A New Recruit

Grey Skies

Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead.

Voices seemed distant to her ears as the same words echoed them inside her head, over and over again. She hadn't cried, just fell down on the floor as the police pony explained to her what had happened, and she knew that she was alone in the world. No parents, no family.

Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead.

Ponies she knew visited; Cheerilee, Twilight, Applejack and many others. Yet even Rainbow Dash, her fast-flying idol and trainee wonderbolt, could not stir the filly from her shock. They gave her gifts and spoke words of comfort but none of them reached her mind and to none of them did she reply.

Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead.

Eventually, two voices reached her as she set eyes on two fillies of her age. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell sat before her, their faces a picture of concern for their friend.

"Scootaloo, please say something," Sweetie Bell whimpered, tears filling her eyes. Neither of the fillies understood why their friend was so silent and just stared, what scared them more was that she did not even cry for her parents. They had not expected her to be the cheerful and noisy filly she usually was, ready to take on any challenge, but they had expected her to be upset and crying.

"Hi guys," Scootaloo croaked, her voice unsteady and quiet as she tried to hold back her emotions, tried to behave like nothing had happened. As she turned her magenta eyes to her friends, she could no longer and tears began to leak from her eyes. "I can't believe they're gone," she whispered as the tears began to flow faster. Applebloom moved as if to hug her, then stopped, knowing the pegasus didn't like this sort of thing. Sweetie Bell didn't hold back though and had flung herself at her friend, and soon Applebloom joined to.

"Don't worry Scoots, you'll be able to stay in Ponyville with another pony. At least you'll still have all your friends and I bet Rainbow Dash would look after you," Applebloom said encouragingly and Scootaloo tried to smile, but failed. She didn't know what would happen to her; she had no family left, her house would have to be sold to pay for debts and she couldn't think of any ponies who could take her in; the Apple family could only just pay for their family now, Rainbow Dash was training to be a Wonderbolt and there was no way that Rarity, Twilight or Pinkie Pie would adopt her.

Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead. Your parents are dead.

"I hope your right," the pegasus filly said as she hugged her friends. The three fillies stayed like that for ages, the white unicorn, the orange pegasus and the yellow earth pony, hugging as Scootaloo cried, making no sound but the tears streaking down her cheeks.

An earth pony and a pegasus struggled along in the wind. The earth pony, a stallion, had an orange coat and brown mane while the pegasus, a mare, had a white coat and magenta mane. The stallion tried to shield the pegasus against the storm as they pushed onward up the steep path.

"Darling, we should stop and shelter under a tree," the mare said, her mane flattened and sodden against her coat. Then lighting struck and the two ponies shied away, into the center of the path. The rain was so heavy that a stream had begun to flow down the path.

"We've got to keep going," the earth stallion said as they trudged on.

"Look, a light! It's coming towards us," the mare suddenly called out and so there was. In the darkness, a light shone, coming closer and closer. Rapidly. The two ponies began to shout and call out, asking for help, relieved when the light kept on coming closer. But it didn't slow down. In horror they saw the light was on a run-away cart heading straight for them. Frozen for a second, they tried to avoid the danger but it was too late.

The next morning, the local farmer found the bodies of a mare and a stallion, crushed by the runaway cart.

"I. Will. Not. Leave. Ponyville," Scootaloo shouted angrily, scrunching up the plastic cup she had been given by the social worker. The silent, crying filly was gone and the fiery, tomcolt was back as she glared and threw the cup. The social worker, a brown-coated unicorn with a tan mane and tail, looked down from her desk, she didn't react to the fillies anger. This was a part of her job.

"Scootaloo, I understand this is a bad time for you, but you have no relatives. Rainbow Dash has offered to adopt you but she has been found unsuitable due to her hectic lifestyle and you must be moved to a care home. The only care home with space free is in another town, you can have a day to organize your possessions before you are moved," the social worker said, no emotions in her voice, and as the filly scowled she added. "That is final."

"It's unfair," Scootaloo said as she jumped of the coach, flaring her wings in rage, and stamping her hooves on the ground. The room she was in was pale and dull, grey coach and white carpet and cream walls, and the filly stood out with her magenta eyes bright and coat orange. She knew there was nothing she could do though, there was no-one to take her in in Ponyville and she was too young to live alone.

She turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her as she fought back tears. Outside, a group of ponies waited for her; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Sweetie Bell and Applebloom. As they saw her expression, they all knew it was bad news. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak.

"Hey kid, what did they say?" the pegasus mare asked, her voice soft. They all waited as Scootaloo looked around before she spoke, and when she spoke her voice was full of sorrow.

"I've got to move to another town, to a care home. I'm leaving tomorrow," Scootaloo said, giving a half-hearted smile to show she was okay. She wasn't.

Sweetie Bell sniffled and said, "But when will we see you?"

"I don't know."