Celestia watched Phoenix take off, now assured that a powerful Elder protected her eight subjects in this world.

Her horn pulsed with energy, the words she had spoken now summoning a second Elder, one that could protect her subjects in the Realm of Dreams.

A black hole opened in the world, leading into the strange Realm, and the Elder she had wanted stepped out, black body and white mane and tail emulating his Yin-Yang cutie mark. A strange mist surrounded him, giving him the appearance of being a ghost, his horn already glowing with power. No wings were to be found, as he had no use for them.

"Drøm Mester. I must ask you to-"

"Celestia. It's been too long, my old friend."

She smiled as the unicorns' clear, solid voice rang out, the sound in stark contrast to his seemingly aged body and drooping eyes, seeming to be half asleep.

"Yes, it has, Drøm. I suppose you already know of Luna's revival? From Nightmare Moon?"

"Ah, yes. I reveled at the sight of the young Princess, once again in her former glory. And so did Sølv Brann, who happened to be visiting. Now, I'm assuming that you've summoned so as to ask me a favor, have you not?"

Celestia smiled, remembering the antics of Sølv Brann, back before Nightmare Moon...

"Yes, Drøm Mester. First, you must use your Equestrian name for now: Dream Master."

"Alright then."

"Now, I need you to do a few things, okay? I need you to bring Sølv Brann into the Realm of Dreams with you, and protect the minds of my eight subjects, all aboard a mobile hotel to Manehattan, from Discord. He's been pulling himself into the Realm of Dreams, slowly but surely, and I believe he has a plan."

Dream Master frowned slightly, dismayed.

"Would it not be best to bring Metall Krant or...or...Fugl Føniks?"

"That is why you're meeting Fugl Føniks in the Realm of Dreams. He'll be sleeping in the locomotive of the mobile hotel, so I want you to meet him there. And, no matter what, do not let Discord into the dreams of anypony, okay? I want them all to sleep soundly on this trip."

The black pony nodded, understanding what had to be done.

"My Princess, would it not be wiser to have Phoenix here, with us?"

Celestia shook her head, vocalizing the movement.

"No. If it comes to it, he'll have to protect the eight of them in the Realm of Reality. I would rather not see it come to that, but he's just as strong in the Realm of Reality as he is in the Realm of Dreams. He's basically our lifeline for if you..."

"Fail?"

"Yes."

Dream Master sighed, looking up at Celestia.

"You do know the implications of this?"

"Refresh my memory, please."

The black pony sat looking at Celestia with a stern, unfaltering gaze, inherent of the Elders.

"If we get too close to their dreams, we could end up jeopardizing everything. That...humans'...Soul Gem fragments...we'll have to secure them both in the Realm of Dreams, and Reality, once he throws them away. But if we get too close to them before that...he'd find us, and he would be dragged into the Realm of Dreams, and he would be open to attack from Discord."

Celestia nodded, knowing all too well that the Elder was reflecting on the companion they had lost, before the rise of Gylden Glør, when they had tried to attack Discord in the most indirect way possible...

"You can't blame yourself for that, Dream Master. Dag Drøm knew what she was getting herself into. She couldn't handle it, just like you said..."

The old unicorn sighed, the mare still weighing heavily upon his mind after thousands of years...

"Yes...I know. It's in the past now..."

Celestia nodded.

"Now, Dream Master, you must go, and remember to tell Sølv Brann that his Equestrian name is Silver Fire. Oh, and tell Metall Krant that Sølv has been royally pardoned."

The aged pony nodded, blinking for what seemed to be five minutes. When he opened his eyes, the portal to the Realm of Dreams lay behind him.

"Oh, and Dream Master..."

"Hm?"

"The Dreamer sends her regards."

The Dream Master smiled, his heart warmed at the mention of the grey Pegasus.

"Tell my student that I am very, very proud of her, and that I send my regards, and my regrets."

Celestia nodded, even as the old black pony backed off into the darkness, his white mane and tail disappearing last.

She sighed, and returned to her throne, sitting upon the golden ornamental throne, leaving the audience chamber behind her.

Ditzy Doo walked up to her, a sad look in her eye, her Eye burning with a hidden intensity.

"Celestia...Discord has taken somepony under his control."

Celestia looked up with surprise, not expecting it to happen so quickly.

"Who?"

Ditzy Doo looked up, a sad, sad look in her eye, and said the pony's name.

Mini contest time!
Try to guess who Discord took!
If anyone guesses right, I'll post my outline for the next chapter, albeit censored in certain areas to keep the plot a mystery.
But I won't tell you who guessed it right, or who Discord took.
If nobody guesses right, I'll just publish the entire chapter when I'm done with it.
Also, I was extremely tired when I wrote this. Sorry if it isn't that...good. I just wanted to get my idea down really fast, despite almost passing out at my computer...

Well, expect an outline sometime soon.

Actually, you know what, forget the outline!!
I'm not going to give you an outline for a chapter, but rather...
I'll give you a shit load of chapters!
For (almost) all of the Elders I've listed so far, I'm going to give you a chapter for each of them!
Ahem...
CHARACTERIZE ALL OF THE ELDERS!!!