I walked through the corridor that lead to my bed chambers, eyes heavy with sleep. My ears splayed back, hearing nothing but the soft clop of my hooves on the marble floor. The day court had gone by far slower than normal, leaving me exhausted and rather cranky. I had learned to control my temper over the years I have ruled this land, but Blueblood's constant complaining could be very taxing on the nerves.
As I placed my hoof on my door to open it, a searing pain erupted from within my forehead, branching into my horn. My golden magic sparked and flickered, sending even more bouts of pain down the length of my horn. The sudden disorientation caused me to kneel, using my wing to keep myself from falling completely. With the world spinning and the horrid feeling still present in my head, I attempted to stand, succeeding only at intensifying the intense migraine. My horn sent spark after spark of magic, clashing with the walls and exploding with sharp cracks. Behind me, I could hear the corridor's double doors bursting open as my younger sister galloped toward me. I looked back to , see her horn was also alight with undoubtedly painful magical surges.
"My sister," she said, her voice shaky and strenuous. "Do you feel it as well?"
She knelt beside me, but I was unsure if it was to help or if it was from the disorientation. Seeing her eyes clamped shut as her own magic flailed made me consider the latter.
"Yes, I feel it rather well" I answered.
There was a bit more ice behind my words than I had meant, but my pain had severely soured my already volatile mood. Somepony had used a massive amount of magic, enough to level a city if they wanted. My mind reeled at this realization, pondering each and every scenario that could be brought upon by the magical disturbance. Thankfully, I felt nothing more after a minute or so.
Luna's eyes were closed, her horn enveloped in a transparent glow barely visible to my eyes. She was murmuring something, as though she was questioning what she was doing. The fact that she was able to use her magic unhindered after what had just happened was enough to impress me thoroughly as I watched. Her eyes moved under their lids as the magic intensified, allowing me to feel what she was doing.
As I watched, a mix of pain and the all too familiar signature of a tracing spell graced my horn. Not wanting to break her undoubtedly frail concentration, I pushed the doors to my chambers open, drawing a squeak from the hinges. I looked back, seeing one of Luna's eyes open and on me, her brow furrowed.
"My apologies, Luna."
"Nay sister. I have found the source of the disturbance."
Disturbance? Understatement of the decade my dear. I thought, smirking as I realized it was literal. My mood fell back into disarray as my sister's look soured.
"Luna.. What is it?" I asked, fear lining my voice
My sister, goddess of the night and keeper of the dream realm, was almost impervious to fear. At least when I was around. However, the look in her eyes as she stared at me sent shivers down my spine. Shivers I hadn't felt since staring down Nightmare Moon so many years ago. Something was obviously very wrong.
"Something is here, sister. Something we have never seen before."
She was reverting to using the "Royal We". Something was definitely not right.
"Here?! In the castle?!" I asked, tensing for a fight.
"Nay, it is near Cloudsdale, and moving very quickly."
My magic was currently useless, so Luna's reluctance to say what exactly she was seeing began to annoy me.
"Sister," I began, trying to keep my voice warm. "What are you seeing?"
Luna shook her head slightly as her eyes closed. "We do not know."
---√\ Four hours later
I woke up with a sharp inhale and a jolt, my eyes seeing nothing but black. I could tell however, that I was laying in an enclosed room. The walls seemed to close in on me from the dark, making me feel very uneasy. That or the fact my back felt like it was snapped in two.
I grimaced, feeling intense pressure on my upper back as I laid there, disoriented. I shifted a little, feeling my cargo pants rustling against my legs. My black A-shirt could be felt as I tried to move my arms to a position to sit up. I was stopped however, by something large and soft. I was laying on a small couch.
"After a thorough examination, I've come to the conclusion that two of it's upper vertebrae are dislocated and more than likely fractured."
I froze, my ears now on full alert and straining to hear the muffled voice. Whoever it was had used English, so that put my mind at ease for the moment.
"The creature is bound by the upper appendages, and shouldn't pose a threat if it wakes up..."
Creature? Bound? Oh HELL NO!
Rolling slightly to avoid putting pressure on my back, I looked into the inky black room. The outline of a window appeared as my eyes began to adjust. Not very smart to keep me in a room where I can easily get out..
I realized however, that I had spoken too soon. As I tried to move my arms, I could feel tendrils of rope binding my upper arms tightly against the wrists. Only one thought crossed my mind at this point.
Fuck.
I rolled back into my previous position, sinking into the dent I had made in the cushion. Delving into my training of how to get out of such binds, I remembered the small knife concealed in my boot. If I could reach it, I could cut the ropes and be free.
But where would you go? A voice in my head asked. I looked around the dark room blindly before realizing I had asked myself the question. Sighing, I attempted to sit up - Only to be brought back down by a loud pop and a yelp of pain.
I could hear, through the blood roaring in my ears, something falling outside my door. Several hushed voices were talking, too muffled to be decipherable. Deciding not to wait for what was in store, I attempted to roll over again, this time succeeding on making it onto my belly just centimeters from the edge of the couch. Since my lower legs were hanging off the other end, I could keep myself balanced enough to descend to the floor without much noise. Unfortunately, the pain intensified as I put my arms on the carpeted floor, applying pressure on my upper back to keep myself upright. I resisted the urge to cry out, using my legs to fall gently onto the floor.
“Is it awake?!”
“What’re we gonna do?!”
I tried my best to ignore the voices coming from outside the room, focusing instead on reaching the knife in my boot. In order to reach it, I was forced to try and sit up while bringing my knees to my chest. The strain on my back was causing me horrific pain as several audible cracks graced my ears. Unable to keep my voice in check, I grunted a guttural cry as I was finally able to reach the knife.
To my horror, the knife was gone.
I slumped back, my booted feet landing hard on the carpet. This drew another shuffle from outside, and I heard the door's knob begin to squeak and jiggle.
I did my best to sit up, wincing as my back cried in protest. Managing to do so with the help of my elbows, I stared at the door as it cracked open slightly.
My heart sped up as the door inched open ever farther, a large crimson eye filling the crack near the upper middle. I froze, hoping it wouldn't see me in the darkness. Not a sound, not a breath, not even a twitch could be heard, felt, or given by my body. I was essentially a statue. Paint me gray and I could've passed for the Thinking Man.
The eye looked straight into mine, large and unblinking. I didn't move still, thoughts running through my mind at a rate of a million a second. I could see the window in my peripheral, and no other option of escape. However, with my back in such condition, there was no way I could keep the run up for more than thirty seconds, let alone fly.
...Fly...
FLY! MY PLANE!
My eyes flicked toward the window, and the door suddenly slammed shut followed by a loud yelp.
Alright, enough of this bullshit. I thought. My back feels like someone took a fucking sledgehammer to it, and there's no way I'm walking out of here.
I laid my head down, sighing loudly.
Guess all I can do is face the music.
Straining my neck, I looked up toward the door.
"You coming in or what?!"