Princess Luna was the ruler of the night, bar none.

She could glide effortlessly throughout the world of dreams, an array of minds below her twinkling like stars hidden behind mist, dim spotlights in the night as she roamed the strange plane of existence to aid as many Ponies with their nightmares as she could.

There was not a single being alive with power over dreams even approaching her own, and she knew it, too.

Which is why it was distinctly odd that she found herself somewhat stumped by a dream that she seemingly could not enter.

She’d been drawn to it simply because it existed at the time that it did. Not many Ponies went to sleep at this time, and those that did were usually younger colts and fillies, but from what Luna could tell, the Pony behind this dream was fully matured.

It was also not visibly either a pleasant dream or a nightmare. Both had distinct appearances from the outside, either a pleasant rainbow of colours or a mass of void-like darkness, and this one fit neither bill.

It had the appearance of a large, stark white sphere. Blank, and plain, but with tiny whispers of colour flittering around inside at random times.

This was clearly a lucid dream, and the perpetrator was in full control, but that still didn’t mean that she could be denied entry, so something else was going on here.

The only way that something like this could be occurring is if the Pony behind this particular dream had developed incredibly strong mental fortitude and an aptitude for psychology that would allow them to so deftly control their own mind. When faced with something like this, the best option would be to simply leave it alone, as the dream did not appear to be malicious in nature.

But Luna still desired entry.

Call it pride, call it indignation, it didn’t matter. Somepony had denied her specifically entrance to their dream, and that wasn’t something she considered to be acceptable. Not when the dream did not seem to belong to anypony she was familiar with.

And that was worrying, too. Whoever was behind this dream, she’d never seen anything like it before. Worse than this, however, is that it seemed to come from the abode of the Element of Kindness, and why would there be an unrecognised presence sleeping at her house? She didn’t want to judge the mare for anything, but one night stands were unbecoming of an Element bearer.

Unless it had been going on for a while, but that couldn’t be possible. Any relationship that one of Twilight Sparkle’s friends made always seemed to get to Celestia somehow, who would then be the one to regale her with the story. It was quite an efficient way of getting unofficial reports from the town that they usually rarely heard from in an official capacity.

Regardless, Princess Luna wasn’t entirely sure how to go about gaining entry to the dream. Of course it might be considered rude to enter, but she rationalised it in her head as simply examining a potential threat to her people. ‘Nothing to hide, nothing to fear’, after all.

So she worked on it for what felt like an hour, poking and prodding at the defences. No response. That was good, because it meant the mental barriers were incomplete. A proper master like herself would have a multi-layered system of walls, mazes, and traps to ward off any attacker. This Pony had evidently settled for erecting one, solid barrier like a brick wall to obstinately refuse any and all contact, which meant that whoever was inside had no idea that the defences were being probed, which meant they were unprepared.

Every wall had its weakness somewhere, and even though she briefly left the dream be in order to check on the nightmares sparsely popping up from foals who had been put to bed by their guardians, her mind was always on that blocked-off dream until she could return to it and prod more.

Several hours later, and the night had full reign. Nightmares and dreams appeared flashing in the realm like beacons, filling the void with light and darkness both.

And yet the only Pony around to notice them was distracted, having felt herself draw closer and closer to whatever weakness the dream before her had.

There! A small chink in the armour, or more accurately a mental weakness potentially born from stress, anger, or a mixture of both. Whatever the reason for its existence, the fact remained that it did exist, and was therefore exploitable.

Her horn lit up with a deep purple and black corona as she dipped her head down, almost bowing to the dream. The great wings at her side lifted outwards, angling back in preparation. The Princess mumbled a few incantations to herself, words that would give her the power necessary for her intentions.

With a final sentence, the ruler shot forward, her horn thrusting into the invisible fault she had detected.

The hard grey shell surrounding the dream splintered and cracked around the hole as Luna pulled her head back to watch her hoofwork. Shards of the transparent barrier fell away like glass, flashes of colour revealing themselves underneath the cold exterior.

It didn’t break completely apart, but there was now a decently sized hole in the shield. Taking a moment to breathe and compose herself, the Princess congratulated herself for her feat. It had been a long while since she’d had to exercise her more offensive dream-based abilities, but she still had the prowess to utilise them.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Luna stepped slowly into the dream.

Space expanded around her, the mindscape bending and inflating as she forced her presence into the mind of the Pony behind the dream. It sounded like a more violent process than it was, but it was honestly the only way she could explain it to those who weren’t versed in dream magic. Namely: every Pony alive minus her sister.

Colours brushed the canvas, matter and gravity took hold. Shapes formed in the grey and eventually the Princess found herself in… A room.

A fairly odd room, yes, but a room nevertheless. The walls were mostly a royal blue, as was the floor, The skirting boards and trims along the corners of the walls a bright gold. She found herself facing a double-door, large and wooden.

She had been expecting something more…Grandiose? Why would somepony bother to shield a dream from her if they weren’t doing anything wrong?

“Get out.”

The voice came from behind her. It didn’t sound particularly happy to see her. So Luna turned, intent on soothing her subject’s fear of her intrusion when the words caught in her throat.

A Human.

A Human was sitting at a wide desk, surrounded by discarded egg cups and, oddly, paperwork. He had clothes. An expensive suit. A hat! Green hair, and a definite frown on his face… Luna started to chuckle, realising what was going on.

She’d seen dreams like this before, where Ponies imagined how they would look if they were Human. Usually the effect was quite funny, seeing a Human with thoughts and feelings. It was like imagining a pet goldfish that could speak in a Canterlot accent. Amusing.

It also explained a reason why the Pony behind the dream didn’t wish for anyone to see it. They must have been embarrassed of the fantasy! It was a fair assumption. Somepony knowing of your desire to imagine yourself as a Human must have been an embarrassing thought.

“Hm. Very strange. I believe I told you to vacate my dream, but you’re still here. Do words mean opposite things in this plane?”

Ah yes, and he wasn’t particularly happy with her. She would forgive the blatant disrespect from her subject for now, as she had technically… Well, she had literally broken down the door and let herself in.

“Peace, my subject. I mean you no wrong. I merely caught sight of your dream and grew curious as to why one of my subjects would be required to obscure their mind.”

His expression shifted to something Luna had never seen on a Human’s face before. His eyebrow quirked and his face tilted very slightly to one side as he started to lean on the desk with his… the parts of a Human’s arm that she didn’t know the name of.

“That’s not what I asked, but whatever. You’ve cracked the code, figured it all out, opened the tomb and found what you were looking for. Now if you’d kindly, ah, leave?” He said in a deadpan tone, waving her away with his hand as a Noble might do to one of lesser social class. As he spoke, he slipped one of the eggs in front of him into an inner pocket in his suit with his free hand.

“Do not take such a tone of disrespect with me! I shall roam around dreams as I please, as my birthright dictates. If you wish for me to exit, then thou shalt enquire politely, or remain silent!” Luna fumed, glaring at the rude Pony disguised as a Human over the desk.

She looked rather like a schoolfilly, arguing with the head-teacher from over his desk. Except most students did not have full mastery of the Royal Canterlot Voice.

At his rather unimpressed look, Luna realised that she’d blown things far out of proportion. This intrusion was completely her own fault, and that gave her no right to shout over his irritation.

“Apologies, good stallion. ‘Twas unjust of me. If you truly wish for me to vacate, then I shall.” Luna inclined her head faintly, before turning around and spreading her wings, preparing to take off. Pausing briefly, she looked over her shoulder, at the Human façade that now appeared to be examining a row of eggs. He glanced up when he realised she was watching him, “Be wary, however, that if you take such a tone with me again, there shall be consequences. I wish you pleasant dreams for the future, and please note that fantasies such as this are not anything to be embarrassed about. I believe shall take my leave now.”

She prepared to fly, but his voice came from behind her, sounding distinctly smug in a manner that made her feel the sudden urge to hit him.

“No need. I can oversee your departure, and my own, by my lonesome.”

And then, to Luna’s surprise, the dream broke, melting away into pools of colour, then the remnants of shadows, and finally nothing at all. The Princess was left standing in the dream realm yet again, blinking in surprise.

He had forced himself to wake? He dared to essentially kick the dream-ruler out of a dream in the only manner possible?

There would be repercussions for this, if she ever were to meet the stallion in the waking world. And then Luna froze in place, eyelid twitching in anger. She never did figure out just who that Pony was!

But now the day was nearly upon her, and she had no time for her thoughts to linger on a rebellious stallion. For now, at least. Her sister would absolutely be hearing about this. She would laugh at how she’d been essentially pranked in her own world, yes, but she would hear of it regardless.

Hazama woke up with a scowl on his face.

His dreams were not supposed to allow entry to anyone. And that horse… That damn Pegasus-Unicorn bitch had just waltzed in like she owned the place, violating the one place that he could be in control.

He couldn’t even properly enjoy speaking again! Floating off in the Boundary, he’d been in a state of semi-consciousness, and was unable to speak just like on this planet, so he hadn’t heard his own voice in weeks.

And now in the one place he could actually be himself and indulge in whatever he desired, there’d be some fucking horse watching over his every move. Who the hell did she think she was? Some Queen or whatever? She had that wing/horn combination like that purple one in the nearby town, but what did that mean?

A trail of sunlight was present on the floor several meters away, trailing upwards at a crawl as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. Hazama continued to ponder to himself, even as the chirping of birds outside heralded the morning.

‘Even my dreams aren’t safe anymore. Always on guard, always having to look over my shoulder, always having to keep myself hidden…’ He grumbled internally. ‘This must be how Rags felt.’

“Oh! Good morning, Hazama!” came a pleasant trill to the left of him. He lifted his head from the table he’d apparently dropped asleep at, and turned to look at the yellow horse. He hadn’t been expecting her to be up this early. Was it just a thing with the horses here?

Nevertheless, she looked completely awake, if slightly haggard and dirty. What had she been doing?

She was hovering a little off the ground, clutching a bucket of something strange-smelling in her forehooves just a small distance from him. She had obviously been practicing pronouncing his name, because the confidence she displayed when saying it was far greater than the evening previous.

To Hazama’s confusion, the horse put the bucket down on the table in front of him, where he realised it was actually a bowl of some description. A food bowl. For pets. He shot her a strange look. Was he supposed to eat whatever this was? It looked like the kind of food someone would give to a baby.

“Is…Is it ok? I would have given you a plate instead b-but I don’t really have any…” the horse mumbled, losing some of the strange confidence she’d held seconds before. She seemed to be tapping her hooves together expectantly, like a chef waiting for a critic’s review.

His review was that whatever food this was smelled bad, looked bad, and he would be willing to put money on it not tasting overly pleasant either.

And hell, even if he wanted to eat it, he didn’t think he’d be able. He felt strangely full after the dream’s interrupted session of eating his boiled eggs. It was as though he’d actually eaten them, and it wasn’t just imaginary, but that was ridiculous. It must have simply been placebo from eating his favourite food.

He was about to write down an apologetic suggestion for a different type of food to be served instead, when he realised that he didn’t want to request anything that might be considered strange for a Human to eat, just on the chance that some random other person might come round for a morning visit. It was unlikely, but so was literally everything that had happened in his life, so the chance was not to be taken.

[In my dreams last night, I was rudely interrupted by a dark blue horse with both wings and a horn. She seemed a bit taller than the rest of you. Why is that? Who was she, and what does the wing/horn combination mean?] He jotted down, hoping to move the subject away from the strange food he’d been served.

Judging by her reaction, it was the correct choice. She gasped quietly, and her eyes moved away from the bowl entirely.

“You were visited by Princess Luna!? Were you having a nightmare? Oh, you poor thing…” She said, immediately fawning over the Human that had suddenly stiffened in his seat.

He’d told a Princess to leave. A Princess of the land had seen him, a Human, dreaming. A potential ruler had the ability to look into dreams. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Almost as wonderful as the annoying lump in his suit pocket. One of his knives must have turned at an odd angle in the pocket while it was folded up. He couldn’t fix it now, not without the horse getting curious.

He had larger concerns than an irritating bump in his suit, however. He didn’t know how much time that Princess spent around her subjects, but the fact remained that she had seen him in his dream, and now she knew what he looked like. Luckily, she apparently assumed him to be a horse dreaming of being a Human, so he was safe for now.

But if news of a strange Human in a suit ever reached wherever the Princess dwelled, then she would know. Know that what she had seen was no mere fantasy.

So now he had to lay lower than ever. It shouldn’t be too hard; all he needed to do was stay out of sight and not draw attention to himself.

To his side, the Pegasus had stopped her concerns and had started talking about purchasing more things that were suitable for Humans if he was going to start living there properly. He had no idea why she assumed he was staying, but free room and board was not something he was going to turn up his nose at.

Speaking of turning noses up, he could really do with a shower. He hadn’t had the time to have one for a rather disgustingly long time, and while he had never technically needed one over the last couple of weeks due to the constant Phenomenon Intervention messing with space and time, he personally didn’t feel too clean.

He communicated this need to the horse, who paused for a moment before telling him where the shower was, which Hazama confirmed he’d heard by listing them off again.

When asked if he would like his clothes washed, however, Hazama flinched. How was she going to wash his clothes? Machine, or hand? The same question went for drying, too. He really didn’t want her to wash them at all, actually, as his clothes stayed mostly clean due to the Magic Element weaved into the fabric. But she wasn’t to know that, and he would rather his magic aptitude be kept a secret for now.

So he’d accepted her request with extreme reluctance, telling her that he’d leave his clothes in a pile outside the bathroom door. She looked at him oddly at that, but for what reason he couldn’t decipher. It didn’t matter, though. A shower would do him a world of good.

A few minutes later, Hazama found himself unsurprised but still extraordinarily disappointed. Of course it was designed for their height and not his. Oh well, his non-existent heart was set on a shower now, and depriving himself would only make him more frustrated. He’d just have to hunch down really far and make it work.

He set to work on taking his clothes off, feeling strangely relieved to be free of them for the first time in a while. It was somewhat liberating. Before putting the pile outside the door, he quickly reached into the pockets and pulled his knives out, placing them on the side of the sink. No use in making one of the few horses on his side suspicious, after all.

Fluttershy hummed amiably to herself as she wandered upstairs.

Hazama seemed to be quite polite, and her animals had all taken their food without any arguments this morning. She was surprised to find that the Human was up in the morning, though, as most of the Humans she'd kept in her life stayed asleep until mid-to-late morning.

She came up to the upper floor once she heard the shower start to run. It was always obvious when it was turned on, because some of the pipes rattled for the first half-minute after opening the faucet. As expected, Hazama's pile of clothes was folded neatly outside the door, with his hat placed neatly on top.

Reaching under the bundle, she lifted it up as she took flight, allowing her to carry the pile with her forehooves. It was slightly awkward, but it was less so than trying to carry objects as an Earth Pony, even if she'd never let Applejack hear her say that.

Just then, something round fell from inside the suit, bouncing off of the floor as Fluttershy gave a startled yelp and jumped back.

After nothing rose up from the pits of Tartarus to swallow her whole, she risked approaching the thing. The closer she came, the more confused she got, until she was directly in front of it. Picking it up, she turned it around in her hoof, examining it from all angles. It seemed perfectly normal, but there was one question flying around in her head.

Why in Equestria did he have a boiled egg in his pocket?

Author's Note

I solemnly apologise if the word count tricked anybody into thinking this was an action-packed chapter. It isn't, but it had to be done.

If it wasn't already assumed, words between brackets like these '[]' are words that are written down.

Sidenote, i'm occasionally overwhelmed by the amount of likes this story has gotten, especially when I check the newly update section and see stories of over 100k words only have around 13 likes.

I guess people like the story or something! How very strange.

Something something unnoticed music segment something something. Here' Celica Mercury's theme, 'Crystal Forest'.