Stone Vault

Walter stumbled through the underbrush, trying in vain to find his way back. Now that he had time to calm down and think, he mulled over the events of the last hour.

“What the hell were you thinking!?” Vault scolded himself, “What is wrong with you?” For the first time in a long time, Walter began to question his own sanity. “What the fuck was that about bologna!?” he pushed his way through some stubborn branches. “Are you insane!? Not *once** did you see anypony eat any meat at all! Not even Spike!*” as he pushed through the last of the thicket, he came upon a large ruin of some kind. “What is going on with me?” he mumbled aloud, gazing in awe at the dilapidated structure.

The ruined structure was massive, and made primarily of stone. It reminded him of an old medieval castle, like you'd find in Scotland or something back on Earth. It looked like it had been abandoned for ages, yet somehow it stood intact enough to leave an impression of it's obviously glorious past.

Walter felt drawn to the castle, like he was always meant to find it. His feet moved forward almost without his conscious thought. However, his progress was soon impeded by a yawning gorge, crossable only by a long since fallen rope bridge. Looking around, he found a staircase nearby, one that was carved right out from the cliff face. He could also see a large cave opening underneath the castle, maybe he could get in over there?

Figuring he'd much rather be in a castle, even a wrecked one, over alone in the forest at night, Vault slowly made his way down the cliff side. He pressed his body as close to the wall as he could, even with super strength he wasn't willing to gamble on a long fall. As Walter got closer to the bottom, he felt… calmer. Almost as if he was leaving the dangerous forest behind, and entering some kind of sanctuary. Vault had never been a religious man, but this was how he imagined walking into an old church felt, like you could feel the hallowed ground beneath your feet. He made it to the bottom, and in the dying light of the day, made the trek across the gorge.

As the sun finally vanished and night set in, Stone walked into the cave and saw it. A massive crystal… tree? He walked towards it, entranced by it, and reverently ran his fingers along the crystalline surface. As soon as he did, it was like a shock of static, and he jerked away from it. But something was different now, like a buzzing sound he had heard all his life had stopped, something he only realized was there by its sudden absence.

It was like a pressure was lifted from his shoulders, a burden he had carried all his life was momentarily lifted. He wanted to laugh, to celebrate, but he couldn't. With freedom came clarity, the bitter realization of what his life could have been. And for the first time since he came to Equestria, he mourned the loss of his old life. He let go of his feigned indifference, his pretending that nothing phased him. With no fear of judgment, embarrassment, or loss of control, he cried. For the first time in years, Walter let himself weep, bitter tears of loss. He  curled up underneath the strange cave tree, and quietly sobbed.

Celestia was exhausted, she'd normally be in bed by now, getting her beauty sleep in preparation for the next day. However, when Twilight had sent a letter about their guest, she knew she couldn't sleep until he was found. The search had proven difficult, as Rainbow Dash had lost him somewhere in the Everfree. That posed a problem. The Everfree was dangerous enough during the day, she couldn't risk sending her ponies in there at night. So, she had extended sunset as long as possible, while the pegasi had scoured all the territory they could. Twilight had co-opted the help of her zebra friend, Zecora, as she was something of an expert on the forest.

When Celestia could not keep the sun up any longer, she lowered it with no small amount of anxiety. They would have to wait until morning to continue the search. However, she received some good news from Zecora. The zebra had located signs of passage, something large, tall, and clearly not native to the area. If he kept going in the same direction, he would most certainly stumble across the old castle. Of course, Twilight and her friends volunteered to go into the forest at night. While Celestia couldn't stop them, she did ask them to be safe.

Now, it was all about waiting. Celestia had faith that no harm would come to any of them, but she still could not relax until she knew for sure they were safe. To take her mind off of it, and to see if anything new was learned, she went to go speak to her sister.

When Celestia entered Luna’s room, she found the younger sibling still asleep on her bed. She was momentarily irked that her sister could sleep at a time like this, but quickly pushed such irrational thoughts aside. How else was Luna supposed to dream walk, if not in her dreams? So the elder sister sat down on one of her favorite cushions, intent to wait for her sibling to stir.

As it would turn out, she wouldn't have to wait long. A just as Celestia began to nod off, her head slowly drifting lower and lower, Luna awoke with a start.

“One thousand Tartarian damnations!” the moon princess yelled as she sat up. Celestia snorted loudly in surprise.

“Ahh! Luna!” Celestia exclaimed, wiping her cheeks to see if she had been drooling, “What did you discover?” she quickly recovered.

“That is exactly the problem sister!” Luna fumed, “For a creature who has spent an inordinate amount of time in our fair land unconscious, we have yet to peer into his dreams.” she pouted.

“Maybe Stone’s species doesn't dream like ponies do?” Celestia offered.

“Nay, sister.” Luna sighed deeply. “We can feel the turmoil of his nightmares as acutely as any other, he calls out for help.” Luna looked to Celestia, so that maybe she would understand the gravity of her words. “We can see the doorway to his mind, but we cannot enter it.”

“But why?” Celestia was shocked. Not once had she heard of any creature, short of Discord, being able to resist Luna’s dream walking outright.

“Because something else is holding it shut.”