The Everfree Ranger

Scootaloo walked slowly. After she had returned to the Apple's home earlier, Applejack had refused to let her out of sight. Word had been sent to Ms. Good Berry about where she was. The kind unicorn arrived minutes later, frantic. Scootaloo felt bad about leaving her. Good Berry was one of the only ponies who had ever shown her true kindness.

Now, they walked back to the orphanage where Scootaloo lived. She had lived there as long as she could remember. Her parents had left her in a basket on the door step, without even a note. Some days, she liked to pretend that her parents would come back for her some day, but deep down, she knew that it would never happen.

Before too long, they arrived at the orphanage. It was a large  brick building, built only about twenty years ago. A cast iron fence surrounded it, topped with decorative ornaments. In the back was a large play area, with an old slide and a swing set. It wasn't such a horrible building, but for Scootaloo, it held only poor memories.

As she and Good Berry entered, ponies stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. Scootaloo lowered her head as she felt countless eyes land on her.

"Scootaloo, a word in my office, please."

Scootaloo was spared from further humiliation when Good Berry motioned her over. She walked quickly, desperate to get away from the others. She could hear them whisper as she passed.

"I wonder where she was."

"Who cares? It's not like any pony likes her."

"Probably just ran off to cry."

Scootaloo picked up her pace and entered the office. Good Berry shut the door, then turned to face her.

"Scootaloo, is there anything you need to tell me?"

She shook her head. "No, ma'am." She could tell that the head mistress didn't believe her.

"Why did you run away?" No reply. "Did some pony say something?" Still no reply. "Did some pony do something?" Still no reply. Good Berry sighed. "Scootaloo, I want to help you, but you have to help me. What happened? You've been here almost twelve years, and this is the first incident. What changed? Did I do something?" Scootaloo shook her head.

Good Berry stared at her for a little while longer. Scootaloo desperately wanted to tell her everything. How every pony had mocked her for years about her lack of a cutie mark. How they laughed at her wings. How she finally couldn't take it anymore, and decided to run off. But she couldn't. She knew that it would cause more problems in the long run. Finally, Good Berry walked to her desk.

"Okay, then. You can go." Scootaloo started walking out. "And Scootaloo. You know that you can tell me if something is wrong, right?" Scootaloo nodded and walked out.

As soon as she was out the door, she knew she was in trouble. Standing right there were three of the biggest bullies in the whole orphanage. As long as she could remember, Moon Shine and his friends had made it their mission to make her life miserable. They never gave her a moment's rest, always tormenting her.

"So, chicken wings came crawling back, huh?" Asked Moon Shine. "How long were you gone? One night? I knew you weren't tough enough to last too long on your own. Guess you couldn't get too far on those wings, could you?" He and his friends laughed. Scootaloo grit her teeth.

"Leave me alone, Moon Shine," she growled. She walked off towards the playground out back. She knew that she could climb up into one of the trees. That was the only place she could have peace, because she was the only one able to climb. The voices could chase her up the trees, though.

The bullies followed her. "Aw, what are you gonna do, huh?" Moon Shine laughed. "You don't have any friends, and you can't beat us yourself." To prove his point, he gave her a shove towards the door. She stumbled, shoving the door open and falling outside. She fell right into a pile of mud created by the previous night's rain storm. Pushing herself up, she heard laughter. Looking around, she saw that every pony had been waiting for her outside. Now, she was coated with mud.

Moon Shine laughed. "Right where chickens belong, down in the dirt." He walked forward, and forced her face into the mud, holding her down. "Go on, look for seeds!" Every pony was laughing out loud. Scootaloo felt her anger come boiling to the top.

Maybe the fight with the timber wolves had given her courage. Maybe Moon Shine had finally pushed her too far. Whatever the reason, she knew that she didn't want to take this kind of treatment for one more second.

Seizing the hoof not on her head, she pulled it out from under Moon Shine as she forced her head up. The unexpected flip threw the foal into the mud. He fell flat on his face, getting covered. A second later, Scootaloo was upon him, bludgeoning his head with her hooves. He frantically raised his arms to guard his face, but it was no use. Blood streamed out of his nose, and tears flowed freely, but still Scootaloo didn't relent. Every pony watched in shock, too surprised to do anything.

"SCOOTALOO!"

The shout rang across the court yard. Scootaloo snapped out of her rage, realizing what she had done. She turned to see Good Berry in the door frame, a terrified expression on her face. Moon Shine stood up, sniffling.

"She hit me!" He cried out in shock. "She hit me! See!" Good Berry looked at him.

"You'll live," she said. As the foal stared in disbelief, she turned to Scootaloo. "My office. Now." Numbly, Scootaloo nodded. She walked off, leaving the court yard in stunned silence. Good Berry stopped her just outside of her office.

"Scootaloo, I am deeply ashamed of you," she said. Scootaloo opened her mouth to defend herself, but she was cut off. "I know, Moon Shine probably deserved it, but that's no excuse. And now, of all times. There's some pony very important in there who wants to talk to you, and now you look like this."

Scootaloo perked up. "Important? Am I getting adopted?" Good Berry thought for a second.

"I suppose in a manner of speaking, yes," she said. "Come on, he is very eager to meet you." She opened the door, and Scootaloo felt her eyes widen. Sitting in the room was Oak Leaf, the pony who had saved her last night. He looked up at the door opening and smiled.

"Hello again, Scootaloo," he said. "You left before we could talk earlier." He noticed the mud and the cuts on her hooves. "I see you've been busy."

Good Berry walked over to her desk and sat down. She motioned for Scootaloo to sit as well. Once the filly was seated, she started. "Now, Scootaloo, Oak Leaf here would like to recruit you to be his apprentice." Scootaloo stared at him with surprise. He smiled back at her.

"What?" He said. "Like I said, not just any pony could kill a timber wolf."

"Ahem," coughed Good Berry. "Now, Scootaloo, you are aware of what this would mean, correct? You would begin training to be Ponyville's next ranger. You would no longer live here. Instead, you would live with Oak Leaf. Once your training is complete, however, you have no choice but to become a ranger. Once you choose this path, you cannot go back. Is that clear?" Scootaloo nodded.

"So, what do you say?" Asked Oak Leaf. "Do you want to be my apprentice?" Scootaloo thought about it for a moment. If she agreed, then she wouldn't have to live at the orphanage anymore. She would no longer have to see Moon Shine or his friends. Further, she would get to learn how to be a ranger, which seemed like a fun job. But, there were some problems.

"What about school?" She asked. "Would I still see my friends?"

"You would attend school until you graduated, and you would have a little time to see your friends, but not much," said Oak Leaf. "I can only promise about half an hour a day on average. Is that enough crusading for you?"

Scootaloo hesitated, before saying, "Okay, I'll do it." Oak Leaf smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that," he said. Turning to Good Berry, he asked, "So what do I have to do now?"

"Well, there's just a little paper work you have to fill out, then Scootaloo and you can leave. Scootaloo, why don't you go wait outside? I'm sure this will all be quite boring." Scootaloo bolted up straight.

"Outside?" She asked. She couldn't go outside! Moon Shine would kill her! But Oak Leaf suddenly gave a grin.

"Yes, outside," he said, with a hint of teasing in his voice. "It seems like you and your friends were having some fun before you came in. Why don't you finish your game?" Scootaloo glared at him. He simply returned it with his impish grin. "Run along now." Leaning in closer, he whispered, "Part one of your training. Aim for the head."

As Scootaloo walked out, she felt a pit of terror in her chest. She knew that Moon Shine would make her pay like he never had before.

As she exited the door, every pony stopped and turned to face her. Then, without a word, they all turned away and went on with their business. Moon Shine seemed to be actively avoiding eye contact with her, trying to keep his distance.

"What's going on?" She asked out loud. Her former bullies jumped a little, then backed off.

"Just - just stay back!" Cried Moon Shine. "I'm warning you!" Frowning in confusion, Scootaloo climbed up into the tree to wait her new mentor. After a few minutes, Oak Leaf and Good Berry came outsided.

"Scootaloo!" Called Good Berry. "It's time to go!" As the ponies all saw who had come to take Scootaloo away, their mouths dropped open in shock. Then, Moon Shine began to laugh cruelly.

"You're going home with the ranger? Looks like we don't need to worry about you after all! You'll be dead before the week is over!" As Good Berry went over to scold the bullies, Scootaloo walked out the door, trying to block out the noise. She had a sinking feeling, in the pit of her stomach, that they might be right.