Scootaloo Bluesby BurningMockingJayChaptersScootaloo BluesRace Day (extended)Loss of ConfidenceRecoveryScootaloo BluesAuthor's Note Welcome to Scootaloo Blues! FireRain is back and I decided that after inspiration from one or two pictures of Scootaloo, I had this idea. Like all my stories, I didn't exactly create a plot for it, so instead, this is what I have. It was intended to be a one shot but I guess this is going to be in two or so chapters. Enjoy! Scootaloo Blues Scootaloo Blues *** *** *** By FireRain Scootaloo beamed with pride as she wiped smudges of oil from her coat as she stood back to admire her work on her scooter. The plastic, smooth red wheels were replaced by proper tires that were bolted into place with some nuts and the handle bars that controlled the steering were also switched from their normal red to a black rubber coating for better grip when she made tight turns and bends. The board of the scooter that was once a simple, battered piece of grey painted wood was replaced by an even stronger and more durable type of wood than before and knocked some of the weight off of the whole scooter altogether. The only thing that remained as it always has done was her purple helmet, adorned with white racing stripes with the small new addition to the sides that read out her name in a bold, white stencil-font wording. She let a smile creep onto her lips, admiring her work along with her two best friends who stood beside her with impressed expressions of their own. ''Wow, Scootaloo, it looks fantastic!'' Sweetie commented, walking up to the scooter to examine it closer. ''Yeah, ya'll are sure ta win the race, now, Scoots!'' Apple Bloom said, getting a closer look herself. Picking up a nearby cloth and placing her screwdriver back into it's toolbox, Scootaloo began to wipe away any remains of the crude, black-brown substance from her coat before looking back at her friends. ''I hope so, too, girls, this really did take a lot of work and I sure hope it was worth the work.'' She said, placing the cloth aside and wiping her eyes. ''I've always wanted to race and this could be my chance to prove to everyone how good I am at riding this thing, but more importantly, it means I get to show Rainbow Dash some of my awesome moves!'' Apple Bloom chuckled. ''Well, whatever happens, me an' Sweetie Belle'll be there ta cheer ya on.'' She said as she hugged her friend in a single hoofed embrace that was soon made a double embrace by another hoof that belonged to Sweetie Belle being wrapped around her other shoulder. ''He,he, thanks, you guys are the best.'' She hugged them back before breaking away and allowing a yawn to escape her before she rubbed her eye tiredly. ''Well, girls, I think it's about time I turn in for the night. It's getting late and the race is tomorrow.'' Scootaloo said before going to grab her scooter, placing her toolbox on the main body and hanging her helmet from the handle bars. Both Sweetie and Apple Bloom looked at each other confusedly. ''But Scoots, it ain't even noon yet.'' Apple Bloom said, looking to the sky for a brief moment before looking back down to meet the purple eyes of her pegasus friend. ''What gives?'' Scootaloo blinked. ''Well, the race starts around mid day and I've been working all day on my scooter and it's kinda taken it out of me.'' She said simply, allowing yet another yawn to escape her mouth. ''I need to get some sleep if I'm to win tomorrow.'' Saying nothing more, Scootaloo took her leave, exiting Sweet Apple Acres and bidding her goodbye's to her friends who held unsatisfied expressions on their faces at their friend's behavior. They have both known Scoots long enough to realize when she wasn't being as truthful as she normally was. Something was definitely out of the ordinary. ''You don't think she's making excuses, do you, Apple Bloom?'' Sweetie said, turning to her friend with a raised brow. For a moment, Apple Bloom looked thoughtful. ''Ah dunno, maybe? It ain't like Scoots to act all tired out of the blue an' she was fine not so long ago.'' She sighed softly through her nostrils, looking just past the exit to Sweet Apple Acres where she could still see the slowly disappearing silhouette of Scootaloo heading off further into the distance and finally out of sight. ''Ah don't think we should jus' jump to conclusions yet. If she says she's alright, we'll take her word for it. Tomorrow's the big race an' Ah guess she has a right to be nervous about competing.'' Sweetie nodded slowly, still feeling uncertain. ''I hope so. Those races are dangerous and quite a few ponies who compete get hurt one way or another.'' At that, a frown appeared on both their faces. ''Sweetie, don't think like that! She'll be fine, Ah'm sure of it. Now, come on, you can help me out for a while with some things around the house if ya like. Applejack an' Granny Smith are out at the market today and Bic Mac'll be too busy tending to the orchard to bother us for a while.'' Smiling, the two of them turned around and headed into the farmhouse. *** *** *** Back at her house, Scootaloo set her scooter on the wall beside her bed along with her toolbox and helmet before she sat on her bed, stretching and allowing her tired muscles to relax. Her room wasn't all that big and held some memorabilia of the Wonderbolts and her idol, Rainbow Dash, along with some signed pictures and racing posters from a wide variety of different events that took place all around Equestria. To her, all of her possessions that related to racing have always inspired her to become a racer herself and though she couldn't fly yet, she found it as a substitute to fuel her adrenaline gauge whenever she felt the desire to feel it. Looking over to her newly fixed up scooter, she smiled, happy with the outcome of all her hard work. Since owning a scooter, she has always enjoyed riding it around town both on her own and with friends and doing a few stunt jumps that most colts and fillies would call insane at the speeds she jumped them at but after a while, it all got boring and so she took the opportunity to race. Falling backwards and staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, she couldn't help but feel a wave of nervousness wash over her. Scootaloo has heard about the races before and how dangerous they were, but she didn't let that put her off. How hard could it possibly be? She thought. I mean, come on, I do crazy stunt jumps all the time around Ponyville, this couldn't seriously be all that different, could it? A heavy sigh escaped her. For some unexplainable reason, she felt an odd sensation in her gut and mind, telling her that it maybe wasn't the best idea to enter the race. But then, if she did go and called it quits, would she be deemed a coward? And what about Rainbow Dash? Scoots knew she was going to be there to cheer her on along with her friends and a few others, and what would she think if she chickened out right in the middle of it all? No, no, Scoots, you're over exaggerating about this. You can do it, put your mind to it and straighten up, it'll be a cakewalk! She reassured herself, throwing her hooves over so that she laid on the entire length of the bed, her head resting on her pillow. ''You can do this. Just go to sleep and put your troubles aside, Scootaloo. You can't quit now.'' She thought out loud before she closed her eyes, letting her nerves relax and soon began to drift off into a deep, relaxing sleep. Race Day (extended)Beep, Beep, Beep! Scootaloo's alarm awoke her with a jolt, causing her to jump out of bed and her covers to fall to the floor in a heap. Looking over to her bedside table and seeing her alarm that was still blaring like a fog horn, she angrily slammed a hoof onto the top of it, silencing it in an instant. Allowing a relieved breath to escape her mouth, she slowly, ran a hoof from the back of her head down to her fringe to press down her bedraggled, purple mane that was sticking out every direction in twisted strands that hung like purple swirls. Satisfied, she rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes and took another glance at her alarm clock. And then she gasped in shock upon the realization that she had overslept for an hour more than her alarm was set for. The race begins in less than an hour! Panicking, Scoots feverishly grabbed her helmet, strapping it on as fast as she could before she grabbed her scooter and hurriedly left her house, not even bothering to find the time to get some breakfast before she did so. At this moment, all Scootaloo could care about was getting to the race, which was taking place near Sweet Apple Acres. In her hurry, she decided that riding her scooter was the fastest option to go for, and so without thinking, she hopped on and flared out her small, orange wings and began to flap them, generating more speed to push her along faster. Speeding through Ponyville, she did her best to avoid ramming into ponies, nearly having a few close calls in the process. Her wings buzzed louder and louder as she found it in herself to push harder and coming to the end of the street and shocking everypony, she guided herself up a nearby ramp that was propped up against a wooden box and launched herself into the air, the wind whisping at the loose strands of her mane from under her helmet along with the adrenaline that fueled her veins. Feeling the rush course through her, she pushed her limit, now blasting her way towards the farm. *** *** *** ''Hey, has anyone seen Scootaloo?'' Sweetie asked through the crowd along with Apple Bloom, only getting shakes of the head from other ponies who looked hopeless to her whereabouts. The crowd that was observing the race was like a living sea made from ponies of all races and Sweetie and Apple Bloom haven't even managed to get a positive answer on their missing friend and they were slowly becoming increasingly more worried with every passing minute. The competitors in the race were that of a mix of colts and fillies of varying ages, yet none of them appeared to be that much older than Scootaloo who also had an interest in scooters and racing. There was about ten or so competitors in total and they all looked just as enthusiastic and optimistic at winning the race as the last. The track just on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres was constructed with dirt for the main part of the track which was constricted with different depths of terrain and turns for a challenge whilst the outsides of the track were lined with hay bales to serve as crash barriers. Amongst the crowds were numerous ponies, from every place around Equestria, but most of the familiar faces were that of the ponies who lived in Ponyville, including Rainbow Dash and the rest of her friends who tagged along to cheer on Scootaloo. Seeing that the colts and fillies were eagerly waiting to start, the starting flag holder, a middle-aged stallion with a brown coat and mane and a whistle for a cutie mark came in front of them with the flag in his mouth, about to drop it to signal the start when a screech of tires against dirt was heard, catching every pony's attention. It was Scootaloo, panting heavily and looking a little tired from the ride to the race. ''W-Wait!'' She said, pulling up behind the last colt on the starting line before regaining her composure. ''Ready.'' She said in a much calmer tone. Rolling his eyes, the stallion dropped the flag with his mouth and in an instant, the race was underway. Being the expert that she was with her scooter, Scootaloo found herself easily in front of the first few colts and filly racers with little difficulty and thankfully, her modifications to her old scooter had turned out perfectly for the terrain of the track. At fifth place, Scoots saw a bend coming up on the track and as the first few racers went by, she could see them struggle with making the turn and one of them, a filly, managed to lose her balance and get thrown off of her scooter and directly into a haybale. Grinning cockily, Scootaloo engaged her wings to generate more speed for a swift turn and carefully steering the wheels to the right, she pulled herself around the corner before pushing the handle bars the opposite direction and making it through the bend with ease. Smiling to herself, she continued her way through the track's rough terrain and obstructions designed to knock participants from the race. Lucky for Scootaloo, she made it through all of them without much difficulty, with a heavy thanks to her modifications. However, that all changed when it came to the last obstruction - a dirt ramp with a trench in the middle of it. Gulping softly, she fired up her wings once more and began to flap them wildly, pushing hard to generate more wind to push her along. In the crowd, she could hear the voices of her friends and Rainbow Dash over the massive crowd of ponies and as much as she would of liked to find encouragement in the cheers and applause of her friends, it did block some of her concentration, and coming up to the ramp, Scootaloo felt something jingle and thump as the speed she was building got too intense. And then a metallic bang and clang sounded. Cautiously, Scootaloo tried flapping her wings the opposite direction in which she was already flapping to slow her down, but it was of no use. She was simply going too fast to slow down at this rate and as if it couldn't get any worse, another clang sounded and the front left and right wheels of the scooter broke loose, along with the shaft that they were connected to the handle bars with, disabling the ability for Scoots to control the direction she was going. Now frightened, Scoots saw that she was heading directly for the trench and in her scared state, tried to jump from her scooter to save herself but the fear was too over powering for her to bear and caused her legs to stay frozen in place. Seeing what was wrong, the crowd all let out an alarmed gasp as they watched Scootaloo plummet into the deep, dirt trench. They all almost wished that they didn't hear the scream come from the terrified filly as they watched her fall in, and the last thing that Scootaloo saw before everything went black was her scooter landing on top of her with a hard impact along with a quick glimpse of rainbow mane and cyan fur. *** *** *** ''Scootaloo! Come on, kid, wake up!'' Rainbow Dash said, holding Scootaloo's body loosely behind her neck and back as she looked down upon her face. ''Can you hear me, Scoots?'' She asked again, speaking to deaf ears, causing her worry to rise. All around her, members of the crowd were gathered around her out of curiosity and worry for the young filly. Rainbow's and Scootaloo's friends stood beside her, all wearing worry some expressions upon their faces, hoping that she wasn't hurt too bad. Right after she fell, Rainbow managed to get her out of the trench but not until after her heavy scooter had fallen on top of her and knocked her out, breaking in the process. Suddenly, Scootaloo gave a deep gasp as she recollected air to her lungs and her eyes shot open for a second before closing again and she started to cough shakily, pain etched clearly on her face that was visible to Rainbow Dash and the others. ''Scoots!'' Rainbow said, relieved that her younger sister was alright. ''Thank Celestia you're alright.'' She said happily as she hugged her softly, nuzzling her cheek. Sweetie and Apple Bloom joined in and hugged their friend as well. Feeling groggy and a little light headed, Scootaloo touched a hoof to her cheek, recoiling as she felt a painful sting. Pulling her hoof back, she could see her orange fur covered lightly in blood. Besides the pain she felt from it, it compared nothing to the aches in her head and back from having her scooter drop hard on her. ''M-My body h-hurts.'' Is all Scoots could manage, her head hurting too much to even manage a long sentence. As her friends pulled away, they eyed her concernedly, really hoping that she wasn't too hurt and required treatment. ''Does anything feel broken?'' Sweetie asked, lightly touching her shoulder with a hoof. ''I-I don't think so.'' Scoots said, blinking a few times. ''What h-ha-happened anyway?'' She asked cautiously, earning a frown out of everyone. ''Ya crashed, Scoots. Ya'll had a nasty fall down in a trench 'an ya'll broke your scooter.'' Apple Bloom said and motioned over to the now in bits scooter laying nearby in a heap with a hoof and Scootaloo frowned when she looked over to it but she seemed too hurt to even care about that at the moment. ''But ya'll are alright now an' that's all that matters.'' Apple Bloom said, briefly hugging her pegasus friend. ''Come on, Scoots, we should probably get you home.'' Rainbow said, picking her up carefully in her hooves and holding her close before she flared out her wings and took to the skies, heading towards Ponyville and leaving two worried friends behind. Loss of ConfidenceBack at home in her bed, Scootaloo was laid under the covers with her head on the pillow and staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. Rainbow had left her alone to settle down after the accident and not long since gone downstairs to give her her space. The thoughts were clear as day through the frightened filly's eyes as she watched them replay like they happened on a second ago. She could still feel the intense pain in her head that has only made her nauseous and her body ached like nothing she had ever felt before. The only thing that has stopped hurting for the most part was the cut in her cheek, tended to by Rainbow Dash herself. For once in her life, she was truly frightened. It only hurt even worse that she could of gotten herself killed by her own hoof. She fixed up and modified that scooter and was so sure it would take her to victory and make all proud of her but instead, it nearly killed her along with her pride. Scootaloo felt like she was in pieces. ''Scoots?'' She heard a familiar, southern-sounding voice say from beside her. ''Are you alright?'' Slowly turning her head to the side of her bed, she could see the worried faces of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle staring right back at her. She had been so distracted with her thoughts that she didn't even hear them come in. ''Oh, h-hey, guys.'' She greeted them weakly. ''When'd you two get here?'' '''bout a minute ago.'' Apple Bloom said, managing a smile. ''We wanted to see how ya'll were holdin' up.'' She said, knowing how stupid it must of sounded. She saw clear as day, same as everypony else at the race what happened to her and that pained look in the purple that made Scootaloo's eyes said it all. Scootaloo turned her head away for a moment, averting her gaze back to the ceiling and letting out a heavy sigh through her nostrils before she turned her head back to look her friend in the eyes. ''You know I'm not, Apple Bloom. You saw what happened.'' Is all she said before she rolled onto her other side, facing her back towards them, taking both of them slightly aback. ''Scoots, we-'' Sweetie began but was cut off by Scootaloo turning back to face them with a serious look in her still pained eyes. She threw the covers off of her, ignoring the pain gushing through her upper body and hooves and tried to get out of bed to stand on her hooves, but instead, fell straight down onto the floor with a dull thud. Her two friends gasped in shock and Scootaloo grit her teeth in pain as it surged all around her body. ''D-Do-Does thi-this answer your q-ques-tion?'' She said through a pain-stained voice. As careful as they could, her friends tried to lift her back to her hooves but had no luck, as it only caused her to grunt more with intense pain. Sweetie used her magic, enveloping Scoots in a light green aura and straining herself, managed to gently raise her off of the ground and place her carefully back on her bed. ''Scoots, what's gotten into you? You're hurt enough as it is, why'd you do that?!'' Sweetie said, a mix of a sympathetic and angered look in her eyes as she looked her friend in the eyes who stared right back. ''I-I hurt all over, girls. You w-wanted to know, so I showed you.'' She sighed. ''Please, just...just leave me alone.'' They heard her sniffle. It wasn't a moment later that she could feel the caring hoof of Apple Bloom being placed on her shoulder. ''No, Scootaloo. We can't stand ta see ya'll like this, neither can anypony else!'' Apple Bloom said firmly. Scootaloo didn't buy it. ''You don't g-get it, do you? I built that scooter myself. I should've tested it before t-the race and I was so confident that it nearly took my life!'' She wiped her eye with her hoof, Apple Bloom backing away along with Sweetie Belle. ''I...I know that I c-can't f-f-fly, and I t-try to make up for it with scooting and l-look what happened.'' She pointed to the healing gash on her cheek, covered with a small, white piece of gauze that was stained softly with blood. ''Scootaloo, don't go talking like that...'' Sweetie said softly but was cut off by her once again. ''No, Sweetie, f-for once in my life, I-I'm actually frightened! At the race, I didn't just scare myself but also everypony!'' She sniffled again, a tear rolling down her cheek. ''I-I don't know if I can ever bring myself to scoot again!'' That did it. Now Sweetie was starting to cry. She never liked to see anypony be upset and whenever she saw one of her closest and bestest friends upset, it felt like a knife through the heart. As for Apple Bloom, she looked as though she wanted to cry too but kept her composure to stay strong for the both of them. Coming next to Sweetie, she hugged her, still keeping her eyes on Scootaloo. Neither of them said a word and the next few minutes was spent by a silence that was only broken by the sound of the crying of the two friends. When Sweetie and Scootaloo eventually calmed themselves down, Apple Bloom came next to her bed and carefully climbed on so that she was sat next to her friend before she pulled her into a hug, gently rubbing her back that Scootaloo hesitantly settled into. They spent a good minute or so in each other's embrace before Sweetie joined in with the hug and when they all broke away, the two bid their farewells and headed out of the door after giving a ''Get well soon, Scoots.''. RecoveryIn the following days after the accident at the race track, Rainbow Dash has devoted her time where possible to help her younger sister get her groove back on. Even though she may of been hesitant to go along with the exercises that Rainbow talked to her about, she eventually gave in and once or twice during that time, she found a smile upon her lips. It was true that it still hurt her heart to think about what happened to Scootaloo and how helpless she felt when she retrieved her from that trench along with her battered and broken scooter. As for Sweetie and Apple Bloom, they have managed to spend time with their friend to lighten her mood, despite the unexpected shyness that came with her. All it took to find her smile was some good old fashioned Crusading to take her mind off of things. They even did a few things like zip lining, despite failing miserably and getting covered from head to hoof in tree sap seeing as that thankfully, the injuries that Scootaloo sustained had subsided enough for her to manage most of her strength and capability to do things she couldn't do previously. She was still pretty shaken up and scared, even after around three or so days after the accident. When she was asked by her friends about it, she wouldn't respond or she would just look down at the floor with a sad look in her eyes due to the lack of her self confidence that was destroyed along with her scooter and her dreams. Hopefully, if nothing could change that, maybe this would. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had both decided that enough was enough and accompanied the distressed Scootaloo towards Sweet Apple Acres where along the way, they noticed her cringe and tense up multiple times out of seeing the track again. However, they moved up beside her and helped her along, trying to avert her gaze that was locked upon the track for the duration of the walk to the farm. Thankfully, it didn't take them long to get to the farm and upon getting there, the two escorted Scootaloo over to the barn where they had planned something that they hoped would get her out of her funk. For a while, Scootaloo just looked uncertain and confused as to why they brought her to the barn and when they opened the doors to the large, red and white painted building, Scootaloo's heart froze at the sight. It was her scooter, completely restored to the exact same state it was before her accident, complete with all the rubber tires and handle grips on the handle bars. On a small crate next to it was her crash helmet, a little dinged up and scratched from her fall but still in one piece, none the less. Hesitantly, she panned her eyes towards her two friends, seeing them smiling at her, hopeful expressions on their faces. ''Apple Bloom, Sweetie? W-What's this a-a-all about?'' She managed to stutter out of her slightly trembling body, the fear and anxiety coming over her again like a tsunami. Apple Bloom stepped forward. ''This has gone on long enough, Scoots.'' She said, coming up to her and placing her hoof around her shoulders. ''All we want is for ya'll to be happy again. This ain't you, Scoots.'' She gave her a small frown and as a response, Scootaloo sighed and averted her gaze to the floor, knowing where this was going. Next, Sweetie came up to her and hugged her for a brief moment before breaking away and looking her in the eyes. ''You've lost your confidence, Scootaloo. All we want to do is help you get back to your old self. We all do.'' She smiled warmly to her friend, managing to get one back in return. ''Thanks, guys, but there is seriously no way I'm getting on that thing.'' She looked over to her scooter and stared at it for a few moments, visualizing the part during the race where the wheels and handle bars snapped clean off. Shaking off a shiver and cringe, she looked back to her friends. ''It's okay to be scared,'' Sweetie told her. ''we just want the old you back and for you to face your fears.'' Her ears perked at that last part, reminding her of the time when she could of drowned that time when they and their sisters all went camping and those ghost stories Rainbow Dash told everyone spooked her and then she saved her life before Scootaloo faced her fears out of encouragement from Princess Luna herself before she became Rainbow's adopted sister. With Rainbow by her side, she remembered all that confidence and happiness that came with it, making her feel like she could do absolutely anything with her big sister backing her up by her side. For the first time in a while, Scootaloo could feel the same confidence she felt then build inside her, a warm and fuzzy feeling in her guts that yearned for an adrenaline rush. Trotting into the barn and coming up beside her scooter and the small crate on which it was leaning on, she placed her hooves on the sides of her crash helmet and picked it up, looking it over with a mix of uncertainty and determination. Ever so slowly, she placed it on top of her head and fastened the strap tight, ensuring her safety levels. Next, she very hesitantly and shakily placed her hoof on the left handle bar of her scooter, trying to bring herself to place her right rear hoof onto it before the other, her friends watching her all the while, giving words of encouragement that were the only things making her press on with her troubles. Slowly, she managed to place her hooves onto the main body of the scooter and both her hooves were holding onto the handles, her anxiety causing her grip on them to be so tight that her hooves hurt. The only thing besides the encouragement from her friends was the confidence within her that was slowly rebuilding itself, bit by bit and putting her mind at ease. Removing a hoof from the body of her scooter, Scootaloo gently pushed the hoof along the ground, giving herself a small push that made her go forward, followed by another push, then another push. Unexpectedly, she found herself to be actually enjoying the moment, the pure fun of it blocking out her mind that was rolling in anxiety and fear. In all her confidence, she felt so at ease that she opened up her wings and at first, began to flap them softly to generate speed before she flapped them harder and harder, doing a circle or two around the area of dirt around the front of the barn before skidding to a halt with a smile on her face, happy now that she felt safe using her scooter again. Not a moment later did she find herself being tackled by her two friends in a tight, friendly embrace, happy smiles covering their own faces, glad that they had their friend back. ''I don't believe it! You actually did it, Scoots!'' Sweetie said happily as she continued to hug her friend warmly. ''Yeah, Ah knew ya could do it!'' Apple Bloom chimed in. Blushing a soft pink, Scootaloo gently pushed the two of them off with a hoof, sparing herself death by hugging. ''I-I couldn't of done it without you, girls. You two truly are the best friends a girl could ask for.'' She said with a warm, friendly smile, pulling the two of them into a hug of her own. Now that her fears were conquered, Scootaloo finally found her lost confidence. Maybe now she could get her dreams back on track. She knew scooting was a fairly dangerous thing for a filly to do, especially in the circumstance of a race involving tight turns and twists and trenches, but for her, it was who she was. She was so caught up in the moment of her happiness that she didn't even notice the picture of a scooter appear on her flanks.
Scootaloo BluesAuthor's Note Welcome to Scootaloo Blues! FireRain is back and I decided that after inspiration from one or two pictures of Scootaloo, I had this idea. Like all my stories, I didn't exactly create a plot for it, so instead, this is what I have. It was intended to be a one shot but I guess this is going to be in two or so chapters. Enjoy! Scootaloo Blues Scootaloo Blues *** *** *** By FireRain Scootaloo beamed with pride as she wiped smudges of oil from her coat as she stood back to admire her work on her scooter. The plastic, smooth red wheels were replaced by proper tires that were bolted into place with some nuts and the handle bars that controlled the steering were also switched from their normal red to a black rubber coating for better grip when she made tight turns and bends. The board of the scooter that was once a simple, battered piece of grey painted wood was replaced by an even stronger and more durable type of wood than before and knocked some of the weight off of the whole scooter altogether. The only thing that remained as it always has done was her purple helmet, adorned with white racing stripes with the small new addition to the sides that read out her name in a bold, white stencil-font wording. She let a smile creep onto her lips, admiring her work along with her two best friends who stood beside her with impressed expressions of their own. ''Wow, Scootaloo, it looks fantastic!'' Sweetie commented, walking up to the scooter to examine it closer. ''Yeah, ya'll are sure ta win the race, now, Scoots!'' Apple Bloom said, getting a closer look herself. Picking up a nearby cloth and placing her screwdriver back into it's toolbox, Scootaloo began to wipe away any remains of the crude, black-brown substance from her coat before looking back at her friends. ''I hope so, too, girls, this really did take a lot of work and I sure hope it was worth the work.'' She said, placing the cloth aside and wiping her eyes. ''I've always wanted to race and this could be my chance to prove to everyone how good I am at riding this thing, but more importantly, it means I get to show Rainbow Dash some of my awesome moves!'' Apple Bloom chuckled. ''Well, whatever happens, me an' Sweetie Belle'll be there ta cheer ya on.'' She said as she hugged her friend in a single hoofed embrace that was soon made a double embrace by another hoof that belonged to Sweetie Belle being wrapped around her other shoulder. ''He,he, thanks, you guys are the best.'' She hugged them back before breaking away and allowing a yawn to escape her before she rubbed her eye tiredly. ''Well, girls, I think it's about time I turn in for the night. It's getting late and the race is tomorrow.'' Scootaloo said before going to grab her scooter, placing her toolbox on the main body and hanging her helmet from the handle bars. Both Sweetie and Apple Bloom looked at each other confusedly. ''But Scoots, it ain't even noon yet.'' Apple Bloom said, looking to the sky for a brief moment before looking back down to meet the purple eyes of her pegasus friend. ''What gives?'' Scootaloo blinked. ''Well, the race starts around mid day and I've been working all day on my scooter and it's kinda taken it out of me.'' She said simply, allowing yet another yawn to escape her mouth. ''I need to get some sleep if I'm to win tomorrow.'' Saying nothing more, Scootaloo took her leave, exiting Sweet Apple Acres and bidding her goodbye's to her friends who held unsatisfied expressions on their faces at their friend's behavior. They have both known Scoots long enough to realize when she wasn't being as truthful as she normally was. Something was definitely out of the ordinary. ''You don't think she's making excuses, do you, Apple Bloom?'' Sweetie said, turning to her friend with a raised brow. For a moment, Apple Bloom looked thoughtful. ''Ah dunno, maybe? It ain't like Scoots to act all tired out of the blue an' she was fine not so long ago.'' She sighed softly through her nostrils, looking just past the exit to Sweet Apple Acres where she could still see the slowly disappearing silhouette of Scootaloo heading off further into the distance and finally out of sight. ''Ah don't think we should jus' jump to conclusions yet. If she says she's alright, we'll take her word for it. Tomorrow's the big race an' Ah guess she has a right to be nervous about competing.'' Sweetie nodded slowly, still feeling uncertain. ''I hope so. Those races are dangerous and quite a few ponies who compete get hurt one way or another.'' At that, a frown appeared on both their faces. ''Sweetie, don't think like that! She'll be fine, Ah'm sure of it. Now, come on, you can help me out for a while with some things around the house if ya like. Applejack an' Granny Smith are out at the market today and Bic Mac'll be too busy tending to the orchard to bother us for a while.'' Smiling, the two of them turned around and headed into the farmhouse. *** *** *** Back at her house, Scootaloo set her scooter on the wall beside her bed along with her toolbox and helmet before she sat on her bed, stretching and allowing her tired muscles to relax. Her room wasn't all that big and held some memorabilia of the Wonderbolts and her idol, Rainbow Dash, along with some signed pictures and racing posters from a wide variety of different events that took place all around Equestria. To her, all of her possessions that related to racing have always inspired her to become a racer herself and though she couldn't fly yet, she found it as a substitute to fuel her adrenaline gauge whenever she felt the desire to feel it. Looking over to her newly fixed up scooter, she smiled, happy with the outcome of all her hard work. Since owning a scooter, she has always enjoyed riding it around town both on her own and with friends and doing a few stunt jumps that most colts and fillies would call insane at the speeds she jumped them at but after a while, it all got boring and so she took the opportunity to race. Falling backwards and staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, she couldn't help but feel a wave of nervousness wash over her. Scootaloo has heard about the races before and how dangerous they were, but she didn't let that put her off. How hard could it possibly be? She thought. I mean, come on, I do crazy stunt jumps all the time around Ponyville, this couldn't seriously be all that different, could it? A heavy sigh escaped her. For some unexplainable reason, she felt an odd sensation in her gut and mind, telling her that it maybe wasn't the best idea to enter the race. But then, if she did go and called it quits, would she be deemed a coward? And what about Rainbow Dash? Scoots knew she was going to be there to cheer her on along with her friends and a few others, and what would she think if she chickened out right in the middle of it all? No, no, Scoots, you're over exaggerating about this. You can do it, put your mind to it and straighten up, it'll be a cakewalk! She reassured herself, throwing her hooves over so that she laid on the entire length of the bed, her head resting on her pillow. ''You can do this. Just go to sleep and put your troubles aside, Scootaloo. You can't quit now.'' She thought out loud before she closed her eyes, letting her nerves relax and soon began to drift off into a deep, relaxing sleep.
Race Day (extended)Beep, Beep, Beep! Scootaloo's alarm awoke her with a jolt, causing her to jump out of bed and her covers to fall to the floor in a heap. Looking over to her bedside table and seeing her alarm that was still blaring like a fog horn, she angrily slammed a hoof onto the top of it, silencing it in an instant. Allowing a relieved breath to escape her mouth, she slowly, ran a hoof from the back of her head down to her fringe to press down her bedraggled, purple mane that was sticking out every direction in twisted strands that hung like purple swirls. Satisfied, she rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes and took another glance at her alarm clock. And then she gasped in shock upon the realization that she had overslept for an hour more than her alarm was set for. The race begins in less than an hour! Panicking, Scoots feverishly grabbed her helmet, strapping it on as fast as she could before she grabbed her scooter and hurriedly left her house, not even bothering to find the time to get some breakfast before she did so. At this moment, all Scootaloo could care about was getting to the race, which was taking place near Sweet Apple Acres. In her hurry, she decided that riding her scooter was the fastest option to go for, and so without thinking, she hopped on and flared out her small, orange wings and began to flap them, generating more speed to push her along faster. Speeding through Ponyville, she did her best to avoid ramming into ponies, nearly having a few close calls in the process. Her wings buzzed louder and louder as she found it in herself to push harder and coming to the end of the street and shocking everypony, she guided herself up a nearby ramp that was propped up against a wooden box and launched herself into the air, the wind whisping at the loose strands of her mane from under her helmet along with the adrenaline that fueled her veins. Feeling the rush course through her, she pushed her limit, now blasting her way towards the farm. *** *** *** ''Hey, has anyone seen Scootaloo?'' Sweetie asked through the crowd along with Apple Bloom, only getting shakes of the head from other ponies who looked hopeless to her whereabouts. The crowd that was observing the race was like a living sea made from ponies of all races and Sweetie and Apple Bloom haven't even managed to get a positive answer on their missing friend and they were slowly becoming increasingly more worried with every passing minute. The competitors in the race were that of a mix of colts and fillies of varying ages, yet none of them appeared to be that much older than Scootaloo who also had an interest in scooters and racing. There was about ten or so competitors in total and they all looked just as enthusiastic and optimistic at winning the race as the last. The track just on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres was constructed with dirt for the main part of the track which was constricted with different depths of terrain and turns for a challenge whilst the outsides of the track were lined with hay bales to serve as crash barriers. Amongst the crowds were numerous ponies, from every place around Equestria, but most of the familiar faces were that of the ponies who lived in Ponyville, including Rainbow Dash and the rest of her friends who tagged along to cheer on Scootaloo. Seeing that the colts and fillies were eagerly waiting to start, the starting flag holder, a middle-aged stallion with a brown coat and mane and a whistle for a cutie mark came in front of them with the flag in his mouth, about to drop it to signal the start when a screech of tires against dirt was heard, catching every pony's attention. It was Scootaloo, panting heavily and looking a little tired from the ride to the race. ''W-Wait!'' She said, pulling up behind the last colt on the starting line before regaining her composure. ''Ready.'' She said in a much calmer tone. Rolling his eyes, the stallion dropped the flag with his mouth and in an instant, the race was underway. Being the expert that she was with her scooter, Scootaloo found herself easily in front of the first few colts and filly racers with little difficulty and thankfully, her modifications to her old scooter had turned out perfectly for the terrain of the track. At fifth place, Scoots saw a bend coming up on the track and as the first few racers went by, she could see them struggle with making the turn and one of them, a filly, managed to lose her balance and get thrown off of her scooter and directly into a haybale. Grinning cockily, Scootaloo engaged her wings to generate more speed for a swift turn and carefully steering the wheels to the right, she pulled herself around the corner before pushing the handle bars the opposite direction and making it through the bend with ease. Smiling to herself, she continued her way through the track's rough terrain and obstructions designed to knock participants from the race. Lucky for Scootaloo, she made it through all of them without much difficulty, with a heavy thanks to her modifications. However, that all changed when it came to the last obstruction - a dirt ramp with a trench in the middle of it. Gulping softly, she fired up her wings once more and began to flap them wildly, pushing hard to generate more wind to push her along. In the crowd, she could hear the voices of her friends and Rainbow Dash over the massive crowd of ponies and as much as she would of liked to find encouragement in the cheers and applause of her friends, it did block some of her concentration, and coming up to the ramp, Scootaloo felt something jingle and thump as the speed she was building got too intense. And then a metallic bang and clang sounded. Cautiously, Scootaloo tried flapping her wings the opposite direction in which she was already flapping to slow her down, but it was of no use. She was simply going too fast to slow down at this rate and as if it couldn't get any worse, another clang sounded and the front left and right wheels of the scooter broke loose, along with the shaft that they were connected to the handle bars with, disabling the ability for Scoots to control the direction she was going. Now frightened, Scoots saw that she was heading directly for the trench and in her scared state, tried to jump from her scooter to save herself but the fear was too over powering for her to bear and caused her legs to stay frozen in place. Seeing what was wrong, the crowd all let out an alarmed gasp as they watched Scootaloo plummet into the deep, dirt trench. They all almost wished that they didn't hear the scream come from the terrified filly as they watched her fall in, and the last thing that Scootaloo saw before everything went black was her scooter landing on top of her with a hard impact along with a quick glimpse of rainbow mane and cyan fur. *** *** *** ''Scootaloo! Come on, kid, wake up!'' Rainbow Dash said, holding Scootaloo's body loosely behind her neck and back as she looked down upon her face. ''Can you hear me, Scoots?'' She asked again, speaking to deaf ears, causing her worry to rise. All around her, members of the crowd were gathered around her out of curiosity and worry for the young filly. Rainbow's and Scootaloo's friends stood beside her, all wearing worry some expressions upon their faces, hoping that she wasn't hurt too bad. Right after she fell, Rainbow managed to get her out of the trench but not until after her heavy scooter had fallen on top of her and knocked her out, breaking in the process. Suddenly, Scootaloo gave a deep gasp as she recollected air to her lungs and her eyes shot open for a second before closing again and she started to cough shakily, pain etched clearly on her face that was visible to Rainbow Dash and the others. ''Scoots!'' Rainbow said, relieved that her younger sister was alright. ''Thank Celestia you're alright.'' She said happily as she hugged her softly, nuzzling her cheek. Sweetie and Apple Bloom joined in and hugged their friend as well. Feeling groggy and a little light headed, Scootaloo touched a hoof to her cheek, recoiling as she felt a painful sting. Pulling her hoof back, she could see her orange fur covered lightly in blood. Besides the pain she felt from it, it compared nothing to the aches in her head and back from having her scooter drop hard on her. ''M-My body h-hurts.'' Is all Scoots could manage, her head hurting too much to even manage a long sentence. As her friends pulled away, they eyed her concernedly, really hoping that she wasn't too hurt and required treatment. ''Does anything feel broken?'' Sweetie asked, lightly touching her shoulder with a hoof. ''I-I don't think so.'' Scoots said, blinking a few times. ''What h-ha-happened anyway?'' She asked cautiously, earning a frown out of everyone. ''Ya crashed, Scoots. Ya'll had a nasty fall down in a trench 'an ya'll broke your scooter.'' Apple Bloom said and motioned over to the now in bits scooter laying nearby in a heap with a hoof and Scootaloo frowned when she looked over to it but she seemed too hurt to even care about that at the moment. ''But ya'll are alright now an' that's all that matters.'' Apple Bloom said, briefly hugging her pegasus friend. ''Come on, Scoots, we should probably get you home.'' Rainbow said, picking her up carefully in her hooves and holding her close before she flared out her wings and took to the skies, heading towards Ponyville and leaving two worried friends behind.
Loss of ConfidenceBack at home in her bed, Scootaloo was laid under the covers with her head on the pillow and staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. Rainbow had left her alone to settle down after the accident and not long since gone downstairs to give her her space. The thoughts were clear as day through the frightened filly's eyes as she watched them replay like they happened on a second ago. She could still feel the intense pain in her head that has only made her nauseous and her body ached like nothing she had ever felt before. The only thing that has stopped hurting for the most part was the cut in her cheek, tended to by Rainbow Dash herself. For once in her life, she was truly frightened. It only hurt even worse that she could of gotten herself killed by her own hoof. She fixed up and modified that scooter and was so sure it would take her to victory and make all proud of her but instead, it nearly killed her along with her pride. Scootaloo felt like she was in pieces. ''Scoots?'' She heard a familiar, southern-sounding voice say from beside her. ''Are you alright?'' Slowly turning her head to the side of her bed, she could see the worried faces of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle staring right back at her. She had been so distracted with her thoughts that she didn't even hear them come in. ''Oh, h-hey, guys.'' She greeted them weakly. ''When'd you two get here?'' '''bout a minute ago.'' Apple Bloom said, managing a smile. ''We wanted to see how ya'll were holdin' up.'' She said, knowing how stupid it must of sounded. She saw clear as day, same as everypony else at the race what happened to her and that pained look in the purple that made Scootaloo's eyes said it all. Scootaloo turned her head away for a moment, averting her gaze back to the ceiling and letting out a heavy sigh through her nostrils before she turned her head back to look her friend in the eyes. ''You know I'm not, Apple Bloom. You saw what happened.'' Is all she said before she rolled onto her other side, facing her back towards them, taking both of them slightly aback. ''Scoots, we-'' Sweetie began but was cut off by Scootaloo turning back to face them with a serious look in her still pained eyes. She threw the covers off of her, ignoring the pain gushing through her upper body and hooves and tried to get out of bed to stand on her hooves, but instead, fell straight down onto the floor with a dull thud. Her two friends gasped in shock and Scootaloo grit her teeth in pain as it surged all around her body. ''D-Do-Does thi-this answer your q-ques-tion?'' She said through a pain-stained voice. As careful as they could, her friends tried to lift her back to her hooves but had no luck, as it only caused her to grunt more with intense pain. Sweetie used her magic, enveloping Scoots in a light green aura and straining herself, managed to gently raise her off of the ground and place her carefully back on her bed. ''Scoots, what's gotten into you? You're hurt enough as it is, why'd you do that?!'' Sweetie said, a mix of a sympathetic and angered look in her eyes as she looked her friend in the eyes who stared right back. ''I-I hurt all over, girls. You w-wanted to know, so I showed you.'' She sighed. ''Please, just...just leave me alone.'' They heard her sniffle. It wasn't a moment later that she could feel the caring hoof of Apple Bloom being placed on her shoulder. ''No, Scootaloo. We can't stand ta see ya'll like this, neither can anypony else!'' Apple Bloom said firmly. Scootaloo didn't buy it. ''You don't g-get it, do you? I built that scooter myself. I should've tested it before t-the race and I was so confident that it nearly took my life!'' She wiped her eye with her hoof, Apple Bloom backing away along with Sweetie Belle. ''I...I know that I c-can't f-f-fly, and I t-try to make up for it with scooting and l-look what happened.'' She pointed to the healing gash on her cheek, covered with a small, white piece of gauze that was stained softly with blood. ''Scootaloo, don't go talking like that...'' Sweetie said softly but was cut off by her once again. ''No, Sweetie, f-for once in my life, I-I'm actually frightened! At the race, I didn't just scare myself but also everypony!'' She sniffled again, a tear rolling down her cheek. ''I-I don't know if I can ever bring myself to scoot again!'' That did it. Now Sweetie was starting to cry. She never liked to see anypony be upset and whenever she saw one of her closest and bestest friends upset, it felt like a knife through the heart. As for Apple Bloom, she looked as though she wanted to cry too but kept her composure to stay strong for the both of them. Coming next to Sweetie, she hugged her, still keeping her eyes on Scootaloo. Neither of them said a word and the next few minutes was spent by a silence that was only broken by the sound of the crying of the two friends. When Sweetie and Scootaloo eventually calmed themselves down, Apple Bloom came next to her bed and carefully climbed on so that she was sat next to her friend before she pulled her into a hug, gently rubbing her back that Scootaloo hesitantly settled into. They spent a good minute or so in each other's embrace before Sweetie joined in with the hug and when they all broke away, the two bid their farewells and headed out of the door after giving a ''Get well soon, Scoots.''.
RecoveryIn the following days after the accident at the race track, Rainbow Dash has devoted her time where possible to help her younger sister get her groove back on. Even though she may of been hesitant to go along with the exercises that Rainbow talked to her about, she eventually gave in and once or twice during that time, she found a smile upon her lips. It was true that it still hurt her heart to think about what happened to Scootaloo and how helpless she felt when she retrieved her from that trench along with her battered and broken scooter. As for Sweetie and Apple Bloom, they have managed to spend time with their friend to lighten her mood, despite the unexpected shyness that came with her. All it took to find her smile was some good old fashioned Crusading to take her mind off of things. They even did a few things like zip lining, despite failing miserably and getting covered from head to hoof in tree sap seeing as that thankfully, the injuries that Scootaloo sustained had subsided enough for her to manage most of her strength and capability to do things she couldn't do previously. She was still pretty shaken up and scared, even after around three or so days after the accident. When she was asked by her friends about it, she wouldn't respond or she would just look down at the floor with a sad look in her eyes due to the lack of her self confidence that was destroyed along with her scooter and her dreams. Hopefully, if nothing could change that, maybe this would. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had both decided that enough was enough and accompanied the distressed Scootaloo towards Sweet Apple Acres where along the way, they noticed her cringe and tense up multiple times out of seeing the track again. However, they moved up beside her and helped her along, trying to avert her gaze that was locked upon the track for the duration of the walk to the farm. Thankfully, it didn't take them long to get to the farm and upon getting there, the two escorted Scootaloo over to the barn where they had planned something that they hoped would get her out of her funk. For a while, Scootaloo just looked uncertain and confused as to why they brought her to the barn and when they opened the doors to the large, red and white painted building, Scootaloo's heart froze at the sight. It was her scooter, completely restored to the exact same state it was before her accident, complete with all the rubber tires and handle grips on the handle bars. On a small crate next to it was her crash helmet, a little dinged up and scratched from her fall but still in one piece, none the less. Hesitantly, she panned her eyes towards her two friends, seeing them smiling at her, hopeful expressions on their faces. ''Apple Bloom, Sweetie? W-What's this a-a-all about?'' She managed to stutter out of her slightly trembling body, the fear and anxiety coming over her again like a tsunami. Apple Bloom stepped forward. ''This has gone on long enough, Scoots.'' She said, coming up to her and placing her hoof around her shoulders. ''All we want is for ya'll to be happy again. This ain't you, Scoots.'' She gave her a small frown and as a response, Scootaloo sighed and averted her gaze to the floor, knowing where this was going. Next, Sweetie came up to her and hugged her for a brief moment before breaking away and looking her in the eyes. ''You've lost your confidence, Scootaloo. All we want to do is help you get back to your old self. We all do.'' She smiled warmly to her friend, managing to get one back in return. ''Thanks, guys, but there is seriously no way I'm getting on that thing.'' She looked over to her scooter and stared at it for a few moments, visualizing the part during the race where the wheels and handle bars snapped clean off. Shaking off a shiver and cringe, she looked back to her friends. ''It's okay to be scared,'' Sweetie told her. ''we just want the old you back and for you to face your fears.'' Her ears perked at that last part, reminding her of the time when she could of drowned that time when they and their sisters all went camping and those ghost stories Rainbow Dash told everyone spooked her and then she saved her life before Scootaloo faced her fears out of encouragement from Princess Luna herself before she became Rainbow's adopted sister. With Rainbow by her side, she remembered all that confidence and happiness that came with it, making her feel like she could do absolutely anything with her big sister backing her up by her side. For the first time in a while, Scootaloo could feel the same confidence she felt then build inside her, a warm and fuzzy feeling in her guts that yearned for an adrenaline rush. Trotting into the barn and coming up beside her scooter and the small crate on which it was leaning on, she placed her hooves on the sides of her crash helmet and picked it up, looking it over with a mix of uncertainty and determination. Ever so slowly, she placed it on top of her head and fastened the strap tight, ensuring her safety levels. Next, she very hesitantly and shakily placed her hoof on the left handle bar of her scooter, trying to bring herself to place her right rear hoof onto it before the other, her friends watching her all the while, giving words of encouragement that were the only things making her press on with her troubles. Slowly, she managed to place her hooves onto the main body of the scooter and both her hooves were holding onto the handles, her anxiety causing her grip on them to be so tight that her hooves hurt. The only thing besides the encouragement from her friends was the confidence within her that was slowly rebuilding itself, bit by bit and putting her mind at ease. Removing a hoof from the body of her scooter, Scootaloo gently pushed the hoof along the ground, giving herself a small push that made her go forward, followed by another push, then another push. Unexpectedly, she found herself to be actually enjoying the moment, the pure fun of it blocking out her mind that was rolling in anxiety and fear. In all her confidence, she felt so at ease that she opened up her wings and at first, began to flap them softly to generate speed before she flapped them harder and harder, doing a circle or two around the area of dirt around the front of the barn before skidding to a halt with a smile on her face, happy now that she felt safe using her scooter again. Not a moment later did she find herself being tackled by her two friends in a tight, friendly embrace, happy smiles covering their own faces, glad that they had their friend back. ''I don't believe it! You actually did it, Scoots!'' Sweetie said happily as she continued to hug her friend warmly. ''Yeah, Ah knew ya could do it!'' Apple Bloom chimed in. Blushing a soft pink, Scootaloo gently pushed the two of them off with a hoof, sparing herself death by hugging. ''I-I couldn't of done it without you, girls. You two truly are the best friends a girl could ask for.'' She said with a warm, friendly smile, pulling the two of them into a hug of her own. Now that her fears were conquered, Scootaloo finally found her lost confidence. Maybe now she could get her dreams back on track. She knew scooting was a fairly dangerous thing for a filly to do, especially in the circumstance of a race involving tight turns and twists and trenches, but for her, it was who she was. She was so caught up in the moment of her happiness that she didn't even notice the picture of a scooter appear on her flanks.
