Chapter 2

"Nice ride, ScootaLOSER..."

"If you were so'Awesome', you would have your cutie mark by now..."

"We helped you get rid of that time waster..."

Scootaloo's depression was interrupted by a soft tapping on her shoulder. She jerked upwards defensively, "WHAT DO YOU...oh, h-hey, Ditzy Doo...".

Ditzy smiled softly, surveying the situation Scootaloo was in. "Oh dear..." Ditzy said, worry radiating from her voice, "what happened, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo’s ears flopped down as she looked away, her pride clouding her better judgement, “What? Im fine, Ditz! Just f--” her farce was over before it even started, the mere sight of her wheeled friend's destruction causing a new cascade of tears to run down her cheeks.

Ditzy stared for a moment, pondering what to do next. Her golden eyes lit up as she slung her empty mailbag off her shoulder and onto the ground. Scoots heard Ditzy scurry around her, but kept her head buried deep in her hooves. Scootaloo had nothing against the mailmare, not at all, but she, along with everyone in town knew there was something....off, about her. She would fly in thunderstorms, but sleep during the the most beautiful spring afternoons. She delivered the mail on time for sure, but don't be surprised if you got a complimentary muffin with it. Was it bad? No...maybe? Scootaloo was never sure. Then again, if there was anything she knew she was not getting her mark in, its reading ponies.

Suddenly, Scoot's train of thought was brought to a halt as she was lifted by a wing into the air onto the grey mares back, "Hold on."

"Hold on? What're you--"

Scootaloo's words were drowned out by turbulence as Ditzy jetted into the air, Scootaloo in tow. She wrapped her arms around Ditzy's neck, burying her face in the soft, silvery fur. Soon enough, the wall eyed mare slowed her flying to a comfortable speed, allowing Scoots to regain composure. Scoots opened her mouth wide, ready to rip the mare a new one.

Ditzy turned her head, eyes meeting Scootaloo's, "Would you like me to go slower, Scoots?" If this was some normal mare, she would've already sped off or yell of the non consensual ride.

But the care in Ditzy's tone seemed to make the filly's anger subside.

"Uh...n-no, I'm fine..." Ditzy smiled softly and started to descend, landing onto the slightly overgrown grass. Scootaloo looked around confused, "Where are we?" Ponyville was off in the distance, the buildings having as much definition as a preschoolers watercolor painting.

"Oh, this is my home." Ditzy started walking to the entrance, her hooves now clopping against the stone walkway.

Scoots felt something strange as Ditzy walked, noticing a slight limp in her step. The descent was so slow, she doubted it would cause injury. 'Then again, this is Ditzy Doo we are talking about...'

Scootaloo shook the thought out of her head as Ditzy made her way to the home's small shed, knocking the door with her free hoof.

"Turner! We have company!"

A discorded symphony of clattering metal and Celestia knows what else came from the other side, along with a muffled, "I’m coming!" Soon the noises subsided and the knob turned, revealing a pair sapphire eyes, obscured by goggles.

Scootaloo couldn't help but let out a snicker at the stallion as he flicked the oil off his hooves, "Heh; hi, Time Turner."

Turner pulled the goggles up, squishing his already messy, spiky brunette mane. "Oh, hello Scootaloo, pleasant surprise to see yo--" his eyes shifted to the scratches and cuts on her body, "--I see you were in a bit of a scuff now, eh?" His shrill, foreign accent mesmerized Scoots, whose often heard him with a normal, deep tone.

"Uh, y-yeah, you can say that..." Scootaloo fluffed her wings self consciously, looking away from the stallion.

“I thought you can help, Turner; you are a doctor,” Ditzy pointed out.

Turner looked into Ditzys eyes with a smile, “Ditzy, Im not that type of doctor…” Ditzy fluttered her eyelashes at him, making him chuckle, “Alright alright, let me see what I can do.” Turner walked over to Ditzy's side and leaned his head downwards. "Hm...a lot of cuts and bruising.." He murmured, his eyes now looking straight into Scootaloo's. Scootaloo looked back, her mind noting the almost ancient quality about them, adding it to the list of strange traits about Turner. "Can you take off your helmet?" Scootaloo nodded and took off her helmet, flinching when she saw the noticeable dent in it.

Turner took his hoof and brushed around Scootaloos mane. "Hey, what're you--OWW!" Scoots hissed, her head jerking away from Turner's touch.

"Hm, you got quite a knot there." Turner scratched his chin, "Do you think you can walk?"

"Uh, yeah, I think I can..." Scootaloo answered. Ditzy lowered herself down, letting Scootaloo slowly place her hooves onto the ground. She steadied herself and began to walk, seething in pain as the blades of grass dug into her wounds.

"You’re lucky you wore that helmet, God knows what would've happened."

"God?" Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, I mean, Luna, or Celestia, you know theres also that Princess Cadence, though given she runs an empire wouldn't that make her Empress Cad--" Ditzy tapped Turner's shoulder, snapping him out of his self induced trance. "Huh? Oh yes yes, well, I don’t think she has anything an ice pack and some bandages can't fix." Turner flashed an assuring grin, "I think we have some inside..."

Scootaloo's eyes widened. While she didn't think either of the grown ponies were intending anything malicious, she definitely did not want to spend anymore time here than she had to. "Uh, thats alright, you guys; I'm sure I have some at my place." She swooped her mane out of her eyes, trying present herself as best as she could.

"I don't know, Scootaloo, it'll be easier to patch you up here," Ditzy focused her good eye on the filly, "And bringing you here took a lot out of me."

"I agree with Ditzy." Turner chimed in, "Even if you can walk, all that dirt and pests on the way could infect your cuts."

Scootaloo looked over her shoulder to the horizon. Whether she liked it or not, they weren't lying about the distance, it would be at least an hour on hoof to get back home.

The pads of her hooves stung just thinking about the journey. "What, that? I've trotted through worse." Scootaloo opened her wings in a powerful stance, masking her uncertainty. She started to march off, her the scrapes on her ankles throbbing with each passing breeze brushing against them. She gritted her teeth into a false grin, trying to fool herself. 'I'm fine, I’m fine, I’m fine...'

SPLASH

Scootaloo lifted her leg, shaking the mud off her fur. "Eww, stupid pudd--" she looked down at the perpetrator, being greeted by her own reflection. Her words died before escaping her mouth.

'I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine...'

She finally saw what she looked like, how Ditzy, Turner, and those two jerks saw her as. Her fur was littered with wood chips and grass stains, dried blood caked on the tip of her muzzle.

'I'm...fine...'

This was what they saw, this broken filly that they battered, that they injured, and what did they do? Laugh. Just like everyone else ...laughed.

”I’m fine...I’m fine…” She whispered to herself. The energy in her hind legs gave out, her bottom falling to the ground. “I’m...f-f-fine…”

A grey wing wrapped around the stunned filly. “How about we get you cleaned up?”

Scootaloo merely nodded and followed Ditzy into the house, only capturing one last glance of Turner carrying a strangely bulky mailbag into his garage.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long for chapter 2 guys! A lot of stuff has been coming up, and it took a while to sit down and write. But here it is! enjoy!

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