Life Is But A Dream

[Cosmic Charlie 129]

UPDATE: This is now available at http://www.fimfiction.net/story/40348/Life-Is-But-A-Dream

 

Hi all! This is my very first fanfiction for FiM. Please tell me if it seems like something you'd want to read. Critiques are welcome, as this is just a first draft. I will be adding chapters here as I write them.

 

 

THE PLOT: Twilight finally confronts Pinkie Pie about her strange ability to violate the laws of time and space. She discovers there are some questions to which she'd rather not know the answers.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1

 

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Twilight Sparkle thought she could move past it, but she just couldn’t.

 

I mean, Pinkie Sense is one thing, but how in the hay…?

 

She furrowed her brow and sighed. It was the middle of the night – early morning, really – and she hadn’t slept at all. Yesterday, she and Rainbow Dash had reminisced about Pinkie’s birthday a few years ago, when they had been trying to throw her a surprise party. Rainbow had laughed as she recounted fleeing from Pinkie as fast as she could, only to find her already waiting in the spots she’d choose to hide, no matter how remote or inaccessible to earth ponies. Twilight had not known of this part, however, and was in logic shock – an all too common occurrence for her since she moved to Ponyville. Such a thing made no sense, even by magic standards. An earth pony, even one as… interesting as Pinkie Pie, simply should not have the ability to travel that fast. She couldn’t have been flying, or teleporting…

 

That’s it; I have to go see her tomorrow. I need to figure this out! “Aaaaugh!” Twilight groaned in frustration.

 

“Aaaaugh!” Spike responded. “Oh man, I was having the best dream! Sapphires and emeralds everywhere… Thanks a lot, Twilight.” He rolled over, attempting to mumble himself back into his dream. “Nnn… rubiiiies…”

 

“Sorry, Spike,” Twilight said flatly. “I’m gonna figure you out, Pinkie Pie… mark my words...”

 

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Sugarcube Corner was practically deserted for the middle of the afternoon. Pinkie Pie was working the counter. She gave a young pegasus the chocolate chip cookie she asked for. “That’ll be one bit, Whisper Wing! Thank you! Enjoy, I know I will!” With that, she scarfed five of the cookies at once.

 

Twilight Sparkle burst in suddenly and shouted “All right Pinkie Pie, I want some answers!”

 

“Mm kfthh bthh thmdm!” Pinkie beamed, cookie bits flying out of her mouth. Twilight gave her a look indicating she was not impressed. Pinkie quickly swallowed. “Sorry!” She giggled. “What answers do you need, Twilight?”

 

Twilight scooted right up and stared into Pinkie’s bright blue eyes. “I need you to tell me how you… how you… well, how you can possibly do any of the things you do!”

 

Pinkie giggled again. “Oh, Twilight. We already talked about my Pinkie Sense, remember? You were following me around all day and you said ‘You don’t make any sense, Pinkie Pie!’ and then I was all ‘But Twilight, you just don’t get it!’ and then YOU said-“

 

“I REMEMBER, Pinkie!”

 

“Good! I’m glad your memory came back, Twilight. La lala lala…” She started to bounce off, but Twilight nabbed her tail with her magic and stopped her.

 

“That’s NOT what I meant. I understand your Pinkie Sense. Or, actually I don’t… Whatever! The point is…” She closed her eyes and her horn glowed, and suddenly she and Pinkie Pie were up in Pinkie’s room. Gummy paused his dedicated chewing of a chew toy that looked like it was intended for dogs, but only momentarily.

 

“The point is that I know you’re hiding something, something that explains everything about you!” Twilight realized from Pinkie’s exp<b></b>ression that she was pressing a little too hard, and she turned away. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been losing sleep over this. Rainbow Dash…” She faced Pinkie Pie again, who still wore a look of confusion. “Rainbow Dash told me about a time she tried to run from you, but you always knew where she was headed and you beat her there every time. This is Rainbow Dash we’re talking about… Pinkie Pie, please, I have to know…”

 

Pinkie had been ready to lightheartedly brush off Twilight’s question again, but somehow the sincerity of it all cracked her façade. Twilight was too smart; she couldn’t hide it forever. Now seemed as good a time as there would ever be.

 

Pinkie Pie sighed a long sigh. The silence was deafening. When at last Pinkie spoke, it was very unlike her natural tone – slow, low, and calculated.

 

“Twilight… do you ever get the feeling that none of this is real? Like, it’s all a dream?”

 

“Pinkie Pie, I don’t-“

 

“When I was young… hah, I’ve never told anyone this… when I first moved away from my parents and came to Ponyville, on the way, something happened to me. Something that changed my life… changed me, forever.”

 

Twilight was silent.

 

“I was walking down a path, when I spotted a tall rock. I thought it would be fun to climb up on top of it, but when I tried… Twilight, when I tried my hoof went right through it. Like it wasn’t there at all. But that’s not the worst part.” She turned to face Twilight, her eyes starting to brim with tears. “The worst part is that it disappeared. It disappeared, Twilight! My hoof went through it and then it was gone. I thought I was going crazy.” She started to approach Twilight, who was still speechless and more than a little unsettled about how Pinkie was acting. “But other… things kept happening. I saw a butterfly go right through a tree. I saw a bird whose head was floating next to its body, and it was flying around like nothing was wrong.”

 

“Pinkie Pie, if this is some kind of joke, it’s not-“

 

“IT’S NOT A JOKE!” Pinkie’s nostrils flared. She closed her eyes for a moment and calmed herself. “It’s not a joke, and I can prove it.”

 

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CHAPTER 2

 

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Applejack had just finished dumping today’s harvest into barrels to be taken to the market the next day. She took a quick look around before letting loose a tremendous yawn. “Hoo-ey! What a day.”

 

Suddenly, she spotted two familiar colors at the edge of the orchard. It appeared as though Pinkie Pie and Twilight were coming to visit. Applejack was more than ready for a familiar face after a long day of applebucking, but her friends didn’t seem to be approaching the barn. Instead they turned off the path and headed toward a remote corner of the orchard.

 

“What in tarnation…?” Applejack was tired, but this strange behavior piqued her interest. She wouldn’t put a prank past Pinkie Pie any day of the week, but Twilight’s presence on this late night excursion didn’t make much sense. Applejack made up her mind to check things out – not that she didn’t trust her friends, but what in Equestria were they doing here if not coming to visit? She adjusted her hat and trotted off in the direction her friends were headed.

 

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Twilight had some doubts about Pinkie’s story – very strong doubts, in fact. They ran through her head as she ran behind Pinkie Pie through Sweet Apple Acres, but she elected to keep them to herself for now.

 

“This way! No…. this way!” Pinkie was taking them on a zigzag path through the trees, and Twilight was losing patience. They were nearly at the edge of the Sweet Apple Acres property. The farmhouse and barn were rather distant and barely visible over the trees and hills.

 

“Pinkie Pie…”

 

Pinkie stopped suddenly, skidding to a stop as if at the edge of a cliff. “This is it…!” Pinkie whispered in awe. Her eyes threatened tears again, wide with apprehension as she cautiously approached one of the myriad apple trees. She gave Twilight a very serious look, one that would have been comical on any other occasion. “Please come here, Twilight…”

 

“Pinkie, you’re kinda creeping me out...” Twilight forced a nervous laugh. “It’s just a tree…”

 

“Please.” Her voice was barely audible.

 

Twilight held back a sigh and came to sit next to Pinkie.

 

A moment later, any ideas she had about this being some elaborate practical joke vanished. Pinkie had tremblingly raised her front left hoof and pressed it to the tree… but it didn’t stop. Her hoof phased through it like it was merely a trick of the light that a tree was there at all. She quickly retracted it and fell backwards, then gave Twilight another serious look. Twilight didn’t see it, however, as her eyes were locked onto the apple tree. She crept toward it, her face a picture of horror and confusion.

 

The two ponies didn’t hear the rustling behind them. Applejack was hiding behind a tree a few rows back. She couldn’t believe what she had just seen. It had obviously been an illusion, probably caused by the dim moonlight. She had been planning to leap out and catch them in the act of whatever they were up to, but this…

 

Before she knew what she was doing, Applejack was sprinting back to the farmhouse. “Nope… just been workin’ too hard today, is all. You’re workin’ too hard and seein’ things, Applejack…” Once inside she ran straight to her bedroom and jumped into bed. She forced thoughts of what she had just seen out of her head, convinced herself she hadn’t seen it after all. Before long, blissful sleep found her.

 

Pinkie Pie and Twilight were still sitting outside. Pinkie had stood up and was now watching Twilight expectantly, who was still focused on the tree. Twilight circled the tree a few times, glaring at it intently, occasionally looking back at Pinkie, who gave her nothing. She used her magic to pull an apple from the tree, and after careful inspection, took a bite. It seemed normal. Twilight eventually grunted and charged the tree, throwing her legs behind her to give it a solid bucking. She sailed right through the tree and was skidding through the grass on her tummy and chin a moment later. After a minute of Pinkie looking at her sadly, Twilight began to cackle crazily. “This isn’t possible! I must be dreaming.”

 

Twilight suddenly shot up straight and ran to Pinkie. “It’s a dream! You’re a dream! Wake up, Twilight. Wake UP!” She conked herself on the head with her hoof. “OW!”

 

Pinkie gave her a long, tight hug. At length she whispered, “You’ve always been dreaming, Twilight. Now… you’re awake.”

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CHAPTER 3

 

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The three days that had passed since the night at Sweet Apple Acres had been the longest of Twilight’s life. She had decided to follow Pinkie’s lead and pretend like everything was completely normal, but it turned out to be a lot more difficult than she had anticipated. Even after what she had seen, she still wasn’t completely convinced – or at least, she wasn’t ready to be. There just had to be an explanation for it, and she thought she knew where to find it.

 

“Spike…”

 

At the sound of his name, Spike came running. “What is it, Twilight?”

 

Twilight hesitated. “I’m leaving in the morning… for Canterlot. I’ll be gone for a few days.”

 

“What about?” Spike asked innocently.

 

A baby dragon doesn’t need this burden, especially when I don’t have any answers to give.

 

“I… want to do some research on strengthening telekinetic magic. The books here don’t really cover it as completely as I’d hoped, sooo... I’m off to the Canterlot Archives.” Twilight smiled wearily, in what she dearly hoped was a sincere manner.

 

Spike appeared to buy it. “That’s fine. I’ve been meaning to catch up with Rarity, anyway.” He looked up at the skylight, a dreamy look in his eyes.

 

This time she didn’t have to force a genuine smile. She laughed and scratched his head with her hoof. “I think it’s time for bed, my little Casanova.” Spike yawned in agreement, as if on queue.

 

“Good call. G’night, Twilight.”

 

“Good night, Spike.”

 

As she watched him climb the stairs to the library’s loft, her face fell. Going into the Everfree Forest alone was definitely not the smartest decision – she’d barely made it back last time – but there’s no way she could ask anypony to come with her for this. Not even Pinkie Pie. Twilight could never forgive herself if she was responsible for one of her friends being hurt, or worse. If she was very careful, though, she doubted there would be any obstacles she couldn’t overcome with a little brainpower and a little magic.

 

Twilight’s thoughts buzzed in her head like a hive, and it took some time to calm them and earnestly try to fall asleep. Eventually the tempestuous seas of her mind relented. For the last time, Twilight fell into a deep sleep in her bed at the Ponyville library.

 

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Applejack was meandering through the orchard as the sun went down. Applebloom was off playing with her friends somewhere, and the day’s work was done. AJ had been working all week and had earned a day off to relax, and it started only minutes ago when she shut the barn door.

 

Time to relax,AJ… She grinned and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. But all she could see in her mind’s eye was Pinkie’s hoof going right through that tree. She got the sudden feeling she was being watched and flung her eyes open. All alone, of course.

 

Applejack found herself moving toward the spot where she had seen… thought she had seen that strange incident. Outwardly she laughed at herself for even bothering, but she had to know. She had been closer to it than she realized, and swallowed hard as the tree came into view - no different from the rest, save for that one thing.

 

Yeah, maybe.

 

“I ain’t afraid!” She yelled to no one in particular before charging the tree like Twilight had. She flung her strong back hooves out in front of her, and… THNK! Her hooves connected solidly with the tree bark, chipping a bit off and knocking half a dozen apples to the ground.

 

Applejack smiled knowingly, finally shaking off the nervous feeling that had plagued her since she started her walk. She picked up an apple with her teeth and munched it.

 

“Just as I thought, ‘tweren’t nothin’ but a trick o’ the light.” Applejack strolled back to the house, confident and beaming. As she turned her back, she never noticed one of the apples had rolled against the tree and disappeared soundlessly into it.

 

“Yep. Just a trick.”

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CHAPTER 4

 

The stars were still out in full effect when Twilight awoke. After a few moments she remembered the grim task she had assigned herself. She climbed out of bed and yawned mightily as she magic-grabbed her saddlebags and made her way downstairs.

 

She would need a few choice books. Creepy Creatures and Enigmatic Entities might come in handy, she figured. While retrieving So You Want to Be a Hydra Tamer, however, she bumped a precarious shelf of books with the surprisingly large tome and every book on it came crashing to the floor. It was so loud that Twilight froze up and squeezed her eyes shut, heart racing, waiting for Spike to wake and catch her. Her imagination ran wild as she tried to remember what she had told him she was doing, but panic had set in, she was drawing blanks.

 

Seconds passed like hours as she waited. At long last the rip roar of a baby dragon snore graced her ears. Twilight had never been so grateful that Spike was a heavy sleeper. She carefully put her books into her bag, adding a few apples before silently making her exit.

 

When the library’s front door had latched, Twilight let out a long, slow breath. A look of determination crossed her face as she looked out at where the edge of the Everfree Forest met the land around Fluttershy’s cabin. She didn’t want to risk upsetting any of the animals in that area, so she’d have to pick another angle of approach.

 

No one else was on the streets of Ponyville at this hour. Twilight’s thoughts turned to Princess Luna as she navigated Ponyville alone. The night really was so beautiful; how it must have pained Luna to see her efforts go all but unnoticed for so long. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt a sudden surge of empathy for the Luna of that ancient day when she became Nightmare Moon. Twilight wondered how much control Luna really had over her transformation and her actions afterward. She wondered what she would have done in the same situation, and quickly elected not to think about it anymore. Her focus had to remain on the task at hand.

 

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Pinkie Pie shivered a little as she sat on the cold stone floor. She had been trying to count the fireflies she could see from the balcony. By the time she had counted 941, she started to get sleepy and bored. The cold and her sense of purpose kept her awake, however, and she dutifully started over at one.

 

After counting to 639, she got bored again. “Come on, Twilight, where are you? It doesn’t take THAT long to get out here, sheesh!” With an indignant sigh, she started her firefly counting again. “One, two, three, four… no wait, you were two. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven…”

 

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“Fluttershy?” Rarity called sweetly to Fluttershy’s front door as she gingerly gave it a knock. “Are you home, darling?”

 

The door opened after a moment of shuffling from within. “Oh, hello Rarity! What brings you all the way to my cabin?” Fluttershy smiled broadly.

 

“I hope you don’t mind if I come in? The wind today has been dreadful to my coiffure.”

 

“Of course! Can I get you anything? Some fresh lettuce?” Fluttershy stepped aside to let her friend in.

 

“Oh I couldn’t, darling. Fluttershy, have you seen Twilight today? I went to visit her and both she and Spike were nowhere to be found. Nopony I’ve spoken to has seen either of them.”

 

“Um… no, I’m sorry, I haven’t.” Fluttershy looked at the ground sheepishly, as if it were her fault. “I’ve been spending all day with Angel. The poor thing’s come down with a summer cold.” A rapid succession of bunny sneezes came from the other room.

 

“Then I shan’t keep you another minute. You’ll tell me if you hear from her, won’t you?”

 

“Absolutely. Have a good day, Rarity!” Fluttershy gave another wide grin as she walked Rarity to the door.

 

“Toodle-loo, Fluttershy!”

 

As soon as the door was shut, Fluttershy sank to the floor, her knees finally giving out. She began to sob quietly. Angel bounced over to her and consoled her with a paw on her knee. She reached out suddenly and took him into a huge hug, the tightness of which he could just barely tolerate.

 

Pinkie Pie walked out from the room where Angel had just been. “Wow. Talk about bad timing, huh?”

 

Fluttershy gave no response but more tears.

 

Pinkie Pie mustered her brightest smile. “It’ll be okay, Fluttershy! I Pinkie Promise we’re gonna save them all.”

 

More sobbing, but finally a reply. “Cross your heart and hope to fly?”

 

“Stick a cupcake in my eye!” Pinkie did the gesture, and her heart warmed when it coaxed a giggle from the pegasus. “Just do what we discussed and everything will definitely, definitely work out. Okay?”

 

“Okay, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy sniffed. “I’ll do it.”

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Edited July 24, 2012 by Cosmic Charlie