The path out of town towards Sweet Apple Acres was covered with snow. It had fallen just the night before, keeping to the weather team’s usual schedule, but a few sets of fresh tracks led the way to the farm.
Sweetie Belle shivered in the cold and wound her scarf more tightly around her. “It’s not even Hearth’s Warming Eve yet and I’m already ready to wrap this winter up.”
“It sure was nice of Rarity to make you a new scarf again this year,” Scootaloo said. “Didn’t you get one last year, too?”
“Of course. And the year before that. And the year before that,” Sweetie Belle said. She imitated Rarity’s accent. “The old one isn’t what all the ponies in Canterlot are wearing anymore, don’t you know?”
“Oh yeah. She does get pretty worked up over stuff like that.”
“Not that I don’t appreciate it, but she just gets so stressed out with all of this seasonal fashion that we don’t actually spend any time together.” Sweetie Belle let out a sigh, and looked over at Scootaloo. “What about you? Doesn’t the cold bother you?”
“Nah. I’m fine,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “The cold doesn’t bother me at all. I’m practically ready to join the weather team right now. Uh, as soon as I can fly, I mean.”
She tried to keep her chattering teeth still and glanced up ahead. The apple orchards bordering the path came to an end and the farmhouse was in view.
“Apple Bloom was supposed to be coming on the really early train, so she’s probably just getting unpacked now,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s go!”
The two of them sprinted the rest of the way to the house, swinging the door open and heading right inside without stopping a moment. Granny Smith was asleep in her rocking chair. She didn’t stir as the two of them ran past and up the stairs.
They raced through the upstairs hallway, passing by Applejack, who quickly sidestepped to avoid getting bowled over. They didn’t stop until they were through the doorway to Apple Bloom’s room.
“Hey, Apple Bloom!” they both said, skidding to a halt.
Apple Bloom stopped unpacking her suitcase and looked up at them, a smile spreading across her face. “Hi, girls!”
“It’s the last day before we go back to school, so let’s make it count!” Scootaloo said. “There’s still plenty of daylight left. You got time?”
“Sure do!” Apple Bloom said, pushing the half-empty suitcase away with her back hoof. “I can finish all this later tonight.”
“So what should we do first?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Since you’ve been out of town, you can decide, Apple Bloom.”
“Well, gosh, there’s just so much I haven’t done in a while…”
Applejack stepped into the doorway. “Well, I must say I’m surprised at you two,” she said with a smile.
“Huh?” Sweetie Belle cocked her head.
“I was sure the first thing you’d do was ask Apple Bloom about her new cutie mark. She got it while she was out of town, and I hear Babs and her friends got a mighty fine new clubhouse, too,” Applejack said.
Scootaloo glanced at the hammer and saw on Apple Bloom’s flank. In the three nights they’d spent in Fluttershy’s dream, she’d already gotten used to seeing it. She scratched her head. “Oh… Um…”
“Well, y’know, once it showed up I was so excited that I had to send them a letter,” Apple Bloom said. “Must’ve gotten it already, huh, girls?”
“Huh? You never sent us any—“ Sweetie Belle started to say, but Scootaloo nudged her. “Souvenirs!” she finished. “With the letter. That you sent us.”
“The cutie mark’s even cooler in real life,” Scootaloo said. “I was really, uh, looking forward to seeing it.”
“Y-yeah,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Anyhow, looks like you girls are ready to head out. I know I don’t wanna waste any of the time we’ve got left,” Apple Bloom said. “Lead the way!”
They were nearly out the door when Applejack stuck out a hoof to block her. “Now, hold on a minute. There’ll be plenty of time for that after you’re all unpacked. You sure aren’t gonna want to do it after you’re all tuckered out from playin’.”
“Come on, Applejack. I haven’t seen them since last week!”
Applejack sighed. “Alright, alright. Just be home before dark, y’hear?”
Apple Bloom left her suitcase open on the floor and the three of them headed out the door. They passed by Granny Smith, still asleep in her rocker, and trotted out the front door, following their own hoofprints in the snow back towards Ponyville.
Once they were outside, Apple Bloom took a look back at the house, then lowered her voice. “So how’s Fluttershy doin’? We managed to wake her up, right?”
“Yup! We saw her that morning,” Sweetie Belle said. “Same as everypony else. She doesn’t remember a thing.”
“That’s good to hear,” Apple Bloom said. “I figured she was okay after Luna didn’t show up anymore, but then I didn’t have any way to talk to you guys other than those dreams. I didn’t realize how convenient that was.”
“Everything ended up the same as every other time. And we’re still not any closer to knowing why these nightmares are happening,” Scootaloo said. “You should’ve seen Twilight. She’s a total wreck trying to figure this all out.”
“Babs and her friends were talkin’ about it all week,” Apple Bloom said. “A lot of ponies out there have been fallin’ asleep same as here. I almost wanted to tell her what we were doin’, but it’s just way too hard to explain. I hardly understand what Luna has us doin’ myself.”
“So Manehattan was pretty bad, too?” Sweetie Belle said.
“Well, the whole city’s more packed than the farm on cider day, but Babs said it’s usually a lot more crowded than that,” Apple Bloom said. “I was even hearin’ ponies on the train talkin’ about it. This thing’s all over Equestria.”
All of them were quiet for a moment. As long as they’d been doing this, they’d really only seen a handful of dreams. Luna was probably taking care of the rest all on her own. There were probably hundreds. Maybe thousands.
“Anyways, what are we gonna do today?” Apple Bloom asked, trying to sound cheerful. “It is the last whole day till school starts. I’m open to anythin’ you wanna do.”
“Oh. Right. Well, I saw the whole pond on the other side of town was frozen solid. We could get our cutie marks in ice skating!” Scootaloo said.
“Well, you could, at least…” Sweetie Belle muttered.
Scootaloo noticed both of their flanks. “Oh. Right.”
“Sorry. I guess we’re all going to have to get used to it.” Sweetie Belle looked down, avoiding Scootaloo’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to say it like that.”
“But, uh, that still sounds like fun, though!” Apple Bloom grinned. “Just because two of us have our cutie marks now doesn’t mean we have to stop tryin’ new things. Right?”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” Scootaloo said. “Come on, let’s get going!”
She quickened her pace into a gallop and led the way into town.
Ponyville had been completely transformed over the past few days. Every cottage's roof was blanketed with snow. A few houses had already started putting up holiday decorations.
“It just seems so quiet compared to Manehattan…” Apple Bloom said, looking around at the ponies they passed by. “You girls really need to go see it sometime. You can’t even imagine it ‘til you’ve actually been there.”
“You really do like it there, huh?” Scootaloo said.
“Sure do. I’m startin’ to think I’ve always been a city pony at heart.”
As they passed by the library, the door opened and Fluttershy trotted out, staring down at her hooves. She lifted her head and let out a soft gasp, stopping just before she bumped into the three of them.
“Oh, hello, girls,” Fluttershy said. “Sorry I almost ran into you. Are you alright?”
“Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy,” Apple Bloom said. She paused. “So, uh, I heard you were… sick last week?”
Fluttershy nodded slowly. “Twilight just invited me over to ask about it again… It was that horrible sickness that’s been spreading all over town. I wish I could be more helpful, but I just don’t know what happened. I’m feeling okay now, so there’s no need to worry about me.”
“That’s good to hear,” Apple Bloom said.
“Oh, um… I suppose you’ve both had it before, too,” Fluttershy said, glancing at Sweetie Belle. “Twilight says it never affects anypony more than once, so we should be okay from now on. Maybe it’ll all just go away soon. I certainly hope it does.”
“We’ve got it all under control,” Sweetie Belle said. “Uh, I mean, we’ll definitely be fine. Nothing to worry about here.”
Fluttershy turned to Scootaloo. “I’m surprised you’ve been okay, Scootaloo. I thought all of the kids in town were getting it. You should be careful.”
“No problem, Fluttershy,” Scootaloo said.
“Well, um… I should be getting back home now. Twilight kept me longer than I expected, and I need to go feed my animals. You girls go have fun.” Fluttershy tucked her wings close to her sides and started trudging through the snow towards her cottage.
Apple Bloom stared up at the library. “Sounds like Twilight’s gettin’ even more worked up about this whole thing. And I don’t think she’ll be able to figure anythin’ out on her own.”
“She’ll be fine,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe this thing really is almost over. Luna hasn’t even brought us back in for a few days now.”
“I know. But maybe she’d be able to help us.”
“We’re doing alright on our own. Nopony knows as much about dreams as Luna does. Besides, trying to explain to Twilight about all of what’s happened would be impossible.”
“There’s no point in worrying about it today,” Sweetie Belle said. “This is our last day off until we’re back in school. Let’s just forget everything else and have some fun for once!”
Scootaloo grinned. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go!”
Even after a week without school—though it had felt like longer—Scootaloo was already back into the old habits by the time she was sitting at her desk on Monday morning. Just like any other school day, she couldn’t wait for it to be over.
Cheerilee stood at the front, tapping her pointer against the easel. “Settle down, everypony. I know you’re all excited after your vacation, but we have more lessons to get to.”
Scootaloo rested her head in her hooves, trying to stay awake. She felt sleepy, even though Luna hadn’t appeared last night and she’d had a decent night of rest for once. It had been nice.
Cheerilee flipped the page on the easel to show three portraits of ponies in historical clothing. “I’m sure all of you are aware of the big celebration coming up as we head into these cold winter months. Can any of you tell me what it is?”
Sweetie Belle’s hoof shot up. “Hearth’s Warming Eve!”
“Very good, Sweetie Belle!” Cheerilee said. She pointed at the pictures on the easel. “Every town in Equestria will be putting on their own pageants about the history of our land and the ponies who founded it, but how much do you really know about the story behind the festival?”
Scootaloo squinted at the pictures. She could recognize them as Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane based on the outfits. The real Commander Hurricane hadn’t looked anything like Rainbow Dash, but Scootaloo thought she had given the best performance she’d ever seen of that old story.
“Back in those days, the three races of ponies avoided each other and lived in their own separate kingdoms,” Cheerilee was saying. “But even today, it’s very special to see a town like our own with such a variety of ponies living together.”
She turned the page and now there was a map of Equestria. She pointed to a few regions around the edges. “The ancient lands belonging to the three tribes were not in what’s now known as Equestria. This is long before Ponyville or even Canterlot existed.”
Scootaloo blinked a few times, feeling her head begin to sink down towards the desk. She shook herself back awake and settled in for the rest of the school day.
After school let out, they went to Apple Bloom’s house for the rest of the afternoon. Sweetie Belle said that Rarity probably wouldn’t want them at Carousel Boutique, and none of them felt like doing anything outside in this weather.
Now night had fallen, and Scootaloo stood in her bedroom, staring outside at the snowfall. She turned around and looked at her nightstand. Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone was sitting there, with a bookmark poking out about halfway through. It really was a good story, especially when it stayed on the page where it belonged. But tonight Scootaloo was too tired to stay up reading.
She yawned, then flopped down on the bed. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Then her eyes immediately snapped open again. She already knew where she was.
“Once again, you are the first to arrive,” Luna said to her. “I know these dreams come without warning, but your preparedness is admirable.”
“Yeah. Thanks,” Scootaloo said, pulling herself up off the ground. To be honest, she just got tired when the weather was cold. She had barely even considered they would be back to work tonight. “So you’ve got another job for us? Know any details?”
“Dreams are never simple to understand. If I knew what to expect, I would have already overcome whatever awaits inside,” Luna said.
“Guess that explains what happened last time,” Scootaloo said. “At least we were able to help Fluttershy in time. I just hope nothing like that happens again.”
Luna stared off into the darkness beyond the forest for a moment. “I am glad that it was you to enter that nightmare. Not only for Fluttershy’s sake, but your own as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“One can learn much about oneself by examining the dreams of others,” Luna said, pacing across the clearing. “Certainly you must have seen some of yourself in Fluttershy.”
Scootaloo bit her lip. “I… guess, but she was kind of a scaredy-pony. I didn’t even think I’d get her out of her base camp.”
“Have you forgotten already how much you feared to enter those earliest nightmares, Scootaloo?” Luna gave a sly smile. “It has only been a few months since I first contacted you.”
“You’ve got a point…” Scootaloo muttered.
It was hard to believe this had only been going on for a few months, but it was true. She had been terrified when she had first gone to that first nightmare, but the last couple had actually been dangerous. When they had saved Applejack, she had actually been injured. And when they fought Ahuizotl with Fluttershy, it could have been even worse.
“Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle was suddenly standing nearby. “Oh, and Princess Luna!”
“Welcome,” Luna said with a small nod in her direction. “You appear to be in a good mood tonight.”
“As soon as Apple Bloom gets here, I’m ready to go!” Sweetie Belle said, surprisingly cheerful. “We’ve been getting better at this. I can even use magic pretty easily in here. As long as we keep working together, we’ll be fine.”
“Let’s not get too careless,” Scootaloo said. “We’ve got no idea what could happen.”
“Indeed, but you must also remember that these nightmares thrive on negative emotions. That includes your own,” Luna said. “Keeping a positive outlook will only help you.”
A light shimmered at the edge of the clearing, and Apple Bloom appeared. She blinked a few times, looking dazed. She noticed everypony watching her. She looked from one of them to the other. “I’m not late, am I?”
Luna turned towards her. “Apple Bloom, your friends seem eager to start tonight. If you are ready, then I will send you along with no further delay.”
Apple Bloom looked over at the others. Sweetie Belle gave a nod. “Might as well get started, then. We really are gettin’ the hang of this.”
Magic began to glow around Luna’s horn, then the light overtook the entire clearing. They were gone.
Scootaloo’s hooves were suddenly freezing cold, probably because she was now standing in a layer of snow.
It was almost instinctive now—she started to quickly take inventory of their new surroundings. A frozen glade somewhere, the trees covered in freshly fallen snow and rows of dripping icicles. She shivered.
“Well, here we are again. No idea where we are or what we’re doing,” Sweetie Belle said. “Any ideas?”
Scootaloo turned around, and spotted something. “Yeah,” she said, pointing ahead. “Look.”
There was a clear path through the trees, and at the end a stone tower. The windows glowed with warm orange light. Despite the imposing black stone, it was a welcome sight in the cold landscape.
“A castle?” Sweetie Belle said.
Apple Bloom squinted. “That ain’t big enough to be a whole castle.”
“We can argue about that later. It looks like somepony might be home, so let’s go see who it is.” Scootaloo started down the path towards the tower.
At first Scootaloo had thought that they might be in the woods just outside of Ponyville, that the dream was just imitating the way things really were in real life. But the trees actually glistened, totally encased in a glassy layer of ice. A waterfall flowing down a high cliff upriver had totally solidified into icicles. This wasn’t any ordinary winter.
And there was something strange about the castle. Scootaloo didn’t recognize it, but she still felt there was something familiar about it. Even as they approached the gates, she couldn’t quite place it, though.
They stopped before going inside. Sweetie Belle craned her neck upwards, trying to see the top of the ramparts. “Think we should knock or something?”
“I doubt they’d even hear us,” Scootaloo said. “Come on, let’s just get out of the cold. Something’s not right out here.”
Apple Bloom leaned her whole body against one of the heavy wooden doors, but it wouldn’t budge. The others ran up and threw themselves against it, but their hooves slid away in the snow. Sweetie Belle’s horn lit up with an extra push of magic, and the doors finally gave way, and they collapsed onto the stone floor inside.
The hallway was long, with a high vaulted ceiling, but it didn’t feel all that regal or inviting. Nothing like the times they’d been to Canterlot Castle. Tapestries and banners lined the walls, barely concealing the cracked stone. Even after they forced the door closed, it didn’t feel any warmer.
Even so, the torches lining the walls suggested someone lived here.
“Clover? Is that you? Oh, I’ve been looking all over for you.” The voice echoed down the halls, but they recognized it immediately. “This castle is positively freezing, isn’t there a spell in one of those musty old books of yours that could warm things up a bit?”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. “Rarity?”
Rarity appeared in one of the doorways, pacing into the hallway. It took her a few moments to even notice the three of them standing there.
She was dressed in her costume from the play last year—the fur-trimmed purple mantle, the oversized crown balanced atop her head. It slid to the side as she raised her head, examining them.
“Who let this rabble in?” She turned around, suddenly disinterested. She looked back down the hallway she had come out of. “Clover the Clever? Where is that girl?”
Sweetie Belle frowned. “Rarity, it’s me. We came to, uh… see how you’re doing?”
Rarity’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about. Look, I’m terribly busy, royal duties and all that, so could all of you just go… somewhere else?” Rarity bit her lip, then her horn began to glow.
The three of them were lifted off the ground, then swept out the heavy wooden doors they had come in through. They were dropped into the snow, and the doors slammed shut behind them.
Rarity’s voice was muffled, but still audible. “Out there would be fine.”
Apple Bloom shook the snow off herself and stared up at the tower walls. “It’s like she doesn’t even recognize us. Not even Sweetie Belle.”
“Something’s up with her…” Scootaloo muttered. She looked around—in a way, this dream did kind of look like that Hearth’s Warming Pageant back in Canterlot, but come to life.
“Well, talkin’ to her didn’t do much good. Maybe we should look around some more,” Apple Bloom said. “We only just got here, after all. There could be somethin’ we’re missin’.”
Sweetie Belle sat there in silence. Then her eyes widened. “No… Listen, we need to get Rarity to wake up. Right now.”
Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder. “I know you’re worried about her, Sweetie Belle. I felt the same way when we saw Applejack in that dream.”
“No, you don’t understand,” Sweetie Belle said, shaking her head frantically. “I told you how Rarity gets this time of year. She’s always busy keeping up with all the winter fashion. If she misses even a single day of work, there’s no telling what she’s going to do!”
“Okay. Just… calm down, alright?” Scootaloo said. “We’ll figure out what’s keeping her here.”
Sweetie Belle took a moment to catch her breath. “She’s being completely ridiculous,” she said, shaking the snow out of her mane. “It’s like she thinks she really is Princess Platinum.”
“You weren’t too different in your own dream, Princess Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo muttered.
“But you said I at least recognized you, right?”
“Well… yeah, you did.” Scootaloo scratched her head. “But you were still convinced that being princess of the Crystal Empire was normal for you.”
Sweetie Belle ignored her. “We’ve done this plenty of times now. I just know we can get Rarity to wake up tonight if we really try.”
“I just…” Scootaloo couldn’t think of what to say to her. “You were the one telling me not to run ahead last time, and look what happened to us then.”
Apple Bloom took a step forward. “Look, if anypony’s gettin’ through to Rarity, it’s gonna be Sweetie Belle,” she said. “Let’s just stay back and keep an eye on her, alright?” She let out a sigh, her breath condensing in the air in front of her. “And I also just wanna get out of the cold as soon as we can.”
Scootaloo hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. That’s probably best.”
She took one last look around, but there was no sign of anypony else in this dream. The tower was the only building in sight, and the only path led back the way they’d came. They turned back towards the enormous wooden door.
Sweetie Belle lowered her head, focusing her energy into her horn. The doors slid open effortlessly, and they walked inside.
Rarity had her back turned to them as she idly inspected a tapestry on the wall, rubbing her chin and muttering something under her breath. She didn’t look up when the doors opened and a burst of cold wind rushed in, but every so often her eyes would flick back to watch them.
“Um, I know you’re listening to us,” Sweetie Belle said. Her voice was shaky. “We’re not leaving.”
With a loud sigh, Rarity turned to face her. “Well? What is it?”
“Come on, Rarity. I know this is all just another act.” Sweetie Belle’s voice was rising now, sounding more confident. “You’re always doing this. Getting all dramatic and stuff. You know this isn’t really you.”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to stop Sweetie Belle, but something had changed in Rarity’s expression. Her eyes widened, and she lowered her head to look at Sweetie Belle directly. It was like her mask was slipping, and for a split second she wasn’t Princess Platinum anymore.
“I already told you, Sweetie Belle, I’m terribly busy, and—“
“See? You remember who I am, because you know this isn’t real,” Sweetie Belle said. “Just snap out of it. I know you never listen to me, but this time it’s for your own good!”
“You—You’re not making any sense. Why are you—what do you mean, this isn’t real?” Rarity stammered. “What do you even know? You’re always getting in my way, you’ve never understood how stressful my work is! Why do you think I had to move out into my own shop, hm?”
“I… think she might be gettin’ somewhere with this,” Apple Bloom said.
The wind howled outside. Scootaloo glanced over at a window to see what it was like outside, and saw that the light snowfall had started to turn into a blizzard. It was reminding her a little bit of Sweetie Belle’s dream, actually.
No, wait. This was something else.
“We need to stop them,” Scootaloo said.
“What? We might actually have a chance of wakin’ Rarity up tonight. Sweetie Belle’s doin’ great,” Apple Bloom said.
“It’s the blizzard. Remember what we talked about in school today?”
“About the foundin’ of Equestria, and that old legend about the three tribes and how…” Apple Bloom’s voice trailed off. “Oh. Yeah, we’d better do somethin’.”
Rarity and Sweetie Belle were still arguing, standing half the length of the hall apart, but oblivious to anything or anypony else.
“You’re doing all this just to avoid me, aren’t you?” Sweetie Belle said. “We came here to help you, and you won’t even listen to what I’m saying!”
Rarity’s jaw dropped. “You honestly think that, don’t you? Did you ever even consider that maybe I just need some time without you constantly bursting in so that I can just maintain my career?”
“If that’s so important to you, then why even stay in Ponyville?” Sweetie Belle was yelling now just to be heard over the storm, but she wouldn’t stop. “Why don’t you just go off to Canterlot and leave the rest of us behind, if you don’t want us getting in the way?”
Scootaloo pushed her way through the winds now swirling around the room, struggling to reach Sweetie Belle. “You need to calm down, before this gets out of control. Do you hear me? You need to stop!”
Sweetie Belle didn’t even look at her.
The wind was biting at Scootaloo’s face now. She put a hoof up to shield her eyes.
“You never listen to me!” Sweetie Belle said. Her shrill voice could be heard even above the howling storm. “Why do you have to be so—“
Scootaloo woke up.
She shuddered under the covers of her bed, still feeling the cold from the blizzard. It was still dark outside her window—it was early morning. She must have woken up before the others. But it was good to be out of there.
Dragging herself out of bed, Scootaloo got ready to leave for school.
For a moment, she had actually thought maybe they really would get Rarity to wake up, but that was probably too much to ask for. These nightmares had been getting more dangerous each time. Maybe whatever was causing them actually knew they were there. Scootaloo just hoped things hadn’t gotten any worse.
Before long, Scootaloo was back outside, on the way to school. It wasn’t a raging blizzard here in the real world, but it still wasn’t much better temperature-wise. She was sick of this cold. Why couldn’t Rarity have a dream at some tropical island resort? She liked places like that, probably.
The worst part was that the snowfall was getting too thick to ride her scooter anywhere. The wind would’ve made that a nightmare anyway. Scootaloo had a pretty long walk to school ahead of her.
Her hooves were almost numb by the time she made it to the schoolhouse. Apple Bloom was standing by the flagpole, apparently waiting for her.
“H-hey, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said through chattering teeth. “You almost didn’t make it here on time.”
“There’s no reason to wait for me out here. Let’s get inside, quick,” Scootaloo said.
Apple Bloom gave a quick nod and they headed into the schoolhouse. It was already packed. With the weather like it was, Scootaloo wasn’t getting here as early as she usually did. Class was almost about to start.
Scootaloo glanced around, scanning the faces of her classmates. “Where’s Sweetie Belle? Didn’t she get here too?”
“Not yet,” Apple Bloom said. “I just got here a few minutes before you did. I didn’t see her anywhere.”
“I just want to make sure she’s doing okay after that whole argument with Rarity,” Scootaloo said. “It’s tough when it’s your own sister. You remember how hard it was for you when we went to Applejack’s dream. And, well, the last one wasn’t really Rainbow Dash, but I still thought it was…”
“I know. Sweetie Belle's sure to show up any second now, though,” Apple Bloom said. “Then we can talk about what happened in there.”
They watched the door for a few minutes as the last few students trickled in. A cold blast of air hit their face each time the door swung open. The classroom was starting to fill up, but there was still no sign of Sweetie Belle.
Cheerilee trotted over to them. “Girls, you should probably take you seats now. We’re just about to start today’s lesson.”
Apple Bloom blinked. “Oh, uh… Yeah.”
They took their seats with the rest of the class as Cheerilee started listing off their names for attendance. Most of the desks were filled, but Sweetie Belle’s chair was still empty.
“You don’t think that she’s…” Scootaloo couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“She’s gonna have to show up sooner or later. Just wait.” Apple Bloom glanced over at the door, but it was closed now. Nopony else was showing up anymore.
Cheerilee finished the list, then trotted over to the front of the room and tapped on the chalkboard to get everypony’s attention. “Settle down, class. Today we’ll continue our lesson on the history of Equestria,” she said. “Yesterday we left off with the discovery of our nation by the three ancient tribes.”
Scootaloo tried to settle in and focus on the lesson. After their run-in with Princess Platinum last night, maybe it was worth listening to this old story again.
“It’s been hundreds of years since anypony has ever seen a Windigo, but in those days they really did exist. These days the story only serves as a reminder of what can happen when we allow our hearts to turn cold towards other ponies,” Cheerilee said. “The conflict between the leaders of the tribes froze all of their hearts.”
Scootaloo looked up. She glanced over at Sweetie Belle’s empty chair, then met Apple Bloom’s eyes. Neither of them had to say a word.