Words are Written · 7:32pm Jul 5th, 2021
Slowly but surely, the horsewords are coming together! 
Here's a sneak peek of what I've done. It still needs to be fixed up, so be gentle.
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“Good morning, Long Run!”
“Oh!” Long jumped a bit with the unexpected greeting and twisted in his chair to face the speaker. “Good morning, Princess Twilight! I wasn’t expecting you to be out and about so early.”
“I’d say it’s more surprising to see you up so early,” Twilight retorted with a small giggle. “I know I heard you say that you wanted to sleep in as much as possible during your vacation.”
“And I would,” he said with a slight huff. Part of him wanted to ask Twilight about the zipper and the yellow patch that he’d seen on Pinkie Pie yesterday, but the other part was quick to remind him that Twilight had said to just roll with whatever comes along with the pink party mare. After a brief moment of debate, he decided to tactfully avoid the subject and instead focus on what was on the table before him. “But I wasn’t able to sleep last night. So, rather than tossing and turning in futility, I decided to tackle a research project. But I always have to have some sort of caffeine in me when I get to studying, and the Coffee Hutt was the only place open when I started.”
“Research?” Twilight Sparkle’s eyes lit up, and she levitated one of his books off the table. “What are you researching? Maybe I can help you.”
“Thanks, but I couldn’t impose on your time with my little curiosities,” he said while she flipped through the pages of his book. “You must have a lot to take care of, being the Princess of Friendship and all.”
“Actually, my schedule is pretty free this week,” Twilight said. “I have more free time than normal during the summer break.”
“Weren’t you going to do something right now?”
“It can wait,” Twilight said, a small frown crossing her features. “I’ve been collecting geological samples from the nearby surrounding area, but Spike somehow managed to mislabel all of my specimens.”
Long Run had the distinct impression that the ‘mislabeling’ had been rather intentional, given Twilight’s tone, but he said nothing about the matter. Instead, he offered a small smile and motioned to the empty chair across from him. “Well, if you’d like to help, I wouldn’t mind some assistance, especially from the star pupil of Princess Celestia herself. I’ll even buy you a latte or something, if you’d like.”
“That’s very kind of you to offer, but you don’t need to do that,” Twilight said as she sat, but Long Run held up a hoof, as if he was cutting off any further argument.
“I insist. What would you like?”
“Well, since you’re offering, I would like a double-double espresso latte with seven pumps of chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and low foam.” She paused, but then after a moment of thought, she added “On second thought, make it eight pumps.”
Long Run nodded, stood, and moved to procure Twilight’s order while the Princess looked over the various books and notes that he had spread out on the table. When he returned a minute later, she smiled at him, took the offered beverage, and propped her head in her hooves while he sat.
“You’re trying to figure out why Scootaloo can’t fly,” she said in a smug and knowing tone.
“Yes and no,” he replied. “I mean, I am looking into the specifics of her case, but to be professional about it, it’s not her, but a theoretical pony who just so happens to have her exact issue. I used to do this all the time in college with my buddies for research papers and stuff.”
“So, Doctor Long Run, what is your initial diagnosis for this hypothetical pony?”
Long Run huffed, and his wings ruffled slightly. “That’s been the most infuriating part of this whole thing. I can think of at least a dozen different scenarios and conditions.”
“Well, start with the most likely reason, and then work your way from there,” Twilight said while floating one of Long’s medical books over to the center of the table. “My first hypothesis would be that she has some form of thaumic hypotonia.”
“That’s what I thought at first, too,” he said, and he pointed to the open page in the book. “But it doesn’t quite add up. A patient with hypotonia, in most cases, is unable to generate either lift or thrust, but not-Scootaloo generates a great deal of thrust, if Rainbow’s stories about the Cutie Mark Crusaders are factual. But that made me wonder if not-Scootaloo experienced some sort of physical injury during her infancy, and that stunted her wing development. Here, look.” Long picked up another book, flipped through the pages for a moment, then placed it down so Twilight could read the passage he was pointing to. “Damage to the growth plates here, on the lateral anterior humerus, would explain her smaller wingspan. That could also be the cause of a thaumic deficiency, since the Tractus Magicae runs right alongside the supercoidious.”
“But an injury like that would only affect one wing,” Twilight countered. “Unless she somehow injured the plates on both sides. The odds of that occurring are pretty remote, you have to admit.”
“You’re right, but it is possible,” he agreed. “Assuming that there is no physical injury, my next best guess would be there is an underlying mental condition. There are several documented cases of flightlessness being caused by phobias and post traumatic stress disorders.”
Twilight nodded, and her magic winked a half-dozen books into existence before Long Run had even realized her horn had lit. “A sound observation. As I recall, post traumatic stress disorders usually occur when parents allow their foals to attempt flight at an extremely early age, and the resulting trauma from the failure imprints on them. I thought I read something about that in Caregivers’ Your Mind is Your Friend, Not Your Enemy. Let me see…”
“Page two hundred twelve,” Long helpfully added with a grin. “Three paragraphs down.”
Twilight glanced up to him, a large grin overtaking her face. “You’re familiar with Caregiver’s works?”
“Of course. Caregiver was the foremost authority on mental and behavioral issues. Besides, her stuff was required reading in my anatomy classes back in college. Professor Twist believed that you needed a firm understanding of the mental before you could truly appreciate the physical.”
Twilight sighed in appreciation. “Pure poetry. So, if you studied with Professor Twist, you attended the University of Canterlot, then.”
“I wish. The Professor taught an adjunct course at Cloudsdale University one year, and I was lucky enough to get in.”
“Cloudsdale? Ah! Volantibus in altum volare fortis eris, right?”
“You know the creed? Wow,” Long said. “But usually, we amended it to ‘please don’t crash into anything, we’ll be held liable for it.’”
Twilight snickered. “I see. But I think we’re getting off-topic.”
“Maybe just a bit. Do you you happen to have Caregiver’s Normal is an Illusion? I remember reading something in there back in college, but it’s been out of print for years and I can’t find a copy of it anywhere.”
“Of course!” Twilight produced said book from the stack she’d summoned, and Long snatched it out of the air with a gleeful laugh.
“Sweet! Of course, it makes sense that you would have it. I’ve heard legends about the expansive library in your castle. I’d do almost anything to have a library like that.” He paused, then grinned. “Princess Twilight, will you marry me?” he asked.
“WHAT?!” a third voice broke in, and Long Run was smacked in the back of the head by a wing.
“Rainbow Dash?!” Long Run turned to her and rubbed the spot where she’d struck him. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re going to marry Twilight?! You hardly even know each other!” she raved.
“Relax, Dash. I’m just marrying her for her books,” Long shot back.
“Huh?”
“How about I just give you a library card instead?” Twilight said with a small laugh. “There’s no lifetime commitment, my brother won’t send the royal guard to interrogate you, and it’s a lot cheaper than a wedding.”
“And Rainbow Dash won’t throttle me, too,” Long added. “I can go for that.”
Rainbow snorted, her tail lashing at her haunches. “I can’t believe you would even suggest something like that, Long.”
“I think someone needs an espresso,” Long shot back with a waggle of his eyebrows. “And you didn’t answer my question.”
“Uh, duh.” Rainbow gestured to her flight suit. “Wonderbolts meeting?”
“Ah, right. You’ve got the flight routine to hammer out,” Long said. “Well, why don’t I buy you a drink for the flight? Then the Princess and I can get back to our little nerd session over here.”
“What are you two eggheads doing?” Rainbow glanced over the mess of books and papers. “You’re not trying to create some kind of Frankenpony, are you?”
“Tempting, but no. Just some hypotheticals, that’s all.”
Rainbow glanced at Twilight, and the Princess nodded. “Honest, Dash. We’re just debating and discussing some medical possibilities, nothing more.”
Rainbow glanced over the mess again, blinked, then shook her head. “Well, whatever. I gotta get going. Long, you can get me a blonde roast, with a pump of hazelnut and three creams.”
“You are not going to sleep for the next week, but whatever,” Long said as he stood. “One blonde roast coming up!”
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I assume that Scootaloo's wings are just too small for flight; the magic needs the normal wing size to be able to lift a pegasus up.
I know people are automatically going to say "But what about Bulk Biceps?!?!" The fact is, the only reason Bulk Biceps can fly with his big body and tiny wings is because of his cutie mark, which gives him additional strength to carry heavy things, including himself when flying.
I, honestly, thinks it’s a combination of the physical AND the mental. Physically, her wings are smaller, but IMO would not be all. Scoots may subconsciously be holding herself back to gain attention from her parents. And now, she’s got it in her head that they are only good as a means of propelling her scooter.
Once she gets over that, she may never reach Rainbow Dash speeds, it might be able to fly…
I'm falling behind.
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I haven't written much beyond what's here, but I'll let you know when it's ready to be edited.
Unless you mean your own writing, in which case, get to work! I wanna know what happens to Twinkle Twinkle!