”Your technique is improving but your stance is sloppy as always.”

Luna found herself afloat in the void of stars, a place of calm and serenity where the troubles of the day were unable to reach. Since her banishment, Luna was merely a bystander in this realm of dreams; unable to interact with and guide her subjects, only acting as a watching specter at best. Free from her imprisonment, the Princess of the Night was once again able to take up her charge and properly fight back against the dark that dwells in the minds of the common pony-folk.

But a thousand years is a long time to be away, and though Princess Luna had watched her ponies grow in their dreams, the modern world had become a slight fascination that often acted as a distraction for her. Wonderous creations the princess never thought plausible, only a fleeting flicker of imagination in the minds of the exceptionally creative. Carriages that propelled themselves via magic crystals for fuel, devices able to capture a single moment with but a flash of light, and newfound delicacies with flavors completely unthinkable for the lunar monarch to even consider trying.

Yet with everything that had changed over the years, there were always the aspects of life that were eternal. Many times Luna had come across dreams of ponies longing for companionship. The struggle to find a mate, to stave off the fear of loneliness was one Luna herself understood and was a challenge dating back to the beginning of pony kind. Yet even back before she had become Nightmare Moon, the shortage of stallions was a minor issue, but now it had grown to where it was a very noticeable and very real situation that needed to be taken care of.

The longer Luna stayed inside the realm of dreams, coming across more and more mares, the stronger her suspicions that she had returned to a time where the male gender had gone completely extinct or were rather rare to encounter. This was something Luna needed to talk with her sister about when she awakened; until then, Luna had a job to do.

Closing her eyes, Princess Luna channeled her magic along her horn, casting out her senses like a wide net into the aether. Her divine gift to sense the emotions in ponies was key to helping her find those under duress. In a matter of seconds, she got what she was looking for. Luna turned her attention to a random direction in the void and propelled herself through the sea of stars as if she were weightless. Passing by countless little balls of light she barely even registered, she eventually came to find one that did not shine like the rest. Instead, Princess Luna beheld a small ball of deep purple that radiated with a foul smoke.

Seeing the telltale signs of a nightmare in progress, she focused her magic onto the little ball of light and her surroundings slowly started to change. The starry void gave way to a new sight that Luna had not quite seen before. Where once Ponies had gathered and worked in a guild hall to discuss matters to their faction, that had changed for the modern place of work; The Office Building.

Observing ponies scurry about like ants in a frantic environment, she watched them pass through her like ghosts, unaware of her presence. For the most part, they were but featureless mannequins, acting as background props to this hectic scene so it was easy to tell they were part of the dream. ‘Hm. Must be around here somewhere.’ Luna thought, scanning the area for anypony with any actual features to them.

Walking around this new environment, Luna searched for her charge but also took her time to experience what it was like to be in such a hectic environment. Looking into one office, Luna saw one of the few ponies with any actual features; a stout mare Luna almost mistook as a filly but her voice and ranting and ravings, as well as her overuse of profanity and gibberish, told her that this was another simulacrum of the dream itself. Most likely somepony close to the one having the dream.

Another figure came into view, that being a green unicorn mare dressed in a gray skirt and revealing top purposefully unbuttoned to reveal her sizable breasts. She had a pen and clipboard in hand, looking for something as she passed cubicle after cubicle, hunting for something. “Come on out, Demo! I just want an interview.” Seeing this eager mare, Luna approaches her with a stoic expression, standing in her way in an imposing fashion she could muster.

“Greetings, We are-“ The green mare passes through her like a ghost, not even registering Luna’s presence. “… Talking to a simulacrum. Get it together, Luna. This isn’t thine first dream walk.” She chides herself, looking around the office only to see something peculiar. Somepony down one of the halls zig-zagging through the area trying to remain undetected. Following the stealthy figure, Luna raised a brow in curiosity.

Approaching the cubical the figure had ducked into; Luna turns to look inside and sees a tall earth pony stallion with a cream-colored coat and a shaggy black mane with a tail to match. He huffed and panted, trying to keep his breathing steady with his back against the wall. Having looked over the wall, Luna also saw that the stallion was quite nude. ‘A fear of indecency maybe?’ Luna thought. ‘Or mayhaps exposure of some dark secret?’ Seeing as the stallion was hiding his stallion hood with some paperwork casually taken from a desk, her brow slowly rose a few centimeters in thought. ‘Perhaps he is merely shy.’

Feeling a presence haunting him, the cream-colored earth pony eventually turned to the towering alicorn silently watching him. The two made eye contact, an air of awkwardness forming between the two as Demo Reel beheld the princess of the night so casually ogling his naked body. “… Get out of here, this show ain’t free.” Luna was taken aback by the stallion’s tone of voice but let it slide this once since she was still becoming known to the public and the stallion probably didn’t know who she was yet.

“Thou hast nothing we haven’t seen before, colt.” Luna shoots back.

“Regardless, it's rude to stare.” Demo Reel retorts, getting a disapproving growl from the princess. Luna was prepared to scold the earth pony before somepony else called out for the stallion’s attention.

“Demo Reel!” The stallion tenses up, hearing the familiar voice. Luna turns around to spot a green unicorn sporting a wide grin and a look of hunger in her eyes. “I know you’re in here~.” Her tone was sultry and alluring, making the stallion all the more tense. A small smile forms on the princess’s muzzle as she turns to the stallion hunched over in a cubicle.

“A friend?” Luna asked.

“Kinda sorta.” Demo whispers, practically sensing her approach. “She’s a reporter I get paired with at this one publisher. She’s a friend of sorts but sometimes when her stallion doesn’t sate her needs, she can get quite… grabby.”

“Come on out so I can get a feel for that cute little ass of yours. The boss says she wants a new article on the body of a workin’ stallion. Be a good boy and I’ll give you a little treat~.” The green unicorn approached the cubicle, about ready to find the naked stallion cowering in the corner.

Before she has the chance to lay her eyes on the stallion, Luna casts a spell to protect the frightened pony, manifesting a wall of illusion to hide Demo Reel from her view and give them time to chat. Thus, when she does turn the corner, the green unicorn finds nothing but an empty cubicle, and leaves to continue her search. Demo Reel however saw the mare through the one-way wall of magic, seeing her look right into his eyes before turning back to head down the walkway. “A rather interesting sort.” Luna says, watching her go. “Woulds it be so bad to let her interview thee?”

“No way! If she does that, my life is over.” Demo Reel says with a look of horror. “Nopony can know.”

“We are sure it’s not so bad. Thine stallion-hood could be appealing to many a mare regardless of its size or shape.”

“What are you talking about?!” Demo Reel responds in a raised yet utterly confused voice.

“Does thou attempts to avoid thine friend whilst covering your sword not mean you are ashamed of your girth?” Luna asked, gaining a confused look from the stallion.

“… No. No, it does not.” The stallion says flatly.

‘Well, there goes that theory. Metaphorical meaning then.’ While Luna contemplated the meaning of Demo Reel’s Dream; the stallion was once more on the move. Watching him dash from one cubicle to the other, Luna merely followed him down the maze of cubicles in a more casual manner, letting the mannequins pass through her with little to no need for stealth. Taking note of this, Demo Reel starts to look over the blue alicorn looming over his shoulder.

“Why are you following me?” Demo asked irritably.

“We are Princess Luna, Guardian of the-“

“I know who you are, your highness.” Luna was stunned to hear that, learning that he had been speaking in such a disrespectful tone all this time knowing full well who she was. “I mean why are you following me, specifically?”

“Thou art having a nightmare.” Luna answered a bit begrudgingly. “We had come to aid thee in confronting your fears.”

“It’s appreciated, your highness. Truly, I am flattered you’d take the time to come here and help but you’re wasting your time with me. There are probably ponies out there with worse nightmares than I.” Demo Reel says, keeping his eye out for anypony he recognizes. “But now that you mention it, I should have known this was a dream. Last time I checked, clothing doesn’t melt off your body like snow in a microwave oven.”

“We should hope not. That seems to be a terrible function to have to cover thy self.” Luna says. “But if thou do not confront your fears, then you shall be doomed to suffer these night terrors for the rest of your days.” Luna couldn’t help but be a little extra dramatic, but even still the stallion didn’t seem all that phased, or showed he actually cared.

“Hm. I think I’ll manage. Just gotta… keep my distance from Lime-Wire and I’ll be alright.” There was a long pause between the two; while Demo took a peek over the walls to see where he was going, Luna was left with her mouth agape, processing the stallion’s response.

“Thou… do not want our help?”

“No. I appreciate it, but I’m fine. Really.” Another pause as Luna shook her head to ward off the sudden stupor.

“Of all the fanciful things I have come to find in my return, a pony suffering a nightmare and doesn’t want our help is by far the most outrageous.”

“Sorry if I offended you, your grace. But I’m used to it by now; this is what I come to expect when I sleep.” Luna sputtered, trying to come up with a response, yet this situation was not something she had ever prepared for. Thus, instead of endlessly bickering, she came to respond with a different approach.

“Then what art thou doing then?”

“Looking for an exit.” Demo Reel says, dropping the papers that covered himself in favor of getting a better grip on the wall. As he scans the area for his way out, Luna stands by until he is ready to take her words seriously. “There you are.” The stallion spots a pair of doors on the far end of the hallway. Getting the lay of the area in his mind, he starts to move for his means of escape.

Dodging and weaving among the crowd, keeping himself low and out of sight, he was all but invisible to the denizens of the dream realm with exception to Luna. She had her eye on him and waited for him to come to his senses. Alas, as she followed close behind, her vision somewhat drifted down below the metaphorical belt and she felt her cheeks redden seeing something… dangling between the stallion’s legs.

Following Demo Reel like a specter and trying to keep her eyes above the waist, watching the nude stallion make his way to freedom only to suddenly stop when he heard a familiar voice. “Come on, D. At least give me the juicy details. We’ll keep you anonymous, super swearsies.”

“What will thou do? She appears to have blocked thine path.” Luna says, seeing that the green unicorn was the final obstacle from freedom.

“Can’t you just… make me invisible or something?”

“The last time was merely a mercy to give thee a moment to understand what must be done. Now we see that the only true path to freedom is honesty.”

“You don’t understand.” Demo Reel says with a tinge of hesitation. “If she finds out what I’m really like… if she knew the real me, there will be no coming back. My life as I know it is over.”

“If thou do not confront her, then the nightmares will never be over.” Luna warns, seeing Lime Wire stand ready as if expecting Demo Reel to pop out at any minute. Looking hesitant to move from his cover, he turns back to Luna with an uncertain look about him.

“You’ll be there in case things get bad… right?”

“We will be here to keep thee safe. Now go… she is waiting.” With a soft groan, Demo Reel steps out from around the cubicle wall, slowly approaching the mare with her back still turned to him. Taking his time at first to approach, Demo Reel cleared his throat to catch Lime Wire’s attention. Trembling with every step he took, the stallion gathered what courage he had and sighed, ready to begin. “Remember, tis only a dream.” Luna calls out.

Clearing his throat, Demo Reel stood before the green unicorn. “Uh… Lime-Wire.” Demo Reel began. “I’m sorry I have been avoiding you, and I’m ready to do the interview.” There wasn’t any response from the green unicorn, standing stalk still upon hearing the stallion speak. “I just hope we can keep things professional between us. I know you and your herd are quite happy, and the last thing I want is to ruin what you have.” Silence continued as the background noise of the office space faded into a low droning hum. Nearly a minute goes by without nary a response from Lime Wire as she stood with her back turned and her arms at her side. Demo Reel took a small step forward, curious as to what was wrong. “Lime-Wire?”

“… You lied to me.” She finally responded. “… You lied to all of us.” Luna felt something was wrong. Looking around the office space, the various faceless figures had all suddenly stopped in their tracks, their featureless faces all turned towards Demo Reel.

‘This isn’t right.’ Luna thought to herself, moving closer to Demo Reel to bring him away from Lime-Wire. Though a sudden and grizzly crunching of bones brought the lunar princess to a halt, seeing that the green unicorn’s head had suddenly twisted in a full 180 degrees to focus her attention on the startled stallion. Frozen in place, Demo was frozen in place as he saw his friend’s distorted grin stretching from ear to ear. Her maw left agape as it twisted around her clearly broken neck, her eyes sunken in and milky

“Demo Reel, retreat unto us! We shall protect thee.” Backing away slowly at first, Demo Reel eventually turned to return to Luna. All the while the Lunar Princess readied to produce a barrier spell meant to keep nightmares at bay but something was wrong. Princess Luna knew that earth ponies may not be the swiftest of the three tribes but Demo Reel wasn’t that far away when they started. Seeing he was still running for his life, Luna saw that the room had stretched outwards from her, creating quite the distance between her and him. In fact, the floor itself seemed to be doing all it can to bring Demo Reel to the now monstrous facsimile of the stallion’s co-worker as she now scuttled around on twisted limbs akin to some horrid crustacean.

Watching the stallion struggle to come closer, Luna was about to drop her barrier conjuration to drag the stallion to her but instead he ended up surprising her a bit. As the false-friend let out a beastial screech, Demo Reel tensed up and leapt from the tread-mill of a floor and up onto the top of the cubicle. Balancing on the thin line he had, he started to run along the thin trail of barricades until he got close enough to the princess, upon which he dove right to her. Just in the nick of time as well as the mangled mare was making her way much, much faster than Demo had done. Though once he was close to her side, Luna stretched her arms out to manifest a magical wall in which no manifestations of the dream could even hope to penetrate.

Trying to catch his breath, Demo Reel is brought back to what was happening by the sound of a loud thud against the wall of magic. Turning what caused it, he found the snarling pony beating and thrashing against Luna’s magic barrier. “THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU ARE TO BLAME!!! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO CAUSED ALL OF THIS!!!” Seeing her misshapen features, Demo Reel instinctively backed away until he was at the hooves of the princess, who merely glared at the beast with an undaunted sense of determination.

“YOU SHALL NOT HAVE THIS COLT, MONSTER!” Luna’s Royal Canterlot Voice shook the very building around them as her eyes radiated with powerful magic that Demo Reel couldn’t even begin to understand, “BEGONE FROM THIS PLACE!!! With a burst of light, the beast was defeated with the utmost ease. The snarling and berating came to an end and with it, Luna dropped her Royal Canterlot Voice to turn to the terrified stallion. “Ease thine woes, Demo Reel. She is gone.”

Looking up from the floor, Demo Reel saw that the monster wearing his friend’s face was gone with nary a trace of her left. Slowly he got back to his hooves and felt the warm gaze of Luna on him. “Thanks. I… uh… I didn’t mean for you to get involved with that.”

“Tis but our duty.” Luna says dismissively. “But… what did it mean by it being thy fault? Have thou wronged this mare in some fashion?” Demo tensed up.

“I’ve been ‘wronging’ a lot of ponies. Lying to their faces for as long as I can remember.”

“A life of deceptions is no life to live, sweet colt.” Moving to caress his cheek, Luna smiles warmly at the stallion. “Be true to thy comrades, and if they truly be thy friends, they will accept you no matter what.”

“But… what if they don’t accept me? What if they hate who I really am?”

“Then they were never truly your friends to begin with.” Luna stated bluntly, leaving Demo to consider her words. “I do not know what sort of woes trouble a young stallion such as thee. These horrors should not plague thy dreams. A wonderous life you should have, dreaming of your herd and the foals you sire with them, of a happy home; that is what a young colt such as yourself should have when coming unto the realm of dreams.”

“You have no idea how much I would love that actually.” Luna smiled at his response. “I thank you for your visit and… if you hadn’t come when you did, I’d certainly have another sleepless night.”

“We merely protected thee from thine own woes. Tis still your duty to see that they are thoroughly routed from thine dreams.”

“I’ll see what I can- NNGH!” Demo Reel suddenly doubles over, falling to a knee. Luna tries to catch him but finds her hands pass through him. “Y-You need to go.” Demo grunts out, a hand at his head as he winces in pain.

“What is happening? Are thou alright?”

“GO! Leave N-Now!” Demo stood up, panting and grunting as he felt the world around him shake and shutter. The office area they were surrounded by began to crumble and fall apart. The walls slowly melting and reforming, the office cubicles sank into the ground below as they were replaced with tattered furniture and rotting hardwood floors. The faceless figures in the cubicle faded from existence until only Demo Reel and Luna were the only ones left, and as it came to an end, the office ambience changed to that of a rural neighborhood in the dead of night.

Slowly, the light returned and the two now stood in a rundown old home that seemed abandoned. “What in the world?” Luna whispers to herself, turning back to Demo Reel to see that he too had changed. No longer in the nude, he now stood fully clothed in pants, a plain white shirt and a peculiar jacket with a large bit of back fluff hanging off his neck like a big fuzzy cape. In his hands was a device Princess Luna had come to know as a camera in her more recent ventures in the dream realm. “In all our years I’ve never seen a dream change so… dramatically before.

“I have.” Demo Reel says with a dazed expression about him. “Happens practically every night for me.” The stallion stumbles to his hooves, soothing his aching head.

“Where art we?”

“Manehattan, Southern side of the Bronco Heights.” Demo Reel says without pause, looking surprised by his own answer.

“Have you been here before?” Luna inquired, curious as to what had brought about this sudden development.

“Yes… and no.” Not really in the mood for riddles, Luna returned to the stallion with a sigh of frustration.

“As peculiar a development as this is, I feel thy nightly trials have plagued thee long enough.” With her right hand aglow with her deep blue aura, Luna was ready to end the nightmare and grant Demo Reel a peaceful sleep after his first nightmare. With a wave of her hand, she focused her magic unto the dream realm and cast out the image of the rundown building. Upon opening her eyes however, Luna found that she and Demo Reel were still in the rundown home. “W-What is this?!” Luna tried once more, waving her hand to cast the dream aside.

But it did not phase or budge or do anything. In fact, this dream was utterly unresponsive to her commands. ‘We are the Ruler of Dreams!’ Luna thought to herself. ‘Since when has a dream not done as we command?’ While she was fixated on her frustration, Demo Reel slowly made his way through the house. Catching the stallion moving forward, Luna followed close by. “And where does thou think they are going?”

“To investigate. I’ve been staking this place out for weeks.”

“For what purpose would a little stallion such as thine-self desire with a place such as this?” Luna motioned to the rundown living room, showing the torn-up couch and mold infused carpeting.

“I… don’t really know. I just know that something weird has been happening here.” With that said, Demo Reel moves away from Princess Luna, snapping a few pictures as he explores the house. While Demo Reel followed the pull of this new dream, Luna was deep in thought.

‘This doesn’t make any sense. No dream has been able to withstand thy magic before.’ Luna followed close to Demo Reel, occasionally hearing the snap of his camera. ‘We’ve banished nightmares that have fermented for months in the minds of ponies and yet we cannot even manifest my will in this place. The only time that’s happened is when…’ Suddenly Luna comes to realize what this was. “This… This is a memory.”

“That’d explain the lack of weird shit and why I’m back in my clothes. Or… I guess that counts as weird.”

“What is weird is that memories do not pop up so violently, unless they are repressed in some manner.”

“I can see that. This place definitely seems like something I’d re-“ *SNAP* “PREEEEEEeeeeee…” Falling through the floorboards of the house, Luna moves fast to the hole where Demo had fallen through and sees the stallion on laying on his back.

“DEMO REEL!!!” Luna rushed to the edge, peering inside to see the stallion on his back. “Art thou alright?” She doesn’t get a verbal response but a groan of pain will suffice since it meant he was alive. Then again, this was a memory so on some level she already knew. Seeing the hole was too small for her, Luna looks around the home for some way down. Looking through the house, Luna finds the stairs down into the basement and rapidly descends, trying to squeeze her oversized alicorn form through the narrow passageway.

Reaching the bottom, Luna arrives just in time to see Demo Reel picking himself up. “Stars above, that was a nasty fall.” Luna tries to lift Demo up with a bit of telekinesis but soon finds that not even Demo Reel was able to be affected by her magic. ‘Should have known.’ Luna mentally grumbles.

Only able to watch Demo Reel pick himself up, Luna’s eyes go wide when she spots something very clearly wrong with Demo Reel that caused the deep blue alicorn to lose some of her color; Demo’s knee was bending the wrong way. “Ugh, you’re telling me. Oh! Look at that.” He picks up his leg, seeing it was now floppy and unresponsive. “That’s not good.” Luna practically gagged seeing Demo Reel’s broken leg being held aloft like some prized trout.

“That looks unpleasant. We should hope it has healed.” Luna says, causing Demo to pause.

“Uh… yeah. It's alright. Kinda walk with a limp now sadly.”

“Thankfully this is but a memory and not the real thing.”

“Yeah, but it was, is, real. The pain is certainly still fresh in my mind, that is for sure.”

“Thou art in pain?” Luna asks in a bit of worry.

“Oh yeah. I am in… a LOT of pain.” Demo Reel chuckles, struggling to stand up. “Fortunately,” Demo grunted. Luna was unable to aid him, forced to watch the stallion pull himself up to his one good hoof as he crawls up a wall to keep himself upright. “I have been blessed with an unnaturally high tolerance to pain. The adrenaline also helps too.” Moving his hand around the wall, Demo starts to search for something. After some blind fumbling in the dark, he eventually finds the light switch. Flipping it on to illuminate their area, the two ponies were expecting to find a storage area or some abandoned space. But what they found instead will remain with Luna for the rest of her life.

Beds.

Medical Beds all lined up in a row. Luna walked forward counting eight of them and on each one was a pony, emaciated and pale with surgical scars decorating their bodies. Yet at the side of each bed was a container of some unidentified liquid that was used to contain a severed horn that had been removed from the heads of each pony. It was only after seeing the jars that Luna realized that these ponies were all unicorns. “What madness is this?”

“Looks like… mmph… somepony’s fucked up medical clinic and/or laboratory. That or somepony’s got a really morbid hobby.” Demo Reel says, hopping his way forward balancing on the beds that lined the basement. It wasn’t until he made it to bed number three that something caught his eye; a journal. Hobbling his way towards the small book, he saw that it was made of a soft linen-like covering with a silver buckle to contain it. Though the book’s outer design was simple with a purple shade of color, the buckle itself was that of a crown of sorts held in a circle.

Popping the buckle off, Demo Reel sat on the side of a bed to flip through the pages. Luna moves in close, taking a look for herself. “What has thee found?”

“A journal of somepony’s notes.” Inside the book the two saw pictures and sketches of pony anatomy, specifically unicorns. “I can’t quite make out the writings. It's all… scribbly. I don’t think it's even written in Equestrian.”

“Let me see.” Moving the book to the side, showing Princess Luna the journal, the mare squints her eyes to try and make out the awful penmanship. “We think that is Old-Ponish.”

“Are you able to read it?”

“We are a tad… rusty, as you say these days. We dost recognize a few of these words.” Trying to decipher the old language, Luna runs through what little of the dialect she was able to recall after so many centuries. There were only three words Luna was able to decipher, those being “late”, “quota”, and “living”. “These turn of events do not sit well with us. Demo Reel, what happened after you found this book?” Thinking she could ask Demo what happens further in the memory, she patiently waits for his response.

But there wasn’t any.

Luna notices that Demo Reel’s hands are quite shaky and turns to face the stallion, seeing a dazed look about him. “Demo Reel? what is wrong?”

“N-Nngh…” Luna was about to speak when she saw a trickle of blood seep down his mouth. Standing up, Luna watched the stallion drop the journal to the ground. His arms gave out, revealing an elegant blade piercing through his chest.

“Demo Reel!?” Confused and shocked at what she beheld, Luna watched as the blade was pulled out of Demo Reel’s back, vanishing into thin air as if a ghost had claimed the stallion’s life. Falling to the floor, Luna rushed to his aid trying to help him up. ‘We do not understand.’ Luna thought, trying to scoop Demo Reel up but she merely passed through him as if she wasn’t there. ‘This can’t be a memory or a dream. Dead ponies don’t dream! What in the world is going on?!’

Watching Demo Reel sputter and cough up blood, Luna felt the memory or dream or whatever this was start to fade away. The basement around them slowly started to melt and burn like a photograph that had been set ablaze. “Hold on, Demo Reel. We’ll get you out… somehow.” Luna uses every bit of energy she had at her disposal; calming spells, healing magic, even trying to convince him that this was not real. But she could not deny that this was something else, something that not even she in all her centuries had ever once come across.

“L-Luna…” Demo sputters, seeing the stallion look up at her with pleading eyes. “H-Help… me…” For all her power, Luna had never felt more powerless watching the visage of Demo Reel burn away as the dream came to an abrupt end. To say the princess of dreams was left in shock was an understatement as she now stood dazed in her field of starlight, having everything she knew about dreams come into question.

“After that, we took a small break from our duties to mentally recover. If my ponies are able to last a thousand years without us, then we were sure that they’d last a few days more.” Luna had finished her story, telling the six mares and one dragon of the story.

“That was…” Twilight started. “Certainly what you said it was.” Twilight brought a hand to her forehead, feeling the sweat against her coat while Spike clung to her like a frightened cat.

“Wait, where’s the happy ending?” Pinkie asked. “A story should always have a happy ending?”

“Ah don’ think this was that sort of story, sugarcube.” Applejack says to her friend.

“What about Demo Reel? What happened to him?” Twilight asked, wanting to know more.

“We are unsure. We had looked into his records and found that thine Date of Death had not been reported. For all we know… his body could still be in that house or in some shallow grave.”

“That ain’t no way fur a pony to go. ‘Specially a stallion.” Applejack took her Stetson off to hold to her chest.

“So, what do we do now?” Rainbow asks, looking at her friends. While the others expected for Luna or even Twilight to speak up, they were all drawn to another in the room.

“Excuse me for chiming in, your grace.” Rarity spoke up, having been comforting a shaken Fluttershy. “But you said that this had taken place in the Manehattan Bronco Heights, yes?”

“That is what the stallion told us, yes.” Luna confirmed.

“I see.” Rarity tapped her cheek for a moment, trying to recall something. “Tell me, has anypony heard the name of Ms. Manehattan?”

“Sounds like some sorta super model.” Applejack says.

“Oh! I have!” Rainbow raises her hand. “Total badass.”

“I don’t get it,” Twilight said, a little confused. “What’s this gotta do with some sorta…”

“Vigilante, darling.” Rarity finished, much to Luna’s outrage.

“There is a pony taking the law into their own hands?” Luna looked ready to fly off into a rage as her wings fluttered, struggling to stay contained.

“Indeed there is, Princess.” Rarity says, stroking Fluttershy’s hair. “Not too long ago, I received my issue of the Manehattan Solar Times. Normally I don’t take interest in the articles dealing with criminal activity but when I read the title, my interest was piqued.” She stood up from her seat, leaving Fluttershy’s side. “’Masked Mare Uncovers Malevolent Misdoings’ it read; looking back, it was a rather ghastly incident and honestly, I’d have forgotten about it like so many other articles that weren’t related to fashion or celebrity gossip.”

“So what’s so special about this’n?” Applejack inquired.

“The thing is, it seems that this masked mare had seemingly attacked a rundown home with no reason. Neighbors heard the commotion and called for the authorities. By the time they arrived, several ponies were tied up… and a laboratory of horrors was found underneath. Does anypony want to guess where this has taken place.”

“Manehattan Bronco Heights.” Twilight says with a hint of shock to her.

“Correct, Darling. It seems that the masked ne’er-do-well had attacked the house at random at first glance. But perhaps she was taking the fight to the very ponies who have meant to do us all harm.”

“You suspect that we may yet have an ally in this… Ms. Manehattan?” Luna looks a bit skeptical at the idea.

“If not that, then perhaps somepony who may yet point us in the direction of catching the ruffians who have the ovaries to attack the princess in broad daylight.” Rarity’s suggestion was a bit too unlikely for Luna’s liking. But considering that one of her sister’s own guards had tried to kill not just her sister but also the elements, their pool of potential friends was too small for her liking.

“I see. Twilight Sparkle,” The purple unicorn straightens out, hearing her name.

“Y-Yes?”

“We charge thee with seeking this… masked vigilante and see what she knows. If possible, to seek her out as an ally. We dare not ask this lightly, even after what has happened; alas, there is nopony else we can task with such a mission at this time.” Luna had her reservations, but who else could she trust at a time like this.

“I…” Having her own doubts, Twilight recalled her mentor’s sacrifice and what condition she had been left in. A new fiery determination blossomed in her soul as she wanted to see justice done. “You can count on me, princess. But, what about you?”

“We will have to take over for our sister since she is…” Luna paused, taking a deep breath. “Somepony will have to raise and lower the Sun and Moon. Other than that, we’ll have to personally conduct a screening of all members of the castle, searching for conspirators and allies alike. Once we know who can and cannot be trusted, we’ll do whatever we can to properly give you aid in whatever means you so desire.”

“Thank you, Princess. I do appreciate that.” Twilight paused for a moment. “And… if you are looking for a place to start, my sister will be of great help.”

“I shall look into it, young Sparkle.” With a gentle bow, Twilight Sparkle and her friends made for the exit. Waiting until they were out of the castle and away from any potential spies that they finally broke their silence, and Applejack was the first to do so.

“So, what’s the plan, Twi?”

“First thing’s first, we return to Ponyville and prepare. We wandered into a trap due to my haste and I don’t wanna make that mistake a second time.”

“So we’re really doing this then?” Rainbow Dash came over, floating mid-air on Twilight’s other side.

“There’s no other choice. We were nearly killed; if not for the princess’s sacrifice, more than one of us could have ended up in the hospital. Maybe even worse.”

“B-But… are we really ready for this?” Fluttershy spoke timidly, her voice barely audible.

“Doesn’t matter if we are. I just hope this vigilante can give us some hope.”

“Kinda riding on a lot hoping to get some wanna-be superhero to help us.” Spike grumbled. The band of mares and spike passed through the castle and into the courtyard. There, they could see a small gathering of nobles that had come to see what had caused the castle to shake and rattle. Twilight and her friends passed through them, ignoring their questions and heading out into the streets.

“I’ll have to see about accommodations. I have no idea how long this trip will take and I don’t want our resources to run dry if we have to make an extended stay.”

“Ah can maybe ask mah aunt and uncle Orange if we can stay with ‘em. They got plenty o’ room since mah cousins moved out tah started their own orchards out west.”

“That would be fantastic, Applejack.” Twilight smiled.

“I’ll have to talk to somepony about watching my animals while I’m away.” Fluttershy says softly. “Hopefully Doctor Fauna knows a good house sitter that can help.”

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I’ll see if I can’t help in any way I can so we’ll be ready when we leave.” Twilight turns to the five mares and Spike. “I need you guys at my side for this.”

“As if we’re gonna ditch you after some scumbag tried to off us.” Rainbow smirked. “If there are more creeps like that out there, then you can bet my fists got a name for each of ‘em.”

“Damn straight.” Applejack agreed, cracking her knuckles.

“As much as I detest such barbaric behavior… I do agree with Applejack and Rainbow. These ruffians have made the worst possible enemy out of Rarity Belle, and they shall reap a ripe thrashing.”

“PREPARE FOR THE PARTY OF PAAAAAIIIN!!!” Pinkie roared out, scaring half the bystanders nearby. “Oops, too much?” Twilight couldn’t help but form a warm smile, seeing the friends she had only met little under a month ago stick with her at this dangerous time in their lives.

“Thank you… all of you. I don’t know what I did to deserve friends like you, but I thank you all for this.”

“You can start by giving us some time to prepare.” Applejack teased.

“Heh, right. I’ll… give you guys some time to pack and let your families know of the trip.”

“That’s all ah ask.”

Demo Reel had slipped back into his civilian clothes. His favorite jacket slipped over his wrinkled shirt to cover the various bruises and bandages courtesy of the Manehattan Medical team. He practically had to fight them off to get him to the hospital for what was merely bruising and a few cuts he added for effect. Thankfully he got lucky when the medics got distracted by one of the officers needing to check on one of the thugs he had knocked out.

Now he was moving through the crowds of Manehattan with a black eye, a frazzled mane, and some bandages visible through his tattered shirt. Though the crowd were horrified to see a stallion in such a condition, Demo Reel didn’t even register their shocked expressions, too busy in his thoughts to care. ‘Fuckin’ unicorns. Every Celestia damned time!’ Demo stewed on his defeat, a clear look of bitterness and frustration on his face. ‘I gotta get something to counter that telekinesis they have. A charm, a technique; some sort of weakness to exploit.’ While the stallion strategized, Demo Reel found himself at the steps leading to the newspaper publishing office of the Manehattan Solar Times.

Pausing at the entrance, Demo Reel peaks through the window to see a chatty pegasus stallion on the phone, too busy to notice that there were others waiting to enter. Taking a deep breath, Demo Reel slips on a mask of a different kind and musters up a few fake tears; his demeanor changes instantly, hunching over and holding himself as he walks into the building.

Passing around the talkative secretary, Demo Reel moves through the office building as he had many, many times before. Those that had seen the tattered stallion gasp at the sight of him, stopping whatever they were doing to see the familiar face roughed up and stained with dirt, blood and tears. Eventually, Demo Reel found the pony he was looking for, hearing her voice through the chaos that came with working in such a tightly packed space. “The fuck do you mean the museum was attacked?!” Demo turned to see an enraged green unicorn talking with a timid intern. “I was literally just there about five minutes ago! Are you telling me that I just missed-“

“Hey Lime-Wire.” Demo greeted in a dejected tone of voice.

“Not now, stud.” Lime said in half greeting only to turn all the way around to see the stallion. “OH MY GOD!” Both she and a few of the other mares close by came to look over the busted-up stallion. “What the hell happened to you?”

“You look like you got hit by a truck.”

“Who did this to you?”

“Oh gosh, who’d do that to a stallion?”

“Some bitch who’s gonna get her legs broke, that’s for sure.” Hearing the commotion, those that had seen Demo walk in and those who were curious of what was happening all gathered around the stallion, doting over the stallion like a wounded puppy. Before things went on too far, Demo solidified his persona as the office went quiet when they heard what Demo Reel did next.

He started to cry.

Starting with a sniffle and slowly moving into a mild sob, he worked the heart strings of the ponies around him like a fiddle. “I… was at the museum a-and then…” Another whimper and sob escape his lips. Demo had no idea how many times he had to sell the “weak and defenseless” stallion act whenever he came into work with bruises; but it was a good way to sell himself as a regular, run of the mill stallion in the city. “I g-got attacked by these really… big… mares and they… and they hit me on my face and beat me up.” Dignity had very little meaning to Demo Reel as he sobbed like a school colt. But in doing so, he’d get the collected embrace of the mares around him.

“Oh you poor thing.”

“You must have been so scared.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”

Dialing it back down, Demo wiped away a few tears he had mustered up and smiled at the various mares around him. “Th-Thanks. You girls are the best.”

“Still, that was super dangerous.” Lime-Wire chided. “You could have been seriously hurt there. Ugh, I was an absolute idiot to leave you alone like that. If I couldn’t protect you, then what does that say about my own stallion’s safety?”

“It's not your fault, Lime. I had no idea that the place would be the scene of an attack. I mean… we were there for a long time and we saw all the stuff they had. Did you really think that there was anything worth stealing?”

“Well, maybe from the giftshop.” She quipped, gaining a small chuckle from Demo Reel.

“Yeah, maybe. Hey, while I’m here…” Digging into his pocket, Demo Reel brings out the true purpose for his visit back to the office. In his hand was a small batch of photos he had taken of the attack, to which Lime-Wire’s brow raises at the sight of them. “I figured since I was there and all, I’d snap a few photos. Is Printer Press around?” Lime-Wire sifted through the pictures, seeing the small crowd of ponies gathered at the museum to watch the arrests. As well as the thugs being hauled off in handcuffs, making sure to get their exposed faces as well as a few good pictures of the cops taking them to the armored autocarriage.

“Well look at you. Not even some crumby bitches knocking you around will stop ya from your work.” Lime-Wire mused, handing the photos back to the stallion. “She’s in her office last I checked.”

“Thanks.”

“Hey,” Demo perked up his ear. “You sure you’re alright, stud?”

“I-Im alright. Shaken but… alright. Mostly because the medical staff gave some pretty good pain killers when they bandaged me up.”

“If you say so.” Before Demo could go to see the big boss, he found himself in a warm embrace. “Don’t go doing anything dangerous anymore. You’re a good colt, and I don’t wanna see you hurt like this.” Demo Reel froze, hearing the older mare’s woes as she held onto him with a tight hug.

“Alright… I’ll try.” He lied again, returning her hug to comfort her. Demo Reel didn’t get any thrill out of lying to his friend, let alone those around him. Yet with how the world saw stallions and treated them as fragile, Demo knew that if they knew about half the things he was capable of, they’d throw a fit. But for the time being, Demo Reel had to keep the lie going for as long as he can.

Pulling away from Lime-Wire, Demo Reel made his way to the big boss, putting on a fake limp as he did to sell his injuries more. Making his way towards the Editor-in-Chief’s office, he’d walk after a short knock. “Mrs. Press?” Demo called out, walking into the room where he saw a desk, a massive and comfortable red swivel chair, and in it was the shortest mare Demo Reel had ever seen. With an all white coat and fluffy wings, one would be forgiven for thinking the pony in charge was but a filly but they’d be wrong. Printer Press was merely small. Parting her curly pink mane, the editor-in-chief’s yellow eyes nearly bulged out of her skull seeing Demo Reel walk in and in such poor condition.

“Celestia’s Titanic Tits! Demo Reel, wah in the name o’ the shires happened to ya, lad?!” She spoke with a thick accent originating from a region of pony colonies to the eastern countries. She got up and went to go and look at Demo with clear worry. “Agh, boyo ya look like ya got inna bar fight wif me mum.” Without warning, she leapt up and latched onto Demo Reel’s jacket collar. “Who did this to ya, laddie? Ah want names so a canna show ‘em wha happens when they mess wif my flock.”

“I-Its okay, boss. I’m fine.” Demo says, choking back fake tears.

“Augh, ya clearly ain’t! Lookit yas.” She lifts up his shirt to reveal the thick layer of bandaging. Though Demo Reel had a high threshold for pain, he’d still hiss and grunt from a small touch from her. “Ah’m shocked yur still standin’.”

“There’s n-no need to worry boss. I’m tough as nails.” Demo says, fabricating a look as if he were on the verge of bursting into tears at any moment.

“Ah don’ care if yur made of fuckin’ steel, lad. You’re still a young stud who doesn’t need tah be in dangerous situations.” She fluttered down from his body and let out a sigh. “Why do ya gotta make me worry like this? Yur a sweet l’il thing, and it pains me tah see ya in such a way.”

“Well, I was going to go right home but,” Demo reached into his pocket to show off the photos, to which Printer Press took them and looked through them. “I was at the museum that got attacked a while ago. When we were set free, I went to take a few photos of the scene. I figured since they were holding me hostage, I could at least sell a few photos.”

“What ah wouldn’t do to get a mare like yas fur the main job. If half the field reporters had yur moxie, ah could be runnin’ the best newspaper in the city.” The stallion caught a small smile forming on Printer Press’s face, but vanished as quickly as it came. “But if’n the money is a problem, ya could always take a decent secretary gig like Lime-Wire’s stallion.” Demo nearly cringed at the suggestion. “Ya’d be at least safe. Plus, ah’d get a nice look at a handsome young stud at me door, and maybe you could finally start a decent herd to keep ya from doin’ anythin’ dangerous. There certainly are a few mares in the office who’d want a sweet young thing like yurself, boyo.”

“I know… but I’m not really an indoors sort of stallion. I like being outside, exploring the city and taking photos for you guys and my personal collection. I can’t exactly do that stuck inside at an office desk all day.” Frustrated and clearly not getting anywhere with the stallion, Printer Press begrudgingly sighs and moves across the room to the far end of her office, wherein she removes a fake door on a filing cabinet to reveal a safe. Turning back to see Demo was still at the doorway, she quickly enters the combination and starts to gather an assortment of gold into a sizable brown bag.

Demo Reel was able to hear the clinking of gold coins as they were gathered, all calculated and then dropped into the bag. Once it was done with, Printer Press closes the safe and the fake door, bringing Demo Reel the payment, only to catch something off about it.

“Here, fur your troubles, love.”

“Boss, this looks…” He takes the bag, looking it over before giving it a small shake. “And feels like a lot more than usual.”

“Aye. It’s about two hundred bits.” She confirmed.

“That’s nearly twice what you normally pay me for my work.”

“I don’ wanna hear it. Fur all ya went through today, ya deserve a little extra. Besides, ya got us some information before most of’ our competition. So it’s only fair. BUT… there is a caveat.”

“Should have known.” Demo groans.

“Aye. Ah want yas to go home, restin’ up and stayin’ outta trouble fur a full week. If’n ah find out yas been getting’ yur hooves dirty out there, you can expect a right verbal thrashin’.

“Fine. I can take some time off. Work on my hobbies and what not.” Demo waves it off, more than happy to comply with her demands. “Anything else before I head home?”

“There is one thing actually.” Demo Reel prepared for some outlandish demand but instead was surprised when he heard her speak. “Since yur turnin’ eighteen in a few days…” She sits at her desk, shooting Demo a small smile. “Ah wanted to tell ya happy birthday, since ya won’ be here wif us.”

“Oh. Uh… thanks, boss.” Demo says with clear surprise in his voice.

“I ain’t yur boss, stud. Not unless ya wanna be takin’ photos fur us exclusively.”

“I’ll think about it. See ya later, Printer.” Clipping the bag of gold to his belt, Demo Reel moved to take his leave, saying his goodbyes and moving to get home. Once outside, he shifted his movements to a steady stride down the sidewalk. With his day coming to a close, he makes his way for home. ‘Maybe I should take her advice. I could use a break.’ Demo Reel thought to himself. ‘I know I can take a beating, but right now it feels like these bandages are the only thing keeping me together.’

Making his way down a few blocks, deep in thought; Demo Reel suddenly feels a familiar tingle run up his spine as he feels the world vanish for a mere moment.

“Hey, stop her!”

Demo Reel turns to see a grinning mare running down the street with a literal bag loot running down the street. She bulldozes her way down the crowd, scaring ponies left and right approaching Demo. She snags the bag of gold hanging off of Demo Reel’s hip, turning back with a smile.

“Thanks for the bonus, stud!” She says running off.

Demo Reel was left in a small state of confusion when the vision ended, forewarning him of what was about to happen.

“Hey, stop her!”

Hearing the familiar cry of the pony calling for aid, he is practically able to recount everything that is happening without turning to look at it. Keeping his back turned as if he didn’t hear or know what was happening, the stallion waited for the right moment. Recalling when the thief goes for his gold, he casually turns around, spinning on his hoof so the bag is just out of her reach and trips on Demo Reel’s leg.

“Oh shit!?” The large bag of bits falls to the ground with a loud splash of metal, the onlookers moving in close to get a look at the potential thief. She was an earth pony and a bit angry after her foiled thievery. Demo Reel was about ready to knock her out when he heard somepony else.

“Freeze! Don’t move!” Having seen the events, two police guards come by to make the arrest. Demo Reel stepped back so the officers didn’t notice his bandaged-up body. Though he did make sure to watch as the thief was hauled away before moving back down the street. ‘I really should think about moving. This city is way too exciting for my taste.’

Author's Note

Thanks to all you beautiful people for sticking with me for all this time. I’ve been wanting to write for so long now and I’m glad i’m getting back into it. Not gonna lie, my writing isn’t as good as it used to. But, i’m hoping this story helps me get back into the swing of things.

Oh, and before I forget TWOTK Book 1 is under reconstruction and I’m working on chapter 3. Hopefully you guys don’t gotta wait a few years more for chpt. 4