I Wanna Be The Mare!: The Movie: The Game: The Fanfic

by Grandosco

Chapter 4: Castle Mania

Scootaloo felt herself falling through the darkness. The wind whipping past made her tear-moist eyes cold. She couldn't see anyway, so she kept them shut, trying not to think too hard about what had just happened. I never thought I'd feel bad for Nightmare Moon, of all ponies, she thought. Did the Nightmare Moon that The Mare created seriously just try to rebel against her? Or was this just another trap to lure Scootaloo into this seemingly endless drop? Scootaloo tried to think optimistically, but either option just made her want to weep. She let herself go limp and simply fall, letting fate decide what to do with her now. She didn't want to think for a while. Eventually, she managed to fall asleep somehow.

When she awoke, Scootaloo felt that she had stopped falling, and that the ground she fell on was mercifully soft, not that it would have mattered from a drop that high... Still, she opened her eyes, and found that she was indeed, still alive. She was in a cave, similar to the one that she had come from. There was a bit of light coming from a passage up ahead, as well as the sound of heavy rain. She picked herself up from the ground and surveyed her surroundings. It seems that she had landed on a stack of hay strewn about on the floor. Next to her were her saddlebag, her goggles, which must have fallen off in transit, and the glowing red unit that Nightmare Moon had given her before she... the unit that Nightmare Moon had given her. She picked it up, contrasting what she was feeling now to the sense of accomplishment from defeating Cherrylee. This didn't feel like a victory; if anything, this felt like one of the biggest losses she'd ever suffered. The change that Nightmare Moon expressed was very sudden and short-lived, but for a while, Scootaloo felt like she had made a very important ally, albeit a very unlikely one. Maybe even a friend.

The red orb glowed brightly, said "Conglaturation! A winner is you!" and promptly melded itself into her hoof, as the other had done before it. Scootaloo stared at it with dull fascination until it disappeared. She flexed her foreleg to see if it still worked properly, and when she confirmed it did, she decided to examine her other supplies. Surprisingly, when she checked her saddlebag and goggles, she found them and the contents of the bag in perfect condition. The apples were still farm-fresh, the top of the jar of jam was still twisted on firmly, and the glass was intact. Scootaloo figured that there must be some kind of magic at work if everything, including herself, could survive such a long descent. Despite the evidence to the contrary, Scootaloo thought that The Mare must have some concept of mercy if she allowed the pegasus filly to drop that far and not have to visit the ethereal plane.

Gathering up her things, putting her goggles in her saddlebag, and just now consciously realizing the loss of her scooter, Scootaloo made a dull trot off to the passage ahead. When she reached the cave exit, she could see that it was down-pouring here. She made a sweeping glance at the many evergreens covering the landscape. Thankfully, there were no cherries hanging from the trees for once. Despite it clearly being night, there was a sufficient amount of light, allowing Scootaloo to see. The clouds were covering up a partially visible moon in the skies above, causing Scootaloo to look down to ground level again. She sighed, reached into her bag again to retrieve her goggles, put them back on her head, and ventured forth into the storm. She, of course, had no idea where she was going, but she decided not to care right now. What was one, maybe two more deaths in exchange for some time to think? Thunder echoed overhead. Maybe she'd get struck by lightning? Nah, probably too short for that. Eaten by timberwolves? Much more likely.

As she made her way through the forest without incident, she wondered for a while if she had actually been thrown out of The Mare's world. There weren't any cherry trees, spikes, or otherwise dastardly deathtraps coming to end her. She made her way to the top of a tall rock formation to get a better look at where she was. If she was back in Equestria, she needed to find a landmark or something to get her bearings. Alas, the area was nowhere that she recognized. She did, however, manage to see what appeared to be a large castle in the distance. It had lights in it, so somepony had to be there. It did not have the whimsical look of Canterlot Castle though; instead of being tall and elegant, it stood more stout against the horizon, battlements mounted on top of every meter of every visible wall. From here, Scootaloo couldn't make out any more than that, but it was the only sign of civilization that she could see, so she decided to travel towards it.

"Worst thing they could do is turn me away, I guess," she muttered to herself. She cantered toward the castle, wishing she had her scooter back. Or could fly. Either would do, really. Eventually, she became impatient, so she began to run, kicking up water droplets whenever her hooves made contact with the ground. The rain was pounding against her face, but the goggles managed to keep her eyes forward. After a time, she came to a stone bridge that stretched across a giant chasm. Even through the rain, it didn't look particularly stable. Here and there pieces of the bottom of it were missing, and the rest was overgrown with foliage. Looking around, and finding that the bridge was the only way across, she decided to risk it.

She took a few steps back to get a running start. With a mighty charge, she took off at a gallop. Her caution paid off, for as soon as her hooves touched the bridge, it began to crumble beneath her. She jumped from where the stones started falling, and managed to make it further onto the bridge. Thankfully, it wasn't overly far to the other side. Where Scootaloo had touched down, however, began to fall away as well. Scootaloo jumped again, this time trying to use her little wings to keep herself up for a little longer. It worked to a degree, but she could still feel herself descending faster than she would have liked. As soon as she hit the ground again, she jumped immediately, knowing where this was going at this point. The end was very near, and she could make it to the other side in another jump or two. When she landed this time, she kicked off as hard as she could to ensure she made it. The falling bridge finally caught up to her, however, and she was only able to land on a piece that was already in its descent. Jumping and hoping for the best, she saw that she was just slightly off mark, and would most likely fall to her doom. Just then, she remembered that she could double-jump, and made little delay in taking advantage of it. With the extra height, she was easily able to... hit her head on some type of block in the air, just before she could have made it safely to solid ground. Was that there before?! The cube made a 'ba-ding!' noise as she hit it and deflected her back to falling into the abyss.

"Noooooooooo!" Scootaloo cried as she plummeted. Even if she revived, now there would be no way to get to the castle! "This totally suuuuuuuuuucks!" Just as she was getting that sinking feeling in her stomach, she felt herself stop and be picked up by something. It had grabbed her around her forelegs, and began flying upwards at an astonishing rate. Scootaloo could hear wingbeats coming from the creature. They didn't emit the usual feathery sounds that came from a pegasus' wings, though, so it was not Rainbow Dash coming to her rescue as she had hoped. This sounded more like the wings of a dragon or a giant bat. Sure enough, even though she couldn't angle her head quite enough to see her savior's face, she looked to the side of her and saw bat-like wings carrying her back up to the other end of the collapsed bridge. The creature set her down and flew away quickly. Scootaloo barely managed to make out a pony-like appearance through the rain. A pony with bat wings? The only other place that she had seen that was when Princess Luna had made her grand appearance at Nightmare Night last year... Gritting her teeth at the constant reminders of her recently fallen comrade, Scootaloo banished the thought and moved on, determined to make it to that castle, for whatever reason she could think up once she got there.

On the castle's approach, she could see that it was much larger up close. There was a long, stone stairway leading to the front gates, where she could see that there were no guards of any sort. She wasn't sure to be more glad or unsettled about that. She made her way forward and up the staircase. By this point, her mane was a mess. Well, more of a mess than usual, anyway. She just began to realize how cold she was getting. She was looking forward to cuddling up with the warm blanket that Sweetie Belle gave her and taking a nice, long, restful sleep. She noted it would be the first time she actually had a real good night's sleep since she got to The Mare's world. But before that, she'd have to get inside.

She came up to the front gates, and found them unlocked. She slowly nudged them open and stepped into the courtyard. The front door was only a little ways away. She could see movement in the windows through the curtains that hung inside. Surely there would be somepony there that would take her in for a little while? She stepped up to the giant front door. She sighed, figuring it was now or never, and knocked. At first, there was no answer, but then the door opened, releasing warmth to Scootaloo's body and music to her ears. Apparently, there was quite the party going on. A pony stepped out to greet Scootaloo. It was a bat-pony, not unlike the one that had saved her from the drop earlier.

She smiled as she saw Scootaloo. "Hello there. And just who might you be, little filly? Oh! Where are my manners? Come in, come in! You looked awful… er… no offense." Scootaloo stepped in. The bat-pony was dark blue, with purple wings on either side of her. She had lighter-blue hair and piercing green eyes, with slitted pupils, like a serpent or a cat. When she talked, Scootaloo could spot two fangs protruding from the top of her mouth. Her cutie mark was a... chain with a ring at the end? Huh.

"Thanks," Scootaloo said. Fortunately and expectedly, the inside of the castle was far warmer than outside. Scootaloo shook off the excess water from her body, splattering some of it on the bat-pony next to her.

"Bleh, watch it!"

"Oh, sorry."

"So, where did you come from?" the bat-pony asked, wiping the water from her face.

"Er..." Scootaloo didn't really want to answer just in case this was some sort of trap for her. "...outside. I got lost and saw this castle, so I came here to see if there was someplace to sleep. I'm kind of bushed."

"Well, you've come to the right place! We have beds to spare. Come on, lemme show you around." The bat-pony gestured for Scootaloo to follow her as she began trotting into the castle proper. Scootaloo could hear the music getting louder as she followed the bat-pony.

"Say, what's your name?" Scootaloo asked. She didn't want to refer to her as "the bat-pony," after all.

"Drace. Yours?" she said, looking back for a moment.

"Scootaloo."

"Well, Scootaloo, welcome to the castle! I hope you enjoy your stay." After a bit of walking, they came to a large wooden door at the end of the hallway. "Aaaand, here we are!" The music was getting rather loud now.

"Is there a party going on in there or something?" Scootaloo asked.

"Uh-huh!" Drace nodded excitedly. "We have a few other very special guests that arrived shortly before you. We almost never get guests here, so it's rather exhilarating."

"Other guests, huh?" Scootaloo thought about this for a second. "What... er... do they look like, exactly?"

"The other guests? Hmm..." Drace said, putting a hoof to her chin. "Let's see... one was an orange earth pony with a pretty sweet hat... and the other was a kind of prissy white unicorn, I think. Both mares. Sound like anypony you know?"

Applejack and Rarity! Scootaloo thought. They're still alive! Oh man, this is great news! I was afraid they'd...

"I... might have seen some ponies like that," Scootaloo replied, "but I'm not totally sure. Can I meet them?"

"Sure! Can't see why not." Drace said, her eyes lighting up. Seriously. Scootaloo could have sworn her eyes actually lit up. It was kind of creepy, actually. Drace opened the giant door. Inside, Scootaloo could see that there was a live band playing, made up of other bat-ponies. In fact, every single pony in the room shared Drace's appearance, perhaps save for certain minor physical features. The filly noticed, to her surprise, that there wasn't a single colt or stallion among them. As Scootaloo and Drace walked across the room, Scootaloo could hear what some of them were saying:

"Y'know, I've heard the river ferry pony absolutely loves garlic!"

"Ew. Seriously? That's disgusting!"

"I know, right? What's up with him? Anyway, I've also heard..." Scootaloo raised an eyebrow to all the things she heard. They were just strange-sounding gossip topics; actually, it didn't even come close to being gossip, just weird rumors. Instead, she turned her thoughts inward and wondered how Applejack and Rarity were doing.

"Are we almost there?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a little further. Although, they might not be in the same place..." Drace's voice went quieter.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when we found the two of them, they weren't in the best of shape. The unicorn seemed like she'd be alright, but the earth pony looked pretty beaten up..."

Oh no... "What's wrong with her?" Scootaloo looked up at Drace.

"Her friend said she took a nasty fall down a cliff. She's resting right now in a guest bed, but we don't really have the best medical care here..." Drace frowned.

"No... come on, we need to pick up the pace!" Scootaloo demanded.

"Uh, oh, right! Come on, we'll take a shortcut. Hop on!" Drace lowered herself for Scootaloo. The filly wasted no time in taking advantage of her offer. Drace promptly flew out the nearest window and up to a different tower.

Almost there? Scootaloo thought. It would have taken forever to walk up here! Drace opened the window into the second tower and flew in. Scootaloo jumped off the bat-pony and was met with the form of Applejack lying on a bed, her hat resting on a table next to her. Her body was covered in bruises and cuts. Her hat shared her worn appearance.

"Applejack!" Scootaloo cried. She went over to the bed and looked for any sign of movement. Looking closely, she realized that Applejack was still breathing, though with some noticeable difficulty. Despite that, the orange farm-pony stirred.

"Sc...Scootaloo? What're y'all... doin' here?" Applejack opened her eyes slowly and glanced towards Scootaloo.

"That doesn't matter right now! What happened?!"

"Ergh..." Applejack was clearly in pain. She winced as she lay there, and started to explain as best she could. "Big light... got caught in it... Rarity too... so many... spikes... got careless..."

"It's ok, you don't have to say any more, you need to get better," Scootaloo told her.

"Th-thanks Sugarcube..." Applejack closed her eyes again.

"Is there anything you can do?" Scootaloo asked, turning towards Drace.

"I've been told that we have a doctor on the way. Until then, we can't do much. None of the ponies in this castle know first aid."

"That seems like kind of an important thing to know, dontcha think?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well... yes, but..." Drace stumbled over her words.

Scootaloo interrupted, "Also, this is The Mare's world, isn't it? Where's all the spikes and cherries and stuff? I've only run into one thing so far that can even be considered a trap, and one of you bat-ponies saved me from it. I feel like I should have died by now! As weird as that sounds. I think there's something strange going on, and you're going to tell me what. Now."

Drace took a few steps away and back towards the window. "Look, I don't know anything, alright? If you want answers, you'll have to ask the master of this castle. He's the one who gives orders around here."

"The master of the castle, huh? Bring me to him. And while you're at it, try to find Rarity too. I want to know why she's not here taking care of one of her best friends!"

Drace narrowed her eyes slightly and glared at Scootaloo. "You know, you're pretty demanding for somepony in your position. You should really watch your tongue. You don't want to insult our master."

"I'll try to remember that when I ask him where The Mare's fortress is," Scootaloo beamed. "The way you talk about him, it seems like he'd know something. And if that's the case..." Scootaloo thought about the possibilities present now that she knew this castle had a "master." If she was still in The Mare's world, which was all but confirmed now, the situation couldn't go in very many directions based on what had happened up until this point.

Drace was silent for a few moments, never looking away from Scootaloo or even blinking. Finally, she spoke: "Very well. I will take you to him. But I'm not taking responsibility for you if you open your mouth and something stupid comes out, you got that?" Scootaloo simply nodded. "Good. Hop on." She lowered herself again and after Scootaloo got on, they both flew out the window again, leaving Applejack to hang in there. Don't worry Applejack. From what Applebloom says all the time about you, you've been through worse. Scootaloo thought as they soared through the rain.

They eventually made their way towards the center structure of the castle. Instead of flying through a window, however, Drace used the front door. It was even larger than the foyer's door, with giant metal hinges on both sides. Scootaloo hopped off of Drace's back and stood next to her while the bat-pony pushed it open. Inside, there were many more bat-ponies, each of them talking to one another as before, but there was a different atmosphere to the room. There were no ponies playing instruments, and there were tables that were all beautifully decorated with various assortments of flowers and candles. It was all surrounding an enormous staircase at the back of the room, with the railings inlaid with gold. It looked more like the Grand Galloping Gala than a simple party, really.

"Why is everything so fancy?" Scootaloo decided to ask Drace.

"I told you: We don't get guests often, so we're throwing a celebration in their honor."

"But Applejack is in serious condition! She can't even have fun at this 'celebration!' What are you thinking?!"

"Hm? Oh... ho-ho-ho," Drace chuckled, "You thought I meant the celebration is for them, I see now."

"Whuh? You mean the party's in their honor, but not... for them? What the hay does that mean?"

"Hee-hee, you'll see..." Drace winked at her. Scootaloo suddenly felt something in the pit of her stomach. It was that sinking feeling. She knew something was strange, but she didn't realize just how strange it was. Looking up, she saw that a bat-pony looked like she was about to say something at the top of the giant stairs.

"Attention everypony!" She stood up on her hind legs and projected her voice all across the room. "I am proud to introduce our lord and master, the one who has made all of this and more possible!" The chandeliers that were shining at the top of the room dimmed suddenly, as if by magic. "The wonderful, the amazing, the stupendous! You know him, you love him! You know I do." She winked. Much of the audience laughed a little. "I present to you: Count Dracula!"

The audience clapped their hooves wildly, some whooped and whistled as a grey earth pony in a black and red cape entered the room from a side door. His mane was black and slicked back. His blue eyes were just as piercing as those of the bat-ponies that applauded him, maybe even more so. He had slitted pupils, as well. He was accompanied by three mares, two of them bat-ponies. The other was a... pearl unicorn!?

"Rarity!" Scootaloo gasped.

"Ssh!" Drace scolded. Scootaloo didn't really care, but she remained silent anyhow. Rarity was dressed to the nines. She had a thin veil over her face, and a long cloak that covered most of her body. She walked with this "Count Dracula" character in step with the bat-ponies that accompanied him. As he and his posse reached the center of the top of the stairway, he spoke in a voice both deep and full of charisma.

"Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Sanguine." The bat-pony that had introduced him blushed a fiery red, visible even at the distance she was from Scootaloo and Drace. She simply nodded furiously and backed up while still facing him, bumping into a wall before disappearing through a door behind her. Dracula continued: "And thank you all for coming! Today is a momentous occasion, as you all know. We have two very special guests here with us tonight, and I've taken quite a liking to one in particular... Please, my lovely, would you lift your veil and show everypony your wondrous face?"

Rarity lifted her veil and let it drop over her back. She bowed graciously to the audience. "It is my greatest pleasure to meet all of you. I am Rarity! Pleased to make your acquaintance." Count Dracula smiled, revealing two very long fangs to match the bat-ponies under him.

"The other guest is... indisposed at the moment, but I will see to it that she joins us shortly. Now then, let us all begin the celebr-"

"Wait a minute!" Scootaloo shouted.

"Hm? Who dares speak out of turn?!" Dracula scanned the crowd, looking for the source of the interruption.

Scootaloo jumped into the center of the room. "That'd be me! What have you done to Rarity? Her friend is badly hurt and she's here rubbing elbows with you creeps?"

"Well, well, well..." Dracula said, tapping his chin and smirking. "It would seem that we have another guest in our midst. And not just any guest, either. I'd say that this one trumps our others in terms of importance. What do you think, my pretties?" All of a sudden, every bat-pony in the room turned to look at Scootaloo. All of their eyes glowed a bright yellow.

I was hoping I'd imagined the creepy glowy-eyes. Scootaloo thought.

"Indeed!" Dracula continued. "We have The Filly as our very special guest now! Give her a VIP welcome, would you?" With his last words, the bat-ponies, including Drace, all flew up and made a swarm above Scootaloo.

"'The Filly?'" Scootaloo wondered aloud. There was something about the way he spoke that made those words stand out. While she was pondering the meaning of this, the whole cloud of bat-ponies swooped in on her. There were so many of them attacking her, she didn't even know what did her in.

GAME OVER
PRESS 'R' TO TRY AGAIN

As Scootaloo floated there in the aether, so many thoughts went through her mind, she didn't know where to start.

"Why is Rarity in cahoots with that jerk? She should be at Applejack's side, or at least trying to find somepony to help her! Who is this 'Count Dracula' guy, anyway? And what is his fascination with all these bat-ponies? He didn't have any wings, after all. What is going on here? Also... what killed me that time?"

"Well, you see, so many of the bat-ponies smashed into you at the same time that your little insides became… outsides." The mysterious disembodied voice was back. "Very messy. It's quite the horrible night to have a curse."

"Oh. Hey there," Scootaloo said. "Thanks, that'll let me focus better. Have any other answers for me?"

"I'm afraid not. But hey, why don't you try going back and figuring those out?"

"Good idea. I need answers, and just thinking isn't going to help, is it?"

"Well, thinking helps..." the voice said, but Scootaloo was already gone.

When she woke up, she was at the entrance to the building where she was just bull-rushed into paste. Noting and ignoring some very good reasons for not doing so, she re-entered the giant door.

"Well, it seems I was correct in assuming you were The Filly. Congratulations," Dracula's voice greeted her. He was now on the ground floor of the room, with all of the bat-ponies behind him. The room was even darker than before, Scootaloo only being able to see what was going on because of the moon coming in through the windows. It also lacked all of the grandeur it had previously: the tables were gone, the decorations had disappeared, and only hundreds of glowing eyes greeted her.

"Yeah... that's right." Scootaloo said. She still wasn't sure why he was calling her The Filly, but she figured it might have something to do with how she could come back after being horribly murdered. "And y'know what that means, right? That means that you're goin' down."

Dracula laughed heartily. "Hahahaha! A spunky one, aren't we? Good. I like that. You'll be wonderful to drain. Isn't that right, my dear Rarity?" He turned to Rarity, who was standing beside him.

"Indeed." She smiled, revealing, to Scootaloo's shock, fangs identical to those of Dracula and the rest of the bat-ponies. "She has enough spunk to feed an army. How convenient..."

"Uh-oh." Scootaloo gulped. "She has fangs, too... Does... does that mean she's..."

"I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner, actually." Dracula said. "All of my companions need that special something. The thing that makes them perfect."

"Great." Scootaloo said. "Vampires."

"Correct!" Dracula clapped his hooves slowly. "I've been very busy preparing for your arrival, Scootaloo. I didn't know what you looked like, but The Filly has one thing that every other pony doesn't. The fact that you're here at all confirms my suspicions."

"You mean how I can come back after dying? Yeah, that came in handy when I was wiping the floor with the jerks that came before you!"

"'Wiping the floor,' you say? Ha! Don't be so bombastic, Scootaloo. I may not have known your appearance, but your deeds precede you." He began walking toward the little pegasus, grinning from ear to ear. "You tricked the fool Cherrylee into her own early grave, and you barely managed to escape Nightmare Moon's graveyard alive. Your only salvation was Nightmare Moon's misguided aspirations to a better life."

"She deserved better!" Scootaloo shouted. "The Mare created her without the power to control the moon in a place that didn't have any stuff to do! Of course she'd be upset! What kind of sick pony does that?"

"A sick pony that has the power to end you whenever she sees fit," Dracula replied.

"Yeah, well she can end you, too!"

Dracula stopped smiling. "Unlike Nightmare Moon and Cherrylee, however, The Mare did not create me. I have been around for centuries, silently awaiting the day when she would summon me again, so that I may spread my gift to the world."

"Equestria doesn't need your stupid 'gift!'"

"Equestria simply doesn't realize how wonderful it is, that's all. I have a way of... convincing it otherwise." Dracula waved a hoof to the side of him, making Rarity and the other two bat-mares retreat to the crowd behind them.

"What are you going to do with Applejack?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh, the farmer? She has already received my present. She'll soon perish, and then she'll come back. Except then, she'll be perfect. Like her friend Rarity here. Isn't that right, my bride?"

"Yes, my love," Rarity replied from the front of the crowd.

"You!... You... you're not a pony!" Scootaloo pointed a hoof at Dracula. "Nopony would do this to another!"

"Oh?" Dracula grinned again. "And what might I be, then, little Scootaloo?"

"You're a monster!"

"A monster, you say? Well, you know what heroes do with monsters, don't you?"

"Yeah. They slay them! I may have felt bad for Nightmare Moon, and maybe even Cherrylee a little bit! But you... you're different. I feel... like I hate you."

"Well, your hatred of me will subside once you become one of us. I can make that happen, you know. Think about it, Scootaloo: you'll have a beautiful set of wings, able to fly wherever you will. You'll live forever, too, even outside of this world that holds your life force together."

"I'll never become one of you!"

"Heh heh heh... that's exactly what Rarity said before her rebirth. It was a marvelous sight to behold. And once The Mare is in control of all of Equestria, I'll be able to make your entire world see our perfection!" he bellowed with laughter.

Scootaloo was fuming. This horrible creature had stolen her best friends' sisters and turned one into a vampire, and was threatening to do it to her entire world! This has to end! she thought. But how can I beat him? I need something... I need help! Please... somepony, anypony! Help me beat this guy!

Dracula finished laughing. "Now then, it's time that you submit. You have nothing that can hurt me, let alone finish me off. Vampires are rather sturdy, you see. Now let's make this simple. Just stand still, and I promise it won't hurt for long..." He started towards her, fangs bared.

"No... don't let this be the end!" Scootaloo whimpered and tried to back away, but some bat-ponies flew over and guarded the door to make sure she didn't escape. "I didn't really think this through, did I?" she gulped.

"Just one bite, and it's all over, little one." He was almost to her.

Nowhere to run... nowhere to hide... it looks like I'm done. I'm so sorry, everypony, I tried my best. I guess I'm just not cut out for this... Scootaloo slumped down and sat on the floor. Her body had been exhausted from everything she had been through, and she just began to notice how much. Her knees were weak, her mouth was dry, and she hadn't eaten anything since she'd gotten here. She was just so focused on defeating The Mare that she hadn't paid much attention to anything else.

"There you go. See, surrendering wasn't so hard, was it?" Dracula was very close now. Another few steps and it would all be over...

If only I had something to fight him with. This is so unfair! Scootaloo thought. These jerks get all of the powers in the world, and I'm stuck with nothing! So lame...

"Unfair?" somepony who sounded close said. Scootaloo looked around for the source of the voice. It sounded very familiar. "Then all you need... is something to even the odds!"

A flash of light surrounded Scootaloo, making Dracula hide his face behind his cape and back up a ways. "What?! What is the meaning of this!?"

Scootaloo suddenly felt something touch her hooves. Instinctively, she grabbed onto it. It felt like... it felt like her scooter! But how?

"You forgot something within my realm, Scootaloo. Perhaps it will make your fight easier?" the voice said.

"Nightmare Moon! But how? You're alive?" Scootaloo asked, looking around for the mare of the night, but not seeing her anywhere.

Nightmare Moon laughed a little. "I was never truly alive to begin with, my little orange friend. But my unit carries within it the essence of my being. The Mare split some of her power into six pieces and gave it to your opponents. That is why they are necessary to open her fortress."

"I see..." Scootaloo said.

"My time is short, I don't have much power left in me. But please, take the rest of it. It will ease at least some of your weariness."

"Don't go!" Scootaloo tightened her grip on the scooter.

"I'm afraid I must... Now show him what you're made of! Like you showed me the error of this existence. Goodbye... my friend." Nightmare Moon's voice faded away.

"I will... I promise you that." Scootaloo agreed. As she said that, the light surrounding her faded as well, leaving her back where she was, except this time, she had her scooter with her. Her body also felt loads better. Whatever Nightmare Moon did, it worked!

"Equip up!" an overly enthusiastic voice rang out. "Scooter-shooter obtained!" The bat-ponies in the crowd gasped. Dracula scowled.

Scootaloo, already mounted on her scooter, saw that there were two buttons now attached to it, as well as two tubes on the front. She pressed one of the buttons, causing a single, spherical bolt of light to come out of the corresponding tube, whizzing past Dracula at high speeds and hitting one of the vampire ponies behind him. The pony in question promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke, making all of the other vampires shuffle around nervously, some even retreating to higher ground before they could get smoked as well.

"Sweet! And now that we're on even ground..." Scootaloo began, looking up at the startled face of Dracula and smiling.

"How did you...!?"

"Die monster! You'll never take over my world!" Scootaloo pressed both of the buttons, causing bolts of light to shoot from her scooter. Dracula barely managed to get out of the way in time. The bolts hit the wall near the stairs, making no visible marks.

"It shall not be by my hoof that your world shall be torn asunder!" Dracula retorted. "The Mare will do that, and for that purpose, I shall stop you!"

"Stop me!? All you've done is steal my best friends' sisters' souls and make Rarity your slave!"

"Perhaps the same could be said of you, you foal! What do you think those units are made of? You've stolen the essences of Cherrylee and Nightmare Moon! You're no better than a thief!"

"Your words are as empty as your soul! I earned these units fair and square! Equestria ill needs a pony such as you!"

"What is a pony!?" Dracula yelled. "Just a miserable little pile of friendship! But I've had enough of this talk. Have at you!" With that, Dracula took off of the ground and soared toward the crowd of bat-ponies near the stairs.

"What!? You don't even have wings! Cheater!" Scootaloo shouted after him.

Dracula landed on the top of the staircase. "Run, my maidens! I don't want to lose more of you to that accursed scooter!" The bat-ponies looked at each other and decided that that was good advice. All of them, including Rarity, who had apparently sprouted bat-wings as well, flew away through different passages and windows, leaving only Scootaloo and Dracula alone in the grand room.

"How dare you!" Dracula shouted at Scootaloo, his eyes glowing a bright red. "You'll pay for harming my brethren!" He reared up on his hind legs and forcefully pointed a hoof in Scootaloo's direction. Scootaloo saw a glow, and then saw two white orbs flying towards her in a spiraling pattern. Scootaloo flapped her wings hard and managed to dodge them, but saw that there were more headed her way as she made it through the room towards the staircase. Dracula was firing orb after orb, barely missing Scootaloo each time. But they were getting closer to hitting with each volley.

"AND he can use magic! What kind of crazy stuff is this!?" Scootaloo scooted under the stairway, where the orbs couldn't reach her. "Alright, batty, let's see you come down here..."

"You cannot hide!" she heard Dracula say above her. "This is my castle! I know every nook and cranny!"

"Come down here and say that!" Scootaloo shouted back.

"Coward! Hide under the stairs, will you? Well, I know a way to make you come out!" Scootaloo looked up and saw that the chandeliers above were now glowing a fiery red. The candles on them burned brightly, with flames so tall that they almost touched the ceiling.

"Neat trick!" Scootaloo said. "Next thing you know, you'll turn my hair green!"

Dracula cackled. "You know nothing of my magic, foal!" The flames suddenly leaped off of the candles that supported them and made their way to the ground.

"Oh." Scootaloo realized that she should probably get moving. The flames touched the ground and instantly set the floor ablaze. Scootaloo, lacking anywhere else to go, double-jumped up onto the stairway, managing to hop over the railing. She watched the floor below her burn as she turned around and saw Dracula standing at the top. She angled her scooter and shot at him. He nimbly jumped away before the orbs collided with him. He retaliated by swirling his cape around as a wave of giant cherries bounded towards Scootaloo. "Woah woah woah!" Scootaloo dodged, ducked, dipped, and dove through the cherries as they flew over her head, fortunately never making direct contact with her. As they were consumed in the flames, Scootaloo heard popping and sizzling sounds.

"To think I went out of my way to make sure you could travel safely to my abode. It took a fortnight to disarm the trees alone!" Dracula said.

"So that's why I didn't run into trouble until I got here!" Scootaloo said. "Well, you missed one! That bridge was in the worst shape! And I hit my head on some invisible thing!"

"That's why I sent out some scouts to make sure every pony in sight made it here safely. Wouldn't want you to die before I had the chance to kill you myself! You should be honored!" Dracula shot a spear of flame from his hooves. Scootaloo managed to avoid the brunt of it, but her tail was singed.

"Geez! Watch where you aim that!" Scootaloo pressed the buttons on her scooter and shot another round of orbs at him. Dracula tried to dodge out of the way, but two of the orbs punctured his cape as he retreated. The fabric that got hit by the orbs disintegrated, leaving the cape tattered and worn-looking.

"You've got quite the weapon there, I'll admit..." he said, "But my centuries of experience will prove it for naught!" He waved his hooves and a cloud of smoke enveloped him. Scootaloo squinted to see him, and fired off some shots into the fog. A figure emerged from the cloud and quickly dodged the orbs. He didn't look like a pony anymore...

"Hey! Where did you go?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'm still here, mortal! I've just changed a bit!" As the smoke cleared, Scootaloo could see the vicious form of what appeared to be a timberwolf, baring its teeth at her and growling.

"What's up with you? You're an earth pony! You shouldn't be able to fly or use magic!" Scootaloo said.

"If there's anything you should take away from this fight," Dracula growled, "it's that things aren't always as simple as they may seem. I may have been born an earth pony, but that doesn't mean anything against arcane might!" He roared and charged towards the pegasus, fangs dripping and eyes glowing green.

"Oh no you don't!" Scootaloo fired at him from her place on the staircase. It was a little hard to aim while at this angle. She noted that she should move when she had the chance. Dracula swiftly moved to the side and went to strike at her with a claw. Scootaloo quickly repositioned her scooter and shot furiously. Timberwolf-Dracula whimpered and fell back. Yes! Finally, one connected!

Dracula pounced back up to the top of the stairs as another mist surrounded his body. "I see the direct approach is probably not the best way to defeat you. That scooter has too much firepower. It's been so long since I've felt true pain. Very well, then..." Scootaloo took the opportunity to double-jump her way up the stairs and scoot over to the side so that she could move more freely.

Dracula had assumed his equine form once more.

"Yeah, yeah, I've seen that already. Can't you do anything cooler? Like, a backflip or something?" Scootaloo said in her best sarcastic tone.

"Grrr... you want a trick? How about this!" Dracula swirled what was left of his cape, but what appeared was not cherries this time. Instead, a pale spherical thing emerged and was flying straight towards Scootaloo. It also happened to be on fire.

"Is that the moon!?" Scootaloo shouted as she did her best to scoot away. Thankfully, the extra space allowed her to dodge into a corner, avoiding getting crushed against the wall by the immolated celestial body. Her scooter also appeared to be slightly faster than it had been earlier. As the moon struck the wall, it turned to dust, leaving the wall completely unharmed. Scootaloo had a feeling that wouldn't happen with her. "Dude! That is so unfair! Nightmare Moon really got cheated in the powers department, didn't she?"

"Nightmare Moon's power came from The Mare, and on top of that, she didn't use it properly" Dracula stated. "I have achieved this level of strength by my own efforts! And I know how to utilize it!" He fired another flaming moon at Scootaloo, who double-jumped over it with the small aid of her wings. While descending, she shot some rounds at the vampire, who was in the middle of casting another spell, and was struck dead-on with the orbs. He shrieked in pain.

"Gotcha!" Scootaloo shouted, touching down and hoof-pumping the air. "Ready to give up yet?" She had noticed that he didn't simply poof after getting hit. Looks like this was going to take a little longer than she thought.

Dracula groaned, but stood strong again. "Not by a long shot, you arrogant filly!" Another mist surrounded him. Scootaloo didn't waste any time firing into this one. She heard him howl in agony as the orbs hit him. As the smoke cleared, two gigantic wings unfurled and a giant bat swooped up into the air and headed for the ceiling.

"Was wondering when somepony around here would finally turn into a bat!" Scootaloo shouted after him, firing shots from her scooter. Dracula, in his new bat form, dodged out of the way effortlessly and took a position on top of one of the chandeliers. He then beat his wings furiously, causing a giant wind to blow around Scootaloo. The filly could feel the intense heat of the flames below being pushed up towards her. She scooted to the back of the room to escape the burning sensation.

"I know something that will make you hold still!" Dracula screeched from his perch. A dark mist formed as he wrapped his wings around himself. When he separated them again, what appeared to be a flock of chickens erupted from the mist. When Scootaloo looked closer, however, she realized that they were only partially chickens. Below their heads were the bodies of serpents. They squawked angrily as they flew directly towards Scootaloo.

"Cockatrices!" Scootaloo began shooting at them wildly. Many of them were too slow, and got hit by the orbs of light, promptly bursting into smoke. A couple got through the storm of bullets however, and managed to scratch Scootaloo on her right foreleg with their talons. Scootaloo winced, turned the scooter and fired at them, causing them to dissipate. Scootaloo inspected her wound, and found that her foreleg had suddenly become much heavier and grey. It had turned to stone! "Oh horseapples!" Scootaloo said.

Dracula grinned. "Perhaps now you won't be so eager to brag before the fight is over!" He leapt from the chandelier and flew across the room, screeching. Scootaloo could barely even lift her foreleg now, let alone use it to press the button on her scooter to fire. At least it hadn't killed her...

"I only brag because I know I'll win!" Scootaloo replied. She used her left foreleg to shoot as fast as she could. Dracula easily dodged all of her shots, since now they could only come from one side. He swooped down, his fangs ready to pierce her. Just as he was about to hit, she dropped her scooter to the ground and laid flat. Dracula's teeth missing by mere inches, he had to correct himself to avoid hitting the wall at the back of the room. Scootaloo got up again and fired some shots at him while he still had his back to her. The orbs hit, causing Dracula to shriek again and fall to the ground, where he was once again enveloped by mist.

"It seems I must teach you proper respect..." he said, becoming a pony once again, "...for your superiors!" He swirled his cloak once more, and a single giant cherry appeared from it. The cherry hovered in the air for a moment in front of Dracula. He made a throwing gesture, and it suddenly made its way towards Scootaloo, bursting into flame. It only being one cherry, she easily dodged to the side and let it pass.

"Seriously?" Scootaloo said. "I think I'm past the point where a single one of those is going to off me."

"Oh really?" Dracula said, crossing his hooves and smirking. "We'll just see about that."

"Hm?" Scootaloo followed his eyes and realized he wasn't looking directly at her, but behind her. She immediately turned her head around to find that the cherry had changed its course and was once again heading for her. She stumbled as she jumped out of the way, causing her to fall off her scooter, her stone hoof landing with a harder thud than the rest of her body. She got up as quickly as she could and remounted her trusty scooter, just soon enough to dodge another pass of the flaming projectile.

"You can't get away from it forever!" Dracula said. "Sooner or later, you're bound to slip up, and when that happens, it's back to the start for you!"

"Never!" Scootaloo shouted, jumping over the cherry as it blew past her. She had to think of something. What he said was true; she couldn't just keep running away from it. Then she had an idea. Maybe she could pull a repeat performance? She quickly scooted towards Dracula, watching as the cherry followed her every move.

"What are you doing?" Dracula asked, seeming slightly shocked at her strategy. He took a step backwards.

"Hope you're not allergic to cherries!" Scootaloo double-jumped over Dracula, landing on the other side of him, with the cherry closing in.

"No!" Dracula shouted. "I can't possibly dodge it, I'm done for! Oh Scootaloo, you tricked me! How courageous and clever you are!"

"Yeah, I know, right?" Scootaloo said, blushing.

"Just kidding." Dracula stopped the cherry in the air with his magic before it hit him. He then whirled around and shot it towards Scootaloo, who noticed that there was now another cherry coming for her as well. "I told you that I'm not as foolish as that silly Cherrylee. That trick won't work on me!"

"Ponyfeathers!" Scootaloo cried as she barely scooted away from the cherries, still hot on her tail. The deadly fruit chased her around the room, bolting every which way that she did, never even giving her a chance to stop. Dracula stood in the middle of it all, admiring the situation that Scootaloo was in.

"Run run run, as fast as you can! You can't escape!"

He's right! There's nowhere to go! I'll just keep scooting until one of them hits me! I've got to do something... Scootaloo thought. Argh, if only my right foreleg wasn't made of stone, maybe I could move around a little faster... hmmm. Hey! That's not a bad idea! Scootaloo's eyes lit up (metaphorically). She suddenly made a quick scoot towards Dracula again.

"This trick, eh?" he said. "Well, if you insist on making things even harder for yourself, I can whip up another cherry for you! I can do this all night!" He began conjuring the cherry with his hoof. Scootaloo kept up her charge and leapt up into the air. "Say goodnight you stupid foal!" he prepared to toss the cherry at her after she would leap over him. But this time, she did not double-jump over him. Instead, she kept going, straight towards him. "What?!" Dracula's eyes widened.

"Goodnight you stupid foal!" Scootaloo mimicked him, and using her entire body, managed to swing her petrified hoof at Dracula, slamming him in the face and knocking him to the ground. Scootaloo then landed on the other side of him and desperately shot as many bolts of light as she could from her scooter at his downed body.

"AAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH!" Dracula's cries echoed through the hall as the hail of bolts hit him. The cherries that had been chasing Scootaloo disappeared suddenly.

"Did I do it!?" she gasped, panting as she leaned against her scooter. She was getting tired again.

Dracula got up, but this time, he was shrouded in blood-red mist, his eyes glowing crimson with anger. He roared "No simple pony shall defeat me like this! Especially not one as foolhardy as you!" He started spinning rapidly in the air as he ascended towards the ceiling. "Now it's time to end this! Behold my true form... and DESPAIR!"

"Aw buck." Scootaloo said. She watched as Dracula spun faster and faster, obscured by the red fog. Lightning struck outside. One window broke with the force of the strengthening wind, scattering glass everywhere, and sending rain into the hall, quenching some of the flames on the floor below. Thunder boomed overhead, and then there was a sudden, muffled pop sound. Scootaloo looked up in dread, wondering what the true form of something so terrible could possibly be.

Plop

Her eyes widened as a red object dropped to the ground in front of her. The gale outside stopped, the storm seemed to subside. She blinked. Then she burst out laughing.

"You've... haha... gotta be... pffffteheha! Kidding me!" Scootaloo couldn't control her laughter. Before her sat a tiny, plump, juicy-looking sausage, no bigger than her hoof. "Heheh, lemme guess," she said. "It's a blood sausage! Ahahahahahaha! If you wanted to kill me by laughter, Dracula, man you are going about it the right way!" The sausage didn't move from its position. "Alright, alright, joke time's over. Come at me, bro." The meat stick remained stationary.

...

"Seriously?"

...

"..."

...

"Weeeeeell, okay then!" Scootaloo carefully aimed her scooter downwards and took a shot at the sausage. It instantly exploded, shooting blood and meat everywhere. Some of it splattered against Scootaloo harmlessly. Still kinda gross though. In the midst of all the carnage that was once the terrible monster Dracula, stood her prize: a wonderfully round, red sphere, glistening in the moonlight and shining of its own accord as well. Scootaloo picked it up and did her best to rub all the muck off of it.

It suddenly let loose a cry. "K.O.! Flawless Victory!" and fused with her hoof, as the others had done before it. Her other hoof had also become normal again. She stretched it and jumped around happily.

"Yes! I beat Draculaaa, I beat Draculaaa! Whoohoo!" She took her scooter for a victory lap around the room, and then suddenly realized how ridiculously tired she was. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep on the grand room's floor, snoring loudly.

- - -

When Scootaloo came to, she heard voices all around her. She felt a lot warmer than before. She opened her eyes a little, and got blasted with a bright light.

"Is that... the sun?" she asked nopony in particular. It seemed that the morning sun had vanquished the horrible night.

"Hey! She's awake!" someone said nearby.

"At last! Our savior is awake! Everypony, come on! The Filly has awakened!"

"There're those words again... 'The Filly.' What does that mean, exactly?" Scootaloo mumbled sleepily. She heard shuffling around her, and opened her eyes, shielding them from the sun with her hoof. She saw that all of the vampire ponies had gathered around her, and that she had been place into a really, really comfy bed. "Woah! Please don't kill me!" she cried, sitting up with a jolt.

The bat-ponies laughed. "What?" one of them said. "We're not going to kill you, silly! We want to thank you!"

"Bwuh?"

Drace approached her, smiling brightly. "We want to thank you for breaking the Count's curse on us. We really owe you one! No, make that two! You're our hero!"

"You were all under a curse, huh?" Scootaloo rubbed her eyes. "And it's over now?" Drace nodded. "Phew, that's a relief." She flopped onto the bed again. Then she sat back up again with a start. "What about Applejack and Rarity? Are they alright?"

"Yes, they're perfectly fine," said Drace. "Rarity has come to her senses, and Applejack is in fine condition, too."

"Thank Celestia. Where are they?"

Drace turned around and said something to the other bat-ponies. Two of them flew off down the hall. After a time, they returned with the two mares with them. Rarity was significantly dressed down, now, and had smears over her eyes, presumably from some eye-liner. She seemed to have been crying. Scootaloo noticed that she still had bat-pony wings, but she certainly didn't have the whole "mind-controlled" look to her. Applejack, in turn, also had wings, but looked a little better all things considered. She even had her hat on her head and everything.

When they approached the bed, Applejack was the first to speak: "Howdy, Scoots! You did a mighty fine job of gettin' rid of that vampire problem, didn't ya?" she tipped her hat to the filly.

"Heh, yeah, you could say that, I guess. I can't believe I actually won..." Scootaloo replied, smiling.

"I can't either..." Rarity spoke up.

"What, you sayin' you didn't want her to win?" Applejack shot a glance at the pearl unicorn.

"I'm not implying that at all!" Rarity responded, looking affronted. "I'm just saying he was so powerful... and handsome... and tantalizing... how in Equestria did you manage it, Scootaloo?"

"I... really have no idea, but it's over now, so let's just leave it at that, 'kay?"

"Sounds good to me!" Applejack said.

"So, guys... um, what's with the wings?" Scootaloo asked.

Rarity and Applejack both looked at their wings and shrugged. "I suppose it's a side effect of becoming a vampire?" Rarity suggested. "That means we're still..."

"Um... yeah," Drace spoke up. "The first thing Dracula did was bite you two, so you're in with us for the time being. Sorry..."

"Aw, shoot. I figured..." Applejack grumbled. "And here I was, ready to take the fight to this 'The Mare' character..."

"Well, it wouldn't be a problem if Dracula were still here, ironically..." Drace began, "But since he's been offed, we'll have to fend for ourselves. Since the traps are cleared from this area, we should be alright to stay in the castle, but we still need to feed..."

"And vampires feed on blood, don't they?" Rarity's eyes widened, her complexion becoming somehow more pale than it normally was.

"Yup. Afraid so." Drace answered her. "And the only pony with viable blood around here is..."

"...Me..." Scootaloo said. Drace nodded.

"Well, I ain't doin' it, no way, no how!" Applejack announced. "I'd rather starve than do that to her!"

"Everypony here shares your opinion," Drace said. "None of us want to feed off of Scootaloo. After all, she's the one who saved us in the first place. That would be horribly wrong..."

"Hmm... say," Scootaloo spoke up. "Do you have to drink it from the neck for it to work?"

"I... don't think so," said Drace. "Why?"

"Do you have any barrels?" Scootaloo asked. The crowd of ponies in front of her looked at each other in confusion.

Some time later

GAME OVER
PRESS 'R' TO TRY AGAIN

Scootaloo pressed the button. She ended up outside the giant wooden door to the building and went inside again.

GAME OVER
PRESS 'R' TO TRY AGAIN

Once she returned, she asked "How much longer do you think this'll take?"

"Let's see..." Drace said, looking at a clipboard that she had been scribbling on. "At this rate, only two more and we'll have enough for everypony for quite some time! Keep it up! You're doing great, Scootaloo!"

"Awesome!" Scootaloo entered the hall once more, and saw another empty barrel waiting for her. She hopped in, saw the familiar deadly fruit at the bottom, and collided with it. She exploded, filling the barrel with blood.

GAME OVER
PRESS 'R' TO TRY AGAIN

She appeared outside and went over to Drace for a hoof-bump. Then she went back inside once more. Hopping inside the last barrel, she did a little cannonball like she was jumping into a swimming pool.

GAME OVER
PRESS 'R' TO TRY AGAIN

She pressed the 'R' button one more time, and came back to see the crowd of vampire ponies waiting for her and cheering.

"I don't know how to thank you enough, Scootaloo," Drace said.

"Aw, it's nothin' really." Scootaloo said. "I feel like that would have happened a lot more if the traps hadn't been disarmed."

"Probably." Drace answered. They had a good, hearty laugh with each other.

"You know," Scootaloo said, "you guys are pretty awesome when you're not under some stupid curse."

"Thanks. You're just awesome in general, you silly filly."

Applejack and Rarity trotted up. "That's purty generous of ya, Scoots," Applejack said, looking at the collection of bloody barrels that were lining the wall nearest them. "I know I couldn't go through with all those explosions..."

"Well, that's why I'm on this journey. Nopony else can come back..." Scootaloo replied. "Speaking of which," she said, "Drace, do you know where I need to go next? I got here through trap doors, but I haven't seen one. Are there any around here?"

Drace thought about it for a while. She shook her head. "No, I haven't been told of any trap doors that lead to the next area in the castle. Although... there is that one room..."

"Oh?"

"Well, mast... um, Dracula, I mean, called it the 'Room of Divine Transportation.' Could that be the thing you're looking for?"

"Well, it sounds better than nothing. Let's go!"

Drace led Scootaloo to a rather square door. Lo and behold, a label that hung above the doorframe read "The Room of Divine Transportation."

"Looks like the right place," Scootaloo said. She pushed the door open to reveal a fairly small room with three lights hanging from its ceiling. In the floor beneath them, there were holes, one for each light. Next to three of the holes were plaques depicting the familiar faces of Cherrylee, Nightmare Moon, and Dracula. The other lights, of which there were also three, were turned off, with no portrait beside them, and no hole leading downward.

"As far as I can tell, you just jump into one of those holes, and it takes you back to the area in which you defeated those portrayed in the picture." Drace explained.

"Convenient!" Scootaloo said.

"Indeed."

"Well, I want to say goodbye to everypony first. Then I'll be off. Sound good?"

"...Yeah." Drace said, ears drooping.

"I'll miss you, too." Scootaloo said, winking and putting a hoof around her new friend. That made Drace smile again.

After gathering everypony around the Room of Divine Transportation, Scootaloo said her goodbyes.

"Y'all come back safely, ya hear?" Applejack said, hugging Scootaloo. "I don't wanna go home an' tell Applebloom that her best friend went off and isn't comin' back, you got it?"

"Oh, don't worry, Applejack," Scootaloo said proudly. "I'm gonna be The Mare! One hundred-percent guaranteed!" she beat her hoof on her chest as she spoke.

"Go get 'em, Scoots! We're rootin' for ya!"

"Yes, please come back safely," Rarity chimed in. "I don't want to imagine the look on Sweetie Belle's face if you don't return! And it would be simply dreadful if you weren't around to... 'play' in my boutique." Rarity's eyes shifted as she said the last words, but Scootaloo felt she meant it anyway. "Also... I'm so sorry about the way I acted. I wasn't myself, it seems. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course, Rarity!" Scootaloo replied. "It wasn't your fault you turned into a blood-sucking creature of the night!"

Rarity sighed, but smiled.

"Scootaloo." Drace said.

"Yeah, Drace?"

"I don't know for sure... but I believe that if you defeat The Mare, you'll have the power needed to free us completely from... our condition. That would be... really nice?" Drace smiled weakly.

"I'll make sure it's the first thing I do as The Mare!" Scootaloo assured her.

"Thank you so much..." Drace looked like she was about to cry.

Scootaloo patted her friend on the back and went off towards the Room of Divine Transportation, or RDT for short, scooter and everything else in tow. "Well, everypony," she said, "I'm off to defeat the next monster lined up for me! Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" the crowd said in unison, hooves waving in the air, some ponies flying up and cheering.

And with that, Scootaloo decided that the best course of action would be to return to the start, where she had defeated Cherrylee. She couldn't explain it, but she felt that that particular area held more than what it seemed to.

"Take care!" she said, waved, and hopped down into the darkness below.

"Take care, you brave filly..." Drace said as she watched her friend drop down. "And good luck... you'll need it..."

Author's Note:

Why yes, I did come up with this name before the episode aired :p Though I'm sure many, many others have thought of and possibly used it before, there truly was no better title I could think of. I'm keeping it, it's an awesome pun!

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