Princesses Luna and Celestia waited in Luna's room after the medical staff left to test their results. Everyone was sworn to silence and not a word would travel beyond those few guards outside the room and the physicians. This time alone allowed them to discuss Weaver and appropriate actions.

"Although I found him despicable and overbearing," Celestia dramatically began, "I don't think he is a threat to Equestria or anypony that doesn't attack him."

"You must also remember, dear sister, he has the paces," Luna pointed out with an even tone, more inclined to sympathize with the lonely stallion. "We cannot expect him to act like other ponies, he doesn't understand. You heard him, he doesn't like to feel threatened, and your actions made him feel like his position was under attack."

"And he ate my magic," Celestia shivered, remembering Tirek's almost successful takeover of Equestria a few years ago. "He ate it like it was food and began to breathe smoke a cry fire. He scared me, Luna, I could sense incredible power from him."

"He was sorry for his actions, Celestia." Celestia looked at Luna with a quizzical expression. "He didn't like his response to your presence, but he couldn't apologize out of national pride. We think he could use some understanding and patience, his rules are ancient, and the new age we live in will be hard for him to adjust to. He probably comes from a time of more strict rules and swift justice. His condition will especially make it difficult to adapt, but in time we are sure Equestria and the void ponies will become close allies."

Celestia sighed and laid her head down on the sheets. Luna was right, of course, she had grown a lot after her return from the moon, and aiding ponies in their dreams gave her a unique perspective that Celestia didn't have. "You are right, I should be more understanding, and look into becoming an ally rather than a rival. If he doesn't already despise me."

"But there is something off-putting about him," Luna said as she looked at the sun. Celestia lifted her head and looked at her sister.

"Like how he's wearing one of his subjects as clothing?"

"Somehow, we think we understand the clothing. No, it's something else, as though he's angry, constantly, we could feel it increase when you arrived. He was full of anger, and hate, but he spoke so gently to us, until everypony woke up and the monsters came. Then he demanded that we leave. Even when he cried after regretting his outburst, we could still feel it. We think, perhaps, he is angry at himself, furious that he is all that is left, hating the fact he doesn't have a cure and is slowly dying from what took the others."

"And it has increased all this time, until it consumed him," Celestia put in for thought. "Such constant anger would make him unstable, to say the least. That, loneliness, fighting off monsters, becoming a monster himself, I am actually surprised he hasn't gone completely mad."

"Perhaps void ponies are special that way."

"Or he is insane and we are just rationalizing everything because we feel sorry for him," Celestia said with a concerned expression. "If we find that his disease isn't fatal to other ponies, perhaps we should convince him to stay at a mental institute. For a time."

"No," Luna said bluntly, rising to her hooves and looking down at her sister. "He would truly go mad if we were to subject him to such treatment. He has displayed no real hostility, merely proof of his power. He stayed away from our world because he was afraid of infecting us, and he left up the ring of fire when we left so he could fall asleep. If that does not show a depth of hope and sanity, than perhaps there are not enough asylums and institutes."

Celestia was taken aback by Luna's outburst, her shock evident upon her face. She was about to speak again, but Luna jumped off the bed and walked over to a window looking out at the outside world.

"He has lived within the void, taking care of dreams, fighting monsters, and experimenting with magic longer than we've been alive. He is more than capable of terrible things, sister, but he hasn't done any wrong. If anything, your display against him was the most wrong committed this day. Speaking of which... I must rest before I raise the moon and tend the dreams again. Your silence would be appreciated."

Luna came back to the bed and slipped under the blankets atop the silk sheet and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. It seemed to take forever before sleep graced her and she began to dream. Celestia stepped off the bed and gave her sister a sad look before grabbing a book and laying upon a Spursian carpet to read.

* * *

Luna's dream was like many of her dreams, a mix of memories of the moon, Canterlot, and the Castle of the Two Sisters, rolled together as an alien city with the faces of strangers and old friends wandering about. It was always night, stars twinkled and pegusi played amongst them, while unicorns and earth ponies wandered the streets and buildings, hardly noticing the princess in their midst. She was in perfect control of her dream, and could have changed it had she wanted, but she preferred this one it was a nice place, and she could just sit back and watch.

"A very nice dream you have here, Princess Luna."

Luna jumped and turned around, seeing Weaver sitting on the wall of a building, defying her control of the dream. She stepped up to him with, curious and slightly upset at the intrusion. "Why have you come here, Weaver Impossible? Last we saw, you were getting ready to sleep."

"I changed my mind," Weaver, a creepy grin spreading across his face, exposing his sharp canines. "You said you tended the dreams, so you must sleep between cycles. It wasn't hard to find your dream. Green, a calm color, you dream to relax while you relax. Interesting concept. But very boring. I would expect a politician like you to enjoy more fantastic dream to overcome your dull life."

"Please, answer our question," Luna said, remaining calm and patient. She didn't want Weaver to feel threatened.

"You do know I can't remember names very well, right? Lady Blue?"

Luna turned again to see another Weaver, this one looking more reserved and respectful of the rules of her dreamscape. She turned back to the first Weaver and saw him start to trot around her with a mischievous look on his face, licking his teeth.

"Come now, Luna," the first Weaver said with a wink. "You prefer more forward stallions, don't you? After all, we're both immortal, or perhaps time is running out."

Luna gasped and backed away from first weaver. "What? What? You're not the real Weaver. Your a piece of our imagination, thus we command you to disappear."

The first Weaver just laughed and trotted towards her with a smooth step, making her back up. "Oh but you want me to be, I can tell. Does the fact I eat meat entice you, make you think of so many... possibilities?"

"Enough," the second Weaver growled, walking past Luna and touching the first Weaver with a white light on his hoof. "I am the King of Dreams, and will not be besmirched as an iniquitous pervert."

The first Weaver disappeared with a shriek and a puff of black smoke. Luna breathed a sigh of relief and stepped up to the second Weaver, placing a hoof on his neck in a friendly gesture.

"Thank you Weaver," she said with a grateful tone. "We are in your debt. Never have we lost control of a dream like that."

Weaver leaned in close to her, making her feel uncomfortable. "Yes, I think I could be your knight in shining armor every once in a while. Did I ever tell you that you have..."

With a loud roar, a third Weaver came out of nowhere and sunk his teeth into the neck of the second Weaver, both of them tumbling head over hooves. When they came to a stop, the third Weaver flung the limp corpse against a wall, where it vanished in a torrent of fire. The dream ponies carried about their non-existant business as if nothing happened.

"A knight in shining armor does not take advantage of a female in any situation," the third Weaver said, sitting down and wiping the blood from his mouth.

"You're not real, are you?" Luna asked, drooping her wings and rubbing her skull with a hoof. "What's going on, why are you in our head?"

"I am the real one," the third Weaver said without moving to face her. "But I don't suppose there is a way to prove that. But tell me anyway, why were you dreaming about me? First as a pervert, and then as a silver tongued maggot, why? You must have conflicting thoughts about me. But let me set your mind in stone."

Luna backed up as Weaver came at her like a predatory beast, stopping just fractions from her, growling and digging in his hooves. "I have a wife and children amongst those beasts, and have no intentions towards any female as long as there is hope within my heart. Remember that, Lady Blue."

"We... we, we," Luna stammered, aghast at his insinuations. "There was no such course..."

"Then why were you thinking it?" Weaver demanded, his eyes narrowing and static popping in his silver mane. "You must have some subdued thought somewhere... But I digress, it's not my place to condemn the subconscious. Forgive me, Lady Blue. I did not come here to fight or question your mind. Let's change these hideous dreamscape."

Before Luna to say a single word, the alien world dissolved and was replaced by a field of crimson grass, rolling hills full of blossoming fruit trees and flowers. The sky was soft pink and amethyst clouds drifted lazily by, finely a blue sun hung in the sky. all Luna could do was stare at the bizarre world that Weaver has put into her mind, it was all simply beautiful and amazing. She was about to ask Weaver something, when a noise distracted her.

It was laughter, she turned to be confronted by another incredible sight. Two Pegasus colts, one red with a blue mane the other the opposite, and each having four wings. flew in circles and dove at the ground towards an earth pony filly, who giggled as she tried to catch their legs. The filly had a golden brown coat with creamy blotches, and her mane and tail were like polished copper. Then Luna saw the filly open her mouth in an extra big laugh and expose omnivorous teeth.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Luna turned back to see Weaver, smiling fondly at the scene with tears flowing freely from his eyes. She watched as his lower lip trembled while he seemed to be forcing himself to sit still. The connection was made immediately.

"She's your daughter," Luna gasped, her wings spreading in amazement. Then a thought crossed her mind. "But we thought you said you couldn't remember what anyone looked like."

"I fell asleep and dreamed," Weaver said, looking like he wasn't even blinking. "I dream of this day every time I fall asleep, but it ends so horribly that my brain pushes it down and I forget when I wake up. I'll spare us both the end."

"What happens to her? Where are we?" Luna asked, growing worried.

"We are in the final happy dream she and I visited as we ran from the beasts," Weaver said, his voice breaking. "Just a young colt from a universe other than yours dreaming of playing with his best friend. As for what happens. Go ahead, look really closely at her, look past the happiness."

Luna gave Weaver one last look and started forward towards the foals, slowing down the closer she came. They continued to play, just a memory, unable to notice her in anyway possible. Luna stopped and lowered her head trying to do as Weaver said and look past the happiness exuding from the children. Then she finally saw it. The fabric texturing of the beasts almost completely covered her little body, her eyes almost like black resin, and her teeth taking on the metal and bone appearance.

"We see," Luna said softly, finding a few tears in her own eyes at the sight. She shut her eye and sat down, only to jump up when two screams cut through the dream.

The little filly had caught the wing of one of the Pegasus colt in her teeth, dragging him down to the ground and began beating him with her tiny hooves. Luna could only watch in horror as the filly viciously attacked the colt. The other colt tried to save its friend, but the filly caught him to and tore at him like a maniac.

"Noooo!"

Luna looked to see a screaming Weaver, a different Weaver rushing over and grabbing the filly, tearing her away from the two colts. The filly then proceeded to tear and beat at him, twisting and biting, while yowling like a wounded cat. The dreamscape began to fade and the real Weaver stepped beside Luna.

"Let's go," he said with a noticeable sob. "You don't need to see this."

"Yes, we must know," Luna said with what sounded like desperation in her voice.

"It's so terrible I forget it when I wake up," Weaver pleaded.

"We must know," Luna stated with a stamp of her hoof. Weaver looked like he was about to protest again, but then he shut his mouth and watched with her.

The other Weaver, still clutching the filly, slipped out the dream, which had turned black, a nightmare, he held her close, trying to calm her with pleads and comforting sounds, stroking her almost nonexistent mane, and rocking her back and forth. After what seemed like a horrible eternity, the filly finely calmed down and began wailing.

"Did it happen again, daddy?" the deformed filly cried bitterly.

"Yes," the other Weaver choked out the terrible word. "But, it's okay, sweetie, it was only a dream, no one was hurt. It'll be okay, just rest now. All you need is..."

"Make it go away, daddy," the filly screamed, burying her face into Weaver's chest. "It hurts, it hurts."

"Ooh," the other Weaver was visibly shaking looking around at the other surrounding dream. "Look, look, Paper, another happy dream. Let's go there, forget this ever happened. It was only an acci..."

"IT HURTS," the filly shrieked, arching her back in pain.

"Does it really hurt that bad?" the other Weaver sobbed, closing his eyes and layin ghis head atop of her's.

"Make it stop, daddy, make it stop," Paper began pounding her head against her father's strong chest, hard, making him wince.

"Stop it, Paper, please. No, not now, just a little while longer. You're tough, like daddy. You can take it a bit longer can't you?"

"Make. It. Stop," Paper wept, now biting her hooves until inky blackness started to seep out.

The other Weaver then stopped shaking and sniffed, taking his daughter and holding her out in front of him while he tried to put on a comforting, brave face. "Is it really too much, sweetie?"

The filly took her hooves out of her mouth and nodded. she arched her back as more pain swam over her and she began to cry.

"I think I can make it go away," the other Weaver said with a forced smile. "Just close your eyes and I'll make all better."

The filly nodded and covered her eyes. Another wave of pain struck her, then another soon after. The other Weaver saw this closed his eyes. He brought her close to his chest produced a sword out of thin air.

"I love you... so... much, my little Paper Doll."

"I... love you too,... daddy."

It was over in a flash and Luna found herself almost crushed in the real Weaver's embrace as he sought comfort. She embraced him back and listened to his cries of anguish. The memory faded away and Luna replaced it with a dreamscape of the Royal Gardens, she stayed silent with Weaver for a long time, just rocking from side-to-side. He didn't like being touched, but he needed to feel someone's kind embrace at this time.

"Am I a horrible father?" Weaver asked, breaking the silence, his face buried into Luna's soft feathers.

"No," Luna stated softly. "You did what you had to, my little pony."

Then, they woke up. Next Chapter: -5- So Little to Do, So Much Time Estimated time remaining: 32 Minutes