My Little Pony: Return of the Primal Fear

by Lizardsareradical

A look to the past

Chapter 17: A look to the past

"We're finally here!" Applejack exclaimed to Blubayou and Rainbow Dash as she lifted a hoof. "BERRYBOTTOM BASH!" She looked quite proud to know this place. To her, it was like a "sister company" for the apple farm. She walked across a wooden bridge over a murky river towards the settlement.

Both Blu and Rainbow admired their surroundings. It was a small but quaint village with most of the housing consisting of wooden shacks with straw for roofs. The whole town was surrounded at three sides by a murky river, which they can even see alligators in the wallowing in. In the very back of the village, there was a large field of various berries being cultivated by the residents. Strawberries were being picked by mares and stallions alike, blueberries were being put into dough for muffins, and raspberries were being made for jelly. Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash knew that if Pinkie Pie were here, she'd be drooling at all the sights.

Soon enough, the three ponies walked up to a slightly larger cottage. Applejack knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Within three seconds, a dark blue stallion the size of her older brother burst out of the door, pulling the orange mare into a warm embrace.

"WELL IF IT AIN'T MY FAVORITE NEICE APPLEJACK!" The jolly pony hollered a he shook her around like a rag doll while hugging her. Applejack was used to her boisterous relative though.

A mare with a deep magenta then came out, leaning at the entrance of the door with a warm grin on her face. "Hun, last time lil Applebloom visited, you said she was the favorite." She then slightly chuckled as she waved.

The stallion let go of his niece and turned to his wife with a sheepish yet playful smile. "Ah Razzi. Ya know how fickle ah get sometimes. Can't ever pick one or another." He then brought his wife under a foreleg and turned back to notice the multicolored mane pegasus.

"Well if it ain't RD herself!" Razzi greeted the mare in a sweet manner. "Little lady, ah got a surprise for you today!" She then hollered towards the fields. "HEY CHROMEWING! YA NEICE IS HERE WITH HER FRIENDS!"

Rainbow Dash looked both overjoyed and confused. Uncle Chromewing? What's he doing here?...Worry later, meet now.

Within seconds, an average sized pegasus stallion swooped down next to Rainbow. He had an indigo coat and a cyan mane which was short and relatively straight. He had green eyes and his cutie mark was a rainbow wing. In fact, his most discernable feature was his multicolored wings. The base was violet, and then indigo, then blue, then green, then yellow, then orange, and the very tips were a bright red.

"Well if it isn't my brother's daughter!" Chromewing said in a cheery manner, ruffling his niece's hair a bit. "Haven't seen you in a while, how are things going?"

Rainbow straightened her mane a bit and answered him with complete confidence. "Well for starters, I'm an Element of Harmony." She paused to allow the three family members to "ooooo" in surprise and intrigue. "I'm also a chewin to be a Wonderbolt." She paused again to hear them "aaaaah". "And last but not least, I've created sonic rainbooms, kicked a dragon, been in a play, got a tur-tortoise, went to the Grand Galloping Gala, and saved the world. Twice." She then basked in her glory as the three were completely silent, awestruck by how adventurous and remarkable this young mare was. Blubayou was also shocked at how glorious of a life she lived, even a bit jealous.

Chromewing let out a little whistle as he rolled his eyes, overwhelmed by how much his niece did compared to him. "Well…" He began to say awkwardly as his eyes looked away from her. "…you sure know how to…get around."

Rainbow Dash tried to act humbled, but wasn't very good at hiding it. "Awww! It's nothing!" She made a cute smile. "I got a lot more stories to go around!"

The large, berry loving stallion finally acknowledged the blue stallion next to Applejack and walked up to the pony still with his cheery demeanor. "Why hello there bud! Name's Bluebarry!" He then noticed the pony's strange appearance. "Don't cha think it's a bit late for Nightmare Night? Or are you one of dem cosplaying kinda ponies?"

Blubayou was about to politely correct him when he was interrupted by the stallion. "I'm just playing with ya! But what do I call ya?"

The amphibipony took a good look at Bluebarry and his wife. Bluebarry looked almost just like him, only bigger, having a black mane instead of Blu's fish-like sail, wore a pair of brown overalls, just plain not being adapted to swimming. Razzi was dark magenta, also with a black mane, which was made into a small bun. Her cutie mark was three raspberries. Both ponies had distinct Cajun accent like him. He then quickly shook his head and remembered the question addressed towards him. "Oh yeah! It's Blubayou!"He made a smile, trying to be as approachable as possible.

Blu then noticed Bluebarry, Razzi and Chromewing slowly frown. Even Rainbow Dash and Applejack went silent. The amphibipony had no idea what the big deal was. But then it hit him. These were the two ponies his second cousin was talking about.

Razzi, Bluebarry, and even Chromewing all tried to hold back a few tears. It was as if their worst memory came back to them at full force. Without any words, Razzi signaled Blubayou and Applejack into the house. Her husband soon followed, nodding a goodbye to the two pegasi. Rainbow Dash was about to follow forth, but her uncle stopped her with a wing.

"Come on Rainbow." He said in an uncharacteristically mellow manner as he began to ascend. "I have something to show you." He then flew away, with Rainbow Dash following.

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Bluebarry and Razzi lead both Applejack and Blubayou to a closed door in the house. The wooden door was at the very end of a hallway and was white, which contrasted with the rest of the brown colored house. Bluebarry slowly opened the door, which made a loud creaking sound. When Applejack and Blubayou saw what was beyond the door, they could easily tell that it hasn't be opened for a while. There was no light in the room, and it was easy to see the amount of dust on the floor and walls. There was one shut window with bright red curtains with pictures of smiling strawberries on it. The wallpaper was of a long faded turquoise color with a berry salad motif and was peeling all over the place. And in the center of room was a small, blue crib.

Applejack took the memory stone from under her hat and passed it to Blu. Her cousin just looked at her confused, so she decided to explain what the oval emerald was. "This stone is gonna help ya remember this place." She nodded towards the berry couple, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright AJ." Blu said wondering how the memory stone worked. He walked up to the crib with the stone in his hoof.

He looked down into the crib. Inside was a little frog doll, which was the same shade of green as his cutie mark. To his surprise, it was still in excellent condition, with only a little bit of dust on it. He blew off the dust and picked it up with his mouth, balancing it on the side of the crib to get a better look at it. As he admired his stuffed frog, he saw a bright emerald flash.

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Blu found himself inside the crib. He couldn't control anything around him, not even his line of sight. He heard a baby cooing, he knew the memory stone must have worked and that he was looking in the eyes of his baby self.

From his line of vision, he could see that the vibrant walls full of different types of berries. The line of vision looked up to see the open window complete with a curtain with lovely smiling strawberries. From what he can tell from the window was that it was night time. His baby self then crawled towards that same frog doll he saw, except significantly cleaner. As he crawled, he noticed that there were no fins on the back of his limbs and he didn't feel slimy. Come to think of it, he felt all these little hairs all over his body, with a whole lot of hair on his head and the back of his neck.

As he saw himself hug the stuffed frog while giggling in delight, he felt a warm blanket cover him. As the foal looked up, he saw that it was Bluebarry and Razzi looking down at him with loving eyes, except a good bit younger. As he squirmed around under the red blanket, his mother began to sing some kind of lullaby in such a sweet and serene melody, making his infant self stop moving.

"Sleep now little colt, you are safe from the cold.

There's no need to twitch tonight, just relax and sleep tight."

Blubayou saw that his eyes were beginning to shut. But he saw the emerald light again and when he could see, he was still in the crib, but he was flat on his back under his blanket. Looking up, he saw his father place some sort of blueberry-shaped medallion around his neck, which read "Blubayou". He noticed that he can still hear Razzi's lullaby in his head.

"There is no need to be sad or mad.

You've got your loving mom and big strong dad.

So little Blu be calm for nothing will go bad."

The emerald flash occurred once again. When he could see again, he saw a skeletal pegasus stallion looming over him. A second later, the monster took him in his forehooves. Blu heard the loud crying of his baby self as the skeleton flew out the window when it looked to its side to see the baby colt's parents. Blu was partially glad he couldn't see either of his parents faces, but he heard both of them scream in horror as the skeleton flew away with him, still wrapped in his blanket. And still the lullaby echoed in his mind.

"Nothing bad will come to you.

Whether a big bad wolf or witch's stew.

Not little bugs or big gators will get you now or later."

After another flash, Blu's vision was restricted by the red blanket. He can hear his baby self wailing and sobbing, to the point that he was hardly able to discern anything. But what he felt was the flying skeleton pegasus bucking for some reason. All he managed to hear over the crying were two pained grunts, one masculine and one feminine. Then it went green again.

"Little Blu we're here with you.

Whether it is warm or cool.

Now stay nice 'n' snuggly for tonight for it will be alright."

Next thing Blu knew, he felt a familiar tendril wrap around his leg. Through his foal self's teary eyes, he can see himself being dangled over a lava pit. Blubayou knew exactly who the culprit was.

"Sleep now little Blu.

No one will find you.

You're happily here to stay."

After one more Emerald flash, Blu felt himself cradled in the little dark prince's arms. Even more to his horror, he was singing the exact same lullaby his mother was singing, even copying her voice.

"And you'll never be away."

And with that, the baby Blu's eyes closed. The last thing he saw was Screameater's wicked smile.

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Applejack, Bluebarry and Razzi watched the whole thing. They saw Blu stumble, crawl, and reach out during his trance. Eventually, he stopped moving around as he stared at the frog doll and just stood there speechless. His mouth was agape, he was breathing heavily, as shown by his gills visibly opening and closing.

Bluebarry looked at his wife and niece, concerned for his son. He took a deep sigh and began to walk towards his son. He then put a hoof on his long lost son's shoulder and spoke softly. "It's alright son. You're home now. It's okay."

The amphibipony turned to see his true father, tears welling in both their eyes. All Blubayou could get himself to do was gently put his forehead on his dad's chest, and softly weep tears of both sorrow and joy. All Blubarry could do was gently pat his son's back.

Razzi on the other hand couldn't take it anymore. She just burst into tears and galloped towards her lost son, embracing him in a hug, not even caring about his clammy skin. "AH MISSED YA SO MUCH BLU!" She cried out. "I LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT!"

Applejack watched and let out a small grin as she saw her second cousin finally regain his normal color hue.

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Rainbow Dash quickly bolted to her uncle's cloud house, which looked similar to hers but much smaller and more humble. She had a face full of spunk by the time Uncle Chromewing made it at quite a high speed. He was huffing and puffing a bit, but was alright nonetheless.

"Ah Dash…" He panted though still smiling. "…I'm getting too old for such speeds. You were faster than me ever since I started giving you lessons. I honestly can't compete."

Rainbow looked at her uncle in confusion. She expected at least a morsel of praise, but instead, her uncle was acting as if he was ready for a retirement home, which she knew he wasn't ready for. He even flew really well compared to most pegasi while they were racing to his house. So she decided to playfully speak up about it. "Why so humble uncle? Those loops and turns would make the Wonderbolts jealous! And you believe me, that's saying something!"

The cyan mare then gave her uncle a friendly shove. Chromewing responded with a sly grin. "Well then Dash. I've got something to show you then." He then opened the door and they both entered.

He led her niece to a drawer made out of clouds. As he opened one of the drawers, he spoke up to her niece without even looking at her. "So I heard from the grape you had a little tussle yesterday in your friend's apple farm. What was that about?"

Rainbow was shocked by how seriously he was speaking to her. Usually her mother or father was the one who talked about her problems, Chromewing was just the one who made jokes and taught her how to fly. He never got into the serious issues. So she carefully answered him. "Some unicorn named Trixie, Blu, but from what I can tell, he's with us now, and these weird pony things called Mara. I don't know, a friend named Twilight told me about them. Said they were link to this Screameater guy. You wouldn't really understand."

Chromewing just grabbed a small box with his teeth and placed it on top of the drawer. He turned to his niece. "I understand perfectly."

Rainbow Dash had to double take what her uncle just said. "Really?" She asked bewildered, only getting a nod for an answer. "But how?"

Chromewing opened the lid of the box, and grabbed something from inside it. When he unfolded it, it was revealed to be none other than an old Wonderbolts costume, which was similar to the present day costumes except a lighter blue, almost turquoise. Just the sight of it made Rainbow Dash drool.

"Y-you…you were…" Rainbow Dash then shouted in excitement. "…A WONDERBOLT?" She made a cute little fan girl squeal. "OMYGOSH, OHMYGOSH, OMYGOSH, OHMYGOSH! I'M RELATED TO A WONDERBOLT! OMYGOSH, OHMYGOSH, OMYGOSH…"

Chromewing just pushed her jaw up to stop her from talking for a minute. He then corrected her in a deadpan manner. "Ex-Wonderbolt."

The pegasus mare immediately cooled down. She was bewildered at even the concept of an "Ex-Wonderbolt". She decided to ask on the subject. "What happened? Did you get in a fight with the Captain? Were you too slow? Were you injured? What?"

Chromewing just placed the costume back in the box before answering her in a mellow voice. "None of those things."

"Then what?"

"I quit."

That hit Rainbow Dash like a charging buffalo, and she didn't like it. She demanded to know why. But before she can question him, he just raised a hoof to silence her.

"I quit because I failed." Chromewing looked down in shame as he began to explain. "I used to be a member of last generation's Wonderbolts. We raced, showed off, but most of all, given the situation, were heroes." Rainbow Dash immediately sat down, listening intently at her uncle's anecdote. "I was on the team for about two years, starting at around the time your parents married. I wasn't one of those more memorable members." He made a little snort. "Wouldn't be able to find me in the hall of fame anytime soon, but I loved every second of it. But not as much as I loved this one mare on the flight team."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, expecting mush. "Her named was Cloud Dancer." Chromewing said sighing, relishing in his memory of her. "Such a beautiful pony. We started to date, it got more serious than expected, and before long, I popped the question. She said yes."

"This is sounding pretty nice so far." Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Gross but nice. But what happened though?"

Chromewing rolled his eyes. "I was getting to that. A month before our wedding, Celestia called us for an emergency from Berrybottom Bash about a foalnapping. Me, Cloud Dancer and some rookie got right on it. Celestia gave us the directions with her magic and we pursued." He began to speak more melancholically. "Soon enough, we saw this decaying skeleton of a pegasus. I was one of the vilest things I've ever seen. The cries of the foal didn't help either. After about fifteen minutes worth of a chase, we all saw this purple haze. That bag of bones entered that haze without a qualm. Cloud Dancer and the rookie followed forth but…" He began to sob a little. "…I didn't. I stopped right in my tracks. I knew it was fear that stopped me. I waited for my fiancé and that rookie stallion to come back, but nothing. I'm pretty sure I waited for three hours before coming back with the bad news."

Rainbow Dash can now easily see his tears. He choked a little then continued, staring right at her. "I couldn't take it. I quit the team, begging them to never mention me or list me in their history. But that isn't the bad part. The horrible part was telling Blu's parents, that rookie's parents, and Cloud Dancer's parents. At least one in each family broke down crying. Cloud Dancer's father even gave me a good hoof sandwich for "abandoning her", I couldn't and didn't argue with that. I've been helping with the Berries for a long time now, even treated as a friend. But Cloud Dancer's parents still won't even talk to me." He then looked across the room. "I didn't even know that's rookie's name. He was a nice kid."

He then wiped his tears and looked back at his niece. "But a few weeks later, you came along. And I devoted myself to making you a better pony than me." He made a weak smile as he opened another drawer. "And I knew one day, you'd be worthy of this."

He grabbed another box and placed it in front of Rainbow Dash. She opened it, revealing a mare sized previous generation Wonderbolt costume. Naturally she was speechless, so Chromewing spoke for her. "This was a spare uniform of Cloud Dancer. I'm sure she'd want a pony like you to wear it. Just take good care of it and don't forget who once wore it."

"I will." Rainbow answered in gratitude, even saluting to her uncle. She was almost overwhelmed by all that was going on.

Chromewing wiped the last of his tears with a multicolored wing as he placed his forehooves on her shoulders. "I know you've done great things, with greater things on the way. You've done better than I could have ever imagined. Really proud you Dash."

Rainbow nodded, full of gratitude and honor. "Thank you so much."

The rainbow winged pegasus made a light chuckled. "No problem." He then walked past her, but looked back with a grin. "I'm going to guess that there's going to be a welcome back feast for Blu. Bluebarry and Razzi are great with feasts." He then made a small laugh. "But I suggest you drop that costume off home first. I love Berrybottom and all, but it gets quite muddy."

Dash nodded once again, admiring her new costume. Even the likes of Spitfire and Soarin would be jealous.

"Good! See you there!" And with those last words, Chromewing flew off into the open sky.