The new Dash

"I'm the element of loyalty for Celestias sake! I'm supposed to always be there for my friends when they need me, and I can't do that if I can't find her!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

It had been a half hour since Rainbows last good cry. Fluttershy had agreed to help however she could, even if that meant getting yelled at.

"I just... I've failed as a good friend. I've let Twilight down, and I just can't stand it," Rainbow Dash said.

"You haven't let anypony down, Dashie," Fluttershy said.

"I've searched for two whole months already, and come up empty hooved," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "Please tell me how that doesn't mean I've let her down".

"You never gave up," Fluttershy said.

"Spirit is good and all, but it's nothing without success in the end," Rainbow Dash said.

"You've done your best, that's all we would ever ask of you," Fluttershy said.

"You don't get it! Twilight is out there somewhere, probably alone and scared out of her wits, and I'm not there to help like I should be!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Where Twilight is, I'm sure she's fine," Fluttershy said.

"I'd like to believe that, but I just... can't," Rainbow Dash said, "Look, I'm glad you wanna help and everything, but I think I'm just gonna go".

"Promise me you won't do anything you'll regret," Fluttershy said.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-" Rainbow Dash said before jabbing herself in the eye, "Ow!".

With that, Rainbow took to the sky once more. She flew back home to check on Tank and make sure he was still ok. As she got closer to her cloud, nothing seemed out of place. She walked inside to see the place just as she left it.

"Tank, you here?" Rainbow Dash called out.

No answer, not that she should have expected one to begin with. She set off checking every room she had, and it didn't take her long to find the tortoise in the kitchen, looking a tad hungry. After giving Tank a rub on the head, Rainbow set to work getting him something to eat.

"I wish I could be carefree like you," Rainbow Dash said as she set Tanks food down.

As Tank ate, Rainbow pondered what to do for the rest of the day. Should she go out searching for Twilight again? Should she just stay at home? Perhaps she should spend the day with her friends, though she figured they'd only bring up the harsh subject. She ended up deciding to just fly like she had been doing a lot recently. It didn't ever get rid of the pain, but it was really the only thing she could enjoy anymore. After making sure Tank was set for a little while, Rainbow took off.

Nothing in particular really popped out at the pegasus as she flew until she reached the border of the Everfree Forest. What she saw was a very old looking shack. She didn't think much of it until she saw something emerge from the shack. The shack was housing a blob of orange with some purplish pink mixed in. As soon as the blob took off, Rainbow decided to take a closer look. If the shack looked horrible from the air, there was no telling how bad it was up close.

As she got closer, it became clear the shack hadn't been tended to in a long time. Windows were boarded up, the front door was barely hanging on its hinges, and most of the wood was rotted to the point that it looked like the shack could cave in at any possible second. Whoever she saw leaving here couldn't honestly be living in this place, could they? She decided to stick around and find out. After a few minutes, it felt like whoever she saw wasn't going to be coming back anytime soon. Not wanting to fall asleep on her hooves, Rainbow decided to just head inside. If somepony did live here, she would invite them to live in Ponyville, so she didn't feel any guilt about trespassing.

Opening the door, Rainbow got rewarded with a very audible creak that make her wince. After the door was open, Rainbow was able to take notice of the terrible condition of the inside. This place had to be abandoned. Surely nopony lived in a place built out of rotting wood and filled with cobwebs and dust. Still, she wasn't just about to leave without knowing for sure. Wanting to help whoever might actually live here also took Rainbows mind off of Twilight for a good while, a fact she was slightly thankful for. As she walked through the shack, she noticed a worn out couch. It looked a little nicer than anything else in the shack, so she figured whoever she saw must use it for sleeping... if they did actually live in this place. Not wanting to stay on her hooves any longer, Rainbow decided the couch would be a good place to wait. It wasn't the most comfortable thing she'd ever laid on, but it would do.

Rainbow had ended up falling asleep after a little while. When something began to prod her in the side, Rainbow bolted up. As she scanned the room, she saw nothing at first. It was only when she heard somepony say her name that she looked down to notice a pegasus filly with a orange coat and... a purplish pink mane. The realization hit Rainbow like a bag of bricks. It was Scootaloo she saw walking out of this horrible place earlier. The very fact that she was back also confirmed Rainbows thought that the shack was being lived in. If an adult pony lived here, that'd be one thing, but Scootaloo was just a filly... a filly who deserved better living conditions than this horrid place.

"Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked.

"I uh, I saw somepony leaving this old place. It looked pretty bad from the air, and up close it's even worse. I was actually going to invite whoever it was to come to Ponyville if they actually lived here," Rainbow Dash explained, "You don't really live here, do you?".

"All my life, though it didn't always look this bad," Scootaloo admitted, "I tried to keep it nice, but it got to be too much after a while, so I just gave up".

"And where are your parents?" Rainbow Dash asked, concern raising in her voice.

"I never knew mom, dad said she died was I was really young," Scootaloo explained, "But I haven't seen dad since he got called away on guard duty a couple of years ago".

So now it was confirmed that not only was the filly living in this old shack, she was living here all by herself. Rainbow started to wonder how the filly had survived on her own for so long in this place, and it started to worry her. Yes, she'd stayed in pretty good condition, all thing considered, but there's no way it was easy for her. She needed help, and she needed it soon.

"Say, what's your dads name?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I might be able to talk to Princess Celestia and get him some leave time".

"Thanks, but it won't do any good," Scootaloo said, "He's been gone for a couple of years, I know he's not coming back".

"Alright then... why do you still live here?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Surely, it'd be easy to just ask somepony in Ponyville for a place to stay. I know for sure Rarity or Applejack would be more than willing to let you live with them".

"I just don't want to," Scootaloo said, "I know, it sounds stupid, but I just wouldn't feel at home with them like I do here".

"Look, kid, you need a good place to live, and this isn't cutting it anymore," Rainbow Dash said, "I mean, the wood is rotting away and it looks like this place could crumble at the lightest breeze. I know you don't want to leave the only place you've known as home, but I don't want you to get hurt here".

"Thanks, but I'm good," Scootaloo said, "You really don't need to worry about me, though, I'm fine".

Rainbow knew full well the little filly was just as stubborn as she was herself, so she didn't push the issue any further. She wasn't going to leave the filly on her own, however, so she did head home to get Tank, his food, and something for breakfast then she headed back. A little company overnight never hurt anypony. One thing was certain, however: it was going to be quite an interesting night.