Prologue

It was a lovely winter morning and Chaser, the police stallion, whistled a pleasant tune as he trotted down the country road towing a small cart behind him. In the cart sat a small bundle of blankets that occasionally squirmed when the wagon hit a bump. He soon arrived at a high stone wall with an intimidating wrought iron gate. Through the gate he could make out a gloomy two story building that once was a school. To the right of the gate attached to the wall sat a bronze plaque that had turned green with age. On it said the words, 'Madam Puffeltop's Orphanage, for all abandoned and unwanted colts and fillies'. Above the sign was a faded red doorbell and Chaser pressed it with his hoof. A hidden stereo crackled to life and a loud female voice shrieked.

“Yes, who is it? What do you want?”

Chaser cleared his throat.

“It is Officer Chaser with another unfortunate for your fine orphanage.”

The female voice changed to a more pleasant tone.

“Oh, Mr. Chaser! How nice of you to drop by. Did you say you have a new one?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“I will be out to open the gate in just a moment.”

The stereo clicked off loudly and moments later he could see the front doors of the orphanage groan open and a pink unicorn with an orange mane exited the building. She rushed to the police pony patiently waiting and opened the gate.

“Come on in and have yourself a cup of tea,” she flirted.

“Oh, I would love to but I am due back at Manehattan to help clean up the fire. Maybe some other day Madam Puffeltop.”

Madam Puffeltop's heart sank when he rejected her proposition. They headed toward the orphanage and she decided to change the subject.

“Oh my, there was a fire downtown? Is everyone alright?”

“No, three ponies died,” he said sadly, “two of which were this little-one's parents.”

“Oh dear, how terrible.”

They arrived at the front door and they stopped.

“I will now give you custody of this foal and turn her over to you.”

He unhitched the cart, lifted the bundle with his front hooves and handed it to the mare. She looked at the filly, a little white unicorn with a blue mane stared blankly back at Maddam Puffeltop. The orphanage patroness squeaked in shock.

“What is wrong?” asked Chaser.

“Her-her eyes,” Puffeltop stuttered in horror “they are blood red!”

“I think they are more of a ruby red,” Chaser laughed “the poor thing is blind. We don't know if she was born like that or what happened. Me and my fellow police officers called her Scratch because it seemed to fit, we don't know her true name.”

Chaser re-hitched the cart onto his back and turned to leave.

“Good day to you Madam Puffeltop, and I will see you later.” He closed the gate behind him and disappeared behind the wall, whistling the same tune as he went. When the whistling had quieted away Puffeltop looked back down at the silent foal and frowned.

“Another pitiful form of life,” she lifted the filly magically and proceeded into the orphanage “I don't understand why they didn’t drop you into a creek and end your sad life. It would have been much more humane instead of saving you and having you live the rest of your life blind and without parents. Oh well, I guess I am stuck with you until somepony adopts you,” she laughed “but I doubt that will ever happen.”

She trotted up the stairs and into a long room filled with twenty empty cribs. She set the filly into one of them and looked distastefully at her for several seconds. Puffeltop sighed heavily and trotted out of the room leaving the foal alone in the darkness and silence. Only then did the filly quietly start to cry.

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