//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Realms Undreamed Of 
// by Ardashir 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 5



When I saw just where my fool head had dropped Twilight and me, I near about grabbed her and jumped over the side of the boat and into the water. Then I minded me what I’d seen in that water all those years ago, and what it might be here and now with those lowflung Shonokin a-using around, and kept my seat.

“I ain’t paying you to laze about, Johnny!” I ducked not quite fast enough. A fat heavy fist clouted me alongside the ear. “You and Miss whatever-her-name-is get to rowing or I’ll be a-throwing you from this boat!”

I looked up at Ranson Cuff and saw him in my memories as I remembered him from life. Maybe not so tall as I remembered, for I’d grown my own self since, but big. Built broad and squat, so much so he looked shorter than he was, but that same heavy face and lemon sour complexion. His eyes set close enough together that you’d think he could peek through a keyhole with both at once. And that bony little nose of his, the only bony thing to that whole hateful face he owned.

I reckon maybe a moment long I thought about snatching up that oar of mine and seeing if it wasn’t just a little bitty bit harder than his head. Then I minded me what would be a-happening and bent to rowing.

“Yes, Mister Cuff, sir,” I said, and sent us through the water. He glared at Twilight. I wondered me why he didn’t notice airy odd thing about her. Little purple unicorns stand out most places I’ve been. I reckon it must have been that it was a dream, for all he did was to yell at her the way he did at airy person who had to take it from him.

“You deaf or just stupid, girl? Get to using that oar ‘fore I toss you over the side for bait.”

Twilight looked at him like he was a bug under her foot. She glanced sidelong at me and how I dressed back then, in whatever castoffs Ranson tossed away, and her face got harder still. I gave her a quick be-silent with a finger cross my lips. She snorted and took one oar in her magic, I guess you’d call it, and started rowing.

“Head us over in there,” Cuff said. He pointed over the water to a place where the frogsong sounded the loudest, to a spot among the hanging old trees and moss that glowed the faintest soft green. The ripe sort of smell from the water and rotting plants all about us seemed the stronger from there. “I’m planning to have me some frog legs for dinner, and I hear a whole nation of them in there. We’re a-going in for them.”

“Hold on, Mister Cuff,” I said. He turned on me with a scowl, like he always did. I wondered myself why I tried to help a man who’d done wrong by me and air other person I knew, but I said it airy way. “I heard tell of that place from the Indians,” I started in on what that old Indian I remembered from those days told us both that night. For whatair reason Twilight seemed to be here in his place, so I supposed maybe I ought to be a-doing this. “They said it’s no use to go a-sticking frogs in there. That place belongs to Khongabassi. The Frogfather, they call him.”

“Indian talk.” Cuff spat over the side. He looked at me, his eyes narrowing the more, bored and mean. “Indian talk you mouth to me. Boy, do I have to give you a whipping again?”

“I’m just a-telling you, Mister Cuff,” I responded him. “It’s the worst kind of bad luck to go after frogs right there.” I pointed ahead of us at the green glow among all those trees, over and in the water. We’d gotten closer and it looked the brighter, but not quite like I remembered from that long-ago night. Not exactly. I wondered me if it had a nasty sheen to it that minded me of a snake with poison in his jaws. “They told me that Frogfather doesn’t like it when the frogs get killed, and least of all when it’s done right at his front door. They said he’d come out and after whoair did it, and they’d not like it.”

Cuff just scowled the more. He sudden like snatched his gig up and made to hit me with it.

“Now listen to me, you little…” Suddenlike the boat rocked under him and he grabbed for the sides. I saw how Twilight gave me the least little smile and knew why the boat did that. He made sure to be steady and snapped at me, “No more nonsense out of your fool mouth, you hillbilly. You take me in there. Remember, your old aunt owes me more money that she can pay.” He smiled all fondly at that. Ranson Cuff sure enough liked it when someone owed him money, even better when they couldn’t pay in coin and he took it in whatair of theres he liked, be it this boat we were in or food off their table or a hog from their shed. He liked that better than if they gave it to him for a gift, not that airy soul ever liked him that much.

“She owes me,” he said, his round face going sour again, “and you’re working for me until it gets paid off. And if I get wet or the boat gets damaged or any other thing happens I don’t like, you work to pay for that too.” I knew the next words a-coming from his mouth before I air heard them, he said them so often. “You know what that makes you to me, boy?”

“A slave,” I told him back, and even though I knew this for a dream, and minded me that I’d been gone and free of him for more years than I cared to think, those words coming from my mouth still shamed me. The way Twilight looked on, her eyes going all wide, made it nair better.

“That’s right,” Cuff said, sounding almost gleeful. “I own you, boy. And you too!” He reached down and slapped Twilight alongside the head. “Now get yourselves a-rowing. I want my dinner already.”

We started a rowing again, and I felt kindly less sorry about what would be happening than I’d been afore. I caught me a glimpse of Twilight’s face. Her brow furrowed and her mouth worked like she worked on something to say, like any human man or woman would when they think hard.

“Mister Cuff?? Sir?” When he just spat over the side again, she added in a voice that made it sound like she’d just eaten something sour, “Master? Tell me, how did I become your property?”

“How?” Cuff turned and sneered at her, opened his mouth to talk, and suddenlike froze. “How… did I…”

For maybe four-give seconds it seemed like air thing about us all stopped. The frogs stopped their croaking. The smell all about just took itself away. I didn’t even feel the wood of the boat under me or the oar in my hands. The green glow in amongst the trees gave a sort of shiver, like it took fright.

“How did you come to own me, Mister Cuff?” Twilight said again. I saw how she looked proud, like some folks do when they make a right clever move in checkers or chess.

I wondered me what it all meant. And then it all came back. Like some picture movie stopped running for a few moments and began running again.

“You’re here because your family owes me money on their boat and line of traps,” he spat. “I loaned them money all neighborly-like, and when they didn’t pay me back they had the choice of giving me their boat or a-giving me you to work it off.” He reached down and slapped her again alongside the ear. “That jog your memory, girl?”

“It certainly does, Mister Cuff,” Twilight said, and a-started rowing again. Cuff turned his back on us and squatted down like a big old toad. He held the lantern out in the one hand and held the gig ready to stab with the other.

I made sure he didn’t look and leaned in close to Twilight.

“Whatair was that all about?” I asked her as quiet as I could. “You nair were here.”

She smiled back on me.

“That’s right,” she said, sounding happy. “I was never here, and I wanted to see how this, or they, would react if I broke the script.” She nodded at me. “You saw what Cuff did? And how this place reacted? I don’t think a real dream would do that, skip like a record jumping. Not unless someone was trying to guide it.”

I felt my own eyes go the wider.

“So you reckon the Shonokin are right close by?” I looked at Cuff. She shook her head, tossing her mane like any horse you air saw.

“Yes, but not him.” Twilight looked up ahead at that nasty green glow, now near bright enough to read by. “I think he would have done, well, something else if he were one of the Shonokin. He’s a part of this, like a piece in a game, just being played.” She nodded ahead.

“Whatever we have to worry about is in there.”

And we just kept a-rowing to meet God alone knew what.

Because whatair else could we do?



#          #          #



Twilight ignored her disgust at the situation for a few moments as they slid into the lagoon. The trees and odor and damp were everywhere here, and even stronger than outside. Dream or not, her muscles twitched under her coat like a fly bit her at the humidity. The water however looked very clear, lacking the rusty stain she usually associated with bog water. There must not be any iron deposits here to taint the water. She looked at Cuff and scowled.

He caught it from the corner of one eye. His whole ugly little face scowled as he raised the gig like to hit her with it again.

“You heed me, girl, or I’ll throw you out here and now to swim back.” Behind her John gave her shoulder a warning squeeze.

“Yes, Mister Cuff,” she said as she kept rowing. He turned back to see to the frogs. Twilight wondered briefly how this could go on in any land that even pretended to civilization. Diamond Dogs kept slaves, griffons did once, but ponies never did. She squirmed as a nasty memory rose. Well, except for Sombra, and he was enough. And unicorns and pegasi, in the age of the Three Tribes. We’re not quite so pure as I’d like us to be.

Twilight fought down her revulsion at Cuff as he snapped at her and John, “Now guide us in closer now, and be quiet. I see a fat one right there.” He squatted down in front of her like a large toad or especially repellent dragon, the gig held in one meaty hand.

“So do I,” she muttered so softly under her breath that not even John heard it. She caught a glimpse of what he aimed for. It was a large frog, big even by Equestrian standards, a wetly brilliant green and with eyes that shone as fine and many-colored as a dragon’s jewels in the lamp-light. The gig shot out, faster than she thought a man like Cuff could move, and when it drew back the poor frog was kicking on the end of it. Its mouth gaped like it begged for help.

Cuff smacked it against the side of the boat and it went limp. He knocked it off the end and into the boat. She caught the smile on his face and realized that this was the real joy to him. Not the eating, but the killing.

“Now get me in there closer and no trouble from you two,” he gave her a look like he wanted to kill her almost as much as the frogs. Twilight reminded herself what was really going on here and gathered herself. She needed to be wary about her magic in this dream, but if Cuff tried anything to her or John she’d take her chances.

She looked around and froze. Down in that clear water, she saw something like a massive pile of old trees and wooden stumps set against the bottom of the lagoon. The green glow came from within, and from it, something large swam in the direction of the boat. It kicked out sideways frog-fashion, pushing itself forward with broad flippers, but it reached out ahead of it with the forelegs like she imagined John’s folk would need to. Fingers with webbing between them tipped those forepaws.

Claws tipped those fingers.

And the eyes showed slit pupils.

“Here it comes,” John said behind her.

“No,” Twilight said, handing her oar back to him and getting her magic ready. “Here they come.”

“What are you two fools doing?” Cuff swung the gig up, ready to crack them with it. “Do I have to give you both a whipping tonight afore I even eat? I –“

A large wet-green brown-splotched hand, darker on top and lighter on the palm with grey skin stretching between those clawed fingers, seized hold of the thwart between her and Cuff.

He started and said words in John’s language she didn’t know but doubted were a blessing as a massive green head, broad and with green-lit eyes, rose to join that claw. A mouth that stretched from one side of the head to the other opened and a heavy, angry croak came out. She saw teeth like needles inside that mouth, sharp and ready to grip. The boat rocked under her. John called out behind her,

“Twi! Watch out, the boat’s near ready to tip over!”

She didn’t get to answer. Cuff gave one yell and then with a shrug the Frogfather reached out with both massive muscled arms and seized him by the shoulder and neck. It fell back into the water and Cuff went with it.

And so did Twilight.

“John!” She yelled. Or tried to. The foul-tasting water that filled her mouth choked it in her. She looked up and saw John’s face distorted by the water as he looked down at her, eyes wide with dread. She glanced down as she kicked wildly, trying to reach the boat. Frogfather swam into his green-lit den of logs and vanished, still bearing a feebly-kicking Cuff.

Twilight felt herself sinking. She lacked access to her Earth pony endurance, but she found new strength as she swam her way up towards the boat. She forced herself to ignore the part of her mind that yelled at her to use magic or her wings. She fought even harder against the animal part of her mind that only whinnied in panic.

She rose and sucked eagerly at the air as the water streamed along her mane and face.

“Twilight!” John steered the boat over to her and helped her clamber in. Coughing and choking, she did so. “I thought you were gone for sure,” John slapped her on the back by her withers as she spat the water out.

“I thought so too,” Twilight said. She shook herself like a dog. John didn’t yell or try to dodge, he simply made sure of their lantern. “What happens next in this dream, usually?”

“It usually sure enough ends right about now,” John turned to the oars and began turning the boat around. He pulled strongly at them, sending them back towards the entrance to Frogfather’s realm. “Funny thing, though, in the dream and in real life the boat always turned over when Frogfather grabbed Cuff. I wonder if maybe the Shonokin changed it. But why would they do that?”

“Huh, why is right…” Twilight looked at the lantern where it hung, right over some bottles of lamp oil. “Wait, did we have that oil on the boat before?”

“What oil?”

Frogfather rose from the water with a sibilant laugh that in no way belonged to that massive body and smashed the lantern down into the oil and the wooden boat. Fire roared up like a dragon breathed on them.

“John!” She gave a whinny as arms wrapped around her and John hurled them both into the water. Not again! As they rose to the surface, she yelled. “What the hay, John!” Behind them both the boat burned, far too fast for any normal fire.

“Twilight!” He pointed to the shore. She knew it couldn’t be more than a few lengths, but it looked so very far. “We got to swim for it fast! Frogfather, that Shonokin that looked like him, is down there!” He immediately struck out for it.

Twilight looked down and saw something massive heading for them under the water.

“John, hurry!”

He didn’t hear or maybe just was already swimming as fast as he could. Frogfather, the Shonokin, closed in on him with ease. It snatched at his legs and began pulling him down.

Twilight took the deepest breath she could, aimed her horn like a spear, and somehow forced herself forward fast enough to feel it drive into Frogfather. A horrible roar sounded in her ears, followed by a scornful laugh as the monster turned on her. Twilight froze.

He wanted me to do this!

The clawed hands sank into her like fishhooks. What felt like red-hot nails sank deep into her flesh. She bit against the shriek in her throat.

And that was all that kept air in her lungs as Frogfather dragged her under.

She kicked in terror. Her hooves drummed on the monster’s sides. If he felt he gave no sign, he just dove deeper. Twilight wondered why Frogfather didn’t use his fangs or claws. They would have torn her apart in moments. Why bother, a cold part of her mind said. You’ll drown swiftly enough.

The water grew darker around her. They must be reaching the bottom, or maybe that was just the lack of oxygen. She looked around and saw bones all about, wrapped in the water plants, bones from alligators and bears and deer and men. Some still held fishing gigs or knives in bony hands. She remembered her lessons about how long a pony could last underwater without air. Three minutes? Less? How long had she been under? It felt like forever.

She kicked and tried to drive her horn into Frogfather. It sank in, but barely. That was still enough to make it wince and move its claws to her face. She clamped her jaws as it began trying to force them apart.

Her mouth began to open, and Frogfather suddenly recoiled. Twilight forced herself not to gasp as she saw John. He’d swum down behind it and snatched a knife from one of the skeletons. Now he used it on Frogfather. Not cutting but stabbing, pushing it in and sawing it back and forth. Twilight broke away and began swimming for the surface. She wished desperately she were in her through-the-portal human form from Canterlot High. Hands would be so very useful right about now. She paused to look back and froze.

Frogfather held John’s knife hand with one claw and with the other was forcing his head in towards his jaws. He fought, tried to claw at its eyes. It ignored him and opened its jaws wide to bite his head off.

If I go back to help I may not make it up. If I use magic we may all die.

She swam back down as she thought it. She couldn’t move fast enough to use her horn like a lance. So she just set it against Frogfather’s body and called up a spell she hadn’t used since the fight against Tirek. And before that, at the Battle of Canterlot against Swarm Chrysalis.

Frogfather felt like a bag filled with jelly against her head. She maneuvered to set herself between its body and John’s and triggered the spell.

Raw magical energy blasted out from the end of her horn, a directional blast straight into the bag of jelly.

Something dark and foul exploded into the water around her, the shockwave pushing both her and John to the surface. A voice shrieked in agony as they broke into air again, gasping and choking.

“Twi! Whatair did you do?”

“Saved us!” Twilight pointed to the shore and its gnarled trees, lit by the burning flatboat. A glance downwards showed no sign of Frogfather beyond a massive roiling dark cloud in the water like an underwater thunderstorm. Chunks of something floated in and around it.

Neither of them needed any further encouragement as they swam for shore and safety.



	#          #          #



“Howdy, y’all!”

Applejack trotted through the front door of Sugarcube Corner, two baskets of Sweet Apple Acres’ finest bouncing against her sides. The ponies inside, Thunderlane and Derpy and Bon Bon, greeted her with smiles.

“Mrs Cake, Ah fetched those apples ya special-ordered!”

“That you did, dear,” The portly mare behind the counter looked over the apples with a critical eye. They shone red as heart’s-blood rubies in the light, and looked even bigger. Applejack lifted her head a little higher when Mrs. Cake said, “Flawless, the same as always. Pinkie will be delighted, she’s working on her, eh…”

“Something a little different?” Applejack suggested.

“Something totally new and deliciouseriffic!” Pinkie bounced up between the two mares. Once Applejack would have wondered where her friend came from, and how. Now she just took it in stride as Pinkie somehow began to balance the baskets on top of her poofy mane, saying, “It’s gonna be my best recipe yet! Apple Cupcake with caramel candy covering…” She froze, twitched two or three times, then her mane deflated. AJ and Mrs. Cake barely caught the apple bushels in time, setting them on the counter.

“Pinkie, dear! What’s the problem?”

“Pinkie?” Applejack gulped. Pinkie’s mane and tail hung straight to the floor like that of her sisters, her eyes wide and glazed.

Applejack had seen her like this only a few times, and none of them had been good. A glance showed her the rest of the ponies in the room looking at them both with sudden concern. “What’s th’ problem?”

“Bad.” Pinkie said, her voice a distant monotone like her big sister Maud as she turned to face the door. AJ moved to stand beside her as the other ponies began clearing the way between the two mares and the entrance. “Real bad. Not Tirek’s-coming-back bad but still bad.”

“But what?”

Applejack’s answer came with a sound of steel-shod hooves on cobblestones and the door slamming open.

“Lady Applejack! Lady Pinkamena!” A pair of Pegasus Royal Guards barged in, led by a Captain in high-crested helmet who almost flew across the room to them. “You must come with us immediately!”

In almost the same breath the two other Royal Guards got behind the two Earth Ponies and rushed them towards the door. They didn’t stop even when Applejack whinnied fury.

“Now hold on there, partner!” Applejack pinned her ears back. “What’s so goldurned important ya have ta…”

“No time!” The officer responded. “Princess Celestia’s own command! Have to get all five of you to Canterlot right now!” By now they were outside, at the center of a ring of staring ponies, being hustled towards two royal pegasus chariots sitting in the street where it widened at the old well. Another pair of Pegasus Day Guards were in the traces of each, forehooves scraping the dirt and powerful wings – large even for pegasi – half-opened, ready for takeoff.

Applejack dug her hooves in; the guardspony pushing her collided with an “Oooof!”

She was about to repeat her question when the Captain said, “Princess Twilight is in grave danger! The Elements are needed to help her!”

“Huh?” Applejack blinked and leaped into the chariot. “Why didn’t ya say as much already? Let’s get going!”

A straight-maned Pinkie already stood in the near chariot, somehow with saddlebags on her sides and containing some of her baking from the smell.

“I keep them ready for summoned-in-a-hurry emergencies.”

AJ didn’t question. Outside, the Guard officer looked around as though seeking somepony.

“What’re we waitin’ for?” Applejack pointed her hoof in the direction of Canterlot. “Y’all said we were in a hurry!”

“We need all the Elements, Lady Applejack!”

“Captain Sirocco!”

With a rustle of wings two more Guardsponies dropped down, hovering just off the ground. They looked disappointed; so did the Captain.

“Where are the Ladies Rarity and Fluttershy?”

“Not at their homes!” The first guard said, and the second added, “Both Lady Fluttershy’s cottage and Carousel Boutique are closed, no sign of them!”

Did somepony grab them too? Applejack wondered and then facehoofed. She knew where they were.

“Spa Day!”

Everypony looked to see a small green and purple dragon running up to them as fast as his short legs could manage. In one claw he held a rolled scroll, and he yelled as he came.

“It’s Spa Day! Rarity and Fluttershy…” Spike took a deep breath, “will be at Ponyville Spa! The big tent-building off from the Town Square!” He collapsed by the chariot, his sides heaving as he panted for air.

Captain Sirocco didn’t waste any time.

“Get them and bring them here, now!”

The two hovering pegasi shot down Library Lane to the town square, heads down and wings snatching for more speed. Ponies scattered in all directions.

“Doggone ya, Spike!” Applejack leaned over the side of the chariot. Pinkie wasn’t joking or even bouncing in eagerness to be off, she just looked at Canterlot, mane still deflated, as deadpan as any of her sisters. That frightened Applejack more than she wanted to admit, and with nothing else she lt it out at Spike. “Why didn’t ya tell us soon as ya got that message? We coulda been ready by now!”

“I got the message,” Spike panted back. “Just a few minutes ago! It’s a long run from the castle to here!”

“That’s right, Spike, and Ah’m sorry,” Applejack looked down at the scroll in his claws, bound with a crimson emergency ribbon. “What-all does it say? Anything ‘bout what’s happening ta Twi?”

Spike unrolled it, his breathing slowing as be began catching his breath.

“To the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony,” Spike read. “You are summoned to Canterlot IMMEDIATELY. Accompany the Guardsponies I am sending for you. This is an emergency. More than Twilight’s life is at stake…” Spike’s eyes went wide. “Twilight! If she’s in trouble, I gotta come too!”

He began clambering up into the chariot beside Applejack and Pinkie.

“We were told to bring only the Element Bearers,” the captain began to say.

“He is an Element Bearer, or might as well be,” Applejack snapped back.

“An’ he helped save us more than once,” Pinkie Pie kept looking at Canterlot as she spoke. “We go, he goes.”

The captain looked displeased but didn’t say anything. Then Rarity and Fluttershy came galloping back up the street, the two Guardsponies flying escort above them.

Rarity was not happy; her mane hung dark and wet as she glared at the captain.

“What is this all about? Fluttershy and I were in the midst of an utterly magnificent bath, and then you come racing in demanding that we come with you! Normally I am delighted to have a stallion be so ardent for my company, but right now… Rarity’s eyes swept her friends and her voice lost its frivolous tone. “Applejack? Pinkie? Spike? What’s wrong?”

“Oh dear!” Fluttershy leaped into in the empty chariot. “It’s not some new monster, is it? I was hoping we were done with that sort of thing.”

Applejack filled them in. “We’re needed at the Sun Palace right now. Twi’s in danger!”

“WHA-HA-HAAT?” Rarity seemed to teleport into the other chariot beside Fluttershy. “What are we waiting for?”

“Lady Rainbow Dash!” Captain Scirocco looked from Applejack and Pinkie to Rarity and Fluttershy. “She’s needed as well, but she’s not home! Do any of you know where she is?”

“Dash?” AJ looked up at the sky. A few fluffy clouds were visible, but no rainbow-colored tail hung down from any of them. “Oh, no, she could be near about anywhere!” She turned to drop down from the chariot. “If ya need any help…”

The captain blocked her path.

“Lady Applejack, the best help you can give now is to hurry to Canterlot!” AJ fell back on the floor of her chariot with a yell as the pegasi couriers surged against the traces, barely clearing the rooftops as they took off for Canterlot. A second later, the chariot with Rarity and Fluttershy joined them, climbing for altitude. The last words AJ she heard over the windblast was the Captain’s yell to his remaining guards.

“FIND HER!”

“Dash,” AJ muttered as she crouched against the windblast, “wherever ya are, get ta Canterlot right quick. ‘Cause something tells me this ain’t gonna be easy!”