//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Dreamscape // Story: Crusader // by Ephraim Blue //------------------------------// Chapter 2 - Dreamscape Scootaloo finally fell asleep. She was worried that she would spend the rest of the day trying to cry out the tears she didn't have. It also felt good to get some rest after the days rather... surprising events. Sitting on the middle of a large meadow, Dream Scootaloo was in the warmth of the sun. She felt like she could do anything. She would defy all nature, laws, and even the rule of the princesses if it meant getting to sleep in a meadow like this. Without warning, a small cloud appeared overhead, blocking out the sun from the world Dream Scootaloo rested upon. The small pegasus filly noticed the change of light and warmth reaching her, and looked up to see that one cloud on the way of her sunlight. With an extremely tired yawn, Dream Scootaloo shook her hoof at the cloud and said in a sleepy voice: "Shoo cloud. *Yawn* Go fly over somepony else's head." The cloud didn't listen. It stood there in the sky. It didn't even move a slight inch when the wind started blowing, making it even colder than it already was. Annoyed, the filly stood up and yelled to the cloud: "Hey! Cloud! Move it! If you don't move within 10 seconds, I'm coming up there and you'll regret it!" "10!" The cloud remained in its solitary position. "9!" Nothing happened. The cloud stayed where it was. "8!" The cloud moved! No, wait, that was just a petal of a white flower. "7!" "Scootaloo." "6!" "Scootaloo." "5!" "Scootaloo!" The filly jumped at the voice that seemed to appear next to her. She turned to see no other pony than The Princess of the Night herself. "Oh, um. Your highness," Dream Scootaloo said as she bowed before the princess. "Please, call me Luna," she said. "Might I ask, why were you yelling at that cloud?" "I was enjoying some sunlight on the fields here when it appeared over-top my head." "Do you know why it moved there?" "No, but I do wish it would move." "Why don't you ask it politely to move?" "Clouds don't work like that, princ- er, Luna." "They do in other dreams I've entered." "What do you mean?" "You're dreaming, Scootaloo." "Really?" she asked as she poked one of her hooves at the air around her. Just like the last time she realized she was in a dream, it waved. "It seems so real, just like last time." "Dreams have a tendency to do that. Tell me, young one. Why are you sleeping in the middle of the day?" Dream Scootaloo sat on the ground around her. "I don't know," she confessed. "I guess that it has something to do with what happened earlier today." "And what was that?" "Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got their cutie marks before me." "Oh, my," she said. "Well, that couldn't have been the only thing that depressed you. What else is it about?" "They can't be a part of our club anymore. We all founded it, but since they got their cutie marks, they can't participate in the club at all." At that point, Scootaloo was crying again. She didn't care that it was a dream anymore. She didn't care if The Princess of the Night was in front of her. She wouldn't have cared if Celestia herself was in front of her. She was sad. She wanted her friends to do fun stuff in the club with her once again. "What did you say to them?" Scootaloo stopped crying, looked at the princess and asked: "What?" *sniff* After they told you they got their cutie marks, what did you say to them?" "I- I s- said that I n- never wanted to see them a- again." *sobs* "Don't cry, young one. Remember, they will always be there for you. Even if you are completely lost, they will be there for you." "But, Luna, what if-" Dream Scootaloo started, but stopped once she realized that the princess had vanished into thin air. Thinking about what to do with the rest of the dream, she looked up, saw the cloud, and thought. Waking up from her dream, Scootaloo looked at the clock next to her bed. It read: 3:17 PM. Getting out of bed, she trotted over to the fridge to take out an apple. The Apple Family grew the best apples around. They were soft, juicy, and ripe to the core. They came into the market every Thursday to sell more apples to the public. Normally, Scootaloo wouldn't be able to pay for them, but she got a small part-time job at quills and sofas. She went there every Tuesday, worked on restocking the shelves, and earned a small pay which she used to pay for food for the week. It was a small pay, but it was enough to keep her going. Biting the apple made her think of Apple Bloom. Her 'friend' was a part of the apple family. She worked there, earned money from working on chores, stiff like that. Trying to get her 'friend' out of her mind, she quickly devoured the apple. Continuing through the house, Scootaloo sat on her old couch. It wasn't much of a couch, but it was enough for her comfort. The couch made her think of Sweetie Belle's sister, Rarity. She was a fashion designer who made her living making clothes for the needy. This started getting on the young filly's nerves. She didn't want to remember her friends. Her friends left her behind. She would find new friends! A thought then raced through the young filly's mind.You'll find new friends? it asked. Ha. You are alone now, Scootaloo. Its time you learned that. Scootaloo got off the couch and ran toward the door, stopping just in time to come to a halt in front of it. Staring at the door made her wonder. Could she find new friends? Would her old friends accept her as their friend again? No. They didn't want to be around her anymore. Her friends basically came to her face and said: 'Now that we have our cutie marks, we are going to stop hanging out with you.' Moving away from the door, Scootaloo sat on the floor of her house. She didn't want to be alone, she wanted her friends. But after what she said to them, how could she face them now? Laying on the floor, she stayed there, and silently cried once more.