Chapter One
"Parakeet! Time to wake up!" My mother's voice could be heard clearly despite being all the way downstairs. I forced my lazy hooves out of bed and got ready for a new day. Well, if any day around here could be described as new, that'd be a first. Every single day was the same. I'd wake up, eat a quick breakfast, and get to work plowing the fields, planting seeds, and feeding the animals. Of course, this was because I lived on a farm.
I brushed my mane and trotted down the stairs. My mother, an earth pony with a pink coat and a blue mane, was making breakfast. I could smell the scrambled eggs, and my stomach growled.
"How'd you sleep?" She asked me, although I knew she didn't really care. She asked this question every single morning, and her response was always the same.
"Not bad," I said. "Although I do wish I could've slept longer so I could find out how my dream ended."
"That's nice, dear." I rolled my eyes at her overused comment, and sat down at the table, next to my father.
"Morning, Perry!" My dad said gleefully. He was also an earth pony. He had light brown fur with a dark blue mane. He was always in a ridiculously good mood, despite what went on around him. I guess some ponies just knew how to stay positive.
I guess I should say something real quick: I'm a pegasus. Yeah, that's right. Despite my parents being earth ponies, I have wings. At first I thought this was due to genetics or something, and that maybe my grandparents were pegasi or something, but when I got older, I learned that nobody in my family ever had wings. Sometimes I get the feeling this isn't really my family, but I don't really have time to ponder on that kind of stuff. I have work to do, after all.
Without saying anything to my father, I speedily ate my toast and scrambled eggs. I raced out the door, ready for another day's work.
After an hour of harvesting the wheat, I took a little break in the shade of the large oak tree just outside of the farm. My mind immediately began to wander off into the unknown, and I must've spaced out for a while, because I suddenly jumped when I heard a voice next to me suddenly say, " Hey!"
A unicorn by the name of Dusty Bullet was standing next to me, smiling.
Dusty and I go way back. When I was just a little filly, I met him while I still went to school, and we became the best of friends. Then my brother died of unknown causes, and I had to leave school to work on the farm. After that, Dusty and I have hardly gotten to see each other.
"Working hard as always, huh?" Dusty asked.
"You have no idea," I laughed.
"Did you hear about the troops they just sent out to Baltimare?"
"No. When did that happen?"
"Last week. I'm surprised you haven't heard about it."
"Well, I'm too busy working to read the newspaper in the morning."
"Oh, right."
I sighed, wishing the war against the Changelings would just end already. Twelve years of ponies and Changelings fighting to the death was too much.
"So... how are things going for you?" I asked after a long silence. "Getting good grades?"
"As always," Dusty said. "Anyway, I should really get home. It's getting late."
I gasped, not realizing how late it was. I must've been thinking to myself for a lot longer than I though.
"Uh... yeah. I'll see you later." I walked towards the house with my head hanging low, knowing I'd go to bed without dinner. As I walked through the door, I expected to be yelled at. Instead, I was greeted with a different reaction.
My parents were sitting at the table, their faces grim. With them were two stallions that obviously worked for the military. I raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"Perry, we need to talk," my father said, his tone suddenly a lot darker than normal. I knew immediately something bad was going on.
"O-okay," I said, sitting down next to my mother.
"Parakeet Song, I'm sure you're aware of the war that's been going on," one of the stallions said.
"Of course," I said. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"Twelve years ago this war started," the second stallion continued. "You were born twelve years ago."
"...what does this have to do with me?" I asked again.
"I'm sure you're aware you have nothing in common with your family in terms of looks," the first stallion stated. I frowned, getting a bad feeling about what they were about to say.
"This isn't your family," he continued. "The year you were born, your parents were drafted. They were sent off to fight, and then they vanished."
Tears filled my eyes, and I wasn't sure if they were from the rage I felt inside, the sadness, or both.
"Parakeet, I'm sorry," my 'mother' said to me, but I didn't care about what she had to say. I quickly walked to my room silently, not wanting to speak to anyone. I slammed my door shut and paced around my room, thinking deeply.
No wonder they didn't look like me. No wonder I was always different from my family. I wasn't even related to them. They just adopted me and pretended I was theirs all along. My real parents were dead, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I curled up in my bed, grieving over two deaths that happened twelve years ago. I heard my 'parents' walk into their room, and I listened carefully. I waited until the door closed and the lights were turned off, and I snuck down the stairs.
I grabbed my saddlebags and put them on my back. I gathered some apples, my favorite food, and a canteen of water. I unlocked the door and tiptoed outside. I sighed, looking back into my warm, cozy farmhouse, and thought about how much I would miss it. I took off galloping, and I never saw my fake family again.