> I am the King of Slumberland; Little Nemo
>  by Flutters Is Shy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue- Night of the Summer Sun Celebration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I watched as the mind that had been trapped behind a curtain of sorrow, regret and jealousy finally arrived within my realm unfettered.

I had watched from afar, unable to reach her even with my vast resources and power.

And that should mean a lot. I'm not the King of Slumberland for nothing. Within my lands, physical traits mean nothing to those able to affect the dreamscape. Ones will determines the shape of the land, and the land is ever changing.

I have to assume this is what the inside of Discords head looks like. I wouldn't know, every time he ends up dreaming he's completely lucid. Annoying as hell.

I wouldn't be much of a king if I wasn't in charge of a kingdom. And what a kingdom Slumberland is. Through my power I started by constructing a  castle. I know, you wake up in a dream land, able to make literally anything, and the only thing I made was a castle. A sand castle at that. I ended up improving it till the point it was the size of a city in itself. I didn't realize it yet at that point, but time in my realm moved much slower than that of the 'real world'.

What a laugh. This world was my 'real' world. Not like I could ever leave it.

Anyway, from a simple structure of sand one day gave birth to a booming metropolis, where within lived inhabitants of every size and shape, every possible race and minutia.

How could anyone 'live' in a dream, you might ask. I wondered myself for years if I wasn't perhaps making up people to spend time with, to ease my lonely rule. It was only after three years on the waking side -I have long given up on comparing a Slumberland variant of time to the waking worlds, while it does seem to be faster their ever fluxing state of dreams makes it impossible to judge- Then I made a monumentous discovery. 

The world I was in wasn't simply an empty world of my own dream. It was EVERYONES dream. I was CONNECTED to some place else. Through careful manipulation and ever increasing subtlety of my own dream walking abilities, I was finally able to poke my way into the bubble of a dream in motion.

It was violent, pulsing, writhing like a dieing snake. I stuck the edge of my consciousness through and cut into the dream like a knife. I slid through, and found myself running through a forest. 

I was shocked, and with good reason. For the first time in seemingly years I felt the burn of muscles in legs, the sharp whipping pain of branches smacking me in the face with my passing. I felt an unnatural fear, and I knew something was behind me, chasing me. I knew it wanted to hurt me, and if I slowed down for even a second I was going to die.

A creature ran beside me, his breath ragged and his gait frantic. My head snapped over to view him upon my discovery, my initial thought one of fear. Did it manage to catch up with me? How? Inspecting him further quelled such fears, he was just as afraid of whatever was chasing us as I was. He was... like nothing I had ever seen before. 

The closest analogue I could compare him to was a character from My Little Pony. He had a teal coat, with a yellow mane and tail. I would have initially assumed he was nothing more than an oddly colored horse, were it not for his frightened cries of panic. 

It suddenly hit me that this was indeed a dream. I still felt the overwhelming fear, but I now knew that it wasn't mine. It was his.

I stopped, skidding to a halt. I turned and looked behind me, trying to face whatever horror thought it could best me. This was MY realm. But there was nothing there, nothing but empty shadows. Looking back towards the fleeing horse, I saw that his strides hadn't taken him any farther away from me than when I stopped. No matter how fast he ran, he never made any headway.

I felt it even now, the unconscious fear that drove him to continue running from something that wasn't there. Running from the shadows.

"Why do you run?" I asked, my voice coming out that of a childs. I didn't really expect an answer, but he surprised me by yelping out in a strained squeal.

"It's going to get me!" he yelled out, tears streaming from his face. I realized at this point that this was a living, breathing, thinking individual. Not simply a dumb animal like I had assumed.

His reply stunned and saddened me. Was there nothing I could do to ease his pain?

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know! It killed momma when she was out getting food, if I stop it's gonna kill me too!" he replied, tripping and tumbling to come right back up and continue running.

"There's nothing there, young one," I tried to reassure him, "this is a dream, I don't presume to know the pain you felt when you lost your mother, but there is nothing there. And right now you are running in place. This is a dream."

His steps didn't slow, but I could see him shaking his head in confusion. He turned and looked back at me, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw that his running didn't take him any farther away from me. He slowed, finally stopping as he looked off into the empty forest.

"It's scary, isn't it?" he started at my voice, flinching as he returned his attention to me. "It's true, the shadows and darkness seem like they could hide any number of monsters, don't they?" His eyes grew in fright, darting back and forth, "But have you ever given any thought that you could be one of those monsters too?" His eyes fixed on me, his head tilted in confusion.

"If it's really dark, I bet you could hide in the shadows too, make the monsters unable to see you. Make them afraid of what they couldn't see in the dark too," I said playfully, booping him on the nose.

"Monsters don't get scared," he claimed, and I could hear the fear in his voice had ebbed.

"Sure they do. Everyone gets scared once in a while," I said, noticing as the dreamscape brightened. "The trick is, you can't let yourself get overtaken by that fear. Don't ignore it, but don't let it overwhelm you either."

I raised a hand, and waved it in a horizontal chop. The forest fell, dissolving into dust as it scattered. We were left in a wide clearing, the starry sky bright above us. The little horse looked up in wonder, finally looking back at me after a few minutes.

"What are you?" he asked in awe.

"I... I am the King of Slumberland," I claimed. "And what are you, little one?"

"I'm not little!" he huffed, "Imma big stallion! As tall as a mountain!" While he said that, a towering range sprouted from the ground, it's massive peaks scraping the heavens. And coming up to juuuuuuuuuuuuuust under the bottom of his barrel. "You see?" he said proudly, ignoring the fact that he had just altered the state of the dreamscape.

As I watched, his eyes drooped shut, and his dream dissolved entirely. I was shunted out back into the main of what I eventually named Slumberland, drifting in the aethos.

After that, I went from dream to dream helping as I could. Over the next year (Again, relative.In fact from now on, just take any measure of time I say with a grain of salt), I learned much, and my powers grew exponentially.

I was trapped in a dreamworld, connected to a land called Equestria. The main inhabitants were a species similar to ponies, and in fact were called as such. Even if they were only slightly similar to the creature I knew of by the same name. There were all sorts of others as well. Lamias, Minotaurs, Gryphons, Naga... Although there did seem to be a heavily slanted number of equine races. Camels, Goats, Donkeys, Zebras, even Cows turned out to be intelligent beings.

No humans, though.

All of these races provided me with companionship in quite a unique way, however.

The larger my imaginary city grew, the more I noticed it had been inhabited by... others. For lack of a better word, people that knew they were part of the dream, yet were not the...people dreaming. They were attached to those that slept, but they were not them.

They were lingering imaginary friends they had grown out of, alternate personalities that never came to the forefront of the mind, and even some tulpae that had been willingly created, set free till the moment their hosts woke up.

They were the best thing I could have ever hoped for. Companions to pass the time, keep me sane. Keep me grounded, remind me of my moral center. I chose to view them as my responsibility, my reason for being. 

Turns out there had been protector before me though, another who watched after the dreams of the asleep. From what I could gather, a terrible fate had become of her. The nightmares she had fought tirelessly had eventually overcome her, poisoning her mind and body. She had been taken with darkness and jealousy, influencing her to try to supplant her sister as the sole ruler of Equestria. And throw the land into eternal darkness, I guess that was an important point as well.

I resolved not to take same risks my predecessor had. I constructed a cage, a hole in the deepest part of the dream I could find. I made it with the key I had bought from the strange man at the con, it's strange properties being just what I needed to keep it stable.

Over the years, I locked every manner of nightmare I could find in there, doing my best to protect those I had come to call my own. They asked for my name, and saw my deeds and the sprawling kingdom that lasted the ages. They found my title from the mouth of the first I had helped.

They called me by the Moniker; Little Nemo, King of Slumberland.

And so it was.

Until tonight.

On the longest night, of the longest day, the stars did come to align. With their assistance, the protector was freed. But all was not well. The nightmare had persisted, if not slightly weakened. In the Waking world, she sought her previous goal to shroud the world in eternal night.

She was stopped.

Six mares with powerful artifacts that echoed throughout all of creation. They gathered together, and used their power to equalize the protector. The nightmares were stripped from her, and cast back into my realm. Those that weren't still bound to a physical object. Felt like shards of metal, at least as far as I could tell.

I arrested their movement, and tossed them in with the other nightmares. Where they belonged, where they could no longer harm anyone.

I fretted and worried in the coming day, anxious as to what the returning protector would think. She had watched over my people for thousands of years before I had even arrived, would she seek to take back what was once hers? Would she find fault in my ministrations? Would she hate me for making myself a kingdom in what used to be her own stomping grounds?

I made a room, in which we would not be disturbed. I felt her enter sleep, her own natural abilities giving her control the likes of which i had never in my years even seen. It was all I could do to drag her into isolation with myself.

She appeared within the room in a ball of twilit shadows, her azure mane rippling in an unseen wind.

"Whoso dares to so despoil the dreams of mine! Speak now, and the Princess of the Night might deign to forgive such impertinence!"

I kept the shadows hardened around me, watching her reactions. She tried to keep up her bluster, but after a few minutes her magic failed her. Her form reverted to that of a filly, her light blue hair drooping around her ears. Her gaze become fearful, flitting about to and fro.

I chose this moment to reveal myself.

I had never changed my appearance from the start, that of a young boy. Something about the appearance of a foal filled most with a sense of ease.

I was wearing the same single piece pajamas I had been wearing all those centuries before, my scepter slung over my back as it had been the very day I walked through the doors of the con.

As to what she saw...

She saw me as I was, sitting on top of a four poster bed.

"Care to join me, Princess?" I asked, patting the bed next to me.
> Chapter 1- Communication
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Care to join me, Princess?" the creature asked, patting the bed beside him.

Luna looked in disbelief at the figure before her. What... was he? And how by the stars and sun did he dispel all of her enchantments so easily? It was true she was still recovering, but she was the Princess of the NIGHT. The Princess of DREAMS themselves! And here she was, reduced to the state of a mere dreamer!

"I'm not going to bite, Protector," the being prodded, holding out a hand while his face stretched into a warm smile.

"Pro... tector?" Luna asked hesitantly.

"Ah yes, introductions are in order. Can't have you sitting there without even knowing my name, seeing as I know yours huh?" he said with a laugh.

Luna gave a displeased huff. Who was this creature, to treat her with such  disrespect if he oh so apparently knew of her and her position?

"I," he started, rising up to a standing position on the bed before her. Luna realized with a start that the Ego he had chosen closely resembled a minotaur, if only superficially. "Am the King of Slumberland. Little Nemo."

He hopped down off the bed, kneeling on one knee. "It is my honor to See you, Princess Luna. Princess of the Night, Protector of Dreams."

Luna stood stunned for a few seconds. He was... a 'king'? and of a land so colorfully claimed as 'Slumberland'?

"Who are you? And what... is Slumberland?" Luna asked, not taking her eyes off the creature as it got back up and sat back down on the bed.

"I do believe you wanted to ask what I am?" he asked with a conniving, knowingly smug smile.

Luna suppressed a blush, fighting her bodies emotions as only she could. She was a master of dreams, after all.

He finally stopped waiting for her to respond, letting out a hyper cough. "Well, to cut it to the quick, I once was of a race of beings known as humans. But that was a long time ago. I do believe for the waking world, If my estimates are correct, I haven't been truly human for at least a thousand years. If I'm right, I arrived slightly after you... ahem,"

Little Nemo paused -and the more Luna watched him, the surer she was that this was an appropriate moniker. He was rather small, and his vocal cadence belied him as a child.- and Luna had a momentary pause of her own. Why was he hesitating?

"Right after you... damn! How the hell do I put this delicately?" Little Nemo cried out, massaging the side of his head with long, delicate fingers. They were much different from a minotaurs, whose were as a species thick and meaty. "Right after you... were taken. And went to the moon?" he offered sheepishly.

Luna's Ego burned, her face flushing with heat. "We were... yes. Taken. We like that wording. Can we use that?"

"As you wish, Protector."

Suddenly he whipped his arm out in front of him, staring at the area where she believed to be called a 'wrist'.

"My apologies Princess, but we really must be going if we don't want to be late," he claimed, jumping up fully on the bed.

Luna allowed a quick burst of amusement to filter through her. "And what are you going to do on the bed?"

A look of confusion filtered across his ego's face, followed quickly by amusement of his own.

"It's rather more what we're going to do on the bed, Princess. Now hurry up! A lot of ponies have been waiting a very long time for you to come home, and we really haven't a moment to lose," he finished, patting the bed behind himself.

"I will forgive your impertinence this once," Luna started, "but I must  insist you keep such insinuation to yourself in the future."

"Insinuation? What? I don't..." A look of disgust filtered across his ego's face. Was the thought of intercourse with her really so unpleasant? "God, you fleshies and your rampant need to reproduce. Always thinking with the wrong brains. Come along! Get on! We need to go, hurry up!"

Luna felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her as his dismissal assailed her ears. He'd been immaterial for several centuries as per his claims. Of course he'd have eventually overcome such paltry needs for stimulation.

She decided to humor the 'Kings' request, hobbling over on limbs shorter than preferred to jump up on the bed behind him.

"So, let Us guess," she started with a knowing grin, "The floor drops out from under us, and we get washed away on a river of sorts. Then that river will take us to our destination?" She had seen many a foals dream. Beds were usually a young foals loyal craft, braving the brutal waters of an imagined current.

"River? No no no no no, nothing so mundane," he said mockingly, as the bed raised itself up underneath them, stretching its legs. 

"Legs?" Luna said hesitantly. A bed that walked was also a common dream, the safety of ones bed being able to come with them a major comfort. For where was a safer place, than ones bed? Truly, if monsters came a'calling all a foal had to do was pull up their covers to be rewarded with piece of mind.

The bed lurched forward on its stretching posts, moving with fluidity belying their seemingly wooden design. The windows before them opened onto the outside world, the crisp nighttime breeze moving through her mane. The bed lurched once more underneath them, Little Nemo grabbing at the hoofboard of the bed and tugging upwards at it.

Luna realized with a start that this was how he translated his control of the bed into the dream. A true oddity, most ponies just controlled objects with their will, leaving manual control for over the top fight choreography associated with epic tales concerning long dead heroes.

Luna had been known to once or twice play act as Grizeld the Lithe. She was heralded as having fought Grogar alongside the Magog, plucking stars from the sky to pepper the demonic goat while the Magog powered up a magical rainbow which she wore like a necklace. The Magog was also an interesting hero, a true shame there wasn't much more known about her. Nopony even knew what kind of pony she had been, saying she simply 'came from the earth'. 

So it was simply assumed she was an earth pony.

Luna drew her attention back to the moment at hand, waving away the fanciful visions of a sparkling rainbow which had woven its way around her eyes.

Little Nemo had been watching her during her repast, and let out a short chuckle as he watched her return to the present.

"You shouldn't let yourself be distracted by a dream within a dream, even if it's as weak as a daydream," he chastised her.

"I... do not yet find myself back at full strength," Luna admitted, letting out a low huff. "Mine sister believes it will be yet a few days till I have fully recovered."

"It's not every night you return from the moon and have a nightmare torn from you," he affirmed, the beds legs stretching up to hook around a houses chimney, bringing them to a sudden halt. Luna looked around, finally scrutinizing the town which Little Nemo had constructed to ensnare her. It was an odd little burg, while tranquil and unassuming, its architecture was of such that Luna was unfamiliar with. It didn't even match any of what Luna had glanced at upon her arrival to Canterlot, it altogether carried itself with a simplistic elegance.

"Where... are we?" Luna asked, leaning over the edge of the bed to look down at the street. "What is this place?"

"My home town," Little Nemo stated sullenly. Luna looked over at him, seeing that he wore a saddened expression. "At least as much of it as I can remember of it. If you look closely, you can see that a lot of it is copied and pasted, over and over again."

He waved at one house, then at a second. Luna's gaze tracked his gesture, noting that the two houses looked remarkably similar. From their paint to their structure, all the way to their identically damaged chimneys. Luna noticed with a start that they were actually perched upon a building that matched them as well. Looking around she could see four more houses that matched their landing site, and looking ever outwards she could see other houses that were matches of each other. 

To construct a dream from what he claimed were 'fragments' of a thousand year old memory, it was put together quite well. Luna mused to herself what it might have looked like had he been able to remember it perfectly.

"Stop that, I'm trying to establish the bridge to Slumberland and that's rather distracting," Nemo claimed, breaking Luna out of her reverie as she had been modifying some of the buildings adjacent to them.

"Sorry," Luna apologized, letting go of the fabric of the dream. She stared at the little kings back, as he held an odd looking key above his head. The dream swirled around the key, bending to his will. 

Was that the manifestation of his control? Most ponies imagined their control coming from their horns, even if in the waking realm a majority of them didn't have one. A unicorns awesome power came from their horns, so they were often seen as a source of 'control'. An easy enough permutation to add a unicorns horn to ones ego, and use that as their focus.

Plus a glowing limb was often popular among the younger crowd, regardless of their race.

"Got it!" he claimed, the bed launching itself into the air under Luna's hooves and pushing her down into the mattress. It flew upwards, despite its lack of wings. 

They flew ever higher, up above the highest clouds. As they passed through one, it collected around them and obscured the dream from view.

It took on a golden glow, tinging the clouds around them with a golden yellow color. They spiraled around them, forming a tunnel that spun with a dizzying tenacity.

Finally they broke from the cloud bank, the last wisps of them swirling through her mane and leaving a scent of strawberries.

The sudden increase in light seared against Luna's eyes, forcing them closed with a violent wince. Seconds passed, and Luna fought to re-open her eyes. If only to see what in Tartarus that growing clatter just out of earshot was.

It was a city. A sprawling metropolis that extended as far as she could see, the airspace over which teemed with a seemingly unending source of ponies. And griffons. And dragons. And buffalo. Everywhere she looked, she could see yet another species she hadn't seen in nigh over a millennium. Those that could fly, did so under their own power. Those that couldn't...

Luna had never seen a more varied assortment of balloons, dirigibles, cloud carts, and other things she couldn't even identify. Where the air grew too thick to squeeze yet another device to enable one to cheat gravity, she saw ponies and many others riding on the back of others.

All faces she saw were turned towards their slowly descending bed. All faces wore brilliant smiles, expressions of abject happiness. 

I don't..." Luna stammered, looking around wildly as the cheering only grew in volume underneath them. "I don't understand."

They were... real. True personalities, not simply shadows of a dream. They each held their own individuality, their own presence as they conjoined in this... staggeringly huge shared dream. The very fabric of this dream wasn't even strained, yet she was hardpressed to find a single contour to the dream. It was just... immense.

Directing her attention back to the dreamers, Luna noticed something odd. A multitude of them held banners strung between them, a blinding array of colored strips that each held their own statements.

Focusing her power the her Egos eyes... Luna was struck silent.

[welcome back!]

[We missed you!]

[Praise the Moon!]

On and on the banners went, each crying out their own personalized message. 

Luna started, jerking upward in shock as she felt a warmth press into the small of her back. Whipping her head around, she saw the diminutive king had- -laid a hand across her withers in an assuring gesture.

"It's been a long time. A lot of your subjects thankfully have long memories as well," he confided, "The stories that have been passed down... I know you felt alone, that a sense of abject isolation played a big part in what happened all those years ago. But you were loved. There were ponies, donkeys, griffons and many many others that were completely destroyed over what happened to you. While its true that your name has faded in the majority of Equestria... The stories, the tales, the love that they felt for you has been preserved in your absence. And now that you're back..." he swept his arm in a dramatic gesture, looking out among the copious number of ponies in the air before them. "they can finally show you just how much they ca-"

Nemo was cut off, a loud explosion coming from a brightly colored ball that had been thrown in the air alongside them. It turned out to be a very virulent firecracker, seeing as over the next few seconds it let out a wide variety of flashing colors, loud snaps and the burning smell of sulfur. Once all the hullabaloo had died down -Luna coughing along with the little king as they both tried to clear their lungs of smoke.- Luna noticed a piercing laugh she had hoped to never hear again. Peering through the rapidly dissipating smoke, she could see the serpentine form of an old rival she had thought long gone to the sands of time.

"Discord," she hissed, noting that he lay splayed over the back of a gigantic raven.

"Nope!" he crowed back at them, letting loose another flurry of guffaws. "Oh how I wish you could see the looks on your faces! I totally got you!"

"You little brat," Nemo hissed, waving his key in Discords' general directing as he let out another whoop of a cough. "I told you Flip, you pull this shit again-"

"Whaaaaat, I didn't use anything too explosive, I just used regular firecrackers! You can find these things all over Equestria nowadays!" Discord replied, cutting him off.

His raven suddenly dove, cutting off any of Lunas' vehement replies as his laughter was quickly overtaken by the boos of the crowd. Luna watched as more than a few participants summoned rotting fruit to pelt at the departing menace.

"We must make haste," Luna stated resolutely, rising to a standing position as she prepared to dive off the side of the bed in pursuit, "we musn't allow him to-"

Luna found herself enveloped in thin, small arms as Nemo dragged her back to the center of the bed.

"That's NOT Discord," he explained, tightening his grip as he sat with his back against the headboard. "His name is Flip. He's... technically one of mine."

Luna glared at the diminutive king as she slowly relaxed, ceasing her attempts to break free and chase the miscreant down. "Explain," she demanded pointedly.

"Uhh... So basically Discord doesn't dream like normal. For him its more like he fades in and out of here at random, but what shows up isn't him anymore. Its split," He started, loosening his grip. "One half is his desire to screw things up, -Flip- who you just met, and one half is a rigid, anal, self pretentious individual who strives to put the 'world' around him in order."

At Lunas look of pure disbelief, Nemo let loose a rolling tinkle of laughter, "They freaking hate each other. Can't stand being in the same room. It happened when Discord first finally managed to fall asleep. He tried to take over, natch," he stated with a slight shrug, "Tried to affect me through the dream. Somehow -I didn't even do anything, I have no idea how it happened,- it backfired on him, splitting him and leaving him with mostly nothing. I say mostly nothing because they're still dreamers, but neither of them seem to like affecting the dream anymore."

"He is playing you for a fool, young king," Luna insisted, rising up once more, "The moment you relax he'll,"

"Try to throw Slumberland into chaos? Turn everything into cabbages? He tried that the first time, and that's what happened to him," he countered, gesturing towards his departing form. "In the thousand years since he first tried, he hasn't had the power to make another attempt. All his power is stuck in a third personality, one that is physically incapable of doing anything."

Luna stared at him for a few seconds before urging him to continue. "I'm listening."

"Well, you know how they say fiction mirrors reality?" he asked, wincing as Luna refused to change her expression, "Well, Discords main personality is stuck in a statue, unable to move or even try a single spell."

Luna fixed him with a disbelieving glare, "This is a dream," she snapped, "He could break free at any moment-"

"This is my dream," he calmly explained, "If he wants to come to my party he has to play by my rules. He's tried many, many times in the past to circumvent this princess, the concerns you're voicing are nothing new. And they have never, in the past thousand years, proven true."

Luna slowly winded herself down, finally turning back towards the smiling faces that appeared in the crowd all around them. During her... perfectly understandable concern, they had descended through the crowd of ponies that had gathered in the skies. They gave the bed a respectable clearance, throwing confetti - Luna found now that she noticed, a large amount had already lodged itself in her mane- and kind words to shower the pair.

"He's actually kinda depressed now, all things considered," Nemo continued, "He can still see and talk in his statue, -small blessings and all that- but he finds talking to random ponies without being able to influence them to be 'obscenely boring' so he stays quiet most of the time. Talks to this one little filly a lot, -screw and a baseball for a cutiemark,- she seems to cheer him up a little."

Luna nodded, only half listening as he continued. She peered out as they continued their descent, mentally wincing as she saw a familiar form waiting for them at what looked like a landing platform.

Luna let out a low hiss, slightly flaring her wings and drawing Nemo back to the present. "So, this one is called... Flip," she choked out, resigned herself to the absurdity of a 'powerless' Discord. Even without any powers he could still probably cause some potent damage.

Nemo followed her gaze, "No, that's the professor. You can tell by the clothes they wear. Flip always has that ratty looking bow tie and coat," Luna remembered with a start that Discord HAD been wearing a coat, as mismatched and poorly made as it looked. It had hung loosely over his rather thin limbs, making him look smaller than he actually was. "The professor ALWAYS wears his ascot, top hat and spectacles. He'll actually break down in tears in you try to take them away."

The bed touched down on the platform, the 'professor' clapping his claws twice over his head. Normally. As in, he simply clapped his claws, a short *tut tut*, in a normal, tight rhythm. Luna goggled at him for a moment in disbelief, mentally looking around and simply waiting for something untoward to happen.

Nemo jumped off of the bed, and waved his key above his head. The world... for lack of a better word 'flipped' around them, the platform they were on seeming to flip upside down into the ground. Luna started, the sounds of the crowd having cut off suddenly and leaving them in suddenly terrifying silence. She looked around, seeing as they found themselves in a wide room with a high ceiling.

"Sir!" the... admittedly better dressed Discord stated, "Thank goodness you're back, you're late by over three. Minutes." he stated, a look of near frantic disgust alighting his face, "We must hurry if we wish to save the schedule, as it is we're going to have to skip pleasantries!"

"The Professor loves his pleasantries," Nemo affirmed.

"I really do," Discord agreed, wiping away a tear from his eye. A normal tear, made of water, mucin, lipids, lysozyme, lactoferrin, lipocalin, lacritin, immunoglobulins, glucose, urea, sodium, and potassium. A completely normal tear, which he wiped away on the corner of his ascot.

"So I'll just boil it down so we can get back on track," Nemo said, leaning over to whisper something in Luna's ear, "The professor lives his life by a list. I shudder to think what he's going to do to Discords mentality if he gets free in the waking world,"

Nemo took a step, standing between Discord and Luna herself. He bowed low, from the hip, and Discord hurriedly copied his motions. "Princess Luna, I would like to welcome you to Slumberland proper. Welcome, and may thy dreams bring happiness," He straightened, adjusting the large scepter which was strung over his back. "Princess Luna, Professor Genius," he stated, waving an arm between them. "Professor Genius, Princess Luna-"

"Lady of the night, protector of dreams, slayer of shadows," Discord simpered, not raising himself from his bow, "One with the moon, singer of the eternal song, wielder of the half moon sickle, creator of moon pies-" He continued like this for a good minute, the titles spilling past his lips sounding more and more obscure -Yet Luna remembered them all, having heard of each one at least once in her long life-.

"He really likes his titles too," Nemo provided after he came to a stop.

"I really do," he agreed with a nod.





Celestia gazed down at the slumbering form of her sister, slowly brushing at her mane as she slept soundly. She had worried that the first night would be one filled with nightmares for her younger sister, eager to torment the temporarily diminished alicorn for her return. In the very opposite, she appeared to be having a very good dream, such was the smile that adorned her lips and the brief giggle that passed them.

One of her eyes snapped open, focusing on Celestia as she cringed from the sudden movement. "Sister," Luna drawled out in a monotone, and Celestia sagged. She HATED when she used to do this, dividing her consciousness between a dream and the real world. It was just so... unusual.

"We require..." she started, her eye shutting closed for a second as she momentarily returned her full attention to whatever dream she was having. "A top hat. Light blue, with a deep blue band around the stack. An ascot. Maroon. And Spectacles," she continued in her eerie monotone. "All sized to fit Discords statue."

"What?" Celestia exclaimed as Luna returned to sleep, thoroughly ignoring her protests. Clothes? For Discord? What kind of dream could she possibly be having? She let a light smile stretch itself against her lips, brushing carefully at her mane with her hoof once more. She sat with her sister for a while longer before something... worrying occurred.

Her sisters smile had disappeared, and she had adopted one of intense concentration. Her horn was glowing, fueling whatever power she was bringing to bear within the dream. Her condition steadily worsened, her body letting loose with cold sweat as she grimaced and whimpered.

Finally she sat up straight with a heavy gasp, her gaze darting around around the room in a panic.

"Luna, are you alright?" Celestia asked, nuzzling her sister as tenderly as she could.

"Sister!" she exclaimed, quickly removing herself from her bedding, even tearing at one in her hurry, "We must make haste to Ponyville! He's slowed the dilation of the dream as much as he could, but we must hurry or we will be too late!"

She stopped, contained as she was in an aura of Celestia's magic hue. She turned towards her, a look of blind panic in her eyes.

"Luna, you need to calm down, it was simply a bad dream-"

Luna thrust her own magic against her bonds, shattering it. "Celestia, we don't have TIME for this. Either fly with me to assist, or STAY out of the way, we NEED to get to Ponyville, NOW."

"What has scared you so, my sister," Celestia crooned, lifting a wing to put it protectively over her. She flinched as not only did she spurn such an embrace, but she slapped it aside.

"You must listen to me sister, we NEED to go to Ponyville, NOW," Luna reasserted, slowly calming her breathing in an attempt to placate her sister, "The King has done everything he can, and it hasn't been enough. A conjoined nightmare has attacked the bearer of honesty -it stopped her heart here in the waking realm, Tia- and is attempting to KILL her. We need to go to Ponyville now, and weaken the nightmares hold on her from this side while the king continues his attempts on the other side."

Celestia reeled at the information her sister had presented her. She decided to follow her sisters judgement, snapping her wings open. She hadn't listened to her sister before, she would be DAMNED if she laughed this off, especially seeing with the certainty she had on the matter. There was just one bit of information she noted which made... very little sense.

"King, sister? she asked as they flew towards Ponyville, Celestia lending her sister additional magic to quicken their flight.

She turned to her and gave her a sad grin, "The King of Slumberland... Little Nemo."
> Chapter 2- Desperation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We finally came upon the last stage of the tour, and arguably the most important. Thank goodness Professor Genius didn't spaz out anymore, I don't think I could handle anymore embarrassment tonight.

Insulting the Protector straight to her face, when all she was doing was experimenting with the dream world after god knows how long her banishment lasted. A thousand years. God and I told her to 'cut it out', good god I am such an idiot! 

Chastising her for assuming a normally dangerous individual would still be dangerous. She must think I'm completely incompetent, I didn't make a good impression at ALL. Hopefully I could save face with this last stop, this was by far the grandest display of my power I had ever managed. Still wasn't anything to be compared to the Protector at her strongest, but for a non alicorn it should still be suitably impressive.

"And this, My lady, is the nexus of my dream," I stated with a wave of my hand. The will of the dreamers pervaded this cavernous space, tying the dream together ever much more than my initial work of will. I doubt I'd even be able to unmake it at this point, so strongly were the dreams of others entangled within my own. Their will wound through the air around us, causing a small shiver to go down my spine. if I were but to reach out a hand, I would touch over a hundred different dreamers. And if I wasn't careful and resisted their lures, I'd be swept along into their dreams, as once was my only method for breaching them in the formless aether.

"This is the center of Slumberland, the cornerstone with which it rests upon," I explained. I could see her nod in contemplation, her egos eyes closing in concentration as she inspected the mass for herself. If the slight smile that touched her lips was any indication, I had finally found something which gained her respect. Stars above know I didn't pique her fancy with my introduction to the city. Blasted Flip. 

"From here I can alter the city at will, in case any of the inhabitants desire a drastic change in scenery. As I'm sure you've noticed, you can also reach through the various threads to have immediate contact with the dreams of any of the inhabitants currently connected to Slumberland," I ended in a silent huff.

"I do not sense the dreams of the bearers," Princess Luna prompted.

Of course she'd go right for one of my biggest faults, one of the main things I couldn't do a damned thing about.

"Ten years ago, the six bearers were chosen," I explained, in a desperate attempt to save face. "The elements -while not fully attached to them till recently- separated them from the whole of the astral plane. They protect their bearers from mental intrusion, and as such are beyond my reach."

Luna stared at me for several seconds, blinking owlishly. "And you have not been able to contact them?" she asked, an eyebrow arching incredulously. "You, the king of this land?" she added with a joking lilt.

I bristled at her insinuation, but managed to calm down before I made more of a fool of myself. With a short laugh to join her own bout of laughter, I ended with a cough.

"I do not claim to have the full powers of an alicorn, Protector," I said in an intention to save face. "While I may have done... all of this," I gestured with my arms outstretched, slowly turning in a circle, "I can only imagine what this would have looked like had it been done by yourself at the apex of your power."

She looked quite taken aback at my words, before a warm smile broke across her face. A trickle of giggles escaped from her, before she turned her attention once more to the web above us.

"Well then... even though I am not at full power I might be able to make a minor... improvement~. May I?" she asked, her horn already lighting up with a deep azure glow before I even answered.

"I, uh... sure. What did you have in mind?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"To start off, to simply polish what you have started. I will bring the elements inside of this fold," she declared.

"...Really? Can you actually do that?" I didn't want to assume... but she was still recovering. She wasn't even strong enough to shake me off. As she was...

"I was once the bearer of Honesty, Magic and Generosity. Even as I am now I can feel them," she stated confidently. "I will call out to them, hopefully they will respond."

Lines of light cascaded from her horn, attaching to the web and also disappearing as it reached out through the void around us. I didn't hold out high hopes. While she may be the Protector, a former bearer of the elements, she was still severely weakened from her fate at the hooves of the nightmare. And the elements wanted nothing to do with me.

Every time I tried to reach out to them, they actively rejected me. One time they left me senseless for nearly a year after I tried to force them and their bearers into my dream. They were... something else. Power beyond measure, unattainable for myself. As powerful as I had become, I was never a paragon of any of the elements. I lied when it suited me, or when I believed it to be in the best interest of others. I had many times when I was less than happy, or when I visited unhappiness upon the dreams of less than virtuous ponies. They might have managed to hide their crimes from the eyes of their fellow ponies, but they couldn't hide from me. 

Everyone has to sleep sooner or later.

In that aspect, I was often less than kind as well. I punished them in their dreams, torturing them in various ways until they seeked out the hammer of judgement from their peers. Eh... until they turned themselves in, I mean.

Loyalty... I might be a technical candidate for that. Maybe. I am attached to my citizens. It doesn't seem to be however, if my efforts are anything to go by.

Magic... I may be a heavy hitter in my own right, but in the grand scheme of things I am a very small fish in a very large pond. I might be able to overpower Luna as she is now, but even a shovel can get some of the cereal in the bowl when it tries to.

Generosity... the very fact that I tried to snare the elements proved how unworthy I was in that regard. I wanted them, I craved them like any other human would crave an item of power. All that I had, and yet I still wanted more. Pretty sad, I'll admit.

They would most likely take one look at my dream, and slap the Protector with a sucker punch of power. Maybe she could pull this off, maybe they would listen and heed her call. Maybe.

The moment I claimed it as an impossibility, they would likely show up just to spite me. Only if I really meant it though, just saying it without believing it wouldn't be enough to gain Ironys' attention.

Irony... was something. Some... thing. She didn't reside within Equestria, but from what I could weasel out of her when she was feeling talkative, she frequented Equestria a lot. As far as I could understand from her seemingly aimless ramblings, her power was somewhat 'fate' based. If it could even be called that. She liked going 'topside' -as she called it- and redirecting things. Like if a pony said something along the lines of 'whats the worst that could happen,' she'd enforce events so it so something untoward would occur. Maybe if they were planning a picnic, the weather committee would decide to schedule rain due to a previous drought. It wasn't ALWAYS her... but she did enjoy her fun.

I was jarred from my musing by a tremendous surge of energy that rippled its way through the dream, staggering me and forcing me to fall to my knees in order to steady myself.

It was like nothing I had ever felt. I thought my realm was immense, but the probing presence easily dwarfed my pitiful kingdom, and eclipsed it. It grasped at the edges of the web, slowly pulling by a fragment of itself in. Lunas' ego rose from the floor, the telltale energy of the elements flowing around her. An honest laugh drove its way from her throat, a happy sound that filled the space around us.

"They... they remember me~," Luna choked out, tears slipping from the corner of her eyes. "Hello, hello again..."

So... I guess if they got a message from someone they liked, they actually might decide to come for a visit.

Such was the power of the Protector.

I couldn't even feel where they were entering my dream from, the best educated guess I could possibly make was the rather unhelpful 'everywhere'. Their power surged within the center of my cornerstone, attaching six threads that outshone all the others. They didn't seem to destabilize the web, in fact they seemed to make everything... cleaner? I could definitely see less tangles in the web, but I hadn't even seen them change it.

Six colored strands. Each refracting their light onto the strings around them, creating a kaleidoscope effect if I stared in any one place for too long.

Luna reached out and gingerly plucked each one in turn, filling the room around us with the echoed dreams of the bearers. 

They opened up, shedding their light upon our surroundings as Luna slowly sank back down to rest her hooves upon the floor. She turned her gaze upward to look upon the dreams, a happy smile upon her face.

From the right to my left. They started with a purple unicorn simply sitting in an open field, having a picnic with another unicorn, two earth ponies and two pegasi. A drakkon was also present, a baby by the looks of it. They all appeared to be enjoying themselves, even though I couldn't hear any of their spoken words or laughter through the shell of the dream.

The next was bright pink. As in, the view was completely dominated by the face of the same pink earth pony that had appeared in the first unicorns dream. She was... staring out at us. Waving a pink hoof while she wore a wide smile. She whipped up a wooden sign into the focus, the dream rendering her mute. Written upon  sign in sloppy lettering proudly declared "Luna! You have to come back to Ponyville so I can throw your 'Welcome to Ponyville Party!' I don't think you'll be able to attend Nammo, but I'll throw you one too once you get here!"

"Huh," I muttered, as the pink pony pronked out of frame and sight. Curious that her dream didn't follow her... "That... was interesting. A Wanderer? Maybe? Where'd she go?" I asked, repositioning the sight of the dream in an effort to locate her.

"She's in Twilights' dream," Luna stated dryly, pointing back at the unicorns' dream. Sure enough, the pink ponies had indeed doubled within the dream. "She may be a Wanderer... but I highly doubt it. The chances of another one, even in a thousand years..."

"She looks exactly like an earth pony version of Surprise," I noticed. "So... the unicorns' name is Twilight?" I asked.

"Yes, the bearer of Magic," Luna stated in a breathless tone. "She was the one who guided the other bearers to the elements' resting place within our old castle, long since abandoned within the everfree forest to the ravages of time. Apparently after I... was 'taken', ponies viewed the forest in a much more wary manner. Some even assumed it was the forests' magic that had rendered myself as Nightmare Moon," she continued, a note of sadness entering her voice.

The third one was of a white unicorn... seeming to be having a bit of a spa day to herself. In that being that she was the only pony present within her dream. Milling about, waiting on her hair and hoof was at least twenty identical versions of the drakkon from Twilights' dream. 

She must have just met the drakkon recently, and been extremely impressed with him in some fashion. As it was, he was definitely in the forefront of her thoughts for some reason.

"Which bearer is this?" I asked, trying to distract Luna from her obvious self depreciative thoughts.

"What? Oh... that is Rarity, the bearer of Generosity," she explained, nodding her head in contemplation. "Through her selfless nature, she managed to fjord across a raging river, and placate the sea serpent living there..." She trailed off, an image of a female sea serpent slowly swimming about her head for a couple seconds. "I used to be good friends with a loch dweller named Nessie. She wasn't nearly as gaudily colored as the one the bearers came across... She did have an odd appreciation for tartan headwear, however."

Good. If I could just continue to distract her with pleasant thoughts, I could make this a much more enjoyable visit for her to remember.

"And this one?" I asked, pointing towards the next dream in the line. In its confines, a rainbow pony pegasus flew in circles around a cloud based obstacle course. Her speed -if accurate, regarding the nature of a dream this was highly unlikely to be her actual speed in the waking world- was frankly astounding, outstripping several other faceless pegasi that also flew within the confines of her dream. Her maneuverability was quite amazing as well, I could appreciate the control she exhibited despite a speed that would have put the most stalwart of pegasi into a wall they had been trying to steer around. Cloud wall, of course. More cushy than a stone or an earth wall, but still a wall.

"Rainbow Dash," Luna stated with an odd air of satisfaction. "The element bearer of Loyalty. Nightmare Moon used her illusions in an attempt to lure her away from her friends with promises of fame and fortune, but her nature proved steadfast. Not even for a moment did she even think about abandoning her friends. A true and through pegasus, straight to the wing," She claimed, a smile stretching across her face as she nodded in affirmation.

Hadn't heard that expression in a while. Way back in the day, a common insult among pegasi would be to claim that 'your wings are fake'. Meant to insult ones honor -and at times, the truth of ones words,- it was frequently rebutted by the claim that they were 'true, down to the wing'.

As stated, I haven't heard it at all recently. Maybe it's still in use among nobles. I'm  not at all sure.

Balderdash! I was running out of dream windows to direct her attention towards. I hope she was in a better mood after all of this, and didn't return to dwelling on her perceived failures. 

"And this one?" I directed her attention to the next dream.

This one was also one of a pegasus, -and is wont of their race,-  and seemed to focus on flying. Adverse to her companions however, this flight was calm, serene, and above all rather slow. A butter yellow pegasus with a light pink mane and tail calmly floated along, partaking in a picnic much like the first unicorn had in her dream.

Unlike this Twilight however, this picnic seemed... a bit chaotic. Food and drink lazily drifted around in the cloudy sky, seemingly at random as a medley of animals also flew around her with little regard to whether or not they had means to do so.

It seems she had a very strong fixation on these animals, -as plentiful as they filled the space around her,- to want to even share her flight with them.

"I do believe her name was Fluttershy," Luna said, clearing her egos' throat, "She is the element bearer of Kindness, who soothed the anger of an enraged manticore through her understanding nature." She paused, a short laugh spilling past her lips. "A mare as timid as she went headlong into a forest that abjectly terrified her... all due to the knowledge that her friends were at her side." A warm smile adorned her lips, fondly looking at the dream.

"And what of this one," I started, moving on to the last one. By process of elimination, this one was obviously the element bearer of Honesty and the hat wearing earth pony from Twilights' dream. I assume, anyway. All the other four ponies from Twilights' dream had turned out to be bearers, so it could be safe to assume in this regard.

"The last must be Applejack, the bearer of Honesty," she stated, affirming my suspicions.

Something was... off with the view we had into her dream. It was dark and muddy, a haze that prevented us from even seeing the dreamer herself.

"Did... something go wrong?" I asked, reaching out a hand to stroke the outer edges of the dream. It didn't feel like she was having a nightmare or anything of the kind, but it was definitely still blocked from my realm. I didn't want to say anything negative, but I think she had messed something up when bringing it here. "I can't reach her dream. It might just be the elements ignoring me..."

Her brow furrowed in concentration, a slight frown touching her lips as her magic sparked to life once more. Her magic rose from her horn to envelope the dream before us, lighting up its edges in an azure halo of glimmering light.

"Her dream ..." She strained, a note of tension entering her voice as she forced her magic to glow ever brighter.  "... being blocked... but I... I can feel..."

She turned to me suddenly, a look of concern in her eye. "Her dream is being blocked, even from my power. It must be due to my diminished power, for I cannot break through. Despite my failings, I can still feel her emotions through the dreams' shell. She is... her emotions are in an extremely heightened state. I can only imagine the nightmare she must be experiencing to be in such a state. King... an idea," she gave me a questioning glance, her head tilted to the side. "If you were to lend me your strength-"

"Of course!" I belted out, quickly switching my position to stand beside her. "Anything to assist the protector."

Nightmares... nearly a thousand years and I still had next to no clue what they really were. At times they had no definite personalities or intelligence, seemingly just born of the ponies fears and day to day memories. These I was able to simply dispel, or outright destroy with little effort. Others resisted my power, these I simply banished to the cage. I wasn't stupid enough to try and take them on face to metaphysical face. One such nightmare had taken the Protector. Something that could lay low an alicorn... better to just lock them away, behind unbreakable walls.

They definitely had intelligence, and as far as I could figure were intent on causing their prey as much fear as possible. They consumed the emotion, as far as I could tell. Beyond that, I had no way of knowing what their actual intention was. They did talk, but most of what they said was nonsense. Designed to create more fear, actually listening to what they said was an exercise in futility. Nothing ever came of it.

I had little knowledge regarding how she dealt with nightmares in her own time. I had to assume she took them on, fang to horn. Especially regarding how she ended up. One does not become injured if one never takes any chances.

I was fairly giddy at the opportunity to finally see the protector in action. And to add to that, I had the chance to mitigate my own failings in her eyes, by supplementing her power with my own.

Holding my key to the back of her head, I saw her horn light up as I funneled my own magic through her ego. I turned the key, instinctually pushing more and more of my power into her own control. It permeated the area around us, bending to her whim as she brought it under her total control. Perhaps the influx of energy would also promote her eventual return to full strength? I could only hope I would be as helpful.

With but a twist and a thrust, she dragged us forward into the dream.








I heard sobbing.

The sound cut through me, and I could feel one pushing from my breast as well. I felt rather than saw Luna sag to her knees, the emotion of the dream cutting through her defenses as surely as they had mine. It was only pure chance I hadn't prostrated myself right alongside her, my ego locking up and rendering me a veritable statue.

It was more than sadness. It was despair. Guilt. Terror and impotent rage. I had felt my share of dreamers emotions over the years but I had never felt anything this undiluted and compacted. Perhaps the elements amplified their bearers emotions across the dreamscape, further hampering my senses? As it was it was all I could do to divide myself and view the dream as an outsider. Moments later, I felt Luna copy my actions and break from the turmoil of emotions as well.

"Nemo... this dream... I can't... this is," she stammered, almost losing cohesion. "Something is wrong, this nightmare shouldn't be able to be this potent. We must find the cause of this mares pain and rid her of it, post haste!"

I nodded, steadfastly agreeing with her. I looked before us, to the center of the dream. Sitting squat on her hindhooves, the mare with the hat sat sobbing as she cradled something small in her forehooves. I drew my gaze closer, growing bolder as I felt the Protector draw up alongside me.

It was a filly. Young, her coat was smeared with dirt as she lay lifeless in the older mares hooves. A pink bow hung limp from her mane, all but obscuring her face from view.

"You're too late, little king," a voice cut through the tearful sobbing, its' cruel tone sounding from behind us. It was a mirror image of the sobbing mare, the colors of her coat dulled and offset by the smug grin plastered across her face. The original mare remained unaware of our presence, continuing to cry over the body she cradled. 

"And you brought a friend! How quaint. You and her were made for each other, little king. Both of you equally powerless. I should know," she licked her lips, a long motion where her tongue flicked out in an unnaturally long fashion, "After all, I practically wore that pathetic waste of power next to you for a millennium. And I had more than enough time to gauge your abilities when we first met~,"

I could feel Lunas' eyes widening in horror as she came to the same realization I did.

"You can't be it," I choked out, "I got to you as soon as you crossed over, I locked you away!"

She laughed in a derisive tone, slowly walking over to sit in front of the mare. She slowly twisted to stare at us, the smile never leaving her face.

"...Locked?" Luna choked out, the word whispered from her lips as she stared at me in confusion.

"Oh? He didn't tell you about all the wonderful new changes he's made in our absence, Princess?" the nightmare crowed, a laugh escaping it as it caressed the side of her doppelgangers face in an almost possessive manner. "Such a wonderful little cage, as if it were tailored right to fit my needs specifically."

"Cage?" Luna parroted once more, looking worriedly from the nightmare back to me.

"Yes! A wonderful little thing, you wouldn't believe how glad I am your replacement has turned out to be just as incompetent as  you were. Unsure of even his own ability, he hasn't been destroying nightmares like you did." She grinned even wider as Lunas' eyes widened in confusion, "No, he simply brought them all together. Shoved them into a tiny little cage and believed them to be dealt with. Out of sight, out of mind, huh? How fortuitous that turned out for me. A thousand years worth of defanged nightmares all set up in one place, just waiting for me to gobble them up. Oh, they tried to resist me," she stated with a short laugh, tweaking the cheek of the sobbing mare. "But I owe my survival to you and your incompetent sister just as I do the little king. If you had but taken the time to inspect the armor we once wore, you might have actually had a chance to stop me. As I still clung to my waning power in the waking world," her grin grew once more, nearly reaching from ear to ear. "Thus I was able to overcome and consume the nightmares the little king kept stashed away."

The look the protector was shooting me was bordering on painful. After I locked this smarmy little nightmare back in the cage -regardless of how it had escaped- , she would probably have some very hurtful words to throw my way. I'd have to deal with that later, though.

"Doesn't matter," I muttered, breaking the silence, "You're still just a little shit, and you're going right back in the cage."

"Ha!" it bellowed, its' laugh echoing in the dream around us. "You assume there's still a cage left to put me in?"

"I... but you couldn't have possibly..." I gasped, considering its' words. It shouldn't have even been able to escape the cage... but the evidence was staring me in the face despite all the implications that it shouldn't be able to.

"It was quite the dessert you left me after my main course, little King. thank you for that," she stated, slowly stroking the edge of the mares ear. "Now, if you wouldn't mind running along, I have business here."

"Step away from the bearer of honesty!" Luna called out suddenly, jarring the nightmare from its' monologue.

With a smile, the nightmare vaguely gestured in our direction. I felt my ego seize in place, freezing beyond my control. I had to assume Luna shared my fate, as I didn't see her dart forward to strike at the nightmare in my stead.

"Apologies, foal. But you are no longer any threat to my goals. As you are, you're but a minor annoyance. Easily remedied. As are the elements of harmony, as it so happens..."

"What are-," Luna started, letting off gouts of magical energy in attempt to break free.

"What am I doing?"

"You'll never get away with this," Luna replied coolly, staring down the nightmare. "You are but a nightmare. When the bearers awake, mine sister and I will simply direct them to dispel you in entirety. You have no chance of winning here, you might as well give up now!"

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?" the nightmare asked, cocking its head to the side. "And also, they wont get the chance, I'm afraid. Such a fragile bond the elements make..." she continued to stroke her hoof along the mares head, slowly brushing out her hair. "Dispose of one piece and the whole becomes inert. Isn't it simply a wonderful disaster just waiting to happen?"

"You can't kill her," Luna protested, "you are but a shadow in her mind. You have no true power-"

"None but that which she gives me willingly," the nightmare replied tauntingly. Another gesture, and I found myself unable to speak. Due to her silence, I had to assume Luna faced a similar fate.

"Look at her, so much she worries. Such a disadvantage, to become so attached to others. Such a true horror to be burdened with waste like family. They are a liability, and allow me to reach straight through to her heart and crush it~"

She turned back to the mare, slowly reaching an identical hoof to place it lightly on the top of the fillys head. "Why are ya'll cryin', sugarcube?" she asked, her accent suddenly shifting to a southern lilt. The mare twitched, finally registering the nightmares presence. 

"Applebloom, she... I... I don't..." the mare stammered, and it was evident the nightmare had copied her voice as well as her appearance.

"Oh, shhh, there there..." The nightmare replied, her hoof unmoving on the fillys head. "It's okay, she's finally dead now, ya'll don't have to cry no more..."

"What?!!?" the mare cried out in surprise, momentarily forgetting her tears as she stared wide eyed at her mirror image. "She's mah sister, she can't be dead! Ah'm... ah'm supposed to protect her..."

"Always looking out for her, always keeping her out of trouble," the nightmare continued, its tone composed as it continued to stroke at the fillys head. "It irritates you, you know. You hate her for it," the nightmare claimed, the grin gone from her face as she stared down at the filly in contempt.

"N...no! Ah love mah sister! Ah'd never-"

"Look at your hooves," the nightmare commanded, "You can lie to me, but you can't lie to yourself. Her blood is on your hooves, splattered there with the viciousness you've always wanted to show her."

The mares trembling hooves inched out from under her sisters body, and even from here I could see the bright red of freshly spilled blood staining her hooves.

"No... ah'd never..."

The fillys head slowly turned over, her dim and lifeless eyes staring up at her sister as if in accusation. 

"Why do you hate me sis?" she cried, tears welling up in the corners of her dull eyes. "I thought you loved me..."

"I despise you," the nightmare said through the mares lips, as her expression took on one of shock at the cruelty spilling from her mouth. "Always getting into trouble. Never bucking listening to anything I say. Always being such a drain in my life. But out of all of it? I hate you the most for one thing. If you had never been born, my mother would still be alive. My father wouldn't have shortly followed her in depression. Me and my brother would still be happy if you had never been born!!!"

With a titanic crack, the nightmare drew a hoof up, bringing it down to crush the fillys skull inwards against the cold ground. "You did this...You've always wanted to do this..." The mare but twitched, lost within the dream once more as the nightmare laughed in delight.

"Stop it!" Luna called out, control of her voice finally restored to her.

"Oh, I'm done, believe me dear Luna," the nightmare claimed condescendingly. "Do you hear it? The drum beat of despair... did you know you can die within a dream? If one loses the will to live..."

I could feel it.

A deep, brassy tone that thrummed with the mares lifeblood, slowly signalling her life within the dream.

It was the sound of blood racing through ones ears, the pulse of life in ones veins.

And it was slowing.

With each breath, each beat of her heart came a fraction later as she seemed to crumple inwards upon herself. The tears fell freely from her eyes, the shuddering sobs that wracked her body scattering them in an erratic pattern below her. With each heaving breath, the colors of her coat and mane grew dimmer.

"Please, don't do this!" Luna pleaded, desperately trying to break free of her bonds.

"Oh, but its already done," the nightmare replied calmly, not even deigning to look at Luna as she carefully inspected the mare. "My hour of triumph is finally at hand..."

With one final shuddering gasp, the mares body stilled and the dream became fouled. It just... felt wrong.

"No... no, no!" Luna cried out, finally breaking free and running wildly over to the mares side. The nightmare made no move to stop her, a faint smirk alighting in the corner of its mouth. "She can't... you can't have... that's not..." she trailed off, her hoof refusing to come into contact with the mares now monochromatic side.

"Not possible, my dearest Luna?" the nightmare taunted with a laugh, "That's what I always liked about you. How naively stupid and foalish you always were... such precious memories... but I'm afraid I've outgrown you..."

"I'll stop you," Luna declared resolutely, bringing her horn to bear as she stood alongside a mare who hours previous she had seen breathing, laughing and living like any mare. I could see her glancing at her out the corner of her eye, not being able to bear to look directly at the mare.

"Stop me?" the nightmare guffawed. "Far too late for that, foal. I've already won."

"You... you can't have... this is just-"

"Just a dream, little Luna? You know better than to believe that. Not even you are foalish to believe that, are you?" 

Luna's expression fell, succumbing to the nightmares words.

I slowly made my way over to stand on the other side of the mare, peering down at her now still form. The grey of her coat was no longer stained with blood, and the body of her sister had disappeared with the last of her breath.

"Truly, it has been a pleasure doing business with you little king. Luna," it gave the crestfallen alicorn a nod, its stolen grin never once wavering. "I'll be sure to give you a sound beating once I'm fully recovered. Be a good girl for now, tell your sister I'm on my way, would you?~" it stated cheekily, turning and starting to walk off.

I'd had enough. It wasn't going to leave. Not alive. Not intact. Nothing short of point blank annihilation would be enough for my tastes. Not once had it shed the mares form, taunting us with it so brazenly. Well if it wanted to be so closely tied to the mares dream...

"You're not going anywhere!" I called out, brandishing my key.

It stopped midstep, slowly turning to look back at us. "So you truly desire death so soon, little king? How the 'mighty' have fallen."

"What are you doing?" Luna questioned, falling into step alongside me. "We can't defeat her as we are, we must regroup, and gain assistance from mine sister!"

"No time," I stated, shoving my key forward and turning it, "lets change that." the dream shuddered, disconnecting from the outside and becoming as a contained space.

The nightmare looked around, as if confused. "What... was that? What did you do?" she demanded in a frustrated tone as I could feel her probing the edges of my barrier.

"Slowed down the passage of time," I stated slowly, unhitching my scepter from behind my back. "Gave us a bit more to work with."

"Oh. Oooohhh! You do realize you've just shortened your life all that much more, don't you?" it stated confidentially, its form slowly twisting, growing darker with every passing second. "You do realize your little staff there doesn't hurt me, don't you? You already tried it before, if memory serves..."

"About that." I lowered the scepter, pointing its tip at the mare. I still had one trick left up my sleeve... 

Most simply assumed the scepters only function was that of destruction, to obliterate evil before it like the movement of a blade. Limited to naught but violence. But it was so, so much more. And as anyone who had ever watched the movie might know, it could heal even the gravest of injuries.

I could only hope I wasn't too late.

The tip of the scepter slowly brightened, a bright pink glow softly diffusing in the area around us. The nightmare cringed away from the healing light, hissing as it did so. 

"What is that?!!? What are you doing?!!? Stop foal, I command you!" it cried out, shielding its face from the light.

"Come over here and make me, parasite," I replied, touching the scepter to the small of the mares back. Second after second, seemingly nothing happened. Then, a blush of color appeared beneath the tip of my scepter. It quickly spread its way across her back, overtaking her body as she let out a shuddering gasp.

"No!!!" the nightmare snarled, hatred etched upon its features as spittle flew from its lips. "What have you done? How did... no. No matter. This simply means I'll have to kill her again, right after I've finished taking care of you," her confident smile returned, as she slowly stalked back towards us.

"Wha... whats going on?" the mare mumbled, slowly becoming aware of the dream around her. Upon seeing the Protector standing at her side her eyes grew wide in surprise. "Princess Luna? I... I remember... I can't... remember..."

"Mayhaps it is best that you do not," Luna claimed, placing herself between Applejack and the nightmare as she brandished her horn. "Twas not a dream meant for pleasant company."

"Oh don't worry," the nightmare claimed, stalking ever closer. "I'll be sure to reacquaint you with the lovely dream you were having. Just as soon as we get rid of the uninvited guests."

"About that," I started, swinging both my arms forwards to levy both my scepter and my key towards the nightmare. It stopped in its tracks, quirking an eyebrow at my actions. 

"Oh? And what are you going to do with those, little king?"

"Not much. I'll stall her for as long as I can. Wake the bearers. Make sure they have the elements and bring them to wherever the hell the remains of this thing are in the waking world."

"What are you playing at?" the nightmare questioned, a look of dissatisfaction stamped across its snout. "You can't possibly think I'll just let the princess wake up, do you?"

"I'll keep it here," I continued, ignoring the nightmares words. "If you destroy it out there, it might be weak enough for me to kill it in here. Now, GO!!!" I shouted, swinging my key forth and ejecting Princess Luna from the realm of dreams.

I felt it as her consciousness vanished, and due to the expression on the nightmares face -one of suddenly stricken panic- I could assume it felt it as well.

"You too, Honesty," I muttered, swiping at her with my key.

"No!" the nightmare shrieked, vaulting forward to grasp desperately at the suddenly vacant space. "What have you done? What have you done?!!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!" its' voice lowered in pitch becoming little more than a growl as its form collapsed inward upon itself. "What did you do? You shouldn't have been able to do that! You don't have that kind of power! You're nothing but a powerless little foal, playing at being king!" it snarled, trying to swallow me up.

I found myself above it, hanging in midair as a large balloon which was tied to my waist was steadily rising upward.

"You... you... YOU...." it drawled, its tone becoming increasingly more unhinged. "I... you.... you die. You die! You die now, you stars forsaken piece of trash! She belongs to me! Shes mine! Mine to do with as I please!"

"She's as much yours as she is mine," I said, pointing the tip towards the roiling blob beneath us. "We both are just borrowing her attention, what little we can scrape together." 

"Now hold still, would you? Jazama... Pajama," I started the incantation as my balloon popped, sending me falling upwards away from the twisting nightmare. It shot tendrils of misshapen shadows after me, shrieking in rage as it tried to kill me.

I felt the power of the scepter tremble beneath my hands, and it was all I could do to hold it steady with both of them. My key lay forgotten once more, hanging lightly around my neck.

"Pajama... Jazama!" I called out, feeling the power build. The gem on the tip of the scepter burst forth with azure light, swiftly forming the tip into that of a glowing cone. It needed the full incantation if it was to hit with its full force. I'd only tried it at quarter incant previously, I hadn't dared try to recite the entire incantation before.

It would have taken too long.

Just as it was now taking too long. My recitation allowed the nightmare ample time to fall upwards after me, growing to fill the space around me with inky blackness. A tendril shot out, tearing a chunk of flesh from my leg as it grazed it. Momentary pain. It didn't matter. I had already given this nightmare too much leeway as it. I should have shoved the full incantation down every nightmares gullet as soon as I saw it. This was my fault. It was now my responsibility to set it right.

I could feel the time dilation falling apart outside the dream, returning us to the normal flow as we fell. I could only hope I had given them enough time. If I hadn't...

"Shimera Kazam!" I bellowed, ignoring as a mouth studded tendril ripped apart my left arm, leaving the scepter tightly gripped in my right. I swept the scepter in a looping pattern, severing the tendril that had taken my arm in compensation before returning the tip to bear on the quickly closing nightmare. "Kimera Kaz Imperatazam!"

The blazing light bloomed from the scepter, shattering its light in glowing arcs that shed itself in the air around me. A tendril stabbed forth, furiously skewering me through the shoulder as the nightmare laughed in delight.

"You realize they aren't going to make it in time, right?" the nightmare claimed giddily as it tore gleefully at my body. "You're going to die here, little king. Alone, and bereft. Even if they destroy my hold on my armor out there... It will only be a minor setback. I'll simply have to bide my time, wait while my power grows strong enough to gain another hoofhold. You've accomplished nothing, little king. Your dying gasp will be as pitiful as was your first."

"Paja-Pajap Shazama!" I cried out in concentration, trying to ignore the pain as it tore me limb from limb, finally grabbing onto my chest in a vice like grip.

"I was there when you made your first, do you remember? Did she even know? How could she have, she was always so blind, even when it was right there staring her in the face. How fitting that I should be the one to kill you, little king."

"Shazama!" I cried out, desperate to complete the incantation even as my consciousness ebbed. 

"Pajamas! Pajamas!"the nightmare called out tauntingly as it held me in a cocoon of darkness, the scepter pinned to my side and its light all but snuffed out. "Is that all your petty little spell is? No wonder your so called powers are so pitiful. No wonder I'm now able to kill you not once... but twice!" she crowed, crushing the air from my lungs.

"Pa...jama..." I choked out, fighting to stay a cohesive entity. I had to hold on. I had to wait right up until I could feel the elements eating away at it from the waking realm. If I couldn't hold out till then, then it might get away. I wouldn't have that. I couldn't accept that.

"Pajama pajama," it parroted back at me in my own voice, "That's you! That's how dumb you sound!" she cackled in a harsh tone. "Really though, I have to thank you. I never imagined I might have a chance to cause dear old Luna this much pain. When I killed you the first time... locked you away in here, apparently... her lamentation was so delicious. I could have survived on that alone! When she learns of who you were, when she learns I killed her-"

THERE. I could feel the elements penetrating the dreamscape, the light delving deep to strike at its heart. The nightmare gave a sharp hiss as it tightened its grip once more, and I forced everything I had into one last thrust.

"Pa...jama," I choked out, finishing the incantation as I thrust the scepter forward into the center of its being. Light exploded from the tip, erasing the darkness around me and leaving nothing but light.

I could hear her choke out a single anguished scream, before everything went white.








They stood before the smoking remains of the once menacing armor. Chests heaving with the exertion of having traveled as far as they had in such short time, the air was permeated with heavy breathing.

"Sister... is it?"

"Verily," Luna confirmed, staring with satisfaction at the crumpled remains of the once mighty armor. "It hath been destroyed, both in and out of the dream. The nightmare... it is finished."

"Ho yeah!" Rainbow Dash crowed, pulling off a tight loop in the air before she threw her forelegs above her head in triumph. "Twice! She came outta the woodwork twice and we still kicked her tail straight up to her ears! I mean, are we awesome, or are we awesome!?"

Even the usually timid Flutter shy had the briefest of smiles grace her face, joining her friends in their levity.

"Indeed rainbow tinted one!" Luna declared, a tired but grateful smile plastered on her face. "We are victorious! Now we must..." she sagged, collapsing to the floor. A quick wing waving off her sisters advance saw her wearing an exhausted look. "Apologies. We... are still tired. There is but still one more task before us to complete however, before we can truly rest..."

"Princess?" Twilight asked, her gaze tracking between Celestia and Luna with a questioning look.

"If I were to guess," Celestia stated as Lunas' eyes closed, her head bowing as if in sleep, "I would wager that she's attempting to talk to her new friend~"

"She already made a new friend?" Pinkie Pie burst out, bouncing giddily in place. "I'm so proud of her, I knew she could do it!"

"Princess..." Applejack asked, lowering her hat to he barrel with a shaky hoof. "This friend..."

"Yes, the one within the dream, the one who somehow restored your health," Celestia affirmed, nodding her head.

"So... that all was real?" her gaze grew cloudy, tears threatening to spill forth unbidden. "What ah saw... I didn't... I don't really think that, do I?" she requested hopefully, looking up at the princess of the sun. "I can't get it outta mah head... I can't make the words stop repeatin' in mah head..."

"The nightmare preys on your weaknesses, your insecurities and pries at them until you fall," Celestia stated, drawing the trembling cowpony into a warm embrace. "Even one I viewed as strong as my own sister was brought low by its lies and honey tinged half truths. You are the bearer of honesty, fair Applejack. Tell me, how do you truly feel regarding its words?

By this time, most of the others had joined them in a giant group hug, save for Pinkie Pie. She was sitting in front of Luna, slowly batting at her mane.

"Ah... ah don't..." A look of determination crossed her face, and she placed her hat back upon its perch. "Ah would never let anythin' hurt mah sister. Nuthin'. Not even me. Mah parents... they left her as a precious gift to remember them by. Ah'll treasure her always. Always, by gum!"

"Nemo..." they heard a near strained sob escape from the princess of the moon.

"Loony?" Pinkie asked, leaning low to bump her forehead against the princesses. "You all right?"

"I... I am fine. Nemo..."

"What of the king?" Celestia asked, tilting her head in confusion regarding her sisters reactions.

"There... there's nothing left of the little king," Luna muttered aimlessly as she sank to the dusty stone beneath her. "He's... he didn't make it..."

"Oh... Luna..." Celestia crooned, drawing her in to the group hug with her magic.

"I couldn't find even the slightest trace of him, sister... the nightmare... It didn't leave any trace... it's like he was never even there..."








My head hurt.

...

...

...

My... head hurt.

It was hurting. I could feel it. It was aching with a steady beat, declaring the presence of blood flowing through my head. Flowing. Through my veins.

I sat up, my sudden movement bringing with it a brand new sensation of nearly unbearable pain. Light stabbed through my eyes, aggravating my headache even further.

With a low moan, I brought my hands up to rub at my temples. What dream had I been shunted into, to bring about such a sensation?

I brought my hands to my head... and hesitated as the hard surface of hooves brushed the hair of my coat. Tearing my eyes open slowly, I stared down at the two offending hooves curved upwards towards my face. Despite my desire to reform my human ego, they steadfastly remained as cloven hooves. I raised my arm to my mouth , intent to enforce the change with a brand new source of pain. Even as weak as I obviously was, I should still be able to retain my ego through applied will.

I flinched as the pain did nothing but add to the steadily growing list of confirmed aches. What was happening? Even as reduced as I was, there was no way I shouldn't be able to reform the dream around me.

I was... in a crystalline coffin, if my unfocused eyes were to be trusted. I pressed up at the lid, heaving at it unsuccessfully.

"C'mon... move you stupid-" I wheezed, a bright light momentarily sparking above my eyes. The lid was encased in an azure aura for a split second, before I blinked and it vanished. I stumbled upwards, tumbling over the lip of the coffin in a tangle of unfamiliar limbs. I had felt the bodies of the ponies before in centuries past, but this... it just felt wrong.

I scrabbled at the dirt beneath me, trying to right myself and gain my bearings. I reached out into the dream...

I felt nothing.

There was no dream. I couldn't feel anything. There wasn't anything there to grab onto, I couldn't... I didn't see... There was....

I crumpled to the ground, a panicked breath squeezing through my chest. There was no dream. I was alone. I couldn't hear any of my subjects, I couldn't feel the pliable fabric that dreams were made from.

"Is... this...?" I asked, the directionless question directed towards the dirt beneath me. I could feel the grit, in such a way I had never felt before. It was a brand new sensation, one I had forgotten over the centuries. "Am I... in the waking world?" I asked myself, prodding and poking at my body to try and shrug the unfamiliar shell off. I couldn't... stretch out of it. It was just... there.

With a sudden crash, the lid of the coffin fell back to the ground, barely missing me as I jumped back in fright. Looking up, I could see an indent in the top of the overgrown ceiling where it must have momentarily stuck after its brief disappearance.

"Did... I do that?"

A sudden twitch of movement to my left caught my attention, and I whipped my head around to focus on it. Bad move. A fresh new wave of pain greeted me as I cringed inward, moaning piteously into the dirt.

A wing lay splayed next to me in the dirt, jutting out from my side. It slowly crept back into a closed position, easing the cramp that had come from its opening. 

Wings. I had wings. Looking up, I also had a horn. Judging by the giant glowing tree in the middle of the cavern, I was also ridiculously small.

I was... an alicorn foal?

"What the hell is going on?!!?" I cried out in confused frustration. Nothing made sense. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't have a body. I never did. It was always just the dream realm and nothing else. Yet here I was, pawing at a form unfamiliar. Cut off from my kingdom, left sore and confused in an unfamiliar location... I really wish I knew where I was. 

There was a large opening leading out of the cave, away from the giant multicolored crystaline tree and the crystal coffin I had been in that lay under its downturned branches.

Another glance towards the exit sealed my decision. I'd never learn anything holed up in here. I had to get out.

I readjusted my scepter on my back, awkwardly pawing at the key around my neck in turn. If there was anything to be found, it wouldn't be from within this cave.

One leg after the other.

Out into the light.
> Chapter 3- Adaptation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hate stairs. More importantly, I hate that the only way out of that tree cave was via a gigantic staircase hewn directly into the rock wall of a cliff. The cave I found myself in was in the very bottom of a ravine, Possibly making it one of the most inconsiderate places to just up and leave someone sleeping.

More inconvenient, was that my 'new' body felt... atrophied. My muscles were all stiff, and no matter of repetitive movement seemed to alleviate that feeling. Trust me, I had plenty of repetitive movement to test that as I staggered my way up those stairs.

I hate forests. Especially forests with no gosh darned trails, or even readily apparent signs of life. Oh sure, I heard birds chirping, and other slightly less friendly sounds as I made my way deeper into this stupid forest. No signs of civilized life. This had to be the Everfree forest, if my guesses were correct. The staircase of pain inducing steps had led out directly next to the decaying ruins of some sort of castle. It looked like it had been abandoned for years, if not centuries. There was no way there'd be anyone there to help me, even if they could. So I headed out into the forest. If I found a river, I could follow it to civilization.

I still hated forests. Precious little light managed to make its way past the foliage of the tree tops far above me, leaving me to tromp around in near darkness. Add to that, there were uncountable bushes and various plants, each with their own numerous ways of causing me pain. Nettles, poison oak of some sort, and other stuff that caused frequent needed stops to use my scepter to heal myself. I even had to pry off leaches a couple times. Not even sure where they came from.

I hated the waking realm. I missed my ability to alter the dream around me, shape it as I willed. I hated how I had no clear idea where I was actually going, victim to the cruel whims of an unfamiliar forest. You might just ask why I didn't fly up and get birds eye view, but that leads into my next point of contention.

I hate my wings. I have little to no idea how to properly use them, and every time I somehow managed to get the right muscle grouping flexed required to stretch a wing out -I had yet to figure out how to open them both at the same time...- it was accompanied with a wave of cramped pain. They both collected grime, twigs, cobwebs and various gunk with an alarming frequency, even in this short period of trekking I already had a few pounds of... stuff weighing down on both my sides. Itched like mad.

I hate alicorns, and by association, unicorns. How the hell does magic work? I continuously attempted to perform any kind of magic, whether it be as simple as levitating a branch to teleporting me out of this damned forest. Guess how much success I had. Absolutely none. I might as well have genuflected with all my will, probably would have had a greater effect. I know I had to have performed some form of levitation or telekinesis spell back in the cave, but for the life of me I couldn't manage to replicate it.

I hate having hair all over my body. Remember how much I griped about the wings? Well being a full body dirt magnet was somehow even worse. I had a midnight hued coat, a dusty purple that crept towards a sharp grey. My tail and mane were a light colored blue, hanging limp and long from the flesh. The coloration was actually reminiscent of the protectors in the brief moment when I had first met her, right after she had succumbed to my temporary trap. Had my seeing her in that state somehow translated into my current appearance? Bah, it was only a coincidence. Her hair wasn't nearly as unmanageably long as mine was. My tail alone was at least as long as my body, if not even more so. Maybe even twice as long. My mane... it reached a few feet backwards past my posterior. I desperately needed a haircut. As it stood, I'd act as an impromptu mop whenever I took a single step. As I currently was, nearly dragging the entire forest floor with me on my little romp.

It kept getting stuck in bushes, too. I had to stop just as frequently to pry loose my stupid hair from random bushes as I did to heal myself. As soon as I found myself a sharp rock, this stupid mop of hair was going the way of the dodo. If I could safely hack it off without stabbing myself.

I hate hooves. You'd think they were a benefit  for tromping throughout a forest, what with being a solid chunk of... nail, or whatever. Guess what? A hoof is only a 'U' shaped chunk, relatively small in the grand scheme of things. And the chinks in that pathetic piece of armor was a breeding ground for thorns. I swear, if I was walking on the most perfect yard of grass, a rose thorn or something would still manage to stab upwards into my hoof to make it hurt as much as possible.

Have you managed to figure out that I'm miserable by this point? If not, I haven't been regaling you well enough. Add to all that previous stuff, and I had a pain in my midsection. It didn't go away when I healed myself, I honestly couldn't figure out what the buck was wrong with me. 

Maybe something was wrong with my insides. 

It was several hours of pulling myself through various greenery later when the sun started going down. The pain in my midsection didn't subside, and I had grown understandably weary as I forced my body onwards.

With sunlight waning in the sky above me, I grew quite worried concerning my wellbeing. Would I fall asleep if I pushed this body too far? If the body perished, would I in turn die regardless if I was still alive within the dream realm?

So I tried to make preparations. As laughably sparse as they were. I covered myself in mud and leaves, in a petty attempt at camouflage. If anything got close enough to look at me the game would be up, but hopefully the mud would help obscure my scent from potential predators. Stars above know I probably looked like a succulent morsel to anything wandering these woods.

The second thing I did was climb a tree. I know, I say it so simply. 'I climbed a tree'. Do you have any idea how bucking hard that is without hands? Or any natural flying abilities to help one ascend? Yeah yeah, use your wings. I know. I tried. Didn't do me a lick of good. Couldn't even get them open. The only good grace I managed to get from my troubles was that for all trouble I had, that just meant anything wanting to come up after me would have just as much difficulty. I made a fair amount of noise climbing up, so hopefully anything that followed me would make just as much noise. Maybe wake me up, giving me a chance to blast it in the face with my scepter.

At least my scepter was still functioning as it should. One good thing to ruminate on, as I fell asleep.








Luna lay curled up in the center of her bed, her tears long spent and forgotten. Now she wore a sour expression, dreading the fresh memories that delving into the dream realm would dreg up. It just wasn't fair. To have somepony she had just met, meet such an untimely end. All he had wanted was to impress her, she had sensed that much in his actions. 

He had been rather brash at moments... but she had sensed his desire for validation in his words. He was like her. All he had wanted was somepony to share in his efforts, to see what he had done and look upon it with wonder.

What of his kingdom, of Slumberland? With his absence Luna had returned to find the sprawling dream deserted. No more were there inhabitants that roamed the streets, and even the central web of dreams the king had shown her was gone. Not even the fragments of Discord remained, leaving Luna to attempt to converse with the dream statue of himself. Much as the king had alluded to, the lord of chaos refused to talk with her regardless her verbal prodding.

It was sad to see such a sight so degraded. The once mighty city had been perfectly fine less than a day previous. Now... it simply served as the young kings tombstone. Derelict, empty. Lost.

Luna sighed, drawing the attention of her sister. Celestia had taken to her sisters bedside, in case she needed any signs of sibling affection to drive away her sadness.

"What ails you, sister? Or rather," she continued with a sad glance of her own, "Since I already know what troubles your thoughts, is there anything I can do to help you? I know a warm hug is too little to drive away this burden..."

"Yet a warm hug would feel quite nice at the moment," Luna admitted, opening her wings and gesturing to her sister. She quickly reciprocated, crossing the remaining distance and drawing her sister into a tight hug.

"It's just... I just met him. I shouldn't feel this strongly about somepony I just met, should I?" she asked. "Yet his smile... his demeanor... All I can think of when I reflect on this past day is that I failed him, sister. If I had been but a little faster, just a bit stronger... I might have been able to save him."

"There was nothing you could have done, Luna. What has happened is what was. You could no more blame yourself for... my apologies, I didn't mean to bring that up-"

"Worry yourself not, sister," Luna interrupted, her hug slightly more rigid as she tried to marshal her thoughts. "While... that has not lessened its weight in my thoughts, the years have curbed my emotions on the matter. It was simply a freak occurrence," she admitted with a low sigh, as she sank further into her custom cloud mattress bed. "There was... nothing I could have done..." she trailed off, muttering to herself. It seemed the years had not lessened her sisters affinity for manipulation, as she had fallen right into her trap without even noticing.

"I... I wish to visit the memorial," Luna admitted with a huff. "I don't feel well enough to visit the realms of sleep. Perhaps but a visit will allow me to clear my head."

"Very well, Luna. Would you desire for me to accompany you? A shoulder to lean on, perhaps?"

"Nay... I mean... I believe this to be something I should do on my own. I... I should not tarry. If I put this off for but a minute... I may lose my resolve and return to gorge myself on pie..."

"Yes, quite," Celestia replied, fighting down a blush at thoughts of her own predilections towards a certain confectionery. If her sister ever learned of her recent lusts towards cake, both by itself and for its qualities to comfort... she'd never let her live it down.

"Oh, sister, before you go,"Celestia started, standing up and righting her sister with her magic. "As you no doubt have noticed, our castle of old has long since fallen into disrepair. I could not dare leaving it there to be plundered by adventurous thrill seekers. As such, I had the memorial moved to a safer location..."








I regained mental clarity, drifting in the realm between dreams. I had regained full access to my ego, although it first appeared as it did in the waking realm. I quickly dispelled that form, taking back on my form of previous.

Rolling my shoulders, I was aware that the aches of my day of walking weren't present. Even the pain in my midsection had disappeared. 

Looking around, I found myself in a shattered ruin. I looked on my surroundings in sadness, recognizing them for what they had been. My throne room, where I had previously welcomed and communed with my subjects over their day to day activities. No smiling faces were to be had, I couldn't feel even a single mind connected to my dream. What the buck had happened?

"Sir, sir!" I heard a voice call out as I felt a trio of dreams reconnect to myself. "Oh thank goodness you are alright!"

I peered blearily towards the speaker, a smile breaking out over my face as I levered myself into a standing position.

"Mr. Genius. My regards as well, I really hadn't the faintest idea what the repercussions for my actions would be. At least we all seem to have weathered this particular storm..."

"We wouldn'a had to if you just left the waking realm to waking matters," Flip stated sullenly as he walked up alongside his counterpart. "You really gave us a scare kid, what the hay were you thinking?"

Mr. Genius wore a frown at his doubles crass words, but nodded in agreement at his closing statement.

"I... I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry guys. I fear I'm a bit out of out of the loop here," I said, spreading my arms wide and gesturing at the dream around us. "Anything you can tell me I don't already know?"

"Well sir, it's absolute pandemonium!" Mr Genius declared, his spectacles wobbling dangerously on the end of his horselike snout as he fidgeted with his ascot. "All the residents of Slumberland have fled, none believe you... have the power to protect us... anymore..." he trailed off, sheepishly staring down at his mismatched legs.

"Everypony thinks you got killed off by the nightmare," Flip added snidely, chewing at one of his lips. "Honestly, I thought you did too. What happened, boss?"

I stared at Flip for a couple seconds, secretly glad for his crassness. Always to the point. I let out a sigh, as I told them what had happened.





Luna reached her destination, having followed her sisters directions in trepidation. Would seeing... that make her feel any better? It was partly to blame for her fall from sanity, after all. But she believed she had progressed much in her thousand years in isolation. She would look upon the face of her grief, and she would no longer regard it in mindless sorrow. Perhaps the sight of her previous failure would curb the new sting of her most recent debacle?

Luna silently thanked her sister for her actions, having moved the memorial to a more fitting location. She wouldn't have been able to hold back a sob, if she had been forced to witness it within the somber layout of her former castle.

The echoing clacks of her hooves on the stone staircase came to an end, heralding her arrival at last at the entrance to the new memorial. The area was lit with magical lights, a sense of calm permeated the area. Just as well, for this was the resting place of the Tree of Harmony.

It was from this very tree she and her sister had found the elements of harmony, and were granted the keys to defeat Discord and return the lands to harmony. Her sister was right, she would have liked it to have seen the memorial moved here. As it was... this was a fitting resting place.

She was sure he would have liked it.

Crossing to the memorial, her head bowed in remembrance, she started to speak. Her voice cut off however, as she noted the condition of the memorial before her.

It lay in ruin, bereft and plundered.

She turned from the sight, tears threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes. Whether from sadness or rage, she couldn't be sure. There was one thing she knew. Her sister would receive an irate earful for allowing her sons' grave to be pillaged.





"So... you're a fleshy now?" Flip asked, scratching at his head. "How the hay does that work, I thought you were only alive in here or something..."

"I haven't the foggiest. I'm currently making my way through some sort of forest, one I believe to be the Everfree forest. Do we have any maps around? Anything that hasn't been warped by the dream or dreamer? I've been trying to go in a straight line but if I could figure out a probable location I'd feel a lot better..."

"Right away, sir!" Mr. Genius barked out, rushing off to rummage through an adjacent room.

"Ehhhh," Flip muttered, crossing his mismatched arms behind his head, "Not saying this'll be any help, but I know of one town right next to the Everfree," I gave him a look, gesturing for him to continue. "Well, a while back I heard about some ponies setting up camp near the new Canterlot. They called their town 'Ponytown', 'Ponyville' or something. I dunno. Anyway,they should be right on the edge of the Everfree, so if you just keep going straight like you have been you should reach the edge sooner or later. Maybe that edge will be right next to that town."

I gave him a nod, as Mr Genius ran back into the room with his arms filled with various rolled up scrolls. He tripped on the decaying rug, which caused his spoils to go flying.

I let a smile grace my lips at the scene, a yawn bubbling up from my throat.

"Eh... sir?" Mr genius questioned, holding up a scroll. "Are you alright? I got the ma-"





I jerked awake, a spasm of pain arcing through my back. I tiredly stretched out, the sudden transition having been most inopportune. If only I could have stayed asleep for a few more minutes, I could have gotten some truly important information.

Not that Flips wasn't helpful. Now I had a destination in mind, one I would hopefully come across eventually.

Getting myself out of the tree revealed a bevy of scratches encircling the trunk, meaning I had visitors in the midst of my sleep. Wonderful. At the very least, they had departed without a taste.

Continuing on my way, it wasn't long before I stumbled my way into my first bout of real danger.

Screw cragodiles. Stealthy hiding little jerks. I hadn't even realized that I was surrounded until the first popped out of hiding, snapping at my face.

"NYEHABUCK!" I screeched in a less than refined manner. I immediately followed that with "Shazama, paja...ma?" At the most my scepter released a glare of light, causing the cragodile nearest to me to hiss in retaliation.

I couldn't remember the incantation. When I tried to remember words I had only spoken a day previously, all that came up was a confused blur. Shazama, pajama. That was it. Nothing else. I was left at a loss.

So when the nearest cragodile closed in and prepared to crush me between its jaws, you can imagine my surprise that in my terror ridden state my horn lit up. And subsequently surrounded the cragodile in a magic glow, before it disappeared. Only to reappear in a blur of motion as it slammed into two others of its brethren, leaving a trail of devastation through the undergrowth in its wake.

Before the other wildlife overcame its surprise, I decided to abandon my own and take advantage of the accidental magic. I couldn't control it worth beans, but I sure as buck was going to use it to my advantage after the fact.

A few hours later, and I found myself internally complaining about the increasing pain in my midsection. It was even letting loose gurgling growls, making me slightly self aware as to the amount of noise I was making.

I really had to figure out just what the buck was wrong with this stupid body. 

Finally, my efforts bore fruits as the forest growth started to thin. I could actually see the sunlight trickling through the treetops, showering the fallen leaves with its golden glow. I finally made my way from the forest, spying a town in the distance. 

Bollocks. At least I wouldn't have to traipse through the bloody forest anymore. If I never went in there again, it would be too bucking soon.

As I made my way to the town in the distance, several thoughts ran through my head. 'What am I going to ask' being chief among them, but another question stood out in the forefront of my mind.

What the buck are ponies going to think when they see me with all this forest on me?

Hopefully they didn't mind too much. 

I made my way through the town, eyeing the various townsfolk I passed. Most kept their distance, seeing as I looked like I had just crept out of the Everfree. Well I had, but it still hurt.

I finally caved, heading over to the nearest house with the intention of knocking on the door. Sure the house looked a bit odd... but to each their own.

A hoof risen, and brought down on the door let loose with a loud clack. I followed that up with three more, same as the first.

"Coming, just a minute!" I heard from within, as hoofsteps signaled the occupants steps towards the door. It opened, showing me a smiling face, "Hi there!"





Twilight started her morning as she had in days past. With a slight alteration, of course. Now she was living in Ponyville, with all her new friends!

She had spreadsheets, she had checklists, there was just so much stuff she could be doing with them today! And it was all facilitated by an early wake up call, along with a hearty breakfast.

And a total rehaul of the organization system. Seriously, did the last pony here even try?

"Twilight, can we stop?" Spike asked, rubbing one of his claws.

"What? Oh, yes, definitely, take a break if you want, I can probably handle it from here..."

A staccato  knock rang out against the wood of her front door, drawing her attention. "Coming, just a minute!" she called out, gathering up a couple books to levitate them up onto a barren shelf. It certainly was better than it had been previous.

She made her way to the front door, wondering who could be calling at such an early hour. Drawing the door open, she smiled upon seeing who was on the other side of it.

"Hi there!" she took a moment to compose herself, taking in the visitor as best she could. "I didn't think you'd be over this soon, Fluttershy," she admitted shaking her head in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I come back later?" Fluttershy shrunk, hiding within her hair.

"No no no, come in, come in! I was just finishing up here..."





"You look lost, little fella," the hat wearing pony stated, looking at me worriedly. Crud. I had completely forgotten that I might be taken as nothing more than an adolescent. I had barely even considered it. "Hey, where'r yer parents, little guy?"

"Don't have any," I simply replied, watching as his face fell in shock at my statement. "My parents died around a thousand years ago," or so I assumed. Unless they managed to take on some form of as yet unknown fitness program with horrendously effective results I didn't know of...

"What... I don't," the pony responded, his gaze filled with non-understanding.

"Wings," I stated, giving them a ruffle. Discharged a couple dried clumps of... I don't know what in the progress. "Horn," I repeated in the same hollow tone as I tapped a hoof to the referred spiral of bone. "Alicorn. I know you probably don't get a lot of my kind just randomly walking through town, but a general rule of hoof is long life. I'm a lot older than I look, to be honest," I added, watching as he nodded, uncomprehendingly for a few seconds. "I was actually hoping to acquire some assistance, if you would be so kind?" I asked, prompting his beleaguered brain to finally pop back on track.

"Well shoot, let it never be said an Apple threw out a pony on their ear when they needed help, whether they be a wanderin' pegasi..." He looked me over once again, taking in my appearance. "Or even a fancy as you please alicorn. Welcome to our fair town little buddy,"

"Welcome to Aaaaaaaappleloosa!~"
> Interlude- Forest Search
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna scuffed at the ground, inwardly fuming. She was outwardly fuming as well, but none of her guards were especially keen on highlighting that fact.

"It makes no sense!" she complained for the third time this morning, breathing over her head trackers shoulder. Said tracker would have uttered a complaint of her own, save for the grace that in her irritation Princess Luna had dropped her rote of speaking with the 'ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE. She wasn't about to raise a fuss and remind her to adopt it once more..."This is the third time we've been back this way! Are you certain we are following the correct tracks?"

"Yes, my princess," Rough Brush reiterated for the third time in recent moments, "The trail is clear,  the foals tracks stick out in the forest worse than Prince Blueblood would. As for its meandering route... well you do have us tracking a foal, Princess. There is little chance that they know how to properly navigate these woods..."

"Then why have we not caught up?" Luna demanded, a huff of irritation passing her lips. "You said the tracks were fresh, did you not?"

"Yes Princess, but we can only move so quickly without risking that we ourselves lose track of the foals passage..."

Luna groaned in frustration, her wings fidgeting tensely. If only the tracks had were going in an obvious direction. She could simply fly above the canopy and head off in a straight line. But no, the tracks backtracked, meandered off in odd directions, and pretty much did anything besides going in a straight line. So she was forced to blithely follow after her tracker, a pegasus enlisted in the royal guard.

Upon bringing her concerns to her sister, Celestia had suggested trying to track whomever had raided the secluded grove. It was understandably not unfindable, for she and her sister had found the cave centuries previously. Verily, all one had to do was simply tromp into the cave, Celestia really should have put up some warding in her absence. Bringing Rough Brush to the underground grove had prompted a discovery all of its own.

The memorial had only been disturbed recently. A day or two at the most!

More surprising than that, was the fact that the lid had been moved... from the inside.

Luna was initially ecstatic. Had her sons' eternal sleep simply been that of the Nightmares' influence? Would she finally  be able to share her joy at the raising of the moon with her own brood? The little kings death truly was a tragedy, but if he had given his life to save her son? Luna knew she would fondly remember the little kings sacrifice ever eternally.

"Princess," Rough Bush called out, drawing Luna's attention. "Look."

Luna looked onward, and found a strange sight before her. A cragodile corpse, freshly picked clean of its meat. All that was left were its blood stained bones, which stuck upwards towards the sky in a futile attempt to mark it.

"This is..." Luna muttered, taking in the scene. It looked like... A magic surge. The cragodile had obviously tried to attack the foal -Luna felt a perverse trill of pleasure rush through her at the knowledge that the cragodile had perished, if it had killed her foal... she never would have let the dumb creature die. It would have lived in eternal torment-, leading to the foal... overcharging an unfocused levitation spell. It had grabbed the cragodile, thrusting it away with such force its spine had snapped on contact with the tree it now lay against.

"The foal escaped," Rough Brush stated, "But I'm afraid this is as far as we're going to get, my princess."

"What foalishness passes thine lips?" Luna snarled, standing over the belligerent tracker, "We hath the trail in our sights, what impudence do you speak these words with?"

Rough Brush sniffed, even though the princess had fallen back into the olde dialect, at least she wasn't blasting her backward with the royal Canterlot voice. She didn't deign to say anything for a moment, simply pointing upwards towards the sky.

"You forget, princess. This is the Everfree forest."

Lunas' eyes grew wide in panic, peering at the obscured sky above them. Her eyes saw, but she refused to acknowledge the shapes coalescing above them. "No. No, no no no no! The rain... We..." she stuttered, her gaze frantically tracking back and forth from the sky back to Rough Brush.

"There's nothing we can do, princess," Rough Brush admitted, shaking her head in defeat. "The forest knows we're here, and I'd wager it also knows what we're trying to do. Those rain clouds look heavy, this is probably going to be strong storm," she stated, a few quicker raindrops escaping from the cloud overhead to patter in the forest around them.

"I can't... I wont just abandon him, not when I'm this close," Luna uttered, fixing Rough Brush with a pleading glance.

"We're going to lose the trail in mere minutes, princess. The best thing we could do now... we should check the town closest to here. Its very likely he managed to exit the forest, seeing as his tracks have been heading in a nearly straight line for Ponyville for the past hour or so..."

Luna nodded, hoping beyond hope. The bearers lived in Ponyville, perhaps they would assist in her search?
> Chapter 4- Addiction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I felt like a complete fool. As much the fool that Flip acted, I felt like that and more for real.

I forgot what hunger feels like. I forgot that fleshies needed to eat, to drink, to be able to survive. I also completely forgot about the defecation process, but we don't need to ruminate on that aspect.

I've already fallen to the form of an adolescent, I don't need to make it worse by regaling others about fecal matter.

After I had let myself into the earth ponies abode -after he in turn had basically alerted the entire town there was someone new poking around. Don't think I didn't catch that!- my midsection began to let loose it's gurgling cries once more. I didn't bother to suppress it, I was no longer in any danger of a potential predator overhearing it and focusing on me as a wounded target.

"Well hot dog," my newest friend stated, rubbing at his chin while wearing a wry grin. "Sounds like someponys hungry. How bout you take a load off, I'll see iffin I can rustle ya up some grub," he stated, trotting off to where I assume his kitchen was located further within his home. I assume. 

I was left alone in what I think passes for a living room. Two windows that open to the outside -one of them having been left open to allow a slight breeze-, a couch that dominated a majority of the wall it was set against, and a couple chairs that also looked like they had faced years of use.

I decided to rest my weary body -the charity was implied, even if he didn't outright offer it,- so I clambered up onto the couch. I had a surprisingly hard time of it.

I know, I know. I managed to get up into a tree, so a couch with a foot and a half lift shouldn't cause me too much trouble, right? Well ascending my way into the tree had taken me nearly a whole hour. It had also taken vigorous application of me biting into the tree trunk and slowly levering myself up inch by inch. I don't think this guy would look very favorably on me biting his couch.

I really had to figure out how to move this body properly. Even after a day and a half of moving around in it, it still felt unnatural. I didn't get it. I had worn bodies similar to this one before in the dream realm with nary a single problem, but every step I took in this one was a shaky, jittery mess.

It was little wonder the townsfolk didn't try to approach me. I probably looked like some sort of demonic puppet, covered in plant-life and jerking with every step. As it was, it took me far too long to get up on a simple couch.

I used my mouth to pick off the more stubborn of debris stuck to my legs, discarding it off the side of the couch. I'd help clean it up later. If this stetson wearing pony didn't simply fall all over himself trying to cater to me.

I would have used magic in this endeavor... but I still was experiencing some difficulties regarding control. As in, I still had no idea how to. It seems the cragodile offensive I pulled off back in the forest was just a fluke, seeing as everything I did only made a faint sparkle flow out of my horn. 

I had similar results regarding my scepter and key, whatever control I had through them in the dream realm didn't seem to transition smoothly. As tested, I could heal with my scepter. I couldn't focus my will through it or my key as I had before, leaving them mostly unuseful.

At the very least, I had a decent amount of control regarding my hooves. I wasn't scrabbling away with a flat useless surface, thankfully.

I heard a creak, and looked up directly into the eyes of a wizened old mare. It was amazing I hadn't noticed her creep up on me, the way her body was subtly shaking spoke of her advanced age. Her coat was a faded green, while her mane and tail were a subdued grey. Her eyes though wracked with cataracts, sparked with hidden intelligence.

"Yer gonna clean that shite up, right?" she ground up, giving me the stink eye.

I took a second to appreciate the candor of this old pony. She'd had plenty of time to look me over in my inattentiveness, with as much gunk as I already cleaned off of my wings there was no way she didn't see them along with my horn.

"I would be a fairly shite guest if didn't, no?" I replied, fixing her with a grin.

She replied with nothing more than a short bark of a laugh, merriment dancing in her eyes. Turning from me, she slowly lowered herself down into one of the two chairs, letting out a low moan of discomfort as she did so.

I'd give her a quick blast of my scepter before I left. I couldn't reverse what time had done to her... but I could relieve the pain by a fair amount. I'd have to be sure to get her permission though, she struck me as the type of pony who would let loose with a roundhouse and ask questions later.

"You new in these here parts sonny?" she asked, having attained a comfortable sitting position.

"In the simplest of answers, yes," I replied, ripping loose a twig that tore a few errant hairs away from my scalp along with it. "In a more obtuse answer however, I have been here before. Intrinsically. I remember this place, even though I've never physically been here."

"Eh..." the mare let out a low sigh, one of her eyebrows creased in thought. "So... one o' them unicorn memory spell thingamabobbs?"

"Dream realm variant," I replied. For a non unicorn that knew little of dream magic, trying to explain further would be needlessly cruel to her attention span. It wasn't that I thought of an earth pony of a simpleton, but an elderly pony doesn't want stuff verbatim explained at them. Simply agreeing with the information she supplied, with a slight alteration shouldn't annoy her too greatly.

"Eh," she replied, slowly starting to rock her chair forward and back.

I sat in relative silence, only broken by the slight creaking of her chair as I continued to pull random stuff out of my hair. I had amassed a fair sized pile when the old mare spoke up once more.

"Don' get many alicorn out this way," she prompted, slyly eyeing me out the corner of a cracked eye.

"I would imagine not," I replied. "As far as I know, we are a rare breed."

"Eh," she replied, shifting in her seat. "Rare... recken so. Less rare nowadays though, eh?" she prompted with a slight grin. "Only knew of Princess Celestia 'afore... now folks is sayin' she had a sister what was sleepin' in the moon. Hidden away, convenient as ye' please," she let out a huff of laughter, her eyes glinting. "So who're you? An estranged son?"

"Would you believe me if I said she was my daughter?" I asked, tearing a burr free and spitting it out on the floor. I was met with another harsh laugh at my claim. Guess even joking it wasn't very convincing. "So... no. I don't really have any relation to the princesses. At best I could be considered a cousin. A very estranged cousin, at that."

I didn't really have any relation to the princesses, and I had purposely stayed as far away from the sun princesses dreams as I could. So I only knew what their subjects knew of them. Which was stilted and propaganda at best. They all viewed Celestia as an unassailable bastion of purity and goodness. Which was her public face, sure. Didn't let me know anything about the actual Princess, though.

This body... the elements had to be involved. Their essence had permeated the cave I had woken up in, and had seemed to coalesce within the crystalline tree that resided there. If the elements had created a giant tree for no seeming purpose, then it stood to reason they could have also created a body for me.

Why? Maybe whatever consciousness they possessed felt sorry for me. I had been pretty much killed because its bearers did a hapshod job. If the elements had gotten all of the nightmare in the first place, instead of leaving it a lifeline to cling to out here in the waking world...

Complaining did me no good. It simply highlighted my frustration.

"Eh," she let out again. Old people were funny like that. Letting out random moans for seemingly no reason. 

"Nemo," I said, watching as a wry smile crossed her face at my impromptu greeting.

"Crabapple," she replied, shifting in her seat. "Any relation what to the seapony in them book series?" she asked, a crooked laugh passing her lips as she cackled quietly to herself.

"Not even close," I replied. "My name was actually a reference to a famous seafaring captain. He gave the name 'Nemo', which in turn means 'no pony'. It was originally a feint to avoid introducing himself to the traveler that met him."

Crabapple let out a hoarse bark of a laugh, her mirth clearly set on her face. I had always felt more at ease around the elderly. They had absorbed more through life, and didn't run around as sporadically as some youngsters.

Aren't I now one of those 'youngsters'? I thought to myself.

I was bound to be mistaken for a foal sooner or later, no matter how well I explained my circumstances. It couldn't be helped, what with how I currently looked. Hopefully I could pull off an 'Artemis Fowl' and just creep people out by acting old.

"Ah, I see yev met my ma," came from the earlier pony. He placed a pie down on the couch next to me, looking uneasily at the pile of filth piled beside the couch. "She uh... ain't givin' ya no trouble, is she?" He flashed a worried look towards his mother. Guess she was notorious for her less than apologetic demeanor.

"Grow yerself a backbone lil Braeburn," she tittered, shifting in her seat as she shot him a knowing look.

"Ma..." he protested.

"The little feller aint gonna bite iffin ya ferget tah dot yer 'tees', Braeburn," she chastised, giving me a nod. "Ain't nothin' like that prince what came by a few months ago. Empty headed blowhard. Less sense than a bucket o' rocks," she huffed.

"That don' mean we can be rude, ma," Braeburn protested.

"Rude, nothin'. Ahm jes bein' mahself. Sides, ain't nothin' to be learned from pussyfootin' round the bush. This here little guy ain't nothin' tah be afeared from, he's friendly."

"Ma..."

"Quit loligaggin' about an' go get the broom, Braeburn!" she suddenly shouted, sending him scurrying out of the room. "Seriously... that boy..."

"I can get a broom on my own ma'am, I'm not that debilitated by my size..."

She replied with another laugh, and a nod towards the pie next to me. "Jes eat'cher pie, will ya? Kin barely hear mahself think o'er that caterwaullin' yer stomachs lettin' out," she fake complained, the smile not leaving her face.

The smells this thing was letting out was making my stomach complain double-time. The scent was laced with what I vaguely remembered as apples, a sweet smell that seemed to travel directly from my nose down my throat to pool in my stomach.

I tentatively leaned over it, careful to push my mane out of the way. I really had to get this damned thing cut, it was just too unmanageable as it was. A couple sniffs did little to sate my hunger, sending further pains racing through my chest.

I dipped my head down, taking my first bite of food in centuries.

Oh stars damnit what have I been missing all my life?!!? Ooooh~ It's like there's pleasure. And its being eaten by my mouth.

Among my scattered thoughts, I somehow managed to swallow what was in my mouth And then I took another bite. And another. I think I was halfway through before I noticed I had swallowed some dirt along with the deliciousness that had been gifted upon me.

"Slow down lil Nemo," Crabapple chastised me, a look of amusement still high on her lips, "Don' wanna eat the tin along with the pie, now do ye?"

"No," I admitted, my traitorous tongue lapping out to snag a crumb that had strayed from my mouth. "I've far too much iron in my diet to begin with, I don't need to be adding tin," I joked.

She laughed along with me as Braeburn came back with a broom, a straight bristled thing that barely looked functional.

"Hooo-eee, looks like you were hungry," He mentioned, staring down at the half eaten pie. His expression grew puzzled after a couple seconds, looking back and forth from me to the pie tin. "Uhh... not to be rude lil guy," he started, looking over to his mother for confirmation as well. She gave him a dismissive grunt, returning to her rocking. "... any... particular reason why you didn't use magic?" he asked, looking guilty the moment he said it, "I mean, ya don't have to use yer hooves like us earth ponies iffin you'd rather use your horn..."

Ah. So that's what he was worried about.

"I take no offense at such an assumption, Braeburn," I stated, licking a dribble of syrup from the back of my arm. "As circumstances dictate, I have recently had... a route of difficulty regarding magic, and my usage of it. I used to be able to grasp my magic without much difficulty," I was basically just enacting my will upon the dream realm, but it was the same distinction, "But due to a recent event I have had my control... shifted. While I am still capable of accessing my magic," with this I reworked my mindset through the same feeling I had had during the cragodile attack, shuffling my energy upwards through my head to center on my horn.

Thankfully I managed to activate it, as little as I was able. I covered my horn with a corona of light, which flashed brightly and quickly petered out.

"...I am no longer capable of controlling it to the extent I previously was. Even the act of simple levitation currently eludes me, unless I wished to overextend myself and launch this pie straight through your houses roof."

I was guessing at this point, but ruminating on the attack in the forest and my escape from the cave brought up the same concern. In a moment of extreme emotion, I had shoved everything I had in a quick burst. Both events had a decent level of power, but my control in both was nearly nonexistent. I would have to be careful until I could bring it to bear. I had thankfully been alone my past two times, but what if someone else had been with me? They could have been hurt by my lack of control. Better to just clamp down on it while in the company of others.

I got up from the couch, landing with a dull thunk. I reared up on my back hooves, taking the broom from the suddenly stunned stallion. I had no desire to replace the wondrous taste still swimming about my mouth with the dusty wood of the broom. I managed to maintain my balance, carefully sweeping up the pile as Braeburn left to open the front door. I guess he wanted me to just sweep it outside.

I could tell you about all the minor troubles I had trying to get it to the door, the three times I tripped, the one time I fell bodily on the pile and had to pick it all back out again, but I won't.

"Ne'er seen no unicorn sweep like that," Crabapple chuckled after I had returned myself to the couch. "Ya gonna finish yer pie, Nemo?"

"Of course," I replied, the simple activity having fired my stomach up once again. "Would be bloody impolite If I didn't eat everything that you gave me, I don't think that-"








I jerked upright in my throne, the dream of a taste of apples lasting on my lips. I looked around the dream, trying to focus myself. I reformed my ego in my human form once more, searching outwards within the dream.

"Flip?" I called out, echoing the word around me. "Professor?"

I received no reply, the dream silent around me. I cast myself out of Slumberland, a feat which was far easier than it should have been. I had no one in my dream, nothing straining it past my control. I didn't have to subtly keep it contained as I entered or left it, seeing as there was no longer anyone within it.

Not even Flip or Professor Genius, who had stayed behind to greet me previously.

I peered around the dreamscape, trying to find something interesting. I must have fallen asleep back in the waking world, or I might even have been pulled back for some purpose.

I struck my consciousness up along the edge of a random dream, peeking in carefully. It contained the dreams of a mare, peacefully dreaming of having a meal with another pony. One of the mares was green, with a harp as her cutiemark. The other was the dreamer, whose cutiemark was that of a pair of wrapped sweeties.

I quickly pulled myself from the dream, seeing nothing to note. She was dreaming peacefully, and my presence was unwarranted. Looking around me, I couldn't find even a single dream tainted by unease. So had the protector already made her rounds? Odd, seeing as I had fallen asleep during the middle of the day. Wait... I hadn't even made it to a safe place, I hope that pair didn't mind me kipping off on their couch...








Braeburn looked on in silence, refusing to say a word in case the alicorn was attempting to prank him.

"My, my. He really jes fell asleep, dinne'?" his mother asked, leaning forward for a better look.

"Uh... sir?" Braeburn stated carefully, sidling up alongside the couch to carefully poke at the little alicorns shoulder. "Are you..."

The colt let out a body wracking snore, bubbles of air popping up around his muzzle. He had suddenly pitched forward in the middle of his sentence, plopping face first right in the middle of his half eaten pie. He didn't appear to be in any danger of drowning in his food, and he appeared to be comfortable at the very least.

"Well ma," Braeburn started, turning to his mother, "Whaddaya think?"

"Quirky lil thing, ain't he?" she responded with a light smile. "Don't act like no royal, that fer sure. That was one o' our detect pies, right?"

"Y...yeah," Braeburn replied, nudging the sleeping colt once more.

"So he ain't no changeling neither, elsewise his disguise wouldda dropped," she mused, humming slightly to herself. "All these alicorns popping outta the woodwork. Feels odd. I wanna offer him a room," she stated suddenly, receiving a nod from her son.

"I'll just tidy it up a bit... poor thing looks like he's been through the ringer."








"Do come in!" Twilight belted out, throwing the door open wide for the Princess that stood on the road just outside it.

Princess Luna was looking worse for wear, her coat and mane waterlogged and limp. Twilight noted to herself that she looked like she been put through the ringer, with dark bags under her eyes.

"We thank thee, Twilight Sparkle," Luna stated, wasting no time to enter the library. With a spell from her horn, she was suddenly dry. Unfortunately this spell had a tendency of of leaving one... for lack of a better word, fluffy. 

"Not a word, Sparkle," Luna warned, causing Twilight to make a rather loud gulp of apprehension.

"I... wouldn't think of it!" Twilight hurriedly stated, levitating a pot of boiling water from the kitchen. "Would you care for some tea?"

"Dost thou have Zebrican?" Luna tiredly asked, slumping inwards upon herself.

"Yes, just give me a second," Twilight hurriedly poured the water into a clean cup, using a spell to quickly blend the spices into the boiling water. "So what brings you... for a visit?" she hopefully asked, unsure of how exactly to confer with the new alicorn.

"We search for mine son," Luna wasted no time getting to the bone of her reasons, causing Twilight to flinch and stare at Luna with wide eyes.

"S...son?!" Twilight belted out, "You have a son? How come... none of my textbooks said anything about you ever conceiving..." she trailed off, realizing she had levitated said textbook from a nearby shelf and was flipping through it. 

"Verily," Luna agreed, using her magic to reach out and slam the book shut. Twilight twitched in her seat, realizing her rudeness as her ears splayed against her head in shame. "Twas not a note of happiness in our lives. Our son..." she trailed off, carefully choosing her words. "Our son was born, and ne'er did wake. Mine sister and I placed the body in magic stasis, hoping beyond hope we could eventually find a cure for his ails."

Twilight wasn't stupid enough to grab a pad of paper and a quill, but internally she was madly committing each word to memory, so she could write it down at leisure.

"We suspect the nightmare to hath used foul magics on our son," she continued, taking a brief sip of her tea. "For recently... we... I... I believe my son to have awoken."

Twilight continued to stare in rapt attention, barely daring to blink.

"His memorial was located within a cave housing the origination of the elements of harmony," Twilight jerked in her seat, a new piece of information placed before her. 

"The tree of harmony. We believed it might protect him from further evils. And this past morn... we found our foal gone from yon resting place. Tracks led from the cave... out into the Everfree forest."

Twilight gasped, her ears splaying back once more. 

"Aye. We... I am worried," Luna confessed, her ears drooping. "We lost the trail 'pon a rain in the middle of the forest. We hold out hope though," she stated, nodding her head. "Recently, his tracks were heading this way. Towards Ponyville. Might I ask a boon of thee, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, anything!" Twilight hurriedly stated, nearly spilling her own cup of tea in her zealousness.

"Please... keep an eye out. Tell your fellow townsponies of mine plight. If you find mine son..." she trailed off, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Please, thou must promise us this. You will contact us the moment you are able, understand?"

Twilight nodded in confirmation, eager to please her mentors sister. If she saw a young foal. Wandering around. 

Contact Princess Luna immediately.








I jerked awake once more, starting at my surroundings. Through bleary eyes I noted I appeared to be lying in a bed, the room dark. The barest tinges of light peeked through the tightened drapes of the window, letting me see the pale moonlight that shone outside.

I levered myself from the bed, noting I was less dirty than when I had finished earlier. Still dirty, but I didn't look like I was trying to carry around half the forest anymore at the very least. Weird, knowing I was groomed by my hosts. And given a room to boot.

I crept forth silently, pausing at the door. I opened it to the hallway beyond, noting at the fact that there were no other sources of light to be had. The old mare and her son seemed to be asleep. I snuck down the hall, peering in one of the rooms. I could see Braeburns mane slowly rising and falling from the pillow he had placed his head on, so I carefully closed the door and continued on. The last room contained the old mare.

I touched the end of my scepter lightly to the nape of her neck, careful not to wake her. A short wave of healing later and she was still fast asleep. There, now I didn't have to feel bad about not doing that earlier.

I made my way back to 'my' room, climbing my way back on top of the bed. Tunneling under the covers, I managed to make myself comfortable again.

I didn't feel tired, but I hadn't really before either.

I jerked in bed, a sudden thought occurring to me. I let out a frustrated sigh, realizing what was wrong with me.

"Buck me, I have narcolepsy."
> Chapter 5- Evasion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna tiredly rubbed at her brow, going over the seventh letter Twilight had sent her that morning. The picture she had enclosed once more showed a random foal dissimilar from the rest, either in coloration or even gender. It seems Twilight had readily forgotten how Luna was keen on retrieving her son.

Luna sighed, as yet another wisp of smoke wound its way through the open window to coalesce into a scroll in front of her face. She had felt such levity upon receiving the first one. And the second one. By the third she was growing skeptical.

This new letter held similar disappointment, showing the scared face of a young pegasi filly as she was held tightly within a lavender tinged field of magic.

Luna let loose another sigh, bowing her head in resignation. She had to go find her sister. Regardless of how little she had slept. The sooner she could figure out the dragon fire 'postage' spell, the sooner she could send a note back to Twilight and let her know to stop abducting random foals.








I finished my second helping of god sent goodness, the syrup of one bite escaping from my mouth and dribbling down my chin. Didn't mean I let it go to waste, but it momentarily eluded me. 

Apple pie. I don't know why it doesn't taste like this in the dream realm, I am going to have to bring up some very serious concerns with the protector. It is... simply a divine foodstuff. Anyone who could make a pie taste like this could automatically call me their slave, give me a collar, dress me up in a maids outfit for all I damn well cared.

As long as they kept the apple pies coming...

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, gingerly sipping from cup that was offered me initially. "I know you're enjoying yourself back there, but I wasn't planning on having all of this all that long."

Old Crabapple momentarily paused in her efforts, a comb clutched in her mouth. After forcing me to bathe -didn't take them that much 'forcing', I had wanted to in the first place.- I had been welcomed down to breakfast. The old mare had a spring in her step I hadn't seen yesterday, it was almost like twenty years had just sloughed themselves off of her. My scepter definitely did its work.

She had taken to dragging a comb through my mane and tail almost as soon as I had sat down, shifting through the still sodden mess without abandon. It stopped me from freely talking with her, but oh well. I had already taken up a room of their house and tunneled my way through three of the pies they offered me, I might as well let her indulge whatever 'motherly' hormones she still had trickling up in her wrinkled cabasa. If she wanted to comb my mane, fine. Meant I didn't have to do it. And it wasn't like I was going to have it this long, for long.

"Ye' sayin' yer thinkin' o' choppin' this beautiful hair off?" she snickered, spitting the comb out into a hoof. "My, when I was but a wee lil' filly I wouldda killed fer a mane like this."

"Wanna trade?" I joked, swallowing another bite of pie, "I've always wondered what I'd look like in that shade..."

"Bah," she muttered, grabbing the comb again. I don't think she thought that idea was all too hot. Not that I was starting to warm up to this body or anything, but I didn't think her shade of mane would match all that well with me...

"So, Mr. Braeburn," I started, turning towards my other benefactor. "I didn't really get a chance to ask yesterday, such as I was occupied with... other things. Thank you once again for the food. It was, and this is, quite delightful to the palate. I couldn't have asked for a more scrumptious way to break my thousand year fast."

The stallion nodded carefully, eyeing me with a worried grin. Wasn't I cute enough to put his worries at ease? One would think that an alicorn foal wouldn't scare a guy so badly. Or maybe he was unnaturally perceptive. Still, I actually wanted the guy to like me. I'd have to find some way to make it up to him.

"As I was saying," I continued, seeing as he didn't seem to want to say anything for fear of angering me. "Thank you. For your assistance , and hospitality."

"As if we would turn away an alicorn," Braeburn hurriedly stated.

"Regardless," I continued once more, "I still appreciate your hospitality. You could have very well assumed the worst of me, but you showed me kindness instead. In all the excitement yesterday however, it occurs to me I never properly introduced myself. And although I know your name from your mother, I haven't quite allowed you to introduce yourself either..."

He pondered my words, seeming to mull them over as one would chew a slice of apple pie. Speaking of, mine was almost gone. I wonder if... they would let me have another one if I asked? Nicely? 

"Well as ah figure, ya don't really need to go to any trouble," he meekly posited.

"Nonsense, I wouldn't dream of it," I replied. His mother was right, he really needed to grow a backbone. I know I wasn't really helping it any, but perhaps I could help him with that in the future. If I stuck around for that long, any way.

"To you, my gracious hosts," I said, bowing slightly. The old mare was doing something with my hair, even though she had set down the brush beside me, so it was kinda hard to bow. Much less be able to see what the heck she was doing. "I thank thee, Braeburn and Crabapple. I am... was Princess Lunas' temporary replacement, Little Nemo. King of Slumberland. Although I guess Slumberland is rather destitute as of late... I suppose the most accurate title would be something along the lines of... 'Scion of Dreams' or something. Tis a pleasure to meet you. I see you, Apples. May that others see you as clearly."

"My, how fancy," Crabapple commented cheerily, finishing up behind me. Turning my head to look at her, I finally realized what she had been doing. She had been braiding my hair. It still hung heavy from my head, but she had... reduced its length considerably by doubling it up as she had. 

Well wasn't I pretty. Just a regular old Rapunzel, with this stupid long ass hair. Which was an odd statement, seeing as Donkeys usually wore their tails and manes short. It was a cultural thing, a pair of donkey heroes of old named 'Jack' and 'Jenny' were well known to have kept theirs short as if in repentance. Said it was to curb the sin of their vanity, and to show others that they wore their strength proudly.

It was before my time. I could easily assume they were real donkeys, but they could have just as easily been a warning fable that transformed into legend.

I digress.

"My speech, or my hair?" I remarked, as she hooked it over my left wing. It was still long enough that it draped down to drag along the floor, but thankfully was shorter than it had been. "I'll admit it's pretty, but again, I don't intend on keeping this for long. It will be much more manageable once it gets cut down."

"Eh," she replied, shifting to better reach my tail. She wasn't easily shaken, that's for sure. I'd let her indulge herself for the time being. Couldn't hurt anything. "As if ah'd let you get rid of this bee aye yooootiful mop of hair..."

"As if you could stop me," I cheerfully responded, tilting my head and giving her a wide smile.

"Wanna bet, princeling?" she retorted cheekily, not missing a beat. Braeburn looked like he was going to have a conniption, the poor guy.

"King, actually. But that title doesn't really apply to me anymore, so perhaps we should just stick to 'Scion'? Prince doesn't really fit me. Not even a little, regardless of the wings. You understand, yes?"

"Oh, but 'scion's' jes such a clumsy word, don't ya agree?" Toss, bend, ply, her hooves moved fairly well considering her age. Looked like she had done this activity a fair amount in her past years.

"Yes, I suppose. It doesn't quite roll off the tongue as one would like, does it?" I mused, trying to ignore the alien feelings racing up my spine. It was one thing feeling weight tugging down on my tail as I dragged around half the forest, it was quite another feeling this mares careful ministrations. "Perhaps I should simply stick with 'Nemo' as of currently..."

"Whatever ya say, prince," she sassed, rolling the stiffness out of her shoulder before she continued. "Lil Burny never had the mane for it. His sis on the other hoof... Oh ah'm sure you'd love her princeling, she's jes a doll!"

Again with the 'prince' nickname. I'd be lucky if I could steer her towards a different one by this point. She knew full well it got under my skin, she had probably felt me tense up while she was messing with my hair. Couldn't really fault her for it though, with my scepters healing she was feeling better than she had in years, it was little wonder she was feeling playful. Pair that with her base personality, and I had a terror on my hands. Hooves. Whatever.

"What is her name, if it isn't too impudent of me to ask?" I prompted. If I didn't respond to the 'prince' comment she might get bored of it. She seemed smart, though. Probably wouldn't be fooled.

"Don't chu worry yer pretty little head dearie, nopony kin learn nothing iffin' they don't open their mouth to ask questions. Her names Cherry Jubilee, an' she actually runs a plantation o'er in Dodge Junction... ah could introduce ya, iffin yer interested in older mares," she suggested, laughter dancing in her eyes.

"If she's any bit as enchanting as you, I might just have to take you up on that offer," I stated, playing along. I wiggled my eyebrows for extra measure, watching as her son blanched at my acting performance.








"What is the meaning of this?!?" Luna demanded, her muzzle nearly touching her sisters'. Her emotions boiled under her skin, barely contained as is. 

"Sister," Celestia started, trying to curb her sisters wrath.

"You told her to stop! Don't even try to deny it! I can understand telling her to lower her enthusiasm a little, but why did you instruct her to keep word of mine son unspoken?! If none know of mine plight, I may lose him! Again! I need everypony with ears to know of mine son, if one sees him and doesn't know-"

"Then they cannot use him for their own goals," Celestia interrupted.

Lunas' head jerked in surprise, staring at her sister in bewilderment. Just as she was about to voice her confusion, Celestia continued in a low voice.

"I am not naive figurehead those outside of Equestria believe me to be, sister. While I dearly love my little ponies and expect the world of them..." she let out a low sigh, her frown deepening. "I know full well that there are bad apples. One does not define the orchard, but the rotten ones remain regardless of how they look. Luna... listen to me carefully, please." Celestia took in a slow breath of air, finding it harder to look her sister in the eye by the second.

"There have been... less than civilized groups over the years. I won't waste my breath defending them with aimless optimism. Some ponies... regardless of their spoken motives, some ponies just want to watch our world burn," she stated coldly. "One such group was formed shortly after you were banished, my sister. They called themselves the 'True Children of the Nightmare', and claimed to hail to the call of Nightmare Moon."

Luna stiffened at her sisters words. She knew full well that there were ponies who were bent in the mind, but to follow the Nightmare? For any reason? Deplorable.

"Over the years, I've stamped out their cult. Time and time again I thought my task finished. Repeatedly I was proven... wrong. In rural burgs and even in the supposed safety of the Canterlot elite they cropped up, time after time. I crushed their cult once more less than fifty years ago... but to assume they are truly gone would likely prove me a fool once more. The things they've done... the atrocities they've committed have all been claimed to been in order to bring back Nightmare Moon. They believed that by sacrificing innocent ponies in horrid arcane rituals they could simply resurrect her. I have no doubts in my mind that if they were to learn of your progeny... a foal is already in enough danger, wandering freely without their mother."

Celestia paused, taking a moment to sweep her wing over her sister and draw her into a tight hug. Luna sank into her side, nuzzling her sister as she surrendered to her embrace.

"I hope it is naught more than baseless conjecture. I pray that my fears will remain unfounded, but if they are still active as I suspect... then we cannot allow even rumor of your son to reach their ears. If one of less than respectable motive lays hooves on your son before we are able to find him..." Celestia gave Luna a squeeze, draping her head over her sisters. "I would never be able to forgive myself. We will find your son my sister, but we must be discreet in our endeavors. I have already dispatched my most trusted agents across Equestria, they will find him. Please Luna... have faith."

Luna didn't reply, slowly extricating herself from her sisters embrace. She finally gave her a curt nod, smiling slightly as she did so.

"All right, sister. I trust you."








Curly Potato reviewed the missive once more, this being the seventh time he had read it over. Its contents were simple enough to understand, a general description of a target he was supposed to find. A foal. Alicorn.

Interesting.

There was no further information on the foal itself beside his colors, his 'higher ups' didn't even have a clue as to his possible whereabouts. They seemed to have mobilized the entire network to deal with this matter.

Again, interesting.

Curly Potato had been an agent of the crown for nearly thirty years now, and had yet to fail on assignment. That being said, he felt his accomplishments were far overshadowed by another agent, by the name of Sweetie Drops. She had been enlisted for as long as he had, yet her service record was nearly twice as long as his own. Bugbears, trolls, rogue gryphons, and other assorted enemies of the crown too long to list.

It incensed Curly Potato to no end, driving him ever on to push himself as far as he could. Every assignment he took he went full tilt, giving them everything he possibly could. Yet Celestia kept him in reserve when she could. 

If he was never allowed to progress, how could he possibly show them how great he could be? But this... this was different. An alicorn. An alicorn foal. Popping up right after Princess Luna had come back, the timing was too perfect to be coincidence. So the foal was Princess Lunas'. Somehow. For all he knew she had the colt while on the moon.

Somehow.

Curly Potato shook his head, before he took the note and popped it in his mouth. Chewing slowly to properly mash the paper into pulp, he eventually swallowed. Missive destroyed. Not as thorough as simply burning it to ash, but he didn't want to attract attention.

He scoffed, his disappointment impossible to hide. Now he was supposed to go check out some nowhere hick town, as if the foal would be found in such a rural location. It was a waste of his time. The only reason he had been given this direction was because he had the bad fortune to be located in the area.

Whatever. He'd check out this hick town, 'Appleloosa', and in record time to boot. Once he was done he'd search elsewhere. He had been given leave to continue the search as he saw fit after he had thoroughly checked out the town and the surrounding area. The foal was stated to have been wandering inside the Everfree forest, but Appleloosa was simply too far for a foal to have walked. Not from where the note say he started.

It was a waste of time, but he'd continue and finish as quickly as he could. Then the search would truly begin.

Curly Potato smiled.

They would all see just how great he was.








I woke back up suddenly, pitching forward as I tried to regain my balance. I had fallen asleep as I was walking, but thankfully it seems I had settled into a sitting position. I don't know how, but that didn't really matter. I hadn't even managed anything of importance while my body slept, there had been no nightmares to dispel and neither Genius or Flip had been present in Slumberland. I had flitted around the dream realm, trying to find a sleeping mind within Appleloosa to gain more information from, but the only mind I was able to find was that of a drunkard.

Suffering Succotash. A many times repeat customer to the establishment known as the 'Salt Lick', he even dreamed about getting drunk. His preferred method appeared to be via salt instead of drink. Regardless, the results of his intoxication were the same.

He was... annoying to try and talk to. Didn't believe I was actually there, and just ignored me mostly. I learned very little from him.

"Hey, where'd the stick thingy go?" I heard Mrs Crabapples voice say. "Oh, you're up. Welcome back to the land of the living. Huh, didn't even notice you take yer stick back," she muttered, and I heard something similar come from Braeburn.

I didn't 'take back' my scepter. I just woke up with it on my back. Interesting. If they had removed it from my person while I slept -supposedly to make myself more comfortable- then it seems I had another new ability I could add to the list.

My scepter and key were as pieces of my soul. They may have appeared now as tangible objects in the waking realm, but in truth they were less physical than they appeared. If I was right, they would disperse once I fell asleep, returning with me to the dream realm. And then they would simply come back with me once I woke back up.

I assumed. I would have to experiment. All in due time.

"Sorry," I apologized, letting out a short yawn. "Was I out long?"

"Naw, jes a little power nap," Braeburn responded.

"Jes enough time fer me tah go ahead and check if Long Coif was in. She was, we had a bit of a gabber," Crabapple stated in a bored tone, as if it wasn't all that interesting of a topic.

I had convinced Crabapple to show me around town, maybe make the focus of our trip a barbershop. An old pair of saddlebags that used to belong to Braeburn when he was a foal settled over my wings, hiding them from sight.

I didn't want to make a scene, after all. I'd had a stroke of luck when it came to Crabapple and her son, while her son was all jittery and made a fuss of me the old mare treated me like an old friend.

Hiding my horn would have been much more arduous task than simply putting something over my wings. Thankfully the old mare had had just the thing I needed in such a situation. I was really going to have to start keeping tabs on how much I owed her. On top of the apple pies. I'd have to keep adding to that list. Especially for more apple pies. I could go for another one right now, actually. Even though I don't think I could eat another bite... I think I could stand it if it was apple pie.

I digress. While my wings looked larger than other pegasi -specifically those of my 'physical' age, by comparison mine looked large and goofy,- with a couple well placed cuts the saddlebags fit comfortably enough.

It wasn't that I was trying to hide persay. I was worried about Celestia and the Protector, to be honest. Specifically, I didn't want them to think I was trying to take over their world or something. I only existed in the dream world before, and in the Protectors stead I basically took over.

I gave her a guided tour around my bucking city, for stars sake. I showed her what I did with her realm in her absence. 'Ha, while you were gone I redecorated.' I can't even begin to think about what thoughts went through her head at that...

So I couldn't just go around flaunting my current form. If they took offense and thought I was trying to insult them, they might take drastic measures in order to 'curb my behavior'. Might even try to shut me back up in the dream realm. No offense to the place I had called home for the last few hundred years, but even with all the aches and pains and loss of control there was one thing I definitely wouldn't give up any time soon.

...They just don't taste as good in the dream realm...

So I'd find some way to ingratiate myself to them, before they even knew it was me. That way, once they finally learned about me and knew in full, they'd already have a good opinion of me. 

The easiest way I could make a name for myself would be as a healer. I could still reliably use my scepter to heal, and I could feasibly make myself an irremovable face. I'd have to charge for my services, that much was unavoidable. But I could go the route of requiring more bits from those with deeper pockets, or those with less need than others. I had no desire for some noble with delusions of grandeur trying to monopolize me or my powers, for any reason.

"So, this 'Long Coif' is a barber?" I asked, trying to distract my thoughts.

"Aye, that she is," Crabbleabbleabbleabbleabble affirmed, nodding as she did so. Braeburn stayed silent, apparently not having anything to say on the current subject. "Now, you aint got no prejiiidusses 'gainst no non ponies, do ye?"

I thought on her words for a couple seconds, trying to figure out her line of questioning. After a few seconds it finally clicked, "Oh! No, no no no, I don't hold any discrimination towards non pony species. So I take that to mean that this Coif madame is of some species... probably one who possesses hands?"

"Long Coif has paws, yes." I heard from in front of me, and I whipped my head around to properly take in her appearance. She was a diamond dog... no, on further inspection, she was actually a female cousin species to the diamond dogs. A thunder cat. While similar in appearance to the average body type of a diamond dog, thunder cats tended to be much more lithe, and were easily distinguished as if trying to compare a normal cat and a dog.

Not that I'd ever say that out loud. That would be rude. And thunder cats while rare, were known for their lightning quick tempers. Even though I wanted to get rid of as much hair as possible, insulting my barber to her face seemed like a very poor decision in regard to my continued lifespan.

The fluff of hair that made up her 'mane' was a deep russet red, which contrasted nicely with a tannish brown that made up the bulk of her coat, all the way down to her eagerly twitching tail.

"Greetings," I started, only to be interrupted by a blandly gesturing paw.

"Words of greeting are not needed, yes. Already has Long Coif been told of your need of Long Coif."

With that she turned right back around, disappearing within the shopfront she had been standing in front of.

"Don't mind her none," Crab Apple stated, letting out a low cough. "She don't care none for how we ponies speak or whatnot. While it can be kinda hard-"

"Worry not for my ears," I cut in, "Her pattern of speech is... interesting. I think that she'll someone I might like..."








Curly Potato cursed the train once more, its uncomfortable seats having left a crick in his neck. Why couldn't that part of the line get a more recent engine? It was part of the main line, but apparently the same engine just chugged back and forth from Dodge Junction to Appleloosa! It was pure madness, for stars sake!

"Welc-HIC-ome tah aaaaaaaappleloosa," came the slurred voice of what Curly could only assume was the town vagrant. He certainly had the salt stains around his muzzle for the part. Why was he talking to him? Did he want bits to fuel his abhorid habit? Well he wouldn't be getting even a half bit from him, no-siree-bob!

"Yes, quite," he hurriedly stated, making to part ways with the unpleasantly fragrant pony.

"Lemme show ya 'round, huh?"

"No, I'm sure I can find my own way thank you," Curly protested, trying to pry the suddenly encircling hoof from his withers.

"Non-HIC-sense!" the inebriated pony stated, dragging him along at a break neck pace Curly would not have thought possible for one so encumbered via toxic substance. "Well I wouldn't be a proper gentlepony iffin I -hic- didn't show newcomers 'round!"

What atrocities had he done to be saddled with such a pony? Wasn't he nice enough? Punishment of this nature should be reserved for those that kick kittens, those that insult their own mothers, those that spit in the general direction of the princess! 

Curly let out a strangled moan as the hapless Suffering Succotash drug his quarry onward against its wishes.





"Gaahhhhhh," I let out a pleased sigh, moving my head to and fro. Free from the towering mass of hair, my head felt as light as a feather.

"Is good? Yes. Long Coif is best barber  you'll ever meet, so of course is best doo. Yes."

Her patterns of speech were... odd. Manageable, but truly odd.

"Long Coif will just keep this, yes? Will make into wigs, will give you share of profits, yes." She held up the long braid of hair, carefully tucking it onto a shelf. I had no problem with her keeping it, I certainly had no use for it. It did me no good, and I had next to no idea on how to 'make into wigs'. Better to leave that to somepony who knew what they were doing.

"Still, its such a shame tah jes hack it all off," Crab apple groused, giving me a false stink eye.

"Look at it this way," I retorted, "Now you can get a swathe of hair just like it! I'm sure one of Long Coifs wig would look lovely on you."

She snorted, her face contorting with her laugh. 

I brushed my hoof through my shortened mane, reveling in the loose feeling it gave me. I picked up a brush that had fallen to the floor, placing it back up on the counter with the mirror. Long coif followed my movements, giving me a bemused look.

"Little pegacorn is weird," Long Coif remarked, "Why not use magic? Yes. Magic is end all be all of unicorn power, yes. Is little pegacorn not be of knowing how to use magic?"

She saw through my disguise! Foiled again! Well, it wasn't that much of a disguise, but still. I put some effort into that, I kinda expected it to last a little while longer.

"Why lookings of surprise? Yes. Is obvious to any with eyes, cracks in between bag and side let Long Coif see clearly little wings poking into bag. Besides, why wear saddlebags when getting hair cut? Yes. Is simple. Obvious to any with brain. Which Long Coif clearly has. Yes."

"Huh. And here I thought I had thought that through better," I groused, rubbing at my chin with my hoof. "As to why I'm not using magic, short story is that I used to be able to, but I recently went through a control shift. Even something as simple a levitation spell eludes me in its entirety, if I don't want to accidentally punch holes in the walls around me."

Long Coif gave me a calculating look, turning her head from side to side. "Does pegacorn know color changing spell? Is good for training control, yes. At least, that what pony friends tell Long Coif. That, and if color spell does go out of control, does not make damage, yes. Win win, as Long Coif says... and as friend Pinkie says."

Pinkie? Could she be talking about the same one I was thinking of? This place was reasonably close to Ponyville, it wasn't out of the question for her to be talking about Pinkie Pie.

"Well... I do know a color shift spell, I think," I muttered, trying to put my thoughts into words. It shouldn't be that hard, right? Change one color to another. And it wasn't like it held the risk that levitation did, if the spell or whatever got away from me, what was the worst it could do? Color more than what I wanted to? Oh well, not like that would actually hurt anything...





Curly Potato groaned to himself, once more unable to loose the overly friendly drunk. The stinking pony had stuck with him throughout the entire town, hounding each hoofstep with an assortment of trivia based around the town and its inhabitants. The most interesting so far was the rumors that a forest monster made of twigs and leaves had crawled out of the forest recently. If anything that passed from this ponies lips could be wholly believed. Curly was suspicious of that 'fact'.

"Then there was that there new foal what kipped off inn middle of the street-"

Curly Potato whirled on the vagrant, his eye close to twitching. The fool knew he was looking for foal, he had listened to him ask near every pony that he had come across, why in blazes had he not mentioned anything about this 'new foal' before?

His stupidity was truly maddening. The sooner he could be done with him, the better.

"Excuse me?"

"Huh wha? -Hic- Oh yeah, you shouldda seenit, lil feller jes pitches over midstride, asleep inn middle of the road! Ole Crabby told me she wuz taking him tah get his mane trimmed, and boy hay did it need it. Long as ever-"

"Did this foal have a coat of purplish tint, with accents of grey, with a mane of lighter blue?" Curly pressured, trying to get to the point. It was a long shot, but if beyond all chances the foal had actually made it this far...

"Ho yeaaaaaah, purple lil feller, sorta," he affirmed, nodding for a couple seconds.

"Well what are you waiting for? Take me to this... 'Long Coifs' place of business post haste!" Curly demanded. If this booze riddled pony wanted to hang around him, he could darn well be useful for once in his life.

"Post? I thought you wanted to go to Long Coifs," he puzzled, eyes unfocused in confusion. "Thats on the other side o' town from the post office, but we kin look in once we done with visiting Long Coif, k?"

Curly Potato almost tore his mane out in frustration. It wasn't actually possible for a pony to be this stupid, was it?

After a short jaunt, Curly found himself within a surprisingly spacious room. Made less comforting by one of the most dangerous creatures in Equestria. A thunder cat. Why the Princess didn't just exile the lot of the mangy felines he didn't know. All they were good for was wrecking stuff, anyway. Unfortunately, it appeared this one was... the business owner. As if a thunder cat would know how to run a business. Without somehow burning it to the ground, at the least.

The other occupants of the ... store, were of no consequence. A stallion, an old biddy of a mare, and a young colt. The colt mighthave been worth his time, but the scrawny saddlebag wearing foal wasn't the right color. Therefor it wasn't important. The most interesting part about the colt was that it was the same coloration as the filthy cat, his mane a dark red while his coat was tannish brown. One could almost mistake them for mother and foal, if but for the fact that all a cat could produce would be yet more mangy cats.

"Uh... hello there... cat." What was the point of showering one of their kind with pleasantries? They wouldn't recognize the gesture for what it was, anyway. "I am looking for a foal. I heard that he was recently within your... 'boutique'? He would have a quite distinctive coloring, with purple coat with highlights of grey, while his mane would be a lighter blue."

The cat looked at him for a couple seconds, before responding. "Little pegacorn was here, yes."

Curly Potato leapt on that, getting as close to the feral creature as he dared. "Where is he now? You must tell me."

The cat screwed her face up, "Purple pegacorn is no longer here."

"I... yes, I'm asking you where he is NOW," Curly intoned, losing his composure.

"How is Long Coif to know? Long Coif cuts hair, does not follow customers out into the street, and chase them round the town, yes."

"But you must have some idea-"

"How would have idea? Is obvious you think Long Coif is just dumb beast, yes. Very rude, little pony. Why tell you anything? Long Coif not have any reason to make your day any easier, yes."

Curly Potato gnashed his teeth in frustration, allowing his temper to boil to the surface. "Listen here you mangy feline, I am here on orders from the crow-"

A sharp crack predated a sharp pain in his rump, right above the dock, Curly leaped in pain, before being caught in midair and roughly shoved through the door to the street outside. Gaining his wits, he looked back to see the cats tail smoking. Of course, how could he forget? They were called thunder cats for a reason...

"And not come back! Yes. Long Coif not tending to business with the rude ponies. Most unpleasant. Anyways, pretty purple pegacorn not here anymore. Yes. Not find him here, so begone!"

Curly potato rubbed his stinging rump, cursing the presence of the flea bitten mongrel. If he had his way... whatever. Furthering altercation here wouldn't do him any good at this point. The foal had been here recently, so he might still be able to catch him if he searched the immediate area!


> Chapter 6- Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I dove to the side, rolling once I hit the ground to take cover behind the wrecked remains of the wall that once was. Another strike from the beast tore through just above my head, tearing chunks of wood and stone to scatter in the field behind me.

It was too damned close. I couldn't get a second to catch my breath, to even try so much as a single attack against it. If it wasn't so big, it might have been easier to deal with. But I mean really. I was expected to deal with something like this?

"Why won't you love me, little pony?" came the horrifically augmented childlike tones from the creature currently trying to rip me a new tailhole.

It stood almost fifty feet tall, its cuddly brown exterior unassuming and nonthreatening. Sometimes I just couldn't understand the nightmares.

Which was probably the reason why I was currently facing off against a giant teddy bear that continuously churned out phrases that tried to assure me that it 'only wanted to be friends' while it tried to smash me into a puddle  of mush. I had pitched back into Slumberland right in the middle of a pleasant conversation with the short worded Long Coif (she had regaled me about one of her more adventurous sisters' travels, where she had apparently not only found a dragon twice her size, but proceeded to 'punch it in the snoot'), and almost immediately found myself drawn into combat against a rather idiotic nightmare.

It had attached itself to a foal somewhere near my body in the waking realm, apparently to boost its power against me as much as it could. As stated, idiotic. Its power would have been the same whether it had attached itself to the same foal, or another sleeping individual halfway across the planet. Regardless of how stupid said nightmare was, it still managed to screw me over something royally. I hadn't had time to shift my ego back to my original form, or even launch anything resembling a counterattack.

Again, I was running from an oversized teddybear. Hopefully the foal in question wasn't living in the town, or at very least wouldn't remember any of this upon waking up. This whole scenario was simply too embarrassing to even bear contemplating. 'Mummy, dats the guy who was fighting the teddy bear in my head!' I'd never live that down. It must remain buried forever.

"Where did you go, my little pony?" The grating, floaty tones of the walking talking oversized bedside topper filled the air around me.

Did it actually expect me to respond? The brainpower of some of the nightmares certainly left something to be desired. Instead of reciprocating its request, I instead concentrated on what I had to do to take it down.

I couldn't go back to my lacksidaisical approach of caging them away in a metaphorical box. That didn't work. From now on, I'd have to break them down, tear them into bloody chunks. Reduce them to nothingness, so that they wouldn't stick around to power up any more demonic parasites attached to moon goddesses.

"Pajama," I started softly, lifting my scepter to start up the charging process. I waited a couple of seconds, willing the remainder of the chant to come out as I wanted it to. These seconds however were wasted in vain, as my mind remained frustratingly blank on the subject. No matter how hard I concentrated, the only word I could remember of the chant was pajama. And Shazama. Anything past that point was an infuriating blank, echoing my inability to recall in the waking world.

"Shazama..." I ground out in a low whisper, irritated at my circumstances.

A dull glow lit in the tip of my scepter, a hopeful reminder that I could perhaps gather enough energy to sufficiently blast this Ruxpin reject in the face to kill it. Or at the very least disperse it until I could properly dispose of it at a later date.

"There you are...!" came the exalted tones of the creature, apparently noticing the brightened glow coming from my ministrations. "Give me a hug..."

I dove out of cover as the behemoth faceplanted itself down ontop of my previous cover, crushing the wall beneath its weight. I definitely would have been crushed as well from that impact, and there was no telling what would have happened to myself or my ego at this point if I was 'killed' even with my living body in the waking world.

Yes, I could have been worrying for nothing, simply reawakening in the waking world upon my 'death' with naught more than a lingering headache and the lasting embarrassment of having my plot handed to me by a manifestation that I could have kicked around Slumberland with the barest of efforts in my times of before.

On the opposite hoof, I had no idea the true extent of my departure from the dreaming realm, or how much I was still connected to it. I could very well play straight into a nightmares hands if I wasn't careful, ending up as nothing more than a passing meal.

"Pajama," I continued as I hobbled along, ducking behind another crumbling wall. As an afterthought while the energy stubbornly pooled slowly in the tip of my scepter, I reached my other hoof up to grab my key and thrust it outwards. The dream around me fought my control, invisible threads dancing tantalizingly out of reach. I piled on the blunt force through my key, twisting the dream as much as I could.

I wouldn't be able to deliberately overpower this stupid thing from the outset, but if I wore it down enough I could possibly get a hail mary past it once its hold on the dream around me weakened

With a deliberate twist, a swarm of creatures and beings sprang into existence around me.

"So maaaany friiiieeends," The demonic teddy bear drawled in surprise at the sudden appearance of so many entities around it, I think the nightmare was struggling to comprehend which one was me, despite none of them looking a whitt like myself.

I sent my creations their unspoken instructions, willing them onward to distract the nightmare while I continued to gather more power.

"Such is the Armstrong tradition!" chorused the large gaggle of bald, heavily muscular bipeds as they swarmed forward and proceeded to latch onto any free space of fur they could reach.

The nightmare watched on, momentarily stalled in its confusion. This quickly shifted to anger as the second group attacked its back. The multitude of serpentine attackers bit and tore at any exposed 'flesh'. I shivered at my recalled depiction of the xenomorphic race, their bodies covered in spikes and spines. Their strong, shark-like mouths ripped and savaged as they went, tearing out comparatively small tufts of cotton and felt. Their probing limbs carried them in a continuous wave, never stopping as they scurried back and forth over the nightmares heavy bulk.

The nonstop, insectoid clicking squeal of 'kekekekekekekeke' was probably tailored to destabilizing an opponent, but I wish I had remembered to leave that out as I was creating them. It was just a little bit too creepy.

“You not playing nice…” the bear grumbled, teetering backwards to land with an earth quaking *shumff* on its backside. More than a few armstrongs and zerglings were crushed in this maneuver, however there were still a fair amount left to regroup. I watched as they divided it's attention further, focusing on a single one of its legs as it tried to stand up.

“Pajama… Shazama…” I continued, hobbling on to try to get as much distance between myself and the teddy terror as I could. The light kept building in the tip of my scepter, but something was wrong. Even though the light continued to brighten, the power behind it… It felt weakened, fettered. It was leaking out, back into the dream before it could collect into anything more substantial…

“Come back, little friend… Don't you want to have a tea party?”

I stared back at the teddy for a scant second, unbelieving in what my eyes were convinced what was happening. The dream-sculpts had done a number on the nightmare, ripping gouges out of its flesh. Almost at random some cuts sported little more than cartoony rips with cotton spilling out, whereas other spilled forth bloody viscera. Almost all the dream-sculpts had either been stamped out of existence during my distraction, or had fallen apart due to my faltering concentration.

A few of each type still scampered about, trying their best to distract the nightmare as best they could. What was truly distracting however, was more for its benefit rather than my own. The dream-sculpts had managed to do quite a number on it. They had apparently managed to tear off its left arm, along with its left leg. Unfortunately, this had done little to stall it, instead seeming to have emboldened it by forcing it to grow completely new appendages.

Thick, greasy corded flesh piled out of its torn flesh, forming tentacles that swayed back and forth. A viscous black bile seeped from its skin, pooling on the ground beneath it.

It was time to go.

I turned tail and ran, unabashedly. I could hear it roaring behind me, before the troubling sounds of its footsteps started shaking the ground underneath me. I didn't dare to turn and look, but it was obviously quite faster than it used to be. Far faster than it freaking should be.

I stooped to my left, turning down a tunnel that had appeared from my insistence. As I scuttled down the darkened tube, the walls suddenly retreated, the space around me expanding. It had found the tunnel, and rather than being perturbed by the fact it was far too large to fit down it instead simply willed the tunnel into becoming larger.

This thing was really starting to piss me off.

I returned to my hurried chanting as halfway into my sixteenth gasping of ‘Shazama’ I was bodily hurled further down the tunnel. From a paw the size of an apple tree slamming into my backside, sure, but the results were all the same.

“No more running,” it drawled, the manic childishness gone from its speech.

“I quite agree,” I muttered, rolling onto my back and leveling my scepter in its direction. “Pajama!!!”

I released everything I had managed to store, hurriedly pulling on even more to fill the quickly emptying gap. It burst forth, slamming into the nightmare and throwing it backwards. The light from my scepter exploded, dancing around the edges of the tunnel as it drowned out all shadows in the area.

As quickly as it had come, the purifying light all too quickly ebbed, and died.

I was left gasping, a deep tiredness seeping into my bones. I couldn't remember the last time I felt like this, I could remember even thinking about feeling like this. It shouldn't have been so hard, it was never like this before, I just couldn't wrap my head around-

“...Is that all you got?”

I froze, my body shuddering with the effort it took to not simply turn and run as fast as I could. I wouldn't have gotten very far.

“When I first felt you,” it continued, slowly slinking back into visibility. I had managed to destroy a fair portion of its body, for better or worse. A hideous gathering of ropy flesh held what remained together, a sinister glowing eye all that remained of the teddies head. “I thought you would be more of a challenge. You were supposed to be something powerful. You were supposed to be a tasty meal…”

I abandoned my scepter, holding onto my key like it was the lifeline it truly was. I might be able to get out of this, I might be able to wrest enough of the dream away from the nightmare to be able to…

“You see? So quick to give in, so quick to despair,” it drawled, mistaking my intent on dropping my scepter. “I knew I was strong. Stronger than the others. Strong enough to beat you! Strong enough-”

A twist, and the dream was mine. I had to do this quickly, in one fell swoop.

“You sure like to hear yourself talk, don't you?” I remarked, a spot of light appearing in the depths of the tunnel behind the nightmare as a curious rumble started playing through the soil beneath us.

It started, it's one remaining eye curious as it gazed down at me. It couldn't believe I was still willing to fight back. That would be its undoing.

“What did you do? Are you so foolish to believe you can still win?” It laughed, a pulsating ripple moving through its bulk.

“Win? Nah, not enough juice.”

The rumbling grew steadier still, the light at the end of the tunnel growing larger with every passing second. With a quick whoosh of displaced air, a pair of gleaming tracks zoomed out of the darkness to pierce the ground beneath us, carrying onwards out of sight.

“What… is this?!??” It demanded, eye finally noticing the encroaching light.

“No third rail,” I remarked, kicking the one closest to me in irritation. I had been going for electric, but I guess steam would do just as well. “You're right in saying I'm not strong. Not now, anyways. Time was, I could tear you apart simply by blinking. Now… Yeah, I'm slightly less than I used to be,” I admitted, distracting it as the unseen rumbling grew louder still. A sharp shrill of a whistle broke the air around us, echoing harshly against the walls and driving the nightmare to whatever it might still have to be considered knees.

“So, instead of a win-”

“You cannot win!”

“Yeah, duh. I know that. But did you know what it feels like to be hit by a train going over eighty miles per hour?”

It's eyes goggled, slowly glancing over to gaze at the light, growing brighter by the second, before flashing back to look at me.

“Hope you appreciate the life experience I'm giving you,” I quipped, loosening my muscles and preparing to go boneless, “Guess I'll be seeing you around. Choo-choo, mother buc-”

The train slammed into us at full speed, pain blossoming in my… well, everything. I was incoherent, mindlessly turning through the air as my broken limbs transmitted their discomfort to me. I felt blood pool in my lungs, my bones shattered through the remains of my torn muscles.

And then I woke up.





“Have a nice nap did we? Yes,” tutted the familiar tones of Long Coif.

I was resting on my side, on what looked to be a thin waiting couch. A common thing, it was well worn with its upholstery fraying near the edges. The faded yellow cloth browned near the corners, further telling of its true age.

“Did we move?” I asked, looking around. “I distinctly remember your walls being blue…”

My comment got a deep laugh from the crotchety old mare, as well as the poorly named thunder cat. What I didn't expect, was for their laughter to be joined by yet another's piercing chortles.

Peering upwards -and stealthily wiping away the drool that had crusted itself to the underside of my chin- I glanced into the eyes of another mare. Glanced. Then continued looking around, while inspecting her appearance in my periphery. Isn't polite to stare, after all.

She was middle aged, not yet elderly but certainly free of the ‘youth’ state of life. Her eyes crinkled as if in an unheard joke, the corners of her mouth creased into a slim smile. She wore a dress, elaborate and beyond my abilities to possibly describe or replicate. It was certainly more intricate than anything necessary for the surroundings.

Looking around let me see several dummy's, each adorned with various clothing. An inordinate amount of cowboy hats peppered the walls, although they warred with scarves and shawls for distinction of ‘the most plentiful’. I was in a clothes shop. Lacy umbrellas and all.

“Blue? That wouldn't do at all, no no no! All the colours would end up looking washed out, and the light would look completely different from inside to outside! No, a good deep yellow is tantamount. Can't have anything taking ones attention away from their acoutromount, could we?”

I did stare at her for a few seconds after that, trying to recollect my senses. She was certainly… passionate.

“Oh, where are my manners? My name is Strange. Strange Sweetness. Welcome to my shop little guy,” she greeted, gently patting me on the head as if I was some sort of dog.

“Uhmmm,” I stalled, “...it's a pleasure?”

My comment got another giggle, and a nod of her head.

“So… Not to say I'm not finding our current location to be a pleasant one, but what exactly are we doing here?” I asked.

“You were snorin’ so peacefully I couldn't bear to wake ya’,” Crab Apple admitted, “And while watchin’ you sleep might be the tippy top o’ some mares to-do lists, I like spending my time with more stimulatin’ company.” With this she gave a short jerk of her head towards the aforementioned Strange Sweetness.

“Your grandma told me-” I gave Crab an amused glance. She didn't seem too surprised about Stranges ‘mistake’, certainly not enough to speak out and correct her, “-that you were looking for a way to hide these beautiful wings of yours,” she paused, giving the one on my left a delicate stroke.

She gave a snear off to my left, prompting me to look at my apparently discarded saddlebags. They didn't look that bad, did they?

“One could better cover themselves with bogmud than with that ratty old thing,” she muttered, sending an apologetic glance to Crabapple. Crabby didn't seem to notice. Or at least she pretended not to… “Saddlebags are not fashionable. Definitely not day to day wear! Crab wanted me to just spruce up those old things, but I could not!” She crowed, a dangerous look dancing in her eye. “It would be a crime. A crime, I tell you! No, I had to find you something fashionable, yet functional all in the same breath. An evening coat wouldn't do, not in this climate. Neither would a raincoat! How foolish you would look, if I sent you out in such a yellow tinged monstrosity…”

“I thought yellow was good,” I joked, finding a lull in her monologue.

“For walls, mon cher!” she snapped, turning away. “For… duckie toys and curved fruit, certainly! But not a random coat, out here in the dust and cacti. Here it would be akin to wading around in galoshes! Bad form, at the worst!”

She took a couple seconds to wind down. I noticed that Long Coif had yet to talk this entire time, seeming content to sip from a mug of what I could only assume was tea.

“So, uhhh,” I started, trying to regain control over the conversation.

“Try on this!” she cut me off, flinging something over my head. I pawed at it, bringing it into eyesight. Seconds later I could hear her quietly groaning in irritation. “Mmmmmnnnnnnnnnn… No! Denim will simply not do. Not with the luster of your coat, it makes you look all washed out!” she declared, whisking the piece of fabric off of me before I could even properly assertion what it had been in the first place.

“Mmmm, no, too gaudy. … No no no, what is this a coastal town? … Pfff, what was I thinking? This is supposed to be for casual wear, not an evening soiree! … Ugh, rhinestones… they look so hideous but I need to move them… Oh goodness, that ones a dress… not to say you couldn't make it work, hon… No, too long in the collar. If I was trying to make you look like a turtle it might have been fine… Now how did this get back in here? I thought I burned you, you hideous affront to fashion!” she snarled, wadding up the most recent bundle of cloth and hurling it into a bin.

This continued for several minutes, ever to my dismay at the increasing bouts of stifled chuckling coming from the peanut gallery. I wasn't even given a chance to see what I was apparently trying on before each option was taken away. I had been at the political game for almost a thousand years, believe it or not I had learned how to coordinate my wardrobe.

“Oh yes, do go on…” she paused, for once letting me catch my breath before she threw another closet of clothing at my head.

My wings pressed down against my barrel, firmly yet not uncomfortably. Whatever she had managed to get on me seemed to fit pretty well, without any noticeable bulges.

“Ehn, not mah favorite colour,” spouted Crab Apple.

“Yes,” Strange agreed, cocking her head to the side. “Tan… almost brown is not the greatest choice for any ponies clothing, especially not in a dust bowl of a town like ours. Most ponies appreciate a little colour in their lives, something to spruce things up? Hmmm, but this!” She pointed suddenly at me, her face a rictus of declared victory, “This is contrast! This is a statement! Simple earthy tones at war with his very coat, tieing him to the ground in their embrace! There's just… something missing,” she trailed off, giving me a few seconds to inspect my… statement.

It was almost a plain brown coat, a duster if I could remember my terminology. It had a thickened mantle of cloth that draped down past my neck, almost reaching the floor. The tails of the coat came down behind me, and would most likely drag on the ground when I walked. For some reason, this didn't bother me all that much.

Something was lightly tugged down over my head, forcing me to gaze owlishly past the brim of whatever it was clouding my vision. Strange had a… strange look in her eye, almost quivering in place.

“Magnifique!” she declared, giving a sharp nod of distinct pleasure. Crab Apple gave a nod of her own, muttering-

“Ehn, ‘dun look horrible, I guess.”

“Oh please you old miser, you know he looks divine! Princess Celestia herself couldn't wear this better…”

“Would the dressmaker say as such before the Sun pony? Yes. No, I thinks not,” Long Coif giggled to herself, drawing a forced glare from Strange.

I tugged the hat down off my horn, peering down at it in my hood. A cowboy hat. Given the fact that the litany of cowboy hats littering the walls of the store was the first thing I noted upon waking up, this probably shouldn't have come as that big of a shock.

“I'm sure I look… lovely,” I started, pausing under the fierce gaze I had unwittingly attracted. “Unfortunately however, I am afraid I don't currently have access to such funds to be able to buy this ensemble. I thank you for your efforts, and for the rather… interesting jaunt through the closet, as it was.”

“No no no,” Strange refused, taking the hat from me and jamming it back over my horn. “I will not allow you to walk out of here with those tacky saddlebags. They are an affront to my senses-”

“Didn't seem to mind them last time,” Crab Apple muttered.

“I had groceries, and my bag had ripped. And you know full well I was complaining about that hideous thing the entire time,” Strange retorted, gaining a snark infused chuckle from Long Coif.

I heard a clatter of movement coming from upstairs, drawing my gaze from under the brim of… my new hat, apparently.

“Just think of it as an investment,” Strange assured me, “You wear my designs, ponies come asking about them, they end up buying other pieces… it's really a win win all around!”

Another flurry of movement sounded from upstairs, loud enough this time to draw everyone's attention.

“Oh, sounds like she's up,” Strange muttered, sheepishly scuffing at the ground. Seeing my questioning expression, she decided to elaborate without further prodding. “My daughter, Bitter Sweetness. I set her down for a nap not too long ago, seems like she's up and raring to go… all too soon,” she groused, the end of her speech lowered to a volume I'm sure she meant only for herself.

Another bump up above, and I heard the first of her daughter. All too soon, indeed.

“Take that Miss Muppsies! Such-”

No.

“-is the-”

No no no…

“Armstrong tradition!”

Nooooooooooo.