Life Is But A Dream

by Cosmic Charlie

Chapter 10

Pinkie Pie smiled and waved as the last patron walked out of Sugarcube Corner before closing. There were three unsold cupcakes with strawberry frosting and strawberries on top, and she knew exactly what to do with them. Approximately one second later there were zero cupcakes.

“We sold out again, Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie sang to the kitchen, pitching two bits into the register as she did so. She licked her lips and started up the stairs to her room.

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie! Good job today, dear!” Cup Cake called back as Pinkie reached the top.

Pinkie trotted over to her bed and sat down on it, sighing contently after a long day’s work. Suddenly she heard a soft zapping noise from downstairs, followed by the unmistakable sound of somepony climbing them noisily. Suddenly, Twilight ran up the stairs and into the middle of the room. She looked rough to say the least. She had twigs and leaves stuck in her tangled mane, sporadic bruises across her body, and her posture and the dark puffiness under her eyes indicated she was exhausted. Spike was on her back, one claw grasped firmly in her mane and the other brandishing a sharpened stick. He was sporting what appeared to be a sprained ankle wrapped in a large leaf for a cast. Twilight had a weary, anxious look on her face, but eagerly smiled and sighed in relief when she spotted Pinkie.

Pinkie was not expecting any of this. Twilight was in bad shape; Spike looked even worse.

“What happened, Spike? Are you okay?”

Spike shrugged and scratched his leaf cast with his weapon. “I’ve had worse.”

“You’re one tough dragon!” Pinkie said. Spike beamed.

“Uh, Twilight… what’s with the new ‘do? It looks good! It’s very… grounded.”

Twilight ignored her. “Pinkie Pie, listen, this is important. I need you to wait for me in the old castle ruins in the Everfree Forest in… what day is it?”

“Tuesday the fifth,” she said helpfully. “Wait, you need me to what?!”

“In two weeks and two days, then.” She looked out the window at the sunset. “Actually, make that two weeks, one day, and about ten hours.”

“Again, you need me to what?!” Pinkie was confused, but she was grinning as well. “It’s exciting in there! There’s creeeeeepy stuff and also some funny stuff, and there’s some weird stuff, and plenty of creepy weird stuff, but also some funny weird stuff, but strangely not a lot of creepy funny stuff. Why are we going in there, Twilight?”

Twilight could not hide the impatience in her sigh. “I thought you would understand. You told me I had to come and tell you to wait for me there at that time, or otherwise you won’t and I’ll never get to come back to tell you to wait for me there! Pinkie Pie, you will have told me that the version of Equestria we’ve been inhabiting or at least perceiving for some time isn’t real, and you absolutely MUST tell me all about the portals that lead to seemingly random points in space and time that apparently are all over the place. I’m not going to fully understand what you’re saying, but no matter what you have to take me into the portal next to the balcony!”

“I’m gonna tell you all that? And you… know about Equestria?” Pinkie was amazed to hear her deepest secret being shared so openly, especially in front of Spike, who seemed utterly unfazed by this information. How long had he known?

“Yes, you will. And I do, but when you see me there I won’t. I just need you to go there and tell me all about it and we’ll be fine. Got it?”

Pinkie simply looked at her and smiled. “Sure I got it, Twilight! I have to wait for you in the old castle ruins in the Everfree Forest in two weeks, one day and about ten hours, so that I can tell you that you have to go back and tell me to go there to tell you to go back and tell me to go there to tell you to go back and-“

“All right, great, you’ve got it!” Twilight was glad she understood, but had to cut her off before she got caught in an infinite loop. She’d had more than enough of those lately. “Let’s go, Spike, we have to go back to the future.”

“But, I’m supposed to just go there and just sit and wait for you by myself? It’s gonna be sooo booooriiiiing. What am I supposed to do?” She tossed herself backward onto her bed in exaggerated, flailing frustration.

“I don’t know, just… count the fireflies or something!”

Pinkie popped right back up at this. “Ooh, that actually sounds like fun! I might go and do that anyway.”

“In two weeks, one day, and ten hours.”

“Gotcha.”

“You go to the ruins in the Everfree Forest.”

“Yup.”

“And you tell me everything.”

“Yup.”

“About Equestria and the portals.”

“Got it.”

“We have to use the portal next to the balcony.”

“Jeez, Twilight, I got it!”

Twilight held her gaze on Pinkie, gauging it for herself a moment before nodding confidently. “Let’s do it, Spike!” Spike narrowed his eyes dramatically and held on to her tightly as she dashed down the stairs and ran out the door, luckily avoiding the gaze of the Cake family.

Pinkie Pie called out from the top of the stairs to her fast retreating friend. “Hey, did you just say you were from the future?! I’ve totally been there before! Oh, oh, tell me I said hi!”

Comments

[fallen starr]

The last part was great! I loved this chapter a lot too. After the last chapter ending I was a little iffy on where this would go, but it's still as great as always. Looking forward to the next chapter.

[Sketchy Markks]

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