//------------------------------//
// Chapter 25 
// Story: Sleeping in the Light 
// by Wheller 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 25


Kelso was caught off guard by the feel of sand beneath her hooves. They were standing on a beach, but it was no beach in Equestria, they knew that for certain. Kelso turned around to face away from the water; in the distance she could see several tall buildings in the background that were not familiar to her, or to any of the other passive observers.

It was a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining, no clouds to be seen, a pleasant 26 degrees Celsius, and as they glanced around they noticed something odd, something unique. It looked to be a schäferhund at first glance, but that was when they noticed that the fur was far too short to be that of a schäferhund's. That was when they realised, it was a dingo. They were on a beach in South Island, and the more they looked around, the more their suspicions were confirmed as several kangaroos hopped by at top speed.

'What brought us here?' Viola asked as she looked around.

‘Can you even swim Surprise?’ the voice of Vinyl Scratch asked from behind them.

Kelso and company turned to look and discovered Vinyl Scratch sitting on a beach towel, watching as Surprise splashed around at the water’s edge.

‘I dunno’, Surprise said with a shrug and continued splashing without a second though.

Without warning a giant wave came from nowhere, knocking the pegasus down and causing her to flop around while she struggled to get up. Vinyl Scratch couldn’t help but snicker, and got to her hooves and trotted over to help her friend get back to standing.

‘You’re the light of my life, Surprise’, Vinyl Scratch said as she pulled the pegasus mare up. ‘Where were you all my life?’ she asked with a grin.

‘Lying awake on a bed in EPMB for years upon years plotting to murder everypony in Equestria’, Surprise said nonchalantly, causing each of the passive observers to eye each other in worry.

Surprise and Vinyl Scratch looked at each other for a moment, and then began to chuckle.

‘Heh heh... oh... it’s too bad that statement is true’, Vinyl Scratch said.

‘Yeah, just kind of’, Surprise said with a shrug.

‘Is anyone else here worried? I think we should be worried’, Dizzy said with a frown as they watched the scene unfold before them.

Vinyl grinned at her friend and motioned for her to follow. ‘Come on squirt; let’s get you dried off so we can get some food’.

‘I like food’, Surprise said.

‘I do too!’ Vinyl said brightly. ‘Food is my second favourite thing in the universe!’

Surprise gave Vinyl Scratch a sidelong look, not believing it for a second.

‘All right! All right! Fine, it’s my third favourite thing in the universe, you happy?’ Vinyl asked with mock annoyance in her voice.

Surprise grinned madly and nodded her head in affirmation. Vinyl Scratch levitated the towel she had been sitting on with her telekinesis and brought it over to help dry Surprise off with it, or at least she tried to, Vinyl didn’t get very far before Surprise began to shake herself dry like a dog would. Vinyl couldn't help but smile. Every one of the passive observers knew that the unicorn mare cared for Surprise deeply.

There was just one question that filled Sparky's mind. What had happened to this bubbly pegasus mare?

...

‘Where is it Pinkie Pie?’ Twilight asked.

Kelso blinked as the scene had changed once again, this time, it was back to the Ponyville Public Library. They were standing once more in Twilight Sparkle’s bedroom.

‘What?’ Pinkie Pie asked groggily as she looked up to discover that Twilight had pinned her down against the bed. Twilight was looking down upon the earth pony mare with hate and anger in her eyes.

‘I said... WHERE IS IT?!’ Twilight screamed at her.

‘I... Twilight... what are you...’ Pinkie Pie began to ask in confusion, but, before she was able to finish her question, Twilight interrupted her.

‘Don’t play games with me Pinkie Pie!’ Twilight cried out, clutching Pinkie Pie and yanking her forward. ‘Where is the book!?’

‘Twilight... please... I...’ Pinkie Pie began, her eyes began to widen as she saw what was happening before her. Twilight raised a hoof and smacked Pinkie Pie across her face. A tear began to form in Pinkie Pie’s eye as her head turned away, and Kelso could swear that Pinkie Pie was looking right at her. ‘Twilight... you hit me’, Pinkie Pie said as she slowly turned back to face towards Twilight, almost as if she was trying to convince herself that it had actually happened.

‘And it’s not all I’m going to do if you don’t tell me where the FUCKING BOOK IS!’ Twilight screamed at her, raising her hoof to strike Pinkie Pie again.

‘Twilight no!’ Pinkie Pie cried out, throwing her hooves up and doing her best to cover her face.

Suddenly, Twilight stopped, and she looked at Pinkie Pie in confusion. It was almost as if she had no idea what was going on. She blinked, and blinked, and blinked a few more times, before she was finally able to work up the will to ask the fateful question. ‘Pinkie Pie...? What... what’s going on?’ she asked. Pinkie Pie, however, said nothing and continued to cover her face. Twilight looked up and discovered her hoof in the air and set it down. ‘Pinkie Pie? What’s going on?’ she asked again, biting her lip. The passive observers could tell just from the look on Twilight’s face that she was scared that she had done something horrible, and she had. She had done possibly the worst thing she could have possibly done, and she didn’t even remember it.

‘You... Twilight... you hit me’, Pinkie Pie said sadly. Kelso’s heart broke at those words; she had never heard words that sounded more defeated from Pinkie Pie’s mouth. If this had not been a memory, and were she not a passive observer, she could have killed Twilight Sparkle for what she had just done.

‘I... what!? No! Pinkie! I would never do that!’ Twilight cried out in surprise, it was almost as if she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Pinkie Pie. She released Pinkie Pie and rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. ‘I... remember... I remember going closing my eyes... I must have gone to sleep, the next thing I know, I’m on top of you with my hoof in the air... Pinkie... I... I don’t know what happened’.

‘You hit me Twilight’, Pinkie Pie said adamantly as she pulled the covers off her and climbed out of the bed. The passive observers watched as Pinkie Pie’s mane and tail seemed to deflate from their normal poofy and messy shapes, falling into a straight pattern. It almost looked as if Pinkie Pie had never curled her hair in her entire life. ‘I’m sorry Twilight... but I have to leave’, Pinkie Pie added as she slowly backed away from Twilight. There was sadness in her voice, Pinkie Pie did not want to leave Twilight, but she felt that she did not have any other choice.

Twilight’s head shot up in panic. ‘What?! Pinkie! Wait no!’ she cried out, pleading for Pinkie Pie not to leave, but Pinkie merely shook her head.

‘I’m sorry Twilight, you’re my friend, and I want to help you... I really really do’, Pinkie Pie said as she walked to the door. ‘You’re still my friend, and I do care about you, but I’m not going to be abused’, Pinkie added as she opened the door and closed it behind her.

Twilight watched as Pinkie Pie closed the door behind her, and buried her face into the pillow. Kelso turned away from Twilight and headed over to the door to follow Pinkie Pie. She reached for the handle, only to jump in surprise when her hoof passed through it. Though, the more she thought about it the more it made sense. The door was closed in the memory; she couldn’t open it because she was not actually here. She took a deep breath and stepped through the closed door, coming out on the staircase landing on the other side. Sparky was quick to follow as were the rest of their party, and they followed Pinkie Pie down the corridor towards a door at the end.

‘Spike?’ Pinkie Pie called out quietly as she pushed open the door at the end of the hallway.

‘Huh? Wha...?’ a voice said in response. Kelso peered around Pinkie Pie and discovered the reptile creature Spike lying in the bed. He sat up and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes and turned and looked at Pinkie Pie, barely recognising her with her straight mane and tail. ‘Pinkie? Is that you?’ he asked, unsure of himself.

Pinkie Pie nodded and trotted into the room and closed the door behind her. Kelso frowned with annoyance and passed through the door after her. ‘Spike? Can you send letters to anypony besides Princess Celestia?’ Pinkie Pie asked.

‘Uh... yeah, sure, I guess. I mean, in theory. They would have to know how to accept the transfer... why?’ Spike asked, raising an eyebrow at the pink pony in confusion, shaking the last of the sleepiness from his eyes.

‘Would you be able to send a letter to Princess Luna?’ Pinkie Pie asked.

‘Princess Luna? I guess, sure. She would probably have the knowhow to get it... I think, why?’ Spike asked.

‘That book that Twilight hasn’t been able to let go?’ Pinkie Pie asked, checking to makre sure that he knew what she was talking about. Spike nodded his head in affirmation, and Pinkie Pie continued to speak. ‘That book is evil’, Pinkie Pie said quietly. ‘I think it’s hurting Twilight and I think we’re going to need Princess Luna’s help to save her’.

Thunder cracked out, and they looked at the night sky. Rain drops began to splash against the windows, Pinkie Pie had tossed the book out the window hoping that the rainstorm would ruin it, but something else told her that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

‘All right... I’ll try’, Spike said as he got up from the bed and crossed over the desk, picking up a scroll and scribbling something on the parchment paper. He took a deep breath and breathed out. A pale green flame erupted from his mouth and burned away the paper, Kelso watched as a small plume of smoke darted out the window and headed off to the north east.

‘Neat trick...’ Kelso said as she examined Spike closely, she was still unsure of what he was, and her further examinations weren’t helping.

Hopely however, recognised what he had just done. ‘I think... I think Spike is a dragon’, she said.

Kelso turned and looked at Hopely like she was insane. Only to discover that Hopely was completely serious. ‘A dragon?’ she asked.

‘There’s some pretty good evidence that they existed, legend says that they were a dying race at the time of the old monarchy, when we came around, we kind of pushed the rest of them out’, Hopely said with a shrug.

Suddenly, Spike let out a belch, and a parchment scroll popped out of his mouth and landed on the floor.

‘That’s disgusting’, Dizzy said with a frown. ‘I don’t even want to know the biological processes that allow that to work’.

Spike picked up the scroll and unrolled it, opening it up and reading it. ‘Coming. -L’, he read aloud. ‘I told her to meet you at Sugarcube Corner, you go on ahead, and I’ll stay here and make sure Twilight stays safe’.

Pinkie Pie nodded and thanks Spike for his help, and left the dragon’s room and headed out of the library. She stopped outside the bushes that were below Twilight’s window. The Tome of Alhazred sat on the ground, and as Pinkie Pie looked at it, she could tell that it was repelling the water.

Pinkie Pie carefully wrapped the book up in a towel that she produced from practically nowhere, and trotted along the road with it, not caring that rain was falling down upon her head.

Pinkie Pie eventually reached her home, and pushed open the door to Sugarcube Corner and set the towel covered book on the table. It wasn’t long before a dark figure appeared in the doorway.

Pinkie Pie looked up, it had to be Princess Luna. Suddenly, lightning cracked, partially illuminating the figure. It was not Princess Luna. It was Twilight.

'Oh no', Kelso said as her voice filled with fear for Pinkie Pie’s safety.

Twilight said nothing; she leapt at Pinkie Pie, tackling the pink party pony to the ground, causing her to hit her head on the hard wooden floor. Pinkie Pie watched as Twilight grabbed the book from off the table and pull it close to her. Twilight’s horn began to glow, and in a flash of brilliant light, Twilight was gone.

Pinkie Pie’s eyes became heavy and drew to a close, she quickly lost consciousness.