Raising Scootaloo

"You can't beat the smell of fresh morning summer air guys!" Spitfire announced as she trotted through the noisy town square of Cloudsdale with her friends, the summer sun beating down as weather ponies could be seen flying overhead and the market stalls which littered the cloud streets of the beautiful sky city. Her head turned to face the pegasi trotting next to her, all with equal smiles adorning their faces as they made headway towards their destination.

"That maybe true, but nothing can beat our performance from last night," Fleetfoot commented boastfully with a wide grin.

"Are you really sure about that? You say the same thing about every tour we go on," Soarin asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over to the mare in question who just shrugged in response with an unconcerned look as she looked over to the market square where a few ponies seemed to be bickering over an upturned market stall.

"I think last night went pretty well too if you ask me, though you all fly so brash," Misty Fly chimed in with a matter of fact tone.

Fleetfoot snickered, "Well somepony's gotta make up for the speed you lack in."

"Excuse me!" Misty replied, slightly shocked. Fleetfoot stuck her tongue out at the mare only making her more agitated.

"Guys, please the day hasn't even started!" Soarin groaned as the mares around him giggled.

"I'd listen to him Misty, he sounds angry," Fleetfoot said in a comedic tone, nudging the mare who was trying her best to hold in the laughter.

Soarin rolled his eyes as he turned to his captain, "You gonna work our flanks off again today?"

"You bet Soarin, hasn't been a day that I haven't and I don't intend to break that," Spitfire replied with a smirk as the pegasi closed in on a large set of cloud gates where two guard ponies were sat on duty.

“Morning,” Spitfire greeted as the team walked up to the entrance, the guards opened the gates and nodded letting the team through. Spitfire’s ears perked up at the conversation they were having.

“Did you hear about the house fire, damn shame that it was a family residence,” one of the guards spoke.

“Damn that’s horrific, did anyone survive?” the other asked. Spitfire wanted to hear more of the conversation, but as the gates closed the voices started to become less coherent. The four ponies felt as though every time they went through the gates they were being lead into a different world, the bustling streets of Cloudsdale only a distant noise as they trotted towards the small steps up to the Wonderbolts Headquarters.

Spitfire turned around to face the team as she began taking her role in the squadron, “Okay, so today we’re gonna go over the double helix again and-”

“Uh...guys?” Misty Fly asked getting her friends attentions.

“What is it Misty?” Spitfire asked with a raised eyebrow, slightly annoyed she’d been cut off from her instructions to the team. Misty only pointed a hoof over to the side of the building, the rest of the ponies eyes followed the direction to see a blue scooter tipped on it’s side with an orange foal not to far from it, her face leaned to one side as she laid unconscious on the ground. Before anypony could say anything Spitfire was already galloping over to the stricken pony on the ground. She kneeled down close and cautiously put a forehoof on the filly’s neck and waited a few moments as the rest of the ponies made their way over.

“She’s got a good pulse,” Spitfire said taking the hoof away as she turned the foal’s head around, a large and bruised lump could be seen clearly on the side of her forehead. “Knocked out,” Spitfire concluded as she looked over to her friends.

“Should we bring her inside?” Soarin asked.

“Perhaps we should take her to the hospital?” Misty Fly asked worriedly.

Fleetfoot rolled her eyes as she kneeled down next to Spitfire and spoke towards the filly, “Kid, wake up, we haven’t got all day.”

Suddenly to most of the pony’s surprise the filly’s eyes began to open slowly, the action similar to someone with a serious hangover.

The filly’s view was something like a dream as she awoke to see a bunch of celebrity stunt flyers looking down on her with questionable looks on their faces, besides one who was seemed to be dying from the cuteness of it all. This was definitely not a dream as she concluded with the thumping headache that came along with her awakening.

“Where am I?” The filly groaned as she attempted to run a hoof through her own windswept mane.

“You’re at the Wonderbolt’s Headquarters in Cloudsdale honey, we could ask you why you’re here in the first place,” Spitfire replied hoping to get at least something out of the filly.

“Great,” The filly replied wiping some cloud fluffs off her wings, “I’m in trouble again right?” she asked, her tone slightly depressed. Spitfire was a little confused why she was acting like this, but she’d need to find out later, right now her concern was focused on the filly’s injury.

“Tell you what kid, let’s get you inside and give you something to drink,” Spitfire announced as she got up along with Fleetfoot before handing a hoof to the filly. The young pony was a little cautious at first with it, but slowly lifted out a hoof as she was pulled up off the ground and back onto her hooves again. She then followed the four ponies back towards the entrance of the building with Fleetfoot closest to her.

The mare in question turned her head to face the foal as she spoke up, “So, you gotta name hotshot?”

“S-Scootaloo,” The filly replied, slightly cautious.

“Cool name, you know my parent’s wanted to call me Dunlop if I was a stallion?” Fleetfoot replied with a laugh.

“You’ve not said that one five hundred times before have you Fleet?” Soarin retorted as he looked at the mare with a smirk.

The ponies trotting up the stairs to the building as Spitfire opened the door to let everyone in. Scootaloo was the last into the building as she gave one last look towards her scooter, Spitfire turned to Fleet, “Don’t think you can go and get her scooter can you?” she asked, Fleetfoot nodding in return as she went back out to get the item. Spitfire then turned to face the filly as she spoke, “So, let’s see if we can’t get that lump looked at.

Scootaloo looked around the magnificent building in wonder, her large purple hued eyes making sure to grab every image they could as Spitfire lead the filly through the corridors towards a certain part of the building. When she reached the door she was looking for she halted causing the filly to trot into her hind leg.

“Oh, sorry there kid,” Spitfire said turning around to make sure she hadn’t further injured the filly.

“It’s cool,” Scootaloo said rubbing her snout a little, Spitfire smiled before she turned back to the door and gave it a few knocks with her forehoof.

The door soon opened to reveal a mare with a purple coat and white mane, she gave a smile to the Wonderbolt captain as she spoke, “Hello Miss Spitfire, is something the matter?”

Spitfire nodded, “Yeah, could you look over this little one for me, she’s got a bad bruise to the head,” she asked moving out of the way as the mare looked over to see the orange pegasus.

“Uh, sure I guess I can, come this way Miss?” The mare asked, waiting for a reply.

“Scootaloo,” the filly responded a little more happier than Spitfire had previously seen her. She smiled at this as she watched the mare take the filly into the room.

“I’m doctor Swiftcare, I work here at the Wonderbolts Headquarters in case one of them decides flying a dangerous stunt is something they’d like to do in the morning,”  The mare responded giving Spitfire a smug grin as she put on a pair of surgical hoof gloves, “Now, hop up on the table for me and I’ll see to your little bruise there,” she asked as Scootaloo looked up to the chair, she buzzed her wings before hopping up onto the seat, something which Spitfire was very curious about upon seeing. Again it was another question she’d have to ask at a later date. Meanwhile Swiftcare began inspecting the bumb on Scootaloo’s head. “Can you tell me if you remember anything of the incident?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, feeling a small amount of fluid run to her eyes as she remembered part of the story, she only decided to tell a small part as she continued. “I was riding my scooter through the market when I saw an upturned cart…”

“Oh let me guess what happened next,” Swiftcare replied with a small chuckle as she went over to the first aid box in the room, “Okay Scootaloo, I’m gonna put these bandages on and hopefully that’ll ease some pain.”

Spitfire watched the entire time as the filly received her treatment from the doctor. All the while her mind was spinning on so many different things she’d seen and heard.