//------------------------------// // Element of Faith // Story: Requiem of Equestria // by TheBlox //------------------------------// Racing as fast as she could toward her friends’ cries for help, Scootaloo rushed through the caves of mesh. The sound of a ferocious roar echoed through the caves, and it grew louder as she approached the final stretch to her exit. She didn’t know what she would witness when she returned to the river, but there was something big out there. Irelivant to what it may be, her friends needed her, and she wasn’t about to turn back on them. Another roar emanated from the exit ahead, and the screaming of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were loud and clear. She braced herself for what she may find, and with a brave soul, she rushed through the exit of the cave. Quickly stepping out into the open, she looked downstream, and witnessed a gigantic monster that was half the size of the river’s cave itself. Her eyes widened at the hideous sight of the impossibly large creature. It looked just like a changeling, but its four legs were sharp like scorpion tails. It had razor sharp scales down its spine, and large, dragonesque wings that curved across its sides. With each step it took, it shook the cave with loud crackles of rubble. Scootaloo’s jaw hung low, and she felt herself freeze where she stood. Her eyes were wide, and her pupils dilated from the sight of the horrifying monster crashing through the cave like a giant spider dwelling through its tunnels. She knew immediately that this had to be the Great Changeling King that Chrysalis had warned everypony about. He had awoken, just as she predicted. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Chrysalis were flying around the creature; they looked like mere flies in size comparison. Twilight and Chrysalis were both firing bolts of magic at it, which were doing nothing on impact. Rainbow Dash was merely trying to confuse it with her speed, and failing in doing so. Rarity was standing off to the side, casting spells at the monster from a safe distance. “Scootaloooo!!!!” she heard her name shriek in the darkness once again. This snapped her out of traumatic paralysis, and she twitched and spun, searching for where her friends were calling her name. “Sweetie Belle! Apple Bloom! Where are you?!” “W-we’re down here!” Apple Bloom called out. Scootaloo stepped up to the ledge, peering down below, where she saw them near the rapids on a small ledge of stone, huddled together in terror. It was evident that they were trying to climb down to get to the other ponies downstream before the giant changeling made its appearance. They were far too frightened—let alone weak from exhaustion—to move from their spot. A great sense of responsibility rushed down Scootaloo’s spine. Pushing her fears aside, she boldly stepped back. “Hang on!” she called out, spreading her wings in preparation. “I’m coming!” With a heavy beating heart, she leapt off the edge of stone, and soared down toward them. The cave continued to rumble from the monstrous changeling bashing around. Hovering safely down next to them, she landed safely beside her friends. With pouring tears, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle leapt into her and hugged her, both crying over her shoulders as the echoes of crackling rock screamed through the air in sync with the monster’s roars. “Don’t worry, I’m not letting anything happen to you,” Scootaloo declared, breaking their reunited hug. “We need to move, now! But I can only carry one of you at a time.” “W-where are we gonna go?!” Apple Bloom whimpered. “Anywhere but here,” the guardian pegasus exclaimed. “Now come on! The others can take care of themselves.” Sweetie Belle only began tearing up some more from the trauma. Scootaloo looked to her and nodded. “Alright, you first,” she said, picking up the unicorn. Then spreading her wings, she leapt up into the air. “I’ll come back for you, Apple Bloom; stay put!!” The earth pony sniffled. “O-okay.” Sweetie Belle pointed downstream. “Bring me to Rarity!” “No, Sweetie Belle, it’s too dangerous where she is.” “But I wanna see her now!!!” Scootaloo ignored her screams and flew back up to the cave in which she had entered from. She set her down, and pointed into the cave. “Get in there, that huge thing won’t be able to get you.” “But… Rarity!” “She will be fine! Now go!” Another bang shook the cave, nearly throwing Scootaloo off her hooves. She was wide-eyed, and she turned to look at the monstrous changeling again. The ponies were still fighting it off, and it had gotten closer to her direction. Then in a blink, she saw its giant claw swat Rainbow Dash out of the air. Rainbow clashed into the wall, and fell like a stunned insect, plummeting into the water. “Rainbow Dash!!!” Scootaloo shrieked, and began flying to her aid. Rainbow Dash surfaced, where Scootaloo saw Applejack pulling her out of the water by the shore. Scootaloo stopped herself, seeing that Rainbow Dash was being taken care of, but from the distance, she could see the agile pegasus was hurt. Applejack dragged the wounded rainbow pegasus out of the river, where Fluttershy assisted in aiding her. Gnashing her teeth in panic, Scootaloo turned back to see that Sweetie Belle was still standing on the stone ledge. Rolling her eyes, she flew back to stubborn unicorn. “I said get back in the cave!” “No!!” Scootaloo growled and gave her a push in that direction. “I will not ask you again!” With that, she left Sweetie Belle and went down to get Apple Bloom. Landing next to her, she found her crying up a storm. “Apple Bloom, it’s alright, I’m gonna get you out of here,” she said to her. “W-what’s happening, Scootaloo?” “There’s no time,” she replied, reaching to pick up the earth pony, when a loud crash shook the cave once again. In that instant, Apple Bloom lost her balance, and she tripped and fell straight into the rapids beneath her. “No!!” Scootaloo took a deep breath and leapt into the water after her. Submerged, she could see the earth pony being swept away by the current with bubbles blocking her vision. Pushing hard in Apple Bloom’s direction, she reached out for her. With all the strength she had in her limbs and wings, she propelled herself into the earth pony, and grabbed her with her hooves. Then kicking back to the surface, she leapt out of the rapids in flight, right beneath the horrifying monster. Scootaloo gasped at the size of the gigantic changeling up close, and she found herself flying vertically with its front leg, which was thicker than a stump. It looked down at her with its blood-red, soulless eyes. The way it looked at her made her coldly shudder. Making a quick u-turn, she carried Apple Bloom back to where Sweetie Belle was. Then with a powerful gust of wind, she felt the monster’s arm attempt to swat her out of the air. She saw its limb slice past her, barely missing her by mere inches, and the aftershock of the wind brushing from its attack threw her flying off balance. She gasped and breathed faster, trying to keep away from it, when it made another attempt in striking her out of the air again. This time it barely clipped her wing, just enough to get her to let go of Apple Bloom. “AAAAAAAAAAA SCOOTALOOO!!!” “Damn it!” Scootaloo dove after her, reaching out to get her. Just as Apple Bloom was about to hit the water, she was entrapped in a magical aura. Scootaloo froze at the sight of her being caught, and looked up to see who was responsible. From the distance, Sweetie Belle had managed to catch Apple Bloom out of the air. Scootaloo nodded with immense respect, understanding that the unicorn’s instinct had kicked in, and she was able to perform an emergency levitation spell to save her friend. “That a girl, Sweetie Belle!” With all her concentration, Sweetie Belle carried Apple Bloom toward her. Scootaloo watched Apple Bloom get carried to safety, and the two ponies rushed into the cave together where they would be protected. “Good,” she said, turning around to face the monstrous beast. She couldn’t help but notice that despite all the other ponies attacking him, he was primarily focusing on her alone. The way his glowing, crimson eyes stared her down, it was as if he recognized her. Still frightened, she hovered up higher to level with him, and could easily see that he was following her movements with his eyes. “Scootaloo, get out of here!” Rainbow Dash shouted from below, too weak to attend, but still strong enough to shout at her. Scootaloo disregarded Rainbow Dash’s concerns, and kept level with the monster. Though she was scared, she felt she needed to know why this monster was focusing primarily on her. Then an intimidating, deep and godly voice growled through the monster’s teeth. “Daaarrriiing Dooooo.” His words were slow, and loud enough for the cave to rumble. Scootaloo’s eyes widened when he called her by her code-name, and her ears fell back. “Yoooou will paaaay,” his vibrant and angry voice echoed. The other ponies were just as concerned about this, wondering how it was possible for the Changeling King to know her. Chrysalis flew up in front of Scootaloo, capturing the attention of the giant changeling. Scootaloo’s jaw hung low that the Changeling Queen was defending her. “I know you found the ancient relic!” she yelled angrily. “The Element of Love does not belong to you. It will only corrupt you if you continue to use it this way!” “Element of Love…?” Scootaloo mumbled quietly to herself. “My Queen, you are nothing but a speck in the wind.” “How dare you!” she shouted back to him. “Who are you?! The result of your monstrosity is only possible if a changeling consumed the power of Love from that stone!” She pointed a hoof at him. “You’ve been stealing the love from the ponies; you’re endangering the lives of many!” “What do you care, Chrysalis? You mean nothing.” His squint grew heavier. “All these years of consuming the souls of ponies, and now you are on their side? You are a disgrace.” “As your Queen, I demand you put that stone back where it belongs!!” “Hmhmhm… This stone?” He gestured to a small rock on his chest. “It is infused with my heart; you cannot stop me!! I am immortal, and you are dust.” With that, his horn lit up a bright crimson. Chrysalis panicked and hovered back, swaying her limbs in defense. “No! You do not dare cast Red Death!! I forbid that spell, stop!! Stop at once!!” “I no longer listen to the likes of you. The changelings shall have a new leader...” With a loud blast of magic, he fired a spell straight at his Queen. She didn’t have any time to react, and she stared wide at the oncoming spell with her ears fallen back, and her eyes dilated at the presence of her doom. Scootaloo watched as the large beam of magic ripped straight through her body, disintegrating her into powder and bones, and the skeleton of the Queen fell into the river below in a cloud of ashes. Scootaloo was too traumatized at what she had just witnessed to even scream. Her heart was now racing, and she was hyperventilating from terror. “And now, you,” he declared with an illuminating horn. “Die.” A beam of magic quickly rocketed from his horn, straight toward Scootaloo. Twilight raced for the targeted pegasus, and she grabbed her in her hooves, teleporting in a blink. The spell cast at her ripped through the air and missed, being sent into the rocks with a flaring explosion of magic. Twilight and Scootaloo appeared down by the cavern’s riverbed next to Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rarity and Pinkie Pie raced toward them as well, reuniting the group together again. Twilight released Scootaloo and held her by the shoulders, looking at her in the eyes. Scootaloo was staring blankly into space, as if she’s seen the end. “Scootaloo,” the princess shouted, shaking her shoulders. “Scootaloo!!” Scootaloo’s eyes slowly regained focus, and she looked to Twilight with trauma. The changeling king roared again, and he turned toward them, and he began marching after them with enormous, loud strides. “Let’s get to a safe location!” Twilight suggested in a hurry. Scootaloo was still nearly paralyzed from all she had been through. Twilight growled and shook her again. “Scootaloo, snap out of it!! We’ve gotta go, now!! Be strong!!” Those words. They burned deep into the subconscious of the pegasus. “I…” she wept, thinking about Flake’s last message—to be strong. “I-I’m trying. I will.” She shook her head to snap herself out of it, and took a step back. She pointed a hoof to the cave upstream. “We have to get to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom; they’re in that tunnel!” Twilight looked to the cave and nodded. “On it. Everypony group together. I’ll focus a teleportation spell to get us all to that ledge, safely!” “Well ya better hurry up, Twilight, he’s comin’ back!!” Applejack exclaimed in a panic. Then as the alicorn instructed, the ponies all huddled together. “Now, listen up!” Twilight called out to them, illuminating her horn in concentration. “We are a team! We do everything as one!” She turned her head to the others, who all nodded with her. “In order for this spell to be cast, all of us need to be calm, with our minds set on our teleportation target, or it won’t work. Everypony close your eyes; avoid distractions! Don’t watch the changeling king!” “Right,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, closing her eyes as she was told, as did everypony else. Fluttershy whimpered, but she nodded, trying to remain calm as she was requested to. “Five!” Twilight began her countdown, and the stomping of the monster’s steps were growing closer. “Four!” The giant changeling’s roar echoed loudly through the cave again, and he kept rummaging after them. “Three!” His large, crooked horn illuminated bright red again. “Two!” He took aim. “One!!” He fired his spell, and it ripped through the air toward them. The crimson beam darted closer and closer to where they were, and the seven ponies vanished in a blink of light. The spell crashed into the rocks with an explosion of fire right where they were just standing. The Changeling King noticed their disappearance. His eyes furrowed from frustration, and he shrieked loudly into the caves, slamming the walls out of anger. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Within the safety of the smaller cavern, Twilight reappeared with the other ponies in tow. The sound of the changeling king’s furious roars were emanating from outside. Once they regained focus after their teleportation, they saw Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom in the vicinity. Rarity and Applejack stepped away from the group, in awe at the sight of their younger sisters. “Rarity?” Sweetie Belle wept, running to her sister. Leaping into each other’s arms, they held each other in tears. “Apple Bloom!” Applejack exclaimed. “Sis!” Apple Bloom ran to her for a hug as well. “I thought I would never see you again!” Rarity sobbed, holding her little sister like it would be the last time. During their embraces, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s coats brightened to their natural colours. Apple Bloom now had a cream coat, and Sweetie Belle’s coat became white like her sister’s. The others were happy to see them unite once again after so long. “Y’all are grown up now! What gives?” Applejack laughed, giving Apple Bloom a noogie. While the others were all happy, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but notice that Scootaloo was still lost in a vacant expression. Raising a brow, she waved a hoof in front of her face. “Scootaloo? You alright?” “Hm?” She shook her head to snap out of it, and she slowly nodded. “I’ll be okay…” “Sugarcube, what happened?” Applejack directed her attention to the troubled pegasus. Scootaloo looked down, finding it hard to speak. “Hold on, has anypony seen Flake?” Rainbow Dash question the situation. Then there was silence. Absolute silence. Scootaloo sat on her flank, lowering her head. Then from her gritting teeth, a hiccup was heard, followed by soft, tender weeping. “Scootaloo…?” Fluttershy whispered gently. “He… he’s dead,” the heartbroken pegasus whimpered. The others exchanged looks, uncertain what they could say to the traumatized mare. There were expressions of shock among their faces. “Please,” she wept, and stood to trot past the others. “I just… I need to be alone for a minute.” “Where y’all goin’?” Applejack questioned her. “I don’t know,” she said. “Just… some place I can think. I’ll be back…” The others didn’t know what to say or do for her. They kept silent, feeling sorry for her loss, and allowed her to step away. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Scootaloo walked through the darkness with her head low. When she felt she was far enough from the others, she stopped in the midst of the cavern, and sat down. Then with every emotion snapping inside of her, she burst into a loud and painful sob. She shook her head, shaking her mind from the truth that she couldn’t wipe from her memories. Standing tall again, she looked skyward, and gritting her teeth, she frowned to the heavens with a sick heart. “Why, damn you?!” she screamed. “You said everypony has a purpose!! So where is mine?!” She choked. “With...without… him?” Lowering her head once more, with her ears curved low, she closed her eyes and continued weeping. Her cries echoed back at her in the dark. She sat there for a long time, weeping and mourning. “It’s not fair…” she sobbed. “It’s just… not… fair…” “Open your eyes,” a strong voice said to her. Her eyes jolt open, and she looked up in tears. She found herself to be somewhere else—somewhere familiar. She was among the stars and galaxies, with dancing mist and magic. And before her, stood a familiar black coated alicorn with a white swaying mane; his cutie mark of a golden balancing scale. It was the Equine King of Equestria, and she became frightened at the sight of him. “W-what… what’s going on?” her words stumbled. “I did say we would meet again,” said the wise king with his solemn expression. Scootaloo whimpered and sat up on her flank, lowering her head. There was a hesitation in her voice, but she managed to eventually say something to him. “I failed,” she confessed in a choking voice. “Failed?” he questioned her in a laughable manner. “My, Scootaloo, are you giving up?” In response to the question, Scootaloo just cowered lower. It was evident to him that she didn’t want to keep going. There was a moment of silence. The King tilted his head with a warm and understanding expression. He reached for the mare and lifted her chin with his hoof. “Be strong, remember?” Scootaloo’s eyes filled with tears in response to that, and she lowered her head again, hiccuping and weeping. “It isn’t fair. How can I go on without him?” The King exhaled slowly, and he placed a hoof upon her shoulder. “This isn’t the end of your journey, you know.” “I am tired…” she wept in a heartbroken voice. “I’m cold, I’m hungry, and I just… want to go… back home…” “Without you… there won’t be any home to go back to.” Scootaloo looked back up to the King in tears. She knew her purpose was an important one. It was just very hard to accept at this point. “How can I even fulfil my purpose to save all the ponies?” she questioned him. “Not only is Flake gone, but I no longer have any changelings on my side to back me up! How in Equestria can I convince the entire changeling hive that we are meant to work together in harmony, if I don’t return with their Queen?” “By having faith.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Okay, define your version of faith. What is that? Because I feel pretty damn screwed!” The King snickered at her ongoing attitude. “Faith is not hoping for things to happen. Faith is believing they will.” “And what is there to believe in at this point after all I’ve gone through?” He grinned. “That is for you to decide, little one.” She sighed and lowered her head. “You sure have mysterious riddles to tell. But they’re not helping!” Frowning at him, tears kept streaming down her cheeks. “Tell me! What is it you want from me, huh?! I’ve lost so much! And if the ponies even do get out of their cocoons, there isn’t much left of Equestria to go back to. Everything is dead!!” The King stood tall, gesturing with a hoof. “Everything happens for a reason. What matters is we keep believing that.” “So what’s the reason?!” the heartbroken pony screamed. “Huh?!” “I don’t have an answer for everything, Scootaloo. The answers are for you to discover on your own.” “Yeah?! And what have you done to help? Hm? You haven’t done anything!” She stomped a hoof in the translucent pathway beneath her, and continued yelling in tears, “You’ve just told me what to do so far! You told me to go back to the hive and make peace with the changelings! I’ve had no help from you! All you’ve done is talk to me in riddles!” The King remained silent, waiting for her venting to calm down. When she finished her rant, she breathed angrily from the throat, and he continued to simply smile at her. “The last time you saw me, you wanted to know my name. Yes?” “Maybe I don’t care anymore,” she muttered, feeling irritated by his grin at this point. “No?” He shrugged. “Okay. Perhaps you’re right. Maybe it is still unimportant.” “Stop it with your riddles,” she grumbled. “Well? Do you want to know, or not?” Scootaloo’s ears fell back. Suddenly she wasn’t so sure anymore. But the way he brought it up expanded her curiosity. “You only have a few moments left before your spirit is sent back to your body.” “Okay, fine,” she murmured, exhaling and trying to calm down. “Who are you then? What is your name?” With a bold stature, the King explained himself in more riddles. “I go by many names. To each pony, I am known as another identity. And when they need guidance, strength, will or courage, that is when they seek my name. I am given a name in every time of need, and I watch over that pony. Any pony that seeks my help, they name me.” “Uh huh…” She was losing interest. “For example... ” he continued with a backstory, “A lost filly in the woods was seeking shelter. I guided her into the caves away from danger. I motivated her back to her hooves when she was giving up, and I brought her to food. And there came a time when the filly could carry on without my guidance, and so my final actions lead her to bury me, so that a lost changeling could see the true values of sacrifice.” Scootaloo’s eyes were squinting in irritation toward his riddle. And then slowly, her eyes began to widen. She stood and gasped, trembling, and her ears curved back at the epiphany. “...Mercy??” The King didn’t reply directly, he just grinned. “If that is what you choose to believe…” He gestured to her with a smile, and she could feel herself fading from this world, about to return to Equestria. “Remember, Scootaloo… Faith is believing. Not hoping.” Then the world around her buckled before her, and she fell. Everything faded into darkness, and the stars all vanished. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Her eyes jolt open, and she found herself lying on the ground in the caves. She must have cried herself to sleep; that would explain her visit with the Alicorn King. When she looked up, she found that she was nearing the entrance of the room where Flake had died. Her ears fell back, and she slowly stood up, her eyes fixed on the room ahead. She didn’t know how much more her heart could take, but she felt she had to pay a visit to his grave, and properly bury him now that there was time. Slowly trotting to the room ahead, she braced herself for seeing his deceased body. And as she entered the room, the first thing she saw was Chitin’s frozen body, still entrapped in his mesh prison. As for Flake… “W-where… where is he?!” she gasped and galloped into the room, spinning around. His body was gone. Her eyes widened, and her neck perked. She wandered her eyes at the odd situation. The only thing left behind that she could find, was Chitin’s broken horn rested on the ground. A grin formed on her face, and she looked up to the heavens in question. “He’s alive…?” The silent voice of Mercy echoed in the back of her subconscious. “If that is what you believe?” Scootaloo beamed with joy, and she skipped around the room with faithful enthusiasm. “He’s aliiiiiive!!!” With that, she left the crystal room, and made a dash back to her friends in full gallop. Her mission was not yet complete. But now, she was ready.