For the New Lunar Republic

by Moxypony

Chapter 15 - Sugarcube Acres

The campfire crackled quietly, flames casting eerie shadows on Moxi and Catcher’s forest surroundings as they finished setting up their tent. “So what exactly is Sugarcube Acres?” Moxi spoke up, tugging the final rope into place in erecting their shabby little tent.

“It used to be Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres,” Dreamcatcher replied, slumping down to warm his hooves by the fire, “but after the Sugarcube order was founded, the town slowly became more temple and less town, eventually everypony had either joined the order or moved on to another place. Sweet Apple Acres grew around the temple, and by the time it was complete, the apple orchards were so thick and widespread that they formed a natural barrier for the city. Applejack, the owner of Sweet Apple Acres, and Pinkie Pie, founder of the Sugarcube Order, both saw the partnership beneficial, and so when they finally achieved full control of the area, they renamed it for both.”

“So we’re headed into Ponyville?” Moxi asked, pulling some rations from her pack and munching away at them.

“Essentially, yes. Though it hasn’t been called that for quite a while now.”

“I know a little about Ponyville,” Moxi murmured, “I know it’s on the border of the Everfree Forest, but it also is within viewing distance of Canterlot.” She turned to face him, concern etched on her face, “Doesn’t it seem reckless at all to travel so close to Celestia’s capital?”

Dreamcatcher shook his head, “No, Pinkie Pie hasn’t been able to do much to end the war, but she was able to barter a peace for her lands. Celestia keeps clear of the Temple-city, and it’s tended to by the Order and members of the Equestrian Peace Corps, who’ve also made the place their home. They are welcoming to both sides, though I haven’t seen any of it myself.” He sighed and looked deep into the crackling flames before them, “Honestly, I had hoped to avoid going back. Too many memories there, and even the good memories are sad these days.”

Moxi considered pressing him further, but thought better of it. If he wants to tell me, she thought, he will. She rose to her hooves and spoke, “I don’t think we should sleep without a lookout when we’re this exposed.”

Dreamcatcher turned to face her, his gray eyes piercing her emerald ones, as he looked straight through her, she held his gaze for a moment, but ultimately buckled and turned back to the firelight. “Out this far, I’m not sure we need to be worried about that, besides” he said, “after what you witnessed, you may need a lookout in another form.”

“Keep the dream catcher in your pack, Catch,” Moxi shot back, harsher than she’d meant to, she softened her voice as she continued, “please, I… I’m just not ready for anypony to see me yet…”

Dreamcatcher watched her for a short time before submitting, “As you wish, I’ll take first lookout then.”

Moxi nodded and shot Catcher a small smile. “Thank you, Catch,” she said, moving slowly toward the tent, she tried to keep up a brave face, but she thought Dreamcatcher might have noticed her eyes misting over, “thanks for understanding…”

Dreamcatcher kept watch late into the night. Night and day were such alien concepts to him these days, but here in the midst of the Everfree Forest, the time cycle was just as it had been before, the sun and moon chasing one another across the sky, just as the Princess Sisters did to one another now.

He considered the passage of time, how such an arbitrary process could do so much. He thought of old friends and former homes, of part time jobs and wall-eyed mailmares. He thought of mistakes made and left in the past, and how all of that had been made meaningless by war and the passage of time.

He heard a whimpering from behind him, and opened the tentflap to find Moxi curled up in her bed roll, her small pillow all but soaked through with the little mare’s tears. So young, he thought, and yet she’s seen as much horror as many in this war. More than some, even. As the mare cried out in her sleep, her nightmares growing to overwhelm her, he reached for the dream catcher in his pack, but just as he was about to reach it, he remembered his promise.

She’s suffering, came a voice from within his mind, you can’t just leave her like this!

“I made a promise,” he spoke aloud, “I won’t violate her trust.”

She’s being prideful, she is young and foolish, she needs help.

“It may be a mistake,” he muttered, letting the tent flap fall and returning his attention to his watch, “but it is her mistake to make, I won’t rob her of her right to do so.”

With that, he silenced the voice, and was left with nothing but the sounds of crackling flame, animals scurrying through the underbrush, and his partner, softly sobbing in her sleep.

The pair was on the road the next day at the crack of dawn. They packed up their camp and buried their fire pit without a word of what had happened the night before, and they were travelling again without a word passing between them. As they pressed on into the Everfree forest, the trees began to spread, they could see farther ahead, Moxi tensed with the knowledge that the farther they could see, the easier they would be spotted, but Dreamcatcher seemed to be experiencing the opposite reaction. The more widely spaced the trees became the more he seemed to retreat into himself; he turned his eyes to the ground as if trying to avoid looking at their surroundings at all.

Moxi was about to ask him what was getting to him when she was cut off by the sound of a projectile striking the tree beside them with enough force to crack skulls. Both Moxi and Dreamcatcher immediately dove in opposite directions, taking cover behind trees. Moxi tensed herself to rush into combat when she heard the voice of a southern mare call out from the direction the attack had come from, “Ah missed on purpose, as a warnin’. Now, who are y’all. Show yerselves!”

Dreamcatcher somehow managed to look aggrieved and excited at the sound of the voice, and he emerged from his hiding place and turned to face their assailant. “Is that little Applebloom?” he called out, slapping on a grin which didn’t touch his eyes.

“Dreamcatcher?” came the voice again, laden with disbelief and tinged with barely concealed youthful excitement, “And I ain’t so little no more, but shoot, I ain’t seen you in years!”

Moxi emerged from behind the tree to see a yellow coated mare with vibrant red hair standing before Dreamcatcher. Behind her stood a mountain of a pony, his coat red with a fiery orange mane, his legs were thick as tree trunks, the ropy muscles standing out visibly under his skin, this was a pony you didn’t want to start a fight with. But both were looking at Dreamcatcher with looks of long-lost friends finally reuniting after time apart.

“Uh, Dreamcatcher?” Moxi said, approaching warily from behind. The newcomer ponies did not greet her quite as warmly as they did Catcher, eying her with suspicious glances.

“Guys, she’s with me!” Dreamcatcher called out, “This is Moxi, she and I work together now. Moxi, this is Applebloom and Big Macintosh. They work for Sweet Apple Acres… which I suppose we must have arrived at. Either way, they’re Applejack’s siblings.”

The pair seemed to lessen their suspicion, but Applebloom looked from Moxi’s wings to Dreamcatcher, a look of sorrowful disbelief took her face. “You’re working with a pegasus?” she said, “Ah knew Applejack was hidin’ somethin’ from us. She never told us where you’d gone to all those years, but we pieced it together. You joined the NLR didn’t you?”

Dreamcatcher turned away, unable to look Applebloom in the eyes. “I did what I felt was right, Applebloom,” he said, still refusing to meet her eyes, “I don’t need to justify what I’ve done to anypony.” Moxi knew he was lying, she could hear the plea for their acceptance under his voice. Applebloom looked him over once, and with that, the friendly expression was replaced with one of business, “So why are you here now, Dreamcatcher?”

Catcher flinched at the sudden chill in her voice, but he responded regardless, “We need to get in contact with other members of the NLR. I trust there are some in the city?”

“O’ course,” Applebloom spoke dispassionately, “you been gone so long you ain’t seen what they’ve done with the city. Pretty much the whole place has been sectioned off, Celestian Empire in the north, NLR in the south.”

“Thanks, Applebloom,” Dreamcatcher said, starting forward, “I guess we’ll be on our way…”

As he made to walk past them, Big Macintosh stuck out a hoof to block his path. He turned to meet Applebloom’s eyes, and she gave him a nod, even though not a word was spoken between the two. “Applejack’ll wanna see you, Catcher,” Applebloom said, “regardless of what you’ve done to get here.”

Dreamcatcher eyed them suspiciously, but nodded in agreement. “I suppose it would be rude to come into town and not even pay a visit,” he said, then, turning to face Moxi he said, “I’ll be a while, head into town and meet up with the rest of the NLR, I’ll catch up when I can.”

“Steer clear of the Celestian Quarter,” Applebloom called out as they led Dreamcatcher further into what Moxi now recognized as an apple orchard, “we do our best to keep the peace, but we can’t help anypony who goes out lookin’ for trouble.” And with that they were gone, and once again, Moxi found herself alone.

Comments

[Toxotis pony]

Im very surprised a fic this good has so little recognition.