Oneirophobia

by Valorousspectre

A curious lunch indeed

Chapter two: A curious lunch indeed.

Lunch was on Talisman’s mind by the time he finally left the library. He’d explained the situation (and the events leading up to) to Spike and, unhappy though he was, Spike had agreed that putting the two ponies to sleep had been the best course of action. So leaving the little dragon in charge, he’d set out to find someplace in which to indulge himself with the few bits he had. As he walked, he became aware of a niggling whisper on the back of his mind. He tried to ignore it, but as he walked it became stronger.

Hey, who’s that? I’ve never seen him here before.

His brows drooped into a sullen frown. Here we go again. He started trying to pinpoint the origin of the niggling thought that was not his own.

It was an oddity that had more than once gotten him not only weird or disbelieving looks but often full on glares and threats, Talisman had the unique ability (Or, he thought it was unique. Honestly, who else in Equestria could boast such a power?) to pick ideas and thoughts from the minds of others. In expansion to this, their emotions and how they were feeling also felt as tangible to him even if they hid it well. He didn’t know how he obtained such a skill set, but he did know he wasn’t born with it. He strongly suspected it had something to do with the stone around his neck, but he wasn’t sure how.

The only problem was his lack of control. He couldn’t decide who to pick ideas from and it annoyed him to no end. For example he didn’t need to see the fantasy of a teenage colt as he watched a (admittedly) cute mare of his age walk by, nor need he see somepony mentally undress another when they were wearing something, especially if they were making it into a fantasy. However it had its moments of brilliance as well and had saved him from as much ridicule as it had earned him, which was a lot.

Wow, he looks annoyed. Wonder where he came from? Heh, probably just came from talking to Twilight. That egghead would drive anypony crazy.

Finally tentatively pinpointing the location of the mind almost screaming its thoughts at him now, he looked straight up. For a moment he didn’t see anything, then he noted a rainbow coloured tail off to his left a little and he sighed, deciding to get it all over with. He looked around for a relatively dry place and sat down, waiting for the Pegasus, whom he now identified as Rainbow Dash after digging a little deeper (after much concentration and effort). It didn’t take long for her to settle in a tree above him, looking down at him with undisguised interest.

“Hey! Haven’t seen you around before!”

Talisman felt a stab of irritation as he lost his focus on Rainbow Dash.

“I arrived last night. It isn’t altogether terribly surprising that you don’t know me.”

“Jeez, you are annoyed!”

Talisman sighed.

“Yes well, I’m certain you’d agree with me when I say Twilight could drive anypony crazy.”

Rainbow let out a light laugh.

“Ha! You’re totally right! She’s a total egghead.”

For a moment he got a flash of insight into the mind of Rainbow and he smiled.

“Coming from an avid reader of the Daring Doo novels, that doesn’t mean much I’m afraid.”

The blush he got from Rainbow was enough to brighten his day a little and he felt his mood lighten.

“Hey! Daring Doo is awesome okay!? Just because I read Daring Doo doesn’t mean I’m an egghead!”

“Of course it doesn’t, and she is pretty adventurous.”

~*~

Back at the library, Twilight was beginning to wake up. She’d been having a pleasant dream involving herself and Celestia when an insistent nuzzling woke her up. Her eyes opened blearily to behold the bright pink face right in front of her. In an instant she was backed up in a sitting position with her eyes wide. Pinkie had been practically kissing the librarian and looked as happy and bouncy as ever.

“Hi Twilight! You’re finally awake! I woke up ages ago and I was thinking ‘hm, I wonder should I wake up Twilight or not?’ then I thought of the new pony in town and he was noplace to be found and thought maybe I should go after him but then I thought I couldn’t leave you on your lonesome and then decided that-“

Twilight tuned out after the initial onslaught and sighed, taking a moment to admire the new stallion’s decision to put them both to sleep. The extra shut eye had done wonders for Twilight’s disposition and she was quite a bit more rested now than she was earlier. But she was also hungry. Very hungry. Guessing that it must be lunch time, Twilight looked at Pinkie, who was still talking.

Huh, does she even take a breath when she’s talking? It’s hard to tell.

As much as she’d love to understand Pinkie more, Twilight knew that a psychoanalysis of her character and mind would render literally no results, nor would wondering how she seemed to be able to speak for hours endlessly without taking a single breath give her any insight as to how she seemed to defy the laws of physics so easily. So she politely awaited the end of the pink puff of sugary, energy loaded joy’s long soliloquy before telling her she was going out to get something to eat, since she’d decided she really wanted something not particularly healthy and maybe a milkshake. Pinkie was only too happy to oblige her and the two left the library. Twilight let her mind wander to the new stallion. Her eidetic memory allowed her to recall his physical appearance with ease and a frown formed on her face.

He really was a plain looking stallion. Boring really. Brown coat, brown mane, brown tail, blue eyes. Rather generic really.

Her inner eye came to rest on the strange, round stone around his neck and her frown deepened.

What’s that? I would understand perhaps an amulet or a locket, but what’s so special about that stone? I suppose the inscribed patterns are intricate, perhaps an item he obtained from a craftspony? A mystery indeed…

She was distracted with the sudden appearance of Rainbow Dash, although her momentary hello was all the distraction her mind allowed before going back to analysing the stallion.

Dreams he said, the realm of dreams. A dream catcher cutie mark makes sense. But I still don’t see how it’s potent magic. I’ve researched it extensively, but I could never quite understand what some ponies saw in it. It’s second rate magic at best, like illusions, good for parlour tricks but little else, very little real world application.

Applejack joined them soon after and Rainbow and herself shared a brief hug. The pair had been dating (experimentally) for a week or so now and it had been two months since Demon had returned to Ponyville with Fluttershy in tow. They’d like to say it’s getting along well, but the pair had only started dating to test out the waters in the first place. It was quite awkward at first, and whilst the awkwardness had eased, it was still clear (even to Twilight) that the pair had their fair share of problems. But all of them respectfully stayed out of the relationship, wishing the best for both sides. Applejack stepping on Demonheart’s tail led to himself and Fluttershy joining them for the little outing, and Rarity even stepped out of the boutique to spend time with them.

The whole group back together for a while…

Her mind latched onto when he’d predicted Pinkie Pie’s want to give him a party.

What if I was wrong? What if Pinkie, in all her randomness, was right? Reading minds… is that kind of magic even possible? I wouldn’t have thought so, and if it was I imagine it would have been outlawed for obvious reasons. A spell like that’d be so unbelievably dangerous I doubt even Celestia, no, Luna would dare use it. But no, I sensed no magic used. Even when he cast the spell to send me to sleep I remember feeling a surge of magic from him for a moment. What if… What if it wasn’t magic?

She’d descended to the realm of pure speculation now, oblivious to the chatter of the ponies around her.

What if it had something to do with the stone? Could that be possible? I know runes and such things can give powerful additions to skills and magics… But no, that can’t be it either. I can’t recognise any of the inscribed symbols. Ugh, this is so frustrating. Mysteries, mysteries, mysteries.

She was brought back to Equestria as she sat down by Rarity asking a question, but not of her.

“Say, who’s that over there?”

Twilight looked over and, to her surprise, saw the stallion from earlier. He was absently munching on a fry as he scribbled in a small notebook. Or, it looked like he was scribbling. Twilight shrugged, unseen by the others and answered (amazingly) before Pinkie could.

“Don’t know. He came into the library early this morning and started reading ‘Professor Insomia’s guide to Dreams, Dreamscapes and Dreamology, a comprehensive guide to dreams and dreamer’s magicks.’ “

The others looked at Twilight, who was now currently ordering an extra large serving of hay fries with melted cheese and tomato ketchup upon them and a large burger with anything deep fried on it. The waiter almost looked intimidated by the order as he took the others and left. Twilight looked back at them.

“What?”

Rainbow burst out laughing.

“Is that even a real book? It sounds ridiculous!”

Twilight felt her face flush and went to answer when…

“It is a real book.”

The strangely musical voice floated over from the stallion, who had yet to look up from his notebook. The seven ponies looked at him in surprise. He was only one table away, but even so. He looked up at Rainbow Dash gravely.

“It’s a very detailed and comprehensive guide to the inner workings behind dreams, dreaming and the magic behind it, you should read it some time. Very informative.”

Twilight snorted and looked at him in amusement.

“What Professor Insomnia wrote was a bunch of words that may as well have been written in Draconian or something to any normal pony, a whole heap of gibberish.”

The look the stallion returned her was just as amused, and a spark flittered across his eyes.

“Only if you don’t know what you’re reading. In order to do magicks such as his or my own, one needs to keep an open mind and be willing to accept certain things as possible that many others do not. You’re one of the latter.”

Twilight leaned over the table. The other six ponies, reduced to Bystanders, looked from Twilight to Talisman as they spoke.

“Cold and clear logic can explain why something can and cannot work, and even magic has scientific roots to it in many respects. Research into magic requires cold hard facts, which is more than the half baked theorems and half finished conclusions of the professor, even the other great ponies of magic in the day scoffed at his work.”

Talisman grinned and layed his notebook to one side.

“That may be, but Celestia did not, and I’m sure Luna herself would wholeheartedly agree with everything he said should she read it. Insomnia was one of the greatest minds of the century and predicted many events before they happened, including the events upon Nightmare Moon’s return up to the elements being united and forming, although not whether or not they prevailed.”

Twilight laughed.

“He was a charlatan and a liar as well who tried to get in the good books of the ponies in higher houses by promising them that he would predict all of their problems before they arose…”

“And they turned him down because they thought he insulted them when he was trying to help…”

“And then they were either cast down or murdered soon after, leading to the arrest and subsequent trial…”

“Which proved naught but that he was innocent of the charges and they let him go where he went on to publish his research and works into his book, ‘Professor Insomia’s guide to Dreams, Dreamscapes and Dreamology, a comprehensive guide to dreams and dreamer’s magicks.’”

Twilight pouted as her food came and the stallion smiled.

“You may not think so, but it is a legitimate field of study, one I have dedicated a substantial part of my life to. Perhaps you could ask your kind and noble teacher, or her sister, about it one day.”

Twilight and the rest of the ponies started and Demon looked at the stallion sharply. Twilight looked at him in shock.

“I… what… I never told you…”

He smiled at her again and went back to his notebook. Fluttershy looked at Demonheart and Demon got up. Shy hurriedly followed him as he approached the stallion, disregarding his food entirely. He towered above the slim stallion as he sat down, eyes inquisitive. The stallion looked at him.

“Oh, hello,” He said to the big Pegasus absently, “Can I help you?”

Demon tilted his head slightly before opening his mouth to speak, his velvety soft voice slipping out of his mouth.

“My name is Demonheart. You are..?”

The stallion smiled and nodded to Demon.

“Talisman.”

Talisman’s eyes flickered to Fluttershy.

“And you’re Fluttershy, yes?”

Fluttershy jumped momentarily and nodded quickly. Talisman smiled.

“Yes, excellent. Now how can I he-“

He shuddered as his mind briefly touched Demon’s, then went limp and collapsed as Demonheart stiffened suddenly and his eyes began to cycle quickly from purple to red.

The curioddity behind Demon’s soft and gentle character, he hosted a creature deep within his physical body. The cumulation of two consciousnesses resulted in an almost constant battle between demon and pony, and most times Demon stayed in control. The dilution and colour shifting of his eyes generally was a bad sign.

“Run…” He growled out softly to Fluttershy beside him.

Sound faded, and Talisman could barely hear the shouts of shock. Vision faded and his sight was clouded by yellow fur as Fluttershy rushed in front of Demonheart.

Am I…?

~*~

You come where you are not welcome mind leech.

Talisman looked around. The area he was in resembled a dreamscape, an area of ‘space’ so to speak that creatures conjured in their subconscious when they fell asleep in order to create and fabricate the inner workings of their mind or to bring forth different fantasies, and not all of them nice. Sometimes it was old memories brought forth, but in any case, this one did not look welcoming. Dark colours blended in on the horizons and sky and the ground beneath his hooves was cracked and dry. The voice sent shivers down his spine and made his flesh crawl. It was not a voice one would expect from the mind of one so gentle, but rather was filled with malicious glee and a dreadful hunger. It was light and almost childlike.

Who are you? Why am I here? It’s dangerous to go within another’s mind when they’re awake, I could be trapped here.

The voice came again, a chuckle of dark intent.

I already share this space with another, what makes you think I want to do so with you?

The chuckle faded and the voice began to darken and deepen.

No, I brought you here to issue a warning.

He saw something, something like roiling smoke in his peripheral vision and he turned to face it, but could never quite catch it.

Warning? What warning?

The roiling cloud of light purple smoke, for that’s what it was, finally allowed him to settle his sight upon it when it suddenly shot forward. Skeletal, draconic arms reached for him as a pony head, rotted and decayed with white bone showing in several places and one half decayed eye, still attached to the optic nerve, lunged out from the smoke in a hungry roar and Talisman screamed…

~*~

The prone form of Talisman screamed in sheer and abject terror and Demonheart roared his frustration to the sky as the roiling emotions and second mind within him came to an epic climax. It sounded like the end of the world but was made of eight voices, one more than others.

And it wasn’t Demonheart’s.

Up in Canterlot, Luna sat bolt upright in her heavily veiled bed. She’d heard a familiar sound, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Deciding it would be best to wait for the night, she sank back into her bed and fell asleep once more.

Back in Ponyville, Demonheart slumped forward, his eyes back and remaining their normal emotional purple. Fluttershy stood beside him, helping him stand with a wing draped over his shivering, tormented form. He looked to her and nuzzled her neck lovingly in thanks, earning a blush before they both looked to Talisman. He was curled in a foetal position and looked to be in physical pain and was sobbing quietly.

Talisman remembered pain, so much excruciating pain he could almost taste it, then mercifully blacked out.

Comments

[Evening Storm]

Oh. my. gawd.