//------------------------------// // Deceiving Dreams // Story: A Play // by Di-o-S //------------------------------// The ponies around you just walk around, going about their business. You’re left speechless...for about a minute or two. “Hey!” you shout out to nopony in particular, a pony with a pale yellow coat, raspberry mane with light raspberry streaks heard your shout and walked toward you. “What do you want newcomer?” the mare said in a polite tone her eyes intently waiting for an answer. “I...I, what's going on here?” You ask looking around at what used to be a ghost town that kept ponies away for years to a nice small town that you could visit and relax. This change of scenery unsettles you but it also calms you. You lower your guard. “What do you mean?” The mare asked tilting her head in confusion. “I mean...it’s just that…,” you finish with a sigh not really knowing what to say. “It’s just that what?” the mare asked her smile remained on her face but her eyes held a certain cold look. You feel uneasy. “It’s just that this town is nice!” you say forcing enthusiasm into your tone. The mare’s eyes lose their cold look replaced with mirth seen in merrymaking in the days of old. You feel more comfortable with where you are. Your tongue might slip more than intended due to this, watch what you say. “That's great! That's how we want Ponyville to be seen as!” the mare shouted with glee the ponies around her agreeing with hoots and hollers of their own as they passed. This strikes you as strange but you still feel comfortable. “Now do you want to be shown around?” “Yea sure!” you say your voice unnaturally excited over something as small as just being shown around. Shaking your head you get out of your over-excited mood you seem to have found yourself in. The excitement still stays with if only subdued. “Alright follow me!” the mare said starting to walk away. “Wait. I don’t know your name,” you say to the retreating mare, you don’t want to call her ‘the mare’. This situation seems familiar to you but you can’t tell why. “Oh, it’s, Roseluck,” Roseluck said with a deluding smile. “Okay, Roseluck show me around,” you say with smile yourself. For some reason you feel your memories start to fade as if being covered by a thick fog. Roseluck turns around at starts down the road gesturing for you to follow. While you're following her you see two mares sitting on a doorstep watching you closely. Their orange and blue iris's following your moments but they don’t move an inch. You feel like you should know who they are. They also for some reason scare you. Roseluck leads you around the various roads until stopping at the central part of town which had a large circular building. “This is the town hall! You can come here if you have any problems or questions,” Roseluck said in a peppy tone, not even a second after Roseluck spoke a light brown mare with a silver like mane emerged from the building a smile adorned her muzzle as her eyes fall on you. “And that’s Mayor Mare,” “Hello, you’re new around her right?” Mayor Mare asks you. “Yes...no...yes?” you answer confused. You contemplate whether no or yes is the right answer. “Well they seem uncertain of their answer,” Mayor Mare said with a bemused chuckle. “I’ll leave, Roseluck to show you the rest of the town,” with that the mayor of Ponyville entered the town hall again. “Alright well on to the rest of the town!” Roseluck said moving forward down the road, you follow right behind her. The next building you arrive at looks more like a tree than a building. “This is The Golden Oaks Library. You can come here if you want something to read,” Roseluck said already moving forward down the road. The walk takes some time at the end of the dusty road that you’ve been walking on is a large farm that had trees as far as the eye can see. On the trees were bright red apples glistening in the sunlight. You feel hungry. “This is, Sweet Apple Acres. It doesn’t belong to anyone at the moment because the previous owners were uncooperative and thus were removed permanently,” Roseluck said her voice seemed to change from her voice to another's at the word permanently but you’re clouded mind pays no heed. Roseluck starts back toward the town you follow without question. On your way back you look up at the sky. The clouds spell out ‘To remember is the only way out’ how curious you think, not giving it a second thought your eyes coming back to the ground. As you walk you look up to see a very familiar pink pony with deflated hair sitting against the wall. The mare looked up when she saw you her eyes widened and she got up quickly too quickly it would seem as she fell to the ground in her rush. When she recovered she ran toward you stopping just short a couple centimeters from your muzzle. “I told you to leave!” the mare hisses at you. “Why didn’t just go?” “I’m sorry but do I know you?” you ask with a small smile. “Y-You don’t…” she trails off for a couple seconds. “You’ve been here too long! It won’t affect me but you-” the mare is cut off when the pony with orange eyes you saw earlier along with her friend start to take the mare away. The mare, however, didn’t seem to care. “Try to remember! It’s the only way out! Don’t try to help me if you do remember it’s too late to help me…” Slight recollection flashes in your eyes but the whole story remains shrouded from you. “Sorry about that. Come on let's continue our tour,” Roseluck said still keeping her happy attitude up. “You know what I have to go somewhere,” you say, her peppy way of speaking and the constant smiling was starting to come off as strange. You can’t feel you hooves anymore, looking down you see their fading. Before you could register that your fore-hoofs were actually disappearing Roseluck speaks. “Maybe you shouldn’t say things like that,” Roseluck said her voice faltering slightly letting malice slip into her tone. “You just might get hurt,” “I really think I should go,” you say more than convinced that leaving was the best option. Your guard is raised, you won’t slip in your speech anymore. “I think you should stay here a little longer,” Roseluck said leaving her false happy mood in the dust. You take a step back only to bump into a pony behind you. Turning around you see the two ponies that chased you through the streets earlier. Looking at them doesn’t seem to have the desired effect as they start toward you. Not wasting a second more you bolt just barely making it away from their hooves although one of them touched you which burned like hell and sapped at your strength from only one touch. You dreaded to think what would have happened if you were captured. The chase was unfair, there were who knows how many ponies out, that just by seeing you dropped all their items and chose to chase after you for no reason at all. As the number of ponies behind you grew you feel hope start to drain away. But you refused to give up and held on if just for a little bit longer. Taking a sharp turn into an alleyway you feel to hooves wrap around your neck and drag you in through a doorway which is quickly shut. “Shhh. Let them pass,” a voice quiet but kindly says to you. Hoofsteps crowded the alleyway outside for a brief time until leaving to search other places. The hoofs lift off your neck leaving you to your own will. “Who are-” but you’re interrupted, you feel that this happens too much. “I’m, Fluttershy. But that's not important right now,” the mare said her voice echoing slightly around the dimly lit room. “You’re close to leaving but you need to remember more,” “I am close to leaving?” you ask looking around the dimly lit room in vain for an exit. Fluttershy shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. Do you?” Fluttershy asked her voice dropping slightly. “Understand what?” you ask Fluttershy only for her to gesture at your forehoofs. Looking down you see that your forehoofs are gone. You could feel them yet they weren't there. “Where are they!” you shout starting to panic at the feeling. You feel two hoofs wrap around you gently. “Calm down, it’s okay,” the sound of Fluttershy’s soothing voice calms you down. “You’re hooves aren’t there because you’re close to leaving this place,” “Place? Where are we?” you ask sitting up slightly. “I would say, Ponyville but it’s not, sort of,” Fluttershy said her voice was quieter it was more akin to a whisper. How can something be something but yet it’s not something that it’s supposed to be? You ask yourself scrunching up your muzzle while thinking it over. “Talking about this place would not be wise. They could be watching,” Fluttershy said looking around much like Pinkie did in Sugar Cube something what was it called? Sugar Cube Corner perhaps? Yea that was it. After you think about the name a burst a memories come forth causing you to sway from side to side. “Ugh, what happened?” you ask after you steady yourself with some help from Fluttershy. “You did it!” Fluttershy said with a smile in the now lit room. You can now see what Fluttershy looks like, she has a coat of light gold with a light pink mane and tail, her cutie mark is three blue and pink butterflies. “I did what?” you ask still a little disoriented. “You remembered which means you’re leaving, unlike me don't try to help me it's too late,” Fluttershy said while your vision gets blurrier by the second. You see an outline of a door open with multiple ponies on the other side who walk in. “So this is where you’ve been hiding, Fluttershy-” the rest is muted out as your vision leaves you. Opening your eyes greets you with a cloud wall with a Wonderbolt poster on it. You have to wonder, what happened to Fluttershy? And most importantly who is she? You could swear her name sounds familiar.