As the bell rang, Scootaloo trotted down the front steps of the schoolhouse into the clear, sunny afternoon. It was the complete opposite of the bleak atmosphere of the dream last night. The sky seemed so open, the colors looked brighter than before.
Just thinking about those grimy brown clouds hanging low over the rooftops made her dread going back in, but she knew she had to.
The crowd of students thinned out as they all went their separate ways, and Scootaloo caught sight of Sweetie Belle. They hadn’t talked much during class or recess. It was almost like Sweetie Belle was avoiding her.
“Hey, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo waved.
“Oh. Uh, hey.” Sweetie Belle’s eyes darted around.
Scootaloo waited until nopony was close enough to hear. She hesitated. Some part of her still expected that Sweetie Belle wouldn’t remember, but she had to try. “So, uh… About that dream last night…”
Sweetie Belle’s jaw dropped. “You mean that was real?”
“Well, yeah,” Scootaloo said. “What’d you think it was?”
“I thought… I dunno, that it was just a dream.” Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “But it was. But it still felt so real. Even though nothing made sense. It’s just… What was that?”
“I told you. Luna’s been sending me into other ponies’ dreams,” Scootaloo said. “Anyways, I thought we should probably come up a plan before we go back in tonight.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You mean we have to go back in there?” Sweetie Belle shuddered. “I really didn’t like it there. I can’t say what it was, but…”
“I know. I noticed it too,” Scootaloo said. “But Luna seemed to think you would be able to help me. And we have to do this. I found out whose dream it was.”
“Was that what happened after you disappeared?”
“Huh?” Scootaloo blinked. “Oh, right. Applejack woke me up.”
“Oh.” Sweetie Belle paused. “Wait, why were you with Applejack?”
“Never mind that. But I realized something.” Scootaloo glanced around to make sure they were alone, then lowered her voice. “You noticed how Apple Bloom didn’t show up to school today, right? Applejack told me she was just tired from all the work on the farm, but what if this is the same thing that happened to you? When you were asleep all that time?”
“You mean that was Apple Bloom’s dream?” Sweetie Belle sighed. “I still don’t get how this all works. Why didn’t we see her in there, then?”
“It was a big city,” Scootaloo said. “With your dream, there weren’t that many places to look around. But if we want to find Apple Bloom, we should come up with some kind of a plan.”
They headed over to the deserted playground. The empty swings swayed in the gentle breeze. It felt lonely after the end of the day, but they wouldn’t be overheard here. Scootaloo took a seat on a picnic table, but Sweetie Belle just paced back and forth restlessly.
“First off, I think we should try to go to sleep at the same time. It’ll be easier to meet up that way,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s say… tonight at sundown?”
“That seems a little early.”
“We need all the time we can get.”
“But… what exactly are we trying to do?”
“We need to focus on finding Apple Bloom and talking to her. That’s the best way to find out what she’s afraid of,” Scootaloo said. “But I can’t think of any reason she’d be having nightmares like that.”
“You said that my nightmare was because of the talent show.” Sweetie Belle glanced at her cutie mark. “I was nervous about that for weeks. I thought for sure you or Apple Bloom would try to sign us all up.”
Scootaloo leaned over the table, thinking. “Apple Bloom has been pretty busy because of cider season, but she’s helped out with that tons of times. I don’t think she’d be nervous about that.”
“Yeah. She usually has a lot of fun helping Applejack out with chores.” Sweetie Belle stopped. “Wait. Remember what happened last year?”
Scootaloo glanced up. “You mean when the Flim Flam brothers came to town?”
“Uh-huh!” Sweetie Belle nodded excitedly. “When they showed up, they nearly ran the farm out of business. And if that’d happened, Apple Bloom would have had to move away. Maybe she’s worried something like that will happen again.”
“It would explain why we saw that apple orchard getting cut down,” Scootaloo said.
“We just need to convince her that there’s nothing to worry about,” Sweetie Belle said. “Maybe this will actually be easy.”
“Yeah. If anything, cider season has been getting busier every year…” Scootaloo said. “That’s why Rainbow Dash has us camping out in line already.”
“Wait. Really?” Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose. “It’s still a few days away. You’re actually staying that long?”
“I don’t really mind.” Scootaloo gave a shrug. “Rainbow Dash said she wasn’t sure when the other ponies would show up. There might even be a line when I get back.”
“It just seems like a long time to wait for cider.”
“It's not too bad. And I get to hang out with Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said. “Probably. I'm not sure if she's done with her weather duties yet. I should probably head back.”
They trotted back to the front of the school together. Scootaloo hopped on her scooter and revved her wings up. “So remember. We’re meeting tonight at sundown.”
“Where?” Sweetie Belle said. “Wait. Nevermind.”
“Just try to get to sleep as early as possible.”
“Yeah… See you then.”
Scootaloo rolled down the path next to the picket fence, staring off into the seemingly endless orchard beyond.
Big McIntosh silently pulled a cartload of apples through the orchard towards the barn. A portion of the trees had been bucked, but most still had apples hanging from the branches.
She reached the end of the fence. The tent was still the only one there. She pulled back to brake, then hopped off her scooter and leaned it against the railing. Then she trotted over to the entrance and pulled it open.
Rainbow Dash was flat on her back on her sleeping bag, staring up at a book she held open above her face. She glanced up once Scootaloo came in. “Hey, squirt! Back from school already?”
Scootaloo looked at her in surprise. “I didn’t realize you’d be coming back here.”
“Well, of course. This was my idea,” Rainbow said. She set the book down, and stretched her front legs. “I told you I just had work to do yesterday.”
“Right.” Scootaloo settled in on top of her own sleeping bag.
“I’ve got this place under control, so you can take the evening off if you want. Just make sure you’re back by the time the cider’s out.”
“No, I’d rather just hang out with you,” Scootaloo said.
“That’s cool,” Rainbow Dash said. “Better make yourself comfortable. We’ll be here for a while.” She rolled over, trying to find a comfortable position, then gave up. “Hey, did I ever tell you that story about when I did a sonic rainboom and saved Rarity’s life at the Best Young Fliers competition?”
Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. About three times.”
“Oh. Right.”
“But I wouldn’t mind hearing it again!”
“Alright then.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “So there we were. Last act of the competition. Princess Celestia and the Wonderbolts were there watching our every move…”
Scootaloo lifted the flap of the tent to peek outside. The apple fields were painted orange in the rays of the setting sun. She turned to head back inside.
“So what’s next? We could play a game or something,” Rainbow Dash said.
“I was thinking I would hit the sack,” Scootaloo said. “I need to… uh, keep my strength up. So I don’t let my guard down while we’re defending our position.”
“Yeah, I guess so. You don’t mind if I keep the lantern on, right? I’m not real tired yet.”
“That’s okay.”
Scootaloo pulled her sleeping bag up and squeezed her eyes shut. It was hard to relax when she knew the real hard work was still waiting for her.
She heard Rainbow Dash let out a sigh next to her, and the flap of a page turning.
Another page turned. And another.
The sound grew distant until she couldn’t hear it at all. When she opened her eyes, she was not at all surprised to find herself in Luna’s forest again. The deep blue light surrounded her, and nothing moved.
At the moment, she was alone. She wandered through the trees, looking all around her. Normally this place had an oddly calming effect on her. The thought of going back into the city was making her feel restless, and she couldn’t just sit still.
“Scootaloo? Where are we?” Sweetie Belle was suddenly behind her. She was creeping around cautiously, trying to avoid touching any of the trees. “I thought you said we’d end up in the same dream as last time.”
“I assure you that you will.” Luna emerged from the shadows. She walked at a slow pace, wings outstretched. “But first I would like to speak with you.”
“P-Princess Luna?” Sweetie Belle stared up at her in awe.
“I apologize that I was not able to meet with you last night, Sweetie Belle,” Luna said, folding her wings at her sides.
Sweetie Belle was frozen to the spot.
Luna frowned, then turned to Scootaloo. “Tell me, how did you fare?”
“We didn’t make much progress. We couldn’t find Apple Bloom anywhere, but I’m sure that this is her dream,” Scootaloo said. “Applejack said she was asleep, like Sweetie Belle was. But… she has to show up in her own dream, right? She’s in there somewhere, isn’t she?”
Luna nodded. “She has constructed the landscape around her according to her thoughts and fears. All that you see has some kind of significance to her, even if it is not readily apparent. But I will tell you this: if you seek her out, you will find her. Perhaps you should try to find some place that has particular importance to her.”
“Sounds like we should look around the apple orchard some more,” Scootaloo said. She looked over to Sweetie Belle. “Right?”
“Uh-huh,” Sweetie Belle muttered, nodding slowly. She still couldn’t take her eyes off Luna.
“I wish both of you the best of luck, but I must leave now,” Luna said. “Be on your guard. The longer your friend is under the nightmare’s influence, the harder it shall be to bring her back.”
Her voice seemed to fade as the forest around them vanished. The slender, crooked trees were being replaced with rigid, angular walls and the soft terrain beneath their hooves became worn-down brick.
The city was still in constant motion, and not a single pony on the street seemed to notice when Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo appeared in the middle of the bustling sidewalk. They continued on their way without a second glance toward the two fillies.
“Well, we’re back,” Scootaloo said, taking a look around.
The city was just as bustling as it had been last night. It was hard to believe that this was all Apple Bloom’s imagination. The skyscrapers loomed over them, and the dark clouds seemed to be low enough to touch the flat roofs.
“That was Princess Luna.” Sweetie Belle seemed to be in shock. “You weren’t kidding. You’re really working with the Princess.”
“She said she chose me. I don’t really know why.” Scootaloo shrugged. She looked around, trying to identify something familiar, to determine which way to go, but it was impossible to tell one building from another in this place.
“Yeah, but… you?” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, she’s a princess, and we’re both just regular fillies. This place seems dangerous.”
“Just remember. We’re here for Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said. “Somepony needs to help her out of this place, and who better than us? We’re her best friends.”
“Y-yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. She stared up at the buildings, and bit her lip. “So she’s been stuck here the whole time? She’ll probably be glad to see us.”
They passed under a streetlamp that glowed a dull orange. Everything looked especially colorless under the light. Nothing but muted browns and greys.
“Let’s just get started,” Sweetie Belle said. “Then we can get out of here.”
Scootaloo looked around, trying to recognize something, anything from last night. There weren’t even street names on the corner. “I still say we should head back to that construction site. Wouldn’t it make sense for Apple Bloom to be near Sweet Apple Acres?”
“Or what’s left of it.”
“Yeah.” Scootaloo gave a nervous smile. “Maybe we can do something about that.”
“I just hope we don’t have to walk all the way there this time,” Sweetie Belle said.
Scootaloo nodded. She watched the carriages rumbling down the street, and an idea struck her. She trotted over to the curb, watching the traffic, then her hoof shot up. “Hey! Cab!”
A yellow carriage rolled up to her and stopped. The stallion pulling it looked Scootaloo over, his expression unreadable. “Where ya headin’?”
“Uh…” Scootaloo wasn’t sure what to tell him. “Isn’t there an apple orchard around here somewhere?”
The stallion laughed at her. “Ya mean the one they’re tearin’ down? Sure, I know the one.”
“Yeah. Just take us there,” Scootaloo said.
“Just the two of ya, huh? Climb in back.”
Scootaloo exchanged a glance with Sweetie Belle, then stepped up into the back of the cab. The cushioned seat was ratty and torn, and there were unidentifiable stains on the fabric, but it beat spending another whole night walking. The two of them settled in as the carriage began to move.
“Good thinking,” Sweetie Belle said, leaning back against the seat with a sigh. “Now we probably won’t get lost.”
“Yeah. It’s not really what you’d expect in a special royal mission, huh?” Scootaloo said. “I doubt Rainbow Dash or Rarity have ever done something like this for Celestia.”
“I still can’t believe it. That was really Princess Luna.”
“Hasn’t she ever come into your dreams before?” Scootaloo said. “I thought she did that all the time.”
“Not that I remember.”
Scootaloo hesitated. “The first time I ever saw Luna in one of my dreams was on that camping trip. The one we all took together to Winsome Falls.”
Sweetie Belle looked at her in surprise. “How come you never said anything about it then?”
“Well, uh…” Scootaloo scratched the back of her head. “It’s because… I was having nightmares after those stories Rainbow Dash told us. Luna helped me to get out of them. It wasn’t anything like this. They were just normal nightmares. I was just scared.”
“Really?” Sweetie Belle said. “I know those stories were scary, but I didn’t think you got scared of anything. Like, ever.”
“You actually think that?” Scootaloo said.
“Well, sure.” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “You actually volunteered to sing in the talent show the first time. Not to mention all the crazy stunts you come up with.”
“That stuff’s not too bad, I guess. But I was nervous about spending time with Rainbow Dash. I mean, she’s just so cool, and I still can’t even fly.” Scootaloo sighed. “If it wasn’t for Luna, I never would have been able to ask her to be my big sister.”
“Huh. You never did say what happened that night,” Sweetie Belle said.
Scootaloo laughed nervously. “I promised Rainbow Dash I wouldn’t.”
“At least everything’s okay now,” Sweetie Belle said. “And you must’ve done something to impress Luna.”
“Maybe…”
Sweetie Belle stared out the window as the city passed them by. “Hey, look at that!” she said suddenly.
Scootaloo leaned over to get a closer look. A huge green statue was outside, a pony in a long gown holding up a torch in one hoof. She had to get down low to see the top of the pointed crown around its head.
“I’ve seen that before!” Sweetie Belle said. “There was a picture of it in one of the letters from Babs. Apple Bloom showed it to me once.”
“Do you think this is supposed to be Manehattan, then?” Scootaloo said.
“It kind of looks like the pictures,” Sweetie Belle said. “Apple Bloom’s always talked about Manehattan ever since Babs came to visit, but it’s about as far from Ponyville as you can get.”
“That’s for sure.”
There was a panel at the front of the carriage, with a slowly increasing number. Sweetie Belle’s eyes followed it as it slowly changed from forty-eight to forty-nine, turning along with the wheels of the carraige.
“Hey, uh, Scootaloo?” she said.
“What?”
“I’ve never really been to a city like this before, but don’t you have to pay for taxis?”
Scootaloo stared at the meter as the last digit steadily rolled up. “Oh.”
“I don’t have any bits,” Sweetie Belle whispered, glancing at the driver to make sure he didn’t hear. “What about you?”
Scootaloo shook her head.
The pony pulling the cab called back over his shoulder. “Almost to your stop, kids.”
Frantically, Scootaloo tried to think of something. Neither of them had any money. The meter was up to fifty-one now, not that it even mattered if it went up any higher. If they weren’t able to pay, they’d get in some kind of trouble, and they might never find Apple Bloom…
“We need to get out of here. Do you think you’d be able to teleport us out?”
Sweetie Belle stared at her. “You know I can’t do magic.”
“You have to try.”
The carriage pulled to a sudden halt, throwing them both forward. Scootaloo picked herself up, and looked out the front window.
“It’s your stop, kids. That’ll be fifty-three bits.”
Scootaloo forced a smile. “Just a minute!” She turned back to Sweetie Belle, and lowered her voice. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t do this when you’re awake. You can do it now.”
“I don’t know…”
The stallion narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know how they do things back where you’s from, but here in Manehattan we don’t give out free rides.”
“Sweetie Belle, we need to do something. Fast.”
A few green sparks flickered at the end of her horn. Sweetie Belle gritted her teeth. “I’m… trying…”
The stallion had unhitched himself from the carriage and was coming over to the door. “Don’t try anything funny, kids.”
“Now, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo said.
“I don’t think I can—“
“Now!”
There was a flash, and Scootaloo felt her head spinning. Her legs felt like jelly, and she struggled to keep her balance. Her vision slowly came back into focus.
“Did… I do that?” Sweetie Belle said. She was standing a few steps away, rubbing her forehead with one hoof.
They were standing on the sidewalk. It was impossible to tell where, but they were out of the cab. That was all that mattered.
“I’ve never done magic before.” Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her forehead. “I just teleported both of us. How did I do that?”
“Things like that can happen in dreams,” Scootaloo said. “Any idea where you took us?”
“I don’t think it’s too far away.”
As they wandered down the sidewalk, Scootaloo kept one eye on every carriage that passed by. There were a few yellow cabs, but none of the drivers paid them any notice.
“I’m pretty sure what we did was illegal,” Sweetie Belle said.
“You need to stop worrying about things like that,” Scootaloo said. “Come on. I think we’re almost there. Apple Bloom has to be nearby.”
It wasn’t long before they started to hear the sounds of carriage wheels and voices begin to be drowned out. Even before they reached the construction site, it was easy to tell it wasn’t deserted tonight. The sounds of power tools and voices grew until they were almost deafening.
The thin silhouettes of steel support beams rose up into the sky and vanished into the dark haze, and the long arm of the crane was hoisting another long beam up to the top level of one structure. On the ground, stacks of bricks and lumber were piled up around the foundations.
A bulky stallion in an orange vest pushed his way past them as they came up to the chain-link fence. He looked around, and finally spotted a smaller figure. Despite the official-looking black business suit, the pony couldn’t have been much bigger than Scootaloo was.
“We’ve just started clearing the land on the south end. Everything’s going right on schedule,” the worker said.
“That’s what I like to hear.” The voice was somehow familiar, but there was a thick Manehattan accent to it. “Are the others back from their break yet? They’ve been slacking off lately.”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged a glance. It was hard to tell, even as they edged closer, but the filly’s mane and coat were the right colors. Her hair was slicked back, though, and she didn’t wear a bow.
Frowning, Sweetie Belle approached her. “Apple Bloom?”
She turned around at the sound of her voice. It did look like Apple Bloom, but at the same time it was like a different pony completely. Something about her seemed older. She gave them a sly grin. “Well, look who we have here. Finally got yaselves outta the sticks and came out to the big city, huh?”
Sweetie Belle frowned, and shook her head. “Not really. This is just—”
Scootaloo put a hoof over her mouth. “She doesn’t know it’s a dream. Just play along,” she whispered.
“Somethin’ wrong?” Apple Bloom said, raising an eyebrow.
“Nope! Everything’s fine!” Scootaloo said. “So, uh… What are you doing out here, anyway?”
“You’re lookin’ at the future of Manehattan!” Apple Bloom said, gesturing to the unfinished structures behind her. “We’re building bigger and taller than anypony’s ever even seen before.”
“You mean… you work here?” Sweetie Belle said.
“Sure do! Bet you girls were overwhelmed when you first got here,” Apple Bloom said. “Still livin’ in little old Ponyville, huh?”
“Yeah. We’re just out here for a visit,” Scootaloo said.
“I’d rather be back in Ponyville than here…” Sweetie Belle muttered.
“Oh, really? Stuck in the same place every day, never gettin’ to see anypony new? Really sounds great.” Apple Bloom smirked. “Once you get used to the city life, you’ll never want to go back. This place is changin’ every day. I never want to go back.”
“But what about the apple orchard back there?” Scootaloo cut in. “We were here earlier, and we just noticed...”
“What, that old place? Once we get those old apple trees outta the way, there’ll be room for even more. Apartments, shops, restaurants.”
Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “You mean… you’re the one tearing down the apple trees?”
“Listen, Scoots. That’s all wasted space. There’s ponies movin’ in who need a place to live, and there just isn’t enough room here for all of ‘em,” Apple Bloom said. “Who’s really goin’ to miss a few apple trees, anyway?”
“Ponies still need to eat something...” Scootaloo muttered.
“Apple Bloom, we just came here to help you,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Oh, really? Help me with what?” Apple Bloom said. “Well, I guess you do know best. You’re the first to get your cutie mark, so that makes you the boss now, huh?”
Sweetie Belle shrank back. “I… didn’t say that…”
The streetlamps began to flicker. Apple Bloom’s eyes narrowed. “I knew I couldn’t get you two to understand what real progress is.”
“That’s not what this is about. That’s your home,” Scootaloo said.
“You think I’m just gonna stay on some boring old farm for my whole life?” Apple Bloom said. “No way.”
There was the deep rumble of metal against metal from somewhere.
“Please, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “We’re not trying to—”
Before she could finish, one of the beams from the skyscraper above them crashed to the ground, sending up a thick cloud of dust. Sweetie Belle shrieked.
Scootaloo hadn’t even noticed that she had taken off and was hovering above the ground. She looked around, but she could hardly see anything in the dust.
Apple Bloom’s voice came from somewhere. “Now just look what you’ve done.”
“Scootaloo, look out!” Sweetie Belle’s voice came from somewhere, just in time for Scootaloo to glance up and see another hunk of metal hurtling towards her. She dove out of the way just in time as it crashed into the ground, cracking the pavement.
“Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo’s head turned frantically, but everything had gone dark.
“Huh? What’re you…” She heard Rainbow Dash mumble something groggily from next to her. She was awake again, but her heart was still pounding.
“Oh. Uh…” Scootaloo forced a smile. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Were you having another nightmare? I thought you said you were over that,” Rainbow Dash said.
“I-I told you. I’m fine.” It was hard to hide the tremble in her voice.
The faint glow of the morning sun was shining through the thin walls of the tent. It was peaceful now, even if she’d just nearly been crushed by several tons of pure metal. But that wasn’t what was making her shiver even after she was awake.
There had been something in Apple Bloom’s eyes. Some sort of coldness, like she really didn’t care what happened to Sweet Apple Acres, or to her friends. She didn’t care about anything.