Chapter 9: In Dreams
Up and down the wagon shook as it went over rocks and sticks through the forest. Breathing into a bag, I tried to keep myself from having a repeat of yesterday morning’s puking session I had when we first arrived in Ponyville. Sitting with me in the back of the rickety wagon was Princess Twilight Sparkle and Crystal, whom we found sleeping in the wagon earlier last night. She wasn’t too happy when we woke her up as a matter of fact. On our wagon ride back to the vault, that is exactly what she was complaining about.
“You said you’d be gone for only two hours!” Crystal flung her hooves up into the air out of frustration. Her eyebrows were carving deep crevices into her forehead, her teeth clenched together so hard I’d thought they were going to crack.
“I’m sorry,” Quartz apologized again for the fifth time. She kept her eyes locked on the path ahead. Every now and again she’d steer the hauling timberwolves out the way of an oncoming rock. “Something came up at Sugarcube Corner and we needed to take care of it.” Crystal rolled her eyes. “Besides, you could’ve just gone and hung out at the pub and drink your heart out.”
Crystal growled. “You had all the money, remember? That’s why you went to the shop in the first place!”
Quartz bit her lower lip. “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” she smiled. “I do have all the money.”
Twilight and I shared a mutually annoyed look with one another. “So,” Twilight said, hoping to divert the subject. “Miss Quartz, I see you’re well knowledged in the skill of conjuration?” Twilight assumed.
The look on Quartz face when she looked back at Twilight showed me that she was delighted to get off the previous topic. “Why, yes I am, Princess, thank you for noticing.”
Twilight grinned and glanced at the timberwolves. “Where did you learn how to manifest timberwolves and keep them around for so long? Last I saw, that’s a master skill.”
I leaned over with my bag held close to my chest and saw that Quartz looked to be having the time of her life as of the moment. “Well, uh... my father, Mythic Stone, had gone to Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. Over the years he just kinda taught me these things.”
“So your surname is—” the wagon struck a rock and my stomach lurched, I cringed and stuck the bag over my mouth.
“So, what, again?” Quartz looked over her shoulder.
“Is she alright?” Twilight asked.
Crystal sighed. “She’s a bit of a light weight, that’s all.”
“Ah, fuck you...” I groaned.
Crystal’s brow furrowed. “What? I’m just being honest.”
I shot a grin at her. “Well there is such thing as being too honest.”
“She isn’t denying it, then,” Crystal said, “so I guess I was right.”
The rear end of the wagon bucked as the wheel went over another rock. Inside, my intestines felt as if they were doing somersaults; a wave of nausea came over me and I felt dizzy. Groaning softly, I closed my eyes and placed the bag over my mouth. Slowly, I started to lean over to my left, but stopped when I felt Twilight jerk back a bit when my head touched her side. Twilight settled for a moment and I allowed myself to press the rest of my head against her side. ‘Don’t you think you’re taking this a bit far?’ My conscious asked itself.
I took a deep breath and exhaled with a smile. I had no clue on why I was using the pony beside me as some kind of cushion, not only that, I didn’t have a fucking clue on whether she was enjoying it or not. To be quite frank, I didn’t care. All I cared about was how soft these damn ponies were! The softness Twilight’s coat reminded me of my sister’s body pillow she had back in her single days. Better yet, her coat felt like my hair after I poured half a bottle of conditioner into it when taking a shower. The mare’s body was smooth and a bit fluffy in certain areas that felt to have been ruffled, her coat smelled like lavenders, which made me all the more want to hug her.
‘Y’know... I won’t lie... I’d snuggle the shit out of her if she’d let me.’
“Eh... Chloe?” Crystal said with a concerned voice. “Don’t you think you’re a bit too close to the Princess?”
I chuckled. ‘No, I don’t think I’m close enough.' is what I wanted to say, but unfortunately I’d probably come off as a creep. ‘The fuck am I thinking? Already I look creepy!’
“Don’t worry,” I heard Twilight say, “she’s not bothering me.”
The smile I had on my face grew even wider and I slipped an arm behind the pony and wrapped it around her. I pulled Twilight into a hug and laid there against her. Doing that was actually not a bad idea when I thought about it; hugging Twilight actually served to be a distraction from my motion sickness during our trip back to the vault. Not only that, Twilight being okay with me snuggling against her...
Actually made me a feel a bit happy.
:[-]:
“Chloe!” my sister, Stacey, screamed when the four soldiers swarmed her.
“We’ve got an infected one here!” the doctor shouted over the four men.
“Wait!” I cried and pushed myself past the two nurses in front of me. “She’s clean!” One of the nurses recovered and grabbed hold of my arm.
The four soldiers stopped curiously and looked back at us. “Are you crazy!?” the woman yelled. “If you get near here without any gear, you’re fucked!”
I glared at the lady clasping my hand and ripped it away from her. “I”ve been with her since the fucking beginning, bitch!” I snarled. “If she’s infected why did I pass through clean?!”
Out from behind me, a large arm reached out and hooked me around the neck. Terrified, I screamed and thrashed my legs around madly. “Miss, I need you to calm down!” the man who was restraining me said. “I don’t want to silence you with force!”
“Let me go!” I cried. “Please let me go, she’s my sister, for Christ’s sake!” The man’s arm tightened around my throat as he began to drag me back towards the crowd behind the barricade. My heart slammed against my chest and my breathing escalated to the point in which I could no longer control it. “I’m immune!” I screamed out desperately as I thrashed against the man. “Let me go, I’m fucking immune!”
“For fuck’s sake!” the man holding me shouted to the soldiers. “Get that infectee out of here!” The four men nodded and grabbed Stacey by her arms.
“NO! Please,” Stacey screamed, “you can’t take me away from her! She’s telling the truth!”
The sight of Stacey being dragged away relentlessly by the four men again tore through my heart like a rabid dog. Anger, pain, and shock were the three things I experienced simultaneously at that exact moment. “Stacey!” I hollered, but it was too late. The men had dragged her through a set of double doors at the end of the hall. She was gone. Completely unable to hear me.
My teeth ground together, I could feel my eyebrows carving their way down, heated blood pumped through my veins. Without a second thought, my head jerked back and rammed against what felt like the face of a gas mask. The man holding me grunted and his grip around my throat loosened. Taking the chance, I forced myself away from him and made a mad dash towards where the men took my sister.
Within seconds, three other soldiers made themselves known by diving out of the crowd, rifles in hand. “Get on the ground now!” The three men shouldered their weapons. I didn’t listen. “Take her out!”
Three loud shots rang out inside the hospital, triggering mass hysteria from the patients and their families. Chaos erupted as panic spread like wildfire throughout the care center. I laid on the floor of the hospital, whimpering as I cupped a hand over my bleeding gut. The flesh beneath my hand was warm and wet. I rolled onto my side to get a better view. It was no question that I had gotten shot; to my surprise though, it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. I was left on the ground a whimpering mess, but surely I thought I would be left in nothing but pure and utter agony.
I blinked, causing a few tears to stream down my face as I gazed up at the fluorescent light above me. ‘This is it, I guess...’ I thought, ‘the end of me, the end of humanity.’ My thoughts were interrupted by a wave of sporadic gunfire and more screaming people. ‘Oh my God!’ I bit my lower lip as river of tears streamed down my face.
“What are you doing! They aren’t infect—” I heard a man shout before being cut off by a storm of bullets.
My muscles jolted at the gunshots. Rolling onto my side, I pushed myself onto one knee. Looking over, I saw a national guardsman who was ranked sergeant by the insignia on his arm, aiming his 9mm at what used to be a doctor on the ground.
“Sergeant, what the fuck are you doing!” Another, yet much younger, soldier approached the man. “They aren’t infected!”
The higher-up turned and placed the handgun directly between the man’s eyes. “You heard what they said, anyone who stands in our way is to receive capital punishment, private.” The sergeant positioned his finger over the trigger. “I sure as hell hope I don’t need to put down one of my own squadmates.”
“With all due respect, sir,” the private said quietly, “these are civilians—” The sergeant squeezed the trigger of his gun: a brief flash from the muzzle illuminated the room; a small spray of blood exited the new hole in the privates face. The national guardsman's head snapped back and his body slumped to the floor before the sergeant. Screams from civilians erupted into the air when their eyes fell upon the fallen soldier.
Tears rolled down my cheeks and I quickly pushed myself away from the psychotic man. “You see this!” The sergeant turned to face the crowd, his gun held proudly in the air. “This is what happens when you—”
Loud bursts of machine gun fire drowned out the man’s voice, his body jigging left and right as bullet after bullet slammed into him. After few short seconds the sergeant dropped to the floor dead, his chest resembling nothing but swiss cheese.
I tore my eyes away from the bloody sight and buried my face into my arms. ‘It’s all my fault! They're dead because it’s my fault, if I wouldn’t have ran they’d still be alive!’ I lay on the floor sobbing uncontrollably.
“Everybody calm down, it’s over!” a man with a really deep, leathery voice shouted. “Jenkins, get some of your men around the back, calm those civilians! Sherlie, check out that wounded girl by the soda machine!”
“Yes, Sir!”
The sound of boots smacking against the marble tiles struck fear into my heart. “Shhh-shh...” I heard the woman above me cooed. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you!”
Something inside me told me not to believe her. “Get away from me!” I lashed out with my bloodied hand, the woman above must’ve saw this coming because she caught it easily.
“Hold it there,” she said to me, “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”
I glared at her with tear soaked eyes. The girl looked to be the same age as me and was in nothing but military fatigues, on her right arm was a band with the American Red Cross. “H-How can I believe y-y-you?”
The woman pursed her lips. “Sergeant Ridgewood was always a crazy hard ass... but he’s gone now. Rockwell is in control now, no one’s going to hurt you. Let me help you u–pu–uppp–upupupu–” The woman’s face suddenly began to contort and blur, like a hand through mist my arm slipped out of her grip as if she was some kind of hologram.
“What the hell?” I asked in a quiet voice. The throbbing pain in the side of my gut began to fade. Gazing down at myself, I saw that the hole was sealing itself, strands of flesh connecting together almost like a web pulled themselves together. My heart began to race, ‘This isn’t what happened!’
I bit my lower lip and pushed myself away from the hologram lady. “It isn’t supposed to end like this!”
“And indeed you’re right,” a low, female voice said.
Coming from my left, behind the double doors that led deeper into the hospital, the sound of hooves clopping against marble echoed into my ears. My eyes were locked onto the door the soldiers dragged my sister through. Instead of pushing open the door, a blue light appeared on the door and stretched itself out to form a massive glowing wall. Out from the light came a dark blue limb clad in a silver horseshoe, and following it came the rest of a tall, curvy horse with a black peytral which displayed a crescent moon. When its head came through I noticed the large black tiara on her head and blue flowing mane that seemed to drift in an unnoticeable breeze.
“Wh–who the hell are you?” I pushed myself up into a sitting position and kicked myself away from it.
“Fear not, Ancient One,” the pony creature said, “I am only here to help you.”
I cocked an eyebrow. ‘Did this bitch just call me old?’
The creature raises an eyebrow and shook its head. “I apologize,” she said softly, “I did not mean to offend you.”
‘She can read my mind?!’
‘Indeed I can,’ a calming voice echoed in my head.
I jolted in my spot and scurried farther away from the creature. “What the hell are you?!”
The winged and horned pony cleared it's throat. “I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night and the realm of dreams.” The princess glanced around the interior the hospital the walls and images of people flickering like static on a T.V. screen. Luna’s eyes fell back on mine with a smile and her wings stretch out wide. “Welcome to my domain.” The blue pony then struck some kind of pose, acting as if I was supposed to be impressed.
‘What kind of fucked up dream are you trying to show me, brain?’
The Princess tilted her head at me and softened up her pose. “Chloe,” the pony said and I immediately sprung to my feet. “I am not part of your dream.”
‘Bullshit, brain! Why are you doing this to me?!’
Princess Luna looked at me as if I was an absolute idiot and shook her head. She then gave me a patient smile. “This isn’t a form of creation your brain has created up. You’re still very well in a dream, Chloe. However, I have taken partial control of it.” She smiled and smacked a hoof on the ground.
Briefly, I was blinded by a bright flash of light. When it dissipated, I saw that the pony in front of me was gone. Instead, in her wake, was a seven foot tall, pale woman in a black and blue sparkling dress, her hair appeared ethereal and drifted to the side in an unknown wind, her breasts larger than any woman I’ve seen before. Her eyes were teal and sharp, along with the rest of her face, it was very angular. And as for the rest of her body; her frame was wide yet still skinny.
My mouth dropped open and I felt a sudden fire ignite in me. ‘Jesus Christ, she’s fucking gorgeous!’
The woman smiled. “Thank you, I’ve worked hard at trying to imagine a human body. I always found it difficult to follow James’ descriptions.” I blinked when I realized she still sounded like the Princess, I bopped my head with the palm of my hand.
‘It is her you twit.’
Luna giggled. “I never understood these.” Luna reaches up with her hands and cupped both of her tits and begins to rub them. “How can you walk with them? They look as if they’ll just get in the way.”
The fire inside me exploded into an inferno and for some reason I couldn’t divert my eyes, a deep blush formed on my cheeks and raised both hands. “STOP IT, I CAN’T DREAM ABOUT THIS!” My heart was racing, the erotic imagery forever burned into my mind.
“Oh, are you disturbed by me doing this?”
I lowered my arms and saw Luna squishing them together, I clenched my eyes up and held my hands back up. “Yes, I am, please just go back to normal!” Though my eyes were closed I noticed a similar flash of light from before. Slowly, I opened my eyes and lowered my hands. I sighed with relief when I saw the princess pony was back to her original form.
‘You see? I can control what your brain sees,’ her voices said in my head.
“Yeah, and that’s exactly what my subconscious would tell me.” I roll my eyes. “Watch I can do something a whole lot similar to what you did.” Closing my eyes I began to think of one thing I always wanted to be.
A man.
Opening my eyes again, I saw Luna looking at me with wide eyes and pursed lips. I smirked. “Did it work?” My voice came out slightly deeper yet still feminine sounding. I gazed down at myself and gawked, my tits were gone! My chest was completely flat and baggy, needing more confirmation, I pulled the waist portion of my pants out and stuck my right hand down into my panties and yelped when I felt my hand grip onto something that wasn’t originally there. I ripped my hand out of there as if I touched some kind of venomous snake. “Whoa...” Is all I said.
I pulled my pants out farther along with my panties and gazed down at myself; no words could describe how awkward yet humorous the mood was. A stupid smile appeared on my face and I chuckled. The pony ahead of me sighed. “Hast thou humored herself enough?”
I tore my eyes away from my parts and smirked. “Correction,” I said with new masculine voice. “I’m a dude now.” I let off a boisterous laugh.
The pony lowered her eyelids and gave me an irritated look. Raising a hoof, she slammed it on the ground and the entire world instantly became black. Both I and Luna were standing in a similar void in which I had found myself in back inside the cocoon. “How the—” I started but stopped when I realized my voice was back to normal, looking back at myself I saw that I was once again a woman. I looked back at the pony with an open mouth. “How did you—why did you— c’mon, man!” I threw both my arms into the air and let off a frustrated sigh.
“I hast told thee that I am the ruler of dreams, no?” Luna strolled through the darkness towards me. Stopping just a few yards away, I saw that she was much taller than a regular pony. Unlike the others who came just above my waist, her eyes stopped just below my nose.
“What is this?” I asked, growing a little nervous.
The mare grinned at me. ”’Tis a dream we’re in,” she said, turning away from me. “But it is no ordinary dream.” She walked away and turned her head back towards me. “None that thou are use to.”
I was utterly confused. “Wait a second... so I’m unable to control this dream?”
The princess tilted her head. “In a manner of speaking.” She faced her body towards me. “But I decided to step in and take control.”
I frowned a little as I tried to wrap my head around everything she’d just said. “Bu-but that doesn’t make sense... If I’m dreaming then that makes it so you aren’t real.”
Luna took a deep breath. “My Sister warned me of this. Miss Cooper, to you that may be the case...” She bit her lip and gazed at the dark void as she tried to think of how she was going to word her next response. “I am as real as thyself,” she said when she raised her head.
I opened my arms out wide and asked, “How can you prove to me that I’m not going insane, or that James is still alive?”
“Journey to Canterlot,” Luna said flatly, although with as much grace as an exasperated royal could muster. “Once you are finished with Twilight Sparkle, have her bring you to Canterlot, and I will show you this is no ordinary dream.” The princess looked at me sternly.
Obviously I didn’t want to believe that this was just some mean joke my subconscious was playing on me, yet another half of me told me this was as real as it gets. “Why are you here?” I muttered the question.
The princess smiled at me and suddenly rays of light zipped past us, creating the illusion that we were flying through space at the speed of light, and next thing I knew, we were in Times Square in New York. Thousands of people on their phones, or talking to one another, or simply walking to work and running errands strode past us. Taxis honked their horns and drivers screamed their curses at one another, in the distance a police siren could be heard.
I stood next to Luna in the middle of it all, beside a man who wore a bdsm harness and was playing a saxophone. I couldn’t recognize the song, but it sounded a lot like that old timey music my father played as a joke whenever a movie entered a sex scene. Strangely enough, Luna didn’t seemed to be phased by the man. Matter of fact, what bewildered me the most is that not the man, nor anyone, was thrown off by the fact that there was horse creature in the center of Times Square.
Dream or not, I had a feeling my subconscious would at least make this world a little realistic. “Remember, Ms. Cooper, I am the one in control here.” Luna smiled, she then took a deep breath and gazed upon the urban scenery. “It amazes me how articulate your kind was.” She began to walk away from the sax man and towards oncoming traffic.
“W-wait!” I yelled out and reached out towards her with an open hand, but stopped when I noticed a MTA bus phase right through her. Luna stopped in the middle of the road and looked at me with her coy smile. “Heh...” I chuckled lightly and gazed at the speeding traffic nervously.
“Believe me, Miss Cooper, it is not as bad as it may seem,” Luna yelled over the cursing drivers and screaming horns. “In this world nothing can hurt you!”
I swallowed a lump in my throat and stepped out into the street. The sound of a taxi cab blaring its horn startled me past my limits. Head snapping to the left, my vision was fully obscured by a yellow blob that plowed right through me. Quite literally too. I stumbled back, the air sucked right out of my lungs. Hands shooting to my chest and sides, I checked to see if I was alright. Looking back I saw the rear end of the taxi turn onto west forty-sixth street. “What the hell just happened?” I turned towards the giggling princess who was standing in the middle of the road.
“Hast thou forgot thou were still dreaming for a second?” Luna lowered a hoof away from her lips and she smiled at me. I jumped when another taxi zip right through her as if she was some sort of ghost. “Nothing can hurt thee in this realm.” She flicked her head towards the sidewalk behind her. “Come, let us go.”
I nodded my head and coughed nervously into my fist. “Y-yeah.” I followed behind her and the two of us crossed the busy street.
The two of us stepped onto the sidewalk and Luna looked over her shoulder and smiled at the obvious look of bewilderment on my face. “Surprised, are you not?” she asked me with that strange accent of hers.
My eyes were glued onto the New York skyscrapers above us. “How were you able to...” For a brief moment I tore my eyes off the buildings and saw a gorgeous tall, pale woman, with long blue hair resting on her back. I jolted and took a step back. “What the hell? Why are you back to looking like that?”
Luna’s smile widened and she shrugged her shoulders, causing her massive chest to jiggle a bit. My cheeks flushed and I found a sudden interest in the never ending line of taxi cabs on our left. “We thought thee wouldst feel more comfortable if We were able to fit in more.” Luna rested a hand on my shoulder. “We do not mind if you look.”
My cheeks only grew hotter and I shrugged her hand off of me. “You don’t need to do this,” I said turning my head to look at her. Before she could say anything I gestured out towards the imaginary city. “I know you’re just trying to make me feel comfortable by sticking me in an environment I’m familiar with...” I took a deep breath and whispered, “To be honest, being here is actually doing the opposite of making me feel good.” My eyes downcast to the pavement.
Luna frowned a little and snapped her finger and her body shifted back into its pony form. The world around us began to dissolve. “Doest thou not feel comfortable?” The princess walked over to me and reached out to me with a wing.
Instinctively I flinched and moved away. “Stop it, okay!” I glared at her. ‘Who the hell is this pony? I don’t even know her, yet she’s treating me like some old friend.’
Luna winced and took a deep breath. “Chloe, we are only trying to help thee.”
I shook my head. “I-I don’t need your sympathy,” I said, “I just want to find my friend.”
Luna’s ears perked and she smiled. “And We can help thou with that!” Luna took a step towards me, the world around her melted back into the black void. “We can guide thee to James.”
I looked at her with a slightly confused expression, a question began to linger at the edge of my mind. “B-by J-James, you mean Doctor Reynolds, right?” I asked her.
Luna’s smile widened from ear to ear. “The one and only.”
My heart skipped a beat and I took a step towards the princess. “He’s still alive?!” I stumbled out.
Luna raises her head a bit as her smile became sly. “As We said, finish thy quest with Twilight Sparkle and come to Canterlot: we have much to discuss.”
I scowled. “Why not tell me now?”
The dark pony lowered her head and winked at me. “Because that would ruin the surprise.”
“What do you me—” A blinding flash erupted from behind the mare and my world was engulfed by a white light.
:[-]:
“We’re just about there.” I shifted and groaned at the sound of Quartz’s voice. Mumbling unintelligible gibberish, I smiled and rubbed my cheek against the soft, warm pillow I’d lain against. “You awake back there, Chlo?” she asked.
“I... no... I don’t wanna...” I grumbled out the first few lines that came to mind, my thoughts still foggy. Waking up I reached an arm out and wrapped it around the pillow and yanked it towards me.
“EEEEEH!” a mare’s voice squeaked.
Spontaneous laughter caused my eyes to fly open, from my left eye all I could see was nothing but lavender fur. Out of my right, I saw Crystal with her still bandaged head pointing a hoof in my direction while laughing her ass off. Feeling my purple pillow shift, my breath hitched in my throat and I immediately pushed myself up along with shoving Twilight away from me.
“I’m so sorry!” I apologized my body snapping itself awake.
Twilight looked at me with a small smile and giggled. “It’s alright, Chloe, there’s nothing to be sorry about.” Twilight turned her head away from me. “I just wasn’t expecting to be hugged, that was all.”
I reached back and rubbed my neck. “S-sorry about that...” ‘She just told you there’s no need to apologize!’ “I’m kind of a...” I gulped. “A cuddler.”
“Yeah,” Quartz said from over her shoulder, “I know that first hoof.”
I frowned. “Since when?”
Quartz giggled. “The first night we slept in the woods, remember? The three of us slept together. The entire night you couldn’t keep those arms to yourself.”
My cheeks burned and I cast my eyes to the floor of the wagon. “Oh come on, Chlo, stop being a baby.” Crystal smiled at me. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed...” She frowned a little and tapped her chin with a hoof, her face lighting up moments later. “If it makes you feel any better, I actually enjoyed you rubbing and snuggling against me that night.”
It was nice to hear what Crystal just said, yet at the same time the way she worded it only made my cheeks burn even more. The look on Twilight’s face told me that I wasn’t the only one who picked up on what she said. “Th-thanks...” I said quietly, tucking my legs closely to my chest and leaned against the wall and rested my chin on my knees. I took a deep breath and sighed.
“Is something wrong, Chloe?” Twilight looked over and asked.
I bit my lower lip, my thoughts returning to my dream. “I... I had a weird dream...”
“We noticed—OUCH!” Crystal blurted, but was quickly silenced by a hoof knocking her in the back of the head.
“Do you ever shut up?” Quartz snarled.
“Would you like to talk about it?” Twilight scooted over to me.
My teeth dug deeper into my lower lip, any second I thought I was going to taste blood. “Uh...” I lowered my face further behind my knees, my eyes flicked towards the princess then back to my knees. I hated talking about dreams, personally I never saw a point in talking about them at all. Yeah there’s that talk about how it ties into our mental state, and though that maybe true, I just never saw any benefit to it. Usually dream conversations is something one would bring up when there’s nothing to talk about it.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.” Twilight leaned away from me and went to return to her previous position.
My heart jolted for a second and my head shot up from me knees. “N-no, you’re fine!” I said without thinking, “I mean...” My teeth went back to biting my lip and I slowly turned away from her. “I-I’ll tell you...”
:[-]:
The wagon came to a stop a hundred yards or so away from the crater that led down into my home, the forest too dense for us to go any further. The wooden wolves Quartz had conjured up, crumpled away into heaps of twigs and tree sap. Crystal, Twilight, and I sat in the back of the wagon; both of the ponies eyes were wide and focused one me.
“So... you were visited by Princess Luna?” Twilight leaned forward and asked, having been the first to shake herself from her stupor.
I blinked and looked at the purple pony. “I had a dream that I was visited by a blue horse, yeah.”
‘N-n-no, you don’t understand,” Crystal climbed onto her hooves and stepped towards me. “That wasn’t a dream, Chloe, that actually happened.”
‘What does she mean that actually happened?’ I frowned and shook my head. “Does that make me the chosen one or something?” Quartz snorted a laugh when she overheard me.
Twilight giggled and shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not.”
“Princess Luna visits everypony’s dreams at one point or another,” Crystal explained as she hopped off the wagon, I turned myself and followed behind her. “It’s just that... you’re not a pony.”
“And the fact you said she wanted to help you is strange too,” Twilight added.
My feet landed onto the grass softly. Straightening myself out, I swatted away a few wrinkles and dirt. “Don’t forget though, she did say she knew Reynolds.” I tied the sleeves of my jacket around my waist, turning to face Twilight. I then added, “Matter of fact, she spoke as if they were friends or something.”
Quartz came around from the front of the wagon levitating a few bags with her magic. She floated one over to Twilight then one to Crystal. “Well, don’t forget that movie you showed us had him talking to the Princesses. They sounded pretty friendly there.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Wait what?” Her eyes snapped towards me. “You have recorded documents of this other human’s interactions with the princesses?”
I raised an eyebrow at Twilight. “His name is James Reynolds, and yes, I do.”
Twilight nodded. “Duly noted.” She glanced about the forest. “So in which direction is your home?”
:[-]:
“Oh... My... Gosh...”
I walked up and stopped right beside Twilight at the edge of the crater which led down to the entrance of the vault. I giggled when I noticed the vast look of awe on her face: the mare’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and her mouth hung agape. “What’s so great about it?” I asked with an open arm pointing towards the open gold plated door. “We haven’t even seen the inside yet!”
“Oh you’re going to love it in there, Princess!” Quartz’s voice rang from behind, looking back the pegasus and unicorn were returning from hiding the wagon. “The place is stunning.”
Crystal landed next to me and frowned. “I dunno...” She tapped her chin with a hoof. “I wouldn’t go that far.” Right above her still bandaged eye a white light flashed and her head recoiled back. “Ouch! Why did you flick me?”
“Don’t be rude!”
I laughed and patted Crystal on the head, stopping for a moment when my hand made contact with her overly soft fur. “Nah, I’m going to have to agree with you on this one,” I said to the mare and lightly patted her head. “It’s nothing too fancy.”
A moment of silence fell over us. Feeling a bit awkward, I bit my lower lip and looked at Twilight. Her expression hadn’t changed at all. “So...” I said turning my attention back to the entrance. “You guys hungry? Or thirsty?”
Crystal’s face lit up. “I am!” The mare turned to me hopping from hoof to hoof, she looked like an excited child.
Quartz on the other hand, simply nodded. “I wouldn’t mind having a drink, thanks for offering.”
I looked back at Twilight, her face, though slightly settled, was still awestruck. “Hey, Twilight,” I poked the mare in the side.
“Whoa-ah!” The mare practically leapt out of her coat, she landed on her hooves and took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry!” she apologized.
My eyes widened and I held up both hands. “It’s alright—”
“I’m just so amazed!” The princess said slowly, her eyes cast towards the vault. “There’s an actual underground shelter here that’d possibly been around for thousands of years.”
I shrugged. “A little over sixteen thousand really,” I specified, then immediately kicked myself mentally.
Twilight’s eyes widen at the sound of the number, her head turned towards me slowly. However, she didn’t say a word, instead her eyes alone were able to convey exactly what she was thinking. I cleared my throat and tapped the top of my chest with a fist. “How about we go get a drink,” I offered with a sheepish smile.
:[-]:
“Glenn!” I called out when I poked my head through the hole Quartz and Crystal dug into my wall. “I’m back!”
“Greetings, Ms. Cooper,” the V.I. greeted me as I stepped into the entrance room. “How did your errands go?”
“Oh splendid,” I said, making my way to the control panel that opened the primary entrance.
“Who are you talking to?” Twilight asked me as she too made her way through the small hole in the door.
“Hello, I am Glenn. Vault McKinley's assistant V.I.” Glenn introduced himself to Twilight.
The princess pony’s eyes shot straight to the ceiling with her mouth agape. “Whoa...” She muttered, her eyes cast down towards me. “What does ‘V.I.’ stand for?” she asked while I punched in the pass-code for the vault.
I bit my lip, personally I didn’t really know too much about Glenn. For the longest time, I kept confusing him for an A.I., a misconception that drove Adams crazy. “Care to answer that, Glenn?” I glanced up at the ceiling.
“Certainly, Miss.” A moment of silence passed. “V.I. stands for: Virtual Intelligence. Which is a highly sophisticated program created in order to make space shuttle systems, and your typical home computer, easier to use. This particular software was invented in the year 2022 by NASA computer programmer, Nigel Crawford–”
“I told you to tell her what it means, Glenn,” I said and punched in the last of the code. “Not to give her a lecture.” A loud metal clang, followed by screeching metal echoed out from behind the door.
“Dang,” Quartz said, wincing at the noise emitted from the cog shaped door. “He explained that as if he read that out of a text book.”
“That is because I did get that out of a textbook which was downloaded into my hard drive.” Glenn went on to explain, “Wheeler, Sarah. “How Virtual Intelligence May Change Humanity Forever.” Columbus Ohio, February 16th, 2023. Print.”
“Oh...” Quartz whispered.
Twilight, on the other hand, was giddy like a young girl after her first kiss. Literally bouncing up and down, the princess pony galloped towards me and nearly leapt into my arms. “How much does he know?” she asked quickly.
I bit my lip and looked away as I tried to dish out an answer. “Eh...”
“My data banks are filled with exactly fifty-five thousand two hundred and eighty three exabytes of information following the development of the human race.” Glenn said coming to my rescue, however, even I was thrown off by what he said.
“Holy shit really?” My eyes widened. “Is that like bigger than a terabyte?” The large cog-like door groaned as the interior drill screwed itself in. The metal then screeched loudly as it was dragged inside before jutting loose.
“One exabyte is a million times larger than a terabyte, Miss.”
I pursed my lips. “Oh...” is all I said
Twilight and the two other mares looked at me confused, Crystal took step back and shook her head. “Are you two even speaking Equestrian?”
I blinked and looked at the pony. “What?”
“I am unable to calibrate to that language, did you mean English?” Glenn asked.
Crystal looked flabbergasted. “What–n-no! What the hay even is that?”
Twilight turned to Crystal and raised a hoof. “I think what they’re saying is that we’re speaking... English?” Twilight turns and looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “But that can’t be possible.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “You’re telling me that’s impossible? You guys are the ones speaking my language.”
“And you're the one that’s speaking mine,” Twilight said back. An awkward silence fell over us.
The metallic cog screeched loudly as it was wheeled back into the wall, allowing us entrance into the vault. I took a deep breath. “Well this is going to be fun,” I said. “Let's go get something to eat.”
:[-]:
“Alright, here you go.” I dropped three steaming MREs in front of the ponies. “All nice and heated up for you guys to ‘enjoy!’’” I said with complete sarcasm as I took a seat at the rec room table. For some reason, I had a weird feeling when I sat down in my chair before my meal and three ponies. It was almost alien in a way, like I wasn’t supposed to be here... wasting time. I knew for a fact then and there that the one sole purpose of coming back was to bury my friends. No way was I going to leave their bones in those rusted coffins.
The three ponies eyed the steaming packages before them. Reaching down, I picked mine up and tore it open with ease. I tilted the bag and a heated package of scrambled eggs slipped out along with some dried toast, bacon, and gum. I quickly took the gum and tossed it across the room, which confused the ponies even more. I gave them a small smile. “Trust me, just don’t chew it.” Gazing back at my meal I clapped my hands together and let off a sarcastic. “Yeeaaah!” Before bending over my food and eating it.
Eggs out of an MRE aren’t bad, per se. It’s just that everytime I grab one of them unmarked packages I’m always the unlucky one who ends up eating eggs. Forking a lump of egg into my mouth, I cast my gaze back towards the mares, Twilight and Quartz unpackaged their meals and sprawled the contents out on the table. Twilight had also gotten eggs, except her’s was in the shape of an omelet and Quartz had gotten spaghetti... with meatballs.
I sat my fork on the table and looked over at the mare. “Uh...” I hummed.
Quartz looked at me with a tilted head her face looking a little green. “I don’t want to sound rude and all but...” She bit her lip.
“You can’t eat meat can you?” I sighed and stood up. “I figured as much.”
“Well it’s not that we can’t eat it,” Twilight said, “Our stomachs just can’t digest it as well.” She levitated the omelette to her mouth and took a curious bite. She smiled a bit and took another bite. The mare’s eyes suddenly grew massive, her face literally turning a shade of green, she quickly levitated the MRE bag to her mouth and vomited. For some odd reason I found this funny. “Ha, I see you found the sausage!”
Quartz clicked her tongue with disgust. “Yeah... do you have anything else?”
I tapped my chin and picked up the spaghetti. “Well... I might have something in the fridge. Do you want me to get you anything, Crystal?” I asked the pegasus who hadn’t even touched her package yet.
Crystal glances at the sick alicorn then back at me. “I think I’m just not going to eat.”
I shrugged. “Suit your—oh shit, I forgot drinks!” I placed the spaghetti on the table and hopped the counter behind me. Opening the fridge, I pulled out a jug of water and began to get us some drinking glasses.
“So...” Crystal said. I heard her push the chair back and hop out of her seat. Stealing a glance over my shoulder, I saw her jump onto the counter and hop down beside me, leaving Quartz to tend to the vomiting Princess.
“Is she going to be alright?” I asked before Crystal could continue talking.
“Princess Twilight?” Crystal also looked back at them. “I think she’ll be fine, I was the same way when a gryphon dared me into eating a fish.”
“Oh I love fish,” I said turning back to filling our glasses. “What kind was it? Perch, salmon, tilapia?” I placed the jug a water aside and picked up two of the four glasses.
“A gold fish.” Crystal said blandly. “You sure know a lot of different kinds of fish.”
I snorted and placed the two glasses down on the table. Looking at Twilight, the mare was finally gaining her bearings. “I only know the kinds I’ve caught.” I turned and went to grab the other two glasses.
“You go fishing?”
I pointed at the pegasus. “I used to go fishing.” Picking up the glasses, I went back to the table. “My father and I would go out onto the harbor and fish every weekend. There were a few times when I’d go down to Florida to see my grandparents.”
“Florida?” Crystal hopped back into her seat and I sat down next to her in the other chair.
I push a glass of water towards her and grabbed my own. Quartz levitated her and Twilight’s glasses over to them. I took a sip of my water and pulled my scrambled eggs back to me so I could continue eating. “It’s a state... You see that map there?” I pointed with my fork towards a map of the United States that hung on the wall. Quartz and Twilight also raised their heads to look.
“The map of Equestria?” Crystal looked at me and tilted her head.
I shook my head. “No, that’s the United States. Right there in the bottom right corner, the bit that’s extending off of the main part of land, that’s Florida.”
The three ponies nodded their heads. “So... Equestria, hasn’t always been... Equestria?” Crystal looks at me slightly confused.
I frowned and looked at her. “You’re serious?”
“Boy she must of knocked you in the head harder than I thought,” Quartz laughed.
Crystal fired a burning glare at Quartz. “You know I never paid any attention in history!”
Quartz smacked her hind leg with a hoof and laughed. “That’s because you always had your snout in some mares crotch!”
A red blush burned through Crystal’s blue coat and her eyes cast to the floor. “At least I got laid in school,” she whispered.
Quartz smiled and leaned forward in her seat. “I don’t think that’s something that deserves bragging rights, dear.”
I shoved a couple more forkfuls of egg into my mouth and pushed the empty package away. Chugging my water, I raised an eyebrow towards a confused looking Twilight who was sipping her glass. “You alright?”
The mare shook her head and looked at me. “Oh no... I mean yeah, I’m fine, it’s just that...” She cast a glance around the vault. “I’ve just been trying to wrap my head around where we’re at.”
“Okay,” is all I said.
“I can’t really figure out a way on how to put this...”
“If it is bothering you, Miss, I could probably be of assistance.” Glenn’s voice came out of nowhere.
The princess jumped and glanced at the ceiling. “I forgot about... what’s his name?”
“Glenn.”
“Yes, Madam?”
“Nothing, Glenn.”
“Yes, M’lady.”
“He responds nearly every time you say his name.”
Twilight nods. “So... could I ask him a question?”
“Go right ahead.” I said gesturing lightly with my hand. “That’s literally what he’s here for.”
“How is this vault still here?” Twilight asked. “Chloe said that humanity spanned across the globe, yet since the formation of the pony species, no evidence of a previous forerunner has been discovered.
“Simple. Most of the vault was saved from corrosion due to depressurizing the entire interior and filling it with nitrogen. The exterior steel walls are plated with gold to also help prevent any form of contamination.” Glenn explained.
Twilight nods her head. “Interesting, now what do you mean most of the vault was saved?”
“I am unable to detect why this would be the case, but both Engineer Adams, and Dr. Eva Osai’s rooms were contaminated and destroyed by years of corrosion.” I cringed at those words, I raised a hand to cover my face and sighed.
Twilight caught wind of this and nodded. “Thank you, Glenn.” She looked at me. “I’m sorry if I went a little too far there.”
I waved a hand to the side. “No, you’re alright.”
Twilight took a deep breath. “The amount of thought that went into building this place must’ve of been massive.”
I shuddered. “Well, when the fate of your entire species rests on four people... you’re going to want to make sure they all survive.” I shook my head as an attempt to rid myself of any dark thoughts. Standing up, I pushed my chair back. “How about I take you on a tour?”
Like a flip of a switch, the entire mood changed. Twilight’s ears perked up and her lips formed a large smile. “Really?! That’d be amazing!”
The pony’s excitement was almost contagious. Smiling, I looked over at Quartz and Crystal. The two mares looked to not be as excited. “Is something wrong?” I asked them.
Crystal shrugged and Quartz raised a hoof and pointed it towards our surroundings. “Well, it’s just that you already showed us everything, so I think Crystal and I will just hang out back on the surface for now.”
I frowned a little. ‘They’re just going to leave like that? But what will I do when I stumble on...’ I quickly shook my head. “Th-that’s fine, you two go have fun then.” I gave them a fake smile.
Quartz smiled back at me. “Same goes for you two.” She looked at Twilight. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Princess Twilight.”
Twilight nodded. “It was also a pleasure meeting you two, Miss Quartz, and you too, Miss Crystal.”
“It’s Gem, Miss Gem,” Crystal corrected.
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Oh your full name is, Crystal Gem?” The blue pegasus nodded. “My apologies, it was nice meeting you, Miss Gem.”
I clapped my hands together. “Alrighty then! You two can head on up, I’ll have Glenn open the vault for you.” I glanced over at Twilight. “As for you, just make your way down the hall and make a right. The first stop will be the science lab.”
Twilight’s eyes became saucers. “You have a science lab!?”
I smirked. “Of course we do, c’mon, let's go.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.026 seconds
Total duration
1,041 users online
1,379,588 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Those two freeloaders better not mess up the ha... Started to think of the shelter as Haven for some reason... Better not mess up the shelter again.
Ooooh, you're so silly~
hehehe, so so silly~
I love how Chloe is so ignorant of things~
Its a dream, therefore it is not real!
Nice work on this man, nice work! The vault thing is making me want to write a spin off to Rage, it has an almost similar start to this story.
Good show!
I'm wondering if Twilight may have a skill that Chloe lacks: To ask Glenn the right question to get the answers they need.
Third comment!!! Keep up the great work
Well Twilight just found her new favorite place.
Ooooh~
I knew that from 'ethereal and drifted'
Oh no.. Chloe, what have you done?
EVERYONE TO THE BUNKER! TWILIGHT IS IN A SCIENCE LAB. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
We... Are the Crystal Gems! We'll always save the day!
Another awesome chapter. Can't wait for the next one!
A legitimate question; is gold particularly good at resisting corrosion, contamination and such? as far as I was aware, silver was the only publicly advertised thing that is used for that. I have socks with traces of silver in their construction, because apparently it keeps them fresher longer because it kills off germs and prevents oil and dirt build-up. There's also "self-cleaning" windows that use silver in this manner too, I think...
6728448 She's currently still en route. We can cut her off.
6728676 Silver rusts when it comes into contact with air, whereas gold does not.
Here's a pretty good link that explains it.
6728511 no just no stop that
6728726 And if you think we can't,
We'll always find a way~
6728728 we are sorry but the number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service
6728735 That's why the people of this world...
Believe in...
Scarlet! Alcatraz! And Fire~
And Cloe!
*hits author over head with newspaper*
No, bad author!
6728760 computer says no
6728768 LET ME HAVE MY MOMENT, DANG IT!
Crystal x Chloe pls
6728774 *types things in computer* computer says no
6728819 And as an editor, I say let the song continue!
6728838
6728819
Sorry, but could both of your take this somewhere else? It's kind of annoying seeing I have a bunch of notifications but none of them are pertaining to he actual story.
6728511 And if you think we can't we'll always find a way!
-ThePortalPonies
6728720 Thanks for answering my question, it makes for good reading! Definitely makes sense to use gold over silver.
6728847 i know i know i was just bored hard to not be bored with a lethal high fever,migraine maybe, a heavy case of acute bronchitis and a lot of coughing and if you didnt noticed that by now yes i am sick at the moment and my doctor said if i whouflnt have reacted so quick it could have ended worse
6728838 well i am kinda and co author/editor too but that guy that wants my help is not sending me a message i wait since days/weeks so far
6728847 Sorry, Mr. Joe.
I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.
6728921 Eh, he can see your comment.
Hey, Joe, I think someone here wants to help with this.
6728941
6728921
I think he's referring to another story because I don't see him in my list of potential editors.
6728982 Hm.
Okay, then.
6728678
You have fun with that!
*Bunker door slams*
I not ok with this story, your making them feel Chloe stupid , and im guessing either James became a Alicorn or left behind a message before he died or even find him a old man in bed in verge of death, either way its making her like a clown in a emotional state she is! To prove this is wen Luna has a "surprise" for her about James, and thats cold VERY cold to a person that is in a verge of mental collapse heck i can FEEL it! And its making me depressed even with that sad tag on!
6728982 yes yes i mean another story but i begin to form ideas of my own if whould be good at writing such things by myself then there whould be maybe something coming in the future but i am kinda bad at creating stories and such stuff but i am good at explaining things and describing things and there is another thing that is stopping me from doing it i am an perfectionist
6728448 But aren't we already in a bunker!?!?
Welp. Who bets with me that the moment Chloe and Twilight step outta view, Crystal and Quarts are going to load up with the gold?
Does anyone else read Glenn's dialogue in Jeeves' voice or is it just me?
6729098 I'm starting to not like this as well. Might stop reading it.
6729098 but that's the point... Chloe has no idea what's going on. The story is supposed to be be sad, that's why there is a sad tag. If you don't like sad stories then why are you reading one?
6729401 What's turning you off?
6729960 Don't want to talk about it at least not here I'll probably end up starting some kind of flame war or something and I really don't want to. also really sorry but I switched from like to dislike, I don't hate your story, I actually liked it at the start, but Fimfiction doesn't let you remove likes, you have to either like or dislike for some reason, I don't like the story but I don't dislike it either, I just don't want my like to be there anymore but know that my dislike is invalid and you are actually at 79 dislikes instead of 80. Sorry about that again. I hope you understand.
i see you started using sex tag more often
i like it
6729301 Don't worry, your not the only one!!!
Going out on a limb and guessing you haven't had an MRE in a while? Modern MREs are marked right on the outer package with what's in them, the quality of the food is far better than complaints would suggest (this is why there's such a huge black-market trade in DoD-issue MREs), and the gum is just Orbitz/Xtra/other brand-name gum. And given the timeframe in which Chloe's world fell apart, the MREs in the vault should be modern kit.
So she didn't think to trade her eggs, which the ponies could eat palatably, for the spaghetti, which she'd probably rather have anyway?
6730078
6729983 Well if you want you could always PM me, I'm okay with taking criticism, and also it's just making me curious.
6730146 Yeah it's true I haven't had an MRE is in awhile so I won't fight it.
Also the gum bit I do understand but I just find it funny as small running on gag.
Correction, you mean it didn't come across my mind.
6730118
Who is Jeeves?
6730237 You probably won't like it. Plus I don't think it's something you'll want to fix, but if you rely want me too I'll do it.
While I admit the story is fantastic, I am not a major fan of excessive curse words. Great chapter, I just hop Chloe stops dropping curses so much.
6730256 Jeeves is a butler, i forget which show, but he has a English accent.