Stopover in a Quiet Town

by Matthew Penn

Stopover in a Quiet Town

At the first hours of sunrise, Twilight Sparkle awoke in her bed. She opened her mouth and let out a soft yawn, then rubbed her eyes to clear her blurry vision. There was a painful throbbing on the side of her head, which made it seem like someone was spinning the room, and placed her hoof on the spot where it hurt. As the pain on her head faded, she slowly stretched her arms out and bid Spike a good morning.

He didn’t respond. Silly dragon, she thought to herself, chuckling. She figured that Spike must have stayed up late at night, reading his pulp magazines. Twilight called out to him again, but there was no answer from him.

“Spike, it’s morning,” she said. Twilight sat up and rubbed the back of her head.

She paused. Something seemed off on this particular morning. Twilight rubbed her eyes again to make sure her sight was clear. This wasn’t her bedroom in the Golden Oaks Library. This bedroom was drastically different. It was quite a small, squarish living space, much like a standard bedroom for homes. In front of her was a white, wooden door that led in and out, and to her side was the closet and dresser. The walls were painted blue and the ceiling white. “This isn’t my room,” she said to herself.

Twilight called out for Spike once more, and received no response. Fearing for the worse, she climbed out of her bed and out the door. At that moment she knew she wasn’t in the Golden Oaks Library. The unicorn stood at the center of a narrow hallway which was also painted blue, and was devoid of any decoration. The hall had two white doors on each side.

“What kind of house is this?” she asked herself.

One by one she opened each door, finding them with no occupants, although she found the rooms in the exact manner as the one she woke in. With each door Twilight grew nervous. Thoughts raced through her mind. She kept asking herself of how she arrived here. Twilight tried to dig deep into her mind for the memory of the day before, but there were only blanks and gaps. “What’s happening,” she muttered.

Twilight approached the last door, anxiety chilling her blood. She reached for the knob and pushed the door opened. There was a medium-sized bulge that was beneath the blankets. Twilight cautiously step forth, stopping at the side and hovering her lavender hoof above the figure under the blanket. She moved her hoof and slid the blanket away. A yellow pony was sleeping as the pink strands of her hair hid her eyes.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight whispered. She woke her by gently shaking her at her side, and lean toward her ear and calling her name several times until Fluttershy opened her eyes.

“Oh… good morning, Twilight,” she said after yawning.

“Fluttershy, something is terribly wrong,” Twilight said frantically in a hushed voice.

“What do you mean?”

“I woke up this morning to realize this isn’t my home… and what are you doing here?”

Fluttershy sat up, and after scanning her surroundings came to the realization that she wasn’t in her cottage. She had the same reaction as Twilight upon seeing the room. It was very bland and standard, and much too small and squarish. It wasn’t the only thing that caught Fluttershy off guard. Angel, her pet rabbit, would have been the one waking her like he did every morning.

“How did we get here?” she asked after a moment’s reflection.

“That’s what I want to know. I tried retracing my steps but I couldn’t remember anything. I don’t even know where we are.”

Fluttershy thought about what Twilight had said, and tried to recollect any pieces of memory of the events that led to her inside the strange room. Just as Twilight, she couldn’t remember anything. Fluttershy gave her a worried look and climbed out of the bed.

“I’m scared,” she said.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out… I hope.”

Twilight was uncertain whether they’ll solve this mystery, but gave a confident look to Fluttershy so she wouldn’t worry. Not knowing what to do next, Twilight led Fluttershy out of the room, traveling downstairs. As they passed they noticed that the house they were in looked and resembled any ordinary house. There were picture frames on the walls, but were only generic photographs of nature and landscapes. Much like they rooms they found themselves, the walls were painted in a lighter shade of blue, and the wooden floorboards echoed with each step they took. They entered the kitchen, and so far nothing was out of the ordinary. Chairs were perfectly set around the table, there were no dirty dishes scattered across the sink, and the sunlight found its way through the glass window. Fluttershy made for the refrigerator to have herself a glass of milk. It calmed her in situations as this. Opening the door, she found that it was completely empty.

“There’s nothing here,” she said.

Twilight heard her, and inspected the refrigerator. There was nothing; not even a half-full jar or glass of anything. Even the freezer was at normal room temperature, and was devoid of ice.

“That’s strange. What kind of refrigerator doesn’t have any food?” Twilight asked.

Twilight decided to search the cabinets and drawers for answers. Maybe there was a deed to the house somewhere, or any piece of information like a newspaper clipping. She reached for the handle on one of the top drawers on the countertop and began pull, but it wouldn’t open.

“Is anything wrong? Can you get it open?” said Fluttershy.

“I’m trying to,” Twilight answered through her gritting teeth.

Twilight aimed her horn and the drawer handle and focused her concentration. A moment later, her horn refused to glow with magical energy. Confused, she aimed it a second time which unfortunately led to the same result.

“This can’t be right,” she said frightfully. “My magic isn’t working!”

“Your magic? How is that happening? What’s stopping it?”

“... I don’t know.”

Twilight paced across the kitchen in a desperate search for an answer. Fluttershy saw what was happening to her friend, but she didn’t know what to do. From the corner of her eye she spotted a telephone on the wall.

“Twilight, there’s a phone.”

“How can a phone help us in a time like this?” Twilight said in a helpless manner.

“Maybe we can call someone.” There was uncertainty in Fluttershy’s voice.

Fluttershy reached for the telephone. The strangest thing happened in which none of them could understand. By reaching for the phone she pulled the entire device from off the wall. Fluttershy was so surprised and terrified that she dropped it on the black and white checkerboard floor.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy stammered while trying to explain herself. Twilight’s attention shifted from her to the telephone on the floor. She poked it with the tip of her hoof several times. It was still connected, as though it were glued together. “Let’s go outside,” she said.

The ponies found the front door. Twilight was hesitant to open it. Neither of them knew or were prepared for what waited for them on the other side, a fear made worse after Twilight realized she lost her magical abilities. Slowly, she reached for the knob. They gave each other unsure looks, and at the count of three Twilight opened the door.

They were met with a sight of a very picturesque neighborhood. There house was part of a row of identical square houses in an empty street. Each house was surrounded by white fences and green lawns. Twilight and Fluttershy crossed the stone pathway and entered the street. There was no sign of life. Not even the birds could be seen or heard.

“Where are we?” Fluttershy asked.

“I haven’t the slightest idea.”

They were started by deep snickering. A was coming from all directions, but they didn’t know where. Fluttershy had the idea to fly up and detect where the voice was located. She stretched her wings and leaped into the air, but she never lifted herself off the ground. Fluttershy glanced at her sides to find that her wings were still closed. She struggled to force her wings open, but her efforts were brought down by the chuckling.

“I can’t fly,” she said in disbelief.

Twilight thoroughly inspected Fluttershy’s wings, and watched as she tried to open them. “That’s impossible,” she said bewilderedly.

The voice stopped giggling, but they don’t know where it came from. Twilight was sure that this was just a nightmare, so she sat on the sidewalk and tried to wake herself up. After a few attempts she found that was indeed reality.

“How do we get out here?” Fluttershy asked, her voice shaken. “What do we do?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said sharply. “Just let me think.”

Twilight squeezed her head between her hooves. This has to be a dream, she continued to tell herself. She commanded herself to wake up. The unicorn hoped that any moment she will wake up in her normal bed at the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville. She tested her horn again, yet there was no magical glow.

She scanned the neighborhood. There was not a soul to be seen. The sun was shining brightly, why wouldn’t anyone be outside enjoying a day like this?

“Fluttershy, what day is it?”

“I don’t know, I can’t remember.”

Twilight stood up and trotted to another direction, with Fluttershy quickly following her. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“This town has to have inhabitants,” Twilight answered. “It’s impossible for a neighborhood like this to be completely empty.”

The ponies took the road between the square homes. They gazed at both sides, and there was no one visible to their eyes. Twilight yelled for assistance, which received no answer. She looked to a house near her and squinted at the windows so she try to find figures inside the houses, but it was the same as before. She looked behind her to see that Fluttershy was attempting once again to flap her wings.

After turning a corner, they were out of the neighborhood and into the town. They were surrounded by shops and places of business, and yet there wasn’t any indication that ponies, or any species, lived in the town. She asked her help in a loud voice that was left unanswered.

While finding their way through the town, Twilight spotted a large dome building that had CITY HALL inscribed on the front.

“That’s it!” Twilight exclaimed. “Maybe whoever is there will provide us some answers!”

Twilight rushed off, leaving Fluttershy to keep up with her. The unicorn sped up the large staircase and stopped at a wooden doorway, then paused and waited for Fluttershy as she trailed along. After catching her breath Twilight pushed the doors open. To her disbelief, the building was also vacant of individuals. The mares searched every corner and every hallway of city hall, and they couldn’t find anyone who can help them.

They ran and called for help until they found the mayor’s office. The ponies held their breaths, hoping against hope that someone, anyone, would be sitting at their desk when they open the door. Twilight twisted the knob and entered the room which was, to her dismay, unoccupied. It was those moments where Twilight felt as though her mind was about to crack. She desperately yelled for help, and could only listen as her voice echoed and reverberated through the building.

“Twilight, I’m scared,” said Fluttershy. She drew herself close to her friend. “What if we never get out of here?”

Silence hung over them. Twilight could do nothing but stare at her defeatedly. With nothing left to do, they exited the building and were once again out on the street. Fluttershy saw that Twilight’s head was hung down as she walked. This was not a good sign.

“Twilight, you have to think of something,” she pleaded. “We can’t stay here for the rest of our lives.”

“I don’t know what else to do. This place is deserted beyond belief. It’s like a nightmare that I can’t wake up from.”

The deep laughing voice they heard earlier filled the air, and their heads and ears were in a frenzy from trying to find the source.

“Who is following us?” Twilight said.

Twilight wanted nothing more than to find the voice, the seemingly only instances of life in the town. Maybe he, or she, might have the answers she was looking for, if only they could find who was laughing. “Please, whoever is here, stop laughing and help us,” Twilight pleaded. The giggling ceased, but the voice didn’t come out to help. Twilight, feeling light-headed, decided to sit down on the sidewalk with her head down. “Celestia help us,” she murmured.

Fluttershy didn’t know how to comfort her friend. She felt just as helpless as Twilight did. She began to worry that they may never return home. Her animals at the cottage, their friends in Ponyville, and everyone else will never see them again. If there was a time to cry, now was the best time.

There was a tree a few yards from them, and on one of its branches there was something sitting on it. The situation became less dark for her when she realized it was squirrel.

“Twilight, look,” she exclaimed.

Twilight hoped that maybe Fluttershy has found something she couldn’t. Looking up, she groaned upon learning that a squirrel caught her attention.

“Are you serious?” Twilight said. “Fluttershy, we’re in trouble. How can a squirrel help us?”

Fluttershy didn’t listen to her. After nearly spending an entire morning alone in this strange town, it was nice to see something real and alive for once. She saw that it was holding an acorn it found. All it took was the sight of a single animal to turn this into a good day for Fluttershy. She let her hoof out to pet the squirrel.

Her bright yellow face turned white as the squirrel was motionless on the ground. Fluttershy breathed heavily, Twilight held her back so she wouldn’t scream.

“... Twilight… the squirrel… it’s…”

Twilight hesitated as she approached the creature. Touching the carcass of the dead animal was not on her to-do list, especially in this present situation. Fluttershy whimpered in an effort to stop Twilight from advancing forward, but as she knelt down she turned the squirrel over. It was in the same position as they found it on the tree, and the acorn was still in its grasp.

“... It’s fake,” Twilight said astonishingly.

Fluttershy backed away. She tried to contain herself, but she wanted to scream, and it made worse by the presence of the invisible chuckling voice. She stumbled, almost falling off her legs.

“What do you want from us?” she yelled to the sky.

The voice refused to answer. The voice continued to giggle, and then a moment later ceased, and they were left with a cruel silence. The mares sat on the sidewalk after realizing there was no hope.

“We’re trapped here forever,” Fluttershy weeped. “We’ll never see Equestria again.”

Attempting to find words of comfort would prove to be futile for Twilight. She was right; at the direction this predicament was going - from not having any memory of how they arrived in the strange house, from Twilight losing her magic to Fluttershy losing her ability to fly - it looks like they are never leaving this place. They will only have each other, and the incessant laughing voice whom seems to be watching them from afar. Twilight could only think about everything and everyone back in Equestria for a brief moment before she could began to cry.

Far away, there was a loud whistle. Twilight raised her head, wiped the tears from her eyes. Her face beamed when she heard the whistle a second time. It sounded like a train.

“Fluttershy, get up!” she said. “It’s a train! I hear a train! Finally, this nightmare is over!”

Before Fluttershy could react, Twilight was already pulling her forearm and off the sidewalk. Twilight ran straight into the edge of town where she believed was the source of the train whistle. As she ran she prayed to whomever was listening that the train hadn’t left the station. After spending nearly an eternity searching, they found the train station. Twilight called for assistance at the ticket booth, but realized she was only wasting her time. They passed through the gate, and upon seeing the locomotive, blowing steam and engines running, Twilight immediately jumped for joy. She grabbed Fluttershy and dragged her inside the train.

“Thank goodness!” Twilight exclaimed, taking her seat.

Anxiety and stress was leaving her body, and a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. Finally they were going home, to Equestria where they belong. Fluttershy looked out the window, and she spotted a brick wall with an inscription on the dark plaque: WELCOME TO PLEASANTVILLE. It sure wasn’t a pleasant experience, she thought to herself. The train whistled for the last time, and it began to move out of the station. All Fluttershy could think was Goodbye Pleasantville, we will not miss you.

“I can’t wait to get home,” Twilight sighed. “This has truly been the most exhausting day of my life. I have to report this to Princess Celestia. I wonder what she has to say about all this.”

“She’ll say that she’s glad you and I made it out okay, and that she’s glad you didn’t give up,” answered Fluttershy. “I was wondering… do you think the town has this, um, this thing where you can’t use your magic and I couldn’t fly?”

“You mean the town having some kind of enchantment over us? Probably. I don’t know how it’s possible. But we don’t have to think about that now. We can leave this place at the back of our minds.”

They smiled at each other. Nothing more was needed to be said. The train passed through a tunnel which turned everything black. Fluttershy remembered as a child that one should always hold their breath and make a wish whenever there’s a tunnel. She wish for the train to return to Ponyville as quickly as possible.

The train was out of the tunnel, and there was light again. Fluttershy looked out the window where they entered another train station. That was fast, she thought to herself. Trees pass through her sight, then a brick wall. As the train came to a complete stop, she noticed a dark plaque on the wall with an inscription.

WELCOME TO PLEASANTVILLE.

The yellow color was faded from Fluttershy’s skin after reading the sign, her breath escaped her. She alerted Twilight and pointed at her side of the window, and she had the same reaction. It couldn’t be true. They rushed out of the train into the platform, and there they were. The ponies never left Pleasantville.

Twilight’s mind was broken. The muscles on her mouth twitched as she formed a demented smile. Fluttershy watched in horror as Twilight began to laugh maniacally. There was something else in their midst; the voice from nowhere commenced in laughing at their expense. Fluttershy fell to the ground defeated, held herself.

“I want to go home,” she said to herself repeatedly.

A giant shadow loomed over them. Fluttershy looked up and shrieked at the monstrous hand that was coming for them.

---

Two plastic little ponies laid on the palm of a giggling little girl. Emily loved her pony toys more than anything she’d ever own. In her spare time she’d create imaginary adventures and stories for them. Little Emily thought of a great one this afternoon. The ones called Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy were lost in the life-sized town model her father built in the basement, with no way to get out.

Emily continued to play with the pony toys and pretending they were talking to each other. She was having so much fun that she didn’t hear her mother calling her name from upstairs.

“Emily,” her mother said, entering the basement. “Emily, it’s for bed.”

“Just five more minutes. Please, mommy?”

“That’s what you said five minutes ago. Come on, dear, put away the toys and come upstairs. Besides, I don’t think your father likes anyone near his model town.”

Emily sighed and ended her little game with her ponies. Once she entered her bedroom she returned Twilight and Fluttershy to their Equestria friends she also owned. At least one thing was for certain, Emily thought; they finally got their wish to be back home.

Comments

[NorrisThePony]

(Somebody had to post it).

Regardless, cool fic. If there's one town name that just oozes ironic evil, it's "Pleasantville."

[Matthew Penn]

7162368 Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yes, I love The Twilight Zone.

[Black Hoof]

Interesting. Let's hope the girl doesn't have a young brother who will come and play a fight with the two toys.

[Skye Mist]

Woah, nice plot twist! Didn't even see it coming.

[Coyotek4]

When I think of 'Pleasantville', I think of some made-up 50s-era town where everyone is in black-and-white ... for a while, anyway.

(Looks like somepony was too tight to drive last night.)

[aline1]

Two twilight zone episodes, Five characters in search of a exit and where is everybody? jump to mind reading this and anything that reminds me of the twilight zone is a good thing.

[PaulAsaran]

You can has review!