Chapter 5
The sound of rolling thunder forced a lazy eye open. Scarlet's silver iris glistened against the soft flash of lightning, which illuminated the dark, gloomy sky. She opened the other to take in the scenery around them, realizing that she had woken up in a small, secluded den. Rocky walls scaled up either side of her, water peacefully dropping in front of the entrance to her little sanctuary.
Another rumble from the sky caused her ears to swivel left and right. The sound of rhythmic breathing could be heard next to her, the feeling of warm fur putting her at ease.
She lifted her head. Instantly she felt regret, a sharp pain forcing a seething hiss between her teeth. The young mare remained calm, whimpering as she acclimated to the pain. She brought a hoof up to her temple and rubbed.
She eyed her savior as her vision adjusted to the darkened scenery. Their coat was a beautiful nighttime blue which blended into the stone around them with ease. She felt the quiver of a wing press against her back, and as she turned her head to look up towards the other pony's face, she quickly came to realize the size difference between the two: this pony was twice her height, easily.
She couldn't help but let out a gasp as her savior's horn came into view. Long, deadly sharp at the end, with a dark black crown nestled at the base of a sparkling, nebulous blue mane. Instantly, the mare turned and looked directly at her with the sweetest smile.
"Ah, you're finally awake. Thank the heavens you're okay," said Princess Luna.
"P-Princess! Y-You're here!" Scarlet squeaked, bowing her head and accidentally slapping her nose against the ground.
"Please, you may call me Luna. And do get up from the ground," the happiness in her voice was infectious.
"Yes, Prin- err, Luna,” she grinned.
Luna looked out towards the exit of the den, her wing gently retreating to her side. "I came as fast as possible when I received word from our mutual friend. I must admit, I'm surprised that I found you as far into the Everfree as I did. Very few ponies manage to make it this far before returning to Equestria."
Scarlet sighed in relief, leaning into the Princess. "I'm sorry that I had to pull you away from your business back in Equestria. I-It all just got out of hoof so fast. I made a little mistake and everything just got crazy."
"Odd. All seemed resolved upon my arrival. Regardless, you need not worry any longer." A long pause stretched out against the constant beating of water on the stone ground outside. "What about you, Ms. Trace? Are you hurt? Would you like to return to Canterlot?"
Scarlet rubbed her head. "Aside from this terrible headache? I think I'm fine." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait! What happened to the nightcrawlers? And Orion? How did you find me?"
Luna laughed, her sweet smile a priceless comfort to the smaller mocha-colored mare. "There is no need to rush things. We must wait until the rain has passed before going our separate ways as is. We have plenty of time to discuss the matters of last evening." She turned to the young pony. "Orion only provided so much detail. Perhaps you can fill in the blanks for me?"
"Absolutely!" the young mare smiled back. The warmth coming from the princess was contagious. It reminded her of her mother back home, when they would bundle up together during the winter months to ward off the chilly bite of the season. Scarlet couldn't help but nuzzle into her coat for a moment as she pieced together the happenings of the last few days.
She looked up at the regal sister with a sense of awe. "And maybe perhaps you could help me as well. I'm afraid I don't remember anything from the waking world."
The rain continued onward as she retold her story to the Princess, from the initial attack and her dive in the river, to every experience she had felt in the dreamscape. By the time her tale was done, the storm overhead had calmed down. The rain quietly continued, the shower a far cry from the storm that had been soaking the forest.
"That's all I can remember," Scarlet continued, "but I still don't really understand what happened to the nightcrawlers."
Luna remained quiet as the information gathered around in her head. She gave a silent nod, then turned down to speak. "It is as Orion says. I've encountered these beasts many times long ago, and from the looks of things, it seems that they are as ravenous and as greedy as the day I first came across them.
"These creatures are dull. They don't think at the same level as we do. They exist primarily to consume the dreams of all living things until there is nothing left to provide nourishment. They will never stop feeding on a prey so long as their dreams are fruitful. Eating is all they know.
"If I may, you said that while you were captured in their web, you focused on the thoughts of your family and friends back in Canterlot?"
"...Yes ma'am. I thought about how wonderful it would be to have my father back. And my best friends," her ears drooped.
Luna leaned against her, affectionately rubbing her muzzle against the top of Scarlet's mane. "I understand that such thoughts can be as painful as they are pleasant to retread. You're a stronger mare than most for using those thoughts as your weapon."
"A weapon? Luna, I don't completely understand."
"Orion told you to allow the nightcrawlers to feed on your dreams. When you woke up, you were no longer able to do so, so you did the next best thing: You fed them your dreams. Your aspirations and hopes and wishes, all straight from your heart, no matter how impossible or impractical they may have been.
"You fooled the monsters into consuming powerful thoughts. Those dreams were so close to your heart, so vivid, that when you surrendered them all at once, the beasts were overwhelmed by the powerful magic inside of you. With so much potent magic to feed upon, they absorbed it all until they inevitably destroyed themselves.
"I spotted their eruptions from a distance away. It was your discovery about their weakness that allowed me to track you down."
"I'm so lost," the smaller mare replied. "I thought they could only eat magic coming from the dreamscape, like Orion."
"True. That is normally the case." Luna looked back to the exit. "Allow me to explain it, if I may:
"The dreams that ponies create in their sleep can be created through many outlets. Sometimes, dreams can be manifested from absolute chaos. Dreams of random events occurring in succession, or outrageous scenarios that have little to do with the pony having them.
"Dreams can also be created by memories from the pony. Dreams of past events, or dreams using the memories of ponies, places, and things from the their history. These things can be woven into stories that play out in these dreams. Whether or not they make much sense is all up to chance.
"Dreams can come from nothing, but they can also be born from all kinds of memories. Memories can become dreams, and lucid dreams eventually become memories. The two share a very intimate relationship."
Scarlet eyed the princess with an inquisitive rise of her brow. "So when I was trapped in their web..."
Luna nodded. "Your most precious dreams and desires, transformed near effortlessly into pure magic. The monsters then pulled that magic from within you and consumed it.
"Dreams, like all things that make up the mind of a pony, contain traces of their owner’s magic. The magic consumed through dreams is what nightcrawlers truly feed upon." Luna looked to the roof of the den. "Normally, with any other pony who manages to succeed in doing this, the beasts simply grow fat with all of the magic they've consumed, and become incapacitated. That's how ponies have managed to escape from them in the past. But you..."
"They exploded when I tried the same thing."
"Correct. The magic that had been so carefully linked to your memories was so rich and abundant. They were unprepared to take in such a massive volume of magic."
Scarlet raised a hoof from the ground. She stared at it, moving it from side to side as if the frog of her hoof could explain it all. "I feel like I know why I was able to make the spiders explode."
"Oh? Well please tell me," Luna insisted.
Her silver eyes shifted down to the ground. "When I was a little foal, I got sick. There was this strange disease that," she wrinkled her muzzle in thought, "I'm not sure how to say it, but according to my mother, it prevented my magic from 'maturing' as I did."
"I see." Luna looked deeply into her silver eyes, forcing a nervous twitch from the young mare’s ear.
"Is there something the matter, your majesty?"
"Though it has been some time since then, I do recall my sister informing me of something regarding a disease that was oddly selective." She rolled her head and hummed to herself. "Very familiar indeed."
"Oh, so you've heard of Scars before?"
Thunder rumbled far off in the distance. Luna's wings froze, and her deep blue eyes suddenly grew sharp and inquisitive. "You know of the Scars?"
"Yes?" She shrank.
"Is this public knowledge?!" Luna’s wings stretched out.
"I-I don't know," Scarlet shrunk. "I-It's just that I was infected by the Scars."
Luna looked at her, her majestic body relaxing. "That's quite the news to hear. I’ll have to discuss this with my sister upon my return. I fear she may have left out some details."
"I was one of the lead investigators on the case back when I worked with the Royal Guard, and I was also one of the few ponies that had been infected by it. I lost most of my friends in pursuit of the truth behind it all," her body slumped to the ground. "Sometimes, I still wonder if knowing the truth was worth everypony's livelihood."
"It's hard to imagine what you could change if you could do something all over again," Luna paused. "I've experienced that pain too. I did terrible, selfish things that hurt everypony around me, just because I refused to open up to those close to me. It nearly cost me my friends. And my sister.”
Princess Luna’s wing gently pressed upon Scarlet’s back. “One thing I've learned since my return is that the kindness of ponies everywhere finds you, no matter how much pain you've caused in the past, and no matter how much you try to run away from it. It takes time for those old wounds to heal, like all scars do, but eventually you and your friends will find your way back into each other's hearts."
Scarlet leaned against the princess. "It hurts."
Luna's wing stretched compeltely over Scarlet. "It's okay. I'm here for you, and as long as your friends love you, they’ll be here for you too."
She offered the Princess no words in response.
The rain stopped. The gray skies continued to loom overhead, and the humid forest surrounding them began to stir with life.
"Wait!" her pink mane bounced as she rose her head, becoming reacquainted with the sharp headache she still had. "What happened to Orion? Where is he?"
"Orion is perfectly safe. He is residing in my quarters back in Canterlot. There will be much that I must discuss with him now that he has returned to Equestria," she said.
The Princess finally pulled away from her. Her body lifted in a single, graceful motion, her star-filled mane and tail flowing in the air without the help of a breeze. She stretched, motioning to her new friend to rise.
"The Everfree remains neutral to the pain you've endured. If you truly wish to continue your journey towards the east, I highly recommend that you begin your travels immediately. Predators will be prowling again very soon."
The mocha colored mare obeyed, rising to her hooves stretching and yawning, doing her best to ignore the throbbing in her head. "I've lost most of my belongings on my travels. Is there anything I can do about that?"
"You are not far from civilization if you continue," Luna replied. "There is a small town at the edge of the forest. That town has a network of transportation that shall take you further east towards your destination." Luna's horn glowed with a powerful, thick aura. A small brown baggy popped into existence, floating towards the smaller pony. The spell surrounding the baggy vanished the moment it fell into her outstretched hoof, landing with a jingle of coins.
"P-Princess!" Scarlet took a peek inside the bag, "This is too much! I can't accept this!"
"Use it for resources once you enter the small town. I'm sure that will be plenty to keep you fulfilled for the rest of your travels."
The two walked together to the exit of the den. Before they could breach the opening, Luna stopped her with an outstretched wing.
"Before we go our separate ways, there is something else I wish to inform you of," Luna said, her tone less than friendly.
A chill ran up her spine. "Yes, Princess?"
"When you surrendered your memories to the nightcrawlers, you irrevocably severed your personal connection to those memories."
Luna’s words bounced right off of her. She looked at the princess, perplexed.
"How can I say this," Luna looked away, "Your personal connection to those friends who were dear to you in those memories has been permanently damaged."
"I still don't understand, Princess."
"Friendship, my little pony. Friendship is magic. Because those memories were taken from you, the magic linked to those memories and friendships has become wild. Free. Your magical essence has become dangerous. Perhaps even uncontrollable. Even I have no way of knowing what can potentially happen to you at this stage."
Scarlet let the information sink in. "You mean," she gulped, "I could end up like those monsters!?"
"I don't have the answer to that, I'm afraid. I'm sorry," she bowed her head. Her wings stretched out as Luna finally exited the den. Her wings beat against the ground, kicking up stray bits of grass and pushing rocks along the soggy land. "Be careful wherever you go, Ms. Trace. If it's true that your body's magical essence was already unstable before your endeavors here, then there's no telling what can happen next. Your magic caused an entire swarm of nightcrawlers to perish. Do your best to prevent something like this from happening again, or somepony can be seriously hurt."
With a mighty flap of her wings, Luna launched herself into the sky. Scarlet waved her off until she shrank to the size of a blue blur against the dull skies.
"I'll do my best, Princess."
==========
She continued to crawl her way through the forest, her mane wrought with small twigs and wet leaves. The path she was on showing more indications of other life. Slowly, she recognized marks along the road where heavy carts would be towed or parked along the forest. The wild trees grew smaller in number, and there was a notable drop in the wild beasts roaming about. Smaller, less menacing birds fluttered about, and the sun was beginning to break through the gray clouds above.
Civilization seemed right around the corner, and the simple thought of getting out of the Everfree quickened her pace. Her hoof bumped against an aged, fallen tree trunk, forcing her to a brief stop.
She looked down with a frown, a familiar blue glow surrounding a tiny white web adorning a rogue branch from the log. From a small hole next to the web, a single, harmless spider crawled out from within, a large blue star glowing on its back. It stared at her for a moment, as if it was confused to what she was.
She looked right back at its many eyes with a eerie, distant gaze, uncaring to whether or not it would launch at her. This single little spider posed little threat to her, yet her heart began to throb against her chest. The entire time the two species locked eyes, all she could feel inside was a creeping dread that urged her to run as far away as possible.
The nightcrawler wiggled its little fangs, then turned and continued crawling about the log, completely nonchalant that it had come face to face with a pony who had slaughtered so many of its kind just hours ago.
As it disappeared from sight, Scarlet sighed. She wiped her head free of the cold sweat building up, the alarms in her head all silent as her hooves urged her towards the exit to the Everfree. She looked up ahead, into the sunshine that promised her sanctuary. Step by step, her mission, and her rattled drive to complete it, pushed her onward.