Under your wing
Rainbow didn’t sleep well, so when she bolted awake after finally drifting off at three in the morning she was relieved to be able to get on with her day, but she was also exhausted. No Scootaloo meant no real motivation to make breakfast, so she quickly downed a glass of orange juice and a barely toasted piece of toast before bolting out the door. She figured that, if she flew at top speed, she could make it to the Cloudiseum, meet with Dr. Feather and still clock in for work without being too late.
Fortunately for her, the level of focus required to safely navigate the skies at high speed helped calm her frayed nerves as she hurried to Wonderbolts HQ. The wind rushing over her and the feel of the currents as her wings adjusted to the turbulence gave her something else to think about instead of the possibly devastating news Dr. Feather might deliver. She briefly allowed herself to consider the possibility that maybe Scootaloo’s test results held good news, but a lifetime of experience had taught her that hoping for the best was a fool’s errand.
In short order, she landed at the gate preparing to talk her way past the guards again but as she opened her mouth the stallion on duty simply waved her through with a smile.
The Cloudiseum was quieter than she was used to seeing it, though it was also earlier than she was used to visiting. Since it didn’t appear that the Wonderbolts had left their locker room yet, she headed straight for Doctor Splint’s office. When she arrived at the examination room, she found both Dr. Splint and Dr. Feather going over what she assumed were medical records.
The smooth baritone of Dr. Splint greeted her as she stepped through the door. “Hello Miss Dash,” the bespectacled doctor said, as Dr. Feather opted for a nod rather than any form of verbal acknowledgement.
“Heya Doc. Other Doc,” Rainbow said with a nervous chuckle, her hoof absentmindedly pawing at the ground.
After checking some boxes on a form, finally, Dr. Feather deigned to speak. “Would I be correct that you are here in response to my letter?” Rainbow nodded. “I’ve been consulting with Dr. Splint. Would it be okay if he stayed?” Dr. Feather asked, doing her best to observe proper confidentiality procedures. Rainbow nodded again, this time holding her breath in anticipation.
“The good news is that Scootaloo is a perfectly healthy filly. Her blood test showed no significant abnormalities, her muscle biopsy and spinal tap came back clean and having examined her I see no reason that you or anypony else should be worried about her health.”
Rainbow ignored the doctor’s attempt to pre-emptively placate her. “Want to cut to the chase?”
“That lump on her spine is symptomatic of a condition called neurofibroma. I had a colleague confirm with a look at her MRI, and the iron levels in her blood are symptomatic of somatic magic toxicity.”
“Are you saying she’s being poisoned?” Rainbow shrieked.
“No, that’s why it’s somatic,” Dr. Feather responded somewhat puzzled until she remembered that not every pony had a medical degree. “She’ll have to take it easy on the alcohol when she gets older, but it’s nothing to worry about.” Dr. Feather took a moment to let Rainbow compose herself. “But as long as that mass is there she won’t be able to fly unless her magic suddenly strengthens, which at her age is unlikely.”
“How unlikely?”
“Next to impossible.”
Rainbow Dash felt the air rush out of her, her hopes complete deflated, her promise to Scootaloo destined to go unfulfilled. “So that’s it then. She can’t fly?” she asked dejectedly.
Dr. Feather took a deep breath, “Not necessarily. It would be possible to remove the mass surgically. That would restore the flow of magic to the rest of her body, allowing her to fly. Her wings will still be small, she’ll probably never be a Wonderbolt, but without that mass basic flight shouldn’t be a problem.”
Her hopes, once thought dead and now suddenly revived Rainbow Dash perked up, before remembering her previous conversation with the doctor.“I thought you said surgery was a bad idea?”
“I believe I said it was risky and it is. Aside from the mass being located directly on her spinal cord, it is also close to her venarol arteries as well as several nerve clusters. In short it’s a busy area and if something goes wrong during the surgery, it would go very wrong, very quickly.”
Rainbow suddenly found her heart firmly in her throat. “Are you saying she could die?” at the last word her voice broke.
“Yes,” Dr. Feather said with significantly less emotion than Rainbow thought the declaration warranted. “Or she could end up paralyzed, or without the use of her wings at all.”
“When you put it like that, why would I possibly agree to this?”
“Because if the surgery is successful she’ll be able to fly. You, and more importantly she, need to know all the facts before you make a decision. If you say yes, I’ll perform the operation. Dr. Splint has agreed to assist and he has volunteered the surgical bay in the Cloudiseum. We can do it right here.”
Rainbow briefly allowed herself to consider both her own love of flying and Scootaloo’s frequent, if futile, efforts. She knew what Scootaloo would want, and that was the only reason she didn’t reject the idea right then. “Well, what are the odds that she comes through?”
“I don’t give odds Ms. Dash. Medicine doesn’t work that way.”
“Well, can you at least promise she’d be okay?” Rainbow asked, desperately seeking some form of assurance.
“I can’t do that either.”
Rainbow shook her head,“I can’t lose her.” She then wheeled on Dr. Splint. “Find me a doctor who can guarantee her safety. I don’t care what it takes.”
Dr. Feather inserted herself back into the conversation as a stunned Dr. Splint stood there, unsure of how to respond. “I’m the one you want doing this,” she said flatly.
“Not if you can’t promise she’ll be okay I don’t,” Rainbow shot back.
“Any doctor who promises you she’ll be okay is either lying to you or incompetent. I’m competent enough to know exactly how difficult the surgery will be, and concerned enough to be worried about the risk.”
“Dr. Feather is the Wonderbolts surgeon for a reason, Rainbow. If I needed surgery, she’s the one I’d want holding the scalpel,” Dr. Splint said.
“Have you ever lost a patient?” Rainbow asked Dr. Feather.
“Mrs. Dash, that is hardly relevant to this discussion and quite frankly bad manners.” Dr. Splint answered before his colleague could respond, hoping to prevent an argument from forming.
Dr. Feather held a hoof up before Rainbow could speak again. “It’s okay. I suspect Rainbow wishes to know if I am ever careless with my patients’ lives.” She turned back to Rainbow. “The answer to your question is yes. He was a young colt. He had been in an accident and his wings were badly damaged, but then again, healthy patients seldom need surgery. He was healing well enough, but his parents were worried about scar tissue so I was brought in for a consult. I told the parents that the scar tissue could impact his flying ability if not addressed, but also that clearing out the damaged tissue would require major surgery, which performed so soon after an accident carried more risk than it otherwise might. With his parents’ blessings he opted to go forth with the surgery and I agreed to perform it.”
“What happened next?” Rainbow asked softly. The doctor had already told her the outcome, but how it happened seemed important.
“Scar tissue can build up in the capillaries of the muscles in accident cases. In rare cases it can build up enough to cause muscle death. Normally a patient would feel pain, and that would be our clue that we should tread carefully, but because he had been in a serious crash he was both on pain killers and felt pain in his wings anyway. There was no way to know how much scar tissue there was until we opened him up. I went in to remove the scar tissue, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much muscle death had already occurred. I started to remove the dead muscle tissue, and one of the necrotic buildups threw a clot that ended up in his lungs. He was already weak from the accident, the resulting pleural effusion caused him to go into shock and he died on my table.” Dr. Feather finished her explanation calmly, but not without a note of sorrow.
“I’ll be honest doc, I didn’t understand about half of that,” Rainbow said.
Dr. Feather looked Rainbow in the eyes. “I lost a patient, it was partly my fault and if I had to do it over again I still would have done the surgery. You want to know if I’d be careless with Scootaloo? The answer is that the health of my patients is the most important thing in the world to me, but that that is not a guarantee that she’ll be okay. You want some assurance that she’ll make it through okay, and I can’t in good conscience give that to you.”
Looking at Dr. Feather, Rainbow got the same impression she did whenever she watched the Wonderbolts. It wasn’t that they were just good at what they did; they knew they were the best. Ask a Wonderbolt if they could do something and the answer was always yes. If nothing else, Dr. Feather’s confidence helped set Rainbow’s mind at ease, even if her story made it clear that confidence was not a foolproof safeguard against failure. “What should I do?” she asked quietly.
“You need to talk to her. I just wanted to make you aware of the risk. If you’d like, you can bring her in and I’ll talk to her myself.”
The reminder that Scootaloo needed to weigh in ended any further discussion as far as Rainbow was concerned. She said a quick pair of goodbyes and flew off to work.
Unsurprisingly, Rainbow had a particularly distracted day on her weather route. She almost busted up a scheduled rain pour and would have created a tornado if not for the timely intervention of Cloud Kicker. Her supervisor would have sent her home early, but fortunately the rest of her shift was supposed to be spent on cloud patrol for a cloudless sky.
Once at home, Rainbow agitatedly waited for Scootaloo to return. From where she sat the problem was that of two conflicting promises. She promised that she’d get Scoots flying, and she also promised to keep her safe. As it stood now,she couldn’t think of how to keep both promises, but breaking a promise to the orange filly was not an option either as far as she was concerned. So, she brooded.
She didn’t have to wait long before Scootaloo bounded through the door with her usual burst of enthusiasm and good humor. Rainbow took one look at her, remembered the doctor’s warning and decided that she wasn’t ready to deal with the repercussions of telling Scootaloo what she had learned. Scootaloo was happy and healthy, and most importantly, she was alive. For Rainbow, the choice of a flightless Scootaloo versus even the tiniest possibility of no Scootaloo wasn’t even a tough call, though deep down she knew that it was not a decision she got to make. Misty has to weigh in. I can’t talk to Scoots until I talk to Misty. Sweet.
Pleased at her rationalization, Rainbow pushed her worries down where she wouldn’t have to think about them. Scootaloo filled her in on the sleepover and school, both fine, and the two spent a normal evening together, Scootaloo unaware that anything was wrong.
That illusion was shattered when Rainbow heard a knock on the door. She trotted over, Scootaloo close behind her, and was surprised to find both Twilight and Luna waiting patiently on her stoop.
“I just want to say that this is a terrible idea and you should want no part in it,” Twilight blurted out before anypony could say anything.
Luna shot Twilight a glare and turned her attention to the orange filly, who was looking as bewildered as her sister. “Greetings Scootaloo. If it pleases you, we would talk to Rainbow alone for a moment.”
Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash for some form of reassurance that everything would be okay, but all she received was a brief, “Sorry, squirt. Do you mind?”
“‘Grownups are talking, Scootaloo. Why don’t you go upstairs and play?’ Nopony ever lets me stick around,” Scootaloo mumbled as she dutifully went up to her room to find something to do.
With Scootaloo safely out of earshot, Twilight renewed her objection, despite nopony having told Rainbow why they were at her door in the first place. “Again, this is a bad idea and you should say no.”
“Twilight, we talked about this. Rainbow must be allowed to make her own choices.”
“Say no to what? I don’t even know what you guys are talking about.”
Luna began her explanation carefully. “I believe I have found a way to help Scootaloo fly-”
“-And it’s a terrible idea and you shouldn’t even consider it,” Twilight repeated for the third time, lest there be any doubt about where she stood.
But Twilight’s warnings were doomed the moment Rainbow heard the phrase “Scootaloo fly”.
“What is it? Tell me what I have to do,” came Rainbow’s resolute response.
“Magic can be transferred between ponies of the same race. I could give Scootaloo your magic, and as long as you give it willingly, I believe I could minimize the negative side effects. But you would lose the ability to fly.”
Rainbow felt like she had just crashed into a wall. Despite Luna’s warning that this could be the price, facing up to the reality of it still hit her like a ton of bricks. But after she got over the initial shock, she couldn’t help but do the cold hard calculus of the situation. Scootaloo would be able to fly, and she wouldn’t have to risk her life. Rainbow could keep both of her promises. And so what if she couldn’t fly? Applejack didn’t fly, and she still did awesome stuff. And the Wonderbolts weren’t that great, were they? Again, her thoughts circled back to the orange filly upstairs. Scootaloo will be able to fly. “Okay, I’ll do it,” she finally said, quieter than she intended.
“Rainbow, no!” Twilight pleaded.
Rainbow jerked her head up and glared at her friend, who for some reason was trying to talk her out of helping her sister. “If Spike needed you to cut off your horn, you’d do it in a second!”
“Scootaloo doesn’t need this! She’s a happy, healthy little filly, just the way she is. For Celestia’s sake Rainbow, you’re talking about mutilating yourself!”
“Are you ordering me not to do this Princess?” Rainbow growled, wielding Twilight’s title as an insult to punctuate her point.
The growl earned her a sharp glare, as Twilight briefly considered what exactly she was legally allowed to do in this situation. A brief mental review of Equestrian law concluded that any sort of legal injunction would be a failure at best, and could end up damaging a friendship she held very dear at worst. “No Rainbow, I’m here as your friend, and I don’t want to see my friend hurt herself, even if it’s for a good cause.”
“Okay, well then thanks for the warning Twi, but I’m doing this.” She turned to Luna. “Can we do this here? Do we have go somewhere? What’s the deal?”
“I can cast the spell here, but you will tell Scootaloo of what you are doing before I do so,” Luna replied solemnly.
“Why? She doesn’t have to know!” Rainbow shot back, getting a little tired of ponies ordering her around.
“Do you really think she will not deduce your sacrifice?” Luna shook her head before Rainbow could answer. “If you recall, when you came to visit me in Canterlot, I warned you about the dangers of carrying burdens.” Rainbow nodded. “We also agreed that I would be the sole arbiter in deciding what price was too high. I have decided that you giving up your own flight in addition to keeping that secret crosses that threshold. Are you a mare of your word Rainbow Dash?”
“Yes,” Rainbow half growled, the stress of what she preparing to do making her blood boil.
“Then you will tell Scootaloo, or I will not cast the spell.”
“Fine. Hey Scoots, could you get down here?” Rainbow shouted, her adrenaline fueling her.
Scootaloo came rushing down the steps, looking nervous. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, words came rushing out of her. “Is everything okay? Is something wrong? Whatever it is, I’m sorry. I promise not to do it again. Please don’t be mad at Rainbow.”
“Rest easy little one, you are in no trouble,” Luna said, allowing the authority and warmth of her voice to calm the scared filly.
“Yeah Scoots, this is actually good news. Twilight and Luna have figured out a way to get you flying,” Rainbow Dash said, forcing a smile.
Twilight started to protest her involvement, but Scootaloo’s enthusiasm drowned her out. “Really?” the filly asked, her face lighting up brighter than Rainbow had ever seen it, her wings buzzing with excitement and her eyes wide. “What do I have to do?”
Rainbow swallowed hard, as Luna fixed her with a firm look and Twilight silently pleaded with her. “You don’t have to do anything, Scoots. Luna’s gonna use her alicorn magic to cast a spell and give you my flying ability. That’s all there is to it. One little spell and you’ll be awesome at flying.”
“Your flying ability? But does that mean that you won’t be able to fly anymore?” Scootaloo asked as the color drained from her face.
Rainbow sighed. It was impossible to pretend that she was one hundred percent on board with this, but she didn’t have to pretend that she wanted to do it. “Probably not, Scoots, but you don’t have to worry about that. Okay?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “No. I don’t want you guys to cast the spell or whatever.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and Luna smiled knowingly at Scootaloo. But as Rainbow looked at the two princess and then back at Scootaloo, she was unwilling to let it go that easily.
“Can I talk to Scootaloo alone for a few minutes?”
Twilight started to protest but Luna ushered her out the door. “Scootaloo, I want you to let me do this,” Rainbow said calmly as the door closed behind them.
Scootaloo turned her back to her idol slash sister and looked down at the ground, the shake of her head growing into a small tremor that rocked her tiny body. “No.”
Rainbow hardened her voice ever so slightly. “Scootaloo, it’s okay. You need to let me do this.”
“No, it’s not okay!” Scootaloo snapped. “If you do this, you’ll end up hating me… I don’t want you to hate me,” she said softly.
“How can you even think that Scoots?” Rainbow’s said, her voice tinged with disbelief and a touch of indignation. “After all the bedtime stories, hay, everything we’ve been through, how could you possibly think I could hate you?”
Scootaloo finally looked back toward her sister up with her ears pinned back. “You’re a pegasus, Rainbow. You’re the most awesome radically cool pony ever, but you’re still a pegasus. You love to fly, and if you gave that up for me you’d end up hating me.” Rainbow started to disagree but Scootaloo continued. “Even if you didn’t, I’d hate myself. Every time I saw you walking on the ground I’d be reminded of what I made you give up.” Another tremor shook her body and her lip quivered. “Please don’t ask me again. I’m scared I might say yes.” The request came out with a whimper, more plea then demand.
Dang it Scoots, I’m offering you the one thing you want, and you can have it without having to risk your life, and all you have to do is…oh. Rainbow had been so busy thinking about her desire to protect Scootaloo that she had never once considered that Scootaloo might have similar feelings toward her. After all, if the situation were reversed, Rainbow would have turned down that deal in a heartbeat. She couldn’t really be upset that Scootaloo came to a similar conclusion. And that realization made her acknowledge that, in her zeal to protect Scootaloo, she was actually offering her a terribly cruel choice; “your sister or your dream”, was scarcely better than the “your life or your dream” choice that Rainbow had been so adamant about shielding Scootaloo from.
“C’mere kid,” Rainbow whispered as she gently lifted a wing up so Scootaloo could scurry under it.
Under your wing, unable to come up with anything to say, Rainbow took a moment to think about both the phrase and the action. The feeling of Scootaloo wrapped securely in her wing brought Rainbow back to a simpler time, fuzzy and indistinct, so long ago. She could remember the terrifying booming of thunder, rendered insignificant by the shelter of her father's wing cocooning her entire body.
Only now, from the other side, could Rainbow recognize how vulnerable that act could leave you. Letting anypony under your wing meant opening yourself to the very dangers you were offering shelter from. So, she reasoned, when you let a pony take refuge under your wing you were protecting them at the expense of your own safety. As she looked down at Scootaloo subconsciously pressing her little body against her own barrel, mirroring her own actions from that time long ago, Rainbow couldn’t imagine a more apt description.
Scootaloo was a point of weakness; there was no longer any doubting that. She was an adorable little hole in the emotional shield that Rainbow had worked so hard to maintain for so many years. Rainbow squeezed her tightly, before gently wrapping a foreleg around her barrel, lifting her up to eye level, making sure to keep the wing firmly placed between Scootaloo and the outside world. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I won’t ask again.”
Scootaloo nodded and burrowed further into Rainbow’s embrace before a knock at the door cut short their tender moment. The uncertain sounding voice of Twilight Sparkle cut through the air. “Well?” she asked, Luna standing next to her.
Rainbow set Scootaloo down in front of Twilight. Tellingly, Scootaloo instinctively pressed her back against Rainbow’s foreleg. “It’s your decision, squirt.”
Scootaloo looked up at Princess Luna, then back toward Rainbow Dash, and then up at Luna again. “I want to fly, but not if it means Rainbow can’t. Umm... I appreciate you trying, but I’m gonna have to say no,” Scootaloo said, albeit with a hint of melancholy.
“You are wise beyond your years, Scootaloo; I shall respect your decision,” Luna said bowing her head.
Twilight let out another audibly relieved sigh. “I think that’s really mature of you Scootaloo.”
Everypony stayed quiet for a moment, allowing the tension in the room to dissipate. Twilight broke the silence, to prevent it from becoming uncomfortable if nothing else. “Luna and I should get going, but don’t worry Scootaloo. We’re going to keep looking for an answer,” she said as cheerfully as she could manage, without being inconsiderate.
The princesses left, and the cloud house was quiet once again. Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow, studying her big sister with a curious expression. “You were going to give up flying for me. You love flying more than anything.”
Rainbow looked down and shrugged, as though her willingness to sacrifice the one thing she had devoted her life to was little more than a minor inconvenience. “I guess I found something I love more.” Scootaloo just stared at her, and so Rainbow poked her stomach gently. “You,” she said softly.
Scootaloo absentmindedly rubbed the spot where Rainbow had poked her, and Rainbow decided that the little filly could use a reminder of just how important she was. “You’ve got a lot of ponies that love you, Scoots. You’ve got a mom that loves you a whole heck of a lot…” Rainbow couldn’t imagine it was possible to love Scootaloo any more than she did, which meant it was impossible that she loved Scootaloo any less than anypony else. But Misty was Scootaloo’s mother, her actual, biologically related, went-through-labor and two-years-without-sleeping, mom. Maybe Applejack was right, and this was one of those things that really wasn’t a competition. “...and a sister who loves you just as much. And you’ve got two great friends who love you. I know about two things: flying and what a good friend looks like, and trust me, you’ve got two of the best friends you’re ever gonna find. And Fluttershy loves you too,” Rainbow added for good measure.
“Fluttershy loves everypony,” Scootaloo said with a small giggle.
“Yeah, she does,” Rainbow admitted. “But she’s got a soft spot for brash little pegasi. Good thing, too. Ponies like us need a Fluttershy.”
“We do?”
“You bet. Before you came along, Fluttershy was the only thing keeping me grounded.” Rainbow cringed at her unintentional slight, but Scootaloo seemed not to notice it.
“I guess it’s a good thing Fluttershy is around then.”
“It is.” Rainbow looked down at Scootaloo and thought back about what had just happened. As much as she wanted to find a way around it, she couldn’t avoid the obvious conclusion. Scootaloo was offered what she wanted most and turned it down because it would have hurt her. If she was responsible enough to make that decision, she was responsible enough to weigh the risk of her own surgery. “We need to go see your mom tomorrow.”
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Nice chapter, I'm very glad Scootaloo turned down getting to fly at the cost of Rainbow being unable to fly. I can't wait to see how the discussion over the surgery goes with Misty and Scoots.
The obvious solution is to give Scootaloo the Alicorn Amulet. That'll give her the boost she needs!
>.>
Though would Luna consider Misty an acceptable substitute for the magic drain? She is a pegasus, ja?
Hmm... at this point, I can't really say which direction Scoots will go; get the surgery or not. I also couldn't guess whether or not she'll ultimately be able to fly. This is good, as it means the story isn't too predictable. I enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next.
5229127 I'm surprised they couldn't just use Twilight's magic. Its not like she needs to fly! I don't think it would remove the wings themselves, just make the useless. I don't think Twilight has really needed to use her wings yet... Am I forgetting something?
5229370
Or use the Mirror Pool to make a Rainbow Dash doppleganger to be sucked dry. Twilight has already shown a complete willingness to wantonly murderize clones. At least this time it'd be for a good cause.
5229370
For the record your plan wouldn't work because Magic can only be transferred
between ponies of the same race.
5229389 Your plan wouldn't work because...clones don't have magic or something.
5229430
Ooo, I know! They could remove Scootaloo's brain and put it inside a Changeling!
5229430 But if Twilight didn't have Pegasus magic, how can she be able to fly? Also, would the strength of the pony's flight ability be a factor? Like, if a weak flyer offered magic, would it work?
My prediction is that Misty will be against it, but Scootaloo will be willing to risk the surgery.
Scootaloo needs all the support of her friends to get this done.
haha just about every kid says that. I loved this chapter I kinda expected her to not go with it, she's practicly a mini RD
5229795 Thanks, I don't recommend marathoning my works, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Agh, the feels. They just hit hard. I'm a big sister myself so . . . I understand what it feels like to be willing to give up what you most love for your sibling. You captured it really well.
5230050 Thank you, I'm not a big sister (or big brother) so I'm glad I captured it well
5230187 yep
Feather continues to be awesome. Professionalism for the win!
5229127
Yes!! I like this plan! Use the amulet!(And all of your later plans)
And Misty is an earth pony? or a unicorn. I cant remember but it was her dad who was a pegasus. Or I'm just insane, always a possibility.
5230259 I'm up late responding to comments. Misty is an earth pony.
5230268
Yes! My memory is intact and i'm not crazy! Today is a good day!
Wouldn't it be a good idea to tell Twilight that Scootaloo magic potential has to be increased for basic flight to work? I am sure there are plenty of artefacts or other magic that could boost Scootaloo's magic without another pegisi losing flight which a doctor wouldn't know about but Twilight or Luna would know about?
Foreshadowing Fluttershy will give up her flying magic? I mean she doesn't rely on it and chooses to walk more often than fly in most cases.
Okay, this chapter made me want to punch Rainbow in the face, especially when she's dealing with the two doctors.
Seriously, it's as if she decided to grab the Idiot Ball with both limbs. How fucking self centered do you have to be to demand a 100% success rate from a difficult, complicated and non-essential surgery, when even the simplest operations carry an amount of risk?
Got to love Luna in this. Making Scootaloo part of the decision practically ensured it was never going to happen.
I don't think Scoot's mom will agree to the surgery, for all the same reasons that Twilight threw up against RD sacrificing herself. Scootaloo has a pretty awesome life as is, and the added happiness of flying propably doesn't outweigh the risk and tragedy.
WHOOOO Great going with scoots i bet only 25% of us here would take family over dream but that doesnt matter. ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND surgery bet you 10/10 that itl either be rainbow dash stopping scoots(Probaly the unlikely outcome) Or scoots once again chosing life and family over dream Three cheers for scoots!
5230763 I think there's a misspelled e-mail in my inbox advertising a product that can boost my magic flow.
5230847
Being irrational is not the same thing as being selfish. She loves Scootaloo so much that she's terrified at the thought of her dying while under the knife.
He
____________
move down a line.
____________
Cute chapter.
5232638 Fixed thanks. And thanks for the compliment.
5232665
You're welcome. Honestly speaking this and it's predecesor were rather well done. And I'm glad the "Luna's sacrifiial spell arc" is done, although I'd think that those two Princesses might know enough about healing to at least prevent blood loss, maybe.
A question about your Scootaloo is a Princess fic. Well 2 of them. 1) Why not use Scootaloo's mother from this fic, and 2) are you going to be releasing many chapters at once, or one at a time from now on?
why why do these chapter take so long
good thing i liked this chapter
or id die of boredom
5232760 Interesting
questions.
I really didn't think Scootaloo: Princess for a day would garner much of a response, so I didn't make concrete plans for it's continuation. So I have chapter 3 almost written and bits and pieces of some other chapters. Given it's not insignificant popularity I think I'm realse them one at at time, as it allows me to work a little faster/not overload my editors (cause then I get comments like Why is this taking so long?). The good news is that that fic is much more contained then this one and so it is unlikely to make it past about 6-7 chapters.
As for Why Scoots has a different Mom. 1.) I didn't want anyone confusing the two universes. 2.) that fic was kind of a re-write of someone else fic ( see the description) so I thought I should keep the same characters.
That was very big of Scootaloo. Being handed your dream on a silver platter, only to turn away from. Kid's got chops, and I think if this did happen in the show, I think she would do the same exact thing. So props to you, dude.
5232977
Cool, and that fic deserves it's massive amount of upvotes ^_^.
frankly, i'm glad what luna offered was what it was. i was sacred it would be a far darker sacrifice dash would've had to make, even if it didn't happen in the end because scoots turned it down.
5232496
I didn't say selfish, I said self-centered. The concept is similar, but there IS a distinction
It took me a while to get to this, excellent work as usual. And no physics lecture this time lol.
another excellent chapter.
I don't know how the law works but shouldn't Scoot's mom lose custody of her for what happened? Sure she didn't know it was happening but it happened in the same building she was in.
5347006
There is some legal grey area regarding genuine ignorance of abuse, but under these specific circumstances, her mother probably should have been declared an unfit parent.
I really enjoyed reading this. Meh, so what the medical stuff wasn't 100%. Its a show about technicolor ponies that talk lol
I'm really looking forward to reading more. Keep up the great work, to you as well as the editors. 
Two points:
1.) You SEEM to be missing some hand(hoof?) waving about how Rainbow Dash is cleared to know the results of the tests, let alone approve the surgery. Perhaps the doctors are creating plausible deniability for themselves in the interests of helping her out? The could claim that they "naturally assumed that Ms. Dash had medical authority in this case".
2.) You talk about Dash's supervisor, but I'm pretty sure that canonically she is the highest ranking weather officer, at least actually flying, rather than behind a desk.
Immediately deciding to go through with the dark magic seems a little impulsive, even for Dash... then again, she has technically had several days since she was exposed to the concept... actually, in all practicality:
(Please excuse me if nit-picking dark magic is too close to nit-picking medicine): I could see a terminally ill pegasus with currently-still-healthy wings volunteering, so the option is still on the table, unless Dark Magic doesn't work with such partial loopholes. If it would work, a cancer patient who is already planning to buy time with chemotherapy that might cause them to at least stop regrowing feathers after molting, or to immediately molt with no regrowth would be the ideal pony to ask. Would offering large bags of bits distort "willing"? Would the loss of magic shorten the remaining life expectancy? Have I mentioned that I'm a knee-jerk world-builder?
I think this just might be one of my favorite chapters of any story ever.
It's so emotional, and the care Rainbow has for Scootaloo seems to shine through the most in this chapter.
And any time I think of coming back to this story, this is the chapter I find myself re-reading the most.
6423831 thanks, I like how it came out too.
On her weather route
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6423831
Yeah this is the third best chapter of the series.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the beautiful wholesome relationship you've written for Scoots and Dash. Especially since you've maintained their sisterly relationship instead of making it parental. That is a niche very rarely found and I love it!