Illusi0N

by Rowan Ex

Rating: mature
Tags: Adventure, Alternate Universe
Length: 2392

Sorry Twilight, I didn't really mean to relive this event... urk.

Twilight Sparkle notices Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity being agressive every night. She tries to piece together the clues, but…

In this story, something is amiss between the three ponies and Twilight tries to find out what they're doing.

Alt Description:
Princess Luna told the Mane 6 of a "spell" which isn't actually a spell but rather a "curse" that makes any sapient to relive anything they want to relive. Only, Fluttershy chose the WRONG things…

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-26 09:01:47 UTC

Chapter 1 (First Five Days)

Applejack wandered around the farm, distinctively doing what she did when these events were still fresh. She went near a tree, bucked the tree, and a handful of apples fell from the basket. She looked at the basket only to find an odd thing. Something was with the apples, and Applejack lifted it up. Fluttershy, who was with her, looked at the mysterious object as well. The two looked at each other, and threw the mysterious object away, only to be found by Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom.

"Uh... what is it?" Applebloom asked, "is it that potion?"

"Well..." Scootaloo looked at it. "Yup, it is."

"Let's go to Zecora, maybe she could help what potion you both are talking about!" Sweetie shouted, trotting off.

"Hey, wait!"

"Sweetie!"

And the CMC went to Zecora and the zebra inspected the potion.

"This is not a regular potion in a bottle, opening it will open nothing but trouble," she warned.

"Okay Zecora! We're not gonna-" Applebloom stopped in shock as Scootaloo ran off with the potion. "Scootaloo! Don't!"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle took chances and chased Scootaloo until the potion gets smashed in front of them, Applejack, and Fluttershy. A mysterious smoke rose from the smashed pieces and entered through the ponies as soon as it could, including Rarity who just passed by unaware. Twilight witnessed this and ran into the library as quickly as she can get. I don't have wings, what am I thinking?! She looked outside and locked the door after she entered.

After a few days, Twilight decided to pay a visit to both Applejack and Fluttershy.

"Twilight Sparkle, no matter what I do, you're never allowed. Now get off my farm, it's off-limits!!"

Twilight looked at Applejack, stunned. "What did you say?" asked Twilight.

"I said," Applejack pulled a gun from her cowboy hat and pointed it to her, "this farm is off-limits."

Twilight Sparkle backed off, knowing what the gun can do, "Who are you?"

"What do you mean 'who are you,'" asked Applejack, "you know me already."

"No, I mean who are you?" Twilight asked back.

"I'm Applejack, the most feared of all ponies of Equestria!" She shot an apple with her gun, scaring Twilight. "Now, get off my property!"

Twilight tried to protest, but fearing of death, she simply went off into her library, scared.

"Now," Applejack hid the gun and wore the hat, "No more trespassers on my property."

Twilight Sparkle went to Sugarcube Corner, trying to stay away from Sweet Apple Acres for a reason only herself should know. She trotted until she bumped to Applejack, and as instincts told her, ignored her. Applejack, confused, just went to Rarity's and went to the basement.

The Carousel Boutique had a second basement for Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy to use. Fluttershy is already in the basement, greeting Applejack with a smile.

"So, anything yet Applejack?" Fluttershy asked, a little shy in tone.

"Nothin' except for Twilight tresspassing yesterday," Applejack replied with the accent, "Experiment wasn't seen at all."

"Good," Fluttershy replied, the shyness seemingly vanished, "you're clear to go. Don't let Twilight see you."

"The experiment is comprised," Applejack muttered, "must salvage and head here."

Applejack threw the gun under her hat in a chest in the second basement and went outside, only to be tackled by Twilight Sparkle, who was waiting for her, and who took her hat.

"He-hey, sugarcube, wha' in carnation are you doin'?!" Applejack asked, "Let me go!"

"I saw you with a gun last night, and I saw you hiding it in your hat, explained Twilight, "where is it?"

"What gun?" Applejack asked, obviously lying.

A few of the ponies spot them and Twilight quickly stood and looked at Applejack. After the ponies passed by, Applejack smirked.

"No one's gonna believe you, Twilight," she whispered, "no one."

Twilight looked back at Applejack who already went off, happily smiling. She also had her hat, which made Twilight confused and stunned. Twilight went to a bush where Pinkie, in her camo, was hiding.

"See anything?" Twilight asked.

"Nope, and don't worry Twilight, I still believe you!" Pinkie said, before they went to Sugarcube Corner again for a cupcake.

Twilight looked at a piece of paper as few days of silence passed by the town of Ponyville. She then left and went to Fluttershy's cottage, which had an unfamiliar magic. Spike took a peek at the paper and was stunned at its contents.

Illusi0N Protocol Report:

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle got a mysterious black smoke entering last 5 days.

Applejack seemed to become hostile after I checked 4 days ago.

"They're hiding something. I can feel it."

~Twilight

Applejack smiled as the experiment they were making was finished. She pressed a button and it sparked to life. The experiment was a device that could absorb somepony's magic, and it was modelled after Lord Tirek. Fluttershy and Rarity helped make it more life-like before they released it into the wild. They tested its capabilities on Sweetie Belle, who also was with them along with Applebloom and Scootaloo.

"The experiment is awesome!" Sweetie Belle shouted before fainting due to lack of magic.

"Oh, expecting quite something Sweetie." Rarity returned tried to return her magic but only gets wounded and watched her get killed in horror...

"I want to use it on Twilight," Applejack said, "for revenge."

Current Time, Canterlot Castle

Princess Luna was forced to watch the events as she had the ability to cast the spell, and determined who created the machine which she nicknamed Tirek, and sent a few Guards to them. It seemed like the ponies affected by this spell entered a state of coma, a state which worried Princess Celestia. Princess Luna visited Celestia's room where Celestia was looking at the window.

"Lulu, are my little ponies gonna be fine?" she asked, looking at Luna.

"She's strong, Tia, they sure will." Luna went closer and looked with Celestia at the slowly setting sun.

Chapter 2 (Two Days Later)

Twilight Sparkle felt odd after waking up for this morning. It seemed like she still was adjusted to having wings. Wings that she didn't have from this time. Twilight also almost seemed to forget why she was spying on Applejack, only to be reminded by Pinkie Pie who seemed to be quite fascinated by what they all have been doing. She went outside only to find herself back inside.

"Okay, this might be a little different..." she whispered to the air as she went outside again.

She was relieved and confused at the same time, but quickly shrugged it off by heading to Sugarcube Corner for a nice "muffin talk" with Derpy. It really went well. Twilight still remembered the first time she heard Derpy talk, and coincidentally it was "muffins." Might as well have some muffins as souvenir! Twilight then waved goodbye before heading to Pinkie Pie's room where something she didn't expect was expecting her...

It was Pinkie's toothless pet, Gummy. Twilight nearly jumped in surprise. She was then relieved or else Twilight would've taken action which might cause her to accidentally kill it. Anyways, she looked at Pinkie who just came inside, surprised due to Twilight in her room.

"Hey Twilight!" Pinkie called, hopping to her desk, "how's the muffin talk?"

"It went muffins," joked Twilight, "and it was wonderful to meet such pony. Still wondering why her twin, Ditzy Doo, first showed up..."

"Haha, see ya!" Pinkie hopped off, leaving a confused Twilight.

Twilight headed to her desk to find similar words she'd written.

Pinkie's AMAZING report:

Everypony seemed fun today! Can't get out of this dream though... but hey! I get to see FUN again!

Fluttershy and Applejack are a little odd. Got to visit apple farmer soon! But according to instincts I shouldn't. So I just followed my schedule. Muffin talk!

Twilight looked at Fluttershy's little cottage through the window before she headed there.

"OUT! NOW!"

Twilight Sparkle went flying from Fluttershy's cottage to her room in the library. The shout wasn't like the Fluttershy that she knew, but rather like the Applejack that she met from Sweet Apple Acres two days ago. Twilight felt odd. What exactly did the black smoke did to them? Twilight expected answers from books until she noticed Pinkie hiding underneath her bed.

"Are you okay Pinkie?" she asked.

"I'm scared..." Pinkie replied, shivering. "Me and Rainbow Dash are scared Twi..."

"Rainbow Dash?!" Twilight looked under the bed but she wasn't there. "Where's Dash?"

"She's over there." Pinkie replied, pointing to a book fort.

Usually, Twilight Sparkle made book forts when she's scared, but seeing Rainbow Dash hide in a book fort meant something was terribly wrong. Twilight needed to solve this problem before anything bad happened. She went into her report, and wrote a few things down.

Illusi0N Report:

7 days ago, Applejack, Fluttershy and the CMC got a few black smoke entering.

6 days ago, Applejack went hostile.

Right now, Fluttershy went hostile... The horror, and now, Pinkie and Dash are hiding. In my library.

"Must solve this before it descends into chaos..."

~Twilight

"Uh... Twilight?" called Rainbow Dash, "do you think Fluttershy was the reason for this?"

Twilight looked up, then stared at Rainbow Dash who poked her head outside the fort. Twilight thought about it, and recalled everything. Before she can answer, Pinkie called out first. She explained the "spell," the mysterious unicorn, déjà vus, and sudden shift of their friends' behavior. Twilight smiled a bit.

"At least she explained the most of the parts," Twilight said, "but you forgot a few."

"A few?" Pinkie asked, "I never forget any part!"

"There was a potion," explained the unicorn, "that Scootaloo and the others found. Applejack accidentally smashed it, releasing some sort of black smoke-fire thing that went into them. Rarity, I think she got a little bit. Hey Rainbow Dash, let's head there?"

"Rather not," she replied.

"But why-" Twilight's response was cut off by a loud bang from the entrance.

There was Rarity, with a pistol sticking out in her saddlebag, with the door hang open. Twilight looked in horror at the sight of Rarity.

Prologue (Spellbound)

The Mane 6 looked at each other before they agreed to what Princess Luna will do to them. Twilight seemed to have lost a few important events and she had to relive it, through a spell Princess Luna learned through a nightmare, which was peculiarly odd. When asked about how it worked, Luna replied only with three simple words.

"I don't know."

It's been like that ever since Princess Luna got a nightmare. Twilight tried to help, only sending herself into some point in the past. But then, it struck her.

"Luna, I think I know what the spell does," Twilight reported.

"How?" Luna asked, accompanied by whispers from the Mane 5 who were with Twilight. "What does the spell do?"

"The spell," Twilight cleared her throat, "sends anypony, or anyone, into their past to relive memories. I think I had that before, but I ignored it."

"Wait a second hon," said Applejack, "when you had it?"

"I was dreaming..." Twilight thought about it, "at the place beyond where Princess Celestia sent me. There... then, I was stuck in a small laboratory-thingy and they whispered a spell."

"Who are 'they'?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Princess Celestia appeared near them and answered Rainbow's question, saying, "old friends of mine."

Everypony was stunned and silence went for a few minutes until Fluttershy squeaked up.

"Use it, I need to know why I was in the dungeons for six weeks," she said. Twilight's eyes shrank in realisation.

"No, no, no!" Twilight left the room, leaving everypony and dragon present confused.

Don't want to re-experience that. Never. I don't want to remember...

Twilight stopped and gasped for air, then looked around. She was alone at least, or so she thought as a unicorn sneaked up on her.

"Running away, again?" Twilight felt shivers running from her spine as she looked back to find... nothing.

"Shoe yourself!" Twilight demanded.

"Cannot. Must stay hidden," the voice replied, "I hope you have no regrets, for I'll cast the spell of the Dream of Insanity on you and your friends!"

All of a sudden, Twilight lastly saw a stream of violet light approaching her.

*DING DONG*

Princess Luna had felt this before. This time, it was really used. The spell was used on eight ponies. And she knew who were these very ponies, as well as the spellcaster. The spellcaster...

Day One. Post-Discord Event. Ponyville.

Twilight woke up hitting her horn on the wall. She looked at her surroundings before realising one thing. She was a unicorn, and the time was just a few days after they've encountered Discord. She groaned in frustration, I'm going to throw up soon. She headed downstairs and went outside to smell the fresh air. She missed the times like this, and maybe she could re-experience this again.

The what seemed to be regular Ponyville felt odd as Twilight distinctly remembered herself doing this. Impossible, am I having the case of déjà vus now? Learning from her memories, she first headed into Rainbow Dash's location where she was supposed to be that time.

Only to find Rainbow Dash confused as she was also part of this. She looked at Twilight, and asked what on Equestria is going on. She thought about it, them simply answered with five, simple words.

"Spell of Dream of Insanity."

Rainbow Dash realised as she remembered a conversation with Princess Luna and her friends. She realised one simple thing.

Damn it Flutters, now look what you've done!

"Woah, don't go hatin, sugarcube," Applejack said, trotting up to the two. "Besides, we've got a few time before what we think will happen soon."

"I... don't follow." The three friends looked at Princess Luna. "You three are trapped in a dream until the spell ends. Sorry, dear ponies, but I leave this situation to my sister's student, not that she's still is in this point of time."

Twilight chuckled at the slight pun. What could go wrong?