The trio continued to play in the park for a few more hours but like most things, it had to come to an end. The sun was setting and Scootaloo was getting very tired so Rainbow Dash wanted to get her home to bed. Star Shine agreed and together they headed back to the cloud manor with Scootaloo on Rainbow Dash’s back as usual. Rainbow Dash wanted Scootaloo to have a bath but gave up on the idea of her having one when she saw how tired Scootaloo was. Star Shine removed the brace from Scootaloo, who gave a very happy buzz of her now freed and very relieved wings, and Rainbow Dash put her to bed. Star Shine watched from the doorway as Rainbow Dash read Scootaloo a bedtime story and headed downstairs shortly before Scootaloo fell to sleep. Rainbow Dash finished the story and gave Scootaloo a quick goodnight kiss before heading downstairs.
“I was right earlier, you probably would make a good mum. To Scoots at least.” Star Shine commented as Rainbow Dash entered the living room. He was sat on the couch, watching the stairway. “You seem to have changed a fair bit.”
“Maybe I needed her as much as she needed me. Really though I’m more like a big sister. You said yourself Pegasi parents are cruel.” Rainbow Dash replied as she walked across the room and sat down next to Star Shine. “Anyway I think it’s about time we had a talk, and you gave me some answers.” Rainbow Dash had waited far too long to finally hear the truth.
“I can answer any question you have. So, what’s on your mind?” Star Shine asked.
“Well first of all what’s this Vacuus Medeis thing? Twilight said that it’s something only Unicorns get.” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I’m sure your friend Twilight would have explained it to you. It’s a rare genetic disorder where a Unicorn is born without the ability to cast magic.” Star Shine began to explain. Rainbow Dash nodded and he continued his explanation. “Well that’s true, but it can also affect Pegasi that have a Unicorn parent.”
“So that’s why it was interesting Scootaloo had a Unicorn mom?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yeah, if she had a Unicorn for a mum then there’s a very, very, very small chance she has it. It affects probably one in every few million Pegasi foals. It’s such a rare thing that only specialists like myself know about it and we only run into it maybe once in our lives. I’ve only seen it once.” Star Shine explained.
“Even so, it’s when a Unicorn can’t cast magic. Why would it be so bad for Scoots to have something like that? Pegasi don’t cast magic.” Rainbow Dash asked. She felt like she was either talking to a child, or being treated like one, and she didn’t like it.
“We don’t cast it no, but we still use it.” Star Shine replied. Rainbow Dash looked confused and felt she was definitely being treated like child here. “Have you ever thought about how Pegasi fly?” Star Shine asked.
“Not really. It just seemed so natural, and not something worth questioning.” Rainbow Dash replied, spreading her wings and looking at them in wonder.
“It IS a natural instinct, and that’s one part of Vacuus Medeis for Pegasi. To them they don’t have the natural instinct of flight. But there’s another part that’s much worse. Pegasi wings are coated in magic and that’s how we fly. Birds have hollow bones and are light but that wouldn’t work for Pegasi. Do you see what I’m getting at now?” Star Shine asked. Rainbow Dash gasped as the implications hit her.
“You’re saying if she can’t use magic...then she’ll never fly?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly, afraid for the filly sleeping above her. Star Shine nodded solemnly.
“Yes that’s what it means, but it’s not the end.” Star Shine replied.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s still a good chance she doesn’t have it. I wasn’t lying when I said her wings aren’t powerful enough to support flight. We’ll know in a few more days if she has it or not.” Star Shine explained.
“Is that why you’re less worried now than you were when you got here?” Rainbow Dash asked. She had noticed Star Shine had seemed a lot less fatalistic when she had returned from Twilight’s house.
“Yeah, Scootaloo told me you had only tried for two days. I was worried but when she said that I thought it might just be a lack of time.” Star Shine replied with a smile.
“So what if she does have this disorder thing?” Rainbow Dash asked. It was a question she didn’t want to ask but she needed answers all the same. She had to know if there was going to be no chance Scootaloo could fly.
“Even then, it’s not the end.” Star Shine reassured her. “It’s just if that’s the case, it’s something she has to overcome on her own.”
“How?” Rainbow Dash asked. She wasn’t liking the idea that there was something she couldn’t help with.
“It’s simple enough, but also very complicated. Vacuus Medeis stops the part of her brain where her magic is from reaching her wings. That’s the true nature of it. It blocks the brain from transferring magic. In a Unicorn this means that magic can’t pass through their horns, and in Pegasi it means it can’t pass through their wings. She wants to fly so badly it leaks out though which is why she can walk on clouds and why her scooter got lighter. In the last case I saw the poor foal couldn’t even walk on clouds. If she really wanted to she could use her scooter on a cloud and Cloud Walking Spells work just by applying a small amount of magic to hooves. The pathways are still there though, and with enough willpower and determination she can push through, and open them up, spreading the magic throughout her body. Once it’s open, it can never be closed again, and she’ll be able to fly for as long as she wants.” Star Shine explained. Rainbow Dash nodded along as he explained, soaking up the information. “Of course once she can fly she’ll still need some training and that’s where I come in as a flight instructor.”
“Sounds simple enough.” Rainbow Dash said when Star had finished explaining.
“Yet also much easier said than done.” Star Shine added.
“Why?” Rainbow Dash was beginning to get tired of asking that.
“I’ve worked with a lot of kids and I can tell she’s hiding something. She seems happy but I don’t think she is. If she was happy she’d have beaten this by now. The last kid beat it when he was half her age. Some never beat it. She’s not like you Rainbow. She can’t just push through anything. You did a Rainboom through sheer force of will and hers isn’t even strong enough for her to fly. You have to tell me what happened between you two.” Star Shine demanded.
“What do you mean what happened?”
“I’m a smart pony Rainbow. I know that you aren’t related, so something must have happened. Back at the park you told me to not tell Rarity that something was wrong with Scootaloo. I didn’t know anything was wrong with her other than being unable to fly. I don’t even think that’s anything wrong. So, what’s wrong with her?” Star Shine asked. Rainbow Dash facehoofed at her mistake. She had completely forgotten that just as her friends didn’t know anything, neither did Star Shine. She was tempted to say she just meant that Scootaloo couldn’t fly but felt that if she didn’t want Star Shine to hide anything from her, then she shouldn’t hide anything from him. Rainbow Dash got up and walked towards a cupboard in the room. She opened it up and took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table.
“Nearly two weeks ago I was looking for her when I found this. I managed to catch her in time and we’ve been together since.” Rainbow Dash explained. Star Shine looked down at the paper and examined it. It appeared to be a note and judging from the hoofwriting and letters stained with tears it was written by a young, and very upset, foal. When he reached the end of it he realised what it was. It was a suicide note. Written by Scootaloo. It was the original note Rainbow Dash had found in the clubhouse. Scootaloo didn’t know she had kept it.
“Why do you still have this?” Star Shine asked when he had finished reading it.
“I never want to forget what she was like then. A part of me hoped to show it to her again one day so she can look back and see how far she’s come.” Rainbow Dash explained.
“I had no idea. I guessed she might be upset, but not this upset.” Star Shine said as Rainbow Dash picked up the note and put it away again. “If we tell her there’s a chance she won’t fly then it’ll break her heart. She’ll probably never get over that and she won’t be able to beat anything.”
“I have faith in her.” Rainbow Dash said sternly, daring Star Shine to put Scootaloo down again.
“And I still have a few tricks left up my sleeve.” Star Shine said, inspecting his foreleg. “Or...foreleg I guess.” he added when he realised he wasn’t wearing sleeves.
“Oh yeah? What like?” Rainbow Dash asked. She was beginning to wonder just how much one pony could be hiding. She was thankful she had finally gotten some answers, but less than happy at the prospect Star Shine was still hiding things from her.
“You saw how happy she was with us today. I think that no matter what Scootaloo will probably be fine as long as she has you around. If she can overcome all of that, and she can remove all her doubts, she’ll be fine.” Star Shine explained. He was smiling again. Rainbow Dash was really beginning to distrust that smile of his. He always looked like he was still hiding something.
“You have to stop hiding things from me Star.” Rainbow Dash said sternly and with a disapproving glance.
“I will, I am.” Star Shine said defensively.
“You are what? Hiding things?” Rainbow Dash asked, advancing him him. Star Shine backed up out of fright. He’d been hit by Rainbow Dash enough for one day.
“I’m not hiding anything. Really I’m not.” Star Shine said hurriedly. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at him, staring right through him.
“If you say so...” she said slowly, backing away from him. Star Shine breathed a sigh of relief and slowly made his way down from the back of the couch. “Well it’s late so I’m going to bed. G’night.” Rainbow Dash said suddenly, looking at the clock, before disappearing upstairs.
“Phew. I thought she’d never go.” Star Shine said as he breathed another sigh of relief. He slinked down from the couch and made his way to the kitchen to get a drink before laying down in bed himself. Well, the couch. He drank his water and as he was leaving the kitchen he placed an ear against the cloud of the wall. He smiled to himself as he heard the faint tapping of somepony on the stairs tapping their hoof impatiently.
“I’m not about to admit to hiding anything.” Star Shine said loud enough for whoever was on the stairs to hear him.
“Rats.” came the muffled reply of Rainbow Dash before he heard her trot up the stairs. Her plan was foiled. She knew Star Shine had a tendency to talk to himself and hoped he would this time. He didn’t and so she decided to just read for a while before it was time for her to go to bed. She had reason to doubt him, but not enough to confront him. Star Shine made his way to the couch and laid down on it.
“Certainly not while you’re around at least.” he said quietly to nopony before closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep.