I sat inside, warmed by a blazing fire I thought could be nothing but a blessing. Well, compared to what I had last year. My adoptive mother now held me under her cyan wing as a white storm of frozen water billowed out side of her- our- cloud house.
I’m still kind of afraid of these storms, even though I have a roof over my head. The sounds remind me of when I was out there during one of these storms. I’m just about to put my face in a rainbow mane, in a feeble attempt to hide the storm, when I feel another form press against my other side. I looked over to see deep purple eyes staring back into mine. This time it isn’t a pegasus, but a unicorn by my side. Our family’s always been a bit weird, but we love each other all the same. Especially my parents love for each other.
“You ok, Scootaloo?” she asked, her eyes filled with concern. “It looks like you have something on your mind.”
“Yeah. I was… just remembering last year at this time” I told her truthfully.
“You wanna talk about it again?” This time it was Rainbow who spoke. I turned my head to look at her, and saw the same concern in her eyes that I saw in Twilight’s. “Only if you want to, though”
“Sure, you guys deserve to know. You gave me so much when you took me in. It all started on my birth day a couple years ago”
There I stood, blood seeping through my pelt where I was cut, staining my fur red rather than it’s usual orange. My purple mane was a mess, and so was I for that matter, but I could care less. I was the only one still alive after the accident. Everyone else in the house had died. Nopony could tell me why though. Why the fire started. Why the alarms didn’t go off. Why nopony else in the house had woken up.
All I could remember was the building starting to crumble on top of me. I had almost joined the rest of my family. Somehow I had gotten out of the house that was now nothing more than smoldering ashes. That night, I had lost my Mom, my Dad, and my older sister, Day Spring. Naturally, I found it ironic that it happened to be my birthday.
They told me one thing: that I’d be sent to an orphanage. I had nothing to remember them by, not even a picture. I knew I didn’t want to forget them either, and going to a home where some other “parents” would trying to replace them wouldn’t help. So I ran. I had hidden from the police for about 7 months.
Now, somehow, I had to be able to survive on my own. I needed food, water, and shelter. Some obviously were harder to find than others. I was able to do it on my own for a couple of months, until it started to get cold. I figured it was time to ask for some help, and I’d need it fast, before it started to snow.
Rainbow had always been my idol, and was still at the time, so I decided to get her to help me. I thought I couldn’t tell her straight, so I set myself up so she’d find me out in the cold and, eventually take me in. I knew I would have to tell her at some point, but I was still uncomfortable talking about it. It was too fresh in my mind, and the memories of my dead family would only cause me to break down, as they had done for the time I had been alone.
It was kind of awkward how we came upon the subject though. A police pony showed up at Twilight’s door, since he wasn’t able to reach Rainbow’s and they were already married. When the message got to Rainbow, she wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t mad either. She asked me what happened, and why I had done what I had.
It all spilled out, then and there, tears and all. I told her about how I had lost my family and what I did to avoid the orphanage. When I was done, everyone left me, and I could think of only two reasons they would leave. Either to give me some time to think alone and mourn, even though I’d been doing it inwardly for months now. The other was to decide on what my punishment would be.
I could only think of one the two options, and the outcome scared me to death. I had only run because I was scared of having to go to the orphanage and never having a real family. They’d call themselves my family, but I’d never believe it and I really needed somepony I could trust.
A magical, magenta aura surrounded the doorknob, turning it and slowly opening the door. Rainbow walked in, her wing laid across her purple wife’s back, the embrace bringing the two ponies closer. They were both smiling.
When someone spoke up, it was Rainbow who spoke. “Hey squirt,” She greeted me. “We were just talking out there. You running off could get you into a lot of trouble.”
“I know,” I said. “I swear I was going to tell you at some point”
It was Twilight’s turn to speak. “We believe you, Scootaloo. We understand what you’re feeling. Especially Rainbow here.”
“Yeah. My parents died the same way. That’s not why we’re in here though. We have a question for you. Will you be our daughter?” her eyes and Twilight’s were full of a fire I’d never seen before. I knew no one would ever be able to replace my family, but if anypony were to come close, they would be it. My jaw dropped in disbelief.
“You… You would adopt me?”
“As long as you promise not to run away.”
“YES!!!” I screamed letting out everything I had.
Twilight sighed as she reminisced in the memory of what had happened from that point on. All the activities they had done together. It was then that she remembered one interesting fact she had somehow forgotten, being sucked into her daughter’s memories.
“Hey Scoots. You know what day it is?”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“My birthday”
Both mares’ eyes shot open, now remembering her birthday. “We’re sorry, Twilight,” Rainbow said. “At least I should have remembered.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” I spoke up. I pulled a messily wrapped package out from it’s hiding spot. “I know it’s not much, but I tried”
“It’s the thought that counts. At least you remembered” she joked, looking over at her special somepony. She opened the package carefully using her magic. Inside, there were three small, stuffed dolls, each a smaller copy of one of the family. “Oh my gosh! Where’d you get these?”
I went over to the boutique and asked Rarity to help me out with them. I did some work, but a lot of it is on her.”
“They’re perfect” she said hugging her family close.
“Happy birthday mom” I said, and I knew I would never forget her birthday, the day they saved me from the cold, harsh world.
Author's Note
For my mom, who, through it all, has supported me in all of my endeavors, and was there for me the whole time. When I first became a brony, I was scared to admit it to anyone, even my own family. She was the first person I told. When I thought she would laugh, she was there by my side, and supported me. She still supports me today.
Happy Birthday Mom.
