Clipped wings.

by SkyStorm

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Sad, Scootaloo
Length: 4137

After an accident crusading, scootaloo is left with a broken wing. After a test, the doctor discovers she has a disoder that makes her wing feathers fail to grow. She is offered hope in the form of an experimental surgery. Will she fly?

Scootaloo...always being told she would never fly. Always wanting to be the best. Always hoping...
After her accident, she is left grounded in hospital. The doctors tell her about her disorder that renders her wings useless, she doesn't know what to do. The doctors tell her about a operation that 'could' allow her to fly, but if the surgery doesn't go right...she will lose her wings.

Who else but Rainbow would be there, she who she always looked up too. She had always told Scootaloo that she would never leave her side, no matter what. After hearing the details, she offers to donate the things they need for the operation. All she wanted to see is that sweet filly grow up to be an amazing flier.

Published 2013-04-26 19:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-15 13:12:04 UTC

A drop of hope, in a sea of doubt.

"Wha-What do you mean I have a broken wing?!" Scootaloo yelled at the nurse, "I can't have a broken wing, I need to get my Cutie mark. I need to-" Scootaloo's rant was interrupted by the entrance of Rainbow Dash. She just stared at scoot's. She knew how she felt about hospitals, she didn't like them, partially because of the smell, and because they usually ask Scoot's about her parents.
"Relax squirt, you know you need to be here. I mean you did break your wing," Rainbow said gesturing to the little filly's wings. She covered them with her gown, but fumbled and hit them. She let out a loud groan of pain, trying to hide it because of rainbow presence.
"Yeah, and If you don't rest them, it will just get worse," The nurse said, trying to calm her down. Scootaloo didn't know where to look, she knew that what they said was true. She sighed, and slouched back into the bed. A doctor, peaked his head around the door frame to be greeted by Rainbow Dash's flank. He blushed, then knocked on the door.
"Ex-Excuse me. I have the X-rays, oh and a message from the senior doctors." The doctor said as the three mares turn to look and him. The nurse made her way towards him, and took the file and pictures,
"Thank you Doctor Repulse" She said, walking towards the light-box mounted on the wall. The doctor then trotted off back down the corridor.
"Right, lets have a look at how much damage you've done 'eh scoots?" Rainbow Dash said with a smile. The nurse first placed the file on the table and then clipped the photo's into the light box. She switched in on, bathing them both in a florescent white light that Scootaloo had to blink away from.

They both examined the photo's, and both of them could clearly see the break.
"I'm not doctor, but that looks pretty bad." Rainbow said, pointing to a gap between two wing bones on one of the photo's. The nurse nodded in agreement,
"Right, let me check your file miss Scootaloo." The nurse said, flicking open the folder. "Ahem." The nurse said, glaring at Rainbow."
"What?" Rainbow replied, puzzled but what she said. "This is a confidential file. It's only for official eyes only." The nurse stated. With that, Rainbow took a few steps back.

After a few minutes of the nurse reading the file, Rainbow walked over to Scoot's who was siting silently. "What wrong with you kid, normally I can't get you to be quite." She said, sitting down on the bed. Scootaloo looked up from staring into the bed sheets,
"I-I Broke my wing..." She stammered. "Now I'll never fly...." She sighed. Rainbow just laughed,
"Since when did breaking you wing make you unable to fly? I broke my wings remember?" She said, nudging her lightly on the shoulder. Scootaloo seemed lost in her memories for a couple of seconds before jerking up, " Oh yeah!" She exclaimed, startling the nurse. "Oh, sorry..." She murmured. The nurse just kept on reading.
"So you do remember. See? Breaking your wings isn't the end of the world, it's just another challenge." Rainbow said, expanding her wings. "Look...here." She pointed to her wings. She brushed aside a few feather and reveled a small scar.
"That, is where I broke my wing." Rainbow said proudly. Scootaloo seemed relived.

"Oh...oh dear..." The nurse said to herself. This caught the attention of the two.
"What's up?" Rainbow said, retracting her wings and jumping down onto the floor and making her way towards the nurse. The nurse turned and looked at her.
"Can we discuss this outside? The nurse said, picking up the file. Rainbow turned and looked at Scoot's, then back to the nurse,
"Yeah, ok." Rainbow knew it was bad news.
"WAIT. DON'T LEAVE ME RAINBOW!" Scootaloo yelled as the two made their way towards the door, trying to pull herself up. Rainbow stopped just at the door,
"Kid, I would never leave you. I'll be right outside. Stay in bed, you don't want to make the break any worse." Rainbow stated. Scootaloo dropped onto the bed, her words had gotten to her. She nodded, "Ok, Rainbow." she smiled.

Rainbow and the nurse then walked out the door and the nurse closed it behind them, "So, what's wrong Nurse Treasure?" Rainbow asked. Nurse Treasure stood silently for what felt like minuets.
"It's about her wings...." She said, doubtfully.
"Wha-what about them?" Rainbow asked nervously. The nurse floated the file over to her. "I thought this was confidently?" She said, slightly annoyed.
"Just read the top box..." The nurse replied, staring at the ground. Rainbow took the floating file, opened it and began reading the text. She couldn't understand most of the medical jargon, but one phrase did keep appearing 'Nequit volare'.
"What does this mean?" She asked, still trying to understand the file.
"It means...' She paused to take a deep breath, and looked up to Rainbow. 'It mean she won't be able to fly..." Nurse Treasure said, wincing at the words. Rainbow Dropped the file, she didn't know how to react. She was going to teach her so much, she was going to be such a good flier. Rainbow just stared into the ground.
"So...So...She'll never....fly?" Rainbow uttered, trying to chock back her emotions.
"That maybe so...But since Scootaloo is the first flightless peg-" The nurse's speech was interrupted by Rainbow,
"SHE'S NOT FLIGHTLESS!" She yelled, attracting the attention of all the medical staff and patients on the corridor.
'Miss Rainbow, calm down I'm trying to tell you that we can help her." The nurse reasoned. Rainbow blushed a bright, crimson red at her outburst.
"You c-can help her?" She inquired.
"Yes, we have an experimental operation, where we take bone marrow from a able-bodied Pegasi and place it into her bones. Hoping that her body will take to it, and allow her to grow fully functional wings." Nurse Treasure explained.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Rainbow exclaimed.
"We're waiting for a Pegasi." She replied.

"Well, I think you found your Pegasus." placing her hoof across her chest. "I'll donate." She announced enthusiastically.
"Thank you, I bet that means the world to her, but there is still one problem." The nurse began,
"Since this is an experimental operation, we don't know it will work. If it does, she will a fully functional set of wings. And If not...We will have to remove her wings..." She finished. Rainbow's enthusiasm seemed to disappear,
'L-lose her wings?' She muttered. The nurse couldn't speak, she just nodded. Rainbow Dash looked at Scootaloo's room door. She was lost in thought, imagining Scootaloo without wings, the mocking laughter she would receive, the shame she would feel. Rainbow tightly closed her eyes. "I'll have a talk with Scoot's. I'll tell her." And with that, she left the nurse and walked back into Scootaloo's room.

She slowly creaked open the door, Scootaloo was lying there on the bed staring out of the window. She was watching the birds and insect's fly by.
"Hey squirt." Rainbow called. Scootaloo snapped out of her day-dream and focused on Rainbow.
"I...heard what you yelled...thank you....thank you for defending me Rainbow..." Scootaloo uttered, fighting back a tear in her eye.
"Listen kid, I have something to tell you. I know it's going to be difficult to understand, but trust me." Rainbow explain.
'You see kid, you have a problem with both of your wings-" She was interrupted by Scootaloo loudly announcing that she had only broken one wing.
"it's not about the break, it's about your bones." Rainbow indicated, pointing to them. She walked over to her, and sat beside her,
"You have a disa- a problem with your wings where your body can't make normal flying feathers..." Rainbow's words hit Scootaloo hard. She buried her head underneath her bed sheet, and began sobbing softly. Rainbow had to chock back her own emotions to tell her about the operation. "Sc-scoot's. There is a way to fix it." She stammered. Scootaloo didn't come out from beneath the sheet,
"T-t-there is?" She sobbed, being muffled by the sheet.
'Yeah, it involves you getting a transplant for another Pegasus. And guess who volunteered?" She stated. The sobbing stopped, and Scootaloo poked her head out from the sheets. Her face was damp with tears, her mane was all over,
"W-Who?" Scoot's questioned. Rainbow smiled,
"Your looking at her..." She extended out her hoof towards Scootaloo, gesturing for a hug. Scootaloo was smiling ear-to-ear, she dove into Rainbow hoof wrapping hers around her.
"T-thank you Rainbow..." She whispered into her chest, letting out a single tear onto her blue fur.
"I said I'd never leave you kid. And Rainbow Dash doesn't break a promise."

Author's Note

Yes, I know she is planned to be flightless. I know this, but just because I know this doesn't mean I have to accept it.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, It will probably have one more chapter.

Endure for the future.

There was silence in the room afterwards, the only thing that could be heard was the clopping of hoofs as patients and doctors trotted up and down the corridors. Rainbow and Scootaloo just stayed silent in each others hoofs.

A knocking broke the silence, it was nurse Treasure. She pushed the door open and peeked around the coroner noticing the two mares sobbing.
"Oh, is it a bad time?" She whispered, slowly edging into the room.
"Nah *sniff* come on in nurse." Rainbow whimpered. "I've told Scoot's, and she's agreed to the surgery." She announced, ruffling her mane. "Your a brave kid you know that squirt?" Rainbow reassured.
"Really Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked, her voice filled with hope.
"Of course, I would be proud to know a filly as brave as you." Rainbow announced, looking at the nurse. "Oh, sorry what is it nurse Treasure?"
'Would you step outside again? I feel it's best to talk out there." She replied. This caught Scootaloo's attention, causing her to cling onto Rainbow.
"Please, don't go again!" she shrieked.
"I'm not going anywhere kid." She stroked her mane to comfort her,
"No offence nurse, but whatever you tell me, you can tell Scootaloo. She's the one having the operation after all." She pointed out. Nurse Treasure let out a deep sigh, nodded her head and closed the door behind her. She positioned herself at the bottom of the bed,
"I'm afraid that I have even more bad news..." She's began, Scootaloo darted around,
"What do you mean more bad news?! As if it isn't bad enough that's I might not fly again..." Rainbow interrupted her rant by placing her wing around her.
"Calm down kid, you'll just hurt yourself. Go on nurse." Rainbow said softly. Scootaloo curled up in Rainbows wing and awaited the bad news.
"I'm afraid that we do not have the required sedatives to put Scootaloo to sleep during the operation, so she'll have to be awake..." Nurse treasure stated, bowing her head. Rainbow could feel Scoot's sobbing underneath her wing, she turned and looked at the nurse, then at Scootaloo.
"In that case, I'll stay awake with her." Rainbow reassured. She nuzzled Scootaloo, who just looked up at her through her tears,
"Re-really?" She stammered. Rainbow smiled,
"Really." She then turned to Nurse Treasure, who was fighting back her own emotions.

"Miss Rainbow Dash, do you mind If I asked you why you are doing this?" Nurse Treasure asked out of the blue, this earned a stern look from Rainbow Dash. She sat silent for a moment.
"Because, if it was me who had broken my wing and had a problem with my wings. Scootaloo would do the same for me..." Rainbow answered. A single tears rolled down her teal blue fur, landing on Scootaloo's mane. she looked up to see Rainbow looking down at her and smiling ear-to-ear. She couldn't help but do the same. Scootaloo nodded in agreement to her statement. Nurse treasure placed her hoof up to her eye, and whipped away a tear that was making it's way down her cream fur.
'Y-you must love her very much Miss Rainbow Dash..." She muttered, chocking back the rest of her tears,
"Like a sister..." Rainbow Dash replied, not breaking eye contact with Scootaloo. Nurse Treasure couldn't hold back her emotions anymore and began sobbing. rainbow and Scoot's just ignored her, and just wrapped their hoof around each other.

After a few moments of sobbing into the bed sheet's, Nurse Treasure took a deep breath composed herself.
"I-I Shall in-inform the doctors." She muttered to herself. Turning around and heading for the door. "The operation shall take place tomorrow, I hope you two will be alright." She announced, as she opened and exited the room.
"I don't need hope....I have Rainbow Dash...." Scootaloo stated, whipping tear soaked face.

Author's Note

Ok, I said I'd do one more chapter, but after this there will be one more. I don't really know how I want it to end yet.

The stuff of dreams...

Scootaloo slowly open her eyes, still somewhat dazed from the anesthetic, to the sound of voices around her. The voices of her friends. She was back in her cubical.

"Hey! Hey everyone, she's waking up!" said one of the voices. She couldn't quite make out who it was due to the light hurting her eyes. After a couple of seconds, and excessive blinking, she made out the face of Twilight. Scootaloo let out a weak smile and to have Twilight respond with her own smile. Scootaloo slowly turned her head to the crowd of pony's that had gathered around her. All of her friends were her. All of them had brought her gifts that were placed carefully on the bedside table.
"Scoot's! Your OK!" Applebloom exclaimed, smiling at her friends.
"I-I'm fine guys." Scootaloo whispered. Scootaloo scanned through all of the faces that surrounded her looking for Rainbow Dash.
"W-where's Rainbow Dash?" she asked, looking up at Twilight. Twilight glanced at Rarity who walked over to the curtain hiding the bed next to hers. Twilight then trotted out of the way allowing her see Rainbow Dash laid in bed asleep. Scootaloo let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Asleep as always." Rarity laughed. Scootaloo sat up a little to get comfortable only to be halted by a huge strike of pain shooting through her wings. She cried out in pain and clutched her wings. Applejack, who was to closest to the door, swiftly pulled it open and called out for a nurse. Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were pushed aside by Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy attempted to calm her down by stroking her mane, sadly to no avail. Nurse Redheart, accompanied by two other nurses, burst into the room. One of the nurses began hurrying everyone out of the cubical, the other was rummaging through the bedside cabinet looking for something. Nurse Redheart had to try and calm Scootaloo down so the other nurse could administer some painkillers. After everyone was outside,
"Will she be Ok? Tell me she'll be OK." Applebloom begged at the nurse. The nurse looked back towards Scootaloo, then turned back at her.
"She'll be fine" he said before closing the door.

The group of pony's could do nothing but wait as the nurses tried to help Scootaloo. Fluttershy was shaken up and went outside, accompanied by Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Twilight was stood next to the door, trying to see inside. She couldn't make much out through the frosted glass but she could tell that they were doing something.
"How does she look Twi?" Applejack asked.
"It looks like she's calmed down a little. I'm sure she'll be fine." Twilight said comfortingly. Applebloom was sat down on the floor next to Applejack. Applejack turned to her, she was covering her face with her hoof to try and hid her sobbing. She sat down next to her and wrapped her hoof around her, Applebloom looked up with tears in her eyes,
"She'll be fine." Applejack reassured. Applebloom fell into her shoulder and began weeping. Twilight and Pinkie Both looked at each other. Pinkie's normally hyperactive mood didn't seemed to exist, she just sat there quietly.
"Are you ok Pinkie?" twilight asked, trotting over to her. Pinkie looked at her. Twilight could see the tears welling up in her eyes.
"She will be ok, won't she Twilight?" Pinkie asked.

The door was opened and the three nurses came out,
"We've stabilized her. She'll be fine." Nurse Redheart announced confidently. Pinkie then wrapped her hoofs around Twilight,
"Did you hear that Twilight! She's going to be OK!" She screamed, attracting the attention of other patience and doctors. Bothe Applejack and Applebloom darted up and galloped towards the door.
"Thank you." Applebloom said to the male nurse. He crouched down slightly,
"I told you she'd be ok." he smiled. Applebloom jumped up giving him a small peck on the cheek before weaving between the pony's and through the door. The nurse's began trotting down the corridor towards the offices.
"Erm Pinkie, don't you think we should go inside. Pony's are starting to stare at us." Twilight suggest, trying to free herself from Pinkie's grasp.
"Oh yeah." Pinkie realized before releasing Twilight. She then hopped into the room, Twilight closely followed.

Applebloom was the first inside the room and was already next to the bed. Applejack was by the window, Scootaloo had asked her to open it. Pinkie hopped cheerfully up to her bedside.
"Are you Ok Scoot's" Applebloom questioned, holding one of Scootaloo's hooves in her hoof.
"I'm fine Applebloom." Scootaloo replied, smiling, but noticing the redness in her face. 'Applebloom, were you. Were you crying?" Scootaloo smiled. Applebloom imminently looked away,
"Of course not. I'm a big pony and big pony's don't cry!" she defended.
"That's not true Applebloom." Twilight cut in. " Big pony's do cry." Twilight continued, looking at Pinkie. Pinkie just smiled awkwardly.
"Were you-were you crying about me?" Scootaloo asked. Applebloom just nodded. Scootaloo lent forward and wrapped her hoofs around her.
"You don't need to worry about me Bloom. Have you forgotten who's in here with me?" she laughed.
"Doesn't it hurt Scootaloo?" Twilight inquired, pointing at the cast around her wings. Scootaloo released Applebloom from her hug and turned to Twilight.
"Not as much as you might think. It's just earlier the nurses said that the anes. Anast- anaste-" Scootaloo stuttered.
"Anesthetic" Twilight corrected.
"Yeah, that. That wore off. So it was bound to happen." Scootaloo replied, somewhat cheerful.

There was a knock on the door, followed by a faint voice outside,
"Can I come in?" asked the voice.
"Yeah, sure." Scootaloo replied. It was Rarity and Fluttershy accompanied by a nurse. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief to see Scootaloo looking well. The nurse was reading from a clip board he was holding with his magic.
"I'm happy to see you well darling." Rarity smiled.
"I'm glad your Ok, Scootaloo." Fluttershy said softly. The nurse withdrew the pen he had in his white overall pocket and looked at Scootaloo.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"I'm fine, wings feel a tad sore but other than that, I'm fine doctor..." Scoot's replied, trying to read his name tag.
"Nurse." he corrected.
"A male nurse?" Pinkie Pie commented.
"Yes, I'm a male nurse. feel free to laugh. Everpony else does." he said, checking some boxes on his check board. Pinkie Pie was containing her smile.
"I think you're do a great job. Nurse Cross." Rarity added, smiling.
"Thank you. Now miss Scootaloo, we will monitor the progress of the wing bone marrow transplant for a couple of hours. And, all being well and good, you'll be out of her in as little time as possible." Cross stated very matter-of-factly.

A loud groan came from behind the curtain, scaring Pinkie causing her to scream.
"Pinkie..." Rainbow Dash said pulling back the curtain.
"Oh, sorry Dashie." pinkie apologized.
"Rainbow Dash! You're awake." Scootaloo said jolting up. Rainbow lent forward on her bed and stretched her hooves a little.
"Yep. Moring Kid." Rainbow yawned.
"Afternoon." Twilight corrected. rainbow looked and her and shrugged.
"Meh." she responded. The nurse finished filling out the check sheet and looked up at Rainbow.
"Ahh awake are you. Finally. I would have thought that the 'fastest pony in Equestria' wouldn't be so lazy." he chuckled.
"Hey! I am the fastest pony in Equestria!" She defended.
"Yeah, you tell him Rainbow." Scootaloo added.
"Yeah, who told you that? All your previous coltfreinds?" he responded. This left Rainbow Dash with nothing to say, she simply blushed and sank beneath her bed sheets.
"I think you'd better leave..." Pinkie said bluntly, not breaking eye contact with him. The nurse just smiled and turned around and trotted towards the door. He then exited the room leaving an awkward silence in the room.
"What a bas-" Applejack started before being irrupted by Rarity. "Children in the room!" she barked.
"Oh right. Sorry y'all." she apologized.

For the next couple of hours the group of pony's were cheering up both Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, after they coaxed her from under her bed sheets.
"Visiting time's over everypony, time to go I'm afraid." announced nurse Treasure. As the pony's funneled out of the door, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were still by Scootaloo's bed.
"Here Scoot's. We thought this might cheer you up while you in here." Sweetie Belle said withdrawing her Cutie Mark Crusaders cape. Scootaloo let out an eep of joy and took the cape from her and wrapped it around herself.
"See y'all tomorrow Scoot's" Applebloom said, hopping down from the bed, closely followed by Sweetie. Applejack and Rarity were waiting at the door for them. As they disappeared, nurse Treasure took the clip-board from the bottom of Scootaloo's bed.
"That nurse Cross is a real piece of work." Rainbow piped up. Nurse Treasure rolled her eyes,
"Don't get me started." she agreed. "anyway, Scootaloo will you please turn around so I can see your wings?" Nurse Treasure asked, going to draw the curtain.
"You don't need to close them." Scootaloo stopped. She nodded and repositioned herself next to the bed. Scootaloo slowly turned around on the bed, reveling her wings.
"Tell if I hurt you." she said as she began to pat various regions of her wings. All of the didn't seem to give her much pain, which was the bad part.
"Interesting." Nurse Treasure said fearfully. Scootaloo turned a little,
"What's interesting?" she responded. She continued to pat on various sections of the wing.
"Can you feel me patting your wings? Treasure asked.
"You're touching my wings? I thought you were going to inject me or something. Why what's wrong? Is it bad if I can't feel you touching my wings? Scootaloo asked, fearful of what the answer might be. The nurse looked at Rainbow, and shook her head a little.
"WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!" Scootaloo demanded, turning fully around to face nurse Treasure.
"It means the operation didn't work..." She replied "I'm sorry Scootaloo. I'm so sorry." She repeated.
"Isn't there anything you can do?!" Rainbow Dash begged. She looked over at her and shook her head again.
"We've done all we can. The operation was an experiment after all. it also means..." She trailed off.
"It also means what?" Rainbow asked fearfully. Getting up out of the bead and trotting over to Scootaloo's bed.
"...It mean's we have to fully remove her wings." She told. Shutting both her eyes. Rainbow looked over to Scootaloo, who was looking up at her . Looking for some kind of sigh that she would keep her wings. Rainbow just wrapped her hooves around her and began crying onto her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Squirt." She sobbed. Scootaloo didn't know how to react, Rainbow had always been who she drew strength from. She's always been so strong. Now she's broken down, she doesn't know what to do. Nurse Treasures words haven't quite settled in yet, she just staring blankly at the wall. She didn't know what to do. She turned and looked at the blue patch on her cutie Mark Crusaders cape that she had bundle on the bedside table. She spent so much time think about what she might be. But now what will she be...

Author's Note

Wow. This has long since been overdue. Yes, Scootaloo is now flightless. I hope you are all happy.

A couple of you may notice that I left it Incomplete, well that's because I was thinking of writing an epilogue. Where Scootaloo will be in maybe 10 years. Maybe I will.