Cypresses
The room was small and quaint with bronze-colored plastered walls, flowered curtains on the window, and an old worn-to-ruin bed in a corner. Twilight looked for the door and cautiously opened it, looking out into the long, dark hallway. The coast clear, she made a light with her horn and walked slowly down the hall, trying her best to head in a direction she felt would lead her towards the olive grove. The hall branched off several times. Where the halls intersected were four supporting white arches over each direction that hung over her head threateningly.
She heard echoing hoofsteps and whispers. A shadowy pony crossed someway down the hall. She cowered, lowering her head and raising her shoulders. More whispers and rapid hoofsteps behind her. A shadowy pony ran from one room into the room she had just left, slamming the door with a hollow sound. And then blood-curdling screams and loud crashes came from the room:
"Pieta, Pieta!"
Twilight sprinted down the halls; she ran down the first hall that reflected moonlight on its polished floor. There was an exit! She bucked open the double doors and fell out into a garden. She looked back at the doors: they were closed and no pony was there. Still shaking in fright, she tried to calm herself down and took a few deep breaths.
It was serenely quiet. The sun was rising.
"What was that? The shadow—the screams!" As was her wont in any troubling situation she turned to books. She opened the 'Dreaming Spells' book, looking for any mention of something that might explain what had happened.
"Ah-hah! Here it is: 'When in another pony's dreams it is not uncommon for memories of that pony to manifest in their dreams..' Wow, so I guess Discord wasn't lying when he said Cherry Garden was a troubled pony... I better watch out for anything like that happening again." She shuddered at the thought, returning the book.
Coming back to the matter at hoof, "Where am I?"
The sulfur yellow sky cut open with cyan clouds seemed to give the impression that the pine trees which lightly populated the garden were suffering. One particular tall and majestic pine, which stood before Twilight, had its main trunk cut off. The needles of the pines were passionate strokes which took the burdens of the sky and earth subtly in their green colors; the lines swirled and rose like fire. Their trunks, blood-sienna lined with black, green, and pink, shadowed pale blue and bottle green, flowed falling to the ground. A lone pink cloud hung above her, slowly twisting in on itself.
There were two olive colored stone benches midst the trees; she sat on the one closest to her and repeated to herself Discord's hint, gazing at the two storied building that appeared almost golden in the morning sunlight. Her gazed turned upon and followed the brick wall that extended from one end of the building and around the garden. It struck her how much the wall seemed a part of the undulating landscape.
Everything, still flowing and alive, was now beginning to make her feel uneasy and anxious.
Returning her gaze to the building, which stood like a living thing: "Judging by how big it is and the number of rooms it seems to have—and the halls and high brick walls," she mused, "this must be some kind of an asylum!" She looked around her again, noticing the cerulean hills and mountains. "Discord had said that the first place was a scene made up of different places around Ponyville, and the second was of somewhere in southern Equestria. Could this also be a real place?" Still with Discord's hint echoing in her head, she couldn't get past the first line. "But then in his hint, why mention an olive grove?" Frustrated, she jumped up to walk around and see if she could find the olive grove she had seen earlier. Judging by the flow of the land and where the sun was rising, the olive trees seemed to be somewhere on the other side the asylum.
"But before I can use the Elements of Harmony, I first must find my friends... wherever they are.If they are even here." A pang of loneliness rose inside of her. She stayed it with a heavy sigh and a rough shake of her head. "I'll find them. I mustn't lose hope! Certainly, they're bound to be in the olive grove." However naively she tried to convince herself, she couldn't shake the feeling of isolation and a singular want to find a reason not to enter a possible labyrinth, yet she looked for the olive grove.
As she walked along side the asylum, on the gravel path made of short, bright, shimmering strokes of white, gray, violet, and yellow, the path turned to dirt lined with a flat green, edged with sharp black strokes. Over the path and apparent grass loomed a great roaring bush of pink flowers on bright yellow-green leaves, shadowed underneath a near black, the whole like a fierce frozen wave.
Continuing past this, some way down the wall of the building, it ended and the brick wall with sky-blue mortar began. Certain of her destination being somewhere beyond it, she did her best to perform a levitating spell on herself, and floated over it. She dropped in to the field she had seen earlier alive with moonlight from the room window. Gone were the haystacks, replaced by a calm undulating sea of young green and yellowish wheat, speckled near her hoof with small pink and white flowers. The sun was somewhere high in the sky, and a massive white cloud with an ultramarine bottom embraced the sky over the lush green hills and bright rich blue mountains beyond the wall opposite the asylum. The before anxious Twilight now instantly soothed upon gazing at this scene. She walked into the field. She could nearly feel the flowing strokes glide over her hooves.
"I really wonder where this place is." The thought quickly sifted by before she aspied the tops of the olive grove over the far wall.
"There it is!"
Almost as soon as she exclaimed, the scene flashed to a muddy image of what it was, and then entirely changed into a gray, rainy one. The field was now silver, green and blue; the mountains were steely; and the sky overcast with a magnificent cold-gray cloud. The rain, like needles, fell fast all over the landscape. She galloped as quickly as she could to the wall. As she was about to perform the levitating spell the scene changed once more. It become oppressively hot. The landscape was bathed in thick golden strokes. The sky was an intense yellow and the sulfur yellow sun shone over the violet hills and mountains. A reaper pony stood in the middle of the yellow field, reaping the swirling wheat. The reaper stood a dark phantom in that high yellow. Frightened, she clamored over the wall. The reaper could be heard laughing sinisterly.
The weather and time again changed. The olive grove was under a misty sky. The ground was alive with long strokes of orange and violet hues; the olive tree trunks were a silvery gray-green lined with blood-maroon; and the leaves were an infinite variety of silvery gray-greens, golds, and pinks, almost dotted. Far from the isolation of a labyrinth, it gave a sense of secure, warm-hearted company.
If she turned her head this way and that she could see further down the uneven rows of trees. Past a small clearing with a bare sawed-down trunk of an olive tree, she looked up and saw great silvery-violet mountains beyond the grove, now under a white sun in a golden sky; the olive tree trunks now auburn, their leaves pale and silver green, with shadows trailing after them like fast flowing water.
She now made her way through the grove toward the mountains. She knew not what drew her in that direction, save it felt, somehow, friendly and familiar--it felt all so queer. Her senses were overwhelmed with so much motion.
Suddenly she could feel the plowed orange earth seem to speed up. The trunks of the trees became blue and warped; the silver leaves turned green against a blue sky, rising like an inferno. She could feel something old and secret about it in its too beautiful life that she could not explain.
The air cooled as she wandered, lost in the grove's swirling trees. The whole sky was colored pink and bright orange, which gave an exquisite value and coloring in infinite variety to the silvery gray-green of the trees. And in the midst of that there was somepony, who also appeared pink, gathering olives. She cantered up to the pony, glad at the prospect for company.
"Hi there!" She waved cordially.
The pony turned around. It was Cherry Garden! She wore a yellow straw hat and held a big hoof-full of olives, and even had three of four in her mouth. She smiled kindly when she saw Twilight. She ate the olives in her mouth before speaking with a friendly smile.
"Howdy! I'm Cherry Garden! What's your name?"
"Um... my name is Twilight Sparkle..."
What was Cherry Garden doing here? Wasn't she asleep back at her house? Then again: this was Cherry Garden's dream and she could, actually, be wherever she pleased--still, it was a bit unsettling to see her here of all places. Cherry Garden looked a bit worried herself.
"I don't normally have ponies follow me out here like this to watch me paint--especially ones I've never met before. Are you staying at Saint Rat Hair Asylum too?"
Saint Rat Hair Asylum?
"If you're curious how my current painting is coming along, I'll have to disappoint you: I haven't yet begun. See?" She motioned to a large blank canvas on a weighted easel next to a painter's box near to herself. "The sun is just about to begin to set, so I must start working--I'm afraid I won't be able to catch the colors of the orchard fast enough, but we shall see--even if I have must come back several twilights in a row!" She trotted up to her easel, dropped the olives on the ground, and began readying her paints.
Twilight wanted to be frank and breach a question concerning Cherry Garden's dreams and Discord, but instead merely sheepishly accosted Cherry Garden, wishing to watch her paint. When she saw that Twilight was going to watch her work, Cherry Garden nervously smiled and asked Twilight by name to stand at a certain distance behind her. It was close enough to still be able to see the brush strokes, so she told Twilight.
Satisfied with that, Cherry Garden silently gazed at what she was to paint for a few long moments. With special horse-shoes she held a pallet in one hoof, already full of an assortment of colors, and in the other a small cup of brushes of varying sizes and shapes. She picked up a brush by the bristles with her mouth, flipped it around with her tongue with expertly practiced skill, scooped up a frightfully thick amount of paint in it, and set to work attacking the canvas at a feverish pace. Twilight had seen many artists paint in Canterlot, modern and classic, but never had she ever seen an artist paint like Cherry Garden! She seemed in a meditative state as she painted--focused but completely aware of all surrounding her. She tirelessly worked her lips and tongue, and turned her head in strange directions, to get the right angle for a desired attack of the brush. Every now and again, in thought, she would turn her brush so the bristles were in her mouth, still loaded with paint, and seem to suck on it. She also did a similar motion when she wanted a fine point on a brush. Some moments Cherry Garden would mumble inaudibly to herself when she switched brushes, cleaned brushes, loaded brushes with paint, mixed paint, or when she leaned far over to eat an olive or two off the ground. At times, Twilight thought, Cherry Garden seemed to physically look like the trees she captured with paint. Twilight had never seen a pony more alive and peaceful as Cherry Garden when she painted. She put life into her work. She seemed to paint simply, humbly, true, and lovingly; feeling a connection to what she worked at. It was sublime watching her work with the colors of Nature.
Suddenly she stopped and began packing her things. She had only laid down a few things: it was so simple.
It was growing darker. She turned to Twilight and said breathlessly, with a musical intonation, "I was almost done. An hour or two more and I could have done it all in one go. An hour wasn't enough. Ah! but I can't wait to return tomorrow!" Was it really an hour that she had been watching her? It felt only a few minutes!
Cherry Garden backed her things and began to walk past Twilight. "Come, walk with me. I enjoy company, though I may not be the best at keeping it."
With a tender touch from Cherry Garden's hoof on her cheek, Twilight came back to herself.
"What am I doing? Cherry Garden, listen to me!" She rushed up to Cherry Garden, grabbing her and nearly lifting her up right. "Discord--he's here in your dreams! He's trying to break free through you! You have to tell me what you know about what he's been doing--you have to tell me what you meant when you said that both Discord and Luna wanted me to help you!" She spoke frantically, shaking Cherry Garden violently.
Cherry Garden tried to break free, more than a little frightened. "I--I don't know what your talking about--"
"This is a dream, Cherry Garden. Please, try to remember before you fell asleep."
"You're a crazy filly! This isn't a dream!"
"Just look around you! Don't you find it weird that everything looks like your paintings?"
Cherry Garden looked around seriously, stunned. Twilight wondered how she could not have noticed while painting.
Cherry Garden screamed and jumped out of Twilight's grasp. "Oh no, how did I not notice? I have to wake up," hitting herself, "wake up, wake up--!"
"No!" Twilight seized her hooves. "No, you can't yet! That's why I'm here: I'm here to stop the nightmares."
Cherry Garden struggled, trying to hit Twilight, but Twilight held her fast.
"Please, Cherry Garden, I beg of you--please. I'm here to help you; but I need to know what you know first."
She seemed to see the honesty and friendship in Twilight's eyes, and began to calm, crying. Twilight stroked her mane soothingly.
"Now, now. Everything will be fine."
The scene had changed to a small room with cyan painted walls and a dirty-red tiled floor. Some painted portraits hung on the walls; some hung crooked. The one small window was cracked open, letting in faint gold-green rays of morning sun. Under the window was a small table with some books and coffee; beside it, on the right of the window, was a bed made of yellow wood, just big enough for one, with a deep crimson blanket on a green mattress. There were two yellow chairs in the room.
Twilight found herself sitting on one chair beside the bed, and Cherry Garden falling from her hooves on to the bed and laying down. Twilight glanced out the window and saw a group of ponies, mostly foals, glaring up at her. She quickly turned her gaze back to Cherry Garden, who appeared almost sickly. Her straw hat was off and hung on a rack above her. She breathed heavily and irregularly, still recomposing herself. She closed her eyes tight as though in pain. With her mouth, Twilight gently moved Cherry Garden's mane from her face. A subtly strong sent of cypress lingered on her after she pulled away.
"T--Twi--Twilight..." Eyes half open, Cherry Garden gazed up at Twilight with a hidden longing; her gaze fell to the saddle-bag. She was calmed, but an anxiety still lingered.
Twilight helped her to sit up. "Come on, I know you're worried--I am too--but we have to keep calm and work together..."
Cherry Garden attempted a smile and nodded. She breathed deeply; then, without being asked, said solemnly, "I know Luna isn't here to help us; and this is why: being no longer connected to the Elements, she said, she could only be a hindrance to you."
"How--"
"She didn't say... But I'm sure it has something to do with what Discord is planing. He's been delving deeper into my dreams and my heart, trying to corrupt me into an 'agent of chaos'... He's working at my loneliness...." Her voice trailed off, and she gazed distantly out the window.
Twilight pondered on what was said for a few moments, when Cherry Garden suddenly jumped on top of her, knocking her to the ground. From atop Twilight, she leaned closer, thrusting out her mouth as though she were going to kiss her, and pulled out the 'Dreaming Spells' book from the saddle-bag.
"This is his book!" She shouted, book in mouth, almost angrily but with concern. "You have to get rid of it! He and Night Mare Moon--!"
Twilight couldn't move or scream, frozen in fear: Cherry Garden's face turned seamlessly into Discord's!
"Now, now, dearest Cherry Garden, you can't just go ruining all the fun like that..."
The book fell and neatly bounced back into the saddle-bag.
Discord's face appeared to expand and to melt, encompassing the walls of the room. Cherry Garden's limp and headless body weighed heavily on Twilight, who frantically struggled to get away. A firm paw stopped her struggling and turned her head to face a floating head of Discord's. He smiled boldly and mockingly.
"How are you finding this world, Twilight Sparkle? Enjoyable?" Now giving her cheek a playful pinch; and continued, without giving her a chance to respond, with an undertone of maliciousness, but not without a jocular bounce, "I, personally, find it all absolutely delightful! Everything is in constant motion--not unlike that music of Mozclop's." He winked.
Twilight cringed at that composer's self-proclaimed nick-name.
With ostentatious gestures, "It flows, and flows, and flows still more--in different ways, all in perfect harmony--'painting music'--and yet, every stroke is ripe with delicious chaos! I never could have imagined the kind of chaos that could be had in so many brush strokes: it's a gentle tearing apart of space, with infinite possibilities!" Now composing himself, and adding with particular emphasis by a singular gesture, "Oh, but here is the best..."
The room returned to its former image and Cherry Garden's body vanished. Discord sat comfortably, in all confidence, on the bed.
"The best chaos cannot be seen, only felt..." There was a mark of triumph in his voice. "I have found, with sweet Cherry Garden's help, of course, that loneliness is a far more powerful and penetrating force of chaos than anything else." With a sinister smirk, "Would you like to see?" He languidly opened the window wide.
Twilight was outside, looking up at the window a story above her. In that yellow building's window stood Discord, gazing back very pleased. He pointed to something behind her. It was the same crowd of angry ponies she had seen glaring up at her earlier.
"I had initially come to warn you that the game is coming to an end. If you don't find the Elements of Harmony soon, the game will be over... and I win." Discord's voice whispered in Twilight's ears with a sinister giggle.
A sodom apple flew through the air and crashed into her face, spreading it's drit all over.
"Get out of out town, Cherry Garden--we don't want you!" The crowd jeered at her.
Instinctively shielding her face with a hoof and stepping back against the wall, she slowly slid to her left along the building.
"What? I am not Cherry Garden!" She narrowly dogged a rock aimed at her head. "Why are you doing this?!" She shouted, exasperated and confounded.
"You are a public nuisance and a mad drunk!"
"Don't dare you play at innocence, you eccentric monster!"
"You terrified my big brudder with you insane gift a week ago, and he hasn't slept well since, tormented--"
"You abuse my hospitality, and haven't payed your rent in two months--I want your things out of my place!"
"Freak!"
"Always alone, if not painting bad pictures, reading incessantly or--"
"Your own roommate didn't want to stay with you--"
"You're insane!"
"We don't want you in our town--GET OUT!"
They hurled a continuous wave of insults and jeers, apples, rocks, shoes, sticks, and animal droppings at her. She galloped full-force down the yellow-cobbled street for a train on a bridge that ran over the street, which was just departing. The crowd pursued her all the way to the stairs, where they stood throwing things at her. A large stick hit her and she tripped and nearly tumbled back down the stairs, but caught herself just in time. When she reached the top, the caboose was just passing by. She jumped on, bucked open its door, rushed inside, and slumped down, safe from the mob.
She could not make out any features in the dark, lonely room. She was overcome in a mix of feelings of bemusement, fear, anger, and loneliness. Confused and afraid at what those ponies did to her (to Cherry Garden), angry at Discord for taking advantage of Cherry Garden, and lonely from an overwhelming sense of isolation... She didn't have her friends this time to stand by her. That magic wasn't here; and the crowd attacking her only confirmed the fact.
She stomped the ground, emboldening herself, though but with hot and bitter tears rising, and stood up fiercely. She wasn't going to let Discord win!
"Oh, how cuuuute..."
Twilight shrunk back, but quickly recovered, readying herself for what she might face, and made a magical light with her horn. It illuminated a decrepit profile of Night Mare Moon! It had a sort of flatness to it that gave the impression it was a picture.
"We've missed you, Twilight Sparkle..." Night Mare Moon's voice whispered in her ears.
Twilight swallowed fear and reacted, shooting out several magical bolts in all directions. When they appeared to hit nothing, she spoke up defiantly.
"W-What are you doing here, Night Mare Moon? I thought my friends and I defeated your spirit."
"Ahhm, such an... expected question..." Night Mare Moon's voice seemed blended with Discord's.
The ground unperceptively shook.
In the same blended voice, she continued, nonchalantly, "But, if only to by time, We suppose it deserves an answering..." A long, thin, sharp, white-toothy smile grew in the darkness. "As long as ponies fear... We shall exist in some form..." Daggers in her smile. "When you defeated Discord, We had just happened to slip by and aid him..."
"What?" Twilight became worried.
The smile vanished. "But, now enough," Discord's voice completely took over. "We really can't stop our little game--not so close to its finale!"
There was an audible snap, and the room lit up to reveal that Twilight was in her own house. Discord floated just above where Cherry Garden lay, where Twilight had left her long ago, a large dilapidated painting of Night Mare Moon hiding most of his body. He leaned on it so Twilight could see only his tail dangling underneath it and his genial-misanthropic smiling face resting on his crossed arms on the top of the painting.
"Here we are," he spoke condescendingly, "just where the Elements were before. Do you think they are here?" He chuckled. "Really, Twilight Sparkle, I rather think I've made this far too easy for you, don't you? You should really be more on top of things. Isn't you talent supposed to be magic and knowledge?--and you represent the Element of Magic to boot! You don't rightly deserve that cutie mark if you can't well play a simple game as this."
Twilight didn't pay any attention to what he said, and instead ran to the Library downstairs and began tearing apart the bookshelves, searching for 'The Elements of Harmony' book. Discord watched her, amused, in the same position behind the painting in a corner of the room. His doppelganger nonchalantly pulled a book from a high shelf she had yet to search. He dropped it on the floor, looked away into the distance, and sidelongly kicked in Twilight's direction.
"Here it is!" She exclaimed with all the pride as though she had found it with her own efforts.
"Oh no, you have found the book which most certainly contains the Elements of Harmony!" The real Discord sighed in feigned defeat as his doppelganger mimed caricatured motions of defeat and despair. "What ever will I do? All you need now to do is find your friends and stop me! Oh, boo hoo! I am surely to be defeated!"
Twilight had already opened the book, saw it did contain the Elements, took them out and put them in the saddle bag. Discord was still mocking her with pretended defeat, when she pulled out the 'Dreaming Spells' book and shot it him with her magic, full force. She thought it had hit him and he disappeared, but she didn't look: when it should have hit him, she had already rushed out the front door in search of her friends.
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This seems interesting but I would recommend not using big letters
2128775Oops, forgot to tag
My, my, my! Thank you for the like as well!
2128933
You're welcome!
And I'd have to say it's a mix between the theme of the story along with how it's written, good writing helps hold the interest of the reader alongside an interesting story. You can have fantastic writing skills but a dull story, and that won't really get you too far. You can also have horrible writing skills and a great idea for a story, and that won't really get you too far either. Being able to write at least decently (which is something that you've shown you can do, though improvements are always helpful) alongside telling a unique/interesting story will draw readers to you and your stories. I wish you luck for anything you write in the future.
I don't think that I have ever read a fic that draws upon classical real world artists before, at least nothing like what you did here. I know Cherry Garden isn't supposed to be van Gogh, but I really liked what you did with the character. So when's the next update?
2180592Not sure.... I have an idea, but haven't been working on it of late. However, I can tell you the paintings will be from van Gogh's Auvers-Sur-Oise paintings, and Ponyville will be falling apart! like Auver-Sur-Oise is in his paintings, and that Discord painting will finally come into play
I'm glad you enjoy it!
Oh, and about Cherry Garden and the van Gogh author comment thing, just put that up for "just in case" things, for those really into van Gogh, like me
the art really adds to the experience. continue on.
2180592>>2186201 Last part is nearly completely planned out. Needs only be writ
2289231 Many happy faces of happy.
2289259ARG! This conclusion! It needs more life... I am unsure of it's publication date
2322067 That works out fine for me!
Looking at all these views my story is getting, and realizing it's just me viewing the unpublished 3rd part, writing it...
Kinda how it is for most of my views on this story, I reckon
2322999
2180592>>2322999 Alright, I've been thinking, and I'll leave this to you two to decide:
Should I split this final chapter in two? Breaking off at the point where Twi And CG wake up.
Reasons why I would think of doing this:
1) The last chapter, when the dream is done, will already be longer than both previous combined.
2) The scene that follows them waking up is very important to seeing what kind of pony Cherry Garden is and how she interacts with Twi, even after she has just saved her; and also very important in hinting to her life and what follows after this story. I think no more than 2,000--3,000 words here, and titling it something like "Beauty" or "A Nopony" or "Portrait" if it is split.
Now, I would like to very humbly ask you two, as the only two so far who seem to really enjoy it (and thank you SO MUCH!
*hugs!*), to seriously consider which would be best (to split the part or not) for the story and for the readers. Please leave me reasons either way
You will get to read the next chapter sooner if you decide to split it.
I honestly don't mind so much either way. I can work with both, and it should give the same effect whether or not it is split.
I know this is weird to ask.... but I'd love to hear the feed-back, and I value my readers' opinions on the story.
Thank you!
2610402 Hmm.... it's a tough decision... I'd say split it, if only to keep consistent chapter lengths.
2610461Taken into consideration. Thank you
2610465 um... please tell me that in your canon, Cherry doesn't... you know... her ear...
2610485You know what I said to you in the comments of the CG group.........................
2610485Sorry
2610485Also the little girl in the second part talking about CG's "insane gift"...... yeah... it was there from the beginning....
2610493 S'alright. I was just making sure.
2610505Gunna split it. And also, almost done with this chapter--FINALLY!!!!
I can honestly say, I did not expect this to happen here at the end of the dream--but what can I say: it's written by Twilight, Discord, and Cherry Garden, not me.
2625431 true genius takes time.
2625469Writing the last line now