Origins
13 years ago...
Jade Crestfall sat impatiently in the waiting room of Canterlot General Hospital. Aerial sat next to him. She wanted to be heartbroken by the course of events that led her to where she was, but she didn't care. After all, her husband was waiting to name the foal he had with another mare. A mare that happened to be fifteen years younger than herself. The unicorn doctor entered the lobby.
"Mr. Crestfall? You have a son now. Want to come and see him?"
Jade huffed and got to his hooves. "About bucking time. What took her so long?"
"Sir, she was having a foal."
"Couldn't she have forced him out?"
"It doesn't work that way."
"Whatever. Take me to my son."
The doctor fought back the urge to punch the stallion in front of him. Not only was he being a complete dick, he took his wife with him for the naming of a foal he had with another mare. He hated stallions that weren't good to their spouses, but this one was bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase "worthless bastard." Jade stepped in and saw his now ex-marefriend holding his newborn son in her hooves. A loving smile had adorned her face as she gazed at the foal. At just 23 years old she was in no way ready to be a parent, but she was willing to try. Her parents had gladly offered to help her raise the foal as well. Her smile fell away as soon as she saw Jade.
"What do you want?"
"To see my son and keep my end of the deal. He's yours to raise as long as I get to name him."
Summer Breeze huffed. "Fine. Name him."
Jade looked the foal over. He took note of his dull gray coat. That was all he needed. "Steel. His name will be Steel Crestfall."
"My ass. He's getting my last name, Jade. But sadly, we had a deal. And because you could have chosen a worse name than Steel, that will be his name. Steel Breeze." She gave Steel another loving gaze. "Steel. My beautiful baby colt."
Jade immediately let his temper get the best of him. Who did this mare think she was? This foal was going to take his last name, and that was that.
"This foal is going to pass on MY family name, do you understand?!" Jade yelled. Steel began to cry. Before Summer could respond, Jade was dragged out the door by hospital security. The doctor had put the security outside the door as soon as Jade entered. The security team dragged Jade through the hallways—a difficult task considering the fight he was giving—and threw him out the door. A pair of royal guards were already waiting to take him in for a night in jail.
Present Day...
Spitfire and Rainbow simply gawked at the birth certificate. They didn't know what to say. How had they not known that Aerial wasn't Steel's mother? They looked again at the names of the parents. Jade Crestfall and Summer Breeze. Who in the hay was Summer Breeze?
"Rainbow?"
"Yeah Spitfire?"
"I think we have a mare to meet."
"I think I have to agree."
Rainbow and Spitfire stepped outside of Ponyville town hall some time later. They couldn't find any information on Summer Breeze other than that she was a resident of Canterlot. They decided that Spitfire should be the one to go to Canterlot to find Summer. Spitfire kissed Rainbow goodbye and asked her to talk to Scootaloo in her stead. Rainbow happily obliged. She sadly watched as Spitfire flew away in the direction of the high class city.
"I always hate watching her go..." she muttered to herself as she took off in the direction of her daughter's home.
Scootaloo landed on the front porch of her home. She let out a sad sigh as she pulled the door open. She had been unconsciously twitching her right ear ever since her argument with Steel. Guilt had quickly consumed her. Was Jade really where he belonged? Did he deserve to die?
Of course not! You could have let him live! Jade was always right about you. You really are a worthless mare.
Scootaloo sighed. She hated that little voice inside her head. It always left her hurting more than Jade ever had.
"Sometimes I wonder if you're right about that," she replied. The voice laughed inside her.
Of course I'm right! Steel should have confronted you years ago. Maybe then you'd be a halfway decent mare right about now.
Scootaloo buried her head in her hooves. She knew that she was the one making the voice; she recalled many sessions with her foalhood therapist about it. But sometimes it just felt like it was coming from somepony else. Somepony crueler than she was.
Crueler than you? Newsflash Scootaloo: You're a murderer! It doesn't get any crueler than that!
"SHUT UP! HE DESERVED TO DIE!"
You keep telling yourself that Scootaloo. Tell me how it works out when we meet at Discord's gates.
Scootaloo broke down and wept. She didn't have the strength to do anything else.
There you go, weep. Like the little foal you really are.
Scootaloo shook her head. She had to stay strong. The last thing she wanted was for Lightning to see her in that state again. She was a strong mare. She could handle a little voice. It was just her. She—
"You alright Scootaloo?" Scootaloo jumped to her hooves to see Lightning standing in the door.
"I thought you weren't going to be home for another hour," Scootaloo stated more than asked.
"Practice ended early today." Lightning walked over to Scootaloo and sat on his haunches next to her. "You heard her again, didn't you?"
Scootaloo nodded. That stallion could read her like a book. "Yeah. Steel and I had an argument today. She took the time to remind me of how worthless of a mare I really am."
You know it's the truth.
"Scootaloo, you know it's just you berating yourself. Your lips move when she speaks. You're the only pony who can stop it. You just have to accept that none of it is true. If you let her keep doing this to you, Jade wins."
"Lightning, I know she's wrong. Well, I do when I'm with you anyway. Sometimes it's just hard to accept. She's really convincing."
"Scootaloo, it's just guilt. Nothing more. Guilt that you shouldn't have to carry. He got what was coming to him. You did a good thing for the world."
"I killed somepony!" Scootaloo almost screamed. "Not just anypony, my own bucking father!"
"Scootaloo, you and I both know he was never a father to you. Just because you carry his blood doesn't make him your father."
"I... you're right." Scootaloo leaned against Lightning. "Thanks."
Lightning wrapped a wing around Scootaloo. "Scootaloo, you're the most wonderful mare who's ever graced me with her presence. Don't ever tell yourself otherwise."
Scootaloo blushed and buried her face into Lightning's chest. "How many times have I told you that I love you?"
"Would you like me to give you a number? Because if I think really hard, I could probably at least give you an estimate."
"How many times have I told you that you're an ass?" Scootaloo asked with a laugh.
"Now that number is way too high for me to count to," Lightning responded. He kissed Scootaloo's snout, drawing another blush out of her.
"I love you Lightning. You're my little ass."
"I really hope your little ass stays where it is. It's easier for me to sneak a look at in its current location."
"Shut up and kiss me, asshole."
Lightning pressed his lips to Scootaloo's. It was the most gentle kiss the two had shared in about a week. And to both ponies’ delight, it didn't appear to be stopping anytime soon. To both their dismay, it did.
"I hate to break up such a beautiful moment, but I need to have a word with Scootaloo. If you don't mind," Rainbow said as she stood in the doorway. A large smirk was plastered onto her face.
"I thought I wasn't going to have to worry about that again after I moved out," Scootaloo grunted as she got up to hug her mother. "What's up, Ma?"
"There's been a new development with Steel. Turns out he's not your full brother after all."
Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow. "Ma, he looks exactly like Jade. How can you tell me he's not my brother?"
"I said he's not your full brother. Take a look." Rainbow pulled Steel's birth certificate out of her saddlebags. Scootaloo's eyes grew wide as she read the document. She had initially thought that Rainbow was messing with her with the outrageous statement, but it appeared she had spoken the truth.
"Who's Summer Breeze?" Scootaloo asked.
"I don't know anything beyond the fact that she fooled around with Jade and they had a foal as a result. A foal that they named Steel."
Scootaloo was dumbstruck. This made no sense. "I... this... Please tell me this is some elaborate joke you and Mom are pulling."
Rainbow sighed.
"Believe me, I wish it was. You've gone through enough crap as a result of weird family issues. You shouldn't have to deal with any more of it."
"But this means that Steel's not—"
"He's still your brother. He's just your half brother is all."
"It also means... that Jade cheated on my mother."
"Are you really surprised about that?"
"No, I guess not. Still..." Scootaloo slumped down on her haunches. "Even after he died that bastard has a way of screwing everything up, huh?"
"That's what pricks like Jade do," Rainbow said as she sat next to her daughter. "Spitfire's on her way to Canterlot right now to go meet with Summer Breeze. We want to know what she knows about Steel. No mare in her right mind would willingly leave her foal in the hooves of a stallion like Jade, so I imagine she probably didn't give him up easily."
"Ma, no mare in her right mind would have sex with a stallion like Jade," Scootaloo responded with a grunt.
"Good point."
Spitfire landed in front of the home of the Ember family. It was more difficult finding Summer than she had expected, but she also hadn't taken into account the possibility that she had married. She took a deep breath and gave three quick knocks on the door. This was destined to be an interesting conversation. A mare with a white coat and golden mane answered the door.
"Umm... Can I help you?" she asked.
"I think you can. Are you Summer Breeze?"
"Not anymore."
"Right, sorry. I forgot you're married now. Congrats to that. Anyway, my wife and I adopted a foal seven years ago. We would have come to you sooner, but we just looked at his birth certificate today."
"I'm sorry, what does any of this have to do with me?" Summer asked, clearly confused.
"The foal's name is Steel Crestfall. Well, Steel Breeze according to his birth certificate."
Summer's eyes went wide. Her knees buckled, and she had to press a hoof against the wall next to her to stay standing.
"You... found him? You adopted Steel? Jade hasn't let me see him since the court case."
Spitfire wrinkled her nose in confusion. "I'm sorry, what court case?"
"Oh my, you probably don't know, do you? Please, come in, I'll explain inside. I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name."
"It's Spitfire."
"Wait, the Wonderbolt?!"
"Not anymore."
Three Weeks after Steel's Birth...
Jade sat in the courtroom with a smug grin on his face. Summer was bawling, and that only managed to bring him that much more pleasure from the occasion. Through a series of legal loopholes and less than legally acquired evidence against Summer's mental state, Summer Breeze was found incapable of caring for a foal. Steel was to have his last name changed and to be put into Jade and Aerial's care. Jade was to receive all legal documentation and it was his right to decide if Summer would receive any custody. Jade would see to it that Summer never saw Steel again.
Present Day...
"That was the last time I ever saw Steel," Summer choked out. Her husband stood by her side and rested a wing on her shoulder. Spitfire kept a solemn face. She would have expected nothing better out of Jade.
"Jade always was a monster. It's a good thing he's dead," Spitfire said.
Summer was shocked. "Jade... is dead? What happened?"
"Did Jade ever tell you he had a daughter before Steel? With Aerial?"
"No, he never did. I always felt bad for Aerial as soon as I found out they were married. How is she doing?"
"She's dead as well. Jade... killed her. In our home." Spitfire fought back a surge of emotions as she remembered washing Aerial's blood off her coat. Summer pressed a hoof to her mouth.
"Oh... Was Jade caught?"
"No. Never. Well, as I was saying, Jade and Aerial had a daughter. Her name is Scootaloo. We found her and took her in after Jade kicked her out of his care."
"How old was she when that happened?"
"Eleven."
Again, Summer brought a hoof to her mouth.
"I could never dream of kicking our daughter out at such a young age," Summer's husband said. He was as shocked as Summer.
"I could never imagine hurting her the way Jade did. She was covered head to hooves in cuts and bruises when we found her. Apparently receiving a beating wasn't an uncommon theme for Scootaloo and Aerial. Back to Jade's death. A few months after he killed Aerial, he broke into our home for reasons none of us can figure out. Scootaloo had to go back home to get her saddlebags because she forgot them before she went to school, and she ended up fighting Jade while she was there. She killed him during that fight. To this day it tears her apart to know that she killed a pony, even a monster like Jade."
Summer and her husband simply sat with their mouths wide open. They couldn't comprehend anything that Spitfire had just told them. It all seemed so... surreal. They couldn't believe anypony would put their own family through that.
Spitfire cocked an eyebrow. She had forgotten that her life wasn't normal for most ponies. "Hello? Equestria to you two? You there?"
Summer and her husband shook their heads. "Yeah... we're fine."
"Good, because I wanted to ask you a question."
"Go right ahead," Summer said. She instantly regretted her words.
"Why did you sleep with Jade?"
Summer's husband let his temper flare. "That is NOT an appropriate—"
Summer rested a hoof on his shoulder.
"It's alright dear. I would be curious in her situation as well." Summer turned to Spitfire. "I was a bit... wild back then. I had gone out drinking with my friends. Jade looked fifteen years younger when I wasn't sober." She sighed. "When I found out I was pregnant with his foal, I kept him around. We dated until I found out he was married. That's when I broke off our relationship and came clean with my parents." Summer sighed again. A hopeful look entered her eyes. "May I... see him? It's been so long..."
Spitfire smiled. She couldn't imagine going thirteen years without seeing Scootaloo. She knew it would be a wonderful thing for Summer to see Steel again.
"I think that can be arranged."