Half Past Ten

by Ashfur

Rating: everyone
Tags: Human, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Tantabus, Original Character
Length: 8073

No longer under Luna's control, the weakened Tantabus needs a caretaker. Unfortunately for Jake, the local human, he gets the job.

Injured, broken, and nearly powerless after Luna learned to accept her own mistakes, the Tantabus was presumed long gone. But the truth is that it lives on, trying to lead a normal life under 'her' adoptave father, Jake. Stranger still is that not everypony can see her, and she feels oddly weak when nopony else is around...

Published 2019-03-04 23:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-04-30 17:05:28 UTC

Illusions

The streets of Ponyville were quieter than Jake had ever seen it as he took his evening stroll. Ever since he had appeared here due to a freak magical anomaly a year ago, the evening hours were the only time he could really get anything done without the awkward stares that came standard with him being the only one of his kind. The wind ruffled his chestnut-colored hair as he strode down the main street of the town, making sure to preserve the peace and tranquility the quiet evening offered him. Something felt wrong, though. In all the time he had lived there, Ponville had never been so quiet. Even at the latest of late nights he could still count on running into a pony or two burning the midnight oil or out for a romantic stroll. It felt, honestly, as though the whole town was asleep, all at once, and he was the only one awake. Still, the cool night air provided a much needed reprieve from his day job helping Twilight keep her castle tidy and organized, so Jake paid the eerie silence no mind as he climbed a small hill outside of town to his favorite stargazing spot.

Taking his blanket out of his backpack, Jake laid it out on the soft grass underneath a lone oak tree at the top of the hill overlooking the sleepy hamlet. Laying back, he turned his gaze skyward, looking to enjoy the beautiful masterpiece Princess Luna had created that night. And as always, she had delivered: pinpricks of light sparkled through the sky like falling snow caught in the glow of a lamppost, with the moon hanging between them as a perfect backdrop for the astrological dance going on above Jake’s head. While it had always been strange to him that Luna needed to manually raise the moon and create the stars every evening, the fact that he had a new night sky to gaze upon every night was a gift Jake had never thought possible. Looking up at the twinkling lights in the night sky, Jake idly traced out constellations he’d forget come the morning with his finger. He chuckled to himself, imagining that his finger was a mighty sword capable of cleaving the sky in twain, and motioned as though he was cutting the very fabric of reality on the atmosphere above him.

And the sky split.

A massive tear appeared in the skies above Ponyville, and Jake scrambled to his feet in terror at the sudden appearance of the phenomenon. In the hazy area beyond the tear, he could see shapes. Moving shapes, dozens of small colorful equine blurs appearing to attack a massive, evil looking cloud of… something. “What in the worlds is THAT?!” Jake cried out, backing up against the old oak tree to keep his balance. He reached into his backpack again, this time pulling out a high-quality pair of binoculars he used for birdwatching with his friend Fluttershy. Normally it was too dark to use them at night, but with the bright glow of the rift, he could see through it. “Is… is that Ponyville?” He mused, squinting to make out the blurry shapes on the other side of the dimensional divide. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that looks like ponyville in the middle of one of their… more interesting Tuesdays. Are they fighting to keep that big thing from getting through? Geez, Twilight would probably give her left hoof to see this…” He watched as the battle raged on, unable to make out the identities of anything beyond the opening. It seemed that every time the big creature almost made it through, something stopped its progress. If nothing else, it was quite the lightshow, and the most interesting thing he had seen stargazing, ever. Realizing that more often than not, Twilight and friends would solve the situation before it got out of hand, he sat back down and watched the show through his binoculars.

It kept going on and on, but eventually the smaller colorful shapes were knocked back by the big shape. It made for the rift, sticking part of its head out, and for the first time Jake saw exactly what he was looking at as it passed partially into reality. Something… something about the starry head and mane that stared at him with empty eyes was decidedly wrong, triggering some primal instinct of Jake’s that this was without a doubt a serious threat, a predator on the hunt. But before he could scream and run, there was a bright light from within the rift, and the shadowy creature rapidly shrunk along with the tear in reality. In mere moments it was gone, the night sky returned to normal, but Jake watched through his binoculars as a tiny, almost impossible to spot figure get cut off of the nightmarish creature by the collapsing rift’s abrupt closure. It plummeted to the ground on the other side of town, by the lake.

“Was… was that a pony? If it was, I have to help them!” Jake didn’t even bother collecting his blanket, choosing to stuff his binoculars haphazardly into his backpack and zip it up before sprinting off towards the other side of town, where the strange object had fallen. The town was still dead silent, the only noises to be heard being Jake’s footfalls as he rushed at top speed through the main roads to reach his destination. The one good thing about being twice as tall as the ponies was that he could really book it if he wanted to, outpacing all but the pegasi and maybe Applejack on a good day. And with the fact that someone might be in danger, the adrenaline pumping through his system made sure Jake had plenty of energy to make it to the lake in record time.

The creatively named Ponyville Lake wasn't too large, but it was still a formidable task to search the entire area. Jake took a quick moment to survey the area, pulling a flashlight out of his backpack. Panning it over the lake, he found it serenely calm. In fact, the eerie silence that permeated the town seemed to have continued to the waterfront. Not even the frogs were making any noises, giving an otherworldly, almost dreamlike feel to the area as the stars twinkled above. “Hello?” Jake cried out. “Is anyone hurt? I thought I saw someone fall here!” He began the trek around the lake, sweeping his flashlight to and fro looking for any signs of life. “There better not be any timberwolves out here this time of night. I swear, if I ever see another one of those, it’ll be too soon.”

Continuing his trek around the lake, he thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Swinging his flashlight to catch it, he saw the briefest glimpses of a pony’s tail as it ran off into the darkness beyond his flashlight beam. “Hey, wait! Are you okay, whoever you are? I need to find what fell here!” Jake pushed more energy into his weary legs, moving after the mystery pony, but no more than ten feet away from where he started he found himself at a worn, old dock with a single aged rowboat tethered to it. Looking at the dock, Jake realized he was on the far end of the lake, and he could see Ponyville in the distance. There was a small island in the middle of the lake, one that only he and his pegasus friends could reach due to the deep water only a human like Jake could enjoy swimming through. “Hmmm… maybe there?” Jake quickly untied the rowboat and started for the island.

The trip didn’t take long as the lake wasn’t that large, only costing Jake ten minutes of effort. He was also happy to use his arms for a bit after all that running. As Jake arrived, he scanned the area with his flashlight and quickly spotted a cluster of rose bushes that were roughed up as though something or someone had used them as an impromptu landing pad. “Hello? Hello?! Is anyone there?” Jake cried out, running toward the bushes. “If you can hear me, answer me!” Reaching the bushes, he recklessly stuck his hands in and pulled the plants apart, ignoring the pain as dozens of tiny thorns dug into his arms. “Again, is anyone here? Are you hurt? Hello?”

Peering into the bushes, Jake saw a small impact crater . Lying there amidst the broken brambles and ruined flowers was a small filly, no older than six years old by the looks of it. Her coat was a dark purple, her mane only the slightest shade lighter. Amidst her coat and mane were tiny flecks of white fur, giving Jake the impression that he was looking at the night sky itself. Her eyes were shut and her breathing was ragged, dozens of tiny cuts crisscrossing her torso thanks to the thorns on the rose bushes. But one thing above all else caught Jake’s eye as he gingerly lifted her out of her prickly bed. “An alicorn? How is that possible? I thought there were only the four. Wouldn’t a new one cause a bit of news? Well, no point worrying about that now. Come on little one, I’ll get you patched up and then tomorrow we can work on finding your family.” Cradling the sleeping filly in his arms, Jake turned around and made tracks for the boat, and after that, he planned to take her back to his house on the edge of Ponyville.

Author's Note

Eroraf86 and Light Heart 101 both gave me seperate ideas that sparked this story. Thanks, guys! Enjoy the ride!

My Name is

The inside of Jake’s admittedly small home on the edge of town was dark and lonely. Since he had moved in a few months prior after being released from Twilight’s care, Jake had gotten a job working for the purple Princess keeping her castle clean and organized. It wasn’t the most glamorous job, but he made do with what he had. Of course, all the calm and silence went out the window as Jake all but kicked the door in, cradling a small filly in his arms. “Okay, first aid. Where did I put the first aid kit?” Gingerly setting the foal down on the couch, he flicked on the lights and dashed off into the bathroom to fetch his medical supplies. After all, he had a child to take care of, one who seemed like they suffered a nasty fall. Thankfully, the house was well-stocked with supplies, and within minutes the human was back in the living room, carrying antiseptic gels and bandages for the filly’s cuts. He glanced at her again. Alicorns were supposed to be rare, with only four known to exist currently. Where had this little one come from? “Oh well,” he mused, “No point pondering her origins. I need to get the poor girl cleaned up, first.”

And so Jake set to work. Taking a washcloth soaked in warm water, he gingerly dabbed the blood off of her skin before carefully applying some antiseptic cream he got from Zecora and topping it off with a fur-friendly bandage. How they worked he’d never know beyond ‘its magic, just roll with it’, but they worked, and that’s all Jake could ask for. He repeated this process with each major cut on the foal’s torso and neck, electing to simply clean off the smaller wounds for the time being. Even so, it looked like the filly was well on her way to being dressed as a mummy for Nightmare Night. “Poor thing,” Jake noted with a somber expression. “I don’t even know you and I can tell you’ve been through a lot.” He paused, gently brushing a lock of her mane away from her face so he could check for wounds there as well. “How in the world did you end up in the middle of the lake, though? I suppose I’ll need to ask you what you remember when you wake up. No point in guessing right now.”

Satisfied that his work was done, Jake washed his hands and removed a slip of brightly colored construction paper covered in crayon markings from his things drawer. “Looks like I finally have an excuse to use this, at least.” He held it up to the light to double-check that he had taken out the correct object. On the slip of paper was a stick figure pony drawn in pink glitter glue, and in various colors of crayon, the following was written: “Welcome to Ponyville, Jake! Good for one Favor, no questions asked! Love, Pinkie Pie. Valid through-” along with a series of alien symbols that looked like some sort of date. But then again, Pinkie does whatever Pinkie feels like doing, and he’d learned not to question it anytime soon. Tucking the coupon into his jacket pocket as he hung it up on the coat rack, Jake turned back to face the small, speckled filly on his couch. “Don’t worry, little one. I’m gonna help you find your family, whatever it takes. I promise. But for now, rest. When you wake up, I’ll be here.” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, just underneath her horn, and pulled his head back to take one last look at the sleeping child…

Only to find a pair of eyes staring back at him, full of curiosity. The little pony was awake.

“Who…” She yawned cutely, as though she had been out for a long time. That first word, though, it hung in the air. Already, her sweet young voice melted Jake’s heart. The filly refocused her amber eyes on the human. “Who are you? And where am I? And why do I hurt?”

Jake performed a full mental reboot as he knelt down in front of the couch in the most non-threatening position he could think of. “T-There’s no cause for alarm,” he reassured her with a shaky voice. Social interactions were never really his thing, but this was important, so Jake swallowed his fears and kept going. “I found you out by the lake and you were hurt pretty bad. There wasn’t anyone… er, anypony, around to help you, so I brought you back to my house so I could get you patched up. Are you feeling alright? Now that you’re up, I’d like to get you cleaned up a bit more with a bath. Can you walk?”

“I think so… but could you carry me just in case, mister? I kinda need a hug, too…” The filly fid her face behind her mane for a moment, clearly embarrassed to ask a stranger for a hug.

“Aw, no worries. Come here, let me get ya up. I’m Jake, by the way.” He lifted the foal in his arms, holding her to his chest. Her ear flicked about in such a way that it landed above Jake’s heart, and much like the heartbeat of a mother soothes her child, so too did the rhythmic thumping inside Jake’s chest calm down the pony in his arms. When Jake felt he had let the hug go on long enough to offer the filly some time to calm down, he booped her on the nose and started walking to the bathroom. “What’s your name, anyway? I doubt you want me calling you ‘Little One’ all the time.”

The filly seemed to stop for a moment as they entered the bathroom. As Jake set her down and began preparing a bath, tears welled in her eyes. “I… I don’t know,” She whispered.

“What was that?” Jake replied. He was unable to hear her whisper over the running water.

“I DON’T KNOW!” She screamed back at him. The sheer force of her outcry nearly sent Jake barreling into the tub. “I… I can’t remember my name! I don’t remember anything! All I remember was this feeling of being taken off of something, then a fall… and then I woke up here! Mister Jake, who…” She choked back a sob. “Who am I?!”

Jake turned around and swept the filly up into a hug, her softly falling tears staining his custom-made shirt. Sorry, Rarity, He thought. But you make all my clothes. One shirt isn’t gonna kill ya. “Hey, hey. It’s alright. You probably just hit your head when you fell into those rose bushes and the memories got knocked around. They’ll come back. Don’t worry.” Jake ran his hand through her mane, holding the filly close as he let her cry it out. When she seemed like she had cried all she could, she just held onto Jake.

“What am I gonna do? I don’t even know who my mommy and daddy are.”

“Hey, relax.” He lifted her out of her hold on his shoulder and looked her in the face. “Everything is going to be alright. But for now, I gotta call you something. How about…” A flash of inspiration flew through his mind, almost like magic. He never understood magic, but it existed, so he tended not to ask questions that would get him a long lecture from Twilight. “...How about Mystic Lodestar? Do you know what a lodestar is?”

“N-no. What’s a lodestar, Mister Jake?”

“A lodestar is a bright star in the sky that guides people. And we want to guide your family to you, right? And mystic, because you’ve got that mystical, one-of-a-kind look to you,” he added, nuzzling her to show he cared. “It’s perfect! What do you think, Myst?”

“Myst… Mystic Lodestar…” Myst rolled the name on her tongue for a moment, as if testing it. Then her face lit up with a smile. “I love it!”

“Good! Now then, let’s get you cleaned up.” Jake lowered Myst into the bath, then reached under his sink to retrieve some mane and fur shampoos. “Thankfully my friends left these here for when they sleep over,” he explained, omitting the fact that it was mostly for Twilight’s research or Pinkie declaring a surprise slumber party for her and her five friends at his place. “But I don’t think they’ll mind if I borrow them. Now sit still and let me get those cuts of yours all cleaned up, alright Myst?”

Mystic seemed to grow happier and happier with each mention of her new name. “Mhm!” she nodded, closed her eyes, and allowed Jake to pamper her as he took care of her wounds once more. He was careful to not apply too much pressure and withdrew his hands whenever he made her flinch from brushing over a bigger cut, but before long she was clean, and only wearing four bandages instead of the twenty she had earlier.

As he dried her off, Jake explained what he expected to happen next. “Now, Myst, I don’t have any extra toothbrushes or whatnot, but I can fix that tomorrow. When we get up, we’re gonna go talk with my friends, and ask around town if anyone knows you, alright? If we can find a pony who recognizes you, we can get you back to your family faster! I bet they miss you.” He withdrew the damp towel, and almost tossed it to the laundry hamper but elected to hang it on the guest towel rack instead, in case she had to stay another night. “You can use the guest bedroom, and I’ll be right down the hall if you need me.” He quickly took her to the guest room and tucked her in, kissing her on the forehead once more. “Goodnight, Myst.”

“Goodnight, Mister Jake.”

Jake went back to the bathroom and got himself cleaned up for bed, and went to his bedroom. Just as he laid down in his oversized bed (by pony standards, at least), there was a knock at his bedroom door. He quickly got up and swung it open, finding a familiar little filly. Myst looked up at Jake, sheepishly scuffing her front hoof on the carpet. “Um… Mister Jake, I’m still a little scared. Could… could I sleep with you tonight? Please?”

“Aw… you don’t even have to ask. Come on, up we go!” Jake scooped the alicorn filly up in his arms once more, shutting the door behind him, and got her situated into bed with him. He cuddled her close, making sure she felt safe, warm, and comfortable. “Now then… goodnight, Mystic.”

Myst yawned, and snuggled herself up against Jake’s chest. “Goodnight Mister Jake… I love you.” She was so exhausted from her ordeal that she didn't even realize what she had said. And with that, she was out like a light, her breathing becoming slow and quiet.

Jake just smiled and shook his head. “I love you too, you silly filly. Now get some rest.” He kissed her mane one last time, turned out the light, and within minutes he too was sleeping peacefully, with a foal snuggled in his arms.

Author's Note

Well, this story took off faster than I expected! So here's a chapter ahead of my original schedule to compensate! Sorry I took so long to update.

Now, I have a very important question for you all.

Would you snuggle a Myst?

Daydream, believe her

The rays of the morning sun shone into Jake’s bedroom, waking the human up. Like all creatures, it took a few seconds for his brain to reboot from nothing, first recalling who he was, then where he was. As he snuggled back into the warm confines of his bed for a few more minutes of sleep, though, he felt something shift in the bed next to him. A small bundle of fur squirmed in his arms, and as Myst poked her head out from under the blankets, the memories of the previous night came flowing back. “Good morning mister Jake!”

Jake smiled warmly at his little friend. It was a truly genuine smile, without any hint of sarcasm or wit, as Myst was just too cute. He ruffled the little filly’s mane gently. “Hey, kiddo! Did you sleep well last night? And are you feeling okay?”

“Uh-huh! I’m fine.” A light growl echoed through the room, and Jake chuckled. Myst soon joined in, the giggle growing into a roar as both shared a laugh that seemed to refuse to die down. Jake whapped the bed in his expression of merriment, and Myst rolled around kicking her little legs. When they finally caught their breath, Myst continued, albeit a bit embarrassed. “I guess I’m hungry, though… can you make me breakfast, mister Jake?”

“Heh, sure thing my little Myst. Come on, I’ll show you to the kitchen. Up we go!” Jake grabbed Myst and rolled out of bed, picking up the filly and cradling her in his arms. Well, he tried, at least, as the little alicorn spread her wings and flittered into the air next to him. “Or you could just do that, I guess. You winged ponies are so hard to keep grounded. Oh well, at least I can get dressed now. Shoo, I need to change.” Closing the door after Myst hovered out of the room, Jake quickly swapped his pajamas out for his street clothes. Stepping out into the hallway, motioned to his charge to follow and went to the kitchen.

Jake got out a plate for Myst and set it down on the table, turning around to grab some ingredients from his fridge. “Now, I know you probably want something sweet, but I need to head to the market later since I’m short on supplies. I do have some apples and lettuce to make you a healthy breakfast, though!” Jake allowed the image to form in his mind of Myst enjoying a full spread of Pinkie Pie-level desserts for breakfast, a look of pure elation on her young face. He made a mental note to get her something sickeningly sweet at sugarcube corner later when he asked Pinkie about the foal’s family later as he chopped up the apple into easy to eat slices. “Alright, breakfast is serv-WHA?!”

Jake recoiled in shock. Dozens of sweet treats like the ones he imagined covered the table, and Myst looked very happy. “Wow, is this for me? Thank you, mister Jake!” She levitated a cookie up in her magic and took a bite, savoring it.

“Myst, where in the world did all these desserts come from?!” Jake cautiously picked up a doughnut from the assortment of sweets and sniffed it. It smelled like a doughnut, unsurprisingly. Throwing caution to the wind, he bit into it. The flavor was far better than any doughnut he had ever had, and it seemed to melt in his mouth. He swallowed the bite after chewing, and concluded it was the best confection he had ever eaten.

Myst tilted her head, confused. “You helped me make ‘em, mister Jake! You thought of them and I made them real. Can’t everypony do that?” She devoured her cookie in a few swift bites with glee, leaving Jake stunned at the implications of this. Twilight was unfortunately going to have to know about this ASAP. An alicorn with the ability to create something from nothing? That had very bad implications.

“Okay, Myst,” he explained, “Not everyone can do that, and I need to make sure you are telling me the truth. What am I thinking of right now?”

“I don’t know that, mister Jake!” Myst giggled cutely. “You have to imagine it, and then I can make things!” So, Jake quickly held out his hand. He imagined a perfectly cut sapphire in his outstretched palm and watched in awe as Myst lit her horn and caused the same gemstone to take a physical form in his grasp. It even felt like the right weight! “Tada! Wow, that thing is sparkly.” Jake grimaced for a brief moment. This kind of power usually led to bad things happening.

“Well, seems you were telling the truth. I'll need to take you to my friend Twilight so you can get some help, alright? She’s a princess, I’m sure we can find your family with her assistance. She has connections all over Equestria.”

“Okay! Do you think she’d want any of these treats, mister Jake?”

Chuckling at the filly’s innocent mind, the human nodded. “Sure. Let’s pack that big cake up on my cart outside I use for groceries, you can use that magic creation powers of yours to fix the broken wheel on it. But first, young lady…” Jake took the salad and placed it in front of his charge. “You need a healthier breakfast than cookies. Eat up. I’ll even imagine it tastes like yummy strawberries for you, okay?”

“Okay, mister Jake… can we have more snacks later?”

“Absolutely.”

The walk to Twilight's castle was quiet, but the tranquility of the midmorning was appreciated by the pair. Jake had decided to take the slightly longer, yet more secluded path around the town perimeter to reach the gigantic crystal palace of friendship, knowing that anypony seeing the already antisocial (at least by pony standards) human pushing around a cart with an alicorn they had never heard of would be cause for alarm. However, as they approached the castle, Jake noticed that Mystic Lodestar had lost some of her peppy attitude, as far as he could tell. He paid it no mind at first, but by the time he parked the cart on Twilight's lawn she looked positively pale… well, as pale as a deep violet equine coild look. “Hey, Myst. Myst, you feeling okay?”

“Not… really…” Myst coughed once, then slumped down. Jake picked her up and perched her on his shoulder, then picked up the cake to prove to Twilight just what the filly could do.

“Don't worry, I'm sure Twilight knows a spell to fix you up, and if not we can get you to the hospital. Now let's go show her this cake you created, and we… can… huh?” As he walked closer to the front door, Jake watched as the cake slowly became transparent, like a hologram. As it got easier to see through, it became lighter and harder to hold, until it fell through Jake's fingers like a thick liquid. It was gone before it hit the ground, vanished from existence. Jake ran the last few steps and banged on the door. “TWILIGHT?! OPEN UP! IT'S JAKE!”

There was a familiar jingle of magic on the other side of the door as he heard something teleport in, and then the door creaked open, revealing the local librarian turned royalty. In all honesty, Twilight looked a bit of a mess, as though she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep. “Jake? It's barely ten thirty in the morning, what's all the ruckus?”

“Twilight! Last night, I saw this huge tear in the sky, and this alicorn came through it, and-”

“Whoa, whoa, relax! Jake, there's nothing to worry about, you were just dreaming. Princess Luna linked the dreams of everypony in ponyville, so you probably saw the same thing we all did.”

“Twilight, are you blind or something? Look, what's on my shoulder right now?” Jake quickly pointed his finger at the shoulder holding Myst.

Twilight squinted her eyes and gave the joint a thorough once-over before replying. “Uh… empty air? Jake, I… I don't think you're in the right state of kind to work today. Why don't you go home a d get some sleep?”

“But I swear there's a-” Jake turned his head and looked at his shoulder.

“Mister Jake, help…”

“Sweet mother of pearl on a pogo stick! Myst!” Jake's eyes went wide in terror as he noticed the filly perched on his shoulder hadn't just been going pale. She was fading, fast, just like the cake before her. “MYST!”

“Get me… away from her… please…”

Jake didn't even bother responding, sprinting away at wonderbolt-tier speeds away from his bookish employer/friend. At the very least, it seems to have a positive effect, as Myst lost her transparency but still looked pale.

As Twilight watched the human freak out over nothing on his shoulder and run off alone, she shook her head grimly. “Wow, whatever the Tantabus did to him must have messed with his head pretty bad. At least it doesn't exist anymore, so its nightmares will be nothing more than memories soon. I'll have Spike check in on Jake later, though. He should be fine with everypony in town to stop him from doing something dangerous… Hey!” She glanced over i to her front yard. “Why did Jake bring his broken cart here… and, where are the skid marks from dragging the broken wheel along the ground? It's like he fixed it, brought it over, and broke it again…”

Jake, of course, heard none of that as he ran straight towards the hospital with Myst cradled in his arms. “Myst, I'm here! You're gonna be alright, okay?”

“Mister Jake… I feel better, a bit… slow down…” Jake obliged reluctantly, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. “She didn't see me. She didn't believe I'm here…”

“Is this another thing you just know about, Myst? Some instinct thing?”

“Yeah. If nopony believes I'm here, I…” tears welled in her eyes. Jake quickly realized the issue: Twilight, being the logical and rational pony she is, would never believe his story without proof. But if what the sibbing bundle of fur in his arms said was true, that meant Twilight's disbelief was a health hazard for his odd little filly.”

“Hey, hey, don't cry. I promise I won't let you disappear, Myst. Because I believe you exist. Okay?”

“But what if…” she sniffled, pausing. “What if nopony else does? What if you leave and I'm all alone, and she comes back?”

“Not gonna happen, Myst." Jake hugged her close, petting her mane comfortingly. "I pinkie promise: cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, that I'll convince as many ponies around town about you that I possibly can, and then Twilight will have to believe you exist! And you know where we can start?”

Myst hugged Jake close, savoring the feeling of a creature believing she existed for a moment. She regained her normal color and finally looked up at her current guardian. “Where?”

“With the pony who has the most active imagination I know. Myst, how'd you like to go buy some cookies from a friend of mine?”

The Big Question

Sugarcube Corner loomed over Jake and Mystic as he carried her into the shadow it cast in the midday sun. Never in his life had he ever guessed that such a cheerful, colorful building would have even the slightest inclination on how to ominously loom over folks, but today it might as well have been a gallows in Jake's eyes. This was a huge, do-or-die gamble, but the odds were in his favor. Pinkie had the biggest imagination of any creature he knew in Ponyville, and one glance at the still-translucent filly in his arms cemented his decision. “Myst, do you think you can stay here for just a moment? I think if I tell her I have a pony with me, she'll be more likely to believe me.”

The filly shivered in some non-existent wind, clearly still shaken up from what had happened with Twilight. “I… I think so. I'm scared though, mister Jake.”

“Oooh, oooh! I can watch her, Jake!”

“Oh, hey Pinkie!” Jake smiled warmly at his bubbly friend. “Yeah, you stay here and watch Myst while I go find Pinkie and tell her that Myst is new in town.” He knocked on the back door and pushed it open, but as he raised his leg to step inside he halted himself for a moment to process what he had just said. “Wait…”

Pinkie inhaled sharply, making a loud gasping noise. “OHMIGOSH, she's new in town? I knew my Pinkie sense told me that if I took my break and went out back I'd find something great but I didn't expect it to be a new friend AND a current friend! I have so many questions! Where are you from? Why are you with Jake? How did you meet? Where's your family so I can welcome them too? I HAVE TOO MANY QUESTIONS!! Oh, and how are you doing today, Jakie?” Pinkie added that last question nonchalantly, as though she had just greeted Jake at the counter and not just finished barraging him with questions.

“Whoa, tone it back, Pinks! She's a little shook up and doesn't need any undue excitement. Could we chat about this inside?”

“Okie dokie loki! Let's head to my room, that fastest way I know how!”

“And here we are! Casa de Pinkie Pie! So, who's this little one and what kind of cake do you want for a welcome party?”

Myst shied away from the bombastic mare, which Pinkie took note of. She put on a calmer face knowing not everypony liked her constant energy. Jake decided to take the lead. “Pinkie, I'd like you to meet Mystic Lodestar. Or, that's what I'm calling her for now. The poor thing hasn't been able to remember anything about her past since I found her in the island in the middle of Ponyville Lake last night.” Jake pet Myst's mane in a comforting manner, causing the filly to seemingly calm down a bit. “Don't worry, she won't hurt you, Myst. Say hi.”

“H-hello…” she muttered softly.

“Pinkie, I figured you'd be our best bet at finding who Myst really is and who her family is. And maybe why she was in the middle of the lake… Why don't you ask me some questions, so I can help you out? I'll tell you what I know.”

Suddenly, all the lights in the room went out, and a spotlight shone in Jake's eyes. Pinkie had inexplicably found a noir-style detective hat and was glaring at him from her bed. “Darn right you will, buster. Where were you on the night of the 17th?”

“Uh, Pinkie, it's only the 6th, why does that matter?”

“I ask the questions here, bub! Now, what's the price of tea in Chineigh? How many Daring Do books are there? What's your second least favorite color? Why were you in the middle of the lake last night, and how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?” She asked her questions at such a rapid-fire pace that Jake almost missed the one valid question.

“Slow down, for goodness sake! I was in the middle of the lake because I saw Myst fall from the sky and land there. I took the boat out to reach her, and-”

“Bzzzzzt! Wrong!” Interjected the bubbly pink pony. “Your story's more chock-full of holes than a changeling's legs! There are no boats on Ponyville Lake! If you saw one, you must have imagined it.”

“Wait, what?!” Jake took a step back on shock. He distinctly recalled using a rowboat to reach the center island, and seeing the brief movement of a pony's tail that had led him to the boat. Had that been Myst the whole time? He thought to himself. If her illusions can do things before disappearing, that makes so many questions… “Uh, Pinkie? I think you're right. I imagined it. But Myst here… uh…” Jake struggled with himself about whether to tell Pinkie Myst"s big secret. In the end, he lost. “She's still struggling with amnesia and I need your help finding her family. And maybe a welcome party to cheer her up…”

“Oh, that last part's easy!” Pinkie smugly pointed a hoof at the pair. “You are already partying.”

“What do you mean?” Jake asked as he spun in a circle, dancing to the beat of the music that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. In fact, somehow during the conversation they had ended up in the middle of Sugarcube Corner with a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party getting into full swing! He was also dancing with Pinkie, although he had no clue how a quadruped like her could samba so well. “Wait, what the heck?! How did we get down here? We didn't go through any doors, or stairs, and how do I suddenly know how to samba?!”

“Hihihi, just roll with it, Jake!” His dance partner cheerfully responded. “Just enjoy the party! Look, Myst is having fun, too!” She pointed a hoof over to a dessert table where Myst was constantly generating spare snacks patrons expected to be there and wolfing them down, as well as a few morsels of real treats. Ponies were greeting the pony of the hour and interacting with her without even questioning her existence, as anypony Pinkie introduced was always real.

Jake dipped Pinkie low in the dance as he smiled. Finally, he had at least solved the problem of convincing the townsponies that his little charge was real. Now all that was left for him to do was finding Myst's family and reuniting them. But for now, he simply swept his dance partner up in a spin and lost himself to the joy of the party.

Still, despite the party something was nagging at the back of Myst's head. All these ponies greeting her felt so familiar, but so foreign at the same time. It was as though she had known them in passing at one point, very recently as a matter of fact. Yet nopony knew her, and their faces did naught but draw blanks in her mind. She knew she was young, and with what had just happened with that purple pony in the castle was any indication she needed help, fast. Fading away like that felt like the world was slowly becoming muted in color and sounds more distant, as it all faded towards black, and that terrified her. Steeling her young will, she decided to take action.

“Mister Jake?” She trotted over and tugged at his pants. “Can I ask you a question? It's an important question.”

“Huh? Oh, sure, Myst! Only if I can ask you if you were the reason I ‘saw’ a boat on the lake last night.”

“That was probably me, Mister Jake, but I don't remember making it.” She watched Jake nod, then motion for her to continue. “Well… I'm not sure when mommy and daddy are gonna find us… and if they ever do, I wouldn't even know them… Mister Jake, I'm scared. Will… uh… will you be my Daddy until I find my family?”

A chorus of ‘awwww's erupted from the crowd as Jake processed the request in his head. He replied by scooping the filly up in his arms, twirling around once, and finally hugging her close to his chest so she could hear his heartbeat.

“Absolutely, my little Myst.”

Author's Note

Pinkie says:
"Omae wa mou ~~shindeiru~~ partay-ru"

Investigations

Oh my gosh, what in the world have I done?! Jake pondered as he trudged towards Sweet Apple Acres. She caught me off guard asking and I answered without thinking! Now Myst is like… my temporary kid or something! And it doesn't help that Pinkie didn't recognize her… I need to talk to Twilight again and see if she knows anything about what happened last night. But I can't risk Myst fading again! Maybe Applejack has a clue?

“Hey, Daddy?”

“Huh?” Jake was snapped out of his thoughts by the alicorn filly hanging onto his shoulder. “Oh, did you need something, Myst?”

"I'm hungry again. Can we get something to eat?"

Jake's stomach chose that moment to growl, and a feeling of hunger washed over him as well. "Huh. I am, too. You'd think all that food you dreamed up would have filled us up, but it feels like it vanished before it even reached our stomachs! Well, let's go see Applejack. I needed to ask about what happened last night. If we can figure out what was going on with that rift in the sky, we can figure out where your family is. And the elements of harmony are our best bet."

Myst pouted. "But I want food, daddy!" She hovered in the air next to Jake, landing on his shoulder and hugging his head for balance. "Can't we get something to eat first?"

"That's why we're going to Applejack's place! She grows really delicious apples. Plus, she might know something." He paused as they passed the first of several dozen-dozen apple trees lining the path to the farmhouse. "Hey, Myst. Imagine a ladder for me, I wanna try something."

"Sure thing!" Myst focused her energy, and Jake watched as a ladder faded into view in front of him, leaning against the tree trunk. He reached out and touched it. It felt solid.

"Huh. So your illusions can be felt, I guess. But do they really interact with reality? I know that's what Twilight would ask, and since we can't go to her right now…" Jake cautiously placed his foot on the first rung of the ladder. He shifted his weight so the ladder was completely supporting him. He didn't fall through and hit the ground; it may as well have been a normal ladder! He swiftly scaled the remaining rungs and plucked a pair of apples from one of the higher branches before clambering back down. "...Incredible," he breathed. "It's just magic, it wasn't there before, but I climbed up it and got these apples. And yet…" he reached out to the ladder again, reminding himself it wasn't real and there shouldn't be a ladder there. His hand phased through it, the whole ladder turning translucent until he pulled back. "This has a lot of potential, Myst."

"It won't stay forever, though!" She reminded Jake, taking the offered apple and biting into it. It was a real apple, she noted. She felt the juices running down her throat, unlike any illusion ones that seemed to vanish once she swallowed. "Do you think Applejack will be mad we took her apples?"

"Eh, she owes me a favor anyway, and I can always pay her later. She trusts me on that. As for your illusions ultimately vanishing, they still have quite a few practical applications. You could stop a collapsing building until everyone got out with that kind of power!" Jake stepped up to the porch of the Apple homestead, and knocked on the door four times. "But that can wait. Let's talk to AJ for now."

Within moments, the door swung open and an orange-coated mare trotted out to greet the pair. "Well, howdy, Jake! An' you must be that new filly I heard about. Weird seein a new alicorn, but weird is pretty normal here since Discord started hangin' around. Ah'm Applejack. Who are you?"

"M-myst, miss Applejack. Mystic Lodestar." Myst was hanging off of Jake's shoulder, and hid herself behind his head to avoid eye contact.

Jake raised his hand to signal that he wanted to speak. "She's been through a lot, AJ. She's a tad skittish. Can we come in? I needed to ask you a few questions about last night." Applejack nodded, ushering them into the home. The living room had a sturdy couch Jake knew was strong enough to fit him, so he plopped down there and set Myst beside him. Applejack cantered off into the kitchen, quickly returning with a platter holding several glasses of apple juice.

"So what did y'all want to talk about? It was pretty crazy, wasn't it?" She asked the pair, sipping her beverage.

"Well, that's the issue," Replied Jake. "It seems like everyone in town knows what happened but me. I was awake late last night when I saw this huge portal open in the sky! I thought I saw Ponyville through it, but it looked different, and there was this giant monster made of smoke…"

"Wait, y'all were awake during that? Ah thought everypony was asleep for that! No wonder ya don't got a clue what's going on!" Applejack paused as Jake made a clicking noise with his tongue, reminding her of the error she just made. "Right, everypony was asleep. But ah thought everyBODY was asleep."

"Yeah, well, ya thought wrong, AJ." Jake downed his glass of apple juice in a few quick gulps before continuing. "So, what exactly happened? You make it sound like you lot had some kinda dream adventure."

"Well, yer not wrong. See, it went like this…"

"So, let me get this straight. Luna created some sort of dream beast-"

"The Tantabus, she called it. Yeah."

"-and it tried to break out of the dream world and cause mayhem in the real world? With reality warping powers?"

"Yeah," Applejack replied. "That's probably what ya saw. Thank heaven we stopped it before it got through."

Jake glanced at his charge, who appeared to be shhing away in fear. "Myst, you alright? The Tantabus can't hurt you. I'll keep you safe."

"B-but if that portal led to the dream world, and you said I fell through it, then that means…" Myst started go seem a little pale again. Jake stepped between Myst and Applejack so she wouldn't see Myst fading, and picked her up in a hug.

"Shush. You're real. And I'm here. Maybe princess Luna can help us, but I'm not gonna abandon you. And…" Jake thought for a moment about how to not set off the living lie detector next to him. "I only said I saw something fall through the portal. I found you near where I thought it landed. You're not a dream, Myst. Don't let yourself believe that."

Applejack, having been informed Myst had a bit of amnesia, felt realization wash over her. "Y'all think she came from the dream? That don't sound right. But if she's worried, princess Luna is definitely yer next step." Applejack was interrupted by Jake and Myst's bellies growling hungrily. She paused, stood up, and gestured for them to follow her to the kitchen. "After a bit of southern hospitality, that is. Come on, I'll fix ya somethin nice."

Author's Note

Dear Celestia above, I just could. Not. Write! This chapter may have been the toughest thing I've ever written, for some reason. If I missed something, let me know.