Weaver's violet eyes were glowing, and the flames were becoming brighter by the second. Luna covered her eyes, while her sister could easily look into the sun without harm. But Celestia almost found herself wishing she couldn't.

Though he was much shorter than either alicorn, he seemed to be looking down on them, completely unafraid and unimpressed by their size and beauty. He remained still for a long time, the flames raging ever brighter. Luna felt confused, unable to astertain why he was suddenly angry. Celestia, on the other hoof, was becoming enraged at this showy display of magic and lack of manners towards her station from such a depraved flesh eater.

"I asked you a question," Weaver hissed, opening his mouth wide to display his cutlery. "I think I had a brother all that time ago who kept silent when anypony asked him a question. Well, I beat that out of him, and he quickly became my greatest informant. Do I have to do that to you, you anorexic... I've drawn a blank."

Despite the silly ending to that speech, Celestia was boiling over in anger and shouted out in her Royal Canterlot voice. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME, PRINCESS CELESTIA, DIARCH OF EQUESTRIA, IN SUCH A MANNER. YOUR POWER IS NO MATCH FOR ME, I AM TASKED WITH RAISING THE SUN EVERY MORNING, SOME EVEN CALL ME A GODDESS. I WILL TEACH YOU SOME RESPECT."

With that, Celestia dissipated the fire with a shock wave and launched a concentrated beam at Weaver, engulfing him in a ball of multicolored energy. She raised her head with a hard expression as she watched the energy pulsate and shift around Weaver. But the results did not go as suspected.

The energy became wobbling and looked like water than it dimpled in the center and became a vortex being sucked in through Weaver's mouth. Smoke billowed forth from his throat and heavy flames seeped around his eyes, falling to the ground and bursting like fireworks. Both sisters could feel the terrible heat from those flames, and stepped back a bit to get away. A circle of fire lit up around them all, tamer this time and not so bright, illuminating fleeing beasts that had tried to sneak up after Celestia destroyed the pillar of flames.

"My apologies," Weaver said, the smoke falling to the ground and thinning out like a sheet. "But let's make one thing clear, you are no god, and you never will be. You are just as mortal as I am. Very little can change that."

Celestia hid her concern and fear. Swallowing a little, she took a step closer to address Weaver in as calm a tone she could muster. "I accept your apology, let me...

Luna cut her off. "Let us thank thee for helping many of our subjects while they dream. We appreciate your aid as there is only so much just one pony can do in a night."

Weaver offered Luna a courteous smile, then turned his wrath back upon Celestia. "You are welcome back any time, though I prefer a simple 'hello' compared to a wave of fire to announce your appearance. Had you come more with a more peaceful tone rather than a display of power in a foreign land, I wouldn't have had to assert my dominance."

"Dominance? Over what? What is there in this void you need dominance for?" Celestia snorted.

"Hope," Weaver said with narrowed eyes. He was no longer excreted smoke and fire and was back to his normal self, though it looked like his clothes were trying to eat him.

"What hope?" Celestia demanded, looking around at the nothingness. "It's just mindless monsters, dreams, and just you. Surely you could be doing something more useful with your abilities."

With a roar, Weaver tore off his clothes, keeping a hoof on it to keep it from crawling away while the two sisters had chance to look at his unclothed figure. There were giant scars, the kind that would make more delicate mares gag in horror, and large bare patches, including where his cutie marks were supposed to be, where the skin was the same texture as the beasts. There a sour expression on Weaver's face as he looked down at the ground and sighed wearily.

"You get it now, don't you?"

Luna nodded as she tried to take a step closer to him, but Celestia stopped her by extending a wing in front of her. "Those beasts, they..."

"They are my subjects," Weaver sighed as he started to put his clothes back on. It looked like they were swallowing him. "There is no immunity or escaping it. If your not taken over the course of a few days, then a year, ten years, ten thousand years, it doesn't matter, you will be taken eventually. But if you die, it takes you immediately. I am their last hope to reversing it."

Celestia let her mouth hang open as she gazed at the king with a new realization, but keeping in mind his dangerous instability. She didn't like or trust him, maybe never would, but there was a reason to pity him. "So you stay for your people?"

"I stay so I cannot spread it elsewhere," Weaver cried out loudly. "For ever so long, I've wanted to look for a cure out side in one of other places, but I've remained so that in case there is no cure, at least I will have sacrificed myself trying magic cures, a terrible substitute for medicine, to heal my poor ponies."

Luna and Celestia watched as he stroked his clothes with a fondness, as if for a good friend or close relation. Both sisters felt that this a was a question to address at a much later date. They had to leave, there was a disease, and they needed to make sure they weren't infected, and if they were they would need all the pathologists in equestrian to find a cure, not just for them, but for Weaver and his subjects.

"Go," Weaver said as if he had read their minds. "I doubt it infects you, since Lady Blue's been coming here for a long time, but you have duties to tend to. If this is so, then please help my ponies, I give anything, if I ever had much, if you can do that."

"That shall not be necessary," Celestia said with an edge to her voice. "You are in need, and we would not turn away anypony, or beast, who was in need. You shall have our cooperation, as long as you stay here for now."

Weaver knew she was referring to him as the beast and managed a smile. "There is no need to hide insults in your sentences, Lady White, my mother was much more brazen and hateful with her tongue, and yet I did my best to keep her alive and happy. Just don't intrude upon me so brashly, and I won't have to assert myself."

"I will try to remember that," Celestia said with a huff as he slipped from the void and back to the palace.

"You should not anger our sister," Luna stated with a knowing tone. "There are very few ponies she could wish the slightest ill will, and we are afraid to say you're probably at the top of her list now. Was it entirely necessary to embarrass her?"

"I may have forgotten what I look like," Weaver started as he looked up at Luna, "what everyone else looked like... but I have never forgotten to pride of the void ponies, the pride of my kingdom. When one displays power, I must display equal or greater power or be shamed. If I had soldiers, then by numbers and magic I could display our power. But it was only I, and I had to show I was not afraid or inferior in anyway."

Weaver walked past Luna and stared at the shapes moving in and out of the edge of light. "I can sense great magic from you both, different magic, I do underestimate it. I hope to see you again, Lady Blue. If your sister is serious about helping my ponies, I will do my best to control myself. I do not wish any animosity between our kingdoms, I hope you believe me."

"We do," Luna said with her head raised high, gently setting a hoof on his back. She felt him tense up under the touch, but remain still none the less. It was also disturbing to note the clothes were trying to eat her now. "Our sister is serious about her desire to help, whatever her thoughts of you may be. You wounded her pride, she only wanted to help, and you could have handled it in a different manner, one less threatening. If you can make it up to her somehow, she has it within her hear to forgive you and make her own amends."

Weaver slid out from underneath Luna's hoof and curled up on the ground. "I will sleep on it. Go and see that you are not infected, Lady Bl..."

"Our name is Luna, Princess Luna." Though Luna found herself smiling at the name Weaver gave her.

"I've always had trouble with names," Weaver said as he closed his eyes. "I think I once called a friend General Chipped Hoof."

"We would appreciate your attempts," Luna said.

"No promises."

"Farewell," said Luna with one last glance at Weaver before she disappeared.

As soon as he felt her leave, Weaver wretched up a short burst of Celestia's magic and panted in disgust. "Lady White, why must you taste so bitter? Is you magic fueled by emotions? Once again, I talk to myself and am convinced I'm insane. I must be, I've lived too long to considered anything else."

Soon he drifted off to sleep, a gray flame appeared above his body, large and snapping as he dreamed of things he wished to remember.

* * *

Back at Canterlot, the two sisters had confined themselves to Luna's room and ordered doctors to come immediately and check them over. They gave no reason as to why and ordered that they be examined for any foreign matter. All the guards and physicians were sworn to secrecy. The suspense was ominous. Next Chapter: -4- Pondering the Future Estimated time remaining: 45 Minutes