Monsters & Other Foalish Things

by _Medicshy

Monster

Scootaloo burst into Sugarcube Corner through the front doors, energy high as she entered the dark room. What was normally a bright, candy-filled interior was dim, the glow from a single candle on the counter illuminating Pinkie Pie sitting behind it in a large padded chair, rear legs crossed as she stroked Gummy with a forehoof. Gummy apparently didn't notice the hoof, staring blankly at something miles away like he always did.

Scootaloo wanted to know how Pinkie got there first, not to mention how she'd had time to set all of this up, but her curiosity was burned away when she saw Twist's glasses sitting on the counter. Face locked in determination, Scootaloo spoke. “I know who controls the monster. How do I kill it?”

Pinkie's grim face grew a slight smirk. “You didn't listen to me when I told you about monsters, did you? The monster isn't controlled, it's its own creature.”

Scootaloo took a step forward, not in the mood for games, even from Pinkie. “Whatever! I know who it's friends with, so how do I kill it?”

Pinkie's smirk grew into a smile. “Killing a monster... that's a tricky one. The problem is, you see, monsters are invincible. Weapons, magic, loud noises, pies to the face... Nothing can damage a monster except for four things.” She held up a hoof. “One, you fight it with another monster.” She held up a second. “Two, you hurt the filly it's bonded to, and through that bond, it will feel the same pain. Kill the filly, kill the monster... and, of course, the reverse.” She held up another hoof. “Three, a pony bonded to another monster fighting the monster. The power of the bond gives foals attached to monsters the same strength in fights.”

“There are no other monsters to fight the first one! If it can't be hurt by magic or weapons or anything but another monster, what can it be hurt by?” Scootaloo was annoyed with the pony before her. Why go through all of these theatrics and get her hopes up if she was just going to tell her Twist couldn't be avenged? Why not say it back in the field? However, there was a calm sureness in the pony before her, something utterly foreign from normal Pinkie Pie, and it caused her to quiet.

Pinkie put down the three hooves she'd been using for counting, which seemed to Scootaloo to be separate of the two hooves used to pet Gummy or the two crossed in the chair... but she couldn't for the life of her figure out how. The feeling was gone in an instant as Pinkie kept speaking. “You didn't let me tell you the fourth way to hurt a monster. It's the one you're probably interested in. You see, the answer is a weird little pony like yourself.”

The fire in Scootaloo's veins burned cold as the words chilled her to the bone, the pink party pony before her suddenly seeming like her worst enemy. How much does Pinkie know? And if she does... Who else has figured it out?

Apple Bloom ducked into another shrub, dragging Sweetie Belle along and never letting her eyes off of Bluebell's form. The brush had been slowly growing denser, the Everfree Forest's fearful effect on ponies causing the paths near it to grow much more unkempt than those further away. But a pony that lives this close to the Everfree has somethin' to hide. She could feel Sweetie Belle hesitating and shaking behind her, tuning into the unease in the air. There was tension, not just that from the two of them as they worried about being caught, but a heaviness in the air, like an angry predator sitting dormant, just waiting for something to let it strike.

It seemed to be affecting Bluebell as well, who was determinedly staring down the road, seemingly focused on the path ahead of her. Or, as the crazy thought occurred to Apple Bloom, purposefully not looking at her doll. Anypony this close to the forest, even Apple Bloom, who visited Zecora on a fairly regular basis, couldn't help but look at the surroundings fearfully, it was just the nature of the shadows and old magic in the ancient trees, but Bluebell stoutly refused to even consider the world around her. Either she lived a protected life without fear of attack, or she really didn't want to look the wrong way. And with the way her doll sat so prominently in her bag, as though just waiting for her to turn around, the second option seemed like a real possibility.

However, something about the way she moved made the first feel likely too...

The two crusaders worked their way through the tall grass until they saw a run down two-story house surrounded by the gnarled claws growing from the Everfree's trees. The house was worn beyond belief: broken and boarded up windows, holes in the wall, an almost rotten, dull grey to all the siding, a darkness in the grass... This wasn't a home for a family, it was a ghost's playground. Ain't no such thing as ghosts. But at this point I almost wouldn't be surprised. Sweetie Belle squeaked quietly just at the sight of the house, a sound thankfully ignored by their quarry.

As Bluebell climbed the front steps and reached up for the doorknob, she finally looked back suspiciously. Not on the road she'd traveled, not at the bushes where a pink bow had ducked away moments before, but at her backpack and the doll grinning at her. “We are going to talk about this, okay? I don't like your jealous streak.” She said the words coldly, then opened the door on squealing hinges, calling into the house. “Dad! School got out early. I'm going to my room.” The door shut behind her, shaking the unstable wall it was held in.

The second it was closed Apple Bloom was out of the grass, running up to the house. If her dad was home, then maybe she could just talk to him to let her inside. Then all she had to do was corner Bluebell like she had Twist and maybe she should get some answers, like why everypony was acting so weird about her, or why Scootaloo felt so weird to be around! But why would she know that? And when did I start thinkin' it?

Sweetie Belle ran up behind her, grabbing Apple Bloom's tail in her teeth and pulling her to a stop right before the step up to the creepy porch. “Apple Bloom!” she hissed in a whisper once both of them had stopped. “I don't want to be here! Let's just go back and ask one of the grown ups about it.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, answering in her own angry whisper. “No Sweetie Belle! I want an answer, and I want it now!”

Sweetie Belle looked at Apple Bloom with puppy dog eyes. “Please? Can we go? I don't like the feel of this place, and it's rude to invite ourselves to her house.”

Apple Bloom didn't even register the eyes, her scowl not lessening. “Look, I'm findin' out what's happenin' whether you want to come along or not! Now do you want a chicken cutie mark, or a detective one? 'Cause the forest didn't scare you when we found that cockatrice, and that's the scariest thing we get out here. Now are you comin' or not?”

Sweetie Belle looked worriedly at the house, then longingly back up the road, knowing the answer she wanted to give. But she also knew that her friend came first, and she wasn't going to leave one of her best friends and fellow crusaders in the lurch. I wish Scootaloo was here... She'd make sure we got out safe. With a tremble and a nod, since any sound she made would probably be a terrified squeak, she followed Apple Bloom up the front steps to the house.

Pinkie's smile held firm as she gazed at the orange pegasus before her. “You see, a weird little filly like you, in the right circles, under the right circumstances, isn't a filly anymore. A weird filly, when their true nature is seen, is a monster in other ponies' eyes. And while you've done very well in hiding that fact in fear of just that kind of reaction, to some ponies, in some situations, you are a monster. And because of that, you can fight it.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “I'm not weird and I’m not a monster! I'm a normal filly, just like anypony else.”

Pinkie's smile faded slightly, no longer feeling like the pony everypony knew and loved. “Oh? And how long have you been telling yourself that? Suddenly appearing under a park bench, a lone filly covered in soot from a fire she wouldn't talk about. The few friends carefully chosen over the years, the strange powers you try so hard to hide, detailed in a diary from another pony, the last possession you took from a burning orphanage–”

Scootaloo jumped forward, placing her front hooves on the counter, tears on the edge of her eyes, adrenaline coursing through her body. “How do you know about that? Who gave you the right to look through it?”

Pikie's smile disappeared completely, but her position didn't change, and her hoof didn't stop stroking Gummy. “I have my ways, and since it was the only thing you had with you when I found you, I looked into it for clues... I didn't want to hurt you, and I know it's a touchy subject, but-”

Scootaloo stomped on the wood flooring, restraining herself from doing much worse. She felt violated, by a pony she'd thought she knew so well. “You had no right! What happened to me is private! It's in the past!-”

“It could save your friend's lives!” Pinkie stood up from her chair, Gummy attaching himself to her mane as she walked around the counter. “I know what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry, but I kept it quiet because you deserve a normal life like everypony else. Nopony else knows, not even Twilight, but now is the time to put that aside.” She knelt down, placing a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. “You're a special filly Scootaloo, not weird, just unique. And right now, only you have the power to fight for your friend's lives. You can still save them.”

Scootaloo looked at the floorboards, at the hole her hoof had left in them when she stomped, and sighed, a few tears dripping down her coat. “I'll lose them... if they found out, they'd hate me, and the others are already gone.”

Pinkie put a hoof under Scootaloo's chin, bringing the pegasus' purple eyes to look into her baby blues. “You don't know anything until you try, and you can never give up hope. Monsters don't eat the same way ponies do. They don't get nourishment, they don't eat because they have to, they eat to grow strong, and that process takes time.” She stood up, looking at the candle on the counter. “Each monster is different, so it's hard to say, but if you stopped it now, if you managed to destroy it and get the ponies it’s eaten free, they would probably still be alive. Monsters eat ideas, relationships, and what makes a pony a pony, not the flesh off of it. Ideas are much, much harder to kill than any pony, and strong relationships take a long time to erode away.”

Scootaloo took in the information slowly, the spark of hope getting past the anger, the fear, and everything else she was feeling right then, and putting her mind back on focus. “You mean I might still have time? Dinky? Twist? I could still save them?”

Pinkie smiled, glad to see Scootaloo was as bright as she'd hoped. “Even Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, if we're lucky. All you have to do is kill the monster, and with your special powers, I bet you could.”

Scootaloo began to smile. It was possible, she could save them, could even be a hero like Rainbow Dash! All she had to do was... “But if I kill the monster, won't I kill the filly? You said they were connected.”

Pinkie's smile faded. “I don't know. It's never come down to it while I've been around. This is the first string of monster attacks in I don't know how long. We'll just have to hope it doesn't come down to that.” Her smile reappeared immediately, all the tension in the room seeming to disappear, even the lights brightening. “Well, good luck with the monster fight! You can do it!” Pinkie tried to bounce past Scootaloo, but was stopped when the small pegasus grabbed her tail.

“Wait! Aren't you going to come with me? You could help me fight it.”

Pinkie Pie tilted her head in confusion. “You don't need help, silly! Weren't you listening? I'm just an adult, I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to.” She bounced in place, a wide grin on her face. “Besides, there's a search party forming at the school, and a party's not a party until Pinkie Pie shows up!” With one more hop Pinkie Pie pronked out of Sugarcube Corner, Gummy latched onto her tail and bouncing behind.

Scootaloo watched her go, frowning. You get happy at a search party and I'm the weird pony... Scootaloo sighed at the cruelty of the world, then looked at the path before her, face setting as she thought about what she had to do. It's all on me. I won't get help... I just hope I won't need it. She then set off after Pinkie Pie, both going down the same road, one to seek, one to destroy.

Apple Bloom knocked on the front door to Bluebell's house, a puff of dust and the smell of rotting wood accompanying each hit. She waited, not hearing anything or anypony coming. But Bluebell just went in there...

“Well, nopony home, let's go!” Sweetie said in a peppy voice, already two steps back towards ground level. Apple Bloom gave her a look, then pushed open the creaky portal, holding her breath and wishing to the princesses that nopony heard her. While she'd wanted to talk to the dad to come in, if she was sneaking in it was better not to be seen.

Her wishes seemed granted when the door opened, but the house it revealed provided little solace. There was a carpet by the door, so worn and moth-eaten that the original shape and color couldn't be determined, while the depressing grey exterior continued into the house, with holes, dust, and cobwebs the only decorations to be found on the walls, floor, and ceiling.

And that was it. Peeking her head in to look further only resulted in a nose full of dust and the noticing of a dying plant just inside the door. Apple Bloom's head shot out quickly as, with Sweetie Belle's helpful hoof and a lot of willpower, she held back a sneeze. While she recovered from her tingling nose, Sweetie walked into the house, frowning sadly at the drab, dusty walls. “Who could live in a house like this? Even the bats probably found it too creepy.”

Apple Bloom motioned to Sweetie Belle to lower her voice past the whisper it already was, entering and taking another look around. The hall had two doors on the left side, one on the right, one at the end. A staircase was to their immediate right, a worn track of cleared dust going up it. There were matching tracks leading to and from the front door, the one on the right, and the second one on the left, but otherwise the house looked untouched.

It definitely didn't look like a house a pony would live in. It didn't even look like one a pony would be caught dead in. She immediately regretted that thought. “If a barn got anywhere near this condition AJ woulda knocked it down. I guess the only reason the town didn't was 'cause it was so close to the forest.”

Sweetie looked around, one step out of the pre-worn pathways causing dust to rise onto her pristine white fur. “Well, Bluebell and her dad both moved in recently, didn't they? Maybe they just needed someplace cheap to settle in.” She brushed at the dust with a hoof, managing to smear a patch of her coat into a grey that matched the floor and doing very little else.

“Settle right into the graveyard...” Apple Bloom muttered under her breath. She then pressed forward into the house, the stuffy, dusty air not stopping her. “Come on, let's just find Bluebell and get out of here.” The air was heavy and dead, and yet something lurked in it, pulling it like a weight against the two fillies. The less time they spent in here, the better.

Sweetie Belle roamed the hall, back on the path to avoid any more dust in her coat, but she felt sadness overtaking her fear. This house... it wasn't a home for a happy family. The dust, the cobwebs, the still air, they all spoke of a building not even used to sleep in. A place where a family reluctantly continued to be, and that helpless, frightening feeling radiated from the walls, sending a shiver down her spine. When I get home I'm hugging mom and dad and never letting go.

As the thought passed from her mind, her eyes slowly focused on a small black blob that appeared in front of her. She barely registered the many moving legs before her voice sounded, the start of a shrill squeal cut off by a dusty hoof slapped over her mouth. Apple Bloom frowned at her, brushing aside the hanging spider, then pointing to the door on the left of the hall. It was cracked open slightly, and while nothing came out of it but a feeling, the unease was there.

The two crept forward, cringing at every squeak of the floorboards as they did before they peered into the crack in the door, Apple Bloom gently pushing it slightly wider to let them see.

It was a study, or must have been once. All that remained were musty bookshelves and curtains drawn tightly shut. The stale light that managed to worm its way into the room fell upon just one thing: an old leather chair, aged and used for what looked like an eternity, and the only thing with any real color in the house. Within its deep red confines something moved, the bottom of a bottle appearing over the top of the chair, followed by a deep, heavy sigh.

Apple Bloom made to move on, but four steps later found herself alone. She turned to see Sweetie Belle's tail disappearing into the study, making her scramble to keep up with it so they wouldn't get separated.

Sweetie Belle took a wide arc around the chair, curiosity besting her fear, but not so much that she wouldn't give herself as much running time as possible. However, when she began to round it, it was not the monster she had been fearing, but rather a stallion. He looked very old, his blue fur having a faded look to it, so much so that it almost matched the walls. He looked as though he had been around for centuries, though his body wasn't nearly that old. And his eyes seemed to be looking back through all of that time, locked on some point infinitely far from where they were. He hardly seemed to breathe or move, just staring endlessly.

Sweetie Belle took a step forward, cut off by Apple Bloom's scowling face as the yellow mare tried to move her friend. However, in the silent argument the two had, Apple Bloom heard movement behind her, followed by four simple words. “Get out of here.”

The voice was strong but worn, and when Sweetie Belle finally managed to get around Apple Bloom, she saw him look at her, those eyes young, but still staring through her and aged far before their time. The stallion in the chair didn't rise, continuing to watch the two fillies until Sweetie Belle spoke. “Are you... Mr. Brambles?”

The aged pony raised an eyebrow slowly, contemplating the pair before nodding and letting out a long sigh. “I suppose you're Bluebell's newest friends?” The smell of hard apple cider hit Apple Bloom's nose as Mr. Brambles spoke; the adult stuff she wasn't allowed to touch yet. “I tried to tell the last two to get away. I warned them, did everything to kick them out before he interfered... If you have any sense in your heads, run away from here and never come back!” He stood up on wobbly hind legs, gesturing them away with the bottle. “Go on! Get! Before he gets you!”

Apple Bloom looked at the old pony like a challenge, her interest peaked. “Who is 'he?' Where's Bluebell?”

“He's the cause of all this mess, all this suffering... what feels like an eternity of moving from town to town... Until I end up rotting in a house like this.” Mr. Brambles slumped, his voice quivering. “Oh, Daffodil...” He took a long hit from his bottle, which Apple Bloom followed with her eyes, wondering what could make a pony want that stuff so badly.

Sweetie Belle's eyes had locked on what was in his other forehoof, a bright, happy picture. A younger him, a beautiful mare, and a younger Bluebell held between them, all smiling at the camera. But from the age of Bluebell in the picture, for him to look this bad... He was a broken stallion.

The bottle came down and Brambles caught Sweetie Belle's gaze, bringing the picture up to his chest and holding it protectively over his heart. “Happier times, little miss... You won't see them now.” He advanced on the two foals, looking almost like he was going to attack them. Neither of them backed down, Apple Bloom showing defiance, Sweetie Belle showing sympathy. He looked at both of them, then sighed again, dropping to three legs and letting the empty bottle roll away. “If you want to see her, she's in her room downstairs. I won't stop you.” He worked a crooked path to the door, then stopped, looking over his shoulder at the two fillies who'd disturbed his contemplation. “Just... don't let Nightshade out of your sight. You won't get to make that mistake twice.”

As the drunken pony left the room, eventually to have his hoofsteps fall on the stairs to the upper level, Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle, confused. “What was all of that about?”

Sweetie just shook her head, looking at the floor. The way he'd looked at her: like he had seen horrors uncountable, surviving without living, and, with how much he'd aged since that photo, perhaps he had... She looked to her fellow crusader sadly. “Nothing that we can help.” She then nodded determinedly, seeing her own importance in their task here. “Bluebell's downstairs. Let's go.”

Still confused by the turn of events, but glad to have her friend now after the same goal as her, Apple Bloom nodded. “Let's.” She then walked to the door, looking across the hall at the only other door with dust disturbed nearby. She grabbed the handle, swinging it open to reveal a staircase down to the darkness of the basement.

With one last nod between the two crusaders, they began their descent.

Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie arrived at the schoolhouse quickly, and Scootaloo would have kept going had she not been called for by Rainbow Dash. “Woah there Scoots! What's the rush?” She saw the determination on Scootaloo's face and frowned. “You alright?”

Scootaloo stopped her run, fighting internally with herself. On the one hoof, she wanted to keep running and get to the monster before anything else happened. On the other hoof, this was Rainbow Dash, coolest pony in Ponyville and her unofficial big sister. If she couldn't help with this, then nopony could. Scootaloo could feel the tension resting in her hooves, urging her to move, but she forced herself to remain still to talk to her idol. “Hi Rainbow Dash! Listen, I kinda need to get moving but I could really use your help with something.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, the confident smile she always had staying on her face. “Sorry, I'm a little busy. There's a search going on for the missing fillies and I've been asked to help with air recon. But since you're here, Applejack said her sister didn't come back after school, and Rarity's parents were wondering why Sweetie was so late. You haven't seen them, have you?”

Time stood still as the words sank into Scootaloo's head. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are missing... There was no reason to panic, as the two could be anywhere, but the feeling of ice seeping into her stomach said it all. She looked to Pinkie Pie, seeing the matching vision of worry appear on her face. Scootaloo might have had time before, but she had none now.

The ice must have crept into Scootaloo's face too, because Rainbow Dash's smile started to fade. “Hey, Scootaloo, you alright? It was just a question.”

“I've got to go!” Scootaloo let loose the brakes on her legs, pounding down the pathway towards the Everfree and leaving Rainbow Dash watching the departing dust cloud in puzzlement.

“Huh... I didn't know she could move that fast. I need to challenge her to a race one of these days. She might even beat me.” After a moment to think about it, Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, nopony can beat me.” She then followed a smiling Pinkie Pie into the schoolhouse to find out Twilight and Cheerilee's plan.

The basement, for all of its foreboding darkness when looked at from the top of the stairs, was not at all like either filly expected. For starters, the stairs down didn't squeak, not even once, and actually seemed to be in good order.

Then came the fact that the room was decorated like a little filly's room should be. Posters on the wall, a dresser, a tea set, a shelf of games, a four-post bed... it was a dream room dressed in purples, blues, and blacks. A gothic filly's paradise. Light even filtered in from the high windows, framed with purple curtains, though the color palette of the room left it feeling dark.

The two crusaders didn't have a lot of time to take the whole sight in, though, as their thoughts were dominated by the argument Bluebell seemed to be having with herself. “I can't believe you! You promised when we left Feather Falls that you wouldn't scare away friends! You saw how Twist ran screaming.” There was a pause, but the silence was filled with something inaudible, more a presence than a sound, letting them know Bluebell was being heard. “I don't care if she didn't like me anymore! She was freaked out after Dinky disappeared in front of her... How could you be jealous? I'd never forget you, how could I? You're my very best friend! You even got rid of those bullies in no time flat... I've known you forever, do you really think I would abandon you that easily?...” She giggled, skipping to the center of the room and showing to the two fillies snooping at her door that the other half of the conversation was her doll. She smiled, nuzzling against the unresponsive mass. “Alright. I forgive you.”

Apple Bloom chose then to step into the room, that last conversation holding too many questions not to. “Bluebell! I want some answers and I want them now. What were you sayin' about Dinky disappearin'? Or the bullies, huh? And what was this about scarin' Twist?”

Bluebell was startled, whirling around on her accuser and fixing Apple Bloom with a solid glare. “What do you think you're doing in my room? I didn't invite you over, so get out!”

Apple Bloom walked forward, trying to look menacing to the filly that stood an inch taller than her. “Me and Sweetie heard more than enough. All this weird stuff's been goin' on since you got here, and we wanna know what it's about! Ain't that right, Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom turned around to see Sweetie Belle paying almost no attention to her, the unicorn's green eyes focused solely on the tattered doll sitting on the table. “Sweetie Belle, what are you doin'?”

Sweetie didn't hardly react, just took a step to the left to get a better visual. “He said not to let Nightshade out of my sight, and I'm going to do that. There's something wrong about that doll.”

Apple Bloom looked from Sweetie to the doll, only then feeling the predatory air the room now held. The doll looked no different; yellow bead eyes, stitched smile, worn look, and yet... what was simply creepy and worn now felt hostile, like that mouth was going to bite down on your head any moment. “Get out of my house! I'll call daddy. I'll call in someone meaner. Stop picking on me and leave!” The voice broke Apple Bloom's frightened stare, causing the two earth ponies to lock eyes.

Apple Bloom then took a step forward, leaning up to gain height on her counterpart, her pink ribbon looming over Bluebell's head. “Why is Scootaloo actin' so weird? What did'ya do to her?”

Bluebell didn't back down at all, even as the confusion showed itself on her face. “Who the hay is Scootaloo?”

Sweetie Belle's eyes left the doll for a second, the nerve of the question asked enough to make her angrier than she cared to admit. However, before the words could leave her mouth her eyes darted back to the doll.

Or rather, the table the doll had sat on.

An icy chill ran through the room, the light from the windows dimming as the world descended into a maddening purple abyss. From the darkness came Bluebell's voice, almost gloating, cold, and angry. “Do you know what happened to the last ponies who picked on me? Nightshade gobbled them right up.“ The two fillies looked around, the whole room disappearing until they were two floating bodies over a yawning nothingness, vast and powerful and straining the mind simply to look into.

Then, far away, white dots appeared, stars in the cosmos. One, two, ten, a thousand, thirty million... They appeared and multiplied faster than could be counted. Then, as if a flip was switched, all of the movement stopped, the white surrounding Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle swirling together, condensing into one massive mouth, all crooked snaggle-teeth and ruthless efficiency. Above them two yellow glowing slits formed, opening into vicious, intelligent eyes that focused on the two tiny fillies.

Sweetie Belle began to cower, hooves over her head as the place and the monster took form, twisting her mind and making her hover on the edge of screaming. Apple Bloom held out longer, eyes tortured from the impossible void, but her trembling legs and terrified mind hid under a paper mask of defiance. She stood between the monster and Sweetie Belle, ready to defend her friend to the death. It wouldn't be a long fight.

This realization prompted a laugh from the massive master of the void, a frigid and cruel sound that should never have left those mangled lips. Freezing air washed over the two fillies, whipping from the massive maw as it spoke in a mildly amused voice that came from the entire darkness. “You think you can defy me?” Apple Bloom held her ground, but behind her Sweetie Belle squeaked, curling into a tighter ball and shaking the small amount of resolve Apple Bloom held on to.

Noticing this, the monster laughed again, the giant face leaning in until the teeth were nearly touching Apple Bloom's muzzle. It fixed them with an evil glare, its insane, twisted smile spreading out all around them. The word hit them like a Wendigo's hoof, not a suggestion, not a command, an inevitability, the power behind it freezing both fillies to the core. “Scream.”

Sweetie Belle broke down first, yelling into the ball she'd curled into, and as the monstrous face reared back, laughing maniacally, Apple Bloom felt the last of her will fade. As it swept forward, her voice joined her best friend's.

A third voice joined their screams, a battle cry filtering through infinity, and then a fourth voice, a cry of pain echoing around them in the darkness. Apple Bloom managed to force her eyes open, only to be amazed by what she saw. The giant face was reeling, massive teeth spiraling through the air before swirling into oblivion, while standing before her, body set for fighting, was a small orange pegasus.

“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle was the one to call out, causing Scootaloo to turn and look at them for just a moment. Her eyes were gone, replaced by a swirling purple aura that seemed to pour from her eye sockets, something more than magic; Something unnatural, powerful... terrifying.

“Why you little-!” Nightshade recovered himself, the massive mouth gnashing in anger and the yellow eyes focused solely on the intruder to its realm. From all around came liquid dark tentacles, striking out at the pegasus that dared to defy their owner. They shot with lightning speed from every direction...

And she dodged them all. She leaped over one coming from behind her right side, spinning past two more in midair, both of which nearly clipped the feathers on her wings, before she tumbled between two more thrashing tendrils. Sweetie Belle screamed as a sixth attack shot towards her and Apple Bloom, much too fast for either of them to dodge.

Apple Bloom saw the approaching doom, holding up her forehoof to block the blow... and finding that it never came. Peeking open her eyes she saw Scootaloo before her, forehooves crossed and the dark mass smashed against it, having no more effect than a paper ball has on stone. She could feel the energy radiating off of Scootaloo, thrown out in excess with every movement. It felt like the sun was held within the pony before her, and being near that much power... being saved by that much power... it took her breath away.

She had no time to breathe anyway as Scootaloo reacted instantly, grabbing onto the tentacle against her with one hoof and leaping towards the giant face, dragging the solidified shadow towards it. The void around all three fillies warped, more tendrils reaching for the attacker, all missing by mere inches as Scootaloo's wings spun her between attacks. She still was not flying, but the way she controlled her jumping it was hard to tell.

The mouth yawned wide, lurching forward to snap up the small orange attacker, and Scootaloo pulled hard, yanking the tendril held in her hoof and managing to somehow pull the floating mouth off course. She sailed over it, catching on one giant eyeball and kicking it with all of her might. The monster thrashed and roared, more dark tentacles shooting out, sharp as spikes. One slammed into her shoulder, impacting as though it had hit rock, and she released the eye to grab this new gift.

A tentacle in each hoof, Scootaloo fell behind the giant free-floating mouth, the tentacles catching on the upper edge and swinging her around the bottom and back up. The crooked gash was snapped shut, the snaggle-teeth digging into unseen lips as the tendrils the monster provided tied up its largest weapon. They wrapped around once, twice, and on the third upswing Scootaloo let go, soaring into the air off her own momentum. All eyes followed her as her arc peaked, her body falling into a rapid spin as she came back down.

As she fell past the mouth, nearly free from the monster’s struggles against itself,, she stuck out a rear hoof, the energy from her fall and rapid rotation smashing into the top of the massive maw and shattering not just it, but the entire void itself. Space crumbled around the three fillies, the maddening infinity cracking like glass before swirling away in a chilling velvet mist.

Apple Bloom looked around hurriedly for more danger only to find they were back in the basement. Behind her Sweetie Belle still cowered, and over to the side, a look of horrified shock on her muzzle, Bluebell watched it all. And then the wave of force, almost solid, swept through the room, bringing Apple Bloom's attention to her savior.

Scootaloo still thrummed with energy, standing on her rear hooves, eyes locked on the point before her where darkness swirled around the doll. It was angry, murderous... the room radiated with a pure, cold fury as the shadows condensed, solidified, and unfurled. Thin, powerful legs dropped to the ground, arms growing out of a thinning body, a head cracking into position on top. The proportions were like the small cat doll, but the details much more menacing. Wicked claws graced the front paws of the beast, while disjointed legs with untold speed held in their twisted muscles sprang out. A tail thrashed behind the body, scything the air both figuratively and literally as the blades along it seemed to shred the silence with their keen edge. Where shabbiness marred the doll's features, scars ran over the midnight fur of the cruel shadow beast in front of them.

But the worst part was the face, the same twisted mouth locked in a feral growl, a snout grown out, long and ravenous, sitting beneath two eyes full of nothing but malice and hatred. As the transformation finished, the massive shadow, five times the size of its opponent, dug its claws into the floor, letting out a roar to put a lion to shame. The deathly growl formed into words, reverberating, deep, and cold, bringing flames of ice with them that burned all heat from the room. “You may think you have won, little pest, but know this. The King of Monsters, Nightshade, slays you now in his true form.”

Three fillies watched Scootaloo fail to move, the slicing whip of the monster's tail upon her in the blink of an eye. And then she was embedded in the wall, blood dripping down the stone. Sweetie called to the injured pony, but Apple Bloom could only stare at the monster before her, mind freezing as the impossible beast grinned and leaped at her.

Scootaloo was silent when she hit the wall, wind knocked out of her system as she slumped, a coolness burning through the heat in her body. When she managed to move, the call to fight too much to ignore, she saw no monster.

She sees a house in flames. She stands shakily from where she hit the wall, continuing her run to the thing she promised to grab for Firebug. Firebug will meet her outside, after she deals with the monster. She promised! She never came... she disappeared with the rest of the house among the flames...

Scootaloo runs through the hall, opening the door to find the flames gone, Firebug standing before her. “Scootaloo, don't be afraid of monsters. You, me, the others... we were made to stop monsters, whatever form they take.” Made to fight monsters, and every one of us is gone...

Every single one. Except for me. The door slams behind her, the burning all returning, and now she is running, Firebug's diary beneath her wing. She is running behind the others, Shimmer and... I never did know the blue filly's name... But Bluebell, she never was. They jump through the collapsed front door, but for Scootaloo the halls stretches on forever, the fire closing in on all sides. Burning debris crashes around her, trapping her inside. Frightened, she clutches to the diary. A beam collapses from above, smashing into her hooves and knocking the book from them. She scrabbles for it, her one source of comfort. It has opened to the last page, and there a message awaits. The pages were lost. I never read it through...

She skims through the words quickly, the fire and the ashes too large of a distraction to let her focus, and her young mind, still struggling with reading, having too much difficulty with the words. “Scootaloo... You will be a great pony one day... I only regret not doing more... monsters will threaten, and I know you will answer. … protect, unlike us. We can only destroy.” The confused, frightened little filly doesn't know what to make of the words, squeezing her eyes shut as another beam collapses behind her. She closes the book, pulling it to her chest.

Another explosion rocks the house. The fire surges, impacting against Scootaloo's chest and sending her through the wall. She soars through the air, smoke trailing behind her, and crashes to the earth far from the destroyed house, the flames billowing into the night air. She slumps forward, burned face touching cool stone...

Scootaloo placed her hooves down firm, pushing herself from where she'd impacted the wall. There was blood beneath her, dripping from near her eye, but that wasn't what worried her. She had a headache, and a feeling of weakness where once there was strength. She'd lost control as the fight began, focusing on the battle to save her friends, going all out, but this was not a sprint. She didn't know if her power ran out; it never had before, but she was always weak after using it. It had to stop somewhere. She'd need to be careful as she continued on.

As Scootaloo worked on building up her strength, she heard Sweetie Belle call out to her, the headache making the sound seem distant. She slowly turned her head to see what the matter was. She saw the dark shadow beast, she saw her friends, she saw the filly watching them all in fear.

She saw the monster leap.

It was as if time slowed to a crawl, both for her and the others as her mind reacted to the sight. Apple Bloom was in danger, and, headache or no, Scootaloo was going to save her. One image blazed on her mind: The fire-licked diary, the one word that had stood out above the others. Protect.

Scootaloo pushed from the wall, feeling the surge of adrenaline start her movements, then the power, sitting at the core of her being, spreading through her blood and making her speed past the rest of the world. Her vision went purple as the energy radiated out, trailing from her eyes. A second glow above her head caught her eye for just a moment as a drop of shining purple blood fell before her, tumbling through the air before staining her coat as she ran through it.

To say she moved like lightning would be giving too much credit to electricity. Both fighters rushed towards Apple Bloom, covering the distance in no time at all, but what felt like an eternity to Scootaloo's frightened mind. As she got close the world finally sped back up, reaching full speed just in time for her hoof to connect, sending the beast spinning backward and herself digging her hooves in the stone flooring to stop her momentum, leaving trenches behind her.

Nightshade growled, his twisted mouth curling almost to the back of his head as he showed hundreds of razor sharp teeth. “You dare to defy me you little whelp?” There was a moment of hesitation as he stared the filly down, but it disappeared after only a moment. After all, what filly could defeat the king? He leaped forward once more, swinging his tail around for another strike.

This time it met between two orange hooves, Scootaloo glaring at him past the caught weapon. “I don't care who you are. I will not let you hurt my friends!” She gripped the bladed tail with one hoof, the dark edge cutting through her defenses and into her skin, bathing the blade in crimson infused with the purple light. She paid it no mind, her other hoof raising high, then smashing down with force enough to shatter steel.

Two screams sounded in tandem: the monster, thrashing the stump of his tail as it spewed sticky black smoke into the air, and Bluebell, almost louder as she winced and tucked her own tail between her legs, protecting it from the pain. Scootaloo couldn't help but look over at Bluebell, doubt crumbling her resolve. Could she really hurt this monster if it meant killing an innocent filly? The blade fell from her hoof, the blood there losing its light as the fire around her eyes faded ever so slightly.

Nightshade took the advantage and swiped at his distracted foe with a vicious claw. Scootaloo reacted on instinct more than anything, only just feeling the chill approach and barely seeing the claw flash into her vision before it had caught her left cheek, sending her upper body towards the ground. The glow in her eyes rekindled as she used the force of the hit to her advantage, spinning with it and smashing the back of her right forehoof into his claw, removing it from his body with a sickening crack.

The dual screams sounded once more, but Scootaloo would not be fooled again. She charged after her attack, catching the huge beast in the stomach and sending him toppling, still gripping onto the stump on his arm. With her on all fours and him on his back, she slammed a kick straight between his legs, sending his shadowy form skidding across the bedroom. She then broke into a sprint, leaping into the air and reeling back the punch that would end this mess once and for all.

“STOP! Please! Don’t hurt him.” Bluebell rushed to her monster's defense, standing before the downed beast, forelegs outstretched protectively as Scootaloo hurtled towards them both. Scootaloo instantly lost focus on the punch, her muscles kicking into overdrive to make her wings buzz and pull at the air. She landed hard, taking a few running steps before putting all four hooves down, skidding to a halt in front of Bluebell. “He's my best friend...”

Scootaloo stared at the filly before her, unable to comprehend how she could still be defending that... that thing! “He ate four ponies! He attacked my friends and tried to kill me!”

“You attacked us!” Yelled Bluebell, gaining the courage to stand up to the pony that had bested her monster. “We were defending ourselves against the ponies that snuck in, and you attacked us.” She turned around, fixing Nightshade with a look a pony might give a wounded puppy. “He won't attack anypony else. I promise to keep him in my sight. Just... please don't hurt him anymore...” She looked up at Scootaloo, eyes full of tears. “He's my only friend in the world...”

And then Bluebell did something that nopony else in the room would have ever considered. She climbed into Nightshade's arms and began to cuddle with him. The horrible beast and the little filly snuggling and holding onto each other as both began to whimper and cry in fear. Though Scootaloo couldn't begin to understand why, she could tell that there was a true connection between the two in front of her... Deeper, she hated to think, even than her own to her friends. How could she destroy something like that?

Scootaloo breathed heavily, everything in her mind telling her to attack the monster, to destroy it and save the ponies it had devoured... but her will was fading. Her body was calling for a rest, and now that the surge was gone for a moment, the emptiness left behind in the energy's wake was a yawning chasm, threatening to pull everything about her into it. Only her mind was egging her onwards, and now it was doubting itself. If she kept fighting, she'd just hurt these two. Truly, who was lost? The Terrible Twosome, Twist, and Dinky. No real loss to pony kind, no friends of hers, just four little fillies...

Four little fillies with loving families and worried parents. Four little fillies who could just as easily have been the four in this room. The energy in Scootaloo's eyes faded as her battle turned inward, angry at herself of even thinking those thoughts. Look at you, unleash a little bit of power and suddenly you're deciding the worth of a life. You're no better than you were back then! Her eyes stayed on Bluebell and Nightshade, but her mind was elsewhere, dragging itself from memories to consider the dilemma before it. Does her life weight more than theirs?

If she had been looking, actually looking, she would have caught the intelligent gleam in Nightshade's eye. She might have noticed the way his muscles tensed, or the way only Bluebell continued to cry. But she was locked on the display she had seen, not what she was seeing, and thus she didn't even react until the blue filly was smashed towards her. The purple fire poured from her eyes in an instant as Scootaloo caught the unconscious filly in her forehooves, leaving nothing to defend her against the beast leaping onto her, his mouth spread wide like a spike-lined abyss. She turned away, shutting her eyes, as her friends let out a gasp and did the same.

There was a grunt of pain, the sound of blood dripping to the ground, and then silence for a long time. And yet, when Apple Bloom finally opened her eyes, fearing for the worst, she wasn't sure what she saw was much better.

Scootaloo's tiny wings were spread, holding back the vicious mouth and the monster behind it, though the teeth dug into them. She held Bluebell safely, tears in her eyes as the pain caught up with her. Not just pain of the body, but from deep within. I knew this was a trap! How could this be anything else? And I fell for it. Some monster fighter I am, couldn't even keep my own friends safe. She felt like the stupidest filly in the world, even more so than the one she held would have, had she been awake. Betrayed by her one and only friend. A 'friend' that scared away ponies who actually wanted to know her. A 'friend' that ate the only ponies who ever did get close and threatened those that had tried to stop him. And now, a 'friend' that hurt and used her just to survive a little longer...

Scootaloo closed her eyes, anger building up inside of her. If he gets out of here, he will hurt others. He will kill Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and then who knows who else? She could feel her wings starting to give out, the edges of the mouth getting closer and closer to her, the icy cold breath just seconds from devouring her. I was made to protect against monsters, whatever form they take. She felt the weight of Bluebell in her hooves, pulling her down as the teeth dug further into her wings, sapping their strength. She wasn't going to protect anything. She was going to die here, and she hadn't even said goodbye to Cheerilee! And the worse part is not that Nightshade will continue on. It's that he will drag Bluebell along, always saying it's for her good, always promising the world while looking out for only himself, using her until she's no longer needed, then tossing her aside...

There is no greater monster than that.

Apple Bloom looked on in silent horror as Scootaloo's wings gave way, the giant mouth snapping shut on both Scootaloo and Bluebell, with Nightshade smiling evilly to finally have won. Behind her Sweetie Belle gasped, the only sound that pierced the silence, none of the three figures in the room moving a muscle as they came to grips with the outcome.

They quickly had to reconsider as purple blades of energy lanced through his maw, his entire mouth exploding into the shadowy mist it was created of as Scootaloo burst free. The energy poured from her eyes, blazing like the sun, and it was no longer restricted to just her face. Behind her it burst from her back in magnificent wings of purple light, while her mane and tail danced in their own inferno. Even the blood that still dripped from her shined with power, which refused to burn away even as it hit the floor. The whole room hummed with the energy Scootaloo gave off, and yet her wings and gaze held no actual heat. It was a fire born from within, one that could burn cities, and level mountains without even a hint of flame.

This radiant being of power walked slowly towards the two crusaders, ignoring the screaming beast behind her to place Bluebell gently at their hooves. Then, with her cargo safely delivered, her gaze fell back onto Nightshade, who was cowering in fear of this new threat. “Please! I am sorry! No more tricks! No more lies! I will not hurt another pony as long as I live!” The voice, horrible as it was as it slipped through mangled, shredded lips, sounded genuine, and yet the gaze on it did not soften. Scootaloo slowly walked forward, deadly intent focused on the monster before her. “No! Come no closer! The King of Monsters commands you, you wretched beast!” Another drop of blood dripped as Scootaloo kept going forward, the words doing nothing to stop her.

When she walked right up to him, less than a fifth of his size, even with her wings, he crumpled to the floor, whimpering and pleading. “SPARE ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT!” Scootaloo stopped at that, tilting her head curiously. And it was just the opening Nightshade wanted.

He leaped up at her, his advance stopped instantly by her forehooves, both holding onto the tattered edges of his gaping maw. And then, in a voice even colder than his, she spoke. “I want my friends back.”

Without any sign of exertion her hooves began to move apart. Nightshade's eyes widened and he tried to plead once more, but all was lost to the horrifying scream Bluebell let out as Nightshade was ripped in half. From mouth to the stump of his tail, top to bottom, his body was torn in two by the determined hooves of Scootaloo, a piercing chill filling the room from his ventilated form. And when she finished, she threw the halves aside, letting them swirl away into the dark mist as she stalked up to the last remains of Nightshade: his doll. It sat lifeless in the center of the room, a new jagged scar running straight down the center of it, its evil grin sewn on, but its beady yellow eyes no longer staring at anything. But Scootaloo wasn't taking any more chances. She raised her hoof, then sharply brought it down on the stuffed head.

The doll disappeared, as did half of her leg into the solid stone flooring. The next moment reality rippled, the air crackling with energy as four fillies blinked out of the darkness and into existence once more. Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, Dinky, and Twist all appeared just above the floor, their bodies flopping to it as gravity took control. And then the room fell into silence.

Scootaloo surveyed the room slowly, absentmindedly wiping the black goop off of her hoof as she checked the spoils of her victory. The room was a mess, with indents and trenches in the walls and floor from the fight, but... The chill in the air was gone, the feeling of being hunted gone with it. The monster was dead. All seven were protected. Her job was done.

Still high on her victory and the power in her veins, Scootaloo turned to her friends. She didn't realize she'd had a smile on, but even if she had it would have disappeared when she saw Apple Bloom's face. It chilled her heart much more than the monster ever did.

Apple Bloom's eyes were full of fear and shock as, behind her, Sweetie Belle trembled, unable to look at the sight. Scootaloo took a step towards them, not sure what she could say to make the situation better. She didn't have a chance to try as Apple Bloom stepped defensively between Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, fixing Scootaloo with a fearful glare that told her everything she needed to know. It was the look of a desperate fighter, of one who wouldn't give up and wouldn't be pushed aside. The look of somepony willing to lay down their life for their cause, worn on a paper thin mask.

It was a look you gave a monster.

Tears leaked out of the corners of Scootaloo's eyes, glowing faintly on their own as they trailed down her face, holding on the tip of her fur for just a moment as both fillies looked at each other. So that's it then... The tear dripped from her cheek.

By the time it splashed against the ground, Scootaloo was gone. All Apple Bloom saw was a blur of orange and purple, but she wasn't focused on that. She was focused on the powerful, dangerous energy still hanging in the room, the blood stains, the crushed stone, the fear pounding in her chest... But most of all, the six other fillies left in the battle's wake.

Comments

[rdaniel_76]

Wow, Scootaloo kicks some major flank in this chapter!

[Alondro]

Deux ex much?

[_Medicshy]

2937055
Actually, no, there is no godlike intervention, and I've been hinting at it for four chapters now.

[Alondro]

2938671 The power reveals was just a wee bit much, honestly.

There's a difference between hinting Scoots is special and having her suddenly go Super Saiyajin Monster Slayer.

In fact, on that note, it would be like having Goku 'hinted' at having powers while never using them all the way through DBZ's beginning and then suddenly kicking Frieza's ass out of the blue.

Sudden dramatic power reveals never work well.

[_Medicshy]

2940298
And your opinion is noted, but I still stand by my choice. An emotion-fueled fight with the power that she has and the first time she has used it in years will cause her to be much stronger than she normally would, and then the consequences for it will be much more severe (which you will find out about in the last chapter). I could have had her go around fighting woodland creatures or something, but that wouldn't have worked much for the story, now would it?

[Kolwynia]

Sweet! Scootaloo was so awesome in this chapter. (I don't think it counts as a Deus Ex Machina, since that would be help coming from the outside. When it's up to the main character to reach within and find the strength to win, even if that strength completely overwhelms the enemy, that's a Crowning Moment of Awesome.) And of course it looks like her greatest battle is still ahead of her...

Seriously great chapter. Loved all the action scenes. The whole time that fight was going on I was like, this is what I've been waiting for! And the back and forth, where who is winning the fight seems to shift back and forth between Scootaloo and Nightshade and you can't tell who's going to emerge victorious, that was excellent.

Hoping for a happy ending for Scootaloo. (And Bluebell too.)

[ArrowEmbers]

OMAFREAKINGOSH YOU ARE THE BEST FANFIC WRITER IN DA WOOOOOORLD!!!

[Mally]

Channeling a little bit of Inigo, are we? I approve.

“SPARE ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT!” Scootaloo stopped at that, tilting her head curiously. And it was just the opening Nightshade wanted.
He leaped up at her, his advance stopped instantly by her forehooves, both holding onto the tattered edges of his gaping maw. And then, in a voice even colder than his, she spoke. “I want my friends back.”