Is Scootaloo disabled or not?

[Brony Number 42 10,090]

It is good when things are not spelled out for us. We don't need shows to tell us every little thing. In the real world, we don't need people to announce their disabilities. (Although this is trendy right now.) We are capable of seeing her try to fly and not be able to. We can figure it out. We don't need her looking at the audience and saying, "I'm handicapped, get it?"

[Evil Pink One 13,550]

4 hours 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. 

I think the staff did. And for her age...I think it's too late.  And at the later season we see scoots with short wings twice when she was old.

[HedonismBot 244]

2 hours ago, Metal Brony 42 said:

It is good when things are not spelled out for us. We don't need shows to tell us every little thing. In the real world, we don't need people to announce their disabilities. (Although this is trendy right now.) We are capable of seeing her try to fly and not be able to. We can figure it out. We don't need her looking at the audience and saying, "I'm handicapped, get it?"

It's not just that so much as how her situation was handled overall. The way "Flight to the Finish" intentionally left things open would have worked if the series had ended soon after that (which is likely what the writers were expecting at the time). Instead we had another five seasons, spanning what had to be about 2-3 years in-universe. In that time there were multiple instances of Scootaloo wishing she could fly, but never the briefest discussion of anyone helping her practice flying, or taking her to a doctor to find out why she'd been having trouble flying, or educating her about technology that could help her fly if she'd never be able to do so naturally.

Couple that with her home situation (particularly with her stating in "Parental Glideance" that she never had anyone to really support her, and her being raised mostly by whichever local adults aren't busy), and you have another piece of evidence of Scootaloo being unforgivably neglected - more fuel for the Scootabuse dumpster fire.

[Brony Number 42 10,090]

@HedonismBot yeah her parents are awful. 

[JMTV99 1,359]

21 minutes ago, Metal Brony 42 said:

@HedonismBot yeah her parents are awful. 

Yup, and I still stand by that Rainbow Dash's parents should've adopted Scootaloo.

[HedonismBot 244]

1 hour ago, JMTV99 said:

Yup, and I still stand by that Rainbow Dash's parents should've adopted Scootaloo.

I've seen a couple of stories on FiMfiction involving Rainbow Dash herself adopting Scootaloo, which would have the advantage of not splitting up the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Cloudsdale would probably be the best place to go for doctors which specialize in treating flight-related disorders, but Rainbow could just give Scootaloo a ride up there as needed.

[JMTV99 1,359]

8 minutes ago, HedonismBot said:

I've seen a couple of stories on FiMfiction involving Rainbow Dash herself adopting Scootaloo, which would have the advantage of not splitting up the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Cloudsdale would probably be the best place to go for doctors which specialize in treating flight-related disorders, but Rainbow could just give Scootaloo a ride up there as needed.

Yeah, I can see that.

[Landi 602]

5 hours ago, Kujamih said:

I think the staff did. And for her age...I think it's too late.  And at the later season we see scoots with short wings twice when she was old.

One, including myself, could say that she had some developmental issues which led to her wings growing way slower than average. And the whole detail about her wings being smaller can be easily ignored (for instance I just pretend that they were normal size). Like I said, it was left up for interpretation.

[Dark Qiviut 22,585]

Yes, she is.

At the time this thread was first created, this question was up in the air. Flight to the Finish suggested Scoot was disabled, but they never gave us a proper answer, instead going with the possibility that she can one day. Future episodes implied some insecurity. In both Magic Sheep and Bloom & Gloom, she was able to fly. Several seasons later, she relished her free ability to swim so freely, as it reminded her of the pegasi's thrill for flight.

But no episode answered that question so explicitly like The Washouts. Scoot's signature flaw — her insecurity — helped drive this classic. While the episode never explicitly stated how well Lightning Dust knew of Scoot's inability to fly beforehand, their close connection during WA implies she knew this open secret. What did she do with it? Exploit it to drive a wedge into their sisterly relationship. When Dash described the Wonderbolts as home of the best flyers, she retorted with this:

Quote

Lightning Dust: I started the Washouts because I believe anypony can be the best of the best.

In the background, Scootaloo went from dejected and rejected to hopeful. For the first time, a group relates to her and extends an open hoof to pegasi like her. When Rainbow Dash tried to demonstrate a bit of tough love to convince her to not join the Washouts (and for understandable reasons), all she really did was alienate Scoot even more. This exchange gives it away.

Quote

Rainbow Dash: Uh... Heh. Sorry that was a little... intense. I just wanna make sure you don't get hurt. That way, you can follow in my hoofsteps. Heh. Everypony's dream, right?

Scootaloo: More like "follow your wingflaps".

Rainbow Dash: Same difference.

No, RD, it's not. Scootaloo implicated that because she can't fly, she can't follow in 'em, but she's oblivious. Not to mention Dash was also trying to maintain her ego, watering down her lessons.

This rant to begin Act 3 solidifies it for good.

Scootaloo knows her dream to become a Wonderbolt is over. Why? Because she can't fly. Does she let simply let that go? No. Pay attention to how she looks at and flutters her wings before emphasizing. Admitting it hurts. Rainbow Dash also took her harsh words hard, but understood her newfound commitment to Dust's underground group, gave her space, yet watched nearby just in case Dust was up to any tricks.

Edited May 14, 2021 by Dark Qiviut

[Evil Pink One 13,550]

See @Dark Qiviut gets it. 

[Tom Gallagher 33,627]

You mean her wings? Maybe she is then if after this time, she can still barely fly. 

[JMTV99 1,359]

6 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Yes, she is.

At the time this thread was first created, this question was up in the air. Flight to the Finish suggested Scoot was disabled, but they never gave us a proper answer, instead going with the possibility that she can one day. Future episodes implied some insecurity. In both Magic Sheep and Bloom & Gloom, she was able to fly. Several seasons later, she relished her free ability to swim so freely, as it reminded her of the pegasi's thrill for flight.

But no episode answered that question so explicitly like The Washouts. Scoot's signature flaw — her insecurity — helped drive this classic. While the episode never explicitly stated how well Lightning Dust knew of Scoot's inability to fly beforehand, their close connection during WA implies she knew this open secret. What did she do with it? Exploit it to drive a wedge into their sisterly relationship. When Dash described the Wonderbolts as home of the best flyers, she retorted with this:

In the background, Scootaloo went from dejected and rejected to hopeful. For the first time, a group relates to her and extends an open hoof to pegasi like her. When Rainbow Dash tried to demonstrate a bit of tough love to convince her to not join the Washouts (and for understandable reasons), all she really did was alienate Scoot even more. This exchange gives it away.

No, RD, it's not. Scootaloo implicated that because she can't fly, she can't follow in 'em, but she's oblivious. Not to mention Dash was also trying to maintain her ego, watering down her lessons.

This rant to begin Act 3 solidifies it for good.

Scootaloo knows her dream to become a Wonderbolt is over. Why? Because she can't fly. Does she let simply let that go? No. Pay attention to how she looks at and flutters her wings before emphasizing. Admitting it hurts. Rainbow Dash also took her harsh words hard, but understood her newfound commitment to Dust's underground group, gave her space, yet watched nearby just in case Dust was up to any tricks.

Okay, that's a fair point.

[ExplosionMare 21,644]

She is because even as an adult, she had tiny wings which suggests she won’t ever be able to fly more than a couple of feet off the ground.

[HedonismBot 244]

1 hour ago, ExplosionMare said:

She is because even as an adult, she had tiny wings which suggests she won’t ever be able to fly more than a couple of feet off the ground.

 

Again, Bulk Biceps can fly despite being even more poorly endowed than her (my headcanon for him is that his love of lifting stems from the extensive training it took to make that happen). Though not very well, it seems: even in "Wonderbolts Academy", when Spitfire ordered all the cadets to do 500 laps he struggled somewhat taking off, and in the next shot he was among the slower fliers. Which raises the question of how he got in - evidently, their standards aren't as high as the audience had been led to believe (though it would imply that if Scootaloo could obtain or develop a quality piece of assistive tech, she herself would still have a shot).

So that would still qualify her as disabled, just with a condition that's treatable to a limited extent (just as most people with mobility impairments aren't 100% wheelchair-bound).

[abronymouse 6,144]

Being unable to fly is being disabled for a pegasus  Scoots is disabled in the show. There are a few illustrations of Scoots joy at being able to 'fly' but Surf and Turf is the most poignant for me since it is the most realistic - people and animals who have lost movement due to structural disability (eg arthritis) are able to return to mobility in water and it is wonderful to see Scoot in water  

Ofc the show doesn't address this head on. Just like Luna is alive and Tank is just in hibernation...

[Evil Pink One 13,550]

11 hours ago, HedonismBot said:

 

Again, Bulk Biceps can fly despite being even more poorly endowed than her (my headcanon for him is that his love of lifting stems from the extensive training it took to make that happen). Though not very well, it seems: even in "Wonderbolts Academy", when Spitfire ordered all the cadets to do 500 laps he struggled somewhat taking off, and in the next shot he was among the slower fliers. Which raises the question of how he got in - evidently, their standards aren't as high as the audience had been led to believe (though it would imply that if Scootaloo could obtain or develop a quality piece of assistive tech, she herself would still have a shot).

So that would still qualify her as disabled, just with a condition that's treatable to a limited extent (just as most people with mobility impairments aren't 100% wheelchair-bound).

Yup.. and bulk biceps is disabled..... He just used brute force and will to fly.... For example if you don't have legs doesn't mean you can't travel from place to place or if you don't have hands you can't draw anymore.

Or if you are a midget....(more of a handicap I guess) doesn't mean you can't reach high stuff...

 

So yeah bulk biceps and scoots are disabled. Hoo!

[HedonismBot 244]

2 hours ago, abrony-mouse said:

Ofc the show doesn't address this head on. Just like Luna is alive and Tank is just in hibernation...

It would be nice to at least see the comic do that now that they're no longer bound by the show's status quo (they've always been a bit more willing to go to not-so-lighthearted places). The way she was involved in issue 81 (with the earth pony Wonderbolt) pretty much screamed  "We would LOVE to have Scootaloo fly with that guy's invention, but our hands are tied!". And then you have the "Retail Incentive" cover for issue 96:

It appears that the people at IDW would like to do this issue justice (at least after they've finished whatever other stories they have in the pipeline).

25 minutes ago, Kujamih said:

Yup.. and bulk biceps is disabled..... He just used brute force and will to fly.... For example if you don't have legs doesn't mean you can't travel from place to place or if you don't have hands you can't draw anymore.

Yeah, the way Scootaloo was handled in the show is equivalent to having a character missing a leg and never mentioning the possibility of getting a prosthetic leg. One of the alternate timelines from "A Cutie Re-Mark" even had Rainbow Dash in a prosthetic wing (though it may simply not be practical to build sophisticated prosthetics for a foal who'd quickly outgrow them).