From Outside

Dreams and Squared Circles
Dan's Comments
DISCLAIMER: My Little Pony is the property of Hasbro, Inc., Harry Dresden is the
property of Jim Butcher, Carl Kolchak is the property of ABC/Universal Television, Ranma
Saotome is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sailor Jupiter is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.

He felt the air around him rife with dreams. He kept his tentacles firmly grasping the desire to go
out and help. The Arboreal hadn't been pleased with his manipulations, but was instead resigned
to them. It was a curious thing to desire to be in a more dangerous place, rather than desire to
overcome. He was idly speculating on that as he rested one mental node, then another so he'd be
fully refreshed in the morning, likely when the next attack would come.

It came to him that without the ability to switch on and off nodes, that the wide cognitive and
personality shifts that occurred naturally to his people as a consequence would not be positively
seen and embraced.

The change would have to be seen as damage or a major failure of the whole, rather than a natural
consequence of maintenance, he thought, Oh well done, idiot. A bit of restorative therapy and they
think you're poisoning them instead. Well done, well done indeed.

He caught himself nearly slapping his eyestalks with the facing tentacle, copying the gesture he'd
seen on the natives and his collogues.

Well, I wonder how to offer an apology, he thought, I also need to curb my enthusiasm to do it
again, until I better apply the lessons of their biology and psychology. Stupid, I should have
realized that from the existing evidence.

He continued to rest as part of him watched the night sky, hoping to detect a familiar star, or
something he might recognize that would lead him home.

Visit a lost colony, what could go wrong, just a jaunt, he remembered being told, I'll tell them what
can go wrong. You better believe I will.

Makoto woke before the others. She enjoyed being the 'center of attention' of two such yummy
guys, yet she also enjoyed being the one they could confide in and act as a sounding board.

Mixed signals, Makoto thought of one of the long talks she and Patrick had in the previous dream,
'Open yourself emotionally' we tell them, but hate weak men. Except I try to rescue them like lost
puppies.

With a smirk she remembered the screaming rage Patrick enjoyed putting the Outers in as he
would rationally explain that the Outers acted like women, and would list everything that drove the
Inners crazy about the Outers' behavior, then would say the Inners acted more like men, which
explained their difficulty in finding dates, except with other heros.

She kissed Ranma gently, remembering all they'd done in this most recent dream, and that
dragging Ranma and Ranko out of their shells had been both arduous and fun.

Don't scare him, Makoto thought and almost laughed at his terrified expression to waking up in
bed with a woman, Just remind him you aren't like the others. She hugged him slightly, then let
him go. When he relaxed a bit she hugged him tight to her, enjoying the feel of his body against
her.

"Sleep well?" she asked and could feel his blush through the layers of their bed clothes. She kissed
his forehead again. And struggled not to laugh or comment on his discomfort, knowing that if she
wanted to lose him, pricking him now would make him run away. If not physically, then
emotionally.

Ranma raised up, and peered over her. Seeing that Patrick had gone, scrounging breakfast for
them, Ranma asked, "Was it . . . weird, with Ranko?"

Now Makoto did laugh, but hugging him to her breast. "No, silly. Ranko is you, and we love her,
we love you," she told him and smiled as she felt his arms encircling her waist, "I don't mind
sharing with her, as long as I get you too. Patrick and I want both of you, Ranma and Ranko. We
even kind of like the Neko."

"I mean, only getting together in dreams, not in real life," Ranma asked, "I just - I just keep
expecting one of my fiancees to come crashing in and attacking." He frowned. "Or my dad,
demanding I live up to all the agreements he made."

"I think Patrick and I can handle them. And while you're nervous about the Neko . . . which side
would he come down on? Ours or theirs?"

Ranma shivered at the thought of the Neko manifesting outside him, as it did in the dream. "I think
we both know that."

The elven sorcerer walked through the Everfree as if she owned it, but an elf would walk to the
guillotine with the same attitude. The crystal hand mirror showed her the trails she was following.
She had sneered, privately of course, at her Queen's insistence that any of the natives could be of
use. But she was willing to march around in a primeval forest to hunt down one who could be
turned to her Queen's purpose.

The trails led to a primitive hovel. Its stone walls and fallen roof showed the poorness of its
construction, and the fact that the owners hadn't been wise enough to assign a caretaking force.
She'd seen enough idlers and children that could have been forced to earn their keep maintaining
this building rather than sit for hours learning. Experience was the best teacher and if they
needed to know more than their task, they could be educated out of that delusion.

She almost laughed at the attempt at finery the place essayed, as if they could achieve more than a
parody. She found the trails converging, and followed them, swinging the mirror leisurely to see
where the trails were newest, and strongest.

The closed-in stairs gave her some worry, but mainly due to the poor construction of the place.
She noted the trails all banked sharply away from one direction. She'd explore that once the initial
job was done. She hoped it wasn't ponies, she'd been told to avoid those, but she knew many of
the local beasts were intelligent enough to understand when they were being played with. If they
were that smart, they could understand their helplessness and she could enjoy their struggles.

The miasma was unexpected, but easily forced back. She fought down the bile in her throat to
address this base thing as an equal. "You who have been forced from your host, my Queen offers
a chance to achieve your ends," she told the skulking thing that was searching for a weakness in
her defenses, "One that the ponies would loathe to use the Elements of Harmony against."

"You have my attention," the miasma said, trying and failing to sound regal and in control.

The elf hid her smile and gave her Queen's proposal, and the targets the miasma could infect.

The day had ended, the business was closed as he walked and thought about the day's activities, I
could visit Posey, then comes the question of what to do then. I guess just holding her hoof would
be acceptable. Of course the other possibility is I could enter her dreams and we could converse
there. She might even remember all of what we said.

He had a few stops to make, and he was aware of the dark shadow dogging his foot steps.
Stepping into an alleyway he sensed the miasma following him. Then it recoiled and fled.

Damn, I thought that looked like a natural digression, he thought, Well, maybe I should have
waited until I got to the alley I killed Tirek in, turn it into a graveyard of monsters. He chuckled at
that as he aimed his hooves to the hospital.

I wonder which of the local monsters that was, he thought as he walked, Maybe . . . no, not my
problem. With the elves poking around, I have enough playthings I can break without the locals
objecting. The question is kill or cripple, or give them a long, slow, debilitating death? Yes, that's
the ticket, something that will cause the other elves to heap more and more scorn on them as the
days go by.

He was whistling a happy tune as he entered the hospital, and considered all the wonderful things
he could do to the elves. Then inspiration struck him and he sent a mighty spell winging its way to
the new 'champions' who had arrived in Equestria. Just something to strengthen their wills, and to
give them a bit of insight into the situation. Not brand new data, but something to help them draw
the conclusions themselves. But it would also be like honey to a bear for that miasma, and the
other elvish delvers and denizens.

They might even surprise me, he thought as he entered Posey's room, and saw she was asleep,

Fancy picnic it is!

Posey woke in the middle of a meadow, warm light thawing her body and a soft breeze keeping it
pleasant. The blanket under her chin was odd, and the picnic basket just out of reach made it
slightly irritating.

She froze as the immense shadow passed over her, and she glanced at what had momentarily
seemed like a cloud. She'd seen dragons before, but this one was more.

If I'd seen that dragon, heck a dragon trying to eat me wouldn't be as scary as that one just flying
around, she thought, What does it want?

She watched it maneuver until it was lined up and coming straight at her. She couldn't make
herself run. Then it transformed. First into a staggeringly handsome, albeit fuzzy and cute,
alicorn, then when it touched down, into - "Don what are you doing here?" she asked as she stood
up, "What's going on? Where is this place?"

"You're dreaming," Don said matter of factly, and kissed her on the nose, "While I'm honored to be
in your dreams, I hope this isn't one of those dreams."

"What make you think this is a dream?" Posey asked and gestured at the terrain.

"Well, the chandelier is kind of a dead giveaway."

Posey craned her neck and shielded her eyes to see what she'd assumed was the sun. It was one
of those huge collections of lights and crystals that took a staff to change all the light bulbs. "Oh,"
she said, "What's it hanging from?"

Don shrugged. "Beats me, I flew over it and couldn't figure that out."

Posey facehoofed and looked at the picnic basket. I'm certain I would have noticed him carrying
that when he flew in, she thought as the smells of the food made her mouth water, I'm going to
drool my pillow into a sodden mess if I am asleep.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Eggplant Parmesan, lasagna, stuffed peppers, dakon scallopini, alfalfa bread pudding with vanilla
chive glaze, potatoes au gratin, and several varieties of cheese," Don told her.

She stared at him perplexed. "They all smell great, but I've never heard of any of them," she
admitted, "How is that possible if this is my dream?"

"Oh, I'm at your bedside describing what I'd fix you when you wake up and are off hospital food,"
Don said, "I'm not just a doughnut baker you know."

Posey laughed. "How is it you're so smart?"

"Your dream, you think I'm that smart. You also are hoping I'm that black alicorn or something far
darker and more evil!" he said as he loomed threateningly over her, "I guess being warm and fuzzy
isn't enough." He 'unloomed' as she laughed at his act.

"Okay, but even you have to admit it's an interesting coincidence. You show up a few hours after
one of the alicorns, a black, fuzzy one no less, shows up outside of Ponyville." She tried to smile,
to get him to smile, but he just grew serious.

"Posey, I may misremember. I may tell tall-tales to entertain. I may deflect to protect people
who've helped me, but in this I want clarity and complete honesty between us. I am not one of
those 'bronicorns' as the press has dubbed them," Don told her, "I'm not an alicorn of any stripe."

"Okay," she whispered. "What about a dragon?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Oh well, you got me there," he said, "I am a dragon." He turned around in front of
her. "Don't I make a great pony though?"

Posey started laughing.