//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Fracturing Reality // by FaelaArts //------------------------------// Twilight sighed as she trekked through the dense underbrush, her annoyance further intensifying in this intense heat as Rosé Pie bent a branch out of the way to pass and it swing toward Twilight and hit her with a dull thrak. Smarty pants was still on her back, and the longer she carried Smarty, the more she got used to the extra weight and the less effort it afforded her. She was still tired and exhausted but she still had enough energy somehow to continue. “So Stuttershy, how much further to your home?” Twilight asked over Rosé as she spoke about how green was not actually green but a mixture of certain colours and there was no such thing as a true green. “Um, we’re actually already here” she whispered, pulling back a leaf gently so as to both allow them to pass and not hurt the plant. Twilight blinked for a moment and had to rub her eyes as she saw a mirage of a familiar cottage fade to reveal a small house situated in a tree. As they walked over, Rosé jumping around and examining every nook and cranny, Twilight had to marvel at the fact the house looked like it was actually helping the tree and not hurting it. Stuttershy opened the door gently and walked inside, followed by a red blur and then Twilight. Twilight went to use her magic to close the door, before remembering she was an earth pony and turning to close it normally, a task not very easy when carrying someone. “Y-you can put her on the bed o-over there” spoke Stuttershy, motioning to a big round cushion of some sorts. Trying to be as gentle as she could, Twilight sighed in dismay as Smarty fell onto the cushion with a small thunk. Stuttershy gently walked over and made the gray mare comfortable before looking to Twilight and offering a warm smile. “OHMYGOSH THIS PLACE IS HUGE!” Rosé screamed from another room. Twilight sighed, the quit moment had passed, and she was so tired. “Oh! I-I’m sorry you must be so tired, how about I show you to the spare bedrooms so you can get some rest, and we leave all the rest until tomorrow?” Twilight smiled, that was an excellent idea, but Rosé disagreed. “Oh we can’t do that because I want to have fun and I can’t have fun unless I’m awake and that means I can’t go to slee-“she paused as she saw Stuttershy gently come over and brace her wing. “Ouch! Hey that hurt” Rosé spoke, before glancing to her wing, and smiling. Twilight prepared for her wound to be looked, but when Stuttershy came over, Rosé talking about how her wing no longer hurt and something to do with a fourth wall, whatever that was. “Um-Twilight…You’re not injured…I-I MEAN THERES only a scar but I can treat you if you want me to, or if you don’t want me to that’s fine too...” Stuttershy bowed her head, and Twilight sighed, before glancing to where she had been hurt and blinking in mild shock. The wound that had troubles her when she first awoke was completely gone. Now that she thought of it, the pain had vanished sometime when she was carrying Smarty pants. Frowning, she wondered why it had healed but discarded it as a yawn overcame any other thoughts. “It’s alright Stuttershy, I guess I heal faster then I thought. And a bed sounds wonderful right about now.” The green pony glanced up and once again smiled, as if the prospect of helping someone made her happy. “Oh! It will be my pleasure!” And so, Twilight and a disgruntled Rosé were shown to their own bedrooms and wished a pleasant night. Twilight didn’t think she would have one, but as she turned her gaze from the window to the night sky, homesickness overcame her and her emotions washed down her face as her mouth couldn’t seem to get enough air. She missed her friends, she missed Ponyville, she missed Celestia and Luna, but most of all she missed her little assistant Spike. As she sat there, sobbing on the window she didn’t even notice herself slip into a dream. “AHH” she screamed. Her face jumping up as her head jumped into an upright position, the book falling back onto the table. She glanced around frantically before relaxing; she was in the library again. She really had to stop falling asleep while reading. Turning around, she noticed Spike was reading a book with a dragon on the cover. For no reason obvious to herself, she walked over and gave him a huge hug. “Twilight! I lost my page thanks to you. Why’re you hugging me like that?” Twilight giggled and released her little assistant and smiled at him like he was a long lost friend. “I don’t know why, but it feels as if It’s been ages since I saw you.” She then glanced to the book and frowned at the title. “I’m reading a book about dragons; I found it while cleaning out some of the older books. Did you know dragons can live for thousands, maybe even millions, of years?” He seemed proud to have figured that out, and Twilight wasn’t going to rain on his parade. “That’s amazing Spike, good detective work” seeing his satisfied smirk, she giggled at him. “Did you also know that Dragons can control their flame, kind of like a magic flame? Like how I make my flame send the letters to Celestia. Apparently it’s a very high level dragon technique.” He was proud of himself, and she smiled and gently nuzzled him quickly before heading to the door. “Where are you going Twilight?” Spike turned to look at her, his gaze becoming slightly panicked. “Don’t worry Spike, I’m just going to go get some cupcakes from Pinkie Pie” she spoke, trying to ease his worries as she began to open the door. “WAIT Twilight, don’t open that door!” As Twilight turned to ask him why, she blinked as the world bent and suddenly she was back in the room at Stuttershy’s. After a few moments of gathering her thoughts, she frowned slightly. It was as if the dream Spike had known she was going to wake up. But why was the door the thing that had forced her awake. Shaking her head, she cleared her thought of such ridiculous musing for now. She sighed, wishing she could have spent more time with Spike before she had opened that door. Gazing out as the sun began to rise, she was struck by how, even for a split moment, the world suddenly reminded her of Ponyville in the sunlight as the sun washed across the houses. It was as if everything was suddenly brighter. Suddenly there was a flash of bright light, temporarily blinding Twilight, before she could see again and watch the forest burn. A flying form swam into view far away, burning a path of flame and destruction that could only be caused by a dragon. “TWILIGHT” yelled a voice that could only be Rosé. She turned and bolted out the door, seeing Rosé dashing downstairs once she saw Twilight was up. Stuttershy was close behind and holding two saddles of belongings in her mouth along with two on her back. Twilight quickly grabbed Smarty as they dashed out of the tree and out of the line of fire. Turning, both Twilight, once she had put down Smarty Pants, and Rosé comforted Stuttershy as she began to cry at the loss of her home. Twilight saw the dragon hover, and admire its flame as it started to spread. Twilight sat there, comforting the quivering pony while Rosé decided on action. “HEY, STUPID BIG MEANIE DRAGON, COME DOWN HERE AND APOLOGISE!” Rosé then covered her mouth with her two front hooves as she realised she had made a major mistake in actually getting the dragon to notice them. It landed, crushing the remains of Stuttershy’s home and putting out the fire burning the house in one fell swoop as it landed and turned its gaze on them. There was insult, anger, and a little bit of spite glaring in those eyes as Twilight stepped in front of Stuttershy to protect her from the purple dragon before her. It was then, that she began to pick out some features only someone who had spent close time with the dragon as a child would know. “S-Spike?” she stuttered, the dragon’s eyes focusing on her. As the two big eyes narrowed at her, she couldn’t help but take in the little features she had grown to love about Spike. “Oh! There’s that scale that got infected and when I tried to heal it turned a slightly different colour. And that scar on your spines from when you grew up and they got shaved by the Wonderbolts because you were greedy even though they grew back when you transformed back into a baby.” Tears were coming to her eyes, and shock was covering the Dragon’s. The other two ponies were looking at her like she was crazy, but she ignored it as she galloped over and hugged his leg. “My faithful assistant, I missed you so.” Twilight blinked as she was gently picked up and brought up to the dragons head. It was then that she saw the confusion, heartache, and joy cascade down the dragon’s face. She smiled and layed her head on Spike’s huge claws as they held her there, feeling strangely safe in the arms of a dragon where she should be screaming in terror. After a few moments, she was put down next to the other two, and one unconscious, ponies. Spike gazed at her, and then turned to the flame that was rapidly spreading and breathed in. As the flames were caught in the dragon’s breath, they were quickly snuffed out and were snorted into his nostrils as smoke. “So, who’s your new friend Twilight, maybe next time tell me you have a DRAGON that’s your friend” spoke Rosé, starting to calm down now her life wasn’t on the line. Twilight laughed nervously. “Yeah well the last time I saw him he was only a baby dragon” she replied, gazing to Spike as he gently layed himself down and layed his head on his paws to gaze at them. “B-but t-that w-would m-mean y-ou were a-around over a t-ten thousand years ago.” Twilight turned and blinked in shock, both over the fact Stuttershy had spoken while obviously scared and over what she said. “What did you say?” she asked, not sure she had heard right. “Wherever you met t-this d-dragon would have ha-had to be over t-ten thousand years ago f-for him t-to be t-this s-size now” she whimpered, cowering in fear over the dragon that was right in front of her, and the fact her house had just been destroyed. Twilight turned to look at Spike, simply confused now. Just how was it that Spike was ten thousand years old. And just how had she been living a life she had thought real that wasn’t real according to Smarty Pants, that was actually real? It boggled her mind, and left her with an intense headache as she tried to work out how she had existed that long ago, and yet exist in this time. But she hadn’t existed then, she had been in some sort of coma according to Smarty. “ARRRGH” she screamed, “I just don’t GET IT!”