Scarecrow: The story of a hero.

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.