//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Fear Factor // Story: A Journey Across Equestria // by Vixie //------------------------------// Sunlight shined down into Scootaloo's face through a gap in the curtains. She groaned. "Rise and shine!" Trixie sang out. Scootaloo's eyes flew open. She had dreamed she was back home, in Ponyville. She was watching Rainbow Dash soared over ahead, her fellow crusaders sitting on either side of her as she whooped and cheered along with a crowd of ponies. She felt homesick. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. "What's wrong? We're getting closer to Las Pegasus. I thought you said you wanted to explore Equestria?" Trixie stopped, turning to give Scootaloo a concerned look. Well, Scootaloo wasn't necessarily traveling Equestria. Though this could be a start if she decided she wanted to. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. She did want to explore Equestria, but at what cost? She had left Rainbow Dash and probably all of Ponyville worried sick about her. Maybe this was a better time than any to inform them that she was okay. "I do. I'm okay, really." She told Trixie as she turned and reached into her bag. The wagon started to move forward again, telling Scootaloo that Trixie was satisfied with her answer. She pulled out her quill and paper, she kept the feather in her mouth when she realized something. She had forgotten the ink at home. How could she have been so stupid? Trixie looked out the corner of her eye to see the frustrated filly. "Ink?" She had conjured up a packet of ink with her magic. "Thanks!" Scootaloo said, relieved, taking the ink. "But I'm curious. If you can make things appear out of thin air, then why don't you just teleport to Manehattan?" She asked. "I guess it's because my magic isn't strong enough. Or it's just for the thrill of the journey." Trixie kept her eyes fixed on the path ahead. "Isn't that a bit scary? You even had to stop in the Everfree forest. The Everfree forest!" "Think about it like this. Everypony has this thing called a fear factor. It's like a big thermometer, but it monitors how scared you can get. Somepony's fear factors go through the roof, somepony's are smaller." Trixie explained. Scootaloo thought of Rainbow Dash. "So you mean some ponies are just born with smaller fear factors than others?" "No. They make their fear factors smaller by overcoming their fears. For example, I was scared of having to spend my time in the Everfree forest. But I decorated it with bright lights and the next thing I knew, I was fighting off monsters like it was nothing." "So you mean that if you just put something that lights up around, it makes you less afraid?" "No. We usually used those back where I came from. That's why I put up those lights, because they reminded me of my roots. My origin. My home. That made me stronger. Strong enough to conquer even my greatest fears." Scootaloo had now thought of her view on the world in a different light. Trixie was had just planted great words of wisdom into her head. Maybe even Rainbow Dash, one of the best mares Scootaloo knew, used to have loads of fears, like Scootaloo. She must've done something that had brought back memories. Scootaloo dipped her quill in the ink, pausing before she wrote on the paper. Who would she send this to? Rainbow Dash? The Cutiemark Crusaders? Scootaloo racked her brain for a bit before a tiny bell dinged in her head. She decided she could know tell them the real reason she was leaving. Dear Ponyville, I'm on a journey to find where I really belong, to my my mother, whose not from Ponyville (according to Ponyville's favorite bookworm). It hasn't been as hard as I first thought. I met Trixie, you know, that show pony who came by a while ago? Yeah, that one. She told me about this thing called a Fear Factor. It's like a thermometer, but it measures your fear instead of your body heat. She said that some are big and some are tinsy tiny, like Rainbow Dash's. Trixie had used her own story to further explain Fear Factors to me. She had explained that while stopping in the Everfree on her way to Manehattan, she was scared at first. But she hung some lights up that had urged her to overcome her fears. Then she wasn't afraid at all! Strange, right? Anyways, she's helping me get to my destination before she has to go on another road to get to Manehattan. I'm sort of excited and scared at the same time. Wish me luck! From Scootaloo. She looked over her writing, messy but readable. It wasn't all easy when you didn't have a horn or claws to help you write. She hoped she didn't add too many hints about her location, after all, she didn't want somepony on her trail. "You writing a letter?" Trixie asked with a spark of curiosity visible in her eyes. "Mhm. I'm going to send it when I get to a post office in Las Pegasus." Scootaloo replied, nodding. "Why do that when you have a unicorn that can teleport stuff for you?" Scootaloo hadn't thought about that. "Here, allow me. I'll make tons of copies of these and make 'em fall from the sky like snow in winter!" Trixie announced, igniting her horn. The letter was surrounded by a light blue aura. Trixie groaned. "I... I don't think I can.." Her horn fizzed, sending out sparks. When it subsided, Trixie sighed. "I think my horn is a bit over worked. Sorry." "Don't worry. We can't do everything. I can mail it when I get to Las Pegasus, or the nearest town." Scootaloo assured Trixie, stuffing her paper, quill and ink packet into the bag. "Speaking of Las Pegasus, you have to go it alone now." Trixie struggled as she levitated Scootaloo's scooter out onto the path in front of her. "I'm going that way." She pointed to her left. "But isn't that Ghastly Gorge?! Every pony who has been on that thing disappeared!" Scootaloo jumped out of the wagon. "Remember the fear factor, I'll be fine. You just go on the path to Las Pegasus. And stay on the path! I might come visit you there sometime to make sure you're okay. Just make sure to send some letters to Manehattan, too." "Okay." Scootaloo nodded, hugging Trixie. "Thank you." "Uhh... You're welcome." Trixie smiled, patting Scootaloo on the head. "Oh and here." She gave Scootaloo a necklace. "To remember me by. It used to be mine, but I think my fear factor is under control. Bye, Scootaloo." "Bye Trixie. I'll never forget you." Scootaloo watched as Trixie turned and crossed the bridge. "Wait!" She called out. Trixie poked her head out of the mist that surrounded the gorge. "Your blanket." "You can keep it. You need it more than I do." "Okay, then. Thank you!" Scootaloo waved goodbye as Trixie once again disappeared into the cloud of fog. She was worried. Not even Rainbow Dash could be able to fly over that gorge without being the slightest bit afraid, but how had Trixie simply walked over with no fear at all? "The fear factor..." Scootaloo murmured to herself, putting the blanket into the wagon under her bag. She wondered, would fear factor keep Trixie safe, or did it just allow her to walk to her death, pulling along a heavy wagon. She put on her helmet, pushing off, her wings flapping gently as she tried to avoid jerking off path and falling into Ghastly Gorge. Scootaloo squinted to see that in the distance, there was nothing more than a rocky path. Few trees had managed to survive, but still they didn't look so well. Maybe some pony hadn't seen this except for her. This place was obviously not in good shape. "Sweet Celestia..." Scootaloo noticed that all of the flowers were wilting, pointing to the dry grass. Even if it was still morning, the area gave off an eerie glow. It seemed like the dead trees were shaped like claws, tilting in her direction. She flapped slightly faster, eager to get out of this place as quickly as possible.