I gazed upon the town of Dismith, standing in the center of town.
It is exactly as I feared...
Though I was in a dream, it was still a hard sight to look at.
Almost the entirety of the town was consumed in flames, and the parts that weren't burning had already been burned to the ground. Many of the few buildings that were previously standing lay in ashes. I was willing to bet that not a soul survived this catastrophe. I gazed around, looking for the one who caused this. I set my eyes on the Dismith orphanage. My eyes narrowed, and I stepped froward. I saw the door open, and for a brief moment, Daniel stood in the doorway. I quickly cast an invisibility spell before he could see me. Certain that he did not, I stopped. The door shut, Daniel behind it. I stared for a moment, before the door opened again. Before Daniel could escape, I saw a new figure out of the corner of my eye.
Austin appeared from seemingly nowhere, tackling Daniel to the ground. They exchanged a few quick outbursts, before Daniel pushed Austin off of him. Daniel sprinted off, and Austin... vanished. Without a trace.
Interesting...
I trotted around the corner that I last saw Daniel run around. Austin was again on top of Daniel, mercilessly beating him. Daniel managed to push him off, before they were at it again. The amount of wounds Austin was inflicting was, in a word, incredible. Daniel threw up his arms, before Austin tore through them, ripping his arms to shreds. Austin stood up while swinging at Daniel, and in one quick motion, tore a piece of his throat out. It was quite a gruesome scene.
Looking around, I had a thought. I spread my wings, and took to the sky. I quickly gained altitude, and gazed around. What I saw... horrified me.
The land, all beyond Dismith, the surrounding forests, the mountain ranges, everything, was on fire. I looked past the forest, north, to Canterlot. From what I could see, pieces of the castle were not where they supposed to be. Peaks and rises on the castle were totally blown off, and I could see fires rising in the city. I flew up higher, to get a lay of the whole land.
For as far as I could see, the land was scarred. Burned and torched, forests and towns were leveled. Even though I was fully aware that I was only in a nightmare, the sight was harrowing, at the least. I slowly descended, landing on the outskirts of Dismith. Before I could explore any further, I felt a slight dizziness. Before I knew it, I had collapsed on the ground, pulled back to the land of the conscious.
8:47 AM
My eyes shot open, my thoughts immediately turning to what I had seen in my dream walking session. I narrowed my eyes, and jumped out of my bed. I practically ran to Daniel's room, my anger quietly simmering. Upon arriving, I forced the door open with my magic. Looking around, I saw that he was nowhere to be found. The bathroom door was open, and I heard no noise, so he was not here. I turned, and thought.
...Celestia...
I ran towards the throne room, getting many salutes and bows from guards and servants alike. I threw the doors open upon arriving. Immediately seeing Daniel conversing with my sister, I ran towards him. Quickly channeling my magic, I sent a quick, small bolt at him, enough to do significant damage. Enough to eliminate the problem.
Before I could see the results, I lost all control over my body.
And so did Daniel.
Before I could feel the impact of the lunar princesses magic, I felt all movement functions in my body stop, save for my breathing. A mild, golden yellow film coated my vision, only furthering my confusion. I looked to Luna, only to see her frozen in the same yellow aura.
"Luna! What is the meaning of this!?" I heard Celestia yell behind me. She stood up from her papers, and moved in between us.
"Tia, let go of me right now! I am merely taking care of the thorn in our heels," she told her, and I realized I could speak.
"The fuck does that mean?! Killing me solves..." I trailed off.
"Killing you solves everything! We can have our elements back! We can have our protection back!" she yelled back to me.
"Enough!" Celestia yelled back. Her magical hold on my subsided, and I felt myself able to move again.
"Tia, let go of me. Now." she firmly told her sister.
"Don't do it. It's a trap. She'll kill me. Don't do it," I told Celestia, ducking behind the desk for cover. In retrospect, it probably wouldn't have done much, but it's the thought that counts.
"Luna, we talked about this, come now," Celestia coaxed her sister.
"How do you plan on getting your elements back anyway? They're gone, I possess them, and so does Austin," I told her.
"We don't need the physical elements, you halfwit! All we need is the magic, which we can extract from you. We get rid of you, and get our elements back. Sounds like a win-win to me," Luna said, slowly twisting free from Celestia's magic with her own.
"For you, but for me? Not so much," I yelled back, ducking further behind the desk. Celestia looked back to Luna.
"Luna, I am going to release you, and you are going to calm down. We'll examine Daniel and Austin, and see if there is any way to extract the elements, without killing them," she firmly told Luna. Luna's eyes narrowed, before complacency set in.
"Fine," she seethed through her teeth. The aura around Luna slowly faded, and she regained her composure. I slowly stood up, and stood cautiously behind the desk. Celestia walked past Luna, towards the door.
"You two, come with me," she said to us. I stepped out from behind the desk, and slowly walked past Luna, who was glaring at me the whole time. We followed Celestia into the room that doctor Windy and I had our fight in. Celestia closed the doors, and walked over to the bed. Luna took a seat in one of the chairs, and resumed glaring at me. I looked back at Celestia, who had her eyes closed. She seemed to be contemplating something, or concentrating on something. She opened her eyes, and sighed.
"Alright Daniel. Please lie down on the bed," she instructed me. I looked back to Luna, who narrowed her gaze at me. I walked up, and sat down on the side of the bed. Celestia took a large breath, and focused.
"Mind diving is not a spell that I am one hundred percent... acquainted with," she told me. If smiling made a sound, I would be deaf from Luna's.
"Wait, wait wait wait wait. Mind diving. What does that mean. I mean, besides the obvious," I asked cautiously. Before anything drastic happened, I wanted to know what I was getting into. Entering someone's mind via magic did not sound like the safest thing in the world.
"Simple. With my magic, I surround your brain, and then, carefully, push my magic further into your conscious. Upon entering your mind, based on the layout, I find your magical potential. That is where I would have the best chance of finding the magic of the elements. Based on what I know, the elements are likely attached to your magic potential, pushing you towards using spells. If I can find it, I can take it back with me, and give it from you, to me," she explained.
"Okay, so, question time. What do you mean by layout, and what the hell is 'magic potential,'" I asked, gesturing air quotations with my hands.
"Everyone's mind is different. Some people's minds are easier to traverse than others. Your mind might be simple, or wildly complex. And as for magic potential, well, that is less simple. You are aware that all ponies, and even other species', are connected to the flow of magic in Equestria, correct?"
This, I knew. All life forms held at least some kind of magic. Earth ponies were better at growing crops, and physical labor than unicorns or pegasi, because their magic went into their labors. Unicorns were more connected to magic than any other individuals, because they had a focal point, namely, their horn. Pegasi magic made them lighter, and faster, bred for flying, and physical labor, almost to the extent of an earth pony.
"Yes, I am," I simply answered.
"Well, what you know is only a fraction of the facts. In fact, almost all individuals are able to conjure and use magic, just as a unicorn can. There are very few exceptions. Humans, coincidentally, are an exception. You are aware of this, yes?"
"Yes,"
"Good. But, as you might have guessed, humans, and non-unicorn individuals, need a sort of 'push' to get their magic to spike. Their magical potential is low. But, upon receiving that push, if it is a large one, using spells becomes almost second nature, like walking. Their magical potential becomes high. Once again, coincidentally, there are few things that can give you that 'push'. The elements, seem to qualify as one," she explained to me.
The idea seemed relatively simple enough. Upon hearing this, however, I started to question if I wanted the elements removed.
I could use magic...?
"Now that you are informed, please, lie down," she instructed me. Deciding it was for the best, I lay back, and relaxed.
"Now, try to relax. It may take a while, but I feel like I have enough prowess to make this a possibility," she told me.
"And if you don't?" I asked, as Celestia starting channeling her magic. I felt a slight pressure in my head.
"Then you will go out in quite a spectacular way," she said calmly, smiling.
Great...
Luna just smiled.