The Doctor and The Princess

The Steam Knight known as Unit M.19487-018220 awoke from his "sleep". With several small bursts of steam, followed by a large release of steam, his body came to life once more.

The amount of steam he was releasing would surely dampen the room, or even rust his shiny brass armor. To avoid scrutiny from his kinsmen, he decided to leave his room, and go to the deck of the ship.

With every step he made, small spurts of steam hissed from his joints.

He had long forgot the sensation of being human. The last time he had truly been human was a decade ago.

When he got to the deck, he found a figure was already there, which was odd. Unit M.19487-018220 was always the first to awake on this voyage.

The figure was leaning over the railing at the front of the ship, looking into the horizon. His powder blue cloak blew to his right with the ocean breeze, revealing his shiny black boots and black pants. His hood was down as well,  making his black hair, which came down just past his eyes, blow with his cloak.

Unit M.19487-018220 knew that the figure heard him approach, but was paying him no attention.

Diverting power to his voicebox, he prepared to speak to the figure.

Steam hissed from his shoulders as he formulated a sentence.

"QUERY: DOCTOR GII. HAVE YOU NOT SLEPT?" His voicebox boomed from his right shoulder. His voice didn't sound anything how it used to.

The figure turned his head to the right, looking at Unit M.19487-018220 out of the corner of his right eye, which was glowing a very bright blue. The figure, who Unit. M.19487-018220 recognized as Doctor Gii, was using the Phenomenon Equation for something. Probably examining the distance from the ship to the nearest landmass, Equestria. The Doctor then returned his attention back to the horizon.

A bright green continent was coming into view. The Doctor wouldn't have to wait long.

"Good morning, Kerkan." The Doctor said quietly. His voice sounded solemn.

Unit M.19487-018220 felt a faint sensation, albeit briefly. He hadn't been called that name in a very long time, and even so, only The Doctor seemed to remember it. Maybe it was because of the past they shared.

"REPEAT: DOCTOR GII, HAVE YOU NOT SLEPT?" He repeated. He stood completely still, small bursts of steam hissing out of random joints on his body. After a period of silence, Gii responded.

"No. I slept plenty the previous night." He answered. "How long has it been since you've slept, old friend?"

Unit M.19487-018220 didn't respond. The faint sensation within him resurfaced. Before he could respond, Gii turned around, facing him.

"An odd coincidence that our paths should cross again, old friend. I'm glad it's under happier circumstances. We're about 2 hours from the coast, in case you were wondering. I intend to heal this princess, and return to Inganock within the month. Kia left something for you before she passed. I'd like to give it to you when I return."

The Doctor was an extremely organized person. He probably already had the entire voyage planned out, with exact times on how long everything should take.

"KI...KIA?" The Steam Knight stuttered. The faint sensation within him flared up at the mention of Kia. He couldn't remember who she was, but for some reason, he almost felt an emotion. The sensation left him, leaving him feeling bothered. It was like when a sneeze escapes one who badly needs it.

Doctor Gii nodded at Unit. M19487-018220, and returned to leaning on the railing. His right eye began to glow again.

Neither the Doctor or the Knight spoke again.

The Doctor went back to staring at the horizon.

Unit M.19487-018220 turned around, and walked to the back of the ship.

Two hours later, the crew was wide awake, and preparing landing procedures.

Gii had not moved an inch.

Sailors ran about the deck, calling to one another. The sound of their feet on the metal deck drowned out the sound of the ocean splashing beneath the ship. Marines took their positions at the lookouts and on the deck, brandishing their rifles. The Steam Knights were in the engine room, using their immense strength to manually slow the engines of the ship by holding the large tubes which carried water to the furnace closed. Captain Aeterna calmly watched all of his men from the back of the ship.

Gii could see the harbor on the coast. He could also make out the small Equine creatures moving about the shoreline.

They were very close to docking.

Shining Armor walked up beside Gii, and immediately began briefing him.

"Alright Doc, we're officially in Equestria, so we can use some pretty powerful magic now. Equestria practically sweats magic. I wouldn't be surprised if your little eye trick is more powerful, too. Anyways, once we land, I can get us teleported to Canterlot, and we can get to work immediately." He explained, while looking at the horizon with Gii.

"We?" Gii asked. Shining Armor let out a single chuckle.

"Well, Nurse Redheart is currently at the palace, helping all she can. I'm also helping by dispatching every idle unit under my command to gather whatever supplies we need."

"Ah." Gii responded. For the first time in several hours, Gii lifted himself up off of the railing, and stretched. The ship was literally moments away from docking. He walked over to where the bridge would connect with the harbor, and the moment the ship had released it's anchors, he disembarked, with Shining Armor right behind him.

"Lead the way, Ambassador." Gii said, examining his new environment. Everything on this new continent was extremely bright and colorful. While it was certainly a refreshing contrast to the brown and gray city of Inganock, it was overwhelming. Gii noticed that many Equine creatures worked at the dock, and to his relief, he also noticed that none seemed to pay him any attention.

Dock workers. They see humans often. I should expect unwanted attention when we move further into the kingdom.

What struck Gii the most was something he hadn't seen in his entire life: trees.

He had heard of trees before, and the records from before the fog discussed them in length, but never had Gii seen trees before.

It appeared as if this kingdom, Equestria, was the polar opposite of Inganock.

Gii, albeit overwhelmed, was not excited nor fascinated. His neutral expression remained, which seemingly concerned Shining Armor.

"What, no questions? I mean, you ARE in a different kingdom. Is everything okay?" He asked. Gii's eyes finally met his.

"I'm here. Take me to your Princess." He responded coldly. Gii was here to get a job done. The sooner, the better.

"Alright, alright. Follow me." Shining Armor said, tilting his head to signal Gii to follow him. As they walked, Gii took note of everything.

Flowers. Trees. Blue water. Smiling citizens. Peace.

Everything Inganock was missing.

A small dirt path led away from the bustling harbor, through the forest. Gii followed beside Shining Armor as he led him through the thicket. Gii closely examined the trees as he walked past them all, noting their color and leaves. He wanted a chance to explore and study the greenery. Perhaps he could do so in between visits to this Princess.

"So, Doctor...uh..." Shining Armor started. "Have you always been a doctor?" He asked. He was attempting small talk with Gii.

"Yes." He responded. Shining Armor smiled.

"Really? Nothing beforehand?"

"Nothing." He answered. It bothered Shining Armor how Gii didn't look at him when he spoke.

"Well, I hope you like food! We've got a welcome party set up!" Shining Armor exclaimed, laughing nervously.

"Welcome party? How were you able to relay a message that we were coming?" Gii asked.

"Well, uh..." Shining Armor laughed nervously. "I may have been a little arrogant, and told everyone I would get you to come no matter what."

"Mm." Gii hummed in acknowledgement. Shining Armor swallowed. He was starting to become unsure of Gii. He hoped he was as good as he was made out to be.

The path ended in a clearing of the forest. At the end of the path was another Equine creature, standing near a stone arch that was a little taller than Gii.

"Star Sparkle, the portal, please." Shining Armor called.

"Yes General!" The Equine creature apparently called Star Sparkle called back. Star Sparkle's horn adopted a magical haze around it, and as it did, a water-like wall formed inside of the arch.

"Now, it may feel funny, but I promise you'll be okay." Shining Armor explained. "Just walk right through it."

With that last sentence, Shining Armor slipped through the arch. There was no sound, but the water-like wall seemed to ripple violently.

Gii approached the arch, and examined every detail of it. He activated the Phenomenon Equation, and scanned it thoroughly.

Star Sparkle appeared to be watching him in awe.

After a few seconds, results came back.

Ancient structure, artificial in nature.

Primarily made of limestone.

Imbued with magical properties.

Linked to a similar structure several hundred miles away.

Gii sighed, and straightened his cloak. He picked his feet up, and walked as he normally would, through the arch.

His vision grew so blurry that everything appeared gray, but he didn't feel anything.

Was he there already?

Gii could hear rustling and what sounded like whispers.

After a few moments, his eyesight was returning to normal, but Gii felt it was taking too long.

Using his Equation, Gii concentrated his healing on his eyes. His right eye flickered on, lighting up the bright blue it always did. Gii heard a collective gasp from what sounded like a crowd gathered in front of him. The equation quickly cleared up his vision, and he was able to see what was waiting for him.

"WELCOME, DOCTOR GII!" A crowd of equine creatures shouted. Gii appeared to be in a large garden, which was surrounded by walls. It appeared as if he had been teleported to the gardens within a big palace. Amassed directly in front of him was a crowd of equine creatures. There was a banner being held up by two equine creatures who were flying in the air, and in poorly drawn English, it read, "WELCOME DOCTOR GII!". The E was backwards, and the letters were randomly either uppercase or lowercase. A small equine creature, a child perhaps, left the crowd and approached Gii.

"Do ya like the banner, Doctor? Ah made it mahself!" It exclaimed. It was very small, with a pale yellow coat, and it sounded like a female. Another small equine creature, another child, called out from the crowd.

"Nuh uh! We helped too!" It called. The pale yellow creature turned around to the crowd, stomping her two front hooves.

"You're too chicken to come meet The Doctor, so ah made it!" It called back, sticking out it's tongue.

"It's wonderful. Where is the princess?" Gii asked.

"Good Doctor, she's asleep. Won't you enjoy this party with us? We prepared it ourselves. We wanted to make you feel welcome." Another creature explained, stepping from the crowd. This one had a gray coat and black mane, with light violet eyes. "I'm sure we ponies are similar to humans in the aspect of celebration."

It appeared as if these creatures called themselves ponies. The children must be fillies.

"There is nothing to celebrate. Take me to the princess." Gii said bluntly. The crowd seemed hurt by Gii's words. Deep down, Gii felt bad for being rude, but he WAS here for a reason. Another pony stepped from the crowd, this one with a white coat and pink mane. It had cyan eyes, and what appeared to be a red cross on it's flank.

This was the nurse Shining Armor mentioned.

"Doctor, I can take you to her. I'm Nurse Redheart, by the way. Follow me." She said. Gii nodded his head, and followed Nurse Redheart through the crowd and out of the gardens.

The moment he left, the crowd grew louder.

"Shining Armor, is he mad?" A pony asked. "What did you do?"

"Me? Nothing! Doctor Gii, he's a good human. I've seen his work, although it was only one patient. A little human kid that he gave a prosthetic leg. It's good work. But it's certainly...depressing, I guess would be the word." Shining Armor responded. A pink pony, seemingly full of energy, approached Shining Armor. The rest of the crowd dispersed, enjoying the party without the human it was intended for.

"Shining Armor!" The pony identified as Pinkie Pie called.

"Yeah?" He responded.

"Did you say that mister Gii is depressed?" She asked.

"I would guess so." Shining Armor answered. Pinkie Pie smiled widely.

"I bet I can fix that!" She nearly shouted, as she bounced off into the crowd.

The party was in full swing.

It was actually Luna's idea to have such a party for the Doctor.

Meanwhile, across the palace, Nurse Redheart led The Doctor through many corridors and hallways. They went up a staircase with purple carpeting, and were at the beginning of a long hallway. At the very end of the hallway was a large doorway with two doors, both decorated with crescents.

"That's her room. She's just in there." Nurse Redheart said, leading Gii down the hallway.

The hallway itself had no other rooms or decorations. It just had windows on the right side of it, which gave a view of the city near the palace.

Nurse Redheart reached the end of the doorway, and outstretched a hoof to the doorknob, turning it quietly. She then gently pushed the door in. It appeared as if she didn't want to wake the princess. Redheart held a hoof to her mouth.

"Shh..." She whispered. Gii nodded his head, and walked into the room.

The room itself was enormous. It was dimly lit, too. Dark azure curtains prevented the sunlight from entering through two massive windows at the back of the room. Two miniature staircases on opposite sides of the room led up to an elevated floor which contained a desk, and an enormous bed. On the wall near the bed was an orange decoration, the shape of the sun. At the center of the decoration, a small torch burned, which gave the room what little light it had.

In that bed was a pony Gii assumed was the princess.

She was larger than the ponies he had seen so far, and her mane seemed to be ethereal. Gii quietly walked across the room and up the staircase on the right, with Redheart following him.

He turned on his equation, and began examining Luna, who was fast asleep.

She was visibly sweating, and had a frown on her face while she slept.

The hologram popped out of Gii's eye, and a cyan light quickly scanned Luna from head to hoof several times over.

Nurse Redheart seemed surprised, but didn't say anything in fear of waking The Princess.

Luna stirred gently during her sleep, but did not appear close to waking.

That's when, for the first time in a year, Gii was legitimately surprised. His eyes even opened wide.

Results of the scan were completely useless.

Gii only got one message from the scan:

"ERROR".

Gii held his right hand above The Princess, and turned the Equation back on. This time, a large holographic apparatus appeared from his hand, along with the hologram outside of his eye. This should of allowed him to see The Princess' anatomical makeup, but once again, the holograms turned red, displaying the same message.

"ERROR".

This literally had never happened before.

Gii looked away from The Princess, his eyes darting back and forth while he thought. Nurse Redheart watched him with anticipation.

"H-Hello, Doctor..." A weak voice said. Gii immediately looked back to the Princess, surprise still in his eyes. "I don't feel very good..."

Redheart and Gii must have accidently roused her from her slumber.

"Princess Luna." Gii said, immediately dropping on one knee to be at level with her eyes. "I am Doctor Gii. I've travelled a long distance to help you. I need you to tell me what's happening."

Luna coughed, but was able to speak.

"I...I am unsure...It all started with an awful nightmare..." She said. Gii examined her every facial feature while she spoke. He noticed tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

"Do not recall it, Princess. Wait until I heal you." Gii quickly interrupted. He didn't want to see her cry. He held his hand out, and used the Equation in a different manner. Rather than a blue scanning light, a bright green light flashed on. It was a simple healing procedure. It would at least help her fever and cough, and any other small aches or pains.

Luna smiled very weakly while the wide-eyed doctor worked vigorously.

"Did you enjoy your party, Doctor? I thought, maybe, you might like it, and you would help me..." She asked. Her voice was slightly stronger, but still weak. Gii focused more energy into her, hoping for a better result.

"I apologize, but I was unable to experience it. I'm more focused on your wellbeing, Princess." Gii quickly looked over to Nurse Redheart "Please bring me some towels, and a fresh bedspread for the Princess. We don't want her lying in sweat."

Nurse Redheart nodded her head rapidly, and took the blankets off of Luna. She also removed the sheets out from underneath of her, and quickly trotted out of the room. Luna began to shiver violently, even though she was still sweating. Gii's mind worked rapidly, quickly ruling out several conventional diseases.

Although Gii hadn't sat down and studied the diseases of Equestria, something about Luna's situation felt strangely familiar to him.

He was confident that it wasn't some ordinary disease.

It never was when he was called in.

"Are you alright, Princess? You're shaking." Gii asked.

"I'm c-c-cold..." She chattered while she curled up in the fetal position. Gii stood up, and removed his cloak, revealing the dress shirt he was wearing. It was white with black, pink and purple stitching all over it. A black cross was on the large collar. He took the cloak, and draped it over Luna, who looked up at him with concern.

"B-but Doctor, I'm sweaty. It'll get wet." She objected, weakly trying to pry it off. Gii gently put his hand down on the cloak, preventing her from removing it.

"A cloak can be washed." Gii said. Luna's facial expression softened, and she rested her head on the hood of the cloak, no longer shaking. She started to close her eyes again, when her stomach rumbled.

"Have you eaten today, Princess?" Gii asked. Luna shook her head. Gii clicked his tongue in his mouth.

"What would you like to eat? I'll retrieve it myself." Gii said. Luna looked away for a moment while she thought.

"Carrots." She stated after a moment of thinking. Gii nodded his head, and went to turn around to leave when Luna stopped him. "And Doctor?"

"Yes, Princess?" He asked, turning back around.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you'll eat with me. I'd love to hear about your travels. Actually," Luna said bashfully. "I'd love to hear about you."

Gii maintained the same face he always had, and nodded his head again.

Gii passed Nurse Redheart in the hallway, but he paid no attention to her.

He walked back into the garden, and approached a table filled with food all over it. He grabbed a small tray that was stacked next to the food, and began filling it.

First, he grabbed several plump carrots. Next, he grabbed several celery stocks, a few spoonfuls of beans, and some grapes. Gii looked around on the table for something sweet to give Luna as a treat, but he didn't notice anything.

He also didn't notice that every single pony in the garden was staring at him. The party had seemingly froze. Gii turned around from the table, and faced the ponies.

"Excuse me, but do we have anything sweet here? I'm preparing a plate for the Princess." He explained.

"Aww! How sweet! You were right Shining Armor, he's a sweetheart!" Pinkie Pie cried out from the crowd.

"I didn't use THAT word..." Shining Armor muttered. Pinkie Pie ran up to Gii, and smiled widely.

"I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm the one who put this party together! I also baked all kinds of goodies!" She cried out again, smiling. "Right over there, at the table by those trees, there should be SOMETHING the Princess would like!"

"Thank you." Gii said.

"No, thank you, Mister Gii!" Pinkie Pie responded, happily bouncing back into the crowd. The crowd of ponies had returned to normal, seemingly content with Gii now. Gii walked over to the table that Pinkie Pie had directed him to.

"Huh." He thought outloud, examining all of the sweets.

" 'Scuse me mister, but ah never got ta introduce mahself!" A small voice below Gii exclaimed. Gii looked down, and there was the pale yellow filly from earlier. "Mah name is Applebloom! Mah friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, they ain't too brave about talkin' to ya, but they like ya!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Applebloom. Could you help me pick out some dessert for the Princess? I'm unsure of what  she would like." Gii said. He felt a tinge guilty about being rude earlier, and was now trying to redeem himself, although he was doing this subconsciously.

"Well gosh Doctor Gii, ah don't know...uh..." Applebloom went into a deep thought. Too deep for something as simple as picking dessert. "I suppose the cupcakes are tasty!" She exclaimed.

"Thank you, Applebloom. I must return to the Princess now. Extend my greetings to your friends." Gii said, grabbing two cupcakes from the pile amassed on a large tray. Applebloom giggled in response, and darted back off into the crowd. Gii grabbed two cups filled with what he assumed was soda of some kind, and balanced them on his tray.

Gii returned to Luna's room after navigating the maze of corridors inside of the palace. When he opened the door, he saw that the massive curtains had been pulled back, and the room was now full of light. The small torch on the sun decoration was now extinguished. Redheart and Luna sat on the large bed, talking.

Luna was now wearing Gii's cloak, rather than having it draped over her. Her forelegs were through the sleeves, and the cloak stopped just before her flanks, so it fit her oddly well.

Luna noticed Gii walk in out of the corner of her eye, and stopped her conversation.

"Gii!" She called. She stood up on the bed. When she did, the massive hood on the cloak drooped down over her face. With a giggle, she flicked it back behind her again, exposing her head. "Gii, I feel marvelous! I haven't felt this well in a long time! What did you do?"

"I eased your symptoms. It's difficult to explain, so I will do so later. Here. I brought food." Gii explained as he ascended the staircase in the room. He placed the tray of food on the desk near the bed. "Nurse Redheart, I brought you food as well."

"Thanks Doctor!" Redheart smiled. She then examined the food Gii had, and frowned. "Uh, Doctor. There's only two cups, and enough for two ponies to eat. Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes, Doctor, do you not wish to eat?" Luna added. Gii took out what looked like a cigar box from his pocket, and clicked it open. Inside were syringes. Gii removed a syringe filled with a yellow liquid, and pulled back his sleeve. He gently inserted the syringe into his wrist, and pressed down the plunger.

Both ponies in the room looked at him in confusion.

"Nutrients. They're all I need." Gii said, removing the syringe from his arm and rolling his sleeve back down. Luna used magic to bring the plate and drinks to Nurse Redheart and herself, but didn't take her eyes off of Gii.

"Good Doctor, surely that's not pleasant. Wouldn't you like some soup? Or maybe a cupcake? They're quite tasty!" Luna proclaimed. Gii shook his head.

"I have no appetite, Princess. But please, do eat." Gii said.

Luna and Redheart started to pick from the plate and eat together. While they went back to their conversation they were having before Gii walked in, Gii started to closely investigate Luna's body.

This makes no sense at all. How did such a simple operation do all this? Heal her this much?

No...No, there has to be more to this.

There IS more to this.

Gii's right eye flickered on, and he began to examine Luna once again.

This time, to his relief, he got results.

Blood type of A.

No signs of internal or external physical trauma.

Neurological readouts came out different, however.

If the Phenomenon Equation was correct, and it always was, Luna's mind was in overdrive. She was thinking about something very thoroughly.

"Luna." Gii started. His hologram flickered off, but the phenomenon equation remained active. He was watching to see if she was lying. "You said you had bad dreams, right?"

"Yes Doctor, absolutely horrid dreams. But I feel much better now!" She answered. She wasn't lying here. But Gii knew better than to stop here.

"Luna, do these dreams bother you an immense amount? Would you like to discuss them?" Gii asked again.

"Ah, no, Good Doctor. These are but dreams, and nothing more. I let go of them easily." Luna responded.

She lied.

"Thank you, Luna. That's all I needed to know." Gii said. Luna went back to her gossip with Redheart, while Gii went into thought.

Gii deactivated the equation, and allowed himself to think deeply.

Why would she lie?

Now I KNOW there's more to this.

Gii made a mental note of these oddities.

First, the equation wouldn't scan her.

Then she seemed violently ill.

Next, after a simple maneuver was performed to alleviate mild symptoms, she was completely restored.

Finally, she lied regarding her dreams.

Gii didn't like to sneak around his patients, but he had no choice here.

He would wait for Luna to sleep tonight, he would use the phenomenon equation to peer into her mind, and see what's happening.

Perhaps that would yield more answers.

"Princess Luna, where will I be staying?" Gii asked. Luna's eyes opened wide. She swallowed a bite of carrot before speaking.

"How rude of me! At the back of my room is a door that leads to a hallway with two other doors! The door on the left is yours, the right is Nurse Redheart!" She said, apologizing.

It's probably a good thing I'll be so close to her. And it makes sneaking in here tonight much easier. Gii thought.

"I hope you don't mind being so close to us, Doctor Gii." Redheart chimed in, smiling. Gii looked over his shoulder, at the door that led to his room.

"I'm going to retire for the evening. I have research to take care of." He stated. Both Luna and Redheart cocked their head in confusion.

"But it's only 5 o'clock, Doctor?" Redheart questioned. Gii just nodded his head, and walked down through the room, and to the door.

His room was large. Larger than the room he had at his apartment. The far wall was not a wall at all, but a giant window. The other walls were painted a light violet, and the bed, which was tucked away in the far right corner of the room, shared this color scheme on it's sheets and pillows. Across from the bed was a large desk, which was completely empty except for several books with blank pages, quills, and a well of ink.

"Perfect." Gii muttered to himself. Normally, someone may be upset with the lack of materials at a desk, but this gave Gii plenty of room and opportunity to study and research in this room. Perhaps he could go collect flowers from the garden after the party died down.

Gii walked over to the window-wall, and opened the curtains wide. He then walked over to the desk, and scooted the chair out, taking a seat.

Gii had plenty to think about and reflect on.

Just in the other room, Luna and Nurse Redheart were still eating and gossiping. The moment The Doctor left the room, the topic of the gossip shifted.

"So, how do you like The Doctor, Luna?" Redheart asked, chomping off a bite of a new carrot. Luna blushed, which was barely visible from under her azure coat, but still apparent.

"Uhh...A lot?" She responded. Redheart giggled.

"He is kinda cute, huh? First human I've ever interacted with, and wowzers. His eyes get me." She cooed. "And when I came back and saw you wearing his cloak, I mean, what a sweetheart!"

"His eyes, I know! When he knelt down to meet my eyes, for a moment, I felt as if I wasn't sick! And this cloak, oh..." Luna sighed.

These two ponies, a Princess and a Nurse both abandoned all forms of professionalism and became fillies with a crush for the moment being. Redheart, however, adopted a more serious look at the mention of Luna's illness.

"Luna, speaking of being sick, how do you feel? While I would love to believe The Doctor is a miracle worker, it's still hard to believe that something that had made you feel this bad for so long just vanished." Redheart looked Luna in her eyes. Luna lost her blush, and also adopted a more serious tone.

"I feel fine, Redheart. I don't know what Gii did to me, but I really feel absolutely fine. I almost feel guilty. The poor Doctor travelled all this way for nothing." Luna explained.

"Princess, while it would be great for you to be all better, I don't think we should send Gii home just yet. Celestia hasn't even met him yet. As cute as he is, he still has to pass Celestia's standards before we let him do anything for you. When will she be home, by the way?" Redheart asked.

"Sometime tomorrow. She's visiting Ponyville, currently."

The two ponies sat on Luna's bed for several more hours, gossiping and giggling like fillies again. It was amazing how close the two had bonded, having spent a year together. Redheart had been there when Luna took a turn for the worse, or when she seemed to be healing, and Luna, in turn, became a good friend to Redheart.

She was almost as close to Luna as Celestia was.

Around midnight, Redheart decided to go to bed.

When she entered the hallway, her curiosity and generosity got the better of her.

She wanted to say goodnight to Gii, and check on him at the same time.

She went to his room, and peered through the keyhole, so she could make sure he wasn't busy.

Gii was standing at the far end of the room, facing out of the large window. A full moon, raised by Celestia in Luna's absence, illuminated the room, making Gii nothing more than a silhouette against it.

No lights were on in the room.

Gii didn't appear busy, but something told Redheart she should leave him be.

Just as she was going to turn her head away and go to her room, Gii's head turned. Although he was nothing more than a silhouette, his right eye was shining a bright blue. This startled Redheart.

"Eep!" She blurted out, throwing herself away from the keyhole.

With several quick breaths and weak chuckles, Redheart found her way back to her bedroom.

She would check on Gii in the morning.

Little did she know, Gii would be up far before her.

In fact, Gii wasn't going to be sleeping at all.

A little past 3 AM, Doctor Gii was still standing at the window, watching the night sky.

"Gii. Gii, I think it's time. Please be careful. We know what's waiting for us." Kia's voice echoed in his head. This was the first time that Gii had heard Kia's voice while in Equestria, but it was much louder, much more clear. It was as if she was in the room with him.

Gii crept up to Luna's beside, and prepared himself. He brought the chair in his room with him, and placed it right next to her. He silently activated the Phenomenon Equation, and started to link his mind to hers.

There were plenty of dangers with this.

If Luna's nightmares were particularly violent, Gii could die in reality, if he dies in the dream. This creates even more problems, because, if Gii dies in reality, Luna will die, as well. The same applies to if Luna dies in her dream. Gii would follow her to the grave.

They also wouldn't be able to wake up, unless Luna woke herself up.

Luckily, Luna would still have control over her dream, and Gii would also have limited abilities, due to their link.

Gii didn't want to have to do things this way, but, he needed to get to work as soon as possible. And if Luna wouldn't cooperate, that was fine. He would work around her.

He closed his eyes, and gently brushed Luna's mane to the side. It felt as if he was moving his hand through a gentle breeze. If he had the time, Gii would also like to study Luna's mane, now that it had piqued his interest.

Gii was now completely in tune with Luna's mind. The next time he would close his eyes and open them, he would be inside of her mind with her, experiencing the same dream she was.

He inhaled slowly, and closed his eyes.

With a very slow exhale, Gii slowly opened his eyes, revealing just what Luna was seeing.

Gii was now in a clearing of a very dark forest at night. At the very end of the clearing sat Luna, who was overlooking a black lake. Gii sighed in relief, and quickly approached Luna.

His boots crunched the dead leaves and branches beneath his feet.

"Luna?" Gii called, approaching her.

She didn't respond.

As Gii got closer, he could hear her humming some kind of melody.

"Luna? It's Gii." Gii said, approaching her.

Gii placed a hand on her neck, and that's when it happened.

Luna lept around, tackling Gii to the ground.

His head smacked the forest floor hard, making his eyesight grow brighter for a moment. Luna climbed on top of him, and put her face right in front of his.

This wasn't Luna.

This creature had a mouth from ear to ear, and it contained many jagged, bloody teeth. It's eyes were wild and dilated, it's mane unkempt, and it's tongue rolled out of it's mouth. It was like a long, pointed black tentacle.

"Doooctor Gii!" The Monster cried out in it's distorted voice. It laughed wildly, and ran it's tongue across Gii's cheek. "We've waited SO, LONG!" It screamed in his face.

Gii, oddly, kept his calm demeanor. Instead of panicking, he began to manipulate the dream. He remembered the Marines aboard the S.S. Blacknight, and all of the sudden:

"I'VE GOT YOUR BACK, DOCTOR!" A voice called out. The crack of brass rifles filled the air.

The Monster screeched in pain, and lept off of the Doctor, running into the lake.

As it was submerging itself, it turned around, and smiled at Gii while it's face slowly slipped beneath the water.

It easily was the most disturbing thing The Doctor had seen in a year.

"It's not over, Doctor..." The Creature mouthed at Gii.

A brass-plated hand grabbed Gii's, and lifted him up to his feet. Gii had successfully manipulated the dream into creating the Marines he saw on the S.S. Blackknight. When he got to his feet and looked at the lake, The Monster was gone.

"Doctor, are you okay?" One of the Marines asked. As Gii was opening his mouth, the squad of Marines quickly turned around, aiming their rifles.

Another Luna was approaching.

This one looked incredibly terrified.

"Stand down." Gii ordered. The Marines immediately did so, lowering their rifles. "Luna!" Gii called. "This is a dream! Time to wake up! We've got much to discuss!"

"O-Okay..." Luna called back.

Gii, although he had only been in the dream for a total of 5 minutes, he had seen all he needed to. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he was back in the chair beside Luna. Luna, however, now had her forelegs wrapped around Gii's neck, and was sobbing violently.

"D-Doctor...I told you I was fine...that they were just dreams..." She managed to say in between sobs.

"Nobody has a dream like that for 365 consecutive days and it be a coincidence." Gii responded. Luna sobbed harder, and really started squeezing The Doctor. When she eventually released him, she was still sobbing gently, but was able to talk.

"Luna, I need you to tell me everything. Now." Gii demanded. He didn't like being so blunt, but she needed to come clean immediately. Luna sighed.

"Every night, that THING, it chases me in my dreams. At first, I could get away. Then it got closer, and closer, and..." Luna shivered. "Then, it started catching me. It started getting harder and harder to wake up..." Luna sniffled. Her eyes started to well up again. "What you did, that's the first time anyone's ever chased it off...thank you Doctor. Thank you so much!" She wailed.

She started sobbing hard again, and pulled Gii back into a one-sided hug.

Gii's arms just dangled at his sides.

What was apparent, is that whatever this thing is, it preyed on Luna's fear. And Luna seemed to be full of fear for this thing.

Gii first needed to figure what this thing was. It could be anything from a manifestation of extreme emotion to a spirit attempting possession of Luna. Whatever it was, this was surely killing the Princess, albeit slowly and painfully.

Luckily, Gii had methods to prevent Luna from having any dreams at all when she slept. This was not a permanent fix, as it required Gii to be near Luna in order to work. It did, however, give him plenty of time to research and prepare, all while keeping The Princess safe.

"Luna, I want you to go back to sleep." Gii said while Luna was releasing her grip on him.

"What?" Luna asked, with tears in her eyes. Gii picked up his cloak, which she had folded and put by the side of her bed, and handed it to her.

"I'm going to stay awake, and monitor your sleep. I can prevent you from having dreams by limiting and manipulating your REM sleep. You won't have any dreams." Gii explained. Luna, wide eyed, examined The Doctor for any signs of doubt he may have.

She couldn't find any.

"Promise?" Luna asked, holding out her hoof. Gii placed his hand over her hoof, and squeezed gently.

"Promise. Get some sleep, Princess. We have much to discuss and research in the morning."

"And you'll wake me if I start to have a bad dream?" She asked nervously.

Gii nodded his head.

Luna slipped on Gii's cloak, and took her spot back on the bed.

Gii sighed deeply, although it was silent.

He activated the phenomenon equation, and prepared for the rest of the night ahead of him.