The Ghost of Chicken Scootaloo

by Betty_Starlight

Chapter 12: Ziggurat

Sunny stares at the wooden door on top of the pyramid-like stone structure with many embankments, “So uh, do we just knock, or?”

Jessi frowns from her right, “Uh, how would I know? I’ve never been to one of these ziggurat thingies before!”

Izzy stares off to the left at something and her face brightens up as her eyes notice it and Sunny decides to act at this point by taking a pace towards the old worn-out wooden door with its rusty metal railing and knocking with her right forehoof…

She hears somepony in the back scream out, “Yes, hang on! I’ll be right there! Not ready and so you’ll just have to wait and stare!”

Sunny immediately thinks that this might be no ordinary zebra for a moment, before the door finally opens inward to the left as an old striped zebra with a wiry gray mane stares out from the far corner of the door on their right, “Yes yes! Sure, I am not busy! This is true! But a reason you still must have, for I am still not through!”

Sunny widens her forest green eyes as she smiles nervously, “Uh, yes! We have a friend! She’s a ghost! She was ejected from the afterlife, and we need to get her back! She said zebras know something about the spirit world and so, well,” she grins wider, “we tracked you down!”

The old zebra smiles grimly and says, “Well, first off, my name is Zand! Secondly, I will eat first and then, we’ll tend to this spiritual rubber band! She has undoubtedly been here for some time! An hour will make no difference, even should I fail to rhyme!” He nods, “Come back in an hour and to this mess, we will tend! A meal you should get too, I would recommend! Try the zebra café across the street! For they have many delicious delicacies to eat!” before slowly removing his head from the door and shutting it gently…

Sunny turns her head left at Izzy, “He doesn’t seem to be in any sort of hurry?”

Izzy stares back at her and widens her eyes, “Must be that mellow shaman life?”

<*****>

The ponies all sit under the thatched awning inside the forest, with the big straw café building at Sunny’s right and Izzy and Jessi’s left…

Sunny floats the white menu before her face in a yellow glow as she frowns and finally points at the something on the left side with her right forehoof and says, “I’ll get whatever this is! That looks good!”

Jessi mutters while staring down into her own menu as it glows red, “I hope they have coffee!”

Izzy stares at this filly on her left before back at Sunny, “I’ll just have the guava drops! That’s my favorite zebra food!”

Sunny widens her eyes, “You know about zebra foods?”

Izzy looks at Sunny and replies, “Not really? But I know I like guava drops! It’s like a weird green porridge, but it’s tasty with those weird fried corn crisps they serve with it…”

Sunny can only reply, “Uh, Izzy! That sounds a lot like corn chips and guacamole dip!”

Izzy frowns, “Well, it’s a lot like that, yeah! But it’s been zebrafied!”

Sunny widens her eyes again at the blue unicorn, “Zebrafied?”

Izzy smiles and says, “Yeah, they use their own spices! Trust me! It’s different!”

A zebra mare staring at this scene from the building side of the table, finally speaks up, “Yes! My name is Rhonda and I’ll be your waitress today! Are you ready to order now, or can you say?”

Sunny turns her head right to the waitress zebra, “I’ll have uh, “she lifts the menu to the zebra in her yellow glow and points at something with her right forehoof while saying, “whatever that is! It looks tasty!”

Rhonda smiles, “Ah, yes! The peyote salad is especially delicious, this time of year! And what would you like to drink?”

Sunny frowns, “Uh, guava nectar please!”

Rhonda nods, “Indeed!” she turns her neck to the other side of the table with the other two ponies, “And for the unicorns?”

Izzy looks at Rhonda, “I’ll have the guava drops and a cola, please!”

Jessi smiles at the waitress, “And I’ll have the same, but with blond coffee, instead!”

Rhonda nods at the unicorns, “Yes, your order is simple, this is sure! Zebra foods must you try, for you to be lured!” before smiling and turning to trot to the rickety wooden door behind her two paces and open it with her mouth to trot back inside the restaurant.

Sunny adjusts her gaze back to Izzy and frowns, “I want to help Scootaloo, but I just can’t shake this feeling that we’re missing something, here?”

Izzy sighs and nods towards the alicorn, “Yeah, I know what you mean? I feel like it’s right in front of our snouts, too! I keep thinking about what happened to poor Apple Bloom and I can’t help but wonder how her death fits into all of this?”

Jessi looks at the other two ponies, “Well, she said it was because she wasn’t there for Apple Bloom’s final moments, but I think it might have more to do with the way she feels about the whole thing?”

Sunny adjusts her gaze to the small teal unicorn, “What do you mean?”

Jessi nods, “Well, the way she talked about it, it sounds like she’s a lot harder on herself than the universe ever was?”

Sunny widens her eyes and frowns, “Huh?”

Jessi sighs, “Scootaloo told me some things about the death and how she felt about it… I don’t believe she’s being punished…”

Izzy turns her head all the way to the left to stare at Jessi, “That’s what I said!”

Jessi nods, “Right! And I think the chicken costume and her being here are somehow connected… I think that’s part of the reason she can’t cross over…”

Sunny says, “But she was there, before, right? Why was she sent back if it has to do with the costume?”

Jessi looks at the alicorn sternly, “But was she really, though? I mean, the way she talked about it, all she ever did was wander around and keep to herself! What’s the point of being in the afterlife if you’re all alone?” she frowns, “Doesn’t seem like a very happy afterlife, if you ask me?” she shakes her head, “She didn’t even have any stuffed friends!” she sighs while deep in contemplation, “I think she’s punishing herself…”

Sunny eyes the filly carefully, “Well, right! She did say that she never really talked to her two best friends there, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!”

Jessi stares at the alicorn, “Apple Belle and Sweetie Bloom?”

Sunny nods, “Well, in life, her two best friends were Apple Bloom the earth mare and Sweetie Belle, the unicorn! I also believe they might have something to do with this?”

Jessi opens her mouth to speak before glancing to her left to see a zebra waitress exiting a wooden door with a tray on her snout… She sees the tray has three glasses on it and she happily squeals, “Our drinks are here!”

<*****>

Sunny suddenly finds herself inside the zebra ziggurat ritual chamber, somewhere deep inside the structure. The room is brown stone and a single story and is roughly 30 feet long and 20 feet wide with many ornate zebra masks on the walls… She sees the old shaman standing by what looks like a pale blue vortex of energy, roughly 15 feet wide on one end of the chamber… She sees a white unicorn on the other side of this vortex with a two-colored mane. The left side is wisteria purple while the right side is a lavender shade of pink and her eyes are cerulean, similar to Sunny’s… The new unicorn looks at the spectral chicken-pegasus before her and says aghast, “Scootaloo?”

Sunny then finds herself trotting down a corridor inside the ziggurat. The walls are the same brown stone, except this time, they’re very tight and barely 5 feet wide! As she walks behind the shaman, who trots ahead of her to lead the way, she wonders how much further they must go and thanks her lucky stars that she’s not claustrophobic! She continues trotting and asks the shaman, “How much further, Zand?”

The shaman nods, “Not much further to go! Soon, I will have amazing things to show!”

Sunny suddenly finds herself inside the antechamber at the very top of the structure while saying to Zand, “We’re here now! I guess you need me to call Scootaloo?”

Suddenly, a clear burnt orange pegasus in a chicken outfit materializes to the right of the alicorn and left of the zebra. Scootaloo frowns at the shaman, “I-I’m Scootaloo…” she nods her head, “I’m ready!”

Sunny finds herself back inside the ritual chamber as Sweetie Belle looks at Scootaloo from inside the vortex, “Why are you wearing a chicken suit?”

Scootaloo takes a pace towards the vortex and proclaims, “I’m being punished Sweetie Belle!”

Sweetie frowns and says in her soft feminine voice, “Punished? For what?”

Scootaloo sighs, “For not being there for Apple Bloom’s final moments… I must wear this outfit now as my mark of shame…”

Sweetie widens her eyes, “Oh, that’s just silly, Scootaloo! She was terminal! There’s nothing you could’ve done!”

Scootaloo stares back defiantly, “I don’t believe that…”

Sweetie sighs and rolls her eyes, “Uh, hang on! I’ll go get her now…” before vanishing like a ghost.

Scootaloo widens her own eyes as she lifts her right forehoof to speak, “No Sweetie! Don’t!”

There’s silence as the ghost stares back at the vortex… Scootaloo lowers her hoof back to the floor after a moment and starts breathing heavily, in and out through her mouth.

Sunny sees herself trotting behind the old shaman again inside the hallways of the ziggurat. While her mind isn’t sure what’s happening, she also knows that above all else, she must stay together now! This is for Scootaloo!

Finally, Zand stops trotting with a small wooden door at his right. He looks over his right shoulder at the alicorn and says, “The chamber I use for rites is right in there!”

Sunny is standing inside the ritual chamber again from the left of Scootaloo as the pegasus now faces the vortex and she can make out Sweetie Belle on the left this time, but to the right is a yellow earth mare with a red mane and a distinctive pink bow on the back of her head.

The new mare smiles at Scootaloo, “Scootaloo! Where have you been?”

Sunny is standing at the top of the ziggurat now, with Jessi at her right and Izzy on her left. She knocks on the disheveled wooden door once more and Zand answers again with his head at the right. He smiles at Sunny and says, “I am ready! But only one of you may enter, in order to keep the ritual steady!”

Sunny sighs and says, “I’ll go in!” she stares at the entryway with fierce determination in her green eyes, “I’ll do it… For Scootaloo…”

Sunny is standing inside the ritual chamber once more as Apple Bloom asks, “Why are you in a chicken costume?” with a distinctive country twang in her voice.

Sweetie turns her neck left to face the earth mare, “She said she’s being punished for not being there for you when you got turned into a tree!”

Apple Bloom widens her orange eyes at the pegasus, “WHAT?”

Sunny is standing at the base of the ziggurat and stares up at all the steps that lead to the top. She takes a deep breath before saying, “Well girls, let’s do it like we mean it!”

Sunny is back in the ritual chamber again, as Apple Bloom looks back at the pegasus and says, “Scootaloo! I don’t want you to remember me like that!”

Scootaloo widens her eyes, “W-what?”

Apple Bloom smiles slightly and says, “I know my death was horrible… I can’t imagine what you felt while it was going on, but I know this much…” she stares back at Scootaloo with determination in her eyes, “I’d rather you weren’t there, after all…”

Scootaloo frowns wider and says horrified, “What do you mean?”

Apple Bloom sighs, “My death was messy, Scootaloo… You know this… I’d much rather die by myself with dignity than to cause my best friend to go through that hardship…” she shakes her head, “I care about you Scootaloo and I want you to remember the good times, instead!”

Scootaloo stands there dumbfounded, “Uh, so you forgive me?”

Apple Bloom finally smiles all the way, “There’s nothing to forgive Scootaloo! You didn’t do anything wrong!”

Scootaloo takes a deep breath, in and out through her nose before finally just admitting, “This whole time, I felt that it was somehow my fault… That I caused your death, Apple Bloom…”

The two ghosts on the other side of the portal widen their eyes as Apple Bloom shouts, “Scootaloo! Why in Equestria would you believe such a thing?”

Scootaloo closes her eyes and shudders, “I-I don’t know, okay? I just felt like there was something I should’ve said or done?” she shakes her head and continues with distress in her shaky voice, “Like, I could’ve saved you?”

Sweetie Belle eventually just says, “Scootaloo, that’s silly talk! Apple Bloom was terminal and going to die! There’s nothing you could do!”

Sunny sits at her table under the awning by the restaurant and looks at the unicorns as she says, “Well, I’ll go cover our tab this time! You get us next time, Izzy!” she turns her head to the filly, to the right of the blue unicorn, “No worries, Jessi! We’re gonna take care of you, now!”

The small teal unicorn smiles up at the alicorn.

Sunny is back inside the ritual chamber as she sees Scootaloo finally move her right forehoof to the crown of the headpiece of her costume and move it back to force the fabric of the chicken suit behind her head and reveal an orchid purple mohawk style mane and she finally lets out a big sigh before lowering her hoof and saying to the other two specters, “I…haven’t done that in over two thousand years…” she moves her forehooves to the sides of her head to begin removing the synthetic beak, up and over her head before tossing it to the floor… She looks back at her two best friends, “Hang on! I’ll get the rest of the costume off now!” before beginning to take off her costume, starting with the torso piece next…

Sunny trots across the street towards the monolithic stone structure, with Izzy on her left and Jessi on her right… She stares up at the large imposing staircase at the front and frowns deeply, and briefly only imagines what might await the ponies inside…

Scootaloo now stands naked, with the chicken costume on the floor… She stares at the other two ponies and says, “So, it wasn’t my fault and there’s nothing I could’ve done?”

Sweetie frowns, “Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you? Honestly Scootaloo, if you hadn’t been such a chicken all this time and just talked to one of us!”

Scootaloo grins and tries to suppress a giggle, “Yeah, I was acting kinda foul there, wasn’t I?”

Apple Bloom smiles too and says, “You might even say you were laying eggs over the whole incident!”

Sweetie Belle also grins and says, “Well, she didn’t do a lot of squawking? At least, not as much as most chickens I’ve met…” she glances back towards the pegasus, “Silence for two thousand years, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo closes her eyes, “I was scared, okay? I uh…” she shakes her head and opens them again, “I didn’t want to face you… Either one of you…” she takes a large breath from her mouth, in and out…” Not after what happened…”

Apple Bloom widens her gaze again, “Well, all I know is, I just went for a really long time without one of my best friends! And I sure would like her back!”

Sweetie adds, “Yeah, me too!”

Sunny is sitting at the restaurant table again as she burps and says, “Whoa! Excuse me!” and stares down at the now empty plate. “Those mushrooms weren’t like anything I’ve ever eaten before. They sure were tasty though!”

Sunny is back inside the ritual chamber as Scootaloo says to the other ghosts, “Alright! I’ll join you two soon! But first, I gotta talk to my new friends for a minute!” She turns around and the other ponies finally behold the dark ginger pegasus in all her glory with her distinctive lightning bolt shield cutie mark, now finally visible on her flank. She smiles at the two unicorns and the alicorn, “Thank you so much for helping me, girls! Ahem!” she clears her throat, “Uh,” she widens her eyes while continuing, “I guess I’ll see you later?”

Sunny smiles, “Well, eventually! But I’ll live for a long time!”

Izzy and Jessi grin as well while the blue unicorn says, “But you’ll see me sooner!”

Jessi adds, “Yeah, and I’ll be around a few decades after her!”

Sunny is sitting at the table as Rhonda uses her mouth to place a round white plate before her with mushrooms, onions, and cabbage on it.

She raises her neck and says to the alicorn, “Eat this slowly, you must! In me, you should definitely trust!”

Scootaloo shakes her head and chuckles, before staring at Sunny back in the ritual chamber and saying, “Since the necromancy is still going, I think I can finally do this now!” before taking two paces towards the alicorn and embracing her in a tight warm hug!

It’s not what Sunny expects… Her ethereal body is somehow warm and comforting and she soon returns the hug with her own forehooves…

<*****>

Sunny opens her eyes on the cot inside the thatched-roof hut and says, “W-what happened?”

The door to her right soon opens to reveal a blue unicorn with a long wavy mane of a lighter blue shade and Izzy exclaims, “She’s awake now, Jessi!”

Sunny then hears a foal’s voice say from somewhere out of view, “Oh, cool!”

Izzy stares at Sunny and smiles, “Yeah, you passed out shortly after hugging Scootaloo! Jessi had the magic to float your body over here, though! I don’t know how a filly could be so strong?”

Sunny stares at the unicorn and asks, “How long was I out?”

Izzy nods, “Couldn’t have been more than two hours?” she adjusts her gaze to the prone alicorn on the bed, and widens it, “Your pupils are dilated!”

“Ugh!” Sunny groans before shaking her head. “Never mind that! Uh, what are we gonna do with Jessi now?”

(To be continued?)

Comments

[God Praiser]

This was such a fun story! Congratulations on finishing it! GL with the sequel!

[Starlight Nova]

Are you going to do something similar for the rest of Cutie Mark Crusaders?

[Betty_Starlight]

11339028
As a matter of fact, I kinda already started that project... It's a postmortem lesbian romance between Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle! It's weird, but I have a lot of fun writing it...

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/518948/when-a-tree-blooms