//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Revalations // Story: Symphonies and Wubs // by BLT185 //------------------------------// The dream had ended very abruptly and my mind was reeling from the importance of what I’d just learned. Adam Braun, Jebidiah Braun and Rachael Banks were never real. They were merely names given to those ponies that had been taken from their world, and changed to suit the world they were in. I realized that going back to the our old lives is impossible. I wanted to tell the others, but I also wanted to sob into my bed. My entire life was a lie; everything I had done was worthless, my accomplishments in life now held no meaning. A single thought pulled me out of the dark and depressing hole that had become my mind. It did nothing to lift my spirits, but it prevented me from falling into despair. In all of the fan fictions I’d ever read, Tavi was always the one to worry, yet she always overcame her problems… eventually. If that was the real Octavia, then I must hold myself to that same standard, being as I actually AM Octavia. A new thought filled my mind, one of success. Yes, Vinyl, Fiddlesticks, and I will make it out of this. I’ll make sure we do I leapt off of the bed eager to tell the others my epiphany. Unfortunately my mind, no longer burdened with sorrow, realized just how filthy the room I’d been sleeping in was. I reeled back in utter disgust at the state of the room. The mattress was stained a musty yellow, with mold running its length. The walls, or at least the wallpaper, piled on the ground in flakes, the wall behind showing through. Let me tell you, there is a reason why drywall needs wallpaper, it is UGLY. The curtains hanging from the window had obvious wear and tear, and the fabric was patched with non-matching fabric in several places. For me this was the equivalent of a lovecraftian horror. I felt my eye twitch. “House. Clean. Today. Now. All of us. Top priority.” I thought with a facehoof. I decided to look in the mirror before waking the others and finding something to eat. The effect these past few days might have really ruined me. I peered in and… I couldn’t recognize the mare looking back at me. My fur was riddled with dirt, adding a darker hue to my coat. My mane and tail in shambles too, hair not sticking up in the normal manner that it did when it first changed, and tail all knotted and tangled. Now it just looked uncouth. Not much food had come our way since the ranch, and as a result, I looked very thin, but not in a good way. My eyes had bags under them, showing my exhaustion. It would be obvious to anyone that saw me, I have definitly seen better days. I went to the bathroom hoping to use the shower. The least I could do was wash the dust out of my coat, even if I had to stand in the shower for hours. That probably would happen too, since the shower was nearly as dirty as I was. I turned the knob with my mouth, but no water escaped. I went over and turned the knob of the sink, also nothing. There was no running water, and now I had rust in my mouth for no good reason. I left the bathroom to wake the others wondering how in God’s name we missed that yesterday. Sticks was already up, as per her usual, and yet again Vinyl was the last to rise. She looked tired; she had bags under her eyes as big as mine, and she was rubbing her head with a hoof and her hair was a mess, but for her, messy hair WAS normal. I wondered how much of the wine she drank last night. “Having a bit of a hangover, are we?” I asked “I…regret…nothing.” She groaned and rested her head on the table Fiddlesticks looked at her, then at me. “You two talkin’ ‘t each other again?” She asked “Yes, but there are more pressing matters to deal with right now and I need to discuss them with both of you.” I replied Vinyl lifted a hoof and waved it, signaling that she would probably listen as best she could. “Fiddlesticks, you remember how I told you that we were turning into characters from a cartoon I like?” I asked She nodded. “What if I told you that our whole lives weren’t real? That the reason we are so similar to the characters is because we actually are those characters?” I asked Vinyl wasn’t resting her head on the table anymore. She was staring at me intently. “I would tell you that you’re hallucinating and obviously belong in a mental institute” she replied “Rachael, at the beginning of the transformation we started accidentally calling each other Vinyl and Tavi and answering to those names, even as the changes wore on.” I said “Get to the point Tavi.” Prodded Fiddlesticks “What I’m saying is that there we must have some sort of subconscious connection with those names, that’s why we’re still answered to them. Subconsciously, we know those are our real names.” I explained. “Did you drink some of my fancy new liquor this morning?” asked Vinyl, with a subtle hint of hostility “Vinyl, I’m not drunk!” I shouted. I was getting agitated. "The transformation started on May 1st, each of us turned 25 on that date, since then I’ve been having dreams about Octavia. All of that can’t be a coincidence, it makes too much sense.” I slammed a hoof down on the table for emphasis. “And even NOW we’re calling each other by show names… Tavi, Vinyl, Fiddle.” Fiddlesticks and Vinyl looked at me a moment, seeing how sad I was, And they both wrapped their hooves around me in a group hug. ooOOoo After breakfast I was able to convince Vinyl and Fiddlesticks to help me clean the house. In the end had to bribe them with fresh greens. I didn’t know where I would find them but I knew I’d have to hold up my end of the bargain. I’m still surprised that that’s what they wanted. The cleaning was a long and monotonous process. We found garbage and dust everywhere while clearing everything out. Every now and again we would find something useful such as batteries or a stray can of corn or green beans. We even found a working electric lantern. But the house was still filthy and we just got rid of the big stuff. We finished moving the furniture and began dusting and really getting the place CLEAN. I was beginning to get suspicious of our finds. I remembered checking these places yesterday and finding nothing of the sort. Paranoia was settling in and I began to jump whenever Fiddlesticks or Vinyl closed a door to sweep behind it, they were mean though, and caught on, making sure to stalk me and mysteriously close the doors behind me, snickering to themselves as I had a mini heart attack each time. Eventually all that was left was the basement. The only room we hadn’t checked. I led the group down, carrying the lantern in my mouth. It was much larger, darker and more ominous than the cellar back at the ranch, but the most unnerving part was that it was much cleaner than the rest of the house. The construction was overall very simple, a hallway connecting four rooms, I wasn’t eager to separate from the others, but they insisted we would be able to clean faster if we did. Fiddlesticks took the flashlight we found yesterday and Vinyl used her horn for light, leaving me with the lantern. Stupid unicorns and their magic… I decided to check first room to the left, a storage closet. Most of its content was tools and cleaning implements, so no use cleaning in here. I heard a cough and turned around as fast as I could. “Show your—“ THWACK! THUD!