Scootaloo, unable to bear the shame of being a flightless pegasus, is offered a dark magic to cure her wings.
Scootaloo has always been a little bullied about her flightlessness, but recently it's gotten worse. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tease her relentlessly, and even though Sweetie Bell and Applebloom help, the bullies' insults cut deep. One day, while in the pit of despair, Scootaloo is offered the solution to her problem: wings. But what will this shadowy gift cost her?
Scootaloo had been bullied that day at school. And the day before. And the day before. It seemed that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon never ran out of insults to hurl at her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were always objects of their "blank flank" jokes, but recently they had honed in on Scootaloo. They teased her about that thing that had haunted her ever sense she was a little filly: her inability to fly. They called her things like "Chicken Wing" and "Dodo". When Sweetie Bell and Applebloom were around, they would help fight off the bullies and make her feel better. But, more often than not, it was just Scootaloo against them, two-on-one.
"It isn't really fair, is it?" asked Diamond Tiara the first time this had happened. "Two of us and one of you?"
"No, DT, she's a pegasus, so she has an advantage over us earth ponies," Silver Spoon had sneered. "She could just fly away before anything happened."
"Yeah, Scootaloo, why don't you just fly away?" Diamond Tiara questioned. "Oh, that's right. You can't."
Scootaloo ran home that day and cried for an hour.
She couldn't believe the audacity they had to tease about a pony's disability. Really, how much lower can you get? Then again, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were never known for their moral standards. But even the lowest of blows hurt. And for Scootaloo, this was a particularly painful point. When she was a very little filly, practically a baby, she watched as her friends one by one lost their short, downy wings and grew in their place longer, sturdier flight feathers. Scootaloo had waited in anticipation, but her day to grow new wings had never come.
Scootaloo was currently standing on the CMC Clubhouse's balcony, looking at her wings while she thought about this. They were still those short baby wings, with feathers that were defiantly not for flying. She sighed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fly. She would flap as fast as she could, but there simply wasn't enough surface area for any lift. This buzzing of her wings did make a nice motor for her scooter, but zooming around at high speeds just wasn't the same. It wasn't flight.
"What is the point of being a pegasus if you can't fly?" Diamond Tiara had taunted at school that day. The question had lingered like a black shadow in her mind all day. Scootaloo didn't know the answer, which burned her up. She had thought and thought, seeking an answer, but she just became more discouraged. Well, pegasi could move clouds, right? You can still do that! she told herself. No, if you can't reach the clouds it doesn't make a difference. Scootaloo was driving herself deeper into despair.
Suddenly, a voice with a country twang interrupted her thoughts. "Heya, Scootaloo! Howya doin'?" Applebloom and Sweetie Bell walked up to the clubhouse. Scootaloo didn't respond. She didn't want to talk, even to her friends. "Scootaloo? Scootaloo! Sweetie Bell and I thought we'd come an' do some cutie mark crusadin'!" Scootaloo remained silent, and she turned away from them.
Sweetie Bell must have guessed how she was feeling, because she said in a squeaky voice, "Aww, Scootaloo! were those mean bullies after you again?" Scootaloo choked back a sob. Sweetie Bell had guessed right away what was wrong. But Scootaloo couldn't let her friends see her become a crying mess, so she held back her tears and turned around to face them.
"Naw, nothing gets to Scootaloo!" she lied. "I just... didn't hear you, that's all."
"Well, if there ain't nothin' wrong, wanna get to earnin' our cutie marks?" Applebloom asked cheerfully.
"No, uh...." Scootaloo frantically searched her mind for an excuse. "Well, uh... Oh! I mean, oh yeah! Rainbow Dash wanted to show me a new trick! It'll take all afternoon, because it' really elaborate." She was pleased with her story but hoped it would hold up under her friends.
"Wow, Scootaloo! Why didn't you tell us earlier!" Sweetie Bell's voice cracked. "We can come see it too! We might earn a cutie mark in... in..."
"Flight critiquein'!" Applebloom finished the sentence. "Yes! Well be professional flight critics!"
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle grinned at each other at the thought of earning their cutie marks.
"Woah! Woah! Slow down!" Scootaloo said. Somehow, she had to get them to leave her alone. "Uh, you can't come! I mean, uh, it's a pegasus-only event."
"How in tarnation can somethin' be a "pegasus-only event"?" asked Applebloom, suspicious.
"Yeah, what do you mean?" asked Sweetie Bell.
No! Scootaloo hadn't thought that far ahead! Fortunately, she was quick on her hooves. "Uh, it's in the sky! High in the sky. I'll sit on a cloud while Rainbow Dash does her trick. As you can see, you wouldn't be able to come because you can't fly."
Sweetie Bell looked at Scootaloo. "But, Scootaloo," she said gently, "you can't fly, either."
Scootaloo's friends knew what a sensitive subject this was, and Sweetie Bell was clearly trying to be nice about it, but they had no idea about Scootaloo's internal turmoil. Sweetie's words hit Scootaloo like a punch in the chest. Scootaloo recoiled, and darted into the clubhouse. On her way in, she mumbled something like "she'll carry me," to satisfy her friends. Scootaloo locked the door behind her so they wouldn't see her break down in tears.
Why? Why? she thought. Why did Sweetie have to bring that up now? Why are all these bad things piling up onto me? Why!? Scootaloo continued sobbing. Then the question came back to her.What's the point of being a pegasus if you can't fly? She tried to shake the thought from her head, but it wouldn't go away. It kept nagging at her. What is it, she asked herself over and over, what's the point?
Outside, Applebloom and Sweetie Bell were looking at the spot where Scootaloo had been a moment ago. "Well, what was that all about?" asked Applebloom.
"I don't know. Maybe she's stressed about the project Miss Chirilee assigned today." said Sweetie Bell.
"Prob'ly," said Applebloom. "D'ya think we should help 'er?"
"Nah, I'm sure she'll be fine. She'll see Rainbow Dash later if she needs help. Besides, we've got some Crusading to do!"
"Yes!" cheered Applebloom. They giggled and ran off, unaware of their friend's troubles.
Meanwhile, Scootaloo had cried herself into a fitful sleep.
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In Canterlot castle, Celestia and Luna were having their morning tea. It was a quiet time, but one that the sisters enjoyed, because it was one of the few moments that neither of them had any royal duties. Today, however, Luna appeared troubled. She couldn't stop fidgeting.
Finally, Celestia asked, "Luna, you don't look as relaxed as you usually do. You look like something's on your mind. Tell me, what's wrong?" Luna sighed.
"Remember how I told you before that she is still inside of me?"
"You mean, Nightmare Moon?" said Celestia.
"Yes," said Luna with a shudder. Celestia wondered where this conversation could be going. Wherever it was, it wasn't good. Luna continued, "She doesn't fight for control, not sense the Thousand Years, but I still feel her deep in my mind. Usually, she slumbers. But last night..."
"Oh, Luna," said Celestia. She put her wing around her sister. Luna smiled.
"Thank you." Luna continued her story. "I was dreamwalking, like I do every night. I would occasionally dispel a nightmare or place a pleasant dream. Nothing unusual. But then I walked into a particularly frightful nightmare. It must have been a pegasus who was dreaming, because she was flying through the sky. Suddenly, all the clouds in the sky turned into monsters that attacked the pegasus' wings. They ripped out the flight feathers and left only the downy feathers of a baby pegasus. I couldn't see clearly who the dreamer was, but I did know she was in pain. I was dispelling the nightmare when things got...interesting. That's when Nightmare Moon decided to awaken. I knew why she had stirred, for we are, after all, one and the same, and I knew I needed to stop her. She had seen a weakness in this pegasus, like she had seen the weakness in me. She wanted to tempt her and exploit her. We had a mental struggle, which I won, so she didn't get to the pony. But during the fight, I think I saw a dark cloud, a part of her mane, get away from me and escape into the dream." Luna paused to let Celestia process this. "Sister, I think this whisp of Nightmare Moon's mane is going to cause trouble. As I said before, I couldn't see who the dreamer was, but I do know that she was in Ponyville."
Celestia, who had been listening intently, said, "I will send a letter to Twilight immediately. She will take care of it. In the meantime, you need to get some rest. You seem pretty shaken up from your struggle with Nightmare Moon. I'll take care of your royal duties for you." She smiled at her sister.
"Thank you, sister."
==========================================
Scootaloo sat in the clubhouse, awake. Her sleep had been fitful at best. It had been scattered with nightmares that became worse and worse. She had been standing of a cliff, when she was pushed off. She was falling to her death, unable to fly. Then she would be whisked away to a world where even earth ponies and unicorns were flying. Of course she still could not, and their ridicules were unbearable. Then the dream had changed again. The worst one had been when the cloud monsters pulled out her wings. Scootaloo shuddered remembering it. She would have plummeted had a soothing magic not made the nightmare fade. Her sleep was dreamless after that.
Although, Scootaloo did seem to remember hearing a quiet voice whispering in her ears, "Scootaloo... Scootaloo... I can give you what you want... I can give you wings.... For a price...
Scootaloo sat in the clubhouse. After her fitful sleep she had taken a walk through Sweet Apple Acres. She had been sure to avoid meeting anyone by staying near the back of the property. Scootaloo taken the walk to try to clear her mind, but it hadn't worked. Thoughts still swirled around in her head.
What is the point of being a pegasus if you can't fly? she kept asking herself. She thought about her dreams. They were more like nightmares, really. And afterword... that voice. Scootaloo felt like that had been more real than a dream. Like someone was whispering in her ear while she slept. But who would have come to the clubhouse and talked to her while she was sleeping? That would be creepy. For that matter, why would they say something so weird to her? Scootaloo had no idea.
"Probably just a dream," she told herself. "It's nothing to keep thinking about." But she did keep thinking about it. There was something... something that Scootaloo couldn't quite put her finger on.
She hadn't gotten much rest from her nap, so she curled up on the floor to try to sleep again.
==========================================
"Scootaloo... Scootaloo...."
Shadows swirled around and around, fading in and out of existence. Amidst the emptiness of Scootaloo's dream, there was the voice. It whispered to Scootaloo. There was something enchanting about the voice that made Scootaloo want to forget all her troubles and follow the voice's commands.
"Hello? Who's there?" asked Scootaloo.
"Oh, Scootaloo. I see your struggles." said the voice. "I want to help you."
"Help me? What do you mean?"
"Your problem," whispered the voice, "I can fix it."
"Huh? What problem?" Scootaloo asked. The voice however, remained silent. Scootaloo wondered why it didn't respond. What's up with the silent treatment? she thought. What 'problem' is it talking ab-
The answer hit Scootaloo like a brick wall. Oh. That problem. Scootaloo looked at her underdeveloped wings and hung her head.
"Yes, Scootaloo, I can fix them," said the voice. "You would like that very much, wouldn't you?" Scootaloo nodded vigorously, but then stopped.
"Wait....'fix them'? That's impossible. The doctors said that there was no medicine to make them grow into normal wings, not even magic." She drooped her ears, remembering that she couldn't be helped. She scolded herself silently for ever hoping in the first place that this strange voice could mystically heal her. She needed to accept that she would never be normal. Scootaloo sighed.
"Who said anything about normal wings? You don't want plain old boring wings, now do you Scootaloo?" the voice had a persuasive tone. Truth be told, Scootaloo had wanted regular wings. But now the idea seemed silly after the voice rebuked it.
"Of course I don't want regular wings," said Scootaloo with certainty. But wait... she did want regular wings...didn't she? She wanted to be rid of her flightlessness, at least. Scootaloo's thoughts weren't connecting properly. The voice seemed to make everything run a bit slower in her mind. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Wait...If I don't want regular wings, what do I want?" asked Scootaloo.
The voice seemed to chuckle. "You want something better... Something special for little Scootaloo..."
"Special? Like what?"
"Mmmm...You'll see..."
==========================================
Scootaloo woke with a start. Woah, wierd dream, thought Scootaloo. She remembered the strange voice. Scootaloo yawned and squinted her eyes groggily against the bright light of the clubhouse. Her eyes quickly snapped open when she saw that the floor was nearly ten feet away from her. "Whoa!" she yelled.
"Am I...flying?" Scootaloo hardly dared to believe it. She tried to flap her wings. They felt different somehow. There was a funny feeling in them. Scootaloo blinked the rest of her sleepiness away and craned her neck around to get a look at her wings. She promptly hit her head on the floor.
"Ow!" she exclaimed. "What...? The floor?" What was the floor doing there? She was hovering ten feet in the air. The floor didn't simply move that high. Maybe she had hit her head on the ceiling?
Suddenly Scootaloo realized what was going on. She was lying on her back, still on the floor, and she was looking at the ceiling. The floor wasn't ten feet away from her, it was the roof. Scootaloo sighed. Yet again, her dreams had been crushed. She stood up and shook her mane. Her wings still felt funny, though. "Wait! That voice promised new wings! Maybe..."
Scootaloo heart rate went up. New wings! At last. She could finally be normal. She turned to look at her wings, but hesitated. This could change everything. She wanted to savor the moment. Slowly, she turned her head. Her eyes focused on her wings, and she saw...
Her wings were completely unchanged. "Wh-what?" screamed Scootaloo. No! The voice had promised wings. New, flyable wings. Scootaloo gave her wings a pitiful flap. She winced as pain shot through them, followed by a tingling sensation. Her wings had fallen asleep while she slept on her back. She must have been sleeping on them.
Tears welled up in Scootaloo's eyes. "Not again... Not more crushed hopes..." Scootaloo's sadness washed over her as the familiar feeling of despair overtook her. She couldn't believe she had believed in her stupid dream. It was just a voice from her subconsciousness, whispering false hopes.
"NO!" Scootaloo shrieked. "No! I know that voice was real. It wasn't like any dream I've ever had." That wasn't a figment of her imagination or a phantom. It was real, and Scootaloo knew it. She pulled back her tears. She decided she was going to trust this voice. It had seemed so nice, so soothing, its promises were sure to be kept. Scootaloo steeled herself and stepped outside the clubhouse. It was night.
"Hello? I know you're there." said Scootaloo. "You- you promised me new wings. Special wings. Where are they?" Scootaloo was nearly shouting, but the darkness didn't respond. She tentatively stepped down the ladder and walked a few feet from the clubhouse. "Hello!" she shouted again. "Please come out! You need to fulfill your promise to me!" She paused to listen. Still, nothing. Discouragement creeped from the back of her mind, but she mentally swatted it away. She couldn't stop now. She needed those wings, and that need drove her onward. "I know you're real! So come out already!"
Suddenly, the faint shadows made by the moon started to move. At first, Scootaloo thought it was her imagination. But no, the shadows were definitely moving. They creeped together until they were all in one place, and merged into one pitch-black shadow. The shadow moved in front of Scootaloo.
"Hahaha..." The shadow laughed. It was somewhere between a caring chuckle and a cackle. "Well done Scootaloo... You have recognized my existence." Yes! This was the same voice from Scootaloo's dream. "Not many can find me amidst the shadows of the mind. Most have dismissed me for a mere legend. But you, my special Scootaloo, have done what no other could. You found me. You have proven that you are better than all others, and for that you will be rewarded." Rewarded! Scootaloo liked the sound of that.
"So... Do I get my wings now? The wings you promised?"
"Yes, you will get them. And hopefully you will let me give you so much more..."
The shadow swirled for a second, then leaped into the third dimension and enveloped Scootaloo.
The shadow completely enveloped Scootaloo like a blanket. It was warm, but also cold, like a fire made of icy shadow. The feeling didn't really make sense to Scootaloo. It swirled around her and formed a ball-like shape, so that all Scootaloo could see was the shadow. "This shadow is only a small fraction of my power," whispered the voice, more solid sounding and less echoey, "so it will not overwhelm you with power when we merge." Scootaloo was confused. Merge? What was the voice talking about? All she wanted was wings.
"What do you mean?" asked Scootaloo. "I thought I was getting wings out of this."
"Oh, and you are," said the voice. "But my magic will keep your new wings from disappearing, so my power must be with you always to keep them solid. Do you understand?"
Scootaloo was still very confused. "No...not really."
The voice's tone flared in annoyance. "Your wings will be made of shadow. Without my magic they will simply disappear under the light of day." The voice calmed down and returned to its more soothing tone. "I will be with you, in the back of your mind, at all times. I will protect not only your wings but also you from harm; not even that wretched sunlight will destroy them."
Scootaloo tried to process all this information. There would be a voice living inside of her? Always? Weird. But if it meant wings... There was still one thing that bothered her, though. "Shadow? My wings will be made of shadow? Won't that look...strange?"
"No," the voice scoffed. "If my magic can protect your wings from the sun, it can also make them look like normal wings. Have a little faith in Nightm-" the voice cut off its sentence. "I mean, have a little faith in your dear Miss Moon."
"You can make shadow look like flesh- er, feathers and blood? Cool! And so your name is Miss Moon...I thought you sounded feminine."
"Mmmm...Let's get started then." The shadow pressed closer to Scootaloo and it swirled faster and faster, spiraling until it was just a blur. The air pressure seemed to increase and push against Scootaloo's body. It pressed harder and harder, until she thought it couldn't get any closer. But it just kept pushing and spiraling, harder and harder against her skin. It pressed and pressed, becoming more and more tangible and less like a shadow. The shadow began to create wind currents from its movement, and as it moved faster it created an ever-increasing sound. It condensed itself until it was a swirling, swooshing mass that was a thin coat of shadow surrounding Scootaloo's body. The sound had been getting steadily louder and was now almost unbearable, like the wind of a hurricane. The shadow was now as solid as could be, and far away from the intangible shadow it was a few moments ago.
Suddenly, everything stopped. It was eerily still, and the silence of the night filled Scootaloo's ears in sharp contrast to the loud wooshing she had just heard. She still couldn't see anything but the shadow, though, because it covered every bit of her skin in a tightly-fitting and extremely hard armor-like shape. Scootaloo tried to open her mouth to speak, but found that she couldn't; the 'armor' was too tight for her to move her mouth. Instead, all that came out was a "Mmmmphh!"
As if in response to Scootaloo's protests, the shadow did something very unexpected. It melted into Scootaloo's fur and skin. The hard shadow seemed to melt like ice and push inside Scootaloo, passing through her skin and into her body. The feeling was strange enough, but when the shadow passed through her eyes and ears, Scootaloo screamed. She hadn't meant to, because she trusted Miss Moon, but the shadow blocked out her sight and hearing entirely, and that was on top of all the other strange things happening. It was too much for her to handle. "Shh...," reassured the shadow. "I won't hurt you..." The comfort did nothing, because just then Scootaloo blacked out.
The shadow, now entirely inside of Scootaloo, laughed evilly, "...yet."
==========================================
Scootaloo woke up outside. The sun was shining brightly into her eyes, making her squint. She was collapsed in a rather unflattering pose, with her face in the ground and her rear in the air. She shook her head and spit out a clump of dirt. She sat up normally. What was she doing passed out on the ground again? It must have happened last night when...
Scootaloo remembered the previous night. Despite all the strange things, all she could think to say was, "Well, that happened."
She gasped. Yes, yes! that really happened. Which means... Scootaloo held her breath. She turned her head slowly. Taking each moment in, she flexed her wings. She spread them out fully, and laughed out loud. There they were: real, normal pegasus wings. They had secondary feathers and primary feathers. Flight feathers. There wasn't a speck of down in sight. They weren't too big and they weren't too small. They were just right. They were perfect.
Scootaloo gave them a test flap. They felt much, much stronger than her old wings had. There was definitely more muscle. She grinned. Only one thing to do now...
She raised her wings as high as she could, then pulled down with all the strength she had. Woosh! In a gust of wind, Scootaloo was lifted off the ground. She was propelled into the air about five feet. She marveled at the sight of the ground whooshing away from her. She was so ecstatic that she forgot to flap her wings again. She crashed back down to earth. Scootaloo didn't care, though, because she was laughing joyfully, sprawled out on the ground. "I-I can fly!" she said. She giggled like a little filly does. "I can fly!" she said again. "I CAN FLY!" she yelled with all her might. She giggled as she looked at her wings again. They were so perfect.
"Do you like them?" Scootaloo heard Miss Moon and jumped. She looked around, but saw no shadows that were swirling and moving.
"Where are you?" asked Scootaloo. She still didn't see anything that looked like Miss Moon, though. The only moving shadow was her own. Then it occurred to her. "Hmm...," Scootaloo thought aloud. "Could you be hiding in my shadow?"
She herd Miss Moon's voice again, "No...," she laughed, "but that is clever. I'll have to use that one sometime." The voice was back to being echoey, like it had been in Scootaloo's dream.
"Then, where...?" asked Scootaloo.
"Don't you remember?" she asked with a hint of venom in her voice.
Scootaloo thought back. "Oh yeah... So, you're inside my head? Uh, that's cool I guess."
"There it is." There was a pause. "You still haven't answered my question, Scootaloo."
"Which one was that again?"
"Do you like your wings?"
Scootaloo blinked. She had already forgotten. They felt so natural on her body. She smiled as she remembered. She gave her wings a gentle flap and felt the powerful muscles beneath the feathers.
Twilight Sparkle was awoken by Spike's incredibly loud belch. "Spike! That's disgusting!" Twilight exclaimed. She blinked away her sleep and checked her clock. It was 7:00 am. I should probably be getting up anyway, she thought. She got out of bed and began to brush her mane in the mirror.
"Sorry Twilight, but I can't help it! The Princess sent a letter," replied Spike. He was next to his bed, and he looked like he had beed rudely disrupted in his sleep and rolled out of bed rather violently. "You know that when she sends a letter by 'Spike mail' I just-" Spike's sentence was cut off by another belch, accompanied by a green flame that swirled into a second letter.
"Uh-ha," said Twilight sleepily. She did not enjoy being woken up early. She yawned and continued brushing her hair.
Spike watched her. "Uh, Twilight? Aren't you going to open your letters?"
"Na, not now. I have other things to do." Twilight yawned again and stretched out her legs and wings.
"But, Twilight! They're from the Princess! Don't you think that's important?"
Twilight's eyes snapped open in surprise mid-stretch. "The Princess!" She whirled around to face Spike. "Why didn't you say so earlier!" She trotted over to the letters and picked up the first one with her magic.
Spike looked confused. "Uh, I thought I did..."
Twilight ignored Spike and read the letter:
My faithful student Twilight Sparkle,
I write to you with disturbing news. My sister, Princess Luna, has informed me that a small part of Nightmare Moon escaped into one of Ponyville's residents last night during Luna's dreamwalking. This could cause serious trouble if not discovered and taken care of. Please be on the watch for any strange or dark magic affecting anypony. I have faith that you will be able to overcome this challenge, as you have done many in the past.
Your mentor and teacher,
Princss Celestia
"Nightmare Moon? That doesn't sound good," said Twilight.
"But, Twilight," said Spike. "I thought that you and your friends already defeated Nightmare Moon."
"I did too, Spike," Twilight replied, "but apparently not." She scrunched up her face like she did when she was contemplating something. "Well, now that I think about it, we didn't so much defeat Nightmare Moon as free Princess Luna. Even so, that blast from the Elements of Harmony would have left Nightmare Moon severely weakened. The darkness probably retreated deep into Princess Luna's mind to regain its strength." She paused.
Spike spoke up. "If that's the case than why would she be able to cause trouble now? Isn't she too weak to do any damage?"
"I'm not so sure, Spike. It's been a year since we first defeated her, and perhaps that was enough time to regain some of her strength and find a new host."
"Host? What, is she some kind of parasite? Like Chrysalis?" Spike began to get excited. "Ohmygosh, what if -Twilight, brace yourself for this one- what if Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon are the same pony!" Spike was jumping up and down now. "Yes! I figured it out! All the things that didn't quite make sense at your brother's wedding! This is-"
Twilight cut him off. "Now Spike, don't get too excited about your theory. Nightmare Moon isn't a parasite. Well, not exactly. She is still a part of Princess Luna, but she is almost her own person. They are two sides to the same coin. Although, considering that Luna is in control most of the time, she probably has the bigger side." Twilight stopped to think about what she just said. "Well, I guess there is no bigger side on a coin, but you know what I mean. Nightmare Moon is is the same creature as Luna, but is almost independent. Understand?"
Spike was utterly lost. "No. Not at all." He stared at her with blinking confusion.
Twilight facehoofed. "Nightmare Moon is a part of Luna's soul that is blackened by hate. So they are the same. However, Nightmare Moon's power is strong, so at times she can almost become her own person."
Spike still looked very confused, but he said, "Uh, I kinda get it, I guess? But how can she invade another pony, like the Princess said in her letter?"
"This is where she looks like a parasite. If I had to speculate, I would say that she awakens that pony's internal hate or fears and turns them into a creature similar to herself. After all, she is made of hatred and fear, so it would be fitting to increase her power with more hate." They both were quiet for a moment.
"So Nightmare Moon is looking to increase her power? That can't be good."
"No. It's not. So let's keep a careful eye out for suspicious magic. I don't want to arouse too much suspicion and risk her going into hiding. If she gets confident enough she may give us a giveaway clue and my friends and I can use the Elements to defeat her once again. And hopefully for good."
"Shouldn't you read her other letter, first?" Spike picked up the parchment.
"Oh, right!" Twilight levitated the letter out of Spike's hand towards herself. All it said was:
P.S. - The pony that has Nightmare Moon is a pegasus.
"Well, I guess that narrows it down. We should inform our friends to keep a careful watch as well."
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Scootaloo stood on the balcony of the clubhouse.Here we go, she thought. She stretched out her wings and leaped off the clubhouse. It was a fairly short drop, but it had scared her the first time. After a few tries, though, she enjoyed the feeling of gently gliding down to the ground. Then she would climb up the ladder and jump off again. Each time, she flapped her wings a little more and glided a little farther. She was still a little too nervous to go much higher in a full on flight, but she would never admit that to anyone.
Scootaloo heard a rustling among some nearby brush. "...and then we can tell her about our idea for boating cutie marks!" said Sweetie Bell's voice.
"Ah think she's gonna love that idea!" replied Applebloom. Scootaloo became excited. She could tell her friends all about her new wings, and about Miss Moon who was so kind to give them to her.
"No." Miss Moon said sternly. "You cannot tell them about me. Terrible things might happen if anyone discovered me!"
Scootaloo was a little concerned. "Why? What could happen?"
Miss Moon paused for a moment. Then she spoke in a mush sweeter voice, "I'm just shy, that's all. I'll wait to have your friends know about me."
Just then, Sweetie Bell and Applebloom came out if the bush. "Heya, Scootaloo!" said Applebloom. "We were thinkn' maybe-" She stopped mid sentence and both Sweetie Bell and she stopped walking. They had just seen Scootaloo's wings which were stretched out from her glide.
Their mouths hung open for a second before they both said, "Cooooool!" They both rushed towards her and showered her with questions.
"What happened?"
"Where'dya get those!"
"Did your wings finally grow?"
"Can ya fly now?"
Scootaloo stopped their questions with a raised hoof. "These are my new wings. I got them when-" she stopped. She had been about to mention Miss Moon, who wished to remain unknown. "Uh, they're from, I mean..." Scootaloo couldn't think of another reason. Help me out here, she thought. Scootaloo's friends were giving her funny looks.
"Tell them your wings grew naturally," Miss Moon replied.
Fine. But if this fails, it's your fault. Scootaloo spoke out loud, "They just grew like this last night." Her friends had quizzical looks. It's not working! I told you! I'm just going to tell them the truth.
"No! Repeat after me: It's fine, this is normal.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes but complied. "It's fine, this is normal."
"There's nothing strange going on here at all."
Now that I refuse to say. That is practically telling them you're lying.
"Just say it!"
"There's nothing strange going on here at all." When Scootaloo said this, she thought she heard Miss Moon speaking with her in a layered voice.
Applebloom and Sweetie Bell nodded at the same time and said together in a strangely robotic voice, "Nothing strange at all." They had a blank look in their eyes.
"I think that you'll find that they believe you now," said Miss Moon smugly.
==========================================
Nightmare Moon watched from the back of Scootaloo's mind as she and her friends played and experimented with the new wings. She was careful to shield her rage from Scootaloo's mind, but she was growing tired of waiting. That had been a close call with Scootaloo's friends, and the sooner she executed her plans, the quicker she could stop hiding herself in this pitiful filly's body. She smiled mentally at the thought of leaving this body. Perhaps she would wait until they were in flight, high above the ground... and she would watch as Scootaloo dropped like a rock. Maybe she would call out for 'Miss Moon' to help her as she plummeted to her death. She laughed at the thought.
Scootaloo must have heard her. You okay? You've been quiet for a while.
Nightmare Moon whispered a curse too quietly to be heard. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm simply overjoyed seeing you and your friends having such fun." The lie rolled easily off her tongue in a sweet tone. That is, if she had a tongue. She again thought about how she would soon have a body of her own. Scootaloo smiled and continued to play with her friends as Nightmare Moon brooded over these things.
Soon... Soon not even the Sun will be able to hide her glory from the dark side of the moon!
Sweetie Bell and Applebloom had long since left, and Scootaloo was left alone at the clubhouse once again. She didn't mind this time, though, because she finally felt like she belonged. And for the first time since she had been bullied, her self-esteem was finally back up.
Scootaloo thought about what she should do. Maybe she would go into town and bet something to eat. She was kind of hungry, after all. The more she thought about it, though, the more she thought that would be a bad idea. She would have to explain to everypony about her wings, and she still didn't have a good enough lie. She figured that Miss Moon could cover for her again, but she had been a little creeped out by the way that Sweetie Bell and Applebloom had been...hypnotized. There was no other way to describe it. Scootaloo didn't like the thought of hypnotizing the whole town, it would be wrong somehow. She was grateful for Miss Moon's help, but she would rather not have her do it again.
In the end, Scootaloo decided to just grab some apples from the nearby Sweet Apple Acres. It wasn't stealing, because Applebloom had invited her to do so anytime. She was growing tired of deception, anyway.
She munched the apples as she sat under a tree near the back of the orchard. The sunlight glinted through the tree's branches and fell on the ground in a beautiful way. There was the quiet chirping of birds all around her, and the occasional buzz from an insect as it flew by her ears. The sweet smell of apples filled Scootaloo's nose, and she smiled. Everything in the world seemed right. There were only a few clouds in the sky, but none of them could block out the sun.
Scootaloo looked up at the sky. It was hard to appreciate nature's beauty when she was under a cloud of grief. She smiled at the sight of the clouds. Undoubtedly, Rainbow Dash was napping on one of them, enjoying the sun like Scootaloo was. It always looked so comfortable, napping on a light, fluffy cloud. Scootaloo has only felt a cloud the few times that someone had been nice enough to bring one down from the sky for her to touch. If only she could nap on one like Rainbow Dash... Clouds were extremely soft, after all.
Then she remembered.
She didn't even bother being surprised anymore. She just grinned with a stupidly happy smile as she raised up her wings and pulled them powerfully down, pushing her into the air. She set her sights on the closest cloud, and aimed herself towards it. Still a bit wobbly, her path to the cloud was zig-zagged and full of ups and downs. But when she finally got there, she flopped onto it's nearly intangible surface. It was the softest thing she had ever laid on.
Relaxation filled her muscles as they were pressed into the supple fluffiness. I think I understand why Rainbow Dash likes to nap so much, Scootaloo thought. If I could sleep on clouds, I would sleep all the time, too. She reconsidered what she had just thought. More like 'Now that I can sleep on clouds, I will sleep on them all the time.' She liked her revised thought quite a bit.
The breeze blew gently, and the sun was so warm. And at that moment, Scootaloo was feeling terribly drowsy...
With that, she fell into a peaceful sleep.
==========================================
Scootaloo heard laughter below her. It was the high-pitched giggling of fillies as they played. She yawned and rolled over on her cloud. I wonder if that's Sweetie Bell and Applebloom, she thought. Maybe I could go play with them. She stretched her muscles, which were refreshed from her cloud bed. She looked down to see if she could spot her friends.
Scootaloo gasped. This place wasn't the same as it had been before. She was no longer at Sweet Apple Acres; she was clear on the other side of town. I guess it's not that surprising, she thought to herself, the wind could have carried me anywhere while I was asleep. She examined the new place and discovered that she was at Diamond Tiara's house. The giggling was from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were playing in her yard. Scootaloo scowled. She didn't like hearing her bullies having fun.
She sighed. She had hated them for so long... She looked at her wings. They couldn't really tease her anymore, now that she was healed. Maybe it was time to forget. And to forgive.
"Now really, do you think you should forgive that easily?" Miss Moon suddenly chimed in.
"What?" Scootaloo had been caught off guard, Miss Moon having been quiet for a while. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you really think that they'd do the same for you?"
Scootaloo thought about that. No, they probably wouldn't forgive her that fast. But she did know that it was the right thing to do, and that she didn't want to become just like her enemies. "I'm going to forgive them anyway. Even if I don't tell them I've forgiven them, I'll still do it. I want to be the better pony."
Clap, Clap, Clap. It sounded like Miss Moon was clapping, but how was that even possible? "Well done, Scootaloo. You made the moral decision. Even with negative peer pressure. Congratulations." The slow clap continued. Scootaloo didn't feel very congratulated, though. There was something about the way she said it... Was that sarcasm? "Unfortunately, I don't have time for moral decisions. I take the time to bring you all the way here to your enemies, the only two ponies in the world that you truly hate, and you don't even get the slightest thought of revenge. I suppose I should be impressed. But no, I have plans." Miss Moon paused. Scootalo was becoming awfully confused by everything that was being said. Miss Moon continued. "You need to get angry, Scootaloo. Angrier than you have ever been in your whole, short life. I need you to become one tiny, potent ball of mindless rage that you will do anything to get your justice. Do you hear me? YOU. ARE. ANGRY!"
Having slightly lost her interest in what was being said after she stopped really understanding what Miss Moon was saying, Scootaloo was surprised by a sudden wave of emotion. What had Miss Moon just said? Be angry? That seemed like a perfectly rational decision. She now wanted to hurt those fillies, and she wanted them to pay. The anger filled up her entire body, and left her with no other thoughts. It was the only thing left, the only thing that she wanted out of life. Why had she ever wanted to forgive? Forgiving was for the weak. She remembered every bad thing that had ever been done to her. Every time she had been scared, embarrassed, or mad. Every taunt and tease coming from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. It was painful, but Scootaloo let the pain turn into more anger. The more anger there was, the more hurt she felt, and the more hurt she felt, the angrier she got.
Nightmare Moon chuckled. "That's better. Now, what do you want?" She asked just to be sure.
"Revenge!" yelled Scootaloo.
"I thought you might say that. I can give that revenge to you, if you let me do one thing first...A little magic might make things easier. How about a unicorn horn to go with those wings?"
==========================================
Twilight was out shopping in the marketplace. She always seemed to run out of things so quickly, especially ink and parchment. One can never have too much ink and parchment. "Spike, did you bring the shopping list?" she asked.
"Yeah, Twilight, but I think most of it's still in the library...," he replied. A long trail of parchment snaked behind him off into the distance.
"Well, looks like it's going to be a long day of shopping!" Spike groaned, but Twilight chose to ignore it. "We'll have to stop by the bookstore, the apple stand, Quills and Sofas... Spike, are you even listening?" Indeed, Spike had not been listening. He had fallen asleep on his feet. "Oh, come on Spike. I'm not that boring," she said to herself. "Did I mention that were going to Carousel Boutique?" She yelled the last part in his ear.
Spike immediately jolted awake. "What? Rarity? When? Now?" He looked around wildly. Then he blushed. "I mean... It's always nice to meet an old friend...heh heh."
Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled. So predictable. "Well, we'd better get going! You don't want to miss-"
Just then a huge BOOM echoed across the town.
"What- What was that?!" Spike yelled.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!" said Twilight. She began to run in the direction of the blast, leaving Spike behind.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash flew up to Twilight and sped next to her. "Twilight! Did you hear that? What in Equestria was that?"
"I have no idea what it was, but we have to find out! Do you know where the sound came from?"
"Yeah, I think it came from over there," Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof ahead of them, "towards the outskirts of town."
"What's over there? Anything important?"
"Oh, just some particularly hoity-toity houses."
"Rainbow! That means there are ponies there! Someone could be hurt!"
"Oh, right..."
They quickly approached the edge of town. What could have caused an explosion like that? Twilight thought. She mentally ran through a list. A gas explosion? A bomb? Magic? There weren't many unicorns in Ponyville. It was unlikely to be magic.
When they got to where the explosion happened, they gasped. There was what used to be a huge mansion, except now it was reduced to a pile of burned rubble.
"Oh no! Who's house is this?" Twilight asked frantically.
"I don't know, Twilight." replied Rainbow Dash.
"I know," said a voice. Two little fillies walked out of some nearby bushes. "It's my house." The fillies looked okay, so Twilight was temporarily relived.
"What about your parents? Are they okay?" She racked her mind for a name. "...Diamond Tiara?"
"They're fine," Diamond Tiara said with a sassy tone. "Business trip. But what the heck happened to my house?! That's what I want to know."
"We were kinda hoping you could tell us that," said Rainbow Dash.
"Well, Silver Spoon and I," she gestured to the other filly, "were playing in the yard when.... I don't really know." She looked uncertain. "It looked like something hit the ground and exploded. We ran into the house, but it was no safer there. The house was being bombarded with these... bombs! We escaped out the back without being seen, but by that time my house was already gone." She gave the two adults a glare. "So I ask again: What happened to my house?"
"Umm," Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other. Neither of them knew.
"Did you say bombs? That might be important." Rainbow said.
"Ug, are you stupid?" Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "They weren't real bombs. They were magic bombs."
"Wait, magic?" asked Twilight. "Magic can be traced. Maybe if I just..." Her horn lit up.
"Watchya doin', Twilight?" Dash asked.
"Each unicorn has a unique magic signature. If I can identify this magic, we can catch whoever did this." Her horn flashed. No sooner than Twilight had cast the spell that her eyes widened in a look of shock and horror. "No... This is bad," she said.
"What? What's so bad?"
Twilight looked straight at Rainbow Dash. "This is the darkest magic I've ever felt, except one other time. Rainbow Dash, she's back..." She glanced at the fillies, then pulled Rainbow Dash close and whispered in her ear, "It's Nightmare Moon."
Luna screamed, bolting awake from her sleep. "Tia!" she shouted. Celestia quickly arrived at her room.
"What is wrong, sister?" Celestia asked, frightened by her sister's piercing scream.
Luna turned to her sister, an expression of pure horror across her face.
"She's coming, sister."
==========================================
Twilight Sparkle's horn glowed as she sped through the sky. Rainbow Dash followed close behind.
"Okay, Twilight, I need some answers. You said Nightmare Moon is back, and then just zip off! Where are we going?"
Twilight was concentrating intently on something as her horn lit up with magic. "I'm tracking that dark magic Nightmare Moon left behind; it left a very distinct, dark trail, and we need to follow it before it fades."
Rainbow Dash didn't look satisfied. "Nightmare Moon? Wadda mean? I thought we defeated her."
Twilight took a second to respond, as her attention was mostly taken by her magic. "Well, yes. I mean, no. I mean... it's complicated. Nightmare Moon. Pegasus. Ponyville. Evil. Ok?"
"What?" Rainbow Dash said.
"Just keep up with me!" Twilight yelled as she zoomed ahead, desperate to catch up to the mystery pegasus who had Nightmare Moon inside of her.
==========================================
Celestia's eyes widened. "Sister... you mean that... she... here?"
Luna shuddered and nodded. "I can feel her getting closer every second. She's headed straight for Canterlot." Luna shook her head. "I just couldn't bear it if she returned. She is a vile part of me that I wish I had never begotten."
Celestia put a wing around her sister. "Luna, we must face her. You and I, together. We must protect our people, and defeat this creature of hatred once and for all."
Luna's face turned adamant. "Let us go, sister. Let us go and shine through the darkness of the Nightmare."
==========================================
"There she is!" Twilight shouted. Up ahead, they could see the small outline of a pony flying away from them. "Quickly! We have to catch up to her before she gets away!" Twilight flapped her wings harder, gaining speed until she had strained all she could. "I can't go any faster!" she yelled. "I don't know if we'll make it to her before she gets to..." She looked around, and gasped. "Canterlot! She's headed for Canterlot!"
Rainbow Dash gasped. "What if she destroys the city?" Then she grinned smugly. "Well, we won't let that happen, now will we. Hold on, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash grabbed Twilight and dashed ahead, breaking the sound barrier and performing a sonic rainboom. Twilight held on for dear life.
"Ahh! Rainbow Dash, warn me next time!" The skin on her face felt like it was going to peel off from the air resistance.
"Sorry, Twi, but we're almost caught up to Nightmare Moon! Or rather... Scootaloo?"
As the two approached the distant figure, they could see Scootaloo's distinct purple and orange colors, and the small size of a filly. But behind her, she left a trail of dark shadow as she zoomed through the sky.
"Wait," said Rainbow Dash, "How is Scootaloo flying? And what is that dark stuff?"
"Nightmare Moon, remember?" said Twilight. "She has all kinds of dark magic. Flying by that dark power means that you leave a vile, dark trail behind you."
As they caught up to Scootaloo, they slowed down from their mach pace to match her's. "Scootaloo!" yelled Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo turned her head to glare at them, without slowing down. Twilight and Rainbow Dash gasped. Scootaloo's eyes were pitch black, with blood red irises that were full of hate. Not only that, but she had a long, black unicorn horn that looked like it had pushed through her skull sitting on her forehead. "It's you!" she said with loathing. Her voice was layered, like there were two people talking at once: Scootaloo and Nightmare Moon in sync.
Scootaloo stopped flying and turned to face them. Rainbow Dash and Twilight stopped and hovered, facing her. "What... what happened to you, Scootaloo?" asked Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo cackled.
"Scootaloo? She's hardly even here anymore. She's been so consumed by her hate that the only one really left is...," she grinned, "me."
Twilight had a look of horror on her face. To confirm her worst fears, she asked, "Who are you?"
Scootaloo, or at least, Scootaloo's body, grinned evilly. "Oh, I think you know already, Princess."
Rainbow Dash became angry. "What have you done with Scootaloo, you monster?!"
"Monster? I'm not a monster. I've only kindled the flame of Scootaloo's passionate hatred." She cackled. "And it is delicious!"
Rainbow Dash yelled and rushed Nightmare Moon to tackle her. Nightmare Moon's horn lit up and it's blue-black magic enveloped Rainbow Dash, stopping her mid flight. "Tisk, tisk, Dashie," she said. "Don't you know that your anger only makes me stronger?" Rainbow Dash screamed in frustration, struggling against the magic. As she struggled and kicked, waves of red energy radiated off of her and floated towards Nightmare Moon's horn. Nightmare Moon smiled as the red was absorbed by her horn, and her eyes glowed an even brighter red. She licked her lips.
"Rainbow Dash, stop struggling! Your rage is feeding her energy!" Twilight yelled. Rainbow Dash breathed in slowly and stopped struggling. She relaxed and tried to calm her outburst of anger.
"You won't get the best of me, Nightmare Moon!" said Rainbow Dash. "I have enough self-control to reign in my rage."
Nightmare Moon laughed. "Don't worry, I've gotten enough energy from you for what I need," she said.
"Oh, yeah, what's that?" Rainbow Dash said defiantly.
"Mmm, you'll see." Nightmare Moon released her magic from Rainbow Dash. "I'm going to need all my magic for this." Her horn lit up again, but this time it glowed purple and orange, like Scootaloo's main and fur. She looked at Twilight. "Pay attention, Princess. You might want to take notes." As she said this, the magic around her horn began to spread across the rest of her body, enveloping her in a whirling mass. Tendrils of black began to creep from her horn and overtake the purple and orange color, until her whole body became black. The black solidified and became hard and shiny. Suddenly, cracks began to spread across the black shell, and pieces began to fall off and evaporate into shadow. Only a black helmet remained, as well as a black breast piece and gauntlets. Red eyes opened beneath the helmet, and a grin revealed sharp, pointed teeth. Her black wings unfurled, and her mane and tail spread out around her as purple and orange clouds. She laughed, cackling at her new body.
