Chapter 1- Legend

Sorrow. Distress. Anguish. Woe. Suffering. What do these words have in common? My little ponies, these words can all be placed under another word: pathos. To most, pathos is simply a word, but, to us in Ponyville, it is more than that. It is a name, yet, more so, a curse.

You see, long ago there was a stallion with a grey pelt and blue mane. He was always picked on by many. He was picked on because he was thoroughly intrigued by pathos, an artistic representation evoking pity or compassion. That was unusual. They would make fun of him whenever something bad happened to him, or whenever he was sad, thinking it ironic that one who embraced the concept of sadness also was hurt by it. But one day, there was an incident that went beyond that of bullying. The stallion walked into his house one evening… and found his wife, dead in a pool of her own blood. He went to her, tears streaming. Beside the deceased mare was a note, written in blood. It read:

'How's this for pathos, weirdo?'

The stallion was infuriated. He changed his old name to Pathos and hunted down the killer, using the note to compare handwriting. It was a week before he found the culprit. Pathos tortured him relentlessly for hours until the killer's life had vanished.

Pathos lived on with the memory of his vengeance fresh on his mind. He knew deep inside that the pony deserved to die, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong. But, he wouldn't remain justified for long.

With the murder, Pathos' conscience was shattered. He grew numb inside. Pathos murdered any who taunted him about his interest in pathos. Anypony who had made him feel worthless. Anypony who made him feel the very emotion he was intrigued by.

He couldn't let go. He was filled with too much hatred, and his mercy had died along with his wife. He tortured many, always to death. Pathos began to find joy and comfort in the suffering of others. Pathos was hunted by guards, but was never caught. Who would ever suspect the stallion that was picked on by everypony?

But that didn't mean he was never brought to justice. One night, while he was torturing a pony, he had a brief moment of clarity. Pathos looked and saw who he was torturing. It was just a foal. Right then he realized what he had done. He realized what he had allowed himself to become. Pathos tried to help the filly but it was too late. She had passed on. Then he was once again consumed in his hatred. Only this time, it was directed at himself. Pathos ripped at his own flesh until his jawbone could be seen through his cheek, until his bare ribs could be seen through his chest, until he was mangled beyond recognition. Then, covered in both his blood and the filly's, he hung himself.

Yet some say his lust for vengeance burned even past the threshold of death. Even two-hundred years later, they say his soul still lurks through the Everfree forest where he had been buried…

---

"Well, that's all for tonight!" declared Rainbow Dash, who had been hovering over the campfire, telling her story to the three fillies that made up the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Scootaloo was shaking from pure, concentrated fear. This story was far worse than the other tales Rainbow had spun. This one was downright petrifying!

"Alright girls, go and run along to Fluttershy's place. I've neglected work long enough. I'm supposed to be helping the Weather Crew brew an evening storm," Rainbow said with a sigh.

"Aww!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders all complained at once.

"Sorry girls, but duty calls," said the cyan pegasus. She turned and shot across the ruddy, sunset sky, leaving a bright rainbow in her wake. Scootaloo followed Rainbow's trail with her gaze, wishing her sister-figure hadn't gone.

"Come on, Scoots!" said Apple Bloom. She and Sweetie Belle were already leaving the lightly wooded area in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. Even though the small copse of trees wasn't nearly as thick, it still reminded Scootaloo of the dreadful Everfree Forest. She shivered a bit and hastened after her friends.

The three fillies were on their way to Fluttershy's to have a sleepover. Rarity and Applejack were both busy for the night, so the girls had turned to the only other logical choice, Fluttershy. She accepted to watch them both as a favor to the young girls and to her friends.

"That was a really creepy story!" said Sweetie Belle as Scoots approached.

"I know," the orange pegasus replied. "Dash is certainly getting more inventive with her stories."

"No need to be scared, Scoots. It's only a story," said Apple Bloom.

"I'm not scared!" Scootaloo defied indignantly.

"You're shiverin' like it's negative twenty-five degrees out here!" the yellow earth pony retorted. Scootaloo looked down at her trembling legs and forced them to stop.

"Well, not that scared," Scoots corrected.

Sweetie Belle came up to Scootaloo and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "It's okay, Scoots. I was pretty scared myself. I've never heard a story with so much… blood in it before. Where did Rainbow come up with such a gruesome story anyways?" said the white unicorn filly.

"Come on! Let's get goin' before it gets dark and Flutter starts worryin'" Apple Bloom said. The three fillies took off towards the yellow pegasus' cottage.

---

Rainbow Dash was exhausted. The sun had sunk below the horizon when she caught up with the Weather Crew in Cloudsdale. Rainbow's squadron consisted of five pegasi. They were Cloudchaser, Thunderlane, Flitter, Dizzy Twister, and herself.

Cloudchaser, who was today's Crew leader, was upset for a while when Rainbow showed up late. However, the hard feelings between them instantly vaporized the moment the doors to the shipment room of the Cloudsdale Weather Corporation swung open.

"Alright fillies and gentlecolts!" Cloudchaser commanded. The four other pegasi formed a quick line before her. "This is my first time as a Weather Crew commander, so I want everything to go smoothly! You've all been through these procedures before so I expect you to do your job well! For those of you who don't remember the procedure, yes I'm talking to you Twister, I'll give you a refresher. You'll each take one of these chariots filled with compressed thunderclouds," she said, indicating the five tarped chariots. "Then, you'll have a satchel full of magic powder that you'll sprinkle over the clouds to decompress them. Remember, each thunderhead doesn't need any more than one cup of powder! Then, the other Crew will take the clouds from you to position them in the sky. You'll return here to get one more shipment of clouds and repeat the process. Now that you're all refreshed, let's fly to it!"

The pegasi broke up and flew into the floating facility that housed all of the mechanics of weather creation. Rainbow stepped up to a chariot, grabbing a pair of flight goggles on the way, and harnessed herself to the trailer. She adjusted the goggles over her eyes and stood erect, awaiting command.

"Launch!" Cloudchaser ordered. At once, all five members of the Weather Crew took off, carrying their burdens behind them. It would take only fifteen minutes to reach the border of Ponyville, but compressed clouds were surprisingly heavy. Even after doing this job for years, Rainbow still never got used to the weight. She was always much happier when the managers assigned her to sky clearing or cloud positioning or something that didn't require carrying a half-ton of clouds on her back. Add the weight of the chariot and her own body weight and it came close to a full ton! That's a lot, even for wings as powerful as hers.

"No, no. Focus on something other than the weight," Rainbow said to herself. Having nothing else to really reflect upon, her mind wandered to her job in general. The Cloudsdale Weather Corporation hired many pegasi to help with the distribution and maintenance of the weather. The manager, Aero Wing, was an expert in different strategies. He developed a system in which all Weather Crews would rotate through the various jobs as to keep any one group from tiring of a job, both physically and mentally. And, within the groups, the pegasi would alternate being leader probably to keep the blame and stress off of any one pony. Too bad this job was still just as difficult even with Aero's brilliant strategy. Flying a ton of clouds across Equestria is insane. Wait. How exactly does a ton of anything stay aloft in the sky? It didn't matter. New subject.

Rainbow's mind wandered to the story she had told the Cutie Mark Crusaders earlier. She laughed inwardly. Their expressions were priceless. She halfway regretted not throwing in a jump scare. She hoped she hadn't gone too far. The story was much more violent than the ones she normally told. But, hey, it wasn't only a story. It was a historical legend. Rainbow had stumbled across the book in Twilight's library. The way it sat there with its worn cover and dusty pages had beckoned her. She read it, had nightmares for a night, and then decided to add it to the list of scary stories she could tell her sister.

Scootaloo wasn't really Rainbow's sister, but they shared a bond closer than most siblings. Rainbow would be there to comfort the young filly when she was sad and find ways to hang out when it was a bright day with nothing to do. It was a friendship even the bonds of blood had trouble creating.

"Rainbow! Where are you going?" Cloudchaser snapped Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts. They had reached their destination and Rainbow was just about to pass it by.

"Sorry, Cloudchaser. I was lost in thought."

"Well it's time to get lost in work. Get to it!"

Rainbow alighted the chariot on the large cloud with the other pegasi and unstrapped herself. She went around to the back and went back to work, guided by the light of the rising moon.

---

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were all tucked into the bed in Fluttershy's room. The yellow pegasus exited the room with a quiet, "Good night," and closed the door behind her. As her hoofsteps descended the staircase, the three fillies immediately opened their eyes and started to whisper to one another.

"Hey, Apple Bloom. What are we going to do to try to get our cutie marks this time?" Scootaloo asked quietly.

Sweetie Belle shrugged, "I'm not sure if we should be sneaking out again. Remember last time?"

"Oh yeah. That cockatrice would've turned us to stone if it wasn't for Fluttershy," Scootaloo said.

"It's probably gone by now," said Apple Bloom, "Fluttershy gave it quite the scare."

"Wait. I wasn't suggesting going into the Everfree Forest this time. Maybe we could find something to do around town," Scootaloo suggested.

"We can do that at any time," said Apple Bloom. "Fluttershy's cottage is probably the closest house to the forest. How else are we going to get cutie marks in deep wood exploration?"

"But what about Pathos? Doesn't he haunt the forest?" Scootaloo said, a bit panicked.

"Aw Scoots. Rainbow just made that up. It's all fake," Sweetie Belle assured.

"I… guess you're right," Scootaloo conceded.

"Great! Then let's go!" said Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle threw open the window and scampered out onto the roof, Scootaloo reluctantly following. They climbed down the latticework on the side of the cottage and took off in the direction of the forest.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders came to an abrupt halt before the ominous forest. Clouds were crossing in front of a full moon, only adding to the dark aura that already shrouded the dangerous wood. The fillies took a tentative step forward.

"BOO!" Apple Bloom howled. Scootaloo was instantly on the ground, shuddering and holding her hooves over her head.

"Ha ha! Oh, lightin' up Scoots. You're jumpier than a startled rabbit!" Apple Bloom helped the young pegasus to her hooves. Scootaloo brushed dust off her shoulder and steadied her breathing, but she said nothing to defend herself. This whole place freaked her out.

"I know what'll take your mind off of your fear," Sweetie Belle spoke up. "How about a race? We could run to Zecora's hut. It's not too far into the forest."

"Yeah," said Scoots, her confidence building at the prospect of a contest. "That sounds fun."

"Alright!" said Apple Bloom, "We'll start at the count of three. Last one to Zecora's has to do the others' homework for the rest of the week! One. Two…"

The three fillies crouched in preparation. Scootaloo impatiently anticipated Apple Bloom's signal.

"THREE!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders shot off into the woods, laughing. The thick woods immediately swallowed what moonlight still shone through the clouds. Vines seemed to grab at Scootaloo's hooves and brambles dragged at her small, flightless wings. As she blundered blindly though the foliage, something tripped her up. Scoots fell and landed jaw-first on a flat rock. The taste of iron touched her tongue as blood welled on her lip. She turned to gazed angrily at the snaking root that had caught her.

Scoots stood, swaying a little, dabbing at her chin. In the half-light she could see the glisten of a few drops of blood. The wound wasn't serious, it'd heal before tomorrow. She scuffed a hoof in the ground and pricked her ears. The laughter of her friends had faded off to be replaced by the rattling of the branches above her. A cold gust of wind ran through the leafless trees and Scootaloo shivered. Scootaloo had no idea where she was. And she was alone.

"Hello?" she called into the forest. "Sweetie Belle? Apple Bloom? Can you hear me?" There was no reply.

Scootaloo chose the direction she had thought she heard her friends go in and began to walk forward slowly. The trees above clattered angrily as the wind whispered through them. A tear ran down Scootaloo's cheek; she felt utterly lost and alone. She picked up the pace as she called out into the forest for her friends. Thunder rumbled in the distance and rain began to fall between the bare branches. The autumn cold wind blew fiercely, causing a branch to snap somewhere above Scoots' head. The limb landed mere feet from her. Scootaloo shrieked and ran blindly through the forest, tripping and stumbling but immediately getting back to her hooves to continue her fear-driven rush.

Suddenly, she burst into a small, bramble surrounded clearing and ran into something solid. She reeled back, pain flaring on her forehead where it had collided with the stone slab sticking out of the ground in front of her. She peered at the shape in the darkness, rain soaking her fur down to the skin. It looked like a gravestone.

"Oh, no," she said to herself, more tears welling in her eyes. However, these were tears of absolute terror. A bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, accompanied simultaneously by a roar of thunder. The brief illumination had revealed the name carved into the stone. Scootaloo moaned out loud in horror. On the gravestone was the name Pathos.

---

Rainbow shot upright from the bed. She was drenched in sweat and her breathing was heavy. Something had happened to disturb her from her peaceful sleep. Rainbow Dash flicked on her bedside lamp. Nothing was in the room. She fell back onto her pillow, relaxing a bit. However, the sense of foreboding still clung to her mind like a thick fog.

"What can it be?" Rainbow asked herself.

The sky-blue pegasus closed her eyes. There was an image of a dark forest. A storm thrashed high above the canopy, throwing down chilling drops of water. Then there was an orange filly weeping in fear before an eerie gravestone.

"Scootaloo?" Rainbow stepped forward to pat the filly on the back. Her hoof simply passed through the form of the young pegasus. This was only a dream, wasn't it?

Suddenly, the world around her shifted. Scootaloo was still there but everything else was gone. There was only darkness spreading in every direction. Despite this, Rainbow could still see the young filly as clear as day. Scootaloo stood up and looked around, as if unsure of where she was. She looked in Rainbow's direction and froze, quivering violently. At first, Rainbow Dash thought it was her that the filly was afraid of. However, she did not shift her gaze when Rainbow moved. Then blue pony cast a glance behind her back and instantly wished he hadn't.

---

"Please let this be a dream!" Scootaloo whispered to herself.

She was entirely alone, and the forest had vanished, leaving only an empty void in its place. Well, she wasn't alone. Scootaloo wished more than ever that she was at that moment. Something was approaching her. As it became more visible, more tears welled in her eyes.

"GO AWAY! MAKE IT STOP!" Scoots shrieked.

The pony approached Scootaloo. He may have been smiling but it was hard to tell. Half of the pony's skin was torn from his face. Bare ribs were showed through a blood-soaked, once grey pelt. His eyes were hidden behind a red-streaked, messy, blue mane. The blood that seeped from various wounds covering his tattered body pooled around his hooves and crept slowly towards Scootaloo.

Scootaloo's body wracked with sobs. Her eyes were clenched shut as if it would take her away from that place. She couldn't face this monster. If only Rainbow Dash were here to protect her! The monster before her leaned in close to her.

…Vessel…

The word drifted through Scootaloo's mind. She instantly knew that the damaged pony was speaking to her through her mind.

...Open the door…

"NO!" the orange filly cried. Her eyes were squeezing so hard, sparks danced before her eyelids.

...Embrace…

"I know who you are! Just go away! I did nothing to you!"

…Who I am? ...

Scootaloo looked up and saw the eyes of the demonic creature before her. They were black as night, red pupils glowing in the center. The eyes are the windows to the soul, but this thing before her was soulless. "…Pathos…" she whimpered so quietly even she could barely distinguish it.

The form of the mutilated creature before her let out an otherworldly screech and rose to full height, causing Scootaloo to shrink as close to the ground as she could. Her belly fur was dipping in sticky, red liquid. Blood. She tried to step out of it, but it pulled her deeper into the pool, the ground below it disappearing. The demonic spirit dissolved into the pool along with Scoots. The blood lapped over her head and she struggled for breath. Everything faded out. All her senses nullified. Scootaloo couldn't hold her breath anymore. She sucked in a lungful of blood and unconsciousness claimed her.