Scootaloo and the School of Ghouls

The Bogmorts express, unlike the rest of the Nightmare Realm, was surprisingly less-than over-the-top. It was merely a pitch-black train, cars stretching a far ways back beyond the station. There, Scootaloo saw a multitude of other ghouls her age, a few resembling fillies and colts in Ponyville.

"Now, are you going to be a wretched little ghoul at Bogmorts, Dinky Stitched?" Derpy Stitched chirped merrily, Dr. Whoovenstein standing proudly beside her.

"You bet, mom!" she beamed, smiling brightly. "I'm going to learn all I can about mechanical resurrection, so maybe one day I'll be able to make myself a sister!"

Dr. Whoovenstein grinned. "Now that's my girl! Let me hear your creepy laugh!"

"BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Dinky cackled forth, it honestly sounding more adorable than evil.

Still, Dr. Whoovenstein beamed down upon her, his eyes actually beginning to water. "By the drums, the vocal chords I crafted you are phenomenal. But not as phenomenal as what you've done with them. You're going to make me proud, kid!"

"Awwwww," Derpy cooed, giving Dr. Whoovenstein a quick hug, him blushing fiercely.

They were some of the last to arrive, so they honestly there weren't that many others to behold, most of them being counterparts of ponies who Scootaloo had rarely interacted with in the real world. With nothing much left to do or see, the quartet of Crusaders prepared to come aboard.

"Alright, Scoots," Twilight Sparkle winked. "Remember, no matter what these guys may seem like, they're built for scaring and caring, none of them..." She gave a wince. "Well... most of them aren't truly evil."

"Still uh... might be best if you chill with the little devils you know," Rainbow smiled, glancing at her mortal friends.

Soulshard rolled her eyes, before pulling Rainbow towards the pirate-themed Zeppelin behind them. "They'll be absolutely fine! Quit worrying, will you? Come and tell me more stories of these... Wonderbolts of yours!"

"Heh, now that is something I can talk about," Rainbow smiled, giving Scootaloo one last glance. "Take care, kid. I'll see ya in a blink!"

"Bye, Rainbow! Have a good trip aboard that crazy zeppelin thingy!" Scootaloo waved, as Soulshard led the rest of the group away.

A beat of silence followed, Pipsqueak glancing over the Zeppelin with dreamy eyes.

"Mmmm, if only we could go aboard that beauty."

And to answer him, a voice soon made itself known.

"Yar HAR HAR HAR! That I agree with ya, matey!"

The group twirled about, raising curious eyebrows, only to gaze upon another Pipsqueak. He sort of resembled what the young colt looked like on Nightmare Night, with a black eye-patch and a red bandanna. In one of his hooves, he held a rotten apple, quickly taking a bite of it.

"Ello, lads," he grinned wickedly, gazing upon the group as he walked out of a shadow and into the moonlight...

And it was at that moment that it was revealed that he was more than just a (more) piratey version of Pipsqueak, for as soon as he walked into its light, his flesh immediately vanished, leaving nothing but flesh-encrusted bones.

The group immediately gave a gasp, backing towards the train, though Pipsqueak held his ground.

"Oi, what's got your jimmies in a rustle?" pirate Pipsqueak said, gazing at them with a hurt expression. "Haven't ya' evah danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

"Er, sorry," Pipsqueak said, smiling slightly.

At that, counterpart Pip’s eyes squinted, before he smiled in delight. "Now ain't that a bloody sight worth drinkin' a pint o’ tar rum to! Bloody Hell, ya some sort of Fearlin' lad? Cus ya look just like meself!"

"I'm actually your counterpart," Pipsqueak said, beaming.

"Countahpart?!" Pirate Pip said, his eyes widening. "Oi, pardon me tongue, but I didn't know thar be mortal land lovah's comin aboard this har mechanical landship!"

"Ms. Soulshard is making a special exception for us," Pipsqueak replied, still smiling. "I'm Pipsqueak, by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Shipmate Pipbossa, mah good lad," he said, smiling as he held out a hoof for Pipsqueak to shake. "Hoof aboard da Flyin' Dutchman." He quickly winced, however. "Well, that was til the bloody thing went and got itself sunk off da Western Shores."

"Mmm... Kraken?" Pipsqueak said, raising an eyebrow.

"Aye, govenah, close, but we calls em' Leviathans. Nasty bit of tentacles that could swallow ships whole! Ungrateful beast went and turned against' me captain, Davy Bones."

"Yeah," Pip sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Same bloody thing happened to my ship, the Black Pearl. Well, sort of."

Pipbossa gave a smirk. "Oi, well shimber me timbers, guess you're in da same metaphorical boat as me then, YAR HAR HAR HAR!"

"You could say that," Pip said, sighing again. “Davy Bones, though… that sounds familiar…”

"Um... Pipbossa," Scootaloo spoke up. "If you don't mind me asking, what in the world's a Fearling?"

Pipbossa gave a wicked grin.

"I believe yur answer lies nearby."

The group raised their eyebrows, and not too soon after that they began to feel... nauseous, a cold tingle running down each of their spines.

And then, appearing before them was the Queen of the Swarm, a small Changeling-like creature close to her side, though with the distinguishable feature of having black wings made of smoke, instead of instectoid-like ones.

"Q-Q-Queen CHRYSALIS?!" Sweetie shrieked, her and the rest of the group all-but-ready to dart it into the train like bats out of hell.

"Relax," she groaned, her voice a distorted, but actually sort of soothing tone, as she held up a holed hoof. "I don't know what you all are doing here, but I mean you no harm. For I am not the Queen Chrysalis you know. I am Queen Vereolis."

"Yeah well, sorry if we don't take your world for it after your counterpart kidnapped us!" Scootaloo growled, her fangs glistening in the moonlight.

At that, however, the tiny 'Changeling', at her side gave a slight whimper, the group's feelings of animosity quickly turning into that of guilt.

Queen Vereolis then bent down to face it with a warm smile. "Metus, don't worry about them. I'm sure you'll fit in fine in this school."

"Metus?" the group said, scratching their heads.

"Aye, means 'Fear' in tha ole language," Pipbossa said with a surprising amount of cultural knowledge. "Tha Fearlings be creatures that, like thar name suggests, feed off fear instead of good ole' love like in yur world."

"She is one of my finest students in the art of it, as you're... probably feeling right now. She can generate it in those around her, even passively," Queen Vereolis said proudly, and at this point Scootaloo was beginning to notice a bit of a strange accent in her voice. "However, I believe I've taught her all I know. A school run by the actual Elements of Fear themselves is the next step for her. After that, she'll be able to instill enough terror in the mortal world to feed us for years to come!"

"How come we didn't see any Fearlings last Nightmare Night, though?" Apple Bloom said, scratching her head.

Queen Vereolis gave a chuckle. "We don't feed in Equestria, we feed in the Changeling Nation of Savarance."

The group's eyes widened.

"Believe it or not, they have a holiday like Nightmare Night there," Queen Veroelis continued. "And our world and the one of Nightmare Night happen to be intermingled."

"Best not to think too hard about it, mates," Pipbossa grunted. "It'll drive ya mad just like it drove me ole' captain, tha one before Davy Bones, him seekin' out the answers noghoul else dared to find within uncharted waters... sailing to the ends of this world."

Apple Bloom gave a shiver. "W-What did he find?"

Pip paused for a second, before answering in a deadly serious tone:

"Nothing. He found nothing."

A beat.

"All aboard who's comin' aboard!" a trainmate called, breaking the silence.

Pipbossa cracked a smile. "Anyway, nuff' with the existential nonsense, time to get aboard, shall we?"

"I suppose it's time we part ways, then, Metus," Queen Vereolis said warmly, giving her a small nuzzle.

At this point, Scootaloo couldn't be filled with any more shock.

"Goodbye, my wretched little student." She then leaned closer, whispering, "mожет судьба наблюдать за вами."

"Goodbye, mommy, and may fate watch over you, too," Metus replied in a warm tone, giving the Fearling queen a hug, the Crusaders one last look, and then climbing aboard the train.

Pipbossa and the Crusaders soon followed.

☼☼☼

The main hall of the fear train was slightly cramped, though not too claustrophobic, at least for Scootaloo. Fog graced the floor and cobwebs hung off its ceiling, only dim torches on the wall giving them light.

If there ever was a haunted train, it was this.

"News from the Western Front!" an older ghoul called, waving a sack of papers around titled 'Necropolis Times'. "Cthulhu vows to send Null Space soldiers to quell augmented rogue forces! Nightmare Moon negotiates with Princess Luna to acquire modern projectile weaponry!"

"W-Wah?" Scootaloo cried. "What's going on?"

"Nasty bit of skirmishes out that way," Pipbossa explained. "Lotta good ghouls' dyin', and bad ones too, fortunately. Buncha minor Eldritch Abominations and ghouls be teamin' up out that way to cause a ruckus. Raidin' border towns, generally being a bunch of bumblin' sea scum, that kinda thing. Not a full blown war, though. Nothin' ta worry bout."

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Null Space?"

"Aye, where dat nasty piece of work Blackblood came from," Pipbossa explained. "It's where a buncha monstas live that make even us shiva. Cthulhu n' the Old Gods, things that could outlast the prime universe if they wanted to, them beyond time itself. Why they wants ta fight us is beyond this seaghoul, though."

Pipbossa then gave a chuckle, shaking his head. "Oi, I can see where this be goin', heh. I'm becomin' Captain Exposition aboard this har vessel. Not that I mind, I spose, but I need ta get a bit of shut eye." He quickly gave a smile. "I'll be seein' ya lot in a bit, I be ponderin'. Hope dis trip goes smoothly for tha lot of ya."

He then gave them a small nod before turning into a nearby vacant quarters, biting another bit off his apple.

As the group moved on, they heard him say one last thing: "Bloody Hell! When I get to Bogmorts I'm gonna eat a whole bushel of these damned things! YAR HAR HAR HAR HAR!"

Nearby, a certain entity raised a trollish eyebrow, grinning wickedly.

The Crusaders (And yes, Pip was now pretty much a part of them) quickly gave chuckle, however, before spotting another empty cabin, moving in and gazing about. It was somewhat sparse, just like the train, with long cobwebs stretching between the two far walls near the window to make a quartet of hammocks. However, before them were a set of comfortable-looking seats.

"Heh, I guess this is home for the next day or so," Sweetie smiled, quickly taking one of them.

"And you know, I never thought that the ghouls here would be so... nice, though I guess they seemed on the level come Nightmare Night, too" Apple Bloom stated, before shrugging. "Maybe us 'regular ole' mortals' might be able to fit in after all!"

"I just hope they don't crowd me again," Scootaloo grumbled, folding her arms. "I seriously don't want to become a celebrity... I'm just here to control my powers, nothing more."

"You gotta admit though, it's kind of cool," Sweetie said, nudging her slightly. "Haven't you always imagined what it'd be like to be Twilight Sparkle or one of the other famous ponies in Ponyville?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "But now that I do, I don't really like it... I'm not surprised Twilight doesn't like to blab about being an Element too often."

"Well, at least none of the ghouls our age have bothered you about it," Pip said optimistically.

And naturally, that optimism was soon shattered.

"Is that the car?!" a voice, best described as nails sliding down a chalk board, shrieked from outside.

"Yeah! I think it is!"

"Spoke too bloody soon," Pipsqueak grunted.

"Oh no..." Scootaloo grumbled, quickly glancing about for a place she could hide.

However, it was too late, for soon the door swung open, and she wished it hadn't, for standing at the entrance was Diamond Tiara... if she were a transparent banshee like creature with glowing red eyes, and wearing a gray, hole-filled cloak. Her teeth were as sharp as daggers, and her eyes seemed to be similar in nature, them piercing through Scootaloo with intensity. Topping her head was a black crown of sorts, whose bottom actually appeared to melt downward: tendrils of black, transparent goo squiggling across the banshee queen's face.

"That's her! That's her! The daughter of Sleighbell!" 'Diamond Tiara' called with glee.

Soon, another counterpart entered the room, this one of Silver Spoon. She was a bit less pronounced than her 'friend', though she still had this certain intensity about her. Two red, demonic horns topped her head, and leaping off her flank was a tail of a similar nature. Thin, red, with a triangular tip at the end.

"Huh, other than the voice they seem more pleasant than our versions," Sweetie whispered to Pip.

"Give it a second..." Pip grumbled.

"Oh my gosh! You have no idea how cool it is to meet you!" 'Diamond' called, her breath smelling of rotten onions and whipping Scootaloo's face as she hovered in front of her.

"Uh... hi," Scootaloo said, sweat-dropping. "Nice to meet you-"

"I'm Bloody Tiara! The daughter of Wicked Rich! I'm sure you've heard of me already, though," she smirked smuggly.

"And I'm Silver Tongue!" Silverspoon's counterpart grinned, quickly showing why she was named that, a snake-like tongue that appeared to made of solid silver whipping out of her mouth. "It's so totally awesome to meet you, Scootaloo!"

"H-Heh, thanks," she said, sulking back slightly. "B-But uh, no offense, if you don't mind, we kind of want some privacy... it's been a really long day."

"Oh, but how would I introduce you to the rest of my friends, then!?" she said, grinning. "The soon to be most glorified students in the house of Blackfire!"

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "B-Blackfire?"

"That's right!" Bloody Tiara smirked smugly. "I mean, I know that you probably want to get into your father's house and all, which is..." She put on a fake smile. "Cool and all, but the house of Blackfire... now that is a house worthy of someghoul of your caliber!"

"Houses? How does that all work?" Sweetie said, raising an eyebrow.

Diamond ignored her, gazing at Scootaloo continuing with: "Wanna hang out for a bit? We totally have some of the best sour sweets in our car! Dirty Dotson's Rancid Flavored Beans!"

"Hey, my friend asked you a question!" Scootaloo said, frowning.

Giving an annoyed grunt, Diamond turned towards Sweetie. "There are four houses in Bogmorts, each representing certain... qualities of character."

"And the house of the Blackfire is the one for ambition!" Silver grinned, looking at Scootaloo. "Something I bet your father knew all about!"

"Well, actually," Sweetie said, raising a hoof. "From what Ms. Soulshard described, he seemed to just admire the simple things in-"

"Meh, what do you know?!" she growled, glaring at the mortal, and her eyes flickering red at the mention of 'Ms. Soulshard.' "Come on Scootaloo, what are you doing hanging around with these mortals, anyway?"

"And there it is..." Pipsqueak muttered to himself.

"Those mortals are her friends," a voice suddenly grunted, Scootaloo's eyes widening.

Descending from the ceiling on a single string of web was a spider-pony hybrid that looked suspiciously like her: an orange entity with mandibles, a plethora of blackened eyes, and eight narrow, spike-tipped legs. She quickly dropped behind Diamond, giving her a growl.

The two bullies immediately twirled about, giving a slight gasp. However, they soon composed themselves and began laughing wickedly.

"Oh look, miss blank flank's trying to jump in web with her counterpart! Trying to leech a bit more fame, daughter of Shelob?!"

"I am not!" she snapped. "I just don't want her jumping in web with you!"

She then turned towards Scootaloo, cocking an eyebrow with a slight smile as she looked her over. "I'm Scootaweb, by the way. I think I remember seeing you on Nightmare Night. Heh, never thought I'd see you here, though."

"That makes two of us," Scootaloo smiled.

Scootaweb continued to look her over, suddenly smirking slightly.

"Oooo, and wicked wings, by the way," Scootaweb motioned.

Scootaloo narrowed an eyebrow, before glancing towards her backside, noticing she now had a new set of bat-wings instead of pegasi-wings. She quickly gave a gasp as Fangs, who had been perched on her shoulder, blinked his eyes open, and glanced about in a daze.

"Woah! Those weren't there a second ago!" Apple Bloom cried.

"T-They weren't," Scootaweb gulped. "I guess... the transformation is complete."

"Yep, and now that it is, you're one of us!" Bloody Tiara grinned. "Come on, you don't want to hang out with any of these losers, do you?! Mortal, or spider!"

Scootaloo immediately gave her a blank look.

"Thank you for your kind, tactful offer," she said sarcastically. "But home is where the heart is, and my home happens to be the other side of the gates."

Bloody shook her head incredulously, almost as if Scootaloo were telling her the sky was green. (It was in fact, a mixture of black and blood-red swirling lights.) "Oh, come on, Scootaloo! You're so above-"

"I said: I'm fine!" Scootaloo growled.

Silver Tongue then rolled her eyes, glancing at Bloody Tiara. "I told you it was a hopeless cause. She's too set in mortal ways. I bet she won't even last long at Bogmorts!"

"You're making a big mistake, Scootaloo," Bloody Tiara grunted. "Blackfire's house is the house to be! And if you hang out with us we'll tell you all you need to-"

"I've met Blackfire," Scootaloo growled, Tiara and Silver Spoon quickly giving her a look of awe. "And let me tell you, she isn't what she's cracked up to be."

"Ugh! Yeah right! Noghoul knows where friggin' Blackfire is!" Bloody quickly shouted. "Lying won't get you far in Bogmorts!"

"You can believe what you want, but would you mind believing it in your own car?" Pipsqueak groaned.

"Fine, whatever!” Bloody shouted, before storming  out of their own. “See you, losers!"

"Um... still though, would you mind if I got your autograph?" Silver said, smiling sheepishly.

"SILVER!" Bloody roared, the demon-pony quickly giving a gulp and scurrying out of the door.

Scootaloo then took a deep breath, glancing at Scootaweb. "Anyway... sorry we kind of stole your car; we didn't even know you were in here."

"It's alright," Scootaweb smiled. "I got plenty of sleep. I think I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the sights for now."

At that, Sweetie quirked an eyebrow, glancing out of the window to view a fog filled badlands the train was travelling through.

"Hmmmm... they're uh... beautiful."

"Horrible, you mean!" Scootaweb grinned, her mandibles clicking in delight. "You guys gotsta learn the lingo here! I'm sure you'll pick it up soon enough, though."

"So uh, where are the rest of our counterparts?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Oh, they're in another car chillin'." She then glanced away from both her and Scootaloo, however. "Might be best if you guys avoid them, though... at least for now..."

"Huh? Why?" Scootaloo said, raising an eyebrow.

Scootaweb simpered. "It's uh... nothing personal... it's just your... teeth," she said. "You see, Apple Doom is sort of a Lycan, and Lycans and Vampires have this... thing... that's been going on for a while now. A minor bit of conflict in the Underworld."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "Maybe once we get to know each other, though-"

Scootaweb quickly shook her head. "Ehehe, trust me... just uh... no. Not for now. Maybe later. Earn your house a few points or something and maybe she'll look the other way. But maybe me and you can hang out later!" she smiled encouragingly, her mandibles now clicking in excitement as she gestured towards the door. "Anyway, I think I'll leave you guys alone for now. I'll see you in the Great Hall if I don't see you again on the train!"

"Take it easy," the group called, smiling.

"Heh, at least she seemed nice enough," Sweetie smiled, before wincing slightly. "But her uh... mandibles. I honestly don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."

"Yeah," sighed Scootaloo. "Same here."

She was lying, of course. They couldn't feel more natural to behold.

"You know, I wonder why they always call us mortal?" Pipsqueak said, scratching his head. "Don't they live and die too?"

Sweetie gave a smile, before beginning to explain:

"Well, I think it's just..."

"OI! WHAT BLOODY SCURVY BOUND YELLOW-BELLY BILGE-RAT STOLE ME APPLE STASH?!" a voice shouted from the hall.

"TROLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!" another voice cackled.

Suddenly, a pale-ghostly form of Princess Celestia sailed by the door, the group barely able to catch a glimpse of her in the window, levitating a small sack of apples in front of her with her horn.

"PRINCESS TROLLESTIA! YOU ROTTEN POLTERGEIST! ROYALTY OR NOT, I'D GUT YA LIKE A BLOODY EEL IF YA HAD ANY GUTS LEFT!" Pipbossa's voice roared, its origin apparently storming by.

The car sweat-dropped.

"Hoo boy," Sweetie gulped.

☼☼☼

Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga...

The Bogmorts express, an hour later, passed out of the brown badlands and into a snowy wilderness, blackened pine trees completely covered in cold, still white. As every little ghoul and mortal slept soundly aboard, creeping through the halls came a being of black mist and pale blue eyes, setting its sights on Scootaloo's quarters.

"Iam venit eleifend magna," it whispered. "Now comes the link."