//------------------------------// // I (All) - Living Alone // Story: Taming the Storm // by Wolfie 03 //------------------------------// Start of September, 1004 A.D. (After Discord) For the first time in her life (that she was willing to admit) Rainbow Dash was nervous. She fidgeted in place in front of a wooden door; she knew that it was the right thing to do, but that didn't make the conversation she was about to have any easier. It was a plain old door, leading to a single floor cottage on the edge of Ponyville; large front yard and huge backyard with a path leading to the unassuming wooden barrier. It wasn't even about the mare who lived there; the blue-gray pegasus was a bubbly and optimistic mare who was pleasant to be with. No, it was why Rainbow Dash was there that caused the normally brave pegasus to be nervous and hesitant. It started when Applejack and Rarity were searching for their younger sisters, earlier that same day. Dash had been napping in the sky above Ponyville (in order to have first hoof knowledge of weather conditions of course!) when she heard frantic shouts from below her. “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow! We need yer help!” The cyan pegasus peeked over the edge of her cloud and saw a very odd sight; two ponies who seemed to have nothing in common were standing side by side, with Applejack wrapping a supportive hoof on Rarity's shoulder as she leaned onto the farmer for support. Rainbow Dash could tell by their stricken faces that it was an actual dire situation and not a drama queen one; what was confusing was that it was early in the morning and everything seemed fine. The pegasus dived off her temporary bed and pulled up sharply to hover over the two mares. “What's up?” Applejack opened her mouth to respond but Rarity beat her to it. “Our sisters are missing!” After a dramatic pause, during which the orange mare shot the unicorn a bland look for the extra theatrics, Applejack continued from where Rarity left off. “We can't find any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders anywhere! Ah got ah letter from mah cousin Braeburn sayin' he saw them at Apploosa the other day; we tried tah see if they came back but we haven't found them yet. Can ya help search Ponyville before we check Apploosa?” Rainbow Dash was a little slack jawed at what the trio did this time but shook her head clear before giving the two older siblings a salute. “Leave it to me; I'll check Ponyville in ten seconds flat!” Seeing Rarity's distress, Applejack grabbed a hold of the rainbow tail before the pegasus took off to start her search. “We don't want ah fast check; we want ah THOROUGH search.” Rainbow rolled her eyes at the stern look before waving a reassuring hoof. “Yeah, yeah; a fast but thorough search, right.” With another salute, the brash mare flew away at top speeds to start looking for the trio of fillies. She searched the streets of town, causing a blast of wind that almost knocked over ponies as she flew past; Rainbow Dash gave a quick look through the stores that were likely to be visited by the fillies (the Sporty Pony, Prank Palace, and the Arcade) before continuing on her way. As the search of the town gave no indication of where the girls could be, Rainbow Dash widened her search to the area around the close knit town. A spot of gray and blonde made her pause in thought before barreling for the mailmare's small cottage. “Derpy!” At the call, the blue-gray pegasus looked to the sky with a smile. “Hello Rainbow Dash! How are you doing?” The cyan mare landed swiftly and glanced around the immediate area. “Have you seen any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Applejack and Rarity can't find them...” Dash noticed how the normally upbeat mare now wore a pensive frown at the mention of the girls being missing; her golden-yellow eyes slightly drifted apart in frustration before she concentrated to keep her eyes focused on the cyan mare before her. “I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I haven't seen them. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the first time they went out of town...” Dash raised an interested brow and leaned closer. “Oh? And when did they leave before? You have no idea where they may have gone?” Derpy leaned back slightly with a surprised look at the sudden interrogation before feeling bad that she couldn't help more. “I don't really know Rainbow Dash, sorry. And I can't say when they may have left before, I had promised not to say anything before finding out what they had planned...” Rainbow groaned in annoyance and was about to take off once more when Derpy held out a hoof to gain her attention. “You are going to find them right, even Scootaloo?” “Of course! We'll find all three and bring them home for sure!” Without another word, the speedster took off in a flash and searched the rest of the surrounding area, ending at Fluttershy's cottage. The shy mare was in her backyard feeding the squirrels when the speeding cyan blur came to a stop next to her, startling all the animals and the canary mare into hiding in the nearby bushes. “Fluttershy, relax; it's just me. No time to waste, have you see the Crusaders recently?” Fluttershy slowly edged out of the bushes and peered at her friend with worry. “No, I haven't seen them recently. Why, what's wrong? Is someone hurt?” Rainbow shook her head and grabbed at Fluttershy's hoof to bring her along, taking to the skies once more at higher speeds than the timid mare was used to. “The fillies are missing and Applejack and Rarity are worried sick. Come on, they're going to need us at the library.” Rainbow Dash pulled Fluttershy along as she continued her fast pace to meet with their friends; while she could see the timid mare flinch at the speed, she didn't dare slow down, not when ponies were depending on her. As they came to the tree house, they saw the older sisters running to the library and their 'unofficial' leader. The two pegasi landed to hopeful faces from the farmer and the fashionista who paused a few feet away from the door when they noticed the fliers. “Did ya find them RD?” “I've looked all over Ponyville and some of the fields around it; I didn't see heads or tails of them.” As two mares slumped downhearted where they stood, Fluttershy leaned forward slightly to try and reassure them. “Uh, maybe Twilight knows a way to find them...?” The others shared determined nods and turned as one to take the last few steps to enter the library. The unicorn reached the door with her magic first and burst through in her (almost usual) dramatic fashion. “Twilight! We need your hel-!” The fashionista paused mid-speech as the four friends found the residential bookworm and party pony cuddling and nuzzling one another on a shared cushion with a book laying out in front of them. Pinkie Pie had a hoof around Twilight's shoulders and her head on the lavender mare's neck, within easy reach of Twilight's muzzle; something Twilight was taking advantage of and was in the midst of kissing the pink cheek when their friends came inside. Due to the relaxing nature of their relationship, Twilight was slow to respond or even panic though both mares on the cushion turned as one to face their friends who were staring back in shock at the scene before them. The gray-white mare was the first to be able to speak once more. “Ah, as much as I would love to ask how this came to be, we have an emergency on our hooves.” The four mares finished entering the room as they tried to refocus on the main issue at hoof. Twilight blinked slowly before both mares stood and walked over to their friends; while both wore blushes, they were going to help their friends before worrying about having been discovered together. “What's wrong?” As Applejack and Rarity described their sister issues, Rainbow Dash watched with curiosity at how close Pinkie Pie stayed near the egghead. Since it seemed that nopony was going to say anything about what they saw in order to focus on the issue at hoof, Rainbow Dash tried to not burst into laughter at the thought of such two opposite ponies together. After explaining the majority of what happened, the rest of the ponies turned to face the cyan mare for a bit more details on how her search went. “I've looked all over town and the nearby places; they're not in Ponyville. I even checked the stores they often visit.” Rainbow stated flatly even as Rarity and Applejack flinched at the repeated fact. The older sisters looked extremely worried, with Twilight's face slowing joining their state while Pinkie just looked anxious about something. “You said you got a letter?” Twilight inquired of the orange mare who nodded slowly as she kept an eye on the unicorn beside her. “Yeah, Ah got ah letter from Braeburn sayin' he saw the girls in Apploosah. Here ya go Twi', we may have tah find the fastest train south...” As Twilight quickly read the letter, Rainbow began to get impatient; the next course of action was obvious, what was talking them so long to get to it? “Come on! We know they aren't here and that they are probably still in Apploosa! What are we waiting for?” Fluttershy flinched as everyone looked at Rainbow Dash whom she was sitting next to; the cyan mare hadn't bothered to keep her voice down as she crossed her hooves in annoyance at the slowness of the others. “That would be the next course of action... Let's head to the train station.” As the six friends headed for the door, the librarian paused a moment to call for her assistant. “SPIIKEEE! Spike, I need you to stay here and watch the library while we're gone, ok?” Spike nodded from the doorway to the kitchen, concerned but pleased to have something he could do to help; he had heard what was wrong, but with the six best friends on the case he knew it wouldn't be an issue for long. The train ride south was an odd one; they took the express to get there faster but it was still a two hour long trip. At first it was filled with everyone trying to reassure Applejack and Rarity, but soon turned towards the pink and lavender mares' new relationship. “So darling, have you and Pinkie Pie been going out long?” Pinkie merely looked to the librarian who was nervous about the others' reaction. “Well, we've been, been dating for two months now...” Twilight rubbed her hooves together as Pinkie gave her a reassuring nuzzle. “Why darling, that's wonderful!” The others added their congratulations while Rainbow Dash merely rolled eyes; sappy wasn't very cool at all. “And you're still an egghead? I'd have thought hanging at with Pinkie would have loosened you up.” Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves while sticking a teasing tongue to the lavender mare who had tensed at the short tone of the cyan mare but relaxed at the teasing smirk. “Silly Dashie! You just gottah find the right spots to make Twilight go all loose; like this!” With that exclamation the pink earth pony thrust forward to nose Twilight's neck, making her melt under the touch all the while blushing. “Pinkiieee!” Twilight weakly protested while most of the others chuckled at the sight; Rainbow Dash pretended to gag until catching sight of Fluttershy's disapproving look. Rainbow Dash decided to play it safe and remained silent for the rest of the trip; while she wasn't scared of anything, Fluttershy could give some convincing lectures. Rarity continued to pester the new couple with questions while Applejack watched outside; something the cyan pegasus did as well as she lamented how she would already been at the desert town had she been flying on her own. She would have said this out loud, but the timid mare beside her was on the watch for anything the brash pony might do. Now that Dash was looking, she found that Fluttershy couldn't decide between being happy or concerned; and if there was one thing Dash did was help her friends. “What's up Fluttershy?” The cream-yellow mare flinched, having been caught being worried. “Oh, uhm, nothing...” At the deadpan from the bold pegasus, Fluttershy crouched lower and continued in a softer tone; she decided to go with one of the many things that she was worried about but wouldn't cause as much trouble if she said it out loud. “... I was... Worried about the girls...” Dash knocked a soft hoof into Fluttershy's shoulder as she smirked. “Phhhftt, I'm sure they're fine. They did learn 'Awesome Martial Arts' from yours truly after all!” Rainbow put a hoof to her chest as she sat up straighter, confident in her teaching abilities. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash's voice carried enough that the others heard and soon the two pegasi were the focus of three furious eyes and one that seemed more curious than anything. “What did ya say Rainbow Dash?” Applejack demanded slowly as they cyan mare rubbed the back of her head sheepishly; Dash realized she just got herself into trouble, but it was too late to back out now. “Well...” By the time they reached town, Rainbow Dash was more than willing to find the Crusaders to get the others to stop being mad at her for teaching them how to fight. They filed out of the train, with dire threats of a proper lecture when they got back home with fillies in tow hanging over a certain brash pegasus, when they found the Crusaders trotting up with another filly. The four girls weren't paying any attention to their surroundings and Rainbow Dash flinched as she saw the concerned looks harden into furious stares as the two older siblings stepped forward and called out to the girls. “What in the hay are y'all doin'?” “What do you have to say for yourself?” Rainbow felt for the girls, she really did; but felt the unspoken threat of more lectures if she didn't take the 'proper' side. Finding just the right moment to join in the berating of the girls before them, Dash tried to focus her question in a general fashion while still speaking to Scootaloo only; Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had enough things to worry about without another pony jumping on them. “Running away is not cool squirt; what would your parents think of that?” As soon as the question left Rainbow's mouth, the entire atmosphere changed; everypony could feel it and fell silent, waiting for the young pegasus' response. Even the brash pegasus could tell something was wrong, something more than just a light scolding. The young filly's response proved the feeling to be correct. “I don't know what either one of them would think of that, they've been dead for over five years.” Scootaloo replied flatly, trying to not show just how hard the question hit her; especially considering how it came from her idol. Without giving anyone a chance to figure out a response, the young pegasus ran into town, unwilling to answer what would most likely come next. Rainbow didn't know what to think nor do; one of the few times her instinct or need for action gave her no guidance. Suddenly, a summer of fun times and freedom seemed to take on a harsher tone concerning the filly; questions bubbled beneath the surface of Rainbow's mind at how the young girl had been getting by, though none broke through into the physical world. If it weren't for a warm presence next to her and an outside influence, the prismatic mare may have remained in that state for much longer. Fluttershy had a better idea about insecurities and what it was like to live without parents, and knew that being left alone after such a revelation was NOT something that should be done. “Go after her.” While normally the timid mare was not one to give commands, seeing her normally full of action friend motionless and stunned, she felt the need to give a guiding hoof. She was pleased to see life return to shocked cerise eyes as Rainbow Dash took to the skies to search for the orange pegasus, and followed at a slower but still hurried rate; while she could tell Rainbow would need to be the one to speak with Scootaloo, Fluttershy knew how hard it was to get the cyan mare to be 'sappy'. Scootaloo ran as though her life depended on it; she ran from her friends, from older ponies who 'cared', from shocked eyes and from the painful past. She turned corners, dashed around startled ponies and soon found herself hiding behind one of the buildings farther back, on the side of town. The young filly slumped onto the ground and tried to focus on anything but vague memories of a storm, the sense of falling or the confusing rush the days afterwards; for better or worse, memories of living at the orphanage broke the young pegasus from the day of the accident, and these were much worse to think of. Scootaloo was so deeply in thought about it that she didn't notice the blur of rainbow that flew overhead to land behind her; Rainbow was fast enough that even though the orange coat blended into the ground she was able to locate her within seconds of the filly running off. While she would have been able to search the whole town within moments, Scootaloo hadn't gone too far; which meant that in relatively no time at all did Rainbow Dash have time to think of what to say. The dejected form before her and the sudden relation of lack of parents prevented Rainbow from setting forward to speak with the filly that often idolized her. Since she was confident (and often times over-confident), she wasn't used to dealing with the disheartened or sad; if she did, it was usually only with Fluttershy who knew she didn't mean anything mean-spirited by her brash words or actions. Rainbow hadn't known Scootaloo all that long, and usually just lumped her together with the other Crusaders as annoying but good fans who caused trouble by accident. It wasn't until Derpy asked her to keep an eye on the young pegasus did Rainbow Dash start to notice or take interest in what she was doing. As Dash contemplated how to approach the small figure, Fluttershy found the cyan mare on her haunches staring at Scootaloo worriedly. The cream-yellow mare slowly walked over to her long time friend, trying not to startle her; she saw a blue ear flick towards her as Rainbow Dash noticed her presence. “Hey...” Dash muttered to her old friend without looking back; she was half-worried that the timid mare was there to lecture her about not having done anything yet. “H-hi.. Uhm, were you able to...?” Fluttershy tried to ask her question when she saw rainbow shake her head no; the shy mare had thought as much but wanted to be sure, it wasn't very nice to jump to conclusions after all. “What would I say to something like that?” Fluttershy nuzzled her friend; finding no reaction to this the shy mare realized just how disturbed Rainbow Dash was. The cyan mare wasn't all that willing to be nuzzled, even from her oldest friend; and to find no reaction, not even an eye roll, showed just how serious she was at the moment. Fluttershy paused as she tried to think of the best way to phrase her next statement; this topic was one that could actually hurt the normally brash pegasus and that was the last thing she wanted to do. “You know what it's like, to lose somepony you care about from an early age...” Sensing that Rainbow needed all the support she could get just thinking about the topic, Flutterhsy kept up the nuzzling which Dash still showed no reaction to. “Yeah, but I never knew my mom; you know that she died giving birth to me Fluttershy. The squirt knew her parents and lost them both....” Dash gave a half wave of her hoof as she tried to impart how much of a bigger deal it was than to lose a parent she had never known. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, continued to remain unaware of her surroundings as she was lost in memories; not even noticing the two older pegasi talking quietly not that far away who were also trying not to get lost in their own memories. “Yes but... Your dad died... And you had gotten to know him...” Fluttershy was even more hesitant as she brought up this point; she was sure the cyan mare buried the pain of losing her father deep down so that she wouldn't have to come to terms with it, making it an even more painful topic to discuss. The flinch and shifting afterwards was proof that it was indeed still painful for the brash pegasus. “Yeah, but Scootaloo is at least nine if not ten years old; much younger than I was but still close enough to remember them. Why don't you talk to her? You lived in an orphanage, you know what it's like...” Rainbow tried to push her friend towards the filly only to find one of the rare moments of strength from the timid mare as she pushed back in order to remain in place. “No; she wouldn't listen to me about it. She looks up to YOU, Rainbow Dash, not me. You should be the one to talk with her.” At the shy mare's unusually firm stare, Rainbow sighed in defeat before nodding. It was at this last part that Scootaloo became aware of her surroundings once more; the argument between the two pegasi had gotten loud enough to notice though not enough for the young filly to hear. Upon seeing who it was, Scootaloo was torn between leaving and seeing what they wanted; she remained in place wearily as Rainbow Dash walked up to her with a hesitant smirk on her face. “Hey squirt...” Seeing no change in Scootaloo's face, the smirk dropped from the older pegasus' face as she pawed the ground lightly. “Uhhh... I just, wanted to say that... I know what it's like to not have parents and all... And you're doing a good job for yourself!” At the soft hiss of 'Rainbow!' from the mare behind her (which Rainbow Dash felt more than heard since it was so soft), the rainbow maned pegasus backtracked slightly to try and convey that she did care about the youngster. “Uh, but what I mean is that ah, even if you're doing ok, you can come to any of us for help or if you're in trouble. I know Derpy cares about you...” Rainbow trailed off slightly as she noticed Scootaloo's face turn more pensive and annoyed, and could practically feel Fluttershy's encouragement to keep going on this kind of thought and speech. After scuffing the ground some more with a blue hoof, Dash stomped that same hoof onto the ground as she groaned. “Ugh! Look squirt, I'm not very good at sappy but you have good friends and ponies who care about you so don't think you're on your own or alone, alright...? Come on, let's get back to the others; your friends are probably worried for you.” Rainbow made no move in order to see what kind of reaction she would get from the filly and sagged in relief when Scootaloo silently got up and headed for the train station. Rainbow Dash followed the young pegasus and once they reached where Fluttershy timidly waited, the quiet mare joined the parade by the sky-blue mare's side; they then engaged into a quiet 'conversation' while Scootaloo tried her best to ignore them, afraid of what they might be talking about now. “Rainbow...” “Look Fluttershy, you know I don't do sappy! And that was getting WAY too sappy for me. I tried, you saw that!” Rainbow was more than willing to take off into the sky at the muted sigh from the mare next to her but could tell that it would be seen as a move worse than she would mean; especially considering how neither of the other pegasi she was walking with could fly much at all. “Do you think... She's living by herself?” Fluttershy could barely contain her shudder of sympathy if that was the case; having grown up alone and afraid to make friends gave her a good understanding of what it was like. Rainbow continued to stare ahead at the filly as she responded, thinking of the cream-yellow mare's experience in an orphanage. “I dunno, I thought she was staying with Derpy; she was concerned about Scoot before, so I thought that she was taking care of her or was a relative or something...” Rainbow Dash felt Fluttershy's eyes bore into her with a question that she couldn't speak out loud but felt like it should be asked; thinking about what had just happened, Rainbow could guess at what the timid mare wanted to know. “Sigh... All right, Fluttershy; I'll ask Derpy about it when we get back...” Fluttershy gave a large smile before turning to face forward once more. Rainbow rolled her eyes (not that Fluttershy noticed) and continued to follow the young pegasus who lead the way to the others. While Rainbow Dash was trying to not dwell on her attempt at 'sappy', Scootaloo was both embarrassed and happy that her hero had found her and tried to offer some support. While the orange filly was happy to know that Dash cared, Scootaloo had just as much trouble as the cyan mare with showing emotions, making the display all that more touching; though it was as much if not more unnerving and off-putting at the same time. Aside from her close friends, Scootaloo hadn't known anypony who cared about her; Derpy Hooves was a rare exception among thousands, she cared for everypony equally but especially for little foals. She tried to keep a blank face as she led the way, trying to not hear the discussion behind her and failing; at the sound of a hushed promise to check in with Derpy, Scootaloo frowned slightly and began to make plans of her own for when they got back to Ponyville. All three pegasi were silent as they thought to themselves about vastly different things; Rainbow tried to think of how to talk with the normally happy mare about such a deep and serious topic, Fluttershy thought about how the cyan mare hadn't seemed to ever get over the passing of her father and unwillingness to address why she didn't like being 'sappy', while Scootaloo started plans for new hideouts for the last two weeks of summer and perhaps even well into the school year. The three ponies went back to the train station to find the others; while there may have been a good chance that the others had moved locations, it was a good place to start looking. Fortunately, the rest of the girls hadn't left yet and were waiting for the pegasi's return. Twilight and Pinkie nodded greeting to the mares as Applejack and Rarity finished berating their younger siblings; they gave the pegasi swift greetings before turning to face the town, intent to find out how much trouble the trio really were in for. They found Braeburn speaking with Little Strongheart about if any of the buffalo had seen the fillies when they caught sight of the group heading towards them. As the stallion broke off his conversation to speak with his cousin, Rainbow Dash gave a hoof bump to the young buffalo in greeting before listening to how the girls, to their knowledge, hadn't done anything aside from baking pies and doing some work in the salt mines; something that sounded much like what they normally did to the daring pegasus. This new knowledge did little to appease the older siblings who turned furious gazes to the fillies, who in turn shrank back in worry. After promising even more stern talks with large consequence, the nine ponies took the next train back to Ponyville. While the first train ride was awkward, the second was downright tense and stressful. Any time the fillies twitched, at least three pairs of eyes shot towards the movement, freezing whoever had made such a foolish motion; meanwhile Rainbow Dash just stared out of the window, Fluttershy kept half an eye on the cyan mare and the other to the orange filly, while Pinkie Pie just sat next to her marefriend trying to help her relax slightly. No one spoke, no one walked around on the train and no one looked into one another's eyes, making it seem like a very long trip back. Rainbow Dash was thrilled by the time the express pulled into the familiar station and she stretched happily as the others stood as well; the older siblings kept so close to their sisters that they could have been their shadows in an attempt to keep track of them. The trio was surrounded by the older mares with the two older siblings leading the way, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on either side with Twilight and Pinkie leading the rear. As they stepped off onto the platform, Scootaloo glanced at her friends who winked back before the young pegasus charged at the timid mare on the left. Fluttershy flinched from the shove of the orange filly and the shout of 'outta the way!'. The two older sisters turned furiously to the runaway but before either them or Twilight could make a move they were pushed into by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle who was trying to cover for their friend's escape. They only had enough hooves to block three of the older mares, Dash was able to take to the skies after the young pegasus. There was a commotion behind her but Rainbow Dash didn't look back as she tried to keep an eye on the small filly; unfortunately it was slowly becoming afternoon and more ponies took to the streets, concealing the smaller filly from the high flying mare. Scootaloo used her knowledge of the hidden ways and the many ponies outside on the lovely day to hide from searching eyes. Soon she was tucked away behind Sugarcube Corner and some crates; she watched the speeding rainbow blur pass by several times as Rainbow searched the town for the young pegasus. After spending another ten minutes searching, Rainbow Dash landed in town square with a growl of frustration. As she searched the crowds Fluttershy fluttered down beside her with a question in her eyes. “I can't find her; I've searched all over...” Rainbow Dash didn't stop looking as she answered the timid mare's silent question. “Uhm, are you... Still going to visit Derpy?” Fluttershy watched the cyan pegasus nervously as her annoyance peaked before draining away to leave her slumped with her head drooping towards the ground. “Sigh... Yeah, I'll go visit Derpy... I, I don't know how to ask though... Not that I need... uh, well, I mean, can you...?” Rainbow couldn't look towards the canary mare who stared back in concern before understanding filtered across her face. “Yes, I can come with you to Derpy's home.” Fluttershy gave the sky-blue mare a quick nuzzle that got little reaction to it before she pulled away to stand once more. “Thanks...” Rainbow muttered as she started to walk through town; she felt heavier than usual and decided to walk through town instead of flying like usual, the serious conversation already weighing on her mind. The two friends made their way through the now busy streets, keeping an eye out for a flash of orange and light cerise; before long they left the more populated streets behind and saw their destination not far away. The small one floor cottage was in good repair with the yard well kept; while the mailbox was a little bent, everything else was in good condition. A small cottage with a solid wood door wouldn't normally seem like such a terrible thing, but to Rainbow Dash it was as though she was performing in the Best Young Fliers Competition again without the ability to do a Sonic Rainboom. She had promised to find the Crusaders, and while she did find them, she lost Scootaloo just as they got back to town. Derpy had her hopes resting on Rainbow Dash and she failed her; while she would do anything to make it up to the blue-gray pegasus, she wasn't going to lie about it. It was just so hard to take the last few steps. Fluttershy watched her brave friend pause on the doorway and knew that Rainbow had to be the one to knock on the door and tell the mare living there what happened. The timid mare watched for a few more minutes before realizing it was another moment that the cyan mare needed a push in the right direction. Fluttershy nudged the speedster who gave a start before flashing a reassuring smirk to her friend before taking the last few steps and knocking on the door. Within moments the wooden door opened quickly to reveal Derpy with an unsure smile at the sight of the sky-blue mare. “H-hey Rainbow Dash, did you find the girls?” At Rainbow Dash's half rueful smirk, the smile dropped from the mailmare as she looked back in concern with her eyes slowly drifting apart. “I found them, and we brought them back to Ponyville... It's just, ah... Scootaloo took off as soon as we got onto the platform...” Derpy's frown took on a more pronounced shape as she listened to Dash's explanation. “I'm sorry Derpy... She was upset about something I said and it's probably why she ran off when we got to town...” Rainbow scratched at her head as she stared at the ground; Fluttershy watched through her pink bangs a few paces behind her friend. “She ran off when you got to town? She's probably going into hiding then... What was it that you said that made her so upset?” Derpy also focused on the ground between the two pegasi which Dash had found so interesting. “I had asked what her parents would have thought of her running away...” Derpy flinched to which Rainbow sighed once more. “Yeah, I heard from her about how she didn't have any parents...” Rainbow Dash looked at the other mare who shook her head before explaining herself. “That's not all she got hurt by, Rainbow Dash. She ran away from the orphanage that she was put into after she lost her parents; saying it like that was a double blow from her idol.” Rainbow could only stare in shock before sitting down with a thump. “Aww, pony feathers... Guess I have more to make up to her then...” The two mares fell silent as they thought about the young pegasus when Fluttershy poked at Rainbow Dash once more to remind her of the other reason why they came out this way. Rainbow shook herself from her thoughts and nodded to the cream-yellow mare before looking at Derpy once more. “Derpy, we also wanted to know about your relationship with her. I thought she stayed with you? Where is the squirt staying if not with family or you? What orphanage was she staying at before? How long has she been on the run?” With each question, some fire came back to the cyan mare as she straightened up to look towards the pegasus. “She stays in hideouts around town. I've asked her to stay with me but she won't; she's afraid of the orphanage finding her again... She won't tell me anything about before coming to Ponyville, so I don't know.” Derpy's ears were flipped back in sadness while Rainbow Dash scowled at the new knowledge; before she could say anything though Fluttershy pressured forward with an extremely concerned face. “Oh dear! Was the orphanage really that bad? Does she get cold at night on her own? How does she get food to eat?” Fluttershy asked of the blue-gray mare who smiled at the concern from the animal caretaker. “I've asked her the same kinds of things but she said she was going to be fine on her own and didn't want anything from me. I've helped her get a job here in Ponyville and I tried to check on her, but she doesn't want me to be the one who does that.... I was hoping you could keep a closer eye on her; she probably doesn't want much to do with me anymore.” Derpy looked pleadingly towards the bold mare who stared back in thought before nodding resolutely. “Yeah... Yeah, I can do that. She was doing pretty well for herself but I'll keep an eye out for her, make sure things keep going well for the squirt.” Derpy looked relieved at the strong words and gave Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy a smile. “I will try as well....” Fluttershy timidly promised to which Derpy merely smiled larger as Dash wrapped a hoof around the canary pegasus' shoulders and giving her a shake. “Yeah, that's the spirit! We'll make sure she's fine, one way or another; you can count on us.” Dash gave the mailmare a confident smirk before saluting and taking to the sky, intent to try and find the young pegasus to start keeping her promise. Fluttershy gave a soft farewell to the pegasus before heading back into town as well; to look once more for the orange filly and to gather some more supplies that would be needed in emergencies should something come up from living by oneself.