((2)
Pacing the floor of the cave, it was only the light reflecting from the dust riddled gold coins that finally got me to look up. Turning to the mouth of the high mountain cave, I winced, shading my eyes with my right hand, and watched as the blackened cloud cover was finished being rolled up like a sleeping bag before a line of pastel dots shot up then back down, the thick bundle of water vapor disappearing, like magic, before flying off, their duty apparently done. Turning back to the coins, stepping closer, I gingerly reached for one of the grubby things and, rubbing the deceptively weighty thing vigorously between two pinches of fabric from my coat, found the silver-dollar sized disks to be completely smooth, no markings of any kind. Using another un-dirtied section of my coat, I found that I could buff it enough to hold a reflection.
Sitting down upon the rough, and uneven floor, I dropped the cleaned coin in a pocket I'd managed to sew on the inside, intent on cleaning the rest, glad of the distraction it gave me from the information that had been whispering into my head ever since things had... quieted down from last night. Finishing the next coin, dropping it into the same pocket as the one before, my fingers lingered on what should have been a simple cloth, well, cotton I suppose, lining. It was so smooth, the word silk came to mind, but the tingle it made against my finger as I brushed it along side the pocket and then along the rest of my coat's insides, felt simply too soft for words.
'This isn't my coat.'
Feeling down the rest of my clothes, I found I was definitely no monger wearing the simple black slacks I'd found at a Goodwill Store three cities over. Not even my underwear had been untouched I found as I unbuttoned my cloak, as well as the fact the fact I was now missing a large chunk of my stomach. Gingerly pressing a hand into my, disturbingly fat free, belly, rather than the usual inch of give, my hand just stopped, pressing into a wall of coiled... something, that squirmed against my touch.
'What else is changed?' I thought, closing my mouth to the ugly echos of my mouth-breathing.
I should be hungry. I’d been up for hours, apparently, judging by the sun I'd thought should have been hours away thanks to the clouds. I should also be tired. I shouldn't have been busy with God Damn new thoughts popping, always popping in, demanding my attention with their news of fearful things all while the pile of black sand continued shushing through the air behind my shoulders, following behind me like some sick puppy, seemingly content to no longer molest me now that some modicum of belief in my existence had been met. But now, under the warm of the sun, I could almost feel my own thoughts coming back to me, not that they were very charming either. For one, I couldn't afford to blunder my way through this ... place, even if it did look more like a cartoon than true three-dimensional space.
Second, The Elements of Harmony. Were they a problem? Were they some form of mind control, robbing anyone who violated the law of the land of their free-will or did they purge evil? Or did they just give a chance at forgiveness, like with Discord? He could be kind, and even a bit just. There was too much that could be wrong, mistranslated, or just made up about this land from the twenty-two minute windows that I'd gotten from the minds of writers and animators on my side of existence.
Third, the mane six were still my best bet on help, either themselves or by the other people they knew who had information. But I couldn't nightmare them, I couldn't. They were important. And even if they weren't they still lived under the shadow of Canterlot, capitol city of Equestria. If I struck here, the military response would mean I'd be a threat. Something to destroy first and ask questions of later for having gone after their strongest weapon. I'd have to get more fear, more belief, farther away, let word of mouth spread to them. They'd still chase me, but maybe if I got enough power to ...
"Ahh," I shouted, nightmares pricking into my back, and... knew that they had felt my fear. Turning to the floating sandstorm, trying to breath like a normal person again, the trickle of vitality I'd gotten from last night began to drip back away. 'Lyra.' That she'd known about humans, let alone enough to dream about them, was nothing short of a miracle. But, how was she losing belie- Bonbon! She'd come in and hadn't seen me. I was going to be swept under the bed like some bad dream!
'I can't die,' I worried, swinging on my heels, thrusting a hand into the black sand still float behind me. Pitch Black had seemed to have some sort of psychic link to his nightmares, wordlessly forming them into any tool he saw fit, so maybe I could do the same. The cloud burbled, lowering itself to the ground before springing right back up, racing up my arm and biting into my flesh as it began crawling onto my chest.
“Don’t be nervous. It only riles them up more. They smell fear, you know.”
Taking a breath, watching, wide-eyed, as the blackness continued to grow, I said, “Please stop that, it hurts.” When it continued moving, scratching onto my right forearm, I watched as my covered hand smashed into the cave wall, scattering the sand. It was, odd. Something must have... snapped, I suppose was the way to say it. My chest felt hot, like some kind of twist between holding your breath and standing too close to a fire, but all on the inside. And even with the silent-ringing in my ears, I heard myself shouting “I said to stop you filth-AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” as I continued to beat at the sand, scrapping it off of me into a pile that quivered on the cave wall it had stuck to. It even started making its own fear, of me, 'The Boogeyman' it was calling me.
"No," I sighed, the empty sounds of the cave murmuring back into my ears, sliding over the waves of blood thumping in my ears. Looking down, the sand was gone, but I could still feel its fear, distinct, and, not growing smaller, but, shutting down, or placing itself back in containment. Like some ready-response had been fulfilled and it was simply waiting for the next task. Cold, robotic.
Taking a breath, hissing when I brushed knuckles that were apparently bloody now as they slipped into my pockets, I began walking to the mouth of the high cave overlooking Ponyville, bringing a hand to my eyes as the sparkling tree-like castle at its edge caught the light.
‘At least I’ve got some idea of what I might be facing.’
And with that pleasant thought settling in I took a step out over the ledge, a circle of sand rushing out, catching me before I could hit the bottom ledge three feet below. 'Whatever,' I thought, feeling suddenly too thin, and wanting desperately for a bed, but if I tried to sleep my troubles away, I probably wouldn't wake up again to face them. The sand, however, was quietly inching forward, making a pathway that crunched softly under my boots as I headed straight towards the wooden city, wondering if icing should be called something different at room temperature, or if I should feel more concerned about my imperiled life that I was trying to save.
***
“Look, how can you say it was just a bad dream when you’re the one who busted into my room last night? You saw I was awake,” Lyra said, punctuating her statement with a firm, but gentle, poke into Bon Bon’s side as they trotted down Hoover Street.
“I know, but that doesn’t mean you were completely awake," the cream mare chided, "Remember last cider season when you went out in the middle of the night and set up your tent to be one of the first in line, for the next year?”
“No, I don’t, but even if I did, there's still a big difference between doing something while half-asleep and and wide-eyed sca… THERE HE IS!!”
***
Sucking in the warm breeze, my stomach doing loops every time I looked down at the tiny buildings below, it would have been almost fascinating to watch as the dream sand compensated for my weight and balance as I walked across the sky had it not been for the disquieting way I saw it zig and dip the entire platform as it had. Still, it hadn't misbehaved since I'd left the cave, and already it was spiraling down, allowing the homes beneath to grow to their regular size. It all looked so different in the light of day, and with so many people walking around, but I was sure I could find her house and try and fix -
"THERE HE IS!" I heard.
Heart pumping, I looked down to see the entire street of ponies looking up at me, massive pupils shrinking, while the mint-green unicorn I'd been searching for was busy pointing at me. The sand-walk roiled, slowly whirling up my legs, cutting into me, as the ponies threw up their spike of fear, blooming into my head. They wanted to run, to scream. The clouds from the Everfree were finally coming after civilization! An invisible monster had come! it was hiding behind the roof-tops!
"No," I moaned, hands shaking. I couldn’t afford the attention of any of the Element bearers right now, and a town-wide panic just the thing to do that. "We've got to hide," I said, the sand immediately clamping onto my legs as they tossed me into the nearest wall. Closing my eyes I waited to smack into the brickwork, and I didn't have to wait long, gasping for air on the... steaming hardwood floor in a cooled sauna. No windows and the only door being in front of me rather than behind, I didn't wait for even the quiet little voice that guided my panic to respond before I was leaping up to the door in front of me to find a room full of pools and massage tables. Hearing the sound of a slamming door a few rooms over and ran in the opposite direction. Sure the problem felt fixed, but Ponyville wasn't safe anymore.
***
“Uuggghhh, where could he have gone?”
“Lyra,” Bon Bon said, pausing to take in enough breath to speak after chasing down the friend who’d decided to yell at the sky and do parkour through everypony's house in town, of which the dust was still settling from. “What the Tar Blasted Tartarus is wrong with you?!?”
Lyra turned to Bon Bon, her mouth in a small 'o' before turning to a frown, her eyes moving to slits,” I don’t have time for this Sweetie Drops, and I know I’m not crazy either,” she said, lifting a hoof to her friend’s mouth before she could say anything. “I’m going over to Twilight’s. If anypony knows about dangerous dreams turned real it’ll be someone who’s dealt with the likes of Nightmare Moon. You can just keep on treating me like the rest of the town and call me crazy,” she said, already leaving the silent mare behind, “since it’s obviously too much to expect my best friend to believe in me.”
***
Legs pulled to my chest, I still kept my gaze trained upon the long disappeared town of Ponyville. I didn't trust it not to give off some blast of magic skyward to arc down and freeze me into crystal the moment I turned my back to it. Sitting on the caboose's veranda, or whatever the proper term was called, the locomotive continued to chuff along, apparently heading for Saddle Arabia if the conductor's shout was to be trusted.
Even as the sun continued to arc across the sky, I never took my eyes away from the v-ing tracks that curved and molded over the changing landscape. Beautiful as it was, like some a world of Dr. Seuss but with the lumps pressed out of it and with a heavier dose of mythic fantasy woven in. Great mountain chains bore out like sleeping dragons. Forests ferned out next to surrounding lakes and ponds with oaks, firs, and any other variety of tree ringing out, only to be separated by great stretching fields of flowers that stole a bit from every shade and color of the world into their myriad of petals. Even the two train stations they'd refueled at were a sight. Noisome crowd filled places that they were, I certainly would have certainly had my head collide into a pegasus and a griffin on two occasions had I ever stood up from my clamped position had i tried to get a better look at the gleaming works of brass, iron, and glass that wove over the simple geometric patterns tiled into the floors. It was all so Classic, refined, ageless, but it all looked so new. Modern might just have been the more appropriate word, but it didn’t matter. The fact it reminded me in some capacity of home was enough for me, even if it did make the nasty little pit in my chest weigh just a little more. Not that it mattered. Night was going to come sooner rather than later, and that meant I'd have to get up and make sure more people would know about me, all so I could eventually get the help I wouldn't deserve.
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So, what're the rules for this guy?
I get that he needs to feed fear and belief just to be seen. How much power does he have to affect matter? Can he make himself visible to those who've yet to hear the Oogie Boogie song?
4554295
I'm going to gauss it's the same rules as the movie.
4554340
I've only seen part of it. Well, technically all of it, but I was trying to ignore someone yelling at me through most of it.
I do remember that the Sandman will punch your damn face in though.
So, refresher?
4554344 hmm let's see, the character in the movie adores fear, wants to cover the world in fear, causes nightmares, uses black sand to create items, and wants to destroy the guardians
4554361
I think she/he was talking about the characters powers and limitations, not the way the character acted.
4554429
Right. Such as.. Can he just walk up to someone and smack them, or can he only interact with those like Lyra who accept he exists?
4554510
Well, Discord is the manifestation of chaos, as long as chaos exists so does he. Same deal. The major difference is fear changes it's not a constant, chaos is easy to control(as odd as that sounds) and is easy for him to spread and it's not evil, it's just seen as such. Again same deal. But fear is much harder to spread if you care for others like he does, but it's not evil ether, just seen as such. Fear can keep you alive if you fear the right thing.
Does this answer your question?
4554524
Err.. I was thinking more 'could he walk up to bonnie, who was unable to see him, and somehow interact with her'.
4554534
If he's powerful enough, yes. Just compare him to Discord the spirit of chaos. he's to weak now but later...
4554553
Oh, so he just needs to hang around frightened sentient beings until he's strong enough to put on a show of his own? Groovy.
4554571
I hope the character realizes that fear isn't evil, I can think of LOTS of quotes that say just that.
And many more. I feel that if *forgets name* realized that, he may of become a guardian like the others.
You want a colon (":") instead of a comma before "one".
4554893
Thanks for the help, it is always appreciated.
4554571
Pretty much, the movie I am basing power levels/sets off of didn't have a hard set of rules on the ability to interact, so I'm basically feeling it out along with the protagonist.
4554588
Thanks for helping out Mad there, that was well spoken, and yeah, I'm definitely not going to let the positives of fear be swept under the bed.
4555193
May I make a suggestion? Go with two separate needs the Fear of something and the belief of his existence. Discords chaos is a constant so all he needs if belief(and he's well known), and fear is not a constant if vary low/weak in all the world as it only shows when needed in the individual. But the only way for the ponies to believe is to fear HIM, once he has their belief. Then he can show his true colors.
He hurts us because he loves us.
Thank you.
4555193
Groovy.
I look forward to seeing what you do with the positives of fear. Fear, anger and so on get a poor rep even though they have quite a few honest benefits.
Fear and anger have made both monsters and saints. Though if you start quoting Roosevelt I will bite you. Somehow, somewhen, I will bite you.
4555273
I don't blame you, he had some good ideas, but he did a lot of bad things. For one, he instigated NATIONAL parks. The U.S. constitution does not give the federal government the power to take away land like that. State Parks on the other hand are totally legal due to the fact that powers not given to the federal government are under the jurisdiction of the state.
4555258
Use fear for good? Pffft, that's crazy.
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He can always find some bad ponies or other not so nice beings in Equestria and have them fear him
It's Nightmare Time!! Mwahahaha!
4684798
Yeah, Nightman! Batman's new mini-me!
4556327
The States in question approved it and Congress granted him authority to do this. Also, the Constitution does contain rights for government to seize property so long as it will be for public use, they can prove it is necessary, and they pay a current market rate for it. I don't know if any of those were met, but points one and two are obviously present in creating National Parks. I don't know if it was paid for, though. It is also questionable as to whether or not it counted as private property, which is what the law I'm referring to involves. If it is considered State property, then is it still seizable is the real question.
On one hand it is bad that presidents and Congress sometimes do things that they don't have the Constitutional authority to do. It'd be nice if the Supreme Court had the power to enforce its rulings, but it doesn't. On the other hand, since Congress represents the States, then if they do that or allow the President to get away with it, doesn't it mean that the States are giving their permission? Since the Congressmen are elected by the people, doesn't that mean the people give their permission? In that case, does it really matter if it goes against the Constitution since the whole point of the United States method of government is that the people have the power?
Things to keep one up at night thinking about.
Story's awesome, if I haven't said that already.
6616653 He sounds constipated.