Waking up in Equestria

"...son!... Hey, you alive, sugar cube? Come on, we need yer help" Applejack's voice pulled me out of my sleep.

"Wuzza..." I said intelligently.

"Get downstairs, somethin's wrong"

The tone of her voice quickly brought me to my senses with open eyes. The sun was up and by the angle of the light, it looked to have been up for some time. Applejack had already left the room in a hurry and I dragged my hand down my face, caching the scent that still lingered there from last night. A warm, fuzzy tingle ran through my body and I couldn't help but smile. I was suddenly very eager to see Scootaloo again. I wanted to take a shower, but Applejack's summons left little room for doubt that she felt I was needed downstairs as soon as possible. Getting dressed in a clean set of clothes from Rarity and putting those shoes on, I left my room for the kitchen.

It was full of ponies, even the bouncy pink hyper one named Pinky Pie was there along with the other five who greeted me a couple days ago. Also Big Mac and Granny Smith were among the crowd.

'...just aint like her, Twilight! I know mah sister wouldn't go runnin off on a day like today! I feel it in mah heart something is wrong!" Applejack was pleading with Twilight.

"What's going on?" I asked

They all looked at me and Applejack spoke "Apple Bloom ain't been here all morning. When I went to wake 'er up for mornin' chores before dawn... her bed was already cold and empty! That filly ain't never up on her own before dawn! Ol' Mac n' I started on the chores but hours have gone by now and she still ain't turned up... so... so that's why Mac 'n I came and got ya'll. We gotta find Apple Bloom!"

"It's ok, Applejack" Twilight Sparkle reassured her friend. "We'll help you find her, won't we everypony"

A loose chorus of "sure" and "of course" rang around the room. It was Fluttershy who spoke with the most logical question. "Um.. excuse me.. Applejack... but... Isn't it possible that The Cutie Mark Crusaders just had some early morning plans?"

"Not at all, Fluttershy." Rarity answered. "I took Sweetie Belle to singing camp yesterday evening after we left here. She told me that The Crusaders were on break until she gets back next week."

"Oh..." her head sagged and she looked embarrassed.

"Well has anyone seen Scootaloo? Maybe we should find her and ask her if she knows." It was Rainbow Dash who had this idea.

"I don't know where she stays when that filly ain't with us" Applejack commented.

"I think Sweetie Belle does! Oohhh but that doesn't help us, does it..." said Rarity.

"I can get a BIG BALLOON and FLY ABOVE PONYVILLE yelling APPLE BLOOOOOOM!!!!" Pinkie Pie blurted out in the back of the group, hopping up and down making her cotton candy colored mane bounce. The room looked at the happily grinning pony and I thought someone would scold her for such a crazy idea... but Twilight surprised me.

"That's a great idea, Pinke! If you see something, come back here and report!"

"Roger Dodger!" She said cheerily and bounced out the door. I wondered where she would get a massive balloon like that at this hour...

"Someone needs ta find Scootaloo and find out if she knows anythin', the rest of us need to split up and start lookin'" Applejack took control again.

"I'm going to stay here, Applejack. Celestia will be here soon and we can get her help when she does. Besides, we need a place to come to if we find anything!" Twilight's idea made sense and the group agreed.

"Mason!" Applejack turned her attention to me. "You see or hear anythin last night that would explain this? Yer room is right next to hers... and for that matter, ya spent all day with them fillies. They say anythin?"

"I..." A horrible indecision gripped me. Scootaloo had told me exactly where she lived last night. But how could I explain that without raising more questions? I also had a sinking feeling that Apple Bloom not being here was somehow related to Scoot's visit last night. We weren't exactly quiet. Maybe Apple Bloom had woken up? And maybe... just maybe... her Scoot's father caught her sneaking home late last night? It was all too coincidental. I might be able to connect these dots... but these ponies wouldn't without knowing. Clearly Applejack was worried about her sister, enough to form a search party. If something bad happened... then I don't think I could handle knowing I didn't share everything when it might help. Even if I got in trouble.

"Well, come on then spit it out, sugar cube!" Applejack pressed.

"I... I know where she lives." I said finally.

"Naw, I just was guessin last night. I don't actually know if those houses is where she's stayin'" Applejack shook her head.

"No... Scootaloo told me what house."

"Uh... when would she have done that, now? She done up and left yesterday and didn't come back!"

I took a deep breath. "Because she came here and visited me last night."

"WHAT?!" the group of ponies in the room said in unison. Something clattered on the floor. Everyone turned to Granny Smith and she gave an apologetic look as she put her dentures back in.

"You wanna explain that to us reeealll carefully, Mason?" Rainbow Dash had taken to hovering above the group and now swooped close, one eye squinting at me as she spoke. "Why would my adoptive little sister come to see YOU during the night?"

I began to feel hot. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. The lid was off this can of worms though, so I just hung my head.

"Because she needed to talk to someone about... something private."

"Ha! Nice try, human! Everypony knows she looks up to me! What was this 'Seeecret' thing she wanted to talk about, huh?!"

"Her father."

The room was silent for a moment. Rainbow Dash landed in front of me, folding her wings and softening her expression. "She really told you about him?

"Yeah... all of it. The truth. He came home last night... and he... well... she couldn't stay there with him"

"Woah..." Rainbow Dash looked amazed. "She's never told anypony that. Not even me."

"I... dont understand" Twilight said in a confused voice. "Scootaloo's dad and mom spend all their time looking for her brother... they're never around." She stated.

"That's... not exactly true..." Rainbow Dash said. "Everyone in Cloudsdale knows about Whipwind... but nopony talks about it."

"Wait... you know too, Rainbow?" I asked her.

"I know hes crazy... and hates land ponies so much he stands on the edges of clouds to go to the bathroom"

"Eeehhh!" Rarity and Fluttershy squeaked in unison.

"But you knew he was Scoot's father?" I pressed

"Well.. yeah! Everypony in Cloudsdale knows who Scootaloo is. It was a big deal when the legendary Whipwind sired a foal that couldn't fly. I even spent a day looking for Quickfire myself!"

"Who's Quickfire?" Rarity asked.

"That's Scootaloo's brother that disappeared into the Everfree forest" Rainbow said.

"Ohh... You know I don't think I ever knew his name!" Fluttershy said.

"Why didn't you tell Scootaloo you knew?" I asked Rainbow.

She gave an embarrassed look and couldn't meet my eyes for a moment. "Well... 'cause... It's kind of a dark topic, ya know? Besides... I knew she hadn't told anypony down here for a reason... and I didn't want to embarrass her."

"Look, ya'll! This is interestin and stuff, but can we PUH-LEASE get a move on!" Applejack was out of patience with the distraction. "There'll be time for jibber jabberin and explanations later. Mason, can ya take me and Big Mac to Scootaloo's house? We'll start there. If Scootaloo's dad was home, maybe he knows where they are! The rest ya'll fan out and look for em!"

"Yeeeup!" said the large red stallion.

"I'm going up to Cloudsdale to check something. I'll be back in a flash!" Rainbow Dash jumped up hovered a moment before jetting out the open door, leaving a fading rainbow trail behind her. I made a mental note to ask what made it next time I saw her.

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I didn't have to explain things... yet.
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I was thankful Applejack had the presence of mind to ask how far or fast I could run before we left the farm. I was out of shape and would have slowed us down right from the start. Instead, Big Mac had slid into the hitch on a small open backed two wheeled cart and looked at me expectantly. I jumped in and held on for dear life and the two ponies took off at a fast gallop. The remaining group had gone in separate directions. Fluttershy glided off though the air to the east ahead and to our left. Rarity went into the town proper to ask around, while Granny Smith tottered towards the north western edge of the property to double check the clubhouse.

I yelled against the wind when we entered the cluster of houses long past the river we crossed behind us to the west. We had traveled a good distance in a hurry. Big Mac and Applejack were panting from the long hard run to get here and now I had to figure out from Scootaloo's description where to go. The houses around us were mostly small and in various states of being uncared for. They all shared the same grey and brown coloring giving the whole place a drab and run down look. The low fences around the yards were unpainted and unmended while weeds grew in the path and in the dirt yards of most of the houses along the thoroughfare. A lot of them looked vacant. It was quiet and felt abandoned. Occasionally I saw a curtain move in a window, but never saw the occupants.

Scootaloo's directions were left from the main path leading in and then a right, then another left. As we walked through the empty main path, I asked Applejack what happened to these ponies and houses.

"It's the forest" she shook her head, getting her breath back. "Strange things happen in there... and sometimes those strange things don't always stay in the forest, ya know?" She looked around at the run down houses around us. "Folks always move here, but never stay long. The ones that do... well.. they get all funny like. The only ponies I know who can stand to live near it is Fluttershy and Zecora. Now.. I kin understand Zecora, she's weird to begin with. But I'm always amazed that Fluttershy kin deal with it."

I looked to the distant strip of trees off to the south. The treeline thinned and ended nearby to the west, but it continued as far as I could see to the east. It didn't look so bad from here. But from here was a long way away.

"Turn left, Big Mac."

There were only a couple more streets to the south between this one and the empty stretch of land leading to the treeline. The houses became more disused and run down here. Blown trash and discarded objects lay here and there in the weedy yards and an eerie silence filled my ears. Not even a bird sounded in the silence. The only things to be heard were the pony hoof falls and the crunching sound of the wooden wheels of the cart along the path. I realized that Scootaloo never told me exactly what house, but I didn't have to worry. Applejack figured that out soon enough.

"LOOK!" She cried in dismay. She took off running to the house up on our right. She vaulted the leaning picket fence that hadn't seen a white wash in years and skidded to a halt in the dust. "No no no sweet Celestia, NOO!" She cried.

Standing out like a brilliant beacon of color in this drab place was a large pinkish red bow near a small puddle of dark red and drying blood in the dirt.

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Apple Bloom was crying even before she opened her eyes. She hurt all over something fierce and images flashed in her mind of the monstrous pegasus that chased her. She wanted her sister. She wanted her... SCOOTALOO!

Her eyes flew open and she sat up. She was worried about her friend now, remembering that she wasn't moving the last time she saw her. That big ol mean pegasus must have walloped her a good one! She wanted to go find her and help... but how? She didn't even know where she was! Apple Bloom had been to the Everfree forest before, but only on the main paths leading in near Fluttershy's house and to Zecora's.

The low undergrowth was thick and claustrophobic around her as she tried to stand. Her legs were wobbly and she felt dozens of places where pain signaled she had skinned her hair bad. Turning her head, she winced as part of her mane pulled tight. Gingerly looking back at her body, she could see a large dark reddish black stain on her front left shoulder. Blood?! Her head throbbed and she touched the spot where it hurt the most.

"Oh.. fiddlesticks... what am I gonna do!" she whimpered.

She couldn't stay here... but she was scared to get lost even deeper into the forest. She also didn't want to run into that pegasus... who knows... he might still be looking for her in here! Thoughts about her harrowing escape last night brought moments of indecision and panic as the filly looked around. She couldn't tell where she had come in or what direction to go to get home. The sunlight filtered evenly though the heavy canopy, making every direction look the same. Insects and birds created a soundtrack that seemed to come from all directions and none. Eventually, she picked bearing and began walking slowly though the underbrush.

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She pushed herself to go as fast as possible. Clousdale lay just ahead and was getting closer by the second. Rainbow Dash knew Scootaloo's father was crazy, and had been getting crazier by the day. Everypony in Cloudsdale pretended to ignore his ramblings in the streets, willing to let his prior accomplishments excuse his erratic behavior. Even Rainbow Dash had to respect his accomplishments... but those were so many years ago!

As she sped on towards the town in the clouds, she hoped the rumors she had been hearing weren't true. That he had hit his wife so hard she had to go to the hospital recently. If he was crazy enough to do that... then maybe he finally had snapped and was going to do it. That horrible thing he had rambled on about in the cloud cider bar these days when he had too much to drink.

There was a reason Rainbow Dash had a soft spot for Scootaloo. All the ponies in Cloudsdale did, but Scootaloo didn't know it. Everypony knew that her father hated her and Whipwind's antics were the quiet but everyday talk of the town... and ever since Quickfire was declared dead by the mayor, his ramblings turned evil. Lately the rumors said he was talking about dropping her on a cloud to make Scootaloo either finally stop all the nonsense about not flying... or let her die and be done with it.

She raced into town just under sonic rainboom speed. Her first stop was the Cider Bar. Dodging buildings and other pegasus at breakneck speed, she screeched to a halt in front of a small building off the main strip. Kicking open the door, she let the brilliant sunlight pour into the dark interior. Even at this hour several ponies were gathered, hunched over their mugs in their daily ritual squinting at the intruder who disturbed them.

"Whipwind! Anypony seen him!" She yelled to the occupants.

There was no answer.

"Look, DON'T make me come in there! Now has anypony seen WHIPWIND!"

"Nay..." the bartender said in a small voice. "He's gone below... or so I heard... It's been quiet..."

Rainbow didn't say anything, she just took to her wings and flew off towards her next stop, Whipwind's brother... Cloudbrand.

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"One... Two.... THREE!"

Big Mac and I hit the door hard. It gave with a shuddering crunch as the jamb broke and fell open on one hinge.

"Apple Bloom!... Scootaloo!" Applejack yelled behind us. "Come on fillies, ANSWER ME!"

I moved into the dim interior of the house and my heart was filled with grief that this is what Scootaloo called home. It was like the pictures of those drug houses I saw on TV or the Internet. It was grey and unclean inside under the buzzing sound of flies. The smell of rotting food and trash hung thick in the air and coated my nose with a greasy sick feeling. Everything looked matted and dirty around me.

"Good gravy..." Applejack said softly next to me. "That poor filly..."

I moved through the large room and down a hallway in the back. A door stood open and peered into a small bedroom. It looked out of place in this environment. It was mostly clean, in a girlish sorta way. Colorful posters and drawn pictures were on the wall. A red cape hung from a nail with a blue patch on it. The patch had a crudely embroidered silhouette of a small white pony. The bed had a few stuffed animals on it that looked well loved and cared for and looked neat in comparison to the rest of the house. The room was the only thing here that looked alive and lived in. An oasis of vibrant color in a sea of decay and filth. On a dresser... was Scootaloo's helmet.

"She's not in her room" I called out.

"She ain't in tha kitchen neither, Big mac?"

"Noope!" I heard his bass voice call out from somewhere else in the house.

I moved down the hall to the two other doors. Opening the first on a small bathroom. The second opened into a large bedroom with piles of trash and discarded objects heaped around. Cobwebs and filth covered this room as well. No sign of either filly.

We regrouped in the main room to decide what to do next. This house was a clue.. obviously Apple Bloom had been here. But where was she now! What did it mean?! I had a bad feeling that Scootaloo's father was involved now. And not in a good way.

"I'ma gonna be sick to mah stomach soon if'n I don't get any answers about what's goin on!!" Applejack stomped her hoof in desperate frustration... she already looked sick.

"Yeeup" said Big Mac miserably.

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Apple Bloom tried to stay in a straight line. More than once, however... she had not paid attention and slipped down the rugged and uneven terrain invisible through the brush, losing her sense of direction and drawing fresh blood each time. She was dying of thirst, so much so she had stopped to lick the moisture off of a leaf several times and wondered if she was gonna die in here.

A sudden crunching sound under her hoof made her stop. The mat of dead leaves and needles she could see felt uneven and loose. Curious, she scraped at the forest floor pulling away a heavy dirt clotted cloth and saw something white underneath.

"What in ponyville...?"

A few more scrapes... and she froze with terror. Her bladder released, wetting herself right there without realizing it. She was staring at a pony's skull. It's hallow eye sockets filled with dirt and bugs that trundled in and out of the moist earth disturbed by her hoof. The top of the skull had a large, cracked hole that reminded her of when they hard boiled eggs and you tapped em with the little hammer to start peeling them. She stared, strangely fascinated by this comparison before the revulsion ratcheted enough that her body caught up. Screaming, she ran. Not caring what direction as long as it was away from the image of death she had uncovered.

Another slope caught her off guard in her mad scramble and she tumbled fast and far this time, banging against rocks and trees. A flare of brilliant heat in her back left leg ignited and when she landed, she found she could not move that hoof at all. Her whole leg had gone into a throbbing symphony of fresh pain that completely immobilized her. Agony flooded her senses and she began to cry out in desperate sobs, unable to think of anything else to do no matter how hopeless it was. "Help!.... Please!!!! Somepony help me!!!!"

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Rainbow Dash knew where Cloudbrand's mansion was. Nestled in the high pony society section near the town center where all of the best and brightest pegasus lived. She had seen it several times on her way into the Wonderbolt events and knew from the gossip it was where Whipwind was staying now.

She arrived at the large front door adorned with crystal inset windows in the massive cloistered entrance. The place reeked of opulence, something Rainbow Dash never cared much for. Too fussy and delicate for her tastes. She raised a hoof and pounded on the hard surface. The sound echoed deeply in the large house behind it. She waited, hopping back and forth a little with frustration. Again she beat on the door, longer this time.

Echoing hoof steps reached her ears from inside. "Finally!" she muttered.

The door opened, revealing a smartly dressed pegasus in a black and white suit. A monocle was socked into one eye and he regarded Rainbow Dash with undisguised annoyance. A butler.

"Yes?" he asked tersely.

"Whipwind... where is he?"

"I'm sorry but Master Whipwind gave direct instruction not to be disturbed this morning."

"He's HERE?!! Does he have a couple of fillies with him??!!"

"I'm sorry, but the master's business is his own. Now, buzz off!" the butler spat rudely at her and slammed the door so quickly that Rainbow Dash didn't have time to react. Angry, she beat on the door with both hooves.

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR TAIL IF YOU DON'T LET ME IN THERE RIGHT NOW, YOU FILTHY PENGUIN IN DISGUISE! OPEN UP!" she continued to beat on the door. "OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!"

She pounded till her hooves were sore, and then she switched and bucked the door several times with her rear hooves for good measure. But the door was heavy and well made. No amount of pounding by her alone would gain her access. She leaped up in the air and climbed, circling the building looking for any way to see in or gain access.

Her efforts were in vain, though. Short of smashing a crystal window, she found nothing. She needed help. She needed a unicorn with magic to open this door, now! It had taken her ages to learn when to ask for help, and now wasn't the time to let her stubborn pride get in the way. She thought about going to the mayor to send the town guards, but she didn't know what to say. Everypony knew Whipwind was nuts... and what proof did she have he had done anything wrong? No.. she needed her friends. She needed....

"RAIIINNBOOOWWW!!!!" she heard a familiar voice scream in elation. Whipping around, she saw a massive balloon with a basket underneath clearing the cloud ground. In the basket hopping up and down in glee was a very excited and hyper Pinky Pie. Rainbow Dash had no clue what in Equestria Pinky was doing way the buck up here, but then again, the pink party pony wasn't known for her ability to focus on a task. Seeing the balloon did give her an idea, though. She zoomed over to the basket and perched on the edge with her front hooves like a swimmer on a pool's railing.

"Pinky! Go back down to Twilight! Tell her I need help at Cloudbrand's mansion. Scootaloo's father is inside and maybe he knows where the fillies are!"

"Got it! Go down to Cloudbrand and get Twilight!"

"Errgh! No Pinky! Go get Twilight and tell her I need help up here!!"

"Haha! Silly, that's what I said!" Pinky smiled and pulled a lever dangling from the balloon above. Releasing air, the balloon began to drift down through the clouds towards Ponyville. Rainbow could hear her begin to sing some made up nonsensical song as she drifted out of sight.

She could do nothing but wait now, wait and make sure Whipwind didn't leave before her friends showed up. A mean and determined look fixed on her blue face.

"If you have those fillies in there, Whipwind... I'm gonna rip every last one of your wing feathers out personally!" she growled.
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Zecora had started early that day as she always did. It was her way of greeting the life force of the forest around her by spending the dawn hours collecting the various herbs, plants and flowers necessary for her potions. She sometimes stayed close to her hut, gathering the basic compounds she had planted over the years. But today she had been on a mission. She sought a rare flower that only grew on the western edge of the woods. For several hours she had traveled, reaching the treeline as the sun climbed into the sky on it's way towards the mid day position. She was in luck and chuckled in glee as she bent to collect two specimens growing in the shade of a large tree. The light here brought out the contrasting white and grey strips that painted her body. Her mane was cropped short and carried the same color pattern as the rest of her. She was a Zebra, and very much at home in her wooded surroundings.

"My little flower has been found, will make my potion strong and sound!" she spoke in her native rhyming accent.

Anxious to get back to her hut and put the flowers in her sealed jars before they wilted, she turned and moved swiftly through the dense undergrowth with practiced ease and dexterity with only the faintest of sound. She could actually move completely silent when she wanted to and usually did. However her desire to get back outweighed her desire to not disturb the forest.

It was for this reason she almost didn't hear it. She had gone in a good distance when she thought she heard a small voice. Her ears perked and swiveled to locate the sound in the brush. She didn't move, holding her breath and concentrating her mind to filter out the buzzing background of the insects.

"Ahhhh! Help!.... please...." It came again. Faint... but there. It sounded like a pony crying out in pain some ways off to the south. She sprinted off in the direction of the noise. Pausing occasionally to confirm her heading, bringing her head up high and closing her eyes. She controlled her breathing with practiced ease, letting every small sound reach her.

Zecora knew the forest like her own back yard. The area she was in was treacherous. Filled with kettles and slops you could not see until you were right on top of them. She lept down a large slope into a bowl formed by the forest floor and there, laying in the dirt covered in leaves and blood... was Apple Bloom. She knew this little pony well, and it alarmed her see the state she was in.

"Apple Bloom! What do you do??! This forest isn't for the likes of you!" she said.