I trudged through the snow with my hands keeping my coat collar up. I could have used my magic to keep myself warm and dry but I didn't know if it could cut through the snow. I walked towards town as I had one place to go before I could start my search for Scootaloo.

I made my way through town and found that it wasn't much easier to move through the snow in the streets. I finally reached my destination and sighed as I walked up to the front door and knocked. I waited for nearly a minute before the door opens and Scootaloo's mother looks at me shocked.

“J-John? Why are you here? D-Did Rainbow Dash not find you?”

I lower my coat collar and give her a smile. “Rainbow did find me Sky Breeze. I need something of Scootaloos to find her, can I come in?”

Sky Breeze moves out the way. “Of course anything!”

I walk in and take off my hat. “Thanks. I want to ask Sky, was there any signs that Scootaloo was going somewhere else today? Other than Rarity's?”

Sky shakes her head. “Not that I know of. She was excited to go to Rarity's, she always is!”

I kneel down and place a hand on Sky's shoulder. “Can you show me her room?”

Sky nods. “Of course!”

I follow Sky up to Scootaloo's room and whistle when she opens the door. I saw Wonderbolt posters and even a few of Rainbow in poses. I walk in and give the room a quick scan.

“You see this room more than I do.” I state turning. “Do you see anything out of place?”

“Nothing sticks out.” Sky says walking in. “Though I don't touch her room that often. Personal space.” Sky gives the room a quick glance. “Hmm.” Sky walks up to Scootaloos red scooter. “This is weird. Next to Rainbow and her friends my daughters red scooter is her favourite thing. Yet look at all this dirt.”

I turn and walk over to her. I bend down and drag a finger through the dirt. “It's dried mud, though it's very coarse. I noticed you have a flower bed outside, perhaps it's from out there?”

Sky taps her chin. “Could be from before the snowfall, but that started over a week ago. Scootaloo would have cleaned it before then.”

I stare at the mud on my fingers before I stare at the scooter. “I wonder...” I reach out and touch the scooter with a glowing hand. I focus on Scootaloo and suddenly my head fills with flashes of Scootaloo playing with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. I focus harder and the images change to Scootaloo looking nervous out side of the Everfree Forest. I also notice she had saddle bags on.

I focus further and the last image to flash in my mind was Scootaloo pulling out a piece of fabric from her saddlebags and then running into the forest. I pull my hand back as I open my eyes to see Sky looking at me confused. I give her a smile and stand up.

“Sorry, I haven't used that ability in some time.”

“What did you do?” Sky asks. “You kind of blanked out.”

I laugh. “I can focus on an item and get metal images of the last pony to touch it. It's just lucky that Scootaloo uses her scooter a lot.” I look around and head for her bed. I lift up the only pillow and find like most young children I find a book. I gesture to the book. “Diary I presume?”

Sky looks horrified. “You wouldn't!? That's Scoots diary, we mustn't...should we?”

I look at the book and pick it up. “We have to, there might be something in here to see where she has gone.”

Sky's ears drop but she nods anyway. “I just hope she can forgive us...”

I give Sky a look of worry before sighing and opening the diary at the last pages. I choose to do that as if any the latest entries would reveal more. I look over a page and something catches my eyes and I start to read it out loud.

“...I found another piece today near the cave in the forest. I still don't know what to tell the others, even John. I don't know what this means but I took a patch from the item I found. It has markings on it I've never seen but it did have one word I did...human...”

I look up from the book and my eyes go wide. “She found something from my old world...” I sit down on the bed as my mind flashes the possibilities that someone else visited Equestria in the past.

“Are you ok?” Sky asks.

I give her a smile. “Y-Yeah, let's just carry on. Scoots is our focus here.” I go back a little in the diary and find something that has more promise.

“....I left Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle at Rarity's today and was heading home when I saw two colts running out of the forest near the edge of town. I watched as they held up a weird device in their hooves but dropped it when I approached. I asked them where they got it and they told me from a cave just inside the forest. They told me it had strange things in it but some of it was damaged and broken. I let the colts go and I decided to go in myself. I was afraid a little but I knew if anything went wrong John would come for me. I had to be quick though as the Pegasi are going to start the snow for winter tonight....” I close the book and place it back.

“Is there any more?” Sky asks.

“I don't need to read any more. Scoots wrote the cave was nearby on the edge of town. I know there isn't a lot of caves near town only a few so I just check them out.” I stood up and headed for the door when frantic banging came from the front door down stairs.

Sky quickly trots out and I follow her down. I stop a little back from the front door when Sky opens it and two little colts were standing there in winter gear trying their best not to freeze. Sky quickly drags them in and looks them over.

“What are you two thinking!? It's a blizzard out there!”

The colts shrink back but I step forward and kneel down. “They must be here for a reason, right guys?”

The colts nod and one removes the scarf from his muzzle.

“Yes sir...we came over when we heard Scootaloo was missing. W-We think we know where she might be and thought Scootaloo's mom had something to reach you!” The colt steps forward. “We found a cave a week ago and told Scootaloo about it, she might have gone back but the cave wasn't stable and if she went too far in then it might have collapsed!”

I stood back up and placed my hands on the colts. “You need to show me.” The colts nod. “I'm going to teleport to the forest edge near here.” The colts nod again and I look back to Sky. “I'll bring her back.” Sky nods and I teleport away with the small colts.

I reappeared with the two colts by the forest edge north of town and the colts quickly put up their scarf's. I had left my winter gear back at Sky's but I raised a shield of magic that was more than sufficient to protect me. I look down to the colts and gesture to the forest.

“Show me the cave.” The colts nod before running into the woods with me in hot pursuit.

Scootaloo opens her eyes. She slowly sat up and put a hoof to her head. “Ow...What happened?” Scootaloo turns her head and her ears go flat “W-where's the cave entrance?” Scootaloo gets to her hooves and pushes against the large boulder blocking the tunnel. “Help! Somepony help me!” Scootaloo shouts banging on the rock.

Scootaloo drops back down to her hooves when she realises it was futile and starts to cry. “Somepony help...” Scootaloo sits down and puts her fore hooves to her face as her sobs get heavier. “Help....” Scootaloo wipes her eyes as she knew she wouldn't get out if she sat there sobbing. “OK, let's go this way....” Scootaloo says swallowing hard and walking further into the cave.

I stop as panic rises in my throat. The colts had gasped and pointed at a cave entrance now collapsed.

“That's the cave entrance..” One of the colts says pointing. “I hope she wasn't in there...”

I turn to the colts. “You need to go get help from the hospital boys! I'll stay here see if I can clear the rubble.”

“A-Are you sure?” The second colt asks.

“Yes! I need you to go now, can you do it?” I say.

The colts both nod. “We can do it!” The colts say together before turning and running back to town.

I look back to the rocks covering the cave and begin to remove them. “Don't worry Scoots I'm coming!”

Rainbow Dash holds onto the blanket as she stares at the fireplace. She watches the flames dance but only one though was in her head and it was taking everything she had not to run out in to the snow again.

“Rainbow?” Applejack says placing a hoof on her shoulder. “John's gonna find her, ya know that right?”

Rainbow nods as she looks to Applejack. “Yeah, I'm just so worried. I can't stand it being here and she's out there somewhere...It should be me to find her.” Rainbow looks down as she starts to cry. “It should be me...”

“Now don't ya say that,” Apple fritter says. “Would it be any better if you got lost out there too?”

Rainbow lowers her head as she shakes it. “No...It wouldn't...”

“John will bring her back y'all see.” Applejack states getting a nod and small smile from Rainbow. “Now you get this down ya and relax.” Applejack says lifting up a glass of Special Brew in her hoof.

Scootaloo walked through the cave shaking in fear from the sounds it made. Scootaloo would stop when a fluttering would echo through the cave.

“I would like to go home now....” Scootaloo says backing up as the fluttering gets louder.

Scootaloo screams when a flock of bats fly out of the darkness and pass her by causing her to hit the ground and start crying.

“I want go home! I want to go home! I want to go home!” Scootaloo repeats holding her head. “Somepony help me please....” Scootaloo suddenly perks her ears up when she hears her name being called. “Huh?” Scootaloo stands up and looks back the way she came as the voice echoed off the walls.

I had managed to clear enough of the debris from the cave entrance to crawl through a gap. I found the cave was large enough for me to stand up in as I used my magic to make my body glow and illuminate the cave around me. I looked down and could see hoof prints in the ground. I bent down and traced around the edge of the prints, they were small and freshly made. I also see a patch of the floor were something had layed down or had been lying.

I stood up and walked over to an object on the ground, I picked it up. I lift the item up to find it was a pair of saddle bags damaged beyond repair. My eyes go wide when I recognise them as Scootaloos from the vision. I look around but my gaze is drawn back to the hoof prints. I drop the bags and make my way deeper into the cave calling Scootaloos name.

Scootaloo walked back the way she came but couldn't remember the path she took. Scootaloo stopped when something made a sound in front of her. "H-Hello? W-Who's there?" Scootaloo starts to walk back when a large insect bigger than her comes out of the shadows. Scootaloo keeps her eyes on the bug as it clicks and feels the ground with it's antennae.

Scootaloo looks around for a hiding spot but it was too late, the bug shrills and lunges for her. Scootaloo brings up her forehooves and screams. The bug hits her forcing her to the ground. The impact causes Scootaloo to blank out for a second. Scootaloo cries out when the bug bites her hind leg and tears fall from her eyes. "Help me...Somepony….anypony…."

Scootaloo finds her vision starts to blur as the bug bites down again. Scootaloo cries out again and this time she gets a reply.

"Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo looks passed the bug but could only see a blurred outline of somepony. "Help..."

I stop when I hear a scream come from close by. I turn and run down the tunnel to my left. I round a corner into a larger tunnel and find a scene that horrifies me to my core. Scootaloo was being attacked by a large centipede type creature. "Scootaloo!" I shout and watch as she looks towards me.

"Help...."

I turn my right arm into a blade and charge the bug. The centipede turns and hisses at me leaving Scootaloo alone. I stop when the bug rises up hissing and biting at me. I dodge a lunge and bring my arm up in a slash. The creature was faster than it looked as it dodged my attack. "Come on fucker!" I shout banging my chest with my free hand. The creature shrieks and goes to bite me. I grab it's neck and fight to keep it still as it's jaws bite at the air inches from my face.

I manage to hold it long enough to run my green blade through it's body. The creature shrieks as I pull my arm out and stab it again. I throw the creature to the ground and bring my right arm down again and again. I stop when I finally but the creature in two and it goes still. I turn my arm back into my hand and run to Scootaloo.

"Scoots!? Talk to me!" I watch as Scootaloo turns her head to me and smiles.

"I...knew...you...would...come...for....me..." Scootaloo says.

I watch as Scootaloo passes out in my arms. "Scoots? Scoots?" I stand up cradling Scootaloo and run back towards the cave exit.

Author's Notes:

Sorry everypony that this has been late. I know I said updates where going to get faster and I'm trying to get them out but every time I get enough time to write something crops up. I'm also updating my other stories aswell and should have an update for The Mass soon. I might also be near completion on the new chapter for the Guardian, if anypony is interested. I thank you all for your patience.