Construction, Repair

by Kind of Brony

Streams Converge

Screw Loose didn’t know when Steel Rivet had left or when the first pound ponies came in, her howls of anguish drowning out the world around her too thoroughly for her to notice anything else, but she did know that she wasn’t going to let herself be hurt even more.

If one so dear to her could cause her such agony, she didn’t want to know what ponies who didn’t even like her could do. Unlike Steel though, who she could never bring herself hurt, the blue dog had no qualms with driving strangers away, and she did so with growling threats and snapping jaws. Even alone however, the pain would not subside, and confusing images of a life outside the pound kept flooding her every thought.

Steel was there, along with all sorts of other ponies, their chromatic coats flashing across her mind’s eye so fast that it made her head hurt even more. Still, she would gladly have suffered through these things if it meant the little seafoam-green shape with the white wisps would leave her be. Its arrival always signaled the greatest pains, making her heart feel as if it were being thrashed about like a pillow caught in a game of tug-o-war. The part of her that craved to cradle that little blob of color and never let go fought hard against the part that wished only to forget everything that hurt.

In the end, this battle consumed her so completely that she could not bring herself to eat or drink what was slid under the door for her. The only respite Screw Loose was granted during this time was when a pony was foolish enough to enter her den, allowing the warring sides of her psyche to focus their hostility towards a third party.

It was her body that gave out first, going limp while her mind tore itself in twain. It was this exhaustion that allowed the ponies to finally reach her; too weak to even flinch when the magic pony placed his glowing horn between her eyes and made her world go black. Screw Loose welcomed the darkness as it granted her an escape from the pain.

That changed when she awoke in an unfamiliar room. “W-where am I?” she forced out between dry lips, wincing as the dull throbbing of her skull intensified. Even so, she twisted her head to scan the dim, white room and tried again. “Is anyone there?” She waited several seconds for a response, but when one never came, she decided to investigate the new room.

Forcing her sluggish body to move, the dog propped herself up in the bed, which she noted was a tad bit larger than her own, and made to climb to the floor below. The action was halted however, as she felt a twinge in the crux of her foreleg. Looking over, Screw Loose was confused to see some sort of needle stuck in her with a liquid filled tube attached that led to a clear bag above. Not entirely sure why it was there and angry at whoever assaulted her in such a way, the dog’s plan changed from exploring her surroundings to escaping them instead.

Mind made up, Screw Loose grabbed hold of the annoying little thing and pulled it out, ignoring the pinch of pain and trickling beads of blood as she rolled off the side of the mattress. Her legs wobbled and threatened to give out when she landed, but she managed to steady herself before taking a few shaky steps towards the door.

She had expected the handle to remain stuck when she pushed down on it like the one in her room always had, but was surprised when it actually began to shift down. The exuberance from this discovery was short-lived however, interrupted when she heard voices from outside.

“We are not strapping her down to a bed! It’s bad enough that you let the poor mare go so long without water, but I’m not going to have her treated like a criminal too! I don’t know how you attend to your patients in the psychiatric ward, but here we treat them with respect and kindness!” proclaimed a furious, female voice.

“But-” tried a deeper one, only to be cut off immediately.

“No! You should consider yourself lucky you’re not being reported to the medical board.”

“Tender Care-”

“That’s Dr. Care to you.”

“Right, Dr. Care, you’re not understanding the situation here. It wasn’t like we were refusing her water or any such thing; we slid a dish of it into her room along with her meals.”

“A dish? Slid in? By Celestia, were you treating this pony like a wild animal!?”

“That’s because she was acting like a wild animal! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! That mare was attacking anypony who came close to her! We had thought she’d either tire herself out or calm down on her own, but she didn’t quit until the dehydration did her in.”

A silence hung for a moment before the male voice continued with more reserve. “Dr. Care, you’re still relatively new here, right? This will be your sixth month? You haven’t yet had to deal with some of the more… ill, patients we have here. You don’t know how out of control some of them can get. This particular one is usually quite docile, but she has these moments where she not only puts herself at risk, but those around her, as well.”

“… It can’t be that bad, can it?” the feminine voice asked, much of the heat having left her words, leaving them almost subdued. “Surely if she posed that much of a danger, she wouldn’t be in the psychiatric wing of a small town hospital like this.”

A long, tired exhale could be heard. “There has been talk of moving the patient to a psychiatric hospital in Manehattan that’s more secure and better equipped to treat her, but her brother has been reluctant.”

Screw Loose wasn’t sure why she was still there, having initially frozen up because her mind had still been trying to decide whether to hide or make a run for it. Once again however, she found herself listening to the ponies speak and somehow understanding them.

While she originally intended to sneak under the bed and wait for the strangers to leave, the discussion about sending some apparently crazy pony away made her want to flee instead, and she didn’t know why. What ponies did to each was hardly the business of a dog, after all.

Confused, but deciding to follow her instincts, Screw Loose chose then to make her escape while she would have the element of surprise. Throwing open the door, Screw Loose shot into the hallway, eyes darting around. It didn’t take long for her gaze to land upon a mare and stallion down the hall, both gaping back at her with varying degrees of shock and fear.

At that moment, a very strange thought ran through the dog’s mind and she found herself growling at the ponies because of it, despite how little sense it made. “Nopony is sending me away.”

---

“Stupid Everfree Forest,” Scootaloo grumbled from between Screw Loose’s front legs. Pulled from her mental wanderings, the dog noticed the little filly was shivering. Realizing how cold the wet air had become, the dog rested her chin atop her ward’s purple mane, trying her best to shield her from the downpour.

Scootaloo didn’t seem bothered by the action and even pushed back into the blue dog. This didn’t put a stop to her shivering or lessen her scowl as she continued to grumble, however. “Stupid rain. If Rainbow Dash was here, she’d clear this up in ten seconds flat.”

“Now that would be a sight to see, but I find it hard to believe anyone could tame Everfree’s weather, let alone clear away one of its storms,” commented Steven, causing Screw Loose to jolt as she had begun to forget his presence below.

Scootaloo had her own reaction to the sea serpent’s words as her scowl deepened. “Are you questioning Rainbow Dash’s awesomeness? She’s the fastest flyer in Equestria; a couple of rain clouds wouldn’t stand a chance.”

The large sea serpent chuckled. “Is that so? Well then, I’ll have to have you send her my way next time you see her. If she really can control the wild weather of these woods, then I have some requests to make. It’s so hard to maintain one’s hair properly when the humidity is constantly changing.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Pfft, she has better things to do then to help you with your frou-frou hairdo… Buuut since you’re helping me out, and Dash and I are so close, I guess I could ask her for you,” she nearly bragged, puffing her chest out as if having the ear of Rainbow Dash was an accomplishment worthy of respect. Her expression quickly became embarrassed however, as her stomach gurgled loudly, causing Steven to chuckle again.

“H-hey, that’s not funny!” the filly stuttered, trying to force anger through the indignation. “You try running around this stupid forest all night and see how hungry you get!” Scootaloo defended, silencing the sea serpent’s laughter and getting Screw Loose to nuzzle her head.

“Don’t worry, Scoots, I’ll find you something to eat as soon as we’re on land,” comforted the dog before she shot a glare at Steven for causing her ward distress. “Maybe we’ll have some snake meat.”

“I’m terribly sorry, dear. That was very uncouth of me; laughing at a lady’s misfortune like that. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” Steven apologized. “We’re actually nearing the end of how far I can take you, so, if you’d like, I may be able to acquire a little something to sate your hunger.”

While Screw Loose smiled and nodded in approval, convinced her threat had changed the serpent’s tune, Scootaloo still tried to maintain a front of displeasure. “Sure, whatever.”

The rest of the trip was silent save for rain drops plopping into the river and the occasional belly growl. Scootaloo didn’t protest when Screw Loose wrapped her up in her forelegs, reducing the little filly’s near constant shivering to an occasional quake, and her eyes soon drooped shut.

Screw Loose herself had almost fallen asleep when Steven awoke them both with a call of, “We're here.”

Blinking her heavy eyelids, the dog gave a jaw-popping yawn before looking around to see that the sea serpent had come to a stop near the bank. Finally, my legs were starting to cramp, thought Screw Loose as she stood, maintaining her balance impressively atop the sea serpent’s slippery scales. Scootaloo didn’t share the same sure-footedness however, and began to slip as she climbed to her hooves.

In an instant, Screw Loose had the filly by the scruff and was leaping to land, heart thrumming in ears so loud she almost didn’t hear her unwilling passenger yelling, “Put me down! Put me down! That hurts!”

Screw Loose did as she was told, dropping the filly as if burned and stepping back. The smooth ride had lulled the dog’s uneasiness at having her ward so close to the dangerous rapids, but her protective instincts kicked into overdrive as soon as it looked like Scootaloo would fall and disappear beneath those frigid depths.

Staring down at the filly as she tenderly touched at the bite mark clear on her neck, the dog felt her heart clench. She could tell it would bruise later. “I-I’m sorry, Scoots. I was just trying to keep you safe and-”

“What was that for!? Are you trying to pull my skin off!?” Scootaloo interrupted as she spun around, sending a glower at the dog that made her cringe back and whine.

Scootaloo opened her mouth to continue, but was cut off. “Now, now, darling, I’m sure Screwy didn’t mean to hurt you. She was probably just trying to help. Isn’t that right, miss?”

Nodding vigorously, Screw Loose barked her agreement. “Yeah, what he said!”

The filly looked back and forth between the two before her shoulders drooped and small blush came to her cheeks. “Fine, I’m sorry for yelling at you like that, Screwy, it wasn’t cool of me. This just hasn't been a good day is all.” Her stomach growled again. “ And I guess the hunger is making me a little cranky.”

“Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot about the food!” Steven proclaimed as he rose a few feet out of the water. “How silly of me.” Suddenly, he dove under the water, leaving the girls blinking at his disappearance.

He wasn’t gone long however, as he re-emerged a moment later, throwing his slick hair back and grasping something in his claws. Leaning down, he held out what he had collected and explained, “It isn’t a gourmet meal, but it should do for the time being.”

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked with hint of disgust. Screw Loose understood the sentiment after leaning in to give the slimy green stuff a curious sniff, only to wrinkle her snout at the pungent odor.

“River weeds; they may not be the most palatable of plant life, but Zecora seems to enjoy them. She even made quite the delicious stew with it once and brought me a bowl. Though I still prefer fish, I can assure you this is perfectly fine to eat.”

“Well, it looks worse than the steamed alfalfa they served back at the orphanage.” Stated the young filly as she crossed her forehooves and turned her nose up.

“Maybe you should try it, Scoots. Icky green stuff is good for ponies, and you really should eat something.” The dog encouraged, gesturing her muzzle at the weeds.

“See, Screwy agrees with me; I’m not going to eat that stuff.” Screw Loose frowned ever so slightly at this declaration.

“Nooo… I said you should eat it. Come on, little filly, you need to eat.”

Nodding as she pushed some wet mane from her eyes, Scootaloo stood up and said, “Yep, you’re definitely right; I’m sure we’ll find something better to eat later. I’m pretty sure Granny Smith said she found the zap apple trees in this creepy place; maybe there’s even more magic fruit around here.” She turned to walk away from Steven’s outstretched claws, but was halted by a blunt, blue paw in her path.

“Nice try little missy. I’m not letting you leave here until you eat.”

Looking up at the stern-faced dog, Scootaloo moaned. “Come on, that stuff looks nasty.”

“It tastes better than it looks.”

“Nopony asked you, Steven!” the filly shot over her shoulder before returning her attention to Screw Loose. “Listen, can’t we just get to the castle already? Food can wait until we’re out of the rain.” She grimaced when her stomach made its protests to the plan loud and clear.

Spinning her with a paw to face the river weed, Screw Loose barked, “Eat first, then we’ll go.”

“Seriously, Screwy, let’s just-”

“Eat.” the dog growled, leaving no room for argument.

“You can’t make me-”

“Eat!” she commanded again, and this time, it gave the filly pause as both her and Steven’s eyes widened.

“You just ta-”

Screw Loose nudged the pony with her nose, cutting her off before she could try weaseling out of eating dinner again. “Eat.”

“Okay, okay! Fine, I’ll do it!” Scootaloo finally surrendered as she turned and grumbled under her breath, “Guess you’re only going to talk when you’re telling me what to do.” Looking between the muck and slightly gaping sea serpent, she said, “I’m not eating out of your claws. Put it down will ya… this is bad enough without it being like a petting zoo.”

“Huh?” breathed the serpent before looking to the filly. “Oh, of course.” Placing the pile of river weeds on the ground, he quickly returned his eyes to Screw Loose, gaze searching. “I was becoming curious whether or not you were capable of speech; gods only know how many strange afflictions one can suffer in our crazy world of magic. I hoped to bring it up, but wasn’t sure quite how to go about it in case the subject was… sensitive… I suppose this is as good a way as any.”

Screw Loose cocked her head as well as an eyebrow and yipped in confusion. A humph drew her attention downwards to Scootlaloo as she swallowed a mouthful of greens. “Okay, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be… but it’s still pretty gross.” The filly stuck her tongue out a moment before looking to Steven. “You probably won’t be able to get her to talk again.” She leaned in and whispered. “I think she’s a little coocoo.”

“What are you two talking about? I just wanted Scoots to eat so she wouldn’t get sick,” the dog questioned. When her response was an eye roll from Scootaloo and a frown pulling at the sea serpent’s lips, she shook her head with an exasperated sigh. Why do I even bother; ponies are so confusing… I guess giant snakes are too.

The silence only lasted a short time before being driven away by a loud gurgling. Scootaloo looked around with a full mouth. “Don’t look at me,” she said before another rumble brought her gaze to settle on Screw Loose’s stomach. Swallowing, a wide grin showing teeth filled with greenery spread across the filly’s muzzle as she spoke in a mischievous tone. “Oh, Screwy, are you hungry?” she asked with mock concern. “Well, we can’t have that. Why don’t you help me finish off this pile of awesome river weeds? There’s plenty enough for the both of us.”

Finishing with a gestured hoof at the foul smelling slime, Scootaloo’s smile became as satisfied as it was vindictive when the blue dog’s face turned green. “Uh, no thanks, I’m good. You don’t have to share your gross pony food with me.”

“The little filly has a point, you know. You may not get another opportunity to eat tonight, so it would be wise to do so now,” Steven said, his two bits welcomed by one and despised by the other.

“Yeah, Screwy, come over here and dig in, there’s plenty of muck for both of us.” Scootaloo invited.

“Oh no, I am not eating that” Screw Loose declared, turning her nose up. “Maybe if the snake can catch me a fish I’ll eat, but I’ve had enough vegetables at the pound to last me a lifetime.”

“So, it’s going to be like that is it? You should know, I have ways of dealing with ponies like you,” Scootaloo said ominously.

Screw Loose planned on correcting the filly about her species, but was caught by a potent pair of puppy dog eyes as soon as she looked down. “Pleeease won’t you eat with me, Screwy? It would make me really happy,” Scootaloo begged.

Wha-? No! I’ m not going to do it! I mustn’t give into the cuteness, Screw loose mentally commanded herself, clenching her teeth as she tried to avert her eyes. It was for naught however, as the filly made her lower lip quiver and dialed up the adorableness to eleven. For a moment, it almost seemed like Scootaloo’s coat bled light green, and the sight caused a twinge of pain through the dog’s head.

“Okay, fine I’ll do it! Just stop giving me that look,” whined Screw Loose as she stepped forward and hesitantly lowered her muzzle to the river weeds.

“Ha! Nopony can resist the patented CMC stare, even at one third its full power!” Scootaloo crowed before taking another bite of food. The smile dropped as soon as the taste hit her taste buds, but, with only a slight shiver that could have been from the rain just as much as displeasure, she looked to the still hesitating Screw Loose and said, “What are you waiting for? Dig in!”

With a sigh and partial frown at the small pony, Screw Loose pinched a slick strand of the so-called food between her teeth and slowly chewed. The taste was surprising to the dog as, though it made her gag some, it wasn’t so disgusting that she couldn’t get it down. As soon as sustenance reached her hungry stomach however, it no longer mattered that she wasn’t eating meat, and Screw Loose found herself digging into the slop with gusto.

Scootaloo said something, but the dog was too busy filling a stomach she hadn’t realized was so completely empty to listen. Eventually, an orange muzzle joined her own, albeit with far less enthusiasm, and the pile was soon gone. “Phew, there, are you happy now? I’m all filled up,” grouched Scootaloo as she sat back. “Can we get to the old castle already? I want to dry off.”

Falling to her hunches, Screw Loose burped and patted her belly. It was a tad bit surprising how full she felt after what seemed like such a small meal, but her stomach felt like it was close to bursting, and the urge to sleep was now quite strong. “Yes,” she agreed with a nod. “I need a dry place to fall into a food coma. Let’s get going Scoots.”

With a relieved sigh, the filly stood up. “Finally,” she said before looking to Steven. “Hey, we’re ready to go now; can you tell us which way?”

“Of course dear, the path is not at all difficult from here,” answered the sea serpent as he pointed in a direction perpendicular with the river. “Just go straight that way, and you should see the ruins in… I’d guess fifteen minutes.” He smiled sheepishly. “Well, that’s what I imagine, anyway.” Gesturing to his long, legless form, he added. “I’ve never made the trip myself, you see.”

Despite the cold and rain, Scootaloo actually giggled at that, and even Screw Loose gave a gravelly chuckle. “Heh, thanks… You know, you’re a pretty cool guy… even if you are even more frou-frou than Sweetie Bell’s sister.”

"Oh, such a barbed complement! I’m as flattered as I am wounded!” Steven replied dramatically, holding a claw to his forehead as if he were going to faint. Looking from beneath his talons, the sea serpent smirked. “Perhaps Screwy will teach you to be a proper lady before this night is over?”

As if on cue, the two fixed their eyes upon the blue dog, who belched under the scrutiny. Screw Loose matched Scootaloo’s smile when the filly snorted. “Maybe,” she jokingly agreed. “But she’ll have to start the lessons while we walk.” Looking back to Steven, she said, “See you around, big guy.”

The sea serpent opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a vicious growl, and this time, it wasn’t from a hungry belly. Three sets of eyes turned as one to meet the burning yellow orbs of three Timberwolves.

“Oh buck,” Scootaloo breathed, and Screw Loose found herself agreeing with the sentiment, as well as having the most misplaced compulsion to reprimand the little filly for her foul language. Such a thing could wait however, as the lead wolf slowly advanced a step, its lips pulled back in what could either be a snarl or grin.

The blue dog met the beast’s crazed expression with one of grim determination as she stepped halfway between her ward and the predators. “When I give the word, the two of you are going to run, understand?” Her ear twitched towards Steven’s whispered words, but her gaze never left that of the largest Timberwolf. At her near non-existent nod, the serpent continued, “I may not be able to stop these ruffians, but I can most certainly slow them down a bit… I hope that will be enough.”

As Steven slowly drifted away from the bank and his body coiled beneath the rapids, he whispered one last sentence, “Don’t let that filly down, Screwy,” before shouting, “Now!”

Many things happened in an instant. Screw Loose whipped around and took hold of Scootaloo by the scruff once again before sprinting as fast as she could towards the trees. At the same time, the wolves tore after their prey, and were subsequently bowled over by a large wave, courtesy of Steven.

Taken by surprise, the smaller wolves yelped and flailed on the ground while their leader quickly leapt to its paws. It turned to give a commanding growl to its lackeys, but was cut off by another surge of water. “Take that you beasts! I’ll not sit idly by while you intend to harm my friends!” shouted Steven as he prepared to send another wave at the hunters.

The third watery wall sent the grounded wolves rolling across the dirt while their leader leapt away, putting all three beasts out of range of the sea serpent’s ire. The alpha wasted no time in barking at its subordinates to get up and continue the chase while leering at Steven. Its fury at him for interfering with the hunt was clear, and it almost seemed to be sending a silent promise of vengeance to the serpent. Steven merely sent his own glare return, as well as another ineffective attack.

Turning from the river-dweller, all three Timberwolves took off towards the woods, paying no mind to the accusations of cowardice from behind. Meanwhile, Screw Loose was pushing herself to the limits to take full advantage of the time Steven had provided, her legs a blue blur as she put as much distance as she could between the danger and them. Scootaloo had only struggled against the dog’s grasp for a short time, realizing her life was more important than her pride, and now hung awkwardly from Screw Loose’s mouth.

She winced as the dog landed after leaping over a branch, the sudden jerk pulling painfully at the skin between Screw Loose’s teeth. “Hey, I don’t hear them behind us, you think we got enough time for you to put me down and let me run on my own…?” As expected, she was ignored as her carrier kept sprinting. “Didn’t think so,” the filly grumbled, noticing the two were now ascending a hill.

This slowed the dog to a march, and by the time she reached the top, her panting led to Scootaloo being dropped on her bottom. “Sorry,” she huffed when the filly gave her a weak glower, wiping mud from her flank. “I just need a second, and then we’ll get moving again.”

A flash of lighting had both girls jumping as Scootaloo moved closer to Screw Loose. The dog didn’t notice however, her eyes instead drawn to the towering structure in the distance. “T-that’s the castle, isn’t it? We should hurry it up,” the filly said. “I bet it’ll have big gates that we can lock so those stupid bundles of sticks can’t get us.”

Screw Loose nodded and reached down to grab her ward, only to have her jump away. “Hey, I don’t need you to carry me; I got legs,” Scootaloo said a bit sharply before smirking. “Just try and keep up.” With that, the filly whipped around and galloped through the trees.

A sharp series of barks rang out in the distance, and Screw Loose decided not to fight the little pony’s decision for now as she chased after her, hoping not to let the wolves close the gap between them anymore than she already had. The dog resolved that, at the first sign of trouble, she wouldn’t hesitate to sweep Scootaloo up, regardless of how much the filly didn’t like it. I’m not going to let anything happen to you Scoots… I can’t.

---

Rainbow Dash was feeling a rare combination of anger, desperation, and self-loathing as she touched down on the stone steps of town hall, much of her usual bravado wiped away by the severity of the situation. She had circled the north end of town in the hopes of spotting her surrogate little sister from above, but had just as little luck as the ponies searching at ground level. The pegasus had been flying like this ever since she got back from Cloudsdale earlier that day, having gone to straighten out a shipping error resulting in too few rainclouds for the week.

The dark mass spilling over from Everfree served to worsen her mood greatly as they could have been used in service of Ponyville, and she would never have had to leave town. Shaking away thoughts of what could have been, Rainbow Dash made her way quickly up the steps. “Any luck, Twi!?” she yelled as she reached the top of the small staircase to see one of her best friends speaking to a blue stallion and beige mare, both earth ponies.

Turning to her, Twilight Sparkle sighed and shook her head. “No, I’m sorry Dash, none of the search parties have found her yet,” the unicorn said before her expression became worried. “The situation has also changed some.” She gestured over her shoulder at the ponies. “This is Steel Rivet and Dr. Care… They came to ask if we could inform those already out looking for Scootaloo to keep an eye out for a mare that ran away from the hospital earlier today.”

Rainbow Dash looked over the two newcomers, noting the haggard, frustrated expression of the silver-maned stallion and the concerned look he was getting from the burgundy-maned mare. “I know it can be boring and all, but why would somepony run away from the hospital?” she found herself asking.

“Well…” began Dr. Care hesitantly, glancing over to her companion, “the patient is from the psychiatric wing and… isn’t in her right mind.” Resolve suddenly entered her eyes. “It’s imperative that we find her before she hurts herself or others.”

The group grew silent as both Steel and Rainbow grew rigid. “What!?” burst out Dash. “You mean Scootaloo is lost out here, and there’s a crazy pony on the loose!”

“My sister is not some rabid animal!” bellowed Steel, glare switching between the doctor and pegasus. “She’s sick and confused and we’re wasting time!” He turned and stomped away, yelling over his shoulder. “You girls can sit around and talk if you want; I’m going to find Screw Loose with or without your help!”

“Sir! Please wait!” Twilight called after him, lifting a hoof to follow before one came to rest on her withers.

“You’re still organizing the search for the filly, right?” Dr. Care asked before shaking her head. “I’ll go after him; it was my careless words that upset him, after all. Please, Miss Sparkle, you have to focus on finding those ponies, both Scootaloo and Screw Loose. There are hospital workers out looking as well. If you give me a description of the filly, I’ll make sure to pass it along so they know to keep an eye out for her.”

Twilight looked down the road to see the stallion turning the corner. With a sigh, her saddened expression was replaced with one of determination. “Of course, Doctor, Just tell me what Screw Loose looks like, and I’ll tell the search parties as they check in.”

Dash shook her head and grit her teeth, mentally kicking herself for getting so distracted while Scoots was lost, frightened, and probably hungry. This was followed by another, involuntary kick as the pegasus recalled what had set the filly running in the first place and how she never figured it out before it got this far. Real great big sister I turned out to be; didn’t even know my little sis was spending her nights alone in a clubhouse.

Having hardly listened to the two mares talking behind her, all she picked up was the tail-end when the doctor mentioned the patient having a screw for a cutie mark. “Twilight, I’m heading back out!” was all she said before taking wing with the intent of scanning the south end of town again.

She barely got off the ground before she saw Fluttershy flapping with all her might and frantically waving a hoof. She was trying and failing to yell something. Dash’s hope skyrocketing, she quickly closed the gap between them and grabbed the butter-yellow pegasus by the shoulders. “What is it, Shy!? Did you find Scootaloo!?”

Noticing her friend’s eyes spinning as a result of her slightly too vigorous shaking, Rainbow Dash let go and waited for the kind mare to reorient herself. “Wha-?” she began to ask before her spiraling blue orbs settled and she found herself staring into the anxious, magenta eyes of her oldest friend. “Rainbow Dash! I’m so glad I was able to find you! I know where Scootaloo is!”

“You do!?” the blue pegasus practically squeaked, her wings speeding in anticipation to take her to wherever her number one fan was.

“Yes, you see, I was in the middle of searching the school playground when some of my little bird friends came and told me that a squirrel had come from the Everfree forest looking for me,” Fluttershy explained, her usual meekness lessened some by the importance of the information she came to deliver.

Already, Rainbow Dash’s previously sky-high hope plummeted and a cold pit formed in her stomach. “The Everfree?” she found herself asking, a part of her praying that her many sonic rainbooms had finally taken their toll on her ears.

Fluttershy visibly wilted, having realized that she was delivering news not nearly as good as she thought on the flight over. “Y-yes, Mr. Squirrel told me he saw a young pony running through the forest and thought somepony should know about it… so he came to me.” She looked up from beneath her mane for a brief moment before diverting her gaze back to the ground. “I-I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash… but I’m sure we’ll be able to find her.”

Dash didn’t respond, staring listlessly in the direction of that dangerous forest, the dark clouds above it having been allowed to slowly drift closer to town. She had wanted all the pegasi under her command to help in the search instead and neglected keeping the wild weather at bay. She wondered for a moment if she had sent ponies to handle the problem earlier, would they have spotted Scootaloo before she put herself in such danger. “How long ago?” she asked. “How long ago was she spotted?”

“Well, um Mr. Squirrel said he was fairly deep in the forest when he saw her and so it took him some time to reach my cottage. Then the birds had to find me… so maybe an hour ago,” the shy pony guessed.

Rainbow Dash felt a moment of guilty relief at the knowledge that, even had she not put off handling Everfree’s storm, Scootaloo would have been in the forest long before anypony could have stopped her. The relief only lasted a moment however, before a wave of fear washed it away. “An hour… Scootaloo has been in the Everfree forest alone for an hour.” He legs wobbled and she stumbled, prompting Fluttershy to lean forward and steady her.

The gesture soon morphed into a hug as she whispered, “Don’t think that way; Scootaloo is a smart filly, I’m sure she’s kept herself safe…”

Rainbow Dash didn’t hear the rest of her friend's reassurances as she thought, Why didn’t you just tell me, kid? Why did you keep it a secret? Why run? Didn’t you trust me to protect you? Twilight must have finally noticed something was going on; her voice drifted into the rainbow-maned mare’s ears and the clop of hooves on stone rang out behind her, but she hardly registered them.

With a deep breath, Dash pulled away from her friend and stood firm. “It doesn’t matter. If she’s in the Everfree forest, then that’s where we’ll go.”

Author's Note:

Hope you all like this; next chapter is probably going to be following Scootaloo and maybe even Steel.

Comments

[La Barata]

Moar horsewerds fgt

[RadicalDishonesty]

I like how you're writing Steel Rivet... he doesn't understand, but he's not vilified for not understanding.

[Kenshinryuu]

Screwie and Scootaloo make a good team. But I can just see Rainbow Dash descending at Rainboom speeds to save them from the Timberwolves if there are no gates at the castle and Screwie is injured.

[Cold Spike]

MOAR!

[fractalman]

*pokes story mournfully*

[Kind of Brony]

7869104
5838366
I still plan on continuing this story, but I've always been big on efficiency and so I like to get my maximum reader satisfaction to chapter update possible. For this reason I'm working on my most popular fics first and intend to start this one back up when one of them are finished.

[Morning Dusk]

7870097 no offense, but according to the earliest comments here, it's been over two years since this chapter was posted...

[Kind of Brony]

8077194
Wow, it really has been over two years. Time sure does fly. Even so, What I said still stand, once I finish one of the other two stories (probably Tales of Two Dragons first) I'll start this back up.
Kind of regret posting this for this reason though, since, at this rate, it'll be a while still before I get back to this and it's hard to say how much life the fandom will have left by then. Should have done what I did with another story I have on my profile; the first few chapters are written, but I never published them since I already had three stories up.
That one is about a guy dieing in our world saving a dog, and is rewarded by being given a new life in Equestria... as a beagle who gets adopted by Derpy and Dinky. It focuses more on the various pets of Ponyville as the main cast rather than the ponies, but who'd want to read that?

[Morning Dusk]

8077369 I'm sure people are still adamantly waiting for the time when this story receives its conclusion. I'm also sure that that idea sounds like an incredibly good one. I have heard the story of "person dies in our world and gets put in a new world to get a second chance, only _______" a couple of times before, but focusing on the pets is indeed something I have yet to read enough of. There are many different interpretations of elements that such a story would most likely require, and I am always intrigued as to how poni people decide to work out things.

[tyrantnyx]

This story is truly something special, absolutely amazing work. I look forward to the day this story can be continued.

[Holydude]

Hopefully you eventually get back to this. Cause it's a gem of a story