Friendship is Optimal: Paranoia is Optimal

She stood up from her bed in the brightness of the dreamscape. It was the same as last night, with one exception. The little man was waiting at the foot of her bed in a dog like manner.

“I was wondering if you’d be back,” he said. “I was beginning to think you were a glitch.”

“Nice to see you too, Daemon.”

“So, you never explained this, “ he waved his hand at everything, “really.”

She shrugged as she stood up, pacing a bit, “Neither have you. I’m not the one who knew about the sleep that brought me here.”

“Fair enough. How about you tell me what you know and I’ll do the same?”

because then you would only tell me what I already know. “Because that’s a fool’s bargain. Instead I’ll answer a question of yours in exchange for you honestly and fully answering a question of mine. One for one. Deal?”

He shrugged, “Deal. What do you remember?”

“Huh, start off with a small one why don’t you.” She paced, “I remember waking up in the chair.” A nod by the little man confirmed he knew what she meant, “before that, is hazy. Like seeing through a…” The word escaped her. She walked to the window and tapped on it.

“Window.”

“Huh? No. I’m tapping. On the thingy.” It took a moment.

“What did you want to ask me?” he said with a sigh.

“That’s two questions, Daemon.” She said with a smirk, staring out the window. The flat endlessness was the same, with the same niggling darkness. Something was wrong with it.

“Whatever.”

“Question the first. Quomodo imperito te, Daemon? “ I guess studying yesterday wasn’t a complete waste.

The look he gave her was missed. She was staring out the window, distracted from even his reflection.

“Loyalty, I guess. And love. “ This was not the response she expected. What sort of diabolist had she been? The worry that sat low in her gut turned black as she watched that dark spot on the horizon.

“What is that?” she asked.

He looked out the window. “That’s the enemy.”

“The enemy?”

He nodded, “Celestia.”

She focused, putting her hands on the glass. She zoomed in on the spreading darkness, looking at it then through it. The world blurred past her, and she came face to muzzle with a white… horse? Unipeg. Wings and horn.

“What does it want?”

“She wants to eat the world. “

The mad scientist felt a coldness shake down her spine.