//------------------------------//
// Chapter 25: The Troubled Dream of a Troubled Mare 
// Story: Of Men and Insects 
// by VeganSpyro97 
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Had Allan ever considered the possibility of a world of dreams back on Earth, it wouldn’t have looked like this. Luna described it as a starry sky, full of twisting pathways that snaked through the deep blue, all lined with doors into the minds of her subjects. But that didn’t matter. As she had explained it, the dream realm was different for everyone that entered it without anothers help.
It was the same as ordinary dreams, really. Everyone experienced their own unique dreams every night, and Allan was no exception, now that he could cast the spell himself. It had taken weeks of effort, but he was essentially on a fast track course, cramming his study sessions into as little time as possible.
So, while Luna was busy seeing doors, Allan saw thousands upon thousands of floating lights, each one representing a pony of Equestria, and any other races currently within their borders. It was like swimming through the vastness of space as a great titan, drifting through the cosmos and peering into the lights in order to take a peek into the dreams of the ordinary ponies. For Luna, it was a simple task of trotting down a starlit corridor, but Allan had to follow her through a directionless expanse of stars as they dove in and out of dreams like great, spiritual dolphins. Luna passed by a dream that was glowing a particularly dark shade of red, which twitched and shook in the weightless void.
“Luna?” He called, cupping his hoof to his projection’s mouth. It was strange being detached from his body like this. “Luna! This one’s having a nightmare! Luna!” The Princess did not seem to hear him, drifting onwards, tail and mane blending in with her surroundings until he could no longer distinguish her from the void. “Damnit.”
He had learned how to follow her into dreams now, but he had yet to successfully do it by himself. Shaking his head, Allan committed himself to attempting the spell that would allow him to enter the dream, letting the gentle glow and warmth flow through him. He envisioned the spell matrix as Luna had instructed, focusing the magic through the patterns so that it began to take a specific shape. His horn sparked several times, evidence of the task’s difficulty.
Pressing the tip of his horn against the spasming orb, Allan focused his magic, and cast the spell.
After a few moments, Allan felt a sense of gravity return to his limbs, and felt hard floor under his hooves. There was a fairly strong breeze as well. Peering around, he realised he had to be somewhere in Manehatten, because very few cities on Equus resembled modern Earth the way this one did.
The next thing that Allan noticed, was that he was not alone. Standing  only a few feet away, on the lip of the building, was a young mare. She was a pretty little thing, probably in her teens, with a burned orange coat, dark brown mane and bright yellow eyes. And she was ready to jump.
All around her were wisps of darkness that seemed to take on the shape of ponies, all muttering horrible words of disparagement in her ear.
“He never loved you….”
“They’re all off without you…”
“They're all having fun because you aren’t there….”
“You’re worthless….”
Allan leapt forward as the mare went to step over the edge. His hoof caught hers, and he pulled her back, so that they collapsed on top of each other.
She stared at him for a moment, expression unreadable, before her face broke into a deep frown.
“What did you do that for?” She hissed. Her voice seemed familiar, but in the heat of the moment, he couldn’t place it. “I was finally gonna stop them talking!”
Allan didn’t know what to say, so the words that tried to tumble out ended up not tumbling out at all, refusing to move. The mare, a Unicorn, moved off of him, heading back to the ledge with determination on her muzzle. Allan's magic quickly snagged about her waist in a poor replication of a lasso, drawing her piercing stare back at him.
“What is with you?!” The mare cried. “Just let me go!”
“No!” Allan stubbornly held on to her with his magic, not letting her move.
“Why the buck not?! It’s what everypony else wants!”
Allan looked up at her with pleading eyes. It didn’t matter if this was a dream. If she woke up, having decided to follow through with her goal here, then she might actually do this for real. He had to reason with her.
“That’s not true!” He protested.
“Yes it is!” She screamed, tugging on the glowing aura wrapped around her. “Nopony gives a flying feather about me!”
“I care!”
“Why?!”
“Because I do!”
“But why?!”
“Does there have to be a reason to be kind?!” Allan roared. “This life is too precious to waste! Even to stop people from hurting you! There’s always time to change things! What if you jump and realize it’s a mistake?!”
The mare stopped tugging when she heard the last of Alan's protests.
“If you jump, that’s it.” Allan continued, not wanting to waste the opportunity. “But if you take a chance, who knows? You might just find that your life is worth something after all. But you’ll never find out if you don’t give it a chance.”
The mare stared at the edge again, but this time, it wasn’t with longing but doubt. The shadows dancing around her seemed to be quieter, slower to deliver a vicious barb or demeaning insult.
“I’ve been there.” Allan added. “I was getting so close to taking that step, because I thought I’d lost everything…. But then someone helped me. Someone helped me, without having any reason to. Me, a complete stranger! Thanks to her, I have a reason to keep going. And it’s worth it. No matter for how long a time, or how short a time the pain lasts. It’s worth the chance. Every time. So please.….” Allan stared into her eyes, begging her not to jump. “Let me save you.”
“But…..what if they hurt me again?” She asked, voice quivering.
“Then leave them.” Allan said. “Find someone new, and take a chance. And if that doesn’t work, try again.”
The mare’s left front hoof, which had been raised to try taking a step towards the huge drop, lowered. ‘And if I can’t find anyone? What then?”
“Then I’ll find you. I’ll be there, if no one else will.”
The mare stared at him, and…..for the first time, she really saw him. Not just the fact that he was there, but that he was real. That he cared enough to save her.
She took a step back. And then a second. A third. When she reached him, she collapsed, crying. The magic around her fizzled out, leaving the two of them to sit on the rooftop. The dream sun drifted lazily down to the horizon, bathing the city in it’s warm, orange glow. It felt real to both of them, perched on the roof, watching the sky turn into resplendent shades of yellow, red, blue and green. The wind was cool and tugged at the mares mane, and at the furry tip of Alan's tail. The sun was half gone by the time they began to talk again.
“So….you’re a Changeling?” She asked. “Like they said after the Grand Galloping Gala?”
Allan chuckled. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“That’s kinda cool, I guess. I always kinda pictured you guys as big beetles, though.”
“Our King has horns like a Stag Beetle.”
“No way, seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“So, what’s your name?”
“Bronze.”
“I’m Savannah.”
“Nice to meet you, Savannah.”
Allan talked to her for quite a long time. They talked about anything they thought of, from the shapes of clouds, the consistency of rice pudding and how it made them want to vomit, the wonders of rainbows, the rumors about Celestia and cake, the madness that was Discord, and they even  talked about what it would be like to be a possum, of all things.
“They just play dead whenever something bothers them!” Savannah protested at Alan's insistence that Possums didn’t play dead, and that it was actually Opossums that did that.
Allan rolled his eyes, though he was smiling widely. “No, I’m serious! Opossums and Possums are two different things, and only Opossums play dead.”
“Nah, I bet you’re wrong.” Savannah said with a laugh. “I bet it is Possums that play dead.”
“You’re on.” Allan grinned, before coming to a realization. “HA!” He yelled, pointing at her with a hoof.
“What?” She asked, tilting her head, one ear pointing straight up and the other flopping down. “What’s gotten you so excited?”
Allan grinned triumphantly. “Now you have to stay alive so that we can see who wins the bet! No more standing on top of tall things for you!”
Savannah face-hooved and graned. “You’re an idiot, do you know that?”
Allans grin only grew broader. “Stupid as they come. And proud of it!”
“Well….anyway….thanks.” Savannah said, moving back towards the door to the main building. “For stopping me.”
“Thank you for letting me stop you.”
The mare rolled her eyes at him one last time before the door closed. Allan stared after her for some time before he released his control on the dream, and watched the colours of the sunset fade away, leaving him floating in the starry expanse again.
He smiled, drifting away again, through the light filled void as his thoughts lingered on Savannah. Those who dreamed of suicide were a peculiar case, as the majority of suicidal dreams more often indicated the end of one part of their lives, a sort of farewell to the part of them they were changing or leaving behind. But then there were a few whose thoughts of actually committing such a terrible act were so sincere that it permeated even their dreams. Allan truly believed that it was the latter in Savannah’s case. The things those voices had been saying were indicative of that.
That he had hopefully dissuaded her from actually going through with it was something he considered to be something to proud of. Changing someone’s mind without magic took a lot of trust on their part.
Still smiling, Allan floated off in search of his teacher. After all, this was supposed to be a lesson.
When he did finally come across Luna, she was sitting on the edge of Equestria’s dream field, deftly brushing her hooves across the strings of a lovely harp, watching the lights of other dreams in the distance. As Allan approached, a platform seemed to materialize beneath both his teacher and himself. His hooves touched gently down on the marble surface, and Luna’s ears flicked slightly.
“Well done.” She said, simply. “Savannah is well, I trust?”
Allan nodded, watching Luna play. It was a marvelous thing, how her hooves effortlessly plucked the strings to create a soothing lullaby. It rose and fell, as did the world around her, snaring Allan's imagination and sending it soaring through open skies and diving deep beneath the ocean waves. A feeling of serenity swept over him, leaving him at peace, content merely to be.
This was Luna. Not the Alicorn. Not the pony. Not the legend. Not the goddess. No, this was she who could capture the soul in a dream and send it wherever they liked, with a whisper, a word, a melody, or a gentle push. This was the Luna Allan had come to admire and respect. The Shepherd of Dreams.
“Good. I am glad you were able to convince her not to jump. I fear she would have taken her fantasy to the next step had neither of us intervened.”
Allan looked to his mentor quizzically. “Then why risk her life in my hooves, if you could do it yourself?”
Luna’s song stopped, just for a moment. She stared out into the deep blue of her realm, eyes focused on something only she could see. “To make you understand the responsibilities and dangers of this path we tread. If we fail, their lives could very well be at stake. A nightmare could hold back one who would otherwise excel, or encourage actions such as the one you prevented.” Her melody picked back up again. “T’is a difficult task. One I now know you are ready for.”
Luna stood, and stepped into empty air, walking out into the great wide nothing. Allan followed close behind.
“Every warrior needs a weapon.” Luna spoke again. A scythe appeared at her side, one that was carved of near-black ebony, tipped with a beautiful, yet simple blade that gleamed silver. “Dreamstinger has served me well these last few centuries, though I was thankfully unable to use it as Nightmare Moon.”
“Why not?” Allan asked, hurrying to keep pace.
“It did not recognize me.” Luna explained. “It recognized the parasite that encouraged my madness and refused to obey me.”
“Obey you?”
“It is made of a nightmare, bound to me via ancient magic. It was the first I ever encountered, and I took time to study it, and understand it. When I uncovered the binding spell, I cast it out of curiosity, and soon after, possessed this. Now, I offer you that same chance.” Luna pointed with the blunt end of the scythe to what appeared to be a dark cloud floating in the void. “I will teach you the spell, and you will use it on the nightmare you freed Savannah from.”
Allan gazed at the creature, nodding slowly.
“Good.” Luna turned to face him and knelt down so they were eye level. “Let us begin.”


***************************


The creature drifted listlessly through the home plane, irritated by the one who had thwarted it’s attempt at feeding on the numerous visitors that often came to this place. It was a simple creature, motivated only by instinct and emotion, unable to comprehend that anything It did could in any way be wrong. Not that It even understood that, either.
Instead, It nursed Its hurts and slowly moved away, deterred by the presence of other hunters in this place. They were stronger than It was, and so it felt rather alarmed that they seemed most comfortable together, forming a pack, or a family unit that hunted together. The two new hunters were watching It now, keeping their distance but following It as It traveled away from their chosen hunting grounds.
The hunters power was a strange thing. Unlike It, the hunter’s moved and flowed in bizarre, unnatural ways that made no sense to the creature.
The way they took the shape of those they hunted was strange too, and the creature found It’s desire to move away from them growing.
The creature flowed through the world as It always did, until It felt the bizarre power of the hunters affecting the world around It. The weightlessness vanished, and It’s new limbs left the creature feeling lethargic and slow. The body the hunters had given to It was covered in those thin fibres that coated the hunters bodies, only far longer and of a different colour. The creature growled, Its vocal chords thrumming in Its throat. Its ears twitched, and It felt the hunters materialize in this realm.
The larger one held back, encouraging the young one to interact with the creature. The creature did not like this. It was young too, having only seen several seasons of the glowing visitors It fed upon, and being confronted like this was sending jolts of alarm through Its mind.
The young hunter’s power flexed again, coiling around the creatures limbs and sending Its panic into overdrive. It thrashed and kicked and howled in Its borrowed form, trying in vain to escape. The hunter’s will wavered for a moment, before returning, albeit in a far different manner. 
Instead of tight bonds around Its limbs, the power it wielded felt like….the embrace of Its own kind. Like warmth and comfort. The promise of food, and shelter. The creature stilled. Was this….was this an offer of partnership? An offer of food in exchange for service?
The creature stopped struggling entirely, instead, slowly approaching the young hunter, extending Its senses towards it. The larger hunter seemed slightly alarmed, but remained apart from its charge.
A single shape? That was all this hunter required? In exchange for food, and shelter? This was a good thing, the creature decided. The hunter would have its shape, and in return, the creature would be content to remain. The hunter’s power flexed again, and the creature allowed Itself to be contained, to flow and shift into the desired form. It felt an upwelling of energy, and realized that It no longer felt hungry, and was no longer limited to just feeding on the energy of those It found in the visitors to this plane. It could feed on the world itself, so vast and full, all in exchange for a partnership with this hunter.
It settled into Its new form, rigid and firm, yet completely satisfied. Yes. This was good.


************************


The blade that floated in the air before Allan was a curious thing. It had no real hilt to speak of, instead protruding from a gauntlet designed to be worn on a foreleg. The gauntlet was tinted blue, with silver inlays and patterns that gave it a more distinct appearance, with two curved bands of lighter blue arcing up on either side of the actual hoof-guard, each containing an unbroken chain of silver spirals that looped from one end of the arcs, to the other. A three pointed, metal fixing on the front of the hoof-guard held the sword itself, and was the only part that was coloured gold. From there, a broadsword style blade emerged, slimming down towards the tip, only for a small increase in size towards the tip, making a slight diamond shape, most likely to add a little more weight to its swing. Other than that, it seemed to be an ordinary blade, but Allan could sense the presence of the nightmare in the sword, much like he could sense Luna close by, or her own weapon, now that he was aware of it.
He emerged from the altered area with the transformed nightmare floating in his grip, and immediately saw Luna’s pleased smile.
“May I?” She asked, looking to the sword.
Allan nodded, letting her examine the sword.
She looked critically at the design, turning it around in her grip as she regarded the sword. Finally nodding her approval, she let Allan take it back.
“Well done. I must say that I didn’t expect you to try reasoning with the beast. Dreamstinger was a most troublesome beast. It lead me on the most merry chase through several dreams before I was finally able to wrangle it.” She shuddered. “I saw several things about my sister and I in ponies dreams that night that still haunt me to this day.”
Allan grinned at her. “Oh really?”
“Don’t ask.”


*******************


Allan grinned as Twilight geeked out over the sword he had brought back. He had woken up to find it lying on the floor by the bed, which was a strange event for both him and Fluttershy, who had groggily requested that he make sure it didn’t scratch the floorboards.
Through further investigation, Allan found that he could in actual fact, remove the blade from the gauntlet, giving him a more conventional weapon, which had been oohh'd and aahh'd over by his friends. They had all met up in the always convenient, always free to use Castle of Friendship, after Allan had managed to flag them all down midway through their morning routines, which had been a fun experience in itself. Thanks to the mischievous nature of the youngest Apple,  Allan had accidentally stumbled in on AJ taking a shower, which had itself spawned a comical game of “dodge every item AJ happens to have on hoof”. Those items included, but were hardly limited to: a horseshoe, a bottle of shower gel, razor blades, bars of soap, toothbrushes, a mane brush, a whole cabinet, and, for some reason, a shovel. Why a shovel was in the bathroom, Allan had no idea, but he wasn’t about to stop and ask.
Allan had promptly vowed to never again set hoof inside the Apple family home before eight o’clock, just to be safe. He had also vowed to never again trust Apple Bloom’s word on anything.
The others had all been much easier to wrangle, and by nine in the morning, they were all gathered so that Allan could share his news.
The fact that the sword was a living creature from another plane of existence was a fact of immense fascination to the Princess, who had immediately demanded a full explanation, and permission to borrow the blade for study, until she could figure out it’s numerous properties.
It was during this time that one of those properties was discovered entirely by accident, when an impatient Rainbow Dash had accidentally touched the sharp edge of the blade, and instantly collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold and snoring loudly. After everypony had stopped freaking out, Allan was able to wake Dash up, even when Twilight’s best spells had done nothing.
This had, of course, lead to the current predicament of trying to get his sword back without incurring Twilight’s wrath for interrupting her. Allan, considering himself a fairly intelligent and intuitive stallion, decided that the best way to get his new sword out of the infatuated purple pony’s hooves was to simply let her fawn over it until she got bored, or it was needed elsewhere.
RD was a little miffed over being knocked out by a sword, even one as cool as this, going off to sulk in the corner. Rarity was humming away happily as she started designing a dashing rogues fit to go along with the blade, prompting many an eye roll. Pinkie was already neck deep in planning Allan numerous parties, several of which were for events that weren’t due for several years, including his engagement party. The fact that there were actually several copies of the banner, each with different fiancee names, was rather disconcerting, especially since all his friends each had one. Applejack was watching Rarity work with a raised eyebrow, peering over her friends shoulder with a question waiting on her lips. Fluttershy was busy controlling Angel bunny. The little monster had insisted on accompanying his owner, probably just to get on Allan’s nerves.
As it was, everyone was present when Celestia’s letter arrived.
And they were all on the train to Canterlot twenty minutes later.