Maybe we need to get some help
For the second time in as many days, Scootaloo didn’t know where she was going. She just wanted to be anywhere other than where she was. An ugly monologue ran through her head as she ran away from the practice field and tried to stem the tide of tears flowing from her eyes.
Well, good job, Looserloo. You managed to push Rainbow Dash away, just like you do everypony else. Diamond Tiara was right; nopony wants a flightless blank flank around anyway.
Eventually, she found herself at the edge of the Everfree Forest, its foreboding nature casting a large shadow, both figuratively and literally. She moved off the path, and sat down just in front of the forest entrance, both too scared to venture inside and unwilling to turn back. She thought about going to her clubhouse, but she didn’t want to see Apple Bloom right now either. At least she could be alone out here, as nopony ventured near the Everfree Forest if they could avoid it, which they usually could. Thus, she was surprised when she heard a soft voice interrupt her downward spiral.
“Scootaloo?” The soft voice asked.
She turned around to see Fluttershy, the one pony who chose to live near the Everfree Forest, standing next to her. “I don’t want to talk; please, just leave me alone,” she mumbled, turning her back on the yellow pegasus.
“Okay. I’ll just sit here and enjoy the forest, if that’s okay with you,” Fluttershy sat down close enough to Scootaloo so that she would be aware of her presence, but just far enough behind her as to not encroach on her personal space; she began to patiently wait for the little filly to start talking. Despite Fluttershy’s patience and good nature, Scootaloo kept her back turned, causing Fluttershy to smile softly at the fact that Scootaloo’s stubbornness reminded her so much of Rainbow’s. Fluttershy waited for more than an hour, and the orange filly didn’t say anything. “It’s getting dark out. Maybe you’d like to not talk at my home? I have hot chocolate...” Fluttershy offered gently.
Scootaloo just shrugged, but also got up and began to walk in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Feel a little better?” Fluttershy asked, after giving Scootaloo a steaming mug of the chocolaty beverage. “Would you like to tell me why you’re so upset? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I may be able to help.”
Scootaloo found it impossible to resist the kindness in Fluttershy voice. In its own way, it was more powerful than her famed Stare. “I had a fight with Rainbow Dash and now she probably hates me and I don’t have anywhere else to go and-.”
Scootaloo was cut off by the sensation of a comforting wing landing softly on her shoulder.
“Rainbow Dash doesn’t hate you,” Fluttershy said gently, but in a tone that offered no ambiguity.
“How do you know? You didn’t see us fight.”
“I’ve known Rainbow Dash for a long time, since before you were even born, and I’ve never seen her as happy as I have these past few months. She could never hate you.”
“But I yelled at her. She’s done so much for me, and I yelled at her,” Scootaloo said, her voice aching with sorrow. “It’s not her fault I can’t fly.”
“So, tell her that. If she really loves you, which she does,” Fluttershy softly emphasized the last three words, “She’ll forgive you.”
“But what if she doesn’t?”
Fluttershy paused for a moment to consider the question. “How about this? If Rainbow Dash doesn’t forgive you, you can stay here with me.”
“You’d really want me around?”
“Well, sure. Rainbow Dash is always telling me how nice...I mean, how awesomely cool it is to have you at her house. If she really doesn’t want you to stay with her anymore, I’d love it if you came to stay with me. If it’s okay with you, that is.”
“I guess you’re pretty cool too,” Scootaloo said in response to the offer, trying not to imagine what it was going to be like when Rainbow Dash kicked her out. She liked Fluttershy, but nopony could possibly compete with Rainbow Dash. She had been given the greatest big sister ever and totally ruined it.
Back at the cloud house, panic had overtaken what remained of Rainbow’s rational thought processes. She was about to leave the house and start scouring ponyville for Scootaloo when she heard a knock at the door. She flung it open, only to have her face drop when she saw that it was just Fluttershy. “Hey, Fluttershy. Look, can this wait? I’ve got somewhere I’ve got to be.”
“Oh, okay. It’s just that I found a little filly who’d like to talk to you.” She stepped aside, and gently nudged a very nervous-looking Scootaloo forward.
“Umm... hi, Rainbow Dash. I just-”
Scootaloo was unable to finish her sentence before she found herself in a bone crushing hug. “Does this mean you’re not mad at me?” she managed to squeak out.
“Yes… no… gah …” Rainbow found herself unable to speak coherently as relief washed over her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that she looked totally uncool, reduced to a blathering foal over one little orange filly, but that same portion of her brain rationalized that it was only Fluttershy and Scootaloo who were around to see it, and that it was probably okay. She gripped Scootaloo tightly, as if the very thought of letting go of her would cause her to disappear again. Fortunately for both pegasi, Scootaloo was too busy experiencing her own sense of relief to mind very much. She happily snuggled into her big sister, enjoying the familiar sensation of Rainbow’s soft fur against her cheek.
“I guess you don’t need to move in with me after all, Scootaloo,” Fluttershy said, smiling at the scene of domestic bliss unfolding in front of her.
“Wait, what?” Rainbow said looking up, being sure not to release her grip.
Fluttershy smiled and shook her head at her friend, who still had an orange filly held tight against her. “I’ll see you girls later,” she said before flying away, leaving the two pegasi to reunite in peace. .
“Bye, Fluttershy,” Scootaloo called out from her haven between Rainbow’s forelegs and her chest.
Satisfied that the Scootaloo she was holding was real and not a mirage she took a deep breath and set the filly down.
“Are you okay, kid? I shouldn’t have left you alone. I’m sorry.”
“I’m okay, and I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
Rainbow paused and tilted her head slightly. “Call it even?” she said with a shrug. She knew that, technically, they should probably have a long boring talk about their feelings and stuff. If Twilight were here, she’d probably make them write about what they learned in her friendship journal. But Rainbow had never really been one for long mushy talks; even if she had a few with Scootaloo, she wasn’t necessarily eager to add to that list. They were both wrong, so why couldn’t their wrongs cancel each other out?
Scootaloo giggled at the question. She had never heard of an adult willing to just call it even, but one of the things she loved about Rainbow Dash was that she didn’t act like a normal adult most of the time. If she didn’t already have her cutie mark, she would make a great crusader. “Even.”
The two pegasi went into the living room and curled up on the couch to watch some Baking Bad, for no other reason than that they were both glad to be reunited. Scootaloo perched herself atop Rainbow’s prismatic mane, and burrowed into it. At more than one point, Rainbow found herself wondering why she let Scootaloo watch this with her, but the little filly seemed happy so she let it slide. After the episode ended, Rainbow looked up at the filly who was snuggled atop her head. “So, uhh…you were kinda right back there, Scoots. Maybe my best isn’t good enough.” she said.
Scootaloo climbed down from Rainbow’s head. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry-”
“It’s okay, Scoots. If we want to get you up in the air, then maybe we need to get some help.”
“What kind of help?”
“I don’t know, but I think we need somepony who knows more about this than me.” Rainbow decided, for now, that she would keep Twilights involvement a secret. She was kind of her ace in the hole. “Did your mom ever take you to a doctor?” she asked tentatively. There were a number of medical conditions whose symptoms included flight difficulty, and none of them benign.
“Umm, yeah, Dr. Stable always said I was fine. He said I was really brave when I had to get a shot.”
“I’ll bet you were. But, maybe you need to see a pegasus doctor.”
Scootaloo bit her lip and stared at the ground. “What if there is something wrong with me and I won’t ever be able to fly?”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with you, flight or no,” Rainbow said, making sure to look the filly in the eyes. “If you can’t fly… well, then you can’t fly. But maybe you can, and there’s just an issue that we have to deal with. It’s better to know than to not know.”
“I’m scared,” Scootaloo admitted to one of the two ponies, along with dream-walking Luna, in all of Equestria that she would ever admit that too.
“I know, kid, but nothing gets better if you ignore it. I’ll be with you the whole time. Okay, Scoots?” Rainbow said, giving Scootaloo a reassuring squeeze with her wing.
Rainbow’s pledge seemed to reassure Scootaloo just a tiny bit. “I’m getting sleepy. Can we go to bed?”
“We?”
“Umm, I was kinda hoping I could sleep with you again. I know I did last night, but-”
“I’m just messin with you, kid. Of course we can go to bed. Do you still want a bedtime story?”
Scootaloo nodded happily, and raced upstairs only to be quickly followed by her big sister. After a few chapters of Daring Do, Scootaloo began to nod off, nestled securely under Rainbow’s wing.
Rainbow was about to lay her own head down when she felt a pair of tiny forelegs grasp her barrel. She returned the hug with her wing as she turned to the orange filly, “What was that for?” she asked in a whisper.
“For letting me stay here,” Scootaloo responded almost bashfully.
Scootaloo needs to learn to trust other ponies again.
I guess you don’t need to move in with me after all.
“You… you thought I was going to kick you out? Because we had one little fight?”
Scootaloo pinned her ears back and nodded, her face turning red.
Rainbow hugged her sister gently again. “How many times have I told you that I am always going to be here for you no matter what?”
“A bunch.”
“Well, I don’t stop meaning it just because you yelled at me. Listen closely, Scoots, because this next bit is important: there is nothing you could do that would ever make me kick you out, ever. This is your home, too, now.”
Scootaloo’s ears returned to their usual perky state. She let out a soft neigh as she hugged Rainbow tightly, unable to otherwise express her gratitude.
“Are we done with this silly ‘Rainbow is going to make me move out’ business now?”
Scootaloo smiled and nodded. Once again feeling secure, she laid down, snuggling in for a night of peaceful sleep.
“Nighty night, Scoots,” Rainbow whispered as she closed her own eyes and soon drifted off to sleep herself.
------------------------
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Scootaloo found herself gripping tightly onto Rainbow’s mane as she flew through the air.
“Where are we going?” the orange filly asked.
“You’ll see when we get there.”
Half an hour later, Rainbow Dash landed on a cloud just outside of a sprawling coliseum like structure built out of clouds. Standing in front of the entrance was a stallion whose name Rainbow couldn’t quite remember, but he was built like a tank, and had a shield for his cutie mark. Much to Scootaloo’s surprise, he almost smiled at Rainbow Dash as she approached.
“Excuse me, Ms. Dash, but cadets aren’t due back for another few months. Until then, the base is off limits.”
“Yeah, I know, but I’d like to get inside anyway.”
“Sorry, active personnel only,” the stallion said, shifting his posture ever so slightly.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Would you just call inside for me? I know you’ve got a radio in there,” Rainbow said, gesturing to a guard shack to the right of the front door.
The guard stallion had a hunch that, in the long run, he would be better off if he did what this crazy mare wanted than try to argue. He gave a quick nod to his partner (whose name Rainbow couldn’t remember either), and the trio stood there and waited. A few seconds later, the stallion in the shack gave a nod to his partner. “Apparently, you can head on in. Have a nice day, Mrs. Dash.”
Rainbow allowed herself a satisfactory grin. “C’mon, Scoots.” The two pegasi walked into the cloudiseum. It was easily the biggest place constructed out of clouds Scootaloo had ever seen, but her eyes grew even wider as a familiar looking light blue stallion rounded the corner and called out a friendly greeting.
“Hey, Dash. Who’s the filly?”
“Soarin’, this is my sister, Scootaloo. Scootaloo, meet Soarin’.”
Soarin kneeled down so that he at was eye level with Scootaloo. “Well, hi there, Scootaloo, I’m Soarin’. Nice to meet you,” he said, as he extended his hoof for an introductory hoof bump.
“Yeah, you are! I mean, I know, I mean, I’m a huge fan… ummm… it’s nice to meet you too,” Scootaloo said, before offering a tentative hoof bump in return as her wings buzzed with excitement.
Soarin smiled the gentle smile of someone who was used to getting odd reactions from fans, it was warm and inviting without being the least bit smug, Rainbow wasn’t entirely sure how he did it. “So, you’re Rainbow Dash’s sister? Well, in that case, I’m a huge fan of yours,” Soarin looked up at Rainbow Dash. “So, what brings you to our training complex? You know the next round of basic isn’t for a few months.”
“I was kinda hoping we could see Dr. Splint.”
“Sure, he’s taping up Fleetfoot right now, but I’ll bet he can make some time for you. What’s the issue? Did you hyperextend your wing again? I keep telling you, you gotta keep it tucked on those corkscrews or else the g-forces will rip the thing right out of its socket.”
“Hey, my corkscrews are awesome. Anyways, it’s not me. I was hoping he could take a look at Scootaloo. She’s having some trouble flying and I want to make sure there’s nothing wrong with her.”
“No problem.” Soarin looked down at the now nervous looking filly next to Rainbow Dash. “Don’t worry, kid. We’ll have you up and flying training runs with us in no time,” he said, offering her a quick wink. “You can head on back. You know where to go, right?” he asked, turning back to Rainbow Dash.
“Yep. Thanks, Soarin’.”
“For the pony who saved our lives, it seems like the least we can do. Catch ya later, Scootaloo,” he said, before heading back to whatever it was he was doing before his day was interrupted.
Scootaloo grinned happily and awestruck as she followed Rainbow Dash through the hallways, until they reached a nondescript room with a yellow bespectacled pegasus inside, counting boxes of medical tape.
“Hey, Doc. How’s tricks?” Rainbow said, as the pair entered the room.
The bespectacled pony looked up from his chart. “Ms. Dash. This is a pleasant surprise. Or is it? Did you hyperextend your wing doing corkscrews again?”
“Why does everypony assume that’s why I’m here?” Rainbow asked in a somewhat annoyed tone. “No, I was hoping you could give my sister here a physical. She’s having some trouble lifting off, and I just want to know if she’s okay medically.”
“Sure thing.” Dr. Splint wasn’t entirely sure how Rainbow and her sister had managed to make their way onto the base, but if they were here, that meant they had the approval of his superiors, and that was all he needed to know. The doctor directed his attention to the orange filly standing nervously next to Rainbow Dash. “I’m Dr. Splint, but ‘round here ponies just call me ‘Doc’. What’s your name?”
“Scootaloo,” the filly replied, nervously looking up at Rainbow Dash for some sign that everything was going to be ok. Rainbow responded by giving the filly a wink of her own.
“Well, Scootaloo, I’m going to examine your wings just like I do for the Wonderbolts. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt a bit. Hop on up,” he said in a surprisingly deep melodious tone while gesturing to his examination table.
Dr. Splint’s smooth timbre and his reassuring words instantly dissipated Scootaloo nervousness. She hopped on the examination table as Dr. Splint began his physical. He stretched Scootaloo’s wings out, pushing them forward, then all the way back, rotating them in both directions. He ran his hoof through Scootaloo’s feathers, causing her to giggle. He concluded his exam by gently prying her digits apart and gently squeezing the flesh between them.
“Flap your wings for me. Does anything hurt? Feel sore?
Scootaloo did as she was instructed and shook her head. “No, everything feels fine.”
“Good. Now I want you to flap as fast as you can.”
“Like when Rainbow measures my wing power?”
“Exactly like that.”
Scootaloo gripped the edge of the table and began to buzz her wings furiously. Dr. Splint surprised Rainbow by standing directly behind Scootaloo and placing his own wing right behind the vibrating wings of Scootaloo.
“What are you doing there, Doc?”
“I’m trying to see if there are any abnormalities in her wake pattern that would indicate a musculoskeletal issue.”
“Anything?”
Dr. Splint ignored the question and focused on his procedure. “You can stop now. Lean forward for me, please.”
Scootaloo did as she was told, and Dr. Splint pressed his hoof against the base of her wings, frowning slightly.
“Physically, she checks out. Her wings are small, but there are no serious structural problems as far as I can tell. Her coracoid joints feel a little weak, which would explain why her wake pattern is bumpy, but other than that her muscles all seem to be in working order. She’s in good shape for a filly her age. Medically, I don’t see anything that would explain why she’s having trouble lifting off.”
“That’s it? You don’t have any advice?”
“I’m an athletic trainer, Mrs. Dash. I tape up joints, and provide ice packs after a long workout. My job is to keep wings and legs functional. What you need is a vaengrologist.”
“You don’t happen to know one, do you?”
“Well, whenever a Wonderbolt needs wing surgery, we call Dr. Feather. Her office is in Manehattan and I’d be happy to provide you with the address.”
“I can’t take Scoots all the way to Manehattan. Does she make house calls? In Ponyville?” Rainbow asked, her voice tinged with hope.
“Does a world famous vaengrologist make house calls hundreds of miles away?” Dr. Splint shot Rainbow dash a look of incredulity before smiling. “She does if the request comes on a Wonderbolt letterhead. I’ll send her a letter this afternoon.”
“Oh my gosh, would you? That would be amazing.”
“It would be my pleasure. You just promise to keep those wings tucked in. And you,” he said, turning to Scootaloo, “promise to come back and show me some tricks when we get you up and flying. Deal?”
“Deal,” Scootaloo said with a smile.
The two ponies exited the base, and Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash expectantly. The morning had been kinda fun in a weird way, and she did get to meet a Wonderbolt, but she was also no closer to figuring out why she couldn’t fly than she had been when she woke up. “So, now what? Are we going to go see another doctor?” she asked.
“Not exactly, Scoots. I know somepony who knows all sorts of weird stuff. We’re going to go see Zecora.”
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Hurray another chapter.
And one without any emotional scarring whatsoever. I'm shocked.
Course it also did not have much in terms of conclusive yet.
One doctor and one witchdoctor might be able to resolve that later though.
I like how RD makes no attempt to get an appointment and just waltzes right into the nearest military facility with a doctor. Seems to fit her well.
Sounds good...
As usual, great chapter. Can't wait to see what Zecora thinks... Scoots better fly in the end though... i mean, could you be so mean to this?
4445498
My own hypothesis is to do with what we will dub "internal magic" though it could be comparable to ideas of ki/qui/chi/chakra etcetera. All ponies have magic Unicorns have the most obvious in the form of traditional views of arcane magic (i.e. magic missile telekinesis etc.) and is more of an external magic; where as Earth Ponies and Pegasi possess an internal magic that enhances their physical abilities and give them affinities to the earth and sky respectively. Part of this in pegasi is the ability for all of their too small wings (lets face it, physics dictates their wings would have to be much bigger in order to actually fly) to generate the necessary lift for flight. However this internal magic could theoretically be hampered by some outside forces.
Of course this is all just a Scientific Wild Ass Guess so I have no idea how accurate it is in Scootaloo's case so your hypothesis can't be ruled out either.
Hmm... If she is gonna see Zecora, I should suspect that she will whip up some Zoo-Doo potion to give her alicorn wings lol
I'm glad Scoots and Rainbow made up. The medical exam for Scootaloo was also interesting, I can't wait to see what Zecora and this Dr. Feather have to say.
4445772 Now, while I agree with you, I have to point out that you're assuming that Equestria has the same laws of physics that we do. Different universe, different laws. It's technically possible that Equestrian physics allows flight with wings that size. Not saying that that's the case, just saying that it's a possibility.
4447292
Not to mention Bulk Bicep and his wing size, but fair enough point.
4445772 I'd second the guess. No obvious physical issue would seem to point to a magical one. It wouldn't be the first fic where Scoots improved by leaps and bounds through magical tweaking or knowledge acquisition, rather than pure physical training.
I've even seen fics where magical prowess of all kinds is strongly affected by belief and will - the Princesses are powerful because they're believed to be powerful; Rainbow Dash is the fastest pegasus in Equestria because she thinks she is; Fluttershy's self-doubt makes her a weak flyer until she's pushed into a situation where she's flying to save an animal or friend. I'd imagine Pinkie's physics-breaking antics would be possible because everyone knows Pinkie is so random; the Wonderbolts are great flyers partially due to their fans, and so on. In such a scenario, Scoots may have trouble flying because she has trouble believing in herself.
glad to see scootaloo didn't stay out all night. dash woulda gone ballistic with fear.
i wonder if dash will show scootaloo around cloudsdale while they're their. it isn't every day that filly gets to see that place
4449412 Indeed it is quite probable that it's something about Scootaloo's mental state is holding her back. In Dragon Ball Z Ki is based around vigor, courage, and being in ones true mind. Scootaloo's self doubts are quite possibly limiting her flight abilities.
WAIT
WAIT 
WAIT 
I thought in the first story you you had mother Celestia even say she'll never fly? or was that a small town doctor "in my experience" bit because I am thoroughly confused here.
4452501 You're not the first person to make this mistake. I'm pretty sure you're thinking of I'll Always be Here for You, which is a great a story, but I did not write it and it has nothing to do with my story.
"Baking bad", a TV show where ponies from all over Equestria try to bake for a great prize.
Well, I don't think that's just a ponified version of "Breaking Bad". I don't think a kid should watch it, or Rainbow letting Scoots watching it.
I got to say, good work, I like it.
4452550 THANK THE GREAT SPAGHETTI MONSTER. I have been looking for the other fic for so long now and I never remember to bookmark or favourite so I kept losing it.
Thank you so much
Quick hint. When recommending a story. Wrap it in [url= storylink] Recomendation [/ url]. That way people can click on the story and go there. So far awesome story. No noticable errors, you've been doing AB's name correctly [a problem in the previous fic], and have been sucker punching the feels. All in all it's rather good story. Every bit as enjoyable as the previous one.
move down a line.
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Man this scene was good. I loved both Flutterbutter, and the Bolts in this ^_^.
Cap
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Man, this story never gets old.
ah zecora the rhyming zebra, I bet scootaloo will get confused but I'm not sure