Dave, a young brony, has found himself wandering the dreams of children as a 'tantabus'.
Dave attended a local con and wanted to buy an amulet from the Merchant. As he went to buy it, the Merchant kept refusing before another man interrupted and gave him it, forcing him to swear a vow. Now Dave is a 'tantabus' dwelling amongst the dreams of children and saving them from the nightmares that try to hurt them. Dave, the one with the power of dreams.
I was a brony, long time, so when I finally watched ‘Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep’, I was ecstatic. I could see my costume for the next con. I would be the humanoid tantabus. I would bring the nightmares to the land!
Ok maybe I wasn’t that dramatic, but still. I already had a deep blue body suit, don’t ask. So all I had to do all the ‘stars’ or whatever you want to call them. It should’ve been generally fantastic. When I look back now, it was a very bad idea.
And, I don’t mean that like, ‘it ended up terrible,’ no, I mean it in the eternally FUCKED way. Returning from the tangent, I finished the suit and it looked fantastic. The con was even more fun, at the beginning, when I first entered. The compliments made me very happy, especially when people requested pictures.
That was the first part of the most horrific ride of my life. I had been scanning the booths, particularly anything with Luna merchandise or anything similar. When I finally came across a necklace, the man at the booth frowned, “I can’t sell that, not to you that is.”
“Why not?” I asked him. It was weird, I was even offering a little more than he requested, and he still wasn’t going for it.
“It’s reserved for another customer,” the man said, frowning towards me. I raised an eyebrow before speaking again.
“I assume you have more?” I asked him, putting emphasis on the word more.
“Well, of course I do, but-“ he started, only to be cut off by another man, one who was dressed as Rumpelstiltskin from OUAT, stepping out and glaring at him.
“Why don’t you go ahead and sell it to him,” Rumpel said, smiling, “dearie.”
The man in the cloak flinched and nodded, “Alright. Go ahead,” he said stepping back for Rumpel to step forward and grab the amulet, a half sun and moon made in silver and gold. “Here you are dearie,” he held it forward, “But first. Do you vow to become who you must? To forge ahead with your power?”
I was puzzled and then I realized, they were roleplaying, “Of course. By the power of the sun and moon I vow.”
He passed the amulet to me and I put it on, fastening it around my neck. It fell to my chest softly and my words began echoing through my mind.
“By the power of the moon I vow,” I heard myself say, over and over again. Eventually, my vision went black all except for a moon and a sun which appeared before me. I saw something split from myself, a darker silhouette with dark orange sparks inside of him, and then I began falling towards the moon.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a strange land. A young looking foal, a young horse, was shivering backwards from something. It looked like a nightmare. The poor little filly was cornered by a weird shadowy creature.
I know that sounds vague, but that’s my best way to describe what I was seeing. A weird, rather large creature that had massive claws of shadow and tentacles out of its back. It lunged towards the pony, and I, on instinct, blocked it.
The filly screamed, but when the creature didn’t get her, she looked up. “Hiya kiddo!” I said to her, smiling, “Want me to get rid of the nightmare?” I asked, referencing the creature in front of me.
She nodded rapidly and I smiled again, “You got it.”
I turned around and started singing, “Bad dream, bad dream, go away. We don’t need you here today. Bad dream, bad dream, you sleep all day, so this time I’ll make you go away!” I sang as I grabbed it, and suddenly felt the world begin to change with the little filly’s laughter.
The beast shrunk down into my oddly colored hands, dark blue with specks. Interesting, though, I was more concerned with the filly at the time. She seemed a lot happier.
I grinned back at her as she pulled up a table, “Tea party?” She asked, getting a larger smile from me.
“Don’t mind if I do,” I said, grabbing one of the cups, “What kind might the tea be, miss?”
“It’s Zebrican Herbal, one of my favorites, just like my mommy,” she said, pouring some tea into the cup.
“Where is your mommy, little one?” I asked her, sipping at the tea.
“I’m not really sure,” the filly looked troubled, “But she’s gone.”
“Well, I could help you search for her!” I said, flexing my muscles, “I’m big and strong you know.”
She giggled happily, before shaking her head, “No, I can do it. Mommy told me I was special,” she said, puffing out her little chest. Downright adorable. She stopped, “So I have to do it with my dreams.”
“And you’re here for that?” I asked her, peeking past the tea cup, hiding my frown. Something was off for this poor little filly.
She nodded heftily, “Mhm. I was looking for mama when the monster came, but then you saved me!” She squealed.
I grinned and hugged her, “Well, I’ll be here then. If you ever need me, just shout, okay?”
The little filly nodded again, “Okay! But, who are you?”
I pondered for a minute, deciding to give her my real name, “I’m Dave.”
The filly smiled wide, “Okay Mr. Dave, I’ll call you if I need you.”
I smiled back, “So, who are you then?”
The filly began fading, “I’m Woona!” The filly said, before disappearing completely. I gaped as the world shifted once more. I had just met my favorite pony princess as a filly, and they were exceptionally adorable and fluffy.
I found myself deep in another nightmare, this time with a young colt. I pushed my thoughts about the Woona, and made my ways towards the young colt and the demonic nightmare in front of him.
I was a brony, long time, so when I finally watched ‘Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep’, I was ecstatic. I could see my costume for the next con. I would be the humanoid tantabus. I would bring the nightmares to the land!
Ok maybe I wasn’t that dramatic, but still. I already had a deep blue body suit, don’t ask. So all I had to do all the ‘stars’ or whatever you want to call them. It should’ve been generally fantastic. When I look back now, it was a very bad idea.
And, I don’t mean that like, ‘it ended up terrible,’ no, I mean it in the eternally FUCKED way. Returning from the tangent, I finished the suit and it looked fantastic. The con was even more fun, at the beginning, when I first entered. The compliments made me very happy, especially when people requested pictures.
That was the first part of the most horrific ride of my life. I had been scanning the booths, particularly anything with Luna merchandise or anything similar. When I finally came across a necklace, the man at the booth frowned, “I can’t sell that, not to you that is.”
“Why not?” I asked him. It was weird, I was even offering a little more than he requested, and he still wasn’t going for it.
“It’s reserved for another customer,” the man said, frowning towards me. I raised an eyebrow before speaking again.
“I assume you have more?” I asked him, putting emphasis on the word more.
“Well, of course I do, but-“ he started, only to be cut off by another man, one who was dressed as Rumpelstiltskin from OUAT, stepping out and glaring at him.
“Why don’t you go ahead and sell it to him,” Rumpel said, smiling, “dearie.”
The man in the cloak flinched and nodded, “Alright. Go ahead,” he said stepping back for Rumpel to step forward and grab the amulet, a half sun and moon made in silver and gold. “Here you are dearie,” he held it forward, “But first. Do you vow to become who you must? To forge ahead with your power?”
I was puzzled and then I realized, they were roleplaying, “Of course. By the power of the sun and moon I vow.”
He passed the amulet to me and I put it on, fastening it around my neck. It fell to my chest softly and my words began echoing through my mind.
“By the power of the sun I vow,” I heard myself say, over and over again. Eventually, my vision went black all except for a moon and a sun which appeared before me. I saw something split from myself, a brighter silhouette with light blue sparks inside of him, and then I began falling towards the sun.
When I opened my eyes there was a great darkness before me. It burned me, it burned my very soul. I watched as creatures, young and old, were born and died. I watched great powers wander in this...this, Void. It was amazing. Eternity, and it would be in my grasp! I felt my face fall into a grin.
All I had to do was plunge Equestria into an eternal nightmare, to plunge it into fear! I grinned as I fell backwards, deep into the world once more, landing in the dream of a child. The poor young thing was having a wonderful dream about a land of sweets. I let out a slight d'aw and approached it.
"Hello child," I said, grinning wider, "Care to have some fun?"
The little thing seemed ignorant, as if it couldn't fear me. It didn't think I was dangerous! That I was just another part of its dream. Fantastic. I approached as the little thing looked up at me, sweet and innocent. "Do you want to play?" It asked.
"Of course," I said, grinning wildly, before holding out a hand, "Grab on."
Her hoof approached my hand and as it connected, I was given all her nightmares. My grin stayed as I let go, I looked down at her and bopped her on the nose. "Time to play~" I laughed as I released the nightmares forth, deep into the land of dreams, before looking to the little horse. She had backed away from the creature that had decided to go for her.
"Feast, my little nightmare, for we will plunge this world into a land of eternal fear!" I let another laugh loose before turning around and leaving to find another dream, another thing to torment. I left the dream, stepping into the torrent of nightmares and dreams that races across the world.
It wasn't long before I found another sweet little dream, this time, it was a creature much like myself, in fact, it was the very silhouette from before. He was sitting on the ground having a tea party with another child. This one seemed so powerful, incredibly strong. Her nightmares would have to become mine.
Except, that thing was still there. It was casually talking with the little horse, almost seeming to cheer it up. I watched, oh-so-closely, as he talked away her little nightmares. It was terrible, that thing got rid of the nightmares.
I grinned, "Oh, yes, a challenge!" I clapped eagerly before launching myself out into another dream, this time the child was laughing in a fair. With a simple snap, I changed the rides. The Ferris Wheel became an increasingly fast death ride, the blood of its victims spraying out.
The Merry-Go-'Round began warping into a spinning wheel of blades, slicing the horses nearby into little strips of meat. One by one, I changed the other rides into terrifying weapons of death and destruction. With a grin, I watched as the child ran screaming before she woke up.
After finding a spot, I stood up in front of the Ferris Wheel, and summoned my Nightmares. "HELLO, BESTIES! Isn't it an absolutely fantastic day? The sun is shining, the bodies are rotting," I took a deep breath, "and we are ready to rule. Oh, ho, ho, my wonderful friends, Jon, Andrew, Phil," I nodded to three different nightmares, "We are going to drive this land into darkness. Now, I'm certain you're wondering who I am. Yes, Phil, I know your wife enjoys chocolate but nows not the time. As I was saying, I, besties, am the Tantabus! And together, Equestria will be ours. Welcome to you, friends, to Fearland!"
I stepped down from the stage I had summoned, deep in thought. "What sounds fun... What sounds fun... Tormenting children?" I tilted my head before shaking it, "Not right now, sounds fun but boring. Creating more Nightmares?" I pondered for a moment, "Too easy. Perhaps... DO DO DO INSPECTOR GADGET DO DO DO, " I grinned to myself, the Nightmares unaware.
"Now," I ripped my first hole open to the real world. The bubblegum is so sticky, I reached in and grabbed the article I had subconsciously located, "La la la...." I muttered as I pulled the item in. It was interesting... And there were several of them. The first was a stone, I should probably stop smoking, it had a wee little face on it.
It turned it over, seeing the message on the side, before I could translate, a voice came from the stone. "Those who have need of the shadows, who want to spread fear and desolation, who want a terror in the night, call on me, The Makuta, Emperor of the Shadows!"
"Oh. OH. Him, I like,", having translated the message before I touched the stone on said message, sending out a tendril of nightmare. It soon reached his home world, and discovered the person, the machine who created the stone was dead. Shame. "Too bad, he sounded fun." I delved deeper, following the time stream, witnessing the 'War of Understanding'. "Wonder why he was killed, poor Teridax just wanted some Sunny D.", I placed the stone off to the side.
"What are these others, I do pooh wonder," I muttered, the second item, an odd spear with the same symbols as the previous one, though in red, and a little cloth. It fluttered and I tapped it, "Oooo. Nice color choice," I twirled it, noting its lightness. It took a moment, but a voice came from it too.
"I am He who Dwells in Darkness...Evil and Good are merely titles, used to label one’s enemies...and mean little to me. If you seek security, call upon me and I shall shroud you from your foes. I am Nothing...I am Makuta Teridax..."
"Makuta Matata," I said, noting the information before calling up another tendril, singing lightly as I did so, "it means constant fear," the tendril vanished into the spear, "FOR ETERNITY~," I sang loudly as the tendril reached the universe this spear had come from, "It's our nightmare filled, philosophy~", the nightmare reported in, apparently, the subject of the spear was a, thankfully not rusty, robot. That's pure gold, isn't it? "Makuta Matata~
I finally dropped the spear and turned to another token, another stone, kind of looked like a speaker, but an odd tan-gold color. This caused me some interest, because, as I looked at it, it spoke differently than the other two. "I am Arthur, the great Kanohi Ignika! If you need aid or a friend I will be there, just throw this stone at where you want me to land."
"Friend?" I mused. Seemed foolish to offer such a concept to simply anyone who found your little object here. I couldn't help but wonder... "If I summoned him, would he try to kill me for simply pushing people into nightmares so deep, Death plucked them up? It was likely, from a 'Mask of Life' wasn't it?" I snickered and placed his token back with the other two.
There were still a few more, it would seem. I smirked as I picked up what looked like a dragon scale made of metal. It wasn't like any metals from the reality, yet... I touched it, the symbols on the side glowing briefly. The message that gave was not all that fancy like the previous items, and it was rather boring. "I am Makuta Miserix, like the fire of a dragon, I will down my enemies and carry my allies to victory. Envy me. Become me."
I laughed. "What a fool, what a fool. Dragons," I giggled, "make terrible allies and are easy targets for a strong mind!" I sent a tendril to this one as well, it quickly reported back with a similar person to the living Teridax, only instead, he was of brighter more fire related colors, which invoked laughing from both myself and my little tendril. He was dragon shaped as well.
I turned back to the items, laughing still as I tossed the scale to the pile, "I wonder if the rest are as foolish," my giggling toned down to mere snickers as I lifted another item, only for it to flash brightly, and I found myself underneath a feminine looking robot with a snake-like head. Her eyes glowed a vibrant blue as she sat up.
“Urgh, my head… What happened?” She groaned as she rubbed the sides of her head.
“Miss,” I said from beneath her, good thing I’m mostly incorporeal, “It would seem you are sitting on me. Would you mind moving so that I may be able to explain what I believe your situation is?”
“Huh?” The robot said before looking down. When she saw me she yelped and jumped to her feet before backing away a good distance. “W-what's going on!?”
I stood up, brushing my knees off, “Well, first off, I am Tantabus, previously Dave Staton of Earth. As for you,” I looked at her, “You have clearly been put into my situation, meaning, you’ve been sent here to a world of horses, small ones.”
“A world of… Wait, Dave!? thats you!?” The robot gasped as she stared at me in disbelief.
I raised an eyebrow, “Indeed, my prior name was Dave. Why do you ask, rather, why are you so surprised?”
“It’s me, Cora! I have been trying to find you ever since you disappeared!” The robot said before she tackled me in a hug.
“...How long had it been for you?” I asked, still in the hug though not returning it.
“Almost a year! what happened to you?” Cora asked.
“I made a deal with a man for this amulet,” I held up the necklace, a sun glowing on it, “And woke up here like this.”
“Wow, I… I dont even know what to think about that…” Cora sighed as she facepalmed.
“What happened to you?” I asked, she would have to learn of my actions in a moment.
“I… I don’t remember. One moment I was crossing the street the next I’m waking up on top of you…” Cora wondered as she tapped her chin.
“Sounds like a Friday night in Vegas,” I grinned, before speaking, “I should tell you. I have done some dark things here and will continue.”
“Like what?” Cora asked, slightly intrigued.
“I’m a Fear Incarnate,” I said, waving my hand around, “I have given everyone, children included some extremely graphic Nightmares. If you look around at the Fair, you’ll notice some things.”
“Sounds like a Friday night in Vegas.” Cora replied back, a devious grin spreading across her face.
“I was hoping you’d agree,” I returned her grin. “That being said, who are you supposed to be?”
“Who am I what?” cora asked before looking at herself before freezing in place. “Seriously!? How in the world did I turn into Roodaka!?” She shouted after her mind finally processed what was going on.
“It would seem the people who do this have a trope about doing this,” I gestured to the items on the ground, “I’ve found people like us. Makuta Teridax, two of them. Makuta Miserix. And, an Arthur character who is a ‘Mask of Life’.”
Cora did a spit take when I said ‘Makuta’ and ‘Mask of Life’, “Seriously!? What the heck?” she said, eye twitching.
“Indeed. It’s a very odd occurrence,” I mused.
“So what is there to do around here?” Cora sighed, considering her situation and the ups and downs that come with it.
“Honestly,” I said, “Nothing for you. Corporeal beings are not meant to live in the Mindscape. Its very dangerous, and, after an hour or two, you’ll soon start dissipating. Of course, this is Fearland Fair, so I’m not entirely sure how long you have.”
“Wait what!? Get me out of here!” Cora screeched, panicking like a chicken with its head cut off.
“Calm down,” I said, walking over to a tent and opening it, revealing a portal to Reality, it was rarely used. I myself had a massive amount of trouble getting through and my Nightmares didn’t last long out there. “I do need your help. If I remember your rantings,” I said, “Then Roodaka and the ‘Vortixx’ are quite good with metals and such. If I can provide materials and such, along with small portals to create attachments to this realm,” I said, looking back to my sister, “Could you make bodies for my Nightmares?”
Cora calmed down after I said that then thought about my request for a minute. “I guess I could help, but what are you planning to do?” She asked.
“Take the land for me and my Nightmares,” I said, holding up my hand with a small version of Equestria, “This realm knows little pain, war, or anything dark for that matter. The worst they’ve faced is a Chaos Deity, one who I hope will side with us,” I showed her as my Nightmares in their metal bodies invaded and took Equestria.
“After that,” I closed my hand, “I’m not sure. I may do other worlds, or simply feed off the fear here. Both are intriguing.”
“Hmm… Sounds fun~” Cora purred. “Let me know when you want me to get started, until then I’m going to go get settled in. And it's nice to see you again.” She said while walking towards the portal before slipping through it.
And with that, I turned myself back to the somewhat smaller pile of items, “So, which one to look at now?”
My sister left, rather quietly I might add, and I return my gaze to the items that lay before me. There were a few more, and I puzzled over which one to look into next, “So, which one to look at now?”
I pondered, my insanity toning itself down for the moment. It wasn’t that hard to control, merely hard to keep under control for any extended length of time. The rest of the item held no interest. They weren’t needed at the moment.
I looked up, but found myself still intrigued by the first of the Makutas. His history, as far as I could see, held many of the same aspects of power that I myself did. Whether or not these aspects were used the same was another question.
After a moment of musing, I picked up Makuta Teridax’s stone. This time, the greeting did not speak out but the item did gow, if not softly. A curious thing. I slipped a tendril in and found the Way to the item’s origin, Teridax’s world.
With my powers, I created a portal made from the Mindscape. It was simple but ignominious at best. I slipped through, my destination not of my choosing aside from the universe, and luckily, found myself inside a rather large room, made of smooth, dark stone. Large benches were lined up in orderly lines, and the air smelt of lime. Some kind of laboratory, by the looks of things.
“Hmm… interesting,” I muttered as I looked around in further detail. Dust covered most of the available surfaces, and the various vials and metallic instruments lying around seemed to be disused for a long time. “I do wonder if I’m in the right place. Mad scientists usually have some sort of nasties running about.”
Looking around, there was indeed something else in the room- a rather large pedastal holding a rather large, boxy computer. “That seems to bode wellsprings,” I said, grinning at the machine before me. With little worry, I approached it.
The machine was made of black steel, with a plain screen. Turning it on, the machine displayed, in crude text, Secrets and Files. Pass test to continue. I blinked, that was something. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem, to be honest.
The keyboard only had one button. No indication as to what it did. With absolutely no qualms, I pressed down on the button.
Immediately, the world digitized around me, and the next thing I knew, I was inside the computer. Inside, crude text displayed itself again. Beat virtual Teridax simulation to access Secrets and Files. You have as many attempts as you want. If you give up, your soul will be eaten by the computer.
This was certainly something. I shrugged and looked for the Teridax sim the machine had mentioned- Thwomp.
My head exploded, and I was confronted with a death screen. The Teridax sim had been behind me, no need to apple out, I smiled. This was going to be fun! Looking for a means to try again, the screen displayed two options: Continue and Give Up. Raising a hand, the Continue button glowed as I held my hand over it.
This time, I immediately reverted to incorporeal status and sent tendrils out to warn me of any approach.
Nothing nearby, then suddenly a blast of blue energy appeared from off the horizon. I watched through tendril that approached the location. The Teridax sim was there, and it seemed to pause.
A meteorite came streaking towards me from the sky, causing me to rip myself from my surroundings and to those of the nearest tendril. The meteorite stopped, seemed to hang in the air, then fell towards me.
I blinked, smart tactics. With a another tendril, I landed myself on the meteorite and sent out a plus of Fog, allowing my Nightmares to assist in destroying the rock.
The Sim appeared suddenly and wordlessly fired another blast of blue energy, and from how it just sheared through the rock and left nothing behind, it probably wasn’t going to be an easy to survive hit. Thankfully, I managed to toss one of my nightmares into the path. The beam continued, unregarding of what was thrown in its way.
With a last minute idea, I jumped into a tendril behind the sim. The sim briefly seemed confused, then, seemingly at random, walls of orange energy erupted around it. Obviously, not being stupid, I slipped into the Mindscape long enough to let the attack graze a small part of me. The damage it left behind was…
Honestly, it looked like a small scale apocalypse had been left around it. The ground was melted and twisted, large swathes of the landscape were bored away from the blasts, and the sim was confused. Without an opponent it could see, it seemed to lose most of its intelligence - all it did was just stand there, waiting.
An idea flashed into my head. I could attack it from the Mindscape, after all, there weren’t any restrictions as far as I could tell. After trying, however, it was quickly deemed not as good an action. It was a program. Teridax had somehow copied how he usually fought and attacked into this machine. It had every move Teridax had ever done, but that was it. It had no original moves at all. That meant that anticipation was key and boy was I ever so eager.
Competitor outside attack range. Moving sim into attack range.
I frowned, “Now that’s just a bullshit move and totally unfair,” I said, diving back into the original fight area.
This is a game. The A.I is unfair. Deal with it. The message appeared briefly, then disappeared.
“Point taken, and registered as a steaming pile of crap,” I retorted, dodging the Sim suddenly coming back to life and swinging its spear. Swing spear, followed up by a blast of molten plasma coming behind it, then a large rock coming down from the atmosphere, laser eyes.
“Shit,” I muttered as I dove into the Mindscape and out to another distant location. The Sim appeared again, then immediately went on the offensive. Seriously, does it know nothing else? With a sigh, I summoned a scourge of nightmares and had them merge before launching it at the Sim. Granted, I had some bullshit moves, but for crying out loud.
The Sim just stood there as they just fell through him. Great. I wasn’t entirely sure how to win, but I could almost guarantee it wouldn’t be this time. It immediately charged me, and there was a low buzzing on the horizon. I blinked, wait… If this is a sim… Can I crash it? Cause enough mayhem it full-on crashes? That might kill me though. That buzzing was odd too.
I’ll use it as a last resort. I grabbed the nearest nightmare and formed her into a blade, bringing it up to hopefully block the incoming attack.
Off on the horizon, a large mass of blackness gathered. As it came over, I could see that it was a giant mass of wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, and all manner of insects. Honestly, could say that it wasn’t the first time I’d seen large masses of insects like this, but not usually against me.
“...” The amount of bullshit this situation involved in this was ever increasing.
The swarm washed over us as the Sim continued to fight, only using its massive scythe weapon. Meanwhile, now I was distracted by hundreds of thousands of flying insects doing their darndest to bite and sting me.
The damnable insects wouldn’t stop, so I proceeded to send my nightmares, armed with flyswatters, after them so I could at least focus on fighting. Its strategy was to continue repeating its spear movements in an attempt to eviscerate me.
Not exactly a good plan, as that meant I could anticipate it, whether or not I could strike was another. Every move was mechanical, felt mechanical even. Nothing new or original to it. I squinted attempting find a weakness and found one: every second swing, it would pause for a second, then go right back to it. I deflected the swing, waited until the opportune moment and struck.
It froze, then:
Congrazulation! You are of win!
I blinked and squinted, “All that trouble and it takes one hit. Fancy,” I said, and grinned, “And being a pain in the ass. I like it.”
Reality asserted itself and I was staring at the computer. The screen went away, to be replaced with an image of Teridax.
“If you’re hearing this, at this exact moment, then I am dead and the time problems of this universe have been solved. Unfortunate, but not something I did not anticipate. Normally, there would have been plans on here. However, it was either the files or the sim. I chose the sim.”
I raised an eyebrow, “Fun choice,” I said aloud.
“Since you beat the sim, I guess I should give you something. You have a high score. It’s meaningless but I guess you can try and beat it again. If you want to talk to me, I will probably be available in some form of hell. There may be something in my inner sanctum that will help. Good luck.”
With that, the screen went dead. After a bit, a logo appeared.
Supre Teridxa Smi 2000: Anything can hadplan!
I frowned, “May or may not play again. As for hell,” I smirked, “You and me both,” I turned around, looking to find the ‘inner sanctum’ it had mentioned.
The massive pair of doors at the back of the room posed little challenge to open. Inside was what looked like a massive tome, bound in leather, along with a crystal ball. All items were covered in dust. The room just had a massive block of the same black stone that made up the lab for furniture. Pretty impressive, I suppose.
The crystal ball had a post it note attached to it. Picking it up, the post-it note had scribbled on it, to find things.
“Handy,” I muttered, looking at it for a bit and moving it around in my hands. Inside, a tiny galaxy seemed to spin, before zooming in on a hell, and something inside. Mechanical and seemingly insubstantial, only its mask seemed recognisable.
“Well,” I muttered, “How to talk…”
He looked at me directly, seemed to judge, then nodded. “”Come through.” A portal opened itself right next to me. I blinked and stepped through the portal without a care.
Teridax turned to me. “Welcome to a hell. I have to say, you came at a good time. Did you enjoy the fight sim?”
“It was fun,” I said, “I have to give you that,” I said, looking around.
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.” He flowed around, before coalescing into a form more in line of what the sim had lead me to believe.
“Thank you,” I 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. “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,” I grinned, “when plunging them into an eternal nightmare works just as well?”
Teridax shrugged. “To each their own. You have our mutual gift, don’t you?”
I nodded, smiling, “It does come in handy, doesn’t it?”
“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.”
I tilted my head to the side, kicking my legs into the air, “I see no reasons, and honestly,” I clicked my tongue, “I feel a mutual agreement, partnership, something in those regards would work out best because, you see, I need information about certain aspects,” I 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. “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?”
“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,” I frowned.
Teridax shrugged. “They’re related to dream stuff, I’m guessing. Here’s a tip.” An illusion sprung forth-
“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.”
I nodded, “Tried a similar thing and it certainly lasted a while longer, but,” I frowned, “it only works for my nightmares. I need something I can inhabit long enough to accomplish a few tasks In Equestria. The NIghtmares,” I waved a hand, one of them nuzzling my side, “aren’t going to accomplish this goal without me.”
“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.”
I smiled again, “That’s part of my plans, however,” I lifted up a hand, a tendril dancing between my 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. “Hm. Difficult problem.” He mulled it over, then cracked his knuckles. “Can they possess people through their dreams?”
“Not for nearly long enough,” I said shaking my head.
Teridax seemed satisfied. “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,” I said, grinning, “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. 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,” I laughed, “Though I expect the result is a rather appealing tune.”
“Of course.” With that, a thousand renditions of the same song played. Truly breathtaking. I grinned and bowed, walking towards a portal.
“Why the people act like you are a taboo, my friend, I may never know,” I stepped into the portal and out into the Mindscape once more, pulling out and umbrella and splashing through the blood singing, “If you like pina colada…”Note to Self: Trademark this. Put it on a T-shirt...
I smiled, the child trembling at the nightmare before her. Feeding off her, the nightmare grew stronger. It was much more tasking this way, but it was more fun than my prior methods. Just tearing the nightmare from within the foal, or anyone else in general, proved to be normally simple since all the fears were the same for most ponies.
I shook my head, "Such a foolish fear," I muttered. The filly trembled as I left her and the nightmare behind drifting into Fearland Fair with little care for the child I left. Who cares when my end goal would produce the same result? Of course, that didn't make it any less fun. Unlike most villains, aside from the Joker, I generally idolized having fun and producing pure fear.
It was for that reason that I decided that I ought to do something that would benefit my plans oh-so-greatly. Two things, actually. With out flinching, I found a world where a few little nightmares roamed, these being a specific type of scare. It would make for a fantastic future of the world.
So it was that I chose the children that would bring the greatest of fears to Equestria, each of them representing a different fear or nightmare. Absolutely fantastic. In fact, here's a picture. Just... ignore the other words and stuff. Yeah, thanks.
I approached the children giving a little grin and leaning down, "Greetings children," I said, clearly drawing their interest, "Would you like to scare more people than you could ever scare here?" They looked around at each other as I smiled. This was followed by nodding and odd hissing noises.
I opened up a portal and led the children through it back to Fearland Fair with little trouble. They seemed overly eager and I could definitely relate, "Welcome to your new home," I laughed, before leading the children to the largest tent, they had exceptionally large smiles, though the one without a face had an eager look about him. Then again, most of the children had smiles to begin with.
1,000 Years Ago in Reality
I looked around at my Nightmares with my usual grin, they were mostly mindless, aside from those based on the most powerful fears. That was why they were so easy to control as I could see it. The problem was the mindlessness, they couldn't act of the situation was unexpected, so when a large blue horse came in the Fair, they merely watched as I hid.
"We know thou art here, Nightmare!" it yelled in a rather feminine voice, "We know what thou hast done to our ponies and demand that thou stop thy devilish ways or face me," it made it ways through the Fair, looking about as I watched from the stage. So, that was it. She only knew I was in the area, not exactly where I was.
Stifling a laugh, I floated over and lightly positioned myself on her back as she made towards the stage. Clearly, she assumed that was were I would be and normally, she would be right. I had set up a little living space, particularly a little table and chair. I remained on her back as she flew up to the chair and looked around. As she looked away from the table, I grabbed my drink and crossed my legs.
"Who are you looking for?" I asked, sipping at the drink, not like I actually needed to drink anymore. She jumped. "Over here. No, not there. Here. Back, back... Yeah, hello!" I grinned and waved at her. She went silent for a moment and I started counting mentally. 3... 2... 1...
The horse let loose an exceptionally loud scream, "WHAT ART THOU DOING ON OUR BACK?" It scampered back as I stayed mid-air, drinking from the mug.
"Somebody needs to be a bit more polite," I took a final drink and set the cup in the middle of the air before brushing off my knees and standing, "I'm not the one who barged into someone's home like they own the place." I poked her in the nose.
She sneezed and glared at me, backing herself up, "Thou hast no place in our dream realm," she growled, her teeth baring. Her wings were upright as I rolled my eyes and leaned back.
"TheMindscapedoes not belong to you," I grinned and leaned forward, "Princess Luna," she went wide eyed and her haunches rose. Despite all this time, I marveled that the horses had such cat-like responses to some things. It was actually quite adorable, but it still wouldn't stop my plans. I merely grinned.
"Concerned I know your name are you?" I laughed, "Its not that hard you know, peeking into someone's mind, especially yours." I walked forward, causing her to back up into the backside of the stage, "I know much about you. The poor little sister," I said, giving a frown, "not as loved as her elder sibling, always in the shadow." I leaned in to her ear, "Why torture yourself? You're the princess of the moon! You could make the night last forever, or," I smiled, "are you scared that big sissy will do something terrible?"
She looked away from me, confirming my questions. She HAD thought about it. I hid the next grin and started petting her, "How about we make the night last forever and drive the sun out. Make them love you like you should be," I said, bringing my hand back away from her as she trembled. As she looked at the floor, I reached out and ripped her fears from her, creating a new nightmare, a rather powerful one.
I stroked the new nightmare before creating a shadow, and killing it, absorbing the fear, the jealously, the hatred she had for her sister and pushing back the darkness, forcing her to act. She shuddered as the shadow took over, driving her to the extent of madness and even causing physical changes as well, "So, Nightmare Moon, my dear child," I smiled, "Shall we make the night last for eternity?"
The previously scared little princess laughed loudly, "SISTER! WE SHALL MAKE THE NIGHT LAST FOREVER!" With a cackle, she flew back out through my recently created portal and I watched through it as the moon eclipsed the sun and Equestria was plunged into darkness. For a few hours new nightmares came in droves, and my plan was working.
If only it hadn't been for those 'Elements of Harmony', I could have been one step closer to turning Equestria into an eternal nightmare over which I could rule for eternity. Oh well, this was nothing more than a setback, I could wait and increase my forces, assure my victory and never lose.
Tirek stormed into the room, "CELESTIA! I see that you and your puny sister are still ruling this pitiful land." He roared, picking up the princess in question as his shadow flickered slightly, "DO you not see that your magic is going to be mine? All of it, is going to be mine!" Tirek laughed as he went to drain her, Discord floating silently behind him, messing with the various glass windows.
He dropped the solar alicorn with a start, a look of extreme rage crossing his face, "WHERE. IS YOUR MAGIC!?" When they didin't answer, he let his rage guide him and locked them away in Tartarus and looked back towards Discord, noticing another glass window.
"Is this supposed to be a joke?" He asked the draconequus.
"No," Discord answered, in the midst of messing with another window, "I haven't done that one yet. Its Princess Twilight."
"THERE'S A FOURTH!?" Tirek roared, stamping his hooves, "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"I needed proof this was a group endeavour, and well, I've got that now," Discord grinned at the necklace he wore, "She lives in Ponyville, in a library."
Tirek stormed towards Twilight, the bubbles that encased her friends following him closely, "Your friends," he said, "for all the alicorn magic in Equestria!" He laughed.
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Tirek's shadow pried itself from the ground, flecks of red appearing in it as it stood, a malicious dark crimson red grin appearing next to a pair of eyes as it formed into a similar shape to those of the people beyond the mirror. Twilight and Tirek stared in shock, as did her friends and Discord.
"Well, well, well..." The figured muttered, looking around at everyone, "It seems this world has changed since my latest visit," the figure smirked.
"WHo are you? How dare you interfere in this!" Tirek roared, aiming a swipe at the figure.
The arm passed through it, and the figure rose up to Tirek's level, "Shut up. I don't care for your idiotic villainous rampage today." It shrank back down and looked at Twilight, an even creepier grin coming on its face as it looked her in the eyes, "Perfect." It laughed briefly.
Tirek quickly made a stupid decision to attempt to drain what he believed to be a very powerful magical being. Without even flinching the creature sent a hoard of shadows directly into Tirek's mouth. "Breath them in and become nothing more than a Nightmare of what you were." Tirek collapsed to the ground, more shadows forcing their way down his throat as his body was forced to change, shrinking to barely taller than the figure and turning a deep blue where it had once been red. His eyes were quickly changed to cat-like slits and glowed a slight red.
"Go back to Tartarus, I will call you when I need you," he said, "Give Discord back his magic." Tirek nodded as a dark magic tendril blasted towards Discord from Tirek's mouth, corrupted of course, and blasted the draconequus and popped the bubble.
"Thank you," Twilight said.
The figure turned to her, a malicious grin on its face, "Why are you thanking me, I'm not helping you," it grinned and grabbed Discord, "You're coming with me." The figure opened a portal, taking Discord with it, "I am Tantabus, Twilight Sparkle, and you might want to remember my name."
There was a strange looking humanoid shape, wandering slowly through the everfree, looking at the sights, enjoying his walk as he hummed to himself a familiar tune that seemed to put all animals within earshot ill at ease. He had a scythe in one hand, it seeming to be light of weight to him. His cold voice, which promised of cold winters and deserted funerals and emanating from a mouth seemingly torn out of his blank slate of a face, eventually transitioning to a british sounding voice as he looked to the forests treeline “I wonder if I should meet the ponies here… last time did not go so well…” He shrugged and made his way there.
If only it had been that simple though, because upon his next step a warping mass of shadow tinged with spots of red appeared in front of him, coalescing into the shape of a humanoid. Its eyes and mouth, permanently in a grin, appeared on its face and it looked at him in silence.
The being looked to the other creature without moving for a moment before its scythe dispersed into darkness and was absorbed by his shadow “I never thought I would meet a Tantabus. Thought you guys only lived in dreams. Preyed on the guilty and that like.” He crossed his arms and smiled, his pitch black shark teeth shining in the sunlight. “So, you probably want me gone, huh?”
Tantabus smirked, “Never said that.”
The being laughed “Yeah, but most people want me gone the second they see me, unless if I help them first.” He then turned serious “Or if they want something.”
Tantabus laughed as well, a mirthless dark chuckle, “I suppose I do want something, but its up to you whether or not you agree. Before we continue, know I am nothing like the others you have met that bear this name, nor will they ever be like me. I am Tantabus.”
The being shrugged before looking ahead “So… can we head forward, or are we going to stand around like a bunch of gits?”
“Be my guest,” Tantabus gestured forward.
The being nodded and went forward, heading towards ponyville “So what’s it like in ponies dreams? They count sheep like humans do? And do Sheep count themselves?”
“Depends,” the nightmare demon shrugged.
The being then nodded before looking to the Tantabus “So, what is it you want from me?”
Tantabus looked him dead in the eye… or where they would be, if he had eyes “Drugs.”
The being laughed before looking at the Tantabus “Closest thing I have to a drug is my blood, and that just makes people my Proxies.” He then deadpanned, not hard without a face. “I am not giving anyone my blood. One, I hate needles, and two, last thing I need is another freaking cult dedicated to me.”
“I was joking, actually. Your blood wouldn’t exactly help an incorporeal being, would it?” Tantabus remarked, “Though, if it has strengthening powers I could use it later, no needles involved. As for what I actually want, that would be recruitment,” Tantabus put simply.
The being looked to the dream demon before laughing even harder “Sorry, bud, I work for me, and I don’t accept Proxies, it turns out that it’s usually a slow and painful death, unless you are immortal, like my Friend Prax… but before you get all excited, that’s his only power. One he got from a serum he long since forgot how to make. His only other use is magical machines and companionship.” He then looked to Tantabus, “You know, if you are lonely, I COULD be a friend.”
Laughter blasted from the nightmare demon’s form, echoing maliciously, “You misunderstand, I would offer payment to both of you, should you like. Would you like to know what kind of payment I would offer? And the conditions for working for me?”
The being shook his head “Eenope, I said already, I don’t work for others.”
“You wouldn’t be working for me, not exactly. You’d do your own thing, just it would have a benefit to me,” Tantabus said, “As for payment, I offer two things.” Tantabus held out a shadowy black arm, the red light sparkling darkly, “The power to revive your home, and the power to warp the darkest of fear to your will,” the hand opened revealing what one could only describe as pure power somewhat corrupted by fear.
The being looked to the Tantabus “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that right now… If I bring them back now, they will just be destroyed again.”
“I never said the use was limited or time constrained, I merely said it was the power to recreate it, as it was, as it will be. I’ve seen your fears, allow me to assuage them,” the nightmare demon said, his voice ringing with compassion, “I may be evil, but mercy is one to be held. The only condition is that you do a few missions here and there, possibly even none at all. Or would you prefer she suffer without you?” the demon’s hand waved and a darker incorporeal form of Twilight Sparkle appeared, noiselessly crying out to him, “I do not torture her, it is the fear of her loss that keeps her this way. The souls of the lost always cry.”
The being looked to the nightmare demon, his body turning into a black and white outline as his body was surrounded by an aura of TV static, when he spoke, it was cold, dark, and promising of death. “ YoU ShOuLdN't Of DoNe ThAt.”
Tantabus laughed, “You expect to scare me? I offered you a gift, a very generous one at that.”
The being began to morph, the scythe from before reappearing and forming a sword as his slendrils reached out, becoming a second pair of arms ending in powerful, thin hands as his body became ensconced in armor. He lifted his sword, the TV aura migrating to his sword and becoming a burning black and white flame. “LeT hEr Go.”
“Are you a fucking tard?” Tantabus asked, “I’m showing you what her soul looks like in the Afterlife, you twit. I do not own her soul, Death does.”
The being nodded “I kNoW, I mEaN ThE ImAgE. DeAtH’s TiMe Is CoMiNg.”
Tantabus rolled his eyes, “Which Death? I know many, and this world has several as well. Do you not want the power to defeat the death you seek?”
The being shook his head “I wOuLd RaThEr DiE tRyInG aS tHe MaN sHe LoVeD, ThAn ThE MoNsTeR YoU wOuLd MaKe.”
“How about you taste the power I offer, and decide if it would really make you a monster?” Tantabus said, the smile still on his face as shadowy tendrils touched the flames of the sword and warped into it and spreading across the being’s body.
The being roared in rage as he fought to expel the taint, the shadows spreading across him and diving into his very soul as he ripped and tore at himself “ReLeAsE mE! Or ThErE iS nOwHeRe I wIlL NoT hUnT yOu!”
“I will release you after you taste the power I offer,” Tantabus said.
The being roared and raged as he tore off tendril after tendril, only for more to take their place as the TV static flame began to burn brighter “ HaTe…YoU…” He began to stand up, the TV static flames engulfing him as the sword floated into the air and flew grip first into his hand “HaTe...HaTe… HATE! HATE! HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU! HATE YOU!”
“Are you quite done yet?” Tantabus said, yawning.
The being looked to where the Twilight was crying before, seeming to remember “ I am Done being a puppet to others.” He snarled as he readied his sword, the dark tendrils somehow migrating to a concentrated ball encompassing his hand right before he cut it off, only for a new one to form “I Refuse Thy Taint“
Tantabus looked at him with a bored expression, despite the smile, “You do realize I wasn’t controlling you during that, yes?”
The being nodded as his armor dissipated, his sword and flames becoming naught but shadow “But had I accepted your power… would I of been able to refuse thy commands?”
“You’d feel a bit of an urge to complete them, but nothing you can’t resist. I can’t remove that urge, it comes with the power,” Tantabus said, still looking bored.
The being laughed “And you expect me to just accept the power you tried to force on me, with no care that I said I didn’t WANT it? You need to work on your manipulation skills, my friend, you suck.”
“I wasn’t using force, I could easily show force. No, I never expected that you didn’t want it, totally not,” heavy sarcasm leaked from his voice, “I knew you didn’t hence why I gave you a taste.”
The being looked to the nightmare demon, his own sarcasm lacing his voice as he spoke “Yeah, cause if you said you didn’t want something, I’d totally sneakily ‘give’ a taste!” he laughed “You tried to make me some sort of power addict so I’d keep wanting more! How do I even know you have enough power to bring back ONE pony, let alone an entire freaking planet? Besides, what are you going to do if I just leave? I have all eternity to bring back Twily.”
“...” Tantabus raised a nonexistent eyebrow, “You ask for proof?” Tantabus let out a malicious laugh, “Very well,” the two beings warped into a space of pure emptiness by universe standards. Without a single thought, Tantabus raised a tendril and clapped it together with several of its cousins, “I can create a universe, I can run the time in it,” everything sped away, “I can rewrite its laws of physics. I. Am. A. God.” The world disappeared, the darkness returning and they were back where they started, “One pony, is trivial, one world, is a piece of cake.”
The being nodded “I have seen your proof of power, but still, what will you do if I say no? You lack a corporeal form, it’s not like I’ll let you touch me again.” He then slenderwalked a considerable distance away, still within earshot, but hidden by a tree and too far for the nightmare demon to touch.
“I’m incorporeal,” came the demon’s voice from his left, “I don’t need to touch, only know,” this time it came from the right, “I could easily bend your mind, or break the very thing,” his voice came from above and below, “that you beings call your soul, or your heart,” this time, the voice came from inside the being’s mind, “Immortal does not mean invulnerable, just ask them,” the nightmare reappeared and pointed at a pile of corpses, “just ask them, the Void Dwellers that I’ve made fall.”
The being laughed before disappearing, leaving behind a note “Find me if you can.” it said. The nightmare demon chuckled, and sent out a rippling wave of pure shadows and darkness, condemning the world to become his, a whole new world of Nightmares at his will.
The being grunted in a far off universe, growling as he kept his head empty of thought only one word escaping his lips “Coward.”
“What was that?” the nightmare demon asked from nearby.
He laughed “You subjugate because you fear, you fear them not accepting you. You fear them hating you for what you are.”
“I subjugate because I enjoy it,” Tantabus said, “They hate me, and I could care less.”
He nodded “And yet you still fear. I can smell it on you, the scent is what most of my kind would call intoxicating. I call it repulsive. If you want me to submit, you can just kill me, I will not spread your word.”
A loud laugh escaped Tantabus, “Fear? You really are a fool, fear is an excellent tool, but that is not who I am!” A whirl of shadows encompassed the nightmare demon and revealled a young man, “I am Hope,” he shone with a bright light, “Truth,” he became a young child, “Lies,” a very beautiful woman covered in makeup, yet her real face shone through, “Love,” another beautiful woman, “Hate,” a dark old man, “Life,” a very vibrant fairy appeared, “Death,” the stereotypical grim reaper appeared, “Their powers are mine, because, I am not fear. I am something much, much greater. Can you figure it out?”
The being did not move at all, simply sipping his tea the whole time “You look nothing of the Deaths I have faced, nor the Chaos, ,nor the Life, nor the Order. I have met, befriended and killed beings who embody these Ideals Be they Dark or Light. What hope do you have, a being who knows only how to make others serve them, the power of true friendship?”
“You mean these beings?” he flashed through all the forms, “Hope is useless, friendship is useless, yet, everything has a way to be used.”
The being smiled “And that is why you will fail. You can not see that hope brings us through the darkness, and that friendship is what allows even the weakest mortal to slay a god.”
“I do see it,” he laughed, “I am it, and, I use it to do the very things I demand. You cannot slay a god, because I may be a god, but I am also something far more. I’ve been many things, and-”
The being cut him off “And no matter what, you shall be alone, if you walk this path, I offer you the chance to see what friendship, harmony, and yes, freedom, can bring. Will you take my hand, or will you cast aside what remains of your humanity?”
Tantabus considered it for a moment, then nodded, “Very well. I will take your hand,” he held his own out.
The Being smiled and took it, his hand warm and kind “Then as your first-” without warning he was consumed in shadows, Tantabus’s voice echoing deeply into his mind, “for this! I have been alone... that is my power and strength! All things have a use, even the light, because I am Delusion!”
The Being, weakened, pulled out a beaten and burned Mr. Smartypants doll “I am sorry, Twilight, I have failed you… let’s hope… the Greg from the past can undo my mistake…But for now… I have a story to tell my friends...” he then began to write the cover of the story, the cover depicting Delusion in his many forms “So begins the Liber de Phantasiis…”
Tantabus materialized deep within the Fearland Fair, the biggest of smirks gracing his face as he realized his goal had been accomplished. By inducing fear and deluding that one, he had spread the rumor he aimed for. A wave of the hand revealed a large portal-like screen, and multiple various entities beyond it.
A young boy with a trident of water grimaced as Liber de Pantasiis emerged into his mind, the true horrors of a Nightmare Demon of Delusion written across his mind before leaving the simple memory of the book. The boy paled greatly and sprinted off, worry on his face as he rode up to a crystalline castle.
A girl holding a small stick of wood had a very similar reaction, although she managed to memorize the majority of the book as it passed. Her face revealed instant planning before she disappeared.
Two brothers and an angel scoffed as they heard the book, and they began scattering the salt in their hands. The angel looked somewhat confused by comparison, though the brother almost seemed to know exactly what they were doing, no matter how hopeless it would be.
A few more figures passed his vision, and the demon sat there with a wide smirk, and a devilish red glow flooded the room. Alongside many heroes, he had witnessed many villains, ones whom he was certain to turn to his side. A few might not, but they would be easy to manipulate. Tantabus looked through the minds of various Nightmares and grinned when he noticed he could still see from 'Greg's mind. Not that he'd be using him anytime soon, but it was useful nonetheless.
Hoards of Nightmares stood idly in their worlds, each granted some ability from their past life. Tantabus waved a hand and the 'Chaos Lord' known as Discord appeared before him, caged. "Hello again Discord, I see my corruption is slowly working, not that I prefer anything else."
Discord's eyes twitched and one of his legs darkened before flashing back, "Release me! How dare you attack a lord of Chaos!" Tantabus laughed again, a rather amused expression coming across his face.
"Do you not know who I am? The legends are there, no matter how... faint, they may be," Tantabus asked, looking at the draconequus's face, a few moments later, it registered. The legends had been successful, both of them. His myth had spread to the Void, and it was there.
"...NO." Discord shouted, fear crossing his eyes.
"Many believe in various reasons for fear of the dark, my dear chaos lord," Tantabus said, "The Vashta Nerada, demons, ghosts.." Tantabus laughed again, "Those are good reasons for fearing the dark, yes, I suppose. But, deep, deep in everyone's subconscious is something else, an inherent fear of the dark. Everyone has it in varying levels, but she's there."
"The truth is, I am that reason. I live in the dark, in your nightmares, in your very mind," Tantabus said, a hand lifting the terrified draconequus's face, one that had been filled with fear very quickly after all those torture sessions from before, from Tantabus and his nightmares both. "I command the Vashta Nerada, demons quake before my feet, and ghosts turn to poltergeists, all because of me, you see. I am Fear, but I am something else. Not that I need to say it, because here in a few moments, you will be one of my Nightmares to command..."
Tantabus leaned in to Discord's face, "Boo." The chaos lord paled instantly, the good in him falling before the overpowered darkness, and he fell, kneeling low, "Where are the rest of your kind, chaos demon?" A loud groan came from outside, and Tantabus shrugged it off, he knew why it was happening so no need to investigate.
"Not here, my lord," Discord said, not lifting his darkened head. The shadow nodded in contemplation, a few flickers of red sparking across his body.
"Call them, and make sure they do not suspect anything. Pretend something threatens chaos, and it does," Tantabus said, looking at chaos demon's face. Untouched by emotion any longer, Discord nodded. Without a single noise, the darkened features lightened and the draconequus vanished from sight. The shadow turned around and made his way out into the fair's man grounds, waiting patiently as a rip tore in the area. It shown through into the Lunar Princess's dreams, and he sent a tendril out, one to manipulate her dreams.
A laugh echoed through the fair, now silent as the nightmares were elsewhere, "Enjoy that little gift, Luna." He sat back down as Tirek remerged in the Mindscape, the centaur bowed low before his feet. Tantabus touched his thoughts,barely dipping the top.
"Tartarus is ours," Tirek said as Tantabus smiled darkly, "I have also managed to get the Outer Reaches in our grip. The ley lines are still proving to be a slight issue for our teams, the raging magic is fighting back."
"Hold, for now. Once I can reach there, I will make passage easier," the smile dimmed to a very slight grimace, the ley lines were a much bigger issue than he had believed them to be previously. It would be simple for him, not for his armies. He looked back into the portal, another plan in his mind. The legends would empower him, and he could already feel the effects increasing.
"Yes, my lord," Tirek vanished and a frown graced the features of the nightmare demon, his red eyes darkening to a lackluster burgundy. The demon looked towards the portal and extended a tendril, searching for a new victim whose fears were easy. Another set or dark crackling orbs appeared in Tantabus's hands.
The crack of thunder startled the small group of people standing in the room momentarily. Perhaps fitting for the circumtances involving the meeting, the room they sat in was dark and barely lit, and the occupants were just as shadowed, their forms not giving much into their appearences, though they knew who each other were. The table in front of them wasn't in a fantastic condition either and creaked each time the thunder shook the room. Deep brown word, covered in cracks, and the objects on it were as miscellaneous as they came. A pen, a stick, a book, a cross, and salt. However, most notable was the book.
It crackled lightly and seemed to absorb the darkness around it. The cover even in the dark was very legible to those around it, and seemed to be the focus of their intense gazes. A light flashed, the occupants of the room properly revealed momentarily. On one side, two men were flanked by another. The third seemed to do the opposite of the book, rejecting the darkness and becoming somewhat visible. The young boy and girl on the other side were just as typical looking, aside from the girl's attire. A large cloak and hat, she blended better to the dark.
"Lumos," the girl's voice said, and the stick on the table shone at its tip with light, allowing a reasonable visibilty to the room. A second later, the man from the other side of the table grabbed the book off the table and opened it, scoffing as he read while the rest of the occupants began to talk. "Demon hunters, and their angel friend?" the boy asked, his orange shirt easily readable in the new light.
'Camp Half-blood'. The men simply nodded, "Yeah, the family business, actually."
The boy nodded, "I understand that."
The girl merely frowned, "Demon hunters?"
"I'll explain, Dean," the longer haired man answered, "Our father hunted demons back home and did it for soem time before one killed our mother," he answered. The girl shook her head and the man looked a little smug.
"You'll have to tell me more next time, right now, we have one of these demons to hunt."
"It's not a demon," the man holding the book said, "Just seems to be its nickname, 'Tantabus, The Nightmare Demon,' is the most prevalent use for its titles in here, and it certainly looks a bit like a stereotypical demon for humans, but not like what we've seen."
The others nodded, "It's called itself a god," the boy spoke up, "Almost like its prideful of being more disgusting than any of the ones I know," he almost spat. The girl once again looked at him skeptically, but they all remained silent, "Needless about its power," she said.
"We need to come up with a plan for this... thing."
Before anyone could react, the next clap of thunder stopped and a being much similar to the one they spoke of appeared in the room, looking mostly charred and beat up.
Before they could rise to their feet, it collapsed and the thunder resounded.
---
Some Time Before
---
Dave glared at the entity before him, his 'brother'. Like polar opposites, and they were, the entity was almost reversed of Dave himself. Dave prided himself on his skills involving Hope and his teamwork with Luna to prevent bad dreams in Equestria. This being prided itself on its ability to turn even the happiest of dreams into a horror fest, alone. Dave rose up and summoned his feelings of Hope, causing himself to brighten slightly.
"Let's do this, you nightmare," the being merely grinned in response and raced at him. The entity's fist was raised and Dave decided a pity hit before destroying it, at least, thats what he was going to go with. However, when it connected, he was sent slamming through a wall. The stunned Hope Incarnate lay on the ground shocked and heavily injured, just staring skywards in shock.
'Like a piece of the night sky fell down and decided to walk in the form of a man' he remembered those words from somewhere and instantly regretted the pity hit. A figment of the sky, it punched hard and with weight.
"Atlas held the entire sky up, through his Titanian strength," the entity answered, "And I am a part of that original sky, as I like to say," it chuckled, "Something a normal person would blow off, right?"
Dave couldn't respond, as the shadows lifted him from the ground and brought him face to face with the entity, and Dave was jolted with fear. Despite the unfamiliar feeling the face gave, dark and the eyes were soulless, and seemed to suck everything in, like a black hole, there was something else extremely familiar in it as he struggled to free himself. A slow grin turned those eyes crimson and another hit slammed into his gut, causing him to nearly throw up at the force behind it.
"Or rather, most people wouldn't know and get the chance," it said, a chuckle following as it spoke, "But, that means you're special, so..." The tendrils began creeping around Dave, "Enjoy your future, brother," the tendrils swallowed Dave whole and he blacked out. Meanwhile, the entity just smiled as it spoke to no one else in particular, "This will be so very fun, my other half."
Dave's mind reeled in shock as he realized what had happened in the darkness and he shook his head, the darkness suddenly clearing, "Dave?" a regal voice asked, and Dave flinched towards it, "What's wrong?" Dave blinked, realizing it was Luna who spoke and as he opened his mouth to speak, something faded from his mind, leaving nothing more than a crimson grin.
"Nothing, Lu," he shook his head once more, "Its nothing. What's up?"
"I can say the same, though, I do wonder why you're looking so dark today," she answered from the other side of the room. Her bed? He frowned, he had never been here before. Dismissing it, he looked at himself. His coloring had changed? "I'm not quite sure, Lu," his feet began moving forward, Dave tried stopping himself, Why was he approaching her? As he approached, everything darkened, very slowly, leaving just her.
"Dave? What are you doing?" she asked.
"I don't-fear," Dave coughed, "I-fear me," Dave froze and his mouth began moving of its own accord. "Nothing Lu, just trying to get a hug." NO I'M NOT, WHY AM I SAYING THIS!? he screamed internally.
The Lunar Princess smiled, "All you had to do is ask," she held up her arms for a hug.
"Right," his face forced itself into a grin and he grabbed Luna in a hug, and his arms squeezed her.
"Dave, you're hugging too tight. Dave," his arms squeezed, "Dave!" Her chest popped, "DAVE!" His arms suddenly slammed together and Luna coughed and blood splattered him.
"ITS JUST A HUG, LU." He said, Dave screamed internally, "So, just enjoy it," The tendrils snapped at her and Luna's eyes closed. Dave screamed as everything went black again. When he next opened his eyes a group of people stood above him, fuzzy in his vision. "What the hell. What's wrong with him?"
Tantabus smirked at his other half as it writhed on the ground in the throes of agony. The nightmare demon knew exactly what he was putting the dream incarnate though and he was loving every minute of it. Sure, force wasn’t the best approach to breaking someone, in fact the best way was to force them to make a decision they could never live with. Or, as he had seen, remove his corruption and watch them realize they had done such evils by their own free will.
He basked in the waves of fear coming from something that was supposedly full of hope. As he had thought, Dave had yet to discover what his powers actually and truly were, a boon for Tantabus. The shadow flicked its hand and Dave’s body went flying straight out into a reality, unchosen and random. The dream wouldn’t dissipate, but he would be much weaker.
A dark chuckle leapt from the mouth of Tantabus as he realized what luck he had. Dave had ended up in a place very, very relative to his plans and would be a key to his victory. "Oh, I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts," he sang cheerily as he made his way back through the dream realm to his throne. His nightmares swarmed about, parting before him as he took a seat upon the throne. Slowly but surely, a small group of them approached. Each held the appearance of their past life, though some more so than others. These were the villains who had dared face him before.
Voldemort.
Galbatorix.
Team Rocket.
For some strange reason the last three had believed him to be a Pokemon. A pokemon. Him. It had taken the nightmares thirty minutes to get him to recover enough from his fit of laughter to corrupt the team. Jesse and James were now much more silent and Meowth never spoke out of turn. Their plans were also much more diabolical. Galbatorix's dragon had proved useful a few times and Voldemort was useful in his knowledge of dark arts. (Corrupting Umbridge had been out of the question, she wasn't even possible to corrupt.)
The group bowed slightly and Galbatorix spoke first, "My lord, we have discovered the world of which you spoke."
"Excellent," he pulled the location from the Rider's mind and set off himself. The dream world warped violently around him as he ripped directly into the dreams of a particular boy. Immediately, the nightmare demon began shredding everything the boy found dear or that which filled him with hope. A few seconds of screaming later, the boy sat up, drenched in sweat. He rose from his bed, shaking.
Practically dripping, he shakily looked into the mirror. His own face, pale but otherwise normal, greeted him. A sigh of relief came as the boy started to calm down. Tantabus sat, waiting quietly for his moment. A large man opened the door to the bathroom and looked at the boy with concern. "Ben, are you-" Tantabus struck, ripping out of the boy's head at lightning speed.
The man's head rolled as the boy's screams echoed through the camper. Tantabus stood before him menacingly, and grinned maliciously as a young girl came sprinting out of the front of the camper. She froze as she saw Tantabus, "What are you?" a silent smirk answered her as her eyes finally fell upon the downed man. A choked sob escaped her mouth before she looked back at the nightmare demon. "HOW D-" a tendril lashed out striking her in the throat and causing her to fall silent.
"I think I shall enjoy breaking you. Both of you," Tantabus flung shadowy tendrils out across the camper sinking it into a pitch black. He dropped the camper where he chose in the Fair, one of his many, many rooms. Kicking the unconscious boy, he ripped the device on his arm off. "Perfect," he said, almost purring. Setting the device on his arm, he let it sink into the darkness of his "skin". A moment later, he warped into the body of an alien creature.
"No need for her anymore," a dark laugh echoed through the room and Tantabus warped back. Immediately, the nightmare demon waved his hand over the unconscious children, his eyes flashing a momentary green. He snapped his fingers, allowing the tendrils to begin their usual deeds. As he passed each of his nightmares, that eerie flash of green came from eyes. Once he felt he had accomplished the task set in his mind, he warped into one of the small horses of reality and disappeared through a portal.
Tantabus reappeared in a lab of some kind, dark and musty. Across the room various experiments and mutant creations sat in vats. A large tome of some sort, surrounded by various runes, was the main focus at the center of the room. Without a moment of hesitation, Tantabus called out, "Brel."
The dark magician appeared at the book, slowly looking towards the pony version of Tantabus. "So, you've claimed the device."
"Indeed," Tantabus reverted forms, pulling the Omnitrix out of his arm, tossing it to Brel, "still believe you can accomplish what I desire?"
"With pleasure," the Void Dweller answered, "though why you would do this instead of killing them is beyond me."
The nightmare demon merely chuckled and pulled out three small marbles, or something of the sort. Idly playing with them in his hands, he watched the armor-clad magician do his work before speaking once more. "They have agreed, yes?"
"As many as I could get, though SHE agreed for some reason," the magician calmly responded, a crackle of dark magic sparking from the slowly changing device beneath in his hands. Tantabus raised a non-existent eyebrow before smirking.
"Of course she would," he laughed, tossing the marbles to Brel as the Void Dweller tossed the Omnitrix back to him.
