Injured and Alone
By Game-BeatX14
The Cutie Mark Crusaders hammered away with a variety of handheld tools, piecing together Scootaloo’s planned creation. It was starting to resemble the double sided ramp she envisioned, and it made her glow with pride. Thoughts of the stunts she could pull here flooded her eager mind.
“Thank you girls so much for helping to build this. It would have taken me days to get it done by myself!”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for right?” Applebloom chimed.
“Yeah, sure...” Sweetie grunted.
Scootaloo noticed her discontentment and shifted focus from working. “You okay, Sweets?”
“Yeah, totally...”
“Don’t be such a grumpy lump. If something’s wrong just tell me.”
“You’re what’s wrong Scootaloo. You’ve kept us out here all day without any breaks. I really wanted to help, but this is getting ridiculous. It’s getting late in the afternoon and we started at what, 7:00 A.M?”
“I know, but I wanted to get this done today. There’s only a few boards left to mount and it’ll be finished.”
“Scoots, I can’t do it anymore! I’m thirsty, I’m tired... This is absurd!” Sweetie dropped her hammer, and glared at her, drenched in sweat under the burning summer heat.
“Same here! We’re you’re friends, not slave labor for your own projects!” Applebloom set down her own tools.
“Since when did you guys become such babies? It’s just a few hours of hard work. We’ll be done in like ten more minutes!”
“You know what, finish it yourself!” Sweetie Belle turned and stomped away across the field, mumbling under her breath.
Scootaloo stomped hammering and sighed. “Applebloom, I’m sorry. It’s just so frustrating, being so close and having things get in the way. Can you go after Sweetie Belle and tell her I apologized?”
“Why can’t you do that yourself?”
“I will later when I go back. But right now, I’ve got some stunts to do!” She finished pounding the final board into place at the crux of the ramp.
“Ta-da!” She waved her arms at the now completed skateboard ramps, or in this particular case, her own giant scooter stunt ramp.
Applebloom was impressed, but a worried expression creeped over her face. “Scoots, you sure you’ll be ok? Those are some pretty big ramps to be flying around on by yourself.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be totally fine. I won’t mess up.”
“Yeah, but isn’t that what everypony thinks before accidents happen? Shouldn’t one of us at least stay here in case something bad happens?”
“Pfffftttt. Other ponies haven’t been riding scooters like I have. If you want to head back to the clubhouse you can go now, I’ll probably be out here for a while. Maybe an hour or so. Wouldn’t want to keep you hostage out in the sun for any longer.”
“Yeah, but still...”
“Applebloom, would you stop being such a killjoy? You’re ruining the mood here. Gotta get pumped for these stunts, you get me?”
Applebloom cringed. “Oh, forget it!” She turned and trotted away too, picking up the pace in order to catch up with Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo hopped on her scooter board and raced to the far edge of the main ramp, flapping her tiny wings for propulsion and making a wide turn to get her speed up. She came back around and flew up the midpoint of the ramp. The first jump was successful, and she landed back down without a problem.
“Wooohooooo! Yeaahh!”
She continued for nearly ten minutes straight, flying up the ramps and flapping her wings for extra jump height. Each stunt and successful landing gave her confidence that this might just be her special talent. The skill to become Ponyville’s best known scooter stunter!
It was hard to see from the intense sunlight, and her vision became a little hazy from dehydration, but it didn’t matter to her.
“No... A real stunt pony can do it even in the harshest of conditions.”
Scootaloo sped down the ramp, accelerating rapidly and preparing for the next jump. She roared up the opposite side and flew high into the air, spinning her body rapidly in a twister-like motion.
“Woohooooo! Yeah, this is so aweso- WOAH, crap!” The handlebar post came loose and lifted out of the scooter, and the bottom half flew sideways out from underneath her.
“GAAAAAHHHH, HELP!”
She spun and flailed her limbs, trying to brace herself for landing, but she couldn’t remember how to do it properly. A throbbing heat headache combined with the overwhelming adrenaline prevented her from curling into a ball like she was supposed to.
THUMP. Scootaloo smashed chest first into the edge of the ramp, knocking the wind out of her and nearly breaking a rib from the impact. She flew backwards and crashed onto the incline, tumbling head over hooves and crunching her limbs against the hard surface. The world spun around her, and her head throbbed. It happened so fast; she finally came to a stop at the bottom, wracked and bruised, bleeding in several spots.
“AAHGGGGG! OW!”
She tried to straighten herself up, and her whole body ignited in a storm of searing pain.
“AAAAH, my legs! I think something’s broken!”
Truthfully, she couldn’t tell which leg, or if it was her legs at all. Everything burned, she couldn’t move a muscle. It was hard to breath; she began to worry if any ribs had fractured. A wound on her side was oozing blood down her coat. On top of that, the daunting realization that she was alone hit her with the force of a train.
“HELLO? IS ANYBODY OUT HERE?! SOMEBODY HELP, I’M HURT REALLY BAD!”
Her voice echoed across the empty field.
“APPLEBLOOM?! SWEETIE BELLE?!”
There was no response; the ramp site was nearly a quarter mile out from the edges of Ponyville.
“Oh no, what have I done? STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, why didn’t I listen to Applebloom!? Ugggh, they know where I am. They’ll have to come get me at some point. I just hope they come soon...”
The sun faded and the sky went overcast; dark grey thunderclouds were beginning to roll in from the east. She could swear the sky had been clear just a few minutes ago, but then again, she hadn’t been paying much attention to anything else during her stunt session.
“HEY, WEATHER PEGASI! ANYBODY UP THERE?”
She could see a few ponies zooming around in the clouds, pushing them forward. To her dismay, they were too far up to hear her.
“Aw man, please don’t tell me I’m going to be stuck out here in a storm. I hate thunder...”
CRRACCK-BOOOM!
The sudden noise made her flinch, and it felt as though a rib nearly poked into her lung.
“Applebloom? Sweetie Belle? Any time now. Please?”
CCCCCRAKAKAKBOOOM!
She instinctually tried to cover her ears, but was only met with more burning pain and arms that wouldn’t budge.
“No, please, not right now... Stupid storm...”
A bolt of lightning struck one of the tall trees a few hundred feet away, making her heart skip a beat. Suddenly, the rain started coming down, a slow pitter patter that escalated into a full downpour in the span of seconds.
“Sweetie Belle, I think we should go get Scootaloo. That storm is looking pretty bad over there.”
“Nah, I’m sure she sees it and is already on her way back to the clubhouse right now.”
“But it’s going to be here in a few minutes, she might get stuck out there.” Her voice was shaky and concerned.
“Relax, Applebloom. It’s just rain, it’s not going to kill her.”
CRACKBOOOOOOOOOM
“Sweetie, this is crazy; I’m going out there and making sure she’s ok.”
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit? I’m sure she can manage herself.”
CRRRRRRRRRACKBOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM. The close range thunder rattled the clubhouse.
“You know what, forget you. I’m going to go get her.”
She threw open the door, climbed down the ladder and darted off towards the field and ramps again.
“Wait up, I’m coming with you!” Sweetie yelled, quickly changing her mind.
“Well you better get down here fast, the wind is really starting to pick up!”
The trees were now blowing in the heavy breeze, and the skies were turning eerily dark. Leaving the safety of the clubhouse behind, Sweetie Belle closed the door behind her and hustled down the ladder.
“Quick, Sweetie! Before the rain starts coming down!”
“Geez, I’m hurrying!”
She quickly caught up to Applebloom, and the pair trotted off towards the field outside town.
Scootaloo nearly wanted to cry. She lay freezing and miserable in a small puddle of her own blood, the rain pounding at her back and face. Normally she loved the rain, but the unrelenting barrage and overwhelming sound of water pounding on the ramp around her was anything but comforting. The sky lit up yellow and loud thunder crackled endlessly. She silently prayed to Celestia that lightning wouldn’t strike her. At least she was low to the ground, so that helped ease the worry a bit.
THWACK.
“What the?”
It was a hailstone, and it had landed just inches from her face.
“Oh please, no. Please please pleaseeeee tell me this isn’t happeni-”
Clinck. Click clack. Twhink crack thwack.
Hailstones roughly the size of golf balls started to pelt the surrounding area. Unable to shelter her head with her arms, Scootaloo simply pressed her face into the ground, crying, hoping the stones wouldn’t land on her small body.
WHAM.
“AGH!”
A large stone smashed into her back, making her whole body shudder in pain. Another one crashed on her head, leaving her feeling dizzy.
“Aawwgh, that hurt-”
WHAP.
A particularly large hailstone smashed into her ear, crunching it underneath. The smacking of stones and droning pour of rain became muffled.
Come on Scootaloo, it’ll be over soon. Just gotta keep yourself together until the storm passes.
WHAM. Another one slammed into her neck. She couldn’t ignore the hail any longer. Scootaloo scanned her surroundings, trying to find some way to cover herself before setting sights on the broken scooter just a few yards away. The main board was still intact with the wheels attached.
This is going to hurt, but not as much as this hail.
Scootaloo gathered her breath and dragged herself forward with all the strength she could muster. Her arms seared in pain, but they were still movable enough. Each second became more stressful, as a single stone could end all hope in a split second.
Just a few feet. Come on. It’ll be over soon.
A hailstone smashed into the ground next to her head and splintered ice scratched her face. Scootaloo instinctively closed her eyelids, trying to shut out the icy shrapnel. Before long she reached the wooden board, and pushed her head underneath, trying to cover as much of her head as possible. Just as she was safe, a stone dropped on the board and bounced off, rattling her head underneath from the sudden impact. The scooter proved strong enough to shield her.
Several more stones battered legs and back fiercely; the pain was becoming unbearable. She couldn’t see her back, but the deep gashes being torn into her skin from the sharp ice were apparent from the stinging alone. A few of the stones rolling down her side and near her face were bloodstained, turned a dull red from the blood sticking to them.
The two young ponies dashed through the cover of dense trees up on the hill, exiting out near the clearing.
“Applebloom, over there! I can see her!” Sweetie’s voice cracked.
Applebloom darted out from under the tree, and saw that Sweetie was right. Scootaloo’s small, unmoving orange body was visible on the ramp below. The spot around her was stained dark, and her scooter lay atop her head. A small pond sat collecting water at the base of the hill between them.
“Come on, we gotta get there fast! Sweetie, are you any good with magic yet?”
“Not really...”
“Well Scootaloo needs us right now! Try casting a spell over our heads to shield us from the hail. It shouldn’t take too much, right?”
“Applebloom, I don’t think I could hold it long enough to get over ther-”
“JUST DO IT! I don’t care how long it lasts, we just need to run a few hundred feet without getting out heads clobbered. You’re a unicorn for pete’s sake, make it work!”
Applebloom darted from under the shelter of thick branches and bolted down the hill. Sweetie had no choice but to follow, and cast a convex shield spell to deflect the onslaught of stones. The magic shield flickered horribly, but it was ample enough for the stones to rebound off. Sweetie heaved and panted; trying to run while maintaining the spell was physically draining.
“I can’t hold it much longer!”
“Well you don’t have a choice, unless you want us to get seriously hurt!”
“Applebloom, I’m sorry but I can’t... hold... Gahhh!” The spell fizzled out, leaving them with another several hundred feet to run. They approached the small body of water separating them from their destination. It was elongated, which turned it into a major obstacle.
Applebloom had to yell to be heard over the pounding rain, hail and thunder. “It’ll be faster if we swim across the pond! Going around will take too long!”
“APPLEBLOOOOM! SWEETIE BELLE! HELP!” Scootaloo yelled from a few hundred feet away, finally noticing her friends approaching.
“AGGH!” A hailstone cracked Sweetie’s head, and she tumbled to the ground, nearly paralyzed from the impact.
Applebloom’s blood pressure rose, and she started to panic in confusion. Everything was happening too fast to process. She had no idea which friend she should help first; a stone to the head could leave her unconscious at any moment.
Come on Applebloom, relax. You can do this.
She turned around and heaved Sweetie Belle up onto her shoulders, carrying her on her back the long way around the pond and towards the skate ramp. She couldn’t swim, not with that much weight to carry. The threat of both of them drowning was enough to keep her from attempting the shortcut. She finally trudged around the edge of the water and picked up the pace for the final stretch.
Only fifty more feet. Come on!
Miraculously, none of the pelting stones hit her head, though a few pounded her shoulders. Sweetie Belle’s limp body shielded her back. It made her feel guilty, but there was nothing else she could do. There was no shelter nearby to leave her. She finally trudged up to Scootaloo, and immediately threw her chest over her vulnerable body to protect her.
“Applebloom, what happened to Sweetie Belle!?”
“She got hit, I’ll explain later. Just hold tight!”
She slumped Sweetie’s body on top of Scootaloo and nestled herself over the both of them, throwing her hooves around their bodies. Applebloom raised the scooter up higher and did her best to keep their heads underneath.
The wind was roaring around the trio, battering them with dust, twigs and leaves. Applebloom had never felt more scared and vulnerable in her life, but she couldn’t fathom the idea of leaving them to be pummeled or even killed by chunks of ice falling at terminal velocity.
Sweetie Belle stirred underneath her. “Ugggggh, what happened?” Her voice was dreary and low, muffled by the howling wind.
“You got hit on the head, stay put now! Don’t worry about me!”
Hail pelted the scooter board. More icy stones slammed into Applebloom’s legs, and despite the pain, she knew that any injuries to her extremities could be patched up later. What mattered was keeping herself and her friends from being conked out by a stray stone.
Finally, the hail ceased falling. The rain and thunder still pounded in their ears, but they felt a sense of relief that they were out of immediate danger. Applebloom set the board down next to them and let the rain wash over her aching muscles. The two ponies underneath her felt a sense of comfort and warmth from Applebloom’s body.
They sat in the pounding rain for what felt like an eternity, until the storm finally relented, leaving them alone under the overcast afternoon sky.
Applebloom stood up. “You okay girls?”
“Yeah, I guess I’m ok.” Sweetie rubbed a hoof to her head. She seemed dazed, but slowly coming to her senses.
“Nooooo...” Scootaloo moaned.
“What hurts the most? We’re going to get you back to the clubhouse and patch you up.”
“Everything... My legs are broken for sure, and the rest of me stings horribly.”
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle’s horn lit up, and a small tendril of magic wrapped around Scootaloo’s battered form.
“Sweetie, now’s not the time for magic healing practice!”
“Relax; it’s the one spell Rarity taught me how to do in case of an emergency. Not sure if I can finish it all the way through but it’s worth a shot.”
Sweetie crouched forward, putting forth all her effort to heal her friend to the best of her abilities. Scootaloo moaned in contentment; the spell seemed to be slowly erasing the pain from her joints and her legs became somewhat moveable again. Her cuts sealed enough to stop any bleeding, but the bruises remained. Sweetie’s horn died down as she reached magical exhaustion.
“There. You should be well enough to move, just don’t put too much pressure on anything until we can get you proper care.”
Appleblom was in shock. “Sweetie, you could barely hold that shield spell before, how did you-”
“I’m starting to learn a bit more control over my magic with all the practice lately, but it only works when I’m relaxed. Too much stress makes it hard to concentrate. Besides, Scootaloo was in horrible pain. What better time than this to put my limited magic to use?”
Scootaloo managed to stand up on all fours, wincing from lingering injuries, but well enough to support her own weight. “Thanks, Sweetie Belle. That really helped, but what I really need right now is some water. Aaugh, I haven’t had anything to drink in hours...”
“Come on girls, let’s get going then!” Applebloom encouraged.
They paused as thunder rumbled in the distance; the storm lingered around them.
“Yeah, I’m all for that idea. Wouldn’t want to get struck by lightning.” Sweetie added.
The three ponies trotted back to the clubhouse slowly, matching pace with Scootaloo and helping her maintain balance when she needed it. The exhausted filly limped and groaned as she trudged along, but she was happy knowing her friends had pulled through for her.
The trio sat comfortably back at the safety of the clubhouse. Scootaloo was sitting peacefully in her favorite chair and drinking tons of water to make up for lost fluids. Applebloom glared in frustration at her friend, waiting anxiously to speak her mind.
“I’m glad you’re ok Scootaloo, but what you did today was totally stupid.”
“Hey, it’s your fault for listening to me when I told you to leave.”
“You know, at some point you have to start taking responsibility for your own safety, it shouldn’t be my job to make sure you don’t kill yourself.”
“But isn’t that what friends are for? Looking out for each other and being there for them when they make huge mistakes?”
Sweetie Belle spoke up. “She does have a point, Applebloom...”
“No, she doesn’t! Friends look out for each other because they love each other, but it’s not my job to babysit you.”
“I didn’t ask you to babysit me. Besides, I need to take as many risks as possible otherwise I might never discover my talent.”
“No Scootaloo, you’re missing the point. Taking risks is all fine and dandy, but why take unnecessary risks? You could have just waited until tomorrow, then we would have stayed out there with you in case of a wipeout and this whole mess could have been avoided.”
“Applebloom, you’ve been complaining since we got back. I almost died today and all you care about is making sure I learned my stupid lesson!”
“Because... cause...” Her ears drooped, and she sighed, contemplating how to get through to her.
“Exactly Scootaloo... You almost died today, and I don’t want that to ever happen again. I would never forgive myself if I let you make the same mistake twice and you ended up gone for good...”
Applebloom started sniffling. “Don’t you get it? I DO care about you, Scoots. I care about you as much as my sister Applejack. You’re one of my only friends, and after today, well... I realized just how fast you could be taken away, all over a stupid decision...”
Scootaloo gazed in silence, finally reaching a feeling of sympathy for her.
“I’m sorry Applebloom...”
“And I’m sorry too for leaving you alone.”
“No, you’re right. I acted like a total jerkwad today and I don’t blame you for leaving.”
Applebloom smiled at her friend’s admittance to her errors.
“I promise not to do anything stupid or dangerous again. Or, at least without you watching.”
Applebloom snickered. “I wish we could believe that first part.”
“Okay, so maybe I’m being sappy here. Still gotta get my cutie mark somehow, right?”
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom sighed in frustration.
“No seriously, can we all go down there tomorrow? I was so close to nailing that stunt. Just a few more tries and it’ll be perfect. I’ll have my cutie mark in daredevil stunts in no time!”
“Ah think we should wait just a bit before you go at it again, buddy. Maybe we could try something a bit safer? Please?”
“Uggggggghhh, fine...”
Sweetie Belle interjected. “Hey! I know what we could do! Rarity says she has some dresses that need to be finished, maybe we could learn how to-”
“Nope!”
“Come on, Scoots! We spent all day working on your ramps, the least you can do is-”
“Lalalalalalalalalalalala, I can’t hear you!”
“Bah, whatever! I’m just happy you’re ok you stubborn dope.”
Sweetie hugged Scootaloo, and Applebloom joined in the embrace. Scootaloo smiled, but her thoughts still raced.
“Hey I know! How about we make your sister’s dresses, on skateboards, while doing stunts? We could get like, super double cutie marks of awesomeness!”
“I don’t think that’s possible, Scoots...”
“Hey, remember when Sweetie burned that juice? I didn’t think that was possible either. Let’s go!”
She poised to run out the door, and suddenly yawned.
“But first, a nice long nap.”
Scootaloo passed out on the floor, sleeping soundly in a matter of seconds. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle joined in, cuddling together and resting on the warm carpet in the middle of the clubhouse. A light, peaceful rain kicked in, easing the remaining two off to sleep.