Scootaloo's Guardian

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Another Journey

Scootaloo enjoyed the food that Applebloom had brought, and could not be more satisfied with the amount that had been stocked. The Apple Family really knows how to fill up somepony with their portions. However, she and the group do not know what else to do at the moment.

The crusaders were merely talking about future crusades and how to handle tomorrow in terms of keeping Astaroth from getting angry, while the dark golem bided his time and thought to himself. He still found it inconceivable to consider mere feelings to be possibly as strong, if not stronger than Soul Edge. He wanted power in the form of energy that he could manifest in himself and use it to destroy anything and everything. But another matter to deal with was what is lingering about inside of Astaroth that gave him a good shot of pain today and yesterday.

As the crusaders kept talking, their ears perked up as they heard voices outside of Scootaloo's.

"Applebloom!!"

The yellow filly turned to the entrance upon hearing the familiar sound of Applejack calling her name. She quickly galloped to the entrance and poked her head along the doorway to see Applejack looking around at a good distance away from her, and then calling her name again. While waiting for a response, Rarity was found walking beside Applejack and called out as well.

"Sweetie Belle!!"

The unicorn filly heard her name called by her older sister, and she and Applebloom traded slightly worried glances.

The two turn to Scootaloo as Applebloom spoke first "Sorry, Scoots. Our sisters need us fer some reason. We gotta get goin' or else our hides 're gonna get tanned!"

Sweetie Belle gave a smile "Don't worry, though! We'll be there for you tomorrow when school starts! See you later!"

The two waited for their sisters to trot away out of sight, and then quickly darted out of the ruined home so they would not see where they had come from, leaving only Scootaloo and Astaroth alone once more. The orange filly turned to her large 'friend' and smiled "Well, it's not like we won't see them tomorrow! So, what do you want to do now?"

Astaroth glared at Scootaloo "What could I possibly do with you that could be productive for me, runt?"

Scootaloo trotted over to the dark golem "Well, we could talk more about Equestria's history to get you started, but that's too boring..." She then smiled "How about a game??"

The dark golem raised an eyebrow at this "A game? Do you seriously think I'm in the mood??"

Scootaloo waved a hoof "It's your call, big guy! We gotta kill time somehow! If you got a better idea that DOESN'T involve inflicting pain, let's hear it!" Astaroth got up and glared down at Scootaloo as her ears drooped 'Me and my big mouth...'
______

Applejack and Rarity were trotting around in town in search of their younger siblings, calling their names and everything only to have no response. Rarity scoffed "This is just like those fillies! Always moving around town willy nilly!"

The orange farmpony chuckled "Y'all almost sound like Zecora, Rarity! But I agree with ya. We gotta find 'em before we head outta town!"

As they trotted, they were met with their names being called from behind. They both turn to see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle galloping towards them with a smile "Here Ah am, sis! We were jus' playin' around is all!" Applebloom said with a smile.

Applejack looked down at her little sister "Applebloom, it's good that Ah found ya. Ya gotta come home with me so Ah can explain stuff with ya!"

Rarity nodded towards her own sister "You, too, Sweetie Belle! I have to inform Mom and Dad that I'll be gone for a while!"

Sweetie Belle frowned "Gone? Going where? Is it something involving the Princess??"

The fashionista looked away awkwardly, not wanting to give her sister full explanation about her leaving "Well...Yes and no, really. Now come along! We have to move so I can make my arrangements! The sooner, the better!" She began to scoot Sweetie Belle away and make her trot as they both made for the Boutique while Applejack and Applebloom went back to their farm.

On the way back, Applebloom wanted to know exactly what was going on with how serious her sister had sounded earlier. Turning to Applejack, she spoke up once Sweet Apple Acres was in their sights "Applejack, what's goin' on? Are ya leavin' somewhere again with Rarity??"

Applejack nodded "Not jus' Rarity, but my other friends as well. We're goin' out on a quest t' find somethin' Twilight calls a human! She hasn't really sent a letter t' th' princess yet, but she's tellin' me that it's mighty important that we find this Zasalamel feller an' get some information outta him."

Applebloom widened her eyes "Ah heard Twilight come t' me an' Sweetie Belle talkin' about that earlier! How long 're ya gonna be gone??"

The orange farmpony sighed as she looked down "Ah dunno, Applebloom...But that's why Ah gotta get home, let Granny Smith and Big Mac know Ah'm leavin', an' start packin' fer my trip! An' while Ah'm gone, ya gotta promise me that y'all will stay outta trouble!"

The yellow filly looked up at her sister and nodded "Okay, sis! Ah promise t' be careful while yer gone!" She gave a smile, but was showing slight worry 'Hope Ah can say th' same fer Scoots...'

Applejack smiled back at Applebloom, and the two made good time as they went inside their house and took care of business.

Two hours later, the element bearers were trotting towards the exit leading into the Everfree Forest as the sun began to set. When they all met, Twilight took a deep breath and turned to her friends "Girls, I just want to say thank you for joining me on this quest. This is no doubt going to be a perilous journey with what hazards await us in the path ahead, but if we stick together, I know we'll be able to see this through! Now let's go look for Zasalamel and see what he's hiding from us!" She turned around and took her first hoofstep out of town with the rest of the element bearers following.

When they were inside the forest, they stayed close together and carefully looked around at their surroundings. Rainbow Dash was hovering over the group with a nostalgic smile on her face "Man, this definitely brings back memories! Remember how we were on our way to Nightmare Moon's castle and what we had to face on the way??"

Rarity gave a wistful sigh as she looked around "Yes, those were indeed the times...I even remember the time I gave that sea serpent part of my tail for his moustache! I wonder if we'll possibly run into hi-" She gritted her teeth and covered ears as a scream came in.

Everypony else covered their ears as well, except for Fluttershy, who was the one screaming at the sight ahead of her.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy as she stopped screaming "Fluttershy, what's wrong?? Why are you-" She gasped with a shocked expression as she noticed as well.

Her traumatized eyes were flooding with tears as she saw multiple corpses in the path made up of manticores and timberwolves. Fluttershy quickly galloped behind her friends and curled up, weeping at what she cannot unsee.

Applejack was freaked out as she looked ahead "Land Sakes...Ya don't think that Zasalamel feller did all this, did he?"

Rainbow Dash wasn't traumatized, but she was freaked out all the more with what she beheld "You think so?? Is this guy really THAT tough!?" Though she denies it, she began to feel nervous encountering Zasalamel if they ever run into one another.

Rarity saw the outdated carnage and felt like fainting, but she felt like kicking herself for not bringing along her fainting chair. While the creatures in the forest were indeed dangerous, she wasn't happy with seeing many of them lying dead in front of her. Her lips trembled at the sight.

Pinkie saw this and drooped her ears with a sad frown. Even she remained silent at something so morbid.

Twilight couldn't believe her eyes at this, but she didn't want to be phased like this when she had a journey to go on. She rapidly shook her head and took some deep breaths "Okay, everypony, I'll admit that this is...disturbing...but we really have to move on. We can't let something like this hinder us!"

Applejack pushed back her fear and stepped forward, nodding to the others "Twi's right, y'all! We jus' gotta ignore all o' these corpses an' get movin'! We're burnin' daylight by standin' here!"

While Rainbow Dash was still a little freaked, she remembered her element and gave a determined glance to her friends "Yeah! Like Twilight said, we'll see this through so long as we stick together!"

Rarity then pointed towards a weeping mare "But what about Fluttershy? This surely affects her the most with how those creatures are technically animals that have been slaughtered!"

Fluttershy had her face buried in her hooves as she wept for the loss of the many creatures. Even if they were rather mean, they didn't exactly deserve this cruel fate. She already felt like going back home and forgetting about this whole thing, until she felt Applejack rest a hoof on her shoulder.

Applejack looked down at the sad mare with a soft expression "C'mon now, sugarcube. Ah don't like this as much as you do, but we gotta see past this! We gotta overcome whatever's in our way while we're travellin' an' hope fer th' best! Can ya please do it fer us??"

She was still weeping, but Fluttershy managed to show her face and wipe some tears from her eyes. The timid mare wasn't ready to look ahead, but she locked eyes with Applejack, who gave her a reassuring smile. Sniffling a little, she nodded as she picked herself up from the ground "I-I don't want to look at this..."

Applejack nodded and kept her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder "Then y'all can close yer eyes while Ah guide ya. How's that sound??"

Fluttershy gave a small smile and nodded to her friend. She wiped what was left of her tears and closed her eyes, trying to imagine things that can make her happy as they progress deeper into the forest.

Pinkie managed to smile as well as she hopped next to Twilight "Okie Dokie Loki! Let's keep going! All we have to do is not look at these dead bodies!"

Rainbow Dash gave Pinkie a deadpan stare "How you manage to see through this easier than the rest of us, Pinkie, I'll never know..."

Twilight sighed "Regardless, she's right! Let's keep going and pay absolutely NO attention to what we just witnessed! Just keep walking..." Taking point once more, she and her friends continued through the forest and walked around each corpse in their way.

Applejack was doing her part and carefully guiding Fluttershy as she kept her eyes closed, steeling herself for what else might come her way. To think she would witness a slaughter of several beasts was something she wasn't ready for.

As they progressed further, they noticed a flicker of light as Twilight turned to her friends "Look alive, everypony! We're entering Froggy Bottom Bog!" When they managed to reach their location, their jaws dropped as they witnessed another morbid sight.

Fluttershy moved her head around while her eyes were shut "What's wrong?? Why are we stopping again??"

Applejack could only stare at the large corpse of a hydra along with her friends before finally speaking "Fluttershy...Ya don't wanna know..."
_____

At the boutique, Sweetie Belle was eating dinner with her parents as they engaged in conversation. She was looking down at her food, looking slightly sullen as her food had barely been touched. It consisted of a double daisy burger with hay fries, courtesy of her father's cooking, with a glass of grape juice on the side.

Magnum took another bite of his double daisy burger, and then turned to Sweetie Belle after swallowing it "So, Sweetie Belle, how's school? I heard you were getting good grades in most of your classes!"

The unicorn filly looked up and answered her father's question "Oh! It's good! Real good actually! I've been doing well with my friends."

Sweetie Belle's mother, Pearl, chimed in with an ecstatic tone "Oh, that is just swell! It's good to know that your friends are the reason for your success!"

And that was just what Sweetie Belle was worried about. She couldn't help but feel worried about Scootaloo being all alone with a monster like Astaroth. She could only hope that nothing bad was happening to her.

Magnum then spoke "Hey! I also heard that your sister made you a nice gem-covered dress for school tomorrow! I can't wait to see you with it on before you go in the morning! You'll probably look more precious than you already are!"

Pearl squealed with joy "I imagine you with it on already! You're sure to give Rarity a good name wearing your dress and showing it to your classmates! I wonder if we should convince your sister to make you more clothes!"

Sweetie Belle held up her hooves with a sheepish grin "Umm, it's okay, Mom and Dad, I'll just stick with the gem dress for tomorrow...I hope my friends would like it as well..."

Magnum gave a hearty chuckle "I'm sure they will, Sweetie Belle! In fact, I only wonder what they'll bring to school! I'll bet they have something interesting or exciting or both!"
_____

Scootaloo already ran around her home for the fifth time while avoiding Astaroth's wrath that she herself had incurred. There were more holes than before with what she had dodged, and she only caught her breath and counted herself lucky that the dark golem felt another shot of pain spread in his chest before he got even more violent.

Right now, the two were both worn out; Scootaloo from running and Astaroth from chasing her around and wanting to mutilate her. The orange filly was glad that he was able to calm down as night began to pour in. She picked herself up and trotted to her room "C'mon, Astaroth...I wanna make sure you're with me when we get up tomorrow..."

Astaroth grunted and mustered his energy to follow Scootaloo in her more-than-ruined room. She was able to find a good spot and tuck herself in with her aged blanket and smiled a little at the thought of tomorrow. Sadly, however, she could barely sleep.

She turned to see Astaroth sitting down and making himself comfortable nearby, though he was a good distance away from Scootaloo. She tapped her chin and wondered if she would be lucky enough to convince Astaroth to do something that could help her sleep. She then turned to the dark golem "Hey...Astaroth??"

Astaroth gave Scootaloo a weak glare "What is it now, runt? I'm trying to rest..."

Scootaloo gave a smile with how he sounded "Well, so am I...Is it okay if you help me?"

The dark golem scoffed "I could've helped you sooner, but you kept running..." It only took a while for the orange filly to get the punchline of that cruel joke.

Scootaloo sighed "Could you do something to help me sleep? Like a story perhaps?"

Astaroth looked at Scootaloo again with a raised eyebrow, parroting her words "A story?" He then rubbed his chin, and then slowly gave a malicious grin as he thought one up "Okay...I have a story for you that is guaranteed to grant you a good sleep..."

Scootaloo gave a smile "Okay, cool! Let's hear it!"

The dark golem cleared his throat and then his grin returned as he began "Once upon a time...there was a war. There were many soldiers on both sides craving blood and glory for themselves! When their wills met, sparks flew, and bodies piled up by the hundreds!" He was enjoying his crafted story when he noticed the horrified expression on Scootaloo's face "And what makes it better is that snot-nosed children like you were caught in the bloodshed! They even had their heads skewered on pikes for all to see before the soldiers themselves succumbed to death's unavoidable grasp!" This was more than enough to make up for when the orange filly avoided his attempts at hurting her earlier as he wrapped it up "In the end...there were no survivors, and the stench of blood filled the air...and then someone came..."

Scootaloo looked at Astaroth with hope flickering in her eyes.

Astaroth smirked "That someone...was me..." he grinned "I only had to go back and collect their souls after I invited myself in the slaughter..." He now saw Scootaloo staring at the ceiling with widened eyes, gripping her blanket with her forelegs as she shivered and chuckled at the sight "Rest well, runt..." He spoke his usual tone as he hung his head and went to rest.

Scootaloo continued staring up at the ceiling and holding her blanket, and her shocked expression held a small glare 'That's fine...Not that I don't need sleep or anything...Jerk...'

End of Chapter 15

Comments

[Yasahiro]

Next morningI have seen you updated again! My prayers for more Scootaloo and Astaroth related goodness were answered! You made my day good sir. All I can exlaim at this very moment is that I desire a bit more of your creativity, gentlecolt(Translation: MOAR! )

[suijin228]

Man, asteroths' storytime really kicks ass. I wonder what he'll read tommorow?

Astaroth: once upon a time there was an ugly pony. She was so ugly, everybody died. The end.

Anyway amazing last three chapters, you're really rockin' this story. Keep goin and stay golden^^

[Dirty Bit]

433893 I'm glad you enjoyed his session! Next time, he'll read up on how he came to love Tira, only to realize she had been cheating on him for Nightmare!

Glad to know you still like this

[Icarus Crimsonhoof]

Astaroth tells the best stories.

[Lordsprinkles]

this story is very good, violence is my favourite kind of communication!
really enjoying the story, I'll read more of it tomorrow... one more chapter...