The New World (Cancelled)

by Yin or Yang

Nowhere to Run

The next day of school seemed to go by without anything interesting happening for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo at first, which is unusual since there is usually at least something noteworthy that goes on in their eventful lives. Their discussion with their fellow friends at lunch was mostly about what kids in Equestria usually talk about, though Featherweight still persisted on trying to get ponies to join him on his expedition, but once again he came out with nobody to go with him. Class ended, the students all rushed outside, and when the three young ponies were ready to say goodbye, they heard a growling cacophony.

"Why do I have this feeling that you three pests were the ones who put graffiti on my wall," yelled Golden Jewel. Her face looked like a bulldog's and the grinding of her teeth was clearly audible.

"What are you talking about?" said Apple Bloom nervously. "We didn't do anything to your fancy wall."

"Diamond Tiara has told me all about you three losers. Now come over here so my hoof can kiss your face."

Golden Jewel dashed towards the three as fast as she could. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo ran away from her in sheer terror. While the three ponies were able to consistently stay ahead of their pursuer, Golden Jewel was always close behind. The three unknowingly leaped into the Everfree Forest, dodging tree stumps, vines, rocks, and other obstacles. All they could hear was their heavy breathing and the breaking of twigs as they galloped across the forest. They kept on galloping and galloping and then they heard a sound that indicated they could rest.

"I'll get you losers," yelled Golden Jewel off in the distance. "You may have escaped today, but tomorrow won't be so lucky."

The trio felt exhausted after having ran such a long distance and rested against a thick tree nearby. The bark of the tree was rough and uncomfortable against their backs, but it was the best thing to rest on in their vicinity. They looked around and saw the cover of the Everfree Forest seemingly block out the afternoon sky with a green blanket of leaves.

"Let's wait for a bit before heading back," said Scootaloo, catching her breath. "That way we will know that Golden Jewel will be long gone."

"I kind of wish we could leave now," whimpered Sweetie Belle, shivering nervously. "This place is really scary."

"Or you three could join me on my expedition, because I'm going there right now," a voice said.

The three knew it belonged to Featherweight, but when they turned around to look behind them, they still jumped in shock to see him directly behind them. Featherweight laughed at surprising the three and rubbed his mane.

"You guys are such cowards," said Featherweight. "It's just a forest, and besides, the temple is nearby."

"You win today," said Scootaloo, glaring intensely into Featherweight's eyes. "Take us to the temple, but promise us to shut up about any dares you do. Understand?"

"I do, and I'm a colt of my word. Follow me closely, but try not to stray too far behind."

Featherweight trotted off and the trio followed him. They brushed off twigs and vines that got in their faces as they traveled, taking each step carefully as to not trip over and scrape themselves. After about three minutes of hiking, the forest opened up and in front of the four was the temple Featherweight was talking about, only it wasn't a temple at all. Instead, it looked a lot more like a colosseum. The colosseum was built in a smooth, white material and looked surprisingly undisturbed. There were sticks pointing out of the top of the colosseum, each one equidistant to the next one, and appeared to have once carried a flag at some point in time.

"You told us this was a temple," yelled Scootaloo. "Does this look like a temple to you?"

"Follow me closely," said Featherweight. "This is a temple, and you just gotta trust me on this."

Featherweight passed through the entrance of the colosseum and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo followed him inside. The interior of the colosseum, surprisingly, also looked modern. There was a reception counter as well as a glass display case, with objects still inside behind the glass barriers. Posters lined up the interior of the colosseum, and when Scootaloo looked at them, she noticed something peculiar about them.

Scootaloo rubbed her eyes and sure enough, the poster had Rainbow Dash adorned on its center. It was then Scootaloo realized what this place was. It wasn't an ancient temple of any kind, it was Cloudsdale Arena, and it had gently fallen from the sky and landed on a secluded part of the Everfree Forest.

"Hey guys, come over here," said Scootaloo. Her two friends and one annoyance trotted towards her. "Take a look at this. Notice anything?"

"That's Rainbow Dash," shouted Sweetie Belle. "This is a newer building. Talk about amazing detective work."

"Thanks, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo noticed Featherweight swipe away the poster and saw her roll it up. "What was that all about, Featherweight?"

"I just think it'll be worth something," said Featherweight defensively.

"Say, how about we go upstairs to the second floor, sound good?" suggested Apple Bloom.

The other three ponies nodded and the group trotted upstairs and were now on the second floor. There was nothing that decorated this floor, making it a simple, white, elliptical hallway, but it did have passageways that led to seating. Apple Bloom peered outside, hiding behind one of the pillars, and saw a yellow pony with a fiery mane in the middle of the stage. She had a bouquet of flowers with her and she gently set them down in the exact center. Apple Bloom had this feeling that she had encountered this pony before, but she couldn't remember why or what her name was.

"Guys, someone is here," whispered Apple Bloom.

Featherweight, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle gulped loudly, expressions of anxiety defining their faces.

"We need to get out of here," whispered a panicked Sweetie Belle.

The four bonked into each other as they tried to escape. When they regained their sense of direction, they bolted upstairs to the third floor in the hopes of finding a place to hide. The third floor was where the luxury suites were, decorated with velvet carpets, plush seats, and fancy refrigerators that no longer worked and were empty, and as Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Featherweight were frantically looking for a place to hide, Apple Bloom peered into the window and saw the mare just standing there and not doing anything. Apple Bloom climbed up to the edge of the window to get a better look, but she lost her balance and fell off, plummeting towards the second floor below. The mare reacted in a flash, flew over, and caught Apple Bloom before she made contact with the ground. Apple Bloom looked up at the face of her rescuer, who recognized her, and the mare couldn't help herself and giggled before changing her expression to a serious one in the blink of an eye.

"Now tell me," said the mare. "What hijinks are you up to this time?"

"My friends and I are exploring this place and looking for treasure," replied an embarrassed Apple Bloom.

"Hey Apple Bloom," said Featherweight, who was above her. "I hope you're not dead or anything, because that would be-" Featherweight stopped upon seeing who was carrying Apple Bloom. "Oh, you again?"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had rushed down to the second floor and saw Apple Bloom with the mare. Scootaloo did a double take when she saw who had rescued Apple Bloom, knowing that if Rumble found out what happened, he wouldn't let her hear the end of it.

"Spitfire?" yelled Scootaloo. "What?"

"Yeah," muttered Spitfire in a melancholic tone. "I'm here to pay my respects to those who lost their lives six months ago. I didn't know any of them personally, but the whole disaster is still so vivid in my mind."

"Why did Cloudsdale Arena end up here anyways?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Surely someone should have noticed a huge colosseum fall out of the sky."

"A vandal dropped it from the sky and it gently landed in this isolated place like a feather. As a result, the only ponies living in Cloudsdale are approximately three hundred royal guards keeping watch. Don't worry, if anything does go wrong, Princess Twilight can handle it."

Sweetie Belle sighed in relief that it wasn't anything caused by nature. "Thanks for telling me that." She then noticed that Spitfire looked a little depressed, causing Sweetie Belle to look her in the eyes. "By the way, is there anything I can do to cheer you up?"

"I wish. I also wish I was as compassionate as you. What's your name?"

"I'm Sweetie Belle, it's nice to meet you." Sweetie Belle and Spitfire shook hooves, the former smiling cutely. Spitfire couldn't help but smile ever so slightly at seeing how whimsical Sweetie Belle was to her.

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Why do you say that you're not compassionate? You seem really nice from what I've seen so far."

"It's because I treated someone with disrespect once."

"We all make mistakes from time to time. I know that very well." Sweetie Belle kept smiling at Spitfire to try and make her feel better, but while she managed to warm her heart, she still looked a little down.

"I recognize that, but that doesn't make it any less painful." Spitfire looked up in the sky and noticed a recognizable rainbow streak flying towards her. She gulped and looked back down to the four youngsters. "Sorry, but I must leave for now. Please promise me that all of you won't tell anyone I was here. It was nice meeting you." Spitfire took off and flew away stealthily, hoping that Rainbow Dash didn't see her, but she knew she needed to scram just in case she hadn't.

"Why is she running away?" asked Scootaloo, looking in the direction Spitfire flew, but as she looked up, she saw her idol, Rainbow Dash, land in front of them. Rainbow rushed over towards Scootaloo and tightly hugged her, overjoyed at seeing her biggest fan.

"Hey squirt," said Rainbow excitedly. "Why are you all the way out here?"

"We are exploring this place," responded Scootaloo, grinning as widely as she could. "We were just about to leave. I wasn't expecting you here."

"I could have sworn I saw a fifth pony with you. Who was she anyways?"

"Um, it was just some hiker. Nothing more." Scootaloo felt a little guilty fibbing to Rainbow Dash, but she didn't want to risk facing the consequences of upsetting Spitfire.

"Fair enough." Rainbow stretched her wings proudly. "How about I give you four a lift. I can easily carry you all, so no need to worry."

"I'd love that. Come on everyone, let's go"

Rainbow Dash landed gently on the earth in front of Sweet Apple Acres and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Featherweight all climbed off of Rainbow. Scootaloo couldn't contain her excitement, her eyes shining brightly, while Sweetie Belle looked nauseous.

"Thanks for helping us Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo enthusiastically. "That was so awesome."

"No problem," replied Rainbow. "I just can't leave my friends hanging. It was nice to see you again, but I have to get going. I need to help Fluttershy with something. Goodbye, and stay safe."

"Goodbye, Rainbow Dash," the four yelled as they waved. Rainbow Dash rocketed out of the sky, a rainbow trail forming behind her as she flew off into the distance. It added to the visual beauty of the sky with its array of colors. Scootaloo looked back at her friends and tag along.

"What was with Golden Jewel anyways?" asked Scootaloo. "She was completely psycho."

"I don't know," said Sweetie Belle. "I think we should let an adult know so that we can be safe."

"I'm not much of a tattle tale," replied Apple Bloom. "I hate to admit it, but Sweetie is right about this. Featherweight, since you're known for your street smarts, what is Golden Jewel like? Outside of being a complete sociopath, of course."

"Golden Jewel is the pony you'd least want to get on your bad side," said a nervous Featherweight. Scootaloo was shocked to see Featherweight this anxious, as she thought that he was fearless. "Her parents are unicorn supremacists, and they adore Discord."

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo cringed upon hearing Discord's name. They wondered how anybody could like him after what he nearly did to Equestria.

"Anyways, because there is no evidence that Apple Bloom and I were the ones who tagged her wall, we can let the school know that she's falsely accusing us, and then she'll not try and kill us. Let's be sure to tell the principal tomorrow morning before class. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Featherweight," said the other three youngsters as Featherweight trotted along the dirt road and off into the distance.

"I guess we'd better get going ourselves," said Apple Bloom. "Let's make tomorrow a less crazy day than today. Goodbye, friends."

The three fillies went their separate ways. Apple Bloom trotted back into her house and upon entering, Applejack gave her a letter. It was sent by Princess Luna, and inside the letter was some sort of request. Apple Bloom read the contents of the letter, her eyes moving along each word so that she understood what it entailed.

"It's an honor to get a personal letter from a princess," said Applejack. "Do you plan on seeing Twilight?"

"I sure do," replied Apple Bloom. "I can't wait to see her again."

"She's been different since the mess six months ago, but she's still a great friend and a kind pony. Just let me know if there is anything you need."

As Sweetie Belle was trotting home, she couldn't stop thinking of Spitfire. Why was she so self-depreciating? Why did she seem to fear Rainbow Dash? Did the two get in a tussle in the past? Many questions were in Sweetie Belle's mind, but she was unable to find any answers to them. Sweetie Belle returned home and received a warm hug from her older sister, Rarity.

"Oh, Sweetie. A friend of yours dropped by," said Rarity elegantly. "Her name was Silver Spoon, and she wanted to hang out with you on the weekend, but with your close friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure, but I'll need to find a time when everyone is open," said Sweetie Belle. "By the way, do you know of a pony named Spitfire?"

Rarity shifted her eyes around nervously. She never expected to hear Spitfire's name again, much less from her own sister. "Yeah, we don't get along at all."

"How come? She seemed pretty nice."

"It's nothing to do with our personalities." Rarity sighed. She knew that Sweetie Belle would keep pestering her about the whole situation until she confessed. "It has to do with the fact that I've been part of the living embodiment of the Wonderbolts disbanding, and she was their captain."

"Oh, that's tragic. Have you tried apologizing to her?"

"If I could find her, but I think she's frightened of me, as I recall seeing her off in the distance, and when she looked towards where I was standing, she rushed off. I do wish I could apologize and make it up to her somehow."

"How about giving her a gift basket? Ponies love gift baskets, and I'm sure they have an apology type somewhere."

Rarity smiled and rubbed Sweetie Belle's mane. Sweetie Belle loved the smooth back and forth motion of Rarity's hoof on her head as it filled her soul with happiness. "That sounds like a plan. I'll do it, but I hope it works. I'll buy the basket tomorrow and find out where to mail it. Come on Sweetie Belle, let's get some dinner. You must be starving."

Scootaloo was resting on the bench within Ponyville's public garden. She was looking up into the sky, her eyes clearly yearning for something, but she didn't know what. She knows that she can hover in place, and while it isn't as impressive as flying, it's a start. She wondered if it had to do with Cloudsdale. She had always wanted to visit the city in the sky ever since Rainbow Dash told her about it, but because of the catastrophe spurred on by Tirek, that visit was never going to happen. She looked back down and noticed Rumble was trotting towards her. Rumble sat next to Scootaloo and looked at her in the eyes.

"Hey, Scoots," said Rumble. "Do you have a lot on your mind?"

"Sort of," replied Scootaloo. "I wish I could have visited Cloudsdale. It sounds like such a cool place."

"I know what you mean, I loved going there. It was so beautiful and the weather was always sunny. Nowadays it's just a floating object in the sky, a symbol of a bygone era. I wish I could go back in time and tell everyone how to stop Tirek before he left a path of destruction in his wake."

"I wish I could do that myself." Scootaloo and Rumble leaned on each other, taking in the sights of the garden in front of them.

"Remember what Silver Spoon told us about Discord?"

"I do, what about it?"

"I want that slimy cockroach out of the picture. My big brother, Thunderlane, was one of the many whose magic was drained on that fateful day, and he still has horrifying nightmares about the experience from time to time. I believe it's what they call PTSD. I know he's coming with us to Sky High Restaurant, so I hope that him meeting Soarin again doesn't trigger any nightmares when he goes back to bed the night after, because the two were right next to each other, both in seething pain."

"I still don't know how I was able to avoid my magic being drained that day. My condolences to you and your brother."

"Scoots, I have a present for you." Rumble tossed a small brown sack to Scootaloo. She peered inside the sack and noticed that there were twenty bits inside.

"Rumble, you won fair and square, you don't have to do this. Besides, I actually saw Spitfire rescue Apple Bloom again."

"I'll still pester you about it, but you were such a good sport that I couldn't help myself from giving it back to you." Rumble arose from the bench and looked back at Scootaloo. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Scoots."

"Goodbye, Rumble."

As Rumble trotted off, Scootaloo couldn't shake the feeling that Rumble was more than a friend to her. She didn't see it as a crush or anything like that, but there was something about Rumble that made her feel an indescribable pleasure inside. Scootaloo got off of the bench and trotted back home, highly anticipating the time she would spend with Rumble, Thunderlane, and Soarin.