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crushingvictory

Dreaming of a Better Life

Jun 15th, 2017
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  1. >You are anon
  2. >With all of the work and busyness of life, you really haven’t had any time for yourself recently
  3. >You’re burnt out, plain and simple
  4. >Nothing’s good on the TV, god knows how long it’s been since you turned on your computer, and your roommates barely exist to you
  5. >You could go outside, but everything’s just kind of lost that “spark” to you
  6. >It’s 6am now, and you’re tossing and turning in bed, sweating it out
  7. >When you finally do go to sleep, it’s a nearly dreamless sleep
  8.  
  9. >That is until you wake up in a forest meadow, filled with flowers glowing softly in the moonlight, under a sea of stars and constellations
  10. >You feel different, to say the least
  11. >The aches and pains of the waking world seem all but non-existent, and moving seems to flow like paint onto canvas
  12. >You lay on the grass watching the night sky shift, nebulae colouring the night sky vividly
  13. >”We keep an eye on all life, even though form matters not here” You hear a regal voice whisper in your ear
  14. >You sit up, and look around to find the source of the voice
  15. >As you lay back down, you see something laying beside you in the meadow
  16. >She looks back at you, with fur almost as dark as the sky between the stars and eyes as blue as the moonlight on the snow in winter
  17. >”You’re not satisfied with the way you’re living now, and we’ve been helping others like yourself for millennia”
  18. >”My name is Luna, and we can help you help yourself”
  19. >You stare at this majestic creature, her mane flowing like the stars above, and feel with your heart that she can mend your twisted, broken life
  20. >”You dream of a life where you don’t have to worry about war, or terror” She says as she looks into your dulled grey eyes
  21. >”We can provide you with exactly that, along with love and compassion” She coos motherly into your ear
  22. >You break down and embrace the princess beside you, wrapping yourself around her
  23. >”“We can change how you view your body in dreams, and slowly bring the dream into the reality, mixing the two until they are one. We just require that your will, your mind, and your "essence" be one with us...” Luna trails off, feeling you nod into her fur gently
  24. >You let go, and lie back down on the grass, a warm wind blowing over you
  25. >"May you rest peacefully" Luna says before you close your eyes once again
  26.  
  27.  
  28. >Wrapped in your blankets, your body spread out and your pillow a little wet from you drooling, you open your eyes and hear the alarm going off
  29. >You're way too awake to snooze it this time, so you just turn it off
  30. >At a second glance, you realise the time
  31. >Unless you get going, like right fucking now, you're gonna get in trouble from work!
  32. >You almost trip and fly down the stairs as you leave the house, quickly yelling a goodbye to anybody listening and kick up a cloud of dust
  33. >Running down the tree lined streets, you burst through the door and clock in with a minute to spare as you catch your breath
  34. >Feeding the hungry masses and co-operating with your team under pressure is hard and weary work, but you manage to persevere
  35. >After 8 hours though, sleep and maybe something to nibble on is your top priority as you trudge down the way you came, rain soaking your clothes
  36. >Making it home safely, you strip out of your damp clothes, and wrap yourself in a blanket in your room
  37. >You nod off while listening to some chill instrumental stuff off youtube...
  38.  
  39.  
  40. >The late afternoon sunlight beaming through the windows, shining down onto the hardwood floors, lit the room in a way that felt.. right
  41. >With everything in place, you set the broom you were holding down in a corner, and look in amazement at how beautiful everything was in this moment
  42. >The smell of yeast, dough and freshly baked goodies fill your nostrils as you walk to the door with every step you take leading with a *clop*
  43. >You aren't quite sure why, but your hands don't want to work as you lift your deep brown limbs to get the door handle
  44. >As you open the door and take a step, you tumble over yourself, landing on your butt
  45. >You spy a white tail beneath you as you blow out your hair out of sight, noticing that it wasn't your normal brown, but that it shared the colour of the tail instead
  46. >As the door closes, bell jingling inside, you get up and walk to the woods, homeward bound...
  47. >You're still a little tired when you wake up today, but it's a little different because of one thing
  48. >Or to be more precise, the lack of it. You don't work today!
  49. >After a quick trip to the bathroom and a drink, you fall into the comfort of your big wooden bed, your disheveled hair looking right in place on your white fluffy pillow, with a big comforter pulled up to your chin
  50.  
  51. >You're back in the place where you were before you woke up, your chestnut body covered in flour and hooves crusted with dried dough from the unbaked loaves in front of you
  52. >"Push, fold, turn! Inside the fire burns! You'll need to never stop, you'll be rising to the top!"
  53. >God damn, that's catchy as fuck!
  54. >You belt out your little ditty as you knead the dough into what'll become bread
  55. >A solid hour later, with loaves a plenty and ovens fired red-hot in the early hours of the morning
  56. >You step into the bathroom to cool off, and splash some water onto your face
  57. >You notice that the face looking at you, it feels "natural"
  58. >The huge baby blues framed by the tannish-white hair and the chestnut brown fur...
  59. >It just looks... right
  60. >After you get the loaves baking, everything seems to fade off...
  61.  
  62. >You wake up from your smaller second siesta, you get dressed and go downstairs
  63. >The house is dead silent since it's the late-afternoon
  64. >Screw sitting around being bored, you throw on your shoes, your head phones and your sick beats and head outside into the late summer afternoon sun
  65. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX44CAz-JhU
  66. >You start thinking about all these "dreams" you've been having recently
  67. >Part of you feels like it's too good to be true, while the other feels melancholic about not being able to continue them
  68. >As you beat your feet to the worn-out streets, you feel yourself running faster and lower to the ground
  69. >Lightning flashed far away with a thunderous sound, and you slow down, standing up and seeing the storm in the distance
  70. >You try to make it home before the worst of it, but you dip into a coffee shop when it does get to that point
  71. >The smell of the roasting beans and baking bagels brings forward a familiar image in your mind
  72. >You feel your ear twitch, and a phantom facsimile do the same at the top of your head as you walk up to the counter as you slide your headphones off, you slide a couple gold coins across the counter as you order a cup of coffee
  73. >When you sit down to watch the storm outside rage on, you swear that you can see the face you had in your dreams stare back at you in the window, but when you blink in surprise you see that it's only your own
  74. >After the rain slows from a torrential downpour to a light drizzle, you step back outside, everything hyper-saturated with colour while the sun sets out side and clouds clear
  75. >You get home after your 3-hour run around the city, and you flop on the couch
  76.  
  77. >The sun's risen, and ponies trot throughout the bakery
  78. >Seeing everypony enjoy your hard work really pays off in the end
  79. >The faces and colours blur together, but one of them stand out
  80. >A Earth pony, with a pale yellow coat, and a loose, honey golden mane walks up to counter and smiles at you
  81. >"Can I please get some of your bread? It's sooo good!" The mare danced in front of you, before reaching into her saddle bags and pulling out a couple of gold coins and plopping them on the counter
  82. >You chuckle at her cute little moves as you reach under the counter, sliding one of the many loaves you had baked that morning into an old paper bag
  83. "Here you are, Miss... " You trail off, motioning with a hoof
  84. >"Honey Dipper!" She chirps up, then opens her eyes and pulls out a jar of honey from her bag, leaving it on the counter
  85. >"I run my own hives, and I figured that a bakery like yours would like your stuff as fresh as it can bee!"
  86. >Smiling at the bubbly mare in front of you, you pass her the loaf
  87. "As much as I'd *love* to talk business, I'm kinda busy right now, y'know?" You laugh sheepishly, a hoof behind your head
  88. >"Well whatever you're doing sure is working! This place is packed!" Honey Dipper exclaims
  89. "Well, how about this? How about we talk it over with some dinner?"
  90. >You give her your best grin and some wing guns to boot
  91. >Scratch the wing guns, you've been disarmed
  92. >"Sure thing, Sourdough!” She says as she packs up her bread and leaves the honey on the counter as she heads out the door
  93. >It starts slowing down shortly after that, and the work day comes to a close
  94. >You open up the jar of honey and spread it on a slice of your toasted bread as you count up the bits you made
  95. >The taste of the sweet honey on the sour bread brings a wonderful contrast to your taste buds as you reflect on the day’s events
  96. >You smile as you look on your cutie mark, a dark loaf sliced in half
  97. “Sourdough...” You say as you remember your name, fitting you perfectly
  98.  
  99.  
  100. >You open your eyes and see your body wrapped in a small fleecy blanket as you're laying down on the couch
  101. >You try to open your fists while you shove off the blanket, but you just seem to not be able to
  102. >"Heya" Tim says smiling, waving a really blurry hand in front of your face
  103. "Hey..." You groggily say as you wave back and sit up
  104. >The heavy smell of tomato, beef and spices float and waft through the air to you from the kitchen, your stomach growling
  105. >"There's still some left, if you want any" Tim says as he slides in the opposite corner, plate in hand as he turns on the TV
  106. >You get up and slowly start walking over to the kitchen, but it feels like your legs are filled with needles and pins as they buckle out, you bracing yourself on the wall
  107. >"Anon, are you OK?!" Tim panickedly asks
  108. "I'm fine! I'm fine.." You say, siphoning a deep breath as you slowly get back shakily to your legs, the feeling subsiding as you slowly put more and more weight onto them
  109. >Your hands start to work properly as you serve yourself up, feeling more loose and limber than they were before you crashed on the couch
  110. >You slump back into your place on the couch, gently nibbling on the casserole
  111. >As the show goes on and on, you lose track of your thoughts as you ponder about all of the dreams you've been having lately, idly laughing whenever Tim does
  112. >Sourdough has a good life going on for him, as opposed to yours
  113. >Weren't you supposed to meet up with Honey Dipper later for dinner and a business offer?
  114. >You shake your head and look back to the TV, commentating at all of the silly things going on
  115. >After all the dishes from dinner were done, You and Tim headed to your rooms and closed the doors
  116. >Stripping naked, the ambient breeze felt good as you felt something brush behind you again, but you shake it off when you see your clothes on the floor
  117. >But now, it's the time to sleep, perchance to dream?
  118.  
  119. >The stars are shining bright as can be, the sun's setting off in the horizon over the looming mountains and You are feeling amazed
  120. >You trot back into the old wooden house, the door creaking gently as it opens wide and closes behind you
  121. >As you lay down on the lush couch, the hay inside the cushions rubbing your fur gently, your ears flick to the knocking on the front door
  122. >You push down on the knob, and see Honey Dipper
  123. >Holy shit.wav
  124. >You never noticed it while she was in the bakery, but she's absolutely stunning right now!
  125. "Come on in! Dinner's almost ready, just waiting on the bread." You manage to say coherently, waving her through the door to the living room
  126. >"Glad to know somepony that can really cook!" Honey chuckles as she walks in and sits on the couch, with you following behind her
  127. >As you plate up the spaghetti squash and other vegetables, you pull out the garlic bread that was baking in the oven and slice it up, the butter melted perfectly inside and the smell is delightful
  128. >You light a few candles, putting them and the plates on the low table
  129. >You and Honey Dipper chat about the small stuff like how bees can fly or how your loaves bake so fluffy and laugh as you nibble on your dinner
  130. >"So, do you think that it'd be fine if I sold you some of my honey for your bakery? All I'd want is some bits and good reputation" She says, blushing lightly and putting a hoof behind her head, the moonlight coming in through the window from behind
  131. "That'd be perfect" You say, awestruck from the picture-perfect moment in front of you
  132. >"Thank you, thank you, thank yooou!" She squees as she hops over the table, giving you a hug and kissing you deeply
  133. >You kiss her back, hugging her tightly and smelling her mane, your mind clouding over as you and her smile
  134. >"I-Is it okay if I spent the night? It's kinda late..." She laughs tiredly as she cuddles you
  135. >You don't even answer with a word as you pull her back into a kiss, laying down on the couch
  136.  
  137. >You wake in the morning, the sounds of the birds outside chirping merrily, as you look over to see...
  138. >...Nothing but your thick blanket bundled up in your arms
  139. >You let out a sigh of disappointment as you slip out of bed, grabbing a shirt, some pants, slipping them on and tossing and the grubby uniform laying on the floor nonchalantly into the washer
  140. >You've got a few hours to kill before you head out to the daily grind of work
  141. >Looking to the bag of flour peeking itself out of the cabinet, you get an idea
  142. >You bust out the bowls and beaters from their dark prisons down below as you prepare the counter for something... magical
  143. >Even though you never really done much baking yourself before now, it's all coming together naturally for you right now, as the sunlight gleams in through the porch window behind you
  144. >It's a good thing you decided to throw on some clothes, your room-mates would get a chuckle seeing you all covered in flour. again.
  145. >Not cool, guys. Not cool at all
  146. >After all is said and done, you lay a blanket of saran wrap over the dough, rest it gently in the fridge and swap over your work clothes to the dryer
  147. >You think back to your dinner you had with Honey Dipper last night
  148. >It filled you emotionally as you and her laughed, chatted, loved and cuddled under the bright moonlight and the dim candlelight
  149. >Before you got too lost in thought, a discordant *BRRRRRRRRT* snapped you out of it, as the dryer slowly tumbled to a stop
  150. >Tossing the sharp, black clothes into a ratty old backpack and slinging it over your shoulder; you head out, a little torn between worlds as you wander out into the sunlight to work another day
  151.  
  152. > |>|>
  153. >It's another early morning for the rest of the world, snoozing idly; but for you, Sourdough, this is the time for action!
  154. >You trot over to the cooler where you kept your dough to "prove" itself ready for the task ahead and pull away the sheets keeping them moist and malleable
  155. >With a light touch from floury hooves, you sculpt the massive balls into their near-final form
  156. >A bead of sweat rolls slowly down your head as you intensely repeat the process dozens, if not hundreds of times for each new loaf-to-be
  157. >A baker's dozen of groups of unbaked loaves lie before you on floured sheets, ready to rise in the heat of your ovens
  158. >As you slide the racks of bread into the ovens, you scoop and toss in ice, to steam up the ovens and form a bigger rise and much better crust
  159. >As you finish the task of getting the loaves baking, you start tidying up all of the mess you made while they're rising
  160. >The sun's rays start to pour in as the loaves finish, sharing the colours of yourself as you tap the bottom of them with your hoof, the ears on your head pointed to get the best result
  161. >A sea of freshly baked loaves behind you on the counter and only one more batch to go as you open the oven
  162. >A hot cloud of steam rolls out as you crack open the door, and you wince a little from the excess heat this one had compared to the others
  163. >Oven cloth in mouth, you crane your neck inwards...
  164. >You feel something grip your hindleg, and pull you back, like it was dragging you to hell!
  165.  
  166. >ANON!!
  167. >You snap your eyes open, thrashing, kicking and screaming as your body hits the cold tile floor, your room-mates swarming in to hold you down, unable to discern who’s who
  168. >"What the hell's going on?!"
  169. >"All I seen was anon reaching into the oven with an oven mitt in his mouth!"
  170. >You can't even comprehend what all is going on right now, your mind is howling and your heart is pounding like a drummer gone ballistic as your vision fades to black as you pass out
  171.  
  172. >As you crack open your eyes, the harsh lights above almost blind you
  173. >You feel the cool fitted sheets of the bed holding you down tightly as you look around the room, the muted colours of the walls and furniture blending together
  174. >You groggily look to the door as you hear the sharp *crack* of the handle twisting and someone walking in, dressed in an absurd amount of green
  175. "W-where am I?" You ask dazedly, rubbing your head as you sit up in the bed
  176. >"You're in the hospital, your friends were worried sick about you!" the lady in green replied with a hint of worry
  177. >Before you can ask anything else, she briskly walks out of the room, the door smoothly closing behind her as your raised arm falls onto the mattress below with a muffled thump
  178. >You turn to the window, and look outside
  179. >It's a beautiful day out there, the sun is shining, the clouds are mostly clear and birds are gliding between the branches, trees and telephone poles
  180. >You also see a majestic dark blue horse trot along the street, but when you look again, it simply disappeared
  181. >You lie back down, the fluffy pillow wrapping around the sides of your head as you try to piece together just what's happened
  182. >A man in a white coat walks in with the lady from before, his weary eyes and her jubilant smile contrasting the two of them, him pulling up a stool from the corner as she checks your IV drip
  183. >"Anonymous, was it? I'm Dr. Fogarty, and my assistant here is nurse Paige" The old man says as he looks over the clipboard then looks at you, smiling
  184. >"Not to alarm you or anything, but you've been here a couple days now, whatever happened to you really did a number on you" He remarks, then calmly motions over to miss
  185. Paige, whispers something in her ear, then she left the room in a slight hurry
  186. >You and the doctor go over the basics of your medical history, from your birthday to your love life, as you shift around in the bed, never really being able to be comfortable
  187.  
  188. >"Well, aside from the reported hyper-competent parasomnia, everything seems to be in working order." Dr. Fogarty said as he smiled and adjusted his glasses
  189. >You look just a little confused at what he just said, but he catches the signal
  190. >"You're doing fine, just maybe next time keep the sleepwalking to just that" He jokes lightly
  191. >You chuckle lightly as you yawn a little
  192. "So, does this mean I'm free to head out?" You ask, looking to the doctor hopefully
  193. >"As much as I want to say yes, we kinda need to make sure that this isn't going to be a recurring thing." The good doctor replied with a twinge of remorse in his voice
  194. >You slump a little as you hear that, but Fogarty puts a hand on your shoulder reassuringly, and smiles at you before leaving the room
  195. >As the door clicks, you're beginning to realise just how bored you are
  196. >Daytime TV sucks harder than a vacuum, and all of the books they have here are either pamphlets about all the things that can possibly go wrong, or ridiculously trashy romance novellas
  197. >In the end, you choose the simplest option there is...
  198.  
  199. >It's late in the evening when you wake up from a mostly dreamless sleep, and the bedside table has a vase full of colourful flowers, from vivid red indian paintbrushes and peonys to stunningly violet lilacs and lavenders
  200. >You spy a little card tucked away underneath it all, tied to the stems with a simple white ribbon
  201. >As you open it, a small smile crosses your face as you read it
  202. >It may be a simple 'Get well soon!" but the sweet smell of honey lightly coming from the card tells you all that you need to know about who sent it
  203. >But with nothing else to do, and a light case of wanderlust, you slide on the cheap slippers as you pull yourself away from the bed and head out for a walk....
  204. >You slip out of the room, the door silently closing behind you as you sneak into the dimly lit hallways of the hospital
  205. >As you come to the lobby of the floor, you stop and listen to the gossiping of the nurses and receptionists as the night slowly rolls on for them
  206. >You slowly walk up to the counter, and knock on it
  207. "Excuse me, I was just wondering who brought me the flowers?" You ask calmly, looking a little tired
  208. >"I can answer that one for you, honey" the receptionist chimed in
  209. >"A courier came in a few hours ago, carrying them all professionally, like they were made of glass. Funny thing, as bad as it sounds, as soon as she stepped out of your room, her shoelaces must've been untied, because she just fell" She said as the two of them tried to fight their giggling
  210. >After taking a couple of seconds to put on a more serious face, the nurse looks at you with an authoritive look
  211. >"Alright Anon, let's get you back to your room. It's two in the morning, and frankly, we should both be asleep right now" She jokes as she starts leading you by the hand
  212. >After the two of you go your own ways, her down the hallways to check on the other patients and you into the bedroom, you quickly dip into the attached bathroom, flicking on the switch as the warm yellow light fills the room
  213. >You turn the faucet on, letting out the warm water as you start washing your face
  214. >As you rub your face with your hooves, you look into the mirror to see yourself staring back at you
  215. >You toy around with the pony mirroring your actions, from a simple wink to some absolutely silly faces
  216. >But when you blink, all the mirror shows is your plain old human visage doing the things you're doing
  217. >You head back to the main bedroom, hitting the switch with your elbow as the moonlight fills the room again
  218. >Pulling up a chair and looking out the window at the dreamlike scene outside, you relax
  219. >"Hello, Sourdough" You hear a regal voice say as you see the pony from earlier beside you now
  220. >Hearing that voice brought out a little shame in not recognising her sooner but it's too late to apologise for that now
  221. "Good evening, your majesty" You quickly spout out, your ears pinned down to the sides of our as you see her chuckle at your mini-breakdown
  222. >"I can say the same to thou as well, and for next time, just Luna will suffice" She responded with a caring tone
  223. >"As to why We are here, that is a little more troubling in itself for us" Luna said worryingly as she made herself comfortable in the chair opposite
  224. >"The medical personnel in Canterlot did the best they could to mend thine body physically, but you fell into a coma, and even with all of their skills, they had a great trouble pulling you out of it, so they requested my hoof to assist in the matter " She said with a voice full of sorrow as she spread a wing over your face
  225. >You shocked by the news that the princess just gave you
  226. "But everything seems so real, from the scent of the flowers to the aches in my body" You stammer, dumbstruck
  227. >"But it isn't, Sourdough" Luna stated
  228. >"As we speak, we are in your subconscious, or the land of dreams. Your mind is trying to mend itself, it just needs some help in achieving the task" She added, allowing you to take it all in
  229. "So all I have to do is wake up?" You ask, tilting your head with an ear perked up
  230. "It is not as simple as that" Luna says as she shakes her head, her ethereal mane bobbing and whipping as she does
  231. >"However, a certain somepony wanted to help me help you help yourself" Luna hinted, her head bowed as an icy-blue magic wrapped around her horn and opened a portal
  232. >"SOURDOUGH!" Honey Dipper squealed as she galloped through the portal, sliding across the floor and tumbling into your arms
  233. >You hold her close to yourself, smelling her frazzled mane while she nuzzles your body
  234. "Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful; just like you" You say, letting some tears drop from your eyes onto the head as the two of you cuddle
  235. >"Honey Dipper was the one who found you, passed out, covered in burns and bread. She and a few other of the townsponies lifted you onto a cart, and dashed you to the hospital"
  236. >Luna said as she tried to not have a heart attack of her own from all of the cuteness in front of her
  237. >"If it wasn't for the fact that I'd taught my neighbours a little about how to make honey and tend to the bees, we'd both be in the hospital! I'd been worried sick about you, and I couldn't even sleep at all and I'mgladthatyou'rekindaokaynow!" Honey Dipper said as she hugged you tighter and tighter
  238. "As long as I have you…" You say as you run your hoof through her mane, rubbing behind her ear gently "… I think we'll be okay"
  239. "So how exactly do we... Y'know, get out of here?" You ask Luna
  240. >"We feel that your mind is mostly stable now, so whenever you're ready we can begin" She answered
  241. >"Sourdough, Honey Dipper; We just require thou to lay in the bed" Luna commanded as the two of you clambered in, a deep red blush showing through the deep brown of your muzzle
  242. >"See you on the other side?" Honey Dipper asked, staring deep into your eyes
  243. >You nod and yawn, as wave after wave of tiredness washed over your body and and hers as Luna casted her spell
  244. >A shrill solid sound silenced as she stopped the machine, A human no more, as Luna shifted out of the room
  245.  
  246. >You and Honey Dipper had a good life going as the two of you forged your paths in life, with cheer in your hoofsteps and love in your hearts
  247. >But the second greatest love in your life? That was a small tannish filly with a deep golden mane
  248. >Her name? Honey Oat, your daughter
  249.  
  250. The end
  251. ~fin~
  252. RINE ENDS HERE
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