Not Everypony Who Wanders is Lost
The Golden Oaks Memorial Library had been built as replica of the original. Which meant, like the original, all the good books were just out of the reach of anypony younger than sixteen.
Scootaloo stood atop three encyclopedias, her wings straining to elevate her close enough to retrieve the newest Daring Do novel from its perch. Instead, she fell tumbling backward, striking her head on the base of the opposite shelf.
Rubbing furiously at the stinging in her noggin, she opened one eye to see a reddish-purple hoof offered in assistance. Grabbing the hoof, Scootaloo pulled herself to her hooves.
"Thanks! Sorry if disturbed your browsing..." She trailed off as she stared up into the bright aqua eyes of a familiar foe. She wasn't wearing the black silks and lightning scarred armor anymore, just a plain gray cloak that almost hid her missing horn.
But it was her, without a doubt.
"You should be more careful." The unicorn said, her voice unexpectedly soft. Then she reached up with one long leg and slid the book free easily, before offering it with another outstretched hoof.
Scootaloo didn't even glance at the book's action-packed cover. She just turned away and marched away without another word.
The day was more or less ruined after that. Scootaloo couldn't go back to the library in case she was still there, not that she could focus on reading anyway. All she could do was sit in the shade of a big tree, staring at the grinning images of Rainbow Dash and Daring Do on the well-worn cover of Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny, and stew in her own spite.
Finally, with a petulant huff, she stuffed the book back into her backpack and folded her forehooves.
"Well, would you look at that? It's everypony's favorite traitor..."
Scootaloo's ears perked at the voice. It was Roach Coach, one of Ponyville's less accepting construction ponies.
"Yeah, it must be nice for the princess to give you a job, instead of locking you up like you deserve..."
And that would be Honey Wagon, the only construction pony more boneheaded than Roach.
"I'll be out of town tonight. Please just leave me alone." It wasn't even a threat.
"Nah, I don't think so..." Honey Wagon said with a laugh. "Seeing as how you stole our jobs n' all."
"It's bad enough to be replaced by a proper unicorn..." Roach piped in. "At least they'd be able to do magic."
"Hey! Knock it off!" Scootaloo wasn't sure when she'd stepped out from behind the tree, but she found herself standing there, staring down two earth pony stallions three and four times her size respectively.
The two of them were just as stunned as she was, because they said nothing as she marched over, putting herself between them and an unexpectedly meek Tempest.
"Did you ever think the reason that Hard Hat fired you two might be because you're both bigoted jerks!" Scootaloo yelled, her wings temporarily lifting her with the potency of her pique.
Honey Wagon's eyes widened, then narrowed. He opened his mouth to share another derogatory comment. But Roach Coach put a hoof to his chest and just shook his head. Having decided that they were not about to beat up a disabled filly and a hornless unicorn that afternoon, the pair sulked away, promising retribution beneath their breath all the while.
"You shouldn't have done that."
Scootaloo turned to find that Tempest was trotting away in the opposite direction, her saddlebags bulging with supplies.
"Y'know, a thank you would be nice!" Scootaloo called, as she galloped to keep up with Tempest's long gait.
"You should be more concerned with your own wellbeing." Tempest said, still refusing to look at her.
"That's really funny, coming from you!" Scootaloo called.
Tempest paused to glance back at her, which was all the time Scootaloo needed to catch up.
"You don't even remember, do you?" Scootaloo said, still catching her breath. "Me and my friends tried to sneak into the palace after you turned the princesses to stone. You chained us up and locked us in a cage! We could barely stand! ...But I guess you did that to a lot of a ponies that day, huh?"
Tempest just continued her trot.
"Seriously? You're not even going to apologize!?" Scootaloo flushed.
Tempest stopped and turned to face her. "You believe that might accomplish something?"
Scootaloo glared back at her.
Tempest sneered. "You think apologies and forgiveness fix everything? This world is hard; it crushes any softness under its hoof."
Startled by Tempest's austerity, Scootaloo looked away as she muttered. "Roach was right...you should be in jail."
Tempest lifted an eyebrow. "And yet...you defended me."
Scootaloo felt hot tears finally arrive at her eyes. "Yes! Because ponies should be angry at you for what you did...not because of who you are!" She could no longer help but stare at the shattered nub extending from Tempest's forehead and feel ashamed.
Tempest didn't acknowledge Scootaloo's wings. Instead, she leaned down so their heads were at the same height. Then it was Scootaloo's turn to avoid eye-contact.
"Don't waste your tears, little one." Tempest said. She sounded like Scootaloo's mother, when she tucked her in.
Scootaloo let out a sniffle.
"Why...why'd you do it?" She asked, her throat throbbing with every word. "You hurt everypony...just so you could get your horn back...why?"
Tempest turned away. "You have good friends. Hold onto them." With that she removed something from her saddle bags and tossed it to the ground.
Scootaloo sniffled for a little while longer before she recognized the book she'd been trying to reach earlier. Daring Do and the Redemption at the Ruby Monolith. It was supposedly the last book in the series. Scootaloo wondered if Tempest had intended to read it herself, or if she'd only picked out the book to return it to Scootaloo.
She never got a chance to ask though. By the time she'd stopped crying, Tempest was already gone.
