>You are Anon, a human warrior
>And you are dreaming again
>A blood dream
>Red skies, red earth, red fire
>Your arm is just a stump, charred into nothing
>Beneath you runs a blackened plain, veined with scarlet
>In the distance stands a man with shaggy hair, his back to you
>Over his shoulders is draped a dark cloak, and stuck blade first in the ground is your father’s zweihander
>At his feet lie shapeless lumps, their limbs askew
>Their wings like bloody, senseless art on the ground
>The man turns, and his sallow face repulses you
>The black, dead eyes of Cutter
>Watching you
>You hear a voice in your mind
>A female voice, strong and clear
>“Why did you run?”
>You remember that day, when you’d stabbed Father and fled into the foothills
>You had hid and starved in caves, living off ashen water, until a wandering medic’s wagon took you in
>You were only a child
>That answer is weak, you think.  So you say nothing
>But she knows your thoughts.
>“They were children, too.”  Her words are ice cold.  “My children.”
>Cutter’s cloak melts off his back
>A thousand wings bleed into the red earth
>He is just a shadow
>Watching
>A curved knife in his pale hand
>Suddenly between your shoulder blades you feel an insistent pulse
>It quickly grows warm, then searing hot
>You hiss in pain, feeling it burn into your back, feeling the hot blood drip down your skin, making you double over
>You fall to your knees, squeezing your eyes shut from the agony, knowing that you deserve it
>That you were a coward
>That you are a coward, wandering from place to place, doing nothing, feeling nothing
>That you deserve to die, because you killed him not because of what he did, but because you were afraid
>She spits out a word
>“Enough.”
>The pain slowly fades
>You open your eyes again, and you find yourself in a new world
>Blue-black water envelops you
>Instantly you feel its chill upon your face, your skin
>You choke, briefly, before you realize you have no need to breathe
>You look all around, and see only shadow
>It is blackest in the depths below
>You sense something watching you from the deep
>“You should not wish for death,” she says.  “Because I am waiting for you there.”
>You try to move, but you find yourself paralyzed, unable to look away
>Something massive shifts below you, disturbing the water, pulling you slowly into darkness
>You realize that this is the end
>You’re about to die
>You will never see the sun again, or Moss Moon, or the spring
>There will be only blackness, and cold, and oblivion
>Nothingness
>You tremble, closing your eyes tight, trying to cling to what you can
>Remembering her color, the sound of her voice, her face
>The scars on her body
>Her pain
>How many times has she made that journey, all alone?
>With no one caring whether she lived or died, or made it back at all?
>No one should have to live like that
>No one should have to be alone
>You can’t die here
>You can’t just leave her all alone.
>Water twists around you as you thrash in place, struggling against the invisible bonds that hold you
“Let me go!” you try to shout, but it comes out only as bubbles
>As you speak, you feel the icy water surge into your mouth and down your throat
>Filling your lungs
>Choking you
>You gurgle, struggling, as you drown
>You are being pulled down, down, into darkness
>All the blue is gone, leaving only black
>You can see nothing, nothing but the immeasurable shape of whatever creature is tormenting you
>“You once killed my children, but now you help them,” she hisses.  “Do not think this redeems you in my eyes.”
>More bubbles spill from your mouth in answer
>Everything is going hazy and dark
>Death is coming
>Death and nothingness, for all eternity
>“But I will allow you to live.”
>The choking abruptly stops
>Once again you no longer need to breathe
>You gag, feeling the gorge in your throat
>”If you will be their shield, then you will become my sword,” she continues, ignoring your discomfort.  “I will give you the power of the dreaming.  You will not know the dreams of my children, but you will know those of their enemies.”
>Her voice darkens.  “And you will kill those enemies, until they have been stricken from the earth, and my children are safe again.”
>As her words fade, you feel a sudden throb in your skull, a deep vibration, as if a great bell is reverberating in your brain
>You clap your hands to your temples, trying to stop it, to still the bone, but it does nothing
>You scream in agony as your skeleton rattles, your teeth chattering involuntarily, the deep, horrible pounding in your mind growing more and more intense, until it feels like your head is about to explode
>And then nothing
>Only silence, darkness, and the chill of the water
>“Make this life count, nameless creature,” she says.  “The next time we meet, I will make my final judgment.”
>“Now go.  My child needs you.”
>A vortex forms slowly around you, now drawing you up, toward the surface
>You hear the voice from the deep call after you as you ascend
>“She has grown attached to you, Anonymous,” she says.  “See to it that she does not get hurt.”
>A final, dark whisper:  “I will be watching.”
>You tear your eyes away from the depths, from that great shadow, and look up, toward the blue light
>It’s so warm, so bright
>You rise toward it, suddenly feeling your heart in your chest, the blood flowing into your limbs
>Warmth fills you, tingling all throughout your body
>Warmth, relief, and elation
>Moss Moon….
>You close your eyes, just as you feel the crown of your head breach the surface –


>Golden sky greets you when you open your eyes
>All is quiet, peaceful
>Gulls wing in lazy circles, letting out their keening calls
>You realize that you are resting in warm water
>You flex your toes, your hands, and find that all your limbs are intact, somehow
>Even the wounds on your shoulder and leg are gone
>Gingerly you sit up
>The view takes your breath away
>Unfolding before you is a vast circle of still black water
>It reminds you, unsettlingly, of your dream
>Rising up around pool are the rocky peaks of a mountain, towering high above you
>Dotting the mountainside are the faded, pearlescent ruins of ancient buildings
>Balconies, walls, structures built into the very stone
>At one point they must’ve been sprawling and grand, but now they are covered in flora
>Bright flowers sprout between balustrades and vines hang down in great green ropes
>You hear splashing nearby, and turn to look
>Your heart stirs
>Bathed in the afternoon light, a broad smile on her face, is Moss Moon
>Her wet coat and mane gleams as she swims toward you
>A fish hangs from her mouth, impaled by her fangs
>Her words are muffled as she leaps at you, throwing her forelimbs around your neck, hugging you tightly
>She’s shaking a little as you hug her back
>When she pulls away, her eyes are bright and wet
>She spits the fish onto the shore.  “Bleh!”
>“Thank the Goddess, you’re alive!” she says.  “I – I thought I’d lost you.”
“I thought I’d lost you, too.  What happened?”
>You notice her looking down at your arm
>“You uh, were hurt really bad fighting that crawler.  But you killed it.”  She pauses.  “After that you were… well, you were pretty much dead.”
“But…”
>“I was all out of supplies, so I carried you up here and let the Spring sort you out.  Looks like it worked, huh?”
“Moss Moon, you dragged me up a fucking mountain, just to save my life?”
>She looks suddenly embarrassed, blushing as she ducks her head.  “Well, yeah…”
>You hug her again, as tightly as she held you, and give her a quick kiss on the forehead
“Thank you.”
>She suddenly seems at a loss for words, mumbling into your chest
>Seems happy, though
>After a moment you release her and get up
>Water drips from your hair and clothes
>You take a good look out over the water
“So this is the Lunar Spring,” you say.  “I’m sorry.  You must’ve missed the full moon, having to deal with me.”
>She laughs and lifts a hoof to point.  Your eyes train toward what she’s indicating: a dozen ampoules of glowing liquid, resting on her cloak by the shore
>You let out a long breath
>The full moon was just three days away when she took you into Foal Mountain
>Somehow in that time span she’d gotten you both all the way here
>All by herself
“God damn,” you say.  “You really did it.  You’re just… incredible, Moss Moon.”
>You look down at her smiling, but see her looking away, almost uncomfortably
>Perhaps you’re laying it on a little thick?
>You decide to move on
“What is this place?”
>You relax as she quickly brightens
>“They’re ruins, as you can see.  I haven’t explored much of the complex, but the place is huge.  It must’ve been a city once, before something happened to it.”
>You feel your curiosity rising
“Want to check it out?”
>Your stomach rumbles
“After we eat some supper…”
>“I was hoping to leave in the morning, but we have some time to explore this evening, if you want.”  She grins as she noses the fish toward you.  “Go ahead and have this, I already ate.  These little guys are delicious.”
>The fish is wet and clammy in your hands
>Forlornly you realize that you’re going to have to eat it raw
>Moss Moon notices you staring at it
>”What’s the matter?” she asks.  “Just suck the blood out of it.”
“That’s… not how it works…”
>As you press your teeth together to show her your lack of fangs, she bursts out laughing
>“I’m just kidding with you, sheesh,” she says.  She flicks back a corner of her cloak to reveal a cache of berries.  “Here, try these.  They’re pretty good.”
>You can’t help but smile at her mischief
>With gratitude you sit down to eat, as she curls up beside you
>As she begins to tell you more about the ruins, you find your gaze wandering out over the dark water of the Lunar Spring
>Something about it is deeply unsettling
>You still feel a dull throbbing in the back of your skull
>The words from your dream still echo in your ears
>“I will be watching.”
>”You there, Anon?”
>Moss Moon snaps you from your reverie
>You see her looking up at you with concern
>You shake yourself
“Yeah.  I’m just thinking about a dream I had, while I was unconscious in the Spring.”
>She sits up, looking serious
>“What kind of dream?”
>You tell her everything you remember, about the vision of Cutter, the strong female voice, the dark water and the mammoth creature that resided there
>She nods along intently, and looks thoughtful when you’ve finished
>“That had to have been the Goddess,” she says.  “She must’ve spoken to you, and made you her knight.”
“But why?  Why me?”
>“I don’t know.”  She pauses.  “I know she watches over us, but I’ve never seen her grant a miracle.  Maybe you were just in the right place at the right time.”
>Both of you look out over the water
>The afternoon light is fading, and the near-full moon is rising in the twilight
>Its pale glow reflects in the spring, a streak of white on the dark surface
>“C’mon,” Moss Moon says, after a few moments.  “Let’s head up before it gets too dark.  There’s a big hall a little north from here that I wanted to look at.”
>You nod and stand, still looking at the Spring
>You wonder if it had something to do with what happened to the ponies who once lived here
>The memory of the Goddess’ anger is still fresh in your mind, and you shiver
>Perhaps the answer to that possibility is one you’re better off not knowing
>Moss Moon is waiting
>You turn and follow her up the path, heading for the ruins.