A Lost Cause

Shruko shot up gasping for breath, he wasn't in his house, he didn't know where he was. "Shruko? Shruko wake up!" He looked around.

"I-I can't see where am I?" Shruko asked desperately,

"Open your eyes, Shruko."The voice became slightly clear.

"I-I know that voice..." He opened his eyes, and looked around.

"Good, now we can begin class." The teacher mare said. It was the dream again.

The other ponies snickered at the  colt. "Great...." He thought to himself. He hated this dream.

"Shruko," The teacher said. "Since you decided to grace us with your... conscious mind, tell us, what do you think Harmony is."

"H-Harmony?" He said. "Come on, Shruko, you know this." He thought.

"I heard he has no parents, that they abandoned him when he was a foal." A voice behind him said.

"So he's a blank flank, an idiot, and parentless?" Another voice said.

"Kids!" Teacher yelled. "That is enough!!"

Shruko looked down at his desk, at a picture he pulled out before he fell asleep in class, it was a picture of his parents. "Harmony is having no troubles, everyone is friendly..." His voice trailed off.

"And? Come on, Shruko."

Shruko closed his eyes, tears forming in them. "It's also a place, where..."

"A place? Please elaborate, Shruko." Teacher said.

"It's a place, where I don't exist..." The class, every last filly and colt, except one giggled and snickered.

"Ain't that the truth?" One colt said.

"I think he's crying, guys." A filly said.

"So he's a blank flank, an idiot, parentless AND a crybaby. This day can not get any better." The same colt said.

Shruko put his head back down on the desk, hoping to find salvation from the laughing and the remarks. Then, soneone put their hoof on his back. "Shruko..." The teacher said.

"L-Leave me alone..." He said, and got up, turned to the door and ran out of the school.

"Shruko wait!" The teacher yelled, running after the colt.

"I said leave me alone!!" Shruko yelled, running faster. "I'm not going back there, teacher!!!"

"I just want to talk!" The teacher replied,catching up to him.

"Talk about what?! How my parents left me to DIE?!?!" Shruko screamed, With that he was picked up by his tail, the teacher and Shruko slowly came to a stop.

"Put me down!" Shruko screamed, "I'm never going back there!"

The teacher did just that, she put him down, but put her hoof up to him. "Shruko... Don't you move..."

Shruko complied and sat down. "W-Why did you chase me?" He asked.

"To talk, Shruko. I knew your parents, they didn't abandon you, they-"

"Yes they did!! They didn't tell me good bye, they didn't leave me at a friends house, no they left in the DAMN TOWN SQUARE!!" He yelled, and hit his hoof against the ground.

"That isn't true, Shruko... They went back to Cloudsdale... Your father didn't secure you well enough and you fell and landed in town square."

"You're telling me this to make me feel better..." Shruko spoke up. "well, guess what, it isn't working..."

"You aren't listening to me." The teacher said, in an annoyed tone.

"And if you don't bring me my parents I won't believe you either." Shruko shot back.

"OK... Come with me." The teacher said, turning to go somewhere. Shruko soon followed. They came to two gravestones outside of city limits.

"They looked for days, they didn't east, drink, sleep. They were going to look in another town when they..." The teachers voice trailed off.

"When they succumbed to exhaustion, hunger, and thirst, and they dropped dead, right here." She continued.

Shruko then shot up, his heart beating hard, cold sweat beading on his face, and someone knocking on his door.

"Who is it?" Shruko said, wiping his face on his blanket.

"You know who it is." He got up quickly and opened the door.

"Princess Luna..." He bowed

"You may stand..." Luna said. "You had that dream again, what troubles you, Shruko?"

"I-Its... I was just thinking of my school years..."

Luna chuckled. "Come, Shruko, you don't take me for a fool so easy do you?"

Shruko chuckled. "Please, come in." He said.

"I see you haven't forgot your manners, Shruko." She walked in and sat near a window.

"Well, I am in the presence of the Princess of the night, a snipers best friend." Shruko said, pouring the Princess a cup of tea.

"Very true, my student." she said, taking the cup with her magic.

Shruko sat adjacent to her. "Well, about my dream... It's just when I think of how happy my friends are, because everyone I know has a special somepony..."

Luna looked at Shruko. "Continue."

"And I have no one, and then I start thinking of my parents..." He said, looking down at his drink.

"Shruko, come here." Luna said.

He walked over to her, his eyes closed, Luna laughed a little and wrapped her wing around him. "You may not have a special somepony, but you have friends who would jump  in front of a loaded gun in a split second. you have an entire empire thankful for what you did." Luna explained to him.

Shruko smiled and leaned on Luna. "Thank you, teacher. for making me feel better." He said and opened his eyes.

Luna giggled and stood up. "I should get going, get back to sleep, Shruko."

"Ok, Princess." He opened the door to let her out and moved out of her way.

She walked out, opened her wings and looked back at him. "Good night, Shruko, sweet dreams." She the flew off to Canterlot castle.

"Yeah... Good night, princess."