Construction, Repair

Chapters

A Stray & Runaway
Rough Waters
Streams Converge

A Stray & Runaway

Scootaloo continued to run through the thick underbrush long after the shouts for her to stop had faded away. I can’t believe they ratted me out! I trusted them! the filly thought angrily, finally coming to a stop to let her heaving lungs have a break before they ended up exploding. “G-great, now I have s-something in my eye. Just perfect,” she mumbled, wiping away the moisture that had gathered on her cheeks.

Looking up, Scootaloo took stock of her surroundings, only to be greeted by dark, twisted trees all around her casting even darker shadows. With a loud, wet, snorting breath to clear her dripping sinuses, the little filly tried to squash the rising panic with more anger. “Well, it’s still better than back there. At least here I won’t have to deal with stupid Foal Service ponies who don’t understand…” Her shoulders slumped and she rubbed at her eyes frustratingly, annoyed that whatever had gotten caught in there still hadn’t been flushed out. “Nopony understands me… Not even my so-called best friends.”

She tensed as a howl rang through the rapidly cooling air, but she was far too upset to fully realize the implications. Stupid Apple Bloom! Stupid Sweetie Belle! Why couldn’t they just listen to me when I told them I was fine on my own!? Standing up, Scootaloo kicked at a rock, sending it flying out of sight to audibly bounce off of some gnarled wood. I had the clubhouse and it’s not like anypony was missing the few apples I took. I even grazed lots so I wouldn’t be stealing as much from Apple Bloom’s family for crying out loud!

The filly went to kick what she thought was another pebble, only to instead crack her hoof against an exposed root. “Argh! Of course that would happen! The world hates me!” She screamed as she fell onto her rump and began to nurse her throbbing hoof. A growl rumbled from deeper within the forest and Scootaloo froze, her ears swiveled to pin-point the direction.

Leaping into a defensive stance, she pawed at the dirt with her sore hoof a few times before holding it up, hiding the weakness within the threatening posture. “W-who’s there!” she yelled, eyes darting back and forth. “I’m warning you! I’ve been taking karate lessons from Rainbow Dash and I’m not afraid to kick flank!”

Her challenge was answered by a pair of glowing yellow eyes appearing in the woods directly in front of her, followed by another four to each side of the original. At the sight, what little bravado the little filly had been able to muster drained out of her small body and she quickly turned tail and ran.

As soon as she started sprinting, the predators tore after her, the sound driving Scootaloo’s wings abuzz. Though they were not big enough to lift her off of the ground, they did at least lighten the weight on her hooves and allowed her legs to carry her more easily, adding another boost of speed to her escape.

Unfortunately, the added effort was a drain on her already exhausted stamina, and the filly soon found herself slowing down. She regretted glancing over her shoulder to see that three Timberwolves were her hot on her tail, one snapping its wooden jaws at the purple hairs. Though the sight was terrifying, the feel of rancid breath wafting over her flank gave her body a much needed surge of energy as her veins were flooded with even more adrenaline.

As she pulled ahead, her tail moved out of reach of the frustrated monster’s teeth, motivating it to run even faster. Even though she had managed to put a little distance between herself and death, Scootaloo knew it wouldn’t matter unless something happened to get her out of this mess very soon. Please, Rainbow Dash, somepony, anypony… With one last burning breath, she screamed, “HELP ME!”

The little filly hardly knew what happened next as a blue blur burst from the foliage and drove the Timberwolf closest to reaching her into the dirt with a vicious growl. Her back leg had just barely been caught up in the sudden violence, but at a full-on gallop, it was more than enough to send Scootaloo head over hoof. Ending the roll with her rear end pointing to the sky, her back against a tree, and her tail tickling her chin, the filly watched in a daze at what was happening before her.

From her inverted perspective, she saw a blue mare standing protectively in front of her, front hooves spread apart and head held low, staring down the three Timberwolves as one slowly pulled itself up off of the ground. The other two looked as if they didn’t quite know how to react to the sudden interruption of their hunt, but a fierce growl from the apparent leader seemed to do the trick.

As all three wooden beasts glared down their adversary, Scootaloo tried to identify her savior, and for just a moment, her heart soared. “Rainbow Dash!” the filly exclaimed as she struggled awkwardly to right herself. “I knew you’d come and save me!”

Once she was on her hooves, Scootaloo made to rush to her hero’s side, but was stopped when the mare turned dark, violet eyes on her and unleashed a growl not unlike those from the wolves. It was then that Scootaloo got a proper look at the one who had come to her rescue.

With the bulk of the dizziness clearing from her head and being right-side up the filly could see that whoever this mare was, she was most definitely not her idol. Though both ponies were blue, that was where the similarities ended as this mare didn’t have Rainbow Dash’s awesome, wind-blown, Technicolor mane and tail. Instead, she had wavy, somewhat matted messes of pale silver in their place.

The Timberwolves, evidently done trying to intimidate the interloper, lunged forward. They had not expected, however, for said interloper to fight back so fearlessly as she pounced at the same time, colliding with one midair and bringing them both to the ground. Too stunned to immediately fight back, the wolf failed to stop its opponent from getting her mouth around the bridge of its muzzle. In the next instant, the forest was filled with the sound of crunching bark and a howl of pain as the pony’s flat teeth proved more than enough to crack wood.

Even with the wolf below her flailing wildly, its splinter-like claws creating red furrows along her chest and belly, the mare continued to clamp down on its face. Scootaloo thought the mare was going to rip the wolf’s head off with how violently she was shaking her own, but another wolf tackled her side, sending her sprawling away from its pack mate. The mare didn’t hesitate a moment as she immediately rolled to her hooves, barking at the wolf as it continued its charge.

Rearing up, the mare kicked her front hooves out, landing a solid blow right between the glowing yellow eyes of the wooden beast, collapsing the bark inwards and dropping it in an instant. This left only one foe remaining as the first to be injured shakily rose, the upper part of its muzzle all but gone. The leader, furious with the humiliating defeat its pack was receiving at the hooves of a mere pony, had no plans of making the same mistake as its underlings.

The wolf began to circle its prey, who in turn did the same, turning their fight for survival into a dangerous dance as both emanated low, angry growls. This dance however, soon showed itself to be a dance of death as, if by some invisible signal, pony and wolf tore towards each other with twin cries of battle.

Scootaloo flinched as flesh met wood in a fight to determine her fate. Though she didn’t know who the strange, wild mare was, she was inclined to trust in her intent over what the Timberwolves had planned for a filly lost in the forest. Unfortunately, it looked like she would be finding out what the wolves wanted with her as the mare soon ended up underneath her opponent, holding snapping jaws away with an outstretched forehoof.

Bringing her other hoof around in a devastating haymaker to the temple, the mare sent tinder flying as she destroyed a large chunk of the magical creature’s head. Unlike the others though, this wolf did not crumple under the damaging attack as it sunk its fangs deep into the leg that had just injured it.

The mare howled in pain as a sickening glint of glee entered the hunter's one remaining eye. Scootaloo watched as her savior ineffectively tried to pry the jaws apart with her other forehoof before quickly resorting to raining wild blows upon the beast. Said beast would have none of this however, as he quickly began to wrench at the limb, shaking his head wildly back and forth and preventing the mare from landing a clean blow.

In that instant, it wasn’t a mare and wolf that lay before Scootaloo; it was herself, cowering under the glare of the pony tasked with her well-being, awaiting both verbal and physical strikes as the other foals watched on, afraid to incur the wrath of their supposed caretaker. The little filly grit her teeth and dug her hooves into the soil before tearing towards the two combatants. “Leave her alone!” she screamed as she tackled the Timberwolf’s side with all her might.

Caught by surprise, the wolf beast found itself knocked off balance as its little attacker bounced off of its heavy, wooden frame, but that was all the advantage the mare needed. Rolling herself over, the mare brought the mutt to the ground and ended up on top of it, foreleg still clamped in its unnatural jaws, before bringing her free hoof down in an attack that disintegrated another portion of the wolf’s face.

With so little left to hold them together, the jaws of the beast unhinged, creating quite the disturbing sight as the lower half remained attached by the merit of single twig, and even that did not last as the mare dealt another blow. With its head all but gone, the wolf went limp and the mare began to tiredly struggle to her hooves, panting heavily the whole way.

Scootaloo did the same as she tried to rub away her newly bloomed headache, her hard hoof doing a poor job of it. “Ow, that was like the catapult crusade all over again… Except hitting a tree instead of a hay bale,” she grumbled as she looked to her savior. Upon seeing the mare victorious, she couldn’t resist proclaiming, “That. Was. Awsome! I can’t believe we took on three Timberwolves! That was, like, Rainbow Dash levels awesomeness!”

As she ran over to the blue mare, stumbling only on the first few steps, her exuberance was cut short by a menacing growl. Skidding to a halt, Scootaloo’s eyes whipped around to see one of the wolf’s standing shakily, its head slowly repairing itself as branches and bark snapped back into place. Another growl returned the filly’s attention to the mare where she saw that she too was staring at the freshly arisen adversary, her teeth bared.

When the mare snapped her head towards Scootaloo, the pegasus gulped as she locked her eyes with wild ones. In the next instant, the mare began sprinting towards her and Scootaloo screamed. The terror-filled scream was abruptly changed to a pained yelp, however, as the mare grabbed hold of the filly by the scruff of her neck in one fluid motion, not stopping a moment as she tore into the thicket.

“Ow! Hey, that hurts! Let go!” protested Scootaloo as she felt a twinge of pain with every step her unwanted transporter galloped. Alas, her pleas fell on deaf ears and her mane was repeatedly pulled as the mare continued to run, fleeing from the rapidly recovering Timberwolves behind them.

After nearly a full minute of this, Scootaloo gave up on struggling and simply went limp, doing her best to ignore the pain as she waited for the psycho to get tired and let her free. How did I even get into this mess, anyway? the filly found herself thinking. After the whole near-death experience thing, most of her other worries had been placed on the backburner. I usually don’t get into this kind of trouble unless I’m on a crusade with the girls. Expression souring as soon as the thought registered, the filly actually crossed her front hooves, all but forgetting her current situation. Oh yeah, my so-called friends went and told on me… Why do I even bother trusting ponies anymore? All they ever do is go behind my back.

The rhythm of her bounces shifted and Scootaloo looked around to see the mare’s pace slowing. “Are you finally done? I’d like to get down sometime tonight,” she spat upwards. Before she could say anything else, the mare came to a stop and finally dropped her, much to Scootaloo’s chagrin. “Oof! Hey! How ‘bout a little warning next time before just dropping a pony!” the filly shouted as she rubbed her rump. “Seriously, I landed right on a root.”

She spun around with the intent of continuing her rant, but stopped when she bumped noses with the mare. “Uh, do you mind backing up a bit?” Scootaloo asked as she herself retreated. The mare followed, however, and started nudging her all over, rapidly sniffing through the whole process. “W-what are you doing!? Th-haha-that tickles!”

The mare whimpered, her muzzle pointed at Scootaloo’s shoulder. Following the concerned gaze, the filly found herself looking at a long scratch with a small dribble of blood trailing down her leg. “Huh, that must have happened when I tripped,” she mumbled to herself, bringing a hoof up to touch the minor injury, but was barely able to brush against the wound before another hoof pushed hers away. “Wha-huh?”

A whimpering had Scootaloo returning her eyes to the blue mare who yelped and shook her head. “Wow, calm down there, lady, it’s barely more than a boo-boo, I’ve gotten worse from crusading.” The mare didn’t seem reassured as her head came closer and she brought her tongue out to gently loll against the red line. “Wow-hey! What’re you doing!?” shouted Scootaloo as she jumped back.

When the mare followed, Scootaloo had to bring her hoof up to push the blue face away. “No… whatever it is you’re doing!” she commanded, giving her strange companion a stern glare. “Seriously, you just… just stay there.” The mare tilted her head with a slight frown, but dropped to her hunches anyway. “Yeah, that’s good, don’t get any closer… you weirdo.”

Not paying any mind to the drooping ears and shoulders of the mare, Scootaloo began examining her cut again. Now that she was actually focusing on it, her shoulder began to sting slightly and she hissed. With another glare at the rising mare, causing her to droop again in resignation, Scootaloo began inspecting herself more closely, quickly discovering a small shard of wood a fair bit bigger than a run-of-the-mill splinter wedged beneath her hide. “Great, how am I going to get that out?”

In truth, the little filly had become fairly good at treating her own injuries after watching closely whenever she was patched up with the other crusaders by their sisters, but in both the case of Rarity and Applejack, they made use of things she simply didn’t have access to at the moment. Rarity’s method of magically levitated tweezers for splinter removal was right out for obvious reasons and Scootaloo wasn’t flexible enough to use her mouth like Applejack would.

She was so engrossed in her own conundrum that Scootaloo didn’t even notice the mare edge towards her until a blue muzzle entered her line of sight. “I thought I told you to stay!” she snapped, causing the mare to wilt. Even so, she continued to gesture her head at the cut, whimpering the entire time.

Scootaloo looked between the mare’s pleading eyes to the cut several times before she raised an eyebrow. “Do you… want to help get this splinter out?” she tentatively asked. At this, the mare noticeably brightened and barked happily. Scootaloo was hesitant to accept medical treatment from a stranger, let alone an obviously crazy pony in the woods, but she didn’t have many options while being lost and unable to return to Ponyville without being abducted by Foal Services. Also, now that the adrenaline was losing affect, the shard of wood was becoming increasingly irritating as it shifted under her skin with each movement.

Slowly, Scootaloo angled herself to give the mare better access to her shoulder and mumbled, “Fine, but you better not try any funny business, you hear me?” Yipping in response, the mare sidled up to the smaller pony and brought her muzzle close, exhaling warm air over the wound before licking it several times. The strange feeling and twinge of pain caused Scootaloo go rigid, but she fought the urge to pull away as the mare went to work.

Oddly enough, the sensation of a smooth, leathery tongue rolling over her injury eventually seemed to numb the pain and even started to feel kind of good as it loosened muscles she hadn’t even realized were knotted. Scootaloo hardly flinched when the mare pushed deeper and started gently gnawing at the cut, her teeth trying to get a hold of the foreign body stuck in her hide. It didn’t take long before she succeeded and began to give soft tugs at the wood until it was out far enough for her lips lend aid in the task.

After that, it took only a moment for the offending piece of tinder to be removed and spat out by the mare, resulting in an increased flow of blood from the wound, but Scootaloo hardly noticed. As the mare went back to work, lapping up the precious, red liquid in an attempt to remove any and all leftover debris, her patient’s eyes began to droop, remembering long-forgotten comforts from her distant youth, far before her time in Ponyville. The little pegasus could only faintly recall memories of being treated so tenderly by another, memories of gentle preenings and laying against the warm side of another, and in those recollections she found a sense of peace and security she had thought she’d never feel again.

The sudden lick across her cheek snapped Scootaloo from her thoughts as she looked over at the happily panting mare. Blushing deeply, she checked her shoulder to see that the bleeding had slowed significantly and the deep scratch was perfectly clean. With a few embarrassed glances flicked towards the mare, Scootaloo eventually worked up the courage to say, “Thank you.”

Barking twice, the pony’s tail began to wag energetically behind her. Now that her life wasn’t in danger and she found herself calmer than she had been all night, Scootaloo was able to study her strange savior more closely. As the blue mare stood and trotted in a tight circle, Scootaloo took note that she was an earth pony with a simple, grey screw for a cutie mark. She also saw that blood would periodically drip to the ground below her.

“H-hey, are those going to be alright? Scootaloo asked, gesturing a hoof towards the pony’s underside. Looking down, the mare sat and leaned back as far as she could manage, revealing dozens of crisscrossing lines along her barrel and belly. Though none of them were life-threatening, some were bleeding somewhat badly and Scootaloo found herself wincing when her own cut gave a throb in sympathy.

The mare bent forward with a grunt and began trying to lick at the wounds, only managing to reach a few. Scootaloo was stuck between offering help and not knowing how she would as the mare lost her balance and tipped over. The thought of licking the wounds clean like the mare had done for her had briefly crossed her mind before being quickly dismissed. As much as she wanted to return the favor for earlier, Scootaloo’s cut hadn’t been in nearly as an embarrassing a spot, and she highly doubted her own clumsy tongue could work the same miracles as the mare’s, so any attempt would only add unneeded awkwardness to an already difficult situation. Maybe I can find some leaves that can help; Zecora makes all sorts of healing stuff with the plants around here. How hard could it be?

Luckily for the blue earth pony, Scootaloo’s plan of rubbing random, potentially poisonous plants over her open wounds was halted when a howl rang out in the distance. With a growl, the mare forgot about her bleeding cuts and made her way for Scootaloo, jaws reaching down to clamp onto the scruff of her neck again. “Oh no you don’t, I can walk just fine.” Scootaloo said with a defiant look.

Another howl had both ponies standing straighter as the mare quickly moved behind her ward and nudged her in the flank. “H-hey! Watch where you’re sticking that thing!” Scootaloo told her, only to receive another push in response. “Okay! Okay! I’m going, sheesh!” Moving into a fast trot, Scootaloo maneuvered around trees and bushes with the blue more a step behind her and the only knowledge of their direction being away from the Timberwolves.

I have a feeling this is going to be the strangest night of my life… All I need is a giant princess head to appear on the moon again and it’ll be a sure thing. With a shake of her head, the filly focused on the non-existent path ahead and hoped she would live long enough to tell somepony about all this. It was going to be one helluva weird story to be sure.

Author's Note

This is going to be a short(ish) story that I'm going to work on while waiting for edits on my other story, Tale of Two Dragons so it won't update as frequently.

That being said, sorry in advance if it seems more heavy-handed in exposition and emotion than my other story, it's a result of both this story being shorter and working with a frequently done concept, albiet with a twist. There have been many Orphanloo fics written here, so I didn't want to drag out the reveal as it's not the center of the piece. Hope you don't get turned away by it.

Rough Waters

Standing with her nose pressed against the glass, Screw Loose watched the outside world with longing, wishing with all her might that she could be out there playing instead of locked inside the little white room all day. Alas, the pound ponies would not allow such a thing and she had to settle for being a none too silent observer.

The mare’s tail went into a frenzy of movement when a black lab passed her window, and she did her best to get the other dog’s attention. “Bark-bark-bark!” Its black ears perked as its head lifted the patch of ground it was sniffing, dark eyes scanning for the caller. “Hey! Hey! Over here! What’re you doing!” she barked excitedly, causing the lab’s gaze to lock unto her. “What’s it like out there!? How’s the weather!? Do you smell anything interesting!?”

Tilting its head, the lab chose to rudely ignore her questions, opting instead to return its nose to the ground and walk away. “Hey! Where are you going!? I’m talking to you!” she howled, scratching at the windowpane with her blunt paw. The dog paid her no mind however, as it continued on its merry way, apparently tracking something far more interesting than the blue dog behind the glass. “Fine! Be that way! See if I care…! I bet your butt smells like cat!”

With that parting jab, Screw Loose dropped her chin to the window sill with a huff, blowing a silver strand of fur out of her eyes. She was tempted to mark her territory to let the impolite lab know that he was not welcome by her window again, but knew the ponies running the pound would just scrub it all away the same day. Besides, last time she had done that, it had become even harder to get her ears scratched by the ponies, and it had nearly been impossible before then.

With a dejected sigh, Screw loose slowly made her way to her bed, deciding to nap until she was brought her lunch, though that wasn’t much to look forward to; these ponies refused to bring her anything good to eat, forcing her to either eat an assortment of plants or nothing. What she’d give for a nice, juicy steak instead of grass for once... it was a surprise she hadn’t starved yet eating like a rabbit instead of the carnivore she was. At least she had grown accustomed to the unappealing food, even growing somewhat of a taste for it by now.

Walking few tight circles to make sure nothing would sneak up on her while she rested, the blue dog curled into a tight ball and fantasized about savory meats. She wasn’t sure how long she had let her canine mind drift, but it had apparently been long enough for lunch time to roll around as she heard the handle of her door rattle.

Head shooting up, Screw Loose wiped the drool away from her lips and climbed down from the mattress, trying to work up as much enthusiasm as she could for the unsatisfying meal to come. If anything, maybe she could get one of the ponies to play with her some. Wagging her tail and preparing her best puppy dog eyes, she got ready to bombard this visitor with as much cuteness that she could muster.

The plan was forgotten though, when the door opened to reveal a very familiar pony. “Here you go, Mr. Rivet, visiting hours don’t end for quite some time, so take as long as you need. Orderlies will be right outside the door, so just knock if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Doc, but I’m good.” Nodding to his escort, the tall, cobalt blue earth pony turned to look at Screw Loose, giving her a tired smile as he pushed a strand of his shaggy, grey mane from his eyes. “Hey, sis, how’ve you been?” The question had hardly left his mouth before he was nearly bowled over by the smaller pony tackling him, the stallion being forced back a few steps and causing his rivet adorned flank to knock the door shut with a loud bang. “Hahaha, it’s good to see you too,” he chuckled as he worked to push the mare away and stop her from licking his face.

“Oh, it’s so great of you to show up! I’ve been dying of boredom here!” Screw Loose yipped excitedly. “None of the ponies here scratch behind my ears as well as you do, Steel, if at all.”

As she went on about how nopony would play with, or even visit her most of the time, Steel’s smile faded from the genuine one he had when she had showered him with doggy affection to an obviously strained one as he mumbled, “Still doing the barking thing, huh?” After that, he let the smile drop completely and let his shoulders slump. “Don’t know what I expected.”

Though she didn’t understand everything he had said, sadness was radiating in waves off of the stallion, and that knowledge upset Screw Loose more than rude Labradors and eating nothing but veggies combined ever could. “Hey now, there’s no reason to be sad. I’m sorry if I did something bad, I was just so happy to see a friendly face is all,” she tried, nuzzling up under his chin. “Was it the licking? I’m sorry if it bothered you, most of the ponies here don’t like it either, but I still forget not to do it sometimes.”

She continued to whimper apologies to Steel Rivet, hoping to make up for whatever she had done to upset him. Steel was very important to her, as the fact that his name being one of the few she consistently remembered was a testament to, so she hated being the cause of his pain.

He was the one pony who came to see her almost every day, even if sometimes it was only for a short while, but her affection for him went deeper than that. Though she didn’t know why, Steel Rivet seemed far more familiar than just a frequent visitor to the pound, but whenever she tried to remember him outside the context of these white walls, it would cause her head to hurt and heart to ache. Even so, she still cherished her time spent with him.

“Sorry, I’m just a bit tired is all,” Steel assured her with a pet of the mane that evolved into a bone melting massage behind the ears. “So enough with the sad eyes, eh? Big brothers can’t stand seeing their little sisters upset you know.”

Hearing the cheerful tone enter the stallion’s voice lifted Screw Loose’s spirits greatly as she pushed up into his hoof, sighing softly as she lost herself to the sensation. With a smirk, Steel brought his other foreleg up to join the first, prompting a line of drool from her lips as she smiled dumbly.

Screw Loose was disappointed when the pampering ended, but did her best to cover it up, leaping away and barking happily. “So what do want to do, huh!? I’ve been thinking you could help me with my tail! The smug jerk thinks it’s so smart, staying just out of reach so I can’t catch it.” She wasn’t sure if any of what she said had gotten through to the stallion, but his chuckling at her excited antics made her smile. “Oh! I know, we’ll play tug-o-war!”

Running to her small bed, Screw Loose grabbed hold of the pillow with her teeth and jumped back in front of Steel, waving the feather-filled sack in his face enticingly as if to say, “You know you want to.”

“Ah, Come on, Screwy, I just got off work, I don’t have the energy for that,” Steel explained, though she could tell his heart wasn’t in it. The use of the familiar name, of her name only made Screw Loose more persistent in getting her friend to play. He was the only one around who seemed to use it instead of “patient” or even “crazy” by some of the less friendly ponies working at the pound.

After a few more shakes and a muffled bark, Steel finally sighed and, with a roll of his eyes and a smile on his face, reached his hooves forward. Once he clamped them onto the pillow, Screw Loose immediately changed demeanor, her eyes hardening in determination as she lowered herself and growled.

The stallion nearly lost the match right out of the gate, not holding the pillow tightly enough as his opponent gave the first vicious yank. “Wow!” he exclaimed as the pillowcase slid halfway out from between his hooves. “You’re not holding back, eh?” His answer was another hard shake of the head and him losing even more of his grip.

Prepared for an easy victory, Screw Loose pulled one last time, but was met with a new resistance as the stallion clamped his own teeth into the fabric. Eyes locking in challenge, pony and dog entered the ultimate battle of strength and endurance as they both thrashed back and forth in an attempt to claim the fluffy trophy as their own.

The war waged for nearly five minutes before a victor came out on top. Screw Loose stood proudly with the now thoroughly slobber soaked and ragged pillow held high as Steel breathed heavily and rubbed at his jaw. “Phew, it feels like my teeth are going to fall out. How do you manage that all the time without losing a molar?” asked the loser as he sat down and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Dropping the pillow, Screw Loose sat down as well, a wide grin splitting her features. “You sure are out of shape, Steel. I mean, I have to spend all my time sitting in here while you can run and play as much as you like, and I still beat you!” Screw Loose let out a very un-doggy-like giggle and poked him in the chest. “What’s with that, huh? Do you ponies just not like exercise?”

“Aw, quit it, sis,” he jokingly reprimanded. “I may not know what you’re saying, but with a shit-eating grin like that, I doubt it’s anything good.” With a sigh, Steel turned his eyes upwards. “It’s been awhile since we’ve played like this, what with you being in here and me having to do so much extra work. We really haven’t had as much time to play tug-o-war like we used to.” Bringing his gaze back down to meet hers, his smile started to become sad. “…Do you remember that? How, no matter how busy either of us got or how exhausted we were when we got off a job, we always made sure we would have the time and energy for her?”

Dread began to fill Screw Loose’s heart as the pony started to talk as if she could comprehend each word he spoke and wished for nothing more than to not hear them. “We would play all sorts of games from hide-and-seek, hopscotch, tag… but tug-o-war was always her favorite.” He gave a sardonic chuckle. “The two of us would always gang up on you and still only win half the time… and I’m pretty sure those were the times you let us!” The stallion grinned a moment as if remembering a fond memory. “You know, I think she knew it too, but she never said a thing, she was just glad to be able to spend time with you… She loved you so much, and you loved her even more.”

As he spoke, Screw Loose’s skull began to pound, and the pain only grew as he continued. Even when she dropped to the floor whimpering, ears folded back and blunt paws covering her head, Steel Rivet kept talking. “Do you remember how you use to growl and bark and yip just to make her happy? She’d always wanted a dog, but we just couldn’t afford one; you and I were always working and she was too young to care for a pet, but you didn’t let that stop you giving her what she wanted. You always did your best to give that filly everything. A good home, a full belly, an education… and a loving, loyal dog.”

She tried to get him to understand; she whimpered and begged for him to stop. “Please, Steel, I’m sorry, you can have the pillow. I-I didn’t really want it anyway, it’s all yours. Just, please… stop talking.” But he didn’t, he kept on going, lowering himself to her level and digging into her mind with a whisper, digging up flashes of memories she had tried to bury.

“You don’t have to play pretend anymore… There’s nopony to pretend for.” He reached a hoof out and placed it on her leg, causing her to jerk away. “Please… Stop this. You’re only hurting yourself. Do you think she would have wanted this for you? Do you think this is making her happy? You have to understand that she’s gone, right? Screw Loose, she. Is. Gone. And nothing you do will change that, especially not this, not hurting yourself like this.”

He leaned in closer, tears in his eyes and his face looking haggard. For a moment, Screw Loose was tempted to attack the stallion to stop him from hurting her anymore, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it as she peeked up and saw the anguish clear in his expression. “I’m sorry, but… but Silver Thread isn’t coming back, because she’s… she’s-”

“Awooo!”

Screw Loose was jolted from her dozing by the hunter’s call and she looked over her shoulder at the small filly to see her in a similar state, her head up and ears perked. “Seriously, they’re still following us? When are they going to give up?” she asked drowsily as she climbed to her hooves.

The only response she got was a blue muzzle nudging her from the crook in the large tree’s roots. Grumbling, Scootaloo complied and stumbled forward. Though Screw Loose was tempted to push her to go faster, she resisted as the filly stretched her legs out. The dog had wanted a break just as much as her ward had after all the running, fighting, and hours of trotting that followed. About the only positive thing from all that had happened was the attempted small talk from the little filly; that’s how Screw Loose knew her name, after all.

Even so, the memories from the night before and the headache that they brought made the dog eager continue their search for safety as quickly as possible.

“So, crazy mare, where are we going, anyway? Do you have some sort of den out here or something? Because even a pony as tough as me needs more than ten minutes of sleep,” Scootaloo asked somewhat irritably. When the question wasn’t answered, she tried to change the topic. “Do you at least have a name? I told you mine after all, so it’s only fair you tell me yours, right? Seriously, I don’t mind calling you crazy, but I can use something else if it bothers you.”

This got Screw Loose’s attention as she stopped scanning the environment and locked eyes on the filly. Just as with Steel, the dog’s mind knew the gist of what was being said to her, and the idea of having another pony calling her by her proper name was a very tantalizing prospect. Barking excitedly, she stopped and pointed at the strange birthmark on her side, as it was probably what whoever named had her had based the decision on.

Scootaloo turned around and raised an eyebrow. “I asked for your name, not where your flank is.” She snorted, a small smirk coming to her face. “If Diamond Tiara were here, she’d probably say thanks for clearing up which end was your plot and which one was your face or something.”

Ignoring the comment, Screw Loose simply jabbed her nose towards the mark again, causing the filly to tilt her head and come closer. “Your cutie mark, is that what you’re pointing at?” Feeling that the little pony was on the right track, Screw Loose nodded her head energetically.

A look of comprehension crossed Scootaloo’s face. “Oh! Your name must have something to do with your cutie mark!” Knocking a hoof against her head, she continued, “Duh, I should have figured as much, I mean, there are a bunch of ponies in town that have names like their marks… Now that I think about it, that’s pretty weird actually. How do parents know what their foals’ special talents will be to name them with?”

With the sound of a clearing throat, Scootaloo’s attention was snapped back on task. “Sorry, my mind was wondering to a weird place there,” she admitted with a shake of her head. Scrunching her eyes the filly moved to get a closer look. “Hmm, what kind of name would go with a screw…? Is your name Driver?” The mare shook her head no. “Builder? Metal? Right Twist?” More negatives were the response. “Maybe just Screw then?” The mare was about to shake her head again, but froze before getting closer and wagging her tail. “Oh! Must be close! Um… what about Screwy!”

Screw Loose yipped and bounced in place. “Yes, yes, yes! That’s what Steel calls me too! Now I have two best friends, this is great!”

“Wow… I’ m guessing your name is Screwy then?” Looking contemplative for a moment, Scootaloo hummed. “Yeah, I guess that name suits a pony that acts like a dog.” A rustle from a nearby bush caused both of them to freeze. “Uh, okay, Screwy, l-let’s get going.” Turning around, the filly set off at a fast walk, Screw Loose following right behind her after sending a growl towards whatever had made the sound.

“Don’t even think about touching this filly,” she said to the hidden threat as she pushed Scootaloo to move a little faster. “I’ll rip anything that tries to hurt her to shreds.” When there was no other sound but an owl’s hoot, Screw Loose was satisfied that her message had been received.

As the two continued to weave through the forest, Scootaloo began talking again in an obvious attempt to fill the stifling silence with idle chatter. For her part, Screw Loose tolerated the filly’s antics as she did her best to focus her hearing on the wilderness around them. It really wasn’t that she didn’t like the little one's aimless ramblings, she usually enjoyed any form of friendly interaction after hours of isolation in her white room, but at that moment, she was determined to protect them both from anything the Everfree could throw at them and knew she’d have to be hyper-vigilant to do so.

“I swear, when I punched her stupid snout, Diamond Tiara was almost too shocked to feel the pain. She did end up feeling it of course; I’ve been taking karate lessons from Rainbow Dash, after all.” Scootaloo demonstrated with a karate chop through the empty air. “I’d bet you’d like Rainbow Dash. I mean, nopony can not like her, but you’re kind of awesome too, so I’m sure you’d get along. The three of us could be awesome together even!”

Even over the constant chatter, the dog’s ears detected something and swiveled towards the familiar and welcome sound. Putting a blunt paw on the filly’s back to quiet her, Screw Loose shut her eyes and focused her awareness solely on what her hearing was telling her. That sound… it’s running water! Eyes snapping open, her tail began to wag rapidly as she ran towards the source of the sound.

Stopping after a few steps, she turned towards the befuddled Scootaloo and yipped, “Come on! Come on! There’s water this way!” With that, she whipped around and continued, practically ignoring the call to wait up as she sought to quench a thirst she had hardly noticed until then.

As she went, what she thought was the sound of a babbling brook grew ever louder until, after much further than she thought, she burst from the brush to see a torrential river. Skidding to a halt, little hoofsteps padded up quickly behind her. “Give a pony some warning next time! Sheesh, what was so important that you needed to take off on me, anyway?”

While staring at the violently churning waters, unease settled over Screw Loose and it once again felt like something was clawing to the forefront of her mind. “A river…? Sweet! I needed something to drink.” The words snapped Screw Loose from her thoughts as she looked to see Scootaloo already near the river’s edge.

In an instant, the dog shot forward and wrapped her legs around Scootaloo and yanked her back with a scream of, “Silver!” The two tumbled to the dirt as the filly struggled to get out of Screw Loose’s grip.

“What… is… wrong… with… you!” Scootaloo grit out as she pulled away and climbed to her hooves. “I’m trying to get some water here!” She glared at the dog the entire time she got her own legs underneath her. When Screw did stand once more she tried to answer as best she could. “It’s… it’s dangerous! You could fall in and… and I wouldn’t be able to save you!” she barked, wishing for the reckless filly to understand. “I just know I wouldn’t, so you have to stay away from the river.”

“Back to this again? You know, I’m pretty sure you just said something that wasn’t a dog sound; why not do that again, huh?” Scootaloo spat, causing Screw Loose to blink a few times.

What’s she talking about? I didn’t say anything. I can’t. The dog was so busy trying to figure out what she had just been accused of that she hardly registered the huffed, “Whatever,” until after the filly was already halfway to the water’s edge again. Leaping once more, Screw Loose imposed herself between Scootaloo and the dangerous rapids.

“Seriously? Come on! I’m thirsty here! Just let me get a drink already!” Scootaloo yelled with a stomp of her hoof. Even so, something other than anger was in her voice, and that was desperation. Hearing that weakened Screw Loose’s resolve and it crumbled completely when the filly’s angry facade faded. “Please, just a sip even, and then we can go or whatever.”

Bowing her head, the dog stepped aside, and Scootaloo smiled somewhat meekly as she passed, uttering a quiet, “Thank you.” Even so, Screw Loose wasn’t going to let the filly go unsupervised and followed right behind her, ready grab hold of her purple tail and yank her to safety at the first sign of danger.

Ignoring the dog hovering over her shoulder, Scootaloo lowered her muzzle to the water, expecting cool, refreshing liquid to reach her tongue. Instead, she got a mouthful of foulness as her cheeks bulged just before she unleashed a fine mist several feet in front of her. “Blegh, what is that!? It tastes like shampoo!” she exclaimed as she began to scrape her tongue with her hooves; the taste of dirt preferable to that of soap.

As if in answer to her question, something large splashed upriver and both pairs of eyes quickly darted over to spot what it was. This was made difficult for Scootaloo as Screw Loose once again put herself between the filly and the potential threat with a growl. “Ah, so smooth; I so do love this new blend,” spoke an effeminate voice.

Upon seeing the long stretch of hard, purple scales that clashed horribly with the suds-filled, orange mane and mustache, the dog was finding it no less difficult to determine whether this thing would be doing her ward harm or not. Scootaloo however, seemed to have made up her mind fairly quickly as she shouted, “Hey you! Are you the one getting all this crud in the water!?”

“Eek! Peepers!” shrieked the sea serpent as he spun around, claws covering his chest as he stared wide-eyed at the two of them.

“Answer the question! What is this stuff!?” Scootaloo demanded as she gestured at the white bubbles flowing across the water’s surface. “Am I poisoned now!?”

Seemingly forgetting the supposed invasion of privacy, the sea serpent blinked a few times before quirking a well-tweezed eyebrow. “Poison? Why would you think my shampoo is poisonous, little pony?” he asked as he ran a talon through his long mustache. “I know it makes my mane and moostache to die for, but I’d hardly say it’s lethal.”

“Gross! You mean I really just drank your shampoo?!” It seemed the little filly had become just as flummoxed by the situation as Screw Loose had as her mouth open and shut a few times. It wasn’t long however, before she tried to cover the confusion with animosity. “Why are you dumping shampoo in the river anyway!? Ponies have to drink from that and- and it’s probably bad for the environment too!”

The flamboyant serpent rolled his eyes. “Hardly, it’s made from all natural ingredients right from this very forest. I get it from that lovely zebra mare in exchange for the plants and algae that grow on the river bed.” His face twisted up into a grimace. “As much I loathe touching such slimy plant life, Zecora’s shampoos and conditioners are simply too good not to suffer a little for.”

“Zecora makes this stuff?” Scootaloo asked before her eyes went wide. “Wait! Zecora!” Running around Screw Loose, the filly galloped closer the strange creature and questioned, “If you get that crud from Zecora, then you must know where she lives, right!? Can you tell us!?”

The serpent responded as Screw Loose caught up. “I’m sorry, but no I don’t know,” he explained as he ducked his head under water, sending another streak of suds down the river. When he emerged, he didn’t miss a beat and went on. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the most land-faring creature in the Everfree, and can’t very well walk to the lady’s home. She comes to me to make trades and we sometimes partake in tea and conversation, but she’s never told me where she lives; I’d hardly find use for such information, after all.”

Combing a claw through his rinsed hair, the serpent eyed the two up and down and frowned slightly. “I can see why you would want to find her; you’re absolutely filthy, the both of you. And your manes,” A shudder went up his long spine. “They’re absolutely atrocious. You would definitely benefit from a visit to Zecora’s.”

Nodding his head sagely, both Scootaloo and Screw Loose developed angry blushes, the former not willing to admit it and the latter not knowing exactly why. “Hey! We are not out here looking for stupid soap; we’re looking for a place to sleep!” the filly shouted with a stomp of her hoof. “And another thing; I don’t care what you think about my mane because I’m not a frou-frou filly like you!”

“I’ll have you know I am the pinnacle of sea serpent masculinity,” he huffed indignantly. “… I just so happen find joy in looking my best is all… That simply shows how comfortable I am with my sexuality.” Looking satisfied with his logic, he smiled slightly. “So, if you’re not out here for beauty products, what is it you are out here for, hmm? I swear, you ponies are always doing the strangest things, like that group of mares wondering the woods chasing after that uncouth cloud of black smoke.”

He frowned and absently trailed a claw through the right side of his mustache before shivering slightly. “Nasty thing ruined my wonderful moostache. I shudder to think what I would have ended up doing that night if not for the generosity of lady Rarity. Sure, once I had gotten my head on straight I realized how horribly her tail worked as a replacement, but the fix gave me enough time to come to my senses.”

If given the chance, the serpent would have no doubt continued reminiscing, but Scootaloo put a stop to that with a shout of, “Wait! Did you say Rarity!?”

Blinking back to the present, the serpent nodded. “Yes, I did… do you know her?”

“Well, duh, she’s one of the Elements of Harmony and the big sister of my frien… a pony I know.” Scootaloo’s shoulders sagged, but straightened again a moment later. “She’s also friends with Rainbow Dash, who’s, like, only the coolest pony ever. So yeah, I know her.”

After a pause, the serpent smiled. “Well, any friend of Rarity’s is a friend of mine,” he stated as he leaned down and offered a claw. “Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, I was just a little surprised is all. I wasn’t expecting visitors in the middle of one of my tri-daily groomings… and the fact that I rarely see ponies out here. Anyway, my name is Steven Magnet, a pleasure to meet you both.”

Screw Loose bent forward and sniffed at the claw, wondering if the strange creature was offering her snacks. Raising a brow, Steven shifted his claw lower to the filly who, after giving her companion her own exasperated look, reached up and bumped her hoof against one of the well-manicured nails. “I’m Scootaloo and the crazy one is Screwy, it’s nice to meet you, Steve.”

“Steven, if you please, just Steve makes me sound like some sort of hooligan,” Steven said as he leaned back slightly. “Now, as I asked before, what are a couple of mares doing in the middle of the forest? I would expect you to be in that village of yours.”

Scootaloo diverted her eyes and frowned. “Ponies there can’t mind their own business and were being real pains in my flank, so I came here to get away for a while… But I’m not running away or anything! I don’t run from anything!” As if to prove her toughness, the little filly puffed her chest out and ruffled her feathers.

This got both sets of eyes on her to display concern and the serpent spoke tentatively, “Is that so? You know, I’m no expert when it comes to equines… but is it possible these ponies were trying to help?”

“But I don’t need help! That’s what nopony understands!” Scootaloo punctuated the declaration with a stomp. “I’m fine living on my own!”

Much to her confusion, Screw Loose once again found herself following the conversation and understanding her ward’s meaning, both her words and what they were meant to hide. “Everyone needs someone, Scoots, especially little someones like you… The little ones should always be looked after and kept safe.”

Seemingly understanding her mix of whimpers and yips, Scootaloo backed away and shook her head. “You guys too? Is it really that hard to understand? Just leave me alone.”

For a moment, Screw Loose feared she’d have to chase the pony, but Steven quickly said, “No, no, we completely understand, don’t we Screwy? I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of handling your own affairs.”

At first, the dog was going to growl at the sea serpent, but, something clicked in her head. “O-oh yes, I’m sure you do just fine on your own, no need for you to run off on me, Scoots,” she barked and nodded vigorously. As much as it churned her insides to lie to the little pony, she understood what Steven was attempting and saw the need for it; it was far too dangerous to let Scoots stomp off in a huff with predators about.

Looking between the two pasted on smiles, Scootaloo narrowed her eyes in suspicion and questioned, “Really? You’re not going to hound me about going back and doing what the grownups tell me?”

The serpent’s smile wavered somewhat as he answered, “Well, I’m not saying that’s a horrible idea, and you really should give it some consideration, but if you need time to think it over, I see no reason to rush you.” Scootaloo looked as if she was going to protest, but a thunderclap silenced her.

Looking up revealed a bank of dark clouds sluggishly rolling across the sky above, slowly blanketing the forest and cutting off what little of the moon and stars that was visible through the canopy. “Oh drat, darn Everfree weather is always so unpredictable,” Steven said.

“But it was clear all night; a storm can’t be coming in now, can it?” Asked the filly as her agitation evaporated into befuddlement and just a smidgeon of concern. “I know the weather here isn’t controlled by pegasi, but it can’t just pop out of nothing, right?”

“I’m afraid so my dear; Everfree weather can be frightfully discourteous at times, switching so fast as to leave my hair a frizzled mess.” He sent a worried look towards the ponies. “I don’t suppose you two have someplace to take shelter until the storm passes do you?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “No, we don’t, but we can probably find something to stay under to get away from the rain.” Looking up to Screw Loose, she continued, “There was a pretty okay spot not far away under some tree roots. I’m sure we can find something like that again. Not like there’s a shortage of trees around here, after all.”

Though the dog barked in agreement, the sea serpent looked horrified. “Under a tree, in the mud! That is no place for anyone, let alone a couple of fine young ladies such as yourselves. No, I may not be able to direct you to Zecora’s or welcome you into my own abode, it’s underwater you understand, but I can at least give you directions to a proper shelter. Zecora has told me about how the new princess of friendship has been working to restore that dusty old castle in the middle of the forest. That would be a better place to weather the storm than under some trees.”

“Uh, okay, that works I guess,” began an uncertain Scootaloo. “Which way is it then.”

“Oh, it’s downstream a ways and across the river. It’s a bit of a hike once you cross, but you should be able to see some of the higher towers once you’ve made some of the trip.”

“… And how are we going to get across this river. I’ve already tried to get a cutie mark in swimming and it didn’t work out so well.” Screw Loose tensed at the idea of the filly getting into the foamy rapids and made her opinion clear with a long whine. “I think Screwy is with me on that.”

A small frown pulled at Steven’s lips as his gaze wandered upwards towards the slowly creeping storm clouds. “Hmm, I suppose that is a bit of problem,” he mumbled before sighing. “Well, there’s no helping it I suppose, I’ll just have to carry you.” With that, he came closer to the bank and lowered himself, straightening some of the loops in his long body to create room for them to stand. “Please be sure to wash your hooves so as not to dirty my scales. It can be such a pain to have to clean dirt from beneath them.”

Both females blinked at the serpent in response, and the pegasus spoke, “Umm, really, you’re okay with giving us a lift?”

“Of course, dear, it’s hardly any trouble at all. I’ll even carry you downstream until you can spot the castle. That way you won’t get lost on the way.”

After another second, Scootaloo broke out into a large grin. “Awesome! I’ve never ridden a sea serpent before! Maybe I’ll get my cutie mark for this!” The filly wasted no time in dipping her hooves in the water to rinse them and jumping onto Steven’s back, getting an oomph and slight glare from him. “Come on Screwy, let’s get going!”

The silver dog was hesitant, debating in her head whether this was a good idea and if she should pull her ward to the safety of land, but a sudden howl, sounding frightfully close, had Screw Loose following Scootaloo’s lead and leaping upon their new friend. “Get moving, snake thingy, those wooden dogs are still after us! Oh, I knew I should have held it back there, I bet they think I’ve been marking their territory and are even angrier now!”

Whether it was her frantic barking or the call of the wolves, Steven wasted no time as his strong tail whipped and his body rippled, pushing the three of them quickly with the current.

The sound of rain meeting leaves could be heard in the distance as they burst from the tree line and screeched to a halt at the river's edge. The alpha shot its head back and forth in search of their defiant prey. Once again finding the ponies absent, the Timberwolf growled lowly, causing its two packmates to shirk away. After the embarrassment from earlier, the alpha made sure to make clear its disappointment in their dismal hunting performance, and it took quite a lot of forest refuse for them to recover.

Closing its hellish-yellow eyes, the alpha took a few slow steps forward and tilted its head back, sniffing loudly at the air. The scent was stronger now; a clear sign that they had been gaining on the soon-to-be fertilizer, but it changed once the water was met. Another scent was now mingled with that of the ponies, something akin to flowers and seaweed, and the new bouquet lingered over the rapids. Moving so close to the edge that dirt crumbled beneath its paws to disappear beneath the foam, the alpha deepened its intakes of air and worked its nose back and forth slowly.

It took nearly thirty seconds to determine, but the large Timberwolf found the scent to be going downriver, and, with a fierce bark over its shoulder to signal its followers, took off after their prey once again. The weaker wolves shared a look, wary of getting into another fight with the silver mare, but decided it would be better to face her again than the wrath of their leader. Rain started to pelt the river as the three predators continued the hunt.

Author's Note

As this chapter is from Screw Loose's perspective, some of the terms used are different, like referring to her as "the dog" sometimes and her hooves being "blunt paws." Also to stop confusion, Screw Loose understands the gist of what ponies are saying to her as she actually does know the language, but her mind tries to tell her she doesn't because she thinks she is a dog, thus the odd way she interprets pony speech.

Thanks to Bemmo for taking up the editing for this story as well as my other one.

Streams Converge

Screw Loose didn’t know when Steel Rivet had left or when the first pound ponies came in, her howls of anguish drowning out the world around her too thoroughly for her to notice anything else, but she did know that she wasn’t going to let herself be hurt even more.

If one so dear to her could cause her such agony, she didn’t want to know what ponies who didn’t even like her could do. Unlike Steel though, who she could never bring herself hurt, the blue dog had no qualms with driving strangers away, and she did so with growling threats and snapping jaws. Even alone however, the pain would not subside, and confusing images of a life outside the pound kept flooding her every thought.

Steel was there, along with all sorts of other ponies, their chromatic coats flashing across her mind’s eye so fast that it made her head hurt even more. Still, she would gladly have suffered through these things if it meant the little seafoam-green shape with the white wisps would leave her be. Its arrival always signaled the greatest pains, making her heart feel as if it were being thrashed about like a pillow caught in a game of tug-o-war. The part of her that craved to cradle that little blob of color and never let go fought hard against the part that wished only to forget everything that hurt.

In the end, this battle consumed her so completely that she could not bring herself to eat or drink what was slid under the door for her. The only respite Screw Loose was granted during this time was when a pony was foolish enough to enter her den, allowing the warring sides of her psyche to focus their hostility towards a third party.

It was her body that gave out first, going limp while her mind tore itself in twain. It was this exhaustion that allowed the ponies to finally reach her; too weak to even flinch when the magic pony placed his glowing horn between her eyes and made her world go black. Screw Loose welcomed the darkness as it granted her an escape from the pain.

That changed when she awoke in an unfamiliar room. “W-where am I?” she forced out between dry lips, wincing as the dull throbbing of her skull intensified. Even so, she twisted her head to scan the dim, white room and tried again. “Is anyone there?” She waited several seconds for a response, but when one never came, she decided to investigate the new room.

Forcing her sluggish body to move, the dog propped herself up in the bed, which she noted was a tad bit larger than her own, and made to climb to the floor below. The action was halted however, as she felt a twinge in the crux of her foreleg. Looking over, Screw Loose was confused to see some sort of needle stuck in her with a liquid filled tube attached that led to a clear bag above. Not entirely sure why it was there and angry at whoever assaulted her in such a way, the dog’s plan changed from exploring her surroundings to escaping them instead.

Mind made up, Screw Loose grabbed hold of the annoying little thing and pulled it out, ignoring the pinch of pain and trickling beads of blood as she rolled off the side of the mattress. Her legs wobbled and threatened to give out when she landed, but she managed to steady herself before taking a few shaky steps towards the door.

She had expected the handle to remain stuck when she pushed down on it like the one in her room always had, but was surprised when it actually began to shift down. The exuberance from this discovery was short-lived however, interrupted when she heard voices from outside.

“We are not strapping her down to a bed! It’s bad enough that you let the poor mare go so long without water, but I’m not going to have her treated like a criminal too! I don’t know how you attend to your patients in the psychiatric ward, but here we treat them with respect and kindness!” proclaimed a furious, female voice.

“But-” tried a deeper one, only to be cut off immediately.

“No! You should consider yourself lucky you’re not being reported to the medical board.”

“Tender Care-”

“That’s Dr. Care to you.”

“Right, Dr. Care, you’re not understanding the situation here. It wasn’t like we were refusing her water or any such thing; we slid a dish of it into her room along with her meals.”

“A dish? Slid in? By Celestia, were you treating this pony like a wild animal!?”

“That’s because she was acting like a wild animal! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! That mare was attacking anypony who came close to her! We had thought she’d either tire herself out or calm down on her own, but she didn’t quit until the dehydration did her in.”

A silence hung for a moment before the male voice continued with more reserve. “Dr. Care, you’re still relatively new here, right? This will be your sixth month? You haven’t yet had to deal with some of the more… ill, patients we have here. You don’t know how out of control some of them can get. This particular one is usually quite docile, but she has these moments where she not only puts herself at risk, but those around her, as well.”

“… It can’t be that bad, can it?” the feminine voice asked, much of the heat having left her words, leaving them almost subdued. “Surely if she posed that much of a danger, she wouldn’t be in the psychiatric wing of a small town hospital like this.”

A long, tired exhale could be heard. “There has been talk of moving the patient to a psychiatric hospital in Manehattan that’s more secure and better equipped to treat her, but her brother has been reluctant.”

Screw Loose wasn’t sure why she was still there, having initially frozen up because her mind had still been trying to decide whether to hide or make a run for it. Once again however, she found herself listening to the ponies speak and somehow understanding them.

While she originally intended to sneak under the bed and wait for the strangers to leave, the discussion about sending some apparently crazy pony away made her want to flee instead, and she didn’t know why. What ponies did to each was hardly the business of a dog, after all.

Confused, but deciding to follow her instincts, Screw Loose chose then to make her escape while she would have the element of surprise. Throwing open the door, Screw Loose shot into the hallway, eyes darting around. It didn’t take long for her gaze to land upon a mare and stallion down the hall, both gaping back at her with varying degrees of shock and fear.

At that moment, a very strange thought ran through the dog’s mind and she found herself growling at the ponies because of it, despite how little sense it made. “Nopony is sending me away.”

“Stupid Everfree Forest,” Scootaloo grumbled from between Screw Loose’s front legs. Pulled from her mental wanderings, the dog noticed the little filly was shivering. Realizing how cold the wet air had become, the dog rested her chin atop her ward’s purple mane, trying her best to shield her from the downpour.

Scootaloo didn’t seem bothered by the action and even pushed back into the blue dog. This didn’t put a stop to her shivering or lessen her scowl as she continued to grumble, however. “Stupid rain. If Rainbow Dash was here, she’d clear this up in ten seconds flat.”

“Now that would be a sight to see, but I find it hard to believe anyone could tame Everfree’s weather, let alone clear away one of its storms,” commented Steven, causing Screw Loose to jolt as she had begun to forget his presence below.

Scootaloo had her own reaction to the sea serpent’s words as her scowl deepened. “Are you questioning Rainbow Dash’s awesomeness? She’s the fastest flyer in Equestria; a couple of rain clouds wouldn’t stand a chance.”

The large sea serpent chuckled. “Is that so? Well then, I’ll have to have you send her my way next time you see her. If she really can control the wild weather of these woods, then I have some requests to make. It’s so hard to maintain one’s hair properly when the humidity is constantly changing.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Pfft, she has better things to do then to help you with your frou-frou hairdo… Buuut since you’re helping me out, and Dash and I are so close, I guess I could ask her for you,” she nearly bragged, puffing her chest out as if having the ear of Rainbow Dash was an accomplishment worthy of respect. Her expression quickly became embarrassed however, as her stomach gurgled loudly, causing Steven to chuckle again.

“H-hey, that’s not funny!” the filly stuttered, trying to force anger through the indignation. “You try running around this stupid forest all night and see how hungry you get!” Scootaloo defended, silencing the sea serpent’s laughter and getting Screw Loose to nuzzle her head.

“Don’t worry, Scoots, I’ll find you something to eat as soon as we’re on land,” comforted the dog before she shot a glare at Steven for causing her ward distress. “Maybe we’ll have some snake meat.”

“I’m terribly sorry, dear. That was very uncouth of me; laughing at a lady’s misfortune like that. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” Steven apologized. “We’re actually nearing the end of how far I can take you, so, if you’d like, I may be able to acquire a little something to sate your hunger.”

While Screw Loose smiled and nodded in approval, convinced her threat had changed the serpent’s tune, Scootaloo still tried to maintain a front of displeasure. “Sure, whatever.”

The rest of the trip was silent save for rain drops plopping into the river and the occasional belly growl. Scootaloo didn’t protest when Screw Loose wrapped her up in her forelegs, reducing the little filly’s near constant shivering to an occasional quake, and her eyes soon drooped shut.

Screw Loose herself had almost fallen asleep when Steven awoke them both with a call of, “We're here.”

Blinking her heavy eyelids, the dog gave a jaw-popping yawn before looking around to see that the sea serpent had come to a stop near the bank. Finally, my legs were starting to cramp, thought Screw Loose as she stood, maintaining her balance impressively atop the sea serpent’s slippery scales. Scootaloo didn’t share the same sure-footedness however, and began to slip as she climbed to her hooves.

In an instant, Screw Loose had the filly by the scruff and was leaping to land, heart thrumming in ears so loud she almost didn’t hear her unwilling passenger yelling, “Put me down! Put me down! That hurts!”

Screw Loose did as she was told, dropping the filly as if burned and stepping back. The smooth ride had lulled the dog’s uneasiness at having her ward so close to the dangerous rapids, but her protective instincts kicked into overdrive as soon as it looked like Scootaloo would fall and disappear beneath those frigid depths.

Staring down at the filly as she tenderly touched at the bite mark clear on her neck, the dog felt her heart clench. She could tell it would bruise later. “I-I’m sorry, Scoots. I was just trying to keep you safe and-”

“What was that for!? Are you trying to pull my skin off!?” Scootaloo interrupted as she spun around, sending a glower at the dog that made her cringe back and whine.

Scootaloo opened her mouth to continue, but was cut off. “Now, now, darling, I’m sure Screwy didn’t mean to hurt you. She was probably just trying to help. Isn’t that right, miss?”

Nodding vigorously, Screw Loose barked her agreement. “Yeah, what he said!”

The filly looked back and forth between the two before her shoulders drooped and small blush came to her cheeks. “Fine, I’m sorry for yelling at you like that, Screwy, it wasn’t cool of me. This just hasn't been a good day is all.” Her stomach growled again. “ And I guess the hunger is making me a little cranky.”

“Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot about the food!” Steven proclaimed as he rose a few feet out of the water. “How silly of me.” Suddenly, he dove under the water, leaving the girls blinking at his disappearance.

He wasn’t gone long however, as he re-emerged a moment later, throwing his slick hair back and grasping something in his claws. Leaning down, he held out what he had collected and explained, “It isn’t a gourmet meal, but it should do for the time being.”

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked with hint of disgust. Screw Loose understood the sentiment after leaning in to give the slimy green stuff a curious sniff, only to wrinkle her snout at the pungent odor.

“River weeds; they may not be the most palatable of plant life, but Zecora seems to enjoy them. She even made quite the delicious stew with it once and brought me a bowl. Though I still prefer fish, I can assure you this is perfectly fine to eat.”

“Well, it looks worse than the steamed alfalfa they served back at the orphanage.” Stated the young filly as she crossed her forehooves and turned her nose up.

“Maybe you should try it, Scoots. Icky green stuff is good for ponies, and you really should eat something.” The dog encouraged, gesturing her muzzle at the weeds.

“See, Screwy agrees with me; I’m not going to eat that stuff.” Screw Loose frowned ever so slightly at this declaration.

“Nooo… I said you should eat it. Come on, little filly, you need to eat.”

Nodding as she pushed some wet mane from her eyes, Scootaloo stood up and said, “Yep, you’re definitely right; I’m sure we’ll find something better to eat later. I’m pretty sure Granny Smith said she found the zap apple trees in this creepy place; maybe there’s even more magic fruit around here.” She turned to walk away from Steven’s outstretched claws, but was halted by a blunt, blue paw in her path.

“Nice try little missy. I’m not letting you leave here until you eat.”

Looking up at the stern-faced dog, Scootaloo moaned. “Come on, that stuff looks nasty.”

“It tastes better than it looks.”

“Nopony asked you, Steven!” the filly shot over her shoulder before returning her attention to Screw Loose. “Listen, can’t we just get to the castle already? Food can wait until we’re out of the rain.” She grimaced when her stomach made its protests to the plan loud and clear.

Spinning her with a paw to face the river weed, Screw Loose barked, “Eat first, then we’ll go.”

“Seriously, Screwy, let’s just-”

“Eat.” the dog growled, leaving no room for argument.

“You can’t make me-”

“Eat!” she commanded again, and this time, it gave the filly pause as both her and Steven’s eyes widened.

“You just ta-”

Screw Loose nudged the pony with her nose, cutting her off before she could try weaseling out of eating dinner again. “Eat.”

“Okay, okay! Fine, I’ll do it!” Scootaloo finally surrendered as she turned and grumbled under her breath, “Guess you’re only going to talk when you’re telling me what to do.” Looking between the muck and slightly gaping sea serpent, she said, “I’m not eating out of your claws. Put it down will ya… this is bad enough without it being like a petting zoo.”

“Huh?” breathed the serpent before looking to the filly. “Oh, of course.” Placing the pile of river weeds on the ground, he quickly returned his eyes to Screw Loose, gaze searching. “I was becoming curious whether or not you were capable of speech; gods only know how many strange afflictions one can suffer in our crazy world of magic. I hoped to bring it up, but wasn’t sure quite how to go about it in case the subject was… sensitive… I suppose this is as good a way as any.”

Screw Loose cocked her head as well as an eyebrow and yipped in confusion. A humph drew her attention downwards to Scootlaloo as she swallowed a mouthful of greens. “Okay, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be… but it’s still pretty gross.” The filly stuck her tongue out a moment before looking to Steven. “You probably won’t be able to get her to talk again.” She leaned in and whispered. “I think she’s a little coocoo.”

“What are you two talking about? I just wanted Scoots to eat so she wouldn’t get sick,” the dog questioned. When her response was an eye roll from Scootaloo and a frown pulling at the sea serpent’s lips, she shook her head with an exasperated sigh. Why do I even bother; ponies are so confusing… I guess giant snakes are too.

The silence only lasted a short time before being driven away by a loud gurgling. Scootaloo looked around with a full mouth. “Don’t look at me,” she said before another rumble brought her gaze to settle on Screw Loose’s stomach. Swallowing, a wide grin showing teeth filled with greenery spread across the filly’s muzzle as she spoke in a mischievous tone. “Oh, Screwy, are you hungry?” she asked with mock concern. “Well, we can’t have that. Why don’t you help me finish off this pile of awesome river weeds? There’s plenty enough for the both of us.”

Finishing with a gestured hoof at the foul smelling slime, Scootaloo’s smile became as satisfied as it was vindictive when the blue dog’s face turned green. “Uh, no thanks, I’m good. You don’t have to share your gross pony food with me.”

“The little filly has a point, you know. You may not get another opportunity to eat tonight, so it would be wise to do so now,” Steven said, his two bits welcomed by one and despised by the other.

“Yeah, Screwy, come over here and dig in, there’s plenty of muck for both of us.” Scootaloo invited.

“Oh no, I am not eating that” Screw Loose declared, turning her nose up. “Maybe if the snake can catch me a fish I’ll eat, but I’ve had enough vegetables at the pound to last me a lifetime.”

“So, it’s going to be like that is it? You should know, I have ways of dealing with ponies like you,” Scootaloo said ominously.

Screw Loose planned on correcting the filly about her species, but was caught by a potent pair of puppy dog eyes as soon as she looked down. “Pleeease won’t you eat with me, Screwy? It would make me really happy,” Scootaloo begged.

Wha-? No! I’ m not going to do it! I mustn’t give into the cuteness, Screw loose mentally commanded herself, clenching her teeth as she tried to avert her eyes. It was for naught however, as the filly made her lower lip quiver and dialed up the adorableness to eleven. For a moment, it almost seemed like Scootaloo’s coat bled light green, and the sight caused a twinge of pain through the dog’s head.

“Okay, fine I’ll do it! Just stop giving me that look,” whined Screw Loose as she stepped forward and hesitantly lowered her muzzle to the river weeds.

“Ha! Nopony can resist the patented CMC stare, even at one third its full power!” Scootaloo crowed before taking another bite of food. The smile dropped as soon as the taste hit her taste buds, but, with only a slight shiver that could have been from the rain just as much as displeasure, she looked to the still hesitating Screw Loose and said, “What are you waiting for? Dig in!”

With a sigh and partial frown at the small pony, Screw Loose pinched a slick strand of the so-called food between her teeth and slowly chewed. The taste was surprising to the dog as, though it made her gag some, it wasn’t so disgusting that she couldn’t get it down. As soon as sustenance reached her hungry stomach however, it no longer mattered that she wasn’t eating meat, and Screw Loose found herself digging into the slop with gusto.

Scootaloo said something, but the dog was too busy filling a stomach she hadn’t realized was so completely empty to listen. Eventually, an orange muzzle joined her own, albeit with far less enthusiasm, and the pile was soon gone. “Phew, there, are you happy now? I’m all filled up,” grouched Scootaloo as she sat back. “Can we get to the old castle already? I want to dry off.”

Falling to her hunches, Screw Loose burped and patted her belly. It was a tad bit surprising how full she felt after what seemed like such a small meal, but her stomach felt like it was close to bursting, and the urge to sleep was now quite strong. “Yes,” she agreed with a nod. “I need a dry place to fall into a food coma. Let’s get going Scoots.”

With a relieved sigh, the filly stood up. “Finally,” she said before looking to Steven. “Hey, we’re ready to go now; can you tell us which way?”

“Of course dear, the path is not at all difficult from here,” answered the sea serpent as he pointed in a direction perpendicular with the river. “Just go straight that way, and you should see the ruins in… I’d guess fifteen minutes.” He smiled sheepishly. “Well, that’s what I imagine, anyway.” Gesturing to his long, legless form, he added. “I’ve never made the trip myself, you see.”

Despite the cold and rain, Scootaloo actually giggled at that, and even Screw Loose gave a gravelly chuckle. “Heh, thanks… You know, you’re a pretty cool guy… even if you are even more frou-frou than Sweetie Bell’s sister.”

"Oh, such a barbed complement! I’m as flattered as I am wounded!” Steven replied dramatically, holding a claw to his forehead as if he were going to faint. Looking from beneath his talons, the sea serpent smirked. “Perhaps Screwy will teach you to be a proper lady before this night is over?”

As if on cue, the two fixed their eyes upon the blue dog, who belched under the scrutiny. Screw Loose matched Scootaloo’s smile when the filly snorted. “Maybe,” she jokingly agreed. “But she’ll have to start the lessons while we walk.” Looking back to Steven, she said, “See you around, big guy.”

The sea serpent opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a vicious growl, and this time, it wasn’t from a hungry belly. Three sets of eyes turned as one to meet the burning yellow orbs of three Timberwolves.

“Oh buck,” Scootaloo breathed, and Screw Loose found herself agreeing with the sentiment, as well as having the most misplaced compulsion to reprimand the little filly for her foul language. Such a thing could wait however, as the lead wolf slowly advanced a step, its lips pulled back in what could either be a snarl or grin.

The blue dog met the beast’s crazed expression with one of grim determination as she stepped halfway between her ward and the predators. “When I give the word, the two of you are going to run, understand?” Her ear twitched towards Steven’s whispered words, but her gaze never left that of the largest Timberwolf. At her near non-existent nod, the serpent continued, “I may not be able to stop these ruffians, but I can most certainly slow them down a bit… I hope that will be enough.”

As Steven slowly drifted away from the bank and his body coiled beneath the rapids, he whispered one last sentence, “Don’t let that filly down, Screwy,” before shouting, “Now!”

Many things happened in an instant. Screw Loose whipped around and took hold of Scootaloo by the scruff once again before sprinting as fast as she could towards the trees. At the same time, the wolves tore after their prey, and were subsequently bowled over by a large wave, courtesy of Steven.

Taken by surprise, the smaller wolves yelped and flailed on the ground while their leader quickly leapt to its paws. It turned to give a commanding growl to its lackeys, but was cut off by another surge of water. “Take that you beasts! I’ll not sit idly by while you intend to harm my friends!” shouted Steven as he prepared to send another wave at the hunters.

The third watery wall sent the grounded wolves rolling across the dirt while their leader leapt away, putting all three beasts out of range of the sea serpent’s ire. The alpha wasted no time in barking at its subordinates to get up and continue the chase while leering at Steven. Its fury at him for interfering with the hunt was clear, and it almost seemed to be sending a silent promise of vengeance to the serpent. Steven merely sent his own glare return, as well as another ineffective attack.

Turning from the river-dweller, all three Timberwolves took off towards the woods, paying no mind to the accusations of cowardice from behind. Meanwhile, Screw Loose was pushing herself to the limits to take full advantage of the time Steven had provided, her legs a blue blur as she put as much distance as she could between the danger and them. Scootaloo had only struggled against the dog’s grasp for a short time, realizing her life was more important than her pride, and now hung awkwardly from Screw Loose’s mouth.

She winced as the dog landed after leaping over a branch, the sudden jerk pulling painfully at the skin between Screw Loose’s teeth. “Hey, I don’t hear them behind us, you think we got enough time for you to put me down and let me run on my own…?” As expected, she was ignored as her carrier kept sprinting. “Didn’t think so,” the filly grumbled, noticing the two were now ascending a hill.

This slowed the dog to a march, and by the time she reached the top, her panting led to Scootaloo being dropped on her bottom. “Sorry,” she huffed when the filly gave her a weak glower, wiping mud from her flank. “I just need a second, and then we’ll get moving again.”

A flash of lighting had both girls jumping as Scootaloo moved closer to Screw Loose. The dog didn’t notice however, her eyes instead drawn to the towering structure in the distance. “T-that’s the castle, isn’t it? We should hurry it up,” the filly said. “I bet it’ll have big gates that we can lock so those stupid bundles of sticks can’t get us.”

Screw Loose nodded and reached down to grab her ward, only to have her jump away. “Hey, I don’t need you to carry me; I got legs,” Scootaloo said a bit sharply before smirking. “Just try and keep up.” With that, the filly whipped around and galloped through the trees.

A sharp series of barks rang out in the distance, and Screw Loose decided not to fight the little pony’s decision for now as she chased after her, hoping not to let the wolves close the gap between them anymore than she already had. The dog resolved that, at the first sign of trouble, she wouldn’t hesitate to sweep Scootaloo up, regardless of how much the filly didn’t like it. I’m not going to let anything happen to you Scoots… I can’t.

Rainbow Dash was feeling a rare combination of anger, desperation, and self-loathing as she touched down on the stone steps of town hall, much of her usual bravado wiped away by the severity of the situation. She had circled the north end of town in the hopes of spotting her surrogate little sister from above, but had just as little luck as the ponies searching at ground level. The pegasus had been flying like this ever since she got back from Cloudsdale earlier that day, having gone to straighten out a shipping error resulting in too few rainclouds for the week.

The dark mass spilling over from Everfree served to worsen her mood greatly as they could have been used in service of Ponyville, and she would never have had to leave town. Shaking away thoughts of what could have been, Rainbow Dash made her way quickly up the steps. “Any luck, Twi!?” she yelled as she reached the top of the small staircase to see one of her best friends speaking to a blue stallion and beige mare, both earth ponies.

Turning to her, Twilight Sparkle sighed and shook her head. “No, I’m sorry Dash, none of the search parties have found her yet,” the unicorn said before her expression became worried. “The situation has also changed some.” She gestured over her shoulder at the ponies. “This is Steel Rivet and Dr. Care… They came to ask if we could inform those already out looking for Scootaloo to keep an eye out for a mare that ran away from the hospital earlier today.”

Rainbow Dash looked over the two newcomers, noting the haggard, frustrated expression of the silver-maned stallion and the concerned look he was getting from the burgundy-maned mare. “I know it can be boring and all, but why would somepony run away from the hospital?” she found herself asking.

“Well…” began Dr. Care hesitantly, glancing over to her companion, “the patient is from the psychiatric wing and… isn’t in her right mind.” Resolve suddenly entered her eyes. “It’s imperative that we find her before she hurts herself or others.”

The group grew silent as both Steel and Rainbow grew rigid. “What!?” burst out Dash. “You mean Scootaloo is lost out here, and there’s a crazy pony on the loose!”

“My sister is not some rabid animal!” bellowed Steel, glare switching between the doctor and pegasus. “She’s sick and confused and we’re wasting time!” He turned and stomped away, yelling over his shoulder. “You girls can sit around and talk if you want; I’m going to find Screw Loose with or without your help!”

“Sir! Please wait!” Twilight called after him, lifting a hoof to follow before one came to rest on her withers.

“You’re still organizing the search for the filly, right?” Dr. Care asked before shaking her head. “I’ll go after him; it was my careless words that upset him, after all. Please, Miss Sparkle, you have to focus on finding those ponies, both Scootaloo and Screw Loose. There are hospital workers out looking as well. If you give me a description of the filly, I’ll make sure to pass it along so they know to keep an eye out for her.”

Twilight looked down the road to see the stallion turning the corner. With a sigh, her saddened expression was replaced with one of determination. “Of course, Doctor, Just tell me what Screw Loose looks like, and I’ll tell the search parties as they check in.”

Dash shook her head and grit her teeth, mentally kicking herself for getting so distracted while Scoots was lost, frightened, and probably hungry. This was followed by another, involuntary kick as the pegasus recalled what had set the filly running in the first place and how she never figured it out before it got this far. Real great big sister I turned out to be; didn’t even know my little sis was spending her nights alone in a clubhouse.

Having hardly listened to the two mares talking behind her, all she picked up was the tail-end when the doctor mentioned the patient having a screw for a cutie mark. “Twilight, I’m heading back out!” was all she said before taking wing with the intent of scanning the south end of town again.

She barely got off the ground before she saw Fluttershy flapping with all her might and frantically waving a hoof. She was trying and failing to yell something. Dash’s hope skyrocketing, she quickly closed the gap between them and grabbed the butter-yellow pegasus by the shoulders. “What is it, Shy!? Did you find Scootaloo!?”

Noticing her friend’s eyes spinning as a result of her slightly too vigorous shaking, Rainbow Dash let go and waited for the kind mare to reorient herself. “Wha-?” she began to ask before her spiraling blue orbs settled and she found herself staring into the anxious, magenta eyes of her oldest friend. “Rainbow Dash! I’m so glad I was able to find you! I know where Scootaloo is!”

“You do!?” the blue pegasus practically squeaked, her wings speeding in anticipation to take her to wherever her number one fan was.

“Yes, you see, I was in the middle of searching the school playground when some of my little bird friends came and told me that a squirrel had come from the Everfree forest looking for me,” Fluttershy explained, her usual meekness lessened some by the importance of the information she came to deliver.

Already, Rainbow Dash’s previously sky-high hope plummeted and a cold pit formed in her stomach. “The Everfree?” she found herself asking, a part of her praying that her many sonic rainbooms had finally taken their toll on her ears.

Fluttershy visibly wilted, having realized that she was delivering news not nearly as good as she thought on the flight over. “Y-yes, Mr. Squirrel told me he saw a young pony running through the forest and thought somepony should know about it… so he came to me.” She looked up from beneath her mane for a brief moment before diverting her gaze back to the ground. “I-I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash… but I’m sure we’ll be able to find her.”

Dash didn’t respond, staring listlessly in the direction of that dangerous forest, the dark clouds above it having been allowed to slowly drift closer to town. She had wanted all the pegasi under her command to help in the search instead and neglected keeping the wild weather at bay. She wondered for a moment if she had sent ponies to handle the problem earlier, would they have spotted Scootaloo before she put herself in such danger. “How long ago?” she asked. “How long ago was she spotted?”

“Well, um Mr. Squirrel said he was fairly deep in the forest when he saw her and so it took him some time to reach my cottage. Then the birds had to find me… so maybe an hour ago,” the shy pony guessed.

Rainbow Dash felt a moment of guilty relief at the knowledge that, even had she not put off handling Everfree’s storm, Scootaloo would have been in the forest long before anypony could have stopped her. The relief only lasted a moment however, before a wave of fear washed it away. “An hour… Scootaloo has been in the Everfree forest alone for an hour.” He legs wobbled and she stumbled, prompting Fluttershy to lean forward and steady her.

The gesture soon morphed into a hug as she whispered, “Don’t think that way; Scootaloo is a smart filly, I’m sure she’s kept herself safe…”

Rainbow Dash didn’t hear the rest of her friend's reassurances as she thought, Why didn’t you just tell me, kid? Why did you keep it a secret? Why run? Didn’t you trust me to protect you? Twilight must have finally noticed something was going on; her voice drifted into the rainbow-maned mare’s ears and the clop of hooves on stone rang out behind her, but she hardly registered them.

With a deep breath, Dash pulled away from her friend and stood firm. “It doesn’t matter. If she’s in the Everfree forest, then that’s where we’ll go.”

Author's Note

Hope you all like this; next chapter is probably going to be following Scootaloo and maybe even Steel.