Madmare Island
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 1: Friday Night
May 13, 1482 AC
The little boat pitched and tossed in the rain-swollen waters of the river. The wind drove sheets of rain into the windows protecting the cabin. Lightning flashed, and the ponies briefly illuminated by its light braced for the thunder that would soon follow. The thunder resounded just as the boat pitched again.
“This isn’t going to take much longer, is it? The river isn’t that big, right?” somepony whined.
One of the ponies stood up and turned to face them, steadying herself by resting a forehoof on the bench. “It’s just a little rain, ponies. We’re going camping, and you all knew this place was in the shadow of the Everfree Forest. Random weather will happen here, but we’re not going to let that ruin our class trip!
“That’s right, Scootaloo!” Rumble called.
“I’m sure our esteemed class president made that abundantly clear, right?” Scootaloo turned to face the corner where the aforementioned class president was huddled, hooves desperately trying to hold herself in place as the boat tossed in the storm. As she felt the eyes of eight other ponies on her, she straightened up, adjusting her violet and white mane.
“That’s right,” she agreed defiantly, only a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “This class trip will be a success, or my name isn’t Diamond Tiara.”
A few of the boat’s passengers yelped as they felt a bump. “Relax, it’s just the boat docking,” Archer said.
The door to the cabin flew open; caught by the wind, it banged hard against the cabin wall. A grizzled old unicorn, covered muzzle to tail in a raincoat, rushed in and pulled the door closed, lessening the howling wind to a dull roar. “We’re here,” he announced. “Camp’s gonna be straight ahead. Get your gear and hurry off. I’ve got to get back to the village, and with this storm, don’t expect anypony to come by until tomorrow, at the earliest.”
“Acknowledged, Captain,” Scootaloo said. “I knew you could get us here.”
“Anytime, Scootaloo,” the captain replied. “But to be honest, if I’d have known the wind would pick up like this, I would have told you to spend the night in the village. As it is, I only agreed to this because you’re Open Hearth’s cousin.”
Unhappy with everypony listening to their conversation instead of gathering their things, the captain barked at them again. “Get moving!” he ordered.
All around the cabin, ponies bumped into each other as they moved around the cramped cabin, gathering their gear. Rumble was the first to be ready, as he had packed light. He opened the door, steeling himself against the storm. His thundercloud cutie mark identified his talent at working with nasty weather, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed weather like this. Holding the door open, he raised his wings to offer his Ponyville High School classmates some protection against the wind.
Scootaloo followed Rumble out of the boat. While she could fly and do stunts at high speeds, she could recognize when the weather was telling her to keep to the ground.
Archer bounded out of the boat next, the captain of the school’s archery team as energetic as ever. The nasty weather didn’t faze her. The same couldn’t be said for the mismatched pair of unicorns who emerged next. Snips and Snails took one look around and dashed off the dock.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon followed, their magically-treated raincoats protecting them from most of the rain’s ill effects. Diamond Tiara watched impatiently as she waited for the boat’s last two occupants to step onto the dock.
Finally, Sweetie Belle emerged, attempting to balance a half dozen trunks on her thin form. The young singer struggled under the weight. Fortunately, her handymare friend Apple Bloom took four of her trunks, adding them to her own two. The solidly built earth pony didn’t even flinch under the weight of the extra bags.
“Alright everypony, let’s move! Camp is this way!” Scootaloo shouted over the storm. The light of the full moon, obscured by gray clouds, was still enough to navigate to the camp.
Scootaloo led her fellow students to the largest building in the camp, a communal structure. The ponies didn’t pay much attention to the details, only caring that it was dry. Once everypony was inside, Scootaloo slammed the door shut.
The faint light coming through the windows was enough for Apple Bloom to find a lantern. Once it was lit, the assembled group’s first priority was shucking their wet raingear. Coats and boots fell to the ground.
“Gross,” Diamond Tiara complained as she was caught by Snips shaking water off of himself.
“Sorry, D.T.,” he replied.
“I thought I told you never to call me that.”
“I mean, sorry, Class President D.T.”
Diamond Tiara harrumphed and turned to address her classmates. “Now that we’re all here, I’d like to....”
“Now hold on one minute,” Scootaloo said. “I’m the one in charge here.”
“But I’m the one who organized this class trip,” Diamond Tiara said. “Of course, I acknowledge that it started with your excellent idea.”
Scootaloo scowled at her. “We wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for my family. My cousin... cousin-in-law... it’s my father’s cousin....”
“First cousin once removed,” Sweetie Belle interjected.
“Right. This is my cousin once removed’s campground, and it doesn’t open for the season for another two weeks. He was nice enough to let us come here, and cleaned it up and even stocked this place with food and firewood. If he stops by, I want each of us to thank him. In the meantime, as the most experienced camper here, let’s get prepared for the night. This building is the common cabin. It’s the only one with a big enough fireplace for cooking for all of us. There’s also more than enough seating for our group. We’ll be here for breakfast and dinner.
“Around this cabin are four rows of smaller cabins. This is where we’ll sleep. Each of the cabins has bunk beds, so two ponies to a cabin.
“At the edge of camp is an outhouse with three stalls and a bathhouse. That’s also where the water pump is.”
“You mean there’s no running water?” Diamond Tiara asked incredulously.
“Of course not, we’re camping! At least you don’t have to get water from the river or lake!”
“I think we can just put a bucket outside and get all the water we want tonight,” Snips said.
“Yeah,” Snails agreed.
“I’ve worked out sleeping arrangements,” Diamond Tiara said. “Even though we’re not being chaperoned, I won’t let anything unbecoming happen on my class trip.” She stole a glance at Rumble. “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Apple Bloom and Archer. Snips and Snails. Rumble and... I guess you’re in a cabin by yourself now. And of course I’ll be sharing a cabin with Silver Spoon.”
Scootaloo glowered, but really had no rationale to object to Diamond Tiara’s plan. She put aside her irritation and addressed her classmates again. “I think we’ll all feel a little better once we get this fire going and a meal cooking. So let’s go!”
Firewood and kindling was stacked in the hearth, and a quick burst from Snails’s horn was enough to get the fire started. Meanwhile, when it came to cooking dinner, Apple Bloom and Rumble were volunteered. There was tacit agreement among the ponies to keep a certain few dangerous ponies away from the food.
“Hmmm. Dried hay, potatoes, onions, carrots, canned pears, canned green beans, and some of the scrawniest apples I’ve ever seen,” Apple Bloom said critically.
“Well, what do you expect? This place wasn’t supposed to open for another two weeks, so of course all they have is winter stores,” Scootaloo explained.
“We’ll make do,” Rumble said. “At least we don’t have to eat that horrible dehydrated camp food.”
“Hey, Scootaloo, are you worried?” asked Snails.
“About the weather?” she replied. “No, it’s probably going to....”
“No, about that spooky warning!” Snips said hurriedly.
The village of Waypost made Ponyville look like Manehattan. Perhaps twenty buildings in total, this village didn’t have one single noteworthy structure. That the train even stopped here was a miracle.
The train station was deserted. The few ponies outside just shuffled back and forth, as if trapped in a dream. The group of ponies that departed from the train hurried to the river and the docks.
Suddenly, an ancient mare, wearing a black cowl, appeared in front of them. She stared, one eye squinting, the other looking like it was ready to explode out of her head. “Turn back before it’s too late! That island has a death curse. The madmare will get you all!”
“Come on, Snips! You’re not afraid of some old mare’s warning, are you? This isn’t the story of the Olden Pony!” Scootaloo shivered as she realized just how similar that old gray mare was to the image of the Olden Pony that once haunted her nightmares.
“Yes, she was probably just confused. You know how old ponies can get. Their minds just aren’t all there. It’s a sad consequence of growing older,” Diamond Tiara said, stealing a glance at Apple Bloom. She glowered back at her.
“Forget the Olden, I mean old pony,” Scootaloo said. “Just, I don’t know, set the table or something.” The two young stallions jumped into action, the gangly Snails stumbling over his plump companion.
Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle, miffed at being excluded from the kitchen, had unpacked one of her bags. She withdrew a large black box with crystals lining its back and a partial keyboard on top.
“What is that?” Archer asked.
“It’s a magic piano. You can program in a song, and it will play automatically,” Sweetie Belle explained.
“Why did you bring that?”
“The big musical opens next week, and I really need to practice!”
“I know what you’re talking about. I have my own competition coming up.” Archer patted one of her trunks.
The ponies in the cabin heard two of their number stumble. Turning, they found Snips and Snails face first on the dirt floor, wooden plates scattered all around them. It looked like they had engaged each other in some little competition, something everypony there knew frequently ended in the two of them sprawled on the ground.
“Sorry,” Snails muttered.
Archer jumped as Sweetie Belle’s magic piano sounded, a humorous melody briefly playing in the aftermath of the unicorn duo’s folly. “What was that?” she asked.
“My magic piano has my sister’s gems, uses a design by Vinyl Scratch, and is charged by Twilight Sparkle’s magic. I think it has a mind of its own.”
“So it’s like, um... the piano player when the theater shows those really old movies?”
“I guess so,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Cool! It’s like our own soundtrack!” Archer said.
“Are you going to do anything with that?” Silver Spoon said.
“I’m trying to find a song that would be good at covering this rain!” Sweetie Belle responded. She fiddled with the machine’s buttons and dials. She knew exactly how to call up the songs she needed to practice singing, but trying to remember all of the DJ pony’s instructions was taxing her mind.
Sweetie Belle pressed a few buttons, and the magic piano started playing a sinister tune. She pressed a few more buttons, and then attempted some percussive maintenance with her hoof. Still, the piano played.
“Um, we really don’t need that creepy music,” Apple Bloom said.
“I know, I’m trying to fix it. Look, just ignore it for now,” Sweetie Belle said. “It’s not like it’s a precursor to something bad happ....”
A shrill scream filled the cabin.
Everypony turned to look at who screamed. It was Diamond Tiara, who was now looking out the window, an expression of terror on her face.
“What is it?”
“Do you see something?”
“A monster?”
“Discord?”
“The Olden Pony?”
“Nightmare Moon?”
“No, it’s worse!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “I lost my diamond earring!”
“What?” Apple Bloom replied flatly.
“That’s it?” Archer said.
“Who brings jewelry camping?” Sweetie Belle said.
“Well, I had to wear something to show I was in charge,” Diamond Tiara said.
“You’re not in charge!” Scootaloo countered.
“That earring is worth more than this entire camp. We have to go find it.”
“No!” came the nearly unanimous response.
“There’s nothing but mud out there. But if it’s that important to you, don’t let us stop you,” Apple Bloom said.
“Fine. Tomorrow, then.”
“Are you ever going to get that thing turned off?” Archer asked Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle used her magic to pull out one of the gems, and the piano shut down. Holding her breath, she stuck the gem back in, and it didn’t start again. That just made the thunder that much louder.
“This storm is awfully loud,” Sweetie Belle said.
Archer nodded. “Hey, Rumble, is the weather getting worse?”
Rumble looked up from the fireplace and concentrated. “It’s about as strong as before,” he said. Lightning flashed, and thunder followed almost immediately. “But it’s really close.”
“I’m sure there’s nothing to be worried about,” Diamond Tiara said confidently.
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the cabin. Stone and brick collapsed. The wind and rain extinguished the fire and blew out the lantern. Everything was dark.
A globe of green-tinted light collected around Sweetie Belle’s horn. Two other, dimmer lights followed. The wind, the rain, and the words of confused ponies formed a cacophony of sounds. “Is everypony alright?” Scootaloo yelled over the noise. Everypony started shouting over each other.
“Quiet! One at a time!” Diamond Tiara yelled. “Silver Spoon?”
“Here.”
“Apple Bloom?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sweetie Belle?”
“Over here,” she replied, hurriedly repacking her bags.
“Snips? Snails?”
“Yeah,” both said, nodding.
“Rumble?”
“I feel like I got run over by my brother, but I don’t think I’m hurt.”
“Archer?”
“Fine. What happened?”
“I think the cabin’s chimney was hit by lightning,” Rumble said.
“Our dinner!” Snails said.
“Forget about dinner,” Scootaloo interrupted. “Is this place still safe? Apple Bloom? What do you think?”
Apple Bloom looked up and examined the walls. “It looks like the ceiling’s support beams are intact, and the blast didn’t destroy any load-bearing walls. And I don’t think any fire is going to catch in this rain. We’re not in immediate danger, but we should probably get our things and head to our cabins now.”
The ponies mumbled in agreement and got moving. Now that the initial shock had passed, they could assess their condition. They suffered a few bumps and bruises, with Apple Bloom and Rumble worst off, and they were pretty much all wet and muddy. The fireplace, and their dinner, was a complete loss.
Scootaloo pulled on her jacket and held the door open. “Let’s get going!” she urged.
The campers skirted the rubble at the edge of the cabin and headed to their individual cabins. With no other visitors to the camp, they took the first available cabins.
“Ew. This place smells all musty. And is that mattress covered in rubber?” Diamond Tiara complained. “This camp owner is going to get a stern letter.”
“I take it you didn’t learn anything about this camp before proposing this trip?” Silver Spoon said.
“I had more important things to do, like making sure as many ponies came along as possible. I’m still miffed that Truffle Shuffle bailed at the last minute.” Diamond Tiara started unpacking. “Help me get the sheets on the bed.”
“No. I’m going to take a bath first. I’m filthy,” Silver Spoon said.
Diamond Tiara frowned. “I’m not asking for much of your time here.”
“Fine. If you want your imported sheets to be covered in mud, then I’ll help.”
Diamond Tiara took another look at Silver Spoon. A fair amount of mud had splashed on her as a result of the accident. “Fine. I guess I’ll just do everything,” she stated.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon,” Silver Spoon said.
“Seriously, Sweetie Belle, you’re becoming more like your sister every day. And that’s not a compliment!” Scootaloo said. Since they were sharing a cabin, she was helping her friend carry her excessive baggage.
“Looking good and staying stylish is an important part of the image I need to maintain as a singer,” Sweetie Belle replied.
“But there’s nopony here but us! And we’re camping. Part of the attraction is getting a little dirty!”
“Be that as it may, I’m still feeling a little shaken from that disaster. And I’m dirty. A nice soothing bath will treat both of those problems and make me feel a lot better.”
“Fine,” Scootaloo said grudgingly. “I really don’t see the point in a bath when you’re just going to get soaked by the storm, but go ahead. I’ll get the cabin ready.
Snips and Snails sat in front of the meager fire in their cabin, rubbing their forehooves together, trying to get warm.
“So what do you want to do?” Snips asked.
“I don’t know,” Snails replied. “What do you want to do?”
Both young stallions’ stomachs rumbled.
“I’m hungry,” Snips said.
“Me too.”
“Did you bring anything?”
“No, did you bring anything?”
They sighed, and were interrupted by their stomachs growling again.
“I can’t believe the lightning did that to our poor dinner,” Snails said.
“Yeah, what did it ever do to the lightning?” Snips said.
“Do you think there’s more food?”
“I think Scootaloo said something about more food there.”
“Then we’d have to cook it.”
“I don’t care. I’m hungry!”
The two unicorns got out, donned their raincoats, and headed out into the rain.
Rumble sighed. The cabin was chilly. He could sense there was a small hole somewhere in the building’s walls, as his wings picked up airflow that shouldn’t be felt in a room with a shut door and closed windows. It was a minor issue, and soon the fire would chase away the cold.
The bigger problem was being alone. When Scootaloo has proposed the idea of a camping trip, Rumble had pictured the two of them, enjoying nature, relaxing, and having fun. But then that nosy Diamond Tiara had heard about her plan, and turned their idea into a big Ponyville High School class trip. And he hated the smug look on her face whenever she talked about it around the two of them.
Rumble wasn’t particularly friendly with Truffle Shuffle, the last pony who had signed up for the trip. The plump young stallion was Pinkie Pie’s apprentice, both in cooking and in pranking. But talking to him was far preferable to being left with his own thoughts. He could feel the seriousness of the storm outside, which made it hard for him to think about anything else. But he was tired, so he lay on the bed, covered with a light blanket, and closed his eyes.
Then he heard a terrifying cry. It was the last thing he wanted to hear.
“Want some apple pie?” Apple Bloom asked. “I have tons.”
Archer shook her head. “No, thanks. Since our real meal was ruined, I’ll stick to my energy bars.
The two earth ponies sat by the fire. Apple Bloom pushed the box closer to Archer. “It’s really good pie. It’s my sister’s recipe!”
“Sorry, I need to eat healthy, Apple Bloom. I don’t have room in my diet for junk food.”
“Junk food?” Apple Bloom sputtered.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m not saying it’s bad, but I want to eat foods packed with vitamins and protein.” She took another bite of her energy bar.
“That there bar is oats and honey and it’s covered in chocolate! That sure looks like junk food to me!”
“But it’s healthy and all-natural! That’s what the label says!” Archer said.
Apple Bloom shrugged. “Well, I offered. And if all we have to worry about is us arguing over food, this is going to be a fine night.”
Sweetie Belle trudged through the mud to the bathhouse, levitating a large umbrella over her body. As she neared, she heard a scream. She dropped the umbrella and galloped toward the sound of the trouble.
What the unicorn found was Silver Spoon, staring at... a water pump? “What in Celestia’s name are you screaming about? Afraid a little physical labor is going to hurt you?”
“I think there’s... there’s blood coming from the pump!” Silver Spoon said.
Sweetie Belle looked at her skeptically. But there was a reddish tint visible in the water in the half-filled bucket. She tried the pump, and saw the same red color. “I think it just needs to be flushed,” she concluded. “It probably hasn’t been used for months. Maybe that’s rust?” She continued to pump water, and it soon cleared.
“Thanks, I guess. I should have figured you don’t have running water in the hovel where you live,” Silver Spoon said.
“It’s not a hovel, it’s a mature neighborhood,” Sweetie Belle countered. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I want to spend as little time as possible caked in mud. So if you’re still afraid of the water, get out of the way.”
“No, I was here first,” Silver Spoon said. “But, uh, I could use your help in preparing the bath.”
“Fine,” Sweetie Belle replied.
After filling two buckets, the two ponies brought them inside. Neither looked too pleased with the accommodations. There was a simple wooden tub, but no faucets. The water had to be carried in by hoof. A large cauldron stood over a fireplace, ready to heat the water.
“This is going to take forever,” Silver Spoon commented.
“You probably should have stoked the fire first,” Sweetie Belle said. Starting a fire was a simple spell, but she would have preferred to just heat the water directly. Maybe Twilight Sparkle knew a spell like that, but she wasn’t here.
After some hard work, all the two students could do was wait. Once the water was warm enough, Silver Spoon pulled a handle to tip the cauldron. The warm water poured into a trough, where gravity carried it into the tub. Silver Spoon pulled a thin fabric curtain across the room, giving her some privacy.
Sweetie Belle decided she didn’t want to bathe in Silver Spoon’s dirty bath water, so she set about refilling the cauldron. While fetching her fourth bucket, Sweetie Belle heard Silver Spoon scream again. Her first instinct was to ignore her; Silver Spoon had been acting like a drama queen, a subject on which Sweetie Belle was intimately familiar. But there was hints of fear in that scream.
Sweetie Belle rushed into the bath house and threw aside the curtain. “What’s wrong?” she said.
“The madmare! The madmare had a knife!”
Sweetie Belle followed Silver Spoon’s hoof to the window. It was covered with a similar thin curtain. Lightning flashed, and both ponies saw it. It did look like a knife blade, but what kind of creature would be holding it like that was unknown. Sweetie Belle fired up her horn, focusing on a simple shield spell.
They waited, scarcely breathing. Lightning flashed again, and they saw it again. But Sweetie Belle noticed the image was almost unchanged. She pushed aside a corner of the curtain covering the window. Nopony was outside.
“I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Sweetie Belle said. She left the bath house and crept around to the other side of the building. Once she was confident nopony was waiting for her, she lit her horn to illuminate the scene. There. In the tree.
Sweetie Belle chuckled.
Triumphantly, she returned to Silver Spoon. “There’s your madmare,” she said, tossing a multicolored triangle of cloth onto the floor. All you were seeing was a dangerous kite-eating tree.”
Silver Spoon flushed in embarrassment and took a few deep breaths. “Thanks for investigating, Sweetie Belle.”
Snips and Snails searched the large cabin, the only sound their hooves squelching in the mud. They focused light from their horns into narrow beams, and looked through the mess. They spotted a couple of wooden bins.
“There! I think that one had the potatoes!” Snips said.
“And that one had the apples!” Snails said.
They opened their prizes, only to find them empty.
“Wait, there’s a note inside,” Snips said.
“‘More potatoes can be found in the cellar,’” Snails read. “‘Camp Sapphire Lake. We thought of everything.’”
“Yeah, everything except a lightning rod!” Snips quipped.
“So, uh, the cellar then?”
“The... creepy cellar?”
Thunder cracked outside, and the two young stallions found themselves wrapped in each others’ forelegs, quivering like frightened foals.
They quickly disentangled themselves. “Yes. To the cellar!” Snails said.
Slowly, they descended to the cellars. The wooden staircase creaked with each footstep. Their tails brushed aside dust and cobwebs. They heard something dripping.
Something wet landed on Snails’s muzzle. He focused his eyes, almost crossing them, as he saw the dark red color. Another drop landed.
“Blood!” he screamed.
Snails turned and pushed his way up the stairs. Snips didn’t need any more convincing.
Apple Bloom was telling Archer about how things were going at Sweet Apple Acres when there was a knock at the door. She hopped to her hooves and opened the door. “Rumble?”
“Hey, Apple Bloom. I, uh, was getting a little bored by myself,” he said.
Apple Bloom was sure that wasn’t the only reason. “You know, I thought you would have gone to a different cabin,” she said.
“Well, I don’t want to give some nosy pony the wrong idea,” Rumble replied. “Hey, is that apple pie?”
“Sure, want some? And I was thinking about playing some cards,” Apple Bloom said.
“Yes, please. And cards sounds like fun.”
After polishing off a slice of pie and finishing three games, the door to the cabin burst open. “Snips? Snails? What are you two doing here?
“The cellar....”
“Dark....”
“Scary....”
“BLOOD!” they screamed.
Apple Bloom looked at them crossly and sniffed. “That vampony must have been really scary, right?”
“VAMPONY?” they screamed, again huddling together.
“Wait a minute. Vampony?” Snips said.
“Yeah, you know how vamponies hate garlic? Well, I think there’s some garlic in that blood. And I bet there’s onion and oregano in there too,” Apple Bloom said. “I think your blood is tomato sauce.”
“Oh,” the two unicorns said.
“That would make more sense,” Snails added.
“Do you think we could, you know, stay with you?” Snips asked. “You know, to protect you?”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
“Is that... apple pie?” Snails asked.
“Something feels wrong,” Silver Spoon told Diamond Tiara. “I mean, the knife turned out to be just some fabric in the tree, but it still feels like something sinister is going on.”
“Are you still seeing ghosts everywhere? I thought we worked through that when you were still a filly,” Diamond Tiara said.
“Look. All I’m saying is I’d feel a little better if we were, you know, closer to the others tonight.”
Diamond Tiara scoffed. “Look, if you’re afraid, then fine, go, but I’m not going to worry about ghosts or madmares on my class trip.”
“Thanks. You’re the best friend!” Silver Spoon said. She grabbed one of her bags in her mouth and ran out the door.
Sweetie Belle sighed as she relaxed in the warm water. The water had that feeling of the mineral baths at the spa. She closed her eyes and pictured the pool at the twins’ spa. Just a few perfumed oils, and she could pretend she was spending the day with her sister.
She felt a prickling sensation at the base of her horn. Sweetie Belle’s eyes snapped open. It was that sixth sense, a creepy feeling that told her she was being watched. But nopony was there.
Lightning flashed again, followed by thunder. The lag between lightning and thunder was increasing, suggesting the worst of the storm was moving away. It was a comforting thought, but then a very uncomfortable thought sent chills down her spine.
The lightning had illuminated a very different silhouette on the curtain covering the window.
Quietly, Sweetie Belle concentrated on her magic, sending out a tendril of force to the curtain. She ripped it aside.
There, standing there, was a pony. Most features were obscured, but what was very obvious was the mask covering most of the pony’s face, and the very large knife clenched in its teeth.
“MADMARE!”
“MADMARE!”
Sweetie Belle burst into her cabin, finding a perturbed Scootaloo.
“There you are,” the pegasus chastised her. First your magic piano was making sounds like somepony was torturing a violin, and now you’re screaming about a madmare?”
“No, I saw a madmare! I’m sure of it! We need to get to safety!”
Scootaloo wanted to tell Sweetie Belle that there was no way there would be a madmare staying in her cousin’s campground. But her oldest friend was scared, and making her feel better was more important.
“Okay. Let’s find the others.”
“Now what?” Archer said.
She opened the cabin door, finding Silver Spoon there. “Could I stay in here for a while?”
Archer rolled her eyes. “Is everypony afraid of her own shadow today?”
“I’m not afraid!” Rumble protested.
“Well, I’m not afraid either,” Archer stated.
The door opened again, and Sweetie Belle rushed in, trailed by Scootaloo. Archer facehoofed.
“Yes, you can all stay in here,” Apple Bloom said. “And yes, you can have a slice of pie.”
“What is with everypony today?” Archer asked.
“I saw the madmare!” Sweetie Belle said. “She was wearing a mask and had a huge knife!”
“Let’s assume for a minute that there really, truly is a madmare,” Archer said. “There are nine of us, and one of her. Why, pray tell, are you worried?”
“She has a knife!” Sweetie Belle said.
Archer opened up one of her trunks and pulled out something curved and long. “And I have a bow. Actually, I have four of them.”
“You brought four bows?” Scootaloo said.
Archer shrugged. “Different bows for different archery events. And I was hoping I could teach you a few things at the archery range tomorrow. But if you’re really worried....” Archer pulled out a bowstring and got to work, the strong muscles in her neck straining as she strung her bow.
“Isn’t that a little overkill?” Sweetie Belle said.
“The only thing I’m actually worried about is some monster from the Everfree,” Archer said. “But for now, let’s get some rest. Nothing’s going to happen when we’re all together like this.”
“Wait a minute. Where’s Diamond Tiara?” Snips asked.
Diamond Tiara relished the quiet. Silver Spoon could run to the others, but Diamond Tiara would stay in the obvious safety of her cabin. Besides, she had managed to get her herbal tea to just the right temperature, and she wasn’t going to waste that.
After a few cups of tea, Diamond Tiara was feeling good, and feeling... something else. The call of nature. And not that metaphysical horseapples that leads ponies to go camping in the first place. No, she would have to face her greatest fear.
The outhouse.
It might be in a larger building, but its purpose was clear. The smells alone made it obvious. But when the only alternative was using the woods like some wild animal... well, some sacrifices had to be made for this trip.
Diamond Tiara pretended she was at the Apple family farm, and that she was being wrongly punished by her father again. With that in mind, this building was preferable to the barn, with all the pigs living in their own filth.
She finished and stood up. She heard a creak.
Diamond Tiara held her breath and listened. She didn’t hear any hoofsteps. But there was that creak again.
“Is somepony there?” she said quietly. No, she could do better than that. “If somepony’s in here, you’d better talk!” she ordered.
Creeeeeeak.
Diamond Tiara left her stall and tiphoofed over to the second stall. She pushed the door in.
Nothing.
She tiphoofed over to the third stall. She pushed the door in.
Diamond Tiara stared into the twisted visage of a mad pony, eyes bulging, a torn noose wrapped around her neck
She also saw the wall through the image.
“GHOST!”
Now, at some point, Pinkie Pie had taught every foal in Ponyville what to do when you see a ghost. But that lesson was forgotten at just the time she needed it. So she defaulted to a different lesson.
Run.
For the eight students in a cabin designed for two ponies, trying to get comfortable was a lost cause. While being this close satisfied some primitive herd instinct, the reality was that there was not a lot of room to stretch out, and the combined body heat was making the building uncomfortable.
And that, of course, was exactly when the final camper showed up.
“What happened to wanting to stay by yourself?” Silver Spoon said. “You’re not scared, are you?”
“Scared? Of course not!” she lied. “I’m just worried about how it would make me look if something happened to you because I wasn’t there.”
“Uh-huh,” said Archer. “Go find a patch of floor. I’ll stay up for a couple of hours and keep watch.”
“This class trip of yours has turned into a fine mess,” Diamond Tiara said to Scootaloo.
“Wait a minute,” Scootaloo said. “Now it’s my class trip?”
As the storm continued to rage outside, the nine campers at Camp Sapphire Lake huddled together, wondering if they would see the morning.