Luna and David stared at each other for a long moment, breathing heavily, the adrenaline slowly receding from their systems. Luna motioned for David to follow her out of the castle, and they slowly made their way through the dark and twisted passages of the nightmarish dreamscape. David watched as Luna's hips swayed hypnotically as she walked, her steps causing the nightmarish quality to slowly recede, leaving behind what looked like a fairy castle, and suddenly they were in a white room, with nothing more than two wing-backed chairs. David looked at Luna, who was now magically cleaning nightmare guts and blood out of her gorgeous fur. He shed his armor, leaving only his fatigues on for modesty's sake. Luna had shed most of her armor, leaving only a pair of shorts and a tight-fitting shirt between her birthday suit and the world. Luna motioned for him to have a seat in one of the chairs, and he complied as she sat down in the other. "Now, we are in a blank dreamscape tonight, you may shape it as you see fit. It is my first gift to you, David. In one week, I will bring you the second. but for now, sleep tight." And with that the beautiful mare faded out of the dream, leaving David sitting in all the empty space.

David sighed as he began to let his imagination take over, creating a forge that burned with the heat of the heart of a volcano, an anvil made out of adamant, and all the tools of that noble trade of blacksmith. Even in the dream realm, David loved to practice crafts other than war-fighting. He had seen enough wars, and wanted to do something else. Luna's gift gave him more that she knew, it gave him a way to escape the dreams of his times in combat. The deft strokes of his hammer began shaping the billet of steel into a wonderful alicorn, and after a polish, he blued it to the midnight shade of Luna. Even though he knew it was a dream, it was still a break from reliving every single day of hellish war he had been a participant in.

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Luna awoke in her bed, wondering how the decision she had made would affect both her and the human. The problem Luna was contemplating was one of deep complexity. Humans, as a rule, were not supposed to be able to cross over to the world of Equestria, however, the human spirit was easy to move across realms. Now, David may be the soldier she needed, but until he passed away, there was no way of actually bringing him to her side without the use of a portal. Creating a body would be easy, and Luna, as Ruler of the Night, had access to some very dark magic. She could create any body she desired, the only limitation being her power and imagination. Moving the spirit into the body was also a relatively simple and straightforward process, yet this human looked like he was still in perfect health. She moved her covers aside, revealing her voluptuous body, she slept in only her birthday suit, and if anypony had looked in at that moment, they would have seen an unforgettable sight, the princess in all her glory. Perfectly proportioned, with a body toned from good eating habits and exercise. The body of a goddess. The body that no one had ever seen fully except for very few special someponies throughout the ages. Not since before she had been banished to the moon had anyone seen her fully unclad. Many dreamed of seeing and feeling the body of the goddess of the night, but it was reserved for those who Luna deemed trustworthy. Even her own sister, Celestia, was in the dark about how Luna's body looked now.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice scars, faded and hidden beneath the fur, but there were long claw marks. What happened to her in the dream realm, because she was so tied to it, happened to the mortal body. Everything short of death. Luna had grown very skilled at healing magic to keep her sister from asking her why she looked like she had picked a fight with a pack of wolves. (Which she had.... several times.... the amount of nightmare fuel that those fucking timberwolves could produce...). The scarring was covered by her fur, thankfully, but she still had to be careful. That is why she needed a second person with her. She could go alone, but it was far better to have someone watching your six for you. She had tried many humans, but very few had picked up on her needs and simply accepted what was going on. David seemed to have accepted that he would die eventually, and therefore simply took everything in stride.

She turned on her shower and stepped under the wonderful hot downpour. She groaned in pleasure as the soothing liquid eased her aches and pains, causing her to shiver with delight as the water poured across her feathers making her almost orgasm from the sheer feeling of warm water massaging her body. Once she was done with her rather pleasurable shower, she donned her royal regalia, the dress and crown befitting her status as one of the rulers of Equestria, but underneath the dress she wore a pair of combat boots, and she had a long-knife hidden up her right sleeve. This was always with her... because nobles could be so damnably persistent... Although, once they caught sight of one of the night guards, or the handle of the knife, they decided that perhaps it would be better to bother Celestia.

The stairs to the room where she held her court had been made so that if necessary, guards could fly down them rapidly to protect the princess. Luna had other ideas, and she spread her wings, soaring down the long hallway, loving the rush of the air past her face as she landed at the entrance to her audience chamber, steeling herself for the few nobles that were stubborn enough to stay up past any reasonable hour, just to bring their petty problems before the Princess of Night. She should need a stiff drink after this... two bottles of Applejack Daniels, or maybe some of that brew from northern ponies that they called Vodka.

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David awoke, feeling more refreshed than he had ever before. The waking dream that the creature Luna had given him certainly refreshed his body, and his mind. He had long accepted that there was nothing he could do to change the past, but that still did not keep his conscience from sending him nightmares about what could have been. His first day of retirement... it felt strange, not having a set schedule. For most of his life, he had had a predictable, repetitive schedule, where he knew exactly what he was supposed to do, and when. He walked to his kitchen, savoring the sunlight pouring through the bay window into his living room. Wondering what to do now, and most of all, wondering if his dream had been real...

Author's Note

This chapter was a bit difficult due to a slight case of writer's block, and TBWIO is on Hiatus until either I finish this story, or figure out where I want to go with the next chapter. I have no definite update set, but hopefully I will get another chapter up by the end of 2016.