A Dream's Final Rest

by DeshLune


Chapter Two: Carried Alarms

Chapter Two: Carried Alarms

“It isn’t fair. Every time I eat a strawberries, they taste nasty. But all the other ponies can eat ‘em perfectly fine.” I tell the unconscious pony.
 
About thirty minutes, ago I started to drag this pony on the wagon with a rope tying her down, making her nice, safe, and secure. Something about dragging a full-sized mare across town gains the oddest looks from other ponies passing by, especially when the pony you are taking is tied down. Now I am taking her on a stroll through town.
 
Her name is Rainglow Dish, the famous Wonderbolt, who triumphantly has been gaining prestige at all the events. She is, by all terms, a rising star. And like every rising star she has her mode-of-transport.
 
I snicker at my joke. It wasn’t very funny, but it was still good. Besides, it is my joke. What’s not to love about my joke?
 
I pull and pull on the wagon. We aren’t travelling too quickly, but we are making progress to the destination I have in mind—assuming it isn’t destroyed of course.
 
I drag her along in the cart, turning down the side-alleys and avoiding anyplace that could be busy or destroyed. One block. The creaking of the wagon wheels on cobblestone is the only noise that fills my ears.
 
I have not seen anypony else. Perhaps they ran like a stampede when the Scorpion attacked the town. I never did know her name. I look up to see the destination. A large building with an equally large sign out front.
 
I pull her up to the large steps. Luckily the place isn’t destroyed. I push her off the wagon as it isn’t mine so I will need to return it. I’m sure she will be found. It is only paces away from the front of the hospital after all.
 
I take the handle back into my mouth and pull it at a nice steady pace. As much good as saving others is, taking credit for a friendly act is never a good thing, I think to myself, half-tempted to say it aloud.
 

--- --- ---

I let the cart come to a stop. Right… it is a wagon. I drop the handle. It tastes nasty, but it isn’t as bad as the smoke smell that fills the air. I rest the wagon back on the spot I had taken it; even taking the time to make sure the handle is resting in the right spot.
 
Once set correctly I turn to see the colt it belongs to. “Just returning it, not stealing it… since why would I be stealing it if I were adjusting it to the right position… before I… took it?” I pause and look at the kid as he stares at me.
 
“Mom!” He yells slightly cocking his head back.
 
“No. There’s no reason to do that, why don’t we just—”
 
“Mom, that one mare from before is trying to steal my wagon!”
 
“No, nooo. I’m not. I promise you, I’m not.”
 
I hear his mother yell, “That’s nice, dear.”
 
I don’t have to deal with this… she thinks he is playing a game. “Look. Here are a couple bits.” I drop a few bits onto the ground “Why don’t you go buy an ice cream?”
 
He looks at the bits, then looks at me. He switches his attention between us a few more times before finally yelling behind himself again. “Mom! She is offering me money now!”
 
“That’s good, dear. Make sure to get as much as you can,” she yells back nonchalantly.
 
He slowly grins. “I’m going to need more than that.”
 
I open my mouth to protest, but quickly shut it. “Fine,” I decide as I drop a few more. He raises an eyebrow. I groan as I drop some more.
 
I trot away before he demands anything else. “That little brat. He took everything I had.” I hear him yell something, but I can’t quite make it out. It does not matter, though, as I begin to run away.
 
Not even a street later, and I trip falling on my face. “Ow…” I moan. I sit up, still on the ground. I feel around my muzzle.
 
It is damp but not just any damp. The dampness that comes with a scent, an aroma. Blood. I’m bleeding?! I wipe off my hoof on my coat and dig into my bag. I pull out a bandage-aid, something to help stop the bleeding.
 
It stings as I put it in place. “Glad I’m still pony,” I murmur.
 
Where’s Tilde? He left before I did. Then there was that attack… did he get caught in the collapse? My focus sharpens. “No time to look for him.”
 
I take off galloping down the road. A fresh layer of dust has over-lain the roads, streets, and roofs, except for one: Sugar Cube Corner. I skid to a stop, hitting a rock out of place and falling on my face. Again.
 
I don’t even bother checking to see if it is ripped. I take out a second bandage and set it crossed-over the first. I huff. “Falling hurts.”
 
“Yes, it does~” I jump when a squeaky voice says that, right next to my ear. I hear someone giggle. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were sooo focused.”
 
I look and see Pinkie Pie. “Wait… I—”
 
“Nope, we finished that after you took Dashy to the hospital!” she chimed.
 
“Okay, but—”
 
“Nope! Everypony is a-okay!” She explains with an upbeat bounce. “Turns out the Scorpion is named Therames… and~ turns out she is going to be a mom-pion~” She sing-songs.
 
“Well… that is good. I guess. But do you—”
 
“Sorry, no idea,” Pinkie apologizes. “I wish I did, since magic can be an awful thing at times. Like turning a frog into an orange!”
 
“An orange? As in the fruit?”
 
“Yeah! You should have seen it! Twilight was practicing her magic and bam she hit a bird and a frog… before poof, they became part orange! It was really weird.”
 
“What!? Really?” I ask her out of disbelief.
 
“Yeah—oh, no.” With that Pinkie zips past me and enters Sugar Cube Corner. Should I follow her?
 
Best not. No way to know what she is doing in there.
 
I continue on my way. “To the park!” I yell, holding a hoof out in the air with extra flair and pizzaz. I look around to gather my bearings. Once I figure it out, I turn to it. “That way,” I say.
 
The stench in the air is that of smoke. The look… debris. Ponyville is in ruin, or most of it, at least. What isn’t knocked down, destroyed, or breaking, is dirty, and covered in particles of… who knows what.
 
There is a low-whining noise in the air as well. Almost like the siren they installed a few months back; but it’s not very good, as it is supposed to warn against monster attacks. There is a different tune to call a town meeting as well.
 
But I know it isn’t the siren, because the siren is a loud noise. This is just a low-whine that I doubt many can even hear. I fold my ears down and continue walking. I see the park entrance, a low-hanging wall with an arching gateway.
 
Well, there used to be an arching gateway, now it is just a pile of stones. I leap over and land with a five-out-of-ten nothing special landing. The first thing I see is water spraying in multiple directions. The fountain’s head is missing and broken into pieces.
 
I edge closer to the fountain and quickly get covered in water. But I don’t mind, especially not right now when I am dirty and all. Besides my apartment is gone for all I know. I shudder a few times, out of habit. The water is refreshing as much as it is cold. I take a moment to run my hoof over my back, my sides, and my front, making sure to get off the gunk on my back. Stepping out of the water, I shudder once more, not out of habit this time. No, this time because the cold water doesn’t mix with the cool air too well.
 
There is a tree not far from the fountain. I think I shall have a rest there. I trot over to the tree. It is an oak tree, tall and strong. I curl up into a ball, directly in the sunlight. In a half-hour, it shall become that of shade. I close my eyes, relaxing my aching joints and extremities. Slowly, oh so slowly, I begin… to drift… away…
 

--- --- ---

 
I awaken to something blaring three slow loud whines, before a giving a long, low whine. The difference now though is that this one isn’t some random white noise.
 
“A monster attack? At this hour of the day,” I mumble half asleep. “Mhmm… no…” I break for a yawn, “that isn’t the one for a monster attack. It would have to be the one for a town meeting.”
 
Meeting. In town... Where is it they said to meet again? Right… the hall of town, er, Townhall, yeah. Townhall. I shake myself awake. “Time to go see what is so important.”
 
I jump up, wobbling for a second before I begin to trot away. I leap back over the crumpled archway. Looking up to the sky, I see it has become cloudy. It will rain soon. I follow my hoofsteps from before I took that nap.
 
For the most part, I am now dry; but I can feel parts of me that are still drenched with water. I just hope that they will dry after a while. Going around with a wet coat isn’t the best feeling in the world.
 
I look at the buildings on my right and left. Like before, many of them are broken, though they seem to be getting rebuilt, and at an amazing pace too. Half of the town might already be rebuilt. I was only out for an hour or two.
 
A little strawberry garden I helped plant looks as if it was never touched. Was it touched? I ask myself mentally. I try to think back, but my mind is drawing a blank. It is astounding to think they can remake Ponyville in a single day.
 
If it was me, then it would take weeks. Even if I had multiple me’s working on it. A few walls remain the same monotonous wood color from the building resources, while others are mostly painted.
 
“Ponyville: making towns in an afternoon since the founding,” I joke.
 
“Yeah, it certainly has,” I turn to see Tilde answering my joke. I stare at him for a few seconds, unmoving. “Do I have something on my face?” He asks.
 
I jump on him. “You’re alive! I thought you had died!”
 
He looks at me as if I was saying a flying pig ripped his eyes out with a teaspoon. “You… thought that I… died?” he asks slowly. I nod frivolously. “Why would you think so little of me?”
 
“No, I didn’t mean it like tha—”
 
“Of course,” he drags on. “You meant it in the good way of ‘hey, you can’t survive a simple attack on the town.’”
 
“No, I…” I trail off, unsure of what to say.
 
He shakes his head once. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just going to go ahead. I’ll be on the left wall; don’t meet me there.” He demands. As he trots away, I can hear him mutter under his breath. “I don’t want to catch your clumsiness and perfect opportunity to...”
 
I can’t hear the rest, it goes out of earshot. “I’m not clumsy, though. Just a little wobbly at times,” I explain in a soft voice, barely passing above a whisper. I watch frozen as he passes a corner; I know the corner. It is a straight-shot to Townhall from there.
 
I trot after him at a slower pace, not to catch up but to get to the same place. Before going to the right wall, I turn the cleaned corner.
 
Tap.
 
I look up.
 
Tap, tap.
 
Rain. The rain decides to come now. I know the Pegasi have a schedule to stick too, but did they have to pick this exact moment to have it rain?
 
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
 
Slowly the rain picks up, and what was moments ago hardly anything has now soaked me through in a matter of seconds. I shake my entire body trying to get the water off. I turn toward the large, perfectly intact, falling apart building several long paces ahead of me.
 
I gallop at full force. I reach the stairs, but the cool rainwater numbs my hooves a little too much and causes me to misjudge the height of the steps. With a thwack, I collide with the bottom wooden step and slam my chin on the wooden floor. Water shoots everywhere.
 
All of the sudden, I am in the air again. I slowly get set down again on the porch that surrounds the building. I look around to see Sparlight coming towards me. I drop one knee, not to bow but because it gave out.
 
“Are you alright?” she asks, a slight red-tint covering her muzzle. She isn’t looking directly at me.
 
“Yeah, I think I am,” I inform her.
 
“Wait… I recognize you. You helped one of my friends earlier.”
 
“That’s right! Hey, Twilight!” I turn to see Pinkie bounce up to where we are. She easily covered those steps, unlike a certain somepony. “Dashy is getting much better,” Pinkie explains, though with her squeaky voice it is hard to take her seriously.
 
“Really?” Sparlight asks. Sparlight? Why is she getting called “Twilight?”
 
“Yupperoos, the Doc said she only broke her wing, and that she should be better within a day, or two.”
 
Spar—er, Twilight breaths a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. I was worried about her. It didn’t look like a good hit… Pinkie, why don’t you go inside? I’m going to talk to… um,” she nearly finishes.
 
Before I could tell Twilight my name, Pinkie beats me to it. “Her name is Night Zone. She moved here not too long ago, from Manehattan, I believe!” She seems to remember something. “Right, inside… bye Twilight!”
 
“Bye, Pinkie.” Twilight turns to me. “So Miss Zone I would like to ask you: why were you on the field? We told everypony to run, but you didn’t. I mean, I’m glad you didn’t. There’s no telling what might have happened to Rainbow Dash if it weren’t for you.
 
“But that doesn’t express the need for you to be there. You could have gotten hurt, or worse,” she talks on.
 
“Um… I didn’t hear anything about fleeing. Sorry,” I say, my head drooping down.
 
“No, it’s—” she turns to look inside the building “—alright… I’ve got to go now. It was nice talking to you.”
 
She rushes inside, almost copying Pinkie Pie in the level of speed. I head inside not long after. I am struck by a thought when I see Pinkie on the other side of the room. She came from outside, but she is perfectly dry.
 
As soon as my tail enters, the doors swing shut behind me. I turn to see a pegasus with a simple mane and a wandering eye. “Everypony accounted for!” She yells to the front.
 
Odd, I could have sworn I heard hooffalls behind me as I was coming in.
 
I shake the thought away. Well, I made it at least. I shuffle my way to the right wall.
 
In the front Twilight and Mayor Mare are standing on an elevated stage. Twilight steps forward and clears her throat. “May I have everypony's attention.” The room, which is bustling full of chatter, becomes deathly silent.
 
“Thank you. Now, as many of you might have heard, we have news to share. It concerns Equestria as a whole—”
 
Mayor Mare burst forward. “Tirek has escaped!”
 
Twilight loses her calm demeanor which she had kept in check until then. She gives the Mayor a glare and continues nervously. “Yes, but that’s not all. It seems that a spell King Sombra put into place before the Crystal Heart was returned has caused his return as well.” She eases into calmness again. “As of right now, we are unsure if the two coming back is connected, but we will let you all know when we find something out.”
 
The silence throughout the room vanishes. Whoever these Sombra and Tirek characters are, they must be real bad ponies or something.
 
“Excuse me all,” Twilight yells. The room quieting down not long after. “It would also seem that Sombra has taken over the Crystal Empire once more, through a surprise attack. It happened earlier this morning.”
 
Somepony yells out from somewhere in the room. “You’re a Princess! Why didn’t you save ‘em?”
 
“Princess Cadence was there, and she couldn’t stop them. Shining Armor as well. As for me, I was working with my friends on stopping the monster attack.” She answers truthfully.
 
There must have been a mix of confusion from the asker. “The attack that destroyed most of Ponyville!”
 
There are murmurs in the rest of the crowd. I, however, remain silent to see if there is going to be more. “How can we believe that a monster attacked the town?” Another yells from the crowd.
 
Are these ponies crazy? I watched it happen first hoof. “It sent Rainbow Dash to the hospital!” Twilight yells back, her calmness slowly washing away again.
 
The murmurs only picked up. By what I can tell, it isn’t out of disbelief but rather out of panic. “What are we to do?” The first voice yells again.
 
“We’re all doomed,” the second declares.
 
Appletack trots up on stage. “Now hold your horses. We never said we were doomed er nothin’, all we’re tryin’ ta say is that we’re just goin’ ta have ta work together.” She stomps her hoof on the floor. “Why can’t y’all just—”
 
“Applejack, darling, that is quite enough,” the white unicorn from Carousel Boutique steps on stage interrupting. She has such a swirly mane, though, it is slightly frazzled at the moment. “Let’s all just calm down and relax. Right, Fluttershy?” She winks towards the left side somewhere just off stage.
 
It is faint, but I can slightly hear a “Y-yeah.” Fluttershy, unlike the rest seems to stay off-stage. She must have something against public speaking. I know I do.
 
Pinkie bounces up on stage. “There will be cupcakes at Sugar Cube Corner… free samples for everypony!” She cheers.
 
Nopony is cheering along, though. The atmosphere is almost choking too. If I do something, anything wrong, then I might be swallowed whole. I might—
 
“What if we were to launch an attack against Tirek? You girls could use the Elements of Harmony and send him back to his maker.” Somepony hollers, their voice flowing long and strong.
 
“Well—” Twilight begins to answer, until she decides to suddenly stop.
 
“Because that wouldn’t be right, an’ y’all should know that,” Appletack finishes.
 
Mayor Mare steps forward. “Now, why don’t we all just calm down. If we aren’t calm—” she looks around the room, and for a second, it seems like she lingers on somepony “—then we might not last the night.”
 
“What?!” Several gasp in fright.
 
The mayor chuckles nervously a little, and Twilight pushes her gently to the back. “No, we will last the night. Now, if everypony wants to help Equestria. There will be a train leaving the station for Canterlot early in the morning, around sunrise, and remember,” she pauses to let her words sink in, “we cannot let them win.”
 
She scans the entire crowd. “I suggest that each and everyone of you think about this very, very carefully,” she says, a certain sternness in her voice. I am tempted to call it the Princess Voice because it has the feel of authority. And it isn’t like that Royal Canterlot Voice that they used way-back-when. “Come on girls, we have some packing to do.”
 
“Packing? So you are picking up and leaving?” A third voice asks from somewhere near the back.
 
Twilight can be heard audibly sighing. “No. We are packing because we are going to be gone for a long time, and we wanted to be prepared.” She looks to the back of the stage, “Come on Spike.”
 
From the back, a small little creature with some sort of fin at the top of its head waddles down from the stage. “I’m coming, Twilight!” It sounds like a baby… something. Almost like a dragon, but pint-sized.
 
Twilight and the possibly-a-dragon trot out into the rain. Pinkie and the other two, the unicorn (who has some thick-looking clothing on) and the yellow pegasus, leave as well. Appletack is still on stage. She seems to be looking for somepony, muttering something.
 
I stop paying attention to her after that and begin looking around for Tilde. He said he was on the left wall, but I can’t quite see him. “Looking for something,” a low, deep voice asks from right next to my ear. I shriek, and several ponies around immediately look (one with a little too much enthusiasm).
 
When I turn to see who it is, I am surprised by Tilde. He laughs a little, and not a mean laugh but the apologetic kind—the sheepish one. “Sorry, didn’t mean to do that. I just wanted to see which one you are going to be doing.”
 
“Which one?” I fix on him. “Oh! I haven’t decided yet. I think I will sleep on it.”
 
“You were sleeping before you got here,” he says with a flat voice, which matches his expression. I cock my head slightly, and before I can ask him, he continues. “I saw you while passing by, and it isn’t hard to tell when you sleep. There is always a side of your mane sticking out to the right. Almost straight-out, too.”
 
I open my mouth to say something, but again he interrupts. “I’ll be off.” He takes several steps, before remembering something. “Oh, and you can sleep here for the night. I have somewhere to be, so I won’t need to sleep here.”
 
I watch as he walks away. When he reaches the door leading out, most of the others start shuffling out as well. I seem to be one of the only one staying here. All of the others are looking for somepony and talking as they leave together.
 
That whole we’re doomed thing seems to have passed by them rather quick. I see Appletack standing on the stage talking to Mayor Mare with a hard face. If I’m to ask somepony where I can sleep it would be Mayor Mare. I approach the stage.
 
“That’s just crazy. If Twilight were ta hear ya sayin’ tha—” She stops when they see me standing at the front of the stage. “Ah’m sorry. I’m just tryin’ ta knock some sense into her. Anyway, how can we be of service?”
 
“Well, I was just looking to see if I could sleep here tonight. My apartment compound was destroyed earlier. And I was told I could sleep here.” They both look at me slightly confused, but they slowly seem to understand.
 
“Yes, I would be happy to let anypony sleep here. Let me just fetch you the sleeping equipment.” With that Mayor Mare trots off somewhere.
 
Appletack just keeps looking at me, an odd look on her face. “I know you!” She bursts out so suddenly that I jump a little. She looks a little sheepish as I focus on her again. “You saved Rainbow, knew ah was better; an’ this proves it.”
 
Before I could say anything, Mayor Mare returns. She is carrying a sleeping bag and a pillow. She drops them on the floor. “Here you go. Feel free to sleep anywhere. It will just be you here.”
 
“Thanks,” I trail off. Appletack and Mayor Mare trot towards the door and make it out into the rain. “Okay…” I say slightly frowning. I take a last look around the room. I am the only one here, after all.
 
I slowly set out the sleeping bag, and place the pillow. To be accurate: I pile up both of them, before I curl up into a ball on them. I close my eyes and count the stars.
 
One… two… four… five… six...