Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony; Friendship Is Magic

Title: Through The Shadow's Of Boredom The Past Can Emerge

Summary: During their late teens, the Cutie Mark Crusaders fled from Ponyville in the middle of the night to escape their problems. Now adults, the trio rebuilt their lives in a deadbeat town, juggling work, their social lives (or lack thereof) and raising a young filly. The past, however, has a way of creeping back in ways someone least expects it to.

Warnings: Mentions of a wound.

Chapter Title: Memories Worth Remembering.

Author's Note: Flashbacks about the trios journey to the town, but it's mostly about Scootaloo and her time as a guard.

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TheFanfictionMaster- Thanks!

decode9- Uh-oh indeed.

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The night they left Ponyville was as silent as it was unplanned. As though in sync, the trio gathered their things and met on the edge of town without any real prompting. No plans, no set decisions, just each other's company and the dark road that winded around the Everfree Forest and away from Ponyville forever.

If anyone cried any tears or stared at the town a little to long, it was within the safety of their trio, who never told a soul each others secrets, and the shadows that accompanied them, and the truth was forever lost to time.

Runaways and homeless in Equestria were treated better than the most trustworthy of neighbors, in some aspects. If they were hungry, they could exchange food for some chores. If it was storming, there was always a home with its door wide open waiting for them. It was only the ones who traveled to large cities and got lost in the ensuing crowd that ever truly felt the pangs of hunger or the sadness of a cardboard roof.

But, even with all the perks or traveling, very few ever followed the path of the road and ran away. Runways and the homeless were also pushed away from most social interaction, and the ponies of Equestria were a social lot to begin with, far too social to live that way comfortably. They were fed and given roofs to lie under, sure, but they never really had anyone willing to discuss anything other than idle chatter, and that got to most ponies.

To the ponies of Equestria, loneliness could either make or break you. The trio had stayed uncomfortably wedged in the middle during their travels.

It was a murky day when the enlistment stand caught Scootaloo's eye. She chatted with the stand guard awhile and took a scroll with information and the paperwork and set off to the hotel they were staying at.

"Ah don't know, Scoots..." Applebloom murmured apprehensively, trailing a hoof down the page. "It seems a little to risky, if ya' ask me."

"The stand pony said he could pull some strings and have me stationed in this little town on the other side of Equestria. Its so small it's not even on most maps." Scootaloo glanced at Sweetie Belle. "Does that sound far enough away, Sweets?"

Sweetie Belle, the one who always felt the need to push farther and get as far away from the town and bad memories as possible, nodded hesitantly. "It sounds good enough, but what happens when we get there?"

"AB and I will start building a house. Duh." Scootaloo nudged a hoof at the earth pony, then herself. "Nothing really happens around there. It's a rookie place, really. You march around in your armor and make sure to scare off any loiterers." Scootaloo shrugged and grinned. "I think I can do that."

"But what about after the filly is born? What'll I do then?"

"There's a couple of music venues in town that you can play at when you're feeling up to it. I can always buy a small place after my enlistment is over and start a scooter store. And what place doesn't need a few good engineers, am I right?" She nudged her companion's shoulder. "So, whattya say?"

"Sounds like a done deal to me." Applebloom grinned. "But, uh, are you sure you're okay with enlistin', Scoots?" The grin faltered. "I mean, being a guard is a big deal."

"Eh. It's cool." Scootaloo waved a hoof. "They'll probably just put me on mail duty. Besides, I've... always kinda wanted to be a guard. Just never got the courage up."

"You do?" Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "You never said..."

"I always thought it was just a hero thing, you know? Save the day, rescue the hostages, stuff like that. The big stuff I couldn't do unless I got bitten by a mutant and trotted around in tights." She shrugged, staring at the paper in her hooves. "I guess we'll just have to find out if it is or not."

Scootaloo enlisted that very day, as she'd promised the guard at the stand. And, as he had promised, she was assigned to the smallest town on the Equestrian map after basic training.

Things settled down after the long march to the town, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom shoved into a carriage along with the other passengers while Scootaloo and the other guards marched and pulled (To keep in shape, their superiors had said. Scootaloo suspected they just didn't have the bits to send so many guards to so many different places by train), but Scootaloo was always tired from work, and Sweetie Belle's stomach was beginning to grow larger, so Applebloom immediately began building the house the moment they reached town.

She prodded Scootaloo for help often, but Scootaloo could only do so much with achy limbs from marching around in heavy metal armor, and Sweetie Belle needed as much rest as possible, so she built the rough draft mostly on her own.

"I'm not a baby." Sweetie Belle huffed, crossing her arms.

"No, yer not." Applebloom agreed, bucking a wood pillar into place. "But yer carrying one, and Ah'm to much of a worry-wort. Sorry Sweets, yer just gonna have to sit on the sidelines for this one."

As young as Sweetie Belle was, and as weak as she was afterwards, Dawn Flyer came into the world with very little trouble, a pleasant surprise to all around.

"I still say you're a trouble-maker in the making." Scootaloo swore as she held the filly in her hooves. "You've got too much of your mother in you not to be."

"Oh, hush up and hand 'er over." Applebloom held out her hooves, a content smile stretching across her muzzle. "It's my turn."

While Sweetie recovered and Dawn grew, Applebloom worked steadily on improving and filly-proofing the house. She sanded down the rougher edges and nailed closed the unwanted holes, creating a safe and cozy environment.

Sweetie was mostly recovered and moving around, and the house mostly repaired the night Scootaloo came home with a letter and a grave light in her eyes.

"A raid?" Applebloom leaned back in her seat, rereading the royal letter. "They want you for a raid?"

"Yup." Scootaloo sighed and fell back on her haunches. "A group of dragons nicked some griffin eggs- big surprise, right? Stupid poachers, all of 'em. Minus Spike, of course- and they need ponies who are small, fast, and capable of carrying heavy loads to sneak into their territory, so me and my scooter were picked for the team."

"That sounds dangerous, Scoots. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I've never heard of a guard that's died in a dragon raid, Sweets. The medic unicorns they bring along are at the top in their field. I'll be fine, I promise." She hesitantly grabbed the unicorn's hoof and squeezed it before letting go. "I'm just going to be gone for awhile, that's all."

A few nights later, a squad of guards came to their door. Scootaloo left willingly, looking surprisingly fragile in her armor.

It took three weeks for Scootaloo to bus and train-hop to the meeting point. The raid started at sun-down and ended before the sun rose. It took her five days to make it home on the fast-moving trains and buses set aside for injured guards like herself who were heading home.

While her injury didn't hinder her walking stamina, Scootaloo still had the traditional escort to her home, a bag carefully slung on the other side of her back away from him.

It took the two mares a matter of seconds to appear at the door after she knocked, and even less than that to pull her into a hug.

"Scootaloo!"

"Hey, girls." She managed to get out, yelping when an accidental hoof brushed against her bandages "Careful of the wing!"

They jerked back immediately. Sweetie Belle mumbled a sheepish 'sorry' as Applebloom thanked the escort.

Scootaloo nodded her own thanks as the guard turned to trot away. He smiled and nodded in return.

"We heard you were coming back from talk around the town, but we weren't sure if you were coming home on a train, or in a coffin!" She lightly swatted her head. "You shoud've sent a letter!"

"Why? I got here faster than a letter could've. Besides, I already told you that there's never been a guard fall in a dragon raid. You should've trusted me." She paused, mumbling. "And I said I would be back. It wouldn't be cool of me to break a promise."

"Yeah, but you're just stupid enough to be the first." Applebloom commented. The earth pony hesitantly glanced at the bandages. "How bad is it?"

"Could be worse." She answered stiffly. After a second of silence, she sighed. "You know how I could kinda fly? Float around the room at a snails pace a couple inches off the ground?"

"Of course we do. Gotta be the weirdest way of flyin' I've ever seen."

"Well, I won't be doing that anymore. I've been grounded; permanently. The injury might effect how I work my scooter, but the docs said I could work around that." Scootaloo bent her head in disappointment, purple eyes glistening with sadness and a small tinge of hope. "But, at least not I'm off duty and can stay home more."

"They're lettin' you go?"

"Yup. Early discharge due to injury. I didn't have that long left anyway." She trotted up the stairs, bag clanking against her side.

Sweetie helped her pull the armor off and place them into their places in the closet. Digging around in her bag, Scootaloo pulled out a small framed letter and a gold seal and set them on the shelf in the hall. "There."

Both of the mares jaws dropped. "The royal princesses seal..."

"Yup. I did just enough, I guess." She managed a weak smile. "Could've gone to better ponies. Like the one who escorted me here; he's got a family who could use the bits this would give him. I tried to give it to him, but he refused."

"Sounds like a pretty nice stallion."

"A lot better than me, that's for sure." Scootaloo nodded.

"It ain't much, but it's a start." Applebloom swept her hooves dramatically over the structure. "Whattya think, Scoots?"

Scootaloo stared at the building. It wasn't finished, far from it, but the outer shell was strong and sturdy from hours of care. Applebloom had taken great care in the construction of this one, that was for sure.

"Ah was thinking we could call it 'Scoot's Scooter Shop.' How's that sound?" Applebloom fiddled with the ground, feeling increasingly disheartened.

Scootaloo stepped forward and wrapped her into a hug, burying her head into her shoulder, voice raspy as she spoke. "It's perfect, AB. Just the pick-up I needed."

Author's Note: I'd like to hear what everyone thinks about Scoots time as a guard and the journey to find their home. It'd be nice. =)

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