Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 3:6 - Monsters of the Mind

Chapter 3:6 – Monsters of the Mind

Scootaloo zipped through Ponieville, using the fluttering of her wings to propel her forward atop the wheeled board she’d constructed. Flight would have been even faster, but she hadn’t managed that yet. Still, this was a quicker method of getting around than galloping, so long as the terrain wasn’t too steep or too muddy. There would be snow upon the ground in a couple months, but for now, her wheels were unencumbered. The only things in her way today were other ponies on Ponieville’s streets, many of whom shouted angrily at her as she wove around or between them.

A couple carts had come to a standstill in the road ahead, the owners arguing over the fairly minor collision that had occurred between them. Scootaloo picked up speed, preparing to turn at the last minute and zip off through an alleyway just before them, but before she could put her hoof down and swing off to the side, a donkey (one of the many new residents in and around the town) stepped out of the alley, unintentionally blocking her way. Looking ahead, Scootaloo knew for sure she wouldn’t be able to stop in time, so she went all in and picked up the pace even more. Her board glided under one of the arguing ponies, and he shouted in surprise as Scootaloo’s hooves touched down on his back, allowing her to launch herself forward. Onto his cart she went, and she quickly scrambled among the casks loaded in the back on her way to the other side. Her board shot out from under the cart and she leapt for it, flapping her wings with all her might in an attempt to reach it. She narrowly landed on the board and struggled, but succeeded, to gain control of it.

“Not bad, kid,” Rainbow Dash commented as Scootaloo glided past the corner where the Hunter trained.

Scootaloo was so shocked by the compliment, she had to turn and make sure it really had been Rainbow Dash, her hero, who’d given it to her. In doing so, she unbalanced her board and, not watching where she was going, ended up crashing into a stand selling brooms and brushes. Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen her crash, though, as she’d already left, leaving nothing but a discarded apple core to mark where she’d been. Even so, Scootaloo knew that Rainbow Dash had given her praise, and that was the most precious thing for her. I have to tell the others!

***

“… and then, I shot past Rainbow Dash and she said, ‘Not bad, kid,’” Scootaloo relayed to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle later that day.

Scootaloo had found the other Cutie Mark Crusaders in the “chapter house” that they’d constructed in an untended part of the Apples’ lands. The trio spent a lot of time there, thinking up ways to earn their cutie-marks that had yet to appear, even after two years of effort. Most ponies their age had their marks already and were beginning apprenticeships with masters in their talent, but the three fillies were still searching. Apple Bloom was taking on more responsibility on the farm, and Sweetie Belle’s parents were pushing her and Scootaloo to find apprenticeships anyway, but none of them were willing to give up on getting their cutie-marks together.

“Wow, that must mean a lot to you,” Sweetie Belle told Scootaloo, knowing how much her friend idolized Rainbow Dash after having to sit through the many stories about the Hunter that Scootaloo had heard from her mother.

“It’s all I’ve ever wanted!” Scootaloo exclaimed, leaning back against a post that shifted the ceiling ominously. “It’s almost as if she told me she wanted to take me under her wing and teach me and be just like a big sister to me!”

“I don’t know, Scoots, it seems like y’ may be readin’ in t’ it t’ much,” Apple Bloom tried to bring her friend down from the cloud she was on.

“Sure, she complimented you, but maybe that’s all it was,” Sweetie Belle added.

“Well, it … it could happen, right?” Scootaloo said, a little sheepishly.

“Sure,” Apple Bloom said uncertainly. Who knew? Stranger things had happened, especially since Twilight Sparkle had come to town.

“I need to find a way to spend more time with her, to convince her how great it would be for her to take me under her wing,” Scootaloo schemed.

“Can’t you just ask her to train you?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Of course not,” Scootaloo replied. “I need her to see how great I am first, so that she’ll have no reason not to train me.”

“Well, if you’re lookin’ for a chance t’ spend more time wi’ Rainbow Dash, maybe y’ an’ her could join me an’ Applejack on our trip int’ th’ Everfree Forest,” Apple Bloom said thoughtfully.

“You’re going into the Everfree Forest?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Why?”

“Applejack is convinced there’re more zap apple trees out there that we can get seeds from t’ plant a new orchard, like Granny Smith did way back when she was a filly,” Apple Bloom explained. “We’re leavin’ two days from now, so long as Applejack doesn’t get called away t’ th’ ends o’ th’ earth again.”

“That’s perfect!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Applejack can convince her to come along to fight the monsters, and the whole time, I’ll be able to show Rainbow Dash my stuff!”

“I wish I could go along with you two,” Sweetie Belle moaned.

“Who says y’ can’t?” Apple Bloom said, and her unicorn friend perked up. “An’ y’ can bring Rarity, too! That’s th’ good thing about our sisters bein’ friends.”

“And saviors of Equestria,” Scootaloo pointed out, “This is going to be so great!”

***

Convincing Rainbow Dash to tag along hadn’t been difficult; there were plenty of Hunters around Ponieville who could defend the town from any fiends that might attack in her absence. The trickier sell had been Rarity, who didn’t want to leave her shop in order to venture into a dangerous and deadly forest. She also didn’t want Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to go but eventually caved when she realized that they wouldn’t. She didn’t doubt Rainbow Dash’s ability to defend the group from monsters, but she did worry that the Hunter wouldn’t be able to keep a strict enough eye on Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both, especially with Apple Bloom there, too. Everypony knew what kind of antics the trio could get up to, and Rarity didn’t want to leave it all up to Applejack, who would have her hooves full with searching for fresh zap apple trees.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo asked when she arrived at the Apple homestead on the morning of the trip.

Applejack and Apple Bloom were already packed and ready to go, waiting only on Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Rarity, the latter two arriving only shortly after the young pegasus, who’d raced ahead.

“She already arrived an’ went ahead,” Applejack told her, “She’s goin’ t’ stay aloft an’ keep an eye out for monsters an’ zap apple trees. I’m sure she’ll come down now an’ then t’ let us know what she sees, but she won’t be wi’ us until we make camp tonight.”

“Oh, I see,” Scootaloo said disappointedly.

During the day’s trek, the young pegasus was constantly looking up, searching for a sign of Rainbow Dash. They were few and far between, and she sometimes feared that the Hunter had lost them, but then she’d see her streaking across the sky. Sometimes the group would hear roars and sword slashes; when they were close, Scootaloo tried to go and see what horrible beast Rainbow Dash was vanquishing, but she was always held back by Rarity or Applejack. It wasn’t until darkness began to fall over the Everfree Forest that Scootaloo really got to see her hero.

The Hunter had left signs in their path that led them to a clearing next to a stream, one of the many that passed through the Everfree Forest on their way from the White Mountains to the Equestry River. Totems had been pounded into the ground in a circle, long rune-carved branches with smaller twigs at the top tied into a pattern. Rainbow Dash swooped into the clearing, dropping another bundle of branches before zipping off into the stream. After a few seconds skimming through the water, she returned to the circle and tossed river rocks into some of the gaps between the totems.

“There you are. What took you so long? What, did you walk all the way here?” Rainbow Dash said cheekily upon noticing the rest of her party’s arrival.

“As a matter o’ fact, we did,” Applejack replied, unamused.

Scootaloo took a breath to calm her nerves. All day she’d wanted to be with Rainbow Dash, and now her opportunity was here. This was her chance to convince Rainbow that she was skilled and smart, just like the Hunter. She placed her board on the ground and scooted forward to where Rainbow Dash was preparing more totems for the circle.

“Hey, Rainbow Da—” Scootaloo started to say, but lost her voice when a wheel became entangled in a twisted root, flipping the young pegasus over onto her back.

“Hey, are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted over to the winded filly.

“I’m fine,” Scootaloo assured her, bouncing back to her hooves. All she’d hurt was her pride.

“What is all this?” Apple Bloom asked as she poked at one of the totems with her hoof, trying to take attention off her embarrassed friend.

“Once it’s finished, this protective circle will keep out the Everfree’s monsters while we’re sleeping,” Rainbow Dash boasted while she stuck another totem into the ground, “So pitch your tents inside the circle if you don’t want a manticore or a ribex trying to gobble you up in the night.”

Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had all brought tents along with them; though Rainbow Dash insisted she usually needed just a bedroll, despite how the other two had traveled with her on quite a few journeys and knew this wasn’t entirely true. She claimed to have brought it so that Scootaloo would have somewhere to sleep, since Rarity’s would not comfortably fit both her and the two fillies she’d brought along. Scootaloo almost couldn’t believe her ears when Rainbow Dash suggested the two of them share a tent (just like the other pairs of sisters) and jumped at the chance. She also leapt for joy to help Rainbow Dash set up camp, even if that meant she had to fetch firewood and pitch the tent by herself.

She stayed near Rainbow Dash the rest of the evening, sitting beside her as they ate and as the mares talked while the fire grew low. Recently, the Brave Companions had gone to the North (spoken with a capital N), and they were still talking about it. Scootaloo little to nothing about the Old Hunters or Northern politics, but she hung on every word Rainbow Dash said, committing them to memory, just as she’d once enraptly listened while her mother told her stories about the great Hunter.

“We’d best turn in if we’re t’ make an early start on th’ morrow,” Applejack said when the conversation lulled.

“Already?” Scootaloo asked.

“The kid’s got a point,” Rainbow Dash said, causing Scootaloo’s heart to swell with pride. “We can’t turn in without a ‘story.’”

“A story?” Scootaloo said excitedly, “Is it about the time you chased an amaroq down a mountain? Or the time you fought off thirty endregas on your own? Or the time Rarity had wings and you saved her and won the Gauntlet?”

“None of those,” Rainbow Dash said, wondering who Scootaloo had heard the first two from. “I have other, more terrifying tales in mind.”

“Rainbow, is that th’ best idea?” Applejack asked, interrupting the Hunter looming before the fire. “Th’ Everfree Forest is terrifyin’ enough, an’ half our party is, well, young an’ prone t’ night terrors.”

“Oh, come on, Applejack, they’re not foals anymore,” Rainbow Dash said, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders voiced their own objections to Applejack’s critique of their ability to handle scary stories. “Besides, it’ll be Nightmare Night soon.”

“Th’ Night Festival,” Applejack corrected her.

“Even better, now that Luna has erased Nightmare Moon from the night’s terrors and dealt with the Children of the Night,” Rainbow said.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were begging for a story now, so in spite of Applejack’s objections, Rainbow Dash obliged them. As the fire continued to die down and the twisted silhouettes of the Everfree’s trees faded into the dark, Rainbow Dash spun a tale for the foals. She relayed the tale of the Olden Pony, a mysterious creature that took on the guise of an elderly mare and tricked ponies into agreeing to help her search for her rusty horseshoe. When they couldn’t find it, she would take their eyes and add them to her cloak so that they could continue to help her search—as they’d agreed—forever. As she prepared to conclude the tale, Rainbow Dash crept around behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they kept their eyes on the storyteller, a cloak draped over her frame.

“Who has my rusty horseshoe? Who has my rusty horseshoe?” Rainbow Dash mimicked an old mare’s voice. “I know who has it. I can see you.”

Blending into the shadows, she seemed to vanish, before reappearing where the foals weren’t looking.

“You have it!” the Hunter cackled from behind the trio, snapping her foreleg out from under the cloak to point at Sweetie Belle and nearly striking her in the muzzle when she spun around in shock.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both broke and ran for the protection of their sisters while Scootaloo stayed put, no less scared, but having no sister of her own and not willing to rush to Rainbow Dash. Applejack and Rarity shot scornful looks at Dash, but the Hunter just swept off her cloak dramatically, causing light and shadow to whirl ominously as she tossed it above what remained of the fire.

“Ha ha ha ha,” Scootaloo laughed nervously to calm herself. “That was some story, Rainbow Dash.”

“Hm, I should have known something like that wouldn’t scare you,” Rainbow Dash replied, though she sounded a bit disappointed. “You’re a tough filly, just like I was.”

And for a brief, bright, shining moment, Scootaloo was as unafraid as she claimed to be, for no other emotions could compete with the joy she felt at Rainbow Dash’s praise. It made it all the harder when the fear returned as Rainbow Dash doused the fire completely. Sweetie Belle, Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Applejack all began to make their ways to their tents, leaving Scootaloo alone in the dark with Rainbow Dash.

“Come on in whenever you’re ready,” Rainbow Dash told her as she made her way to her own tent, her eyes glowing eerily in the blackness, “Don’t venture beyond the protective circle, though.”

“Mm-hmm,” Scootaloo replied nervously as Rainbow Dash left.

The Everfree Forest was as unsafe as places came in Equestria, seconded by the Broken Lands, yet the terror had seemed far off while friends talked around a blazing fire. Now that the friends were abed and the fire had gone out, the forest seemed much more sinister. Without speech drowning them out, Scootaloo could hear underbrush shifting, branches creaking, wings flapping, cries of fights in the dark, and vines slithering on their own. Some were caused by mundane animals that dwelt in the Everfree as they did in any other forest, though most were caused by monsters; yet, despite these very real threats, all Scootaloo could think about was the Olden Pony. Was she out there somewhere? Was that stamp the sound of her three hooves still clad in horseshoes? Was that cackle in the dark the croaking of a creature impersonating an elderly mare? Did somepony just ask after a rusty horseshoe?

The sounds seemed to be all around her, and Scootaloo quickly fled to Rainbow Dash’s tent. The Hunter was already half-asleep when Scootaloo bedded down, telling herself over and over that she was in the safest place she could be. Rainbow Dash had set up a protective circle around the camp, and sleeping next to the Hunter, she would have the best protection she could possibly have. As she assured herself of how safe she was, though not totally believing it, she drifted off to sleep.

***

When Scootaloo awoke, it was still dark outside the tent, but she was sure she could hear something nearby. She tried to rouse Rainbow Dash, but the Hunter was fast asleep and wouldn’t stir. Shaking, the young pegasus peeked her head out of the tent, but nothing was there. A bush outside of the camp’s protective circle stirred, and Scootaloo nearly fled back into the tent, but she reminded herself that she was a brave pony like Rainbow Dash and carefully made her way over to investigate. Fearing what she might find, she searched the bush even more frantically until she was sure that there was nothing there. As she turned back toward the camp, however, her heart nearly stopped. Standing just outside the protective circle, bucking against one of the totems, was the Olden Pony.

“Who has my russssty horssssesshoe?” the Olden Pony asked, glaring wickedly at Scootaloo with her one good eye.

The Olden Pony was blocking her way to the protective circle, otherwise Scootaloo would have dashed for it. Instead, she began to slowly back away, deeper into the Everfree Forest while the Olden Pony continued to stare at her.

“Who has my russssty horssssesshoe?” the Olden Pony asked more forcefully and started to trot toward Scootaloo.

As she came nearer, the edges of her cloak flared up and Scootaloo caught a peek of the eyes underneath. She bolted as quickly as she could away from the Olden Pony, into the tangled growth of the Everfree Forest. Branches and brush caught at her, but she kept on running, even trying to use her wings to help her. After what seemed like an eternity, she stopped running and looked around. She was far away from camp, but there was no sign of the Olden Pony.

“You have my russssty horssssesshoe!” the Olden Pony proclaimed from behind Scootaloo.

Letting out a scream, the pegagus galloped back the way she’d come, unconsciously following the path of mayhem she’d left in her mad dash away from the Olden Pony. As she galloped to safety, she briefly thought she spied somepony coming towards her through the trees, surely the Olden Pony in pursuit. She put on an extra burst of speed as the camp came in sight and ran into the protective circle. She checked extra carefully to make sure the Olden Pony wasn’t around, but if she was, she wouldn’t be able to get past the totems. Breathing a sigh of relief, she entered Rainbow Dash’s tent and laid back down.

“Who has my russssty horsssseshoe?” Scootaloo thought she could hear whispered mere moments after she was in her bedroll.

“Rainbow Dash! Wake up! The Olden Pony is outside!” Scootaloo shouted, trying to rouse the Hunter from her slumber by tugging on the blankets covering her.

“You do!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she surged up. It wasn’t Rainbow Dash who’d been in the Hunter’s bedroll—it was the Olden Pony.

With a scream, Scootaloo jolted awake. She was breathing heavily, but at least her start hadn’t wakened Rainbow Dash, who still slumbered; Scootaloo checked that it was really her in the bedroll this time. She could hear noises outside, something trying to break through the barrier Rainbow Dash had set up, but she wasn’t going to make the mistake of going outside again, even if it had just been a dream before. Scootaloo didn’t think she was ever going to be able to get to sleep again that night, and she rocked back and forth, trying to ignore the noises outside the tent.

***

They broke camp the next morning, without Scootaloo having been able to sleep a wink. Again, Rainbow Dash went aloft to keep an eye out for monsters, plot the path ahead, and seek out signs of zap apples. The others were still earthbound and quested through the Everfree Forest beneath the leafy canopy. Scootaloo started lagging behind early in the journey, finding herself prone to nodding off unless she heard something in the trees. She had a little success standing on her board and using her wings to propel her forward, which continued to flap even when she dozed. Unfortunately, she had no means of directing her course when she wasn’t paying attention, and she went off the path blazed by the others more than once or ran into an obstacle in her way. Despite some rocky and painful patches, she somehow managed to make it through the whole day, with the help of a snooze when the group stopped to eat around noon.

As dusk fell, the five ponies reached the campsite that Rainbow Dash had set up. Her protective totems were not set in a circle tonight, but across the mouth of a cave. There were signs that something had lived in the cave not long ago, and Rainbow hadn’t quite been able to completely wash away the bloodstains it left when it fled from her. Rainbow Dash was seated just inside the cave, sharpening one of her swords, but she set it down and rose as the rest approached.

“This is the best I could find,” the Hunter said, gesturing toward the cave, “What took you so long?”

Applejack looked to Scootaloo, whose lagging behind had slowed the whole group down, and the young pegasus looked away sheepishly.

“Well, no matter, you’re here now,” Rainbow Dash said, noticing Scootaloo’s discomfort. “I set up my tent inside already, but the rest of you can go ahead and set yours up too. While they do that, Scootaloo, can you go get some firewood?”

“Of course,” Scootaloo replied, happy to help Rainbow Dash, before she realized that that meant she’d need to go into the woods by herself.

She should have known that Rainbow Dash had already cleared out all the nearby monsters and was ready to rush to her aid if she found herself in any real danger, but that wasn’t what was on her mind at the moment. Darkness permeated the Everfree Forest, and all the sounds she’d been able to mostly ignore during the day suddenly seemed very loud and ominous indeed. She swore she could see eyes peeking out between the trees and bushes, waiting for her to come close enough that they could eat her. And what if she ran into the Olden Pony? She didn’t want to lose her eyes.

Scootaloo had told Rainbow Dash she would gather firewood, and she did, though not much and not very quickly. It took her several minutes each time to steel herself enough to venture the short distance to some fallen branches, shaking all the time and galloping back. She was careful not to let Rainbow Dash or the others see, though. She wasn’t going to let them know that she was afraid, even if Applejack was growing more aware of the fact. The farmpony helped gather firewood after she’d set up her and Apple Bloom’s tent and, in fact, brought in more than Scootaloo despite working at it for a far shorter amount of time.

As the hours passed, Scootaloo tried to keep everypony awake and talking, hoping to avoid a restless sleep or another sleepless night. She also especially tried to keep Rainbow Dash telling stories about herself to prevent a repeat of the night before. It was no use, though, for once Rainbow announced she had another scary story to tell, Scootaloo couldn’t protest without lessening herself before her idol. Applejack tried to object again, but once again Rainbow insisted, and Scootaloo had to listen in rapt horror as the Hunter spun the tale of the headless horse.

One might think that a horse with no head was not much of a threat, but that was not how Rainbow Dash told things. The headless horse was a strong and sturdy creature, perfect in every way apart from its missing head. It stalked the woods at night in search of a head to complete it and would kill any pony it found to take their head for its own. It seemed that Rainbow Dash’s scary stories all had to do with creatures searching for missing things and stealing body parts, but the repetition didn’t lessen the effect on the Cutie Mark Crusaders—especially not Scootaloo, who was as tightly wound as she could possibly be trying not to show any fear by the time the story was concluded. She nearly jumped to the cave’s ceiling when Rainbow Dash sat down next to her, and she probably would have had her wings allowed her.

In the aftermath, there was nothing to do but go to sleep for the night. Scootaloo’s pleas to stay up and hear more stories from Rainbow Dash about herself were brushed off. She’d reached the limits of the Hunter’s ego, as impossible as that seemed. With everypony else bedding down in the cave—where echoes of the noises in the Everfree Forest outside made the night seem even more ominous—Scootaloo had no choice but to do so, too. She tried to stay awake with a noble amount of effort, but her sleepless night before and a long day without many chances to catch up on rest caused her to drift off, her heart still pounding in her ears.

***

Scootaloo was walking in the woods to fetch some firewood, but she wasn’t having any luck, and the branches she tried to break off trees wouldn’t budge. Owls hooted and wolves howled in the distance, but that didn’t scare her. What scared her was the ghostly sound of hoofbeats coming from behind. She picked up her pace as she continued to search for firewood, and the hoofbeats became faster. Scootaloo gave up her search and began to canter, and the hoofbeats sped up again. She broke into a gallop, nearly tripping over protruding roots and running into branches that smacked against her face. She stopped just before tumbling into a ravine, but the side gave way and she scrambled for purchase unsuccessfully, sliding down with the scree that trapped her. She was stuck looking back up the way she had come, and she watched in horror as a pony trotted up to stand where she’d been moments before. Silhouetted by the moon, it was clear to see that the pony had no head; its neck ended in a headless stump.

“The headless horse!” Scootaloo screamed in terror as the abomination breathed heavily and steam jetted from its neck.

Scootaloo’s eyes were fixed on the jet-black draft horse, so she couldn’t fail to notice as it … rippled, somehow. The headless horse was sucked away into the moon and another all-black pony took its place, though this one with a head of her own. Nightmare Moon, Scootaloo was sure, though the alicorn quickly appeared less sinister, resolving into a dark blue pony in regal attire, her mane and tail drifting in an unseen wind and filled with stars.

“Fear not, little filly,” Luna proclaimed as she made her way effortlessly down the slope.

“Luna?” Scootaloo asked as she found herself miraculously freed from the soil that had been pinning her down. “I mean, your royal highness Regent Luna. I thought you were the headless horse.”

“Be at ease, Scootaloo,” Luna said as the pegasus tried to bow. “I am no headless horse.”

“And I am so glad you’re not … but what are you doing here? How did you get here?” Scootaloo asked.

It wasn’t often that Cant’r Laht’s rulers appeared out of thin air, and when they did, it was usually through a portal. Scootaloo had seen Rainbow Dash leave through portals conjured by Twilight Sparkle recently, but she’d seen nothing of the sort here.

“My royal sister hath been negligent in her nightly duties for the past millennium, as have I since my return. Now, however, I have returned to watching over my subjects’ dreams while they do sleep,” Luna explained.

“I’m asleep? This is a dream?” Scootaloo asked, looking around. “It all seems so real.”

“Come, take my hoof, little foal,” Luna commanded, stretching out a foreleg.

Scootaloo complied, and the next moment, they were soaring up into the air, passing through the forest’s leaves as if they were nothing. A viscous barrier stood in their way, but they quickly passed through that as well, and Scootaloo found herself staring out over not the Everfree Forest, but a vast glassy expanse of water filled with lights.

“What is this place?” Scootaloo asked, marveling at the sight and how echoey her voice sounded.

“This is the ocean of dreams, the place where ponies’ minds do venture while they sleep,” Luna said, gazing out across the expanse, “Usually, the surface of the ocean is calm, but when one’s dreams are troubled, their struggles churn up the waters. This affects not only their sleep, but the dreams of others nearby.”

Scootaloo could see the ripples still traveling outward from her own nightmare, causing other lights in the ocean to bob up and down.

“Scootaloo, if I return thee to thy dreams, now that thou knowest that thou art dreaming, thou shalt not be troubled by night terrors. However, when thou returnest to the waking world, that which thou fearest most shalt still exist,” Luna cautioned her.

“The headless horse?” Scootaloo asked.

“Is that truly what thou fearest most?” Luna asked.

Scootaloo reflected for a minute, before admitting, “If Rainbow Dash finds out I’m not as tough as she thinks I am, then I lose my chance to be taken under her wing.” Luna nodded knowingly.

“Everypony hath fears, Scootaloo, and everypony must face them in their own way,” Luna told her. “But they can nay be ignored; they must be faced, or thy nightmares shall continue.”

Luna let her go, and Scootaloo fell into the ocean of dreams, sinking rapidly beneath the surface.

***

She bolted awake covered in a cold sweat, convinced for a second that she was drowning in the ocean of dreams. The filly soon realized that she was not, in fact, drowning, but was in a tent with Rainbow Dash. She tried to determine if she was still dreaming, but with no way to tell, she had to assume she was awake. Scootaloo poked her head out of the tent and looked around the darkened cave where the ponies had set up camp. The barrier still stood across the cave entrance, and there were no monsters in sight.

Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief, until she heard a sound coming from deeper inside the cave. What if Rainbow Dash—as amazing as she was—hadn’t managed to catch everything in the cave? She started to make her way back to the tent but stopped when she heard the sound of hoofbeats from inside the cave. She’d told Luna that the headless horse was not what she feared most, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still fear the decapitated pony. Whether it was reality or just her imagination, the hoofsteps grew louder, and Scootaloo bolted.

She galloped past the carefully placed protective totems, out into the Everfree Forest. Monsters groaned and screeched from among the trees, but the only thing Scootaloo could hear was the ghostly hoofbeats of the headless horse. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she had to keep running or the headless horse would get her. Blinded by fear, she crashed through the undergrowth, startling creeping things and snapping sentient foliage. Scootaloo let out a yelp as she slipped over the edge of a slope, just like in her nightmare, and went tumbling down. Instead of becoming half-buried in scree, however, she landed in a tangled oversized spider-web. Scootaloo struggled to break free, but she just couldn’t.

“Help! Somepony help me!” she screamed, “Rainbow Dash! Luna!”

The web trembled as something higher up moved on it, and all thoughts of the headless horse were banished from Scootaloo’s mind as it turned to giant spiders. One of their hairy forms was nearly visible above if she turned her head to the extent she could while it was stuck to the web. Had she been a Hunter like Rainbow Dash, she’d have been aware that the giant spider was known as an arachnas, and that arachnasae lived in large colonies of interconnected webs. It was probably best that she didn’t know this fact, as she’d only have become more terrified when she realized what the increased thrumming on the web meant.

“Rainbow Dash! Somepony! Help me!” Scootaloo screamed and whimpered as the arachnasae crawled closer.

A blade swung through the dark, decapitating the lead ararchnas, and the others chittered and yelled in fear and anger. A Hunter swept around the web, striking at arachnasae until her sword was coated in black blood. Scootaloo opened her eyes to see Rainbow Dash cutting through arachnasae and the web.

“Rainbow Dash!” she yelled in relief.

“Stay still, kid; I’ll have you out of here in a second,” Rainbow replied around her sword in between kills.

With one last slash through the webbing, Scootaloo tumbled to the ground. Now that she could see what was coming for her, the terror returned. Hundreds of giant spiders were clambering over the web, desperate to kill her or Rainbow Dash. Before they could, the Hunter grabbed Scootaloo and flew away with her above the trees. Arachnasae skittered over the treetops, boxing with their forelimbs up at the pegasis; unable to fly themselves, they admitted defeat and returned to their colony. Rainbow Dash landed near the cave, where the others were sleeping.

“What were you thinking, going out beyond the barrier alone at night?” Rainbow demanded of Scootaloo, “And so far beyond!”

“I … I … I’m sorry!” Scootaloo broke down crying. “I wanted to be brave like you, so you’d take me under your wing! Like Applejack and Apple Bloom. Or Rarity and Sweetie Belle. But I was scared! I was scared of the Olden Pony … and the headless horse … and that you’d find out I wasn’t as brave as you at all! I was scared, so I ran … and … and ….”

“I understand,” Rainbow Dash said as she placed a hoof awkwardly on Scootaloo’s web-covered back. “It’s okay to be afraid, and it’s brave to admit that. And … if you’re looking for somepony to take you under their wing and be a sister to you … well, I might be able to fill the role.”

“R-really?” Scootaloo asked through a veil of tears.

“Yeah, so long as you promise not to go running off on your own in the Everfree Forest anymore,” Rainbow Dash said.

***

“Hurry up!” Rainbow Dash called the next day.

She’d spotted a patch of unusual leaves nearby and, upon investigation, had found a grove of trees laden with shiny gray apples. The rest of the group had altered their course with due haste, but recent developments made it critical they get there soon. The sky above the grove had cleared of clouds, and the trunks and branches had begun to glow. The earthbound ponies galloped through the undergrowth. When the Hunter saw Scootaloo falling behind, she swooped down and lifted her over the treetops, carrying her ahead to the zap apple grove. As aurorae flashed in the sky, Scootaloo began to float upwards. Energy flashed through the grove as the zap apples made their final transformation, some of them exploding and scattering seeds the way they never did outside of the Everfree Forest. Applejack would have her new zap apple grove, and she’d arrived just in time. Though it wasn’t evident at first glance, some of the trees at the edges of the grove were dying, choked out by dark vines that ate up the magic greedily. The zap apple grove might not last to give fruit another time.

Comments

[FireOfTheNorth]

10949085
Well, I don't usually update this often. It usually takes me about a week to write a chapter, though there are multiple stories I'm writing and I don't upload them immediately. Recently I've been taking a break from writing to focus on other hobbies every couple months and upload chapters that've already been written and edited during that hiatus.

[TasermonsPartner]

I like the most descriptive scary stories here, and the giant spiders are a nice twist on the show's waterfall scene.

However, the bonding scene between Rainbow and Scootaloo seemed much more rushed, especially without a confession from Rainbow that she had been scared of such stories when she was younger. Scootaloo never questions why Rainbow would want to choose her as an honorary sister, and Rainbow doesn't give her any reassurances or reasons as to why. One would think that it would be a very flimsy bond at first, with no indication from Rainbow that she wouldn't abandon Scootaloo later on. Especially given that her Element of Loyalty isn't as emphasized here as it is in the show.