//------------------------------// // Chapter 51 - Perchance to Dream // Story: The Pony Dreadfuls // by No one is home //------------------------------// “Wait… Train Wreck, how did we get here?” Carrot looked around in momentary confusion as they walked through the Decatur open market. Ponies, changelings, humans, and mutants shouted on all sides, proclaiming their wares. “I- uh… good question, Diane?” The beast turned to the Pink Ghost. “The last thing I can remember clearly we were fighting an army of the same white unicorn, then they all piled on you and disappeared and I tried to follow and then… gahh!!!” Pinkamena fell back on her haunches and gripped her head with both hooves. “Are you okay?” Carrot Plate rushed over to offer support, when suddenly Dan interjected. “Wow, you guys were pretty amazing back there! I can’t believe you just used a pickup truck as a freakin’ fly swatter!” The human gushed over Carrot. Train Wreck and Pinkamena shared a look but kept their thoughts to themselves. “The train station is just ahead,” Mary Beth took the lead. “Then the westbound line will take us to Five Points Station. The Marta Rails are completely under Cicada’s control, so we shouldn’t have any more problems with Locust or the UAC from this point.” “What’s bugging’ ya Charlie?” Pinkamena trotted cautiously alongside her companion. “Just something Diane… little Diane, not you, obviously, but this reminds me of the stories Diane used to tell me about the… other me… somehow. But I just can’t put my hoof down on it.” Train Wreck Pastel shook his massive head. “The other you as in that army of one changeling that turned into you when you drained her?” Pinkamena raised an eyebrow. “No… or maybe yes… I’m not sure about him… or her… whatever.” Train Wreck shrugged. “I don’t think anypony knows exactly where the Nopony came from, not originally. Be it existed in the other version of me, in his coma dream before he died.” “So that… thing came out of the dream of the version of you that died in the other Equestria? But how would your adopted daughter know about...grrr, never mind, I’ve got a bad enough headache as it is.” Pinkamena rolled her eyes. “What does any of that have to do with this?” “I don’t know. It’s just so many little things just seem… I don’t know… off…” Train wreck glanced around nervously. “Like how did we get here? And why don’t we remember walking from the Ace hardware? That’s about a mile. We didn’t just teleport.” “Wake up!” Mary Beth snapped at Carrot Plate suddenly. “You’re dreaming if you think the UAC is just going to send you home!” “But you said they have a portal!” Carrot argued. “That’s why they need me so badly, so they can calibrate it! You want your ponies back from Equestria, right? Well I know where at least some of them are. If we establish a portal, I can go home and you could get your people back, right?” “Yeah, it COULD go down like that…” Dan rolled his eyes. “But with the brass listening more and more to Legion, well, let’s just say there’s a whole lot of people who don’t want to just live and let live. We lost a LOT of lives during the plague.” “Pfft,” Pinkamena scoffed, “I’ve been here since the start. The pink step never killed anyone. It was a tragic accident, unlike the massacre YOU people inflicted on yourselves.” “She’s got a point.” Cpt. Jackson nodded. “I was in Afghanistan when it started. Jihadis slaughtered ponies right up until the plague spread into their ranks, then lo and behold, ponies were the chosen people and they started slaughtering humans. Same thing happened here in Central America under Neon from what I understand.” “It never would have happened if they hadn’t started the plague in the first place!” Mary Beth snapped. “Yeah, because before the pink step it was peace on earth, good will towards man.” Cpt. Jackson rolled his eyes. “In fact, I was in Afghanistan passing out candy to needy children.” “Really?” Carrot asked innocently, drawing an eye roll from Pinkamena and a snort from Jackson. “You really are living in a dream world, babe.” Dan chuckled dryly. “Hey, Captain?” Pinkamena cut in suddenly. “What happened to the other soldiers?” “What do you mean?” The captain looked up suddenly. “And the other cops, for that matter?” The pink ghost pressed her case. “What the hell are you talking about?” Mary Beth snarled, ending the uncomfortable questions. “You’re right, Charlie, something's not right here.” Pinkamena moved close and whispered to her mutant friend. “Diane…” Train Wreck looked uncomfortable as they approached the subway station. “I want you to know that I loved you, and I never would have left of my own free will, even if it meant the whole world was gonna disapear and I was going to wake up dead.” “Shut up Charlie!” Diane shuffled uncomfortably. “It doesn’t matter because I found you.” “I’m not so sure that you did.” The beast’s voice was barely more than a whisper and his head hung nearly to the ground. -=-=-=-=- “So far she’s the only survivor we haven’t identified.” The doctor stood in front of a changeling pod. “She was burned fairly extensively, including her cutie mark, so there’s really not much to go on. So far all the families who were missing loved ones have confirmed that she wasn’t the pony they were looking for. We’ve come closer to identifying more casualties by process of elimination than we have to identifying her. We think she’s either Sour Sweet or Carrot Plate. Sweet’s parents will be arriving later today. The mess in Canterlot hasn’t made this any easier. Carrot Plate’s parents apparently died in the invasion.” “Is there any chance she’ll wake up doctor?” A garishly colored reformed changeling cocked his head to one side in worry. “We can only hope Pincer. Honestly she wouldn’t have made it this long if Princess Fast Change hadn’t donated these pods to the University for research before everything went to hell. For now, all we can do is let the pod do its work and hope her dreams are pleasant.”