Scootaloo and the School of Ghouls

The class on fear was a standard affair when it came to Bogmorts. It was bland for the most part, save for a strange pile of bones sitting at the front of it. The teacher, however, apparently named 'Skeleton Jack', was nowhere to be found. After a few minutes, everyone was seated, and the class was filled with excited chatter... save from the non-ghouls.

"Huh, where's the teacher?" Sweetie said.

Apple Bloom gave a shrug.

"I dunno... but what are we even doing in this class, anyway?" she asked.

"It's a standard class for all ghouls, lass," Pipbossa grinned. "Jack Skelington is legendary among us. I honestly can't bloody wait! Who knows what ancient secrets he could teach us?"

"For all ghouls, though," Sweetie said, lifting an eyebrow. "We aren't ghouls!"

"Hehe, well lass, put it this way," Pipbossa winked. "In your world, fear is the enemy. Know your enemy, that is: know fear, and you will will know how to handle it. You will become the bravest fillies in... what's it called, Ponyville?"

Scootaloo's eyes widened, Rainbow Dash's face flashing through her mind.

"The... bravest in Ponyville?"

"Hmph, well I've seen plenty of intimidation tactics used on the high seas," Pipsqueak grunted, folding his tiny, spotted arms. "Rival pirates, The Eastern Trade company, you name it. From catapulting decapitated heads at us to simply yelling threats. There's nothing that can scare me!"

Then the class suddenly went dark.

And Pipsqueak gave a gulp.

"Except maybe... the dark," he squeaked.

The lights flashed back on, and suddenly, glaring down at Pipsqueak was a horrific, grinning skull. He quickly gave a gasp, scooting back in his seat as his eyes became saucers. Scootaloo shared his expression, for standing before her friend was a humanoid skeleton of a sort, decked out in a grim, black suit.

The leader of legends: The Pumpkin King.

As the class gazed at him in awe, he scooted himself back a little, smiling broadly and giving a hearty laugh Pipsqueak's way.

"Haha! Sorry about that, my young friend. But you did sort of tempt fate."

Pipsqueak gave a sigh, shuffling himself back into his normal position in the seat.

"Alright... that works, too," he muttered.

"Anyway, welcome, young ghouls!" Jack proclaimed, beaming about the room. "Welcome to my five-hundred and fiftieth class on scaring, give or take a few years. And might I say: I'm glad to be back!"

The class didn't make a sound, they merely continued to glance at him in awe.

Jack continued to smile. "And speaking of fear, who can care to tell me what sort of fright I just used on young Pipsqueak, here?"

A few seconds passed, and no hooves went up.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Come now, this may be a class on fear but there's no need to be afraid of me... most of the time. I'll give you a hint: what happens when you're struck by lightning?"

At that, Sweetie of all ponies raised a slightly nervous hoof.

"Yes, you there, my dear!"

"Shock horror?" she said, quirking her head.

"Exactly! Very good! Ten points to the house of the night!" Jack grinned. "Shock horror; since the beginning of time, I'd assume this type of scaring was used. It's quite simple, really, but most of the time, it isn't as easy as sneaking up on a target and screaming at them. However, I'll get into that later."

He took a deep breath. "You see, fear, my friends, is probably the most primal of emotions... and out of all emotions, it is one of the most controlling. Therefore, fear can be a very powerful force, one for both good and evil. On the world I used to scare on, for instance, it, for nearly a hundred years, prevented a war that would have destroyed all life. Can anyone give me an example of fear causing a negative reaction, however?"

Scootaloo slowly raised a hoof.

Jack gave her a slight smile, as if indicating he knew who she was, but to her thankfulness, he didn't point it out.

"Go ahead."

Her mind raced with thoughts, particularly of what Artharius had told her. "Fear can cause someone to... um... start a war, too?"

Jack quickly nodded. "Exactly! Though fear can be used to prevent wars, it can also start them. For example: Nation A fears another's growing power, and launches a preemptive strike on Nation B. So as you can see: fear is indeed a powerful force. But the most curious thing of all, though, and one I've found most delightful, is one particular aspect of it. One both of our holidays have endorsed. Can anyone give a guess as to what that may be?"

"Ooo!" Pipsqueak grinned, shooting up a hoof.

"Now that's what I call stepping up to plate, Noctus!" Jack smirked. "Go ahead."

"Sometimes, ponies love being scared! It can be fun!"

"Very good! Very good!" Jack beamed. "Another ten points to Noctus. Mortal ponies do seem to enjoy fear, and that is the purpose of Nightmare Night: spreading it for joy and fun! Some would argue it can also be used for toughening people up, but I'd say that the former is most important. And that is what I will teach you: how to utilize your various powers for scaring, for that is exactly why you have them. That is your purpose and destiny. Simply embrace it and you'll enjoy it more than any other thing!"

Scootaloo gave a sigh at that, and it seemed to catch Jack's eye. However, he chose to ignore it for now.

"My name is Professor Skelington, though you may call me Jack if you wish. As I have said, I've taught the ghouls of this realm fear for many years, since the beginning of its existence, in fact. Though I, like everyone, am still learning:" He then glanced directly at Scootaloo. "And the fact that there's always something to learn, if it's interesting, I should say, can make even a long life... worth living."

The class went on for nearly an hour, and to Scootaloo's curiosity, she actually did find it to be quite intriguing. Jack was eccentric, knowledgeable, and quick witted at times: a teacher both Mortus and Noctus students took to instantly. Her mortal friends, however, seemed to be dulled by what he taught, but it seemed they didn't have the instinct to take in all things scare relating she now did. Still, her mind darted to Twilight Soulshard occasionally. Why had she become so depressed about her life of fear? Why had she tried to give it all up, only to be saved by Death herself at the last minute?

Did it even matter, though? If she could simply get her instincts under control, she would not need to stay in the Nightmare Realm. She wouldn't need to be one of them. But her friends... one day she would outlive all of them. They would die and turn to ash like everything else... they'd leave her behind for the golden gates. She wished it could be a bridge she could cross when she came to it, but she couldn't put it out of her mind.

She needed help, answers; and she knew a wise pony who might be able to give it to her.

"Captain Harness..." Scootaloo said, gazing at his face in the Proloquor orb.

He gave her a wide smile. "Hey kid! Thanks for checking in: we've been making a bit of headway trying to find your father."

"Oh yeah?" Scootaloo said, smiling slightly back at him.

"Yeah, rumor has it he's been hiding out near the Crystal Empire. It makes sense if he enjoyed the cold. I've worked with Shining Armor, Twilight's brother, a few times so I'm going to see if he's willing to help."

"That's great!" Scootaloo squeaked. "You really think you'll find him?"

"Trust me, you don't know the Doctor like I do. With him and Shining together we'll track him down. Blackfire's on his trail, too, from what I hear, but she's also busy with that Fargate project. I know what is now, too, so could you do me a favor again and tell Twilight to give me a ring?"

"Why can't I know?" Scootaloo protested.

The captain shook his head, a slightly grim look on his face Scoots could tell he was trying to hide. "Sorry, Scoots, but it's nothing you should worry yourself about."

At that, Scootaloo realized she wasn't going to get anything more out of him. However, the reason she had called wasn't about Fargate... or her father. It was something far more personal.

"Captain... it's true what you said, right? How you can't die?" Scootaloo said, wincing at the bluntness of the statement but nonetheless holding her ground.

The captain gave a slight nod. "That's right, Scoots. I can't. I haven't been able to for thousands of years."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "How did it happen?"

A beat. The captain took a deep breath.

"It's really hard to explain, Scootaloo..." the captain sighed. "Lets just say this, if you ever run into a Dalek: run. Just run. They're scarier than anything you'll ever meet in the Nightmare Realm."

Scootaloo gave a slight chuckle. "You haven't met Shadowed Armor."

"Twilight's brother?" the captain said, raising a concerned eyebrow. "She told me about him." In an almost fatherly, somewhat aggressive tone, he asked, "He hasn't been giving you any trouble, has he?"

"Not lately," Scootaloo said. "He's been... acting different."

The captain tapped his chin. "Hmmm... guess she was right about the sword, but... Scoots, is everything alright?"

"Yeah... I just... well... they say I'm going to be living a really long life... just like you." She winced slightly, gulping. "And I was wondering... how do you deal with it?"

The captain took a deep breath. "I know what you're asking, Scoots, but... immortality doesn't really change things."

Scootaloo squinted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

His eyes flashed of the past; eyes he quickly closed. "Loss, Scootaloo. Loss always sucks. But loss happens to everyone, including those who... well, are going to see quite a bit of it. I lost friends before I became immortal, through various means. And once I did become immortal, I lost more friends, and it wasn't all from old age. It really hurt when it happened to one of them. His name was Ianto."

"I'm sorry, Captain Harness..."

The captain put on a warm, nostalgic smile.

"We were... pretty close, but that's something to explain when you're older. He died a pointless death, trying to fight a group of... entities... And it hit me. It hit me hard. But you know what happened?"

"W-What happened?" Scootaloo squeaked.

The captain sighed yet again.

"I got over it. I'll always remember him, but I did... get over it. That's the thing about immortality, Scootaloo. You may lose many friends, and the losses may stack up, but you're given all the time in the world relieve yourself of their passing."

"B-But you won't completely get over it?" she squeaked.

The captain shook his head, wincing slightly.

"No. Having relationships with people that long stick to you, but like I said: you will get over it." He put on a smile. "But don't go living in the future... nor the past, kid. Live in the present: you only get one chance at that. Keep your friends close. Make new friends and keep them close. And when you sleep at night, those of the past will be there to greet you warmly. You'll all take the journey together." His smile became broader. "And though it isn't true for me, Scootaloo, your life is limited. When it's finally over... want to know what you'll see?"

Scootaloo shook her head, gulping slightly.

"The friendly hoof of death... and two, beautiful, golden gates."

Scootaloo's heart lept at the prospect.

"A-And beyond them?"

"Everyone you knew and loved," Jack smiled. "And the more people you meet: the bigger the welcome party. For one day, the ships will come to carry you home."

A beat. The captain shuddered slightly.

"For home... is where the heart is."

A few tears actually formed in Scootaloo's eyes.

The captain shot her a quick nod in return.

"Live for the moment, kid: always... and forever."

Scootaloo put on a thankful smile.

"T-Thank you, captain..."

"You're welcome, kid."

Scootaloo nodded, and the proloquor orb shut off. The conversation was over. And Scootaloo's mind was once again at ease.

On the other side of the gates, Captain Jack Harkness pulled out a photo of a middle-aged humanoid figure, brown hair on his head.

"Ianto," he whispered. "Always... and forever."