Luna’s mind soared through the dreamscape, her senses flitting around as she followed the trail left by her dreamseeker. All around her, she saw the dreamscapes of her little ponies filling the aether, each forming a tiny world in the veil of sleep. Most of these dreams were sweet, a few sad, and an even smaller number had morphed into nightmares. Though she wanted to tend to these, she had to turn a blind eye to them this time.

She had a task to perform, and could not dally.

Her first destination was the dream sphere of Twilight Sparkle. After her discussion with her sister, Luna had sent Twilight Sparkle a scroll explaining what she and Celestia intended to do about the mysterious entity they’d been tracking. The young mage had, naturally, insisted upon helping. The lunar goddess suspected that her interest was a mixture of academic curiosity and a desire to fulfill the task assigned to her by Celestia.

Soon enough, Luna alighted next to Twilight’s dream sphere. Summoning her magic, the night goddess passed through its shell and into its interior.

As she did, the scenery around her shifted and warped, filling with mile-high bookshelf towers. Luna had to suppress a small giggle as she saw the dreamscape. Celestia’s student truly had a thing for literature, didn’t she?

Passing like a phantom through the labyrinth of shelves, Luna sought out the dream’s owner. It didn’t take long to find Twilight seated at a large table, face buried in a book.

A slight smile crept onto Luna’s face. It almost seemed a shame to interrupt Twilight’s happy dream, but, if she was to aid the night princess, it had to be done.

With a few gentle flaps of her wings, Luna alighted near Twilight, and cleared her throat.

“Twilight Sparkle, please attend. We have arrived.” Luna said.

Dropping the book, Twilight spun around.

“Ah, Princess Luna. How did you… oh, I’m dreaming.” Twilight said as she looked around the room.

“Indeed my little pony. Tell us, are you ready?” Luna asked.

“Of course.” Twilight said as she walked up to Luna, anticipation clearly written on her face.

“Very well then. Please, stand by our side and we shalt depart. Remember, stay close, lest you be lost in the dreamscape.” Luna said as she invoked her magic. As the mystical energy sheathed both her and Twilight in its blue aura, they vanished from Twilight’s dream realm and re-entered the veil.

*****

“This is incredible.” Twilight gasped as she marveled at the impossible space she and princess Luna now stood in. All around her, the aether twisted and swirled in a mass of abstract hues that Twilight’s mind could only process as color by analogy. And all around her in that vast sea of color-yet-not-color, the young mage could catch glimpses of the dream spheres, each one a subtly different shade of that same strange spectrum of hues that made up the aether. Twilight’s inner scholar desperately wanted to run off and explore, but she knew that if she left Luna’s side, she would be lost.

“Indeed Twilight Sparkle. The veil is a truly wondrous place. All who walk in the waking world come here to dream, be they noble of commoner. It's a place of true equality and freedom.” Luna said with a slight smile, “And with luck, our mysterious pegasus will be here as well.”

“So, how do we find her?” Twilight asked as she looked about. “There’re thousands of these dream spheres. We’re not going to search each one, are we?”

Snickering, Luna turned to Twilight.

“That, Twilight Sparkle, is fairly straight forward.” Luna said simply. Summoning a small fraction of her magic, Luna called forth a small sphere of pulsing white light, which swirled in front of her before rocketing off into the aether, leaving a shimmering contrail in its wake.

“What was that?” Twilight asked as she watched the nimbus of light race off.

“A dreamseeker.” Luna responded.

“Dreamseeker?”

“Indeed. When we need to find the dreams of a specific pony, we call upon a seeker. We need only provide it with criteria to search for, and it will transverse the dreamscape to find dream spheres that fulfill them. This seeker was instructed to find a dreamer bound to the sun, but without alicorn magic.” Luna said as she turned towards Twilight with a slight smile. “It is how we normally find ponies that are in need of our aid.”

“I so want to reverse engineer that spell.” Twilight pouted as she watched the last of the seeker’s contrail vanish into the aether.

“Maybe one day.” Luna said cryptically, “But, we are getting off the matter at hand.”

“Oh, right. The solar pegasus. How long will it take to find her?” Twilight asked.

“Time dose not mean the same thing here as it does outside the dreamscape.” Luna said. “It should not take more than… Aha, there she is!”

*****

“Most curious indeed.” Luna pondered as she examined the dream sphere before her and Twilight.

“What do you mean Princess?” Twilight asked as Luna extended a hoof and touched the glowing dream sphere before her. “It looks like all of the other dream spheres.”

“It's not the appearance that we find puzzling Twilight Sparkle. This dreamer feels… out of place somehow. Almost as if this sphere were not originating in Equestria. It is somewhere else close to Equestria, yet not Equestria at the same time.” Luna explained, her hoof tracing along the surface of the sphere. “Our sister said that she could feel the solar essence this being possesses vanish at night. Could she actually be going somewhere else once the moon rises?”

“But where could she go? Its not like there are any other worlds she could travel to… are there?” Twilight asked.

“We are not sure, Twilight Sparkle. Our old mentor Starswirl told us of other worlds that he once visited, and the possibility of many more existing, some close to Equestria and some quite distant. But, such travel requires the highest of magics to accomplish, something that neither we nor our sister have ever attempted. However, at this point, we do not believe it is wise to make any assumptions about this entity.” Luna said as she straightened herself and looked at the unicorn. “Regardless, shall we go and meet our unusual new friend?”

“I’m ready when you are.” Twilight said, her face lighting up in an enormous smile.

*****

As the aether cleared, both Twilight and Luna took stock of the dreamscape they had entered. Both ponies stood for a few moments, stunned by what they were witnessing. Before them were dozens of hulking, monstrous forms, each vaguely shaped like large minotaurs. However, rather than bovine, they were lupine. All but a few of them were indistinct, as though their identifying features were missing, making them resemble hazy silhouettes. Each of these strange forms were gathered around a massive bonfire in a woodland clearing. Some were fighting, others feasting upon what Luna and Twilight could see were deer, while others were sharing stories around smaller sub-fires.

“What is this?” Twilight said, her eyes wide with both awe and primal terror. “Is she having a nightmare?”

“No,” Luna responded as she tried to control her own surprise. “To her… this dream is a happy one.”

Shaking her head, Twilight fought down her initial trepidation and began to take in her surroundings. As she reminded herself that this was all just a dream, she began to think analytically about what she was seeing.

“Interesting. I had a theory that she might be from some lost continent or island. Could these wolf creatures be the local equivalent to minotaurs?” Twilight asked, as she looked around for the pegasus. “Anyway, I don’t see her anywhere. Do you, Princess?”

“We do. Our dreamer is over there.” Luna said as she pointed towards one knot of the beastial creatures with a wing. Unlike the others, this knot was fully resolved, with each of the wolves clearly distinctive and far more real looking than the others. In addition to the wolves, there were two others. One resembled the wolf-creatures, but was much smaller, and was more coyote than wolf. However, the sixth one was even more distinct. Like the others, this one was bipedal like a minotaur, but unlike the other minotauroids around it, this creature’s form was clearly based on a raven rather than a canine. All six were currently sitting around a smaller fire, laughing as the raven creature gestured wildly, clearly telling a story of some sort. Occasionally, the wolves would whoop or the coyote would interrupt with some sort of joke, earning a joyous smile from the raven.

“I don’t see her.” Twilight replied.

“The avian one is our dreamer.” Luna stated evenly.

“Seriously? That’s her? But… but, why does she look like that!?”

“We will admit, it's a most curious persona, yet it is one that she feels most comfortable with.”

“So now what? Do we go up and introduce ourselves?”

Luna considered the idea for a moment before shaking her head.

“No. Let us wait and observe. We might be able to learn something about her if we do.” Luna said as she invoked a small portion of her magic, further obscuring their presence from the dreamer.

No sooner had Luna veiled Twilight and herself than there was a commotion among the wolves as particularly large and scarred female took to an elevated platform in front of the bonfire. Like the ones with the dreamer, she was fully resolved.

“My Brothers and Sisters! Let us come to order!” the wolf-being shouted in the strange language that Twilight had heard in Zecora’s hut. Despite not knowing the words, the power of the dreamscape translated the meaning to both ponies. As the alpha female spoke, all eyes turned to her and fell silent.

“On this night, let us offer our thanks to Mother Gaia, to Luna and her brother the great and shining Helios! For, our dear friend and ally Dawn Wings” she shouted as she gestured to the raven-being, who bowed her head, “uncovered a plot by the servants of the Defiler. Thanks to her brave and selfless actions, we have stopped an insidious threat to the Earth Mother by a servant of the vile Wyrm!”

A great, deafening cheer rose from the gathered wolves, many of them throwing back their heads and howling to the night sky, the volume forcing Twilight to cover her ears.

“And, thanks to our sister Bright-Claw and her pack, we have managed to capture the mastermind of this insidious plan!” More cheering howls erupted from the crowd. “On this night, we shall see the leader of the Defiler’s plot meet with Gaia’s justice! Bring him forth!”

At that, two of the massive wolves began to drag a much smaller bound and gagged creature into the clearing, prompting all of the wolves to begin snarling and growling, a few of them gnashing their teeth. Like the others, it was minotauroid, but had a strange, flattened face almost like a chimpanzee, with only small patches of fur on the top of its head and above its crotch, while its soft, pink skin was covered in a multitude of scabrous boils and jaundiced patches of dried skin. Both Luna and Twilight stared in horror as the creature was hauled before a large wooden arch and strung up, its feet dangling in the air as it fruitlessly struggled against its bindings.

“Clear skies, what are they going to…” Twilight choked as she raised a hoof to her mouth before Luna placed a comforting wing on her shoulder.

“This nauseating mage was caught corrupting the leylines, using the blood and souls of sacrificed humans as a catalyst!” The lead wolf shouted as she pointed a massive, talon tipped finger at the dangling creature, causing another round of snarls to erupt from the assembled wolves.

“But, thanks to our sister Dawn Wings, we were able to uncover his twisted scheme and put an end to it!” More cheers and howls erupted from the wolves as the raven-being stood and bowed.

“And, I can think of no one more deserving to mete out justice to this wretch than the very corax who led us to him! Sister Dawn Wings, please, if you would do us the honor!”

Without missing a beat, Dawn Wings took to the air and landed before the platform, before bowing deeply to the wolf above her.

“It would be my pleasure.” She said, her face twisting into a bloodthirsty grin.

And with that, she strode over to the bound creature. As she did, a wave of light passed up her arms, causing the feathers on her wings began to glow with searing, white flame.

“Well, well, well.” She cooed as she approached the mage, whose struggles intensified as the raven drew closer. “Looks like you got yourself into a bind, didn’t you, you piece of shit?”

Luna and Twilight watched as Dawn Wings wound her right arm across her chest and pivoting away from the dangling creature, before swinging back around and lashing out with the back edge of her wing, drawing her feathers across the pink creature’s stomach. Twilight recoiled in horror as the feathers struck then sliced through flesh like a sharpened blade and spilled the captive’s guts out onto the ground by its feet. The creature’s thrashing intensified as Twilight stifled a scream and she slammed her eyes shut, while a great cheer erupted from the wolves.

“Now,” Dawn Wings said as she closed her eyes and held her hands together, “here comes the sun, do-do-do-dooo.” She sang.

Drawing her hands apart, both ponies saw a small, miniature sun appear in her right palm.

“Here comes the sun, and I say…”

Dawn Wings regarded it for a second before cocking her arm back, causing the bound creature to thrash even more violently, despite the act causing more of its guts to spill out.

“Its all right…” She hummed.

“Do do do” She slammed the blazing sphere into the open cavity of the captive creature’s torso, releasing a cloud of steam, a searing wet hiss, and the stench of burning meat.

“Do do do.” Her voice dropped a measure as she twisted her arm, driving the blazing ball deeper inside as the bound creature screamed in agony before falling silent.

“Do do do.” She finished with a growl as she withdrew her gore-covered claws from the smoking hole in the creature’s stomach. Twilight collapsed to the ground, desperately fighting the urge to throw up, while Luna stared on as steam erupted from the nose and mouth of the now semi-charred corpse.

All at once, the wolves threw back their heads and howled to the sky, and the world shifted…

…to an open horizon, high above a magnificent, snow-capped mountain range. Twilight yelped in surprise as she momentarily forgot her nausea at the prospect of plummeting hundreds of hooflengths to the ground. Yet, she didn’t fall, but instead floated in the sky next to Princess Luna.

“What now?” Twilight whimpered, her stomach still uneasy after the violence she had just witnessed and the shock of suddenly being suspended in the air.

“The dream has shifted,” Luna said as she pointed to two black objects some distance away, “and, apparently, so has our dreamer.”

Despite her nerves already being on edge, Twilight turned her attention towards the spot in the distance. As she did, she recognized what she was looking at. It was a pair of ravens, flying side by side above the tree line. The larger of the two had a small twig in its mouth, which the smaller one was trying to snatch away.

“Come on, Chaser, you can do better than that!” the larger one croaked. As before, neither Luna nor Twilight heard anything other than a series of raven vocalizations, but the meaning was perfectly clear. The smaller bird made another grab for the twig, but the larger one turned her head at the last minute, causing him to miss.

“Oh you bet I can.” The smaller, masculine sounding bird replied as he put on some speed and managed to grab the twig out of the larger bird’s beak. “Haha! Bet ya can’t get it back Wings!” He croaked as he wiggled the twig in his beak and dove down towards the trees.

“Why I oughta!” The large female bird croaked playfully as she sped off after her partner. “Come back here you little sneak thief!”

“Is that…?” Twilight asked as she pointed to the pair.

“Yes, that is her.” Luna replied as she indicated the larger of the two birds.

“C’mon Wings,” the one called Chaser croaked as he banked to keep Dawn Wings from grabbing the stick, “don’t tell me that lil’ old me can outrun a big, strong girl like you. I’ve seen you out fly eagles.”

“Oh yea, pipsqueak!” Dawn Wings replied as she turned to chase him, “Watch out, cuz’ you asked for it!”

“Whaa, I’m so scared.” He replied as he twisted away again, narrowly avoiding having the stick taken. “Maybe if you didn’t eat so many berries, you wouldn’t be carrying around so much weight.”

“Oh, its on now Chaser.” She playfully replied as she dove after him, “And here I thought you liked big girls.”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have chosen one.” Chaser replied wistfully as Dawn Wings swooped down and snatched the stick from him. “Hey!”

“You snooze, you lose sweetie.” She replied.

“Not today babe!” He responded as he flew after her.

*****

“Okay, now I’m really lost.” Twilight thought aloud as she watched the two birds playing, before turning to Princess Luna. “First a ravenish minotaur, then a bird. Does she really see herself as both of those things? And what’s up with this dream? That can’t be the same… I think her name was Dawn Wings… that we saw… mutilate… that other creature, could it?”

“It is her Twilight Sparkle, make no mistake.” Luna replied.

A hair popped out of Twilight’s mane as she continued to watch the ravens playing and laughing. The whole situation was really starting to get to her.

“But, she seems so… peaceful. And happy. I can’t imagine somepony who could dream of… of…” Twilight stuttered as she desperately fought to not recall the sight of the hairless ape being gutted and burnt alive from the inside, “doing something so violent one minute acting so carefree and gentle the next. Is she crazy or something?”

“We do not believe so Twilight Sparkle. We can tell she feels great satisfaction from that act.” Luna replied calmly. “Yet, that creature she… executed… wronged her greatly in some way. No. It goes beyond that. We can sense that it twas the cause of an unimaginable amount of pain for this… Dawn Wings.”

Luna’s eyes drifted back towards the two birds.

“Yet, recall that she also dreampt of being with those wolf-creatures, to whom she clearly shares a deep bond of friendship. The joy of seeing them easily out weighed the malice she exuded when she butchered that ape creature.

“Now…” Luna said as she gestured with a hoof towards the two playing birds, “Now she is dreaming of someone she loves and misses dearly. It would not surprise me if that other bird is her mate.”

Luna’s eyes softened as she watched the two birds flirt with one another as they continued their game.

“This Dawn Wings… she is lonely. The first dream was one where she was with her friends, while this one she is with her lover. We think she is far from both now, and it is tearing her apart.”

“Ding ding ding ding ding! Looks like we have a winner. All prizes can be claimed at the counter, no exchanges or refunds available.” A rough, masculine voice from behind the two ponies cheered. Turning, both of them were startled to see another large raven perching on a cloud behind them. But not just any raven. Somehow, this newcomer exuded perfect and absolute ravenness, as though all other ravens were but imperfect copies of his template. But more than that, he exuded an air of ancientness and authority. If she thought about it, Twilight would have realized that it was the same feeling she got when around the alicorns, only magnified a thousand fold.

“To be honest, if you didn’t figure that out missy, I’d be kinda disappointed in you. But, hey, you’re young, so I guess I couldn’t hold it against you if you didn’t get it.” He said with a smirk that immediately got under Luna’s skin.

“And who are you to speak to us as such?” Luna growled as she put herself between Twilight and the newcomer. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, but there was something about this being that reminded her of Discord, both in presence and in power. And it put her on edge.

“Well, I suppose I could tell you, buuuuut, I might actually enjoy making you guess. Go on. Guess. You’ll never guess. C’mon. Try.” He said as he flashed Luna a cheeky grin, which she responded to by narrowing her eyes and snorting. This only prompted the raven to chuckle.

“Eeehhh, but honestly though, we’ve never really had much contact with your world, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you had absolutely no clue. Well, less of one than usual Little Incarna of the Moon.” The raven said as he flicked his right wing dismissively and rolled his eyes.

“Watch your tongue, lest you try our patience and test our wrath.” Luna replied, her features contorted into a scowl. “And what business do you have here?”

“Wow, you are just no fun at all. Must be too much full moon in the tank. You really ought to take some clues from your boss. She’s got a much better sense of humor.” The raven sniped before flying over and hovering in front of the Princess. “Well, some of the time anyway.”

“Answer our question interloper. Who are you and what business doth you have here?”

“Okay, seriously honey, when was the last time you got laid? You are way too pent up.” The raven deadpanned as he flew back a little and landed on a cloud.

“But, to answer your question doll, the name’s Raven, messenger and master scout for Gaia, at your service. As for why I’m here, its pretty much because of that lovely young lady over.” Raven said as he flicked his beak in Dawn Wings’ direction before flashing Luna that same infuriating and cheeky grin. “How do you do?”

Author's Note

And with that, Luna meets Dawn Wings' boss, who will probably drive her as crazy as the ponies drive Dawn Wings (He has that effect on people).