End Of The Arrowby XimerChaptersWelcome To EquestriaFollow The RiverDream CatcherWelcome To EquestriaThe smell of smoke was heavy in the air, as the hollow beast ravaged Whitetail Woods. Flo had fled for her life when the meandering monstrosities arrived, shambling from the woods to burn whatever they came into contact with. Her entire village had been turned into burning rubble within a matter of minutes. She had heard stories of creatures that reminded her of what had attacked her village, but she had dismissed them as nothing more than tales mothers told their fawns. A story couldn’t burn a village though, which led her to believe there was some truth to this particular legend. Flo stopped for a second to catch her breath, her eyes still wide with terror as the moans of the beast echoed around her. The doe shook her head, trying to stick to her plan of action. She reasoned that the creatures would stop at the river, since they seemed to be made of fire. Even if they didn’t she could at least follow it out of the forest. The thought of leaving Whitetail Woods terrified Flo the more she thought about it. Like most of her tribe, she had never seen the outside world, and only heard what her elders told her about it. They would answer to the laws laid down by the one called Celestia. Occasionally unicorns would come through their village, looking for rare herbs and other resources that were carefully guarded. One of which was the most precious of all, protected by her family in particular. While unicorns were the self-proclaimed masters of magic, challenged only by their alicorn counterparts, it was the deer that were the creators of some of the most potent healing spells in existence. Many had come in search for their secret, but had left disappointed. The tribe had shared all it was willing to long ago, and no amount of bartering could sway them. The magic was meant to benefit others, they feared such power could be corrupted and used for ill, resulting in further isolation. Despite this, some ponies had settled in her village, mostly older unicorns that roamed the world and eventually came to rest in Whitetail. Flo never saw anything wrong with that, and enjoyed listening to their stories from time to time; she could only hope they were okay. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud moan that devolved into a gargle to her right. Standing roughly ten meters from her was one of the beast that had ruined her home. The fire danced brightly off its body, licking at the leaf covered branches above it. “Stay away!” Flo screamed, bolting away from the creature with renewed energy. The doe heard what sounded like something crashing, followed by the beat of steps behind her. They sounded exaggerated and heavy. Flo could only assume it was the beast, and that it had dropped onto all fours, as the steps were soon accompanied by heavy breaths. Flo ran through thickets, thorns patches, and vines in an attempt to slow the creature down. What would normally be a hindrance to predators did little to the fiery behemoth behind her. It let out an agitated roar powerful enough to cause a hot wind to brush against her fur. Flo chanced a quick glance behind her and saw the creature gaining on her, setting flame to the occasional dry or rotting log as it passed by. Before she could turn back around, the doe found herself tumbling down a steep embankment towards the river’s edge. Flo forced herself back onto her hooves and padded across the water, as if it were dry land as she manipulated nature. If she were a buck she might stand a chance at defending herself, but with no horn to speak of she was completely dependent on her theory about the odd creature with no offensive spells to speak of. “Please go away, please go away…” Flo chanted quietly as the creature in question approached the river bank. It paused for a moment, as if considering what to do, before slowly lowering its burning hand into the water. At first Flo thought the creature was extinguishing itself as smoke rose from the river’s surface, until she watched as the steam was followed by a siphon of water that formed an almost gelatinous arm, dripping sloppily onto the moist rocks beneath the shifting creature. Where once a creature made of flame had stood was now what could only be described as a moving water sac with arms. It waded across the river and quickly towered over Flo while she was still stunned by the sudden change in the creature’s make up. “W-what…are you?” Flo stammered. The creature only gargled as it raised a large arm high above its makeshift head, in preparation to bear down on the deer. She was exhausted, and had no energy left to run from the sentient blob. Flo closed her eyes, bracing herself for her inevitable end. Just as the doe’s life started to flash before her mind’s eye, it was interrupted by a loud splash, followed by what sounded like pottery shattering. A single, pained groan replaced the unsettling howls and gargles of the creature that had been trying to attack her. The deer cautiously opened her eyes, not quite sure what to expect. What lay in the creature’s place caused Flo’s head to tilt curiously the more she studied it. It had a concentrated patch of hair on what she concluded what it’s head, and smalls portions along what appeared to be forelegs that looked like long claws. The being had a decently lengthy torso, and two hind legs that ended in strange coverings. It’s muzzle was short, almost nonexistent. The longer she looked it over, Flo concluded it lacked a muzzle entirely, but couldn’t come to a solid conclusion as to what she was seeing. Cautiously, Flo moved closer to her rescuer in an attempt to get a better look at…him? Yes, that much she was sure of now, given his scent it was definitely a male. She was just about to clear her throat to speak when he shifted and rolled his head to the side. Something deep within Flo triggered her flight response and drove her to hide behind a nearby rock as best as she could. Flo wasn’t quite ready to leave this creature yet though. It had saved her from….whatever it was that was chasing her, so she reasoned that if he was around she would be left alone. With that in mind, she decided to wait until morning to determine what to do, as exhaustion began to set in over the deer’s tired muscles. A rocky river bank wasn’t what she had in mind for a bed, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and right now she couldn’t afford to be picky. Flo didn’t consider her circumstances too long, as sleep enveloped her mind. The next morning, Flo was awoken by the cheerful tune of nearby birds. Memories of last night slowly began to come back to her, and she forced herself up onto her tiered legs. She had to find help, where and how was a problem she would address when the time came for it, but for now she had to concentrate on getting out of the forest. As Flo rose to her full height, she noticed the creature from the night before. He hadn’t moved from the position she had last seen him in. She felt a tinge of guilt for leaving him like that, but she wasn’t sure if he was dangerous or not. The doe sighed, knowing she at least needed to check on him. He had saved her, so she owed him that much. Mustering up what courage she had, she slowly approached the sleeping being, poking him once, only to dash away a few feet. Flo watched as the only movement from the creature was the slow rise and fall of his chest, he was still asleep. “H-hey…” Flo whimpered meekly. “Y-you need t-to wake up…” Once more, Flo tapped him with her hoof, using a bit more force this time to shake him slightly. The doe held her composure as she stood statue still, waiting for something to happen. There was still no reaction from the slumbering beast. Flo’s fear was beginning to be replaced by agitation as she tried again to wake him up. Alas nothing seemed to be working, which drove the deer to more drastic measures, ones that involved a bit of magic. Flo’s eyes started to glow a bright green as a small ball of water formed just above the river. It slowly drifted over to the sleeping creature and hovered just above its head. The glow in Flo’s eyes faded, and the water lost what little form it had been given, splashing the creature in the face. Flo’s fear quickly returned as the being shot up in surprise from his rather rude awakening. Her muscles froze as she watched the creature’s head dart from side to side. Eventually his gaze fell on her, and the two stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity. His dark brown eyes matched his hair, and finally brought him into perspective for the doe. “H-hi…” Flo said quietly. “What the actual hell!?” was the creature’s response, as he stumbled backwards into the shallow end of the river. Flo screamed and put plenty of distance between herself and the creature that was now flailing to get out of the water. As he climbed out, the doe lowered herself slightly, prepared to take off at the first sign of trouble. The creature just stared at her in disbelief as he started to drip water from his wet form. Now that he was standing Flo could clearly see that this creature was taller than her. She estimated him to be at least a buck and a half tall. “Deer can’t talk…” the creature said with a troubled smile. “Th-this is just a dream.” “What do you mean Deer can’t talk?” Flo huffed, slightly offended at the undermining of her tribe. “Deer are a proud tribe, and I’ll have you know I take offense to such blatant lies!” The creature’s eyes widened in shock “Uh…what…” “What are you?” Flo asked. “I…I’m a talking, I mean a human…I’m human…” the human mumbled. “Are all members of your tribe this complex?” Flo raised an eyebrow, fairly certain that this “human” posed little threat to her, for now. “Complex?” the human asked in return. “Difficult to understand,” Flo said, assuming he was ignorant to the definition of the word. “I know what it means, and no…wait, why am I talking with a deer, this is a dream,” The human shook his head. “You don’t exist.” Flo snorted and trotted up to the human, her fear completely evaporating into annoyance. The doe gave the human a sharp push with her foreleg, which put the human into a sitting position on the ground. She glared at the nameless creature, ensuring that he knew she was no dream. “My name is Flo, daughter of Grey Horn, and I am no dream,” Flo said. “Okay…you’re real…” the human said quietly. Flo sighed and slowly stepped back, sitting down on the rocky bank across from him. “If I may ask, what is your name?” “Lane…” the human replied. “Well Lane, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life last night,” Flo said. “I saved you?” Lane asked. “Yes, don’t you remember?” Flo tried her best to mask her look of concern. “No, I don’t remember much of anything, I don’t even know how I ended up next to a river with…talking deer, no offense intended,” Lane replied. Flo stood up and circled Lane once, looking him over before standing in front of him once more. “You have no idea where you are….do you?” “None, so what is this place?” Lane asked. “Um…welcome to Equestria,” Flo replied sheepishly. Follow The River"Equestria, right...where's that?" Lane asked. Flo opened her mouth to reply but stopped upon realizing that she had never asked, or had been asked such a question. Truthfully, she lacked an answer for the human and herself as well; which made her reflect on her life in reclusion briefly until a cough from Lane pulled her from her thoughts. "Umm...to be honest, I'm not exactly sure," Flo confessed with a blush. The fact that a deer was blushing at all only added to the amount of nonsense Lane's brain was trying to process. "Don't you live here?" Lane crossed his arms. "I've never been outside of the forest before," Flo circled her hoof against the ground. "Now I don't have any choice, I need to find an alicorn named Celestia." "Right, because I can help with that," Lane said dismissively with an eye roll before walking off, dusting his pants and shirt free of the caked mud that had gathered on him. “If you don’t know where Equestria is, than how did you get here?” Flo pressed him for answers. “Honestly, I’m not sure,” Lane shrugged. “Maybe I’m near death and this is all just a result of the meds they give you, maybe this is real and I fell through a wormhole or something, I can’t really say.” Try as he might, Lane couldn't remember much of the previous day at all. The last thing he remembered was taking his dogs out like he always would, going about what needed to be done, but those events weren't from yesterday or last night. It was as if an entire day had simply vanished from his memory, no matter how had he tried to recall what could have brought him here. "What kind of necklace is that?" Flo asked once Lane's shirt no longer covered his body. Lane cocked an eyebrow at her before glancing down at his chest, taking note of the small object dangling from the looped string that circled his neck. "It's just a dream catcher, my girlfriend gave it to me, being into the spiritual stuff." "Girlfriend?" Flo mumbled. "Yeah..." Lane shook his head as if attempting to free himself from some sort of dazed state. "I guess it's been a while since she made it." Lane heard something break as he started to take off his shirt to wring it out. He looked down beneath his feet to notice a piece of dried clay. While it didn't seem too out of place at first, it was the shape and markings that held his focus. At first glance it looked like a clay arm of some sort of doll. "I hope this wasn't yours," Lane said, forgetting about his shirt and necklace for the moment, picking up the broken arm. Flo cautiously approached the human to study what he was presenting to her. As her attention shifted completely on the clay object, she realized now that was what she had heard last night. When this human appeared she had heard the familiar sound of pottery or glass breaking. Why it had come from such a creature she didn't know, but she was certain her ears hadn't deceived her last night, and seeing it now only confirmed what she had heard. Seeing what had shattered did little for her curious mind, however, and only added more questions to the ones she already had. The longer Flo stared at it the more uneasy she felt. It was as if she was doing something she wasn't supposed to do. The feeling continued to swell within her, until she forced herself to look away. "You okay?" Lane asked. "Yes, I'm fine," Flo replied. "Cool," Lane said before carelessly chunking the piece of clay over his shoulder. "What are you, dense!?" Flo shouted as she rushed to try and retrieve the fragment of her attacker. "What, it's just a broken clay doll, what's the deal?" Lane asked. "That, good sir, was part of my attacker!" Flo fumed. "No foolin?" Lane asked halfheartedly. “Do humans take anything seriously?” Flo asked. “In case you haven't noticed, I'm a five foot nine inch human in the middle of who knows where, talking to a deer who claims to have been attacked by pottery,” Lane replied. "What part of this do you expect me to take seriously?" Flo seldom wanted to resort to violence to solve problems, it simply wasn't her way of dealing with things. She preferred logic and reason, like many of the friendly unicorns that had once lived with her tribe did. This human, however, was pushing every last nerve the doe had. Still, Flo was a mature deer. This human seemed to be mature as well, age wise anyways, and was just confused. She simply had to get through to him and calm him down a bit. "I get it, you're out of your comfort zone," Flo said trying to remain calm. "But like it or not this is path fate has led you to. You can either sit here and sob like a fawn, or follow me out of the forest." Lane quietly crossed his arms once more. He hated when a woman was right, what made this worse was that it wasn't even a real woman, it was a deer. He hunted these things for food and sport, and here he was being talked down by one. If the roll reversal wasn't shameful enough, this glaring fact just added insult to injury. "How do I get home?" Lane asked. "I don't know," Flo replied. "But, Celestia might be able to help, she may even know where you come from." "I can't believe I'm doing this," Lane groaned after a long pause before throwing on his shirt. "Lead the way." Flo nodded in approval and motioned with her head for the human to follow her. In truth, she was only following her mother's instruction on how to leave the forest, and once they left the woods, she would have no idea where to go from there. Still, the human was calm for now, and he had proven to be effective against whatever those monsters were. With the lingering possibility of another attack, his presence was appreciated. Flo felt confident with him around, even if it wasn't a buck, beggars couldn't be choosers in terms of some form of defense. The two continued to travel in relative silence for a while, the only audiabkle confirmation of the human's presence were the heavy foot falls, and snapping branches. The longer Flo silently observed Lane, the more comfortable she became with him. Surely such a lumbering creature couldn't possibly cause harm to her, and even if he tried, he could never catch her. "So," Lane spoke up, ruining her train of thought. "Care to explain this magic stuff? Since god only knows how long I'll be here." "Well," Flo started. "For my tribe, our magic is influenced by the aura that flows through nature. We can't manipulate the lifeless objects like unicorns can." "At this point I'm not going to question the possibility of unicorns," Lane mumbled to himself. Flo shrugged, which disturbed Lane even more, as well as raised more questions about what else she could do that other deer couldn't. The doe continued with her explanation, going on about numerous factors that related to magic. After the first five minutes, Lane's selective hearing kicked in and allowed his mind to wonder off. Lane drifted in and out of focus from listening to Flo, retreating back to his own thoughts when the wonders of this world started to sound a little too far-fetched. He was suddenly brought back to reality at the sight of several rows of burnt trees. Flo had also noticed, and had come to a complete stop, shaking occasionally as her wide eyes took in the sight. The doe crossed the much shallower section of the river to the other bank, leaving Lane to play catch up with the agile deer. "Whoa," Lane said in a hushed voice as he stopped by Flo's side, observing a rather unsettling sight. Before the two of them were miles of scorched earth. There was nothing left but dried remnants of what had once been a proud, mighty forest. Quiet crackles of flame within the darkened wood could still be heard, even as some of the trees crumbled in places. "They...destroyed everything," Flo said quietly, her ears drooping as she spoke. “Not everything, but it looks like a good chunk of this forest is gone,” Lane sighed. “Whatever did this must have started a wild fire.” “They were made of fire,” Flo said. “Monsters, made up entirely of fire…but the one chasing me changed when it touched water. I thought it would extinguish the flames and stop it, but it just kept coming." “And then I stopped it?” Lane asked. "More like fell on it, but close enough," Flo said, her ears lifting a bit. "Let's keep moving then," Lane said. "This will all grow back, someday." "I know," Flo nodded sadly as she followed the human back down the hill. Celestia was pacing, Luna knew took this as a terrible omen before she even addressed her sister. Celestia was not one display stress, even in the privacy of their rooms. Whatever was on her mind must have been eating away at her throughout the day. "Sister," Luna spoke up after a long period of silence had passed. "You're pacing." "I am not pacing, Luna," Celestia replied. "I'm simply trying to think." "Which is what one would consider pacing, would they not?" Luna asked. "An entire forest, an entire population doesn't just go up in flames without cause or reason. The woods were is season, yes, but the deer would never consider such a vast amount of purging. Even if it was an accident, that doesn't explain why we haven't heard from any of them," Celestia said. "This does little to ease the cutie mark predicament, which we still have no reasonable cause or solution." "Perhaps it wasn't an accident?" Luna offered. "No pony in their right mind would dare harm Whitetail Woods," Celestia replied. "Then it is another anomaly than?" Luna asked. "I wouldn't go that far, but with Discord...hibernating, we can't know for sure," Celestia sighed. "Right when he could prove useful, he decides to take a nap." "It may be nothing," Luna started, gaining her sister's attention. "But I did hear a new voice among those that sleep last night. It started after the fire had spread, the most I can do is try to find it's owner tonight." "There's something else, isn't there?" Celestia asked, knowing when her sister was holding back. "The presence I felt from it was...different from our own," Luna confessed. "But it was still able to catch my attention above all the others. There's something very strange about whoever, or whatever this dream voice belongs to." Celestia closed her eyes in thought. It was a stretch to place blame on whomever this might be based on a hunch, but such destruction of their land would not be tolerated. "Luna, I know it's much to ask this of you, but I need you to seek out this voice," Celestia said. "If it turns out it is responsible, do whatever you can to stop it." Dream CatcherThe alarm clock sounded noisily from Lane’s nightstand, causing him to groggily open his eyes to see a flashing three thirty three. It was an odd time for an alarm to be set, that much was for sure, which led him to believe it was a very twisted prank by one of his friends. “David, I swear if you did this I will cut your balls off one at a time…” Lane grumbled, slamming his palm against the top of the clock, silencing it. With the silence came the sudden realization that he was no longer in Equestria. There was no forest, no river, and especially no talking deer. Lane chuckled at this, satisfied that there was no mystical place filled with talking animals that had no idea what a human was. In the broad scheme of things, such a world was probably much better off, given the nature of man. “Well, at least that trippy dream is over,” Lane mused, getting up to turn on the light. Before his hand could even brush against the cord of his ceiling fan’s light, the room was illuminated by the bulb without any effort from Lane. A shimmering blue aura surrounding the light’s cord sent a creeping chill along his spine as his eyes fell upon what looked like a dark blue pony with a horn protruding from its forehead. A pair of wings occasionally shifted against its side. “I’m afraid this dream has only just begun,” the pony spoke with authority. “So…I’m still in Equestria,” Lane said, pinching himself which produced no pain, confirming what the pony before him had said was true. “You sound disappointed, trying to flee before greeting either of us?” the mare asked investigating the various things scattered about Lane’s room, his room from his memories anyways. “I’m sorry, I’m not from around here, but who are you, and why am I carrying on a conversation with my subconscious…which happens to be a miniature horse?” Lane asked. The mare dropped what looked like an airsoft gun, which fired off a small pellet harmlessly into the ceiling. “I am not your subconscious, and you will hence forth address me as Princess Luna, or Princess, is that understood?” “What’s a princess doing in my dreams?” Lane asked. “No offense or anything, I just thought that when one finally did show up she’d be more…never mind.” “...ugh,” Luna rolled her eyes after briefly. “I thought stallions were bad.” “What?” Lane shrugged. “Just keep those thoughts to yourself,” Luna replied. Lane assumed that the dream pony could hear and see his thoughts, in which case he felt sorry for her. He wasn’t quite sure what else this princess had expected, stepping into a male’s mind to begin with though. “So…what are you doing here?” Lane asked. “Princess.” “I’m here to find out more about you, assess if you are a threat to our civilization or not,” Luna replied. “Hey, I didn’t ask to be brought here, in all honesty I just want to go back home,” Lane said. “That may be difficult with what little information I have been able to gather from you,” Luna commented as she inspected a picture frame, containing a photo of Lane’s family. “I do find your presence here troubling indeed.” “Why’s that, princess?” Lane watched her curiously. “Aside from the obvious reasons.” “The energy that flows through your body, your aura,” Luna explained. “It behaves…differently. To put it in terms that you can understand, think of ours as flowing clockwise, while yours flows counter clockwise.” “No offense but anyone can tell I’m different at a glance,” Lane said. “Your differences extend far beyond the superficial, you are the only being in Equestria like this…well, almost the only one,” Luna said, a concerned look crossing her muzzle for a second. “Which is why your presence is required at Canterlot, Celestia will be awaiting your arrival.” “Celestia, hey that’s the name of the alisomething Flo was talking about!” Lane perked up. “Alicorn,” Luna corrected him. “And yes, I’m aware of your conversations with the doe, which is why I’ll be requesting for you to be delivered to us by carriage. Simply make it to Ponyville, as it would perhaps be more receptive of your odd appearance." "You really think a bunch of ponies would lynch me princess?" Lane asked. "Some, perhaps, but there is one who would be more receptive of you than others, as well as your traveling companion. Seek out Twilight Sparkle, or Fluttershy...as time is running out." Luna replied quickly. "What do you mean?" Lane picked up on Luna's slight increase in pace with her instructions. "It will be morning soon, and I need you to wake up..." Luna said, closing her eyes. "...so do I go back to bed in the dream?" Lane shrugged when nothing happened. "Wake up...wake up..." Luna repeated. "Wake up!" "I don't think it's working," Lane said, not sure whether to be amused, or worried when Luna stomped her hoof on the floor in anger. "Why though? I've preformed this task for years, it's not as if it's new...unless this is your doing!" Luna glared at Lane accusingly. "Me? I don't know the first thing about magic," Lane held his hands up in mock surrender. "I didn't even believe in the stuff my girlfriend....oh...ohhh..." "What?" Luna was too frazzled to think clearly enough to read his mind. "Dream catcher," Lane replied. "Dream catcher?" Luna repeated. "Whoops?" Lane chuckled nervously. "Whoops!?" Luna mimed the human once more before rushing towards him. Instead of feeling the full fury of an alicorn, capable of entering, and apparently getting trapped within his dreams, Lane opened his eyes to see the sun shining brightly down upon him. Flo was nearby getting a quick drink, which both relieved him, and filled him with disappointment that Luna's words had been true. "Luna..shit!" Lane exclaimed lifting up his shirt slightly, unnerved by what he saw. Sure enough, the necklace his girlfriend had given him was emitting a bright light, purple in color. Not only was Lane a foreigner in a strange, mystical land filled with magical beings that were all talking animals from his world, but he was now an unintentional kidnapper. "Fuck me sideways..." Lane mumbled. "Fuck?" Flo asked. "It means something really bad just happened," Lane explained. "Are you hurt?" Flo circled her companion once, looking for any sign of injury or illness. "You seem perfectly healthy." "I'm fine," Lane lied. "So, did a Princess Luna come visit you last night in your dreams?" "Briefly, yes," Flo said. "She's the little sister of Celestia." "Heh, no kidding..." Lane began to sweat nervously. "Are you sure you do not have a fever?" Flo asked, a genuine look of concern on her muzzle. "Oh, I have something alright, just not something that makes you sick by the standard method," Lane replied. "Luna visited me too." "Really?" Flo smiled. "Well, what did she say?" "She said to go to Ponyville, and to try to find a pony named Fluttershy, or Twilight Sparkle," Lane replied. "Rightbeforeshegottrappedinmydream." "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last part," Flo tilted her head in confusion. "Right before she...got trapped in my dream..." Lane repeated. Flo stood in silence for a while before bursting into a fit of laughter. This frustrated Lane greatly, now that she wasn't taking him seriously. While he wasn't familiar with any laws in Equestria, he felt certain kidnapping worked the same way, especially with royalty. "Lane, if Luna is indeed trapped, then who lowered the moon and stars?" Flo asked. "Gravity," Lane replied flatly. "Luna rules over the night, and Celestia the day," Flo explained. "If she was indeed within your dream, then how is the sun up?" "I don't know," Lane replied with an eye roll fishing out his necklace from beneath his shirt. "Care to explain this then?" Flo's expression quickly changed from clearly finding humor in Lane's ignorance to their world, to utter horror. While she was no unicorn, upon seeing the necklace, she could feel something was off about it. Whether Lane's claim was true or not was difficult to determine, but it did raise a red flag. If that was indeed Luna, then who had lowered the moon? The door to Luna's darkened room slowly opened as a golden aura blanketed the wooden barrier. Celestia's magic faded from the door as she saw her sister looking down at what appeared to be a mirror. "Luna," Celestia spoke up, startling the mare. "Is everything okay?" "Yes, sister, everything is fine," Luna replied with a nod. "I've just had a tiring night is all." "Would this have to do with what we talked about yesterday?" the solar princess sat beside her. "Indeed," Luna closed her eyes as if in thought. "After much interrogation, I was able to determine that it is indeed responsible for what has been happening. It nearly tried to trap me with some sort of foul charm." "I...I'm so sorry," Celestia wrapped her wings around her sibling. "I won't ask you to go after it again." "Thank you...I'm rather exhausted though, and-" Luna started. "Of course," Celestia said with an embarrassed giggle. "I'm sorry I kept you up. I just worry about you." "I know," Luna smiled as Celestia headed towards the door. "Good morning Tia." "Goodnight Luna." with that, Celestia left her sister alone in the darkness of her room. As Luna turned to face the mirror once more, a different mare was shown on the reflective glass. This one had onyx black fur, a mane that was darker than Luna's and cyan colored eyes. The image reflected was that of Nightmare Moon. "Yes, focus on the human," Nightmare Moon giggled. "That way you'll never see me coming."
Welcome To EquestriaThe smell of smoke was heavy in the air, as the hollow beast ravaged Whitetail Woods. Flo had fled for her life when the meandering monstrosities arrived, shambling from the woods to burn whatever they came into contact with. Her entire village had been turned into burning rubble within a matter of minutes. She had heard stories of creatures that reminded her of what had attacked her village, but she had dismissed them as nothing more than tales mothers told their fawns. A story couldn’t burn a village though, which led her to believe there was some truth to this particular legend. Flo stopped for a second to catch her breath, her eyes still wide with terror as the moans of the beast echoed around her. The doe shook her head, trying to stick to her plan of action. She reasoned that the creatures would stop at the river, since they seemed to be made of fire. Even if they didn’t she could at least follow it out of the forest. The thought of leaving Whitetail Woods terrified Flo the more she thought about it. Like most of her tribe, she had never seen the outside world, and only heard what her elders told her about it. They would answer to the laws laid down by the one called Celestia. Occasionally unicorns would come through their village, looking for rare herbs and other resources that were carefully guarded. One of which was the most precious of all, protected by her family in particular. While unicorns were the self-proclaimed masters of magic, challenged only by their alicorn counterparts, it was the deer that were the creators of some of the most potent healing spells in existence. Many had come in search for their secret, but had left disappointed. The tribe had shared all it was willing to long ago, and no amount of bartering could sway them. The magic was meant to benefit others, they feared such power could be corrupted and used for ill, resulting in further isolation. Despite this, some ponies had settled in her village, mostly older unicorns that roamed the world and eventually came to rest in Whitetail. Flo never saw anything wrong with that, and enjoyed listening to their stories from time to time; she could only hope they were okay. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud moan that devolved into a gargle to her right. Standing roughly ten meters from her was one of the beast that had ruined her home. The fire danced brightly off its body, licking at the leaf covered branches above it. “Stay away!” Flo screamed, bolting away from the creature with renewed energy. The doe heard what sounded like something crashing, followed by the beat of steps behind her. They sounded exaggerated and heavy. Flo could only assume it was the beast, and that it had dropped onto all fours, as the steps were soon accompanied by heavy breaths. Flo ran through thickets, thorns patches, and vines in an attempt to slow the creature down. What would normally be a hindrance to predators did little to the fiery behemoth behind her. It let out an agitated roar powerful enough to cause a hot wind to brush against her fur. Flo chanced a quick glance behind her and saw the creature gaining on her, setting flame to the occasional dry or rotting log as it passed by. Before she could turn back around, the doe found herself tumbling down a steep embankment towards the river’s edge. Flo forced herself back onto her hooves and padded across the water, as if it were dry land as she manipulated nature. If she were a buck she might stand a chance at defending herself, but with no horn to speak of she was completely dependent on her theory about the odd creature with no offensive spells to speak of. “Please go away, please go away…” Flo chanted quietly as the creature in question approached the river bank. It paused for a moment, as if considering what to do, before slowly lowering its burning hand into the water. At first Flo thought the creature was extinguishing itself as smoke rose from the river’s surface, until she watched as the steam was followed by a siphon of water that formed an almost gelatinous arm, dripping sloppily onto the moist rocks beneath the shifting creature. Where once a creature made of flame had stood was now what could only be described as a moving water sac with arms. It waded across the river and quickly towered over Flo while she was still stunned by the sudden change in the creature’s make up. “W-what…are you?” Flo stammered. The creature only gargled as it raised a large arm high above its makeshift head, in preparation to bear down on the deer. She was exhausted, and had no energy left to run from the sentient blob. Flo closed her eyes, bracing herself for her inevitable end. Just as the doe’s life started to flash before her mind’s eye, it was interrupted by a loud splash, followed by what sounded like pottery shattering. A single, pained groan replaced the unsettling howls and gargles of the creature that had been trying to attack her. The deer cautiously opened her eyes, not quite sure what to expect. What lay in the creature’s place caused Flo’s head to tilt curiously the more she studied it. It had a concentrated patch of hair on what she concluded what it’s head, and smalls portions along what appeared to be forelegs that looked like long claws. The being had a decently lengthy torso, and two hind legs that ended in strange coverings. It’s muzzle was short, almost nonexistent. The longer she looked it over, Flo concluded it lacked a muzzle entirely, but couldn’t come to a solid conclusion as to what she was seeing. Cautiously, Flo moved closer to her rescuer in an attempt to get a better look at…him? Yes, that much she was sure of now, given his scent it was definitely a male. She was just about to clear her throat to speak when he shifted and rolled his head to the side. Something deep within Flo triggered her flight response and drove her to hide behind a nearby rock as best as she could. Flo wasn’t quite ready to leave this creature yet though. It had saved her from….whatever it was that was chasing her, so she reasoned that if he was around she would be left alone. With that in mind, she decided to wait until morning to determine what to do, as exhaustion began to set in over the deer’s tired muscles. A rocky river bank wasn’t what she had in mind for a bed, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and right now she couldn’t afford to be picky. Flo didn’t consider her circumstances too long, as sleep enveloped her mind. The next morning, Flo was awoken by the cheerful tune of nearby birds. Memories of last night slowly began to come back to her, and she forced herself up onto her tiered legs. She had to find help, where and how was a problem she would address when the time came for it, but for now she had to concentrate on getting out of the forest. As Flo rose to her full height, she noticed the creature from the night before. He hadn’t moved from the position she had last seen him in. She felt a tinge of guilt for leaving him like that, but she wasn’t sure if he was dangerous or not. The doe sighed, knowing she at least needed to check on him. He had saved her, so she owed him that much. Mustering up what courage she had, she slowly approached the sleeping being, poking him once, only to dash away a few feet. Flo watched as the only movement from the creature was the slow rise and fall of his chest, he was still asleep. “H-hey…” Flo whimpered meekly. “Y-you need t-to wake up…” Once more, Flo tapped him with her hoof, using a bit more force this time to shake him slightly. The doe held her composure as she stood statue still, waiting for something to happen. There was still no reaction from the slumbering beast. Flo’s fear was beginning to be replaced by agitation as she tried again to wake him up. Alas nothing seemed to be working, which drove the deer to more drastic measures, ones that involved a bit of magic. Flo’s eyes started to glow a bright green as a small ball of water formed just above the river. It slowly drifted over to the sleeping creature and hovered just above its head. The glow in Flo’s eyes faded, and the water lost what little form it had been given, splashing the creature in the face. Flo’s fear quickly returned as the being shot up in surprise from his rather rude awakening. Her muscles froze as she watched the creature’s head dart from side to side. Eventually his gaze fell on her, and the two stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity. His dark brown eyes matched his hair, and finally brought him into perspective for the doe. “H-hi…” Flo said quietly. “What the actual hell!?” was the creature’s response, as he stumbled backwards into the shallow end of the river. Flo screamed and put plenty of distance between herself and the creature that was now flailing to get out of the water. As he climbed out, the doe lowered herself slightly, prepared to take off at the first sign of trouble. The creature just stared at her in disbelief as he started to drip water from his wet form. Now that he was standing Flo could clearly see that this creature was taller than her. She estimated him to be at least a buck and a half tall. “Deer can’t talk…” the creature said with a troubled smile. “Th-this is just a dream.” “What do you mean Deer can’t talk?” Flo huffed, slightly offended at the undermining of her tribe. “Deer are a proud tribe, and I’ll have you know I take offense to such blatant lies!” The creature’s eyes widened in shock “Uh…what…” “What are you?” Flo asked. “I…I’m a talking, I mean a human…I’m human…” the human mumbled. “Are all members of your tribe this complex?” Flo raised an eyebrow, fairly certain that this “human” posed little threat to her, for now. “Complex?” the human asked in return. “Difficult to understand,” Flo said, assuming he was ignorant to the definition of the word. “I know what it means, and no…wait, why am I talking with a deer, this is a dream,” The human shook his head. “You don’t exist.” Flo snorted and trotted up to the human, her fear completely evaporating into annoyance. The doe gave the human a sharp push with her foreleg, which put the human into a sitting position on the ground. She glared at the nameless creature, ensuring that he knew she was no dream. “My name is Flo, daughter of Grey Horn, and I am no dream,” Flo said. “Okay…you’re real…” the human said quietly. Flo sighed and slowly stepped back, sitting down on the rocky bank across from him. “If I may ask, what is your name?” “Lane…” the human replied. “Well Lane, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life last night,” Flo said. “I saved you?” Lane asked. “Yes, don’t you remember?” Flo tried her best to mask her look of concern. “No, I don’t remember much of anything, I don’t even know how I ended up next to a river with…talking deer, no offense intended,” Lane replied. Flo stood up and circled Lane once, looking him over before standing in front of him once more. “You have no idea where you are….do you?” “None, so what is this place?” Lane asked. “Um…welcome to Equestria,” Flo replied sheepishly.
Follow The River"Equestria, right...where's that?" Lane asked. Flo opened her mouth to reply but stopped upon realizing that she had never asked, or had been asked such a question. Truthfully, she lacked an answer for the human and herself as well; which made her reflect on her life in reclusion briefly until a cough from Lane pulled her from her thoughts. "Umm...to be honest, I'm not exactly sure," Flo confessed with a blush. The fact that a deer was blushing at all only added to the amount of nonsense Lane's brain was trying to process. "Don't you live here?" Lane crossed his arms. "I've never been outside of the forest before," Flo circled her hoof against the ground. "Now I don't have any choice, I need to find an alicorn named Celestia." "Right, because I can help with that," Lane said dismissively with an eye roll before walking off, dusting his pants and shirt free of the caked mud that had gathered on him. “If you don’t know where Equestria is, than how did you get here?” Flo pressed him for answers. “Honestly, I’m not sure,” Lane shrugged. “Maybe I’m near death and this is all just a result of the meds they give you, maybe this is real and I fell through a wormhole or something, I can’t really say.” Try as he might, Lane couldn't remember much of the previous day at all. The last thing he remembered was taking his dogs out like he always would, going about what needed to be done, but those events weren't from yesterday or last night. It was as if an entire day had simply vanished from his memory, no matter how had he tried to recall what could have brought him here. "What kind of necklace is that?" Flo asked once Lane's shirt no longer covered his body. Lane cocked an eyebrow at her before glancing down at his chest, taking note of the small object dangling from the looped string that circled his neck. "It's just a dream catcher, my girlfriend gave it to me, being into the spiritual stuff." "Girlfriend?" Flo mumbled. "Yeah..." Lane shook his head as if attempting to free himself from some sort of dazed state. "I guess it's been a while since she made it." Lane heard something break as he started to take off his shirt to wring it out. He looked down beneath his feet to notice a piece of dried clay. While it didn't seem too out of place at first, it was the shape and markings that held his focus. At first glance it looked like a clay arm of some sort of doll. "I hope this wasn't yours," Lane said, forgetting about his shirt and necklace for the moment, picking up the broken arm. Flo cautiously approached the human to study what he was presenting to her. As her attention shifted completely on the clay object, she realized now that was what she had heard last night. When this human appeared she had heard the familiar sound of pottery or glass breaking. Why it had come from such a creature she didn't know, but she was certain her ears hadn't deceived her last night, and seeing it now only confirmed what she had heard. Seeing what had shattered did little for her curious mind, however, and only added more questions to the ones she already had. The longer Flo stared at it the more uneasy she felt. It was as if she was doing something she wasn't supposed to do. The feeling continued to swell within her, until she forced herself to look away. "You okay?" Lane asked. "Yes, I'm fine," Flo replied. "Cool," Lane said before carelessly chunking the piece of clay over his shoulder. "What are you, dense!?" Flo shouted as she rushed to try and retrieve the fragment of her attacker. "What, it's just a broken clay doll, what's the deal?" Lane asked. "That, good sir, was part of my attacker!" Flo fumed. "No foolin?" Lane asked halfheartedly. “Do humans take anything seriously?” Flo asked. “In case you haven't noticed, I'm a five foot nine inch human in the middle of who knows where, talking to a deer who claims to have been attacked by pottery,” Lane replied. "What part of this do you expect me to take seriously?" Flo seldom wanted to resort to violence to solve problems, it simply wasn't her way of dealing with things. She preferred logic and reason, like many of the friendly unicorns that had once lived with her tribe did. This human, however, was pushing every last nerve the doe had. Still, Flo was a mature deer. This human seemed to be mature as well, age wise anyways, and was just confused. She simply had to get through to him and calm him down a bit. "I get it, you're out of your comfort zone," Flo said trying to remain calm. "But like it or not this is path fate has led you to. You can either sit here and sob like a fawn, or follow me out of the forest." Lane quietly crossed his arms once more. He hated when a woman was right, what made this worse was that it wasn't even a real woman, it was a deer. He hunted these things for food and sport, and here he was being talked down by one. If the roll reversal wasn't shameful enough, this glaring fact just added insult to injury. "How do I get home?" Lane asked. "I don't know," Flo replied. "But, Celestia might be able to help, she may even know where you come from." "I can't believe I'm doing this," Lane groaned after a long pause before throwing on his shirt. "Lead the way." Flo nodded in approval and motioned with her head for the human to follow her. In truth, she was only following her mother's instruction on how to leave the forest, and once they left the woods, she would have no idea where to go from there. Still, the human was calm for now, and he had proven to be effective against whatever those monsters were. With the lingering possibility of another attack, his presence was appreciated. Flo felt confident with him around, even if it wasn't a buck, beggars couldn't be choosers in terms of some form of defense. The two continued to travel in relative silence for a while, the only audiabkle confirmation of the human's presence were the heavy foot falls, and snapping branches. The longer Flo silently observed Lane, the more comfortable she became with him. Surely such a lumbering creature couldn't possibly cause harm to her, and even if he tried, he could never catch her. "So," Lane spoke up, ruining her train of thought. "Care to explain this magic stuff? Since god only knows how long I'll be here." "Well," Flo started. "For my tribe, our magic is influenced by the aura that flows through nature. We can't manipulate the lifeless objects like unicorns can." "At this point I'm not going to question the possibility of unicorns," Lane mumbled to himself. Flo shrugged, which disturbed Lane even more, as well as raised more questions about what else she could do that other deer couldn't. The doe continued with her explanation, going on about numerous factors that related to magic. After the first five minutes, Lane's selective hearing kicked in and allowed his mind to wonder off. Lane drifted in and out of focus from listening to Flo, retreating back to his own thoughts when the wonders of this world started to sound a little too far-fetched. He was suddenly brought back to reality at the sight of several rows of burnt trees. Flo had also noticed, and had come to a complete stop, shaking occasionally as her wide eyes took in the sight. The doe crossed the much shallower section of the river to the other bank, leaving Lane to play catch up with the agile deer. "Whoa," Lane said in a hushed voice as he stopped by Flo's side, observing a rather unsettling sight. Before the two of them were miles of scorched earth. There was nothing left but dried remnants of what had once been a proud, mighty forest. Quiet crackles of flame within the darkened wood could still be heard, even as some of the trees crumbled in places. "They...destroyed everything," Flo said quietly, her ears drooping as she spoke. “Not everything, but it looks like a good chunk of this forest is gone,” Lane sighed. “Whatever did this must have started a wild fire.” “They were made of fire,” Flo said. “Monsters, made up entirely of fire…but the one chasing me changed when it touched water. I thought it would extinguish the flames and stop it, but it just kept coming." “And then I stopped it?” Lane asked. "More like fell on it, but close enough," Flo said, her ears lifting a bit. "Let's keep moving then," Lane said. "This will all grow back, someday." "I know," Flo nodded sadly as she followed the human back down the hill. Celestia was pacing, Luna knew took this as a terrible omen before she even addressed her sister. Celestia was not one display stress, even in the privacy of their rooms. Whatever was on her mind must have been eating away at her throughout the day. "Sister," Luna spoke up after a long period of silence had passed. "You're pacing." "I am not pacing, Luna," Celestia replied. "I'm simply trying to think." "Which is what one would consider pacing, would they not?" Luna asked. "An entire forest, an entire population doesn't just go up in flames without cause or reason. The woods were is season, yes, but the deer would never consider such a vast amount of purging. Even if it was an accident, that doesn't explain why we haven't heard from any of them," Celestia said. "This does little to ease the cutie mark predicament, which we still have no reasonable cause or solution." "Perhaps it wasn't an accident?" Luna offered. "No pony in their right mind would dare harm Whitetail Woods," Celestia replied. "Then it is another anomaly than?" Luna asked. "I wouldn't go that far, but with Discord...hibernating, we can't know for sure," Celestia sighed. "Right when he could prove useful, he decides to take a nap." "It may be nothing," Luna started, gaining her sister's attention. "But I did hear a new voice among those that sleep last night. It started after the fire had spread, the most I can do is try to find it's owner tonight." "There's something else, isn't there?" Celestia asked, knowing when her sister was holding back. "The presence I felt from it was...different from our own," Luna confessed. "But it was still able to catch my attention above all the others. There's something very strange about whoever, or whatever this dream voice belongs to." Celestia closed her eyes in thought. It was a stretch to place blame on whomever this might be based on a hunch, but such destruction of their land would not be tolerated. "Luna, I know it's much to ask this of you, but I need you to seek out this voice," Celestia said. "If it turns out it is responsible, do whatever you can to stop it."
Dream CatcherThe alarm clock sounded noisily from Lane’s nightstand, causing him to groggily open his eyes to see a flashing three thirty three. It was an odd time for an alarm to be set, that much was for sure, which led him to believe it was a very twisted prank by one of his friends. “David, I swear if you did this I will cut your balls off one at a time…” Lane grumbled, slamming his palm against the top of the clock, silencing it. With the silence came the sudden realization that he was no longer in Equestria. There was no forest, no river, and especially no talking deer. Lane chuckled at this, satisfied that there was no mystical place filled with talking animals that had no idea what a human was. In the broad scheme of things, such a world was probably much better off, given the nature of man. “Well, at least that trippy dream is over,” Lane mused, getting up to turn on the light. Before his hand could even brush against the cord of his ceiling fan’s light, the room was illuminated by the bulb without any effort from Lane. A shimmering blue aura surrounding the light’s cord sent a creeping chill along his spine as his eyes fell upon what looked like a dark blue pony with a horn protruding from its forehead. A pair of wings occasionally shifted against its side. “I’m afraid this dream has only just begun,” the pony spoke with authority. “So…I’m still in Equestria,” Lane said, pinching himself which produced no pain, confirming what the pony before him had said was true. “You sound disappointed, trying to flee before greeting either of us?” the mare asked investigating the various things scattered about Lane’s room, his room from his memories anyways. “I’m sorry, I’m not from around here, but who are you, and why am I carrying on a conversation with my subconscious…which happens to be a miniature horse?” Lane asked. The mare dropped what looked like an airsoft gun, which fired off a small pellet harmlessly into the ceiling. “I am not your subconscious, and you will hence forth address me as Princess Luna, or Princess, is that understood?” “What’s a princess doing in my dreams?” Lane asked. “No offense or anything, I just thought that when one finally did show up she’d be more…never mind.” “...ugh,” Luna rolled her eyes after briefly. “I thought stallions were bad.” “What?” Lane shrugged. “Just keep those thoughts to yourself,” Luna replied. Lane assumed that the dream pony could hear and see his thoughts, in which case he felt sorry for her. He wasn’t quite sure what else this princess had expected, stepping into a male’s mind to begin with though. “So…what are you doing here?” Lane asked. “Princess.” “I’m here to find out more about you, assess if you are a threat to our civilization or not,” Luna replied. “Hey, I didn’t ask to be brought here, in all honesty I just want to go back home,” Lane said. “That may be difficult with what little information I have been able to gather from you,” Luna commented as she inspected a picture frame, containing a photo of Lane’s family. “I do find your presence here troubling indeed.” “Why’s that, princess?” Lane watched her curiously. “Aside from the obvious reasons.” “The energy that flows through your body, your aura,” Luna explained. “It behaves…differently. To put it in terms that you can understand, think of ours as flowing clockwise, while yours flows counter clockwise.” “No offense but anyone can tell I’m different at a glance,” Lane said. “Your differences extend far beyond the superficial, you are the only being in Equestria like this…well, almost the only one,” Luna said, a concerned look crossing her muzzle for a second. “Which is why your presence is required at Canterlot, Celestia will be awaiting your arrival.” “Celestia, hey that’s the name of the alisomething Flo was talking about!” Lane perked up. “Alicorn,” Luna corrected him. “And yes, I’m aware of your conversations with the doe, which is why I’ll be requesting for you to be delivered to us by carriage. Simply make it to Ponyville, as it would perhaps be more receptive of your odd appearance." "You really think a bunch of ponies would lynch me princess?" Lane asked. "Some, perhaps, but there is one who would be more receptive of you than others, as well as your traveling companion. Seek out Twilight Sparkle, or Fluttershy...as time is running out." Luna replied quickly. "What do you mean?" Lane picked up on Luna's slight increase in pace with her instructions. "It will be morning soon, and I need you to wake up..." Luna said, closing her eyes. "...so do I go back to bed in the dream?" Lane shrugged when nothing happened. "Wake up...wake up..." Luna repeated. "Wake up!" "I don't think it's working," Lane said, not sure whether to be amused, or worried when Luna stomped her hoof on the floor in anger. "Why though? I've preformed this task for years, it's not as if it's new...unless this is your doing!" Luna glared at Lane accusingly. "Me? I don't know the first thing about magic," Lane held his hands up in mock surrender. "I didn't even believe in the stuff my girlfriend....oh...ohhh..." "What?" Luna was too frazzled to think clearly enough to read his mind. "Dream catcher," Lane replied. "Dream catcher?" Luna repeated. "Whoops?" Lane chuckled nervously. "Whoops!?" Luna mimed the human once more before rushing towards him. Instead of feeling the full fury of an alicorn, capable of entering, and apparently getting trapped within his dreams, Lane opened his eyes to see the sun shining brightly down upon him. Flo was nearby getting a quick drink, which both relieved him, and filled him with disappointment that Luna's words had been true. "Luna..shit!" Lane exclaimed lifting up his shirt slightly, unnerved by what he saw. Sure enough, the necklace his girlfriend had given him was emitting a bright light, purple in color. Not only was Lane a foreigner in a strange, mystical land filled with magical beings that were all talking animals from his world, but he was now an unintentional kidnapper. "Fuck me sideways..." Lane mumbled. "Fuck?" Flo asked. "It means something really bad just happened," Lane explained. "Are you hurt?" Flo circled her companion once, looking for any sign of injury or illness. "You seem perfectly healthy." "I'm fine," Lane lied. "So, did a Princess Luna come visit you last night in your dreams?" "Briefly, yes," Flo said. "She's the little sister of Celestia." "Heh, no kidding..." Lane began to sweat nervously. "Are you sure you do not have a fever?" Flo asked, a genuine look of concern on her muzzle. "Oh, I have something alright, just not something that makes you sick by the standard method," Lane replied. "Luna visited me too." "Really?" Flo smiled. "Well, what did she say?" "She said to go to Ponyville, and to try to find a pony named Fluttershy, or Twilight Sparkle," Lane replied. "Rightbeforeshegottrappedinmydream." "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last part," Flo tilted her head in confusion. "Right before she...got trapped in my dream..." Lane repeated. Flo stood in silence for a while before bursting into a fit of laughter. This frustrated Lane greatly, now that she wasn't taking him seriously. While he wasn't familiar with any laws in Equestria, he felt certain kidnapping worked the same way, especially with royalty. "Lane, if Luna is indeed trapped, then who lowered the moon and stars?" Flo asked. "Gravity," Lane replied flatly. "Luna rules over the night, and Celestia the day," Flo explained. "If she was indeed within your dream, then how is the sun up?" "I don't know," Lane replied with an eye roll fishing out his necklace from beneath his shirt. "Care to explain this then?" Flo's expression quickly changed from clearly finding humor in Lane's ignorance to their world, to utter horror. While she was no unicorn, upon seeing the necklace, she could feel something was off about it. Whether Lane's claim was true or not was difficult to determine, but it did raise a red flag. If that was indeed Luna, then who had lowered the moon? The door to Luna's darkened room slowly opened as a golden aura blanketed the wooden barrier. Celestia's magic faded from the door as she saw her sister looking down at what appeared to be a mirror. "Luna," Celestia spoke up, startling the mare. "Is everything okay?" "Yes, sister, everything is fine," Luna replied with a nod. "I've just had a tiring night is all." "Would this have to do with what we talked about yesterday?" the solar princess sat beside her. "Indeed," Luna closed her eyes as if in thought. "After much interrogation, I was able to determine that it is indeed responsible for what has been happening. It nearly tried to trap me with some sort of foul charm." "I...I'm so sorry," Celestia wrapped her wings around her sibling. "I won't ask you to go after it again." "Thank you...I'm rather exhausted though, and-" Luna started. "Of course," Celestia said with an embarrassed giggle. "I'm sorry I kept you up. I just worry about you." "I know," Luna smiled as Celestia headed towards the door. "Good morning Tia." "Goodnight Luna." with that, Celestia left her sister alone in the darkness of her room. As Luna turned to face the mirror once more, a different mare was shown on the reflective glass. This one had onyx black fur, a mane that was darker than Luna's and cyan colored eyes. The image reflected was that of Nightmare Moon. "Yes, focus on the human," Nightmare Moon giggled. "That way you'll never see me coming."
