Fluttershy's eyes locked on the finch weaving through trees towards her. She saw the wings beating at a rapid pace, the excited look in its eyes, and the smile which easily spread back to her before the finch could even land- they found Scootaloo.
The forest was suddenly alive as the news came in and went out like waves crashing onto shore and then receding. The joy was spreading from the birds, to the ponies, to the squirrels, rabbits, raccoon, mosquitoes, rats, flies, and bees. Fluttershy was at the center, delegating tasks to the reinvigorated volunteers to find and direct her friends back towards where Scootaloo was last seen.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash were both surprised to see Fluttershy standing with Applebloom as they descended without the guidance of Fluttershy's friends.
"Where's Applejack?" Twilight asked, touching down in front of the cave, Rainbow Dash remained on her cloud as Applebloom cast two quick glances at her.
"She took off down stream like a rocket once Fluttershy told her this is the last place those birds saw Scootaloo!" Applebloom reported.
"Are Pinkie, Rarity and Sweetie Bell on their way?"
"They'll be a while, at least half an hour if they walk but since this is good news, I think they won't be any longer than fifteen to twenty minutes. I'm not sure how far Pinkie is out though, I was told that they had a hard time convincing her to follow them. I think she offended one of the birds unknowingly. I'll have to talk to her about that, and maybe give her another lesson if she properly wants to use her bird calls."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the conversation they had earlier about the same subject. "Applebloom and Applejack happened to be the closest while on my way here." Fluttershy said, her own excitement for getting closer to Scootaloo was clearly visible as she hadn't touched down from the ground since before Twilight and Rainbow Dash arrived.
"Then this is a great time to reorganize ourselves. Fluttershy, how long ago did the birds spot Scootaloo in this location?"
"About an hour ago, I was a very long way away from here."
"And Applejack took off how long ago?"
"Right before you arrived."
"Well, Scootaloo probably has a good three to six miles on us. I doubt Applejack can catch up to her in the next hour, but this is all great news. We're closing in, the search grid is shrinking and with hope that Scootaloo sticks with this stream, we'll find her by tonight. Once Pinkie, Rarity, and Sweetie show up, we'll allow them a quick rest before moving downstream. Fluttershy, you'll need to tell your animal friends that you're moving again, I know that it's never a good idea to have your base of operations constantly changing places, but you and Rainbow Dash should start moving downstream. I'll wait for Pinkie, Sweetie, and Rarity and clue them in on the new information. Applebloom, I want you to wait here and regain some of your strength. It's been a long morning, and we're going to go all night if we have to, I don't want you to start lagging behind if this carries on longer than we expect.
Twilight reached for her trail map stuffed into her saddlebag. "And... according to this map..." Twilight voice dropped off as she studied the routes. "Scootaloo might actually find a trail herself. If that's the case..." Biting her lip, some trails circled back around, others went deeper into the mountains while the three that Scootaloo could potentially come across lead to a lake, a campground, and then one-depending if there were clearly marked signs, lead the way back to Ponyville.
"There are alot of options. Hopefully Scootaloo will find traces of civilization and follow it to a town, maybe she'll find somepony hiking, either way, her chances of getting rescued are going up."
---
Scootaloo's head swung back and forth across the stream, it was becoming harder to focus on any one thing in front of her as the hunger in her stomach reminded her that it was going on four days without much sustenance.
"Gotta eat something." This time, she would lay off the huckleberries. "Almost home, then I can eat." The empty promise almost fooled her emptier stomach, but it took her mind off of fatigue long enough to see the five planks of wood extending over the stream.
"A bridge. A bridge!" she yelled, running full gallop. Feeling the hoof made structure sent a chill down her spine-she was getting so close.
"I can follow this out of here! Just need to stick to the trail and I should plop out somewhere. Maybe there are some signs!" Her next choice made her wince. "Left or right... Right!" tearing down the trail, she could even see faint hoof prints of other ponies who had come along this way.
"As long as I stick to this, somepony will find me... They'll find me." Scootaloo said, "And then I'll get to go homrr- oh no." Her ears flattened against her skull as she skidded to a stop in the middle of the trail.
How many times had this played out before? Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and herself get into trouble, need help, somepony steps in, the crisis is averted, and then they get scolded despite the best of explanations.
Her heart rattled in her chest, knowing exactly what was coming, she could practically hear the words in her head. The lessons were always so similar.
"Do you have any idea what you did? We were worried sick about you! You can't go wandering off like that without telling somepony! You know what you did was wrong, so why did you do it?" She was expected to cry, grovel for forgiveness, and then be sorry for disappearing for a few days.
"Well you know what!? That's not how it's going to happen!" She yelled, her voice bounced around a few times but was quickly swallowed up by the silent forest.
"They'll feel all high and mighty for finding me, then... ARGH! It'll happen all over again! The looks, they always look down when they say it. She should've known better. It makes me want to scream!" It was the repercussion lectures that always made Scootaloo roll her eyes. It wouldn't be the first time she's heard them, but this is the first time she committed herself to standing her ground and throw it back in their faces if she heard a single syllable devoted to making her feel sorry.
"I just gotta get home without them seeing me. If they do, then the first thing they'll do is run up to her, clear their throat, and say one of those stupid lectures word for word!"
Gritting her teeth, she wrestled the anger back in and focused on the trail ahead. Her hunger could wait, fatigue was on the back of her mind. looked down the trail and ran. "I'm close."
---
"Are you sure I can't go right now? I really, really, really want to get things ready for a party that has a "Scootaloo's Safe!" theme to it, and I don't think she'll want it to be thrown way out here where she was already lost. I know I can set up a party really quick with my party cannon, but I can't fire it unless she's there and hasn't seen it yet! I also can't throw the party if she's way ahead of us and we're way back here waiting for Rarity and Sweetie Bell." Pinkie Pie explained for the fourth time.
"And I wanna catch up with ma sister, it's been a while since she took off." Applebloom said.
"We know that Pinkie. Applebloom, as much as I know you want to meet up with your sister for an update, it's important that you've had this breather-"
"Did you find Scootaloo?" Sweetie Bell coughed, taking a sip of water. She was happy to see Twilight waiting for them as the birds guided Rarity and herself towards the cave.
"She was seen passing here a while ago. What happened to your voice?" Twilight asked, noticing the strained, painful expression on Sweetie Bell's face.
"Oh, it's been a very rough morning and afternoon for her, we were carried away by shouting and Sweetie lost her voice." Rarity said, she looked to her sister wearing red eyes and tear stained cheeks.
"I think you need to sit down and rest for a moment." Twilight said, the young filly collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion along with a small bit of relief that they were close to finding Scootaloo. Rarity hesitantly wrapped a hoof around her sister, silently consoling her.
"Scootaloo was seen heading downstream about an hour and a half ago now. Applejack took charge and tried to catch up, no word on anything if she's seen Scootaloo or not, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are right behind her. After you two get a quick breather, we'll start heading that way too."
"My goodness, Rainbow Dash is out here? Exerting herself to prove a point?" Twilight nodded in response.
"She really wants to make it up to Scootaloo anyway she can. I guess she figured that by helping us search would be the best place to start."
"I must say it's quite admirable, but I truly don't believe she should be pushing herself in such a condition."
"I was going to say exactly that when I first saw her, but that's not what she needed to hear since she came all this way."
"CAN WE GO?" Pinkie Pie shouted, taking a pose at the top lip of the cave, she leaped down and gracefully landed inches away from Twilight's nose. Leaning in, she was shaking with anticipation.
Taking two steps back, Twilight looked downstream. "Oh, right. Rarity, is Sweetie Bell...?"
"Out like a light."
"I'll carry her." Twilight offered, "Rarity, Pinkie, Applebloom, go ahead and see if you can catch up to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, they can't be any farther than two miles. I'll be right along with Sweetie Bell."
Pinkie sucked in a deep breath, squeaked out "Let's go," to Applebloom, and they both started sprinting downstream, much to the annoyance of Rarity as she cried out for the pink mare and yellow filly to slow down.
Carefully wrapping Sweetie Bell with her lavender magic, Twilight lifted the filly onto her back and nestled Sweetie's forelegs over her withers and body between her wings. Comfortable that she wouldn't fall off, Twilight followed the shouts of one white unicorn and the exasperated taunting of "You can't catch me!"
"Twilight?"
She looked over her right shoulder, "Why are you carrying me?"
Twilight smiled, "You were tired and I could tell that you haven't been sleeping well."
"How...do you know that?"
"I've been the victim of not sleeping many times, staying awake for days, obsessing over something-or someone- and by the look of it, I'd say it's been about..two days since you actually got more than a few minutes of sleep?"
"I kinda passed out sometime around three this morning...then again around six for about an hour."
"I know the feeling, worrying so much that you never really fall asleep and end up passing out from exhaustion. Scootaloo wandering off really put a wrench in your thought process, didn't it?"
"Yeah, I was really worried last night, getting everything else ready. And then this morning, it felt like nopony was moving fast enough to help find Scootaloo."
"The quiet train ride and walk here certainly didn't help." Twilight said, going along with Sweetie Bell's thoughts.
"That was the absolute worst possible thing." Sweetie Bell joked, trying to emulate her sister. That was just the reaction Twilight was hoping for as she felt Sweetie Bell lose some of her rigid form.
"Hold on tight alright? I'm going to pick up the pace a bit."
Sweetie Bell hugged Twilight's shoulders as her wings spread out to lift the both of them up off of the ground and over the tree tops.
---
Lurching forward, she looked at the moss covered wooden post with two signs pinned to it. The faded white inlay of paint was still visible as Scootaloo felt a rush of blood warm her entire body. The breath was caught in her lungs, swallowing didn't help push the feeling of dry mouth out either. "Pass Lake, 2.7 miles," pointing off to the right, and then the sign that nearly made her cry read "Ponyville, 8.2 miles." pointing to the left.
Scootaloo's wings pushed themselves out, they seemed weightless as energy surged back into her fatigued limbs.
"Three hours at the latest. I can get back..." Scootaloo looked at the sun, already falling far into the west. "Tonight."
Running along the trail, trees didn't seem as similar, knowing that every step was progress towards a bed, food, and a familiar setting. It was hard not to slow down after time dragged on, "Come on, I need to keep moving!" kicking herself, Scootaloo tried to coax out a steady jog, but couldn't keep enough energy to keep herself from panting. She ruffled out her wings, looking at the trail ahead of her. Switchbacks dominated the rest of the path down hill. "Okay, okay, okayokayokayokay... just a short little hop, not like last time."
Jumping, she immediately regretted the strain as she fell most of the way, but landed at the turnpike of the next switchback with only a small jolt to her legs. Heaving in air, she ran a hoof over her wings and brushed off caked on dirt as she readied herself to try again.
"Second verse, same as the first." she said, taking a few steps back for a running start. This time, the extra effort wasn't noticed until she felt her hooves touch down with too much momentum. Skidding to a stop on her three foot runway, she tensed as she teetered on the edge of the steep trail.
"Not so fast this time, and you!" She said to her wings that latched themselves to her side when she landed, "Don't stop flapping until I say so!" prying them open again with will power, Scootaloo pushed her luck the third time, and then a fourth, a fifth, and finally coming to a defeated stop at the sixth. Shivering, a darkness crept over the forest made her realize that sunset came and went with the trees behind her looming much, much higher than before. Scootaloo coughed and spat, licking her lips as her mind cried out for water, and her stomach cried out for food. Focusing on the trail once more, she forced herself into a fast walk when she finally saw the trees open up.
The sensation of forest dirt and mud is very different from a dirt road, a dirt trail through the forest isn't as trodden, has plenty of water damage with rocks breaking through, and is always at an uneven level. But, as Scootaloo stepped out onto the dirt road, she blinked twice at the night sky above her. "I know this road... it's..." she looked at the trail signs to her back, East-Ten miles to Canterlot, West-5.8 miles to Ponyville. She allowed tears to rush down her cheeks and onto the ground as she walked along the ground towards home. Scootaloo couldn't run anymore, she couldn't even muster the strength to flap her wings or carry on with a brisk trot, only cry as sign after sign told her she was getting closer.
Five miles to Ponyville.
Four Miles to Ponyville.
At the three mile mark she was crying out as it sat there in the distance, lights still burning in a few windows, streetlights giving off a faint glow, even a few chimneys pumped out a steady stream of smoke up into the night sky. Her voice shook as she tried to force herself to smile. "It's ALL smooth sailing from here!"
A voice at the back of her mind screamed at her to say it again with more conviction.
"It's all smooth sailing from here!"
Again, more control.
"It's all smooth sailing from here!"
Her mind screamed at her, but she shut the noise out with her sobbing. "No! NO, no, no, no, no!"
She pushed herself on, head pointed at the ground until she saw familiar trees with familiar apples growing on them, leaning over the white fence and into the road. Her hooves trembled as she tried to jump and flutter for the closest one. She crashed back into the dirt road and wimpered, trying again for a second time when she realized she couldn't even flap her wings from the amount of strain she put them through today.
"Applebloom?" she moaned. She stumbled towards the gate that lead up towards her friend's house. Every step until then felt like nothing compared to the agony of walking the distance from the 'Sweet Apple Acre's' entrance gate to the front door.
The lights were out, but she knocked and knocked until she finally heard the stairs creak under a stallion's weight, and the door swing open.
She was plainly visible in the moonlight- worn out from nearly five days of exhaustion, starvation, dehydration, dirt and scratches-a few which stained her coat red-, and patches of missing feathers. Her eyes were red and puffy, but as she looked up at Big Mac, it only took two seconds for him to reach down and carry her inside.
He set her down on the couch, running to the kitchen and returning with water and leftovers as he disappeared upstairs for a minute before a second set of hooves could be heard coming down the stairs with him with a lantern in tow. Scootaloo heard the small gasp from behind her, but her attention was on the glass of water which she couldn't bring herself to drink at first.
Reaching for it after the elderly pony sat next to her, silently watching, she grasped the cup and swallowed every drop as a hoof came over her shoulder.
"Go get her some more water." The red stallion set down another cup with thinly sliced apples in the water, giving it a slightly sweet flavor. "Hungry?" Scootaloo nodded, staring at the plate "Do you feel like eating?" she shook her head, but nibbled on the apple slices from her drink. "Tired?" Scootaloo nodded, "Let's get you to bed then. Mac?"
He swept Scootaloo up in his forelegs again and carried her upstairs, laying her down in Applebloom's bed. She mouthed "Thank you," so quietly that it came out as a whisper, despite her desire for Big Mac to hear it. He looked down, smiled and nodded, setting her glass down on the bed stand as he withdrew from the room.
"G'nite." he said.