//------------------------------//
// Journey Through the Dreamscape 
// Story: The Nightmare of Phobetor 
// by kurusagi16 
//------------------------------//

Phobetor was feeling peeved to say the least. He'd been right in the middle of a sumptuous meal, only to be interrupted and separated from his host. Not only that, but he was interrupted by none other than that Alicorn and Discord himself. He had no doubt that it was only a matter of time before those interlopers come into his domain to seal back up. If that was the case, he'd need to be prepared for their arrival. Using his shadow, he instructed it to keep watch in the dreamscape and to alert him the moment that the interlopers appear. 'Hurry to me, my interlopers, and learn the true meaning of fear.'





Using the spell she'd used before, Luna entered the dream realm once again, this time with Discord and Twilight at her side.

"Okay, so where do we go from here?" Asked Twilight, looking around the endless expanse that was limbo. 

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, Phobetor should be somewhere in his old hideaway, aptly named the Nightmare Realm."

"Alright, so how do we get there?" 

"No clue."

"What?! Then how do you know about his hideaway?"

"As I said before, I only know him by reputation, so I'm just going off what I've heard. Not to mention that this is only my second trip or so to the dream realm, so pardon me if I don't know where everything is."

Luna tapped her chin thoughtfully. "When I first took on the duties as protector of the dream realm, Starswirl warned me to avoid the far edge of the realm that's shrouded in shadow, saying that a danger and terrible evil rested there. Perhaps that's where the Nightmare Realm lies."

"Well it's as good a place to start as any." Said Twilight.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Said Discord, ready to get a move on.

Twilight rolled her eyes at his antics as Luna led them in the direction of the Nightmare Realm.




"So," Twilight began, hoping to strike up a conversation while they headed toward their destination. "Is there anything else we should know about Phobetor before we face him?" 

Discord stroked his goatee as he thought for a moment. "Well, there isn't much else to tell, other than he has power over nightmares. So I suggest that you keep your guard up."

"Well, do you know why he was sealed away to begin with?"

"If I remember correctly, it had something to do with him overstepping his bounds and trying to invade the waking world. Which seems to be a common occurrence the more I think about it. Anyway, the dream spirit who existed at the time was the one who sealed him up.  Of course, now that he's gone, it was only a matter of time before the seal he made would weaken."

"Gone? What happened to him?"

But Discord ignored her question, pointing out a thick fog bank up ahead. "Oh my, what's that up ahead?"

Luna squinted at the fog before answering, "That's the Phantasos Fog, it drifts throughout the dream realm. Those who enter it experience visions and abstract dreams."

"Is that so? How interesting." Discord mused. 

"Looks like we'll have to pass through it to continue onward." Luna said. "As long as we stay close together and keep moving, we should be fine."

Thus the trio made their way through the fog. At first, it seemed like any ordinary fog, with nothing strange or peculiar about it. As they went deeper in though, things began to change. Twilight could swear she heard whispering voices, saying things she could not make out. Then she could swear that the surroundings around her were beginning to become blurred and warped, as though she were underwater. From there things only got stranger, as her vision filled with peculiar images. A gate made out of bone and ivory, the sun and moon shooting across the sky like falling stars, gleaming eyes, and a casket wrapped in heavy chains. So many images swam in front of her, making her feel dizzy and confused. 

Discord, who was completely unaffected by the visions, other than finding them amusing, looked down and noticed how poor Twilight looked as though she was about to collapse. Using his tail, he picked her up and carried her.

"H-hey, what are you--?" She began, but stopped, feeling dizzy once again.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm helping you the rest of the way, of course! You did promise Fluttershy that you'd help me out, didn't you? It'd be a shame if you were to suddenly pass out in the middle of it."

"H-how c-come, you're n-not...affected?" She asked.

Discord scoffed. "Please, Twilight. I see strange things all the time. Compared to my little dimension of Chaosville, this is nothing." He glanced over at Luna, who was also unaffected. "I can only assume that Luna is alright simply because she's seen all sorts of crazy things in pony's dreams."

Luna snorted in response, but couldn't help but crack a slight smile. 

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the three of them, their movements were being watched by Phobetor's shadow, who hurried off to alert its master of the visitors that were to enter their domain.





Once they were out of the fog bank, Discord released Twilight, setting her back down on the ground. After taking a moment to catch her breath and regain her bearings, Twilight stood up, glancing over at Discord. 

"Th-thank you, Discord, for help me through the fog. I'm not sure if I could've made it all the way through on my own."

Discord waved a paw at her words and said, "Think nothing of it. I was just making sure that you kept your word with Fluttershy." 

"Look alive, everyone." Said Luna, looking on. "The Nightmare Realm is just ahead.