Scootaloo and her friends were sat next to a lake with water dripping from the wet manes, grumbling about their recent failure to get their cutie marks. They had tried being stunt ponies with disastrous results, instead of perfecting daring stunts, they ended up crashing into a lake.
They were in the process of drying themselves off when all of a sudden they heard a massive roar. Looking up they saw a large, green dragon that had a striking resemblance to Spike. “Girls, I think we should get out of here,” Sweetie exclaimed as the dragon suddenly got a greedy look a is it laid eyes on Scootaloo's scooter.
Suddenly the massive beast that towered over the small town, dived for the trio. “RUN!” Scootaloo's shouted, the ground shaking as the monster gave chase.
“You leave my sister alone, you brute!” they heard a voice shout, Sweetie skidded to a stop and whipped around to see her sister, Rarity trapped in the dragon’s claws.
“RARITY!” she screamed, instead of continuing to flee she decided to turn around and bravely confronted the creature.
“Leave my sister alone, you big meanie!” she commanded, however, this only angered the dragon as steam started to erupt from its nose.
Apple Bloom started tugging on Sweetie, yelling “Come on, we've gotta go - AAAAGH!” they both started to scream as a pillar of emerald green fire was shot in their direction.
Time seemed to slow as Scootaloo rushed to the cowering duo and she pushed them out of the way. For Scootaloo, her entire body felt like it was burning as the fire hit her. She screamed in pain as the dragon stopped its barrage leaving the filly, in flames. “SCOOTALOO!” Rarity and the two fillies screamed as they could do nothing but watch the small pegasus writhe all over the floor in pain.
Suddenly the rest of the main six arrived and were horrified at what they were watching, Rainbow Dash quickly snapped into action and grabbed the nearest rain cloud and started pumping all of the water onto the flaming filly. Putting the fire out revealing a blackened mess. Twilight watched with shock as the dragon merely snatched the Scooter and started running for the mountain, as three pegasi started to pursue the dragon.
“TWILIGHT! You've gotta help her.” Rainbow shouted, tears beginning to stream down her face.
This snapped her out of her reverie, and she quickly ran over to the still-filly. She knelt down and sighed in relief as she heard faint breathing, “She’s alive but barely, we need to get her to the hospital.”
Rainbow nodded and quickly whisked Scootaloo onto her back and flew, the fastest she had ever gone, creating a sonic rainboom in the process, normally she would've been ecstatic at performing such a feat however she was too focused on flying to the hospital, to care.
When she arrived she rushed through the main entrance and screamed for help, two doctors quickly rushed to the pair and placed the filly onto a gurney, Nurse Redheart looked down at the filly in concern before wheeling her into the emergency room.
***
Twilight could only watch in horror as her beloved assistant defeated the three wonderbolts, she was extremely worried about Scootaloo as well as what would happen to Spike after this was all over.
Spike and Rarity climbed higher up the mountain, where they came across a small cave, located near the peak, Spike taking the opportunity emptied his water tower full of stolen loot into the cave before turning it around against the chasing Wonderbolt, who ended up crashing into the empty tower, he then trapped them against the mountainside.
“How could you attack three helpless fillies, because of you, one of them, my sister’s best friend could be dead all because you are a greedy beast, you should be ashamed of yourself.” Rarity yelled angrily at Spike, who started to get a guilty look on his face.
Suddenly his eyes became less menacing and he started to shrink in size before he was back to his normal size. “Spike you’re the rampaging dragon!” she shouted but before he could answer, they began to plummet to the ground.
Rarity began to scream but Spike remained quiet, he felt that he deserved it. “I’m so sorry.” he whispered to nopony in particular, he just closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable end, however he felt his descent get slower and slower before the feeling of grass touching his claws. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see that he and Rarity were safely back in the ground again.
Twilight quickly rushed into hug him however Spike pushed her away, “Spike?” Twilight said quietly, concerned for the young drake.
“I don't deserve it, I'm dangerous Twilight, I killed poor Scootaloo. I'm a monster,” he said looking towards his feet.
“It was an accident you weren't yourself,” Twilight told him. She then added, “Anyway, Scootaloo’s alive.”
Rarity, who didn't know what to think asked “Where is she and where is my sister?”
“Scootaloo is at the hospital and Sweetie Belle is with AppleJack, they're down in the town square, helping other ponies out” she explained.
Rarity gave one last look of confusion to Spike before running off to find her sister. “What's going to happen now?” Spike asked nervously.
“Honestly Spike, I don't know but we need to send a letter to Princess Celestia” she told him.
Suddenly a regal voice interrupted their conversation, “There is no need, Twilight I am already here.”
Twilight gasped before bowing down to the monarch of the land, “Princess Celestia, how did you know?”
“I received a distress call from Mayor Mare regarding a dragon attack, initially I didn't believe it was young Spike, so I immediately deployed the Wonderbolts, however, I could see through my telescope that was not the case so I quickly rushed down here myself,” Celestia explained.
Twilight then reluctantly asked, “What's going to happen now?”
Celestia sighed “Under normal circumstances, the dragon would be deported back to the dragon lands however because this is Spike that we are talking about then we will have no choice but to keep it hidden.”
Twilight gasped “Are you saying that we should cover it up.”
Celestia nodded “Yes otherwise ponies may call for Spike to be banished.”
Twilight remained silent, and while she didn't like the idea of a cover-up, she also couldn't bear to lose the young dragon, whom she had treated like a son to her. “Fine, but how, a lot of ponies saw it?” she asked.
“The main problem is Scootaloo if she survives then she may tell everypony but if she dies then she can't tell anypony.”
Twilight didn't like how this conversation was going “Your not suggesting that we should kill her.” she whispered, sharply.
“That would be the easy solution but money can easily persuade the most stubborn of ponies.”
Twilight released a sigh of relief before Celestia told her “Right now, head to the hospital and see what her condition is after that send me a letter.”
Twilight nodded before they both parted ways.
The main six and the rest of the cutie mark crusaders were all waiting in the hospital waiting room. The two crusaders were sat together, hugging each other, while Rainbow Dash paced up and down across the room. Everypony else was staring into the distance, not saying anything, each occupied with their own thoughts. Twilight hadn't told them about Celestia’s plan and was worried about how they would react once they heard it. Every time she passed the young drake, Rainbow Dash glared at him, as he sat gazing towards the floor, keeping himself distant from the others.
Suddenly Nurse Red Heart walked over to them with a grave look on her face. Sighing she explained to the group, “Scootaloo has suffered with extensive injuries, her body is covered with third-degree burns, and her vocal chords were damaged, which means that she may be mute if not temporarily then permanently. Her eyes were severely damaged with her retinas being melted, which means that she is permanently blind in both eyes. The tissue that makes up her wings is burnt beyond repair, during surgery, we were, we were forced to amputate both of them. She is unable to breathe on her own without the help of a ventilator, I am sorry to say that she is in a coma.”
Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she was hearing as her she fell to the floor in disbelief. Shaking her head in denial and tears slowly pouring out of her usually tough shell. Twilight asked, “Are we able to see her?”
The nurse nodded and lead the way to the Intensive Care Unit, upon entering the room, their heart broke as they saw Scootaloo lying in a hospital bed, most of her body covered in bandages, including her eyes, she had a tube going down her throat. Any remaining fur looked blackened with patches missing, revealing the scarred, red skin below. Spike couldn't handle seeing what he had done to poor Scootaloo and ran out of the hospital room. Twilight shouted after him “SPIKE!”
Just as she was about to run after, she felt a hoof on her shoulder and Applejack said quietly, “Let him go, sugercube.”
Rainbow Dash had to hold onto the bed to stop herself from collapsing again. She then tearfully asked “Will she wake up?”
Nurse Red Heart looked uncomfortable as she answered uncertainly “We don't know, it is too early to say.”
The two Crusaders looked down at their friend with sadness, Sweetie Belle walked over to the bed and whispered, “Please wake up, Scootaloo.”
Apple Bloom then spoke up “Scootaloo you gotta wake up, we've got so much crusading to do.”
They burst into tears as Scootaloo made no sign that she had heard them, the older mares in the room, felt helpless as both Applejack and Rarity attempted to calm them down but to no avail, eventually, they decided to take the two heartbroken fillies home.
Twilight also excused herself to write the letter to Celestia as well as to find Spike. The others followed suit while Rainbow stayed, clutching Scootaloo’s hoof, she vowed to stay with her until she woke up.
***
Twilight rushed around in search of Spike, she spotted him sitting on a bridge, staring over the edge into the streaming river below.
“Spike?” Twilight called out uncertainly.
Spike sniffled, “I can't stay here. Everywhere I look ponies glare at me and poor Scootaloo, she may never wake up and it's all my fault.” Tears dropping into the blue water below, making tiny little splashes.
“Spike we have a plan okay. You won't need to go anywhere.” Twilight reassured him but this had little effect.
“It's no use Twi, everypony hates me, did you not see the way, Rainbow Dash looked at me.”
“She’ll come around and so will everypony else, you've just got to keep your head down and stay out of trouble.” Twilight told him, unconvinced herself.
Spike merely nodded and Twilight added, “Scootaloo will forgive you, I am sure of it. Besides I need to send a letter to Celestia.”
They arrived back at the library and Twilight got straight to work, writing the letter. In the letter she had described, Scootaloo's injuries as well as her current condition, she had also written about how she was worried about Spike’s mental health. Giving the letter to Spike he sent it off with his magical flame and they both watched it soar off to Canterlot.
***
Celestia was sat in her private chamber, reading the damage reports, sent by Mayor Mare of Ponyville, when all of a sudden a green flame shot into the room before dissolving into a letter. Celestia knew instantly that it had been sent by her student, Twilight Sparkle. Upon reading the letter she frowned. Taking a quill, she wrote a reply saying “Stay away from the hospital, I have a plan.”
She refrained from saying what the plan was knowing full well the Twilight would not support it. She then leapt of her balcony and flew towards a menacing-looking tower. This was the headquarters of the Royal Intelligence Agency.
When she entered the tower, she walked into a lift and pressed the button for the top floor. The lift dinged as it arrived at its destination, Celestia exited the lift and read the floor sign: Shadow Operations.
She entered a circular room that had a large map positioned in the centre. Sat around the table were several pegasi and unicorns, all wearing the same uniform, the pegasus wore Shadowbolt flight suits, while the unicorns wore the standard uniform of the night guard.
Celestia trotted over to a specific pegasus and said “I have a job for you.”
The pegasus, knew all to well what a job was and merely asked, “whose the target and how do you want it done…”
***
Applejack and Rarity thought that it would be better if the two Crusaders had a sleepover together so that they could keep their minds off Scootaloo. The two mares had also decided to join in on the sleepover to keep their spirits high and were sat in a makeshift pillow fort in Carousel Boutique. Rarity had begrudgingly allowed them to use the Boutique as the location for the sleepover, something that she was beginning to regret.
They had just finished reading a bedtime story when Apple Bloom asked “What will happen if Scootaloo doesn't wake up?”
This made Applejack look towards Rarity with a worried expression, swallowing she said “Do you remember, what happened to Momma and Papa?”
Apple Bloom nodded, and Applejack continued “Well we will do the exact same thing that we did with Momma and Papa but this time it will be about Scootaloo.”
Applejack instantly regretted saying that as Apple Bloom asked tearfully “Are you saying that she’s going to die?”
“No no, of course not, ahm just saying that it is a possibility, but don't worry Scootaloo’s a fighter, she’ll wake up.” she tried to reassure her upset sister.
“I don't want her to die.” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
Rarity hugged to unicorn filly and said “I don't want her to die too but there is nothing to worry about, she will survive this, I know she will.” Rarity didn't look too convinced, herself.
Suddenly Sweetie Belle blurted out “I love her. I was going to tell her later but then she got hurt.”
Rarity was speechless so instead she pulled her closer into the hug, which was soon joined by Applejack and Apple Bloom.
***
Meanwhile an unknown pegasus wearing a skin-tight, black suit was stood outside the Ponyville General Hospital…
