[RGRE] (Short) Anon's Horrific Dreams

>You are Princess Luna of Equestria.
>Your job as an alicorn is to raise the moon and watch over the nightly dreams of your and your sister's subjects.
>The wisdom you've accumulated over thousands of years has taught you many things about the pony psyche.
>A dream is where a pony's true emotions and self is displayed.
>Stripping away the rules put in place by society and the personas ponies put on, all that is left is the mind and the mind alone.
>You've seen anxiety, jealously, hatred, fear, anger and many more emotions run rampant within pony minds.
>The same feelings in you that spurred your transformation.
>Nopony deserved that.
>Nopony deserved to witness themselves slowly transform into a monster, a perversion of their former self.
>Nopony should see everything they love destroyed because of them.
>You made it your sole duty to ease these feelings before they grow unchecked and consume the ponies, like it had with you.
>Offering your advice and guidance in the ethereal plane, you became the guardian of the night.
>Although, there is somepony exception to your rule.
>Someone, rather.
>The human who showed up in Equestria one day without explanation or reason.
>When you, your sister, and the Canterlot Guard went to confront him, you were surprised when he said he meant no harm.
>In retrospect, it might've been an overreaction to sick the entire military force of the nation on one colt.
>He claimed to have come from a different planet from very far away.
>It was backed up by the look of absolute genuine bewilderment he gave you when your sister revealed to him that her job was to raise the sun.
>It was very like your sister and the Elements to quickly aid a colt in trouble, supplying him with a residence in Ponyville and promises of friendship.
>He had put on a face of gratitude and happiness for the ponies, but you could see under it.
>The crushing realization that his entire life was taken from him.
>What was he feeling under the masquerade?
>Was he feeling depressed?
>Lonely?
>Angry, even?
>This curiosity ate away at you for days.
>How would his alien mind handle grief compared to ponies?
>The best thing to do was give him his space before spelunking through his mind.
>Besides the possible trauma, it's also because he was a colt.
>You noticed that stallions tend be more prone to emotional pain.
>You've seen stallions with mental fortitude weaker than a filly's first snow fort.
>This is why you never got into the mess that are relationships.
>It has been a few weeks since Anon's appearance.
>Tonight, you made sure to give your best performance.
>Stepping out your balcony, your eyes are greeted with a nightscape sky with the familiar constellations of Equestria.
>Each one shines pridefully with unique personality, but never overpowering the other.
>The moon stood in center stage, holding a steadfast, noble stance in the night sky.
>Looking down upon Canterlot, buildings seemingly glowing a tinted blue under the stars, you realize you are the only one to bear witness to tonight's sky.
>Feeling disheartened, you quickly shift your attention back towards your original task.
>You inhale sharply.
>Entering the dreamscape was a combination of spell and meditation.
>The dreamscape was not a place separate from the rest of the world, but an extension of yourself; much like an attic to a house.
>The key was the spell and the motion through is the meditation.
>A cold numbness washes over you, irradiating from your horn and coiling around your body.
>Strange, but familiar sensations runs through your coat as you find yourself surrounded by an aurora of cool colors.
>The apathetic landscape's numbness seems to extend forever in all directions.
>Trotting on nothing, you seek out the path to the human, Anon's dreams.
>You walked in no direction, because there was no direction.
>You allow your hooves to carry themselves, guiding themselves towards your destination.
>The numbness of it all creates a interesting sensation, as though you've been walking for both mere seconds and days on end at the same time.
>Closing your eyes, you allow your mind to wander.
>What would you see in Anon's dreams?
>Attempting to form a hypothesis, you look back on common stallion nightmares.
>You recall one where a stallion would show up to work one day on a bad mane day, only to have everyone call him out on his repulsive ugliness.
>No, Anon would have alien beauty standards, or not have any beauty standards at all.
>Oh, how about another one where a stallion has his entire herd leave him?
>Hmm, you remember reading in one of Princess Twilight's "Weekly Anon Reports" where he mentioned his kind being monogamous because of the nature of their X and Y chromosomes causing a 1:1 gender ratio.
>That rations out the possibility of anything to do with herds and relationships.
>Was he even in a relationship?
>You need to catch up with the WAR reports.
>In hindsight, you probably should've been updated about Anon's current affairs before heading into this.
>You curse yourself for being rash because of your emotions.
>Reopening your eyes, you see a door before you, with a big green question mark was embossed on it.
>Its aesthetic causes you to stagger backwards in your step.
>Not even in the castle have you seen a design so intricate.
>Its shape is defined by a thick, black border.
>Etchings of vines, leaves and threads seem to split into more and more branching paths as your eyes follow them.
>Looking closer, you can see text engraved onto them.
>If you didn't know any better, you'd say they were continually shifting.
>You pull away your muzzle from the door and shake your head to clear the haziness in your mind.
>If the entrance was this baffling, you can only imagine what's on the inside.
>Even though you're aware that the chances you getting one of those coltish nightmares from Anon is low, you brace yourself for some classic stallion facehoof-worthy antics.
>You walk through the door and are greeted with the sight of an desolate city street.
>Trotting through the door, you look closer at the design of buildings on the side of the streets.
>There is something distinctively unique about its appearance.
>You trot over to it to inspect it.
>Gothic architecture, like you've seen before your banishment, characterized by intimidation and darkness.
>Only here, the houses seem to be stretched vertically to reach as tall the buildings in Manehattan; as if they were desperately trying to escape something from below.
>You shiver, seeing what used to be figures of power and beauty be so comically contorted into unrealistic proportions.
>Looking down at your hooves, you see that the road you are walking on is grey and dull, much like everything else in the horrid city.
>It's looks extremely worn; cracks, missing bricks and chips littering the entire street.
>As your eyes follow the path, you notice the metal fences besides the road.
>The posts end in tips that are sharper than the spears you seen the royal guards wield.
>One of the posts is bent at an angle and missing its top half, as if somepony had pulled it out.
>You struggle to find a reason as to why anypony would pursue that course of action that doesn't involve utilizing the sharp end of it.
>A wrenching feeling twists your gut.
>You haven't felt this feeling on this level, since a thousand years ago.
>Right after your defeat against your sister and right before your banishment to the moon.
>The Princess of the Night, afraid of a town street?
>Please!
>You are an alicorn!
>What's even here, besides a crazy feral mare using a fence post as a weapon?
>You spread your wings and quickly take to the skies, reassuring yourself that this was for Anon.
>As you soar above the fictional town, your unease grows as you make more and more observations.
>The ground below barely resembles that of a town and more of a labyrinth.
>Stairs, ladders and gates were scattered over the place.
>Even though you were up high enough to be in the realm of clouds, some of the protrusions from the buildings tower still tower over you.
>As high as you might go, there's always something taller than you.
>Everything was coated in a layer of grime, dirt and disease.
>It was something that unified the destroyed paths below with the sky-reaching buildings.
>You look at the Sun, or the pathetic excuse for one.
>Instead of radiating warmth, this Sun hangs lazily in the morning position, emitting a unpassionate, weak shine on the environment.
>Has the Sun itself abandoned this place too?
>You spot a bipedal creature, shrouded in a ragged black overcoat that reached his grey trousers. It had donned a dark top hat.
>It has its back towards you, facing at what seems to be the remains of a carriage that's been smashed to planks of wood.
>Oh thank Celestia, you found him quickly.
>You don't want to have to see an inch of this place ever again.
"Anonymous!"
>He doesn't respond, still facing the wreckage.
"Sir Anonymous. Please calm down and listen to me. Do not fear thy surroundings, for this is just a dream—"
>Once you get closer to the creature, it's made abundantly clear that this was not Anonymous.
>This first thing to notice was his pupils, or lack thereof.
>It stares back unrelenting with dead grey orbs, boring their way into your yours.
>It's darkened skin is crinkled and dry, sinking into its face.
>With his mouth agape, it lets out a weak wheezing sound.
>It raises a hand, and you see the contours of the bones in hands under the skin of the back of his band.
>Fingers ended in long, uncut nails with more chips that the path.
>Frozen in fear, you could only watch as it reached a hand towards your face.
>From your right, a blade comes down on the extended arm, cutting the forearm off the rest of its body.
>You watch as it drops to your hooves, its fingers slowly curling into its palm, as what little life that was left in it dissipates completely.
>The unknown assailant swings his weapon upwards, cutting deep into the monster's chest.
>Blood sprays from the deep gash, coating the blade and the ground in a dark crimson.
>Ignoring the blood he's covered in, the attacker begins to swing away wildly at the monster.
>You can make out subtle techniques in the frenzy of cuts.
>He twists his lower body with every hit and stretches his torso in the direction he swings his blade.
>As the assault continues, the cuts on the creature can longer be discerned from one another.
>The monster limps over on his back, joining its dismembered arm on the floor.
>Panting heavily, the blade wielder turns towards you.
>"Princess Luna?"
>It takes you a moment to recognize the familiar facial features behind the layer of blood and filth of the speaker.
>Staring back at you was the human Anonymous, dressed in a black hood, suit, white undershirt and trousers.
>In one hand he grips the weapon he used slay the creature.
>A long wood piece, bound to its end was a thick, sharp piece of metal that curves backwards into the wooden handle.
>"What are you doing here? Are you hurt?"
>You only stare back incredulously.
>This stallion had just unrelentingly and purposefully killed something right in front of you.
>He wasn't whining about the dangerous weapon in his hands, or the ruined clothes he was wearing.
>He was instead concerned about your well-being.
>A oddly tranquil set of eyes stare back at you, awaiting your response.
>You realize that you stayed in complete silence, ignoring his questions.
"Um, we..."
>He cuts you off and points the ground at your hooves.
>"Before you say anything, move somewhere else before your hooves are going to be standing in blood."
>You look down at your hooves and see that blood seeping from the detached arm was starting to form an expanding red puddle.
>Reactively jerking back, you pull away from the sight.
>Anonymous kicks the arm away, as if it was a hoofball.
>You watch as it rolls under the carriage wreckage, disappearing.
>A tiny trail of red is left behind in its path.
>"Right then, what were you going to say?"
>You gather your composure and clear your throat.
"We're fine Anonymous, but thou art the one who seems to be in worse condition," you point at the stains on his attire.
>He holds a hand up.
>"Thank you for your concern, but I'm actually feeling fine. I would like to know why you are here, Princess."
>There's your cue.
"Do not be fearful of thy surroundings and the monsters, Anonymous, for it is only a nightmare."
"These beings are constructs of the mind, and they cannot hurt thou," you say, reassuring yourself more than anyone.
"We are here to help thou in the efforts of besting what plagues thy mind, so that you may rest easy on this night."
>He mulls over in thought.
>"That explains the reasons why you and I are here, but that it still leaves one question remaining."
>Strange, usually the "it's a dream" explanation covers all everything.
"Since we are to aid thou in anyway possible, we'll try our best to answer your question."
>"Yeah, thank you. Apologies for my crudeness, your highness. It's just..."
>He holds out his arms out to gesture at the setting.
>"Aren't nightmares supposed to be scary?"
>...
"Excuse us?"
>He frowns at you.
>"I'm sorry, I'll rephrase. If we are talking about the same nightmares, they usually instill fear into me. A thrill of emotions as reality tears at the seams."
>He looks at the Sun hanging low in the sky.
>"To me, this seems more like reliving a memory."
>You blink.
"Art thou saying that thou hast been here before? In thy lifetime?"
>He shakes his head.
>"No, I had experienced it a different way. How should I put this?"
>He stares at the ground, lost in thought.
>"I had been here before acting as an extension of my mind and self, but not body. But that doesn't make what I've seen and learned false. It's best described as acting as an avatar that can directly effect the setting and narrative of a fictitious world."
>As you process this, it was now your turn to ask the questions.
"Fictitious? Are thou saying that this world had its origins in the sake of entertainment?"
>He nods back in response.
>"We need to make progress through this place. Stick by my side and I'll answer any questions along the way."
>He starts down a path, one barely distinguishable from the rest.
"If this world was indeed based off fiction, how is it that thou can envision it as vividly as this?"
>He raises an eyebrow.
>"What do you mean?"
"We've seen our subjects, and one subject in particular, frequently fantasize about the worlds in their books. But the scenes they paint have naught the level of detail and realism present here."
>He looks back at you, mind wandering.
>"Our kind had bested the trials of survival so well, we were left with excess time where we struggle to find activities to entertain ourselves."
>He gestures towards the dark scenery.
>"With that spare time, we took storytelling to its assumed next level. You did not need to imagine the sights and sounds anymore because they were already created. You participated in the story itself instead of looking on from outside."
>You begin to understand, but you're still lost on many things.
"Thou had said sights and sounds. What of the other senses? Hath there been stories that have incorporated smells, tastes or feeling?"
>He smiles a knowing smile back.
>"There's a saying about my particular generation back home. Born too late to explore the moon, born too early to explore the stars."
>You arch an eyebrow.
"Interesting choice of words."
>"Indeed. My generation was born after a period of rapid scientific discoveries and cultural developments. This has caused us to envision the future as a utopia, raised by knowledge and understanding. But that is all we can do: wish. We do not possess the necessary foundations and tools we require to really build it."
"We think we begin to understand. In our life, we've seen this trend before. We think we can start to understand the logic behind all this chaos."
>He directs his attention back to the road with a smile.
>As your eyes follow the road and onto the scenery, you're reminded of your situation.
>Being caught up with your conversation, you had postponed your original goal of visiting this dream.
>You had hoped comfort Anonymous in his hardships, but instead here you are, being lectured by him.
>Reminiscing, you struggle to remember the last time you had a meaningful conversation with a stallion who actually used words with meaning.
>Come to think of it, you hadn't talked to anypony in a long time.
>You abandon that train of thought before it can continue any further.
"Does thou wish for this dream to end? This does not look like anything anypony would enjoy."
>"No," he sternly puts.
>You frown.
"We cannot fathom why thou would choose to stay, even if for the sake of entertainment."
>He follows your gaze to the towering monochrome buildings.
>"I can see why. Perhaps it's out of a familiar fondness why I would choose to stay."
>He shifts his attention back to you.
>"But I'm not sure why you still choose to stay here. If you could stop this dream anytime you wanted, can't you just leave it or end it entirely?"
>You shake your head.
"Nay, we think it would be best for us be become familiarized with our subjects, even if he is an otherworlder."
>He flashes you a genuine smile.
>"Thank you. I'm appreciative of your efforts, Princess."
"Also, we naught ever seen a colt, or anypony for that matter, dream like this before. This is a unfounded phenomenon in the world of dream. Thou could say... thou piqued our curiosity."
>You were not lying there.
>"That is most flattering, coming from you, Princess."
>"May I ask what it is the males of your world usually dream of?"
>Your canter stutters from the forwardness of his question.
"We've noticed a trend of concern with society and how they fit into it. They would either dream of being with or losing their closest companions and partners. That, and also... certain fantasies."
>He nods.
>"Makes sense. I guess I could say the same for my race."
>You smile, any semblance of unity with Anonymous was welcome.
>"What would you say was the worst nightmare you've seen from a stallion? Was it anywhere as close to this?"
>You don't give an immediate answer, but instead begin to ruminate on your memories.
>Have you ever felt genuine fear, looking upon the nightmares of stallions?
>They imagine the fall of their treasured relationships. The destruction of their social standings. The loss of self.
>Whatever the mind can imagine about these things could never compare to really experiencing it.
"We..."
>Anonymous looks at you in anticipation.
>If you were to tell him what you truly think, would he understand you?
"We cannot say for sure. Although the worst we've seen is an individual losing his herd, job and becoming banished from his town. There was no reason to it, neither. Perhaps a manifestation of paranoia?"
>"Sounds scary."
>His flat-tone delivery made it sound more like an observation rather than an offering of sympathy.
"To where art we headed?"
>Anonymous takes a second to look around.
>"No where in general now. If we want to progress further in this world, then I'm going to need to get stronger."
>You raise an eyebrow.
"For what need?"
>He points towards a mist.