Perchance to Dream

by David Silver

20 - Seeing Stripes

When the party was over and most of the ponies went home, one lingered despite it being Twilight's castle. Zecora stood before me with an appraising look. "You have yet to explain. Is this a matter arcane?"

Twilight was cleaning idly with her magic. "It's a bit of a long story."

Zecora glanced towards Twilight, then back at me. "I have time to hear a tale, especially one that is told well."

I lifted my shoulders a little. Hanging out with the mature mare felt like far from the worst thing I could be doing. "Alright, have a seat and we'll go over the basics." She did so, and I began giving her the story much like I'm giving it to you right now.

She held up a hoof when I started to become frazzled and confused. "Caught between two worlds is no laughing matter, more than enough for a psyche to shatter." Her exotic eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you taken a step from one or the other, to continue to balance, your mind may smother."

I perked an ear at her. "I was very confused back then, but not so much now. I'm handling my affairs on both sides nicely, I think. My job in the human world has me moving and shaking, but my dream time is my time, and I have no issue spending it with all of you." I spread my hooves wide a moment. "I wake up feeling like I got enough sleep."

Zecora looked towards Twilight. "If it would not bother, I will examine this forefather. Pony of ancient times, will you endure my rhymes?" Her eyes had returned to me. "I will endeavor to make it worth the time, We'll get an answer, hopefully before bedtime."

Twilight shook her head a little. "I trust Zecora, but it's up to you, True Shot."

Well, if Twilight trusted her, I wanted to be around her. A small bit of me tugged gently, asking why I was attracted to a striped not-horse lady, but it wasn't a loud enough concern to stop me from rising up to my hooves and following after Zecora.

She led me away from the town, into a forest nearby that felt a bit creepy, especially in the dark, but I didn't want to look like a wimp, so I kept my worries to myself and held my bow in my magic grip. Would shooting a monster slay it, or get me hugged to death, or something else? I really waspern't sure.

"Mind your step." She pointed to a patch of blue flowers. "There are hazards before my doorstep. That flower will pervert your form, The curse will remain until a special bath restores the norm."

I danced away from the flowers nervously. Pervert my form? "Are you being dramatic?" I skirted around the patch, giving it a wide space as I kept up with Zecora.

Zecora smiled gently. "Once I was too dramatic in my warning, The ponies regretted it come the morning. A touch of chaos, a lingering trait, Such pretty flowers are simply bait." She accelerated as a hut came into view. It practically screamed African, with voodoo masks hung up and odd herbal scents coming from within. She nudged the door open easily and held it for me.

I heard a hiss. I didn't even look to see what it was. I rushed away in a frightened gallop, only to trip and fall. I looked back to see this crazy rooster... dragon... thing? It had beady red eyes and was staring at me. More worrying than that, my hooves had gone to sleep. I mean, they were turning to stone, and it was spreading up my legs.

"Begone, begone foul chicken beast! This pony will not be your feast!" Zecora came rushing in with a lit branch and waved it wildly at the creature, scaring it away into the underbrush. She glared after it a moment before turning back to me. "I fear I've been a terrible host, To be so lacking at my post." She returned to the hut and back quickly without the torch.

"What was that thing?" I asked, voice shaking with shock.

"A cockatrice, very dangerous." She did not complete her rhyme. Instead she nuzzled under me, hefted me up with considerable effort, and got to quickly walking back to the hut. She heaved me onto the clean floor inside even as she kicked the door shut behind her. "I confess I am curious, that is if you are not too furious. Will your curse dispel the stone, Is it enough to break it alone?"

I looked down at my half-petrified legs. I was in no real condition to do much about it. "What would you do if it didn't?"

Zecora waved a hoof at her shelves of herbs. "A cure is here, of this I assure, I will make you well, you can be sure." She trotted off and returned with what looked to be a dream catcher. She waved it over me as she sang an odd little song in a language I did not know, not that I knew many. English had served me well enough.

"Is that to fix this?" I asked, squirming a bit. It was uncomfortable having my legs all bunched up as they were.

"In a way, that is the case. Your other side I must face. Tell me the name of your other self, be they pony or something else." She set the device on a hook and sat beside me. "Of your best interest, I do act. Trust me with this, this one fact."

The rhymes were cute at first, though less so while being forced into being a statue again. "No offense, but do you have to rhyme every time."

"Yes," she declared in clear opposition to the very answer she gave.

I smirked a little at that, but nodded. "Linda is my name."

"Linda is a curious name. Are you a stallion or a dame?" She started fetching various herbs and tossed them into a small bowl where she began grinding them up. "Please be patient, this is as fast as it can be. With a little time, you will be set free." Smoke puffed up from whatever she was cooking up there.

I managed to roll over with some effort onto my belly, my legs awkwardly pinned under me. "These days, a little of both, not that I've done much as a stallion worth the title besides the experience of going behind a tree."

Zecora raised a brow, but it turned into a frown. "I see... The ways your eyes did wander, my flank you did seem to ponder."

My turn to blush was upon me and I glanced away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare." Stupid stallion body!

Her frown eased to a smile as she came back, holding the bowl in her teeth. "Let's get you fixed, make you well. There is still a story you have to tell." She set the bowl beside me and dipped a hoof in. It came up with a coating of blue gunk. She tipped me over easily from my precarious position and began rubbing the blue stuff against my legs. "Sleep."

I felt suddenly quite the opposite. I was wide awake. My legs tingled before they came free of their prison and I pulled them the rest of the way out. Soon I was standing with a relieved expression. "Thank you, Zecora."

"Hmm. My theory did prove true. When your other sleeps well, you're free to be you." She pointed at me. "D--

I cut her off. "Wait? You just cast a spell or something on my body in the, uh, waking world?"

Zecora nodded. "This much is true. The mixture was for the other you."

The idea that magic could reach across was... actually suddenly not that surprising. Twilight had grabbed the paper from me before. Sure, she couldn't pull it through the screen, but her magic was clearly working across whatever barrier stood between their world and my native one.

"Well, thank you, for fixing that." I waggled a free hoof, stretching a bit. "Would that have messed up the whole thing, do you think?"

"I do." She nodded. "If you were completely stoned, any return to here would be postponed. Until cured, there you would remain. Your pony life would forcibly abstain."

That... made sense. If I was forced into being a statue, then I'd be out of luck until that was fixed, just like being forcefully un-statued was an equally traumatizing yanking across worlds. I regarded Zecora with building curiosity as she put her bowl away and tended to the fire under a huge cauldron of purple fluid that dominated the center of the room.

"You are not a pony." She turned towards me. "Not zebra, donkey, or even a mule. What manner of species do you call true?"

So, I began to explain what a human basically was. She didn't seem nearly as surprised as I would have expected.

"Twilight has spoken of your race, She has been to your world with grace." Zecora gestured at me. "Do you think yourself pony or human? You stand as a horse, but were born a true man."

"Woman," I corrected. "While I am here, I am True Shot, a pony."

Zecora gave a soft murmur. "And so you feel the urges and drives of your pony body, to awaken and find new morals to embody. Your words are clear, but your eyes do not lie. Tell me clearly, are you bi?"

I coughed and turned red. What a question! "I've experimented before," I awkwardly deflected. "I prefer straight, but what is straight when you're a stallion?"

She opened her mouth, but I never heard the words. My alarm dragged me away from the conversation to face the next day as a human.

I rubbed my still warmed cheeks. That had strayed a bit too close to things. I shouldn't have even been looking at any horse that wasn't Celestia, anyway.

That thought made me groan. Why was I perfectly alright thinking about Celestia that way? Visions of her imposing majesty flashed through my mind as I ate breakfast. The love there, if there was any, wasn't blocked by my work. Of course, it was just as equally blocked by her work. She was a princess, and was trying to be a good one. I wondered if she thought being romantic would compromise her ability to be a mother to all her ponies.

My cellphone rang and I snatched it out of my purse. "Linda speaking?"

"Hey, sis!" It was my cousin. "I hear you're moving all out to Ca-lie-for-nigh-eh! Ready for the trip?"

I smiled a little. Not being within an easy commute of him was one mild comfort. I didn't hate him, of course, but he could be trying. "I'm as ready as I'll get. I do have things to do, including getting to work."

"I won't keep you long, but will you be there, for the party?"

"I'll be there, even if it means flying back just for the occasion." I didn't imagine mother would let me live it down if I missed it. "I can stay at mother's house a few days."

"She'll love that! She hasn't had one of us bothering her for a while. Maybe show her what it's like long enough for her to stop asking for it." He laughed and we said our goodbyes before the call ended.

I had work to get to.

Author's Note:

Zecora asks pointed questions until the stallion cheats his way to freedom.

Support me on atreon!

Join my discord to chat!

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Zecora is getting to the point where she has True Shot rock hard for her. All Night Long.

[bonberjean]

If Linda gets in an accident and gets into a coma, she'll be stuck as true shot?

[tsaukpaetra]

She could probably game the curse altering her sleep schedule. Zecora doesn't pull any punches, does she?
We wonder how close the universes are if it's so easy to cross them through the dream link?
Keep going! ;)

[Daremo]

much like I'm giving to you right now - much like I'm giving it to you right now

kept my worried - kept my worries

I really wan't sure - I really wasn't sure

Pervert the form - Pervert my form

into a small bowl that she began grinding up - into a small bowl where she began to grind them up (it sounds like she was grinding the bowl instead of the herbs, otherwise)

a little both - a little of both

holding that bowl - holding the bowl

easily on my - easily from my

and mine native one - and my native one

No zebra - Not zebra

but when is straight - but what is straight

I shouldn't be even looking at any horse that isn't Celestia - I shouldn't have even been looking at any horse that wasn't Celestia

That thought makes me groan - That thought made me groan

Not being in easy - Not being within an easy

---

Such a feast waiting for me today!

Zecora has learned quite a bit more about Linda/True than they have learned of her, but that's all for the greater good. They need to get that wandering eye under control if they're serious about pursuing Princess Celestia.

The rhymes were good, although a few towards the end got a little tortuous, but then that is the risk associated with giving Zecora a lot of dialogue.

Of course, the upshot of today's lesson would be that it is possible that ponies could mess with Linda in the waking world through her True body.

Also, I get the feeling that the cousin is going to be a source of conflict, hopefully not enough to upset Linda's applecart.

---

Tell me clearly, are you bi?

*snort! ... chuckle* This makes me giggle for some reason, I suppose it means I'm less mature than Linda/True or Zecora.

A cockatrice, very dangerous.

You go first.

[kris664]

7899127 true, he Might not have gone into that part of the fandom, but quite most outside that part also know about it.

[Warrior Kitten]

The rhyming is off. I'd work on it.

[Warrior Kitten]

Odd that magic is able to reach through so easily. It suggests that their worlds are super close. Maybe a parallel dimension?

It also suggests there's no drift.

[Luckyfanisaac]

"I can stay at mother's house for a few days."