Chapter 5
Dream Searching
The building in the center of town was a dilapidated halfway home for bat ponies who had ventured from the Badlands in order to live in Hollow Shades. It reeked of rotting wood and the musk of body odor. The wood floors were warped and the walls cracked. There were several rooms, as in an apartment building, but half of them were taken by other ponies.
Pip stared at the vacant room they had discovered. There were three mattresses on the floor plus a wobbly nightstand and a single dresser.
“Remember when we saved all of Equestria?” Specter sarcastically commented as a cockroach scuttled by. “Neither does anypony else, apparently.”
“I don’t think many ponies know the details of our exploits,” Equinox said, sneering at a roach. “Besides, you know Hollow Shades doesn’t have an inn.”
“Sis,” Mist said in her sing-song voice. “We could always go see mom and dad! I’m sure they would-”
Equinox turned with a hate-filled glare. Mist immediately swallowed her words and became silent. As if sensing the tension in the room, everypony else became quieted as well.
“So, uh, Pip,” Scootaloo broke the stillness as she walked around the room. “What was that thing the soothsayer gave to you?”
Pip carefully inspected one of the mattresses. “I don’t know. I’m going to have to figure that out.”
“Yeah, especially if you want to avoid being mauled to death by bears.”
“T-that didn’t actually happen!” Pip stammered. “That was just the part of the story you improvised! I’m not going to get mauled by bears!”
“But the soothsayer did say you were going to travel the same trail as the old Guardian of the Night,” Marble said with a shrug, seemingly unconcerned with the filthy environment. “And the old Guardian of the Night never came back. For whatever reason.”
“It just means I need to discover that reason,” Pip quickly stated. “And then avoid doing the same thing.”
Specter flew around the room on silent wings with a mischievous grin on his face. “Look out, mares and stallions! We’ve got another mystery on our hooves! Everypony take a chastity belt and hang on!”
“Chastity belt?” Scootaloo said with a snort and a laugh. “What’s that all about?”
“It’s just… an inside joke…” Pip lamely commented. “Just forget about it.”
Thunder Clash, prominently frowning at the environment, chimed in with, “You aren’t solvin’ a thousand year old mystery, boy. The trail is long dead. All you can do now is hope you got more wits and knowledge about you than the last guardian.”
More wits and knowledge than Luna’s father? Pip forced himself to swallow. He definitely didn’t have more wits and knowledge than him. No… if Pip wanted to defeat the Nightmare Forces without getting caught in some trap, he would need to solve this mystery long before that point.
“Um, excuse me? Are you all the Star Guard?”
Pip glanced to the door and saw a lanky bat pony standing there. The bat pony pulled in a janitor's cart, complete with mop, feather duster and broom. Even his cutie mark was a simple feather duster in the process of dusting.
“We’re the Star Guard,” Pip replied.
The cleaning pony nodded. “I was asked to make sure your quarters were acceptable. If you’ll, uh, just give me a few quick minutes… I’ll have this place clean in no time.” He very quickly and efficiently began cleaning the whole room. Sweeping, humming and dusting all at the same time, mostly with the help of his wings.
“Let’s leave him to his job,” Pip told the others, ushering them outside. There was a dirty common area in the house, perfect for them to use while they waited. “Once that bat pony is done cleaning, we’ll go into the dream world and see what we can see.”
“How will we know which dreams to enter?” Marble asked, always the pragmatic one.
Pip nervously shuffled his hooves. “I… will attempt to detect it. But until then, we should just look around the old-fashioned way. Just make sure to stay hidden. And guys, remember, we’re also acting something like ambassadors. Try and improve bat pony and day-pony relations, okay?”
The others nodded, but Pip wondered if they were truly on board with the plan. Hopefully they can handle themselves in the dreamscape…
---
Rumble floated from dream to dream. He glanced to the left and glanced to the right. Everywhere he went, there were bat ponies having odd dreams. None of them looked like they were in trouble, however. How was he supposed to know which dreams to stop at?
With a heavy sigh, Rumble continued forward. Pip needed time to figure out his powers, sure, but he was the most important of all. If he didn’t get his act together, they were all going to fail. All through yesterday they'd fixed up their base of operations, and now, today, they were to search through dreams and stop the Nightmare Forces. No matter how long or hard he searched, Rumble felt worthless. He hadn’t helped a single bat pony… He hadn’t found a single nightmare.
“Maybe I should just stand around in a dream,” he said aloud. “Better than doing nothing.”
Rumble walked through dreams until he came to one with a very odd feel. He was standing in the middle of Hollow Shades, looking up at the trees and fireflies, but everything was extremely organized and plain. Nothing out of place, no weirdness going on. Just… an empty town in an empty forest. Rumble squinted through the darkness, trying desperately to see the pony responsible for the dream.
“Who are you?”
“Hm?” Rumble turned and spotted a bat pony mare. She was swishing her long tail back and forth with an annoyed look on her face. She was too old to be a foal, but young enough to still have a blank flank. Her coat was nearly white and her mane a dark brown. “I’m… one of the Star Guard.”
“The Star Guard? Those day-ponies that came to town not too long ago?” She trotted up to Rumble and glared. “Everypony in town says you’re here to help us with the nightmares, but we’re just fine by ourselves, thank you very much.”
Rumble was surprised at how old the bat pony was, now that she was standing right next to him. Still a without a cutie mark but practically an adult? It was almost unheard of. Well, this is as good a place as any to try and find nightmares. “Well, I’m going to help you whether you like it or not,” he commented, glancing around the dream version of Hollow Shades. “Seen anything super scary lately? Monsters? Darkness?”
“Hmpf!” the mare said, turning her head. “I can handle anything you can handle! Perhaps you should try speaking to another bat pony.”
“Hey, I don’t want to brag, but I’m combat trained.” Kinda. Half-trained, at least.
The mare rolled her eyes. “Yeah, everypony in Hollow Shades is. Big whoop. What do you have that we don’t, huh? What exactly are you bringing to the table that we couldn’t do for ourselves?”
Rumble nervously rubbed at his mane. “Magic? Dream powers?” She laughed at him. This is going nowhere fast. “Look, how about we start over? My name is Rumble. I’m from Ponyville.”
Before she could answer, peaches suddenly began appearing all over the branches of the trees. She quickly glanced to them and began to panic. “Oh no! Mom told me I had to gather up all the fruit!” She took to the sky, gathering the peaches as quickly as possible. For every peach she grabbed, two more took its place, until the trees were practically overflowing with fruit.
Rumble stared at the phenomenon with great interest, briefly wondering how quickly fruit grew in Hollow Shades. He quickly face-hooved, however, remembering that this was all a dream. Pull yourself together, Rumble! You’re supposed to be helping! Find the nightmares here!
“Right, I’ve got powers here…” Rumble focused on the dream and attempted to alter it. Much to his surprise and delight, the trees stopped their massive spawning of fruit. Soon, the mare had caught up and gathered as many peaches as she could, throwing them into baskets on the ground. Rumble flew up into the trees as well and helped her gather the last few.
“There!” he proclaimed, throwing the last of the peaches into the basket. “Done!”
“You weren’t supposed to help,” the bat pony spat. “What if this was my cutie mark talent and you just ruined it for me?!”
Rumble forced a laugh. “Sorry! If it’s any consolation, you were really good!”
The bat pony turned to look at her flank. Still blank. She hung her head and sighed. “It’s no use… It wouldn’t have worked anyway…”
“Don’t fret. It’ll come eventually, as long as you keep trying,” Rumble said, placing a comforting hoof onto her shoulder.
She jerked away, embarrassed. “That’s what everypony says! Just keep trying,” she said in a mocking tone. “Just keep trying!”
“Well, yeah! That’s totally my motto!” Rumble held his head high. “My brother used to make fun of me all the time for having a blank flank! But then I just kept trying until, one day, bam! I had one! You gotta keep at it, no matter what!”
“Yeah, well, when have I tried enough?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes. The bat pony mare was now shaking with frustration. “When is it enough, huh?!”
“Whoa, calm down!” The dreamscape around them began to darken and crack. Rumble ducked down, confused by what was going on. He tried to alter it, but the magic that was once working no longer answered to his commands. “C-calm yourself!”
“Nopony ever has the answer! They just say… they just say… keep trying! Keep at it! One day you’ll be good! Why can’t my day be today?! Why does everypony else’s day come and not mine?!” She galloped a few steps away to hide the tears on her face.
The trees around them began to twist and snap apart, revealing hundreds of tiny red eyes staring back at them. The bat pony continued sobbing as though she couldn’t see them, but… Rumble could.
“Um, uh, what was your name again?” Rumble asked in a low voice, staring back at the unblinking eyes.
Her only response was a soft sob.
“It really isn't worth getting upset over,” Rumble went back to trying to calm her. “Everypony gets a cutie mark eventually.”
“I’m sick and tired of nopony having the answers!” the mare shouted. “I’m tired of… I’m tired of… all your stupid platitudes! You don’t even know what you’re talking about! You think you can help me?! You don’t even have an answer!”
Her rage and frustration with the situation shattered the dream world, pushing Rumble out of it, stinging his mind with the force of the withdrawal. She had woken up, and expelled him from the dreamscape along with her.
Rumble rolled over, suddenly awake. He blinked his eyes a few times and stared around the room. It reminded him of the barracks, what with all the cots the janitor had brought in. He sat up on the edge of his cot and took a deep breath.
The nightmares had been hiding right in front of him… Had they been waiting for the little mare to show weakness before making themselves known? She was awake now, and Pip said the Nightmare Forces had to convince ponies to be their host, but Rumble was still worried.
He turned to the window and stared out into the darkness. Despite it being day, the canopy above blocked out the light. Rumble scratched at his chin as he anxiously went over what happened in his head. Did I… make things worse?
---
Scootaloo broke through the barrier of light between dreams and yawned. She had gotten used to sleeping during the day, but now she needed to stay awake in order to walk the dreams of the bat ponies. Why does everything need to be so complicated?
Glancing around, she took note of the funny dreamscape. It looked like a battlefield, but… childishly so. It had no bodies, no blood, no actual signs of war. Just trenches on either side of a long field, with a blue flag posted in one trench and a red flag posted in the other. Scootaloo lifted an eyebrow questioningly.
“Princess! Get down! Onyx the Warlord will save you!”
Scootaloo didn’t see anypony else and was confused by the sudden declaration. Without warning, a small bat pony foal leapt from the blue-flagged trench and charged forward. He was clad in the most over-the-top armor possible, complete with asymmetrical spikes, red and black in coloration.
The foal grabbed Scootaloo by the foreleg and began pulling her back. Scootaloo played along, if only because it was a lot more interesting than some of the other dreams she had stumbled across. I’ll stay just for a little bit. Then I’ll get back to work.
“Stay here!” he said, pointing to the trench. “I have to take care of something!” He turned dramatically, a cape suddenly appearing on his armor for him to swish. From the other trench rose a bat pony completely covered in armor, to the point where Scootaloo couldn’t even see a face.
“I will destroy the world, Onyx the Warlord!” a voice from within the suit of armor shouted. “There is no power that can defeat me!”
“Pew!” Onyx shouted, punching his hoof forward at the same time. A fireball blasted forward and smashed into the armor, but once the flame cleared the armor was unscathed. “Pew! Pew!” he shouted over and over again, throwing more fireballs with each shout. Still, the armor remained unharmed.
“You are super powerful!” Onyx said with a smile.
Scootaloo was confused. Did the kid want to fail?
“But,” Onyx suddenly shouted. “You failed to realize I have a secret weapon! My trumpet card!”
“I think you mean trump card,” Scootaloo corrected from her trench.
“Er, ah, right. My trump card!” Onyx continued. “I will smite thee, fiend!” The little foal stood on his hind legs and raised his forelegs, summoning a large ball of raw magical energy. It crackled with power, gold and blue in color, ever-growing in size and intensity.
“How can this be?!” the voice from within the armor dramatically cried out. “Only unicorns and alicorns can wield magic like that!”
Onyx forced a laugh, trying hard to imitate the confidence of an adult. “It’s because I am the long lost son of Princess Luna! I was born with all her power, and even more power, but, er, I don’t need a horn because they’re ugly!”
“Noooooooo!” the villain shouted as Onyx threw the ball of energy on top of him. It happened slowly, and dramatically. It was almost slow enough for the villain to just walk away if he wanted to, but he never did.
When the orb of magical energy hit the villain, he was destroyed. No prolonged cry of pain, no graphic display of dismemberment. He was just gone. Poof. Smoke and dust were all that remained.
“Ta-da!” Onyx cried, turning around to face Scootaloo. “You have been saved, m’lady!”
Scootaloo hopped out of the trench and stomped her hooves on the ground. “Wow. That was great. You totally showed him. What a… er, epic battle.” She forced a smile.
The foal tossed off his armor, revealing his true self. He was a bat pony with a dark blue coat, just like Princess Luna, with a black patch of fur across his flank and leg… just like Princess Luna. His eyes were gold and his mane white. Besides the black patch, his flank was blank.
“Anything for a princess,” Onyx said with a bow.
“I’m not a-” Scootaloo stopped herself when she reached up her hoof and felt the alicorn horn on her forehead. Looking down, she realized she was also dressed in an extravagant gown fit for any princess. “Oh, this is not happening.” She ripped off the dress, but in its place, she altered the dream to form a complete set of battle armor. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
“Oh, cool!” Onyx gasped with delight, galloping over on his stubby legs. “That armor is so radical! You’re the best princess ever!”
Scootaloo slowly twirled in place, impressed with herself for having come up with such impressive gold armor on the fly. Onyx admired the armor like a foal admiring toys in a toy shop.
“Why are your wings so tiny?”
Catching her breath, Scootaloo froze in place. As fast as a bullet, the memories of her childhood, specifically moments of ridicule for being flightless, came rushing back to her. Scootaloo snapped her attention to the colt. “Listen here, kid,” she barked.
Onyx looked at her in confusion.
She turned away, suddenly ashamed with herself. Scootaloo, get your act together! It’s not his fault! What would Rainbow Dash say if she saw you yelling at some poor colt? Scootaloo turned back with a forced smile. “Listen here, kid,” she repeated in a softer tone and with a forced laugh. “I have small wings to better help me run! I’m super fast! Faster than anything you’ve ever seen before!”
“Really?” he gasped in delight. “Show me!”
“With pleasure,” she said, buzzing her wings into action. Although she knew this was a dream, and thus she was capable of nearly anything she could imagine, Scootaloo opted instead to pretend it was reality. She didn’t need dream powers to be super awesome and fast.
Running around the battlefield, Scootaloo was back within moments. She swished her mane around and held her head high. “See that? Super fast.”
“Whoa! Totally awesome! What’s your name?”
“Scootaloo,” she replied, still smug with herself.
“Pfft,” Onyx said, dismissively waving his hoof. “That’s a terrible name! You can’t be Princess Scootaloo!”
She slowly turned and glared at him. Just a kid, Scootaloo. He’s just a kid. “Oh yeah? And what do you think my name should be?”
Onyx sat down and stared into the sky. “Um… Oh, I know! Princess Speed-Demon! Yeah! Totally cool!”
Scootaloo mulled the name over in her head. That is pretty cool. “I guess it’s okay,” she said with a shrug. “Princess Speed-Demon it is.”
“All right! We need to save the rest of Hollow Shades! And then all of Equestria! Hurry, Princess Speed-Demon! To Emperor Dastardly’s hideout!” He got up and began galloping toward the horizon, not very quickly, but filled to the brim with enthusiasm.
Scootaloo stifled a laugh. Emperor Dastardly? “Er, uh, look kid… I’m actually supposed to be helping ponies right now. I’ve delayed long enough. I need to be getting back to my job.”
Onyx stopped galloping and frowned. “What’s more important than saving all of Equestria?”
“Don’t worry. This is all a dream. Equestria isn’t in danger. Er, well, that’s not true. But don’t worry about that, I’m going to take care of it. Me and the rest of the Star Guard.” Scootaloo trotted over and patted him on the head before moving past him and toward the light barrier.
“This is… all a dream…?” she heard him mutter.
Scootaloo stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah. It’s pretty awesome when you know you’re dreaming because you can just imagine all sorts of really cool things! No need to thank me for telling you. I mean-” Scootaloo stopped herself when she realized Onyx was no longer listening. He was staring at the ground, his shoulders slumped, his wings hanging limply at his side, and his eyes vacant.
“Onyx?” she asked, trotting back over to him. “You okay, kid? What’s wrong?”
The bat pony colt let out a long sigh. He slowly began dragging his hooves back to his trench. “I just thought… I thought I was finally important… I guess not.”
“Ah, don’t be like that,” Scootaloo said. “Everypony is important!”
“That’s not true.”
The vibrant colors of the surroundings began to fade, draining away into the sky and becoming a mess of dark clouds. The color faded away from Onyx as well, revealing that he didn’t look like Princess Luna at all. He instead had a muddy brown coat, with a dark muddy brown mane.
Onyx slowly collapsed to the ground, tucking his face into his forelegs. “Just leave me alone. You were just… playing the entire time. I thought I was really saving everypony…”
“I still think you’re cool,” Scootaloo said in an overly cheerful voice.
“You called me kid,” Onyx said into his foreleg. “I’m pathetic. Y-you said it yourself! You gotta leave b-because you have real things to do! Go! Leave me alone!”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to respond but the whole dream suddenly became blurry. Everything was cracking apart and shaking. There was darkness in the cracks… darkness and a foul presence that made the battlefield reek of blood and sweat.
“What the-?”
Before Scootaloo could do anything about it, the dream shattered all around her. The colt had awoken, and she'd been expelled from his dreamscape. Scootaloo suddenly found herself tossing and turning on her cot, having been ejected from the dream stalking altogether. That kid, Onyx… I hope he’s okay.
She sat up and shook her head. All but Rumble were still in the dreamscape. They were lying on their cots, twitching slightly every so often as though dreaming themselves. Rumble was sitting next to the window, staring vacantly out into Hollow Shades.
Scootaloo trotted over to his side and sat down next to him. She threw her forelegs on the windowsill and sighed. “This stuff is weird,” she stated. “I much prefer when we can just fight things, ya know?”
“I don’t think I’m very good at it,” Rumble immediately replied, also throwing his forelegs onto the windowsill. “I think I might have caused a nightmare to form in some bat pony’s dream.”
“Don’t worry,” Scootaloo shrugged. “You’ll get the hang of it. You just need to keep trying.”
Rumble slowly turned to her with a very serious look upon his face. “Hey, uh, Scootaloo… When have you tried enough?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, when have you done enough? When is enough, enough?”
Scootaloo stretched her tiny wings and rolled her eyes. “I dunno. When you get good at it. Geez. I was just trying to tell you that I’m sure you’ll be able to help ponies, because you’re a good guy.”
“Do you think being a good guy is enough?”
“Rumble,” Scootaloo snapped. “I don’t know, okay? Quit with the questions. What’s this all about anyway?”
Rumble was silent. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, “It’s nothing. I just need to think about it some more. I’m sure the answer will come to me. How are you doing? Did you purge any Nightmare Forces?”
“Who, me? I’m doing great,” she said with a laugh. “So great. I’ll be purging nightmares left and right in no time.” Scootaloo forced herself to continue laughing, fearful Rumble would think her weak for having not purged a single nightmare. “Besides,” she said with a cough, ending her incessant laughing. “I’m sure Pip has purged tons of nightmares! Princess Luna made him the captain, after all. I’m sure he has some tricks. Lots of tricks.”
“Yeah… You’re probably right…” Rumble muttered, turning his attention back to Hollow Shades. “At least, I hope you’re right.”