Scootaloo and the School of Ghouls

One of Scootaloo's ears perked upwards in the middle of the night, her eyes quickly fluttering open. Snoring softly above her was Sweetie, with Pipsqueak and Apple Bloom in the two web-made hammocks next to her.

She gave a yawn, quickly glancing out the window. There was a light snow falling as the train chugged its way through a winter wonderland, and she had to admit: even for something in the Nightmare Realm, it was quite beautiful. A red and black foggy sky looked down upon a scenic valley of white covered trees.

Scootaloo then cleared her throat, blinking slightly, wondering what could have woken her up. There wasn't a noise to be heard, not even an undead mouse. However, soon, her question was answered, when a faint, but haunting melody caught her ears.

"Oh holy night...

The stars are brightly shining..."

It was a surreal sound, and she had to admit: quite soothing. It was almost like a Hearth's Warming Eve carol, though none she had ever heard before.

And she felt drawn to it.

Not wanting to disturb her bunkmates, she silently crept out of the web, smacking her lips over her fanged teeth ever so slightly as she made her way to the door, opening it.

The hall was silent, the only thing to be heard was the ghostly winds of the outside world, the train's mechanical rotors as they turned and turned, and that damned... haunting melody.

"A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices...

For yonder breaks new glorious morn...."

"It's... so beautiful," Scootaloo whispered in awe.

At this point, she was almost certain it was coming from the roof.

Her judgment turning against her, she made her way towards the back of the train... and opened its door to step upon the caboose's balcony. It was a thrill beyond what she had ever experienced before, the snowy wilderness roaring by her and disappearing into gray, rolling fog... as the melody continued to be sung.

"Oh fall on your knees...

Oh hear the angel voices...

Oh night divine..."

"Hello?!" Scootaloo called towards the top of the train. "Is somepony... er ghoul, up there?"

A beat.

Whoever it was didn't seem to take notice of her, for the song soon continued:

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming...

With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand...

O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming..."

"What is that song?" Scootaloo said to herself, wincing in thought as she shook her head.

At that, however, she narrowed her eyes in determination, resolving to find out who was singing, and she knew how to do it, too: for sitting nearby was a ladder that led to the roof, one she quickly moved upward upon.

Soon, she stood upon its wind-whipped self, a ghostly howl overtaking her. Nonetheless, she ignored it, for down car after car she saw a faint light. Using her new, slightly larger batwings for aid, she began trudging across the roof, moving forward towards the engine.

"Truly he taught us to love one another...

His law is love and his gospel is peace...

Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother..."

And then... her eyes widened. For sitting before a small, wood-fueled fire that was somehow still flaming was a very familiar sight.

"Captain... Jack Harness?" Scootaloo said, and her words couldn't be filled with more disbelief.

At that, the figure's head perked up, gazing at her curiously.

"Quis est hic qui invadit somniorum meorum?" it asked.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, gulping slightly.

"Captain! What are you doing here?!"

The figure merely continued to look over her.

"Captain Jack? Ah ... erit quod illa comfortable."

"Captain... I can't understand what you're saying!" Scootaloo cried, wincing in confusion.

At that, he gave a chuckle and quickly cleared his throat, moving his hooves over the fire for warmth.

"Mmmm... my apologies,” he spoke in a warm, soothing tone. “Haven't heard that tongue in many years... save for the songs I know in it."

Scootaloo shook her head in disbelief.

"B-But you... just talked to me yesterday…"

The figure lowered its eyebrows.

"Did I?" he said, quirking his head. "Curious. Who do you see before you?"

Scootaloo paused, wincing again.

"I-I see Captain... Harness. The pony that put me up for adoption."

"Mmmm… very curious," he said, chuckling as he shook his head, now moving a small tin can filled with a strange black soup over the flame via a pair of tongs. “The name is so… similar.”

And suddenly, the image of the figure flickered into that of Rainbow Dash.

"And who am I now?" it asked.

Scootaloo's eyes widened as she backed away from her. "W-What are you? Some sort of Changeling?!"

The figure shook her head, smiling slightly. "No... no I am not a Changeling, interesting creatures though they may be." She then gave a hearty laugh, gesturing her forward. "Come, no need to be afraid! It's a cold night! Have a seat by the fire!"

Scootaloo gazed over her, before taking a deep breath and moving forward... ever so cautiously. Slowly, she took a seat by the flames.

"So... if you're not Rainbow Dash or Captain Harness... who are you?" Scootaloo asked.

The figure thought for a second, blinking, before giving a shrug.

"A long time ago they called me... Arthur."

The filly raised an eyebrow.

"Arthur?" Scootaloo said, scratching her head. "That's a strange name for a ghoul, no offense."

‘Rainbow Dash’ gave another hearty laugh, before taking a large sip of blackened soup. "Yes, isn't it?"

The two sat silently for a second, Scootaloo continuing to watch 'Rainbow Dash' with fascination as the wind and snow roared by her like an angry tempest. Though like in Ponyville, the cold didn't seem to bother her, however.

Finally, Scootaloo took a deep breath.

"That... song, you were singing earlier," she asked. "What was it?"

"Which song?" Arthur asked.

"You know, the one that was all like... 'Oh holy night,'" Scootaloo said with a hint of a smile. "It was very beautiful, though it didn't sound like any Hearth's Warming Eve carol I've ever known..."

"Ah, that!" 'Rainbow Dash' chuckled, before waving a hoof about whimsically. "Oh... it's nothing….  just an echo... a memory.” She then winced slightly. “Though painful one at that..." she sighed.

"Then why do you sing it?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So I never forget..." she smiled warmly. "In the end, they're all anything ever is, you know: memories. Sometimes, it makes you wonder if anything is real at all. For what are memories, really?"

Scootaloo shook her head.

"I don't believe that..."

The figure merely smirked in response.

"Well... no healthy mind ponders on that sort of thing too long," 'Rainbow Dash' said. "I can't blame you for that."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo sighed, before glancing about.

And suddenly, she let loose a chuckle. "This is a dream, isn't it? That's the only way this makes sense."

The figure gave a slight nod, before smiling slightly. "Maybe... but didn't it seem oh so very real just a second ago?"

"Yeah... but it's not anymore," Scootaloo groaned. "Soon I'll be waking up, and this will all be a memory."

'Rainbow Dash' gave another chuckle, shaking her head. "Child, define for me in your own words what a dream is."

Scootaloo winced in thought for a brief moment, before answering with:

"Well... it's like a movie that you yourself play out in your head."

‘Rainbow Dash’ nodded, smiling. "Good, but tell me more than that... how does it feel when you're in one… at least most of the time?"

"Well... it feels real," Scootaloo said, scratching her head. She then gave an incredulous laugh. "But it's not! It's just a figment of my imagination: just like you are!"

The figure continued to smile, taking another gulp of her soup. "Maybe... but imaginary characters... they often have personality... they often have hopes... and they have often have dreams…” She then sighed. “And sometimes… they even cry: just like you do. And if that's true, have you ever wondered if they are... alive?"

Scootaloo shook her head, laughing. "No, of course not. They're just things made up by my head!"

"Ah," the figure said, smirking. "But humor me for a second... what if they were alive?"

"Well uh... I dunno," Scootaloo said, shrugging. "I guess it'd suck for them when the dream ends."

"Yes," Rainbow Dash chuckled. "It would quite suck." She then lifted a hoof. "However, there's nothing they could do about it, could they?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "I guess not." She then squinted a suspicious eyebrow. "Hey, are you trying to mindbuck me or something? Cus if you say 'the Maretrix has you' I'm jumping off this train..."

The figure gave another laugh. "No, of course not. But then again, if that was true, you'd be mindbucking yourself, wouldn't you?"

Scootaloo scratched her head, before laughing herself. "Heh, yeah, I guess."

"But, riddle me this," Arthur continued. "What if... those characters were not just alive... but were aware?"

Scootaloo merely shrugged again.

"Hahaha, you are a smart young lady, my dear!" 'Rainbow Dash' smiled, with almost a hint of pride on her face. "There's really nothing you could do about it, so why worry?" She then smirked slightly, before saying in a low tone: "Unless... there was."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying... what if what you thought... was just a dream, though a lucid one at that... one that could eventually just... blink into a memory one day... What if you grew to love it...?" The figure leaned closer to her. "And let's say, per chance, you actually could reach out and touch those who dreamed it." She narrowed her eyes. "Wouldn't you do anything to preserve it?"

Scootaloo gulped. "Arthur... you're kind of wierding me out."

"Hahaha, my apologies, young ghoul!" ‘Rainbow Dash’ said, laughing hysterically. "Let's talk of other things." She then glanced downward. "I see you're on the Bogmorts express. Going to learn the fine art of scaring, are you?"

The young filly nodded solemnly.

"Yeah..." she sighed.

"But you..." Arthur said, looking her over. "You're from the 'real' world, aren't you...? You're not one of them..."

Scootaloo shook her head, taking a deep breath. "No, I'm not... and now, I don't feel like I'm one of anything. My friends... they all think I'm a weirdo. I know it... I can just see it in their looks. They're trying to accept me, but vampire stuff is just... awkward for them."

"Ah, I see," 'Rainbow Dash' said sympathetically. "It must be quite disconcerting at the moment," She then raised a hoof. "However, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Friendship finds ways of pulling through. Just give them time. It's amazing that what can seem so awkward to one at first... can eventually seem as natural as the dawn, or the flow of a river..."

"B-But what if they never can accept me for who I truly am?" Scootaloo whimpered.

Arthur gave a warm smile in return.

"I do not believe that will happen. Though even so, you should take heed: the realm of Nightmares is much more accepting of outsiders than you'll ever believe..."

Scootaloo smiled back, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, but you're just a figment of my imagination trying to tell me that..."

"Am I?" 'Rainbow Dash' said, quirking her head. "Mmmm... maybe."

The figure lifted her hoof again. "But you'll find out soon enough that even the thoughts of a dream can resonate into reality."

Scootaloo paused for a second of contemplation, before shaking her head slightly with another sigh.

"Scootaloo... come on! Wake up!" a voice then called from the heavens.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Arthur smiled. "Seems it's time for us to take separate tracks."

'Rainbow Dash' then began to sit up, morphing back into 'Jack Harness', him still wearing his cozy looking wool outfit.

"This outfit... is a bit warmer... perfect for a cold winter's night."

"Heh, yeah," Scootaloo smiled, before slowly standing up.

The two stared at each other for a second.

"Well... goodbye then, I suppose," she finally sighed.

"Goodbye, Scootaloo," ‘Jack Harness’ said, before turning and making his way towards the front of the train, leaving trackless footprints in the snow.

However, before he made it too far, he paused, glancing back at her. "One last question though, if it's all the same."

"Sure," Scootaloo said, shrugging.

The figure grinned, a gust of wind now tearing up Scootaloo's eyes as he spoke:

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

A beat.

Scootaloo narrowed an eyebrow, before shrugging. "Well, I sort of have to now... considering where I am."

The figure gave one last chuckle.

"My dear Scootaloo," he said, narrowing his eyes, and continuing in a deep, almost distorted tone, "you have a lot to learn about what a true ghost really is."

And with a blink of her eyes, he was gone, and so was this particular world. Though before Scootaloo woke to the sight of her cabin, she heard one last thing, it resembling the clicking of mandibles.

"Hkkkkk-click-click-click-click-click..."