//------------------------------// // Episode 67: Camping Woes // Story: Life of a Wanted Changeling Season 3: Tyrants, Terrorists, and Tiaras, Oh My! // by Down with Chrysalis //------------------------------// It's a fine morning for a hike you decide. Not too warm, not too cool. Just the right temperature. You think it would actually be pretty perfect, even with three of the Deadly 6 here, aside from one thing. You notice that that mountain of luggage that your former meat shield brought isn't being hauled by her, rather it's being hauled by poor Sweetie Belle. It's only been three minutes and you can notice her straining and sweating. Your eye twitches in annoyance as you decide to say something. "Alright, alright, hold up! This isn't gonna fly," you say as you stop Sweetie Belle and glare at Rarity. "Why what ever is the matter Mr. Tennant?"Rarity asks. You just glare at her and silently point from Sweetie Belle to all her bags and back. "What? She's pulling it alright," Rarity remarks to your beleaguered stare. The Pony Spartan's Comment Falx_of_Lume's Comment "She's half your age!" You yell at Rarity, causing her to wince and the others to look at you. "B-but she wanted to help," She stammers nervously. Sweetie Belle meanwhile just pants catching her breath. "So helping means 'giving her the whole job' now?" you insinuate causing the other mares and Flash to glare at Rarity. While she sweats you continue. "Dang Mare, first you screw up your sister's kart and forced her to go with Applejack and now this?" "I...Uh..." she stammers. "Oh, Luna. I don't want to imagine treating my baby like a slave." She gasps at this with a hoof to her chest. Slaves?! Sombra chirps somewhat hopefully. Shut it! both you and Selena scold. "I would never treat Sweetie Belle like a slave!" Rarity declares. "Oh what, this doesn't count?" you snark. "I would never make her do something against her will!" "Actually, I kind of don't want to drag this wagon," Sweetie speaks up, causing you all to look at her. "Sweetie Belle, why didn't you say anything before?" Rarity gasps. "Cause I know you hate hauling heavy loads and didn't want you to complain the whole hike," she admits. "Oh Sweetie, I don't want you to be put out like that, I'll haul it now," Rarity says. "No it's Okay, I can haul it a little while more if you want." "But now I don't want you to haul it." "But I don't want you to be put out." "Oh to Tartarus with this!" You cry out. You whip Nightshade's Inventory off her back, "Hey!" she cries as you leap on top of Rarity's mountain of luggage, and shove the saddle bags on top of them, causing you to fall to the ground as the luggage gets stored inside. You then casually put the bags back on Nightshade, the weight no longer mattering. "There, now everypony's happy," you declare as everyone aside from Nightshade stare at you strangely. "What?" you ask with a shrug. "Where in Equestria did you get those bags Mr. Tennant?" Rarity asks in fascination. "I found them," you say truthfully as even you don't know where or how these bags were made. "...I'll take it from here Sweetie," Rarity declares as she hitches herself to the empty wagon, causing her sister to smile and get into it. All the others just sigh and shake their heads at yet another mysterious thing about you. You chuckle to yourself and continue to trot down your path as the day is now a bit more perfect. A Day of Hiking Later The hike went pretty well, and thanks to your actions, a little filly didn't overexert herself. As evening starts to set in, Applejack calls for everyone to stop and set up camp. BrownDog's Comment Hearing this, you walk over to Rarity and Sweetie Belle with Nightshade's inventory, turn it over and dump all of her luggage onto the ground. After giving you a stink eye, Rarity gets one piece of luggage in particular, presses a button and a two story tall elaborate tent pops out, looking like something out of a renaissance fair. If she didn't ask where you'd gotten your bags before, you'd have thunk this tent was bought at the same place. “Really? This and Luna knows whatever else is what you were going to have Sweetie Belle haul?” you scold her. “Oh enough shaming already, I apologized!” she huffs and you just roll your eyes. “Hey Baker, can you help me set up the tent?” Applejack asks as she hammers a stake into the ground. “Nope!” you call out, not wanting to be in any enclosed space with her. “How about me? You got a sec?” Rainbow asks. “Fraid not. Got my own tent…plus I think Flash needs more help than I do," you say pointing the Pegasus. “It says place pole A through clasp C,” First Base reads off the directions. “Saying it again and again won’t make the tent any less screwed!” Flash growls, as he is somehow tangled up in a jumble of tent parts. “Come on Flash, it’s like the tent we always set up in the yard.” “Granddad was the one who set that up! I don’t know how to tent at all!” he whines as another pole slaps him in the face. “Oh what a drama queen,” Rarity muses causing you to look at her with a slack jaw. “…Relatively speaking…” she titters. After that, you got your simple tent set up. It's borrowed from Applejack as the one you had before the Crystal Empire got left due to Nightshade's teleportation mishap. After that you help Flash untangle himself. How many times do I have to help this guy after he's hung up like a pinata? Apparently more than once. And then the two of you go about getting the fire pit ready for dinner. You look up and see First Base looking a bit nervous amidst all the fillies' conversations, plus their inquiries into how he got his cutie mark, and how if he can teach them baseball. “You know,” Flash speaks up, “I know those three are all gung ho about getting their marks, but Nightshade doesn’t seem to harp on it so much.” “Yeah, I don’t think it’s high on her priority list. The day she gets it though, I’m going to guess she won’t shut up about it,” you joke. After a laugh, you then see First Base and the girls picking up sticks and Pine cones and playing a mock game. “Hey Flash, I’ve always wondered something.” “Yeah? What is it Baker?” “Well…we all know how you have your little um…outbursts now and again right?” He looks down at that, “Don’t remind me,” he grumbles as he takes a pill out and puts it in his mouth. “Kind of hard to ignore. But yeah, you’re always going on and on about how you just picked it up from your grandpa…but you’re little brother is an earth pony so…how does that all work out?” He sighs at that. “Look, Granddad was many things, not all of them good, but even still he loved First Base with all of his heart…and the more I think about it, the more I think that Granddad wasn’t so much a bigot as he was just a hater.” “Huh?” you ask in confusion. He sighs again, “Grandad had many marriages before my grandmother, and most of them left him for someone who wasn’t a Pegasus…or even a pony in some cases. It left him jaded. Add onto the fact that his own dad was an earth pony who left him and his mother, he had some anger. Oh sure he would say some pretty speciest things…but really he didn’t hold anypony above as a pillar. I swear, he would even say hateful things about other pegasi. And I guess little me kind of sponged up those words subconsciously.” “So wait, are you saying your Grandpa was an equal opportunitist hater?” you say trying to piece together his point. “Yeah…I mean, he never said anything like mud pony or any other derogatory terms whenever Base was born…I guess that’s something.” You nod your head, “So do you have your outbursts under control?” “For the most part, I’ve got calming meds, and now that I’m in Shining’s new project, I’m not really out in public anymore. The headaches have stopped and I haven’t said anything speciest in months. I think I’ve made huge progress.” “Good on you buddy. Now all we have to do is get rid of those murderous voices and things will be great.” He sighs at that, “I’m trying. Zecora says they’ve mistakenly bonded to me thinking I was someone else…I don’t get it. I mean, how do you mistake an orange coated, blue haired guy name Flash Sentry for someone else?" "I don't know, but I have seen some ponies that look like recolors of our little group of...acquaintances." "Really?" he asks. "Oh definitely. Applejack's got a cousin that looks like a country version of Octavia, and I once met a mare in a library that looked almost exactly like Twilight, but with glasses and a sweater. "Huh...that's kind of strange," he muses. "Yeah, so who knows, maybe your thieving doppleganger is still out there." With a nod, he gets two stones and starts trying to get a spark to light and start the fire. Smirking you ask Flash, "Hey buddy, you wanna see something cool?" "Uh..." Not giving him time to answer you focus on the pile of wood in front of you and concentrate. The Rutherford's Comment Using a move you've utilized in the past, you send out a dark flame, via your eye which immediately sets the logs ablaze in glorious beauty. "Whoah!" Flash declares as she scuttles back, clearly not suspecting that. You start to chuckle, before you immediately hold your eye and wince in pain as it throbs. Ow, Ow, OW! Oh Luna why did I keep forgetting about this part? Pride comes before the fall you showoff, Selena scolds. As you rub your mind and get chewed out, Flash looks to you with a look of awe. "Dude, that was totally awesome! You didn't even use your hoof like you normally do." As the pain subsides you look to him, "Buddy, if there's a way to start fire, chances are I know it." With that done, you both roast the carrot dogs for dinner. After everypony has eaten their fill you declare. "Alright! Now it's time to impale a marshmallow with my stick! Now scoot over Rarity," you say to the mare sitting next to you. "What?!" Rarity declares with shocked wide eyes and a blush for some reason. Oh Celestia forbid everyling have a desert made of actual sugar or anything. Dang health cautious McStabFlank you think with a roll of your eyes. "Oh don't try to get out of this lady, your figure is fine. Just enjoy this like everypony else will," you say as you reach into your bags between the two of you. While you do this, you don't notice the look of absolute shock on Rarity's face as she tries to scuttle back from you, and the livid faces of Rainbow and Applejack. "Now Mr. Tennant! I am a lady! You do not simple say such-" she badgers until you finally bring out your bag of marshmallows and interrupt her. "What? A lady can't have a roasted marshmallow? Don't be such a grown up," you declare as you place a hoofful a marshmallows into her hooves. "You better find your own stick though, because I'm not sharing mine," you say holding up the perfect marshmallow roasting stick you found when gathering wood. "Oh, um...right," she says with red cheeks. You then hold out the bag to others, "Alright who else wants...some?" you trail off as you see Applejack and Rainbow looking sheepish and Flash chuckling, while the kids seem kind of confused at the adult's reactions. "Um, did I miss something?" you ask aloud. Chuckling again, Flash says, "Don't worry about it." As the older mares give their own nervous chuckles you just shrug your shoulders. "Don't forget the chocolate and graham crackers daddy," Nightshade says as she brings up her own roasting stick. "On it." After getting the perfectness that are the ingredients for the most delicious campfire snack around, you all, McStabFlank included, roast and eat quite a few of the glorious Smores. With the younger kids now more wired to all the sugar, the older mares decide to tell ghost stories, and Rainbow tells the tale of the Olden Pony...and it's kind of generic if you have to say so. "And then, the olden pony asked, Who's got my rusty horseshoe?" You and Nightshade look around to see everyone besides Dash quivering , the young foals clutching to their siblings (and idol). "Really?" you ask plainly. "That's it? An old mare wanted her shoe back?" "Hey!" Rainbow Dash barks at you for breaking the mood she set up. "Oh come on Baker, it's a classic," Flash says with a slight tremble causing you to roll your eyes. "Well classic or not, it wasn't really that scary. Daddy and I have seen a lot worse," Nightshade points out. "Well yeah, but that's real life. If we're going off that basis then what we all saw at the Crystal Empire was far worse than..." The mares then give a pointed look towards Flash. He sees them subtly telling him to stop and pointing their heads at the kids. "Oh...right," he trails off not wanting to go into detail about your rampage in front of the kids. You cringe at that along with the everyone else who was there before he pitches in, "Well, sometime I should tell you all about the report I received about the two Crimson Knights that got taken down in Tall Tale." "The one's at the Asylum?" Applejack asks. "The very one. Very disturbing account. But I don't think I can tell that one to the kids either..." Rainbow crosses her forelegs and pouts, "Alright fine, real life is scarier than my classic tale. Why don't you tell a scarier one BST?" "Ummm...like what? You're kind of putting me on the spot," you say. Nightshade then smirks and motions for you to put your head down to her. She then whispers. "Why don't we tell them about Sunny Town?" Your eyes widen as you whisper back. "We're not supposed to talk about that honey, we all pinkie promised remember?" "Yeah, but don't tell it as a truth, tell it as a story, that way you don't admit it happened. Plus I don't think Applebloom ever told the others about the gory details." Nodding, you clear your throat and say. "Alright, I got a story for you. It was actually inspired by a story Applebloom told." You see the filly's eyes widen at that. "You're not talking about Sunny Town are ya?" You nod at this and you see the other fillies look a bit confused and nervous. "Ain't that the town you told Twilight about?" Applejack asks her little sister. "The one she couldn't find any trace of?" "It was real I tell ya!" "You had yourself a head injury and some foreign substance in your belly Applebloom," Applejack says trying to placate her. "B-but I..." she looks to you and you give her a subtle wink, causing her to stop. "Anyway," you say getting everyone's attention again, "As I said, this tale is inspired by that. You don't mind do you Bloom?" "I...No I guess not," she says still confused where you are going with this. Smiling at that, you look to every pony around you "Alright. Now, this is the tale which while filled with dismay and monsters, is also about the ability to forgive and live in peace." You then pick up some pine needles "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this one, Silent Sunny Town." And with that you throw the needles into the fire. You then weave the tale of a little filly named Maple Broom who encounters a town full of darkness, and how a father and daughter named Lugsy and Bright Fade got mixed into it as well. Esentially, you give them all an abridged retelling of what you all went through, while making it seem like just a simple story. "And so, they buried Ruby's remains in the nick of time. Her spirit freed the rest of their damned souls, and sent Pyramid Head back to where he came from. She thanked the three before finally finding peace. A peace Maple, Lugsy and Bright Fade would never truly know again while in the dark..." You look around the campfire to see everyone is shaking like a leaf in the wind, except Nightshade and Applebloom, but even they shudder a bit at the memories. Scootaloo seems to be shaking the worst as she grips the frightened Rainbow Dash. Even Flash seems disturbed as his little brother hugs him. "That was quite a story...the details you went into, it's like it actually happened." Sweetie Belle stutters, "S-s-so is that Pyramid Head guy still out there?" "Perhaps, but he only punishes the wicked like the zombies in Sunny Town, I think you should be safe." First base stammers from behind Flash, "But how could Lugsy have really fought Pyramid Head with a Chainsaw and lived?! He is like impossible to beat in the game." "Well, I would not really call it fighting. Any damage Lugsy caused him regenerated really quickly, all he did was stall him until they all could escape." "Heh...well that was a good story Baker. Not like I was scared or anything," Rainbow says with shifting eyes. "Right Scootaloo?" The shaking filly tries to put on a brave face, even though she is pale and says, "S-sure Rainbow. I-I could have totally taken him on heh heh," "That's the spirit kid!" Seeing as how eveyling is still scared out of their wits, you declare "Well, this has been fun and all, but I think it's time to turn in for the night. We still need to get to Rainbow Falls tomorrow." With that, you all turn into your respective tents. You are about to sleep when you hear the worst sound to ever grace your ears. You run out of the tent about the same time Flash does. Nightshade and First Base poke their heads out looking spooked. Quietly you and Flash walk to each other and whisper, "What the Buck is that?" "I have no idea," he responds, "but it seems to be coming from Rainbow and Scootaloo's tent. Let's see what it is and if it is dangerous, we can take it down." "Sounds like a plan," You agree. Not a good plan, but a plan. You two poke your heads in to see Scootaloo wide-eyed and tense until she realizes that it is you two. As she starts to get up, you hear the unholy sound coming from Rainbow Dash's Sleeping bag. She rolls over in her sleep and unleashes another deafening whinny. You two look at her then each other before looking at Scoots, who has grabbed her stuff. When you two back out of the tent entrance, Scoots comes out and asks, "Any chance I can sleep with Nightshade and you Mr. Tennant? No offence to Rainbow Dash, but I doubt I could get any sleep with that in my ear all night." "No problem. I'm sure she'd love that. But yeah, let's get you away from...that," you shudder as another blasting snore comes from the tent. As you make your way back to your tent with the filly, you see that she is still scared and looking around. She even decides to sleep between you and Nightshade, as if your very presence can protect her. Yeesh, it was only a story. A story that she happens to know was a true event, that happened in a forest in the dark like this one. ...Maybe I should have thought of that instead of not at all, you muse. Eventually though, she does get to sleep hugging her teddy bear, and with a yawn you start to drift off... SOMETIME LATER BrownDog's Comment “Daddy, I think Scootaloo is having a nightmare,” Nightshade wakes you up in the middle of the night. “Huh?” you say as your eyes slowly unblur. “Scootaloo. I think your Sunny Town story is giving her a nightmare," she says as she points to the filly who has sweat on her brow and is tossing and turning. “Oh crud. Well why don't you do that thing you do Shade?" "My thing?" "Yeah, you can go into other's dreams right? Why don't you help her out?” “Oh right, about that. I already tried," she answers nervously. "Huh?" "I was going to do just what you said, but there was something different about her dreams. I sensed another presence in there." "Another presence?" you ask a bit worried. "Yes. It felt like Mommy's magic...but different. It kind of spooked me." You are about to respond, when Selena takes command of your voice, “Do NOT go into her mind!” she cries out in alarm. “Mom?" Nightshade ventures in confusion. "Nightshade, you must listen to me, You mustn't go into her dreamscape tonight!" "But why not? Is it that other presence? What is it?” Nightshade asks. “It seems Luna has been drawn to that crippled pegasus’s night terrors, do not venture in lest she see you too my precious,” she commands and Nightshade nods. Relinquishing control, you ask with your mouth, "Wait, Luna is inside Scootaloo's head? Great, just great," you say as you scoot your sleeping bag a few feet from the filly. "Oh, but she seems so scared dad," Nightshade mutters. "Well I know how to fix that," you say as you reach out and shake Scootaloo. "Ah! Wha, What?" she looks around in panic. "Hey," you say causing her to look at you, "Wake up and go to sleep." She is about to nod, before confusion crosses her face, but she does what you say and lays back down. Unfortunately, none of you can really fall back asleep, what with Rainbow's monstrous snoring and the fact that Luna was so close by. With these thoughts, you all have a long night. The Next Morning TheRutherford's Comment After you have all woken up and broken down your camping equipment, you start your journey to Rainbow Fall again. Rainbow decides that she will take point and lead the way. You all agree and as she zooms ahead, you and Flash fall back to walk beside Rarity and Applejack. With a yawn you ask, "So how did you two sleep?" "Like a stone,"Applejack answers before turning to Rarity, "How about Y'all?" "Well it was not nearly as soft as my bed back home, but I do feel well rested. Why do you ask?" the designer then looks to you, Nightshade, Scootaloo, Flash and First Base as her eyes widen, "Oh Darlings! Did you get any sleep at all?" "Not really," Flash grumbles with bags under his eyes. "Rainbow snores like a wild animal. How did you not hear that infernal noise?" Nightshade huffs grumpily. At this Rarity and Applejack look at each other, towards Rainbow Dash, then back at each other before smirking. "Shoot sugar-cubes, Ah forgot to tell you she snores like a demon from Tartarus didn't Ah? Should have told him that sooner. He'd be mine already," she mumbles. "What was that?" you ask with another yawn. "Ah said we got earplugs for us and our sisters. We brought extra for y'all but I forgot to give them to ya after that scary story last night."She then blushes and brings a foreleg to the back of her head, "Sorry about that." After you secure a pair for you, Nightshade, and Scoots, you continue down the trail. Ugh, stupid snoring Rainbow. It's been some time since I've pulled an all nighter. Hmmph, you think that's pathetic? I am the true princess of the Night and last evening was the longest I've been conscious for one, Selena snarks. You chuckle at that, but still you are tired, as is the rest of the non earplug group. While your body is kind of on auto pilot, you start thinking in your tired mind. You know, I think the last all nighter before this one was back during the invasion. When I was stationed to guard Cadence...Man, I haven't spoken with her in a long time. Not since your letter some months ago. Exactly. And I kind of feel guilty. Cadence was my first real friend. Before Fluttershy, before the horde, and even before you Selly. I mean, just because I've caught the Knights doesn't mean I have to stop talking to her. Before Selena can respond, your other guest interupts. Ha! You think that Pink Alicorn is your friend? She will betray you just like the other one. Frowning you think, She won't do that to me. The other Cadence lost her family, friends and world, and her mind. This one is still- They'll all betray in the end. She's a princess. It's what they do. They ruin lives thinking they are superior, that they know what's best. If this Cadenza is a descendant of Amore, then she is not your friend, he growls. Oh Shut up you! You don't know what you're talking about. Don't I? he snarls. In fact, you're sounding a little too sober. Medication time! You then pop an Elephant Tranq pill as you hear him sigh in defeat. Covering my words will not lessen their truth....he fades. Stupid vague Simba. Do you even know what he's talking about Selly? ... She doesn't answer you so you try again. Selena? Hm? she asks, sounding distracted, Yes, what is it? You Okay? You sound kind of spaced out. Did the drug hit you too? Oh no, no. It's just...something that swine said. About covering words not lessening their truth...she trails off again. Oh don't worry about him, he's an idiot and a drug fiend, you reassure. Yes. Of course...she mutters, still deep in thought. She doesn't say anything else, so you decide to let her think as you put one tired hoof in front of the other. "I cannot wait to hit the hay tonight." LATER After another day of hiking, you all do not reach the falls before nightfall. Most likely because about half the group was sluggish from lack of sleep. After setting up camp in a nearby cave and eating dinner again, you want nothing more than to go to bed, but Scootaloo insists on everyone staying up. Sweetie Belle, who actually did get a good night’s rest, thinks this is the greatest plan and sings 100 Buckets of oats on the wall at the top of her lungs and out of tune. Not wanting to be a jerk, you are forced to listen to the whole thing. Flash and First Base on the other hoof check out not even a quarter of the way through the song. After what seems like forever, Sweetie finishes and passes out, allowing you all to finally be able to go to bed. With her new earplugs, Scootaloo decides to try sleeping next to Rainbow again, even though you’re all pretty much in the open within the cave with your sleeping bags (aside from Rarity’s giant tent). And even though she keeps trying to get the other kids to play games, you all eventually get her to calm down enough to get to bed. Nightshade decides to sleep next to her just in case she starts having a Nightmare again. With one final warning from you to stay out of Scootaloo’s head, you pass out. Kichi's Comment POV Change: Nightshade As your dad and the rest of the group fall asleep, you can’t help but notice that Scootaloo still seems nervous. “C’mon Nightshade. You and me, we can stay up the whole night again. Sleep is for the weak.” You sigh and say, “Look Scoots, coming from a pony who slept for the better part of a year straight through, I can safely say that you don’t get tired of it. Now can you just please close your eyes?” “Oh, I don’t know if I can,” she says worriedly. “I keep thinking about all those zombies and that Pyramid guy. How the heck do you still sleep having gone through all that?” “Because we got a happy ending out of it?” you guess. “I mean, Ruby and all them are at peace now. No matter how scary it got, that’s how it ended so it lessens the fear I guess.” “R-right. That makes sense. Totally not scared anymore, heh heh,” she lies badly causing you to roll your eyes. “Sheesh, is Princess Luna even doing her job right?” “Princess Luna?” Scootaloo asks confused. “Yeah. She’s supposed to go into the bad dreams of others and help them with them.” “Really? I didn’t know that,” Scootaloo muses. “So wait, you didn’t dream her last night?” you ask. “I don’t think so. Your dad woke me up then told me to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t.” “Huh. Well if Princess Luna isn’t going to do her job, I’ll do it for her. I’ll make sure you have a pleasant dream.” “Well that sounds nice Nightshade, but I don’t think I can get to sleep in the first place in order to have a good dream.” “Oh, right. Dang it, and here I am not knowing any good knock out spells,” you grumble. You’ve learned a few things from Twilight, but aside from magic missile, you haven’t really learnt any Offense spells. You almost did learn the knock out spell…except… FLASHBACK In the library, Twilight has Spike sat upon a stool in front of you. "Today Nightshade, I will teach you how to pacify smaller creatures by making them fall asleep.” “I’m not a smaller creature Twilight. I’m taller than her!” Spike grumbles. “Well I’m sorry Spike, Fluttershy won’t lend me any of her rabbits for this test,” she hmmphs. “I kind of don’t want to hurt Spike either,” you add. She turns to you with a hoof wave. “He’ll be fine. Since he’s not a bunny he might only feel a bit drowsy. Now, to make somepony sleep all you have to do is-" she is interrupted by a burp from Spike. "Message from the Princess!" he shouts. Looking over the scroll Twilight looks to you. “Change of plans Nightshade, you and Spike go somewhere out of the library, I have to read an updated Encyclopedia on the culture of Saddle Arabia so that nopony gets offended.” She then ushers the both of you out. Looking to Spike you ask, “Soooo, Movies?” “Sounds good,” he smiles as the two of you walk off to watch Fury Road for the fifth time. Flashback End “Curse inconvenient timing and my love of movie violence!” “Huh?” Scootaloo asks to your outburst. “Nevermind. But since I don’t know any knockout spells, we’ll just go with Plan B.” “What’s Plan B?” your friend asks. You lift up a rock off the floor and say, “I’ll hit you with this in the back of the head and knock you out,” you say as you raise the rock. “AH! No! Cut it out Shade!” she protests as she squirms away from you, knocking the rock out of your hooves. “Not cool!” “Well how else am I supposed to knock you out? It’s not like we have a convenient item that can make you fall asleep and make you have good…dre- AW Come On! Why didn’t I think of this last night?!” you yell in frustration as you walk over to your dad’s inventory and pull out the Luna Plushie. “Her Scoots, take a look at this,” you say as you hold it up to her eyes, causing them to roll and her head to hit the pillow. She is out like a light, causing you to smirk. Placing the plushie back into the inventory, you go back to your bag and decide to fall asleep the old fashioned way. With all the walking and lack of sleep, you don’t find this hard. Don’t worry Scoots, I’ll keep an eye on you. Though Luna shouldn’t have any reason to come out tonight if the Plushie did it’s job right. You then close your eyes and fall into slumber. POV Change: Bugze (You) You sit outside the very cave where you are all sleeping, looking up at the moon and stars. Crickets chirp, and you hear the breeze through the trees. It is a very relaxing night. But a thought hits you. "Wait, didn't I just pass out after not sleeping for a day and a half?" "Yes, you did," comes the familiar majestic voice of the Mare in the Moon. You look to the side and see her sitting beside you, staring up at the moon. "Thankfully this scenery is still fresh within your subconscious," she says with a small smile. "Oh, Hi Selly," you say nonchalantly. As you look back up at the moon with her. "And yeah, if I wasn't so tired I think I would have appreciated this day more. At least now I can kind of take it in," you say as you breathe in the simulated fresh air. "Indeed..." she then breaks her view of the moon and looks to you, but she doesn't say anything. Looking away from the satellite you look back at her and see that her face seems to be scrunched up in thought and worry. "Selena? Is everything alright?" She shakes her head at that. "Well..." she lets out a sigh. "I don't know Bugze. I've been pondering something since this morning." "What? About Luna?" you ask looking around in panic. "No, not about her. About what that filth said to you." "You're still hung up on that?" you ask incredulously. "Why? Those were just his common vague insults." She shakes her head at that, "Even if they were, they ring true for me my friend. About the truth existing even when covered up." Seeing how serious she is about it you let out a sigh, "Fine, let's bring him out and talk to him about it. Don't know how much we'll get when he's on the happy farm but-" "No Bugze, he is already submerged within your subconscious so that we might be alone." "Huh?" you ask confused. "It is not him I wish to talk to you about, it is about me..." she admits. "Oookkkkaaaayyyy, what do you mean by that?" She is silent for a moment as she stares at the moon, her ethereal mane floating in the invisible breeze. With one more sigh she looks back to you. Her eyes hold resolve, yet also worry. "Bugze, I think it's time I told you the truth about Nightshade..." TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!