Scootaloo and the School of Ghouls

"B-But that's impossible!" Rainbow cried. "How can Scootaloo be a ghoul?! She already has a counterpart a-and... that's how it works right? There's one for each of us on the other side!?"

"Rainbow..." Twilight's counterpart sighed, glancing away from her slightly. "I couldn't tell you how it works. Noghoul or pony could. These kind of questions rank up there with things like, 'how did the universe come about', and 'how do people actually like Dave Mathews Band?'"

"But still! There's some sort of order to this thing, right?" the real Twilight said, raising an eyebrow. "I just don't see how this is possible, either."

Soulshard took a deep breath, squinting in thought.

A beat.

"Alright, let me start from the beginning," she finally said, composing herself before continuing with, "there once was a vampire named Sleighbell Wintercall, your father, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo's eyes widened.

"...And he is... and still is, one of the most honored and oldest among us..." she said, wincing slightly for some reason. "As his name suggested, he loved to stick around in our version of your Frozen North. I think he just admired the beauty of it."

☼☼☼

Over nine hundred and fifty years ago, a vampire pony with blood-red eyes and bat-like wings sat atop a massive frozen cliff, long shards of ice dangling precariously off its side. Despite the gusts of cold wind and an atmosphere that would be unpleasant to anyone else, a dreamy smile was held on his face. For his eyes gazed upon a winter-whipped land, it illuminated only by a pale moon dangling in the sky.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

☼☼☼

"There, he was one of the first to discover a portal to one of the other holiday worlds, that of Hearth's Warming Eve, and despite his somewhat... antagonistic appearance, he established peaceful and loving relations with them."

☼☼☼

Sleighbell stood stoically as he shook hooves with a jolly, plump pony with a tremendous white beard, and wearing a red, sagging hat and suit.

"Let it be said on this day that there is good in the hearts of every living being!" the pony announced, smiling warmly in front of a crowd of various green-tunic-dressed 'elven' ponies, with even pointier and longer ears than the norm. "For even those with souls of fear, made for a holiday dedicated to the loathsome Nightmare Moon... also have room for warmth. May there be good tidings to ghouls, and good tidings to us all!"

The group let out a cheer, as a small, yet satisfied smile crept over Sleighbell's fanged teeth.

☼☼☼

"However, holidays weren't the only thing he made contact with... for sitting within the space between spaces, that which is called Null Space, was a lonely entity crying for attention and warmth... something Sleighbell couldn't give him completely. Though he was determined to try."

☼☼☼

Standing in front of a glowing portal saturated by snowfall within the Frozen North, Sleighbell put on the best inviting smile he could.

"You may stay here if you please, Nightmare Moon has decreed it," he said. "You don't need to heed to Eldritch Abominations any longer."

*"S-So... I'm allowed in?" a desperate, sorrowful voice called from the portal. "Y-You're sure they'll... accept someone like me? A m-mistake... a leftover...?"*

Sleighbell gave an incredulous chuckle. "Everyghoul here sympathizes with your position. We would be honored to have you among us. For if you consider yourself a freak... well... let's just say you'll be among friends."

☼☼☼

"However, the entity was... over-grateful, as the legends say. Over time, he rallied armies to a misguided cause, his plan to completely annex the entire Nightmare Realm and then move onto the real world... this world, with the purpose of subjugation. Naturally, our leader, the counterpart of your Nightmare Moon, wouldn't allow this. And so, two armies clashed..."

☼☼☼

In the shadow of a massive icy spire in the Frozen North, two legions of ghouls slammed together.

CLING!.!.! CLANG!.!.! CLACK!.!.!

Swords kissed with a tremendous fury of sparks.

FWOOOOSSSSSHHHH!.!.!

A multitude of arrows flew from side to side, whizzing through winter air and flesh.

And in the middle of it, a nearly Royal Canterlot Voice made itself known:

**"Sitting atop that Frozen Throne, he who would break the order of things glares down upon you!"* Nightmare Moon roared, beams of purple light surging through ghoul after enemy ghoul, emanating from a glowing, purple horn. "However, we will not let it be taken from us! Together, let's make his own frozen tides fall upon him, and blister his eardrums with the song of the night!.!.!"*

☼☼☼

"And naturally, one army prevailed..."

☼☼☼

SHHHIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG!.!.!

A sword cut through a red-eyed ghoul, sending his undead head flying.

“AAAAGGGGH!”

A massive rock sent careening from a catapult crushed another.

"The enemy force has been shattered! We have a clear shot to the Frozen Throne!" a yellow-coated ghoul gasped, before collapsing on her flank, panting.

Nightmare Moon took a deep breath. "Sorry to say it, Blackfire, and I know you tire, but I need your help!” she growled, glancing towards the massive, icy spire before her where a certain entity's blue holes for eyes gazed upon the battle. "You and Sleighbell are with me! We're going to take him down before he can escape back to Null Space!"

Nodding warily, both Sleighbell and Blackfire formed alongside the Princess of the Night, before flapping bat, alicorn, and a single, long black wing and speeding towards the spire.

☼☼☼

"And there, the three... took care of him, though at a terrible cost. Something happened to Sleighbell upon that frozen spire that Nightmare Moon never speaks of. Something that would eventually put him in a great slumber for many years... But before he slept, he performed one last act of charity. He and four of the most prominent figures of the Nightmare Realm established the Bogmorts School of Sorcery and Synergy."

☼☼☼

An army of ghouls worked diligently on a construction project in the Frozen North, dragging stone upon stone via wooden sled and placing them upon each other to form the beginnings of a tremendous, pointy castle that dared to challenge the heavens.

"Mmmm... bit over-dramatic don't you think?" Blackfire smirked, glancing at a blueprint of the finalized thing.

"Everything about the Nightmare Realm is over-dramatic," Sleighbell said, sticking his tongue out. "You need not fix what needenth require fixing, I say."

Blackfire rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Hmph, I’m just saying... it's not like I wanted to cover it with candy canes or anything."

☼☼☼

"And then he slept... for nearly nine hundred years, upon an alter buried deep within the ice. Though eventually, I was told to wake him, and I couldn't have been happier. I mean seriously, how often do you get to meet a living legend? He's pretty much our version of your Starswirl the Bearded. However... I probably should have been more cynical..."

☼☼☼

"THE TIDES OF THE NULL WILL COME AGAIN! HE WILL ENSURE THE DREAM'S SURVIVAL! HE WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN TO HIS NEW LOVE!"* Sleighbell roared, gasping for breath as he sat up from his stone alter, Twilight backing away from him.*

"W-What are you talking about," she gasped, shivering. "What tides? W-What dream?!"

With manic laced eyes and a foaming mouth, Sleighbell pounced upon her, gripping her tightly by the shoulders as her eyes widened in horror.

"CONTROL! CONTROL CAN BE BROUGHT TO WHAT COULDN'T BE BROUGHT TO HIS! OH GOD, HE WAS THE LAST... HE WAS THE LAST! TWILIGHT SOULSHAAAAAAAAAAARD!.!.!.!"**

☼☼☼

"And then he fled... fled to the real world one Nightmare Night behind everghoul's back. Rainbow kept a silent eye on him when she could, since she can travel between worlds easily. And to her joy, over time, he eventually regained his sanity on this side of the gates." She then took a deep breath, shivering slightly as she glanced towards Scootaloo. "And with it back, he fell in love with a mortal pony... and eventually had you, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo blinked rapidly, shaking her head in disbelief. "S-So... I'm a half-ghoul?"

Soulshard nodded. "In a sense." She quickly raised a hoof, however. "Though you're still fully vampire at heart, and capable of doing anything a full-'blooded' one could.... perhaps more."

"I don't believe this!" Rainbow interrupted, stamping a hoof as she narrowed her eyes. "Is this some sort of trick?!"

"Easy Rainbow," Twilight said, setting a hoof on her. "I know this is a lot to take in."

"W-Why would I trick you?" Soulshard said in a hurt tone.

"I-I don't know! B-But it makes more sense than this! How did Scootaloo wind up here?! In Ponyville?"

At that, Soulshard glanced away from both her and Scootaloo. "That's where... things get ambiguous. All I can say is... and I'm sorry Scootaloo, but your mother has... passed."

Scootaloo took a deep breath, gazing towards the floor without saying a word, as both Rainbow and Twilight moved to comfort her, the former throwing a wing over her back and the latter giving her a slight nuzzle.

"W-What about my father?" Scootaloo eventually whimpered, her eyes watering ever-so-slightly.

"His whereabouts are currently unknown," Soulshard stated, sympathy lacing her words as she continued to look away from her. Eventually, she took a deep breath, before meeting her eyes once again. "However, for now... let's move on to... other topics." At that, she gave a slight shiver. "As I stated in my letter, there are certain forces at work behind the scenes. A group called Horsehood is trying to take you under their... 'wing.'"

"Horsehood?" the real Spike said, raising an eyebrow. "Who are they?"

"Good question," Soulshard stated. "I only know about them through Rainbow, and she only knows about them because she knows of one of their members... a Captain Jack Harness."

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "Captain... J..." she said breathily. "H-He helped put me up for adoption, didn't he?"

Soulshard gave a curt nod. "Yes... but we haven't heard from him for a bit. Whether or not he's on your side is up in the air. And from what Death says about Horsehood… that’s anyghoul’s guess.”

“What exactly are they?” Twilight asked.

“Apparantely, they’re a shadowy organization with very… and I mean VERY loose ties to your government.”

"What?!" Twilight shouted. "Princess Celestia hates secret organizations, though! Why would she authorize something like this?!"

“Like I said, the ties are loose. I don’t know how much contact they have with your princess,” Soulshard replied calmly, before raising a hoof. “However, I do know that this group is not to be trusted, and they're going to be after Scootaloo here."

Scootaloo gave a quick nod, before shakily saying, "I-It's true. One of their members tried to... come for me earlier."

"What?!" Rainbow roared, her comforting wing on Scootaloo becoming a protective one. "I can't believe this! What do those bastards want with her?!"

"I don't know," Soulshard quickly said, shaking her head. "From what Deathie says they view ghouls as a threat. Though it's possible they don't know that there is a way for me to bring Scootaloo here back to the Nightmare Realm. We might be able to negotiate with them…” Her eyes quickly narrowed. “But I think it’d best to just avoid meeting up with them altogether."

"We need to get Scootaloo to the Nightmare Realm is what she's saying," bone dragon Spike grunted.

"Scootaloo's not going anywhere," Rainbow growled, before cracking the tip of a limb with another threateningly. "And I don't care how many Horsehood... or ghoul flanks I have to kick to keep it that way."

Both Soulshard and bone-dragon Spike's eyes widened.

"B-But she needs to go!" Soulshard cried. "She has to learn how to control her powers and instincts! O-Once she has she can come back! Once she doesn't look like a threat to Horsehood..."

"Then we'll take down the whole Celestia-forskaken organization!" Rainbow roared. "We're the Elements of Harmony, for friggin' sake! We'll get Princess Celestia, Luna, Shining... ANYONE on our backs that we can-"

"R-Rainbow..." Scootaloo whimpered. "I... I need to go."

Rainbow quickly snapped towards her, her eyes widening.

"W-What?!" she cried. "Scootaloo... no! We can fix this! You won't need to-"

Her mouth quickly shut as the young filly's eyes began to water once again.

"Y-You don't know, Rainbow... what's been going through my head. Earlier, I was barely able to keep myself from... biting you..."

"It's her instincts," Soulshard stated. "She won't be able to control them without help."

"What about a cure!?" Rainbow gasped, glancing with pleading eyes towards Twilight. "Or a spell, anything?!"

"I... don't know of any cure," Twilight said silently.

"This isn't a disease," Soulshard said. "And she wasn't bitten. She is a vampire by birth. Trust me, the one shot there was to make her mortal has been used!"

A beat.

"Rainbow... it's the only way," Scootaloo said softly.

Rainbow shook her head, wincing in painful thought.

Finally, she took a deep breath.

"Alright... fine," she said quietly. "She can go..." However, eyes then narrowed in resolve. "But you know what, if she goes, SO DO I!"

Soulshard's eyes widened. “W-What?! T-That’s kind of a tall order!”

Bone-dragon Spike raised an eyebrow, turning towards Soulshard. "Well... we are already bringing one mortal..."

Rainbow quickly turned towards him. "Watchu talkin' bout?!"

Soulshard gave a cough. "Well, remember when I uh... said I came for multiple reasons?" She then turned towards Twilight with a warm, thankful smile. "Your kind taught me so much during my short stay here. I learned how to have fun in ways beyond just scaring! And while my kind are starting to warm up to the mortal land’s ways... I was hoping to maybe... spread the love even further. To a new generation."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "W-What are you asking?"

Soulshard took a deep breath. "Well I wanted to ask... if you're down for it... for you to come to my side of the gates to teach a class about your world. To give our students a sense of respect for it, so what happened with Blackblood and Trixie never happens again. And hopefully... on top of that... teach them there is more to life than just scaring."

Twilight gave a slight, embarrassed chuckle. "W-Well I'm honored, really. I mean... I have always wanted to teach a little b-but... I-I have my studies to attend to and everything here... this is just..."

At that, the Lich Queen actually gave her the best puppy-dog eyes she could muster... and so did Scootaloo.

Sighing, Twilight gave a gulp, sweat-dropping. "Uh... how long are we talking?"

"Just one semester," Soulshard smiled. "And then we'll return you as an honored guest of the Nightmare Realm back here come October."

"O-Oh my..." Twilight gasped. "That still is a long time, though..."

"P-Please, Twilight," Scootaloo begged. "It would mean a lot if you were there with me..." She then turned to Rainbow, smiling slightly. "And you too."

"Heh, you bet your butt I’ll be there," she grinned.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I think a change of pace would be kind of cool," the real Spike joined in.

The group turned towards him, raising their eyebrows.

"What?" he shrugged with a smirk. "Like Twilight would be going anywhere without me."

"W-Well uh..." Twilight said, gulping. "I'll have to write to Princess Celestia to make sure it's alright... and think about it a little more… your world was quite intriguing to visit, though... and we were actually talking about starting diplomatic relations with you if we could find a better means of transportation between the two sides..."

"Come on, Twilight," Rainbow grinned. "I'll be going, and so would Spike! Think of it as an extended vacation to a creepy dead world! It might actually be kind of fun!"

"Sounds relaxing," she replied sarcastically.

"Hey, don't knock Edeathstria," bone-dragon Spike grumbled. "At least it isn't friggin' sunny as Fillydelphia there. Seriously! I need to buy some shades..."

"I-I just wish there was something I could do there, though," Rainbow sighed. "To make myself useful."

"I'm sure we could find something," Soulshard smiled.

"You could teach a class on being awesome!" Scootaloo beamed, her tears beginning to evaporate.

"Now we're talking!" Rainbow grinned.

Soulshard then gave a nod. "Alright, but we'll need to tread lightly sometime soon. The portal can't stay open for long." She then turned towards Scootaloo. "Is there anything you want to pack?"

She shook her head sorrowfully. "I... there really isn't much here for me... I don’t really have anything besides the fur on my back…"

However, at that, a tiny voice made itself known.

"What about us, though?!" Sweetie-Belle cried, her, Pipsqueak and Apple Bloom crashing through the door.

“Guys?!” Scootaloo gasped. “What are you doing here?!”

"Oh by the night... I thought this was supposed to be a secret meeting," bone-dragon Spike grumbled.

“It doesn’t matter!" Apple Bloom growled, before glancing back at Scootaloo. "Why are you saying that you don’t have anything here for you?!”

"I-I didn't mean that," Scootaloo sighed, glancing away from them. "I just meant... you know... stuff."

"It doesn't matter! You can't leave, Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom pouted, her eyes beginning to water. "We still have to earn our Cutie-Marks together! We're three of a kind! We don't care if you're a vampire or a changeling or anything!"

Scootaloo gave them a warm, tearful smile. "I-I need to go, though... I have to learn how to control my instincts... or I might end up... one day..."

She gave a gulp, shivering slightly.

'Hehe... we'll sees about that.'

"I'll be back, though," she continued, ignoring the voice and glancing towards Soulshard. "You said this was a temporary thing, right?"

Soulshard nodded, smiling slightly. "Of course! You can stay or leave at your own convenience. As soon as you think your instincts are under control.” She then grinned slightly. “Oh, and just in case you're wondering, blood practically flows like water in the Nightmare Realm. You won't go hungry." She then lifted a hoof. "However, your instincts will still always demand the real thing."

"Good… at least I’ll have a way to nourish myself…” she said, taking a deep breath as her eyes narrowed in resolve. “Then my decision stands," she continued. "I'm not going to hurt anypony... I'll make sure of it."

"Then you'll make it happen," Pipsqueak smiled. "But we'll be there with you to support you!"

Sweetie stamped a hoof, squeaking, "we're not about to let our friend go alone to some freaky Nightmare World!"

"There is zero friggin’ political correctness in this treehouse… NONE!" bone-dragon Spike groaned.

Ignoring him, Apple Bloom glanced towards Twilight Soulshard with pleading eyes. "Please, Ms. Soulshard! Can we come too?!"

The Lich Queen blinked. "Well uh... I'm not really sure what our school could teach you all, though..."

"Don't you teach magic or anything there?!" Sweetie squeaked, pointing to her horn. "Magic that could be done by unicorns?!"

"Girls... even if they do, I'm not so sure your sisters would approve of this," Twilight said, raising an eyebrow.

"They will when they learn you're going!" Apple Bloom grinned, before turning towards Rainbow. "And Rainbow too! And like Ms. Soulshard said, it'll only be for a half a year!"

"Well... there are a few classes that will be teaching magic that would be... compatible with mortal horns..." Soulshard mused, scratching her undead head.

"You can't seriously be considering letting them come!" Twilight argued.

"Think of it, though," Soulshard said, pacing. "If we let them... the influence of the mortal world will be that much greater! They could teach ghouls their age things even you couldn't!"

"Pleeeease, Twilight!" Sweetie beamed, both her and Apple Bloom giving puppy-dog eyes now too.

Twilight glanced away from them, her eyebrows squinted in contemplation as a slightly annoyance-crafted vein throbbed in her forehead.

"Alright... if your sisters approve, I suppose," she finally groaned. "Ugh, why do you two have to be so adorable?!"

"I know! It's... so... sickening," bone-dragon Spike nearly gagged. "But damn it's irresistible!"

Twilight turned to Pip. "And are you sure you're down for this, too, Pip?"

Pipsqueak quickly gave a nod. "I have nothing here for me either..." he sighed.

"We'll be teaching potion-making, too," Soulshard said, continuing to pace. "And there are a few other classes even non-magic ponies might be able to do..."

"Ugh! How many friggin' mortals are we dragging along?!" bone-dragon Spike grunted.

"Shush, Spike! I'm thinking!" Soulshard growled.

“Are you sure they'll be safe, though?" Twilight said, lowering an eyebrow.

Soulshard took a deep breath, halting in her pacing. "I can't be one hundred percent certain, but I can say entities like Blackblood are a rarity. My side is about scaring, not violence. I really don't think anything more will happen to them than the occasional goosebumps brought on by... overenthusiastic younglings."

"Hmmm," Twilight mused, gesturing towards a nearby door. "Alright, then. Why don't me and you go discuss this in private?"

"Good idea! We'll need to make sure everything is prepared properly," she beamed.

"Wait!" Scootaloo called, as the two made their way to a private room. "What about Horsehood?"

Twilight and Soulshard turned towards each other. "She's right... what if they decide to make their move," the former gulped.

"Then we'll need to discuss quickly," Soulshard said. "Hopefully the bulk of them are still miles away..."

☼☼☼

…

…

Beyond the upper floors of the treehouse...

…

Through a multitude of twigs and branches...

…

The Airship Nimbus sat floating high above, an invisible predator waiting to strike at unsuspecting foes.

"Target Twenty-three confirmed to be within the presence of both the Element of Magic and Element of Loyalty, as well as two unknown entities, most likely undead-class ghouls," a slightly panicked sounding radio squawked on the bridge.

Jack Harness' eyes widened.

"Ghouls?" he whispered.

"Ready the captured Dalek stunning device and prepare to de-cloak the ship!" Starfire roared. "We aren't letting any nightmare-land scum harm the Elements!"