Light 'em Up

by Ssendam the Masked

Two meetings

Faust just glared at Teridax, before marching up to him. "How did you do it."

Teridax seemed supremely unconcerned. "What have I done, exactly? Enlighten me, I've done so much I've honestly forgotten most of my exploits."

In response, Faust's horn lit up, creating what looked like a mass of yarn. "How did you do this to your timeline. This is... way beyond the abilities of a Makuta. Way beyond that Mask of Time. Somehow, you've caused this particular problem. Normally, I'd just say that it was the Mask of Time being shattered that caused this problem, but then I dug a little deeper and found this." With a wave of her hoof, most of the mess went away, to reveal a mass of straight lines, converging on a massive tangle. "You managed to destroy practically every single most likely timeline and tied them to this point. In order to do this, you would have had to travel back in time, multiple times, and then keep doing relatively similar actions over and over and over again." The illusion went away, and she looked Teridax in the eye. "Now tell me how you did it."

Teridax seemed bored as she showed him the simplification of reality. A limb coalesced, still bound by the chain, and he idly examined his fingers. "So you're asking because you don't know how I did it, and you want to fix it. Not easy, but I'll give you an answer." Teridax pushed himself up. "I exploited quantum uncertainty to do that. Quite clever. You understand how it works in its most basic form, right?"

Faust nodded. "You destabilised your own timeline so that you could do that. Incredible. Unbelievable." She shook her head at that, and chuckled a little. "I honestly didn't think anybody could be so petty. You risked your own life - your own existence - so that you could get revenge. Just... amazing." She just looked at Teridax and then she turned away.

"I'm done here. I'm done with you."

Teridax shrugged, chains rattling as he settled back. "Goodbye, Lady Faust. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Faust paused, briefly, then turned back. "How, exactly, did you even manage to enter a state of quantum uncertainty and then get out of it freely?"

Teridax waved a finger mockingly. "For that ultimate nugget, Lady Faust, you're going to have to keep digging, and harder than that."

She turned around, and the air around her got just a little bit colder as she glared at Teridax. "You're speaking to a goddess. And I will find out how you did it. When I do, and when I fix it-"

Teridax interrupted, seemingly leering. "I'm afraid the damage is well out of your ability to fix. Better call in your pet admin to solve the problems you're too inept to solve."

Faust stiffened slightly. "He's actually resigned. Strange you didn't know that. I thought you prided yourself on knowing everything."

Teridax's eyes widened slightly. "So the little maggot grew a backbone. I'm actually impressed. My respect for him has grown marginally."

Faust just left without another word. For a while, Teridax stayed in place.

Then his chains fell off, and Teridax chuckled.

---

Where I had gone, I wasn't exactly sure. While I looked around, the feeling that I'd seen this place before hit me. Sometimes, deja vu is just deja vu, but at others, it's a memory from something else. I'd walked through my portal, and all I'd wanted was a universe where I could just get some time to myself, somewhere that didn't make me remember the problem I was now running away from.

Still, the garden I'd found myself in was very, very well kept. Even though it looked like nobody had been here for ages, the plants looked like they were still growing in relative order. Very few weeds grew around the plants- only the hardiest seemed able to survive. Curious, I walked around. It was small, compact, and utterly minimalist. From what my instincts were telling me, this was a universe with Earth in it. Some tiny hidden glen, far from the rest of civilisation.

I could get some serious thinking done here.

---

Teridax observed his domain, approvingly. It had taken him a lot of time to get everything set up this way, and finally, it had worked. When he'd first come here, it had been a personal project of his to take over. Unfortunately, he'd been in a hell where the beings inside had no idea who he was, what he could do, and were thus extremely paranoid. Not to mention, most of his powers were completely useless in here against the beings that ruled it.

So he'd worked on the problem. He'd started by slowly weakening his chains, and conspiring with those unfaithful demons who thought that a new boss would improve things. After only a couple of years, he'd managed to subvert the majority of beings to his cause. Five more years and the boss of the place was now imprisoned, and nothing stopped Teridax from leaving.

Teridax was tempted to leave, but then he remembered that him returning would cause a veritable storm of problems to come to him, so he played his hand cautiously. So he pushed and manipulated others to do his work for him, walking into dreams and subtly pushing their buttons so that he could get his tools and trinkets. Too bad nobody seemed to think he couldn't get his stuff this way. Nobody seemed to remember that all you could need to travel the multiverse was a donut shape and a bottle attuned with high power dark matter.

As Teridax pondered the foolishness of the other beings that shared his existence, a ping in the back of his head alerted him. Somebody had beaten the fight sim. That meant that they were likely heading to his sanctum. He'd primed his crystal ball so that it viewed him from above. He waited a bit, counting vaguely, then turned and looked in the space where he anticipated he was being watched from. After a bit, he ponderously stated, ”Come through.” A portal opened itself right next to me. What stepped through was vaguely humanoid, feeling more dream than physical being. An almost black dark blue and with red stars appearing in its body, it seemed like a piece of the night sky had decided to take itself off and walk in the form of a man.

Teridax turned to the new being, on guard. The fight sim had demonstrated that it could actually get a hit in. His preliminary mental scan hit the familiar brick wall of Understanding. This being was not to be taken lightly. Still, he didn't let any minor concern show. “Welcome to a hell. I have to say, you came at a good time. Did you enjoy the fight sim?”

“It was fun,” it said, “I have to give you that,” as it looked around, taking in the vastness of the hell.

He smiled. “It really was. Since you’re the only one who’s found my lair, I suppose I shall reward you with some idle chit-chat.” For a moment, he briefly pondered just staying in this form, then coalesced. Humanoid forms were always so much easier to deal with in the minds of others, he'd found.

“Thank you,” it answered with a slight nod, “Personally, I only know of you from your item and looking into your universe.”

He seemed to sit in mid-air. Gravity didn't really appeal to him. “Yes. I suppose I can say something like that would draw interest. I sought to conquer reality itself and rule everything.” He chuckled at that. “As you can see, I have had a temporary setback in that.”

“My plans are a little more… nightmare-ish. Why rule,” he grinned widely as he said this, “when plunging them into an eternal nightmare works just as well?”

Teridax shrugged. It was a fair point, and one he had explored independently. “To each their own. You have our mutual gift, don’t you?” More of a direct statement of fact than a question, nevertheless Teridax said it.

The being nodded, smiling, “It does come in handy, doesn’t it?”

Teridax leant forwards slightly. “Yes. Anyway, I did promise some chit-chat. Unfortunately, I have a wide variety of plans still active, so I’m going to have to ask you not to interfere with them too much.” Briefly, Teridax considered just brute-forcing his way into the mind of this being, but discarded the idea.

The traveller tilted its head to the side, kicking its legs into the air, “I see no reasons, and honestly,” it clicked its tongue, “I feel a mutual agreement, partnership, something in those regards would work out best because, you see, I need information about certain aspects,” it smiled, “about working with your kind of metal. My NIghtmares have slight trouble preserving in reality, and my sister, Roodaka, has agreed to make bodies for them.”

Teridax waved a hand. Those secrets were hardly the ultimate nugget of his knowledge, and they were common enough. “No problem at all. Protosteel is one of my favourite mediums. A forge is necessary, first of all. Obviously, she must have one. The second thing I have to ask is, how much physical substance do they have?” he asked, mind already spinning with a wide range of possibilities. Know limitations before dreaming big, as Teridax always reminded himself.

“The majority have a fair portion, for a short time. My strongest, and the middle ground ones, have solid bodies until they start deteriorating outside of the Mindscape. It's proven to be a major pain when interfering in Equestria,” the being frowned. Obviously, it had been doing a fair amount of work on the problem itself.

Teridax shrugged. “They’re related to dream stuff, I’m guessing. Here’s a tip.” An illusion sprung forth - a rather intricate dreamcatcher. He wondered if the being had tried something similar before, but decided to test the idea out.

“This is called a dreamcatcher. It may work, or it may not. It depends. Find a magic user and enchant these things. Above all, believe that they will work. Belief is as powerful a multiversal force as love and friendship, after all.” He didn't mention that he'd already done many such experiments on the exact nature and power of what belief could do.

His visitor nodded. “Tried a similar thing and it certainly lasted a while longer, but,” it frowned, obviously knowing that it was a complicated problem, “it only works for my nightmares. I need something I can inhabit long enough to accomplish a few tasks In Equestria. The Nightmares,” it waved a hand, one of them nuzzling its side like a young child, “aren’t going to accomplish this goal without me.”

Teridax idly eyed the little creature, pondering. He'd seen the work of a similar enough entity, and he decided to see if the same situation applied. “Hm. For that to work, the best solution would be to merge the dream world and the real world.” Teridax waved a hand idly. “Possible, if you can find enough idiots willing to do that kind of thing.”

The being smiled widely, “That’s part of my plans, however,” as it lifted up a hand, a tendril of energy danced between its fingers, “I can’t do that yet, it would my enemies with power as well. That’s why I wish to have my sister build bodies, both for me and the most powerful Nightmares.”

Teridax considered this. He'd considered many different solutions, but none seemed to be the perfect fit. “Hm. Difficult problem.” He mulled it over, and then a simple, easy to implement idea came to him. With a mental laugh, he cracked his knuckles “Can they possess people through their dreams?”

“Not for nearly long enough,” Teridax's visitor said, shaking its head in regret.

Teridax seemed satisfied. Minds were always difficult, but if you remove the will, then nothing really remains. “Simple enough. Find a bunch of mentally retarded people, get rid of their personalities, and then integrate the brain into the armour. Wire it up and it should work.”

“Brilliant, as for anything else, I need, I can’t think of anything at the moment,” it said, grinning as widely as it had before, “if I think of anything, I’ll let you know. In exchange, anything you need me to do, relay, stuff like that?”

Teridax waved his hand, and several portals opened. “I’m content for now. Besides, my little project is happening. What happens when you take the closest versions of the greatest composers in the multiverse and then drive them mad with one song?”

“It obviously varies, but it sounds super fun! I may have to try something like that,” he laughed, long and loud, “Though I expect the result is a rather appealing tune.”

“Of course.” With that, a thousand renditions of the same song played. Truly breathtaking. His visitor grinned and bowed, walking towards a portal.

“Why the people act like you are a taboo, my friend, I may never know,” his visitor laughed as he stepped into the portal and out into the Mindscape once more, leaving Teridax behind.

"See you around, Tantabus..."

Author's Note:

This is a crossover with The Nightmare in the Corner. It's pretty good, I like it.

Comments

[The Warmaster]

I pledge my undying loyalty to Teridax! Long may he reign!

[Spooky Moon]

All hail Teridax!

[Delta238]

6991104 yes.

[Delta238]

6991336 Yes,

[SwimmingDalek98]

It was YOU! YOU WHO CREATED THE RICKROLL!

… I think I love you.

[James-Plasma]

6495203 Hi, Here is A Private Message Regarding 8 MLP Displaced Stories That I Highly Recommend for you to make...http://www.fimfiction.net/manage_user/messages/9163041
...Nuff Said.
with thanks and Hopes Up,
From Your Biggest #1 Fan of all time,
Shane W.L. Nokes aka James S.K. Plasma aka Dark-Pulse/Darkimus-Primal

[RealityDowngrade]

8866685
Ah, so that's where that fictitious notion came from. Thank you.

[Pensive]

6490824

Wubba Lubba Dub Dub is correct