Night had fallen over Equestria. However, Luna’s gentle moon was nowhere to be seen in the sky nor were there any stars. Instead they had been concealed by the thundering clouds above the heads of the ponies. The rain that came from these clouds fell fast and hard, pounding on the roofs of the dwellings with enough force that nopony could escape the sound it made. The wind howled as it blew across the land, sending an icy chill down the spines of those foolish enough to be out in this weather. Every once in a while patches of these clouds would flash, catching the eyes of those who were still awake. And when the lightning struck, the thunder it produced was enough to deafen those who lived in the town of Ponyville.

This was the scene that Scootaloo looked out at through her window with fixed eyes. Tonight had to be the night. Her so called ‘friends’ hadn’t understood her. No doubt right now they were breaking their Pinkie Promise, telling their big sisters what she had planned. And if they got involved then it looked like Scootaloo’s big plan was finished.

As thunder boomed on the other side of the window with enough force to cause the glass to shake, Scootaloo brought a trembling hoof to a saddle bag she had found in the lost and found. The bag itself looked like it had seen better days and was two sizes too big for her, but in this case bigger was better for it meant it could hold more stuff. Inside of it were several sandwiches she had managed to swipe from the hospital’s kitchen as well as a few other things she had found in the building that she was sure nopony would miss. Things like a blanket (the hospital probably had hundreds of them so nopony would miss one), a flashlight, and a few garbage bags to name a few. While it wasn’t the ideal list of materials she had planned out, Scootaloo believed this would do until she reached the first leg of her journey: Rainbow Falls.

Rainbow Falls seemed like the perfect place to start her new life. That area always had something going on. From exchanges to sports events, there would be no shortage of things to do and ponies to meet. It also meant that there would be plenty of ponies who might need an extra hoof meaning she could earn some bits until she had enough saved up to buy herself a new scooter.

Scootaloo’s mood soured at the thought of her scooter. She had no idea if it was still lying on the side of the road or in the trash. The desire to search for it was strong, but Scootaloo knew deep down that it was a bad idea for several reasons. First of all, it was in the complete opposite direction of where she was heading. Secondly, she would have to go through town in order to reach it. Even if there was a storm keeping ponies in their homes and getting it would allow Scootaloo to get to her destination quicker (provided of course if it was still in one piece), there was a good chance that somepony might spot her. And finally, it was too close to Twilight’s.

Taking a deep breath after another round of booming thunder, Scootaloo left her hospital room and headed for the main entrance.

-x-

Twilight sighed for what had to be the millionth time since she had gotten home. After Mr. Bubbles had left, she had silently dragged her hooves to the living room where she then laid down on her reading couch. Since then she had not moved from that spot, refusing to budge for anything. Not even Spike waving her dinner under her nose could get her to move a muscle or cause her horn to glow. She just laid there with her head on the pillow, looking off to the side without seeing anything. Discord could pop in and announce that he, Celestia, and Fluttershy were forming a herd as well as stating that the wedding would be in ten minutes…and Twilight wouldn’t even register it.

No, all she could do right now was sigh and think about what Mr. Bubbles had said her to her. His words about how dangerous her life was; how could it be that she had never thought about it before? Maybe it was because she was just too used to all the craziness that went on week after week to really examine it. Yet in the end, she had to admit how right he was. If Scootaloo were to remain with her, the filly’s life would be hectic and in danger.

With another long sigh, Twilight’s thoughts grew darker. How many times had she risked her life and her friends all in an effort to save Equestria time after time? Sure, she was glad to do it as were those who had followed her on her numerous adventures. And she was sure that she would be called on again in the future…which was the problem. What would happen if she got hurt or worse on one of her friendship missions? Twilight knew that Princess Celestia, her parents, and even Shining Armor and Cadence would gladly take in Spike. But Scootaloo? Seeing that her mother tried to hide Scootaloo’s existence, Twilight doubted that she would take her in while her father would be against raising her as well. Shining Armor and Cadence might, however bringing her in might cause tension. Princess Celestia would be too busy to take care of Scootaloo between her own princess duties and teaching at her school.

Perhaps, Scootaloo would be better off with somepony else. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be a part of her life, but she would rather have her sister safe than having such an uncertain future full of danger. Maybe Twilight could find a family in Ponyville to take care of her. That way Twilight could be close and she wouldn’t have to give up her friends. The problem with that was sadly simple: Scootaloo had been in the Ponyville Orphanage for years. Any couple here who would have wanted to take her in would have already had the chance. She could make a request, but they might only do it because she was royalty. Plus, what if there was another stalking villain like Starlight who found out about Scootaloo? Wouldn’t Twilight just be putting more ponies in danger?

Could one of her friends take in Scootaloo? Twilight closed her eyes as she drew a large red, mental X through that idea. She knew any of them would be willing to take her in, but they all shared the same problem as Twilight with leaving at a moment’s notice. And of course, there were other reasons why they couldn’t take Scootaloo in as well. While Rarity was used to taking care of Sweetie Belle, that was only when her parents dropped her off. Lately she was too busy running between her three boutiques to give any young filly or colt the attention that they needed. The same when for Rainbow, constantly going on tours and heading to Wonderbolts HQ everyday just wouldn’t work. Plus there was the fact that Scootaloo couldn’t get to her house without assistance. Pinkie Pie could work, but she didn’t have a home of her own, instead renting a room from the Cakes. Would there be enough room for the two of them? And would the Cakes be ok with watching Scootaloo along with the twins? Not to mention Pinkie being, well, Pinkie. Her personality might raise more than a few eyebrows from Foal Services. Fluttershy was more stationary and had some experience looking after the CMC, but during those times when they left she would most likely ask either her parents or brother to look after Scootaloo. With them living in Cloudsdale, a moving city, it didn’t seem like it would be the best fit for Scootaloo. Not to mention if she fell through the clouds and nopony saw her…

Twilight barely registered somepony giving her a light shake as she moved to Applejack. Perhaps they were the best pick of them all. With the entire family living under one roof, Applejack leaving at a moment’s notice would be less of an issue. Both Big Mac and Granny could be there to do things like help her with her homework and attend parent/teacher conferences as well as let her have some fun. Yet there was their constant money trouble. Taking in another mouth to feed might be harder on them. Not to mention Granny’s inconsistent health issues.

Still barely registering her body shaking, however much stronger now, Twilight just had to admit it to herself that she had failed. Not even a week in and she was losing-

“Princess?” came a mare’s voice followed by somepony shaking her roughly. So much so that Twilight fell off the couch and landed on the floor. Letting out a groan, her vision came back into focus to see that the one who had shaken her was a worried looking Spike. Standing next to him, dressed in a dripping wet rain poncho, was a mare she didn’t recognize.

“What?” asked Twilight, her voice somewhat groggy, as she stood up.

“Princess,” said the mare again, gaining Twilight’s full attention. While she didn’t know who she was, she did notice the nurse’s cap underneath her poncho. “I’m so sorry! I went to check up on Scootaloo and she was gone!”

“WHAT!” yelled Twilight, her wings outstretched as she gave a panicked look at the nurse. This must have scared the poor nurse, for she shrank in Twilight’s presence. But the Princess of Friendship did not care nor did she take any notice as she asked her next question. “Did somepony break in?”

Weakly the nurse shook her head. “I don’t think s-so,” she said. “I-I checked the window and it was in one piece. A-And there was no water on the floor. She m-must have left on her own. I-I thought m-maybe she came back here, but your dragon said he hadn’t seen h-her.”

“She,” began Twilight as her wings lowered while her breathing quickened. Her head turned to look out the window and the downpour that awaited anypony foolish to go out tonight. “She’s out there? In that?”

“Maybe,” said Spike, also looking worried. “But she could be out of it by now. I mean, she could have gone to see her friends or-”

Twilight didn’t wait for Spike to finish, instead galloping out of the room at full speed and heading towards the front door. As she drew closer, the doors swung open thanks to her magic before she came to a stop. Outside was far worse than what she saw from the window. The cold wind was blowing so hard that it propelled the rain into Twilight’s face even though she was standing several feet from the threshold. She could see the trees in the distance, shaking in the wind while branches fell before being carried away. Looking at the ground, she could already see puddles that could pass for small ponds littered across the grounds.

The princess looked at her folded wings, knowing they would be no use to her. While her flying had gotten better, she was nowhere near confident in those skills to attempt to fly in this weather. If she tried, she was sure that she would be tossed around like a volleyball at the beach. The only ponies who could stand a chance in this weather would have to be Wonderbolt level. But Twilight didn’t have time to contact them and wait to see if any of them would show up. All she knew was, at that moment, Scootaloo was out there.

Still…

“Spike!” shouted Twilight as she turned around. As usual, Spike was behind her. While he looked worried Twilight could tell he was ready and willing to assist. “Send a letter to Rainbow and tell her what’s going on. Maybe she can convince Spitfire to let her come here or have them send somepony else.”

“Right,” said Spike who saluted her before pulling out a quill and parchment. “It’ll just be a moment and then I’ll head out with you-”

“No Spike,” interrupted Twilight as she nervously looked out at the weather again. “I need you to stay here.”

Spike nearly dropped what he was holding, looking at Twilight with a confused and hurt expression. “But I can help,” he said.

Twilight nodded without looking at him. “I know you can,” she said as her hooves bounced about, wanting to head out as soon as possible. “Which is why I want you here. If Scootaloo comes home or if you hear anything, you can send me a letter. Also, tell the nurse that I’d like her to stay here in case Scootaloo does come here.” Then, without waiting for a reply, Twilight galloped out into the storm before her.

-x-

Plans are always so much simpler in one’s head. This was something that Scootaloo was quickly learning more and more with each step she took.

In the first five minutes of her trek, the filly found herself soaked from head to hoof. Her mane was drenched with water, laying flat against her skull as it felt like it weighed a few extra pounds. Her saddle bags also felt like they had had gained extra weight, most likely rainwater that had seeped into them and ruined everything except for the trash bags. When she had realized this, Scootaloo growled at her lack of foresight to not put her stuff in the trash bags in order to better protect them.

Five minutes after that, Scootaloo had began to shiver and shake. The relentless rain continued to pour down with enough force that they stung a little and the constant high winds blew against her as she walked into them. A few times the wind blew so hard that it managed to push her back and once knocked her down into one of the massive puddles she had tried to avoid. The cold had seeped past her fur and moved into her very bones, chilling her to the core. Scootaloo tried to recall a time when she had been colder in order to help her push through. However, not even the coldest winter night had she felt this cold.

How long had seen been out here now? It was impossible to tell anything anymore. It could have been fifteen minutes to several hours. All she knew was that the sun hadn’t risen yet to provide a meager amount of light through the clouds.

Scootaloo tried looking around her but saw only darkness. The last time she had seen any light around her that wasn’t lightning was back at the hospital. Since there she had been stumbling in the dark trying her best to find her way due to the union of darkness and rain. Maybe if the rain was a little lighter or if there was a building nearby with its lights on, Scootaloo might be able to find her way around. Sadly, she wasn’t that lucky.

Lightning flickered around her and was instantly followed by the deafening thunder. Scootaloo let out a cry of fear, swallowing a mouthful of water in the process. But in that moment of light, Scootaloo thought she saw something up ahead that might help her. They looked like trees. Could she be by the Apple farm? If so, then there was a chance she could find shelter from the storm. She didn’t want to knock on the door and ask if she could come in because, if she did that, she would have to explain what she was doing out in the storm. And if she lied Apple Bloom surely would have broken her Pinkie Promise if she hadn’t already. So instead, Scootaloo decided it would be better if she looked for the barn and wait out the storm in there.

As the filly marched towards the trees with the winds feeling like they were blowing in every direction, a voice in her head suggested that maybe she should just go back to the hospital. It was a tempting idea to be sure. There she could warm up with the shower that was in her room before drying off and wrapping her body in the blankets. She could sleep soundly, safely until Twilight came by to pick her up the next morning. Sure, Twilight was most likely angry with her right now and would make her do her homework…but there would be a nice breakfast and lunch to go with it instead on soggy sandwiches. Maybe even a warm fire for her to sit next to while she worked.

Scootaloo shook her head to banish these thoughts from her head while the wind pushed her to the side. No, now wasn’t the time to think like a quitter! Now was the time to focus on the goal at hoof. She could do this, she knew she could! All she had to do was picture it. The flowing rivers of rainbows that fell down cliffs. The wide, empty fields where she could perform her scooter tricks once she got enough bits.

Again the wind blew on her side, this time with enough force to knock her over. She didn’t land in a puddle like last time, but instead in a large mud patch that coated her entire body. And, for some reason, it seemed oddly deep for something near Ponyville. She could feel the slick, slimy mud slowly pulling her down in order to bury her alive. Fearing it might succeed the filly began frantically thrashing about to try and get out. She kicked her hind legs and flapped her wings with all her might so that she was able to get her head out of the mud and take a deep breath. Over and over she continued like this in order to escape. But the mud patch seemed to go on forever and the more she pressed on the deeper the patch seemed to feel. Thunder echoed through the night, Scootaloo seeing the lightning behind her closed eyelids as she desperately fought to keep her head above the mud.

Then, her forehooves touched firm ground. With all her might she pulled up, slowly freeing herself for the mud. With labored breathing, she sat on her flank and allowed the rain to wash away the filth covering most of her body. As the mud slowly washed off of her, she began to realize that something felt…off. Using her hooves Scootaloo began to feel around her body for whatever was wrong starting with her wings. There were no slugs, twigs, or anything else she thought she might find in there; just mud that had yet to be washed away. Then, as she continued to feel her way down, she realized what was wrong.

“Oh COME ON!” yelled Scootaloo to the thundering heavens as her hoof touched where her saddlebag should have been. Now there was nothing, most likely it had slipped off of her in the mud at some point. Seeing that she just escaped it, Scootaloo was in no hurry to return. But while things like the map and her food had been ruined by the rain she still could have used the garbage bags and the blanket.

Scootaloo began to shiver uncontrollably as she thought about her lost blanket. Again the thought of returning to the hospital flashed in her head with more urgency. Try as she might, Scootaloo found it hard not to see the logic. She was barely surviving right now. She had lost everything she had packed. How was she going to make it to Rainbow Falls at this rate? Perhaps it would be best to cut her losses right here, go back to the hospital, and hope nopony there had noticed she was gone.

There was another flash of lightning which allowed Scootaloo to see something that made her heart sink even more. The trees she had been walking towards were close, but they weren’t the ones found by Apple Family Orchard. No, these were twisted trees that looked like they were from somepony’s nightmares. Their bodies oddly bent and their branches looking more like claws meant to rip the flesh from innocent ponies who came too close. Perhaps it was due to the poor light, but it also looked like they were rotting and could fall over at a moment’s notice. Not even the trees in the Everfree Forest looked this bad.

Once again there was another flash of lightning which Scootaloo took advantage of to quickly check her surroundings. She saw a few things that looked more like blurs and saw something moving in the background, but overall she had no idea where she was. Had she gone past Ponyville already? Which direction was she heading in? If she didn’t know where she was…how could she even go back to the hospital? She supposed she could try and backtrack, but she was so turned around she had no idea where to start. And she certainly didn’t want to go back into the mud.

Slowly the filly began to rub her forelegs together in an effort to stay warm. She tried to think of what she should do to get out of this situation that she had gotten herself into. Yet her thoughts kept going towards the hope that somepony would save her. That her friends would just show up and everything would be ok. That Rainbow would come shooting down from the clouds and save her like she did on that camping trip. That Twilight would arrive and use her magic to teleport her home.

Maybe, if she closed her eyes, she might fall asleep and Luna would find out she was in trouble.

Scootaloo shook her head and slapped her cheek for good measure. She knew enough that that was the single dumbest thought she had at this moment. If she fell asleep there was a really good chance that she might never wake up! Besides, even if Princess Luna did manage to find her dream (which was a long shot in itself) there would be no way for her to find out where she was.

The only thing Scootaloo could think of doing right now was to keep moving. She could feel herself getting colder the longer she just sat there. Maybe if she kept moving she would be able to keep herself a little warm. And maybe she might bump into something or somepony and-

Something fast shot over Scootaloo’s head. While she didn’t see what it was, she could feel the air moving at supersonic speeds right before it dragged her backwards. She screamed in shock before being launched head first into the mud again. Her hind legs kicked about as her mouth was filled with wet dirt. Over and over again she struggled to get out so that she could spit it out and breathe in the air. But already her brain was getting fuzzy, her thoughts slowing down bit by bit. Her lugs began to burn as they begged for air while her legs continued to kick about.

Mercifully, help arrived before her remaining thoughts could begin to grow overly dark. Scootaloo felt two hooves grab her hind legs followed by her being pulled up into the air. The flightless filly felt her face leave the mud behind allowing her to cough out the mud and breath in the wet air. She opened her eyes which allowed her to barely see that she was hovering above the mud pit.

“I got ya little buddy,” yelled a familiar voice from above her. A voice Scootaloo could recognize anywhere, even in this storm. It was Rainbow Dash.

-x-

“SCOOTALOO!” screamed Twilight as she ran through the Everfree Forest, her horn lighting the path for her. The rain here was lighter thanks to the tree cover above her and it was close to the hospital, making it a good place to start looking for her sister. Twilight’s eyes moved frantically back and forth, looking for any signs of the orange filly.

Twilight yelled out Scootaloo’s name again as she noticed movement just off the trail leading to Zecora’s hut. She didn’t know if it was Scootaloo or some sort of monster that lived in the Everfree Forest but Twilight knew she had to take the risk. As the wind blew harder, the alicorn galloped at full speed. She could see her target darting behind trees as quickly as it could, trying to escape her sight. But Twilight kept her eyes locked onto it, even when her hoof slipped on a slimy tree branch and fell to the ground. Ignoring the pain on her side she continued with all her might. She would catch this thing just to make sure if it was or wasn’t Scootaloo before moving on.

Finally, Twilight managed to corner her target. There, laying in front of a fallen tree and looking at her with frightened eyes, was a manticore cub. The poor thing was shaking and whimpering as it looked up at Twilight as if she were some sort of monster. Twilight cursed under her breath. Not only had she wasted her time but she had frightened something so young.

Just as she was about to turn around, she heard a growl off to the side. Nervously she turned and saw two adult manticores nearby. One of them, a female, had three more cubs huddled up behind her while its mate bared his fangs at Twilight.

Slowly, Twilight began to back away from the cub in an effort to show she wasn’t a threat to their child. As she did, the cub she had been chasing ran over to be with its mother and siblings as soon as it could. However, this didn’t seem to calm either of them down in the slightest. Instead, the male’s stance took on a pouncing position with a hungry look in its eye. Perhaps it had planned on this the moment its cub was out of harm’s way. Perhaps it planned on killing Twilight so that she would provide a meal for the family.

As Twilight’s horn lit up, the male leapt into the air towards her. Not bothering to really think about where she might end up the former Bearer of Magic quickly finished up her spell. Just as its claws were mere centimeters away from her throat, Twilight vanished in an explosion of light only to reappear be the base of a tree somewhere else. Before she could sigh in relief, water that had been pooling above her in the branches came loose and poured on her like a massive bucket.

Rather than look annoyed, Twilight ignored it and continued to search for Scootaloo. That was more important to her right now.

-x-

“Thanks,” said Scootaloo as she felt her body’s shivering begin to fade. Currently, she and Rainbow were sitting on top of the clouds from wherever it was that Rainbow found her so that neither mare could get any wetter. Rainbow, who was wearing her Wonderbolt’s uniform, was doing the best she could to keep her warm by covering her with a wing and pulling her close to the older mare’s body. Already Scootaloo could feel the chill that had seeped into her body begin to lessen slightly.

“Hey, it’s no biggie,” said Rainbow as she looked down at Scootaloo with that proud, confident smile that the smaller filly knew all too well. Then it changed. While Rainbow wasn’t frowning, she certainly wasn’t smiling. All in all, she looked concerned. “But you sure are lucky that Twilight sent me that letter. When I heard that you were missing from the hospital in the middle of the night, during a storm, I nearly did a Sonic Rainboom in order to get here quick enough!”

Biting her lower lip, Scootaloo looked down at the clouds below her. “Are you in trouble?” she asked.

“Naw,” said Rainbow, causing Scootaloo to look up at her again. “I mean, sure we had a show tonight that was supposed to end with a Sonic Rainboom, but I talked to Spitfire about what was going on. Nopony in the Wonderbolts blamed me for having to bail when family is in trouble and I have a letter from a princess to boot. Besides, there is a reason we have reserves.”

Hearing all this allowed Scootaloo to let out a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was for her idol and big sister to get into trouble because of her. However, now that she thought about it, wouldn’t she have panicked even if there hadn’t been a storm? Sure she had originally planned on leaving during the summer, but Rainbow probably would have done the same thing. In fact, the more she thought about it, wouldn’t all of her friends freak out if she vanished? And why hadn’t she thought about this before?

“So squirt,” said Rainbow, interrupting Scootaloo’s inner reflection. “I think it’s time you told me why in the wide world of Equestria you did something so stupid.”

“I…told Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle I was planning on dropping out of school,” muttered Scootaloo. “I was afraid they’d break their Pinkie Promise and tell everypony so I left.”

Scootaloo nearly felt Rainbow’s wings fly off of her. “Scootaloo…why would you ever want to do something like that?” asked a shocked Rainbow Dash.

“Because I want to be more like you!” shouted Scootaloo as she felt tears forming in her eyes.

“And dropping out of school was your best idea on how to do that?!” yelled Rainbow, causing Scootaloo to tear up more.

“Well I’ll never be able to go to flight camp!” shouted Scootaloo as she pulled away from Rainbow. She didn’t understand this. Rainbow Dash should have understood her so why wasn’t she? “Look at me, I’m a useless pegasus! If I can’t fly, then I’ll never be able to get into flight camp or do any of the amazing stunts that you can. So I thought that if I could do this and strike it out on my own…then maybe I could come close to being as amazing as you are.”

“But we talked about this,” replied Rainbow in a lower tone. “Remember? Back when you were trying to become a flag carrying team?”

“I know,” said Scootaloo as she tried to hide her tears with her hoof. “But ever since then, ever since I knew I’d never be able to fly no matter how hard I tried, I still wanted to be like you. I know I can never be like you but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to come close at least!”

“But you could be so much more,” said Rainbow, causing Scootaloo to drop her hoof while looking at her sister in surprise.

“But-” began Scootaloo, only to stop as Rainbow held up a hoof.

“Look, I may not like to admit it, but I’ve made my fair share of mistakes,” began Rainbow. “And some of them weren’t so cool. Yeah, I dropped out of flight school but I didn’t do it because I thought I was being cool. I did it because I wanted to escape that stupid ‘Rainbow Crash’ nickname. But I didn’t handle it so well and, ah, some ponies might have gotten the wrong idea. So instead of things getting better I made things worse. And it didn’t get better until years afterwards.” Rainbow then sighed as she sat down. “And, well, maybe if I had tried to pay more attention back in school instead for focusing on being cool then maybe I wouldn’t have panicked during that test.”

“B-But look at you now,” stammered Scootaloo as she gestured to the older mare’s uniform. “You’re a Wonderbolt! You’re the best flier in all of Equestria! You’re the most awesome pony who has ever lived!”

“That’s because my goal was to shoot to the top,” explained Rainbow as she moved back over to Scootaloo. “I wanted to be the best, not settle and be just like somepony else.” As Rainbow said this, she sat back down next to the filly who had her ears flattened against her skull while also looking away.

“Look,” continued Rainbow, “you’re an amazing little filly who has a bright future ahead of you. I’ve known that even before I took you under my wing. That’s why I never tried to push you into being more like me because, well, you’re not me. And that makes you really awesome! If you did try to copy me, that would make you a copycat which is totally not cool. Do you understand?”

“I…guess I do,” muttered Scootaloo. “But I don’t feel awesome.”

“Maybe that might have something to do with the hard time you’ve been giving Cheerilee and Twilight,” said Rainbow in a matter of fact tone. Scootaloo’s eyes widened when she heard this and looked up at her older sister in surprise. “What? You thought Twilight hasn’t been sending me letters since she found out you two were sisters?”

“But-” began Scootaloo, only to be interrupted when Rainbow gently placed a hoof on her mouth.

“I know what you’re going to say,” said Rainbow. “There are a lot of things that make Twilight a major egghead. Like how she would swim in books if she ever got the chance and that she’ll read ones that are about science and magic. That she’ll freak out over the tiniest thing. That all sounds uncool, right?” Scootaloo nodded. “But she’s still pretty cool. I mean, I hang out with her all the time and that doesn’t make me uncool…does it?”

“No way,” said Scootaloo quickly, aghast that the mere thought that Rainbow could ever be uncool.

“And Twilight has done some pretty cool things herself,” continued Rainbow. “Like when that ursa minor came to Ponyville. Sure the way she figured out how was nerdy, but in the end she did something no single pony had ever done before. Or what about the time she fought Tirek with the power of all four alicorns? Or how about the time she freed Princess Cadence? Or how she found the Crystal Heart and gave it to Spike in order to save the Crystal Empire? And while I know this might sound sappy, she wants to take you in so she can be your big sister. When you add all that to the cool meter, Twilight’s is only one percent less cool than me. Maybe half of a percent.”

“But does that mean I’ll lose you as a big sister?” asked Scootaloo fearfully.

“I’ll always be your honorary big sister,” said Rainbow at once, giving Scootaloo a playful noogie as she did. “That’s never going to change. But now you have a real big sister. One that can help you in ways that I’m not really good at. And she can be there for you when you really need her. If you let her that is.”

“I,” began Scootaloo as she looked away from her idol and back down to the storming clouds beneath her. Slowly, she took a shaky breath. “I’m afraid she might want to change me like Miss Cheerilee is. Like with all the-”

“That’s something you’re going to need to talk to Twilight about,” interrupted Rainbow as she opened up her wings before taking to the sky above them. She then shot downward, grabbing Scootaloo as she passed through the clouds towards the ground below them.

Within seconds the two were back below the clouds. While it was still raining, it was nowhere near as bad as before. The rain fell on them more gently, and unlike before Scootaloo could see where they were. Off in the distance, Twilight’s castle was still visible, if barely, meaning she wasn’t too far from Ponyville. In fact, the town didn’t look that far away. However, Scootaloo noticed that she had been going in the opposite direction from where she had intended to go. If she had continued on her way, Scootaloo saw that she would have headed straight to the Ghastly Gorge!

Then, in what felt like no time at all, Rainbow set Scootaloo down on the ground before landing herself. “Ok squirt, I gotta jet. I trust you’ll do the right thing and head home.” And with that, Rainbow flew off leaving behind her the usual rainbow trail.

For a time, Scootaloo stood there in the rain as she looked at the town not too far in the distance with her ears flat. As she began to drag her hooves towards town, with her head low, Scootaloo could hear Rainbow’s words over the rain. There was no way she could deny it or twist things around. Her idol, her honorary big sister, had told her that she had been wrong. That what she had been doing was the wrong thing. Perhaps the filly had always known it was wrong. Maybe that’s why she felt so many twinges of guilt over the last few days.

But now that she realized this was there any chance that her friends would forgive her? Looking back with this new realization made the knowledge that she had made Sweetie Belle cry like that all the worse. The look Apple Bloom had given her suddenly had more of an impact, almost causing the filly to burst out into tears. She felt like she was worth less than the mud she had nearly drowned in earlier this night. She had been willing to abandon them and the group that they had created in order to chase a silly idea she had. And Twilight…

Scootaloo almost slipped on the slick wet grass beneath her hooves as she thought of the purple alicorn. The way she had acted, causing nothing but trouble to the mare who had taken her in. Scootaloo was sure that Twilight had regretted letting her into her home. Perhaps maybe when she found out that Scootaloo was missing she might be glad. A notion that caused a lump to grow in the back of the filly’s throat.

Scootaloo shut her eyes tight for a moment, trying her best to fight back this feeling. When she opened her eyes, something bright that was almost outside her field of vision caught her attention. Off in the distance, there was a light that shined like the one Twilight used when she was using magic. As the filly focused on it, she could almost hear Twilight’s voice but couldn’t make out what she was shouting. Was she looking for her? Was she looking for her because she was worried or angry with her?

Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo ran towards the light. The part of her that didn’t want to face an angry alicorn told her she could avoid this situation entirely. Perhaps Twilight hated her now and wanted nothing to do with her. Perhaps, when she found her, Twilight would end up sending Scootaloo away to some far off orphanage. This part of her tried to tell her that it would be smarter to head into town where she could avoid the purple alicorn all together and come up with a new plan. Anything, including running away, was smarter than confronting an angry alicorn. Especially when the source of that anger is yourself.

However, Scootaloo did not deter from her path. Instead, she began to shout Twilight’s name in the hopes that she could hear. Scootaloo was tired of only thinking of herself, making bad decisions as she went. She knew that if she did run away, then Twilight would be even angrier with her. And if she wasn’t upset, then all she would be doing was making her worry about her even more. Moreover, Scootaloo just wanted to try and make things right, to fix the mess she had created with both Twilight and her friends.

There was a sudden flash of light in the distance followed by another one right in front of her. Skidding to a stop, Scootaloo looked up at Twilight who looked like she had been through Tartarus. Her entire body was dripping wet from the rain with twigs, leaves, and what looked like slugs in her mane. Mud was splattered over various parts of her body and there was a nasty cut on her side. Looking up at her face, Scootaloo saw that she was panting while still looking worried.

“There you are,” gasped Twilight as she moved closer to the filly. “Are you ok? Are you hurt at all?” Scootaloo shook her head allowing Twilight to let out a sigh of relief. However, her eyes hardened a bit. “What were you thinking going out in a storm like this?”

“I…wasn’t,” said Scootaloo as she lowered her head. For a while, she waited for Twilight to say something or pick her up with her magic so she could drag her off somewhere again. Then, Scootaloo felt Twilight touching her with her bare hooves. Before Scootaloo could flinch or pull back, Twilight enveloped her in a loving hug that Scootaloo had rarely ever received.

“I’m just glad you’re ok,” whispered Twilight into her ear.

-x-

Meanwhile, far north of Ponyville, a mare moved through the crowds still littering the streets of the Crystal Empire. This mare wore only a hooded cloak to hide her appearance…while also drawing plenty of attention towards herself. Everywhere she went she could hear the crystal ponies whispering behind her back, wondering if she was the new villain who planned on taking over Equestria or something like that. But the mare paid their open thoughts little mind as she headed towards her destination: the train station.

There, she saw that the Friendship Express was in front of the station with the ticket booths wide open. Grinning behind her hood, she galloped forward and startling the stallion behind the glass.

“One ticket to Ponyville,” said the mare quickly, placing a giant bag of bits in front of him. A bag so big that it could hold enough bits to buy first class tickets for the next twenty ponies!

“Ah,” began the stallion, looking uncomfortable. “I can’t let you on the train.”

“Why not?!” demanded the mare, slamming a hoof next to where she placed her bit bag.

The stallion gulped. “Because you look suspicious.”

“Oh,” said the mare, sounding calmer now. With her magic, the hood was pulled back which allowed Twilight Velvet to smile at the stallion. “Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry so-”

“That’s far enough Velvet,” said a cold voice off to the side. Both Velvet and the stallion at the window turned their heads slowly to see who had spoken, with Velvet visibly sweating. Just a few feet away stood Night Light, Shining Armor, and Cadence who was holding Flurry Heart. And behind them were several crystal guards as well as one yellow pegasus. All of them, even the foal, were looking at Velvet with very disapproving looks on their faces.