The Wager

"Grandpa c'mon, tell us another story. Please?" a green filly nudged her grandfather from his slumber. The old stallion roused from his sleep and wiped his eyes.  It was getting harder and harder to stay awake for these bed time stories, especially when he was the one telling them. Looking down from his chair he saw his grand daughter and grandson looking excited now that he was awake. He smiled as he placed his hooves on the arms of the rocking chair and began moving himself again.

He looked down at the expectant filly, her golden eyes shining from the light of fireplace nearby as it crackled viciously. Then to his grandson, a small colt with black a white spotted fur, like himself.  "Now youngins ain't it past your bedtime already?"

His granddaughter shook her head, "Nope, mama gave us permission to stay up late, so c'mon! One more story please?"

"A scary one!" His grandson piped in.

"Ya!" the filly yelled in agreement

"Well," the stallion scratched at his chin "I know a few scary stories. You want to hear about the city of ghouls near Canterlot? The story of how Mrs. Fluttershy was lost in the Everfree Forest for hundreds of years? Or the story of the attack on this town by the Enclave?"

The young ponies looked at each other and nodded, then the filly piped up "Grandpa Railright, we wanna hear about The Stranger."

A silence settled over the room as cold dread crept through Railright's spine. He had only told that story to his daughter once. It was the most horrendous act he had ever witnessed done to other ponies by a pony. "Star Sprite, Storm Splash. I don't think that's a story y'all need to hear."

Both the filly and the colt whined "But mama said we could ask you once we're old enough, ain't we old enough grandpa?"

Railright sighed and wiped his brown. He sat in his rocking chair moving back and forth, the children stared at him expectantly, the room was quiet except for the sound of the creaking rocking chair and the crackling fire. Railright wanted to share the story, after all they had asked him to, but he didn't want to hide any parts of it out. He had to tell them the whole story. "Alright youngins."  Both of them grinned at each other and then scooted closer to their grandfather. "This story is about a pony who came through town about 2 years before The Savior of the Wastes did. He wasn't anything special to look at, but what he did... It still scares me today how little he cared about other pony's lives. I still remember what he said, even after all these years..."

"Let's make a bet."

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