We were a very quiet group as we made our way out. The rain was still pattering down against the foliage above, and an occasional drop landed on the top of my head or the end of my nose. Scootaloo said nothing the whole way, but continued to sniffle as she sat huddled against my chest. I was dying to ask her why she had wandered into the forest, but I could tell she was in no state to tell me.

There was something else on my mind, as well. It wouldn’t take long for everypony to realize that Scootaloo had no home to call her own, no guardian to answer for her. She would most likely be sent to an orphanage, and I had a feeling she and her friends would not like that idea at all.

Could I even help her, though? I had my meeting with Twilight tomorrow, and the city council might take immediate action on her case. Would she even want my help, if it turned out I was indeed the reason for her going into the forest? How could I help her? I didn’t know anyone who would be willing to take her in, or who was even capable of it, but there had to be someone who could. It was a lot to think about.

Suddenly, Zecora stopped in her tracks, and we almost bumped into her.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Shh…” she said, quietly. “Someone approaches from over there. It may be friend or foe, so beware.”

She pointed to a cluster of bushes ahead. Something indeed was moving towards us, rustling the bushes as they went. I kept a tighter hold on Scootaloo, who gazed with wide, alert eyes toward the spot. Fluttershy huddled against my side, quivering. Zecora stood ahead of us, eyes sternly ahead, tense as a bowstring. Whatever it was came closer and closer, and I felt my heart hammer beneath my ribs.

With a bark, a brown and white dog jumped through the nearest bush, tail wagging. Fluttershy let out a gasp of delight.

“Winona! You came to look for us!” she said, gratefully.

The dog, upon recognizing her, jumped into her open hooves and began smothering her face with licks, making the pegasus giggle. I was bewildered at such a random appearance.

“Is she your dog?” I asked.

I wouldn’t have been surprised. Winona had stopped licking Fluttershy, and was now getting an affectionate scratching behind her ear.

“Oh, no, she’s Applejack’s,” answered Fluttershy. “She’s a wonderful herder, aren’t you, Winona?”

Winona yipped in reply. She then finally caught sight of me and, leaving Fluttershy’s side, began sniffing me all around out of a sort of suspicious curiosity. I stood stiff as a board. Now, don’t get me wrong. I loved dogs, but I was also a little nervous around them, lest they prove to be over-exuberant or even biters.

Finally, she finished her olfactory circumlocution, and I was pleased to see her tail wag as she looked up at me, a good sign that she trusted me. Thus encouraged, I knelt down and patted her head, which she really seemed to like.

“Good girl,” I said, with a smile, before a thought occurred to me. “Wait a second. If she’s here, then maybe there's a search party looking for us.”

“Goodness! Were we out that long?” asked Fluttershy.

Winona, as if this reminded her of why she was out here, turned her head back toward the way she had come and barked into the open air. In answer, someone came bustling towards us, a lantern held out in front.

“Fluttershy! Dave! Thank Celestia ye’re all right! And yah found Scootaloo too!”

The voice was familiar, though it was muffled somewhat. The reason became clearer as the lantern bearer got closer, showing that it was Applejack, the handle of the light held in her teeth. She looked immensely relieved to see us, but that was nothing to the relief I was feeling at seeing another friendly face. Applejack caught sight of Zecora and set her lantern down.

“Zecora! Did you find them? We really owe you one.”

“Not at all, Applejack, it was my pleasure, though fending off wolves is outside my leisure.”

Applejack gaped.

“Wolves??” She turned to us. “Y’all were attacked by timber wolves?!”

“Well, I was,” I said, somewhat shamefaced.

Her eyes strayed to the bandage across my forehead, and she winced.

“No, no, don’t worry,” I put in, “that wasn’t from the wolves. I hit my head on a tree. Zecora helped me with it, though.”

Suddenly, before I knew what was going on, Applejack, a steely look in her eyes, had reared up and grabbed me by the shoulders, giving me a hard shake that nearly made me drop Scootaloo, but she eased herself onto the ground and huddled by Fluttershy, who protectively draped a wing over her.

“What in tarnation were you thinkin’?!" Applejack yelled as she continued to rattle me, causing my glasses to slip. "Y’all could’ve gotten yerself killed in here! Heck, yah almost did! And do you have any idea how worried we all were when ya didn't come back?! Pinkie was plumb cryin’ at the thought of you lost in here, with that storm ragin' and all! Why didn't you tell any of us you were goin' in there?! Ain’t you got any sense in that head of yours?! Ah swear, Ah have never seen a more blamed fool in all mah born days!”

Though my brains and my senses were jostled about by her violent shaking, her words took me aback, not just because of what she said, but because her voice sounded choked as she said it, as if she were on the verge of tears. My feeling of triumph was deflating rapidly, like a punctured balloon, to be replaced with an empty, guilty feeling. Now that she mentioned it, the obvious thing to have done would have been to make a search party, instead of just me and Fluttershy by ourselves. Worse, Pinkie had been in tears over me? What kind of poor return was this for her gratitude?

“But…I didn’t think-”

“Well, that’s a sure enough fact!” shot back Applejack, still glaring at me with an icy look in her green eyes.

Fluttershy looked like she wanted to intervene, but couldn’t find anything to say.

“I was just trying to save Scootaloo,” was all I could say.

Applejack’s gaze fell on the little filly, peering out from beneath Fluttershy’s wing. She gave a small sigh, and seemed to be mollified somewhat, but she was still stern when she looked back at me.

“Ah know, Ah know. You were only lookin’ out for her, and Ah am grateful you found her and that yer all right, but dagnabbit, don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again! The Everfree Forest is no place for a greenhorn to fool around in, understand?”

“Yes,” I mumbled.

“Good. Now, let’s get a move on, y’all. Everypony else is waiting by Fluttershy’s cottage.”

Thus encouraged, and with Scootaloo riding atop Fluttershy’s back now, we set off, Applejack and Winona leading. Applejack turned back to look at me once or twice, but her stern look had softened considerably. She was still upset with me, but it looked like she was cooling off now that we were all safe and sound.

The storm had abated by the time we got out, and the sky was cloudy and dusky. We’d barely arrived at Fluttershy’s gate before a swarm of ponies overtook us, composed of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Cheerilee, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle. The last two mentioned instantly rushed to their fellow Crusader, enveloping her in a two-way hug, which Scootaloo reciprocated, all three happy to be back together. Scootaloo then received a warm embrace from Cheerilee, just going to prove what a wonderful teacher she was to her students.

Angel, Fluttershy’s rabbit, had hopped over to his master and stood, arms crossed, an angry look on his face, as if the only thing that mattered was that she was late to feed him or something! The nerve of that little furball! I would have loved to have given him a telling off (or even a swift kick), but then, all of a sudden, he hugged Fluttershy around her foreleg. Smiling tenderly, she leaned her head down and nuzzled him, whispering something to him.

I, for my part, was being fussed over by Rarity and Rainbow, in alternate degrees. Twilight was in deep conversation with Zecora.

“Darling, you’re an absolute mess!” fussed Rarity. “You poor, poor thing! That forest is no place for someone like you!”

“That was totally awesome!” said Rainbow. “Not many ponies have the nerve to go in there, especially during a storm! Of course,” she added, puffing her chest out, “I’d go in there any day of the week.”

Rarity rolled her eyes.

“You would think like that, Rainbow Dash. Think of what poor Dave’s been through! He’s even been injured!"

“So? It shows he’s got guts! Sometimes it takes a scar or two to prove you’re tough! Besides, he did it for Scoot, and he got her back! That takes courage!”

Rarity leaned in and whispered, confidentially,

“You should have seen her when she found out Scootaloo was missing. She was absolutely frantic. We had to hold her back from going into the forest herself.”

“And why shouldn’t I have?!” snapped Rainbow, startling both of us from not expecting her to have overheard. “Fluttershy went in, and she’s fine! I could have done way better!”

“I should think,” said Rarity, coldly, “that you would show a little more consideration for poor Fluttershy! In case you hadn’t noticed, it was no picnic for her, either!”

Fluttershy, hearing her name mentioned and realizing it was part of an argument, ducked her head down, ears lowered.

“Yeah, but-” began Rainbow.

“Oh, give it a rest, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight, coming up to us.

Rainbow looked ready to retort, but gave up with a frustrated sigh. Twilight looked at me, with a disapproving expression.

“Zecora told me everything, Dave: going off into the Everfree Forest like that, in the middle of a thunderstorm, and without warning anypony else. That was very stupid of you.”

I sighed, ready for another tirade, but Twilight actually smiled next.

“But, I can’t say that without adding that it was also very brave of you. You have a warm heart to brave that kind of danger for Scootaloo.”

Hearing this made me relax.

“I couldn’t leave her hanging like that," I said, "but I don’t know what to do now.”

“What do you mean?”

Making sure no one else was listening in, I took her to one side. Then, bending down, I lowered my voice so that only she could hear.

“She’s an orphan, Twi."

Twilight looked shocked.

"How are you sure?" she asked.

"Cheerilee said that no parent or guardian has ever answered for her, so that's what the case looks like. I have no idea how she’s been getting by, but sooner or later, someone in the city council’s gonna find out and do something about it, and not in a good way.”

Twilight still looked shocked, but she nodded resolutely all the same.

“She does deserve special consideration," she said, "especially after what she just went through.”

“I’ve been trying to mull it over on the way back, but right now, I can’t think of a pony who would be suited to look after her.”

“Don't worry," said Twilight. "We'll think of something."

I looked about, but one pony, one whom I’d expected to see, was absent.

“Where’s Pinkie?”

“At the library,” said Twilight. “That’s where the search party assembled, but she was in no state to accompany us. Spike’s looking after her.”

Well, that was one more dagger of guilt to stab me in the heart…

Twilight seemed to see my worry, as she put a comforting hoof on my hand.

“Tell you what. Let’s take Scootaloo back to the library. She can spend the night there, and maybe we can get her to tell us a few things about what happened, shed some light on the subject.”

“Even with Pinkie and Spike around?”

“Pinkie would keep a secret to the bitter end. As for Spike, I have full trust in him, even if he is bad at masking his affections for certain ponies.”

She gave a wry glance towards Rarity, who was still arguing with Rainbow Dash, and I chuckled.

“All right, then. I’ll see if she’d be game for it.”

I went over to Scootaloo, who was sitting among her friends, very subdued. She looked up as I approached.

“Scoot, Twilight offered to let you spend the night in the library. Is that all right with you?”

As I expected, she looked very hesitant.

“Uh, well, see, I was gonna go-”

“Scootaloo.”

She flinched at my frank tone. I kneeled down beside her, keeping my voice low.

“Scootaloo, I know about your situation, and I’m very, truly sorry for you.”

For a second, she looked as if she wanted to be mad for it being brought up, but her emotions seemed utterly exhausted at the moment.

“I don't know exactly what you've been going through, but this can’t be ignored much longer, especially not after today,” I went on. “I want to help you, and in order to do that, we need the truth from you. Do you understand me, Scootaloo?”

She looked from me to her friends, who both nodded encouragingly. She then looked back up at me.

“Why do you want to help me so badly, when I've only just met you?”

I had my answer ready right away, the answer that was one part of my resolve to go look for her in the first place.

“Because we’re Crusaders," I said. "We stick together no matter what.”

Reaching into my pocket (not the one with the bits), I pulled out the Cutie Mark Crusaders neckerchief the girls had given me and tied it around my neck. I’d kept it on me for safe-keeping. Scootaloo looked up at me with a kind of wonder for a few moments, and then, as if a new resolve had filled her, she nodded.

“Ok,” she said, and she came over to stand by my side. "I trust you."

Before I got up, however, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both hugged me around the neck.

“Thanks, for going in to help her,” said Sweetie Belle.

“We won't forget it,” said Apple Bloom.

“You’re welcome, girls,” I said, hugging them in return, feeling warm inside.

At last, they returned to their sisters, and Scootaloo and I rejoined Twilight. Zecora was standing by, and I knew she probably had to return to the forest. I approached her and held out my hand.

“Thank you, Zecora. I’d have been dead if it weren’t for you.”

Smiling warmly, she put her hoof in my hand, allowing me to shake it.

“You are welcome to see me whenever you like. I’d recommend in the morning, when the wolves won’t likely strike.”

I gave a nervous chuckle at this reminder of my deadly escapade. In a much kinder tone, she said,

“Take care, human Dave. You have wonderful friends. I have faith they will stick with you to the very end.”

With these words, the wise zebra turned and strode back toward the Forest.

“Well,” said Rainbow Dash, stretching and yawning, “this has all been pretty exciting, but I think it’s time I headed home.”

Seeing the cold looks everypony was giving her for her tactless statement, she flew over to me and, putting a hoof on my shoulder, said in a humbler tone,

“But seriously, dude, I’m glad you’re ok. We wouldn’t have wanted to lose ya just yet.”

I smiled and patted her on the back.

“Thanks, Rainbow.”

Then, she floated down to face Scootaloo.

“You all right now, squirt?”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll be ok,” said Scootaloo, in such a modest way that it contrasted strongly with the enthusiasm with which she had declared her admiration of the multicolored mare.

With a kind, sisterly smile, Rainbow tousled her mane.

“Of course you will, kiddo. You're one tough cookie.”

Scootaloo smiled up at her, then hugged the outstretched foreleg, drawing a few ‘aww’s from the crowd. Her cheeks blushing briefly, Rainbow waited until Scootaloo had let go, then faced Fluttershy. Angel, perhaps tired out from the night’s events, had fallen asleep at her hoof.

"Fluttershy...You were really brave, going in there to look for Scoot.”

Fluttershy smiled, blushing in her own turn.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow smiled back, then, with a general good night to everypony present, she took off into the sky. Pretty soon, everypony else dispersed, save for Twilight and Cheerilee. The latter approached me.

“Dave, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for what you did tonight. These girls mean a lot to me, as a teacher. Thank you.”

“Aw, well. It was a really reckless thing for me to do, ma’am. People back home often tell me I do things without thought, but I was thinking of her the whole time.”

Cheerilee smiled warmly, then turned to Scootaloo.

“Scootaloo.”

The filly looked up, and Cheerilee bent down to whisper something, though I still barely caught it.

“You have my word that nopony will hear about your situation from me.”

Scootaloo smiled, gratefully.

“Thank you, Miss Cheerilee,”

“Good night, dear.”

With that, Cheerilee took her leave as well. That left only myself, Twilight, and Scootaloo. Fluttershy had taken Angel back inside with her.

“Well, shall we?” asked Twilight.

“Let’s,” I said.

“Wait!” said Scootaloo.

We watched her run back toward the forest, but my unease at seeing her do so was alleviated at the sight of her dragging a small wooden scooter back with her.

“Can’t forget this,” she said, apologetically, wiping a stray leaf from its surface.

With that out of the way, the three of us turned our direction back toward Ponyville, leaving the Everfree Forest at our backs.

Author's Notes:

*I've gotten a lot of feedback about the Applejack scene, so I decided to change it up to something a little more reasonable. Hopefully this works better.