"Doctor, I think the patient is fainally waking," Scootaloo heard as she began to stir from her sleep.
Patient? Where was she? The last thing she remembered was going unconscious while falling trying to revert Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo jerked up right, causing a wave of pain to rush through her body.
"Easy now," a nurse said, "You will probably be sore for a couple of days, you just went through a major surgery."
Scootaloo rubbed her side, feeling the gauze and surgical tape.
"I do have some bad news though," the nurse continued, "due to serious injuries to your spine you have lost all feeling in your wings, you may never fly again."
"I couldn't fly that well anyways," Scootaloo said with a weak chuckle. Although, she was kind of sad. She had really hoped that with age she would eventually fly as well as Rainbow Dash, at least she got to fly once in her life.
The nurse smiled, "I'm glad to see you have such a positive outlook on all this, keep thinking that way and you'll be better in no time."
The nurse turned to walk out the door but Scootaloo stopped her.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know how I got here?" Scootaloo asked.
"You're no bother at all, and I believe a bright blue pegasus with a rainbow mane brought you here," she answered, "good thing she got you here when she did, you were barely hanging on when you arrived."
"Yes! It worked," Scootaloo thought, "not being able to fly is well worth Rainbow being back to her old self again."
"That's Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "Do you know it she is till here?"
The nurse was just about to answer when a police officer walked into the room with a doctor.
"See, I told you she was awake," the doctor said to the officer, then grabbing Scootaloos medical chart and leaving the room.
"I heard you asking for Rainbow Dash," the officer stated, sitting in a chair next to Scootaloos bed, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What!? What's wrong?! Is Rainbow okay?!" Scootaloo exclaimed jerking upright once more, sending another wave of pain down her side.
The nurse gently laid her back against the pillow and the officer continued.
"She's fine," the officer said, "but she has been arrested for the destruction of Ponyville."
Scootaloos heart sank, she couldn't believe it.
"But, before she was arrested, she wanted me to tell you that she was sorry for all the pain she brought to you and that she would have been here by your side if she could," the officer said placing his hoof on Scootaloos.
What he told her comforted her a little. She knew Rainbow Dash was sorry and she knew Rainbow wouldn't have left her side for one moment. Scootaloo was overcome with joy, so much so she began to cry.
The officer patted her hoof once more and got up to leave, "If you're feeling up to it, her trial is going to be held this afternoon, if you would wish to attend I could come by this afternoon around one o'clock to pick you up."
Scootaloo thought about this a moment. She didn't know if she could bear to watch Rainbow Dash get locked away, but if Rainbow saw that she was okay it might brighten up her spirits. Scootaloo nodded to the officer and he smiled and walked out of the hospital room. Scootaloo closed her eyes and began to think of how she saved Rainbow Dash. She smiled and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Scootaloo slowly walked through the doors of the Canterlot court house not only because short pings of pain went up her side with every stepped she took, but also because she was nervous. How many years does one pony get for the destruction of an entire town? Maybe they would go easy on her; after all, she was an element of harmony, they needed her for protection. They couldn't replace her, could they? Scootaloo stopped questioning things for now and sat down at the end of a pew the closest she could possibly get to the front of the courtroom. She wanted to be sure Rainbow Dash could see that she came to support her and that she was okay.
After about thirty minutes, two officers finally walked Rainbow Dash into the courtroom. Scootaloo waved to Rainbow Dash as they passed her row. Rainbow glance over at Scootaloo and a smile spread across her face. She seemed ecstatic that Scootaloo was okay. Then she noticed Scootaloos bandages and her smile quickly turned to a worried frown, but she also noticed Scootaloo was just as happy and excited as ever to see her, she didn't seem to mind her current condition. Rainbow gave Scootaloo a weak smile and took her seat on the left side of the courtroom next to her attorney.
"Introducing the honorable Judge Jury," an officer announced as the judge walked into the room and took her seat next to the stand.
"Thank you officer," she said cheerily, "the courtroom may be seated."
Everpony took their seat. Scootaloo watched and listened as the trial began. She didn't understand most of what was being said, but she knew enough to know that Rainbow was the defendant and that the ponies who got called up to the stand were witnesses.
Witness after witness went to the stand, and witness after witness made Scootaloo more and more worried. Each witness only had bad things to say about Rainbow Dash, no pony seemed to recall what she was before being possessed. They only seemed to be able to recall what Rainbow had done to there town. Finally, it was the defendants turn to call upon a witness.
"We only have one witness your honor," Rainbow Dashs attorney stated.
Judge Jury nodded to Rainbows attorney to call his witness. Scootaloo was shocked. Rainbow only had one witness. Maybe she could call her as a witness. What if she was her only witness? Scootaloo sat quietly and waited patiently for something to happen.
"We call Twilight Sparkle to the stand," Rainbows attorney called out directing everyponys attention towards Twilight, who stood up in the crowd and walked to the stand.
Twilight stood in front of the stand, swore on the bible, then took her seat. Rainbows attorney approached her and began to ask her questions.
"Twilight, how long have you known my client?" he asked.
"About three years now I suppose," Twilight answered speaking directly into the mic in front of her.
"And over the course of these three years, has Rainbow Dash ever shown any signs of being a destructive pony?"
he continued, "Let me remind you, you're under oath."
"There was once when she destroyed Applejacks barn, but only because Applejack asked her to," Twilight responded.
"But other than that has she ever committed any unnecessary acts of destruction?" he asked.
"Not that I'm aware of, no sir," Twilight answered.
"So would you say that her recent impulses to destroy are completely due to her being submitted to...," he trailed off and looked over his notes, "the mare made rainbow by-product, anti-color?"
"Yes sir, I have full confidence that the anti-color absorbed into her skin was the cause of her destructive behavior," Twilight responded.
"Thank you ma'am, you may take your seat," he said, "no further questions your honor.
Scootaloo felt pretty confident that Twilight's testimony would get Rainbow off the hook for sure.
"Due to the severity of this crime and the multitude of opposing witnesses a jury is not needed to reach a verdict," Judge Jury said, Scootaloos heart began to sink, this didn't sound good, "I plead Rainbow Dash guilty of one hundred and two acts of destruction to public property and sentence her to life in prison."
Scootaloo felt as if her soul had been ripped from her body. This was really happening, but she couldn't believe it. Scootaloo was desperately trying to thank of ways to save to save Rainbow when she recalled the judge had yet to bang her gavel to dismiss the courtroom.
"Wait!" Scootaloo shouted out, "since you have yet to dismiss us maybe I could persuade you into to giving Rainbow a less harsh sentence. Scootaloo got up and hobbled to the stand. "Ma'am, all I would like to say is that many of you may have noticed my bandaged side. It is because of Rainbow Dash, but it wasn't her that did this to me. I did it to myself, sacrificing myself was the only thing I could think of that could possibly bring her back to her old self because I knew she truly cared for me and to see me hurt would snap her out of the grip the anti-color had on her mind. I had to do it, I didn't know what I would do if that monster was what she became. All I know is that the wounds I suffer now would be a lot less worse than what my life would be without her."
Everypony in the courtroom had grown silent so they could listen intently to what Scootaloo had to say.
"And if you're willing to take the one pony I could gladly call my sister away from me," she continued, "then you need to ask yourself. Who's really the monster here?"
Scootaloo waited for Judge Jury's response. Granted she use her being an orphan and her injured charm, but she knew she tugged on some heart strings and she meant what she said.
"As sappy as that story was I can truly tell that you care for Rainbow," Judge Jury began, "but I'm afraid the most lenient I can be is to give her ten years in prison. Courtroom dismissed."
The judge made sure to pound her gavel this time and left the courtroom. Scootaloo wanted to jump for joy, but feared she would injure herself even further. Instead she rushed over to Rainbow and hugged her as tightly as she could.
Scootaloo rushed over to the calendar and circled today's date. It had been two years since Rainbow Dash's court hearing and her wounds had long since healed. Although, the nurse was right. She hadn't been able to fly since the accident and probably won't fly anytime forwards, Scootaloo wasn't worried though. She was far too excited to worry over such silly things, for today was visitors' day at the Canterlot State Penitentiary and she had something very special to show Rainbow Dash. She had finally got her cutie mark! The first of the crusaders in fact. It was a pencil drawing a smiley face, although most thought that her special talent would have something to do with her riding her scooter. But due to several weeks of "taking it easy" after her accident she developed a passion for drawing. It started out as just a hobby, but then she began to really enjoy it. And after she got praise from Rainbow Dash, who she had been sending various drawings to, she realized how good she was at it. After one day of completing a drawing for class, she got her cutie mark. In front of everypony in the classroom. Diamond Tiara was so shocked. And this was several months ago, she had been holding off telling Rainbow Dash so she could show her in person. Suddenly, she recalled the time. She gave Tank some food, who she had been caring for while Rainbow Dash was in prison, and ran downstairs to meet Twilight, who she had been staying with.
"Ready to go?" Twilight asked.
"You know it!" Scootaloo shouted as her and Twilight exited the library. Rainbow was going to be in for a huge surprise.