Post by Mal on Apr 2, 2016 17:44:34 GMT -5
Gleaming Echo found himself in his own room at the inn tonight. Everypony else had had things they needed to do, yes? All he had to do was lay around, read, and occasionally check to see if his friends had returned. But by the stars he was bored! The light half AND the dark half were both grumpy because of this. They would take any sort of distraction, any at all! Why; it was to the point that, nah... nevermind that. Gleam rolled onto his back and let out a groan as he sprawled out upon the soft bed. How he enjoyed the bed... he wondered how it would feel to lay upon a cloud. Something winged ponies could do...
Yunalesca spent most of her time digging through her books for anything interesting. Well, a lot of it pertained to her interests, seeing as fortune telling was her thing, but any mentions of nightmares had to do with dreams. Dream meanings. Nothing about actual nightmares, as in ponies, or such split issues as Gleam's. Maybe digging through such books had been the wrong idea, and she had to try for something else. Spells.. Maybe the book Lightning had found for them? Yuna walked off back to her room while she mulled this over, but as she walked by Gleam's she hesitated. She still need to talk to him about a few things.. The alicorn took a few steps back and knocked to see if he was in, and awake.
Gleaming Echo all but shot up on his bed when he heard a knock upon the door. Hardly a moment later he was standing next to the door and opening it with a hoof. Upon seeing the disguised alicorn on the other side of the door he happily smiled. "Lady Yuna! How wonderful of a surprise!" he'd say with a smile. He oft times felt rather useless with his inability to go into the library himself or to well... almost seemingly do anything but fight. Tarnished was even feeling rather useless himself and the Nightmare was a lazy bugger! Tarnished let out a growl in the combined pony's head and the other half seemed to calm down... marginally. "Something we can help you with?" he smiled as he flicked his tail. He was in his robes once again since they could be worn, burnt as they were.
Yunalesca took a step back, a little surprised by the quick answer. "Gleam?" She wanted to confirm it was him, first. "It's been a while since I could talk to you. Uh, I was hoping to talk. About stuff. Can I come in?" Her gaze flicked to the old robe, burnt from their trek through the cave; she wondered if there was somepony that could fix it up for him? It would be a nice surprise to bring it back, like new, but she didn't want to go breaking into his room and stealing it just to do so.. Especially when he was usually around. Yuna looked back up at him and smiled hesitantly.
Gleaming Echo nodded rather quickly when it seemed she was checking just who was behind the reigns. "Yes, 'tis me." The light half of the pony had managed to somewhat calm down although now he was feeling somewhat inadequately dressed before his dear goddess in naught but burnt robes and raiment! Of course it was just the cultist in him. He knew she likely didn't care; after all he frequently shed his robes with her! Why would she care about how nice he looked? Even still he eyed the burns uncertainly and perked his ears again. "Of course, lady Yuna. You are always more than welcome." he stepped back and swept a foreleg to gesture for her to come in.
Yunalesca nodded when he agreed and walked in the moment he physically invited her. She looked around for a place to settle down and chose the couch over in the corner, curling there on one of the cushions. Her gaze went back towards him, almost expectantly, for him to join her. "One of the things I wanted to talk to you about was actually brought up by Distant. That you could probably get a refund or something for Dusk's room since she doesn't use it anyway.. it would be a continued waste, and all." She was pleased it was him, too, since it had usually been Tarnished in control.. and she missed talking to Gleam. So gentle.
Gleaming Echo continued to stand to the side as Yuna entered the room and headed for the couch. He almost hid the blush, key word almost, whenever she gazed at him almost expectantly. The unicorn quickly made his way to join her, hardly able to help but cuddle up against the alicorn even if he was wearing his robes. "I-I suppose I could... But then again I might just keep the room for now just in case. With the rooms taken up we don't have to worry about anypony but one of our little group entering the wash-room. I would rather not risk exposing you over some bits...." he'd say with a smile and a light nudge.
Yunalesca quirked her head at the blush and moved close up against him, leaning in to the nudge. "I've already wandered around without my shawl a few times, even while Dusk was giving me some lessons on strengthening my wing muscles. It really wouldn't be a problem either way.. not unless one of the princesses needed a room, but I highly doubt they'd stay at a simple inn when they've got that castle." Yuna shrugged and nuzzled the side of his neck. "Um, how have you been doing? I didn't want to just come in here to ramble about other things.."
Gleaming Echo was restraining himself as it were. For poor little Gleam it had been quite a while since he'd had alone time with Yuna! After all Tarnished had all but hogged control of the body during the whole 'episode'... Thus the moment Yuna nuzzled the side of his neck he sidled up himself and rest against the alicorn. "I've been.... okay I guess. Bored.... I suppose I understand why Tarnished wants a body so much." he'd say with a quiet voice. "I couldn't imagine being..." he let himself drift off and resolved to let the dark half of himself be able to come out on his own more often. "I'm still not comfortable with just anypony seeing you bathing." he'd say with a pout and a bit of a face. Ooooh; the root of the problem? Protective was he?
Yunalesca looked up into Gleam's face, her ears perked. "I'm still working on that, just so you know. It's a little difficult considering your situation, but I'm sure there's something out there.. Maybe not in the princess's library, but.." Canterlot, perhaps? They had the Archives, and a lot of Starswirl's magic there. Who knew what kind of magic was available there? Yuna refocused from this trailing thought when Gleam brought up the bath and she blushed a little herself. ".. Oh. Well, that I can understand. Don't worry about that, nopony will but you." Yuna moved a hoof up around one of his shoulders once he had sidled closer. "I haven't been able to find anything on nightmares, except stuff about dreams and the like, unfortunately." She picked up that particular thread again, trying to be casual about what she'd just said.
Gleaming Echo made a bit of a face and looked at Yuna as she spoke of heading to Canterlot... and then tossed out that nopony would see her bathe but h-him! His face lit up with a blush that he quickly hid by nuzzling up against Yuna's neck as her hoof reached up and around his shoulder. "I doubt the information is readily available to anyone.. I know a little about nightmares from books on dream magic the cultists recovered, but it is unfortunate that those book are so heavily restricted. I doubt they even have them in the restricted section of Canterlot... It is probably in the princess's own private library."
Yunalesca tilted her head to the side when Gleam immediately went for her neck, nuzzling into it. The hoof she'd moved around him went up to his mane to stroke it idly. "Hmm.. You know, it's always worth it to go and look. Just to see what they have there, but.. it probably wouldn't be safe for you, so close to the princesses. I don't think either of them would be anywhere near the Archives, since they might be busy running a kingdom, but still. I don't want you hurt." Yuna frowned and buried her face into his mane for a moment. "So what all do you know about nightmares, and stuff? It might be useful to us."
Gleaming Echo furrowed his brow and shook his head. "N-No... I'll go with you. I don't care if it is dangerous... I don't want to lose you to them either." he'd say as he fidgeted some against the alicorn. After all, if she was discovered to be an alicorn - would he ever be able to see her again? The cultist was distracted from the unpleasant thoughts though as she buried her face into his mane and asked that question. "The original classification of Nightmare long, long ago once belonged to ponies of mixed dragon and pony heritage... However with the Nightmare Moon Incident they have come to be identified with... corrupt ponies. Alicorn, Unicorn, Pegasus, Or Earth ~ Each are able to be corrupt and twisted by dark magic into a nightmare according to the books. But besides that it doesn't say. The book was merely advising that a pony might encounter nightmares in dreams.... but I have my doubts since dream magic is so... difficult to come by."
Yunalesca hummed a little into his hair and turned her face to keep her mouth free for talking. "If you want to, I can't really force you to do anything you don't want to.. Besides, you're still my knight." Her mouth curved up at the corners; she wasn't much of a pony for any of those sappy nicknames she heard ponies give each other, but such a thing as she used was hardly like that. Cheesy, maybe. Yuna listened to him as he explained what he knew, mulling it over as the information was given. All they'd have to do was search for stuff like that, and they could surely find something from there. "I bet. Princess Luna might not want somepony messing with dreams, but.. what dream magic do you know?"
Gleaming Echo all but uh... preened whenever she referred to him as still being her knight! Yes - yes that made the light half of the cultist happy! The dark half scoffed in the back of their head though... "Count on it - I'd be happy to go." however he fell silent when she asked just how much dream magic he 'did' know.. "I know enough to be considered a cultist adept. How to give one simple nightmares, basic dreamwalking, dream manipulation, and shared dreams to start....." he'd list the first few off only to have to sit and think... he hadn't been the one taught. Shield had been... he had to try to remember what Shield had been taught!
Yunalesca nuzzled against his head, smiling. She was worried about just such a trip too, with or without Gleam there, but she had his support, too, which was something. "Shared dreams?" Just like the one they were in.. though that was a shared nightmare. She wondered what a shared dream would be like, with no threats. "It sounds interesting. Not the nightmare part, but.. dreams in general." Yuna mused on it for a moment. "That would be something to do.. I mean, I know you've been bored, you could probably look through that book on breaking curses and stuff, but this.." She didn't want to really do any more research.
Gleaming Echo fidgeted a little as he looked to Yuna. "I-Well... I could put us into a shared dream if you want. I'm sure we could find a lot to do there." he'd say only to let out a bit of a smile. "Tarnished could even have his own body again there!" he'd add on as he leaned against the alicorn and relished in being in his dear goddess's company once again. There was little he wanted more than simply this ever since he'd been stuck in the back of Tarnished's mind. Well he was mostly to blame for it, really. He had been terrified to link himself with Tarnished's mind.... Terrified of what it was like as a mare...
Yunalesca bumped her nose up against his, intrigued by the idea. "Yeah, it might be fun. Just to see how things are until we can find Tarnished a real body. It'd be nice to be able to talk to the both of you without feeling like I'm ignoring the other, or talking like the other isn't there. I know he has to be listening most of the time." Yuna wasn't entirely sure about how either of them felt whenever she addressed them that way, or what they thought about what she said when it seemed like they weren't present. "If you're able, and if it isn't too much trouble or anything."
Gleaming Echo could hardly resist the smile that stole out across his face. "W-well.. The e-easiest way is for me to cast my spell and then we can dream together!" he'd say as the excited puppy of a unicorn's horn lit up with golden magic. A tendril of magic moved from his horn and seemingly connected with hers! That would provide her a bit of a strange sensation before she'd start to feel.. drowsy? Probably the magic at work!
Yunalesca had to wonder why Gleam was stammering. Had she made him nervous, or.. ? She couldn't tell, but he looked happy enough to do it. The alicorn started to nod and became still the moment his magic connected with her horn- it was almost like when he was showing her healing magic the first time. Only, it was different this time, and it did feel weird.. Her eyes felt heavy too. Yuna blinked, her first instinct to try to resist, but how else did she expect to have a shared dream with him? She made herself stop and rested her head down against his shoulder, closing her eyes and let herself be swept along to slumber..
Gleaming Echo let out a yawn himself as the magic started to work. He settled down against Yuna and rest his head down against the alicorn. Within minutes both would be asleep! Yuna would find herself coming to in a rather strange place! And perhaps slightly recognizable? Not likely since she'd never likely been there. The ruin of the old castle was in his mind? Perhaps some influence by the shard in the raiment... However she'd find herself alone in the 'antechamber'. Everything was quite peaceful.
Yunalesca found cold stone under her hooves when everything slowly came together, out of the dark fog that was sleep. She wasn't in Gleam's inn room anymore, but the stone walls around her wasn't so reassuring. It was a bit familiar, in a strange way, and also a little discomforting. Stone walls, cultist's hideout. The alicorn wrinkled her nose, but she didn't think either of them would end up there would they? Nah. Never there. Yuna took a few steps forward, looking around at the room she'd ended up in. "Hello? Gleam?" She called out, her ears perked.
Gleaming Echo was the first pony she'd likely see as he stepped from a doorway. "See? See?! She's here Tar!" he'd say with a wide smile as he hopped over to the unicorn and quite possibly might have pounced her? He really could act so foal-like at times. Perhaps it was because he was the 'good' part? Or perhaps it was because he was still somewhat foal like? Tarnished was the next to step forth... Or rather the familiar form of the female form did. "I don't know why I'm a mare here though." Was the 'grumpy' line from the nightmare as he followed the unicorn to Yuna. The dark pony smiled at the sight, although it was somewhat hidden. "Good evening Yuna.." he smiled. Even as Gleam perhaps clung to the alicorn the dark pony lowered his head to give her a nuzzle.
Yunalesca's gaze was drawn by movement in one of the doorways, catching the sound of Gleam's voice shortly before she saw his face. She smiled at the bounding sight of him and released a little squeak upon being pounced, her hooves moving around his neck to steady herself. She didn't want to get squished, but it was a dream, where pain probably didn't really exist. "Gleam!" Tarnished's voice was next to draw her attention, though it was of his mare's voice, and she froze a little at the sight of him. She had to sit down and take them both in for a moment, glancing between their now separate bodies. It was true, and yet! Her smile widened and she moved in to the nuzzle to give Tarnished a kiss, and another to Gleam. "Wow, I can't believe.. I can finally see you both!" Even if Tarnished was a mare, but what did it matter?
Gleaming Echo smiled as he clung to Yuna with both his forelegs around her as well. He was quite happy there cuddling Yuna! The kiss was returned with quite a bit of well.. could one call it passion? He was just happy to see her! In a sense this was like.. what.. his current family? Yuna and Tarnished and He? He was happy to have all three of them in one place! Tarnished was just happy to have his own body again - even if this was just a dream. "It is quite wonderful to see you again with my own eyes." he'd say with that delightfully sexy evil voice! Perhaps being stuck a mare still wasn't too bad! His kiss was actually rather tame, but even still he laid down on Yuna's other side and curled around her. Placing Yuna between he and Gleam! Where both of them could cuddle against her!
Yunalesca closed her eyes, just for the duration of the kiss with Gleam- which was strange, she would have expected Tarnished to respond more like this. She was happy with it, either way. The feeling of Tarnished behind her prompted her to pull away a little, just to settle down between them. One wing was draped over Tarnished, and the other made to nudge Gleam down close so that she could do the same to him. "Yeah.." To think that she was here with the both of them, or with more than one pony at all. Yuna made a thoughtful noise and spoke gently. "I.. care about the two of you a lot." There was little she could think to say, but where she could see both of them at once, it felt better to say such that way.
Gleaming Echo both looked at each other and then looked to Yuna. "We both care about you too...." Gleam would be the one to speak for them both as he leaned in and rest his head against hers. Tarnished moved to mirror the action though it wasn't quite as easy because of the size difference. "I don't rightly know what to call the feelings we experience when around you..." the dark half began only to offer a shark-like grin as he moved in for the kiss she probably had expected! It was quite the long kiss and likely needed Gleam there to help make sure she didn't get pushed over by accident! Passionate Tar was passionate!
Yunalesca noted their exchanged look and brushed her cheek up against Gleam's, head tilting to do the same with Tarnished once he joined in. She was sure she had a word to give him, but did it seem a little too soon? They had yet to really determine what exactly they were- they couldn't possibly be just friends. "Lo-.. ?" Yuna started to say anyway, before Tarnished silenced her with his lips. This was the kind of kiss she expected from him! She lifted a hoof up to his cheek as she kissed him back, though she could feel herself getting pressed up against Gleam in the process. Ohmy~.
Gleaming Echo was forced to shift and adjust as Tarnished continued to press against Yuna! He'd gently push the mare onto her back if he could where he'd pull back briefly... Nopony was given another chance to speak before he kissed again! Tarnished had evidently missed her? Perhaps just as much as Gleam had whenever Tarnished had been in charge. He did feel his own emotions stronger than Gleam did! This included the passion that caused this! Gleam was watching on with a smile! The scene was quite lovely in his opinion!
Yunalesca had to pull her wings against her side the more Tarnished pressed in, and submitted to being rolled down on her back. The brief release of the kiss allowed her a chance to glance up between the two before the nightmare moved in again. Perhaps she had left Tarnished alone a little too long, with the way he was acting. She had to find a way to even out her time between the pair.. All of this went on in her head, distractedly so, while she dealt with kissing Tarnished. Elsewhere in the dream, something curious entered through the moon above and found confusion in the location. Who would dream of the old castle? The dreamwalker herself made her way down to the derelict building to step through its halls, making her way towards the ponies she sensed here. That was what drew Princess Luna to this dream, the existence of what felt like two.. ? perhaps more ponies in one dream, and not just dreamt up ones. The scene she came upon in the shadow of a doorway was.. very odd.
Gleaming Echo felt something become rather.... off... that little nagging sensation in the back of his mind. Somepony was here... His eyes narrowed as his protective side rose to the surface. There were only two groups that could infiltrate dreams.. Call him paranoid, but... Tarnished was blissfully unaware as he tried to push all of his emotions through the kiss! Tarnished was the needy one of the duo... which was odd considering. The nightmare pulled back from the kiss with somewhat half-lidded eyes even as he smiled. "I have been waiting to be able to do that again." The dark pony crooned. However that would have been about the time that Gleam noticed the pony. The familiar but unfamiliar magic. His stomach dropped to his hooves and he paled. "T-Tarnished!" he'd bark out only for the nightmare in question to look at Gleam and then follow his gaze. The resulting hiss that came from the nightmare sounded more feral than not as he got off of Yuna and put himself between Yuna and the dreamwalker.
Yunalesca made a little noise the more Tarnished kissed her, both front hooves moving up to stroke his mane. The way he kissed her was almost.. desperate, not just passionate. And she enjoyed it. He finally pulled away and she smiled up at him, giggling softly. The sound was cut short, however, the moment Gleam spoke to his other. Yuna picked up on something tense between them and moved her head back, looking in the same direction they were. There was somepony else standing in the doorway, tall and.. ? Yuna didn't get much of a chance to study the figure with Tarnished in the way and quickly rolled to get her legs beneath her next to Gleam. "Who?" In the doorway that Princess Luna stood, she was quick to notice the tall dark one, her attention immediately pulled to them with some alarm. It was brief, but their? her? appearance looked so strikingly like her old self that.. Was this more why she was drawn to this dream? Princess Luna was looking at another.. nightmare. She stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, her brow darkening. "What is the meaning of this?"
Gleaming Echo turned to Yuna while Tarnished distracted the alicorn. "Y-You need to wake up Yuna." he'd say as he gave the mare a nudge. "You can do it, just concentrate on waking up." He was absolutely terrified of Yuna being found out! It was bad enough that Princess Luna of all ponies stumbled across this shared dream, but... Yuna was here with them! Sadly he couldn't make her wake since... gah! Even Gleam moved to put himself between Yuna and the Night Princess. Tarnished was making sure to keep the focus upon him...her? The nightmare was starting to realize a few things... "We were showing an acquaintance what it is like to experience a shared dream, Night Princess." he'd say with that acidic tone of his. It sounded so evil with this voice of his! He loved it! "You have no need to dwell here." It definitely didn't help that with the blue robe the dark half and the light half wore the raiment pieces... for Tarnished it just helped the comparisons Luna was already making.
Yunalesca looked over at Gleam, growing nervous at his insistence to wake up. "I can't leave you here, though! What if something happens?" There was no way she could up and leave him, without finding out.. She lifted a hoof for him as he left her side, and dropped it. Dammit, this had gone sour too fast. The alicorn took a deep breath to try to calm herself. Maybe she would try to wake up, just so it wouldn't make anything worse without having to protect her, too, from one of the princesses.. Meanwhile, Princess Luna was peering at the strange pair, coming to notice the neckpieces. Was it just a fool's imagination to sport that? It did little to turn her mind from the taller one, who looked so similar.. The colors may have been slightly off, but they were close enough. "Were it so easy. Dream magic is nothing to meddle with, and more, you mock me with that raiment around your necks! Do you know nothing? You, are you not a nightmare? How did this come to be?" Princess Luna evidently didn't like this.
Gleaming Echo smiled softly over his shoulder back at Yuna. "It is best that only one of us is exposed." he'd say as he turned back to Luna and his expression hardened with his mouth pressing into a thin line. Tarnished had lowered down into a rather aggressive defense pose. Like a feline ready to pounce but not yet ready to abandon its vantage? Or perhaps an ursa major protecting its minor? No, it was more like a coiled snake; One wrong move and the nightmare would lash out. "Your sister may have tried; but elements of those that yet worship Lady Nightmare lived on, Night Princess. As we once did. Now we worship one greater than she." Gleam would begin as he stepped in front of the 'coiled' nightmare himself; the dream world shimmered as a shield formed and was quickly caught within his aura. Yuna likely never would have heard so much raw contempt leaking form the normally kind half's voice. Of course he had been fed the cultist's spiel that the alicorn would kill them ~ yadda yadda yadda....
Gleaming Echo would not let Luna harm Tarnished! She had a lot of power in the dream world as the Dreamwalker; but yet he was the dreamer was he not? The one that created this dream. Tarnished had nearly as much power here as he did; being they were of the same mind; in theory! "The idiot is right, Night Princess... And yes, I am a nightmare; created by accident I'd wager. Now will you please piss off?" he'd say with a snarl. Yeah... it was hard to hold a civil conversation each of their incarnations had been indoctrinated to despise her! This was a mockery of Lady Nightmare after all!
Yunalesca whined uncertainly, despite Gleam's smile, which had no doubt been meant to comfort her. She could hear the princess talking somewhere on the other side of the two stallions, but she couldn't see past either of them. Sighing, Yuna tried to focus again on waking up. If it worked like Gleam said it would, she would leave it up to him, but she had never heard him yet talk like that.. It was kind of impressive. Off she would be, soon, leaving Princess Luna to deal with only two ponies. "You are a fool to believe such lies." Luna snorted, pawing at the ground as she took a few, slow steps towards them and the manifested shield. "Nightmare Moon and myself are one and the same, the title that I gave myself the moment I went against nature itself." Princess Luna's voice had hardened. Were these like the Archon of her sister's healing temple? "Not until I know you are not a threat." The mention of 'accident' did snag her attention. "What accident?" She had no intent to fight nor kill, but information. What they both spouted intrigued her, and if she had to set them both straight about herself.. She would. As for the nightmare, she would have to find a way to reverse it, wouldn't she? Give the pony themself back, as the six once did for her.
Gleaming Echo sagged a little in relief as he felt Yuna leave the dream. Behind him Tarnished did much of the same, glancing back to where Yuna once stood. Now there was nopony. Gleam's gaze never left Luna as he watched her like a hawk. They were the ones scared of her after all; and for all the bravado it would be fairly obvious should the princess look hard enough. However there was the nagging doubt... That one tiny voice that was trying to tell them that the propaganda might have all been lies. That little voice that was so easily ignored as they stared her down. However it was Gleam that began. "Upon your... purification..." cue grimace because the cultists taught it different! "Several in our group went to retrieve the fragments of Lady Nightmare's armor. What they didn't know was that it was infected with Lady Nightmare's magic. What they thought was a blessing was naught but a curse." he grimaced. "The whole cult started to go mad, fights breaking out... a-and.. a pony died.." Gleaming Echo seemed to find it difficult to speak so Tarnished finished. "We are all that is left of that pony."
Yunalesca found it difficult to have left Gleam behind, and woke up with a little start, frightened. How did the princess of the night find them there? It was all she could do not to try to wake Gleam up by shaking him, and simply rested there against the unicorn, tense and worried. In the dream, Princess Luna listened in silence, her brow still drawn down above serious teal eyes while the smaller unicorn explained. "My corrupt power." She corrected quietly, but made no attempt to interrupt him entirely. It was good she did not. Luna's eyes widened, her head leaned forward to peer at them- there had been something about them, some sort of odd similarity.. "You.." It threw her off, "were split twim?" Her ears folded back for a moment and she straightened again. How was she to handle this? Princess Luna exhaled through her nose and sat down, folding her flared wings. "A mistake to have left any trace of myself behind, but I had not known.. ! Ponies only ever feared me, never worshiped."
Gleaming Echo gazed stonily at the alicorn as she sat and folded her wings. Both Nightmare and Gleam were expecting some sort of attack that was to never come! "Corrupt alicorn magic is... harmful to ponies who directly absorb the energy from say... armor." he'd drone only to glance at Tarnished. "The pony we were slowly fell ill until the corruption tore apart his mind and we were created by what was left." the unicorn gestured between them both. "An echo of the Pony.... And an echo of the corruption recreated by a new 'host'..." Tarnished's eyes closed as he said that. That even drew Gleam's puzzled gaze. They had both been born from Shield, right? Tarnished, however, had been doing a lot of thinking. There were too many similarities between himself and Lady Nightmare. Far too many... Whether he was right about the theory was another thing entirely. He didn't claim to be an expert on such matters.
Yunalesca comforted herself to stroke the sleeping unicorn's long, wavy mane in the waking world while she waited. Princess Luna on the other hoof, was utterly still as she listened, studying the two unicorn in front of her. She was puzzled why one was a mare if they claimed to have come from one pony.. "As I see." The princess closed her eyes, thinking on what information she was given, and freely. "I am sorry this has happened to you. Nopony deserves it. I daresay there is no chance of making you whole again and returning you to normal." Princess Luna frowned, her face letting up on its previous dark expression. "Ponies change and grow over time with each new experience, with you two as separate entities, such a rejoining would be incomplete. Flawed. The pony you were is gone, and may never be again." Luna found a new thing to regret with her former self. "I could not know where to begin to make it right."
Gleaming Echo glanced at Tarnished briefly again as the Nightmare grimaced. He'd come up from the attack position ever since Luna herself had 'stood down' as it were. Gleam seemed to have nearly reversed in his outlook though. Where he was frigid he as now showing a somewhat sympathetic expression. This pony sounded far more like the pony that deserved to be worshipped... Not Nightmare Moon... Perhaps their ancestors got something wrong down the line. "We have... already come to that conclusion ourself." The good half stepped forward to offer a reassuring nudge to the alicorn if he was allowed. Much like a foal he was woefully naiive; something not even the indoctrination could change. "We've been looking for a spell that would let us split apart. That way we both can be with our friends instead of one getting to experience while the other is forced to watch." As Gleam said this tarnished turned his head as if trying not to listen.. not really one for the sap.
Yunalesca had to wonder what was going on in the dream. It was taking Gleam a while to wake up, but maybe it just seemed that way because she was worried? She could.. wait. As long as he was still breathing.. - Princess Luna lifted her head to look at the lighter colored stallion when he touched her. She puzzled over that for a moment; just some minutes ago, they had been in battle stances. "A spell." Luna repeated, frowning in thought as her gaze moved to the nightmare. Should she help them? Not directly with magic, no, she knew not of such herself, but to direct them.. Luna stood up again, but her stance was relaxed as she made to step towards the nightmare, but turned away. In a wide half circle she went, her gaze roving over the castle around her. She wondered if they were.. in Ponyville? It didn't matter. "It concerns me that you know dream magic, but there is naught I can do. Your mind, or minds, are probably badly damaged as it is and I have no skill in meddling with memory."
Yunalesca. Luna paused, turning back to them, specifically, eyeing the nightmare. "All I can truly do is ask that you keep to your own dream. I have enough on my hooves without having to deal with nightmares of the mundane variety, without somepony causing me more trouble." The princess frowned, stern for a moment. She wanted to see how they took it before she could really say anything else- offtopic as it was.
Gleaming Echo stood back from the Night Princess and looked simultaneously confused and overjoyed. Perhaps the cultists had been misleading! Of course Gleam was probably the easiest to convince because he merely wanted to make friends! Tarnished would be the difficult one to convince as was evident by the guarded way he followed the alicorn's movement as she moved in that half circle. "Many in Lady Nightmare's cult are practitioners of the dream arts. However with your presence it is rarely, if ever, truly practiced." The dark pony replied only for his gaze to narrow as she made her request for him to stay out of the dreams of other ponies. "I can only promise to not enter dreams of those that are not our friends. There is one pony we can, and will, bring into dreams with us." With that growled out much like a standoffish dragon the nightmare glanced to Gleam who was still standing where he'd been before.
Yunalesca snuggled up on Gleam, keeping a good eye on him in the waking world.. - Princess Luna had turned her own gaze up towards the silvery moon in the cracked ceiling as she listened, but it probably looked like she wasn't. She was thinking it over, weighing her options. Equestria had changed in the thousand years she had been gone, and she had too; she was still learning to take the gentler approach to situations. And this situation needed a very careful hoof. "It is all I needed to know. As long as these friends of yours consent, but no more." Luna would be keeping a careful eye on the nightmare, but she would leave their dreams be.. unless it was important. "If these cultists are a threat, I would like to know their location.. As for your spell, I fear I know not of such magic; even in my long life I have never encountered something as this. Though perhaps Starswirl the Bearded may have something.. a great wizard, was he, and he experimented much with magic."
Gleaming Echo looked rather conflicted and then almost unbidden a table appeared; upon which was a map of equestria recreated from memories of gazing at a similar map. Dreams were such a wonderous thing! He glanced at Tarnished as if to ask permission and the Nightmare's head bowed in a nod. "The cult... W-We were in the mountains near uh... Here I think it was." he'd say as a section of the map became 'highlighted' by magic. The unicorn's brow furrowed only for Gleam to look at Luna once again. "I ask only that you make sure everypony is okay... T-though they may hate us... Or perhaps only Gleaming Shield... ~ We... Or Shield, rather... had friends there. And his remaining family." The nightmare was the one who stepped in. "We stole Lady Nightmare's raiment when we realized that it was what was causing everypony to... grow violent. It is our curse to carry now." The mention of Starswirl the Bearded made the unicorn perk up and then deflate. "But... Starswirl is long dead is he not? The closest thing we have would be the Star Swirl wing at Canterlot castle, no?" The discomfort was palpable on both ponies....
Yunalesca. Princess Luna turned her attention to the table, feeling that small change in the dream, and stepped up to it to peer at the map. "The Foal Mountains." She would remember that small detail, but there was the matter of dealing with the cultists within.. There were a few ways she could go about it, handle it. Ponies had to understand that her brief reign as Nightmare Moon was not something to be worshipped. "I will see to it." Luna straightened her head again to look at them both, gaze dipping to the neckpieces. Smaller than hers had been. "Indeed, the Canterlot Archives is where his work lies now, of which is left to the public in any case. If if even it holds nothing.. I fear there is little more I can do." Showing kindness to such an unfortunate being, or beings, might show them a different path. The nightmare, especially. Was she being too lenient though? She was dealing with a nightmare. "This is all I need to know, for now. Take heed that you do not go down the wrong path, either of you."
Gleaming Echo moved to stand next to Tarnished and glanced up at the nightmare briefly. Said nightmare exhaled and pushed to a fully standing position; no longer looking like he was ready to pounce the alicorn or attack her. "If you would have said that before." the nightmare drifted off only to lower his head some. "According to pony kind I should be a monster; and in turn I had been more than happy to be the monster I was supposed to be ~ But my...companions make it so hard to be a monster." That was said with a somewhat fond tone of voice; something odd to hear from a nightmare most likely! "But make no mistake; We will be wary princess.. Of all potential dangers." the nightmare's eyes narrowed "I will not lose those I hold dear."
Princess Luna gave the nightmare an appraising gaze as she listened. They sounded nothing like the nightmare they were, with their depth of emotion and care for their companions. Like a pony. She hummed, stepping around the manifested table to lean her head a little close, as though trying to peer into his soul. "I fear it is my fault for why ponies would see nightmares as monsters. I may not have been the original, but I certainly made enough of a mark to have struck such fear into the hearts of ponies. If my sister did not stop me with the Elements of Harmony, this land would have been naught but dust within a few years." Princess Luna considered showing off that visage, as though to drive the point home, but she did not. "You seem to know well enough, and for that I can be soothed. I have no more business in this dream and I can release thee from my prattling." Luna took a step back at that, opening her wings to leave- lest either of them had anything else to say beyond a farewell.
Gleaming Echo could only grin some as Nightmare and Night Princess spoke. "I'll try to keep him in line." he piped up only for Tarnished to groan. "Oh do shut up, idiot. I'd like to see you try." Was the reply only for the nightmare to turn back to Luna as she suddenly approached and brought her head close. Never one to bow down the Nightmare returned the gaze. "You wanted to be acknowledged; to be appreciated. Did you not? That is not a crime. But power always has a price." the nightmare crooned as his expression morphed into an almost sinister smile. Oh how he loved his - or maybe her - own voice. "Since I was created from the magic in the reforged raiment in conjunction with Gleaming's ruined mind - Could we be considered related, albeit distantly? Or magically?" Was the sudden question. On one hoof though..nah - "Actually - Nevermind, it matters little Night Princess... Good night." The nightmare went to turn away to Gleam. They should wake! He didn't trust the Night Princess.
Princess Luna quirked an eyebrow, lingering a little longer just to take in what they said. Any last details. "I did." She answered calmly, nodding. The sinister smile didn't quite sit well with her, reminding her of her own face as Nightmare Moon. She shook it off. "I would think magically, for it is my corrupt magic I do sense in you." Luna shook her head then and leapt skyward, little effort taken in it since it was a dream, where nothing was real. "Goodnight. I can only hope you can forgive me for it." The neckpiece around his neck still concerned her, but she did not want to waste any more time in this dream. Luna flew up through the crack in the ceiling of the chamber and vanished into the moon with a flash. She would be keeping a close eye on them, indeed..
Gleaming Echo raised an eyebrow at the Nightmare who glanced back at the point where the Night Princess disappeared. "Huh.." Was the only reply to the last lines though there was a bit of a hidden grin. "Let's go." The dark half would say only to smack Gleam with some magic and eject both of them from the dream. Thus the unicorn woke with a start and a yelp! "Stars ~ Damn it Tarnished! Don't do that!" he'd cry and flopped back against the soft and quite warm form he was against. Oh! Yuna! His ears perked again and he'd quickly turn to see how the unicorn was.
Yunalesca had been anxious with how long it was taking, fretting over the sleeping body of the unicorn, making sure he was still breathing.. She jerked up with a startled cry of her own when he came awake with a yelp. Oh, he was okay! "Gleam? Gleam what happened? Is everything okay.. ? She didn't hurt you did she?" Yuna fussed, moving back up against him to bump at his cheek with her nose. He said something about Tarnished when he woke up, though, but she had no idea what had been going on!
Gleaming Echo let out a relieved sigh that Yuna seemed to be fine. Nopony had come and taken her away as sh talked with the Night Princess. "We are fine.. Tarnished thought it would be funny to wake me up 'nightmare style'" he'd say with a grimace as he leaned his body against the alicorn and returned the bump of her nose with a lick! Hehe.... "I suppose everything went fine. The Night Princess and Tarnished talked some.. I... I told her where the cult temple was."his ears laid back. He was still torn whether that was a good thing or whether he'd doomed his friends and family.. No.. Shield's remaining family. He'd be keeping his ear out for anything on that topic it seemed..."She also mentioned that what we'd need to get ourselves separate bodies might be in the... Canterlot Star Swirl wing." he grimaced. That was a difficult part of the library to get into... Especially since many restricted or potentially dangerous magics lay within that section of the library.
Yunalesca slowly calmed down. He was fine, and she was glad. She'd been a little scared, with the way he and Lightning talked about the princesses. They surely weren't as bad as they were made out to be. "I'm glad." She murmured, smiling from the lick. It faded to a more confused expression. Princess Luna going after the cult? Good. "She.. actually suggested something to help?" Yuna hadn't thought.. "Well I'm glad you're okay. I thought maybe she would do something to you or Tarnished." Her ears flicked back and Yuna kissed him on the lips, sliding one hoof over his cheek. "I was worried."
Gleaming Echo smiled and wrapped a foreleg around Yuna as he returned the kiss. Whenever he finally pulled back he brought his other hoof up to brush the side of the alicorn's muzzle. "I was worried to. But better she learned of us than learning of you." he smiled with a gentle nudge. "Although on the other hoof I wonder what they'd think of you having a pony such as us as a guard." he'd must only to let out a long sigh. "I have no idea how we could even go about getting access to the Star Swirl wing of the library...."
Yunalesca pressed close and leaned in to the brush of his hoof, nodding. "I understand, but the next time I'm not leaving. It seems unfair to just.. leave you to their mercy, let you risk yourself for me without doing the same for you." She quieted, musing. "I'm not sure. I mean, we can always try a visit to Canterlot to see how that goes, and see if we can get in without any trouble. At most they'll just turn us away." Yuna shrugged as she lay there, considering something. After that scare, she wondered if there was anything she could say to him. Yuna nuzzled his snout with hers, thinking on it.
Gleaming Echo simply sighed and rest his head against the alicorn's snout. "I won't make you leave if you do not want to. You know I just... I don't know what they would do. There is no alicorn that isn't a princess or a pony with power.... What if..." his ears laid back as he clung to Yuna. "We... Tarnished and I... We would raze this whole place to the ground for you." he'd say as he just clung... He was worried about getting Yuna so close to the princess's seat of power but he hadn't enough will to stop her....
Yunalesca closed her eyes for a moment at his closeness. "Yeah, I understand. I just care too much to just let you get hurt. If you did, I've got nopony but myself to blame for it." She sighed quietly, reopening her eyes at that declaration. "I'll be okay. I'll keep my shawl on and nopony will be any wiser about it, they'll just think I'm some unicorn." Yuna paused, making a quiet noise in her throat- she was touched by the lengths they would both go for her. "I'm not exactly sure if its like, too soon to say it.. or if, I don't know, if there's an appropriate timeline for it, or what, but.. after that," She moved a hoof up under his chin and focused on his face, "I.. feel like I should, before anything crazy happens in the future." Just say it, Yuna! She was hesitating, uncertain. "I love you both."
Gleaming Echo wouldn't have been able to help but frown as he nuzzled the alicorn. "If I were to get hurt you'd have no part in it. I am the one who is the reckless one." he'd say with a smile as he listened to her speak of just wearing the shawl. Hopefully they really would think she's just some unicorn. But... what if ponies spoke too much about her here in ponyville and the purple alicorn found out! He really was a worry wart, however he listened to the last thing she said and froze. Both pony and nightmare were speechless. She love them both? On the outside gleam was smiling wide and giving the alicorn a hug! "I-I...I think we love you too!" The dark pony in the confines of their 'dreamscape' blinked. Love... he... he didn't understand Love... Did he Love her? Some tingle in his chest whispered 'yes'... but did he? Did monsters love? Did he love? m-maybe?
Yunalesca's face flushed a little and she moved to rest her head against the side of his neck. She hoped she hadn't been too hasty, or.. or put them on the spot with that. It wasn't quite a definite answer, but she could content herself with that. ".. Sorry. I felt that I should at least say it, just in case." The alicorn murmured again as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and rested up against him, feeling awkward. Yuna was just feeling.. stupidly cuddly. "Maybe we can try the shared dream thing again sometime if.. if there's no trouble. I can't see why Princess Luna came there at all."
Gleaming Echo cuddled up against the alicorn with his forelegs around her. "It 'is' the dream world... Perhaps she felt the presence of multiple ponies in a dream o-or.. well, she was drawn by Tarnished's presence." he'd say with an unsure tone of voice. "Just know this; Tarnished and I will do anything for you." he'd say with a smile and a nuzzle. A cuddly Yuna was quite fine in his opinion. In fact, he rolled over onto his back and tried to pull her to rest upon him! That way he could wrap his forelegs around her properly.
Yunalesca hummed thoughtfully and nuzzled the side of his neck in response. "I'd do the same for the both of you, too." She managed to say before he pulled her with him. The alicorn made a surprised noise, her wings flaring out a little for balance as she found herself on top. They were lowered while she made herself comfortable on him, draping her front hooves over his shoulders. On the mention of the shared dream, she pondered over it, but she had heard neither confirmation or denial on it. Yuna wouldn't push the issue, if he didn't want to try that again.. "Well, so.. what does that mean now for you?"
Gleaming Echo let out a bit of a yawn. "Well... It is quite possible that the Night Princess is non-hostile to us... B-but we don't know about her sister. She's the one I'm most worried about." he'd say with a rather uncertain expression. "T-though.... I would be happy to set up a few more shared dreams. The p-princess was fine with us doing so as long as we had your permission." he smiled and rest his head back. Laying with Yuna like this was somewhat comfortable!
Yunalesca noted the yawn and lay her head down on his chest while he talked. Everything sounded okay.. "Princess Celestia?" Of course he was talking about the solar deity, she didn't need confirmation for that. She could see why he'd be nervous, too.. after Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia would be antsy about another nightmare. Hrm. "Of course.. It would be fun to see you and Tarnished again like that. If you're tired though, we should rest." Yuna mused about something; if one princess knew, would she tell her sister, or the one in Ponyville? "And maybe tomorrow we can find something for you to do, with us. So you're not bored."
Gleaming Echo sighed and settled back. The stress was getting to the light half of the pony! He'd been talking to the Night Princess! The one that used to be Lady Nightmare! That was like... still a fan-colt moment if there is one! He'd even nudged her! Hehehehhe! Tarnished grumped in the back of his head at that. What made the princess so special? They had Yuna! In fact, that was remembered by Gleam a moment later and the thoughts of the alicorn were gone. Yuna was aaall that mattered! "That would be wonderful... perhaps tomorrow I can weave us a shared dream for the whole night." he smiled as he closed his eyes and laid back.
Yunalesca smiled faintly herself as she lay there, her eyes roving over Gleam's face. "I would like that." She agreed, moving her hooves up against his shoulders and rubbed at them idly. Soothing, relaxing. She had to wiggle a little to readjust how she was laying on him so she could do so comfortably, so he could sleep. Yuna closed her own eyes and let herself relax, doing nothing more. Once Gleam fell asleep, she probably would too, now that all was well. Or she hoped so, anyway.
Gleaming Echo relaxed as Yuna's hooves rubbed at his shoulders... Oh yes that was - yawn- wooooonderful! The dual pony was content with life once again! Hopefully the little voice; The gut instinct to place that trust in the night princess wasn't... misplaced. There was only one way to find out and now he just had to wait and hear... And cuddle the alicorn! All was right in the world.
Yunalesca spent most of her time digging through her books for anything interesting. Well, a lot of it pertained to her interests, seeing as fortune telling was her thing, but any mentions of nightmares had to do with dreams. Dream meanings. Nothing about actual nightmares, as in ponies, or such split issues as Gleam's. Maybe digging through such books had been the wrong idea, and she had to try for something else. Spells.. Maybe the book Lightning had found for them? Yuna walked off back to her room while she mulled this over, but as she walked by Gleam's she hesitated. She still need to talk to him about a few things.. The alicorn took a few steps back and knocked to see if he was in, and awake.
Gleaming Echo all but shot up on his bed when he heard a knock upon the door. Hardly a moment later he was standing next to the door and opening it with a hoof. Upon seeing the disguised alicorn on the other side of the door he happily smiled. "Lady Yuna! How wonderful of a surprise!" he'd say with a smile. He oft times felt rather useless with his inability to go into the library himself or to well... almost seemingly do anything but fight. Tarnished was even feeling rather useless himself and the Nightmare was a lazy bugger! Tarnished let out a growl in the combined pony's head and the other half seemed to calm down... marginally. "Something we can help you with?" he smiled as he flicked his tail. He was in his robes once again since they could be worn, burnt as they were.
Yunalesca took a step back, a little surprised by the quick answer. "Gleam?" She wanted to confirm it was him, first. "It's been a while since I could talk to you. Uh, I was hoping to talk. About stuff. Can I come in?" Her gaze flicked to the old robe, burnt from their trek through the cave; she wondered if there was somepony that could fix it up for him? It would be a nice surprise to bring it back, like new, but she didn't want to go breaking into his room and stealing it just to do so.. Especially when he was usually around. Yuna looked back up at him and smiled hesitantly.
Gleaming Echo nodded rather quickly when it seemed she was checking just who was behind the reigns. "Yes, 'tis me." The light half of the pony had managed to somewhat calm down although now he was feeling somewhat inadequately dressed before his dear goddess in naught but burnt robes and raiment! Of course it was just the cultist in him. He knew she likely didn't care; after all he frequently shed his robes with her! Why would she care about how nice he looked? Even still he eyed the burns uncertainly and perked his ears again. "Of course, lady Yuna. You are always more than welcome." he stepped back and swept a foreleg to gesture for her to come in.
Yunalesca nodded when he agreed and walked in the moment he physically invited her. She looked around for a place to settle down and chose the couch over in the corner, curling there on one of the cushions. Her gaze went back towards him, almost expectantly, for him to join her. "One of the things I wanted to talk to you about was actually brought up by Distant. That you could probably get a refund or something for Dusk's room since she doesn't use it anyway.. it would be a continued waste, and all." She was pleased it was him, too, since it had usually been Tarnished in control.. and she missed talking to Gleam. So gentle.
Gleaming Echo continued to stand to the side as Yuna entered the room and headed for the couch. He almost hid the blush, key word almost, whenever she gazed at him almost expectantly. The unicorn quickly made his way to join her, hardly able to help but cuddle up against the alicorn even if he was wearing his robes. "I-I suppose I could... But then again I might just keep the room for now just in case. With the rooms taken up we don't have to worry about anypony but one of our little group entering the wash-room. I would rather not risk exposing you over some bits...." he'd say with a smile and a light nudge.
Yunalesca quirked her head at the blush and moved close up against him, leaning in to the nudge. "I've already wandered around without my shawl a few times, even while Dusk was giving me some lessons on strengthening my wing muscles. It really wouldn't be a problem either way.. not unless one of the princesses needed a room, but I highly doubt they'd stay at a simple inn when they've got that castle." Yuna shrugged and nuzzled the side of his neck. "Um, how have you been doing? I didn't want to just come in here to ramble about other things.."
Gleaming Echo was restraining himself as it were. For poor little Gleam it had been quite a while since he'd had alone time with Yuna! After all Tarnished had all but hogged control of the body during the whole 'episode'... Thus the moment Yuna nuzzled the side of his neck he sidled up himself and rest against the alicorn. "I've been.... okay I guess. Bored.... I suppose I understand why Tarnished wants a body so much." he'd say with a quiet voice. "I couldn't imagine being..." he let himself drift off and resolved to let the dark half of himself be able to come out on his own more often. "I'm still not comfortable with just anypony seeing you bathing." he'd say with a pout and a bit of a face. Ooooh; the root of the problem? Protective was he?
Yunalesca looked up into Gleam's face, her ears perked. "I'm still working on that, just so you know. It's a little difficult considering your situation, but I'm sure there's something out there.. Maybe not in the princess's library, but.." Canterlot, perhaps? They had the Archives, and a lot of Starswirl's magic there. Who knew what kind of magic was available there? Yuna refocused from this trailing thought when Gleam brought up the bath and she blushed a little herself. ".. Oh. Well, that I can understand. Don't worry about that, nopony will but you." Yuna moved a hoof up around one of his shoulders once he had sidled closer. "I haven't been able to find anything on nightmares, except stuff about dreams and the like, unfortunately." She picked up that particular thread again, trying to be casual about what she'd just said.
Gleaming Echo made a bit of a face and looked at Yuna as she spoke of heading to Canterlot... and then tossed out that nopony would see her bathe but h-him! His face lit up with a blush that he quickly hid by nuzzling up against Yuna's neck as her hoof reached up and around his shoulder. "I doubt the information is readily available to anyone.. I know a little about nightmares from books on dream magic the cultists recovered, but it is unfortunate that those book are so heavily restricted. I doubt they even have them in the restricted section of Canterlot... It is probably in the princess's own private library."
Yunalesca tilted her head to the side when Gleam immediately went for her neck, nuzzling into it. The hoof she'd moved around him went up to his mane to stroke it idly. "Hmm.. You know, it's always worth it to go and look. Just to see what they have there, but.. it probably wouldn't be safe for you, so close to the princesses. I don't think either of them would be anywhere near the Archives, since they might be busy running a kingdom, but still. I don't want you hurt." Yuna frowned and buried her face into his mane for a moment. "So what all do you know about nightmares, and stuff? It might be useful to us."
Gleaming Echo furrowed his brow and shook his head. "N-No... I'll go with you. I don't care if it is dangerous... I don't want to lose you to them either." he'd say as he fidgeted some against the alicorn. After all, if she was discovered to be an alicorn - would he ever be able to see her again? The cultist was distracted from the unpleasant thoughts though as she buried her face into his mane and asked that question. "The original classification of Nightmare long, long ago once belonged to ponies of mixed dragon and pony heritage... However with the Nightmare Moon Incident they have come to be identified with... corrupt ponies. Alicorn, Unicorn, Pegasus, Or Earth ~ Each are able to be corrupt and twisted by dark magic into a nightmare according to the books. But besides that it doesn't say. The book was merely advising that a pony might encounter nightmares in dreams.... but I have my doubts since dream magic is so... difficult to come by."
Yunalesca hummed a little into his hair and turned her face to keep her mouth free for talking. "If you want to, I can't really force you to do anything you don't want to.. Besides, you're still my knight." Her mouth curved up at the corners; she wasn't much of a pony for any of those sappy nicknames she heard ponies give each other, but such a thing as she used was hardly like that. Cheesy, maybe. Yuna listened to him as he explained what he knew, mulling it over as the information was given. All they'd have to do was search for stuff like that, and they could surely find something from there. "I bet. Princess Luna might not want somepony messing with dreams, but.. what dream magic do you know?"
Gleaming Echo all but uh... preened whenever she referred to him as still being her knight! Yes - yes that made the light half of the cultist happy! The dark half scoffed in the back of their head though... "Count on it - I'd be happy to go." however he fell silent when she asked just how much dream magic he 'did' know.. "I know enough to be considered a cultist adept. How to give one simple nightmares, basic dreamwalking, dream manipulation, and shared dreams to start....." he'd list the first few off only to have to sit and think... he hadn't been the one taught. Shield had been... he had to try to remember what Shield had been taught!
Yunalesca nuzzled against his head, smiling. She was worried about just such a trip too, with or without Gleam there, but she had his support, too, which was something. "Shared dreams?" Just like the one they were in.. though that was a shared nightmare. She wondered what a shared dream would be like, with no threats. "It sounds interesting. Not the nightmare part, but.. dreams in general." Yuna mused on it for a moment. "That would be something to do.. I mean, I know you've been bored, you could probably look through that book on breaking curses and stuff, but this.." She didn't want to really do any more research.
Gleaming Echo fidgeted a little as he looked to Yuna. "I-Well... I could put us into a shared dream if you want. I'm sure we could find a lot to do there." he'd say only to let out a bit of a smile. "Tarnished could even have his own body again there!" he'd add on as he leaned against the alicorn and relished in being in his dear goddess's company once again. There was little he wanted more than simply this ever since he'd been stuck in the back of Tarnished's mind. Well he was mostly to blame for it, really. He had been terrified to link himself with Tarnished's mind.... Terrified of what it was like as a mare...
Yunalesca bumped her nose up against his, intrigued by the idea. "Yeah, it might be fun. Just to see how things are until we can find Tarnished a real body. It'd be nice to be able to talk to the both of you without feeling like I'm ignoring the other, or talking like the other isn't there. I know he has to be listening most of the time." Yuna wasn't entirely sure about how either of them felt whenever she addressed them that way, or what they thought about what she said when it seemed like they weren't present. "If you're able, and if it isn't too much trouble or anything."
Gleaming Echo could hardly resist the smile that stole out across his face. "W-well.. The e-easiest way is for me to cast my spell and then we can dream together!" he'd say as the excited puppy of a unicorn's horn lit up with golden magic. A tendril of magic moved from his horn and seemingly connected with hers! That would provide her a bit of a strange sensation before she'd start to feel.. drowsy? Probably the magic at work!
Yunalesca had to wonder why Gleam was stammering. Had she made him nervous, or.. ? She couldn't tell, but he looked happy enough to do it. The alicorn started to nod and became still the moment his magic connected with her horn- it was almost like when he was showing her healing magic the first time. Only, it was different this time, and it did feel weird.. Her eyes felt heavy too. Yuna blinked, her first instinct to try to resist, but how else did she expect to have a shared dream with him? She made herself stop and rested her head down against his shoulder, closing her eyes and let herself be swept along to slumber..
Gleaming Echo let out a yawn himself as the magic started to work. He settled down against Yuna and rest his head down against the alicorn. Within minutes both would be asleep! Yuna would find herself coming to in a rather strange place! And perhaps slightly recognizable? Not likely since she'd never likely been there. The ruin of the old castle was in his mind? Perhaps some influence by the shard in the raiment... However she'd find herself alone in the 'antechamber'. Everything was quite peaceful.
Yunalesca found cold stone under her hooves when everything slowly came together, out of the dark fog that was sleep. She wasn't in Gleam's inn room anymore, but the stone walls around her wasn't so reassuring. It was a bit familiar, in a strange way, and also a little discomforting. Stone walls, cultist's hideout. The alicorn wrinkled her nose, but she didn't think either of them would end up there would they? Nah. Never there. Yuna took a few steps forward, looking around at the room she'd ended up in. "Hello? Gleam?" She called out, her ears perked.
Gleaming Echo was the first pony she'd likely see as he stepped from a doorway. "See? See?! She's here Tar!" he'd say with a wide smile as he hopped over to the unicorn and quite possibly might have pounced her? He really could act so foal-like at times. Perhaps it was because he was the 'good' part? Or perhaps it was because he was still somewhat foal like? Tarnished was the next to step forth... Or rather the familiar form of the female form did. "I don't know why I'm a mare here though." Was the 'grumpy' line from the nightmare as he followed the unicorn to Yuna. The dark pony smiled at the sight, although it was somewhat hidden. "Good evening Yuna.." he smiled. Even as Gleam perhaps clung to the alicorn the dark pony lowered his head to give her a nuzzle.
Yunalesca's gaze was drawn by movement in one of the doorways, catching the sound of Gleam's voice shortly before she saw his face. She smiled at the bounding sight of him and released a little squeak upon being pounced, her hooves moving around his neck to steady herself. She didn't want to get squished, but it was a dream, where pain probably didn't really exist. "Gleam!" Tarnished's voice was next to draw her attention, though it was of his mare's voice, and she froze a little at the sight of him. She had to sit down and take them both in for a moment, glancing between their now separate bodies. It was true, and yet! Her smile widened and she moved in to the nuzzle to give Tarnished a kiss, and another to Gleam. "Wow, I can't believe.. I can finally see you both!" Even if Tarnished was a mare, but what did it matter?
Gleaming Echo smiled as he clung to Yuna with both his forelegs around her as well. He was quite happy there cuddling Yuna! The kiss was returned with quite a bit of well.. could one call it passion? He was just happy to see her! In a sense this was like.. what.. his current family? Yuna and Tarnished and He? He was happy to have all three of them in one place! Tarnished was just happy to have his own body again - even if this was just a dream. "It is quite wonderful to see you again with my own eyes." he'd say with that delightfully sexy evil voice! Perhaps being stuck a mare still wasn't too bad! His kiss was actually rather tame, but even still he laid down on Yuna's other side and curled around her. Placing Yuna between he and Gleam! Where both of them could cuddle against her!
Yunalesca closed her eyes, just for the duration of the kiss with Gleam- which was strange, she would have expected Tarnished to respond more like this. She was happy with it, either way. The feeling of Tarnished behind her prompted her to pull away a little, just to settle down between them. One wing was draped over Tarnished, and the other made to nudge Gleam down close so that she could do the same to him. "Yeah.." To think that she was here with the both of them, or with more than one pony at all. Yuna made a thoughtful noise and spoke gently. "I.. care about the two of you a lot." There was little she could think to say, but where she could see both of them at once, it felt better to say such that way.
Gleaming Echo both looked at each other and then looked to Yuna. "We both care about you too...." Gleam would be the one to speak for them both as he leaned in and rest his head against hers. Tarnished moved to mirror the action though it wasn't quite as easy because of the size difference. "I don't rightly know what to call the feelings we experience when around you..." the dark half began only to offer a shark-like grin as he moved in for the kiss she probably had expected! It was quite the long kiss and likely needed Gleam there to help make sure she didn't get pushed over by accident! Passionate Tar was passionate!
Yunalesca noted their exchanged look and brushed her cheek up against Gleam's, head tilting to do the same with Tarnished once he joined in. She was sure she had a word to give him, but did it seem a little too soon? They had yet to really determine what exactly they were- they couldn't possibly be just friends. "Lo-.. ?" Yuna started to say anyway, before Tarnished silenced her with his lips. This was the kind of kiss she expected from him! She lifted a hoof up to his cheek as she kissed him back, though she could feel herself getting pressed up against Gleam in the process. Ohmy~.
Gleaming Echo was forced to shift and adjust as Tarnished continued to press against Yuna! He'd gently push the mare onto her back if he could where he'd pull back briefly... Nopony was given another chance to speak before he kissed again! Tarnished had evidently missed her? Perhaps just as much as Gleam had whenever Tarnished had been in charge. He did feel his own emotions stronger than Gleam did! This included the passion that caused this! Gleam was watching on with a smile! The scene was quite lovely in his opinion!
Yunalesca had to pull her wings against her side the more Tarnished pressed in, and submitted to being rolled down on her back. The brief release of the kiss allowed her a chance to glance up between the two before the nightmare moved in again. Perhaps she had left Tarnished alone a little too long, with the way he was acting. She had to find a way to even out her time between the pair.. All of this went on in her head, distractedly so, while she dealt with kissing Tarnished. Elsewhere in the dream, something curious entered through the moon above and found confusion in the location. Who would dream of the old castle? The dreamwalker herself made her way down to the derelict building to step through its halls, making her way towards the ponies she sensed here. That was what drew Princess Luna to this dream, the existence of what felt like two.. ? perhaps more ponies in one dream, and not just dreamt up ones. The scene she came upon in the shadow of a doorway was.. very odd.
Gleaming Echo felt something become rather.... off... that little nagging sensation in the back of his mind. Somepony was here... His eyes narrowed as his protective side rose to the surface. There were only two groups that could infiltrate dreams.. Call him paranoid, but... Tarnished was blissfully unaware as he tried to push all of his emotions through the kiss! Tarnished was the needy one of the duo... which was odd considering. The nightmare pulled back from the kiss with somewhat half-lidded eyes even as he smiled. "I have been waiting to be able to do that again." The dark pony crooned. However that would have been about the time that Gleam noticed the pony. The familiar but unfamiliar magic. His stomach dropped to his hooves and he paled. "T-Tarnished!" he'd bark out only for the nightmare in question to look at Gleam and then follow his gaze. The resulting hiss that came from the nightmare sounded more feral than not as he got off of Yuna and put himself between Yuna and the dreamwalker.
Yunalesca made a little noise the more Tarnished kissed her, both front hooves moving up to stroke his mane. The way he kissed her was almost.. desperate, not just passionate. And she enjoyed it. He finally pulled away and she smiled up at him, giggling softly. The sound was cut short, however, the moment Gleam spoke to his other. Yuna picked up on something tense between them and moved her head back, looking in the same direction they were. There was somepony else standing in the doorway, tall and.. ? Yuna didn't get much of a chance to study the figure with Tarnished in the way and quickly rolled to get her legs beneath her next to Gleam. "Who?" In the doorway that Princess Luna stood, she was quick to notice the tall dark one, her attention immediately pulled to them with some alarm. It was brief, but their? her? appearance looked so strikingly like her old self that.. Was this more why she was drawn to this dream? Princess Luna was looking at another.. nightmare. She stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, her brow darkening. "What is the meaning of this?"
Gleaming Echo turned to Yuna while Tarnished distracted the alicorn. "Y-You need to wake up Yuna." he'd say as he gave the mare a nudge. "You can do it, just concentrate on waking up." He was absolutely terrified of Yuna being found out! It was bad enough that Princess Luna of all ponies stumbled across this shared dream, but... Yuna was here with them! Sadly he couldn't make her wake since... gah! Even Gleam moved to put himself between Yuna and the Night Princess. Tarnished was making sure to keep the focus upon him...her? The nightmare was starting to realize a few things... "We were showing an acquaintance what it is like to experience a shared dream, Night Princess." he'd say with that acidic tone of his. It sounded so evil with this voice of his! He loved it! "You have no need to dwell here." It definitely didn't help that with the blue robe the dark half and the light half wore the raiment pieces... for Tarnished it just helped the comparisons Luna was already making.
Yunalesca looked over at Gleam, growing nervous at his insistence to wake up. "I can't leave you here, though! What if something happens?" There was no way she could up and leave him, without finding out.. She lifted a hoof for him as he left her side, and dropped it. Dammit, this had gone sour too fast. The alicorn took a deep breath to try to calm herself. Maybe she would try to wake up, just so it wouldn't make anything worse without having to protect her, too, from one of the princesses.. Meanwhile, Princess Luna was peering at the strange pair, coming to notice the neckpieces. Was it just a fool's imagination to sport that? It did little to turn her mind from the taller one, who looked so similar.. The colors may have been slightly off, but they were close enough. "Were it so easy. Dream magic is nothing to meddle with, and more, you mock me with that raiment around your necks! Do you know nothing? You, are you not a nightmare? How did this come to be?" Princess Luna evidently didn't like this.
Gleaming Echo smiled softly over his shoulder back at Yuna. "It is best that only one of us is exposed." he'd say as he turned back to Luna and his expression hardened with his mouth pressing into a thin line. Tarnished had lowered down into a rather aggressive defense pose. Like a feline ready to pounce but not yet ready to abandon its vantage? Or perhaps an ursa major protecting its minor? No, it was more like a coiled snake; One wrong move and the nightmare would lash out. "Your sister may have tried; but elements of those that yet worship Lady Nightmare lived on, Night Princess. As we once did. Now we worship one greater than she." Gleam would begin as he stepped in front of the 'coiled' nightmare himself; the dream world shimmered as a shield formed and was quickly caught within his aura. Yuna likely never would have heard so much raw contempt leaking form the normally kind half's voice. Of course he had been fed the cultist's spiel that the alicorn would kill them ~ yadda yadda yadda....
Gleaming Echo would not let Luna harm Tarnished! She had a lot of power in the dream world as the Dreamwalker; but yet he was the dreamer was he not? The one that created this dream. Tarnished had nearly as much power here as he did; being they were of the same mind; in theory! "The idiot is right, Night Princess... And yes, I am a nightmare; created by accident I'd wager. Now will you please piss off?" he'd say with a snarl. Yeah... it was hard to hold a civil conversation each of their incarnations had been indoctrinated to despise her! This was a mockery of Lady Nightmare after all!
Yunalesca whined uncertainly, despite Gleam's smile, which had no doubt been meant to comfort her. She could hear the princess talking somewhere on the other side of the two stallions, but she couldn't see past either of them. Sighing, Yuna tried to focus again on waking up. If it worked like Gleam said it would, she would leave it up to him, but she had never heard him yet talk like that.. It was kind of impressive. Off she would be, soon, leaving Princess Luna to deal with only two ponies. "You are a fool to believe such lies." Luna snorted, pawing at the ground as she took a few, slow steps towards them and the manifested shield. "Nightmare Moon and myself are one and the same, the title that I gave myself the moment I went against nature itself." Princess Luna's voice had hardened. Were these like the Archon of her sister's healing temple? "Not until I know you are not a threat." The mention of 'accident' did snag her attention. "What accident?" She had no intent to fight nor kill, but information. What they both spouted intrigued her, and if she had to set them both straight about herself.. She would. As for the nightmare, she would have to find a way to reverse it, wouldn't she? Give the pony themself back, as the six once did for her.
Gleaming Echo sagged a little in relief as he felt Yuna leave the dream. Behind him Tarnished did much of the same, glancing back to where Yuna once stood. Now there was nopony. Gleam's gaze never left Luna as he watched her like a hawk. They were the ones scared of her after all; and for all the bravado it would be fairly obvious should the princess look hard enough. However there was the nagging doubt... That one tiny voice that was trying to tell them that the propaganda might have all been lies. That little voice that was so easily ignored as they stared her down. However it was Gleam that began. "Upon your... purification..." cue grimace because the cultists taught it different! "Several in our group went to retrieve the fragments of Lady Nightmare's armor. What they didn't know was that it was infected with Lady Nightmare's magic. What they thought was a blessing was naught but a curse." he grimaced. "The whole cult started to go mad, fights breaking out... a-and.. a pony died.." Gleaming Echo seemed to find it difficult to speak so Tarnished finished. "We are all that is left of that pony."
Yunalesca found it difficult to have left Gleam behind, and woke up with a little start, frightened. How did the princess of the night find them there? It was all she could do not to try to wake Gleam up by shaking him, and simply rested there against the unicorn, tense and worried. In the dream, Princess Luna listened in silence, her brow still drawn down above serious teal eyes while the smaller unicorn explained. "My corrupt power." She corrected quietly, but made no attempt to interrupt him entirely. It was good she did not. Luna's eyes widened, her head leaned forward to peer at them- there had been something about them, some sort of odd similarity.. "You.." It threw her off, "were split twim?" Her ears folded back for a moment and she straightened again. How was she to handle this? Princess Luna exhaled through her nose and sat down, folding her flared wings. "A mistake to have left any trace of myself behind, but I had not known.. ! Ponies only ever feared me, never worshiped."
Gleaming Echo gazed stonily at the alicorn as she sat and folded her wings. Both Nightmare and Gleam were expecting some sort of attack that was to never come! "Corrupt alicorn magic is... harmful to ponies who directly absorb the energy from say... armor." he'd drone only to glance at Tarnished. "The pony we were slowly fell ill until the corruption tore apart his mind and we were created by what was left." the unicorn gestured between them both. "An echo of the Pony.... And an echo of the corruption recreated by a new 'host'..." Tarnished's eyes closed as he said that. That even drew Gleam's puzzled gaze. They had both been born from Shield, right? Tarnished, however, had been doing a lot of thinking. There were too many similarities between himself and Lady Nightmare. Far too many... Whether he was right about the theory was another thing entirely. He didn't claim to be an expert on such matters.
Yunalesca comforted herself to stroke the sleeping unicorn's long, wavy mane in the waking world while she waited. Princess Luna on the other hoof, was utterly still as she listened, studying the two unicorn in front of her. She was puzzled why one was a mare if they claimed to have come from one pony.. "As I see." The princess closed her eyes, thinking on what information she was given, and freely. "I am sorry this has happened to you. Nopony deserves it. I daresay there is no chance of making you whole again and returning you to normal." Princess Luna frowned, her face letting up on its previous dark expression. "Ponies change and grow over time with each new experience, with you two as separate entities, such a rejoining would be incomplete. Flawed. The pony you were is gone, and may never be again." Luna found a new thing to regret with her former self. "I could not know where to begin to make it right."
Gleaming Echo glanced at Tarnished briefly again as the Nightmare grimaced. He'd come up from the attack position ever since Luna herself had 'stood down' as it were. Gleam seemed to have nearly reversed in his outlook though. Where he was frigid he as now showing a somewhat sympathetic expression. This pony sounded far more like the pony that deserved to be worshipped... Not Nightmare Moon... Perhaps their ancestors got something wrong down the line. "We have... already come to that conclusion ourself." The good half stepped forward to offer a reassuring nudge to the alicorn if he was allowed. Much like a foal he was woefully naiive; something not even the indoctrination could change. "We've been looking for a spell that would let us split apart. That way we both can be with our friends instead of one getting to experience while the other is forced to watch." As Gleam said this tarnished turned his head as if trying not to listen.. not really one for the sap.
Yunalesca had to wonder what was going on in the dream. It was taking Gleam a while to wake up, but maybe it just seemed that way because she was worried? She could.. wait. As long as he was still breathing.. - Princess Luna lifted her head to look at the lighter colored stallion when he touched her. She puzzled over that for a moment; just some minutes ago, they had been in battle stances. "A spell." Luna repeated, frowning in thought as her gaze moved to the nightmare. Should she help them? Not directly with magic, no, she knew not of such herself, but to direct them.. Luna stood up again, but her stance was relaxed as she made to step towards the nightmare, but turned away. In a wide half circle she went, her gaze roving over the castle around her. She wondered if they were.. in Ponyville? It didn't matter. "It concerns me that you know dream magic, but there is naught I can do. Your mind, or minds, are probably badly damaged as it is and I have no skill in meddling with memory."
Yunalesca. Luna paused, turning back to them, specifically, eyeing the nightmare. "All I can truly do is ask that you keep to your own dream. I have enough on my hooves without having to deal with nightmares of the mundane variety, without somepony causing me more trouble." The princess frowned, stern for a moment. She wanted to see how they took it before she could really say anything else- offtopic as it was.
Gleaming Echo stood back from the Night Princess and looked simultaneously confused and overjoyed. Perhaps the cultists had been misleading! Of course Gleam was probably the easiest to convince because he merely wanted to make friends! Tarnished would be the difficult one to convince as was evident by the guarded way he followed the alicorn's movement as she moved in that half circle. "Many in Lady Nightmare's cult are practitioners of the dream arts. However with your presence it is rarely, if ever, truly practiced." The dark pony replied only for his gaze to narrow as she made her request for him to stay out of the dreams of other ponies. "I can only promise to not enter dreams of those that are not our friends. There is one pony we can, and will, bring into dreams with us." With that growled out much like a standoffish dragon the nightmare glanced to Gleam who was still standing where he'd been before.
Yunalesca snuggled up on Gleam, keeping a good eye on him in the waking world.. - Princess Luna had turned her own gaze up towards the silvery moon in the cracked ceiling as she listened, but it probably looked like she wasn't. She was thinking it over, weighing her options. Equestria had changed in the thousand years she had been gone, and she had too; she was still learning to take the gentler approach to situations. And this situation needed a very careful hoof. "It is all I needed to know. As long as these friends of yours consent, but no more." Luna would be keeping a careful eye on the nightmare, but she would leave their dreams be.. unless it was important. "If these cultists are a threat, I would like to know their location.. As for your spell, I fear I know not of such magic; even in my long life I have never encountered something as this. Though perhaps Starswirl the Bearded may have something.. a great wizard, was he, and he experimented much with magic."
Gleaming Echo looked rather conflicted and then almost unbidden a table appeared; upon which was a map of equestria recreated from memories of gazing at a similar map. Dreams were such a wonderous thing! He glanced at Tarnished as if to ask permission and the Nightmare's head bowed in a nod. "The cult... W-We were in the mountains near uh... Here I think it was." he'd say as a section of the map became 'highlighted' by magic. The unicorn's brow furrowed only for Gleam to look at Luna once again. "I ask only that you make sure everypony is okay... T-though they may hate us... Or perhaps only Gleaming Shield... ~ We... Or Shield, rather... had friends there. And his remaining family." The nightmare was the one who stepped in. "We stole Lady Nightmare's raiment when we realized that it was what was causing everypony to... grow violent. It is our curse to carry now." The mention of Starswirl the Bearded made the unicorn perk up and then deflate. "But... Starswirl is long dead is he not? The closest thing we have would be the Star Swirl wing at Canterlot castle, no?" The discomfort was palpable on both ponies....
Yunalesca. Princess Luna turned her attention to the table, feeling that small change in the dream, and stepped up to it to peer at the map. "The Foal Mountains." She would remember that small detail, but there was the matter of dealing with the cultists within.. There were a few ways she could go about it, handle it. Ponies had to understand that her brief reign as Nightmare Moon was not something to be worshipped. "I will see to it." Luna straightened her head again to look at them both, gaze dipping to the neckpieces. Smaller than hers had been. "Indeed, the Canterlot Archives is where his work lies now, of which is left to the public in any case. If if even it holds nothing.. I fear there is little more I can do." Showing kindness to such an unfortunate being, or beings, might show them a different path. The nightmare, especially. Was she being too lenient though? She was dealing with a nightmare. "This is all I need to know, for now. Take heed that you do not go down the wrong path, either of you."
Gleaming Echo moved to stand next to Tarnished and glanced up at the nightmare briefly. Said nightmare exhaled and pushed to a fully standing position; no longer looking like he was ready to pounce the alicorn or attack her. "If you would have said that before." the nightmare drifted off only to lower his head some. "According to pony kind I should be a monster; and in turn I had been more than happy to be the monster I was supposed to be ~ But my...companions make it so hard to be a monster." That was said with a somewhat fond tone of voice; something odd to hear from a nightmare most likely! "But make no mistake; We will be wary princess.. Of all potential dangers." the nightmare's eyes narrowed "I will not lose those I hold dear."
Princess Luna gave the nightmare an appraising gaze as she listened. They sounded nothing like the nightmare they were, with their depth of emotion and care for their companions. Like a pony. She hummed, stepping around the manifested table to lean her head a little close, as though trying to peer into his soul. "I fear it is my fault for why ponies would see nightmares as monsters. I may not have been the original, but I certainly made enough of a mark to have struck such fear into the hearts of ponies. If my sister did not stop me with the Elements of Harmony, this land would have been naught but dust within a few years." Princess Luna considered showing off that visage, as though to drive the point home, but she did not. "You seem to know well enough, and for that I can be soothed. I have no more business in this dream and I can release thee from my prattling." Luna took a step back at that, opening her wings to leave- lest either of them had anything else to say beyond a farewell.
Gleaming Echo could only grin some as Nightmare and Night Princess spoke. "I'll try to keep him in line." he piped up only for Tarnished to groan. "Oh do shut up, idiot. I'd like to see you try." Was the reply only for the nightmare to turn back to Luna as she suddenly approached and brought her head close. Never one to bow down the Nightmare returned the gaze. "You wanted to be acknowledged; to be appreciated. Did you not? That is not a crime. But power always has a price." the nightmare crooned as his expression morphed into an almost sinister smile. Oh how he loved his - or maybe her - own voice. "Since I was created from the magic in the reforged raiment in conjunction with Gleaming's ruined mind - Could we be considered related, albeit distantly? Or magically?" Was the sudden question. On one hoof though..nah - "Actually - Nevermind, it matters little Night Princess... Good night." The nightmare went to turn away to Gleam. They should wake! He didn't trust the Night Princess.
Princess Luna quirked an eyebrow, lingering a little longer just to take in what they said. Any last details. "I did." She answered calmly, nodding. The sinister smile didn't quite sit well with her, reminding her of her own face as Nightmare Moon. She shook it off. "I would think magically, for it is my corrupt magic I do sense in you." Luna shook her head then and leapt skyward, little effort taken in it since it was a dream, where nothing was real. "Goodnight. I can only hope you can forgive me for it." The neckpiece around his neck still concerned her, but she did not want to waste any more time in this dream. Luna flew up through the crack in the ceiling of the chamber and vanished into the moon with a flash. She would be keeping a close eye on them, indeed..
Gleaming Echo raised an eyebrow at the Nightmare who glanced back at the point where the Night Princess disappeared. "Huh.." Was the only reply to the last lines though there was a bit of a hidden grin. "Let's go." The dark half would say only to smack Gleam with some magic and eject both of them from the dream. Thus the unicorn woke with a start and a yelp! "Stars ~ Damn it Tarnished! Don't do that!" he'd cry and flopped back against the soft and quite warm form he was against. Oh! Yuna! His ears perked again and he'd quickly turn to see how the unicorn was.
Yunalesca had been anxious with how long it was taking, fretting over the sleeping body of the unicorn, making sure he was still breathing.. She jerked up with a startled cry of her own when he came awake with a yelp. Oh, he was okay! "Gleam? Gleam what happened? Is everything okay.. ? She didn't hurt you did she?" Yuna fussed, moving back up against him to bump at his cheek with her nose. He said something about Tarnished when he woke up, though, but she had no idea what had been going on!
Gleaming Echo let out a relieved sigh that Yuna seemed to be fine. Nopony had come and taken her away as sh talked with the Night Princess. "We are fine.. Tarnished thought it would be funny to wake me up 'nightmare style'" he'd say with a grimace as he leaned his body against the alicorn and returned the bump of her nose with a lick! Hehe.... "I suppose everything went fine. The Night Princess and Tarnished talked some.. I... I told her where the cult temple was."his ears laid back. He was still torn whether that was a good thing or whether he'd doomed his friends and family.. No.. Shield's remaining family. He'd be keeping his ear out for anything on that topic it seemed..."She also mentioned that what we'd need to get ourselves separate bodies might be in the... Canterlot Star Swirl wing." he grimaced. That was a difficult part of the library to get into... Especially since many restricted or potentially dangerous magics lay within that section of the library.
Yunalesca slowly calmed down. He was fine, and she was glad. She'd been a little scared, with the way he and Lightning talked about the princesses. They surely weren't as bad as they were made out to be. "I'm glad." She murmured, smiling from the lick. It faded to a more confused expression. Princess Luna going after the cult? Good. "She.. actually suggested something to help?" Yuna hadn't thought.. "Well I'm glad you're okay. I thought maybe she would do something to you or Tarnished." Her ears flicked back and Yuna kissed him on the lips, sliding one hoof over his cheek. "I was worried."
Gleaming Echo smiled and wrapped a foreleg around Yuna as he returned the kiss. Whenever he finally pulled back he brought his other hoof up to brush the side of the alicorn's muzzle. "I was worried to. But better she learned of us than learning of you." he smiled with a gentle nudge. "Although on the other hoof I wonder what they'd think of you having a pony such as us as a guard." he'd must only to let out a long sigh. "I have no idea how we could even go about getting access to the Star Swirl wing of the library...."
Yunalesca pressed close and leaned in to the brush of his hoof, nodding. "I understand, but the next time I'm not leaving. It seems unfair to just.. leave you to their mercy, let you risk yourself for me without doing the same for you." She quieted, musing. "I'm not sure. I mean, we can always try a visit to Canterlot to see how that goes, and see if we can get in without any trouble. At most they'll just turn us away." Yuna shrugged as she lay there, considering something. After that scare, she wondered if there was anything she could say to him. Yuna nuzzled his snout with hers, thinking on it.
Gleaming Echo simply sighed and rest his head against the alicorn's snout. "I won't make you leave if you do not want to. You know I just... I don't know what they would do. There is no alicorn that isn't a princess or a pony with power.... What if..." his ears laid back as he clung to Yuna. "We... Tarnished and I... We would raze this whole place to the ground for you." he'd say as he just clung... He was worried about getting Yuna so close to the princess's seat of power but he hadn't enough will to stop her....
Yunalesca closed her eyes for a moment at his closeness. "Yeah, I understand. I just care too much to just let you get hurt. If you did, I've got nopony but myself to blame for it." She sighed quietly, reopening her eyes at that declaration. "I'll be okay. I'll keep my shawl on and nopony will be any wiser about it, they'll just think I'm some unicorn." Yuna paused, making a quiet noise in her throat- she was touched by the lengths they would both go for her. "I'm not exactly sure if its like, too soon to say it.. or if, I don't know, if there's an appropriate timeline for it, or what, but.. after that," She moved a hoof up under his chin and focused on his face, "I.. feel like I should, before anything crazy happens in the future." Just say it, Yuna! She was hesitating, uncertain. "I love you both."
Gleaming Echo wouldn't have been able to help but frown as he nuzzled the alicorn. "If I were to get hurt you'd have no part in it. I am the one who is the reckless one." he'd say with a smile as he listened to her speak of just wearing the shawl. Hopefully they really would think she's just some unicorn. But... what if ponies spoke too much about her here in ponyville and the purple alicorn found out! He really was a worry wart, however he listened to the last thing she said and froze. Both pony and nightmare were speechless. She love them both? On the outside gleam was smiling wide and giving the alicorn a hug! "I-I...I think we love you too!" The dark pony in the confines of their 'dreamscape' blinked. Love... he... he didn't understand Love... Did he Love her? Some tingle in his chest whispered 'yes'... but did he? Did monsters love? Did he love? m-maybe?
Yunalesca's face flushed a little and she moved to rest her head against the side of his neck. She hoped she hadn't been too hasty, or.. or put them on the spot with that. It wasn't quite a definite answer, but she could content herself with that. ".. Sorry. I felt that I should at least say it, just in case." The alicorn murmured again as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and rested up against him, feeling awkward. Yuna was just feeling.. stupidly cuddly. "Maybe we can try the shared dream thing again sometime if.. if there's no trouble. I can't see why Princess Luna came there at all."
Gleaming Echo cuddled up against the alicorn with his forelegs around her. "It 'is' the dream world... Perhaps she felt the presence of multiple ponies in a dream o-or.. well, she was drawn by Tarnished's presence." he'd say with an unsure tone of voice. "Just know this; Tarnished and I will do anything for you." he'd say with a smile and a nuzzle. A cuddly Yuna was quite fine in his opinion. In fact, he rolled over onto his back and tried to pull her to rest upon him! That way he could wrap his forelegs around her properly.
Yunalesca hummed thoughtfully and nuzzled the side of his neck in response. "I'd do the same for the both of you, too." She managed to say before he pulled her with him. The alicorn made a surprised noise, her wings flaring out a little for balance as she found herself on top. They were lowered while she made herself comfortable on him, draping her front hooves over his shoulders. On the mention of the shared dream, she pondered over it, but she had heard neither confirmation or denial on it. Yuna wouldn't push the issue, if he didn't want to try that again.. "Well, so.. what does that mean now for you?"
Gleaming Echo let out a bit of a yawn. "Well... It is quite possible that the Night Princess is non-hostile to us... B-but we don't know about her sister. She's the one I'm most worried about." he'd say with a rather uncertain expression. "T-though.... I would be happy to set up a few more shared dreams. The p-princess was fine with us doing so as long as we had your permission." he smiled and rest his head back. Laying with Yuna like this was somewhat comfortable!
Yunalesca noted the yawn and lay her head down on his chest while he talked. Everything sounded okay.. "Princess Celestia?" Of course he was talking about the solar deity, she didn't need confirmation for that. She could see why he'd be nervous, too.. after Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia would be antsy about another nightmare. Hrm. "Of course.. It would be fun to see you and Tarnished again like that. If you're tired though, we should rest." Yuna mused about something; if one princess knew, would she tell her sister, or the one in Ponyville? "And maybe tomorrow we can find something for you to do, with us. So you're not bored."
Gleaming Echo sighed and settled back. The stress was getting to the light half of the pony! He'd been talking to the Night Princess! The one that used to be Lady Nightmare! That was like... still a fan-colt moment if there is one! He'd even nudged her! Hehehehhe! Tarnished grumped in the back of his head at that. What made the princess so special? They had Yuna! In fact, that was remembered by Gleam a moment later and the thoughts of the alicorn were gone. Yuna was aaall that mattered! "That would be wonderful... perhaps tomorrow I can weave us a shared dream for the whole night." he smiled as he closed his eyes and laid back.
Yunalesca smiled faintly herself as she lay there, her eyes roving over Gleam's face. "I would like that." She agreed, moving her hooves up against his shoulders and rubbed at them idly. Soothing, relaxing. She had to wiggle a little to readjust how she was laying on him so she could do so comfortably, so he could sleep. Yuna closed her own eyes and let herself relax, doing nothing more. Once Gleam fell asleep, she probably would too, now that all was well. Or she hoped so, anyway.
Gleaming Echo relaxed as Yuna's hooves rubbed at his shoulders... Oh yes that was - yawn- wooooonderful! The dual pony was content with life once again! Hopefully the little voice; The gut instinct to place that trust in the night princess wasn't... misplaced. There was only one way to find out and now he just had to wait and hear... And cuddle the alicorn! All was right in the world.
The End.