Chapter 20
“Nobody found them?” The changeling asked for the third time.
“Nobody,” Lotus said. “It’s like they disappeared into thin air.”
Morning Rain ate his oatmeal quietly. His eyes were fixed on the black scythe blade lying in the middle of the table. A griffin had found it sticking out of a tree. From that point on the trail had gone cold.
“Hey,” said the changeling, nudging the boy gently. “It’s okay. They’re not coming back. I know their type. They’ll do anything if the price is right. Don’t dwell on it. You’re only hurting yourself.”
The spoon dropped out of his mouth. Thankfully his bowl was nearly empty.
“Don’t cry,” Scootaloo said, reaching across the table to pat the back of his hoof. “Come on, we have to hurry up. Don’t you want to see Gari again?”
Morning Rain looked up with glistening eyes. His entire body trembled, but then he tightened his jaws and closed his eyes. The changeling held him closer; he (it?) was a skilled impersonator indeed.
Scootaloo didn’t remember how the meal tasted, only that she was comfortably full afterwards. The changeling said that he was not feeling well to forego a physical breakfast. His eyes glowed with a subtle blue light as he comforted his “son,” who was too caught up in in his own thoughts to spare him a glance. Once he met Scootaloo’s eyes, and immediately looked away with a look of sadness mixed with shame.
I guess you’re hungry too.
“Saltlick you say?” Lotus said when Scootaloo asked. “That’s not far from here. Jis swim off this dock to that island you see over there, and take the road south. You’ll get to a kind of beach, and there you want to swim southeast until you see an old stone watchtower. You can’t miss it. Rest up there, and have a look around for alligators. If Gari has any sense at all she’ll fetch you from there. If not, you’ll have to follow the barge channel all the way to the salt farm dock. You can’t get lost, but there are big mean crocodiles in these waters. Are you sure you can’t wait for a barge? My brother is coming to pick up Gareth this afternoon. You can get to Saltlick by sundown.”
“We told Gari that we’ll be there early,” Scootaloo lied. “She’s expecting us.”
“Okay then,” Lotus said, throwing up her hooves in defeat. “My advice to you is don’t wear anything. Take those bandages off; that’ll give him a rash before noon. I have some dry bags you can use.”
Most of the other guests had caught early barges to the coast, so the brightly-lit dining room seemed eerily quiet as the kids stuffed their few possessions into waxed sacks along with a loaf of bread each. Against Lotus’ advice Scootaloo left her tomahawk dangling at her waist, with the strap tied short to prevent chafing.
Lotus and the changeling accompanied them onto the short dock. The black water glistened under the not-yet-hot sun of midmorning. Scootaloo was about to plunge in when Rain spoke up.
“Daddy, are you coming?”
She turned away from the edge with a sinking heart.
The changeling stared at them both with a look of regret.
What will it be? Scootaloo challenged, staring daggers into those fake eyes that looked perfectly real. Do you really care? Can you really care?
“Kid,” he said, putting his right hoof on Morning Rain’s cheek. “I can’t go back. And trust me, you don’t want me to.”
“But you’re my dad!” Rain said. “You… you should be back by now! You were only supposed to be gone for a year!”
The changeling remained silent for a moment.
“Rain,” he said. “Tell me: has Gari been nice to you?”
“Of course!” Rain replied, a smile creeping onto his face. “She’s the nicest pony I’ve ever met! And she makes the best cookies, and she’s really smart, and…”
“Okay,” the changeling interrupted. “How about me? Answer me honestly, Rain. How was living with me?”
“It was...” the smile slowly disappeared, replaced with a look of fear. Scootaloo stood closer and gave him a reassuring nod.
“Honestly,” he repeated. “I won’t get mad.”
“You aren’t bad,” Rain said, looking down at his hooves. “You… you were… This isn’t fair! You were just having fun! I was weak and useless back then, that's all! I was stupid! But I’m older now! I… I have my cutie mark and everything! I can cook! I won’t talk! I can take care of myself, just like a real pony!”
“Rain,” the changeling said. “Rain, I’m sorry. I… I can’t go with you. I will never love you, and that is my fault alone. I’m sorry you ever had to meet me.”
“But you’re awesome!” Rain said through heartbroken sobs. “You… You’re…”
“I was a good soldier,” Summer Rain said. “That is all I was. I’m not a father. Don’t think so highly of me, Morning Rain. I’m not worth it. Go to Gari now; listen to her, and make her proud. She is your mother, and she loves you more than I ever could.”
Rain took a wobbly step forwards, but Summer Rain turned away. He cried bitterly, and could barely stay on his feet. The Changeling did not look back, but Scootaloo thought he lingered in the doorway just a little longer than he had to.
“We need to get going,” Scootaloo urged when the sobbing subsided. “Rain, don’t be like this. We can’t lose another minute here!”
“I… I can,” he said, stubbornly wiping the snot from his nose. “I… I’ll stay. I don’t… I don’t… need…”
“Would you snap out of it?” Scootaloo yelled.
She shoved him as hard as she could, and Morning Rain tumbled into the water with a tremendous splash. He floated motionless for some time with his face below the surface, but in the end his desire to live won. He rose up sputtering and coughing, treading water clumsily.
Scootaloo jumped in after him. The water was deep enough that vegetation would not hinder their progress. It also had a noticeable saltiness, hinting at what was to come. She swam a small lap to warm up and then turned to the dock where Lotus was still standing.
“That island’s your first stop,” the innkeeper said, pointing at the dense trees that were supposedly growing on dry land. The distance looked a lot greater from water level. “Good luck, and I hope you see Gari soon. Oh, and something else. Genevieve told me that she saw a whole bunch of Midnight Guards flying towards Horseshoe Bay. She didn’t see Gari, unfortunately, but maybe they’ll help you if you run into them today.”
Scootaloo almost stopped treading water.
“No,” she said, swimming right to the edge of the dock. “Lotus, listen to me. If anypony other than Gari or Princess Luna asks you where we went, don’t tell them anything.”
“Why not?” Lotus said. “They’ll just bring you to Gari. That’s what they always do. You’re not the first kids to go missing on her, you know?”
“This is different,” Scootaloo said. “Just don’t say anything. Our lives depend on it!”
“Well if you put it that way,” Lotus said. “Okay, I’ll keep your secret. Now you get going. You’ll be soaking in that water all day.”
Though he wasn’t crying anymore, Morning Rain still had some fight in him. He was not as strong a swimmer as his sister, but his struggling slowed their progress considerably.
“Let me go,” he growled as Scootaloo pushed him steadily away from the inn.
Grumbling turned to screaming and finally to crying.
I’m sorry, Scootaloo thought, fighting back tears of her own. This is for your own good.
Her hooves touched the sandy bottom. Scootaloo made sure her brother was standing in the shallows before glancing back at the distant inn.
The changeling was looking at them from a dining room window, still wearing the face of Summer Rain. His eyes met hers, and then he disappeared.
Morning Rain walked backwards until the dense vegetation of the island obscured the inn from view, and only then did he stop fighting. Scootaloo could not think of anything to say, so she walked instead. The load on her back was smaller than a school bag, but her steps had never been heavier.
#
“Do you see them?” Rain whispered.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, carefully returning to all fours. “Twenty. They’re just standing guard, I think.”
She scratched her mane, now full of crusty salt. The crumbling stone walls of the watchtower blocked the briny sea breeze, and there was little shade to be had on the little platform. Now that lunch was done Scootaloo just wanted to return to the cool water.
The sylvanocians that blocked their progress were all out of uniform; only their scythes marked them as Midnight Guard. The water ahead was not very deep, but the tall rushes made swimming difficult. The ocean was only a few hundred metres to the east; she could hear the gulls squabbling on the shore. About two kilometres down the coast stood a low hill, its surface divided into dozens of pure white grids.
Salt farms.
“How is your back?” Scootaloo asked.
“I’m fine,” Rain said. He flicked his tail forcefully to cast off some salt. “I could use a bath and maybe a brush. So what’s the plan?”
“We’re going to Saltlick,” Scootaloo said.
Morning Rain facehoofed.
“Of course we’re going to Saltlick,” he said. “I mean how do we get past those guards?”
Scootaloo reared up to peer over the edge of the watchtower. The guards had not moved. There were certainly more than twenty. The rushes formed a solid wall further to the south, but towards the ocean was open water.
“Follow me,” she said, and led the way down the spiraling stone steps to ground level.
They swam with only their faces above the surface. At first they walked on the sandy bottom, but the water got deep quickly. The current grew faster as they neared the huge, slick boulders at the mouth of the waterway. By then Scootaloo was feeling rather winded. She paddled towards the shore with all her strength, but was swept towards the centre of the flow.
The river spat her out like a giant slingshot. Morning Rain, who had managed to stay within reach for the whole day, was suddenly thirty metres behind her.
The frigid water was bitter with salt. Scootaloo cursed when the flecks got into her eyes. She bobbed on the waves helplessly, floating over a bottomless abyss.
She pushed the water with powerful strokes, twisting her body in the familiar motion that had won her so many wagers at the swimming hole, but to her dismay nothing happened. The boulders rose and sank in her vision, appearing further away each time they came into view.
The cold water sapped her strength and made her joints stiff. Even turning on the spot was difficult.
Something pale and limp rose slowly on the crest of a wave.
No!
All thoughts of stealthiness left her mind. Scootaloo tried to draw a deep breath, but swallowed a big mouthful of brine instead. Kicking down with all her strength, she got her shoulders out of the water for a brief moment and tried again.
“HELP!” She cried at the top of her lungs. “SOMEPONY HELP!”
She barely heard herself over the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. Scootaloo kicked again.
The shorebirds cried all at once. Scootaloo stopped moving for just a second, and immediately fell beneath the waves. Salt water burned her eyes, and she could not hold back a yell of surprise that emptied her lungs.
The scale of the scene was what frightened her the most. Thirty metres below her hooves a forest waved in the current. Each greasy green leaf was as big as a roll of fabric. Silver fish as big as two ponies darted through the water with the speed and grace of hawks, chasing swirling masses of smaller fish that were not so small. Occasionally a chasm opened up between the dense kelp forest, leading to an inky black floor that didn’t even exist as far as Scootaloo knew.
Scootaloo did not have long to look. A pair of hooves grabbed her firmly around her chest, and she exploded into the air coughing and gasping. Her hooves cleared the water, and immediately she began to shiver from the wind rushing around her.
“Are you okay?” Asked the sylvanocian stallion who was holding her.
The shore was approaching fast. Behind the first rows of boulders was a relatively flat sand bar, and there stood a big group of dark blue ponies. A sylvanocian landed among them with Morning Rain dangling in his hooves.
They landed gently at the edge of the group, but the stallion would not let her go. Scootaloo stretched her neck to see her brother, but all in vain. A sylvanocian mare approached with a black woolen blanket, and the stallion released the shivering filly just long enough to receive it.
“Hey kid,” she said in a surprisingly gentle tone. “It’s alright, we’re here to help. Don’t be scared. What is your name?”
“I… I’m Scootaloo,” she said. It was hard to act defiant peeking out of a blanket. “I’m traveling with my brother. I want to see Gari.”
“We can take you to her,” said the mare. “She is not with us right now, but we will meet her soon.”
“No,” Scootaloo said. “Take me to her now!”
The stallion tightened his hold on her. Scootaloo bit his leg, but to no avail.
“Hey, take it easy,” he chuckled. “We’re going to help you.”
“Nightlight, how are you doing over here?”
The mare stood up as the unicorn approached. Despite everything she knew the sight of his dark cloak sparked a glimmer of hope in Scootaloo. But she did not know him at all. His red muzzle gave the unsettling impression of a gaping mouth; the rest of his face was pale brown with dark speckles.
“Hello Scootaloo,” he said with an utterly benign smile. “I hope you are alright. We have been looking for you for a long time, you know.”
“Take me to Gari!” Scootaloo yelled.
“We can’t,” he said. “Not yet, anyways. We will not hurt you, Scootaloo, but you have something that belongs to us. Just cooperate with me for a few minutes, and then I will take you to Gari.”
Without further explanation he pulled back his hood. He approached Scootaloo, his horn glowed with a dark aura. His eyes had turned completely black, and what looked to be smoke trailed from the corners.
The sylvanocian’s grip felt comforting rather than restrictive; Scootaloo retreated into the blanket and closed her eyes.
“Incoming!”
Three sylvanocians disappeared out of the air, followed by the cloaked unicorn. A powerful wind rustled Scootaloo’s mane, and it was another second before the boom reached her ears.
A massive circular rainbow rippled across the sky, leaving it blue and cloudless.
Eight ponies tumbled across the ground; Scootaloo winced at the sound of cracking bones. A blue mare landed gracefully in the middle of the stunned crowd, and even Scootaloo didn’t recognize her sister at first.
Rainbow Dash was wearing a blue-and-yellow bodysuit. It was a little faded and dusty from use, but the lightning bolt pattern was unmistakable.
“You!” She snapped, point in Scootaloo’s direction. “Get your dirty hooves off my sister!”
The stallion loosened his grip immediately, but to Scootaloo’s surprise he also fell over sideways. All around her little orbs of light zoomed silently through the air. Each one touched a sylvanocian on the head and disappeared. The victims immediately toppled over unconscious; the field was clear in a matter of seconds.
“Rain! Scootaloo!”
Gari hit the ground running. She wore only a set of boots and a brown scarf. With one wing she scooped up Scootaloo, and then she turned lightly and leapt over the fallen sylvanocians. Rain was looking a little dazed, and threw up all over Gari when she picked him up. She shook it off her wing like nothing more than dew and sat down in the sand with one child hugged to each shoulder.
Scootaloo’s eyes burned, and she could not hold back any longer. Gari held her so tightly; she could hear the powerful beating of her heart. It was as comforting now as it had been four years ago.
I did it! For real this time! I did it!
They cried together as all around them Lunar Guards took away the prisoners. Scootaloo held onto Gari with all her strength; a part of her still could not believe that it was real.
When she opened her eyes, Rainbow Dash was standing at a respectful distance. Her hood was pulled back; the way her muzzle and ears stayed fuzzy while the rest of her coat was pasted onto her skin made Scootaloo giggle.
Princess Luna was standing furthest away. She was the only one dressed like her usual self, but there was a new skittishness in her demeanor.
“Let’s go, Gari,” Princess Luna said as the last Midnight Guards were loaded onto stretchers.
Gari held her children out in front of her and looked them over with her wet green eyes. Neither of them resisted when she put them on her broad back and trotted after Princess Luna.
Rainbow Dash followed close by her side and said a lot of things, but Scootaloo just smiled tiredly and silently wished for some water.
#
Scootaloo sighed and slowly lowered herself into the steaming bath until only her eyes and nose remained exposed. The suds that gathered around her face smelled amazing. It was the kind of soap that she always used at the orphanage; weakly-scented, easy to rinse off, and very bubbly. She wanted to sit there all night, lulled by the sound of crashing waves.
Morning Rain sat in the half barrel with his brows furrowed. The bath was no doubt comfortable, but the events of the day still haunted his thoughts.
Gari can handle it from here, Scootaloo thought. Everything will be okay.
Gari had left the kids on the porch with a good supply of fresh water an assortment of brushes. They soaked in the bath until it was lukewarm, and only then did they reach for the brushes. They scrubbed each other until their skin felt raw and every hair ran in the same direction. They even used the small brushes to polish their worn out hooves.
“Is that good?” Rain asked after a few minutes brushing a rash on Scootaloo’s back.
“Yeah,” she sighed, stooping down to submerge the area. “Hey Rain, are you feeling alright?”
“I am now,” he said, setting the brush down beside the others and lying down against the side of the basin. “I really missed Gari.”
“Yeah, me too.”
They rested in the dirty bath water, neither of them wanting to rinse off just yet. The view was amazing. The crimson sun floated an inch above the ocean. Two ponies were standing on the giant dock at the bottom of the hill; there was only one small schooner docked there now, but the size of the walkways hinted at truly massive ships. The bay was dotted with the sails of various sizes and shapes that bobbed in and out of view in a slow rhythm. To the north—shining like gems, barely visible even on the best of days—were the skyscrapers of Baltimare.
“Hey, Scootaloo,” Rain said suddenly. “Does your dad get really mad when he’s drunk?”
Scootaloo’s heart sank.
“Yes,” she said. Despite the warmth-induced sluggishness she waded across the tub and lay down next to her brother. “Rain, please don’t be like this. Your dad… he’s just not a very nice pony. But that’s not saying anything about you. You’re Gari’s son, and you’re my brother. Focus on that.”
“Okay,” he said quietly.
They were interrupted by the front door flying open.
“Hey, Gari! What gives?”
Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings, but her escape was thwarted by the pale yellow aura that engulfed her.
“You smell like a pig pen, Rainbow Dash,” Gari said in a voice usually reserved for misbehaving foals. “Do something about it, or you’re sleeping outside tonight!”
The front of the wonderbolt flight suit opened up, and the tight fabric peeled off Rainbow Dash’s body.
“Hey, no!” she protested, crossing her legs in a last ditch attempt to keep her beloved uniform.
Scootaloo and Morning Rain dutifully left the tub, laughing heartily when the blue mare was unceremoniously dropped into the used bathwater.
“I hope you know how to use a coat brush,” Gari said, turning up her nose like a proper aristocrat.
Rainbow Dash harrumphed and crossed her hooves across her chest. She waited until Gari went inside before letting out a defeated sigh and reaching for a coarse brush.
“Need some help, Dash?” Scootaloo said with a smirk, which turned into a grimace when her brother doused her with cold rinse water.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash said with a giggle before turning her attention to Morning Rain. “So you’re the one who caused all this trouble in the first place.”
Rain lowered his head and took a step back.
“Rainbow Dash, it’s not like that,” Scootaloo said, stepping between the two. “Don’t you know what happened in Canterlot?”
“Yeah, I know,” she huffed. “And of all the ponies in Equestria, he came to you for help?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Scootaloo said. “He’s my brother! Of course he’ll come to me for help!”
“Then he’s a lousy brother!” Rainbow Dash said, leaning over the side of the tub and pointing an accusatory hoof at the suds-covered colt who had retreated all the way to the edge of the porch. “Scootaloo, your dad was worried sick about you! I was worried about you! You could have died, and it’s all because some dumb colt had a crazy idea to save the world!”
Rain darted into the house, leaving a trail of soap and tears.
The water almost sizzled off Scootaloo's head.
“RAINBOW DASH!” She screamed. “You… You are the worst pony in all of Equestria! I can’t believe I ever thought you were cool! You… you…”
“What’s going on here?” Gari demanded, stepping out of the house once again with Morning Rain crying under her left wing.
Scootaloo ran to her and was pulled in by a gentle hoof. Gari shielded the filly with her free wing and looked expectantly at Rainbow Dash.
“Come on, Scootaloo,” she said when the mare in the tub failed to answer. “Go upstairs. There are towels in your room. I’ll be with you in a little bit.”
Scootaloo went through the sparsely furnished house, leaving a trail of water. The smallest upstairs room had a magnificent view of the bay, but she was in no mood to enjoy it now.
An eerie, nostalgic feeling washed over her when she lifted the light blue towel off the bed. It was her towel; the one she was given when she moved into the orphanage, and the one that she brought with her when she moved to Ponyville. She wrapped it around herself and climbed onto the hay-stuffed bed.
A few minutes later Gari came up the stairs with a rinsed and dripping Morning Rain on her back. She lifted him with her magic and dried him off with the light orange towel. A dark blue vest floated into the room; it looked too small to fit anypony there. Morning Rain kicked at the air as the vest slid over his head and across his chest. The collar went all the way to his chin. He pulled the tight fabric around his chest and grimaced, but Scootaloo thought he looked quite good.
“You’ll have to wear that for a while,” Gari said, rustling his mane. “It’ll fix your back.”
Rain put his head down dejectedly, following his sister’s example. Gari sighed and climbed onto the bed between them.
“These past few weeks have been hard for you,” she said. “Scootaloo, thank you for watching over Rain. You’ve done more than I ever could have expected. I am very proud of you.”
That should have made her feel better. Instead Scootaloo felt the pain in her sinus returning, and had to bury her face in the baby blue sheets.
Gari opened her wings over her children. Her voice was so soft that Scootaloo did not hear her at first.
“Come little children I’ll take thee away; into a land of enchantment…”
The tune had all the makings of a lullaby, yet Scootaloo did not feel sleepy. On the contrary an inexplicable excitement filled her heart. She dried her face on her towel and looked up at the alicorn.
Gari was almost unrecognizable. The lips that seemed always on the verge of a smile were slack and humorless. Her eyes were closed serenely. She looked bigger and older, with a stoic air about her befitting a princess. Scootaloo felt no doubt that the pony before her was over a thousand years old, or perhaps even older. She sang straight from the heart, impressing in all who could hear the countless heartaches and triumphs of a whole millennium. The events of the past weeks were still fresh in Scootaloo’s mind, but they seemed less important somehow.
I did pretty well, Scootaloo thought. Everything is going to be alright. Gari’s here. Rainbow Dash is here.
She closed her eyes and listened to the song. Rain was not crying anymore either; she thought she heard him humming along.
“Rest now my children for soon we’ll away; into the calm and the quiet…”
#
The children felt a lot better after a short nap, and dinner raised their spirits considerably. They regretted their third helping of onion bread and hay broth when Gari brought out the blueberry pudding. They ate on the floor; Scootaloo sat between Gari and Rainbow Dash, and there was plenty of conversation to keep her mind off the Lunar Guards in the room.
Rainbow Dash told the story of how she left the Wonderbolts training camp as soon as the news got out from Appleloosa. She stole a uniform to access restricted airspace, and would have met up with them in a day and a half had she not been intercepted by the Midnight Guard. They kept her as a prisoner until halfway through Hayseed Swamp. On the barge she was kept in a cage along with three diamond dogs, and Scootaloo did not need to ask as to their identity.
“It’s a good thing you found me,” she said to Gari and Princess Luna. “There were so many of them, and by the end those diamond dogs were looking at me funny. I was getting cramps from being tied up for so long!”
“You’re the one who got caught,” Gari said. “And those diamond dogs could have done you no harm. They're just pups, really. You saw how they bolted as soon as I untied them. Your little sister didn’t need as much babysitting as you.”
“She knew about the bat ponies!” Rainbow Dash protested.
“Sylvanocians,” Scootaloo corrected.
“See? How was I supposed to know about their freaky night powers?”
“They told me that you were doing tricks over their camp.”
Scootaloo and Rain tried to tell their story next, but kept cutting each other off until Gari started guiding them with questions. Even so they only got to the part about the Master when Princess Luna arrived.
“Your cloak,” she said, dropping a dark bundle of cloth on Gari’s back. “Everypony, I have examined all the prisoners, and I have some important news. Rainbow Dash, if you would leave us for a moment…”
“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “My sister is right here! These bat ponies followed her all the way from Appleloosa, and they took me as their prisoner. This is my business as much as it’s your!”
Princess Luna sighed.
“Stay here then, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “I suppose my daughter and I owe you all an explanation.
“By now you all know of the tragedy at the Canterlot Orphanage. Some of you remember it more vividly than others. But what you may not know is its purpose. The ponies who hired those mercenaries offered a considerable reward for that attack, as a show of their dedication and power.
“A faction of sylvanocians have become very powerful in the last three years. Many long-forgotten skills have been rediscovered, and now this group demands that my daughter and I return to the colony. They have the loyalty of the Midnight Guard, and the rest of my children are being held under house arrest.”
A gasp went around the room. The clattering of metal startled the three pegasi; one of the guards had fainted.
“What do they want?” Rain asked.
“In the bluntest terms,” Gari said, “they want Nightmare Moon.”
Scootaloo’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name. It had been different when Rain said it in his desperation; to hear it said again so calmly eliminated all her disbelief.
Nightmare Moon is coming back.
“They can’t have Nightmare Moon,” Rainbow Dash said. “Look, Princess Luna is right here! We blasted all the evil out of her!”
Scootaloo grabbed her sister’s mane and pulled down hard. Even so it took Rainbow Dash another second to notice Princess Luna’s angry glare.
“Perhaps the ‘bluntest terms’ are insufficient for some among us,” she said. “Nightmare Moon was not me. It used my body to take on a physical form and perverted my thoughts, but even before then it existed.
“The part of Nightmare moon which they seek is pure sylvanocian magic. Most magic can be transferred, but sylvanocian magic alone can exist without a physical form. When the Elements of Harmony was used against me, my magic was not destroyed. It was dispersed, and I was foolish to have let the matter rest for so long.
“This magic has no consciousness to speak of. It is not malevolent, though it operates in a way that would frighten most ponies. It gravitates to the desperate; the scared; the lonely. I was the first non-sylvanocian to use this magic, and I was unprepared for its effects.
“In the final weeks before my transformation one thousand year ago, the leaders of the sylvanocians offered me a considerable amount of their magic and asked that I become their princess. Since it seemed that Celestia could take care of the unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi, I accepted their offer. I vowed to look after their interests, and that was the extent of my commitment. But the sylvanocian magic amplified all my negative feelings towards my sister. In my mind I justified my actions as looking out for my new subjects, but that was not the case. When I was banished to the moon all my magic went with me, greatly weakening all the sylvanocians for a thousand years.
“After the elements of harmony cleansed me, I did not try to find the fragment. I had wrongly assumed that it would return to the sylvanocians in due time. Judging from the abilities of these Midnight Guard I can say that some of it did. But that is only a small portion, and possessed by only a few. I am sorry, everypony. I have failed the sylvanocians, and now you are all paying for my mistake.”
“They know that you don’t have it!” Rainbow Dash said, lifting off the ground with her hooves crossed in indignation. “Why do they want you or any of your children?”
“That is much more difficult to explain,” Gari replied before Princess Luna could say something else. “Luna was under the influence of sylvanocian magic on the night she turned us into alicorns. That unicorn who was wearing my cloak is Dreamweaver, a descendant of my brother Fly-By-Night and an expert in all kinds of magic. He believes that he can turn some of our alicorn magic into sylvanocian magic. Like I said before, this matter was supposed to be my problem alone. Rain, you were never supposed to be involved. You were supposed to be in Canterlot, and Scootaloo would not have known anything until it was over.
“Scootaloo, I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused, but I am afraid that you will have to stay with me for a while. You are carrying a fragment of Nightmare Moon.”
Scootaloo stared blankly at Gari, expecting her to smile.
“That doesn’t make sense!” Rain said. “If she has sylvanocian magic, why don’t I feel it?”
“That is because she is not using it,” Princess Luna said. “Scootaloo, the creature that haunts your dreams is Nightmare Moon. I felt it when I entered your mind last night, and now I have Dreamweaver’s word to confirm it.”
“Well get it out of her!” Rainbow Dash snapped, shoving her nose in the princess’ face like she was just an ordinary mare.
“Back away, Rainbow Dash!” Princess Luna roared in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Rainbow Dash returned to her spot with a disheveled mane, and the alicorn continued at a more reasonable volume. “I am sorry, Scootaloo, but I am afraid that I cannot offer you any relief. For all his theoretical knowledge Dreamweaver has never dealt with this much magic. If he had succeeded in extracting the magic earlier today, it would have corrupted him as it corrupted me. I am susceptible to its influence, so I must not tamper in this matter. There are only two places where you may find a pony who can help: the Garden of Shadow and Canterlot. Those in the Garden of Shadow have considerably more experience with sylvanocian magic. For the time being, you are the best vessel for this fragment. Stay with your friends and family, and speak to Gari about your troubles; do not harbor ill will. I have used spells to limit its influence on you; it should remain inert for the time being.
“I wish we can discuss these matters further, but it is very late. You have a ship to catch in the morning. If you would, Gari?”
“Right,” Gari said. “I have arranged for passage on the Swift with Captain Gilbert. We will board at five o’clock tomorrow morning. Rain, Scootaloo, you will be traveling with me. Rainbow Dash…”
“I’m going too,” the cyan mare interrupted, hovering once again. “Scootaloo is my sister, and I am not leaving until she is safe and sound back in Ponyville.”
Scootaloo looked up with her mouth open in awe. Rainbow Dash winked.
“That will not be a problem,” Gari said dismissively. “Luna will return to Canterlot with the Lunar Guard and the prisoners. She will find her own way to the Garden of Shadow. That is all you need to know for the moment. Let’s all get some sleep.”
Scootaloo did not get up. Gari lifted Morning Rain onto her back and shot Rainbow Dash a questioning look. The pegasus responded with a confident smile, and this was apparently a satisfactory answer.
“Hey Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash said with a gently prod to her shoulder. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah,” she replied blankly.
“Scootaloo, I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” Rainbow Dash continued. “I was just worried about you, that’s all. I didn’t know you had all this history. Don’t get me wrong, I always thought you were awesome, but this? You just walked across Equestria, and now you’re sailing off to a place most ponies don’t know existed! This is like something straight out of a Daring Do story!”
Scootaloo froze. Slowly she turned to her sister, who smiled down at her confidently.
“Do you really think so?” She asked hopefully.
“Of course I do!” Rainbow Dash replied, putting her in a headlock and giving rustling her mane. “You’re tough as nails, Scootaloo.”
They shared a long hug; this time Scootaloo didn’t cry.
Morning Rain was lying next to Gari when Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash arrived.
“Come over here,” Gari invited, lifting up her wing.
Scootaloo sidled against her brother and looked at Rainbow Dash.
“None of you snore, right?” She asked as she climbed onto the bed beside her sister and extended her wing.
With Gari’s wing from one side and Rainbow Dash on the other Scootaloo felt like she was in an impenetrable fortress. Sleep came easy, and her dreams were bright and pleasant.
From the bottom of the pile neither Scootaloo nor her brother noticed the last wing. Dark and abundantly-feathered, Princess Luna’s giant wing covered the other four ponies completely. None of them were cold that night.