“Scootaloo!”
The wind howled like a mournful creature, making it difficult for the panicked yell to travel where it needed to go. The scared purple eyes of the wispy grey furred colt shone with shock, reflecting the expression painted on the rest of his face. His muzzle tellingly showed a mouth hanging loosely, a slight frown desperately tugging at it. He felt his ears involuntarily flattening to his head, a symbol of shock pulling them back. Rumble, for the briefest moment, was frozen. Staring in horrified surprise as he saw the poor filly crash to the ground.
He rushed to Scootaloo, to make sure that she wasn’t injured. But sadly that hope was crushed when he saw something that nearly made him gag.
She had landed on her left wing while it was still flexed out, when she fell on it it bent it the wrong way and it looked broken. Feathers were bent and broken. Her screams were the worst of it for Rumble, the screams were loud and painful to hear.
Rumble had no idea what to do at this point, he never thought that this would happen. He knew that she would get bruised and scratched up like he did when he first started to fly. But he never thought that the accidents would escalate to a broken wing.
He didn’t want to leave her laying there, but he also knew that he had to go get help, and fast. He tried to drag her, but he realized that if he were to try dragging her, it would make her already broken wing worse.
Rumble widened his eyes in terror, whipping his head back and forth in a frantic manner as Scootaloos screams escalated to highly pitched whines. He realized that he really only had one choice here. But… could he do it?
He took a deep breath, not wishing to waste any more time idling over his unsurity. Scootaloo needed his help. He bravely stepped forward and, ducking his head in a motion stronger then he felt, he nudged his muzzle under her good wing, pushing her gently to the side and forcing her to her back hooves, propping her up like a doll. Her whines had dissipated into small moans, signifying her loss of energy. Rumble kept her at her standing position for a few more moments before quickly letting his hooves fall off her shoulders.
He shifted sideways speedily, barely just catching the filly who was exactly his size and nearly crushing her fractured wing in the process. But he still did it, and now Scootaloo lay almost unconsciously draped across his back.
“Its OK Scootaloo! I can get you to the nurse!” Rumble said quickly, heart thumping like a drum and the wind still screeching around them, whipping at their fur and tearing at their hair with furious claws.
Just as he placed a shaky hoof in front of him, determined not to collapse from the weight, he felt a single drop of cold liquid land squarely in the center of his nose.
Then another. Followed by another. Rumble looked up to the sky, his eyes desperate.
“Oh great!” With the prospect of being thoroughly soaked close in mind, he started walking forward very gently, for fear of dropping the orange pegasus filly. As Rumble walked through the rain and wind, he thought of many things.
First was why in the name of Celestia did they choose to do practice all the way from the furthest hospital? But the main question that he kept asking himself was why he was helping Scootaloo.
For being a good pony of course and he was her friend and flight tutor, aside from Rainbow Dash of course. But, he felt as if there was another reason why he was helping this poor filly, not just with getting her to the hospital but helping her with flying, helping her with every little problem she encountered, helping her so much to the point of slight annoyance from Scootaloo.
Suddenly, like the many rain drops that hit his muzzle, it hit him. He realized that ever since he found Scootaloo practicing by herself all that time ago, he’s been growing more close to her. And ever since then, he's been feeling different about the young pegasus. Like something inside him wanted and wished for her.
Then it hit him.
He, wanted Scootaloo, he wished for her, he loved her.
Realizing this new feeling towards the filly, made him determined to get to the hospital and fast. He did everything in his power to get there with haste. But it wasn’t easy, it began raining harder, the dirt road he followed was muddy and slippery.
He kept walking still trying not to disturb the unconscious filly upon his back. But as he kept walking, his hoof fell through a small mudhole. Making him lose his balance, but he still didn’t drop Scootaloo, she was going through enough pain. She didn’t need to fall in mud too.
It was at this moment when he looked up and saw something that he’s been wishing to see for the last 20 minutes. The lights of the hospital, gleaming in the dark rain. He quickly yanked his hoof out of the mudhole and stepped over it. He started walking quickly towards the hospital, almost running at this point. But still keeping the balance of Scootaloo on his back contained.
Finally, after what seemed like hours and hours of walking and running, he made it. He finally made it to the entrance of the hospital. Muddy, wet and tired, he fell to the ground once inside. He could hear rapid hoofsteps rushing towards them.
Hearing and seeing Scootaloo being lifted onto a gurney, he knew that she was going to be safe and healed.
Rumble looked up dully, his expression strained with exhaustion as another mare came back for him. She smiled warmly and said, “You must be freezing! Lets get you inside you poor darling!” Rumble tried to protest, but he found the mare to be right. He was freezing. So he let her warm orange magic grab him, the sparks warming and tickling his fur as she gently lowered him onto her furry blue back. His eyes opened weakly before he found them falling gently down.
