Finding Scootaloo

Three months later...

Five mares were gathered in the Golden Oaks Library.

Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic.

Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty.

Applejack, the Element of Honesty.

Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter.

Rarity, the Element of Generosity.

Everypony was still talking about everything that had happened three months earlier. The day that Fluttershy, Element of Kindness, had kidnapped her own little sister and had nearly killed Princess Twilight Sparkle. Many apologies were sent to Rainbow Dash from everypony, now that they knew that she was innocent they felt truly terrible for their actions against her.

But none more so then her closest friends.

Rarity stepped forwards. "I... I must apologize to both of you. I wronged you both on so, so many levels and I cannot express how truly apologetic I am." She offered weakly.

Pinkie came up on her side. "Yeah. I... I tried to do something super terrible, when I had no proof of anything. I'm so sorry Dashie, Twilight!" Her voice broke as tears started dripping to the floor. No waterfalls, just normal crying.

Applejack came up on Rarity's other side. "Me too. Ah didn't do anything to stop anypony, ah just hid at Sweet Apple Acres and let all of this happen. Maybe if ah'd tried ta help ya, ya'll wouldn't have gotten hurt. Ah'm so sorry, from the bottom of mah heart. Can ya ever, ever forgive me?" She asked sorrowfully.

Twilight and Rainbow stared at the three mares. Normally when they apologized amongst themselves, all was forgiven.

Not today. Not ever again.

Twilight narrowed her eyes at them. "How dare you come here and try to apologize! Do you three have any idea what you did to Rainbow? To the two of us? Pinkie Pie, you attempted murder just because of lies that were told to you! Rarity, you abducted me and tried to rape me! You're no better than Fluttershy, in fact you're worse! And Applejack, if you honestly think that you could've done something, you would've!" She shouted angrily.

The three took a step back as they stared at her.

Rarity turned to Rainbow. "Darling, you understand, don't-"

Crack!

Rainbow slapped Rarity before she could finish, a cold look in her eyes. "No. Get the buck away from us, and stay away. You guys aren't real friends, real friends stay together. If I don't see any of you ever again, it'll be too soon." She spat.

Twilight stood up and glared at them with all the strength of a raging fire. "Rarity, Pinkie Pie, there are guards outside to take you to prison for attempted murder and rape. Applejack, you go home. From now on, I never want to see the three of you again. You are not forgiven, and you never will be. Get out of my house before I forcefully remove you." She instructed blandly.

All three mares gave her a heartbroken expression.

"I said. Get. Out."

The three needed no further encouragement, and quickly exited the building.

Only when the door closed, did Twilight allow herself to break down crying and hug her fillyfriend tightly.

Rarity and Pinkie were placed in the same prison cell. They collapsed onto each other sobbing, hugging each other tightly as they realized that they had lost their friends, and that their lives were over.

Pinkie had attempted murder.

Rarity had attempted rape.

They were both criminals, they very thing they'd accused Rainbow Dash of being. In their desperation to expose her for something she hadn't done, they'd made themselves into villains. They were no better than Fluttershy.

And that realization broke their hearts.

Applejack was sitting on her bed, looking out the window.

Twilight's words had cut deep into her soul. She'd sat by and watched as everypony turned on Rainbow Dash, doing nothing as the town threw wild accusations as her former friend.

She'd done nothing.

She'd failed as a friend. Not only to Rainbow, but to Twilight. To everypony.

The farm mare felt tears slip down her cheeks and she wiped them away.

She was a monster.

Monsters didn't deserve to cry.

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were sitting in the clubhouse.

The silence was deafening. They had no idea what they could possibly say to each other, now that they were reunited.

"You thought Rainbow took me."

Scootaloo's hard voice broke the silence. She looked up at them with slightly narrowed eyes, anger boiling behind them.

Sweetie Belle sniffled. "It just seemed so... Obvious, at the time. And now... Now that you're back... We were wrong, we were so wrong... We're sorry..." She whimpered, tears starting to spill down her cheeks.

Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo as well. "Ah'm so sorry Scoots, we had no right ta turn on RD like we did." She offered.

Scootaloo turned her head away. "Shut up. You don't mean it." She growled.

Apple Bloom gaped at her, eyes tearing up.

Scootaloo stomped a hoof angrily. "When Fluttershy took me, you guys didn't even try to help. Apple Bloom, you just stayed asleep like a freaking lump. Sweetie Belle, you flat out watched and stared like a dumb brick as I begged you for help. If you were sorry, you would've helped me. You would've tried to stop her. But no, because you guys didn't help me, Rainbow'll never fly again and I nearly died! Twilight nearly died!" She shouted.

Sweetie flinched away. "Scoots-"

"You just went ahead and accused Rainbow of doing things she would never do! How could you!? How could you do that to me!? You guys should've known that she'd never do that to me, or to anypony! What's the point of you guys, huh!? I HATE YOU!"

Both fillies stepped back as Scootaloo continued her rant.

But Scootaloo wasn't done; "I don't care if I never have to see you guys again! Try making friends with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, you've obviously taking lessons in how to be... How to be jerks from them!" She spat, before turning tail and stomping out of the clubhouse without looking back.

Two stunned and crying fillies watched her go.

Scootaloo didn't look back as she left them behind.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had ended.

Ponyville's two most powerful friendships had ended.

The Elements of Harmony were gone. Two in jail, one locked away in her home, two hiding away from the world and one dead.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had split apart. Two holding each other and crying, one feeling no remorse as she went home.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash greeted her, her true family. A lavender wing and a cerulean wing extended, welcoming her. She threw herself at them and started crying, tears trailing down her fuzzy cheeks as she hugged them.

Slowly, the two colorful wings closed on her and hid her from the world.

The couple bowed their heads as their eyes closed, tears dripping from beneath closed eyes as they held Scootaloo close.

The physical scars had healed.

But the mental scars were still there.

And there they would remain, fresh on the minds of the couple and their filly. Two mothers and their daughter. Holding each other as they mourned for what they'd lost.

Not their friendships. They couldn't find it in their hearts to mourn for those who had betrayed them.

They mourned for their lost harmony.

For now, they were all they had. And while that harmony was strong, it pale in comparison to the once powerful harmony connecting them to others.

But they would do it. Some way, some how.

They would find their harmony.

Together.