Nightmare on Stirrup Street

Applebloom found herself at the edge of a dry riverbed with the hot sun beating down. It was almost like the riverbed the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been digging in earlier that day, but the stones were much bigger, and there were many more of them with far less dirt covering them. Happy that she’d found even better rocks than they’d tried to use earlier in the day, Applebloom jumped down into the river with a gleeful cheer. She grabbed the first one she reached, and despite it being as big as her, she easily lifted it above her head. She laughed and spun in a circle, then tossed it up into the wagon that suddenly appeared on the riverbank. She picked up more and more of them, throwing them up to the wagon with ease. The wagon never seemed to get full, either, no matter how many of them she threw. She was enjoying herself immensely, knowing the other Crusaders would be ecstatic to see the stones she’d found. Maybe she’d get a cutie mark in geology or digging!

“Geology? How very droll.” A cold voice said.

Applebloom stopped and looked around. “Who’s there?” She asked, not seeing the source of the voice.

A tall, dark blue alicorn appeared next to her wagon, which was piled high with rocks. She shimmered into existence, her mane and tail looked like they were made of the night sky, and she smiled at Applebloom. The smile itself looked warm, but it never touched her eyes.

“Tell me little filly, why do you dream of digging in the daylight?” The tall mare asked.

Applebloom was confused. The mare was an alicorn, but only Celestia was an alicorn. Unless... Applebloom’s eyes widened in alarm. “Ahhhh! Nightmare Moon!”

The Alicorn’s eyes flashed in anger. The sunny sky slowly darkened, the moon appearing high above, looming large with the mare in the moon prominent. “I am NOT Nightmare Moon!”

She stamped a hoof on the ground and a rumbling began. Smaller stones around Applebloom’s hooves started bouncing and shaking on the ground, and a hissing sound could be heard. The alicorn spread her wings and her horn began to glow with magic. Some of the stones lifted out of the ground, tearing themselves free from the dirt. One erupted from beneath Applebloom, carrying her into the air.

“I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night and of dreams! My dearest sister would have me believe that I will be welcomed back with open hooves. Too many dreams tell me that is a lie. Still, ponies do not enjoy my beautiful nights, and still they fear me as they feared Nightmare Moon!” Luna said sternly, looking at Applebloom.

Applebloom cowered on top of the floating rock, and watched Luna’s pupils turn to slits, then back again. Luna saw the fear apparent in the filly and sighed. She slowly lowered her to the ground. As soon as Applebloom was on the ground again, she screamed and ran away, trying to climb the far side of the riverbank.

“Stop running! Stop screaming! Stop being afraid of me!” Luna yelled. She stamped her hooves on the riverbank, and the hissing in the distance became the rushing roar of water.

Applebloom saw the roaring flood in the distance up the river, and she tried harder to climb the riverbank, but it was proving far too steep and loose after Luna’s assault on it.

“Every time I attempt to speak with my subjects they scream and run or cry in terror! ‘Nightmare Moon’, they call. Well if I can no longer be loved, then there will be no welcome for you in my realm! I will remind you all why you once feared the dark!” Luna shouted. Her voice was an imperious hammer on Applebloom’s ears, and the filly started crying as the water bore down on her. As it impacted her poor body, she awoke, her sheets soaked, screaming out loud in her bed.

“Applebloom?! What’s wrong?”Applejack burst into the room, her mane loose and flying in her face. She dashed over to Applebloom, who grabbed onto her and started crying into her chest.

“There-there was a *hic* scary pony who-who yelled at me be-because it was daytime, and then she tried to drown me!” Applebloom sobbed.

Applejack stroked her mane slowly, letting her cry herself out. She murmured reassuringly to her little sister until the filly had calmed down, her sobbing slowing to sniffling until it was gone altogether.

“It was just a dream, Applebloom. It’s scary, but it can’t hurt you.” Applejack said.

“Ah know that! But that mare was so mad, and she took away the sun, then tried to drown me! For no reason!” Applebloom said.

“Well, it’s a dream. They ain’t usually known for makin’ sense. Ah once dreamed ah was bein’ chased by a giant apple with teeth! The dang thing was tryin’ to eat me!” Applejack laughed, but Applebloom didn’t join her.

“Well anyway. It’s still just a couple hours too early for us to be getting’ up. Let’s get your bedding changed, and you might want to go rinse off in the shower right quick. You sweated up a storm! You and your blankets are soaked!” Applejack said, lifting the filly out her bed.

Applebloom realized that she was indeed soaking wet. Her mane was damp, her fur was damp, and she’d left an incredibly large wet spot on the bed. She slowly walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap, but as she was waiting for the water to heat up, she sniffed her leg out of curiosity. To her confusion, it didn’t smell like she had been sweaty. It smelled like she was just wet, in fact. Like she had been doused with water.

When she had rinsed and dried herself, she got back to her room, where Applejack had switched out her bedding already. “Now do you think y’all will be okay sleeping alone, Applebloom? You can come stay with me if you like.” Applejack offered.

“Ah’ll be fine Applejack. Thanks fer comin’ to check on me.” Applebloom said, climbing back into bed.

“Alright then. Y’all sleep well. See you in a couple hours.” Applejack said, and left the room, flipping the light out on her way.

Applebloom lay there in the dark, staring at the bed’s canopy above her. She didn’t know what to make of it. She wasn’t really afraid anymore, but she was definitely confused. It had been a dream, but she distinctly remembered parts of it feeling incredibly real. The feel of the dirt under her hooves, and the water when it struck her. She shuddered a bit at that. It hadn’t really hurt, but the fear of imminent drowning dredged up some unpleasant feelings. She couldn’t remember the pony’s name for the life of her, though. She had been a mare, that she was positive of, but why was she positive it had been a mare? Something about her had triggered that feeling. She had been… unique, somehow.

Applebloom twisted and turned in her bed, trying to fall asleep, or remember the pony’s name, or something. Anything to help her get this weight off her mind. When she’d lain there for maybe fifteen minutes she gave up, kicked the blankets off, and went to look out the window. She stared off into the night sky, admiring the moon. Then it hit her; Nightmare Moon! She dashed into Applejack’s room. “Nightmare Moon! It was Nightmare Moon that tried to drown me in my dream!” She yelled.

“Nightmare Moon? Oh Applebloom. It couldn’t have been her. Me n’ my friends defeated her. Go to sleep Applebloom.” Applejack muttered drowsily.

Annoyed by her sister, Applebloom grumped back over to her own room and rolled onto her bed. She rolled back and forth in frustration both at her inability to sleep, and at Applejack. Eventually, she gave up and decided to just head out to the clubhouse early and wait for the other crusaders. It was only an hour until dawn anyway. She tied her bow into her hair, cracked open the door, and slipped outside. She scurried over to the clubhouse, got the promised shovel she was going to bring, and waited. She tried to keep herself busy, but the clubhouse was empty, and she was all alone, and she still had a good hour or so to wait. She tried drawing pictures of what the roads would look like when they were all cobbled, but she’d been woken up early, and that wasn’t particularly exciting. She started nodding off. She slapped herself in the cheeks, trying to keep herself awake, but it was no use. Eventually, despite the hard, wooden floor, Applebloom slipped off to sleep.

She was on the streets of Ponyville at night, with a single lamp post gleaming in the darkness, shining its beam down on her. She held in her hoof a single apple, and on her back were her saddlebags, filled up with schoolbooks of all sorts. Applebloom looked around, and she saw next to her a sign that said ‘CARRIAGE STOP’. She was... going to school? She must be, or else why would she be waiting for a carriage with her schoolbooks? She was confused why she would be waiting in the dark, though. Was it near morning, or was it the evening? She didn’t know what else to do, and there was nopony else around for her to ask, so she waited.

She heard the clopping of hooves in the distance, and she turned to look. Out in the darkness, a swaying light could be seen, plodding slowly toward Applebloom’s carriage stop. Still holding her apple, Applebloom waited while the yellow and black carriage came toward her. The pony pulling it was a dark blue mare, wearing a bus driver’s uniform. She was an alicorn, strangely, and seeing her tugged at Applebloom’s brain. She was sure she remembered this pony, but she couldn’t think of where, exactly.

“Going my way, young filly?” The driver said, tipping her hat at Applebloom.

“Uh, yeah. Ah think so.” Applebloom said, and hopped in the back.

“Well, you just let Luna take you to your destination.” Luna said, winking at Applebloom.

She started off, Applebloom sitting in the front row of carriage seats, and rocked back and forth as it crossed the cobbles. Cobbles? Ponyville’s streets weren’t cobbled. Applebloom looked around in alarm. She was suddenly in the middle of a busy intersection, with carriages going to and fro incredibly quickly. She couldn’t identify any ponies around as their faces were blurred by the speed at which they were passing. Luna picked up speed, pulling the carriage and a swift canter.

“Can, can you slow down, ah think we’re at the wrong place. This isn’t mah school.” Applebloom asked.

“Why whatever do you mean? I’m taking you to your destination.” Luna said, not looking back.

Applebloom sat back in her seat. They didn’t seem to be in any danger, and Luna had the carriage well under control. She could probably calm down and wait it out without any trouble. She rocked back and forth as Luna expertly drove them in between carriages, weaving back and forth, buzzing past some, and speeding alongside others down city street after city street. Suddenly, they burst out of the city and onto some desert plains, akin to those described by Applejack near Appleloosa.

“Wait, wait! This definitely isn’t anywhere near my school! Ah don’t even know where this is! Are we near Appleloosa?” Applebloom said, scrambling to the front of the carriage.

“I never said I was taking you to your school. I said I was taking you to your destination. Your FINAL destination! AHAHAHAHA!” Luna looked back at Applebloom and her eyes, where they had been normal before, now had cat-like slit pupils, her green eyes glowing with a terrible inner light. Her wide grin had dangerous fangs filling it, and a long, thin tongue snaked out, licking her lips.

Applebloom pulled back in fear. “Ahhhh! Nightmare Moon!”

“Hahahahahahaaaaa! If that is what you wish, then that is what I am, but I think you have more pressing things to worry about! Your stop is coming up!” Luna said gleefully.

Applebloom heard a train whistle, and she looked up ahead where they were going. The road they were on crossed the railroad tracks, and there was the Friendship Express, chugging merrily along.

“Stop! You’re going to crash!” Applebloom pleaded. Luna merely laughed harder.

“Don’t worry, young filly, we’re right on track!” Luna cackled.

Applebloom looked around desperately. The carriage was going far too fast to jump off safely, but she might survive that fall as opposed to getting hit by a train, which she definitely wouldn’t survive. She tugged on the harness Luna was attached to, trying to pull it off the carriage so she could coast to a halt, but the harness was expertly attached, and without tools it wasn’t going to be possible to remove.

“Please stop! We’re going to get hit!” Applebloom cried.

Luna was galloping along at an incredible speed, the ground whizzing past. “Sorry, little Applebloom, but you don’t want to miss school! It’s time for you to catch your train!”

Applebloom put her hooves up to shield her face as the train impacted the carriage, and she was sent flying.