Two weeks ago, Sweetie Belle disappeared; only days after another filly, diamond Tiara, did the same, neither with any known explanation. Many searched and found nothing, no trace, no hint of them.

Rarity has many reasons to be upset. Isolating herself from friends, those she still considers friends at least, she is entombed in anger, despair, and regret. It seems to have ruined her, leaving her lost in life, unable to find rest, unable to find peace; she wants, needs, answers, but there seem none to be found.

Until, two weeks later, for a chance at answers to come to her, and she comes to know the truth of that disappearance, and the time before. Her only real hope is to pray to the sun that she has not damned herself in the actions of ignorance and the pursuit of answers, and that, at the end, there might be a light she can find.

**newly updated 1/17/24 for the sequel, Remembrance**

Scootaloo had been content with her life. Sure, things got a little cold at night, and sure, she may not have gotten to eat as much as she would have liked, but she had the best friends a pony could ask for and the most awesome mare in Equestria as a sort-of sister. The only thing that could have made her life better was a cutie-mark to rub in stupid Diamond Tiara's big, fat face.
... Then her so-called friends had to ruin everything.
Why couldn't they have just stopped asking questions? They were all happy, weren't they? She had told them not to worry, so why did they? Now, because of them and all those other stupid ponies who never listened, she was stuck in the middle of the Everfree Forest with a mare who acts like dog with no idea of what to do.
And why did this mare keep looking at her like that? With such saddness and longing? Maybe... maybe Scootaloo could help her in return for helping her not get eaten. After all, even though fillies didn't need families, that didn't mean ponies didn't need each other, right?

A story (with an aspect of adventure despite what the site allows me to tag) about Scootaloo and the always overlooked Screw Loose, because there aren't enough (read: none) of those around here. On a side-note, we have a character tag for the likes of Noteworthy, a character with no outstanding features, but not one for a truly unique background pony like Screw Loose. What is wrong with the world? And still no royal guard tag! They may not be in this story, but come on! Don't they appear enough in the show to deserve at least that much recognition!
... Well, I hope you enjoy the story!
P.S.
The title will make more sense as the story progresses, I swear! Also Thanks to Bemmo for editing.

Something I just couldn't get off my mind until I wrote it down. Be warned: the ponies in these battles really go off on each other. Almost exactly like it is in "Epic Rap Battles of History", except with less cursing. There's plenty of verbal bashing, though.

Vinyl Scratch is the DJ for most of these battles, and will be doing the all-caps commentary (except for the ones she's in, of course). OC tag because of slight self-insert.

I've heard that this story is better when read with someone else. You know, with each person doing one half of the rap battle?

List of Rap Battles (as per request)
#1: Twilight Sparkle vs. Rainbow Dash
#2: Pinkie Pie vs. Rarity
#3: Spa Sisters vs. Flim Flam Brothers
#4: Octavia vs. Vinyl Scratch
#5: Angel vs. Gummy
#6: Derpy Hooves (Ditzy Doo?) vs. Lyra Heartstrings
#7: Princess Luna vs. Discord
#8: Scootaloo vs. Pipsqueak
#9: Fluttershy vs. Screwball
#10: Apple Bloom vs. Diamond Tiara
#11: Trixie vs. Featherweight
#12: Silver Spoon vs. Spike
#13: Sweetie Belle vs. Queen Chrysalis
#14: Applejack vs. Carrot Top
#15: Bon-Bon vs. Lyra Heartstrings
#16: Twilight Sparkle vs. Rainbow Dash (rematch!)
#17: Big Macintosh vs. Shining Armor
#18: Iron Will vs. Photo Finish
#19: Gilda vs. Prince Blueblood
#20: Nightmare Moon vs. the Doctor (Doctor Whooves)
#21: Princess Celestia vs. Princess Luna
#22: Snips and Snails vs. Twist and Ruby Pinch
#23: Braeburn vs. Soarin'
#24: Zecora vs. Cheerilee
#25: Winona vs. Opalescence
#26: Derpy Hooves vs. Pinkie Pie
#27: Spitfire vs. Daring Do
#28: Princess Cadence vs. Queen Chrysalis
#29: Babs Seed vs. Lightning Dust
#30: Sunset Shimmer vs. Trixie *
#31: tba

Picture by Silversnow here on this site.

...should there be a 'sex' tag, considering some of the stuff brought up in the rap battles?

Scootaloo is a young pony who has endured quite a bit of hardships, but has made the best of her life, even if it hasn't always been so easy. The little filly from Port Mane shares, in her own words, the ups and downs of her life, and just what it means to endure.

Find out how Scootaloo has endured through love and loss. See her thoughts on Rainbow Dash, her family, the crusaders, Featherweight, Pipsqueak, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Princess Luna and more.

Thanks to user sqarishoctagon for helping me edit. Soundtrack added via YouTube.

[Image is deceptive, it's not always as sad as the image implies, there's all kinds of moods, but this is a pic I'm proud of, and it's relevant in parts. Also check this description for more pics as the story unfolds.]

THIS IS A SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT UNIVERSE. I wrote this, starting during late Season 2, so I had to make judgment calls based on the information I had. As such, certain episodes thereafter do not match up, or fit in different places. Consequently, it is a very similar alternate universe. Many events happen in both this and the show timeline, but do not always match. I tried to stay consistent when possible, but certain things were lost to disagreements in interpretation. I like how I wrote my story and will not force it to match what came after I started writing. I've also decided to consider this fluidly finished. I still seem to make updates, but I no longer guarantee them.

[Please, if you read this, let me know what you think. PM me, comment, whatever. I just really want to hear people's thoughts!]

Pictures of the OCs:

Auntie Raincloud: http://fav.me/d57lxyk
Rosy Fields: http://fav.me/d57lxsb
Thunderclap: http://fav.me/d57lxv5
Miss Golden Posey: http://fav.me/d57m7on
Shooting Star: http://fav.me/d57mfah
Lucky Buck: http://fav.me/d57mf6t
Shutter Speed: http://fav.me/d57vow5
Ocean Breeze: http://fav.me/d57ly1b
Maple Woods: http://fav.me/d57m5dq
Sandy Shores: http://fav.me/d57m5gl
Cherry Tart: http://fav.me/d5mb5ch
Blazemane: http://fav.me/d57wlua
Thunderbolt: http://fav.me/d57wm42
Winter Winds: http://fav.me/d57wlwl
Wild Wisp: http://fav.me/d57wm2h
Jasmine Tea: http://fav.me/d6hb1kx
Golden Manchet: http://fav.me/d6hazp7 (Turned out greener than I intended.)

*THANKS TO EVERYONE who has given this a 95+% positive rating after over 3000 views 800 comments and 550 votes! I'm so thankful for your enjoyment of the story!*

Story events/characters that could spoil things:

http://fav.me/d8upn3c - My own art
http://fav.me/d8upn2w - My own art
http://fav.me/d8upf61 - My own art
http://fav.me/d8un0gx - My own art
http://fav.me/d8uqb91 - My own art
http://fav.me/d8urrbn - My own art
http://fav.me/d8uwzxl - My own art -- SPOILERS
http://fav.me/d6h2xa6 - Commissioned
http://fav.me/d6fvi4w - Commissioned
http://fav.me/d6fspin - Commissioned
http://fav.me/d6fp5eb - Commissioned
http://fav.me/d6h7t30 - The photograph from Entry 35. Faded as found.
http://fav.me/d6gcugr - Scootaloo's Family Portrait ca. Entry 43. Commissioned and lovely.
http://fav.me/d8y4c5t - Commissioned art portraying an event from the final two chapters. (Spoilers.)
http://fav.me/d53luw1 - Legitimate fanart. GREATLY appreciated.

http://fav.me/d8wy111 - a picture of Lucky Buck created from an art prompt "Starstruck"

NO LONGER BEING UPDATED! Stories will continue in Past Conditional!

Present Perfect's Award-Winning Platefic, aka The Zebra Manuscript, aka "Where Do Fillies Come From?" (Beyond Random): There is really no explanation for this.

The Nether Apple (Dark, Human): I once ran a Tumblr called Ask the Nether Apple, with all of two posts, a spinoff of the better Ask the Derpmuffin. I wanted to post the introduction story here for posterity. Not pony-related, and knowledge of Ask the Derpmuffin is recommended.

It Was a Bright and Sunny Day in Ponyville (Random, Adventure): An exercise in mocking purple prose and the 'weather report' opening. It is a single, grammatically correct sentence that takes 500 words to accomplish what happens in the title.

Twilight's Guts (Dark, Random): Twilight awakens covered in her own entrails. How did that happen?

The 6th Step (Human): I overcome my fear of heights with the help of some friendly ponies in my head. A true story.

Movin' on Up (Random): The walls start shakin', the earth is quakin', Dr. Whooves' mind is achin' and what the bloody hell is actually going on?

A Very Nasty Habit (Random): Chrysalis is confronted by a Councillor worried about her health. How did changelings get those holes in their legs, anyway?

The Call of Carrothulhu (Dark, Crossover): Carrot Top's garden hides many wonders, but some were never meant to be pulled from the earth.

Blue, Green, Purple, Pink (Dark): My mane is lovely, don't you think? So many colors, swirling, never ending, constantly shifting, always in my field of vision. Help.

Waiting for Rarity (Sad): Rarity is off pursuing her dreams. What does this mean for her friends?

War Comes to Equestria (Dark): Celestia has spent countless lifetimes honing Equestria into a peaceful haven for her little ponies. So when an ambassador from the griffins casually speaks of war, it is understandable that she might become a tad... peeved. Inspired by The Descendent's excellent story "A Cup of Joe". Somehow.

The Lamentation Chain (Sad, Random): Five souls find themselves caught in a common thread of sadness and longing on the eve of the new year.

The Heart Holds Grudges With Gravity (Random, Crossover): Applejack and Rarity have had a long-standing feud since before Twilight even knew them. The time has finally come to settle the score.

Burdens of the Throne (Random): The Princess of Love was angry...

The Summer of the Giant Moth (Random): When a giant moth roosts on Applejack's barn, she learns to appreciate the things we have or something, I dunno. Contains the phrase "tremendous death fart". More than once.

Rusty in the Giddyup (Comedy, Romance): Notably uptight noblepony Persnickety finally meets the mare of his dreams. But she's not exactly what she seems to be...

A Chance Encounter on Route 66 (Slice of Life): After a breakdown in the middle of nowhere leaves her stranded, help comes to Wild Fire straight out of a past she wanted to forget.

Pareidoilia, or the Importance of Crochet (Sad, Slice of Life): Pinkie Pie tells her granddaughter about the five greatest ponies she ever knew.

Somepony Still Loves You, Trixie Lulamoon (Human): I end up in Equestria, which is weird, because Equestria isn't real, I'm not a pony, and I didn't really want to come here in the first place. Also, the ponies are dicks. Don't go to Equestria, kids, it sucks.

No Jobs Tonight (Human, Sad): My name is PinkPartyPony and I live in a Corrugated with my best friend Pinkie Pie. I'll tell you about her and me and what we do together and my Box Friends and strawberries.

Handy-Dandy (Random): Flying around at the speed of sound one day, who should Rainbow Dash run into but the Great and Powerful Trixie? But little did she expect, the unicorn has a revelation that will blow her mind!

Mowe (Dark, Comedy): Applejack was a fat baby, and her parents are dead.

Bat for Lashes (Adventure): Roughing it does not mean bringing an eyelash curler, at least not to Applejack. After all, it's not like she'll ever find herself embroiled in an eyelash-curling emergency out in the wilderness... Right?

Rainbow Dash Gets a Big Ball of Lame Stuck in Her Throat (Comedy, Random): And it kind of sucks!

No Harm, No Waterfowl (Comedy, Random): Beaten, humiliated and humbled, Trixie has been brought low and understands the horrible things she's done. Now, in a wildlife reserve miles away from civilization, she has found peace. But it is a fragile peace, ready to shatter when a flock of ducks arrive from afar.

The Eye and the Web (Slice of Life): An old seer is summoned to Ponyville to perform her last seeing.

And a Smile Means Friendship to Everyone (Random, Slice of Life): Fleur holds a press conference to talk about just what she did to revolutionize children's entertainment.

A Tsundere Diamond Tiara Schoolyard Romance Story (Random, Romance): Diamon Tiarda has a secrets she doesnt actually not never hate Apple Bloom but don't tell nopony shhh. I wrote this for Jake the Army guy because.

The Brony Princess (Human, Crossover, Random): Katelyn's life is awful: school sucks, her parents are idiots, and her only solace is watching My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. So when she's whisked off to a magical kingdom full of talking equines, things start looking up. Except it's not the kingdom full of talking equines she was hoping for... (Will not be finished.)

A Blackout in Ponyville (Random, Crossover): Blackout -- a giant, evil robot covered in guns and blades -- visits Equestria to see one particular pink party pony. Hopefully he won't squish any of the organics. A crossover with Transformers: Animated that will likely not be understandable to anyone unfamiliar with the show.

Vinyl Scratch Drops the Title (Teen: Sex, Random, Comedy): During the decannual Main/Background Exchange Day, Vinyl Scratch ends up sorting books with Princess Twilight Sparkle much to her chagrin and eternal boredom.

Love Means Never Having to Say You're Hungry (Romance, Dark): Rainbow Dash has a problem with Pinkie Pie.

Lines (Comedy, Slice of Life): A time-displaced warrior from Equestria's distant past ekes out a living in modern Manehattan. All she wants is coffee, and all the motor-mouthed unicorn at the computer store wants is to sell her the latest in Equestrian technology.

The Shortest Breakup Fic Ever (Romance, Comedy, Random, Sad): Two ponies discover they have irreconcilable differences. (Reading by AShadowOfCygnus!)

Star Bright (Original Version) [Adventure]: A young mare goes off into the Everfree Forest, seeking a way to come out from under her mother's shadow.

The Totally, For-Real Shortest Breakup Fic Ever (So Long as You Don't Look at the Character Count) [Romance, Sad, Random]: Pinkie has a tearful confession for Rarity about Rainbow Dash. (Reading by AshadowOfCygnus!)

Kiss of the Sea Queen (Adventure, Romance): After accidentally being turned into seaponies, Twilight, AJ, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy get swept up in the political strife of their underwater cousins. (Will not be finished.)

"Speak, Butt, and Enter" (Random, Adventure, Butts): Daring Do finds out just why she brought Ditzy along on her latest adventure when they come across a strange inscription outside a lost temple.

Matter Was I, If It Would (Random): In the wake of Princess Twilight getting a nifty-keen crystal tree castle, Pinkie has to ask Twilight a very difficult question. Or it might be a very silly question, I'm not sure.

Sunset Shimmer Plays Baseball (2nd Person, Romance, Comedy, Random, Equestria Girls): Fresh haircut, chocolates, flowers: you're all set for your first date with Sunset Shimmer!

Underneath It All (Random): As the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Future, Luna was awfully... tall.

Rainbow Dash and Fluffle Puff Try to Play an MMORPG (Random): They fail miserably.

Friendly Fire (Adventure, Random, Sad): In a ruined city, hunting for a lost relic, Twilight and Fluttershy smell something burning.

That's Amore (AU, Random): Starlight Glimmer needs to figure out how to pass five friendship lessons at once. Surely pasta will help!

That'll Do, Pig (Teen: Sex, Comedy, Equestria Girls, Random): Sunset Shimmer has something very important to say.

I'll Show You "Apple Brown Betty"! (Random): Rainbow Dash takes a dump on Applejack. They can't all be winners!

Daring Do and the Compact of Doom (Comedy, Equestria Girls, Random): Daring Do gets ready for another rousing treasure hunt, with all the things a brave adventurer needs to succeed!

Applejack Kicks It Up a Notch (Comedy, Random): Bam! Applejack is here to make everything spicier! A spiritual sequel to Things Rainbow Dash Doesn't Like.

Things Fluttershy Is an Expert In (Comedy, Random): Pretty much just Fluttershy yelling at ponies. Spiritual sequel to Things Rainbow Dash Doesn't Like.

Apple Slices (Sex, Drama, Sad): Golden Delicious, feeling trapped by his cozy, provincial life, goes in search of greener pastures. What he finds is a unicorn.