you're an alicorn, your hunches... tend to be on the mark. It's not exactly foresight, but it's not something that can be explained away by sheer coincidence. If I may continue..."

*******

Celestia blew the candle out by Twilight's bed and flew gently out of the room, not wanting to wake the filly with hoofsteps or the harsh crack of teleportation. She still had to go away, though; it would not be seemly for Twilight to see her teacher's distress should she wake during the night. The Princess was utterly shaken and took to her private study to read and reflect upon the nature of her most beloved pupil's sickness.

Agoraphobia, it transpired, had many root causes, and the treatment was like antivenom; pick the wrong one and you damage the patient even further. Celestia's eyes had widened upon reading that, and her cocoa had left a large stain on the carpet before she recovered her senses. Her choice was clear; send for the best psychiatrists in the land to sort this out. Then, maybe, she'd be able to get some sleep.

The following morning, after raising the sun and listening to self-important stallions in bad suits talk about new tax laws to the point where she wanted to just banish them to a scorpion pit and be the despot people sometimes accused her of being, she arranged an appointment with a psychiatrist. Wakeup Call was a highly respected pony who loved to work with foals, and his track record was truly incredible.

Halfway through the first session, Twilight Sparkle apparently turned him into a small painted wooden duck.

A month later, Celestia was at her wit's end. Not content with inflicting this mess on her, the powers that be had elected to send a fresh shipment of diplomatic crises, hot off the presses. The Gryphon King was going through one of his soapbox phases and harping on about how unnatural ponykind's weather manipulation was again, there was a drought and the inevitable resultant food shortage in Zanzebrar and the Caesar needed help to keep his country in order, and to top it all off the infernal blasted Serene Crane Highness was launching ever more punitive raids on the Ibis Hegemony's land and the equally unhelpful Great-House Rasetra had executed the Crane ambassador. Everything seemed to be kicking off at once and she had no idea why. Not for the first time, she wished Luna was here. Maybe Twilight would've taken a shine to her and not tried to transmogrify her on sight. Perhaps, she thought, I've trained her too well-

There was a loud bang. Celestia sighed. That had to have been Dr. Chalky.

*******

"What happened to him," asked Ditzy in a surprised tone.

"Well, you see, Twilight didn't have much of a handle on her magic in those days. If you got her spooked or angry it lashed out of its own accord-"

"Short version, please," said Spike tersely.

"... He burst."

*******

Celestia was trembling now. The volume of magic needed to do that to somepony... she had no choice. With six psychologists having needed compensation and danger money, and this latest one a post-mortem after being turned into a balloon in the desert section of the arboretum, Twilight needed to be taken somewhere safe where she could be protected from herself. She'd seen what it could do to everypony else, so the Princess shuddered to think how it was ravaging the poor little mite's system. She'd given up on getting her to go outside for now; it was probably best that she be kept indoors.

The problem with that idea was that word had got out about Twilight Sparkle's effect on the health, well-being and minds of even the most bull-headedly determined mental health professionals. Even the ones specifically dedicated to handling unicorns that could be charitably described as totally bananas had flat-out told her, even when she dragged out the Royal Canterlot Voice, that the little filly would have to go elsewhere, preferably very far elsewhere so that they all had time to pick a solid-looking mountain to hide behind. Celestia was not a pony given to despair, but it was looking more and more attractive. And so, the most astute of her hoofmaidens noticed a shiver running constantly up and down Celestia's spine as they brushed her.

At court that day, a blue earth pony with an unfortunate green mane strode purposefully to the front of the Great Hall. "Your Highness, Princess Celestia, I come from Trottingham bearing my plea. Willst thou answer?"

Celestia was thoroughly impressed; this mare remembered the old protocol even though her grandparents couldn't have been born when it was last used. "Speak ye now, for the ears of the Princess turn for you."

"My Princess, I work at the Sunnygarden Institute, a hospice dedicated to pastoral care for... challenging ponies. We would have royal assent, if thou werest willing to grant it."

"Pray tell," said Celestia, an almost imperceptible twitch upward forming at the corners of her mouth, "the reason We would give it, and the reason you would have it."

"Why wouldst thou give it, your Majesty? Because we seek to help ponies in need, a core value of us as ponies. In turn, we seek it because with that assent and that prestige, we can help ever more ponies who are worse off than we or thou would like. Our hearts are as pure as thine own, Majesty... we seek only to aid those less fortunate."

"Very well," said the Princess, who was letting a warm and maternal smile cross her face while inwardly she bounced happily around like a space hopper made of Prozac. "We shall grant royal assent to the Sunnygarden Institute. Long may you prosper and bring help to all who need it." The young nurse bowed and gave thanks, but before she could leave Celestia beckoned her closer.

"Your Majesty?"

"We would have a private conference with you after court. There is a matter of some delicacy that your institution may be able to help me with."

"Your Majesty, I... Of course. I can guarantee secrecy in all Sunnygarden's dealings. After all, you can always trust a Tenderheart."

*******

"TENDERHEART?" Spike screamed, the shock of it sending Ditzy skywards and slamming her into the ceiling of the library. "But she works here, in Ponyville! Her and Redheart run the nursing station on the outskirts!"

"Then it is exactly as I feared. Sweetness Tenderheart is a silver-tongued mare, and I fancy she's been watching my faithful student for some time. Her painkiller addiction must have been a golden opportunity for-" Celestia couldn't finish her sentence; her mouth hung open and refused to work.

Spike had collapsed to the floor and curled up into a small, tight ball. Ditzy Doo struggled down from the ceiling, taking a not inconsiderable amount of plaster with her, and put a wing over his quivering form. She then turned what would have been a withering glare on the Princess had not one eye wandered off halfway through it.

"He gave them to her. The painkillers, I mean. He gave them to her because of the nightmares." Her voice was strangely calm, but in her wandering eyes there could be seen the rage of a demon begging with the grey mare to be set loose.

Celestia looked at the baby dragon with widening eyes. "Is this true, Spike?"

The purple dragon gave no response save a sniff and a barely perceptible nod.

"You know how bad this looks, Spike. I believe you," Celestia added that point hastily as Ditzy let out an animal growl, "but we're going to need proof. It's not an addiction if it's treatment."

"... okay," came a miniscule voice from the dragon, as rasping and subdued as he had been loud earlier. "there's a diary. small, black. twi's room. i picked the lock. it took me weeks. that's why i shut the library, to, to work on it... i'm sorry, princess, i couldn't get it open because of the magic..."

Two whipcrack noises later, Celestia had it levitating in front of her. "Twilight's ward work has improved," she said brittlely, "but she still places too much emphasis on down-stroke runes, the up-stroke combination work is highly underrated, in my opinion... aha." The diary glowed purple, the same colour as Twilight's magic, and fell open. Spike and Ditzy walked around and peered over the Princess' shoulders, then wished they hadn't.

"I never knew... I... my Twilight... how was I so blind..." Celestia's magic wobbled and failed entirely. The book fell to the floor, accompanied after a few moments by hot, salt water.

Then Celestia stood up, and her horn began to shine. "Spike, Ditzy Doo, attend me. We've a Princess to contact, some friends to round up, and an interrogation to conduct." The pair rushed to the Princess' side and with a burst of magic they were gone.

*******

Day 31. Though you know that, because you're me.

It's been a month since I was rescued from my prison. The Mistress has helped so much... I was scared at first. Apparently that's natural after cases like mine. Mistress calls what happened to me Satanism, though I've never heard of it. It wasn't in either Ponyville or... her library. I can't say her name. Think her name. Whatever. What she did was evil.

My injuries aren't healing. Every time I have another fit, the treatment plan opens up old wounds. Wounds that that horrible, horrible mare inflicted on me in the name of darkness. She even... I can't think about it. Not again. The Mistress says that I have to go through intimacy relearning - which is weird, and it feels wrong, and I have a lot of blackouts in it, but the Mistress says it has to be done - because of what that demon did.

The Mistress says that, if I respond to treatment and stay in line, she'll teach me magic to defend myself from her. Only theory, though; my magic's too unstable at present, so I have to wear an inmanipulon collar at all times, for my own good. This just seems weird too, because I remember using magic a whole lot and it never seemed like a problem, but now when I try to remember it everything's all fuzzy and besides, Mistress wouldn't lie.

Mistress keeps me tied to my bed when she visits. That was after the first night, when I was so scared of her coming back to hurt me again that I lashed out and broke her knee. After that, I was kept under sedation for a few days. But that's weird, because when I woke up everywhere hurt, especially my... well, you know where it hurt. Because you're me. Hah. Talking to yourself. First sign of madness. You'd think the hospital would be a clue.

The orderlies are nice. Big, strong unicorn stallions. The Mistress says I have to obey them and give them everything they ask for, which is weird because they don't ask for anything. I just black out around them a lot and I wake up and there's pain, but the Mistress says that that's normal and I should keep doing what I do. Sometimes they take me to treatment and I see the Mistress and another doctor who's really pretty and they give me something to drink, and that's nice, but sometimes I get flashbacks to the cult. Her cult. I don't remember much of it, and what's left is... grainy. Like a zoetrope that's spun too quick. I remember red lighting and all these horrible things, weird faces, red light everywhere, stuff like that. I cry a lot after those happen, because the memories make places hurt that shouldn't hurt.

Sometimes, though, I remember other things. They're strange. Fuzzy, like the memories of... of her, but kind of like they're from the other way, if that makes any sense. Which it doesn't. I know it doesn't, because, well, you know by now. I know. Whatever. Point is, they seem... nice. There's me and these five other girls, and we laugh and play and have a lot of cool adventures, but those can't be real because Mistress says I was locked in a library by that... that evil... No. Mustn't cry. Mistress doesn't like it.

Besides, I know they're not real, because those fillies are... they're nice. They act like friends.

And the Mistress says I never had any friends.

*******

The Princess had teleported across Ponyville, a growing band of followers in tow, until finally she contacted Luna via telepathy and bade her travel to the manse of Tenderheart. The Moon Princess' eyes had flashed wide, then hardened, and she landed in front of her sister and her entourage as they arrived.

The Tenderhearts were a noble line that had largely died out, the ancestors losing money left, right and centre to landlords, conponies and mares of negotiable affection - and it wasn't just the patriarchs. The current Tenderheart still lived in the hall, but the lack of funding was beginning to show in the rusted door studs and the smell of age and dust.

Those doors burst inward easily under a magical onslaught, and the two alicorn sisters stepped purposefully inside.

"SWEETNESS TENDERHEART," bellowed Luna, the Royal Canterlot Voice doing alarming things to the masonry, "YOU SHALL COME FORTH FROM YOUR HIDING PLACE AND FACE THE JUDGEMENT OF EQUESTRIA'S PRINCESSES! KNOW THAT WE ARE MERCIFUL SAVE IF YOU RESIST! OUT, OUT, TO THE GREAT HALL WITH YOU TO PRODUCE AN EXPLANATION! WE LISTEN FOR YOUR REPLY!"

Applejack looked at Rarity askance. "Uh, do y'all think that she's, um... puttin' it a li'l theatrical, like?"

"I just don't understand why Celestia of all people is supporting these rumours about Twilight Sparkle," said Rarity, before two and a half glares shut her up. Ditzy sighed afterwards and cursed her spinning vision.

Eventually, Nurse Tenderheart trotted down the stairs, looking like a foal caught ransacking the biscuit tin. "Ugh, I guess you want to take me away, then-"

"HOW DARE YOU ADDRESS US IN SUCH AN IMPUDENT MANNER, CREATURE OF FLESH AND MALICE? YOU WILL TREAT US WITH THE PROPER RESPECT FOR THEENTIRETY OF THIS CONVERSATION OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!" Luna had somehow managed to increase the volume, and a fine cloud of dust was spewing forth worryingly from a chandelier fitting. Tenderheart dropped to the ground and covered her ears, but there was no escaping it. It was almost as if the Princess was shouting at her very soul.

What remained of it, anyway.

Celestia stepped forward. "You will tell me where Twilight Sparkle is being imprisoned. You have five seconds, and then Luna will ask you. Again. And again. And again." Someone watching her would have seen that her eyes were rimmed with tear-forged redness; a careful listener would have detected a note of huskiness in her voice. Tenderheart cringed. The Elements just looked on, shocked to their cores save for Pinkie Pie. She was smiling, really smiling.

Tenderheart quivered. "Please... Princess mine, I-"

"Four seconds."

"I can't tell you where she is, please, you have to believe me!" An edge of desperation crept into the nurse's voice.

"I don't have to and I don't intend to. Three seconds."

"But, but I'm just a poor nurse, I don't-"

"Two. Seconds."

"ALRIGHT! Alright. Please... She's at Moon River Hospice, please don't hurt me!"

"We are merciful, my little pony," said Luna, who appeared to be shaking violently. "Be thankful for this as you run from here and never return to Our sight." Tenderheart galloped off at pace, the ponies watching events unfold too dumbfounded to stop her.

"Well, that settles it. Luna, prepare for mass teleport-"

"Princess Celestia, that was... that was the worst manners I have ever seen!" Rarity marched up to her and bored into the alicorn's brain with deep blue eyes. "That was horrid, what you did to her. You could have just asked! She would not have dared lie to you-"

"Rarity," murmured Fluttershy in one of those peculiar whispered tones that cuts across a room louder than any magically-enhanced shout, "shut up. Until you remember, you don't get to speak. I read Twilight's journal. You do not get to speak, at all."

The white unicorn was taken completely aback. "Really, Fluttershy," she began, but a butter-yellow hoof that smelled of soap and lingering medicine was jammed into her mouth.

"No speaking." And Rarity simply let it go at that.

The teleport was quick, as they are wont to be, and the Elements found themselves in a strangely familiar garden - at least, three of them did. The other just thought it was a nice-looking hospital.

Celestia shut her eyes and concentrated for a moment. "Hmm... lots of different capstone runes... taking one down leaves another in place... however..." Her horn pulsed and bright-white light burst out of the garden wall, blinding everypony in the party for a minute and leaving oddly-shaped afterimages.

It was when Applejack slumped to the floor in utter, furious disbelief that Celestia knew her ponies were back.

Now, though, it was time to attack.