For four days, Scootaloo had gone to Fluttershy's cottage early in the morning and left late in the evening. She spent each day helping Fluttershy with all her animal chores, her housecleaning, and her shopping. Each day, she would ask Fluttershy questions about what her pegasus magic was telling her just from walking around Ponyville doing her usual things, and Fluttershy would describe her sense of her pegasus magic to the best of her abilities.
On the fifth day, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle decided to join Scootaloo in her daily trips to Fluttershy's place, in the hopes that adding their own minds to the problem at hoof would glean some new insight—or at least make it easier for the two of them to synchronize with Scootaloo's magic.
The progress they made was gradual—not substantial enough to yield any huge flashes of insight, but substantial enough that the entire exercise didn't feel like a waste of time. They also enjoyed helping Fluttershy out, and Fluttershy admitted that having some extra hooves was a huge help.
Eight days after Scootaloo started helping Fluttershy, the Crusaders arrived at her cottage to find her sitting on her living room sofa, cooing to a small black piglet which sat in a wicker basket on the floor. "Hey Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom called.
"What a cute little piggy!" Sweetie Belle said. "I haven't seen him around here before!"
"I found this poor little guy on the edge of the Everfree Forest last night," Fluttershy said. "A couple of really big scary owls were after him. I chased them off and brought him home. He was so scared."
"Bwee," the piglet oinked, raising his tiny snout to snuffle curiously at the three fillies as they approached.
"Wonder what he was doing out there," Scootaloo said.
"I'm not sure," Fluttershy said. "There aren't any wild pigs living in the Everfree Forest or the Whitetail Woods as far as I know. I thought maybe he got lost off from Sweet Apple Acres, but..."
Apple Bloom shook her head. "We only got three piglets that size on th' farm right now, an' they're all pink. Ah don't think he's from around Ponyville at all."
"I was afraid of that," Fluttershy said with a sigh. "We need to figure out where this poor little guy's family is."
"Maybe he's all alone," Scootaloo said.
"Bwee, buki," the piglet grunted.
"Would you girls mind taking him for a little walk around the glade?" Fluttershy asked. "I want him to get used to the area around the cottage so he doesn't get lost and the other animals can get to know him."
"Of course, Fluttershy!" Sweetie Belle said.
"Thank you," Fluttershy said.
"C'mere piggy!" Apple Bloom said brightly, crouching low and nickering. The piglet's ear twitched as he watched her curiously; after a moment, he lazily hefted himself up on his trotters and waddled over to the three fillies. Making light noises of encouragement, they herded the little pig out the front door and around the side of the house. Fluttershy smiled as she flew up into the rafters to start the daily cleaning of the birdhouses.
* * * * *
"We oughta give this little feller a name," Apple Bloom said suddenly a half hour into their walk around the glade. They'd explored every inch of Fluttershy's property, then walked the piglet up and down the banks of the creek. Now, they were across the bridge, letting the piglet poke around in a mossy grove not far from the main road into town.
"Hmm...how about Blackfoot?" Scootaloo suggested.
"What about Waddles?" Sweetie Belle offered. "Because he waddles."
"We don't call you Trots because you trot," Scootaloo pointed out.
"I kinda hope you don't call me Trots at all."
"Ah think Ah'll call you Bumper," Apple Bloom announced to the piglet as he snuffled around in some moss.
The other Crusaders shot her odd looks. "Bumper?" Scootaloo echoed.
"Why Bumper?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Apple Bloom tilted her head. "Don't he look kinda like a rubber baby buggy bumper?"
"Bwee?" the piglet tilted his head curiously.
Scootaloo scratched her muzzle. "I guess so," she said.
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "It's as good a name as any," she said.
"Alright then!" Apple Bloom said cheerfully. "From now on, we're gonna call you Bumper!"
"Buki," Bumper snorted indifferently. Then, his ears and snout twitched. "B-bwee?" His eyes widened, and he suddenly darted across the grove, disappearing behind a large rock.
"H-hey, wait!" Sweetie Belle cried. The fillies chased after him, calling out for him to come back.
When they caught up to him, Bumper was digging furiously at the base of the rock, grunting and snorting. "Ah think he found somethin'," Apple Bloom said.
"Bukikwii," Bumper oinked, teeth bared as he furiously clawed at the rock with his tiny trotters.
"Let's help him out!" Scootaloo suggested, wedging her hooves under the rock and heaving it. Sweetie Belle's aura glimmered around the rock, and it shifted ponderously, huge clumps of earth and dried roots clinging to the wet, loamy bottom. Apple Bloom lent her weight and earth pony strength to the effort, and after a minute's hard work, the rock tipped over, landing with a mighty crash in a patch of moss.
"Bu-KWEEE!" Bumper oinked ecstatically, dancing on his trotters. The Crusaders stared at what had been unearthed, eyes wide.
"Wow," Scootaloo breathed.
A dozen or so bumpy black mushrooms lay before them, each slightly smaller than a kiwi fruit. Bumper pounced on them, but Sweetie Belle seized him in her magic and held him back. "Are those truffles?" she asked.
"Ah think so, yeah," Apple Bloom said. "Didn't know you could find 'em around these parts."
"We should take these back to Fluttershy's house with us!" Scootaloo said excitedly.
"Sounds good to me," Apple Bloom agreed. She carefully dug out the truffles and deposited them in her saddlebag. Bumper kept struggling in Sweetie Belle's magical grip; once Apple Bloom closed her saddlebag, Sweetie Belle dropped the piglet, who snorted and snuffled petulantly but fell in step with the fillies as they returned to Fluttershy's cottage.
* * * * *
"Welcome back, girls!" Fluttershy called cheerfully from the kitchen as the Crusaders returned. "How was your walk? Did our new little friend have a good time?"
"He sure did!" Apple Bloom called. "Bumper found somethin' amazin' out in th' grove over th' creek!"
"Bumper?" Fluttershy asked as she emerged from the kitchen, blinking and tilting her head curiously.
"We named him," Scootaloo said. "Anyway, check out what we brought back!" Apple Bloom's saddlebag opened with Sweetie Belle's magic, and the truffles floated out.
"Goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed. She favored the piglet with an encouraging smile. "Bumper, is it? You found these?"
"Bwee-bwee!" Bumper oinked, nodding his head rapidly.
"What a clever boy you are!" Fluttershy said, patting his head with a hoof. "You know, these would be perfect in the salads I'm making us all for lunch! Sweetie Belle, would you mind helping me slice them up?"
"Sure!" Sweetie Belle followed Fluttershy into the kitchen, the truffles in tow. Bumper watched them go longingly, but relented when Apple Bloom picked him up and set him in his basket.
"You've had a busy day, feller," Apple Bloom said. "Time t' rest." She stretched out, yawning. "Lunch sounds mighty good right now."
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed, perching herself on Fluttershy's couch. "Digging out that boulder was hard work. I'm so hungry I could eat a hippo!"
"Oh my," Fluttershy said from the kitchen door in a lightly amused tone. "Well, I'm afraid I don't have any hippo, but I do have some fresh, delicious garden salads, and these truffles are just the thing to give them a little gourmet flair." She ducked back into the kitchen; Apple Bloom and Scootaloo heard Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle humming cheerfully as they worked. A short while later, they returned with a large bowl overflowing with salad, four smaller bowls, and four glasses of iced green tea. Sweetie Belle set the table; as the other Crusaders took a seat, Fluttershy distributed helpings of salad into each bowl, then deposited a small amount onto a saucer for Bumper.
"Wow, now that's a salad," Scootaloo said, licking her lips. The salad consisted of crispy green lettuce, shredded carrots, red cabbage, red onions, thinly-sliced radishes, black olives, and thick, meaty slices of black truffle; blue cheese had been crumbled over the entire thing, which had also been sprinkled liberally with crunchy herbed croutons and finished off with Balsamic dressing.
Fluttershy attentively made certain each Crusader, as well as herself, got an entire truffle on their salad, then sat down with a smile. "Dig in, everypony!" she said.
"Thanks, Fluttershy, this looks amazin'!" Apple Bloom said as she dove into her salad with gusto. The others joined her; Scootaloo buried her muzzle into her bowl, while Fluttershy ate daintily and Sweetie Belle used her magic to employ a salad fork.
"Oh wow, this is good," Sweetie Belle said between bites.
"These mushrooms taste..." Scootaloo tilted her head. "Kinda smoky? The taste is really intense."
"It sure is," Fluttershy agreed, tilting her head and chewing thoughtfully. "Sort of like...Camembert and raspberries, but with a hint of...chestnuts?"
"Reminds me of some fancy Canterlot food Rarity brought home one time," Sweetie Belle said.
"Buki~iii," Bumper opined.
Each pony had seconds on the salad, getting slightly more than a whole truffle in their portion. Fluttershy gave Bumper one of the leftover truffles that didn't go into the salad, and he went at it with gusto. The ponies made light conversation over the remains of their lunch.
As bowls emptied and bellies filled, Apple Bloom let out a yawn. "Ah'm gittin'..." She yawned again. "Kinda sleepy."
"Me too," Scootaloo said, cracking a huge yawn.
"Same here," Sweetie Belle agreed.
Fluttershy's eyelids drooped. "Oh my," she said. "Me...me too..."
"Bweeee..."
* * * * *
Scootaloo's eyelids fluttered open. She cracked a huge yawn, smacking her lips and grimacing at how dry her mouth was. She pushed herself to achy, leaden hooves and let out a massive fart.
"Ugh!" Sweetie Belle complained. "Scootaloo!"
"Sorry," Scootaloo said as her eyes opened. Her vision was bleary with sleep; after rubbing her eyes with a hoof, she blinked and looked around. "Wait...what?"
"Hey, where th'—?!"
"Fluttershy! Wake up!" Sweetie Belle cried insistently. "Wake up, Fluttershy! Something's really wrong!"
"Hmm? Wuzzah?" Fluttershy opened her eyes sleepily. "Oh goodness, did I doze off after lunch? That's not like me at all. I hope I didn't put you girls to any trouble..." She blinked and looked around. Her irises shrank to pinpricks. "G-girls? Where...where are we?" Her wings flared out wide. "Where's my cottage? Where are my animals?"
"Buki-kwiii!"
"Well, Bumper's here," Apple Bloom said as she looked around, her eyes wide. "Wherever here is..."
The four ponies stood in an empty, frost-covered clearing. A few sparse, dead trees dotted their immediate surroundings. A thin creek ran nearby, its surface covered in drifting chunks of ice as it lazily burbled past. In the near distance, a line of dark, gnarled trees cast a spooky shadow over the cold ground. The sky above was pale grey with clouds. As they looked around, a team of armored pegasi flew past, plowing into the clouds overhead. A chill seeped into their skin through their coats.
"W-why is it so c-c-c-cold?" Sweetie Belle whimpered.
Fluttershy frowned as she looked around. "Girls," she said quietly, "I know this is going to sound crazy, but..." She swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm pretty sure this is exactly where my house is supposed to be."
"Ah think you're right," Apple Bloom said. "There ain't no bridge, but that's durn sure your creek. An'..." She pointed a hoof at the tree line. "That's th' Everfree Forest."
"And that's Canterlot," Scootaloo said, pointing a hoof at an unmistakeable spire of craggy rock that towered over the chilly landscape. "Only...I don't see Canterlot, just the mountain."
"Hey! You there!" a gruff voice called. The ponies looked up as a pegasus stallion descended toward them. He had a dark grey coat and wore antiquated iron armor that covered his entire torso except for his wings. A short, stiff brush of reddish-brown tail emerged from the studded pleats at his flanks, and tufts of reddish-brown mane stuck out from the polished morion which sat atop his head. A lightning bolt emblem was engraved on the front of his helmet, and a stiff ornamental comb on the crown matched his mane in color. Steely eyes swept over them. "Civilians? Children? What in the name of Tartarus are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"
Fluttershy ascended slightly, meeting him in midair. "Excuse me," she said. "We're a bit lost and confused. You see, we were just having lunch in my living room, and then we all got sleepy, and when we woke up, we were...well...we were here." She frowned, looking around. "Which is where my living room should be, and my entire house, and all my poor little animals..." Her eyes scanned the horizon, and widened in terror. "Oh, and Ponyville. Ponyville's missing." She paused, then flew straight up, her wings spreading wide in alarm. "PONYVILLE'S MISSING!"
The Crusaders whinnied in terror. "Ponyville! It's gone!"
"What happened?"
"Our homes! Our families! Our friends!"
"CALM DOWN!" the stallion thundered. The fillies and Fluttershy stilled, looking at him in terror. He frowned at them. "I know of no Ponyville," he said. "Your claim to have a house in this area is preposterous. Do you not see the Everfree Forest yon? It would be suicidal to try to live so close to such a place."
"W-well, yes," Fluttershy admitted. "But it's not really...that bad. Just...if you know how to be careful..." She shook her head. "What do you mean you don't know Ponyville?" She narrowed her eyes. "Who are you, anyway?"
The stallion drew himself up. "Ma'am, I am Sergeant Stormchaser, Sergeant-At-Arms of the Third Pegasus Platoon, Northwest Company."
"Oh," Fluttershy said in a small voice. "W-well, I'm, umm...I'm Fluttershy, these fillies are Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo..." She trailed off, looking around, her face growing more distressed as she took in the bare spire of rock, the dark shadow of the Everfree, and the barren, frost-covered expanse of ground that should be Ponyville. "And we're very lost, very confused, and very frightened."
Sergeant Stormchaser let out a sigh. "Well, it isn't safe for civilians to be out here, especially not while we're still cleaning up after the Windigoes. Follow me, we have a base camp in the woods to the northwest of here. We've already cleared the weather there. It's still pretty cold, but we have blankets and warm soup."
"Thank you," Fluttershy said. "Come on, girls. Grab Bumper and...and let's go with this nice pony."
Stormchaser flew low and slow, leading the group into what, more and more distressingly, they recognized as where Ponyville was supposed to be. The Crusaders' faces fell as they looked around at the vast stretch of nothing but frosted plains, frozen lakes, and distant forests and hills. "Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom asked in a small, scared voice. "Whut...whut happened t' our home?"
"I don't know," Fluttershy said. She frowned as her eyes scanned the skyline where she knew Twilight's castle should be. "Canterlot's gone, Twilight's castle isn't here..." She tucked her wings in tightly at her side. "Something terrible's happened to Equestria. But how did we miss it?"
Stormchaser glided closer. "What do you mean, 'something terrible' has happened to Equestria?" he asked. "If you mean the Windigoes, well...is it not the result of their defeat that we now have this new nation?" He studied their little group curiously. "Though I must say, I would not have expected to see a unicorn filly and an earth pony filly in the care of a pegasus so soon, let alone in the middle of nowhere. Yours is quite an odd group."
"What's wrong with an earth pony an' a unicorn bein' with a pegasus?" Apple Bloom asked hotly. "We're all ponies, an' we're all friends!"
"Wait," Sweetie Belle said, holding up a hoof. "New nation...Windigoes..." Her eyes widened. "Mr. Stormchaser," she said slowly.
"Sergeant Stormchaser," Stormchaser corrected gruffly.
"Right, sorry," Sweetie Belle said absently. "This cold weather your team's working to clear out...it isn't natural, is it?"
Stormchaser snorted. "I should say not," he said. "The Windigoes have been banished back from whence they came, but much work remains to restore the beautiful Spring weather our Glorious Leader reported before the unicorns and earth ponies showed up with their own scouting parties." He landed, rustling his wings. "Though I suppose I shouldn't speak ill of the other tribes. After all, are we not supposed to be living together in fellowship and harmony now?"
Fluttershy gasped, eyes wide. "I don't believe it," she said.
"Yes, it is difficult to come to terms with such a dramatic change in the way we all live," Stormchaser agreed, nodding.
"N-no, not that," Fluttershy said. She drew back, gathering the Crusaders together. "Girls?" she whispered. "You don't suppose..."
"We've traveled back in time to the founding of Equestria?" Sweetie Belle finished. "Yeah. That's exactly what's going on here."
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide. "Whoa," Apple Bloom said.
"This is heavy," Scootaloo added.
"Bwee-kee," Bumper opined.