The landscape was desolate; dirt and rocks as far the eye could see. There were a few scattered trees, but they were void of any leaves; clearly long dead. The only signs of life were a few old structures – a farmhouse, a silo, and a windmill. The sky was dark and grey, and the world was silent. A dense fog obscured everything around a set distance from the farmhouse.

Suddenly, there was a speck of color against the dull, monochromatic landscape. Pinkie Pie walked out of the farmhouse. She stopped just outside the door to look around. She gave a faint sigh before moving on. As she walked across the barren land, she kept looking around as the world around her began to change. The trees sprang back to life, growing leaves and blooming flowers instantly. The ground beneath her hooves turned green as grass grew and spread out from her steps. As she looked toward the bleak sky, a brief rainbow adorned the clouds, and the pink mare smiled at the beautiful creation.

Pinkie began to hop around as the landscape continued to come to life. Piles of rocks began to flash multiple colors before exploding into confetti or rising into the sky as balloons. Some of the trees began to bear cupcakes and bottles of sarsaparilla as “fruit”. The farmhouse changed color and form until it looked like it was made of gingerbread and another rainbow graced the skies above the transformed structure.

Despite all the change, the dense fog on the edge of the scene remained, and only thing left untouched was the silo. Pinkie bounded up to the dull and decrepit tower and knocked on the door with a big smile. When she didn’t get a response, she opened the door and stretched her forelegs inside. As they retracted, Pinkie embraced another mare that appeared to be her twin. She bore Pinkie’s cutie mark on her flank, but her pink coat was dull like the silo, and her mane and tail were completely flat and lifeless. Her face featured a prominent frown as she gazed somberly back at the silo.

Pinkie Pie led her dour counterpart over to a couple of chairs set up facing a screen. Pinkie pulled a projector out of thin air and placed it on the table behind the chairs as her dull twin pawed at the ground, tearing the grass up. Pinkie brought her forehooves up to her head, which she tapped a couple of times before pulling a film reel out of one of her ears. After threading the film, she jumped into her chair and beckoned her other half to sit in the adjacent chair. The straight-maned Pinkamena – who had produced a small pile of rocks from the ground – rolled her eyes as she slowly slunk into the chair.

The light that suffused the landscape dimmed as the projector started up. The screen flickered to life with images of Ponyville and Pinkie’s friends as the events of a previous day played out in front of the two mares. Pinkie pointed out the smiling faces of her friends and the fun they had together to her companion – all the while enjoying a bag of popcorn she had pulled from hammer-space. Pinkamena looked on – taking in the scenes and commentary – but appeared unmoved compared to her energetic doppelganger. She only sighed and begrudgingly sat through the show.

Princess Luna viewed the dreamscape from a window hidden in the sky. She had seen these events played out before; every time they ended the same way. She really believes she can change a part of who she is, Luna thought. How many more times will she try? Luna couldn’t help but smile as she answered her own question. Until she succeeds. She saw the film flicker to an end and the light returned to sky. I wish you the best of luck, my little lucid dreamer. She was about to leave before she spotted a lone pink cloud floating nearby. Luna used her magic to disperse the cloud completely, but not before it released a single drop of chocolate milk that fell to the ground unnoticed. Luna hummed inquisitively before closing the window, causing it to vanish from the dreamscape.

The screen, chairs, table, and projector had disappeared. Pinkie had taken the film reel and slid it back into her head with ease. Pinkamena was trudging back to the silo, but Pinkie bounded up to her and hugged her one last time before she reached the door. Pinkie whispered something into her ear, and for a brief moment, Pinkamena’s face changed. It wasn’t a smile, but it wasn’t a frown either.

Pinkie released her, and Pinkamena walked through the door into the dull and lonely silo. Pinkie slowly turned around and walked back to the farmhouse as the silo door closed. As she entered the house, the landscape began to change back. The gloom spread out from the silo and the bright colors receded to the house. The balloons and confetti faded, the fruits from the trees fell and sunk into the ground, and the rocks returned as the grass withered away. The last thing to change was the farmhouse; the gingerbread structure turned back into a dilapidated wooden house that lacked any paint.

The landscape was once again desolate and grey, with one small exception: A small rainbow graced the sky, right above the silo.

*Pinkie Pie awakes*

Author's Note

I've been wanting to get this scene done for sometime, as it was the first one I came up with when I started this dream story concept. It was originally going to be a dialogue between Luna and Pinkie with more explanation as to what Pinkie was doing, but I began to feel that it was going to be boring; too much "tell" and not enough "show". I'm glad I removed the dialogue all together; the story is about Pinkie, not Luna, and I feel this approach allows for a wider interpretation. Dreams are what you take from them; they change as your view differs.