Cold, alone, and scared. The young colt opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings for what seemed like the fifth time in a row. He tentatively started walking forward, not quite knowing where he was going.
Where am I? he asked himself as he walked through the dark foliage. What am I?
He kept pondering his existence as he walked, and as he walked he came to a puddle of water. The timid colt slowly approached the puddle to look what it was. Staring back at him was a green androgynous colt with a scared expression, a black and white mane accompanied this face, with a straight fringe and bangs hanging down. Whoa! They sure are cute. He mused to himself about the reflection. he raised his hoof cautiously to touch the reflection, only to notice that the reflection was doing the same. He opened his mouth, the reflection did the same. He did various other things as well and all the while the reflection continued to copy him. He eventually concluded that the reflection was him, or was just copying him, one or the other. The colt tried to turn around so he could see the rest of his mane, it looked choppy at the back.
He decided to leave the cute reflection and continue walking through the ominous underbrush, his ears picked up all sorts of sounds, near and far. He heard roars and screeches of distant creatures and his mind flashed back to memories, only minutes old, yet fuzzy and unclear. Like a dream.
Or nightmare.
Cogs turned. Gears grinded. Screeching metal.
He felt pain. He saw something; somepony. Blue. He felt recognition, connection.
Love. Longing.
Mama?
Wait… why was she yelling?
“Why won’t you work!?”
Screaming; anger.
“I hate you! You’re a failure just like the rest of them!”
Why is she angry at me?
A force grabbing, lifting, throwing. Neck in pain.
A chute. Empty, cavernous. A void, gaping, terrifying.
Tumbling, turning, falling, bumping. Clanging, rolling, hurting.
A thud.
Land; wet and cold. Water, dripping, sloshing, soaking.
Cold. Alone.
Cold. Afraid.
These memories made the little green colt sad, he felt like crying, and he did.
***
Scootaloo was walking in the direction of the Everfree Forest. it was the only place where she could get some peace and quiet. She knew the dangers of the place though, so she didn’t go too far into the forest.
As she walked the outskirts of the forest her ears picked up the sound of somepony crying. She followed the sounds of the constant sobbing to what seemed to be a young green filly with a black and white mane and tail.
She approached the presumed filly with caution not wanting to spook them. When Scootaloo stepped on a stick the crying stopped. She looked up into their face, only to see fear.
“What are you?” they asked taking a step back.
Scootaloo thought this response was odd, surely she knows what I am...and also that didn’t sound like a filly’s voice...strange, maybe this isn’t a filly.
“I’m a pegasus,” Scootaloo answered, “like you.”
“Like me? You were abandoned too?” the filly looking colt said, looking up to Scootaloo.
“What?” Scootaloo answered, perplexed by his response. It seemed unnatural, devoid of emotion. What he said also brought back memories that Scootaloo would rather keep buried.
“My Mama abandoned me, did your Mama abandon you as well?” the colt continued, ignoring Scootaloo’s confused reaction.
“Ummm, my mum didn’t abandon me, she just...left…” Scootaloo replied a bit warily, “D-do you have a place to stay?” she continued a bit shakily.
“I have nowhere to stay.” the colt replied, Scootaloo found his reponse odd, a simple ‘No’ would of sufficed.
“Well I don’t really have a place to either...I sleep in the Cutie Mark Crusader’s Clubhouse, it keeps me warm enough,” she explained. “I forgot to ask for your name,” the colt stared at her, “So...what’s your name.”
“I was not given one,” he said unemotionally.
“You don’t have a name!?” Scootaloo asked, perhaps too loud.
The colt flinched at Scootaloo’s reaction. “No, I was not given one,” the colt reiterated.
“Do you mind if ummm...I give you a name?” she asked tentatively.
“No, a name would be...nice,” he responded.
Scootaloo thought for a moment at what a good name would be. “Ummm, how about Green for your first name?”
“My first name? Will you give me a second name?” he asked.
“Well yeah, then it can be the second part of your name, combined with your first name it’ll make your full name,” Scootaloo explained.
“Oh, okay.”
“Can you think of anything for your second name?” Scootaloo asked.
“Lightning,” he answered.
“Lightning?” she questioned.
“Yes, it is one of the only things I remember of where I came from,” He said matter-of-factly.
“Oh, cool. So Green Lightning, do you wanna stay with me?” she asked longingly, it had been too long since she had somepony to share the night with.
“Yes. I would like that,” Lightning said with a hint of smile.
The two of them walked towards Sweet Apple Acres where the clubhouse was situated. It was now obvious to Scootaloo that the newly named Green Lightning would need looking after and she would look after him. It sounded like he had been through a lot tonight, and she figured he should get some rest before they did anything else.
After a while they both reached the clubhouse, they both went inside and laid down on opposite ends of the room. After they both mumbled their ‘good nights’, they slept. Scootaloo tossed and turned for a bit, rolling over to face Lightning she realised he was laying on his back staring at the ceiling, unblinking. Scootaloo didn’t think much of it. Heaps of ponies sleep with their eyes open, what’s the big deal? When she was done gawking she rolled over again, closed her eyes, and drifted into the first peaceful sleep she’d had in a long time.
Introductions and Inductions
Scootaloo opened her eyes with the sudden realisation that they had overslept. She looked over at Green Lightning, who hadn’t moved a muscle since last night. His eyes had stayed transfixed to the ceiling for the duration of the night. Scootaloo sighed as she slowly got up from the floor. She wouldn’t have enough time to leave the clubhouse and get a fair distance away before returning, she would have to stay and face the onslaught of questions that were destined to come from the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She could hear in the distance the sound of approaching hooves and excited voices.
She slowly approached Green Lightning with the intention of prodding him to wake him but thought otherwise.
“Lightning?” she said, seeing if he was awake.
She jumped back when he turned his gaze onto her and uttered “Yes?”
Composing herself she explained that her friends were on their way, “I really don’t want them to get the idea I spent the night with a colt,” she explained to him.
“Is that what I am, a colt?” He asked curiously, clearly not understanding what Scootaloo meant, “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
Scootaloo felt the blood rush to her face as she realised she had been the only one the think of such a situation.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” she clarified, “Listen I have a plan, I’ll introduce you as the newest member. But here’s the catch; you gotta pretend to be a filly, it’ll make it easier to convince them that we didn’t do anything…”
“Ok” Lightning said, oblivious, “How do I do that then?”
“Just sound like me,” she informed him.
“Like this?” he replied, in a perfect replication of Scootaloo’s own voice.
What? Is that what I really sound like!? she thought aghast. Pulling herself out of her daze, she turned her attention back to Green Lightning.
“Ummm, no that’s too much like me, maybe a little higher, to sound more girly,” Scootaloo instructed, not believing that she said she wasn’t girly.
“Okay, I’m going to further analyse your voice,” he said still sounding like Scootaloo, “my scans show that your voice is approximately three hundred hertz so if I slightly adjust to say three hundred and fifty hertz,” pausing he concentrated to get the frequency right, “it should sound like this,” he said in a voice more feminine than Scootaloo’s, but it was hardly as melodic as Sweetie Belle’s.
“It’s perfect!” she said just as the clubhouse door opened and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked in.
“What’s perfect, Scootaloo?” asked Apple Bloom.
Damn, we weren’t fast enough. Scootaloo cursed to herself.
“And who’s this?” Sweetie Belle added.
Realising that she could recover from her little slip up she cleared her throat, “Oh...uh this is Gr- I mean,” Scootaloo stopped for a second realising the Green Lightning might seem too masculine a name for a filly, “Viridescent Wings. Our newest member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” she explained.
Green Lightning turned to Scootaloo giving her a confused look but decided not to say anything of it.
“Yes, my name is Viridescent Wings. It is nice to meet you,” he said in his filly voice.
“Hehe, what are ya, a robot?” Apple Bloom joked.
“Do not call me that!” Lightning protested, “I am a real pony like you guys.”
“Whoa, no need ta get all defensive like that,” Apple Bloom countered.
“Unless you are a robot!” Sweetie Belle added.
“Girls! Who cares if she’s a robot or not,” Scootaloo begun, still keeping the facade of Green Lightning being a filly, “there’s no rule that says robots can’t be Crusaders!”
She stood defensively in front of Green Lightning, currently known to the crusaders as Viridescent Wings.
“Oh, ok...I guess it’ll be okay then,” Sweetie Belle said cautiously, “Butpleasemissrobotdon’tdoexperimentsonusordissectusor-” Sweetie stopped her barrage of words as she had run out of breath.
Lightning looked at Sweetie Belle “I promise I won’t do experiments on any of you.”
“So do ya have a nickname or somethin’?” Apple Bloom piped up, “Cos’ Viridescent Wings is a bit hard ta say if we’re in a hurry.”
“What is a nickname?” Lightning questioned.
Being the group dictionary Sweetie Belle saw this as her chance.
“Yeah, sure, a nickname, a shortening of the name used between friends.”
As she finished explaining Lightning finally understood.
“Oh, I see. Well if you drop the last six letters of my name you would get Virid, and if you drop the last four letters of my name you would get Virides. Those are shortened versions of my name.”
Scootaloo realised that Lightning still didn't fully understand what a nickname was.
"What about Viri?" She offered.
"Viri?" Lightning pondered.
"Yes, and then if you drop the last two letters of that you would get Vi!" He exclaimed.
Scootaloo facehoofed. He still didn't get it.
***
Green Lightning now stood in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He looked up at Sweetie Belle up on the pedestal with the other two by her side. Sweetie Belle then took out a scroll of paper and cleared her throat.
"Do you, Viridescent Wings, promise to uphold the tradition of fighting to get your cutie mark as well as your fellow comrades'?"
Lightning wasn't quite sure what to do, he looked over at Scootaloo who gave him an encouraging smile. "Yes." he answered bluntly, "What exactly is a cutie mark by the way?" All three of the other members gasped at his question.
Apple Bloom started explaining the basics of how it's all related to the philosophy of everything. And how if no pony had cutie marks then nothing in the world would get done.
"...so cutie marks are supposed ta be what ya special talent is and then that talent will define ya for tha rest of ya life!" She finally finished.
"Ok. I understand now." Lightning said.
"Do ya now?" Apple Bloom asked skeptically.
"Repeat everything I just said," she challenged.
"Very well." He agreed and then proceeded to relay back to Apple Bloom a word for word recital of what she had said earlier.
He received shocked looks from all three of them and decided to break them out of it with some bad news.
"Due to...me...not being completely real it is a possibility that I will not get my cutie mark. I don’t even know if I can for that matter."
After seeing the baffled and disappointed looks on the fillies' faces, he tried to cheer them up. "But I can still help you get yours."
It worked.
"Moving on!" Sweetie Belle continued, "do you promise to always be our pal, friend, compadre, amigo..." She suddenly paused and read a few lines ahead.
"Ah! I did it again," she said, frustrated with herself.
"Congrats, you're a crusader now," she finished, exasperated, throwing down the cutie mark crusaders’ signature cape.
Before Lightning could question the purpose and importance of the cape Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo cheered so loudly it rattled Lightning's head.
When that died down he finally sprung the question, only to be met with blank stares.
"Cos it looks cool!"
"Cos its the rules!"
"Who cares!" They all responded simultaneously.
"Ok," He said tying on the cape.
Now that the induction ceremony was over Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle left the clubhouse to start crusading. Before Scootaloo could follow Green Lightning stopped her.
“Why do I have to be a filly?” he questioned in his original voice.
“Oh it’s just because,” Scootaloo paused thinking of the reason, “that if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle knew they might tease me...us...if you were introduced to them as a colt…”
“Oh. Well why did you have to change my name then?” he asked.
“That was just in case ‘Green Lightning’ wasn’t really girly enough,” Scootaloo explained. After looking at his face she continued, “That’s not a problem is it?”
“Well, you gave me the name and I got attached to it.” He replied.
“Yeah but I gave you this new name too!” She said back to him, “So get attached to this one too. It’s Viridescent Wings’ name not Green Lightning’s.”
Green Lightning then let out a unnecessary sigh. “Ok, I am Viridescent Wings and that is my name.” he said, accepting his fate in his filly voice.
His eyes rolled back into his skull.
UnitNo.000185 Memory Store Online
Run Archive.bat{
access p:/DATA{
create folder[Memory];
assemble.archive[GreenLightning];
**WARNING!**
**Creator.visualProfile is protected (ProtLevel(9))!**
**Could not be archived!**
store GreenLightning.archive(Memory.folder);
protect.ProtLevel(3)[Memory.folder];
}
}
Run MemEdit{
access p:/DATA{
create profile[ViridescentWings];
set.MainProfile ViridescentWings.profile;
ViridescentWings.voiceProfile == GreenLightning.archive(ViriVoice);
**WARNING!**
**GreenLightning.archive is protected (ProtLevel(3))!**
**Access archive?**
yes
**Access Granted**
protect.ProtLevel(3)[ViridescentWings.profile];
scan archive(GreenLightning.archive){
findAll (“Cutie Mark Crusaders”);
copyAllFound (ViridescentWings.profile);
}
format(ALL ProtLevel <= 2){
**Formatting p:/DATA 10%**
**Formatting p:/DATA 36%**
**Formatting p:/DATA 75%**
**Formatting p:/DATA 89%**
**Formatting p:/DATA 100%**
**Format Complete**
}
}
}
reboot
…
**Hello World**
When the eyes were once again looking out the right way a filly’s voice was heard, “Hi. I am Viridescent Wings. I am a filly. What is my purpose?...I forgot.”
Scootaloo looked at Green Lightning or Viridescent Wings not quite sure what had happened. “Um...your purpose is to...um be my friend and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader.” She knew it seemed a little selfish but kept the feeling down.
Viridescent Wings nodded as she took in the new information.
Scootaloo reasoned with herself that if Green Lightning had really forgotten everything it’d be fun to have to reteach him...or her. Smiling at Viridescent she gestured for her to follow as they went out to meet with the other crusaders.
