An hour since she rode out of the arena to cheers and her blood was still racing. Scootaloo hummed happily to herself as she packed her things into a carrying crate, the show was still going on outside but her role for the night was done. Transport wasn't much of an issue for her even without flying, her scooter was easy enough to disassemble and fit in a smaller crate. For now, she knew a bar had been set up backstage for those who had finished their roles and she'd always wanted to try a little crystal wine.
Finishing up packing and setting the crate down with the others that performers had brought, she set off at a trot, taking a moment to look through one of the entry gates to see who was on at the moment. From the looks of things, the actors from Fillydelphia were centre stage now, the sight of them bringing a quick smile to the pegasi's face. Even from back there she could see the outfits had the tell-tale style of Rarity all over them. She'd have to get a closer look later, for now she kept walking on.
The backstage rest area was already thriving, unicorns, pegasi, earth and crystal ponies alike were taking a breather, getting drinks and just enjoying each others company. As Scootaloo entered the room everyone noticed her and broke out in scattered applause, the crystal ponies present giving her a standing ovation and calling their approval.
"That was incredible out there!"
"You rocked it! Woo Scootaloo!"
"Can I get your autograph?"
"Hey, thanks everypony," Scootaloo said, waving to the group in appreciation. "I'll do some signing once I've had a drink, ok?" She ran a hoof through her mane to rough it up a bit before heading for the bar. As befitting a gathering from across the nation, she saw drinks from every corner of Equestria, Manehatten juices, Las Pegasus waters, even some Ponyville cider. As tempting as it all looked, she stuck to her guns and ordered a glass of crystal wine, taking it over to a viewing area set up for the staff. She sat down and took a sip of her drink, it had an edge but wasn't overall unpleasant. She stayed there for a few minutes, watching the Fillydelphia act finish up before she was joined by a unicorn, light blue all over with a whitish blue mane and cutie mark of a wand and cresent moon. Scootaloo recognised her in an instant.
"Hey there Trixie, you're not doing fireworks for the next act?" Trixie looked over at her and merely smiled. After her...Unpleasant experience with the alicorn amulet, she had reimaged herself and now used her magic to help boost the performances of others, often working closely with Scootaloo.
"Fun as it would be, not even the Great Illusionary Artist Trixie could improve on what the Wonderbolts are currently capable of. I'm just glad I'm able to keep assisting others before retirement looms." It was true the unicorn was starting to show signs of her age but the idea of her hanging up her cape was something she'd never meantioned before. Scootaloo nodded and put a hoof round Trixie's shoulders in support.
"You're more than an assist, you're part of the team out there. I know my shows wouldn't have the same spark without you. Speaking of, sorry I didn't seem to pay much notice to your work when I was performing."
"No apology needed, I saw how you went in and went for a more restrained display to let you focus. What you did was something special out there. Honestly, I was so caught out by your extra stunt I almost forgot to join in the finish. Not that the Great illusionary artist Trixie would forget such a detail. Just like you wouldn't ever stop being so talented even without flying."
Scootaloo nodded, letting her hoof down again and waiting for Trixie to focus on the arena before turning away and downing the rest of her drink in one gulp, just about managing to avoid retching at how sharp it was. It helped as a distraction though, she managed to shake off the aftertaste and focus on the stadium, other ponies joining them as the Wonderbolts took to the field. There were only six of them tonight but everypony knew that was more than enough, especially with the two team leaders in action. Scootaloo cheered eagerly as she saw them fly out, team leader Spitfire, flanked closely by her second in command, Rainbow Dash.
"Think Rainbow's ever going to make it to flight lead?" Scootaloo asked nopony in particular, keeping her eyes glued to the aerial display as it began.
"Only when Spitfire decides she's tired of flying competativly." Trixie answered, keeping similarly close watch on the current stars. Spitfire had to be in her mid-fifties by now and yet the fiery pegasus was still almost as agile as the younger members of the team. Even Trixie gave a whoop of joy as the flight team dropped close to the ground and passed through the same hoop Scootaloo had made her jump through at breakneck speed.
"Ooh ooh, I think they're gonna do it this time!" Scootaloo almost shouted in excitement as the Wonderbolts gained altitude and moved into a five star formation with Rainbow at the centre. Despite the fact the pegasus was practically yelling in her ear, Trixie still managed to smile at her enthusiasm, she was well aware of the sisterly bond Rainbow and Scootaloo shared. A few seconds later, Rainbow accelerated at full speed, smashing the sound barrier and triggering her sonic rainboom. At the same moment the rest of the flight veered away from where she had been, using the shockwave to increase their own velocity. A second later they all hit the sound barrier as well, firing off smaller shockwaves that shined in gleaming rainbows as the rainboom washed over them.
"The Rainboom cluster!!" Trixie cheered in wonder, the rest of the crowd and staff erupting in cheers and applause. The sounds of approval steadily increased as the sight spread beyond the stadium until it sounded like the entire city was joining in. Scootaloo was reduced to wordless jumping in place, so excited by the sight she couldn't even get a sound out. As the Wonderbolts landed and saluted the crow she leaned forward and waved to them, trying to get her euphoria out another way. After a few minutes she finally cooled down enough to lean back, everypony else was starting to disperse again and she figured she could go back to the bar and see who was still around.
Afterall, she still had some autographs to sign.