Many ponies liked to often compare Scootaloo to her hero and big sister figure, Rainbow Dash, which the little filly loved to hear. She was energetic, loved athletics, rushed in without a moment's notice (often leading into trouble), and many more traits between the two of them. One of those other traits was being bored relatively quickly. Today had started busy enough with her, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom planning out their monthly sleepover at the clubhouse. Before getting their cutie marks, the sleepovers were mostly about planning to find their unique talents while also having fun trying to get them. Now, with their flanks proudly decorated, they were just for goofing around and eating snacks until bedtime.
After their meeting, Scootaloo wanted to hang out straight away, but both girls had to be home to finish some chores that their sisters needed them to work on before nightfall. Which left a bored Scootaloo to wander on her own, looking for something to do
“Ugh, couldn’t they have finished those chores before the meeting? I always do,” she said to herself as she walked around near the edges of the Everfree Forest. “Maybe I should go see Zecora? It’s been a while since we talked.”
The forest that once held so many scary tales of ghosts, witches, monsters, and more was nothing more than just a mysterious forest in Scootaloo’s eyes. She'd been inside it plenty of times, and most of the paths had been made safe in the years since. After all, Zecora still lived inside and was often sought after for wisdom or potions. She also knew that Sandbar and his friends journeyed to hang out at some clubhouse belonging to them by the Tree of Harmony. The creatures weren’t scary anymore, either, thanks to Fluttershy and Discord taming most of them. It still was a bit creepy on the outside, and the fact it always made its weather was weird, but otherwise, it was harmless.
Scootaloo was about to leave the area for her usual path to the zebra shaman’s hut when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t see it at first because of all the vines and overgrown plants, but some structure was by the edge of the forest nearby. Curious, Scootaloo galloped a little closer and made her way inside the woods, where the trees soon darkened her shadow. Scootaloo’s eyes widened upon finding an old wooden house that looked abandoned for at least a hundred or so years. Its design reminded the filly of the houses Granny Smith showed in her black and white photo album.
“Woah, how come nopony’s found this before?” Scootaloo asked in awe. “Then again, this is quite a distance from town...”
She walked closer and saw the boarded up windows with dust and cobwebs everywhere. There were no lights on inside, and there were no indications that any creature had been living here for years. A sign on the front lawn said “KEEP OUT” in decaying red, but she ignored it and pressed on until she was in front of the front porch. A rat scurried across the wooden floor before disappearing into a mouse hole just barely big enough to fit. Scootaloo paused before the front steps as a cold wind blew against the shivering filly’s wings. The house looked so freaky, yet she couldn’t deny that she was curious about what was inside it. She was sure nopony knew it existed, and maybe she could find something interesting inside.
It would impress the girls for sure if I came back with something old and cool looking! Then again, I’ve seen enough horror movies to know what happens in scenarios like these. Maybe I should get out of here or at least come back with others to check it out, she thought as she started to turn around until she heard something. It was faint at first, but then it got louder.
“...come in...”
“H-hello?” Scootaloo asked, looking around. “Is...is anypony there?”
An old creaking sound made Scootaloo gasp and turn her eyes towards the front door, which slowly started to open. It echoed across the forest before coming to a dead halt as the doorway was just wide enough for Scootaloo to look inside, but could find nothing but darkness.
Yet, she felt more curious than ever. Something was inside it, and it wasn’t like ghosts were real, right? She had faced plenty of scarier stuff than a scary old house. That was when she heard that whisper again.
“...come in...”
“Seriously, if this is someone playing a trick!” She cried out but gulped when there was no answer. “Maybe just the wind? Or maybe...”
A thought came to her. It was almost Nightmare Night in a few days, and already ponies played tricks on each other. Maybe it's Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? Or Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash? Smolder and Gallus? Or even Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle! Yeah, that has to be it!
“Okay, if you want me to come in, then I guess I’ll come in,” Scootaloo shouted before giggling to herself. It had to be a prank after all. Right?
Walking up the front stairs of the porch, Scootaloo heard the old wood's creaking under her tiny hooves before arriving at the top. The door seemed to move a bit further out before the young filly took a deep breath and walked inside. Upon entering, she felt a dust cloud enter her nose and caused her to sneeze a few times while shutting her eyes. Stepping forward a bit, Scootaloo waved the cloud away before reopening her vision. “Woah...”
Most of the rotten furniture was covered in dirty sheets swarming with mold and mushrooms. Vines and roots were growing in the ground and walls through holes as big as her hoof. It was clear that the Everfree Forest was claiming this abandoned home as its own at a rapid pace. Scootaloo slowly moved forward, going deeper into the house as she passed the living room and down a grand hall of broken mirrors, vases, and dead plants. It looked like nopony had been in here recently, so where did the voice come from?. “Uh, hello? Seriously, this isn’t funny anymore.”
She was about to turn back when she noticed a door on the right side with a bright red sign nailed to the front: “STAY OUT”
A part of Scootaloo’s brain was telling her to heed the warning and gallop out of this place without looking back, but Scootaloo found herself drawn to the door. Something about it was calling to her. Like she had to open the door. She placed a hoof on the knob and slowly turned it. Her heartbeat increased as she pushed the door forward until she was able to peek inside. What she found was unexpected, but she relaxed when she saw the room wasn’t dangerous. Opening the door fully, Scootaloo walked inside and found herself face-to-face with dozens of old paintings. Completely blanketed by dust, but were still visible enough to be admired.
Although she wasn’t much of an artist, Scootaloo found herself observing the paintings one by one. Some looked simple enough, such as a portrait of some fancy stallion or mare in a dress. Others were of environments like waterfalls, deserts, farms, and castles. The ones that freaked her out were the ones that seemed to have a theme of death involved. Like a funeral progression with everyone dressed in black while carrying a coffin covered in wreaths. Or the one with a Royal Guard lying down in a battlefield with arrows in his chest. She felt her skin crawl when she saw the one with a cloaked reaper-like figure that held an hourglass with a skull on top.
At least they get points for mixed themes, Scootaloo thought as she slowly made her way towards the door. I guess I better get back to the clubhouse. The girls should be done by now.
She was halfway there when Scootaloo saw something lying near the ground. It looked to be another painting, but this one was covered face down on the wall. Curious, she walked towards it and slowly picked it up. Her eyes widened upon seeing the figure in the painting, staring at her in the face. It was a dark-furred unicorn who had the ugliest face that Scootaloo had ever seen. It looked like it had been cut apart, stitched back up, and then melted to the skull to the point where you could see bits of the jaw’s bone sticking out. However, the worst thing to stare at was the eyes. The bright blood red eyes that seemed to have no pupils and stared into Scootaloo’s very soul. A dark, burning feeling began to worm its way into the back of her skull. The sound of drums pounding in her ears echoed as all other sounds went dead silent. The eyes seemed to be getting bigger as her vision became encased with just the sight of these strange eyes. She tried to look away, but all she could do was stare at them. Finally, she dropped the painting and gasped for air, feeling sweat drip down her brow.
“What...what the hay...” Scootaloo gasped as she stared down at the painting, once again facing downward at the floor. “What was...”
She felt her voice die out in her throat upon seeing a red message on the wall. With words that Scootaloo swore she never noticed before, but now it was there fresh and dripping with red paint:
I SEE YOU
Before Scootaloo knew it, she was screaming as she fell on her haunches and backed away. The words haunting her as she couldn’t look away no matter how hard she tried. She kept pushing herself back until she felt her flank touch something cold and rotten. Snapping her head back, Scootaloo screamed upon seeing an actual pony skull next to some decaying bones. There was a second set not too far away, matching the first one.
It took all of Scootaloo’s willpower not to have an accident right there, and she got up to make a break for the door. Out of the corner of her eyes, the paintings had changed. Every single one of them had the red-eyed pony standing. It stared at her from all directions, looking at her with its deformed face and red glowing eyes.
Scootaloo pushed her wings and hooves as fast as she could until she was already screaming out of the house without stopping. She fled without once looking back in fear of the stallion in the painting coming after her.
Because deep down, despite being long gone from the cursed house, Scootaloo knew it was still looking at her.
***
“Hey, Scoots. Scoots! Scootaloo!”
“Huh?! What?!” Scootaloo shouted, looking around in a panic. She then saw a confused Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looking at her. “O-Oh, s-sorry. I was zoning out. What happened?”
“It was your turn for Truth or Dare, but this is the third time you’ve been daydreaming,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.
“Yeah, and yah hardly said anythin’, ate anythin’, or even done anythin' throughout the sleepover’,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “Are ya alright?”
Scootaloo wanted to yell that nothing was alright. She felt sick and tired. Not just from all the running, but of the terrible gut feeling in her stomach that hasn't gone away since she left the abandoned house. Scootaloo had wanted to go home and hide under her covers. Instead, she found herself running back to the clubhouse and hid under their table. It took Sweetie Belle looking for her to get her to come out when she missed their meeting deadline an hour later.
The only reason she even went forward with the sleepover still was because her Aunts were still out of town, and she didn’t want to sleep at home alone. “Y-yeah, just tired is all...”
“Hmm, well Ah was getting tired of Truth or Dare anyway,” Apple Bloom said, before smiling brightly. “Let’s tell scary ghost stories instead!”
“Yay!” Sweetie Belle shouted while clapping her hooves.
“...yay,” Scootaloo whimpered while holding her pillow closer to her.
“This is the tale of the cursed painting!"
Oh, you have got to be kidding me, Scootaloo thought as she found herself listening to every word.
“Once upon a time,” Apple Bloom started in an eerie voice, “there was a young unicorn filly who lived near Ponyville that was known for her amazin’ paintin’ skills. She was so talented that many claimed they were almost lifelike! She painted beautiful portraits, landscapes and liked to hang her paintin's in her own little art gallery in the house.
But lately her parents got into shoutin' matches and arguments with themselves over the smallest of problems. This affected the filly's ability to paint and soon started paintin' weird and disturbin' things. Her nightmares became worse and she started seeing this horrible monster in them." Scootaloo gulped.
"It looked like a pony, but not quite. It was so disfigured and ugly and was a horror to look at it. It had a thick dark coat and eyes as red as the devils of Tartarus!” Scootaloo let out a small gasp as she felt her entire body shaking. Suddenly, she looked at every picture in Apple Bloom’s room while feeling that it was watching her.
"One fateful night her father came home drunk and angry and started an argument with her mother that resulted in the worst fight ever. The filly had just finished another paintin' and was about to hang it in her art gallery when her father spotted her. His anger wasn't sated so he chased her all the way to her art room. She threw her painting on the floor as her father barged into the room. She was able to escape him and lock him inside. She ran upstairs and hid under her bed listening to her drunk father banging on the door until she fell asleep.
“Poor girl,” Sweetie Belle said in a whimper. “What happened next?”
Apple Bloom leaned in closer and continued “But then...the next morning the little filly didn’t find her mother or father at breakfast. She searched the entire house for them until she stood outside of her art gallery, the door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open to find them....dead!”
“How?” Sweetie Belle asked while Scootaloo went paler and paler with each passing second.
“Nopony knows for sure, but ah heard.... the monster she painted... had come to life! It strangled them and laid them side by side in eternal, cold sleep. Just as she started to cry in mourning, she saw a message on the wall right above her parents' corpses. It read...I see you!”
“Gaaaaah!” Scootaloo shouted as she threw her pillow in the air. Her friends jumped as Scootaloo rushed into her sleeping bag and shut it tight. “No more sleep stories! I’m out! I’m out!”
“B-but that was just the first one,” Apple Bloom pointed out.
“I don’t care! We’re going to bed! Now!” Scootaloo shouted, still shivering.
A knock on the door had the remaining two crusaders turn their heads to Applejack, who poked her head in. “Everythin’ alright? Ah thought Ah heard somepony yell?”
“Y-yeah, we’re fine! We were just about to head to bed,” Sweetie Belle answered with a quick smile.
“Alright then, nighty night,” Applejack said before closing the door.
“Wow, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom chuckled. “Ah didn’t know y’all were so scared of ghost stories.”
“Just shut up,” Scootaloo whispered before poking her head out. “Let’s just get to bed.”
The other two crusaders shrugged and bid each other goodnight before tucking it in.
***
“...darn it,” Scootaloo cursed as she slowly got out of her sleeping bag. “Why did I drink so much apple juice before bed?”
Crossing her rear legs, Scootaloo got up and felt her twitch as her bladder begged her for relief in the bathroom. Through the dark in the middle of the night. She glanced at a snoring Apple Bloom, sprawled out on her bed, and Sweetie Belle napping peacefully in her sleeping bag. It was very tempting to ask them to wake up and escort her, but her fears of being made fun of forced her to make her way towards the door on her own.
Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo slowly opened the door to make sure not to wake her best friends before closing it behind her. She glanced around, noticing just how dark it was without any of the lights or candles on. It was so cold out in the hallway that Scootaloo wondered if Granny Smith forgot to keep the fireplace going before bed. Slowly, she made her way down the hall.
“It’s just a story...it’s just a story...it’s just a story...” Scootaloo repeated to herself. Yet she couldn’t help but glance at every painting that she walked past in the dark. Any second she expected the red-eyed pony to appear and stare at her with his hellfire eyes.
The walk to the bathroom felt like walking a full mile, but she managed to make it, much to her relief as she turned on the light and went about her business. A few minutes later and she flushed the toilet before heading over to wash her hooves.
“Okay, see? Nothing to be afraid of,” Scootaloo said to herself with a weak smile as she reached for a towel. You’re just...just...”
She paused as the lights inside the bathroom started flickering on and off. She slowly turned to the light switch only to find it untouched. An icy feeling began to spread from Scootaloo’s rear legs to her forehooves. Trembling, Scootaloo slowly moved her head around and gazed at the wall behind her in the bathroom hall.
It was a picture of a barn, red as an apple on a clear sunny day. Only something was right there beside the red barn. Something that wasn’t supposed to be there. It was small, but Scootaloo could see it as clear as the sun itself. The lone figure in the dark black coat stared at her with those burning red eyes that glowed on the painting.
Slowly, the figure’s face began to move. Its cheek moved upward as it began to reveal a set of sharp-fanged teeth that were glittering in the dark like daggers. The red-eyed pony slowly opened its jaw and slowly started to come out of the painting and into the bathroom. Its face was seemingly stretching out and heading for Scootaloo, who led out a scream.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
Scootaloo rushed for the door but found herself face-first into the wall. She gasped as she stared at the blank white bathroom wall where the door was supposed to be. Only it wasn’t. She pounded on the wall, desperate to find some means to get out of the room. Turning behind her, she saw that the red-eyed pony was slowly getting closer. His red-eyed glowing in the blinking lights as its sharp teeth shined even in the darkness.
All Scootaloo could do was scream and pound on the wall.
***
“HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE!”
“Wha?! Who?! What?!” Apple Bloom shouted as she jumped out of bed. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest as the screaming continued. “What in tarnation is goin’ on?!”
“I think it’s coming from the hall!” Sweetie Belle said, getting up.
The two crusaders rushed out of Apple Bloom’s room while finding everypony in the house awake as well. They all turned to the hall where the screaming was coming from behind the bathroom door. Apple Bloom quickly recognized the voice as Scootaloo’s, but she had never heard the filly scream so loud or so scared.
“Well, for apple’s sake! Open the door!” Granny Smith shouted. Big Macintosh quickly did so, and Scootaloo ran so fast the pegasus filly dived into a confused Big Macintosh’s chest and gripped him hard. She was blubbering so fast that the other two crusaders looked at each other with wide, confused eyes.
“Calm down, Sugarcube!” Applejack said, walking over and hugging Scootaloo to calm her down. “What happened?!”
“It...it’s going to get me! It’s going to get me!” Scootaloo shouted, pointing down into the bathroom. “The red-eyed pony! In the painting! I saw him! I saw him! He’s going to kill me!”
“Red-eyed pony? Painting? You mean the one in the story?” Sweetie Belle asked, tilting her head.
“Yes!” Scootaloo cried. “I saw it in the painting of the barn! I saw it in that abandoned house today, and now it's coming to kill me like it killed that family!”
Sighing, Applejack began to calm down Scootaloo, who looked ready to run again. “Calm down, Scootaloo. It was just a nightmare y’all were havin’. There ain’t no such thing.”
“Yeah, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said, smirking. “Quit actin’ like a chicken.”
“Yes, fine! I’m chicken, but I know what I saw, and I saw it!” shouted Scootaloo, as tears began to form in her eyes before she started to cry in AJ’s chest. “Please! Just check! He’s there! He came out of the painting! The lights acted weird! There was no door...and...and...”
Big Macintosh went inside and looked directly at the painting that Scootaloo was talking about. He narrowed his eyes and looked closely at it before turning to the crowd with a shrug. Scootaloo was in disbelief before weakly pointed at the lights. “But...but the lights...he made them flicker on and off!”
Walking over to the lights, Granny Smith flick it, and the lights went off, but when she tried again, they didn’t come on. “Darn lightin’ must be cross-wired again.’
“See, Scootaloo,” Applejack said, patting the shocked filly’s back. “The lights must have gone out, and yer was just seein’ things. Maybe ya forgot where the door was and all-”
“N-no! I swear, I saw him!” Scootaloo shouted, sobbing into Applejack’s chest. “Please...I...I’m scared! I wanna stay with an adult tonight!”
“Uh...” Applejack looked at Scootaloo’s friends, who were just as unsure what to do. Sighing, Applejack patted Scootaloo on the back, “Okay, you can sleep with me, Sugarcube.
She turned to her big brother. “Mac, could stand guard for a bit around the house? Maybe she saw a thief or somethin’ out the window...”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said, nodding as he walked out the bathroom and made his way downstairs.
“I saw him...I saw him...” Scootaloo whimpered as Applejack put her down.
“It’s alright, Scootaloo. Y’all can sleep in my bed. Ah promise everythin’ will be okay...” Applejack said as she guided the scared filly into her room.
Granny Smith just sighed and muttered to herself, “Dang spooky stories always scarin’ youngsters into wettin’ their beds...”
The two crusaders quickly bid Big Mac goodnight before reentering Apple Bloom’s room. The two didn’t say anything as they both sat in silence. “Wow, I guess that story freaked her out, huh?”
“Yeah, Ah feel bad given it now,” Apple Bloom muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. “L-let’s just try and get some sleep. Maybe she’ll feel better in the morning?”
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle agreed. She was about to head back into her sleeping bag when she paused. “Um, Apple Bloom? Why don’t we leave the lamplight on? J-Just in case?”
“Y-yeah, why not?”
***
The morning had come, and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary when everypony woke up. Well, except a fidgety Scootaloo who was always looking over her shoulder. It was getting the other crusaders worried since all day she barely ate, rarely answered in class, and just seemed determined to bolt at the slightest hint of danger. They had hoped that last night was the end of this, but it appeared that Scootaloo still believed the monster in the story was out to get her.
“I’m telling you girls, it’s all true!” Scootaloo shouted. It was lunchtime, and Scootaloo decided to tell Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom what happened before their sleepover. The three were sitting under a big tree, sandwiches in front of them, as Scootaloo continued, “I went into the house, and I saw the cursed painting! There was the red-eyed pony in the dark coat and disfigured face! The message in red was there, and I saw two skeletons in the room! It had to be the filly’s parents! Don’t you see?! I looked at that...that...monster, and now it's trying to get me!”
“Come on, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said, shaking her head. “Are ya sure yer tellin’ the truth?”
“I’m serious!” Scootaloo cried out before letting out a deep sigh. Her wings dropped down as she held her head. “What if this thing doesn’t stop until I’m dead?! What if I’m a goner, and I’m just delaying the inevitable?!”
“Well, this thing only appears in paintings, right?” Sweetie Belle said, raising her hoof.
“Yeah?” Scootaloo answered.
“So, don’t you think that being outside means you’re not in danger?” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “It can’t hurt you if you don’t see a painting. So I would relax.”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow and whispered. “Ya seriously, don’t believe her, do you?”
“I’m just trying to help her relax,” Sweetie Belle hissed.
“You do know I can hear you two, right?” Scootaloo pointed out with a deadpan snark. She got up and began to walk off. “Fine, if you don’t believe me, then I-
SNAP! CRASH!
“Holy horseapples!” Apple Bloom shouted as Sweetie Belle screamed and, unknowingly, teleported a few feet away. Scootaloo’s wings flared out as she jumped back and landed on her flank in shock. Just as Scootaloo moved, a giant tree branch fell out of nowhere and landed right where she was previously sitting.
“...If...If I didn’t move...” Scootaloo whimpered as she began to shake.
“Geez, yer lucky, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said, staring at the branch. “Scootaloo?”
“It’s coming to get me,” Scootaloo whimpered as she looked around. Sweat was pouring down her paling face as her body began to twitch. “Where? Where? Where?! Where could there be a painting unless...The school!”
“Huh?” Her friends asked, but Scootaloo was already rushing towards the front doors.
They quickly followed her, but she was too fast for them to keep up. They were just about to turn the hall when they heard another scream. Instantly, Scootaloo was right back at them, pointing at a nearby painting of the school. “There! He was right there! I saw him! Did you see him?!”
“No! Because your face is in my face!” Apple Bloom shouted, pushing her friend away. The two other fillies walked over to the painting and just stared at it. “There’s nopony there.”
“But I...I saw him! He was...” Scootaloo fell to her knees and began to hug herself. “Am...Am I going mad? Am I losing it?! Or is he just toying with me!”
SMASH!
“Gaaah!” the girls cried as they quickly ducked. A nearby window shattered, shards of glass falling everywhere followed by a kickball that came bouncing into the room. Scootaloo eyed the broken glass near her and noticed a sizable, sharp piece of glass embedded into the floor next to her hoof.
“Oh no!" came a shout from outside. A colt came rushing into the building. "It was an accident, I swear!"
“Oh, Miss Cheerliee is going to be really mad about this, Featherweight." said Sweetie Belle.
“That could have killed me!" Scootaloo said gesturing to the large shard of glass. "It did this! I need to get out of here, now!” Scootaloo shouted, shaking her head. She rushed for her locker nearby and opened it. She grabbed her scooter and ran towards the front door.
“But school’s not over!” Apple Bloom shouted as she and Sweetie Belle rushed after her. “Scootaloo! Wait!”
By the time the two got outside, Scootaloo was already on her scooter. Using her wings at top speed, she quickly rode out of the school grounds faster than the girls could call her. Other students saw her and pointed towards her, while Scootaloo didn’t stop until she was nothing but a speck. Miss Cheerliee rushed over towards the other Crusaders. “What’s going on? Where is Scootaloo going?"
“Uhh, she’s not feeling well...” Sweetie Belle said with a nervous smile. “B-but, I’m sure she’ll be back soon!” She turned to a worried Apple Bloom and whispered, “Hopefully...”
"And what happened to my window?!" Cheerilee asked.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both pointed hooves at Featherweight.
***
Scootaloo didn’t know what to do or where to go. All that mattered was getting away from anything that had a painting, photo, or even a sketch. She avoided all the roads into Ponyville and made straight for the one pony she was sure would believe her: Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo knew that Dash liked to practice her moves around this time in the afternoon and quickly called the confused pegasus down. Naturally, she was upset that Scootaloo played hooky instead of being in school, but Scootaloo promised to go back if she told Rainbow Dash everything.
“So let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash stared at a pleading Scootaloo. “You found some abandoned house near the edges of the Everfree Forest and went inside to take a look. Inside, you found a painting of a red-eyed pony that came to life?”
“Yes! And now he’s after me!” Scootaloo finished as she drank some of the bottled water that Dash offered. “You gotta help me, Rainbow Dash! I don’t want to die! I don’t know what this thing is going to do to me! Please!”
“Scoots...,” Dash bit her lip and rubbed the back of her head. “I want to help you, but...this sounds a bit....far-fetched if you ask me."
“Not you too,” Scootaloo mumbled as she sat down on her haunches. Tears began to drip down her cheeks. “Why doesn’t anypony believe me! I’m not making this up!”
“Hey, wait,” Rainbow Dash said, sitting down next to her and holding her shoulders. “I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. I just...look...I’m not an expert when it comes to this stuff. Flattered that you think I am, by the way. But if you think this is happening, regardless if it's true or not, I think we need to see Twilight.”
“Twilight?” Scootaloo asked while wiping her eyes.
“Yeah, this sounds like her kind of magic mambo jumbo kinda stuff.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her little sister figure’s shoulder and smiled. “Twilight’s going to help ya, squirt. And if some red-eyed pony ghost is trying to snuff you out? Well, Rainbow Dash has a buck to the face ready for him.”
For the first time since yesterday, Scootaloo smiled and hugged Rainbow Dash, who comforted her by wrapping her large wings around her small body. Yeah, with Rainbow Dash and Twilight? I’ll be fine! Right?
***
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had the same idea as Rainbow Dash. The two-headed straight to Twilight to talk about Scootaloo's behavior just as Dash and Scootaloo arrived at her castle. After giving everyone tea to calm down, Twilight listened to Scootaloo’s story while the others remained silent.
“...and that’s everything,” Scootaloo said as she finished the tea. The Princess of Friendship was in deep thought on the other side of the crystal table while Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo’s friends sat beside her. “Do you believe me, Twilight?”
“Well, I have heard of this story before,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin.
“You have?” Rainbow Dash asked with her eyebrows raised in surprise. “What do you know about it?”
“Just rumors of a specter of some sort in a painting that kills those who see it. Those killed by it have their souls trapped inside its dark realm beyond the paintings and dooms them forever. I’ve never confirmed if it's true or not...”
“Is there some way to prove that it does?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Hmm,” Twilight looked at her teacup for a moment before gazing back at Scootaloo. “Scootaloo, do you remember where you saw this old house?”
“Uh, yeah, it's a few miles from Sweet Apple Acres,” Scootaloo answered, shivering at the thought. “Why?”
“Well, I think the only way to prove if this story is real or not is if we go there ourselves,” Twilight said, getting up.
“But what if it comes after me?! Or any of you?!” Scootaloo shouted.
“I’ve dealt with worse things out there than a haunted specter,” Twilight said with confidence. “I’ll protect you, I promise.”
“Yeah, besides, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash gave a cocky grin. “Twilight and I have handled a lot of bad guys before. Some dead spirit guy isn’t going to frighten us.”
Scootaloo turned to her friends, who were both nodding in agreement. Sighing, Scootaloo shook her head. “Alright, but promise me that if it comes after us...and you can’t stop it...you’ll let it take me and get yourselves out.” Closing her eyes, Scootaloo lowered her head. “I’d rather be taken by that thing that let you girls get hurt.”
“Aw, Scoots,” Apple Bloom walked over and hugged her friend. “Ya don’t have to worry about some dumb old ghost. Us Cutie Mark Crusaders can deal with anythin’ that’s thrown at us.”
“Yeah, real or not, nothing is going to stop us from being there beside you!” Sweetie Belle proclaimed as she joined in on the hug.
“Girls...” Scootaloo whispered with a smile before hugging her friends back.
It made Twilight smile upon seeing such close friendship before she cleared her throat. “Well, let’s go ghost hunting. Shall we?”
***
The haunted house was just as Scootaloo last saw it; only it seemed to be even creepier now. The atmosphere coming from the place was giving off a sense of doom and gloom. She wasn’t the only one to fear it as even the others were staring at it with wide eyes and trampling hooves.
“M-maybe we should call professionals in dealing with this?” Sweetie Belle suggested, hiding behind the others with a nervous tone.
“I-It’s just an old house...right, Twilight?” Apple Bloom asked the alicorn that sounded like a beg.
“I...” Twilight narrowed her eyes while her horn started to glow. “I am getting a weird feeling...something doesn’t seem right.”
“I think it's just creepy,” Dash muttered.
“...come to me...”
Scootaloo jumped. “D-did you hear that?!”
“Hear what?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Sweetie Belle answered.
“...come to me...”
Scootaloo was sure of it now. “There! That’s the voice! It’s coming from inside!”
Twilight took the lead as she led Dash and the CMC up the porch and into the dark living room. Her horn glowed and began to shine around like a flashlight. Nothing was there but dust, old cobwebs, and the occasional fly or two. “Nopony’s here,” Twilight said, looking around. “Maybe you heard the wind?”
“See, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said, smiling. “Nothing’s here. No ghost or haunted paintings-”
“No, we have to go to the painting room!” Scootaloo said, pointing down the hall. “That’s where the skeletons and haunted paintings are! I swear!”
“Alright, but stick closer to me, girls. I don’t want anyone getting hurt,” Twilight said as the CMC quickly huddled closer to her. “Dash? Watch our backs.”
“On it!” Dash said, levitating in the air and keeping a lookout. They slowly went down the hallway, noticing every little detail from the rusty nails to the holes in the wall with worms coming out. “I got to admit. This place is spooky, regardless if there is a ghost or not.”
“Yeah. If my sister were here, she’d freak out and have a heart attack from all this filth,” Sweetie Belle said, looking at an old sock in disgust.
“If my sister were here, she’d be wantin’ to take this place apart and rebuild it,” Apple Bloom said, shaking her head.
They continued onward until they were at last at the door that Scootaloo told them was the painting room. Twilight used her magic to slowly open the door while keeping the fillies shielded with her body. When she opened the door fully, the five walked inside and gazed upon the many paintings in the room.
“Wow,” Apple Bloom said, walking towards one with an old mare in a fancy dress. “That filly was good at drawin' these.”
“Some of these look to be hundreds of years old,” Twilight said, closely observing them. “I wonder if somepony would be interested in them? Maybe an art museum? These are good.”
“Eh, I’ve seen cooler,” Rainbow Dash replied with a roll of her eyes.
Sweetie Belle was shivering under the gaze of a giant painting of a skull with snakes coming out of its eye sockets. “I've seen enough. Let’s get out of here.”
“Where are they?!” The four nearly jumped as Scootaloo was looking around on the other side of the room. “I saw them right here! The skeletons! And that painting! I swear they were both here!”
“Scootaloo, calm down!” Twilight shouted as the young pegasus ran from corner to corner in a panic. “Look, just relax and-”
“How can I relax when I can’t find the bodies or the painting!” Scootaloo shouted, holding her head with her hooves. “It...it had to have moved them...that has to be it!”
“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom shouted, sighing. “Look, maybe there just wasn’t any painting or bodies. Ya just imagined it!”
Scootaloo raised her head to shout, but then the four watched as her eyes went wide and jaw dropped. They tilted their head as Scootaloo began to shiver uncontrollably and whimper. With her face turning pale, Scootaloo slowly backed up, staring above them with her mouth blabbering.
“Scootaloo?” Dash asked, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“Be...be...behind...”
“Behind? Behind what?” Sweetie Belle asked.
With a shaking raised hoof, Scootaloo slowly pointed towards them and whimpered. “...you...behind you...”
Suddenly, a cold feeling came between the four as they slowly turned their heads and glanced at the wall behind them. It was the biggest painting of them all. Nearly twice Twilight’s size, and it was a wonder how they even managed to miss it or if it was there at all when they entered. It had dark flames behind its figure while the ponies' haunting faces were burning in the background, pleading to those outside the painting for help.
Help from the creature that was in the middle, staring at those who were gazing upon it. The dark coat figure with a face that nearly made the mares throw up. It’s red eyes gazed upon them. Devilish and burning with such intensity, it made all four of them step back. Yet that was nothing compared to the impossible that happened. It slowly started to grin. It’s shining teeth shone brightly in the sudden darkness that began to spread from the corners of the room. The light in Twilight’s horn fizzled out and left the five in utter darkness.
And then it opened its mouth and a haunting voice, like nails against a chalkboard, cried out, “I! SEE! YOU!”
This time it wasn’t Scootaloo who screamed, but all of them as the being slowly appeared to form out of the picture, like he was walking through a front door. It slowly started to make its way towards the girls, the painting behind him moving as the fires seemed to be real. They could hear the voices of the ponies inside the fires crying in agony. Sweetie Belle turned towards the door only to find it missing with no other way out.
“Get us out of here, Twilight!” Apple Bloom shouted in tears. “Teleport us out!”
“Right! Everypony to me!” Twilight shouted as Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle grabbed on to her while Rainbow Dash stood in front with her wings flared out. “Scootaloo! Hurry!”
Snapping out of it, Scootaloo was about to move as well, but the red-eyed figure lifted its hoof. Without warning, Scootaloo found herself thrown back by a mysterious force that slammed her to the wall, right next to a painting. She cried out in pain before going limp.
“Scootaloo!” The four shouted as Dash growled in anger.
“Let her go, you bastard!” Dash shouted as she charged forward.
“Rainbow! No!” Twilight shouted, but it was too late.
Dash tried to punch the red-eyed ghost but found her hoof frozen in the air before she could touch him. The specter grinned before twitching its head to the right. Dash yelled in agony as her limb twisted with a snap that echoed across the room. It held out its hoof again, and this time Rainbow Dash was pushed back towards one of the paintings. A ghoulish black hand of ethereal form appeared out and slammed into Dash from behind, sending her to the floor.
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted as she and the other crusaders rushed to her. The alicorn sighed in relief upon seeing her friend still breathing but unconscious. Glaring at the specter, she fired a magic blast at the red-eyed pony.
To her shock, it just ricocheted right off him like it had an invisible shield. She fired two more times, but it stood there with an amused smile as the blasts did nothing but bounce off him and into the walls. With a screech, he charged forward at top speed. Yelping, Twilight surrounded her, and the other two crusaders with a shield that forced the figure to bounce off it. It flickered a few times as the ghost tried to break in, but Twilight’s forcefield was too powerful.
Growling, it then turned its attention to the unconscious pegasus filly, who was still being held against the wall by its power. Grinning, it flew towards her and began to wrap its dark hooves around Scootaloo’s neck. Her body began to convulse without air, and her eyes began to roll to the back of her head. More dark smoke-like hands appeared from the paintings nearby and wrapped around her like a cloak.
“Twilight! Do something! It’s killing her!” Sweetie Belle screamed as Scootaloo’s body slowly went limp.
“Get away from her!” Twilight shouted, firing magic blast after magic blast, but all it did was bounce off. Screaming, Twilight fired another shot, but instead of glancing off into the wall, it hit one of the paintings near it.
However, this seemed to have done something as the specter screamed in pain, with the painting falling apart due to the blast's intensity. It glared at Twilight before diving into another picture nearby. Twilight’s eyes lit up. “That’s it! Girls, the moment you get a chance, get Scootaloo and bring her towards me! I’ll look after Rainbow!”
Twilight then turned around and began firing magical blasts at the paintings themselves. Each blast destroyed the works of art and setting them aflame. The ghost's unearthly screams echoed in the room as it shot out of another painting and tried to dive at Twilight. Thankfully, her shield managed to hold it back despite each attempt causing it to crack and flicker more violently. She shot another painting, and the painting ghost screamed again before diving into another one.
Twilight continued to destroy the paintings one by one as the specter continued to try and stop her in futility. When Twilight had damaged more than half of them, whatever power holding Scootaloo seemed to have ended as her body fell to the floor.
“Now, girls! Get her!” Twilight shouted.
The two fillies didn’t waste any time and rushed towards their unconscious friend. To their relief, she was still breathing, and they started dragging her to Twilight. Seeing its prey escaping, the red-eyed pony rushed out from another painting to grab the three fillies, but Twilight managed to destroy another picture that caused it to halt in agony.
Once the three were back in the shield. Twilight embraced all three of them, along with Rainbow Dash, and prepared to teleport them all. The specter charged one last time and smashed the magic shield into pieces with a single blow. But before it could grab any of them, the five teleported them in a flash—the red-eyed pony’s defiant cries echoing in their ears.
Seconds later, the five of them were outside the haunted house again, but this time Twilight was determined to end this. Channeling her magic, she unleashed a wall of flames at the abandoned home that began to spread. The old wood and ruined decay didn’t stand a chance as the four ponies watched as the cursed house get devoured in a flame so bright that folks from Ponyville saw it and wondered what had happened.
***
The first thing that Scootaloo felt the moment she woke up was her throat on fire. She groaned and coughed, trying to lift herself from the bed she was on, but a gentle hoof forced her back down. “It’s okay, Scootaloo. Take it easy. Here...”
She felt a cold glass against her lips and realized what the pony helping her was trying to do. Opening her mouth, Scootaloo drank the cold water greedily. It helped cool down the burning in her throat, but it still hurt like hell. Opening her eyes, Scootaloo saw Twilight levitating a glass of water with a calm smile on her face.
“Twilight? Where...” Scootaloo tried to speak, but she just coughed instead.
“It’s okay; you don’t have to speak. The doctor said you shouldn’t,” Twilight said, putting the glass on a table. “You’re in the hospital. I’m afraid the damage that...thing did to you was served on your throat, and you have a few broken ribs from the impact you had on the wall. Rainbow’s also been admitted, but she's not pleased to be grounded for a few weeks. The ghost broke her leg and injured her ribs as well. You’ve been out for about three days now, but everypony’s been here to check on you. Even you’re parents.”
“The...girls...”
“They’re okay,” Twilight said, walking over to a nearby door. “In fact...”
She opened it, and Scootaloo sighed in relief upon seeing a worried-looking Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rush over with tears in their eyes. The three friends silently hugged each other, though they quickly stopped when Scootaloo winced upon feeling the sharp pain in her sides.
“Oh, Scootaloo! We’re so sorry!” Apple Bloom apologized as she held her wounded friend’s hoof. “We should have believed ya! Ah can’t believe we almost lost ya!”
“I’m just glad it's all over,” Sweetie Belle said, sobbing in relief. “But...but what was that thing?!”
“I’ve talked it over with Princess Luna,” Twilight Sparkle said, getting the girls' attention. “It seemed to be some kind of nightmare spirit, similar to the Tantabus. Most likely, the little unicorn girl from the story formed it unknowingly made it with her magic in her sleep.”
“How could she...wait, her parents fighting...” Sweetie Belle said with realization.
“Yes,” Twilights answered with a saddened tone. “Magic is tied to our emotions. All that fighting that she saw at such a young age must have been warped from it. It fed on her fear and hatred, becoming a monster in the process that...ended all of them tragically.”
“But why the paintings?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Perhaps that’s how it was made in the first place? Magic through the paint and brush? Such things are possible,” Twilight theorized before shrugging. “Regardless, with the house destroyed, I believe it's gone now. Hopefully, now the little filly, her family, and all its victims can rest in peace.”
“So Scootaloo’s free now?”
Twilight nodded. “I think she’s going to be just fine. She needs some time to recover and rest.”
Scootaloo sighed upon hearing this and felt a wave of relief wash over her like a blanket. She was starting to get very tired. A yawn escaped from her lips as her eyes began to droop. Twilight put her wings around the other smiling crusaders. “Come on, girls. I think Scootaloo needs to get some sleep.”
The girls nodded and told Scootaloo to rest well. They started to exit the room as Nurse Redheart walked in. She nodded to the group before walking over to a drowsy Scootaloo. “Looks like somepony is ready for bed,” Nurse Redheart said as she pulled the shades close. “Is there anything you need? An extra pillow or more water?”
Scootaloo was about to shake her head until her eyes snapped open. She quickly pointed to something on the wall that made Nurse Redheart raise her eyebrow. “The painting?” She walked over and saw that there was nothing wrong with it. Just a painting of the hospital itself that was made years ago. “What about it?”
“Get...rid of it...”
“Um, okay,” Nurse Redheart said as she took the painting off the wall, much to Scootaloo’s relief. “Now, why don’t you get some sleep.”
Scootaloo didn’t even bother answering. She just closed her eyes and went out like a light. Smiling at the sight, Nurse Redheart walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She continued to make her way down to the storage area, where she entered the room and put the painting on one of the shelves. “Not sure why she wanted this out of the room. But, if it helps her...”
She was about to turn away and walk out when she paused and tilted her head. “Huh, has that figure always been there?” She leaned closer and stared at the small figure near the edge of the painting. It was a pony in a dark cloak with the reddest eyes that the nurse had ever seen.
“...I see you...”
“Huh, what?” Nurse Redheart said, looking around.
“Nurse!”
She snapped her head and saw Nurse Tenderheart looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, Tender. It’s you.”
“What are you doing here? I need your help with a patient that has an ear infection,” Nurse Tenderheart said.
“Right, sorry. I’m coming,” Nurse Redheart said as she walked out and shut the door behind her.
With only the red glowing eyes of the painting lighting up the room.
Author's Note
Hey it looks like I got a Halloween fic out after all. :)
Thanks to Robsa990 for commissioning me.
If you want to commission from me, please click here
