//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: How old is Ponyville? // by Mightyfinemorning //------------------------------// “And the book.” She felt it was hard to continue, the imaginary stone inside her constantly multiplying, now feeling their presences in her lung. “The book which I tried to find. I guess it’s gone. I mean it’s gone for good. Wait, not even gone; now it must have never existed in the first place. Because the book I see right now changed.” Trying to orientate herself, Twilight stood still for a moment. How long had the time passed since she entered the chamber? She couldn’t allow her frustrations to be revealed before Princess Celestia. She was her beloved and favorite student, and was expected to not to let her down. But why bother? Nihilism sounded much favorable to Twilight now. Everything simply didn’t matter for her. An hour, a day, or for an eternity. Only the book knew, and she couldn’t care less, unless the book said otherwise, which was highly unlikely judging from how she felt. I have to keep it together. I can’t slip. I am better than this. No, there was no need to. Keep trying, then what? Even if she did not do anything, the fact was that her act had been already predetermined. Everything could be explained with no exceptions. The idea was now deeply enrooted within her, constantly growing, gnawing her mind, and not allowing a slightest chance to be removed. Her logic didn’t stop, ever so curious and eager to quench its thirst; Twilight was not the one to blame Pinkie of her sometimes overly inquisitive nature. It was one common ground she had with the pink pony. The desire to know has what eventually led her to defeat Nightmare Moon; if she didn’t take interest in the story of Nightmare Moon which many thought as an old pony’s tale, she would have never met her friends. She wanted to know, and it was her decision which led to her current state, which she thought was very satisfying, a life she could happily indulge into and enjoy. Then the book appeared out of nowhere; it perhaps had preyed upon her since the beginning of time and the world was created, seeking the right moment to strike, the fact already decided without she even knowing it. And as the book said, she was to come to this point. All of what she achieved was not her own, but the product of the book. The book set it all up, and if it wanted to it could change everything. To deny was impossible, at least within her logical framework which seldom failed her. The book was a direct challenge posed to her very identity of which she thought to be, but could actually be changed by a mere whim of the writer. Twilight fully recognized the ultimate order that had power to shape the world she lived in, commanding her for its own purpose she did not dare to think. “Twilight, are you okay?” Twilight heard the pink pony saying her name. There was a sense of déjà vu; though there was a difference in this time in that Pinkie’s comforting words hardly mattered. It would have-and it should have-made Twilight feel better, had she not known the truth. But now even her friend’s sincere act out of compassion looked meaningless to her, she knowing it was bound to have happened one way or another. No longer could she look for Pinkie’s genuine effort to make others laugh. No longer to look for Applejack’s honesty, Rainbow Dash’s loyalty, Rarity’s generosity, and Fluttershy’s kindness, because they were not genuine at all, but simply produced by the book, as it had dictated her friends. And most importantly, no more faith upon her power as a wielder of the power of the elements; it was the book that controlled it, not her. “I’m fine. Just a little bit…startled.” Twilight felt no guilt in lying, not even having a slightest pinch inside her chest. She was going to lie, and no feeling of remorse was there to tell her that it was wrong. What else could happen besides what the book had set for her? The more she looked, the more she despaired, sadness swiftly descending down upon her. She had no choice but to follow, trapped inside the boundary the book had made, doomed to stay there-and all the worse-know her state of never being able to escape. She was to be as the book had told her to be. What Twilight thought she was doing-no, actually, she was wrong; she was only following the instructions the book had instilled upon her. That was the only way how she could perceive the whole situation. It was indeed grim, but she had to accept, because she could not find any fault with it, being impeccable of any objection, fatally perfect. Shortness of breath, feeling dizzy, with the sickening tingling inside her stomach-the breakdown process was rapidly progressing. It took quite a time before she thought she could speak again, managing to recover from her train of thoughts which had gone badly strayed. “At least I know where your Pinkie senses come from. Now I can say I understand everything. It was my wish, actually. To know how the world operated. I thought I couldn’t ever reach such state of knowledge, because the world always looked so complex, full of intricacies and wonders which I could only approach it from a whole different perspective that I never had. But it was so simple. The book controls everything. I cannot say anything but that.” She could no longer pay much attention to the stone inside her. It was no longer an issue anyway; the extra weight was to stay, and she was to become used to it. “So is this the reason why you called me, Princess Celestia? To tell me that the world was nothing but some writer’s imagination?” “Twilight.“ Princess Celestia was about to say something, though her words were promptly halted by the pink pony. “Hold on a second! Excuse my interruption, but I just thought of something really really important.” Not sounding sorry at all (though to her she indeed was) Pinkie made a scrunchy face. “Hmm. So Twilight thinks our world is like a dream? Well, I don’t think so. Cause I read the book, and found out something that you should know.” Twilight looked at Pinkie. She did not even felt like arguing. Did it matter anyway that Pinkie had read the book? She didn’t know, of course; nonetheless the book knew it all, and she couldn’t do anything about it. The pink pony was trying her hard to ignore the terrible truth, wasn’t she? Valiant effort, though it was ultimately bound to fail. Completely unaffected by Twilight’s disinterested gaze, she continued. “So I was thinking: if the world we live inside is a book, then aren’t our life a fiction, Princess Celestia?” “Why, yes, Pinkie. I have come to the conclusion after dedicating a significant amount of time to study the book. If it did not talk about our very own lives, I would have thought it was a very comprehensive novel that had a very vivid, detailed description of absolutely everything a novel could contain. And it is a fine book that will ensure the readers a satisfying entertainment. Which makes sense-it will have to be in such panoramic in order to ‘create’ a world.” Princess Celestia immediately replied. Twilight saw she turning her look towards her. “And this is a very important fact that you must take, for I have only told half of my explanation. It is indeed true to say that the book controls everything in this world; and that includes me as well. However.” However-so what? Twilight feigned interest as she raised her head to look at the Princess. Only half-the other half was probably more terrifying. Even Princess Celestia, who was the most powerful being in Equestria, was subject to the book, and she openly admitted the fact, confirming Twilight’s fear, completing her state of despair. What else? “That just makes the whole matter all the more depressing to take.” Twilight said dryly. No longer was the sheer terror in her eyes, but only the feeling of a resignation remained. She had to accept it, no matter how she hated it. The book was her master; she could never even think to betray it. She wanted to think that way, but-probably because the book said so-her logic denied any possibility. How could she dare oppose what made her in the first place? “I suppose we all don’t have much of a choice but to face it.” Twilight knew Pinkie wasn’t a pony who gave up easily; her tenaciousness was truly admirable; though, only that, but nothing more. Pinkie was smiling, undaunted by her grim words. “Oh, just you wait. I’m thinking. And I’m thinking like you, Twilight. I’m in fact being very scientific here, calmly assessing the situation and forming a ‘hypothesis,’ so to speak. I just have this feeling about the book. A book you say? Now if I could just say what my mind’s hinting to me right now. I just have to interpret them. There are signs. Yes, signs I think I can get. Let’s see…” “Good luck with that. But we already know what that book does.” If the book said so, Pinkie could figure it out. If not, it didn’t matter, because it was bound to happen. She was trying her best to remain positive. Good for her; if she could take it happily the fact that her entire existence meant nothing more than a few sentences written on the book and which could so easily change. The pink pony was oblivious to Twilight’s remark, her eyes shining and her predatory nature once again activated, tracking down what it sought for. “Oh, I think my idea is really interesting. A book which works like a fiction…and as you had often said before, if A is similar to B then A must work pretty much like B. That sounds cool and professional, and I think it’s pretty scientifically reasonable. Don’t you think so?” Twilight merely nodded, not even bothering to say yes. What was Pinkie up to? The book sure had made the pink pony quite an enigmatic one to understand. Not minding Twilight’s featureless look at all, Pinkie still grinned, her face blooming joyfully. “Good, very good. So if this book is like a fiction, then it must work like a fiction! It all makes sense. The world we live in is a fiction!” Twilight shook her head. For a moment a tiny bit of her was expecting a miracle to happen-but she was surely getting desperate to expect one from the pink pony. Please, no more reminding of the grim fact, she quietly said to herself. “And that’s what I said just before.” Was Pinkie going to say that she was her friends and then everything was going to be all right despite knowing their friendship was as stable as a glass window amidst falling rocks? “Don’t be so disappointed, Twilight. You see, I was feeling like you very sad, because I too thought it was actually not that much fun to know our whole world is inside a book. But then I realized something very important: the world works like a fiction, then there’s simply no need to worry. But to make things sure, I will have to ask Princess Celestia if my ‘hypothesis’ is okay.” Twilight titled her head, wondering what she was up to as Pinkie rushed towards the Princess and whispering to her. It was the least of what she could expect. Then again, she would have never dreamed the presence of the book in the first place, and all the more it only proved that the book had made Pinkie to do so. Her thoughts were now solidified beyond doubt, and it told her she was going to be disappointed again, that her observation was futile. After hearing Pinkie’s whisper, Princess Celestia nodded. “Hmm, yes, I have thought the same. It has to be that way, if this world was to exist in this form till now.” There was a small smile on her face. “Aha! I knew it. It was a fiction after all.” Pinkie too, was smiling, only more confidently and triumphantly. “Then the mystery is solved. Well, it's not exactly a mystery, but it sure was hard to figure it out!” The curiosity inside Twilight’s mind tingled as she saw Pinkie’s blissful expression; it was now set to work once again, like the time she tried to identify Pinkie’s extraordinary sensory perception. She thought it was going to be futile anyway, though she wanted to know what Pinkie was saying. Wanting to know-it was what led her to this. Why not one more try? It couldn’t make things worse for her. “Pinkie? You might want to explain a bit more…” The desperation Twilight was feeling was slowly being replaced by Pinkie’s enigmatic words. It was a very slight change, but one that instantly made her to reconsider her situation. Both Princess Celestia and Pinkie were smiling- there was a change in the overall atmosphere, from downright gravity to more warming one, and it was enough to make her interested. It didn’t seem right to her. There was no way that they could be so suddenly elevated of their mood; the book was to reign supreme. But was there something they knew that she did not recognize? No, it couldn’t. The fact did not change. So were they just pretending to be fine just to reassure Twilight? Too bad for them; nothing could make her feel better, she knowing that the book had planned everything in advance. Her mind had lifted up for a second-till it plunged down even further. “What are you talking about?” Still she spoke, because, as the book must have said about her, she wanted to know. “Don’t you get it? The world is a fiction-and a very good one! And everypony knows a good book needs to have a good, solid plot. Actually, that’s what you’ve said about books. Remember? A writer needs to create a storyline that appeals to the readers.” Pinkie giggled. “What she means is that the book is bound to this world as much as the world is bound to it.” Princess Celestia said. “And that is the other half of the truth about this book. The relationship is always a mutual one; a story needs to have a plot, characters, and settings. When one decides to write a book, she will have to consider all of those factors, making sure they are harmoniously blended, complementing each other; once they are set, even their maker cannot freely change them.” “And that’s because they are part of that particular story. You just can’t suddenly turn your pony character to, say, a dragon! Because that will make the plot pretty poor, and the book will not be so good. Well, if you can think of a proper reason then it might work, but it will have to make sense so that readers can understand how it happened. Think, Twilight! Imagine you’re an author and write a book. You think of characters, the settings, and the plot, and many thing else that a novel needs. But you have to frame each in a way that everything fits together, or else the book does not make a good story. I mean, me and AJ and Rarity and Dash and Fluttershy and you being all friend is a good story, and if I were an author I would not ever fix that. Because that’s what it good, what it makes our story so wonderful. And that’s how we became all friends-because of Dash’s sonic rainboom! That, I say, is one wonderful plot that would make a reader instantly fall in love with the story!” Twilight looked at Pinkie. Her machine of a mind was processing the new information she had just received, analyzing it in lighting speed for her to consider. Could it be? The idea was strange, but so was the book which was the answer to everything. “So….the book can’t just change what is written there?” But not yet, her reason spoke in a grim voice. You just wait; it made sense in a way, but you could never be so sure. It could be a false hope, but still… “Of course! Make a guess. I love guessing games, especially the one I can surely guess. If the book can really change anything, then I can’t just remain as a Pinkie Pie. But ever since I realized I was Pinkie I am Pinkie. Suppose the book said that I am no longer your friend but instead a very lonely filly who has nopony as her friends-but that’s not going to happen, because if it were to happen I would lose my ‘Pinkieness,’ and that would make the book look so bad. And don’t you think it fits me perfectly that I can read the book? Oh, it’s hard to explain, but I think it just appeared in my dreams! Oh well, you know, ‘breaking the fourth wall!’ That’s what the book said about me when I read it. And I am sure it’s not going to change, because if you erase that part it’s not fun, loses the appeal. My character would be ruined, and a writer wouldn’t’ want that.” Pinkie, always so random, sometimes seemingly more magical than Twilight herself-and her characteristics were to stay, because those were what made Pinkie. It made sense. It made. Twilight looked at the Princess. Perhaps. Perhaps? What was she going to say? “Pinkie here is right. This book is about this world and Equestria, and it tells the story of this world to those who read it in a style of a novel. You need not to fear about losing your memory. Because once the world is created, the book can no longer freely interfere as it had done before; it has to abide to the rules it have made.” Princess Celestia stood up. Her horns glowed as she brought another book for Twilight and Pinkie to see. “This book I am holding right now-it does not hold power like the book I have showed you before. But it does tell about Equestrian history. And yes, Ponyville in here is written as having a history of 76 years-but what’s more important is that by this book we know that Equestria is a world of harmony and friendship, and it will continue to be so-I and Luna have used the power of the elements to reestablish Equestria after Discord’s reign-everything indeed went according to what was written on the book." Twilight thought she could stand up, strength returning to her legs. “But then…what about Nightmare Moon and Discord?” Maybe. Maybe? She felt her heartbeat rising. Steady, steady…she could be despaired ever more. No sense of false security could be allowed to take her. “They almost succeeded in overthrowing you. And Chrysalis as well. She actually beat you in a single combat! Are you sure that Equestria is really a world of hope as you say? It just…don’t look so hopeful to me.” “You did defeat all of them in the end.” Princes Celestia said calmly. “The book had to make it that way, or else it would have made no sense. The book will have to make sure that the world we live in is full of hope where the good will always prevail the evil.” “Really?” “Yes. Because, Twilight, the author who wrote this book was not intending to write a horror novel, but a book of hope, of inspiring those who read it, showing how wonderful of a world Equestria is. I have read the book many times, and each time I read it, my impression does not change.” Princess Celestia paused for a moment. “…Though hope can’t be complete without obstacles blocking its brilliance. It was…sad that Luna had to suffer. I am also terribly sorry for what happened when Discord was released from his prison. But you are all here, and I see that as a proof of the author’s intention, as well as she keeping the rules that make this world to function.” “Um…” “Do you not think it is strange that Discord was released exactly one year after you defeated Nightmare Moon? Of how you were able to hatch Spike from the egg? Of how you and your friends have gathered together to activate the Elements of Harmony, and your cutie-mark all appeared as soon as Rainbow Dash made her first Sonic Rainboom? Everything fits perfectly together, as if there was a mastermind planning everything, so that the story can progress-story about Equestria, a land where friendship is magic, and works wonders.” “Oh…I see.” Twilight sat down, her tension now all eased up. It was strange that her life was like a fiction; even stranger was the fact that she knew it. It didn’t sound so bad-the book, according to Princess Celestia, was subject to the world it had made. Equestria was made as chaos defeated, harmony established-and the fact could not change. Though one issue still remained for her. “But…then why did the book change Ponyville history?” Princess Celestia heartily laughed. “Oh, honestly, I do not know why the book did so. I assume it has to do something with Granny Smith-though that is only my assumption.” “What does the book say?” “Well, it says the change is done in order for the story to ‘get going’…” “Oh.” “Rather anticlimactic, don’t you think so?” Princess Celestia said. As Twilight entered the place the Ponyville archive greeted her, with the smell of old papers that were at least hundreds of years old. “I should thank you, Twilight. Not many youngsters nowadays are interested in old documents-what do they teach at school nowadays? They should feel honored that this town has this rich source of materials about its history! Well, anyway, if you need me please don’t hesitate to call me. Though I’m sure a fine pony as you would have no problem finding what you need here.” The Mayor said. “Thank you, Mayor. I really appreciate your help.” “Anytime.” Twilight waved until the Mayor disappeared from her view. Time to get to work. Yesterday Pinkie told her that the book has been changed. What now? Was it Ponyville history again? Section A-1. The earliest history of Ponyville document could be found here. Twilight picked the scroll, coughing a bit as she accidently inhaled the ancient dust that had accumulated over many centuries. Taking a deep breath, she opened it. Pinkie laughed. “Oh really? So whatever happened to Wagon Trail then?” “Apparently he is the one who founded Appleloosa…though I really think that doesn’t make much sense. Oh, and the book I tried to find, now it is a book about Appleloosan history. Makes sense, I should say.” “Hmm. But was Ponyville still founded by Granny Smith’s parents?” “It seems so. And you know what?” Pinkie looked at her. “Hmm?” “Ponyville is more than six hundred years old. The document said that it was exactly 656 years old... So, that means Granny Smith must be much older than that.” Pinkie laughed. “Interesting! That’s a good news!” “Why?” “Why you say? It means we can live up to that much as well! Imagine all the adventures and fun we will have for the next couple hundreds of years!” “Yeah…um…” “Sure, we’ll face many evils like we did before-but hey, this is a book about friendship! And naturally friendship will what will make our life so interesting.” “It might be hard…that means there will be others who will threaten Equestria.” “And that’s the spirit!” Twilight sighed. “Well said Pinkie. Well said.” Hundreds of years. She wondered whether the author could think of enough ‘villains’ for them. She, with her friends, was going to face the countless obstacles-and they would triumph. Because the book had said so.