2/22/16; Midnight Stroll

Yunalesca wasn't sure if she felt comfortable going to sleep tonight, after what had happened before. What if they got stuck in another freaky nightmare, forced to slog through another, and another, until the cultists found them? Yuna lay in bed staring at the wall with those thoughts running through her mind, afraid of the possibility. She was better equipped to defend herself now, if they did come calling, but yet.. Yuna just felt too unnerved, too restless, to care much about sleeping with that hanging over her head. With a huff, she rolled out of bed and made for the door- maybe a midnight walk would clear her head. Yes, that sounded just fine. Yuna left her room, closing the door with a soft click behind her and started down the hall, looking troubled.

Gleaming Echo was awake, or at least Tarnished was. Gleam, the idiot, was peacefully asleep in bed from what his reflection in the mirror displayed. He looked at the reflection and let out a bit of a sigh. Part of the dark pony envied the light half. He could sleep so soundly even after the nightmares. Meanwhile he was left awake and staring at a mirror when, presumably, the rest of the company slept in dreamland. But were they? It might have been his imagination but did he hear movement outside? Mirroring her own actions from that night before he stood and headed for the door to investigate just whom might be in the hall at this hour!

Yunalesca slowed to look around at the doors as she passed them, knowing which of her companions slept behind. It was weird to think they'd gone through such an experience together, and in only a shared nightmare. Huh. The alicorn was about to move on towards the end of the hall, and the lobby beyond, but she heard the faint sound of one of the doors behind her opening. Yuna froze and looked back, waiting to see who it was going to be.

Gleaming Echo leaned out into the hall, the dim light cast from his glowing eyes making them almost lamplike in the dark. His eyes quickly came to rest upon Yuna and the expression softened just a bit. Barely noticeable but at the same time it was easy to see. He didn't say a word, merely inclining his head down the hall; and with that he stepped past and would have led the way outside the inn to much the same place they were at before. Once they arrived he came to a stop and turned back to Yuna. "Good evening, Lady Yuna..." he greeted a hint of a smile.

Yunalesca. The glowing eyes were easy to see in the dark of the hall, telling her it was just Tarnished. She relaxed a bit, nodding, and followed him through the inn and back out in front. This time she didn't sit down and smiled faintly at the pseudo nightmare. "Uh, hey. I.. couldn't really sleep, because of that whole thing." Yuna didn't want to put voice to the nightmare- she would rather forget about it. "I was actually thinking of going on a walk or something. How've you been doing since.. ?"

Gleaming Echo turned to look towards the moon for but a moment, this one with a much softer glow of course. It was the true moon after all! It radiated the calm presence that soothed him instead of the madness from the dream world. "I have been okay.... The idiot has been faring fairly well. He's sleeping like a foal. Of course, I on the other hand have to deal with all of the negative emotions. I suppose it is nice that only one of us requires sleep to keep the body functioning..." he sighed and scuffed a hoof upon the ground. "If you would permit I could.... accompany you on your walk?" he asked with a smile.

Yunalesca watched him gazing up at the moon and dared to give it a look. Normal. She turned a sympathetic eye onto Tarnished when he expressed such. "That sounds terrible to deal with." She expressed. "You can join me, sure. I just needed to get out and clear my head." Yuna checked the streets again before she picked a random direction to wander in; she was sure they could find their way back to the inn. "So how do you even deal with it?" She thought of thought of talking about of fear, but she'd rather talk of other things.

Gleaming Echo followed the alicorn, a second set of hoof-steps in the dead of night. "To be 'honest'... I cannot say. I suppose some of the idiot's ~ restraint... is bleeding into me." Of course he'd never admit that he held himself in check because she would want him to! "While I still have been getting flashes of extreme anger it hasn't been as bad as it used to be." The dark unicorn simply shook his head a bit. He seemed to look conflicted about something but he rather quickly seemed to over come that. "While I'm used to dealing with the darker feelings a pony might feel. Are you okay? Do you need to... ~ ergh... ~ Talk about something?" Awkward Tarnished still wasn't really comfortable talking 'nice' to ponies! But he was trying!

Yunalesca puzzled over that at first, thinking back to how she'd managed to get him to calm down just by talking to him. Did he actually consider her to be worth listening to? It was an interesting thought. "Well, you seem to be getting somewhat better." She commented and looked over at him while they walked, thinking it over. "Yeah, I suppose. Uh.." Yuna paused, trying to put words to feelings. "I guess I'm a little nervous about going to sleep again. What if we get stuck in another nightmare? What if the cultists don't stop until they finally find us? I don't want to go through that ever again. It was bad enough." Yuna shuddered. "It makes me wonder how they managed to cast a spell on us in the first place. Wouldn't one of them have to be near to do that?"

Gleaming Echo let out a bit of a hum as he listened to Yuna speak. How did he.... How would he help properly? "Well... The cultists would have to wait at least a week before even thinking about trying something so.. complex." he'd begin as he walked along with the alicorn. "It took a lot of magic to construct that dream world to trap us in. A dream world which was shattered when we defeated the construct of their own deity." he'd say with a bit of a vicious grin at the memory. "Even then we have already defeated what would have been their strongest construct they have ever created. An avatar of their own deity. They would be fools to do the same thing once again, but even still we will be able to defeat her again. I promise you that, Lady Yuna." he smiled only to smirk some. "If it would help I could stay with you when you sleep. Guard you even." he offered with a somewhat playful but devilish smirk.

Yunalesca grunted a little when he explained that it would take a week and a great amount of magic just to pull off such a feat again. Just that was a relief to hear. She'd have a whole week to recover, but she just hoped that the cultists reconsidered trying it again. Tarnished was correct, they wouldn't bother a second time would they? Yuna nodded a little and stopped once she comprehended what he'd last uttered. She gave his face another look, saw that smirk, and blushed. He was being suggestive again and she wasn't sure how to take it. "Um.."

Gleaming Echo was somewhat relieved to see the somewhat subtle tells that she was feeling a little better from that information. It would indeed take the cultists quite a while before they had enough resources pooled to re-cast. However that was nothing compared to the interesting little thing he just came across. Lady Yuna... blushed? His muzzle twisted into a wider almost cheshire-like smile as he leaned in and raised a hoof to brush the alicorn's cheek. "What an..." he had to force the next word of course "a-a-Adorable ~ " he managed to get out. " ~ blush you have there, I'll have to try to draw it out more shan't I? Yes... Oooh what fun that will be." he purred with a smirk, tail swishing.

Yunalesca was still struggling how to respond to such a question when he leaned close, brushing a hoof over her cheek. Why had he stuttered there? Her blush only darkened and she stared at his wide, teasing smile. Welp. "Uhm.. how're you, uh, gonna manage that?" Yuna fumbled, no, that hadn't been what she'd meant to ask. Darn it. She'd inadvertently said something that could be misconstrued as flirtation. Or maybe a challenge.

Gleaming Echo let out a bit of a chuckle only to pull his hoof back. "I'll have to figure that out... but on the other hoof that seemed to have worked wonderfully.... You look like a delightful alicorn cherry... Quite fit to pick and eat." he grinned a jagged grin and circled the alicorn some. He finally came to a stop though and sighed, ears laying back. "My apologies, lady Yuna." he closed his eyes and let out a long-suffered sigh. "This... ordeal... has been really trying in ways, I shouldn't have been so crass." he bit out and turned away.

Yunalesca's eyes widened a little and she ducked her head, feeling the heat in her cheeks- she couldn't imagine how red her normally pink cheeks were. She only dared to raise her head again when she heard hoofsteps, and found him circling her. She wasn't entirely positive with why she'd let it affect her so, but maybe it was just because having stallions flirt with her was.. extremely rare. The first time rare, in fact. Yuna's ears flicked up at his change in mood and she forced herself to relax. "Uh, n-no. It's fine. I mean, it's harmless."

Gleaming Echo gazed once again up at the moon and let out a bit of a croon-like sound. "But is it? I only have one I can call f-friend ((he was getting there! Only one stumble and not even a grimace!)) in this world, and here I am making her uncomfortable for my own amusement... even if the blush is cute." he sneered in a fair bit of self resentment pooling in his gut. That was just the way it was, no? He was a nightmare of a pony. The dark half to Gleam's light. The villain to his hero ~ Villains weren't meant to have happy endings!

Yunalesca frowned a little and moved up beside the pseudo nightmare, brushing her shoulder up against his. His mood had taken quite a turn, hadn't it? "If I say so, it is." Her blush was fading a little, but her cheeks were still a little reddish. "It's.. uh, not every day that anypony, er.." Flirts? Teases? Yuna really didn't know the right word for it, "does anything like that." She finished a little lamely. "That kind of attention. I'm not really uncomfortable." Yuna couldn't say much about if friends did that or not either. Teasing, maybe.

Gleaming Echo looked at the mare and quirked his head, twin glowing eyes so reminiscent of the nightmare they'd fought in the dream world focusing somewhat intently upon the alicorn. But the gaze was still somewhat 'soft' somehow. A combination of the true moon and Yuna keeping the pseudo nightmare docile? One hoof slowly raised and draped around the mare unless she moved away. Once the hoof was up though, it was like the dark pony didn't quite...know what to do. He gazed at the hoof and then at her a few times. All he had to go on were memories from Gleam of such things, but it was rather nice. However at that thought he pulled the hoof back rather quick. Dark pony wasn't used to such 'positive' thought! "I think the idiot is affecting me." he rumbled and shook his head 'woefully'.

Yunalesca met his gaze as steadily as she could manage- they were just so like hers. Nightmare Moon. It was eerie, and she tried to suppress a shudder; but he was her friend, and his eyes at least lacked that malevolent light. Mostly, when they were on her. Her own eyes widened a little when he wrapped his hoof around her shoulder, and it reminded her of the first time she'd met him in her mirror. Back then it seemed uncomfortable, unused to the idea of closeness with other ponies was she, but this time it was.. alright. He removed it rather quickly- regrettable. "Nonsense."

Gleaming Echo stared at the alicorn and made another face, though there was a hint of his old smirk back once again. "Lady Yuna, I am a mental construct that has half of Idiot's torn psyche, in particular the dark traits. Since when has.... affection... been a dark trait? I can tell you now it doesn't feel like lust. I know how that feels..." He hummed as he stared at the hoof he brought back. "Before our first talk the very idea of affection and f-friendship sickened me. By the stars above what in tartarus is wrong with me? I should be tormenting the elderly o-or pilfering bits via everything not nailed down.... gah ~ evil stuff... But here I am taking a walk in the calm moonlight with a f-friend," he shook his head with a sharp grin. "Tell nopony of course! I have an evil reputation to uphold even if it is in tatters right now!"

Yunalesca studied his face while he talked, an ear flicking when he reached the topic of lust, briefly. When had he felt something like that? She was curious- no, bad thoughts. "It probably.. isn't, but it doesn't mean you can't feel it. I mean, you're.. still you, construct or not. Surely even evil has feelings." The alicorn pointed out, noting his trouble with the word 'friend' still. He was trying, and he had gotten so much better than the first time he'd tried to say it. Yuna listened to his tirade and leaned in, hesitantly, to nose his jaw. "I won't. We do still need somepony to terrify our enemies, and maybe Lightning when he gets obnoxious."

Gleaming Echo quirked his head. "Hmmm ~ True. But most evil is a whole... I am but a half. But even still... you may just be right." he'd mutter with a bit of a hiss-like undertone to his voice. A villain did have to be passionate about their goal, did they not? An evil with no emotion... while unfettered by petty emotion was in the end weakened by the lack of said emotion. This rather peculiar chain of thought was subsequently brought to a grinding halt whenever he felt the nose to his jaw. It was like the spinning ferris wheel of evil in his head got loose and fell into the river, screaming foals and all! "Uuuuh..." was the delightfully intelligent utterance from the unicorn stallion as his psyche registered the nudge and came up trying to divide by zero. Thus... error! And was the dark pony... blushing? Lo and behold he was! The 'evil' pony tried to force it back to but he failed miserably at that. 'Evil pony don't know how to emotion!'

Yunalesca leaned her head back a little after that daring move and peered at his face. He seemed to have completely shut down, and.. was that a blush? Inadvertently, she'd sort of gotten him back for his earlier teasing. A hoof came up to cover her snout as she smiled at that. Oops! Her intent had been to comfort him, not to completely destroy his chain of thought. "Are you okay?" Yuna thought to ask, once she was certain she wasn't going to start giggling. She'd made an evil pony blush, imagine that.

Gleaming Echo was flung back into self-awareness by the question from Yuna. He opened and closed his mouth a few times and let out a rather strangled sound that was likely somewhat amusing. "I'm fine, Lady Yuna. But... By Lady Nightmares saggy old teat w-what in the name of Tartarus was that?!" the dark pony would ask with a bit of an eep. He was a wee bit very freaked out now. His hoof raised up to his still blushing face and he prodded his cheek. "My cheeks feel all weird... Am I ~ Blushing?! The buck?! Since when do I blush?! I mean, I know this is Gleam's body but ~ Ugh! I knew the idiot was affecting me! I feel all weird now..." he shook his body.

Yunalesca forced herself to drop her hoof the moment Tarnished reactivated, expressing confusion at the whole thing. It was almost cute that she'd flustered him so- such language, though. "Yes, you're blushing." She told him simply enough. "You probably aren't as immune to, ah, affection as you seem to think you are. Or were, perhaps." Yuna mused after a moment of silence, watching his reaction with great interest. And perhaps some amusement, as well.

Gleaming Echo was the dark half of a former cultist pony. Some of the cultists Gleam had accompanied upon adventures into the surrounding woodlands had language almost as bad as some griffon mercs! Normally the dark pony did try to control himself. Of course Tar had those memories to draw upon. With a shiver he lowered his hoof again and began to pace. "I-I don't know how to deal with this. I've never had to before!" While he was born from darker emotions he was still a pony at heart; many ponies had the tendency to fear the unknown in various ways, no? He was no exception to that rule.

Yunalesca hummed, stepping back a moment when the pseudo nightmare began to pace with worry. For herself, she had to admit that she felt far better about the night, not just because of his explanation, but now this. And she wasn't sure how to comfort him or calm him down now that he was freaked out. The alicorn approached tentatively, lifting a hoof for his shoulder if she could even manage such. "It's alright. I mean, I guess it might be nice if you want to consider it that way." What was Yuna to even say? "Just don't worry about it."

Gleaming Echo flicked his ear and came to an almost immediate stop when the hoof was raised for his shoulder. And then there was that; why did he stop or.... even listen to her? Even back in the nightmare world he'd listened to her. In the grips of madness he still could hear her to a degree! He heaved a breath and tried to force this whole thing mostly from his mind, though the ghost of a tingle from the blush remained. "I'll try to not think about it." he'd say with a bit of an odd look. "Shall we... head back? I'm sure you must be tired." he'd say with a tilt of his head.

Yunalesca stopped and withdrew her hoof the moment that he ceased pacing. She smiled hesitantly, and noted the pink that still lingered on his cheeks. She wasn't so sure about her own, since she couldn't see them without a mirror. "Oh, yes, I suppose so." Yuna said, glancing back the way they'd come. They hadn't gone too far away from the inn, considering such antics. "I'm not so sure about tired, but I do feel a lot better about the whole.. nightmare thing." Yuna gestured vaguely with a hoof and decided to start back. ".. Thanks, by the way."

Gleaming Echo let out a bit of a shaky chuckle and nodded as he walked with the alicorn. "You are.. quite welcome." he smiled and off they were heading back to the inn! "I'm uhm... glad I could be of help. I mean... even though I'm not too terribly good at the whole 'comforting' thing." he hopped a little on his hooves uncertainly. This was giving the dark half of the pony much to think about.

Yunalesca smiled faintly herself and flicked a wing. "It's fine. If it does take them that much magic, I'm starting to feel inclined to believe they probably won't attempt it again. It's a nice thought." She'd have to wait until the week was over to see if they would- even two weeks at most, but by then she might stop worrying about it. Yuna heaved a breath of relief. "You should probably get some sleep too, if you can manage. It probably isn't pleasant to be conscious constantly."

Gleaming Echo nods some and lets out a bit of a dark chuckle. "Ah.. but if Gleam and I take turns sleeping in shifts then if the spell is cast again then it might not work on us; or it might only capture one of us ~ Thus leaving the other in the waking world to watch over the rest." he'd say as he walked. He also didn't want to face the shadows that awaited when he slept. Broken spell or not the Nightmare realm didn't let the pseudo nightmare free without scars, some more deep than others.

Yunalesca found that an interesting fact. If one of them were free, perhaps then they'd be able to break the spell on their companions- at most, protect them. It all depended on, if Tarnished was the one, if he felt like doing that at all. Still, this night showed her something other than the fury and destruction the evil half offered. "Huh. That's a nice thought, if it works." Yuna mused aloud, realizing that she'd been silent. She was thoughtful the rest of the way up to the inn door, mulling things over and considering others.

Gleaming Echo tossed his head to get his mane out from in front of his eyes. "Indeed... Even if Gleam is well... an idiot, I will try to keep you safe like he promised to." he'd say with a shadow of a smile. However that was gone almost as quick as it appeared and he held the door for the alicorn. Quite chivalrous for an evil pony! Once inside he fell quiet and headed for their rooms again. He supposed he could 'try' to sleep... perhaps...

Yunalesca gave the nightmare a look when he held the door open for her- he didn't have to, but it was kind of him. Perhaps not so strange of him to. At some point, she'd have to ask him why he kept calling Gleam an idiot- she'd mostly assumed it was because of how often they disagreed on certain moralities, but it couldn't be it. "I'm glad to hear it. I.. don't think I could.. or will, let anything happen to you two either. Not after everything." Yuna expressed as she made for her door, pausing outside it to briefly look back at Tarnished. "Well, g'night."

Gleaming Echo was lucky that she'd moved past and was making down the hall for her door. When she said her piece about not thinking she could or would let anything happen to them the dark pony was taken rather aback and the smile was back. The dark pony stopped at the door to his own room and swept into a bow to the alicorn. The playful grin that would have been mocking to most others plastered upon his muzzle, but it was just him having a spot of fun. "Good night, milady Yunalesca." And with that he opened his door and slipped in.

Yunalesca snorted, amused when he bowed to her, calling her by her full name. He was just playing with her, no doubt. The alicorn smiled and turned away, slipping into her own room with the door locked behind her. From there she could slip back into her bed, where it now felt considerably more comfortable, and snuggled in to sleep. It was surprisingly easy this time, now that her fears had been put to rest.