Scarecrow: The story of a hero.

Chapters

Choke on your beginning
The new Scootaloo
Practice makes injuries before perfection.
Arrival and descent
Fallen and Found.
Three to One.
The question.
Manehatten
Train Surprise
Friends and a Foe
Fight or Flight.

Choke on your beginning

"BLANK FLANK!" Scootaloo snapped awake, her head sideways on her desk. She looked forward to where the insult originated, to see the chest of the annoying Diamond Tiara in front of her. She sighed and rubbed an eye, Looking up at the annoying pink one.

"What do you want NOW?" She said, irritated.

"The bell rang four minutes ago! Or do you wanna hide from your worthless-ness some more?" Her voice laughed with its stuck up cackle. Scootaloo cringed at the very sound of it.

"Please, for the love of Celestia, shut up!" She snapped, standing. Her anger was in vain, as her tired face just gave off a small annoyance. Diamond Tiara only cackled more as she got out of her desk and made her way from the door. Pushing past the door, she was hit by an ambush of other students rushing out of the school, pushing her aside into the mud. Several other fillies and colts laughed as they passed, but most just passed her. As she got up, she slipped and fell into the mud again, her face planting into the wet dirt. As she got up a second time, she was greeted yet again by the pick furred chest of Diamond Tiara, who nearly spoke before Scootaloo interrupted.

"And don't even TRY to insult me more, Tiara. It's bad enough i have to see you in the first place" She sighed tiredly as Diamond Tiara smirked, giving her cruel response

"Well, pardon ME, Little Miss Failure. I was JUST trying to help, but if I must not insult...Then this is enough" Diamond pushed her hard, straight into the mud before giving a hard punch to the chest, knocking the wind from her. She laughed her cackling laugh, walking away as Scootaloo lie there, her chest in severe pain, as well as her mental state...or what was left of it. After a moment, she stood up, going to her scooter.

As she stood on its wooden board, gripping the handle bars tight, she felt her emotions start to catch fire. Rage filled her very being as she sped off towards Sweet Apple Acres, the residence of her friend Apple Bloom. As she went, passing Sugarcube Corner, she sped faster and faster, closing her eyes as teared started to drain from her. She was so angry, she couldnt even tell how fast she was going...until, suddenly, she flung forward, tumbling on the hard ground. She slid far to th crest of a hill, where she ended upright. She looked down the steep hill and gasped, a bit woozy from the tumble, spinning and height of the possible fall. As she looked on, she felt the ground shift. As she was ready to move, the ground gave way, sending her fare down the hill. She tumbled yet again, her scooter close by. She hit the bottom on her back, her vision going black quickly.

"Ohh, my head.." Scootaloo said, her eyes blinking open as pain flooded her body. Her back ached, her wings sore, and her head as well. She looked around for a second as she lay on her back, her vision blurred. She blinked a few times before her full vision returned, and the sight she saw made her feel only worse. She scooter was in pieces, the handle bars next to a pony skull.

After a few moments, realization struck her as she jumped at the sight of the skull. As she looked at it more, she noticed a little red tag on the nose. It was a Nightmare Night decoration. The skull, which was, of course, made of plastic, had a dark colored gas mask on it. It looked old and worn, but Scootaloo's curiosity had caught her as she picked it up and examined it. The straps were a black elastic, and the interior was brand new. Soon, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon talking on top of the hill. Scootaloo dove behind a large rock, panting a bit.

"Huh? I'm SURE she fell down here" Silver Spoon said, looking around the sunken ground on the top of the hill.

"Yeah, right. She's too much of a chicken to be down there" She chuckled to herself. Soon, hoofsteps heading away from the hill signaled their leave, and Scootaloo sighed in releif. She looked at the mask and looked around, finding an older saddle pack. She placed the mask, as well as the parts for her scooter, into the bag and climbed up the hill, careful not to fall again. Once she reached the top, she looked around and made her way toward her own home, trotting quickly as not to be seen by either of the brat twins. As she reached the front door of her home, as well as Rainbow Dash's, she turned the handle with a strange ease, as if it had turned on its own in her hoof. The door opened to reveal Rainbow Dash herself, with a worried look on her face. Once she saw her, She smiled, Hugging the filly

"Oh sweet Celestia, thank goodness you're home! I was getting worried!" She let go and gasped, looking over the dirty and bruised filly "Oh my goodness Scootaloo, What HAPPENED to you!?"

"Oh, uhh...I fell down a hill" She said, flatly

"Oh...Well, I gotta head to practice. Make sure you do your homework, 'Kay? Cheerilee called today, and I don't need to hear another, got it?"

"Yeah yeah, sure. I'll be here if you need me" She hurried past her guardian, straight to her room. Rainbow Dash stood there, confused at the sight before flying off. Scootaloo hurried into her room, throwing the bag onto her bed before opening it. As she unzipped the bag, a sulfuric odor filled the room, as if a match had been lit. She coughed and held her nose, wave her hoof to move the terrible smell away. She opened a window to let some fresh air in, but not much helped. After a few moments, she had gotten used to it enough to go into the bag, taking out the gas mask to examine it. She looked at the purification chambers at its sides, which were stained a dark grey, and its mask piece, which was stained a pure black. She looked over the insides, which looked brand new.

She thought to herself, looking over it. As she thought, she placed the mask onto her muzzle, putting it on. Suddenly, the straps snapped around her head, as if they had a mind of their own, and tightened the mask onto her muzzle and face. She screamed, and tried to pull the mask off, but it was too tight to even budge. Her screams came out as muffled shouts, her voice splitting and cracking as she screamed. She reached behind and tried to pull on the straps, but her hooves could not even find where they were. She was paniking, and quickly realized that she was running out of air. She gasped and choked, feeling an unknown gas enter her mouth within the mask, causing her eyes to tear up in pain. The gas burned her throat, making her choke even more. She held her throat, gasping for oxygen she felt herself getting weaker. She looked toward the ceiling as her muscled relaxed. She gasped one final time before shutting her eyes slowly, her head falling on its side as she released her breath one last time.

The new Scootaloo

Scootaloo shot awake, drenched in a cold sweat. Her body felt as if it was frozen cold, and her head felt like it would burst in fear. She looked around, patting herself down, from her chest to her head, she felt herself. She was alive, but she didnt know how. She remembered when the mask wouldnt let go, and when she closed her eyes for what she truly thought was the last time. She placed a hoof to her muzzle, feeling the evil mask she had remembered. She felt her nose and mouth still intact, no mask in sight. That is, if she could even see infront of her. She could see her legs very faintly in the darkness, and could barely see the outline of her window. As she turned and looked around the darkness, she yelped as she smacked her head against the wall. She held her head as her sight of the dark room increased. Nothing was different, except for a black article of clothing hanging on her door, and the gas mask from before hanging from the end of her bed.

She blinked and stared at the mask. Its very being scared her, knowing what it had done, or hadn't done to her. But yet, she wanted to put it on again, just to prove that it was a dream. Hoping she had been dreaming. She lowered herself a bit and creeped toward her bed, her eyes locked onto the mask. The wooden floor of her room creaked as she stepped forward, making her jump ever so slightly and glance quickly at the wooden floor below. She continued to move forward slowly, for what seemed like an eternity, before she reached it. She could feel the fur on the back of her neck stand, and her spine shiver as she took the black straps into her hoof, lifting the ventilated breathing device off the wooden bed stand. She examined it closely before, she sighed to herself. She placed the other hoof onto the mask itself and stretched the fastening bands, pulling the device over her head and sliding it down over her face. She held her breathe as she pressed the mask to her muzzle, over her mouth and snout.

Just as last time, the mask tightened on its own, catching Scootaloo by surprise as she pulled on the mask. However, instead of being stuck, the mask popped off with ease. She panted slightly as she looked into the mask. The straps had completely disappeared, and the inside was, for a split second, filled with a thin black smoke, which had dissipated within half a second. She blinked a few times before she began to feel a strong urge, to place the mask back onto her face. She resisted for a bit, setting the mask down but not letting go. She looked toward her wall, which held a large mirror over a wooden dresser. She glanced towards the mask and began to move towards her mirror, It only took a few steps before she was face to face with her own reflection. She looked down towards the mask, and back to the mirror.

Slowly, she lifted the mask and placed it over her face again, feeling it tighten around her. She took a deep breath, her eyes closed as she felt the very slight burn of the mask's air in her nostrils. Now that she had gotten used to such a feeling, it didn't bother her much. She opened her eye, and like Scootaloo would normally do...She slipped, falling with a thud back onto the ground. She gave a small yelp as her hooves gave way on a slippery peice of clothing. She blinked and lay a hoof on her forehead, getting up of humiliation. As she stood and looked into the mirror, she gasped and stepped back.

She did not see the orange pegasus filly she was so used to seeing. Instead, her mane was a pure black, lowered slightly as some of it drooped over her eye. Her coat was a darkened grey, blending in with the darkness rather well. Her eyes, however, had a different effect. Instead of purple like normal, her eyes were a poisoned green, in the shape of slants, similar to a cats eye. She stared at the figure in the mirror for a long while, panting ever so slightly. She could hear her breathe through the ventilated gas mask, and falt the cold floor underneath her hooves. As she stared on, she heard something outside. As she looked towards her window, something moved in her peripheral vision. She looked over quickly, just to see her door opened ever so slightly. She stared at it, looking on in pure fear as someone...or something, stared right back at her. It was the size of a full grown mare, only its eyes were of the purest black. Its coat was a deep charcoal grey. It had no mane or tail to speak of, and its mouth, Full of sharp, jagged teeth. It growled low as she backed away from it, focusing on the creature.

Suddenly, with a rush of cold air, it flung forward, mouth open in four ways as rows of sharp, bloody teeth soared towards her. Scootaloo ducked, the beast slamming into the wall behind her. She slid far away from it, but did not leave the room as she looked back it. It wasn't crouching, nor laying down. It was standing, staring, as if it hadn't even moved. She Lowered her stance, Narrowing her poisoned eyes towards it. She examined its every being, before it suddenly disappeared. Not a single trace of it was left, leaving Scootaloo confused. She looked back to the door, as it was closed again. She rubbed her head and sighed. Soon enough, she heard a small tap on her window. After a few seconds, another tap. She looked towards the window to see a pebble fly into the glass, making the tap. She looked at the clock, which read 2:47 A.M.

"Huh..?" She said to herself quietly as she looked out the second window, hiding behind the thick curtain so she wasn't seen by whoever was outside. Sure enough, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were outside. Her eyes widened as she then proceeded to panic. Running quickly do the mirror, pulling the mask off. As she did so, her new colors went with it. Her coat was now orange once again, and her mane in it's strange purple hue. Her eyes returned quickly as well as she grabbed the black hoodie from the door, placing the mask into its pocket as she slid it on, quietly sneaking out of her room and through the home. She passed through the living room and to the front door, leaving the house in a hurry.

She ran quickly, jumping and avoiding several obstacles as the three sprinted towards their clubhouse. As the clubhouse came into view, she almost lost her hoof grip on the dirt, stumbling but getting back up quickly. She slid to a stop next to Sweetie Belle, who stared in horror at the treehouse. Scootaloo looked and saw nothing, as well as Apple Bloom.

"Wha..What's the problem!?" She looked toward Sweetie Belle, as well as Apple Bloom

"Yeah, Belle, What's the problem?" Apple Bloom asked, looking back to the treehouse. Scootaloo, of course, did the same, only in surprise as she saw it again. The creature from before, standing on the roof of the treehouse. It stared down towards the three, its low growl sounding even louder than before. Scootaloo, looked to her hoof, which was within the hoodie pocket, where her mask lied. She felt the urge to place it on, she didn't know why. She felt the ventilation chamber against her hoof. She knew that, if she put it on, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom would see how she reacted to it. She quickly though of something, before she smirked to herself

"RUN!!" She started to sprint down the trail, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle following. Scootaloo ran a bit slower, allowing the other two to get ahead. Suddenly, when the other Crusaders weren't focused on her, she cut right into the forest, the beast following. She slid the mask from her hoodie and placed it onto her face. The straps tightened once again, and the slight burn filled her nostrils. She could feel her speed increase, as well as see clearly through the night. The beast followed until the point they reached a large, circular clearing. Scootaloo slid to a halt in the center of the clearing.

As she looked behind her, the beast had stopped at the edge of the moonlight. It stared at her, and she stared back. Soon enough, it stepped into the light, revealing its grey coat and horrid black eyes. Now, its mouth was shut, stuck in a frown. She felt the breeze of frigid air wash over her as it creeped into the moonlight. She slowed her breathing, focusing on its eyes. She had noticed that its eyes were locked on her mask. that is why it followed her. She lowered herself and glanced toward a tree, with a sharp branch stuck out of its side.

Suddenly, the beast was struck by something, black smoke enclosed around it. The beast flew sideways several feet before it was hit again, this time, whatever it was had stabbed itself through its skull, a black substance splattering over the ground and tree near it. As the beast fell, the object and beast's killer sunk into the ground quickly in a thin black smoke. Scootaloo stared at the corpse, in shock and awe at how it had been killed. She looked around, then back to the bloody corpse, before she could hear her name shouted from somewhere in the forest. It was Sweetie Belle, looking for her. She paniked slightly before taking the mask off once again. She checked her hoof, which was orange again, before she headed back to where Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were located.

Practice makes injuries before perfection.

~days later~

Scootaloo blinked awake, a warm ray of morning light hitting her face though her window. It was a Sunday, and most of the town was either asleep or busy. She hopped out of bed and walked to her window, opening it as her alarm clock rang loudly. She sighed and looked toward the buzzing electric alarm clock. She soon hit the snooze button and, of course, the clock wouldnt stop. She hit the button again, harder this time, only to receive the same reaction from the clock. She slammed her hoof into the clock, the buzzing stopping suddenly.

She looked out the window, seeing Applejack selling apple pies at a vending cart. She thought, making a plan in her head for the day. She walked over to her mirror tried to fix her mane with a hoof. As she looked on, she heard her alarm clock start again, aggravation filling her mind. Suddenly, a loud bang was heard as something solid impacted the wall behind her. She spun around quickly in reaction, to see her alarm clock in pieces on the floor. The was a mark on the wall where it had impacted, as well.

She stared at the broken clock, blinking in surprise. She looked on as she started to brush her mane with her black brush. As she felt the bristled rub against of head, massaging her scalp a bit, she noticed something. She was only thinking of brushing her mane. She wasn't moving a hoof as the brush continued. Her concentration broke as realization struck her, the brush hitting the wooden floor as it fell from its position. She jumped as it landed near her hoof, looking at the brush. A knock sounded on her door as a cyan mare entered. Scootaloo looked toward her door, seeing her guardian and idol, Rainbow Dash, at the door.

"Oh, hey Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said, a nervous smile smacked onto her face and her hoof on the back of her head. Rainbow Dash looked over to where the clock had collided with the solid wall, then to Scootaloo.

"What...happened in here?" She stepped in further, looking at the broken clock, glancing at Scootaloo few times. As she glot closer, Scootaloo spoke up again.

"Oh, uhhhh...I wasn't looking where I was swinging my legs and I accidently flung it into a wall" It was an obvious lie to Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a quick look before shrugging.

"Alright then...You've done crazier, so I guess believe you..." Dash said, remembering the multiple times she had found her young apprentice in weirder situations. She sighed and left the room, leaving the orange filly alone in her room. Scootaloo shook her head in slight disbelief, looking back to the manebrush. She stared at it a bit, getting a slight idea. She closed her eyes and thought, picturing the image of the manebrush flinging across the room. Suddenly, another loud bang was heard, followed by a shatter of glass. Her eyes shot open as she looked to the sounce of the sound. She blinked at the sight, in pure amazement and disbelief.

The manebrush had indeed flown across the room....straight into her glass lamp. She blinked a few more times, in pure disbelief that it had done that, let alone that she did it by thought. She looked at her hoof and back to the lamp. She looked at the shards and thought. She wanted them to lift off the ground, and as she thought of such....the did so. As if on command, they twisted and pointed their sharpest edge towards a wall. She got an idea, and pointed her hoof towards the levitating glass. She suddenly moved her hoof sideways quickly. As she thought so, the glass shot into the wall, stabbing into the wall and getting stuck.

As Scootaloo looked on, she could hear hoofsteps outside her room, in the creaky floored hallway. Of course, being Scootaloo after all...She panics. She quickly grabs a blanket and covers the mess, proceeding to throw random items to hide the glass in the wall and shattered lamp. Soon, it looked like a pile of dirty clothes and old items of hers. As she turned to see the door open, her face, and side of her head, collided with that of Sweetie Belle's, a clunk heard through the air as the two skulls collided. The door swung open slowly, revealing a confused and exhausted Apple Bloom. Scootaloo looked up to her, holding her head.

"Apple Bloom? Sweetie belle?" She said as she looked to her other friend "Wha..What are you guys doing here?" Apple Bloom spoke, trying to catch whatever breath she had left, panting slightly.

"Babs...here...clubhouse..." She panted as Scootaloo could only look on, Confused. Bloom managed to catch her breath after a bit, able to finish her words. "Babs is here! She's at the clubhouse waitin' for us!" She was now nearly jumping with excitement, energy now pulsating though her body. With a smile, Scootaloo buzzed into the the air for a second, before landing hard onto the ground again. Sweetie Belle wasn't as excited, oddly enough.

"Come on! Lets get going!"

Arrival and descent

Scootaloo and her friends rushed through the town towards Sweet Apple Acres. They hopped over fallen trees, ducked under branches, and nearly gave Granny Smith a heart attack as they rushed past her. As they closed in on the clubhouse, a certain red maned, Manehatten filly leaned against the thick tree, her side scraping the tree bark slightly as she mentally braced for the pummeling of questions and hugs she was about to recieve. Suddenly, even with her mental brace, she was taken completely by surprise as Sweetie Belle tackled her in a tight hug, followed by Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle could barely contain herself as she hugged Babs, squealing with absolute joy as she held her tightly. A little too tightly for Babs comfort as she gasped for air slightoy, wincing

"Sweetie....Belle...I cant...breathe!" Sweetie Belle, after Babs' strained voice was heard, quickly let go, allowing her to take several deep, needed breaths. After a few moments, she smiled as Sweetie Belle began asking questions.

"So, Babs? How is Manehatten?" She asked in curiosity. Babs was about to reply when, suddenly, two police cars ripped past them from the house, sirens blaring as they raced towards town. The group faced each other and nodded, starting to run in the direction of where the two patrol cars were headed. Scootaloo, of course, lead the pack towards town, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Babs Seed in tow as she raced to what seemed like the Ponyville Bank, where several police officers were standing outside, pointing guns at the building. Infront of the police, a large stallion with a mask and suit on had a mare in a chokehold, a gun to her head. He began shouting demands, but scootaloo paid no mind to them as she watched in horror. The mare he was holding was Rarity. Sweetie Belle began to panic. Scootaloo had to do something ged about this. She couldnt just let Rarity die. Suddenly, she got a crazy idea as her hoof drifted into one of her pockets, feeling the gas mask with her front hoof. She began to step away from the group

"Hey girls, i forgot something at my house. Keep watching, tell me everything when i come back, 'kay?" She sprinted off to a dark alley away from the group. She gripped the mask, lifting it from it from its hiding place and placed it to her muzzle. The mask tightened once again, filling her with the slight burn in her throat and nostrils as her coat turned to grey, and her mane to black. She looked towards the scene and began to sprint quickly, disappearing into a puff of black smoke before re-appearing infront of the gunman. She leaped and landed a hard kick to his chest, knocking him away from rarity and sending the gun flying. She stallion quickly got up and, after a split second, he charged Scootaloo, swinging before Scootaloo landing on his back, gripping his head with her rear hooves before flipping backwards, throwing him into the hard marble wall headfirst, whilst landing on all fours in his original position. She regained composure, just before a second gunman swung his rifle, the butt of the stock landing hard onto her face, knocking her back a good amount. In mid-air, she twisted in such a way to land on her hooves in a slide. The stallion charged again, using the gun as a bat, before she jumped and nailed a flipping kick to his jaw, knocking him back. Without any warning, she attacked again, this time grabbing the end of the gun and pulling, flipping the stallion hard onto his back. He barely had time to breathe within Scootaloo's barrage of hits.

With false thoughts of success she walked calmly towards the bank. Behind her, the stallion began to get up and charge her again. Just as the charging stallion got close, Scootaloo twisted around, and in one swift movement, she kicked the stallion into the air as she grabbed the gun and swung it like a bat, slamming it into the side of the stallion and sending him flying like a homerun ball. She tossed the gun to the ground as she walked towards the bank doors. Suddenly, one of the police stallion shoutned into a megaphone, but she paid no mind as she walked into the bank. As she opened the large black doors, several ponies stepped out into the safety of the police past Scootaloo. Several ponies were beated or bruised from the two gunner's attacks. She sighed to herself as she disappeared into a puff of black smoke, re-appearing back into the alley to take off the mask. As she removed it, her lungs and breathe felt cold compared to the burning she became so accustomed to within the fight. Her coat melted back to orange, as well as her mane back to its purple hue. She put the mask back into her hoodie's pocket. Soon, she put on a smile and darted back to Sweetie Belle, who was hugging a slightly bruised rarity tightly, tears in both of their eyes. She looked around in fake surprise, as if she had been gone the entire time.

"Wait wait wait...what happened?" she asked with fake ignorance, looking around at the released hostages, while the two assailents are shoved into patrol cars. Babs spoke up in pure excitement and amazement, as if she had found a golden apple.

"Scoots! You should'a seen it! There was this mare, with gasmask! and she totally kicked the bad guys butts! It like pow and bang.." She continued rapidly as she reinacted the fight between the two robbers and the supposed "Mystery Hero". Scootaloo rolled her eyes and laughed.

"And let me guess, this is just like the time Marilyn Manson went to your house to use the bathroom..." She laughed, as well as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"OKAY, Okay, fine, He didnt come over to use the bathroom...But his sister did!!" She said to recall the claim.

"Whatever, Babs" The other three said in unison as they began to make their ways back to their respected homes.

Fallen and Found.

As Scootaloo trudged foreward towards her home, which was the furthest from the bank, she happen to note that the clouds overhead had gotten gloomy and low, as if it were about to rain. She began to trot as rain started to fall, harder and harder with every second that passed. Mud began to form under her hooves as she picked up her pace, turning from a trot to a full gallop. Thunder rolled on above her as the rain began to blur her vision. She continued to run down the road, trying to see ahead of her desperately. Suddenly, she felt the ground fall from beneath her, gravity taking control as she started to fall down a muddy cliff side, landing hard onto its side. She slammed her side into the muddy cliff, sliding and rolling down it in a fast and hard tumble before landing hard and sliding to a halt. After a few moments of trying to regain her breathe she looked up at the sky, rain falling upon her face. The clouds were dark, almost black as she stared into the almost night-like, thundering sky. She looked to her side a bit, before wincing and yelping in absolute pain. She tried to it up, but only received more and more pain, her eyes forcing shut in her agony.

She pried her eyes open slowly, looking to her right at her left shoulder. She began to pant in shock as she witnessed her damaged shoulder, which had been dislocated from her violent fall. She panted further before sighing and beginning to stand, wincing in absolute agony as he stood, looking forward. All she could see around her was darkness, before her vision began to return, revealing that she had fallen into the Everfree forest, down a tall cliff away from town. She winced and began to hop forward before she spotted something. As she looked, bits of red liquid would fall infront of her right eye. She realiized what it was before beginning to limp faster through the mud. She panted and winced before her vision blurred to black, her body barely feeling the ground hit her once again as she passed out slowly, her breathing becoming shallow.

Among the shadows, a hooded figure watched on as the filly fell to her side, passing out. It began to move towards her slowly, leaning down to look closely at Scootaloo's wounds. After a few moments, It began to use a strange blue magic to levitate her limp, sleeping and injured body into its back, before stepping through the mud to a small cliff, before using yet another spell to form a magical set of stairs to climb slowly upon. The hooded figure, a bit taller than the standard mare, walked silently and slowly up the stairs, and as they faded once she reached the top, along the streets as well, before arriving a small, standard home. On its door was a light blue labelled vinyl record, covered in scratches. The figure raised a hoof and tapped on the door repeatedly, knocking for its owner to answer. As the door opened, it was revealed the owner to be Vinyl Scratch, a famed DJ in Ponyville. The taller figure spoke softly to the DJ, its voice being apparent that it was a female.

"Good evening, Vinyl. May I step in? We have important matters to...discuss" The mare said with a strict tone. Vinyl nodded and stepped aside, as the figure slid inside. Vinyl slid her head out into the rain, looking from left to right, before moving inside and shutting the door, the lock clicking shut. Vinyl turned around and spoke, softly towards the new pony in her home.

"Commander, what are you doing here this la-" The mare held up a light blue hoof, her purple eyes flashing as she blinked.

"Do not question my reasons, Vinyl.." Her horn glowed in the dim, candle lit room, a blue aura surrounding the limp filly, lifting her and resting her on the couch. Her gas mask fell to the floor with a loud bang, catching Vinyl's attention. The "Commander" Held her gaze on Vinyl, as she stared.

"The mask...of the bank bandit?" She looked to the other mare in shock, her jar practically on the floor. The mare simply nodded.

"She could be very valuable to us, Vinyl. To me, You...and the rest of E.S.R.T." She looked over the sleeping filly, with a light sigh. "She knows how to fight rather well, it seems...but she still has a lot to learn."

"As have all of us, Commander." She held her gaze on The Commander, her eyes holding a worried, serious glare. "How will we introduce her to the team?"

"Depends. How will you introduce yourself?" She turned and made her way to the door, lifting the filly onto her back once more, sliding the mask that rest on the floor into the pocket of the hood. She stopped at the door, looking back at Vinyl, who stood motionless. "Next Friday, in the Apple Orchards. You'll know her when you see her."

With those final words, she left, wordlessly into the pouring rain, making her way to Scootaloo's home.

Three to One.

A lone figure sat among the several, monstrously large apple orchards, perched high on one of the taller branches. The figure was small, and definitely equine. As it sat, high among the dew soaked, morning grass, it held a yellow tinted paper, with large words sloppily scratched onto its face.

"Meet me in the orchards, on the morning of Friday" The young voice read aloud, a slight rasp clinging to her words, as well as the slight muffle of the mask she wore over her dark grey skin. It was chilly morning, perfect for her attire of a black hoodie that disguised the rest of her face, or at least the parts that weren't covered by the gas mask. The mask itself was the flat grey that most plastics would bear, with four vocal slits on its face. Its filtration ducts, the cylinders that branched off the mask in a diagonal angle, to the left and right of her muzzle that lie behind the mask. Above the mask were her eyes, which were a pure black, with neon green slits for irises, which closely resembled that of a cat's. The figure looked from left to right, the rest of her face hidden behind the hood, then back to the paper she held in hoof. "Well, whoever "You" are, you have the worst timing.."

Suddenly, the air began to fill with sound. The sound was a roar, a mechanical one at that, which grew louder and louder as it approached. The sound was constant, as well, with no possible sign of letting up any time soon. She turned to face the sound, but before she could even register the thought of what it was, the source of the sound ripped past her, following its source as it traveled at mach speeds. The sound came from two jet engines it seemed, racing past at full speed. She looked in the direction it was heading, watching the object, which was white in color, pull up into the sky, with a trail of white smoke marking its trail. The object began to loop overhead of her, before barreling towards the ground. In a split second, she dove out of the tree to take cover behind it, just as the object landed hard, and a wave of dust, wind, and apples flew in all directions. After a few seconds of waiting, the masked figure looked from behind the tree, to witness something strange.

There, in the crater that it had created, was a white and grey, robotic mare. Its eyes were black, with large red circles as its artificial irises. Its body was made up of panels and robotic framing, as well as wires and chain mail. Its mane was made up of pure electronic light, in an electric and neon blue, in a very familiar shape that was pushed to one side. The masked figure stared, as suddenly, two large machine guns folded and shifted onto the robotic mare's back, a laser appearing from the mare's right eye. Wherever it looked, the guns turned to point. The mare stepped out of the crater, the robotic joints whirring with every move as it looked left and right, searching for any sign of life. Suddenly, to filly's surprise, it spoke.

"Okay, bank bandit...where are you..." The tone held a content, determined t one. Something that robots we not capable of, not that she knew of. Moving slightly closer, away from the trees, she tilted her head. Of course, this was in vain as the electronic mare looking to her, guns pointing and ready to fire. Thinking quickly, the "Bank Bandit" jumped high, a puff of black smoke trailing behind as she angled down and zipped at the mare with a powerful kick. The mare, however, was ready as a powerful pulse of heavy, low bass slammed her back into a tree. The tree splintered and snapped as the filly was knocked hard into it's trunk. She winced, but leaped from the tree and into the air. Suddenly, however, with a spin and a thrust from her front hooves, a powerful wave of the dark smoke energy slammed into the bot, knocking it back. She landed and began to swing her hooves into the robotic mare, without hesitation. It hurt when her hooves hit the solid metal, as well as her knees and her back. Suddenly, the bot regained its stance and reared up, landing a hard buck to the filly's face and jaw, sending her back once again. This time, however, she flipped back and landed on her hooves, sliding back from the momentum. The robotic mare charged without warning, tackling the filly against the tree, pinning her by her front hooves against the splintered tree. The guns moved to her sides, pointing at her head as the laser pointed its red beam right onto her forehead. Hours seem to go by as the laser held its position. She was pinned, and couldn't do anything.

Suddenly, the robotic mare was thrown back by something, slamming into a tree opposite to the filly. It soon became apparent that the robot mare had been restrained by a set of thin ropes, connected to thee arrows. The filly saw the opportunity and dove for the robot mare, before, with a loud thud and a crunch, she found her legs encased within a thick column of cement. She struggled and pulled, only for the encasement to tighten around her hooves. Soon enough, two figures drop before them, both mares. The first was a minty green mare, with a white and green mane. She wore a black vest, with small pockets on her sides, filled with three arrows each, packed tight. The filly knew her around town as Lyra, the local lyre player. The other was a pegasus mare that would be a crime not to know, with her classic yellow mane and grey body. However, she looked different. Her right eye was covered in a black patch, and she wore a black overcoat. Lyra spoke, looking to the pinned down mare.

"Vinyl, what in the HELL has gotten into that thick skull of yours!? Last I fucking checked, an introduction doesn't include pointing a fifty caliber weapon at them!" She shouted as she took hold of the three arrows, pulling them from the tree one by one. After doing so, she turned to the stone encased filly. "We're sorry about our accomplice here. She's a bit...reckless, as i should say."

She gives the now free robotic mare a menacing glare, before looking back to the filly. "So, You have a name, kid?"

The filly remains silent, but sighs. "I don't think i should say. After all, I don't really know you"

"Hmm, understandable." She chuckles to herself, as the stone collapsed, freeing the filly. "Well, you know me as Lyra, right? And my friends here are Derpy Hooves and Vinyl Scratch. So...now that we've spoken up, why don't you?"

The filly sighs and lifts a hoof, grabbing and pulling off the mask, letting it fall to the ground as her coat returned to its normal orange hue, and her mane to its brilliant purple. "Alright, fine. My name is Scootaloo..."

The question.

The three mares shot their eyes in Scootaloo's direction, in both shock and confusion. Derpy tilted her head, her brow furrowed. Lyra began to chuckle slightly, at both herself and Derpy's reaction. Vinyl, however, was less than enthusiastic, as she already knew. She chuckled, Lyra and Derpy exchanging glances to each other in pure confusion. Suddenly, a voice spoke from above, within the trees.

"I see you four are getting along well enough" The voice was another mare, with a gloating kind of voice, that seemed to boast with every word it spoke. The three mares and the filly look around, but see nothing. The voice continues to boom from all directions. "Well, i guess it would be proper to introduce myself as well"

Suddenly, with a white light and a burst of freezing air, an aqua blue mare appeared in front of the four. The grass froze into a pure white under her hooves, and her breath was always a thin fog. Her mane was an icy blue, with white streaks all along its length. Scootaloo immediately recognized her, and her mind began to fill with anger. Before her was the self proclaimed "Great and Powerful Trixie". She scowled, staring at the frozen illusionist. Trixie chuckled, smiling as she looked at Scootaloo, who wasn't wearing her mask as it lie behind her.

"Hello, Scootaloo...Miss me?" She chuckled. She didn't seem very hostile, but rather friendly. Scootaloo held her angry gaze, however. After the events of the Alicorn Amulet, Scootaloo refused to forgive the magician, no matter how many others did. Trixie sighed, looking to the other mares.

"Hello, ladies. It seems you three have met our new recruit" She smiled, but looked towards the filly, beginning to walk around her. A small space of the ground would freeze around each of her hooves as she stepped. "And...a rather strong recruit, it seems"

"What are you talking about?" Scootaloo watched as Trixie circled her, the air getting colder and colder around the two. Trixie watched her closely as she tensed up, with a devious smirk.

"The E.S.R.T., Scootaloo. Or, also known as the Equestrian Supernatural Response Team, a team of six ponies that protects Equestria against supernatural threats in unison with the Equestrian Military. I command this team...and I want to recruit you."

"What makes you think I should believe you, after you tried to take over Ponyville?" She spoke angrily, and Trixie chuckled. She gave the other three a wave, and they began to walk off, leaving the two alone. She rest a hoof on Scootaloo's back, and she began to shiver. The fur at the back of her neck stood on end, and she shook violently. Trixie moved infront of her and stared into her eyes, gazing deep into her eyes. Her tone became very quiet, and serious.

"Scootaloo, I'm going to tell you something very shocking. No sugar coating. No simplifying. Do you want to hear?" Her stare was held, and her voice was calm and directed to tell her, instead of to convince. Scootaloo reluctantly gave a nod, still holding her gaze as well. Trixie sighed and spoke again.

"The Alicorn Amulet isn't real. It was a distraction, to keep the Elements of Harmony away from Manehatten, as Vinyl and I took care of a rouge changeling squad..."

"But, Changelings arent really...supernatural, are they?"

"Not when they're alive.." Her statement left Scootaloo blinking in both confusion and shock. Trixie stood a bit taller. "Do you accept my request, Scootaloo? As an agent of the E.S.R.T.?"

Scootaloo paused, and thought. Her mind raced, and her heart picked up speed as she thought of as many possibilities as she could, to avoid making the wrong choice. She thought and thought, before her mind chose an answer. She shook her head, and looked to Trixie once again.

"No. I don't plan on becoming an idol for this...I do what is necessary, not what is asked for." She turned around, and began to walk away, in the opposite direction of the blue, icy mare. Trixie and sighed and looked to the sky, grumbling. She refused to argue anymore, but said a final statement, just so the back bandit could remember.

"Alright, hero. But remember, I'm always right where you need me. If you change your mind, I'm open for a chat"

"Whatever..." Scootaloo said, her angered tone still remnant in her voice as she walked back towards the farm. She picked up her mask and pocketed it on the way, getting closer and closer to the large farmhouse, as she left behind the blue mare, and the other three super mares. As she walked, her head began to feel strange. She became light headed, and her body began to shiver. She swore to herself silently, breaking in a run. She must have gotten a cold from Trixie. She ran out from the gates of the farm, towards ponyville.

Scootaloo opened the heavy wooden door of her home, shutting it and locking it. She was very light headed that this point, and her body was beginning to tremble. Her knees were buckling as she made her way to her room, opening and closing the door hard, before her knees finally gave way underneath her. Her breathing became shallow, and suddenly...she couldn't breathe. She tried to suck in air, but she just couldn't. She tried with all her might to gasp for air, but nothing came. She held her throat, as soon, a disgusting, slimy liquid filled her throat and mouth. She couldn't last long, as she cough, the liquid flowing from the sides of her mouth. It was black, and held a slime like form. She coughed, and more splashed out, with a mix of blood inside it. She held her throat as she rolled onto her legs, trying to stand. She hacked, and gagged, finally vomiting the black substance out onto the wooden floor. It oozed from her mouth like blood from a wound, before she collapsed back onto her side with a thud. Soon, she simply stopped breathing as her vision faded to black.

She awoke with a start, sitting up rapidly. She patted her body with her hooves, making sure that all of her was there. She sighed in relief, being thankful for what happened earlier was only a dream. She stood up, looking around, making sure there was none of the strange, black slime on the floor. She sighed, but noticed something. Her nostrils burned like it did when she wore the mask, as well as her throat now...and she loved it. She inhaled deeply through her nose, the scent and the burn of the mask seeming to wake her like the perfect dose of coffee. She smiled under her mask, and rest her hooves on it. She couldn't tell why, nor how, but she loved the mask. It made her feel...stronger. She exhaled, the dark room made her feel right at home. She felt...perfect, here.

She turned and pulled off the mask, her coat returning to its classic orange once again, and her mane into its original purple. She smiled and walked to her window, opening it and climbing out onto its ledge. She sat for a minute, looking out to the rising sun, before sliding off. She landed hard in the dirt below, before walking towards the center of town, to Rarity's boutique.

Manehatten

Scootaloo walked through the dark town, alone. Her hooves made several "Pat" sounds as she walked through the emptiest of streets and alleys. As she walked and watched the houses. She had no idea why, nor how, but she felt..watched. Something was watching her every move, she could feel it. She turned, to catch a glimpse of a figure darting behind a house. She froze, staring at the empty space, listening to the silence of night. She begins to walk again, the watched feeling sinking into her mind like a ponies' hooves into quicksand. Every moment she walked, the thumping of her heart became louder and louder. Her mind throbbed, and her hooves ached as she felt something in the air, as the space around her began to chill and the breeze picked up. She felt a presence behind her, ever so suddenly as she froze yet again. Slowly and in an immense amount of fear, she turned to face the other being, but saw nothing. Her fear swelled inside her. Her eyes darted around as she turned and proceeded to walk along. Behind her, her speculations seemed to be true, as the silohuette of a pony stood high above, on the roof of one of the hundreds of homes in Ponyville. As the wind picked up, the pony's hood waved to the side. Scootaloo spoke as she walked, to both her invisible audience and herself, her thoughts finding their way to her words as she spoke.

"Commanding a team of six ponies...But, I've only seen those four..." She paused, as a realization struck her mind like a sledgehammer to stone. "That means...that there are two more of them...somewhere around here.."

"Correct" The words of another pony seemed to shout over the dead quiet of the night, filling the air. Scootaloo turned quickly, crouching slightly in a sort of fighting stance, but again saw nothing. This voice, unlike the mares from before, was all too familiar, but ever so different as well. It was a hostile voice, but was seductive too. It was male, it was female, and sometimes it was both. It came from nowhere and everywhere, from in her head to down the road. Scootaloo looked around in pure fear, shouting into the night air.

"Who are you!? What do you-" Suddenly, a hoof pressed to her lips as she turned once more, silencing her. She froze, staring at the hooded pony that was now infront of her. The figure, easily seen to be a mare by her build, remained silent as Scootaloo stared in pure fear. A scent began to fill her nostrils, of a sweet, sugary cotton candy tinge. The figure spoke suddenly.

"Listen to me, Scootaloo. Those mares are very dangerous...Unless you're willing to make a massive sacrifice, do not go looking for them again." Her crimson eyes stared into Scootaloo like needles into skin, piercing her very being as if she didn't exist. Scootaloo tried to speak, but found herself unable as the mare began to speak yet again.

"Now, i must give a question. Are you willing to make a sacrifice for them, whatever it may be?"

"I-I...I-" Scootaloo could barely find the words, before being interrupted once again by the mare.

"Meet me here in twenty four hours with your answer. Be ready, Scootaloo." The filly couldn't take her eyes off of the mare, until the mare kicked the dirt, causing her to flinch. Once her vision had returned after flinching, the mare had left, leaving her alone with her thoughts once again.

Scootaloo stood alone once again, near Sugarcube Corner as she listened to the air. Unlike the previous night, however, she was wearing her mask. As she looked around, she thought to herself, of both what the mare meant, and what sacrifice was she going to have to make. Suddenly, a door slammed behind her, causing her to jump in fear. She stared to the door, before seeing Pinkie Pie shutting up the sweet shop for the night, one window at a time. She sighed in relief, before turning around, only to find herself face to face with the mare from the night before. Without warning, and in Scootaloo's now traumatized state, the mare spoke.

"Have you made your choice?" She stared into Scootaloo once again, before receiving her answer.

"Erm...yes. I'm willing to make the sacrifice, whatever it may be."

"And you've thought this over completely?"

"Good. Your train will arrive on Wednesday, at 6:00. Pack a bag, you wont be returning for a while."

Train Surprise

The train screeched to a halt. This morning was rather cold, especially since it was still autumn. Scootaloo had decided to go with a blue and yellow Wonderbolts hoodie today, instead of the standard black. Within the black gym bag next to her was her mask, several pairs of clothes and other various items. She couldn't shake the thought that she had to leave Ponyville for this, especially after lying to everyone over why she was leaving. The letter she had "received" in the mail stated that she was being put into an expensive boarding school outside of Manehatten, and had to force herself to be excited.

The morning air was crisp and a bit foggy this morning, making it slightly harder to see after a certain distance. She sighed as she sat on the wooden on the large loading platform. There were other ponies there, all waiting on the same train, all for different reasons, it seemed. Several hooded young stallions, each with heavy looking backpacks, all near each other. Another was a hooded mare that Scoots had mistaken for the mare from before, before seeing that this mare was shorter. Derpy had made an appearance, as well as Fleur De Lis and Fancy Pants. She sighed yet again, as the train's doors opened, allowing her inside. He held her ticket in her pocket until she sat down, three rows from the back. She put her bag next to her, just in case something came up, and looked to the window. After several minutes, and what seemed to be an eternity, the train pulled off towards Manehatten. This route was rather long, as the direct route to Manehatten was undergoing repairs, so the train had to detour around the mountains, which were quite cold at this time of year. Scootaloo was sleeping with her eyes open at this point, deep in thought and staring out the window, motionless.

Suddenly, her ear twitched as the sound of several bags opening at once. Before she knew it, several shots rang out, and ponies yelled and screamed in surprise. A stallions voice called out, demanding everyone to stay quiet or have their heads blown clean off. After that, they were demanded to get on the ground, which all complied to. Scootaloo glanced up, to see a total of four stallions, each with an automatic rifle and what seemed to be bombs in their bags. Two stallions began to move to the other cars, doing the same thing as before. She reached for her bag, but instead met the cold hoof of a pony...a dead pony. The gunner had shot Fancy Pants in the head, not the ceiling. She stared in pure shock, only to be pulled back by more shouting. This time, the stallion was demanding all the bags to be handed over. This was quite bad for Scootaloo. She grabbed her bag quickly and quickly pulled out her mask, but instead of putting it on, she kept it by her side. As the stallion moved closer, she slipped it closer to her face, the scent of the gas filling her nostrils once again.

As the mask slipped onto her face, tightening on its own once again, she could feel the barrel of the gun against her head. She could feel the smoke entering her veins with its stinging touch, as the stallion demanded her to stand. She did as told, standing up slowly, but keeping her head down. She had a plan, and so far, it was working. The stallion then pulled her close, turning around around before putting a leg around her throat, the gun to her head now as she was now held hostage.

"Don't resist, or I'll blow your fucking head off. Got that?" His voice was angry, and a bit on the crazy side of things. She smirked, before suddenly spinning around. Her left hoof slammed backwards into his skull as she grabbed him in her spin, just before slamming the stallion's face into one of the metal seats, a loud, gut wrenching CRACK was heard as his snout was shattered by the seat. The stallion fell to the ground, unconscious. The second stallion in the car aimed his gun at Scootaloo as she took out the first. He pulled the trigger, several rounds firing past her, before she instinctively outstretched her arm, sending a pitch black, smoking hook and chain towards the shooter at an immense amount of speed. The hook wrapped around the stallions throat, before Scootaloo pulled the chain back with a large amount of force, sending the stallion flying towards her and into her hoof, which landed a solid punch into his face. Yet another crack was heard as her hoof impacted his face. This time, it was his jaw, and it was shattered into several pieces.

"Well, that's new..." Scootaloo said, blinking as she looked to her hoof. The chain and hook had dissolved into the air by now. She looked up, away from the stallion and towards the several passengers in the train car. Derpy was shocked, to say the least. Fleur was sobbing over Fancy Pant's dead body. The hooded mare seemed to, unbelievably, be asleep.

Suddenly, the train seemed to lurch forward as it began to speed up. She looked to the next car and made her way to it, but stopping next to the door. She opened it and made her way into the frigid mountain air and took position next to the door. She stretched out a hoof and gave the door several hard knocks. Seconds later, one of the stallions ripped open the door, just before she simply hopped up and landed a solid, two hoofed kick to his chest, sending him flying off the train and, to her own surprise, off a cliff. She stared for a moment, before turning to head into the car. She looked around once again to the passengers, only to find a the conductor and engineer. She nodded to herself, before making her way to the engine, which was the only car left. She opened the door, which had no window, only to find the barrel of a gun in her face. Without hesitation, the stallion pulled the trigger. Just he did so, Scootaloo had moved to the side, but not without injury. The bullet ripped through he cheek, sliding it open as it grazed past her. He recoiled, and fell back, holding her now bleeding cheek. There was no pain, only anger now as Scootaloo leaped onto the stallion, and began to attack with several devastating blows to his face, each one breaking a part of his face. Before she knew it, his face was simply a bloody pulp, and was far from recognizable as a stallion, let alone who he was. She stood and checked his pulse, before concluding that she had killed him. With a sigh, she shoved the body off the train as well, before turning to face the now shocked crew.

She blinked and held her cheek, which was gushing a black substance, which was supposed to be her blood, forming a pool on the floor. She looked to the crew once again, after looking to the blood on her hoof, and spoke.

"Can you give me a hoof, here? Maybe some bandages, maybe a doctor?" The conductor nodded and trotted quickly to the first aid area, grabbing several bandages, before walking towards Scootaloo and helping to dress the rather severe wound.

Friends and a Foe

"Witnesses state that....on route to Manehatten....three casualties...taken to unknown location..."

The words seemed to blur in Scootaloo's mind. Her face, her hooves, all numb. The events from the train played in her mind, over and over again, like a movie. She remembered it well, it was obvious. She let out a groan as she tried to move, and struggled to do so, as she could barely feel her own body. The news reporter on the television droned on about the events she already knew of. everything seemed stretched, distorted, and echoing. She soon managed to sit up and look around, rubbing her head. She was in what seemed like a makeshift bedroom, within the upper level of a warehouse, in a sort of office. There was an older TV on a desk, as well as a meal on a milk crate next to the bed she rested on. She thought, and as she did so, she felt her cheek. There were no stitches, nor bandage or anything else she could think of. There was, however, a scar.

She could hear voices outside the door. Some were familiar, others were completely unknown. She listened as much as she could, but it didn't take to long for a headache to develop. She stretched out her hooves and yawned, before getting out of the makeshift bed, which was really just a mattress on the floor. As she looked around, she spotted her mask on the door handle, and her hoodie on the floor, near the door. Her hearing was becoming clearer by the second. By now, she was able make out a total of three voices, all mares. As she stepped out onto the metal balcony outside the office, with was held above the warehouse floor. The warehouse itself had been made into a makeshift home. Along the wall to the right of her, a kitchen had been built. Directly ahead was a sort of living room, with a large flat screen TV, a small table, and an L-shaped, brown leather couch.

On the couch was a white mare, Vinyl Scratch, the DJ from before. Next to her was Derpy, who wore a black eye patch as she lay sideways on the couch, staring at the TV, as well as Vinyl. Behind the couch was Fluer De Lis, watching the television with the two who were sitting. At a dining table, which resembled a booth from an old diner, was Trixie, wearing a pair of glasses as she read a newspaper.

Suddenly, two hooves landed on her sides, as a voice yelled in her ear. Scootaloo jumped with a scream, darting forward in pure fear, before turning to face the attacker. This time, however, there was no mare. There was, however, a vaguely familiar stallion. A stallion with a golden goat, caramel mane, and emerald green eyes. A stallion that Apple Bloom and her older sister knew all too well.

"Braeburn, stop messing with the new kid!" Vinyl's voice rang out, as she was now standing, facing the balcony and giving the stallion a cold stare. She looked to Scootaloo and smiled, walking over to the set of spiraled stairs behind Scootaloo. Braeburn simply hopped down onto a pile of boxes, walking over to Vinyl's previous spot on the large couch. Within moments, Scootaloo was face to face with Vinyl, once again. She moved next to the filly and spoke.

"Sleep well?" Vinyl chuckled and patted Scoots' back, leading her to the stairs. "Come on. I'll officially introduce you to everyone, and help you get settled in."

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville.

"Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle, where are you?" Rarity shouted throughout the boutique, her voice whining like it normally would. Upstairs, in Sweetie Belle's room, the filly of the same name was packing a small bag, which included a flash light, a map of the apple orchards, and a pocket knife, for self defense. Rarity shouted louder, but Sweetie Belle simply ignored her. She could hear the mare's hoofsteps moving up the stairs. As her door opened, Sweetie Belle turned and kicked the bag into the nearest hiding spot, before assuming an innocent act as Rarity stepped through the door.

"Sweetie Belle, what are you doing? You need to get cleaned up, we have an important dinner party to get to!" Sweetie Belle couldn't help but wince at the idea. It was fashion party, one where Rarity was going to meet her Manehatten friend, Coco Pommel. The only other fillies or colts that were expected to show up were the stuck up rich ones, and the models who were going to show off new clothing lines on a runway. Sweetie Belle hated going to these event's. to put it lightly. But no matter what she pleaded, or how she did so, it was always the same answer.

"Come on, Sweetie Belle! Who knows, you could find your cutie mark!" Rarity said as she looked through Sweetie Belle's closet, looking for the uncomfortable dress Sweetie was to wear to the event. Sweetie had to think of a lie, a good one, and quickly. Suddenly, the filly managed to find one, and just in time.

"N-no! I can't! I mean, i promised Apple Bloom that i would spend the night in the tree house with her, just because Scootaloo is gone." She smiled, her lie seeming to be flawless in her own mind. Rarity gave her a long, skeptical look, before sighing heavily.

"Okay, Sweetie Belle, fine. Go play with Apple Bloom. But, I want you home by noon tomorrow, or you'll be modeling my next clothing line." Sweetie Belle gave a pretend salute, waiting for Rarity to leave the room, before going back to her bag. She ripped it open and quickly grabbed a slip of paper from the desk behind her. On the paper was a list, displaying the items she had left to place in her bag. She checked off as many items as she could, before hearing Rarity leave the house. She zipped the bag up tight, before leaving the house, being sure to lock the windows and doors before leaving. She began to walk towards Apple Orchards, as a memory played over and over in her head. The black eyes, the sharp teeth. The beast she had seen weeks ago was out here, somewhere, and she was going to be the one to catch it.

Hours had passed at this point, and she was walking blindly through the woods. Every now and then, she would spot something dart behind a tree or a boulder, but nothing to confirm what she was seeing. It was around 12 p.m. at this point, to her knowledge. Her eyes were starting to get very heavy, and her hooves were sore. Suddenly, she spotted something just ahead. A shadowed figure, standing in the distance. it was facing to her right, motionless. She slowly began to creep closer. Until suddenly, it turned its head, looking straight to her. Sweetie Belle froze in pure horror, as the sight before her remained. The figure had no eyes, just...holes. Black, staring holes. Its teeth were jutting out from every angle, stuck in a permanent scream as it stared on. Before she knew it, Sweetie Belle was running away from it, panting and nearly in tears. Every time she would look back, it would be in the same position, staring. Soon, She had made it to a clearing, slowing to a stop. the moonlight illuminated the area, but the woods remained dark. She turned in a circle, looking around, only to see darkness. However, the more she looked...the more she became scared. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but darkness. With one more turn, she froze again, fear hitting her mind like a sledgehammer.

There it was. Standing only feet away from her was the beast she had hoped to find, staring her dead in the face, snarling as it crouched, ready to strike. She backed away slowly, only to hear a massive, screeching roar, before her vision went black.

Hours later, Sweetie Belle awoke with a shock, looking around. She wasn't at home, that was the first thing the noticed. She was, however, in a field of tall grass, which swayed lightly in the early morning. There was calm silence in the air as she stood, stretching. She was filthy from the forest mud. She didn't remember much from the previous night, and her entire body felt like a massive ball of pain. With every step, she seemed to groan in a tired pain. She walked forward, towards the apple orchards in the distance.

Suddenly, an image flashed before her eyes. It was the image of some sort of mask, lying in a pool of mud and rain. It flashed quickly in her head, with no previous memory of such a mask. All she could remember about the mask was that she felt as if she needed it, a heavy feeling of desire flooding her mind, growing stronger as she thought about the mask. Suddenly, another image. This time, however, it was of the masked mare, the one from the bank, and the one she saw on the news a few days ago. The short mare, the one the news reporter would call a new name. One that she couldn't help say to herself.

"Scarecrow..." She would whisper, as she stood motionless in the field. The mask she so desired was on Scarecrow's face. She needed that mask. Her conscious told her many times, over and over, that she must steal the mask from this new hero. Images flashed before her eyes, of blood, claws shredding through the mare's body, and the taste of blood tickling her mouth. Sweetie Belle knew what she wanted to do. She knew what she needed from Scarecrow. She wanted her dead.

She began growl. She didn't know why, nor how she was doing so, but she let her growling voice out. Her hooves and back began to sting in an immense amount of pain. Her growl got louder as she began to clench her teeth, which she could feel distorting, stretching from her gums slowly and painfully. Suddenly, something broke the skin, sending out a massive burning sensation through her body as, one by one, black, razor sharp spines began to slice out of her back, ripping her skin open as every other backbone in her body began to sprout a spike. As soon as it began, it stopped, before the pain quickly moved to her hooves. Her entire hoof began to deform, as the world around her began to change as well. The scents became more defined. She could see every detail in the apple trees, which were hundreds of feet ahead, before she began to see nothing but red. The pain became worse and worse as minutes passed, before suddenly, she felt nothing once more. She looked to her hooves, and they remained the same. She moved a hoof to her back, and nothing had changed. However, all but one thing remained. The images, and her thoughts.

She knew one thing at this point, and that thing rang like a bell in her mind. She wanted that damn hero dead, and she felt that nothing would keep her from her goal. She began to laugh to herself, louder and louder, before digressing to a simple chuckle.

"You're mine, Scarecrow...Ready or not, here I come."

Fight or Flight.

Downtown Manehatten

7:47 P.M.

The police scanner's blinking light shone brightly within the small, dim hotel room. Within, Scootaloo sat at a desk, looking over her mask. With her, within the room, was Braeburn, lying in the large king sized bed, watching the television across the room. Both were silent, just as a knock sounded on the door. Scootaloo began to stand, only for the door to open on its own, with a light orange aura around it. On the other side was Vinyl, carrying a white plastic bag. Instantly, as the bag was set onto the small bedside table, the scent of Griffonian food filled the air.

"So, remind me why were here again?" Braeburn said, sitting up and looking to vinyl, to tossed a bag of potato chips to Scootaloo.

"I don't know. Derpy said to meet her here, and that's what were doing." Vinyl said, seeming a bit annoyed. Scootaloo remained silent, but seemed equally confused. Suddenly, the police scanner came to life, screaming into the room.

"ALL UNITS, 10-32V, 10-34WS, LEVEL FOUR. ALL UNITS RESPOND. SUSPECT IS HEADING SOUTH ON 14TH STREET IN AN ARMORED VEHICLE." With those words, the three shot into action.

The large, armored truck barreled down the busy street, pushing vehicle after vehicle aside, shoving them aside like toys. Inside, a gunman was loading a heavy machine gun, before leaning out of the passenger window to fire at the police cars chasing it. As the bullets were flung through the air, sparks flashed from the police cars they would hit. The police car nearest to the truck picked up speed, before a bullet smashed through the windshield, forcing a large amount of blood and grey matter from the officer driving the vehicle to splash onto the windshield. The car veered hard to the left, smashing into a row of parked vehicles, forcing the car to flip several times. Not far behind, the roar of a small jet engine filled the air as Vinyl began to close in from the air, using her fighter jet inspired wings. Behind her, in a trail of black smoke, was Scootaloo, ready to fight at a moments notice. The truck's engine grumbled loudly down the busy stretch of road as Vinyl began closing in, landing on the roof of the truck. Suddenly, however, something rammed her off of its roof and to the side, almost throwing her off. Now, instead of Vinyl, there a very large, muscular stallion, wearing a suit of armor made completely of...sand? Scootaloo's radio buzzed loudly in her ear as Trixie suddenly delivered a message.

"Scarecrow, do you copy?" she asked with a loud tone of voice.

"Loud and clear." Scootaloo replied, waiting for her orders.

"The one you see before you would be Miner 9, one of our strongest enemies. He has the ability to use sand and other minerals to his advantage. We'll be here for backup."

"Backup? What do you mean?"

"This is your first test, Scoots. Don't let us down. Out."

"Trixie? TRIXIE?" she sighed after receiving no reply, throwing her earpiece to the ground below, before moving in towards the stallion. Suddenly, a massive stone pillar shot up from underneath her, sending her flying high into the air. As she was thrown by the pillar, she began to turn and twist midair , losing concentration and forcing her powers to shut down. Now, she was falling, with no was of stopping. She began to panic, yelling as she tried to think. The ground was getting closer and closer now, gaining quickly. Just before she hit the ground, her abilities kicked in once more, sending her forward at an alarming rate once again.

Another pillar shot up near her, but missed, allowing her to continue. A third and fourth pillar, even closer this time, but still leaving her unscathed. Again and again, Miner sent pillars of concrete and asphalt up, with more force for each time. The pillars soon turned to spikes, and began shooting for her in all directions, sending cars and sewer grates flying in the process. The closer she got to the truck, the more spikes seemed to appear, and the closer they became, until she got a risky idea. With a smirk, she shot forward as fast as she could fly, and slid underneath the truck, giving her a bit more room to think. Then, yet another idea sparked into her mind. Dirt and water makes mud, and she knew well how to make such a thing happen. as she truck passed over a manhole, she slid to a halt, lifting its lid and began to swing it with her chain of shadows, round and round, faster and faster, until suddenly, she released, sending the lid flying at the truck like a bullet. Without warning, it slammed into the trucks rear wheel, knocking it clean off and sending the truck into a slide, which soon turned into a violent roll, before skidding to a halt against a line of parked cars. The air became quiet. Scarecrow launched herself to the trucks resting place and slid to a halt as well, the quiet air suddenly breaking at the sound of bending metal. Suddenly, the rear door popped off their hinges as the massive stallion known as Miner 9 jumped out in a fit of rage, grunting like an angry gorilla.

Suddenly, something slammed into Scarecrow's side, sending her into a nearby storefront, filled with ponies who had run inside to avoid the carnage outside. Scarecrow impacted the counter, back first, and an audible crack was heard throughout the store, forcing her to whimper in pain, falling to the tile floor below. The stallion trotted into the storefront, the ground shaking under his hooves, before grabbing the wounded scarecrow and, without hesitation, threw her out of the store and across the road, into yet another parked car, destroying it. The stallion dragged his hooves along the ground like a bull, ready to charge. With a roar, he did so, charging towards her.

However, suddenly, just as she neared the car, his eyes locked on something else. A large metal bar, being swung like a baseball bat, right at his face. With a loud, metallic bang, which resonated in the air for a few moments, he was sent flying back into a streetlight pole. Where he was before now stood Scarecrow, her forehead, snout, and front leg bleeding a strange black substance. Miner began to stand, but it was in vain, as Scarecrow launched towards him once again, using her chain to grab the manhole cover from before and swing it hard, slamming it into his face.

Miner 9 was slammed with the cover and sent flying down the road, hitting several parked cars, before coming to a rest against a totaled police car, limp and unconscious. Scarecrow stood motionless, her poisonous green eyes staring at the assailant's motionless body. Soon, one after another, police cars began to slide and stop nearby, surrounding Scarecrow and pointing their guns. The yelled, commanding her to stay where she was. In a panic, as well as confusion, she flew off down an alley, leaving the police officers with the Miner's body and puzzled looks.

Nearly a mile away, Scarecrow landed on the roof of a rather old, seemingly abandoned building, panting as she landed, taking her mask off and dropping it, before collapsing, out of breath. She coughed, trying hard to stand by now, only to collapse, shivering as she began convulsing, a black, oily substance now dripping from her mouth like vomit. Her body was incredibly numb, her head and legs aching, as if she had finished running after several hours. Her stomach and throat burned, begging for the attention of the mask once more. She couldn't stop shaking, nor could she even stand.

"Scootaloo!" a shout was heard as Lyra began galloping towards her, dropping her bow and getting close to her, having seen the filly's condition. Soon, the rest of the team had arrived, each with a different reaction to the day's events. Vinyl was tending to Scootaloo, who had fainted at this point, with her built in medical equipment. Derpy and Trixie held a rather heated conversation.

"Trixie, she almost KILLED the guy! We don't need that kind of violen-"

"And he would have done the same thing to her if she hadn't done what she did!" Trixie interrupted, shooting a killer glare to Derpy.

"She could have figured out a better route to take than that, and you know it!" Derpy yelled in response.

"Better route!? That WAS the better route! What was she supposed to do, let him kill her!? Besides, I know damn well that you, Vinyl, or even Braeburn would've done the same!"

There was an eerie silence following her loud retort, as Lyra, Braeburn, Vinyl, De Lis, and Derpy stared, some looking away in guilt, others sighing in defeat. Trixie spoke once again, her voice quiet.

"Scootaloo had no other choice to do that...And I know damn well she wont be taking it too well in the future. She isn't like us....She thought on reaction, not on strategy, because she thought her life was on the line...and judging by it, it may have been. Vinyl, I want you to take her back to base, let her rest. Braeburn, Lyra, Fluer, you've done great tonight, go and find yourselves something for dinner, and be sure to bring extra for us. Derpy....you too. I'll assist Vinyl with Scootaloo. Meet back at base tomorrow morning."

With mixed responses, the team separated.

The sun set slowly between the streets of Manehatten, as Braeburn, Lyra, Fluer De Lis, and Derpy trotted down the paved sidewalks of the city, towards a small cafe, the group laughing and joking around after yet another successful night. Lyra soon spoke up above the rest, walking backwards, infront of the group.

"Can you even believe she managed that? I mean, a damn sewer grate! that was so VIOLENT!" She hopped excitedly, as Braeburn spoke.

"Yeah, but in all honesty, ya'll...Ah think ah gotta agree with Derpy on this. Ah mean, she did kill the guy...that's pretty damn scary." He spoke, his voice's volume lowering quite a bit as the group passed the Cafe. Derpy sighed softly as she began to speak, in reply to Braeburn.

"Thank you, Braeburn, but in honesty...she was doing what she needed to survive. Trixie was right...you would have done the same." she suddenly stops, looking down the road, as well as the rest of the group, as a faint ringing was heard within the air, before something ripped down the road in bright flash of neon yellow light, similar to that of a firefly's glow. The force of the object's speed forced car alarms to go off, windows to crack, and even the street lamps to flicker. As the object left, if left behind a trail of bright neon yellow in its path, before that faded away as well, like a dying lightbulb. The air became silent, as the object evacuated. Braeburn and the group looked to each other, then in the direction it had gone, before Lyra spoke.

"Was that a...?" She looked to the group, as De Lis spoke quietly.

"Lets hope so...or even, lets hope not." The air became silent after she spoke, as police sirens were heard in the distance.