//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Special Assignment // Story: Lessons From Ponyville Elementary // by Blade Star //------------------------------// I found myself standing in a strange void. Well, void isn’t really the right word. This place, wherever it was, was like the images you might see of distant galaxies through a powerful telescope. All around me were stars, nebulas, shooting stars, planets, and everything else you’d expect to find on an episode of Star Trek. I seemed to be standing on a strange, winding path that stretched out seemingly to infinity in both directions. It too seemed to be made up of stars and nebulae. Yet somehow, it was solid and I was able to stand on it. While I didn’t seem to be in any imminent danger; there was still sufficient air considering I was in space, I was somewhat concerned. For starters, I had no idea where in Equestria I was, or if I was even still in Equestria at all. More importantly though, I had no memory of how I had gotten here, or any clue as to how to get back. I was about to simply start walking in one direction or another and see what happened, when I was joined by a familiar face. Appearing seemingly out of the ether, and floating on imperceptible thermals, Princess Luna floated down on the wing, and alighted beside me. “Greetings, Margaret.” she said as she folded her wings to her sides. Both her voice and her form seemed a little strange. It was as if she was being distorted slightly. Her voice now had something of a slight echo to it and her form seemed to ripple like water. She was around the same height as me. I’m not particularly tall at 5’0, but it puts me around Luna’s height, and taller than most ponies by a few inches. Her mane and tail, as ever with both princesses, seemed to flow in a non-existent breeze. After standing there, thoroughly bewildered, I remembered my manners and offered a quick bow, and returned her greeting. “Hello, Princess Luna.” I replied. The alicorn smiled a moment and shook her head. “Please. As I often say to your son, there is no need for formality here. You may call me Luna.” I quickly got to the matter at hand. “Where are we, Luna? What is this place?” At my question, Luna’s voice and body language betrayed a hint of pride. “This is the realm of dreams; my domain. This is where ponies go when they sleep. I keep watch each night over my subjects, and ensure that they are not troubled by some of them more malignant creatures here.” I was taken aback. Magic is something I’ve gotten used to recently, but still, the number of times I’ve seen the laws of physics messed with here, it boggles the mind. “So I’m asleep right now?” I asked. Luna nodded. “Indeed. I apologise for bringing you out of your dream, but I believe we need to talk.” I still had a couple of questions though. “How did you bring me out of my dream?” I asked. Tapping her hoof on the floor for a moment, Luna activated her dream magic. I watched as both sides of the path we stood on were suddenly populated by hundreds, if not thousands, of doors. Bedroom doors to be exact. “Each of these portals,” Luna explained. “Leads to the dreams of a certain pony. If need be I may enter them. But I may also remove them from the dream altogether, in which case I bring them here, to the dreamscape. That is what I did in your case. I apologise for your confusion, I neglected to make you lucid until I had brought you here.” Well, that explained my amnesia. “So what do you want with me?” I asked. Luna rapped her hoof on the ground again, and all but three of the doors vanished back into the ether. The remaining doors were clearly those which led to foals rooms, and fillies judging by the artwork on some of them. Luna moved over to the door on the far left. A solid looking wooden door bearing the symbol of an apple on it amongst other things. Turning the knob, she opened it, revealing daylight and wide, open fields beyond. It actually was a dream. Luna gestured for me to follow her. “Come, let me show you why I have paid call on you tonight.” She then stepped inside. Seeing no real harm if I was with an expert, I tentatively followed. When I followed the princess through the Monsters Inc-esque door my vision briefly went white. Luckily, that didn’t last too long, and I soon got a chance to look around and see where I was. I suppose the apple on the door should have been a decent clue for me; I was standing on Sweet Apple Acres, perhaps one of the largest apple orchards in all of Equestria. The place is looked after by Applejack, my own son, and Big Macintosh. One of my students, Apple Bloom, also calls this farm home. The Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse is also here too; a large treehouse situated in a quiet corner of the farm. Speaking of the little filly, I spotted her meandering around the farmyard. Luna was again standing beside me and quickly explained things. “This is little Apple Bloom’s dream,” she said, gesturing to the world around us. “Or at least, it is a recreation of a dream she had recently. Consider it an ‘action replay’ of sorts. We are invisible observers here though, so do not try and communicate with anypony. I nodded in understanding. The two of us walked over to Apple Bloom. Imagine my surprise when I saw that she had a cutie mark. She, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle have been trying for ages to get their cutie marks to appear, trying all sort of different occupations, and causing quite a bit of trouble on occasion. But I was surprised at what her mark was. It was for pest control of all things. I would have expected that, given her family history, her mark would be in some way related to farming, or apples. I wouldn’t even be surprised if it was something like DIY or potion making; she has been taking lessons with Zecora, our friendly neighbourhood shaman, quite a bit recently. But no, in her dream, her special talent, her defining characteristic, was capturing annoying little pests called ‘Twitter Mites’; annoying little insects, somewhat like parasprites, that can create electric shocks when they form into a swarm. There’s an internet joke in there somewhere, but I’ll leave it alone. Anyway, understandably, she was a little upset at this rather humdrum ‘destiny’ and found herself wishing her new cutie mark away. Running into the Everfree Forest, she found this wish granted by some unknown being. Though judging by the Equalist drivel it was spewing, I almost thought it to be that Starlight Glimmer pony Twilight and her friends had recently lit a fire under. Apple Bloom asked this being to remove her cutie mark from her, which it was happy to oblige. So, her cutie mark was gone, much to the little filly’s relief. However, at that moment, a massive swarm of Twitter Mites began to swarm around the farm. In a matter of moments, they had gathered enough strength to attack the farmhouse. Poor Apple Bloom had to watch as her home was turned to ash by the parasites. Everything went black then, presumably that was when she woke from the nightmare. However Luna explained what happened next. “The dream then began to destabilise and form itself into a loop. Apple Bloom relived the same basic scenario several times before I could intervene, she would wake up with a cutie mark, and it would somehow bring nothing but sadness to her. “Eventually, seeing the trauma the poor thing was being put through, I stepped in and banished the nightmare. The creature was her own shadow; the darker part of herself. I then brought her to the dreamscape as I did with you.” Dreams in Equestria are funny things. They aren’t just random images strung together and forgotten after we wake up. They are often more like visions and are usually carrying some sort of message. Freud would have a field day if he ever came to Equestria. The meaning of Apple Bloom’s dream was obvious. “So Apple Bloom is anxious about getting her cutie mark?” I asked. Luna nodded. “She is,” she replied. “The filly is worried what will happen if she doesn’t get what she deems the ‘right’ mark. It is a difficult time for somepony her age after all.” “Very true,” I replied. Ponies have it a little easier than humans when it comes to finding a purpose in life. When they realise that purpose, a symbol of it appears on their hind quarters. They even have a little party afterwards to celebrate. But it isn’t as simple as that. Not every mark is clear and simple. Applejack is a skilled apple farmer, so her mark is three apples. The same can be said of Big Mac. Rarity in contrast, is a skilled fashion designer, yet her cutie mark is three gems. And don’t even get me started on what Diamond Tiara’s cutie mark means. I mean what is it really? Is it possible to have being a spoilt brat as your special talent? Apple Bloom, like many her age, was at a crossroads of life. And it’s a daunting position to be in. It was natural that she be anxious. “So what did you do to help?” I asked the night princess. Summoning the same door through which we entered this dream, Luna led me back out into the dreamscape. I found myself standing on the strange road of stars as before. “As I said, I quickly stepped in to banish the nightmare. After all was calm I talked with the filly at great length.” One of the benefits of dreaming is that your mind works faster. Time as a result moves faster in a dream. After all, I know I’ve had dreams that lasted a few days in just one night. As a result, Luna can tend to lots of ponies in just one night. “I did my upmost to calm her fears. I showed that many others felt the same way as her, including her two friends as it turned out.” That got me to perk up my ears. “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had nightmares too?” I asked. “Indeed they did,” Luna replied. “They were all centred around the same fears and all had a similar form. I rescued each of them and brought them here to a place of safety. I let them talk with each other to try and allay their fears. “Many ponies, particularly young ones often misunderstand just how cutie marks work. They are not some all-encompassing, all defining mark for life. They merely show what a pony is good at, and what they enjoy. Take your son, for example. His cutie mark is that of a pair of crossed swords, correct?” “Yes,” I replied, nodding briefly. “Something to do with his knack for ‘defensive magic’ or something.” “Precisely,” Luna went on. “He is quite skilled in the use of such magic. Yet I have not seen him enlisting in the rank of my, or my sister’s, guard. Surely that would be his most suitable profession? Instead he is a farmer, an unusual occupation for a unicorn, regardless of their mark.” “I think I’m beginning to see where you’re coming from.” I replied. Luna smiled. “Good, because I have a request for you,” she said. “I would like you to help those three fillies, and any other foals in your school that may be experiencing the same anxiety. A cutie mark is something that should be hoped for, not feared as some grim spectre.” A mission from the princess? Perhaps I should change my name to Twilight Sparkle? “That does sound like a good idea, Luna,” I agreed. “I’ll make a start with the crusaders tomorrow.” Luna’s smile now broadened into a wide grin that would make Pinkie Pie proud. “Excellent. Then, if you have no objection, I shall return you to the waking world.” Casting her magic again, the world suddenly began to distort even more. Luna floated away into the distance, wishing me well before she vanished. One by one, the stars and nebulae disappeared into nothingness, and for a moment I was left in a black emptiness. A moment later though, I left and woke up. I came to fairly steadily, waking up with bleary eyes. Blinking a few times to fetch out the sleep that had accumulated in them overnight, I sat up in my bed. Today was Saturday, so I didn’t have to head to work today. The clock on my bedside table read just after nine. I had the bed to myself at the moment. My husband has always been a bit of an early riser. While he wouldn’t be off in Canterlot today, I expected that he would be doing some work in his study downstairs. Throwing the covers off, I stepped into my slippers and got out of bed. I grabbed my dressing gown from the back hook on the bedroom door and headed out onto the landing. Making my way downstairs, I found Roger helping himself to some breakfast; scrambled eggs on toast. “Morning, dearest,” I said as I walked into the kitchen. I got a vague reply through a mouthful of toast. Grabbing some cornflakes and milk, I sat down opposite him at the table. “I had this really strange dream last night, you know,” I began. Roger groaned and rolled his eyes. “Princess Luna dropped by. She wants me to go and check on the Cutie Mark Crusaders today. They all seem to be a bit worried about getting their cutie marks.” At this, my husband finally had the common courtesy to swallow his food and talk to me. “Oh? How are you going to do that then?” he asked curiously. I shrugged my shoulders as I tucked into my own breakfast. “Well, school’s out today, I guess I’ll just drop by their homes. I’ll see if I can grab a casket of cider for you from Applejack, then I’ll stop by Rarity’s to see Sweetie Belle, and maybe have a natter with her, and then I’ll go and see Scootaloo.” “Busy day then?” Roger asked. “I’ll be here if you need me. I’ve got a couple files that need going over, but I should be done by this afternoon.” “Alright,” I replied. “I’ll just finish my breakfast, get dressed, and then I’ll be off.” Around twenty minutes or so later, I was dressed and ready to go. The weather had cleared up since the last time I’d seen Lizzie, and it was now a warm sunny day, though luckily, there was a light breeze blowing so it didn’t become close or sticky. Heading out the house, I began to skirt around the far side of Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres was a little ways outside of town, and it was a fair walk from the front gates to the farmhouse. Heading along the dirt paths, I passed under the floating cloud home belonging to Rainbow Dash. The place was a small mansion almost. I guess when you build something out of clouds, building costs tend to drop a bit. The place even had a waterfall made of liquid rainbows. And rumour has it that the captain of the local Weather Patrol has managed to fine tune the substance into a cure for a bad hangover. It sounds like ingesting axle grease to me. The only rainbow coloured food I trust is zap apples; the odd rainbow coloured, occasionally electric, apples that the Apple family harvest to make their famous, and high secretive, zap apple jam. And then of course there are those cupcakes Pinkie Pie makes, but she hasn’t made any of those in a while. Before long, I found myself on Sweet Apple Acres. The scenery went from a rural village and was turned into pleasant orchards. It reminded me in some ways of my own childhood home in Shropshire, back before the urban sprawl began to creep in. Everything was farmland as far as the eye could see. I smiled to myself as the memories returned. There was this crazy old boy that lived not too far down the road from me. He had this bonkers idea about breeding pine trees. Meandering my way through row upon row of apple trees, as well as the other crops the apples harvested, corn and carrots, as well as some grazing land for the cattle and sheep, though they mostly take care of themselves. Before long, I came to the farmyard proper. The centre of the Apple homestead was dominated by the huge red barn that served as both their biggest storage shed, and also their family home. Around that were a few smaller barns, a well, a fenced off bit of land with sheds for the flock of chickens that the Apples’ used for eggs, and the small slice of the Somme that marked the pig pen. I’m not actually sure what the Apples use them for. They aren’t for meat that’s for sure. Waste disposal maybe, get rid of all the waste and bad produce that can’t be sold? I should ask my son when I get the chance. And speak of the devil and he shall appear. I spotted my son a little ways away from the farmhouse, in one of the nearby open fields. He was sitting down on his belly, almost like a large dog, a book propped up in front of him. Lying down next to him, her tail wagging idly, was Winona, the family’s working dog. Since nopony else seemed to be about, I decided to talk with him for a while. “Blade Star!” I called out waving my right hand above my head a moment. My son however, didn’t respond. He can get like that sometimes; lost in a good book. I guess that’s why he and Twilight initially got along so well, and still do today. Still, usually, if you shout loudly enough you can get through. This time though, I was having a bit of trouble. I was only a few feet away from him, and still yelling without any result. Had the unicorn I call my son gone deaf or something in the night? As I drew nearer though, I spotted a possible cause. The air around him was shimmering. Normally, I’d chalk this up to heat. But while it was a nice day today, it wasn’t that warm; we were on course for autumn after all, and the Running of the Leaves was in a week or so. And, it only seemed to be happening near him too. I guessed that it was his magic at play. While my son himself confesses that he can’t hold even a candle to Twilight in terms of power or ability, he does have a fairly decent repertoire of spells. His ‘special talent’ as Princess Luna said, lay in defensive magic; stun spells, shields, and the like. He’s learnt a fair bit from an old Royal Guard officer, as well as from Twilight, who taught him more day-to-day spells like levitation. One of the more interesting spells he’s picked up from Twilight though, is an illusion spell. He described it as having a ‘mental holodeck’. Essentially, he can put up a little sphere around himself and project an image onto it; sort of like putting on a pair of virtual reality goggles. He uses it when he wants somewhere to study or relax. I know for a fact he used it to recreate Twilight’s old library for a while. One of the by-products of the spell though, was that you couldn’t hear or see anything outside of the illusion. The surface though, was quite malleable, and you could just step through. I decided to surprise him. Quickly stepping through into his little illusion, I planned to spook him by grabbing him in a bone crushing hug that only mothers seem able to do. I expected that he would have created an illusion of Twilight’s old library again, or maybe the old castle in the Everfree from back in its heyday. But in actuality, as soon as I stepped out, I found myself in a whole other world. The first thing I felt was heat. An illusion it may be, but magic still lets you feel things through all your senses, and what I was feeling right now was a close, still heat. It was bright too. I squinted against the bright glare and put a hand up to shield my eyes. A few moments later, my eyes began to adapt; all around me was sand, lots of it, peppered with tufts of dry grass, and areas of fine volcanic rock here and there. We were standing on some sort of natural stone overhang on a cliff, overlooking a barren plain below. Off in the distance, there was a smattering of green, possibly even an oasis. I didn’t realise that Blade Star could create such wide open landscapes. I’d assumed that his ability was restricted to creating small rooms and the like. Speaking of my son, he’d looked up from his book and quickly taken note of my presence. He wasn’t wearing his usual cowpony hat, or rather, it was concealed by the illusion he was weaving. In its place was a chequered red and white shemagh, held around his head by a black agal, wrapped in the style of a Bedouin. Along with that, he also wore a long dishdasha, covered mostly by a black sleeveless cloak. The ensemble completely covered his coat, even his tail. “Hey, Mom,” he said kindly. His voice was a little muffled, as the shemagh was wrapped around his snout. “What brings ya out this way?” I had so many questions. “What on earth are you wearing?” I exclaimed. The silly idiot would be sweating under all those layers in this heat. “And where is this anyway?” He gestured out toward the oasis in the distance. “Wadi Rum,” he replied, his accent slipping into slight Arabic as he pronounced the name. “In modern terms, somewhere in Jordan, not too far from Aqaba.” He paused and showed me what he was reading. It was ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’. “I figured I might as well read this where it all happened,” he went on. “As for the get up, it keeps the sand and dust out, keeps me cool too.” I rolled my eyes. As I’m sure I’ve said many times, my son is just a little odd every now and then. Winona suddenly yapped at me, having awoken from her slumber. Sniffing at me for a moment, the collie then scampered off for pastures new. I neglected to mention to him that in this neck of the woods, dogs were considered vermin rather than beloved pets. Blade Star set his book down and got up, deactivating his little illusion. His Stetson reappeared as did his grey coat, along with his blue mane and tail. “Anyway, what can Ah do for ya?” he asked, pushing his hat back on his head. That seems to be something of a tick for him. I quickly explained Princess Luna’s visit, and how she wanted me to talk with Apple Bloom today. “Well, that explains why she was getting’ all worked up ‘bout her cutie mark yesterday. And why she seems to be much happier now. Ah think she’s with AJ mashin’ strawberries at the moment.” Heading off towards the other side of the farmyard, Blade Star led me to a large vat that had been set up. The thing had to be around eight feet from floor to brim, and just as wide across. The wooden vat was filled with strawberries which would presumably be turned into jam. Or jelly as the ponies insist on calling it. One day I’m going to have to teach the foals proper English, like how to pronounce aluminium. Inside the vat were both Applejack and Apple Bloom. The pair of them were having a whale of a time jumping up and down, slowly turning the produce into mush. “Apple Bloom!” my son called up, catching her attention. “Your teacher’s here to see ya.” Apple Bloom, with an air of unexpected grace, leaped out of the vat and landed just in front of us.” “Hey, Blade Star,” she greeted cheerfully, she then turned to me. “Hey, Mrs. Owen. How come y’all are out this way?” I kneeled down a little to be closer to Apple Bloom’s eye level. “Believe it or not, Apple Bloom,” I replied. “I’m here on royal business. Princess Luna herself asked me to come and check up on you and your friends. She said you three have been a bit worried about getting your cutie marks.” A look of understanding came onto Apple Bloom’s face, and she nodded. “Yeah, we were all letting our fears get the better of us,” she agreed. “But the princess really helped us all out. We’re even back to plannin’ our next cutie mark idea.” Oh god. “Hey, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are still up at the clubhouse now anyway. Ah was just helpin’ Applejack for a while.” Blade Star chipped in. “Don’t you worry ‘bout that, AB,” he said reassuringly. “Ah’ll take over for ya for a while.” He then took a running leap and with, with a noticeably lower amount of grace and finesse, pulled himself into the vat and joined Applejack, quickly getting his hooves and some of his coat stained with the beginnings of the jam. Apple Bloom them grabbed my arm. “C’mon, Mrs. Owen,” she said excitedly, almost bouncing on her hooves. “Ya can come and help us in the clubhouse.” I didn’t put up any resistance, not that there was much point. Maybe I can steer the three tykes away from some of their more potentially apocalypse causing ideas. Apple Bloom took me deeper into the orchards that surrounded the farmyard. While to me it all looks the same, she seems to know the whole place like the back of her hoof. After a short walk, the two of us arrived at what Apple Bloom described as the quietest part of the farm. The area was a sort of grove, apple trees bracketed the area all around, but created a sort of clearing. In this clearing was the Crusaders clubhouse. It was actually Applejack’s treehouse from when she was a filly, but she had given it to the Crusaders, who had promptly renovated it (and sadly not gotten their cutie marks in building restoration) and made it their own. It was a fairly large thing, supported by the large tree in which it sat. A small set of steps led up to the front entrance. It was actually quite ornate if I’m honest. It has glass windows, a proper door, and even interior decoration. Most amazing of all though, was the tower that the Crusaders had added, which went up the tree and allowed them to observe the surrounding area for miles. Heading inside after the filly, I was forced to duck down a fair bit. The place was designed for foals, not full grown adults. Inside, I found that Apple Bloom had joined her two friends in their ‘thinking spot’. They basically stand in one corner of the room and try to think of new quests to try out. After that they chalk it up on their little idea board and then head out to have a go at whatever it is they’ve decided on. Their approach is actually somewhat logical, only they tend to go for more outlandish ideas. I was just about to quietly excuse myself when the three fillies jumped up liked grease lighting. “I’ve got it!” Sweetie Belle declared proudly. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly turned their attention to her. “What is it, Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked. “Yeah, tell us. Tell us now!” the more eager Scootaloo demanded. Pointing at the board, which now had a new little sketch on it, Sweetie Belle delivered her verdict. “Teaching!” she exclaimed. The two fillies looked at each other in confusion. “Er, come again, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked. The little unicorn pointed to me. “Like Mrs. Owen and Ms. Cheerilee,” she explained. “Think of all the stuff we’ve done outside school that we could teach other ponies. Apple Bloom, you could teach ponies about those potions Zecora helped you with, and Scootaloo, you could teach ponies all your scooter tricks. And I could do singing lessons.” The pair considered this for a few moments. All of a sudden… “Yay! Cutie Mark Crusader Teachers!” the three fillies trumpeted out. Grabbing their capes, the trio galloped out of their clubhouse as fast as their little legs could carry them, leaving me standing in the dust. “Well,” I said to myself. “At least they aren’t worried about their cutie marks anymore. And, I mean, what harm can they do trying to teach other ponies?”