*Calming Blaze POV*
I'm currently sat at the top of the mountain Canterlot hangs off of with rings of fire around me.
I close my eyes concentrating, letting my magic guide the flames.
Interestingly enough, these flames can't do harm, even if I tried to.
Expanding the flames, I diversify it, creating more and more rings floating in the area around me.
Shape it, control it and make it do whatever benefits me the most.
For now, it's opening small tunnels for breathable air.
A trace of magic however, interrupts my training as I go up to the surface to check.
Walking out of the pond, I peer down at Canterlot as I feel the magic signatures of every single pony.
Nothing different.
Broadening my senses, I look towards the sky.
The smallest of small portals.
It, however, was not small anymore as it sucked in more and more magic.
Gulping, I take a deep breath as I stare at the scene.
"CITIZENS! EVACUATE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! EVACUATE THE CAPITAL! GUARDS! PRIORITIZE CIVILIAN SAFETY!" I yell with the Royal Canterlot Voice as I prepare a teleport spell.
But it didn't work.
I tried to teleport inside the castle, but there was an interference with my imagery.
I'm blocked from going inside the castle?
The one where mother is?
Before I even recovered from that thought, I was already in the air, falling down towards Canterlot at great speed.
Landing, I broke the floor under me as I stared straight at the castle.
Leaving a shockwave, I rush towards the castle as fast as I can, knocking down a building or two on the way.
All around me, ponies were running around, trying to leave as fast as they could.
That portal kept growing.
It was already as big as the castle, soon enough, it'll be bigger than the mountain.
I reached the doors of the castle, crashing it open on the way.
Where are the guards?
I was out for only 10 minutes and the castle is empty.
I stopped as I was right under mother's room.
Jumping up, I break the floor as I scan the area.
As the dust from the broken floor settles, I glare intensely at my double.
"You're much lowlier than I had thought" I comment as I stare at him.
"Can you blame me?" he turned around as he grinned with monstrously sharp teeth.
His mane had changed to a dark violet as it flew in the air.
The countless stars inside practically boasted of another universe.
His tail had the same pattern as it flowed from magic, freely showing a normal golden crown next a purple moon on light blue blob as a cutie mark.
Most importantly, was a floating longsword that stayed sideways, a breath away from mother's neck.
"You know that's your mother right?" I try to reason.
"Nah, what mother wouldn't recognize their child?" he said with an insane smile.
Why did he turn out like this?
What was the difference between us?
"Alright, she's in a coma right now, so what good is this going to do?" I try again.
Even if we fight, I need to take it away from here.
"Oh, you know, just take away your chances of ever seeing her again" he said as his blade lowered, just slightly.
The action earned a flinch from me as I stared at the line of blood going down mother's neck.
He laughed silently at my display.
"You have so much to learn you know? You can't fight wars with a weak mentality like that" he said as if he's departing me divine knowledge.
I stayed silent, trying not to aggravate the guy.
"Hmm?" he let out a sound as he tilted his head.
The sword dropped the slightest bit as he smiled creepily at me.
"You should talk when a pony speaks to you, you know?" he asked with that psychotic look again.
"I guess I should" I gulped dry air. "What do you want? I thought you were going for revenge, but your actions tell me something different"
He squealed at my question.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that, it's been SO long since I had a stand off like this you know? It's so boring with nothing but puppets around me" he said in a woeful tone as he put his right hoof on his head dramatically.
"Sorry, but I haven't been in that situation before" I answer carefully.
"Say, how did you become an alicorn? I mean, it's only right that me, even if from another world, just HAS to be an alicorn, or at least SOME kind of god, and don't lie or you know what'll happen" his tone shifted from amused to flat in an instant.
"I, forced it, I overloaded myself with magic and lived"
Tch, I'm giving away too much info, but he has mother by the throat.
"Interesting, just by yourself? No artifacts? No help from outside sources?"
"None" I answer whilst looking around the room.
Anything that can help the situation.
He suddenly lifted his right hoof, and put it on the sword.
His expression turned from interested to angry.
"Is this distracting you from our conversation? Should we have a chat later?" he said as he glared at me.
"No, it's fine, I thought I heard a sound" I lie to play along with him.
His glare faded instantly as that creepy grin donned his face again.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah"
He stared for a few seconds.
"Alright" he cheerfully accepted, "Now, back to what we were talking about, my reason for visiting is quite simple, I'm the most powerful being in two universes, so why not start conquering others as well? That's where you come in, we'll make an interdimensional empire, with me at the top because this is my idea, but you can be my right hoof pony" he presented to me as he put his hoof around my neck.
"Makes sense I suppose, though, I have to ask, why? And didn't you tell me that you were going to win a war against me or something inside the hospital?"
"Oh that's water under the bridge" he playfully said as he took a few steps away from me.
He turned to me with his hoof raised.
"Now, do you accept?"
I gulped dry air for the nth time as I processed everything he said to me.
"Yes" I answer with conviction as I shake his hoof.
His face now held a genuine smile of happiness as we shake hooves.
I fake a smile as I wait for it to end.
His sword disappears into thin air as he prepares a portal.
Great, he could have killed mother from any range at any time.
With a hop, he suddenly turned to me.
That psychotic smile on his face.
"You know, I've been thinking, for this long minute while we were talking, 'what would happen if this guy actually accepted the deal?'" his speech turned a tone crazier.
"Yeah, what about it?" I ask with my fake smile.
His eyes narrowed further, turning into the tiniest slits while his two different eyes glowed with magic.
"You'd be lying" with that, he jumped through the portal as it closed right after him.
I nervously looked around as I spread my senses, trying to see if there's a bomb or something.
Then I notice, I couldn't sense outside of the room.
With a punch, I break open a wall as my senses suddenly turn chaotic.
My entire body screamed at me to run as I looked up towards the source.
Right through the portal, was a device as large as Mount Everhoof, hooked up to 5 familiar gems as a truly ridiculous amount of magic gathered at the tip of it.
I grabbed mother and tried to teleport, but that was nullified, making me spit out a mouthful of blood.
Unhooking her from everything, I held her as I tried to jump out through the wall I made, but a light blue barrier surrounded the entire room.
I couldn't unlock it.
I couldn't break it open.
I nervously glance at the device now aimed at the room I was in.
There was a cone of sorts, making sure that the blast would come down to me with its full concentrated power.
Weighing my options, I put mother under me as I put a barrier above us, as strong as I possibly can.
Pouring in more magic, my veins suffer some damage from the amount of ambient magic I'm pulling to finish the barrier.
The barrier was solid, enough power to hold its own against multiple tier 10 spells.
Then, the blast came.
*BOOM*
Even from the far lands of Griffonstone, one could see and feel the giant beam coming down from the sky.
My eyes get blinded from the sheer amount of magic being used.
The barrier isn't going to hold.
I breathe heavily as I looked at my unconscious mother.
It was taking a ridiculous amount of effort to keep the barrier going.
But it's not enough.
Barely even 10 seconds later, the first cracks were showing.
My horn was starting to burn out from the overuse of magic.
My veins were hurting again.
Then, as time seemed to slow down for just a second, I felt the barrier shatter as the sound of glass breaking was heard.
Soon enough, searing pain started from my back as it travelled down.
I screamed.
Nopony could hear it, not even me, but I screamed at the top of my lungs as the pain enveloped me entirely.
My entire body felt like it was burning whilst being pierced by millions of needles, but death never seemed to come as I stayed awake with sheer willpower.
Don't close your eyes.
Don't stop breathing.
Then you'll make it, somehow.
As that old mantra was read inside my head, I could feel my skin being scorched off.
My muscles were being shredded to pieces.
My bones were being grinded.
My organs were being burnt away.
Yet I lived.
I felt the same sensations over and over again.
The same muscles burned.
The same bones rattled.
The same organs crushed.
Again, then again.
I lived.
At some point, the attack stopped.
I couldn't hear anything.
I couldn't see anything.
I could only feel.
And all I felt was pain for a while.
I couldn't feel parts of my body.
Then, slowly, very slowly, those senses returned.
First, my hooves.
Then, my ears.
Finally, my eyes.
It felt weird.
Everything sounded a bit muffled.
My vision was orange and red
Still, I turned my head to check my body.
It was on fire, the parts that were injured and the parts that were gone.
As I looked at my right front hoof, I saw that the end was on fire as it slowly grew.
The flames, they're not your enemy.
As my vision slowly returned to its normal state, I looked down.
Dirt.
I tried to take a deep breath as I looked around.
I was in a crater with nothing but burnt dirt.
My breath shortened, I couldn't take in air.
My head hurts, I hold it with my still burning hooves.
I'm slightly shaking.
I close my eyes as a stinging pain comes from nowhere.
I can't see anything.
I can't feel anything.
I can only hear my breathing and my heart beat rising to a stupidly high degree.
My eyes feel wet.
I failed.
What happened.
Why am I alive?
Random thoughts ran through my head as I tried to think of everything logically.
But my mind was too scrambled to focus.
I can't put these thoughts into order.
Soon enough, my senses start to get numb.
I can't breathe.
I need to breathe.
WHY CAN'T I BREATHE?!
With that last thought, everything blacked out.