//------------------------------// // The Dream // Story: My Little PayattentionRicky // by SmileandSoar //------------------------------// My Little PayattentionRicky It's about this kid name Ricky who keeps dozing off in his programming class... Then one day he fell asleep and couldn't wake up. Inside of his mind, he met up with two ponies named Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle, and the three of them needed to work together to defeat the Nightmare Ruler. So Pinkie, Sweetie, and Ricky teamed up to battle their way across the dreamscape. The first land they came across was a barren desert, with nothing in site but sand. But Pinkie insisted this was the way, so the group forged on. The walk seemed to take forever. The scenery never changed, so there was no way to tell that they were actually moving forward. Ricky was just about to collapse from heat exhaustion when up ahead he spotted a lake. Using his last reserves of energy, Ricky plowed forward, running excitedly towards the water. "Wait!" Sweetie yelled, but it was already too late. Ricky had taken his first sip, and the water began to ripple. At first he paid it no mind, but the current quickly picked up speed and began drawing everything towards the center. Too late, Ricky realized the trap. From the center of the lake burst forth a giant beast, serpentine in nature with dragonic arms, flaps of skin folded between its arms to create a fin-like structure. It was easily 20 feet long, and it started to bellow. Ricky tried to swim away, but the aquatic dragon was in complete control of the lake. He slowly lost space, and was pulled towards the dragon's gaping mouth. "Well, he's screwed," Pinkie Pie said. "But we have to help him!" Sweetie Belle urged. "Ugh, fine." Before the dragon could pull Ricky into its mouth, Pinkie went into assault mode and pulled out her party cannon, blasting confetti and balloons down the creature's throat. The dragon bellowed once more, more in surprise than pain, but the balloons had caused enough of a distraction for Ricky to climb onto the dragon's back. Sweetie Belle ran forward and dove into the lake, swimming out to reach the same position. When she met Ricky on the dragon's back, she presented him with his weapon, forged by the ruler of the realm. Why it had been left around in the sand beside this lake, she might never know. But none of that mattered as Ricky ignited the Silver Lightsaber Sweetie had presented to him. Screaming in rage, Ricky charged up the dragon's back, digging the blade into its body as he ran along. The dragon roared, this time in pain, as a teal fluid oozed out of its wounds. It twisted itself all over, trying to shake of what should have been its prey, but Ricky held his footing as he passed over the dragon's neck and onto its head. Continuing forward, Ricky yelled one last time as he plunged the blade through the dragon's head, straight into its skull. One last bellow of pain, and the dragon fell over, landing dead on the desert shore. "Well, I hope that was fun." Pinkie said. "What the heck was that?!" Ricky yelled at her, avoiding her bait to change the topic. "You were about to leave!" "Well, it wasn't my problem." Pinkie replied. "I'm just here to have a party." Ricky gritted his teeth, but didn't respond. As angry as he was, he would still need Pinkie's help to get out of here. So he attached the hilt of his powered down blade around his belt and they continued to walk. Soon past the lake, the desert parted ways into a small town. It wasn't a fancy place, but there were basic necessities. A bar, a supplies shop, and a hotel. Lucky for them, Ricky had somehow acquired some Dream Currency, which was accepted in the town. After a quick drink at the bar, they went to get supplies. Some potions to heal wounds and some weapons and armor for all of three of them. By the time they were done, it was almost dark, and the lot went to their hotel. Pinkie and Sweetie got a room on the bottom floor, while Ricky got one a floor up. Ricky tossed and turned, but no matter what, he couldn't fall asleep. So he just lay there, thinking about what had happened, and how he would manage to get out of here. After about 15 minutes of thought, there was a knock on the door. He cautiously approached, a hand already on his blade. He was ready to draw as the door swung open and he came face to face with.... Sweetie Belle. Ricky let out a sigh, though he wasn't sure whether it was relief or annoyance. "What do you need, Sweetie Belle?" He asked in a tired voice. "I can't sleep... Pinkie told me to come see you. So here I am." "Uh, okay? What do you want me to do?" He asked. Sweetie held up her arms. "Hugs?" she asked. Ricky sighed and gave her a hug. She left happy, but Ricky didn't feel much better. He decided to go across the street. "Confound these ponies, they drive me to drink" he mumbled as he walked into the bar. It was still dark when Ricky opened his eyes. He lay on the floor with a bar stool toppled over on him. His vision was slightly blurred, and he had a horrible headache. He groaned and rubbed his throbbing head. Then He looked around. And cursed. All around him, creatures somewhat resembling humans stood. They were coated in armor, so Ricky couldn't get a good look at them, but he could tell they had crimson wings sprouting from their backs, and razor-sharp claws. One stepped forward. "Trespasser!" It said, the voice a grating hiss, "In the name of Nightmare Ruler, you are to be exterminated!" And at that, the creatures all charged forward, drawing their swords. In a drunk stupor, Ricky grabbed for his blade and tried to stand, but doing both at the same time was too much, and he ended up grabbing the bar stool and flipping himself over it. But lucky for him, this accident surprised the creature, and their first attacks failed to find their mark. By the time they found everyone's location again, Ricky had managed to stand up and draw his blade, but he was still crooked and barely standing. The creatures attacked once more, this time ready for anything. Ricky swung his lightsaber, his silver blade a whirling buzz that sent several of his foe's heads toppling. But more pushed on, and Ricky was about to be overrun. But then through the window came a Sweetie Belle, blasted out of a party cannon. Sweetie flew straight through the mob of creatures, knocking some over, and landing flat on the leaders face. The leader hiss and struggled to pry the little filly off, but she hung on for dear life as the creature yelled. Ricky used the distraction to finish off the rest of them, though it took him a little in his drunk state. That left one to deal with. The leader finally managed to pull the Sweetie Belle off his face and through her to the ground. His armored foot came down to stomp on the filly, but all of those plans were lost as a quick twirl of a lightsaber severed his leg from the knee down. Ricky had sobered up just enough to finish this guy off. But first... "Now, who sent you?" Ricky asked the creature writhing on the ground in agony. The creature remained silent. Ricky moved his blade closer to the creature's neck. "Talk." "I don't have to tell you anything." The creature said. Ricky cut off the creature's right wing. It screamed again. "Talk." But he was again treated with silence. The blade slashed across the left wing. More screaming. Sweetie Belle covered her eyes. "Maybe the other leg next?" Ricky prodded, and the creature finally broke. "Okay, I'll talk." It said. "Tell me about this Nightmare Ruler, and where I can find them." Ricky interrogated. "The Nightmare Ruler is the deity of our realm. They control all. Or, they would if it weren't for one obstacle." "And what's that?" Ricky questioned. The creature's reply was to look up at its captor. "Huh. Allright. Now, about that where can I find them bit?" "The volcano at the ends of Penes Island." Was the reply. "Thanks." Ricky said, and one last twirl of his blade sent the leader's head flying. Ricky walked over to Sweetie Belle and told her it was done. The filly uncovered her eyes right as Pinkie Pie decided to make an appearance. "Hey everypony, what did I miss?" She asked. "Oh, nothing important." Ricky replied bitterly. "Just me fighting for my life." "Ooh, sounds like fun!" Too bad I missed it!" Ricky muttered something under his breath that Sweetie Belle didn't need to hear. "So anyway, Pinkie said, "where are we going now?" "We're going to find the Nightmare Ruler on Penes Island." Ricky replied. Pinkie started giggling uncontrollably. "What?" "Penes! Ha! That sounds funny!" Pinkie burst out laughing. Sweetie Belle was confused, and Ricky groaned. This would be a long trip. Several hours later, the three were on their way to the island with the funny name. Although Ricky was pissed that he had needed Pinkie's help, she knew someone who gave them their own first class mini-yacht to travel in. So even though he didn't know what was coming up, he was enjoying a relaxing trip to his battle. He lay out on a pool chair, Sweetie Belle curled up next to him, taking a nap. The sun shone down and warmed his face. Pinkie Pie was below decks, doing who knows what, so the journey was quite relaxing. Ricky closed his eyes and let the sun soak in. For a few minutes, all was well. But then Ricky noticed it getting darker through his closed eyelids. He snapped to attention, and found that the sun had been covered by dark clouds of soot and ash. Even though the sun was blocked off, there was still enough light to see that they were approaching the island. Then the boat started violently rocking. Ricky was thrown off his chair, Sweetie Belle landing on top of him, still waking up and not fully grasping the situation. As Pinkie Pie came up from below decks, just as the boat shook again. "What's going on?!" She shouted. "I was hoping you would know!" He shouted back. But the mystery was quickly solved as a gigantic head broke the surface of the water. Ricky stared in shock as he stood face to face with the dragon he had killed earlier. The burn scars and hole in its head matched up perfectly to the wounds he had delivered before. But the dragon had been altered, and was now plated in various spots with metal, and its left eye had been replaced with a glowing mechanical one. Ricky didn't have time to think on it, as the dragon dove forward, its jaws agape and awaiting its meal. Ricky activated his lightsaber and put it in a parrying position. The blade caught on the dragon's jaw and started to tear through. Ricky smiled. But then he realized that the tearing was actually skin, and the lightsaber caught in a mechanical jaw, too thick for it to quickly cut through. The dragon pushed forward and sent the silver blade spiraling out of Ricky's hand and it flew into the ocean. Sweetie Belle had woken up by this point, and was watching the battle. As the dragon charged at the unarmed Ricky, she ran forward and pushed him out of the way. He flew forward out of the path, but Sweetie took the hit and went flying off in the same direction as Ricky's lightsaber. Ricky stood there, too stunned to move. His world went black as the dragon came crashing down on him. When Ricky came around, it was dark. He wasn't sure where he was, but he could tell it probably wasn't good. He tried to move, but felt a stabbing pain in his chest. He stifled a cry of agony. "Broken ribs," he muttered. "Oh, hey, you're up!" Came a voice. "Oh great" Ricky thought. His eyes had adjusted a little, and he could now make out the shape of Pinkie Pie on the other side of the room. "What's going on? Where are we?" He asked. The reply came from somewhere else. All of a sudden, lights snapped on, nearly blinding Ricky. When the initial shock died down, he looked around to see that he was inside a cell with Pinkie. The walls were rock. "The Volcano!" came the answer Ricky had wanted, but not from Pinkie Pie. Ricky looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a hooded figure approaching from outside the cell. "I've been waiting for you!" The figure said. "Waiting for us?" Ricky said. The area they were in definitely looked like it could be the inside of a volcano. In the center of the room was a giant hole. Ricky couldn't tell where it went, but that wasn't important at the moment. The hooded figure was getting closer. By instinct, Ricky reached for his lightsaber, but it wasn't there. He remembered what had happened to it and Sweetie Belle and cringed. Then he cringed again from the pain of trying to move. The hooded figure moved closer and spoke again. "Finally, you arrive Ricky!" "Who the hell are you?!" Ricky shouted. "Isn't it obvious? I'm the Nightmare Ruler!" The figure said, shouting by the end. The figure moved forward, and Ricky cringed back. The creature was truly intimidating until she tripped on her hooded robe and it tore off, revealing the creature underneath. "Goddammit!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she rubbed her forehead with a hoof, after getting up from planting her face firmly on the rock. "That darn cape was always getting in the way." She mumbled. "Dashie? What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Feh, well, may as well tell you. This land is a dreamscape. As such, the one who is dreaming has the most control. So in order to take complete control for myself, I need to dispose of the owner." Her gazed moved to Ricky, who started to understand the stare from the leader back at the town bar. "Yes, that's right. You're going to die in your own dream!" She yelled. Pinkie Pie ran forward to the bars, yelling that Dashie couldn't do that. Rainbow Dash pounded a hoof against the ground, and a restraining system burst forth from the wall, grabbing her by all four hooves and pinned her back against the rock. Pinkie yelled, but there was no way out. Rainbow stomped her hoof again, and the jail bars came rising up. Rainbow moved forward again, towards her helpless victim. Ricky tried to stand, but the pain in his chest made him topple back over as he hacked blood out from his mouth. A malicious grin spread across Rainbow's face. "This world will be mine!" She said as she continued to walk forward. She was right on top of him. About to pull him to who knew where. The adrenaline worked its way through his system. He moved so fast he was a blur, and charged Rainbow Dash. The mare was confused at how this had happened and unable to dodge the blow. Ricky crossed his arms in an X and slammed right into her chest. He kept charging, then threw his arms apart, sending Rainbow spiraling into the chasm at the far side of the room. Ricky collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and pain, which was now more intense than before. His vision was red in several places, but it was over. He had one. He was about to fall on his stomach and sleep, when a kick was planted right in his side. He flew and crashed into the wall, barely conscious. But through the red sight, he could see Pinkie Pie return her back hooves to the ground. His ears were ringing, but he heard her say "You can stop faking it, Rainbow Dash." And he saw Rainbow Dash fly back out of the crater. Fighting to stay conscious, Ricky stammered out "Wha... what's go... going... on....?" "Hahaha" Pinkie laughed, her kind, gentle laugh, eyes closed and a smile on her face. Then her eyes snapped open. Her smile disappeared and a burning flame of anger was present in her pupils. "I lead you here." She said. "Rainbow was only playing the part because I told her to." Rainbow shifted uncomfortably. "I'm the true NightMare Ruler! She was telling the truth when she said you must be sacrificed for me to claim ultimate power! But I set it up to burn all your energy beforehand! Now all that's left is to toss you into the flames!" As if on cue, the crater Rainbow had "fallen" into burst out a shower of magma. Pinkie moved closer to the barely conscious Ricky. "Now.... this world will be mine." She said. Pinkie took Ricky's body and dragged it forward. Rainbow stood away, staring off into space. Near the edge of the chasm, Pinkie stopped and starred at her victim, a smile on her face. She walked around to the other side and prepared to kick him in. Posture ready. Legs rising. Moving forward. And then a little ball of white slammed into Pinkie and knocked her away. Sweetie Belle landed safely, her horn glowing as she learned how to use her unicorn magic. Healing pulses flooded through Ricky's body as his broken bones repaired themselves. She had managed to hold onto the side of the boat after being tossed overboard, and she had made her way here. Pinkie stood back up right as Sweetie finished. Ricky stood up. Sweetie Belle stopped him and offered him her mouth. Out of it came his silver lightsaber. The blade ignited with a hiss. Pinkie Pie let a hiss out of her mouth, then charged forward. Her own blade appeared as she got close, and a pitch black lightsaber crossed with a silver one. Rainbow Dash attempted to help Pinkie, but Sweetie Belle got in the way, and fended Rainbow off with magic blasts. Ricky's blade clashed with Pinkie's over and over. Sparks flew in this dance of death. Ricky was slowly being overpowered. Moving backwards to avoid being slashed in half, he was pushed back against the wall. Both combatants were panting heavily. Neither side wanted to give in, but both were running on their last bits of energy. Sweetie Belle was too busy fending off Rainbow Dash to help. As Ricky charged forward to try and make one last assault, Pinkie sidestepped and barely avoided the blow. But the dodge was a dodge, and Ricky lost all feeling as he was cut clean in half by a blow from the black blade. "So this is it, huh?" Ricky thought as he closed his eyes. "Sorry...." Ran through his mind. Then a thought of Sweetie Belle ran through his mind. Everything she had gone through to get this far. It would be a waste if it ended now. Ricky fought his way back to consciousness, just enough to drive his blade straight through Pinkie's stomach. Pinkie's face was a mix of shock, hatred, and fear. She hacked up blood, which landed next to Ricky's barely alive body. She stumbled back, about to collapse. Only they had fought back to the center of the room. Pinkie tumbled into the chasm. Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash stopped. Rainbow had no farther reason to battle. Sweetie Belle ran over to Ricky's body. This much damage was beyond her to repair. A single tear ran down her eye. Ricky's eyes closed. "Mr. Butterworth." "Hmmm? Uh." "Mr. Butterworth..." "Ublububuh." "MR. BUTTERWORTH!" "Huh, what?" Ricky snapped awake. "I'm sorry, was my lecture too boring for you?" Ricky's teacher asked. "N...No sir!" Ricky stammered, wiping drool away from his lips. "Well then, why don't you share your dreams with the class to analyze, if you're tired of analyzing the samplings?" "My... dreams...?" "Go on. The class is waiting..." Ricky glanced around at the anxious students. "Well... One day I fell asleep and couldn't wake up. In my dream, I met two ponies, Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle...." After class, the teacher called Ricky to the front of the room. "That was quite the tale there, Mr. Butterworth. Now then, I'd like to show you how the class votes responded." "Oooh. What did they say?" "They said you shouldn't buy any more pot from Jimmy."