Dreaming of a Better Life

>You are anon
>With all of the work and busyness of life, you really haven’t had any time for yourself recently
>You’re burnt out, plain and simple
>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
>You could go outside, but everything’s just kind of lost that “spark” to you
>It’s 6am now, and you’re tossing and turning in bed, sweating it out
>When you finally do go to sleep, it’s a nearly dreamless sleep

>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
>You feel different, to say the least
>The aches and pains of the waking world seem all but non-existent, and moving seems to flow like paint onto canvas
>You lay on the grass watching the night sky shift, nebulae colouring the night sky vividly
>”We keep an eye on all life, even though form matters not here” You hear a regal voice whisper in your ear
>You sit up, and look around to find the source of the voice
>As you lay back down, you see something laying beside you in the meadow
>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
>”You’re not satisfied with the way you’re living now, and we’ve been helping others like yourself for millennia”
>”My name is Luna, and we can help you help yourself”
>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
>”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
>”We can provide you with exactly that, along with love and compassion” She coos motherly into your ear
>You break down and embrace the princess beside you, wrapping yourself around her
>”“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
>You let go, and lie back down on the grass, a warm wind blowing over you
>"May you rest peacefully" Luna says before you close your eyes once again


>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
>You're way too awake to snooze it this time, so you just turn it off
>At a second glance, you realise the time
>Unless you get going, like right fucking now, you're gonna get in trouble from work!
>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
>Running down the tree lined streets, you burst through the door and clock in with a minute to spare as you catch your breath
>Feeding the hungry masses and co-operating with your team under pressure is hard and weary work, but you manage to persevere
>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
>Making it home safely, you strip out of your damp clothes, and wrap yourself in a blanket in your room
>You nod off while listening to some chill instrumental stuff off youtube...


>The late afternoon sunlight beaming through the windows, shining down onto the hardwood floors, lit the room in a way that felt.. right
>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
>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*
>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
>As you open the door and take a step, you tumble over yourself, landing on your butt
>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
>As the door closes, bell jingling inside, you get up and walk to the woods, homeward bound...
>You're still a little tired when you wake up today, but it's a little different because of one thing
>Or to be more precise, the lack of it. You don't work today!
>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

>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
>"Push, fold, turn! Inside the fire burns! You'll need to never stop, you'll be rising to the top!"
>God damn, that's catchy as fuck!
>You belt out your little ditty as you knead the dough into what'll become bread
>A solid hour later, with loaves a plenty and ovens fired red-hot in the early hours of the morning
>You step into the bathroom to cool off, and splash some water onto your face
>You notice that the face looking at you, it feels "natural"
>The huge baby blues framed by the tannish-white hair and the chestnut brown fur...
>It just looks... right
>After you get the loaves baking, everything seems to fade off...

>You wake up from your smaller second siesta, you get dressed and go downstairs
>The house is dead silent since it's the late-afternoon
>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
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX44CAz-JhU
>You start thinking about all these "dreams" you've been having recently
>Part of you feels like it's too good to be true, while the other feels melancholic about not being able to continue them
>As you beat your feet to the worn-out streets, you feel yourself running faster and lower to the ground
>Lightning flashed far away with a thunderous sound, and you slow down, standing up and seeing the storm in the distance
>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
>The smell of the roasting beans and baking bagels brings forward a familiar image in your mind
>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
>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
>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
>You get home after your 3-hour run around the city, and you flop on the couch

>The sun's risen, and ponies trot throughout the bakery
>Seeing everypony enjoy your hard work really pays off in the end
>The faces and colours blur together, but one of them stand out
>A Earth pony, with a pale yellow coat, and a loose, honey golden mane walks up to counter and smiles at you
>"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
>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
"Here you are, Miss... " You trail off, motioning with a hoof
>"Honey Dipper!" She chirps up, then opens her eyes and pulls out a jar of honey from her bag, leaving it on the counter
>"I run my own hives, and I figured that a bakery like yours would like your stuff as fresh as it can bee!"
>Smiling at the bubbly mare in front of you, you pass her the loaf
"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
>"Well whatever you're doing sure is working! This place is packed!" Honey Dipper exclaims
"Well, how about this? How about we talk it over with some dinner?"
>You give her your best grin and some wing guns to boot
>Scratch the wing guns, you've been disarmed
>"Sure thing, Sourdough!” She says as she packs up her bread and leaves the honey on the counter as she heads out the door
>It starts slowing down shortly after that, and the work day comes to a close
>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
>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
>You smile as you look on your cutie mark, a dark loaf sliced in half
“Sourdough...” You say as you remember your name, fitting you perfectly


>You open your eyes and see your body wrapped in a small fleecy blanket as you're laying down on the couch
>You try to open your fists while you shove off the blanket, but you just seem to not be able to
>"Heya" Tim says smiling, waving a really blurry hand in front of your face
"Hey..." You groggily say as you wave back and sit up
>The heavy smell of tomato, beef and spices float and waft through the air to you from the kitchen, your stomach growling
>"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
>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
>"Anon, are you OK?!" Tim panickedly asks
"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
>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
>You slump back into your place on the couch, gently nibbling on the casserole
>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
>Sourdough has a good life going on for him, as opposed to yours
>Weren't you supposed to meet up with Honey Dipper later for dinner and a business offer?
>You shake your head and look back to the TV, commentating at all of the silly things going on
>After all the dishes from dinner were done, You and Tim headed to your rooms and closed the doors
>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
>But now, it's the time to sleep, perchance to dream?

>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
>You trot back into the old wooden house, the door creaking gently as it opens wide and closes behind you
>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
>You push down on the knob, and see Honey Dipper
>Holy shit.wav
>You never noticed it while she was in the bakery, but she's absolutely stunning right now!
"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
>"Glad to know somepony that can really cook!" Honey chuckles as she walks in and sits on the couch, with you following behind her
>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
>You light a few candles, putting them and the plates on the low table
>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
>"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
"That'd be perfect" You say, awestruck from the picture-perfect moment in front of you
>"Thank you, thank you, thank yooou!" She squees as she hops over the table, giving you a hug and kissing you deeply
>You kiss her back, hugging her tightly and smelling her mane, your mind clouding over as you and her smile
>"I-Is it okay if I spent the night? It's kinda late..." She laughs tiredly as she cuddles you
>You don't even answer with a word as you pull her back into a kiss, laying down on the couch

>You wake in the morning, the sounds of the birds outside chirping merrily, as you look over to see...
>...Nothing but your thick blanket bundled up in your arms
>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
>You've got a few hours to kill before you head out to the daily grind of work
>Looking to the bag of flour peeking itself out of the cabinet, you get an idea
>You bust out the bowls and beaters from their dark prisons down below as you prepare the counter for something... magical
>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
>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.
>Not cool, guys. Not cool at all
>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
>You think back to your dinner you had with Honey Dipper last night
>It filled you emotionally as you and her laughed, chatted, loved and cuddled under the bright moonlight and the dim candlelight
>Before you got too lost in thought, a discordant *BRRRRRRRRT* snapped you out of it, as the dryer slowly tumbled to a stop
>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

> |>|>
>It's another early morning for the rest of the world, snoozing idly; but for you, Sourdough, this is the time for action!
>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
>With a light touch from floury hooves, you sculpt the massive balls into their near-final form
>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
>A baker's dozen of groups of unbaked loaves lie before you on floured sheets, ready to rise in the heat of your ovens
>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
>As you finish the task of getting the loaves baking, you start tidying up all of the mess you made while they're rising
>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
>A sea of freshly baked loaves behind you on the counter and only one more batch to go as you open the oven
>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
>Oven cloth in mouth, you crane your neck inwards...
>You feel something grip your hindleg, and pull you back, like it was dragging you to hell!

>ANON!!
>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
>"What the hell's going on?!"
>"All I seen was anon reaching into the oven with an oven mitt in his mouth!"
>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

>As you crack open your eyes, the harsh lights above almost blind you
>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
>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
"W-where am I?" You ask dazedly, rubbing your head as you sit up in the bed
>"You're in the hospital, your friends were worried sick about you!" the lady in green replied with a hint of worry
>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
>You turn to the window, and look outside
>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
>You also see a majestic dark blue horse trot along the street, but when you look again, it simply disappeared
>You lie back down, the fluffy pillow wrapping around the sides of your head as you try to piece together just what's happened
>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
>"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
>"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
Paige, whispers something in her ear, then she left the room in a slight hurry
>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

>"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
>You look just a little confused at what he just said, but he catches the signal
>"You're doing fine, just maybe next time keep the sleepwalking to just that" He jokes lightly
>You chuckle lightly as you yawn a little
"So, does this mean I'm free to head out?" You ask, looking to the doctor hopefully
>"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
>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
>As the door clicks, you're beginning to realise just how bored you are
>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
>In the end, you choose the simplest option there is...

>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
>You spy a little card tucked away underneath it all, tied to the stems with a simple white ribbon
>As you open it, a small smile crosses your face as you read it
>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
>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....
>You slip out of the room, the door silently closing behind you as you sneak into the dimly lit hallways of the hospital
>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
>You slowly walk up to the counter, and knock on it
"Excuse me, I was just wondering who brought me the flowers?" You ask calmly, looking a little tired
>"I can answer that one for you, honey" the receptionist chimed in
>"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
>After taking a couple of seconds to put on a more serious face, the nurse looks at you with an authoritive look
>"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
>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
>You turn the faucet on, letting out the warm water as you start washing your face
>As you rub your face with your hooves, you look into the mirror to see yourself staring back at you
>You toy around with the pony mirroring your actions, from a simple wink to some absolutely silly faces
>But when you blink, all the mirror shows is your plain old human visage doing the things you're doing
>You head back to the main bedroom, hitting the switch with your elbow as the moonlight fills the room again
>Pulling up a chair and looking out the window at the dreamlike scene outside, you relax
>"Hello, Sourdough" You hear a regal voice say as you see the pony from earlier beside you now
>Hearing that voice brought out a little shame in not recognising her sooner but it's too late to apologise for that now
"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
>"I can say the same to thou as well, and for next time, just Luna will suffice" She responded with a caring tone
>"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
>"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
>You shocked by the news that the princess just gave you
"But everything seems so real, from the scent of the flowers to the aches in my body" You stammer, dumbstruck
>"But it isn't, Sourdough" Luna stated
>"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
"So all I have to do is wake up?" You ask, tilting your head with an ear perked up
"It is not as simple as that" Luna says as she shakes her head, her ethereal mane bobbing and whipping as she does
>"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
>"SOURDOUGH!" Honey Dipper squealed as she galloped through the portal, sliding across the floor and tumbling into your arms
>You hold her close to yourself, smelling her frazzled mane while she nuzzles your body
"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
>"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"
>Luna said as she tried to not have a heart attack of her own from all of the cuteness in front of her
>"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
"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"
"So how exactly do we... Y'know, get out of here?" You ask Luna
>"We feel that your mind is mostly stable now, so whenever you're ready we can begin" She answered
>"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
>"See you on the other side?" Honey Dipper asked, staring deep into your eyes
>You nod and yawn, as wave after wave of tiredness washed over your body and and hers as Luna casted her spell
>A shrill solid sound silenced as she stopped the machine, A human no more, as Luna shifted out of the room

>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
>But the second greatest love in your life? That was a small tannish filly with a deep golden mane
>Her name? Honey Oat, your daughter

The end
~fin~
RINE ENDS HERE