//------------------------------// // Retribution // Story: Fly Like You // by Jinzou //------------------------------// "...Dad?" That one little word was all it took to set Applejack and Rarity off. Scootaloo, not even daring to blink, slowly slunk backwards, hiding behind Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, breath coming in short, ragged bursts. No. It can't be. He was locked up! He... he can't be here now. Thunder Chaser let out a dark chuckle, carefully stepping over Rainbow Dash's unconscious form. The Diamond Dog followed him expressionlessly. "It's been a while, scamp. But you and I are about to have some fun tonig-" Thunder Chaser's monologing was cut short as a white hoof shot into the side of his jaw, jerking his head to the side. Staring down at the stallion was Rarity, fire in in her eyes. "You won't lay a filthy HOOF on her!" She screamed, before whirling around. Her horn lit up and Scootaloo found herself levitated quickly over to Applejack, who instinctively wrapped a foreleg around her. "Applejack! You need to get the fillies out of here! I can handle these ruffians until you return!" Applejack hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She quickly grabbed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle and threw them up onto her back, and took off straight for the house. What?! No! We can't leave Rainbow Dash and Rarity! He nearly killed Rainbow Dash alone last time! Neither of them will survive! I have to go help Rainbow! Scootaloo's panicked line of thinking was interrupted as another Diamond Dog jumped down from the tree in front of them, hoping to flank the ponies. Applejack reared back, ready to throw a punch, before the Diamond Dog was hit by two magically propelled apples. The first to the gut, the second to the side of the head. The Diamond Dog doubled over, vision blurring in pain, and gave off a howl like a wounded animal. "Just go! I have things covered here!" Rarity cried. Applejack took off at as close to a sprint as she could reach with only three hooves. "No!" Scootaloo shouted, eyes misting up as she struggled furiously, pounding uselessly on Applejack's hat. "I can't leave her! I need to help her! RAINBOW DASH!" Applejack tightened her grip around the struggling filly and sprinted along the orchard, doing her best to ignore the screaming and sobbing of Scootaloo as the filly kicked weakly at her ribs. Eyes burning and stomach twisting, she spotted the house, the sounds of the fight fading with the distance. Applejack threw her weight into her shoulder, slamming the door to the Apple's home and knocking it completely off its hinges. Applejack blinked hard as her eyes struggled to adjust to the much more warmly lit interior. Big Mac looked up from his chair in an expression of alarm, quickly fading to confusion as he saw Applejack holding all three Crusaders. "Big Mac, get Granny and get down to the apple cellar. The farm's under attack!" Applejack spat, before turning around and making her way out of the house. Quickly finding a door stuck in the ground, Applejack yanked it open with her mouth before stumbling down the stairs, almost losing her balance given that she was still holding Scootaloo down with one of her legs. "We can't just leave her!" Scootaloo shouted again, kicking and fighting to get free, uncontrollably sobbing and flailing her limbs around aimlessly. She can't even fight back this time! Please Celestia, I need to find her. I need to make sure she's alright! I don't care if I have to face down my dad again! I'll kick his flank! Applejack, having reached the bottom of the cellar, dropped off Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, still holding onto the sobbing and struggling form of Scootaloo. Moments later, Big Mac and Granny Smith made their way into the cellar. Applejack dropped Scootaloo and pointed at Big Mac and Applebloom. "You two, make sure nobody leaves until I come back and tell y'all the coast is clear." Applejack demanded. "I'm gonna go help Rarity." Applejack dashed out the door, slamming it shut behind her. Big Mac stood in front of the staircase, staring down at the fillies. Granny Smith hobbled around and started lighting the oil lanterns, giving some light to the room. I can't just sit here! What if he's killed Rainbow Dash? What if she's bleeding and dying like the last time they met? I can't just sit here! Scootaloo made a mad rush for the door, only to feel the back of her head strike the cold, damp ground of the cellar as Applebloom tackled her and held her down. "Scootaloo are you crazy? If you go out there you'll die!" "Get off me!" Scootaloo yelled back, unable to see through all the tears. "No, I won't. You're being crazy!" "I said get off of me!" Scootaloo shouted, her throat burning from all the yelling and choking on the damp mud-stinking air of the root cellar. "I already said I won't!" Applebloom spat. "Stop struggling so much, I ain't about to let you run out there and get yourself killed!" "Get. OFF. ME" Scootaloo screamed, rearing back her left forehoof and sending it flying into Applebloom's nose. Spurts of blood burst from Applebloom's muzzle as she reared back, crying out in pain. Scootaloo took this opportunity to push Applebloom off her and make a flying attempt at the door, just to find herself propelled backwards as Big Mac grabbed her tail in midair and grounded her. She heard Sweetie Belle gasp as Big Mac held her down with one of his legs. Scootaloo felt all the wind get knocked out of her as the back of her head once again made impact with the ground. She struggled to breathe, Big Mac's elbow crushing against her diaphragm. "Don't you dare hurt my little sister." Big Mac hissed, his muzzle inches away from Scootaloo's face. "Understand me?" Scootaloo started giving off pathetic whines in between gasps, her face starting to turn blue. "Stop! Stop it! She can't breathe!" Sweetie Belle shouted, running up to Big Mac. "Please! Let her go!" Big Mac didn't move for a moment, then released his hold on Scootaloo. Scootaloo gasped loudly and took a couple deep breaths, before crawling over to Sweetie Belle and pulling her friend into a hug, wailing and shaking into her side. Applebloom picked herself up off the floor. She felt around her bleeding muzzle for any damage aside from the blood. Her muzzle felt crooked. Upon touching the crooked portion, she let out a gasp of pain and sat down hard. Scootaloo caught it and loud out a loud sob. Please... I can't... P-please just... make it stop. I can't... Let Rainbow Dash be okay... Please? Scootaloo whined, low in her throat, and covered her face with her wings as racking sobs took her body. She curled up into a fetal position, her head between Sweetie Belle's left foreleg and hindleg. Sweetie Belle, unsure of what to do, curled up next to her friend so that Scootaloo's head was around her barrel and vice versa. Sweetie Belle placed her head on Scootaloo's barrel, hoping to soothe her friend in some regard. But Scootaloo was not soothed. Please let her be okay. I'll never ask for anything again, just please let her be okay... FWEEEEEM There was the loud sound coming from the direction Applejack ran off toward, and a second later the ground started shaking violently. And then there was silence, aside from the now gentler sounds of Scootaloo's sobbing. After a few minutes they heard the sound of somebody running toward their position. Big Mac turned around and dropped to a defensive position. They all stayed silent as the door was wrenched open, watching with wary eyes, and let out a collective sigh when Applejack trotted down the stairs. "Everybody's... alright. They're on their way to the hospital right now. Rarity got really messed up, but we all can-" Applejack stopped abruptly as she noticed Applebloom's nose gushing blood. Her vision flashed between the curled up form of Scootaloo and her sister's slightly crooked muzzle. A furious expression flashed across her face for a moment before she set her jaw and shook her head. "And clean Applebloom up first. I'll meet y'all at the hospital." Thank Celestia she's okay... but at the hospital? I need to see her! I just... The only reason everybody was attacked was because of me... He was going after me, which means... I did this... Please don't let her be hurt too badly. Scootaloo hated the hospital. The annoyingly bright rooms, the overpowering smell of antiseptic, the soft sounds of the hustling nurses. But mostly she hated all the memories she had of this place. The time Applebloom made her come here when her wings were broken. The time Rainbow Dash almost died. "She's ready to see you now." Nurse Redheart breathed, large dark bags under her eyes. The Crusaders and Applejack entered Rarity's room. Big Mac and Granny would have come too, but Nurse Redheart didn't want Rarity being crowded, especially considering she was a little loopy on painkillers at the moment. "Rarity!" Sweetie Belle cried upon seeing her sister, running over to the bed and hopping on. "Are you okay?!" Rarity was covered in various bandages covering numerous scratches and bruises. She had the area from the middle part of her barrel on her right side over to her shoulder wrapped in bandages, and her left hind leg was wrapped in a cast. Rarity shot her sister with a woozy look, tilting her head sideways to get a better look at the filly. "Swwweetie Belle." Rarity slurred, holding her hooves out gingerly. Sweetie Belle lept into the embrace of her sister. She's this way because of me... I hurt all these ponies... "Oh my stars." Applebloom gasped. "What happened to her?" "I don't know completely." Applejack sighed. "But I do know she got an open fracture on that hind leg, and those bandages are covering some long nasty cuts from those Diamond Dog claws." I'm so so sorry Rarity... But where's Rainbow Dash?! Scootaloo whirled around, fixing her gaze on Nurse Redheart. She opened her mouth to ask the question, but noticing the look on the filly's face, Redheart answered it for her. "Miss Rainbow Dash is stable, but we're not letting ponies see her right now." "Wha- what? You have to let me see her! I'm her daughter!" Scootaloo protested. "Orders are orders, Miss Scootaloo. I'm sorry." Redheart answered. Why won't they let me see her? What went wrong?! "But you said she was stable!" Scootaloo cried. "What's wrong with her?" Redheart refused to meet Scootaloo's gaze. "Actually, she may still be getting attention. I'm not the nurse working with her right now." Working with her now? But the fight ended like two hours ago! How badly messed up is she?! Scootaloo's heart sank, turning around to try and seek comfort from her friends, she saw Applejack inspecting Applebloom's crooked muzzle, a furious expression on her face. Applejack's eyes slowly met Scootaloo's. "Now YOU." Applejack spat with barely contained venom, getting up in Scootaloo's face. Scootaloo shrunk into the floor with a yelp. "I'm not saying I don't understand why you did it, and I'm not saying I wouldn't do the same thing for my own family..." Applejack punctuated her words with several forceful hoof jabs into Scootaloo's shoulder. Scootaloo covered her head with her hooves and started whimpering. "I'll forgive that this once cuz yer upset, but don't you DARE hurt my sister again. Got it?" Scootaloo made a pathetic squeak and started quietly crying, shivering like a leaf. "Applejack, back off!" Applebloom yelled, taking a defensive position between Scootaloo and Applejack. "Can't you see what you're doing to her?" Applejack snorted angrily, eyes flickering between the crying, shaking filly and her sister, before pushing past the fillies and marching through the door, shoving her way past the affronted looking nurse, who looked quickly between the fillies and Applejack, then elected to follow Applejack and attempted to calm her down. Not even daring to look up, Scootaloo crawled into the corner of the room, whimpering and shaking. "I-I'm so s-s-sorry!" She wailed to nobody in particular. "P-please! I-I'm s-sorry!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle shared unsure glances with each other. Applebloom frowned and softly padded over to her friend. She gently put a hoof on her friend's shoulder, who replied by letting out a sharp gasp, as if struck, and trying to make herself even smaller, shaking even more ferociously. Applebloom looked over at Sweetie Belle again, who had jumped off the bed and was standing next to her. "What do we do?" Applebloom mouthed. Sweetie Belle looked between her two friends and shrugged. "Come on Scoots, I'm not mad at you. Promise." Applebloom whispered, attempting to pick her up and give her a hug. Upon feeling two hooves try and make their way around her shoulders, Scootaloo let out a panicked shout and started flailing. "N-no!" She yelled. With one more confused glance at Sweetie Belle, Applebloom decided to continue. She gently scooped Scootaloo up and embraced her, joined on Scootaloo's other side by Sweetie Belle. After a moment Scootaloo stopped flailing and gingerly returned Applebloom's hug, sobbing into her neck. Meanwhile, in another room in the hospital, a rainbow maned mare woke up.