//------------------------------// // Far from Home // Story: Moonlight // by JasonTheHuman //------------------------------// The train whistle sounded off in the distance as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle raced through the center of town. “Hurry up! We might miss it!” Sweetie Belle said. “I’m going as fast as I can,” Scootaloo panted. Even though it had been days since her injury, but her back leg was still slowing her down. It had almost healed completely, but all this running was putting too much strain on it. As the train station came into view, they heard the whistle blow again. With a final burst of speed, they raced up to the platform. There were ponies standing around, saying their goodbyes as the train idled on the tracks. Others were hauling their suitcases behind them as they disembarked. “Do you see them?” Scootaloo said, squinting. Sweetie Belle pointed ahead. “Over there!” Apple Bloom was standing next to Applejack, a suitcase at her side. She spotted the other fillies and waved them down. “Oh, good, you girls got here just in time!” “I was almost worried we’d be too late,” Sweetie Belle said as she trotted over. “Sorry I won’t be around for fall break,” Apple Bloom said, frowning. “But I’m sure you’ll find plenty to do without me ‘til I get back, right?” “Yeah, sure. Just tell Babs we said hi, okay?” Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom nodded enthusiastically. “Will do!” Applejack tapped a hoof on the suitcase. “Now, I wrote ahead to Babs’s folks, and they should be waitin’ for you when you get there,” she said. “If you don’t see ‘em at first, don’t leave the station. No point in gettin’ lost.” “I’ll be fine, Applejack,” Apple Bloom said. “Manehattan’s a big place. Listen to everythin’ they tell you, and don’t go wanderin’ around alone. Once the week is over, they’ll have your return ticket for you. But remember to write home sometime before then. We all wanna hear how you’re doin’.” Apple Bloom looked back at the train. The conductor stood outside, checking his pocket watch. “I think they’re gettin’ ready to head off soon, so I—“ “You’re sure you packed everythin’ you need? I’m sure if you forgot anythin’, your cousins’ll be able to help you, but—“ “Applejack, I should probably worry about not missin’ the train first.” Apple Bloom smiled. “Uh… right,” Applejack said, nodding. “You’ll do just fine. I mean, just look at you. You’re hardly even a little filly anymore.” She pulled Apple Bloom close as the train whistle blared again. The engine let out a few puffs of steam. Applejack said something that was almost too low to hear, but Scootaloo could just barely make it out: “I’m sure they’d be proud of you.” After they pulled apart, Apple Bloom turned to the other crusaders. “Well, I’ll see you in a week!” She galloped for the passenger car, then vanished inside. Applejack stood back and watched for a moment, then suddenly she dashed up to the train. “You forgot your suitcase!” Apple Bloom sprinted out of the car, grabbed her luggage, and said another quick goodbye before jumping back on again. The conductor called out a final “All aboard!” The engine started puffing as the wheels slowly began to turn, and the train left the station. Applejack stared at the train as it shrank into the distance and finally out of sight completely. She let out a sigh. “She’s been askin’ about visitin’ Manehattan for a while now, but the thought of her out in the big city... I know I really shouldn’t be so scared to let ‘er go, but it was still hard.” “I’m sure she’ll be okay,” Sweetie Belle said. “Yeah… She will be.” Applejack nodded slowly. She silently stared at the tracks again. “Well, guess I’d better be off. Got a lot to do today. See you girls around.” She turned around and trotted away. Sweetie Belle watched as she left the station platform. “Applejack really has to do just about everything for her family, huh? I guess I never really thought about it before we saw her dream.” “It’s just like Luna was saying,” Scootaloo muttered. “These nightmares are getting more serious. The things that scare ponies are a lot harder to face than just monsters and campfire stories.” It had been a few days since fall break had started and Apple Bloom had left for Manehattan. Scootaloo still hadn’t heard anything from her, but she knew there was probably a letter on its way now. Luna hadn’t shown up ever since Applejack’s dream, either. For the past few days, there were no nightmares, no school. No anything. Scootaloo was feeling great as she tore down the street on her scooter. No responsibilities to worry about, and on top of that it was the first sunny day they’d had in a while. Rounding a tight corner, grinding a bit along some steps, then doing a jump and midair spin, she was feeling like her old self again. She noticed a few ponies standing in the road in front of her, and quickly twisted her handlebars around, narrowly avoiding bowling them over. They hardly even flinched as she passed. She caught a bit of their conversation as she passed by, only part of a sentence: “We tried everything, but he still hasn’t woken up yet…” Scootaloo slowed down. Even if Luna hadn’t sent them into any dreams for a few days, there were still ponies in town trapped in nightmares of their own. The classroom had been half empty when Cheerilee had dismissed them for fall break. Shaking her head, Scootaloo tried to push those thoughts out of her mind and focus on the road in front of her. Reaching a crossroads, she buzzed her wings faster and made a tight swing around the corner. “Hey, turtle coming up ahead of you!” She snapped her head up at the sound of the voice. Scootaloo had barely enough time to see Tank hovering along with his propeller, and quickly ducked underneath him. The turtle didn’t even react, and kept going on his way. She pulled her handlebars back to brake. Rainbow Dash flew over beside her. “Whoa, you okay there, kid? Sorry about that.” “Yeah,” Scootaloo muttered, watching Tank floating around in circles. “Are you taking Tank around for a walk? Or a fly, I guess?” “We’re actually just coming back from Fluttershy’s place. I took him over there to get his shell waxed. I still don’t have the hang of all that kind of stuff, so she usually helps me out,” Rainbow said. “What about you, squirt? You all alone today?” “Yep.” Scootaloo nodded. “Apple Bloom went to Manehattan a few days ago.” “Hm.” Rainbow Dash gave a shrug. “I guess I haven’t seen the three of you getting into any crazy stunts lately. Actually… when was the last time you went on one of your crazy cutie mark hunts?” “Oh, uh… You know.” Scootaloo shrugged. “Sweetie Belle’s already got hers, but we’ve, uh… still been trying.” That was a lie—she’d hardly had time to think about cutie marks with everything that had been going on. There was a dull thud as Tank hit a wall, and Rainbow reached over to turn him around. “You know, kid, something seems different about you lately,” Rainbow said, squinting. “Different? Different how?” “I dunno. Maybe it’s just me. I mean, everything’s been weird lately.” She scratched her head. “I heard about what happened to Applejack. It’s that sleeping disease again or whatever,” Rainbow said. “Seems like everypony’s coming down with it. Everypony but us, at least.” “Uh… yeah,” Scootaloo said. She hunched over her handlebars, staring at the ground in front of her. “There was hardly anypony at the Running of the Leaves this year, and I think it was because of that. I almost thought we’d have to run a second lap to shake all the leaves down. Not that I would’ve minded. I totally could have kept going, but it’s still pretty weird.” “Yeah… Weird.” “We really could use some excitement around here. The good kind of excitement. It’s been way too quiet,” Rainbow said. She paused, then grinned. “So, squirt, how’s your flying coming along? Want to work on it for a while?” “Sure!” Scootaloo grinned. Rainbow flew ahead, leading her out to their usual practice location on the outskirts of Ponyville. Tank followed after her, buzzing along on his propeller as his stumpy legs dangled below him. “Can you believe it’s almost time to pull out the snow clouds?” Rainbow Dash said, staring up at the currently clear sky. “That’ll be a real hassle. Weather duty’s always crazy in winter.” “I bet so,” Scootaloo said. “So have you gotten any more flying practice in on your own time?” Rainbow asked. “You’ve got to keep working at it if you want to make any progress.” “Uh, yeah. A little bit. Kind of.” “Good to hear it.” Rainbow swooped down and landed. “So, let’s get started.” Scootaloo hopped off her scooter, wincing as she stepped onto her bad leg. The cuts had nearly healed completely, but it still stung occasionally. Rainbow Dash eyed Scootaloo as she walked over to her side. “You know, you’ve had that limp for a few days now.” “It’s getting better,” Scootaloo replied with a shrug. “I almost don’t feel it at all now. It shouldn’t get in the way of practice.” “I know. But what’d you do to it, anyway?” Scootaloo paused and scratched her mane. The memory of that night was still fresh in her mind—the smoke clouding her vision, the heat rising from the floor below. She had never felt like she did that night. Despite everything going on around her, her mind had been so clear. All that had mattered to her was getting everypony out of the house safe. They were lucky to have escaped with just a scratch on her leg. “I fell off my scooter,” Scootaloo said. “I was working on a new trick. Didn’t go like I planned.” She laughed nervously. “Yeah, that’ll happen. It’s part of being a daredevil,” Rainbow said. “Just don’t land yourself in the hospital. Trust me on that.” Scootaloo let out a sigh. There was a part of her that wanted to tell Rainbow Dash everything, but she still couldn’t. The dreams were getting so regular that she sometimes forgot how crazy it would sound to anyone else. The last thing she needed was for Rainbow to think she’d completely lost it. “Well then, ready to get started?” Rainbow said. “Sure!” It was the same routine they’d practiced before. As always, Scootaloo fell on her face more than a few times. Rainbow would usually groan or roll her eyes, then tell her to try again. “The technique’s good. Great, even,” Rainbow said. “I guess your wing strength just isn’t up there yet.” Of course the technique was fine. Scootaloo was doing exactly what she did in the dreams, and by this point it had become second nature. It almost felt like she should be lifting up off the ground, flying away, but she never did. Never for more than a few seconds, anyway. It really didn’t matter what she did in the dreams—out here in the real world, she couldn’t do a thing. That was all Rainbow Dash would ever see. They worked on wing exercises and flight training until late into the evening. Tank circled around them for about an hour, then eventually landed and retreated into his shell for a nap. Rainbow let out a yawn. “Well, I’m just about beat. Should we call it a day and head home?” Scootaloo nodded. “Sorry we didn’t make any progress.” “Nah, it’s cool.” Rainbow yawned again, and stretched out her front legs. She tapped Tank’s shell to get him to wake up, then started off towards her cloud house. “Well, see you later. G’night.” It was pitch dark by the time Scootaloo got home, and a crescent moon was high up in the sky. She stared up at it, wondering briefly what Luna was up to, before heading in to get to sleep. She was actually getting used to having these uneventful nights. She trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. It was freezing. She was reminded of what Rainbow Dash had said about the snow clouds. It was almost that time of year. Scootaloo dug herself deeper into the covers, squeezing her eyes shut. Gradually she let herself relax and drift away. “Scootaloo?” She opened her eyes at the sound of the voice, and blinked a few times. There was a blurry shape in front of her that almost looked like Apple Bloom, but that didn’t make sense. She was miles away right now, all the way in Manehattan. “We were wonderin’ when you’d show up, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo rubbed her eyes. Apple Bloom really was there in front of her. Behind her, almost blending into the darkness of the woods, was Princess Luna. “Huh? Apple Bloom, aren’t you supposed to be staying with Babs right now?” “Your physical location is irrelevant here,” Luna said, taking a step forward. “I apologize if the timing was inconvenient, but we have no choice.” “No, this is actually great,” Scootaloo said. “It’s good to see you, Apple Bloom. How’ve you been?” Apple Bloom scratched her head. “Well, actually—“ “Apple Bloom!” They heard Sweetie Belle’s squeaky voice, and she dashed over to meet them. “Oh, hey!” Apple Bloom said, grinning. “Gosh, hard to believe we’re all here right now. I was gonna write you guys a letter, but maybe I won’t have to.” “Wait…” Sweetie Belle was staring at Apple Bloom intently. “Is that…” “Yeah!” Apple Bloom said, blushing slightly. She turned around, and for the first time Scootaloo noticed the image of a crossed hammer and saw on her flank. “Actually, that just happened today.” “So? How’d you do it?” Sweetie Belle leaned forward. “Well, a few days ago I was tellin’ Babs and her friends about our clubhouse, and it turned out they didn’t have anythin’ like that. So we spent the past couple days buildin’ one in the alley by Babs’s apartment,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s the first time I’d ever built somethin’ like that from the ground up. By myself. Well, mostly.” “Sounds like you’re enjoying yourself in the big city, then,” Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom nodded. “I mean… I guess I have missed you guys, and everypony back at home, but I just ain’t never seen anythin’ like Manehattan before. It’s just amazin’.” Scootaloo glanced over at Luna. The princess was standing back at a distance, watching them. There was a faint hint of a smile on her face, but at the same time Scootaloo could see the weariness in her eyes. “We’ve probably got work to do, don’t we?” Scootaloo said, frowning. “You are correct,” Luna said. “After you awakened Applejack, I could feel the grip of the nightmares loosen slightly. I am not sure if it was related to the Elements, or if her fears were simply more deeply rooted than others. But it is still far from over.” “Y’know, Babs said that a few of the foals from her class have been out, too,” Apple Bloom said. “This thing really is all over Equestria. I’m hearin’ a lot in Manehattan about ponies fallin’ asleep, not wakin’ up…” “That’s exactly why we need to keep going,” Scootaloo said. “If there is no more to say, I must send you on your way,” Luna said. Her horn began to shimmer. “It has become even harder for me to sense what you will find in these dreams. Please be careful, whatever may happen.” As Luna’s voice faded away, new sounds came in—the squawking of birds, the rustle of leaves, the distant noise of rushing water. The air became thick and humid. A moment ago Scootaloo had been shivering in her bedroom, but now she was starting to sweat. Scootaloo found herself staring up into a thick canopy of dark green leaves and hanging vines. The sun was shining down through the spaces, casting shifting patterns of light on the forest floor. Sweetie Belle looked around for a moment. “It kind of looks like the woods around Zecora’s house,” she said. “Is this the Everfree Forest?” She watched a pink butterfly about the size of her own face flitter over and land on her nose. “I’ve never seen anythin’ like that near Zecora’s,” Apple Bloom said. “And a lot of these plants don’t look familiar, either.” The forest floor was completely overgrown, and covered in a layer of fallen leaves and tangled roots. There was no path to speak of. This place was completely untamed, and something told Scootaloo that they weren’t going to find any kind of civilization nearby. “So where do we go first?” Sweetie Belle asked. Off in the distance, they heard the snarl of some kind of animal. A timber wolf, maybe, or it could be a lion, or a manticore… In a dream, there was no telling what it could be. “I say we head away from that,” Scootaloo said. “Agreed?” The others nodded quickly, and they began to forge a path through the thick plant life. The branches overhead shook as brightly colored birds flew away and monkeys swung from limb to limb. Scootaloo had never seen so many types of animals before. This was definitely nowhere near home. “Oof!” Sweetie Belle nearly fell on her face. She looked down to see a root sticking up out of the ground, and glared at it. “We should really watch our step,” Scootaloo said. “Yeah. Thanks,” Sweetie Belle muttered. “So, if this isn’t the Everfree forest, then do you have any ideas where we actually are right now?” “I don’t even know if there’s a place like this in Equestria,” Apple Bloom said. “And I saw all kinds of places on the train.” Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but she looked older now. Maybe it was just the cutie mark, but it felt like more than that. It wasn’t like she’d gotten taller, or gotten a new mane cut, or anything like that. Apple Bloom noticed her gaze. “What? Did you see somethin’?” She turned around and stared into the underbrush. “No, it’s nothing,” Scootaloo said. She tried to take her eyes off Apple Bloom’s cutie mark. She started to realize that she was the only one left now. Their crusade had almost come to an end, after all this time. “Y’know… if you’re feelin’ left out, Scootaloo, I completely understand,” Apple Bloom said, as if she had read her mind. “We’ve been tryin’ so long to get our cutie marks. I could hardly believe what I was seein’ when mine showed up.” “Yeah. Me neither,” Scootaloo said. “To be honest…” Apple Bloom scratched her head. “I kinda always thought I’d be the last one. You and Sweetie Belle are good at a lot of things.” “I guess...” “No, really. Especially you.” Apple Bloom stared up at the canopy of leaves and strange plant life above them. “You’re the leader when it comes to all this stuff. Especially when we were in my sister’s dream. I probably wouldn’t of made it without you bein’ there… So, thanks. Again.” They continued into the jungle. There was always something new to look at, whether it was a new type of flower growing up the side of a tree, or small animals scurrying into the bushes. And yet everything was starting to look the same. Sweetie Belle brushed some vines away from her face as they made their way through the jungle. “You know, at this point we’ve usually found someth—aah!” That was when the ground crumbled beneath their hooves. Scootaloo felt herself tumbling through the ground, hitting something hard, and rolling onto a stone floor in someplace dark. Her bad leg twisted beneath her, and she bit her lip, but she still managed to pull herself back up just fine. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. A faint beam of light shone down where they had fallen through, a crack in the ceiling high above them. “You girls okay?” she called out, trying to find Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in the dark. Apple Bloom’s voice echoed out of the shadows. “I think so…” “What happened? Where are we now?” Sweetie Belle said, stepping into the light. She looked around, but it was too dark to make anything out. “I don’t think I like this. How are we supposed to get out?” Scootaloo looked up at the hole in the ceiling above them. “If we need to, I can fly back up and find a way out. Or we could just wait to wake up, if it comes to that. For now, let’s see what’s down here.” “How? It’s too dark,” Sweetie Belle said. “You’re the unicorn. Use your magic.” “Oh. Right.” A few seconds later, Sweetie Belle had a flickering green light shining at the end of her horn, casting a faint glow on each of their faces. It was clear now that this wasn’t just a cave—it was a room, with a roughly-carved stone floor and walls. The remains of collapsed pillars and statues were strewn about the room. At the opposite end was an archway, leading further into whatever structure they were now in. “There’s our exit,” Scootaloo said, pointing ahead. They passed through the doorway, heading into total darkness. The light from outside faded as they headed deeper into the corridor. They stuck close to the wall as they slowly moved deeper inside. “How far does it go? This dream just keeps gettin’ weirder…” Apple Bloom muttered. Scootaloo brushed aside some hanging vines, and caught sight of a flickering glow from up ahead. Light was good. That probably meant a way out. She heard Sweetie Belle let out a sigh of relief, and the glow from her horn faded out as they stepped into a long corridor lit with torches. There were figures carved into the walls, partially obscured by the overgrown vines, but they could make out animals, faces, and other strange, unidentifiable shapes. Apple Bloom was staring up at the dancing flames. “If there’s torches lit up, shouldn’t that mean somepony’s been down here?” “I hope so,” Sweetie Belle said. “I was starting to think we’d never find anypony.” Scootaloo just shrugged. She was focused on the carvings on the wall. She couldn’t make any sense of them, but something about all this seemed familiar. She moved along the wall, following the symbols down the corridor, when she felt a loose brick give way underneath her hoof. As she stumbled forward, something whizzed over her head and grazed the top of her mane. Scootaloo looked over to see an arrow clatter against the wall. “What the hay?” If she had been even an inch taller, it probably would have hit her. “Where’d that come from?” Apple Bloom said, looking around. “I think we really need to watch our step…” Scootaloo said. There was a strange pattern of holes in the floor ahead. Every other tile seemed to have one. Scootaloo took a cautious step forward to investigate when she heard the sound of metal sliding against metal and a spike shot up in front of her. She jumped back, bumping into Sweetie Belle and nearly knocking her over. “What kind of dream is this?” Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo studied the pattern on the floor, and tried to visualize her path. She backed up, then sprinted forward. Spikes started springing up out of the ground left and right. She wove in between them, feeling the rush of air as each one came up. The dust off of them got into her eyes, but she kept going. She ducked down, rolled forward, and came to a stop. Everything went silent. After a moment to catch her breath, she looked back. “You guys coming?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle made their way slowly through the jutting pieces of rusted metal. Whatever machinery had activated them had shut off now. “This is just getting ridiculous,” Sweetie Belle muttered. Scootaloo pointed ahead to a doorway at the end of the corridor. “That looks like an exit. Let’s see what we find.” There was a long chamber ahead of them, and at the far end an opening in the ceiling let a circle of sunlight fall over a sparkling blue object on a pedestal. “Ooh,” Sweetie Belle said, taking a step forward. Her eyes had lit up, and she seemed to have forgotten the danger they had been in just a few seconds ago. “What is that?” “Wait!” She froze, and turned her head to see who had spoken. There was a figure galloping towards them down the corridor, her eyes covered by the brim of her helmet. Scootaloo could hardly believe it—she recognized the outfit instantly. Daring Do. But as she came closer, Scootaloo saw she had been mistaken. Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt right next to them. “What are you girls doing here? How’d you get past the traps?” Scootaloo’s jaw hung open. “R-Rainbow Dash?” “The one and only,” Rainbow said, grinning. Then her expression became serious. “But, more importantly, I’ve been out here for weeks and I thought I was alone. Would you mind explaining what the three of you are doing here?” “It’s a long story,” Scootaloo said quickly. “But, uh, what are you here for?” “The usual. Adventure, death-defying feats of bravery, but most of all…” She nodded towards the pedestal across the room, and the sparkling blue object on top. “The Sapphire Stone. The legends said it was hidden here, and it looks like we just found it.” “Cool!” Scootaloo said. Sweetie Belle frowned. “Uh, Scootaloo, doesn’t something seem a little off here?” She stared at Rainbow Dash, studying her. “Like what?” “Well, don’t you think—” “That the statue wouldn’t be left out in the open?” Rainbow cut in. “My thoughts exactly.” She stepped over to the edge of the tiles. “Looks like there’s some kind of marking on each one… There’s probably a pattern to them. If we can figure out what it is, then we can get across.” Scootaloo went over to her side. “Or, you know…”She flapped her wings a few times, then lifted off and flew over to the other side. “We could just fly across.” Rainbow Dash watched her, then smiled. “Good work, kid!” Turning back towards the statue on the pedestal, Scootaloo paused to examine it. She recognized it from the cover of the Daring Do book—this was the Sapphire Stone, some kind of treasure that Daring had to find. But Rainbow Dash needed this for whatever reason, and Scootaloo wasn’t about to question it. She stepped up and lifted it off the pedestal, wrapping her forelegs around it. The statue was lighter than she expected, and she was able to fly with it easily. “See? No problem!” she called back across the chamber. The ground began to shake. On the other side of the room, Rainbow Dash shouted something that Scootaloo couldn’t make out, then spread her wings to push the other Crusaders behind her as she backed away. Chunks of stone were falling from the ceiling, punching holes through the floor, leaving only a pit. The exit was soon blocked off. Scootaloo’s eyes darted around, desperately searching for another way out. The ceiling. She flapped her wings a few times, shot up towards the hole in the roof, then quickly turned in midair and dove back down to grab the statue. Once she had it in her hooves, she flew back up and out into the sunlight. Rising up into the sky, she looked down at the structure below her—a stone pyramid, now rapidly collapsing into a pile of rubble. Scootaloo quickly surveyed the area around her. She was back in the jungle. Of course. She glided down into the trees. Her hooves touched down gently, and she dropped the statue in front of her. Scootaloo let out a sigh, and wiped the sweat from her brow. She could hardly believe how it had all happened so fast. And now she was separated from the others. Her eyes widened. They’d still been inside. She couldn’t take a breather yet. Scootaloo jumped into the air, forgetting all about the statue, and flew up to where she could see what was left of the pyramid. The entire roof had caved in. She should have been more careful. Rainbow Dash had warned her about the traps. Of course she knew they would be there—she’d read all the Daring Do novels, she knew exactly how this kind of stuff went. Not to mention that she was, well, Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo let out a sigh. Maybe it would have been better not to step in at all this time. All she could do for now was find the others and make sure they were okay. She was about to fly down and check out the ruins when she remembered the statue. The legendary Sapphire Stone. That was what Rainbow Dash had been trying to find, and if Scootaloo forgot it then all this trouble would have really been for nothing. Scootaloo flew back down, searching the forest floor. It was like the statue had vanished. She was sure that she had dropped the statue somewhere around here. How hard could it be to find a sparkling blue gemstone in all this dirt? She heard a low laugh from behind her. She whirled around and came face-to-face with some kind of strange creature. Its face was like a huge misshapen dog, and it was smiling at her with a wide, toothy grin. “You’ve done well to deliver the statue directly into my hands,” it said. Its long tail reached forward. The statue was gripped in a clawlike appendage, and the creature raised it up to its face to inspect it closer. “At long last, I shall have my revenge on Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo realized that she knew who this was, it was that villain from the book. It was the one with the really hard-to-pronounce name. Scootaloo stared at it dumbly as she tried to remember, her hooves rooted to the spot. Something starting with an “A,” maybe… The creature threw its head back and gave another shrieking cackle, the sound echoing in her ears as Scootaloo’s vision went blurry. She woke up in a cold sweat, feeling short of breath.