Haunted
Apple Bloom vanished.
One moment she was there, and the next the hallway was deserted.
It took Scootaloo a moment to process what she had just said. She slowly turned around to take another look at the mare she had been talking to, but she was gone as well.
Hoofsteps came racing down the hallway, and Sweetie Belle appeared in the doorway, nearly out of breath. “What happened? I heard you talking to somepony.” She looked around the empty hall. “Where’s Apple Bloom?”
“She’s… gone,” Scootaloo said.
“Gone? What do you mean, ‘gone’?”
Scootaloo stared at the spot where Apple Bloom had been standing just seconds ago. “She… I think she must have woken up.” She nodded. “Yeah. That must be it.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head, and raised one hoof. “Just start at the beginning. What happened?”
“I was just in here talking to somepony. I didn’t know who it was, but…” Scootaloo swallowed a lump in her throat. “Apple Bloom called her ‘mom.’”
“But, uh…” Sweetie Belle took a long pause. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Isn’t Apple Bloom’s family…”
“She doesn’t talk about them much, but I’ve always figured…” Scootaloo looked down. “Well, you know.”
For a while, neither of them said anything. Scootaloo was suddenly overcome with the urge to get out. The room was starting to feel stifling, like the walls were closing in. Scootaloo quickly stepped into the hallway, the floorboards creaking under her hooves.
“I don’t get it, though. What was her mom doing here?” Sweetie Belle said.
“This must be Applejack’s dream,” Scootaloo said. “It’s probably just like what happened to Pinkie, with all of the ponies from town. They’re just part of the whole dream world.”
And if it was Applejack, then it fit perfectly with Luna’s theory, but Scootaloo didn’t say that out loud. Luna had said she wasn’t entirely sure about it herself. There was still the chance it was all coincidence.
The house groaned, settling into its foundation. The place really did feel old. Dust motes drifted through the air, stirred up by the two of them walking around.
Sweetie Belle’s tail swished from side to side. “So now what do we do?” She looked up and down the hallway, and into the now-vacant room that Scootaloo had been in, as if expecting somepony else to appear.
“I think we’re done for tonight. Apple Bloom should be at school tomorrow, so we’d better talk to her as soon as we can.”
“Yeah…” Sweetie Belle nodded slowly. “We’ve been here for a while. It’s probably about time to get up now, isn’t it?”
“I guess I’ll see you soon,” Scootaloo said.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will herself out of the dream and back into the real world. She felt warmth spreading over her body, and opened her eyes to blink in the dim morning sunlight pouring through her bedroom window.
Scootaloo pulled her scooter up to the front of the school and hopped off. She unfastened her helmet, shivering in the cold air. The sooner she got inside, the better.
“Hey.” She looked up to see Sweetie Belle trotting down the path.
“Hey,” Scootaloo said. She glanced around at the other foals passing them by as she leaned her scooter against the fence. “You haven’t seen Apple Bloom yet, have you?”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Nope. Are you sure she’s alright?”
“Well…” Scootaloo realized she couldn’t answer that question honestly. “Let’s just get inside.” She turned around and led the way up the front steps to the door.
It was still early, so the classroom hadn’t filled up yet. They instantly noticed Apple Bloom, already sitting at her desk. She stared down at the wooden surface, not moving. As Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got closer, they could see that her eyes were red.
“Applejack was still asleep when I left for school. She’s usually up before I am,” she said quietly, without looking up at them. “It’s her this time. I know it is.”
Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. We thought so.”
“Um… Apple Bloom, are you okay?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Apple Bloom didn’t move at first, then nodded. “I… I think so.”
“What happened back there?” Scootaloo asked. “You just kind of… disappeared.”
“Sorry ‘bout that. But I didn’t really expect to see her there,” Apple Bloom said. “I woke up. I couldn’t get back to sleep after that.”
“Was that really your mom?” Scootaloo said. “You’ve never really told us anything about her. I didn’t even know who she was when I saw her.”
Apple Bloom nodded slowly. She scratched the back of her head. “Uh… Well, you’ve probably guessed, but both my parents died a long time ago.”
“Yeah… We didn’t know for sure, but we thought they…” Sweetie Belle looked down, unsure of what to say next. “You must really miss them,” she mumbled.
“I was too little to remember. I-it’s kind of hard to miss somepony you never really knew,” Apple Bloom said. “I only recognized her because I’ve heard stories, and seen pictures… So I just knew it was her.”
“Oh.” It was all Scootaloo could say.
“Applejack and Big McIntosh don’t really like to talk about it, so I don’t know that much… There was a big fire at our house. Only about a year after I was born. I guess it’d been a dry year, because it spread really fast. Mom and Dad were tryin’ to make sure all of us got out okay… By the time the three of us were out, the fire had gotten out of control, and…” Apple Bloom’s voice trailed off.
“You never told us any of this before,” Sweetie Belle said.
“What’s the point?” Apple Bloom muttered, with a shrug. “It was a really long time ago. I don’t remember anythin’ about it.”
“But Applejack does,” Scootaloo muttered. “I guess it makes sense that she’d have nightmares about that, even this long after it happened.”
“Applejack wasn’t even as old as we are now back then. Granny Smith took care of us, mostly, ‘til my brother was big enough.” Apple Bloom slumped forward over her desk. “You never told me anythin’ like this would happen.”
“Luna never said anything either,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s just try to focus. If we know it’s Applejack having the dream, then something probably caused it. There might be a reason why she’s having dreams about them now. Any ideas?”
Apple Bloom didn’t pick her head up from the table. She muttered something that could have been “I don’t know.”
Sweetie Belle frowned and gave Scootaloo a questioning look, but neither of them said anything.
A few other students had started to trickle in through the front door. They trotted past Apple Bloom’s desk, sometimes giving her a quick glance, but too absorbed in their own conversations to pay her much mind.
“Are you going to be okay with this?” Scootaloo said. “I mean, we never really know what we’re getting into when Luna sends us to a new dream. If you don’t think you’ll be able to handle this—“
“Well, of course I have to!” Apple Bloom said, sitting up straight again. “This is my sister we’re talkin’ about. I’ve gotta be there to help her.”
Scootaloo grinned. “Good to hear.”
The bell rang, causing Sweetie Belle to jump, and Cheerilee gave a few short, loud taps on her desk. “Alright, class, everypony sit down!” she said. “I hope you’re all ready for another day of learning!”
“We’ll talk more later,” Scootaloo said. She gave a quick wave before turning around and trotting to her seat.
Cheerilee started calling out names for attendance, making a few marks on the sheet as she went down the list. Scootaloo settled into her chair as the first lesson began.
As class let out for the day, Apple Bloom wasn’t looking much better. She slogged out of the schoolhouse after nearly everypony else had already left. Scootaloo was already waiting by the flagpole.
“Hey!” Sweetie Belle caught up to them. “We’ve still got the whole afternoon before we can go back. Why don’t we do something fun until then? We could go hang out at Rarity’s or something.”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “No thanks. Granny Smith and Big McIntosh’ll probably be worried once they figure out what’s happened to Applejack. I should just go back home.”
“You sure?” Sweetie Belle cocked her head.
“I’ll be fine,” Apple Bloom said, even though she looked the complete opposite of ‘fine’ at the moment. “I just need some time to, uh… think things over.”
“Suit yourself,” Scootaloo said. “Just remember that we’re meeting—“
“At dark, like always,” Apple Bloom said, nodding. “I remember.”
“See you then, I guess.”
Apple Bloom turned around and started walking away.
Sweetie Belle gave one last look backwards before following Scootaloo into town. “Do you really think she’s gonna be alright?”
Scootaloo watched Apple Bloom head down the path towards the farm. “I’d say Applejack isn’t the only one we need to look out for this time.”
Even though Scootaloo felt like she had gone to bed early, she was the last one to arrive. As her eyes readjusted to the strange blue light of the forest, she saw the others already there. Sweetie Belle gave her a nod, but Apple Bloom didn’t even seem to notice. She was sitting with Luna a few steps away.
“I can only imagine how difficult it may seem to you,” Luna said. Her voice was quiet. “But I believe you are the one best suited for this task. You and your sister share a very special bond, and that is what she needs more than anything else at the moment.
“These dreams…” Apple Bloom said. “Well, they are just dreams, aren’t they?”
Luna’s face didn’t show any movement. “Something you saw there is troubling you. I knew that much the moment you arrived,” she said. “Is there something you would like to tell me about?”
Apple Bloom paused, gritting her teeth. “I… saw somepony who shouldn’t have been there. Couldn’t have been there.”
“Somepony from your past.”
Apple Bloom nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
Luna placed a wing over Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “What you see are only memories. It may be difficult to separate them from the truth, but you must remember this.”
“I just wasn’t sure if there was any chance that, well… That it was really her.”
“What’s past is past,” Luna said, in a voice almost too soft to hear. “I’m sorry.”
For just a moment, Scootaloo looked into Luna’s eyes and could see just how old she was. Luna had lived for thousands of years, way longer than anypony else she knew. Longer than Scootaloo could even imagine. A lot could change in that much time. Who knew what kind of memories she was keeping to herself…
Sweetie Belle went over and touched Apple Bloom lightly on the shoulder. “We’ll be there with you. We’ll help you.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “We’ll get through this one, just like we did the others.”
Luna opened her eyes, and stood up. She looked down at the three fillies in front of her. “You know your purpose tonight.”
Scootaloo nodded. “We just need to find Applejack.”
“If you are prepared, then I will send you back without further delay.”
Apple Bloom hesitated, then looked to the others. “Y-yeah. We’d better get going, right?”
“I wish you the best of luck,” Luna said, and her horn began to shine.
The dream was almost the same as last night, but at the same time Scootaloo could tell things had changed. The sky was still the same pure, blinding white, but the tall wild grass was no longer as green and vibrant as it had been. It was turning a pale yellow, and it scratched against Scootaloo’s legs.
She turned around, trying to figure out where they had ended up this time. The house they had explored last night was only a short walk away, beyond a single slender tree.
She turned around towards Apple Bloom, who was staring off into the distance with a blank expression. She nudged her in the shoulder. “Come on. We have to focus.”
“Huh?” Apple Bloom blinked. “Sorry, what was that?”
“We know this is Applejack’s dream now. If we find her, then we can start working on a way to wake her up,” Scootaloo said. “Any idea where she might be?”
Apple Bloom stared ahead towards the house. She seemed to be focused on the second floor windows.
“I was lookin’ through some old albums before I went to sleep,” she said. “Mostly I was lookin’ for pictures of Mom and Dad, but I found somethin’ else. This house.”
“What about it?”
“That was our house. Before it burned down. I guess some of the family from out of town came in and helped build the one we’ve got now.”
Scootaloo stared at it again, a lonely structure jutting out from the empty horizon. It actually did look like something out of an old photo—the flaking paint and dirty siding gave it the appearance of an old sepia print. But the couple of trees scattered around weren’t apple trees. The landscape definitely wasn’t anything like the farm. “You’re sure?”
“I know it doesn’t look quite right, but I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be the same one,” Apple Bloom said. “Everythin’s just so different here…”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Pinkie Pie’s dream wasn’t anything like the others. These dreams don’t usually make that much sense.”
“Either way, I think we should check out the house again. And we’ll stick together this time,” Scootaloo said.
Apple Bloom stared at her, her eyes wide. “You’re sure we should go back?”
“That’s where your mom was last time,” Scootaloo said. “And you said it was your family’s old house. Where else are we supposed to go?”
Apple Bloom paused, then nodded silently, and followed her across the field.
They passed underneath the tree, and Scootaloo noticed it had no shadow. The branches swayed and ruffled in a breeze that none of them could feel. Scootaloo stared up at it, but as they approached it, the leaves changed before her eyes. They faded from green to yellow, then shriveled up into dry brown husks. They broke away, rattling as they swirled off into the distance like a swarm of bats.
“What’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom said, staring up at the leaves as they flew away.
“It’s just a dream,” Scootaloo muttered. “It doesn’t have to make sense.”
“Do you ever feel like we’re getting way too used to all this weird dream symbolism stuff?” Sweetie Belle said.
Scootaloo shrugged. “Maybe.”
She watched Apple Bloom as they walked through the tall grass. She moved like she was half-asleep. Technically, they were asleep, but it was still like she wasn’t entirely there. She would watch the house for a while, then quickly turn away and focus on something else—the white sky, a far-off tree.
The distance between them and the house seemed to stretch out and get longer. The approach was unbearably slow. Scootaloo began to consider the very real possibility that the house actually was moving away from them, that the fields were as endless as they appeared, until suddenly they were there.
They stood in front of the house. Somehow, it seemed bigger than it had been last night, but it was hard to say what had changed. If anything had changed.
Apple Bloom shook her head. “There’s no doubt about it. This is the one from the pictures.” She looked over at Scootaloo. “Are they, uh, gonna be in there?”
Scootaloo knew exactly who she was talking about. “They might be.”
“I—I think I’m ready, just in case they are,” Apple Bloom said.
“Good.” Scootaloo gave her what she hoped was a reassuring grin. “We don’t want you skipping out on us again.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“I don’t get it. They’re just your parents,” Sweetie Belle said. “You shouldn’t be afraid of seeing them.”
“I’m not afraid, I’m just…” Apple Bloom shook her head. “I don’t know what I feel about it. And besides, they’re not really them. Luna said they were just memories. That’s all they are.” She took a deep breath, then let it out. “Just Applejack’s memories.”
Scootaloo looked up at the front door. “Come on. Let’s go.”
She led the way up the steps onto the porch. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were staying close together, and trailed along behind her. It didn’t seem like they were in any hurry.
As Scootaloo reached up to push the front door open, she was interrupted.
“Girls?”
It was Applejack’s voice. They turned around to see her running towards them, a concerned frown on her face. “What are y’all doin’ here?”
Scootaloo was trying to figure out where she had come from. She couldn’t have been following them—the field was too open, there was nowhere she could have hidden or gone unnoticed.
Apple Bloom stared at her sister for a moment, then a weak smile came across her face. “Applejack! Are you okay?”
“Well, ‘course I am, but…” She put a hoof over Apple Bloom’s shoulder, and held her close. “I was worried sick about you. Where’d you run off to?”
“I’m fine, sis. Really.” Apple Bloom pulled away from her. “We came here to get you. You’ve got to come back with us.”
“Go... back? What are you talkin’ about?” Applejack said, frowning. “We had no idea where you had gone off to. Mom and Dad were just beside themselves with worry.”
Everything went silent.
“Uh… Applejack, Mom and Dad are…”
Applejack nodded her head towards the door. “They’ve been waitin’ for you inside. Come on, now.”
Apple Bloom stood there, rooted to the floor. “N-no, you don’t understand…”
Something flickered in Applejack’s eyes, just for a moment, but then it passed. “Well, gosh, Apple Bloom, the last time they saw you, you were just a little thing. Just imagine the looks on their faces when they see you all grown up like this.”
Sweetie Belle stepped forward. “Apple Bloom, maybe you should go see them.”
“What?”
“She’s right,” Scootaloo said. “That’s the best way to get to the bottom of this. Just go talk to them.”
Apple Bloom seemed to understand. “A-Alright,” she stammered. “Lead the way, sis.”
Applejack pushed the door open and let Apple Bloom go ahead of her. She walked forward slowly, her eyes darting frantically over every surface of the room, and Applejack trotted in behind her.
Sweetie Belle stood on the porch, watching them. She leaned over to Scootaloo’s ear. “We’re going with her, right?” Sweetie Belle whispered.
“Of course,” Scootaloo said.
They followed them inside, and saw Applejack’s tail slip into a doorway down the hall. Quietly, they headed down the hall after them. Scootaloo put a hoof out to stop Sweetie Belle before she went too far. She leaned out, just for a second, and caught a glimpse of the same mare from the night before—Apple Bloom’s mom. She sat at a dusty table, next to a stallion with a navy blue coat.
Sweetie Belle tried to get a look. “Are they—”
Before she could finish, Scootaloo pushed her back into the hall and put a hoof over her lips, signaling for her to be silent.
“There they are!” It was the stallion’s voice. He sounded almost like Big McIntosh, though not quite as deep, and with more of the same twang as Applejack. “Can you believe how much she’s grown?”
“H-hey there…” Apple Bloom’s voice was hard to hear from outside.
“Apple Bloom, just look at you…” Scootaloo recognized the voice. It was the mare from last night—Apple Bloom’s mother. “If only we could have been there to watch you grow up.”
“I can’t believe how long it’s been,” Applejack said.
“So how’ve our girls been getting along?” her father said. “Not getting into any fights, I hope.”
Applejack chuckled. “You kiddin’? She’s the best sister I coulda asked for.”
“We always hoped you two would get along,” her mother said.
“Oh, right! Remember that old clubhouse you built for me, Dad? Well, I passed it along to Apple Bloom and her friends,” Applejack said. “Remember all the time we spent up there?”
Her mother laughed. “I remember worrying that old thing would come crashing down at any moment. I was sure it wasn’t built for a full-grown stallion to go stomping around in.”
“Well, Apple Bloom got the whole thing patched up real nice. You probably wouldn’t even recognize the place,” Applejack said. “But listen to me go on. Why don’t you tell them, Apple Bloom?”
“Oh! Uh…” Apple Bloom paused. “Me and my friends—uh, that’s Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo—it’s our clubhouse now. We hang out there while we’re tryin’ to get our cutie marks,” she said. “You mean you built it, Dad?”
“Sure did! Sounds like you’ve got my skill with a hammer. Anythin’ that broke down on the farm, I was the one to fix it.”
“And we sure had a lot breaking down to keep you busy, too,” Apple Bloom’s mother added.
“Don’t I know that feelin’. Sometimes it just feels like there’s always more work to be done, and not that many of us to do it all.” Applejack’s voice dropped low. “It’s been tough without you there.”
“You’ve been doing a fine job,” her father said. “You and McIntosh both. And someday you’ll take over, too, won’t you, Apple Bloom?”
There was a long pause before they heard her respond. “O-of course.”
“Our family’s got to stick together, right, Apple Bloom?” Applejack said.
“Yeah… We s-sure do...” Apple Bloom’s voice trembled slightly.
Scootaloo took a step back from the doorway. Sweetie Belle stared at her, her eyes wide, and she could tell they were both thinking the same thing. Neither of them would forget Manehattan any time soon.
“Oh, shoot.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.028 seconds
Total duration
1,011 users online
2,129,212 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
...Whelp...this might get interesting real quickly...
I get a vague feeling that Applejack knows she's dreaming. She just doesn't want to leave...
This is brilliant! Jason, please keep making more awesomeness.
3402930 That exact scenario happened in something else I was reading just before I saw this updated, but with different characters. Creepy.
They're dismissing the dry grass and leaves as random dream symbolism? I look at see kindling. I know where this is going.
Roasted Apples, coming right up!
Damn. Apple Bloom's got one hell of a nerve to withstand THAT.
I'd have lost it. And fast.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Interesting development.
So Apple Bloom's nightmare/main fear is about being trapped in a role, and Applejack's is about losing the ponies she loves (whether to death or otherwise). Funny how the subconscious works like that; and poor Apple Bloom, having to deal with her own fear and her sister's, which are working to pull her apart by the forelegs. Here's hoping that Scootaloo's and Sweetie Belle's support can bolster her enough to face both fears and find a third option. Things are bound to get a little hot though, before this dreamquest is over.
Great work as always, JasonTheHuman, your narrative is really coming together and going in interesting directions for the CMC. I look forward to finding out how you're planning to resolve the current scenario, as well as all the future dreamquest revelations yet to come. Keep it up!
eeyup
Some random comments
1) AJ most definatly knows she's dreaming, and is perfectly fine staying there.
2) The barn is totaly gonma "catch fire" isnt it?
3) Apple Bloom is gonna relapse, calling it now.
Wonderful chapter. I cant wait for the next chapter.
Very good chapter. Contrary to Pinkie's dream, we are actually treading on new ground now. We are back to a dreamlike dream, a mysterious ambience and an unpredictable ending (although many commenters might guess well). I eagerly await the next chapter!
The first half of the chapter drags just a little bit--we all can't wait to get back to where the dream left off--but once they enter the dream in the second part, it's amazingly well executed poignancy.
I suspect this will be their hardest dream to resolve yet. And the most emotional. The mixture of emotions it go me feeling...whoo. I can only imagine what poor Apple Bloom is going through.
Damn, this isn't going to end well . . .
Saw that coming as the reason for AJ's dream, but, how is it a Nightmare? Or, is the part them being there with AB, which AB screws up by showing up?
Overall, nice dream, saw it coming but, still really well done look, and now to see how they fix things and get AJ to wake up.
Well I was pretty disappointed that you went with the most obvious route, getting to see the other Mane Six' dreams is an enticing prospect.
Man, maybe I'm not as good at nudging fears as I thought. AJ seeks approval from her parents, and wants a way to save them. Unfortunately, the CMC will have to stop AJ from saving them. That will scar them.