Ten years later.

Chapter 9 – Scootaloo

Scootaloo slowly opens her light purple eyes. She can hardly see anything because something is lieing on her. She groans and pushes the thing away. Her eyes glare at Spike, she smiles. He protected her, he actually tried to protect them all, but Scootaloo was the one who was the closest to the nightmare. Suddenly her ears fap, she hears somepony sobbing. Scootaloo looks around and sees Sweetie Belle, her hooves wrapped around Apple Bloom's body and her eyes so red and swollen that they seem to fall out soon. Scootaloo frowns. She looks around, this place looks horrible. Everything's destroyed, even the ceiling isn't there anymore. There's only one good thing about this: The monster seems to have disappeared too.

She looks back at Sweetie Belle:"Sweetie? What... What happened?" her voice sounds even rougher than usually.

Sweetie Belle looks at her, tears running down her face:"She... Apple Bloom... she... she died" her head smacks on Apple Bloom's body and cries on it

Scootaloo's eyes widen. "No" she whispers so quiet that Sweetie Belle couldn't even hear it. A single tear runs down her cheek. She looks at the damaged floor:"No..." she says a little louder, but her voice is too weak to say anything else.

She looks at the others. They all seem to be about fine, they try to get up and are as confused as herself. She just has this deep, awful pain in her heart and her stomach that feels like a black hole. Her best friend just died... and Equestria doesn't seem to look much better.

Everypony's eyes wander to Celestia when she stands up, even Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo look up.

The white alicorn stands beside her sister. "She's badly injured and the hospital in Canterlot is destroyed" she whispers, ignoring her own wounds including a broken wing and a broken horn.

Rainbow Dash looks at her, then at her wings, they're broken:"Scootaloo, can you fly?"

The orange pegasus wipes her tears away and nods:"Yes... yes I can" she whispers.

Sweetie Belle cries get even louder:"Scoots can you take her with you?"

She frowns and shakes her head:"I don't think that-"

The white unicorn interrupts her:"PLEASE" her voice is rough and weak, just like Scootaloo's, but her eyes are still full of hope.

Scootaloo nods:"Alright. I will take both to the hospital in Cloudsdale"

Scootaloo flies as fast as she can and lands in Cloudsdale after a few minutes. She sighs and walks right to the weather factory. That’s where she works. She and many other ponies decide which weather happens where. She has to take care of the area of Canterlot, which includes Ponyville. She rolls her eyes because she thinks of the words her boss said when she started her job. “You should feel honoured little girl! Not every pegasus gets the chance to make the weather for our beautiful capital Canterlot! So feel honoured and do your best, alright?!”

And Scootaloo does her best, every day, but this job takes a lot of time from her life. She sits in the office for almost 10 hours every day just to make the exact weather for the next day.

Every weather pegasus has his place, his own clouds and they often get new ones every day, clouds aren’t supposed to live a long time after all. Scootaloo has to take care of every weather pony, she has to tell them exactly what to do and then she has to think of what they are supposed to do.

Scootaloo never went to High School, she went to the Weather School in Cloudsdale. Everypony always says it’s a school for the elite and she should feel honoured. To be exact she should feel honoured for pretty much everything, but that's not important right now! "Focus Scoot" she tells herself and flies as fast as she can to the hospital.

The pegasus lands on the cloud that leads to the hospital, she opens the door and sees doctors, nurses and small nightmares fighting. She gulps:”I need help!” she tries to get the attention.

One of the doctors looks at her, he gasps. “We’re pretty busy, the gigantic nightmare is gone, but now we have to deal with those, follow me” he wipes sweat on his forehead away and gallops to the next chamber.

Scootaloo lies Luna and Apple Bloom onto two beds. Immediately two other nurses come into the room and help the injured ponies.

The doctor sighs, his exhausting eyes wander over everything, he tries to get Apple Bloom back, but it doesn’t work apparently. He frowns:”I don’t think I can bring your friend back… but the princess will be alright” he smiles.

But Scootaloo can’t smile, she’s about to cry again. She lies her head in Apple Bloom’s hair and a few tears make her beautiful, red mane wet. The doctor hasn’t given up yet, but the orange pegasus has. She doesn’t even notice how they try to bring her back and she doesn’t even notice how Apple Bloom slowly opens her eyes.

The doctor looks through the windows. All the pegasi in Cloudsdale have left the city, but the earth ponies and unicorns that can only stand on clouds because of unicorn magic are in the claws of these creatures.

“Someone has to help them” the doctor shivers and continues helping Luna and Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo kicks one of the nightmares through the window. “I will do that!” she says rapidly and flies away. She doesn’t care about her own health, she doesn’t care how the nightmares bite and scratch her until she bleeds, she just takes each of the ponies down so that they are save. The pegasus flies back to Cloudsdale a last time, she breathes heavily and is extremely exhausted.

Apple Bloom is finally fully awake after several hours, she looks at Scootaloo and smiles:”Thank you” she says in a very rough voice.

Scootaloo can barely hear her anymore, she doesn’t realize who just spoke to her. She lies down in a bed and falls asleep.

Sleep, that’s good now, that what feels comfortable.

When the orange pegasus wakes up again, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are sitting in the beds next to her. “APPLE BLOOM!” Scootaloo shouts, she flies up and jumps on her friend. The earth pony groans, but has to giggle:”I’m glad to see you too! Thanks Scoot, you saved my life” They hug each other and then everypony pays attention to the two royal sisters who are standing away from them and stare through the window.

Luna is raising the moon, it’s beautiful how the moon slowly lightens the sky and of course the stars too, how everything gets dark and shimmers in a beautiful, silver light.

Celestia turns to the other ponies:”I have to thank you. All of you. You were able to save Equestria once again. It’s clear how strong your friendships are, not just the six spirits of the elements of harmony, but also their younger friend and even other ponies who just wanted to help, like my guards.

You and all the ponies who helped others are true heroes. I’m very proud of all of you. It will take a while until everything is normal again, but if everypony helps we can make Equestria a wonderful place again, thank you”

And that’s what they finally did, all of them worked together to rebuild all the destroyed houses and help the ponies who lost their homes. It took them several months, but after a while everything was stable again.

-

Cheering ponies can be heard all over Cloudsdale. Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies are all sitting in the arena of Cloudsdale, cheering, screaming and clapping their hooves.

Rainbow Dash rises her hoof and slowly everypony calms down:”Thank you, that all of you came today. Today we, the Wonderbolts, celebrate two things. First, that I become the new leader of the Wonderbolts and also that we welcome a new member!” she says without a microphone, but still loud enough that everypony can hear her.

Now Spitfire flies into the arena, she smiles as the ponies cheer until they calm down. “Thank you everypony. I’m the old leader of the Wonderbolts, I’m getting a little slower already and so I wanted to make Rainbow Dash the new leader!”

A little ceremony follows and now the applause is so heavy that it almost destroys your ears.

Rainbow Dash giggles, it takes a lot longer until the crowd calms down again. She snickers and starts to talk again:”Thanks! Thank you! All of you! You’re amazing, it’s like a dream come true to me and also you made it possible! I hope I’ll be a good leader of the team” she smiles and points to an entrance. “But now I want to introduce to you, the new member: Scootaloo!”

The orange pegasus flies onto the stage, rapidly. She’s a little nervous, but she tries to hide it, she can’t be nervous as a new Wonderbolt!

Rainbow Dash wraps her hoof around Scootaloo:”My dear friend here showed the absolute right characteristics of a Wonderbolt in one of the darkest hours.

She showed that she’s brave, loyal and strong! She’s fast, agile and caring! She’s not afraid of anything and would help anypony who needs her!Further is her special talent performing, she’s definitely the right pony for this job!”

Now the crowd is even louder then before. Scootaloo blushes a bit. She couldn’t be happier, working with Rainbow Dash! As a Wonderbolt! That’s also a dream come true to her, absolutely.

Rainbow Dash flies away for a few seconds and comes with Scootaloo’s old scooter back:”Come on, show us some of your skills” she smiles warmly.

Scootaloo gulps, but nods. She wraps her hooves around the scooter and begins to fly. She spins, loops and flies over the crowd, stands with one hoof on her scooter and it almost looks like she would dance and that technically what she does, she just dances.

The pegasus lies the scooter down and flies up into the sky to make figures out of the clouds. She flies upside down, in an extreme speed so that she doesn’t notice a storm cloud coming closer. She turns around, the pegasus gasps as she sees the cloud. It’s too late, even for pegasi it’s painful to crash into a thunder cloud.

The crowd gasps too, but now because she almost crashes into the cloud but because they see energy and air around her, like the aura Rainbow Dash has before the Sonic Rainboom.

Scootaloo closes her eyes and crashes into the cloud, but something else happens, she gets even faster and she can feel the powerful energy flooding around her, going through her whole body.

Scootaloo opens her eyes again. It really does looks like a Sonic Rainboom, but instead of a Rainbow it’s a glowing and yellow, with lightings striking.

She flies over the crowd and finally lands when it’s over. She breathes heavily and smiles at the crowd who is freaking out right now.

Rainbow Dash holds a medal and lies it over Scootaloo’s neck:”Congratulations, you just managed to a special move every Wonderbolt has!

I think it’s really clear now that you’re perfect for that. Welcome to the Wonderbolts Scootaloo!”

They both hug and neither Rainbow Dash not Scootaloo could be any happier right now.

After a little ceremony, a few newspapers want a photo of Scootaloo, all her friends are standing next to her too, telling her how great she is, hug and cheer for her.

She looks at her friends:”Can they be in the photo too? I would appreciate it. I couldn’t have made it without them. I love them, they’re so awesome” she smiles.

The ponies agree and the others are standing next to Scootaloo now. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly over them, Spike, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sit in front of her so that you can only see Scootaloo’s face and her medal anymore.

Pinkie Pi, Applejack, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle stand right next to her.

Apple Zappy and Apple Jam and Cheery Pie are too shy to get into the newspaper and Fluttershy thinks Autumn Blaze is too young. Cheery Pie, Apple Zappy, Apple Jam and Autumn Blaze will get their own photo anyway. They don’t know it yet, but this day they will become friends. Friends like the older ponies, their families are.

So they all stand together and make this photo.

They will all get this photo and they will keep it. It will stand in their houses, somewhere where they can see it every day. They take a little picture to remember them of their friendship.

A photo that is supposed to remember them that they have something very special, they are the best friends each one of them could ever think of.

And they’ll always be,

for the rest of their lives.