Her purple eyes stared up into the canopy above, cold rain pouring down as it splashed into the puddles of mud and water that surrounded her. The agony that consumed her had long ago sapped what little strength she had left, leaving her to do nothing but lay motionless in the mud. There, she cried silently beneath the rain, the wracking sobs of her body leaving her to suffer through more pain.

Beneath the mud and cloth that covered her barrel and frame, her right side had darkened considerably as an ominous bruise threatened to stretch across the whole of her chest and side. The glass that rested within her cheek and throat would tremble with her movements, slicing their way ever further into the long swollen flesh with every hitched breath, sending small streams of fresh blood to join the dried trails of the previous night. Her vision began to blur as she watched the drops of water cascade around her, darkness covering the edges of what she could see.

“Gu… he…” Her voice gurgled as she tried to speak, to pray for help, but naught would come. The pain in her neck and throat spiking with each attempt. Clenching her eyes tightly, she begged for the pain to stop, for anything to make it go away.

Soft laughter echoed just within reach of her hearing. Eyes wide with a mixture of hope and fear, she struggled to raise her head, the world spinning around her as she fought to balance herself. There was nothing there, nothing that she could see at the very least. The laughter returned, it’s chime-like sound doing little to assuage her fears.

“Wh… ghk…” Her throat burned as she fought to speak, her voice a false imitation of what it had been. Nevertheless, a response came in the form of a flash of light as a small blue flame appeared before her. Scootaloo’s eyes strained to make out the ball of light, but the blur of her vision prevented her from seeing anything more than its flickering edges. The flame did not move, simply floating between the trees as she watched it.

Slowly, a fog descended on her mind as she stared at the flickering light, the world around it falling away. Shakily drawing herself up, she found herself limping towards the warm luminescence, its bright and comforting glow felt soothing upon her fur. A flicker of hope rose within her as the light waited for her, a burst of soft and cheerful laughter echoing from within it.

With a teary smile, Scootaloo carefully made her way towards it, ignoring the searing pain and the occasional root that would trip her into the dirt. She could no longer feel the cool rain and the closer she got to the light the warmer she felt.

Suddenly, the flame began to move. It cast itself back a great distance away from her and into the forest, not far enough to disappear, but enough for her to feel the cold and the pain once more. Desperate, she called out for it to wait, her broken and choked voice barely above a whisper. The flame did not move, waiting patiently as the filly climbed over the large roots and passed through the thick underbrush to catch up, to feel its warmth once more. The warm light waited for her to close much of the distance between them, before leaping back again. Guiding the filly as she fought to stay within its presence, to feel its warmth and soothing light.

‘Please! Don’t leave me alone!’

Lightning arced its way across the grey sky, illuminating the darkroom and casting Dimmed Star’s shadow across the floor. When the shade returned, the only light left was that of the dim glow of her teal eyes, burning into the wall opposite of her as she seethed, the faintest hint of a dark mist emanating from her body.

She had lost control, she had let go for just a moment, and it had almost cost her the one pony she was able to call ‘friend’. The sound of teeth grinding against one another joined with the rolling thunder as she burned a hole into the wood with her gaze.

‘Where dammit… where did it go wrong?’ Her anger at having lost control was palpable in the air around her, the low growl in her throat just above a whisper. Leaping from the bed, her hooves met the blackened wood with a heavy thud and she began to pace across the room as she cast her eyes towards the door that led to the bath. The light that streamed beneath it was dim, the only sign of its occupancy.

Pinkie Pie had secluded herself within, claiming that she needed to clean the Ink from her fur, but Dimmed Star could still faintly hear the whimpers of the mare behind the closed door, the sound of vigorous scrubbing accompanying them. Grimacing, she turned away from the door and found instead the shattered remains of her mirror. Multiple sets of glowing pupils sitting within black sclera stared back at her mockingly. With a snarl, she slammed her forehooves into them, her Ink flooding forth and reducing the fragments to dust, leaving her uncaring even as the wooden floor beneath it groaned and splintered at the substance’s caustic properties. Breathing heavily, she bit back her rage, forcing herself to calm down and think more rationally.

‘What’s it matter anymore, she’s seen me at my worst even before this. I shouldn’t be so bothered by this!’ The Ink climbed its way back up her hooves, leaving the portion of the floor where her hooves rested thoroughly ruined and devoid of stability. Raising a hoof, the floor creaked and a portion of it fell into the small divot she had created in her fury. Glancing about her, she grabbed the nearest object, a fallen piece of the dresser, and used it to cover the hole. It could be dealt with at a later time.

A door slamming shut from behind made her jump, twisting around to see the bathroom door was still closed, but there was now a shadow that blocked some of the room’s light from filtering beneath it. Sighing, she turned and trotted away from the mess and towards the bedroom door.

“I’ll be waiting downstairs Pinkie, just… come down when you’re ready…” No response came even as she watched the shadow beneath the door remain in place. Taking a deep breath, Dimmed Star continued on her way out of the room and down towards the kitchen.

Pinkie sobbed quietly as she leaned against the door frame. She had finally regained the courage to face her friend again, only to catch the mare in the act of destroying more of the room. Hurriedly closing the door, she had collapsed against it and found herself sliding down its surface, her haunches coming to rest upon the cool floor.

‘I don’t know if I can do this!’ She struggled with herself, reaching up and grasping her head within her hooves, her body trembling as the tears fell. For a moment she sat there, her mind in turmoil as her fear threatened to overtake her.

“I’ll be waiting downstairs Pinkie, just… come down when you’re ready…” Dimmed Star’s voice cut through the silence, bringing her back to stare wide-eyed at the door. Her lips opened as if to respond, but she clamped them shut quickly, waiting. A sharp inhale of breath and a few hoof-steps later were the only tell that Dimmed Star had left. Now truly alone with her thoughts, clearer since Dimmed Star had brought her back to reality, she bowed her head in shame.

‘That… that wasn’t her… that wasn’t Dimmy... ‘ Trembling, she brought her hooves down to let them rest upon the floor again. It wasn’t her friend that had attacked her, something else had… something… Her eyes widened and she quickly began to look herself over once more in a panic, her heart racing as she tried to spot any potential leftover goo that could still be clinging to her. Never again, she never wanted to see that horrible liquid again. Blinking away the remaining tears, she stood on shaking hooves and made her way back to the tub, another wash wouldn’t hurt, just to be safe.

The sound of running water could be heard through the door of the bathroom, just slightly lower than the rain that pelted against the bedroom window.

Cheerilee cursed her luck, she cursed it thrice over and demanded recompense for the amount of manure she was having to go through at this very moment. The rain was bad enough, but having to dodge a tree that was struck down by lightning? Either the Goddess had a vendetta against her or this was karma for that one time she spent a week at the Burning Mare concert as a filly.

‘I have to be getting close! Come on, which one!’ Looking left and right, she scanned mailboxes in hopes of finding the right home.

Suddenly a number jumped out at her, forcing her to skid to a stop in a small trench of mud. Groaning at the mess on her hooves, she stomped back towards the mailbox and sighed in relief.

“Finally!” She called to the sky above, before trotting through the small wooden fence and into the front yard. Her eyes traced the yard’s state of disarray for nary a moment before dismissing it in favor of her purpose for being here. Reaching the door, she stepped beneath the small alcove its frame provided and shook off her hooves as best she could, it wouldn’t do to be covered in mud when talking with the parents of her students. Once she felt she was presentable enough the young mare turned to the door and knocked.

Waiting for a few moments, nothing happened. Blinking in confusion, she leaned over and placed an ear against the door, expecting to hear hoof steps. No such sound met her as she leaned away from it. Taking a deep breath to help keep her patience, she smiled brightly as she knocked again, louder this time. The wind picked up on her right, causing her pink raincoat’s hood to slap against her face distractedly. Sputtering as rain and wind briefly pelted her, she swatted at the article before the sound of groaning wood caught her attention.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT!?” A voice screamed into her face, causing her to backpedal from the door. Staring wide-eyed, she took in the state of the stallion before her. He looked as though he’d just been through Tartarus, his fur was matted and messy, his mane was tangled and dirty water dripped from his face and body. He glared at her with narrowed eyes that shook, dark bags beneath the only sign of his lack of sleep.

“O-oh, dear… I seem to have come at a bad time… Mr…?” She leaned back a bit as the smell of the stallion, and the home’s atmosphere filled her nostrils. Coughing, she did her best to use the fabric that had been previous a nuisance, now her only chance at breathing clean air as she covered her nose and mouth. The stallion either took no notice or simply didn’t care as he stared back at her, before glancing around behind the mare, his eyes searching in a panic for a moment.

“What. Do. You. Want.” He demanded of her again. Cheerilee felt herself slump a bit at this, before sighing in resignation.

“I’m sorry to bother you, sir, my name is Miss Cheerilee. I’m Scootaloo’s teacher, Mrs. Glow and I spoke when she was first enrolled?” Trying to steer the conversation into somewhat more familiar territory, she gave him the best smile that she could muster, doing her utmost to not breathe in. The stallion stopped his constant searching and focused his eyes onto the mare once more, his apprehension seeming to skyrocket at the mention of his daughter. A flash of lightning sparked across the sky, startling them both as they each looked to the clouds above, thunder rumbling across the town.

“Celestia dammit!” The stallion grumbled, looking to the ground as his mind raced, before turning back to his home. Concern overriding her instinct, Cheerilee jumped forward and placed a hoof upon the stallion’s side, stopping him.

“Sir, please! I need to know if Scootaloo is okay, she wasn’t in class this morning!” The stallion glared at her hoof for a long moment before shrugging her off and turning his gaze to her. She almost wilted under his withering stare, but her concern for her student was more important to her than accommodating this stallion’s bad attitude. She glared back in defiance as the two stood in the doorway.

“Scoot… yes… you sh-should come inside, it’ll be easier to... speak that way.” Turning, he continued his trek into the home as Cheerilee watched him go. The dark entryway left open to her, Cheerilee paused as she eyed the dark home. Something didn’t feel right, almost every instinct in her was screaming to not go inside for some reason. Biting her lip nervously, she cautiously went to take a step forward before lightning flashed behind her once more.

Without the stallion blocking her path, the scene of the hallway struck Cheerilee to her core and the blood in her veins froze.

In the brief moment of light caused by the storm, the shadowy hallway and all of its contents were revealed before her. A crimson fluid stained the wall and streaked across the floor, leading a trail both outside of the entryway and up the stairs. Several red soaked towels and a bucket were strewn about in a haphazard mess alongside what appeared to be feathers, both orange and red in color, scattered in the hall. Darkness returned to the home and Cheerilee stood imprisoned by her locked muscles upon the doorstep, her body's trembling no longer caused by the cool rain.

“Are you coming or what!?” The stallion called, only now did she hear the strain in his voice. A tone of voice that she had come to be familiar with when a student tried to lie about having done their homework. Her mouth opening and closing for a moment, fear and horror warring with both her urge to flee and the need to know if Scootaloo was alright.

‘Oh Celestia, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do!?’ Her mind raced as she stared down the shadows of the hallway. This was exactly why you bring a guard with you! She screamed at herself. Ponyville was always peaceful with the exception of the occasional creature from the Everfree running rampant, but nopony ever got hurt! The most anypony had ever done was steal a sweet roll from a cart on market day, even that pony got off with a warning and a day of probation! The sound of hooves stomping on wood echoed through the hallway, the only sign to her that the stallion was on his way back to the door.

‘To Tartarus with this! I need to get help!’ Without waiting for the stallion to make his appearance again, Cheerilee’s legs carried her away from the home at a frantic pace. His voice calling out behind her.

“Guard! Guard! GUARD!!!” Screaming at the top of her lungs, she didn’t bother trying to keep her hood up any longer, the rain coating her face and mane.

Brutus stood in shock at the doorway to his home, watching as the mare ran and began to scream for the guard. Looking back down the hall, his heart raced as panic began to set in.

‘How!? How did she see it!?’ Low thunder rumbled from on high, sending him into a cursing fit as he glared at the sky that had dared to betray him.

‘I have to get to her first!’ His eyes dark and shaking, he rushed from his home, slamming the door shut in his wake and galloping after the mare. If he could get to her before anypony else, he could still salvage this. He just had to shut her up, the same way he shut his wife up... She just wouldn’t stop screaming at him for running Scootaloo off! What did she care anyway, it wasn’t like she had been ‘Mother-of-the-Year’ material! It was her fault in the first place, her and her stupid gambling habit! She lost all of their money, all of his money!

His building anger grew as he chased after the magenta mare, the storm doing little to hide her bright raincoat. Every month the collectors would come, taking his hard earnings and leaving them with little to live with. Every month she would beg for a bit more, to try again and again, always promising that it would be the last, that she had a surefire way to win this time and get their lives back. The mare looked back, spotting him hot on her tail. Screaming, she picked up speed, tears streaming down her face. Gritting his teeth, he tried to speed up, but his lungs burned and his muscles ached. His lack of physical activity and heavy drinking were taking their toll. Looking around as they ran, he grinned as he suddenly ran between two homes to his right.

‘The guardhouse is on the East side of town, I can catch her if I cut her off.’ His thoughts, clouded with anger and fear, kept him from thinking about what he would actually do once he’d caught up to her. If she got the guard, his life would be over, but he could save it, he could keep everything if he got rid of her. Just do away with them all and he could have his life back! A choking laugh escaped his lips as he imagined himself once more sitting in his bright home, a single bachelor with no wife to ruin his finances, no filly to constantly have to take care of and feed. This mare may have done him no wrong, but she was trying too, she was trying to take away his chances at a peaceful and quiet life, he couldn’t let that happen!

The sudden pain of slamming his injured foreleg into something solid caused him to cry out, his body flailing as he fell forward into the mud. Growling in frustration and rage, he scrambled back to his hooves and continued to run. He didn’t have time to waste!

Dimmed Star stared out the kitchen window as she waited for the kettle to announce itself. The soft burning of the stove filling the kitchen with a slight warmth that could only be felt to those sensitive enough. The burning rage within herself had calmed to a low simmer, imitating the flames that flickered beneath the vessel, not as potent but still present.

Raising a hoof, she brushed the corner of the lavender curtain to the side, broadening her view of the village. One perk of living so close to the town square was that there weren’t many buildings blocking her view. Remembering back, she was reminded of the many times that she had stood in this exact spot, watching as ponies, friends and strangers alike, would trot by with happy smiles and laughter. Their blissful ignorance to the possibility of their lives ending in a moment’s notice causing her to growl. Lowering her hoof back down, she turned and moved back towards the cabinets, pulling out the materials she would need for when the pot was finished. Retrieving a small jar within her aura, she turned and placed it upon the counter, a drawer opening and a measuring spoon floating into view. A single brown mug that hung upon a hook above the faucet was brought to rest alongside the jar of cocoa powder.

The kettle slowly began to hum in place on the stove, its small vibrations signaling that it would soon be ready for use. Quietly standing before it, Dimmed Star examined the burn marks that marred the stove and countertop, her ears folding slightly as she recalled her horrid attempts at cooking. It had been Pinkie that had repaired the kitchenware, whether she had done so out of some hope in gaining favor with her or out of the kindness of her own heart, Dimmed Star did not care. The point was that she had done it, more than that even.

Memories of the times Pinkie had dropped by unannounced, offering to cook meals for her and Spike, even pushing through her disgust at touching raw meat and learning how to make a feasible meal of it for her. The thought of having possibly scared away the one friend who had been willing to make the effort to reach out pained her. A knot began to form in her stomach just as the kettle started to whistle. Alighting her horn with its teal aura, she turned the burner off and captured the handle of the kettle in her magical grasp, pouring steaming water into the mug.

She kept her mind busy with the mundane task, barely registering each movement as the silence in the kitchen continued to haunt her. Lately, it had been more lively, even with Spike gone to school, Pinkie was almost always there these days… Following her around, making jokes and asking if she needed anything. Turning towards the living room, she trotted through the portal of her kitchen doorway and into the spacious area, placing the mug of cocoa carefully upon the coffee table where it would wait patiently for its owner to come down from the bath. Sitting upon a single yellow cushion, Dimmed Star watched as steam rose from the cup, wafting through the air and tempting her with its sweet smell. It reminded her of Pinkie, though the mare did little with the chocolate itself, she always smelled of sweets.

The knot in her stomach felt heavier as she waited for the mare to come down, with any luck, something of this friendship could still be salvaged…

“Come on sweety! Dinner’s almost done, and your dad is waiting.” The melodic voice called as she followed behind, a bright smile upon her face.

“W-wait up mom! I can’t fly yet, remember?” Scootaloo laughed, her heart soaring as she trailed behind her mother through the trees, the mare looking back to her daughter with vibrant colors and a healthy smile. The bright sun above shone through the canopy and guided the both of them as they laughed and played, Scootaloo trying to catch her mother in an invigorating game of tag.

“Haha! You’re not gonna catch me that way slowpoke!” Vibrant Glow called back to her, just dodging the filly as she dove for her tail. Scootaloo rolled over in the dirt, her giggling joined with her mother’s.

“Come on you two! I’m starving over here!” Her eyes widened with her smile as the sound of her father’s voice, filled with mirth as he stood just out of side ahead of them, the bright light of the sun keeping her from seeing him.

“Come along dear, we have to hurry!” Her mother called to her as she continued to gallop through the trees. Rolling back onto her hooves, Scootaloo laughed and chased after her, she couldn’t wait to see her dad and tell him all about the fun she and her mother were having. Maybe he would even join in after dinner?

“I’m coming, Mom, Dad!” She called after them, her eyes bright and glowing with happiness.

“Mgm, cmg… M-m… Da-dgd…” Scootaloo’s broken voice escaped her like a whisper, fresh blood dripping from her lips as she gurgled her laughter. She followed slowly through the forest, one hoof forward, then the next. Her eyes now glowing a soft blue as she followed behind the flickering flame that floated just ahead of her, leading her through the forest, pausing only to wait for the filly to catch up.

In the shadows of the trees around her, yellow eyes watched and waited. The Timberwolves dared not show themselves, they would wait and bide their time, then they could take what was left…

Author's Notes:

Twilight: " Hey there everypony, we just wanted to take a moment and wish you guys a happy belated Halloween or Nightmare Night, whichever you prefer to call it!"

Dimmed Star: " Yeah, sorry for the late release, this chapter was originally supposed to be posted ON Halloween, but due to unseen circumstances it got delayed."

Twilight: "Well, I wouldn't say unseen per say..."

Dimmed Star: "Hey, he brought it on himself."

Twilight: "Oh undeniably. So, ready to do this?"

Dimmed Star: "May as well"

Twilight/Dimmed: "Shaded Blood does not own MLP:FiM or the Equinox Ponies, a special thanks to Kuunlehti for proof reading and don't forget to leave a like to help boost the story!"

Twilight: "Also, don't forget to check out the Discord for more information and to just hang out!"

Dimmed Star: Lifts up the bloodied skull of Shaded "So, how we gonna fix it this time?"

Twilight: "I'll message Princess Luna, she could have a remedy somewhere."