//------------------------------// // Inside the Cult's Lair // Story: The Clearing // by Chrysalis //------------------------------// The Clearing, Pt II By Chrysalis Down in hell... Hell was... firey. Not as firey as you people that believe in God might think, but firey nonetheless. Hell might not even exist. Even if it did, it probably wouldn’t be a world of fire. It could be a perfect world, except for the speakers in your pockets that infinitely play Justin Bieber songs. “Please... let me go!” Begged a sobbing Scootaloo. “The girl wishes to be let go!” Said one of the cultists, invoking a hearty laugh between the group. “Enough of her whining. Take her to the branding station,” said another cultist. The others did as they were told and took Scootaloo to the branding station. Fun Fact: In this storyline, back in this cult's time there were no cutie marks. Each pony had to join a guild of their choice but could never leave. Their "cutie marks" were brands of their guild's logo. “Take me out of this leash. It’s degrading,” whined Scootaloo. “Stop your whining, girl,” responded the cultist holding her leash, giving her a smack on her empty flank, leaving a deep red hoofmark. At the branding station, four cultists had very securely secured Scootaloo onto the wall. The other two had grabbed their branding materials, which had just gone through their burning. One of those two had come up to her. “So... you want a cutie mark?” was the last thing she heard before she blacked out from the pain of being branded with the cult’s logo on both flanks. She awoke on a very hard and rundown mattress that looked like It had never been washed and was used by many. She took some time to study her surroundings. The words HELP US and HE COMES were sprawled across the wall many times in old blood, among others. She looked at her flank, gasping when she saw the symbol. It was... the shape of Pinkie Pie’s hair?! What? Scootaloo heard the sound of a speaker turning on. “Gotten used to your cage yet? Make sure you do, because you’ll be in it for quite a while,” said whoever was on the other end of the speaker. “Hey, wait a minute. I know your voice. You’re Trixie, aren’t you?” questioned Scootaloo. “Uhh... No I’m not! Heheh.. No... I am not Trixie...” she said in nervous denial. “Alright, then who are you?” responded Scootaloo. “I am Black Night!" Trixie said. Another voice, this one unknown, had spoken into the intercom system. "Black Night, go back to your training," he commanded. "Sorry, she's still a rookie. I am Dark Fiend. Over the period of time you will be staying here you will undergo vigorous training. After your first few months (usually somewhere near half a year), there will be one of two fates chosen for you. You will either be sold to the slave traders, or be recognized and be given a chance to join us. If you are accepted into our guild, then you will be given a new name and will go through even more training, not as much as your first 6 months or so, but still more training. Got it?" Scootaloo had been all ears the whole time. "Yes," she responded simply. "Alright. Now get some rest. You'll need that energy for your first day of training," Dark Fiend said. Scootaloo had laid down on the old matress, curling up to become warmer as the intercom turned off. It was already warm in there, since it was hell or something, but the cell had that kind of "cold prison" kind of feel to it, so it made her feel cold. She just noticed that she was tired the whole time despite her being passed out, so she she slowly closed her eyes as she sobbed quietly, and gave in to the temptation of sleep. ---- Back in Ponyville, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to find ways to cope with Scootaloo's kidnapping. One of their ideas on that was finding a new friend. "Alright class, when recess is over, we'll discuss the history of Ponyville," Cheerilee said as she dismissed class. "Hey, Featherweight," Sweetie belle said as she and Apple Bloom left the classroom. "Do you want to be our new third friend?" Choosing Featherweight as their replacement friend wasn't the best option, but at least it was an option. They barely knew anyone else, and those stuck-up and I'm-rich-so-I'll-dress-like-it Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were of course not an option. "So, Featherweight," said Apple Bloom. "What are some good ideas on getting our cutie marks?" "Well, Apple Bloom," Featherweight responded. "You're in the Apple family, so why don't you try helping around the farm? And Sweetie Belle, try helping Rarity make dresses." ---- Scootaloo woke up in the morning with a scream, as she had a nightmare. Not the good kind. NOT the kind that stallions have where they're with the mare of their dreams at night, and they get... you know, freaky (That's why some ponies call it a nightmare). She had the bad kind of nightmare. She dreamnt that she was being whipped tons and tons of times by cultists, until the wounds from the leathery beatdown matched (or at least closely resembled) the mark on her flank. When she woke up, her first thoughts beside that nightmare were about the clan's logo. Why was it Pinkie Pie's hairstyle? There had to be something big behind this all. And she was determined to find out... Right when one of the cultists had put a tray of food through the cage door. Scootaloo walked up to her breakfast and frowned when she saw what it was. A banana, orange, apple, guava, and an energy drink that had that really buff pony from Hurricane Fluttershy on the can. "This is what you'll eat every morning," said Dark Fiend on the intercom. "Now, what my unicorn friend here Fiendish Shroud served you is our official captive's breakfast: Fruits and our reccomended drink: ROID RAGE Energy. Don't worry, it all tastes good. We assure you." Chapter End Notes: Featherweight as a replacement friend? Eeyup. The side story mentioned in Chapter 1's end notes is going to be a long side story. Don't expect it to come so soon. ROID RAGE Energy? Yeah.