Deeper than What Appears

Chapter 1: Dark Night

                    All was quiet in Ponyville, the sun lay low in the western sky and a gentle breeze stirred the leaves on the trees. It had been just another day in Ponyville, quiet and peaceful as always. Everypony was walking home to enjoy the comfort of their soft beds after a long days work. The sun lowered further in the sky until it was just a dim glimmer at the edge of the sky.

Everypony was fast asleep in their beds, all except one little, lonely filly.

                   Scootaloo walked along the empty streets of the town with her head held low. She tiptoed along the streets of town, careful not to alert anypony of her presence. Stealthy she snuck into the cold, dirty alley she called home. It was a terrible place for such a small, helpless filly to call home. It was covered in trash and the whole place reeked of the smell of rotting food and decomposing trash. Scootaloo lived in the back corner of the alley on a small pile of hay. It was a cold and lonely place for a filly to live, it was something that no child should have to endure.

                   Scootaloo curled up in a ball on his little nest of hay. She shivered in the cold of the night. She wanted to sleep but she couldn't let herself, she knew what happened when she slept.

"Bad things..... bad things...... don't sleep.... never sleep..." whispered Scootaloo to herself as she fought to stay awake.

                   Scootaloo desperately wanted to run to stay awake, she wanted to run out into the night air and be free but she knew she couldn't do that. She had to keep a certain level of secrecy. No one could know that she lived in this alley. She knew that they would make her go back to that horrible place. She shuddered every time she though of it, that horrible orphanage. They would beat her, they cared not about the orphans at that terrible place. One night she escaped, she smashed a window with a powerful kick and hurtled out of it, never looking back.

                   Scootaloo was losing the battle against sleep, she could hardly stand.

"Must... not.... sleep" mumbled Scootaloo who was clearly about too collapse.

                  But it was too later. Scootaloo teetered over and fell into her hay pile... fast asleep.

                   Meanwhile Cherilee was enjoying a night out on the town with her friends Lyra and Bon Bon.

"See Cherilee! This is why you should get out more!" shouted Lyra over the loud music.

"I know! This is great! I can't believe I didn't know that this club was here!" Cherilee shouted back.

"It just opened a few weeks ago!" shouted Bon Bon

"What?!" Shouted Cherilee

" I SAID THIS PLACE JUST OPENED A FEW WEEKS AGO!!!" shouted Bon Bon loudly in an attempt to be heard over the incredibly loud music.

"WHAT?!?" Cherilee shouted again.

"Forget it!!! Lets just dance!!!" shouted Lyra

                        They danced for hours and hours and downed a few drinks while they were at it. They danced around to the incredible tunes of DJ-PON3 until almost 1 P.M.

"Alright everypony, that's it for tonight! Come back tomorrow for another great time!" said the announcer into the microphone.

                         Everyone began filing out of the building out onto the street. No one saw the small pair of eyes staring out of the alley maliciously.

"I'll see you tomorrow girls! Maybe we can do this again sometime!" said Cherilee, slurring the words a bit.

"Byeeee Cheriliee" shouted Bon Bon as she walked away.

"Seeee yaaa later Cherilee" shouted Lyra as she did the same.

                           Cherilee skipped away to her house, happy at how fun her night had been. But she was being followed. Scootaloo tiptoed behind her, a malevolent grin on her face. Scootaloo inched closer and closer to his target who was to intoxicated to notice. But suddenly Cherilee turned around.

"Scootaloo? Is that you?" said Cherilee who was thoroughly perplexed.

"Why yes teacher it is me! And it seems that you have been the one I chose as my first!" said Scootaloo in a very twisted voice.

"But Scootaloo! You shouldn't be out at this hour and-" said Cherilee

"SHUT UP!" Scootaloo says viciously "YOU VILE WOMEN! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"

The Next Day...

                           An investigation is being done of Cherilees body

"Record this... Victim appears to have multiple stab and slash wounds, most likley done with a small dagger. Her skull is split open. She most likley died of blood loss shortly after being mutilated like this... you got that?" said Shining Armor to his assistant.

"Yes sir!" said his assistant.

"Good, now keep recording. The victim was highly intoxicated, most likley coming home from the new Club PON-3... maybe we should check out the area around the club... you never know..." said Shining Armor

"Okay, sir! Lets go over there now!" said his assistant

                                 They trotted over to the Club and started searching the premises.

"Okay you look at the club, I'll check out the buildings over here." said Shining Armor to his assistant.

"Right away sir!" said his assistant as he trotted over to the club.

                                  Shining Armor trotted over too the surrounding buildings and peered into a dark alley were he saw a very peculiar site. There was a shivering blood soaked Scootaloo being comforted by Rainbow Dash. Shining Armor listened silently to ensuing conversation.

"Scoots! Its fine! No one will know as long as I'm around!" said Rainbow Dash comforting the sobbing Scootaloo.

"IT IS NOT FINE! FIRST IT WAS JUST ANIMALS BUT NOW ITS PONIES!!!! I CAN'T LIVE A NORMAL LIFE NOW! I CAN'T EVEN TRY!" said Scootaloo sobbing "THEY'LL TAKE ME TO JAIL OR MAYBE EVEN KILL ME!!!"

"No Scootaloo! I will never let that happen! Just calm down, we'll leave Ponyville for a while and find a nice quiet place to stay until this all blows over... don't cry scoots... don't cry" said Rainbow Dash in a soothing voice.

"Well well well, it didn't take long to find our killer!" said Shining Armor as he stepped out of the shadows.

"No.... no one was supposed to find us here...." said Rainbow Dash quietly.

"Well tough luck! Scootaloo will be judged before Celestia for the killing of Cherilee!" shouted Shining Armor

"RAINBOW DASH!!! YOU SAID NOTHING bAD WOULD HAPPEN!!! YOU SAID EVERYTHING WOULD BE OKAY!!!"  shouted Scootaloo who was still sobbing.

"Nothing will happen... this bitch won't dare touch you." Rainbow Dash said.

                                    Rainbow Dash lifted off the ground carrying Scootaloo.

"STOP! IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!!!!" screamed Shining Armor in a fit of rage

                                     Rainbow Dash flew off dodging bolts of magic from Shining Armors horn. She shot off into the distance performing a sonic rainboom in the process.

"Where are we going now Dash?" said Scootaloo sniffling

"I don't know kiddo.... I don't know...."