After Scootaloo’s calamitous Monday, the Crusaders chaotic start to life at Hogwarts finally started to slow down as their studies, extracurricular studies in their specialist areas and Quidditch left very little time to get up to mischief. As the weeks turned into a month, they steadily, albeit slowly, made progress in their magical education and aside from Professor Binns droning on about the Magical Middle Ages, were thoroughly enjoying their first year at Hogwarts.
In Herbology, their knowledge of magical plants and fungi and what they were used for was forever expanding and Professor Sprout was constantly making them apply this knowledge practically to cultivate them in the greenhouse. She’d also shown them how to harvest the plants and fungi using the Severing Charm, although informed them that she would not be teaching them the charm till later in the year when they were a little more proficient in casting charms. In Charms itself, after mastering Reparo they’d moved onto a duo of spells that locked and unlocked objects and were now just starting to make headway with Spongify.
For Scootaloo and Apple Bloom Snape drove them hard in Potions. After the Forgetfulness Potion they had spent a fair part of the past month doing theory work surrounding topics such as the twelve uses of dragon blood, the different types of cauldrons that were available and what was contained in the standard potion ingredient. After what had felt like an age of solely taking notes, they’d just moved onto brewing their third potion, the Wiggenweld Potion. Although Sweetie had been initially down over her expulsion from Potions, she had soon gotten over it and regaled the other girls at lunch on Tuesdays about her time with Dumbledore. Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were envious of Sweetie and her ability as only with grit, determination and sheer stubborn will power had they along with their classmates transfigured their matches into something vaguely resembling a needle, before being allowed to move onto attempting to turn mice into snuffboxes. Sweetie had mastered both spells perfectly in less than ten minutes and as such spent most of the lessons trying to help her fellow Crusaders. For Sweetie and Apple Bloom, in Astronomy they moved onto studying the rest of the planets of the Solar System along with the constellations that adorned the sky above.
Scootaloo’s proficiency at both Axinomancy and Tessomancy grew, with the girl often spending breakfast making predictions from the tea leaves in her cup. Although the rest of the Hufflepuff first years had been sceptical and teased her to begin with, after numerous predictions came true, including Ernie breaking his leg after falling down some stairs, they now awaited her predictions with bated breath, hoping that the day wouldn’t bring doom and gloom with it.
One of the Hufflepuff contingents favourite lessons was flying and over the past month they’d all become reasonably capable on a broomstick besides Apple Bloom who still spent the majority of each lesson being bucked into bushes. Scootaloo often spent these lessons competing with Hermione to see who could do the most reckless stunt, much to Madam Hooch’s chagrin, while Sweetie Belle and the others either practiced Quidditch or raced each other around the castle. After the initial news leak, slowly the hubbub surrounding the Hufflepuff Quiddditch team died down and over the course of the next month Scootaloo saw vast improvements throughout due to the hard work and dedication of her teammates. She still had some concerns surrounding the team’s overall physicality and lack of experience, but they certainly did make up for these with spirit and skill. Her unusual family had once again grown.
Whilst Scootaloo and Sweetie were out training on the Quidditch field, Apple Bloom was usually down in the dungeons brewing some new creation with Snape’s guidance. More than one student had passed the Potions lab during the evening and shivered uncontrollably at the unnatural cackling that reverberated from within while others had sworn they had heard explosions. What monstrosities Apple Bloom and Snape were actually brewing nobody knew for sure as despite heavy questioning from her friends the girl remained stubborn and refused to reveal just what she’d been getting up to during her extra tuition.
With how busy things had been, it was to no real surprise that despite their initial intrigue the Hufflepuff girls had done absolutely nothing in response to realising they were sharing the castle with a Cerberus guarding some unknown priceless treasure. In all truth, besides sending the odd letter home and the occasional early morning flight, the girls just found themselves way too busy to even consider getting up to any chaos or mischief. Except that is, in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Unlike the other subjects, Discord pushed them relentlessly, with almost every lesson seeing them taught a new jinx or hex. From jelly legs to hair loss and sticking one’s shoes to the floor, they learnt them all as Discord stuck to his goal of adequately preparing them for the future. Even so, he did prohibit them from learning any curses, stating that these were the darkest of all dark magic that could corrupt even the most honest and noble witches and wizards. Furthermore, whereas the two lesser forms of dark magic could often be rectified, damage caused by curses was often irreversible and Discord clarified that if he found any student practicing them, he’d expel them from his class and seek for their expulsion from Hogwarts. Despite being extremely hard work, Defence Against the Dark Arts was probably the favourite and most enjoyed subject for the majority of the Hufflepuff first years and as yet another Thursday rolled round, they were eagerly discussing what Discord had in store for them next.
“I’m really hoping he shows us the Tempest Jinx.” Scootaloo cackled.
“Of course, you would.” Meghan rolled her eyes.
“Personally, I’m quite intrigued by the Tail-growing Hex” Apple Bloom added her opinion to the matter.
“The finger removing jinx sounds rather freaky.” Sweetie Belle added.
“The Ventus Jinx. Summoning a cyclone sounds utterly hilarious and it would be really efficient at taking out multiple enemies.” Susan quipped.
“Well, shall we go in and see what he has in store for us?” Hannah interrupted her friends’ discussion as they reached the door to class 104 in the Discord tower.
“Of course!” Scootaloo cackled like a maniac pushing the door open.
“You know, sometimes you frighten me Creepaloo.” Susan jested following her friend into the room alongside the other Hufflepuff first years.
“What in blazes?” Apple Bloom said what was on all the other students minds as rather than floating up to the ceiling as was the norm in the classroom with no gravity, they now found themselves in a forest.
The door behind them slammed shut and disappeared.
“Ahh, welcome, I’m glad to see you all made it. Today’s lesson is all about stealth and subterfuge and practically applying the spells you have learnt so far.” A voice reverberated softly around the room before the tell tell sound of Discord’s snapping fingers.
Scootaloo looked behind her to see everyone had the number 10 above them.
“It is very simple. You each have ten lives; your goal is survival. If you either lose all ten of these lives or become incapacitated in anyway during the next ninety minutes, you are out of the game. You’ll lose a life every time you are hit by a jinx or hex or a tree, as will probably prove to be Apple Bloom’s preferred weapon.”
“Hey!”
Discord ignored Apple Bloom’s interruption. “Tonight’s homework is a minimum two-thousand-word essay on jinxes, hexes and curses due next Thursday.” A sea of groans erupted from the first years. Discord ignored them once more. “Failure to meet this deadline will see you in detention with me next Thursday catching up and you will miss the Halloween feast.” Further groans. “Oh, and just to make things interesting and to ensure you are trying your best, the winner from todays lesson will be exempt from today’s homework assignment, the first to be eliminated however will not only have to come back for detention at the end of today, but will also see their essay increased to a five-thousand-word minimum. Good luck!” He clicked his fingers once more.
Scootaloo was alone.
*
Scootaloo darted from branch to branch swiftly and silently, constantly keeping an eye out for others below her. No way did she want to have to write a boring two-thousand-word essay let alone a five-thousand-word one.
After realising the canopy was too tightly packed for her to fly through and above, almost certainly Discord’s work and intent, Scootaloo had opted instead to hide herself in amongst the dense foliage whilst observing the ground below. After nearly ten minutes she’d yet to find anyone.
“And we have our first casualty. Poor Mr Finch-Fletchley has gone quackers and is eliminated immediately.” Discord’s voice boomed above.
Sweetie wasn’t messing around.
“And Mr Hopkins has got stuck in the mud! Two down, ten to go.”
Neither was Bloom.
Then she saw him, Ernie pelting his way towards her below, he looked scared out of his wits, his number already down to eight. Might as well end his misery Scootaloo grinned wickedly pulling out her wand.
“Baglu” She murmured.
Ernie tripped and fell face first into the mud. The number above his head dropped from eight to seven.
“Stikkende” Scootaloo murmured once more.
Ernie howled with pain, seven dropped to six.
“Cantis” Scootaloo didn’t bother sticking around any longer as Ernie’s number dropped to five and he started singing very loudly. It wouldn’t be long.
It wasn’t, three minutes later and Discord’s voice cooed. “Poor old Mr Macmillan has sung his own funeral march. You boys have given us males a really bad name and as such you will all be joining me for detention after final class today where you can each start your five-thousand-word essays.”
Poor lads Scootaloo thought for a moment as she continued her dance through the treetops.
For the next half an hour Scootaloo mostly played observer, keeping to the shadows above and biding her time. Meghan was next to fall, Discord stating that she’d floated like a butterfly and been stung by a bee, and then Leanne, Sally and Susan all went in one foul swoop. Or rather, a cyclone.
“Oh my. Dearie me Susan,” Discord chuckled. “I admire the audacity and ambition and commend the confidence to attempt such a complex jinx, but I think you need more practice with that one. Miss Bones has not only wiped out two of her competitors, Miss Moon and Smith with the cyclone jinx, but herself along with it. Truly spectacular and wonderfully chaotic! This also leaves us with just five competitors left. Miss Prewett amazingly still has all ten of her lives intact, Miss Bloom eight, Miss Perks and Miss Belle six and oh dear, I think Miss Abbot’s goose is cooked. Another immediate elimination, but hang on, oh ho ho, she isn’t going down quietly folks. I think Mis Belle might think twice about using Pullus in future. So, just three remain. Remember, if more than one of you remains at the end of the lesson it is whoever has the most lives who wins.”
Shit. Scootaloo thought. Those other two would be coming after her now. As if on cue a tree branch above swung for her face.
“Oh Scootaloo, I know you’re up there.” A voice chimed as yet another branch swung Scootaloo’s way forcing her to dodge once more.
Shit. “Stikkende” Sccotaloo cried.
Sally-Ann screamed in pain behind her.
“You think I’m going to fall for the old distract and sneak technique. Amateurs.” Scootaloo scoffed before dashing through the trees once more as Apple Bloom attempted to cut off her escape.
Scootaloo knew she was at a serious disadvantage right now. For one, Apple Bloom had a lackey on her side and secondly, she was an Earth pony with an abundance of tools at her disposal.
And then the trees abruptly stopped in a circular clearing. Scootaloo smiled, it was time for some payback. She zoomed out of cover and sailed higher and higher into the air before crying “TEMPESTAS”
Grey clouds accumulated around the girl and bolts of lightning began reigning down upon the tree tops below. If the bolts didn’t get Apple Bloom and Sally-Ann, the fires that some of the bolts were starting sure would.
“My word.” Discord cooed a few minutes later. “trust my charge to thrust a little light on the situation. Current scores, Scootaloo ten lives, Apple Bloom seven, Sally-Ann three.”
Scootaloo cackled in glee.
“You fucking crazy bitch!?!”
Scootaloo barely heard Apple Bloom shout from below. She looked down upon the poor girl whose tail tip was still slightly aflame. She gave her friend the most disturbing smile imaginable in response.
“Oh, we’re just getting started. Let me help put that fire out on your tail. Ventus Pluviam Meteolo.”
And that was when the rain and wind joined the lightning.
*
Apple Bloom stumbled out of her shelter; the storm having finally passed. Battered and bruised she looked like someone had just dragged her kicking and screaming through this damn forest twice! She was caked in mud, leaves, twigs and goodness knows what else. More than anything though she was fucking mad.
“Final five minutes girls, Miss Bloom has three lives, Miss Prewett ten.” Discord’s voice chorused from up above.
“Stikkende”
Apple Bloom didn’t even flinch as the spell hit her, simply turning around and responding to the smile Scootaloo had given her earlier.
“Run” was all she said before uprooting a tree and hurtling it at the startled half-Pegasus girl.
*
Four minutes later an enraged Apple Bloom had Scootaloo pinned by the throat against a tree, the latter’s wand helplessly on the floor a few feet away.
“Concede?”
“NEVER” Scootaloo replied defiantly sticking her tongue out at Apple Bloom.
“Okay. Fair enough. I’ve wanted to practice some of the activities from this Highland Games I’ve read about for a while anyway.” Apple Bloom said with a wide grin.
“Wait, what?” Scootaloo said starting to panic.
Apple Bloom ignored her. “First up, the Pegasus throw.”
But before Apple Bloom could go through with whatever she was planning Discord’s voice echoed throughout “TIME” and suddenly the two girls found themselves sat at their desks back in their usual classroom alongside the rest of their fellow first years.
“Thank goodness”, Scootaloo sighed in relief, slumping into her chair.
Apple Bloom pouted.
Discord poofed into existence at the front of the class. “Congratulations and excellent work to the both of you. Although Miss Prewett did have slightly more lives at the end, five to one, I’ve decided that both of you will be exempt from this week’s homework assignment. A number of you might want to take notes from the display these two just put on, a real masterclass of stealth, magic and survival skills.” He finished handing Scootaloo back the wand she had dropped.
Scootaloo beamed from the praise, Apple Bloom still looked a little displeased that she’d been stopped from hurling the Pegasus five hundred miles through the air in retaliation to the torment she’d been put through with her friend’s weather hijinks.
“Now, I expect to see the essays for the rest of you on my desk next Thursday morning without fail and Mr Macmillan, Mr Hopkins and Mr Finch-Fletchley, for such poor showings I’ll see all three of you back here after classes today to begin your five-thousand-word essays.
“Yes, Mr Discord sir.” The three boys grumbled utterly humiliated.
“Outstanding, class dismissed!”
As the Hufflepuffs made their exit and headed to break, Scootaloo chimed “wow, what a rush that was epic!”
“Five more minutes and I would have won.” Apple Bloom grumbled.
“I’d have transfigured both your arses if a damn goose hadn’t attacked me.” Sweetie added her opinion to the matter.
“Well, how would you feel being turned into a goose. HONK.” Hannah groused before covering her mouth as she let out the unexpected noise, her face going red in embarrassment.
Immediately the tension was broken as the group fell into fits of laughter at the poor girl’s expense.
“Oops, looks like Discord might not have reversed the spell completely.” Sweetie giggled. “Come on, why don’t we head to the great hall for a snack and then head to the library to make a start on this essay.”
Hannah glowered at her friend for a moment before letting a smile warm her lips. “Sounds like a plan. I’ve got a real craving for snails all of a sudden. HONK.” Her face went bright red once more.
"Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww" Sweetie winced in repulsion.