Perchance to Dream

by David Silver

8 - Clarity

While the shows were pleasant enough, I could see Kevin was nervous about something. Did he think I was nuts? I couldn't rightly say he'd be wrong to think so.

I couldn't stand the uncertainty. I had too much of that already. "Kevin?"

"It's my fault."

What? "What?"

He stood up. "I'm not Kevin. Nice guy, but I'm not him."

I didn't need this! "Who are you then?" I asked with a weary noise.

"Someone who should have known better." Kevin gave a sad little smile. "You know me as True Shot, and I've been bungling this whole thing up."

I sat up straight. "You!"

"Me!" He smiled a little more. "I'm supposed to be dead, and I should start acting the part instead of torturing you. I didn't mean to, I swear... I just thought I could do a few little last things, but that's not how it works, and you've been paying the price."

"So, there is a Kevin, right?" Oh please let there be.

"I took his image, to relax you, and explain this to you..." He paused a moment. "He did come over before, to give that book. He is a nice guy, but I'm not him. I'm going to go now and stop messing with your head, or your life."

"So, Equestria?"

He blinked. "Oh! You can have it. I don't really have dibs on that body or that life. Though, hey, enjoy it. I'd be a bit happier knowing there's another merry archer in my place, helping ponies open up."

"But is it a dream?!"

He shrugged. "From where I'm standing, everything is, but hey, I'm dead. Dead people are terrible perspectives for that kind of question. Equestria is just as real as this world, good or bad. Enjoy both lives and help others enjoy theirs. That's all anyone can really do."

I pointed to the phone with a shaking finger. "What about that phone call, and the email getting fired?"

He shook his head. "I shouldn't be here, and you were my host. The more things I did, the worse it became for you. I'm hurting your mind and, what, spirit? I shouldn't be here, and soon I won't be. Those were echoes of what could be and what you feared, but they weren't real. You are loved. It's a bit early to say, but I think you're a pretty great person too. That's why I'm going to get out of here and let you get on with life."

Was the nightmare really ending? I gave a choked half-laugh. The idea of it being over was exciting, but I was tired on a deep level. "Wait." He perked up. "I gave Celestia that kiss for you."

That smile. It was so bright I couldn't see a moment, then he was gone. "Live well," echoed his voice, his real voice. I knew that voice, since it was my voice when I was in Equestria. He had moved on to wherever dead people moved on to.

I felt something release inside of me, some terrible coiling that I hadn't known before. I passed out. It was a dreamless sleep. I slept like a statue, and perhaps I did just that. It amused me to think of myself somehow snoring inside a shell of stone, kept alive by whatever magic let me slip back and forth. It was the deepest sleep I'd ever experienced, and it was blessed.

I awoke to a gentle tapping. I opened my eyes to see darkness. I could feel the statue around me. I was in Equestria, and a pony. "Yes?" I asked. I had no idea how long I had been out, but I felt better.

"Are you alright?" came Twilight's voice. "I've been hesitant to attempt the depetrification spell after that last..."

"I'm alright." I squirmed in that prison before giving a powerful flex of my pony body, shattering the stone to bits around me. I was in a library of some sort in the middle of a circle of odd diagrams. Twilight was there but no others. "Everything's alright," I assured, and it felt that way. The uncertainty had fled from me with that sleep. "Good morning."

Twilight smiled. "Good morning. You look better than before." She glanced at my rump. "Oh! You've gotten your cutie mark!"

I turned to look back at my flank to see a picture of a bow across a larger pink heart. It was adorable. "Why is everything in this world so cute?"

Twilight blinked at that. "It is? Well, I'm glad to hear you're in better spirits." Her horn glowed as her magic swept the stone bits away. "I apologize for before. My spell clearly had a very negative reaction on whatever cycle you're in. I'll research a bett--"

"No." I shook my head at her. "Just leave it alone. I'll visit Equestria by night, and that's alright."

Twilight started a little. "Are you sure?"

I took a slow breath. "I'm more certain than I have been for a little while now." I stepped forward and planted a smooch on her forehead just beside her horn. "Thanks."

Twilight lit up red. "Y-you're welcome." She took a half-step back. "I should tell Celestia and Luna, they both wanted to know if you woke up." She half-turned away from me. "Before I do, I don't suppose you'd be willing to talk more about the human world?"

I smiled at the curious unicorn. "Go tell them. We'll get together later and chat about the wonders of humanity."

She gave a squeal of excitement. "That's a promise." And off she galloped.

I was alone. I sat on my haunches and looked over my sleek stallion lines. As ponies went, I was a looker. I was also a stallion again. So it was. I was 'born' a stallion, in this world, just as I was 'born' a woman on earth. Why fight it? But I wasn't here to woo ladies, oh no. True Shot had made a final request, and it was a kind one. He wanted me to bring light to others.

With a thought, my bow unslung from me and swung around to float before my eyes. I pulled at its string gently as if practicing drawing it. I couldn't make two people fall in love, that was not my power. I could make two people who had love admit it, and that was certainly power enough.

There was an issue. If I had slept long, it might be time for work, and I hadn't set my alarm or anything. I couldn't let my human life suffer for the sake of frolicking with the ponies, as adorable as they were. But how did I go to sleep?

The door opened to admit Celestia. She had a reserved face, clearly uncertain. "True Shot? Linda? I fear you have me at a loss, but I hope things are better now?"

I dipped my head at the princess. "They are, a lot. I need to check in on my other half, but I think everything's alright now." I hopped up to my hooves. "I'm just not sure how to do that."

"You need to sleep?" came the voice of Luna as she entered not long after. "I can help with that."

Right! "I forgot that in all this... I'm not running from either of you, promise. I will be back, but I have to take care of both ends."

Luna smiled at that. "So you have properly determined this is not a dream then?"

"Oh, it's all a dream." I waved a hoof at her. "Life is but a dream is a bit of philosophy smarter people than I made up long ago. I'm just in the unique situation of having two of those dreams, and both seem... lovely." I smiled, a real smile. "I can't abandon one for the other. Please, send me off and I'll be back, promise. And, to be clear, here I am True Shot, and that's not a bad thing to be."

Celestia quirked a little smile. "But are you truly?"

"He said so."

She started at that. "He did?"

Luna shook her head. "He is dead."

"He is, and he's back to playing the part, but..." How to explain... "It's alright. Everything is going to be alright."

Luna shook her head, clearly not convinced. "Get your sleep. It pleases us to know you are feeling better." Her horn glowed gently, and I felt lethargy building. Stone began to creep up along me from my hooves. I felt a childish impulse and stuck my tongue out at them and crossed my eyes. Hopefully I would freeze just that way.

I awoke on the floor in a disheveled mess. I scrambled up and grabbed for my phone to check the time. Shoot! I barely had enough wiggle room to cram down a snack pastry, get dressed, and emerge from my home in a hurry. I stopped suddenly and turned around to look at my house.

289. Yes, my house was 289. It always was. I laughed softly as I got to hustling to my car and getting off to a busy day of work, or would it be? With the holidays and the client signing off on the last line, it might very well be a week of mostly celebration. That wouldn't be bad either. Either way, it was my life, and I felt ready to live it.

Author's Note:

The nightmare is over, and this feels like a good spot to break this chapter.

Now we can get to more peaceful exploration of Linda's life without the universe peeling apart at the edges along the way.

True Shot has passed on peacefully. Was he a good pony?

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Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Ah. Transgressing against the natural order has some serious side effects. Good to know. It will be very interesting to see hiw Linda handled her double life from here on out.

[Dravkwn]

In the waking and in the sleep, both have value of which to keep.
While we rest the spirit plays, in the aether of many ways.
Til it comes a time again, the spirit free to go again.

[David Silver]

7827994 You get a cookie.

[tsaukpaetra]

now she understands!
The only question is, how will not technically sleeping mentally affect her over time? Sleep's important, yo! Unless she's indeed getting the rest the body needs in between switches... OMG the practical applications for this!
Keep going! ;)

[Daremo]

chocked - choked

had fled me - had fled from me

it may very well - it might very well

---

Today's chapter was good, and I am hopeful this will continue sooner rather than later.

I wonder now if part of the issues Linda was having was due, counter intuitively enough, to sleep deprivation. With her mind constantly active she had no real rest time for other body processes, that take place during sleep, to occur.

It feels like a loss that True Shot's decision to leave was made unilaterally, but perhaps he is not as far gone as we are led to believe. Linda/True Shot still has control of their magic to a greater degree than they should, though it could be that it can be explained by the fact that she knows how it feels now and can continue to do the things that feel proper.

And who's to say (besides a certain clever author, that is, and he's not talking) that True Shot gets to make that decision in the first place? We don't know how this all came to pass, and may never know, but something set events in motion and may yet be at work. True Shot may not have a say in his comings and goings.

[David Silver]

7829344 We've arrived at an end, but only of an arc. Linda is convinced it is a dream, but so is life in general, so just as worthy of consideration as the waking world, and she's alright with that. She is Linda. She is also True Shot, hunky pony stallion with a quiver full of love arrows. There are worse fates out there, right?

[ferret]

"He is, and he's back to playing the part, but..." How to explain... "It's alright. Everything is going to be alright."

That's not an explanation! That doesn't explain anything!

Well you've done it again, made a vaguely unsettling premise I never could have dreamt up in a million years, that I'm interested in following. And a woman gone stallion, how rare!

[RadicalDishonesty]

True Shot goes back to being dead? Pity, I liked him, and in a world where there are immortals waltzing around it didn't seem like that much of a stretch for him to return but in an unexpected way.

[Sylica telca]

I was laughing at when true shot said he has a dead man's prospective XD. I also laughed at how her face freezed XD.

[Detsella Morningdew]

Oh! That is quite interesting. I had a thought, it was "proved wrong," then ended up being pretty much right again.

Quite the interesting turn of events. I love this so far.

And I like Pony Cupid, and your interpretation of both his and Cadence's powers.

[Numinos]

Interesting plot twist just became less interesting. But story itself became even more intriguing.

[Teraunce]

I suspect this isn't the last we'll see of True Shot but hopefully next time they figure out how to avoid the schisms.

[Killjoy1221]

Luna shook her head, clearly not convinced. "Get your sleep. It pleases us to know you are feeling better." Her horn glowed gently, and I felt lethargy building. Stone began to creep up along me from my hooves. I felt a childish impulse and stuck my tongue out at them and crossed my eyes. Hopefully I would freeze just that way.

If you keep making that face, it'll stay that way

[Luckyfanisaac]

True Shot has passed on peacefully. Was he a good pony? Did he bring typos?