If the Nightmare Came True

by Curious Mew

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash

********

I look out at the dark sky and shake myself to shrug of my weariness. I blink rapidly and roll over, groaning. Today I'm going to need to steal some more food for us. “Buck,” I mutter angrily as I look at the pale yellow pegasus who's still sleeping. I shake her softly and say, “Get up, Fluttershy.”

She opens her eyes and looks at me sleepy, “What time is it, Rainbow?”

I shake my head in irritation and ask, “How the hay am I supposed to know that? I wish there was some way to tell without a clock...”

Fluttershy yawned, “The old stories say there was a time when you could tell.”

I spread my wings and groan, “Not those again. Well, whatever. I'm gonna go out and get us some food. You just stay here, okay?”

She nods, and I fly out of our hole in the clouds on the verge of Cloudsdale. We had met when we were both in the Cloudsdale orphanage. I had been too young to even remember my parents, and Fluttershy doesn't like talking about hers. She's several years older than me, so she had taken care of me at first, but that quickly changed. She was too timid and kind to survive on her own, so I became her protector. The other foals had been especially cruel to both of us, so I had learned how to take care of myself, and Fluttershy, early on.

We had escaped from the orphanage several years ago, not that the administrators cared at all. Now we need to live off what I can steal and in a small hole we made in the clouds, but we're still luckier than a lot of ponies. The ground below Cloudsdale is fertile, and Earth ponies are forced to farm it while being allowed to eat only a small fraction of what they grow.

The city of Cloudsdale is built out of marble and cloud and is the most important pegasus city, and perhaps the most important city in all of Equestria after Canterlot. We live a fair distance away from it, as do other ponies like us who are criminals, too poor to afford proper housing, or both. I land on the cloud layer and slink past a statue of Nightmare Moon, our dictator. She's been in charge for as long as anypony can remember, and she's always ruled with an ironhoof. For whoever reason, it seems that statues of her have been built everywhere, even somewhere as isolated as here. I check the skies carefully before taking flight again. I'm confident that I can outfly any guards that see me, but my mane is too distinctive to risk being seen.

A no fly order was issued for Cloudsdale last week, not that I told Fluttershy. She'd tell me to stay home, but I need to get us food, and worrying her even more than usual wouldn't do any good. If an explanation about why it was issued was even given, I didn't hear it. Escaping from the orphanage was technically illegal, so Fluttershy and I both kept away from Cloudsdale as much as possible. I had just heard about it from one of the other ponies living in a hole in the clouds. Despite the order, I fly even though walking would still be an easy way for me to get to where I'm going. I have always loved flying, it's the one thing that's allowed me to feel some degree of... freedom? Is that the right word?

I shake my head to clear it and focus. I need to concentrate. A guard could spot me flying at any time.

I head towards the center of Cloudsdale, hoping that I woke up earlier than most ponies. It's always hard enough to steal when the most of the city is still asleep, but it's another thing altogether when most ponies are going about their business.

The sight of the center of the city always angers me. When I look at the perfectly carved, radiant white marble that's perfectly built into the cloud layer, I can never avoid comparing it with the outskirts of the city. Where I live with Fluttershy, ponies make do by making holes in the clouds and using anything they can find. Nightmare Moon claims that she cares about all of the citizens of Equestria, but that's a blatant lie, or else I wouldn't need to steal. I drop altitude and land on the clouds. I'm too close to the city center to risk flying. I walk normally at this point, after all it's not illegal to walk, yet.

I walk around the corner of a marble building and swear, “Buck.” The city is alive with activity, and guards are everywhere. Whatever caused them to make Cloudsdale a no fly zone must be huge. Pegasi are walking quickly, heads lowered to avoid catching the eye of the guards. I join them and walk quickly towards the nearest store. Sculptures of Nightmare Moon leer down at me from all sides, I suppose to remind us who's in charge. My heart pounds as I make my way through the multicolored crowd. Even though I haven't done anything yet today, I'm always afraid that an investigation into one of my previous thefts will place me on the wanted list. I'm more concerned about what would happen to Fluttershy if I got caught. How would she survive without me? She'd have no idea what happened, and she'd be filled with so much fear if I never came back... At least it will be harder for anypony to get a clear view of me. Still, my mane is sort of hard to miss.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a saddlebag just lying on the base of a statue of Nightmare Moon. I make my way towards it quickly, and break out of the crowd. I lick my lips nervously and glance around quickly. Nopony, not even the guards, seems to be paying any attention to me. The sculpted Nightmare Moon glares down at me, as if asking, “And what do you think you're doing?”

I hesitate for a moment before thinking, Get a grip, it's just a statue. So, I pick up the saddle bag and sling it over my back. I plod over a gap between two buildings and open the bag. I see a scrap of curled up paper and a large number of bits. I count them and grin. One hundred bits... with this we might be able to bribe somepony to find employment. And if I get caught trying to steal, I can just pay for the food. I decide to look at the paper later with Fluttershy, but it's probably nothing important anyway.

My mind races with the possibilities. Fluttershy and I had never been able to get a job because we are technically criminals. However, I bet somepony with access to the files on us would be willing to change that for even half of what I know had. The average salary for a government employee was what, twelve bits a month?

Right, I can work on that later. But right now I need to get us some food.

I rejoin the crowd and glance up at the dark sky. Right now, clouds are blocking the moonlight, but countless streetlights line the cloud layer, glowing dimly. They provide enough light to see by, but like Fluttershy would say, there are stories about a time when even moonlight was considered dim. Yeah, something called the “sun”, whatever that's supposed to be. Even if the stories are true, what's the point? Things aren't like that now, and we just need to survive.

I walk rapidly, elated by my good luck. I round a corner and give a start at what greets me. Two guards are positioned in front of the store I was planning on stealing from. The pony who owns it is probably the most unobservant pony in Equestria, and he never has much business.

Should I risk it? The guards might not actually examine all the ponies who go into the store.

A green mare approaches the store, and the guards block her path with their bat wings. One of them examines her saddlebag while the other barks questions at her.

Okay then, never mind. I'll go somewhere else. I look around, debating my options. The amount of money I have would make the guards suspicious, perhaps enough to arrest me without knowing anything else. Besides, I'd rather avoid paying for the food if I can so I have a better chance of being able to bribe somepony. I know there's another store that sells food right next to the one I had planned on robbing, but I've had a few close calls there. But when I look, I see that there aren't any guards outside it. I glance around and see that the guards seem to positioned randomly outside buildings and near statues and sculptures.

Huh, I would have thought that they could cover the whole city if they wanted to. Then again, I have no idea what it is that they're trying to do, so maybe this is the best way to do it. Well, I guess I don't have much choice.

I enter the store and look around inside. There are several ponies inside, but the owner, a large brown stallion, seems to be too busy to pay much attention to who's coming or going. I walk through the rows, looking for a variety of food. I slip some vegetables into my bag and then a loaf of bread. That should be enough for a while, if we only eat when we need to.

I walk at a normal pace towards the door. I've learned that the key to success is staying calm and acting like you haven't done anything that deserves to be noticed. I'm almost at the door when I feel a hoof on my shoulder. I turn and see the owner glaring at me.

“I believe you put some food in your bag. Food that you haven't paid for,” he says with poorly concealed anger.

I yawn, “Oh, um, yeah. I'm really tired and I guess I just forgot, so I'll just pay now and –”

“No,” he interrupts. “I don't want your money. I can tell you're a thief, and you aren't tired at all. I saw how you were acting just moments ago.”

“Right then,” I reply nervously and look around. Everypony in the store is staring at me. Great, I'm not sure if even three hundred bits could clear this mess off my record. But I need to get out of this, for Fluttershy. I could never leave her hanging.

I slam into the stallion as hard as I can and take flight. I burst out of the store and rocket up into the sky, flying as fast as I can. But my confidence gets the best of me, and I look behind me to see where the guards are.

I'm not sure exactly how many there are, but a fair number of guards are flying after me with those weird bat wings of theirs. I heard that some of the ponies who join the Royal Guard undergo some sort of transformation spell cast by Nightmare Moon, but I don’t know if that’s true or just some rumor.

The guards are quite a distance behind me, so I call out, “Hah! You'll never catch me, I'm the best flier in Equestria!” I begin to enjoy the flight, despite the fact that I really need to get away. I feel sheer exhilaration as the wind blows through my mane. The only problem is the way it stings my eyes. We pegasi have a protective membrane around our eyes, but even that isn't enough at really high speeds. I squint to help protect my eyes and continue flying.

I shoot down towards the cloud layer, planning on breaking through and rocketing up again, hopefully just as the guards are passing through so they don't see me. Tears cloud my vision as the air stings my eyes, so I don't notice the marble arch I'm headed for until it's too late. I try to pull up, but I hear a sickening crack, and my left hind leg explodes in pain. I cry out in agony and drop to the clouds.

I curl up into a ball and try to force myself to get up. I hear a rough voice bark, “You're under arrest for theft and for breaking the no flying order!”

Two guards grab me and pull me up. “What's your name?” one of them asks harshly.

I just spit in his face and try to bock out the pain. I'm sorry, Fluttershy...

“Asking is just a formality,” he growls. “We have other ways of finding out, but believe me, it will be better for you if you cooperate.” He pulls the saddle bag off my back and rummages through it.

I close my eyes and breath slowly. I hear the crinkle of paper and realize that he must be looking at the folded paper in the bag. Oh, that, I think vaguely. It's so hard to concentrate with this pain. I wonder what it is. Too bad I didn't stop to look at it earlier...

I hear the guard tell the other, “This is more serious than we thought. Get her to the jail right away while I go alert headquarters.”

“Why, what is it?” the other guard asks.

“Read this,” the first answers.

“Well that certainly does change things,” the second says ominously.

Comments

[Yubella]

I like it. Seems realistic. I'll give it a like for now but what I want to see is Nightmare Moon's personality.