The Phantom

[Mairzy Doats]

Rainbow Dash had never needed anyone. Raised an only foal, she was a very independent mare. Living a life of independence was also a life of freedom, and self reliance. Here friends were there for fun and distraction, but she never felt like she couldn't live without them.

It's how she had felt three seasons ago. Now things were a little different.

Rainbow Dash wasn't always on the ground, but when she was, she had often seen her. Dash had different feelings about the orange filly depending on her moods. Sometimes, as adult mares will, she saw her as a pest. But usually she enjoyed seeing the filly, and it didn't hurt that Scootaloo had such great admiration for Dash. Dash loved it when her ego was stroked. She remembered kinder, earlier days when the orange filly would come running up to her in the marketplace to tell her she had seen some perfectly executed trick that Rainbow had thought had been ignored by everypony. But even if not for that, when the cyan pegasis was feeling down in the dumps, the foal could usually cheer her up.

Until the day that Scootaloo had disappeared.

At first, the whole town had been in on the search effort. Pegasi had striped the skies and earth ponies had stamped down every bush and blade of grass looking for her. The highly powerful unicorn Twilight Sparkle had tried many spells to discover the filly's location. The Apple family had taken an unprecedented break from the farm in order to organize their large family into a well oiled search party. Even Rainbow's friend Fluttershy had gotten her animal friends involved. Nothing could be found- not even the slightest clue like a purple mane hair or a hoofprint.

Eventually things went back to normal for almost everyone. The Apples went back to work. They had to. The fruit in their trees were ripe- some even spoiling on the branches. Twilight ran out of spells, and Fluttershy's friends grew fatigued. Ponies went back to a regular canter. Even Sweetie Belle and Applebloom resumed their quest for their cutie marks. Pastries had to be baked, quills and sofas sold, and clouds had to be cleared from the sky.

The last was Rainbow Dash's job- as former Cloudsdale pegasus, she knew a lot about clouds- how they worked, the different types of clouds, their temperaments. No pony was better suited to handle Ponyville's weather. But her job gave her ample opportunity to dash up way above the town and scan for life forms below. Rainbow Dash never gave up the search.

After the Scootaloo incident, the Mare realized unsecure Ponyville really was, so she posted a troop of pegasus guards to watch Ponyville's borders. This made Rainbow Dash's daily weather lookouts superfluous, so she widened her own searching area. She searched all the natural landmarks around Ponyville, like the Ghastly Gorge and the Everfree Forest. Zecora, the forest dwelling zebra told her that she would tell her first if she saw anything. Twilight pointed out that was possible that Scootaloo had run away, as coming of age fillies sometimes do. So Rainbow Dash would leave Ponyville for days at a time, the stallion Thunderlane taking over her post. She trotted around Canterlot, Dodge City and Appleloosa. She asked questions, followed up on leads. She even tried looking in Cloudsdale, even though Scootaloo didn't know how to fly and probably wouldn't have a way of getting up there.

Rainbow was tireless. When she got a lead, she was off in a multicolored flash. No clue was too small to overlook if it meant possibly finding Scootaloo. Her friends were impressed by Rainbow's devotion. "I never had knew the little hoofbiter was so important to you, RD," Applejack told her once, on a day when the pegasus had been invited to the farm.

Dash couldn't exactly explain what it was that drove her, night and day. It wasn't just that Scootaloo was such an adoring fan. She was an energetic and persistent young pony. The filly's two friends had told Dash about the trio's efforts to gain their own cutie marks. Failure after failure, and they still picked themselves up by the flanks and kept trying. Rainbow Dash really had to admire tenacity like that.

Shortly after she went missing, Scootaloo's own story came to light. It seemed that everyone knew of the adventurous filly, but no one count account for her. No one had realized it until now, but Scootaloo didn't have a family. She didn't have parents or any siblings to spearhead the search for her. If Applejack went missing, Big Macintosh would spare no effort to make sure his sister was safe and sound. Rainbow Dash supposed that was the reason she was taking this so personally. Because someone needed to care that much about Scootaloo. Why not her?

When she explained to the golden earth mare, Applejack was clearly touched. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Sugercube. All this time has gone by and we haven't found anything. What if you find Scootaloo and she's, well, gone?"

Only Applejack would be willing to ask such a question, and Rainbow Dash appreciated her blunt honesty "If that happens, she deserves to be remembered like anypony. I have to find her, no matter what."

Not much happened on the search front for the next couple of days. She had already used up all her questions and dried out all her leads. Clouds still needed to be cleared from the sky and, frankly, Thunderlane was pretty bad at it. A new Daring Do book came into the library, and of course Rainbow Dash was the first to check it out. But at night she tossed and turned, and tried to think what else she could have done; of some place she had not yet searched.

Then one day one of the night guard pegasi visited her at her cloud and rainbow home. "I know how hard you've been looking for that foal, so I came to you first. The others guys called me crazy, but my name is Owl Eye for a reason: I always know what I see! There was a filly, a swear-"

"A filly?!?" Rainbow Dash slammed the pony to the ground in her excitement, pinning him under him "What color was her coat?!?"

"I couldn't see," Owl Eye said shaking his mane "she was wearing a big trenchcoat, and she was covered in bandages. I tried to talk to her, but she ran off into the Whitetail Wood."

"Didn't you follow her?!?" Rainbow Dash asked in an accusatory way.

"I tried. But I lost her. But, miss Rainbow, I'm not sure if it was-"

But the cyan pegasus was already gone- zooming out of her own window and in an arc over Ponyville, where the small forest existed. She flew over the forest at top speed, her ruby eyes scanning the floor beneath her. Suddenly, a flash of orange. Rainbow's heart soared, and she adjusted turned in the air. Yes, she was right- she had seen orange- and it was moving. Sharp eyes showed her that she was looking at fur. Rainbow zoomed down toward the orange patch. Can it be? Can it be?

It wasn't. A started fox jumped out of the bush Rainbow Dash had been flying toward, its coat as orange as sunrise. As it ran deeper into the forest, Rainbow Dash watched its fluffy tail slink off.

The pegasus was hovering meters above the ground. The she now came to her feet and kicked a root in frustration. How did she know this wasn't another dead end? That Owl Eye hadn't been seeing things? She had been searching for so long and had had no success for so long. It was draining to the soul.

But...she had to try. Because if there was any chance that bandaged pony had been Scootaloo, and she was hiding in these woods somewhere, Rainbow wouldn't be able to live without herself if she didn't look. So she started to walk. She was no where near the road Ponyville citizens took for the annual Running of the Leaves, so there was no path to walk upon. Dash had to crash through briar bushes and walk over stones and root bunches. But this didn't deter her much.

"Scootaloo?" She called "It's okay, you don't have to hide. It's me, Rainbow Dash!"

Did she really expect the filly to reply? But the pegasus still had to try.

[TunaticTyler]

Scootaloo smiled happily as she trotted along the cheerful roads of Ponyville. Her friends were in unison beside her as the small squadron of crusaders ventured out into the unknown of Cutie Marks. To seek and destroy the presence of being a blank flank, and finally discover their talents.

"Alright girls, I got a plan! We just got to learn how to fly, I mean, look at Rainbow Dash!" The orange-colored pegasus called out to her fellow crusaders as they were happily skipping in Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle was the first to respond, simply nodding as they didn't try it before. Applebloom, on the other hoof, seemed more hesitant on the concept. "Sc'ootaloo, don't ya th'ink you ma'ybe we should actually t'ry something n'ot related to Rainbow Dash?" The youngest of the Apple Family reasoned, as Sweetie seemed to think about the idea as well and ponder upon it.

"A-Actually...yeah, we could do something like reading a book! I mean, Twilight does it all the time, and she sorta got cutie mark from that!" The ghostly coated unicorn also rebutted, as the two fillies looked at the now sighing pegasus. "Come on, you two obviously don't see that ya gotta act awesome to get your cutie mark! Jeez, fiinnne, we'll do the other stuff then try flying! Besides, my plans always work!" The proud, egotistical little fanfilly pointed out as she looked up a little with a cocky smirk. "Wha'tever ya sa'y, chick'en" Applebloom commented as her and Sweetie Belle continued to Cutie Mark Crusader Treehouse giggling.

"HEY, I'M NOT A CHICKEN!" Scootaloo cried, galloping after the two fillies as a sense of innocence and harmony was in the air for the iconic Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Such memories like these was fond in the minds of the two remaining crusaders. But, not just them, the whole town of Ponyville was in shock and awe at this. Vanishing ponies happened, sure, but for a whole year without anypony showing up now that was defiantly something odd. Especially in Ponyville, some ponies even dared to use this as a excuse for the Everfree Forest bringing them dangers. Of course, they were promptly greeted with a cold glare and cringe from those close to the foal.

However, ponies move on, as does time. Once more the small settlement of Ponyville returned to normal as everypony went along their merry ways. Still though, the mere name of that foal echos throughout the town, and if you dared to speak of it you would be greeted with a collection of emotions. All of them would have one attribute in common, all negative, all of sorrow or anger.

Scootaloo had, basically speaking, left a deep, long scar on Ponyville. Her name still haunted some, and for one mare she still searched. Despite the most common belief though, that lonesome foal was not deceased. She was not some not phantom hiding in the shadows to become a ghost story among the inhabitants. No, Scootaloo fought, she kicked, and to this day she still breathed today.

Deep within the Whitetail Forest, a figure rested against a tree panting heavily. The figure was a filly, a large, pale trenchcoat covering the pony's body. The coat itself also sported a small hood of some sorts, made of a much different and weaker material. Upon a closer inspection by a tailor, it was clear the hood was not part of the actual coat. Merely, it was stitched on there presumably to hide the back of a head.

Even with all of this heavy clothing, there were parts of the foal that were clearly visible. Her ears could be seen, a dull, monotone orange that looked almost on the verge of brown were poking out of the hood. Two, small wings that were bandaged heavily with white cloth were also notable. Obviously, if you could restrain the foal or simply get a good glance the face was visible. No questions asked, it was Scootaloo, yet at the same time not. Her mane was still styled in the same matter, despite it being ruffled and not as well kept. To add onto it, it's heavily overgrown and probably needs a good cut soon. What would shock most ponies is the mere signs of conflict, combat, and wounds. Small, barely noticeable scars were etched in the face. They were difficult to point out, due to the dirty fur covering it. Yet, it still stunned anypony who starred at it long enough.

Scootaloo looked around a little from her rested position, swearing softly to herself. The foal foolish left her spear in her effort to escape the guard that had noticed her. In her mind, she was near some town of some sorts. Ponies were there, real, actual ponies. It's been at least a year since she's seen anypony, something of intelligent and not going by pure, ruthless instinct. Reasonable, she had her worries to be cautious and very reluctant. Everything about her wasn't stable, physically, emotionally, mentally. The foal was a trotting straight jacket for all she knew by now. Calming down and trying to reason with herself, the foal began to formulate a plan to recover her weapon.

It wasn't just the fact that she needed it per say. The predicament was that the spear wasn't something you see in Equestria. Usually, Equestrian spears were fairly simple overall minus markings. Simple wood and a steel tip, nothing special or fancy. Scootaloo's spear, however, was strange and could provoke some fear in the residents of the settlement. From what she remember of it briefly in her panicked state, the spear was much overall darker. The metal was not that of steel, something of a ebony color instead. Where she got it and how, that was a long and difficult story in itself. Partially, the foal couldn't quite remember just yet.

Getting up on her hooves, Scootaloo peaked around a old, dormant tree. In the distance, she heard a distinct and familiar voice. It beckoned for her, the voice was so comforting and worried-filled. Why, if Scootaloo didn't know better she thought it was something graceful like a mother or Celestia herself. But, the filly knew it could simply be mind games playing with her. Yes, that had to be it! Nopony knew her, nopony cared, she was alone, alone, alone, alone. Grabbing her head with her hooves as she stood on two briefly, the standing cloaked figure hid behind a tree.

Slowing down her breathing, the survivor simply decided to wait in her position. Wait and see who was out for her, or what abominations her cracking m

ind decided to produce this time.

[Mairzy Doats]

"Scootaloo! Scootaloo! We all want you to come home, Scootaloo!"

"No one's mad at you, you know!"

"Come on out. Hey, I'll show you one a' my sonic rainbooms if you do!"

Rainbow Dash had tried calling many times. No voice answered her and she saw nothing. It was probably some wasted effort.

Owl Eye had seen the bandaged filly enter the woods while he was still on his shift. That meant that Scootaloo had had hours to hide or leave the woods. Rainbow was in the eastern part now- closest to town. But the bandaged filly could be all the way on the western end or even out of White Tail Woods by now.

Bandaged filly. Now why would Scootaloo appear back in Ponyville covered in bandages? Was she hurt? And was she really covered in bandages? If so, what had happened to her? Some horrible accident? Why had she been alone, anyway? Oh, this lead to a series of questions Rainbow had already asked herself, and fruitlessly: Scootaloo, why did you go?

That was if the filly Owl Eye had seen was Scootaloo. It could very well have been another foal- and out of towner. Someone, maybe, who had gotten into a fight on the road and did some first aid on herself. Or someone from Ponyville, or had somehow snuck past the pegasus guard and gotten hurt? Or...maybe the filly wasn't hurt at all. Maybe she had covered herself in bandages for some other reason. Rainbow's tail flicked and she snorted a little.

"If you're just some little filly playing a practical joke," Rainbow called out "it's not funny and you're gonna be sorry!"

She stomped over the roots this time with determination. She was not really looking at her hooves, so she was caught by surprise when her right front hoof stepped on something that rolled out under her. She did not loose her balance- having three other legs to catch herself- it did get her attention. She had kicked the thing in front of her a little when she had stepped on it. It was not, as she had guessed before, just a stick. It was mostly wood, but this was clearly ponymade. The wooden part had been carved, and cleared of any branches or knots so that it was a strait shaft. It was a spear, made of oak and...well, metal, Rainbow Dash supposed.

Dash was baffled by it's appearance. What would a weapon like this be doing in the White Tail Wood? What would any weapon be doing in the White Tail Woods? Rainbow Dash would sort of expect to find this in the Everfree Forest, which was filled with various poisons, monsters, a one zebra witch doctor and, at one point in time, a princess under a curse. But not here.

She picked it up with her jaws. Admittedly, this did not make looking at the spear easier, so the pegasus then leaned it against the trunk of a tree and took a step and a half back too look at it. She walked around it in a couple of half circles, inspecting it. She was struck by the metal used in the spear. It was an ebony black metal that glinted in the low forest light. She put hoof up against it and found that it was, indeed sharp. So this wasn't just some foal's plaything for Nightmare Night.

Rainbow Dash had competing thoughts. One of which was that it was weird that such a cruelly sharp weapon was so close to her home. A responsible party would let the captain of the pegasus guard know right away. That would probably cause minor panic, especially if Mayor Mare was informed. Good thing Rainbow Dash wasn't responsible.

Her second thought was to be curious about the weapon. She had never seen metal like that. Where did it come from and who did it belong to? She knew that Twilight would be very interested in seeing it. The unicorn probably had a book that told her exactly what it was, with pictures. If the lavender unicorn didn't know, Zecora might.

Her third thought was to wonder what this had to do with Scootaloo, if anything. The filly certainly couldn't have owned anything like this. This was just far too exotic and weird to belong to a Ponyville foal. But could it belong to someone else? Someone Scootaloo knew, or someone she had met since she went missing? And what pony could Scootaloo know who would carry around a thing like that?

In any case...it was kind of cool. Rainbow Dash could always keep it- especially if it wasn't missed. For all she knew, it was really old, anyway, and belonged to the ponies who lived here before Ponyville was a town. She picked it back up in her teeth and took wing again. Much easier to search when one was flying. Though she kept belong the tree line this time, and weaved in and out between trunks.

Something caught her eye: a movement within a bush. Having learned her lesson from the fox, the pegasus came to a light landing several meters away. Still holding the spear between her teeth, she then crept up slowly upon the raspberry bush, like a cat stalking a mouse. She kept her wings pinned to her side, and just hoped that her multicolored mane wouldn't get anyone's attention.

[TunaticTyler]

Scootaloo! Scootaloo! We all want you to come home, Scootaloo!

No one's mad at you, you know!

Come on out, I'll show you one a' my sonic rainboom if y-

LIES

While that dashing pegasus was up and about voyaging into the Whitetail for Scootaloo, the filly herself was having a "Mental War" within her. Her conscious battled what could be the fragments of her sanity exploding outwards in a violent collapse. That voice, the bandaged filly knew who it was. It was that tone and attitude, a spunky, possibly egotistical pride. Nopony could mimic that perfectly, not even the barriers of her mind. Rainbow Dash, it was her, Scootaloo's wishes and dreams had finally came true. Yet, for some peculiar reason she did not feel overjoyed in this revelation. In fact, the magenta-maned pegasus felt fear and anxiousness.

Ponies could change easily, especially if a year passes by. By now, Scootaloo knew that Ponyville was defiantly at the least a bit different. Friends grew, even if she knew she was still in her last years of foalhood. Wishes change, hobbies change, everything seemingly except their coats drastically shifts and morphs into something better or worse. Plus, what's the point of coming back when you look nothing like what you remembered? Scootaloo repeated that thought over and over in her mind.

What if nopony wanted her? To see her again in the face against all odds? Or the better question...was she truly even *Scootaloo* anymore?

Letting herself fall against the tree softly as bushes ruffled beside her, the foal blinked in shock. Memories flooded of what she had to do to survive, at some points the foal held a few gag reflexes here and there. Bearing no survival skills, Scootaloo knew she struggled day in and day out. Certainly, she lost weight, and the muscle that was in development for her now wounded wings. How much of her former self was left, minus the physical traits? Gulping, the bandaged filly held her trenchcoat close to her matted fur.

The days seemed to be getting colder, which worried her. Winter was rough on her, barely made it through alive. To be frank, she didn't want to experience anything that desperate again. Sighing softly, the pegasi's ears perked instinctively at the sound of noise.

Hooves beating softly against the ground could be heard in that tapping rhythm. Even with brief harmonic silence of the forest, Scootaloo could barely decipher the sound. Once realizing what it was, the survivalist was faced with a difficult decision. Run away and prevent more time against the confrontation of other ponies, or reveal herself to the world. Cringing briefly as erratic surges of stinging flowed through her wings, little Scootaloo crawled silently against the ground.

Ensuring her hood was planted softly on her head, a soft, small hill was before her. There, a stream was flowing where the elevation arose slightly and then descended. No trees were around, only that welcoming bed of grass and the clear, fresh blue liquid. So odd, even with her unstable state the foal couldn't help but find her setting so, well, unfitting. A bandaged, broken foal in such a beautiful, graceful place.

Taking in a deep breath, the filly closed her big, foalish eyes softly. Heart rate slowed down, her shoulders relaxed. Harmony was with her, even through all the pain and suffering.

Awaiting to be noticed, Scootaloo lowered her head as her two ears sunk out of the hoodie. Remaining in her position, she said nothing, did nothing, or smell nothing. Instead, she just sat there enjoying nature for once. Dangers could be all around her, especially with her trusty spear not with her. But, she's just...given up, Scootaloo was tired of all of this. Tired of running, fighting, eating, and finding shelter every night. Every ounce of rain, snow, hail, sleet, all of it pounded and pushed at her.

Now, now she was possibly hallucinating that her one, shining beacon of hope was beckoning to her. Rainbow Dash, by now the filly figured she would of long given up. Assumed she was dead, cried her tears and pushed forward like everypony else. Grim look on life, but in some points Scootaloo was right.

After all, such concepts happen when you have to resort to nothing, some argue your not a pony anymore. Your simply a "Phantom of the Past", relieving fond memories while you gallop forwards. Darkness surrounds you, and as Scootaloo pointed out there was no future for her. This was her life, until she gave out her last breath upon the cold soil.

How wrong she was.

[Mairzy Doats]

Nothing. Nada. Goose egg. Just the wind messing with the plant. Rainbow Dash clopped away, frustrated and angry with herself.

Was this what she had come to? Stalking the wind blowing up bushes? A year. A year Rainbow Dash had searched obsessively. A year of asking every pony, visiting every town, looking under every rock and up every tree. And what, exactly, had it gotten her?

Exactly nothing. Nada. Goose egg.

Oh, this spear? Yeah, sure. Dash could keep the spear. She's put on her wall and brag to her friends about the cool thing she had found in the woods. But in the end, she knew it was a hollow concession prize. A cool weapon instead of a filly. Yes, seemed fair.

Maybe...they were right. Maybe Applejack and Twilight and Rarity and the rest were all right. Maybe Scootaloo just couldn't be found.

There was a part of Rainbow that really just wanted to go home- to find a nice puffy cloud and sleep the rest of the day off. Yeah right. She wished she could do that. She remembered the glorious sleep she would get in the days before She disappeared. Rainbow Dash could sleep as long as the sun was shining if she so chose- if nopony bothered her, she often did.

Now peaceful sleep was not possible. For sooner did she rest her eyes than she saw images of the fearless filly in front of her muzzle. Here was Scootaloo, twisting through rush hour Ponyville traffic on her scooter. Now with her friends- Rarity and Applejack's sisters- carrying paints, canvass and sewing materials- certainly up to some new scheme. And now- hiding in her tree house, lavender eyes all aglow as she watched Rainbow Dash zoom past. The cyan pegasus had only pretended not to see her.

And slowly, one by one, Scootaloo would disappear from these images. And when they did, Dash's imagination had to fill in the blanks. Where was she right now? Fighting for her life against a dragon? In Hoofington, begging for bits? At the bottom of the river?

Rainbow's mind simply would not give her peace for all this time. There had been plenty of times when she had wanted to stop searching. To take some time out for Rainbow Dash. But the so called rests were not restful. Without knowing about Scootaloo, peace wasn't possible.

There was also, possibly, a hint of guilt. Should Rainbow have taken an interest in Scootaloo's life before? A part of her told her that was crazy. Scootaloo was her number one fan and nothing else. For all Dash knew, the young pegasus would move on to some other obsession before she was full grown. And yet, hadn't that been the attitude that all the ponies had taken? Cute foal, but not my responsibility.

She found a path that let one pony walk through comfortably, and at a lever canter. She wondered who had made it. As frustrated as she was, she knew she couldn't give up yet. She had a clue, after all. It may lead to nothing, but it was a clue. As the one pony still looking for Scootaloo, Rainbow had a responsibility to follow up on it. The spear. Rainbow would take it to Twilight or Zecora to find out where it had come and what it was doing here in the woods. Twilight first- because she was closer. Maybe that would tell her something. Maybe it would give her an idea of the ponies or creatures who had taken Scootaloo...if that's what had happened to the filly.

But before that, get something to drink. Dash was parched from all the flying she had just done and the all the calling she done either for Scootaloo or the trickster filly. She had gotten a pretty good idea of the layout of the woods that last time she had turned it over with a fine toothed comb. Just on the other side of this stand of birches was a stream cutting through a green grass clearing. So she picked up the spear again and began to walk.

As she paced through the birches, her friend Rarity's voice came to mind. "Honestly, Dash, I can't believe you're lowering your head to drink like some kind of common animal!" She smiled despite herself. Rarity could be good in a pinch, but she was very, well, high maintenance. Personally, Dash didn't see the harm. The stream was clear and the water in it clean and cool, and Rainbow Dash didn't want to spend the time or the bits to get a hay soda on the way to Twilight's place. She emerged from the birch trees, the stream bubbling silver beneath her hooves. She set the spear down and lowered her head- like one of Rarity's "common animals". She took some greedy drinks of water, until she felt full and her thirst was quenched.

Licking her lips, she started to raise her head. As she did so, she noticed some of the reflections in the calm patch of water. The blue sky, the white puffy clouds in it, the green trees. She could see the other bank. Besides the vibrantly colored grass, there were a number of flowers growing on the shore. Behind them, all upside down in the water, the shape of a small pony or foal, but wrapped up in in some kind of threadbare brown cloth. Two orange ears stuck out, but no other features were visible.

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped, and slowly, her ruby eyes worked their way up, finding the filly on the opposite shore.

[TunaticTyler]

The water from the stream flowed gracefully among the cold, unforgiving soil below. It wished and washed upon the banks, occasionally splashing here and there but remaining consistence. It's gentle, elegant nature was a sight that was glorious to those that appreciated nature. Why, if Fluttershy was here right now this would be a perfect stream for small fish to swim in with the lack of sharp rocks. Sniffling emerged from the figure, as it sat there staring into it's own reflection. The atrocity was before Scootaloo, and every sense of regret plucked at her decaying heart. Regret of doing something different, whatever happened. So difficult to tell what with your memory generally scattered.

Sighing, the foal looked in the pockets of her concealed overcoat. Vainly, she was left with nothing but some rusted knife she used in emergencies. Weeks ago, the foal kept a small journal around to document her voyage among the lands. It was missing pages, mostly from Day 55 and back oddly. Of course, she had remnants of these missing pages but unfortunately she could not piece them together. All in all, everything a blur and how she got here in the first place was a question with no answer.

Raising her two front hooves, Scootaloo lowered her head closer to the water. She was examining her face, pulling at a bandage here and there to simply get rid of them. How long they were on there was far from anypony's imagination, but by now the filly assumed the majority of her face was healed. Minus the overgrown mane, matted fur, and generally darker hint in her color...Scootaloo wasn't looking that bad!

Well, for a mentally unstable and extremely depressed foal that is.

Once Scootaloo was done tending to her facial features, the survivalist dove down a little bit further to snatch a small drink. The water was fresh and pure, just like the other sources she had found before. If anything, the pegasus knew now how to tell between dirty and fresh streams. Countless amounts of times has this possibly saved her life, otherwise disease would spread among her. Focusing back on drinking, she couldn't help but scratch at her mane here and there. Growing with annoyance, Scootaloo throw her hood off and had a quick realization.

Simply speaking, her mane was so dirty that it was growing itchy.

Knowing this was hinder her progress on coming back to her hometown of Ponyville, the bandaged foal worked hastily. Splashes of water disturbed the stream, as she indulged herself in simply cleansing her hair. Memories of Sweetie Belle erupted from this, sorrowfully smiling at a distant memory of the crusaders trying to do cosmetology. Rarity certainly had more clients than normal that weekend in terms of her minor skills in working with other ponies's manes.

Chuckling softly to try and ease the pain, Scootaloo's ears flickered as she heard the soft tapping again. Great, another illusion to tease and taunt her about her former life. Sometimes she pondered if her mind was some evil pony bent on making her life more miserable as it is. Seems foalish, yes, but Scootaloo still has innocence and imagination within her.

Tugging at her mane, shocked at her long it truly was in the back. Giving one last good look at the water and it's reflections...there was something abnormal. Instead of seeing her typical grass and blue skies, something blocked that view. Feeling her senses kick in gears the pegasus realized that she was not alone. Another figure was across from her, with a certain rainbow mane and cyan coat. Breathing in heavily, Scootaloo rose her head to fulfill her curiosity.

A figure was before her, a figure she thought she was never see again. A figure that she assumed was some hallucination, but this was far beyond the dwelling of a mind. Somepony that went above and beyond, and despite every single bit of denial in what she saw eariler...this was that pony.

Rainbow Dash

Stumbling back and sitting on her flank, a moment of complete harmony and silence filled the atmosphere from Scootaloo's standpoint. No words, no actions, just waiting for that single moment for her mind to click fully on how to react.

[Mairzy Doats]

Dash was frozen. At a loss.

Rainbow Dash from a year ago would have pounced on the come-lately foal. She would have tackled her into the soft ground, and demanded to know where Scootaloo had been all this time and-did-she-have-any-idea-how-worried-every-pony-was-and-well-was-going-to-say-anything-or-just-sit-there-and-stare? And then old Rainbow would have grabbed Scootaloo and flew her up into the air in with her rainbow like a comet's tail behind and hugged all the air out of Scoot and then would told her never to make her worry like that again.

But that was another Rainbow Dash. A year had passed, and Dash was changed by her experiences. She was less lazy now, because her mind would not allow her to rest for long. Rarity said that Dash was developing wrinkles under her eyes because of all the sleepness nights and impromptu flights to other cities. It was something only a pony who got weekly spa treatments would notice...except that Rainbow herself had noticed- when she had looked in the mirror up close.

And Scootaloo had changed by a much larger margin, by the looks of it. Rainbow Dash could barely recognize the pony in front of her. The foal was taller, as was expected after a year. But it wasn't just that.

Dash could, she supposed, be seeing things. This could all be the work of an overtaxed brain. Her dreams...or her nightmares come true? And yet, the details Dash could see convinced her that this really wasn't a dream. Because Scootaloo was clearly there in front of her, but she didn't look quite like herself.

By the time Dash saw her, she was splashing water on her mane- some sort of deep woods grooming. Said mane was longer than it had been, and even Rainbow Dash could see that it hadn't been trimmed in a while. But it was basically the same, strait, spiky, coltish style. The foal still had those clashy colors of orange and magenta, though her coat was a but scruffy, and the coat color was a bit darker now- kind of brownish. But as Dash looked closer, she though she could see lines on the other pony's face. Not wrinkles, but little places where the fur would not grow back in. Scars? And, was it her imagination, or was Scootaloo skinnier? Her stomach churned and she wondered what could have happened- what has the foal been through?

Lavender eyes moved up, and locked on Dash's form. The white around them widened- fearfully? The foal stumbled back and sort of, half fell, half sat. Clearly she was just as surprised to see Dash and Dash was to see her.

The older pegasus understood that it was her cue to say something. She opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure. What should she say? There was the obvious question- Where have you been? Suddenly, Rainbow Dash dare not ask it. I'm glad to see you? Well, Rainbow was, but not seeing her...like this. Why are you bandaged up? Is this your spear? What in Celestia happened? All good questions, but somehow, it didn't seem appropriate to ask them.

So Rainbow leaned back on one thing that she had learned could help her get through situations before: her boastfulness. "See? I told them I'd find you." Here, Applejack would probably point out that Rainbow had really stumbled into Scootaloo instead of finding her. Shut up, Applejack. "Just goes to show you: no job is too great for Equestria's Best Flyer!" She puffed her chest out and spread her wings to both sides. Yes, this part was easy. But what came next- talking to Scootaloo and figuring out what had happened- that was going to be hard.

[TunaticTyler]

Scootaloo was, to say the least, frozen as well.

The peaceful stream continued to flow between the two ponies, as if it symbolized some type of wall between the two. For a year or more now, that wall divided the two. Each of the "sides" followed their own different paths, lifestyles, and adaptation towards the feeling of isolation. Scootaloo learned how to live in harsh conditions, deal with loss, and go beyond any task to remain alive. Part of her was overjoyed to finally see Rainbow Dash, her beacon of hope was clear and Ponyville must not be far away. Finally, no more worries or regrets...right? Well, not quite yet anyways, the foal soon grew a tragic worry in her mind.

What if Rainbow Dash didn't want her, or anypony wanted her anymore?

Clearly, the spunky little filly had changed drastically. That was a no-brainer, but how would ponies react to her now? Most must of assumed she was dead in some ditch awaiting to be found like some lost treasure. Yet, now she was now here, alive but clearly not well. Breathing in slowly and heavily, her trenchcoat flapped in the wind as gentle breezes blew by. It kicked some fur up, mostly the wet mane as water from it dripped away.

Questions repeating in her mind, the pegasus's fear grew less, she relaxed and soon the voice of that proud mare broke the silence. In a way, Scootaloo wasn't quite surprised to hear Dash's egotistical voice. Strangely, though, she was more along the lines expecting some giant, "Overprotective and Worried Hug". Pangs of guilt tugged at her heart, and Scootaloo wondered how much Rainbow Dash was worried about her.

She looked the same, minus those wrinkles which slightly worried her. Lack of sleep maybe? Just for her? The foal didn't even feel she was worthy for that. Holding a much more grim expression, she opened her mouth up in a similar motion to how Dash was going to speak. Only, this time she legitimately couldn't say a single thing. Silence is the best conversation? Yeah, not exactly what Scootaloo wanted to give off.

Concentrating her attention to the mare's wings briefly, they still looked mighty and strong. Looking down a little, her own wings ruffled a little, slipping through purposely made holes in her coat to reveal themselves. Every single inch was concealed in this cloak of bandages. Most were old, forgotten and never replaced. How tragic and damaging they were was a question Scootaloo was unsure of. But, even if she has the worst case scenario of having permanently inefficient wings at least she's found her idol.

Trying again, she huffed out her voice and coughed a bit. It was awhile since she talked, her voice was a little rasp from the winter due to a sore throat. Recollecting herself as she sat upon the brightly-toned grass, those magenta eyes flickered and made connect with Dash's. "H-How...l-long...h-has it been since we've seen e-each other?" Uttered the voice of the little filly, as she scooted a little closer to the stream. Remaining mostly still, Scootaloo awaited some type of response as she looked very reluctant and reserved.

So many differences, yet the question remained in both of the minds of the confused, bewildered ponies.

What truly happened to Scootaloo?

[Mairzy Doats]

Once she heard her voice, the supports of some invisible wall were stripped away. It came tumbling down between the two pegasi. Yes. It was her. Her voice was husky and underused, but it was her. Strings tugged at Rainbow's heart as she heard the brokenness of the voice, and so she couldn't read the next words. How long has it been? Was Scootaloo asking rhetorically, or did had she really not been aware of the time in- wherever she was? All the worry came back and hit the mare in the face, and as she tried to swallow it down, sick feelings churned up in her stomach.

She was then flitting across the water, without even thinking. Her mother had joked that Rainbow Dash knew how to fly before she had known how to walk. Indeed, the pegasus certainly seem to feel more comfortable on the winds. She hovered just above the filly.

"Scootaloo..." he voice was tender- and unheard note from the rather aggressive pony. "What in Celestia happened to you?" She came to a gentle landing at her feet. She looked at the bandages wings worriedly. Someone had put them on the filly, but they had not been changed for a while. More disturbingly, someone had put them on Scootaloo for a reason. Dash had broken a wing once, and the stay in the hospital had been close to torture. But to break both? Moreover, it appeared that Ponyville's skilled doctors had not assisted Scootaloo this time. Gently- or as gently as Rainbow was able to- the mare placed a hoof on one of the filly's wings- experimentally, feeling it.

"It doesn't matter now," Rainbow Dash said "I found you," a possessive edge cut into her boastful voice. Then it hit her. "I found you! I found you, Scootaloo! You're alive!" She rocketed up into the air, performed a spin, came back and was about to tackle Scootaloo before she stopped herself suddenly, looking at her damaged looking wings. Dash certainly didn't want to hurt them more. She knew first hand how painful a wing-break was, and to get a second was not pleasant. "Oh! Oops," she said, putting her hooves on the ground again. She flicked her tail. Once again, it was awkward.

[TunaticTyler]

Not to her surprise, Scootaloo found herself starring in the eye of her idol as she was fluttering her wings to fly above the stream. If the situation was at a more casual environment, the filly would be so daring to make a joke about how easy it would to be just to stroll over the small stream. Yet, she was in no mood to make such a cracking, funny joke. After all, shock was still coursing through the pony's frail body. In a single, abrupt moment this could all come crumbling down into the boundaries of a dream as reality soon sets in. She was fully aware of that, but at this point this was her only chance.

Freezing up, Scootaloo just watched Dash as she hovered above her, shockingly enough having the voice of a concerned mother of some sorts. To think that Rainbow Dash, proudest flier and fastest in all of Equestria was sounding like some overprotective mother amused the filly a little. Of course, Dash had ever reason to be so determined and panicked, Scootaloo didn't blame her. From what the foal gathered from her journal that she lost and her assumptions, whatever happened was against her will.

Ponyville was her town, her hope, everything it had offer to her. Why, if she was only given a few more months, maybe she could convinced Dash to at least be her friend.

Past is the past, so Scootaloo knew she had to restart from scratch. Rebuild her life, and hope that this was reality still. Pondering of all of these internal conflicts, she yelped feeling her wing being poked. While it did hurt as much as it did months ago, there was small stinging pain to it. Like that of a angered, frenzied bumblebee. Still not getting the answer to her question, Scootaloo's body began to slowly move and arise. On her four hooves, proud and tall, the height difference between the two could be clearly seen. Not bad for a little over a year, still a squirt compared to the other pegasus but signs of growth.

"I...I don't k-know whats happened to me, D-Dash. I just know I've been alone, ff-for a long time. Pleas-" The young one started, hearing Dash's possessive voice kick in, pulling away slightly. Seeing her so excited and happy, the filly herself couldn't help but let off the softest of smiles. However, this was brief as the mass of cyan fur could be seen aiming towards her in a mad dash. Eye-widen, the foal held her hooves out in defense, not wanting to be tackled and rolled on the ground just yet.

Shutting her eyes shut, she comically let one open, putting her hooves back down on the ground. "I-It's f-fine Dash, but as I was saying. P-Please tell I'm...near Ponyville. Am I, well, finally safe?" Scootaloo desired to know, taking a few steps closer. Gulping with slight hesitation, she rested her head against the mare's neck a little. Comfort, that's all she wanted know, a nice bed, some proper food, and the company of her idol.

There was hope and light in darkness, and Scootaloo felt that if anything...her inner demons and mind was, at this brief moment, appeased.