It was morning already. Scootaloo snuggled up into her blanket, enjoying the warmth, when she suddenly realized that she didn’t take one with her yesterday. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that the blanket was made of soft, delicate cyan feathers.

“Your parents must be worried sick.” Rainbow Dash broke the silence, her eyes still shut.

“I live with my grandma.” The filly replied.

“Then your grandma must be worried sick about you not coming back home for the night.”

“I told her I was going to sleep over at the Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Then I’m sure that she had something different on her mind when she allowed you to go.”

“You suddenly care about me now?”

“What made you think that I didn’t?” Rainbow Dash raised her head and looked at the filly.

“You gave my special poster away. To a colt you just met.”

“I… don’t feel comfortable talking about it...”

“Why won’t you just admit it?”

“Admit… what?”

“Now that you will become famous, you’re going to ditch me, the only flightless pegasus in all of Equestria!”

“Ditch you? I don’t even… I… Ugh… Just hop on and hold on tight, I’ll give you all the answers you want.”

“Where are we going?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t answer and took off towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

***

“She spent the night in Applejack’s old tree house. Make sure she takes a bath, give her something to eat and babysit her for a while. Be sure to answer any question she asks. I’ll come back later. Thanks.” Rainbow Dash said and flew away.

“O-okay.” Fluttershy replied to the cyan silhouette on the sky.

“Hey, Fluttershy.” The filly was baffled by the situation.

“Good morning, Scootaloo. Come on in.”

***

Rainbow Dash landed at the address Applejack gave her only moments ago. An old earth pony mare opened the door.

“Good morning, my name is Rainbow Dash.”

“I know who you are, child. She’s not here.”

“I know, I was hoping I could talk about her with you.”

“Of course, come in, please.”

“What exactly do you want to know?” the old mare asked as she served tea to her guest.

“She’s always clinging on to me, she doesn’t fly, she doesn’t talk about her family. I need you to help me understand my role in her life. I’m leaving Ponyville in a month, I desperately need some answers.”

“You’re a pegasus, she’s a pegasus and I’m just an old earth pony. There are some aspects of her life that I wouldn’t understand, no matter how hard I tried. The way she always talks about you… You’re neither a sister nor a mother to her. You’re somewhere in-between. A good role model, I hope.”

“Her parents aren’t around anymore?”

“My daughter… was naïve and selfish. She fell in love with a wealthy pegasus stallion and quickly got pregnant, stupidly thinking that it would ‘seal the deal’ for her. What she didn’t know, was that he was already ‘happily’ married and wasn’t planning on leaving his wife anytime soon. Time quickly flew by and one week after Scootaloo was born, that bastard had the nerve to show up, holding a suitcase in his hooves! “I warned you. I am cutting all my ties to that foal and have an army of lawyers protecting me from any actions you might decide to take against me. Accept the cash I’m giving to you and get over it.” he casually said and left. Money was his answer to everything.”

“How did your daughter react?“

“My daughter… took her own life the next day after his visit. He didn’t even show up at the funeral.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“As far as Scootaloo is concerned, both her parents died in an accident. I hope that you will keep it this way, at least for now. She already has her future to worry about, there’s no reason for her to linger in the past.”

“Is it about her wings? They seem rather small for her age. Is there any medical reason that prevents Scootaloo from flying?”

“Yes, Alae Crudelis, it’s a very rare condition. Scootaloo’s wings grow much slower than the rest of her body. “She’s one in a million”, the doctors said.”

“That’s another thing I didn’t want to hear today. Is there a cure? I can assure you, money’s not an issue.”

“That’s another problem that no amount of money could ever fix, but thank you regardless. I was told that ninety percent of cases end up with a surgery. The affected pegasus lives the rest of his or her life as an earth pony.”

“That’s terrible! You said ‘ninety percent of cases’, what about the other ten?”

“There’s a slim chance that a growth spurt will occur during puberty, enabling her to fly again. We should have a definite answer in, give or take, two years  from now.”

“She flew before?”

“She was just two years old when her wings couldn’t support her weight anymore. I’m not even sure if she remembers the days when I had to chase her around the house to get her back into the crib.”

“Thank you, for sharing all of this with me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“No. Thank you, child. I’m old and tired, nopony knows how much time I have left. It’s important for me to know that there is somepony who cares about her future.”

***

Rainbow Dash flew straight to the Ponyville Library.

“Twilight! Rainow Dash is here to see you!” Spike shouted.

“Invite her in! I’ll be there in a sec.” Twilight shouted back.

“Hey, Twilight.”

“Hi, Rainbow Dash. Came to borrow a book?” Twilight asked jokingly.

“Actually, kind of, yes. I need something about rare medical conditions that only affect pegasi.”

“Is there something wrong with you?” Twilight asked, concerned.

“There’s nothing wrong with me. Just look if you have a book like that. It’ll be easier to explain if you find one.”

“Have a seat, this might take a while.”

Twenty minutes later a big, heavy book levitated towards Rainbow Dash.

“Found one, looks detailed.” Twilight’s voice came from behind the book.

“We’re looking for something called Alae Crudelis.”

Both mares started looking through the book, Twilight was turning the big pages using her magic.

“There.” Twilight pointed.

***

“Alae Crudelis, also known as the Cruel Wings Syndrome. A very rare condition that may occur only if a pegasus foal was born by an earth mare. The disorder greatly affects the growth rate of wings.

Up to date of publishing this book, only one hundred and three instances were discovered throughout the history and can be divided into two categories.

In ninety two cases, the affected pegasi never regained their ability of flight, their wings being disproportionately small to the rest of their bodies.

In eleven cases the symptoms not only withdrew during puberty but were followed by a growth spurt that, by the time of reaching adulthood, resulted in wingspan roughly twenty five percent above the average, giving the affected pegasi extraordinary flight speed and maneuverability.

No known cure exists.”

***

“I think I understand now.” Twilight frowned.

“I was hoping we could get more out of the book.”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow. Spike!”

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle?” Spike asked.

“I’m going to the Canterlot Library. I’ll be gone for at least three days. Don’t forget to do your chores.”