One year

by PonyFromSpace

6. Nightmare Night (Rewritten)

Author's Note:

So, as you may have noticed, a lot of chapters have disappeared. I apologise to those who had read through them and especially to those who liked them. As you may have noticed I've been absent for a year now. I was struggling with writer's block and as I reread the story, I started to find out why. It just wasn't what I wanted to write. The characters were different, the focus had shifted and the style had changed from the second the violent scene appeared. I couldn't write on, because I couldn't fix the plot holes anymore. That's why I restarted at this chapter. I will now try to keep to the format of the first chapters. I will still adopt certain plot points and passages from the old story. I hope you understand this decision. As always, I'm open to constructive criticism.

6. Nightmare Night

Stride was cold. Having been in their costumes the entire day had kept the crusaders from freezing in the autumn breeze. Now, in bare coats, they shivered at Luna's crescent moon.

With only two blankets to warm themselves up, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were sharing one. Stride frowned at their whining about him having a blanket all for himself. After all, the trio's body heat would keep them warmer, but he would be cold. He kept his muzzle shut about that of course. He didn't want to inspire them into thinking he'd want to lie together. He wasn't surprised to hear them all snore in unison soon. His back sore, his body cold, his mind constantly working. There was no way he could fall asleep like this.

"Hello, Stride."

Stride was startled. He had fallen asleep so quickly... He recognised the voice, but couldn't really pinpoint who it belonged to. He silently gazed around. It was a black void. Luminous star like spheres floated around, forming pathways and pillars. It was lonely.

It seemed familiar, but far away. He didn't feel like he was really there. He could feel the timber of the clubhouse underneath his back, even though he was standing upright. The sheet carefully draped on his body. Looking around though, he saw nothing of it. He took a step forwards and it felt more real in an instant. Two more steps and the feeling of the bed was gone. Two more steps and he felt a refreshing breeze float towards him between the pillars. The place felt more and more familiar. He was certain he'd been here before.

"Of course you have been here before," the formal voice sounded again behind him.
He turned around and stood face to face with the princess of the night.

"Greetings, Stride. Welcome to the Dreamscape."
"Why am I here?" Stride asked.
The princess carried a gentle smile, before elegantly pacing away.
Stride assumed she wanted him to follow her, so he did. It was strange walking on a path of stars, but also pleasant.

"I thought it was obvious. This is a dream," Luna said.
Stride looked around him, "Why is it so familiar?"

Luna waved a hoof. A whole load of tiny squares appeared, almost like screens but more alive.
Stride knew nearly every one of them. Memories. His memories. He reached for one of them, but it flew away.

"How..." he stuttered.
Luna grasped one with her magic and floated it over to the foal.
It was something Stride did not remember. He appeared to be in some sort of caged bed, looking up at his smiling parents.
He tried to estimate when it was, only to come to the conclusion he must've been a baby, due to the sizes.

"I don't remember this," he said.
"Oh you do," Luna smirked, "You just don't know it. It's the day you were born."
She let go of the image and it floated away again.
"Do you know what dreams are, Stride?"
Stride pinched his forehead and thought deeply.

"Communication between the sub conscience and the conscience," he cited from a book he once read,
"The conscience is our working being whilst our sub conscience sees and hears a lot more."
"And remembers a lot more," Luna added.
She nodded, pleased with his knowledge.

"Why do we dream?" she now asked.
"So the sub conscience can tell us about important details we've missed, what's going on and what will probably happen next,"
Stride continued, euphoric about the fact he could finally bring that knowledge to use.
"But sometimes it needs a push," Luna said, " that's where I come in."

Stride raised a brow, "But why me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why would you visit my dreams? I won't be here for long to benefit from your help and there sure is another foal out there that needs it, asleep right now."

Luna gave him a warming smile, "That's the whole point, Stride. That other foal has a whole life ahead of them. You, on the other hoof, are running out of time. I can help that other foal some other time, but you need it now."
Stride looked away from the wall of memories. It gave him the chills. So many events at a time were more than he could handle.
Luna waved her foreleg and the images disappeared.
"Why are we here, Luna? What are you helping me with?"

Luna gave him a malevolent smirk. Not the kind of smirk an evil creature would have. The smirk your big sister has when she's about to tease you with an embarrassing secret. Unless you consider your big sister an evil creature.
"Looks like you have some filly trouble."

Stride felt like he could rip out his own manes. He was dying, he met the love of his life and now the deity of night had come to tease him about it? Luna noticed his frustration. It wasn't hard to notice either. The fluorescent, star like orbs all extinguished, the blue background turned a hellish orange.

She kept her calm demeanour as she spoke, "Stride, please, let me help you."
She kneeled down so their eyes would be at the same height. She gave him a warm smile. The kind of smile his mother always gave him. His anger faded. So did the sky.

"So, why are you so desperate about Scootaloo? Why are you on top of my list?" she said, her voice still soothing. Stride shrugged, "You tell me. I'm not important at all. Your list is wrong."
She clicked her tongue, "I see the problem here." She got up again, Stride felt small. The contours of the platform became larger.
"You don't value yourself," she said bluntly. He grimaced. His muzzle opened to form words.

"What are you talking about?" that strange pony shouted. Apple Bloom shook her head. She'd never get used to having Stride at the club house. He looked bewildered as he gazed across the room, slowly realising he was awake. Apple Bloom continued sowing more eyes into Sweetie Belle's costume. That filly really needed to be more careful. They were running out of foam eye balls.

---

The streets of Ponyville were riddled with costumed ponies, each and every one of them in search for candy to offer Nightmare Moon. Luna had put her moon high in the sky, shining bright upon the ancient rituals below. Soon, all one could expect to find behind the doors was empty baskets. There was no more candy. Well, behind all doors except one.

The crusaders had taken an arrow route straight there, since they knew their best chances were there and they didn't want to be out driven by somepony else. On their way there, Scootaloo finally found the courage to ask a question that had been on her mind almost the whole week they had been playing games at Sweet Apple Acres.

"Stride?"
"Yes, Scootaloo?"
"Sweetie is playing some games with Button tonight and Apple Bloom is going to help Applejack with the hayrides. I don't really have anything to do, so, eh, want to go drink a milkshake?"
Stride pondered the idea. Drinking a milkshake with Scootaloo. Alone, with Scootaloo. Nopony eavesdropping.
The perfect time to tell her. To tell her everything.
"Sure."
Her ears perked up and her eyes gleamed.
Yes, he agreed.

---

They soon found themselves at the door of a particular sweet tooth pink mare.
Of course, you didn't have to wait at the doors of Sugar Cube Corner, no, you had to wait at the counter.
The four of them drooled at the sight of those colourful, delicious treats behind the glass.

They were so hypnotised by how expertly those pastries were baked, by how beautifully those cakes were decorated, they didn't notice the two fillies appearing behind them.

"Look what we have here, the blank flanks," Diamond Tiara said.
Silver Spoon chuckled at her remark.
Stride turned around, his bright red eyes ghostly from under the shadow of his bronze helmet.
"Yes, blank flanks, have a problem with that?"

He got a bump on the shoulder from Sweetie Belle.
"Don't try to reason with them," she whispered, "it doesn't work."
"Of course not, because you're too stupid to come up with reason," Diamond laughed.
The two bullies high hoofed.

"Sweetie Belle!" a familiar high pitched voice sounded.
"Oh, hi Button," the witch filly replied.
Button Mash was dressed as a zompony. Ragged clothing and red stains here and there.
He had appeared behind the bullies, which gave Stride an idea. He walked over there as well.

"Oh, too scared to keep with the crusaders?" Diamond grinned.
Stride shook his head.
"You should be the ones scared, Diamond," he said.
Diamond frowned at that.
Scootaloo seemed to get his plan.
"Yeah, we might be blank flanks but we have the power of the group!"

Spoon stopped giggling.
"The power of the group?" she said, not really getting the point, she gazed at the ponies surrounding her.
"Of course," Stride continued, "As you can see there's five blank flanks in the room. Four of them really pissed and one probably willing to help his friends."

Button Mash had no idea what was going on, but he did realise Stride had just said Button was a fighter.
"Now hold on a second," he started, but he was interrupted by Apple Bloom.
"Ah think we should break every little bone in their body."
Sweetie added to it, "Or make them gobble up so much dirt they explode!"

The two bullies were starting to back down a bit.
"Hold on, aren't you a bit overreacting here?" Diamond uttered nervously.
Button didn't say a word. He was watching it happen and still had no idea what this was about.
"I think anything that makes you two shut your stupid faces is worth it, none of it overreacting," Scootaloo replied.

Silver Spoon turned at her friend.
"Doesn't Derpy still have some candy? We could go there instead of this dump," she squealed.
Diamond nodded," Yeah, this place is just a dump anyway."
The look she got for that was devastating. Not by Button, not by any of the crusaders.
A pink mare had appeared behind the counter, her usually curly mane now hanging flat in her neck.
"Dump ejh?" Pinkie said, a murderous tone in her voice.

Stride reminded himself never to get Pinkie Pie angry.
Whilst Pinkie continued giving them the death stare, the two beaten bullies fearfully backed away towards the door.
They lacked the words to escape this situation, they just fled.

Stride was glad this was all there was to the bullies in Ponyville.
These don't attack when you open your mouth, they are even too caught up in themselves to see through a pure bluff.
Pinkie's mane rapidly went back to its usual, jolly style.
"So, what can I help you with? Candy?"
The five foals nodded.
"Yes please."

---

A nervousness had been crowding Stride's mind for a while now. On their way to the donating to Nightmare Night's statue, he was swept away in thoughts. What did Luna mean? Why seek him out? He felt like the least significant pony in the universe. There seemed to be no reason for her to step inside his dreams.

Besides that, how would he tell Scootaloo? More importantly, what would he tell Scootaloo? Should he tell her how he liked her? Wouldn't that be cruel? His head started spinning. Dizziness and nausea were overwhelming. He suddenly lost his taste for candy. He decided not to get lost in those thoughts. Live in the moment, his dad had told him so many times.

He let his gaze wander over the pack of ponies walking about. Numerous foals and no-longer-foals trotting about in various costumes. He saw a couple Mare-Do-Wells. Behind a small stand, a gruesomely realistic Discord was handing out chocolate bars. When Fluttershy gave him an angry look and the dragonesque creature poofed back somepony's wallet, it became clear it wasn't a suit at all. Stride shivered.

Scootaloo had been subtly scooting closer towards Stride. She slowly closed the distance between them, now almost walking shoulder to shoulder. She gently tilted her head in his direction. Not much, but enough to feel his warmth. He didn't seem to have noticed, thus he didn't seem to mind.

Whatever was going on in his head, Scootaloo couldn't seem to figure it out. His lips, usually in a dreamy smile, now had their corners pointing downwards. His eyes jumping from one place to another, almost as if big warrior Freedom was expecting an ambush.
Of course Scootaloo knew Freedom. All pegasi do.

She thought of something Rarity once told her. She hadn't payed much attention to it at the time.
She might've even said yuck, she couldn't remember, but she did remember Rarity's words.

---

It was at the Carousel Boutique. Sweetie Belle had invited her to come over and play, but big sister Rarity soon claimed Scootaloo to take measures for her new filly fashion line. Scoots hated it, but somehow Rarity had talked her into it.

The purple maned mare usually sprouted gossip, but not this time. She was almost bitterly silent.
Suddenly, she opened her mouth, "There you go, much better. See Scootaloo? You make sure you look beautiful for the young colts."
A sigh escaped Rarity's muzzle, "After all, you don't want to end up like me. A lonely mare, I am."
She dramatically swayed her hoof across her forehead,
"What a filly really needs is a colt to call her own. Someone to spend her entire life with. Someone to have foals with..."

---

Scootaloo snickered. She already imagined a bunch of orange redheads hopping across her living roomShe, fat as a walrus, sitting in the couch with a pot of chocolate.
"Where'd that useless husband of mine go. Afraid the kids 'll bite?" she grumped as she caressed the clear bite marks in her wings.

No, she wasn't really the type for children. Sharing a life with him though?
She realised she was making derpy faces when Sweetie Belle frowned at her.
Live together, forever? Maybe it was a bit early to decide that kind of stuff.
A bit early? No, way too early! Scootaloo could handle things on her own! She didn't need some colt!

The thoughts slowly drifted through her as she stared at Stride with a derpy face.

Comments

[jxj]

It's good to see this isn't dead.

[Emma Anarchy]

Write more plz it is awesome! Get him to tell scootaloo then have some sort of tradegy happen just an idea for more feels