It took the better part of a week for life to return to normal in Ponyville. Once the daily routine resumed, the Crusaders and their friends gathered in the clubhouse at Sweet Apple Acres.
"So, Scootaloo, you learned some awesome pegasus stuff in Cloudsdale, right?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Yeah, Scoots, Ah ain't never seen nopony come up with that crazy a plan," Apple Bloom said with a grin. "Ah bet we'll be able t' move on with our Trinity lessons now for sure!"
Scootaloo frowned. "Maybe, but..." She shook her head. "I dunno. I mean, sure, I learned a lot about clouds and wind and rainbows and stuff, and I'm glad I learned all that stuff, but I still feel like something's missing." She looked at her wings. "Every pegasus I learned from could fly. It's like, they don't even think about it. It's just part of their nature." She bowed her head and sighed. "And it's not part of mine. And...I just don't think my pegasus magic is complete, you know?" She shrugged. "I just...it's hard to feel like a real pegasus if you can do everything except fly."
The other fillies let out sympathetic whines and bowed their heads, studying the floor.
"You know, I don't get it," Silver Spoon said. "I mean, it doesn't make sense that you can't fly. Don't tell me it's because your wings are stunted. I mean, have you seen Bulk Biceps? And he flew in the Equestria Games! So if that oversized mess can fly, then..." She trailed off. "Sorry."
"No, it's okay," Scootaloo said. "I've wondered that myself. Like, a lot. Nopony's ever really explained it to me, but...I think I kinda have an idea of what's wrong with me after spending so much time in Cloudsdale."
"Really?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Scootaloo nodded. "The thing is...I can feel pegasus magic with every part of my body except, well...my wings." She spread her feathers. "Up there in the clouds, with the wind blowing, I...I could feel the wind in my mane and across my coat, but it gets to my wings, and it's like, it's not there, you know?"
Apple Bloom bit off a curse. "Manacirculation," she said. The others turned to face her. She looked around, then dragged a hoof across the floor. "It's somethin' Ah learned about at Zecora's place. It's like...alright, y'know how everypony has blood vessels an' stuff, your heart pumps th' blood, it goes all through your body? Well, ponies actually have two circulatory systems, an' one of 'em's invisible. It's th' way magic flows inside you." She looked at Scootaloo sadly. "Ah wouldn't be surprised if your problem is your manacirculation doesn't...doesn't reach your wings."
"You'd think that's something a doctor would've told her by now, though," Silver Spoon said.
Apple Bloom shook her head. "It ain't common knowledge," she said. "Ah wouldn't be surprised if Twilight don't even know about manacirculation. Zebras know all kinds'a things about magic that ponies jes' don't."
"Then do you think Zecora could fix me?" Scootaloo asked hopefully.
"Ah doubt it," Apple Bloom said. "Ah mean, it's like...if a pony's born with three legs, you can't just make 'em grow a magic leg. There's ways t' cope with it, but you can't fix th' problem if that's jes' th' way you're born."
Scootaloo sighed. "Great. So I'm right back where I started."
"Maybe," Sweetie Belle said thoughtfully, "or maybe you just need to look at this a different way."
"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie Belle started pacing. "Well, so far, you've tried connecting to your pegasus magic by doing things flying pegasi do. It seems to me you need to spend time with a pegasus who doesn't fly, get a feel for how they stay in touch with their magic."
The other fillies looked around. "But...there aren't that many pegasi who can't fly," Scootaloo pointed out. "I mean, I'm the only one I know of."
"I didn't say can't fly," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "I said doesn't fly. A pegasus who lives on the ground and doesn't really fly all that much. One that can fly, but just...doesn't."
"Where are we gonna find a pony like that?" Diamond Tiara asked. "I mean, sure, there's a lot of pegasi in Ponyville, but they pretty much fly if they aren't doing something they have to be on the ground for."
"There's one pony I can think of," Apple Bloom said, realization dawning. "Ah know for a fact she's a pretty good flier, but you almost never see 'er flyin' around town."
Scootaloo gasped. "Fluttershy!" Her wings buzzed excitedly. "That's a great idea! I should go visit Fluttershy, see what I can learn from her!"
* * * * *
"Oh! Hello, Scootaloo!" Fluttershy said as she looked up from filling a long feed trough with acorns. Dozens of squirrels, chipmunks, and other fuzzy little things gathered around it, scooping up nuts and cramming their cheeks full before scurrying away again. "I heard you had a wonderful visit with my parents. Mom says she really enjoyed having you around the house!"
"Your parents are great," Scootaloo said. "I learned a lot." She rubbed one hoof with the other. "But...there's still something I need to learn, and, well..."
"Oh? I thought from the way you and your friends saved Ponyville, you'd gotten past whatever trouble you were having."
"Well, that was more desperation than anything," Scootaloo said. "The thing is, I did learn a lot about pegasus magic, but I'm still not...really connected with mine."
"Oh. Oh my." Fluttershy gave Scootaloo a sad look. "Is it...is it because of your wings?"
"Something like that." Scootaloo flicked an ear. "Me and the girls were talking, and we think we figured out a way for me to get around this. But I'm gonna need your help."
Fluttershy blinked. "My help? I don't know, I mean...I don't really know much about pegasus magic, or—"
"But you feel your pegasus magic, right? You're in touch with it?"
"Well, yes," Fluttershy said. "I can't imagine not feeling it, even if it isn't really something I think about or rely on that often."
"That's why I need your help," Scootaloo said. "All the other pegasi I've been learning from live and work in the clouds. You're a pegasus who keeps her hooves on the ground. Since I can't fly, I need to learn how a pony who doesn't spend half her life in the sky stays in touch with her magic."
"I see," Fluttershy said, nodding. "That certainly makes sense." She smiled. "I'd be only too happy to help. It's just...I'm not entirely sure how much help I'll be. I mean, my pegasus magic is just there. I wouldn't even begin to know how to help you learn to connect with it. Oh, but don't worry, I'm sure we can figure something out together."
Fluttershy to the rescue, maybe! Nice chapter.
I feel like Twilight would be a good pony to help
Fluttershy is good and I would definitely go to her, but give Twilight a heads up and she will go into full study mode and be able to help out just as much. Hopefully the CMC do tell Twilight so she can help figure something out.
8177437
8177468 No, Twilight wouldn't be a good pony to help with this. Because she isn't a pegasus. She's an alicorn. She's barely gotten the hang of flying, and flying isn't the same thing as innate pegasus magic. The goal here is for Scootaloo to learn how to feel her innate pegasus magic instinctively. How is she going to learn that from somepony who wasn't born a pegasus?
8177505 because Twilight knows what it's like to go from not feeling magic through wings, to feeling magic through wings
nice, has the parental guidance messed with any plans you've had for this story?
FunFact: Before actually watching the show, I've only seen fanart and stuff. And by that material alone, I thought that Scoots was Fluttershy's little sister.
8177505
However she could help in understanding Scootaloo's disability and if there is any way to help her. All Twilight would be for is helping point in a direction. I guess I didn't make that clear enough, my bad.
I do hope this manacirculation issue is something that can be addressed and fixed. With this story especially - as it's focused on the nature of magic - I pray Scootaloo's flightlessness won't be permanent.
8177532 Wow. You don't understand anything about what this chapter is about at all.
8177562 Not especially, no.
I'm actually liking where this is going. I like the idea that being flightless doesn't make Scootaloo any less of a pegasus. Really nice.
8177754 hmmkay
I'm still operating under the theory that Scootaloo's magic is simply weak in comparison to that of other pegasi, but the idea of her magical conduits somehow being blocked is an interesting one.
Still rooting for her, though.
I always wonder what does the thunder sign in Scootaloo's cutie mark mean. Perhaps she doesn't use wind to fly...but electricity?
8177584 It sounds similar to Rock Lee's issues with his Chakra coils in Naruto that left him incapable of using Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, leaving him with only taijutsu. There was no cure there, yet anyway.
In any case though any medical way of dealing with Scootaloo's manacirculation issues, if medically treatable would most likely be quite dangerous given how if it went wrong Scootaloo could lose access to Pegasus magic in more parts of her body, and might even be lethal.
It'd probably be the equivalent of open heart surgery in a MASH unit at best...
I'm REALLY not sure how I'm going to feel about this section...
I'll wait until more of it is released before judging it, though.
8177584 I feel the exact same way.
Hmm. Interesting. What always bugged me was that Scootaloo can generate plenty of thrust with her wings, but no lift. Heck, given how she stands on her scooter, she's technically generating downdrafts. There may be deeper, stranger issues here than just getting mana screwed...
Or I'm overthinking it. One of the two.
In any case, the next chapter should definitely be interesting. I hope Scootaloo gets something out of this.
I always thought Scootaloo's main problem is generating lift from the wrong angle which ends up crashing her. An issue with feathers might be the reason - she lives on the ground without anyone helping her to preen and maybe she makes some rare mistake nopony is aware of.
I just wait for a reveal because the answer wilk be fast and suprising knowing the story.
Wait...didn't Scootaloo already figure out that she should be going to Fluttershy like a few chapters ago?
Also, I'm thinking that although Scotaloo can generate thrust, it's probably that it's still disabled. Like maybe she's forcing mana through it, or that it's mostly cut off, but not entirely.
8195225 Because I want to punch him. In the face. Repeatedly.