//------------------------------// // Adoption is Prologue: 1 // Story: An Apple for Braeburn? // by Ponyess //------------------------------// I am a bright red filly, with leaf green mane and tail in a strangely leafy style. My eyes are a shimmering Emerald green. Since I have no parents, I am apparently an orphan. I don’t know if it is a good, or a bad thing not to recall who my parents were. As it is, I can do nothing about that right now, so I leave it to the four winds. I had found myself waking up on the floor of a tree house, the one the Cutie Mark Crusaders have as their club house. Not that I know anything about them, or who they are. I guess that is all the same. In my age, I have no mark, I am a blank flank, as the expression went. Yet, I have several years ahead of me to worry about these things. I expect to find my mark in due time. By then I will know who I am and what I am going to do with my life. My life’s work, as it were. As woke up, the sun is already high in the sky. The only recognizable sign I have is the shadows. The fact does have little to no consequence on a little filly like me. I am not going to school, or have any other responsibility or task to perform. I can lie around on the floor as best I please, or go down to the ground under the tree in which the house had been built. Yet, the one concern I have, is to have something to eat. I do still grow hungry if I have nothing to eat for too long. The first thing I noticed of any consequence is a yellow filly with bright red mane and tail, with a large bow tied into her mane behind her ears. I had been looking at her for a moment, before I chose to do anything. “Hiya!” I merely responded on her entering the small room in which I am standing. “Hiya. Ah’m Apple Bloom!” she responded on my greeting. I could see that she resorted to stare at me for a good long while, as if examining me. Then it hit home, I am as blank as her. She had been trying to figure out who I was. The mark would of course be the first sign. “Who are ya?” she inquired as she finally gave up and recognized that she was drawing a blank. “Apple Leaf!” I responded. “Apple Leaf? Ah’ve never seen ya before, or heard a single word of ya, or who ya’re!” she then continued. “On that note, where am I?” I responded, looking at her curiously. “This is the club house of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, on the Sweet Apple Acres. Apple teritory, as it were!” she explained. “So you meet other fillies without a mark up here?” I inquired. “The perfect spot, well out of sight for any Pony you don’t want to pray into what ya’re doin’!” she added. “Oh, that makes sense. So the only building here belongs to you Apples? And all these trees are Apple Trees?” I continued. “Exactly. If your name is Apple, and have no mark, I guess it is okay for ya to be here, at least for a while!” she then pointed out. “There is at least an Apple in my name!” I confirmed, not sure exactly what she meant. “See ya!” she exclaimed as she trotted down the ramp and out of sight. I just sat quietly and pondered the discussion with the unexpectedly appearing little filly. Even if she clearly is older than I am. She is also having an Apple in her name, and no mark on her flank. Yet, it is obvious that she is older than me. She had been looking forwards to finding her mark, even when she never actually said a word to the effect. Just that the group is searching for them. “Hiya!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she peered into the house. “Hiya!” I responded as I looked up, only to see a new Pony, an orange filly with a purple mane and tail. “Uh, who are you?” she inquired as she saw me. “I am Apple Leaf. Who are you?” I responded. “Apple Leaf? I am Scootaloo. Have you by chance seen either Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle?” she responded to the point. “Yeah, I saw Apple Bloom a few minutes ago, Scootaloo!” I responded. “Oh, then I guess she will be back shortly!” she responded. “Yeah, I imagine she would be back. At least, from what she said!” I pondered. “Hey!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she entered the room, looking around in search of the fillies she recognized as her friends. “Hiya, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo responded. “Hiya, Sweetie Belle!” I echoed in response, as I saw the white unicorn filly with curly mane and tail. She just stared at me for a moment, as if I had been here in order to replace Apple Bloom? Or as if she had never seen me before, which is actually true, for all I know. I certainly have never seen her before. “I am Apple Leaf!” I presented myself. “Besides, my flank is blank!” I added, pointing my right hoof at my flank as emphasis. “Oh, maybe Apple Bloom is telling Applejack about you?” Sweetie Belle guessed. “Maybe!” I responded. “Ah’m a back!” Apple Bloom announced as she returned. “You do need parents!” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “You do know where your parents are and where they live?” Scootaloo inquired. “Sorry, I don’t know. I don’t even know how I came to be up here!” I answered. “You are old enough to have actual memories, right? You do look as if you are at least that old!” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “I woke up here. Before that, I have no memories, not as much as a single recollection!” I prompted clearly. “Amnesia?” Scootaloo suggested. “Could be, but then there should be marks of injuries?” Sweetie Belle suggested. It is feeling a bit embarrassing, but so long as it feels as if they try to help me, I guess I should make my best to follow them towards where they were going. I could feel the white hoof of the filly Unicorn as she carefully probed and prodded the back of my head, in search of any signs of trauma from the suspected injuries. She came up blank. I guess I had expected as much. Yet, even if I can’t feel a thing indicating any head injuries, but how long after the injury could you feel the pain? Applejack entered the room, looking around, until she found what she was looking for. The unknown filly, which incidentally happened to be me. “I am Apple Leaf!” I presented myself. --- --- ---