Younger Generation

by Seanzilla115

Scoot Along, Scootaloo

"Come on, come on," Scootaloo mumbled impatiently as she and the CMC waited outside the post office, "Open already."

"Scootaloo...they won't open for another two or three minutes," Dawn Star pointed out.

"..." Mischief just watched at the CMC did their regular routine today he seemed to be oddly...silent.

However, Timid Swallow seemed to notice this.

"Ano…y-you okay, Misty?" she asked.

"...Yeah," he nodded pulling out a book and started to read it. "Read today's paper. Seems your school having a parents day thing in a few days."

"Really?" Applebloom asked, making Scootaloo stop when she heard the word 'parent'

"Yep must be happy right your mommies and daddies get to see what you all do in school, yippee." he scowled before noticing Scootaloo, "And what's with you? Step on a thumbtack or something?"

"..." the orange filly didn't reply as she looked at the ground, her mane shadowing her eyes.

'Well….seems i have a kindred spirit.,' Mischief smirked a bit evilly. "This will be a good day maybe." he said to himself.

"...Uh… Scootaloo?" Dawn Star asked, a bit concerned for the orange pegasus.

"I...I have to go okay," she said as she run off in a hurry, completely forgotten why the group was there in the first place.

"Scootaloo, wai…!" Sweetie Belle began before Dawn Star stopped her just as she was about to give chase.

"I don't know what's wrong with her...but I think she needs to be alone right now," the Alicorn filly told her friend.

"Hmmm." Quirky pondered.

"S...something on your mind, Q...Quirky?" Timid asked, noticing the look Quirky had on her face.

"Yeah. I gotta help with my adoption papers; Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie agreed to officially be my adoptive parents!" she smiled.

"Huh?!" the other 4 fillies gawked.

"Eeyup! and I'm so~ excited!" Quirky squealed as she hopped around before stopping, "Though...maybe I shouldn't be happy when Scootaloo's acting down…"

"Don't bother, let the little handicap be miserable," Mischief chuckled.

"Misty!" Timid snapped, staring at him, "Don't insult Scootaloo!"

"Ahh! No! Not the 'stare!" Anything but that!" Mischief yelled as he changed into a turtle and hid in his shell, "...Gah! I can still feel her stare on me!"

"Will you promise not to say what you just say about Scootaloo?" Timid responded.

"I promise! I promise! Just plea~~~~se stop that stare!" Mischief whined in his shell.

"Better," Timid nodded, looking away from Mischief.

"Shouldn't we check on Scootaloo, though?" Sweetie asked, concerned for their friend.

"I don't know...I think we should...but at the same time, I think we should leave her alone...but seeing how she looked when Mischief…"

"I said I was sorry, okay?!" Mischief's voice echoed in his shell.

"Brought up that thing about parents...day…" Dawn Star finished, her eyes starting to widen a bit, "Hold on…" she then looked over at Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, "Have either of you ever seen her parents before?"

"...Now that you mention it… no," Applebloom answered. "Did you, Sweetie Belle?"

"No. I haven't seen her parents before either," Sweetie Belle shook her head in response.

"...Has anypony seen her parents?" Dawn asked, wondering if they knew anypony in Ponyville who met Scootaloo's parents.

"...Maybe Twilight and the others might know," Applebloom suggested.

"Then let's go check with them," Dawn suggested.

"Right."
---
(Later)

"What? Scootaloo's parents?" Twilight blinked before thinking, "Come to think of it… I haven't met her parents," She then looked over at her friends, "What about you girls?"

"No. But...I was kinda wondering the same thing after I helped take her when we got back from that camping trip," RD stated.

"Never met them mahself, either," Applejack added.

"Neither have I," Rarity added.

"M...me neither," Fluttershy added.

"Oh! I..no wait..I'm thinking of somepony else...sorry," Pinkie added with an apology.

"...Odd… has anypony seen them?" Dawn asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Twilight admitted.

"...I see..." Dawn sighed, "Thanks anyway, Twilight."

"You're welcome," Twilight nodded as the CMC left.

"So now what?" Quirky asked.

"Ah don't know...maybe we should head to Scootaloo's home and see if her parents are home or not," Applebloom offered.

"Maybe...it wouldn't hurt to try," Dawn Star noted, "Let's go."
---
"Stupid parents day…" Scootaloo mumbled as she walked the streets of Ponyville, ignoring most of the ponies that were passing by.

She always hated that day because of one thing...she never even knew her parents. She was lucky to get a place and get some food to eat thanks to neighbors that lived next door to her.

She was trying to get her mind off of parents day when…

"Well...well...if it isn't one of the Blank Flanks," a certain, mocking voice spoke.

"...Oh great...her again," Scootaloo mumbled as she looked up to see Diamond Tiara's sneering face, "What do you want this time?"

"Oh nothing..just wanted to tell you that Parents day is coming up," Diamond TIara reminded in her cruel, mocking tone.

"Thanks...now leave me alone," Scootaloo said as she began to walk away from the spoiled filly.

"What's the matter? Did I hit a nerve, Blank Flank?"

"I just said, leave me alone!"

"Why? Is it the fact that not only you're a Blank Flank Pegasus who can't fly...but you're also a or…" Diamond Tiara began cruelly before she was shoved to the ground by an angry Scootaloo.

"Finish that sentence...I dare you," the orange, pegasus filly growled, sending a glare at the spoiled filly.

"Or what, orpha...?" Diamond Tiara began before Scootaloo hit her in the face with one of her front hooves, shocking the spoiled filly, "Y...you hit me…"

"I warned you not to finish that sentence…" Scootaloo growled, making Diamond Tiara a bit nervous, not as scared as how Dawn Star reacted to defend her friends, but she was still pretty scared.

"Scootaloo!"

The orange, pegasus filly looked up to see her friends running towards her.

"Girls?" she gawked as she got off of Diamond Tiara, "Wh...what're you doing here?"

"We were heading to your place when we saw you hit Diamond Tiara," Dawn Star answered.

"Yeah! What possessed you to do that?!" Sweetie Belle asked.

"...She said something she shouldn't have," Scootaloo answered.

"What do you mean by that?" Applebloom asked, "It couldn't have been that old 'Blank Flank' comment; she uses that all the time."

"...No."

"...She didn't make fun of your handicap, did she?" Sweetie Belle asked, sending a glare at Diamond Tiara.

"No. Just...please leave me alone!" Scootaloo snapped as she began to run away, only for Quirky to step in front of her, "Out of my way, Quirky!"

"Not until you tell us what's been going on, Scoots," Quirky replied, and to prove it, everytime Scootaloo tried to get around her, Quirky just zoomed back right in front of the pegasus.

"Well what if I don't want to?" Scootaloo frowned at her friend.

"Ugh...you're all insane.." Diamond Tiara grumbled as she got up and glared at Scootaloo, "And you! You better hope my daddy doesn't hear about this, orphan!"

That last part right there made Scootaloo growl in pure anger as she was about to attack the spoiled filly, only for Applebloom and Quirky to hold her back.

"Let me go! Let me at that spoiled brat!" the angry pegasus roared, wanting to tear Diamond Tiara to shreds.

"Not until you chill out! This is gonna get out of control!" Applebloom responded.

"Yeah! You're going to cause a scene!" Quirky added.

"I don't care! Let me at her!"

"...Diamond Tiara…" Dawn Star spoke.

"What, Bla..." the spoiled filly began before she noticed the dark glare Dawn Star was giving her.

"STUFF IT! Just tell us what you meant by calling Scootaloo what you did to tick her off this much," Dawn Star demanded.

"...Fine. I got one of my daddy's lawyers to get all the info I needed on her. And it happens I came across something juicy..turns out she doesn't have any parents at all. Which means, she's a flightless, orphan blank flank!" Diamond Tiara answered with a smirk.

"Dawn, Ah don't think that was a smart move making her say all that at once," Applebloom responded as she and Quirky were suddenly having more trouble holding Scootaloo back.

"Agreed...Diamond Tiara…" Dawn Star began as she glared at the spoiled filly, a dark aura starting to engulf the alicorn filly, "Unless you want us to have Scootaloo give you what you deserve...I suggest you better leave...now."

"Or wh…"

"NOW!" Dawn Star snapped, her voice distorted.

"EEEK! Okay, OKAY! I'm going!" Diamond Tiara responded, galloping away in fear.

"...Good," Dawn Star said as the dark aura surrounding her disappeared.

"Why'd you let her go?! I wanted to tear her to shreds!" Scootaloo growled.

"Scootaloo...you're letting your anger cloud your mind," Dawn Star said, trying to calm her friend down, "Don't let what Diamond Tiara said get to you."

Scootaloo just growled in response to that before seeing some of the other looks she got from the rest of the CMC.

"Um… i-is it true, Scootaloo? Are you really a… an… o-orphan?" Timid asked, trying not to sound harsh, and yet hearing it from a friend didn't make Scootaloo enraged… she somehow kept it under better control at that moment than she did previously.

"...Yes," Scootaloo admitted with a sigh, "I'm an orphan."

"What happened to your parents?" Quirky asked.

"Don't know...I've never met them before…" the pegasus replied.

"Oh… you mean… they died before you could remember?" Dawn gawked.

"I don't know if they're even alive, okay?!" Scootaloo snapped before taking a deep breath, "Look...just..leave me alone, okay?"

"...I understand… okay," Dawn Star nodded as she and the rest of the CMC walked away.

Scootaloo let out a sigh before she felt a raindrop on her muzzle. She then looked up to see that it was beginning to rain.

"Guess I forgot the Weather Pegasi scheduled this storm… I'd better go home…" she sighed, walking off.

It didn't take long for her to reach home as she managed to open the door and walk inside.

"Man…" she groaned, walking towards the bathroom. When she got inside, she grabbed a towel and began to dry her currently wet mane. She then looked up and faced her reflection in the mirror, thinking on how she reacted earlier. Why did she act like that? She knows how much of a bully Diamond tiara is, but when she brought up the fact she was an orphan….something just snapped inside her. She wasn't even sure why she reacted that way… it just… came out, "...I need to get out of here…" she mumbled. If she acted like the way she did again around her friends, she...wouldn't forgive herself.

With these thoughts in her mind, Scootaloo wrote a small note, gathered some supplies, and left her house via scooter. The young Pegasus filly didn't care if she was getting wet, all she cared about at the moment was leaving.
---
(Later)

"So this is Scoots' place?" Quirky asked Applebloom as the rest of the CMC arrived.

"Uh huh. Let's just hope Scootaloo's feeling better," Applebloom said in a worried tone as she got ready to knock on the door before she noticed something hanging from it, "Huh?"

"What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Ah think it's a note. But..." Applebloom began as she tried to reach it, "It's too far up for me to get."

"Here, climb on my back," Dawn offered, seeing she was the tallest of the CMC.

"Thanks," Applebloom nodded as she climbed up Dawn Star's back and grabbed the note with her mouth.

"What's it say?" Quirky asked once Applebloom placed the note down on Dawn's neck yto get a better look.

"Ah'm about to find out," Applebloom replied as she began to read what the note said before her eyes widened, "Oh mah...Sc...Scootaloo's run away !"

"WHAT?!" the other fillies gasped, Dawn almost forgetting Applebloom was still on her back, but when she felt the earth pony slip, she tried to keep her on with her own wings.

"Ah'm not lying! She's really run away!" Applebloom said as Dawn Star used her magic to pick the note up and began to read it.

"Let's see… 'Hey girls, I'm sorry for not saying goodbye to you all, but I just couldn't take it anymore. After what happened with Diamond Tiara, I didn't want you to worry about me. So, I'm going as far away from Ponyville as I possibly can… and please don't try to follow me. And please, don't tell Rainbow Dash or anypony else, I don't want to have them worry about me. Your friend and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader; Scootaloo,'" Dawn Star read, and wow was everypony stunned by this news.

"O...oh my..." Timid gasped quietly.

"Whatdowedo? Whatdowedo? Whatdowedo?!" Quirky panicked.

"I...I don't know. I...I wish I knew," Dawn Dtar sighed sadly, "I would suggest we'd get Twilight or Rainbow Dash for help, but Scootaloo doesn't want them to know."

"Know about what?" they heard somepony ask.

The CMC froze up when they heard that as they slowly looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying above them before the cyan Pegasus landed.

"R-Rainbow Dash?!" Dawn gasped.

"...What're you doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I was stopping by to check up on Scootaloo. What're you five doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked before she noticed the note, "And what's that?"

"...uh...what's what?" Applebloom said nervously as she took the note from Dawn Star and hid it behind her back.

"C'mon, I saw something, you silly fillies. Hand it over," Dash responded.

"We don't know what you're t-hey!" Applebloom yelped when she felt somepony grab the note from her.

"You mean this?" a certain, azure unicorn asked, holding the note with her magic, "And before you ask, Trixie was just leaving Sparkle's place and was about to help Rainbow cr-I mean Dash with something when I noticed her looking at you five."

"Yea, we get it, now hand us back the note please, Trixie," Sweetie responded, but the azure unicorn kept it away from Sweetie, even with the young unicorn using her budding magic, but also was able to read the whole note.

"...Well...it seems the one known as Scootaloo has run away," Trixie noted after reading the note.

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash gawked as she grabbed the note and began to read it, her eyes widened in shock once she finished, "...What…?"

Rainbow Dash was just left dumbfounded after reading the note, heck, she plopped to the ground after reading it.

"Why...why would she do this?" The cyan Pegasus whispered.

"...Should we tell her, girls?" Dawn sighed, not sure what to do.

"We got no choice now that she knows," Sweetie Belle replied as she looked at the dumbfounded Rainbow Dash, "We...we think we know why she ran away."

"Then why would she?" Trixie asked before Dash got into Sweetie Belle's face, anxiety and great concern obvious on the mare's face.

"TELL US!" she begged.

"W... Well... It happened when that spoiled filly, Diamond Tiara, was making of Scootaloo. She...she said something that made her snap," Sweetie Belle explained.

"What exactly did she say?" Trixie asked.

"... She...called her an orphan," Sweetie Belle answered.

"An orphan?" Trixie and Dash gawked in unison.

"Yeah...and it turned out to be true..." Applebloom sadly spoke.

"We...we didn't kn-know it hurt her that much," Timid added.

Dash just looked stunned by this, "So… being called an orphan put her over the edge?"

"The Great yet Confused Trixie wonders why she'd act like this today of all days; when Trixie last checked, she was just fine," Trixie noted.

"She was...until..." Dawn Star began as her eyes widened, "Until she heard that parents day was going to happen in a few days "

"...Could it be possible that she was jealous of the other ponies bringing their parents to school when she's an orphan?" Dash guessed.

"That must be it..." Dawn noted.

"So what do we do about that with this knowledge?" Trixie pondered.

"...Trixie," Dash spoke, causing the azure unicorn to look at her, "I want you to get Twilight and have her gather a search party."

"Trixie will do it, even if she doesn't like being ordered around so much," Trixie sighed, galloping off to the library again.

"What can we do?" Quirky asked.

"... You five should head to your homes," the cyan Pegasus answered.

"What?! But we want to help! Scootaloo's our friend, so..." Applebloom began.

"It's starting to get dark, and believe me, most of the creatures that come out at night won't hesitate to eat you," Rainbow Dash stayed in a serious tone, pointing to the evening sky.

"Need Ah remind you that Ah go to the Everfree Forest now and then to meet Zecora? Ah'm kinda familiar with the creatures there," Applebloom responded.

"...fine," Dash sighed before stating in a serious tone, "But I want you to stay close to Twilight and the others, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," the CMC nodded.

"But...what about you?" Sweetie Belle asked as the cyan Pegasus turned around .

"I'm going on ahead to find Scootaloo," was all Rainbow Dash said as she took off into the sky and headed towards the forest outside Ponyville.

"...Good luck," Applebloom sighed as she led the CMC back to Twilight's place to meet up with the search party.
---
Meanwhile, Scootaloo yawned a bit as she started to get tired.

"I better stop and rest for a bit," the Pegasus filly said to herself as she stopped underneath a tree. She then reached into her bag, pulled out an apple, sat down against the tree, and began to eat. If she was going to try and get to the next town, she'll need all the energy she can get. "I sure have gone pretty far, though…but...no. I gotta stop thinking like that."

She simply finished her apple and then decided to take a bit of a nap. However, just as she was about to shut her eyes, a growling sound was heard, causing her eyes to shoot open.

"What the?!" she gasped, looking around to find the source of the noise.

The growling sound echoed through the area again, causing the Pegasus filly to gulp. She then paled when she saw a set of glowing, yellow eyes stare at her in hunger.

"...T... Timberwolves..." Scootaloo gulped, backing up slowly so as not to alarm them. However, just as she took another step back, she stepped on a fallen branch, breaking one of the twigs on it, "...uh oh."

With that, these huge wolves jumped out, forcing Scootaloo to gallop away as fast as she could. The scared Pegasus filly didn't notice she had left her stuff behind due to how scared she was at the moment. She didn't even care if she did at that moment, either, she just ran as fast as her legs could carry her, yet the Timberwolves were picking up speed very quickly. She immediately made a quick turn, causing the Timberwolves to crash into a tree. Using the confusion to her advantage, she ran into a hollow tree stump, grabbing a fallen branch to cover the hole."Phew… that was too close," she whispered to herself, trying to catch her breath. She then froze when she heard the sound of a Timberwolf's growl, causing the filly to break out into a cold sweat, but she tried to slow her breath so the wolf wouldn't find her. She slowly moved her head to a small opening in the cover she made and paled, seeing more Timberwolves sniffing around the area.
---
Meanwhile, the Mane 6, Trixie, and the rest of the CMC were wandering around trying to find Scootaloo when they happened upon her stuff.

Applebloom was about to run over and check before her sister stopped her.

"Stay here ," Applejack ordered as she walked over to where Scootaloo's stuff is. She examined the area a bit before she noticed what looked like claw marks on the tree, "... Not good."

"What is it? Or rather what was it?" Applebloom asked, concerned.

"...There's Timberwolves in the area ," Applejack answered.

"T...T...Timberwolves?!" Trixie paled as she ran behind Twilight.

"...What're Timberwolves?" Quirky asked, not having heard of those.

"I think I read something about them in the library," Dawn spoke, "They're wooden, wolf-like creatures that travel in packs, hunting for whatever food they can find."

"Sounds like most animals. What's bad about that?" Quirky asked.

"...they're omnivores, meaning..." Dawn began.

"They eat both plants and meat," Twilight gasped.

"Oh no! They could've gotten Scoots!" Quirky gasped as well as she began to panic.

"Let's hope they didn't," Applejack stated as she looked at the ground, seeing a few imprints of paws and hooves in the grass, "It appears Scootaloo saw them, then… after accidentally breaking a twig, she started running away from them in… that direction," she answered, pointing down where the trail led to.

"I see..." Twilight noted as she looked up at the night sky, 'Rainbow Dash...you better hurry up and get to Scootaloo before those Timberwolves do.'
---
At that moment, Rainbow Dash was flying around, trying to locate Scootaloo. She thought with the altitude she could better spot them, but the darkness of night didn't help much.

"Scootaloo...where are you?" The cyan Pegasus mumbled to herself before she barely saw something run in the a small clearing not too far from her, "What the?...was that her?"

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Rainbow Dash flew to the small clearing below and began to search it. She looked around for a bit before she heard the sound of leaves rustling, making the cyan Pegasus turn and see a set of bushes shake. Cautiously, she slowly approached the bushes. Once she was in front of them, Rainbow Dash moved some of the leaves a bit before...

"Agh! Please don't eat me! I don't taste like chicken!" A voice screamed from the bush.

"Whoa! WHOA! Chill out!" Dash responded.

"...R...Rainbow Dash?" The voice asked as Scootaloo poked her head slowly out of the bush.

"SCOOTS!" Dash gasped before rushing in to hug the filly, "Oh thanks Celestia!"

"Wh...what the hay are you doing here?!" Scootaloo asked as she pushed her idol/big- sister figure away.

"Looking for you! Why'd you run off, you had me worried sick!" Dash started, but as Scoots was about to start to talk, Dash held her hoof up, "Wait. Don't tell me, I know. Diamond Tiara pushed you over the edge when it came to your situation about your parents, right?"

Scootaloo's eyes widened when she heard that, "Y...yes. But... How did...?"

"Your friends told me," the cyan Pegasus answered.

"...Wh… why?" Scootaloo gawked, "I thought I told every pony not to worry about me when I left that note?!"

"C'mon kid, you know we care about you too much to not worry about you," Dash informed.

"..."

"Now come on Scoots. Let's get you..."

"No." Scootaloo spoke.

"Huh?"

"I said 'no!' I don't want to go back!" The Pegasus filly snapped.

"Why not?!"

"Because I don't want to deal with that stupid parents day, that's why!"

"...Uh… if it's okay Scoots… I could go… as, uh… your mom," Dash offered.

"...it wouldn't 't be the same," Scootaloo frowned as she turned away.

"Scootaloo, come..." Rainbow Dash began, trying to offer her hoof to the filly before it was batted away.

"No! Every year, I'm the only one in class that doesn't have a parent when that stupid day comes by! Heck, when it comes to any family member, I don't have Anypony!" Scootaloo snapped, "Applebloom has her sister, brother and grandma, Sweetie Belle has her sister and parents, Timid has her brother, even Quirky and Dawn have some pony! Me? I got nopony! It's not fair!"

Rainbow Dash was just stunned by this; she had never seen Scootaloo this emotional before, and while the young filly snapped in anger, tears of sorrow also fell from her eyes.

"It's just not fair...I wanted the one thing every pony in my class had...a mom and dad... " Scootaloo sobbed, her voice starting to sound shaky before growling, "But that stupid, spoiled filly, Diamond Tiara always rubbed in the fact my parents never came! And when she found out I don't have any...I...I..."

Before she could say anything else, Scootaloo fell apart and started crying in front of Dash. Dash was still stunned after hearing all that, tears starting to form in her eyes as well. Whenever she saw Scootaloo, she always seemed so happy and energetic. But now...seeing her like this…

"Scoots, I… I don't know what to say…" Dash whispered.

"...Then please do me the kindness of leaving me alone..." Scootaloo replied as she began to walk away, the tears still dripping from her eyes.

"...I wish I could, but…"

"...but what?" Scootaloo asked, stopping half-way to hear what Dash had to say.

"...I can't. After hearing about your situation… I can't risk seeing you all by yourself; I admit… I see you sometimes like a little sister…" Dash started, kinda surprising Scootaloo.

"...really?"

"Yea… I'm serious," Dash nodded, "And you didn't mishear me, I do indeed consider you what Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are to Rarity and Applejack, ...a sister. I never had any siblings to begin with, so I admit… I felt alone for much of my life, too. My attitude, and me getting cool… it was just so I could get attention and get some friends… but it wasn't the same. Twilight and the others helped me out, true, but it's not the same as having a sister or a brother."

"..." Scootaloo stayed silent as she listened to Rainbow Dash.

"So… with you trying to run away… I… I just couldn't take it. I can't stand losing you, Scoots," Rainbow Dash cried out, tears starting to fall from her own eyes, "So please...don't leave..."

"...Dash… I…" Scootaloo gawked, at a loss of words. She then began to tear up once more, her voice starting to crack a bit as she choked back a few sobs.

The two ponies just looked at each other, their eyes filled with tears that stained the fur on their faces. They only sat there before hugging each other, Scootaloo letting out the cries first as she sobbed in Rainbow Dash's chest.

"Dash… I'm… I'm sorry!" Scootaloo cried out between sobs, "I...I shouldn't have run away!"

"Don't worry about it now, Scoots. Just… try and relax… I'm here," Dash replied, trying to control her own cries as she held the crying filly , "You're big sis is here now ..."

Scootaloo just smiled in the midst of her crying.

"Come on...let's get you back home," rainbow Dash whispered.

"Yeah...home. ," Scootaloo nodded tiredly, the filly completely exhausted.

Dash only nodded before they both looked out and saw the coast was clear.

"Ok… follow me, Scoots," Dash instructed going out first.

"O...*yawns*kay," Scootaloo yawned.

"Oh right, it's late, isn't it?"

Scootaloo have a tired nod on response, the filly having a hard time staying awake.

"Ok… change of plans, let's wait here until the others find us."

"Okay..." Scootaloo nodded before yawning once more.

And so, the two just settled down and tried to fall asleep, Scootaloo immediately falling a sleeping due to her being completely tired after today's events.

"...Rest little sis… you'll need it," Dash smiled, using one of her wings as a blanket for the tired filly before falling asleep next to her.
---
(A bit later)

"SCOOTALOO!" Quirky shouted.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Pinkie shouted as well as the CMC, Trixie, and the Mane 6-minus RD, continued to look.

"Will you two please be quiet?!" Trixie snapped before yawning, "Trixie's getting really tired."

"Sorry, but we can't stop," Pinkie responded.

"Not until we find Scootaloo," Quirky added.

"Exactly."

"Ugh..." Trixie groaned before yawning.

"...Wait," Rarity spoke, "I think I see something up ahead."

"Really?! What?" Sweetie asked her sister.

"I don't know...but it's not too far from here," Rarity answered.

"...Ah see it too," AJ spoke, squinting her eyes a bit as she look forward, "And good news, it's not Timberwolves."

"Well what is it?" Applebloom asked.

"...Ah think it's Rainbow Dash and...ah think she found Scootaloo."

As if on cue, Sweetie and Applebloom just darted ahead to see if she was right.

"Hey wait up!" Quirky called out as she, Timid, and Dawn Star ran after the two fillies.

"Girls! Oh not this again," Twilight sighed as the Mane 5 followed the CMC, Trixie following, just struggling to stay awake.

"Hold up! The great and tired Trixie can barely catch up with..." The azure unicorn paused as she yawned , "You!"

"Well try and keep up!" Quirky yelled.

"Unless you don't want to become an alicorn," Twilight teased, making Trixie awake enough to step on the gas… so to speak.

"On second thought, Trixie has enough energy to keep going!" Trixie yelled as she caught up with the group.

"Good, then let's keep moving," Twilight urged, the group rushing over to where they thought they saw Dash and Scootaloo.

"Applebloom, ah thought ah ..." AJ began once she and the rest of the mares caught up with the CMC.

"Shh! Look," Applebloom hushed her sister as she pointed forward.

Everypony peeked over and indeed saw Dash and Scootaloo, both sleeping inside a hollowed out log, with Dash's wing over Scootaloo.

"...HEY Da..." Pinkie began before Trixie used her magic to shut the pink pony's mouth shut.

"Shh! They're asleep. So zip it," Trixie whispered.

"Mmmm!" Pinkie groaned.

"They look kinda cute together, though," Dawn Star admitted.

"H...hai," Timid nodded in agreement, "Demo...Wh-why're they in a h-hollow log?"

"Most likely to hide from any Timberwolves in the area," AJ answered quietly.

"Guess they were pretty tired to stay here instead of leaving as soon as possible," Applebloom figured.

"Probably..." Sweetie Belle nodded before she began to yawn .

"Well… we'd better join them and get some shut-eye too," Twilight guessed.

"But..." Trixie began before taking a quick look around and whispering to Twilight, "What about those Timberwolves Applejack mentioned? Because Trixie doesn't..."

"We'll be fine as long as we stay as quiet as possible," Twilight informed before looking over at Pinkie Pie, "Right, Pinkie?"

Pinkie just nodded rapidly in response not that she could speak since Trixie's magic sealed her mouth shut.

"...I'll set a barrier spell just in case," Trixie said as she unsealed Pinkie's mouth and created a barrier big enough to fit the group.

"How long will you be able to hold this up, though?" AJ curiously asked.

"Barrier spells are mere child's play for Trixie, so it'll last until the morning, " the azure unicorn replied.

"Okay. Everypony in the log," Twilight replied as the ponies got into the log and decided to get comfortable before falling asleep , "Goodnight, everypony..."
---
(The next morning)

"..." Scootaloo yawned as she began to wake up. She was about to get up before she noticed somepony's wing covering her, and seeing it was Dash as she was sleeping next to her.

Scootaloo smiled, remembering what Dash told her the night before. But then, she noticed the rest of the Mane 6, the CMC, and even Trixie were there around her.

"Girls..." The young Pegasus filly whispered before she noticed some of the group beginning to wake up.

The first to wake up were AppleBloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Mornin'" Applebloom yawned as she and Sweetie Belle got up.

"Morning," Sweetie Belle yawned in response before…

"Applebloom… Sweetie…" Scootaloo whispered, getting their attention.

"Scootaloo!" Both fillies whispered loudly as they ran over to their friend and hugged her.

"..." Scootaloo didn't know what to say about this, but she just smiled, hugging them back.

"We're so glad you're okay," Sweetie Belle whispered.

"Yeah," Applebloom added.

"...Thanks…" Scootaloo smiled as the three released the hug, "By the way...I'm...sorry for how I acted yesterday."

"It's okay… just… don't try something like that again, ok?"

"Yeah...I don't want to worry Anypony else like that ever again..." Scootaloo stated as she looked over at the sleeping Rainbow Dash, "Especially my big sis..."

"Your big sis?" the other two awake fillies gawked.

"Yeah..." Scootaloo nodded with a small smile.

Both Applebloom and Sweetie looked at each other in confusion, wondering what exactly happened between her and Rainbow Dash last night.

"...Don't worry… I'll explain later… as soon as the others wake up and we're back home in Ponyville," Scootaloo promised her friends.

"Okay," the two other fillies nodded as some of the others began to wake up as well.

"Mmm...not the best resting spot in the world, but I slept pretty well last night," Rarity yawned.

"Trixie...agrees," the azure unicorn nodded, and when Dash woke up, she smiled at Scootaloo.

"Good morning sis," the cyan mare replied to the orange filly.

"Morning big sis," Scootaloo smiled back, confusing most of the ponies there.

"...Dashie? Why did Scootaloo call you her big sis?" Pinkie was the first to ask, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Yea… yea she did, Pinkie… because… we are sisters, right Scoots?" Dash smiled, hugging Scootaloo with her wing.

"Yeah...we are," Scootaloo smiled back.

With that, the two pegasi explained their situation to the other mares in the log.

"Wow…" Twilight gawked after hearing the tale.

"That...was just...so..." Fluttershy began.

"So… touching… Rarity admitted, wiping some tears from her eyes.

"Trixie...agre..." Trixie began before the sounds of Pinkie and Quirky crying filled the air, "...Are they always this emotional?" She whispered to Twilight.

"Yes," the violet Alicorn whispered back.

"...Okay everypony, I think it's time we go home," Dash suggested.

"Yeah...home," Scootaloo nodded before remembering something, "Wait? What about my...?"

"Your stuff?" Applejack asked, taking out what Scootaloo left behind, "Ah knew it was a good idea to go back for this thing."

"Whoa! ...Where'd you find this?!" Scootaloo gawked.

"We found it while we were lookin' for ya," AJ answered as she handed Scootaloo her stuff, "We also found yer hoof prints, along with some slash marks caused by some Timberwolves on the tree we found yer stuff on."

"Oh… wow…th... Thanks."

"Okay, now let's go home," Dash replied before actually offering Scootaloo a ride on her back.

"R...really?" Scootaloo gasped, earning a nod from her mentor/big sis.

"Eeyup. So-woah!" Dash yelped a bit when Scootaloo jumped onto her back.

"Sorry, I just got a little too excited, sis," Scootaloo replied.

"Aw, don't worry about it. Hang on, Scoots," Dash smiled before taking off and yelling to her friends, "See you all back in Ponyville!"

"...Well, I guess we gotta take the long way back… again," Twilight sighed, earning a groan from Trixie.

"Trixie is getting tired of this…" Trixie groaned.
---
(Later, back in Ponyville)

"That...was...awesome!" Scootaloo excitedly yelled as she and Rainbow Dash arrived at her place.

"Well, glad you enjoyed the ride, lil' sis," Dash smiled as Scootaloo hopped off her back, "Uh...you sure you'll be alright here?"

"Yeah...I've been okay living by myself," Scootaloo nodded, a small sad smile on her face as she was about to head to the door, only to be stopped by Dash's wing, "Huh?"

"Just so you know, you're more than welcome to hang out with me at my place if you want," Dash told her before giving the Pegasus filly a small grin, "In fact, just for today, how about hangin' with your big sis, a.k.a; the coolest Pegasus in all of Ponyville?"

"...Aw yea! I'd be more than happy to hang out with you, big sis!" Scootaloo smiled widely, hugging the cyan pegasus.

"...Glad to hear, lil sis," Dash smiled, "Climb aboard."

As if on cue, Scootaloo jumped on with joy.

"Oh! But before we go..." Scootaloo began as she jumped off, rushed inside her home to drop her stuff off, rushed back outside, and jumped back on Dash's back, "'Kay! I'm ready, big sis!"

"Alright, hang on!" Dash smirked before they took off, Scootaloo screaming excitedly as they flew through the air.

"This is so awesome!" The Pegasus filly yelled before she noticed a certain spoiled filly down below, a grin starting to grow on her face, "...Hey sis?"

"Yeah," Dash asked before Scootaloo whispered something into her ear, "...well ... Normally I don't prank fillies except on Nightmare Night, but considering what she did yesterday, I'll make an exception for my little sis."

"Alright! Let's rock," Scootaloo smirked as they flew into a nearby cloud.
---
Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara just walked around, confident as ever. She then stopped for a moment to yawn a bit, the spoiled filly unaware she was underneath the cloud Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo we're hiding in. Then, without warning...

BOOM!

"KYAAA!" Diamond screamed suddenly, galloping away from the cloud out of fear, making Dash and Scootaloo snickering inside the cloud. She then, not paying attention since she was scared, ran into a trash can, causing all it's contents to spill on her.

Inside the cloud, both Pegasi were having a hard time trying to control their laughter.

"...Okay… who's laughing?!" Diamond demanded as the Pegasi were now laughing loud enough for her to hear, "When I find you, I-woah!" She yelped when she slipped on a stray banana peel, making her slip and fall into a mud puddle, "...daddy~!" She whined as she ran away, upset that her tail, and mane, we're completely ruined.

At this point, both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo we're laughing like crazy.

"Good one, sis!" Scootaloo laughed.

"Thanks! I try my best!" Dash laughed.
---
Later, Dash was simply flying around with Scootaloo on her back.

"What should we do next, sis?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well… I noticed you have been getting stronger in your wings, maybe I can start helping you learn how to fly," Dash figured.

"...y...you really mean it?!" Scootaloo gasped.

"Absolutely!" Dash nodded, "You don't seriously think you can only use your scooter your whole life for getting around, do you?"

"...thank you!" Scootaloo grinned as she hugged Rainbow Dash's neck, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

"Heh… no problem," Dash smiled as she lowered the two down to the ground so they could start.

Nearby, watching from a set of bushes, the cloaked figure from two chapters ago was watching the two, a small smile forming on her face as she walked away.

Author's Note:

You like? Read, Like, and possibly review/comment if ya can. Also, if you're wondering about the cloaked figure, that'll be explained in a later chapter.