Dropping in from the moonlit sky, Luna landed gracefully on her hooves, feeling the cool touch of stone slabs below her as she began to walk on what appeared to be a dimly lit cobblestone path, a touch of eagerness putting a pep in her trot.

After waking up from her slumber, Luna had been informed by her guard of the newest development in the castle: A visitor that claimed to be a sort of disease doctor that dressed in dark robes and wore a birds mask. And after confirming the rumors with her sister, the night Alicorn thought it be best to dive into the creatures dreams in hopes of learning more about the individual in question, especially if the creature turned out to be lying in some sort of way.

Though Luna wouldn't be able to lie if she was asked if meeting such a creature gave her a sense of adventure she hadn't felt in far too long. The being sounded like he was from a storybook or the stuff of dreams, for crying out loud! how was she NOT supposed to be excited?

On the note of dreams, this one had dropped her into what seemed to be a countryside with both rolling hills and a forest in the distance, though Luna seemed unable to tell where on the planet this dream took place, something that didn't sit well with the princess whatsoever.

"He claims to be a foreigner...but the very stars above are unknown to me." Luna noted, following the cobble path through an lifeless field as her gaze was transfixed upwards. "Where could such a creature hail from that my very own night could seem so...different?"

Finally tearing her gaze from the stars, Luna found herself upon a fork in the road, the left road facing a rather large graveyard nearby and the right path leading down towards a collection of lights down the hill surrounding a couple of dark shapes the Alicorn couldn't quite make out.

A village, perhaps? Luna pondered, though as she approached the fork she felt her body tugged in the direction of the graveyard. Deciding to go with the flow of the dream in hopes of finding its source, Luna let it pull her all the way through the multitude of gravestones peaking from the ground.

After a short while of stepping past grave after grave with barely enough time to even spare a glance at the headstones, Luna felt her body come to a stop near a wilted tree. Nearby its fading bark was a single figure standing out among the terrain as it peered downwards at the earth.

Finally having sight on her goal, Luna took a deep breath and began to move towards the creature, though the night princess couldn't shake the pit feeling that had begun to grow in her chest as she approached.

Getting a better look at the dark figure, Luna glanced down at what he seemed to be standing over. The creature was overlooking two headstones that stood out from the rest, his attention undivided as Luna's ever approaching presence remained unknown.

Now, what did sister say his name was? Luna frowned, wishing she hadn't jumped the gun on getting excited about meeting the mysterious creature and actually paid attention to her sister's ramblings. It was something like Iraac or islaax or...

Luna's eyes widened as it returned to her, a happy smile dancing across her face for a moment for the small victory before the princess cleared her throat.

"Sir Isaac? Is that thou?" She spoke, causing the figure to stir from the unmoving trance it had been in and turn towards her, quickly attaching a mask to his face while doing so.

A raven, just as Tia had mentioned...how peculiar.

"Who are you?" Isaac asked, the sluggish tone of the voice behind the mask letting Luna know he was still within the dreams hold, something that had to change if this conversation was to go anywhere anytime soon.

Tapping her hoof against the ground, Luna felt a ripple shoot through the dream, solidifying it as Isaac shuddered in reaction, his mind unloading almost instantly.

"I..." The man faltered, glancing at the graves beside him for a moment before letting out a long sigh, returning his gaze back to Luna. "So, even one's dreams aren't private in this realm?"

Luna shook her head warily, rather surprised to hear the annoyed tone the man was using, as if he was angry about Luna even being there at all.

"I am Princess Luna, Alicorn of the night and guardian of dreams, it is our job to enter them and protect my subjects from nightmares." Luna introduced herself calmly, hoping to pacify the situation and possibly get some questions answers from the figure. "Pray tell, would you allow us the grace of asking thee about this place?"

Hollow remained unmoved, staring her down through the mask for what seemed to Luna like eternity before the man gave a slow nod.

"Very well. Though, if you wouldn't mind I have some thoughts of my own I'd like to pass by you, your highness."

Grinning widely at the rather fortunate turn of events, Luna summoned a pillow from the dream and sat on it, eager to get started.

"We thanketh thee." Luna began, watching as Hollow sat criss-cross in front of her, placing his claw-like appendages on his knees as he gave her a nod to continue. "Our first question is simple, where on Equiis do you hail from?"

Watching her carefully, Hollow body rocked slightly as he let out a breath.

"Have you and your fellow princess assumed I was from this world this whole time? Because where I am from neither magic nor talking animals exists." Isaac explained, earning him a wide-eyed stare from an shocked Luna.

Not from this world? But that wou- Mentally, Luna face-hooves as a couple of details that Luna did remember from her talk with Celestia had began to make sense. His straight-forward attitude towards us and talks of a mass plague we know nothing of would make more sense now. It would also explain why his dream consists of such foreign stars and terrain, as he is from beyond the Equestrian plane itself.

"Ah, that explains why thine stars are so odd." Luna tells the man, earning a grunt as he leans in slightly.

"Odd how? Aren't stars just stars?" Isaac asks, starting to wonder just how powerful these royals were after all? Jumping into one's dreams and from what Marble had told him were older than dirt...At this point Hollow didn't know whether to be relieved such power seemed to be used by good peo-ponies or afraid that such power could be directed onto a mere mortal if the need arised.

"The stars of this realm are of my design, as I place them every night along with the moon." Luna informed the man, rather proud to be able to teach somepony about her talents, especially one who knew nothing of them. "As my sister does with the sun each morning when she raises it."

Slightly reeling from that information, Isaac leaned back and let out a shaky breath. Scholars had barely begun to research into what was beyond the sky and past the planet, let alone the sun and the moon. And here Isaac was getting answers for how another realms celestial bodies moved! And by the hooves of living beings no less!

It would be exhilarating if his mind wasn't having such a hard time processing with the information.

Holding his head in his right hand, he waved for the princess to stop her explanation as be calmed the throbbing that was starting in his forehead. Isaac could question his own and his planets existence later, there were more pressing matters that Hollow had to press the royal on.

"So...in terms of sickness, has your people suffered from any epidemics? Any sort of mass plagues or illness that has spread in the past?" Hollow questions, shaking his head one last time as he looked the night princess in her rather large eyes, noticing her gaze was filled with concern as she frowned slightly.

"Not that we can think of, though thou must excuse our memory, as we were absent from this world for an eon before returning a few years ago, so our sister might have more information than I." Luna explained before leaning closer herself, her eyes wandering across the rather tired stance the creature in front of her was sitting in. "Are thou alright, Sir Isaac? It's not common for one to be exhausted in a dream so easily."

Slowly standing, Isaac nodded once as he leveled himself on his heels.

"I will be fine, as this is a dream my health isn't my biggest concern." He stated before glancing back at the headstones behind him, a pained breath releasing from his chest. "After all, I have a job to do, and a little exhaustion won't kill me just yet."

Following his gaze, The Alicorn couldn't stop the next question from leaving her lips.

"Those graves...who do they belong to?"

Watching his whole body tense at the question, Luna worries she struck a nerve as the man slowly turns back to face her, his shoulders broadening while his hands clench up.

"With all due respect, Princess." Isaac states, a level of venom in his words that makes Luna break eye contact with the man. "That's none of your concern."

"Forgive us, we didn't mean to-" Luna begins to apologize, but Isaac only shook his head as he starts to walk past her.

"Yes, you did. You jumped into my own mind and sanctuary uninvited and decided to press personal matters as little more than a stranger in my eyes." Hollow spat as he stopped near the exit of the graveyard, noticing everything around him beginning to fade and warble.

Is this what the end of a dream is like for those who are conscious during the process? Isaac felt his mind wander for a moment before the sound of hooves behind him brought his thoughts back to the rather irritating princess approaching from behind.

"Sir Isaac, wait!" Luna exclaimed, teleporting in front of him with a saddened look in her face. "We didn't mean to press your past, Doctor Hollow. Don't push us away for one mistake, not when we were doing so well!"

Hearing a groan through the mask, Luna looked on as Isaac lifted his hands to his face and removed the mask, allowing Luna to look at his scarred face and finally see the eyes of the man she had been speaking to.

"All it takes is one mistake, your highness..." Isaac whispered, and Luna found she could not look away from the empty gaze that had transfixed on her from the man, one that screamed of a pain Isaac seemed far to keen to hold onto. "One mistake, and you can lose everything."

Almost instantly, everything around them vanished into the void, with Hollow dissipating shortly afterwards, leaving Luna alone in the empty void of what was once a dream.

"Sir Isaac...what has thou suffered through to believe such a thing?"

[Guest room, early morning]

Yawning softly, Marble snuggled into the warmth beside her as she let out a content sigh. She wasn't sure why her bed was suddenly so warm, as even on summer days the farmhouse never really got that much warmer than room temperature, but Celestia knows she wasn't complaining!

Pushing her body into the warmth, she can't help but nose the soft patch of soothing skin she felt rub her face as a content sigh left her-

SKIN?!?!

Her eyes shooting open, Marble realized she was hard-core snuggling Isaac, to the point where it looked like she was trying to melt into the man's back with the way she had straddled the man's back with her hooves!

Pushing herself backwards in an attempt to untangle herself from the situation, Marble overshoot her goal and hit the ground hard, sending a flux of pain down the side of her body alongside an annoyed groan.

"Stupid...small...beds."

Muttering quietly to keep from waking Isaac, Marble lets out a couple of Ye olde curses she learned from her mother as she slowly rose to her hooves. Taking a moment to glance at the figure still sleeping, Marble sighs in relief at the fact that Isaac remained asleep through all of that.

Quietly trotting around the bed and getting to her admittedly strewn about stuff (Hey, you try fighting your natural introversion to support your friend in front of the princess!) and let out a soft groan once more, having a feeling today would be one of those days.

Moving her robes aside, the mare looked through the saddlebags beneath them until she found what she was looking for, pulling out a rather thick tome before returning to the bed, making sure to enter it much quieter than her exit this time.

Laying on her side so her back faced the man beside her, Marble looked over the book and opened it to the last page she had been on.

Chapter 4: The five W's on how a tourniquet can and should be used to save lives.

It had been a medical book her mother had gotten for her birthday a year ago, something that her father had thought was a waste of money considering it had little to do with rock farming, but had bit his tongue when his wife had given what Marble and her sister's called the Medusa stare.

A sad sigh escaped Marbles mouth before she could stop it at the thought of her parents, thinking back to the day she left the farm rather...abruptly.

They understood why I couldnt tell them, right? I left them a note and some bits to hire someone else after I left, so things should be fine!

Marble tried to reason with herself, though it didn't stop the frown from finding a home across her face.

Who am I kidding? Momma's probably dissapointed and Papa's is definitely furious. But I couldnt had just told them I wanted to leave, there's no way I could've managed to convince them it was what I needed to do!

It didn't help that Marble knew just how much of a wet blanket she was when it came to confrontations. It had only been recently through her travels with Isaac that her temperament had begun to change. Oddly enough, when your striving to learn how to help others and keep them alive and happy, you have to learn how to be a bit aggressive if it meant getting through to stubborn ponies.

Looking over her shoulder at Isaac's sleeping form, Marble felt the frown on her face give way to a smile, her thoughts returning to that day she left once more.

We've been traveling for about five months now, and I've learned so much from Isaac and simply helping anyone we came across. Marble looked to her book, caressing the page lightly as she felt her smile grow wider, the previous feelings of sadness all but forgotten. From what he has told me, he had been a doctor back home for years, and even with being in a new world he managed to hit the ground running with learning how to help those in need.

Flipping the page, she was just about to read it when she felt the bed shift behind her and a presence loom over her from above.

"Huh, might have to borrow that book sometime. I've never seen a tourniquet look so clean."

Jumping slightly, Marble felt a 'eep' escape her as she rotated herself to face Isaac, only to have to look up as he had already stood up from the bed and was leaning over it to see what she was reading, though she didn't like that smile on his face one bit.

"Sorry if I scared you, Marble." Isaac said with a sly smile as he leaned back and walked to the bathroom, grabbing his garments along the way and leaving Marble to watch him as he retreated to the rather large restroom that was connected to the room they were in.

He did that on purpose, that lanky sneak!

Puffing out her cheeks, Marble huffed lightly as she sat up, putting the bookmark back in her book and placing it to the side.

If he's in a playful mood then I'll show him a playful mood.

Giggling to herself, Marble returned to her saddlebags and pulled out a shining sliver rock, turning her gaze to the bathroom as she began to approach it.

The rock itself wasn't too impressive, though thanks to her sister Limestone accidently cracking a bigger version of it open one day in the rain.

For some reason, if it was wet and hit with enough force it would set off a bright light...which the sister's learned the hard way by being blinded for a full day after the incident, earning a talking to from her mother and a promise to be more careful in the future.

Thankfully, this was a much smaller rock compared to the geode her sister cracked open, so the flash wasn't nearly as dangerous and could be used regularly on anypony.

It made for a great way to mess with her sisters when they came to visit though. Marble giggled once more, a mischievous smile gracing the shy mare's features as she slowly opened the door enough to where she could see where Isaac was.

Thankfully, he was looking in the mirror as he dressed himself rather than showering or anything else (Admittedly, Marble didn't really think that part through, though in hindsight him being stuck on the pooper when she threw the rock probably would've been funnier.)

Bringing the rock close to her mouth, she licked around it enough to moisten the outside, then heaved it right at the wall where Isaac's face was closest to.

Closing the door just as quickly, Marble heard the flash go off and Isaac's yelp of shock as the following sound of him stumbling backwards in the bathroom gave her a giggling fit.

"MARBLE!!!!" Isaac roared from within the bathroom, more annoyed by the fact he had been hit with that damned rock again than the fact that Marble had done it. This hadn't been the first time she had done this, and usually she saved those blasted rocks for whenever Isaac messed with her.

Recovering from the blast, Isaac quickly exited the bathroom and locked eyes with his prey. Said prey had stopped giggling and recognized the look on the man's face as she raised her hooves and shook her head rapidly.

"Oh, you thought you could blind me and not get payback, you silly mare?" Isaac growled with a smile as he slowly stepped towards Marble, who in a spurt of boldness smiled back as she got to her hooves and blew a raspberry at the doctor, making his smile go wider. "Well, I think it's about time I figured out where your ticklish...for research purposes of course."

And with that, Marbles wave of bravado was gone, as she was a VERY ticklish mare and wouldn't last a second against Isaac's very dexterous fingers. But just before she could accept her fate a knock at the door saved her from Isaac's vengeance for the moment.

"Mr. Hollow? Princess Celestia sent me to collect you and your companion. She wishes to speak you to join her for breakfast."

A guards voice echoed through the door, inciting Isaac to walk up and knock on the door twice.

"Tell her we'll join her in a minute. I have to help my companion with something real quick, but we will be there shortly."

Hearing the guard walk away after a few moments, Marble heard Isaac mutter something about the princess and long noses before he turned back to her, his smile large and his eyes hungry.

"Now...where were we?" He spoke with a laugh as Marble tried to scurry away but didn't get more than two steps before he caught her in his grasp.

Though from the smile on her face when his hands grabbed her waist and lifted her off the ground to the onslaught of giggles she released when he began his assault, Marble knew she didn't really mind tickle torture as long as it was Isaac delivering it.

Author's Note

Hey! We got a second chapter in a good amount of wait time, what?!? (Hey, a chapter a week might just be what the doctor ordered)

Ok, so this chapter had been fully written about 3 days ago, but after rereading it I found I didnt like at ALL how the conversations flowed, so I full deleted the 3k words I had and rewrote it. Hopefully, yall like this more.

Also, I'm sorry if the Luna speak seems off...as I am learning that I REALLY don't like attempting to write her, but she was necessary to shed some light on Isaac's past without using a wall of text.

As per usual, any glaring corrections that I missed don't be afraid to point them out, as this experience is made better when it's legible. Thanks for reading!