Moonlight

by JasonTheHuman

Rating: everyone
Tags: Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo, Adventure, Sweetie Belle, Princess Luna
Length: 111647

"Everypony has fears, Scootaloo. Everypony must face them in their own way."

Strange nightmares are plaguing the ponies of Equestria.

Somepony must help ponies to face their deepest fears, but unless Princess Luna is able to discover who—or what—is responsible, the nightmares may never end.

Scootaloo is ready to prove that she can be as fearless as her big sister, Rainbow Dash, even if it means never having a peaceful night's sleep again.

Published 2013-08-12 17:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-25 01:38:18 UTC

Snowed In

Scootaloo found herself standing with her hooves buried in a thick blanket of snow, though they didn’t feel cold in the slightest.

Ahead of her, a towering castle rose up, with multiple spires so high above her that she had to crane her neck to see the peaks. There was something strangely familiar about the icy cliffs surrounding the base, and the sheer white walls, but she was pretty sure she’d never been anywhere like this when she was awake.

There was no sun or moon in the pink sky, not even a single cloud. Even so, it was perfectly bright, and light glinted off the sides of the castle, shining from nowhere at all.

Glancing back over her shoulder, there were no other landmarks visible. A featureless white plain stretched out in all directions until it met the horizon.

Despite the odd landscape, it wasn’t nearly as bad as anything Scootaloo had expected, considering Luna had said this was a nightmare and all. She looked down at her hooves, which remained firmly planted in the snow, and forced herself to take the first step forward.

She was walking around in another pony’s dream. The thought of that was strange, but other than the fact that no place like this could possibly exist in the real world, everything felt so real.

“Is… is anypony here?” Scootaloo called out.

There was no response. She trotted at a brisk pace towards the castle, kicking up snow as she went, as she passed between the cliffs until she reached the entrance.

Once she was close to it, she noticed it wasn’t really white at all. It was some kind of thick glass, or maybe ice. It didn’t feel cold to the touch, but neither did the snow she’d been running through. She pressed her face up against the wall, and found she could see some hazy, indistinct shapes through it.

Pacing around the side, she found a tall archway set into the face, and a pair of double doors of the same material as the rest of the structure. Scootaloo gave one door a gentle push, and it swung open effortlessly.

“Hello?” Her voice echoed off of everything—the walls, the ceiling. It was all chiseled out of the same smooth material. A sparkling chandelier hung over a staircase winding upwards into the rest of the tower. Even the benches and end tables against the walls appeared to be solid ice. Those couldn’t be very comfortable.

Scootaloo eyed the door behind her as she took a step inside. She almost expected it to slam shut, trapping her here, but it didn’t move.

“Guess the only way to go is up, then,” she muttered.

The stairs wound up in a spiral, higher into the tower, lined by perfectly smooth walls the whole way. The light from outside refracted through the wall in shades of blue and pink.

As she reached the landing at the top of the stairs, she stopped. It was a round, empty chamber, with open archways leading out to a balcony overlooking the snowfield. But somepony was standing just a few steps away from her, in the center of the room—a filly about her age, in a long frilly pink dress that trailed behind her on the floor. Despite the outfit, Scootaloo would have recognized her anywhere.

“Sweetie Belle?” she said, a smile forming on her lips. She ran up to meet her.

“Ah, Scootaloo! It’s so kind of you to visit,” Sweetie Belle said, turning around. Scootaloo had heard that tone of voice before. It was the same one Sweetie Belle would use when she was imitating Rarity. The fancy dress and tiara definitely looked like something Rarity would come up with.

Scootaloo stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her. “What... the hay?” she muttered.

“Is everything alright?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head.

“No, I’m fine. I sure am glad to see you,” Scootaloo said. “But… what is this place?” She stared up at high walls, curving into an arched ceiling. Then she looked back at Sweetie. “And what are you wearing?”

“Why, this is the traditional dress of the Princess of the Crystal Empire, of course,” Sweetie Belle said, still using that same fake accent. She gave a strange laugh. “Why would you ask such a silly question? You must be tired from your long trip.”

“The Crystal Empire?” Scootaloo glanced around the room. “I guess that explains why everything’s so… crystally.”

“It is such a long train ride from Ponyville. How have you been? You’ll have to tell me all about what’s been going on back home.”

Scootaloo stared at her blankly. “What are you talking about? We were just at school together today. This is all just…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed the look of confusion on Sweetie Belle’s face. Maybe it would be best to play along for now. She quickly faked a grin, and nodded enthusiastically. “I mean, it sure was a long trip! All the way out here to the Crystal Empire!”

Sweetie appeared to be satisfied by the answer. She was acting so weird, but that was probably just because she didn’t realize she was asleep. As long as nothing really bad was happening, Scootaloo saw no problem with letting her enjoy her dream. And it totally made sense that Sweetie Belle would dream about all this super-girly princessy stuff.

“I’ve got it!” Sweetie Belle clapped her front hooves excitedly. “Since you came all the way out here, why don’t you stay for a tea party?”

“A… tea party,” Scootaloo said. She sighed. The way Princess Luna had been talking, she had been expecting to face a hydra, or a horde of zombie ponies, or dozens of other unimaginably horrifying creatures. Instead, she was being invited to a tea party.

Whatever. This was Sweetie Belle’s dream, and nopony had to know that Scootaloo had actually agreed to some namby-pamby tea party. Especially not Rainbow Dash.

“Sure. A tea party. Why not?”

Sweetie Belle led her over to a small table in the center of the room, which Scootaloo could’ve sworn was empty just a moment ago. A teapot and two cups were already set out and waiting for them.

Taking a seat across from Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo hesitantly picked up one of the teacups. A small tendril of steam swirled up, and she could actually feel the heat radiating from it.

“So what brings you to the Crystal Empire on this fine day?” Sweetie Belle asked her.

“Well, uh…” Scootaloo took her first sip. It tasted surprisingly sweet—actually, she was surprised just to taste anything at all in a dream, though she wasn’t even sure that this was tea. “Actually, Princess Luna told me she was worried about you. She said that I should come check on how you’re doing.”

“Princess Luna?” Sweetie Belle cocked her head. For a moment Scootaloo was worried she had said something wrong, but then Sweetie nodded. The suggestion appeared to fit in with Sweetie Belle’s current state of mind. “Tell her I appreciate her concern, but I am quite alright.”

“Sure looks like it,” Scootaloo muttered.

She glanced over at an open archway, which led out to a balcony overlooking the barren snowfields. This was some empire that Sweetie Belle was princess of, wasn’t it?

Across the table, Sweetie Belle sat contently sipping her tea. Scootaloo shifted around restlessly. If this was what the whole dream was going to be, she wasn’t sure how she’d make it through the night.

“How about after this we take a look around?” Scootaloo said. “This is my first time in the Crystal Empire, after all.”

“Of course!” Sweetie Belle said. “You’ve hardly even seen the castle yet.”

“The castle’s cool and all, but I meant the Crystal Empire.” Scootaloo tried to think. Maybe if she put the ideas into Sweetie’s mind, they would appear, just like this tea table. “I mean, even I’ve heard Rarity go on about how much she loves the crystal ponies.”

Sweetie’s voice dropped low. “Crystal… ponies?”

“And, uh… Rainbow Dash told me about the stadium where they’re going to have the Equestria Games. Where is that?”

“M-Maybe you’d like to see the grand ballroom, or the… the dining hall, or something…” Sweetie’s accent was faltering.

“Come on, I mean, you’re the princess! You can do whatever you want here. What’s wrong with going out to—whoa!” Scootaloo’s hooves suddenly went out from under her, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Sweetie Belle didn’t react. She sat there, fidgeting nervously, eyes darting over the tea table in front of her.

“I’m… not sure what that just was, but let’s go,” Scootaloo said, pulling herself back up. “You lead the way.”

Then it came again—the whole castle shook. Scootaloo was thrown to the floor again, and couldn’t get her footing until the tremors stopped. Snow began to blow inside from the windows. Sweetie Belle watched her, her face unreadable.

“I really think we should just stay in the castle. There’s a lot to do in here!” Sweetie said. Her eyes darted around. “Come on, let’s go upstairs!”

Scootaloo braced herself against the table, ready for another shock. “Maybe we really should get outside. Are these earthquakes? I don’t remember hearing anything about the Crystal Empire getting earthquakes.”

“I could show you my dressing room. I’ve got a whole lot more dresses and outfits in there. Want to see?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Don’t tell me you’re not feeling these—“ Scootaloo couldn’t finish the sentence before she was thrown to the side again, sliding towards the open balcony until she grabbed onto the leg of the table.

Sweetie Belle did nothing. As Scootaloo hung onto the table, feeling herself being pulled down towards the window, she noticed the teacup still sitting on its saucer. Not even a single drop had spilled.

Outside, the snow was swirling upwards, around in circles, rising towards the sky. The blizzard was getting violent. A brief thought flashed through Scootaloo’s mind—it’s falling up?

“Sweetie Belle, I think something’s really going wrong. We need to get out of—”

This time Scootaloo felt the entire tower move. Desperately she reached for something to grab onto, but she was sliding too fast, the floor had gone completely vertical and she was falling, out towards the balcony and the raging snowstorm.

Scootaloo sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily. Her front hooves flew out to the sides, touching the mattress, her pillow, the walls. Everything seemed to have settled down. She was safe at home again.

Once the sensation had faded, her head fell back onto the pillow and she stared up at the ceiling.

She put her hooves up to her face. “What the hay was that all about?” she asked, as if Luna would reappear to answer her.

No response came.

Scootaloo was feeling exhausted as she rode to school the next morning. She supposed she had gotten her rest the night before, although going to the Crystal Empire and getting thrown out a window in some kind of gravity-defying earthquake was hardly a good night’s sleep.

It was so hard to make sense of it all. Princess Luna had told her she’d be visiting somepony’s nightmares, but Sweetie Belle had been having a perfectly nice dream up until Scootaloo had shown up. It must have been something Scootaloo had said that upset her.

She had mentioned leaving the castle to see the Empire, but the castle had been the only thing in the dream. Maybe Sweetie Belle just got confused, and couldn’t dream up the rest of the Crystal Empire on such short notice.

Throwing Scootaloo out the window had been a bit of a harsh reaction, though.

And now she couldn’t help but wonder what Sweetie Belle would say to her at school today. Would she know that Scootaloo had actually been there in her dream last night?

As Scootaloo shuffled into the classroom, she glanced at Sweetie Belle’s desk, but it was empty. She took her seat near the door, and continued watching her classmates filing through, dreading the moment when Sweetie Belle would show up.

The morning bell nearly made her jump out of her seat.

“Good morning, class!” Cheerilee said. She trotted over to the podium, looking impossibly full of energy for this early in the morning. “Everyone settle down so that we can take attendance. Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom’s hoof shot up in the air.

Cheerilee continued down the list. “Button Mash? Diamond Tiara?”

Scootaloo shifted around in her chair, waiting for the end of the list when her name would be called. And once Miss Cheerilee got to the letter S, she’d also be calling…

“Scootaloo?” Her head perked up at the sound of her name, and she raised her hoof automatically. “Silver Spoon… Snips… Snails…” Each of them responded, and Cheerilee read the final name. “Sweetie Belle?” Cheerilee looked over at the empty desk in the middle of the room. “Oh. It looks like she’s absent today.”

Absent? Scootaloo shrank down in her seat.

Cheerilee made a mark on the attendance sheet, then stood in front of the blackboard. “We’ll be continuing our work on multiplication tables today. Everypony get out your notebooks.”

Scootaloo reached into her saddlebag to get out her books, but her gaze drifted over to Sweetie Belle’s empty desk. Her stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots.

Sweetie Belle hadn’t exactly been normal last night—she’d been convinced she was Princess of the Crystal Empire, after all. But it was only a dream. There was no way something like that would keep her from coming to school.

But it couldn’t just be a coincidence, either.

She could hear Miss Cheerilee rattling off numbers and equations up front. The words all blended together into a meaningless jumble of sound. With a sigh, Scootaloo let her head fall forward onto her desk.

“I hope you’re not planning on taking a nap, Scootaloo,” Cheerilee said.

Scootaloo sat straight up. “Uh, no, ma’am.” She fought to keep her eyes open. Really, going back to sleep was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She forced herself to stare at the blackboard, even as the numbers blurred together.

She flew out of her seat the moment the bell rung. The classroom had been starting to feel claustrophobic, and her legs were stiff after what felt like ages spent sitting down listening to Miss Cheerilee’s lectures. She dashed out the door into the afternoon sunlight.

“Hey, Scootaloo! Guess the two of us are on our own today,” Apple Bloom said, catching up to her. “You’re not meeting Rainbow Dash again, are you?”

“Nah, she’s probably busy today,” Scootaloo said. “But I was thinking we should go over to Sweetie Belle’s and make sure she’s alright.”

Apple Bloom tilted her head. “I dunno. She seemed fine yesterday. Maybe she just got a cold or somethin’.”

“Maybe, but…” Scootaloo bit her lip. She couldn’t exactly tell Apple Bloom what had happened last night. It sounded crazy. Plus, there was the possibility that it was her own fault that Sweetie Belle wasn’t here today... “I’ve just got a bad feeling, is all. And aren’t you at least curious what’s going on?”

“It’s not the first time any of us has missed school, ya know,” Apple Bloom said. “But I guess she’d prob’ly be happy to see us. It’s no fun bein’ stuck at home alone when you’re sick.”

“Exactly!” Scootaloo hopped on her scooter and took off down the road.

Apple Bloom ran after her. “Hey! Slow down a sec, will ya?”

Scootaloo rolled along on her scooter at a snail's pace. It was taking ages to get to Sweetie Belle's house, and each moment she could be... Well, to be honest, Scootaloo didn't even know what was happening to her, but it couldn't be anything good.

“So what’d you guys do yesterday?” Scootaloo said.

“We hung out at the clubhouse for a while. We played a couple board games, read some books…” Apple Bloom said. “Usually you’re the one who comes up with all the crazy stunts, so we didn’t do too much.”

“Did she seem okay to you?”

“Sure, I guess.” Apple Bloom gave a shrug. “Just wait. We’ll go see 'er and she’ll be just fine.”

Scootaloo noticed the windmill up ahead at the end of the road. She recognized it immediately; Sweetie Belle’s house was right next door to it. She put forth a burst of speed, leaving Apple Bloom in a cloud of dust.

The front door swung open, and Rarity stepped out, talking to a stallion in a straw hat who followed behind her. “She looked positively awful! Are you sure there’s nothing else we can do for her?”

“The doctor said he’d be here any minute,” the stallion said, scratching his head. “I sure as hay can’t figure out what happened.”

“I would stay with her all day if I could, but I have so many orders at the shop today,” Rarity said. “But please tell me the very moment she wakes up. I shan’t be able to rest until I know she’s alright.”

She turned and trotted away quickly, her brow creased with worry. She glanced at Scootaloo briefly as she passed, but didn’t say a word.

The stallion stared into space for a moment before he noticed the fillies. A friendly smile came across his face. “Hiya, girls!”

“Oh, howdy, Mr. Magnum!” Apple Bloom said, running to catch up with Scootaloo.

He gave a tip of his hat to them, but then frowned. “You girls aren’t here to see Sweetie Belle, are ya?”

Scootaloo hopped off her scooter. “Is she okay? We were just really worried when she didn’t show up to class.”

“Well, it’s the darndest thing. She was doin’ fine yesterday, but this morning... Well, uh, she wouldn’t get outta bed. Thought she might’ve just been feelin’ lazy, but… I haven’t been able to get her up all day.”

“So she’s just got a cold... right?” Apple Bloom asked.

Magnum shook his head. “No fever or nothin’. The doctor’s supposed to come by later this afternoon to give her a look,” he said. “You girls better be on your way. Don’t know if this thing might be catching.”

Apple Bloom glanced back at Scootaloo. “Huh. Well, guess we’d better—“

“Um, it’s really important that we go see her,” Scootaloo cut in.

“No, I think she needs some time to rest up and get better,” Magnum said. “Don’t worry, girls. We’re doin’ everything we can.”

“Well, uh…” Scootaloo tapped her chin with a hoof. “Homework!”

“What?” Apple Bloom stared at her.

“We came by to drop off some homework. There’s a big project coming up soon, and we wanted to make sure that Sweetie Belle knows all about it so she’s ready when she comes back to class,” Scootaloo said. “We’ll just go up to her room and drop off all the stuff.”

He raised one bushy eyebrow. “They’re really giving you kids big homework assignments like that at your age?”

Apple Bloom shook her head slowly. “No, Miss Cheerilee never—”

“Yeah, it's a huge assignment. Don’t want her falling behind!” Scootaloo grabbed her and pulled her over towards the door. “We’ll just be a minute!” She pushed it open and dragged Apple Bloom in after her.

“Now what was that all about?” Apple Bloom said once the door was closed. “We don’t have any homework today.”

“I had to come up with something. He wasn’t going to let us in.”

“He told us Sweetie Belle wasn’t feelin’ good.”

Scootaloo shook her head as she galloped towards the stairs. “Didn’t you hear what he said? She didn’t even wake up this morning. That’s definitely not normal.”

“You ain’t actin’ too normal yourself. Are ya sure you ain’t sick?”

“I’ve… just had a bad feeling about her, that’s all,” Scootaloo said.

They had been over to Sweetie Belle’s house enough times to find their way around. Sweetie Belle’s room was on the left, across from her parent’s. The door was shut tight. Exchanging a nervous glance with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo gently pushed the door open.

A beam of light from the hallway spread across the darkened room, casting light across the rug, the posters on the wall, the bed. The curtains were drawn closed.

Scootaloo grinned nervously as they crept inside. “Hey, Sweetie Belle! We came to visit you!”

In the dim light, they make out Sweetie Belle’s tiny shape on the bed. Her head was turned towards the far wall. It sounded like she mumbled something, but it was too quiet to hear. The blanket rose and fell slowly with her breathing, but otherwise she was completely motionless.

“Her dad wasn’t kiddin’,” Apple Bloom said. “She looks plum tuckered. I really think we should just leave her alone.”

“Come on! Rise and shine! Up and at ‘em!” Scootaloo said, trotting over to the curtains and spreading them open, flooding the room with sunlight. Apple Bloom raised a hoof to shield her eyes.

The covers on the bed twitched, and they heard a soft groan. Apple Bloom cautiously approached the bed, but Sweetie Belle hadn’t woken up.

“I don’t think that’s workin’,” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth. “It’s worse than I thought…”

It didn’t make sense. Princess Luna hadn’t mentioned anything about this happening. And it had only been a dream, hadn’t it?

“Guess you were right to be worried about her.” Apple Bloom stared at the bed, frowning. “Ain’t much we can do about it, though. I really think we should get out of here.”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo nodded slowly. “We should just… let her be.”

On the way out, Apple Bloom stopped next to the dresser. “Oh, hey! Wonder when she got that.”

“What is it?” Scootaloo trotted over to her.

“I guess Rarity did end up gettin’ her one of those snowglobes. Remember the ones Sweetie Belle was talkin’ about? From the Crystal Empire?”

The words “Crystal Empire” made Scootaloo freeze. Slowly, she approached the dresser to get a better look.

It was a small glass globe, with tiny snowflakes floating around a very familiar-looking tower. She remembered now—Sweetie Belle had been looking at it that time they’d been at the train station, the only time they’d actually visited the Crystal Empire.

At least, the only time in real life.

“Y-yeah. Pretty cool,” Scootaloo said.

Scootaloo lay awake in bed that night. She felt completely drained, but she couldn’t get to sleep even if she wanted to. And she really didn’t want to.

Nopony else knew what Sweetie Belle was going through. All they saw was a tired little filly asleep in bed. But really, she was still trapped in her castle in the Crystal Empire… Or was it that she just didn’t want to leave?

Whatever it was, Scootaloo knew she had something to do with it. This whole thing was her fault. She wasn’t cut out for this whole dream-visiting thing, and now Sweetie Belle was suffering the consequences. Maybe she could convince Luna to find somepony else.

She tossed and turned, the sheets wrapping themselves around her, but she couldn’t stay awake forever.

Before she knew it, her eyelids began to droop, and her bedroom began to fade away and transform...

Breaking the Ice

“Welcome back, Scootaloo.”

There was a brief moment of confusion when she heard Luna’s voice, but Scootaloo quickly realized that she had fallen asleep. She was standing in the same forest as before, and the princess stood across the grove from her.

“It would appear that the nightmares still hold power over your friend,” Luna said. “I did not expect it to be easy to help her. It may take several nights before she is freed.”

“Uh, listen…” Scootaloo said, taking a step forward. “I don’t think I should be doing this. Last time when I went into Sweetie Belle’s dream, I just ended up ruining it. And then she didn’t show up to school today. Something went really wrong, and she didn’t wake up. I wouldn’t want to make things any worse than they already are.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “You’re certain that you were the cause of this?”

“What else could it be?” Scootaloo said. “Her dream seemed pretty good until I messed it up.”

“I warned you that these would be more dangerous than mere bad dreams,” Luna said. “There is little else that can be done for Sweetie Belle now. If you do not help her soon, it may be too late.”

“Too late?” Scootaloo stiffened. “W-what do you mean, ‘too late’?”

“You must stay calm. Do not let fear get the better of you,” Luna said. She knelt down next to Scootaloo. “Tell me what you have learned.”

Scootaloo tilted her head. “Huh? Well… She was dreaming that she was a princess. Of the Crystal Empire. It was all pretty boring girly stuff.” She noticed the look Luna was giving her. “I mean, uh, not that all princesses are boring and girly! But it wasn’t a nightmare. Not at first.”

“And what happened to change all of that?” Luna asked.

“Well, we were having a…” Scootaloo sighed. “A tea party. It was really boring, so I was asking to see more of the Empire. But Sweetie Belle didn’t want to go outside.” Scootaloo paused. “Was there something outside that she was afraid of? Was that what caused the earthquakes?”

“There may be more to a dream than what you see at first,” Luna said. “Over the years I have traveled through countless dreams. Not one has been like the last.”

“But what am I supposed to do?” Scootaloo said. “None of this is making any sense.”

“Whatever is causing these nightmares has identified what frightens her. It will use that to gain power over her,” Luna said. “Sweetie Belle will not easily admit what it is that she is afraid of, but you must discover what it is if she is to overcome it.”

“I don’t even know where to start with something like that…”

“You may find that you already know the answer. It may have been something she said to you, perhaps when you were awake?”

Scootaloo thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I can’t think of anything.”

“Regardless, she needs the help of her friends to escape this nightmare. She needs you, Scootaloo.”

Luna stood up and spread her wings. She took off and flew higher into the sky, past the tangled branches of the trees. Before Scootaloo even knew what was happening, the forest surrounding her melted away and the princess vanished from sight.

She saw the pale pink sky and the crystal tower rising up before her.

Something bumped into her.

She stumbled a bit, then looked up to see a stallion walking past. His coat sparkled in the light. A crystal pony? He turned to stare at her, tilting his head, before disappearing into the rest of the crowd.

That was odd.

Scootaloo looked around. She was back outside the tower, but instead of an open tundra, she was now on a busy street filled with crystal ponies. She’d never actually seen one before, but they had shimmering coats and manes just like she’d heard about, and elaborate hairstyles and outfits that would have put Canterlot to shame.

None of them even spoke, but their heads turned in Scootaloo’s direction. She could feel their eyes on her, watching her. Maybe it was because she was the only one here who wasn’t a crystal pony, or because she had wings and none of them did. Whatever it was, she had to get away. Somewhere they couldn’t see her. Something was just unpleasant about it, even though she couldn’t say why.

The important thing was that tower. Sweetie Belle was probably still in there, if she was the princess, and the important thing was to make sure she was okay.

Scootaloo ducked and weaved through the crystal ponies as they milled about the street aimlessly, keeping her eyes on the tower stretching up over the city. It was unmistakably the same one from the snowglobe in Sweetie Belle’s bedroom, just much bigger.

As she reached the base of the tower, she paused at the sight of two armored crystal ponies standing guard at the entrance. Their faces showed no emotion, not even any movement at all. After a moment of hesitation, Scootaloo trotted up between them to enter the tower.

“Halt!”

She froze, and stared up at the guard who had spoken. He glared down at her.

“Uh…” She cleared her throat. “It’s me! Scootaloo. I’m friends with Sweet—I mean, with the princess?”

The other guard spoke in a deep, no-nonsense voice. “Princess Sweetie Belle has given us very strict orders. Absolutely nopony is to enter the tower.”

Scootaloo frowned. “But—”

“If you continue to cause a disturbance, you will be thrown in the dungeon. Now begone!”

That was all that needed to be said. Scootaloo turned and galloped away as quickly as she could. Once she was a safe distance away, she slowed down and turned back towards the tower.

Why would Sweetie Belle order her guards to turn her away? For that matter, why did Sweetie Belle even have guards?

All she knew was that she wasn't getting in through the front door. Scootaloo headed back into the street away from the tower. She noticed a few crystal ponies sitting at a street café in total silence, but she saw one peeking over the top of a menu at her. She was still being watched.

This dream was completely different from last night. There hadn’t even been anypony other than herself and Sweetie Belle. Actually, things had started to fall apart as soon as she had mentioned the crystal ponies.

Tonight’s dream was a lot more like the real world. Last time, the emptiness had been a little creepy, even though it hadn't seemed to bother Sweetie Belle. Now that there was a whole city here, filled with ponies, Scootaloo should have been feeling more at ease. Something just wasn’t right, though.

The crystal ponies walked around her, keeping their distance. It was like there was a ring around her, and they wouldn’t enter it. But they were still watching. She couldn’t focus. How was she supposed to figure out how to help Sweetie Belle with all these ponies staring at her?

Scootaloo tried to shake the feeling. She tilted her head back to see the top of the spire. It was pretty high up. There was no way she was getting up there.

No. Wait.

This was a dream. Even if it was somepony else’s dream, things were still different here, right? The snow wasn’t cold, entire cities appeared out of nowhere. Sweetie Belle was a princess. Anything was possible. So…

Scootaloo stretched out her wings. “Just like at Junior Speedsters…” she muttered under her breath.

She started running, barely even looking ahead. Just like Rainbow Dash had showed her—galloping full speed, wings working frantically as she built up power. She closed her eyes, and felt her hooves leave the ground.

She almost didn’t want to look down, but she finally forced herself to crack her eyes open and take a peek. The street was far beneath her. She let out a gasp, and dipped down, nearly falling, but she pushed her wings harder and regained her momentum.

The air was crisp and clear. Perfect for flying. Scootaloo was in total control as she circled around the tower, and spotted the balcony below her.

She swooped in for a landing. Her hooves touched down on the floor, and she folded her wings at her sides. She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. That had felt great. But no time to dwell on it, she had work to do.

“Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo called as she ran inside. It was the same room as before. The tea table sat unoccupied in the center of the room. “Are you in here?”

“Who’s there? Leave me alone!” Sweetie Belle’s trembling voice echoed from somewhere in the tower.

“It’s just me. What’s going on?” Scootaloo said. She crossed the room slowly, staring up at the high ceiling. “And what’s with the guards? And… everything, really?”

Sweetie Belle appeared at the foot of the stairway, looking very small. The mock-regal air was gone. Her tiara sat crooked on her head, and the dress seemed too big for her. “Oh… Scootaloo. It’s just you.” She let out a sigh of relief.

Scootaloo ran up to her. “Listen, Sweetie Belle. There’s not much time to explain. You need to wake up. You’ve been asleep for over a day. Everypony’s really worried about you!”

“Huh? Wake… up?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Of course! You don’t actually think you’re princess of the Crystal Empire, right?” Scootaloo said.

“You’re right…” Sweetie Belle stared at the floor. “I’m not.”

“That’s good. Now we can get out of here, and—”

“What? We can’t go out there! Not when I’m dressed like this!” Sweetie Belle touched the frills of her dress. “Everypony’s going to see us! They’re all going to laugh at me! I… I just want to be left alone.”

A cold wind blew in from the windows. Snow swirled throughout the room.

“I don’t get it. What’s the matter with you?” Scootaloo said. “I thought you were having fun being a princess before.”

“No. You don’t understand…” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Rarity doesn’t understand. Nopony understands!”

Another blast of wind shot through the room, and Scootaloo was thrown sideways. She grabbed onto the table at the last minute. It was just like last time. If this kept up, she was going to get thrown out and wake up again. And Sweetie Belle wouldn’t wake up at all.

“You’re right,” Scootaloo said. Her grip was loosening on the table, and the pull towards the window was getting stronger. “I don’t understand. But I came all the way here to help you, so just tell me what’s wrong!”

She fell to the floor. The room had stopped tilting. Shakily, she pulled herself back up onto all fours.

“You came here… to help me?” Sweetie Belle stared at her from across the chamber.

“Of course! I mean, what are friends for, right?” Scootaloo tried to smile, but it still felt like gravity could betray her again at any moment.

With a sigh, Sweetie Belle turned away. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you came all the way here. You’ve always been so much braver than me.”

Scootaloo blinked. “You really think that?” she said. “Uh, I mean… of course! Besides, I had to come out here and help you.”

Sweetie Belle wandered over to the window. “All those ponies out there think I’m their princess,” Sweetie Belle said, pointing a hoof out over the town. “They’re all waiting for me to go out, and… I dunno. Make a proclamation, or whatever it is princesses are supposed do.”

“So they just want you to go out and talk to them? Well, what’s the big deal?” Scootaloo said. “Last night—uh, last time I was here, I mean—it looked like you were having fun being princess.”

“That’s different! There’s all those ponies out there now!” Sweetie Belle trotted over to the window. “You wouldn’t get it, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t care if ponies are watching you. Like when you’re on your scooter, doing all those cool tricks. You don’t mind if ponies look at you, because you never mess up.” Sweetie Belle hung her head with a sigh. “But if I go out there in front of all those ponies, and try to talk to them, I would.”

“No, I, uh… I mess up all the time, really,” Scootaloo said. “And it stinks when it happens in front of other ponies. Especially Rainbow Dash…”

“That’s exactly why I can’t do it! If I ended up going out there and embarrassing myself, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“But you can’t focus on that. You don’t have to stop having fun just because other ponies are watching you,” Scootaloo said. “Besides, they all want to see you. That’s what they’re waiting for.”

Sweetie Belle bit her lip. “I… guess you have a point…”

“You have to come out of this eventually. Everypony’s worried about you. Rarity, your parents. Apple Bloom and me.”

“They are?”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Scootaloo said. Silently, she added because this is a dream anyway, but she couldn’t say that out loud. She was pretty sure she was making progress, even if she still had no clue what she was doing. “You’ll do just fine.”

Sweetie Belle shuffled out onto the balcony overlooking the streets. Immediately heads started turning, and everypony’s eyes were fixed on the small figure standing above them.

She bit her lip, and glanced back at Scootaloo. “I don’t think I should—”

“You can’t back out now,” Scootaloo said. She stood a few steps back, leaning against the archway. “Just don’t worry about it.”

“Uh…” Sweetie Belle stared out at the crowd. “Uh… My n-name is… Princess Sweetie Belle… and I’d like to say that I’m really happy to see all of you.” It didn’t sound convincing when her voice was shaking like that, but the crystal ponies showed no response.

It was totally obvious that she was making it up as she went along. Scootaloo watched the crowd, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they appeared to be completely absorbed.

Taking a deep breath, Sweetie Belle continued, her voice sounding a bit stronger now. “And as your princess, I promise to help spread happiness all throughout the Crystal Empire.” The crowd was cheering for her. Sweetie Belle glanced back at Scootaloo, smiling, before continuing. “It means so much to me to have your support, and I promise...”

Her voice seemed to echo, fading into silence, and the shimmering crystal walls melted away.

Scootaloo blinked in the morning sunlight. She was back home. Awake.

And no less confused than last time.

Scootaloo leaned her scooter on the fence outside the school, trying to remember what Luna had told her. It still made no sense. Sweetie Belle had seemed happy when Scootaloo left her, but only because she’d gone even deeper into her whole princess fantasy. Was that a good thing, or was it bad? Of course, there would be no way to know, until—

“Hey, Scootaloo.”

Her ears perked up. She was pretty sure she was awake right now, but she had to make sure. She turned around, and saw Sweetie Belle trotting over to her.

“Sweetie Belle! You’re alright!” Scootaloo couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice.

“Uh, yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. She gave a weak smile. “Is it seriously Wednesday? Mom and Dad said I was asleep for all of yesterday. I guess everypony was pretty worried.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Scootaloo said, grinning. “I’m just glad you’re okay now.”

“I don’t feel like I was sick…” Sweetie Belle gave a shrug. “I guess I felt pretty tired yester—I mean, two days ago. But that’s it.”

Scootaloo frowned. “Do you… remember anything?” she asked. “I, uh… I came to visit you.”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Oh, yeah! Dad said you and Apple Bloom came over yesterday.” She paused. “What was the homework you dropped off?”

“No, I didn’t mean…” Scootaloo didn’t know what to say. The conversations she’d had with Sweetie Belle in her dreams had felt as real as the one they were having now, but now Sweetie Belle didn’t show any sign of recognition. How could she just forget something like that? “Never mind the homework. It was nothing.”

“If you say so,” Sweetie Belle said. She shrugged. “Come on. We’d better get inside before we’re late.”

Before Scootaloo could say anything else, Sweetie Belle turned around and trotted through the door. It was like nothing had even happened.

Scootaloo watched as Sweetie took her seat and got out her books and pencils, then slouched forward waiting for class to start. She didn’t seem any different than she did on a normal day.

It was good that Sweetie Belle was awake, but Scootaloo couldn’t help but feel like her effort was wasted. Half the fun of being a hero was getting congratulated. Was it so wrong to want just a simple “thank you”?

At least Sweetie Belle would never tell anypony about the tea party.

The school bell rang, disrupting her thoughts. Cheerilee stood up from her desk and trotted over to the chalkboard to take attendance. Each of the students raised their hoof as their name was called. Sweetie Belle sat at her desk, fidgeting with a pencil.

“Looks like everypony is present and accounted for. We’re halfway through the week already, so I thought I’d give you all a quick reminder about this weekend's talent show,” Cheerilee said. “Remember, the performance is being held here on Saturday night! Now, if you’ll all get out your books and turn to—”

Sweetie Belle sat up straight, and her front hoof shot into the air. ”Uh, Miss Cheerilee? Is… Is it too late to sign up?”

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, did you have an act prepared for the talent show? I suppose I could fit you in. Are you sure you’ll be ready in just a few days, though?”

“I… think so…”

“Good!” Cheerilee smiled. “And should I put Apple Bloom and Scootaloo’s names down, as well?”

Apple Bloom exchanged a questioning glance with Scootaloo, but Sweetie Belle simply shook her head. “No. It’s… just me, this time.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure everypony is looking forward to seeing your performance.”

Sweetie Belle settled back into her seat with a sigh, though Scootaloo couldn't tell if it was relief or anxiety.

Scootaloo joined Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle on one of the picnic tables outside for lunch. The two of them had already started eating.

“I just don’t get it. A few days ago the talent show was the absolute last thing ya wanted to do, but now you’re all over it,” Apple Bloom said. She squinted. “You sure you’re feelin’ okay?”

“Well, uh… I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle said, taking a bite of her sandwich. The former Princess of the Crystal Empire spoke with her mouth full. “I just thought it might be fun, I guess.”

“Well, now you’ve got even less time to get ready. What’re ya doin’ for the show, anyhow?”

“Uh… I don’t know yet,” Sweetie Belle said. Her eyes darted towards the door to the schoolhouse. “Maybe I should go in and tell Miss Cheerilee I changed my mind. I don’t know what I was—”

“No!” Scootaloo yelled. Her friends turned to stare at her, and she slowly shrank back down. “I mean, uh… You just need to make sure you get enough practice. You’ve still got a few days to get ready. Can’t waste a single moment, you know.”

Sweetie Belle grinned. “Yeah. I guess I’m going straight home after school today. I’ll figure something out.”

Sweetie Belle hardly spent any time with the others for the next few days. She always hurried home, saying she had to keep practicing and getting ready for the show. At least she seemed to be enjoying herself.

The best part was that Luna hadn’t shown up at all since last time. Scootaloo had been sleeping better than she ever had in her life. No more late-night adventures. At least for now.

Scootaloo stared up at the full moon, shining down on the audience watching the talent show. She stood with Apple Bloom in the middle of the darkened crowd, watching their classmates putting on skits, dancing, attempting magic shows. All of the acts seemed to blur together. For some reason, Scootaloo was actually feeling a little restless, and the air seemed stuffy and warm. Sweetie Belle was the one going on stage, probably the next act after this one, but Scootaloo was the one feeling nervous.

As the last group took a bow and walked offstage, Cheerilee appeared again to announce the final act.

“And, finally, we have a special musical performance from Sweetie Belle!” she said. The crowd of ponies stomped their hooves for applause.

The stage dimmed, and a single spotlight shone down on the center. Sweetie Belle crept into the spotlight without a sound. She stared out into the audience, mouth agape, blinking in the bright light.

Nothing happened.

Scootaloo frowned. “No, she can’t back out now…”

Sweetie Belle stood completely motionless, but then her eyes met with Scootaloo’s. She smiled, cleared her throat, and began to sing.

“They all say that you'll get your mark… When the time is really right…” Sweetie Belle’s voice shook on the first few notes, but then grew stronger as she continued.

“She’s singin’ that one?” Apple Bloom whispered.

It was surprising to hear the same song that they had performed in the first talent show, but now it may as well have been a completely different tune. It wasn’t nearly as loud, and most of the words had been changed—Scootaloo could tell that most of her own contributions to the song had been replaced, but it was for the better.

Sweetie Belle was leaving the crowd speechless, but it was for the right reasons this time. She managed to finish the entire performance without her voice cracking once. Her eyes closed, and she let her voice carry the rest of the song.

As she finished the final notes, she slowly opened her eyes.

There was a pause, but then the crowd stomped their hooves in a thunderous round of applause. Sweetie Belle stood there, dumbfounded, then gave a quick bow and scampered offstage as quickly as she could.

The curtains drew closed, and Cheerilee reappeared to call the winners back for their prizes.

“Well, that went way better than last year,” Apple Bloom said. “I wonder how she pulled that off.”

“No idea...” Scootaloo muttered.

“And the award for best performance goes to… Sweetie Belle!” Cheerilee said. She presented Sweetie with a large gold medal. “Congratulations!”

Sweetie Belle lowered her head to fit the ribbon over her neck. “I… I…” Her mouth hung open, but then she broke out into a huge smile. “Thank you!”

As the performers headed backstage and the curtains closed, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom pushed their way through the crowd to meet up with Sweetie Belle at the backstage area.

“She really put that together all in just a few days?” Apple Bloom said. “And all by herself, too...”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yep. All by herself...”

“Guys! You’ve gotta see this!”

Scootaloo glanced over to see Sweetie Belle running towards them at full speed. Her medal bounced around on her neck, but as she got closer, Scootaloo realized that the award wasn’t what had her so excited.

Never Stop The Journey

Sugarcube Corner was packed with ponies, and despite the fact that this was Sweetie Belle’s party, she didn’t even know half of them. That tended to happen whenever Pinkie Pie was organizing the party, though.

Sweetie Belle sat with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo at one of the tables as they took a break from cupcakes and party games. She kept glancing down at her flank, as if to make sure the heart-shaped music note there hadn’t vanished.

“Don’t worry, girls,” Sweetie Belle said. “Until all of us have our cutie marks, we’re still going to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“I still can’t believe you finally got it!” Apple Bloom said. “Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. But how come it’s never shown up any of the other times you were singin’? Like at last year’s talent show?”

Scootaloo noticed the look that crossed Sweetie Belle’s face, just for a moment, when Apple Bloom mentioned that show. But then Sweetie smiled. “Something was different this time. Usually I can’t get up in front of such a big crowd by myself.”

“So what changed?” Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie Belle gave a shrug. “I just thought that maybe this time it could actually be pretty fun. I don’t know why.”

“You’re sure?”

Ever since Sweetie Belle had woken up from her nightmare, Scootaloo had been trying to figure out what she remembered, but it seemed like the entire ordeal was a blank in her mind. But how else would you explain the sudden change? Standing in the spotlight a few nights ago, she’d looked exactly as she had when she addressed her subjects in the Crystal Empire.

Applejack stopped by their table, and gave a tip of her hat. “Thought I’d come over and congratulate you properly, Sweetie Belle. Heard you put on a real show.”

Sweetie Belle grinned. “Thanks, Applejack!”

Applejack chuckled. “You girls are always runnin’ around the place tryin’ to get those cutie marks. Gonna be real quiet once y’all have ‘em.”

“That’s why we can’t stop now!” Apple Bloom said. “If Sweetie Belle’s got hers, then it’s only a matter of time ‘til me and Scootaloo get ours, too! We’re already makin’ plans for tomorrow.”

“That’s fine and all, but you might need to put the crusadin’ on hold for a little bit. Cider season’s just around the corner, and we need all the help we can get,” Applejack said. “But I’m sure there’ll be plenty of opportunities to find your cutie mark while you’re helpin’ me out on the farm.”

“I guess…” Apple Bloom sighed. “Sorry, girls.”

“No problem. We know how it is,” Scootaloo said.

“We’ll just have to work extra hard once cider season is over,” Sweetie Belle said. “I can’t wait!”

“Guess I’ll be on my way, then. You girls enjoy yourselves!” Applejack said.

As her sister trotted off to join the other partygoers, Apple Bloom shook her head. “I can’t believe I forgot it was cider season already. There’s a lot to get done before then.”

“Well, maybe Applejack was right,” Sweetie Belle said. “The rest of your family has apples for cutie marks. Maybe you just need to keep trying.”

“Maybe…” Apple Bloom muttered. She stared down at the table.

Scootaloo stood up. “I’m going to get some more punch,” she said. “Be right back.”

As she made her way through the crowded room, weaving between the clusters of ponies talking excitedly, dancing, or playing party games. She did a quick sidestep to ignore a blindfolded filly playing Pin the Tail on the Pony, and ran headfirst into Twilight.

“Sorry about that! Excuse me,” Twilight said, tucking her wings closer to her sides. “Have you seen Rarity anywhere? I wanted to talk to her.”

“Yeah, I think she was sitting over there.” Scootaloo pointed out a table near the punch bowl.

“Thanks!” Twilight turned and trotted away.

Scootaloo shrugged, and headed over to the punch bowl. As she filled up a glass, she couldn't help but overhear the conversation taking place right next to her.

“Hope I’m not too late, Rarity,” Twilight said. “I’ve just been really busy doing some research lately.”

“It’s quite alright. I think Sweetie Belle’s a little overwhelmed with all the attention, to be honest,” Rarity said. “She’s been absolutely overjoyed for the past few days, though. You know how she’s wanted her cutie mark for the longest time.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, Rarity…” Twilight’s voice dropped low. “Did you ever find out what was wrong with her last week?”

“I’m afraid we never did,” Rarity said, frowning. “Mother and Father took her to the doctor, and he said she was as healthy as ever.”

Twilight tapped her chin. “Strange. It’s just that I was doing some research to find out what it could have been. There was nothing in my books that seemed to match the symptoms, but then I found out that there have been similar cases reported all across Equestria just recently.”

Scootaloo’s ears perked up. She pushed her way into the table. “What do you mean?”

Twilight stared at her in surprise. “Scootaloo? Well, I guess you would be concerned about what happened to her, too.”

“Of course. I mean, it’s pretty weird.” She took a seat, trying to act natural. “But what did you find out?”

Twilight nodded. “To be honest, not much. There have been reports from Trottingham, Manehattan, even one in Fillydelphia. Every so often, foals about Sweetie Belle’s age just fall asleep and can’t be woken up for days. One colt from the Hollow Shades was asleep for a full week.”

“That sounds dreadful!” Rarity said. “So you’re saying this is the same thing that happened to Sweetie Belle?”

“I can’t say for sure,” Twilight said. “The one thing all these cases have in common is that there doesn’t seem to be any cause, and there are no lasting effects after the foals wake up. Obviously ponies don’t have much to work with if they want to study it.”

“Did you try asking Luna about it?” Scootaloo said.

“Luna?” Twilight tilted her head. “Well, it might be worth sending a letter to Canterlot to see what they know. I’ll have Spike get on it.”

“And you said it’s only affecting foals? Did any of them say anything after they woke up?”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think I—“

“Oh, please. There’s no reason for you girls to get so upset,” Rarity said. “The important thing is that Sweetie Belle is doing just fine now. More than fine, in fact. We should be celebrating her accomplishment.”

“Just be careful, Scootaloo,” Twilight said. “I’ll try to figure out what I can.”

“Sure,” Scootaloo said. “Thanks, Twilight.”

She made her way back across the room, and took her seat with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“There you are. What took you so long?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Just the crowds,” Scootaloo said. “Now, let's get back to planning our next move, Crusaders!”

Scootaloo zipped down the street, weaving between ponies, and pulling off awesome midair spins. Everything was going great. It had been a few days since she’d last seen Princess Luna, but what was that old saying? “No news is good news,” or something like that?

Today she was on her own. Apple Bloom had been going straight home every day after school to help out on the farm, and Sweetie Belle was spending the afternoon with Rarity at her shop. The weather was great for a ride anyway, so Scootaloo couldn’t complain.

The marketplace was open today. As she turned the corner, heading into the busy street, she spotted Rainbow Dash hanging out by one of the stalls.

“Hey, squirt, I’ve been looking all over for you!” Rainbow Dash said, waving.

Scootaloo made a sharp turn and skidded sideways to a halt. “Really? What’d you want?”

“I have something in mind. It’s a little different than our usual stuff,” Rainbow said. “You’ve got some time, right?”

“Oh, yeah!” Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically. “Plenty! What’re we doing today?”

Rainbow nodded her head in the direction of her cloud house. “Let’s head over to my place. There’s some stuff we need to pick up.”

Scootaloo’s mind was reeling at the possibilities. Maybe they’d go to Cloudsdale again, or maybe Rainbow Dash was working on a new stunt. It could be anything.

“See, I’ve been thinking. Ponies like you and me? We’re different from the rest of the crowd,” Rainbow said as she led the way. “We’re the kind of ponies who never finish last. It takes a lot of hard work, but we always come out on top.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah. I thought of everypony I know, but I need somepony I can trust to be my wingpony on this. And you won’t let me down, right?”

“N-No, of course not,” Scootaloo said.

Scootaloo was breathless. She followed Rainbow Dash down the street until they were out of town.

Rainbow Dash’s house was pretty much the coolest place ever—except for Cloudsdale itself, maybe. It tended to drift around, based on the wind, but today it was near the edge of Whitetail Woods. Scootaloo couldn’t reach the front door on her own, but she’d been inside a couple times before.

They stopped under the house’s shadow. The rainbow waterfalls flowed and evaporated above their heads. “I’ll head up and get what we need. Just a minute,” Rainbow said. She flew up to the door and disappeared inside.

For what seemed like ages, Scootaloo waited on the ground until finally Rainbow Dash poked her head out the front door.

“Here. Catch!” She tossed down a canvas bundle, and Scootaloo jumped to catch it in her front hooves. The weight of it nearly knocked her over.

She set it down on the grass to examine it more closely. She’d seen this before. “It’s a... tent?” She looked up at Rainbow Dash, who swooped down in front of her. “Are we going camping?”

“Something like that,” Rainbow said, with a smirk. “Follow me.”

Scootaloo slung the bag over her shoulder and hopped back on her scooter, following Rainbow Dash down the path. They circled around the edge of town, crossing the bridge over the river. Maybe they’d go to Whitetail Woods, or get on the train and go somewhere even farther away.

They stopped in front of Sweet Apple Acres. A wooden fence ran along the side of the path, closing off the edge of the orchard. Scootaloo stared up at the fruit hanging from the trees towering over her head.

“Here we are,” Rainbow Dash said. “And it looks like we’re right on time.”

“Is Applejack coming too?” Scootaloo said. “It’s kind of short notice for another camping trip. It’s not even the weekend yet.”

“Nope. Help me pitch the tent right here.” Rainbow Dash stepped over to the end of the fence and tapped the ground with one hoof.

“Uh… okay.”

With Rainbow Dash’s help, the stakes were in and the tent was pitched in just a few minutes.

Rainbow stepped back to survey their work. “Great work, kid,” she said. “Now, here’s the plan. We have to hold the fort until cider season opens. Nopony’s getting in front of me this year.”

Scootaloo frowned. “But… cider season isn’t for another three days. At least, that’s what Apple Bloom said at school today.”

“Ponies get ruthless around this time of year. You can’t let your guard down. Ever,” Rainbow Dash said, jabbing a hoof towards Scootaloo’s chest. “At least one of us needs to be on duty at all times. Are you up for this?”

“S-Sure,” Scootaloo said. “You can count on me.”

“Great!” Rainbow Dash gave her a playful punch on the shoulder. “I was planning to take the first shift, but then the weather ponies called me in for tonight. And if I waited ‘til tomorrow, I just know somepony’s going to beat me to the punch. Or cider. Anyways, you’re really helping me out here.”

Scootaloo blinked at her. “You’re leaving?”

“I’ll be back tomorrow. You’ll have to take the first shift until then,” Rainbow said.

She took off into the sky, leaving a trail of color behind her. Scootaloo watched as she vanished into the distance, then turned and stared at the tent. Well, she couldn’t let her sister down.

The sun was just starting to set as she headed inside the tent. She unrolled one of the two sleeping bags and slipped inside. She stared at the wall for a while, remembering all the hours she’d spent this summer lying awake in here. She yawned. She had a feeling that wouldn’t happen this time.

The air was getting chilly. She could hear the branches outside creak and rustle in the breeze. The wind ruffled the walls of the tent, but the cold wasn’t too bad as long as the entrance was closed up. Scootaloo dug herself deeper into her sleeping bag, and closed her eyes.

Everything went silent.

Once again, she woke up in the forest.

Scootaloo picked herself up off the ground and looked around, blinking in the dim blue light. It wasn’t exactly surprising that she’d ended up here. In a way, she’d expected it. She caught a glimpse of movement beyond the trees—a flicker of Luna’s mane shining in the dark.

She took a deep breath. Last time had gone well. There was nothing to worry about.

She trotted over to her. “Hey, Luna. So I’m guessing you’ve got another job for me?”

Luna turned around. “Ah, Scootaloo. You are correct. The nightmares continue to spread, and I’m afraid I am no closer to discerning the source.”

“It’ll be no problem at all,” Scootaloo said. “I can handle whatever this thing throws at me.”

“I admire your confidence, but do not allow yourself to grow careless,” Luna said. She gave a small smile. “Though you have exceeded my expectations already.”

“Yeah! Sweetie Belle’s dream wasn’t too bad. And she even got her cutie mark,” Scootaloo said. She paused. “Did you know that was going to happen?”

“It was an unexpected result,” Luna said. “You were meant only to free her from the nightmare, yet you were able to reach something much deeper inside of her. The strength of your friendship allowed you to do something that even I could not.”

“About that…” Scootaloo said. “Twilight told me that there’s been foals falling asleep all over Equestria, just like what happened to Sweetie Belle. That’s because of this, isn’t it? And you’ve been helping them get better.”

Luna nodded. “This went on for some time before I asked you to help me. I have done all I could, but it was not enough.”

“Twilight didn’t know anything about it, though. She doesn’t even know you’ve been helping them.”

“Twilight Sparkle has done much to protect Equestria, but this is not her task to complete. I chose you, and you have proven your ability.” Luna lifted her head, gazing beyond the tangled branches of the trees. “Our unknown enemy is gaining in power, even as we work against it. There is no telling what you may find in tonight’s dream.” She looked down at Scootaloo. “Though you will not be alone this time.

“You mean you’re coming with me?”

Luna shook her head. “I must attend to other matters. You will be joined by another... Though it seems she is not yet asleep.” She glanced down at Scootaloo. “You are here earlier than usual.”

“Uh, yeah,” Scootaloo said. There hadn’t been much else to do while she was camping out, so it was probably about an hour or two before her usual bedtime right now. “It’s been a weird day.”

“It will not be a problem. I trust you will help guide her once she arrives,” Luna said. Her voice seemed to echo and grow distant.

The light around them faded away. Scootaloo heard muffled voices, wheels clattering down a brick road, the far-away sound of uptempo music. She couldn’t see anything.

It was dark.

As her eyes adjusted, she found that she was in an alley somewhere, a narrow space between two brick walls. Some trash was piled up a few steps away. In the other direction, she could see some light, and the shapes of ponies walking back and forth along the sidewalk.

Scootaloo emerged from the alley, and found herself in a busy city street. There was plenty of light from the lampposts and the windows. The buildings around her were all at least five stories tall. Above them, the sky was a grimy brown haze of clouds.

The ponies around here didn’t seem to notice her at all. Carriages rolled past, bumping along down the cobblestone street.

The first question was where to get started. No matter which way she turned, no landmarks really stuck out to her. The streets ran on farther than she could see, and the buildings all looked the same. And Luna had said something about meeting somepony else, somepony who would help her.

Ponies were hurriedly pushing their way past her, trotting quickly in all directions without saying a word to her. Mostly gloomy-faced earth ponies, but there were a few unicorns in fancy clothes, too, like you might see in Canterlot.

A stallion bumped into her shoulder, hard. “Hey, watch where you’re going!” Scootaloo yelled, but as she turned around she noticed he didn’t even look back.

“Scootaloo? Is that you?” A squeaky voice came from somewhere in the crowd. Scootaloo spun around, trying to find it, when Sweetie Belle pushed her way through the unending tide of ponies.

“What are you doing here?” Scootaloo squinted at her. “Wait, are you… real?”

It was odd to see her in a dream again. Sweetie Belle looked the same as she did in the real world, although a little bit confused. There was no fancy dress or tiara this time, and her cutie mark was instantly noticeable on her flank.

“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle stared up at the tops of the buildings, and the dark, cloudy sky. “What is this place? How’d we get here?”

“I think I get it… Princess Luna said I’d be meeting someone who could help me. Did she send you here, too?”

Sweetie Belle cocked her head. “Princess Luna? What are you talking about? I don’t even know how I got here. Or where ‘here’ is.”

“It’s... a long story. Come on, we need to look around,” Scootaloo said. She looked around, then dashed off down the street, weaving through the crowd. “Luna has been pretty busy. I guess she wants me to fill you in. For starters, this is a dream right now.”

“Ooh…” Sweetie Belle said, nodding. “I guess that’s why what you’re saying doesn’t make any sense.”

“But it’s not either of our dreams. It’s somepony else’s, and we need to find out who.” Scootaloo slowed down so that Sweetie Belle could catch up. “It’s not hard. I’ve already done this once before.”

“You’re still not making sense.”

Scootaloo stopped and turned around. “You really don’t remember anything, do you?”

“Remember what?”

“The only other time I did this, it was your dream. You were a princess in the Crystal Empire. I helped you give a speech to your subjects. Ring any bells?”

“I was a princess and I missed all of it?” Sweetie Belle’s jaw dropped open.

“I guess not…” Scootaloo sighed. “Come on. I’ll tell you about it on the way, but we should keep looking around.”

Scootaloo told her the entire story, tea party and all, as they made their way through the city. Sweetie Belle listened attentively, occasionally coming up with a question, but remaining silent for the most part. As they went on, she seemed to relax. As much as anypony could relax in such a weird place.

They followed the street as far as it would take them. The city seemed like an endless grid of identical buildings. They could have been going in circles.

“And the next morning was when you signed up for the talent show,” Scootaloo finished.

Sweetie Belle glanced back at her flank. “So if it wasn’t for you…”

“You probably wouldn’t have gotten your cutie mark,” Scootaloo said. “Or woken up at all.”

Sweetie Belle was silent for a moment. “So, uh... What are we supposed to be looking for?”

“The pony who’s having this dream. If we can even find them,” Scootaloo said. “I didn’t have any trouble finding you in your dream.”

This dream really wasn’t like the last one. The atmosphere felt heavy, somehow. The clouds in the sky seemed to hang low, threatening to smother them at any moment. Scootaloo was starting to feel glad to have Sweetie Belle with her this time.

“It feels like we’ve been walking for hours,” Sweetie Belle said. “How are we supposed to know if this is the right way?”

“We... don’t,” Scootaloo said. They stopped at an intersection, waiting for a chance to cross the street. She watched the ponies on the opposite corner. “Just keep an eye open for anypony who looks different. Maybe somepony we know from school. We’ll probably know who it is when we see them.”

“Face it. We’re lost.”

Scootaloo ignored her, and led the way across the street. The ponies sitting in the carriage seemed impatient with them, and started moving the second they were out of the way.

They passed by a store window, and Sweetie Belle stopped to check out the clothing in the darkened display. “It’s like they have stores for everything here,” she said. “It’s almost like a real city. But it’s not, is it?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “It’s like last time. I can tell something’s not right, but it’s hard to say what it is.”

It was getting quiet out here. She noticed the crowds had died down, and not as many of the buildings had their lights on.

“Maybe we should turn around,” Sweetie Belle said. “I bet there’s a lot of places we haven’t even seen yet.”

“No, I think something’s up there,” Scootaloo said. She started running ahead. “Just a hunch.”

The buildings in this part of the city were unfinished. A crane sat abandoned in the street beyond some roadblocks, and everything was covered in a newly-settled layer of dust.

“Well, there’s something different,” Scootaloo said. “Come on. Let’s check it out.”

As she slipped past the barrier, Sweetie Belle hung back. “Are you sure we’re allowed to go in there?”

“It’s a dream, remember? It doesn’t matter.”

Sweetie Belle took a nervous glance around, but there were no workers on duty, and only a few ponies walking around this part of the city. She quickly ducked under one of the roadblocks and trotted over to catch up with Scootaloo.

The pavement ended shortly after entering the construction site. Some of the buildings near the barrier were nearly finished, but others were still only steel support beams. Soon enough this would be just another part of the city, completely indistinguishable from the rest.

At the far end of the street, a mountain of dirt marked the edge of the construction zone. The dark clouds of smoke in the sky seemed to thin out beyond it.

“Is that the end?” Sweetie Belle said. “I thought this place would go on forever.”

“Let's look around. Maybe we’ll find something.” Scootaloo wandered over to one of the lots, passing beneath the scaffolding and staring up into the skeletal rafters marking out the outline of a new skyscraper.

This place didn’t go on forever, but it was still expanding. It was hard to say just how big it already was. And they had to find just a single pony, somewhere in there, imagining all of this. If they just had a single clue...

“Scootaloo, come over here!” Sweetie Belle suddenly called out from somewhere.

“What? Did you find something?” Scootaloo said. She hurried over to where the sound of her voice was coming from.

Sweetie Belle stood at the top of the ridge, staring out at whatever lay beyond it. Her hooves were rooted to the spot, and she didn’t move.

Scootaloo climbed the hillside to see whatever Sweetie Belle was staring so intently at. When she finally got high enough to see, she understood why.

Beyond them were endless rolling hills. There were apple trees far in the distance, and a few still standing in the fields closest to them, but for the most part there was nothing left but stumps. They littered the fields like tombstones.

“It looks like Sweet Apple Acres,” Sweetie Belle said quietly. She looked over at Scootaloo. “But it can’t be, right? It’s nowhere near a city in real life.”

“I don’t think that matters,” Scootaloo said.

It could have been just any apple orchard, but somehow Scootaloo could tell this was Sweet Apple Acres. Or, at any rate, it had been.

A voice broke the silence. “What in tarnation?”

Scootaloo picked her head up at the sound of the voice, blinking, as she regained her bearings in the real world. The floor of the tent was slightly damp with early morning dew. The entrance was open, and Applejack stood there staring at her.

“Oh, uh… Morning, Applejack!” Scootaloo said, yawning.

“Now just what’re ya doin’ out here? Did Rainbow put ya up to this?”

Rainbow. That was right. It seemed like so long ago.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo nodded. “She wanted to make sure she was first in line for cider this year, so I’m holding her place. She said one of us needs to be here at all times.”

“Now, of all the selfish—” Applejack shook her head. “I’m gonna have to find Rainbow and have a little talk with ‘er. I wanted to think she’d be a good sister to ya, but I just knew she’d pull somethin’ like this… Listen, you need to get to school, y’hear?”

“But… Rainbow’s not back yet,” Scootaloo said.

Applejack sighed. “I’ll keep an eye on the tent for ya. Doubt anypony else is crazy enough to line up this early,” she said. “Least, I hope not.”

Scootaloo pulled herself out of the sleeping bag, stretching her stiff wings, and stepped outside of the tent. She noticed the apple orchard beyond the fence, still standing, not a single tree out of place. She shook her head, and found where she had left her scooter.

“Wait a minute.” She turned back to Applejack. “Where’s Apple Bloom? Isn’t she coming to school?”

“Uh…” Applejack scratched the back of her head. “Maybe I’ve been pushin’ her too hard. We’ve been so busy with cider season comin’ up, and she just looked exhausted. I was thinkin’ I’d give her a day off.”

“Really?” Scootaloo was starting to put things together. “Well, uh... Hope she feels better. See you later, Applejack.”

With one more glance back at the apple orchard, she revved up her wings and headed down the path to school.

Gridlock

As the bell rang, Scootaloo trotted down the front steps of the schoolhouse into the clear, sunny afternoon. It was the complete opposite of the bleak atmosphere of the dream last night. The sky seemed so open, the colors looked brighter than before.

Just thinking about those grimy brown clouds hanging low over the rooftops made her dread going back in, but she knew she had to.

The crowd of students thinned out as they all went their separate ways, and Scootaloo caught sight of Sweetie Belle. They hadn’t talked much during class or recess. It was almost like Sweetie Belle was avoiding her.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo waved.

“Oh. Uh, hey.” Sweetie Belle’s eyes darted around.

Scootaloo waited until nopony was close enough to hear. She hesitated. Some part of her still expected that Sweetie Belle wouldn’t remember, but she had to try. “So, uh… About that dream last night…”

Sweetie Belle’s jaw dropped. “You mean that was real?”

“Well, yeah,” Scootaloo said. “What’d you think it was?”

“I thought… I dunno, that it was just a dream.” Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “But it was. But it still felt so real. Even though nothing made sense. It’s just… What was that?”

“I told you. Luna’s been sending me into other ponies’ dreams,” Scootaloo said. “Anyways, I thought we should probably come up a plan before we go back in tonight.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You mean we have to go back in there?” Sweetie Belle shuddered. “I really didn’t like it there. I can’t say what it was, but…”

“I know. I noticed it too,” Scootaloo said. “But Luna seemed to think you would be able to help me. And we have to do this. I found out whose dream it was.”

“Was that what happened after you disappeared?”

“Huh?” Scootaloo blinked. “Oh, right. Applejack woke me up.”

“Oh.” Sweetie Belle paused. “Wait, why were you with Applejack?”

“Never mind that. But I realized something.” Scootaloo glanced around to make sure they were alone, then lowered her voice. “You noticed how Apple Bloom didn’t show up to school today, right? Applejack told me she was just tired from all the work on the farm, but what if this is the same thing that happened to you? When you were asleep all that time?”

“You mean that was Apple Bloom’s dream?” Sweetie Belle sighed. “I still don’t get how this all works. Why didn’t we see her in there, then?”

“It was a big city,” Scootaloo said. “With your dream, there weren’t that many places to look around. But if we want to find Apple Bloom, we should come up with some kind of a plan.”

They headed over to the deserted playground. The empty swings swayed in the gentle breeze. It felt lonely after the end of the day, but they wouldn’t be overheard here. Scootaloo took a seat on a picnic table, but Sweetie Belle just paced back and forth restlessly.

“First off, I think we should try to go to sleep at the same time. It’ll be easier to meet up that way,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s say… tonight at sundown?”

“That seems a little early.”

“We need all the time we can get.”

“But… what exactly are we trying to do?”

“We need to focus on finding Apple Bloom and talking to her. That’s the best way to find out what she’s afraid of,” Scootaloo said. “But I can’t think of any reason she’d be having nightmares like that.”

“You said that my nightmare was because of the talent show.” Sweetie Belle glanced at her cutie mark. “I was nervous about that for weeks. I thought for sure you or Apple Bloom would try to sign us all up.”

Scootaloo leaned over the table, thinking. “Apple Bloom has been pretty busy because of cider season, but she’s helped out with that tons of times. I don’t think she’d be nervous about that.”

“Yeah. She usually has a lot of fun helping Applejack out with chores.” Sweetie Belle stopped. “Wait. Remember what happened last year?”

Scootaloo glanced up. “You mean when the Flim Flam brothers came to town?”

“Uh-huh!” Sweetie Belle nodded excitedly. “When they showed up, they nearly ran the farm out of business. And if that’d happened, Apple Bloom would have had to move away. Maybe she’s worried something like that will happen again.”

“It would explain why we saw that apple orchard getting cut down,” Scootaloo said.

“We just need to convince her that there’s nothing to worry about,” Sweetie Belle said. “Maybe this will actually be easy.”

“Yeah. If anything, cider season has been getting busier every year…” Scootaloo said. “That’s why Rainbow Dash has us camping out in line already.”

“Wait. Really?” Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose. “It’s still a few days away. You’re actually staying that long?”

“I don’t really mind.” Scootaloo gave a shrug. “Rainbow Dash said she wasn’t sure when the other ponies would show up. There might even be a line when I get back.”

“It just seems like a long time to wait for cider.”

“It's not too bad. And I get to hang out with Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said. “Probably. I'm not sure if she's done with her weather duties yet. I should probably head back.”

They trotted back to the front of the school together. Scootaloo hopped on her scooter and revved her wings up. “So remember. We’re meeting tonight at sundown.”

“Where?” Sweetie Belle said. “Wait. Nevermind.”

“Just try to get to sleep as early as possible.”

“Yeah… See you then.”

Scootaloo rolled down the path next to the picket fence, staring off into the seemingly endless orchard beyond.

Big McIntosh silently pulled a cartload of apples through the orchard towards the barn. A portion of the trees had been bucked, but most still had apples hanging from the branches.

She reached the end of the fence. The tent was still the only one there. She pulled back to brake, then hopped off her scooter and leaned it against the railing. Then she trotted over to the entrance and pulled it open.

Rainbow Dash was flat on her back on her sleeping bag, staring up at a book she held open above her face. She glanced up once Scootaloo came in. “Hey, squirt! Back from school already?”

Scootaloo looked at her in surprise. “I didn’t realize you’d be coming back here.”

“Well, of course. This was my idea,” Rainbow said. She set the book down, and stretched her front legs. “I told you I just had work to do yesterday.”

“Right.” Scootaloo settled in on top of her own sleeping bag.

“I’ve got this place under control, so you can take the evening off if you want. Just make sure you’re back by the time the cider’s out.”

“No, I’d rather just hang out with you,” Scootaloo said.

“That’s cool,” Rainbow Dash said. “Better make yourself comfortable. We’ll be here for a while.” She rolled over, trying to find a comfortable position, then gave up. “Hey, did I ever tell you that story about when I did a sonic rainboom and saved Rarity’s life at the Best Young Fliers competition?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. About three times.”

“Oh. Right.”

“But I wouldn’t mind hearing it again!”

“Alright then.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “So there we were. Last act of the competition. Princess Celestia and the Wonderbolts were there watching our every move…”

Scootaloo lifted the flap of the tent to peek outside. The apple fields were painted orange in the rays of the setting sun. She turned to head back inside.

“So what’s next? We could play a game or something,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I was thinking I would hit the sack,” Scootaloo said. “I need to… uh, keep my strength up. So I don’t let my guard down while we’re defending our position.”

“Yeah, I guess so. You don’t mind if I keep the lantern on, right? I’m not real tired yet.”

“That’s okay.”

Scootaloo pulled her sleeping bag up and squeezed her eyes shut. It was hard to relax when she knew the real hard work was still waiting for her.

She heard Rainbow Dash let out a sigh next to her, and the flap of a page turning.

Another page turned. And another.

The sound grew distant until she couldn’t hear it at all. When she opened her eyes, she was not at all surprised to find herself in Luna’s forest again. The deep blue light surrounded her, and nothing moved.

At the moment, she was alone. She wandered through the trees, looking all around her. Normally this place had an oddly calming effect on her. The thought of going back into the city was making her feel restless, and she couldn’t just sit still.

“Scootaloo? Where are we?” Sweetie Belle was suddenly behind her. She was creeping around cautiously, trying to avoid touching any of the trees. “I thought you said we’d end up in the same dream as last time.”

“I assure you that you will.” Luna emerged from the shadows. She walked at a slow pace, wings outstretched. “But first I would like to speak with you.”

“P-Princess Luna?” Sweetie Belle stared up at her in awe.

“I apologize that I was not able to meet with you last night, Sweetie Belle,” Luna said, folding her wings at her sides.

Sweetie Belle was frozen to the spot.

Luna frowned, then turned to Scootaloo. “Tell me, how did you fare?”

“We didn’t make much progress. We couldn’t find Apple Bloom anywhere, but I’m sure that this is her dream,” Scootaloo said. “Applejack said she was asleep, like Sweetie Belle was. But… she has to show up in her own dream, right? She’s in there somewhere, isn’t she?”

Luna nodded. “She has constructed the landscape around her according to her thoughts and fears. All that you see has some kind of significance to her, even if it is not readily apparent. But I will tell you this: if you seek her out, you will find her. Perhaps you should try to find some place that has particular importance to her.”

“Sounds like we should look around the apple orchard some more,” Scootaloo said. She looked over to Sweetie Belle. “Right?”

“Uh-huh,” Sweetie Belle muttered, nodding slowly. She still couldn’t take her eyes off Luna.

“I wish both of you the best of luck, but I must leave now,” Luna said. “Be on your guard. The longer your friend is under the nightmare’s influence, the harder it shall be to bring her back.”

Her voice seemed to fade as the forest around them vanished. The slender, crooked trees were being replaced with rigid, angular walls and the soft terrain beneath their hooves became worn-down brick.

The city was still in constant motion, and not a single pony on the street seemed to notice when Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo appeared in the middle of the bustling sidewalk. They continued on their way without a second glance toward the two fillies.

“Well, we’re back,” Scootaloo said, taking a look around.

The city was just as bustling as it had been last night. It was hard to believe that this was all Apple Bloom’s imagination. The skyscrapers loomed over them, and the dark clouds seemed to be low enough to touch the flat roofs.

“That was Princess Luna.” Sweetie Belle seemed to be in shock. “You weren’t kidding. You’re really working with the Princess.”

“She said she chose me. I don’t really know why.” Scootaloo shrugged. She looked around, trying to identify something familiar, to determine which way to go, but it was impossible to tell one building from another in this place.

“Yeah, but… you?” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, she’s a princess, and we’re both just regular fillies. This place seems dangerous.”

“Just remember. We’re here for Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said. “Somepony needs to help her out of this place, and who better than us? We’re her best friends.”

“Y-yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. She stared up at the buildings, and bit her lip. “So she’s been stuck here the whole time? She’ll probably be glad to see us.”

They passed under a streetlamp that glowed a dull orange. Everything looked especially colorless under the light. Nothing but muted browns and greys.

“Let’s just get started,” Sweetie Belle said. “Then we can get out of here.”

Scootaloo looked around, trying to recognize something, anything from last night. There weren’t even street names on the corner. “I still say we should head back to that construction site. Wouldn’t it make sense for Apple Bloom to be near Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Or what’s left of it.”

“Yeah.” Scootaloo gave a nervous smile. “Maybe we can do something about that.”

“I just hope we don’t have to walk all the way there this time,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo nodded. She watched the carriages rumbling down the street, and an idea struck her. She trotted over to the curb, watching the traffic, then her hoof shot up. “Hey! Cab!”

A yellow carriage rolled up to her and stopped. The stallion pulling it looked Scootaloo over, his expression unreadable. “Where ya headin’?”

“Uh…” Scootaloo wasn’t sure what to tell him. “Isn’t there an apple orchard around here somewhere?”

The stallion laughed at her. “Ya mean the one they’re tearin’ down? Sure, I know the one.”

“Yeah. Just take us there,” Scootaloo said.

“Just the two of ya, huh? Climb in back.”

Scootaloo exchanged a glance with Sweetie Belle, then stepped up into the back of the cab. The cushioned seat was ratty and torn, and there were unidentifiable stains on the fabric, but it beat spending another whole night walking. The two of them settled in as the carriage began to move.

“Good thinking,” Sweetie Belle said, leaning back against the seat with a sigh. “Now we probably won’t get lost.”

“Yeah. It’s not really what you’d expect in a special royal mission, huh?” Scootaloo said. “I doubt Rainbow Dash or Rarity have ever done something like this for Celestia.”

“I still can’t believe it. That was really Princess Luna.”

“Hasn’t she ever come into your dreams before?” Scootaloo said. “I thought she did that all the time.”

“Not that I remember.”

Scootaloo hesitated. “The first time I ever saw Luna in one of my dreams was on that camping trip. The one we all took together to Winsome Falls.”

Sweetie Belle looked at her in surprise. “How come you never said anything about it then?”

“Well, uh…” Scootaloo scratched the back of her head. “It’s because… I was having nightmares after those stories Rainbow Dash told us. Luna helped me to get out of them. It wasn’t anything like this. They were just normal nightmares. I was just scared.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle said. “I know those stories were scary, but I didn’t think you got scared of anything. Like, ever.”

“You actually think that?” Scootaloo said.

“Well, sure.” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “You actually volunteered to sing in the talent show the first time. Not to mention all the crazy stunts you come up with.”

“That stuff’s not too bad, I guess. But I was nervous about spending time with Rainbow Dash. I mean, she’s just so cool, and I still can’t even fly.” Scootaloo sighed. “If it wasn’t for Luna, I never would have been able to ask her to be my big sister.”

“Huh. You never did say what happened that night,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo laughed nervously. “I promised Rainbow Dash I wouldn’t.”

“At least everything’s okay now,” Sweetie Belle said. “And you must’ve done something to impress Luna.”

“Maybe…”

Sweetie Belle stared out the window as the city passed them by. “Hey, look at that!” she said suddenly.

Scootaloo leaned over to get a closer look. A huge green statue was outside, a pony in a long gown holding up a torch in one hoof. She had to get down low to see the top of the pointed crown around its head.

“I’ve seen that before!” Sweetie Belle said. “There was a picture of it in one of the letters from Babs. Apple Bloom showed it to me once.”

“Do you think this is supposed to be Manehattan, then?” Scootaloo said.

“It kind of looks like the pictures,” Sweetie Belle said. “Apple Bloom’s always talked about Manehattan ever since Babs came to visit, but it’s about as far from Ponyville as you can get.”

“That’s for sure.”

There was a panel at the front of the carriage, with a slowly increasing number. Sweetie Belle’s eyes followed it as it slowly changed from forty-eight to forty-nine, turning along with the wheels of the carraige.

“Hey, uh, Scootaloo?” she said.

“What?”

“I’ve never really been to a city like this before, but don’t you have to pay for taxis?”

Scootaloo stared at the meter as the last digit steadily rolled up. “Oh.”

“I don’t have any bits,” Sweetie Belle whispered, glancing at the driver to make sure he didn’t hear. “What about you?”

Scootaloo shook her head.

The pony pulling the cab called back over his shoulder. “Almost to your stop, kids.”

Frantically, Scootaloo tried to think of something. Neither of them had any money. The meter was up to fifty-one now, not that it even mattered if it went up any higher. If they weren’t able to pay, they’d get in some kind of trouble, and they might never find Apple Bloom…

“We need to get out of here. Do you think you’d be able to teleport us out?”

Sweetie Belle stared at her. “You know I can’t do magic.”

“You have to try.”

The carriage pulled to a sudden halt, throwing them both forward. Scootaloo picked herself up, and looked out the front window.

“It’s your stop, kids. That’ll be fifty-three bits.”

Scootaloo forced a smile. “Just a minute!” She turned back to Sweetie Belle, and lowered her voice. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t do this when you’re awake. You can do it now.”

“I don’t know…”

The stallion narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know how they do things back where you’s from, but here in Manehattan we don’t give out free rides.”

“Sweetie Belle, we need to do something. Fast.”

A few green sparks flickered at the end of her horn. Sweetie Belle gritted her teeth. “I’m… trying…”

The stallion had unhitched himself from the carriage and was coming over to the door. “Don’t try anything funny, kids.”

“Now, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo said.

“I don’t think I can—“

“Now!”

There was a flash, and Scootaloo felt her head spinning. Her legs felt like jelly, and she struggled to keep her balance. Her vision slowly came back into focus.

“Did… I do that?” Sweetie Belle said. She was standing a few steps away, rubbing her forehead with one hoof.

They were standing on the sidewalk. It was impossible to tell where, but they were out of the cab. That was all that mattered.

“I’ve never done magic before.” Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her forehead. “I just teleported both of us. How did I do that?”

“Things like that can happen in dreams,” Scootaloo said. “Any idea where you took us?”

“I don’t think it’s too far away.”

As they wandered down the sidewalk, Scootaloo kept one eye on every carriage that passed by. There were a few yellow cabs, but none of the drivers paid them any notice.

“I’m pretty sure what we did was illegal,” Sweetie Belle said.

“You need to stop worrying about things like that,” Scootaloo said. “Come on. I think we’re almost there. Apple Bloom has to be nearby.”

It wasn’t long before they started to hear the sounds of carriage wheels and voices begin to be drowned out. Even before they reached the construction site, it was easy to tell it wasn’t deserted tonight. The sounds of power tools and voices grew until they were almost deafening.

The thin silhouettes of steel support beams rose up into the sky and vanished into the dark haze, and the long arm of the crane was hoisting another long beam up to the top level of one structure. On the ground, stacks of bricks and lumber were piled up around the foundations.

A bulky stallion in an orange vest pushed his way past them as they came up to the chain-link fence. He looked around, and finally spotted a smaller figure. Despite the official-looking black business suit, the pony couldn’t have been much bigger than Scootaloo was.

“We’ve just started clearing the land on the south end. Everything’s going right on schedule,” the worker said.

“That’s what I like to hear.” The voice was somehow familiar, but there was a thick Manehattan accent to it. “Are the others back from their break yet? They’ve been slacking off lately.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged a glance. It was hard to tell, even as they edged closer, but the filly’s mane and coat were the right colors. Her hair was slicked back, though, and she didn’t wear a bow.

Frowning, Sweetie Belle approached her. “Apple Bloom?”

She turned around at the sound of her voice. It did look like Apple Bloom, but at the same time it was like a different pony completely. Something about her seemed older. She gave them a sly grin. “Well, look who we have here. Finally got yaselves outta the sticks and came out to the big city, huh?”

Sweetie Belle frowned, and shook her head. “Not really. This is just—”

Scootaloo put a hoof over her mouth. “She doesn’t know it’s a dream. Just play along,” she whispered.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Apple Bloom said, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope! Everything’s fine!” Scootaloo said. “So, uh… What are you doing out here, anyway?”

“You’re lookin’ at the future of Manehattan!” Apple Bloom said, gesturing to the unfinished structures behind her. “We’re building bigger and taller than anypony’s ever even seen before.”

“You mean… you work here?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Sure do! Bet you girls were overwhelmed when you first got here,” Apple Bloom said. “Still livin’ in little old Ponyville, huh?”

“Yeah. We’re just out here for a visit,” Scootaloo said.

“I’d rather be back in Ponyville than here…” Sweetie Belle muttered.

“Oh, really? Stuck in the same place every day, never gettin’ to see anypony new? Really sounds great.” Apple Bloom smirked. “Once you get used to the city life, you’ll never want to go back. This place is changin’ every day. I never want to go back.”

“But what about the apple orchard back there?” Scootaloo cut in. “We were here earlier, and we just noticed...”

“What, that old place? Once we get those old apple trees outta the way, there’ll be room for even more. Apartments, shops, restaurants.”

Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “You mean… you’re the one tearing down the apple trees?”

“Listen, Scoots. That’s all wasted space. There’s ponies movin’ in who need a place to live, and there just isn’t enough room here for all of ‘em,” Apple Bloom said. “Who’s really goin’ to miss a few apple trees, anyway?”

“Ponies still need to eat something...” Scootaloo muttered.

“Apple Bloom, we just came here to help you,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Oh, really? Help me with what?” Apple Bloom said. “Well, I guess you do know best. You’re the first to get your cutie mark, so that makes you the boss now, huh?”

Sweetie Belle shrank back. “I… didn’t say that…”

The streetlamps began to flicker. Apple Bloom’s eyes narrowed. “I knew I couldn’t get you two to understand what real progress is.”

“That’s not what this is about. That’s your home,” Scootaloo said.

“You think I’m just gonna stay on some boring old farm for my whole life?” Apple Bloom said. “No way.”

There was the deep rumble of metal against metal from somewhere.

“Please, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “We’re not trying to—”

Before she could finish, one of the beams from the skyscraper above them crashed to the ground, sending up a thick cloud of dust. Sweetie Belle shrieked.

Scootaloo hadn’t even noticed that she had taken off and was hovering above the ground. She looked around, but she could hardly see anything in the dust.

Apple Bloom’s voice came from somewhere. “Now just look what you’ve done.”

“Scootaloo, look out!” Sweetie Belle’s voice came from somewhere, just in time for Scootaloo to glance up and see another hunk of metal hurtling towards her. She dove out of the way just in time as it crashed into the ground, cracking the pavement.

“Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo’s head turned frantically, but everything had gone dark.

“Huh? What’re you…” She heard Rainbow Dash mumble something groggily from next to her. She was awake again, but her heart was still pounding.

“Oh. Uh…” Scootaloo forced a smile. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Were you having another nightmare? I thought you said you were over that,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I-I told you. I’m fine.” It was hard to hide the tremble in her voice.

The faint glow of the morning sun was shining through the thin walls of the tent. It was peaceful now, even if she’d just nearly been crushed by several tons of pure metal. But that wasn’t what was making her shiver even after she was awake.

There had been something in Apple Bloom’s eyes. Some sort of coldness, like she really didn’t care what happened to Sweet Apple Acres, or to her friends. She didn’t care about anything.

Cider Season

There was a bite of cold in the air as Scootaloo stepped out of the tent, an early taste of fall. She took a pause just to breathe in the crisp air before getting on her scooter.

The weather wasn’t the only thing that had changed overnight.

A line of tents had started to form next to their own. Scootaloo could count maybe five or six at the moment. The one right next to theirs was a garish pink against the grey of early morning. As Scootaloo got ready to head off to school, a head popped out of the entrance.

“Well, good morning, Scootaloo!” Pinkie Pie said. She hopped out of the tent. “You and Rainbow Dash sure had the right idea! You got here super-duper early this year!”

“Hey, Pinkie Pie,” Scootaloo said. She yawned. It seemed impossible to have that much energy so early in the morning, whether or not you’d had a dream like the one she’d just woken up from. “When did you get here?”

“I got here last night! Gee, I thought I was early, but how long have you been here?” Pinkie said. “Rainbow Dash is seriously serious about her cider this season.”

“Yeah.” Scootaloo nodded as she fastened her helmet.

“I totally never expected to see her here already, but then I showed up and there she was! I wanted to say hi to you, too, but you were sleeping like a log, even though logs don’t really sleep. So I guess you weren’t sleeping like a log at all! But me, I’ve been way too excited to get any sleep, so I was up all night! Can you believe cider season starts tomorrow?”

Scootaloo leaned forward on her handlebars. “I’ve really gotta get to school, Pinkie. I’ll see you later, though.”

“Okey-dokey!” Pinkie said. “Tomorrow’s gonna be so much fun!”

Before she could start talking again, Scootaloo got her wings moving and raced past the line of tents down the path.

Scootaloo pulled up to the school earlier than usual. The other students were still just starting to trickle in, and she paused outside the door as she scanned the scattered clusters.

She hadn’t been waiting long before Sweetie Belle came sprinting up the path, looking around frantically until her eyes met Scootaloo’s.

“Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo said.

“You’re okay?” Sweetie Belle said. She let out a sigh of relief. “I wasn’t sure what happened back there.”

“Me neither. But the important thing is that we found Apple Bloom. At least we know what she’s doing now.“

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “That wasn’t Apple Bloom.”

“She wasn’t exactly herself, but—“

“She tried to kill us!” Sweetie Belle said, her voice cracking.

“Not so loud!” Scootaloo said, raising a hoof to shush her. A few of their classmates had turned their heads, but then went back to their own excited chatter.

Sweetie Belle let out a deep breath, and composed herself. “But she was saying that she wanted to tear down the farm, and… you saw the way she looked at my cutie mark, didn’t you?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “No, I guess I was a little distracted. There was a lot going on.”

“I tried to tell her it didn’t matter that I was the first one…” Sweetie Belle brought her tail close to her side, covering up the small musical note on her flank. “I still want to help her find her own cutie mark. I want to help you, too. And I’m not trying to boss you guys around or anything.”

“I know that,” Scootaloo said. “And Apple Bloom probably does, too.”

“Princess Luna told us that there’s something else that’s making ponies have all these nightmares,” Sweetie Belle said. “What if it’s making her say things like that? Trying to keep us away from her?”

“Maybe. You weren’t exactly what I’d call ‘normal’ in your own dream.”

“This is different!” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, I never did anything like that, did I?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “But all I’m saying is that we just need to help Apple Bloom see straight. We’re the only ones who can get her out of there. Besides, the Cutie Mark Crusaders always look out for each other, right?” Scootaloo gave a weak smile, and held out her hoof.

Sweetie Belle hesitated, then put her own hoof on top of Scootaloo’s. “You’re right.”

The school bell rang, and both of them jumped. They hadn’t noticed that all of the other students had cleared out of the front yard, leaving them alone.

“Come on. Let’s get inside,” Scootaloo said. “We’ll figure this out after class.”

Another day of school came and went. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo headed into town, occasionally discussing some plans for the night, but mostly lost in their own thoughts. There was nothing that could be done while the sun was still shining.

“Well, at least it’s the weekend,” Scootaloo said, putting forth a quick burst of speed on her scooter before pulling back again.

Sweetie Belle said nothing as she paced by Scootaloo’s side. She watched as an orange flyer blew across the street, flapping and turning in the wind. The logo for this year’s Running of the Leaves was briefly visible before the poster vanished behind the corner of a house.

As they passed beneath the shade of the library, the door swung open towards them and Applejack trudged out, with Twilight trailing close behind.

“You really should have come to me sooner, Applejack,” Twilight was saying. “This kind of thing has been happening all over Equestria. Surely Rarity told you about what happened to—“ She noticed the two fillies watching them. “Oh, Sweetie Belle!”

“Hey, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle said.

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Apple Bloom said she visited Sweetie Belle back when she was sick. Do ya think this might be catchin’?”

“There’s no way to be sure,” Twilight said. “Nopony really knows anything about it.”

“You’re talking about when Sweetie Belle was, uh… asleep that one time, right?” Scootaloo said.

Twilight nodded grimly. “And now it looks like the same thing’s happened to Apple Bloom. But you’ve probably noticed that she hasn’t been at school.”

“I really thought she was just tired, Twi,” Applejack said, shaking her head slowly. There were dark circles under her eyes. “We called in a doctor, but he said he couldn’t find anythin’ wrong with ‘er.”

“That’s not surprising,” Twilight said.

“And with cider season comin’ up, there just wasn’t much else we could do. We can’t afford to miss out on all that business if we wanna keep the farm runnin’…” Applejack sighed. “I’m startin’ to realize just how much we’ve been countin’ on Apple Bloom lately. She’s practically ready to run the farm herself.”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle briefly exchanged a glance.

“Well, I’ve brought all my books on magical afflictions and sleep-related illnesses,” Twilight said, lifting the flap of a saddlebag slung over her side with one wing. “I’ll see if any of them match what’s happening to Apple Bloom. Maybe we’ll notice something that ponies in other towns haven’t.”

“You really think this could be some kind of magical illness?” Applejack said.

“That seems to be the most widely accepted theory. We’re still trying to figure out a cause, and why there don’t seem to be any lasting effects…” Twilight paused, and looked at Sweetie Belle. “Speaking of which, how have you been since your case?”

“Well, I… uh…” Sweetie Belle looked over at Scootaloo. “It’s hard to explain, but…”

“You’ve been fine, haven’t you?” Scootaloo cut in.

“Huh?”

“In fact, we were just on our way to work on one of my new tricks.” Scootaloo tapped the handlebars of her scooter.

“We were?”

Scootaloo ignored her questions. “You guys should probably check up on Apple Bloom. Don’t let us keep you.”

“She’s probably right, Twi,” Applejack said. “Cider season opens tomorrow, and I really can’t afford to lose any more time.”

“Hmm…” Twilight said. “Thanks anyway, Sweetie Belle. We’ll do the best we can.” She started to trot down the street towards the farm, then paused. “And Scootaloo, just make sure you’re careful. You’re lucky this hasn’t affected you at all.”

“Yep,” Scootaloo said, smiling nervously.

Sweetie Belle watched as Twilight and Applejack trotted away and vanished into the crowd. “They really have no idea what’s really going on, do they? Why didn’t you let me tell them?”

“Somehow I don’t think Applejack would want to hear that her sister’s trying to level their entire farm,” Scootaloo said. “Even if it is just a dream.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I know that wasn’t really her.”

“But what if it was?”

Sweetie Belle was silent for a moment. “Well, maybe Twilight will figure out what’s going on. She knows a lot about magic.”

“Luna said this wasn’t Twilight’s job,” Scootaloo said. “I think the only way to stop this is for us to face it head on. And Luna chose us to do that.”

“I’m really starting to think this isn’t as cool as I thought it would be,” Sweetie Belle muttered.

They wandered around town for a while longer before parting ways, knowing it would only be a few more hours until they met up again.

“Greetings, Scootaloo. Another long night lies ahead of us.”

Scootaloo turned at the sound of Luna’s voice. The princess walked slowly through the trees, her mane flowing gently despite the total stillness of the air.

“Yeah…” Scootaloo muttered. “Sweetie Belle isn’t here yet?”

“It would appear not.”

“She’s probably having trouble falling asleep. She was really shook up from last night.” Scootaloo stared at the ground, kicking at the dirt with her hoof.

“You appear to be troubled as well.” Luna walked over and knelt down in front of her. “If there is anything you would like to discuss, I would be happy to offer my help.”

Scootaloo lifted her head and met Luna’s eyes. “Apple Bloom, well… She wasn’t herself,” she said. “It was like she was mad at us. She didn’t want our help. And she was tearing down her family’s farm. Apple Bloom wouldn’t do any of that.”

A white shape began to materialize behind Luna. Scootaloo watched as Sweetie Belle appeared out of thin air.

She appeared to be dazed for a moment, then noticed the two of them. She stared at her hooves, as if making sure she was all there, then rushed over. “Princess Luna!”

Luna raised one hoof. “You must calm yourself, Sweetie Belle. This is no time to panic.”

“But Apple Bloom…” Sweetie Belle tried to catch her breath. “Something was really wrong with her. I think this thing—the one that’s causing the nightmares—it must’ve possessed her, or something.”

For a moment, Luna was silent. She closed her eyes, as if deep in thought.

“I know it sounds crazy,” Scootaloo said. “But we know Apple Bloom, and she’s never acted that way before.”

Luna slowly opened her eyes. “It may be hard to accept the things she says, but you must realize something. What you are seeing is a part of who Apple Bloom is.”

“What?” Scootaloo shook her head. “No, that can’t be right. This is totally different from the other dream.”

“It is a part of who she is,” Luna repeated. “But it is only a part.”

“Huh?”

“If you are to have any hope of helping Apple Bloom, you must accept that side of her for what it is, but you must also see past it. If not, it may grow until it consumes her entirely.”

Sweetie Belle gaped at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This is the true nature of the threat that we face,” Luna said. “She has already been trapped in the nightmare for several days. There is no time to lose.”

Scootaloo swallowed a lump in her throat. “We should get going, then. You ready, Sweetie Belle?”

“I-I guess…” Sweetie Belle’s eyes were wide with fear, but she nodded slowly.

Luna lowered her head, and her horn began to glow blue. “I wish you both the best of luck.”

There was the now-familiar sensation of the world around them fading away, the air itself changing. The choking smell of rot greeted them, much stronger than anything they had experienced before.

It was completely dark. No streetlights, no windows. No sound.

As Scootaloo’s eyes adjusted, she could see the faint outlines of trees. The branches were nearly bare, and the few leaves that still hung on were dry and brittle. One of them trembled and fell, drifted past her nose, and settled on the weed-choked ground.

In the distance, the skyline of the city could be seen, a wide cluster of boxy shapes jutting out from the horizon. It was hard to tell through the haze just how wide it was, but it somehow seemed endless.

“Wait, why’d we end up out here?” Scootaloo stared up at the trees, and the dark clouds in the sky beyond.

“Isn’t this the farm?” Sweetie Belle said.

In its current state, it couldn’t really be considered a farm, but that’s what it had been at some point. Scootaloo kicked away a rotten apple on the ground by her hoof. “Maybe we won’t have to go very far to find her.”

“Lookin’ for me, are ya?”

They both spun around at the same time to see Apple Bloom walking towards them out of the darkness. She still wore the same smart-looking business suit as before, but she was alone this time.

“Thought you two had run back home to Ponyville with your tails between your legs,” she said. “So whaddya want? Make it quick.”

“P-please, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle choked out. “We’re your friends. You know that… don’t you? Why are you doing this?”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “You two are really set on draggin’ me back home, aren’t ya? Didn’t ya ever think it might be nice to get a change of scenery for once?”

All around them, the barren trees started to shrivel up, creaking and moaning. The last few leaves turned black and shrank away to nothing.

“What’s going on?” Sweetie Belle edged closer to Scootaloo’s side, watching the trees as they changed.

“It’s all part of the dream,” Scootaloo said. She dug her hooves firmly into the ground. “Apple Bloom, what are you doing? This is Sweet Apple Acres!”

“Not anymore, it’s not,” Apple Bloom said.

The ground rippled as a cobblestone street broke through and rose up beneath their hooves, nearly knocking them off balance. Apple Bloom stood in the middle of the street as it appeared around her, not moving, simply watching them.

“What about Applejack? Big McIntosh? Granny Smith?” Scootaloo said, regaining her balance. “They’re your family. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No. I’m not like them. I’m not stayin’ on some old apple farm my whole life. I don’t care what they say!”

The ground around them erupted, sending a cloud of dust everywhere as massive walls of brick shot up around them. Skyscrapers, at least seven stories tall, appeared out of nowhere, leaning over them as if making sure they didn’t try to escape.

“I don’t think this is working…” Sweetie Belle’s voice was almost a whimper.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth. “We have to get through to her. If we don’t, she’s never going to wake up.”

The dust cleared around Apple Bloom, her eyes glinting in the flickering light of the streetlamps. The orchard was completely gone, and they stood in the middle of a city street again. The filly standing in the street was barely recognizable as their friend anymore.

“If that’s all you have to say to me, then you’d be better off just leavin’,” she said. “If ya couldn’t tell, there’s still a lot more land left to clear.”

Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder, but there wasn’t anywhere else to go. The buildings were too close together. They were completely penned in.

“What about us?” Sweetie Belle said. “All those times we tried to get our cutie marks. We always had so much fun together. If… if you come back with us, I just know you’ll find yours soon!”

“Do you honestly think it’s that easy?” Apple Bloom said. “You think that just because you got a cutie mark, you know everythin’ about ‘em now, is that it?”

“I just want to help you. We just need to keep trying! I’m sure there’s still hundreds of things we haven’t tried yet, and one of them’s just got to work!”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “You don’t get it. It doesn’t matter what we do.”

All at once, the shaking stopped, and the streetlights stopped flashing. The street was completely still in the dim orange light.

“I—” Apple Bloom took a step back, and her voice dropped to almost a whisper. “I already know what my cutie mark’s gonna be.”

Scootaloo took a look around, hardly able to believe how quickly everything had calmed down. It seemed impossibly quiet. “Wait. You do?”

“Sure. Everypony in my family has apples for a cutie mark. It’s what the Apple family does,” Apple Bloom said. “Why would I be any different?”

“Then why are you trying to destroy Sweet Apple Acres? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Because I don’t want to be the same as my whole family!” Apple Bloom said. “I started to realize that when I hung out with you guys. You’re right, Sweetie Belle. There really are hundreds of ways to get a cutie mark. But… none of them worked for me. I’m goin’ to be stuck doin’ the same thing as every other Apple.”

Sweetie Belle hesitantly took a step forward, keeping her eyes on the broken pavement, unsure if it was solid. “But that’s no reason to do all of this.”

Apple Bloom looked up at her. “They’re expectin’ me to run the farm someday when I’m old enough. Maybe there just shouldn’t be a farm.” As she spoke, the lights began to flash again.

“But you don’t have to be just like the rest of your family,” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, I always thought I’d be a designer like Rarity, but that’s not what happened. A-And we’re both totally different from our parents…”

“You just don’t get how the Apple family works, do ya?”

A low rumble emanated from the buildings around them again. They began to grow again, new stories rising up from underground. Sweetie Belle dropped to the ground, staring up as if she was afraid the walls would move in and attack. And they probably could.

Scootaloo flew a short distance forward. “They’re not going to care if your cutie mark isn’t exactly like theirs,” she said. “They’re just worried about you right now. You can’t just leave them behind.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No. That’s…”

“Maybe you’re right. Your special talent might not be like theirs,” Scootaloo said, keeping her gaze locked on Apple Bloom, ignoring the chaos around them. “And it won’t matter. But if you keep doing this, then you really are going to lose them.”

Apple Bloom lifted her eyes, until they met with Scootaloo’s. She didn’t say anything.

Then, slowly, the buildings sank back down. Blades of grass poked out between the cobblestones, brushing against their hooves. The wrought-iron streetlights seemed to shimmer, and transformed into apple trees before their eyes.

The grew brighter, but it wasn’t the dingy light of the streetlights. Scootaloo looked up and saw the dark clouds of smoke drifting apart, and a pale blue sky shining through.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” Apple Bloom said as the last traces of the city vanished into thin air. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes were wide with shock. “Y-You mean…”

Apple Bloom stared around at Sweet Apple Acres, the hills bathed in early morning sun. She reached down and touched the suit she was still wearing. “Good grief, I don’t know what I was thinkin’.”

“Same here,” Sweetie Belle muttered under her breath.

“I didn’t mean any of those things,” Apple Bloom said. “At least, I don’t think I did.”

“We know you didn’t,” Sweetie Belle said, though she didn’t exactly sound that sure of herself. “We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We’ve got to look out for each other, you know?”

“Yeah…”

Sweetie Belle extended one hoof, and Apple Bloom stared at it for a moment. Then she smiled, and placed her hoof on top.

Scootaloo smiled wearily, and headed over to put her own hoof in the center. But before she could reach them, she felt a pair of hooves clamp down on her shoulders. Hard. She let out a startled cry as she was pulled backwards.

Somepony was shaking her.

“Come on! You can’t sleep through this now, not after all we’ve done!”

Scootaloo blinked, and rolled over to see Rainbow Dash staring down at her with a frantic look in her eyes.

“Huh?”

“Cider season’s officially open! They’re about to break open the first barrel, and it’s got our names on it!” Rainbow said. “Well, our names aren’t actually on it… Maybe I should do that next year. Anyways, would you just get up already?”

Rainbow turned around and left the tent. Scootaloo wiggled her way out of the tangled sleeping bag and stretched out her legs. She could see through the entrance flaps that it was still dark outside, and the sun hadn’t come all the way up yet.

As she stepped outside, blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she saw that the line of ponies now extended well beyond the last of the tents. She looked around and spotted Rainbow Dash waiting impatiently in front of the cider stand.

Applejack nodded to Big McIntosh and Granny Smith, then stepped up to a megaphone next to the stand. She stared out at the line stretching off into the distance, and cleared her throat. “Attention, everypony! Cider season is officially open!”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Rainbow Dash strode up to the stand and set a few bits down on the counter.

Applejack let out a sigh, then cranked the lever to pour out two mugs of cider.

Rainbow Dash grabbed one away from her and took a long gulp.

“Ya happy now?” Applejack’s eyes narrowed.

“Very,” Rainbow Dash said, wiping the foam from her mouth. “So was this a good year for you guys, or is that just the sweet taste of victory?”

“Thanks for your business,” Applejack said, her voice flat and expressionless.

Scootaloo trotted over and took the other mug. It did taste pretty good, especially after the night she’d just had, but she didn’t exactly feel calm yet. She glanced over anxiously at the Apple’s farmhouse, sitting up on a hill in the distance.

The line continued moving, with Pinkie Pie bouncing up after Scootaloo left, and she headed back to where Rainbow Dash was standing to watch. The three Apples working the stand were like a well-oiled machine—Applejack poured the cider, Granny Smith handled the money, and Big McIntosh kept the barrels stocked. They were managing customers just fine, but they looked exhausted somehow.

“Wait up!”

Scootaloo picked her head up at the sound of Apple Bloom’s voice. She turned around to see Apple Bloom running at full gallop to the cider stand.

“What?” Applejack stared at her in surprise.

“I’m here!” Apple Bloom stared at the crowd of ponies. “I thought we were s’posed to wait till the weekend to start sellin’ the cider! What happened?”

“Uh…” Applejack scratched her head. “Are ya sure you’re okay?” She reached over to feel Apple Bloom’s forehead. “No fever or anything?”

“I’m fine. Do ya need me to help out or not?”

Applejack nodded. “S-Sure do. We’re as busy as ever.”

Apple Bloom leapt into action, taking over the tap as Applejack managed the customers. The line started moving visibly faster.

“Wait, uh…” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “Did I miss something?”

“Apple Bloom’s been sick the past few days,” Scootaloo said. “It’s, uh… It’s probably nothing.”

“That’s good.” Rainbow took another huge gulp of cider.

Rarity came trotting up the path. “Honestly, Sweetie Belle, if you hadn’t taken so long getting out of bed we could have made it out here much earlier. You know what the lines are like the first few days of cider season.”

Sweetie Belle trailed along beside her. “Sorry…” She caught sight of Scootaloo. “Uh, you can go ahead, Rarity. I’ll catch up.”

“That’s…” Rarity’s voice trailed off as she noticed the line. “Oh, dear.”

“Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle trotted over. “Where’s Apple Bloom? Is she...”

“She’s busy helping Applejack.” Scootaloo nodded towards the booth.

“Oh,” Sweetie Belle said, glancing over.”That’s… good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. That’s good.”

Sweetie Belle lowered her voice. “You were amazing back there in the dream, Scootaloo,” she said.

“Me?” Scootaloo looked at her. “I hardly knew what was going on. I still can’t believe we did it.”

“I don’t think I would’ve been able to talk to her if you hadn’t been there,” Sweetie Belle said. “Is it really over?”

“For now, anyway.”

“That’s it for today, everypony!” Applejack called out. There were a few disappointed groans, but the crowds had thinned out as the evening went on.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were finishing up their cider near Rainbow Dash’s tent when Apple Bloom trotted over to them.

“Hey, girls!” she said. “Sorry I couldn’t come say ‘hi’ earlier. Real busy and all.”

“That’s fine,” Scootaloo said. “Are you, uh… doing okay?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Never felt better. Applejack says I was sleepin’ for nearly three whole days, but I sure don’t feel like it… What’d you guys do all that time, anyway?”

“Uh, nothing much,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I was busy helping Rainbow Dash save her spot in line,” Scootaloo said. “There’s not much you can do staying in a tent for three days, you know?”

Apple Bloom took a seat next to them and watched the setting sun over the apple trees, sipping her cider slowly.

“Well, I know it sounds like it’s comin’ outta nowhere, but…” She scratched the back of her head. “I was thinkin’ I’d ask Applejack about visitin’ Manehattan sometime.”

Sweetie Belle spit out her cider. “What?” she said, coughing. “Why would you want to go back there?”

Apple Bloom looked at her strangely. “I ain’t never been there before, though,” she said. “Actually, that’s kinda the reason I wanna go. I’ve been hearin’ all about it from Babs in her letters, and it just sounds like nothin’ I ever seen before. There’s a lot more to Equestria than just Ponyville.”

“Well, yeah, but…” Sweetie Belle frowned. “You’re not going to forget about us, right?”

“It’s just a visit,” Apple Bloom said. “Of course I’m not gonna forget you.”

“What does Applejack think?” Scootaloo said.

“Well, I haven’t asked her yet. Thought I’d wait for cider season to be over,” Apple Bloom said. “I’ve still gotta help out around here, after all. ‘Til then, we’ve still gotta figure out how to get our cutie marks, right?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Scootaloo said.

They stayed out late into the night, even after the last of the crowd had gone back home—or back into their tents—for the night, and the full moon rose high above their heads.

Festival of Fears

Scootaloo looked over her reflection in the mirror. She pulled the brim of her pith helmet down over her eyes, and loosened the collar of her shirt. Turning around, she checked the bandages she’d tied around one wing. Then, she compared the outfit once again to the illustration on the cover of the Daring Do book sitting on the dresser.

“Perfect,” she said.

As she stepped out the front door, the sun was just beginning to set over the mountains in the distance, and the sky was turning a light purple. She suddenly felt self-conscious being dressed like this out in the street, but then a pair of fillies dressed as a ghost and a ladybug ran past, laughing. The night had officially begun.

Ponies at school had been talking about Nightmare Night for weeks now. It was hard not to get caught up in all the excitement of picking out costumes and getting ready for all that candy.

Of course, there had also been a lot of talk about Nightmare Moon coming back. The foals at school never called her Luna, just Nightmare Moon. And somehow Scootaloo didn’t think they’d be seeing her again this time. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Luna since cider season, but the princess probably still had a lot to do.

“Well, would you look who it is?”

Scootaloo turned around to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walking side-by-side. Neither of them were in costume.

“What are you two doing out here?” Scootaloo said.

“My daddy’s having a party tonight,” Diamond Tiara said. “You weren’t invited, of course.”

“It’ll be way more fun than the boring old festival in town,” Silver Spoon added.

“Are you still dressing up for Nightmare Night? I can’t believe you still do that. Afraid you’ll get eaten up if Nightmare Moon catches you?” Diamond Tiara smirked.

Silver Spoon looked over Scootaloo’s pith helmet and khaki shirt. “What are you even supposed to be, anyways?”

“Just buzz off, will you?” Scootaloo muttered.

The street darkened as dark clouds gathered overhead. There was a low rumble of thunder.

“Come on,” Diamond Tiara said. “Let’s get out of here before it starts to rain. Our manes will get ruined.”

As they turned to leave, they noticed that the street was deserted. The other foals in their costumes were nowhere to be seen.

And then something moved in the shadows. A dark shape moving from one alleyway to another, too quickly to get a good look at. The sound of galloping hoofsteps thudded in the distance.

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “Is this some kind of joke? Totally lame.”

“Yeah. Lame,” Silver Spoon repeated.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the end of the vacant street, charging towards them at an impossible speed. A cape flared out behind it, and as it came closer into view they could see it didn’t have a head.

“I-Is that s-supposed to s-scare us?” Diamond Tiara tried to sound unimpressed, but her voice was quivering.

Scootaloo’s hooves were frozen to the spot as she watched the dark figure thundering down the street, directly towards them. Once it got close enough, the Headless Horse leapt into the sky, a shadow against the dark sky, nearly on top of them.

“Run!” Silver Spoon had to drag Diamond Tiara by the mane to get her moving, and they took off screaming into the night.

The Headless Horse landed right in front of Scootaloo. It raised its hooves, pulling the cape down over its neck.

Rainbow Dash’s head popped out of the collar. She shook her head, trying to get her frazzled mane back to normal, then watched Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon as they ran down the street, still shrieking.

“Aww, yeah,” she said, grinning. “That was totally worth it. Takes forever to get the clouds into position, though.” She stared up at the storm clouds, which had started to thin out in the breeze.

“That was amazing!” Scootaloo said, her wings buzzing excitedly. The bandages around them began to unravel.

“I’m just getting warmed up,” Rainbow said. “There’s a ton of ponies out there just waiting for the scare of their lives, and I’m more than happy to give it to them.” She turned back to Scootaloo. “Nice costume, by the way.”

“Thanks! I worked really hard on it.” Scootaloo adjusted the hat. “You really think it’s cool?”

“Totally,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now, I’d better get back to work. Nightmare Night only comes once a year, you know.”

She pulled the cape back up and her head vanished again, then took off galloping down the street. Scootaloo watched her disappear into the darkness. A few short moments later, there was the sound of more screaming and Rainbow’s cackling laughter.

Scootaloo looked down at her costume, a smile still plastered on her face. Rainbow Dash had liked her costume. Scootaloo had known that she would, but it was still awesome to hear her actually say it.

She continued down the street, past the houses with their fake skeletons and smiling pumpkins glowing on the porches. Up in the sky, a crescent moon was shining brightly through the clouds. She stared up at it as she walked.

Scootaloo looked down again, and paused. Off in the distance, she could see Twilight Sparkle walking down the path to the woods, next to a tall hooded figure. She watched them talk for a while, though she couldn’t make out the words.

She took a deep breath, then trotted over to them. As she got close enough, she caught a glimpse of a glowing blue mane under the hood.

“Luna?” Scootaloo said. “I didn’t know you’d be coming here.”

Twilight turned her head. “Oh, uh…” She looked back at the other princess. “Luna, this is Scootaloo. She’s one of the local fillies here in Ponyville. I guess you must have made a good impression on them last year, huh?”

“It would appear so,” Luna said. Her eyes glinted in the dark, and she smiled faintly. “It is… a pleasure to meet you.”

“I just thought you’d be busy with other stuff,” Scootaloo said. “Uh… royal duties and that kind of thing.”

Twilight looked down at Scootaloo. “The Princess just arrived a few minutes ago. We’re still getting ready for the celebration tonight. She’ll be here to scare you later, though.”

“It is quite alright, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said. “I am here for the sake of the children, after all. I trust it would not be too inconvenient if I take just a few moments?”

“Oh.” Twilight blinked. She looked at Scootaloo, then back to Luna. “You’re sure?”

“You may go ahead. I shall join you at the statue shortly.”

Twilight nodded slowly, and gave Scootaloo another strange look before heading off down the path.

Scootaloo waited until Twilight was out of view. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” she said.

“Indeed…” Luna said in a low voice. “I am sure I will be requiring your assistance again soon enough. The patterns of these nightmares are difficult to predict, but I am certain they are far from over.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that...” Scootaloo frowned.

“But I assure you it is none of your concern tonight.” Luna smiled. “You should enjoy the celebration while it lasts.”

“What about you?”

“Perhaps a brief respite would do us both some good,” Luna said. “And Twilight Sparkle assures me that the citizens of your town do, in fact, want me to return this year.”

“Well, obviously!” Scootaloo said. “Last year was just about the best Nightmare Night ever. Everypony’s still talking about it.”

“And I shall do my best not to disappoint,” Luna said. She glanced over towards the forest. “Twilight will be expecting me. She had not yet finished explaining the plans for this year. Perhaps we will see each other again before the night is over.”

“Yeah.” Scootaloo nodded.

The Princess seemed to drift down the path into the forest, her cloak hanging motionless despite the wind. Even in real life, Scootaloo had to admit there was always a dreamlike quality about her.

As Scootaloo trotted into the center of town, she could hear a few slow notes on a fiddle drifting on the wind—the sound of the band warming up. It was joined by the excited laughter of ponies, already enjoying the festival.

A few zombies ran in front of her, headed for the apple bobbing tanks. She heard the sound of a catapult firing off, and saw a pumpkin arc through the air. It splattered against a target as a cheer rose up from the crowd.

On this night every year, Ponyville was completely transformed. It wasn’t the same place it was yesterday, and these weren’t the same ponies. Then, the next morning, it would all be gone again. Tonight was almost like a dream itself.

Even compared to other years, though, Nightmare Night had never been quite like this. There was an energy in the air that could be felt. Maybe it had something to do with Luna coming back after last year. Ponies would definitely be excited for that. It had always been Luna’s celebration, after all.

Scootaloo tried to find a familiar face somewhere in all the ten-gallon hats, horned helmets, monster masks, and mummy wrappings.

“Hey!” Sweetie Belle ran up behind her. She wore a rather familiar-looking pink dress and tiara. If it wasn’t the same one from the Crystal Empire, it was awfully close.

“Sweetie Belle! Whoa, that’s some costume.”

“Thanks,” Sweetie Belle said, doing a twirl. “Rarity made it for me. You look great, too!”

“Are you coming with us for candy? I think Pinkie was just getting a group together somewhere around here.” Scootaloo glanced around.

Sweetie Belle frowned, and shook her head. “Sorry. I’ve gotta get ready for the show tonight. Did I tell you I’m performing at the festival later?”

“I don’t think so. That should still be fun, though,” Scootaloo said. “You’re sure you can’t make it, though? Even just to hit a few houses?”

“I don’t think so. It’s really okay, though. Do you know how much I’ve been looking forward to getting to go on stage again?” Sweetie Belle was nearly bouncing with excitement.

Scootaloo gave a weak smile. “Okay. See you later, I guess.”

She turned around and scanned the town square for anything pink. It was hard to focus on anypony with so much to look at.

“Hey, Scootaloo! Over here!”

She turned around at the sound of Apple Bloom’s voice. She was dressed in a scarecrow outfit, probably made out of pieces from Applejack’s costume last year. Straw was falling out of her sleeve as she waved a hoof in the air to get Scootaloo’s attention.

“There you are!” Scootaloo ran over, putting a hoof up to keep her hat on her head. “Where’s Pinkie?” She glanced around, then noticed the oversized alligator standing in the middle of a crowd of foals. “Never mind.”

Pinkie had rolled a map out on the ground in front of her, and a herd of fillies and colts were clustered around her trying to get a closer look. “Make room, everypony. We need to get started,” she said. “Based on my years of Nightmare Night experience, these are the houses with the highest average rates of candy-giving.”

“It’s amazin’ how serious Pinkie gets when it comes to somethin’ like this,” Apple Bloom muttered. Scootaloo bit her hoof, holding back a laugh.

“We’ll start out here.” Pinkie thrust an oversized green claw down on the map. “Then, we’ll make our way through Ponyville like so, making sure to hit all of these key locations along the way. Any questions?”

The foals all traded glances, then shook their heads.

“Let’s go!” Pinkie pointed forward with one talon. “There’s no time to lose when free candy is on the line!”

The first stop of the night was Carousel Boutique. It was tastefully decorated in orange and black ribbon, and a meticulously carved pumpkin glowed by the door.

Pinkie led them up to the front door and knocked impatiently until it swung open. Rarity stepped out, and gave a start when she saw Pinkie’s huge, but toothless, alligator jaws.

Scootaloo joined in with the other foals as they chanted: “Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!”

“Oh, your costumes look absolutely darling!” Rarity said. She turned her attention to one of the foals in front wearing a cowboy costume. “Such lovely color choice, and the craftsmanship…” She bit her lip. “Oh, but it seems a few of these stitches aren’t quite even…”

“Rarity!” Pinkie was impatiently hopping up and down. “We’ve still got a bunch more houses to get to! Where’s the candy?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. Her horn glowed as she produced a bowl of candy out from behind the door, and dropped a few pieces in each bag. “Honestly, Pinkie, it’s wonderful that you volunteer to watch all these children, but sometimes I think you’re even greedier than they are…”

Pinkie didn’t stay around long enough to respond, and took off for the next house that had its lights on.

Scootaloo watched her, then stepped up to the front with Apple Bloom at her side.

“Happy Nightmare Night, girls,” Rarity said, with a sigh. “Promise me you won’t grow up like her.”

“Thanks, Rarity,” Apple Bloom said as she watched the treats fall into her sack.

“Yeah. Thanks!” Scootaloo said. “Come on, let’s catch up with the others. I don’t think Pinkie will slow down for anything.”

Pinkie Pie had led the foals on a whirlwind tour of nearly every house in Ponyville until their treat bags were sagging with the weight of the candy they’d collected. Eventually they circled back around to the town square, where the festival was still going strong.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took a rest near the apple bobbing tanks to compare their hauls.

“You girls have fun out there?” Applejack trotted over.

“Sure did!” Apple Bloom said.

“I’m pretty sure this is, like… twice as much candy as I’ve ever gotten,” Scootaloo said, staring into her bag.

“And we ain’t done yet. Look!” Apple Bloom pointed up towards the stage in front of the town hall.

Zecora stepped up through a glowing green mist. Her hair hung in stringy waves around her face. “Gather, children, there is something you must see. Join me at the edge of the Everfree.”

“Ya hear that?” Applejack said. “You girls have fun.”

They trotted over to join the other foals in front of the stage. Zecora stepped down and led them away from the festival, towards the forest path.

It grew quiet as they left town. The music and screams faded away, and the shadows deepened.

A cold wind rattled the branches of the trees as they headed farther into the woods. Just like any other year, they weren’t really going that far, but in the creepy atmosphere tonight it felt like they were miles away from home.

Zecora slowly led them into the forest clearing. “It seems you’ve collected many a treat, but tonight’s tale will not be so sweet.”

She stopped under the statue of Nightmare Moon. A hush fell over the group as they stared into the snarling face, almost certain that the lifeless eyes were watching them.

Zecora continued with the familiar spiel, the same story they listened to every year. “Listen close, my little dears, and I’ll tell you where you got your fears,” she recited. “Of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary. Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary.”

“Ya think she’s comin’ back this year?” Apple Bloom whispered. “Last time was the scariest Nightmare Night ever!”

Scootaloo stared at her. “Well, uh… She’s not that scary, is she?”

“Every year, we put on a disguise to save ourselves from her searching eyes…” Zecora leaned forward slightly before she continued, her voice rising louder. “But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing: to gobble up ponies in one quick swing!”

As she spoke the last word, there was a flash of lightning, and the statue came to life.

The face of Nightmare Moon was illuminated by her glowing blue mane, the eyes an empty, burning white. “Ah, my loyal subjects! You have once again brought me a generous offering!” Her voice was a booming echo that seemed to come, not from her, but from everywhere all at once. “I shall see if it is enough to satisfy me, or if I shall have to eat one of you instead!”

The entire crowd of foals screamed.

“Quick, everypony, give her some candy and let’s get out of here!” Pinkie shrieked. She turned over her sack and dumped about half of it in front of Nightmare Moon, then took off back towards the path.

The other foals quickly followed her lead, and took off in a stampede with their treat bags dangling from their mouths. Before she even had time to process what was happening, Scootaloo was swept up with the rest of the crowd as they scrambled to get away.

Nightmare Moon’s booming laughter followed them into the dark woods, until the lights of Ponyville could be seen in the distance once again. The shrieks of the foals quickly dissolved into giggling.

“Did you guys see that? That was so cool!”

“I told you Nightmare Moon would come back!”

“Everypony still here?” Pinkie turned around, and quickly counted heads. “I bet they’re going to start the spider toss soon! Let’s go!”

Still chattering amongst themselves, the rest of the foals followed behind her and Zecora as they left the forest to head back towards the lights of Ponyville. Scootaloo hung back, and once she was sure nopony was watching, slipped away and headed back the way they had come.

Everything was quiet out here. Aside from a few leaves skittering across the path in the breeze, it was utterly motionless. Scootaloo squinted in the darkness as she came back to the statue.

Luna stood alone in the clearing, staring up at the statue in the dim moonlight. She was back to her normal form, the armor and glowing eyes were gone. She seemed small, despite the fact she was still over twice Scootaloo’s height. A pile of candy sat ignored on the ground at her side. She turned her head as Scootaloo trotted up to her.

“Greetings, Scootaloo,” she said. Her voice sounded tired. “The others have gone back to Ponyville, have they not?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. I just wanted to see you.”

“I still plan to join everypony at the festival in just a moment. I simply… wanted a rest. Nothing more.”

“Oh.” Scootaloo stared down, kicking at the dirt with one hoof.

“Would you like to join me?” Luna said.

“Uh… sure.” Scootaloo sat down next to her, near the base of the statue.

Luna knelt down as well. Her horn glowed as she lifted a piece of candy in the air, turning it over, inspecting it with vague interest. “I must admit, I haven’t entirely developed a taste for such things… This sort of confection was not made one thousand years ago.”

“Really? It’s just candy.”

“You would be surprised at what can change in that much time. I am not sure most ponies can even imagine how long that is,” Luna said. “The Equestria I remember would be utterly unrecognizable to anypony today.”

Scootaloo nodded, and reached for a piece of candy from the pile. “We sure gave you a lot, though. I thought that’s what we were supposed to do.”

“It is as your traditions say.” Luna let out a sigh. “I suppose I am merely playing along with what everypony expects of me.”

“You don’t sound too happy about it.”

Luna slowly unwrapped a piece of candy and took a small bite. She hesitated before speaking again. “When my sister first told me of this celebration of yours, I was unsure how to respond. She was not able to remember just how long it has been observed, though she told me it has been for hundreds of years…”

“It’s been around as long as I can remember, at least,” Scootaloo said.

“The very idea of the thing, though…” Luna gritted her teeth. “A festival of fear, all centered around my… past actions.” She closed her eyes. “Surely you can see why I might have reservations about participating.”

“I’ve been wondering about that,” Scootaloo said. “Why is everypony still supposed to be afraid of you? Isn’t that completely against everything we’ve been trying to do in the dreams?”

“Ever since my return, I have wanted nothing more than to be accepted by our subjects. When I first saw this celebration, and what my legacy has become, it was… disheartening, to say the least.”

“I guess we’ve always told scary stories about Nightmare Moon,” Scootaloo said. “I don’t think anypony really knew that they were about you. Until you came back, anyways.”

“And the stories are but a mere caricature of the truth. I suppose that is of some comfort,” Luna said. “I would prefer if the name of Nightmare Moon was forgotten altogether, though I know that to be impossible.”

“That’s not who you really are, though,” Scootaloo said. “I know it isn’t. You helped me a lot, not to mention Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.”

“I have done what I could.” Luna gave a weak smile. “But I cannot lie to myself. Nightmare Moon is a part of who I am, even if it is painful to accept it. Some nights, after my sister has lowered her sun, I can still feel that jealousy and anger rising up inside of me…”

Scootaloo stared at her, wide-eyed. “But… you’re not going to…”

“No,” Luna said, shaking her head. “No matter what happens, I shall not lose control again. Even after the things I did, my sister still allowed me to return. I cannot betray the kindness she has shown me.”

Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. “But I still don’t understand why you scared everypony tonight.”

“After last year, I came to realize that there is some sense in what your friend Pinkie Pie says. Sometimes ponies enjoy a little fear, and that kind of fear is very different from the kind you and I fight against in the nightmares.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps you will understand better than anypony, Scootaloo. You have had the rare opportunity to see into your friend’s dreams,” Luna said. “You have seen what they are truly afraid of.”

“These dreams haven’t been anything like what I expected. I’ve never had nightmares like those before,” Scootaloo said.

Luna shook her head. “I knew when I visited you the first time that those stories were not what you were truly afraid of. What you fear, as well as what Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom fear, is something far more difficult to run away from.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It simply means that you are growing up.”

Scootaloo said nothing. She stared at the pile of candy, and took another piece at random. Luna had barely touched it this entire time.

“All these scary stories on Nightmare Night are a momentary distraction from the real fears, those that are far more difficult to avoid,” Luna said. “Even your stories of Nightmare Moon are almost entirely detached from the truth.”

Scootaloo thought for a moment, then picked up her head and looked Luna in the eye. “Luna… Do you think maybe Nightmare Moon is behind these nightmares?”

“No,” Luna said simply. “Her power—my power—was lost when the Elements of Harmony were reawakened. Though… I have recognized the similarity. At times it has felt like I was alone in my struggle, but in truth it is not so unusual. Everypony has a side they are not proud of.”

They heard a voice in the distance. “Scootaloo? Are you out here, kid?”

Scootaloo picked up her head at the sound of the voice. Rainbow Dash swooped down from above the trees and landed in the clearing.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over,” Rainbow Dash said. “Everypony said you just vanished. Sweetie Belle’s show is about to start, and she wanted to make sure you were there.”

“Yeah, uh…” Scootaloo looked back over her shoulder. “I’ve been out here. With Luna.”

Rainbow Dash took a step back in surprise, as if she hadn’t even noticed the Princess standing there.

“Oh, uh… hi,” Rainbow Dash stammered, staring up at her.

“You have nothing to worry about. Scootaloo was safe here with me,” Luna said. “If you are returning to Ponyville, would you mind if I accompany you? The night is only beginning. I… believe there is much more fun to be had.”

“Um… sure,” Rainbow Dash said. “What were you doing out here, anyway, Scoots?”

“I, uh…” Scootaloo looked up at the princess. “I got lost. Luna found me and was going to take me back to Ponyville.”

“The night is full of dangers for a young pony,” Luna said. “She is fortunate to have a sister such as you to look after her, Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah. I guess so,” Rainbow said. “Uh, the show’s probably going to start soon. Let’s hurry up.”

Familiar Faces

It was a sunny morning as Scootaloo walked to school, probably one of the few they had left before winter set in. Rainbow Dash had been busy lately preparing for the change in seasons.

Town Square was still just waking up. A few ponies passed through, on their way to work or maybe an early stop for breakfast at the café. Scootaloo recognized all of them, even if she didn’t know their names—in a small town like Ponyville, you saw the same ponies every day.

Rarity was trotting at a brisk pace through the square, humming to herself. “Oh, good morning, Scootaloo! On your way to school?”

“Sure am!” Scootaloo said. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I was going out to meet Fluttershy for our weekly spa treatment,” Rarity said. “Speaking of which, I should get going before I’m late. Have a wonderful day!”

Scootaloo picked up the pace as she continued through town. It was still pretty early, but she didn’t want to be late either.

As she walked past Sugarcube Corner, she noticed Mr. Cake turning the sign in the window from “Closed” to “Open.” She gave him a quick nod, and he waved back.

She cut across an alleyway, one of the many shortcuts she took on a regular basis, and in a few minutes she was in front of the school.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were already waiting outside. They were standing around by the base of the flagpole and chatting. Apple Bloom noticed Scootaloo as she came over.

“Oh, hey, Scootaloo!”

“What’s up?” Scootaloo said.

“We were just talking about what we’d do after school today,” Sweetie Belle said. “I heard there was going to be a chess tournament in the park this afternoon. Do you think you or Apple Bloom would be good at that? You could try to get your cutie marks in chess playing!”

“It might be worth a shot!” Apple Bloom said.

“Uh, no thanks,” Scootaloo said, shaking her head. “Doesn’t sound very interesting to me. There’s probably something a bit more, you know, fast-paced to try, isn’t there?”

Apple Bloom tapped her chin. “Come to think of it, I don’t actually know how to play that game…”

Scootaloo looked at her. “By the way, Apple Bloom, what did Applejack say about you going to Manehattan?”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom cocked her head, frowning.

“Well, you know. You said you were going to visit Babs, see the city, all that stuff,” Scootaloo said. “You still want to do that, don’t you?”

Apple Bloom paused. She seemed to be really thinking about it. “I… don’t think so…”

“Where’d you get that idea, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle said. “I don’t remember her saying anything about that.”

“Come on, I know you remember,” Scootaloo said. “Apple Bloom sounded pretty serious when she told us. Remember?”

Scootaloo could still remember how the ground shook as the city built itself up and collapsed around them. That dream wouldn’t be easy to forget. But Sweetie Belle simply blinked in confusion.

“Nah, what would I wanna go to the big city for? Applejack and Big McIntosh need my help out on the farm,” Apple Bloom said. She shrugged, as if that was all that had to be said on the matter. “Anyways, if we’re not doin’ the chess thing, then what kinda crusadin’ are we gonna do today?”

“That isn’t…” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off. Something didn’t feel right. She looked at Sweetie Belle. “Come on, you have to remember what happened to Apple Bloom during cider season.”

“Uh…” Sweetie Belle frowned, and scratched her head. “Didn’t Applejack say she got sick?”

“Yeah, I was,” Apple Bloom said. “I’m feelin’ right as rain now, though.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m talking about.” There was no way that they had both forgotten. Scootaloo hesitated, then looked at Sweetie Belle. “You just have to remember… what happened in the dream, don’t you?”

“What dream? I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

The look in Sweetie Belle’s eyes said that she was serious. Scootaloo was stunned into silence. All of the trouble they’d gone through in Manehattan, and now none of it seemed to matter.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Scootaloo’s ears perked up at the sound of her own voice, and wheels skidding to a halt in the dirt. Her heart nearly stopped. It wasn’t possible.

Slowly, she turned around, and saw herself standing there, taking off her helmet as she hopped off her scooter.

“Oh, hey, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle grinned at the new arrival. “We were just talking to you. Do you have any idea what all this stuff about ‘dreams’ you were talking about was?” She gestured at Scootaloo.

The other Scootaloo shook her head. “Sounds pretty crazy to me.”

Finally, Scootaloo was able to get just one word out. “What?”

“There she is!” It was Sweetie Belle’s voice, but it came from behind her. Scootaloo turned around and saw another Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom running over.

“Wait, is that… us?” the new Apple Bloom said, stopping a short distance away. “And there’s two of her…”

Scootaloo was starting to get a headache. Were they changelings, like at the wedding? Why were they here now?

The new Sweetie Belle stood back, looking from one Scootaloo to the other. “Which one is she? I can’t tell them apart.”

“Pretty sure Luna didn’t mention anything about there bein’ more than one of her…” Apple Bloom muttered.

The mention of Luna’s name was all Scootaloo needed to hear. She ran over to the two of them. She gave a quick look back at the three Crusaders standing by the flagpole, apparently undisturbed by the newcomers.

“You’re… the real ones, right?” Scootaloo said, looking from one to the other. “What’s going on? Who were they?”

“We’re in another dream,” Sweetie Belle said. She started leading them down the path into town, away from the school, until the other Crusaders were out of sight. “Luna was there again, but she said you might’ve not fallen asleep yet. She said we should look for you once we got in.”

Scootaloo placed a hoof to her forehead. She could dimly remember going to bed last night, and everything faded out after that. At some point she’d ended up in the town square, but how she had gotten there was a total blank. How had she not realized that at the time?

“And you were the one who insisted we all go to bed at the same time.” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “We’ve been looking all over town for you.”

“It’s been a while. I didn’t know when Luna would call us back,” Scootaloo said. “And Apple Bloom came too this time?”

“Luna said the three of us work good together,” Sweetie Belle said. “I tried to explain everything to Apple Bloom while we looked around.”

Apple Bloom scratched her head. “So, uh, have you guys been doin’ this whole dream thing for long?”

“Scootaloo’s been doing it longer than I have,” Sweetie Belle replied. “She’s been to my dream and yours before.”

“This one’s different, though,” Scootaloo said. They crossed a bridge and walked into the town square. “We’re in Ponyville right now...”

“What’s so weird about that?” Apple Bloom said. “It’s the same as always.”

“Exactly,” Scootaloo said. She looked around as they walked through town. Every pony that passed them was somepony she recognized. And there was the joke shop. The jester-hat roof was unmistakable, and the spa was right next to it. Just like the real one. “The other dreams weren’t this detailed.”

“Neither of us have ever actually been to the Crystal Empire or Manehattan before,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “We’re in Ponyville every day, though.”

Scootaloo tilted her head. “Maybe that has something to do with it…”

“This place isn’t so bad, though,” Sweetie Belle said. “Manehattan was all dark. I didn’t like it there.”

“But they’re supposed to be nightmares,” Scootaloo said. “This almost seems too normal. The other dreams all had something wrong with them.”

“And runnin’ into extra copies of ourselves isn’t somethin’ wrong?” Apple Bloom said.

“Everypony in Ponyville is here. So it would make sense that there’s also dream versions of us, too, wouldn’t it?” Sweetie Belle said. “And the real us are the ones who aren’t supposed to be here.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “You lost me there. What are we s’posed to be doin’ here, anyways?”

“I guess it’s the same as always,” Scootaloo said. “Find out who’s having the dream, and find a way to get them out of it. I don’t think Luna would send us here unless something was really wrong.”

She led the other two through town, even though she had no idea where they were supposed to go. She constantly had to remind herself that this was a dream, no different from the others she’d been thrown into. But, for all appearances, she was just walking around town on a perfectly average day.

The ponies in the other dreams had all looked the same. They had wandered around the place aimlessly, like they had nowhere to go. But as they passed by clusters of ponies, they could pick up on conversations. These ponies had their own schedules and plans. There was Junebug, carrying some baskets of flowers on her back. Spike hurried past them, probably running some errand for Twilight. And Applejack…

Applejack took one look at the fillies, and her jaw dropped in surprise. She marched over and stopped right in front of them.

“Now just what in the hay are you three doin’ out here?” She looked down at them with a stern look on her face.

Apple Bloom blinked at her. “Uh, nothin’, sis, we were just, uh…”

“You know you’re s’posed to be in school today, aren’t ya?” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what y’all are plannin’, but you’d better get to class before you’re in real trouble.”

“But, uh,” Apple Bloom stammered. “This isn’t…” She couldn’t find the words, and glanced back at the others for help.

“There’s no ‘buts’ about it, missy.”

Sweetie Belle leaned over to Scootaloo. “But aren’t the other us already in school right now?” she whispered.

A thought occurred to Scootaloo. She went over and put a hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “We should go back to the schoolhouse.”

Apple Bloom stared at her. “But I thought you said we should look around town.”

Applejack nodded. “She’s right, Apple Bloom. And I’m goin’ with y’all to make sure you don’t cut out along the way.”

They trailed behind Applejack as she led them back the way they came, and Apple Bloom whispered to Scootaloo. “So what’s the plan?”

“Luna said these nightmares only happen to foals. So it’s probably somepony our age, right?”

“So they’d be at school...” Apple Bloom said, nodding. “No wonder Sweetie Belle said you were good at this.”

“But we’re already at school,” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, not us… but the other ones.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Maybe we can use that.”

Applejack dropped them off at the front of the school. “Now, you three head on in there, and explain to Cheerilee what y’all were up to. And I don’t wanna catch you three cuttin’ school again, y’hear?”

The three of them nodded silently in unison.

“Good.” Applejack watched as they climbed the front steps.

They stopped on the front porch of the schoolhouse. Scootaloo raised her hoof to push the schoolhouse door open, then held back. She turned to the others. “Remember. Nothing we do matters, except finding out who’s having this dream. We can’t get in trouble.”

Apple Bloom frowned. “Applejack sure seemed mad at us…”

“It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t really her,” Scootaloo said. “She’s part of the dream. We just need to focus on the mission, okay?”

“How are we supposed to know who it is?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I… I’m still figuring that part of the plan out,” Scootaloo admitted. “Maybe they’ll know if they see two of us at a time. I don’t think the dream ponies care. The other versions of you two didn’t seem bothered by it. Anyways, you guys ready?”

“I guess,” Apple Bloom said, biting her lip.

Scootaloo burst through the door of the schoolhouse. Every head turned at once, staring at her in blank confusion.

“Class has already started, Scootaloo!” Cheerilee said. She eyed the other fillies standing next to her. “The three of you are very late. I’m going to have to mark you…” She checked her attendance sheet, then looked up at the other Scootaloo already sitting at her desk. “But I suppose I only have one of each of you on the attendance sheet…”

Ignoring her, Scootaloo walked on in and studied the faces of her classmates. Everypony was here, they all looked the same as they always did.

“Scootaloo, what are you doing?” the dream-Sweetie Belle asked. “And... what am I doing?”

Moving between the rows of desks, Sweetie Belle stopped in front of Diamond Tiara. She waved her hoof in front of her eyes.

“What are you doing?” Diamond Tiara snapped. “You can’t just barge into class like that. Miss Cheerilee, aren’t you going to do something about them?”

“Girls, I’m going to have to ask you to stop whatever it is you’re doing,” Cheerilee said.

Scootaloo did her best to ignore her, fighting the instinct to give in to the strict tone of voice. Ordinarily that would have meant detention. Cheerilee was a great teacher until she got mad.

Sweetie Belle took another look at Diamond Tiara, then shook her head. “No good,” she said, and moved on to the next student.

Apple Bloom had stopped in front of Twist. “Now, you know there’s only one of me, right?”

Twist wiped her glasses clean, then looked at the Apple Bloom sitting a few desks over. She turned back around and stared at the one standing right in front of her. “Why’d only one of you come to thchool this morning?”

With a sigh, Apple Bloom shook her head and moved on, not even bothering to answer.

The Scootaloo sitting in her desk leaned over to the Apple Bloom next to her. “Hey, do you think we’ll get our cutie marks faster now that there’s two of us? What happens if one of them gets theirs first, though?”

“Well, I bet we could get our cutie mark doin’ the same thing they did, if that happened.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Was that really what they sounded like?

The real Apple Bloom stopped in the middle of the row. “It’s no good, girls. I can’t tell if any of ‘em are actin’ different from the rest.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “Maybe they aren’t here.”

Scootaloo looked around the classroom. There seemed to be perfect attendance, plus three extra. “You could be right. Let’s get out of here. On to plan B.”

They had gone back into town, keeping an eye out for Applejack, but they hadn’t run into her again.

“Everything here is based on memory,” Scootaloo said, pacing back and forth. “And it’s all based on what the pony having this dream knows about. That’s why the dream versions of us didn’t know about Apple Bloom going to Manehattan. You’ve only told us and Applejack about that.”

“I think I get what you’re sayin’,” Apple Bloom said. “That really doesn’t narrow it down much, does it?”

Sweetie Belle watched a few ponies walking into the door of Quills and Sofas. “Everything’s exactly where it’s supposed to be. I don’t even think I know Ponyville that well. That would be like… drawing a whole map, just out of your head.”

“Come to think of it, we haven’t seen anythin’ that doesn’t fit, have we?” Apple Bloom said.

“No, we haven’t,” Scootaloo said. “Everything’s fine.”

She remembered that first trip to the Crystal Empire—or, at least, Sweetie Belle’s version of it. Everything had seemed fine there, too, until she had said the wrong thing. For all she knew, this Ponyville might be one misplaced comment away from erupting into total chaos. But what was it?

“How far do you think we could make it out of town?” Apple Bloom said suddenly. “Like, if we just took off down the road and left. What’d happen?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I really don’t think we should do that.”

“She’s got a point. Just how far does this place go?” Scootaloo said.

“We can’t just leave town,” Sweetie Belle said. “I still think that the pony dreaming this whole thing must be somepony who lives here.”

“Maybe we need a better view…” Scootaloo muttered. Her pacing had worn a rut into the dirt road, but then she stopped in her tracks. “You guys wait here. I’m going to do a flyover.”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom stared at her.

“Maybe I can get a better look at everything if I’m up higher. It’s worth a shot, right?”

“Good idea. We’ll meet you back here,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Now hold on,” Apple Bloom said. “What are you talkin’ about?”

Scootaloo flapped her wings a few times to warm up, then shot up into the air, leaving Apple Bloom staring up in utter shock below her. Takeoffs were getting easier. At least, in the dreams they were.

She flew up higher until she was far above the thatched roofs of the village, nearly higher than even the peak of the town hall. She zoomed from one end of the town to the other through the open air. The clouds drifted lazily around her, and she surveyed the sights.

There didn’t seem to be an end to the dream world. It stretched off in all directions. She could see Canterlot Castle in the distance, and opposite that was the Everfree Forest. The view was breathtaking, real or not. Scootaloo briefly considered just flying off in one direction, seeing how far she could go. Just to try.

“Whoa, kid? What are you doing all the way up here?”

She looked back to see Rainbow Dash flying up behind her. “Oh, uh… Hey…”

Rainbow’s mouth hung open in surprise. “I guess all our practice paid off, huh? You’re a natural at this! You should’ve told me when you got the hang of it.”

“Um…” Scootaloo slowed down to hover in midair. She bit her lip. This Rainbow Dash wasn’t real... was she?

“I was just looking around for you so you could watch this new trick I’ve been working on, but this is even better! Think you’re ready to try out some moves yourself?” Rainbow gave a devious grin.

“I was actually just trying to…” Scootaloo wasn’t even sure if she should try explaining herself. Rainbow was probably just like Cheerilee, or the other Crusaders, or any of the ponies in this place. Just part of somepony else’s imagination.

She turned again and stared down at Ponyville, far below them. Up here, she knew that she was dreaming. And this view was part of the dream too, wasn’t it? Only a pegasus would have seen the town from this angle. Rainbow Dash was always flying circles around the sky, every single day…

“Trying to do what?” Rainbow asked, frowning.

Just supposing that this was Rainbow’s dream, she couldn’t just ask her straight out. That never worked. There had to be some other way to find out if this was really Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo looked down at a patch of green and yellow leaves covering a distant hillside. She pointed it out. “That’s Winsome Falls, isn’t it?”

Rainbow followed where her hoof was directed. “Over there? It sure is!”

“That’s where we had the camping trip. I was just thinking about what you said when you agreed to be my sister,” Scootaloo said.

“I do have a way with words sometimes, don’t I?”

“Yeah. I bet if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be having nightmares,” Scootaloo said. “But you told me about how you’ve never been afraid of anything. And so I’m not afraid, either.”

“Sure did!” Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a light punch on the shoulder. “Who’s afraid of some old scary stories, anyway? I know I’m not.”

“And you never have been.” Scootaloo frowned.

“Of course not!” Rainbow said. “So, is that it, or is there more? Are you ready to get working on those tricks, or what?”

Scootaloo looked into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. It looked just like her. And yet… She remembered what had really happened that night. Something that Rainbow had really never told anypony else about. Nopony but Scootaloo, at least.

“You’re not Rainbow Dash.”

“Huh? Kid, what are you—“

Scootaloo dove downward, past the cloud layer, spiraling towards the ground and swooping up as she neared the rooftops.

She scanned the streets, then spotted her friends waiting below. She swooped down and came in for a landing. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom turned around and stared at her.

She folded her wings at her sides. “Wait, you are the right ones, aren’t you?”

“It’s the real us,” Sweetie Belle said. “What took you so long, anyway?”

“Nothing,” Scootaloo said, with a shrug. “Just wanted to take a good look, that’s all.”

“We got tired of waitin’, so we took another look around,” Apple Bloom said. “And, uh… You’d better come look at what we found.”

Scootaloo followed them out to Sweet Apple Acres. They started down a path through the orchard, and she instantly recognized where they were going. They’d taken this path hundreds of times before. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were silent most of the way there.

The clubhouse came into view, perched in the same old tree as always. Scootaloo stared up at it. Then she realized what was the matter.

“Wait, if this is here…”

“Not many ponies have actually come to the clubhouse,” Apple Bloom said. “But just look at it. I’d recognize it anywhere.”

It was all recreated in perfect detail—the gnarled branches of the old tree, the shutters hanging off at crooked angles. For what must have been the twentieth time, Scootaloo had to remind herself that she was asleep.

“Did you…” Scootaloo hesitated. “Did you try going inside?”

Apple Bloom nodded. She led the way up the steps to the door. Sweetie Belle hung back, not going any closer.

The clubhouse looked exactly as Scootaloo had expected. All the familiarity was actually starting to get a little creepy, to be honest. The furniture had been pushed around, but Scootaloo couldn’t exactly recall just how they had left it last time. The same posters were nailed to the walls.

As she slowly moved forward, she stepped on a loose board, and it let out a groan. She took a step back instinctively.

“Wait a sec…” Apple Bloom said. She trotted over and knelt down next to it, inspecting the board carefully. “I was gonna get around to fixin’ this. It’s only been like that for a couple of weeks, at most.”

“You mean the real one has.”

“Maybe I’m not rememberin’ the right one. Maybe it was over a little bit. It can’t be the exact same board as the real clubhouse, is it?”

Scootaloo didn’t want to answer that. “Let’s head outside. I don’t think we’ll find anything else in there.”

Sweetie Belle was waiting at the edge of the clearing, leaning against a tree. She watched them as they left the clubhouse. “But it’s not really a secret clubhouse, right?” she said. “I’m sure tons of ponies know that it’s here.”

“Probably, but how many of them have been inside?” Apple Bloom said.

“Well, uh…”

Scootaloo groaned. “We’ve been here for hours and it’s just getting more confusing. What are we missing here?”

“I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle said. “And… I’m starting to get a little scared. Maybe this is a nightmare.”

“I’ve been wonderin’ about somethin’,” Apple Bloom said. “If this is a dream, then we should wake up sometime, right?”

It had been a long time. The sun was low enough that Scootaloo would estimate it was mid-afternoon in the dream world. It seemed to be growing brighter. “I’d say it should be any min—”

Scootaloo blinked a few times in the early morning light. She pulled herself up, and swept the blanket aside as she got out of bed.

Her scooter was waiting outside the front door, as it always was. Just like any other day, her wings buzzed as she sped down the street to school, but this time she felt oddly detached from everything.

Ponyville now looked the same as it had for the past few hours, as she’d explored it with her friends. The possibility that she might end up at school again, talking to versions of her friends who weren’t really her friends, was digging at the back of her mind.

The moment she arrived in front of the school, she searched for them, but they hadn’t gotten there yet. She set her scooter down and waited under the flagpole, fidgeting. A few minutes passed, several students ran up and headed inside, and then Apple Bloom finally showed up.

“Hey!” Scootaloo ran over to her. “So, uh, I guess we’re out of the dream now. This is the real Ponyville. I’m pretty sure.”

Apple Bloom stared at her blankly, and for a moment Scootaloo got a sickening feeling of déjà vu in the pit of her stomach. Then, Apple Bloom let out a sigh. “So you and Sweetie Belle really do this all the time? I don’t know how you manage.”

“It’s not usually like that,” Scootaloo said. “But now that we’re awake, we can probably find out who was having the dream.”

“So it’s like Luna was sayin’, then? That time that Sweetie Belle was sick, and then when I was…”

“Yeah. This is what’s really going on,” Scootaloo said. “Luna said that we’re the only ponies who know about this. Whatever it is, we’re the ones she chose to stop it.”

Apple Bloom nodded quietly, and watched their classmates heading up the path to the school.

“Hey, girls,” Sweetie Belle said. She approached them slowly, her ears drooping. “Are we…”

“We’re awake. At least, I’m pretty sure we are,” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle laughed nervously. “I was just checking. Let’s get inside.”

The three of them filed into the classroom and took their seats. Scootaloo leaned against the desk, staring out the window at the familiar view of Ponyville. The same view she ended up watching for several hours every day. If she closed her eyes, she’d probably be able to remember every detail.

Cheerilee read off attendance. As she said each name, Scootaloo was glancing around the classroom. It didn’t look like anypony was missing. Maybe she was just forgetting somepony...

“The day’s off to a great start!” Cheerilee said. “Everypony is present and accounted for. Now, let’s move on to the first lesson.”

Scootaloo couldn’t tell if that was good news or not.

Hometown

Apple Bloom was the one to say what all of them were wondering as they sat around the clubhouse that afternoon.

“So what now?”

For a moment, nopony answered. Scootaloo was pacing back and forth all around the clubhouse, unable to sit still. Sweetie Belle was sprawled out facedown over the table as if she couldn’t move at all.

Scootaloo stared at the floor for a moment. “Well… We can’t really go back to the dream until tonight.”

“And you’re going to make sure you’re on time tonight, aren’t you?” Sweetie Belle said, picking her head up.

“Yeah, I know,” Scootaloo said.

“Good. I don’t want to get stuck there alone again. Apple Bloom wasn’t much help,” Sweetie Belle said. Her head fell down on the table again. “No offense.”

“Well, ‘scuse me if I wasn’t quite clear on the whole havin’-the-same-dream-as-you-two thing yet. I’m not quite clear on it now.” Apple Bloom let out a sigh. “So, I’m just makin’ sure, but this only happens to foals, right? Ponies our age? At least, I think that’s what Luna told us last night.”

“But just about every foal in town goes to our school. Ponyville’s not that big a town,” Sweetie Belle said. “And they were all there today.”

“Twilight said there have been cases all over Equestria, but that wouldn’t make any sense,” Scootaloo said. “I don’t think anypony from another town would have a dream that detailed about Ponyville.”

“Well, uh…” Sweetie Belle’s brow furrowed as she thought. “What about the Cakes? They’ve got kids.”

“I don’t think a baby has dreams like that,” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo stopped pacing by the window, and held the curtain aside. The sun was starting to sink down over the orchard.

“Maybe we should just head back home,” Scootaloo said. “It’ll be dark soon. We need all the time we can get in the dream if we want to figure this out.”

She stood up, and headed towards the door. One of the planks in the floor bent as she stepped on it, and she froze. It was the same one that was loose in the dream. She could tell without even looking at it.

“I’m still not sure how we’re gonna explain that,” Apple Bloom said quietly.

They all left the clubhouse, Apple Bloom kicking the door shut behind her as she brought up the rear. When they reached the path back to town, they stopped before heading their separate ways.

Apple Bloom turned around. “So we’re supposed to, uh... meet up... tonight at sundown, right?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Try to get to sleep as soon as you can. That way we won’t get split up again.”

“Right.” Apple Bloom looked up at the sky, already changing from a pale blue-grey to an orange matching the trees around them. The days had been getting shorter ever since Nightmare Night. “Seems a little early to go to sleep, though. I’m not sure how I’ll explain that to Applejack.”

“Speaking of which,” Scootaloo said. “What did she say about you going to Manehattan? I mean, that was what we went through your dream for, wasn’t it?”

Apple Bloom paused. “Well, uh… She said she’d think about it.”

“That’s good, right?” Sweetie Belle grinned.

“Uh… sure is! Probably,” Apple Bloom said. “Anyways, I’ll see you girls in a little bit, I guess.”

As she and Sweetie Belle crossed the bridge into town, Scootaloo wondered if there might be some kind of clue about the dream, somewhere around here. But all they could do was narrow it down to who wasn’t there. From the looks of things, everypony that they had seen last night was milling about the real Ponyville, too.

A few fillies from school ran past, probably off on some adventure of their own, smiling and laughing. Other than that, it seemed oddly quiet. Ponies were walking around, talking to each other, but it felt like something was off.

They passed by the joke shop again, and then the spa. The feeling of déjà vu set in again. Scootaloo remembered that they had just been here—it had been in the dream, but it had looked exactly the same. Felt exactly the same.

The two of them were silent until they reached Sweetie Belle’s street. She glanced over at her house, next to the slowly turning windmill.

“I’ll see you later, Scootaloo,” she said.

“Yeah. See ya.”

They trotted off in separate directions. The afternoon light had nearly run out. Scootaloo quickened her pace so she could get home in time.

As she passed by a corner, she nearly ran straight into Fluttershy. She flinched and let out a squeak.

“Oh, hello there,” Fluttershy said. “You startled me.”

“Just try not to panic when the leaves start falling, alright?” Rainbow Dash trotted up behind her, rolling her eyes. “Oh, hey, Scootaloo. What are you up to?”

“Uh… nothing much,” Scootaloo said.

“Me and Fluttershy were taking a quick break from training. The Running of the Leaves is later this month, you know,” Rainbow said.

Fluttershy nodded. “I’m just here for moral support.” She touched a stopwatch that was hanging from her neck. “And, uh… coaching, I suppose.” She looked at Rainbow as if waiting for confirmation.

Rainbow Dash eyed Scootaloo. “You know, you’re probably getting big enough to run the whole thing. Want to practice with us? There’s still a little bit of daylight left.”

“I’d love to! But…” Scootaloo looked up at the sky. They really were running out of daylight. “I can’t right now.”

“It’s not as late as it looks,” Rainbow said. “We could get a few hours in, at least.”

“Well, uh…” Scootaloo gave a long, exaggerated yawn. “I’ve been spending the whole day crusading with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. I’m about ready to hit the hay.”

“Guess you’ve gotta get your cutie mark somehow.” Rainbow gave a shrug. “But you sure you don’t want to come?”

Scootaloo took a deep breath. It was hard to turn her down. “Maybe next year?”

“It is an awfully long race,” Fluttershy said. “I’m not even sure I’d be able to make it.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head with a sigh. “Well, it’s your choice, Scootaloo. Guess I’ll see you later, kid.”

Scootaloo waved as Fluttershy and Rainbow trotted off towards the outskirts of town. The sun was nearly at the edge of the horizon, and the shadows of the houses were stretching all the way across the street.

She had been lying about feeling tired. Scootaloo ran the rest of the way home, trying to burn off excess energy, but she was still feeling restless. She could have run laps around the house, but instead she just bounded up the stairs and threw herself onto the bed.

Later that night, after what felt like hours but could have only been minutes, Scootaloo was lying awake, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to get to sleep. As usual, it wasn’t easy, not with all these questions weighing down on her. She pulled the covers up closer to fight off the chill.

Letting out a sigh, she finally gave in. Maybe she was just going to end up being late again. She allowed her eyes to open, and stared at the wall, and the darkness playing over the surfaces of the furniture.

The shadows in her room were moving.

The forest came into view again, the same way it always did. Scootaloo found herself already standing in the middle of the same clearing. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stood on either side of her. They stared at each other wordlessly for a moment.

Apple Bloom stared up at the trees, and the light that wasn’t quite a sky shining through the branches. “This is the same place from last time,” she said, and looked down at the others. “So... we’re asleep now, right?”

“You are learning quickly.” They turned around to see Luna behind them. “That is good to hear. We do not have the luxury of time, and I cannot explain as much as I should like.”

“Y-Your Highness,” Apple Bloom stammered, doing a quick, clumsy bow.

“Hey, Luna. Sorry about last time,” Scootaloo said.

Luna gave her the ghost of a smile. “I was reluctant to send the others ahead without you, but I trust you were able to find your way,” Luna said. There was weariness to her voice.

“Actually…” Scootaloo scratched the back of her head. “I couldn’t even tell it was a dream. This one’s different. Everything’s so normal.”

Luna seemed to consider this for a moment. “That is most unusual, but not unheard of. I assure you it is still like any other dream—purely constructed from the memories and imagination of a single dreamer.”

“That’s kind of a lot of memories, though, isn’t it?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “I don’t understand how anypony could know so much about… well, everything.”

Luna raised a hoof to quiet them. “No matter how these things manifest themselves, you must remember that they hold special meaning for the dreamer. One could say it is how they see the world around them.”

The branches of the trees began to shift around, as if in a breeze that none of them could feel. The darkness lifted, and was replaced with warm morning sunlight.

“What are we supposed to do?” Scootaloo shouted as the forest faded away. “How do we get them out of this?”

There was no time for a response. As Luna faded from sight, they found themselves standing in the middle of a street in Ponyville. Scootaloo could recognize it easily; her own house was only a few streets over. There were a few ponies walking around, but nopony seemed startled by the appearance of three fillies out of thin air.

Sweetie Belle spun around, checking to see if Luna was really gone. “So now what?”

“What did she mean by ‘how they see the world around them’?” Apple Bloom said. She shaded her eyes as she looked up into the nearly cloudless blue sky. “Isn’t this exactly how we all see the world?”

“Let’s just keep looking,” Scootaloo replied with a shrug. “That’s all we can do.”

Sweetie Belle kicked at the ground. “It just feels like we’re wasting our time. Everything’s exactly the same as it is in the real world. And the longer we spend here, the less I feel like we’re not in the real world.”

Scootaloo gritted her teeth and just started walking. “All the more reason to keep moving.” She quickly glanced back to make sure they actually were following her.

As they walked through town, Scootaloo couldn’t help but feel a chill. It was a sunny day here, warmer than it actually was at this time of year. When she looked up, she caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash and a few other local weather ponies clearing clouds out of the sky. Sights like that shouldn’t be unsettling, but somehow, they were.

Apple Bloom broke the uneasy silence. “You and the Princess get along pretty good, huh?” she said, turning towards Scootaloo. “I’m amazed you can just talk to ‘er like that. You don’t think she’s kinda… well, you know.”

“She’s not like she is on Nightmare Night,” Scootaloo said, narrowing her eyes. “You know that’s just a total act, right?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Apple Bloom shook her head. “It’s just, like… Princess Celestia’s always showin’ up for festivals and such, but we hardly ever see Luna except for that one night every year. And she’s not exactly the most gettin’-along pony, even then.”

“She’s really not that bad, once you get to know her.”

“I’m still impressed that you did get to know her…”

The door of one of the houses opened, and Twist trotted out with her saddlebags slung over her side. She noticed the three of them walking past.

“Are you three on the way to thcool?” she said. “We could all go together!”

“We’re, uh…” Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “We’ve got some things to do first, so you go on ahead.”

“Oh, okay. Thee you later,” Twist said. She shrugged and headed down the street.

Apple Bloom turned back to the house she had come out of. There were potted flowers all over the front and in every window. “Well, that is Twist’s house,” Apple Bloom said. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Everything about this dream has been right so far.”

“What about the one next door? Who lives there?” Scootaloo said.

“That one?” Apple Bloom tilted her head. “I can’t say I know…”

Scootaloo ran ahead and trotted up the front steps the house. Without pausing to knock, she pushed the door open and walked on inside.

“What are you doing?” Sweetie Belle said, reluctantly following her into the front hallway. “Whose house is this?”

“No clue,” Scootaloo said. She trotted into the living room. There were a few chairs and a sofa, and the kitchen could be seen through a doorway. A pretty normal house, by the looks of things. Nopony seemed to be home.

“Then what are we doing here?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, just look. Everything’s here. The entire inside of this house is part of the dream, too.”

“But we’ve never been in this house before,” Apple Bloom said. She examined some framed photographs on the wall—probably the family who lived here. “Even if things weren’t where they were s’posed to be, we wouldn’t know.”

“I guess you’ve got a point…” Scootaloo said. She hopped up on the sofa and sat down for a minute. “This dream isn’t quite perfect, though. The dream versions of us didn’t know everything, and neither did Rainbow Dash… We need to test how much this pony actually knows.”

“Well, they’ve got a pretty good idea about the school, the town square, and our own clubhouse,” Sweetie Belle said. “What else is there?”

Scootaloo racked her brain for a minute. She lifted her head, her eyes wide. “The library,” she said, her voice only a murmur.

“Huh?”

Scootaloo hopped down from the sofa and headed back towards the front door. “Just follow me. I’ve got an idea.”

She led them back out the door, down the front steps, making a beeline for the library, weaving in between the surprised-looking ponies strolling around town. She glanced around, and spotted the tops of the branches of the library peeking out over the rooftops, right where she expected them to be.

“I… think you’re going a little too fast…” Sweetie Belle panted, trying to keep her pace.

Scootaloo sighed, and slowed down to let the others catch up to her. She stood in the middle of the street, studying the faces of her neighbors as they passed by.

Pinkie Pie was skipping down the street. She noticed the three of them, and bounced over. “Hiya, girls!”

“Hey, Pinkie,” Apple Bloom said. She frowned. “I mean…”

“There’s no point. She’s not the real one,” Scootaloo said.

Pinkie squinted at them. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Come on. Let’s keep looking.” Scootaloo started walking again, and the others followed her. “I’ve got an idea about the library. Kind of. It’s hard to explain. I’ll figure it out once we get there.”

Pinkie watched them suspiciously as they left her, then continued down the street until she was lost in the crowd.

“Well, we were sayin’ it could be anyone,” Apple Bloom said, glancing back as they walked away. “I mean, we all live in Ponyville. I’m pretty sure I’ve had dreams here before.”

“But Pinkie?” Sweetie Belle made a face, and shook her head. “This place is way too normal to be Pinkie’s imagination. If it was her, everything would be made of candy, or Gummy would be able to talk, or something.”

“Good point,” Apple Bloom said. She laughed nervously. “Probably a good thing we didn’t end up there, huh?”

Before long they were passing under the shade of the library's branches. The tree towered over them, as massive as it had ever been, the sunlight filtering down between the shifting leaves.

With a backwards glance at the others, Scootaloo pushed the front door open and trotted inside, greeted by the familiar smell of old books and parchment. Twilight was at a desk reading, completely engrossed in her studies. She didn’t look up when they came in.

“Now, there’s no way that all of the books can still be here,” Scootaloo said. “Nopony could remember that much.”

Sweetie Belle nodded slowly, starting to grasp the plan. “And maybe the ones that are here would give us some kind of clue whose dream it is.”

Twilight lifted her head slowly, and turned around. She gave them a puzzled look. “Girls? Aren’t you supposed to be in school right now?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Scootaloo said quickly, waving a hoof dismissively.

“Okay…” Twilight said, frowning. She quickly brightened up again. “I guess if you’re here for research, I’d never be one to turn down curious minds. What can I help you with?”

Scootaloo ignored her and trotted over to one of the shelves, scanning the titles at random. And they all did have titles. She had been afraid of that. They seemed to be grouped by subject, and alphabetized by titles. On the few occasions she’d stopped by to look for a book, that’s how it had always been.

“Huh. Maybe that one would help us,” Sweetie Belle said. She reached up and took down a book. The title, embossed in gold on the front, was A Complete Guide to Dreams and their Meanings.

“Good thinkin’,” Apple Bloom said. “Maybe a book like that would give us a clue.”

Sweetie Belle flipped it open, but then her mouth dropped open in surprise. “Huh?”

The pages were blank. She flipped through them quickly, but every single page was pure white. She closed it again, to check the title. It still looked the same on the outside.

“Guess that’s about what I figured. A town’s easy enough, but nopony could remember a whole entire book,” Apple Bloom said.

“Can I help you find something?” Twilight walked over and looked at the book lying in front of them. “Oh, that’s definitely interesting! The study of dreams is complicated, but most scholars agree that dreams can have some kind of magical power. What were you girls looking at a book like this for, anyway?”

“Uh, Twilight, isn’t there something… weird… about that book?” Sweetie Belle said.

Twilight had her nose buried in the book, her eyes moving from side to side across the blank pages. “What exactly do you mean? Like I said, there is some disagreement when it comes to the study of dreams…”

Scootaloo flew up to the top shelf, and started pulling books off and skimming through each one. They were all the same—titles and illustrations on the covers, but nothing inside.

“Scootaloo, I didn’t know you could—“ Twilight watched her throw the books on the floor, and her jaw dropped. “What are you doing? I just reshelved that section two days ago! Be careful with those!”

She grabbed one book after another, opening them to a random page, but they were all blank. Scootaloo was about ready to give up when she caught a glimpse of some lines of text in one of them. She stopped, and took a closer look.

From what she could tell, it was some kind of flight spell, but the language was clearly for high-level unicorns. Scootaloo couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Was it a spell that the dreamer had memorized?

She flipped through the other pages, but the text grew fainter on each page, until the rest of them were as blank as the others. Besides the page with the flight spell, most of it was too faded to make out any of the words.

Scootaloo turned back the pages to find the spell again. “Sweetie Belle. Do you think you’d be able to understand any of this spell?” She swooped down and landed on the floor.

“I’m not that good at magic,” Sweetie Belle replied, staring dully at the page. “I mean, I still can’t really do anything outside of dreams.”

“Hmm…”

The front door slammed open, and everypony’s head turned as Pinkie stomped into the room. She caught sight of the three fillies. “There you are! What did you mean I’m not the real Pinkie Pie? There’s only one of me this time, I made super-sure of that!”

Twilight leveled her gaze, and spoke in an even tone. “Pinkie, the girls are trying to do some research. You’re supposed to be quiet in a library.”

Pinkie’s jaw dropped. “But they’re—“

“I mean it,” Twilight said. “Just let them do their work.”

“But…” Pinkie stared at the three fillies sitting across the room, then back at Twilight’s cold stare. She let out a frustrated groan, and walked back out into the street.

“What was that all about?” Apple Bloom said. “She followed us in here?”

“I guess even the dream version of Pinkie is crazy,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, of course,” Twilight said. “You can’t expect any kind of rational behavior out of her. I knew that practically as soon as I moved in to Ponyville.”

Scootaloo turned her attention back to the books. Maybe if she kept looking, there would be more pages that weren’t blank. It had to be some kind of a clue.

“I mean, Pinkie’s never taken anything seriously in her life,” Twilight continued. “She’s always just showing up out of nowhere, saying things that don’t make any sense. Like just now, for instance.”

“Don’t you think you’re bein’ a little hard on her?” Apple Bloom said.

Twilight shook her head. “Trust me, it’s about time somepony spoke up about her. She’s simply too old to be acting so immaturely.”

Scootaloo tried to tune her out, and went back to trying to read the other pages in the spellbook. She laid it out on the floor and pressed her face up against the faded text.

Sure, it had been a little odd that Pinkie had just shown up again, but that was how she normally acted. Pinkie was different from everypony in town. And everypony knew that.

Scootaloo froze. Everypony knew that about Pinkie… And she knew everypony in town. She looked up from the book. “It’s Pinkie.”

“Huh? What about her?” Sweetie Belle said.

“She noticed that we were acting strangely. Nopony else notices, or at least they forget about it after a while. I can’t really explain it, but this has to be Pinkie’s dream.”

“I still think things are a little too normal for her,” Sweetie Belle said. “Besides, only foals are supposed to be affected by these nightmares. Luna said so.”

“I’d say Pinkie’s close enough.” Apple Bloom shrugged.

“I don’t know how to explain that,” Scootaloo admitted. “But who else knows this much about Ponyville? Pinkie is friends with everypony.”

“You really think it’s her?” Apple Bloom said. “Then what do we do?”

“We track her down.” Scootaloo's wings buzzed with excitement. “Come on!”

She flew the short distance to the door of the library, then dashed out onto the street. She looked around, but Pinkie was long gone. There was no telling where she might be. Pinkie had a tendency to only show up when you weren’t looking for her. Now that they needed her, she could be literally anywhere.

Scootaloo chose to go to the center of town on a hunch. That was where most of the ponies were, and Pinkie liked being around ponies.

Though Twilight didn’t seem to like her very much. Not this version of Twilight, anyway.

As Scootaloo tried to think and run at the same time, she hardly even noticed Rainbow Dash swoop down out of the sky and start flying alongside the three of them. “Hey, where are you kids off to in such a hurry?”

Scootaloo turned her head away, trying to ignore her. “Let’s keep looking. Pinkie has to be somewhere in town.”

“Pinkie Pie? What are you looking for her for?” Rainbow Dash wrinkled her nose. “Come on. I saw your moves yesterday. Now that you’re flying, we should really hang out and work on your technique. You don’t seriously want to look for Pinkie, do you? She’s totally nuts.”

Sweetie Belle nudged Scootaloo in the side. “Don’t listen to her. Pinkie’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

Scootaloo made a quick nod to the side to signal to the others, then led them around a corner before the dream-Rainbow Dash could react. They were headed back into the center of town now. The crowds seemed to be getting thicker. Scootaloo glanced around in all directions, trying to locate a spot of pink somewhere.

“Wait just a second!” They skidded to a halt as Pinkie ran up behind them. “I remember now! You three are supposed to be in school,” Pinkie said. “What are you doing here right now being not in school?”

Apple Bloom tried to catch her breath. “Pinkie, listen, you’re having a dream right now, and—”

Scootaloo put a hoof over Apple Bloom’s mouth. “You can’t say that to her,” she whispered. “She’ll just get confused.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Well, duh, of course I know it’s a dream!”

Scootaloo stared at her. “You… do?”

“Sure! I’m more surprised that all of you know this is a dream. I’m just dreaming you, too. But then I guess you’d be me, and if I know it’s a dream, then you would know that too.”

None of them knew how to respond to that.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes darted all over the street. All the other ponies in town were minding their own business, oblivious to the four of them. “But... I still say this can’t be Pinkie’s dream. Even Apple Bloom’s dream was crazier than this.”

“What were you expecting, huh?” Pinkie said, gritting her teeth. “You think that my dreams have to be crazy? You probably think that I’m always in my own little world where nothing makes sense to normal ponies like you, is that it?”

Sweetie Belle’s legs were shaking, and she was staring at the houses and ponies around them as if they could move in and attack at any moment. Because, Scootaloo realized, they could—if Pinkie wanted them to.

But nothing happened. For all appearances, it was still a typical day in Ponyville. Besides the odd conversation they were having, anyway.

“Uh…” Scootaloo had no idea what to say. This really hadn’t been what she was expecting at all. “Look, we know you’re a little… different… from everypony else, Pinkie, but that’s not bad.”

“I don’t even know why I’m talking to you!” Pinkie said. “You’re all just me, and I know better than to talk to myself.”

“We’re here to get you to wake up,” Scootaloo said. She tried to smile, even though this conversation was starting to make her head hurt. “You know that it’s a dream, so you should just snap out of it.”

“Why should I even bother waking up? Nopony wants to be around me out there or in here.” Pinkie spun around, holding her chin up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think you should go back to being figments of my imagination.”

The three of them stood there, speechless, as she trotted away from them. The other ponies on the street edged away from her, muttering to each other in low voices as she passed them by. Some of them laughed, others shook their heads.

“So… she’s not going to try to kick us out?” Sweetie Belle said. She shuddered. “I was worried this was going to be like what Apple Bloom did to us.”

Apple Bloom looked at her. “Was it that bad?”

“Pinkie thinks she’s dreaming us,” Scootaloo said. “I guess things could be worse, but I don’t think she’s going to listen to anything we say.”

“But she could dream anything she wants. Especially if she knows she’s dreaming,” Sweetie Belle asked. “Why would she make it all so normal? Except I don’t think anypony here likes her.”

In her mind, Scootaloo heard Luna’s voice echoing. “It’s how she sees the world…” she muttered under her breath.

Pinkie knew every inch of Ponyville. She knew every face, every name, on a personal level. And, if Scootaloo had to guess, nothing scared her more than the idea that none of those ponies liked her back.

Rainbow Dash caught up to them again. “Hey. Finally ditched Pinkie, huh? You made the right choice.”

Scootaloo shook her head. She stared at the dream-Rainbow standing next to her, wearing a grin that was almost a sneer. “I know Rainbow’s said that Pinkie can be annoying, but she doesn’t act like this.”

“Kid, do you want to know what I really think about her?” Rainbow said. “She’s completely annoying. She never knows when to shut up. And, on top of all that, she’s cheated me out of cider every single year—until I finally beat her at her own game.”

“We’ve just got to ignore her,” Scootaloo said. She looked around. “Come on, we need to get to Pinkie somehow. Did either of you see where she went?”

“I don’t know. I think we lost her.” Sweetie Belle was staring at the dream-Rainbow. “Pinkie actually thinks that’s what ponies say about her?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. “Well, uh...” She hesitated before continuing very slowly. “I’m still not clear on all this dream stuff… But everypony around here is Pinkie, or part of her imagination, or… somethin’. Right?”

“I… guess so?” Scootaloo cocked her head.

“So if we talk to them, then we’re really talkin’ to Pinkie.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I don’t think I get it.”

“We’ve just gotta remind them why they really do like Pinkie. Or at least the real versions of them do. Then we’ll actually be remindin’ her of what they actually think.”

Scootaloo nodded slowly as she put the pieces together. “So we’d really be changing the dream itself by doing that. It could be the dream logic getting to me, but it might be worth a shot.”

“Now just what in the hay do you three care so much about Pinkie for?”

They spun around to see Applejack walking slowly towards them, the same stern look in her eyes that she’d given them last time. It was like she’d appeared out of nowhere. Maybe she had.

“Apple Bloom, you and your friends better just steer clear of that one,” Applejack said. “She’s a few apples short of a full bushel.”

“B-But you don’t really think that,” Apple Bloom said, shaking her head. She had to fight to get the words out. “My real sister’s been friends with Pinkie for years.”

“Now just what the hay are you talkin’ about?” the dream-Applejack said, frowning. “That pony’s simply no good. You’ve seen the way she camped out for cider. Two years in a row, even! Don’t she have anythin’ better to do with all her time?”

“But, uh…” Apple Bloom took a step back. “Well, you saw all the other ponies who followed her there! And with Pinkie drummin’ up all that excitement, we had the best sales in years! You said so yourself!”

“I… did?” Applejack blinked.

“Sure did! Don’t you remember?” Apple Bloom said. She dropped her voice to a whisper, and leaned over to Scootaloo. “How do we tell if it’s workin’?”

“No clue.”

Scootaloo looked around. Was it just her imagination, or had the town square gotten even more crowded all of a sudden? It was like everypony in town had all decided to flock here all of a sudden.

She squinted at the crowd, then pointed a hoof forward. “Pinkie’s over there. We should probably keep an eye on her.”

Scootaloo tried to run ahead, but Rarity stepped out to block her path.

“Oh, please, what do you girls care so much about Pinkie for?” Rarity said. “She’s just so childish. Sweetie Belle, I know for a fact you’re old enough to see that now.”

Sweetie Belle’s tail curled up over her cutie mark. “Rarity?” She exchanged a glance with Apple Bloom. “I-I know you wouldn’t say that.”

Rarity tutted. “It’s no wonder Pinkie goes out on Nightmare Night with all the foals. She’s only in it for the candy. She’s even greedier than they are,” she said. “Even you’ve decided you’re too old for that, Sweetie Belle.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head frantically. “N-no, I… I heard about the festival, and I just really wanted to sing again…” She looked back to the others. “I wanted to go with you guys, but I didn’t have time to do both.”

“That is what’s important to you,” Apple Bloom said. “I completely understand.”

“And, uh, we did have fun with Pinkie that night,” Scootaloo said. “Right?”

“Yeah! She knows all the best houses,” Apple Bloom said. “Really knows ‘em… But Nightmare Night’s always a lot of fun with her around. Always has been!” She watched Rarity out of the corner of her eye.

Rarity blinked in confusion. “Girls, what are you saying? Pinkie is simply... Is simply...” Her voice trailed off, as if she completely forgot what she was about to say.

Out of the corner of her eye, Scootaloo caught a glimpse of Pinkie. She was standing motionless just a short distance away.

She had stopped in the middle of the street, with a strange look in her eye. The ponies were still walking around her, but they were no longer staring at her, or whispering to each other. Pinkie slowly raised her head to stare at the sky, but nothing was there.

Scootaloo saw an opening in the crowd. She charged forwards, weaving between ponies, until she stopped just in front of her.

“You see it now, don’t you?” Scootaloo said. “You know this is all fake.”

Pinkie tried to cover her ears. “You’re just trying to trick me. You’re all lying about being my friends. You’ve always been lying!”

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Twilight emerged from the crowd. She trotted over to Pinkie’s side, and laid a hoof on her shoulder. “Nopony’s trying to trick you, Pinkie.”

“That’s… still the dream version of Twilight, isn’t it?” Sweetie Belle said quietly.

Rainbow Dash flew over to the other side of Pinkie. “Yeah. Nopony pulls a prank or throws a party quite like you.”

“And you did such a marvelous job at Sweetie Belle’s cutie mark celebration,” Rarity said. “It’s no surprise that all of the foals in town like you so much. Not to mention everypony else.”

Pinkie stared at all the ponies surrounding her. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. “You all… mean that?”

Twilight walked over to her side. “Pinkie, it’s about time you woke up.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t spend all your time here in your dream. Your real friends are going to get worried about you.”

Pinkie stood up straight. “It has been a little too long, hasn’t it? I should just wake up...”

The moment she spoke, Ponyville vanished, as if it had never been there in the first place.

Everything was black. The sky, the buildings, even the ground had disappeared into nothing. Scootaloo leaped into the air, but all Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom could do was brace themselves for the fall.

It didn’t come.

Slowly, they stood back up, though they couldn’t see the ground their hooves were touching. The only thing they could see was Pinkie, standing a few steps away.

“It’s probably almost morning. I should wake up,” she repeated. She gave them a curious look. “You three are still here? But—”

Scootaloo blinked as the morning sun hit her eyes.

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.”

Moving On

“Big McIntosh is really worried about Applejack… I’ve never seen ‘im like that before.”

It was the middle of the afternoon after school, and that was the first thing Apple Bloom had said all day. She had sat through class in silence, occasionally mumbling single-word responses to questions, but never more than that.

The three of them were walking through town, just waiting for night to fall. Scootaloo watched Apple Bloom, but didn’t know how to respond. It was hard to say what was worse: seeing somepony asleep and not knowing why they wouldn’t wake up, or actually seeing what was going on inside their head to make them that way.

“Any ideas how we’re going to get Applejack to wake up?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I mean, you were doing most of the talking last night. We did hear most of it, though. That’s okay, right?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Apple Bloom said.

“I thought it sounded like you were doing pretty well,” Scootaloo said. “I mean… neither of us can really know what it must be like. Seeing your parents like that. It makes sense that you’d be nervous.”

“To tell the truth… I’d give anythin’ for the chance to really talk to my mom and dad. Everythin’ I’ve ever heard about them makes them sound like such great ponies,” Apple Bloom said. “But there’s just somethin’ about this that ain’t right.”

“Well, of course it isn’t,” Sweetie Belle said. “They’re dead.”

“That’s not it. It’s not them. They’re just part of Applejack’s dream,” Apple Bloom muttered. “It’s not like I know much about ‘em, but I can tell they ain’t quite right. But… you guys didn’t see how Applejack looked. She was just so happy to be there with Mom and Dad. I can’t even tell if she remembers what happened to ‘em.”

Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “But… she has to remember, right? That kind of thing isn’t easy to forget.”

“These dreams do weird stuff to your mind. You can’t always remember what the real world’s like when you’re in them,” Scootaloo said, with a shrug. “Maybe she’s just convinced herself that they’ve been out of town a long time, or something.”

“Let’s just focus,” Sweetie Belle said. “There’s got to be something that’s keeping Applejack from waking up. Right?” She turned to Scootaloo. “I mean, it’s probably not just that she still misses her parents. There’s probably something else.”

“It’s what Applejack always says,” Apple Bloom said. “Our family’s got to stick together. I mean, the Apple family’s all over Equestria, but she just means the four of us here in Ponyville. We’ve got to stick together.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?” Scootaloo said, tilting her head.

Apple Bloom stopped walking, and let out a deep breath. “You asked me a while back if I’d talked to Applejack about goin’ to Manehattan,” she said.

Scootaloo nodded slowly. “Yeah…”

“I told you she’d said she would think about it… and that is what she told me, but I could tell what she was really thinkin’. She doesn’t want me to go at all.”

Sweetie Belle cut in. “But you don’t know that for sure. Do you?”

“I told her everythin’. I said that I’m not s’posed to live in this town my whole life. That I didn’t think I wanted to work on the farm forever,” Apple Bloom said, shaking her head. “Don’t you get it? I’m the reason she’s havin’ these nightmares now.”

“Don’t say that…” Sweetie Belle said quietly.

Apple Bloom blinked some tears away, and her voice shook as she continued. “I know all I was talkin’ about was just a quick visit, just to see the city for once,” she said. “But what I was really thinkin’ about was movin’ out there someday, when I’m older, and startin’ a new life. Away from the farm. Away from my family. And Applejack knew that, too.”

Sweetie Belle’s mouth hung open. “W-Well… We both saw what happened in Apple Bloom’s dream, right, Scootaloo?” she said. “And it’s okay if you want to leave. We understand that. Applejack probably does too. Doesn’t she?”

“I might as well just give in,” Apple Bloom said. “I never expected her to take it like this. If that’s what it takes to help my sister, then I guess I really should just stay here. For the rest of my life.”

They were all silent. The wind blew as a few brown and yellow leaves flew across their path. Scootaloo watched them, suddenly reminded that the Running of the Leaves was supposed to be soon. Rainbow Dash was probably still training, even without Applejack. But then she noticed something odd.

“Does anypony else feel like Ponyville’s been really quiet lately?” Sweetie Belle said.

For the first time, Scootaloo noticed that the street was rather empty for this time of the afternoon. There were only a few other ponies walking around, and most of them weren’t talking to each other.

“It was like that in school, too,” Sweetie Belle said. “There were a whole bunch of foals absent today. And yesterday, too.”

“It could just be a cold going around,” Scootaloo said. “Ponies get sick. It’s that season, you know.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head slowly. “Maybe we should ask Luna about it tonight. Just in case.”

They spent the remaining hours of the evening wandering around the quiet streets until they split up, going their separate ways, as night began to fall.

“Welcome back, Scootaloo,” Luna said.

Luna and Scootaloo were alone in the forest again. She never remembered the exact moment she fell asleep, she always just found herself here. The trees surrounding them seemed to create a wall, closing them in, the exact opposite of the wide-open fields in Applejack’s dream. In a way, being enclosed was comforting.

“I know that you are facing difficulties of your own, but I must urge you to hurry. The longer Applejack is under control of the nightmares, the stronger they become,” Luna said. “More ponies are succumbing to the dreams even as we speak.”

Scootaloo blinked. “There have been a lot of absences at school lately…”

“And that is no coincidence,” Luna said. “Fear gives it strength. Each time a pony wakes up, we can slow it down, but the longer Applejack remains asleep—“

“I know,” Scootaloo said. “And it’s not just her we have to look out for this time. It’s Apple Bloom, too.”

Luna frowned. “I’m afraid there is no way for us to truly understand how she feels right now. When exploring the dreams of those close to you, there is always the risk of coming across something... personal.”

“She’s really not taking things well,” Scootaloo said. There was no point in softening it for Luna. The princess seemed to value honesty, no matter how blunt. “Now she’s saying it’s her fault Applejack is having nightmares.”

Luna paused. She seemed to consider it for a moment before speaking. “Perhaps there is some connection. It is difficult to know for certain.”

“So it’s true, then? This is all because Applejack doesn’t want her to go to Manehattan.” Scootaloo kicked at the ground. “Now what do we do?”

“It may be out of our hooves,” Luna said. “The two of them must come to an understanding. But Apple Bloom still needs your support right now if she is to succeed in this.”

Luna turned her head as new figures appeared in the clearing. Sweetie Belle stepped out of the darkness, and Apple Bloom appeared soon afterwards.

“Greetings,” Luna said.

“It’s time for us to go back in, isn’t it?” Apple Bloom said. She looked up at Luna, then to the others. “Guess we shouldn’t waste any time.”

“Time is indeed of the essence. But remember what I told you,” Luna said. “You are the only one who can help Applejack now. Even I would not be able to solve what is troubling her. But you will help her, Apple Bloom. I am sure of that.”

“We’ll be right here with you, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Thanks,” Apple Bloom mumbled, staring at her hooves.

“There are other dreams I must attend to tonight. Other ponies remain trapped by their own fears.” Luna spread her wings and began to rise off the ground. She lowered her horn towards them. “Go now. Find Applejack. Bring her back.”

There was a flash of light, and the dark forest was gone.

Scootaloo stared up into the empty white void above them, a familiar sight at this point, but still unsettling. As her eyes moved down to the field, it seemed almost completely drained of color. The grass was practically grey at this point, the trees a pale brown. All of the leaves had fallen away, leaving the gnarled branches bare.

As she expected, the farmhouse wasn’t that far away. It looked darker than it had on their other visits—only a few chips of white paint remained on the clapboard siding. The rest of it was bare, rough wooden planks.

She turned to her right, and saw Apple Bloom staring ahead at it, completely silent, not even blinking. Then, she took a step backwards, like she was about to run away.

Scootaloo reached over and gave her a slight push forwards. “Come on. You can’t skip out now.”

“I don’t know what it is. I just really don’t like it here right now,” Apple Bloom said.

“You talked to them last night. Just go in and do it again,” Sweetie Belle said. “Just tell Applejack how you’re really feeling.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “I… I’m not sure what I’m gonna say to her.”

“You and your sister get along great, though. It’s nothing like me and Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ve always been kind of jealous. I’ve never seen you fight with her.”

“I guess we haven’t, really. Not much, at least. But this is different,” Apple Bloom said. “All this stuff about Manehattan is completely against everythin’ our family is all about. And it’s not just her. It’s not what Mom and Dad would’ve wanted…”

“You know it’s not really them,” Scootaloo said. “You said so.”

“It doesn’t matter. I just know they would say the same thing if they were real.” Apple Bloom sighed. “And… what about you guys? I’d be leaving you behind, too.”

Sweetie Belle was about to say something, but fell silent. She looked at Scootaloo.

Scootaloo scratched her head. “Well… Whatever happens, I know you’re not going to forget us.”

“Of course not!” Apple Bloom said.

“And you probably won’t be leaving for a long time. But we’re trying to find our special talents, and if you’re supposed to be in Manehattan, then you should just go,” Scootaloo said. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t want to be in Ponyville forever, either.”

Apple Bloom let out a sigh. “I don’t even know if it is what I want anymore. Maybe it’s just a phase.”

“Apple Bloom, your dream was the first one I ever went into,” Sweetie Belle said. “I had no clue what was going on. It was dark, and loud, and we got lost in there so many times. And then you tried to drop a building on us. I never wanted to have another dream ever again. But we went through it because we’re your friends, and we want you to do what makes you happy. And that dream proved going to Manehattan was important to you. So you’re not backing out of it now. Got it?”

The others stared at her, waiting to see if she was finished.

Scootaloo nodded slowly. “Yeah. What she said.”

“I…” Apple Bloom started to say something, then stopped. “I just don’t want to take any chances. She needs to wake up. That’s all that matters. Even if I have to give up on what I want.”

“She’s your sister,” Sweetie Belle said. “She has to understand.”

“I hope you’re right.”

They trudged through the tall grass towards the house. It loomed over them, more foreboding now that it was so weather-beaten. On their first visit, it had looked almost inviting, but now it looked like it was ready to collapse.

Scootaloo led the way up to the front door. As they climbed the steps to the porch, they began to hear muffled voices coming from inside. None of the words could be made out, but the voices were familiar enough.

“It’ll be okay, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo placed a hoof on the door. “Let’s finish this.”

As soon as the door was open, the voices stopped.

The house was utterly silent and empty, just as it had been on their first visit.

Apple Bloom stuck close to the others as they made their way inside. “Maybe they’re back in the dinin’ room like last night,” she said, nodding towards the doorway at the end of the hall.

“Applejack?” Scootaloo called out. “We came back. Apple Bloom’s here to talk to you again.” She waited briefly for a response. “Are you in here?”

They came to the same doorway they had stood outside last night. Inside, there was an empty table. There was a layer of dust over it and the chairs, as if they hadn’t been moved or touched in years.

Sweetie Belle sneezed. The sudden noise made Apple Bloom jump.

“Sorry,” Sweetie Belle said, sniffling. “Any other ideas where they might be?”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Just keep looking. Maybe they’re upstairs or something.”

They passed through the kitchen on the way to the front hallway. The light hanging from the ceiling swung nearly imperceptibly back and forth, possibly from a breeze or the vibrations of their own hoofsteps. An old cast-iron stove sat in the corner, covered with rust.

“This place just keeps getting weirder every time we come back,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I think Applejack’s getting deeper into the dream,” Scootaloo said. “Things stop making sense.”

A quick scan of the living room didn’t reveal anything interesting, so Scootaloo led the way up the stairs. The three of them were silent as they tried to listen for a voice, a sound, anything at all.

Apple Bloom followed behind Scootaloo, sticking close to her side. She occasionally glanced through a doorway, but refused to get close.

Sweetie Belle poked her head into one of the bedrooms, then trotted inside to check all the corners, behind the door, in the closet. She sighed, and headed out. “I don’t think they’re here.”

As they headed down the hallway, the other rooms were all just the same. The entire house seemed to be empty, and Scootaloo was almost about to give up when she was interrupted.

“Apple Bloom, you’ve gotta stop runnin’ off like that.”

They spun around to see Applejack trotting towards them down the hall. Scootaloo could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and realized that she had honestly given up on finding anyone else here. And there was something obviously wrong about the way Applejack had just appeared out of nowhere. The whole house had been empty…

“Where were you? W-We were lookin’ all over for you…” Apple Bloom stared at her sister, her eyes wide.

“C’mon, Apple Bloom. Mom and Dad still have so much more they want to hear about. Why, it’s been years since we’ve seen ‘em. A whole lot has happened since then,” Applejack said.

“Applejack…” Apple Bloom said. She swallowed a lump in her throat, and continued. “We can’t keep doing this. You’ve got to remember what happened to them, don’t you?”

For a moment, Applejack said nothing. “Now, what in Equestria are you—“

“Mom and Dad are dead,” Apple Bloom said. “And… we’re not really talking to them, they aren’t really there. You need to snap yourself out of this. I know you remember what happened.”

Scootaloo reached out a hoof and tried to pull Apple Bloom back. “You really shouldn’t say that. You don’t know how she’ll react.”

Applejack just stared at her, not even blinking. Then she started to shake her head. “No. No, that can’t be right.”

“I know you remember, Sis,” Apple Bloom said, taking a step forward. “I wish they were still around, too, but you can’t change what happened.”

“Nothin’ happened. They’re right downstairs,” Applejack said. “I can’t believe you’d say somethin’ like that. What’s gotten into you, Apple Bloom?”

“Please, Applejack, you have to remember.”

Applejack’s face twitched slightly. She put a hoof to her forehead, and tried to speak, but no words came out.

“Maybe it worked,” Scootaloo said. She turned to Sweetie Belle. “I think she… huh?”

Sweetie Belle was staring off into space, with a strange look on her face. “Guys…” she said. “Do you smell that?”

Scootaloo sniffed the air, and caught a whiff of something. The first thing that came to mind was a memory of camping, the only time she’d smelled it that strong, but then she remembered what Apple Bloom had said a few days ago. The realization came quick.

“We need to get out. Now,” Scootaloo said.

She turned around to where Applejack had been standing, but she had vanished just as suddenly as she’d appeared. Worse, smoke was already starting to waft up from downstairs.

Apple Bloom was motionless, staring at the spot where Applejack had just been moments ago. Sweetie Belle reached out and shook her vigorously. “Apple Bloom, you have to get moving!”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom seemed to suddenly snap into awareness. “What happened?”

“It’s the fire. Just like you told us about,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to remind Applejack about it.”

“But where’d she go?” Apple Bloom said.

There was a loud crack from downstairs as a beam snapped. Orange sparks floated through the smoke. It was getting hard to see anything clearly.

“No time,” Scootaloo said.

She held her breath as she sprinted down the hall towards the stairs, but it was no use. She could see the flickering orange glow on the walls even before she reached them. The entire downstairs was in flames, and there was no way they were getting out the same way they came in. She turned around, searching for another exit.

“Uh, Scootaloo…” Sweetie Belle whispered. “What happens if… you know, if we don’t get out? We’ll just wake up, right? I mean, none of this is real, so it’s not like we’d actually…”

Scootaloo paused. She’d been wondering the same thing. The heat certainly felt real enough. She didn’t want to test it, though. “Um… Let’s check the windows. Maybe we can get out onto the roof.”

They raced back down the hallway. It seemed longer than it had been, but it could have just been the stuffy air making it hard to breathe. The floorboards felt warm under their hooves.

There was a crack, and part of the ceiling fell away just inches behind them. Hunks of burning wood smashed onto the floor. Sweetie Belle screamed.

“Come on, focus,” Scootaloo said.

She started towards one of the bedrooms, but it was already engulfed in flames. The fire was spreading fast. Too fast—just like Apple Bloom had said in her story, but this seemed impossible. Maybe it was.

Scootaloo’s eyes darted around frantically until she saw a window in one of the other bedrooms. It was probably their best bet. “This way!” She gestured for them to come over.

It was hard to see what it was like outside, but this window let out onto the roof. The smoke seemed to be billowing around outside, too, but outside would be better than in. Scootaloo flew up into the air, spun around, and delivered a kick in the center of the window pane.

A sharp sting jolted through her back leg as the glass shattered.

“Scootaloo! Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“I’ll be fine. It’s nothing.” Scootaloo gritted her teeth and looked back to see a long red scratch on her rear leg. It was all just a dream, but it sure hurt like it was real. She couldn’t worry about it now, though. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Hesitantly, Sweetie Belle climbed out of the window, and Apple Bloom followed behind her as they stepped out onto the roof, trying to keep their balance on the loose shingles.

Smoke was pouring out of every window now, and the heat was stifling even out here. The house was crackling and creaking as it burned. Sweetie Belle looked behind her, then held her breath as she leapt down onto the ground below.

She tumbled into the tall grass, softening her fall slightly, and Apple Bloom soon landed next to her. She rubbed her head but seemed otherwise fine. They both paused before standing up, still shaking.

Scootaloo slowly landed next to them, touching down gently, but still wincing when her injured leg touched the ground. She stared back at the house. It was completely lost to the flames.

“Scootaloo, are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Apple Bloom asked.

“It’s just a dream,” Scootaloo said, gritting her teeth. She glanced back at her leg. The injury would be gone as soon as she woke up, but they weren’t done yet. She looked around. “We still need to find Applejack.”

The mention of Applejack’s name snapped Apple Bloom back to attention. “Oh my gosh. Did she get out okay?” She looked around, running through the bristly waves of grass, trying to see through the smoke. “Applejack? Are you out here?”

“W-Who’s there?” At first Scootaloo was sure it was Applejack, but there was something different about the voice. She couldn’t place exactly what it was, though.

Sweetie Belle took another glance back at the burning house, now completely shrouded in black smoke, then slowly headed away, searching for the voice. “Applejack, are you okay? Where are you?”

Scootaloo followed her, limping as she tried to avoid putting pressure on her leg. With some effort, she managed to lift herself off the ground and hover at Sweetie Belle’s side.

“Applejack?” Apple Bloom called out.

They heard sobbing, somewhere nearby. As the smoke drifted past, they could make out a small figure sitting in the grass, her head hanging down. It was a filly about their age, but all three of them were accounted for.

Apple Bloom was the first one to approach her.

She took a step forward, slowly, coughing in the thick smoke. She squinted.

“Applejack?”

The filly didn’t look up. She sniffled. “I’m not ready for this...”

Apple Bloom stopped a few steps away from her. Scootaloo edged closer to get a better look. It was Applejack, but she was different. Younger. She wasn’t wearing her hat, and there was no cutie mark on her flank.

“Applejack, how—“ The words died on Apple Bloom’s lips.

“Mom and Dad always said the farm would be our responsibility someday. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon.” Applejack wiped her eyes. She actually looked a few years younger than they were right now. The same age she had been when it happened.

Apple Bloom managed to find her voice again. “Well, uh, come on now, Sis. You do a great job. Really.”

“We’re barely scrapin’ by as it is,” Applejack said. “I know I’m supposed to be your big sister, but sometimes I still feel like this is just too much responsibility for me. I can’t afford to take any time off. Sometimes I wish I could just…” Her voice trailed off.

“You went to Manehattan because you had to get away,” Apple Bloom said quietly. “With Mom and Dad gone, you just couldn’t stand to be around the farm anymore. That’s it, isn’t it?”

“This farm’s all we have. I never should’ve tried to leave it,” Applejack said. She stared at the smoldering remains of the farmhouse. “If I didn’t step up to take it over, then what would’ve happened to this place? All they ever worked for would be lost. I knew I couldn’t run away.”

“That’s why you don’t want me goin’ to Manehattan, isn’t it? Just because it didn’t work out for you.” Apple Bloom shook her head. “We’re not the same. I—“

“I didn’t realize how much home meant to me until I tried to get away. It just wasn’t the same without Mom and Dad,” Applejack said. “But then I realized… everythin’ I ever had was still back home. If I stayed out there, in the city, I would’ve just been lettin’ them down.”

“Maybe you’re just not cut out for city life. Not everypony is,” Apple Bloom said. “But how am I gonna know that unless I see for myself?”

“I just don’t want you to go through what I did. The big city ain’t nothin’ like Ponyville. You wouldn’t understand unless you saw it.”

“Which is exactly why I need to go,” Apple Bloom said. She looked at her older sister—though, at the moment, Applejack was looking up at her. “I’m not a baby anymore. I can handle it.”

Applejack was silent for a long time. Above them, the smoke was beginning to thin out. What was left of the house had burnt out, leaving behind a skeletal black husk. The air was starting to turn cold again.

“You just need to give me a chance,” Apple Bloom said.

Applejack picked herself up off the ground. “You really are growin’ up,” she muttered. “We’ve still got some time left until you’re big enough to move out for yourself. But maybe that time’s comin’.” She lifted her head. “I think, more than anythin’, Mom and Dad just wanted us to be happy.”

“You mean…”

Applejack nodded. “I should’ve listened to you the first time.” She looked at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “Gosh, you girls have tried just about everythin’ there is to do in Ponyville at this point. I don’t wanna be the one to hold you back from somethin’ new.”

A smile started to spread across Apple Bloom’s face, then she threw her hooves around her sister in a tight hug. “I promise I won’t forget about home. Honest, I won’t!”

“I know that, sugarcube,” Applejack said, patting her head.

Apple Bloom slowly pulled away, and looked back at the other two crusaders. Scootaloo tried to smile through the pain. Nothing needed to be said.

Applejack sat back down. “Well, gosh, how long’s it been since I last saw Granny and Big Mac? Must’ve been out here longer than I realized…” She started to rub her forehead. “Maybe we’d all better just go back home…”

The world began to blur together, and Scootaloo felt the world of the dream dissolve around her.

Scootaloo blinked slowly as she woke up, greeted by the familiar surroundings of her own room. When it was all said and done, that dream had gone fairly well. She’d have to wait until she got to school to know for sure, but Applejack was probably waking up too right about now.

After stretching her front legs, Scootaloo rolled out of bed and onto the floor, then tried to stand up.

Her back leg immediately slid out from under her, pain coursing through it.

She bit her lip, then forced herself to look.

The cut on her leg was still there.

Far from Home

The train whistle sounded off in the distance as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle raced through the center of town.

“Hurry up! We might miss it!” Sweetie Belle said.

“I’m going as fast as I can,” Scootaloo panted. Even though it had been days since her injury, but her back leg was still slowing her down. It had almost healed completely, but all this running was putting too much strain on it.

As the train station came into view, they heard the whistle blow again. With a final burst of speed, they raced up to the platform. There were ponies standing around, saying their goodbyes as the train idled on the tracks. Others were hauling their suitcases behind them as they disembarked.

“Do you see them?” Scootaloo said, squinting.

Sweetie Belle pointed ahead. “Over there!”

Apple Bloom was standing next to Applejack, a suitcase at her side. She spotted the other fillies and waved them down. “Oh, good, you girls got here just in time!”

“I was almost worried we’d be too late,” Sweetie Belle said as she trotted over.

“Sorry I won’t be around for fall break,” Apple Bloom said, frowning. “But I’m sure you’ll find plenty to do without me ‘til I get back, right?”

“Yeah, sure. Just tell Babs we said hi, okay?” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom nodded enthusiastically. “Will do!”

Applejack tapped a hoof on the suitcase. “Now, I wrote ahead to Babs’s folks, and they should be waitin’ for you when you get there,” she said. “If you don’t see ‘em at first, don’t leave the station. No point in gettin’ lost.”

“I’ll be fine, Applejack,” Apple Bloom said.

“Manehattan’s a big place. Listen to everythin’ they tell you, and don’t go wanderin’ around alone. Once the week is over, they’ll have your return ticket for you. But remember to write home sometime before then. We all wanna hear how you’re doin’.”

Apple Bloom looked back at the train. The conductor stood outside, checking his pocket watch. “I think they’re gettin’ ready to head off soon, so I—“

“You’re sure you packed everythin’ you need? I’m sure if you forgot anythin’, your cousins’ll be able to help you, but—“

“Applejack, I should probably worry about not missin’ the train first.” Apple Bloom smiled.

“Uh… right,” Applejack said, nodding. “You’ll do just fine. I mean, just look at you. You’re hardly even a little filly anymore.” She pulled Apple Bloom close as the train whistle blared again. The engine let out a few puffs of steam. Applejack said something that was almost too low to hear, but Scootaloo could just barely make it out: “I’m sure they’d be proud of you.”

After they pulled apart, Apple Bloom turned to the other crusaders. “Well, I’ll see you in a week!” She galloped for the passenger car, then vanished inside.

Applejack stood back and watched for a moment, then suddenly she dashed up to the train. “You forgot your suitcase!”

Apple Bloom sprinted out of the car, grabbed her luggage, and said another quick goodbye before jumping back on again.

The conductor called out a final “All aboard!” The engine started puffing as the wheels slowly began to turn, and the train left the station.

Applejack stared at the train as it shrank into the distance and finally out of sight completely. She let out a sigh. “She’s been askin’ about visitin’ Manehattan for a while now, but the thought of her out in the big city... I know I really shouldn’t be so scared to let ‘er go, but it was still hard.”

“I’m sure she’ll be okay,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yeah… She will be.” Applejack nodded slowly. She silently stared at the tracks again. “Well, guess I’d better be off. Got a lot to do today. See you girls around.”

She turned around and trotted away. Sweetie Belle watched as she left the station platform. “Applejack really has to do just about everything for her family, huh? I guess I never really thought about it before we saw her dream.”

“It’s just like Luna was saying,” Scootaloo muttered. “These nightmares are getting more serious. The things that scare ponies are a lot harder to face than just monsters and campfire stories.”

It had been a few days since fall break had started and Apple Bloom had left for Manehattan. Scootaloo still hadn’t heard anything from her, but she knew there was probably a letter on its way now. Luna hadn’t shown up ever since Applejack’s dream, either. For the past few days, there were no nightmares, no school. No anything.

Scootaloo was feeling great as she tore down the street on her scooter. No responsibilities to worry about, and on top of that it was the first sunny day they’d had in a while.

Rounding a tight corner, grinding a bit along some steps, then doing a jump and midair spin, she was feeling like her old self again. She noticed a few ponies standing in the road in front of her, and quickly twisted her handlebars around, narrowly avoiding bowling them over.

They hardly even flinched as she passed. She caught a bit of their conversation as she passed by, only part of a sentence: “We tried everything, but he still hasn’t woken up yet…”

Scootaloo slowed down.

Even if Luna hadn’t sent them into any dreams for a few days, there were still ponies in town trapped in nightmares of their own. The classroom had been half empty when Cheerilee had dismissed them for fall break.

Shaking her head, Scootaloo tried to push those thoughts out of her mind and focus on the road in front of her. Reaching a crossroads, she buzzed her wings faster and made a tight swing around the corner.

“Hey, turtle coming up ahead of you!”

She snapped her head up at the sound of the voice. Scootaloo had barely enough time to see Tank hovering along with his propeller, and quickly ducked underneath him. The turtle didn’t even react, and kept going on his way. She pulled her handlebars back to brake.

Rainbow Dash flew over beside her. “Whoa, you okay there, kid? Sorry about that.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo muttered, watching Tank floating around in circles. “Are you taking Tank around for a walk? Or a fly, I guess?”

“We’re actually just coming back from Fluttershy’s place. I took him over there to get his shell waxed. I still don’t have the hang of all that kind of stuff, so she usually helps me out,” Rainbow said. “What about you, squirt? You all alone today?”

“Yep.” Scootaloo nodded. “Apple Bloom went to Manehattan a few days ago.”

“Hm.” Rainbow Dash gave a shrug. “I guess I haven’t seen the three of you getting into any crazy stunts lately. Actually… when was the last time you went on one of your crazy cutie mark hunts?”

“Oh, uh… You know.” Scootaloo shrugged. “Sweetie Belle’s already got hers, but we’ve, uh… still been trying.” That was a lie—she’d hardly had time to think about cutie marks with everything that had been going on.

There was a dull thud as Tank hit a wall, and Rainbow reached over to turn him around.

“You know, kid, something seems different about you lately,” Rainbow said, squinting.

“Different? Different how?”

“I dunno. Maybe it’s just me. I mean, everything’s been weird lately.” She scratched her head. “I heard about what happened to Applejack. It’s that sleeping disease again or whatever,” Rainbow said. “Seems like everypony’s coming down with it. Everypony but us, at least.”

“Uh… yeah,” Scootaloo said. She hunched over her handlebars, staring at the ground in front of her.

“There was hardly anypony at the Running of the Leaves this year, and I think it was because of that. I almost thought we’d have to run a second lap to shake all the leaves down. Not that I would’ve minded. I totally could have kept going, but it’s still pretty weird.”

“Yeah… Weird.”

“We really could use some excitement around here. The good kind of excitement. It’s been way too quiet,” Rainbow said. She paused, then grinned. “So, squirt, how’s your flying coming along? Want to work on it for a while?”

“Sure!” Scootaloo grinned.

Rainbow flew ahead, leading her out to their usual practice location on the outskirts of Ponyville. Tank followed after her, buzzing along on his propeller as his stumpy legs dangled below him.

“Can you believe it’s almost time to pull out the snow clouds?” Rainbow Dash said, staring up at the currently clear sky. “That’ll be a real hassle. Weather duty’s always crazy in winter.”

“I bet so,” Scootaloo said.

“So have you gotten any more flying practice in on your own time?” Rainbow asked. “You’ve got to keep working at it if you want to make any progress.”

“Uh, yeah. A little bit. Kind of.”

“Good to hear it.” Rainbow swooped down and landed. “So, let’s get started.”

Scootaloo hopped off her scooter, wincing as she stepped onto her bad leg. The cuts had nearly healed completely, but it still stung occasionally.

Rainbow Dash eyed Scootaloo as she walked over to her side. “You know, you’ve had that limp for a few days now.”

“It’s getting better,” Scootaloo replied with a shrug. “I almost don’t feel it at all now. It shouldn’t get in the way of practice.”

“I know. But what’d you do to it, anyway?”

Scootaloo paused and scratched her mane. The memory of that night was still fresh in her mind—the smoke clouding her vision, the heat rising from the floor below. She had never felt like she did that night. Despite everything going on around her, her mind had been so clear. All that had mattered to her was getting everypony out of the house safe. They were lucky to have escaped with just a scratch on her leg.

“I fell off my scooter,” Scootaloo said. “I was working on a new trick. Didn’t go like I planned.” She laughed nervously.

“Yeah, that’ll happen. It’s part of being a daredevil,” Rainbow said. “Just don’t land yourself in the hospital. Trust me on that.”

Scootaloo let out a sigh. There was a part of her that wanted to tell Rainbow Dash everything, but she still couldn’t. The dreams were getting so regular that she sometimes forgot how crazy it would sound to anyone else. The last thing she needed was for Rainbow to think she’d completely lost it.

“Well then, ready to get started?” Rainbow said.

“Sure!”

It was the same routine they’d practiced before. As always, Scootaloo fell on her face more than a few times. Rainbow would usually groan or roll her eyes, then tell her to try again.

“The technique’s good. Great, even,” Rainbow said. “I guess your wing strength just isn’t up there yet.”

Of course the technique was fine. Scootaloo was doing exactly what she did in the dreams, and by this point it had become second nature. It almost felt like she should be lifting up off the ground, flying away, but she never did. Never for more than a few seconds, anyway.

It really didn’t matter what she did in the dreams—out here in the real world, she couldn’t do a thing. That was all Rainbow Dash would ever see.

They worked on wing exercises and flight training until late into the evening. Tank circled around them for about an hour, then eventually landed and retreated into his shell for a nap.

Rainbow let out a yawn. “Well, I’m just about beat. Should we call it a day and head home?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Sorry we didn’t make any progress.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” Rainbow yawned again, and stretched out her front legs. She tapped Tank’s shell to get him to wake up, then started off towards her cloud house. “Well, see you later. G’night.”

It was pitch dark by the time Scootaloo got home, and a crescent moon was high up in the sky. She stared up at it, wondering briefly what Luna was up to, before heading in to get to sleep. She was actually getting used to having these uneventful nights.

She trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. It was freezing. She was reminded of what Rainbow Dash had said about the snow clouds. It was almost that time of year. Scootaloo dug herself deeper into the covers, squeezing her eyes shut. Gradually she let herself relax and drift away.

“Scootaloo?”

She opened her eyes at the sound of the voice, and blinked a few times. There was a blurry shape in front of her that almost looked like Apple Bloom, but that didn’t make sense. She was miles away right now, all the way in Manehattan.

“We were wonderin’ when you’d show up, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo rubbed her eyes. Apple Bloom really was there in front of her. Behind her, almost blending into the darkness of the woods, was Princess Luna.

“Huh? Apple Bloom, aren’t you supposed to be staying with Babs right now?”

“Your physical location is irrelevant here,” Luna said, taking a step forward. “I apologize if the timing was inconvenient, but we have no choice.”

“No, this is actually great,” Scootaloo said. “It’s good to see you, Apple Bloom. How’ve you been?”

Apple Bloom scratched her head. “Well, actually—“

“Apple Bloom!” They heard Sweetie Belle’s squeaky voice, and she dashed over to meet them.

“Oh, hey!” Apple Bloom said, grinning. “Gosh, hard to believe we’re all here right now. I was gonna write you guys a letter, but maybe I won’t have to.”

“Wait…” Sweetie Belle was staring at Apple Bloom intently. “Is that…”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom said, blushing slightly. She turned around, and for the first time Scootaloo noticed the image of a crossed hammer and saw on her flank. “Actually, that just happened today.”

“So? How’d you do it?” Sweetie Belle leaned forward.

“Well, a few days ago I was tellin’ Babs and her friends about our clubhouse, and it turned out they didn’t have anythin’ like that. So we spent the past couple days buildin’ one in the alley by Babs’s apartment,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s the first time I’d ever built somethin’ like that from the ground up. By myself. Well, mostly.”

“Sounds like you’re enjoying yourself in the big city, then,” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom nodded. “I mean… I guess I have missed you guys, and everypony back at home, but I just ain’t never seen anythin’ like Manehattan before. It’s just amazin’.”

Scootaloo glanced over at Luna. The princess was standing back at a distance, watching them. There was a faint hint of a smile on her face, but at the same time Scootaloo could see the weariness in her eyes.

“We’ve probably got work to do, don’t we?” Scootaloo said, frowning.

“You are correct,” Luna said. “After you awakened Applejack, I could feel the grip of the nightmares loosen slightly. I am not sure if it was related to the Elements, or if her fears were simply more deeply rooted than others. But it is still far from over.”

“Y’know, Babs said that a few of the foals from her class have been out, too,” Apple Bloom said. “This thing really is all over Equestria. I’m hearin’ a lot in Manehattan about ponies fallin’ asleep, not wakin’ up…”

“That’s exactly why we need to keep going,” Scootaloo said.

“If there is no more to say, I must send you on your way,” Luna said. Her horn began to shimmer. “It has become even harder for me to sense what you will find in these dreams. Please be careful, whatever may happen.”

As Luna’s voice faded away, new sounds came in—the squawking of birds, the rustle of leaves, the distant noise of rushing water. The air became thick and humid. A moment ago Scootaloo had been shivering in her bedroom, but now she was starting to sweat.

Scootaloo found herself staring up into a thick canopy of dark green leaves and hanging vines. The sun was shining down through the spaces, casting shifting patterns of light on the forest floor.

Sweetie Belle looked around for a moment. “It kind of looks like the woods around Zecora’s house,” she said. “Is this the Everfree Forest?” She watched a pink butterfly about the size of her own face flitter over and land on her nose.

“I’ve never seen anythin’ like that near Zecora’s,” Apple Bloom said. “And a lot of these plants don’t look familiar, either.”

The forest floor was completely overgrown, and covered in a layer of fallen leaves and tangled roots. There was no path to speak of. This place was completely untamed, and something told Scootaloo that they weren’t going to find any kind of civilization nearby.

“So where do we go first?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Off in the distance, they heard the snarl of some kind of animal. A timber wolf, maybe, or it could be a lion, or a manticore… In a dream, there was no telling what it could be.

“I say we head away from that,” Scootaloo said. “Agreed?”

The others nodded quickly, and they began to forge a path through the thick plant life.

The branches overhead shook as brightly colored birds flew away and monkeys swung from limb to limb. Scootaloo had never seen so many types of animals before. This was definitely nowhere near home.

“Oof!” Sweetie Belle nearly fell on her face. She looked down to see a root sticking up out of the ground, and glared at it.

“We should really watch our step,” Scootaloo said.

“Yeah. Thanks,” Sweetie Belle muttered. “So, if this isn’t the Everfree forest, then do you have any ideas where we actually are right now?”

“I don’t even know if there’s a place like this in Equestria,” Apple Bloom said. “And I saw all kinds of places on the train.”

Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but she looked older now. Maybe it was just the cutie mark, but it felt like more than that. It wasn’t like she’d gotten taller, or gotten a new mane cut, or anything like that.

Apple Bloom noticed her gaze. “What? Did you see somethin’?” She turned around and stared into the underbrush.

“No, it’s nothing,” Scootaloo said. She tried to take her eyes off Apple Bloom’s cutie mark. She started to realize that she was the only one left now. Their crusade had almost come to an end, after all this time.

“Y’know… if you’re feelin’ left out, Scootaloo, I completely understand,” Apple Bloom said, as if she had read her mind. “We’ve been tryin’ so long to get our cutie marks. I could hardly believe what I was seein’ when mine showed up.”

“Yeah. Me neither,” Scootaloo said.

“To be honest…” Apple Bloom scratched her head. “I kinda always thought I’d be the last one. You and Sweetie Belle are good at a lot of things.”

“I guess...”

“No, really. Especially you.” Apple Bloom stared up at the canopy of leaves and strange plant life above them. “You’re the leader when it comes to all this stuff. Especially when we were in my sister’s dream. I probably wouldn’t of made it without you bein’ there… So, thanks. Again.”

They continued into the jungle. There was always something new to look at, whether it was a new type of flower growing up the side of a tree, or small animals scurrying into the bushes. And yet everything was starting to look the same.

Sweetie Belle brushed some vines away from her face as they made their way through the jungle. “You know, at this point we’ve usually found someth—aah!”

That was when the ground crumbled beneath their hooves.

Scootaloo felt herself tumbling through the ground, hitting something hard, and rolling onto a stone floor in someplace dark. Her bad leg twisted beneath her, and she bit her lip, but she still managed to pull herself back up just fine. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. A faint beam of light shone down where they had fallen through, a crack in the ceiling high above them.

“You girls okay?” she called out, trying to find Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in the dark.

Apple Bloom’s voice echoed out of the shadows. “I think so…”

“What happened? Where are we now?” Sweetie Belle said, stepping into the light. She looked around, but it was too dark to make anything out. “I don’t think I like this. How are we supposed to get out?”

Scootaloo looked up at the hole in the ceiling above them. “If we need to, I can fly back up and find a way out. Or we could just wait to wake up, if it comes to that. For now, let’s see what’s down here.”

“How? It’s too dark,” Sweetie Belle said.

“You’re the unicorn. Use your magic.”

“Oh. Right.” A few seconds later, Sweetie Belle had a flickering green light shining at the end of her horn, casting a faint glow on each of their faces.

It was clear now that this wasn’t just a cave—it was a room, with a roughly-carved stone floor and walls. The remains of collapsed pillars and statues were strewn about the room. At the opposite end was an archway, leading further into whatever structure they were now in.

“There’s our exit,” Scootaloo said, pointing ahead.

They passed through the doorway, heading into total darkness. The light from outside faded as they headed deeper into the corridor. They stuck close to the wall as they slowly moved deeper inside.

“How far does it go? This dream just keeps gettin’ weirder…” Apple Bloom muttered.

Scootaloo brushed aside some hanging vines, and caught sight of a flickering glow from up ahead. Light was good. That probably meant a way out.

She heard Sweetie Belle let out a sigh of relief, and the glow from her horn faded out as they stepped into a long corridor lit with torches. There were figures carved into the walls, partially obscured by the overgrown vines, but they could make out animals, faces, and other strange, unidentifiable shapes.

Apple Bloom was staring up at the dancing flames. “If there’s torches lit up, shouldn’t that mean somepony’s been down here?”

“I hope so,” Sweetie Belle said. “I was starting to think we’d never find anypony.”

Scootaloo just shrugged. She was focused on the carvings on the wall. She couldn’t make any sense of them, but something about all this seemed familiar.

She moved along the wall, following the symbols down the corridor, when she felt a loose brick give way underneath her hoof. As she stumbled forward, something whizzed over her head and grazed the top of her mane.

Scootaloo looked over to see an arrow clatter against the wall. “What the hay?” If she had been even an inch taller, it probably would have hit her.

“Where’d that come from?” Apple Bloom said, looking around.

“I think we really need to watch our step…” Scootaloo said.

There was a strange pattern of holes in the floor ahead. Every other tile seemed to have one. Scootaloo took a cautious step forward to investigate when she heard the sound of metal sliding against metal and a spike shot up in front of her.

She jumped back, bumping into Sweetie Belle and nearly knocking her over.

“What kind of dream is this?” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo studied the pattern on the floor, and tried to visualize her path. She backed up, then sprinted forward.

Spikes started springing up out of the ground left and right. She wove in between them, feeling the rush of air as each one came up. The dust off of them got into her eyes, but she kept going. She ducked down, rolled forward, and came to a stop. Everything went silent.

After a moment to catch her breath, she looked back. “You guys coming?”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle made their way slowly through the jutting pieces of rusted metal. Whatever machinery had activated them had shut off now.

“This is just getting ridiculous,” Sweetie Belle muttered.

Scootaloo pointed ahead to a doorway at the end of the corridor. “That looks like an exit. Let’s see what we find.”

There was a long chamber ahead of them, and at the far end an opening in the ceiling let a circle of sunlight fall over a sparkling blue object on a pedestal.

“Ooh,” Sweetie Belle said, taking a step forward. Her eyes had lit up, and she seemed to have forgotten the danger they had been in just a few seconds ago. “What is that?”

“Wait!”

She froze, and turned her head to see who had spoken.

There was a figure galloping towards them down the corridor, her eyes covered by the brim of her helmet. Scootaloo could hardly believe it—she recognized the outfit instantly. Daring Do. But as she came closer, Scootaloo saw she had been mistaken.

Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt right next to them. “What are you girls doing here? How’d you get past the traps?”

Scootaloo’s jaw hung open. “R-Rainbow Dash?”

“The one and only,” Rainbow said, grinning. Then her expression became serious. “But, more importantly, I’ve been out here for weeks and I thought I was alone. Would you mind explaining what the three of you are doing here?”

“It’s a long story,” Scootaloo said quickly. “But, uh, what are you here for?”

“The usual. Adventure, death-defying feats of bravery, but most of all…” She nodded towards the pedestal across the room, and the sparkling blue object on top. “The Sapphire Stone. The legends said it was hidden here, and it looks like we just found it.”

“Cool!” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle frowned. “Uh, Scootaloo, doesn’t something seem a little off here?” She stared at Rainbow Dash, studying her.

“Like what?”

“Well, don’t you think—”

“That the statue wouldn’t be left out in the open?” Rainbow cut in. “My thoughts exactly.” She stepped over to the edge of the tiles. “Looks like there’s some kind of marking on each one… There’s probably a pattern to them. If we can figure out what it is, then we can get across.”

Scootaloo went over to her side. “Or, you know…”She flapped her wings a few times, then lifted off and flew over to the other side. “We could just fly across.”

Rainbow Dash watched her, then smiled. “Good work, kid!”

Turning back towards the statue on the pedestal, Scootaloo paused to examine it. She recognized it from the cover of the Daring Do book—this was the Sapphire Stone, some kind of treasure that Daring had to find. But Rainbow Dash needed this for whatever reason, and Scootaloo wasn’t about to question it.

She stepped up and lifted it off the pedestal, wrapping her forelegs around it. The statue was lighter than she expected, and she was able to fly with it easily.

“See? No problem!” she called back across the chamber.

The ground began to shake.

On the other side of the room, Rainbow Dash shouted something that Scootaloo couldn’t make out, then spread her wings to push the other Crusaders behind her as she backed away.

Chunks of stone were falling from the ceiling, punching holes through the floor, leaving only a pit. The exit was soon blocked off. Scootaloo’s eyes darted around, desperately searching for another way out.

The ceiling.

She flapped her wings a few times, shot up towards the hole in the roof, then quickly turned in midair and dove back down to grab the statue. Once she had it in her hooves, she flew back up and out into the sunlight.

Rising up into the sky, she looked down at the structure below her—a stone pyramid, now rapidly collapsing into a pile of rubble. Scootaloo quickly surveyed the area around her. She was back in the jungle. Of course. She glided down into the trees.

Her hooves touched down gently, and she dropped the statue in front of her. Scootaloo let out a sigh, and wiped the sweat from her brow. She could hardly believe how it had all happened so fast. And now she was separated from the others.

Her eyes widened.

They’d still been inside.

She couldn’t take a breather yet. Scootaloo jumped into the air, forgetting all about the statue, and flew up to where she could see what was left of the pyramid. The entire roof had caved in.

She should have been more careful. Rainbow Dash had warned her about the traps. Of course she knew they would be there—she’d read all the Daring Do novels, she knew exactly how this kind of stuff went. Not to mention that she was, well, Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo let out a sigh. Maybe it would have been better not to step in at all this time.

All she could do for now was find the others and make sure they were okay. She was about to fly down and check out the ruins when she remembered the statue.

The legendary Sapphire Stone.

That was what Rainbow Dash had been trying to find, and if Scootaloo forgot it then all this trouble would have really been for nothing.

Scootaloo flew back down, searching the forest floor. It was like the statue had vanished. She was sure that she had dropped the statue somewhere around here. How hard could it be to find a sparkling blue gemstone in all this dirt?

She heard a low laugh from behind her. She whirled around and came face-to-face with some kind of strange creature.

Its face was like a huge misshapen dog, and it was smiling at her with a wide, toothy grin.

“You’ve done well to deliver the statue directly into my hands,” it said. Its long tail reached forward. The statue was gripped in a clawlike appendage, and the creature raised it up to its face to inspect it closer. “At long last, I shall have my revenge on Rainbow Dash!”

Scootaloo realized that she knew who this was, it was that villain from the book. It was the one with the really hard-to-pronounce name. Scootaloo stared at it dumbly as she tried to remember, her hooves rooted to the spot. Something starting with an “A,” maybe…

The creature threw its head back and gave another shrieking cackle, the sound echoing in her ears as Scootaloo’s vision went blurry.

She woke up in a cold sweat, feeling short of breath.

Fearless

Scootaloo stared up at the clouds as she headed outside that morning. They drifted along lazily in the wind, all on their own.

Most days, she would catch sight of Rainbow Dash working in the morning. But, of course, she wasn’t up there this time. Scootaloo remembered the last she had seen of her, as she had retreated into the collapsing temple. There was no telling what had happened to her next. Or to the other Crusaders.

She shivered in the cold air, the complete opposite of the unbearably humid jungle, and looked around for Sweetie Belle.

Ponyville was almost like a ghost town as she sped through the streets on her scooter. Only a few ponies were walking around outside, and none of them were Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo turned around and crossed over the bridge towards the outskirts of town.

She headed out to the old path near Sweet Apple Acres, and made her way to the clubhouse. There was a good chance Sweetie Belle might be waiting for her there. It would be a more private place to discuss the dreams, less likely to attract odd stares if anypony overheard.

Hopefully that’s why she hadn’t run into Sweetie Belle in town.

Scootaloo trudged up the ramp to the entrance. The clubhouse was empty. She stood at the doorway for a moment, staring inside blankly, but then headed in anyway.

The thin wooden walls didn’t provide much of a shield from the cold, but at least the wind wasn’t getting in. Scootaloo tried to settle down and relax, but it was impossible. She began to pace from one end to the other.

“There you are!” Sweetie Belle appeared in the doorway, bundled up in what looked like a new scarf. She hurried into the clubhouse, shivering.

“Where were you? I didn’t see you anywhere around town,” Scootaloo said. “I thought something happened to you.”

“Yeah, you could say that. Rarity talked me into helping her try out her new winter outfits. She always starts to freak out around this time of year.” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. What happened last night? We lost you back there.”

Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad you’re safe. What happened to Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom?”

“We got caved in, but we were fine,” Sweetie Belle said. “Thanks to Rainbow Dash. She was able to get us out safe. Why didn’t you listen to her about the traps?”

“Uh... I don’t know,” Scootaloo admitted. “I guess I just got caught up in everything.”

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Well, Rainbow Dash said the important thing was that you got out with the statue. What happened to it, anyways?”

“Well, you see…” Scootaloo scratched her head. “Um…”

“What’d you do with it?”

“It kind of got… stolen,” Scootaloo muttered.

“What?”

“I was going to go back and find you guys, but I couldn’t get back into the temple. I forgot the statue behind me, and when I got back there, this guy showed up and took it,” Scootaloo said. “He’s the villain from the book. I can’t remember his name.”

Sweetie Belle stared at her in shock, then shook her head. “No way. You couldn’t just lose it. Rainbow Dash said that, no matter what, we can’t lose the statue.”

“Did she say why?”

“Well, uh… no. But it’s probably got something to do with waking her up, doesn’t it?”

“Good point,” Scootaloo said, nodding. She started pacing back and forth again. She thought of the creature that had taken the statue from her without a fight, and she wasn’t feeling too enthusiastic about trying to take it back.

Sweetie Belle sat down, and bit her lip. “And there’s something else, too,” she said in a low voice. “Did you notice anything weird about Rainbow Dash?”

“What do you mean?”

“These dreams are all supposed to be nightmares, but she’s not scared of anything,” Sweetie Belle said. “Even when the temple collapsed, she didn’t seem worried at all. It felt like she was doing more to help us than the other way around.”

“That’s just how she is,” Scootaloo said. “Rainbow Dash is totally fearless.”

“But there’s always something that they’re afraid of that keeps them from waking up. How are we supposed to know how to wake her up if there’s nothing she’s afraid of?”

Scootaloo said nothing.

“I mean, you are her sister, kind of,” Sweetie Belle said. “You should know her better than anypony else. You still don’t have any ideas?”

“Well… no.”

Scootaloo had gone up to bed a bit earlier than usual. She was trying to get herself to fall asleep, but it wasn’t coming. Everything going through her mind was making her feel so restless, but those problems wouldn’t go away unless she could fall asleep.

Rainbow Dash.

It was hard to believe, but they had ended up in Rainbow Dash’s dream last night. That last dream with Applejack had been a real wake-up call about just how important this job was, not to mention the danger they were in. And now her honorary big sister was depending on them.

It sure didn’t feel like Rainbow Dash needed them, though.

She rolled over, burrowed her head into her pillow, and tried to let her mind rest for a while. Everything around her was silent.

“Good evening, Scootaloo.” It was Luna’s voice. “I did not expect you so soon.”

Scootaloo found herself standing there in front of the princess. They were alone, and everything was as eerily quiet and still as it always was.

“Hey, Luna,” she mumbled.

“It seems you are the first tonight. I expect it will be some time before the others arrive. Until then, I would like to hear about what you saw last night.” Luna knelt down in front of her.

“Oh. Right,” Scootaloo said, taking a seat on the ground as well. She hesitated, scratching the back of her head. “Well… It’s Rainbow Dash’s dream this time. We know that much.”

She told Luna everything—from landing in the jungle, to exploring the ruins and dodging traps, up to the point when the Sapphire Stone was taken. Luna waited and listened to her quietly, her expression difficult to read.

“And you believe reclaiming the statue is the key to waking Rainbow Dash up,” Luna said once she had finished.

“It’s just like the Daring Do story. The first book was all about her trying to get the statue,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “It’s got to be important somehow. And… I lost it. I wasn’t being careful. It’s my fault.”

Luna tilted her head. “You’ve come a long way since your first experience traveling through dreams. I am surprised that your confidence would fail now.”

“No, it’s not that,” Scootaloo said. “Rainbow Dash was doing just fine. She doesn’t need me.”

“Is that what you truly believe?”

There was something about Luna’s tone that made Scootaloo stop and think. The idea of going back into the dream actually filled her with dread. She had no clue what they would do once they got there. It really did seem like a wasted effort.

“You would understand if you had been there,” Scootaloo said quietly.

“I cannot discern many details about this dream, but I am sure the nightmares we have been facing are present there,” Luna said. “Just as I am sure that I was right in sending you to help.”

Scootaloo looked up at her. “I know we’ve been doing fine up until this point, but maybe it was just luck. I don’t know.” She let out a sigh, and hung her head again.

Luna moved closer, and Scootaloo felt a wing over her shoulder.

“It was not long after these nightmares first appeared that I realized I would not be able to face them all alone,” Luna said. “There were many ponies I could have chosen for this task, but I selected you, Scootaloo. Do you know why?”

Scootaloo blinked at her. “It’s… because of that time I had nightmares on the camping trip, isn’t it? I mean, I guess that’s the first time I really ever talked to you.”

“That is true, but I have visited many dreams over the years,” Luna said. “But when I visited yours that night, something was different. I was… reminded of something.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your admiration of Rainbow Dash. The way you look up to her as your elder sister. The way you feel you could never measure up to her, no matter what you do,” Luna said. She paused. “I was reminded of myself at a younger age.”

Scootaloo took a step back, and shook her head. “No way. We’re nothing alike. I mean, you’re a princess, and I’m just…”

“You think too little of yourself, Scootaloo,” Luna said. “I know how difficult it is to see past your own shortcomings, especially when nopony else seems to appreciate your strengths. I struggled with the same thoughts for many years, while my sister was admired by our entire kingdom.”

“It was like… nopony noticed you,” Scootaloo whispered. “Like you could never even compare to her.”

“Precisely.” Luna smiled, but only briefly. “For a long time, I struggled to gain the same sort of recognition that she did, but… we are different. Those years of feeling so insignificant took a toll. I know I do not have to tell you what happened next.”

“But you and your sister were friends. Weren’t you?”

“You would be surprised how quickly admiration can turn to envy.”

Scootaloo looked down. It was true. She wasn’t sure how many more failed training sessions she could stand. Eventually it all got to be too much.

“What I am saying, Scootaloo, is that you should not compare yourself to your sister,” Luna said. “Your potential is far greater than you realize now. I knew that, given the opportunity, you will be able to see it for yourself. And that is why I knew it should be you to help me defeat these nightmares.”

“I just wish I had some idea what Rainbow Dash was afraid of,” Scootaloo said. “She doesn’t usually talk about anything like that to me.”

“It took some time for me to realize it, but despite how she may appear, my sister isn’t perfect,” Luna said. “And neither is Rainbow Dash.”

Scootaloo nodded slowly. “So… there probably is something that scares her…”

“And there is nopony more capable than her own sister to help her overcome it,” Luna said. “You’ve done very well so far, Scootaloo. I’m honored to have you as my student.”

Scootaloo moved in closer, and Luna pulled her close with her wing. They stood there for a while, not saying anything. Nothing needed to be said.

“Um… Did I get here in the middle of something?”

Scootaloo pulled away from Luna and saw Sweetie Belle standing a short distance away, tilting her head in confusion.

“Uh… It’s nothing important,” Scootaloo said quickly.

“Okay…” Sweetie Belle gave a shrug.

Moments later, Apple Bloom shimmered into appearance at the edge of the clearing. She rubbed her eyes, and looked around.

“Sorry, girls. Babs wanted to stay up late, but I tried to get to sleep as soon as I could,” she said. She noticed Scootaloo. “You got out okay last night? I’ve been worried about you all day!”

“Yeah. I lost the statue, though.”

Apple Bloom blinked. “You did what now?”

“I would advise you to reclaim this statue, but remember that your true goal is to reawaken Rainbow Dash,” Luna said. “Find her, and discover what it is that keeps her in the dream.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Got it.”

She held her breath as she watched Luna’s horn light up with magic. Within seconds the forest had disappeared.

They were back in the jungle. It was impossible to determine where.

“So what do we do now?” Apple Bloom asked.

“We need to find that guy I ran into and get the statue back,” Scootaloo said. She stared up at the trees, but it was useless trying to figure out where they were.

“Before we find Rainbow Dash?” Apple Bloom said. “For all we know, she could still be trapped in those ruins.”

“Well…” Scootaloo bit her lip. “The guy who took the statue said something about taking over the world. We might not have much time to get it back.”

“But Rainbow Dash might not have much time to escape those ruins,” Sweetie Belle said.

“She’ll probably be fine. She was exploring by herself before we ever showed up,” Scootaloo said. “It’s my fault the statue’s gone, so I need to be the one to take it back. But for now, all this standing around isn’t getting us anywhere. Let’s go.”

Choosing a direction purely on instinct, she led the others into the jungle. She hopped over a fallen log and pushed her way past some thick vines. It looked like the forest was starting to thin out as they went along.

The truth was, she still didn’t want to meet up with Rainbow Dash empty-hooved. Apple Bloom did have a point about those collapsed ruins, but Daring Do never got slowed down by something like that. There was nothing to worry about.

Scootaloo pushed an oversized leaf out of the way, and found herself staring out at a wide vista, over the tops of the trees. They stood at the edge of a cliff, a steep drop even taller than the edges of Ghastly Gorge. The jungle stretched out below them all the way to the horizon.

“Whoa,” Apple Bloom said under her breath.

They stared out at the view for a few speechless moments. Scootaloo shielded her eyes from the blinding sun, and surveyed the endless jungle before them. Then she caught sight of something. She squinted, and saw a few canvas tents in a clearing. They weren’t too far away.

“Look down there.” Scootaloo pointed down at them. “Somepony set up a camp. Should we check it out?”

“Do you think it’s Rainbow Dash?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Seems like a safe bet,” Scootaloo said. She flapped her wings a few times, and took off into the air. “I’ll just head down there for a quick look, and—“

“Wait just a minute!” Apple Bloom said, putting up a hoof. “There’s no way you’re headin’ off on your own again. Remember what happened last time?”

Scootaloo hovered just past the drop. “I’ll only be a minute. Promise.”

“I think Apple Bloom’s right,” Sweetie Belle said. “We need to stick together, especially after what happened last night. There’s no telling what might be down there.”

Scootaloo let out a sigh, and swooped back down for a landing. “Fine. But I think we should focus on finding a way down there.”

They edged along the side of the cliff, but there didn’t seem to be a safe way down. The plateau stretched on as far as they could see until it disappeared into the mist.

“So I was thinking earlier. Do you think Rainbow Dash is afraid of something out here?” Sweetie Belle said as they walked. “I mean, last time we got lost in the jungle, we fell into a dark pit, we nearly got speared by all those traps, a building fell on top of us…”

Scootaloo shook her head. “I don’t think that’s it. She was doing fine when we saw her.”

“Then what about the bad guy? The one who stole the statue?”

“Nah. Rainbow’s always talking about how Daring Do never gets defeated. She’s read all the books, so she should know that Daring always beats him.”

“Besides, I think these nightmares tend to be a bit more complicated than that,” Apple Bloom said. “I had no idea what my sister was goin’ through…”

Scootaloo gazed off into the low-lying clouds blanketing the jungle beyond the edge of the cliff. That wide-open expanse was hard to resist when she knew she could fly out over it. Maybe Rainbow would even notice her up there.

After this was all over and Rainbow woke up, she wouldn’t remember anything that happened. It was pointless trying to impress her. But, even if it wouldn’t count for anything else, it just felt good to be able to do something right. It almost made up for all the failed training sessions in the real world.

Something was rustling in the bushes, snapping Scootaloo out of her thoughts. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were chatting, something about Manehattan and Babs, but Scootaloo put a hoof up to silence them. “You girls hear that?” she whispered.

It took Sweetie Belle a moment to notice it, but then her eyes widened. Her gaze was fixed on the swaying branches. “Rainbow Dash? Is that you?”

They heard a growl that definitely wasn’t Rainbow Dash. There was a glint of yellow eyes watching them in the shadows, for just a moment, before a tiger leapt out of the thicket. It snarled at them, opening its mouth wide to reveal pointed fangs.

They started to back away, but the edge of the cliff was right there. It was at least a hundred feet to the ground below.

Apple Bloom nearly slipped as her back hoof reached the edge. She caught herself just in time, but there was nowhere else to go. “Any ideas, Scootaloo?” she whispered.

Scootaloo braced herself, and her wings started to buzz feebly. If she could fly past and distract it, maybe the others would be able to escape in the confusion. She’d have to move fast…

“Hey, you!” Scootaloo’s ears picked up at the sound of the voice. Rainbow Dash. “Get away from them!”

Rainbow burst out of the jungle behind the tiger, and swung around to deliver a kick to its nose. It gave a snarl of pain. She glanced down at the fillies and nodded towards the trees, motioning for them to get moving. They took off into the forest.

Scootaloo sprinted as fast as she could, quickly leaping over fallen logs and exposed roots on the forest floor. She heard another roar from behind them, and Rainbow Dash let out a yell.

“How the hay did she find us so fast?” Apple Bloom said as they ran.

“Who knows?” Sweetie Belle said. “Let’s just be glad she did.”

Scootaloo took a quick look behind them, and there was no sign of Rainbow Dash or the tiger. Everything was a blur of brown and green. She slowed down to give herself a chance to catch her breath.

“Do you think... we lost it?” Sweetie Belle said, panting.

A streak of color flashed in front of them, and Rainbow Dash landed on the forest floor, brushing herself off. Her shirt was a little scuffed, but she seemed otherwise fine.

She quickly scanned the area to make sure that they were really alone. She adjusted her hat, then turned back to the fillies. “Everypony alright?”

“Yeah. Think so,” Apple Bloom said.

“We thought you were still trapped in the ruins!” Sweetie Belle said. “How’d you get out?”

“You think a little cave-in would slow me down?” Rainbow said with a grin. “Trust me, I’ve gotten myself out of way worse.” Her smile vanished, and she glanced over her shoulder again. “But that wasn’t a wild animal. It’s under Ahuizotl’s control. There’s probably more of them, and they’re probably looking for the statue.” She looked at Scootaloo. “Hey, kid, you did manage to get the statue, right?”

Scootaloo froze. She opened her mouth, but no words would come out.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No. No way. Don’t tell me you don’t have it.”

“I… I, uh…” Scootaloo swallowed the lump in her throat. “He, uh… Ahuizotl took the statue.”

Rainbow Dash stared at her, then gave a sigh and turned away.

Scootaloo took a hesitant step forward. “I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!”

Rainbow spun back around. “Listen, we can’t let Ahuizotl get away with the statue,” she said. “The entire world’s depending on us.”

“Uh, yeah. About that. What does the Sapphire Stone do, exactly?” Apple Bloom asked, cocking her head to the side.

“There’s no time to explain that,” Rainbow said. “Let’s see, the tiger came from over there, so that means Ahuizotl must be…” She looked around. “That way.”

“We’d better get going then, huh?” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow Dash paused, and looked down at them. “Listen, I know you’re always getting into all kinds of adventures for your cutie marks and that kind of thing, but this is the real deal. This place might be even more dangerous than the Everfree Forest, and there’s no villages for miles around,” she said. She pointed behind them. “I’ve got a base camp set up over that way. You should probably head over there and wait for me to come back.”

Sweetie Belle traded a glance with Scootaloo, who shook her head. “No, we have to come with you. It’s my fault the statue got stolen. And I can’t tell you why, but you might need us.”

“You sure?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“Scootaloo’s right,” Apple Bloom said. “Besides, we made our way through that temple just fine. Remember?”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “Yeah, you still haven’t explained why you were there in the first place.”

“It’s a long story.”

Rainbow Dash gave a shrug and led the way ahead through the trees, moving silently as she forged a path ahead, her ears perked up to catch even the faintest sound.

The jungle seemed to go on endlessly as they cut through the underbrush, crossing rivers, climbing hillsides. Rainbow Dash wasn’t even using a map or a compass, but she seemed sure of where she was going. And, since it was her dream, chances are they would find what she was looking for.

They followed behind her as the jungle thinned out and they came to a clearing. Scootaloo had nearly spaced out, but what she saw in front of her nearly took her breath away.

The crumbled walls of some ancient stronghold were before them, covered with moss and choked with vines. Even in their ruined state, they presented a formidable obstacle. Even more impressive was the ancient pyramid rising up beyond the walls, blotting out the sun.

“And here we are. Chances are Ahuizotl is holed up in there, waiting for the chance to take the statue’s power for himself,” Rainbow muttered. “We can’t take any chances here, got it?”

The three of them nodded silently.

Rainbow edged up against the wall, motioning for them to be silent. She poked her head into the gateway, scanning the area ahead. After a moment, she raised her hoof, signaling to follow her.

“So, uh, what’s the plan?” Scootaloo whispered as they made their way into the fortress.

“I don’t have one,” Rainbow said.

“You… don’t?”

Rainbow grinned, and kept moving forward. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you’ve always got to think on your hooves. There’s no telling what might happen.”

Despite the cautious way they proceeded into the fortress, it was quiet. Scootaloo was beginning to question if these were the right ancient ruins. At the moment it seemed like this jungle was probably full of them.

They turned another corner, and then it stood before them. A long staircase in front of them, a mess of crumbling, uneven stonework leading up to the pyramid casting a shadow over the four ponies. Rainbow Dash paused at the first step.

“Chances are Ahuizotl’s at the top. He’s probably waiting for me,” she said. “He’s going to be stronger than he was before, now that he has the stone. You three had better keep your distance.”

Rainbow flapped her wings, and flew over the steps towards the top.

“She really doesn’t want us helping her,” Apple Bloom said. “I just don’t get it.”

Scootaloo tried to see where Rainbow had gone, but she was out of sight. “Luna said she’s still depending on us, even if she doesn’t think she needs our help…” Scootaloo gave a sigh, and started running up the steps.

About halfway up, she realized she’d underestimated how tall this thing was, and leapt into the air to fly the rest of the way up. She couldn’t tell if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were still following her.

She found herself in a walled courtyard, a larger space than she had expected. Rainbow Dash stood in the center. She took no notice of Scootaloo’s presence, instead staring directly at the creature at the far end.

Ahuizotl was reclining on an ancient throne at the far end of the room. He noticed them immediately, but took his time standing up, as if he was still trying to decide if they were worth the attention.

“You were a fool to come here, Rainbow Dash,” he said. He spoke slowly, in a theatrical tone that Scootaloo might have found corny if they weren’t in real danger. “With the stone in my possession, you cannot hope to face me.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Oh, really?”

“With the power of the Sapphire Stone, the entire world will be under my control.” He held the statue up with the end of his tail, letting the gems sparkle in the light. “One pony cannot defeat me alone.”

“She’s not alone,” Scootaloo said, stepping up to Rainbow Dash’s side. “You’ll have to take on both of us.”

Rainbow Dash did a double take. “Kid, what are you doing? I told you not to come.”

“We’re going to face him together. There’s no way he can beat both of—”

“No,” Rainbow said. “It’s too dangerous. You could get hurt.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore,” Scootaloo said, her wings buzzing. “I know what you think of me, but you have to trust me. We can do this together.”

Rainbow Dash hesitated, then nodded. She planted her hooves into the ground, and stared Ahuizotl down. Scootaloo could feel her heart pounding, but she readied herself as well.

“Just get the statue back,” Rainbow muttered. “I’ll hold him off.”

Scootaloo gave a quick nod, and Rainbow Dash charged forward. Scootaloo made a running start to get herself lifted off the ground. She did a quick midair turn, spotted a gleam of blue in Ahuizotl’s tail, and dove towards it.

Ahuizotl turned around in an impossibly quick motion and swiped at her with one of his front claws. Scootaloo pulled away, feeling a rush of air ruffle her mane.

She caught sight of Rainbow racing around behind him, and he whirled around to snap at her with his jaws. She dodged, rolling out of the way, pausing only briefly to straighten her hat. Her eyes met Scootaloo’s for a moment, then they both jumped back into action.

With his attention focused on Rainbow for the moment, Scootaloo concentrated on the statue clutched in his tail. It swung back and forth as he moved, and it was impossible to get a good lock on it.

“Kid, look out!”

Scootaloo heard the voice and then felt herself thrown to the side as Rainbow barreled into her. She saw Ahuizotl turn around and swat Rainbow aside with his tail, throwing her hard against the stone wall with an audible smack.

“Rainbow Dash!” For a moment Scootaloo forgot about the enemy they were fighting, about the Sapphire Stone. She galloped over to Rainbow’s side.

Rainbow was collapsed in a motionless heap at the bottom of the wall. One of her wings was twisted under her, the feathers ruffled and bent. Scootaloo tried shaking her as hard as she could, but there was no response.

“Rainbow, please, you have to get up…” Scootaloo felt tears welling up, but she tried to blink them away. She couldn’t break down now. She was better than that.

“Only now do you realize your foolishness to challenge me, but I am afraid it is too late,” Ahuizotl said in a low voice. Scootaloo turned and saw him slowly advancing towards her, squinting his beady green eyes at her. “None can defeat me! I am invincible!”

Scootaloo turned back to Rainbow Dash, shaking her harder, but she still didn’t respond. “Rainbow, you need to wake up! Right now!”

The last thing she saw was the shadow slowly advancing over both of them.

Scootaloo sat straight up, fighting off whatever was tangling around her. It was suddenly quiet, and a little bit chilly. It took her several moments to realize she was back in her own room, wrapped up in her sheets, and nearly about to fall over the edge of her bed.

She took a moment to catch her breath. She was safe, for now.

But Rainbow Dash wasn’t.

Without a moment to waste, she hopped out of bed and headed outside into the cold. She grabbed her scooter and raced off across town towards Sweet Apple Acres, through the leafless woods near the farm. She hardly felt the biting wind on her face.

The clubhouse came into view, and she hurried up the steps.

Sweetie Belle was already in the clubhouse when Scootaloo got there. She was focused on a pencil lying on the table, squeezing her eyes shut, until a few green sparks shot out of her horn. She looked down at the pencil and frowned. “Guess magic isn’t as easy when we’re awake…”

“Flying’s the same way,” Scootaloo said. “I’ve been practicing a lot with…” Her voice trailed off.

Sweetie Belle looked down. “Rainbow Dash is really in trouble, isn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure we should keep following her?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I don’t think we’ve been much help for her so far.”

“Luna said we have to be there. Nopony’s been able to wake up on their own before,” Scootaloo said. “And, besides… we’re sisters.”

“But we don’t even know what she’s afraid of!” Sweetie Belle said. “Are we really supposed to be helping her get the statue? She won’t even tell us what it does…” She sighed, then looked up at Scootaloo. “Don’t you know what it does?”

Scootaloo paused. “Well, no.”

“But you’ve read the books, haven’t you?”

“Uh… Rainbow Dash talks about them a lot, but I guess I’ve never actually taken the time to sit down and—”

“So you haven’t read them.”

“No.”

Sweetie Belle stared at her in disbelief. “This whole time I thought you knew what you were doing! If none of us have read the books, then no wonder we haven’t been any help!”

Scootaloo shook her head. It seemed so obvious now. There had been plenty of times she had intended to start reading those books, but she usually got distracted by something more interesting. Something that didn’t involve reading.

“Listen, Twilight has copies of all the books,” she said. “Let’s head over there and we can look through them. I’m sure there must be something useful in there, right?”

Sweetie Belle let out a sigh. “Fine. There’s nothing else we can do until tonight anyways.”

They left the clubhouse and made their way through town towards the library. Even though it was late fall, the branches of the giant tree were still full and green. Scootaloo led the way up to the front door and let Sweetie Belle enter in front of her.

“I still can’t believe you haven’t even read these books,” Sweetie Belle muttered.

They went inside, greeted by the familiar smell of old parchment and dust. Twilight was at her desk, hunched over some giant old text.

“Hey there!” Spike was perched at the top of a ladder, trying to slip a book onto the top shelf. “Uh, you girls need anything? Twilight’s a little busy right now.” He leaned over to push the book back into place, teetering and nearly falling off.

Scootaloo looked over at Twilight, who didn’t seem to notice that anypony was even in the same room as her. She paused briefly to yawn, then went back to whatever she was reading.

“Um, we were hoping you could help us find the Daring Do series,” Sweetie Belle said. “The first one, of course. About the Sapphire Stone.”

“Right!” Spike nodded, and went over to one of the shelves. “I know exactly where those ones are. Should be right over…” He traced along the line of titles with one claw, then frowned.

“You do have them, don’t you?” Scootaloo said. “It’s kind of important.”

“Yeah, sure, just let me…” Spike’s voice trailed off as he glanced over at Twilight. “Just a second.”

He crept up slowly behind her, trying not to make any noise, though she probably wouldn’t have noticed either way. Her eyes moved slowly across the text, and she let out another yawn as she turned the page.

“Hey, Twilight?” Spike said. “Where do we keep the Daring Do series?”

Twilight picked up her head suddenly, and looked around like she had no idea where she was. There were dark circles under her eyes. “Spike?” She noticed the fillies at the other end of the room. “Oh, hello, girls. Looking for something to read over break?”

“We sure are!” Scootaloo said, flashing a grin. “Gotta keep our minds active while school’s out and all that.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Twilight said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She yawned again.

“Geez, Twi, when was the last time you took a nap? I think this whole thing’s taking a toll on you,” Spike said.

“Spike, you know I can’t afford to take a rest,” Twilight said. She stretched her wings, trying to get the stiffness out. “It seems like new ponies are falling victim to, well, whatever this is every day. I can’t waste any time. And who knows if I would even wake up if I did go to sleep?”

“You’re studying the sleeping sickness?” Sweetie Belle said. “Don’t suppose you’ve found anything useful, have you?”

Twilight sighed, and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I’m positive it’s some kind of magical affliction, but there aren’t any past cases of something like this… But there’s no need for you two to get involved in all that. What was it you needed?”

“You’ve got the Daring Do series, right?” Scootaloo asked.

“Of course!” Twilight smiled, and trotted over to the shelf. “Doing some reading for fun over break? There’s nothing like a good book during these cold months.”

“Sure isn’t.”

“Should be under Y, for ‘Yearling’…” Twilight ran her hoof along the titles. “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. I’m sure you two are going to…” Twilight’s voice trailed off.

“Is something wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I must have forgotten. Rainbow Dash checked that one out again about a week ago,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I suppose you could always ask her if she’s done with it. You spend a lot of time with her, don’t you, Scootaloo?”

The two fillies exchanged a look. Scootaloo could picture the book now—sitting on Rainbow Dash’s nightstand, next to her while she slept. In her cloud house. In the sky. How were they supposed to get up there? There were plenty of ponies who could fly there for them, but it would be tough to explain why they needed it.

Twilight shrugged. “Well, there’s plenty of other great books I’m sure you girls would like. You could look around.”

Sweetie Belle bit her lip. “Sorry, Twilight, but we were really hoping to get started on the Daring Do series. You’re sure there aren’t any other copies?”

“Not of the first book. We’ll just have to wait for Rainbow Dash to return it. She should bring it back any day now,” Twilight said. “Well, if that was all you needed, I should get back to work.” She turned around and started towards her desk.

“What about the second one?” Sweetie Belle said suddenly.

“Huh?” Twilight turned and gave her a strange look. “We have it in stock, but I don’t think you’d want to start a series on the second book. The story wouldn’t make any sense.”

“Well, uh… Rainbow Dash told me the second one is the best anyway,” Scootaloo said, waving a hoof dismissively. “I’ve been really looking forward to that one.”

Twilight shrugged. “I suppose they are all pretty good stories.”

Sweetie Belle trotted up to the shelf, reached up and pulled the book down. It fell to the floor with a thud, the pages fluttering open.

Scootaloo edged closer and flipped the cover closed. Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet. Nothing in the illustration looked familiar—there hadn’t been any griffons or goblets in the dream—but it was all they had.

“Well, maybe it’ll have some kind of reference what happened to the first book,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I guess we could try,” Scootaloo said. She flipped the front cover open with one hoof, and began reading the opening paragraphs of the first chapter.

The story began with Daring Do in the middle of a bustling marketplace in a desert village. Scootaloo skimmed through some description, finding nothing about the jungle, Ahuizotl, or the Sapphire Stone. She scanned the next few pages, but nothing was coming up.

Scootaloo sighed. “Forget it. I don’t think this is—“

“Didn’t expect to find you here, Squirt. You’re finally starting those books, huh?”

Scootaloo’s heart nearly stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. She certainly hadn’t expected to hear it here, and now. It made no sense. She slowly turned around to face the pony standing there, her legs starting to feel like jelly.

“Uh, kid… You gonna be okay?” Rainbow Dash said.

Rescue Mission

“N-no way… You can’t be here.”

Scootaloo stared at Rainbow Dash. Her wings were folded at her sides, and they didn’t seem to be injured. She looked absolutely fine. Like that battle last night hadn’t even happened. At the very least, she definitely shouldn’t be awake after that.

Rainbow tilted her head, frowning. “I know I’m not the first pony you’d expect to see in a library, but I do come here every now and again,” she said. “Besides, I’m mostly here to see what Twilight’s up to.”

She glanced over her shoulder, but Twilight was absorbed in her reading again and didn’t seem to notice her.

“I just… didn’t think…” Scootaloo could hardly get the words out.

Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “We kind of assumed…”

“Are you, um… feeling okay?” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow blinked. “I guess so. Why?”

It didn’t make any sense. All Scootaloo could think was that maybe, somehow, that hadn’t really been Rainbow Dash last night. It could just be another illusion, like everypony in Pinkie Pie’s dream.

But that couldn’t be it. There hadn’t been anypony else around who could’ve been having the dream, and they’d explored the jungle for two whole nights.

Scootaloo scratched her head. “Well, you know with all the stuff going on around town, and I didn’t see you at all yesterday…”

“I was in Cloudsdale,” Rainbow said. “We’re getting ready to set up winter, remember? There’s a lot to get done before then.”

“I guess so…”

Rainbow nodded towards the open book behind them. “So how are you liking it so far? What part are you at?”

“Oh… um… That’s right, the book,” Scootaloo said. “We sort of just started.”

“The Griffon’s Goblet is a good one,” Rainbow Dash said. “But they’re pretty much all good ones.”

“Hey there, Rainbow Dash!” Spike came over to join them, seeming a little bit eager to talk to somepony. “If you came to see Twilight, she’s busy right now. She’s still working on her research. No progress yet, though.”

“Twilight’s still trying to figure out what this whole sleeping thing that’s going around is, huh?” Rainbow Dash said, trotting over to the desk. She tried to take a peek at the book. Twilight still didn’t notice her.

“You’re sure you’ve been okay?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Not even a little tired, or anything? You got up on time yesterday?”

“Listen, you kids are getting worked up over nothing,” Rainbow said, turning back to them. “I know it seems like this thing is affecting everypony, but just because you don’t see me for a while doesn’t mean I’ve got it too.”

“Yeah.” Scootaloo gave a shrill, nervous laugh. “Guess we were jumping to conclusions, huh?”

Rainbow looked back at Twilight, waiting for her to notice them. “So what’re you doing, Twilight?”

“Huh?” Twilight picked her head up, and looked around in surprise. “Oh, it’s just you. I think Scootaloo was looking for you.”

“Yeah, I noticed her already.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You’re totally out of it, Twilight.”

“They were just in here looking for the Daring Do series. You still have the first one, don’t you?” Twilight asked. “If you’re finished, I think they’d really like to read it.”

“Oh, right… About that…” Rainbow scratched her mane. “I kind of lent it to Fluttershy a few days ago. I have no idea if she’s finished yet.”

Scootaloo blinked. “You gave it to Fluttershy?” she blurted out, unable to keep the shock out of her voice.

“She said most of her animals were already starting to hibernate, and she didn’t have much to do, so I thought she should try it out. It would be something to pass the time.” Rainbow gave a shrug. “Besides, I’ve been trying to get somepony else hooked on the series for forever.”

“Did she, y’know… read it?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“She’s probably at least started. It was a few days ago,” Rainbow said.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exchanged a look.

“Well, we should probably get going now.” Scootaloo started to edge towards the door.

“Yeah, see you later, Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle said. She nudged Scootaloo towards the exit, and they ran outside, closing the door with a slam behind them.

The moment they were out of the library, Scootaloo couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “So it was Fluttershy’s dream all along?”

“Are you sure?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “Why haven’t we seen her? We’ve been all over that dream for days. Rainbow Dash was the only pony in there.”

“But she was never afraid of anything. You were right. There was something wrong with her, because it never was her to begin with,” Scootaloo said. She sighed. “I should’ve been able to tell…”

They started walking away from the library. Sweetie Belle looked around at the other ponies on the street. “We haven’t seen Fluttershy in a few days, but I thought she was just at home. She doesn’t spend that much time in town. She could always just be taking care of her animals, like Rainbow Dash said.”

“This is the only lead we’ve got right now,” Scootaloo said. “If it’s not Rainbow Dash, it must be somepony.” She sighed. “I’ll ask Luna about it tonight. All we can do until then is wait.”

The day had seemed to drag on forever, but finally the sun had gone down and Scootaloo was trying her hardest to get to sleep. She buried herself in the covers, trying to keep the chilliness out, and squeezed her eyes shut. Finally she felt herself being transported, her surroundings changing…

The moment that Scootaloo appeared in the dream, Apple Bloom ran right up to her.

“Finally! I saw what happened to you and Rainbow Dash last night, but it was too late. And, I mean, you know better than anypony what happens when you get hurt in one of these dreams, so I was worried that—“

Scootaloo cut her off. “It wasn’t her.”

“Wait, what?” Apple Bloom cocked her head.

“This isn’t Rainbow Dash’s dream. She’s completely fine,” Scootaloo said. “I, uh… I think it’s Fluttershy’s.”

“No way, I mean… This is the craziest, most dangerous dream we’ve ever been to. That doesn’t seem like Fluttershy’s type at all.”

“But we just saw Rainbow Dash today. She said she let Fluttershy borrow the Daring Do book. She must’ve read it and now it’s giving her nightmares,” Scootaloo said. “It makes sense.”

“Not sure if I’d agree with you there…” Apple Bloom muttered.

“I have warned you that the world of dreams can be deceiving.” Scootaloo was surprised when Luna spoke up. She had been standing back, listening to them.

“Did you know about this?” Scootaloo looked up at the princess.

“I am afraid not,” Luna said. “The dreams are becoming ever more difficult to read. From your report, I was as certain as you were that Rainbow Dash had fallen victim this time. I certainly thought that you as her sister would recognize her dream.”

Scootaloo said nothing.

“But that still doesn’t explain where Fluttershy is,” Apple Bloom said.

“Lately these dreams have become even more of a reality for those trapped within. Their imaginations create an entire world that the dreamers themselves are not conscious of,” Luna said. “Fluttershy may have hidden herself away, while the illusions continue all around her.”

“I can definitely see Fluttershy doing that…” Scootaloo said.

“If Rainbow Dash truly is awake, as you say, then all I can tell you is this: somepony, whether or not it truly is Fluttershy, has been trapped alone inside this nightmare for several days now. We do not have any time to waste.”

“Right.” Scootaloo gave a nod.

Apple Bloom turned around, looking all over the clearing. “Where’s Sweetie Belle? Shouldn’t she be asleep by now?”

“Probably.”

“There may not be enough time,” Luna said. “I will send her after you if there is time, but you must—“

“I’m here!” Sweetie Belle had shimmered in a few feet away, and ran up to join the others. “What happened? What are we doing?”

“We’re going in there after Fluttershy,” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose. “Really? We’re still going with that?”

“It’s all we’ve got.”

Luna’s horn began to shine.

Scootaloo felt the sweltering heat of the jungle settle over them once again. The chattering of animals and buzzing of insects surrounded them.

“You girls really think Fluttershy’s somewhere around here?” Apple Bloom glanced around. “We just spent so long followin’ Rainbow Dash around. Why would she even be here if Fluttershy’s the one dreamin’?”

“I don’t know.” Scootaloo shrugged. “Rainbow Dash gave her the book.”

“And pretty much everywhere in this dream is totally dangerous. You’d think Fluttershy’s dreams would be more, I dunno…” Apple Bloom searched for the word. “Cutesy.”

“I guess so,” Scootaloo said. “I’d expect her to avoid a dangerous place like this at all costs. Any ideas, Sweetie Belle?”

She glanced over and saw that Sweetie Belle was distracted by one of the giant butterflies flittering past, just like the ones they’d seen the first night here. She blinked. “It almost makes sense, doesn’t it? This dream’s been full of all kinds of animals.”

“Maybe that’s got something to do with where she is?” Scootaloo said.

“Yeah! Maybe she’s hiding somewhere out of the way, watchin’ all of these animals,” Apple Bloom said. “She’s probably avoidin’ all the dangerous stuff like she usually does.”

“Makes sense to me,” Scootaloo said. She looked around the clearing. “She could still be just about anywhere, though…”

“Well, maybe instead of going to all of those old ruins like we did before, let’s try getting as far away as possible,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo led the way through the overgrown vines and mossy trees. Once again, she had no idea where they were going. And the past two nights trying to follow Rainbow Dash around hadn’t accomplished anything at all. They really couldn’t afford to waste time.

“Fluttershy?” Sweetie Belle called out. “We’re here to help you!”

“Yeah, come on out, Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom shouted. “It’s just us!”

The buzzing of insects was as loud as ever, but there was no response. This jungle was just too big to find a single pony. And chances were Fluttershy didn’t want anypony to find her.

There was light shining through the trees up ahead. The trees were thinning out, and Scootaloo realized that she recognized this place. At least, she was pretty sure she did.

She leapt over an exposed root, her wings fluttering slightly, and stepped out of the thicket into the sunlight.

The view from here was familiar. This was the same cliff they had arrived at last night, and probably about the same spot, too. The view of the landscape seemed the same. The ridge of hills in the distance, a river cutting through the forest, the tents that had been pitched in the clearing…

“The base camp,” Scootaloo muttered. “Of course!”

“You think Fluttershy might be down there?” Apple Bloom said.

“Maybe.”

Scootaloo stared down at the camp. They had tried to find a way down before, and they’d searched a long time with no success… At least until Rainbow Dash led them in the opposite direction.

“You need to let me fly down there,” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom stared at her in shock. “What? No, I already told you. There’s no way we’re splitin’ up again. Not when it’s this dangerous.”

“We don’t have that much time to look for another way down. We’ve been here two nights already, and we’ve gotten nowhere. Just wait here and I’ll be back before you know it.”

“What if somethin’ tries to attack us again while we’re waitin’? We’ll all get lost again.”

“Just lay low and maybe you won’t attract any attention,” Scootaloo said. “If something does happen, then… I don’t know, I could do a quick flyover and try to find you again.”

“Scootaloo, you’ve really helped us out before, but… Well, you’ve just been showin’ off so much lately, and it ain’t been workin’ out too well. You’re startin’ to get reckless.” Apple Bloom turned around. “You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you, Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle stared at her, completely speechless for a moment. She hadn’t expected to get dragged into the argument. She tilted her head and thought a moment. “Um… Maybe she should go.”

“Wait, you serious?”

“She’s right. There might not be another way down,” Sweetie Belle said. “If Fluttershy’s down there, then she can fly back up with her. If not, we won’t lose that much time.”

None of them said anything for a moment. Scootaloo looked down at the campsite.

“I know I’ve been getting careless lately. It’s just that I thought Rainbow Dash was really here. That she’d get to see me doing all this cool stuff. Even if she probably wouldn’t remember it once she woke up...” Scootaloo let out a sigh. “I’m not doing this for me, though. Right now, we need to find Fluttershy and get her out of here.”

“You’d better come right back in case you don’t find anythin’,” Apple Bloom said. “Three minutes, tops.”

“Got it. I’ll be back in two,” Scootaloo said.

She took a running start and leapt over the edge of the cliff, letting the wind pick up under her wings. She glided down towards the base camp, flying between the trees as she descended into the jungle, and landed in the center of the canvas tents.

It was fairly quiet down here. A breeze blew through, rattling the branches overhead and rustling the sides of the tents.

There was a fire pit in the center of the clearing, but the ashes had gone cold. There was no telling how long it had been since it had been used.

“Hello? Anypony here?” Scootaloo called out.

She waited a moment, listening for a response. She thought she heard a tiny, almost inaudible noise somewhere, but she couldn’t be sure.

There were a few tents set up in a loose ring in the clearing. Scootaloo trotted up to one and pushed the flap aside, surveying the contents. A sleeping bag was in the corner, and a few crates had been set up in the corner as a makeshift desk. Some dusty books were piled up on top, and a lantern sat beside them. It looked like they hadn’t been touched in a while.

She shook her head, and stepped back outside. She tried again. “Uh… Fluttershy?”

Slowly, the flaps of another tent opened and Fluttershy poked her head out. “Scootaloo? But… What are you doing out here? We’re so far away from anything…”

Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. You have to come with me.”

Fluttershy nearly retreated back into the tent. “No, that’s not necessary. I don’t think I should leave the camp. At least not until Rainbow Dash comes back.”

“You came here with Rainbow Dash?”

“You, um… haven’t seen her lately, have you? It’s been such a long time since she left.” Fluttershy stepped out into the light, though she still kept her wings held tight to her sides and her head bent down.

Scootaloo scratched her head. The others were probably wondering what she was doing right now. What happened to the camp—or to the dream version of Rainbow Dash—didn’t really matter.

“Look, you just need to come with me,” Scootaloo said. “We’re not going too far, just up there.” She pointed towards the top of the cliff.

Fluttershy shook her head. “Rainbow Dash wanted me to stay here and keep an eye on our supplies. Even though I’m not sure what to do if anypony tries to take them... But I still shouldn’t be going anywhere,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay, too? How did you get out here, anyways?”

“Look, Fluttershy, I don’t know how to say this…” Scootaloo sighed. After all this time, she knew better than to tell her it was all a dream. There wasn’t even time to come up with a good lie. “Why are you out here, anyway? I thought that Daring—I mean, Rainbow Dash worked alone.”

Fluttershy looked down. “I’m, um, not here to help with her exploration or anything. I just thought I could help with some of the wild animals out here, so I, um… decided to come along.” She backed away. “You should be careful out here. You’re still welcome to stay here until Rainbow Dash gets back, though.”

It was no use. Scootaloo had been here too long already. The others were probably waiting for her.

“Actually… I was with Rainbow Dash. She ran into some trouble back there.” Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder at the cliff. It was too far away to see the others. “You need to come with me. I’ll show you where she is.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “N-no… I wouldn’t be able to…”

Scootaloo let out a groan. She wasn’t quite sure what Fluttershy would be able to do to help, either. But then again, this whole place was her dream. “You’re afraid of something happening to her, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry. But there’s nothing Rainbow Dash could need from me,” Fluttershy said quietly. “That’s the way it’s always been.”

“You’ve looked up to Rainbow Dash even longer than I have,” Scootaloo said. “She was your big sister first.”

“Well, um…” Fluttershy looked down. “Back in flight school, I didn’t really have many friends… I was the worst flier in the whole class. But Rainbow Dash still stuck up for me, even though she was the best. I… don’t really know why she did that.”

After all of those failed flying lessons, Scootaloo had often asked herself the same thing. She was still the only pegasus in her class who couldn’t fly, but she was the one Rainbow Dash hung out with…

Just like how Luna had chosen her to come here. Somehow, they saw something in Scootaloo.

“Rainbow Dash really does need you,” Scootaloo said. “She needs both of us.” She took another nervous look back at the top of the cliff. “Come on. Let’s get going.”

“You, um, said... it’s up there?” Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide as she stared up at it.

“Well, that’s part of the way. It’s a bit past that.”

Fluttershy made a tiny squeak and made a dash back towards the tent, but Scootaloo shot forward to block her path. She tried to push Fluttershy back, but she was surprisingly strong. “You need to do this! Think about Rainbow Dash!”

“But… I…” Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut, then let out a sigh. She gave a resigned nod. “Wh-where was she, then?”

Scootaloo took off into the air, weaving her way back up through the tangled branches of the trees until she broke through the forest ceiling. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Fluttershy was still behind her, and saw the other pegasus dragging herself up, her wings flapping slowly.

The mid-day sun was directly above them, the heat bearing down on them as they rose above the treetops. It was ideal flying weather, in Scootaloo’s opinion, but Fluttershy seemed terrified.

They touched down at the top of the plateau, where Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom sat waiting for them.

“You found her?” Sweetie Belle hopped up and dashed over to them. “Great! Now what do we do?”

Fluttershy looked at the two of them. “I still don’t understand. What are you girls doing out here? It’s far too dangerous for any of you…”

“We’re going back out there to find Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said.

“Wait, but just a few minutes ago you said…” Apple Bloom put a hoof to her forehead. “This makes no sense.”

“Just trust me on this one,” Scootaloo said. “Fluttershy’s just really scared that something could have happened to her, you know?”

Sweetie Belle blinked. “Oh, yeah! I get it.”

“Come on. I think Rainbow Dash was over this way.” Scootaloo tried to retrace the path they’d taken last night, but everything looked the same.

“We’re going now? Into that huge, dark, scary forest where just about anything could be hiding out?” Fluttershy said. “You know, maybe we should wait a little while? I think it’s getting late.”

“It’s not—“ Scootaloo noticed the orange glow settling over the trees. The sun was sinking down below the horizon, and the jungle was quickly falling into total blackness. “Dark.”

“Well, that’s sure never happened before,” Apple Bloom said. “Now what’re we s’posed to do?”

“I’ve got this one!” A few green sparks fell from the tip of Sweetie Belle’s horn, and then they were surrounded by a pool of light. Beyond the flickering circle, everything else was just barely visible.

“B-but…” Fluttershy stammered. “That can’t possibly be enough light, not to head into…”

“We don’t have any time to waste. Not if we want to save Rainbow Dash, right?” Scootaloo said, trying to give an encouraging smile. “Everypony just stick close. I should still be able to find the way. I think.”

The light from Sweetie Belle’s horn flickered slightly. She gritted her teeth, and it shone just a little bit brighter. For the most part, though, they were totally blind.

Scootaloo led the way slowly into the jungle, keeping her eyes down so that she didn’t trip over any fallen logs or into any more pits. This had been hard enough before it had suddenly turned into nighttime. She could have sworn it was noon just minutes ago.

Apple Bloom trotted up closer to her. “So we’ve gotta help Rainbow Dash in order to help Fluttershy. That’s it, right?”

Scootaloo nodded. “I think I’ve got it figured out. Fluttershy just feels like she’s holding Rainbow back. If she helps us do this, then she’ll wake up... Probably.”

“And just how is Fluttershy supposed to help us defeat Ahui-what’s-his-name if you and Rainbow couldn’t?”

“I’m… still working on that part.”

The four of them stuck close together, but Scootaloo was leading the way. She tried to make sense of the path. Towards the trees, or towards… other trees.

“Are you sure we should be going this way? Away from the camp?” Fluttershy looked back the way they had come. “It doesn’t seem safe to go any farther without a map…”

“You don’t have a map, do you?” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow.

“Um, I don’t think so. But we could always go back and check!”

“We don’t have time for that,” Scootaloo said. “Besides, I’m pretty sure this is the right way. I recognize that, um… tree. The one over there.” She pointed one out at random. She had no idea if they’d been this way before, but she couldn’t let Fluttershy turn around. It was hard enough to get her away from camp the first time.

“You’re sure?” Fluttershy said, her voice quivering.

“I’m sure.”

“What are we gonna do? We really don’t have any idea where we’re going,” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“What other choice do we have?” Scootaloo said. “Fluttershy’s got to face her fears. She can’t do that if we let her go back to camp. We’d never get her back away from it.”

Sweetie Belle’s light was still just barely bright enough to surround all of them, but not much farther. There were a few times when Scootaloo thought she might have seen eyes glinting in the shadows around them—Ahuizotl’s minions, watching them, but nothing happened.

Scootaloo shook herself. No reason getting afraid of everything. Not when Fluttershy was already afraid of everything.

“Um… We haven’t really found anything out here…” Fluttershy mumbled.

Scootaloo turned around to look at her. “It’s not much farther. We were out here with Rainbow Dash before, and she told us the temple was this way. I know we’ll run into it any minute.”

“Rainbow Dash said that?” Fluttershy said. She hung her head down, and tucked in her wings. “Well… She does know her way around better than me…”

“We’ll just keep going, and we should be there…”

Scootaloo turned and found herself nearly face-to-face with a crumbling stone wall. She hadn’t moved a single step, and yet there was no way it had been there just a moment ago.

“Wait, did that just…” Sweetie Belle stared at it in disbelief, still straining to keep her horn lit up.

“I think she’s changin’ the dream based on what we tell her,” Apple Bloom whispered. “You told her it would be here, and here it is.”

“That’s just… kind of sudden,” Scootaloo said. She took a deep breath, and composed herself. “But we’re here now. We need to get inside.”

“In there?” Fluttershy shrank back.

“That’s where Ahuizotl is hiding out,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s go!”

She broke into a gallop and dashed ahead, but then paused. Something didn’t feel right. She turned around. Fluttershy hadn’t moved an inch. Her hooves were firmly planted in the ground.

“Fluttershy, are you coming or not?”

“I-I just didn’t think it would be so… big, and so frightening... A-are you sure we have to go in there? By ourselves? Maybe we should call for help.”

“There’s no one else around for hundreds of miles. We have to do this. Rainbow Dash is depending on us,” Scootaloo said. “She’s depending on you.”

“Uh, yeah,” Apple Bloom said. She scratched her head. “We were here earlier, but we weren’t about to go in there without, a, um… grown-up.”

Fluttershy said nothing, but simply let out a feeble whimper and followed behind them, keeping her head down.

Scootaloo led the way through the exterior walls surrounding the fortress. The trees had thinned out, and the shapes of the walls and the pyramid were faintly visible in the moonlight. She stared up at the high walls, overgrown with moss, and she could almost swear they were stretching even taller above them… It was probably just her imagination.

“This is the same place as before, right?” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, we already know that this jungle just has old ruins all over the place. It kinda looks different.”

“Nah, I’m sure this is it,” Apple Bloom replied. “It’s gotta be.”

Scootaloo barely paid them any attention. She was completely focused, making sure no hidden traps were waiting for them. At the same time, she had to keep an eye on Fluttershy.

Before long, the steps of the pyramid stood before them. The moon was shining over the peak, casting pale light over them. The light from Sweetie Belle’s horn flickered out, and she let out a sigh of relief.

“I… really don’t know if I should be…” Fluttershy’s eyes darted around, trying to find a way out.

“It’s not much farther, Fluttershy,” Scootaloo said. “Rainbow Dash needs you.”

Fluttershy tried to back away, but Sweetie Belle ran over to stop her. “You can’t turn back now,” she said, pushing Fluttershy towards the stairs.

“N-No… Rainbow Dash is probably fine. M-Maybe you could go up there and, um… check on her?” Fluttershy said. Her hooves were sliding across the ground, pushing the dirt up as she tried in vain to stand her ground.

“Not without you,” Scootaloo said. “You’re her best friend, remember? I’m sure she’s counting on you to be there. She brought you along on this expedition for a reason.”

Fluttershy shook her head vigorously. “I’m fairly certain this wasn’t it…”

Scootaloo put her front hooves on the stairs, and turned back to Fluttershy. “Come on. One step at a time?”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything. She moved slowly to take the first step.

“We’d better hurry up,” Sweetie Belle said, trying to flash a friendly smile. “It’s a pretty long way to the top. Can’t keep Rainbow Dash waiting!”

“It does look like a long way…” Fluttershy bit her lip, and hesitantly began the climb.

Scootaloo stuck close to her side, while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom brought up the rear. She could tell what they were actually doing was trying to block Fluttershy’s way down if she suddenly panicked and tried to escape.

“I just don’t see how our sisters got her to go along with all those dangerous adventures they’ve gone on,” Apple Bloom said under her breath. “This is ridiculous.”

It didn’t look like Fluttershy heard her. She was fixated on the top of the pyramid, her eyes huge. Each step seemed to take a huge amount of effort for her, but she kept going.

It was hard to see the top, but chances were Ahuizotl was still up there, gloating over his victory. There was no telling what might have happened to Rainbow Dash—or the dream version of her, at least.

Scootaloo was tempted to fly the rest of the way up right now instead of climbing all these stairs, but she couldn’t leave everypony else behind. Besides, there was a good chance Fluttershy wouldn’t follow her.

“Feels… like we’ve… been climbing… forever…” Sweetie Belle panted.

“It can’t be that far,” Scootaloo said. “We’ve only got a few more…” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the top. They were only about halfway there, but they had been climbing these steps for at least five minutes.

“It wasn’t anywhere near this long last night,” Apple Bloom said. “I know that for a fact.”

“Of course…” Scootaloo muttered. “She’s too afraid to reach the top. As long as Fluttershy doesn’t want to get up there, she’s going to put everything she can in our way.”

“She can do that?” Sweetie Belle said, frowning.

“It’s a dream, remember? She probably doesn’t even know she’s doing it.”

Scootaloo glanced back at Fluttershy, still climbing the stairs at a snail’s pace with her head down, looking only at the very next step and not daring to look any farther ahead.

“Fluttershy, we have to hurry,” Scootaloo said.

“I know that. I am hurrying.” Fluttershy didn’t look up and continued moving at the same pace.

“If it was you up there, Rainbow Dash would be there to help you in a heartbeat,” Scootaloo said. “You can do the same for her.”

“That’s her,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “I’m not like that…”

Sweetie Belle moved over to Fluttershy’s side. “Hey, remember that time we had the sleepover?” she said. “You went into the Everfree Forest to help us. You saved us from that cockatrice. We didn’t even realize how cool you could be.”

“B-But that was so terrifying, too…”

“Of course, but you were more afraid of something happening to us, weren’t you?” Scootaloo said.

“I… I suppose…”

Fluttershy started to walk again. She turned her head, forcing herself to look towards the peak. Slowly, she started to gain some speed as she climbed. The top of the pyramid was getting closer.

It wasn’t much longer before they were approaching the top of the steps, and the archway into the throne room was before them. The sight of it cause Fluttershy to stop again. Once she saw the three fillies heading in, she let out a resigned sigh and crept along after them.

The throne room looked just as Scootaloo remembered it from last time, except this time it was lit by flickering torchlight in the dark. Rainbow Dash wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but Ahuizotl was seated on his throne, admiring the Sapphire Stone held in his tail. He noticed the four of them enter.

“What’s this? It seems Rainbow Dash’s little friends have come back.” He let out a shrill cackle, and stepped down. “It’s too late. The Stone belongs to me now, and there is nothing you can do about it.”

Fluttershy was frozen to the spot, not even blinking.

Scootaloo noticed her, and nudged her shoulder. “Come on, Fluttershy, we need to do something.”

“It was foolish of you to return here. Rainbow Dash will soon be no more, and I shall rule the world!” Ahuizotl roared, and leapt forward into a sprint, headed directly towards them.

Fluttershy still wouldn’t respond. Apple Bloom nudged her, but she didn’t move. Ahuizotl was still charging towards them, baring his fangs.

There was a flash of light, and Scootaloo suddenly found herself on the other side of the room.

Sweetie Belle was next to her, rubbing her horn. “I wasn’t sure if that would work… You okay, Fluttershy?” She glanced around. “That was supposed to get all of us!”

Scootaloo saw Ahuizotl charging across the room to the point where they had been standing. Apple Bloom and Fluttershy were still there. Ahuizotl briefly slowed down, then let out a growl and continued towards the two ponies still before him.

“Teleporting’s a lot harder than Twilight makes it look…” Sweetie Belle grumbled.

Apple Bloom was trying to figure out where they had gone. She caught sight of Scootaloo, but Ahuizotl was nearly on top of the two of them. She tackled Fluttershy out of the way just before his claw swiped at them.

Scootaloo flapped her wings, and hovered in the air. “Just try to distract him. Don’t worry about me.”

She zoomed across the throne room, diving right in front of Ahuizotl’s face. He took a moment to react to her, momentarily forgetting about Fluttershy and Apple Bloom. He snapped at Scootaloo, but she had already flown just out of his reach.

“You cannot evade me forever!” Ahuizotl shouted.

Behind him, she saw Apple Bloom still shaking Fluttershy, trying to get her to do something. Scootaloo frowned, then focused herself. She dove towards the statue held in Ahuizotl’s tail, but he whipped it out of the way before she could grab it.

As he spun around towards her, Sweetie Belle teleported behind him. “Over here!” she shouted.

He turned back towards her, and Scootaloo tried for the statue again. It was no use. His tail was constantly moving, and if she got too close he’d swat her out of the air.

Scootaloo turned back towards Fluttershy, and flew over to get her attention. She was breathing heavily, and Apple Bloom was still struggling to get her to move, but she seemed slightly more aware of her surroundings.

“Y’know, I could really use your help with her,” Apple Bloom muttered.

“Fluttershy, you need to snap out of it, or else we’re all in danger,” Scootaloo said. “There has to be something you can do.”

“He’s the one Rainbow Dash told me about!” Fluttershy squeaked, pointing a shaking hoof at Ahuizotl. “There’s no way we can possibly beat him. Let’s just get out of here!”

“We’re not doin’ that, Fluttershy. Not until Rainbow Dash is safe,” Apple Bloom said, casting a sideways glance at Scootaloo. She didn’t look entirely confident.

“Uh, right,” Scootaloo said.

“B-But Rainbow Dash isn’t even here! I don’t see her!” Fluttershy said.

“We’ll find Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said. “She has to be around here somewhere. But right now, you’ve got to do something about him!”

“But… What can I do?”

Sweetie Belle appeared again, teleporting right next to them, but she could barely stand. She collapsed to the floor, trying to catch her breath, the glow around her horn flickering out.

“You fools could not escape me forever,” Ahuizotl said in a low voice. He advanced slowly towards them. “Now, prepare to meet your doom!”

As he spoke, dark shapes appeared at the entrances, blocking off any way out of the throne room. As they crept into the light of the torches, Scootaloo could see that they were jaguars, tigers, huge cats of all types, their eyes glowing.

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Apple Bloom said. “Any chance we could just wake up right about now?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Come on, Fluttershy. You can do this. You’re the only one who can.”

Fluttershy picked herself up, and moved forward. She was staring at the animals creeping towards them, her eyes wide.

Glancing up briefly, Sweetie Belle let out a gasp. “Is she going to…”

Taking a step forward, standing between the fillies and the animals, Fluttershy planted her hooves and stared at the cats directly in the eyes.

Instantly, they froze.

“I can’t believe you,” Fluttershy said through gritted teeth. “Wild creatures like yourselves taking orders from some big meanie like that! What do you all have to say for yourselves?”

One of the jaguars took a sheepish step back, its eyes wide. The others also left their crouched stances.

“What are you idiots doing?” Ahuizotl shouted. “Get them!”

“You all have much better things to be doing than picking on defenseless little fillies, don’t you?” Fluttershy said. “What do you all have to say for yourselves?”

The animals backed away from Fluttershy, and looked to one another. They suddenly seemed like totally harmless kittens.

“Don’t listen to her! Stop them!”

They turned around to face Ahuizotl as he yelled the orders. One of them bared its teeth, and prepared to sprint. Suddenly the entire pack shot forward towards him.

With a yelp, Ahuizotl bolted for the exit. The animals chased him outside, their snarls dying away as they vanished into the night.

Everything had gone quiet.

Apple Bloom stared at them. “Guess you were right,” she said.

Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I knew you’d come through.”

Fluttershy was breathing heavily, her nostrils flaring. Sweetie Belle got up and walked forward to put a hoof on her shoulder, and she instantly calmed down, looking around as if she had no clue what had happened.

“It’s… over?” Fluttershy said.

“Not quite,” Scootaloo said. “Not until we find Rainbow Dash.”

“Right!” With an energy they hadn’t seen before, Fluttershy headed out of the throne room.

They followed her outside, taking in the view of the jungle from the roof of the pyramid. The walls of the fortress surrounded them, and beyond them was an endless forest disappearing into the darkness of night. Maybe it went on forever.

“I don’t get it,” Apple Bloom said. “Shouldn’t Rainbow Dash be here?”

Fluttershy was silent. Her ears perked up, and suddenly her eyes widened. She pointed towards one of the towers surrounding the fortress. “Did you hear that? Over there!”

She flew towards the only window that was lit up, and now it was Scootaloo trying to keep up with her. They perched on the edge of the wall and looked inside.

A thin rope, slowly stretching and fraying to just a few thin fibers, hung from the ceiling. Rainbow Dash was completely bound, her wings stuck close to her body, hanging from the end of it. Below her, was a thirty-foot drop onto a floor covered in rusted metal spikes. She was busy trying to wriggle her way out of it, but glanced up at them as they flew in.

“Fluttershy? And Scootaloo? What are you guys doing here?”

Fluttershy didn’t need any encouragement this time. She flew over to Rainbow Dash right away and began untying the ropes. Scootaloo followed behind.

“You know, I was just about to break out myself,” Rainbow Dash said. She shifted around, loosening the ropes and getting her wings free. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here. Besides, Ahuizotl’s still—“

“Taken care of,” Scootaloo said. She put her front hooves out along with Fluttershy to keep Rainbow Dash from falling.

“What?” The last of the ropes fell away, and Rainbow lifted herself up with her own wingpower. “You don’t mean that you…”

“Nope.” Scootaloo shook her head. “Fluttershy took care of him. We owe it all to her.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far…” Fluttershy said, hanging her head. She noticed the spike pit below them, and let out a shriek. “But can we get out of here now?”

The three of them flew out the opening in the ceiling. Outside, the sun was starting to rise, casting light over the top of the pyramid. They’d been in the dream for a while now—Scootaloo was willing to bet that it was nearly sunrise in the real world too. She led the way back to the pyramid, and the three pegasi touched down on the roof.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom came running up to them. The Sapphire Stone was floating at Sweetie Belle’s side, surrounded in a pale green aura of magic.

“We’ve got the statue!” Apple Bloom said. “Uh, you still need it, right?”

The statue fell to the floor as Sweetie Belle’s magic flickered out. She stared at it. “I still don’t know why this thing’s so important.”

Rainbow Dash straightened her hat, then reached down to take the statue. “Safe and sound,” she said with a sigh. “If you hadn’t showed up when you did, I don’t know what would’ve happened to it.”

“What? N-no, I didn’t…” Fluttershy stammered. “You should really be thanking Scootaloo and her friends.”

“No, she’s right,” Scootaloo said. “We never could’ve done it without you.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said. “You may not be the toughest pony around, but you always come through when I need you.”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but a smile began to spread across her face.

“Well, we’d better take the statue before anything else crazy happens,” Rainbow said. “Up and at ‘em, Fluttershy, we’ve got a lot of flying ahead of us.” She turned to the fillies. “What about you kids? I still don’t know why you’re out here in the first place. Need a lift back?”

“Nah, we’ll be fine,” Scootaloo said.

“Well, guess we’ll be seeing you girls back in Ponyville,” Rainbow said. She flapped her wings and rose up into the air. “Come on, Fluttershy!”

The two of them flew off into the distance, Fluttershy struggling to keep up with Rainbow's speed. Scootaloo watched them for a while until they were too small to be seen.

“Guess that’s it, then,” Apple Bloom said. “I probably won’t be seeing you girls for another few days.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Have fun in Manehattan. We’ll be waiting for you.”

“Sure will!”

It might have been the haze from the sun, bringing the overwhelming heat back to the jungle, but Scootaloo thought it looked like the other two fillies were starting to shimmer.

Before long, they had vanished completely.

Scootaloo blinked her eyes, opening them slowly, and shivered at the sudden drop of temperature. She glanced at the window, the panes covered with a thin layer of frost.

Another dream over. It was strange to wake up feeling a little exhausted, but she was relieved at the same time.

She headed downstairs and trotted out the front door, feeling the wind bite at her. A few snowflakes were falling—the first snow of the winter. Maybe she should have bundled up before heading outside.

As she headed through town, she caught sight of Sweetie Belle down the street. They noticed each other at about the same time.

“So… that was it?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Think so,” Scootaloo replied. “We saved Rainbow Dash, so we should have saved Fluttershy too.”

“Then that means we get a few days off!” Sweetie Belle said. “And hopefully the next dream won’t try to kill us so much.”

They continued down the street together, chatting for a while, until they came to the center of town. Sugarcube Corner was still fairly quiet at this time in the morning. They headed inside and went up to the counter. They ordered some hot chocolates and took a seat by the window.

“I didn’t think they’d start the snowfall this early,” Scootaloo said. “Almost makes you miss the jungle, huh?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Sweetie Belle said, taking a sip of her drink. She put a hoof to her forehead and made a face. “I had a headache when I woke up this morning. I’ve heard Rarity say that happens if she strains her magic… Do you think that’s what happened?”

“Could be. You were really doing a lot last night.”

“I think Apple Bloom was right. You kind of were showing off, those other nights, but you were also doing a lot more than either of us were to actually get the work done. I wanted to help out too.”

The bell at the front door rang, and they turned to see Rainbow Dash enter, followed close behind by Fluttershy. It was almost odd, since it hadn’t been long since they had all woken up, and now Fluttershy was here with the real Rainbow Dash already.

“You know Twilight’s been getting all worked up about this, right?” Rainbow was saying. “If I hadn’t come over yesterday, nopony would’ve even known what happened!”

“I feel fine, though,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Maybe I was just tired. I’ve been so busy with the animals lately.”

“Fine? It was three days,” Rainbow said. “Come on, let’s get you something…” She noticed Scootaloo watching her. “Oh, hey, squirt!”

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said. “Uh… so what happened to Fluttershy?”

“It’s the weirdest thing. I went to check on her yesterday and I found her asleep. It’s probably that thing Twilight’s been studying… And you two were asking about it yesterday, too.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle said. “That’s… strange, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Scootaloo nodded. “Strange.”

“I really don’t feel sick, though,” Fluttershy said. “I appreciate your concern, Rainbow Dash, but I’m fine.”

“You’ve been saying that all morning, but I’m still going to keep an eye on you,” Rainbow said. “Anyways, turns out she finished that Daring Do book already, so were you still interested?”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other.

“Uh… yeah, that sounds great!” Scootaloo said, forcing a grin.

“Great! Nothing like a good Daring Do adventure when you’re cooped up inside, huh?”

“You’ve got that right,” Scootaloo said.

Bitter Cold

The path out of town towards Sweet Apple Acres was covered with snow. It had fallen just the night before, keeping to the weather team’s usual schedule, but a few sets of fresh tracks led the way to the farm.

Sweetie Belle shivered in the cold and wound her scarf more tightly around her. “It’s not even Hearth’s Warming Eve yet and I’m already ready to wrap this winter up.”

“It sure was nice of Rarity to make you a new scarf again this year,” Scootaloo said. “Didn’t you get one last year, too?”

“Of course. And the year before that. And the year before that,” Sweetie Belle said. She imitated Rarity’s accent. “The old one isn’t what all the ponies in Canterlot are wearing anymore, don’t you know?”

“Oh yeah. She does get pretty worked up over stuff like that.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate it, but she just gets so stressed out with all of this seasonal fashion that we don’t actually spend any time together.” Sweetie Belle let out a sigh, and looked over at Scootaloo. “What about you? Doesn’t the cold bother you?”

“Nah. I’m fine,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “The cold doesn’t bother me at all. I’m practically ready to join the weather team right now. Uh, as soon as I can fly, I mean.”

She tried to keep her chattering teeth still and glanced up ahead. The apple orchards bordering the path came to an end and the farmhouse was in view.

“Apple Bloom was supposed to be coming on the really early train, so she’s probably just getting unpacked now,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s go!”

The two of them sprinted the rest of the way to the house, swinging the door open and heading right inside without stopping a moment. Granny Smith was asleep in her rocking chair. She didn’t stir as the two of them ran past and up the stairs.

They raced through the upstairs hallway, passing by Applejack, who quickly sidestepped to avoid getting bowled over. They didn’t stop until they were through the doorway to Apple Bloom’s room.

“Hey, Apple Bloom!” they both said, skidding to a halt.

Apple Bloom stopped unpacking her suitcase and looked up at them, a smile spreading across her face. “Hi, girls!”

“It’s the last day before we go back to school, so let’s make it count!” Scootaloo said. “There’s still plenty of daylight left. You got time?”

“Sure do!” Apple Bloom said, pushing the half-empty suitcase away with her back hoof. “I can finish all this later tonight.”

“So what should we do first?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Since you’ve been out of town, you can decide, Apple Bloom.”

“Well, gosh, there’s just so much I haven’t done in a while…”

Applejack stepped into the doorway. “Well, I must say I’m surprised at you two,” she said with a smile.

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle cocked her head.

“I was sure the first thing you’d do was ask Apple Bloom about her new cutie mark. She got it while she was out of town, and I hear Babs and her friends got a mighty fine new clubhouse, too,” Applejack said.

Scootaloo glanced at the hammer and saw on Apple Bloom’s flank. In the three nights they’d spent in Fluttershy’s dream, she’d already gotten used to seeing it. She scratched her head. “Oh… Um…”

“Well, y’know, once it showed up I was so excited that I had to send them a letter,” Apple Bloom said. “Must’ve gotten it already, huh, girls?”

“Huh? You never sent us any—“ Sweetie Belle started to say, but Scootaloo nudged her. “Souvenirs!” she finished. “With the letter. That you sent us.”

“The cutie mark’s even cooler in real life,” Scootaloo said. “I was really, uh, looking forward to seeing it.”

“Y-yeah,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Anyhow, looks like you girls are ready to head out. I know I don’t wanna waste any of the time we’ve got left,” Apple Bloom said. “Lead the way!”

They were nearly out the door when Applejack stuck out a hoof to block her. “Now, hold on a minute. There’ll be plenty of time for that after you’re all unpacked. You sure aren’t gonna want to do it after you’re all tuckered out from playin’.”

“Come on, Applejack. I haven’t seen them since last week!”

Applejack sighed. “Alright, alright. Just be home before dark, y’hear?”

Apple Bloom left her suitcase open on the floor and the three of them headed out the door. They passed by Granny Smith, still asleep in her rocker, and trotted out the front door, following their own hoofprints in the snow back towards Ponyville.

Once they were outside, Apple Bloom took a look back at the house, then lowered her voice. “So how’s Fluttershy doin’? We managed to wake her up, right?”

“Yup! We saw her that morning,” Sweetie Belle said. “Same as everypony else. She doesn’t remember a thing.”

“That’s good to hear,” Apple Bloom said. “I figured she was okay after Luna didn’t show up anymore, but then I didn’t have any way to talk to you guys other than those dreams. I didn’t realize how convenient that was.”

“Everything ended up the same as every other time. And we’re still not any closer to knowing why these nightmares are happening,” Scootaloo said. “You should’ve seen Twilight. She’s a total wreck trying to figure this all out.”

“Babs and her friends were talkin’ about it all week,” Apple Bloom said. “A lot of ponies out there have been fallin’ asleep same as here. I almost wanted to tell her what we were doin’, but it’s just way too hard to explain. I hardly understand what Luna has us doin’ myself.”

“So Manehattan was pretty bad, too?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, the whole city’s more packed than the farm on cider day, but Babs said it’s usually a lot more crowded than that,” Apple Bloom said. “I was even hearin’ ponies on the train talkin’ about it. This thing’s all over Equestria.”

All of them were quiet for a moment. As long as they’d been doing this, they’d really only seen a handful of dreams. Luna was probably taking care of the rest all on her own. There were probably hundreds. Maybe thousands.

“Anyways, what are we gonna do today?” Apple Bloom asked, trying to sound cheerful. “It is the last whole day till school starts. I’m open to anythin’ you wanna do.”

“Oh. Right. Well, I saw the whole pond on the other side of town was frozen solid. We could get our cutie marks in ice skating!” Scootaloo said.

“Well, you could, at least…” Sweetie Belle muttered.

Scootaloo noticed both of their flanks. “Oh. Right.”

“Sorry. I guess we’re all going to have to get used to it.” Sweetie Belle looked down, avoiding Scootaloo’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

“But, uh, that still sounds like fun, though!” Apple Bloom grinned. “Just because two of us have our cutie marks now doesn’t mean we have to stop tryin’ new things. Right?”

“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” Scootaloo said. “Come on, let’s get going!”

She quickened her pace into a gallop and led the way into town.

Ponyville had been completely transformed over the past few days. Every cottage's roof was blanketed with snow. A few houses had already started putting up holiday decorations.

“It just seems so quiet compared to Manehattan…” Apple Bloom said, looking around at the ponies they passed by. “You girls really need to go see it sometime. You can’t even imagine it ‘til you’ve actually been there.”

“You really do like it there, huh?” Scootaloo said.

“Sure do. I’m startin’ to think I’ve always been a city pony at heart.”

As they passed by the library, the door opened and Fluttershy trotted out, staring down at her hooves. She lifted her head and let out a soft gasp, stopping just before she bumped into the three of them.

“Oh, hello, girls,” Fluttershy said. “Sorry I almost ran into you. Are you alright?”

“Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy,” Apple Bloom said. She paused. “So, uh, I heard you were… sick last week?”

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “Twilight just invited me over to ask about it again… It was that horrible sickness that’s been spreading all over town. I wish I could be more helpful, but I just don’t know what happened. I’m feeling okay now, so there’s no need to worry about me.”

“That’s good to hear,” Apple Bloom said.

“Oh, um… I suppose you’ve both had it before, too,” Fluttershy said, glancing at Sweetie Belle. “Twilight says it never affects anypony more than once, so we should be okay from now on. Maybe it’ll all just go away soon. I certainly hope it does.”

“We’ve got it all under control,” Sweetie Belle said. “Uh, I mean, we’ll definitely be fine. Nothing to worry about here.”

Fluttershy turned to Scootaloo. “I’m surprised you’ve been okay, Scootaloo. I thought all of the kids in town were getting it. You should be careful.”

“No problem, Fluttershy,” Scootaloo said.

“Well, um… I should be getting back home now. Twilight kept me longer than I expected, and I need to go feed my animals. You girls go have fun.” Fluttershy tucked her wings close to her sides and started trudging through the snow towards her cottage.

Apple Bloom stared up at the library. “Sounds like Twilight’s gettin’ even more worked up about this whole thing. And I don’t think she’ll be able to figure anythin’ out on her own.”

“She’ll be fine,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe this thing really is almost over. Luna hasn’t even brought us back in for a few days now.”

“I know. But maybe she’d be able to help us.”

“We’re doing alright on our own. Nopony knows as much about dreams as Luna does. Besides, trying to explain to Twilight about all of what’s happened would be impossible.”

“There’s no point in worrying about it today,” Sweetie Belle said. “This is our last day off until we’re back in school. Let’s just forget everything else and have some fun for once!”

Scootaloo grinned. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go!”

Even after a week without school—though it had felt like longer—Scootaloo was already back into the old habits by the time she was sitting at her desk on Monday morning. Just like any other school day, she couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Cheerilee stood at the front, tapping her pointer against the easel. “Settle down, everypony. I know you’re all excited after your vacation, but we have more lessons to get to.”

Scootaloo rested her head in her hooves, trying to stay awake. She felt sleepy, even though Luna hadn’t appeared last night and she’d had a decent night of rest for once. It had been nice.

Cheerilee flipped the page on the easel to show three portraits of ponies in historical clothing. “I’m sure all of you are aware of the big celebration coming up as we head into these cold winter months. Can any of you tell me what it is?”

Sweetie Belle’s hoof shot up. “Hearth’s Warming Eve!”

“Very good, Sweetie Belle!” Cheerilee said. She pointed at the pictures on the easel. “Every town in Equestria will be putting on their own pageants about the history of our land and the ponies who founded it, but how much do you really know about the story behind the festival?”

Scootaloo squinted at the pictures. She could recognize them as Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane based on the outfits. The real Commander Hurricane hadn’t looked anything like Rainbow Dash, but Scootaloo thought she had given the best performance she’d ever seen of that old story.

“Back in those days, the three races of ponies avoided each other and lived in their own separate kingdoms,” Cheerilee was saying. “But even today, it’s very special to see a town like our own with such a variety of ponies living together.”

She turned the page and now there was a map of Equestria. She pointed to a few regions around the edges. “The ancient lands belonging to the three tribes were not in what’s now known as Equestria. This is long before Ponyville or even Canterlot existed.”

Scootaloo blinked a few times, feeling her head begin to sink down towards the desk. She shook herself back awake and settled in for the rest of the school day.

After school let out, they went to Apple Bloom’s house for the rest of the afternoon. Sweetie Belle said that Rarity probably wouldn’t want them at Carousel Boutique, and none of them felt like doing anything outside in this weather.

Now night had fallen, and Scootaloo stood in her bedroom, staring outside at the snowfall. She turned around and looked at her nightstand. Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone was sitting there, with a bookmark poking out about halfway through. It really was a good story, especially when it stayed on the page where it belonged. But tonight Scootaloo was too tired to stay up reading.

She yawned, then flopped down on the bed. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Then her eyes immediately snapped open again. She already knew where she was.

“Once again, you are the first to arrive,” Luna said to her. “I know these dreams come without warning, but your preparedness is admirable.”

“Yeah. Thanks,” Scootaloo said, pulling herself up off the ground. To be honest, she just got tired when the weather was cold. She had barely even considered they would be back to work tonight. “So you’ve got another job for us? Know any details?”

“Dreams are never simple to understand. If I knew what to expect, I would have already overcome whatever awaits inside,” Luna said.

“Guess that explains what happened last time,” Scootaloo said. “At least we were able to help Fluttershy in time. I just hope nothing like that happens again.”

Luna stared off into the darkness beyond the forest for a moment. “I am glad that it was you to enter that nightmare. Not only for Fluttershy’s sake, but your own as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“One can learn much about oneself by examining the dreams of others,” Luna said, pacing across the clearing. “Certainly you must have seen some of yourself in Fluttershy.”

Scootaloo bit her lip. “I… guess, but she was kind of a scaredy-pony. I didn’t even think I’d get her out of her base camp.”

“Have you forgotten already how much you feared to enter those earliest nightmares, Scootaloo?” Luna gave a sly smile. “It has only been a few months since I first contacted you.”

“You’ve got a point…” Scootaloo muttered.

It was hard to believe this had only been going on for a few months, but it was true. She had been terrified when she had first gone to that first nightmare, but the last couple had actually been dangerous. When they had saved Applejack, she had actually been injured. And when they fought Ahuizotl with Fluttershy, it could have been even worse.

“Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle was suddenly standing nearby. “Oh, and Princess Luna!”

“Welcome,” Luna said with a small nod in her direction. “You appear to be in a good mood tonight.”

“As soon as Apple Bloom gets here, I’m ready to go!” Sweetie Belle said, surprisingly cheerful. “We’ve been getting better at this. I can even use magic pretty easily in here. As long as we keep working together, we’ll be fine.”

“Let’s not get too careless,” Scootaloo said. “We’ve got no idea what could happen.”

“Indeed, but you must also remember that these nightmares thrive on negative emotions. That includes your own,” Luna said. “Keeping a positive outlook will only help you.”

A light shimmered at the edge of the clearing, and Apple Bloom appeared. She blinked a few times, looking dazed. She noticed everypony watching her. She looked from one of them to the other. “I’m not late, am I?”

Luna turned towards her. “Apple Bloom, your friends seem eager to start tonight. If you are ready, then I will send you along with no further delay.”

Apple Bloom looked over at the others. Sweetie Belle gave a nod. “Might as well get started, then. We really are gettin’ the hang of this.”

Magic began to glow around Luna’s horn, then the light overtook the entire clearing. They were gone.

Scootaloo’s hooves were suddenly freezing cold, probably because she was now standing in a layer of snow.

It was almost instinctive now—she started to quickly take inventory of their new surroundings. A frozen glade somewhere, the trees covered in freshly fallen snow and rows of dripping icicles. She shivered.

“Well, here we are again. No idea where we are or what we’re doing,” Sweetie Belle said. “Any ideas?”

Scootaloo turned around, and spotted something. “Yeah,” she said, pointing ahead. “Look.”

There was a clear path through the trees, and at the end a stone tower. The windows glowed with warm orange light. Despite the imposing black stone, it was a welcome sight in the cold landscape.

“A castle?” Sweetie Belle said.

Apple Bloom squinted. “That ain’t big enough to be a whole castle.”

“We can argue about that later. It looks like somepony might be home, so let’s go see who it is.” Scootaloo started down the path towards the tower.

At first Scootaloo had thought that they might be in the woods just outside of Ponyville, that the dream was just imitating the way things really were in real life. But the trees actually glistened, totally encased in a glassy layer of ice. A waterfall flowing down a high cliff upriver had totally solidified into icicles. This wasn’t any ordinary winter.

And there was something strange about the castle. Scootaloo didn’t recognize it, but she still felt there was something familiar about it. Even as they approached the gates, she couldn’t quite place it, though.

They stopped before going inside. Sweetie Belle craned her neck upwards, trying to see the top of the ramparts. “Think we should knock or something?”

“I doubt they’d even hear us,” Scootaloo said. “Come on, let’s just get out of the cold. Something’s not right out here.”

Apple Bloom leaned her whole body against one of the heavy wooden doors, but it wouldn’t budge. The others ran up and threw themselves against it, but their hooves slid away in the snow. Sweetie Belle’s horn lit up with an extra push of magic, and the doors finally gave way, and they collapsed onto the stone floor inside.

The hallway was long, with a high vaulted ceiling, but it didn’t feel all that regal or inviting. Nothing like the times they’d been to Canterlot Castle. Tapestries and banners lined the walls, barely concealing the cracked stone. Even after they forced the door closed, it didn’t feel any warmer.

Even so, the torches lining the walls suggested someone lived here.

“Clover? Is that you? Oh, I’ve been looking all over for you.” The voice echoed down the halls, but they recognized it immediately. “This castle is positively freezing, isn’t there a spell in one of those musty old books of yours that could warm things up a bit?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. “Rarity?”

Rarity appeared in one of the doorways, pacing into the hallway. It took her a few moments to even notice the three of them standing there.

She was dressed in her costume from the play last year—the fur-trimmed purple mantle, the oversized crown balanced atop her head. It slid to the side as she raised her head, examining them.

“Who let this rabble in?” She turned around, suddenly disinterested. She looked back down the hallway she had come out of. “Clover the Clever? Where is that girl?”

Sweetie Belle frowned. “Rarity, it’s me. We came to, uh… see how you’re doing?”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m afraid I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about. Look, I’m terribly busy, royal duties and all that, so could all of you just go… somewhere else?” Rarity bit her lip, then her horn began to glow.

The three of them were lifted off the ground, then swept out the heavy wooden doors they had come in through. They were dropped into the snow, and the doors slammed shut behind them.

Rarity’s voice was muffled, but still audible. “Out there would be fine.”

Apple Bloom shook the snow off herself and stared up at the tower walls. “It’s like she doesn’t even recognize us. Not even Sweetie Belle.”

“Something’s up with her…” Scootaloo muttered. She looked around—in a way, this dream did kind of look like that Hearth’s Warming Pageant back in Canterlot, but come to life.

“Well, talkin’ to her didn’t do much good. Maybe we should look around some more,” Apple Bloom said. “We only just got here, after all. There could be somethin’ we’re missin’.”

Sweetie Belle sat there in silence. Then her eyes widened. “No… Listen, we need to get Rarity to wake up. Right now.”

Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder. “I know you’re worried about her, Sweetie Belle. I felt the same way when we saw Applejack in that dream.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Sweetie Belle said, shaking her head frantically. “I told you how Rarity gets this time of year. She’s always busy keeping up with all the winter fashion. If she misses even a single day of work, there’s no telling what she’s going to do!”

“Okay. Just… calm down, alright?” Scootaloo said. “We’ll figure out what’s keeping her here.”

Sweetie Belle took a moment to catch her breath. “She’s being completely ridiculous,” she said, shaking the snow out of her mane. “It’s like she thinks she really is Princess Platinum.”

“You weren’t too different in your own dream, Princess Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo muttered.

“But you said I at least recognized you, right?”

“Well… yeah, you did.” Scootaloo scratched her head. “But you were still convinced that being princess of the Crystal Empire was normal for you.”

Sweetie Belle ignored her. “We’ve done this plenty of times now. I just know we can get Rarity to wake up tonight if we really try.”

“I just…” Scootaloo couldn’t think of what to say to her. “You were the one telling me not to run ahead last time, and look what happened to us then.”

Apple Bloom took a step forward. “Look, if anypony’s gettin’ through to Rarity, it’s gonna be Sweetie Belle,” she said. “Let’s just stay back and keep an eye on her, alright?” She let out a sigh, her breath condensing in the air in front of her. “And I also just wanna get out of the cold as soon as we can.”

Scootaloo hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. That’s probably best.”

She took one last look around, but there was no sign of anypony else in this dream. The tower was the only building in sight, and the only path led back the way they’d came. They turned back towards the enormous wooden door.

Sweetie Belle lowered her head, focusing her energy into her horn. The doors slid open effortlessly, and they walked inside.

Rarity had her back turned to them as she idly inspected a tapestry on the wall, rubbing her chin and muttering something under her breath. She didn’t look up when the doors opened and a burst of cold wind rushed in, but every so often her eyes would flick back to watch them.

“Um, I know you’re listening to us,” Sweetie Belle said. Her voice was shaky. “We’re not leaving.”

With a loud sigh, Rarity turned to face her. “Well? What is it?”

“Come on, Rarity. I know this is all just another act.” Sweetie Belle’s voice was rising now, sounding more confident. “You’re always doing this. Getting all dramatic and stuff. You know this isn’t really you.”

Scootaloo opened her mouth to stop Sweetie Belle, but something had changed in Rarity’s expression. Her eyes widened, and she lowered her head to look at Sweetie Belle directly. It was like her mask was slipping, and for a split second she wasn’t Princess Platinum anymore.

“I already told you, Sweetie Belle, I’m terribly busy, and—“

“See? You remember who I am, because you know this isn’t real,” Sweetie Belle said. “Just snap out of it. I know you never listen to me, but this time it’s for your own good!”

“You—You’re not making any sense. Why are you—what do you mean, this isn’t real?” Rarity stammered. “What do you even know? You’re always getting in my way, you’ve never understood how stressful my work is! Why do you think I had to move out into my own shop, hm?”

“I… think she might be gettin’ somewhere with this,” Apple Bloom said.

The wind howled outside. Scootaloo glanced over at a window to see what it was like outside, and saw that the light snowfall had started to turn into a blizzard. It was reminding her a little bit of Sweetie Belle’s dream, actually.

No, wait. This was something else.

“We need to stop them,” Scootaloo said.

“What? We might actually have a chance of wakin’ Rarity up tonight. Sweetie Belle’s doin’ great,” Apple Bloom said.

“It’s the blizzard. Remember what we talked about in school today?”

“About the foundin’ of Equestria, and that old legend about the three tribes and how…” Apple Bloom’s voice trailed off. “Oh. Yeah, we’d better do somethin’.”

Rarity and Sweetie Belle were still arguing, standing half the length of the hall apart, but oblivious to anything or anypony else.

“You’re doing all this just to avoid me, aren’t you?” Sweetie Belle said. “We came here to help you, and you won’t even listen to what I’m saying!”

Rarity’s jaw dropped. “You honestly think that, don’t you? Did you ever even consider that maybe I just need some time without you constantly bursting in so that I can just maintain my career?”

“If that’s so important to you, then why even stay in Ponyville?” Sweetie Belle was yelling now just to be heard over the storm, but she wouldn’t stop. “Why don’t you just go off to Canterlot and leave the rest of us behind, if you don’t want us getting in the way?”

Scootaloo pushed her way through the winds now swirling around the room, struggling to reach Sweetie Belle. “You need to calm down, before this gets out of control. Do you hear me? You need to stop!”

Sweetie Belle didn’t even look at her.

The wind was biting at Scootaloo’s face now. She put a hoof up to shield her eyes.

“You never listen to me!” Sweetie Belle said. Her shrill voice could be heard even above the howling storm. “Why do you have to be so—“

Scootaloo woke up.

She shuddered under the covers of her bed, still feeling the cold from the blizzard. It was still dark outside her window—it was early morning. She must have woken up before the others. But it was good to be out of there.

Dragging herself out of bed, Scootaloo got ready to leave for school.

For a moment, she had actually thought maybe they really would get Rarity to wake up, but that was probably too much to ask for. These nightmares had been getting more dangerous each time. Maybe whatever was causing them actually knew they were there. Scootaloo just hoped things hadn’t gotten any worse.

Before long, Scootaloo was back outside, on the way to school. It wasn’t a raging blizzard here in the real world, but it still wasn’t much better temperature-wise. She was sick of this cold. Why couldn’t Rarity have a dream at some tropical island resort? She liked places like that, probably.

The worst part was that the snowfall was getting too thick to ride her scooter anywhere. The wind would’ve made that a nightmare anyway. Scootaloo had a pretty long walk to school ahead of her.

Her hooves were almost numb by the time she made it to the schoolhouse. Apple Bloom was standing by the flagpole, apparently waiting for her.

“H-hey, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said through chattering teeth. “You almost didn’t make it here on time.”

“There’s no reason to wait for me out here. Let’s get inside, quick,” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom gave a quick nod and they headed into the schoolhouse. It was already packed. With the weather like it was, Scootaloo wasn’t getting here as early as she usually did. Class was almost about to start.

Scootaloo glanced around, scanning the faces of her classmates. “Where’s Sweetie Belle? Didn’t she get here too?”

“Not yet,” Apple Bloom said. “I just got here a few minutes before you did. I didn’t see her anywhere.”

“I just want to make sure she’s doing okay after that whole argument with Rarity,” Scootaloo said. “It’s tough when it’s your own sister. You remember how hard it was for you when we went to Applejack’s dream. And, well, the last one wasn’t really Rainbow Dash, but I still thought it was…”

“I know. Sweetie Belle's sure to show up any second now, though,” Apple Bloom said. “Then we can talk about what happened in there.”

They watched the door for a few minutes as the last few students trickled in. A cold blast of air hit their face each time the door swung open. The classroom was starting to fill up, but there was still no sign of Sweetie Belle.

Cheerilee trotted over to them. “Girls, you should probably take you seats now. We’re just about to start today’s lesson.”

Apple Bloom blinked. “Oh, uh… Yeah.”

They took their seats with the rest of the class as Cheerilee started listing off their names for attendance. Most of the desks were filled, but Sweetie Belle’s chair was still empty.

“You don’t think that she’s…” Scootaloo couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“She’s gonna have to show up sooner or later. Just wait.” Apple Bloom glanced over at the door, but it was closed now. Nopony else was showing up anymore.

Cheerilee finished the list, then trotted over to the front of the room and tapped on the chalkboard to get everypony’s attention. “Settle down, class. Today we’ll continue our lesson on the history of Equestria,” she said. “Yesterday we left off with the discovery of our nation by the three ancient tribes.”

Scootaloo tried to settle in and focus on the lesson. After their run-in with Princess Platinum last night, maybe it was worth listening to this old story again.

“It’s been hundreds of years since anypony has ever seen a Windigo, but in those days they really did exist. These days the story only serves as a reminder of what can happen when we allow our hearts to turn cold towards other ponies,” Cheerilee said. “The conflict between the leaders of the tribes froze all of their hearts.”

Scootaloo looked up. She glanced over at Sweetie Belle’s empty chair, then met Apple Bloom’s eyes. Neither of them had to say a word.

Cold Shoulder

Scootaloo fidgeted in her seat, staring out the window, just waiting for the class day to end. Frost had formed on the edges of the panes. She studied the intricate patterns until the bell rang, jolting her out of her seat. Within seconds she scrambled out of her seat and was out the door.

Apple Bloom caught up to her outside the schoolhouse. “Uh, we’re going to Sweetie Belle’s house, right?”

“Of course.” Scootaloo was already headed down the path towards the rest of town. She bit her lip. “I mean, we don’t know for sure that anything happened to her…”

“Right, right…” Apple Bloom nodded. “I mean, she could’ve always caught a cold and didn’t notice ‘til this mornin’, or somethin’…”

“Yeah. Maybe,” Scootaloo said, but they both knew that was wishful thinking. The image of Sweetie Belle shouting above the gathering blizzard was still at the front of Scootaloo’s mind. She’d been thinking about it all through Miss Cheerilee’s lecture on Hearth’s Warming Eve today. For everypony else, it had just been a history lesson, but last night the two of them had been there.

Here in the real world, the clouds were thin and the winds were tame. It was still cold, but that dream had been something else. The weather team would never set up a blizzard like that.

Scootaloo led the way through town, moving at a fast trot, kicking up snow as they went. Ponies turned to stare at the two fillies as they wove through the streets, making a beeline for Sweetie Belle’s house.

As they came up to the house, it looked somehow foreboding, sitting silently by the side of the frozen river. It was the edge of town, but it still felt unnaturally quiet. They paused for a moment.

“I got a bad feelin’ about this…” Apple Bloom muttered.

Scootaloo said nothing. A memory of coming here with Apple Bloom a few months ago came to the front of her mind—back before anypony else knew about the nightmares. She led the way up the front steps, but before they were even to the door, it opened.

Twilight stepped out, her head hanging down. Her expression was vacant, but then she noticed the two of them standing in front of her. “Oh… Girls…”

The look on Twilight’s face said everything they needed to know.

“Sweetie Belle… Is she…” Scootaloo started to say.

“It’s…” Twilight put a hoof to her forehead. “I don’t understand. This has never happened to anypony more than once. It just shouldn’t be possible.”

“She’s asleep,” Apple Bloom muttered. “Like what’s been happenin’ to everypony.”

Twilight gave a slow nod. “Just when I thought I recognized some kind of a pattern, this happens. I’m so sorry, girls. I don’t know what I can do.”

“It’s, um... It’ll be alright. She woke up last time and she was alright, so no need to worry, right?” Apple Bloom said. She tried to smile.

“But what if this just keeps happening? For a while, I thought maybe everything was just going to pass, and even if I didn’t understand it, things would still get better, but now this happened. It just keeps getting more complicated. Nothing about it makes any sense!”

“Um…” Scootaloo paused. “Does… Rarity know?”

“Rarity…” Twilight’s eyes widened. “I completely forgot! She’s been so busy with work that I haven’t even seen her in a few days, but she probably doesn’t even know what happened!”

“You’d better go check on her. Uh, to see if she’s alright,” Apple Bloom said, trading a glance with Scootaloo. She quickly added, “I mean, not that we would know if anything was wrong with her. But she should hear what happened to Sweetie Belle. She’s, uh, probably worried. Yeah.”

Twilight sighed. “I certainly hope nothing’s happened to her. Her parents are already worried sick about Sweetie Belle,” she said. “I should stop by Carousel Boutique. Thanks for reminding me.”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom watched her as she trotted away through the snow. They exchanged an uneasy glance.

“Sweetie Belle really is still asleep. So that means she’s probably still stuck in the dream,” Scootaloo said.

“Are you sure that can happen?”

“I don’t know. Luna’s never said anything about it. But it’s the only thing that makes sense,” Scootaloo said. “That storm last night wasn’t normal. I think both of them are trapped there.”

“Great. What are we supposed to do now?”

“Let’s just go through what happened last night,” Scootaloo said. She stared down at the snow, idly pushing it with her hoof as she thought. “Did you see what happened after I woke up?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “I was awake right after you left. The two of ‘em were still shoutin’ at each other. That’s all I saw,” she said. “The storm was startin’ to pick up just before we woke up, though. Kinda like in the story.”

“Maybe,” Scootaloo said. “The whole dream was kind of like the pageant. Rarity was in her costume the whole time, but I don’t think it’s quite like Miss Cheerilee’s history lessons.”

“Either way, those things are supposed to go after ponies when they’re fightin’. And Sweetie Belle sure does a lot of that with her sister,” Apple Bloom said. “Guess I should’ve known this might happen.”

They started walking back into town. Past some of the rooftops, the spire on top of Carousel Boutique could be seen in the distance. The flag hung limply in the still air.

“Do they really fight that much?” Scootaloo tilted her head. “Up until Sweetie Belle got her cutie mark, she always talked about how much she wanted to be just like Rarity.”

“I don’t know how much she tells you, but from what I’ve heard, Rarity ain’t always the best sister,” Apple Bloom said. “Sweetie Belle’s always tellin’ me about little things Rarity does that get on her nerves. I mean, me and Applejack don’t always get along, but it’s never like that.”

Scootaloo nodded. “You’re probably right,” she said. “I mean, I’ve never really had a sister. At least not until a while ago. And Rainbow Dash and me never fight.”

“Trust me, this is exactly what ponies mean when they talk about ‘sibling rivalry’ and all that,” Apple Bloom said. “Rarity really must’ve trapped her in the dream, then.”

“No. She wouldn’t,” Scootaloo said. “At least not on purpose. It’s got to be whatever’s starting these nightmares in the first place. We should ask Luna about it once we see her.”

There was a sinking feeling in Scootaloo’s gut when she said that. Waiting until nightfall was going to feel like forever, but there was nothing else they could do. Just wait.

“So, uh… what d’you think Twilight’s doin’?” Apple Bloom said, glancing around. “She was just goin’ over to Rarity’s place…”

Scootaloo looked around. “I think we’re about to find out.” She pointed down the street.

Twilight was hurrying towards them. “Girls, I have to thank you for reminding me about Rarity. I probably wouldn’t have thought to go over there otherwise.” She let out a breath. Her eyes were wide.

“Uh…” Scootaloo paused. “What happened? She’s… um, okay, isn’t she?”

“I…” Twilight paused to clear her throat. “I tried knocking on her door, but she didn’t answer. I thought maybe she was just hard at work and didn’t hear me, but I went inside and…” Her voice trailed off.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other, but didn’t say anything.

“Rarity’s fallen asleep, too, and I couldn’t wake her up,” Twilight said. “And on the same day as Sweetie Belle. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I can’t help but think maybe it means something. I didn’t think it was contagious, though.”

“Uh…” Apple Bloom hesitated. She tried to act oblivious, but they had known what Twilight was going to find before she ever went over to check. “That’s… really awful to hear. You’re sure it’s the same thing?”

Twilight let out a sigh, and tried to compose herself. She looked incredibly tired. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be getting you two worried,” she said. “I promise I’ll do whatever I can for them, but I just don’t know what else to try.”

“Well, uh…” Apple Bloom tried to smile. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure somethin’ll all work out.”

“I wish it was that easy,” Twilight muttered.

Luna did not seem surprised when only the two of them showed up in the dream that night. She paced across the forest clearing, somewhat restlessly, but her expression was as impassive as ever.

“This news comes as a surprise to me as well, but I did expect to see some resistance,” she said. “The nightmares have been forced to find some way to resist our efforts. Physical obstacles have not been enough to impede your progress, so our enemy has done what they do best—exploit your emotions.”

Scootaloo took a step closer to her. “But we can get Sweetie Belle out of there, right? What’d it do to her?”

“She is trapped in the dream, just as her sister is,” Luna said, staring off into the dim blue glow beyond the trees. “It would not be difficult. Those we care about the most can also be our greatest source of distress. It simply used Rarity’s own dream, her own feelings, to ensnare them both.”

“See? Just like I thought,” Apple Bloom said. She put a hoof to her forehead. “We should’ve kept an eye on her. I should’ve known somethin’ like this would happen.”

“Neither of us knew something like this could happen,” Scootaloo said.

Luna turned her head and looked down at Apple Bloom. “I even had my concerns sending you into your own sister’s dream,” she said. “I know it took a toll on you.”

“Yeah… It sure did,” Apple Bloom muttered.

“Tonight will be dangerous. I am forced to send only two of you into one of the most unpredictable dreams you have faced yet. It is imperative that you do not let your guard down.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom. “There’s still time to talk Rarity out of this. I know she wouldn’t want to hurt her sister, no matter how mad they get at each other.”

Apple Bloom bit her lip. “It’s definitely not gonna be that easy.”

“Is it ever?”

Luna closed her eyes, and a faint glow appeared around her horn. “I sense there is still enough time for you to help them,” she said. “I wish you the best of luck.”

She hesitated, and just briefly it looked like she was about to say something else. Then her magic grew brighter. Scootaloo glanced over at Apple Bloom as the forest disintegrated around them.

A blast of biting wind swept in from the side, nearly knocking Scootaloo over sideways into the snow. They had arrived back in the dream, and the blizzard was even worse than when they had left.

“Scootaloo?” She could hear Apple Bloom’s voice, but could barely open her eyes enough to see her in the white haze.

“I’m right here!” Scootaloo called out.

Shielding her eyes with one hoof, she took a step forward, against the wind. She could make out Apple Bloom standing only a few steps away, just where she had been standing a moment ago before they appeared here. Scootaloo made her way over to where she was and reached out to touch her on the shoulder.

“How’re we supposed to find Sweetie Belle in this?” Apple Bloom shouted, straining to be heard over the wind.

Scootaloo was already beginning to lose the feeling in the tips of her wings. She tried to ignore it and try to come up with a plan. They had to find the castle. That was the only thought in her head. Chances were Rarity and Sweetie Belle were still there. It was hard to make out anything in this storm, but they needed to find it.

“Just follow me! Stay close!”

She kept her head down, moving headfirst into the wind. Her hooves dug into the snow as she tried to keep herself steady. The faint outlines of trees could be seen as they moved further into the blizzard. They were in the same part of the forest as before, if they could make it just a little bit farther, they would have to find it…

The wind seemed to be picking up. It was hard to tell if it was actually getting colder or if they had just been exposed for too long. Scootaloo’s legs were starting to feel stiff, and she wondered if she was actually going to freeze solid.

It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere, just an empty space full of wind and cold, but it had to be the same part of the woods from last time. It couldn’t be too far.

Scootaloo picked her head up and squinted. The wind buffeted her face, and she couldn’t even move her mouth enough to form words. There was no way they could stay here much longer.

A dark shape was beginning to take form in front of them. Scootaloo forced herself to look up at it, squinting, until it came into view. Dark stone brickwork rose up in front of them.

Turning back to Apple Bloom, she raised a hoof to point ahead at the structure. Apple Bloom stared ahead blankly, then seemed to get the message.

The two of them pushed ahead against the raging storm and ran up to the door. All they had to do was get inside and then they could have shelter from the worst of the blizzard. There was no longer light coming from the windows, and they could only guess what things were like inside, but there was nowhere else to go.

Scootaloo turned her shoulder against the wooden surface of the huge wooden door, feeling a thin layer of frost covering the rough grain, and threw her entire weight into it.

Apple Bloom hurried to her side to help her, and the two of them struggled against it.

“It’s… no use…” Apple Bloom panted. “Remember? We didn’t get it open by ourselves last time. Sweetie Belle had to use her magic.”

Scootaloo paused. She hadn’t even thought of that, but all of her concentration had been focused on getting out of this blizzard.

“M-Maybe there’s another w-way in?” Apple Bloom stared up at the wall, and shivered. “One of the… w-windows, maybe. You could fly up there.” She leaned against the wall, slowly lowering herself to sit down.

Scootaloo shook her head. “No. We’re going in there together. We already lost Sweetie Belle. We can’t split up.”

In a way, it almost made sense. This was Princess Platinum’s castle. The door was way too heavy to open without magic, even for a full-grown earth pony or pegasus. It was perfect for the Unicorn tribe. It was hard to believe that they had just been sitting in a history lesson about it yesterday.

Standing up, Scootaloo stared at the door. “We… We have to get in there. This is all a dream, so this thing isn’t even real.”

“It sure feels heavy enough…” Apple Bloom muttered. “And c-cold enough.”

“Just try to forget about all that,” Scootaloo said. “We can either get through here or sit out here and freeze. We need to try again.”

She leaned her shoulder against the door and pushed, feeling herself slip against the icy surface. Not only was it heavy, it was probably also frozen shut. They really couldn’t get a break.

Apple Bloom stood back, watching her. She gritted her teeth, and raised a hoof to shield her face from the wind. “We’ve t-tried to open this thing. It doesn’t work. Maybe there’s another way.”

“Things are different in a dream. We can do things that we can’t when we’re awake. I can fly, Sweetie Belle can do all sorts of magic. You just have to convince yourself that you can do this,” Scootaloo said.

“It’s way too c-cold to be talkin’ like that,” Apple Bloom said, her teeth chattering.

“We have to do it. Sweetie Belle and Rarity are both counting on us.”

Apple Bloom shook her head, shivered again, then took a step back. She squinted, sizing up the door towering over her.

“If this doesn’t work…” Apple Bloom said. “You should probably just fly in that window. Without me.”

“It’s going to work.”

Apple Bloom gave a shrug. She steeled herself, gritting her teeth, then spun around and delivered a swift kick with her back hooves.

The gates crashed open, suddenly swinging with no resistance.

The two of them stood there, gaping at it. It didn’t seem possible.

Apple Bloom put a hoof to her forehead. “I can’t believe that just…”

“No time to stop and stare. Let’s get inside, quick.” Scootaloo was already sprinting ahead, snow flying out from under her hooves. Once her hoof touched the bare stone floor, she slid ahead, nearly losing her balance.

The surface was slick with a layer of ice.

The entire hall was frozen. The torches that had lit the room were dark, and icicles hung from the iron sconces. Scootaloo could almost see her own reflection in the glassy surface of the floor. Everything was unnaturally still. After the chaos outside in the storm, it was even more unsettling.

“No…” Apple Bloom breathed. “No way.”

Scootaloo turned to see what she was looking at.

Encased in two of the crystalline ice formations were Rarity and Sweetie Belle, in the same places they had stood last night. Their eyes were still locked on each other in unblinking glares.

“They’re… It’s just like the old Hearth’s Warming Eve legend, isn’t it?” Apple Bloom said. “They really did get frozen solid.”

Slowly, Scootaloo trotted over to the chunk of ice Sweetie Belle was trapped in. She paced around it, cautiously raising a hoof and tapping on it. It was solid. Sweetie Belle’s eyes stared out at her, unmoving, unblinking.

“Do you think it was those Windigos?” Apple Bloom said, circling around them, keeping her distance from both the walls and the ice crystals.

“It’s whatever we’ve been facing this whole time,” Scootaloo said. “Rarity was dreaming about the old legend. And the nightmare made it all real. In the dream, at least.”

Outside the storm was howling, beating against the door, creaking in its hinges but holding closed. Apple Bloom’s hoofsteps echoed in the silent chamber as she continued to pace around the two frozen ponies.

“Well, there’s no way we’re talkin’ ‘em out of this,” Apple Bloom said. “We’re gonna have to think of somethin’ else.”

“We need to think. This is just like the Hearth’s Warming Eve story…” Scootaloo muttered. She tried to remember what Miss Cheerilee had said in her lecture—she’d been doing her best to listen, but it was hard to focus when she could only think about Sweetie Belle. And now she couldn’t think of anything when Sweetie Belle needed her.

“This whole dream’s like the play last year, isn’t it?” Apple Bloom said, staring up at the arched ceiling of the great hall. Long icicles were hanging down. “After they froze, it was…”

“Clover the Clever. She used her unicorn magic,” Scootaloo said. “And neither of the unicorns here are going to be much help right now.”

“Hold on. There’s still one more thing we can try.” Apple Bloom trotted over to where Sweetie Belle was frozen in the ice, trying not to slip as she crossed the room. She inspected the ice carefully, then spun around and kicked it full-force with her hind legs.

“What are you doing?” Scootaloo shouted, dashing forward. She slid on the ice and caught herself just before doing a faceplant.

Apple Bloom winced, shaking out her back legs. She turned and tapped on the ice with one hoof. “No use. I don’t think we can break this stuff.”

Scootaloo squinted at Sweetie Belle, still looking the same as she had been. “Is she okay?”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” Apple Bloom said. “I don’t think that did anything to her, though.”

“Great.” Scootaloo sighed, watching her breath condense in the air in front of her. “I guess it was worth a shot, maybe.”

Scootaloo leaned up against one of the walls, but it was freezing to the touch. She backed away towards the center of the room, and shivered.

Chances were, they’d still be here for a few more hours. The night had only just begun. But what else could they do? Scootaloo wished she could ask Luna for help, but that would mean waiting another whole day. She couldn’t leave Sweetie Belle like this.

Apple Bloom looked back at the door. Since they’d come in, icicles had already started dripping down, sealing the entrance. It shouldn’t be surprising. This wasn’t a normal storm. Even as she was frozen in place, Rarity’s mind was still creating this blizzard.

“Is this how they really think of each other?” Scootaloo said. “I know these nightmares change ponies, but there’s usually some truth to them.”

“Did you ever hear about that time Sweetie Belle’s parents went out of town and left her with Rarity?” Apple Bloom said. “They ended up gettin’ in a huge fight. She actually came over to my place and tried to make Applejack be her sister instead.”

“Seriously?”

“And back then I actually thought that was the worst fight they’d ever have. Now look at ‘em.” Apple Bloom pointed at Sweetie Belle. “I thought they made up after they did the Sisterhooves Social together, but I guess not.”

“What about the camping trip?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “You know Rarity’s never liked that kind of stuff. Sweetie Belle practically had to force her to come along.”

It was hard to think about summer right now. In fact, it was only getting colder the longer they stayed here. Scootaloo began to wonder if they would even get out of here tonight. If the dream could trap Sweetie Belle so easily, chances were it could get them, too...

“If anythin’, it’s only gotten worse,” Apple Bloom said. “Sweetie Belle used to want to be just like Rarity, remember? Ever since she got her cutie mark she hasn’t said a word about fashion.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Scootaloo said. “I guess she never was very good at making clothes.” She glanced over at Sweetie Belle, almost as if she was worried she had heard that, but she was still frozen solid.

This couldn’t be all there was. They had gone through tons of dreams now. They never just ran out of options like this. The door was completely iced shut, though, and the chamber seemed to be growing even darker. Scootaloo breathed into her hooves, trying to keep whatever body heat she could.

A thought crossed her mind, something about the icy walls of this castle and the crystal palace from another dream, one that seemed like it had been forever ago. She pushed it out of her head and watched Apple Bloom. She didn’t seem to be faring much better in the cold. Who knew how much longer either of them could take it?

“You’re really planning to move out to Manehattan someday, huh?” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom stared at her. “Well, I guess so, but what does that have to do with anythin’?”

“You used to think you’d be working on the farm forever, like your family. But then you changed your mind,” Scootaloo said. “But you’re still not leaving them behind completely.”

“Of course not!” Apple Bloom said. “That’s how the Apple family is. I couldn’t get rid of ‘em even if I wanted to.” She gave a weak smile, then shuddered again in the cold.

Scootaloo flapped her wings a few times for warmth, trying to get feeling back into them. “Sweetie Belle does seem a lot happier when she goes up on stage,” she muttered. “Maybe she’s better off not trying to be exactly like Rarity. It just isn’t who she is.”

“Well, it sure didn’t get her a cutie mark,” Apple Bloom said. “But… maybe you’ve got a point.”

Scootaloo sighed, watching her breath form in the air. Come to think of it, wasn’t she the same way? The first time she’d ever gone into one of those dreams, she’d just been trying to be a hero like Rainbow Dash. But Rainbow Dash had definitely never done anything quite like this, even on all the adventures she’d gone on with Twilight and the others. There was no way anything in the real world compared to how weird these dreams got. And yet Scootaloo had come this far.

“Maybe…” Scootaloo scratched her head. She could feel a few flakes of snow and frost caught in her mane. “I’ve always been trying to be like her, too…”

She paused. Something was different. Light was starting to shine through the upper windows. Faint orange light, like the sunrise in the morning, shining over the glistening surface of the ice. It was hard to feel anything, but Scootaloo thought it might be getting a few degrees warmer.

“Wait, what’s goin’ on now? Did you do somethin’?” Apple Bloom said.

“I don’t… think so?” Scootaloo said.

The ice around Rarity was starting to melt. Her eyes were still blazing, fixed on Sweetie Belle, and she immediately launched back into a fury. “—if you weren’t always barging in unannounced!” Suddenly the realization hit her, and she stopped. The expression of rage on Rarity’s face slowly changed to confusion. She looked down at her hooves still encased in the rapidly melting ice. “What… What in Equestria have I been doing?”

Apple Bloom stared at her. She nudged Scootaloo. “Did she, uh… hear us? All that stuff about her and Sweetie Belle?”

Rarity tried to yank her hoof free from the ice, but the last of it was melting and she was soon loose. She adjusted her tiara and gazed up at the ceiling of the great hall. “I simply cannot believe it. It feels like it’s even colder than before. What’s happened? What are you two doing here?”

“Rarity—uh, I mean, Princess Platinum?” Apple Bloom stammered. “You okay?”

Rarity studied the two of them for just a moment, then her eyes widened. “Sweetie Belle? What happened to you?” Rarity galloped ahead, ignoring the others as she ran up to meet her sister.

Sweetie Belle was shaking the last of the melting ice off of herself. She noticed Scootaloo, then turned her attention back to Rarity.

“Why are we...” Sweetie Belle stared at Rarity, frowning. “We’re still in the… Uh…”

Rarity paused, and for the first time she seemed to notice what had happened. “My… My castle!” she shrieked. “What’s happened to it? This is simply awful!”

“But, uh, you’re okay, right?” Apple Bloom said. “You were just stuck in a block of ice for a whole day, after all.”

Sweetie Belle blinked at her. “What do you mean, a whole day?” She shook her head. “That wouldn’t make any sense. I would’ve woken—“

Scootaloo cut her off. “We’ll explain later.” She nodded towards Rarity.

“Oh, right.” Sweetie Belle stared down at the floor. She rubbed her hooves together for warmth, and stared at them. “A whole day, though?”

“Sweetie Belle…” Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “None of this would have happened if you had just let me be alone. You know how I don’t like to be disturbed!”

“You think this is my fault?” Sweetie Belle said. She planted her hooves in the ground. “Do you even know what this place is? I only came because I wanted to help!”

“Oh, and what a lot of help you were! It’s going to take forever to thaw this place out.”

Apple Bloom rushed forward and put a hoof in front of Rarity. “You’d better not start yellin’ again.”

Rarity took a deep breath. “Now, Sweetie Belle, I know you mean well, but you’re always doing this. Trying to help, and then only managing to get in the way.” Rarity sighed. “If you would just take a moment to stop and think—“

“There you go again! Blaming me for everything!” Sweetie Belle said. “What, do you want me to not help you? Just leave you alone forever?”

“Of course not!”

“You’ve just always been the bigger sister. Mom and Dad always talk about how proud they are of your fashion career. I just want to feel like I can do something right, too.”

Rarity frowned. “Is that... really how you feel?” she asked.

“And then whenever I do get something right, it’s like you don’t even notice,” Sweetie Belle said. “Just look around. Do you even know where we are?”

“Of course I do! This is the…” Rarity paused. She looked around the castle again, squinting at it. “It’s obviously…”

“I came all the way out here to get you to come back,” Sweetie Belle said. “Can’t you at least thank me for that?”

Rarity looked down at her, and slowly took a step back. She sighed. “I suppose I owe you at least that much, don’t I?” She shook out her royal cape, trying to dry it out. “Sweetie Belle, I don’t know what got into me. I was… I tried to shut you out. My dear sister, can you ever forgive me?” She threw her hooves around Sweetie Belle, squeezing her in a tight hug.

“Ugh, your hooves are freezing,” Sweetie Belle said.

Rarity pulled back. “Oh. Right. Sorry.”

Scootaloo could feel her teeth chattering. “Speaking of getting Rarity out of here, it’s kind of too cold to just be standing around.”

Rarity glanced over at her. “Oh. Yes, of course. Now how exactly do we get back to Ponyville?”

“I can’t even tell how long it’s been,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s gotta be almost—“

Scootaloo could feel the morning sun, a welcome feeling of warmth shining on her face as she woke up.

The next morning, Scootaloo trotted into class as she always did. The weather team had set up a light dusting of snow, but she didn’t even mind the long trek across town. She had been through worse.

She sat at her desk, staring out the window as she waited for class to start.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle! It’s so good to see you. Are you feeling better today?” Cheerilee said. Scootaloo turned her head.

“Yeah. A lot better,” Sweetie Belle said. She stood at the door, kicking the snow off her hooves. “What did I miss yesterday?”

“We finished our lesson on Hearth’s Warming Eve. You should probably read that part in the book for homework to catch up with the rest of the class.”

“Oh. Yeah, probably,” Sweetie Belle said, nodding. She trotted over to take her seat next to Scootaloo and wait for the lesson to begin.

After school the three of them headed out into town. Another nightmare down, and who knew how many left to go. Spending the afternoon taking it easy at Sugarcube Corner sounded pretty good right now. There was nothing else to worry about for a little while, at least.

“I still can’t believe it. So you guys woke up, and me and Rarity were still in the dream?” Sweetie Belle said.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Don’t you remember anythin’ about that blizzard?”

“I guess I kind of got carried away,” Sweetie Belle replied. “After a while I didn’t even notice the cold anymore. And then, before I knew it, you guys were there, waking both of us up.”

“Luna said the nightmares are getting more dangerous,” Scootaloo said. “We can’t really count anypony as safe anymore. Unless we figure out how to stop it, it’ll just keep going around.”

“Great…” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes.

“Let’s just take it easy for a while, alright?” Apple Bloom said. “The important thing is we got you back.”

“Think we should go check on Rarity?” Scootaloo said. “We’re right by her house now.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “After she missed almost two days of work? I don’t think so,” she said. “She was right. I should just give her some space.”

Scootaloo nodded, frowning. “Maybe that’s for the best.”

“Sweetie Belle!”

They glanced over to see Rarity running towards them, her scarf billowing out behind her in the wind.

“Rarity? What are you doing here?”

“Mother and Father told me what happened to you. And to me, as well, apparently,” Rarity said. “But I simply had to find you and make sure you were feeling well. Whatever this illness is, it’s simply dreadful. But there’s no need to worry about me, I’m feeling fine, but… Are you…”

“Well, uh…” Sweetie Belle stared at her, fumbling over her words. “I, um… I’m doing alright. Don’t you have stuff to catch up on?”

“I looked at what I had to do and I suppose I’m not that busy,” Rarity said, toying with her mane. “Besides, I think we could both use a day off after whatever it was we’ve been through. Don’t you agree?”

Sweetie Belle paused. “You’re serious?”

“Perhaps when I heard what happened to both of us I realized I’ve been shutting you out lately. I can’t exactly afford to take much time off from my work, of course, but we could still share some time together,” Rarity said. “If you want to go off with your friends, I understand, but—“

“That sounds perfect!” Sweetie Belle looked back at the others. “You guys wouldn’t mind, would you?”

“Do whatever you want,” Scootaloo said. “We’ll be fine.”

“I’ll see you guys later, then,” Sweetie Belle said. She hurried over to Rarity’s side, and they started to trot off towards the center of town. “I never got a chance to thank you for the scarf. It’s super nice!”

“So you think they’ve made up for good now?” Scootaloo said, watching Sweetie Belle and Rarity disappear.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Of course not. They’re sisters.”

“You’ve got a point.”

Out of the Blue

Scootaloo trotted down to Sweet Apple Acres on another frigid Saturday morning. The weather had been like this for so long she could hardly imagine what it had been like in summer. Her nights spent camping out here with Rainbow Dash during the fall, waiting for cider season, seemed like forever ago.

She followed the path alongside the fence until she spotted Apple Bloom trudging through the snow towards the barn, hauling a wagonload of wooden planks behind her.

“Hey, Apple Bloom! You doing anything today?” Scootaloo called, running up to meet her.

“Well, uh…” Apple Bloom scratched her head, and looked back at the wagon. “Yeah, actually. I kinda am.”

“Really?”

“There’s a hole in the roof of the barn that’s about to give out. I’ve gotta patch it up before we get another snowfall,” Apple Bloom said. “Sorry. It’s probably gonna take a while.”

“You’re doing it all by yourself?” Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.

“Applejack and Big McIntosh were busy fixin’ up the apple cellar today, so they said I should take care of this one on my own,” Apple Bloom said. “Besides, this is the kind of stuff I’m good at!”

Scootaloo glanced at the hammer on Apple Bloom’s flank. It was as familiar a sight by now as all of this snow was.

“Sorry. Maybe you and Sweetie Belle could hang out today without me,” Apple Bloom said.

“Nah, I already went over to her place,” Scootaloo said. “Rarity’s working on a new outfit for Sweetie Belle’s next performance. They’re doing fittings. You know how that goes. They’ll be busy all day.”

Apple Bloom frowned. “Yeah, you’re probably better off just leavin’ ‘em to that.”

“I guess I’ll see you later, then, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said.

“Yep. See ya!” Apple Bloom gritted her teeth as she pulled on the cart until it finally started rolling again.

Scootaloo stared up at the cloudy grey sky. A whole weekend ahead of her, but everypony was busy. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the weather was nicer and she could work on her scooter tricks, but the snow was too deep for that.

She turned and sulked down the path back into town. Maybe she could go to the library and reread one of the Daring Do books or something. She wondered if Twilight was still stressed out over the whole mysterious sleeping illness. She probably was. Even Luna didn’t know much more than when they started fighting the nightmares.

It was getting so frustrating. After all they had been through, they still weren’t any closer to finding out what was causing all of these dreams. And to top it all off, Scootaloo was still the only one left without a cutie mark. That was the cherry on top, wasn’t it?

“Hey, kid! What’re you up to today?”

Scootaloo picked her head up to see Rainbow Dash swoop down and land next to her. She folded her wings at her side and yawned.

“Oh. Hey,” Scootaloo said.

“So are you skipping school or what?”

“It’s the weekend.”

“Oh. That’s right,” Rainbow said. She scratched her head. “Guess I’ve been out of it lately. These snow clouds have been out of control, and half the weather team’s been calling in sick. If the rest of us don’t keep the skies clear, Ponyville’s gonna have an out-of-control blizzard on its hooves.”

“Whoa, really?” Scootaloo said. “That sounds bad.”

“It sure is. Good thing I’m a good enough flier to pick up everypony else’s slack,” Rainbow Dash said. “What would Ponyville do without me?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, nodding absently. Then she stopped. “Wait, then shouldn’t you be working right now?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nope! It’s my day off. Besides, I worked twice as hard yesterday, so we should be okay for a while.”

Scootaloo stared up at the sky again. It seemed about as cloudy as it always did, but at least it wasn’t snowing right now.

“Seriously, though, I’ve been on the weather team for years now, and I’ve never seen a winter like this. It’s been keeping me busy, so sorry if I haven’t had much time to hang out lately,” Rainbow said. “But I’m free today, so we can totally do something together if you want.”

“Sure! That’d be great!”

Rainbow Dash started walking towards town. Scootaloo followed alongside her, feeling a little better already. Maybe today wouldn’t be so boring after all.

After a minute, Rainbow stopped in her tracks. “Actually, Ponyville’s kind of a drag right now, with everypony out sick and all that. Feel like heading over to my place to hang out instead?” she said, nodding over her shoulder.

“Yeah, sounds good to me!” Scootaloo said.

“Come on, then, squirt. Follow me!”

Rainbow Dash broke into a jog, and Scootaloo trailed along behind her. She was constantly just at Rainbow’s heels, never quite catching up to her, but she could still tell Rainbow was going easy on her. There was no way she would be able to keep up if Rainbow ran full speed.

They raced all the way through the streets of Ponyville and out to the fields on the other side, the current location of Rainbow’s house.

The cloud house hung in the air above them. Scootaloo stared up at it. Even against the dull grey skies, the rainbow falls didn’t seem as bright as they usually did. This winter weather seemed to make everything look dreary.

Rainbow looked down at her. “Think you can make it on your own, or do you need a boost?”

Scootaloo gave a weak smile. “Uh, I don’t think I’m ready to fly quite that far on my own yet.”

“Not a problem. Let’s go.”

Rainbow Dash hoisted Scootaloo up with her front hooves and took off into the air. Scootaloo could feel the cold winds biting at her face, but the feeling of flying—really flying, not just dreaming about it—never stopped feeling amazing.

It only lasted less than a minute, though. Rainbow’s hooves touched down on the front steps, and Scootaloo hopped down onto the soft clouds.

“Not exactly the best flying weather, is it?” Rainbow said, staring at the gray skies and wrinkling her nose. “Speaking of which, how’s your practice been going lately? Made any progress on your own?”

Scootaloo tilted her head, trying to remember the last time she’d tried to fly. It had been a while, if you only counted the times when she was awake.

“I guess I haven’t,” she said. “I’ve been hanging out with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle a lot lately.”

“Oh yeah. Too bad you haven’t gotten yours yet, but it’s just a matter of time,” Rainbow asked. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t been pulling any crazy stunts trying to get it. I haven’t seen you guys do much of anything, really.”

“You know. The usual,” Scootaloo said. “I mean, it’s not like we can get into much trouble when the weather’s like this, you know? We usually hang out in the clubhouse or something.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Rainbow said with a shrug. She pushed the front door open and Scootaloo trotted inside ahead of her into the entrance hall.

Pegasus houses were amazing. Scootaloo had lived in Ponyville her whole life, so she hadn’t seen many until she started coming over to Rainbow Dash’s house. Once you were inside, it was hardly like being inside a cloud anymore. All the fluffiness was gone. The walls were smooth, just like any other house, but all the curves and columns and archways made it look so cool.

“Hey, just make yourself at home,” Rainbow Dash said, trotting in behind her. “Let me know if you need anything, alright?”

A few hours passed, just the two of them hanging out. They were sitting in the living room, playing the same board game they usually did. It was Rainbow Dash’s favorite. She usually won, but Scootaloo was beginning to figure out what the tricks were.

Scootaloo couldn’t remember how long it had been since they last did this. Over the summer she used to come over to Rainbow Dash's house at least once a week, but ever since the dreams had started, she had actually been making excuses to hang out with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle instead.

She stared down at the tiny clouds and pegasi on the game board in front of her, trying to figure out her next move. But then her mind went blank. Suddenly it was like she forgot all the rules. She stared at the board for a minute or two.

Rainbow Dash gave her a light nudge on the shoulder. “Something on your mind? You’re awfully quiet, squirt.”

“Uh... I guess I was just thinking about Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They’ve both been too busy to hang out lately,” Scootaloo said. She sighed. “I guess that’s part of the whole ‘growing up’ thing, isn’t it?”

“It’s not all that bad, right? You said you guys are still doing your whole crusading business,” Rainbow said.

Scootaloo sighed. “Kind of. Things just haven’t felt the same since Lu—“ She stopped herself. She hadn’t meant to say anything about Luna, it had just sort of come out. “Since, I mean, uh…”

“Since they got their cutie marks?” Rainbow said. “Yeah, that makes sense. I remember when the fillies in my class started getting theirs.”

“Yeah.”

She stared back down at the game board, trying to get her mind back on the game. But now it was completely hopeless. There was no way she could even remember what she was doing with so much other stuff on her mind.

“Uh…” Scootaloo looked up again. She scratched her head. “Rainbow Dash… You’re serious about this whole ‘sisters’ thing, right?”

Rainbow blinked at her. “Of course I am! I told you I’ve just been busy with weather duty, that’s why I haven’t been around as much,” she said.

“Right…”

Rainbow reached across the board and messed with Scootaloo’s mane. “You really do remind me a lot of myself at your age. It’s like we were always meant to be sisters, you know?”

Scootaloo looked up at her. “You really mean that?”

“Of course I do!” Rainbow said. She looked down at the game board. “So, you going to move or what? It’s been your turn for a while now.”

Scootaloo gave a weak smile, and pushed one of her clouds to a new square. Somehow she doubted Rainbow Dash had ever been anything like her, but hearing that did kind of make her feel better.

“So, then…” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Cloud five?”

Scootaloo checked the board. “Looks like that’s my cumulus. You win again.”

“Aw, yeah!” Rainbow said, pumping her hoof in the air. “So, how about we keep going for best two out of three?”

They swept the pieces off the board and set them back up for another round. Scootaloo sat back and steeled herself for another match. They kept going until the sun went down and the skies went dark.

Scootaloo blinked in the darkness. The faint blue light was coming into view. She knew what that meant.

“Good evening, Scootaloo. Are you feeling well?”

The princess’s question seemed odd, somehow. “Yeah, I feel fine,” Scootaloo said. She glanced around the dream forest, a familiar sight, no matter how unnatural it always was. “Why do you ask? Does this have something to do with what happened to Sweetie Belle last time?”

“That was an anomaly,” Luna said. “I have never heard of a pony being trapped in another’s dream, but then again, I have never taken apprentices before.”

“It was weird. But ever since that happened, Sweetie Belle and Rarity have been getting along great. I’ve never seen them like that before,” Scootaloo said.

“I am glad to hear it,” Luna said, with a trace of a smile. “It is a strange and dire situation we find ourselves in, but it seems some good has come of it. That is thanks to your efforts, of course.”

“If you say so,” Scootaloo said. “So, any idea what’s going to happen tonight?”

“You should know by now that I cannot say.”

“Right...” Scootaloo said. She kicked at the ground mindlessly, then glanced up to see a yellow form taking shape next to her.

Apple Bloom looked around, and let out a sigh. “Shoot. I was lookin’ forward to gettin’ some rest after today…”

“We never get off that easy,” Scootaloo said.

Another shape shimmered in the hazy darkness, and the next moment Sweetie Belle was there.

Luna came over to where she had just materialized. She lowered herself down to the ground in front of her. “Ah, Sweetie Belle. I have been anxious to see you especially. Are you feeling well?”

“Yeah. I’m ready to get going.”

“That is good to hear,” Luna said. She paused a moment, and frowned. “But… are you certain?”

Everypony was silent.

Sweetie Belle looked up, her eyes wide. “Um... If this has something to do with what happened to Rarity—“

“It has far more to do with what happened to you,” Luna said. Her tone was grim. “I knew from the beginning that what I was asking of you all was dangerous. I speak true when I tell you that I do not know what to expect each time I send you to a new dream. I was hesitant to bring you all here tonight.”

“But the nightmares are still happenin’,” Apple Bloom said. “We’ve gotta keep goin’, don’t we?”

“Protecting the dreams of ponies has always been my responsibility alone,” Luna said. “I have never faced a threat such as this before, so I called upon you to help me. It seemed sensible at the time. My sister has taken students under her wing plenty of times. From the beginning, I knew you would have to face the dreams of your friends and family, but... I did not anticipate the consequences.”

She stood up again, and paced across the clearing to the other end. For a moment, she stared silently into the darkness beyond the trees. Scootaloo squinted, but nothing seemed to be out there.

“You’re leaving it up to us if we want to keep going, then,” Scootaloo said quietly.

“Yes.”

The three of them exchanged glances. None of them spoke, but Scootaloo could tell they were all thinking the same thing.

“We’ve come this far, though,” Sweetie Belle said finally. “What happened last time was my fault. We all just need to be more careful.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said, nodding. “We’ve been through a lot, but I think we can keep going.”

Luna did not move at first. Scootaloo watched her, then took a step forward.

“We’re all ready for whatever comes next.”

Turning around, Luna studied each of them, then smiled. “Very well, then,” she said. “So it goes without saying that you are ready to depart immediately.”

The three of them nodded in unison.

Luna’s horn began to glow, the same blue as the distant lights flickering in the strange woods surrounding them. She lowered her horn towards them, and a blinding light engulfed them until they could no longer see her.

Scootaloo’s first thought was that they were in the snow again. Her hooves were buried in something soft and white, but it wasn’t cold. The sun shining overhead felt warm. And maybe bigger than usual…

“Whoa!” She glanced over to see Apple Bloom scrambling away from an the edge of an overhanging cliff. But as Scootaloo looked closer, she could see that wasn’t what it was.

She crept over to the edge of the cloud and peered over the edge. Green fields and forests spread out below them, and the occasional house dotted the landscape. She was reminded of her few trips to Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash. This was a view she’d only seen a few times before while awake.

“Of all the places Luna could’ve sent us, why the hay did we end up here?” Apple Bloom said.

The cloud they were standing on was small, just big enough for the three of them to fit on. Others like it were floating above them, beneath them. It would be a short distance to fly between them.

“It’s not that bad.” Sweetie Belle poked at the cloud with her hoof. “We can still walk on them. It is a dream, remember?” She took a peek over the edge, then quickly stepped back towards the center.

“I s’pose so…” Apple Bloom looked around. “Aren’t we kinda stuck here, though?”

Scootaloo blinked. “Good point.”

Sweetie Belle tapped her chin with her hoof, thinking. “Maybe we aren’t. Let me see if I can do something.” Her horn began to glow. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus.

A pair of wings shimmered into existence on her back. They were a transparent lavender, with spotted yellow and green patterns on them.

“Nice!” Apple Bloom said. “How’d you do that?”

“I remember Rarity talking about this spell. I think it’s a lot harder to do when you’re awake, though,” Sweetie Belle said, moving her wings slowly, testing them. “Want me to give you some?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Sure!”

It only took a few seconds for Sweetie Belle to conjure up another pair of wings for Apple Bloom.

“Would ya look at that?” Apple Bloom said, staring at her new wings. “Those look pretty nice. But are you sure we’ll be able to get around with ‘em?”

Sweetie Belle slowly crept up to the edge of the cloud. She stared down, biting her lip. “Guess we’d better see if they work, huh?”

“You wanna go first?” Apple Bloom said.

“I… uh…”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, and leapt over the edge of the cloud. She looped back in midair and hovered just in front of them. “Come on. If you fall, I’ll catch you. Alright?”

Sweetie Belle glanced back, then swallowed the lump in her throat. She nodded. “Sure. Here goes nothing…”

She closed her eyes, then stepped forward, her wings fluttering wildly. She instantly plummeted downwards.

“Sweetie Belle!”

Scootaloo dove down, but before she could reach her, Sweetie Belle swooped back up on her own. Her temporary wings shone in the light, sparkling as she flapped them as fast as she could. She seemed short of breath.

“I think… I’ve got the hang of it…” Sweetie Belle wheezed, smiling weakly.

Scootaloo flew back up to where Apple Bloom was still waiting on the cloud, staring down at them. Sweetie Belle followed behind her, managing to hoist herself up into the air with some difficulty. She was still panting from the effort.

“See? Nothing to it,” Scootaloo said, touching back down on the cloud and folding her wings at her sides. “Ready to go?”

Apple Bloom stood on the cloud, her hooves rooted in place. She watched the two of them hovering in front of her, staring at Sweetie Belle’s wings as they moved and shimmered in the sunlight. She readied herself, then took a running start over the edge of the cloud, flapping her wings as hard as she could.

“Is it working?” she said. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she floated in the air, her wings beating furiously.

“Well, you didn’t fall,” Scootaloo replied. “You can open your eyes now.”

Apple Bloom hesitantly opened one eye, and looked down. “Whoa!”

“You’ll get used to it,” Sweetie Belle said, flying over to Apple Bloom’s side. “These wings should hold up pretty well. I mean, I’ve never tried this spell before, but it’s a dream, so we shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

“I think we’ve been to a few too many nightmares to say that,” Apple Bloom said. “We promised Luna we’d be more careful, remember?”

“Right…” Sweetie Belle nodded. “We should probably start looking around, shouldn’t we? Which way do you think we should go first, Scootaloo?”

“Let’s stick close. I’ll try to let you guys keep up,” Scootaloo said. She revved up her wings and shot out ahead, then let her wings relax as the wind swept her into a gentle glide.

The air was clear and the sunlight felt warm, the perfect condition for flying. Glancing back, Scootaloo could see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle flapping their new wings, trying to get used to the feeling. She fell back to let them catch up.

“You doing alright?” Scootaloo said.

“Uh, I think so,” Apple Bloom said, gritting her teeth as she worked her wings furiously. She dipped down, then caught herself and swooped back up.

“You just flap your wings to get yourself up, then let yourself glide,” Scootaloo said, catching up to fly at her side. “Otherwise you’ll just get tired out quicker.”

“That’s how it works, huh?” Apple Bloom said. “Gosh, you’ve always made this look so easy.”

It felt good to be the one giving the flying lessons this time. Scootaloo was just repeating all the same tips Rainbow Dash had always given her.

“It’s not so bad once you get used to it,” Sweetie Belle said. She flew up higher, and went into a dive, picking herself up at the last second. “It’s actually pretty easy.”

“We’d better still keep an eye out for anythin’ strange,” Apple Bloom said. She looked over at Scootaloo. “Any clue what we might be lookin’ for? Or who? I don’t see anythin’ up here but clouds. Maybe we should try closer to the ground.”

Scootaloo surveyed the skies around them. True, it didn’t seem like anything was up here—they weren’t anywhere near Cloudsdale, and there weren’t any other cloud houses as far as she could see. But they probably started up here for a reason. There had to be a reason.

“Let’s try to spread out a little bit,” she said. “Everyone keep an eye out, and yell if you see anything.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, and flew out to the left. Apple Bloom watched her shrink away into the distance, then took the right side.

Scootaloo stared down at the landscape spreading out far below them, then up towards the sky. This was probably a pegasus’s dream. It had to be. This was the kind of perfect flying weather that Rainbow Dash loved to talk about. The skies just went on forever, you could keep flying as far as your wings would take you…

She closed her eyes, just for a moment, and let herself feel the breeze on her face…

A blast of air hit her with full force, sending her spinning backwards out of control.

Her legs kicked at the air helplessly, and her wings buzzed furiously as she recovered. She recovered, steadied herself in midair, trying to reorient herself. Hopefully that gust hadn’t hit the others as badly as it had gotten her…

Wait, where were they?

The wind was blowing strong, and the clouds were rolling in. The sunlight faded away as dark clouds blocked out the light. And there was no sign of Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle anywhere.

Scootaloo hovered in midair, turning around, searching frantically for the others. For a brief moment, she remembered Rainbow Dash’s story about the competition in Cloudsdale. What had happened to Rarity. Those wings might be pretty, but they weren’t durable at all.

“Sweetie Belle?” she called. “Apple Bloom?”

There was no response. Scootaloo gritted her teeth, and dove down below the cloud layer. The air was clear down here, but there was no sign of them anywhere. The skies were empty as far as she could see.

She shook her head. “No. I need to stay calm,” she muttered under her breath. “The worst that could’ve happened is they got surprised and woke up… Yeah. They’re probably awake right now.”

It sounded good, but they’d been through a lot before without waking up. Scootaloo could feel her heart racing. The air felt like it was getting thin.

No. She couldn’t afford to panic.

She just needed to go back up, above the cloud layer. Keep looking around. Chances were she would find the others, or maybe whoever was having this dream, and everything would be fine…

“Hey, what’re you doing down here?”

Scootaloo spun around at the sound of the voice. Strangely, there was another pegasus there—somepony she didn’t recognize. She had a teal coat, and her blond mane was swept back from the wind.

“You’re not getting worn out already, are you? We barely even started,” the pegasus said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s get going. These storm clouds aren’t going to bust themselves, you know.”

“What are you... talking about?” Scootaloo said, but the other pony had already zoomed off, knocking out clouds as she sped across the sky.

Whoever she was, she was acting like they knew each other. Maybe she was a weather pony, like Rainbow Dash. Chances were she wasn’t from Ponyville, since Scootaloo didn’t recognize her, but she was the only other pony in this dream. What else could Scootaloo do but follow her?

“Hey, wait up!” Scootaloo flapped her wings, trying to build up enough speed to catch up. The other pegasus hadn’t slowed down at all.

“What’s the matter? Am I too fast for you?” she called back.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth. Something about the way the other pony had said that really dug at her. She flapped her wings harder, giving herself another boost of speed.

“Where are you going?” Scootaloo shouted to be heard over the wind blowing in her face. She was flying faster than she thought she could, but she wasn’t making any headway. The other pony was still far ahead of her, and still gaining distance.

“Come on, wingpony. You’ll never make it to the Wonderbolts like that!”

Scootaloo heard her voice clearly, but the teal pegasus had vanished into the clouds ahead of her and out of sight. She slowed down, realizing she was out of breath.

There was no way she could go on like this. She had to rest. She needed to find a cloud to sit down on, just for a second…

Something shot past her, creating another gust of wind that nearly knocked her off course. Scootaloo blinked, and turned around to see what it was.

She had expected to see that pony from before, but this time there was a griffon hovering in front of her—about three times her size, with her talons crossed in front of her chest.

“Heh. Thought you’d get a head start on me, is that it?” She rolled her eyes. Her voice sounded positively bored. “Gotta admit, you’ve always been pretty fast. For a pony, I guess. Let’s see if you’ve still got it in you, yeah?”

Something clicked in Scootaloo’s mind. She knew who this was. What was her name again?

Before she could say anything, the griffon had taken off ahead of her. Scootaloo raised a hoof to shield her eyes from the wind, and brush away some strands of red hair out of her eyes…

Wait, red?

That wasn’t her mane. Her mane wasn’t even long enough to get in her eyes.

That wasn’t all, though. Her hoof. She stared at it, waving it back and forth to make sure it was actually hers. But it was blue, not orange. Something was seriously wrong here.

Whatever was going on, she needed to catch up to that griffon. Maybe she’d have some answers for what the hay was going on in this dream. Just like that, though, Scootaloo remembered the griffon’s name.

“Gilda?” Scootaloo called, but she nearly choked when the voice coming out wasn’t her own.

Her hoof shot up to her mouth. A part of her knew what was going on here, but it made no sense. Even for a dream, this was too crazy to be happening.

There was no time to worry about it right now. With these wings, she could definitely catch up to Gilda and find out what was going on. With no time to lose, she shot off after her.

Lightning Storm

Scootaloo was feeling out of breath as she pushed her wings harder than she ever had, struggling just to keep Gilda in her sights.

She’d heard about Gilda a little bit. And she had seen her that one time when she came to Ponyville. Occasionally Rainbow Dash would mention her name when she told stories about Junior Flight Camp, but then she’d usually go quiet and not mention anymore.

There must be some history there, some reason why Gilda would show up in Rainbow’s nightmares now. It was hard for Scootaloo to think of what it might be when she had to focus all her effort on keeping up.

She glanced back at her wings, larger than they usually were. And the lightning bolt on her flank. So that’s what it was like to have a cutie mark...

“Gilda!” she called out, trying not to let the strange sound of her own voice bother her. “Slow down, let me talk to you!”

“What’s the matter? Too fast for you?”

Scootaloo gritted her teeth. She could hear the mocking tone in Gilda’s voice. She couldn’t let herself sound like she was giving up.

There was no reason to feel tired—she was asleep, after all. There was no time to focus on the feeling that her wings were just going to fall off her back and her chest felt tight from lack of breath. That was all in her head. The important thing was catching up to Gilda and getting some answers.

“Too fast?” Scootaloo muttered, with a slight smirk. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”

Her wings were still sore, but she could ignore it. She was getting closer, that much she could tell. Dark clouds were starting to roll in, but Gilda didn’t take any notice as she weaved a path back and forth through them, and Scootaloo trailed after her.

When you decide not to be lame anymore, give me a call.

That was odd. It had been Gilda’s voice, but it sounded too close. Like she was flying right beside her. Scootaloo’s head jerked to the side, quickly checking that she wasn’t there. But she was flying alone, and she could see the tip of a brown tufted tail vanish around a storm cloud.

She couldn’t let Gilda get to her. She just had to keep pushing herself…

Lightning Dust likes to push herself a little harder than you do. That's why I made her lead pony.

Scootaloo faltered, but kept flying. She glanced around. The skies were getting a lot darker, but she could tell there was nopony around. The voice had come out of nowhere. And who was Lightning Dust?

Get kicked out of any flight schools lately, Rainbow Crash?

It had been another voice, some snotty colt, but it was impossible to tell the source. It was like it was coming from inside her own head.

A loud clap of thunder made her snap back to attention, just in time to see a bolt of lightning flash just in front of her. It was close enough to make her hair stand on end.

We’ve tried everything. What if I never fly?

That last voice had been her own.

The storm clouds were closing in tighter than ever. She couldn’t see Gilda. She couldn’t see anything. There was another crash and a blinding flash of light.

Scootaloo tumbled out of bed onto the floor. She blinked her eyes open in the bright morning sun.

It didn’t get this bright in the mornings during winter.

That was the thought going through her mind for some reason. Then she heard the Ponyville tower bell ringing out the hour. She counted the chimes out in her head as she laid on the floor, and by the tenth one her eyes snapped open.

Scrambling back up onto her hooves, she raced downstairs. She was still feeling dizzy from flying in that storm, and she nearly tripped down the front steps of her house. The thunderclaps were still ringing in her ears.

All she knew was that she had overslept. The thought suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t even know for how long. It couldn’t have been more than a day, right? She’d probably find out once she got to school.

She sprinted through town, glancing around at everything, all the ponies she passed, every house and shop. Everything seemed to be normal. She was awake, wasn’t she?

It looked like she was herself, at least. She’d never been so glad to be herself.

After what had happened to Sweetie Belle, she was lucky to even be awake. The others must have vanished earlier because they woke up, but for a while, she had been trapped in Rainbow Dash’s dream.

Had it been Rainbow Dash’s dream, though?

All these questions were making her brain hurt.

Before she kew it, the schoolhouse was already in front of her. The snow was covered in the crisscrossing hoofprints of the other foals, but the path was empty now. She made her way up to the front steps. She could hear Cheerilee giving a lesson as she cracked the door open.

“And once we have carried that number over, the next step of the equation is—“

Every pair of eyes in the room was suddenly directed at the door. Scootaloo tucked her wings down at her sides, trying to avoid making eye contact with anypony.

“Scootaloo?” Cheerilee said, frowning. “Class has started already. I hope you have a good explanation for why you came in so late.” Her eyes narrowed.

“I… um… Never mind. It doesn’t make any sense,” Scootaloo mumbled, and staggered over to her desk. She tried to situate herself and get comfortable.

Cheerilee’s stern expression hadn’t changed. “I’m going to have to ask you to stay for a few minutes after class. You know the rules about unexcused tardiness,” she said. “Now, let’s get back to the lesson.”

The other foals in the class all seemed to forget about the interruption at once, and Cheerilee resumed writing on the chalkboard. It was math, from the looks of it. The symbols on the board blurred together in Scootaloo’s vision.

Sweetie Belle was staring at her. She leaned in close. “You okay?” she whispered.

Scootaloo wasn’t sure how to answer that, but she nodded slowly. Yeah, she was okay. Probably. She tried to keep her eyes focused on the lesson, but she couldn’t focus.

“Well, what happened back there?”

“I, um…” Scootaloo put a hoof to her forehead, and winced. She was getting a headache just thinking about where to start. “I’ll explain after class, alright?”

Sweetie Belle silently sat back in her chair. She gave Scootaloo another quizzical look, trying to read her expression, then went back to scribbling down notes on the lesson.

With a sigh, Scootaloo rested her head on her desk. She stared at her hoof. Orange. Like it always was. This was the real world. Even though she kept repeating that to herself, it didn’t seem to sink in.

The schoolbell rang, and everypony jumped up out of their seats and started crowding towards the door. Scootaloo automatically followed the rest of them, drifting along with the crowd as the other foals pushed and shoved their way out into the snow.

She felt a hoof tap her lightly on the shoulder.

“Not so fast,” Cheerilee said. “You’re staying, remember?”

Of course. Cheerilee never forgot about detentions, even if Scootaloo nearly had. Considering everything else, detention was the least of her concerns.

Scootaloo trudged back across the room and sat down at her desk. She kept one eye on the clock. The second hand ticked along painfully slow.

Her head hung forward, and if she wasn’t careful she was going to fall asleep at her desk. Luna only came at night, but the idea of going back to sleep still scared her. It was hard to put her hoof on the reason why.

Sure, those nightmares usually scared her, but that wasn’t to say she didn’t get a kind of a thrill out of them. Besides, getting to fly was pretty fun. And she had been flying a lot last night. Faster than she had ever managed before…

From her desk, she could look out the window. She had been watching the skies all throughout class, mostly because it was easier to focus on than the lesson. It was a cloudy day. Every once in a while, she’d see a pegasus from the weather team zooming around trying to clear the clouds away, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. More clouds would roll in.

After what seemed like an eternity, Cheerilee trotted over and tapped on the edge of Scootaloo’s desk.

“You’re free to go now, Scootaloo,” she said. “Try to wake up earlier from now on, alright?”

Scootaloo nodded silently and hopped off of her chair. She made her way back to the front door and headed out.

The moment she was outside, she spotted Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom waiting by the edge of the fence. They both perked up when they saw her, and hurried up to meet her.

“Now are you going to tell us what happened?” Sweetie Belle said. “We were just flying around up there and then suddenly we couldn’t find you anymore. We tried flying back and looking all over. Where did you go?”

“And after you didn’t show up to school in the mornin’, I just started assumin’ the worst,” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo took a deep breath. “I… I think I was Rainbow Dash.”

The others stared at her.

“What do you mean, you were Rainbow Dash?” Apple Bloom said. “You mean it’s her dream this time?”

“Yes. I think. Maybe,” Scootaloo said. She shook her head. “But I didn’t see her. There was this other pony, and a griffon, and I tried to chase them… They were treating me like I was her. I didn’t know who they were, though. And then I looked down and I wasn’t myself.”

“You’re not making much sense,” Sweetie Belle said, frowning.

“I can’t even understand what happened myself,” Scootaloo said. She looked around, staring down the street towards the town square. “Are we sure we’re actually awake now? This isn’t still part of the dream?”

“Pretty sure,” Apple Bloom said.

They started walking. Scootaloo led the way silently, still trying to put the pieces together.

“I guess it’d be kind of weird to turn into somepony else…” Sweetie Belle said. “But I don’t get why you’re still so upset about it. You woke up and everything was fine, wasn’t it?”

“I might’ve almost been trapped in there, like you,” Scootaloo said. “I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t even recognize that other pony. Rainbow’s never told me about her. And then there were these voices…”

Sweetie Belle reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “Maybe we should just take it easy for a while until it’s time to go back. There’s nothing we can do for now, and you look like you could use a trip to Sugarcube Corner.”

Scootaloo gave a weak smile, and nodded. She doubted it would help that much, but it didn’t sound like a bad idea.

A strong wind was blowing as they made their way across town. The snow flurries began to pick up, and by the time they were to town square they had to keep their heads down to keep the snow out of their eyes.

It had escalated into a full-on blizzard within a few minutes. It was unnaturally sudden. Scootaloo was reminded of the end of last night’s dream. It wasn’t a thunderstorm, but it still happened so fast. It had to be a coincidence.

As they pushed through the doors of Sugarcube Corner, the wind slammed the door shut behind them with a loud slam.

“This snow’s gettin’ out of control. I don’t remember the weather team sayin’ anything about a snowstorm today,” Apple Bloom said.

Sweetie Belle went to the window and pressed her face up against the glass, wiping away the frost to get a better look. She let out a groan. “Haven’t we had enough snow already?”

Scootaloo shrugged and started walking towards the counter, then she froze. The realization had just struck her. The reason why this storm was happening. “No way…”

“What?” Sweetie Belle said, turning back towards her.

“Rainbow Dash said most of the weather team was out sick. She’s had to work extra hard to cover for all of them,” Scootaloo said.

“And if she’s out sick now, too…” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo shook her head. “No wonder it’s getting so bad. This whole winter’s been worse than usual,” she said with a sigh.

“We’ll help Rainbow Dash just like we’ve helped everypony else,” Sweetie Belle said. “You’ll see. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“I hope you’re right,” Scootaloo muttered. “I don’t even know what she could even be afraid of. Rainbow Dash never gets scared. I’ve never seen her be afraid of anything...”

They turned back towards the counter to order. Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder at the window again, at the blizzard raging outside. In a way, she knew it was her own fault.

Darkness.

Her surroundings began to take shape around her. Scootaloo realized she was falling asleep. This was a dream again.

She quickly looked down at herself, making sure she was still herself. Everything seemed to be normal.

“Good evening, Scootaloo. We have been waiting for you. Are you ready to depart?” Luna said.

Scootaloo looked up and saw Luna standing across from her. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were already there at her side. They were in the forest glade, Luna's chosen meeting place. It was nights like this that the total calm of this place only freaked her out more.

“Luna…” Scootaloo choked out. “Um, I need to tell you something. It’s about last night.”

“We already told her,” Apple Bloom said.

“At least, as much as we could,” Sweetie Belle added.

Luna nodded and took a step forward. She placed a hoof lightly on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Nightmares are unpredictable. You will never see all they have to offer. What happened last night was but another illusion, nothing more.”

“Are you sure?” Scootaloo said. “I felt different. I could tell I wasn’t myself.”

“That may be so. Perhaps there was a reason you were experiencing what Rainbow Dash feels,” Luna said. “The two of you do consider your sisterly bonds to be just as true as blood relations.”

Scootaloo shook her head. She stared at the ground. “I don’t think that was it.”

“Rainbow Dash has her own fears, just as you or I do. You must understand them if you are to help her,” Luna said. “Consider how you were feeling last night.”

Scootaloo sighed. “Confused. Totally lost. Definitely not like Rainbow Dash at all,” she muttered. “She’d never let herself get beaten in a race like that. She’s told me all about flight camp, and about the Wonderbolt Academy.”

“Dreams are where our innermost thoughts are revealed. I am sure you remember what she said to you on that night not so long ago.”

Images of the camping trip flashed through Scootaloo’s mind. That night Rainbow Dash had officially become her sister.

“This is different, though!” she said. “Those were just campfire stories… And she said she’s not afraid of those anymore…”

“But the truth remains that she is hesitant to admit her true fears. Just as you were. I know how much Rainbow Dash means to you, Scootaloo,” Luna said. “Ever since the first time I came to your dreams. But it’s your turn to help her now.”

“Right…” Scootaloo nodded, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. The thought of going back to that dream made her feel a little nauseous, but Luna was right.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a silent look, and nodded. Luna bowed her head, and her horn began to glow with magic.

The stillness of the forest was broken by a gradually building wind, escalating into a howling gale.

It was a full-blown tempest, sending rain flying sideways. They were in the middle of a storm—literally. The black cloud they were standing on crackled with electricity.

Scootaloo glanced over at her back. No cutie mark, same stubby orange wings as always—she was herself. For now, at least.

Apple Bloom had to shout to be heard over the storm. “No time to lose, right? Sweetie Belle, think you could get our wings back?”

Sweetie Belle had been standing there in shock. She blinked, lowered her head against the wind, and her horn flickered weakly with a pale green aura.

As soon as the wings appeared on her back, they caught an updraft and she was sent spinning out of control through the air. The wind was too strong for those delicate wings to handle.

Scootaloo’s wings buzzed and she shot off after her, grabbing onto Sweetie Belle’s hoof. They tumbled back down through the air. Once they hit the dark cloud below, Scootaloo could feel the static electricity making her hair stand on end.

“Why’s this happening?” Sweetie Belle shouted, shielding her eyes from the rain.

“The storm started last night after you guys left,” Scootaloo said. “It was like this before I woke up.”

Apple Bloom fought her way through the storm, shielding her eyes from the rain as she dragged herself over to the two of them. She collapsed onto the cloud, already exhausted.

Sweetie Belle had rooted herself down, keeping her wings stuck to her sides so she wouldn’t get blown away again.

“We need to make it through this,” Scootaloo said. “There’s no other choice.”

Apple Bloom hesitated, glancing over at Sweetie Belle. “Guess you heard her.”

Sweetie Belle let out a barely audible groan, and squeezed her eyes shut as she focused her magic again. A pair of wings flickered into existence on Apple Bloom’s back, just as brittle-looking as Sweetie Belle’s own.

“Count of three, then?” Apple Bloom said. She kept her new wings folded tightly at her sides.

Scootaloo nodded, squinting at her through the pouring rain. “One… Two…”

“Three!” Apple Bloom said, and the three of them spread out their wings at once.

The wind picked them up instantly, like they weighed nothing. Scootaloo could barely see anything as it all turned into a blur of color and flashing light. Thunder rumbled all around them.

“Come on!” Scootaloo yelled. “We just have to keep fighting—“

Before she could say anymore, a bolt of lightning flashed just inches ahead of her. The force sent the three of them spiraling away again, the world becoming a blur of dark shapes as they plummeted back down.

Scootaloo felt herself hit something soft again.

She stood up, her legs shaking. The others had crash-landed next to her.

Apple Bloom pulled herself up and stared up at the sky. “There’s no way we’re gonna fly in this,” she panted. “Those magic wings just ain’t gonna get us anywhere.”

“Sorry…” Sweetie Belle said, blinking.

Scootaloo had to admit she was right. Rainbow Dash had always told her flying in a storm was a bad idea, unless you were a professional like her…

“It’s just a dream, though. We always find a way to get through. We just need to keep telling ourselves we can make it through this. And the only way we’re going to help Rainbow Dash—“

“I’m startin’ to think Rainbow Dash doesn’t want our help,” Apple Bloom said. “She wants yours, Scootaloo.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know what else we can do right now,” Apple Bloom said. “This is between you and your sister. I think you’d better go on alone.”

“What? No!” Scootaloo shook her head furiously. “It’s way too dangerous at this point. We have to keep going together.”

“You’re right. It is too dangerous,” Apple Bloom said. “But these wings aren’t gonna get us anywhere. They’re not strong enough to fight against that storm. If me and Sweetie Belle go in there, we’re only gonna hold you back.”

“What are you saying?”

“The two of us just need to force ourselves to wake up early,” Apple Bloom said. “I think there’s somethin’ Rainbow Dash needs to say to you. And only you.”

Sweetie Belle looked down, avoiding Scootaloo’s eyes. “There’s not much we can do here. The two of us getting thrown around in a hurricane isn’t going to help you at all.”

Scootaloo hesitated, then nodded slowly. She looked up at the swirling chaos overhead. The idea of heading out into that alone wasn’t appealing, but only a pegasus was going to get through there.

“Luna did choose you for this whole dream-explorin’ thing,” Apple Bloom said. “You’ve always been the leader. You can do this.”

Sweetie Belle nodded emphatically. “Yeah. What she said.”

Scootaloo met Apple Bloom’s eyes for a moment, then the next thing she knew, both of them had vanished. She stood on the cloud alone, and the force of the storm only seemed to be getting stronger.

She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself. There was nothing to worry about anymore. If this didn’t work, she could always wake herself up too…

But it wouldn’t come to that, she told herself. Because Rainbow Dash needed her.

She took off, heading directly skyward. Maybe she could get above the storm clouds, high enough to get a clear view of her surroundings.

It was nearly impossible to keep a straight course. Lightning flashed all around her, blinding her. She could feel the heat from some of the bolts as they lit up the sky.

Scootaloo was flying higher. As high as she could. Actually, it was hard to tell if she was actually making progress. Everything looked the same, the storm clouds never seemed to end. Spots were beginning to cloud her vision after all of the lightning flashes. Maybe there was no end to the storm. It went on forever, above and below her. There was no sky and no ground…

No, that couldn’t be right. Rainbow Dash had to be in here somewhere.

And, as far as she could tell, she wasn’t Rainbow Dash. Not this time, anyway.

The wind buffeted her from all sides. She could barely keep her eyes open.

At this point, she wouldn’t mind having a fully-grown pair of wings. She tried to tell herself to keep going, that this was just a dream, but it was no use.

It didn’t even matter if she had Rainbow Dash’s wings or her own. On the inside, she’d always just be herself. Maybe Rainbow Dash would be strong enough not to give up, but she just wasn’t like that. This was too much for her to take on alone.

Scootaloo closed her eyes, and let the wind throw her aside.

She’d let Rainbow Dash down. She’d let Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle down. She’d let Luna down.

Everything around her became pure chaos. She could no longer tell which way was up or down. It was all spinning around her, the rain pelleted her from every direction.

She could feel herself get thrown into a massive thunderhead, a solid wall of condensed vapor.

And, suddenly, the wind stopped.

She opened her eyes, blinking the rain out of them.

The thunder and rain swirled around her in a ring. But the air here was still, and she could hover in midair without any difficulty. Scootaloo could only assume it was the eye of the storm, but the really important thing is that Rainbow Dash was lying down there below her, on a single pure white cloud.

Scootaloo looked around, still trying to figure out how she had gotten here. It made no sense. But that didn’t matter.

She swooped down and landed a few steps away from Rainbow Dash, who didn’t seem to take any notice. Scootaloo’s hooves sunk down into the light, fluffy surface of the cloud. She looked down at herself. She was still normal. Still herself.

It looked like Rainbow Dash was asleep, but her head moved slightly as Scootaloo crept closer. She blinked a few times, and lifted her head. Once her eyes met Scootaloo’s, she jumped up.

“Scootaloo?” Rainbow stared at her, her eyes wide. “What’re you doing here? You should head back home.”

“I, uh… I came here to find you,” Scootaloo stammered, taking a step forward. “Is… Is everything alright?”

Rainbow let out a sigh, and turned away. “Look, kid… Whatever you came out here for, it can wait. For now, I just need to be left alone. To be honest, you’re the last pony I want to talk to right now… Sorry.”

Scootaloo stared at her. “What... What are you saying? I was, um… I was worried. You’ve been gone for a while, you know.”

“Just go on back to Ponyville, alright? I’ll catch up later.” Rainbow turned away, folding her wings at her sides. She sat back down and squeezed her eyes shut, like she was trying to get to sleep.

“Rainbow…” Scootaloo choked out. She took a deep breath. “No. You don’t get it. I have to help you. This isn’t something you can get out of on your own. I can’t explain how I know that, I just do, alright?”

“I’m serious, kid.”

Scootaloo definitely hadn’t been expecting this. After all she’d just been through, there was no way she was going to turn back now.

She trotted up to Rainbow's side, and gave her a punch on the shoulder. “Hey, we’re still sisters, right?” Scootaloo said. “We hang out all the time. We can talk about everything with each other. That’s why I always look forward to your flying lessons.”

Rainbow’s eye flicked up for a moment, looking at her, then she turned away again.

“We’ve been working a long time on them, and I know I’m still not very good, but I just like getting to spend time with—“

“Kid, listen to me.”

“You know, we could go out and practice right now. Just come with me. I don’t even care if we don’t make any progress today, let’s just—“

Rainbow whirled around. “Scootaloo, haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re never going to fly!”

They both went silent. Rainbow Dash’s breathing was heavy, and she stared down at her hooves. She turned away, and settled down on the cloud again.

Scootaloo stared at her, then shook her head. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

“No, I get it now. This is just another one of my nightmares. The real Rainbow Dash wouldn’t—“

Rainbow put a hoof up to cut her off. “I know… I know how much it means to you,” Rainbow said quietly. “Believe me, I really wanted to see you do it. I felt like if I could get you up off the ground, it’d be like… I dunno, like I’d passed on my legacy to you or something.” She gave a weak laugh. “But you’re getting older. Your wings just aren’t strong enough.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t want to admit it, but if you’re not flying by now, you probably never will,” Rainbow said. “I’m really sorry, kid.”

Scootaloo couldn’t think of what to say. She turned away, and stared at her wings. They’d always been smaller than everypony else’s. Even her own classmates. And most of them could fly.

“Some big sister I turned out to be, huh? All I did was get your hopes up for nothing.” Rainbow looked down. “I figured I better just admit it now. I messed up. Again. I always do.”

A shadow came over them. Scootaloo took a step closer to Rainbow Dash. The clouds were closing in—the storm raging around them started to take the shape of walls.

They were in Rainbow Dash’s house. Scootaloo had come over enough times to recognize it instantly. The living room was silent and dark. The view outside the windows was a dull grey.

“I never really got how you do it,” Rainbow muttered. “You always seem so happy. Confident. Even if you can’t fly, and you don’t have a cutie mark. It’s like it doesn’t even get to you.”

“You really think that?” Scootaloo said. She took a step closer. “I’m not really… I mean, I’m nothing like you.”

“I’m not who you think I am,” Rainbow said. “I never wanted to let you see that. I’ve had to work my entire life just to try to be the best. It gets exhausting. And it’s still not enough.”

The walls vanished. They were replaced by a wide blue vista. A rainbow arched overhead. They were in the middle of Cloudsdale, but Rainbow didn’t seem to notice any of the changes.

“Ever since flight school, ponies have always been telling me I’m not good enough. Even after I got into Junior Speedsters. It just got worse. Flying’s all I’ve ever been good at, but they just told me it was never enough.”

“You could ask anypony. You’re the best flier in Ponyville. Everypony in town knows that,” Scootaloo said.

“Yeah. The best flier in Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash wrinkled her nose. “What does that mean? There’s always somepony out there who’s better. I never told you what really happened at the Best Young Fliers Competition. Or at the Wonderbolt Academy.”

The view changed again—the clouds swirled around, new landmasses rose up out of nowhere. Scootaloo could recognize the blue banners waving in the breeze—the Wonderbolts insignia.

“But you got into the academy, didn’t you? You told me you were the best flier they had.”

“Second best,” Rainbow muttered under her breath. “I know it shouldn’t bother me, but I couldn’t even admit to you that there was even just one pony better than me.”

There was a flash of teal and gold overhead—Scootaloo looked up and saw the teal pony from the night before shoot past and start zigzagging through the sky.

“Somehow I still thought I’d get there and completely blow them away, but I should’ve known it wouldn’t end up like that,” Rainbow said. “What could I ever do to impress them?” She let out a sigh. “It’s probably my own fault for wanting to join the Wonderbolts in the first place, but I knew I couldn’t be happy as long as I was just a regular old weather pony. But they only take the best.”

Scootaloo stared at her. She’d never seen Rainbow Dash like this. “Why haven’t you told me any of this?”

“Because you’re the only one who ever thought I really was as awesome as I say I am,” Rainbow said. “Flying’s all I’ve ever had. I’m no good at anything else.”

The landscape shifted again. They were suddenly sitting in the grass next to Winsome Falls. The sunlight sparkled off the rainbow waterfalls around them.

“I guess that’s why I wanted you to fly so badly. I just can’t imagine what it’s like to be stuck on the ground all the time. I figured if I could at least do that much for you, it’d be like I accomplished something.”

The bright skies didn’t last long. Another shift, and they were in the middle of Ponyville. The sky was a dull grey, and a chilly wind swept through the empty street. Scootaloo glanced over and saw her own house.

“You’d better just go back home,” Rainbow Dash said. “I let you down. You deserve better than me, kid.”

With a flick of her tail, she turned around, and took off into the sky. Scootaloo stared up at her as she flew up higher, disappearing into the clouds.

She gritted her teeth, and buzzed her wings, taking a running start to fly after her. Rainbow wasn’t putting much effort into it, but it still took a while to catch up.

“You’re didn’t let me down,” Scootaloo said, trying to catch her breath. “If it weren’t for you, I would never have made it here.”

Rainbow looked over, and her jaw dropped open. She couldn’t force the words out at first.

“You’re… flying?”

She started circling around Scootaloo, checking out her wings, getting a look from every angle. “I don’t get it. You’re a natural! How are you—“

“It’s, um…” Scootaloo sighed. “It’s not... actually real. None of this is. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important.”

“What are you talking about?”

Scootaloo took a deep breath before continuing. This went against everything she knew about talking to other ponies in their dreams, but she had to let it all out.

“Princess Luna’s been sending me into other ponies’ nightmares. That’s what this is right now. You’re dreaming, and I came all the way out here to help you. All those times when ponies have been falling asleep and not waking up, it’s because they’re trapped in their dreams,” Scootaloo said. “And Luna chose me to help them.”

She told Rainbow Dash everything. From the time she’d first gone into Sweetie Belle’s castle in the Crystal Empire, to running through Apple Bloom’s twisted version of Manehattan. And every dream since then, all the way up to leaving behind her friends in the storm just moments ago.

“Back when this started, I didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t even understand why Luna would have chosen me, out of all the ponies in Equestria,” Scootaloo said. “But… I wanted to show how brave I could be. I wanted to be like you.”

Rainbow Dash looked around. Ponyville was below them, but the streets were empty. The sky was unnaturally dark—no sun or moon, only bleak grey clouds. The bizarreness of their surroundings was starting to dawn on her.

“So… this really is a dream right now,” she said at last. “And you really did all those things?”

Scootaloo nodded.

“I don’t know why… but I guess I believe you,” Rainbow said. She rolled her eyes. “Maybe it’s all just part of this crazy dream, but right now it almost makes sense.”

“I never thought I’d be able to do it. When Luna first asked me to help her, I thought she was making a mistake,” Scootaloo said. “But I wanted to go on adventures like you and your friends do. I didn’t want to spend my whole life not being good for anything.”

Rainbow went quiet again. “You actually helped Fluttershy fight Ahuizotl?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Heh.” The corners of Rainbow’s mouth twitched. She started to grin. “Wish I could’ve been there to see that. You really are pretty tough.”

The clouds began to drift apart. Scootaloo felt warmth on her fur, drying out what was left of the rain from before. The sun was starting to beam down through the clouds.

“So what happens now?” Rainbow said.

“We wake up,” Scootaloo said. “You’ve been out at least a day.”

“Whoa.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her forehead. “It sure doesn’t feel like I’ve been out that long. But first…” Rainbow said. “I don’t know when we’ll get another chance to fly together. I don’t think we should waste it.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s see just how fast you can fly. Think you can beat me in my own dream?” Rainbow gave a sly grin.

“You’re on!”

Rainbow shot off into the open blue sky, becoming a distant blur of color vanishing into the distance. Scootaloo’s wings started to buzz, and she raced off after her.

They spent what seemed like a good few hours flying together, looping through the sky and bursting through clouds. It was a perfectly clear day. They raced each other from cloud to cloud. Usually Rainbow would win, sometimes she would let Scootaloo beat her and try to act like she had given it her all. Scootaloo didn’t really mind, though.

She almost forgot it was a dream until Rainbow Dash stopped and perched on a cloud. She let out a yawn.

“That was fun and all, but I should probably think about waking up. That is the whole reason Luna sent you here, isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah. That’s right,” Scootaloo said. A small part of her really didn’t want to stop, though. Flying with Rainbow Dash was the best feeling in the world, whether or not she was asleep. And... it probably could never happen in the real world.

“See you in the morning, then, kid,” Rainbow said.

Scootaloo saw her fade out of view, and had just barely enough time to wonder if Rainbow would remember any of this before she felt herself waking up too.

It was another cloudy, chilly morning as Scootaloo walked to school. The sunlight glittered off the snow where it shone through the clouds.

Back to reality after all. She looked over her shoulder at her tiny wings. What happened last night had really just been a dream.

She trudged through the snow alone towards the school. She would have to tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle what had happened. Another nightmare successfully defeated. And only a matter of time before Luna would show up with the next one.

“Hey! Scootaloo!”

Scootaloo picked her head up at the sound of her name, and saw Rainbow Dash diving out of the sky towards her.

“Oh. Hey,” Scootaloo said, trying to act casual. She averted her eyes, trying not to stare too hard. “What’s up?”

“Well, uh…” Rainbow scratched her mane.

A thought ran through Scootaloo’s mind. What if she remembered? Nopony had ever remembered what happened in the dreams before, but if Rainbow remembered even a single thing about their conversation last night, or their flight…

Actually, Scootaloo wasn’t sure how she would feel about that.

They stood there in total silence for a few moments.

“Was there, uh, something you wanted to talk to me about?” Scootaloo said.

“Y’know…” Rainbow said. “I can’t actually remember.”

“Really?”

Rainbow gave a nervous laugh. “I’m being really weird, aren’t I? Hardly what you’d expect from a big sister.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Are you feeling alright? I, uh, heard you didn’t show up for weather duty yesterday.”

“Of course!” Rainbow stiffened. “I was, um, sick yesterday. I didn’t feel like I could make it to work, so I decided to stay home. Take it easy. You know how it is.”

“Just like that?” Scootaloo asked, tilting her head. “You weren’t… Well, you know that thing that’s been going around. I kind of wondered if you…”

Rainbow sighed. “I guess nothing gets past you, huh? Yeah, I woke up this morning, and… I must’ve come down with whatever everypony else got. I completely lost a day,” she said. “But listen, don’t tell anypony else about this, alright? If Twilight finds out what really happened, she’ll freak out, and want to ask me all kinds of questions, and—“

“You don’t remember anything…” Scootaloo whispered.

“Exactly!” Rainbow said. “I feel just fine now. And I need to get back to weather duty. The team probably fell behind without me.”

“Yeah. You are the best on the squad, after all. They do need you,” Scootaloo said. She frowned. “But you’re sure that’s all? You don’t remember a single thing? No, um… weird dreams? After all that time you were sleeping?”

“I dunno. I guess I felt kind of funny this morning. Not bad, but… I guess I’ve just started thinking about how I’m feeling less like your big sister every day,” Rainbow said.

Scootaloo paused. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you or anything, don’t worry about that! It’s just that you’ve really changed over the past year. Like you’re growing up or something.”

“Oh,” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow groaned. “I’m still no good about this whole ‘talking about our feelings’ thing. Applejack was right. Just forget I said anything.”

“No, it’s fine,” Scootaloo said. “Really.”

Rainbow paused again. “Well, I guess that was all I really wanted to say. Sorry if I was being weird. I’d better report in for weather duty.”

She turned around and crouched down, ready to take off.

“Wait!” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow Dash turned around. “Huh?”

“Hey, Rainbow Dash…” Scootaloo’s voice was quiet. “I need you to be honest, alright? Do you… think I’ll ever learn to fly?”

Rainbow looked down. “Uh… honestly… I really don’t know,” she said finally. “It’s true. Most pegasi your age are already flying. There’s always a chance you might… you know.”

“I guess I just wanted to say that if it doesn’t work out, and I can’t learn to fly, that’d still be okay,” Scootaloo said. “I’m still really glad that you took the time to try and teach me. It’s a lot of fun.”

Rainbow grinned. “In that case, we can keep taking lessons as long as you want. I’m game.”

“That sounds great,” Scootaloo said.

She heard the bell tower chime in the distance. Just once, for the half hour.

“What time is it? I’d better run,” Scootaloo said, glancing over her shoulder. “If I end up being late again, Miss Cheerilee’s gonna be pretty mad.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you,” Rainbow said. “See you after school, okay, squirt?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. See you.”

Rainbow Dash turned around and took off, creating a flash of vibrant color against the gray winter sky.

Into the Dark

“You told Rainbow Dash… everythin’?” Apple Bloom stared at Scootaloo in shock.

They had gone to Scootaloo’s house after school, spending the afternoon hanging out in her room. It was still too cold out to hang out in the clubhouse. On the way there, Scootaloo had filled them in about everything that had happened in Rainbow Dash’s dream.

Or most of it, anyway.

“So Rainbow Dash knows about the nightmares now?” Sweetie Belle said. “Is that okay? I mean, is she allowed to know about that?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “It’s not that big a deal. Besides, I talked to her this morning after we woke up. I don’t think she remembers what actually happened.”

“You don’t think she does…” Apple Bloom muttered.

“And if she does remember, she’ll just think it was some crazy dream. I mean, think about how all of that would sound to her. She’d never believe it,” Scootaloo said, waving a hoof dismissively. “But I think I feel better after talking to her. She seemed really happy to hear about all the stuff I was able to do.”

Scootaloo looked out her window. The sky was a lot clearer today than it had been, even though it was still bitterly cold. Rainbow Dash had gone back to weather duty refreshed and ready to go. Whatever had happened in the dream, there was no doubt that it had ended up being a good thing.

“I’m just surprised that worked,” Apple Bloom said. “Usually if we try to tell ponies they’re dreamin’, they don’t believe us.”

“It just seemed like it was all I could do,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “It wasn’t easy to get through to her otherwise.”

Sweetie Belle was tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Now, I didn’t quite get what happened the first time you told us… but Rainbow Dash was really just scared because of you?”

“Those flying lessons, uh, haven’t been going so well,” Scootaloo said. “Rainbow Dash was worried she was letting me down. I wanted to show her all the stuff I’ve been able to do to help Princess Luna. Just so she could see I’m not a total failure.” She let out a nervous laugh.

She didn’t want to tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle that she might not be able to fly. Ever. That part was still pretty hard to take. The thought that she’d never get to fly with Rainbow Dash, or join the weather team, or go to Cloudsdale, or anything... It was best not to dwell on it too long. There was nothing she could do about it anyway.

“I hope this whole dream thing is over soon, though,” Sweetie Belle said. “That storm was pretty scary. I felt bad leaving you alone in there.”

“It’s fine. I think that was something Rainbow Dash wanted to talk to me alone about,” Scootaloo said. She scratched her head. “But I was thinking... Maybe, after all of this is done and Luna’s figured out how to stop the nightmares… I guess I wouldn’t mind going into some more dreams. She could take me on as her full-time apprentice, or something.”

“You’re on your own,” Sweetie Belle said, rolling her eyes. “I miss getting a quiet night’s sleep.”

“D’you really think Luna would do that?” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo shrugged. “Well, maybe.”

“Well, I gotta say that I’m with Sweetie Belle on that one. I think I’m happier stayin’ in the real world for a while,” Apple Bloom said. “Let’s just take it easy for a while, alright?”

They spent the rest of the afternoon at Scootaloo’s house. In a few hours, the sun was already going down, painting the snow-covered rooftops of Ponyville in an orange glow. It was well past the middle of winter, but it seemed like the days were ending earlier and earlier.

Scootaloo watched the sunset, though it only lasted for a few moments before the moon began to rise in the sky, the stars shining out of the dark blue night sky.

She was lying there in the dark, trying to fall asleep. She rolled over on her side. It was an uncomfortable position, with her wing bent underneath her.

They were useless, though.

She couldn’t forget what Rainbow Dash had said in her dream. Scootaloo knew that hadn’t just been Rainbow’s nightmare getting the best of her. She really didn’t think Scootaloo would fly. And it was the truth, wasn’t it?

But, as long as she was still dreaming, it didn’t matter what was possible in the real world or not.

She turned over again, pulling the sheets up to her chin. Maybe Luna would come again tonight. Then she could ask her.

Rainbow Dash was a great sister and all, and there was a part of Scootaloo that still wanted to be just like her. But, over the past few months, she’d started thinking of Luna as kind of like another big sister, too…

She let out a sigh, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind seemed to go clear.

When Scootaloo found herself in the familiar forest clearing, it seemed different than usual. The shadows beyond the trees seemed even deeper than before. Luna was standing not very far away, but she seemed to blend in with the eerie blue light that filled the area.

“Good evening,” Luna said. “I suppose you have spoken to Rainbow Dash since last night. She is doing well, I presume?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Oh. Yeah, she is.”

Luna watched her, and raised an eyebrow. “There seems to be more on your mind.”

“I guess I was just wondering… How much would she remember about me being there?” Scootaloo said. “We really talked a lot, and I know I remember everything that happens when I’m in a dream, but I don’t know if she…”

“Ponies very rarely remember my visits in much detail,” Luna said. “But that does not mean I do not help them. Dreams represent a much deeper part of one’s self than the waking mind.”

“So… I’m guessing that means no.”

“It is difficult to say. The only way for you to know would be to ask her directly,” Luna said. “Of course, that’s your choice to make.”

Scootaloo had already considered that plenty of times. Explain how she ended up walking into Rainbow’s dreams. Just go through the whole story again, this time when Rainbow was awake.

“When you spoke to Rainbow Dash in her dream, you were exposed to her innermost thoughts, the ones she would normally keep hidden. If there was anything there that you were uncomfortable with—”

“No, of course not,” Scootaloo said quickly. “I… I guess I just need some more time to think about it. That’s all.”

Luna smiled, for just a moment. Then she looked away from Scootaloo, off beyond the trees. Into the empty blackness beyond the edges of the glade. Every time she did that, it was as if she was looking at something, but Scootaloo never saw anything but darkness.

“I sense that we are coming very close to the source of these nightmares. The very thing I have been searching every night for,” Luna said quietly, without looking at her.

“You mean you found it?” Scootaloo said, trotting up closer. It should have been good news, but she felt her heart sink. “So… you can end them now. Make sure everypony wakes up.”

“Perhaps,” Luna said. “Whatever it is that we face, it is still quite elusive. I cannot be certain if I have indeed located it, and I still do not know what will have to be done to defeat it. You shall need to be especially careful tonight.”

Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically. “Sure! You’re, uh… going to need my help to take it down, then?”

Luna paused, and stared off into the darkness for a moment. “I feel that I have already exposed you to more danger than I anticipated. Time and again you have proven yourself… But until I know the nature of our enemy, I would prefer you to keep your distance.”

“Oh…” Scootaloo frowned. “Well, if I see anything weird tonight, I’ll let you know.”

“I believe the best course of action if you encounter it would be to wake yourself up as quickly as possible,” Luna said. “I cannot stress this enough. All we know about our enemy is that it is adept at manipulating ponies’ subconscious fears while they sleep. As long as you are in the dream, you are in danger.”

“So I just need to wake myself up. Got it.”

It wasn’t that Scootaloo really wanted to fight some kind of monster head-on, but running away? That was even worse. The idea just made her feel powerless. Everything else they had faced, she had been able to take care of it herself.

“I am only saying this to keep you safe,” Luna said. “You have been an immense help, Scootaloo, but ultimately the duty of protecting Equestria is mine to bear. I would never want to lay that burden on somepony else.”

It wasn’t long before both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle appeared, one after the other, in the clearing.

Luna turned her head towards them. “Greetings,” she said. “I suggest you depart while we still have the night ahead of us. I was discussing some precautions with Scootaloo.”

“I don’t see how things could get much worse than that storm Rainbow Dash whipped up for us,” Apple Bloom said. “I’m just hopin’ we get to keep our hooves on the ground tonight.”

“Well, uh…” Scootaloo scratched her head. “Luna said we might be getting close to finding out what’s causing these nightmares.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle’s ears perked up. “So that means it’s almost over?”

“Perhaps,” Luna said. “But this is no time to grow careless. I will tell you the same thing I said to Scootaloo: if you sense danger, you must wake yourselves up.”

Apple Bloom bit her lip, and exchanged a glance with Sweetie Belle. Neither of them said anything.

“You have all done very well so far. Know that, whatever may come, I still have the utmost confidence in each of you,” Luna said. Her horn began to glow with magic. “I wish you the best of luck.”

Light was shining down from high arched windows. Dust motes danced through the air.

They were standing in a cavernous room lined with bookshelves. They ran all the way to the ceiling, and a second-floor balcony lined the hall. The room seemed to be a long hallway, leading so far into the distance that Scootaloo couldn’t even see how far it went. It seemed to stretch on forever.

Sweetie Belle looked around. “This has got to be Twilight’s dream,” she said.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Well, duh. Who else would dream about so many books?”

Whatever this place was, it was impossibly huge. Probably even bigger than the Canterlot archives or the Manehattan public library. A spiral staircase led up to the balcony, another level of books. Corridors branched out into the distance, into pitch-black shadows.

Scootaloo squinted up at the windows, the only source of light. It was hard to tell if it was daytime outside or if that was only moonlight.

They were alone, as far as she could tell. Their voices echoed throughout the room, but no other sounds could be heard.

She turned her attention to the bookshelves. They were jammed full of huge old books, all different shapes, sizes and colors. There seemed to be no sense of organization to it all, and none of the bindings had any writing on them.

Scootaloo pulled one of the heavy books off the shelf, and it landed on the floor with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust. She opened it to a random spot in the middle, handling the brittle yellow pages with care.

It was almost impossible to read in the dim light, but she could just barely make out an image, and some lines of tiny print. She leaned in closer until her nose was almost against the page.

Sweetie Belle trotted over to her side and stared down at the illustration on the page. “Hey, that looks like the castle in the Crystal Empire!”

“Yeah, it is,” Scootaloo muttered. She turned the pages. They were all covered in writing. It seemed to be a history of the Crystal Empire. She looked up at the thousands of other books surrounding them. “So do you think all of these books actually say things in them? They’re not just for show?”

She spotted another large volume sticking out of the shelf, and pulled it down as well. It fell open, and as Scootaloo skimmed the text it seemed to be the same topic as the first. That made sense. Library books were usually grouped by subject.

She turned the page to find a map of Equestria, with the Crystal Empire drawn at the top. The castle appeared oversized, towering over everything else in Equestria. Not even Canterlot was marked.

Apple Bloom stared up at the towering shelves. There must be thousands—no, closer to millions—of books in here. “Well, Twilight is pretty smart. If anypony could dream up a whole library of books, she could.”

“There’s probably more books here than in all of Equestria,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo’s eyes wandered across all the shelves, then she shook her head and looked back down at the books on the floor in front of her. She turned back to the illustration of the castle in the first book. It was unmistakably the one from the Crystal Empire. The same one from Sweetie Belle’s dream.

“Let’s just start looking for Twilight, alright? We know she has to be in here somewhere,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yeah.” Scootaloo nodded. She looked down at the book, but decided to leave it where it was.

The three of them started down the hallway further into the depths of the library. They passed by archways leading down other paths, into narrower and darker hallways, also with overflowing shelves of books. Scootaloo peeked down each one, but there was no telling where they would lead.

The floorboards creaked under their hooves as they moved, and kicked up dust into the air.

Sweetie Belle sneezed. “Ugh, why does this place have to be so old?”

“Twilight does tend to like musty old books,” Apple Bloom said. “’Specially when she has to deal with Discord comin’ back after about a thousand years, and Luna comin’ back after about a thousand years, and…”

“Yeah, I get it,” Sweetie Belle muttered. “Come to think of it, that sort of stuff happens a lot lately.”

They came across an ornate metal staircase, spiraling up to the second level balcony. The railing was intricately detailed, but it seemed rather old and rickety.

Scootaloo turned around towards the others. “Let’s head up here. Maybe we’ll be able to have a better view.”

“If you say so,” Sweetie Belle said, biting her lip as she inspected the stairs.

Scootaloo put her hoof on the first step, and could almost swear she felt it shaking. But it seemed to hold up as she led the others up.

The second level was a lot like the first—endless bookshelves as far as the eye could see. But it was a bit brighter up here, since the windows were right above their heads. The light that shone through was dull, and outside was a void of pure white. It suddenly occurred to Scootaloo that there wasn’t a single door in this building, either to the outside or to other rooms.

Apple Bloom started walking along the shelves, further into the library. “To be honest, I kinda expected us to be visitin’ Twilight’s dreams sooner or later. Seems like there’s been a lot on her mind ever since this whole thing with the nightmares started. She hasn’t been herself.”

“I think she’s been getting frustrated,” Scootaloo said. “Usually she’s the one who finds a solution to some huge problem in one of her books, but this time she couldn’t.”

“So she thinks if she comes to some old library like this, she’ll find out what to do?” Sweetie Belle said.

The balcony branched off into a bridge, spanning across to the other side of the room. Scootaloo trotted over to the center. She leaned over the railing, staring off into the vast and empty room. From here, she could see several pathways leading off from the main hall, branching off into who knows where.

She hadn’t noticed it at first, probably because she made a point of not spending much time around books, but there wasn’t a single sign or any marker designating sections or topics. The books came in all shapes and sizes, but they were all unmarked, and there was no way to tell one shelf from another.

“Or maybe…” Scootaloo stared off into the far reaches of the library. “She’s been feeling lost in all her research. No matter how many books she reads, it doesn’t bring her any closer to an answer. It all goes nowhere. Kind of like this place.”

“So what you’re saying is that we’re stuck in a maze leads nowhere,” Sweetie Belle said, frowning. “Great.”

“If we get lost, we can always wake up and try again,” Scootaloo said. “This place doesn’t seem too dangerous.”

She turned away from the railing and crossed back towards the other end of the room. The others followed alongside her, sticking close.

They kept walking for what seemed like ages. The library really did seem to go on forever. The balcony came to an end, and the stairs led back down to the main level. Sometimes they would come to a corner, but the turn would lead to another endless corridor. Had they been going in a circle, or did the hall just snake off into other directions? Scootaloo realized she couldn’t remember.

It was getting darker. There definitely weren’t as many windows in this part of the library compared to where they had entered. And there still weren’t any doors leading outside the maze.

They came to a fork in the path. The hallway ahead of them split off into two directions.

“Let’s head to the left,” Apple Bloom said.

“Did you see something?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, no. But it doesn’t seem quite as dark that way,” Apple Bloom said, with a nervous smile.

It was true. No matter which way they went, the corridors would end up in total darkness, but if they went left they would have a little bit of light before that happened.

Scootaloo took one last look over her shoulder. The path behind them looked a lot like the path ahead. It was hard to tell if it made much of a difference which way they went. She shook her head and started down the new hallway.

She craned her neck up to see the windows near the ceiling. It was true—there were fewer of them as they went on, the spaces between them were getting just slightly wider the farther in they went. Soon it would be too dark to see anything.

There was a flicker of green light, then it grew steadier. Sweetie Belle’s horn had lit up with magic.

“I think we’re gonna need it,” she said.

They continued further into the dark. It was hard to see very far past the light, but it looked like the maze continued even further. The bookshelves on either side of them seemed to gradually become narrower, until the three of them could barely stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the width of the hall.

“We’ve been walking for hours. This place isn’t even possible,” Sweetie Belle muttered.

“Did you forget it’s a dream?” Scootaloo said. She squinted ahead, trying to make something out. Anything in the distance, some kind of landmark or something different. It was pitch black.

“Maybe we should head back. I mean, why would Twilight even come all the way back here where it’s so dark?” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo stopped in her tracks. It was still impossible to see anything up ahead. She let out a sigh, then turned around to the others. “Maybe you’re right. We should just…”

Her voice trailed off, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

Apple Bloom tilted her head, then turned around to see what she was looking at.

The light from Sweetie Belle’s horn didn’t reach very far around them, but directly behind them was another bookshelf. The path they had come from was suddenly a dead end. The hallway had transformed, soundlessly, just inches behind their tails.

They were all frozen in place, but then Apple Bloom walked over and tapped on the spines of the books. She pulled a few of them off the shelf and felt back. “Seems solid,” she muttered. “We’re definitely not goin’ back the way we came.”

Sweetie Belle’s magic flickered a moment as she examined the wall. “Uh… Sh-should we… maybe try to wake up now?”

Luna’s words echoed in Scootaloo’s ears, but she shook her head. “I don’t think so. We need to keep going farther. I mean, it’s just some old books, right? Nothing to be afraid of.”

“Yet,” Sweetie Belle said under her breath, but she ran to keep up with the other two as they headed farther into the dark.

It was hard to say just how long they had been down here. It could have been hours. Usually morning would have come by now, but maybe this place was playing tricks on them with time, too. Who knew?

They had to have taken a wrong turn. This place was a maze, after all. Whether or not it was really morning, it was probably a good idea to wake up and try again tomorrow night. In the meantime, they could come up with a plan, so that they didn’t get stuck wandering lost in the dark for hours.

“Wait a sec,” Apple Bloom said suddenly, her voice breaking the unnatural silence. “What’s up there?”

There was a flickering point of light far down the aisle of shelves, shining faintly in the darkness. The first new sight they had seen in who knew how long. Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder. There was a solid wall of books right beyond the reach of Sweetie Belle’s light. Following them, closing off the exit.

She edged along the shelf, feeling her way ahead. Dust swept off the tops of the old volumes as the three of them made their way past. Sweetie Belle sneezed.

The light was getting closer. There was a shape hunched over it. Definitely a pony, that much was clear. Whoever it was didn’t seem to react to the three sets of hoofsteps approaching.

Scootaloo touched the shelf with one hoof, running her hoof along the mismatched old books crammed tight into the shelves. Her pace slowed down as she watched the figure.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the purple wings folded at the pony’s sides.

“Twilight?” Scootaloo said, nearly breathless with relief. “There you are.”

It should have been obvious. Twilight always worked late into the night. The pitch blackness probably didn’t even bother her. She seemed completely fixated on the book sitting open on the desk in front of her anyway.

“Hey, Twilight!” Sweetie Belle said, trotting up to her side. She peeked over the edge of the book. “What’re you up to? What are you reading about?”

Twilight still didn’t look up.

“Uh, hey…” Scootaloo edged closer to her. She tried to act cheerful, but something about this was seriously starting to creep her out. “Twilight, you’ve got some time to talk, right? We came all the way in here to see you.”

Apple Bloom was looking around. The candle cast a tiny ring of light around them, barely enough to see the desk it was sitting on. Everything around them was endless black. “Anyway, Twilight, we’re probably gonna need some help findin’ our way out.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah! So, uh… Could you tell us what’s going on here, at least?”

Twilight said nothing for a moment, then her horn glowed. The book in front of her slammed closed, sending up a cloud of dust. The three of them jumped.

“You know… I’ve always known what’s going on.”

Scootaloo frowned. “Uh… What do you mean?”

Twilight didn’t look up. She stared at the blank cover of the massive book in front of her. “I wasted all that time going over every book in the library, but it was obvious.”

“What do you mean, you knew what was going on?” Scootaloo said. She glanced over at the book, but the cover was blank. Or too old and faded to make out. “How did you find out?”

Twilight looked down. “All this time everypony in town was suffering from these nightmares and I never did a thing to help them. Some princess of Equestria I turned out to be.”

“That’s… not exactly true, right? You would’ve done something to help them,” Sweetie Belle said. “You just couldn’t.”

“You’re right. I couldn’t.” Twilight lifted her head, and stared directly at Scootaloo. “Because that was all your job, wasn’t it?”

“Uh… what do you mean?”

“Luna’s been sending you on these nightly errands for some time now,” Twilight said. “Nopony in town has even noticed you three wandering around through their darkest nightmares. Isn’t it odd that nopony’s noticed it for so long?”

Nightmares. Twilight hadn’t just said that everypony was asleep, Scootaloo realized. She had called them nightmares the first time.

“And while you’ve been busy with that, Luna’s been trying to find out what’s really been causing the nightmares, but she hasn’t gotten any closer to finding out what that is, has she?”

“I believe I have found it now.”

Scootaloo whirled around to see Luna stepping out of the shadows behind them. Her mane cast a blue aura all around her, filling the darkness of the hall. Her eyes were locked onto Twilight.

“Luna? What’re you doing here?” Scootaloo said.

“It’s become too dangerous for the three of you,” Luna said, still not taking her eyes off Twilight. “You must leave now. I shall finish this.”

“Wait, what?” Scootaloo stared at her.

Twilight glared at Luna. Her eyes narrowed, and it was hard to tell, but they seemed to be glowing an unnatural shade of green. “It’s too late now. Even for you.”

Luna said nothing. A spark of blue appeared at the end of her horn, slowly expanding, lighting up the area around them.

Scootaloo blinked. “What are you—”

There was a flash of light, and they were gone.

Everfree

It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust, but Scootaloo recognized this place.

After coming here so many nights, it was familiar. A completely still and silent forest grove, bathed in unnatural dim blue light that emanated from somewhere deep beyond the trees. But they had never been here without Luna.

“What are we doing back here?” Sweetie Belle said, looking around, her eyes wide. “And what happened to Twilight?”

“Luna’s never followed us into a dream before,” Apple Bloom said under her breath.

Scootaloo looked down. “She told me she wanted us to try to wake up if we ran into anything dangerous,” she said. “Maybe… that was it.”

“I don’t think that was Twilight,” Sweetie Belle said. “She didn’t sound like herself. And she wasn’t acting right.”

“Is that it, then?” Apple Bloom said. “Whatever it was, Luna had it backed into a corner. Maybe she’s gonna get this sorted out. I think… it might be over.”

Scootaloo paced across the clearing. She looked up at the tangle of branches above them. The light of a full moon could be seen shining down from a star-filled sky.

It couldn’t be over, not just like that. It seemed too simple. After all that they had gone through, all the trust Luna had placed in them, that was all they had to do? Let her handle it while they just sat back from a safe distance?

“Maybe we can wake ourselves up,” Sweetie Belle said, hopping back up. She raised her front hoof, hesitating, then hit herself across the face. “Ow!” She rubbed her cheek. “Or… maybe not yet.”

“This doesn’t feel right,” Scootaloo said. She was still pacing back and forth. Her legs wouldn’t let her stand still. “We can’t just sit back and wait. There has to be more.”

Sweetie Belle rubbed her cheek. “What does it mean if we can’t wake up? It’s always been easy to wake ourselves up.”

“Uh… m-maybe we should just sit tight for a bit,” Apple Bloom said, tilting her head. “Luna probably sent us here to wait on her. This is where we always meet. I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “If we were really done, I think Luna would have woken us up. It makes no sense for her to send us back here. I mean, this is our meeting spot, right before we go out into another dream…”

She gestured around at the empty clearing. It felt odd without Luna here. Scootaloo had come here dozens of times before, but Luna had always been here waiting for them. Ever since that very first night, and every dream they had gone to since then.

“Back when this started, it was only going after foals like us,” Scootaloo muttered. “Luna sent me to help Sweetie Belle first, then we both went to Apple Bloom’s dream. But then we got sent to Pinkie Pie’s nightmare. From then on, it was affecting everyone in Equestria…”

“You think it was gettin’ more powerful?” Apple Bloom said.

“I think it was working its way up,” Scootaloo said, her eyes widening with the realization. “Twilight’s a princess of Equestria now. She might’ve been this thing’s goal the whole time.”

After all they had done, all the ponies they had saved, what if they hadn’t stopped it at all?

“Well, um…” Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “Apple Bloom’s probably right. Luna’s probably coming back for us. If she’s got any more instructions she’ll come back and tell us what to do next.”

Scootaloo shook her head and continued pacing around the clearing. The soft moonlight and complete stillness of the forest no longer seemed soothing like they usually did. Nothing seemed to have changed, but it all felt so unnatural somehow.

She looked back at the others. Apple Bloom was sitting there quietly, staring up at the trees, apparently lost in thoughts of her own. Sweetie Belle laid with her head resting on her hooves like she was trying to go to sleep.

And Luna was still nowhere to be seen.

Apple Bloom sat there inspecting her hooves. “How long d’you think it’s been?”

“Maybe an hour. Or ten,” Sweetie Belle replied. She let out a sigh. “I thought she’d come back by now.”

Scootaloo stopped pacing, and looked down at her hooves. This waiting wasn’t right. She remembered all of Rainbow Dash’s stories, all the times she’d saved Equestria with the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash would never just wait to be told what to do next. She’d figure it out and take action.

She stared out into the darkness beyond the trees. Even after all the times she had been here, she had never thought much about it. This was just a space Luna created so they could meet safely. It had never mattered what might be out there, if there was anything at all.

What else was there, though?

Scootaloo pointed ahead. “Let’s head out.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes followed where her hoof was pointed. “Out… there?”

“Of course.”

Slowly, Scootaloo took a step forward. Testing it. The ground she stepped on was pitch black, completely covered in shadow. Even her own hoof vanished into the dark once it crossed over the edge.

“B-but… If we go out there, what if Luna comes back, and she doesn’t know where to find us?” Sweetie Belle stammered. “Maybe she’s still coming back for us.”

Scootaloo didn’t look back. She stared straight off into the dark. “I thought you said you were tired of waiting.”

“I’d rather sit here and be bored than… than…” Sweetie Belle didn’t know how to finish the sentence.

“Luna hasn’t come back, and we can’t get ourselves to wake up,” Scootaloo said. “We’ve been through all kinds of dreams before, and this is just like any of those. Whatever is out there, I think we can handle it.”

The others were silent. Apple Bloom stared down at her hooves, then slowly raised her head to look at Scootaloo. She walked up to her side.

“Fine. But we’re staying as close together as we can. No more going off alone, no matter what happens.”

“Deal,” Scootaloo said, with a weak smile.

Sweetie Belle looked at both of them, then dashed over and huddled close to Scootaloo’s side. “I still think this is a bad idea,” she whispered.

Scootaloo took another step, inching forward into the shadow. And it was as if she’d passed through some invisible curtain.

When she looked down, she couldn’t even see her own hoof anymore. Everything was black. The space between the trees they had come from was a faint blue light, fading away with each step they took.

She felt a twig snap under her hoof, and the familiar crunch of fallen leaves in the dirt. The forest was still there, even though she couldn’t see it. She reached ahead with a hoof, trying to feel her way ahead. She didn’t want to run headfirst into any trees. Or something worse.

A few more steps forward. Slowly feeling her way around trees and uneven ground. Everything had gone pitch black. She couldn’t even tell what direction they had started from.

This wasn’t just darkness, it was like they were blind.

Sweetie Belle’s voice came from somewhere near Scootaloo’s side, very softly. “I told you we should have waited for Luna to come back…”

Scootaloo bit her lip. She didn’t want to admit it, but maybe she was right. Regardless, she kept moving, keeping shoulder-to-shoulder with the others. She took another step forward…

It was as if they had crossed some invisible threshold. Scootaloo blinked as she could suddenly see again. Even in the gloomy blue light, it was still something.

“Where… are we?” Apple Bloom muttered, looking around.

The forest was behind them, and ahead of them was a vast field. In the distance, they could see mountains on the horizon. A river flowed alongside the edge of the woods. There was a cobblestone bridge a little ways off crossing over it. Stars twinkled in the open sky, and the full moon was shining again.

Scootaloo shuddered. There was a chill in the air, and the grass had a light dusting of frost. It hadn’t been very cold before they left the woods.

It was still unearthly quiet, though. There was no sign of anypony else – nopony on the road, not even a single light shining in the window of a cottage.

“Where in Equestria are we?” Apple Bloom repeated.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “Do you think this even is Equestria?”

Scootaloo surveyed the landscape. There did seem to be a path, at least, so that was a good place to start. She let out a sigh of relief, and smiled. “I told you. This is just like any other dream. We just need to start looking around until we find some answers, right?”

“I don’t think this is like other dreams,” Sweetie Belle said quietly. “Are you sure we’re even supposed to be out here? It feels like we’re, like, trespassing or something.”

“Well, we did get out of the woods. For a while there, I didn’t think we would,” Apple Bloom said. “There’s somethin’ out here, though, so we might as well look around.”

Scootaloo led the way over the dirt road leading away from the woods. The thought that their meeting place was actually part of this larger world was strange, somehow. It had always seemed like just a tiny bubble, an in-between station between the real world and the dreams.

Though Sweetie Belle did have a point. Something about the utter darkness of the woods made her feel like they were never meant to see what was out here.

It was a clear night, and the air was crisp like in late autumn. It was still so quiet, though. Not even a single cricket was chirping. And they seemed to be the only three ponies on the road.

On the edge of the path, Scootaloo spotted a stone marker set into the ground. She grinned, and ran up to read what it said. But her hopes were soon dashed when she saw the weathered carving on it. It was faded so much it was impossible to tell if the letters were Equestrian or some other language. There did seem to be an arrow pointing the way they were walking.

Sweetie Belle quickened her pace so she wouldn’t get left behind. She looked all around her. “This has got to be somepony’s dream, though, right? Maybe if we find them and wake them up, we’ll wake up too.”

Scootaloo was concentrating on the landscape in the distance. There were mountains on the far edge of the horizon. Something about it seemed familiar, but at the same time it was strange. She was pretty sure she’d never been here before.

“Any thoughts, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked, turning towards her.

Scootaloo ignored her, still studying the mountains. Then she stopped dead in her tracks. “Wait. That’s it.”

Apple Bloom turned to look at her. “What is?”

“That mountain. Don’t you recognize it?”

The others turned to look at it, but both shook their heads.

“It’s… Canterlot,” Scootaloo said. “Or I guess it should be Canterlot. But the castle isn’t there.”

Apple Bloom squinted at it, then her eyes widened. “You’re right! You should be able to see the castle from practically everywhere in Equestria. I could see it from Manehattan just like I could from Ponyville.”

“Are you sure?” Sweetie Belle said. “Maybe it’s just a regular old mountain. I mean, we haven’t seen any other cities, either…”

Scootaloo blinked. “You’ve got a point… There’s no castle, there’s no towns, there aren’t even any other ponies as far as we can see…”

The emptiness of the world suddenly struck her, and she felt incredibly small. It was like they were the only three ponies in the entire world. That forest grove had seemed almost cozy, but out here the world was frighteningly big.

“Wait.” Apple Bloom held up a hoof, motioning for them to be quiet. “You girls hear somethin’?”

It was a distant clattering sound, very faint in the distance. As they stood there listening to it, it was growing a bit louder. Closer.

Scootaloo spun around to see a tired-looking stallion trudging up the road behind them, pulling a rickety wooden cart behind him. He stared ahead with dull eyes, not seeming to notice them until he had nearly run them over. He stopped in mild surprise, and studied them for a moment.

“What are you girls doing alone out here?” the pony said, staring at them with wide eyes. His breath froze in a cloud in front of him. “You…”

“We’re just trying to find our way around out here,” Scootaloo said, forcing a smile. “Where are you going, anyway?”

The stallion shook his head. “Come. Quickly. It is not safe outside for young fillies.”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle took a step back, hiding behind the others.

“What do you mean? What’s out here?” Scootaloo said.

“Get into the cart. I can take you the rest of the way to Everfree.”

The three of them exchanged a glance.

“Should we really trust him? He just kinda showed up out of nowhere,” Apple Bloom whispered. “What was he sayin’ about it bein’ dangerous?”

“He’s the only pony we’ve seen, though,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe he’ll take us wherever we’re supposed to go. We could find out who’s having this dream.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes narrowed, and she studied the old stallion some more. Then she shook her head. “Sure, let’s go. We, uh, actually live not too far away from there.”

There wasn’t much in the back of the cart. A bundle of firewood, a rolled-up canvas tarp, a few burlap sacks filled with oats that didn’t smell quite right. There was plenty of room for the three of them to pile inside.

As soon as they had settled in, the cart started rolling without another word from the stallion pulling it. He stared directly ahead down the road as he silently walked on.

“Did he say he was takin’ us to the Everfree Forest? That means we can’t be far from Ponyville, but I don’t recognize a thing around here…” Apple Bloom said, watching the landscape pass by.

“He seemed like he was afraid of something,” Sweetie Belle said. “But everypony knows that the real scary stuff is in the Everfree Forest.”

Scootaloo snuck another glance at the strange stallion, but he seemed normal enough, if a little quiet. Probably not a monster. But, this being a dream and all, if he suddenly morphed into some horrible creature, she’d be ready to make a break for it.

“Let’s just see where we end up,” she said. “We can jump out early if we need to.”

The cart rolled along, past some frozen, weed-choked fields surrounded by a rotten and collapsed wooden fence. An old windmill turned slowly, its shadow falling over the barren field. Apple Bloom stared out at it. “I’m still just tryin’ to tell myself to wake up. It’s been so easy other times. And we’ve gotta be dreamin’, right?”

“We’ve been here forever. We’re probably going to be late for school if we don’t wake up soon,” Sweetie Belle murmured.

Going back to school was the last thing on Scootaloo’s mind right now. If you counted when they first ended up in the library, it seemed like ages. It had definitely been several hours. Most likely longer than they’d ever spent in any one dream. She wanted to keep going, find out what this place was, but if it was true that they couldn’t wake up, even if they tried…

Scootaloo was almost getting sleepy in the back of the cart—wondering if it was possible to fall asleep again when she was already dreaming—until she was jostled awake, the wooden wheels rattling over uneven paving.

They pulled to a stop, and as Scootaloo lifted her head she saw the rooftops of houses all around her.

She hopped out of the cart, followed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and they looked around at the city street they now found themselves on. Wherever they were, she was sure she had never been anywhere like this before.

Scootaloo turned back to the strange pony who had brought them here. “Thanks, but, uh, where are we?”

“You had best get home before long. It is late,” the stallion said. “It has been late now for a long time…”

Before they could ask him any more questions, he left, pulling his cart down the street and out of sight. The clattering of the wheels faded into a dead silence.

These cottages around them were mostly made out of grey stone and thatched roofs. The walls were overgrown with vines, and tall dry grass poked out from the cobblestone street. Light shone from some of the windows, and occasionally Scootaloo could catch a glimpse of a pair of eyes watching them before ducking back inside and out of sight.

She turned to the others and gave a shrug, then started down the empty, silent street.

The houses were packed closer together than in Ponyville, so it was more of a city than a town. But the buildings weren’t as big as they were in Manehattan, or as stately as they were in Canterlot. The whole place just seemed cold.

“I did hear that guy right, didn’t I?” Sweetie Belle said, looking back over her shoulder as if he might reappear. “He called this place Everfree. It sure doesn’t look like the Everfree Forest.”

“Maybe if we find somepony, they could tell us a little bit about this place,” Apple Bloom said. She squinted, looking down the streets in all directions. Completely deserted.

The three of them continued down the street.

They heard a separate set of hoofsteps echoing down the street, the pace much quicker than their own. Scootaloo held up a hoof, motioning for them to stop.

A mare came into view. She was walking quickly, her head down, making a sharp turn around the corner like she was trying to disappear before anypony noticed her.

Apple Bloom ran up, waving her down. “Hey! ‘Scuse me!”

The pony scowled, then lifted her head to stare at them. “What are you doing? Children like you should not be wandering the streets alone.” Her tone was sharp.

“Well, uh, you see, we’re not from around here,” Apple Bloom said. “This city’s called Everfree, ain’t it? Could you tell us a little about—“

“You should go home.” The mare turned around and dashed down an alleyway, into the shadows and out of sight.

Apple Bloom looked back at the others. “Well, that wasn’t much help.”

“What is it with this place?” Sweetie Belle said. “Everypony’s acting like they’re afraid of something…”

“It’s definitely some kind of nightmare…” Scootaloo said.

They continued down the empty street. Other than some muffled voices from within a cottage, or a door quickly slamming shut as they came near, there were no other ponies outside at this hour.

The full moon still hung motionless in the sky. It was tough to say how many hours had passed since they had first arrived here, but time seemed to be standing still in this dream.

They came into a large courtyard. A stone fountain was at the center of the town square, but it had dried up and was now covered in thorny vines. It looked like it had sat that way for years. It was hard to believe anypony still lived in this city.

Sweetie Belle looked around, and stared up at the sky. “Wait. I know this,” she said suddenly. She pointed up, at a tall structure on the horizon, outlined against the night sky.

Scootaloo squinted at it. “Is that…”

“I think that might be the old castle from the Everfree Forest,” Sweetie Belle said. “Except it’s not falling apart anymore.”

“The Castle of the Two Sisters…” Apple Bloom muttered. She looked around the deserted square. “And didn’t he call this city Everfree?”

It was all starting to make sense. The strange way the ponies here talked, the unfamiliar landscape, this city they had never heard of before.

“I remember something Luna said to me a long time ago,” Scootaloo muttered. “Last Nightmare Night, when she came back to Ponyville. She told me she still felt out of place in today’s Equestria. I… think we’re in the Equestria that she lived in a thousand years ago.”

The old castle had been destroyed when Luna fought against Celestia. This town had probably been abandoned and grown into the Everfree Forest over time.

But in this dream, it was still here, and the castle was still standing.

“So, um…” Sweetie Belle stared up at the castle, a black outline against the deep blue night sky. The windows in the towers were dark. “Do you think Luna’s in there?”

The last they had seen of Luna, she had been in a standoff. Scootaloo could still see that strange gleam in Twilight’s eye. The magic had been just about to start flying when Luna had sent them all away. To this place.

Had she intended for them to leave the forest after all?

“I don’t know,” Scootaloo said at last. “But we might find something up there.”

They took off galloping across the town square, past the houses at the edge of town. The cobblestone street became a long, winding path leading up the hill to the castle gates.

A snowflake drifted down and landed on Scootaloo’s nose as she started the climb towards the castle. By the time they had reached the gates, a light snowfall had started. The temperature seemed to have dropped at least a couple degrees since they first arrived in this dream.

The castle itself was in much more pristine condition than its counterpart in the real world, but it was nothing like Canterlot Castle. It had none of the glistening shine or sweeping curves. The walls were rough, cold grey stone. This wasn’t a palace, it was a fortress ready for battle.

The closer she looked, though, the more she could see that some of the stones in the wall were noticeably lighter in color. Newer. And a section on one of the towers had fallen away completely.

The sight of the damage gave Scootaloo a slightly uneasy feeling. The few ponies they had seen in the city had been on edge, too. Something was definitely wrong here.

“I’m pretty sure the castle out in the Everfree Forest was in way worse shape than this,” Sweetie Belle said, examining the wall.

Scootaloo nodded. “I think we can get in, though. Maybe Luna’s expecting us.” She tried to put on a brave face.

The three of them all pushed their weight into one of the heavy wooden doors of the castle gate, and it slowly creaked open, casting a narrow strip of light over the hall inside.

Despite the light they had seen coming from the windows of the castle, it seemed almost darker inside than it had been outside. The torches lining the hallway were all lit, but burned with odd greenish flames. The three fillies standing in the corridor cast long shadows against the wall.

A grand staircase curved up ahead of them. Banners hung down from the ceiling above the landing and all along the hall. All of them were a dark blue, with a crescent moon insignia.

“Just like Luna’s cutie mark,” Sweetie Belle said. “Maybe she is somewhere in here. I don’t see why she wouldn’t have met us in the usual place, though.”

“But… all of those banners have Luna’s mark on ‘em,” Apple Bloom said, frowning.

“You’re right. Whenever we’ve gone to Canterlot Castle, usually half of them had a sun on them,” Scootaloo said.

“Luna!” Sweetie Belle called out. Her voice echoed throughout the room. “We came here to find you! Are you home?”

No response.

They took the stairs up, passing by some narrow arched windows set into the stone wall. Outside, the snow had started to fall harder, and it collected on the edge of the walls.

The second floor of the castle was equally dark, cold and empty. The corridors branched off in two separate directions. Just like in the library, which now felt like another lifetime, it looked like they could stretch on into infinity. But a huge arched door was just ahead of them, and it looked important.

Scootaloo pushed it open, and stepped into a long, high-vaulted room. At the far end stood a single throne, under another crescent-moon banner.

Apple Bloom followed her inside, staring at the huge chamber. “L-Luna? You in here?” she said. Sweetie Belle silently crept in, sticking close behind her.

The moonlight filtered through a series of stained glass windows lining the hall. They sort of reminded her of the ones in the grand hallway in Canterlot Castle, the ones that told the stories of Rainbow Dash’s and the other Element bearers’ adventures. Scootaloo stepped up to the first window to examine it, and let out a gasp.

The two figures were easy to identify—the white one was Celestia, and the blue one would be Luna. In the first window, Celestia stood on the balcony of a tower, with a crowd of ponies looking up to her, while Luna stood far in the background, watching from a distance.

In the next window, Luna and Celestia stood alone in the clouds. Celestia’s head was turned away, her eyes closed. Even in the crude style, the sadness seemed real.

“Isn’t this… y’know, that story?” Sweetie Belle whispered.

Scootaloo walked ahead to the next one. The two princesses were depicted in flight above a darkened landscape, a beam of light shining from Luna’s horn, enveloping her sister.

“I’m starting to think it isn’t,” Scootaloo said quietly.

Slowly, Scootaloo came to the next window, though she already knew how this must end. In the final panel, Luna was alone, outlined against a full moon. Her wings were spread out wide, and ponies on the ground looked up at her. As Scootaloo leaned closer to the glass, it was hard to tell if they were supposed to be watching her with admiration or fear.

“Who dares to enter the Castle of the Night?”

“Luna?” Scootaloo whirled around at the sound of the booming voice, but there was a hard edge to the princess’s voice that she was not used to hearing.

Princess Luna stood at the far end of the hall, outlined in the moonlight. She seemed taller than usual. Her coat was a deep black, and instead of her crown, she was wearing armor.

“Have you three foals come here alone?” she demanded, eyeing the three of them with an expression of distaste. “What business could you have with us?”

“L-Luna, it’s us. Remember?” Scootaloo tried to smile, but she knew full well that, somehow, this wasn’t Luna.

Sweetie Belle had spun around and sprinted for the doors, but they slammed shut before she could leave, with a force that seemed to shake the entire room. She turned around and stared at the dark figure, completely speechless.

“Y-You, um…” Apple Bloom stammered. “What happened to Twilight back there? In that dream we were just in?”

Luna stared at her, and slowly took a step forwards. The three of them backed away as she advanced towards them. “We do not know what you are talking about. You should know that the castle is off limits to commoners, especially if they are going to waste my time.”

“Luna, you have to stop! Whatever’s going on, this isn’t you!” Scootaloo shouted, her voice hoarse.

Nightmare Moon turned and fixated her gaze on Scootaloo, her eyes narrowing. She spoke in a voice that echoed throughout the hall and seemed to surround them. “We have not gone by that name for a long time. Not since we defeated our sister, and took our rightful place as the true ruler of Equestria!”

Fall from Grace

Scootaloo stared at the tall figure of Nightmare Moon, standing across the dark and cold hall, eyeing them as if they were nothing but flies to be swatted away.

She could still remember when Nightmare Moon had returned a few years ago, the same night that Twilight had arrived in Ponyville. Back then, Scootaloo hadn’t even heard of Princess Luna.

To see her like this again, after getting to know her so well, it was hard to believe they were the same pony.

All those times that they had met each night, Luna had always seemed so cool and collected. Only rarely did Scootaloo ever see a hint of sadness or anger cross her face, and never for more than a second. Now it seemed like everything she kept pent up inside had finally been released.

“Luna…” Scootaloo said, her voice nearly a whisper. “I know you have to remember us. You have to remember all those nightmares you helped us stop. And you have to remember that this is all in the past. You aren’t Nightmare Moon anymore.”

“I have heard enough from you,” Nightmare Moon said, her voice echoing throughout the hall. “Perhaps I was not clear when I told you to leave this place. Very well, then. I shall remove you myself!”

A blast of violet magic shot out of her horn, crackling with veins of black lightning. Scootaloo leapt out of the way, but she could feel the static electricity pass by, grazing the tip of her tail.

“Luna, you have to stop this! It’s all just a bad dream!” Scootaloo shouted. “You’ve seen tons of other ponies’ nightmares, can’t you tell when you’re having your own?”

Her question was answered with another bolt of magic. She flew behind one of the stone columns lining the hall, and found Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle taking shelter there already.

“How are we supposed to get her to listen?” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo peeked around the corner at the tall figure of Nightmare Moon standing across the room. There was a dark gleam in her eyes as she fired another volley of magic blasts at towards them, shattering the pillar just inches above their heads.

Sweetie Belle squeezed her eyes shut tight as she quickly conjured a barrier above them, the rubble bouncing off harmlessly. Her horn flickered and it faded. “Just saying, this would be a really great time to wake up.”

“We can’t! Not now!” Scootaloo said. “Besides, even if we could get ourselves to wake up, we can’t let this thing take over Luna’s mind again.”

“So… whatever this thing we’ve been fighting is, it’s what made her turn into Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago?” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo nodded. “I think so. But we might still have a chance to stop it. As long as we’re in her mind, too, we might be able to snap her out of this.”

Apple Bloom bit her lip, taking a cautious peek from behind the piles of debris. “Luna, uh, whatever it is you’re goin’ through, you gotta remember who we are,” she said. “Just because you’re mad or scared or whatever doesn’t mean you have to take it out on us, right?”

Another blast of dark purple magic streaked past, just inches from Apple Bloom’s face, and she shrank back behind the broken pillar.

“Uh, Scootaloo, I’m startin’ to think nothin’ but the Elements of Harmony can stop her now,” Apple Bloom said.

“It’s just a nightmare. We can fix this like we’ve fixed all the others,” Scootaloo said.

No matter what happened, she didn’t want to have to resort to the Elements of Harmony. Luna had only been back in Equestria for a couple years now. If she turned evil again, maybe Celestia would decide she was too dangerous, and banish her again. Maybe permanently this time.

She had no choice. She had to keep trying.

“I know you feel angry at Celestia. You’ve told me about this before,” Scootaloo said. She glanced back at the others. “We’ve all got big sisters. And you were the one who helped us through our problems with them, remember? We understand what you’re going through!”

“No. You do not.” Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing you say can return one thousand years of lost time. How can I be expected to rule over an Equestria I no longer recognize?”

Scootaloo stared at her. “You do remember…”

“She has no right to call herself my sister. She does not even have the right to call herself Princess of Equestria!”

“We can just talk about this! We’re friends, aren’t we?” Scootaloo said. “Please, Luna! You don’t have to do this!”

Nightmare Moon’s face softened, just for a moment, but in that brief glimpse Scootaloo could see something left of Princess Luna in there.

“You have to remember what happened a thousand years ago,” Scootaloo said. “You can’t let that happen again.”

“Enough!” Nightmare Moon shook her head. “You have refused to listen to me. Just as she refused to listen. There is but one way to settle this.”

Nightmare Moon began to charge another spell. Her horn was covered in a thick purple aura, crackling with lightning.

Scootaloo took a small step forward out from behind their cover. She stood in the pool of moonlight filtered through the stained glass windows. “Luna, I… I know you wouldn’t hurt us,” she said. Her voice was shaking, and she wasn’t completely sure she believed what she was saying. But she had to hold fast. “We can just talk about this. I can help you, like you’ve always helped me.”

There was a flash, and for a split second Scootaloo saw a bolt of dark magic flying straight towards her. She heard Sweetie Belle call out her name, just before Apple Bloom ran up and pushed Scootaloo aside.

She heard something shattering, and was briefly aware of colored shards of glass floating all around her.

Then all three of them were falling. They’d broken through one of the stained glass windows, and now they were—

Scootaloo hit something hard, much earlier than she had expected. She rubbed her head, and managed to stand up. Shards of the broken window crunched beneath her hooves.

“How the hay did we end up back here?” Apple Bloom said, looking around.

Somehow they had ended up back in the throne room. Not outside, plummeting several stories to the ground like she had expected. It was a pleasant surprise, at least.

Scootaloo rubbed her head, and looked up to survey her surroundings. It was still dark, but something had changed. The remaining windows looked different, but she couldn’t tell what it was in this light.

“What was that sound? Is someone there?” She turned to see Luna standing at the far end of the room near the throne, looking in their direction. “Sister, is that you?”

It was Luna. Her armor was gone. The banners hanging behind her had changed—there was now a golden sun alongside the moon. Luna looked just as she always had, but her eyes were wide with fear. She seemed to be staring past them, towards the far end of the room.

“She’s back to normal?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “But how? What’d we do?”

Scootaloo galloped over to Luna’s side. “Luna! Are you okay? Can you wake yourself up now?”

Luna didn’t respond. It was as if she hadn’t even noticed them, or the window that they had just smashed through. Scootaloo looked back at it, and despite the glass still littering the floor, the window was still intact. It showed the figures of Luna and Celestia standing together, in front of what seemed to be the Crystal Empire, but it was halfway covered by dark clouds.

But then Scootaloo noticed something else—a figure standing at the far end of the room, her eyes blazing with a mixture of both fear and anger.

“Luna…” Celestia said, her voice trembling. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the pony across the room. She spoke again, finding the strength to raise her voice. “I’m sorry. You’ve left me no other choice.”

Luna blinked. “Sister, is something the matter?”

Celestia lowered her head, aiming her horn towards Luna as it began to shine with magic the color of sunlight. “I will do what is necessary to protect Equestria.”

Taking a step back, Luna shook her head. “Please, I... I do not understand what you are saying. We have always protected Equestria together, have we not?”

Celestia said nothing, but closed her eyes. As the light around her horn grew brighter, the rest of the room seemed to become darker. Luna inched away, closer to the throne, but still refused to prepare a spell of her own.

Scootaloo ran up to stand in front of Luna. “Princess Celestia, you don’t have to fight her!” she shouted. “She’s back to normal! Don’t you hear me?”

Celestia didn’t move. The light around her horn began to shine brighter.

There wasn’t any time to think. Scootaloo spread her wings and leapt into action.

She flew straight across the room, careening into Celestia, knocking her aside. The contact felt solid. The blast of magic she had been charging ricocheted off and blasted a gaping hole in the ceiling. Chunks of stone rained down, sending up a cloud of dust covering the room.

“What?” Celestia gasped. She looked around for the source of the attack, but she didn’t seem to be able to see them.

“What are you doing?” Sweetie Belle cried. “Did you just—you just attacked Princess Celestia!“

Celestia stood back up, gritting her teeth. She didn’t even look in Scootaloo’s direction. Scootaloo realized that Celestia couldn’t even see her. Neither of them could.

“Luna must be remembering what happened a thousand years ago,” Scootaloo muttered. “Or some version of it, at least. We can’t let her get banished again.”

“But she’s not evil anymore, is she?” Sweetie Belle said. “Why would Celestia still be trying to fight her?”

“It’s not Celestia. Not really,” Scootaloo said. “That’s just part of her nightmare. Whatever it is, we can’t let it win.”

Luna stood her ground at the end of the throne room. “Sister? What is the meaning of this?”

Celestia spoke very slowly, her voice trembling. “No matter what the cost, I will not give up until I have defeated you.”

Luna folded her wings at her sides. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“For the good of all Equestria, I will do what has to be done.”

Celestia aimed her horn and shot another burst of magic across the room. Luna quickly created a barrier in front of her, and it shattered as the force of the spell made contact.

Apple Bloom dodged between the pillars, making her way across the throne room towards Luna. “Come on, Princess,” she said. “Can’t you just stop and think for a sec? Your sister wouldn’t do somethin’ like this! Don’t you trust ‘er?”

Luna gritted her teeth. She tried to blink back tears. “Sister… I beg of you, please stop this!”

Her horn began to crackle with black electricity. Instead of a magic aura, darkness was starting to form around it. It was the same as it had been just moments before. As she slowly opened her eyes, and Scootaloo saw something there that wasn’t the same Luna she knew.

“Luna, don’t give in to it!” Scootaloo yelled. No matter how much she strained her voice, neither of the Princesses seemed to hear. “This isn’t how it really happened, don’t you remember?”

The dark magic on Luna’s horn crackled and fizzled out. She blinked again, and her eyes returned to normal.

A blast of golden light shot past her, and she quickly jumped out of the way. It burned a hole through one of the dark blue banners, smoke rising from where there had once been a crescent moon emblem.

“The only way Equestria’s safety can be ensured is if you are removed from it!” Celestia said. “This is for the good of the entire kingdom!”

“I know I’ve had fights with my big sister before,” Sweetie Belle said. Her voice was almost too soft to be heard above the spells ricocheting off the walls. “Don’t you remember all the things she’s ever done for you? You two must be friends, just like me and my sister…”

The column near Sweetie Belle exploded, hit by a stray spell. There was a flash as she teleported away, and the roof caved in. The night sky could be seen through the hole in the ceiling, and snow started to blow inside, glittering in the light of the moon.

“Remember, Luna? She still let you come back after a thousand years!” Sweetie Belle said. “She could have sent you away forever, but she’s your sister, so she wouldn’t do that! She wanted to help you!”

Luna leapt into the air, weaving through the hail of magic Celestia was casting at her. Scootaloo glided along beside her, studying her face for any sign that she was hearing what they were saying. She seemed completely focused on her avoiding her sister’s barrage of attacks.

She swooped down for a landing near one of the few remaining windows, and stood there panting for breath. Scootaloo landed beside her.

“Didn’t you say you had to take responsibility for this? It isn’t Celestia’s fault. I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to admit that.” She sighed. “Come on, you have to be hearing me!”

“Luna! Can you hear me, sister?”

Celestia’s voice rang out, echoing through the hallway. Scootaloo looked over and saw she was still fighting. But somehow, it hadn’t sounded like her voice had actually come from her…

“Please, open your eyes!”

The remaining windows shattered, the walls collapsed and crumbled into dust. Everything outside was utter blackness surrounding them.

It all went deathly silent. Then:

“Sister! I beg of you, just open your eyes!”

Luna stood there, barely visible in the darkness, trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes were wide, staring blankly ahead.

Scootaloo followed her gaze and saw a door standing open, though nothing was beyond it but a solid stone wall. She frowned, and let her eyes adjust to the almost total darkness. They were in a cave somewhere, and the throne room was gone. It didn’t look like they were awake quite yet.

Celestia’s horn glowed bright gold as she slammed the door shut. She put a wing around Luna’s shoulder, but Luna recoiled at her touch.

“You attacked me,” Luna said in a quiet voice, staring at Celestia. “You told me you were to be the sole ruler of Equestria.”

“It was an illusion,” Celestia said. “There is nothing to fear. He is using these visions to scare you. We promised we would always rule Equestria together as sisters, and I would never betray that promise.” She gave a gentle smile, and reached out her wing over Luna’s shoulder again.

Luna nodded silently, but didn’t take her eyes off the door.

Celestia’s expression became serious again. “But we must continue on. The Crystal Empire is depending on us.”

“Y-yes. Of course, my sister,” Luna said, her voice still weak.

A bolt of magic shot out of Celestia’s horn, shining a blinding light on the door, which swung open again. Instead of solid stone, there was now a shimmering stairway of crystal beyond the barrier, bathed in a bright light.

“Quickly,” Celestia said, and led the way forward. Hesitantly, Luna followed after her.

Scootaloo watched them disappear up the stairway, feeling as if it was impossible for her to move. She turned and saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle still at her side. She took a deep breath, and put one hoof forward.

The door slammed shut in her face.

Sweetie Belle jumped back. “I don’t get it. What’s going on?” She looked around, as if noticing their surroundings for the first time. “And where are we now, anyways? It doesn’t look much like the Crystal Empire. Are we underground or something?”

“Must be another one of her memories,” Apple Bloom said, tilting her head. “Did she ever say anythin’ to you about what happened in the Crystal Empire back then, Scootaloo?”

“No, I don’t really know much about that,” Scootaloo said. She walked forward, placing a hoof on the door. It was solid, cold wood. It didn’t seem to be enchanted, at least as far as she could tell. “I think it’s still hard for her to talk about her past. Even with me.”

“Then I guess we should just follow ’em so we can find out what this is all about?” Apple Bloom said, pointing towards the door.

“Right.” Scootaloo nodded.

She looked up at the door. It seemed odd to see a plain wooden door, like something you’d see at in old house, in the wall of a cave. But then again, she’d seen weirder stuff in dreams before.

She reached up for the knob and pulled it open.

She squinted, trying to make out what was inside. It didn’t look like much of anything, but the shapes were starting to come together. Scootaloo could swear she had seen this before.

That was when something pulled her inside.

Everything went dark.

She turned around. “Uh, Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Are you guys there?” They didn’t respond.

Gradually, she began to make out her surroundings. Things were starting to take shape around her. She knew this place.

And no matter how many times she came here, it always went the same way.

The overgrown forest path was familiar, but at the same time, strange. Moss hung down from the skeletal branches above her, and tangled roots poked out of the ground. Somehow Scootaloo knew that Ponyville wasn’t far away, but no matter how many times she came here, she never knew the way out.

The rotten trees reached out their branches towards her like they were trying to grab her, but they didn’t actually move. At least not when she was looking.

Just like she always did, Scootaloo would start walking. It was all she could do. The only sound here would be the sound of her own hoofsteps, at least for a while. Then after she would walk a short way, she would start to hear an echo. And then she would stop. And the echo would keep going.

She always knew she wasn’t alone here, yet the sound would still surprised her. Panic would flare up in her chest. Her heart would start racing, and she had to get away.

The second set of hoofsteps would start to move quicker. Scootaloo would pick up her own pace as well, into a fast trot, then a gallop, but those other hoofsteps were always faster. And getting louder. Closer.

She would look over her shoulder and see the dark figure there, outlined against the night sky. A pony rearing up tall against the night sky, just like in the old story. A pony without a head.

Scootaloo tried to run away as fast as her legs could carry her. She realized she still didn’t know how to get back to Ponyville. She was alone out here. Nopony was here to help her. Nopony except…

Except…

Scootaloo stopped. She turned around to face the other pony. It seemed to stare back at her, but of course, it had no eyes.

“Why am I doing this?” she asked.

It didn’t answer. It wasn’t used to questions.

“You’re just some old campfire story Rainbow Dash told me a long time ago,” Scootaloo said. “I haven’t had this nightmare for months now. I shouldn’t even be afraid of you anymore. I’ve seen way worse nightmares than you, and I beat them all. So why am I running from you?”

The Headless Horse stood there motionless.

“This isn’t what I’m really afraid of. I don’t think it’s ever been what I’m really afraid of,” Scootaloo said. “But I know what I’m scared of right now. I’m scared that I’m going to lose Princess Luna, maybe forever, unless I can get back out there and help her. I’ve been through all kinds of nightmares, and I can’t let myself mess up on this one.”

Scootaloo took a step backwards, taking one last look at the Headless Horse before turning away. The way out had to be somewhere around here, if she kept looking. As she spun around, she ran headfirst into something.

Standing right there in front of her, looking down at her in surprise, was Rainbow Dash.

“Whoa. You’re, uh… doing pretty well for yourself, squirt.”

“Wha—R-Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo stammered. “What’re you doing here?”

“You’ve had this dream loads of times now. I’m supposed to be the one who shows up and helps you out of these things, right?” Rainbow said, eyeing the Headless Horse still standing back there a few steps away. “Of course, I haven’t done that for a while now. And looks like you’re handling things just fine on your own.”

“Well, yeah. I guess I am.” Scootaloo grinned nervously. Then she shook her head. “Wait a second. You’re not even real, are you? I’m dreaming right now. Except we were just in Luna’s dream. And then… uh…”

“Does it even matter if I’m real?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You’ve got other ponies waiting on you, don’t you?”

Scootaloo suddenly remembered Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. She looked around, but they were still nowhere to be seen. “Oh. Right.”

“I’ll make this quick, since I’m bad at talking about these kinds of things and you’ve got places to be right now,” Rainbow said. She paused a moment, and scratched her chin. “Look, you’ve grown up. A lot. You’ve been doing all sorts of crazy stuff practically every night. And you know why?”

“Um…” Scootaloo stared at her. “I guess I wanted to be like you?”

“I don’t think that was it.” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s because all those ponies having nightmares were your friends. And you know better than anypony what it’s like to have nightmares. You didn’t want to see them going through that.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“Plus you’ve been looking out for your friends the whole way. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle would’ve been hopeless if you didn’t have their backs the whole way. You’ve really turned out to be a leader, you know that?”

Scootaloo scratched her head. “Well, yeah, but what’s this all about?”

“I’ll get to the point,” Rainbow said. “I, uh… I haven’t always been there for you like I should have been. You deserve a way better big sister than me. And, right now, I think you deserve this, too.”

She stuck out her hoof, and Scootaloo looked down at the sparkling object being thrust in her face. A red lightning bolt glinted in the center of a gleaming necklace.

“Huh? But that’s your—“

“Like I said, not much time. You’re gonna need this more than I do right now. And I think you’ve got what it takes, kid.”

Slowly, Scootaloo reached out and took the Element of Harmony from Rainbow Dash. She tried fastening it around her neck, but it hung there limp, definitely a few sizes too big for her.

“What am I supposed to do with it, though?”

Rainbow shrugged. “You’ll figure something out. You always do.”

Scootaloo touched the gemstone, but as far as she could tell, it was just plain old jewelry. “Could you at least tell me how you use it?”

Without another word, Rainbow Dash began to fade away, until she finally vanished completely. Scootaloo was alone in the woods again. She took a step back.

That was when she felt a hoof grab her shoulder.

“Hey, you alright? Come on, say somethin’!” Apple Bloom shook her.

Blinking, Scootaloo looked around. They were back in the cave. Now she wasn’t sure if she had ever actually left. The door was still open in front of her, but there was only a solid rock wall behind it.

“Scootaloo? Are you going to be okay?” Sweetie Belle said quietly.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Scootaloo nodded, then looked down. She could still feel the weight of the necklace, and sure enough it was still there, even if Rainbow Dash was gone now.

“Wait, where’d that come from?” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo shook her head. “There’s no time to explain. We need to get back to Luna.”

“Whoa, slow down. What just happened to you? You tried to open that door and you’ve just been standin’ there ever since,” Apple Bloom said. She was still staring at the necklace. “What the hay did it do to you?”

“I’m not sure,” Scootaloo said. She turned to Sweetie Belle. “Think you could figure out a way past it? I think Princess Celestia used some kind of spell on it.”

Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “I guess, but what kind of magic would that be?”

Scootaloo stared at the door. When she went through, she’d had the same old nightmare she used to have, ever since the camping trip. And had this been the thing that gave Luna that nightmare about Celestia attacking her? She’d been staring at it when they got pulled out of that part of the dream…

“Whatever this thing is, it’s got something to do with the nightmares everypony’s been having. There has to be a way to get past it,” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom let out a sigh, and sat down on the floor. “Well, I’m no expert on magic. I got no clue what we should do.”

“I’m not really an expert on magic either,” Sweetie Belle said.

Was this even a part of Luna’s nightmare, or was it something else? Somehow Scootaloo got the feeling this door had something to do with all the different nightmares she had been through, ever since…

That was when it hit her. Scootaloo ran over to Sweetie Belle. “I’ve got it!”

“Huh?”

Scootaloo put her hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “Just think about last year when you sang at the talent show. That time you got your cutie mark,” she said. “Then try to cast a spell on the door.”

“You think that’ll work?” Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose, frowning.

“When you were able to get up in front of all those ponies, it’s because you were able to get over your worst fear. The one you had been having nightmares about,” Scootaloo said. “I don’t know much about magic, but just try to remember how it felt when you weren’t afraid anymore.”

Sweetie Belle paused. “Uh…” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Then she opened them, and smiled. “Here goes...”

At first, nothing happened. A few feeble green sparks fell from the tip of her horn and fizzled out.

Then, a surprisingly bright jet of green magic shot out of her horn, and surrounded the door. It glowed for a moment, and Sweetie Belle dug her hooves in, pushing back against the massive surge of energy. Then, finally, the door swung open.

Scootaloo was nearly knocked sideways into the snow by a sudden gust of frigid air. There hadn’t been snow a moment ago…

“Uh, what the hay is that?” Apple Bloom said.

When Scootaloo managed to stand back up, she let out a gasp. In front of them was a gigantic, writhing mass of darkness, towering above them, even dwarfing the two alicorns standing before it.

“Now, sister! If we use the elements, we can seal him away!”

Princess Celestia was standing a few meters away, in between them and the dark cloud. Three glowing gemstones orbited around her, shining with all the colors of the rainbow.

Scootaloo stared at the wall of shadow, taking a step back. She glanced over her shoulder and wasn’t surprised to see that the doorway they had just come through had vanished. Typical. She turned her attention back to whatever it was that the princesses were fighting. It was a chaotic, formless thing, but the longer she stared up at it the more she began to see it taking shape.

“Is that… King Sombra?” Apple Bloom said under her breath. “It’s just like our sisters told us, remember? This must’ve been when the princesses saved the Crystal Empire.”

Luna took a step back away from the darkness, and cast a sideways glance at Celestia. Then she produced three gemstones of her own. They began to spin around her, glowing brighter as they increased in speed.

“O-Of course, my sister,” she said. “We will end this now.”

The writhing black mass seemed to condense, taking a more slender shape that was still somehow not quite solid. It was almost starting to look like a pony. Whatever it was stood tall, its head lifted high, looking down on them.

Luna blinked. Her magic began to falter, and the Elements circling her began to slow. She stared at it, then breathed a single word.

“You…”

The dark shape turned what seemed to be its head. If it had any eyes, they would probably be fixed on Luna. But maybe it was actually looking farther, at the three fillies standing in the snow behind her.

Then, it began to speak.

“We still depend on the power of Harmony to fight our battles? Do we really believe our bond with our sister is strong enough to overcome every obstacle?”

Sweetie Belle backed away. “What is that thing?”

“It kinda sounds like… Princess Luna’s voice,” Apple Bloom said quietly.

The red gemstone hovering near Luna drifted over towards the black figure, but the blue glow of her magic around it didn’t fade.

“We have always given her our loyalty, but when has she ever shown any to us?” the shape said. It was beginning to solidify, looking more and more like a mirror image of Luna. The light from the red gemstone, floating right next to its face, didn’t reveal any features. “Is a princess who leaves her own sister in the shadows, her own sister who has stood beside her in her every moment of need, truly worthy of ruling Equestria?”

Luna stared at it, though she didn’t seem apprehensive or even surprised. She simply listened. Celestia still held her ground, her own three Elements swirling around her. She didn’t seem to have noticed the transformation or heard anything it said.

“You have stood back and allowed her to claim all the glory, never once asking for thanks. Is it truly wrong to desire just the smallest amount of recognition?”

Luna took a step back, and glanced over at Celestia for just a moment.

“Whatever that thing is, don’t listen to it,” Scootaloo said.

Luna's shadow reached out a hoof towards her. “We, who have seen inside the very minds of our subjects. We, who have faced their every darkest fear. Are we to remain unknown forever while she basks in the admiration of her kingdom?”

“We must defeat it now, or the Empire will surely fall!” Celestia said. “Quickly, sister!”

The voice coming from the shadow sounded slightly amused. “If ponies were to wake up one day to find their precious sun no longer shining, they would have no choice but to finally recognize the beauty of our night, the darkness that we have always guided them through.”

“Are you certain…” Luna’s eyes drifted over, watching Celestia. “…that they would hear our message after only one day?”

There was a loud crack. The Element of Harmony held by the black shape shattered into pieces. The magic aura around them faded, and they drifted away on the wind, vanishing into the distance.

“Listen to me, Luna!” Scootaloo said. “It doesn’t matter if nopony notices what you’ve done. It doesn’t mean it was pointless. Whether they know what you did or not, it doesn’t change the fact that what you do is important!”

Luna blinked, as if she had just been released from a trance, and her ears perked up.

“I know that Celestia depends on you. Even if she gets all the attention, she still knows how much you do for her. And she can’t defeat this thing without you!”

Without any time to lose, Scootaloo remembered what Rainbow Dash had said to her. She tugged on her necklace until the chain snapped. She threw it towards Luna.

For a moment, it seemed like Luna still couldn’t see her. The necklace flew past her face and she didn’t even blink. Then, suddenly, her horn lit up and the pendant was frozen in midair. She pulled it back closer to her, and the red lightning bolt joined the two other gems circling around her.

“Now, sister!” Celestia’s voice rang out, and the shadowy duplicate of Luna dissipated back into formless black mist. The wall reared up, like a black ocean wave about to crash over them.

Luna’s eyes narrowed, and the Elements swirling around her converged with Celestia’s. A dazzling rainbow shot out, surrounding the dark form and forcing it back away.

A deep roar seemed to issue from within the mist, a sound that wasn’t like any creature or pony Scootaloo had ever heard. It rumbled throughout the snow-covered fields.

The ground beneath their hooves began to shake. The crystal towers scattered across the field, one by one, began to tumble and fall.

“He must have used what remained of his magic to seal away the Empire,” Celestia said. “We were too late to save it, but the rest of Equestria may still be safe. But we must leave, immediately. We shall return to Everfree.”

The tremors grew even stronger. As what was left of the black cloud faded away, the light around them was nearly blinding. Scootaloo put her hoof up to shield her eyes, but she still couldn’t see a thing.

“I... I think it’s workin’! She’s wakin’ up!” She could hear Apple Bloom’s voice, but she couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

“Did you hear that, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle said, somewhere. “It worked! I think we were able to—“

Scootaloo blinked in the bright light. The sun was shining. It seemed like forever since she had seen it.

She was standing on top of the castle walls, or at least what was left of them. Only one tower was left standing, the rest of them had been destroyed. In the distance, she could see Everfree—the city, not the forest. Only a few distant figures could be seen milling about the streets.

Luna was standing beside her, silently looking out over the destruction.

“Uh, Luna?” Scootaloo said, unsure if she would get a response. “Please tell me this is all over now…”

“Sometimes it is hard to believe it has been over a thousand years since we lived here,” Luna said. “It pains me to see it in this state. And yet, I know there is none to blame but myself.”

“You’re… okay now?” Scootaloo blinked.

“You have seen now what I have struggled with every day since my return.” Luna’s voice was bitter. She turned her head away. “It has not been easy, and I cannot say that it is over yet. It may never be.”

A shadow passed over them, and Celestia swooped down a short distance away. Her white coat was smudged with dirt and soot. She hung her head with a sigh, then blinked up at the sun on the horizon.

Scootaloo watched her. “I don’t think it was easy for her, either.”

“Certainly not…” Luna said quietly.

Celestia closed her eyes, and with some effort her horn flickered and began to glow. The sun began to set over the edge of the horizon. The single remaining tower cast a long shadow over Scootaloo and Luna, but Celestia didn’t seem to see them. This was only a memory, after all.

“It’s hard to understand what other ponies are going through, isn’t it?” Scootaloo said. “I always thought I had it bad. But I guess everypony does. Even you.”

The sun had nearly disappeared completely, and the sky was on the brink of twilight. The aura around Celestia’s horn flickered and nearly faded, but she braced herself, and the light began to shine steadily again.

Luna watched as her sister raised the full moon in the sky, over the ruins of their castle and the ponies sleeping in town. From where they stood, they could see for miles, over all the fields and forests and mountains to the edge of the horizon, all disappearing into the shadows as night fell.

“This first night must have been especially difficult for her,” Luna said. “I cannot even imagine how she ruled over Equestria alone for so long.”

Celestia finally released the spell, and it seemed to drain the last of her energy. She stumbled, and nearly collapsed right there on the spot. With a deep breath, she spread her wings, and flew away, circling back down to the entrance of what remained of her home.

“I believe we have seen enough here,” Luna said. She looked down at Scootaloo. “Shall we be returning home, then?”

Scootaloo nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.”

She could still see the full moon shining above them in a starry sky, but she was beginning to feel the warmth of an afternoon sun on her face.

Nightfall

Ponyville looked like a tiny model underneath the clouds. Shadows stretched out away from the rising sun. Ponies were just waking up to get ready for the day ahead, but in the skies a streak of color was already zigzagging across the sky.

Rainbow Dash sliced through the clouds, reducing them to vapor, then slowed down to survey what was left. A few low clouds still hung over about half of the town. She reared up to fly over to them when something else sped past her. Something small and orange.

She grinned. “Hey, squirt, don’t leave me hanging!” Rainbow called.

Scootaloo glanced back to see Rainbow Dash flying up behind her. Her wings began to buzz even faster. She wasn’t about to let Rainbow beat her.

She did a loop in midair, then swooped down to knock out a stray cloud. Rainbow Dash flew up beside her.

“You’re pretty fast for a kid,” Rainbow said.

“What do you mean, ‘for a kid?’” Scootaloo said with a smirk. “I totally passed you back there.”

“Well, yeah, I was going easy on you.”

“Oh, really?” Scootaloo took off again, flying in a spiral around the top of Town Hall. She swung around the flagpole on top, then slowed down to watch Rainbow Dash catch up to her.

The two of them paused at the top of the roof. Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “Okay. You’re just fast in general.”

“How about a race?” Scootaloo said. She pointed a hoof towards the only part of town with clouds still hanging over it. “Let’s see who can knock out the most of those clouds. And you better not go easy on me!”

“You’re on!”

They took off in two different directions, cutting twisted paths through the sky. Scootaloo lined herself up in front of four more clouds and took them all out in one sweep.

The wind in her mane and the warmth of the morning sun felt great. Scootaloo watched a few ponies walking on the street below her, stuck down there on the ground while she was having the time of her life up here.

She glanced over her shoulder to see how Rainbow Dash was doing. Her jaw dropped when she saw that half the clouds were already gone, but it wasn’t over yet. Scootaloo’s wings buzzed as she put forth another burst of speed, and headed towards another cloud.

Scootaloo centered herself in front of the cloud, then sped up to punch through it. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the puff of cold vapor to pass over her. Instead, she felt something heavy coming over her. She flapped her wings harder, trying to fight through it. It finally gave in, but she felt herself falling.

“Whoa, kid! You alright?” Rainbow Dash said, diving to meet her.

Scootaloo swooped back up, and gave a weak smile. “You kidding? That was nothing.”

She tried to shake off the feeling and headed for the next cloud. It really was nothing, right?

As she got closer, she noticed that this cloud wasn’t just a fluffy white cumulus like the others. It was thick, grey. A storm cloud, even though the weather was scheduled to be clear today. All the more reason to get rid of it.

She gritted her teeth, and flew straight into it. Darkness seemed to surround her. Everything went completely black for a moment, and once again she felt a heavy resistance pushing her back. With a final push of effort, she flapped her wings as hard as she could, and emerged on the other side.

The blue skies had suddenly turned dark. It was nightfall, but the moon and stars were nowhere to be seen. Worst of all, her wings weren’t carrying her anymore. She was falling.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo’s head whipped around wildly, but she couldn’t see anything. Just the tangle of branches in the forest that was rapidly approaching from below.

She let out a yelp of pain as she hit the branches, hearing the twigs snap as she tumbled through. She tumbled into another limb, and another, and finally hit the forest floor. Hard.

Legs shaking, Scootaloo picked herself up, and looked around. “Rainbow Dash…?”

She had no idea where she was. The Everfree Forest, maybe? Where had Rainbow Dash gone? They had just been flying a few minutes ago.

Scootaloo scratched her head, expecting to feel a lump where she’d smacked into a tree branch. It was so hard to see anything in the darkness, and she had no idea which way to go. Everything seemed to have gone red.

That was when she remembered. She hadn’t been here since last summer, but there was no mistaking it. These were the woods near Winsome Falls. The very woods said to be haunted by the Headless Horse.

The thought made her stop dead in her tracks. Then, slowly, she tried to get her bearings. That fall had really knocked her around, but she had a feeling that Ponyville was just down the path. She started walking.

Scootaloo was alone, and even though it was kind of creepy, alone was good. Alone meant that nopony was following her, and she really didn’t want to run into anypony out in these woods.

That was when she heard the snap of a twig behind her. She stopped to listen, and could hear the rhythmic sound of hoofsteps somewhere in the woods. They sounded like they were behind her. No, in front. Or were they sneaking in from the sides, off the path? The more she listened, the less she could tell.

She did the only thing that seemed logical. She started running.

No matter how far she went, she couldn’t get away from those hoofsteps. And these trees never seemed to end. Everything looked identical, and there was no escape.

Unless…

There was one way to escape. She sped up into a gallop, and spread her wings. She was a great flier. Just a moment ago she’d been up there punching through the clouds with Rainbow Dash. She took a leap forward, spreading her tiny wings wide to catch the wind. This was nothing, she was—

Up in the air for only a moment until she came crashing to the ground again.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth and picked herself up. The hoofsteps behind her—they were definitely behind her now—were getting louder and louder.

Scootaloo couldn’t find her tongue. Her eyes darted around, searching for a way out. “R-Rainbow Dash? Anypony?”

There was no escape. The gnarled trees seemed to twist and form a thicket all around her, and the sound of hoofsteps moved in slowly, getting closer and closer. Scootaloo shrunk down and squeezed her eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable.

It didn’t come.

She opened her eyes just a crack, then blinked. The Headless Horse was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Rainbow Dash stood there, staring disinterestedly into the shadowy woods.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said. She wiped a tear away and ran over to her. “I knew you would—“

Rainbow Dash pushed her away with one hoof. “Seriously, kid?”

Scootaloo stared up at her. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

“You mean you’re still scared of some corny old ghost story, even after all this time?” Rainbow said. “Give me a break.”

“I wasn’t… Well, maybe I was a little scared, but then you showed up, and—“

“So I’m supposed to foalsit you all the time, is that it?” Rainbow said. She rolled her eyes. “You’re too old for this. It’s pathetic. I’ve got better things to do.”

“But… but you promised!” Scootaloo’s voice trembled. “You said you’d be my big sister!”

“By the time I was your age, I was the fastest in my flight camp. I was the only pony to ever pull off a sonic rainboom. What’ve you done? Start my fan club? I think you know you’re not even in the same league as me.”

Scootaloo could hardly choke the words out. “You were going to… teach me…”

“What’s the point? You can’t even get yourself off the ground.”

“No...” Scootaloo shook her head. “No, we were just flying together a minute ago. You said I was really good!”

Rainbow snorted. “As if that’d ever happen. That’s a bit too far-fetched even for a dream.”

“A… dream?” Scootaloo said.

Now she remembered. This was just like those nightmares she’d had months ago. Somehow she just hadn’t noticed it before. She hadn’t had any dreams like this since the camping trip, though, because of...

“Hello again, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo jumped when she heard the voice, though the tone was soft and soothing. She turned around slowly to see a tall figure standing before her, with a mane that sparkled like the night sky.

“Princess Luna?” she said.

The princess smiled at her. “It’s been some time since we last met.”

Scootaloo looked over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash, who stood with her back turned, motionless except for an idle flick of her tail. “This… is just a nightmare, isn’t it? Rainbow Dash wouldn’t really say that…”

“Do you remember what happened after our last meeting?” Luna asked.

“Well…” Scootaloo thought for a moment. “I felt a little better after you talked to me, but I was still scared. I ended up running away, but Rainbow Dash found me… She said she would be my big sister.”

“And since then?”

“We hang out all the time. It’s been great! I’m still working on my flying, but she’s taken me to Cloudsdale, and watched my new tricks on my scooter…” A smile began to spread across her face, but then vanished. “She… doesn’t actually think that I’m… well, pathetic, does she?”

“Sometimes we doubt even our closest friends,” Luna said. “But I believe Rainbow Dash’s actions reveal her true feelings.”

The harsh red light throughout the forest faded to a soft violet, then a deep, tranquil blue. The two of them stood alone among the trees.

Scootaloo hung her head with a sigh. “I thought I was done with these nightmares. I’m sorry you had to come back here just for this.”

Luna shook her head. “As I told you before, everypony has their own fears. We can learn to resist them, but nopony is truly free from fear,” she said. “However, there is another reason I have come to visit you tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Scootaloo said.

“I fear this was no ordinary nightmare. And you are not the only pony to experience such a dream recently.”

“Huh?” Scootaloo tilted her head.

“I have begun to notice something strange on my nightly journeys. Something is invading the dreams of ponies, and preying on their innermost thoughts and fears,” Luna said. “It seems that you were its target tonight.”

“So this… thing… was causing my nightmares to come back?” Scootaloo shuddered. “Thanks for getting rid of it. Whatever it was.”

“It will not be so simple,” Luna said. “Even if your own dreams are safe, it will only move on to somepony new. And it will only become more difficult to find the source.” She paused. “This is why I am requesting your assistance in the nights to come.”

Scootaloo froze. “You want my help with something?”

“You have shown that you are capable of facing your fears. That kind of courage does not come easily,” Luna said. “And I believe you may have the potential to help others overcome what they fear the most.”

“I-I… Uh…” Scootaloo wasn’t sure what to say.

She felt Luna’s wing touch her lightly over the shoulder. “I realize this is no simple request, but I would not be asking this of you if I believed it was beyond your capabilities,” Luna said. “But it will be a dangerous task, so the final decision will be up to you.”

Scootaloo could feel a lump in her throat. Willingly throwing herself into nightmares every night seemed like a terrible idea. She’d lost enough sleep on that camping trip just from her own dreams.

But, on the other hoof, this was a special request from a princess of Equestria. A special mission that she had been chosen for. That didn’t happen to just anypony.

“I-It’ll be no big deal,” Scootaloo said. “I won’t let you down.”

Luna gave a small smile. “I will give you what help I can, but there is much to be done. I will be unable to accompany you.”

Scootaloo took a step back. She was already having second thoughts about the whole thing, and she was about to say something when Luna suddenly raised her head, looking towards the sky beyond the branches.

“Time is short. The morning comes, but we will meet again soon.”

The forest was pierced by beams of light, and Scootaloo blinked as the sunbeams filtered through her bedroom window across her face.

There had only been time for a few quick bites of breakfast before Scootaloo was out the front door, helmet askew, and revving up her wings to get her scooter rolling. It was like any other morning, but the details of last night’s dream were still unusually vivid.

It wasn’t the first time she’d dreamt that she was flying, and it was still just as disappointing as ever to wake up, but that time it had felt especially real. She had felt the wind under her wings, the rush of speed. But then there was the sensation of falling. And those things that Rainbow Dash had said to her after that.

But the weirdest part was when Luna had shown up. That hadn’t happened since the summer, and this time she’d been saying something about sending Scootaloo on a special mission. It had made sense when she was asleep, but now that the warm breeze in her face was waking her up, it had to be part of the dream. Why would Luna choose her, of all ponies, for something like that?

With all that on her mind, Scootaloo’s morning ride to school was unusually devoid of stunts, tricks, and shortcuts. She stared straight ahead as she rolled down the middle of the street on her scooter at about half her usual speed.

“Hey there, squirt!” Rainbow Dash swooped down to glide along next to her. “Where’re you off to?”

“What?” Scootaloo glanced over, just briefly, then went back to looking ahead. “Oh. I-I have to get to school.”

“Today’s a school day?” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, thinking. “Oh, right, I guess it would be. Never mind that, you can skip! My day’s open and we could totally hang out if you want.”

“Hang out?” Scootaloo turned to stare at her. She almost missed a turn, but swerved around to make it just in time.

Rainbow Dash swung back around to fly alongside her again. “You know. We could work on your flying or something. You’re the one who’s always asking me about it.”

“Oh yeah. Right,” Scootaloo said. “Uh… Miss Cheerilee would probably chew me out if I cut class.”

Rainbow nodded. “Gotcha. Well, how about this afternoon?”

“I-I guess that’d be okay.”

“Right. See you then!” Rainbow shot up into the sky and out of sight.

Scootaloo let out a deep breath, and leaned forward over her handlebars. She wasn’t sure why her heart was racing like that. She should be excited to get to work on her flying lessons again. Rainbow Dash had just shown up out of nowhere while she was distracted, and she hadn’t been prepared for it. That must be it. She was just a little startled.

As she came up to the schoolhouse, she hopped off her scooter and leaned it up against the fence. She had a feeling it would be a long day.

Scootaloo slumped over her desk, staring out the window. Miss Cheerilee was giving a lesson up front. It might have been geography. All Scootaloo could think of was meeting up with Rainbow Dash after school. Just a few more minutes.

Rainbow Dash had actually asked her to hang out today. Usually Scootaloo would have to beg her to spend some time together, and Rainbow would just blow her off and say she was too busy or something. Hopefully today she wouldn't mess up and embarrass herself. Scootaloo had to wonder what Rainbow even saw in her in the first place.

For that matter, what did Princess Luna see in her? Asking her to help guard ponies’ dreams against nightmares? That was a big request for some blank flank filly like her.

No, that was just a dream, she reminded herself. Princess Luna hadn’t actually visited her again. It didn’t mean anything.

“Can anyone tell me what city is located on this island?” Cheerilee was at the front of the classroom, pointing at a spot on a map.

A few hooves shot up. Scootaloo squinted, trying to focus on the lesson and push other thoughts out of her mind.

“How about…” Cheerilee squinted, surveying the class, then raised a hoof to point. “Sweetie Belle?”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle sat up, suddenly alert. It looked like she had been even more spaced out than Scootaloo had been. “Uh… What was the question?”

“You seem to be a little lost. That’s exactly why you should be paying attention to a geography lesson,” Cheerilee said.

Sweetie let out a groan.

“This island is the location of one of Equestria’s major cities. Do you remember the name?”

Sweetie Belle thought for a moment, tapping her chin with one hoof. Finally she shook her head. “Uh… no.”

Cheerilee sighed. “Let’s see. Anypony else?” Her eyes settled on Apple Bloom, who had been waving her hoof frantically the whole time. “Apple Bloom, do you know the answer?”

“That’s Manehattan!” Apple Bloom said.

“Correct!” Cheerilee said. “Although Canterlot is the capital of Equestria, Manehattan is actually the largest city, in terms of both population and—“

Cheerilee was interrupted by the shrill ring of the school bell. Scootaloo instantly jumped out of her seat and headed for the door.

“That’s all for today, but remember to sign up for the talent show at the end of this week if you haven’t already! There’s still time!” Cheerilee tried to speak over the excited chatter of her students, but most of them were already out the door.

Apple Bloom caught up with Scootaloo outside the school. “That reminds me! I got a letter from Babs the other day, and she was talkin’ about how her and her Crusaders tried the talent show at their school. They put together a stand-up comedy routine.”

“Any luck?” Scootaloo said. She fastened her helmet under her chin.

“Nope. But I was thinkin' maybe we could put together something in time for the show again! I know it’s a late start, but all we’ve gotta do is put together an act, practice it, and perform it perfectly in… five days. That ain’t too hard.” Apple Bloom looked around. “Where’s Sweetie Belle?”

“I’m here!” Sweetie Belle trotted over to where they were standing. “What are you talking about?”

“Apple Bloom was just saying we should try the talent show again,” Scootaloo said. “What do you think?”

Sweetie shook her head. “I don’t think so. It didn’t work so well last time. I don’t think any of us are getting our cutie marks on stage.”

“Huh. I thought it went well,” Apple Bloom said. “We got awards and everythin’. Well, you got any other ideas for today, Scootaloo?”

“Sorry, gals, but I can’t stick around. Me and Rainbow Dash are hanging out today,” Scootaloo said. She hopped on her scooter and revved her wings a few times to warm up.

“I bet that’ll be fun!” Apple Bloom said. “The whole bein’ sisters thing is working out for you?”

“Totally! Rainbow Dash is the coolest big sister ever!” Scootaloo said. She hoped she sounded optimistic about it, but her heart had been pounding ever since she got out of class. What was she so nervous about?

Rainbow Dash had chosen a field on the outskirts of Ponyville for their flight practice today. It was a wide open space, with no other ponies around. She paced back and forth as she gave instructions.

“Now, this is the first technique they teach you at Junior Speedsters. It's your basic running takeoff. It’s pretty much just for beginners, like you. Once you get to be as good as me” — Rainbow Dash shot straight up into the air, and swooped back down — “you won’t even need this stuff. But first things first.”

Scootaloo stood at attention, leaning forward just slightly. The weather was just perfect for this. There was only a slight breeze, and hardly a cloud in the sky.

“You’re going to want to start galloping, full speed. Acceleration is important,” Rainbow said. “But don’t forget to build up your wingpower as you go. You’ll be able to feel when you’re ready for liftoff.”

“That’s all there is to it?” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow Dash bumped her on the shoulder, grinning. “Trust me, it’s a piece of cake.” Then, with her drill-sergeant face back on, she let out a shrill blow on her whistle. “Now, get out there and show me what you’ve got!”

Scootaloo dug her heels into the dirt. She stared ahead at the open field before her, and the blue sky overhead—that was the target. Then, like a cannonball, she raced ahead, wings buzzing as hard as they ever had. This was it. Rainbow Dash had told her she would feel this, the sensation of lift beneath her wings, and she closed her eyes and let it carry her.

She opened one eye, just to look down, and saw the ground shrinking away. “I-I’m doing it! I—whoa!”

Her momentum was suddenly gone, and she plummeted down into the dirt. She spit some grass out of her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her face.

“Uh… not quite,” Rainbow said.

“Sorry!” Scootaloo said, jumping back up and wiping the dirt off her chin. “I really was trying that time. I’ll get it next time!”

“Nah, you had a good few seconds of air,” Rainbow said. She shrugged. “That’s something, I guess.”

“But I must’ve messed up on something. It didn’t work.”

“You might’ve lost some of your wingpower once you were in the air. It’s a pretty common problem for amateurs.” Rainbow Dash kicked at the dirt, and scratched the back of her head. “Um… Look, Applejack’s been getting on my back about how sisters are supposed to ‘talk about their feelings’ and stuff like that, so I’m just going to ask. Is anything wrong? You’ve been acting kind of weird today.”

“Weird? What do you mean, ‘weird?’” Scootaloo said. She let out a nervous laugh. “Everything’s fine! I feel great.”

“Good to hear. Glad that’s over.” Rainbow let out a sigh of relief. “Now where were we?”

“Actually, there is… one thing,” Scootaloo said.

“What is it?”

“Well, we’ve been doing all this flying practice lately. I even did some practice on my own before we started being sisters. But I can still only stay in the air for a few seconds at a time.”

Rainbow frowned. “It’s not that big a deal. I’ve seen lots of pegasi who take a long time learning to fly.”

“Really?” Scootaloo said.

“You’re still growing.” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. “I mean, Fluttershy was still getting the hang of flying at your age, and now look at her.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened in shock. “You mean I’m going to end up like Fluttershy?”

“No! I mean, uh, that… probably wasn’t the best example.” Rainbow hesitated, then said, “The important thing is that you keep practicing, and then your wings should get strong enough for you to fly.”

“That’s all there is to it?”

Rainbow Dash reached over and messed up Scootaloo’s mane. “Yeah. Now get out there and show me what you’ve got!”

Rainbow Dash drilled her on some wing-strength exercises for the rest of the afternoon. By the time the sun set, Scootaloo was completely exhausted as she climbed up on her scooter and headed home.

She hardly even remembered walking in the front door, dragging herself upstairs, and collapsing in bed.

The light of a full moon filtered down through the trees. The skeletal branches were unnaturally still, and a soft blue glow filled the clearing where Scootaloo now stood. Everything felt familiar, but she wasn’t sure how she’d gotten here.

“Welcome back, Scootaloo.”

She turned around to see Princess Luna striding towards her. The sight of her made things start to come together in Scootaloo’s mind.

“This is another dream, isn’t it?” she said.

Luna nodded. “It would appear the time has come for the task I requested of you.”

Scootaloo glanced around at the forest. It looked just like her last dream, but this place was peaceful. Aside from herself and the Princess, absolutely nothing moved, not so much as a single leafless branch.

“You mean…” Scootaloo took a step back. “I go into somepony’s nightmares, with no idea what to expect, and try to stop whatever is causing them. Somehow.” She bit her lip. “Uh…”

“I understand if you have doubts,” Luna said. “The world of dreams can be strange and unpredictable, and often frightening. But know that I have the utmost confidence that you will succeed.”

Scootaloo suddenly thought of Rainbow Dash, that night during the camping trip.

The first time I heard those stories... I was scared too.

It had been strange, but that was the first time that she really felt like Rainbow Dash had anything in common with her. She always seemed so cool and unstoppable, but at one time she hadn’t been that different from how Scootaloo was now. And now Rainbow Dash got sent on dangerous missions from Princess Celestia all the time.

I think you know you’re not even in the same league as me.

No. She’d prove it. She wasn’t scared.

Scootaloo looked up and met Luna’s eyes. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

A faint smile crossed Luna’s lips. “Very well.” Her horn began to shimmer.

The snow crunched under Scootaloo's hooves.

Forgotten Memories

It was a boring afternoon after another uneventful day at school. After the night before, though, a little bit of boringness was welcome. The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat at a table near the window in Sugarcube Corner. It was cold enough for a thin layer of frost to have formed at the edges of the windowpanes.

“So that was really it?” Apple Bloom said. “Pinkie seems fine now…”

She watched Pinkie bouncing around at the other end of the room, balancing a tray of cupcakes on the tip of her nose as she brought it over to two ponies sitting at a table.

“And she didn’t say anything to us when we came in,” Scootaloo said. “I thought for sure she would remember her dream, even if neither of you remembered yours. She even said she knew she was dreaming.”

“Maybe she’s just not sayin’ it out loud. I wouldn’t blame her if she thought the whole thing was just a regular dream,” Apple Bloom said. “I mean, the three of us goin’ into other ponies’ dreams? I still can’t get over that.”

“Maybe it’s better if she doesn’t know what really happened,” Sweetie Belle said. “The important thing is that we were able to help her.”

Scootaloo studied Pinkie for a few more moments, then shrugged. She finished the last of her cupcake and leaned over the table, resting her head in both hooves.

Apple Bloom stared down at the table for a moment, then looked up. “Y’know, this whole dream thing doesn’t seem so bad, the more I think about it. We’ve sure been through worse. Like that time we were Cutie Mark Crusader skydivers, or Cutie Mark Crusader ghost hunters, or Cutie Mark Crusader chicken rescuers…”

“Really? Because between your dream and Pinkie’s, I’d be fine never having any dreams again for the rest of my life,” Sweetie Belle said. She looked at Scootaloo. “So does Luna know anything about what’s been causing them?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Not as far as I know.”

“That’s the worst part!” Sweetie Belle said. “We don’t even know what we’re up against. What if there’s something Luna’s not telling us?”

“Well…” Scootaloo bit her lip. “I trust her. If she found out anything really important, she’d let us know.”

“She is the princess of Equestria, after all,” Apple Bloom said. “I’d say she probably knows what she’s doin’.”

The three of them immediately hushed up as they saw Pinkie Pie trotting over to their table. “Hiya, girls!” she said, giving a huge smile. “Anything I can get for you? Want any more cupcakes? What about shakes? Ice cream?”

“No thanks, Pinkie,” Scootaloo said. “I think we’re good for now. But, uh… Are you… feeling okay?”

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely-tutely!”

“You’re sure?” Sweetie Belle cocked her head. “No, um… weird dreams or anything lately?”

“Nope! Which is weird, because I almost always have dreams,” Pinkie said. “And if I was really sleeping for as long as Mr. and Mrs. Cake say I was, you’d think I would have a whole bunch of dreams. But I didn’t have any at all! Why’d you ask?”

“Well, um…” Scootaloo scratched her head. “We just thought…”

A lightbulb seemed to go off, and Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute, this is just like what happened to you girls!” she said. “Did you have dreams when you were sleeping all that time? I sure hope I didn’t miss out on any really cool dreams, because who knows what could have happened in all that time?”

Sweetie Belle waved her hoof. “No, no, no, nothing like that happened. We were just, uh… curious.”

“Okey-dokey! Well, I bet it was the same thing that happened to you, because I’ve never slept in that late before. I like to get up bright and early every single day so I can see everypony first thing in the morning!” Pinkie said.

“You don’t think it’s weird that you were asleep so long?” Scootaloo said.

Pinkie shrugged. “Whatever it was, I feel just fine now!” she said, then frowned. “Why? Am I... not supposed to feel fine? You girls felt fine, though, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. It’s good. We’re glad you feel okay,” Sweetie Belle said quickly.

“Thanks for asking, though!” Pinkie said. She glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, shoot! I forgot I had that batch of cupcakes in the oven. Gotta go!”

She shot off towards the kitchen and out of sight, leaving the doors swinging behind her.

“I’m surprised she can forget a little thing like that,” Apple Bloom said. “I thought she didn’t forget, well… anythin’.”

“You know, I think I’m done trying to understand Pinkie Pie for now,” Sweetie Belle said. “Let’s just let her be.”

“Agreed.”

The bell at the front door tinkled, and a cold wind blew in. Rainbow Dash trotted inside, followed by Applejack trailing along behind. She stopped just inside the door and took off her hat to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

“Hold up, there, Rainbow. I think I might need to sit down for a spell.”

“Oh, really? Not calling it quits already, are you?” Rainbow said with a smirk.

Applejack didn’t take the bait. “You sure you wanna keep goin’?”

“We’ve only been out there for two hours! That’s not even close to a full training session,” Rainbow said. “We’ll just take a quick break, but then we’ve gotta get back out there.”

Applejack glanced up and noticed the fillies sitting at their table. She walked over to them. “Hey, Apple Bloom. How was school today?”

“Good,” Apple Bloom said. “What are you up to?”

“Well, it’s the Runnin’ of the Leaves again. Rainbow here roped me into another race,” Applejack said. “We thought we’d spend the day doin’ some trainin’ before the big event.”

“At the rate things are going, I think it’s clear who’ll win this year,” Rainbow said. “You’d better step it up if you want a chance to beat me, AJ.”

Applejack let out a yawn before responding. “If you say so,” she muttered.

“Come on. Let’s get some drinks and get back out there,” Rainbow said. “We’ve only got a few days left for practice.”

Rainbow trotted over to the counter and leaned up against it, looking around for somepony to take the order. With a sigh, Applejack followed along behind her.

Pinkie skipped out of the kitchen and spotted her immediately. “Hiya, Dashie!”

“Oh, hey, Pinkie Pie! I didn’t see you at all yesterday,” Rainbow said. “Was something up?”

“Sorry about that!” Pinkie said. “I wasn’t feeling too good. But I’m back to my Pinkie best now! Thanks for asking.”

“It was probably just a cold. Guess even you get sick sometimes,” Rainbow said. “Seriously, it’s like all of Ponyville was quieter just because you were gone.”

Pinkie shrugged. “I don’t think it was a cold. I didn’t have a runny nose or anything. I just felt really tired and slept for a whole day. When I woke up, the Cakes said it was Thursday already and I completely missed Wednesday! Weird, huh?”

“Yeah, I thought you never sat still for that long,” Rainbow said, with a sly grin. “But looks like you’re feeling okay now.”

Applejack shook her head. “Wait a sec. You were asleep a whole day?”

“Yup!” Pinkie nodded.

“This wouldn’t by any chance be like what happened to Apple Bloom, would it? And Sweetie Belle a while back, too?”

“I don’t know,” Pinkie said. “It sure seems like it. It’s funny, because they were just asking me about the same thing. But they’re both okay now. And I feel okay, too.” She glanced over at the table where the fillies were sitting. The three of them quickly turned away, trying to make it look like they hadn’t been eavesdropping.

“Listen, Rainbow, we should probably stop by Twilight’s before we head out again,” Applejack said. “She should hear about this.”

Rainbow shrugged. “As long as Pinkie’s okay now, there’s nothing to worry about. Right?”

“I don’t know…” Applejack muttered. “Twilight’s been awful worried about this whole thing.”

Pinkie looked down for a moment, as if she was about to say something, then her face brightened up again. “Anyways, can I get you girls anything?”

“Probably just some hot chocolates. It seems pretty cold out there for this time of year,” Rainbow said, ruffling her wings. “Maybe I should ask the weather team what’s up.”

“Got it! Two hot chocolates, coming right up!” Pinkie Pie skipped her way into the kitchen and disappeared.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been watching the three older ponies in silence. It was hard to listen to other ponies talk about the nightmares without jumping up and spilling everything, but in a way it felt like it should be a secret. The truth was a lot harder to wrap your head around.

Pinkie reappeared with a pair of steaming mugs, and Rainbow Dash sat down at an empty table with Applejack. Pinkie was still skipping around with a grin, humming to herself occasionally.

“It’s hard to tell if we really made a difference,” Scootaloo said. “She’s awake now, but she doesn’t seem to be any different. And I guess all we did was convince her to keep being herself.”

“You know, it’s not all that hard to understand what Pinkie was afraid of,” Sweetie Belle said. “She really does care a lot about everypony. Maybe they don’t do as much for her as she does for them.”

Eventually Applejack and Rainbow Dash finished their drinks and headed back outside for training. The three fillies left soon after that. They stepped out the front door of Sugarcube Corner and into the chilly autumn evening.

“So Sweetie Belle’s nightmare was during the talent show, mine was durin’ cider season, and Pinkie’s was just now…” Apple Bloom said.

“I wouldn’t expect another one for at least a couple weeks,” Scootaloo said. “We can take it easy for a while.”

“Do you girls think the bowling alley’s still open? I know none of us are any good at it, but we should do something fun,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Count me in!” Apple Bloom said, smiling.

“Yeah. Sounds good to me, too,” Scootaloo said.

They dashed off down the street towards the bowling alley. For a while, they were able to forget all about everything else.

It was already dark by the time Scootaloo got home. As she slipped into bed, she could see the moon shining outside her window, peeking out from behind some slowly drifting clouds.

The wind was howling outside, but it was going to be a peaceful night. Even if Scootaloo had any dreams, chances were she wouldn’t remember them in the morning. They wouldn’t be that kind of dreams.

Scootaloo drifted off to sleep, certain in her mind that nothing would happen tonight. For now, everything was just fine…

Blinking, she pulled herself up off the ground, her legs unsteady. Luna was kneeling down in front of her a short distance away, at about eye level.

“Huh?” Scootaloo looked around in surprise. It was the forest again. “I’m back here already?”

“I’m certain you have noticed after last night,” Luna said, turning her head to look Scootaloo in the eye. “Our enemy has grown stronger.”

“Oh. Yeah. It went after Pinkie Pie, even though she’s grown up,” Scootaloo said. She bit her lip. “It’s not supposed to be able to do that, is it?”

Luna shook her head. “No, it has never gone after an adult before her,” she said. “Perhaps she was simply vulnerable at that time, as the others have been before. The moment of weakness allowed it to strike, though younger minds are much more susceptible to its power.”

“And I guess Pinkie’s not really as much of a foal as everypony thinks,” Scootaloo said.

“There is more to her than what is seen at first glance. That is true for anypony,” Luna said. “But, perhaps more importantly, Pinkie Pie is one of the current bearers of the Elements of Harmony. An attack against her is an attack against all of Equestria.”

Scootaloo blinked. “Well, I think I get what you’re saying… I never really thought of it that way.”

“Consider what would have happened if a threat presented itself in the waking world while Pinkie Pie was still trapped in her nightmares,” Luna said. “Or, even more troubling, if it had been allowed the opportunity to overtake her mind. If her fear was allowed to take root, her connection to her friends—and the elements—could have been lost.”

“Can… Can that happen?”

“It has before.”

Scootaloo said nothing. Slowly, she sat down as well.

“Some ponies may underestimate it, but Laughter is just as powerful as any other element.” Luna gave a faint smile. “It was one of the three my sister wielded, though perhaps you would be able to infer that on your own. She has sometimes accused me of having no sense of humor at all.”

“Oh.” Scootaloo wasn’t sure if that was meant to be funny, by the lack of expression in Luna’s voice. Celestia might have had a point there.

“The elements themselves may be pure, but their bearers are still simply regular ponies. They have weaknesses, as anypony else does,” Luna said. “By the very nature of the Elements of Harmony, it is expected that the bearers will aid one another in their times of need. But dreams are different. In our dreams, we are alone with our fears. Or, at least, we usually are.”

“And that’s where we come in…” Scootaloo muttered. “So it’s really going to try to take over Equestria? And attack the Elements of Harmony?”

“I am only saying that it is a possibility,” Luna said. “It is still impossible to know, but I have long suspected that our enemy has a goal beyond simply frightening children. Perhaps it has its sights on a greater target.”

Scootaloo looked around at the woods, but they were still alone. “Since you brought me here, I’m guessing you have another mission for me. Are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle coming again?”

Luna lifted a hoof. “Patience,” she said.

As if on cue, Apple Bloom shimmered into existence just a few moments later. She glanced around in surprise before spotting Scootaloo.

“We’re doin’ this again?” Apple Bloom said. “I mean, not that I mind, I’m sure it’ll be just fine. I just didn’t think it would be so soon, is all.”

“The nightmares may be more frequent and more widespread than they were before,” Luna told her. “I can sense our enemy becoming even more powerful, but I know from your continued success that I can still depend on you.”

“It’ll be no problem,” Scootaloo said. “Right?”

Sweetie Belle trotted up from behind her. “And I thought I’d finally get a good night’s sleep.”

“Hey,” Scootaloo said. “Looks like all three of us are here now. Are you guys ready to go?”

“Not exactly,” Sweetie Belle muttered. “But let’s go.”

Luna stood up, but then hesitated. “I only hope I am not asking too much of you.”

“We’ll be fine. Right, girls?” Apple Bloom looked to the others, who nodded.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s just get going, alright?”

Luna lowered her head, and a deep blue aura began to glow around her horn. Scootaloo was getting so used to the sensation that she didn’t even flinch when the forest vanished once again. The darkness changed to a dazzling brightness, and the new world came into view.

They were standing in a vast meadow, at the top of a gently sloping hillside.

And that was pretty much it.

The sky above them was a bright, featureless white. A field of tall grass was stretching out in every direction around them, devoid of any distinguishing landmarks.

“So this is a different dream now, right?” Apple Bloom said, looking around. She tapped the ground with a hoof, like she was testing how solid it was. “Sure is empty. And it seems a little lonely, to be honest.”

“This is how dreams are supposed to look,” Sweetie Belle said, a smile starting to spread across her face. She spun around, staring up into the white void above their heads. “Nopony would ever confuse this for the real world. I never thought I’d be so glad to not be in Ponyville!” Her squeaky voice seemed to echo, even though they were out in the open.

Scootaloo stared out at the rippling waves of grass. It did seem peaceful here. It was definitely still weird, but it wasn’t bad.

“So, which way do we go?” Sweetie Belle said, turning towards Scootaloo.

“I think you know the drill by now. We just need to look around. See what we can find.” Scootaloo started down the hillside, feeling the tall grass brush against her legs.

As they continued on, the world began to take shape. Trees seemed to fade in on the horizon, as if the white sky was actually a thick fog in the distance. The gently rolling landscape seemed to be endless.

“Hello? Anypony out here?” Apple Bloom called out. The only response was the sound of her own voice echoing back.

No matter how far they went, the general landscape didn’t seem to change. Eventually they heard the sound of gently splashing water, indicating a river was flowing somewhere nearby. It grew louder until they found it, snaking a trail across the fields. They found a shallow part and hopped across to the other side.

The featureless white sky made it impossible to judge the passing of time or how far they had gone. It was odd how they never got tired in these dreams. Her hooves should have been aching from all this walking, but she felt fine.

“Wait, what’s that over there?” Sweetie Belle said suddenly.

She pointed at a faint object in the distance. It was too big to be another tree, and as they moved closer to it, the shape of a house began to take shape. It was standing alone in the middle of all this emptiness.

It was a two-story cottage with clapboard siding and a slate roof—not much like the houses in Ponyville, though it was about the same size. A thin coat of white paint was flaking off the sides.

Apple Bloom stopped just before taking the first step onto the porch. “Do you really think we should go in there?”

“What do you think?” Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.

“I figured you’d say that...”

Scootaloo led the way up the porch, heading through the front door without stopping to knock.

The inside was quiet. Everything seemed washed-out—the wallpaper was faded, and the wooden furniture looked like it had been left out in the sun for too long. Dust motes floated in the air. It looked like nopony had lived here for years and years—but, Scootaloo reminded herself, this house didn’t really exist.

The three of them stopped in the front hallway. Once the floorboards stopped creaking under their hooves, everything seemed unnaturally quiet. A few doorways led to a living room and a kitchen. There was also a staircase leading to a second floor.

“Any idea how much longer until morning?” Scootaloo asked.

The others shook their heads.

“It seems like we’ve been here a pretty long time, so let’s split up. I’ll check upstairs, you two search the rest of the house.”

“What are we looking for?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Anything at all,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe we’ll find something important.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a glance, then split off in two directions.

Scootaloo trotted up the stairs and found herself in the upstairs hallway. A few open doorways lined the walls. She walked down towards the end of the hall, taking a quick peek into each room.

There wasn’t much to look at. One room contained only a bed and a dresser, and another seemed to be a study, though the bookshelves were completely bare.

After doing a quick scan of the first few rooms, she moved down towards the end of the hall. There didn’t seem to be anything here. She was starting to consider just going back downstairs to find the others.

“Why, Scootaloo! Imagine seeing you here.”

She whirled around at the sound of the voice, and saw a mare standing in one of the rooms by the window. She was a slightly pale red earth pony, with straw-colored hair in a long braid.

Scootaloo stared at her blankly. “Do I know you?”

The mare smiled. “Not exactly.”

Scootaloo couldn’t shake the feeling that something about her was familiar. Maybe it was her eyes, a striking shade of gold.

“Uh…” Scootaloo tried to think of something to say, but she had really been caught off guard. Maybe this pony was the dreamer this time, but it wasn’t anypony she recognized, not like the other dreams. And yet somehow she knew Scootaloo’s name…

“You and Apple Bloom are still searching for your cutie marks, aren’t you? You’ve been at it a while.”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo muttered. She barely heard the question, she was too busy trying to remember how she knew this pony. If she knew her. It was weird how this mare seemed to know who Scootaloo was, but it wasn’t exactly scary.

“I know it won’t be much longer before you get them. You’re both so talented.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Scootaloo said.

“Scootaloo?” She heard Apple Bloom’s voice echoing through the empty halls. “I thought I heard you talkin’ to somepony up here. Did you find ‘em?”

“We’re in here!” Scootaloo called.

“I checked the whole first floor. Nothin’ down there but…” Apple Bloom’s voice trailed off as she stepped into the doorway. Her eyes locked on the mare standing by the window.

“Uh, Apple Bloom? Do you know who this is?”

Apple Bloom said nothing. The color had drained out of her face. She slowly took a step back until her tail touched the wall. Finally, she managed to choke out a single word.

“Mom?”

Awakening

Scootaloo blinked.

Her bedroom was bright. It took her eyes a moment to adjust. The afternoon sun was pouring through the window, spreading across the Wonderbolts poster on her wall and a stack of books on the nightstand. It was the entire series of Daring Do novels, from the looks of it.

Those hadn’t been there earlier.

Lifting her head off the pillow, she rubbed her eyes and saw Rainbow Dash sitting there by her bedside.

As soon as Scootaloo had moved, Rainbow Dash hurriedly sat up straight, grabbed one of the books off the nightstand and flipped it open to a random spot, pressing her nose up against the pages. She glanced over the top of it, trying to act like she’d just now been interrupted.

“Oh. Uh, hey.” She gave Scootaloo a nod. “You’re up?”

Scootaloo stared at her. “Huh? Rainbow Dash? What are you doing in my room?”

“Oh, uh… I was just stopping by to check on you,” Rainbow Dash said, scratching her head. “I haven’t been here very long. It’s not like I stayed here the whole time. I mean, three days is a pretty long time to—“

“I’ve been asleep for three days?” Scootaloo sat up quickly, and winced. Her whole body felt stiff.

Rainbow nodded. “I knew you’d probably be okay. But, wow, you were out like a light. So I just stopped by for a while to check up on you.”

“Right…” Scootaloo nodded. She eyed the teetering pile of books by her bedside again, and let her head fall back on the pillow again.

Three days. That was a long time to spend trapped in a dream. It felt weird to be back in her own bedroom again. In her own hometown—not to mention her own century. Everything seemed so quiet and peaceful now. Was it really all over?

“And, uh, I heard Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle caught it, too. I think you all came down with it at the same time,” Rainbow said. “Twilight said this thing might be contagious.”

Scootaloo jumped up. “What about Twilight? Is she okay? What happened to her?”

“Whoa, settle down there, squirt,” Rainbow said, raising her front hooves. “She’s fine. Why wouldn’t she be? I’m still kinda worried about your friends, though.”

Scootaloo shook her head, and a faint smile came across her face. “Nah, they’ll be alright. I’ve got a feeling all of this is behind us.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I sure hope so.”

Scootaloo moved her legs, trying to work up the strength and the motivation to get out of bed. “Were you really here the whole time I was asleep?”

“Well, you know. It was just…” Rainbow lowered her voice. “Well, it was scary. I know that since I’m your big sister I’m always supposed to have your back, but there was nothing anypony could do for you when you were like that. I hate feeling that helpless, you know?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “You weren’t, though,” she said. “I can’t really explain it, but I knew you were there.” She absently reached up to her neck, almost expecting to find the Element of Loyalty still hanging there.

Rainbow scratched her head. “Glad I could help. I guess,” she said. “You’re sure you’re feeling okay?”

Scootaloo rolled over, and pulled herself over to the edge of the bed. “I told you, I’m going to be just fi—“ She collapsed onto the floor. Wincing, she tried to get back up on her hooves, but her legs felt weak. She managed a smile. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

“I bet you’re starving. Let’s head out and grab something to eat,” Rainbow said. “Whatever you want. It’ll be on me.”

For the first time, Scootaloo noticed her stomach was growling. Food sounded wonderful right now.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s go.”

She followed Rainbow Dash out into the hall and down the stairs. The first-floor windows were frosted over so much she could barely see outside. Rainbow Dash pushed the front door open and held it open for her.

Scootaloo paused to stare outside. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow, unbroken except for a few scattered tracks crisscrossing down the street. Snow was heaped up against the sides of houses in piles even taller than she was.

Scootaloo took her first step out the door, and her hoof fell straight through several inches of snow. The cold shot up her leg. Shivering, she started trudging forward.

“Yeah, you really didn’t miss much around here,” Rainbow said, gliding along beside Scootaloo as she plodded through the snow. “Everypony was stuck inside anyway while we tried to get the blizzard under control.”

“It got that bad out here?” Scootaloo looked up at her. She could remember the biting arctic winds as the Princesses had battled King Sombra.

“I could hardly even fly at all,” Rainbow said. “It seemed like some freak storm that blew down from up north before anypony could stop it. It’s been totally weird. I even heard the weather teams down in Appleloosa even had to deal with it. This morning was the first time it cleared up in the past few days. I hope that was the last of it.”

“I’ve got a feeling that it was.”

“You’ve got a lot of feelings about stuff today, don’t you?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.

“Guess so.”

Scootaloo looked around. Was this what it felt like to save Equestria? Everything looked pretty much the same. Nopony even knew what she’d been through. Scootaloo didn’t even feel very tired, but then again, she had spent the past three days in bed.

It was hard to believe it was all over now. Scootaloo wondered when she would ever get to see Luna again.

“It still seems like there’s a lot you’re dealing with that I don’t really know anything about,” Rainbow said. “You sure you’re okay? Do you want to, y’know, talk about it?”

Scootaloo looked down. Part of her really wanted to say something, but where could she even start to explain it all? Nopony would even believe her anyway. It would all sound like some crazy dream. Because it was.

The distant tolling of the Ponyville clock tower told her it was about noon, but the streets were strangely empty for this time of day. It seemed like most ponies were content to stay indoors even after the blizzard ended.

She watched Rainbow Dash, flying along beside her at a lazy pace. It was just the two of them out here, but she had no idea what to talk about.

They passed by the café, the outdoor tables still covered in a melting layer of snow. The front door opened, and Twilight wandered out, followed closely behind by Spike. She had her face buried in an open scroll as she trotted, but she noticed the two of them out of the corner of her eye.

“Scootaloo?” Twilight ran up to them. “You’re awake? Thank goodness! It’s been… let’s see…”

“Three days,” Rainbow said, the snow crunching under her hooves as she landed.

“Right!” Twilight nodded. She turned back to Scootaloo. “You and your friends had just about the worst case I’ve seen yet. Wait, do you know about them yet? Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are probably still—“

“They’ll be fine. You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Scootaloo said. “But, uh, what about you, Twilight? Are you feeling okay?”

Twilight sighed. “Honestly? I don’t even know. I think I might’ve actually caught this thing myself a few days ago.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “And I still think you overslept because you’ve been working yourself too hard. You’re overreacting, Twilight.”

“There’s no way to know that for sure! I always keep a strict sleep schedule. We can’t rule anything out.” Twilight ruffled her feathers. “But I’m still glad to see you’re okay, Scootaloo. I suppose maybe some things are just out of my hooves.”

“Exactly!” Spike grinned.

“Besides, looks like I’m going to need to put together a team schedule for this year’s Winter Wrap-Up pretty soon,” Twilight said, looking around the street. “Spike, let’s pick up some more parchment and quills on the way back.”

Spike’s smile faded, and he sullenly trailed along behind Twilight as they left.

Rainbow Dash watched Twilight and Spike as they walked away. Then she flapped her wings and lifted up into the air again, and Scootaloo followed alongside as she continued down the street in the other direction.

“So, anyways, I’ve been wondering,” Rainbow said. “What’s next for the ponies formerly known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Well, we’re still going to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders. For a little while, at least,” Scootaloo replied.

“Why? What’s left to do?” Rainbow said. “Y’know, I’ve been holding off on asking for a while now, but I thought you’d be dying to tell me how you finally got your cutie mark.”

“My… huh?” It took a moment for the words to register. Scootaloo glanced back at her flank.

She couldn’t believe she’d been walking around all this time without noticing it, but there was definitely something there. She spun around, trying to get a better look at it.

It looked like a violet crescent moon, with three tiny stars surrounding it. How long had it been there?

“I mean, I doubt it just appeared in your sleep,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “So what’s the story? I didn’t think you had much of a knack for astronomy, or whatever that’s called. Don’t suppose Twilight was giving you private lessons behind my back or anything.”

“Um… No. Nothing like that.” Scootaloo tried to play it cool, but it was hard to take her eyes off it. For the past few days, cutie marks had been the last thing on her mind, but now she could barely hide her excitement.

“Well? Come on, I want to hear all about it!”

“Oh… Right.” Scootaloo paused. There was no point in beating around the bush anymore. “It’s… going to sound pretty weird, but I guess I already told you once before.”

The stars twinkled faintly in the night sky overhead, but Ponyville was bright and lively tonight.

Somewhere in the distance, a band was playing a festive tune, the notes drifting along on the wind through the streets from the town square. Strings of lights and decorations crisscrossed the street overhead. Fillies and colts ran from door to door, all of them decked out in costumes of every kind, dragging along sacks of candy held in their mouths.

Scootaloo walked past them alone, the only one not dressed up, but nopony seemed to take any notice.

She stood back and watched the ponies bobbing for apples or launching pumpkins from a catapault. A wagon rolled along past her, carrying a few ponies on a hayride. After a few moments, she turned away and continued walking alone.

A dark shadow passed overhead. Scootaloo looked up at the night sky, and saw Princess Luna swoop down to land next to her. Her hooves touched down on the ground noiselessly.

“Good evening, Scootaloo,” she said, folding her wings at her sides.

“Hey, Luna,” Scootaloo said, smiling.

Luna looked around at all the festivities. “You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Well, what can I say? Nightmare Night is one of my favorite nights of the year,” Scootaloo said. “Too bad it doesn’t actually come for another few months.”

Luna watched a group of fillies run by, all dressed in different costumes. “You’re showing impressive control over your dream. Quite a commendable attention to detail.”

“Thanks,” Scootaloo said, with a nervous grin. “I was kind of hoping you’d show up. That’s why I did all this.”

Luna smiled. “A wonderful display, though there was no need for all that. I have been meaning to speak with you, Scootaloo.” Her expression turned serious. “Surely you have questions about what you witnessed.”

“Oh. Yeah... Did you know what was going to happen to Twilight?” Scootaloo asked. “That’s why you followed us into her dream, isn’t it?”

“Ever since the first nightmares began, I thought it all seemed familiar. This was not long after the return of the Crystal Empire,” Luna said. “Everything about the dreams seemed to be the work of the unicorn king who once ruled over that land, but I was unable to confirm my suspicions until he made what was to be his final move.”

“All those nightmares that happened. And you, um… turning into Nightmare Moon… all those years ago,” Scootaloo said. “That was all because of King Sombra?”

Luna nodded. “It appeared that he had been defeated when the Crystal Empire returned this time, but just as before, he had sowed his seeds of fear in an attempt to regain power… He thrives on the fears of ponies, and the nightmares were how he harvested that energy. He had hoped to use Twilight Sparkle, the newest and most inexperienced princess of Equestria, to make his full return. I did not allow him to have her.”

“You put yourself in danger, though.”

“I had suspected there may be that risk,” Luna said solemnly. “I was willing to sacrifice everything if it came to that, but I knew that if there was somepony who could bring me back from the edge this time…”

“That’s why you needed us,” Scootaloo said.

“Precisely.”

The two of them continued down the street. The costumed ponies dashing up and down the streets swerved around them, but never spared a glance in their direction. The music grew louder as they came closer to the town square. It was a perfect night, all the best parts taken from all the past Nightmare Nights that Scootaloo could remember. It was nice to have such a peaceful dream for once.

“It’s really all over now, isn’t it?” Scootaloo said.

Luna tilted her head, frowning. “This would be the third time we assumed he was defeated for good. There is no sign of him now, but I will have to remain vigilant.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Oh, and I nearly forgot! Thanks for the cutie mark,” she said, looking back at it. The crescent moon on her flank almost matched Luna’s own. “I never thought I’d get one that looked this cool.”

“You know that I cannot give you a cutie mark. You earned that yourself,” Luna said with a smile.

Scootaloo scratched her head. “And, um… I did end up telling Rainbow Dash how I really got it.”

“And what did she have to say?”

“I was kind of surprised. It was way easier to convince her all this really happened than I thought it was going to be,” Scootaloo said. “She said she thought it was really amazing what I’m capable of. But… I guess the important thing is that I know what I’m capable of now.”

Luna simply nodded.

“That’s what you were trying to tell me from the beginning, isn’t it?” Scootaloo said.

“Know that I am not speaking lightly when I say that I am in your debt,” Luna said. “As is all of Equestria. I could have chosen anypony for this task, but I chose you, Scootaloo. And, when the time came, you performed excellently.”

“Thanks.” Scootaloo stared down at her hooves.

Luna stopped to watch the band playing onstage at the town square. “I am still just beginning to understand how Equestria has changed in my absence,” she said. “It’s a very different world than the one I once knew. And much larger, as well. There are hundreds of dreams every night, and dozens of nightmares.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Are you saying…”

“I suppose I hardly need to ask, but you would be interested in continuing your lessons as my student, correct?”

Scootaloo grinned. “Of course!”

“I’m certain there is much for you to teach me, as well. It will take time for me to understand everything about this new world, but it can be done,” Luna said.

She turned her head to look up at the sky. There was not a single cloud blocking their view of the stars, and a full moon was shining.

Luna spread her wings wide. “The night is only just beginning, Scootaloo. Shall we be off?”

Scootaloo’s own tiny wings began to buzz excitedly. “You bet!”

As Luna gracefully flew off into the night sky, Scootaloo followed her with a running start, feeling the wind catch her wings and carry her up. The night air was clear, crisp, and perfect for flying. Together they rose up, into the starlit sky, until Ponyville was almost too far away below them to see.