Elemental: Power is Magic

Celestia stretched in her bed, groaning as she relieved her legs of their tightness. She did not, however, open her eyes; rather she lay still and took a few long, deep breaths, contemplating the nightmare she had just had.

It was peculiar, really. In all of her millenia, never had she once had a dream so vivid, not even before Luna's fall when the nighttime entity had sought to disturb her in any way possible. It had been horrible; terrifying, even, to the extent that she still trembled now. And yet, despite its graphicness and the questions it raised as to the sanity of the caster, Celestia couldn't help but be in awe at how much Luna's magic had increased.

It was with that realisation that she slowly began to rouse herself, needing to both congratulate and caution her sister. When she opened her eyes, however, she came to realise something shocking.

It was bright.

That, in itself, wasn't such an issue. But Celestia had not woken up to the chirping of morning birds nor the light of the sun in well over a millenia. Which begged the question: if Luna had given her such a vividly horrifying dream, which powerful being had done her duty?

She strained to think back to the night before, curious as to whether her actions would give any clues to the identity of her usurper. But no matter how hard she tried, she could picture nothing but screams and bright flashes of overwhelming light through the darkness.

And then it hit her.

She was in Twilight's old observatory bedroom. And, more specifically, she lay in the poor child's bed.

Celestia leapt from the bed, ensnared in the duvet, and hastened to snap her wings open to free herself. But, despite the simplicity of the action, she found herself incapable; pulling the covers off instead with her magic, she gave a gasp and a small yell as she splayed her legs and began to heave.

Her wings had completely gone.

She patted her sides down and her ears fell quickly when she found nothing there at all. It was at that moment that she realised, to her additional horror, that her mane and tail no longer flowed as they ought. And, when she flung herself at the bedside table in search of her jewels, she found them to be nonexistant.

"What the—" she began as she spun and shot down the stairs, skidding to a stop before she came to the realisation that, in truth, she had no idea who to call, nor how to attract their attention. She was completely alone and, for whatever unfathomable reason, no longer her true self.

But, despite her lack of regal wings and get-up, she was still the princess of Equestria. And so, with a confident grin on her face, Celestia started forwards—only to be stopped in her tracks by the door which slammed open to reveal a tiny, panting blue griffon. It looked almost uncannily like her dear sister, from the midnight-blue feathers around her head and chest and her equally bold tail, to the black fur around her flank which was nearly identical to the clouds around Luna's cutie mark. There was no moon shape to be found, though, a fact of which Celestia was pleased; she wasn't sure she could deal with much more strangeness.

Unfortunately for her, fate didn't seem so kind. The little griffon flew quickly up into the air and hovered just before Celestia's face before it chirped, "Hi Tia!" in a voice that was, without a doubt, the same as her sister's.

Celestia could only gawk for a moment. She then took a deep breath in and closed her eyes while she muttered, "L-Luna? Is that you, little sister?

The griffon paused in its fluttering and promptly fell to the ground with a yelp. She then sat there quietly as she stared up at her with beautiful, mysterious blue eyes and a gently cocked head. The tips of her feathers were no higher than Celestia's chest. "Well, sure," she said, scratching behind her ear with a claw, "but you've never called me sister before. I like it."

Celestia's mouth fell open and, for the shortest time, she looked most unbecomingly like a fish. Nevertheless, she fought to regain her composure—as any true, experienced royal should. "I... I do not understand, sister. What... What happened to you?"

The griffon looked itself over and gave a short shrug. "C'mon, it's not that bad. So I went a little faster than normal in my dive, but you always said you like my feathers a little ruffled!"

"I do?" She frowned before shaking her head quickly. "No, no, you're missing the point. What I'm saying is... How do I word this delicately?"

"I'm sure I won't be offended," the Luna-griffon offered up.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so certain of that, sister, though I am most perplexed as to how you did not realise it yourself. But the truth of the matter is... You're a griffon."

The Luna-griffon blinked thrice before she cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "And that's bad because..?"

Celestia drew back and raised a hoof sharply; her ears had very nearly disappeared by now. She could barely manage to stutter, "B-but... But you're a princess! With a horn, and a crown, and... and you're a pony!"

The Luna-griffon took a slow step backwards and eyed the door quickly. "You know, Tia, I really want to laugh at that. But you... You're not joking, are you? You seriously think I'm a pony?" Luna stepped backwards a little more and spread her juvenile wings. "I... You need help, Celestia. All this stress from having to study on your own, what with Twilight preparing for the thousandth Autumnal Asteroid Display... It's gone to your head!"

Celestia raised a hoof and held it high. "Wait, wait. Go back there. Did you say Twilight is preparing for the... What was it? The Autumnal Asteroid Display, did you say? Twilight... As in Twilight Sparkle?"

"You seriously need to sleep more," Luna said as she zipped up into the air, flapping her dainty wings rather erratically. Before she could drift out of the door, however, she was gasped in Celestia's magical hold. Unable to escape, she was quick to explain herself. "You know, the princess of magic? The one who gives us day and night, the seasons, the very essence of our land? She's your teacher and mentor, for Sparkle's sake."

Celestia's magic fell away from her horn as her mouth parted slightly and she eyed the little fil—no, fledgeling—up. "I am completely out of my depth," she whispered as she hung her head slightly, her tail drooping. A second later, however, she stood taller and began to step towards the open door. She grasped Luna's tail in her mouth and then said, through her gritted teeth, "Take me to her. Now."