//------------------------------//
// Saturday Night 
// Story: Madmare Island 
// by Alaborn 
//------------------------------//

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 3: Saturday Night





Scootaloo wasn’t sure why Rumble was on edge, but he rowed their little boat with great fervor.  As the shore approached, the light of the fire could be made out in the fog.  Their boat bumped against the shore, and Rumble jumped out.  “Is everypony all right?” he called.

Everypony was there, but staying close to the fire.  They both saw Archer clutching one of her bows.

“We’re safe,” Sweetie Belle said.

“But for how long?” Diamond Tiara said nervously.

“Don’t worry.  Those timber wolves don’t like crossing running water.  Makes them all soggy,” Apple Bloom said.

“But the fog!  I can barely see my hoof in front of my face!” Diamond Tiara said.

“Don’t worry.  The fog’s not real,” Rumble asserted.

“What do you mean, not real?” Diamond Tiara replied angrily.

Rumble flapped his wings.  “I know what fog feels like.  There’s, like, a flavor to the air, the slightest sensation of cloud.  And that’s not here.  Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo spread her own wings.  She stared into the fog, the tip of her tongue sticking out between her lips as she thought.  “I don’t know, Rumble.  But I’m not very good at weather magic.”

“Well, if this isn’t fog, then what is it?” Diamond Tiara asked.

Most of the ponies stood around, confused.  But two of them looked to each other and nodded.  Snips and Snails concentrated, their horns glowing.  There was no visible effect to their magic, but they looked happy when they ended their spell.

“Illusionary terrain spell, right?” Snips said.

“Exactly,” said Snails confidently.

They turned to find seven ponies gaping at them, none more shocked than Diamond Tiara.  “What?” was all she could sputter.

“It’s a low power, large area illusion spell,” Snips explained.  “It can’t change much or offer a lot of detail, but for something like creating fog?  It’s perfect.”

“Since when do you know anything about magic?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Uh, we’ve been studying illusion magic for years, Silver Spoon,” Snails said.

“Yeah!  Someday, the Great and Powerful Trixie will want apprentices, and we want to be ready!” Snips said.

Diamond Tiara scoffed.

“Let’s get rid of this,” Snails said.  He and Snips concentrated again, and wide beams of light shined from their horns into the fog.  Where the light met the fog, the fog dissipated.  The fog continued to disappear over a large area, but not entirely.  Part of the lake was now clear, but fog persisted in the distance.

“There must be more than one spell,” Snails said.

“That would make it easier to do,” Snips added.

“Wait, wait.  Does that mean there’s a unicorn somewhere on the island?” Scootaloo asked.  “Other than you two and Sweetie Belle?”

“Maybe?” Snails said.

“Or it’s a stored spell,” Snips said.

“I’m sure it’s a stored spell,” Sweetie Belle said.  “The impact of the fog arriving would be stronger if it happened the moment the sun set.  It’s basic theatrics.”

“Hey, Scootaloo,” Silver Spoon called.  “When does the campground open for the season?”

“In two weeks’ time,” Scootaloo replied.

Silver Spoon pondered for a moment.  “I think this display of fog would have corresponded with the sunset two weeks from now,” she observed.

“I agree,” Apple Bloom said.

“In other words, nopony was supposed to see this until then?” Archer said.

“Exactly,” Silver Spoon said.

“So how does this spell get stored?” Scootaloo asked.

“Normally, a crystal or gem,” Snips replied.

“Then I can find it!” Sweetie Belle said.  “At least, if I can get that spell Rarity taught me to work....”

“You can do it,” Apple Bloom said encouragingly.

“Okay, here it goes,” Sweetie Belle said.  She closed her eyes, calling on the magic within her.  Her horn glowed, and almost immediately, she felt her herself yanked in one direction.

“Ow,” Diamond Tiara said after Sweetie Belle ran into her.  “Do you mind?”

“Sorry,” Sweetie Belle said.  “Your remaining earring is the closest jewel.”

“Well, maybe you need to look for jewels that aren’t flawless,” Diamond Tiara said.

“That’s... actually, that’s a good idea,” Sweetie Belle said.  She concentrated, and instead found herself pulled away from the lake.  “Follow me, everypony!” she shouted.

The other ponies followed as Sweetie Belle’s horn pulled them into a copse of trees.  When she finally stopped, she pointed to the ground.  “There,” she said.

Apple Bloom kicked her hooves into the ground, dislodging dirt and grass.  She stopped when she saw a glint from the moonlight reflected in something.

Snips concentrated and lifted the uncovered gem.  Snails’s horn illuminated.  “It’s definitely a spell storage gem,” he said.

“Can you, like, disenchant it or something?” Diamond Tiara said.

Snails rubbed his forehoof on the ground.  “I... I think I need some help,” he said.

“Let me handle it,” Sweetie Belle said.  She recalled one of her magic lessons, the way Princess Twilight Sparkle taught her to unravel the bindings of a magic spell until the world’s underlying harmony finished the task of returning the magic into the very earth.  A few seconds later, she opened her eyes.  “Done,” she said.

“So what does that mean?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“If the spell is set to cast every night, then it won’t cast again,” Snips said.

“Are there more spells?” Silver Spoon asked.

Rumble pointed to the distant fog.  “I’m guessing yes.”

“I agree,” Snails said.

“So, the things you saw last night, do you think they were all illusions?” Scootaloo said.

“I bet they were,” Diamond Tiara said, angry.

Archer waved her bow.  “So who’s up for a little nighttime hike and ghost dispelling?”

“Ponyville High School ghost hunters, yay!” Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom shouted.

Diamond Tiara facehoofed.  “I thought they outgrew that,” she told Silver Spoon quietly.





Archer led the group back to the campground.  She kept her bow ready as she looked left and right.  “The coast is clear,” she said.

“Now what?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I think we have to repeat our check of the cabins from this morning,” Silver Spoon said.  “We saw nothing unusual during the day, so if there’s anything funny happening in camp, I suspect it would also happen during the night.”

“Okay, let’s check out the cabins.  Two at a time, adjacent cabins only!” Diamond Tiara ordered.  Finding her direction reasonable, they followed their plan.

“You afraid?” Scootaloo asked Rumble as they entered one cabin.  He recognized the bag inside; it was his cabin from the previous night.

“Don’t worry,” he said.  “I’ll protect you from the fiercest feral felines.”

Scootaloo chuckled and headed into the cabin.  She stomped her hooves on the wooden floor loudly.  Soon, she heard a hideous yowl.  A small shape darted into the shadows.

“Snips, can we get some light in here?” Scootaloo asked.

“Sure thing,” he replied.  The hefty young stallion bounded into the cabin, pale light from his horn illuminating it.

“Look!  “There’s a hole!” Rumble said.

“Yep, just big enough for a cat to squeeze through,” Scootaloo said.  “I guess I’ll have to tell my cousin some of the cabins need repairs.”

The group spent the next hour checking out the rest of their cabins.  Nopony noticed anything disturbed in the cabins they were staying in.”

“That leaves the basement,” Snips said cautiously.

“And the bathroom,” Sweetie Belle said.  “Right, Diamond Tiara?”

“Right,” she replied quickly.  “But let’s check out the basement first.”

The ponies approached the ruined communal cabin.  “Does everything still look safe, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom gave the building a quick check.  “It’s no worse than this morning,” she said.

“That’s good.  Snips, Snails, get to it,” Diamond Tiara ordered.

“What?  Us?” Snails said.

“Of course,” Diamond Tiara replied.  “After all, you’re the ponies who know about illusion magic.”

“I’m not afraid,” Silver Spoon said.  “I’ll protect you from the tomato sauce,” she said, snickering.

Snips and Snails cautiously crept down the stairs, Silver Spoon following.  The two unicorns kept a cautious watch on the walls and ceiling.  But it was Silver Spoon who jumped when they heard a loud thumping upstairs.

“Guys?  Anypony?” she shouted.

A creaking sound echoed through the basement.

“Did you say something?” Apple Bloom shouted down the stairs.

“We’re hearing noises down here.  Is everything okay?” Silver Spoon replied.

“Yeah, nothing’s going on,” Apple Bloom said.

Snips concentrated, his horn glowing slightly.  “It’s just an auditory illusion.”

“It would be better on Nightmare Night,” Snails added.

“Well, can you get rid of it?” Silver Spoon said.  “I’d rather not be hearing fake creaking in a damaged building.”

“Let’s find the gem and take it out of here,” Snips said.  Not knowing a gem-finding spell, Snips instead concentrated on the flow of magic.  It took some time, but eventually he felt the magical energy’s origin, a spot on one of the shelves.  “There!” he said, pointing.

Snails pushed aside jars and boxes with his telekinesis, revealing another small gem.  Smiling, he levitated the gem in front of him and trotted up the stairs.

A thump came from upstairs.  Snails yelped and lost his hold on the gem.

“Sorry about that,” Apple Bloom called.  “It’s just that SOMEPONY is clumsy,”

“You mean SOMEPONY is in the way,” Diamond Tiara retorted.

The three ponies hurried up the stairs, in time to see Diamond Tiara pick herself up off the ground.  “You okay, DT?” Silver Spoon said.

“Fine,” she replied, glaring at Apple Bloom.

“Did you find another gem?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yep!” Snips replied.  He looked to his friend.  “Snails?  Where’s the gem?”

A muted creaking sounded from inside Snails.  “Uh, I think I swallowed it.”





Once Sweetie Belle dealt with the swallowed gem, the group approached the bathhouse.  Diamond Tiara pointed to the doors leading to the toilets.  “That’s where I saw something last night.  I’m glad it was just an illusion.”

“You sure it was an illusion?” Scootaloo asked.

“Of course it was!  Everything else here has had a legitimate, magical explanation.  Right?”

“Well, let’s get this started,” Archer said.  She tensed, and then kicked the door open.

“Nothing so far,” Archer observed.

“Check the stalls,” Diamond Tiara said.

Archer opened the stalls, one at a time.  No ghost appeared.

“Well, that’s strange,” Diamond Tiara said.

Snips and Snails looked nervous.  “So it really was a ghost?” Snips said.

“I doubt it,” Sweetie Belle said.  “Think about a ghost story.  How often does the ghost appear?”

“Whenever it would be most frightening!” Scootaloo said.

“Exactly.  Which means if Diamond Tiara’s ghost were always present, it would be pretty obvious that it wasn’t a ghost.”

“Say you’re right.  Then what triggered it?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“I don’t know.  At this point, all I care about is making it go away,” Sweetie Belle said.  Her horn glowed green, and she soon pulled a small gem out of one of the stalls.

“Another mystery solved,” Archer said.

“You know where there’s probably another scary sight?  The graveyard,” Scootaloo said.

“But we’ve established it’s not a graveyard,” Sweetie Belle corrected.

“Yeah, but how many ponies would know that?” Apple Bloom said.





“Ew.  Creepy,” Silver Spoon whispered.

The ponies gazed on a macabre sight.  It was a pony, or once was a pony.  Its flesh was rotted, fallen completely off the bone in some places.  Two legs were skeletal, the tibia and fibula clearly visible, and half a dozen ribs could be seen through a hole in the monster’s barrel.  Half the creature’s lower jaw was missing, as incomprehensible moans issued from its mouth.  Occasionally, it scraped the ground with one hoof, as if it were desperately trying to reach its kin.

The zombie pony didn’t notice them.  Under normal circumstances, the teenagers wouldn’t have stuck around to see if it did.  Instead, they remained hidden.  Snips and Snails had raised a hoof to keep the group from advancing, and they studied the zombie intently.

“It’s kicking that grave a second time, right?” Snips said quietly.

“Yep, it’s a repeat,” Snails said.

“Are you two going to do something about it?” Diamond Tiara hissed.

“We just needed to find out what kind of illusion it was first,” Snips said.

“And?” Diamond Tiara replied.

“It’s a major image, a powerful but limited range illusion with audio, visual, and olfactory components,” Snips said.

Scootaloo held a hoof to her muzzle.  “In other words, it smells bad.”

“It could be a programmed illusion,” Snails observed.

“So what’s the difference?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“The programmed illusion will react to your presence,” Snails explained.

“So, like this?” Archer said.  She jumped out of cover and ran in the direction of the zombie.  It lifted its head, a bloodcurdling scream coming out of its decayed mouth.

Snips’s and Snails’s eyes widened.  Their horns flared as they hastily sent magic towards the zombie.  It took a few attempts for their spell to hit, and the zombie image winked out of existence.

“What did you do that for?” Snips yelled.

“You wanted to know what kind of illusion it was.  And now you know,” Archer replied.

“But... but....” Snails started.

“It was getting boring just sitting there,” Archer continued.  “And since we knew it wasn’t real, there wasn’t any risk.”

“But what if it was real?” Snips said.

“Wait a minute.  You didn’t use your magic to identify this.  Don’t tell me you made us sit in this itchy grass just because you’re scared of zombies,” Silver Spoon said.

“No!” both unicorns replied, shaking their heads furiously.

Apple Bloom just shook her head.  “If you’re done being scared, I think it’s time we got back to our bonfire.





The ponies returned to the lake without further incident.  Their bonfire had been reduced to low flames.  Everything else appeared as they had left it.  Apple Bloom added some more logs to the fire as the rest of the ponies checked on their belongings.

Sweetie Belle pulled out the marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate from her saddlebags.  “All right, everypony, I think it’s time for s’mores!”

Everypony searched the tree line for fallen branches, looking for one with the perfect length for roasting a marshmallow.  In time, they lined up in front of Sweetie Belle, and she levitated marshmallows onto the points of the fallen branches, or two if the branch was forked.

Sweetie Belle looked up at the next pony.  “Seriously, Snips?”

The pudgy unicorn smiled as he held out a branch in his telekinetic aura.  This branch had multiple forks and six prongs on it.

“I really like s’mores,” he said.

Sweetie Belle sighed and stuck six marshmallows onto the branch’s points.  It wasn’t like she didn’t have more than enough.

The ponies gathered around the fire and began to roast their marshmallows.  Inevitably, one of the marshmallows caught fire, triggering the mandatory “Statue of Harmony pose” from the offender.

Once everypony got enough of the sugary treats, it was time to relax.  Archer was the first to feel the need to slow down, following an active day and an evening of ghost chasing.  She lay on her back, looking up at Luna’s sky.  Some haze drifting over from the Everfree Forest marred the view, but still allowed the light of the full moon to be seen.  The others thought this was a great idea, and soon they were resting, basking in the warmth of the fire and enjoying the company of friends.

“So, one more year of school, huh?” Rumble observed.

“I can’t wait for it to be over!” Snips said.

“Me too.  But that’s because I have more important things to do after graduation,” Diamond Tiara said.

“Did you find a university that likes you and your daddy’s money?” Scootaloo said.

“Scootaloo, could we just have one night without that?” Rumble said.  “Someday, we’re going to look back and reminisce about our school days.  We just don’t get together like this a lot.  And since we’re here, I want to take this chance to hear what we’re all going to do after school.

“That’s easy, I’ll be doing exactly what I’m doing now,” Apple Bloom said.  “I’m already spending my weekends on my handymare business.  There are lots of things that need fixing in Ponyville, especially after Princess Twilight Sparkle gets together with Applejack and their friends.  The only reason I’m still in school is because Applejack would tan my hide if I didn’t graduate.”

“I’ll be looking for my big break,” Sweetie Belle said.  “Manehattan, or maybe Canterlot.  It’s funny.  I spent so much time looking for my special talent, and it’s terrifying to know that I still might never succeed at it.”

“I worry about the same thing,” Diamond Tiara admitted.  Several ponies murmured in protest.  “No, really.  I know why you reacted like that.  It’s obvious I will be a successful business leader.  It’s as clear as the tiara on my flank.”  Now the others were groaning.  “But what you are forgetting is I’ll be following the most successful businesspony in history.  Those are big horseshoes to fill.  Something that’s objectively a success may still look like failure in comparison.

“Oh, and I WILL be studying business at some top university.  What I learn will complement the already extensive business knowledge I learned from my father.”

“Silver Spoon?” You’ve been quiet,” Rumble observed.

“Yes, I know,” she replied.  “I’ll be going to college as well, but it’s because my parents want me to.  All I want to do is craft with silver.”

“What about you two?” Rumble asked Snips and Snails.

“We’re going to be...” Snails started.

“Other than the assistants to the Great and Powerful Trixie,” Rumble interrupted.

The two young stallions visibly deflated.  “Well, uh, I’ve been talking to Close Shave, you know?  And he’s thinking of retiring soon,” Snips said.  “I’ve known for longer than anypony here what my special talent was, and if I can’t be a performing magician who’s also good at styling manes, it wouldn’t be bad to be a barber who knows enough magic to entertain foals on the side.”

“I’m planning on college,” Snails said.  “If I’m not performing, then I’ll be studying all those wonderful creepy crawly creatures.”

“I’m going to enlist in the Guard,” Archer said.  “After that, I’m not sure.  Here at school, there’s a place for my talent.  But in the peaceful adult world, I’m not sure what I could do.  Maybe the military will help me figure that out.”

“And of course we know what you’re going to do, Scootaloo.  You tell us every day,” Diamond Tiara said.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash had the right idea.  Weather work and training, and then more training.  If the Wonderbolts don’t want me, then maybe there will be a new team less focused on precision flying and more focused on stunts,” Scootaloo said.

“Well, I’d be happy to work alongside you, Scootaloo,” Rumble said.  “And with the weather factory in Cloudsdale and the rogue weather over the Everfree Forest, Ponyville is the place for me.  Did I ever tell you about the time I got zapped by a Category 5 thunderhead?”

Scootaloo groaned.  “Yes,” she stated.

“That’s right, I took a direct hit from a lightning bolt.  It didn’t singe a single hair.”

While innate pegasus magic protects them from lightning to some extent, a direct hit still hurts most of them.  Patches of missing hair exposing burnt skin, singed feathers, and muscle cramps will knock a pegasus out of commission for a few days.  Scootaloo learned that first-hoof after one particularly ill-advised stunt.  Still, she had to scoff at her coltfriend.  “That story is a lot less impressive the eightieth time you tell it.”

“Hey, what can I say?  I’ll take my awesome where I can find it,” Rumble said.

“You know what would be really awesome?  Some watermelon!” Scootaloo said.   She flew up and grabbed the watermelon from where it was resting.

That suggestion was met with an enthusiastic response.  The ponies got up and surrounded the beautiful melon.

“Anypony think to bring a knife?” Snails said.

The formerly enthusiastic ponies then started shuffling around awkwardly.  Then Archer’s expression brightened.  She dashed to the forest’s edge and returned with a heavy branch.

“So I read about this,” Archer said.  “You tie up the melon and suspend it from a tree branch.  Then everypony takes a turn whacking it, and when it breaks, you all get to enjoy the sweet fruit.”

“That sounds fun!” Snails said.  “Now, did anypony bring rope?”

“There should be some in the boathouse.” Scootaloo said.

“No, wait, let me,” Sweetie Belle said.  “I don’t really want to get watermelon juice on me, so why don’t I just suspend it for you?”  The young mare concentrated, and green light illuminated her horn and lofted the melon into the air.”

“I’ve always wanted to try this!” Archer said.  She took a few practice swings with her club.

“Oh, there’s a knife!” Snips said, pointing.

All eyes fell on the lake’s newest arrival, slowly approaching them.  It was a pony, body obscured by a dark cloak, face obscured by a white mask.  The pony clenched a very long knife in her mouth.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened in recognition.  She lost concentration on the watermelon; it fell and hit the ground with a dull thud, pinkish juice and black seeds landing on everypony.

She screamed.  “MADMARE!”





What happened after that was a blur.  They ran.  That much was clear due to their pounding hearts and their shortness of breath.  Sweetie Belle vaguely remembered putting out the campfire with the bucket of water as she left, although whether that was an attempt to provide cover for their escape, or acting on some ingrained list of what to do when running from a campground, she didn’t know.

She looked at Archer.  She must have picked up her bows as she ran, because she was standing by the door, ready.

The door.  Of the cabin that belonged to her and Apple Bloom.  The same cabin where they all hid the previous night.  And just like last night, nine ponies squeezed uncomfortably into this cabin for two.

Apple Bloom peeked out the cabin’s window.  “I don’t see anypony.  We’re safe for now,” she said.

“Was it another illusion?” Silver Spoon asked.

Snips and Snails shook their heads vehemently.  “That was no illusion!” they shouted.

Diamond Tiara scowled from the bed she had commandeered.  “This is another disaster for your class trip,” she told Scootaloo.

And the nine ponies stayed close, hoping to survive a second night on Madmare Island.