Author's Note

Hey, I'm back. Sorry for vanishing, but things were stressful before the c-virus stuff. Needless to say, it's been... fun since. Hey, though, I'm back, and in the mood to make some content, hopefully. Maybe get this story going in a direction. I dunno. I'm going to bed now...

Chapter 6 - In Dreams

"Woah! Woah, woah, woah! Hey, I know what it looks like, I promise, but I have no idea who you are, and I'm fairly sure you have no idea who I really am." He backed up a pace or two, but didn't seem any further from the clearly angry shadowy being in front of him.

"We, too, have no knowledge as to who thou art, but we have no illusions as to thy clearly monstrous nature! We will give thee but one chance to explain thyself, and if we do not like what thee hast to explain thyself, then we shall quickly amend these sparing moments wherein we are not tearing you a new set of mouths from which to lie from," the figure snarled in cold anger.

"I'm stuck here, this isn't even the form I started in and I have no clue why I'm here or why I look like this. I hide my form because I don't want to scare the peop- ponies of this world." He tried still to back up, stepping as quickly as he could. For a bare moment, he seemed to put a little extra distance, but quicker than a whip, the threatening foe zipped practically in his face. Instinctually, he lashed out with his power, slashing the figure across the chest and slamming them backwards in a fit of fear and a brief surge of rage. He shrank back in horror after realizing what he'd done. He rushed to the being, the shadows receding to reveal a pony, this one dark blue with wings and a horn. He hadn't seen one with both before and found himself growing more worried with each second. Just who had he upset... Just who had he hurt?

"Oh god, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Suddenly, she lashed out at him, a blade of magic held aloft and she glared at him with harsh eyes before leaping back, a gash across her chest, quickly healed the magic of the dream.

The dream. Oh right, this is all just a dream, right? I don't have to hold back, this is just some kind of dream pony. Bet I made her up.

He chuckled darkly before manifesting a large grin, the smile splitting his false lips wide as he made to dash at her, she made alike to attack with tenacity.

"HAVE AT THEE, KNAVE! THOU SHALT FALL TO THE MIGHT OF PRINCESS LUNA!" She bellowed as she scalloped towards him, her blade swinging wildly. He vanished, leaving her confused for a mere instant before she realized what was happening and struck behind her, narrowly missing him as he reappeared and wrapped a bevy of spiked chains like barbed wire around her body, squeezing her tightly.

She acted quickly and moved to teleport, and he moved to follow, missing her as he tried to bind her again.

"Hmph. Be a lame dream if the same trick worked twice, huh? Guess I'll have to try harder..."

"You will NOT BE ALLOWED TO HURT OUR PONIES!" Luna screeched as she drove a lance of dark energy directly into his chest, to which he responded with amusement as he dissolved into a sort of puddle and rose again to bind her again, himself forming a painful binding around her, piercing her skin. She let out a scream as her hide was torn at all angles and King felt a pang of guilt for a moment and loosened his grip, not seeing the energy blast that Luna had been readying as the light at the tip of her horn spread and overwhelmed him. He was left, exhausted and in pain as he laid on the floor and Luna slowly approached, a smug smirk across her face.

"Hah! As though you ever really stood a chance. Any last words, you disgusting monster?"

"Yeah. Watch out."

"What?" She panicked a moment before quickly realising it was a trick and lunging for a final hit on King before stopping short. A trickle of blood slipped from her mouth as she looked down and saw a vine of black piercing from the ground through her stomach, impaling her.

"You lose." He said, feeling powerful, a dark gleam showing in his eyes.

"Wh- what have you done..?" She gasped out between strangled breaths before collapsing in a bloodied heap. The moment she hit the ground, he woke up, a mild feeling of nausea and dread hit him as he realised the pain from his dream hadn't left him on waking.

"Weird... I'm... sure it's fine." He said, attempting to reassure himself as he headed downstairs and out to look out at the sky and gather his wits. It was strange, the full moon sat still in the sky. It would be beautiful if this strange, overwhelming sense of dread wasn't overpowering his feelings on the subject.

He sat for hours on end, bored out of his wits but unable to find sleep again. He noticed that as the sun began to rise, the moon didn't seem to leave the sky. He made a few connections as he realized what had happened with growing horror.

"That mare, her name..." He shook his head and stamped off, refusing to believe this could be his fault until he encountered Pinkie Pie, who seemed strangely worried. He couldn't help but approach, worry still nagging at the back of his mind as he walked closer, worried she'd somehow know what he'd done.

"Hey, Pinkie, what's going on? You seem really freaked right now. Look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"I can't talk right now, Kingy, I gotta get to Canterlot for an important meeting! You saw it, right? The moon's stopped up in the sky there! Spike says there's gonna be a lot of trouble."

"Like what? What's wrong, pinks?"

"I dunno if I can tell you this... it's pretty serious."

"I promise I won't tell anyone, I swear." He crossed a hoof over his chest.

"Pinkie Promise?"

"Pinkie Promise. Now can you tell me?"

"No, silly, you gotta do the moves! Say 'I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!'" She led him through the motions, ending in her placing her hoof in her eye.

"Okay, okay, as long as you'll tell me. I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" He copied her movements, ending with an eye poke. "Now, can you please tell me what has you so worked up?"

She hesitated a moment, looking around to make sure no one else could hear before leaning in close and, in an uncharacteristically somber tone, she spoke.

"Last night, Princess Luna fell into a coma."