Darkness Scoots

~Alas, the topic of the mind is an extensive one, and should a pony ever try to fully understand its workings, said pony would probably find themselves locked in a state of eternal study. We may never fully understand how the mind itself works. We may never understand what place dreams and nightmares have in our lives.

Yet if one thing is to be certain, it is this:

Dreams and Nightmares will always be a profound mystery to the prying eye.

-An excerpt from the Book of Fillysophical Studies, by: Dr. Rhindquarters

===D.W.===

Scoot was almost out of breath. The Bloated Fillies seemed to be coming from behind every single apple tree, not to mention the smoke-spitting shadow ponies coming OUT of the trees themselves. What had started out as a simple skate down the road after the incident with the reverse world Dash had turned into a flight for her life.

She ducked to the left to avoid a massive scythe coming down from a knothole in the tree just above her, timing a jump perfectly to clear a set of distended hindquarters as its owner crawled down the path towards her. Then, another quick jump to avoid the creature lurking in the shadow of the next tree, only to have to pull a full split to avoid the next well-aimed scythe.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" She yelled between attempts at catching her breath and avoiding the monsters. "Where did all of you come from?"

As if to ice the cake, a Boiling Pony trod from between a set of tall yet withered and rotten Golden Delicious trees. Already in the process of shedding its hide, the pony tossed the large chunk of bubbling flesh at Scootaloo, missing by a hair's breadth as the skin landed on the filly monster behind her. The creature left out a shrieking cry as it melted beneath the flap of super heated cutie marks, leaving only a rough hole in the ground.

Shaking off the close calls, Scoot pushed her legs as fast as the skates and her awkward balance would allow her, racing for Apple Bloom's house. She'd seen it as she'd crossed the last hillock, the barn standing against the inky black sky in the distance.

'Almost there...'

She put on one last burst of speed, dodging another bloated filly that was creeping its way out into the road. The buildings finally came into sight just up ahead.

'So close.'

The ground shuddered and she felt herself wrenched into the air. The smell of charring skin wafted up over her, making her sick to her stomach almost instantly.

Scoot turned to look over her shoulder, seeing her saddlebag in the mouth of yet another boiling pony. Its beady eyes locked onto hers and it began to shake her around roughly, the straps of her bag jarring her injured wing and sore muscles like never before. Out of reflex, Scootaloo's legs bucked out, knocking the pony in the throat hard enough that it left her go with a rattling wheeze. She fell to the ground, almost sure she'd made an imprint when her body collided with the rough surface.

The little orange filly stood herself back up, almost numb to the pain by this point. She was sore, bruised and battered. Her wing would probably never be the same again. And if not for the cuts on her forelegs and in various other places, she was sure she'd fall down and give in should infection set in.

But there, within sight was the Apple Family household. One of the last two places in Ponyville she was able to reach.

There was a thundering rapport as the boiling pony that dropped her brought its hooves down, shaking the ground around them violently. It began to crack and splinter like a pane of shattering glass, prompting Scootaloo to get her legs under her again. She bolted out of range of the massive monstrosity, closing the distance between her and the house.

As soon as her skates hit the front porch, Scoot undid them as quick as she possibly could manage, tying them back around her neck before forcing her way in through the front door. Not that the poor thing could've managed. Even though it had been locked, the door was practically falling off of its hinges, rotting away in various places.

The sight inside was much the same as everywhere else had been. Dark, creepy, full of metal and obviously not safe. As if to solidify this, two plumes of smoke appeared from the staircase in the main room and a shadow underneath a busted up lounger as soon as she set hoof inside the building. Unfortunately, the stairs were the one way out, as the lounger was pushed over in front of the doorway to the kitchen, the only other exit aside from the front door.

"Well, that's just perfect." Scoot mused, looking around. There was little to be seen here. Overturned furniture, smatters of what might've been blood along the walls and floor in varying places. A single lit candle giving off the only illumination sat in its holder atop the one end-table that wasn't destroyed.

That gave her an idea.

Scootaloo went over to the candle, lifting the holder in her mouth. As she approached the lounger, the shadow underneath it faded, and with it, a horrid screech as the creature inhabiting it fizzled out of existence.

'Perfect! Now as long as this doesn't go out...' She ended the thought, not wanting to jinx herself.

Carefully, Scoot climbed up atop the lounger, pushing the doorway to the kitchen open. She was met with a light so blinding that she had to close her eyes, such was its intensity.

"Apple Bloom, can ya fetch me that there pie-pan? Thuh crust mix is almost readeh."

Applejack's voice seemed to carry throughout the kitchen as the light died down. With eyes now open, she could see the space as plain as day. It looked as though she were back in the regular Ponyville, standing in the Apple family kitchen. Nothing was out of place. Applejack stood in front of the table, a mixing spoon in one hoof, pie batter on the other as she tasted it.

"C'mon Apple Bloom, don't ya wanna try some of this?" The pony was staring off into a corner where the little filly was sitting in her crusader's cape with a rather sullen expression.

"No." Apple Bloom replied.

"Aww c'mon now Sugar Cube. What's wrong?"

Apple Bloom sniffed, almost as if she was holding back tears.

"Sweetie Belle an' Scootaloo were supposed tuh come over today so we could go out on ahnother try for our Cutie Marks...but Scoot ended up chasin after Rainbow Dash again. An' Sweetie Belle didn't wanna do it if all three of us weren't gonna be there."

Applejack set the spoon down, cleaning her other hoof off before going over to her little sister.

"Hey, it's not like she plum fergot about ya. Scootaloo's just a lil' mixed up, that's all. She dun wanna hurt yer feelins. She juss needs some time to figure out what she's doin, ya'll see what ahm sayin?"

Apple Bloom nodded, wiping her cheek to hide the single drop that slid down it.

"Scoot juss looks up to Rainbow Dash cuz she likes her is all. Ahm sure if she stopped ta think about it fer a second, she'd see that while Dash is good, she ain't no better than anypony else. 'Specially you."

Applejack leaned down and nuzzled her little sister gently.

"Tell ya whut. Ah'll help ya out after the pies are done, okay? We'll go out n' try ta find yer special talent. Juss me n' you. How's about that?"

Apple Bloom looked up, eyes watering.

"Ya mean it, sis?"

"Sure do. Now c'mon. Let's get these pies a-bakin' so's we can get out there faster." The older pony smiled softly, brushing Apple Bloom's mane back a bit.

"M'kay."

And with that...the scene faded in another blinding flash of light, leaving Scootaloo's eyes to catch up. The kitchen was now just as ramshackle as the rest of the building, the candle burning a soft light out into the dank, rusted interior.

"Apple Bloom...I, I didn't mean it. Really." She spoke, knowing full well that no one was around to hear her. She just had to get it out though, wiping at her own eyes now. Had she really hurt her friend that much with her idolizing of Rainbow Dash?

It didn't matter now. She'd fix that bridge when she got home again. A quick glance around the kitchen turned up nothing useful. Nothing to be used as a weapon, no extra candles, matches or anything. Not even so much as a clue as to what she had to do next.

Scootaloo returned to the main room, eying up the staircase. The smoke stream was still there. With a little bit of reluctance, she crossed the room and turned to the stairs, staring up them with much more than just a little trepidation in her heart. It had worked for the shadow pony under the chair...

"Hey, Ugly! Come on out!" She yelled up, setting hoof on the first few stairs.

Nothing.

"Okay, so that's how it's gonna be huh?"

She ascended a few more, and while the black smoke didn't stop, the creature didn't make an appearance. The candle seemed to be holding it at bay.

Scoot made the final few stairs before the hole in the wooden construct was fully visible. Inside, the gleaming yellow eyes of the staircase pony glared back up at her, a deep hiss emanating from inside. Scoot braved sticking her head into the hole, trying to drive the beast further back. It didn't retreat, though it didn't attack either. It was just content to stay in the blackness that hadn't been illuminated by the candle's light.

"Hah. What's wrong there smoky? Afraid of the light?" She taunted, staring the monster dead in the eyes. As long as she had the candle light, it wouldn't dare make a move on her.

In response though, the creature puffed out another stream of smoke, aimed right at the tiny beacon. Scoot saw it coming and pulled back out of the hole just in time to see the candle sputter harshly. It stayed lit though, and not for the first time, she thanked her lucky stars that she'd been quick enough to react.

"Nice try." She grinned, stepping up and around the hole, turning back to face the hole as she carefully ascended the rest of the stairs backwards to keep the light between her and the staircase pony. As her back hooves hit the top landing, only then did she face forward again, hopefully well out of the monster's reach. There was a startling roar as it rose up out of the hole and bolted swiftly up the stairs after her, however...even with the candle far enough away to keep its light directly off of it, the monster didn't move any further than the top stair, it's nose or claws never reaching past to the landing.

"So you DO have a limit, eh?" Scootaloo noted, spinning around to tailwhip the monster pony in the nose. "Hah. Try and get me now." She laughed, walking off easily down the hallway.

It was the same as it had been many many times before. Applejack's room was the first on the left, Big Mac's on the right. Granny Smith's, the biggest room in the house, was furthest down the hall at the end. But the door Scoot wanted was halfway. She made for it instinctively, opening the door.

Her eyes reacted instantly as again, they were assaulted with another bright light.

Once it died down, she found herself looking in on a much younger Apple Bloom sitting alone in her room, playing around with some worn out, hand me down ragdolls. It was raining outside of the window, as if to dampen the already sad sight. She was obviously lonely as she made the dolls talk to each other. When that brought her no comfort, the little yellow filly took what must have been her favorite and crawled into bed.

"Great Princess Celestia...iffen ya have the time, could ya please send me a friend? Ah know ah've got Applejack n' Big Macintosh...but they're always so busy with the farm, n' Granny's just too old ta have any fun with. Not that ah'm not happy ta have em as mah family. Iss just that ah get kinda lonely, ya know? Anywho...thanks fer listenin."

Even Apple Bloom's bow seemed to droop as she left out her silent prayer to the Princess. Scoot almost melted to the floor right then and there as she listened to her friend's request, wondering if the Princess somehow did hear it. It was kinda by chance that she and Sweetie Belle met the filly at Diamond Tiara's party. Scootaloo almost didn't go, but Sweetie Belle had insisted on it.

And that's when they'd met Apple Bloom. Tiny little thing that she was, so afraid of everyone finding out she was still a blank-flank.

She silently watched on as the younger version of her friend nestled deeper into her covers, the first sounds of sniffles reaching Scootaloo's ears. She wanted so desperately to go up to the little pony and tell her that everything would be okay, but she knew that in a few seconds, the flashback was going to be over anyway. It didn't matter though.

Scootaloo made her way forward, stepping up next to Apple Bloom's bed. She placed her front hooves up on it, leaning in close to her friend.

"Hey there Apple Bloom." She tried.

There wasn't any response. Should she keep trying?

Scoot shook her head. Nothing she said here was going to make any difference. She'd just have to wait until she saw her again for real. As she stepped down from the bed, the room around her began to dissolve and fade away, leaving nothing but remnants of the furnishings she knew so well. And there, hung so carefully from the one lower bedpost...was Apple Bloom's Crusader Cape.

That made all three.

With the last cape in tow, stowed neatly along with hers and Sweetie Belle's, Scoot made her way back downstairs, noting that the hole in the staircase had closed up.

One place left to go.

Scoot made for the front door. As she stepped back outside onto the front porch, she was met with a mind-numbing sight.

All around her, there was nothing but the abyss. Only a sole path lead from the porch off into the night, seemingly supported by magic as it hovered over the expansive void beneath. There'd be nowhere to go if something came at her from the sky, no where to run if a creature existed in the depths of the nothingness.

There was no other choice. Scootaloo stepped off the porch and onto the rusted metal surface. She took a few paces forward, stopping to look back behind her.

The house was gone. The path ended a short few inches away from her hindquarters.

"How 'not' surprising." She muttered. Now there really was nowhere to go but forward.

And on she went.

And on.

And on.

The path didn't seem to have an ending. Scoot paused again to take out the map. The Crusader's Treehouse couldn't have been that far away. With the light of the candle down on the path, Scootaloo unrolled the paper, raising a questioning eyebrow.

The map was covered in black scribbles to the point of everything being blocked out. Only one portion remained untouched, where there was a single word inscribed in a childish writing style with an arrow that read "You are Here" pointing down at it.

Nowhere

"That's just useful." She sighed, rolling the paper back up, tucking it away again.

Scootaloo kept walking on, every so often looking back over her shoulder. Each time, the path ended just a scant few paces behind her, nothing but the vast black void spanning out as far as the eye could see. It seemed to melt into the darkness as she watched, keen on keeping her moving forward, though it never disappeared when she stopped moving.

After a bit longer, Scoot halted all together and sat down, facing the evaporating path behind her, watching as it disappeared up to that same distance before it stopped.

"Augh! This is hopeless! I'm never going to get there like this!" She cried in frustration. It went against her better judgement to use the skates, even though it would've saved time, giving that there was barely enough room to walk. Without proper wings, she couldn't just fly. It was taking too long.

Just then, a tremor shook the pathway. Scoot's attention was quickly drawn to the source, back up the path as she spun around to see the thin walkway collapsing ahead of her.

"Oh come on! That's just not fair!"

Without anywhere to run to, Scoot could only watch as the metal plates buckled and fell into the abyss ahead of her, accentuated by the shrieks of the steel being shorn away by an unseen force. Just as the last plate in front of her plummeted into the darkness, the noise ceased and the tremors stopped, leaving her standing on the last plate over the void with nowhere to go.

Scootaloo sank to the last platform, feeling utterly defeated. She lay her head down and started to cry, whether out of frustration or sadness, even she didn't know. She'd come so far...and this was it? No answers, no way home, no Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle. Nothing. Just an endless sea of black.

"No!" She shouted, pounding a hoof down on the plate. "It doesn't end here! I won't let it!"

Again, the shrieking began as before her, back in the direction she'd come from, a large scaffolding began to build itself out of the abyss. It stretched up into the sky which was slowly transitioning into a hazy red to counterbalance the black below, looming over her ominously. After a few moments, the structure stopped, and the pathway renewed itself, leading to the metal construct.

Hesitantly, the filly stood up, staring at the beams and mesh. She tested the new walkway before her, finding it just as sturdy as before...and with a new destination ahead, or behind as it were, she sucked down the feelings that had overwhelmed her for a moment, forgetting about them.

Something about the structure seemed oddly familiar. Granted, she'd never seen anything quite like it before. Nothing in Ponyville, or in all of Equestria for that matter, could've compared to this. But it was almost calling out to her. Beckoning her forth.

The bottom of the structure held one massive platform that stretched to all four edges of the structure, with a single spiraling staircase at one edge leading up towards the top. High above, a similar platform could be seen. Every so often at different intervals, the staircase twisted around to another edge of the scaffolding before continuing its ascent.

No, there was definitely nothing quite like this anywhere in the world.

And yet...Scootaloo felt it calling her towards the top. She had a place to go. She had somewhere to be. And something about it felt like home, the most comforting feeling she'd experienced since she left the memory of her house.

Scoot began to climb.

The stairs shuddered and creaked with every step, threatening to give way underhoof, but she didn't stop. The little pony climbed the stairs, coming to the first hemi-circle that would lead her to another side of the structure.

"Are you MAD?!" A very familiar, irritating voice shouted.

"What? For doing what you can't? What you should? You KNOW this is your destiny, you stupid foal!" Another responded. One Scootaloo hoped to never hear again.

"Yes...I do..." And there...a third...much deeper and more menacing than either of the other two. "And I enjoy it thoroughly."

"Then grow up, grab your fate by the ears and show me that you can do this, or I'll End You Myself!"

Not-Dream Catcher.

"You can't! You'd fade away too! Are you suicidal?!"

Dream Catcher, being his typical self.

"Do you honestly think that I am bound to this form? I AM THIS WORLD!" Not-Dream Catcher seemed to be quite irritated, but that third voice was the one that worried her the most.

"No...I am this world. You are merely a pawn on my chessboard. You think to be able to best me at my own game? That would make a most wonderful story to tell, don't you think? The apparition who thought he could defeat the master of nightmares! Ha! What a tale that would be!"

Soul Weaver.

'Oh great...just what I needed.' Scoot stopped, shrinking back against the railing as she saw two black Pegasi arguing on a beam about halfway across the structure. Not-Dream Catcher stood over the cowering form of his opposite self, who seemed to be having conscience issues as he fought back and forth with the voice in his head.

"No! I am no nightmare bringer! I fight them, I don't help them! That's what a dream catcher does!"

"You are a fool. Embrace it! It's much more fun when you do. Just think of all the wonderful stories we'd have to tell everypony! And oh, the games we could invent! After all, each pony is different, we could garner so many different ideas for games, the fun could be never ending!"

"Just because you won't accept the mark of the Nightmare Catcher doesn't mean you'll ever attain the mark of your namesake, ignorant pony. There is nothing wrong with nightmares, they are a perfectly normal part of everypony's life! It's how they deal with them that is important." Not-Dream Catcher's pitch fell back to his normal, arrogant self as he explained. "So get over yourself and do what you were meant to do. Not only will both of you have fun, but it will make it so much easier for me as well."

Just then, Dream Catcher lashed out at his anti-self, knocking the Pegasus to the girder. There was a sickening crunch as he brought his hooves down on Not-Dream Catcher's wings, eliciting a cry of pain from the other.

"You want it easier? You want to know what it's like to feel like I do? You think my job is easy? Fine. Let's see how you fare with broken wings. Let's see how you do with having the most important thing in your life taken away. And should you ever find yourself wishing that you hadn't made this mistake...remember, you asked for it."

Dream Catcher, or Soul Weaver, as it seemed, brought both back hooves to bear on Not-Dream Catcher, sending him flying off the girder towards the outside of the scaffolding. Not-Dream tried to flap his wings, only to be met with a jolt of pain that put a look of shock on his face as he flew out beyond the last steel beam.

"Fall into your darkest dream, you pathetic excuse for a pony." Soul Weaver spoke as he watched the other careen towards the abyss below. "I'll be waiting for you when you get there. Then we'll really have some fun." He chuckled darkly.

Scoot took the break in the action to put a bit of distance between her and the psychopath Pegasus standing not more than thirty feet away, doing her best to sneak by in silence. Fortunately, the stairs seemed to be held in place a little better on this side of the structure and made no sound or movement when she climbed.

That, however, didn't stop Soul Weaver from taking notice.

"Ah...my little playmate returns!" He called out to her, freezing her in her tracks. "Welcome back, Scootaloo! I trust you had much fun with Singularity?"

Scoot turned to face the taunting pony, her heart skipping a few beats as she met that cool, eery gaze again.

"Not really." She replied, a little shaken. "She got what was coming to her though, that's for sure."

"I'll bet she did. So tell me little one, have you enjoyed your time here? I trust there was much satisfaction to be gained from pummeling my friends while you made your way here? That's always been one of my favorite games, you know. Watching others beat on poor, helpless creatures that are victims themselves."

"They were all trying to kill me, what else was I supposed to do?" She yelled back in defense. They had been attacking her, that was for sure. So what, she was supposed to lie down and take it?

"It is nothing more than you deserved, you selfish child. But then again, where are my manners? How can I judge when I myself was raised much the same as yourself?" He tsk'd, shaking his head. "We've both had harsh lives, my little pony. The only difference is...I found my calling. You haven't. So I guess I could have some level of pity for you."

"You can keep your stupid pity. I don't want it...cuz I'm nothing like you."

"Oh, that's rich. Nothing like me you say? You frequently abandon your friends for your own selfish desires. You cry yourself to sleep at night because even though you have friends, you feel they'd never understand you. You berate others because you think that you're somehow better than they are, yet you're just as pathetic as the rest of them. Tell me...how does that make you any different from me?"

Scootaloo didn't have an answer. Something he said triggered something inside of her, a deep seated fear that she hadn't touched on in what seemed like forever.

And then...all of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. A rush of memories came flooding back to her that she hadn't even realized she'd forgotten. Almost as if they'd been pushed to the side and left to rot.

Her real parents. Her father, a weather patrol pony, had gone missing after a nasty storm from the Everfree Forest threatened to strike Ponyville. Between holding down two jobs just to make ends meet and the stress of raising Scootaloo alone, her poor mother's body had just given out one day. She couldn't keep up with the bills any longer...and rather than see her daughter go hungry, Scoot's mother had sent her to the orphanage.

The place that always smelled like smoke and burned wood. She could remember walking into that building for the first time, clutching the blanket that'd been left to her by a nameless pony she'd never got the chance to meet. It had been so lonely there.

Then came the adoptive families. Always wanting to help. Always doing things for 'her best interests'...yet always keeping her locked away for her own good. They were no better than pity-ponies. Always talking like she was some poor abandoned pet. Promising to keep her safe, yet always giving her back to the orphanage when she refused to open up to them. Always disappearing.

And then...her first day at Sugar Cube Corner.

When she'd first met Rainbow Dash. She'd wandered away from school that day, not really caring for learning anything after having come back to the orphanage from her latest failed adoption attempt. It had been a rough couple of weeks at that house, and all she wanted to do was escape.

And then, she saw her. The rainbow making pony from her favorite blanket.

Yeah...that sounded about right.

The next few images were of school again, spying Sweetie Belle for the first time, and quickly becoming friends with the unicorn. And then Apple Bloom at Diamond Tiara's party.

"So you finally realize what's going on, do you?" Soul Weaver smirked, snapping her out of her memories. "You're just an unwanted filly, trying to scrape by in a world that could care less about you. Such a sad, heart wrenching tale, don't you think? Those are my most favorite." He wiped a mock-tear out of his eye.

"You shut your stupid face!" Scootaloo screamed at him. "You don't know anything about me!"

"Oh?" He remarked casually as he hopped from beam to beam easily, closing the distance between them. "But I do. I know that you lead those other two idiot fillies around because it makes you feel better having somepony around who'll never be as fast as you. That way, you won't feel bad if you never live up to your idol's image."

"That's not true! Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are my friends!"

"Then why do you keep abandoning them to chase after Rainbow Dash?"

That hurt. That hurt deep.

"I don't. I always go back to my friends. I love them. They're the only family I've got." She replied, not as loud as before. "I'd do anything for them."

"Really now?" He grinned. "I think they'd like to hear you say that for themselves. You see...it's true, your time here is almost up. But you've got one last game to play, Scootaloo. See...there's different kinds of games. You've got party games like Pin the Tail on the Pony and Bobbing for Apples. You've got Board Games like checkers and chess. And then you've got games that take real skill and character to play. And in these games...there's always a final boss."

As if on cue, two pairs of glinting eyes appeared behind him at the far side of the structure. They wove intricately through the framework as they approached in unison, a large shadow growing behind them.

"So let me ask you this...you've got one final game to play. If you win, you make it out alive. If not...well, either way, I'll have to find a new game partner. It's just that one end is unfortunately messier than the other." He smirked on that thought as two loud roars shook the structure.

"So what do I have to do then?" She asked, feeling any ounce of resistance fading away.

"The rules are simple. You make it to the top of this structure, you win. No weapons allowed, no helpful items allowed, meaning you'll just have to leave that dreadful pack of yours here...and, well...I guess that's it. Oh...and I doubt you'll be needing those skates too. They won't be of any use. Just throw everything you've got over the side of the railing there and we can begin."

Scoot sighed in resignation, when a single thought came to her mind.

"All right. I'll play. But on one condition."

"What might that be?" Soul Weaver asked, interest glinting in his eyes.

Scootaloo pulled out the three Crusaders Capes, putting hers on and tying the other two around her neck like scarves.

"I get to keep these."

He mulled that over for a few seconds, nodding briefly.

"Very well. I doubt they'll be of much use except to clean up the mess when this is over. Might as well keep them handy I suppose."

Scootaloo nodded, looking at the bag that contained her blanket, her rain gear, the key to a house she'd never see again, the useless map.

"Throw it, if you would."

She did, watching as the bag went over the railing, feeling a pang of guilt as the blanket went with it. It fell, but caught on one of the beams jutting out of the structure.

"Now the skates, if you will my dear."

She took them off her neck and threw them over too, another feeling of regret as they missed any part of the building and fell into the abyss.

"Good. Now, if you're ready? Let the game begin!" Soul Weaver shouted, and the eyes came rushing forward.

Scootaloo didn't even bother looking as she bolted up the stairs as fast as she could run. Her little legs pumped hard, taking her around to the next side of the structure while the roaring below increased. The whole frame began to shake as whatever it was that Soul Weaver had called after her chased its prey. There was a thrumming vibration that sent Scootaloo to the stairs as she looked down, seeing a long, scaly tail take out a portion of the staircase she'd just left. Against her will, her eyes followed the tail up to a massive body supported on two giant legs that were easily making their way up through the structure. The body shook and shuddered as it climbed, but made no hesitation in its intent. Her eyes came up again to see three necks with two heads, the middle head having been severed off. The other two heads were shaped like dragons. One had a long white horn in the middle of a set of spikes that ran down the length of the neck. The other held a ragged piece of red cloth tied hastily into a bow.

Both of the heads seemed to be fighting back and forth with each other as the beast climbed up towards her, snapping and breathing fire at one another. For the moment, they seemed more interested in what the other was doing, leaving Scootaloo to get back up and gain some headway. On and on she ran, her lungs aching for the air that was coming in short bursts. She rounded another spiral case and found herself on the long climb to the next set when a jet of fire came blazing past her nose not twenty hooves ahead of her, setting the stairs aflame. They melted quickly, leaving a large gap in her path.

"Oh, tough luck Scootaloo! That's going to be hard to get around." Soul Weaver chuckled, before his head shook violently.

"Quiet, you evil vindictive monster!" Dream Catcher seemed to have broken through, slamming his head off of one of the beams that held the structure up. "Hang on! I'm coming Scootaldoo!"

"Can you at least get my name right?!" She yelled back at him, trying to figure out a way around the missing stairs when something caught her eye.

The roller skates went flying up past her into the sky, having shot up from the abyss below before plummeting back past her again. She shook her head, not quite sure she had seen exactly what she thought she saw, trying to make sense of it as she edged closer to the melted stairs.

They had cooled rather quickly, and were only mildly warm to the touch. With enough push...

She jumped, landing half of her body on the next viable stair when a roar sounded.

One of the hydra's heads was coming at her, teeth bared wide.

Scoot pulled herself up as quickly as her exhausted limbs would allow, her chest heaving now from the exertion, when she heard another roar. Risking a look, she turned to see Dream Catcher's hooves connecting with the head that had just been rushing her.

"Don't just stand there, run!" He yelled up.

"Don't you do anything stupid! I wanna kick your tail when we get out of this mess for all the trouble you've caused!" She screamed back at him before picking the pace back up, rocketing up the stairs once again.

Then, she saw a light at the top of the tower. It was getting closer at last, and the light was burning bright white. She was going to make it...

And then the monster crashed out above her, its strong yet shaking legs propelling it faster than she had been able to move. The beast latched onto the staircase with both heads and ripped it from the frame. Scoot could see the tower sliding away from her as the hydra tore the metal structure away from the scaffolding.

She wasn't going to make it. It was going to end here.

"Scoot! Keep going! Run!" Dream Catcher yelled as he mounted the head of the monster that held the horn, pulling back hard on it, steering the monster's head away from the stairs. "Go now!"

Scootaloo didn't see anywhere to go. The only place she could go now was up...straight into the beast's other head...

When she saw that the monstrosity was almost literally hanging upside-down from the scaffolding, its tail wrapped higher up in the framework...an idea popped into her head. It was crazy...and she'd probably get herself killed while trying it. But it wasn't any worse than hanging around here.

She made a run for it. Scootaloo hit the top of the stairs, jumping on top of the monster's head. She turned and ran down its long neck to its body as the beast let go of the stairs. They fell against the building with a reverberating clang loud enough to rattle Scoot's teeth, before dropping into the abyss below. But she paid it no mind. She was on it's shoulders, heading for its tail. The tail that hadn't moved. She raced up the long, scaly appendage, hooves slipping every which way as she made her ascent. Fortunately, the beast was too concerned with removing Dream Catcher from its other head as its free head blasted the horn head with a gout of fire. The other head shrieked in alarm as it was set aflame, but Dream Catcher was already gone, halfway down its neck before jumping back onto the scaffolding.

Scoot could barely contain the laughter that she knew was highly inappropriate, finally making it to the end of the tail. She landed safely on a cross beam as the tail left go, the creature squirming as it tried to douse the flames it had unleashed upon itself. But in its haste, it began to tear the entire structure apart. Scoot felt the whole thing shaking as the beast tussled with itself until finally, the first head was no longer sporting a fiery mane. It trained both heads back on her and continued to climb again, chasing the little filly. Scoot made a jump for the nearby stairs and too began to climb, the top almost within reach.

And then...she felt the wind leave her body, her ribs crunching horribly as the scaled tail connected. She saw the stairs fly by as stars drifted into her vision. And she saw the roller skates as they flew up beyond her, followed by the portion of stairs that had ripped free earlier.

'Well...nothing left to do now but give it a try...' With her mind swimming, Scoot, now sure of a plan, let herself fall headfirst towards the abyss. She took a shallow breath as her chest screamed in pain, pushing both hooves out in front of her to streamline her body the best she could. She folded her good wing back, angling her legs and let gravity do the rest.

The darkness zoomed up all around her as the beast above roared in victory. Soon, it was so black Scootaloo couldn't even see her hooves in front of her face anymore. She only hoped her guess was right. She could feel the pressure though, and it was building up all around her. Now was the time.

With a deft move, she ripped the bandages off of her sore wing, testing it. It still hurt, but her mind was too focused on the pain in her ribs to try and tell her anything different. That would have to do.

Scootaloo unleashed her wings, flapping the tiny little appendages as hard as she could, ignoring the pain in her chest. They almost literally hummed as they passed through the air, propelling her forward into the darkness. Down and down she went, feeling the pressure in front of her hooves growing stronger. The sound of air rushing around her was slowly growing fainter all the while, until even the sound of her wings grew quiet.

Then, there was a bright orange burst of light, and she found herself rocketing skyward again, being followed by a deafening roar that shook the structure to whatever foundation supported it. The wind was rushing past her so fast she nearly had to close her eyes. But her plan had worked. She was moving faster than she ever had before. Seeing the skates and the staircase had solidified it, and thankfully, her gamble had paid off. The structure was zooming by at incredible speeds, so fast that before she could blink three times, she had already cleared the top of it. Down below, Scoot saw the top platform covered in green, with a tree and a sole structure standing dead center.

The Crusader's Tree House.

As her speed boost finally began to wane, Scoot tucked her wings and turned, arcing for the platform. With careful movements, learned from studying Rainbow Dash in flight, though never tested, she tried to guide herself down as best as she could while still moving incredibly fast. It was such a rush.

Not only had she won Soul Weaver's little game...but she was FLYING. And, to top that astonishing feat off, something else caught her attention as she circled around the platform.

A giant beam of orange light had erupted sometime during her skyward climb. Upon closer inspection, Scoot followed the beam's path to see that it in fact was following her.

She had done it.

The Scootaboom.

No one was ever going to believe this. She could hardly believe it herself.

There was a flash of black back down on the platform as Scootaloo came closer, seeing Dream Catcher standing there relatively unscathed. He was waving her down, shouting something at her, but between the rush of the air and the tremendous roar of the Scootaboom, she was lucky she could hear herself think.

With a gentle flap of her wings, Scoot alighted on top of the tower, falling over immediately into a patch of soft grass as the exhaustion finally caught up with her.

"Well played, little filly."

Great.

Soul Weaver.

"It seems you've won the game. Now, I'll say that I didn't expect you to do it...but I am a pony of my word. You are free to go." He nodded, pointing up at the staircase that led to the Crusader's Tree House.

No black smoke curled up from this set of stairs. No evil dragon type monster was squirming around underneath it. There were no boiling ponies or bloated fillies in sight.

"That's it?" She wheezed.

He nodded.

"That's all. Game over."

It could've been from relief...it could've been from the fact that she'd come upon all of these memories...hay, it could've been just from the sheer exhaustion. But Scootaloo sighed and began to crawl her way towards the stairs. Hoof over hoof, she made it to the bottom and began to work her way up, one stair at a time. Each angled piece of wood jutted out, catching her in the ribs. Each rib screamed at her in agony, the throbbing in her wing all but forgotten at this point.

Step by step, she climbed until she made it, her Crusader's cape fluttering in a soft breeze. The others, tied safely around her neck, flapped gently as well. Looking up, she saw the doorway, wide open. Inside, her bedroll was laid out, a sleeping bag lying open on top of it.

Home.

Her REAL home, she noted with a start, one final memory sinking in. How long had it been since she'd moved into the tree house? Shortly after the talent show, at least. She'd been wandering from place to place, sleeping in sheds and carriage house lofts for what seemed like forever. Now, she was home.

The little filly drug herself painfully over to her sleeping bag, only to watch as it zipped itself shut before she could get in. She just wanted to sleep...sleep the nightmare away. Let the dreamworld take away the pain. She hugged both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's capes close, wrapping them tight around herself as a sudden chill set in. Her head began to pound intensely. She simply curled up on the floor and closed her eyes, her brain feeling like it was about to explode.

===D.W.===

"Scootaloo!" A distant voice was calling to her.

"Scoot? Scoot?! Are you okay?!" Hey...wasn't that Apple Bloom?

"Oh dear, this doesn't look good at all." And that sounded like...Fluttershy? When did they get here?

"She looks like she's havin ah nightmare."

"And she's got a pretty bad fever." Twilight's soft tones came to her ears.

"Fluttershy, is there anything you can do?"

"Well...I can try."

And then, all sound faded away, the pulsing stopped...and for once since she arrived in this crazy, hellish town, Scootaloo felt warm again.