Ghost rider

Chapters

The calm before the storm
Deal with the devil
Always read the fine print

The calm before the storm

Evil, something that lives in each and everyone of the creatures of Equs. Ponies, griffins, zebras, dragons, all are prone to and influenced by evil. And as such, each of them has a god, demon or spirit that represents this concept. The griffins have Loki, lord of lies, the dragons have Alduin, the World-Eater, even the ponies, whose country was built on the ideals of friendship and harmony, and whose ruler is an immortal princess who advocates justice and peace, they have a dark lord... Grogar, Father of Monsters.

For the ponies, Grogar is not only the lord of evil, he is also the king of hell, where the wicked end up after his death. According to the ancient stories, which some take as facts, others as myths and a few as part of his faith, he was banished to the underworld by Faust, lady of light and creator of all things. Despite this, Grogar has immense power, and nopony agrees why he does not use it to govern mortals, some say it is part of his eternal punishment, others because he made a pact with Faust not to use his power in the mortal world, whatever the case, the king of hell doesn't seem interested in subjugating the world.

Still, there is a way that Grogar and his demons can wield his power... deals. The Father of Monsters can use their powers whenever they make a deal with a mortal to give the dealmaker some benefit, which in each and every case means that the mortal loses his soul. However, there always are and will be demons who are unhappy with their rule, which leads them to invade the mortal world. Again, nopony knows why, but Grogar does not seem willing to allow such a thing, so he makes sure those fugitive demons go back to hell, and he has his bounty hunter for that.

She is the deadliest and most dangerous demon in all of hell, all demons fear her. Her only downside is that she must bond with a mortal's soul in order to roam their world, but otherwise, she is infallible. Thousands of ponies, the only ones she bonds with, have been her bearers of it, and each of them became bonded to her through a deal with Grogar. This is the story of one such carrier, one who sent hundreds of demons to Hell and brought true terror to the wicked of Equestria. This is the story of Scootaloo... carrier of the Ghost rider.

The sun had just risen over the horizon and its light entered through the window of a young pegasus with orange fur and purple mane. The rays of light hit her face, waking her up and causing her to moan. The teenager turned around, covering herself with the sheets to be able to return to Luna's dream realm, but before she could do so, several knocks on her door woke her up completely.

"Scootaloo! It's already 10 in the morning! Get up already!" said the voice of her mother, Spring Wind.

With a resigned sigh, Scootaloo got out of her bed, settling on all four of her hooves and stretching.

"I'm coming, mom, I'm awake now" she said, yawning soon after.

She received no answer, but soon heard her mother's footsteps walking away from her door. Scootaloo yawned again and left her room, going down the stairs and entering the small corridor that led to the door of their house, passing through a frame on the side and reaching the living room, which in turn connected with their kitchen, where she could already see her mother. She was a pegasus with pink fur and a mane as purple as her daughter's, although much more combed, eyes like those of the young mare, and her cutie mark was a kitchen oven, unlike the wheel in flames of her daughter. She was at the sink, doing some dishes, and a breakfast was already ready and placed on the table, causing Scootaloo to frown.

"Mom, didn't I tell you to rest? I can do it," she said with a concerned tone.

"Nonsense" her mother said as she turned around and smiled at Scootaloo. "A little headache isn't going to stop me from moving. Besides, it's your birthday today, so I'm forbidding you from working."

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you with something?"

"Pretty sure, honey, you shouldn't worry so much," Spring stated, rolling her eyes. "Also, Doctor Horse stated that I most likely has nothing, it's probably just something to do with lack of sleep."

Scootaloo looked at her mother for a few moments before sighing and smiling slightly, still a bit worried.

"Okay, but promise me you won't make too much of an effort."

That earned Spring Wind a roll of her eyes before answering her daughter.

"Don't worry, honey, nothing will happen to me" said the mare with a reassuring smile, pointing to the breakfast on the table. "Now sit down to eat, the food is getting cold. I don't spend all morning making your favorite breakfast for nothing."

With that, she returned to her work at the sink, being watched by Scootaloo, who sighed before sitting down to breakfast. Despite her slight concern, she couldn't help but smile at the breakfast her mother had prepared for her, pancakes with caramel syrup.

"Do you have anything special planned for today?" Spring asked.

Scootaloo looked at her mother for a second, before shrugging her shoulders and starting to speak.

"Apart from Pinkie's surprise party..."

"How did you know?" Spring said with a sarcastic smile.

"I'm a very good detective" Scootaloo answered with a laugh, a laugh that her mother shared, stopping a few seconds later. "Going back to the topic, after doing some work on dad's motorcycle, I'll go practice on my scooter, and after the party I'll go to the movies with the girls."

"Well, I hope you have a great day" said Spring with a huge smile.

Scootaloo smiled at her mother before continuing with her breakfast. When she finished, she got up and went out into the hall that led to the front door of their house, but she went in the opposite direction to a small door, which led to a small garage, with other doors, considerably larger, that led to the street. There was, in addition to her scooter, an old motorcycle covered with a tarpaulin that the young mare carefully removed. It had two huge hooflebars that were joined by a single fairly large headlight, from which protruded two metal bars that held the front wheel and a magically created artificial leather seat. This was practically the only existing model in Equestria. Vehicles powered by magic engines, like the one she had in her garage, were still rare as they were almost exclusive to trains and blimps, mainly because those engines were complicated and dangerous to manufacture in such a small size, even more so in at the time that motorcycle model was built, it was a technological miracle of its time.

But despite this, such a small magic engine was still unstable, so the only individual motor vehicles that were built were intended for shows, still a few years away from use on the roads. Scootaloo patted the motorcycle, running her hoof over the hooflebars, the concentrated magic tank, and the saddle. She backed away a bit and walked over to the desk where she had her tool boxes for her scooter and motorcycle, as well as a painting showing a pegasus stallion with orange fur, red mane, wearing sunglasses, prepared to travel the world road, and he was dressed in a black motorcycle jacket, pants of the same color and a helmet under his right leg, smiling at the camera.

"Hey dad" Scootaloo said with a smile, stroking the picture of the stallion.

Her father, Danger Sky, had been one of the best bikers in Equestria, in fact, he was one of the first ponies to try out early model motorcycles, the one now in Scootaloo's garage was a test. Her mother had told her that, like her, her father was born with a handicap in his wings, something incredibly rare to see in pegasi, preventing him from flying, but he hadn't let that have ruined his life. Since he was a colt, he put his wings to use, propelling himself with them on a scooter, and over the years he became an expert pilot, reaching the point of achieving a show in a traveling circus, and when motorcycles began to become popular in shows, he was one of the few to learn how to use them.

On one of his tours with the circus, he arrived in the city of Vanhoover, where the two finally met. During their time in the seaside town, the two pegasi forged a friendship, and Spring, bored with her life there, decided to run away with Danger. In the following years, their friendship grew stronger and stronger until they fell in love, marrying in the same circus that took them in and where their love blossomed, and soon, their love resulted in little Scootaloo.

Two months before the little filly was born, they arrived in Ponyville, and the mare fell in love with the place, so her new husband decided that they would start their family there. With the help of the circus ponies, he put on his own show in town before they left, as a parting gift, and bought the small house they now lived in. Unfortunately, three years after Scootaloo was born, he was in an accident that only his motorcycle survived.

Despite the tragedy, Spring had managed to raise her daughter alone, and when she inevitably told her about her father, the little pegasus, who had been born with the same handicap in her wings that Danger had suffered, she felt identified. with him. Scootaloo had been inspired by her father, to the point that she wanted to follow in his hoofsteps and begged her mother to buy her a scooter so she could put her wings to use, and like Danger before her, she soon gained great skill. The pegasus turned away from Danger's photo and grabbed her toolbox with her primary feathers, walking over to the motorcycle, ready to work.

After a few hours of work, Scootaloo walked away from the motorcycle, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her right wing. Placing the toolbox on the table, and making sure she'd done the job right, she carefully covered the vehicle again with the tarp. Once she finished, she grabbed her scooter and left the garage, hearing voices in the living room, and looking out, she saw Cookie Crumbles on the chair, a cup of tea in her magic, and next to her was Spring, who soon noticed her daughter and gave her a smile.

"Are you done in the garage yet, honey?"

"Yeah mom, I'm done" Scootaloo said as she walked over, leaving her scooter leaning against the wall. "And cover the motorcycle with the canvas, as always."

"That's how I like it, that you're neat" Spring said with a smile, ignoring the fact that Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"Happy birthday, Scoots," Cookie chimed in with a friendly smile. "How does it feel to be 16?"

"Honestly, nothing new" Scootaloo replied with a shrug.

"Right, good things start at 18" Cookie confirmed with a small laugh. "You're going to have a great time."

"My daughter is already rebellious enough, you don't need to encourage her" Spring intervened as she rolled her eyes, to which Cookie gave her an amused look.

"Come on, not that you hadn't done crazy things."

"No, I was a very well behaved filly... most of the time," Spring muttered.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and started to walk away, grabbing her scooter again.

"See you later, mom."

Spring snapped out of her little argument with Cookie and focused on her daughter, sighing to herself before nodding.

"Okay Scoots, be careful."

"Yes mom" replied the young mare, rolling her eyes again.

She approached the door of their house, noticing a pile of letters on the small table near it, but she decided to ignore them, her mother would read them later. She stepped out into the morning sun, taking a deep breath, spreading her wings to their fullest extent, far more than when she was a filly, but still a little smaller than other pegasi, and she flapped them hard, propelling herself forward to reach high speeds with her scooter. Maneuvering nimbly, she made her way through the city streets, speeding faster and further away from Ponyville, stopping on a hill that overlooked a small forest, which despite being close to the Everfree, It was still far enough away that its most dangerous creatures weren't there, being the ideal place for her small training camp.

"Hey, squirt" said a voice above her head.

With a smile, Scootaloo looked up to see Rainbow Dash peeking out of a cloud. With a quick flap of her powerful wings, the older pegasus broke out of the cloud and approached her sister with her trademark speed, stopping almost immediately and landing with expert skill, still even with the extra weight of her saddlebag, an achievement thanks to the combination of her innate skill and her Wonderbolt training.

"Happy birthday" she said with a cheeky smile, causing Scootaloo to roll her eyes, but smile back.

"Thanks, but next time try saying it without sounding like you're showing off."

"Me? Showing off? Who do you take me for?" Rainbow replied with an amused smile.

"Rainbow, you are the most smug mare in Ponyville, you almost rival Trixie."

"Ouch, that hurts" the pegasus replied, and shortly after they both started laughing. After a few minutes, they calmed down, and Rainbow pointed towards the small forest. "Ready for our race?"

"You don't have to ask that" replied the teenager with an arrogant smile. "I'm going to crush you."

"Wow, wow, and then I'm the one who showing off, huh?"

"I'm not showing off, I'm telling the truth" Scootaloo replied, sticking her tongue out mockingly at her sister, making Rainbow look at her defiantly.

"Such arrogance, you seem to have forgotten who you're competing against" Rainbow replied smiling defiantly. "I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."

"Or maybe I'll be the one to teach you a lesson."

Both sisters looked at each other with defiant smiles, getting into position, and at the count of three, they shot down the hill at great speed. Scootaloo had an advantage, as her weight was added to the weight of her scooter, letting the gravity do its work, complemented by her wings, which helped maintain her speed when she started to move horizontally. Looking slightly to her side, she saw that Rainbow Dash had managed to reach her, giving her a cocky smile.

"See you at the finish line, Scoots" she said as she waved her hoof goodbye before shooting off into the trees, her trademark rainbow trail behind her.

With a determined smile, she put even more strength into her wings and kicked off with more speed, heading deeper into the forest. Skillfully, she dodged through the trees, traversing a path that had been created from her multiple visits. She flew down several ramps that she had built herself, thus avoiding the potholes that hindered her path. Before long, Scootaloo arrived at the huge clearing where she trained, seeing that Rainbow was already there, her arrogant smile on her face.

"I hope that reminds you who you were running around with," she said smugly, causing Scootaloo to roll her eyes.

"Whatever you say, but I still remember what happened when you challenged me to a scooter race... you lost even before it started" Scootaloo said with a mocking laugh, causing reddish spots to light up her sister's cheeks.

"It was my first time riding a scooter, okay? I wasn't used to it."

Despite that response, all she managed to do was make Scootaloo burst out laughing. Rainbow snorted to herself as she watched her sister laugh at her expense.

"Are you going to train or are you going to keep laughing?"

Still giggling slightly, Scootaloo nodded, catching her breath and heading towards her small training ground, created together with Rainbow. The clearing had been filled with ramps, rings, and various obstacles to use with her scooter. As she readied herself on the ground, the older pegasus dropped her saddlebags on the ground and took flight towards the lazy clouds advancing across the sky, creating a makeshift obstacle course out of them, preparing to practice her Wonderbolt techniques a bit. They both had this moment as one of their favorites of the week, practicing together and helping each other improve.

After a few hours, in which the sun had reached its highest point, both sisters left their training, sweat on their fur. Both climbed a small hill, which managed to stand out among the trees of the forest, and from which Ponyville could be seen. Scootaloo practically collapsed on the grass, sighing in exhaustion.

"You're improving a lot" Rainbow said as she handed her a bottle of water that she had taken from her saddlebag. "Here, I knew you were going to forget to bring yours…again."

As Rainbow giggled lightly, Scootaloo sighed and straightened up a bit, still lying down, using her right wing to grab the bottle and drink a little. Her sister lay down next to her, and when she finished, she handed her the bottle, drinking herself. The teen focused her attention on Ponyville, feeling her stomach growl a little with hunger.

"Do you think they've finished preparing that party? I'm starving."

Rainbow stopped drinking, letting out a satisfied sigh, watching her sister with a small smile.

"Party? What party?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and looked at Rainbow with another smile.

"Pinkie's party, the one she throws for me every year."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

They both looked at each other a little longer before laughing. After a few moments, Rainbow got up and gestured to her sister, who got up quickly and headed towards her scooter, abandoned after her training. The two retraced their steps, at a much calmer and more relaxed pace, taking the time to admire the silent forest, much more peaceful than the Everfree. After a while, they reached the town and headed to the famous bakery, Sugar Cube Corner, and just as the teenager suspected, they didn't meet any ponies, the town seemed almost empty. Upon entering, they were met with total darkness, causing Scootaloo to smile slightly, suspecting what was going to happen. Before she could say or do anything, the lights came on and a dozen ponies appeared in front of them.

"SURPRISE!" they said in unison, with Pinkie being the loudest, firing a party cannon and shooting confetti everywhere.

Above the heads of all the ponies was a large banner that read Happy 16th Birthday, Scootaloo, decorated with her cutie mark. The young pegasus smirked, but before she could say anything, Pinkie approached her with lightning speed.

"Are you surprised?! I hope so, because that means my surprise party was a success! Besides, surprises are always fun! Although...not as much as spending time with your friends...although too it's fun to cook cupcakes... or..."

"Pinkie, I think she got it" Rainbow said with amusement, stopping her always forceful friend, much to Scootaloo's relief.

"Oki doki loki! Enjoy the party!" Pinkie yelled with a smile that was incapable of being imitated by anypony before hopping away with a happy hum.

As the pink earth pony walked away, the two sisters sighed a little in relief. As much as they were friends with Pinkie, she was sometimes too enthusiastic.

"Well, I'm going, enjoy the party, Scoots" Rainbow said with a smile and lightly hitting her sister's shoulder, who smiled back.

Rainbow moved away from her, looking for her friends, while Scootaloo did the same, although it didn't take long, because she could see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom approaching her. Just like the pegasus, they had both grown up and gotten their cutie marks a long time ago. The earth pony had a hammer decorated with an apple hitting a nail, while the unicorn had a musical key illuminated by a spotlight.

"Happy birthday, Scoots" they both said smiling before hugging their friend, who let out a small groan.

"Okay, okay, less hugs please."

Her two friends laughed, but made no move to move.

"It's your birthday, you deserve a proper hug" Sweetie Belle argued, making Scootaloo roll her eyes.

With some effort, she managed to slip away, to the laughter of her two friends.

"I don't know why hugs bother you so much" said Apple Bloom as he looked at her with amusement.

"Not my style" Scootaloo replied with a shrug, ignoring the giggles from her friends. "Have you already picked a movie for later?"

"Yes" Apple Bloom confirmed as she nodded. "Let's go see Ponynator, it came out recently and it looks really good."

"From the name, I hope so" Scootaloo said with a small laugh.

"I just hope it's not so bloody," Sweetie muttered, earning an eye roll from her two friends.

"Sweetie, for you, anything that isn't romance or pure comedy is too extreme" Scootaloo replied with a smirk, causing her unicorn friend to blush.

"That is not true!"

"Sweetie, you said the Sea Wars movie was too violent for you" Apple Bloom said with another smirk.

In response, Sweetie pouted, earning a giggle from her friends, which caused her, though she tried, to be unable to hold her anger, laughing along with her friends. Calming down, the three headed off into the party, and Scootaloo in particular headed straight for the table where various sweets, cakes, and other foods, from salads to fried hay, had been laid out. Her stomach growling with hunger, the pegasus grabbed a handful of fried hay and stuffed it into her mouth.

"I thought he bred a mare, not a sow" said a voice behind her.

Scootaloo nearly choked, turning around to see her mother watching her with a raised eyebrow. The pegasus swallowed the food, giving her a guilty smile.

"Uh...sorry? I was hungry."

Spring stared at her daughter before sighing, unable to avoid a smile on her face.

"Just try not to choke, and for Celestia's sake, try to keep your manners."

"Yes mom, I'll try" Scootaloo said as she rolled her eyes.

Spring looked at her daughter a little longer before sighing, letting out a small laugh.

"You're just like your father" she muttered to herself before focusing back on her daughter. "Just one more thing and you can get rid of me."

"I don't want to get rid of you."

"Scoots, I was your age too" said Spring with an amused smile. "Anyway, before you go to the movies, I want you to go home, I want to give you something."

"Wait, are you leaving now?" Scoots asked with a frown.

"In a while, I still have work to do at home."

"Mom, you don't have to make so much effort, if you want I can go with you and help you..."

"Don't even think about it," interrupted Spring. "It's your birthday, besides, I may not be as young as you, but I still have energy."

Spring gave Scootaloo an amused wink before turning and walking over to Cookie Crumbles and Mrs. Cake, leaving her daughter alone. After a few moments, the teenager sighed to herself, knowing that she would not be able to convince her mother. Her stomach growled at her once more, reminding her that she was still hungry, so she, with a shrug, returned to the food table.

Scootaloo returned to her house, a little tired from dancing so much, the sun sinking little by little behind the horizon. In a few hours she would go to the movies with her friends, but first she had to go home as her mother had asked. Leaving her scooter at the entrance, the pegasus entered her home, arriving in the living room, where her mother was already, a small cup of tea in her hooves and, on the small table in front of the sofa, a small box wrapped with an orange bow.

"I'm back, mom" Scootaloo said as she approached.

Spring looked up from her cup and gave her daughter a smile, gesturing for her to sit down. Setting her cup down on the table, she grabbed the box, running one of her hoofs across the surface.

"This belonged to your father" she said with a small sigh, looking at her daughter with a slight smile, sadness in her eyes. "I think it's time you had it."

Spring passed the box to her daughter, who took it carefully, feeling a knot in her chest. Slowly, she undid the bow, opening the box, and as she did so, a gasp of surprise left her mouth, inside it was a biker jacket that she knew well. Her hoof brushed against the fabric, made of artificial leather, a few tears spilling out of her eyes.

"It's dad's jacket..."

Spring nodded silently, watching as her daughter took out the jacket and studied it. She noticed that apart from the biker jacket, there were also the matching pants, made of the same material.

"If one day you plan to give a professional show with your scooter, you will need this" said Spring with a small smile. "Your father used to say that it gave him luck at shows."

Scootaloo admired the clothes, but a doubt slowly arose in her mind.

"Are you sure it will work for me?" she asked as she lowered the jacket, frowning slightly. "I don't think Dad was my size."

"That's why I went to Rarity" answered Spring with a smile. "I asked her to fit the jacket and pants to your size."

"Rarity?" Scootaloo said, looking at her mother with a raised eyebrow. "I won't find jewelry in the clothes, will I?"

Spring let a sincere laugh out of her mouth, shaking her head shortly after.

"I was quite explicit about keeping the design. Although I admit that she didn't seem very enthusiastic, she respected my decision" Spring smiled and got up, approaching her daughter, who had put the clothes in the box, and gave her a hug. "Happy birthday, honey."

For once, Scootaloo allowed her mother to hug her, returning the gesture. After a few minutes, Spring pulled away from her, looking at the clothes for a few more seconds before smiling at her daughter.

"Come on, go try it on."

Scootaloo nodded getting up, placing the box on her back, keeping it balanced, and went up to her room. Placing the box on the bed, she opened it and pulled out the pants, sighing with relief to see that, although it was also made of artificial leather, it was a model designed for earth ponies and pegasi, so it was easy to put on. After adjusting the garment well, and making sure that her tail came out correctly through the corresponding hole, she took out the biker jacket, studying it a little before putting it on, carefully threading her wings through the holes provided for them, and zipped up.

Once placed, she went over to the mirror she had in her room, cataloging how it fit. The jacket had two small silver patches on its shoulders, on which three metallic circles could be seen slightly protruding. Despite being buttoned up, the collar flaps protruded, but had no additional decoration. Scootaloo eyed the jacket critically, she didn't like how close the lapels were, not to mention that it was a bit too tight on her neck, so she decided to unbutton it a bit, parting the lapels and noticing the small fringe of her orange fur that could be seen.

"A little better" she said with a small smile.

Satisfied with how her clothes fit, she left her room and went downstairs, reentering the living room. Hearing her daughter's hoofsteps, Spring got up from the couch and walked over to get a good look at Scootaloo, and as she did, a knot tightened in her heart.

"How do I look?" Scootaloo said as she approached.

Spring stared at her daughter before smiling.

"It suits you perfectly... you're just like him..."

Scootaloo frowned in concern as she saw some tears slipping down her mother's face. Before she could say anything, Spring shook her head and gave her daughter a big smile.

"Come on, go and have fun with your friends."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Of course, don't let I ruin your night," Spring replied, moving her hoof to dismiss her daughter's concerns.

Scootaloo looked at her mother a little longer before nodding, reaching out to hug her, catching Spring by surprise.

"Thanks mom."

Spring kept her surprise a little longer before smiling and hugging her daughter. Shortly after, she forced her away from her, pointing to the door.

"Come on, don't be late."

Nodding, Scootaloo walked away from her, approaching the door, passing her gaze over her scooter, but she decided to leave it at her house, she doubted they would let her into the movies with it. Her eyes fell back on the letters on the table, but she ignored them, her mother would read them soon. She opened the door and stepped out into the streets of Ponyville, ready to enjoy a movie night with her friends.

Deal with the devil

Scootaloo was coming home after a movie night with her friends, the moon and the few streetlights lit her way. When she finally got to her house, she found it all dark, deducing that her mother must have gone to bed a while ago. Careful not to make too much noise so as not to disturb her mother, she walked towards the kitchen, turning on the light so she could see better, noticing that on the table were the letters she had seen before. Ignoring them, she walked over to the water jug they had to pour herself a glass, but something at the edge of her vision caught her eye.

When she turned her head, she saw, near the trash can, a crumpled up ball of paper, something that caused her to frown in confusion. Spring was one of those mares who valued cleanliness a lot, and the times that Scootaloo had made the mistake of throwing something in the trash like it was a basket, she had ended up being scolded. With a frown, she reached out, grasping the ball of paper with her right wing, shifting her gaze to the letters on the table. It was obviously a letter that her mother had read, but... Why had she thrown it away like that? Scootaloo debated with herself whether or not to read the letter, but remembering that she had visited Doctor Horse, a nagging and worrying doubt formed in her head.

Why would her mother throw away a letter from the hospital? The only option she could think of was bad news. Praying to be wrong, she sat up and unfolded the letter, noting the hospital logo, confirming that it did come from there. Swallowing a bit of saliva, and trying to ignore that annoying voice warning her that it could be very bad news, she began to read.

We regret to inform you that your recent analysis revealed that your debilitated condition is caused by cancer, and quite advanced. We ask you to come in tomorrow morning to find out what type of cancer you have so we can suggest a treatment, although I can already tell you that judging by the results, it is a terminal cancer, so the treatment will not be easy.

Unfortunately, this also means that, with our current magical and medical resources, it will be impossible to completely eliminate the cancer cells. The most we can hope for is to delay its effects for a few years and give it as normal a life as possible and pray that in that time a new treatment capable of curing it arises.

My deepest condolences,

Doctor Horse.

Scootaloo felt the world crashing down on her, her mother... had cancer. The young mare kept her eyes on the letter, rereading it several times, with a childish hope that it had been wrong, but it hadn't, it was clear as day. Some tears came to her eyes, but she tried to contain them, looking around her, everything she saw reminded her of Spring, and the reality that, in a few years, she wouldn't be with her anymore it made it more oppressive. Crumpling up the letter and throwing it in the trash, she left the kitchen and hurried to the front door, grabbing her scooter before leaving, mounting it and shooting off into the silent streets of Ponyville. Not knowing quite where to go, she let her body guide her automatically, and when she finally focused on her surroundings, she saw that she was on the same hill as that morning, the forest where her training ground was in front of her. After a few moments, she headed down the hill and she entered the trees, forcing herself to pay attention to her path lest she get into an accident.

When she reached the clearing, she set her scooter aside and walked over to where she had rested next to Rainbow. Lying on the grass, she watched Ponyville in the distance, the moonlight illuminating the Castle of Friendship. Her mind went back to the letter from the hospital, and now that she was in a place much more isolated than her house, she let the tears fill her face, and for the first time, she allowed her sobs to flow freely. Although she considered Rainbow Dash her older sister, and her friends were part of her family, her mother was the only living relative she had.

Her paternal grandparents died even before she was born, she had no uncles, aunts or cousins, and her maternal grandparents, her mother told her, disinherited Spring as soon as she said she wanted to explore Equestria with Danger, and despite their daughter's many attempts to talk to them, they never responded to her letters. Her mother was the one who raised her, she was there when the doctors told her that she could never fly, she encouraged her with the stories of her father, she was the one who bought her scooter and taught her how to drive it. If her mother died, she didn't know what she would do.

Her sobs filled the clearing, and her only company were the moon, the stars, and the animals that silently watched her from their hiding places. After a few minutes, the animals tensed, standing up, looking at a point behind Scootaloo, down the small hill, quickly fleeing the place, terrified. The temperature dropped drastically, and a mist rose at the foot of the hill, and from it emerged the figure of a unicorn, appearing practically out of nowhere, almost as if he were a specter that took shape, and each step he took caused the nearby plants to be covered with a light layer of frost. He had bluish fur with a completely white mane, a small goatee growing out of his chin, his eyes were bluish, and his cutie mark was a golden cowbell. He was dressed in a black suit jacket with a red tie. He approached the pegasus, who had barely moved, silent, in fact, not even his hooves made a sound. He stopped a few steps away, looking at the moon for a few moments before speaking.

"Nice night, don't you think?"

Eyes widening, Scootaloo jumped and turned around, looking at whoever had invaded her privacy in shock. Trying to wipe away the evidence that she had been crying, the pegasus cautiously studied the unicorn, doubtful, that part of the forest was not very well known, and those who knew it knew that this was where she and Rainbow had their training area, for what they didn't go there often, and more importantly, who the hell would come there at this hour?

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"You don't have to be so hostile, Miss Scootaloo" the stranger said with a smile, earning a suspicious look from the pegasus.

"How the hell do you know my name?"

The unicorn gave a small laugh, apparently amused by Scootaloo's choice of words.

"It could be said that it is thanks to my work. I am Grob Abgar, in her service" said the stranger while making a slight bow.

"A strange name" said the pegasus with a slight frown, making the unicorn in front of her laugh.

"They tell me a lot" he said as he got up.

Scootaloo looked suspiciously at the one called Grob, who looked at her with a smile.

"May I know what you are doing here?" Scootaloo asked, still suspicious.

"I'm here for your mother, Miss Scootaloo" Grob said with a smile.

"My mother?" Scootaloo asked, taken by surprise, but soon she was frowning. "What the hell do you want from my mother?"

"It's simple, the truth is, thanks to my work, I've found out about her state of health, I've come to offer my... services."

Scootaloo soon dropped her defensiveness, the memory of her mother's condition hitting her again. With a groan, she rolled over and sat up, her back to Grob. She never liked that anypony saw her in such a vulnerable state, not even her mother, her sister or her friends, he would not be the exception.

"If you have found out, you will know that there is no salvation. I don't know what you could do..."

"Very much, Miss Scootaloo. If you let me help you, your mother will be healthy as a rose tomorrow morning."

Scootaloo turned her head to look at the unicorn doubtfully. Was he... was he telling the truth? Grob lit his horn in a reddish aura and took out an ancient-looking scroll from his jacket, tied by a single thread of rope.

"All you have to do is sign this contract," Grob said with a smile.

Scootaloo frowned, watching as the unicorn took a feather out of his jacket and offered her both items.

"A contract? What kind of contract?"

"It's a minor thing" Grob said with a shrug. "In this contract he only ensures that, when the time comes, you will work for me, a fair price for taking your mother's cancer away, don't you think?"

Scootaloo looked at the parchment with doubt, could he really save her mother? According to the letter from the hospital, there was no treatment, be it medical or magical, capable of curing her at the time, which aroused her suspicions.

"And how do you plan to do it? Are you a doctor or something?" Scootaloo said cautiously, noting Grob's amused expression.

"I'm not a doctor, but I'm very, very good at magic, Miss Scootaloo... You could say I've been doing magic since the beginning of time" said the unicorn with a sly look.

Scootaloo watched the unicorn closely, thinking. If he was a wizard, then…would he have a magic-based treatment? Since she wasn't an expert, she couldn't be sure of his fidelity, but… she had no other options left either.

"Surely what will cure my mother?"

"Completely, you sign the contract, and the cancer your mother has will be gone," Grob said with a sly smile. "Trust me, I never break a deal."

Scootaloo thought about it some more before sighing.

"Okay, I'll sign."

Grob smiled and held out the pencil, which Scootaloo caught between her teeth. The unicorn removed the thread from the parchment and unfolded it, showing the pegasus where she should sign. Ignoring her inner voice that said she shouldn't sign anything without reading, she wrote her name. From her perspective, saving her mother was worth far more than anything she had to do.

"Perfect" Grob said with a smile, rolling up the parchment again and taking the pencil from Scootaloo's mouth. "First thing tomorrow morning her mother will be completely cancer free."

Scootaloo nodded slightly, looking at the unicorn.

"So... when do you want me to start working with you?" Scootaloo said curiously.

"Don't worry" Grob replied with a wave of his hoof. "For now, enjoy your time with your mother, I'll let you know when I requires your services."

Scootaloo nodded, turning her head to look at the town in the distance, thinking of her mother, a part of her telling her that she had made a terrible mistake, and another, full of hope, arguing that it would be worth it if her mother was saved.. Deciding that it was time to return to her house, she turned to ask Grob if he wanted her to escort him out of the forest, but when he did, the unicorn was no longer there. The mist disappeared as quickly as it came, and the temperature rose again, though it would be a while before the plants were rid of the layer of frost, and it would take weeks for the animals to set foot again. Confused, Scootaloo tried to find the unicorn in the bushes, and even went down to her training place to see if he was there, but she couldn't find him, Grob had disappeared. Despite the terrible feeling she had about this, even more so seeing the ice on the flowers and grass, the pegasus buried her worries in the back of her mind, grabbing her scooter and walking away.

When Scootaloo woke up, she lay in her bed for a while, still tired from her night walk, but when the events of the previous day came back to her mind, she groaned to herself, rolling over in bed and sitting up, putting a hoof on her forehead as she thought about what she had done. After a restful night, and having processed the idea that her mother had cancer a little better, that voice that had warned her the night before grew stronger, berating herself for what she had done. She might as well have signed up to join a mob or worse. And now that she thought better of it, that unicorn hadn't given her any tangible proof that he really could keep his end of their bargain.

Cursing herself, she scrambled out of her bed and through the door of her bedroom, down the stairs to the living room. Her mother was nowhere to be found, which surprised her, but looking at the clock that hung over the fireplace, which was in front of the sofa, she noted that she had been sleeping until almost half past eleven, and if she remembered correctly, the hospital had asked her to be there early in the morning, so she was probably there. Scootaloo sighed and approached the kitchen, stopping at the entrance, not knowing quite what to do. She wasn't in the mood to make herself breakfast, so she sat at the table, waiting for her mother to come back.

She thought once more about the letter, wondering if her mother would be mad at her if she knew she had read it, but it was a risk she had to take if she wanted her mother to tell her about her health. If there was one thing Scootaloo had inherited from her mother, it was her habit of hiding her problems from her loved ones, and Spring was much more prone to that than she was. If she didn't tell her about that letter, her mother could very well stay silent for years. Her train of thought stopped when she heard the door open, and shortly after, her mother's voice.

"Scootaloo, are you home?"

Scootaloo frowned in confusion, her mother sounding too cheerful to have come from a hospital visit to determine what type of cancer she had.

"I'm here, mom."

When Spring appeared in the room, Scootaloo got another surprise. Her mother not only sounded happy, she seemed happy. She had a smile so big that she would make Pinkie proud.

"There you are, have you had breakfast yet?" she asked in the same cheerful tone, throwing Scootaloo off a bit more.

"No..."

"So wait here while I go get my bag of bits, let's go to Sugar Cube Corner, I'm in the mood for one of Pinkie's cupcakes."

Spring smiled and quickly walked away from the kitchen, into the living room and ready to go upstairs. Scootaloo, after brushing off her surprise, got up and quickly followed her mother.

"Mom!"

Spring stopped at the frame that separated the hall from the living room, looking at her daughter with confusion.

"What's up Scoots?"

"I… I read the letter last night…" she said at last, watching as her mother's cheerful demeanor seemed to fade a bit. "I... I know I wasn't supposed to read it, but I saw it lying on the floor and I…"

"Scootaloo, it's okay" Spring replied with a reassuring smile, walking over and placing her hoof under the teen's chin. "But you don't have to worry about me, do you understand?"

"B-but the l-letter..."

"That's why I'm so happy, Scoots" Spring interrupted, smiling happily again, moving away from her daughter a little. "This morning I woke up with much more energy than usual. For the first time in weeks I didn't have a single headache, dizziness, lack of sleep or exhaustion."

The memory of Grob flashed back into Scootaloo's mind, causing the pegasus to widen her eyes. It couldn't be, it shouldn't be possible, right? Meanwhile, Spring, too excited to notice her daughter's shock, continued with her little story.

"And at the hospital, after some magical analysis, they found out that I don't have cancer."

"H-how?" Scootaloo asked in shock, trying to process what she was hearing.

"Even I don't know" Spring said with a small laugh. "Dr. Horse was just as surprised as you or me. He said it was practically a miracle."

Scootaloo was silent, watching her mother, who continued to talk happily. Grob had kept his end of the bargain, he had, but…a small part of her mind told her there must be some trick. Nopony was cured overnight of something as serious as cancer... her thoughts were interrupted when she felt her mother hug her, a hug that the pegasus was slow to reciprocate.

"Don't worry Scoots, I'm fine and I'm not going anywhere," she said as she patted her daughter on the head.

Scootaloo forced herself to relax and hugged her mother tightly. After a few moments, Spring turned away from her and headed for the stairs, looking at her daughter with a big smile.

"Wait here, I'll go get my saddlebag and we'll go celebrate, okay?"

"Okay…" Scootaloo answered with a weak nod.

When she lost sight of her mother, Scootaloo tried to make sense of it all. Despite not being an expert in magic, she was sure that curing the cancer would not be that simple. Maybe... maybe her mother's first test was wrong and Grob just took advantage of that. But no, that was even more impossible. How was Grob going to find out that those tests were wrong before the very doctor who did them in the first place? More importantly, her mother was full of energy, much more than she had lately, it was too much of a coincidence that her headaches and dizziness disappeared overnight and just the same day she discovers that she had no cancer.

In some way that Scootaloo couldn't imagine, Grob had done it, done his part, and now the pegasus would have to do hers. Despite the undeniable joy he felt, there was a voice inside her that warned her that she had made a terrible mistake in signing that contract, and one day she would pay dearly for it, and she had a feeling that the price to pay would be very, very high...

Always read the fine print

Contrary to her initial fears, Grob did not show up the next morning waiting for his payment, nor the next day, nor any of the days for the rest of the week. As time went by, Scootaloo began to calm down, but always keeping the idea that one day the unicorn would return. And so it was, almost two months later, but not as she expected. It had passed while she walking through Manehattan, accompanying Rainbow in one of her Wonderbolt shows, hidden in the middle of the crowd, she barely managed to see him out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned to focus on him, he disappeared, as if he had never been there. The first time she thought it had been a mix-up, but when it passed by again a few months later, this time in the busy Ponyville market, and again after several more months, she could no longer see it as a mix-up.

Grob was watching her, not talking to her or making contact with her, but he was making sure Scootaloo knew he was watching her, making sure she knew he still owed him her end of the deal. For almost a year, the pegasus was in constant paranoia, aware that at any moment the unicorn would arrive, but as time passed, she began to relax. Now, 5 years after signing that contract, Scootaloo was living a relatively normal life, and the memory of Grob was in the back of her mind, overshadowed by other priorities.

The sun had risen recently, and there were few ponies that were already beginning their daily activities, those that had were the owners of some of the businesses in the small town. Moving at high speed through the streets, and dodging the few passers-by, Scootaloo moved with agility on her scooter, with a specific direction in her mind. On her head was the official hat that marked her as one of Ponyville's mail mares, and on her flanks hung the official saddlebags, which were firmly closed, keeping their contents safe. After a few minutes, the pegasus skidded in front of the post office, getting off her scooter and leaving it to one side of the door, entering the building.

"I'm back!"

The interior was a bit small, two shelves on each side with various envelopes, stamps and postcards for sale, a counter at the back and, behind it, a door that led to the interior, where the letters were catalogued, or as her boss liked to say, where the magic happened. Speaking of her boss, she was behind the counter waiting for a customer, reading a book and eating a muffin from a plate full of muffins, which she always offered to customers and her employees. Hearing her greeting, the pegasus with gray fur, yellow hair and eyes that darted in different directions, one looking in her direction and another at the ceiling, she raised her head, tilting it slightly.

"Hello Scoots, you finished early today."

"Of course, I'm the fastest mail mare in Equestria" she said with a smirk, approaching the counter and putting the saddlebags on the table.

Derpy raised an eyebrow, focusing her eyes on the mare, before one of them focused on the roof and the other on the saddlebags.

"I know you're proud of it, but you shouldn't let that distract you" she replied as she began to take the letters out of the saddlebags, using a tone of voice that Scootaloo had already heard countless times during her life, the tone of a mother who was trying to teach her foal a lesson. Why did Derpy have to be a mother? She sometimes felt that she was her own mother. "I guess you delivered all the letters and packages well" she said as one of her eyes focused on the young mare, who puffed out her chest with pride.

"Yep, all delivered."

"And did you pick up all the ones that were in the mailboxes?"

"Even the last one."

"And none fell along the way?"

"That would never happen to me" Scootaloo said with a proud smile, one that faltered when Derpy focused both eyes on her, raising an eyebrow and looking at her as if waiting for an answer. Scootaloo mentally cursed the mothers' ability to pull that off. "Again..."

Derpy held her gaze a bit longer, making Scootaloo a little nervous, before one of her eyes focused on the ceiling, smiling slightly as she nodded.

"Perfect, then you can have a muffin."

Derpy pointed to the plate, but Scootaloo gently shook her head before looking with a nervous smile at her boss.

"Actually…I wanted to know if I could have the rest of the day off" Derpy blinked and looked up, focusing her eyes on Scootaloo. "The contest is next week, and I want to practice as much as possible…unless you need me to do something here."

Derpy looked at Scootaloo a little longer before smiling, letting one of her eyes drift to the letters.

"Of course, you can take the day off."

"Thanks Derpy" Scootaloo said with a grateful smile.

As Derpy nodded with a smile and focused on the letters, the pegasus walked behind the counter and through the door into a new room. It was a wide space, on one side, there were several wheelbarrows full of letters and packages, a small sign on the front indicated their place of origin, on the other, something similar, only that they were destined to leave Ponyville for the rest of Equestria and, in some cases, beyond. Scootaloo greeted the ponies who were working on cataloging the incoming letters and those preparing them for shipment, and entered a small door to one side.

The interior was a room full of lockers, with two doors on the left wall that led to the bathrooms. The mare went to her locker, putting the code on the padlock and opened it, taking out her own saddlebags, placing them on her flanks, and putting her regulation cap inside before closing the locker and going out again, heading again for the door that would lead to the lobby where Derpy served customers.

"Are you leaving early?" said a unicorn stallion, stopping his work for a second to look at Scootaloo curiously.

"Yep" Scootaloo said with a smile. "I have to practice a lot for next week."

"I can't wait to see it" said a pegasus mare from across the room, looking at Scootaloo with another smile. "I'm sure you'll put on a great show."

"And it will be cool" added the young mare with an arrogant smile, causing the stallion who had spoken to her to roll his eyes

"Every day that passes you look more like Rainbow."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Ignoring the giggles, Scootaloo left the room, waving once more to Derpy, and headed outside. Grabbing her scooter, she took to the streets of Ponyville.

The sun was already at its highest point when Scootaloo made her way through the streets of Ponyville towards her house, at a slower pace than usual due to exhaustion. She'd spent the whole morning practicing her planned routine for the town talent show the following week, and though she didn't normally participate (largely because it was a small town where such shows were made more for entertain its inhabitants from time to time), this time there was something that motivated her. As she made a mental note to go see Twilight later to see if she would end up helping her put on her show like she had told her to, her house loomed in the distance.

It was small, on one level, but that didn't matter to her, it was her home. She stopped by the door, rummaging through her saddlebag until she found her keys and, with her primal feathers, she opened the door, looking forward to a refreshing and relaxing shower. As on the outside, the house was small, a living room with a single sofa, a small coffee table facing it, on the surface of which were two empty pizza boxes, two doors to the right, one leading to her even smaller bedroom and one to her bathroom, and an open kitchen where there was a small table with only three chairs, and in front of a steaming pot, to Scootaloo's surprise, was her mother, who turned her head upon hearing her.

"Just in time" she said with a smile. "Come in and have a seat, the stew is almost ready."

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked curiously as she walked over, leaving her scooter by the door and tossing her saddlebags onto the sofa.

Spring glared at the tossed saddlebags, one of her bags skimming the ground, but she kept quiet, shrugging as she stirred the stew.

"I went to pick you up from work, but Derpy told me you went to train, so I thought I could make you lunch, so you can have something other than pizza at home."

"Hey, I don't always get pizza delivery…" Scootaloo said defensively.

Spring turned to look at her daughter with a raised questioning eyebrow. Scootaloo wilted at her gaze, turning her head to see the two empty pizza boxes, which betrayed her lie. With a nervous laugh and brushing her hoof over the back of her neck, she looked at her mother.

"Uh...well...maybe a little..."

Spring looked at her daughter a little longer before laughing good-naturedly. Picking up a plate, she set down a reasonable amount of stew and set it on the table, helping herself to some. They both sat at the table, Scootaloo smelling the aroma of her plate with satisfaction, she loved the food that her mother made. Grabbing a spoon, which Spring had previously placed, she stirred the stew, looking at the potatoes and eggplants, taking a bite into her mouth, humming with delight. After a few minutes, she looked at her mother out of the corner of her eye before deciding to speak.

"So... why did you want to see me?"

Spring swallowed the bite of stew in her mouth before speaking, looking at her daughter.

"I wanted to ask if you could come over next week to clean the house while I'm in Trottingham. You know, dusting, mopping…"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she took another spoonful to her mouth, chewing and swallowing her food before speaking.

"Mom, nopony will be home, there is no need to clean it."

Spring frowned and pointed at her daughter with her spoon.

"Of course it is necessary, unlike you, I like to keep my house clean."

"Okay, okay, I'll clean the house" Scootaloo said, raising her hooves as a sign of peace. "I had to go home to take care of Dad's motorcycle anyway."

Spring relaxed her expression, giving Scootaloo a grateful smile before returning to her food, leaving them both in a comfortable silence. After a few moments, the older pegasus sighed and looked at her daughter, a little guiltily.

"Scootaloo, I... I'm sorry, I'd like to be here for your moment, but..."

"Mom, stop," Scootaloo interrupted with an annoyed sigh, frowning at her mother. "You deserve this vacation, besides, you, Mrs. Belle and Mrs. Cake have been looking forward to this trip for months, you can't cancel it just because of a talent show."

"But..."

"Seriously, nothing's wrong" Scootaloo insisted with a reassuring smile, moving on to an excited one. "Besides, the contest isn't that important to me, what is important is what happens if I impress that pony."

Spring watched her daughter a little longer before sighing, accepting her defeat, and smiling at her.

"Okay, you win, Scoots."

"You can go quietly, enjoy your vacation."

Mother and daughter smiled at each other before returning to their meals, pleased with each other's company.

It was not long before Celestia's sun dipped below the horizon, giving way to Luna's moon, and most of Ponyville's inhabitants were in the building that housed the city hall and a large space for shows, important announcements and celebrations, mostly weddings. The space had been filled with different benches where there were dozens of ponies watching the show, and in front of them, the stage that the building had was displayed, on which a pegasus stallion was performing a magic show.

On one side of the stage, hidden by the curtain, and looking out over the crowd, was Scootaloo, scanning the ponies. After a few moments, she spotted her target, an earth pony stallion watching the stage intently, a producer from Manehattan looking for new talent. The pegasus felt an excited smile cover her face and her wings began to vibrate slightly in excitement. She was wearing the clothes that had once belonged to her father, the lapels slightly parted and revealing the black shirt she wore. Her eyes continued to scan the crowd until she found her friends, sitting next to Spike, and next to them, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, with three more missing ponies.

"Nervous?"

Scootaloo jumped briefly, surprised, and turned, looking at Rainbow Dash, giving her an amused smile, and behind her, a little apart from them, were Twilight and Applejack. The young mare smiled slightly and shook her head at her.

"No, not at all, I..."

"Scoots, you don't have to lie," Rainbow interrupted, her tone becoming more conciliatory.

After a few moments, Scootaloo sighed and nodded, looking away from her.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little nervous. This is a great opportunity, if I can impress that pony, I can make a living with my scooter... I... I don't want to screw it up."

"Hey" Rainbow said as she reached out and grabbed Scootaloo's chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. "Trust me, I felt the same way when I first introduced myself to the Wonderbolts. Do you know how I got over my nerves?"

"Throwing yourself into danger without even thinking about it?" Scootaloo asked with a raised eyebrow, eliciting a small laugh from Rainbow.

"Part of it yes, but it was also because I reminded myself that I was cool, whatever the Wonderbolts thought, and you need to remember that."

Scootaloo frowned for a few seconds before smiling and nodding.

"I'll try to remember, thanks Rainbow."

"It's my pleasure" Rainbow glanced slightly behind the curtain, checking out the pony show on the stage. "I think you should get ready now."

Scootaloo nodded and approached Applejack and Twilight, who smiled at the pegasus.

"Thank you for helping."

"We're happy to oblige," Twilight said with a big smile.

"You can trust my hooves" Applejack added with a touch of pride.

Scootaloo nodded, taking a deep breath before starting to walk away, she had a show to put on.

The pegasus stallion made a final bow to the audience before walking away behind the curtain, from which Mayor Mare emerged, smiling at the assembled ponies. Standing at the front of the stage, she lightly tapped the ground under her hooves.

"A big round of applause for Hat Magic!"

The room was filled with the sound of ponies hitting their hooves on the floor, some of them, sitting on their benches, preferring to hit their hooves against each other. Once silence reigned again, Mayor Mare continued speaking.

"And now, let's give a round of applause for the last show of the night! With all of you Scootaloo!"

As the ponies began to pound their hooves again, outside behind the closed doors, Scootaloo got into position, gripping the hooflebars of her scooter, no helmet on her head. Rainbow and Applejack were on the ground, inches from the doors, waiting for her signal. As the applause began to die down, and the ponies began to murmur among themselves, the two mares banged with all their might, flinging open the doors and drawing everypony's attention.

Using all the strength she could muster, Scootaloo flapped her wings and lunged forward, streaking past everypony. Halfway there, Twilight, hidden behind the curtains, illuminated her horn and made a magic ramp appear that lifted the pegasus into the air. With practiced skill, she stepped away from her scooter, spreading her wings, which although they weren't good for flying, they did a perfect job of gliding. Using short but quick wingbeats, she spun around, and as she was about to fall, she propelled herself onto her scooter, managing to give it an extra kick, and landed on the stage, skidding to face the ponies, a cocky grin on her face as she raised a hoof and bowed.

That managed to earn a roar of applause. Proud, Scootaloo swept her gaze over the ponies, her smile widening as she saw that the producer seemed impressed. You haven't seen anything yet, I was just warming up. When she was about to really start her show, her eyes caught something out of the corner of her eye, something that tickled the back of her mind. Quickly, she focused her gaze, and as she did, her heart skipped a beat, there he was, looking directly into her eyes, smiling cheekily. Why was he showing up now? And more importantly, why had he stayed in her vision even after concentrating on him?

A purple flash in front of her snapped her out of her thoughts, and looking ahead of her, she saw the beginning of the magical trail created by Twilight, waiting for her to approach it. Quickly glancing around once more and confirming that he was gone, she took a deep breath, reminding herself that she couldn't fail, the show had to go on.

Night had fallen in Equestria, and Scootaloo was riding her scooter toward her mother's house. The meeting with him was still in her head, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him. The moment when she saw him clearly, and not out of the corner of her eye, was still etched in her mind, contrasting with all previous encounters with him. She had a feeling that he was finally going to claim her end of the deal, and she wasn't sure if she was relieved to finally be free of that pressure or terrified. Even though her mother was alive and well, and she eventually learned to thank him, she still had a bad feeling.

Shaking her head, she tried to banish those thoughts, at least for now, and focus on what had happened that night. The producer seemed genuinely impressed when she finished her show, he had even approached her to set up a date the next day. A smile appeared on her face at the thought, soon, she would have her own scooter show, who knows about it, maybe some famous team of scooter races would be interested in her. After a few minutes, she arrived at her mother's house, and after rummaging through the pockets of her biker jacket, she opened the door, entering the interior.

Leaving her scooter at the entrance, she walked directly to the garage door, careful not to trip in the dark. Upon arrival, she turned on the light, illuminating the space, the motorcycle covered with the tarpaulin and the desk where her toolbox was, the photo of her father had been moved to her house a long time ago, in her nightstand. Despite the exhaustion from the show, she still had some energy to expend, and since the producer had asked her to meet in the afternoon, she could stay up all night without worrying about being late. She pulled the tarpaulin off the vehicle, slipping her hoof over the hooflebars, and walked over to her toolbox to begin work.

Her ears stiffened and moved in the direction of the living room, detecting a noise. With a frown, and feeling her heart begin to pound, Scootaloo turned slowly, noticing that, from the dark corridor, an orange light emerged, the shadows dancing with its movement.

"Who's there?!" she cried out, loudly, her wings instinctively spreading.

Receiving no response, Scootaloo slowly inched out of the garage and into the hallway. There, she saw that the dancing light was coming from the living room, and she suspected where exactly it was coming from. Looking inside, she confirmed two things, the first was that the light was coming from the fireplace, the second was that there was a pony in front of it. Both the sofa and the table had been moved to one side, leaving a free space between the two. Scootaloo gulped at the sight of the pony, even if she hadn't seen him before in the middle of the crowd, she would have recognized him instantly.

"Hello Scootaloo, it's been a while" Grob said, turning his head to look at the mare with a smile.

He was just like the last time Scootaloo saw him, wearing his own suit. After a few moments of deliberation, in which she tried to relax her heart, the mare took a deep breath before speaking.

"I guess you're here for my end of the deal, right?" She said with resignation.

The unicorn hummed to himself before speaking.

"That's one reason, yes. Another was to see you at your... big time, great show."

"Thank you" replied the mare reluctantly, eliciting a small laugh from Grob.

"But the other reason, a more important one, is to offer my condolences."

That snapped Scootaloo out of her apathy, looking at Grob with a frown.

"Your condolences?"

"Yes, my condolences" Grob repeated with a smile. "You see, at this very moment, as you and I speak, your mother is having some... accident."

As Grob let out a sinister little laugh, Scootaloo's eyes snapped open, feeling her heart kicked.

"Wh-what do you mean?" She asked hesitantly.

"Well, your mother decided to stay in her room while her friends went out to party, unfortunately for her, the hotel was destined to burn. Right now she will be surrounded by flames, she will have about... " His gaze went to the clock on the mantelpiece, calculating the time "... three minutes left, five at most."

Scootaloo felt her heart tighten in her chest, and she instinctively began to hyperventilate.

"I-it ca-can not be tr-true."

"I'm afraid so, that's why I come to give you my condolences."

Scootaloo barely listened to him, thinking about her mother. It couldn't be, after everything that had happened, after that contract... The contract! She raised her head and looked at Grob with a small spark of hope, and even knowing the possible consequences, she had no choice.

"Ca-can you save her? Yo-you once cured her ca-cancer with your ma-magic, I'm sure you..."

"I can't" Grob interrupted, and despite his regretful tone, his face was crossed by a macabre smile that made Scootaloo's hair stand on end. "This was written in the contract."

"H-how?" Scootaloo replied, taking a step back as if she'd just been hit.

"You should have read the contract correctly, Scootaloo" Grob answered, in a reprimanding tone. "I made it very clear, I saved your mother from cancer... I never said anything about her death."

"B-but..."

"She was destined to die today," Grob interrupted again with a shrug. "She was going to die from cancer, in peace, without pain, and surrounded by her loved ones... now... she will die wrapped in a true hell, completely alone and without being able to see the pony she loves most in the whole world... which in turn is to blame for her destiny... you."

Grob laughed out loud as Scootaloo processed what he had been told. That couldn't be, it must be false, he was kidding her. With a groan, and trying to ignore the tears that covered her eyes, she stepped forward and hit the ground with her hoof.

"You're lying!"

Grob looked at Scootaloo, amused.

"No, my dear, I'm not lying... I'm just hiding information. But enough talk, it's time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain."

The fire in the fireplace roared as a ring of flame began to surround Scootaloo, who screamed in fright, her fur brimming with sweat, both from heat and fear.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled, panicking.

Grob's laughter carried over the crackling of the fire, and his figure stood out in the flames, especially his blue eyes.

"Funny you say that word" he said as he got closer, and to Scootaloo's horror, his eyes started turning red.

"Who are you?"

"Come on Scootaloo, you're smart, haven't you guessed already?" Grob said as he walked forward, amused. "I even left a clue with my name, Grob Abgar, you only have to remove three insignificant little words".

The figure of the unicorn began to mutate as he passed through the ring of fire, growing larger, his horn splitting in two and taking on the shape of a ram, the sclera of his eyes taking on a yellowish hue. His suit burst into flames and was replaced by a red necklace from which dangled a golden cowbell. Before Scootaloo's terrified eyes, a figure emerged that she had only known in the tales and superstitions of some religious.

"Grogar…" she said in a barely audible whisper.

"Reward!" answered the King of Hell, with a voice from beyond the grave. "You made a deal with the Lord of Evil himself, be proud, it doesn't happen to just anypony."

Despite his laugh, Scootaloo was panicking. How had she not seen the signs?! Okay, maybe it was impossible for her to have guessed it at first, but at least she should have had a little suspicion that something was wrong.

"Wh-what wi-will yo-you do me?" she asked weakly, aware that she was at his mercy, she doubted even that Rainbow and her friends could do anything against him.

"Exactly what you signed, your soul is mine, and you will work for me" said the big ram as he started to circle around a paralyzed Scootaloo. "There are some… demons that roam the world, far from my domain, and you are going to bring them to me."

"M-me? B-but I... I'm not..."

"You'll have some... help," Grogar interrupted, stepping back in front of Scootaloo. "You and your new partner can travel wherever you like, catching the demons as you see fit, but you must remember that you are at my command, but don't worry, it will be a long time before I give you a direct order. For now, the only one I will give you is that your first demon is in Manehattan. With that said, I wish you luck in your hunt."

Grogar opened his mouth, which began to light up with a yellow glow. Against her will, Scootaloo felt something force her muzzle to open to its fullest extent, causing her significant pain. With a roar, the great ram released a torrent of fire that filled the pegasus's mouth, entering her body and burning her from the inside. As much as she wanted to, the poor mare was trapped, unable to move despite the hellish pain. When the torrent of fire ended, her body fell limp to the ground, unconscious, but the King of Hell could see that parts of her fur were beginning to burn.

"Goodbye, my bounty hunter."

Grogar stepped back and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the place. The ring of fire slowly began to spread outwards, setting the house on fire. That night, Scootaloo's life was over forever.