Chapter 12: A Dream
Joe opened his eyes and noticed that he was no longer in his pony form. In fact he wasn't even in Ponyville anymore he was in a jungle. The wind made eerie howls as he slowly sat up and looked around. " Am I...Home?..." He asked himself as he got up and jogged his way through the jungle until he got to a cliff line over looking a small town area and a small beach. "It was all a dream!" He ran down the side of the cliff till he had gotten to a hill that led to the bottom. After an hour of traversing his way through the jungle, he was fatigued. At last he had made it to a highway road and sighed laughing. He sat down right next to it and waited for a car to pass but, after a while nobody came. Something was wrong, there were no cars there wasn't anybody on the roads. It didn't matter as he got up and began walking down the road.
Meanwhile in Sweet apple Acres
Applejack was busy sorting through apples from her days harvest. The apples ranged in different colors and sized yet she could manage to tell indefinitely what type they were. That and the fact they have they're own distinct areas of the orchard. Suddenly, she stopped and perked her ears up. There was a faint humming coming from some where. Slowly she took a lasso of rope and made her way to the door. Once outside she saw a faint glowing and immediately galloped her way towards it. Getting closer, she could hear a hum much like the kind you would get from Celestia when she used her magic to raise the sun. Finally she approached the glow.
"What in the hay?..." She said aloud as she watched in confusion. There laid the glowing body of Red. His face showed that of a relaxed feel. She slowly approached him and nudged him with her hoof. "Hello, uh... Hey fella are you okay?" Suddenly she felt a pulse of magic pushing her away. "Hey!... I better call Twilight." Red still glowing brightly.
Back with Joe
After walking for what seemed like ages he finally made it to a town. "Finally... I made... It..." He said exhausted yet happily. But as he walked towards the buildings, there was nobody in sight. Just the stillness of the concrete buildings and voiceless music playing on the radio. He walked into a store and walked around. Seeing nobody around he took a bottle of water and an apple to the counter to purchase them. Almost immediately he began to pat his pockets for his wallet but it wasn't there neither was his phone. He sighed as he walked behind the counter and checked the store phone. It was still active there was a dial tone. not having his phone with him made it difficult to remember people's numbers so he dialed the number for a cab company. "No answer." Said the automated voice on the phone. Joe sighed as he tried a few more numbers that didn't work either. "What is this?..." he asked as he dropped the phone. He took his stuff and walked out the door. His house wasn't that far from here and with magic he would make it there in no time. He slowly started to run to get the magic acceleration going but there was no glow nor increase in speed. "Okay?..." He looked around the corner and saw a bicycle leaning against the wall. He held his arm out and tried to levitate it towards him. Even that failed. He slowly walked over, got on and pedaled away. The wind licked his face going through these empty neighborhoods and roads. Even the mall was empty and open. Feeling tired he made his way down towards the beach. The bike zoomed through the highway. Out of nowhere, the ground shook and caused him to crash into the sidewalk. Both the bike and him flew into the sand with a thud. Joe laid there with a high pitched noise in his ears and the shock of pain in his ribs. After a while, the pain in his body began to subside. Painfully he turned his head towards the bike and looked at the bent tire. "That's not going anywhere soon..." He groaned as he slowly sat up and grabbed his ribs. The injuries slowly began to disappear as he got to his feet and hobbled his way to a pavilion. "Where is everyone?" He whispered to himself.
"They're all gone." Said a familiar voice behind him. As if an empty town was enough, the old man from Joe's school project appeared with soldiers and dog men behind him. His scarlet suit and cane stood out along with an acorn tobacco pipe hanging from his mouth. "Missed me didn't you?"
Joe got up and faced him. "What're you doing here?..." He asked as the dog men and troops tensed.
The old man turned around towards the army. "Hey! Why don't you guys enjoy the water." He snapped his fingers and the whole group flashed into swimsuits. Their equipment became beach toys, umbrellas, towels and surf boards. The group immediately ran towards the water and began to horse around. The old man then pointed towards Joe. "Let's have a talk." He snapped his fingers again and they both appeared on beach chairs. Joe remained silent as the old man puffed his pipe. "I have learned soooooooo much about you these past few days. It's truly a travesty. A poor little boy just wants to go back to his lonely little house and what? Huh? You could do so much more. Why don't you?"
"I don't have to stay and answer this you know. Now where the hell is everyone?" Joe finally asked. "And why can't I use my magic?"
"Foolish boy, this isn't my home. I don't make the rules here." He said after taking another puff. "Now kid I have a word of advice. I would watch out around Celestia and her group of daffodils. If i were you. She's gonna try to use you and mold you into another one of her tools."
Joe shook his head. "She wouldn't do that. She and Rex promised." He replied getting up and beginning to walk away.
"Hey now listen to me. If things don't work out. Make sure to cause a little trouble and I can help you get home. I have the power to do so." Said the old man bearing a toothy grin. "Anyway I'd say you better get on home before this dream of yours ends."
"What do you mean by that?" Joe asked bewildered.
In the Library
Twilight sat by her window reading up on camouflage spells. "Hmm... That doesn't explain anything." She said closing the book. Suddenly, she stopped as the sound of heavy pounding could be heard from downstairs. "Who could be that at this hour?" She trotted downstairs and opened the door.
"TWILIGHT! You need ta come quick!" Shouted a panicked Applejack. Her main was a mess.
"Wait! What's the matter? What's going on?" Twilight asked stopping her friend.
"It's that feller you keep telling us to keep an eye out for. He's in trouble." Said Applejack worriedly.
"Where was he?" Asked Twilight beginning to become worried herself. "What kind of trouble exactly?"
"I found him out cold in the field. He was all glowy and I couldn't get near him." She explained.
Twilight stood still for a brief moment and thought about what would be a good reason to why he would be there. But, she didn't have enough information to support her claim. She took a deep breath and her horn lit up in her pinkish aura. "Let's go." Twilight spread her aura and in a flash they were out of there.
Spike awoke startled by the sudden teleportation and walked downstairs. To find the door unlocked and Twilight gone. He closed the door and walked up the stairs. "Aww I never get to have any fun..."
Back on the farm.
The flash of Twilight's spell managed to startle Big Mac as he dropped one of the bushels of apples.
"Aww Big Mac I just got through that bunch. Clean that pile up and I will deal with it when I'm done." Said Applejack disappointed at her brother's clumsiness. "Right now I've got something a bit more important to deal with. C'mon Twilight." She led the way out of the barn and down towards one of the orchards where a faint glowing could be seen.
Twilight teleported ahead and looked at him. "Who was this Stallion, why was he here?, and most importantly why was he wearing that pendant.?" She thought trying to nudge him with her hoof. He stirred a little and the magic pushed her away. "I've never seen anything like this." She said to herself.
Applejack slowly approached and watched her friend's horn light up. "What're you gonna do?" She got a little closer towards Twilight who still tried to comprehend what was going on. She felt her hoof knock something over. It was a stack of a couple of books. "Hey Twi look at these."
Twilight took her gaze off the unconscious pony and onto her friends hooves. The books levitated towards her and opened the History of Ponyville book causing a few of the pieces of bookmark papers to fall out. "What the?" She began to read the marked pages and sections. They were all locations of where StarSwirl had been during the Creation of Ponyville. Then she levitated the spell book towards her. "This is from Canterlot. I knew it." She pointed her horn at the Sleeping pony. "Let me try to wake him. Her magic aura slowly floated its way towards Red when his own magic suddenly merged with it. She sat there quietly.
"Twi? Are you alright? What's going on?" Asked a worried Applejack. She sat down as she watched her entranced friend.
In the World within a dream.
The old man was now standing facing Joe. "Ahem, this place we are sitting in isn't real. This was all just a little something your mind cooked up for ya. I came and turned it to out meeting place."
"Why? Why would you do that? How?" Asked Joe seeking answers. Suddenly the ground shook and the old Man put his hand on his face.
"Looks like we have a few guests outside. I will have to ask again next time." He said as he snapped his fingers and his army disappeared. "Same time same place?" His feet slowly began to fade.
"What?" Asked Joe becoming confused.
"Arrivederci!" yelled the old man vanishing completely out of sight.
Joes eyes focused on the horizon that was behind the old man. Out in the water was nothing but white and it was coming closer erasing the water that it came in contact with. Seeing that he began to run. But the faster he ran, the more slower he felt himself become. "No not again." He thought to himself struggling to go faster but failed as he stood still locked in a running position.
"You are strong enough to break out of this. The power of one is strength enough for this feat." Said the same mystery voice Joe had heard days ago.
Deep down within Joe did something flow, a warm feeling and a red glow. His body became encompassed with his own red aura and slowly began to move into a jog. Feeling his confidence rise he began to bolt faster up the road and into another neighborhood. The force destroying the shore still crept after him coming closer. It had already engulfed the small town and the rest of the island. It seemed to be pursuing him as he made his way up a steep hill.
"There it is" he thought to himself. The only place he had not come to since he had gotten here. "Home." The lonely house stood out upon the tall hill. Finally as he stood in front of the doorway he erected a powerful shield around the house. He placed his hand on the doorknob and it turned with a creak. Inside was pure dark and Joe looked back at the vanishing Island. "Why?" He then stepped inside.
Back in the field.
Applejack stood guard as Twilight still sat there motionless. She yawned as the crickets chirped and the cold wind blew. The moon gave of a weak eerie glow over the land. Suddenly a brighter red glow emanated off the red pony and the red glow burst in a sudden flash. Applejack was knocked back in the sudden burst of magic along with Twilight. Twilight slowly sat up while holding her hoof to her head groaning. Immediately Applejack walked towards the Red pony and made eye contact. The red pony immediately grabbed his belongings and galloped away with his hooves glowing red and with a speed that could easily rival Rainbow Dash. She wanted to pursue the pony but, she couldn't leave Twilight alone.
Twilight sat there with her eyes open as if she was trying to process her thoughts. She slowly began to mumble words to herself.
"Hey Twilight are you alright? I saw you take a bit of a fall there." Said Applejack in her reassuring voice. "What happened there? I saw you just sorta sit there."
"Where did he go?" Asked Twilight as she fell out of her little trance. "Hey what am I doing way over here?"
"Phew... You're alright. For a second there I thought you were broken." Sighed Applejack. "That red fellow Ran away before I could ask him anything. He looked pretty frightened when he saw us sitting here. He ran over there." She pointed her hoof into the direction of the town. "I'm guessing he went home."
"I saw something..." Said Twilight recollecting herself. "I sensed Celestia and my brother's magic. I sensed two more traces of magic but, I couldn't tell who's own they were."
"What does that mean?" Asked Applejack. Checking her friends forehead for a fever. Twilight was okay but Applejack was cautious. They slowly made their way back to the barn house to rest.
Twilight sat at the kitchen table using magic to write notes and the other a letter as Applejack prepped a couch for her friend to sleep on overnight.
"I saw sand. A lot of sand and water and trees. But, they looked Tropical." Twilight explained. "I saw two creatures talking near a big stone structure while other creatures played in the water. But, I couldn't make out any of it. They were too far away and powerless to do anything." She continued to write as Applejack took a seat next to her.
"I think you need to rest Twilight. You're gonna end up burning your noggin before you can even send that letter." Applejack continued to watch and listen to Twilight.
"I can't, I have to record it before I loose any knowledge of it." Twilight opened up another scroll and continued to write. "Several stone and metal buildings... Wide tall doorways... Asphalt roads." She continued to write into the night as she spent the night on the couch.
The field (Joe's side)
Joe had awoken as Red. He got up slowly and normally. "I can't believe it was just a dream. And I ended up staying out this la-..." His eyes met with that of a cowpony. He quickly levitated his stuff into the saddlebag and bolted away. "Who the hell was that?" He shouted in his head. "It was probably one of the ones he heard about from the Cyan Pegasus. "They could've caught me."
The Windmill wasn't that far so, he began to slow his pace until he got on the doorway and stepped through the door. The lights came on as he locked the door and threw himself onto the couch. He sighed exhausted and worried of what was going to happen with these bunch of ponies who don't even know him. "Should Celestia be informed? What about that dream?" He thought to himself. "I gotta hurry and find that spell..." He got back up and walked his way to check if anything had changed since this morning. He really needed to clear his head. On the second floor of the windmill was his new bedroom but it still lacked furniture. He walked in a accessed what was needed. "A desk, a bookshelf, and a... Wait a minute!" He walked downstairs and opened the door. Outside sat a wooden bed frame and a box containing the mattress. He levitated both of them inside. But he came back outside to check if there were anything else. Suddenly, he froze at the sight of something in the forest. Two golden glowing beads of what looked like eyes in the distance. "What... The... Fuck... Is that?..." He kept staring at it until it had vanished. Still a little shocked, he went back inside and into the living room. His stomach began to growl in hunger he sighed and walked into the kitchen, picked up the last apple that was on the table and ate it. His stomach still didn't agree. Outside lights could still be seen from the town. "Maybe that Cafe is still open?" The town was pretty alright it has what's necessary to live. Why not enjoy it?. Red walked back into the living room and picked up his saddle bag. He levitated the soap and books. The bag of bits was all that was left. He turned off the lights and went outside. He looked at the forest and saw nothing. He began walking towards the town while checking if anything was following him.
The town was still alive at this time. The stores, little tents and even the restaurants. Red slowly found his way back to the restaurant he had eaten at earlier. The two Pegasi weren't there and that's a bit of a relief. He sat down and waited to be served. But, as he sat he couldn't help but to think of the few restaurants that he actually got to enjoy back home."I need pie..." He said as he picked up a menu. He chose a plate of pasta with garlic bread and a slice of pie. The waitress came and took his order and walked back into the kitchen. Red just sat there waiting. His mind was focusing on the few notes he had taken about Starswirl and on those two ponies. He had been to everywhere in Ponyville in the past but several o those locations changed over the years but there seems to be three places he was always seemed to go to. The Everfree, the town Square, and some old looking castle that must've been taken by the Everfree. That may have made it a bit easier but there are more potential other places he could've been.
After fifteen minutes of thinking, the waitress brought his meal and he began to eat. The ponies he's met the enemies he's met. They all seemed to be somewhat against him. This depressed him a lot considering he had only just met them. Sure it's been a little fun but, what has happened to his world since he disappeared. He gobbled down the pasta. His reflection in his mind showed himself as a pony. This wasn't him, it was just a lie that Celestia had helped him to create. He ate the last piece of garlic bread and wiped his lips with a napkin. Though through everything, he felt more of a nuisance than an actual help to anyone. Even Culex saw him as a commodity. "Is that all I am?" He asked himself. He took a spoonful of the pie and ate it. It was dull compared to Cream Pie's pies. It was beginning to get late as the moon already hung high in the sky. So he paid his bill and decided it was time to make his way back to his temporary home.
The night sky looked a bit more appealing than it did back home though. Instead of continuing on the path he decided to take a walk to a nice looking hilltop that was near his home. It was far away from the town though and it looked isolated with what looked to be a small tree on top. He trotted over and sat down under the branches of the tree. Still the thoughts plagued him, he took off the pendant and stuffed it into his pockets. He folded the saddle bag as well and placed both that and the bag of bits into his pocket. It bulged in his pocket but it didn't matter. Feeling less trapped he laid back a bad looked up at the sky until a cloud slowly began to block his view.
"Hey! Dang cloud." He shouted. He stood up and held his hands up as if reaching at it. The whole cloud began to glow and was shoved out of the way.
"HEY! What's the big idea?!" Shouted a voice from above. Suddenly a dark blur in the air appeared perfectly silhouette on the moon. "What's your problem bub?!" She quickly flew down towards ready to strike.
Joe ducked her and grabbed her with his magic. "Hey what do you think you're doing?!" Yelled the angry cyan Pegasi The red glow turned into a small shield bubble.
Joe walked over and looked at her. "Wait you're that Canterlot monster! I knew they were true!" The cyan Pegasi bucked at the bubble causing her to roll a little bit.
Joe sighed as he walked over and steadied her. "What did I do?" He asked himself. He began to message his head and relax himself.
"You ruffled my house!" She yelled still angry. "Just you wait until I get out of here. I'm gonna... Wait where are you going?" She watched as Joe turned around and began walking away.
"Don't worry the shield will drop once I'm far away. Sorry..." Said Joe putting his hands into his pockets. Going down the hill he could hear the pony yell at him. He felt bad but it was necessary. If he was to be found out, he'd become a target. He'd have to depend on Celestia to bail him out again and he didn't want that.