7| Like a Dream
The Matrix of Friendship
Chapter 7- Like a Dream
“What is life? Is it nothing more than the endless search for a cutie mark? And what is a cutie mark, but a constant reminder that we’re all only, one Bugbear bite away from oblivion. And what of the poor gator, flank, forever blank, destined to an existential swim down the river of life to, an unknowable destiny?”
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"Good morning Twilight.” The pony’s feminine voice was soft, and high pitched.
The room was small, and was made of wood. The floor was painted a grass green, and in the centre of the room, was a rug of various shades of brown. Wooden steps led upstairs, and a doorway to the kitchen. The front door was red, with large gold hinges, and an orange door handle.
Various bits of furniture were scattered around the outskirts of the room. On top of a second, oval, pink rug, was a large green and brown sofa accompanied with a matching armchair, divided by a small stool with a picture of Discord.
Little bird houses sat in the corner of the room, and some even hang from the ceiling. Various elevated runs for little animals scattered the room, and on one of the walls, was a large white brick fireplace. On the back wall, was an indented bookcase, full of books on taking care of animals, and everything there was to know about various creatures. That was, apart from one shelf, which was overflowing with books on various stitching methods.
A yellow and pink pegasus happily trotted out of the kitchen humming a song, a pate laden with food in mouth. She picked up the picture of discord with a hoof, lowering the food onto the tiny table, before placing the picture on one of the bookshelves. She then trotted back into the kitchen to get her own food.
It just now occurred to Twilight that she was sitting on Fluttershy’s couch, a blanket over top of her. An ecstatic Fluttershy trotted back into the room, repositioning the armchair next to the couch, and sitting down in it. “Oh, I hope you slept well last night. I really wanted to let you use my bed, but you refused to take the offer.”
Fluttershy gave off a squeak not unlike that of a chew toy as she gave a large smile. “Oh…I made you breakfast… I hope you like haycon and floweggs.”
Twilight just stared at Fluttershy with a deadpanned expression, blinking occasionally.
“Oh no…maybe I put too many saltlicks on the haycon….” Fluttershy’s expression turned from joyous to bashful. As if she was on autopilot, Twilight spoke.
“Nonono…it’s, um… just fine. You did a great…job.” Twilight’s voice was completely monotone.
“Oh…thanks.” Fluttershy awkwardly looked around the room. “I-is there something wrong? If, um, you don’t mind me asking.”
Twilight stared blankly into space. Eventually, she snapped out of it. “Huh!? Oh, no. I’m just fine. Great, actually.” She wasn’t quite sure what was wrong. Something wasn’t normal, but she couldn’t place it. Eventually she decided that it was probably just her OCD acting up.
Can my OCD even be called a disorder? I’d say disability is more apt.
Fluttershy looked relived. “Oh, that’s good. You looked like you had just seen a ghost.” She let out a small giggle at her own silliness. “So, today I thought we could take a nice nature walk, to look at all the cute little wild animals!” She was barely containing her excitement. “But only i-“
“If it’s ok with me?” Twilight chuckled. “Sure! Sounds like fun!” She used her magic to levitate the breakfast to her mouth. “Mmmm, Fluttershy, this is really good.” Twilight exclaimed, with a mouth full of food.
“I-I’m not that good. I couldn’t even make that salad Angel wanted me to make.”
“Don’t sell yourself short Fluttershy, always remember that. Your cooking is amazing, way better than mine.”
“I don’t want to brag…but…thanks Twilight.”
“Hey, no problem. It’s what friends do.” Something about that saying spooked Twilight. It was weird, like an old memory, forgotten for an entire lifetime, trying to worm it’s self into your conscious mind, and piece it’s self together.
Fluttershy had finished her breakfast, but not before Twilight. She stood up, and walked over to take Twilight’s plate, but a lavender hoof stopped her. Twilight’s horn glowed as her plate lifted into the air, while the plate in Fluttershy’s mouth tried to work it’s self free.
“Nonono, let me do it.” Twilight said in a caring voice.
Fluttershy hesitated for a second before letting go of the plate in her mouth. It drifted alongside Twilight’s place into the kitchen and out of sight, before Twilight’s horn stopped glowing.
“Shall we go?” Twilight said in an upper-class accent.
Fluttershy got the joke. “Yes, quite.”
The two chucked at their exchange of banter. “Right after you, dear.”
With a soft giggle, Fluttershy began making her way to the door, Twilight in tow. She twisted the slender door handle with her hoof, pushing the door open, and stepping outside. Twilight walked out, and nudged the door closed with her back hoof.
The two walked down the path and over a small bridge. Down below, in the stream, was a family of beavers building a modest dam. A white bunny rabbit hopped onto the path, obstructing Fluttershy. “Oh Angel, it’s just a short nature walk. We’re not going into the Everfree or anything.”
With a little hesitation, Angel bunny turned and continued on his journeys of…whatever bunnies do.
“It seems our nature walk has started sooner than expected.” Twilight said jokingly. Fluttershy just rolled her eyes at the dryness of it. They continued on, and left the main path to Ponyville, onto another that led into the forest. They walked for some time, simply enjoying the…tranquility of it all.
The lush greenery became a soft yellow, and the two ponies came to a divergence in the road. Twilight looked down each as far as she could, to where they bent in the undergrowth, sorry she could not travel both.
“Which one?” Was all Fluttershy said.
Each path was about the same, but only one was grassy, and wanted wear. In the morning light, one path lay, leaves no step had trodden black. Twilight again looked down each, as far as her eyes could reach.
And so the two began their journey.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a long, long time.” Twilight was, as always, pondering. Pondering anything from how life began to why forks have 4 prongs.
“Oh Twilight, that’s silly! We see each other so often!” Fluttershy’s voice was quiet even when she was emphasising her speech.
“I know, I know. I just feel like…I don’t know. Something’s weird.” The purple Alicorn looked to the shy pegasus.
“Twilight, you worry too much. Just enjoy the wildlife. Just enjoy nature. Isn’t it peaceful?”
Fluttershy was right. She did worry too much. She was also right about the forest, it was very peaceful. The trees were a gorgeous yellowy-orange, mixed in with some lush green undergrowth. The sound of rushing water could be heard, from a small stream. The sound of bird calls echoed throughout the forest, their high pitch Morse-code only adding to the soothing feeling.
A butterfly flew by the two, and eventually settled down on Fluttershy’s mane. “Why hello there, nice to meet you.” Fluttershy greeted in a quiet whisper. The butterfly flapped its wings in acknowledgement, shortly before taking off, and fluttering its way through the air to a flower on the edge of the path.
They continued on their walk, through the thick forest. The path curved, and began to rise and fall. A clearing appeared to the left of the track, giving a full, unobstructed view of a waterfall. A giant waterfall. It was small, yet high. So high, in fact, that barely ANY water made it to the bottom. Most of it just…turned into spray.
A misty white cloud, pouring off the falling water drifted through the undergrowth, coating the leaves in a particularly heavy dew. The sun gleamed onto the water, periodically reflecting shimmers of sunlight.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Fluttershy was always impressed by the sheer majesty of nature. It was mind-boggling to think that something so…peaceful, beautiful, perfect, amazing…could be created without a creator.
Or at least, that’s what everypony thought. Nobody really knew much about Equestria’s creation.
Fluttershy peacefully walked to the edge of a pool at the bottom of the waterfall, with only the faint crumpling sound of dead leaves under her hooves. She gazed down into the slightly shimmering pool, seeing herself in the reflective liquid.
The forest’s leaves rustled in the slight breeze. The sun’s rays fell onto Twilight and Fluttershy’s backs, warming their fur. Twilight let out a sigh, not one of sadness of frustration, but of contempt. It was at times like these, that the lavender pony loved to contemplate life. The mystery. The meaning. The…fragility.
What is life? Is it nothing more than the endless search for a cutie mark?
Twilight suddenly noticed something move. She looked up. The sky gradually began to shift, the sun drifting across the sky at a visible speed. It began to make its way to the horizon, as it was getting closer, the sky turned a brilliant orange, before fading into a dark purple. The stars began to appear, fading into existence as the sun’s light relented.
Finally, the sun disappeared behind the horizon. The stars were now fully visible, all twinkling a very slightly different shade of white. Luna’s night was a beautiful masterpiece.
For a moment, all that could be seen were the stars. The ground was pitch black. Gradually, as the sun, the moon rose from the opposite horizon. It’s brilliant grey shine projecting a cool aura onto the land, allowing one to see their surroundings.
Eventually, the moon stopped in its journey, and hovered approximately in the centre of the sky. To Twilight’s curiosity, the moon flicked a little brighter for a moment, but only for a moment. It would have been so easy to miss. She stared deeply into the moon’s cratered surface.
What’s it like out there?
Life gave so many questions, and yet, so little time to answer them all.
The moon changed again, but in a way Twilight couldn’t quite place. It was changing but nothing seemed to be happening. Twilight continued to stare intensely into the glowing orb.
Wait. Is it… Is it getting bigger?
It was, and it was getting larger and larger by the second. The moon appeared to be advancing at what was… well… half the speed of light. The massive ball smashed into her, engulfing all her senses in a brilliant white light.
A voice, one that filled the space, and came from no particular location, called. “Twilight, It’s nearly time for you to wake up.”
Twilight’s features contorted to an expression of confusion. “What!?”
The blinding white light instantly disappeared, revealing a navy blue Alicorn, with a sparkly, flowing purple mane. Her wings unfurled from her back, splaying out into the air in a brilliant show, before she opened her eyes.
“What are you do-…I-…This is a dream, isn’t it.” Twilight’s voice came out sad, much to her surprise. She realized that she was very much enjoying this world, never wanting it to come to an end.
“Correct, dearest Twilight.” Luna began to walk forward, slowly. Her horseshoes made a clacking sound that echoed all around the…expanse of light. Twilight wasn’t really sure what it was.
Luna could see the confusion in Twilight’s eyes. “Ponies look up to princesses as if they are gods. And, in truth, we are. We possess power that only ancient evil forces can match. But, we are not omnipotent. Even the strongest of leaders needs guidance, in their darkest hours. Even, Celestia. And right now, dear princess, I think you need guidance.”
Twilight didn’t say a word. She just blinked, once.
“Yes, Twilight, this is all a dream. Nothing is real.” Luna paused, and tilted her head slightly upwards, for dramatic effect. “But tell me, who is that pony right there?”
Twilight suddenly found that they were standing in the sunlight of the forest once again. She looked over to where Fluttershy stared into the pool at her reflection. She was unmoving, and didn’t seem to be aware of Luna’s arrival or Twilight’s talking.
“It’s…Fluttershy?” Twilight was sure that was not the answer Luna was looking for, but she couldn’t think of anyone else that shy pink-maned butter-yellow-coated pegasus could be.
Luna smiled, just a little. “No, Twilight, it isn’t. Fluttershy is a real pony, but that pony right there, that’s what she left behind...”
Twilight didn’t have words. Not one.
“…Her legacy. Like I told you before, friendship does not end, it carries on…”
“…through the ages.” These words, to Twilight, were words that just…came to her.
“I told you that Fluttershy left a part of herself within you. This, right here, is that part. The part of Fluttershy that made her the kind, caring, and gentle pony we all knew.”
There was just one problem, that Twilight had picked up on. “Then what happened to the real Fluttershy?”
Luna cringed very slightly. “You don’t remember?”
Twilight shook her head slowly.
Luna looked up from Twilight, and turned around to direct her glance towards Fluttershy…or rather Fluttershy’s legacy. The reflection of herself in the water slowly faded out of existence, leaving just one pony staring into the dark water. Her face was one of innocence, and unknowing.
The memories started to seep through. Twilight began to remember. Tears began to flow down the young princesses’ cheeks, wetting her soft lavender fur. “D…dragon…”
Luna turned back to Twilight with a grim face, she leaned forward, and brought up a hoof to Twilight’s cheeks, wiping the tears from each. She then replaced her hoof, and craned her neck round behind her, directing Twilight’s attention.
The shy pegasus stood motionless, as the trees around them began to rustle. The rustling transformed into shaking, every second getting more and more violent, before one of the trees flew out of the ground, spraying dirt everywhere. It flipped mid-air, and upon landing, it was a green and brown dragon, towering over the small, vulnerable pony.
The rest of the trees followed suit, each uprooting from the ground, transforming mid-air, and landing with a heavy ‘thud’, shaking the ground.
The trickle of memories gave way to a flood, and in an instant, Twilight remembered everything. “Oh no. NO! FLUTTERSHYYYYY!!!!!!” She was screaming as loud as she possibly could, yet, she wanted to scream louder. Fluttershy still stood, motionless, oblivious to her surroundings.
The dragons encircled Fluttershy, and began to draw fire. Their throats started glowing a dark orange as they summoned their fire breath. Finally, they released, torrents of scorching-hot flame all congregating at one point.
With a gasp, Twilight jolted upright, wide awake and alert. Her brow was sweating, and her heart felt like it was going to fall out of her at any moment. She took one, single, short look at her surroundings.
“Is this a d-dream?”
PHEW! I'm sorry to say I lost a bit of motivation/inspiration for this chapter, and I know exactly why. It's useless. You could skip this one without missing a thing. And so, to make up for it, I promise to have something interesting for next chapter. Either way, I hope you get a little enjoyment out of this.
P.S Yes, horses use salt licks. And yes, I had to look that up. I know, my food puns were terrible. 
Ha. Ha. Salt LICKS ^^^^^^
Next chapter: Sunspot
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6125786 Not sure what that means, but it seems positive, so thanks!
Glad to see someone made it that far into the story
6143282 I like it.
If you want to know where my quote is from, you'll have to look closely at it. The answer is great.
I'm horrible at riddles :P
6143296 ...Maybe....
troll.me/images/ololloollo/uh-oh.jpg
I'll have to do something about that. Thanks for pointing it out.
6143314 Spoilers!
6143302
I'm So Meta Even This Acronym
6143326 ???
I'll give you a hint. The answer is in the quote.
6143363 does everything you post have to be a riddle of some kind?
I mean, it's only happened twice, but that's enough for me to start making assumptions
and so i will
6143377 Nah, it's just that I love to put them in places, and you're the only one that looks at them.
I'll tell you. There's a hyperlink hidden in the quote.
6143448 you seem familiar... are you Galen?
6143461 Who's that lol?
6143575 the way you write seems a lot like my cousins, but it's probably nothing... i was wrong