Early in the morning Scootaloo wakes up by stopping her Rainbow Dash alarm clock. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes. Like a lifeless zombie Scootaloo walks down the stairs. There was no one in the big empty house, just echoes of her, the only living thing in the home.
Scootaloo eats breakfast while the mail gets delivered. Scootaloo sees the application for flight school got to her. She grabs it and walks out the door to find a beautiful day in Equestia, because she knew what she had to do… something she thought she could have avoided… but not till now. Scootaloo knew the time had come. And this is something she must do, and must do now.
Scootaloo walks along the main street side walk, her head held high because she now walks with a purpose. She sees Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Both wearing their bathing suits and have water wings on their front hooves.
Sweetie Belle calls out to her good friend Scootaloo, “Hey Scootaloo, we are going to play down at the lake. You want to join us.”
Scootaloo shakes her head quickly and curtly, “I can't, and I have to go see Twilight Sparkle about something.”
Apple Bloom betrays the sense of hurt, “Oh darn, we are sure going to miss you.”
“Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.” With that Scootaloo leaves to face what must be faced.
“Luck with what? She didn't explain anything.” Apple Bloom looks on as her friend leaves her behind.
“Good luck!” Sweetie Belle calls after her friend who is set out on her path.
Scootaloo held towards the giant castle of friendship that looms over the town. Scootaloo knocks on the massive door and waits… And waits… And waits. Finally Spike answers the door wet with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“What is it?” The wet dragon asks.
“Can I see Twilight?” The young Pegasus asks.
Spike with annoyance in his voice let out, “Yeah, you could just come in geez.” Spike opens the door and lets the foal in to the castle. Scootaloo enters the library to see the great princess of friendship for help.
“Princess?” Scootaloo croaks out. All Scootaloo can see is a massive pile of books. “You see princess, my last chance to join the Cloudsdale flight school. But I can't fly at all... I need help to figure out what is wrong with me.” A tear grows under Scootaloo's eye.
A loud boom calls out to the little foal, “Well of course I'll help you.”
A second voice booms too, “And of course I will too.” Scootaloo looks up to see Rainbow Dash the best flyer in Equestia. She and Twilight fly down from hanging the new drapes.
“Really, I couldn't ask you Dash... your too...” The little pony rubs her hoof and blushes.
“Too awesome. Yeah I know. But I'm here to help.” Rainbow put her hoof around the young pony.
Twilight ponders, “So what could be causing you to not get off the ground. I'll need a book or two. Let's get started after lunch. Meet me outside.”
“Will do.” The two Pegasus answer in unison. Rainbow and Scootaloo leave so Twilight can read her books while they can be in the great wide-open space with fresh cut grass.
Outside the courtyard Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo get started with stretching. But one of Scootaloo's right with doesn't stretch fully. It can only extend to about three quarters of the way the other can.
Rainbow notes, “Well there's a problem. How come you can't move you right wing right.”
“I never noticed... so both my wings should move like my left wing.”
“Yep, here yet me see.” Rainbow tries to force the wing into place and somehow it moves her left leg.
Scootaloo in pain asks, “Is that normal?”
“Well you see... you see...”
Twilight comes walking out of the castle. “Okay I have done some reading and-” Rainbow goes running over to whisper in Twilight ear. “It's as I feared. There more to Scootaloo problem the just her small wings.”
“My wings aren't that small.”
“We others fly with less so don't let that discourage you. First thing we should do is having to checked out by a doctor.” Twilight closes her eyes and raises her chin in smartness.
Scootaloo shivers, “Doctors are scary.”
Rainbow puts her hoof around the little scared Philly. “I know, but they fix me after all my injuries, so it'll be okay.” The three head out to a doctor’s office.
They go see a doctor in Cloudsdale. The room is composed of clouds to make walls, roof and floor. But it still has the normal trapping of a doctor’s office. Posters showing pony parts, an x-ray reader, and pony skeleton.
The doctor enters. He examines Scootaloo wings and legs. “I see.”
Twilight chimes in, “Is it Marcus Gun wing disorder?”
“Yes. She has a misconnected never that contents her wrong wing with the other leg. I'm an afraid-” The wing doc gets cut off.
“Oh she'll fly.” Rainbow declares
The wing doctor retorts, “Look at how she stands.” Scootaloo stands on the cloud floor and her left leg has trouble standing on the floor without going through the cloud.
Twilight eyes light up with the learning going on, “I knew it, and her magic is off balance. Then, then, then...”
Rainbow just laughs it off, “So we just have to work a little harder. But she can fly. Scootaloo can do anything.” Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo walk out.
Twilight hangs her head, “Sorry.”
“Well just so you know there is a surgery that may help. But it will be painful so I recommend it for the very last resort.”
“Right. I'll keep that in mind.” Twilight leaves herself.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo do push up in the courtyard of the friendship. “Hard work, that's all it with take.” Twilight flies down... but crashes instead of a good landing.
“Are you okay.”? The little pony asks of one of Equiseta’s rulers.
“Don't mind her she's just princess crash-a-lot.” Rainbow dash jabs playfully.
Twilight gives Rainbow Dash the glare, “Thanks Rainbow. ”Twilight dusts herself off.
“So what's next.”? Scootaloo asks with wonder in her eyes.
Twilight sits next to her and looks her directly in the eye, “Look Scootaloo, we need to have a talk before we get started.”
“About how great a flyer she'll be? Yep, she will be.” Rainbow Dash interjects rudely.
“Rainbow, look it's not that your-” Twilight tries to talk but Rainbow can’t let her.
“Stop with that negative attitude, she'll fly. Believe it!” Rainbow stomps her hoof and steps between Scootaloo and Twilight.
Twilight tries to yell around Rainbow Dash, “Rainbow Dash, it's not just her wings. Her magic is also off circulation. And there is no way to fix that.”
“I bet there's a potion or something, if we need help. But first we just need to work hard enough and she'll fly.”
Scootaloo pipes up, “I want it. I really want it. I don't want to be the only Pegasus not to fly.”
Rainbow Dash proudly announces, “And with me you won't be. Now give me 20 laps.”
“Yes Ma'am.” With that Scootaloo takes off running as fast as the wind. We see until the Twilight hours Scootaloo training to fly. Running lap after lap. Push up after push up. Sit up and after sit up. Rainbow Dash smiles. Twilight looks on with a degree of worry as the weeks pass by.
“Rainbow Dash are you-” Twilight asks.
“I know. I'll be careful. But if we don't believe how cans she? Just believe, Twilight… believe.”
“So you know she-“
“If things come to that we will deal with it then.”
Twilight sighs, “Okay.”
Rainbow turns to walk over to Scootaloo doing wing ups now. With every one she has to move her leg. “That's good for today. Be back here tomorrow and we work more on it.”
Scootaloo drags herself home. Under the setting sun in the early twilight of the day, through the streets, and finally to her home. Scootaloo drags her tired bones up stairs and draws a bath. While the tub fill she stands in the hallway to see the family pictures. She sees her father at flight school. Another shows her mother beating her father at the big Equestia games. The next shows her mother and father as wonder bolts. In the final frame holds the newspaper wonder bolts die to save others.
Scootaloo cries to herself, “Mom, Dad... I miss you. But I will do you proud. I am not be able to be a wonder bolt... but I will go to flight school.” Scootaloo curls into the bath to rest her tired bones.
Twilight and Scootaloo see each other as Scootaloo approaches the castle the next day. Twilight puts her book about Marcus Gunn Wing down with a concern on her face. But Twilight forces a smile on her face, as Scootaloo gets closer.
“Where's Rainbow Dash.” The little winged horse asks.
Twilight replies, “She's running late look.” Twilight points to the very cloudy sky.
“I see that will take a while to clear.”
“Well since we have time, I want to talk to you-“
A boom claps in the sky as Rainbow Dash goes full Sonic Rainboom and clears sky in a blue blur of pure speed. Rainbow lands near the Princess and her foal prodigy. “Oh yeah best time ever. Who got four hooves and is the best darn flyer in Equestia... oh yeah this pony.”
Twilight replies with annoyance and disdain, “That's some good show boating there Dash. But-“
“But today is not about me, it's about Scootaloo get air born. Let's see a test flight.”
Scootaloo tries to get off the ground. She is clearly better... but her right wing just can keep up. Scootaloo flies at a crazy angle and in a circle.
Twilight jumps into the fray, “Okay my turn. Scootaloo we need to talk.”
Rainbow Dash cuts Twilight off again, “Talk smalk. What we need to do is fix your magic. I know we can go see Zecora. She has all kinds of elixirs and potions.”
“Oh okay.” Scootaloo voice shakes but looks Rainbow Dash in the eye and all her fears melt away.
Twilight yells, “Rainbow!!!”
The two go off to the Everfree forest. The two run down the now well-trod path the potion Zebra’s home and enter. Rainbow and Scootaloo sit as Zecora paces about looking up things.
Zecora rhymes, “To fix a ponies' magic flow the answer must come from below.”
“What.” Rainbow asks.
Zecora rhymes some more, “Drink this brew and hopefully you will not feel so blue.”
Scootaloo drinks it. Rainbow Dash has to ask, “How do you feel.”?
Scootaloo stands tall, spreads her wings... and flies. But it is the same as before, at an angle and in a circle.
Twilight bursts in. “Rainbow Dash how could you ditch me like that.”
“Well you didn't miss anything. I think we need to see another doctor.”
“Why another is just telling you the same thing. She needs surgery.”
Scootaloo cries, “Surgery?!”
Rainbow Dash exclaims, “Well if that is what is needed?”
With a tear in her eye Scootaloo asks, “I have to get cut up?”
Twilight uses her motherly voice, “Look Scootaloo, there's-“
Rainbow Dash interjects, “Nothing wrong with surgery. You just need a little extra help to fly. And you want to be as cool as me, don't you.”
“I just want to go to fly like my parents did... I just want to make them proud, and be a normal Pegasus.”
“Then we will do it!”
Twilight pleas, “Rainbow Dash!!!”
Zecora jumps in, “I agree, this plan I would ban.”
“No! I will do what ever it takes to fly! Take me to the surgeon. I'll do what ever it takes to be normal!” Scootaloo stomps off with Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo lies in a hospital gown. Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle are by her side. Sweetie Belle has a hand-sown pair of wing warmers. Apple Bloom has a big jug with three xs on it.
Sweetie Belle says, “I had Rarity made you these. Wing Warmers to help when you recover.”
Apple bloom adds, “And I have a nice big jug of cider for when you wake up.”
Rainbow Dash and Twilight walk in. “Thank you girls, but now Scootaloo has to rest.”
“Because soon she'll be as good of flyer as me.” Rainbow Dash piles on.
Twilight chides, “Rainbow!”
Scootaloo lays back and closes her eyes, “I just want to fly... like my parents did. I'm ready.” The wing doctor enters. Everything goes dark.
Rainbow Dash carries Scootaloo in and rests her into bed. Scootaloo goes back to sleep. The next morning Scootaloo wakes up to her Rainbow Dash alarm clock. She tries to get up but can't. With her leg in a cast and wing in a sling she makes her way carefully down the stairs.
Scootaloo has a breakfast of apples that Apple Bloom left for her. Scootaloo sees her wing warmers and puts them on. Scootaloo wing hurts her, as she puts on the wing warmer. Slowly under her eyes tears start to form.
Scootaloo looks at her parent’s pictures again and stops her crying. “For you.” Scootaloo goes back to bed.
Rainbow Dash stops by as Scootaloo lies in pain in her bed. “Hey there, I through you might need a little something to do while you recover. So I brought my Daring Do books.”
Scootaloo sees she brought all of them. Including her first edition with her on the cover. “Why are you on the cover of this one?”
Rainbow Dash laughs, “Oh that was the time I helped Daring Do save the world.”
Scootaloo jaw just goes slack before she can ask, “You helped Daring Do even. And you’re the best flyer in Equestia, and element of Harmony. Your quite the mare.”
This even gets Rainbow Dash to blush a little, “Yeah well, I'm sure you'll do great things too.” Scootaloo looks down at her cast. “I have been hurt plenty too... you know how I got to be the best flyer in Equestia? By never giving up.”
“Right.”
As Rainbow Dash exits, Scootaloo's leg thrombus again as she grabs her pain pills for relief. Scootaloo in pain cries herself sleep.
Weeks later Scootaloo walks much better toward the castle. Rainbow and Twilight meet her at the front door.
Rainbow Dash cheers, “Who's ready to fly?”
Scootaloo stands tall, “It's now or never. Let’s do it!!!”
“Okay let’s stretch.” Rainbow and Scootaloo stretch first their front hooves, then their back, and finally their wings. Scootaloo stretches and no involuntary movements of her wings or her legs are seen. “Alright, good job.”
“It didn't move. It didn’t move, I can control it now.”
“First we need to get our heart right up. A quick 10 laps should do.” The two go run as Twilight watches on.
“Alright now can I fly?”
“Let's see those wings do their things.”
Scootaloo spread her wings. She beats her wings as hard as she can. Rainbow looks proudly upon her. Scootaloo flaps for all her worth... And while she is a better angle, and a much wider circle... she still will never be able to fly. Scootaloo flaps harder. And harder.
But still she can't stabilize. Scootaloo's scars reopen as it bleeds...
Scootaloo collapses in a heap of blood, sweat, and a river of tears. “I can't do it!”
Rainbow Dash yells, “No, no, no. Hard work always works.”
Twilight screams, “Damn it Rainbow Dash! Scootaloo it's okay-“
Scootaloo screams and cries and weeps tears of sadness and pain. “No, I am the only Pegasus that can't fly. I can never go to the academy. I can never do anything. I am worthless and a disgrace to my dead parents... who were the greatest flyers of their time.”
Twilight stands over the little orange Pegasus and uses a kind motherly voice, “It's going to be okay. Just calm down.”
Scootaloo screams louds in more and more pain, “I did it all for them... and now I'm nothing. I failed you Rainbow Dash most of all. All the time you helped be, you could have been saving Daring Doo, or saving the world, or just being a great flyer. Instead I wasted it on my nothingness.” Scootaloo begins trying to claw to get away on her breeding limbs.
Rainbow in shock of what she as done and realizes what she has done, “You didn't fail me. Look you tried your best and you got much much better.”
Scootaloo scream in even more pain as she tries to move, “I am not good enough. I can't work as hard as the great Rainbow Dash. I am worthless and I wasted your time.”
“You didn't, look Scootaloo stop your hurting your self.”
Twilight Stares a dagger at Rainbow Dash, “Just go I'll get her inside.” Twilight hits Scootaloo with a sleeping spell.
Twilight bandages up Scootaloo as she wakes up on twilight's desk. Spike holding supplies to help. “Are you a little more calm now.”
A dozy Scootaloo can’t focus her eyes and calls out, “Where is Rainbow Dash?”
Twilight sighs, “I sent her home. Look we need to have a talk.”
“I failed her. I failed my parents. I am a failure.”
“No your not. Failures give up. You don't. So you can't do something. Not everyone can do everything. Do you think I can fly as good-”?
“If you work hard enough at it. That's what Dash says. And she is right. It's fine, I should go.”
“No I don't think you are. You should stay here over night, Spike make her a bed.”
“What can I do? It's not like I can go far... I can't fly. I'm just going to go home.”
“I'm going to check up on you later.” Scootaloo limps away.
Day’s later, Scootaloo sits alone, with the shades drawn, she drinks juice... hard-core. Scootaloo cries as she drinks and looks at all the photos she took off the walls and looks at Rainbow Dash and Darling Doo.
A knock is herd. Scootaloo doesn't even notice over her crying. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle enter.
Apple Bloom asks, “What are you doing?”
Scootaloo pulls up the sheets and tries to hide, “Go away, don't look at me.”
Sweetie Belle asks, “What happened?”
Apple Bloom pleas “Are you okay.”
Scootaloo shouts, “Just fine, go!”
“So you can't do the thing.”
Sweetie Belle, “Yeah, so what. There's lots of things I wish I could do but can't.”
“Can you do what you were born to do? Can you cast a spell… any spell.”
Bloom interrupts, “You weren't born to fly.”
“How do you know?”
“I know because I lost my parents too. It hurts. But I don't live my life just for them.”
Scootaloo takes a drink, “Well you have a big sister to help.”
“You have Rainbow Dash. She might as well be a big sister, geez.” Sweetie expiates.
“And I failed her.”
Bloom, “No, You tried your best-“
Scootaloo screams, “Just stop.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell look at each other. “Fine, be miserable then.” The two leave.
Scootaloo limps out of the house. She limps down the street to the edge of town. Across the fields, to the top of the great pony Gorge. She stares over the side of it back at Ponyville. “I can't take it. I am a failure. I failed everyone and everything. All I do is harm, and waste.” Scootaloo takes one last look back at Ponyville. “Good bye beautiful world. I wish I could have been apart of it. Scootaloo jumps.
As Scootaloo fall she breaths a sigh of relieve, as she knows it will be over soon. Out of the sky... it's a flash... it's a boom... it's a sonic Rainboom as Rainbow Dash races to catch Scootaloo before it's too late. Mere feet from the bottom Rainbow Dash makes the catch.
Scootaloo screams, “No!!! NO!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!! Let me fall. Please.”
Rainbow flies through the skies with Scootaloo on her back. “What you wanted to fall?”
“Yes, please let it stop. Let the pain and the failure stop!”
“Scootaloo!!! I am ashamed of you.”
“I know... now please let me die. Quick before I fail you again.”
“You never failed me. So what if you can't fly. The fact you tried so hard is what matters.”
“For what, I can't do it. I'll never fly.”
“So, either will apple bloom, or Sweetie bell, or Apple Jack, or Pinky Pie or-“
“They are not Pegasus and children of the wonder bolts.”
“So what? My parents are just normal ponies. I am who I am.”
“But you said hard work-“
“Do you think I can do what Princess Twilight does? Reading all day. Spell after spell after spell. Or what Rarity does making dresses... or even what Sweetie Bell does with her play writing?”
“What do you mean.”
“Mean I... I have to tell you a Secret Scootaloo. Not everyone can be anything. We all have strengths and weakness. I can't do book leanly stuff for example. Do you think that makes me a worthless pony?”
“No.”
“And why, I found a way to be awesome anyway. We all have problems. Like...” Rainbow takes Scootaloo into the sky.
Outside we see Twilight reading a book, above her flies Rainbow and Scootaloo. Rainbow points down to show her what she is talking about. “Twilight as powerful as she is. Is a terrible flyer? She doesn't care.”
Twilight looks up at Rainbow Dash, “Hey.”
“But she's an alicorn princess.” Scootaloo asks.
“Okay, fine.” The two fly off.
The two fly above Flutter Shy's home now. Flutter Shy gives her bear a bath in the backyard in a big wooden tub.
“See, Flutter Shy is a terrible flyer too. But she found something she is good at. And do you think she cares? No she is washing a bear for some reason.” Rainbow Dash declares.
Fluttershy, “We are going to go shoe shopping then we are going to have brunch, then we are going to a beer bust.”
Scootaloo looks confused at Fluttershy, “What kind of bear likes that?”
Rainbow Dash reels Scootaloo back in, “And things can be worse.” The two fly away again. Rainbow and Scootaloo fly above as Pinky sweeps the storefront of Sugar Cube Corner clean.
“Pinky?” Scootaloo looks for some other pony that they should be viewing.
“Yes for she has the worst most unlivable thing wrong with her ever!!! EVER!!!”
Pinkie looks up and stares at Rainbow Dash, “I can hear you, you know?”
Rainbow continues on as if she doesn’t hear her friend, “She has something wrong with her that will cause her to never be happy, or succeed at life, or be loved ever... she has dyslexia!!!”
Pinkie yells skyward, “I can read... mostly. Shut UP!!!”
“Dear sweet Celstia I had no idea.” Scootaloo says aghast.
Pinkie keeps yelling at the sky, “It's fine, I just have a little trouble with grammar.”
“And thus she will never be happy ever.”
Scootaloo thinks about these words, “I see, I guess my life is not so bad.”
Pinkie sweats as she panics, “So I put commas in the wrong places sometimes, it's not the end of the world!”
“See now.” Rainbow rubs Scootaloo’s mane.
“I do want to live. As long as don’t have dyslexia.”
Pinkie just keeps talking to her self, “So I have to read things a few times till the word shapes click in my head. I'm fine.”
Rainbow soothes with, “See, we’ll fine something for you to be good at, some other time maybe.”
“What can I do... my parents are dead.”
“Fight crime.”
Rainbow dash and Scootaloo fly into the sunset.
Scootaloo stands on a rooftop in all back. “I’m Bataloo, I may not be the hero this town needs... but I’m the hero this town needs.” Scootaloo jumps off the roof to fight pony crime.