//------------------------------//
// Wings Made of Wood 
// Story: Caterpillar 
// by Catsofwar108 
//------------------------------//

"Uh, Scoots, are ya sure jumpin' off a cliff in a wagon will help ya fly?" My friend Applebloom asked me. 

"Of course I'm sure! Right Babs?" I asked Applebloom's cousin.

"Actually, I'm with Bloom on this one. This seems dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. "Uggh, come on! Sweetie, tell me that you at least think that this will help me fly!"

"Uh, huh." Sweetie Belle replied.

"See, I knew I was right!" I said, desperate to get a one up.

Sweetie then looked at me and asked,"But why would you want to die?"

I face-hoofed. "I said FLY Sweetie Belle. FLY."

"Oooooh!" She said. "Then nuh -uh."

"So none of you are with me that this is a good idea?" They all nodded. "Fine! I'll prove to you all that today is the day I fly!" I then kicked off, sending the wagon rocketing down the hill. I heard my friend's cries but I need to prove to them that I'm not what Diamond Flank Face says I am. I can fly! I'm not a useless worm!

The cliff began to grow bigger and bigger. I was starting to doubt myself, but then shook my head. This was how it would happen. This was the day that I would fly up to Rainbow Dash's cloud house and she takes me on as her apprentice. This is the day!

The wagon suddenly found there was no more ground for it to roll on. My heart began to beat like when that giant space bear came to town, and my wings snapped to my sides. I then remembered why I had done this in the first place, and began to flap my wings for all they were worth. I began to rise... and then I dropped like a stone. The ground rushed up to meet me, and suddenly it went black.





I woke up in the Ponyville hospital, my head pounding heavily. I heard arguing outside my room. Two voices. The doctor's and Rainbow Dash's.

RAINBOW DASH.

I tried to get up, only to find that all four of my legs were in casts. I grunted in frustration. I needed to show Rainbow Dash that I was tough. That I could stand up to falling off a cliff.

Rainbow walked into my room. "Rainbow Dash!" I practically shouted.

"Hey, Squirt." If I didn't know any better I would say that Rainbow looked nervous.

I tried to quickly think of a conversation starter. She saved me the trouble. "Uh, have you ever been to the hospital?"

Why was she asking about this? "No. But I can stand it! I mean you break your wings all the time right?"

She grew even more nervous looking at the  mention of wings. "Y-yeah. Uh, Squirt, have you ever heard the term, uh, disabled?"

A sickening feeling began to start in my stomach. "Yeah..."

"Uh..." She began to cry softly at this point. I blinked. Rainbow Dash didn't cry. Rainbow Dash never cried. She was too awesome to cry. She composed herself a little bit. "I-I don't know how to say this, b-but, uh, Scoots, you're special. Uh, disabled ponies are very special."

My heart clenched. I couldn't breathe. I could hardly talk. What I said came out in a squeak. "I-It's my legs, right?"

The crying began again. "N-no. It's not your legs."

"W-was it falling off the cliff?"

"N-no. Y-you've always been special." Rainbow was gulping for air now. I could see her completely breaking down.

I didn't want to think that all my efforts were failed because of something that was wrong with me. "Y-you're lying. I'm not- I'm not-"





"Oh, look, it's the disabled worm!" 

Her words cut me like knives, and I flinched as a few stray tears slipped out.

"The Worm is crying!"

Applebloom and Babs had to leave early, as did Sweetie Belle. They had to leave early for the past several days now. It's like they've abandoned me to the Timberwolves.

"What's wrong, Worm? Why don't you just fly away? Oh that's right, you CAN'T!"

Finally I had had enough. They picked the wrong pegasu- pony to mess with. My anger welled up within me, like a hurricane ready to lash out. "Why don't you just go buck yourselves, you bucking JERKS!" I ran away, my tears stinging my eyes.





"Hey, Squirt, watcha doin'?" Rainbow Dash had taken to checking on me every day. She had caught me praying to Celestia and Luna. Normally I don't get into all that mushy gushy stuff, but this was different.

"I'm praying."

"Why are you praying?"

"Because I heard that if you pray to Celestia and Luna, they'll give you something you really want."

"Is this because of your, uh, specialness?"

I grimaced. "Just say disabled like everypony else. I know you're thinking it."

Rainbow sighed and stepped into my bedroom. "I'm sorry, Kiddo. It doesn't work like that."

Hearing my idol tell me that my latest efforts to regain what I never had had broken something in me. I sat down, and cried. I curled up on the floor and cried. A small part of me was ashamed of acting like such a baby in front of Rainbow Dash, but the big part was sad and terrified at the aspect of being the only disabled pegasus. I felt a wing drape over me as she sidled closer. I finally could speak. "I'm just a worthless worm aren't I?"

Rainbow looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "Yes you are. You are a worm, Scootaloo."

I flinched and began to cry harder.

She lifted my chin back up. "You didn't let me finish. Scoots, you are not just a worm. You are a special worm. You are a caterpillar. And one thing I know about caterpillars is that they turn into butterflies. And Scootaloo, you will be the most beautiful of them all."

I looked into her eyes, and I saw the look of somepony who was hiding something. "So, uh, do you want to come to the CMC clubhouse with me? I heard there was something cool going on in there today." Rainbow said.

I nodded.





A pair of wings. That was the hidden something I saw in Rainbow's eyes. Well, they weren't actual wings. They were wings made of wood. Wooden wings.

"Do ya like 'em?" Applebloom, Babs, and Sweetie stood around it, like proud mothers. "We worked on it all week! Twilight and Rainbow helped."

"How do I put them on?" I managed to say through my surprise.

"I take that as a yes!" Sweetie Belle cheered.

"We'll show ya how, and then you have to do it by youself." Babs said, grinning.





Scootaloo flew through the air, whooping in glee. Who cares if she was disabled? She was a butterfly. A butterfly with wings of wood.