<> Day 5 <>
The cloudstuff beneath me, gave only slightly to the force on my hooves striking it, giving the illusion that the clouds were more compact and permanent. Around me, constructions of the white condensation lined what I assumed were streets. Most every building had a resemblance to Greek or Roman architecture, with pillars and terrace platforms. Even though there were walkways, it became obvious that this city was built for flying inhabitants.
I walked on one such walkway in what I assumed was a market place in the clouds toward a very accurate remake of the coliseum. I'm in Cloudsdale… I took wing, soaring with greater pace through the acropolis. Wait, I can't be in Equestria. Since when does falling asleep on a cloud take one to-?
Midair, I facehoofed. A lucid dream… I'm having a lucid dream… In the past, the only lucid dreams I ever had were either nightmares or desire-dreams, visions that show me what my greatest desires. I smiled as I remembered my latest; going to Equestria and meeting Luna. Ah Luna… my love.
"Watch out!"
"Wah!" I yelled as I was tackled midair, then carried off between a set of hooves. Looking back at my original flight path, I saw that I had nearly ran headlong into a cloudstuff wall. Note to self: don't have romantic fantasies about ponies while flying.
"Romantic fantasies? Dude, crushing on the Princess is weirder than Twilight having a crush," said the rough female voice of my savior. "You gonna thank me for saving your flank, or what?"
Wait… I know that vo-
"Well duh, feather-brain. It's the one you've been borrowing for four days now." I looked up. At first, I thought I was looking into a mirror, but considering that we were both flying through the air, that was immediately discredited. The pegasus carrying me looked down at me with the same magenta eyes, rainbow mane, and cyan coat. "You alright, there? You look a little pale."
"Yeah, um, just let me get over the fact that I'm carrying myself through an acropolis after nearly running into a wall of cloud."
The mare set me down on a platform, near a building that looked a little like a factory with rainbows pouring out. As she fluttered next to me, she glanced around. "So… why Cloudsdale?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Beats me. I go where my dreams take me."
She looked disappointed. "Yeah, I know, but…" the mare stumbled over her words. "Markus, you've created entire worlds… entire UNIVERSES! Yet the only thing you have to do is sit in your room, close your eyes and just… imagine! You must be the coolest egghead I've ever met!"
That is true; I could spend hours doing that. It's always been my natural state to create, not only the settings, but the characters, the situations, the conflicts and governments, an entire history leading up to the main events. The result is always another story to be written or forgotten.
"Who are you?" I asked the doppelgänger. "I mean, you look like me, but you don't act like me."
To my confusion, the mare burst nearly burst into laughter. "Actually, it's you who looks like me."
Her statement hit me like a brick to a social recluse's window. "So… you're Rainbow Dash?"
She gave me a smug grin. "The one and only!" She saw my perplexed face and chuckled. "Sorta. I'm the part of Rainbow Dash that is slowly merging with your mind. At least, that's how Twilight puts it." Her face suddenly got very shaded.
"Wait… so, are you saying that you're taking over my mind?!" I yelled, panicked.
She shook her head wildly. "No! I'm not! It's just… do you remember what Lauren asked you? About your personality changing?"
The memory stirred in my head, as if called up on command. "Um… yeah? What about it?"
"Okay, don't freak out when I tell you this, but…" she paused looking at me nervously. "We're both changing. You haven't noticed because you apparently have worse attention deficit than me. Think, Brony! Has anything you thought or said not match up to your character?"
Her voice drove my thoughts into high gear, focusing them to the task, as if she was forcing them to. "I don't know… maybe a little more ego but–"
"But nothing, Markus! That's me! My mindset is touching yours, making you more like me! We're both changing."
I raised a brow at her. "Both?"
Rainbow Dash sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. "You may have gotten my… uh… self-confidence," I snorted at this. "…but if there's one thing I had to get from you, it was your damned itch to just… imagine!"
I smiled at her, laying back on the plush cloud-wall. "Is that why Cloudsdale is so disappointing? Because we could be in the Silver Citadel of Planet Arcanum, or maybe the city of Craedolor and its seven towers?" I asked, referencing two fantasy universes I had created for future use. Possibly after I finish my hobby as a Brony writer. "I guess Equestria is 'utopia' enough for me."
"Hay, do you see me complaining?" she said, following my lead. She was silent for a long time, and in that span, I decided that 'thoughtful' was a weird look for Rainbow Dash. "Actually, I need to tell you something… about the 'our minds are merging' thing." She bit her bottom lip, like I would do I'm pensive or nervous. "The thing is, you're not really… resisting. You're already just as loyal as me, even without the Element, and your arrogance is rising kinda fast. But it's not happening as fast as it should.
"Twilight said that… at a certain point …we would eventually be a single pony. A perfect blend of you and me."
"Like that one story where you and Twilight are fused and you're both sharing a mind and a body? Without all the existential crisis stuff, of course"
She shook her head. "No, it's more like we would just be… one soul. A combination of our thoughts and personalities." Rainbow Dash curled up, putting her hooves over her eyes. "But that hasn't happened yet, because you're not the one resisting…" She looked at me with sorrowful eyes. "…I am."
~+~+~+~
The loud ruckus of rotor blades sprung me from my dream. One of the disadvantages of sleeping on a cloud: air traffic. In the defense of the blue news helicopter, I did pick a pretty low cloud mattress. It wasn't even full cumulus; just a piece of overcast that dropped altitude during my slumber.
In the groggy hours of sunrise, I became aware of something wedged between my teeth. I sputtered, expelling the offending object. What the–?! In my cyan hooves was held a fluffy rectangle, covered in white cloth. How the buck did a pillow get up here?!
A/N: I suck at dream scenes. The only other dreams I recall doing before this are the very beginning of Brony Recon 2, as well as Crimson Bolt's prophecy and Shift's inner talk. If you have no bucking clue what I'm talking about, don't worry about it, although I think Rarity would know what I'm talking about, right Gold Heart?
As for the two 'references', they don't exist. Don't try to find them.
I got this update less than a minute after I faved this story.
Maybe if I unfave, then fave again, another chapter will appear!
Oh yeah. Totally. Too bad he/she isn't here right now. Leaving me home alone like that was a real jerk of a move. I've always wanted to go to New York!
Nice job with the pillow. EXCEPT IT'S NOT A PILLOW!
1563355 ...That's illogical.
Are you talking about Veil of Thoughts there?
1566777
Yeah, that one. I knew the name, but I was thinking about everyone who didn't read it.
1566796
Good tactic. One of the worst things you could do is talk about things barely anyone understands.
1569977 Uhh, if you read MY story, which is one of the collaborative ones, he DOES talk to my character (which is the Twilight that's there).
Well I finally caught up and it seems like you caught with some of the other stories as well. I'm kind of surprised that Markus is taking all of this well, maybe you really are just a cool guy like that. Though I don't really understand the importance of merging yet, it seems like you can still do just fine without becoming one pony. Anyway I think it's an awesome story you have made there, that almost like all of the stories made so far, I'm really interested in what is going to happen next. I'm also so glad that I manage to find this story rather than wait for it be featured. Then again I'm not sure how you will handle being featured yet. But I do have one question though: Can I add your story to the two other groups that I'm in? One is about ponies in the real world and the other is just about transformations (although it's also about people waking up as ponies as well).
1570039
Your story is next on my list, I was just about to go there. ^^;
1570079 Ah.
1570066
Merging is character development. Just wait for it.
1570093
Um kind of like how people accept their shadows and turn into Personas like in Persona 4, but more than that?
Hmm, a certain remark in this chapter sounds pretty self-aggrandizing. (Coolest egghead ever, eh? ) I realize this started as a self-insert, but if you ever edit this you should try patting yourself on the back a little more softly. Maybe I'm just jealous that you're being praised as the coolest person ever by RD, (well, a version of Rainbow Dash that you are writing, anyway) but it is rather explicit the way you've written it.
It seems the pillow thing is a recurrent brick joke in the PonyEarth verse.
Ooh, I just finished the posted chapters so far from "Fragments of Memories". I loved it.
I really like how this fic is going so far...
Well, now I've seen others mention other fics in theirs, it makes me confident that the ones I mentioned in mine won't stop it from coming out.
I'm a little surprised by what dash said. Not the mind merging, but that she's the one resisting. Is she really that scared?
When RD told Markus to think I half expected a pony to burst out of my screen and sing...
My one issue this that the two should have interacted well before this.