//------------------------------// // Your special skill is dreaming? Mine is murdering people! // Story: The Tirek Who Tolerated Me // by Kotatsu Neko //------------------------------// This was probably, Luna reflected as she entered the dream, a bad idea. But she had to try. Twilight's revelations had led her to several unpleasant conclusions that she now had to resolve, and the first step in doing so would be to speak to Spy directly while she had the chance. But on the bright side, at least they had finally answered the biggest lingering question about Cozy Glow's plan. Well, no. The second biggest question. Upon arriving in the dream, she immediately whirled around to check her flank, in case Spy had been waiting in ambush. He hadn't. Glaring around herself suspiciously, she moved on. The fire crackled merrily as she approached the rear of the chair. Now she could see a pair of thin red-clad arms emerging from either side of it, resting on the chair's edges. Another hint to the owner's species, though hardly conclusive. Next to the chair was a small table, upon which sat a broad-rimmed glass containing a liquid that was deep red in the firelight. Unfamiliar but not unpleasant music filled the air, though she couldn't determine its source. "Spy?" Luna began, and crept closer. "Is that you?" No response. She saw a small white cylinder of sorts held between two gloved fingers; smoke gently rose from one end, a bitter scent against the burning firewood. "I am not here to confront you," she continued, keeping her speech slow and calm. "I just wish to talk." Still nothing. That is absolutely not Spy in that chair, thought Luna, who had lived quite long enough to spot such an obvious ploy. It's only a decoy. I'm going to turn around and find him standing just behind me. She turned around. The room remained empty. And now I'm going to turn back around and then he'll... She turned back around. Nothing had changed. "And here we have the Princess of the Moon," a droll voice announced, "auditioning for her second career as a spinning top. You are late, Luna. I expected you hours ago." She cast her gaze into every corner. The voice might have seemed to come from the chair, but she felt a bit desperate to avoid another concussion. "I have other responsibilities that took priority. Where are you? Show yourself." "I am quite comfortable where I am, thank you." "I could just scythe this dream clean," she announced, getting annoyed. "Remove everything in it but you and I. But I choose not to do that, out of courtesy. The least you could do is show me some of the same, especially after our last meeting ended so poorly." She could all but hear the arched eyebrow. "Courtesy? You come uninvited into my mind, my dream - again - and you speak of courtesy?" "...a fair point," she admitted, wondering if he were somehow concealed inside the fireplace. "But while I may be uninvited, am I truly unexpected?" There was a pause, then a chuckle. "Touché." And the figure in the chair stood up, raising the white cylinder to its mouth, inhaling, then releasing a stream of smoke into the air. Spy looked down at the cylinder with regret. "...it's just not the same without the risk of actual lung cancer," he said mournfully. Her eyes widened. "So you are a human." Then her head tilted slightly. "Although... not quite the same as those I have seen before." The eyes were so small... "I'm sure a discussion of comparative biology would be fascinating," he said dryly, "but I assume that isn't what you're here for. Do get on with it; I have other matters to attend to." What other matters? "I will admit, considering last time, I started this night seeking..." "Revenge?" he suggested. "...redress. And to make sure that, whoever you were, you were not a threat to Equestria." He leaned closer, his smile malicious behind his mask. "And... am I?" She fell silent, watching him. "You have my name, so you've spoken to Tempest..." The smile quirked with suppressed laughter. "...Fizzlepop. Which also means, I'm sure, that she's told you my vocation. What will you do, Princess Luna, with a creature like me in your grasp? Knowing that, even should you return me from whence I came, any future victim of mine is a death you could have prevented? Will you trap me in Tartarus for eternity like Tirek, for crimes you cannot prove have even occurred?" It was a question that had occupied no small part of Luna's thoughts. "I suspect Tartarus wouldn't be enough," she noted, "given that you accomplished in a day - in a world new and unfamiliar to you, no less - something which took Tirek a thousand years." He chuckled. "But... no. You were brought here against your will, and you have harmed no Equestrian citizens since your arrival..." "...Tempest might disagree with you there..." "...so I have no right to imprison you further. Ideally, I would give you over to your world's authorities, but failing that I just want you gone." Then she met his gaze. "Although I have a feeling you would resist that plan... unless you could be sure of Cozy Glow's release as well." His smile slowly faded. "Fizzlepop showed me what happened earlier. Quite the noble and selfless sacrifice, for an assassin." It was his turn to fall silent. "Why do you care so much about a foal you just met?" "Because someone in this wretched world should," he said, with venom. "Can you truly tell me that placing her in Tartarus was the best thing you could do for her?" She looked away. "It was the only thing." "How glib," he sneered. "And I'm sure, given your track record, that your search for alternatives was meticulous. Well, you no longer have to worry about that. I will see to her well-being from now on." "Really? Because it sounded like she didn't want you anywhere near her." He glared at her. "She is a very confused little girl, and needs the care and treatment she is never going to get in the prison you put her in!" "That isn't your concern!" Spy pulled an object from the depths of his suit resembling an ornately engraved pipe attached to a grip meant for hands. "I am making it my concern!" He pointed the end of the pipe at Luna's forehead. She tilted her head slightly. "And that is?" He hesitated. "You don't know?" "No. Should I?" His posture relaxed slightly. "That settles it. You definitely don't know the humans from my world. But I promise you that what I just did was extremely menacing." She gave him a level stare. "You won't catch me out with violence this time, Spy. I'm ready for it now. And it's not necessary. I just want to talk." He shrugged philosophically and put the object away. "Princess Luna, I would be happy to discuss anything you want, but my time is short. We can continue this conversation after you have taken me for a visit to Cozy Glow." The alicorn was shocked. "A visit? To her dream? Absolutely not! You can speak with her in the morning " "We are dealing with a child who believes herself a villain, to a degree that she would rather be entombed in a joyless dungeon than be considered otherwise. Every moment we waste is a moment she wallows in that broken mindset. She says I do not understand, but I want to understand. I need to understand." Spy closed his eyes. "Please." Her gaze softened. "I think you actually mean that. But the answer is still no. Even if I could, I would not violate her dream for you, especially since she clearly doesn't want to see you right now." "Ah. But imprisoning her within Tartarus is an acceptable level of violation?" Luna didn't have a good response to that, so didn't bother trying to give one. "My duty to the sleeping ponies of Equestria cannot be broken." Frustrated, he groaned and threw his hands in the air. "More talk of duty! I've dealt with that enough for one night. Could I speak to someone amenable to threats or bribes for once?!" When there was no response, he let them fall. "Fine. So be it, then. Away with you." She blinked. "I beg your pardon?" "I said this discussion is over. Please be so kind as to see yourself out." His fingers made little flicking motions. "Shoo." "You're... giving up? Just like that?" "Hardly. But if you won't assist me, I'll just have to go to her myself." He stepped past her and ran his hand across the apparent wall, seeming to concentrate on something she couldn't see. "Yourself? You can't do that!" He ignored her, muttering under his breath. "It isn't possible! No dreamer can leave their own dream. The Dream Realm is within my control, and mine alone!" A recent memory surfaced. "...mostly mine alone. Not even Discord at his worst was ever able to breach it! And I happen to know that humans have no significant magical abilities. You can't possibly expect me to believe you can do this!" Writing began to appear where his fingers passed on the blank wall, glowing with a soft violet light. No, not exactly writing; were those calculations? She didn't recognize them. "Perhaps the humans you know are such weak creatures. In our world we've had our fair share of legendary wizards wielding unparalleled power. Merlin. Gandalf the Grey. David Copperfield." Luna shifted backwards, unsettled by the conviction in the utterance of these names of power. "And I myself have been trained in the ancient art of Duìmǎ Sāhuǎng meditation," he continued. "I have complete and utter command over my unconscious mental state. This 'Dream Realm' of your seems to be a bit tricky, I admit, but it shouldn't be much trouble to astrally project my mind and find Cozy Glow. Really, you're so late that I was about to leave anyway, but I wanted to ask for your assistance first out of..." He smiled thinly. "...courtesy." "...you're... you're lying," said Luna, suddenly gripped by doubt. "It's a bluff. It has to be!" His confidence seemed unshakeable. "If telling yourself that brings you comfort, then by all means continue. But do it somewhere else, if you don't mind. Run along, little Princess." He turned back toward the inscription on the wall. More calculations appeared, along with a cluster of concentric circles. He stood back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he regarded it. "No... that should be counterspin..." Some of the math changed slightly. Every fiber of Luna's being assured her that Spy couldn't do what he claimed, that the laws of the Dream Realm were absolute, that the 'spell' he was writing was just a visual component of the dream and meant absolutely nothing, that this was just part of the trap she knew he had laid for her before she even approached and that she should just leave him to his foolishness. ...almost every fiber... Because there was a gnawing kernel of uncertainty that she couldn't quite banish. What happened if she was wrong? What kind of havoc could he wreak in the Dream Realm? She was no Star Swirl or Twilight Sparkle; the minutiae of interdimensional magic was beyond her. As far as she knew, Spy could be telling the truth and this sort of thing was commonplace in his world. And... at least his intentions seemed pure. Perhaps... perhaps she could accede to his wishes, at least partially. She couldn't take him to Cozy Glow's dream, literally couldn't, but she could act as a mediator, or establish a line of communication somehow; that was probably within her power. And she did feel that she owed him some consideration, given the situation. She sighed, hoping she wasn't about to regret her decision. "All right, Spy, I'm willing to make a compromise-" "Oh, are you still here?" he asked, pressing his hand flat against the completed diagram, which flashed with power. "Be so kind as to turn the lights off as you leave, would you?" With that, he walked toward the wall... ...and vanished. Luna wasted precious seconds gaping at empty air before coming to her senses. Oh, NO... Quickly she charged toward the inscription, unfurled her wings, leapt... ...felt the sudden grip around her neck, realized too late that she'd been deceived... ...and then she was soaring over the field of dreams, but awkwardly, as she rarely carried a passenger on her back. "How dare you?!" she snarled. "Using such a cheap trick...!" "Oh, I think you'll find all of my tricks are of the highest quality, very expensive," Spy crowed, an invisible presence behind her head. "Now, which one is Cozy Glow's dream, please?" "It doesn't matter, because I'm taking you straight back to your own dream!" She started to bank. "In that case I'll find my own way. Au revoir." The weight left her back, and she spun around in the air, trying in vain to spot him before- There! He faded into view as he dropped, and her horn lit up, reaching out to take hold... Too late. He struck a dream feet first and vanished into it with a flash of light. Moments later a scream of surprise and fear erupted from within. No, no, NO! It was her own worst fears made manifest. It was the Tantabus all over again, but this time with willful malice instead of unthinking directive. Worse, it was a sentient being invading the most private and personal thing a pony could do. She could not let this continue! Luna dove toward the dream, but already there was another flash of light to her left and another scream, this one accompanied by a sinister chuckle she remembered all too well from the previous night. She hesitated, then continued her dive and entered the first dream; she had to know what Spy was doing. The dream appeared to be of the ever-popular 'All The Delicious Foods I Can Eat' variety, or at least it had been before Spy showed up. Now cakes and ice cream were scattered everywhere, and the dreamer herself - unharmed but badly shaken - looked up as Luna arrived. "P-Princess Luna! What was-?" "Do not worry, my pony!" she said quickly, verging on Royal Voice. "There is nothing to be concerned about! Everything is under control!" With a moment's concentration, she restored the dream to its original state, then leapt out before any questions could be asked. More screams greeted her as she returned to the Dream Realm, and Luna went from dream to dream, following Spy's erratic search path. They were a typical random selection of dreams, mostly basic wish-fulfilment or memories of loved ones, but a few were... of the type Luna generally avoided, due to not being her business. There were too many for her to right on her own; she would just have to hope Spy's interference didn't have lasting effects on the dreamers, and to be there for them if they did. And he was apparently using that invisibility trick to dart between dreams, so she had no way to predict where he would strike next. After a few minutes of this, as she was panting for breath from flying around the Realm, she heard him call from somewhere among the dreams. "What say you, Princess? Shall we end this game? Just show me to Cozy Glow, and I'll stop entertaining myself." "N... never!" "As you wish. Perhaps it's time to make my efforts a bit more... personal." Immediately she glanced toward the dream she always checked on before she began her nightly rounds. But... no, there was no reason to worry on that account. Her sister might lack her full powers in the Dream Realm, but she was more than canny and experienced enough to deal with Spy if he was foolish enough to cross her. Of course... Luna had thought the same about herself... A flash some distance away, too far to exactly determine the source. Followed by... not a scream, but a surprised exclamation. "What in tarnation?!" "Why, howdy, pardner!" Luna's blood ran cold and she took to the air once more, desperately seeking the dream among hundreds. She kept an ear focused on what was turning into a conversation. "Let us see here. Orange hide, yellow mane, cowboy hat, outrageous accent... that would make you Apple...something, yes?" "Uh, Applejack, yessir. Do you... know me from somewhere, mister?" "We have a mutual acquaintance, yes. She's told me all about you and your friends." Cozy Glow. Of course she would have spoken to Spy about the faculty of Twilight's school, though it was a bit surprising that he'd bothered to remember that much. "Well, shoot. You ain't hardly the weirdest thing I've seen in a dream, so welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. Always glad for company durin' harvest season, if you're of a mind, and those doohickeys on your forelegs seem good for holdin' a bushel." "Oh, I won't be staying long. I'm just here to... take care of something." There! The unmistakable display of green with hanging red fruit. Luna dived into the dream and soon arrived at... ...the gates of Sweet Apple Acres. Which always seemed twice as large and bountiful in Applejack's mind than in reality. Luna took to the air again, seeking a trace of the human and pony. When she heard them again, the farmer seemed distinctly concerned. "H-Hey, now, fella. What're you doin' with that knife?" Luna redoubled her speed. "...no, please! Don't do it! Don't..." The scream of anguish cut through the air, and Luna immediately angled toward it. No... he couldn't have... When she finally found Applejack, the farmer was mercifully unharmed, but was crying uncontrollably and clinging to the fallen form of... ...an apple tree. With a knife in its trunk. "He had so much to live for," she sobbed. Luna consoled Applejack as best she was able in the short time she could spare, then hurried back out to the Dream Realm. As soon as she emerged, she heard a faint chime, as if from the opening of a shop door. ...oh, no... "Welcome, darling, welcome! Please, feel free to look around, although..." Rarity's voice became uncertain. "...I'm not sure anything will fit..." Luna began to search for dreams showing scenes of clothes making, or dress racks, or any sign of colored fabrics... "...but not to worry! Custom jobs are no problem! I always try to, aheh, tailor my services to the needs of the buyer. And might I add, though the form it's on is unfamiliar, your own suit is very well-" "Is this the best you've got?" It occurred to Luna that she had been foolish to worry about anypony's physical well-being. Such attacks were close to useless in the Dream Realm. And Spy didn't need them, not when he had so many other ways to inflict damage... "B... beg pardon?" "I've seen better stitching in a frontline field hospital!" "What?!" "And what is this? A gingham saddle? With tassels?!" "It... it's a special order!" "And this appears to be some kind of ornamental haystack with tubes! Is it supposed to be avant-garde? More like avant-garderobe! Hon hon hon!" "Get out! Get out!" "You have the design aesthetic of a color-blind hamster and your fashion sense is at least three seasons out of date!" "Out, you monster!" ...on the other hoof, entering that particular dream right at this moment might definitely lead to bodily harm, no matter how well-intentioned the visitor. Best to check on it a little later. Luna knew she'd seen a flash of light coming from this cluster of dreams, but which one... "...she's sleeping. How can she be sleeping in a dream?" ...ah. That one. Well, at least there was little he could do when- "Wake up, Rainbow Dash! You have a Wonderbolts performance in ten minutes and you haven't practiced!" The resulting scream was distinctly panicked rather than fearful, and was accompanied by frenetic flapping. As soon as Luna pinpointed the right dream, there was a loud thud as a cyan pegasus slammed against the side of it from the inside. She slid down and out of sight, her face causing a humorous squeaking noise as it pressed against surface of the dream. Then there was snoring again. Luna moved on. It had taken a bit of time to console Starlight Glimmer ("I murdered your kites as well!") and Luna was feeling distinctly winded from chasing after Spy, but he had to be close. She was sure of it. "Aww. What an adorable little bunny!" A light giggle. "Oh, thank you! He is, isn't he?" No, please, not her...! "He seems strong and fit! He would make a fine lapin a la cocotte." "Oh, that sounds fancy! What does it mean? Would he be a special kind of waiter? Wearing an adorable tuxedo?" Luna, who had a much stronger grasp of Prench, picked up speed as she searched. Malicious humor dripped from every word. "Rabbit stew." The dreamer gasped in horror. "No!" Where are you, where are you...? "And this is canard à l'orange..." "Stop it!" "And we'll call this one poulet au vinaigre..." "Stay away from that chicken!" "And, ooo, an entire pond of cuisses de grenouille!" "Not the froggies!" Luna finally located the dream, and after pausing briefly to catch her breath, raised a hoof to enter. "You. Are so. Mean!" "Oh, and what are you going to do about it? Sic your little bunny on me?" Luna lowered her hoof and simply waited. Ten busy seconds later, Spy emerged battered and screaming from the ball of light, and kept running straight forward until he fell into a different dream. Luna's eyes widened. "No! Not that one!" She leapt into it after him. The dream was filled with beautiful music, accompanied by a clear and melodic voice singing a song that could best be summarized as "La." Luna crept along the underbrush, trying desperately to stay out of sight. She hated to interrupt anypony's dream unnecessarily, but this one in particular deserved special treatment. She just hoped Spy hadn't used his invisibility trick... No, there he was. He stood transfixed at the edge of the forest clearing, not entirely concealed but seeming too terrified to move in case the action attracted the dreamer's attention. For if she realized he was watching, his life would almost certainly be forfeit. "Spy!" Luna hissed. "This way!" He glanced at her, but didn't - or couldn't - move. The La-ing was reaching a crescendo, and Luna knew the danger would be multiplied once actual lyrics were involved. She waited for the clearing's occupant to become particularly enthralled with her performance, then grabbed Spy with her magic and swiftly pulled him to her side. The dreamer looked up sharply as shrubbery rustled, but saw nothing and soon returned to her song. Luna jerked her head away from the clearing, and he numbly (but silently) followed her into the woods as the Las came to an end and, wearing an amazingly ornate gossamer dress, surrounded by enough cuddly forest creatures to make Fluttershy look like an animal hater, Tempest Shadow began to sing. "Hate is very very bad! We should love instead! Open your heart to the yummy light and lift your weary head!" Spy held a hand over his mouth to stop the laughter. Laughter meant death. "I like furry furry friends! Bunnies stacked in piles! Look to the dream inside and we'll have happy happy smiles!" Luna was centuries old and considered everypony's dream to be personal and inviolate and cherished and her ribs were definitely not shaking as she led Spy away. "We should love! We should love! Sing your heart to the stars far above! Come with me, and you'll see! You're the one I'm dreaming of!" They only just made it. They actually didn't spend too much time laughing; the conflict between terror and absurdity had driven most of it, and once the danger was past, the urge began to fade. They sat next to each other outside Tempest's dream, catching their breath. It felt like a brief unspoken truce between them. Finally Spy lifted a finger, paused to collect his thoughts, then pointed it at the dream. "What was that?" "She asked me to give her a relaxing dream before I left," Luna said wearily, "and she likes to sing." "Yes, but..." "Fizzlepop had a very difficult childhood. She missed out on so many things growing up. If she wants to wear a pretty dress and sing to forest creatures, that's not for you or I to judge. She can be young again, if only in her dreams." He snorted. "I hope you plan to extend the same courtesy to Cozy Glow, if she is ever released." Luna sighed. "I know you think I am blind to her situation. Let me assure you, Spy: I am not. But it's more complicated than you assume. Let's just go back to your dream and we can discuss matters like civilized creatures and stop all this running about and settle this fairly and with mutual respect and you're gone. Of course you're gone." There was no excuse, she told herself later. No matter how tired she'd become from pursuing Spy all night, no matter how frazzled her wits had become, no matter how much her horn still ached. When she heard Spy say "Ah, there it is," she absolutely should not have lifted her head and looked directly at the dream she'd scouted shortly after leaving Tempest's the first time, just to make sure he had not, in fact, found it. Because her reward for doing so was to hear Spy right next to her saying "So it's that one, then?" She whirled her head and bit, but he had already slipped away invisibly. Luna let out a deep growl of frustration, but self-recrimination would have to wait. So. He knew where it was. But she could get there first. She took to the air and soared to hover above Cozy Glow's dream, then lit up her horn and surrounded the dream with a magic shield. Barriers weren't her forte and her headache was already starting to intensify, but she could bear it. She had to. Luna landed on top of the shield and glared around, daring Spy to show himself. "It's only a few hours until dawn, Spy," she announced loudly. "I can keep this up until then, and you can't stay asleep forever. It's over. Whatever you want to talk to Cozy Glow about, you'll have to do it in the waking world!" There was no response. Had he given up? No, certainly not. Well, he could stand out there and watch her silently for the rest of the night; he was not getting through to- From nearby, but muffled: "Wha... what are you? I've never had anything like you in my dreams!" Cozy Glow?! She looked down at the dream under her feet. No... he couldn't have...! "It's me, Cozy Glow. It's Spy. I've come to talk to you." "Spy?! No! Go away! I don't want to see you!" "I know, but please. Just hear me out..." There was no way he could have gotten into the dream before she'd put the barrier up! It had to be yet another trick... "No! No! I want you out of here right now! Princess Luna! Anyone! HELP!" Luna couldn't stop herself. Her dedication to her dreamers was far too ingrained. She leapt to the ground, disabled the shield, then entered the dream. She found herself at the doors of a giant marble palace, far grander than anything in Canterlot or Ponyville. Gold was inlaid into the walls and floors, so that everywhere it did not gleam, it shone. Flags flew from every rampart, each displaying the rook that was Cozy Glow's cutie mark. It was not Luna's first time seeing this particular dream, and it seemed to become more ostentatious with each manifestation. She raised her voice, imbuing it to carry to the dreamer. "Cozy Glow, I am here! Open the doors so I can come help!" There was a pause, then: "...Princess Luna? What do you want?" A roughness to the voice suggested much of her dreaming time had been spent crying. "I'm sorry, Cozy Glow. I know you didn't want to see Spy and I tried everything I could to keep him away, but he-" "Spy?! Spy's here? Where?" It was at this point that Luna felt very foolish. "...another trick..." she muttered. The filly's voice became decidedly bitter. "Oh. Oh, I get it. You've been talking to Tempest. You think you can calm me down on Spy's behalf. Well, you can tell him that if he wants to talk to me, he can come do it himself!" "Cozy Glow..." "And that's final!" "You see?" said a voice behind her. "I'm invited." "Spy..." she growled, her horn lighting up. Suddenly he was inches from her face, his tone sharp and quick. "Yes, Princess Luna. You can absolutely pick me up and drag me back to my dream at any time. I know that. But... if you truly care about that little girl... then this might be our one and only chance to get through to her and find the root of her issues." He paused. "Tempest said she needed a true friend. Has there been anyone who has gotten as close to that ideal as I have? Someone resistant to her manipulations, someone without bias due to what she's done, someone genuinely having her best interests at heart?" "I...!" She struggled for words, then hung her head. "...no." "Well, then." He gestured at the door. "Shall we?" She glared at him helplessly, then looked up at the castle. "I've brought Spy with me! Please, Cozy Glow, let us in!" For long moments, the only response was a muttered "...yeah, right." But then there was a cheerful fanfare, and the huge doors swung open of their own accord. Human and alicorn walked forward into the Palace of the Empress.