Chapter 20: The Places a Mind Will Go
I tried to focus. I could feel the energy drink work and my perception of time started to accelerate. Everything seemed so slow. I got lost in that focus of mine. The world seemed to cease being around me and I could feel the raging storm that was my magic calling to me to be used. But here would not do. No earth shaking magic meant needing space and Luna’s meadow would work well. I hadn’t ever tried to teleport that distance but I had to have the magic now. Besides it was a beacon for that. I reached out with my magic and focused on the meadow. There was someone else in my personal field. They could come with as well. It would be fun to have someone watch.
I teleported and in that moment I remembered who I was holding. Panic. Pop. Well I wasn’t dead. That was good and opening my eyes and forcing my focus to escape my mind so was Midnight. She was not happy but she was alive. I could worry about everything else later. The spell hit me though like a truck and I wasn’t certain if I had another one in me. A nap would fix that probably but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Which put me a conundrum as to what to do by myself in a field of semi destroyed flowers from the previous night.
I pulled on my power. I called to the flowers, to the life around me and I shaped it to my will. The plants grew as I directed them and soon a woven crib was in the middle of the meadow. I put Midnight in the crib as she had fallen asleep and I wanted to push myself to the point where I might be able to rest. It still felt like a far off thing though.
What could I practice out here. I couldn’t think of anything that seemed so important right now. Instead I wandered the field. There was a tree that was near the edge of the forest that reminded me of an oak tree. Despite the chill the leaves hadn’t fallen off and it occurred to me that flowers in late October was a bit weird. Equestria was a weird place and we were still right next to the Everfree forest.
It really should have came as no surprise when a group of timber wolves walked out of the forest. I wasn’t aware that I had been all that loud but they were here. Midnight started to cry and the wolves each looked in that direction. There were at least four of them but I was having a hard time picking them out. All I knew was that while most of them were trying to surround me one of them was headed to my child.
That was a mistake. I teleported between the wolf and Midnight. It slowed its progress but didn’t halt it. They didn’t think I was a threat. That was their second mistake. I blasted the nearest with my magic. The wolf burst into a million pieces that was scattered all around the meadow. Another jumped at me and met the same fate. The others seemed to get the picture that I wasn’t to be messed with one on one. They circled me as I backed up to stand right next to Midnight. I lifted her up in my magic and held her close. These timberwolves would not get the best of me. A golem had kept them at bay last time one would do it again.
It was almost nothing to call forth a few golems. They weren’t anything special just large animated boulders with arms and legs. The timberwolves tested my minions but found that the rock that made them were not something to eat. Still they seemed determined to find a way past the golems to me and Midnight.
There was a loud roar and the timberwolves sprinted towards the forest. Load claps of air filled the meadow. Of course there had to be a bigger fish. Spike was nice. Maybe this dragon would be as well.
I turned to look at the incoming dragon. It was huge. Easily the size of a multi story house. It must have been at least ten meters tall and at least three times that length with a wingspan to match. I couldn’t help but be afraid at the massive beast that was quickly headed to the meadow. As the dragon landed they let loose a burst of flames into the air that went some twenty meters.
He breathed in and I had a moment to act. I popped into existence off to the side of the meadow. His fire burnt a line through the meadow where I had been standing with Midnight just seconds ago. A great swath of the forest was up in flames as well. I could probably keep doing this for a while but one mistake and both Midnight and I would be dead. Several more teleports and I wasn’t certain how much longer I could keep this up. He was getting closer to us each time. It was like he was anticipating where I would be teleporting.
He finally hit us with one. I had a shield up in just a second later but the flames had already done their work. I could feel a slight singeing but it wasn’t as hot as I had expected. I checked Midnight. Her face had been melted off by the flames but she was still moving and crying. I didn’t even know where to start on healing spells. I couldn’t stop staring as her as her face keep fading from her to reveal a skull behind it. And yet she still kept crying and moving.
The dragon was dead. It was only a matter of time now. I would rip his heart out. I teleported to a tree and called a bed out of the plants and covered the area in a shield leaving Midnight there. I would deal with that pain later. I turned to the dragon. He seemed to be laughing at me. A blast of flame washed over the area but I wasn’t there anymore. No I was ten meters up in the air above him. I charged my horn and spread my wings trying to slow my descent. I blasted the dragon with every ounce of my rage. It didn’t seem to phase the dragon though. I called upon the plants of the area and had them grow around the dragon. Wrapping him in vines that with any luck would choke the life out of him. I had them constrict as much as possible. Then I called from the trees near me a piece of wood that I shaped like a spear. I poured my magic into so very much of it and pierced the dragon. He screamed in pain. It wasn’t enough. Though I conjured spear after spear each one getting a satisfying scream from my victim.
There was a pop of light. Luna popped into existence near the center of the meadow. She seemed oblivious to the flames that licked at her legs. I teleported over to her.
“Hurry,” I shouted. I then teleported the two of us to Midnight. “You have to heal her. Please say you can heal her.”
“Lilac,” Luna said. “She is fine. There is nothing wrong outside of her crying.”
“What do you mean? How can you not see? Her face is all melted,” I said. “PLease do something. I need you to save her.”
The dragon roared and ripped itself free of the vines that bound it to the ground. Turning my back on Luna and Midnight, I would end this now. One teleport later and I was blasting him again. This time it seemed that the holes left by the spears was enough to pierce his hide. He screamed in agony. Even after that blast he was still breathing. I conjured another spear. This one would go through his head. It went in with surprising ease. His screams turned into a whimper until the died out.
“How is she? Did you heal her?” I asked Luna as I walked back over to her. “That dragon came out of nowhere and attacked us.”
“Lilac, there is no dragon,” said Luna. “Midnight is completely unharmed. I scanned her. What dragon are you talking about?”
“That one. The one I just killed,” I said as I pointed at it.
The flesh of the dragon had been fading away leaving the great bones of the beast. Something though that I hadn’t been expecting was for those to get up. The skeletal dragon rose high on his legs. Green flames appeared in his eye sockets and I could tell he was watching me.
“Do you know any anti-undead spells?” I asked. “I don’t know what to do against a dracolich.”
“Lilac,” Luna said. “You need to calm down. You are seeing things that aren’t there.”
The dracolich swiped at us and I teleported out of the way. It hit luna though and tossed her a couple of meters. She didn’t look so great. How could such a simple swipe have laid her low. I needed something to win me this fight. I summoned my magic. A golem might do the trick. From the ground a giant raised. The golem stood nearly 8 meters high and was massive. This one was made of plant and rock and looked much more human. Summoning him left me drained. I had to end this quickly.
“Destroy the dracolich,” I shouted. My golem just sat there doing nothing. Why was he not listening? “Move do something. Please.”
The Golem started to walk forward but the dracolich was much faster. It took to the air and ignored the golem. No it moved directly to me. A sickly green flame was headed my way. I teleported away. I didn’t make it far enough though and was caught by the edge of the fire.
Luna appeared right next to me in the flames. She was untouched by them. Her horn was glowing brightly.
“Forgive me,” she said.
I could feel some sort of magical sleep coming over me. I had to save Midnight. Why was Luna attacking me? Was she in league with the dragons? I channeled my magic through my system using it to break her enchantment.
I charged a blast and fired it at Luna. She deftly blocked it with a shield. I didn’t even make a dent in the shield. I was running no nearly empty. Luna’s face contorted and turned nightmarish. Then there were many of her surrounding me. I started to blast them but it didn’t do a thing. My body ached with the strain of pushing myself too much. I had to stop her. I had to protect midnight. A drowsiness hit me and this time I didn’t have the mana to stop it.
I came too in my bed at the castle. Belle and Hope where sitting in chairs next to me. Luna and Twilight were doing paper work on the floor where I had been drawing earlier that day. Everybody seemed on edge. Midnight was sleeping just a bit away from me.
“Luna she is awake,” said Belle. “Lilac, everything is fine.”
“What? What happened to the dragon? Luna why were you in league with the dragon?” I stammered out. I looked at Midnight her face was perfectly normal. “Why did you heal her now when you wouldn’t earlier?”
Luna and Twilight came over to the bed. Twilight spoke first, saying, “Lilac, you were hallucinating. None of that was real.”
“Wait I attacked Luna. I…” I stammered. My panic was getting the better of me again and I collapsed back into my pillow.
I felt someone petting me. She was gentle and a glowing beacon. My panic started to settle and I came back to the world of the living. Hope was the one petting me and there was a glow of magic to her hands.
“Lilac,” Luna said. “You have nothing to be sorry for or to worry over. You were not in your right mind nor was that a thing you had control over. You just need to rest. Real rest not magically induced sleep. There is nothing to be sorry for.”