Over the Hills and Far Away

by Yip

I - Trisection

‘Begone, fiend!’

A clash of steel sounded all throughout the Apple house, eventually reaching and awakening a sleeping filly. Groggily, she opened her eyes and glazed them over her bedroom to locate the source of the sound. Another clash of steel came, which was soon followed by another, then another.

Puzzled, she left her bed and walked over to her window. Yet another clash sounded through the window as a stout red stallion crossed swords with a lizard-like creature standing on two legs. ‘Tell your friends to stop steppin’ their slimy feet on our land or I will personally come into yours and make them stop!’ the stallion cried out, lunging forward with his short sword and narrowly missing his target.

‘Hiss!’ the creature replied, sticking its forked tongue out as it dodged the strike. It held a curved falchion in its partially-webbed hands, promptly swinging downwards toward the stallion's head. He quickly swatted the strike away with his sword, knocking his opponent's weapon clean out of his hands and into the bushes.

'Eeenope,' the stallion finished, lunging forward once more and finding its mark into his opponent’s center. The lizard clutched its pierced gut and stuck its tongue out once more, closed its eyes and hung its head in agony.

'Big...' Apple Bloom began, incredulous. '...Big Mac?'

Without hesitation, the filly bolted out through her bedroom door as fast as her young legs could carry her, her eyes glistening as hints of tears began to surface. ‘Applejack!’ she called out. ‘Help! There’s something going on outside and Big Mac is in trouble!’ No response came.

Big Mac would never... he would never do that! No, no, no!

Once outside, Apple Bloom noticed that the creature had vanished, leaving a pleased Big Macintosh sheathing his spotless short sword to his side. He took a glance at Apple Bloom, smiled and began walking towards the Apple home.

‘Where’d that lizard go, big brother?’ Apple Bloom questioned hurriedly. ‘Please don’t scare me like that again!’

‘Huh?’ Big MacIntosh replied. ‘Ah, you mean that Argonian scout that was steppin’ on our land. He’ll be back later, I’d wager. Why, what’s gotten you so riled up, little sis’?’

‘Be back later? But I saw you stab him with that thing—wait, where did you get that sword from?’

‘Mm, the varmint sword—ah, what’s gotten into you, Apple Bloom?’ Big MacIntosh questioned sharply, putting on a frown. ‘You’re actin’ like you’ve seen a ghost or something. Are you all right?’

Apple Bloom simply shook her head and continued to stare at the sheathed blade.

‘Well, alright then. I’ve got to get back to buckin’ apples, if you don’t mind.’ Big MacIntosh paused and pondered for a moment, lifting a hoof to his chin in thought. ‘Say, I haven’t seen your sister in a while. If you see her, mind askin’ her to help me out a little? She should be at the Dungeoneerin’ Association.’

‘Uh, sure.’ Apple Bloom smiled sheepishly, keeping her eyes away from the blade. This is all a dream, she thought. ‘Don’t get distracted by swords.’

‘What was that?’

‘Um, nothing!’

As quickly as she had arrived, Apple Bloom was racing away from a puzzled Big MacIntosh and down the path towards Ponyville.

A sword? Where in the hay did Big Mac get a sword? Apple Bloom sighed. If this ain’t a dream—and it definitely feels and looks real—then there’s a lot I’ve got to figure out.

In the distance, past a well-trodden gravel road and above several of Ponyville’s thatch-covered rooftops, Apple Bloom caught a vague outline of a shining metal object reflecting the rays of the afternoon sun. As she hurried down the road to discover what the curious object was, it revealed itself to be the letters “D” and “A” mounted on the tip of a tall spire.

Darting her eyes left and right, try as she might, she could not find what she was looking for.

‘Twilight’s library... is gone?’ she questioned. A pair of accusing eyes glared at her odd behaviour, prompting a sheepish smile in return. ‘Sorry, I don’t talk to myself much! I swear!’

‘Best you not be doing that much,’ the stranger replied in a gruff tone, a mahogany-coated stallion with shoulders nearly as broad as the length of the silver sword he twirled with his hoof. ‘Some folks might think you’re crazy. Or at least a little bit like... you don’t belong,’ he added venomously, taking a brief pause in his twirling.

Apple Bloom swallowed her anxiety. ‘W-Well, I’ll try not to do that next time. Could you tell me where the... Dungeon Company is?’

‘You mean the ol’ Dungeoneer’s Association?’ the stallion inquired, receiving a nod in response. He looked towards the spire with the two letters, then down towards the building itself. The structure was mainly composed of a brick wall with wooden supports running down its side, keeping the shingled wooden roof and brick inlay from collapsing. Several curtained windows were visible on the front, with no activity visible on the inside. ‘You would find whatever it is you’re searching for over there.’

‘Well... thank you!’

The stranger said nothing more and resumed twirling his blade. Apple Bloom paced herself away from the stallion and towards the building—it lay in the middle of a circle of buildings, all sporting some form of symbol out front, from a helmet to a blade to a green potion in a glass flask. A few ponies were outside chanting overused pitches for their products, and even fewer were perusing their wares, scratching their chins with their hooves or weighing some products with others, only to shake their head and depart unsatisfied.

Wh... what is this place? Apple Bloom thought, horrified. This ain’t Ponyville... it can’t be. Twilight’s library isn’t even here!

‘Apple Bloom?’ a squeaky voice called out from behind her. ‘Apple Bloom!’

Before she could turn around and locate the source of the voice, Apple Bloom was knocked to the ground with two fillies, each hugging half of her body.

‘We’ve been looking for you for hours!’ Scootaloo piped up, relinquishing her grip. ‘We kept asking the folks around town what was going on and where to find everything... but when we mentioned the library, we got a bunch of funny looks!’

‘Yeah, everypony’s acting and dressing all weird!’ Sweetie Belle added. ‘Do you know anything about what’s going on? Maybe it’s some sort of festival! Then again, I haven’t seen Twilight and she’d be the organizer—’

‘Girls!’ Apple Bloom interjected, cutting off a noticeably irritated Sweetie Belle. ‘...Please. I probably know less than you. All I know is that something is weird is going on! Big Mac stabbed an Argonaut or something and it lived and, and...’ Apple Bloom stopped to catch her breath. ‘...I don’t know.’

‘I woke up a couple of hours ago and couldn’t find my sister!’ Sweetie Belle began. ‘So I checked downstairs and all I could find were fancy pieces of pony armour. It’s not like her not being there is a big deal, but she never mentioned she’d be away!’

Apple Bloom glanced upwards at the building. ‘Well, Big Mac said something about this “Dungeon Corporation” here, maybe somepony we know is in there?’ Her suggestion was met with two shrugs. ‘I don’t really see anything wrong with it, so we might as well. Let’s head inside!’

The trio of fillies hesitantly stepped towards the large building, looking to one another with sheepish smiles. Apple Bloom stepped forward at the door and slowly pushed it with her hoof, revealing a bustling room full of foreign-looking ponies. Most were seated at tables filling most of the space chatting with one another, some were by a bar to the side and chatting up with the bartender—all of them sporting faces of mirth and the fire of adventure locked in their eyes. Some exposed necks held jewelry of varied metals and precious stones, thin metal and leather armour covered most of their bodies and nearly all of them had some form of satchel or sack hanging over their shoulders or placed beside them on the floor as they sat on wooden chairs.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders could not see the entrance pony rolling his eyes impatiently in front of them, as they were too engrossed in their strange surroundings. Behind a varnished oak counter, he laid his maneless head in his dark brown hooves and waited.

‘...I said how may I help you?’ the stallion repeated sternly, shaking the crusaders from their trance. ‘Good, you finally woke up. What do you young fillies need?’

‘Uh,’ Apple Bloom stammered, ‘w-would you happen to know where my sister is?’

‘Lost your family, eh? Well, you’ll need to tell me who she is first, young lady.’

Sweetie Belle barged in past Apple Bloom and raised her hoof in the air insistently. ‘Um...’ the guard replied, ‘...you have a question?’

‘Do you know where my big sister is?’ Sweetie replied. ‘She looks just like me with a really nice purple mane!’

‘Oh, you mean the armourer?’ he replied, grinning. ‘She’s a mighty pretty one, that mare. I certainly would’ve noticed if she had come in, but she usually comes in through our secret back door anyway—’

A pony clearing its throat interrupted the stallion, who quickly began blushing a deep shade of red. ‘I-I never said anything about a secret door! Do you three understand?’ He leaned over the counter and began whispering. ‘Don’t let anypony know I let that slip, you hear? I think the boss just heard me say it, I guess it doesn’t matter now that I’ve let it slip...’

‘You’re certainly right that it doesn’t matter,’ a familiar voice scolded. ‘It was just a few fillies this time, but it could’ve been somepony else. Have you been drinking at all, Stormy?’

‘N... no, Bookworm. I’ll get Raider to take my shift and then go get some rest...’

‘Sounds like a plan to me,’ Twilight Sparkle replied, revealing herself as she stepped away from behind the stallion. She looked to the fillies as Stormy went off, raising her eyebrows in slight surprise. ‘Why are you three here? You seem a little young for the Dungeoneer’s Association.’

No answer came from the fillies, who were standing slack-jawed as they watched the scene unfold.

‘What’s the matter? Does the Association scare you at all?’ Twilight chuckled. ‘No need to feel overwhelmed; we’re all friends here. And you three are certainly more than welcome, despite your age!’

Scootaloo was the first to regain her senses. ‘What’s going on, Twilight? We don’t—’

A purple hoof was quickly lunged forward to Scootaloo’s mouth, silencing her before she could finish her sentence. ‘How did you know my name?’ Twilight whispered sternly, leaning her head even closer than Stormy had done. ‘Did Ra—er, Bolt, tell you? You should know to call me Bookworm, especially if you somehow were to discover my real name!’

‘B-Bookworm?’ Scootaloo replied, passively pushing Bookworm’s hoof to the side. ‘What a silly name, why don’t you use—’

‘Enough!’ Bookworm whispered again. ‘Come with me.’

With a motion of her hoof, Bookworm ushered the three fillies around the counter and through the hustle and bustle of the room. Dodging the occasional flying hoof from slightly-inebriated adventurers, they soon found themselves in front of a wooden door with tinted glass. A plaque was mounted on the door with two words engraved on its metal frame.

BOOKWORM’S OFFICE

‘Come in,’ Bookworm insisted, pushing the door open with her hoof. ‘I’ll need to get a bit cleared out before I can let you leave.’

The fillies reluctantly entered the office one by one, swallowing their fear under Bookworm’s cold glare—the room, however, eased their nerves and relaxed their muscles, even if the difference was slight. The homely look of a neat, organized desk in a similar form to the front counter added professionalism to an otherwise artistic room filled with stacks of parchment, jet black inkwells and razor-thin quills resting on top of standard office fixtures. Cabinets, a waste bin and cerulean-coloured walls reminded the trio of a time they could not see returning any time soon.

‘This kind of looks like... school,’ Sweetie Belle observed, tapping her hoof on a metal cabinet. ‘What’s in here, Twi—er, Bookworm,’ she added with a grin.

‘That’s not funny in the slightest, Bella,’ Bookworm replied, shutting the door softly with her hoof. ‘I can’t believe you three would just blindly disregard such an important rule.’

‘Hey, it wasn’t me!’ Sweetie protested. ‘And why did you call me “Bella”? You know what my name is, don’t you?’

‘Why are you acting so strangely?’ Bookworm inquired, walking over to her desk. On the front of the desk was a brass nameplate with Bookworm’s nickname engraved, just as the office’s door did. ‘I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to question you later; for now, I wouldn’t mind knowing why you’re here.’

Apple Bloom did not hesitate.

‘Something weird is going on, T—Bookworm. We can’t find your library, Big Mac was off slicing some lizard thingy and... heck, we don’t even know where this building came from or why you have a nickname!’

‘Callsign,’ Bookworm corrected. 'And, by the sounds of it, the Argonians are still bothering your family... will look into it later,' she added, scrawling a few notes on an idle piece of parchment.

‘...Callsign. Whatever. And where’s my sister?’

‘Mine, too!’ Sweetie Belle added.

‘And...’ Scootaloo stammered, ‘...where Rainbow Dash is.’

‘Bolt. Her callsign is Bolt,’ Bookworm snapped. ‘Looks like you’re all suffering from mild amnesia since you still seem to remember your friends and families... how curious. Your minds would remember their callsigns too, but somehow you remembered their real names...’

'Bookworm,’ Apple Bloom began, ‘you’re making no sense to any of us.’

‘Which is as expected. Out of curiosity... do you remember how you learned our real names? I mean, it isn’t incredibly difficult to imagine that you know your sisters’ names—sorry, Scootaloo—’ Bookworm added, receiving a nod in response, ‘—but I don’t know how in Equestria you were able to figure out mine.’

‘Uh, everypony calls you by that?’ Scootaloo said, raising an eyebrow. ‘We were talking to you and your five friends about going to the Ponyville river to find some stuff... I’m positive that this happened.’

‘I’m sorry, girls. I know you all want to believe what you wish, but I am also absolutely certain I’ve lived the past while of my life as Bookworm. This amnesia looks pretty bad... we’ll have to go to Manehattan to get some proper medical care for you.’

‘Why not Canterlot—I mean, we don’t need health care!’

‘Even if you don’t, it’d be nice for a checkup.’ Bookworm sat down in her chair and rubbed her temples softly with her hooves. ‘Canterlot... is not an option.’

‘Meeting, girls,’ Apple Bloom commanded. The three fillies, much to Bookworm chagrin and confusion, retreated to a corner of the office and huddled into a tight circle. ‘Girls,’ she whispered, ‘something’s not right here.’

‘No kidding.’

‘Maybe Twilight has amnesia?’

‘Nah, it’s more likely that we have amnesia. These buildings pretty well confirm that Twilight’s story is true, but I’m pretty sure we don’t have amnesia either. So that’s ruled out.’

‘What if it’s just some big joke? It’s not like we’ve never been pranked before!’

‘Nope, can’t be. Even with magic, this seems too elaborate to be a simple prank just for us. Magic...’ Apple Bloom pondered for a moment. ‘Maybe magic has something to do with this.’

‘In what way? We don’t even know what’s going on, we can’t exactly pinpoint this on magic.’

‘I don’t know what to think. I’ve got a feeling that trying to go against whatever this is will raise a lot of eyebrows.’

‘So we don’t have any leads on why everything’s different, and we can’t talk to anypony about it but ourselves. What should we do?’

‘We could just go with the flow.’

‘What are you girls talking about?’ Bookworm inquired, tapping her hoof impatiently on her desk. ‘I still wouldn’t mind clearing a few things up before we move on from my office.’

‘I think Sweetie’s plan sounds alright. Go with the flow, then?’

‘Sounds alright with me.’

‘Me too! And not just because I thought of it!’

As the crusaders spoke, Bookworm distracted herself with a curious sight on her desk—who moved my nameplate? she pondered, staring at the lopsided piece of metal. Maybe if I just move it here, then—

With the slightest nudge of her hoof, the nameplate fell to the ground with a resounding *clink*. The crusaders disengaged from their circle and stared at the nameplate lying on the floor.

‘Uh,’ Bookworm said, ‘mind getting that for me?’

‘Why not use your magic, Twi?’ Apple Bloom replied, continuing to stare at the piece of brass.

‘Huh? What are you talking about?’

‘Your magic. Use your magic to levitate the nameplate back on your desk!’ Apple Bloom observed as a sweating, twitchy Bookworm stared back. ‘...Unless your magic somehow vanished, too. Seriously, what’s going on?’

Scootaloo gave her a slight nudge. ‘What happened to “going with the flow”?’

‘I am not an aliquatenus, and I am most certainly not at Starswirl’s level of magic!’ Bookworm said sharply, shuffling her hooves over her desk and biting her lip. ‘E-Even if I were at that level, I—no, it’s rude to think that anypony could match his level of magic!’

‘But Book—Twi, you’re the most powerful unicorn in Equestria!’ Apple Bloom insisted, nearly pleading with the unicorn to accept the statement. ‘You can’t say you don’t have any powers! It’s a piece of metal!’

‘I—’

‘Twilight!’

With a crack of her hooves, Bookworm snapped out of her chair and dashed towards the inquiring filly in a blind rage—with an idle hoof, she covered her mouth almost as quickly as she had left the desk. Her face was covered entirely with sweat, and her frantic breathing reeked of fear and anxiety.

‘I don’t know how you three know all of this, but it’s clear that your amnesia has prevented you from keeping it in check—if anypony knew about my abilities, I’d be locked up in prison forever, or worse! You will not speak a single word of this to anypony, do you understand?’

‘Yeth,’ Apple Bloom mumbled, all three of the fillies trembling and shaking as Bookworm glared at each of them in turn.

‘Good. Now that that’s settled, I have to figure out what to do with you fillies. I don’t think I’m going to find out how you know all this with your amnesia...’

‘Maybe you tell us about the things that confuse us?’ Sweetie Belle inquired. ‘Maybe it’d jog our memory!’

‘Hmm... yes, that does make sense.’ Bookworm relaxed her muscles and smiled. ‘How would you three like to become the newest members of the Dungeoneer’s Association?’

‘...Us?’

‘Yes, you.’

‘...What would that mean for us?’

‘Well, for one, I’d be properly teaching you about the stuff you don’t remember, so you’d spend a good deal of time with me. Your sisters and the rest of my friends can help you along—if you really want, you can learn how to fight and quest, even at such a young age.'

‘...Questing?’

‘My goodness, so many questions. Amnesia will do that to you, I suppose.’ Bookworm sighed and returned to her desk. ‘Well, I think that your sisters will want to hear about this. And maybe I can ask a couple of them if they let my real name spill...'

~|O|~

‘You three were from Ponyville?’ a dark-grey stallion questioned, looking towards the sun-brightened sky. ‘By the sounds of your story, you’re leaving quite a bit out.’

‘Yes, we are,’ Scootaloo replied flatly. ‘We’re not prepared to tell somepony our life’s story. This is just to pass the time quicker.’

‘Ah yes, the ever-mysterious, professional mares keeping their secrets. This is of no surprise to me, really. But I am enjoying your story—tell me, who is this mare you’re speaking of who invited you into their questing club?’

None of the crusaders replied.

‘And what of the club itself? Surely you can spare me the name of that at the very least.’

Again, silence filled the air.

‘...Very well.’ The four travellers continued on silently, but their efforts were halted at a bend in the plains—travelling east or west along the river would lead them astray from the Rambling Rock Ridge hovering directly in front and above them, which was guarded by the river itself lying right at their hooves. ‘Hm...’ the charge pondered, staring at the torrid flow of the river. ‘This will prove problematic. I did not anticipate us arriving so quickly—the river is always too strong to be easily passable in the middle of the day. Perhaps we can make a stop here for a few hours, and you can continue your story?’

The crusaders all nodded their heads.

Comments

[arcum42]

tinyurl.com/mbho6go

[LunaUsesCaps]

cdn.someecards.com/someecards/filestorage/boston-bruins-nhl-champions-sports-ecards-someecards.png

[Yip]

3405361 Well, it started out as me trying it out because so many of the writers I admire (Tolkien, Huxley and Findley amongst many others) followed that same rule, but as time went on, I really liked single quotations and decided that I'd incorporate that into my style.

[Shadowmane PX-41]

Teletubbies come out to play

Sorry i had to do it

[The Shade]

So...
While I certainly am enjoying this, I must ask - Why does Bookworm seem to be so... Inclined that it's amnesia? Shouldn't the theory that someone somehow let her name slip be above that? Or some kind of spell?

[Cerulean Voice]

Oh wow, this is how you do a memory loss story. I do quite enjoy the idea of waking up in your normal home, everything being totally different, and having to be re-taught everything. It's reminding me of the epic Asylum by Daemon of Decay.
Please, sir, do continue.