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// What's an Orphan? 
// Story: The White Leaf in the Forest 
// by Shadow Fantasy 
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	Dream Lily woke up in a soft white bed. Her throat was as dry as a dessert. As if by magic, a cup was lifted up to her lips. Dream Lily drank the soothing clear liquid. The door to the hospital room opened, an audible gasp was heard. Dream Lily pushed the cup away to see what was going on. "She's awake!" Doctors and Nurses cam rushing in. "How long was I out," the weak and tired filly asked.
"I thought she was a goner. She had been unconscious for about three weeks."
"This filly is a lucky one."
"And she is in perfect condition." Three weeks, it felt like hours, not three weeks.
"What's your name?" Lily looked up.
"My, my name? It's... Dream Lily."
"Where do you live?"
"I... I don't know. All I remember is my name and a pony in the Everfree Forest that helped me get out and the wolves that were chasing us."
"Where is the pony that saved you?" Lily flashed back, "Dream Lily run!"
"I don't think she made it." Lily's head drooped.
"Dream Lily isn't recorded in any files."
"Odd... Lily I am afraid you're going to be an orphan." Lily looked up at the doctor.
"What's an orphan."
"An orphan is a filly that has no parents or guardian." That's when the doctor had made a huge mistake. Something inside the little filly snapped causing her to crumple down in the bed and cry. "She needs some time to take this is in. Everyone out." The filly sobbed for what seemed like hours if you were to sit in the same room with her. Her sobs seemed to make the whole village feel a little down.
The events of tomorrow started early in the morning. She didn't have anything so the hospital staff gave her one of their spare white blankets. Lily was taken to the orphanage by the pony that had treated her. When the orphanage came into view, all of Lily's hopes seemed to just wash away in cold depression. The orphanage's grounds was a barren waste land. An old fence that had white paint peeling off surrounded it and nothing grew inside except the sadness. No life seemed present except for a little spider, and even that seemed to be dying. Once they had stepped in the orphanages boundaries Lily felt like something had just stabbed her with an icy cold knife. She fell to her knees and breathed heavily. "Are you alright Lily?" Lily didn't respond She slowly picked herself up and began to walk closer to the building, Every step she took was a chisel chipping life off the weak filly. Lily was getting colder the closer she got in. She felt like ice was forming on her. When they had reached the door she was shivering. The doctor knocked. There was complete silence, then the door creaked open. "Are you Elizabeth, head of the Ponyville orphanage."
"Yeah, who wants to know," she said plainly. Her voice was an Icy cold storm with no mercy to any pony inside.
"This is Dream Lily, she is an orphan."
"Right, come along now." The doctor was still standing at the door.
"Well is there anything else, or are you going to make your marry way back to the hospital and do your job?"
"Right, my job. Thank you Elizabeth." The orphanage door closed.
"Alright, upstairs to the left and there you find your room on the girls side," her voice was stone cold and harsh. Strength was coming back to Lily when reached the top floor. She went down the left hallway. That hallway was like a warm spring day. There were plants and it was colorful. It gave Lily more strength. Dream Lily opened the door. The other fillies there weren't doing much but they looked nice. Lily came in.
"You get the bed right there." One of the girls pointed the the bed right next to hers. Dream Lily walked over there and placed her blanket on the bed. The bed was a lot harder then it looked. "My name is Fire Streak," said the red one with the yellow and white mane and fire ruby red eyes. She then pointed to icy blue unicorn with a pink mane and diamond blue eyes. "That right there, is Running Glacier." The blue pony waved and smiled. "How about your name?"
"Dream Lily."
"It would be our pleasure to be your friend, Dream Lily," said Fire Streak. Friends already? They didn't really know anything about each other.
"But we hardly even know each other. How can we be friends?"
"Well there is really much to know now is there? Our memories are gone, we are an entirely different pony. We call ourselves the Forest Born."
"You mean just you and Running Glacier?"
"No, us three, and the three boys that are in the room across from ours. We call ourselves the Forest Born because the first place we remember being at is a forest.
"LUNCH! Get down here and eat it!" shouted Elizabeth.
"Oh great, I can only imagine what she is serving."
"Come on, don't let it get cold, well, colder." All the orphans trotted down the stairs into the dining room. It wasn't a bad dining room, it was actually quite well made and simple. Although the food wasn't.
The food was cold mush. It had no flavor, or color. Everyone looked at the food disgusted. Dream Lily took one bite. A single tear trickled down her face. Why did this happen to her. Why is she here, what will become of her?