This aired last Sunday in Australia, didn't it? Oops.

"The Washouts" is by Nick Confalone. Maybe it's a "Scootaloo can't fly" episode? Haven't watched it yet. I'm probably gonna do a big binge watch after the season finale.

Maybe it's a Scootaloo/Spike double team episode. That'd be fun. (Okay, it's probably Scootaloo/Rainbow Dash, but...)

Anyways, you can discuss it here if you watched it. A couple days ago, I guess.

--Sweetie Belle

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I found this episode really good. I was definitely surprised that they made Scootaloo finally admit it. (Note: The link contains spoilers.)

Scootaloo's flight disability has been touched on in the first half of s8. This episode picks up from those insecurities.

I love this episode. It could have been so much more but I will say it's been a blast to see an old favorite pony return. And at least they ended things on a lighter, friendlier, term compared to a past episode.

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Good episode.

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Best "Get it through your thick skulls fandom!" moment ever.

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Ooh, hit that part on the nose, then. Seriously, the most I'd seen of the episode before posting was one screenshot. It's good to have them say these things unambiguously, though. This looks like a must watch...

An old pony returns. Just gonna guess. Lightning Dust?

--Sweetie Belle

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Oh yes. She may actually be worse than the last time.

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That pony's return was electrifying to say the least. Now all we need is a certain filly to return to the limelight and give us some awesomeness in School Haze and I might just be fully revitalized back into this fandom. xD

But yes, I mean Scootaloo's first minute on screen alone is full of facial expressive overloads I haven't seen in some time. A must watch if only to die from so many expressive moments thrown at you so early.

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Oh, okay, so she's seen a doctor about it and she knows for sure now? There's been an actual diagnosis? We've seen several random, normal pegasus foals fly higher than adult head height? Not counting the ones from Flight Camp flashbacks, who were supposed to be older than Rainbow Dash?

Well, that sinks about half of my stories, then And probably any episodes following that one...

Wait, I just saw that clip and... it sounds more like Scootaloo throwing something in Rainbow's face than it is an admission. When someone says "Fine, I suck. Is that what you wanted to hear?" that doesn't usually mean they really think they suck, does it? Or is that one of those things only native speakers get?

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I'm catching up now, but what episode touched on those insecurities? Guessing it's not the same one where she looks down at her wings and says "I'm happy with just my pony parts, thanks" when the subject of being half bird and half pony comes up?

Guess I kinda gave away my own answer to my latest blog question there, huh, Telaros?

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I guess you did. xD

And it was indeed that CMC episode, from the first half with the Cutie Map sending them to that hippogryph and seapony homeland, but it's the seapony Scootaloo that you should pay attention to. That's where they touch on it. Which becomes a bias for Scootaloo in the argument as to which home he should pick. In case you haven't caught up to that particular episode I censored the part.

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But to be clear, as this disability has been a running theme for many seasons now, Scootaloo just can't fly. She's done everything in her power to do so.

From her fears of not being able to live up to her idol's expectations in Flight to the Finish, to wishing she had parents that don't seem to take interests in what she does, to asking Luna to allow a dream, if only a dream, to last a little longer so she can experience the joys of flight, and more recently to what it felt to experience the closest thing she's ever felt to what she's wanted to feel all her life in that s8 episode in her seapony form...

...And now the cold, hard, reminder to Rainbow Dash whose been nothing but throwing in Scootaloo's face the whole time what it takes to be the best of the best, showing off no less her own grace and flight prowess, Scootaloo felt lower than low and had enough biting her tongue and let Rainbow Dash have it.

In short: Scootaloo. Can. Not. Fly. !.

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I did see that episode (Horse Play is what I need to see next), and I don't see the connection. She has a lot of fun in the water, is all: everything sounds weird, there are creatures who do tricks, there are drum players underwater, and we all remember last time she was exposed to percussion.

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I've always seen it as a late bloomer issue (so can't fly yet,) and still don't see any reason to consider it otherwise. We've already established Rainbow Dash was an early bloomer, so the Flight Camp flashbacks involve kids who were older than her. Fluttershy was unable to fly at that age until she got her cutie mark (unless her almost crashing to the ground implies some level of skill above Scootaloo's), the only peer of Scootaloo's that we've seen actually flying was Rumble, and he's both not normal (he's a jock) as well as not even flying that high above ground.

Basically, as long as there isn't an on-screen doctor's diagnosis for it, and we don't get a clear idea of what normal pegasus development is supposed to be, I don't see it.

As for the debates surrounding the whole thing, I'll spare you the ramble, but suffice it to say there's a lot of material to throw at it. And if the show's made it official, well, I have my reasons to feel so strongly about it, that's another long and pointless ramble separate from the original issue. I've argued the same things over and over, and no one listens or provides an adequate rebuttal. So it's easier to just leave it be. Pack it up if necessary.

She's done everything in her power to do so.

That's just not true, though. She hasn't spoken to Rumble about it yet, her only possible equal in that regard. She hasn't asked Rainbow Dash for an actual flight lesson, or Twilight Sparkle for support, or Luna for a concrete answer. She hasn't approached Bulk Biceps, who flies with smaller wings than hers and carries more weight. Hay, Starlight freakin' Glimmer is a guidance counsellor now, with a past of making ponies equal in all ways. How about going there for some help? Since it's now kind of her job and all...

I'm gonna stop there, or I'll be at it all day

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God I've missed those ramblings. Here you have me who enjoys a good ramble just for rambling sakes and you're here backing out?

I kid. I know full well how much you love writing Scooty and I adore the fluff outta her as well. I just don't see her disability or low wingpower to be a focus of why I like her. I've always enjoyed her for her personality, she's always been the most relatable of the CMC for me. She's never let her flightlessness get her down. It was never even something she thought about until ponies started bringing it up, it's like something she figured she'd eventually get the hang of later in life.

But after confronting the harsh realities that she may never be able to fly with Rainbow Dash, she began to let an annoyance become more an insecurity, an uncertainty. The future is a scary thing if you dwell on it long enough. For Scootaloo her life changed almost overnight. But she eventually made peace with it after Rainbow Dash assured her she'd love the little chicken whether she could fly or not. But she still carries a lot of sadness which she tries not to think about too much, trying to make peace with the possibility she'll never fly.

And for all intents and purposes, Scootaloo has been looking for alternative ways to leave her mark in the world. The Washouts is her new inspiration. It has a message that rings with her. Whatever happens, she'll still keep aiming for new heights, flight or no flight.

Bump! Time for the US airing!

--Sweetie Belle