//------------------------------// // The Helping Hoof Needed // Story: Not A Dog // by ScrambledCrackers //------------------------------// Luna scowled as she approached the dreamer that had been eluding her for so long. Around her stretched the infinite Plane of Dreams, resembling the beauty of her night sky in every direction, without land to interfere. Unlike her night, each point of light was not a star, but a dreamer in the midst of sleep. Most of them never needed to feel her presence, unlike the troubled one before her as she began to study. “What secrets do you have to reveal to me, my elusive dreamer? How can it be that you have continued to dance just beyond the touch of my hoof for this past year and a half since I first glimpsed you?” Luna mused to herself as she circled the dream, at once a pinprick and equal with her in size, the veil that had kept it concealed now being dispelled as it peeled away like the skin of an orange to disperse back into the aether. It had been frustrating her with how well-hidden it had been. Now she would find out in moments just what those reasons were, and why this dreamer had been having progressively worse nightmares for the past five nights. She had been troubled enough to see an almost regular schedule of them the entire time since this dreamer had first caught her attention. This newest string was of a much greater severity. The raw strength of the the nightmare tonight was also what allowed her to latch onto the dream and dispel what had been hiding the dreamer from her. It was one of the longest hunts she had ever engaged in within her own domain. She was surprised to discover just whom she had been tracking for so long as the shroud finished falling away. “Hmm… It is quite intriguing to discover you were the one so hidden from me, Mister Tobias Maxwell. What could possibly have happened that you appear to have nightmares thrust upon you? Most curious of you, my enigmatic subject.” Luna commented to herself in a whisper. Luna remembered her surprise, when one of Twilight Sparkle’s letters mentioned a rather civilized, well-mannered diamond dog moving to Ponyville. He was even the subject of a letter recently, when she had sought additional thoughts on how to help her friend when he was so adamantly reluctant to let others help him shoulder a secret that burdened him. Both Luna and her sister had been looking forward to meeting him when they held the Summer Sun Celebration next month. They were planning to invite Twilight Sparkle and her friends, along with extending a special invitation to this more unusual resident of the little town. They were both intrigued, wishing to learn more about him and why he was so different from other diamond dogs, but all that could wait. Right now, she feared he was suffering Dream-lock. Much like waves of heat, the dream was radiating intense fear that turned inward, feeding the nightmare further. It was rare, but it did happen on occasion and demanded her immediate attention. Such events left the affected dreamer trapped in their nightmare, unable to wake as they experienced it over and over until they either broke free, or their heart gave out from fear and they died from it. It was usually the latter. In most cases, she would not interfere with a diamond dog’s dreams due to political headaches, even up to moderate nightmares. This Tobias Maxwell was different though, having willingly chosen to live amongst her ponies in harmony. It made him her subject as well, and she would work just as hard to guide him to peaceful dreams as any of her ponies. Even if he were not, this nightmare could not have been left alone. As she always did when travelling through her Plane of Dreams to ensure she could respond to any that needed her, Luna’s personal flow of time was so much faster than what mortals perceive that all appeared frozen around her. Now, she needed to attend to the troubled dreamer before her. While something yet unknown to her had been hiding him, she could not detect any intrusions in his dream or the rest of his mind. She had even checked twice for a dream demon, due to the similarities of what they cause. All she could find was a trace signature of strong magic that troubled her. She would need to consult with her sister over this. Whatever being had created this nightmare had power enough to endanger far more than dreams, though she did not yet know to what extent. And for beings on higher levels to threaten even one of their subjects, it was akin to threatening them personally. With the faint but clear touch of chaos magic that Luna saw was different from Discord’s own, there were other concerns that something more dangerous could be readying. She felt it might even be prudent to seek counsel with Discord as well. The very thought of dealing with him on a serious matter was not something she looked forward to, but the safety of her subjects mattered more than putting up with that annoying miscreant. She let out a snort at the thought. When Luna felt she had learned as much as possible from outside the dream, observing the general state of Tobias’ mind and that of the unknown magic that had touched him, she moved to dive within and see for herself what was terrifying this dreamer so. Perhaps she could also learn how this nightmare had been forcibly induced and hidden from her, or why they were repeating with such frequency. Much to her surprise as she moved into the dream, a formless mass of thought, an aspect of Tobias’ subconscious mind, attempted to bar her entry despite the disparity of her flow of time against his. It was an impressive display of will on his part that suggested a level of strength she had not anticipated. As she had come to aid, Luna took the time to meet this aspect of Tobias at the edge of his mind, rather than swatting it aside with nary a blink as she could have. She let his mental defenses recognize she had come to help him and bring calmness to the nightmare he was experiencing. It was with the speed of emotion that this aspect of Tobias calmed, turning inviting instead of protective. It did not prepare Luna for the severity or scale of what she witnessed as she entered. As she dove through the dream, keeping it almost frozen as she studied, she was boggled. It was not one or two great fears chasing the dreamer like usual, nor even the rare upper limit of a dozen she sometimes happened across. Instead, Luna found hundreds of them. Yet even that wasn’t what concerned her most as she trotted through the vast menagerie she found herself moving through. In all her time as the guardian of dreams, no mortal had ever borne so many things at once in such a cacophonous maelstrom of dread and frightening darkness. Every single one of the fears she was now passing between was drawn from an actual memory. And there at the front of the collection of fears was Tobias, in the middle of a desperate attempt to run away from what he could not escape. His softer-featured long muzzle and face was a rictus of terror, teal eyes wide as saucers with ears flat to his head. Even his tail tucked against himself. He wore a plain simple shirt, lighter than the slate gray of his pelt, and black pants. Luna knew what would have happened if she had not been able to reach him this night, what would have ended this nightmare before dawn arrived, and she would ensure she brought calmness to his face before she was done. Taking her time, Luna stalked among the memory-created fears that had manifested, the wings of her dream body twitching in agitation.  She needed to understand how he could have personally witnessed so many things he found worthy of real fear. In one area she passed amongst the many fears as she moved her eyes from one to the next, feeling stunned by the sheer multitude of things he feared, she spotted great metal carriages, unmoving to her perspective, that she found were making loud blaring sounds like feral roars before they would crash down upon Tobias in violent impacts of twisting metal. It was odd to her that they were some of the less terrifying ones for him. She had never seen such metal beasts before and could not fathom why they were mere minor fears to Tobias. She turned to one of the greater fears as she stepped nearer to Tobias, this one close to him as he tried to run away. It was a clothed bipedal creature with little fur beyond a brown mane, light brown skin and no tail. A moment of study as she looked through images and impressions of the creature and she was further confused when all signs said this was the dreamer’s mother, declaring he was abandoning her for some reason. Luna stalked around another minor fear, looking over the memory it came from. A gryphon that had once hunted him in the past for three straight days before Tobias escaped, and as she stepped around it, she froze. Before her stood one of the greater fears, one of his worst, drawn from yet another memory. The force of how much fear it instilled in Tobias was one of the most powerful ones she had seen in a nightmare, and as terrifying to him as any other gained from a traumatic experience. In her traveling her Plane of Dreams, few experienced something this severe, solidified as it was from it having been lived, rather than imagined. The unsettling visage of an eyeless earth mare, trails of blood dribbling down from the empty sockets, that had been shaved of her green coat from the neck down stood before Luna. Most of her mane was trimmed to remain above the ropes around her neck and almost to her knees, a strange color and appearance to her bare skin. Though she dreaded what she was about to learn, she probed deep into the horrible memory. Luna’s ears falling as she covered her mouth with a hoof, her wings spreading a touch in shock at what she found. The poor mare had been boiled alive and Tobias had been forced to watch, the ropes around her neck holding her head out of the water and keeping her in place. Her eyes were even plucked from her head and tossed into the water after she had cooked enough to die and stop her crying and screaming. Their captors forced him to stare at her the entire time as they laughed. Even that would have been horrifying enough, but as she learned more, she discovered Tobias had been forced to eat with the four gryphons responsible. The told him they would make him their brother and he’d be happy for it soon, reveling in their utter madness. They had forced his beak open, even jammed a tube down his throat, forcing him to eat the mare’s boiled flesh. Once he had a chance, after the ghastly meal had ended, Tobias had attacked and mortally wounded all of them in a heartbroken rage, himself bleeding out minutes later from wounds he had taken in return. She paused, looking at the memory a bit closer. ...his beak? Luna realized there was far more that she needed to know than she had expected, and soon, as she could not let this nightmare continue a moment longer. Luna opened herself to the fears and horrors around her to learn their secrets, her power over dreams allowing her to reach out a hoof and touch them all, one at a time and all at once. Images, impressions, entire memories flashed through her perception as she flitted from one fear to the next, delving into the depths of each and anything immediately connected to it. There was so much more behind just his fears as Luna took in more details as the web of her understanding grew wider. As she learned about his many fearful memories, she wept in sympathy for him from the overwhelming sorrow she found. In all her long years, few had endured so much, and for no greater reason than mere whim. Tobias had been used as a plaything, an amusement to a being of power. He would spend five to ten years in one place, then be ripped out of whatever life he had managed to build for himself. It was never long before he was forced into a new body and tossed into a wide array of varying situations, most with the apparent intent of hardship and struggle. Each cycle, his conscious mind had been wiped back to where he began, leaving ever more hidden memories in his subconscious that left behind a growing number of phobias he might trigger and preferences he would not know the reason for. She could see he was fraying at the edges a little more each time, each life a little more unstable, yet somehow finding the strength to remain himself and survive where he was placed. She saw he had once been what his mind called human, which also explained the creature he thought of as his mother. After many incarnations as other humans, the being playing with him moved to new heights and began sending him to their world. Many times, he’d been remade a gryphon, a minotaur, a diamond dog, a dragon. Males and females. He’d only been a pony twice, it seemed. Luna also noticed so long as he’d had opposing digits, his first true escape through art helped give him strength and he did best in bipedal forms. She saw at times the being playing with him had altered the species he was remade into, giving different conditions, maladies, contradictory physiology to his appearance. Sometimes even forcing Tobias to live crippled as he had been in his first life from which he was stolen. In essence, he had been manipulated on almost every level imaginable when setting him up for a new place. Luna could not believe what Tobias had been put through and endured for so long, with only his subconscious mind left to remember. He had taken such hardships time and again and made the best of it. She saw he had learned and relearned skills so many times that many had become so ingrained that they expressed without his knowledge in each life he was thrust into. There had also been happier times mixed in, lives he could actually enjoy for the duration. Times he had found a real measure of peace. Perhaps that was why his spirit had not yet broken. She would have to look at his strength of will again before leaving his dream. As she made her way to his side and prepared to match herself to his flow of time, she struggled with what she could tell him. Would his mind fracture if she let him know the full truth? Might he even prefer to remain ignorant? For now, all she could do was prepare to comfort him as she quelled the nightmare and banished his fears. Perhaps talking would help her learn what this tormented soul needed. “ENOUGH!” In the fashion Luna preferred to make her entrance to such nightmares, she bellowed through the dream as a reflection of herself appeared to descend from the moon to stand before him. As she did, the crowding fears crashed upon an invisible wall she put around the two of them, the horde of them splashed and dispersed like ocean waves turning to black mist and fading away, slowly changing their surroundings to a grassy field beneath a starry night sky and full moon. She saw Tobias stumble and curl up on the ground at her hooves. It was clear he was afraid things were to get worse, even as she forced the shadows of fear to keep dispersing around them. Luna allowed him some time to calm as she settled down beside him, a gentle wing stretching over his shaking dream body. “You need not fear anything further this night, my subject. You are safe now,” her voice was soft as she stroked him with her feathers, beginning to radiate calm peacefulness like a pleasant fire in the hearth on a winter’s night. It would help put him at ease in a manner better for him than forcing it onto his mind. It took some time, but his shaking reduced in the stillness around them. When he managed to raise his head to look at her, his eyes widened and he groveled before her, hands over his face and head in fear. “Y-Your highness! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had arrived! Please forgive my lack of obeisance! I’ve never harmed a pony! I beg of you not to hurt me!” Luna winced, realizing he had not quite separated from the nightmare’s grip yet. She shushed him and kept stroking him with her wing, “Be at peace, my subject. You were having a terrible nightmare and I have come to put you at ease.” Tobias was slow as he raised his head a little to look at the princess before him, moving with great caution as he came to awareness, “N-nightmare?  This...this is just a dream?” “It is, Tobias. I have been trying to reach you for quite some time. How are you feeling now?” Still full of jittery nerves, Tobias moved so he was sitting before Princess Luna, ears flat to his head with his tail wrapped around him. Swallowing, he looked at her with a mixture of fear and hope, “I am...doing a little better. May I ask why you have come to my dreams? Surely I’ve done nothing to warrant your visiting me, Your Highness. I haven’t done anything of much merit.” Luna allowed herself a small smile that belied how she was feeling after what she had learned, “It is my duty to guard the dreams of my subjects. You are a resident of Ponyville, are you not? That means I am always watching over you, as much as any other citizen of Equestria.” “You are too generous, Your Highness. Please do not spend your time on me though. I’m sure others need you more than one as inconsequential as I am,” Tobias returned, turning his eyes to the ground. “Stop discounting yourself, I will not hear it in my presence. I visit those in need, Tobias. No matter how many, all that need me shall feel my presence. I am not restricted to just one dream after all, and your need was great this night,” Luna told him, wondering how she should approach matters. Tobias sniffed, unable to raise his eyes as he hugged himself in front of her. Luna brushed the tips of her feathers against his right arm, hoping to bring him comfort. After the severity of the nightmare, she knew it was best to remain until he woke with the dawn, so they had time to take a slow pace. “Might I ask you some questions, Tobias? I witnessed many things in your nightmare I wish to understand, and I may be able to help you with more than just a nightmare. You are also welcomed and encouraged to call me by name,” Luna added, her voice still soft. She watched him tremble a little more before he relaxed further, eyes still downcast.  When he said nothing for a long pause she considered questioning him again, but then he moved to bow to her in a kneel, his hands flat on the ground as he lowered his head near the ground before he spoke, “Princess Luna, I...I thank you for gracing my dream with your presence. I’ll offer whatever I am able and answer any question. Even offer myself to your service if you require it for helping me. What would you wish to know?” Luna touched the ends of her feathers under his chin and raised his eyes to hers with a comforting smile, “That is unnecessary, Tobias, but your offer is appreciated. Now that I am here, you are safe and free. Tell me, what do you know about your arrival in our world? I know you are not from ours, and that you were born human, so make no mistake as to the whole of what I ask of you. You need not tell me anything if you find it uncomfortable. I am not here to interrogate, but to counsel.” Tobias swallowed and looked less nervous as he moved into a sitting position, her calming presence still working on him as his mind settled, “I...I see. What I know isn’t very much, unfortunately. I know I was found by some diamond dogs in a rocky wilderness and they said there were no tracks around me. Prior to that, my life seemed ordinary. I spent my days mostly just drawing and trying to sell my work when I could. For all intents and purposes, I arrived in my sleep like I’d been carried or something. The only thing strange before I simply woke up here was my last day on Earth, but that’s only because I know it happened and nothing more about it. Every time I try to think about that day, it causes me a painful headache, sometimes even all manner of images flashing through my head faster than I can understand. I’m sorry I don’t know more, Princess Luna.” Luna nodded, pondering even as she hoped for a little more, “You are certain that is all you can remember?” “I really wish I knew more.  In two years, I have learned nothing else of merit. Though I have tried to tolerate the headaches that come from thinking of my last day on Earth, what images I’ve managed to grasp never make any sense. It’s just random things with no order at all, even if I could almost swear it was a lot like trying to recover a forgotten memory. It’s only given me more questions.” “Hmm, you are right. That is not much to work with at all. Perhaps you would like to ask me a few questions instead? Mayhap I can aid you in your quest for answers, even though I do not know what questions to ask of you just yet myself,” Luna said. She was quick to suspect the memory of that day was where his conscious mind had been wiped into each time he was returned to his initial state, locked from him so he would not be overwhelmed, without erasing anything. That it was the reason behind how he had grown in subtle, deep ways during the course of his ordeal, and how he remembered all he had been forced to experience. Though she had a look of calm, her mind was running with her countless questions. He looked at her with a sudden glimmer of hope in his eyes, sounding more at ease, “I have one that’s bothered me more than most, and since we’re in a dream, I suppose this is the best time to ask it. As far as I can tell, my mind has remained my own, and yet I’m still a diamond dog even here. With what little I know about dreams, I should be free to be anything here. Why don’t I dream myself human like I would expect and want to?” Luna tilted her head in thought, knowing the line between things she was going to ask about did not truly exist and it was more about giving him freedom of choice, “You are right. That is most curious. May I have your permission to explore your mind beyond the nightmare I quelled? Though I have learned much by that alone, there is still more about you that is quite mysterious.” Giving her a slow nod, Tobias looked more hopeful, “I have nothing to hide, Princess Luna. If you can discover more about my circumstances, I would be grateful. You have my full permission to look at everything, if it might help me understand what happened.” “Very well, Tobias. Please give me some time,” Luna replied, raising her head to look at the dream night sky above them as her horn lit. She would have touched her horn to his head for this, were they not already in it. Luna began by following where else that strong magic had touched his mind, her own mind accelerating once more to bear witness to most everything that made Tobias who he was. Impressions and emotions crashing against her awareness in a manner that to her, it was like waves against a wall of stone. She soon found her suspicion confirmed and that the memory of his last day on his Earth was indeed a sort of vessel containing all his accumulated memories for all his many forced incarnations. She had no need to study them, knowing answers were not to be found there. All she needed to see was the sum of years. Moving through his mind at a steady pace that let her observe most effectively, she felt rising amazement at just how long his chain of experience ran. Upon reaching the end, she knew it had been a span of centuries. It was possible he could never take it all back in, lest his sanity crumble under the weight. That was without even considering the hardships he had often experienced. She would need to see him face to face to know more. Turning her attention to her next task and tracing the foreign magic further, she found that not much else was changed, but there was something she had feared would be present as her chest tightened in alarm. Tobias was carrying a form of tracer spell, one easy to find even if the caster vanished to another realm for a time, but subtle enough one would miss it if not looking for it. What troubled her most was discovering it also sat beside something that ensured even if Tobias died outside this being’s influence, it would contain his spirit to the place he died until he could be collected, meaning he would never be free, even in death. That his torment had been so absolute stirred the embers of Luna’s anger. It also meant Tobias was in constant danger of being stolen away unless she could find a safe manner in which to undo the spells, or confront the being responsible. She feared he had been placed in Dream-lock with the intent to kill him, perhaps to prevent him from doing something, or to collect him early with minimal notice. Luna realized Tobias may well have been placed in such a state and managed to break free from the preceding four severe nightmares she had not been able to reach. That one of her subjects had been under such attack, through her own domain, was adding fuel to the fire burning within her. Unbeknownst to Tobias, she shifted her mind’s prime focus back to the throne room. Her wings spreading to express some of her ire as she let out an angry snort, a flickering glow of her horn and a simple pair of signaling spells cast, she had only to wait a few seconds. Two silent bursts of shadow flared outward like swirling pillars of black flames before the dais of her throne, coalescing into the armored forms of her elite umbramancers, both Lunar unicorns and master battlemages. They snapped off salutes, gravelly voices speaking in unison, “What is your command, Mistress?” “Thank you for your quick response. One of my subjects has suffered a near fatal forced nightmare, and I fear he may be in further danger. For now, journey to and locate a Mister Tobias Maxwell. You are to watch over him as he rests and until I can arrive to see to this personally. Anticipate strong magic with a chaotic nature and prepare as such. Make no mistake, the one responsible has power greater than your own, but they are not nearly as powerful as Discord and I know you are capable enough to delay them for a fair amount of time. At the very least until I can arrive, should it come to that.” Luna ordered, her stern expression conveying her seriousness as much as her tone. One of her guards responded with a faint tilt of his head like it was an everyday request, “To clarify, you speak of the Diamond Dog of Ponyville, Mistress?” Luna nodded, her Lunar Guard had long since been briefed on his unusual presence, “I do, Cloak. It seems he has been put through much. If we are fortunate, you need only escort him to me when I call for you. It is most probable I will have him brought to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle to continue this further. I am guarding his dreams until dawn, so finding him should be simple for you. I will inform him that you will be there when he wakes. Now please make haste to his side, both of you.” Both umbramancers saluted once more before they burst into swirling shadow again and left. She knew they would arrive in Ponyville in a few minutes and moved the prime focus of her mind back into the realm of dreams. Despite her silent stillness, Tobias had been waiting without a word before Luna. While she gave her guards their orders, along with other things elsewhere in the dream realm at the same time, she had found the block in his mind that prevented his freedom to dream of himself as human. A small thing to give back to him after all he had endured, but she would make sure it was just a first step to setting him free. Turning her eyes away from the night sky and back to him, her wings shifted and resettled as she focused on the good she could now bring, “Tobias, I have found why you have been stuck dreaming yourself a diamond dog. Would you like me to remove it for you now?” She watched his face flash with different emotions, an almost mad desperation stood out for a few moments as something he wanted back, right down to his core, was offered to him, then his eyes just misted in pure relief as he gave her a nod, appearing unable to speak. “Very well. I fear I cannot tell you everything I have learned, but I can make certain to put things to right. Starting with this,” Luna said with a motherly smile, knowing the answer to another of her questions. More for effect than function in a dream, she lit her horn again and her influence brushed away the appropriate parts of the foreign changes. As she brushed the intruding magic aside, Tobias morphed into a human form much like wisps of smoke were blowing the change across his body. A whole and undamaged version of what he was born with, from what she had already learned of him. Luna watched as tears began falling from his now green eyes as he was restored, looking at and feeling his hands before running them over different parts of his body. He let out an occasional faint laugh, appearing fascinated by his pale face, by the motion of his legs and ankles as much as with his toes. It wasn’t long before he was just hugging himself, quiet sobs escaping as he rocked back and forth until Luna’s blue wing came up around his back and pulled him against her. His arms wrapped around her neck moments later as he continued to cry, muttering his thanks over and over. Luna draped her neck over his back and held him close. She could understand his feelings to a degree, remembering when her own body was not her own and she was possessed by the Nightmare. Only her sister knew the tears she had shed just for having her own body back. Something so intrinsic to one’s sense of self being taken away bit deep, but Luna had only changed into something still equine in nature, not a whole different species. She was still able to understand the relief. As she waited for him to calm again, she felt her umbramancers signal their arrival. A part of Luna relaxed a slight amount, knowing they would now be wrapping him in defenses and would allow her time to physically arrive if the worst happened. Whatever being had been playing with him would not be allowed to have him ever again, she would make sure of it. When Tobias had calmed and began to pull away, Luna tugged him back with her wing, humming to herself and gave him a warm smile, taking some inspiration from her sister, “And just where do you think you’re going, my little human?” “I...isn’t it improper for me to...hug you like this, Princess Luna?” Tobias replied, looking uncertain, the results of his tears all but vanished in the dream as his heart lightened. “It is only us in your dream, Tobias. I will not tell if you will not,” Luna returned with a smirk and tilt of her head, hoping to bring him some cheer, or at least keep him at ease. She felt him settle against her again, leaning his head against her neck as stroked his back with her wing, seeing him remain nervous but calmer. As she prepared to share simple conversation with him to pass the time, she also began delving into his strength of will and what prevented him from breaking. “You know, my sister and I were going to send out the invitations to the Summer Sun Celebration next week, and we had intended to extend an invitation to you as well. We have been ever more curious about you since Princess Twilight first mentioned you in a letter some time ago. She talks about you from time to time, though her recent worries are now placed in a different light. Might I ask what brought you to Ponyville?” Luna queried as she studied. “Um, well...it was mostly to get away from the diamond dogs I was staying with. I didn’t fit in with them and the bits and pieces I heard from them about the town suggested it was at least a lot better than where I was. After living there for a while, I have to say I like the atmosphere. Most of the residents are really friendly, now that they’re gotten used to me. Never lived in a small town before when I was on Earth,” Tobias shared, unaware of her efforts. As they continued to converse, Luna listening and giving smiles or frowns in response, she discovered his ordeal had left him with a resolve of tempered steel he had put to great use. Where once he had been frail and somewhat cautious, now he had a strength of will to nearly rival even herself and her sister. Luna was unsure how he was managing it, but much of it was focused within and keeping his vast set of experiences in order so they served him or stayed back, rather than push him to the edge of sanity and beyond. His conscious mind was not even aware of the constant effort he faced within. She was further surprised when she learned why. Over time and trial, Tobias had grown his inner will to such a degree that he had begun absorbing some of the foreign magic he contained to make it his own. She saw the almost separate personality his subconscious had become, the same embodiment of his will she met upon entering his dream, had recognized a need for new tools and pulled in what was around. She also saw his inner self assumed all external magic was a potential threat and nudged him to avoid it when possible. Were it not for his hidden burdens weighing him down as much as they gave him strength, Tobias might have been a world changer in some manner. The most he manifested day to day was a subtle aura meant to draw help towards him, knowing something was manipulating him, but did not know what help he needed and left it undefined. Somehow, he had an instinctive understanding such would be nigh impossible to detect without deep study into his mind and essence, as Luna was doing now. He had found a way to fight back, however small, and she felt proud of his managing something so difficult. Beyond that, his desires for himself remained simple. He just wanted a quiet life with friends and hoped for one special individual to share it with. Luna intended to ensure he would have that chance. Though she would have to withhold most of what she had learned from his conscious mind so as not to upset his self-enforced stability, at least for now, she could give him guidance in a manner few others could. She reached out to him again and touched his subconscious to begin a very different kind of discourse through raw instinct and emotion. She shared with his hidden self some of her knowledge by way of concepts and impressions, the almost primordial essence of his inner self already starting to put her teaching to use. It would do little for his waking mind, but it would ensure all he bore within never became too much, should his emotions rise too strong from deeply felt experiences. Luna would need to see him in the flesh to do more. Turning more of her focus back to their conversation, Tobias was in the middle of a rather amusing retelling of one of his visits with the foals at the Ponyville schoolhouse and the foals’ reaction to a rhyming story from his former home, drawing a soft laugh from her. He went on about how just after the story, a known pair of local bullies tried to start harassing some classmates. Tobias had watched for a short time to understand enough, then intervened and with careful words, left them exposed for their misbehavior by their own actions. Then as the former victims started to tease, he reminded them it was no better. While not friends at the end of the exchange, the parties had parted without further ill feelings. She understood that much more of why Twilight Sparkle had praised his skill with little ones in one of her letters. Luna was surprised to feel a longing from him to spend time with the young ones more often, but felt like he should stay away. Perhaps when he was truly free again, she could suggest he do it more often to help himself heal. As the dawn at last got underway, his dream began to waver as he made the first signs of waking up, bringing his stories to an abrupt stop. She had enjoyed speaking with him enough that Luna felt a little disappointed that their time was up. “It seems you are beginning to wake, Tobias. I have found my time in your dream most enjoyable. Before I depart, I must inform you that you will not be alone when you arise. Two of my guards are going to stay beside you until I can meet with you face to face when I come to Ponyville in a few hours. I learned much about what brought you to our world and felt it prudent to ensure your protection as a precaution, though I must consult with my sister before I say more,” Luna said as she hugged him with her wing before releasing him to stand, both of them now facing each other. A short signal to her guards alerted them she was soon departing the dream and they would be ready. Tobias gave her a small bow and a smile, so different from the state he had been in earlier, “Thank you for your help, Princess Luna. I will listen to anything your guards tell me. You know, I was actually supposed to meet with Twilight and the girls this afternoon to tell them about me being human and appearing here in Equestria in a different body. Today’s going to be more momentous than I expected.” Luna’s interest piqued at that, suspecting that may well have been important enough for the forced nightmares as it would draw attention. She let none of it show and gave Tobias a graceful nod and smile, “So it would seem. Would you like me to visit your dreams again from time to time? I may be able to counsel you through some of your troubles, if you care for the company.” “I would be honored, Princess Luna,” Tobias returned, causing Luna some amusement at the delight that crossed his face. Most of her subjects had gotten over her past, but such open acceptance was still refreshing. “Stay safe, Tobias. I will meet with you soon,” Luna said as the dream faded away. … As more dreams came to a close, Luna turned her attention back to the throne room and signaled her sister. Enough importance placed to impart she should come to talk without delay, but not declaring an emergency. Luna sipped a morning cup of tea a servant had left as she waited for Celestia. Within a few minutes, her sister arrived from a side door and made a hurried trot to join her. “What is the trouble, Luna? You only rarely find need to call upon me with urgency,” Celestia asked. “It will be best if I share the knowledge directly, sister. One of our subjects has been put through much hardship and may be in imminent danger by a being of power I have yet to learn of,” Luna replied as she lit her horn and tilted her head forward, Celestia touching her own horn to her sister’s as the vast collection of relevant knowledge, impressions and images were conveyed. A small gasp escaping as Celestia began to understand what had transpired over several seconds. When all the knowledge of Tobias had been shared, Celestia gave a sad shake of her head, “Mortals never cease to find new ways to impress me with what they can endure. I remember that mare, and the aftermath from when the rescue team found what little remained aside from her head and bones. She was foalnapped, and were it not for the sound of fighting, we might have never found out what happened. “To think it was the same Tobias Maxwell that now lives in Ponyville,” Celestia continued, “The rescue team reported discovering a dying gryphon by the same name at the campsite that swore he made sure the five monsters that ate her never got to see another dawn. They said he wept until he passed away, but it wasn’t until mages studied the course of events that led to her death that we learned how terrible it had been, or what that gryphon had meant. It happened 112 years ago.” “Tia, I believe it best we call upon Discord for counsel in this. You now know what I detected,” Luna said. Celestia wore a frown only her sister would recognize the full meaning of, though the flickering tongues of flame at the edges of her mane and tail would not be missed, her voice a deceptive softness that belied the depth of her fury, “Do whatever you feel necessary to see this through, Luna. You have my full support in whatever you find fitting. Engage in battle if you must. He became ours when he joined our ponies. Put his ordeal to an end and set him free.” Luna nodded and cast another signaling spell. Discord appeared in the air not far away, bouncing on the underside of a large mass of blue jello the size of a wagon that hovered in the air, “Oh good morning ladies! Goodness, we’re getting an early start today! What did I do this time, hmm?” Luna ignored his antics and gave him a calm look, “Discord, something unusual has taken place and I require your counsel in hopes of protecting one of my subjects. There is chaos magic involved that is not your own and I wish to ensure there is not a hidden threat at play.” Discord’s impromptu trampoline vanished with him as he reappeared before the Princesses wearing a rare serious look, “Considering I’ve reformed and wouldn’t have put somepony in danger, that’s not something I want to hear. Especially if there is a chaos being involved. I banned the majority of the others from playing on my turf, with promised consequences for defying me.” “While under normal circumstances I would never put up with doing this with you, touch my horn and learn what I have gathered. No tricks, knave,” Luna told him as her horn lit. Discord started to grin, then frowned when she demanded him to play nice. He huffed and touched an eagle talon to her horn, drawing it back a moment later as a glowing strand of magic spaghetti followed. Once it separated from her horn, he twirled it around a talon and slurped it into his mouth, taking in the same knowledge Celestia had already learned. He then let out a dark chuckle as he learned, grinning with clear malicious delight, clapping his paw and talon hands before rubbing them together, “Oh my, this is going to be such fun, ladies! I won’t know who did it until I take a close look at our sad little friend for myself, but I can tell you I’m going to be quite interested in having some words with the responsible party. There’s enough power involved to almost guarantee someone has been misbehaving. This is out of your hooves, my dear Princesses. I’ll handle the one responsible for this.” “You seem more engaged and serious about this than I would have expected, Discord,” Celestia said as she raised a brow. “Oh Tia, you have no idea just how territorial I can get with my things. Even if I’ve found having friends surprisingly pleasant and have agreed to play nice with you two and your little ponies, I still claim this world among other delighters of chaos,” Discord said with a smug, sleepy grin that did nothing to hide the predatory glee on his face, “To think this was right under my lovely nose for so long! Mister Maxwell was amusing enough to watch at first, what with all his making ponies chase him down the street and not knowing how to give up, but lately I only bother to look in on him when I need a dose of someone doing a steady routine. He’s been terribly angsty and seems to enjoy boring me. Seems I should have looked closer. I think there’s a few things I’ll need to share with you, Lulu.” Luna frowned in turn as her wings flexed and resettled, disliking the things Discord had added, but they would have to talk to him later, “Very well. On our way to Ponyville, we can discuss the manner in which we shall proceed.”