Revisited: Why Can't Scootaloo Fly?
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- Опубліковано 21 січ 2025
- Now that MLP Gen 4 has ended on a very sweet note, I feel confident that we were given enough information to say for sure why Scootaloo can't fly. While we do digress to discuss Pound Cake, he is relevant to the discussion.
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Actually now thinking about it, She is physically disabled. She literally has a genetic mutation that renders her unable to fly, basically her wings are weak, and lacking in strong muscles, didn't grow past teen years, and she probably maintained a heavier earth pony build. It represents a physically disabled character who can't do what others can, but isn't treated any different for it and finds a way to overcome her disability and live a happy life.
Yeah, and from what I understand, that's what Faust intended when she created Scootaloo.
I agree
Yeah, she can ONLY hover.
Every time someone brings up "oh she's half earth pony" I'm like "but Pound Cake . . ."
I was wondering what explanation you had, and I'm just surprised at how simple yet good it is. I still don't like the "earth pony" thing but it's cool how something as simple as that was so convincing to me.
It seems to be a general consensus that Earth Ponies are heavier in general, especially since we've seen Pegasi with heavier body types, like Bow Hothoof. So I think it kinda depends on the pony, which is where genetics come in.
Genetics are what really make people different from each other. Even identical twins have tiny differences in their genetics that make them unique, which is why you'll see things like one with glasses and one with 20/20 vision.
I am glad for this revisit to this theory and updated to include new ideas or even getting a better verified in cannon. You are awesome.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. ^_^
My eyes change colour too when I have different moods
I think it's more likely a birth defect or something. Because in the Season 8 Finale, School Raze, when the magic was being taken from the ponies, pegasi could still fly. So perhaps there is some genetic defect.
Here's a theory. Despite the fact that she does have wings, what if Scootaloo isn't a pegasus? What if she's genetically an earth pony, and her wings are a genetic mutation (from her mother's side)? In humans, sometimes they can be born with tails. Maybe her wings are like humans born wit tails. That could also explain why they don't properly grow. They simply aren't natural. Similar situation happen in other animals too. They're extremely rare. But yeah, my theory is that Scootaloo is an earth pony with a mutation that gives her small wings.
Interesting approach. I'd say it has some merit. Extra limbs do rarely grow correctly in real species, even if they're properly formed. What if we kinda combined the two?
Physically she's a Pegasus, but magically, she's an Earth pony. We've seen that Earth ponies can move at incredible speeds depending on their special talent. It could be that Scootaloo's talent is for speed, but channeled into her wings, hence her Cutie Mark.
@@FaunaJoy That's an idea. Basically, you're suggesting that she's a hybrid. And to expand on the Hybrid idea, what if she's a chimera? And I don't mean like the creature, but the real world version. Chimerism is when twins fuse in the womb so that they are just one person, but with two sets of genes. So for Scootaloo, maybe there was supposed to be twins, a pegasus and an earth pony. But they fused in the womb to create a hybrid via chimerism.
@@changelingkingcocoon5029 I've heard of chimeraism in the real world, and it's definitely an interesting way to look at it. Though as I said in the video, "Genetics are weird", lol.
@@FaunaJoy I like to think of it as "Genetics are fascinating". That's not to deny the "weird" claim though. So I guess you could say that "Genetics are fascinatingly weird" or "weirdly fascinating".
@@changelingkingcocoon5029 I would agree, I just really wanted an excuse to use the clip from Food Wars, lol.
I agree with the genetic theory. You see both my parents and grandparents have brown or black hair with our eyes being either hazel color or a light shade of brown. BUT my mom's older sister has blond hair and blue eyes!! So with most of my family that I know of have hazel or light brown eyes I wonder. where on earth did Keke's blue eyes come from? So yeah I agree!
Oh yeah, genetics are a fun field to try and understand. If you want weird genetics, look no further than Calico cats. Nearly all are female, and those few males born rarely live very long, as they're typically plagued by deformities or other forms of illness.
IIRC, it has something to do with how calico cats form in the womb, and it's their genetics that decide everything.
"Why can't Scootaloo fly?"
Because Lauren Faust said she was disabled. There, I just saved you 9 minutes.
Well yeah, but that's no fun, is it?
@@FaunaJoy Can't argue with that; I do like theories.
Also, thanks for notifying me of replies, UA-cam-
Lauren said that she originally intended for Scootaloo to be disabled, but while the show was actually airing responded to a fan's inquiry with "she just hasn't figured it out yet".
But she hasn't had control since season 2 Hasbro was clear they didn't always stick to her ideals Lauren would have never allowed Equestria girls.
I prefer the idea of Scootaloo being disabled; I like diverse characters
*arrives fashionably late*
I like this conclusion to the theory. All these theories are tied together in a neat bow. ^^
_you're the first person I remember to ever have pronounced my username right on the first try :')_
Trust me, it wasn't the first try. :P I'm glad I got it right, though. ^_^
@@FaunaJoy Lol
Nice to see someone still doing new analysis in 2020 lol. Never considered the whole Earth Pony theory, magically or physically. So thanks for the interesting watch ^^
If I can make a suggestions though, your thumbnail design is a little basic. You seem to be good with SFM, so I feel like you could do something a bit more interesting.
Also, you could use some background music. There's plenty of stuff made by fans if you're worried, that stuff is very unlikely to be claimed. Just throw a credit in the description. At the very least, I haven't had any trouble with that route.
I appreciate the feedback, however it took a while to get to this style, and it takes a while to make as is, so I think adding more steps would be frustrating. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, though.
I want a episode where Scootaloo learns how to fly
I demand one that was one of the things I've been waiting for my whole time with the show
I'm sure she knows how. It's just physically impossible for her.
i am also a twin too, so when I bare children, I would have twins
So nerdy, but so cool, I have hazel eyes that change color. Never found out the formula, but as I’ve grown they’ve gotten more stuck to green! I used to have gray, blue, green, brown, and all kinds of mixes in between. Now my eyes do that similarly, but it has to have green, my favorite is when they become a beautiful emerald green….rarity’s voice just said that in my head…ya, okay genes r cul
Stunted growth??
I know this is coming from the perspective of a relatively new fan, but I agree that a lack of magic definitely has something
to do with it as well. In the Cutie Remark alternate universe, for example, we see that Rainbow Dash is still capable of flying
at her best despite having a mechanical wing. So a pegasus needs a good combination of physical and magical attributes in
order to fly well.
The same could be said for other ponies as well. Not every Earth Pony is good with animals or farming just because they are
Earth Ponies, and not every Unicorn is skilled with magic. Take Sunburst for example.
Despite being a unicorn, he is not very good at casting magic himself. Applying the same theory from Scootaloo a little, it
could simply be due to the lack of magic inside of him. Other unicorns such as Twilight and Starlight have loads of magic, however,
which is why they are able to cast such powerful spells. I also noticed some symbolism with
Sunburst when he first got his Cutie Mark in the flashback, the books swirled around him, symbolizing that he would be more
knowledgable of magic rather than skilled with it. That was perhaps his purpose, and he was able to serve that purpose during
the crystalling episode where he used his knowledge of magic to fix the Crystal Heart.
That's one of the reasons why I believe that cutie marks are so special, they give each pony a purpose in life despite perhaps not
being able to perform a duty that is normally associated with their kind. Take Rarity, for example, she's a unicorn, but her talents
aren't focused on her use of magic, but rather her creativity and passion for fashion designing. Or Fluttershy despite being a pegasus,
is better at taking care of animals rather than flying.
Overall, what I'm saying is, for every pony it's a case-by-case basis.
As far as Unicorns, they do state early on that most unicorns can't do much magic outside their special talent. It seems that ponies like Twilight and Starlight both have the ability to cast powerful magic, while like you said Sunburst is highly knowledgeable. I like your theory on the symbolism of his Cutie Mark Moment, it has credence.
I think Fluttershy is another good example of a Pegasus with very little flight magic. As I said in my original video, she has much more maneuverability than speed, but that's still on the very low end of average. I feel the rest of her magical ability went into being able to speak with animals, something we've only ever seen her do.
Fauna Joy I agree. So in the case of Scootaloo, I guess it is just a case of her having the physical attributes to fly but not the magical. The level of her flight magic is too low.
@@bearmation93 Pretty much. About the only things she can do with her flight magic are flap her wings like a humming bird and walk on clouds.
my only question with that is if scootaloo bones are denser than how can she still stand on the clouds?
aren't pegasus able to do it since they're lighter. just her having wings wouldn't do anything
That's not necessarily a weight thing. Other ponies use magic to walk on clouds like normal, and Bow Hothoof is a Pegasus with a denser physical make-up. On top of that, Alicorns like Celestia and Twilight are shown standing and walking on clouds easily.
It's likely a mix of physical weight and magical ability. As I said in the original video, Scootaloo's Pegasus magic is all in how fast she can flap her wings. The fact that she even has THAT much Pegasus magic is likely why she can still walk on clouds. It's the absolute most basic part of Pegasus magic.
@@FaunaJoy Yeah true true. I just assumed the alicorns had to be lighter too to be able to walk on clouds w/o a spell.
still sad she couldnt fly :')
i'm only 25 seconds in the video but some people said that it's because of her small wings. It makes sence cuz she has small wings even as a grown up, BUT there is that one white pegasos the muscled one who has as small wings as scotaloo but is able to fly.
my great grandpa on my moms side is a twin
I think that she can't fly because when she was younger she visited herself as older in season 9 which didn't allow her to grow her wings by already seeing what is going to happen herself.
certainly some interesting thoughts
in genetic theory speaking, what if the reason her wings didn't ever grow and stay the same was...
She wasn't supposed to be born a pegasus, she really an earth pony
like maybe in her mother's womb, While her dad's gens (like brown eyes) kick in more becuz to me earth ponies were maybe the first ponies in evaluation before unicorns and pegasus ever came to be, thus she was born an earth pony...But somewhere down the growing line, her mother gens try to kick in and it was forming wings but the wings aren't connected to her
(in a magical way)
since her dad gens told the DNA gens to put all magic to her feet
(this explain why Earth ponies magic is all in their hooves like how unicorn magic is in their horns and pegasus magic is in their wings)
Thus why her wings are also small, because they weren't supposed to be there but formed anyways, which also why she can move them but she can't go higher, so its kinda a useless limb to her if there no magic to flow into her wings like blood vines, so now here are two wings on a little EARTH pony (like there was once a baby who was born with a tail like tail thus sum ppl think looooong ago humans once had monkey tails somewhere in the human's evaluation line) no matter how much scootyloo try to learn even if rainbow dash herself teaches her ...
she just can never fly, u might as will try to teach applejack how to fly... or a penguin since scootyloo is like a penguin
both have wings but can not fly...
But she could maybe learn how to swim?
I think I kinda get what you're saying. It's hard to predict which traits will surface in hybrid offspring, who often end up with vestigial traits from one of the parents. So her wings are vestigial at best.
Me when I find out that my eyes are rare after knowing that they are blue with a green circle my whole life: Ive been seeing it wrong my whole life! this cant be real!
I know, right? I had the same reaction!
SASSY SADDLES! Why is her horn so long when she’s not a princess?
I think that's just another body type since Fleur Des Lis has the same body type and horn length.
I assume they never grew because if she never used her wings then the muscle needed to keep up with her growing body didn't grow. Like if you get paralyzed and can't feel ur legs anymore you don't use those muscles so they get or stay small.
I don't think so. She used her wings constantly to propel her scooter, so they wouldn't have atrophied in that manner. And the episode where they were doing the Equestria Games show implied that even if she worked the right flight muscles, she wouldn't get very far.
i think its cuz she is disable, like some ppl having smaller arms or something like that
Ponies have different levels of magic. I favor the idea that Scootaloo is just magically weak.
Not just wing size, but also weight has been shown to be meaningless in pegasus flight.
Bulk Biceps is all muscle. Muscle that size is heavier than just having solid bones.
The difference always comes down to native magical ability.
or maybe her wings didn't grow 'cause she didn't use them as much as other pegasi?
I don't think so. If anything, she used her wings more than other Pegasi, since that's how she propelled her scooter. Like I said in my original video, while her maneuverability is zero, her speed is maxed out.
No because she is half earth pony and pagasus(her father is earth)
Great theory! ^^
I've been told and had seen in pictures myself that while I have my mother's hair and eye color, I'm the spitting image of my grandmother on my father's side. Hold our baby pics together and you couldn't tell us apart.
(Funny unrelated story involving weird genetics) is apperently there was a white woman, irish as they came with red head and white as snow, she married a black man and their first kid came out white just like the mom with her red hair but he had a ginger afro like his dad's hair type, genetics weren't kind to him. (The kid was definately his after testing)
I always find it interesting when genes decided to skip a generation or two so you can see a white couple that have had several white appering children can have a black or asian child because of a relative way back in the past that never showed up in the gene pool until decades later to attempt to unintentionally nuke a family or at the very least cause a lot of confusion at birth.
Oh yes, "Genetics are weird" has almost become a mantra for me, lol.
I hope the comic get animated
I really do feel like people forget that she is disabled
I'm not debating that point. But there are multitudes of disabilities, so what I'm trying to explain is what her disability is.
I wish scootaloo can fly ❤
She is half earth and half pegasi
i think that she can fly but it was just not showed there.
No, it was outright stated that she can't fly.
@@FaunaJoy Eh, yes and no - after "Growing Up is Hard to Do" first aired, one of the staff stated over Twitter that her tiny wings were indeed meant to indicate an actual disability, but "fans are welcome to interpret things how they like". I interpret THAT to mean "We're trying to have it both ways" - that is, score points for disability representation, but without disappointing the fans who were hopeful to see her eventually fly.
Scootaloo can't fly because her wings are disabled. She's a disabled pegasi pony. Scootaloo is half earth pony and half pegasi because her dad is a earth pony and her mom is a pegasi making her half pegasus and half earth pony. Her wings can't grow. Her wings are small even when it showed she growed up in the episode "Growing up is hard to do".
I did mention that in one of these videos. Specifically talking about Bulk Biceps and other Pegasi with that body type. They can still fly, with Bulk Biceps even keeping up just fine in the tornado episode. So if it is a factor in flight ability, it's not much of one.
if she's too heavy to fly then bulk biceps shouldn't be flying either.
I did reference him in one of these videos. I think of Bulk Biceps vs Scootaloo as Albatross vs Emu. Those birds are approximately the same size, but Albatrosses are a fraction the weight of Emus.
Honestly I'm using my alt account to say this but honestly I thought it was going to be cringe but honestly you're really really professional but your 3D modeling has some work to do check my first 3D model was of a giant space craft banana but still looks like PlayStation 2 Hedrick so can't complain
My theory is that her wings are too small and she is too young or she's flapping it wrong
Or any combination thereof.
Or she just don't know how to fly yet.
Isn't Scootaloo just disabled?
Technically. yes. But there are many factors that determine a disability. Injury vs genetics for example.
@@FaunaJoy oh
It's still confusing how bulk biceps can fly but scootaloo cant
I did mention him briefly.
@@FaunaJoy ye ik, I commented while watching the vid and forgot to edit my comment.
But it's still sad to me that Scootaloo will never be able to fly
Maybe twilight would be able to do that spell that gave rarity her wings, and Scootaloo can experience flight for a while
@@jahlilcarr6765 It's hard to say how that spell would effect Scootaloo. I'd say it endowed Rarity with a few Pegasi traits, making her lighter than air for one. But Scootaloo already has several of those traits, lightness not withstanding. So I suppose the question is whether or not her already having wings would matter.
Bulk Biceps was never seen flying all that well - even in "Wonderbolts Academy", he was among the slower fliers. So it's possible that tiny wings are a handicap, simply one that's treatable to some extent (my headcanon for Bulk is that his love of lifting came from the extensive strength training it took to get him flying).
And even if the butterfly wing spell doesn't work on her, she could always get herself a glider, or a version of Tank's propeller, or a pair of prosthetic wings.
Interessing-
Yeah love you scoot! ❤
I believe the wings are too heavy and like they never ever going to grow maybe because when the flower light change her too big maybe the flower when she grow up she will never ever ever who wins you never ever grow up but I don't even think that's a thing because if humans grow the whole body grow in the whole body grow I don't know what will happen well I have imagination and like we don't really love my little pony I can even talk when thousand times about it so I don't even think I think the flower made her to her wings to never ever grow up I don't even think she even needs to fly like what is even the point of flying because she's a Pegasus don't know whatever anyways like you are unicorn your whole family have to be Yukon but like scootaloo's family one of them was a off pony I think it's the flowers which stop her wings from growing
Wow how can you have 256 subscribers?! Your videos are nice! Maybe for the bad animation of your characters, it looks weird but anyways I liked this video
I sub
:0
:D
Pound cakes parends are lighter than scootaloos dad and thats scootaloo is increble stronger than normal pegasus
True, I'd imagine that also has a factor for Pound Cake.
But also, genetics are weird, lol.
Yea