The Scary Story
Cassandra was in her house, enjoying a nice cup of fancy tea and the latest Japanese anime import. The rest of Ponyville would have to wait for the subtitled version to come out before they could enjoy it, but not Cassandra, for she was fluent in Japanese. Suddenly, there came a knock at her door. It was Sweetie Belle, carrying a bunch of complex-looking graphs and pie charts.
“Cassandra, I have a problem.”
“Well then I’m glad you came to me. Come in, have some pocky, what’s on your mind?”
“Applebloom and Scootaloo are going camping with their big sisters, or big sister figures. And while Rainbow Dash loves the outdoors and sleeping in trees, and Applejack is a dirty mudpony who enjoys squalor…”
“Sweetie, please that’s no way to talk about your friend's sister.” It was true, though.
“...my sister Rarity hates roughing it, so I need you, the adult I trust the most, to fill in for her. In exchange...” she pointed to her graphs, “I am prepared to offer three and a half sessions of practice kissing, which, based on market research is a highly competitive and equitable fee.”
“Sweetie Belle, you don’t need to bribe me with gifts, I do favors for ponies out of the goodness of my heart. So of course I’ll go.”
“Oh, thank you Cassandra!” squeaked Sweetie Belle, giving her sister-figure a tackle hug.
The three fillies and two adult mares climbed the mountain. Applejack was having a good day, she only fell down seventy times. While getting up from her seventy-first, she spotted something interesting
“Hey look y’all! Mushrooms!”
“Are they safe ta eat?” wondered Applebloom
“Now Applebloom, what’ve ah always said?”
“Never question a free meal.”
“Yer darn tootin! Now let’s get these babies outta the ground an’ we’ll-”
“STOP RIGHT THERE YOU SILLY FILLY!” exclaimed Cassandra, slapping the mushrooms out of Applejack’s hoof, “I swear to god Applejack, it’s like we’ve got four foals here” Normally she wouldn’t be so harsh, but the truth was undeniable.
“Cassandra, why’d ya do that?”
“Because these might be poisonous!”
“But they might not be.”
“Look never mind, let’s just get to the top of the mountain and meet up with Rainbow Dash.”
“All right, but ah’ still don’t see why ah couldn’t bring Braeburn” fumed Applejack, “ah was willin’ to share mah sleeping bag with him.”
“You’ve just answered your own question” said Cassandra, “and there are children present, it wouldn’t kill you to have a little more discretion.” But something else probably would.
Finally they reached the top of the mountain where Rainbow Dash was waiting. Cassandra had been sensible and walked alongside the non-fliers out of respect, but Rainbow had gone ahead because she was self absorbed and vain. But she was cute, so Cassandra looked past all that.
Scootaloo was excited, “we’re almost to the top, where I’ll meet Rainbow Dash! I bet she can’t wait to see me!”
At the top, Rainbow Dash was in fact waiting for them. “Hi Applebloom and Sweetie Belle!” she said, “say, when did you get a third friend?”
“Rainbow” whispered Cassandra, “Scootaloo really looks up to you. You should take her under your wing.”
“Ok” she whispered back, “but I don’t know how to, um…” she struggled to come up with words, “...child.”
“Well, you have the mentality of one, so that’s a good place to start.”
“Ok, I know what to do!” declared Rainbow Dash, “I’ll tell them a scaaaaaary story! Once there was a pony…”
“...WHO’S GOT MY RUSTY HORSESHOE???” the cutie mark crusaders shrieked and all huddled close to Cassandra for support. She politely nudged them back to their proper sisters.
“I wasn’t scared of the story,” said Scootaloo unconvincingly.
“You’ve convinced me that you weren’t scared” said Rainbow Dash, “you can have my respect.” Scootaloo went wide eyed with joy. Now she had two ponies that she admired paying attention to her!
That night, she had a nightmare, in which the Olden Pony was chasing after her. She ran and ran and just when she thought she was safe, a dark blue pony with a moon cutie mark and no head appeared!
"Aaaaah! A headless pegasus" cried Scootaloo
"Forsooth!" Said the headless pony, "we art not a pegasus, we art an alicorn!"
"Well it's kind of hard to know that when you don't have a head."
"Touche" said the headless pony. She put her head back.
"Oh, you're Princess Luna" said scootaloo, "what are you doing here ?"
"Thou art dreaming, Scootaloo. I hath cometh to tell thee that thou needeth to face thine fears!
"Um what? Sorry but I kinda didn't pay attention when Cheerilee was teaching Shakespeare."
"It's understandable" said Cassandra, emerging from the fog, "he was a pretentious git"
“Cassandra? You can dreamwalk too?” asked Scootaloo.
“Can, but don’t. I consider it intrusive and rude to spy on another pony’s secret thoughts. You’ll have to forgive Luna for not having that same amount of perceptiveness.”
“We hopeth that someday we shalt be as wise as Cassandra” said Luna.
“Aim for something realistic.” advised Cassandra. She was allowed to talk to Luna like that because she was the princess’s long-lost sister. Also, she was right. “Anyway, since Luna here hasn’t mastered the art of speaking normally, I’ll tell you what you need. You need to tell Rainbow Dash the truth about how you’re afraid of her stories.”
“How did you know that I was afraid of her stories?” asked a shocked Scootaloo, “I didn’t tell ANYPONY about that.”
“Perceptiveness” reminded Cassandra.
“Will you be my big sister?” asked Scootaloo
“I don’t have the heart to make Rainbow Dash jealous. For her sake, you must settle for her.”
“Wow Cassandra, I’ve learned so much from you.” said Scootaloo. It really was a treat to be in Cassandra’s presence.
“Seeing ponies flourish is one of the greatest joys in the world.” said Cassandra selflessly, “now young Scootaloo, it is time for you to wake up.”
Luna added, “FACE YOUR FEARS!!!!!” and made the dreamscape disappear into a vacuum. Cassandra rolled her eyes,
“She just has to be the center of attention.”
The next morning, Scootaloo took Cassandra’s advice and admitted to Rainbow Dash that the stories scared her. Dash though that she was cool in spite of it. Everypony learned that they should trust Cassandra’s advice, even Applejack, who was dissuaded from trying teach herself to fly by jumping from the top of Winsome Falls.
Suddenly, a crotchety old pony in a cloak jumped out of the bush, and cried “WHERE’S MAH RUSTY HORSESHOE???”
“AAAAAH!” screamed Rainbow Dash, cowering behind Cassandra.
“Oh Dashie, you don’t need to be a scaredy pony” cooed Cassandra, rubbing a shivering Dash’s back comfortingly, “look it’s just Granny Smith”
“Yer darn tootin’ ah am” said Granny Smith, lowering her hood, “and that’s whatcha get fer scarin’ mah granddaughter!” She winked at the camera.