Is Scootaloo disabled or not?

[GrimCW 658]

She's able to fly guys, only for a short period of time, normal for any other filly/colt

 

you don't see fillies with full grown wings flying around now do you?

 

Actually you do.. RD and Fluttershy have had flash backs to "flight school" where they were flying very well.

Also in the recent "Filly Vanilli" episode that one small filly was zipping around joyously all over.

 

 

 

but i remember her asking twilight "what if i can never fly"

 

 

She asked Rainbow Dash that actually, but the quote is fairly accurate IIRC

Edited March 18, 2014 by GrimCW

[ShadOBabe 19,003]

That would be absolutely terrible if Scoots never learns to fly. It's just she wants to fly SO badly, if she never gets to fly, I would be so sad, lol.   (By the way, could I get a source on that quote please? ^^)

 

And I'm sure that some kids born without the ability to walk would really like to walk sometimes.

Disabilities exist. And though this is Equestria, it's not a perfect place. And a filly with a physical "disability" would resonate with people that have one as well. It's not okay to just ignore this group of people.

 

I can't find a good source because I learned it secondhand from a bunch of other fans.

But I did find this: http://post-crusade.tumblr.com/post/29022727526/fisherpon-lauren-faust-shares-some-secrets-of

There's also the MLP wiki Scootaloo page: http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Scootaloo

 

Life is not always fair. Scootaloo wants to be a lot like Rainbow Dash, and if she is unable to copy the thing that her idol is best at, it would be a compelling obstacle for her to overcome. Scootaloo needs to become a fan of HERSELF. RD is a great pony to look up to, but it's important to realize that we are all individuals. Scootaloo not being able to fly does NOT make her less amazing than Rainbow Dash, and she should come to understand this.

Edited March 18, 2014 by ShadOBabe

[Adorkable 2,737]

And I'm sure that some kids born without the ability to walk would really like to walk sometimes.

Disabilities exist. And though this is Equestria, it's not a perfect place. And a filly with a physical "disability" would resonate with people that have one as well. It's not okay to just ignore this group of people.

 

That group of people isn't being ignored, we have Derpy, and thankfully she's back for another season (and hopefully more to come! ^^).

 

I'm not saying any of that, nor am I pointing out that you said I was, just kind of sounded like it did.

I'm not comparing real life situations to MLP, I just think Scootaloo should learn to fly sometime.

The whole thing is, she's young, she's still a filly. Like Ponies with their Cutie Marks, flying takes time to learn as well.

I guess you could compare flying to riding a bike, don't expect to just be able to ride like a pro on your first try. But keep practicing and it will come to you one day, right? Honestly, I think with time we'll find Scoots zipping around with Dash, like she's always wanted.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

Again, not all Pegasi learn to fly at the same time, some take longer than others, and to some it just comes natural.

 

Yeah, but like I said, based on what? So far we have only seen 2 episodes when a characters asked about flying and so far we have not learn much. Maybe if there was a whole episode to focus on flying we might learn more. But tell the day comes we still don't know much about flying.

 

 

It's just she wants to fly SO badly, if she never gets to fly, I would be so sad, lol.  

 

NO she doesn't. Flight to the finish, was the first time she ever mentioned wanting to fly.

 

 

I guess you could compare flying to riding a bike, don't expect to just be able to ride like a pro on your first try. But keep practicing and it will come to you one day, right?

 

 

Pound Cake. Flying in 1 month on his first try.

Edited March 18, 2014 by pinkiefan1287

[Blique 211]

There was a very similar topic earlier when Flight to the Finish came out, so I'll just pull some of my comments from that.

 

The lesson in Flight to the Finish is that it doesn't matter whether or not she can fly. She is the same pony either way. If you want to know so badly, is it not because you value one over the other? Otherwise, why would it matter whether or not she can fly? The point of the episode is literally "it doesn't matter whether or not you can fly".

 

The writers left it ambiguous not because they were unsure of which route to take, but rather because they were specifically implying that the viewers shouldn't care. The viewers should not be wondering "So is Scootaloo on my side or on their side?", because dividing people up by what they are is contrary to the point of the show. There should be no "sides" - just unique people with their own unique strengths.

[GrimCW 658]

 

 

NO she doesn't. Flight to the finish, was the first time she ever mentioned wanting to fly.

 

Umm.. yeah she does... She idolizes Rainbow Dash. RD's biggest thing besides being arrogant, is flight. RD's life revolves around her flying. She spends most of her time in the air, not often touching the ground.

Looking up to a character who's primary feature is their ability to fly would incite that scoots is looking toward flight and being as good at it as RD is. Without her flying, RD would just be a jerky character.

[Blique 211]

Umm.. yeah she does... She idolizes Rainbow Dash. RD's biggest thing besides being arrogant, is flight. RD's life revolves around her flying. She spends most of her time in the air, not often touching the ground.

Looking up to a character who's primary feature is their ability to fly would incite that scoots is looking toward flight and being as good at it as RD is. Without her flying, RD would just be a jerky character.

 

If you consider what Scootaloo's main interest is, it's speed. Rainbow Dash got her cutie mark not for flying, but specifically for going so fast that she created a Sonic Rainboom. This makes her (as far as we know) the fastest pony in all of Equestria. If Scootaloo was interested in flying, she could have used any other pegasus as a role model.

[GrimCW 658]

she could have used any other pegasus as a role model.

 

but not every other pegusus is as well known as RD is. Especially not in Ponyville. Most other pegusus ponies even stand on the ground/clouds a lot. RD, even when in cloudsdale, ends up flying.

RD has shown herself as an excellent flier, and more than just in speed, even better than the wonderbolts to some degree. 

Edited March 18, 2014 by GrimCW

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

I think she may be disabled for now; but as seasons go by, we may see a change...hopefully. 

[Blique 211]

but not every other pegusus is as well known as RD is. Especially not in Ponyville. Most other pegusus ponies even stand on the ground/clouds a lot. RD, even when in cloudsdale, ends up flying.

RD has shown herself as an excellent flier, and more than just in speed, even better than the wonderbolts to some degree. 

 

The main point that @pinkiefan1287 and I are trying to make is that it's very possible that Scootaloo isn't interested in wanting to fly at all. We see Scootaloo on her scooter all the time, going as fast as she can. Naturally, she would be drawn to RD, who is doing the exact same thing, albeit in a different way (flying). As we've seen many times, the CMC aren't fully aware of their genuine talents. Because of this, Scootaloo - who admires Rainbow Dash - can't figure out what specifically she likes about RD and decides to just be like RD in all aspects. As pinkiefan1287 mentioned, she tried the flying aspect of RD for the first time in Flight to the Finish because it wasn't as important as the speed aspect, which she has been practicing all the time.

 

To quote Rainbow Dash when she earned her cutie mark:

 

"I've never flown like THAT before! That freedom was unlike anything I've ever felt! The speed, the adrenaline, the wind in my mane...I liked it...a lot!" 

 

"Turns out the only thing I liked more than flying fast...was winning!"

 

As you can see, Rainbow Dash is a good flier, but what she truly loves is speed, racing, passing limits, and being the best. This is what Scootaloo is drawn towards, because she is the same way.

 

Just because you have someone you admire and want to be like, it doesn't mean you have to be like them in all, or even most, aspects. Just because RD can fly well, it doesn't mean that Scootaloo feels a need to fly well too. She admires RD's strength and passion - her core personality - and that's what Scootaloo aims for.

[Shenron00 366]

Scootaloo's wings are too small to lift her off the ground for longer than about 10 seconds. Maybe her wings will grow someday. We'll just have to wait.

[Castle Bleck 19,376]

She was a little better at it in For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Anti-Villain

[Icedog68 71]

To me, it's what Nikkers  and ghostfacekiller said. Her wings just aren't strong enough and she's probably a late bloomer or something. There might be an episode later on where she gets her cutie mark, and she'll probably get it get while soaring through the air for the first time without any trouble.

Just a thought.

meh. Soaring through the air? I thought it was made very clear that scootaloo's special talent was scooter riding

[Gernia 691]

meh. Soaring through the air? I thought it was made very clear that scootaloo's special talent was scooter riding

 

You never know. Anything could happen.

Besides, she doesn't have a cutie mark pertaining to that stuff, so it's probably not THE special talent for her.

[SomeReallyRandomGuy 137]

I wouldn't say disabled, just under developed.

 

Either way, it will be interesting to see where they writers take this.

[Scootaloo9074090 501]

On 2014-03-25 at 8:35 PM, Gernia said:

 

You never know. Anything could happen.

Besides, she doesn't have a cutie mark pertaining to that stuff, so it's probably not THE special talent for her. 

it doesn't matter if scootaloo fly or not and Scootaloo is happy riding her scootaloo            

 

 

and in Crusader of the lost mark scootaloo special Talent is helping other filly and colt to get their cutie mark 

 

[HedonismBot 241]

On 2014-03-18 at 8:10 AM, Blique said:

There was a very similar topic earlier when Flight to the Finish came out, so I'll just pull some of my comments from that.

 

The lesson in Flight to the Finish is that it doesn't matter whether or not she can fly. She is the same pony either way. If you want to know so badly, is it not because you value one over the other? Otherwise, why would it matter whether or not she can fly? The point of the episode is literally "it doesn't matter whether or not you can fly".

 

The writers left it ambiguous not because they were unsure of which route to take, but rather because they were specifically implying that the viewers shouldn't care. The viewers should not be wondering "So is Scootaloo on my side or on their side?", because dividing people up by what they are is contrary to the point of the show. There should be no "sides" - just unique people with their own unique strengths.

The problem there is they kept it ambiguous until right at the end Meanwhile we had a number of other episodes which had her wishing she could fly. Then we had "The Washouts", where she had accepted her limitations and found a satisfying alternative to the Wonderbolts... only to be given the message that this was a BAD thing.

 

On 2021-05-03 at 5:42 PM, Scootaloo67575 said:

it doesn't matter if scootaloo fly or not and Scootaloo is happy riding her scootaloo            

In the show, we've seen a hang glider, Tank's propeller, a prosthetic wing, and two pedal-powered helicopters. The comic had Scootaloo hear the story of an earth pony who invented a set of artificial wings and got himself into the Wonderbolts. Even if there is no medical or magical fix for her wings, she has options (just as so many disabled people in real life use technology to compensate in some fashion).

"You don't need to be not-disabled to be special" is a legitimate moral in and of itself, but implicitly using feel-good platitudes as an excuse to slack off with developing actual solutions there seems pretty patronizing.

[Astralshy 27,098]

I read somewhere once that Lauren created Scoots as pegasus who cannot fly. If she had also made up a reason I don't know but in nine seasons she couldn't fly in contrast to every other pegasus in the show. And the show is also saying at multiple points that she should be already flying for a long time. Considering how important flying is for a pegasus I think it's hard to argue she isn't at least practically disabled. If this stays for her whole life or if this is something which just take her much longer to develop her wings is nothing I could even begin to guess.

But as some has already pointed out: This show also demonstrated that it's possible to give ponies/creatures/pets who cannot fly normally this ability by magic or some kind of apparatus,

 

[Evil Pink One 13,507]

Yes she is disabled.... she said so herself and Her adult form shows. What can you do....

Edited May 13, 2021 by Kujamih

[HedonismBot 241]

2 hours ago, Astral Soul said:

I read somewhere once that Lauren created Scoots as pegasus who cannot fly.

Yes, and after the show started airing she put out a tweet stating that Scootaloo was just having trouble learning to fly. And when "Growing Up is Hard to Do" showed her adult body with foal-size wings, one of the staff made a tweet confirming that that was meant to indicate an actual disability, but including the line "Fans are welcome to interpret things how they like". Between that and the fact that there was never the briefest discussion of her obtaining any device to help her get flying, the only logical explanation is that Hasbro was squeamish about having a major character facing a dream-crushing handicap.

Never mind that properly establishing her as disabled and getting her a glider or something would have been way less tragic than having her wishing she could fly while nopony offers her any assistance there (you would think Rainbow Dash would be taking care of that, but nope).

 

1 hour ago, Kujamih said:

What can you do....

For starters...

[Evil Pink One 13,507]

.....maybe...........

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Having Scootaloo disabled actually puts some realism into the whole thing. Flying is a pegasus's specialty, and by not being able to fly, it can be very upsetting. But there are other ways we've seen Scootaloo "fly"...

[Landi 600]

I've always just considered her a late bloomer myself, and I choose to stick with that. The staff never really explicitly said if she was disabled or not, so I think it it all up to individual interpretation. 

[HedonismBot 241]

59 minutes ago, Courageous Thunder Dash said:

Having Scootaloo disabled actually puts some realism into the whole thing. Flying is a pegasus's specialty, and by not being able to fly, it can be very upsetting. But there are other ways we've seen Scootaloo "fly"...

It wouldn't even have been that upsetting if she had gotten a glider or something. Plenty of disabled people in rea life use technology to compensate, doing what they want to do with their lives when they otherwise couldn't. If the creators wanted to do the "disability representation" thing, letting Scootaloo do likewise would not have made things any less "realistic" (to the extent that that word can be applied when you're talking about a pony with a disability related to a body part which real-life ponies don't have).

 

24 minutes ago, Landi72 said:

I've always just considered her a late bloomer myself, and I choose to stick with that. The staff never really explicitly said if she was disabled or not, so I think it it all up to individual interpretation. 

Well, Bulk Biceps can fly despite having much smaller wings on a much larger frame. And with her mechanical skill, I've been thinking it'd be cool if she got into prosthetics - start with getting herself a new pair of wings, move on to helping other creatures in a similar predicament. Either way, there's absolutely no excuse for her to be grounded for life.

[JMTV99 1,354]

59 minutes ago, Landi72 said:

I've always just considered her a late bloomer myself, and I choose to stick with that. The staff never really explicitly said if she was disabled or not, so I think it it all up to individual interpretation. 

Yeah, what he said.

Honestly, I can't really say whatever or not Sooctaloo is disabled, so I'll leave that up to the viewers to decide.