//------------------------------// // Five: Jackelope Dreams // Story: The Jackelope Valley Festival // by Froborr //------------------------------// Raindrops’ breath caught in her throat as she stared. “Are… are you real?” she asked. The jackelope stared back unblinking. It had thick dark eyelashes that seemed strangely cute given the eeriness of the rest of its appearance. Raindrops continued to stare back until her itchy eyes forced her to blink. When she opened them again, it was still there. Still watching and waiting expectantly. It wanted something. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she knew it with absolute, crystalline certainty. It needed something, and it needed it from Raindrops. The jackelope shivered and slumped over, wheezing lightly. “Oh no,” said Raindrops. “Oh no oh no oh no. Are you sick?” She worked her hooves in a fidgety little dance, an instinctive pony response to panic. “What do I? What do I do?” She looked around desperately, and spotted the trailers in the distance. “I’ll get help! You wait here!” She flew back toward the trailers, wishing desperately that basically anypony else were there. Fluttershy would know exactly what to do. Ditzy would say she doesn’t know what she’s doing, but whatever she did would turn out to be the right thing anyway. Even Rainbow Dash would be able to get help faster than me… stupid slow, itchy, stiff wings… She didn’t see the stallion walking toward her until he shouted. “Hey! Are you Raindrops?” Raindrops cupped her wings to slow her flight and circled back to see a yellow Earth pony with a tan mane under a hat similar to Applejack’s, but smaller and dark brown. Rarity would probably know what it’s called. Great, I’m officially less useful in a crisis than Rarity. “Yeah!” she called back. “Can’t chat, I need help!” “Help?” he called up. “You’re lucky you’re alive! What are doing leaving the fairground without water or light or telling anyone!?” “Gah!” Raindrops landed next to him. “Sorry, I got lost, but there’s no time. He’s hurt!” The stallion’s expression immediately changed from annoyance to concern. He was wearing a green vest with Royal Park Service emblazoned on the flank, and Raindrops realized he must be the ranger Strawberry Cheesecake mentioned. Dusty, that was it. “Who’s hurt?” he demanded. “Where?” “A ja-- an animal!” Raindrops said. I don’t want him to think I’m crazy. I’m not crazy, right? “This way!” Raindrops scrambled back into the air, leading Dusty back to the ridge. “I don’t see it,” he said when they arrived. Raindrops looked up and realized the jackelope was completely hidden from below by the rocks it was sitting on. She pointed at the rocks. “Up there,” she said. “I’ll bring him down.” She started to fly higher, but Dusty interrupted her. “Wait,” he said. “It could be dangerous. This is a wild animal we’re talking about.” Raindrops shook her head. “It’s not a predator.” “Even an herbivore can be dangerous.” “Believe me,” said Raindrops. “I know. And this herbivore is tough.” She flew up to find the jackelope in the exact same spot she had left it, but slumped over slightly. Its eyes were still open, but seemed somehow flatter than before. Carefully and slowly, Raindrops reached for the jackelope with her front hooves. “Shhhh,” she said, trying to imitate what she’d seen Ditzy do once with a pigeon that got stuck in Raindrops’ mailbox. “I won’t hurt you…” The jackelope twitched when Raindrops touched it, and Raindrops flinched away. “You okay up there?” Dusty called. Raindrops waved him off and then turned back to the jackelope. “It’s okay,” she said softly, approaching slowly. “I know I’m not Fluttershy or Ditzy, but I’ll make you a deal, okay? You let me pick you up and take you somewhere safe where people can help you, and I’ll bring you right back here after, all right?” Then she snatched the jackelope off its ledge. It made no sound, but she could feel it freeze as she picked it up, and knew she’d hurt or scared it. Once again she wished desperately that anypony else were handling this. Dusty would probably know exactly how to pick him up. Slowly she flew down. The jackelope was surprisingly heavy, but she managed to get him down without dropping him or hurting him further. Once on the ground, she held him out to Dusty. “Is that… it’s a… are you kidding me?” he stammered. “I don’t know much about animals, but I think it’s a jackelope,” Raindrops said. “Somebody must be playing a prank,” Dusty answered. “It can’t be… is it real?” “Feels real,” said Raindrops. “Heavy, too. And listen to him breathing, that can’t be good.” Both stood silent a moment as the jackelope labored to breathe, lying silently in Raindrops’ arms. "Okay," said Dusty, pulling a folding basket and harness out of his saddlebag. "Let me get this on, and we'll carry him back to the infirmary. Between me and the doctors there we can probably help it." Raindrops nodded as Dusty put on the harness and basket. "It's a good thing you had this with you," she said. "Always prepared," answered Dusty. "That's the Ranger way. Besides, helping injured animals in the park is part of my job, just not one I have to do very often." Once the jackelope was secured, Dusty raced off back to the festival grounds, Raindrops following as fast as she could. Still, it was at least a half hour before she arrived at the infirmary. She entered the large trailer to find a pony in a nurse's cap sitting at a desk. "Can I help you?" she asked, sounding bored. "Dusty brought in the... an animal I found? Is he okay?" "Dusty? He's fine, he and Saw Bones are--" "Not Dusty!" snapped Raindrops. "The jackelope!" "Oh. Dusty and Saw Bones are in with it. Let me check with them." The nurse moved behind a curtain that blocked off most of the trailer from Raindrops' view. A moment later, he returned with a cranky-looking elderly pony with a cutie mark of a scalpel and stethoscope. "You're Raindrops?" asked the doctor. In response to the pegasus mare's nod, he continued, "Thank you very much for bringing the jackelope in." "How is he?" "Resting," said the doctor. "I couldn't find any evidence of physical injury or infection. I suspect dehydration, so we've done our best to get some water in him." "Can I see him?" Raindrops asked. "I'm sorry," said the doctor. "Best to just let him rest for now. Go get some food and sleep, come back in the morning and we'll know more by then." "Okay," said Raindrops, drooping slightly as she turned to leave the trailer. Outside the night was clear and the stars more numerous and beautiful than Raindrops had ever seen them, but still cold and dry and distant as ever. Closer to earth, what looked like the last remnants of a bonfire was burning in the open space between the musicians' trailers. Raindrops wandered over to find it mostly abandoned, just a few scattered ponies plucking at instruments or munching on grilled yam and hay kabobs. Her stomach growled. "Raindrops!" a voice called. She turned to see Lyra galloping toward her. "Where were you? We were getting worried!" "Sorry," Raindrops answered. "Got a little lost. Looks like a missed dinner." "I saved you some," said Lyra, leading Raindrops over to a picnic table where Vinyl was waiting. Raindrops deflected questions about where she'd been until after she finished eating, and dug in heartily. "So anyway," said Vinyl, "like I was saying, you take a steady bass tone and--" "Bass what?" Lyra interrupted. "Viol? Guitar? Harmonica?" "Just... just a plain bass tone with no over- or undertones. Just a steady low note, like one pipe off an organ, right?" Lyra shook her head. "You can't separate notes from the instrument that plays them. A high C on a flute sounds really different from one sung." "I know," said Vinyl, "I'm talking about the part of the note that isn't different." "As a theoretical exercise, sure," said Lyra. "But you can't actually play that." "I can!" Vinyl's horn glowed, and a steady, deep note filled their ears. Lyra sighed. "Okay, and then what?" "You add oscillation!" Vinyl responded. "Rhythmically drop the volume or shift the pitch to make a new sound." A second glow surrounded the first, and the sound shifted from a steady tone to a rhythmic pulsing. "Ugh!" Lyra covered her ears with her hooves. "That's one of the most obnoxious sounds I've ever heard, make it stop!" Vinyl drooped and the sound and glow both faded. "Aw... that's what everyone else says, too. But imagine all the different sounds you could build like this? Stacking them together to make entire new musical structures?" "See, that's worth trying," said Lyra. "I just don't think this... wobble bass of yours is the place to start." Vinyl sighed. "Maybe. What do you think, 'drops?" "Huh?" asked Raindrops. "Sorry, wasn't really listening." "You okay?" asked Lyra. "Did something happen while you were lost?" Raindrops sighed. "I, uh, may have found a sick jackelope?" "What." Lyra stared in shock. "Yeah," said Raindrops. "He's in the infirmary now, they won't let me see him." "'Him?'" asked Vinyl with a hint of a grin. "I dunno, I just... know he's a he. And he needs help." The other two ponies studied Raindrops curiously. "Are you sure you're okay?" asked Lyra gently. Raindrops shook her head sharply. "I'm fine, I'm just tired. I'm going to bed." She stomped off, leaving the other two to look after her baffled. What's wrong with me? she wondered. Why do I feel so weird? Why do I keep saying weird stuff? Why do I know these things? To her surprise, given her whirling thoughts, the unfamiliar bed, and the still unending itch across her entire skin, Raindrops dropped off to sleep almost immediately. *** He was dying. He could hear the ponies, and though he didn't understand words, he felt what lay beneath them. He was dying, and they wanted him to live. The one who had carried him from the desert to this place, the one who poked and prodded, and one more, the one that seemed to lead them. They all wanted him to live, because they were kind, but the leader had other reasons too. He couldn't comprehend them, but he knew enough to fear her. He called out to the fourth one, the one who had found him in the desert. Would she hear? He could not stay. He must travel to the Heart, and he could not do it alone. He cried out for any who could hear his need, and hoped. *** Raindrops snapped awake. He needs me, she realized. I have to go. She glanced over at Lyra's bunk and saw the unicorn sound asleep. Quietly she slipped out of the room, then galloped to the infirmary and burst inside. "Excuse me!" shouted the night nurse as Raindrops made for the curtain. "You can't go back there!" Raindrops tugged it aside, to find herself face-to-face with Strawberry Cheesecake. "Raindrops," she said. "I thought someone would try to get in here once word got out, but you're the one who brought him in! You've already seen him." Raindrops shook her head. "It was a mistake. He can't stay here, he needs to go back out into the desert." "No can do," answered Cheesecake. "He's much too sick, and the water isn't helping. I've sent to Las Pegasus Zoo for their vet, but until she gets here and pronounces him well enough to go he's staying put." "You don't understand!" Raindrops snapped. "He needs--" "He needs to stay alive!" Cheesecake snapped back. "Which means rest and comfort and medical care, not cold nights and blazing days and no water or food." "Can I at least see him?" asked Raindrops. "No," answered Cheesecake. "He needs rest, and that means limiting his visitors. Obviously there'll be a lot of interest as word gets out, and we need to find a safe, fair way to give him his space while accommodating those needs." Remembering the dream, Raindrops asked slowly, "You mean like charging everyone who wants to see him 50 bits apiece?" Cheesecake's eyes narrowed and she spoke extremely quietly. "You have no idea what it costs to run this festival. No idea how badly Corona's return has hurt our ticket sales. If helping a sick animal will save my festival, you betcha I'll do it--and don't you dare judge me for it!" Raindrops muscles tensed. For just a moment, the urge to strike Cheesecake was overpowering, but she fought it down, turned and stomped out of the trailer. Fuming, she walked back to her and Lyra's trailer, scowling at the ground while she tried to figure out something to do--so she never saw Lyra and Vinyl until she was almost on top of them. "What're you girls doing up?" she asked. "You were checking on the jackelope, weren't you," asked Lyra. "So what?" Raindrops pawed irritably at the ground. "I woke up from a dream, went to check on him. They wouldn't even let me in. Sorry if I woke you." Lyra shook her head. "No, I woke up the same time you did. I... had a dream too." Raindrops looked up at her, eyes wide in surprise. "You don't mean..." "Yes," said Lyra. "I dreamed I was the jackelope. There was a doctor, and a park ranger..." "...and Cheesecake?" Raindrops asked. "We all had the same dream," said Vinyl. "We know he needs to go to the Heart, and I think I know where he means." "It's impossible," said Raindrops. "Not really," said Lyra. "Dream magic isn't well-studied, but--" "No, I mean we won't be able to take him. Cheesecake's planning to use him as an attraction, she thinks charging people to see him will save the festival." "Then there's only one option," said a fourth pony, flying in for a landing next to them while the other three started in surprise. "Sorry, but I was headed for the infirmary when I heard you talking and... I had the same dream." Raindrops stared. "But you... you're..." "We can worry about introductions later," said Thunder Axe. "What's important is this: How are we going to break into the infirmary and get the jackelope out?"