Synch

by sunnypack

8 - Gotta Go Fast (rev1)

"How does Twilight Sparkle fit into all of this?" Luna enquired, having only heard snippets.

I smiled.

"I have no idea, I only met her at the castle, perhaps your sister could tell us more about her?"

Celestia smiled.

"The chronicler will know in time", she replied easily. "I will make sure it is added when I can."

-----

“SPIKE! SPIKE!” Twilight yelled impatiently. “Ugh, where are you?”

“I’m coming!” yelled back a distant voice.

Twilight trotted towards a table and quickly levitated on a saddlebag and some assorted scientific equipment. Her hooves and horn worked overtime to grab anything and everything she thought important to bring along.

“Elernmare flask, Titration kit, hoof-held arcanometer, field guide to Le- SPIKE!” Twilight called, her teeth gritting together.

Doesn’t Spike know how important this investigation was? The letter from Celestia although was in her usual measured handwriting betrayed a tone that conveyed a sense of urgency. The small shift in tone was not lost on Twilight and she was frantic to help the Princess wherever she could. Twilight could start as soon as she found that boo-

“Uhh, Twilight, could I go to-?” Spike queried as he practically leaped down the stairs.

“Not now Spike, I need the field guide to Levitating Scientifically! Could you fetch it for me please? Why do the books I need always disappear?”

Spike cast a critical gaze around the pile of books scattered around the library in Twilight’s effort to find the missing book.

“It’s a wonder. That book is in the basement, you moved it there after you thought you wouldn’t need it anymore”, he grumbled, walking down the stairs to the basement.

“Oh yeah, ha ha”, Twilight replied, grinning sheepishly.

In the silence she reflected on the merits of keeping her books in a better order. She could organise them by topic and then alphabetically and then shifting the books on difficulty as well. She practically squealed, she could reread some of the books she had not in a long time while reorganising, Spike was a genius.

She felt bad from pulling him into the trip to the castle. Maybe she could? No she definitely needed somepony to help her with setting up the equipment. The letter felt it was urgent.

A knock on the door interrupted Twilight before she could say anything to Spike.

Before she could answer the door, it burst open with a pink blur dashing through and wrapping itself around Twilight’s neck. Surprised, Twilight tried to turn her head around to see who it was but got a poofy mane of pink in her muzzle for her troubles.

“Pinkie? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, curious but steadily running out of breath.

Pinkie stepped back from her hug to let Twilight breathe, which she did gratefully.

“I felt I had to be here”, she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her smile split her face in two.

Spike returned with the book in his claws.

“Here Twilight, you’d think you’d be better at categorising your own books after all these years, oh hey Pinkie”, he stated flatly.

“Oooh Twilight, What’cha doin’?” Pinkie asked, her eyes going wide and moving uncomfortably close to Twilight.

Twilight levitated a scroll out of her saddlebag while it was still floating in mid-air where she had left it while organising her tools. She concentrated on Levitating Scientifically and deposited it into her saddlebag as well.

Pinkie could hardly contain her excitement, bouncing up and down on the spot.

“A letter from the Princess? What is it this time? Monsters? Discord? A cupcake invasion?”

Twilight smiled, “No Pinkie, nothing of that sort, at least I hope not.”

She frowned as she tried to phrase the message in a way that would make sense.

It was already difficult for her to understand as the technical descriptions that the Princess had imparted in the letter contained terms she had never heard of before. It was describing ‘dream states’, ‘occluding dream planes’ and ‘projective astral degeneration around circadian ensotopes’. In summary, Princess Celestia expressed the importance of retrieving a tome within the Castle of the Two Sisters and conducting a magical and scientific survey in the magical hotspot nearby, whilst perhaps delving a bit into sleep and dream magic while on site.

Twilight closed her eyes and started explaining what she had to do to Pinkie. She was rudely interrupted by Pinkie making silly faces in front of Twilight’s face to get her attention. This happened approximately half a hoof’s distance away from Twilight’s face so Twilight yelped and stepped back when she cracked an eye open to make sure Pinkie was listening. She noticed Pinkie held the scroll containing Celestia’s message in her hoof and was waving it about, obviously she had read it while she had been giving an explanation.

Rolling her eyes, she telekinetically yanked the scroll from Pinkie who floated a couple of metres into the air while still holding onto the scroll until Twilight pointed to the ground with her hoof, to which Pinkie obliged by impossibly sinking down to the ground at lower than the acceleration would be expected for this planet.

Pinkie trotted gaily back up to Twilight and pleaded, “Can I come with you? Can I? Can I? This sounds like fun!”

Twilight hesitated but then nodded.

“I was going to take Spike but Rarity asked to borrow him for a couple of ‘inspirational ensembles’. I would love for you to come along instead, if you don’t mind”

Pinkie nodded already raring to go, her hoof twitched as if it was a dog barely restrained on a leash.

Spike’s eyes lit up.

“Thanks Twilight! You’re the best!” he yelled back already halfway out the door. He dashed back in a second later.

“I almost forgot these”, he said, swiping some gems from a kitchen cupboard into one of his recessed scaled pockets and flashing a toothy grin. Twilight frowned a little but eventually gave a small note of assent when Spike’s eyes turned buttery.

“I swear that dragon only has jewels in his mind and that includes Rarity”, she muttered, exasperated.

Pinkie nodded sagely, stroking her fake beard. Twilight blinked. When did she get th- No brain! We did this a while ago. Never again.

She checked her equipment, then triple checked it, all the while Pinkie was bouncing around in small hops in a circle around Twilight as she underwent her regular field expedition routine. After a while, Twilight was satisfied and gave an approving ‘hmph’ before heading towards the door. As she was about to turn around she was met with a pink blur not unlike the greeting earlier.

Pinkie exploded out the door and called from outside.

“What are you waiting for, silly? Let’s have some fun!”

Shaking her head, Twilight trotted out to meet Pinkie with a small private grin.

Author's Note:

In response to a recent comment about this fic bearing resemblance to the premise of the Matrix. I'd have to say I agree, to an extent. However the concept of 'is this reality or is it a dream' actually stems from a variety of philosophers that have tried to identify 'the self'. Hume, Locke and Descartes all talk of different concepts and what actually contributes to 'the self' and your identity. Is it personality? Is it memory? Is it a little of both? Is me still me while I have no memories of me? How much of that is biological? I hope to explore these later on, for now I will tide you with the mysterious tome located in the Castle of the Two Sisters.

I was trying to pace the characterisation properly but I may have come across as a bit too strong for Pinkie. Twilight I always viewed as measured and calm (in most circumstances) so she would deal with other individuals in a tolerant way. However she can still freak out with small details mainly organisation or study related.

Thanks for all the readers so far despite this being so new, I love the initially positive reception!

Comments

[RainbowDragon]

So more like inception then? XD

[sunnypack]

4770009 Thanks, I appreciate your comments! More content coming through and the chapters are getting beefier to get your Synch fix! Thanks for giving it a good read.

[MurderSassin]

Will he have super powers like Nemo?!?!?!? PLEASE!!!!!!

[DaedricPrinceSheogorath]

Mmmm....nope sounds like pinkie

[OmnipresentMicroorganism]

4916441

It's Neo, not a fish from a Disney movie.