Pinkie walked out of Fluttershy's front door, her head hanging down somewhat. "Thanks for listening," she said again.
"It was no problem," Fluttershy assured. "If you can't tell the others in time, I'll go with you to see your parents."
For once, Pinkie wasn't jumping for joy at the good news. "You think I should tell them anyway? You know, even if everything with Spike and Scootaloo doesn't get better?"
"Well, um, I wouldn't want to trouble them. But, you can tell them, if you think you should..."
In a rare occurrence, Pinkie actually looked annoyed at the non-answer. "Well, maybe everything will be okay by then. Who knows, Twilight's probably gotten through to Spike already.
Twilight looked around. No matter where she looked, there was nothingness. Just a white abyss as far as the eye could see. It was rather disorienting. Fearing for her mental stability, she turned quickly, hoping to see something.
She did, though she did not realize it immediately. It was a door, and it was as white a the abyss, so much so that even looking right at it, Twilight wasn’t completely sure it was there. Carefully, as if something was going to jump out at her, she moved a hoof forward. It hit the door, confirming its solidity. She then moved her hoof to the side and pressed forward. It passed through nothingness.
Carefully, she moved forward, making a circle around the doorframe. She saw the same door on the backside. Completing the three hundred and sixty degree trek, she paused for a moment of contemplating.
Finally, carefully, she used her magic to turn the doorknob and open it.
To her surprise, there was a room inside. Her mind nearly broke trying to process this. She circled the door again and found the other side open to what appeared to be the same room.
Completing another circle, she peeked through the door. It seemed to be a library of some kind. All she could see was two rows of shelves filled from top to bottom with big thick books, going so tall she could hardly see the top.
Tentatively, she stepped inside, and found almost immediately that there were more shelves. Rows and rows of them fanned out to either side of her, going on farther than she could see.
“I’m in Paradise,” Twilight thought. “...I think.”
Carefully, she levitated a book off the shelf and brought it to her face. It displayed a headshot of a pony, a brown stallion, who was smiling at nothing in particular. She cracked open the book to a random page.
”He bit into the toast and chewed, then he went back to reading his newspaper. Then he bit into his toast again...”
Twilight skimmed down and found it all a detailed description of him eating breakfast. She flipped through a few more pages, only seeing small, idle chit chat with friends, long days working on the field, and some rather embarrassing parts of what he and his wife had done. She finally hit the last page, where he died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 74.
She put the book up and pulled out another one. It, too, had a picture of a pony on the cover, a blue pegasus mare. She flipped through the book and found it equally dull, as if the writer had deemed this ordinary pony worthy of documenting everything about her.
She put the book up and looked at the shelves again. What was this place?
She trotted to the end of the aisle. At first, she could hardly see it. But as she got closer, she saw something. At the end of the aisle was a room that appeared round, and she could scarcely make out a figure there.
She moved closer, seeing it was a white pony, barely standing out against the white wall. What did stand out, however, was the movement above her. Several objects circled the air, creating a funnel around the stationary figure. As she moved closer, she saw it had a horn. A unicorn, then. With a red mane, messy and tied in a ponytail.
Then she saw movement at her sides, and froze. Wings... an alicorn.
“You might as well show yourself,” the pony said. “I know you’re there.”
Twilight tensed up, every muscle locking in place. Her eyes darted around. What to do, what to do...
“If I was going to hurt you, I would have done it already.”
Twilight loosened a little. She stepped forward, never taking her eyes off the mare. She was big, as big as Celestia and Luna, though she held none of their royal grace. Quite the reverse, this alicorn looked overworked. Her fur had no sheen, her mane was a tangled mess, and her blue eyes had bags under them, as if she had never slept. Her cutie mark was a simple quill in an ink well. It took her a moment to realize why she would be marked so. The funnel above her was composed entirely of books, each with a different pony’s face on it. At each tome was a quill, writing furiously.
“Who are you?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” the alicorn said with a yawn. “My name seems to have slipped my mind some few thousand years ago.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Twilight said, slightly annoyed. “What are you?”
“Just call me ‘The Keeper’. I keep stories.”
“I’ve read your stories. No offense, they were boring.”
“They can be,” Keeper sighed, bringing a book to her. Twilight gaped. It was her picture on the cover. “Not everypony has a story as exciting as yours.”
Twilight stuttered to speak. “You’ve recorded... everything about me?”
“Yes I have. Your birth, hatching Spike, NightMare Moon, Discord, the Changeling Queen, the time you wet your bed and hid the sheets because you were embarrassed...”
“I... I did not!” Twilight shrieked, her face reddening.
The Keeper only smirked. "If you say so."
Still reeling from embarrassment, she looked up into the funnel of books. Seeing this, the Keeper pulled six more from their paths and brought them to Twilight’s attention. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all decorated their covers.
Twilight looked at them for a moment, then gazed back into the funnel. She saw, in the middle, were three incredibly thick books, displaying Celestia, Luna, and Discord.
“Wait... why are you writing for Discord? He’s trapped in stone!”
“He still thinks, schemes, fantasizes. If I told you half the things he wants to do to you once he’s free, you’d have nightmares. I mean, even worse than you’ve been having.”
Twilight felt a chill go down her back. She looked up at the funnel again and saw another book, this one thick as well. Unlike the others, there were several pictures on this one, and one of them she recognized.
“Dr. Whooves?”
“Yeah...now that story's interesting,” the Keeper chuckled. “Hard to keep track of, too.”
Twilight shook her head. "So... how did I get here? The last I remember, I was in my house with Applejack."
"You still are," the alicorn informed, lighting up her horn. A screen appeared in front of Twilight, showing what appeared to be her in her bed. Her earth pony friend was laying there with her, still holding her in a comforting hug. She was asleep as well.
"So... I'm dreaming?"
"In a way," the Keeper said.
"I'm really just in my bed with Applejack?"
"Your body is."
"So, if I'm dreaming, this isn't real, right?" Twilight said confidently.
"Oh, it's real, I assure you," the Keeper noted, closing the window. "Your body is in the library, but your consciousness is here with me."
"So... it's not a dream?"
"No, it's a dream."
"But you said it was real!"
"Correct."
"Look, is this a dream, or is it real?"
"Yes."
"...Is there some sort of rule that says nothing in my life can be straightforward?"
"All I have to do is sit here and write about ponies doing things. I have to get my fun somewhere," the alicorn winked.
Twilight groaned, rubbing her temple. "Okay, I'll play along for now and assume this is real. Why did you bring me here?"
"I didn't. You came of your own will."
Twilight's head felt like it was going to split in two. "Okaaaay... I have no clue how I got here. Could you please explain?"
"A pony with a destiny such as yours should be able to travel here at any point, but you had certain... roadblocks preventing you from getting here. Your inability to accept anything that isn't backed by magical theory, your unwillingness to let others in, all prevented you from traveling here before now. That changed last night when you let Applejack talk to you. You still have a way to go in conquering your own problems, but it's a start. Of course, that is only half of what it takes. There has to be something you want badly enough to come here and get it."
"Something I want?"
"Indeed. You want something so badly you brought yourself here.”
“And where, exactly, is here?”
“That’s a complicated question,” the alicorn mused.
“Of course it is,” Twilight sighed. She thought for a moment. Her eyes widened slightly. “Am I... in the Source?”
“A good guess,” the Keeper commended. “You might hate me for this, but the answer is both yes and no. The Source is what gives me my power, and what gave me my job. However, you are not in the Source proper. The only way a pony can enter that place is to take the Trials.”
“So, was that it? You were an ordinary pony once who took the Trials?”
“I don’t remember, honestly,” the alicorn sighed. “I’ve been recording the lives of every creature since time began, but I can't remember anything about my own story. For all I know, I’m being punished with this duty.”
“I can imagine,” the unicorn said sympathetically. She kicked the white tile with her hoof, unsure of what to say.
“Don’t cry for me, I don't mind it. Now, you came here because you want something badly. Tell me, what is it?"
Twilight racked her brain. "...I'm not sure. I guess I want ponies to accept Spike, I want my friends to be happy, I want to make Celestia proud of me..."
"Living for others, how noble," the Keeper nodded sagely, though there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice that made the unicorn scowl.
"Yeah, well, unless you can magically change the political climate of Equestria, I don't see how this can help me."
"I cannot. It's forbidden of me to directly interfere with the lives of mortals. I'm a mere record keeper. But you can."
“So, how can I do that?”
“Oh, I think you know,” the Keeper replied cryptically.
Twilight’s hoof hit her forehead. “Of course, I don’t get a straight answer.”
“You have one, it’s been staring you in the face since you were a filly.”
“And what is it?”
“Something very close to you.”
“What is it?”
“An answer in plain sight.”
“What. Is. It.”
“What you’ve been seeking.”
“...You just like annoying ponies, don’t you?”
“Well, yes,” the Keeper noted smugly. “But like I said, I can't directly interfere with the lives of mortals. I can only point you in the right direction.”
Twilight moaned. “And I’m guessing even if I knew the answer, it would still be a long road.”
“That’s right. You still have a lot of growing to do before you’re ready. You’re powerful, but not quite powerful enough. You’re wise for your years, but not as wise as you need to be.”
“So... I came here to find out I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing?”
“For right now, it seems so. You are not yet ready to utilize me.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means the ultimate purpose of this meeting is not yet clear, to either of us. I cannot tell you just how far you will accomplish your goals."
Twilight sighed. "Can you tell me anything at all that can help me right now? Like why Spike keeps avoiding me? Or if anything is wrong with Scootaloo?"
"For Scootaloo, I can only say that Rainbow Dash is on the right track. As for Spike, before you sleep tomorrow night, you will know the answer, and it will be another step toward becoming who you were meant to be."
"Who I was meant to be? What does that..."
"Twilight, I'm going to tell you now, were I to explain what I meant, you would refuse to believe me. At any rate, I am forbidden to. Telling you the full truth would be too great an interference to allow."
Another shiver ran down her spine. She gulped. "You know...back when I was a filly, I would have jumped for joy to hear I was so important...actually, not would have, did... Celestia told me I would do so many great things, and I was so excited. Then we fought NightMare Moon, where I could have been killed. That was an eye opener. Then Discord, where everything didn't go back to normal once the bad guy was defeated. And then, with the Changeling Queen, I learned that not even my friendship with the others was completely safe...or is it? I want to think something like this won't happen again, but...."
"That is the nature of life," the Keeper nodded. "Just like a diamond is made from pressure, great ones are made through trials."
"Great. I enter an unknown realm to get fortune cookie logic," Twilight couldn't help but mutter.
"Well, I'm afraid to tell you this, but there are more problems brewing. You know already the Changeling Queen is still out there, and already the wheels are turning for another crisis."
Twilight's blood ran cold. "Worse than Discord?"
"...No. I assure you, he is the foulest creature out of any I can predict. But there are still problems coming."
"How can I stop them?"
"You can't. It's no fault of yours. Great creatures are no more to blame for the actions of fools than fools are to blame for the actions of great creatures. It's coming either way, Twilight Sparkle, you must be ready to deal with it."
Twilight rubbed her forehead, which was aching. "I miss the days when this was all fun and games."
"A common complaint of adulthood. At any rate, this is not the last time we'll meet, I think. You have a lot to accomplish in the next few years."
Twilight finished rubbing her head, then looked down at her hoof. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"
The Keeper nodded. "Wake up."
"...What?"
Twilight bolted upright in her bed, breathing heavily. She looked around. She was back in her library. What had happened?
"Twi?" Applejack asked, sleepily but concerned. "What's wrong? Didja have another nightmare?"
"No. Well...maybe. It was so real...I'm confused."
The cowpony brought herself upright and put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Tell me about it, Twi...I'm..."
She was cut off by a loud banging sound downstairs. The two mares jump, and the sound banged up the stairs until it burst into the bedroom.
"Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed "I need to know, have you figured out what's wrong with Spike? 'Cause if you have, I..."
She trailed off. Twilight took no notice.. "Pinkie! Oh man, I just had the weirdest dream about..." And then she noticed her friend's stunned expression.
Applejack looked at Twilight, then quickly back to Pinkie, horrified realization crossing her features. "Pinkie, this is not what it looks..."
"I knew it!" Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully. "You two are such a cute couple!"
Both mares blushed furiously.
"What?"
"Pinkie!"
"Oh, I've gotta go tell the others!" the earth pony squealed, darting back down the stairs.
"No! Applejack cried, leaping out of bed and falling on her face. She was back up in moments, undeterred, as she chased the baker down the stairs, while Twilight buried her head in her hooves.
"Pinkie!"
Well, bronies and pegasisters, I introduce you to...the Keeper. I worried about introducing her, but so far every time I've worried about something my readers loved it, so here you go. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping you'll indulge me this time too.
This is a factor that might not come into play again in Families, but down along the line again in it's intended sequels. If you missed it, she's based on Lauren Faust's alicorn self-portriat. Her dialogue is intentionally casual to go with her tired, worn design. She's not necessarily physically powerful (Celestia or Luna could take her easily) or all knowing (she has memory problems, so she doesn't remember every word she's written). She's just a record keeper who Twilight might have to visit again later...
Pinkie's story hasn't been told yet, but it will. The next two or three chapters will wrap up Spike, allowing more focus on everything else, so thanks for being patient.
Oh, and FYI, I'm updating this on a tablet, so if anything comes out wonky, let me know.
Cool new chapter
Well, this took an odd turn. Typical Pinkie. XD
Couple of derps here and there. Still good.
Was that the Fausticorn?!
t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwUtksKryMhbj2E29-XlT4ndJ-ghpiovo0enUQFg7Mu5Mm7qJ7yN1SsuXg
Was about to sleep. Suddenly
A WILD CHAPTER UPDATE APPEARS!
I read...brilliant chapter. Nice introduction of the mysterious keeper.
Now, I will sleep as my mind has just done this --
Keep up the amazing work!
I look forward to seeing twilight and her sons destiny play out
here have some mustaches
Yeah, I know how much writing on a tablet can be a bitch, especially custom or weird words.
'I good have been killed' ? I think you meant 'I COULD have been killed'
1585080 A few words came out wonky that I noticed.
Should be 'too'.
Should be 'could'.
Besides that, though, I loved how Twi got to meet the Fausticorn! All hail Queen Faust!
May the Grace of the Valar Protect You
Shire Folk
"...Is there some sort of rule that says nothing in my life can be straightforward?"
*hides rule book
...no...
Woah, she met the big boss. Anyway, nice chapter.
You know for Slice of Life it seems way more like an Adventure ( Good or bad ) is brewing...
Excellent chapter, loved the keeper idea.(Especially the nod at Doctor Whooves and his many faces)
Perfect timing for Pinkie Pie! Let the world be told this wondrous news!
A unicorn, them.
You want something badly you brought yourself here (so)
where I to explain (were)
would be to great an (too)
to here I was so important (hear)
where I good have been killed (could)
Yes, it kinda needs an edit pass... Lots of little errors, especially in the dialogue.
Otherwise, good. The Keeper is fine. Sage logic/exposition character!
Twilight's suicidal?
Also:
"This is so strange..."
"Twilight said to herself"
"Stop that!"
"She yelled at the record keeper"
Gaaaah!
"Twilight screamed in rage and tore at her mane with her forehooves before yellin-"
"Shut up!"
Twi is gonna become an alicorn, ain't she?
Very good portrayal of the Fausticorn, very Madame Web.
I like how you forshadowed the fight with King Somba, appearantly he's a unicorn with a heart of darkness who's so strong that Twilight has to team up with her friends and her brother to fight him, he may be the thoughest villian on the show yet.
Also I figured Spike's story was going to be wraping up, and of course it's about time you started building up to Pinkie Pie's story. And now I think I can guess what the letter was about, it was an invitation to a "Pie Family Reunion". (I just hope that Pinkie Pie's parents aren't still shuning their daughter's talent, like it or not it's nothing they can control besides they don't even know what it REALLY represents!)
And Twilight Meets Queen Lauren Faust doing her job... Writting the existence of everything paragraph by paragraph
Well...that was informative.
Wrong form of "here", should be "hear" and "good" should be "could" (how this mistake happened I have no idea...)
Hello Faust.
//dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Twilight_pea.png
Damn it, just when I think I would be able to study in peace I decide to check FiMfiction (stupid idea I know) and boom you've updated, well the night is long and coffee cheap so I guess I'll study later.
Awesome chapter
Well hello there Faust. Having fun with your books?
Yeah... I caught that Matrix reference...
Twilight, just admit it... you wanna piece of that Apple pie!
Faust was portrayed rather well. I like how she didn't know if she was being punished or not with her roll as the Keeper. A nice touch. Overall, excellent handling of the Mysterious Sage type character. Plus; Pinkie being awesome as always.
Hey, cool, I wasn't expecting this. I like how you did The Keeper and her world. Opens up a lot of questions. Looking forward to your next chapter
Edragon covered all of the typos that I noticed. Here are a couple other things that stuck out to me.
and it was as white the abyss - a word is missing here.
At any rate, this is not the last time we'll meet, I do not think - double negative = this will be the last time we meet.
I like the keeper. She is an interesting OC that allows the story to branch in many different way whip increasing the depth of the story. I also am wondering if Famlies will end...but a sequel will happen. Like what you did with post nuptials. Lastly, if there is multiple sequels planned how many "books" are planned. Easily my favorite fan expanded universe with a superb story to boot.
Much as I like to see it develop, I can't wait to see the Spike arc ending. Cue sickeningly sweet scene of family togetherness!
"The keeper" is awesome
LOL! at Pinkie
Finally! After almost nothing I follow updating all week, this is one of the first!
Oh Keeper how much I love you premise. This has so many opportunities up the road. With the meantion of the Source, I wonder how you'll integrate the new canon into this .
Anyone else want a sequel to this story revolving around Twilight and Applejack's romance?
it appears to be an unwritten rule that if you have a horn and wings, you cannot give a straight answer.
I've always thought that life was pretty much just a book.
Its a wonderful world your crafting here.
Also I love how exasperated Twilight is
You’re powerful, but not quiet powerful enough.
Should be quite
Fausticorn is a pretty acceptable OC alicorn, considering the source and all. As far as I am concerned she is half canon anyway until the show tells us otherwise.
Couldn't resist an appearance by The Creator herself, could you? I approve
In addition to Spike's hidden feelings and Scootaloo's rotten homelife, that subplot with those dragons is still on, right? Do we get to see Twilight go Mama Ursa?
Is there going to be TwiJack in this story? Or will that be another story? If this one, I have mixed feelings, on one hand, I actually do like the pairing and see it as plausible given the characters personalities. On the other hand, certain stories, namely ones actually connecting to the episodes, I think really think shouldn't include ANY Mane 6 pairing, as it reeks of "The writers should include my favorite pairing no matter how implausible because I say so!" and makes me think the fanbase has lost touch with what this show is all about.
No, I am NOT accusing YOU of that, I just think shipping has gotten really out of hand in the FiM fanbase and I've seen some good stories ruin themselves by POINTLESSLY including an implausible pairing (TwilightxRainbowDash) or an outright bad one (TwilightxTrixie)
Yes, I admit to liking certain pairings myself, I just think Shipping itself is way overdone in this fandom. Whatever happened to stories like: "It's a Dangerous Business" or "The Light in The Darkness"?
You are of course, the author, and can do as you please, I'm merely advising caution. I'd hate to see unnessary Shipping take precedence over the actual plot, particularly in a good story like this one. Don't get me wrong, write a TwiJack fic and I'll read it, no question
On a completely unrelated note, we need RainbowDashSunglasses and TwilightBadass icons
The Keeper, man I wonder who she is? It's a total mystery.
1586297
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Rainbow_dealwithit.png You mean like this?
the time you wet your bed and hid the sheets because you were embarrassed..." Hehehehehehehe
oh look at that, you've managedd to squeeze faust and Whooves in there, actually hooves
Oh my gosh, the Keeper.
I have a new second favorite pony.
I really liked your Keeper scene. I reserve judgement on whether she's Faust's incarnation, however. This piece of dialogue, however--
--was almost scarily familiar when I considered its message in general terms. Does this happen to everypony (and everyone) who has ambitions to greatness?
'The Keeper' eh?
I see what you did there and I like it.
A very entertaining little interlude here, got me nice and prep'd for the next chapter.
And now we play the waiting game.....
1585080
Uhh...could you refresh my memory on why AJ and Twi were.....alseep...in the same place...
Oh god, I love random Pinkie-ness! Run Pinkie run!! Spread the good news of AppleLight cheer!
It's official, Alicorns as a race are a bunch of trolls.
1585080
Naw, making Fausticorn cannon via the Keeper is actually an awesome idea. Also, can't wait for the next update!