//------------------------------// // Good Conjuration; Bad Conjuration // Story: Ofolrodi // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// "Mrmmmff..." Rainbow Dash trilled, her muzzle curled up against warm fabric. "Mrmmmmfff..." She trilled again, trying to find her place against the tender warm softness. A hoof reached down... caressing her long prismatic mane. Rainbow Dash's lips parted. She let loose a foalish squeak, frightened and needy all at once. "There there, child..." The hoof continued to stroke her gently... taking time to play with her ears. Lovingly. Titillatingly. "You are safe," the voice spoke, stale yet familiar. "Just rest easy. You deserve it." "Hrmmmm... guh..." Rainbow's eyes fluttered open. She blinked at the world around her. She saw warm colors. Glittering greens. Soothing blues. A blindingly bright gold lingering above, all-encompassing. "... ... ...?" Rainbow felt something brushing against her nose. She looked to see the folds of a blanket. But—beyond that—were the unimistakable threads of a hammock. She was swaying. Drifting. Melting beneath a luscious warmth that bathed her like a sauna. "What...?" Before she could sit up... ...the warm hoof caressed her again, this time brushing under her chin. She felt velvety-soft fur tickling her nostrils. Looking up, Rainbow found the owner of that fetlock. Her face immediately contorted into confusion. Applejack smiled back at her. Her eyes were the greenest Rainbow had ever seen, and her freckles were pale pools that one could practically dive into. "Isn't this wonderful?" Applejack spoke. It was her voice, but the drawl was gone. "Here, we can be together. Nothing can hurt us." Rainbow cocked her head to the side, slowly recoiling from the sight of the mare. "AJ...?" Before she could produce another word, a second set of hooves reached in, massaging Rainbow's withers. She flinched—making the hammock sway. Rainbow threw a look over her shoulder, and the sight she saw made her blood turn cold. "Don't be afraid," Gold Petals said, her eyes twinkling like the surface of a blue pond. The warm winds made her platinum bangs dance deliciously. "We are here for you. You can trust us." Rainbow fidgeted on the hammock. Her petite figure swung limply as she struggled to make sense out of— "Please..." Another voice droned, and Rainbow's heart skipped a beat. Reluctantly, Rainbow looked behind her yet again. Her gaze followed a forest of crimson dreads dangling from a rigid frame. Two ice-blue eyes peered at her from across a verdant hilltop. Somehow, there wasn't a single scar or blemish on her body, and even the metal plugs were gone. In a manner of speaking, she was just as Rainbow Dash always remembered her in spirit. "...talk to us," Roarke said. "You must be so terribly lonely." "It's okay, though," Gold Petals added, drawing nearer. Applejack hugged her from behind. "You're not alone here." Rainbow Dash breathed and breathed and breathed. She closed her eyes, allowing the immaculate sight of Roarke to dissolve against the darkness of her mind. But still—despite her attempts—she could somehow still see the green hills, blue sky, and golden sun. This was what finally calmed her, and she spoke with a dry tone: "You couldn't get me through fear or intimidation..." Her eyes reopened, strong and piercing. "This isn't going to work either." The three mares fumbled for words. "Drop the disguise," Rainbow Dash commanded. "You're not fooling me. I know what I have left behind." All was still. Eventually... ...Applejack, Gold Petals, and Roarke all trotted out into the center of a hill. One by one they dissolved, and Rainbow would have been lying if she said that the last one's disappearance didn't leave her feeling decidedly empty. Nevertheless, she steeled herself, watching as a singular feminine figure appeared in the three illusions' place. "You have a stronger mind than we expected, W'ynlppa yln H'luun." Rainbow stepped off the hammock as it dissolved behind her. "You're not the first to poke around inside." "Yes. The Spindlers." The feminine figure rippled like candlelight in the wind. "We smell their vile venom all over." "Or maybe I'm just awesome..." Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Did you ever think of that?" "You have the Blessing of Nightmare Moon..." A pair of eyes solidified at the top of the figure's frame. Rainbow could see the faint outlines of other ponies standing beside her, all peering in the same direction. "The Blood of Luna is upon you. Why? Why did the Mother of Nightmares bestow such a gift to a Penumbral stranger?" "No... uh uh..." Rainbow shook her head. "...you don't get to ask questions." "Answer us. Now." "Not until you've earned it." Rainbow paced across the springry grass of the never ending hills. "Now... answer me some questions first. Beginning with..." She waved a hoof at the crystal blue sky. "...what the heck's the deal with this place? Is this what you guys think Equestria is like?" She looked all around, squinting at the blinding sunlight above. "Did you actually think this sort of a thing would fool me?" The figure fidgeted suddenly. A noticeable tremor rippled through the bodies behind it. Rainbow noticed. She arched an eyebrow. "You really don't know, do you? How sucky must that be? To be so far removed from Paradise that you can't recall what home is like." "We know where we belong," the figure spoke. "Our souls are destined to the Nocturnal Plains... where we will bask in the glory of the Dreambringer forever." "Pfffft—'Nocturnal Plains?!'" Rainbow smiled crookedly. "Is that what you think they're called?! Yeesh... you've been on the Dark Side for a verrrrrry long time, haven't you?" "You will NOT insult the righteous plan of the Mother of Nightmares," the voice hissed, although it was still noticeably shaking from across the dreamscape. "As it is written in the Book of Saros: 'The Mother's blessing is our blessing.'" "This is my head." Rainbow shook her head. "So long as you're here—uninvited—I'm not in the mood for playing by your rules." The figures shifted awkwardly among each other. "You're all in the tree... aren't you?" Rainbow Dash said. "Where the Shard of Endrax is located?" The foremost figure flicked, looking at Rainbow sharply. "How would one such as you know about that?" "You wanna get answers?" Rainbow rasped. "You wanna talk it out? Round-table and crap?" She took a deep breath. "You call off Lexxic and his hunting goons... and then you come see me face to face. In the real world." The figures were stone silent. "Unless..." Rainbow's muzzle lingered open. "...you're not really the ones in charge..." "We are the Council of Dreamers," the figure said. "We speak for the Matriarchs in charge." "No no no... you're gonna have to do better than that." Rainbow nodded. "For instance, who are you?" "We are the Council of Dreamers. We speak for—" "No. I don't want to know who you hang out with." Rainbow's nostrils flared. "I wanna know about you. That's right. You've always been the one in charge of poking at my dreams these past few weeks. That tells me that you're the only one I can have a heart-to-heart with. So... who are you? What's your name?" All of the figures in the back were still now, but the one towards the front visibly squirmed. Rainbow held a hoof to her chest. "My name is Rainbow Dash... and I'm awesome." She held a hoof out. "And you are...?" The background figures rippled... then vanished. The one in the foreground made a motion like trotting, and the hint of velvety fur materialized into view. "Nat'rdoo," she announced, accompanied by a pair of silver eyes, peering. "Yln syppl'm thym w'lynlypp'rm." "Hey... it's my head," Rainbow's voice cracked. "Keep it in Rainbownese, please." "We... I am sorry..." Nat'rdo shuddered, scarecely visible at this point. Rainbow could make out leafy ears and an alarmingly shiny mane. "...it is difficult to translate this information into Penumbral comprehension..." Rainbow slowly nodded. "Well... Nater... Nader... Naddy..." Her eyes crossed, but she shook the moment loose and spat: "Well, sister, now we're getting somewhere. At least I know that you're capable of humility... or something close to it." "Will you now explain yourself?" Nat'rdo's silver eyes gleamed. The semblance of a hard frown formed beneath her gaze. "Why would a Penumbral soul blemished with the burns of the Daybreaker be sent here with the Mother's blessing?" Rainbow blinked. She pointed up at the blinding gold light. "You think that's what Equestria's all about? A beautiful landscape constantly under attack by... by..." Her eyes narrowed. "Did you just call Celestia 'Daybreaker?'" There was an ear-piecing hiss. Nat'rdo's figure billowed—and the figures behind her briefly reappeared, likewise hissing. "We will not have that vile traitor's true name be spoken! Not here or in any other dreamscape!" "History's a lot different than you think, Nascar." "Will you or will you not answer us?" "Like I said..." Rainbow stared the half-formed figure down. "The made-up world isn't going to cut it. I need to know that my friends and I will be safe... and then we can work out a conference." Rainbow paced as she spoke. "I've seen Lexxic's hoofwork. Yes—thanks to the Spindlers—I know what he's capable of. But Lexxic is going to be a problem for you getting any answers out of me... so long as he's gunning down anything that isn't Dihmer on the Dark Side." "The Matriarch's finest nightblood warrior is instrumental in achieving victory in the War. We cannot and will not rein him in for the sake of appeasing one Penumbral—" "Then I guess Luna's one and only gift to appear on the Dark Side in forever will die with me!" Rainbow barked. Nat'rdo was silent. Rainbow squinted at her. "You want a taste for yourself? Give me something to go on. What assurance do I have that Lexxic won't hunt me and my friends down?" Before Nat'rdo could respond, a loud crack of thunder rolled through the emerald landscape. The earth split up, and the heavens divided. Thick blackness poured in, onyx and consuming. Rainbow looked around. "What... what's going on...?" "The Dreamscape..." Nat'rdo exclaimed, dissolving one fuzzy layer at a time. "It is being interrupted." "Is... is it on your end or—?" "Negative..."" Nat'rdo's figure receded, along with her voice. "You... out in the wilderness... a disturbance... f'lymmsnyl... w'lynshym sym thy'nyll s'abalysnyll!" Rainbow braced herself as the darkness spread all around, consuming the earth beneath her. Like an anvil, she dropped—