Scarecrow: The story of a hero.

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."