The tips of Luna's hooves brushed the treetops as she flew over the last few miles to Puddingarde. She breathed deep, not for any physical reason, but for having escaped into the safer parts of the dreamscape. Is it? Really?

She cursed, unsure whether she had thought that herself, or that darker part of her had, which was also herself, but not. "Is there any wonder I find this hard to explain to ponies..." That part of her was wrong though, it was better here. Nopony really understood how simple a thing as hope could have such far reaching effects, even changing that which most ponies cannot even perceive.

She mused over this and other things as she covered the final distance, getting as much use of her wings as she could before she was forced to hide them away again, along with almost everything that made her, her.

She dipped below the tree line and landed, grinding her hooves into the dirt for a moment before casting a spell on herself that enveloped her entire body in magic, leaving behind a slightly taller than average, but otherwise normal and unremarkable unicorn that started to walk the last of the distance into Puddingarde itself.

All seemed relatively quiet without the masses of ponies that would be around normally, but that shouldn't be a surprise with the fight moving north. Apart from use as a training grounds and as a safe place to run back to, it seemed that Puddingarde's use was increasingly spent.

"Luna?"

"Hmm?" Luna was jolted out of her reverie by Fleur, who was sat by the entrance into the keep with the filly. "You should know better than to call me by that name in public."

"Sorry."

"I still don't get why you're having to hide like this," the filly butted in.

"I rather think you're too young to understand," said Luna.

The filly lolled her head back, "For fuck sake, I am not some stupid kid. Fleur, would you kindly explain it to me?"

Fleur looked to Luna, getting nothing more than a shrug from her. "Alright then, what's going on here is a matter internal to Mareitania, and Equestria can't be seen meddling in the affairs of another country because it would look bad. They can send aid though."

"Yeah, I get that."

"Good. Then you understand that having Luna join the fight would look exactly like Equestria is meddling."

"Yeah, but Twilight is fighting as well, and she's a princess."

"Twilight is unknown to most of the world," Luna added. "It is other countries seeing us meddle that concerns us most, not so much Equestria itself, so Twilight's inclusion in events is likely to pass unnoticed by the rest of the world. We are dreading the day when Twilight's involvement is revealed though. Honestly we're surprised nopony has made the connection with the absent Wonderbolts either."

"How are you going to explain that?" Fleur asked out of her own interest.

"Twilight is here as a political advisor, whereas the Wonderbolts are here as tactical advisors to reduce the loss of life. We'll make it no secret that we clandestinely supported the Rebel movement considering the history of the previous rule."

"But for now you're sending aid instead," said the filly, "as a means of supporting ponies here?"

"Correct."

"Even though said aid doesn't go to the legitimate government of the country, but rather to the illegitimate rebel movement, making it pretty damned obvious that Equestria has already picked sides."

Luna hesitated, "...yes?"

"So if most countries see you picking sides, then it already seems like you're meddling, so it could hardly be worse if Princess Celestia herself was on the front lines. Add to that the fact that news very rarely gets out of this country." The filly crossed her forelegs and smirked up at Luna, "So I'm asking again, why are you so insistent on disguising yourself?"

Luna was flabbergasted, not so much from the argument itself, which had already come up with her sister before she left for Mareitania, but from the fact she'd been giving it by a filly that barely looked a day past seven. "There is more to you than meets the eye it seems, but you are wrong about news not getting out of Mareitania. News travels on the ships back to Equestria, and from there the news travels further, hence why I remain in disguise."

"Uh-huh. Whatever."

Luna smiled at the two ponies, "So, as delightful as this unorthodox welcome was, I believe I am to assist you with something... delicate?"

"Quite." Fleur stood and motioned for them to follow her down to the command room. She shut the door behind them and looked around to make sure they were alone. "There's a spy here we need to find. All we know is that they're a mare, and a non-fighter."

"Twilight did make me aware of such. She also said that I was to help you recover our information network. How far have you got with that?"

Fleur paused, then sighed, "Not far, as in nowhere. Until we catch this spy we can't be sure anything is safe, so I want to do that first. Problem is I don't know where to begin."

"Then perhaps we should begin with Seeker."

Fleur shook her head sadly, "She won't say anything more. She wants to, I think, but something is stopping her from getting it out."

"Then perhaps I should ask."

"Begging your pardon," the filly snickered, "but how is you asking going to be any different?"

The corner of Luna's mouth turned up slightly, "Because I have ways of asking that you do not."

Fleur pranced slightly as they made their way to where Seeker was held, betraying how nervous she was since Luna had explained her proposal, "Are you sure about this Princess?" she asked, her nerves making her forget not to use Luna's honorific.

"I am sure," Luna said confidently. "Just because she's a zebra it shouldn't be any different to what it would be with a pony."

"But this isn't a dream!" Fleur half shouted, "You're going into her mind!"

"What do you think a dream is other than an abstract representation of your inner thoughts, Fleur. Yes I am going into her mind, but I will be doing so through a dream. I will be quite safe."

"How about we go with you?" the filly asked hopefully. She was on the verge of something weird, and she wasn't about to miss out if she could help it.

"Not a bad idea, but I'm afraid I will only be taking one of you. I'd rather not stretch my dream magic too far in this place."

"I'll go then," Fleur said quickly. She knew full well what the filly was up to, and wasn't about to let it happen.

"Actually, the best choice would be the one of you that Seeker cares for the most, as you would be less likely to become a target for harm. Which one of you does she care for most?"

"Probably the filly," Fleur admitted grudgingly as the filly grinned knowingly at her.

"Then the filly should be the one to come with me." Luna waited as Fleur opened the door to Seeker's room. The zebra was lay on the cot she had been provided, her eyes listlessly staring up at the ceiling.

"If you have come to ask me again, I'm afraid I have nothing more to give you. I still cannot say."

"Actually we have a different idea." Fleur pointed at Luna, "This is Selene, she's an expert in dream magic, and we were hoping she could help you through that."

Seeker stared hard at Luna for a few seconds, then shrugged and looked away. "You are welcome to try, Nightwalker, but I would not get your hopes up."

Nightwalker? Luna wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, and smiled reassuringly at Seeker before her confusion could show, "Thank you. I'm going to cast a spell that will put you in a deep sleep while we work. If you need to do anything I suggest you do so now as you will not be waking until we are done."

"I am ready," Seeker stated. The tip of Luna's horn started to glow with a silver light which she pressed to Seeker's forehead before pulling away again.

"Nothing happened," said the filly.

"It will take a couple of minutes to take hold. It is less harmful than forcing a pony into sleep. I'm also going to have to do it to you for this to work."

"Yeah yeah, go on then." The filly held her forehead up to Luna, who pressed her horn to it. The filly suppressed a yawn as Luna moved away again, "Wow, that was fast. I-" The filly rocked as another yawn escaped her, "I haven't slept much lately, so this is going to be great."

"Oh yes, I'm sure it'll be quite restful. You wait here while I go find us something more comfortable to lay on." Luna stepped back out of the room, with Fleur hot on her heels.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"I am. If something were to happen I would terminate the dream long before we came to harm." She lifted a couple of pillows off one of the cots in the infirmary and slung them over her back.

"I know that, but if Seeker's as messed up as I think she is then I doubt her dreams will be very nice."

Luna stopped and turned to rest a hoof on Fleur's shoulder. "Fleur, I know you are worried, but I promise you that both Seeker and the filly will be unharmed, and hopefully we will return with the identity of our spy."

Fleur bit her lip, then nodded. "Okay. If anypony can do this, it's you."

"Thank you for your trust. If you would excuse me I need a minute to prepare." Luna kept smiling until Fleur was out of sight. As soon as she was Luna sat hard and fell to her haunches, the pillows sliding off her back to the floor. Of all the silly ideas she could have thought of, this was the one she chose? She had forbade herself from dreamwalking within Mareitania, yet here she was about to do just that while in Mareitania herself, and with a passenger no less. She couldn't deny that she was afraid of what might happen.

She spent a couple more minutes sat there on the cold hard floor, trying to centre herself before prodding into the damaged mind of a traumatised zebra. Once she was calmer she stood and picked the pillows back up and returned to Seeker's room. Both Seeker and the filly were sleeping, with the filly having crawled up onto the cot and curling up against Seeker's chest, bringing a wry smile to Luna's face. The trust that the filly showed in Seeker to do that was admirable.

She placed both pillows on the floor and made herself comfortable. She stilled, almost like she was frozen, the only sign that anything was happening being on her horn as a silver thread wound around it before splitting in two and tracing through the air to press against the foreheads of the two sleepers.

The connection having been made, Luna relaxed and let herself fall into the mind of another.

Dreams are unpredictable, often for the dreamer, and especially for any passengers that happen to be there. Luna had prepared herself for many things as she stepped into Seeker's mind, having expected any number of possible horrors, but there was nothing like that. Instead she was caught off guard by the blazing sun beating down upon her.

The dream came into focus, and Luna found herself standing on a windswept plain that reached out in all directions, populated by sporadic trees and grass that swayed with each gentle breeze. It could easily be described as pleasant, apart from the overwhelming heat of the sun. There was one thing missing though, "Filly?"

"I'm over here!" Luna followed the call, finding the filly in the shelter of one of the trees. "I got worried then, when you weren't... woah... that's what you really look like?"

Luna looked back on herself, seeing that here she wasn't wearing her disguise. "Yes, this is what I really look like. You seem to be rather different yourself."

"Huh?" The filly looked back herself and froze as she saw the pair of yellow wings folded along her sides. "Wings. I have wings. Why do I have wings?"

"Have you never dreamt of having your wings?"

"Well yeah, but..." Luna watched with concern as the filly winced, "That's usually right before some laughing bastard cuts them off," she said, her voice quivering.

"I assure you that won't be happening while I'm here. Give them a try." The filly spread them reluctantly, and gave them an experimental flap that lifted her onto the tips of her hooves. She snapped them closed again.

"That feels too weird, and it's not like I know how to fly anyway. You though, you look so cool! You make Twilight seem kinda lame by comparison."

"You should see my sister, she's a whole head taller than me again."

"Really? Wow, low doorways must really suck for her." Luna chuckled at the filly's observation, but didn't comment further. Both she and the filly looked about, looking for some clue as to why they were where they were. "What is this place?"

"This appears to be Zebrica, or at least a representation of it."

"Where the zebras come from?" Luna nodded, "Cool! Or not cool. I didn't think it'd be so hot here."

"It is, although this is an unnatural heat that I feel has more to do with Seeker's mind than Zebrica itself."

"Seeker's mind? Oh right! This is a dream isn't it!" She prodded the trunk of the tree she was under with her hoof, the branches wobbling in answer, "It feels so real. Is there some kind of thing where if I die here I die in real life?"

"No filly, there is not. You would simply awaken with an impending sense of doom. Compared to what can happen in dreams that is a mercy though."

"You're really selling this to me, y'know that? How come you brought me along anyway?"

"Truthfully, I'd rather not do this alone. Would Twilight have been here I would have brought her."

"So I'm second choice huh? Nice."

"What I said was true about a familiar presence helping, and you are familiar to her."

The filly shielded her eyes with a hoof and looked about, pretending that she wasn't bothered. "I think Fleur would rather she'd come instead of me."

"And that'd be a bad idea." The filly looked at Luna with surprise, "Their experiences are similar, though Seeker's is far more prolonged, and a good deal worse. I feared she wouldn't remain objective, and indeed make Seeker worse by bringing her own experiences here."

"And what would happen in that situation?"

"I'm not sure, but I imagine I would have to terminate the dream rather swiftly." Luna closed her eyes, letting senses beyond her usual five tell her where they must go. She felt a tugging sensation ahead of her. "I do believe Seeker is ahead of us. Are you ready to proceed?"

The filly crept out from under her tree and blinked in the glare of the sun, "Sure, I guess. No time like the present, right?"

"Actually, in the dreamscape, all time is one, so there is no time but the ever-changing present." Luna caught the filly staring blankly at her, and coughed to cover her embarrassment. "Quickly now filly, time waits for nopony."

"You sure about that?" the filly shot back. She fell into place beside Luna, trying to use the larger mare for shade, but it wasn't much use. The heat seemed to radiate off everything, and her hooves were starting to hurt from the boiling ground. "Can't you do something about this heat?"

"I could, yes, but I don't wish to do anything that might come into conflict with what Seeker has created. Not yet at least."

"Carry me then?" Luna rolled her eyes but nonetheless picked the filly up with her magic and placed the filly between her wings. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Luna kept walking, but started to feel as though she was getting nowhere. Clearly Seeker wasn't keen on visitors, but it wasn't nothing Luna hadn't encountered before. "Filly, could you close your eyes please."

"Uh... okay?" The filly did as asked, and Luna did so as well. She held her front right hoof out and took an exaggerated step forwards. Physically, she knew she had moved little more than a meter, but in her head it felt like she had taken a ten mile step. She opened her eyes, and much to her satisfaction she was stood a twenty or thirty meters away from a small village of a dozen huts built of sun bleached mud, smoothed out into domes.

"Woah... how'd you do that?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure, but it works. Perhaps now we should get to the bottom of all this."

The filly squinted at the village, seeing black and white figures walking about, "Shouldn't we watch them for a little bit? How do we know the zebras here aren't hostile?"

"I doubt they're hostile, but perhaps you are right. Hold on tight." Right on cue, a wisp of cloud drifted over the village, and Luna flew up to it to watch the village below.

Luna wasn't very familiar with zebras, she had to admit. A thousand years on the moon wasn't very convenient for keeping up with things, and she hadn't had much contact with them before her banishment. Strange as it was she was more familiar with the Crystal Empire's rambunctious neighbours, the yaks, than she was with one of ponykind's closest relatives.

Despite that though, she was sure that what she was watching below was a poor representation of what a zebra village would actually be like. The buildings were uniform and bland, there was no music, no laughter, and no foals. Just seemingly identical zebras wondering back and forth repeating the same pointless task over and over again, like they hadn't just done it. The only exception was the Zebra at the centre of it, collared and chained to a post along with the bodies of two male zebras. That, Luna surmised, was Seeker herself.

"I don't get it," the filly whispered, "they're just doing the exact same thing over and over again. It's fucking weird."

"I think that Seeker's trying to make something normal here, but it's not going right. I don't think we'll learn much up here." Luna stood and stepped off the cloud to glide in a gentle spiral to the ground. She landed a few meters away and walked the last few steps to where Seeker was lay, chained to the post. She spared the two bodies a cursory glance before addressing Seeker.

"Greetings Seeker."

"Nightwalker," Seeker said back.

"So you do know who I am." Luna had the suspicion that Seeker had known the first time she had called Luna 'Nightwalker.' There was a small urge of glee within her at how the name sounded.

"There is only one that can walk within the dreams of another, and yet, you do not appear to be as the legends describe you, let alone the fact that you walk upon the earth and not the moon."

Luna could see where this was going. It was no surprise that those in Mareitania wouldn't be aware of her return as her true self. "And how do they describe me?" she asked anyway.

"Fearsome, with a coat as black as night, cold, soulless eyes, slitted like a cat, and a maw filled with the fangs of a beast."

Luna nodded tiredly, "Nightmare Moon. I am not that pony any more."

"Are you sure? I'm not ignorant of history 'Princess Luna,' and I'm aware of how old you would seem to be as you appeared in Equestrian history not long after the exodus of your people. It would seem to me for the fifteen hundred years of your life, most of it was spent as the one you call Nightmare Moon. So I ask you, which of you is the true you?"

Mocking laughter filled Luna's mind, and Luna found herself shouting over a sound only she could hear. "I was here first! She's just a mockery of everything I am!" Luna almost terminated the dream right then, but managed to restrain herself. The only other to have pointed out that she'd been Nightmare Moon for two thirds of her life was herself, and it was upsetting to hear another say it.

"Luna?" Luna looked up, seeing the fear in the filly's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Luna breathed deeply, pushing her doubts away to focus on the task at hoof. "We're not here to discuss my shortcomings as a pony, Seeker. We're here because you have something we need. Who is the spy?"

"I- I-" All at once the zebras that had been walking to and fro stopped and turned to watch the trio in the village centre. "It's-" Slowly the zebras gathered around them in a wide, but perfect circle. As soon as the last zebra was in place they started shaking their heads with perfect synchronicity. A strange negative tone filled the air.

The filly squeezed in next to Luna, "That is fucking creepy."

Seeker hung her own head, avoiding the accusing stares of the zebras as they continued to shake their head, "It's- Aaghhh!" The tone grew stronger, and orange, glowing lines that smoked started tracing over Seeker's body. It took both Luna and the filly a moment to realise the lines ran over where her scars were in the real world.

"Stop Seeker!" the filly cried as Seeker writhed on the ground in agony, "Stop!"

"I can't tell you!" Tears welled in Seeker's eyes, but the tone lessened and the zebras stopped shaking their heads. The tone faded further, along with the lines on her body, "I won't tell you!" The lines on her body faded completely and a positive tone filled the air and the zebras all smiled at Seeker, before returning to their tasks.

"Are you okay Seeker?" the filly asked once the other zebras were gone.

"I'm fine," Seeker said back, her voice heavy with defeat.

Luna shook her head, "I would hardly call that 'fine.' While I had hardly expected this to be easy, I will admit I never expected this." Luna gestured to the two dead stallions, "Perhaps we should start with who these are."

"Samsi and Kipa, or Keeper in your language. They were to document what we learned here on our scouting mission."

"How come Sammy doesn't have a translation?" asked the filly.

"Samsi has no translation as it is but a name."

Luna tried to keep the conversation on track, even if she could fully understand why Seeker would happily let it be derailed. "Why are they here Seeker? And why are they deceased?"

"Pearl kept them as an extra measure to ensure my obedience. I had hoped to save them as well when we went to High Rock, but they weren't the zebra I knew. They were scarcely more than skin and bone, and didn't react to me at all. She had left them as little more than husks of zebra, so I-" Seeker's voice cracked, but she pushed on, "I gave them the only mercy I could, and now, when I close my eyes, all I can see is their hollow faces right before I killed them! I can't even remember how they used to look!"

Luna sighed internally. She was starting to think she should have created a dream for Seeker to inhabit rather than let Seeker herself create it, sparing her from this all too lucid display of her own mind. "And so, here they are," she said, if only to have something to say.

"Luna?"

"Yes filly?"

The filly glanced sideways at Seeker as the zebra wiped tears off her cheek, "I don't want to do this any more."

"I know. I don't either. Being here is getting us nowhere either." Luna took a deep breath, hoping to silence the horrible part of her that was enjoying it. "I think it's time we tried something else."

Luna raised her horn, wisps of energy building on it as she readied herself, then, with a flourish she whipped her head towards Seeker and unleashed her spell. A wave of silver light swept over Seeker, who raised her legs to try and protect herself from it, but it left her uninjured as it harmlessly burned the collar and chains off her, and evaporated the bodies of Samsi and Askari.

"What are you doing!?" Seeker cried. A shrill shriek raised from the throats of all the zebras there, and they were suddenly at the centre of a rapidly closing circle of screaming zebra. But Luna was ready for that.

"No." With that single syllable an orb of silver magic expanded from Luna's horn, obliterating the zebras, and shattering the very landscape around them, which fell away like broken glass in all directions, leaving them surrounded by the dark dreamscape of Mareitania. A sharp pain shot through Luna's head, rapidly making its way up her horn. She fell to her knees and grit her teeth to stop herself from crying in pain.

"Aanggh!" Seeker cried from between teeth that were clamped shut, clutching her head in her hooves as her head felt like it was splitting apart.

Between them stood the filly, almost panicking as she wanted to go to both of them, but couldn't. "Will one of you say something? I don't know what to do!"

"I'm fine filly," Luna grunted. The pain was fading quickly, and she pushed herself back up onto her hooves. She had no idea what had just happened, and she felt different now it had. There was no longer a nagging sensation of glee at the situation they were in, or any of the other feelings that Luna had found herself feeling lately, and its absence bothered her almost as much as its presence ever had. Something had just happened, and the only thing she could tell about it was that it probably wasn't a good thing.

"What. Did. You. Do!?" Seeker growled.

"It was only a dream, Seeker," Luna said, her voice much clearer now the pain had passed. "I will admit I hadn't imagined that ending it would've been so... energetic."

Seeker rubbed a hoof around her neck, a faint frown on her face. A dream she had endured night after night for years had just been snuffed out in seconds. Was it really so simple? She tried to say the name of the spy, but couldn't say even the first syllable before lines of searing heat traced themselves over her body.

"The dream may have ended Seeker," Luna said, seeing Seeker bite back a cry, "but that doesn't mean you are free."

"Then what do you intend, Nightwalker?"

Instead of the feeling of favour for that name that she had felt when first hearing it, there was nothing, and Luna found herself shivering instead. More and more she was starting to think this was a really bad idea. She wasn't going to give up until they had the identity of the spy though.

"If you cannot tell us, perhaps instead you can show us."

"Where are we?" the filly interrupted.

"The dreamscape. This is a place that exists outside of reality, where all dreams come together."

"It looks angry." The dark reds and purples of the dreamscape shifted and moved about continuously, intermingling with the predominant black.

"As a land filled with suffering, so to does the dreamscape reflect that. But if you look closer to us you'll see that from it's not so bad here." Near to them were a few bright dots of light, the pleasant dreams of ponies that together were helping to heal the dreamscape. They couldn't see it where they were, but Luna knew that if they were to move away and look back they would see a that they were in a small patch of sparkling blue, a total contrast to every thing else around them.

"Neat. How does this help us though?"

"Directly, it doesn't. But from here we can go to, and create other dreams. Seeker," Luna turned to the zebra with them, "I want you to close your eyes and try to remember what was going on when you first learnt the identity of the spy."

"Okay... I was in Puddi-"

"Don't say it, just think it. Close your eyes as well filly." The filly obediently shut her eyes, and Luna did so too. Through the link she was currently sharing with Seeker in the waking world she could feel her thoughts shaping themselves, and as she opened her eyes the dreamscape had gone, having changed to the dark streets of a city at night. Cold drops of rain landed on her back as the reality of the dream asserted itself on them, and she heard the filly gasp at the sensation.

"Coldcoldcoldcold! Ahh!" She scooted under Luna, the larger mare smiling at the youngers antics. "You could've warned me!"

"I'd have had to have known it was going to happen to do that."

"I'll always remember the first time it rained after our arrival in Mareitania. After coming from Zebrica it felt so cold, and that was in the spring. Seeing winter for the first time was a shock." Seeker looked up at the stormy sky above, the rain running in rivulets down her face and muzzle.

"Fine," the filly grumbled, "but how is this helping us find the spy?"

"It isn't, is it?" said Luna. Seeker sighed and lowered her head.

"I tried to think of it, but I couldn't keep the thought in my head. I think something is trying to stop me even thinking of it."

"Then perhaps we should follow this dream instead, and see what happens," Luna suggested.

The filly looked about the dark, stormy streets, "Where are we anyways?"

"Prance, I think. Just after She let me go." The lines of Seeker's scars started to grow down her body, but as she didn't react to it, it was hard to tell if she even knew it was happening. "I remember it was raining when I arrived, and I walked around the dark for hours, letting the rain soothe what she had done to me."

"Doesn't look like Prance to me," the filly said slowly.

"Perception in dreams is often different to what you remember something being," Luna explained. "Come along, let us see where this goes."

It didn't seem to go anywhere. That wasn't a particular surprise though seeing as how the dream was based on a memory of aimless walking. Seeker had also mentioned that she hadn't known the city at all then, and everywhere did kind of look the same to her.

More concerning was that the further they went the jumpier Seeker became, claiming to feel like she was being watched. A feeling that quickly rubbed off on the filly, and was slowly starting to seep into Luna's thoughts.

"I don't like this Luna," the filly whispered, "end the dream."

"I'm afraid not filly. If something truly is watching us, I would like to find out who."

"And if we don't like who it is?"

"Then I might consider ending this. But, then again, it could be exactly what we're looking for." Talking to the filly as she was, Luna failed to see that Seeker had frozen in her tracks until she walked into the striped rear of the zebra. "Seeker? Art thou alright?"

"Behind us." Luna and the filly turned to look behind them, and as Seeker had said there was something there. A figure, covered from head to hoof in black armour.

"You!" Luna spat as the filly backed off to where Seeker was still frozen. "You will haunt this zebra no more!" Silver flame blazed from Luna's horn, wrapping around the armoured figure. The only thing that blazed brighter was the runes on the armour as it harmlessly dissipated the attack.

Luna was shocked. Never before had something withstood her like that in the dreamscape. Even she was inclined to back off as the figure tittered to itself, like the tinkling of a bell. "What are you?"

The figure said nothing, instead stomping a hoof. The moment her hoof slammed down on the cobbles of the street the rain ceased, and the sky lit up with a hellish orange glow. The city around them started to evaporate, blowing away like dust in the wind until they were stood in a wide open plain.

"Seeker!" the filly screamed. "This is your head! Stop this!"

Seeker cowered to the ground, still facing away from their assailant. "She's here, she's here, she's here," she kept repeating.

The ground quaked as the figure took a step towards them, and another, seeming to grow with each step until she was towering over them.

"Take not another step, demon!" Luna shouted in defiance. She could feel the figure in the armour smiling cruelly at her as it took another step. It's hoof landed in a puddle, but rather than splashing, the puddle raced up its leg. The figure seemed confused for a moment, and tried to shake it off, waving its leg about, but no matter how hard it tried it couldn't.

Luna and the filly watched in fearful awe as the massive figure wrestled with itself, and they quickly covered their ears as a scream, like the ones the zebra had made back in the village, came from everywhere. The scream continued, but became weaker and weaker as the figure shrunk, and finally ended when it sagged onto the ground.

Luna saw her opportunity and pounced, slamming a gilded hoof down onto the helmet of the figure. It shattered like glass, and beneath it, rather than a pony like she was expecting, was a zebra that looked exactly like Seeker. Luna looked into its eyes, seeing the fear they held after what had happened, and within those fearful eyes Luna saw another set, cold, turquoise, and slitted. Then they winked at her, and were gone a split second before Luna struck again, the copy of Seeker falling to mist around her hoof.

"What's happening Luna!?"

Luna backed away from the rapidly fading patch of mist, "I wish I knew filly." She knew those eyes she had seen almost better than her own, as they had for a time been her own, but to see them there like that had to be impossible. Nightmare Moon was just a fragment of her mind. There was no way she could've been there, yet there she was, winking at her. Taunting her.

Darkness raced towards them from all directions, and swallowed them. The ground dropped from beneath them and they fell, screaming soundlessly, only to land with a thud on a cold hard floor. The surroundings of Puddingarde keep started to form around them, and a few seconds later it would've been hard to tell whether they were still in a dream or not.

None of them moved for a few seconds, not wanting to risk it in case they made something else happen. "Are you both okay?" Luna cautiously asked once she was reasonably sure the ground beneath them was going to remain solid.

"It'll be perfectly safe she said," the filly whined mockingly. "You'll be fine she said. You have a really bad idea of what safe is!" The filly stood on shaking legs that only just managed to hold her weight. She slowly walked to Seeker who was laying on the floor, curled up and crying. "I'm not sure about Seeker though, she looks pretty bad. What did you do to that thing, anyway?"

Luna stood and stretched her wings out after they took a hit from the landing, "I didn't do anything. Or at least I don't think I did. I'm not sure what's going on here any more, because I'm not the one doing this."

"Sure... Well whatever it is you're not doing, keep doing it because it seems to be working. Look." The filly pointed to where the stairs down to the command room were, a ghostly figure of Seeker just heading down them. "Come on!"

"Wait!" Luna shook Seeker, hoping to get a reaction out of her, but she just curled up on herself and sobbed louder. Luna hesitated a moment, but ultimately chose to follow the filly down stairs. There would be no point to this if she didn't at least get what they came for.

"Stay behind me filly," Luna said, and the filly was more than happy to comply. Nothing seemed amiss as they followed the ghostly form of Seeker down to the command room. The door was shut, and all was silent. Seeker pushed it open, pausing as she saw a mare rifling through the documents kept there. A pink earth pony mare with a two tone grey mane in curls that flowed down her neck.

"What are you doing!?" Seeker barked at the intruder. The pink mare jumped and quickly stopped what she was doing to face Seeker. Then she visibly relaxed.

"Oh, it's only you Truth Seeker." The mare smiled at Seeker, but it quickly turned cruel, "The mistress sends her regards, traitor. Would you kindly not tell anypony I was down here," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice before walking out past Seeker, who was frozen wide-eyed, a slight tremble in her hooves being her only movement.

"Who is that?" Luna asked, hoping the filly might recognise the mare.

"I think she's one of the cooks in the mess." Luna caught one last glimpse at the mare as she made her way up the stairs. On her flank was the image of a steaming pot, which would agree with that idea. "I couldn't tell you what her name is though."

"I rather think being able to work here unnoticed is part of her cover. After all, who would suspect somepony as likable as the one that cooks your meals?"

The Seeker in the control room burst into tears, but quickly stopped herself and wiped her tears away. She started to walk forward, but didn't make a single step as her hoof was trembling too much. She tried to turn to follow the mare, but merely fell onto her rear instead, her rear legs uncooperative.

Luna couldn't see what else happened as Seeker and her surroundings started to fade away, leaving them in darkness again. Luna sought to end the spell and return them to the real world, but before she could end it completely there was a flash of turquoise in the distance, and a thought arrived in her head that she knew for definite hadn't been her.

See you soon.

"Luna!" Fleur shouted angrily, before she had even a chance to get fully awake. "What did you do!?"

Luna opened her eyes and blinked the blurriness out of them. She found Fleur scowling at her from beside Seeker's bed as she tried to comfort the weeping mare. The filly was also awake, watching Luna warily as she also tried to help Seeker.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened."

"You said this was perfectly safe!"

"And it was, until I lost control of the dream."

"B-but you're Princess Luna! Dreams are your thing! How could you possibly lose control of a dream?"

Luna looked down to the floor. There was only one way she could think of that would result in her losing control of a dream. "When something steals control of it away from me. That, and I admit I approached the issue with Seeker all wrong. I never suspected she would react to what we did in such a way."

"Is that why she's like this? She started crying a few minutes ago, and she won't stop!"

"Let me see." Fleur reluctantly stepped aside and let Luna attend to Seeker. Luna opened one of Seeker's eyes, but the eye was unfocused and rolled back. Whatever had wrestled control of the dream from her had been clumsy in its efforts, and had left Seeker trapped in her nightmare. Fortunately there was a simple solution.

Using her magic, Luna pinched the Seeker's rump, hard, and the zebra gasped as she burst into wakefulness. The tears kept coming though, and Luna suddenly found her hoof being grabbed and held to Seeker's chest, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Nightwalker! I couldn't stop it! I'm sorry..."

Luna gently pulled her hoof away and smiled at Seeker as kindly as she could. "You have nothing to apologise for." She flinched as Fleur cleared her throat loudly, right next to her ear. "I need to apologise though. I shouldn't have tried to do any of this. I should've tried to find another way. I'm sorry."

Seeker drew in a few shuddering breaths, and tried to regain control of herself. She kept trying to open her mouth to say something, and she became increasingly frustrated as she found she couldn't. "Why can't I say it? You killed her! You killed the demon in my head!"

"The demon was you," Luna said softly. "And while it may have felt all too real, in the end it was still a dream. I'm sorry Seeker."

Seeker lay back and rested her head, but nodded as one last tear rolled down her cheek. "I understand. Did you at least get what you were looking for?"

"I believe so. Pink mare with a curly two tone mane?" Luna pressed a hoof to Seeker's chest as she started to say something, "Don't speak, just nod if that's the pony we're looking for." After a moment Seeker shakily nodded her head, "Thank you. I know you're probably reluctant to try and sleep after that, but you should try and get some rest. You too filly."

"You aren't the boss of me!" The filly yawned into her hoof, "But you may make suggestions. I'll stay here with Seeker, you two go catch our spy."

"As you wish." Luna left them, but stopped not far away as Fleur was taking a moment to talk with the filly, which Luna was more than happy to allow. She leaned against the wall and pressed her head to the chilly stone, enjoying the cold.

She was still doing it as Fleur caught up to her. "What happened Luna? What really happened?"

Luna sighed and pushed herself off the wall to look at Fleur. "I don't know. We arrived in a dream of her in a strange zebra village. It wasn't much use to us so I ended that dream, and brought us into the dreamscape, and it hurt, both me and Seeker, and I don't know why. Then I tried to get her to remember what she was doing when she learnt the spy's identity, but that didn't work either. We were attacked by a copy of Seeker in anti-magic armour, which could resist my magic. Nothing in dreams should be able to do that! I thought we were about to be rejected from her dream when something else attacked the copy, negating its powers. I destroyed it, then we were forced into the memory of Seeker finding the spy. Again, nothing to do with me."

"Something else did it? Like what?"

"I don't know," Luna lied. She wasn't entirely sure, but any explanation she might have given would have to include what she suspected about the eyes she had seen in the copy of Seeker. "I do intend to find out though. For now though we should go and apprehend our spy."

"Yeah. It isn't too late so she should still be in the mess serving latecomers."

"Excellent. Let's go." Luna hoped she could at least get this right.

Luna and Fleur sat at a table in the mess, silently observing the mare as she worked. They watched as she served ponies, laughing and joking with them, utterly unobtrusive, and nothing like what they had expected.

"It's hard to believe she's our spy," said Fleur after a minute. "I mean, I've talked with her dozens of times, and never thought anything of her. I don't even know her name. She's just there, one of the lunch-mares, happily serving ponies with a smile on her face."

"The last pony you'd suspect. Do you know anything about her?"

"Other than she's been here since nearly the beginning, not really. She might have even been part of Pierre."

"So her treachery runs further than we thought." Despite her outward confidence Luna was starting to doubt herself. How was she to tell if Seeker hadn't forcibly replaced the actual spy with this mare in an attempt to lead them off track. There was only one way to find out though.

"Now is as good a time as any I suppose." They stood and made their way over to join the short queue, waiting as if they aimed to be served. Their turn came, and the mare in question smiled at them.

"Good day to you miss de Lis, or good evening rather. What can I get you ladies?"

"Uh..."

"I was hoping we could ask you some questions," Luna cut in before Fleur lost her bottle.

"Questions? Ladies, I serve food, not a lot to it." The mare chuckled, "But sure, if you think I'm that interesting, go ahead."

"What's your name?"

"My name? Starting with the basics huh? Hotpot, nice ta meet-cha."

"How long have you been part of the rebellion?"

"Since the beginning. I'd actually joined up with Pierre a few months before this all kicked off. I'm not much of a fighter, but I can cook, and if that helps, then that's what I'm gonna do."

"Besides spy for the enemy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Hotpot, we have reason to believe you've been spying for the enemy the entire time you've been here."

"What?" Hotpot backed away slowly, her stance low as if she were either going to attack or run. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm no spy!"

"And what if I told you the mistress sends her regards?" Luna almost grinned as Hotpot revealed a crack in her façade. A split second of surprise along with a tightening of her jaw was all Luna needed to know that this was the mare they were after.

"You seem very fit for somepony who's just a cook," Fleur added, almost as an afterthought.

Hotpot turned to flee, but Luna was more than ready for her, and easily restrained the mare with magic before she could make even two steps. She teleported some shackles she had carefully placed nearby and fit them into place around her ankles, immobilising the mare.

"How did you get her to talk? Pearl said she wouldn't talk!"

"And she still hasn't," Luna purred. It was nice to have the upper hoof. She lifted Hotpot into the air and carried her out of the mess hall, making no effort to address the many ponies staring at her. Luna had one last test in mind to make and carried the suddenly silent and almost rigid mare to where Seeker was.

"What are you doing?" Fleur whispered to her.

"I want to see Seeker's reaction to Hotpot. Then I'll be totally sure this is our mare." Seeker was still awake when they got to her, with the filly curled up next to her, happily snoozing. Seeker's eyes went wide as she saw Hotpot, and her entire body trembled. "I think that's proof enough."

"Hold on," Hotpot said unexpectedly. She smiled that same cruel smile Luna had seen in Seeker's memory. "Seeker, would you kindly kill that obnoxious brat."

Seeker didn't say anything. She wrapped her hooves around the filly's neck and was about to wrench the filly's neck around and break it when Luna's silvery magic gripped her hooves and pried them away. Seeker fought her as much as possible, trying to get the filly despite the overwhelming odds against her.

"Filly!" The filly leapt off the bed and into Fleur's hooves, her breathing ragged with panic.

"Seeker! Stop!" Luna shouted.

Hotpot chuckled to herself, "You got-ta say the magic wo-ord..." she sang.

"Please stop?"

"Uh-uh, guess again."

Luna thought quickly. What was it that Hotpot had just said? Would you kindly kill that obnoxious brat? Didn't she say something like that in Seeker's memory too?

"Seeker, would you kindly stop," Luna said as calmly as she could. Straight away Seeker relaxed and stopped struggling.

"Bingo! You got it. Well done."

"Why would you do that!?" the filly cried. Seeker looked away, her face full of shame.

"Oh, she doesn't have a choice," Hotpot said happily. "Pearl did train her very well. As for me, the amount of crap you've given me you little shit, it was worth it."

"I give crap to everypony!"

"Seeker," Fleur never took her eyes off Hotpot, "would you kindly tell us the name of the Duke's spy here in Puddingarde?"

"Hotpot," Seeker said quickly.

"Uh..."

"And would you kindly tell us if there are any more spies within the Mareitanian liberation front."

"None definite, but three potential, and all three formally members of the Grand Army, or are associated with the Mareitanian government. Ivory Spire, former consort of the Viscount, Lamp Wick, former soldier with family history of serving in Grand Army, trained by Snowbright, and Sweet Pea, works in logistics, has well connected family in Stalliongrad."

Hotpot's face fell, "Shit. I thought I was only one."

"Seeker, would you kindly remove Hotpot from consciousness." Seeker obliged and stood to deliver a swift punch that landed in the centre of Hotpot's forehead, knocking her out in a single blow. "Thank you."

"Please st-stop," Seeker whimpered.

"Sorry Seeker, I- No, I shouldn't have done that, but I just needed to be sure. I won't do it again." Fleur stroked a hoof down the back of the filly, who was doing her best to hold back her tears, "Are you okay?"

"No!" The filly took a deep, gasping breath, "I could've died then! I- I-" The filly turned and galloped out of the room, running straight over the unconscious form of Hotpot.

"Filly!" Fleur shouted after her, but the filly wasn't listening. "Damn it! Today is just too fucked up! What are you going to do with her?" Fleur asked, motioning her head towards Hotpot.

"We can't keep her here, or anywhere near Seeker." As much as Luna didn't want to do it, there was only one realistic place to take her. "I'll take her to Whiplash, and see to it that she's locked up where she can't cause any more harm. I'm sure Twilight would like to question her too."

"Alright. Can you..?"

Luna nodded, "I'll take care of this. You go help the filly." Fleur didn't waste time, dashing out after the filly.

"I'm sorry about this," Seeker said once Fleur was gone.

"It's not your fault, you couldn't help it. Although, if I remember correctly, you were given the choice to go home, but you refused. Why?"

"Would you kindly," Seeker murmured, and Luna understood.

"She forbade you from leaving." Seeker nodded. "If you want I could tell you to go home, go back to your friends, family, and life, and put all this behind you."

"No!" Luna was taken aback as Seeker suddenly shouted. "If anyone found out about what that phrase does to me... the harm they could do. The harm they could make me do. No, I should stay here until I find a way to undo it."

"If that is what you wish." Luna hefted Hotpot onto her back, "Not sure how I'm going to get this one to Whiplash though."

"They used a carriage to bring me here from Neigh Orleans. Made so I couldn't open it from the inside. It should still be here."

"Good idea. Thank you Seeker."

"You're welcome. Nightwalker."

Meanwhile, in Brayside.

Twilight was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming as it was one of those strange disjointed dreams you have sometimes. She was home, in the Golden Oaks library, which was an obvious clue to this being a dream, as the last she checked, the Golden Oaks library was a rather sad looking charred stump.

That didn't matter though. She was too busy doing whatever it was she doing, enjoyably involving books, when suddenly everything felt strange. Things suddenly felt all too real, like she was really back in the library as it was before its destruction.

The suddenly deluge of reality was jarring, but before she could even begin to fathom what was going on there was a knock at the door. She opened it, and fell to her rear as she beheld the fearsome visage of Nightmare Moon, sans armour, smiling politely at her, albeit still too toothily for Twilight's liking.

"Good day Twilight Sparkle. Might I come in?"

Author's Notes:

Seems I do have a chapter this week, even though I thought I wouldn't. A little consistency would be nice.

Going to point out now that I'm not sure I should be doing the thing with Nightmare Moon that I'm going to do. Going ahead with it though as she does seem like a fun character to have pop up now and again. I'll probably have to post the next chapter before you really form your own solid opinions on it. I'm also sure many of you were expecting a named character as the traitor, but I couldn't decide on a character to throw under the bus, so in a total cop-out I made one specially for that purpose. Hopefully what I do with her will be worth it.

Anyway, I'm going to use this space here to vent about yesterdays episode and shove my thoughts down your throat, (assuming you read this.) Loved it, riiiiiight up until the last four minutes. That song, which I consider to be the single worst song in show history by a long way, was not what I was expecting, and not what I would expect of Spike. I actually turned the sound off until it was over. The changeling wasn't changing because he was nice in the first place you idiot lizard! It was the ponies that had to change! I at least expected him to use sense and logic to convince ponies to give bodypart a chance. (The name bothers me too. It's like calling a pony Torso.) Instead we had an awful song and an instant resolution that was totally unrealistic and unworthy of Spike's character who sometimes has a lot more sense than the ponies in the show. If they had at least been reluctant but willing to give Thorax a chance, fine. Great even. But no. Spike sang a song, here look at my baby you wonderful creature that will totally never betray us.

I really, sincerely hope this isn't leading to a redemption arc for Chrysalis, and if it is I really, really hope she's like 'lol nope. I likes being teh evilz.'

At the very least we got a bit of Glimglam. I do like me some Glimglam. Rant over.