>Day Sepsis in Equestria
>Be Dusk Dancer
>You arrive at the infirmary where your comrade is being held
>Apparently, he attacked somep0ny and the False Princess of the Moon retaliated in equal measure
"Where is Pokey? What did he do?"
>An orderly takes you to his room, but does not explain much to you
>Stepping inside, you find Pokey in a cold sweat under a dozen blankets
"By the Queen, is he going to live?!"
>Before an answer is given, the door bursts open and slams angrily against the wall
>The beast known as Anonymous marches in with fire in his eyes
>For a moment, your gaze meets his own and the world slows to a crawl
>The sheer intensity of the monster's stare sends a shiver down your spine until your tail stands on edge
>He disappears behind a sectioned area and you return to trying to find the cause of all this
>It is within moments that Princess Luna enters carefully
>"Dusk Dancer, I presume?"
"That is I."
>"The situations we meet in continue to be dire."
"This seems to be true."
>You stare down the False-Princess
>In your mind, you know that she could cast you to the heavens or break your very will with a single gesture
>Still, you stand tall and defiant
>Luna looks down to Pokey once before eyeing you
>"I sense a dark magic plaguing this one's very blood. Do you know what caused this reaction?"
"I am not certain... Pokey is a kind-hearted pony."
>"His heart is not his own now."
>With a twisted expression, you blurt out against Luna
"Watch your witch tongue! Pokey is a fine stallion who would never hurt a fly!"
>The powerful alicorn before you snaps her head in your direction and glowers
>"But, he would injure my little ponies."
>There is an intensity to her words the likes of which you are not familiar with
>Pokey convulses from his dream-like state
>His legs twitch and his throat pulses for breath
>"S-save... P-protect..."
>You watch his body undulate before falling limply in a painful spasm
>Sweat builds on his brow as his eyes clench against the pain
"He's becoming delirious. He'll die if this keeps up!"
>Luna eyes Pokey's throat for a moment and you begin to worry
>"I sometimes worry Anonymous is influencing me... But, that is not the path I have chosen to walk."
>A sudden intensity emanates from Luna as her eyes glow a brilliant yellow
>Her horn shines like the very moon above and you feel your very being pulled at the frail edges of reality
>A powerful spell erupts from her horn and strikes Pokey at his neck
>His body arches on the bed and a terrifying choking noise forces its way out
>You hear the metal railing rattle as hooves thrash in maddening pain
"What have you done?!"
>"Only time will tell..."
>With her cryptic words, the False-Princess leaves towards her beast servant
>You watch powerlessly as your friend writhes in agony

>A short distance away
>Be Anonymous
>You kneel beside the short bed of your dear Nightlight
>Placing your hand on her forehead, she is hot yet her body shivers under a mound of blankets
>The Princess of the Moon strides in with the smell of freshly peeled ozone around her
>Princess Luna looks to you and her glance brings a chill to you
"The puncture wound... It is poison if ever I've seen."
>The Princess looks to you with a bit of a smile, but it is far too hollow
>"Anonymous, would you say Nightlight's will is strong?"
>You nod slightly
"Yes, she is stubborn."
>"That is good to hear."
"This is not your average poison, is it?"
>Luna confirms your fears with a simple nod
>"This is no poison at all, Anon. It is a dark and powerful magic that threatens the heart of its victims."
>You snarl quickly
"No doubt... Is there a cure?"
>"Time, patience, and determination."
"I pick one. What can I get to remedy this ailment?"
>"Anon, it is not that simple. Magic must cure magic."
"I will do anything to have Nightlight well again."
>She smiles with you before walking beside the bed
>"I know you would, Anon. Honestly, this is a fine sight to see. I just wish it were not at such a dark time."
>You hold the warm hoof of Nightlight as you stare at her limp features
>Breaking your contact, you quickly stand and sober up
"We must redouble our efforts to find the Red Queen. We must push deep into enemy territory and end her reign by whatever means."
>"Anonymous, calm down and rest for the moment."
>You stare at the ceiling with an expression between hatred and sorrow
"I will break this spell if it means breaking every bone in her body."
>"That... That won't necessarily stop the magic from progressing."
>You begin to head out the door
"It will at least make me feel better..."
>Silently, you pray to the sun and moon
>This is your fault, you know
>You failed to protect her, but you will not lose Nightlight so easily

>Outside, under fading starlight
>Be Dusk Dancer
"Damn it all!"
>You kick the ground and slur angrily
"That fake Princess is certainly going to kill him! I know it. How do I fix this? Damn it, Dusk, get it together! You're supposed to be the team leader!"
>A sudden sound picks up from a corner of the yard
>"More like a shepherd of the damned."
>You turn to see the creature known as Anonymous 
>"Look at you, disheveled and weak. Fear is the only thing you know, you filthy creature."
>His words flit like bitter gnats in the air
"It is you who are an abomination on this place!"
>He stares at you with a hard face of unnatural proportion
>"The Princess keeps you alive in here, but you will not always be in this space. Think hard about your next words."
>You scowl and pin your ears before the beast
"I want nothing to do with this hideous castle of putrid gray! My team will leave and take what we came for."
>"The one called 'Rosewood', hmm? Such a favour would almost make me feel inclined to reimburse you."
"You are a foul pox on this world."
>"Perhaps your world is larger than my own. Tell me, do you know what is happening right now to either pony in the medical ward?"
>You stop and pay attention now
>"They are dying of a magical malignancy. My sentry is dying to your attack while yours is dying from his own queen. What do you make of that? Tell me you are not blind enough to believe the Red Queen cares for your misbegotten kind?"
>For the moment, you want to throw yourself upon Anonymous
>You wish to attack with all your might, to silence his mouth and black his eyes
>But, for the moment, he is correct and you are confused
"I am sure this is not an intended side effect..."
>"Perhaps you are correct or, perhaps, it is exactly what was needed to silence two ponies. When will you be the next?"
>Having had enough, you charge the creature headfirst
>He catches you before you realize what is happened and you feel the ground meet your back quickly
>Winded, you roll away and gasp for air
>"You are weak and expendable to your precious queen. You do her bidding blindly."
"You are wrong!"
>With great speed, you dive at the beast and connect with his torso
>It is like hitting a lump of stone under your hoof and leaves you thoroughly shocked
>His strange arm swings to the side and slams you in the ribs
>The blow is staggering and you find yourself on the ground again
>You attempt to lift your body, but the pain in your side rings into your back
>"Know now that I can break you whenever I please and learn now that only the Princess' infinite mercy keeps you whole!"
>A swift kick sends you a foot into the air as your stomach violently lurches
>Bile churns in your gut as the pain radiates into your hind legs 
"You... D-d-damn..."
>"Pain is temporary..."
>Anonymous bends over with his face just inches from your own
>"... Failure is forever."
>He slowly rises to his full height and begins to walk away
>You do not think you have ever been hit so hard in your life
>Laying on the grass, tears well in your eyes as you attempt to move
>Your legs are useless as the pain roils about
>In a mercifully short time, you finally pass out

>Be Anonymous the Enraged
>Leaving the defeated pony behind, you stomp onwards to the castle
>There must be some cure hidden in a book, you think
>The library is lively today and this makes you smile
>Not often do you find yourself here and help would be greatly appreciated
>There is a small unicorn in one corner with a periodical in hoof
"You there..."
>You approach casually
"... I am in need of some assistance."
>The unicorn looks over her paper and yawns slowly
>"Who are you?"
"I am Anonymous, castle guard. I am looking for a particular spell book."
>"Hmm, spells are under 'M'. Do you know the type of spell you want?"
"Cures, both magical and palliative."
>"Start in 'M35' and work your way down. If you hit 'N', you've gone too far."
>The unicorn raises her paper up again and covers her face
>A light snore and grumble flit up from behind her screen
>You begin to make your way through the massive library and scan the shelves for interesting titles
>It feels like hours of walking before you come upon a small green book
>You quickly grab it from the shelf and muse over the title
>Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-alls That Are Simply Super
>This has worked in the place for strange malignancies you have come across
>Your mind wanders back to the mysterious outbreak that sprang up outside the castle and how this book held a simple cure
>The vomiting and joint pain you remember as well
>Racing from the library, you decide it is time to read!

>On the castle grounds with the sun kissing the horizon
>Be Rosewood
>You are exhausted after this long night
>Another day at the castle, you think, is bad for your health
>Having not seen anyp0ny in a while, you canter off to towards the western wall
>In the early morning light, you see a white pony slumped on the ground
>You instantly recognize her as Dusk Dancer and rush to her side
"Dee Dee? Dee?"
>You push a hoof on her side to nudge her
>A painful yelp rings out and you hop back
"Dusk?"
>"R-Rosewood?"
"Are you alright?"
>"No, I n-need to get on my hooves..."
>You slide around to her other side and roll your body into her own
>It is a slow process, but you eventually get your friend upright
>Her face winces in pain and you notice a large bruise down on side of her body
"What happened here?"
>"Anonymous..."
"That brute attacked you?! How dare he! We need to escape from this place and get you help! We need..."
>A gesture silences you as Dusk Dancer walks towards the castle
>"... I attacked first."
>You stare in bewilderment with the lame pony beside you
"Why? Why you even associate with him?"
>"Recklessness... Please, take me to the infirmary."
>You prop Dee Dee against your side as you two slowly make your way to the grey palace
>Stepping inside, you notice that there are few medics on staff
>Dusk Dancer does not stop, but instead, nudges you towards a particular room
>You help her in to see Pokey laying on a bed and Princess Luna standing over him
"I need just one day, just one, were I don't see anyp0ny laying in a hospital bed..."
>Luna turns to the hobbled Dee Dee and raises a curious eye
>"Are you injured?"
>She turns her face from the Princess and mutters
>"I fell down some stairs."
>Luna slowly nods
>"I see... Would you like some treatment?"
>Dee Dee politely refuses as she limps towards a chair
"Princess... Is Pokey sick?"
>The shimmering mane of Luna parts as her face peaks through
>"He will recover. Do tell me, Rosewood, how do you feel?"
"I am feeling, well, honestly? I feel better than I have in a while. I still want to go home, though."
>For a moment, the Princess looks at you with a sadness in her eyes
>She takes a smooth breath and closes her eyes
>Within the blink of an eye, Luna vanishes as the smell of ozone fills the room
"... So... Anyp0ny else hungry?"

>Be the Princess of the Night in the early break of day
>You feel the vibrations of magic about and race to your sister
>Within moments, you arrive in a crackle of energy outside of your sister's quarters
>You quickly push in her door and discover Celestia reading through an old tome
>She does not notice your approach as her horn glows with a blackness you have never seen before
>It is you who breaks the silence on your whispers
"Dearest sister?"
>Celestia quickly turns to you, her eyes aflame with nausea energy
>Her spell suddenly breaks as she comes to
>"Luna! What are you doing here?"
"I felt a strange energy growing..."
>You look about before staring at you own hooves
"... And I was confronted with something I did not expect."
>"What? What did you find?"
>You look up to your sister with a stern eye
"You first; what is this you are doing?"
>"Luna, it's a spell, you... You wouldn't understand this."
"I am just as well verse in magic as you and I have a lot of time to waste!"
>You beginning lightly tapping a hoof on the floor
>Steady at first
>Tap tap tap tap
>Then you build momentum
>Taptap tap taptap tap
>Celestia scowls as you continue to rap at the floor in this annoying rhythmic step
>"Luna!"
"Tell me!"
>"Fine!"
>Your sister's voice is a blast before she slinks down into a whisper
>"I am worried."
"That does not..."
>"... Luna, you are so young still. You have a life before you filled with difficult choices all your own. I fear, I have made a grave mistake."
"I am certain we can fix it together?"
>"No, I have given into this fight and I have let it go on so long. It is Anonymous, I fear what is coming."
"Have we not raised Anonymous to his fullest? Did we not prepare him for such battles that hold the fate of kingdoms?"
>"We did, but... But, we let him push his limits too far. He is a beast of nature and has always taken more to see where we would stop him, to see how far he could go before we would intervene."
"This is true, but what has you so concerned that you practice such dark magic?"
>"Anonymous is different, we have always known this. However, what if... What if we could 'cure' him?"
>You look to your sister sternly
"'Cure' Anonymous?"
>"What if we could divide him? Take away his darkness and his fear and show him what life is when you are happy?"
"Oh no, dear sister, we had tried such a spell on lesser beings with utter catastrophe."
>Celestia sulks as she lays upon her bed
>"He will find this Red Queen and he will do everything in and out of his power to destroy her. I fear not only for the collateral damage, but for Anonymous himself."
>You mull over the idea a bit
"Yes, that sounds like Anonymous' way. He has always been feisty. He just does what he can to fulfill his orders, to please us."
>"Do you know where he has been all night and where he still resides?"
>You shake your head and await your answer
>"He is killing adolescent hydras in the swamps for scales and blood."
"Prey tell, to what end?"
>"Nightlight has a fever..."
"I told him it was a magical illness!"
>"He is bent on making a magical salve."
>You put your hoof to your head and sigh
>"Do you ever wonder how he experiences the world? It is as if he is outside of himself, watching from beyond his own body as the remainder of his being does whatever it is he deems necessary."
"Sister, I think you should rest on this situation. I will personally see to it that Anonymous does not cause too much damage."
>"Do you think Anonymous will live much longer?"
>You stop for a moment in confusion
"Yes? I suppose he should? Why do you ask?"
>"I fear that the coming battle will be his end. You must know, I have seen you in my dreamscape."
"True, you have been plagued by nightmares, but Anonymous has always come out of such engagements in one piece, usually."
>"This time will be different... I think I will take up your offer on the nap after all."
>You smile to your dear sister and approach her
"I will watch the sun this time..."
>You place your horn against her own and a little spark arcs to your sister
"Sleep well, older sister, I will do what I can to alleviate your fear."
>"Thank you, Luna."
>Celestia lies on her bed and softly drifts off to sleep
>You turn your attention to the general direction of the bog and puff up your chest
>Anonymous is old enough now
>It is time to have "The Talk"