Earthbound Journey 2: Reign of the Magic Queen

by ShadeJak

Spooks And Scoots

"Phew... that was close!" Scootaloo said to herself as she maneuvered her scooter past a few tombstones, leaving behind several zombie ponies stuck on sticky sheets of paper she'd left around. Aunt Daring would have to credit her for her initiative back there!

She had always been afraid zombie ponies would come out of the cemetery at night, what with it being so spooky and all, and the rumors of Eclipse Castle being haunted, she just hadn't expected them to be real! "Where are these things coming from?!" she wondered aloud as she flung another sheet of Zompony Paper at another partially decomposed pony that emerged from its grave.

"Scootalooooo...!" the zombie moaned, struggling in vain to get itself off the sticky paper, freezing the pegasus filly on her tracks.

"Y-yeah?" she asked nervously, looking back.

"You're... soooo mean...!" the zombie wailed in despair, flopping on its back in another failed attempt to get loose from the paper.

"How did that pony know my name...?" Scootaloo wondered to herself, not recalling any deaths in Tazfilly before Big Mac and Rarity. Wanting to get away from the zombie before it had the chance to successfully free itself, Scootaloo rushed her scooter further down through the cemetery to find her way to the castle.

A little further down, she heard the sound of fighting and getting closer, she saw a hooded figure fending off zombie ponies with a staff. Scootaloo's eyes widened as she recognized the figure.

"Zecora?!" Scootaloo cried out, covering her mouth when she realized her outburst got the zombie ponies' attention as well.

"This is no night for you, little child! The dead are getting rather wild!" Zecora called out, swinging her staff and decapitating a zombie pony. As its body collapsed to the ground, the zombie's head rolled away, purple ooze seeping from its mouth.

"Hang on!" Scootaloo rushed forward, reaching into her pack and throwing a smoke bomb out, blinding the zombie ponies while Zecora ducked away, taking advantage to strike another to the ground while Scootaloo leaped into the air, taking a pair of staples out and anchoring the last one into the ground, landing in front of it and smashing its face in with her scooter.

Zecora took a few breaths and looked around. "I am grateful young one, but you best leave. It would do no good to make Daring Do grieve."

"Aunt Daring sent me out here, Zecora!" Scootaloo insisted. "What's going on out here, anyway?!"

"I could not believe my eyes, purple ooze, then the dead began to rise!" Zecora answered, looking around for any signs of more walking dead.

"Wait, purple ooze?" Scootaloo asked, confused.

"Yes, strange ponies are the reason why, they came down from the hovering thing in the sky!" Zecora replied, gesturing to strange broken glass jars with an odd symbol on them.

"Hey, this symbol! It's just like the one on a book Applejack had found the other day!" Scootaloo said.

"Before I let you pass, why are you here, may I ask?" Zecora asked, looking Scootaloo over in confusion.

"I told you, Aunt Daring sent me! I gotta get into Eclipse Castle and find something she needs me to get!"

Zecora gave the filly a skeptical look. It seemed rather rash of Daring to put this much faith in a child, especially after all that had happened. If Daring Do had sent her, the explorer must have been pretty confident the filly could handle whatever errand she put her on, or she was very desperate. "Very well, the bridge is out, but follow me. We'll take my passage and be there in a hurry."

Grinning, Scootaloo followed the zebra into the small hut at the edge of the cemetery. Opening the door, Zecora let the filly inside and took one last look around before hurriedly closing it behind her.

"This way," Zecora said abruptly, pushing her bed aside and revealing a stairway leading down into a dimly lit corridor.

"Thanks!" Scootaloo replied with a smile, eager to proceed.

The zebra looked down at her for a moment before giving a slow nod. "This will take us to Eclipse Castle. Follow me..."

~

"This is so weird, who are these ponies? What do they want with us?" Scootaloo suddenly asked as she followed Zecora through the dank tunnel.

"Odd things have happened before now, I have heard," Zecora said simply, not bothering with a rhyme.

"Yeah, some ponies in weird costumes, they made one of the hippos from the river into some kinda monster! And we found this book, somepony wants them to do that to more animals! And then... whatever got Big Mac and Rarity..." Scootaloo flinched, remembering how heartbroken Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were. "And now those jars with that symbol! They gotta be the ones who made that happen, too! But what did we ever do to them? Why are they doing these things?"

"Daring trusting you to go to the castle is rather strange, I'd have thought it past your range," Zecora said.

"That's not true!" Scootaloo snapped indignantly as she continued to follow. "I can handle this! I..." she paused and looked down at the sludgy ground. "...I don't get it, either. She usually thinks I'm a total screw-up. I know she's still got a broken wing, but... trusting me with this?"

"Desperation, perhaps it's true... or what she asks, is also important to you," Zecora said, stopping and holding her hoof out, urging Scootaloo to do the same. "Before we go, there are things I wish to know,"

"Whaddya mean?" the filly asked.

"How have you been, with all that has happened?" Zecora asked. "Your friends, have you spent time with them since the funeral? Or even before?"

Scootaloo paused, having not expected the question or that Zecora would speak normally. "...Not a lot, I mean, I've been with Aunt Daring most of the day because she wanted me ready for this. I saw Sweetie Belle when I was leaving and I haven't seen Apple Bloom since before the funeral..."

"Indeed, Applejack and Twilight went to look for Apple Bloom, they still have not returned," Zecora said.

"Do you think...?" Scootaloo began.

"I don't know what to think, child. I can only hope she will be alright. Two dear friends is far too many losses for anypony," Zecora said. "How was Sweetie Belle?"

Scootaloo pawed the floor a bit, looking down at it dejectedly. "She's still..." the filly sighed. "I wanna help, I really do, but I don't know how that's like. I don't even remember my mom and dad so I don't really think about them, but Sweetie Belle... she lost her sister who was the only family she had!" Scootaloo fell to her haunches. "I feel bad I can't really get what that feels like. Aunt Daring just tells me not to think about it, because more important stuff is at hoof."

"You've barely had time to mourn our loss, your friend needs you but your aunt sends you on a mission like this by yourself?" Zecora asked.

"She had no choice, though! With her wing broken and bad stuff happening before she can get better she needed to count on me! I know I can do this!" Scootaloo protested, stomping her hoof and putting on a bold look. "I'm alright, I promise, I--"

Scootaloo could not hold back her tears much longer. Collapsing to her haunches again, the filly began to weep. "Sweetie Belle can barely handle herself now, I gotta be the strong one for her, and I gotta do this mission for Aunt Daring but I don't know for sure if I can... but I can't let her down, too!"

Zecora came over and put her foreleg around the filly, hugging her. "Sweetie Belle is very fortunate to have you for a friend, Scootaloo. Be happy for that," she said, brushing away the young pegasus' tears. "As for Daring Do, she is a remarkable explorer, but she is not very good at handling emotions, both her own and those of others. Perhaps she means well, but I feel she is expecting too much of you right now."

"Well... whether she is or not, I can't mess this up. She acted like... like it'd be the end of the world for all of us if I didn't get this done!" Scootaloo insisted, wiping away the last of her tears.

"When you can, you'd do well to speak with her. She is stubborn but if she cares, I'm certain she will listen. I hope you are free to recover after it is done. " Zecora looked down the tunnel ahead. "For now, let us proceed, so you may get whatever it is you need."

Scootaloo hugged the zebra, smiling and giving a nod before she resumed following her through the tunnels.

~

"Whoa... it's a lot creepier up close!" Scootaloo said, staring at the dark, dreary castle that now loomed over them.

"The gates are closed, I fear. Perhaps, however, another way is near?" Zecora asked with a small smile, looking past Scootaloo at a nearby wall.

Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo walked over to the wall, tapping it with her hoof and glancing up. With a smile, she took out some staples and began anchoring them into it, pulling herself up as though they were claws. Reaching the top, she turned and looked down at Zecora, realizing she'd have to leave her behind.

"Hurry now, little filly! Do not worry about me!" Zecora called up, looking over in the distance, where the strange floating object hovered with several more shapes descending from it.

"Uhh... Zecora?" Scootaloo asked, pausing as she looked at an open window ahead. "I-is it true the castle's haunted?"

"Very much so, little one!" Zecora replied back. "But do not be scared, some are quite fun!" she said with a small chuckle before heading back to the tunnel.

"Why does that not make me feel much better?" the filly wondered aloud as she slowly headed to the dark window and climbed in.

~

The inside of the castle was dark, only a few candles and the moonlight shining through some of the other windows giving it any illumination. Columns and arches held cracks and missing chunks, cobwebs lined walls, dusty curtains, and old statues left behind and neglected for who knew how many years by Scootaloo's account. The filly could hear a faint organ music echoing from somewhere within the castle's walls but she wasn't sure where, and the lit candles gave even more indication that somepony had to be living here despite it supposedly having been abandoned for so long... if anything a good deal longer then her Aunt Daring could have recalled.

"Heh, it's okay, Scootaloo! Zecora was just pulling your leg! There can't be any-- G-GHOSTS!!!" Scootaloo wailed when a white, translucent pony suddenly emerged from the wall and loomed in front of her, its blank empty black eyes staring down at her as it let out an ominous moan.

"D-don't hurt me, Mister Ghost!" Scootaloo pleaded, cowering and struggling to find something, anything in her bag that could help and yanked out the first thing she got her hoof on and held it out in front of her.

The ghost paused and suddenly cocked its head. "Ohmygosh! It's you! I've heard so much about you I'm such a fan!" it boomed, rearing in excitement.

"Huh?" Scootaloo wondered, opening her eyes and realizing she was holding the Scary Mask in front of herself.

"Wow, I didn't expect the Headless Horse herself would come to our little abode!" the ghost said. "Come on! I'll take you to the kitchen! Do you like rotten eclairs? We got loads of them!"

Scootaloo gagged at the thought of eating anything rotten. "Uhhh no thanks," she said sheepishly. "Sounds... great, though! Actually... I was sorta wondering if there's any special treasures here in the castle?"

The ghost pony paused and looked back at her. "Depends. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just... I want a souvenir! Plus what pony's gonna try and steal from me, right?" Scootaloo replied, making sure the blank sheet of paper on the end of the stick continued to hide her head from the phantom's sight.

The ghost pony rubbed its chin in thought. "...Maybe if the Princess says it's okay."

"Princess? You have a princess?" Scootaloo asked, almost dropping the Scary Mask in confusion. Daring had said nothing about any princess. The idea of these ghosts having a boss she'd have to talk to made her shiver a little.

"Sorta. I mean we don't really talk but she's cool, you know! We haunt the place, she hangs out, everypony wins!" the ghost replied.

"So... where can I find her?" Scootaloo asked. "I... uh, bet she'll be really excited to meet a ghost as famous as me, right?"

The ghost pony laughed. "She hangs out on the upper floors, gotta keep the treasure safe, right? Still, you're gonna need a way up there, it's a bit tricky. Come on down and hang with us, there's a ghost who sells stuff for food, he may have something."

"Uhhh..." Scootaloo paused, shivering a little at the idea of being around a lot of ghosts.

"Rotten eclairs, Headless. Rotten. Eclairs!" the ghost pony said as though it were the greatest thing ever and gliding down the hall towards some stairs leading down.

~

"Okay, you guys have been great, really! But I really gotta go!" Scootaloo insisted, struggling to hold up the Scary Mask and carry the rotten eclairs no less then nine other ghost ponies had insisted on sharing with her in the mold-ridden, messy kitchen. Their foul odor combined with the piles of food way past its expiration was becoming far too much for the filly and all she wanted to do was get as far away from this party as possible and resume her search.

"Aw c'mon, Headless! You have no idea what an honor this is to us!" a ghost pony insisted, hovering sadly in front of her.

Scootaloo laughed nervously. "Guys, I appreciate all you've done. Really, I do! Just... I really need to go, now and talk to the Princess!"

The ghosts all moaned in disappointment, frowning and turning away.

"Fine, just go find Sure Sale in the next room up, he can give you a way to get up there," the ghost pony Scootaloo met in the halls said.

"Thanks!" the filly replied. "I... had a lot of fun, really I did! I'll... be sure to eat these on the trip back home!" with a quick wave, Scootaloo hurried up the stairs and out of sight.

"...You know that was just some foal hiding her face with a piece of paper, right?" one of the ghosts asked the first one.

"Oh, I know. Had a bet going with the others over how long till she lost her lunch!" the first ghost said with a hearty laugh.

"You're horrible!" the second ghost chuckled, playfully shoving his friend. "...Now c'mon! Let's have ourselves a toast!" he declared, gesturing to the other ghosts who held up glasses of old wine before drinking it up, staining the floor even more in the process.

~

Scootaloo stared in disbelief at the ghost pony before her that ranted about a red snake sleeping on a blanket with several other wares he was selling. "You're... kidding, right?"

"Not at all, missy! For a limited time only we got this Rope Snake, guaranteed to help carry you wherever you need to go!" the ghost explained, before leaning in as if telling a secret. "And just between us, he was a pet of the bearer of the Element of Kindness, so I'm talking authentic stuff, here!"

"Pfft! I got wings what do I need it for?" Scootaloo asked indignantly.

"Those tiny things? Riiiiiight, kid. Don't need you joining our ranks that young from trying to cross the gap up ahead," the ghost said.

Scootaloo frowned at the ghost, a little hurt even though he had a point.

"Eh, sorry kid. I'm sure you'll bloom into a great flyer one day, but it's clearly not this one. And just for you, I'm throwing in a special deal!" the ghost pony explained.

"Yeah, what?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can smell those rotten eclairs at the bottom of the stairs there, kiddo! How's about you carry 'em up here and this little guy's all yours!"

Scootaloo grimaced, not wanting to be near those smelly things again. "Can't you just go get them?"

"I could but then what's to stop you from robbing me blind, hm? I'm dead, not stupid!" the ghost responded, narrowing his black eyes in suspicion at the filly.

"Fine! I'll get them for you!" Scootaloo replied indignantly, rushing back downstairs and returning moments later with an old sack filled with putrid, foul-smelling rotten food and dropping it in front of the ghost with a sickening splat. The ghost pony grinned from ear to ear and yanked the bag open, marveling at its contents. "Sold, kiddo!" he said, the red snake yawning and looking over at Scootaloo.

Scootaloo managed a smile as the snake looked at her lazily and extended her hoof out to it. "Hey, I'm Scootaloo, guess we're gonna be--GAH!!!" the filly cried out as the snake suddenly, quick as a flash slithered up her foreleg, around her barrel, and snuggled itself into her pack.

"He likes you already, kid! Good luck, just be ready when you reach the top floor!" the ghost said, already stuffing his face with rotten eclairs. Shaking her head in disgust, Scootaloo went into a full gallop and charged up the stairs, heading deeper into the castle.

~

"Phew... this must be what they were talking about!" Scootaloo said as she looked ahead of her. A decent chunk of the floor ahead had collapsed in on itself, leaving a hole that went down at least four or five floors. The distance ahead was too far for her to jump, even with the limited flying that she could manage, and the hole reached both walls, making it impossible to walk around it. Noticing a chandelier above that seemed to be attached to the ceiling, the filly knew what she had to do. "Hey, Rope Snake! You ready?" she asked, looking into her bag. Movement followed by the snake's head poking out confirmed it had heard her. "Think you can help me get across here?"

The snake flicked out its tongue and looked up at the chandelier before slithering out of the bag it had deemed its home and wrapped itself around Scootaloo's right foreleg. Turning its head to the chandelier then back to Scootaloo, it stared at her expectantly. Realizing what it wanted, Scootaloo took a step back, reared onto her hind legs and thrust her foreleg out. The snake loosened its grip around her and lashed out, biting down onto the chandelier while keeping its tail tightly wrapped around the filly, using her momentum to swing them across and letting go after Scootaloo landed on the other side.

"Wow! You're so awesome! Thanks!" Scootaloo said, nuzzling the Rope Snake affectionately before it returned the gesture and slithered back into her pack. The moment was interrupted, however, by a strange clanking sound. Scootaloo turned and yelped at the sight of one of the suits of armor in the hall, surrounded by an aura of blue magic, that had come to life and began to approach her.

"Oh no! What do I do what do I do what do I do?!" Scootaloo fumbled in her bag and pulled out the Scary Mask, holding it in front of her face, struggling to slow her breathing and hoping it'd work. The haunted suit of armor paused a moment, staring at her before suddenly swatting it away and lunging for her. Scootaloo jumped out of the way, barely dodging it and trying to find something else to use. Fishing out the hypno-pendulum, Scootaloo struggled to sway it back and forth in front of the armor, where she assumed its eyes had to be. The animated suit stood there for a moment before swatting it away as well. Teeth chattering, sweat running down her neck, Scootaloo swung her hoof out as hard as she could and smacked the armor suit's helmet clean off, the rest of the suit collapsing immediately after and the magical aura fading from it.

"What the...?!" Scootaloo stared at the smashed armor, inside there was a small piece of paper with a goofy pair of eyes and a tongue drawn on it.

Gotcha!

Before Scootaloo could process this odd discovery, she heard a filly's laughter down the hall. Looking in the source of the laugh, she saw what looked to be a figure in a blue hooded cloak, pointing and laughing at her.

"You shoulda seen the look on your face! Priceless!" the hooded figure said, snickering.

"Who are you?!" Scootaloo asked, a little annoyed after what she'd just gone through.

"None'a your business." the figure replied, pulling back her hood and causing Scootaloo to gasp in surprise.

It was a pink unicorn filly, maybe about her age, with a spiky purple mane with a blue stripe running down the middle. Her eyes were a brilliant sky blue. The filly smirked mischievously at her then suddenly galloped off down the hall.

"Hey! Come back here!" Scootaloo shouted, rushing after her. The other filly looked back at her then ran through a door, closing it behind her. Catching up and opening the door, Scootaloo found a winding staircase before her. Her ears perked at the sound of whistling and she looked up, seeing the pink filly already at the top, waving down at her before disappearing into a corridor the stairs lead up to. Gritting her teeth, Scootaloo rushed up the stairs as fast as she could, only to stop dead on her tracks at the door when something that shined in the moonlight from the skylight above caught her eye.

Leaning down, Scootaloo picked up the small, shiny trinket and looked it over. "Some kinda necklace?" she wondered aloud. "Is this what Aunt Daring wanted?" Looking at the door ahead, Scootaloo shook her head. This was way too easy and she didn't want Daring to get mad at her for bringing back the wrong thing.

Nudging the door open, Scootaloo was greeted with another dark hallway, and she quickly noticed the organ music she'd heard earlier was much louder, now... its source possibly behind the large, wooden doors up ahead. Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo marched forward, her thoughts returning to the filly she'd seen earlier. She wasn't anypony she'd seen before, and she didn't look like a ghost, either...

"Who is she?!" the pegasus wondered. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she realized she now stood right in front of the door, the music booming from the other side. If she was going to get answers, and make sure she found the treasure Daring wanted, she'd have to keep going.

Pushing the doors open, Scootaloo found herself in a large room, bare of furniture because whatever had filled it was now currently spinning in a whirlwind at the center of the room, which the music she'd been hearing seemed to somehow be coming from. Hovering at the top of the whirlwind was a pegasus ghost pony, swaying his hooves back and forth in rhythm to the music. His mane was styled in long white curls and he wore a black tailed coat, a content smile on his face as he seemed completely unaware of the filly's presence as she drew closer. Through the whirlwind she could see a door ahead, but as soon as she tried to get closer she felt her hooves leave the ground and she found herself spinning out of control in the air.

"HELP! STOP! STOP! PUT ME DOWN! STOP! PLEASE!" the filly cried out, flailing her legs and flapping her wings helplessly as she tried in vain to escape. This seemed to catch the ghost pony's attention as he suddenly looked down at her and the winds died down.

"What is the meaning of this, interrupting my illustrious music?" the ghost pony practically sang out in a dramatic, cultured tone that would make Rarity sound uncivil, glaring angrily at Scootaloo who now lay on her back, smiling up at him in embarrassment.

"Sorry... uh... sir... I was--" Scootaloo began.

"Hut-tutututututttt!" the ghost pony cut in, shaking his hoof in a silencing manner. "I am no mere "sir", I happen to be the legendary, renowned, and adored composer Passionario Concertio!" he declared, raising one hoof up into the air with the other over his chest as he gave the most dramatic pronunciation of his name.

"That's... great, look, I'm sorry I interrupted you, I just need to--"

"You are not wowed by my spectacular music?!" the ghost protested, clearly offended.

"I-I am! Just, I need to--"

"Then you have no business interrupting iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit~!" he declared, singing out the final word.

"I need to go through here, alright?" Scootaloo asked, worrying where this was going.

"Im-possible! A second longer delays my arrrrrrrrrrrrt~! I can't, neigh, I shan't be derailed by your cacophonous warbling and philistine convictions any longer, foal! Prrrrrrrrrrepare yourself!"

Raising his hooves, the whirlwind began to form again, surrounding the ghost and creating a haunting classical music in the process. "Passionario Concertio has no tolerance for your lack of appreciation for true art! Allow me to perform an lesson for youuuuuuu~!"

Scootaloo ran as quickly as she could to a corner of the room, barely avoiding a flying piano that swept narrowly past her. The ghost belted out a proud, operatic note as he raised his hoof up, and aimed at the cowering filly, who quickly fished into her bag and flung several smoke pellets at the ground. Several instruments flew straight at the cloud of smoke as it was sucked away, revealing nothing within.

"Whaaaaaaaat~?!" Passionario sang out in confusion as he directed his whirlwind away and looked around the room, searching within the debris for any trace of the filly. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Passionario Concertio knows you cannot have gone faaaaaaaaaaar~!" the ghost musician sang in a majestic tenor as he increased the power of the whirlwind beneath him, sucking up more debris into the musical funnel.

From within a fireplace, propping herself in the chimney to avoid falling down the hole at the bottom, Scootaloo shuddered, unsure of what to do, now. That storm was way too dangerous to get near, and she didn't know how she'd be able to hurt a ghost... the filly's eyes widened when the thought of a storm came to mind and she remembered what she'd brought from Daring's house just in case.

A smile spread on Scootaloo's face as an idea came. Taking out the small bug-shaped whistle Scootaloo blew as hard as she could. The piercing noise echoed through the fireplace and all around the room, causing the ghost pony to cover his ears in disgust, his cyclone growing all the more erratic.

"Stop this! Stop this horrendous screeching at once! I cannot forgive such an offense to the fine arts!" Passionario shouted in a rage, only to be met with another piercing whistle that caused him to look around more frantically for Scootaloo. "Prepare yourself, filly! For I shall obliterate you with everything but the kitchen sink!" he shouted, letting out a furious whinny and the winds build up, taking everything in the room into it.

Quickly, Scootaloo dropped out of the fireplace and flung a small gray cloud into the tornado and immediately ducked back in. The moment the cloud was sucked into the vortex the entire cyclone suddenly turned a dark gray like the cloud had been, lightning crackling all throughout it.

"Wh-whaaaaaa?! What is this?!" the ghost pony protested as currents of lightning erupted from the funnel and blasted him. Passionario screamed out as lightning bolts electrocuted him over and over again, managing one last beautiful tenor note before suddenly dissolving away into thin air, the tornado and the music it created fading along with him.

As soon as everything went silent, Scootaloo cautiously emerged from the fireplace and let out a deep sigh of relief. With the ghost gone, the way ahead was clear. Pushing a discarded kitchen sink out of the way, Scootaloo galloped down the hallway ahead and into the next room.

~

"OHMYGOSH! This has to be it!" Scootaloo beamed as she entered a small room, a pony's face and odd, tiny carvings of ponies in various, peculiar poses on the opposite wall. This was not what had gained the filly's attention, however. Rather, it was the shining, silvery urn in front of her. Beautiful topaz and sapphire gems adorned its sides, framed by glittering gold strokes. It was so gorgeous that the filly couldn't help but stare at it for a moment. There was no doubt in the world that this had to be what her aunt had sent her for. Picking it up, Scootaloo marveled at how it sparkled in the dim light. there was a carving of the sun on one side, the moon on the other, with writing on either end though it didn't look like any she had seen before.

"Wonder what it's for? Guess I'll have to ask Aunt Daring when I get back!" Scootaloo said, stowing it in her backpack and heading back into the other room to the fireplace she'd found the hole in. "Let's hope you're a shortcut!" she said, taking out more staples and preparing for the trip back down.

Reaching as far down as the hole went, Scootaloo emerged from another fireplace in a large room with a double door in front of her. A worn, tattered rug lay spread across the floor and an unlit chandelier hung above, two halls leading left and right on either side. "Must be the way out!" Rushing forward with excitement at ending her mission, the filly charged the doors and bucked them open, greeted by sunshine and a green courtyard outside. It was already morning.

"Good morning, little Scootaloo! Have fun making it through?" Zecora asked from one of the corners of the courtyard, where she was plucking herbs off a bush.

"Wait, were you there all night?" Scootaloo asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"It may have been a bit lonely, but it beats seeing another zombie pony!" Zecora said with a laugh. "I hear no noise they're probably gone. Perhaps they do not like the sun."

"Good to know!" Scootaloo said, trotting with excitement. "I found what Aunt Daring wanted, so I should probably be heading back, now!"

"Take a way that is more fast, so you can return to her at last!" Zecora replied, approaching the drawbridge of the castle and taking a key from her saddlebag, placing it into a lock and immediately with a grinding, creaking groan the drawbridge lowered and opened the way out from the castle.

"Wow! Thanks so much, Zecora!" Scootaloo said, rushing over and giving the zebra a hug and then running across the bridge at a full gallop back to Tazfilly Village. The filly had a lot of questions on her mind from what she'd seen, and about what she'd retrieved, but one thing she knew was certain...

"Aunt Daring's gonna be SO proud!"

Author's Note:

At long last another chapter is made! Finally on a roll again!

The filly in the role of Kumatora is a canon pony. Sorta.

One hint: it's the one where Pinkie Pie knows.

Comments

[Pinklestia]

Cadence's daughter?

[StrigidaeFan]

Ah, this is the update you mentioned! Nice work!

[ShadeJak]

6907331

Yup! It only took half a year to do

Thanks!