The brave and noble knights, Scanner and Spear Point, exited from the dark bowels of the Canterlot Castle. We had to keep Caleb supervised in case he was able to pry the steel bars of his cell open, but his power has its limits. Still, it didn't mean he would give up on attempting to find a way out of his imprisonment.
"Has he fallen asleep?" my dear sister asked Scanner.
"We believe so. He is constantly moving around, but his breathing is more paced." Scanner replied.
"Good. I figured Caleb's body would eventually go into dormancy despite his aggressive nature." I said.
"How long do you think he'll last?" Spear Point questioned me.
"Hard to say. It could be sooner, or it could be later on." I replied to the question.
"I sure hope it's later on. I don't really like the way he stares at us through the cell bars. That dark cave doesn't help either." Scanner mentioned.
"Well, you're time down there is finished for now. You are now dismissed." my sister excused the knights.
Although the two stallions had gone back up inside the castle where it was content, my sister and I remained at the mouth of the dungeon and gazed into the darkness. With her aura, Celestia closed the door as it slowly creaked and echoed throughout the hollow cobblestone room we stood in.
"Do you happen to know if Caleb ate the food we gave him?" my sister asked me.
"I heard that he did. He ate it as if it were a decent meal and wasn't sloppy with it." I replied.
"Interesting." my sister said.
"What do you mean?" I curiously inquired.
"Its just that even though Caleb's true mentality is gone and has done so much damage. Yet through it all, there are moments where he seems rather neutral," my sister said. "Almost as if he's trying to come back, but is being held back by something."
"That would put good credibility on our control theory, don't you think?" I said.
"Indeed it does. No longer does it feel as far-fetched now. I feel the time may be right." my sister agreed.
"But do you still want me to enter his dreamscape?" I asked.
"Yes, yes. We should still proceed with that incase there are any clues to what's going on in his head," my sister persisted. "It would be easier to explain what happened to him if he doesn't remember committing these acts.... Poor Caleb."
"I feel the events will take a toll on his psyche either way," I sighed. "Nevertheless, I will get on with it right away."
The dawning mood between Celestia and I in that confined room was growing poignant. We both split ways once we got back to the ground floor, my sister rejoining with Twilight and the others while I headed out to the balcony where I prefer to enter the dream realm. Once situated, I shut my eyes and quickly concentrated my energy towards the realm before phasing inside.
As always, thousands of dream bubbles that showcased an individual ponies subconscious images surrounded myself, but spaced out enough to offer ample room for navigating the realm. There were sure plenty of ponies dreaming that night. But, a short distance from where I was positioned was a black orb that contorted in many angles before forming into a perfect sphere. The window into the dream faintly showed to what appeared to be a dirt path. With deductive reasoning, I assumed it to be Caleb's dream bubble.
I was brought back by the odd entity. I've never seen something so mutually bizarre. It reminded me too much of The Tantabus. However, I absolutely knew that this was Caleb's dreamscape. It fitted his dark nature. It just had to be. Without any hesitation, I took a leap into the dream bubble and landed on the loose dirt.
I stood in the middle of the path and surveyed the location. The villages structures integrity were decaying and short stone walls acted as fencing for the residential homes. Dusk was upon the village. The clouds were exceedingly darkened, appearing as a mixed shade of peacock and ocean blue whilst the sunset gave the sky as well as the environment an orange hue. A mesmerizing sight indeed, but that wasn't my purpose.
I proceeded down the path in the abandoned settlement. The wind coming in from the adjacent lake blew in between and over the buildings, emitting rather eerie, low howls in the process. Wandering along the street as well were a flock of ravens, cawing and averting to my presence as I continued. Eventually, I reached the end. The only other remains of the village was a fallen makeshift wooden sign with the word "Revalum" inscribed, the material easily snapping in pieces, evident to its old age.
"What a cryptic name for a village."
I turned my attention to a dark tunnel that was a short distance walk. I didn't know of its location at first, I just instinctively looked and happened to spot it by chance. It was oddly built of concrete and slightly curved near the end. Something was obviously out of place, but I had to proceed.
At the mouth, I illuminated the tip of my horn to get a better look at the interior before moving forward. The further I went, the atmosphere changed. The wind from outside sounded more of an unsettling drone and a single fuel lantern at the end flickered rapidly. Near the end of the tunnel were a set of stairs that led under the ground. Somewhere down there, it sounded like something was living; a rather spectral growl came from below. I was not terrified, but I surely felt tense.
I took step after step down the stairs until I reached the very bottom. Without much of a warning, a ghostly flash image of a mercifuless Caleb appeared directly in my face, vanishing as soon as it came. I jumped once the sound of warble screams, cries of agony, and blaring images manifested through the dark, narrow walkway to my left. The horrible sounds echoed in the tunnel and rattled my ears, but I've seen worse under the influence of Nightmare Moon. I carefully moved forward in the walkway and turned to the right, entering a room lit by small flames that circled the room. Human and animal skeletons lied scattered across the room, pools and strands of dried blood spattered on the stone walls and floor, and specifically placed mysterious symbols drawn on the floor.
"Madness."
Through everything I just took in, I had not noticed the tall human-esque figure standing at the far end of the room. It most likely was the lighting, but it was the darkest black I had ever seen. What happened next was truly unexpected. The eyelids slowly began to open, revealing a pair of red, glowing eyes that fixated on myself. Entity's in dreams don't usually interact with myself, but with the individual having the dream. It was almost as if I were staring at evil head-on.
"Who are you?"
"Bravely done, Princess Luna, but you're not supposed to be here. As a matter of fact, you're not. Now, get back where you belong and remember what you saw up above. Until... we meet.... again."
As soon as the dark figure uttered those last words, my connection with the dreamscape and the realm was interrupted and sent me back to Equestria involuntarily. Now staring at the moon once more, I now realized Caleb is under the influence of something that possess great intelligence. Evil and intellect is never a good combination.