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 2: Saturday
As dawn broke, a pile of ponies, curled up on the floor of a single cabin of Camp Sapphire Lake, began to stir. More than a few of them complained about stiffness from their uncomfortable sleeping arrangement.
Diamond Tiara frowned as she noticed an unoccupied bed. “I should have been there!” she told Apple Bloom.
“Well, sorry, miss Class President. Maybe if you had volunteered for night watch, you could have taken the bed after I got up,” Apple Bloom replied. “It’s sunup. The rain’s finally passed, and everything looks quiet.”
“Things don’t look spooky anymore,” Snails said.
“Of course not. It’s only spooky at night,” Snips commented.
“So what are we going to do?” Silver Spoon asked.
“I’m not going to let the weather or a little scare stop me from getting out there and having fun!” Archer said.
“I agree,” Apple Bloom said. Around the room, the ponies nodded.
“Well, if we’re going to salvage Scootaloo’s class trip, then we need to get organized,” Diamond Tiara said.
“I’m on it!” Sweetie Belle said. She got up and trotted out the door.
“Wait!” Scootaloo said, flying after her.
“What?” Sweetie Belle said.
“You shouldn’t go out alone. What if there is a madmare?”
Sweetie Belle laughed. “I was so sure I saw something last night, but after sleeping on it, I realized I must have been seeing things. You know that feeling you get when you’re almost asleep and dreams and reality kind of get mixed up? I’m sure that was it.”
“Okay, but still, we should stick together. Now what is it you wanted to get?”
“It’s in our cabin,” Sweetie Belle said. Scootaloo followed her into their cabin, which appeared unchanged from when they left. Sweetie Belle retrieved one of her bags and headed back to the group.
Once they returned, Sweetie Belle opened the bag and pulled out a paper scroll and quill. “First step to getting organized: Make a list.” She scratched an entry on the scroll, and made a check mark.
“Seriously? That’s what you went to get?” Diamond Tiara said.
“If my time being tutored by Twilight Sparkle taught me anything, it’s that a list is the first step to getting organized,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Very well, I’ll name you Acting Class Secretary,” Diamond Tiara said. “So let’s hear some ideas.”
“Breakfast!” Snips shouted.
“What? We have more important things to....”
“He’s right, Diamond Tiara. We do need to eat, and cooking with these little fireplaces is going to take a long time,” Apple Bloom said. “Plus, we need to see if there’s enough food left in the cellar. I’d ask somepony if there was, but they didn’t make it into the cellar.” She looked meaningfully at a pair of unicorns.
“Sorry, Apple Bloom,” Snails said.
“We should report the damage to the camp,” Rumble suggested.
“Don’t you remember? The boat’s probably not coming back today,” Diamond Tiara said.
Rumble flapped his wings. “The weather’s fine for flying now.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, don’t run away on us!”
“We should check out all the weird things that happened last night. And look to see if somepony else is on the island,” Archer said.
“Yeah. But we should send somepony different this time,” Diamond Tiara said.
Scootaloo smirked. “What’s the matter? You chicken?”
Diamond Tiara fumed at having her familiar taunt hurled back at her. Things were so much better in elementary school. The blank flanks were blank flanks, and the chicken was a chicken. She quickly recovered, though. “I’m being prudent.”
“I can’t say I disagree with her this time,” Apple Bloom said.
“Anything else?”
“Archery, swimming, rowing, hiking. You know, the reasons we went camping in the first place,” Archer said.
“I agree,” Scootaloo said. “But first let’s get these things done.”
“So here’s a plan,” Sweetie Belle said, referring to her list. “We check on the food stores, get some pans, and get breakfast going, probably using two cabins. We should also get some more firewood in the cabins. After breakfast, Scootaloo and Rumble fly back to the village, and if necessary go shopping. Our class president will supply the funds. Then we clean up, and make a careful check of every building in the camp. Finally, we’ll do activities.”
“Sounds good,” Diamond Tiara said. “Wait, what was that part in the middle?”
“Let’s get moving, everypony!” Scootaloo said.
“Not a lot left here to work with,” Apple Bloom said, mumbling around the lantern in her mouth. Bins of potatoes, onions, and apples were almost empty, perhaps providing enough food for two small meals.
“Let’s bring up what’s left,” Archer said.
The two earth ponies loaded what was left of the food into one of the bins, and Apple Bloom hefted it onto her back. Archer grabbed two bales of unappetizing plain hay and followed her up the stairs.
“A shame for all those jars,” Archer said.
Wooden shelves lined one wall of the staircase in the communal cabin, but about half the jars on the shelf had fallen over, and many were now cracked. A pool of tomato sauce on one step marked where Snips and Snails had found their “blood”.
“I guess it’s potatoes and fried hay for breakfast,” Apple Bloom said.
With pans borrowed from the communal cabin, Apple Bloom and Rumble cooked breakfast in their respective cabins. Once the food was ready, everypony crowded into Rumble’s cabin to eat.
“So let’s plan some activities for later today,” Archer said. She traced her hoof over a map of the island. “The archery range is over here, and that’s my first goal.”
“I’d like to visit the lake,” Silver Spoon said.
“Let’s split into two groups, then,” Diamond Tiara suggested.
“I’d suggest taking the hiking trail to the lake, and the forest trail to the archery range,” Apple Bloom said. “We want to keep an eye out for somepony else on the island, and so we should cross as much of the island as possible.”
“We need to check up on each other during the day,” Scootaloo said. “When Rumble and I get back, we’ll meet you all at the lake. Then we’ll split up again. Sound good?”
The group of ponies nodded in agreement.
After breakfast, Scootaloo and Rumble were the first to depart. They took to the air, ready to make the short flight to the village across the river.
Midway through their flight, Scootaloo stopped. Rumble turned and flew back to Scootaloo. They hovered as Scootaloo spoke. “Mind telling me what really happened in your cabin last night?”
“What do you mean?” Rumble asked.
“Look, I may not be Apple Bloom, but I think I know when my coltfriend is hiding something. The way you said you weren’t scared? Tell me what it was.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rumble said.
Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and stared at him. “I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
Rumble sighed. “Fine. It was....” He mumbled the end of that statement.
“Louder!”
“Okay! There was a cat in my cabin.”
“A cat? That’s it?” Scootaloo responded incredulously.
“Look, I just don’t like cats! I had a bad experience with a really nasty cat when I was younger.”
“Opalescence,” Scootaloo stated.
“Yeah,” Rumble admitted. “Can we go now?”
“Sure. It’s nice to know that one less weird thing happened last night.”
Scootaloo and Rumble resumed their flight, and soon the village came into view. “There’s my cousin’s house,” Scootaloo said.
They circled and landed on the front lawn. “It doesn’t look like anypony’s home,” Rumble mentioned.
“Oh, ponyfeathers. He’s probably on vacation. Since my cousin has to spend every day from a month before the Summer Sun Festival until the beginning of fall here, he travels with his family around now,” Scootaloo explained. Sure enough, her knock on the door went unanswered.
“Normally I’d forget about it, but that was a pretty bad accident at camp,” Rumble said. “Do you know how to reach him?”
“No, but it’s a small town. Maybe somepony here knows.”
Scootaloo did find somepony who knew. “Yeah, he normally goes to Mihaymi Beach,” said the middle-aged earth pony stallion who was the only pony working at the post office.
“Can we send him a letter?” Scootaloo asked.
“There was an accident at the camp,” Rumble said.
“Nopony was hurt, but the main building was damaged, and I thought he’d want to know before camp opens,” Scootaloo said.
“I think he’s staying at the Hayatt, but if you want to reach him quickly, a telegram would be faster than a letter,” he said, motioning to the key at the edge of the counter.
“Sure. You know how to use that?” Scootaloo asked.
“Sure do. I’m the postmaster, telegrapher, town manager, and grow flowers on the side. We have to wear a lot of hats in Waypost,” the stallion said.
“Do you know about the camp? Is it haunted? Is there a madmare?” Rumble asked.
“Yes, no, wait... what?” the stallion replied. “No, there’s nothing strange about the camp,” he said. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“In addition to the bad storm, there were a few strange things that happened, and one of my friends swears she saw a masked madpony,” Scootaloo said.
“And some creepy old mare warned us about a madmare before we went there!” Rumble added
“The old mare is probably Old Hatter. She’s not all there anymore, and she’s sort of stuck repeating things she’s heard,” he explained. “But I’ve never heard anything like that about the camp before. It’s the only attraction in the area, and everypony in town loves it.”
“Then where did Old Hatter hear it?” Scootaloo asked, the tone of her voice indicating suspicion.
“I... really don’t know,” he said. “Anyway, let’s get that telegram out.”
Scootaloo dictated her message, and the stallion condensed it to the minimum number of words. An annoying staccato buzz sounded as he sent the telegram.
“Uh, do I owe you something?” Scootaloo said.
“No, no charge for a message that important,” the stallion replied.
“Well, uh, thanks,” Scootaloo said. “Let’s get going,” she told Rumble.
Once they were outside, Rumble leaned close to Scootaloo. “Do you think we can trust him?” he whispered.
“I wish I knew,” Scootaloo said. “I think I’ll send him a letter just to be safe, but that will have to wait until we get home.”
“Well, let’s get some food and return to the island.”
The selection of food available for sale in town was small, but the two pegasi bought as much as they could carry. They picked up fresh bread, vegetables, pears, and a single beautiful watermelon. They asked a few questions about the camp while shopping; the villagers had only good things to say.
Scootaloo and Rumble had a lot to think about as they flew back to camp.
“So you two were afraid of a little tomato sauce?” Archer said.
The earth pony led the mismatched pair of unicorns through a pleasant forest trail. The unicorns stumbled frequently, as they kept looking all around them, distracted by noises.
“Yeah, it was just tomato sauce, but what if it wasn’t?” Snails said.
“It was,” Archer said.
“But we were right to be worried. It was a dark and stormy night, and you know nothing good happens on a dark and stormy night,” Snips said.
“And the others saw things, too,” Snails said.
“Well, I’m not scared. In fact, I’m willing to go out tonight and face all of your fears,” Archer said confidently. “The only question is, is there somepony brave enough to join me?”
Snips and Snails shook their heads in fervent denial.
Archer harrumphed and picked up her pace. They left the woods, the trail now following a path cut through tall grasses. She thought she spotted the archery range ahead, but before she could get there, her companions yelped.
“What is it this time?” Archer said.
“Graveyard!” Snails screamed. He pointed to a bunch of old stones that were unmistakably grave markers.
“So?” Archer said.
“So? So this camp was built over a graveyard! No wonder why the spirits of the dead are seeking revenge!” Snips said.
“Where in the wide wide world of Equestria did you get that idea?” Archer said.
“Don’t you ever watch movies?” Snails said.
“You mean scary movies? Please.” Archer raised her foreleg and pointed to the distance. “Listen. Just stop your worrying and listen.”
“Yeah?” Snips said.
“Hear that? That’s the river. And on the other side of the river is the Everfree Forest. The Everfree Forest. Home of manticores, sea serpents, timber wolves, and worse. We’re not that far from where Nightmare Moon was defeated. And you’re worried about a graveyard?”
Snips and Snails bowed their heads and shuffled their hooves.
“Look, you two,” Archer said. “Let me demonstrate my archery, and you’ll see why I’m not worried about any ghosts or monsters.”
The trio got to the archery range without further delay. Snips and Snails rummaged through a wooden shed, returning with three bows and arrows with rounded tips.
Archer looked up from stringing her fourth bow. “Forget those bows. Now watch this!” She set her bow into a notch on the ground, and pressed her left foreleg onto the crossbar to stabilize it. With her other foreleg, she notched an arrow and pulled back. She squinted, focusing on the distant target. She strained as her muscles begged for relief, but she waited until the bow was steady and she was calm.
Fwoosh. The arrow left the bow, striking the target dead center.
“Nice shot,” Snips said.
“Nothing to it,” Archer replied.
Snips and Snails nodded and picked up bows in with their magic. “Stop right there,” Archer ordered.
“What?” Snails said.
“Use your hooves. I know the first instinct of unicorns is to use their magic, and pegasi try to fire while flying. Trust me, that does not work well. How do you expect to know how much magic to use pulling back the string when you’ve never felt the bowstring?”
Snips and Snails looked at each other. “I guess we can try it your way,” Snails said.
Each of the unicorns took one of Archer’s bows and notched an arrow. They pulled back. Or, rather, they tried to. Their legs shook as they strained. Neither had the strength to match the earth pony.
“Okay, maybe you need to use the camp’s bows,” Archer admitted.
With a little practice, Snips and Snails were able to hit the target most of the time. More importantly, they were enjoying themselves, thoughts of the previous night’s frights passed. After another friendly competition, they noticed how much time had elapsed.
“It’s time to head to the lake,” Archer said.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom poked around another cabin. “See anything?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Nothing. Just an empty cabin.”
The two friends finished their half of the morning chores. They restocked the firewood in each cabin, and looked for anything unusual.
Leaving, they met up with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “Did you find anything?” Apple Bloom at all.
“Dust. Cobwebs. Dirt. Filth. And mud everywhere,” Diamond Tiara said.
“It’s a campground,” Apple Bloom deadpanned.
“We checked the bathhouse and bathroom, too. There’s nothing there either,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Of course you wouldn’t see anything,” Diamond Tiara said.
“No tracks either?” Silver Spoon asked.
“None, but that’s what you’d expect, after that rain,” Apple Bloom said.
“Let’s face it. We checked every building except for the locked office. There’s nothing strange going on right now,” Silver Spoon said. “I think it’s time we went to the lake.”
The four ponies all agreed. They headed down a grassy hiking trail. Despite the calm morning, everypony was glancing nervously about.
“Ahh!” Sweetie Belle screamed. “It’s got me!”
“What is it?” Apple Bloom said, rushing to her friend’s side. She found the unicorn struggling, one foreleg wrapped in the long grass. Apple Bloom kicked at the ground, dislodging the grass.
“Ew ew ew, gross!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, focusing her magic to unwrap the remaining grass from her fetlock.
Silver Spoon scoffed. “It’s just common Equestrian marsh grass. Marex damara. It’s well known for growing like a weed in wet environments and getting stuck in ponies’ fetlocks.”
“What are you, a biology textbook?” Apple Bloom retorted.
“No, I just study. It’s only appropriate that the school’s future valedictorian be well-read,” Silver Spoon said.
“No way. I’m going to be the valedictorian!” Sweetie Belle claimed.
“We’ll have to see about that,” Silver Spoon said. She flicked her mane dismissively and started walking.
“Ugh. How can the two of you talk about school on a Saturday?” Diamond Tiara said, exasperated.
“For once, I agree with you,” Apple Bloom said.
The ponies returned to their walk, soon arriving at the lake. Judging from the water level against the dock, the recent rain had raised the level of the lake. But the water was still, and the morning sun warm and inviting.
“Let’s swim!” Apple Bloom suggested. Sweetie Belle bounded after her.
Diamond Tiara scoffed as Silver Spoon followed them. She wasn’t going to waste a vacation doing work, and this was the first nice day since last fall. She stretched out on the wooden dock, letting the rays of Celestia’s sun warm her through her coat. She smiled and closed her eyes.
Diamond Tiara awoke to the unpleasant sensation of rain. Worse, when she opened her eyes, she found out it wasn’t rain. A dripping Apple Bloom was shaking off.
“Stop that, you freak!” Diamond Tiara demanded.
“It’s not my fault you’re sleeping right here,” Apple Bloom said, smiling. “It’s the only safe place to climb out of the lake. You could be sunbathing anywhere else.”
“Where else? There’s no chaise lounge, and all the grass is still wet.”
“It’s a camp,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s not some five star resort.”
“All I’m asking is for some basic comfort,” Diamond Tiara said.
“And all I’m saying is if you want to stay dry, you better get off the dock.” Apple Bloom motioned behind her, where Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon were climbing up the ladder.
“It’s time to regroup,” Sweetie Belle said. “Scootaloo and Rumble are coming back.”
It took another ten minutes for Archer, Snips, and Snails to return. Once everypony was together, they huddled together.
“Anypony learn anything?” Scootaloo asked.
“The camp is built on ancient burial grounds!” Snips said.
“No, it’s not,” Archer said.
“We found nothing in the camp,” Apple Bloom said.
“It’s like nothing we saw last night was real,” Silver Spoon said.
“We got plenty of food,” Rumble said.
“But my cousin is out of town,” Scootaloo said. “We sent a telegram to his hotel, but that will only work if that pony is honest.”
“What do you mean?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Nothing makes sense,” she replied. “Like that old mare. The pony we talked to said the old mare isn’t all there, but nopony knows why she would suddenly talk about a curse on the island.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t make sense,” Sweetie Belle said.
For a few moments, everypony thought about what happened. Then Diamond Tiara stomped her hoof. “Truffle Shuffle!” she yelled.
“What?” Apple Bloom said.
“Think about it. He knows we’re here, and isn’t it convenient how he canceled at the last minute? I bet this is all a prank.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “That’s not really a Pinkie Pie kind of prank.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“I have a better idea,” Archer said. “We spend less time worrying, and more time having fun!”
“Hear, hear!” Rumble added.
“I think we should have a big campfire and spend the evening under the stars,” Sweetie Belle said. “We can cook over the fire, and for dessert, I have marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate.”
“Ooh, s’mores!” Snips said.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Scootaloo said.
“So do I,” Diamond Tiara said. The two ponies then stared at each other.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s have fun!” Archer said.
Later that afternoon, Archer led Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom to the archery grounds. “I’m glad you’re interested in archery,” Archer said.
“It’s not something I’ve ever done before,” Apple Bloom said. “But there’s something else I’m interested in. Can you show us that graveyard first?”
“Yeah. We were talking, and it doesn’t make much sense,” Sweetie Belle said.
“What do you mean?” Archer asked.
“You can’t bury somepony at water level. You’d have to build mausoleums,” Apple Bloom said.
“And why would there be graves when nopony lives here year round?” Scootaloo added. “The village is across the river!”
“Sure, I’ll take you there,” Archer said. “I’m not a scaredy pony.”
They took a detour and headed to the graveyard. The four ponies stayed silent as they walked around the headstones. What would have been a frightening sight in the dark of night was now absolutely tranquil. Apple Bloom bowed her head in respect. Sweetie Belle knelt and traced one of the stones with her hoof.
“You’re right, Apple Bloom. This isn’t a graveyard,” Sweetie Belle said. “These stones are ancient. Like, before the Lunar Rebellion ancient.”
“But this village has only been here a century or so,” Archer said. “Right, Scootaloo?”
“I think so,” Scootaloo said. “They must have come from somewhere. Like the Everfree Forest!”
“Oh, it’s Freetown!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. The others looked perplexed. “That’s the name of the town that surrounded the old Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It was destroyed in the war and abandoned to the growing forest, but there are streams that drain from the ruins into this river!”
“And after hundreds of years, these stones washed up on the island,” Apple Bloom said. She inspected one stone. “They do look sort of worn down by the stream.”
“Wow, my cousin never told me about this,” Scootaloo said. “He never talked about preserving history.”
“That’s pretty neat,” Archer said. “And here I thought this was just a camp! And speaking of camp, let’s get to the archery range!”
The afternoon continued as the ponies hung around the lake, enjoying the amenities of the campground. They took turns rowing, swimming, and hiking. They set up a net and enjoyed several games of volleyball. But as evening approached, they gathered for some additional preparations.
“Okay, we have dinner and a campfire by the lake,” Diamond Tiara said. “So we need food, water, pans, utensils. We need to get the fire built. There’s a lot to do.” She caught herself looking to Sweetie Belle.
“Okay, let’s make a checklist for everything,” Sweetie Belle said. She summoned a scroll and quill from her saddlebags. “First, the fire. Build the fire pit. Collect firewood. Start the fire. Keep a couple of buckets nearby, just in case.”
With the start of a plan, Diamond Tiara shifted to giving orders. “Firewood. Apple Bloom, Archer, can you get that?” The two strong earth ponies nodded.
“Snips. Snails. You two build the fire pit,” Diamond Tiara ordered. The two unicorns appeared relieved at having not been asked to do something harder.
“Next, the food. Scootaloo, where’s the food you bought today?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“Over by those benches,” she answered.
“Sweetie Belle, you mentioned you brought some food?”
“Yes, for dessert. Does anypony else have something to share?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I have a bag of spring apples,” Apple Bloom said.
“Excellent. Anything else? No?”
“Let’s have the rest of us collect food, pans, utensils, and the like,” Diamond Tiara said.
“No way. You forgot about cleaning up here,” Scootaloo said. “Rumble, you come with me. Let’s get the net and equipment put away, and then secure the boats.”
“Okay, fine. Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon, you’re with me then.”
Archer and Apple Bloom worked together, stacking firewood on their backs. The chopped and split firewood was protected from the elements by a simple wooden overhang, and both ponies were glad not to have to deal with soggy firewood. Neither pony had a problem carrying the weight of the wood, but they needed to be mindful of stacking too much, lest the whole load fall off their backs.
“I sure am glad we don’t have to chop this wood,” Archer said. “I never liked swinging an axe.”
“It’s not too hard once you get some practice,” Apple Bloom replied. “I’m sure I could have handled that little axe.” She nodded to Archer, and they departed.
After a short walk, Apple Bloom stopped. “What’s wrong?” Archer asked.
“That axe.”
“What?”
“That axe wasn’t there this morning,” Apple Bloom stated.
“You sure?”
“Uh-huh,” Apple Bloom said, nodding vigorously. She turned and headed back to the lake, walking just a little bit faster. Archer spared one last look at the woodpile, and hurried after her.
“How come you’re not ready yet?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“That’s right. We collected everything we needed to get,” Silver Spoon added.
Sweetie Belle poked her head out of the cabin. “Look. I’m still looking for the chocolate,” she said. “If you’re so impatient, then why don’t you leave?”
Diamond Tiara checked the sky. “It’s almost dark,” she said. “After what happened last night, I’m not going to leave anypony alone. Not even you.”
“Gee, thanks for making a mare feel appreciated,” Sweetie Belle deadpanned. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have one more bag to check.”
As Sweetie Belle rummaged through her sixth trunk, finally finding the chocolate, she heard something. She jumped, knocking her head on the trunk’s lid. Rubbing the sore spot on her head, she investigated. Her magic piano had turned on again, playing a low tune replicating the sound of strings, heavy on the cello and bass. It sounded almost sinister. Outside the window, Sweetie Belle could see the stars begin to paint the evening sky.
Sweetie Belle grabbed the chocolate and the rest of her supplies, and ran out of the cabin.
“Really? We needed to inspect the lake?” Rumble said suspiciously.
“Well, we do need to put the boats away, but there’s still time for this. It’s something I’ve wanted to do all weekend,” Scootaloo said.
“What, get me alone?”
His marefriend smiled. “Exactly.”
“We’re not really alone, you know.” Rumble nodded back towards the shore, where Snips and Snails were working on building the fire pit. The two unicorns strained to lift heavy rocks with their magic and form a circle of stones.
“They look pretty busy,” Scootaloo said. “Besides, I really only care about being away from her for a while.”
“What is up with Diamond Tiara anyway? She’s normally not this bad.”
“Yeah, she matured a little, but she’s still a terror when there’s something she wants, doesn’t have, and can’t buy,” Scootaloo explained. “Something like an awesome coltfriend.”
Rumble shuddered. “She likes me?”
“I don’t think so,” Scootaloo said. “It’s more that I have a coltfriend, and she doesn’t. And she hates it.”
“I’m not going to let her bother me.” Rumble watched the shore, where Archer and Apple Bloom had returned. “Besides, we’ll miss these days when they’re gone.”
“Miss Diamond Tiara? Really?”
“We have one more year of school,” Rumble said. “After that, what’s left? Work? Most of us won’t see each other much, and even if Diamond Tiara was trying to ruin this trip for us, it’s still a chance to spend time with friends and not-so-much-friends.”
Scootaloo leaned back and gazed at the sky as night began to fall. “When did you become so wise?”
Rumble laughed. “I’m training to deal with storm clouds and get zapped by lightning all the time. It’s obvious I don’t need wisdom for my job, so that leaves more for times like this.”
Off in the distance, the two pegasi noticed the rest of their friends returning. “I guess our time’s up,” Rumble said.
The wind picked up, making it feel like the temperature had dropped another several degrees. A heavy fog began to collect over the lake, and the two boaters began to lose sight of the others.
Scootaloo smiled and leaned in close. “Looks like we have some privacy now. And it sure would be nice to have somepony to help keep me warm....”
Rumble blushed, but pushed Scootaloo away. “I appreciate the sentiment. Really, I do. But this feels wrong. We need to get back to shore now!”
In the distance, a timber wolf howled. Night had returned to Madmare Island.