Ch.9 Through The Looking Glass
Pinkie stared at the mirror with intense interest, turning a little to one side then the other. Thanks to all the confusion two days ago, she didn't take full stock of her new body. Encountering her double and the chase that followed didn't help matters either. Though she did get some kind of consolation out of that little disaster.
"Hmmm. You know, you look pretty good as a pony," Tattle said, his voice a gentle purr in her mind.
After he saved her from what he called a Wraith seed, Tattle promised to help her learn how to control her new abilities. The only things he wanted in exchange was to borrow her senses while she was awake and for her to help him leave the Dream world, conditions she was happy to agree to.
Pinkie blushed, earning a light chuckle out of the astral cat.
"Thanks" she stammered, smiling at her reflection.
Pinkie flinched as she felt a paw pat her on the head.
A part of her had to admit, Tattle had a point, she did look pretty good for a pony. Granted, she looked a lot like her double, but a few differences caught her attention. Chief among them was her mane and tail. While her double had her usual ball of curls on her head and rump, Pinkie's mane and tail were straight and ended in a bundle of wavy curls. She was also sleeker then her double, holding a physique more built for speed then strength.
"Could you please leave my eyes?"
A faint tingling left her eyes as Tattle's connection to them faded, only for it to shift to her ears.
"I still don't get why you won't let me have more connections."
"Cuz its weird ," Pinkie grimaced with a shiver. "It's like having someone hovering over my shoulder all the time."
"You don't have a problem with that in your dream lessons," he said, an audible smirk coloring his tone.
Pinkie rolled her eyes as she walked towards the wardrobe in her temporary bedroom. While the dream cat's flirting made her blush from time to time, she had mostly learned to tune it out after a while. She also noticed that ever sense the Seed died, she'd felt a lot better. She still felt guilty about what she did and still intended to keep her promise, but now the task didn't seem so hopeless. She felt stronger, happier, and so much lighter than she had in weeks. It was as if a sheet of lead had been pulled off of her back, letting her rise back to her former glory from a quagmire of poison-laced mud.
A thick cloud of dust made her cough as she opened the wardrobe. Once it cleared, she looked inside and was happily rewarded with a thick gray fur coat. With a relieved smile, she pulled the coat out and put it on. Like everything else in the room, it was too big for her, but at the moment she didn't really care. It was warm, she could wear it, and it was intact.
"I wonder what pony would have a bearskin coat," Tattle muttered idly.
"Your guess is as good as mine," she shrugged, then flashed a cheeky smirk before she tightly closed her eyes.
"Hey!" he snapped.
"Get out of my eyes!"
Tattle let out a small stream of irritated mumbles before synching with her hearing again.
"You know," he grumbled. "You are going to need me to have more access sooner or later. I am the more experienced Walker after all."
"And when that happens, I'll let you know," she smirked, adding as much cheek to her tone as she could.
A happy hum slipped past her lips when she realized the coat had a hood as she pulled it over her head. As she stepped out of the room into the cold stone halls beyond, she tried to get a better grasp of her situation. Based on what Tattle told her, she was in a world called Equis, a world mostly populated by sentient equine creatures as well as Griffins, Dragons, and Diamond Dogs just to name a few. She was in a country called Equestria, which was ruled by four Princesses, two of which had control of the sun and moon. They were also immortal and immensely powerful, a fact that scared her to death, considering her circumstances. Even with his reassurances that they weren't generally the violent type, she remembered the look Princess Celestia gave her and all of the other students at Canterlot High. The other night, Tattle had to pull her out of a nightmare the memory inspired.
She was also apparently something called a Gap Walker or Walker for short. According to Tattle, there are many different types of Walkers in the world, each having a variety of powers based on their type. Tattle and his mom were Dream Walkers, beings that can cross the gaps in the Dream World at will. Normally, his type could also cross the gap between the Dream and Material Worlds, but for some reason, he couldn't. When she asked him why, he would always tell her he didn't know how and his mom wouldn't teach him. He also told her that her type of Walker was extremely rare. She had the power to walk through the gaps between dimensions, an ability that made her very difficult to track by conventional means as well as impossible to predict in most situations. If she had complete control at least.
As it stood, she only stumbled across the most basic of basic Walking abilities; seeing and summoning dimensional gaps. Granted, as it stood she could only use this ability when she was stressed or in danger, but it was a step in the right direction as far as her teacher was concerned.
A cold breeze washed over her, drawing a chill down her spine in spite of the coat as she made it to the end of the hallway into the throne room. Like the day before, the throne room was as cold as a meat locker as she made her way through it to another hall on the other side of it. After a few seconds of walking, she took a left into a room full of open barrels. Humming a happy tune, she peeked into each of the barrels in turn. As she did, her good mood started to sour.
"Empty," she muttered with a sigh as she walked away from the last barrel. "Tattle, do you think anything in the forest is edible?"
"Possibly," he said, shrug audible in his tone. "Though I wouldn't recommend it. The Everfree Forest is notoriously hazardous, especially as far in as we are."
"Why?" she asked, stepping out of the store room. "What's out there?"
"Timber Wolves and Cragodials, mostly," Tattle growled. "Though I've heard rumors about a rogue Dragon as well."
"A Dragon?!" Pinkie gaped. "Seriously?! What the heck is one of those doing here?!"
"I said it was a rumor," Tattle sighed. "Besides, even if there was a Dragon here, it would probably be hibernating right now."
"Oh, okay," she said with a relieved sigh. "And the other stuff?"
"Dangerous," he said flatly. "One is impossible to kill without fire magic and the other is nearly indestructible."
She cringed at that, but a rumbling from her stomach reminded her of her current predicament.
"Then what do I do?" she whimpered. "We're all out of food!"
"I know," he groaned. "Give me a minute to think."
For a moment he silently weighed his options, all the while, Pinkie anxiously paced the hall.
After a few minutes, she broke the din with a strained, "Well?"
Stammering, Tattle answered her.
"I...Well....There is a town near the outskirts of the forest. You should be able to find some ponies there that are willing to help you."
"I'm sensing a "but" there," Pinkie frowned.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle lives there," he sighed.
She blinked, then said, "So what you're telling me is that the only safe way I can get some food is by going into enemy territory."
She could sense Tattle's concerned frown as she felt a paw rest on her shoulder.
"Pinkie, I promise it isn't like that. If you just-"
"NO!" she screamed, falling to her haunches as she brought her forehooves to the sides of her head and closed her eyes. "I can't Tattle! I just can't! I know she hates me! Heck, I hate me for what I did! I...."
Slowly, her panic started to level out as she felt a warm wave of energy wrap around her. She smiled as she let her new friend's magic envelop her, letting her scattered mind reorganize itself.
"Better?" he asked, voice a gentle whisper in her mind.
"Yeah," she smiled, letting her forelegs fall to her sides as she enjoyed the warmth. "Thanks."
"Anytime," he smiled, pulling back his magic. "I wish I could send more than my magic to you."
"It's alright," she giggled. "But yeah, I don't know if we should risk it."
"Pinkie, you don't have any food and most of the plants in the forest are out of season." he said, frown heavy in his tone. "Unless you think you can live off of snow and mud, I think it's worth the risk."
An irritated groan slipped past her lips as she tried to find a counter argument to her friend's logic.
"Mud doesn't taste that bad," she pouted.
"Pinkie."
"Fine," she sighed, only to start fidgeting a minute later. "But.....um......I, uh.....don't know the way. So, I guess....you can have access to my other senses for a little bit."
"Are you sure?" he asked with a smirk in his tone.
"Yes," she groaned.
"Just checking," he purred as a tingle ran through her whole body.
"SWEET MOTHER OF CELESTIA!!! IT'S COLD OUT HERE!!!" he exclaimed in her head, earning a laugh out of his pink friend/student.
"You sure you wan't to stay linked?" she smirked.
"G-Give me a minute," he stammered. "The shock just got to me for a bit. I'll be fine."
"O-kay," she giggled.
"Right," he coughed. "Anyway, let's head out. You need some food and we should get moving while you still have the energy."
Nodding, she reluctantly made her way through the hall back to the throne room, tension forming into a small stone in her gut with every step.
***
"I can't do this," Pinkie whispered as she looked past the forest's border.
"Yes, you can," Tattle stated flatly. "As long as you avoid the castle, you should be able to stay under Princess Twilight's radar."
"B-But what do I do about money?" she stammered.
"Check your coat pockets," he said with an audible smirk.
Curious, she obeyed and was rewarded by the clinking of metal. Fumbling with her hooves, she managed to pull a large felt bag sealed by a pair of pull strings. Intrigued, she opened the bag and her jaw dropped at what she saw inside. Gold coins, each the size of a silver dollar, greeted her in all their metallic splendor.
Holy mother of Cherrychongas, she thought, a bright grin growing on her face. I'M RICH!!!
"Hmmm, yes this should do," Tattle said casually. "We're going to need to be careful for a bit, though."
Pinkie stared at the gold coins with a starry-eyed smile on her face as she imagined all the things she'd be able to buy back home.
"Pinkie?"
"A party nuke," she giggled, lips pulled into a dreamy smile as images of a town drowning in an ocean of confetti and streamers flooded her mind. "None shall escape!"
"Pinkie!" he snapped.
She quickly fell back to reality, blinking out of her greatest ambition.
"Huh?"
"Food first. Fantasies about conquering worlds later."
"Right!" she chirped, only to add a "Sorry" with a sheepish smile a second later.
With that, she resealed the bag, put it back into her coat pocket, and stepped out of the forest. The second she set hoof outside, a cold dread ran down her back. Shaking it off, she moved away from the forest and towards what looked like a path leading away from it.
"This is the right way to Ponyville, right?" she asked.
"If memory serves," he said casually. "And if not, there's a large buildup of magic about an hours walk ahead of us, so this path leads to some kind of settlement at the very least."
Nodding, she followed the path, an awkward silence settling around her as she struggled to think of a way to kill time.
"So," she started, uncomfortably looking around a she walked. "How'd you put the bag in my pocket?"
"I didn't," he said calmly. "That was just a happy accident."
That got a raised brow out of the pink mare.
"Then how did you know they were there?"
"I heard them," he said easily, an image of him shrugging in her head.
"Huh?"
She could see him grinning in her mind's eye as he added, "You don't know how sharp your ears are. While you were focused on....other things, I picked up the sounds of bits in your pocket. And while we're on the subject, don't spend any of them recklessly. If we talk to the right ponies, we should be able to get some basic necessities that will last you a few days for a decent price."
"Wait, some people will just give me stuff?" Pinkie asked, shocked.
"Nothing fancy," he said flatly. "As long as you don't get greedy and are willing to pay them back somehow later, Ponyville Ponies tend to be on the generous side."
"Huh," Pinkie said, furrowing her brow. "That's pretty cool. Wish home was more like that."
"It's not a sure thing though," he stated flatly. "You will always find those outliers in society. If that happens, we can always haggle."
"Now that's something I can do," she smirked.
With that, the "duo" went on their merry way, talking about what they needed and how to go about getting it once they made it to town. When said town came into view, they had already concocted a strategy on how to go about their business without drawing too much attention. As long as they kept the hood up, nopony was going to be able to identify her that easily and it kept her Cutie Mark hidden well enough to further hide her identity.They both agreed that the market would be the best place to start with stores being a plan B when looking for necessities. With all this in mind, Pinkie was a lot more confident when she passed the border into Ponyville.
"Alright," Tattle sighed. "Now that we're here we can-"
He paused, making Pinkie stop dead in her tracks.
"Tattle?" she whispered, a trace of dread entering her voice. "What's-"
"Pinkie! See that alley to your left?!" he asked urgently.
She looked to her left and spotted an alley between two tall buildings ten feet away from her, then said, "Yeah."
"Get in there, now!"
Frantically, she did as she was told. When she turned to the alley's opening, she was greeted by a sight that turned her blood to ice. Standing where she had been five seconds ago was her double, a serious frown on her face as she scanned her surroundings. Panic ran through Pinkie as she stared at her Equestrian double, every fiber of her being telling her to run. Before it became too much for her to handle, she felt the familiar warmth of Tattle's magic envelope her. An appreciative smile graced her lips as her fear started to fade, only for it to grow when the other Pinkie let out a frustrated huff and left.
"Thanks," she sighed as she peeked out from her hiding place.
"No problem," he said, his smiling face briefly appearing in her mind.
Once the other Pinkie was out of sight, she stepped out of the alley and made her way towards the heart of the town. As they made their way towards the market, a single question nagged at her.
"Hey Tattle," she whispered. "How did you know she was coming?"
"I sensed her magic," he casually answered. "Some how, she used some sort of Security Spell that let her know the second you stepped into town. It wasn't until I felt her make a beeline towards us that I thought anything of it."
"Oh," she said simply, keeping a close eye on her surroundings as she walked. "Do you think you could-"
"Already doing it," he said with an audible smirk. "If she gets too close I'll let you know."
"Thanks," she sighed.
With that, she entered the market and headed for the closest stall. As she was perusing what the stall owner had on sale Tattle told her to tell the story they agreed upon on the way from the castle, but not to lower her hood. With a subtle nod, she asked for a bag of potatoes and casually mentioned how hard traveling was this time of year. In response, the stall owner added three more potatoes to her bag and took three bits off of her seven bit charge. Pinkie nodded in thanks and went on her way. The other stalls were equally generous, each willing to add a little extra to her purchases in addition to a slight discount. She nearly had a heart attack when she came to an apple stand and saw an eerily familiar pony running it.
"Howdy," Applejack smiled as Pinkie approached. "What can Ah do for ya?"
"Um," Pinkie muttered, taking note of the bags of apples on sale. "I'll take a medium sized bag of apples."
"That's all?" Applejack asked, perplexed as she grabbed the bag.
She nodded, then said, "Yeah, I don't plan to stay here for very long, and I've got a lot to carry as is."
Applejack gave her an understanding smile and nod as she slipped something into the bag before putting it on the stand.
"That'll be three bits."
Nodding, Pinkie took out her bit bag and paid the apple farmer before slipping the bag onto her back.
"Have a good day miss," Applejack smiled with a wave.
"You too," Pinkie nodded with a smile and went on her way.
Things continued to go smoothly for them, until they made it to the town's shopping district.
"Pinkie!" Tattle exclaimed, making the mare flinch.
"Were is she?" she asked frantically.
"Behind us about half a mile away and closing! Get into a store! Quick!"
Frantic, she looked around for the closest store and was greeted by one that looked like a giant gingerbread house. Not thinking twice about it, she ran into the store. She was immediately greeted by the smell of sweets when she closed the door and froze. The table arrangements, decorations, and pastries on display brought her back home. Some of the memories were good, while one in particular made her stomach lurch. Even without looking at the pony behind the counter she knew where she was and it put her even further on edge. A shout from Tattle snapped her out of her stupor and she quickly made her way towards the Cashier's stand.
"Bathroom please," she said, frantically.
"Oh," Mrs.Cake said with a start before pointing to a door in the back corner of the room.
With a quick thanks, she ran to the indicated door, threw it open, and ran inside it. Without thinking, she jumped into a nearby stall and locked the door. Thinking fast, she lowered the toilet's seats and jumped on top of it, groceries still sitting on her back. Pinkie silently prayed that her pursuer would loose her trail, but an irritated growl from Tattle told her otherwise.
"Pinkie, I'm going to need you to listen to me," he said, tone serious. "Can you do that?"
Trembling, she nodded, eyes locked on the door in front of her.
"I'm going to need you to visualize our bedroom. Anything you can remember will work."
Nodding, she closed her eyes and thought about everything she could remember. The bed, the dresser, the aged vanity with its slightly cracked mirror, even the cold stones that made up the floor and walls.
"Do you want to go there?" he asked.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
She could feel his smile as he said, "Keep that want and image and open your eyes."
When she did, a strange shimmer stood in front of her. It was about the size of a small car and constantly shifted in color like oil stained water. It kind of reminded her of heat shimmers, only a lot more colorful.
"Is that-"
"No time," Tattle said quickly. "Jump through it!"
Nodding, Pinkie jumped through the Gap. A second later, her double burst through the bathroom door, eyes scanning the stalls for her prey. When she found the room empty, she let out frustrated growl and stomped out of the bathroom.
"Dang it," she growled as she angrily made her way up to her room. "I almost had her!"
She silently fumed as she pushed the door to her room open and returned to her meditation circle. Before she could get back into her trance, a deep rumble came from her stomach. A pained groan slipped past her lips as she realized her folly. While meditation did amplify the range of her Pinkie Sense, it also made it hard for her to keep track of time. As such, not eating for two days strait and running through town at top speed had taken a heavy toll on her.
"Right," she groaned, clutching her stomach. "Eat first, track later."
***
Pinkie stumbled into her temporary home through the Gab she created with the grace of a deer on ice as she tumbled onto the bed. At the same time, all of her groceries scattered through the room with just as much decorum as the mare that bought them. Groaning, she pulled herself into a sitting position as she took stock of her surroundings, the hood of her bear skin coat flopping to her back. Right before her eyes, the Gap she summoned faded out of existence and as she watched, a smile started to grow on her muzzle.
"Did I just-"
"Yep!" Tattle said, a bright smile briefly showing in her mind's eye. "You opened a Gap!"
With a smile that threatened to split her head in half, she let out a happy cheer as she jumped on her bed in joy.
"I DID IT! I DID IT! I REALLY DID IT!!!"
A loud, angry roar from her stomach made her stop and blush as Tattle let out a stream of laughter.
"Maybe we can celebrate after you eat," he said, some cheek coloring his tone.
"Right," she laughed awkwardly as she reached for the bag of apples.
As she pulled out an apple, a soft clanking from inside the bag got her attention. Curious, she looked inside and was greeted by a long bottle. Munching on the apple, she pulled out the bottle, only to earn an approving whistle from Tattle.
"Apple Family Cinnamon Apple Cider," he purred. "Now that's what I call quality."
"Is it good?" Pinkie asked, chomping down the last of her apple.
"Good? Pinkie, one bottle usually costs anywhere from fifty to a hundred bits per bottle! And that's if its not in an enchanted bottle!"
Pinkie gave the cider a once over, before frowning.
"Is it supposed to be hot?" she asked.
Tattle let out a happy cheer before saying, "An enchanted bottle! We've struck gold!"
"I'll take that as a yes," she said as she uncorked the bottle. "What do ya say? A toast?"
"To you're first Step," he said, pride heavy in his tone.
"To my first step," she smirked, then took a good swig of cider.
A satisfied sigh slipped past her lips as she came up for air and let herself flop onto the bed, careful to cap the bottle first. Licking her smiling lips, she stared up at the ceiling.
"That was nice," she sighed, eyes growing heavy.
"Could've been better," Tattle said, an image of the cat shrugging gradually becoming clearer in her mind. "We should focus more on your Walking for next time. It should make things a bit easier."
"Yeah," she laughed, eyes just a breath away from closing. "Tattle?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
With that, a soft set of snores filled the room, earning a chuckle from the dream cat.
"Anytime Pinkamena," he smirked, before severing his links to her body to join her in his world.
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also, didn't get notice of this chapter, which is a shame
9496775
The fact that I don’t remember what you’re referencing indicates how much I’ve forgotten
9496791
9496791
Ch.4 final scene.
You can't run forever, Pinkie.
9496841
Wait, sorry I meant ch.5 final scene.
My God Pinkie is creating a WMP! (Weapon of Mass Partying.)
9497170
But of course.
Well that just got more interesting. Someone is trying to bring out the worst in human Pinkie. Hopefully they can stop this being before it does some serious damage.
9499010
Do you mean tattle?
Surprised no one in town noticed how close she is to her double in appearance.
9499574
No one knows there are two Pinkies yet.
9499010
I'm not entirely sure that that is the case.
Pinkie is having quite the adventure with that imaginary cat, huh?
#LetPinkiePieEat
Here's hoping that Tattle is a nice guy. Here's also hoping that Pinkie doesn't strangle her Humane counterpart when she finally finds her
somehow gotta call hacks, Equestria pinkie doesn't get a tool-assisted run on her powers.
Then again this isn't PInkie pie but Pinkamena so can kind of give her a pass on her helper assisting her.
Pinkie didn't eat for TWO FRIGGIN' DAYS?! That's scary.
10184889
When you're as good as Equestra Pinkie, you don't need an assist on your powers. The fact that she got so close so many times is proof enough for that.
add space between . and T also add a t to he.
Think you ment to put "an apple" but used fruit instead. An apple sounds better than a fruit to me.
After what she heard Equestrian Pinkie is on the war path, Human Pinkie can't catch a break.
I officially ship Pinkie and Tattle!
9496841
She can sure try tho.