The Antimark

by Dash The Stampede

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, Nurse Redheart, Original Character, Scootaloo, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5498

A grown Scootaloo discovers that her lack of a cutie mark is a rare condition to overcome.

Almost 5 years after her foalhood friends earn their cutie marks, a certain orange pegasus discovers that while she cannot change the way she is, perhaps her understanding of the situation and acceptance of her fate will overstep medical boundaries. With Nurse Redheart at her side, the young pegasus discovers she has more in common with the mare than she expected...perhaps even a cure! Follow Scoots as she fights through a life with the Antimark!

Cover image: Crusader of Old by Overmare (on DeviantART)
This fic is 100% approved by Twilight's Library!

Published 2013-01-24 22:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-10 03:49:12 UTC

1: The Hospital Visit

The Antimark.
An MLP:FIM fanfic by Dashie_Rising

She tried not to fidget too much as she stared at the room in which she was placed. Although she had seen it many times before, albeit under much less grave circumstances, the approaching verdict made her breathing short and her heart rate quick.

Scootaloo, the last of the CMC and certainly the last in Ponyville without a cutie mark, flitted her wings nervously as she awaited Nurse Redheart's return. Soft hoofsteps outside the door caused her to hold her breath, hoping her results were in the green. As the door creaked open, revealing a white mare with a nurse cap, Scootaloo broke the immense silence.

"Well? What did you find?? Huh?!"

"It's..well..." The nurse stammered. She hadn't seen a case of the antimark in nearly 30 years.
"I'm sorry Scootaloo...i really am..but even the highest level unicorn doctors from Canterlot agree that you have a severe case of the Antimark.." the nurse said sadly.

"The Antimark? I've never heard of that before!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Yes, well we haven't seen a case in almost thirty years..but even then, they recovered...your case, on the other hand..." Redheart trailed off.

"So...will I ever get a cutie mark? Will i ever get to feel like I belong for once?.." the teenage mare asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
The nurse faltered in her composure. How could she tell the poor filly that her years of crusading and attempts to find her talent were wasted?

"I...I'm sorry Scootaloo...but we've determined that your case of the Antimark is...uncurable...you will never have a cutie mark of your own..." Tears welled up in the older mare's eyes, having just destroyed any hope of a normal life for her distraught patient.

Scootaloo's heart stopped dead in its tracks, taking her breath away and forcing a flow of tears out of the filly.
"You...you mean...I wasted all those days crusading with my friends? Those days idolizing Rainbow Dash and wishing to be just like her were just for nothing?!"

The orange mare held back her tears as her voice approached a small scream. "And no matter what i get good at, nopony will ever see beyond my...my...blank flank??!"

Tears were flowing freely down the filly's face as her world collapsed around her. "I'm sorry-" Redheart tried to apologize, but the young pegasus would have none of it.

"Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both got their cutie marks, and even Babs discovered her talent! But...but I'm just a blank flank forever?!? This isn't fair!!"The pegasus was now laying on the inspection bed, crying loudly into her hooves
.
Nurse Redheart shuffled over to Scootaloo's side and began stroking her mane softly in an attempt to calm the distressed filly.

"Now, now, its not the end of the world...you may not have a mark to show your talent, but that doesn't mean your skills won't exist as well."

Scootaloo sat up and pointed a hoof at the nurse. "It may as well be the end of the world! Its easy for you to say, since you've got your cutie mark, and i don't..or ever will..."

The filly let out another barrage of sobs at that, and the waterworks seemed to have no end in sight.

"Scootaloo...we have had the best unicorns in Equestria on the case, and even the Princesses themselves admit they cannot cure the Antimark..." Though she tried to console the heartbroken pegasus, Nurse Redheart seemed to only make matters worse.

"What...what about Twilight?...or Zecora?...or anypony?! Why can't they help me??" The filly pleaded with her only witness.

"You know as well as i that Twilight and Zecora both headed the research team on your case. They did all in their power to help...but..." she trailed off again. Her uncertainty didn't help the situation any more than escalate it.

"But...but Zecora cured the cutie pox when Applebloom had them! How come she can't give me my mark? Its basically the same thing!" Scootaloo wept softly.

"That's just it...they aren't the same. Removing a temporary condition like the cutie pox is possible...but the Antimark...it is a condition that was born with you..meaning there is no cure..." she stated softly.

"But magic has come so far! Twilight runs Celestia's research division in Canterlot, and they've figured out how to view other universes! How is it that they can't cure this??" Scootaloo whined.

The nurse tapped her hoof against her chin, thinking of a way to explain the situation that the distressed filly would understand.

"Lets say...for instance, if Rainbow Dash suddenly felt being a pegasus wasn't what she wanted to be. If she felt being a...unicorn made her happy. Sure, we could try to make her that way, maybe by swapping her body with another pony's, would she still be the same Rainbow Dash you know on the inside?"

Scootaloo had stopped sobbing to listen to the nurse after hearing her idol's name, but was shocked to think she would willingly give up her wings for a horn. But what the white mare said made sense to the young pegasus.

"I...i guess she would?" She managed to choke out.

"Good." Replied Redheart, feeling a bit more connected to the filly now. "And the same for you. If you discover your special talent was...being a daredevil."

Scootaloo's eyes lit up with the idea, but she remained silent, allowing the nurse to continue.
"Would you really need a cutie mark to show your stuff when your actions could show it for you? Does it matter that you're a ...blank flank..."

The words felt like an insult as she said them, but the pegasus seemed too absorbed in her speech to notice.

"...all your life, if everypony can see your talent for themselves?" She continued, having broken the filly's sobbing down to a few sniffs. "Besides, what if you discover you are great at more than one specific thing? Would two cutie marks really be the best way to showcase that?"

The nurse thought back to the cutie pox incident and shivered. She looked into the filly's eyes as she waited for an answer. Scootaloo wiped away her tears and regained her composure before she spoke again, her voice cracking on the first few syllables.

" I guess...that wouldn't be so bad...being known for my talents and skills rather than my name or cutie mark..." she glanced off into space as though fighting a decision in her head. "But...what about all the bullies like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and...and...ill be called a blank flank all over Equestria!!"

The tears had renewed their flow as the filly once again fell victim to her own thoughts. Nurse Redheart could barely keep herself from tears, knowing all too well what the pegasus was experiencing...

"Scootaloo.. I have an important story to tell you, but only if you can keep it a secret between us." She whispered to the still sobbing young mare.

In between fits of sobs, the filly managed to squeak out "I Pinkie Promise..."

Redheart looked content with the confirming statement, being all too familiar with the party pony's classic endowment of secrecy. 'Besides,' she thought 'I wouldn't have any patient confidentiality without the darned thing!'

Remembering her original thought, Redheart leaned in closer to Scootaloo, and began her tale. "You remember how I said the last case of the Antimark was over 30 years ago?" The pegasus nodded silently. "Well I understand fully how you feel..since the last case was my sister...Hospitality Redheart..."

At this, Scootaloo gasped. "You have a sister?! And she was..the same as me...?" She said, realizing small tears building up on the nure's cheeks.

"Yes...and no. While you two share the condition, hers was..less intense..."

"How so?" The filly asked.

"Well, she realized that her condition was irreparable and decided to make the most of her life. She tried new things and made many acquaintances and enemies along the way."

Scootaloo interrupted by adding "I do that daily! And I'm still miserable..."

The nurse silenced her with a hoof. "Wait. I'm not done yet." The filly nodded and the nurse continued.

"Hospitality decided that no matter what happened, despite her blank flank, she would overcome the condition and all of its trials. The next day she awoke with a purpose in her heart: to help others like her find a place in society."

"Others? I thought you said she was the only other one!" Scootaloo interrupted again, only to be met with a quieting gaze. "Heh, sorry Nurse Redheart." She apologized.

"Its quite alright. And by others, i meant ponies who couldn't earn their marks. She decided that if she couldn't have her mark, she'd get everypony else theirs. The same night she set her mind to that goal, something changed inside Hospitality. To this day we do not know what, but somehow she awoke with her cutie mark, ten years after she should have gotten it."

Scootaloo's eyes went wide at this, thinking she would be just like Hospitality. The nurse took a moment, then continued.

"She thought it was fate, whereas the medical world stated it was a miracle in short. Princess Celestia said that it was Hospitality's revelation, her decision to cast aside her doubts and fears to renew hope in the hearts of young fillies like yourself that brought the Antimark to an end. I just feel like if you can accomplish the same...to feel in control of your fate rather than let it rest with bullies and neigh-sayers, then you too can somehow overcome this curse..or condition...or whatever it is..."

Scootaloo noticed Redheart sobbing openly, the tears joining hers on the floor. The young pegasus was taken aback by the sudden change in the caretaker in front of her. She didn't know what to do, so she did what any filly would: hug. Scootaloo wrapped her hooves around Nurse Redheart as best she could, letting herself start to cry, despite not knowing why.

"It..its okay..n..nurse Redheart..." she was lost for words. The pony who had comforted her during all her illnesses and injuries was now the one requiring comforting. All she could do was hold the embrace until the nurse slowly let go.

"I..-sniff-... I'm sorry you had to see me like that Scootaloo...its just...i see so much of Hospitality in you..and since she passed...i feel more and more hopeful she will appear in the ponies she tried to help the most..." her sobs renewed at this, only making Scootaloo more distraught not knowing how to help.

"Passed? As in...gone to the next life?..." Scootaloo had not known much of death, but her few encounters had opened her eyes to the grief of loss another pony could feel. While she certainly felt there was another..life or something after death, she had her mind caught on Redheart's idea of her sister's soul resting within hers. She didn't expect that, of all things, but no matter how odd it seemed, she held onto the idea to comfort the now disheveled nurse sobbing beside her.

"I..understand it may be an odd idea..." Redheart began, "but I see a lot of her in you. Your bravery and loyalty to others and the unwavering sense of finishing what you start...your mane is even the same color..." that last part made Scootaloo shiver a bit, but the nurse seemed to have not noticed.

"You..you really mean that?" She asked, not sure of what to think.

The nurse went to a cabinet and procured a picture frame from the far back. She brought the picture to the young pegasus, who immediately spotted Hospitality and Nurse Redheart, both fillies without their cutie marks as the only two ponies in the picture. Hospitality was almost as Scootaloo had imagined. Her similar purple mane, held back by the younger sibiling's hoof as she struggled to stay on her sister's back. Her eyes were a deep red, and her coat was a lighter shade of orange resembling Applejack more than herself.

Scootaloo felt the tears well up... she had never felt the love of a sister..and Rainbow Dash was hardly the emotional type, despite being a "big sister" figure for the filly's childhood. Wanting to forget the painful thoughts flowing back to her, the young pegasus handed the frame back to the nurse, who gingerly placed it back in its cabinet.

"I'm so..so..sorry.." she said, finding it difficult to form the simplest words. "I just thought since you're experiencing almost the same thing Hospitality did, I thought id get to see my big sis again..but i know that's not possible." The nurse said, still facing the cabinet.

Scootaloo closed her eyes and thought about it all. The Antimark, her resmblance (albeit little) to Hospitality, and how she had overcome the trying times to gain her cutie mark anyways. Scootaloo silently swore to herself that she would help the memory of Hospitality live on in her actions and words, to help both Nurse Redheart and herself overcome the obstacles, both mental and societal, that they both faced.

"She will live on. I promise, no matter what, that Hospitality's spirit will live on and i will carry on her ideals...in thr hope that I too can overcome such a large challenge!" Her hoof was raised in the air and a defiant look graced her face.

Nurse Redheart let out a few new sobs of joy after realizing the pegasus' new view on what only minutes before was the 'end of the world', and seeing that her sister's passing would be expelled from her grieving mind by the winged angel sitting before her.

All she could do was utter a quiet "thank you..." before her tears swept her away again, encouraging Scootaloo to return to her hug idea. She was hardly the emotional type, but she could make an exception this one time. As she pulled the tearful nurse into another hug, she smiled softly, knowing her future was now not so dark, if even only a single road had been lit by the few moments she just shared with the older mare. For once in many years, Scootaloo felt free from worry, fear, and sadness. For now, she had a purpose. Hospitality's spirit and Nurse Redheart would be made proud.

Author's Note

So i wrote and published this from my phone, so please go easy with the layout. based off a picture called the lone crusader on deviantart by overmare. this is my first non-rhyme pony fiction attempt so any criticism woould be helpful.
Hopefully if it gathers enough ground, i might add more chapters too!

2: Desperation of a Lonely Heart

Chapter 2: Desperation of the Lone Heart

Celestia's sun sank further towards the horizon, stars slowly revealing their presence as though they were ethereal fireflies, dotting the endless skies with beauty. Scootaloo sat alone in the empty clubhouse, its old wooden walls showing a generation of wear and tear, adventurous times long past...

"I miss them so much..." she whispered sadly.

She reached an orange hoof up to a collection of tattered and faded fabrics, once the symbol of a group dedicated to finding the mark she would never have. As she ran her hoof over the capes of the former Cutie Mark Crusaders, she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Her sight drifted and settled on an old photo of the three fillies, dressed in Royal Guard uniforms, posing proudly in front of the Princesses in the center of Ponyville.

She closed her eyes as the scene unfolded again before her...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on, Applebloom! We don't have all day!" A certain orange pegasus said, annoyed.

"Ah'm trying, but ah just can't get the helmet on!" Came the reply from within the treehouse.

A third voice joined in now."Maybe if you took the bow off?.." Sweetie Belle began to suggest before being rejected immediately.

"Ah ain't takin off mah bow! It ain't the problem!"

Scootaloo rushed into the clubhouse and started to argue with Applebloom. "Your bow IS the problem!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is-"

"GIRLS!" The small white unicorn managed to holler. "We need to hurry before the Princesses get here if we wanna be Cutie Mark Crusaders Royal Guards!"

"Ohmygosh, you're right!" Scootaloo said, in a style not unlike Rainbow Dash.

With a firm push, she managed to get the helmet over Applebloom's bow and mane before hauling flank into town with Sweetie Belle in tow.

"Hey! Ah'm coming too, y'all wait up!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scootaloo slowly faded back to reality, noticing a tear dripping down her face. She turned to her right and set her gaze on a different photo, this one newer than the last.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were on a stage in Cloudsdale together, both ponies smiling happily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks for coming today, squirt!" Dash said, looking at the teenage mare beside her in the tunnel below the stands.

Just meters ahead lay the opening to Cloudsdale Coliseum, full to the brim with fans and her friends alike.

The speakers crackled as the speech began.."Welcome to Cloudsdale Coliseum! We are here today to welcome in a new era for the Wonderbolts!"

Cheers roared through the stands and the speaker began again. "Today, the Wonderbolts welcome a new leader, one who embodies loyalty and devotion at its best!"

More cheers.

"And now, fillies and gentlecolts, i present to you the Wonderbolts!"

The crowd grew silent, anticipation oozing from all corners of the cloud stadium. A faint roar became slowly louder as the cheers ushered in the streaks of smoke and flame that now circled the stands. Scootaloo could feel her heart rate rise greatly and Dash seemed to be nervous as well.

The Wonderbolts landed on the stage and all but Spitfire sat back from the podium. "Thank you, fans, family, and friends alike for joining us here today in Cloudsdale!" Spitfire's voice was inspiring but calming.

She continued.."Today I am announcing our newest member of the team...but first, I, Spitfire, hereby resign as captain of the Wonderbolts, effective immediately."

A crushing silence echoed through the stands as a soft gasp escaped everypony's mouths.

Dash flew out to the stage to confront her hero, Scootaloo following close behind. "Just what in the hay is this?!" Dash called out to Spitfire as she alighted on the stage.

"I am not getting any younger, Rainbow Dash, and the years are catching up to me quickly. Celestia knows I won't last long here in this profession."

"But...but..." Dash began.

"No. It is my decision and it is final." Turning to the podium again, she began once more. "Rainbow Dash, bearer of Loyalty and the only pegasus to master the Sonic Rainboom, I induct you as permanent captain of the Wonderbolts here today." She smiled softly at Scootaloo. "Also, I nominate Scootaloo to begin training for the team under the trusted wings of miss Dash."

The filly's eyes shot open as she questioned what she had just heard. She would get to be a Wonderbolt, along with Rainbow Dash!

"Congratulations, kid, I'm proud of you." Dash said to Scootaloo. Never one for emotions, she quickly hugged the younger pegasus quickly as tears of joy formed on their faces...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was brought back to reality once more, staring solemnly at the case in front of the photo. Within the case was the Wonderbolts uniform and flight goggles. Her uniform...

"I couldn't do it..." she said sadly, looking down at the floor. "It was her dream, and I didn't want to get in the way...it wasn't my dream..." she felt the tears coming back, stronger now.

"It never really mattered anyways..." she whispered, glancing back at her flank, noticing the void both outside and inside for the hundredth time that day.

She pounded a hoof into the wall, leaving a small dent, and ran from the clubhouse that she called 'home'. She galloped past the Apple's orchard, past the sleepy town of Ponyville, the tears flowing freely now.

She ran until she reached a hilltop overlooking the town she had lived in her entire life. She collapsed on the ground and began to sob openly into the grass beneath her.

That night, the orange pegasus felt truly alone...despite knowing she wasn't...felt lost and unable to reach back to where she came from..

She fell asleep under the clouded skies, tears fresh as morning dew drenching her coat and the grass beneath her, a sense of loss filling her dreams and her heart.

For tonight, Scootaloo was truly alone.

Author's Note

So here it is! The next chapter of The Antimark!
My first draft got deleted, so i tried to replicate it as best as i could. enjoy!
~Dash~

3: Sunlight, Foals, and Needles

The warming rays of Celestia's sun rose over the treeline, encasing a slumbering pegasus filly in its golden glow. Scootaloo lay atop Ponyville's tallest hill, the blanket of sleep beginning to fade.

The orange shape stirred, the invasive sunlight launching a full-on assault on the filly's eyes.

"Where..where am I?" She squeaked, voice still raspy from lack of use.

She glanced up at the position of the hands on Ponyville clocktower, where a certain brown earth pony was in the process of fixing the gears. The clock read 7:45.

She couldn't place it, but that time seemed really important to her. She stared at the tower, letting the sleepiness fade from her features. Quarter to eight. What could be so important today?

Realization dawned on her face. "Oh horsefeathers! I'm almost late for my appointment with Redheart!"

The young mare jumped into the air from the hilltop, spreading her wings and gliding down into Ponyville's town market majestically. Had anypony been awake to see it, they would have seen shimmers of light falling from her face as she flew.

Scootaloo cried as openly as the sky around her, remembering the previous day's emotionally taxing events.

Glancing back at her flank, she sighed. "Hopefully I'll get my cutie mark too...then Sweetie and Applebloom will HAVE to accept me as the awesome pony i really am."

A soft clop sounded from below as she touched down on the cobblestone in front of the small doctor's clinic in the center of town. Walking in slowly, she was blinded by the bright artificial lights and sanitary scent that radiated from every corner of the room. On one side, a mare sat cradling her coughing foal. The opposite side of the room was home to the front desk.

Scootaloo slowly approached the counter, as if it were a wild manticore, shaking slightly with each step.

"Name?" The receptionist's voice was a calming drone.

"Uh..Scootaloo..here for my 8:00 with Nurse Redheart?" The young mare replied softly.

"Take a seat. She will be with you as soon as possible." That calming voice again.

"O..okay."

Taking a seat opposite the only other occupant in the room, Scootaloo glanced up to see it was none other than the town's resident benchwarmer, Lyra. The foal in her arms was a pale lime color with a pink curly mane.

'She looks a lot like Bon Bon. And Lyra. I wonder how they managed to-'

"She came about because of the magical blessings of the Princesses themselves. And some gender bending...heh heh." Lyra spoke up, interrupting Scootaloo's thoughts.

"But- how- why?" Scootaloo was surprised at how Lyra could possibly know what she was thinking.

"That look you were giving me. I'm used to a glance or two from ponies who know about my relationship. Confusion, surprise, wonder. I've seen it all before." Lyra spoke softly, beginning to hum a familiar lullabye to her foal.

"I'm..I'm sorry Miss Heartstrings..I didn't mean to-" Scootaloo tried to reply, but was met with a hoof pressed against her snout.

"No need to apologize...uh...Scootaloo, right?" Lyra looked questioningly.

"Yeah..so is she okay?"

"Yes, she has a small cold. Nothing serious." Lyra stroked her foal's mane softly.

"Oh..i see." Scootaloo tapped her hoof silently, awkwardly.

"So what brings you here today? You look fit and ready to soar all day with that Rainbow Dash character. Unless..." the unicorn's eyes drifted to Scootaloo's backside, eyeing her lack of a cutie mark. "Did you burn off your cutie marks again? Sweetie Belle practically caught my lyre on fire last time!"

Scootaloo's ears drooped and her head hung low, showing just how close that question hit home. "No...it's...it's nothing..." she trailed off again, feeling the sadness from the day before grow within once again.

"I'm sorry, kid. I just thought maybe those crusades caught up to you again." Lyra's tone echoed sadness and a tint of regret.

"No, its fine. It's...a condition i just discovered i have yesterday. It's called...the Antimark. It means that no matter how much i try, i will never have a cutie mark of my own..." tears began to well up in her eyes when she heard a familiar voice calling to her.

"Scootaloo? Are you ready for today?" Nurse Redheart stepped through the doorway, a clipbboard tucked into her jacket.

"Well..see ya, Lyra. I hope your foal gets better..." Scootaloo rose from her cushion and turned around.

Only to feel a hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, kid. Everything will be okay. Besides, we're all your friends in this town. Maybe your solution lies within all of us." Lyra winked and Scootaloo as she started to approach the door, and a waiting Nurse Redheart.

As the office door closed behind them, Redheart turned to face the young pegasus mare, a look of caring and sympathy, mixed with intrigue and hope. The last time Scootaloo had seen that face was whenever Twilight was assigned an experiment by the princess, and she would rush off saying "For Science!"

That face brought back memories. It also scared the living horseapples outta her to see it on the face of a doctor or nurse.

"Ready to begin the medical tests?" Redheart said, grabbing a small syringe from the counter.

Scootaloo took a deep breath, and promptly fainted.

Author's Note

So here it is. Another chapter in the Antimark. Kinda wrote this one on a whim, to try to beef it up before a bit of fun, so expect shenanigans next chapter. there's no real update regularity, i just write whenever i get the ideas.
so enjoy, comment, etc.
and if I've bucked up, next chapter will be better. I promise.

4: From Darkness To Light

Beep...

She turned a corner, facing into an abandoned room, her hoofsteps echoing through the empty cavity of the run-down house.

Beep...

"He-hello?" she called into the murky depths splayed before her. At the end of the room, a lone speck of light shone from the wall.

Beep...beep...

Her heart began to pound, her adrenaline soaring as she approached the light source. Wracked with fearful shivers, Scootaloo advanced on the light.

Beep...Beep...Beep...

"Is anypony there...?" She said as she came closer to the light. It was expanding, beginning to reveal...

Beep..Beep..Beep..Beep..

"Scootaloo! Snap out of it!!" The purple mare, and undertaker of the scientific odyssey that was understanding The Antimark, shouted, shaking the young mare with her magic.

"Spike! Get me my copy of Medical Maladies: Mastering the Main Magical Medicines Vol. III, and fast!" Twilight called to her faithful dragon assistant, currently searching for a way to calm the thrashing Scootaloo. She checked her procedure list three times! So why was the filly still having these issues?

Beep...Beep...Beep...

"Scoootaaloooooo..." An eerie chilled voice spoke from the point of light, now about the size of a feather. "Cooomee cloooseeerrrr..." it called to her.

Scootaloo's heart rate increased rapidly at the sound of it. It was...ethereal, yet comforting. She couldn't figure out what or who was calling her to the light, but she did not like it.

Beep..Beep..Beep..

She leaned in close to the light spot, squinted hard, and was met with a ghostly face arising from the mist. Scootaloo jumped back and tried to fly away, resulting in pain.

Beep...Beep..Beep

Just as Spike arrived at Twilight's side with the requested tome, Scootaloo abruptly awoke, shooting into the air on a fearful impulse.

"Gyahhhhh!" she screamed, as the IV tubes and EKG monitor were torn, rather painfully, from their homes on the pegasus' front limbs. She circled the room once, to ensure she was still alive, then was forced back to the bed by Twilight's telekinesis.

"But..Twilight...and..the voice..and..we..you..." Scootaloo trailed off as she took in the scene around her. White blanched walls and tile floors reflecting the painful fluorescent lighting into her eyes. She blinked a few times, took a deep breath, and resumed her silent analysis. Heart monitor, IV system, large stiff bed, and a table of poke-and-prod instruments were the main structures in the hospital examination room. She was alone, aside from the panting Twilight Sparkle, shocked dragon Spike, and the fearful Redheart, who was now holding a hoof up to her heart.

"Everything seems to be alright now.." the Nurse looked to Twilight for confirmation.

'Beep....Beep....Beep....'

"Let's follow my checklist I made just in case this exact thing happened!" the unicorn levitated over a thick stack of loose papers and scrolls, searching swiftly for the correct piece. "Found it!"

"Let's see...
Heart Rate: Approaching Normal
Blood Pressure: Slightly Elevated
Temperature: 99'F
Patient Responsive:..." Twilight poked Scootaloo in the side, causing her wings to flare up from the sudden touch at her side. "Check!"

"Come on, Twilight, just tell me if she's okay!" Spike complained.

"Everypony calm down! I'm just fine!" Scootaloo yelled. "At least, now I am..."

"Scootaloo, sweetie, what had you so scared?" Nurse Redheart sat next to the shaking filly.

"It...it was...it was nothing..just...a bad dream. Yeah, a bad dream!" Scootaloo replied, uncertain herself of what caused her panic attack. She shook her head. "Just this time, Princess Luna wasn't there to make things better!". She wondered what effect the Night Princess would have on that..apparition from the wall.

"Well, as long as you're sure.." Redheart said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yes! Of course! Never better!" she replied quickly.

"Ahem.." came a grunt from an impatient looking unicorn. And any impatience from this unicorn was to be regarded with utmost sincerity, since everypony remembers the Winter-Wrap-Up-Turned-Disaster all those years ago. Redheart and Scootaloo quieted down and faced Twilight expectantly.

"As I was saying, Nurse Redheart, She needs to be in a calmer environment, where she wont be afraid. It makes these non-invasive tests buck-tons easier!" She said, slightly angry at having to put a hold on her glorious crusade for knowledge.

"Twilight! Watch your mouth! There is a child present!" Redheart scolded.

"I'm not a child anymore! I'm old enough to hear that..."besides, it's not like I havent heard that before.."the orange pegasus added in a whisper.

"Dear Celestia, I'm getting carried away, aren't I?" Twilight asked, to nopony in particular.

"Yes." came the tripled reply.

Twilight searched through her spellbooks, looking for an illusionary spell, one to calm the nerves of the filly in question. "Aha! This should work just fine!" she exclaimed, levitating the book to Scootaloo's bedside. "Now tell me, Scootaloo, What place, in all of Equestria, keeps you calm and relaxed?"

"Uh...Well I always felt safe in the clubhouse...but not anymore.." Scoots trailed off.

"No matter! Just think of it as you saw it years ago, as the Crusader's Castle, and get that picture in your mind." Twilight charged up for the spell as she spoke. "Quickly now, and don't let yourself get distracted."

Scootaloo tried. She tried so very hard to see the clubhouse as it was years ago, but her mind kept racing back to that hallway, the abyssal dark of the room, the speck of light, and the ghostly image and voice.

So it was that the examination room became black as a starless night, and everypony inside was subjected to the nightmare that caused Scootaloo her distress in the first place. Across the room from all four bodies present, a single white speck shone from the wall.

"Scooootalooooo..." The voice reappeared from the depths.

"What..What was that voice?" Twilight cast a light spell, but it was swallowed by the dark quicker than it could be produced.

"Coooomeeeeee tooo meeeeee, Scooootaaalooooo..."

Nurse Redheart could not believe her ears. Had she been able to see the others, she'd see the fear carved on their faces. Her own visage, however, was riddled in confusion, trying to make sense of the voice. It seemed so familiar...so close to...but no, it couldn't be....could it? She gathered her courage and spoke into the darkness...

"H..Hospitality...?"

~Dash

Author's Note

So, it's a little overdue by my standards, but this is the next chapter of The Antimark! after reading lots of fics with cliffhangers after plot gets dropped, I've decided to leave y'all with this.

It was tough coming up with ideas for plot advancement, and i just work well with depressing settings. thus the dark house.
Hope everypony enjoys, and thanks for reading!

~Dash