Secrets and Lies
Scootaloo hated to leave Gilda behind. They were partners, after all, and they’d become good friends during their time at the Griffon’s Nest. Still, the griffon’s paranoia and anger were getting in the way, and the pegasus needed answers. Apple Bloom was hiding a lot from her, both about herself and Sweetie Belle, and while she was glad to find her old friends alive, it was clear they had some serious catching-up to do.
Apple Bloom set a brisk pace through the jungle, checking occasionally to make sure her pegasus companion kept up. For a while, the only sounds were their pounding hooves and ragged breaths. Scootaloo had expected to hear a lot of noise from the jungle’s nocturnal animals, but they were eerily silent, and the pegasus wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Apple Bloom, wait,” the pegasus gasped, and the two came to a halt. “Where… where are we going?”
“Deep into the jungle,” Apple Bloom replied, her speech distorted by the lantern she carried in her mouth. Scootaloo shot her a glare. “It’s a part of the jungle where the zebras never go.”
Scootaloo decided to ignore the unhelpful directions. “Why don’t they go there?”
“Scoots, I’d love to explain, but we don’t have time right now,” Apple Bloom answered. “Now let’s go. We still have a lot of ground to cover.”
“Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo cried, but the earth pony was already moving deeper into the jungle. Scootaloo gritted her teeth and unfurled her wings as she leapt into the air. She quickly overtook the earth pony and landed in front of her, blocking her path. “Enough with the secrets, Apple Bloom! Tell me what’s going on!”
Scootaloo couldn’t see her friend’s face in the dark, but she heard her sigh. “It’s too complicated,” Apple Bloom said, sidestepping to get around the pegasus. “I’ll explain later.”
“No!” Scootaloo lunged to the side to keep Apple Bloom from going around. “Apple Bloom, what’s going on? Who are you?”
“I’m your friend,” the earth pony replied.
“That’s not what I mean!” Scootaloo was so close to Apple Bloom, she could feel the earth pony’s breath on her face. “You’re—you’re Nightmare Moon’s student! You’re a spy!”
“I’m the pony who brought you safely to Zebrica,” Apple Bloom replied. “I’m the pony who helped Zecora create the potion that will put an end to Nightmare Moon’s reign.”
“How do I know?” Scootaloo asked, grimacing as her eyes started to burn and her voice cracked against her will. “How do I know I can trust you, Apple Bloom?”
For a moment, the two stood there, muzzles barely an inch apart. Apple Bloom let out a long sigh and set the lantern on the ground. Scootaloo squinted as the warm air hit her face. “I am a spy, but not for who you think,” Apple Bloom said at last.
Scootaloo wanted to shout that her friend was only making things more confusing, but she held her peace. Apple Bloom seemed to be opening up at last, and she didn’t want to risk cutting her off.
“After Nightmare Moon killed my family, Zecora took me in,” she said. “She taught me how to make potions and some zebra meditation techniques. Without her, I probably would have lost my mind.”
Apple Bloom stepped around Scootaloo and walked deeper into the jungle. Scootaloo picked up the lantern and followed closely. “We hid here for a long time, trying to stay out of Nightmare Moon’s way. Eventually, we caught wind about Rainbow Dash’s rebellion, and we decided to help. Zecora asked me to go to Canterlot to find some rare herbs for the potion. Nightmare Moon caught me, but for some reason, she decided to make me her spy instead of killing me. I guess she was impressed that I managed to get into Canterlot without her noticing.”
“Why would she do that?” Scootaloo asked.
Apple Bloom didn’t answer immediately. “I offered. I didn’t know what else to do, so I told her I wanted to be her student. I didn’t know it at the time, but Sweetie Belle had just escaped, and Nightmare Moon wanted revenge.”
“So you were working for Nightmare Moon,” Scootaloo said. It wasn’t an accusation this time, just a statement of fact.
“You have no idea how terrifying these last few years have been,” Apple Bloom said with a shudder. “Nightmare Moon doesn’t take kindly to betrayal, so I had to keep giving her something without ruining everything. Every time I went back to Canterlot, I was sure I would never see Zecora or the resistance again.”
“But you did help, right?”
“Yes,” Apple Bloom said. “The things I learned about Nightmare Moon were invaluable to the resistance. Everypony knows about her strength and power, but over time, I started to see some of her weaknesses. She’s very alert, but if you give her a big enough distraction, it’s possible to catch her by surprise.”
“Like what?”
“Well, a dragon, for one,” Apple Bloom said, momentarily disappearing from view behind a tangle of vines. “That’s why she didn’t follow you and Gilda.”
“Spike,” Scootaloo muttered. She didn’t know what had happened to the dragon, but she had a feeling it wasn’t good.
“Want to know her biggest weakness, though?” Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo nodded, then remembered the earth pony couldn’t see her. “Princess Celestia,” Apple Bloom answered anyway.
“The princess?” Scootaloo repeated as a frown came to her face. “How? She defeated Princess Celestia years ago.”
“Yes, but the memory still haunts her,” Apple Bloom replied. “Most ponies don’t know this, but Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon are actually sisters.”
“Sisters?”
“Sisters,” Apple Bloom confirmed. “Twilight told me about it one day, during the rebellion. Her real name is Luna, but she changed it when she rebelled against the princess a thousand years ago.”
Scootaloo had to take a moment to let this latest revelation sink in. She knew the stories of Nightmare Moon—there wasn’t a foal in Equestria who didn’t—but she never suspected the Mare in the Moon was actually related to Equestria’s former ruler. “Why doesn’t everypony know about this?”
“Twilight kept it a secret out of respect for the princess,” Apple Bloom replied. “Princess Celestia, I mean. Twilight said most ponies wouldn’t be able to accept that detail. Despite everything, Princess Celestia loved her sister to the end, or so she told Twilight. Banishing her was the hardest thing she ever had to do, and when Luna refused to change her ways even after a thousand years, it broke her heart.”
Scootaloo was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn’t notice when Apple Bloom stopped walking and bumped into her. “Are we here?” she asked.
“Yes,” Apple Bloom replied in a hushed voice. “Be still, and be quiet.”
“Why?” Scootaloo whispered, peering at the darkness that surrounded them. “What’s out there?”
“Possibly our strongest allies,” Apple Bloom replied. Scootaloo heard something scuttle away and moved closer to her friend. “Don’t get scared. I’ve dealt with them before.”
“Who?” Scootaloo asked. She saw a flash of green light in the distance and suddenly wished she had her armor. “Who is it?”
“Hush,” Apple Bloom whispered.
Scootaloo heard something moving through the jungle. She had to fight the urge to hide behind Apple Bloom as the soft hoofbeats moved closer. A moment later, a tall, white pony emerged from the jungle. Her long, pastel-colored mane rippled gently around her horn, and she kept her wings tucked against her body, partially obscuring the sun she bore on her flank. “Good evening, my little ponies,” she said in a soft, soothing voice. “What brings you to my humble abode?”
Scootaloo stared openmouthed at the pony before her. “It… it can’t be,” she managed to gasp, but her eyes only widened further when she saw Apple Bloom bowing. The pegasus quickly followed suit as her brain tried to understand what her eyes were telling her.
“Your majesty,” Apple Bloom said. “I have come once again to seek your help.”