'' So, when the campers got back from the hiking trail, the entire camp was covered in... Trash ! ''
'' Ooooh spooky Sweetie Belle, did they survive the evil trash ? '' Asked Scootaloo as she lazily poked around in the dirt.
'' ... Ah, I don't know ? Rarity used to tell me it at night before bed, and that's why I don't go into the woods. ''
Yes, it was difficult getting Sweetie Belle on the camping trip but Applebloom and Scootaloo had managed to convince her. They were camped on the edge of the Everfree forest, but even at a safe distance it made their hooves jittery . The fire that they were huddled around had started to flicker and slowly die out. It was their only protection against the night, and they weren't about to let it die.
As Applebloom tired blowing life onto the fire, Scootaloo looked towards the forest. It was dark with a thick sheet of mist hovering over it , she could hear the faint songs of crickets in the distance. Her mind raced with what could be lurking within the darkness, if there was anything at all. Scootaloo's focus snapped towards Applebloom as she hurriedly rubbed away soot from her snout.
Despite the warm glow of the fire, the night still managed to chill their bones. The only reason they were out here in the freezing dead of night was because their cutie marks could have to do with outdoor camping. But as the night dragged on, the odds of success dwindled. It was getting late, and their attention spans were getting shorter by the minute. Scootaloo could only hold her head up for so long, but soon sleep proved more tempting.
Scootaloo laid her heavy head on the pillow and closed her eyes. But as she tried to sleep she felt like something was off, she opened her tight eye lids and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Applebloom was tending to the fire, and a pair of glowing eyes hovered over Sweetie Belle.... Wait. Before Scootaloo could react Sweetie Belle started screaming and was lifted in the air by a shadowy force. Applebloom tried to help but all she could do was watch the screaming filly.
'' AH ! Let me go--''
'' Now, now, now everypony calm down I'm not here to hurt anyone... I promise. '' The pair of eyes came closer to towards the fire, and the smiling face of Discord popped into view. He plopped Sweetie Belle on a nearby log and took her seat.
'' Oh great, w-why are you here Discord ? '' Applebloom asked.
'' Good night to go camping I see ? I hope all is well and don't worry I haven't come to take you as my prisoners, I only wish to escape my relentless boredom. '' Discord took a moment to look around the camp, his gaze quickly shot towards the forest. Once he surveyed his surroundings his eyes fell back onto the three filly's, and his lips curled into a toothy grin. '' I see that you don't have your cutie marks, am I correct ? If so I have a challenge for you. ''
'' Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope sorry Discord, but my sister taught me better than to listen to you. So if you don't mind we'll just be going-- ''
'' Wait ! I plan nothing sinister I swear. Those days are far behind me I promise ! I just have a proposition for you, that is all. ''
'' We're not scared, we'll take your offer ! '' Scootaloo finally stammered out.
'' Yes ! Bravery Love it so ! Do you see that pit in the ground over there, just under the brush ? Well good because if any of you spend more than ten minutes in there, I shall give you all cutie marks ! But if you fail, I get everything this here cooler. Be wary, I haven't heard good things about that pit.
Scootaloo, Applebloom, and a shaky Sweetie Belle all looked towards the black hole in the ground. It was about as wide as a watermelon, they could probably fit in it. Applebloom took a bitter gulp, and Sweetie Belle held herself tight, but Scootaloo was determined to get her cutie mark. With a confident smile and trembling hooves, Scootaloo trotted towards the gaping hole.
Discord nudged her to go through with it, and she weakly agreed. Scootaloo starred into the hole and immediately threw her head back in disgust, it reeked of rotting garbage. But despite the foul stench She looked deeply into the abyss, it was dark as night and she could hear the faint sound of dripping water. As Scootaloo studied the darkness she felt her body shift and she fell in head first.
. . .
Scootaloo didn't feel like she was falling, but she could hear the wind wiz bye in her ears. She could see nothing but darkness in front of her, and all around her. Fearing that she would meet cold hard ground, she prepared her body for impact. But the ground never came, she felt a sinking sense of confusion start to drown her. Scootaloo tried swiping in the air but nothing came of use; she was falling like a rock.
The pit was filled with the beat of Scootaloo's heart and she felt herself rushing towards the ground. She was stupid to take this challenge, what was Discord's goal ?Now she was going to die, alone in darkness. Freezing water engulfed her and she desperately tried to break through the surface. But it felt as if jagged teeth were stabbing into her sides, but it was just the biting edge of the water's chill.
Water too cold for reality forced itself down her throat as she gasped for air, she could feel it harden and contort her insides. The only thing she could even hope to do was to try to get a grip on the rocks, but the water made her hooves numb and useless. Feeling the crushing defeat of drowning, she let her head drip down. The water suddenly shifted and Scootaloo was pulled down, the chilling water gave away and she fell head first onto a bed of sunflowers.
Scrambling for air Scootaloo shot up from the flowers with pollen covering her. The icy rapid that she had fought so hard against was now replaced with a serine ocean of sunflowers. Could this be a hallucinating ? Had she fallen asleep and this just a nightmare ? Had her brains went splat on some rocks, and this was her mind going haywire ? She put aside the swirling pit of confusion growing in her stomach to look around.
The sun shinned peacefully, it's warmth not too hot, but also not too cold. A cool, gentle breeze rolled over Scootaloo, just strong enough to part her mane. She looked down to the flowers and saw that it covered the entirety of the ground, like an blanket of yellow. On the top of a hill in the far distance stood a lonely tree, being a point of interest Scootaloo started for it.
The air smelled of pollen and rain, she couldn't stop sneezing as she trotted along. But as she made her way, she slowly began to move less and less. Soon her movements came to a staggering crawl. Scootaloo tired lifting her ligaments but they barley rose from her side. fear set in and she hurriedly tried looking around for a outing, but her gaze was fixed on the tree on the hill. The birds froze in mid air and the flowers stopped moving as well. Even the breeze halted.
The mood continued taking an anxious shift in tone as one giant rain cloud appeared over the tree. Scootaloo's heart suddenly came alive, it scrapped against her chest and she was glad, at least that was still moving. The cloud hovered over the tree and Scootaloo felt a sudden urge to trot towards it. As she did the ocean of yellow slowly withered into a pale wave of white petals. Despite this, and her heart now slowly pounding she tried to keep an aura of coolness.
Scootaloo drew nearer to the tree and rain from the cloud poured over it, each individual drop violently pounding against the bark. The sun had hid behind the clouds and the world around seemed grayer than it had before. Now, half way across the field of dead petals, Scootaloo looked towards the sky behind her. In the far distance was a single cloud was traveling right towards her. Atop the cloud stood a smiling Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo's heart lifted as she saw her friend. But an eerie silence fell over them, and a nauseating stench of the decay washed over her.
Rainbow Dash rode care-free on the cloud, but she stopped as she came over Scootaloo. Perplexed by her friends behavior Scootaloo raised a hoof towards the sky to try to get her attention. And yet Dash ignored her, she merely stood on the cloud and looked out towards the distance where the great tree was. Her confusion soon morphed into growing fear as Scootaloo flailed about to get the even smallest reaction from Dash. To her dismay, her moments were muted and slowed, as if she was moving in mud.
A climbing sense of danger crawled up Scootaloo's spine and she nearly stopped herself from trying to call out to Dash. The tension grew to a boiling point and Scootaloo couldn't stop herself from crying out to Dash to help her. The sky's grew dark and Dash towered over the insignificant little filly. Dash's brow furrowed and starred directly into Scootaloo's own eye's, but at the same time looking past her. A deep bitter wave of guilt churned around in Scootaloo's stomach as she tasted iron on the wind.
Dash starred and a look of disappointment marked across her face. What had Scootaloo done to upset her ? Feeling the heavy, depressing eyes of the one pony she admired the most, made Scootaloo wanted to crawl under a rock and die. But In the distance Scootaloo could hear the faint rumbling of thunder. Soon the ground shook and the air became dry, but Dash was still undeterred, despite the approaching storm. In an instant a bolt of white hot lighting struck Scootaloo and she felt a searing pain shoot up in her chest. Then nothing.
It was like a sleepless dream, hazy and warm but conscious. The milky clouds floated lazily about the bright blue sky, a feeling of peace was sown into Scootaloo. A cool sea breeze carried over her as she laid on a small, comfortable cloud. She raised her head towards the sun and smiled as it shinned back. She had been through a lot, maybe a nap was in order.
Scootaloo rolled her head to the side and closed her eyes. As she laid she couldn't help but think, was she dreaming ? But she quickly dismissed this, besides sleep sounded like a better idea than being awake. But as she tried to sleep she couldn't help but to have a biting feeling of unease. After awhile she could bear it no more she leaned over the edge of the cloud. She immediately reared her head back in disgust when the rancid taste of sulfur touched her tongue.
She rolled around and tried to the hold vomit that rushed up her throat. A cold shiver ran up and down her body as Scootaloo held herself tight. Below her was nothing more than a speck of blood on an endless sea of black. The air became tight and thin, like she was trying to breath through a wool blanket.
Trying to escape, she pressed her snout further into the cloud. But to her dismay she felt nothing, the cloud had vanished from under her and a terror-stricken Scootaloo went falling. She had expected to continuously fall into the black abyss below, but to her surprise her face smashed into wet concrete. For a moment she could not move, a paralyzing numbness seeped through her body. But those few seconds of confusing numbness vanished and Scootaloo could feel her bones crack and break apart.
Scootaloo looked down at herself and her bottom hooves were gone: broken in little orange bits. She tried crawling away but found that she was trapped in box. The walls of the box pressed tightly on her small frame, contorting her into a small ball of whimpering flesh. After her back hooves vanished, her lower body started to dissolve as well. She threw a hoof at the top of the box but only managed to scratch weakly at the wall.
Scootaloo could feel herself getting tired, and tired, almost at a point when she could hardly lift her eyes. Despite her circumstances, and the panic she felt she could not stay awake. Before she could notice, the box faded into darkness.