Rainbow Dash was lost for words. What was Rarity doing here, obviously something about Green Lightning, and he was in the CMC and so was Sweetie Belle and so...oh no.
"Oh hey Rarity, fancy seeing you here." Dash then realised something, "Wait a sec, how are you even here in the first place?"
Rarity blew a strand of hair out of her face, "Oh I used that cloud-walking spell that Twilight taught me." She then regained her previous tone of voice and asked "How is he growing so fast?"
"Oh, yeah about that...you see...he's kinda...a..." Dash said tripping over her words.
"Yes, he's a what?...and no lies." Rarity asked, longingly hoping for answers.
"He's a...a..." choking on her words, she took a deep breath and admitted "robot."
Dash then looked at Rarity who had a blank expression on her face, "I said no lies!"
"I'm not lying it's the honest truth! I made him! He's my son and you can't take him away from me!" Rainbow growled with an aggressive tone.
"Dear, what would a make you think I would want to take Lightning from you?" Rarity asked.
"Well...because, um... I don't know." Dash answered. Rarity then walked up to Dash and put a hoof over her shoulder. Dash turned to face Rarity with teary eyes, "Thanks Rare. You're such a good friend."
"Now," Rarity begun, "why don't you tell me the truth about Green Lightning."
Rainbow sighed, pushed herself away from Rarity, cleared her throat and yelled ,"HE'S A MOTHER BUCKING ROBOT!!!"
Rarity was a little taken aback by her friends outburst, she pushed another stray strand of hair from her face. "Okay, okay. He's a robot. So how did you...well make him in the first place?"
"Well I mean...I didn't mean to make him." Dash stated uncomfortably.
"Whatever do you mean dear?" Rarity asked a little worried.
"He was an accident! A failed experiment!" Dash yelled.
"W-w-wha-what d-d-do you mean, accident?" Lightning stammered, coming out from Dash's yelling, "failed experiment? Is that all I am to you!?"
"Lightning!?" Dash said, choking back tears, "How much did you hear?"
"I heard enough!" Lightning informed, also trying to hold back tears. He then spread his wings and took off in no apparent direction. He was just trying to get as far as possible from Dash, the mare who claimed to be his mother, and called him a failed experiment! She'll pay...
*****
Scootaloo had been an orphan ever since her mother died and her father abandoned her. She would come to her mother's grave every Wednesday night to replace the flowers since nopony else would, which is why she was there now. Sitting in front of her mother's grave and looking at what was engraved onto the stone;
Storm Twister
loving mother and wife.
You will be remembered always,
And missed dearly.
"I miss you." Scootaloo whispered placing a bouquet of flowers at the foot of the grave. Scootaloo didn't notice the sulking silhouette of a colt a few metres away from her, staring at her.
The silhouette colt slowly came closer and still Scootaloo didn't notice. He walked right up to her and sat next her. When she still showed no signs of reacting to his presence he mumbled "Hi."
Scootaloo jumped at the voice beside her, when she realised who it was she relaxed a little, "Oh, hey Lightning. What are you doing here?"
"Running away." He admitted.
"From who?" Scoots moved a little closer to him causing both of them to blush deeply.
"Ummm... my mother..." he said shifting uncomfortably.
"Go back to her!" Scootaloo shouted at him.
"What!?" Lightning was a little surprised. Why would he want to go back to her? She called him an accident!
"Go back to her." She repeated, "I don't have my mum anymore, but you still have yours. So go back to her!"
"You don't understand!" Lightning said, turning his head away from her so she wouldn't see him crying (liquid sadness).
"Try me." She tempted.
"She called me an accident." Lightning choked.
Scootaloo covered her mouth with a hoof realising that she probably made him more sad telling him to go back...
"Whose your mother? I'll give her a piece of my mind." She told him trying her best to make him feel better.
"Mum's name is Rainbow Dash."
Scootaloo gasped, Dash? How did she- oh, he's Green Lightning I'm so stupid!
"What? Do you know her?" Lightning asked.
"You're her kid?" Scootaloo asked him who nodded in response. "But you're meant to be a baby!"
"Yeah well...I really wanted to go to school." He said wiping the tears out of his eyes.
"What does that have to d-" Scootaloo was surprised when Lightning put his hoof over her mouth, and it was cold. Almost as cold as metal. She removed his hoof and asked "Why are you so cold, it feels like metal?"
"Well actually it's Fulgurium" he corrected.
“So you’re…a robot?” She asked, clearly confused.
“Oh, ummm, yeah...I guess.” He admitted, realising his mistake.
“So I guess you can’t get your cutie mark then?” She asked, Lightning turned away for the second time not to hide his liquid sadness, but to hide his reddened face. He felt rather embarrassed that he couldn't get his cutie mark. But that's what stickers are for! Right?
"But I can still be in the Cutie Mark Crusaders can't I?" he asked, with his demeanour rising a little.
"Ummm, well you won't ever get yours...so..." his demeanour just imploded and made a black hole creating a rift in time and space, "But I guess you could help us with ideas to get ours." His demeanour reformed and made a new universe, Power Levels at 400%.
"Thank you!" Lightning yelled as her hugged Scoots almost crushing her.
"AH! Lightning...can't...breathe." She choked, and he quickly let her go and apologized.
Lightning stood back and shuffled his hoof awkwardly, "Ummm, do you reckon...-"
"Yeah?" Scoots interrupted.
"-come home with me?" he finished with an awkward smile. Lightning is awkward.
"Ummm, why?" she inquired.
"Well, I gotta apologize to my mum, she probably worried sick!" He explained, "And I just want you to come with me, to stand by and give moral support..." he trailed off.
"Ummm okay...well I would if I could." She responded. Stretching her wings slightly.
"You can't fly?" he asked.
Scootaloo pulled her wings back in and felt embarrassed, "Yeah." She admitted.
"Well climb on." Lightning instructed, crouching down.
"Are you sure?"
"Course I'm sure, I'm the son of Rainbow Dash after all there's no way that this could end badly and we'd both die a horrible, horrible death." Lightning assured.
"Great. That fills me with loads of confidence." She muttered. Now being Scootaloo's turn to feel awkward she awkwardly climbed onto Lightning's back, who took off immediately, after he made sure Scoots was safely secure on his back.
*****
Rarity had left Dash's house shortly after Lightning flew off, leaving the dishevelled mother to wallow in her pity. It started raining heavily soon after she left. Dash had given up going to go look for Lightning because he probably wouldn’t want to come back with her anyway. She was just about to go to bed when she heard a knock at the door.
The door opened to reveal a scrubby, dirty and barely recognizable Green Lightning carrying a shivering orange Pegasus who was just as filthy as he was. “Lightning!” She cried, pulling him close and squeezing the breath out of him (if he had breath). He didn’t resist the hug, instead he melted into it.
“I’m sorry I ran off Mum.” He said burying his face into her chest. “But Scootaloo here,” he motioned to the filly who was now sleeping on his back, “she helped me realise that, no matter what happens, you’re my Mum and…I still love you.”
Dash looked down at her son through the tears rolling down her face, “I know, I love you too Lightning.” She explained.
“Hey Mum can Scoots stay here?” Lightning asked.
“Ummm, only if it’s okay with her parents.” Dash answered, releasing from the hug.
“Well she doesn’t have any parents.” He retorted.
Rainbow’s mood melted then, How could this little filly survive on her own for so long she thought.
“She can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.” Lightning said, about to walk up the cloud steps leading to his room.
“Why are you gonna sleep on the floor?” Dash asked, confused by her son’s sudden change in attitude.
“Because I’m an accident, and accidents belong on the floor!” he almost yelled, saying each word with hate.
Dash just stood there as Lightning walked up the stairs.