Rainbow Dash never really had a favorite color. Why did ponies try to divide the colors? If saying yellow was the best, did that mean that green was gross? The rainbow was a whole entity to her. All she had to do to see a rainbow was look at her mane. Yet, she was favoring orange over other colors these days. She could also say that about purple. She had Scootaloo to blame for her bias. Did she want to ? take the cute filly under her wing? The thought had been intimidating at first, but Rainbow had gone attached to the little Pegasus. Rainbow knew Scoots was special, even if nopony else did. She had known it since the first day she saw Scootaloo on her scooter. Rainbow had seen herself in the filly, the drive she had when she was younger. But, Scootaloo had to have more determination Rainbow ever had, since her wings were not grown out.
Other pegasi had it easy, at least the rest in Ponyvile. Rainbow hated that she was in the group of privileged ponies when Scoots had it so hard. Not only did she have the burden of growing up, she also had no citie mark or large enough wings. Unlike the other Crusuaders, Scootaloo did not have a big sister to look out for her. Although it had not been simple for Rainbow, she filled those hooves. Did she want the responsibility of a youngling? Not really. Still, she saw something in that crazy orange pony. Something that drew her even though being the sister she needed scared her. That fear faded whenever she saw it in Scootaloo's eyes. Protecting the filly that meant everything came first. Even before becoming a Wonderbolt. So, Rainbow knew there had to be something to do about Scoot's wings. A gut feeling told Dash that something was not physically right.
Approaching Twilight about this was difficult. Twilight becoming an alicorn meant new things for Twilight. She was dealing with new jobs and purposes. Still, when Rainbow visited Twilight at the castle, Twilight said she had time to hear Rainbow Dash out.
"I know there is something not right with Scootaloo's wings, Twilight. My wings were fully grown at her age. I know she wants to fly. It can't just be in her head."
"I could research for you, but I don't know that much about Scootaloo. Yes, I might have taken time with her to find her special talent. That was different and this could be hereditary. Do you know anything about her family?"
"No, I don't. I don't even know where she lives."
"Well, the best thing is figure that out. You might want to take this concern to herents. Dash, I am really glad you're taking a part in Scootaloo's life, but are you sure you're not overstepping?"
"It doesn't matter, Twilight. I have to trust this feeling. I can say sorry if I am, what I can't say sorry for is how sad not flying makes Scoots sad. I wish everypony could see how she looks after even attempting to fly. Horsefeathers, when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tease her, I want to buck something. It takes everything in me to hold back, Twi. Scoots is the closest pony I have in my life. If I go over some boundry, so be it."
Twilight did not look convinced but said anyways, "Alright Rainbow."
Dash wished Twilight had told her she was right. That Rainbow's intruiton was in the right place, instead she had worries about the subject. Worrying was in Twilight's nature, but Dash thought she had confidence in her. She tried not to take it to heart. Twilight was probably been cautious because of her new princess duties. She's the element of magic, not loyalty. Wow, where did that come from? Dash took a deep breath. Her feelings for Scoots was getting out of hoof. Centering herself, Rainbow Dash flew, searching the fields of Ponyville for orange and purple. She found Scootaloo on the ramp outside of town. Fond memories dripped through her mind, remembering the week they had spent building that ramp. There was also a half pipe and a couple looped ramps. Applejack had commented that maybe they should just build a whole skate park. Twilight had said they would need a permit for that. Whatever, as long as the Crusuaders had a good place to play. Scootaloo spent time there the most out of her friends. Coming in for a landing, Rainbow noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Tucked deep in one of the halfpipes was blankets. What was that about? Even if the Crusuaders were camping, this was a weird place to camp. She'd ask Scoots about that in a second as she landed by the small filly.
"What's up, kid? Trying out some new tricks?"
Scootaloo jumped, as if she had not seen Rainbow Dash land. "Oh hey, Rainbow Dash. Just practicing, really. What's up with you?"
"Well…I came to ask you some personal stuff. I was wondering if I could talk to your folks about something."
"Um…sure. They're usually busy, though. Is it important?"
"Honestly, yeah. Scoots, I think there's a problem with your wings. I think that's why you can't fly. I want you to see a doc, squirt. But, I have to talk to your parents about it."
Scootaloo tensed up a bit. "Ok….I'll let them know. But….you seriously think my wings are messed up?" The filly looked like she was close to tears.
Rainbow wanted to reassure her that everything would be ok, but she didn't know. "Yeah kiddo, I do. I can't be sure though unless you go get checked out. Scoot, I also gotta ask something else."
"Yeah, Rainbow?"
Rainbow pointed to the halfpipe she saw with blankets. "What's up with the stuff in that pipe? Are you guys camping out here without us knowing?" Scootaloo didn't answer right away, that wasn't a good sign. "Scoots, what's going on?" Scootaloo just kept staring at the ground. Ok, now this wasn't like her. Rainbow Dash ran over to the wooden structure, to find just not blankets-but drawing taped up to the inner walls. Then pictures of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Dash could also see buckets of water, small bundles of hay and a first aid kit. "Scoots, what is all this? Are you living in this pipe?"
Scootaloo dragged her body to Dash's side. "I didn't want anyone to know….I'm sorry, Dash. But, I was so miserable at the home. Everypony picked on me for not flying. Plus, I still don't have my cutiemark. Do you know how bad that is? Terrible! I had no choice!"
Dash's heart sank to her hooves. Why did her favorite filly feel like she couldn't come to her? "You had choices, Scoots. You have friends. You have me! I thought I was enough for you. I thought you could come to me. Kid, where are you parents?"
"They dumped me in Ponyville, Dash. I did use to live in Cloudsdale with them, but I became a burden for them. I am a Pegasus that can't fly, Dash. Do you know how much trouble that is?"
"No, I don't. You've never been trouble for me or a burden. How long have you been living out here, squirt?"
"Six months?"
Rainbow smacked the ground. "Six months?! So almost the whole time I've known you, You've been sleeping here? In the cold? On hard wood? Scoot, I thought you knew how much I cared about you."
"I do, Dash. But you're training to be a Wonderbolt. I don't want to be a weight on that dream."
Rainbow Dash hugged Scootaloo to her chest. How could she have missed this pipe the dozen times she'd been here? The pipe wasn't even that deep, how could it been enough cover for a filly? More importantly, how could Scoots think this about herself?
"Scootaloo, you could never be weight on me. You're the best part of my life these days. Come on, you need to tell your friends about this. They need to know."
Scootaloo pulled away. "No! They'll just react like you did! They'll hate me!"
"Maybe shocked, but they care, kiddo. I promise, they'll still be thre." She scuffed up Scoot's mane. "I also need to bring this issue up to Twilight. You need somepony to look after you, squirt. I don't care about being a Wonderbolt as much as I care about you. If I have step up to the plate, I will. We'll get your stuff later-let's go see Twilight."
"Scootaloo, how could yo not tell us?" Apple Bloom's sweet twang went up a couple notchs.
"Yeah, we're your best friends!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Rainbow had been right. They weren't mad, just shocked she hadn't told them. Scootaloo didn't mean to hurt anyone, especially Rainbow. Somehow she ended up hurting everypony she truly cared about. They were her family still-she was so tired of being the pack upon their shoulders. Although they proclaimed different, Scoot could not shake that feeling from her mind. Her parents had drilled that reasoning into her brain, it was so hard to shake off.
Scootaloo sighed, "I'm sorry, guys. My parents just made me believe I'm a burden to everypony. It's not that I think you don't care, I just thought I had to do this on my own. I should have come to somepony, but I didn't. I didn't even tell Rainbow and well….she will always be my true family from now on."
"You know the barn on our farm would've been better then that ramp, right?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Yeah I know. I would have plenty of hay too. I just didn't think about it."
Sweetie Belle nooded and added, "I can't believe Rainbow's trying to become your guardian."
"Honestly, I can't either. I really didn't know I was that important to her. Apparently, Dash doesn't have that much family either. I think…I think that's why she so attached to me. She kinda understands how it is. She wants to take me to a doctor to check out my wings."
"Probably a good idea. I mean, no offense, but your wings are too short Scoot."
Apple Bloom nodded, "I hope everything goes alright for ya'll."
The next few weeks were a blur to Scootaloo. Rainbow was able to become her guardian, but it took a long process, according to Dash and the princess. She didn't sleep in the halfpipe anymore, but it took a couple nights for Scoots to find a stable sleeping place. Unfortunely, Rainbow had to find a house on the ground. The Crusuaders took turns having her over for a couple weeks. That was fun for awhile, but it wasn't home. Her home was now a similar cottage close to Fluttershy's. She even had her own room now and had more space for her scooter. Before bed, Rainbow Dash always read her chapter of Daring Do before bed. Things were great, but Rainbow felt more like a mom now then a sister or friend. Weird in a ways, but Scoots didn't mind. All she cared about was Dash being happy. This big strong Pegasus took her in. Scootaloo owned her everything. On top of moving out of the sky and becoming her guardian, Rainbow was taking her to the doctor tomorrow. She'd finally find out was wrong with her wings. She knew they were not normal. Why wouldn't they grow out to normal length? Maybe all the hurtful names would make sense tomorrow. Still, the scars were there in Scoot's heart. Would the namecalling stop after tomorrow? Maybe not. But Scootaloo could throw something back, that's for sure.
When morning came, everything seem to drag. They had to walk over to the hospital on the outskirts of Ponyville. Once there, a nurse with a heart cutiemark made them sit down and wait. Then, a dctor saw them for ten minutes, left and came back to say they needed to take tests. After that, they had to wait a couple hours to wait for the results. Now, they sat in an office, waiting to hear what the doctor had to say about Scootaloo's case. He was a big bulky unicorn with a bushy mustache. Scootaloo didn't have the chance to see his cutiemark. She was too busy being poked and prodded. They had even plucked some of her feathers for tests, that had been painful. Still, here they were at the end of the road.
"So, what is it doc?" Rainbow probed.
"Well Ms. Dash, I'm sorry but it's not good." He replied.
Scoot's heart fell to the floor. Not good? Were her wings that terrible?
"Have you ever noticed Scootaloo staring off to space too much? Or losing her balance or becoming dizzy?"
"Yeah ssometimes, but she's a kid. She's going to stare off into space. She always gets dizzy after using her scooter too much. Sometimes she can't hit her landings because of how she is going. I figured all these were normal things."
"Well, maybe if she was a unicorn or an earth pony. But in a Pegasus filly, these are signs of Stargazing."
"Stargazing?"
"Yes. You see Ms. Dash, Pegasus are close resembence to bird wings. That means the pegasi have chance of contacting diseases that a bird might have. Luckily, not flying means that Scootaloo will not die. She is not in harm's way for predators."
"Wait, are you saying that because of this disease, Scoots will never fly?"
The doctor sighed and answered, "I do not know. There is hardly any research in this disease. The only reason I know of it is because earth pony's research on birds. There are medications…but I think they would only relieve the dizziness and balance issues. Scootaloo has had this most of her life. It has kept her wings from growing the normal lenth of a pegasi's. I'm sorry , but Scootaloo will probably never fly."
Scootaloo began to cry. Rainbow Dash held her tight. "There is nothing you can do? Not even surgery?"
The doctor just shook his head. "There are so many reasons why this could have happened, that there is no cure. It could simply be her genetics, a viral inflections, bacterial infection…it goes on. There is a couple different drug options, like I said. But I don't see the wings producing more feathers or wing span. All you can do is try these options and give her as much love and interaction as you can."
Grabbing Scootaloo tigher Rainbow whispered, "I will."
The walk back home took longer then it took to get to the hospital. Rainbow could see how much Scoots was huring on the inside, but what could she do about it? Her wings were fine. Then she got an idea. She started walking towards Twilight's Castle.
"Are we going to see Twilight?"
"Yeah, kiddo. I need her to do a favor for me."
"Do you think she has magic to make me better?"
Rainbow patted Scootaloo's head. "I don't think so, squirt. But she will a way to cheer you up."
When they got to Twilight's castle, Rainbow told Scoots to wait for them. She said her and Twilight needed to chat alone for a moment. Walking down a hallway, Rainbow shoved Twilight into the closest bathroom.
"Rainbow!"
"Sorry Twi, but I need to ask you to do something. I don't want Scootaloo to know ahead of time what I'm about to do. She'd try to talk me out of it, you know?"
"Rainbow, what do you need?"
"I need you to cut my wings."
"What? No! I won't do that to you! What about the Wonderbolts? Weather patrol? You might never fly again if I cut them too short."
"Yeah and what about Scootaloo? Do you even know what it is like, being her guardian? Then after taking that responsibility-seeing her suffer like this? What if she's not alone, Twilight? What if there are other pegasi who need to be shown that there is more to life? More then just flying for them? I know exactly what I am doing. But I want you to help me show Scoots that I'm behind her. This is a little extreme, but that doesn't scare me. I've been on the edge of something risky before and I love it."
"What about the sonic rainboom?"
"Somepony else will have to take up the boom. A beautiful rainbow is not worth my filly's pain. You would understand Twilight, if you had to be somepony's guardian."
They trotted out of the bathroom and came out to where Scootaloo. She smiled at them, but her expression when Twilight levitated a pair of scissors in her magic. Her expression grew more grim when she saw Twilight bring the scissors towards Rainbow's wings.
"Twlight, what are you doing?" Scootaloo almost screamed.
"Something that Rainbow wishes to happen."
"You have to trust me, scoots. This is what I want to do for you. I love you, squirt."
"Rainbow, don't do this! Think about cloudbusting, weather patrol, the Wonderbolts! I'm not worth you not becoming a Wonderbolt!"
"Scoots, you're the only Wonderbolt in my life."
With that, thhe sound of cutting feathers drown out everything else in the room. Rainbow knew her future was uncertain now, but it was the price she was willing to pay. She had to show her support. She wasn't letting Scootaloo suffer through this alone. They would fly through this life together, wings or no wings. She opened her eyes to see Scootaloo sobbing on the floor.
"I wasn't worth it! I wasn't worth your wings, Dash! I wasn't worth more then any rainbow in the sky!"
"But don't you understand Scoots? You are my rainbow. Always from now on. Besides, feathers grow back. I will be ok. You on the other hand, might not be ok for awhile. I did this for you, so you wouldn't be alone. "
She walked over and pulled the crying filly in her arms. One day, she would make Scootaloo understand. Make her know that she was every cloud in a blue sky and every rainbow after a thunderstorm. She would relieve the poison of wortlesshness in Scoot's life or she would walk the earth forever trying to persuade her.