Chapter 5

“Hazelnut or vanilla coffee?”

Maxim smiled at his exhausted looking daughter as she slumped into her seat at the table.

“Hmm,” Scratch looked up and him with shadowy eyes before covering them up with her sunglasses. “Vanilla.”

“Do you want to do anything today?” Maxim asked as he poured her a cup.

“Meh.”

Maxim shook his head. “Well, I will be out back in the garden if you need me.”

“Hm-kay.”

When her father left the room, Scratch immediately downed the hot coffee. Ignoring the burning sensation in her mouth and throat from the heat she ambled out of the front door and straight into Thyme.

“My apologies Vinyl.” Thyme helped her off the ground.

“It’s okay.” She readjusted her sunglasses. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“I was just retrieving some water for the for the gardeners. Where are you going?”

“A swim in the lake.” Scratch started to canter away.

“Have fun!” He called after her before entering the house.

Scratch smiled to herself as she trotted up to the water’s edge, remembering how Maxim always told her to never go swimming without an adult due to her blindness. He still didn’t like her swimming alone but since she was a mare now he didn’t protest. Scratch removed her glasses and slid into the morning water.

“Oh dear Celestia, that is cold!” She shrieked before ducking her head below the water.

Scratch listed to the sounds of her liquid surroundings for a good ten minutes, occasionally coming up for breath. She tried to think about other things but her mind kept falling back to the silent filly at the orphanage. When her body could barely handle the cold anymore Scratch pulled herself out of the water and retrieved her glasses to sunbathe and dry off. She paused before putting them on due to the sound of a pony cautiously approaching.

“Hello Thyme,” Scratch smiled at him slyly as she slid her sunglasses on and pushed her wet mane back. Her voice changed to a more flirtatious tone. “Want to join me?”

“I actually came out here to inform you that your sister has arrived.” Thyme stated, Scratch could hear the uncomfort in his voice.

Scratch rolled her eyes at thyme’s blatant inability to tell that she was joking. “Tavi is here?”

“Yes.”

“Wheew! Where she at?”

“Talking to your father in the garden.”

Scratch took off running towards the house. Her wet mane flowing heavily in the wind. When she reached Octavia and grabbed her into a hug, before the grey mare had any idea what was going on, she was mostly dry. Mostly.

“Ah!” Octavia screamed. “You're all wet, Vinyl! Now I’m all wet! No, now my bowtie is wet!”

“Water dries Tavi,” Scratch stated flatly as she released her sister from the embrace. “When did you start wearing a bowtie?”

“I've been wearing one for a while now, but I didn’t tell you because you wouldn't like it.”

“I wear sunglasses all the time,” Scratch laughed. “Why wouldn't I like you wearing a bowtie?”

“Because everything I do ends up being criticised by you.”

Maxim chuckled as Scratch shrugged, dismissing her sister’s words. The unicorn suddenly remembered a promise she made the previous day.

“Oh, Tavi!”

“Hmm?”

“Come with me when I stop by the orphanage again.” Scratch clapped her hooves together. “A filly wants to meet you.”

Octavia unexpectedly became excited. “I have a fan?”

“Yep-yep!”

“When are we going?”

Scratch thought for a moment. “I was planning on stopping by one last time on my way to Manehattan but I guess we could stop by today.”

“And I could come with you,” Maxim spoke up. “I need to get out of the house and foals always make me smile.”

“This is going to be fun!” Scratch grabbed her father and sister into another moist embrace. “Lets get ready to go!”

“But after breakfast.” Octavia turned to go inside the house. “I am famished. And you need to dry off.”

After a quick meal they prepared themselves for the trip. Thyme insisted that he was too busy with housework to tag along with the family. Scratch doubted that for some reason but didn’t protest his absence. Having her sister and father would be more than enough company.

The ride to the orphanage was mostly silent. The three ponies were much too absorbed in their thoughts to strike up a conversation. But as they clattered up the path towards the main entrance they became uncontrollably excited, but for their seperate reasons.

“Seems like yesterday when I brought you home from this place,” Maxim sighed happily.

“It has changed a lot since then.” Scratch carefully stepped down from the carriage, and thanked the four stallions pulling it.

They entered the building and were instantly greeted by Butterheart.

“Back so soon Scratch? And I see you brought your family with you!”

“Yep! This is my father who you probably remember from the day he adopted me and this is my little sister!” Scratch beamed widely.

“Little sister?” Octavia protested. “I’m only a month younger than you!”

“See?” Scratch squeezed the grey pony and smiled at Butterheart. “She’s my little sister!”

Octavia rolled her eyes and pulled away from the unicorn. Scratch heard a small pony gallop up to them.

“Miss Deejay Pony!” The little filly ran up to Scratch and hugged her. “You came for a visit already! Come play with us! Please, oh please!”

“Of course!” Scratch laughed.

“Miss Puff Tart will be out shortly to join us,” Butterheart stated with a slight smile.

The filly grabbed Scratch’s hoof and pulled her forward. The white unicorn did the same to her sister and the three of them rushed down the hall. Maxim followed behind, all the while smiling widely.

‘She’s back already?’

Anemone Reverie looked up from the ground and watched the mare enter the playground. Ever since Vinyl Scratch had left the previous night, all she could think about was her and that lullaby. It played over and over again in her mind. She wanted to sing it, or even just hum the tune, but couldn't bring herself to even make a sound.

Anemone could physically talk, or at least she believed she could. But it had been a few years since she spoke her last words, perhaps her voice had indeed left. She just never felt the urge to talk though.

The three adult visitors played with the younger foals and after a while, Anemone noticed Vinyl Scratch asking Butterheart question. The orphanage matron looked around as if searching for somepony.

‘I wonder if she is trying to find a certain pony to adopt,’ She thought to herself, though she doubted it. ‘Why would a pony with everything she wants ruin it all with a needy foal?’

Puff Tart’s eyes fell on Anemone and the filly quickly looked away. She peeked back up a moment later and was surprised to see Vinyl Scratch approaching her. Her heart skipped a beat but her pessimism quickly put her hopes down.

“Hello Anne,” Scratch spoke to her softly.

Anemone continued to look at the ground. ‘My parents called me Anne. I don't’ like this stranger calling me that.’

“Or would you rather me call you River?” Scratch continued. “Sounds a lot like Reverie.”

Anemone looked up and stared into the unicorns sunglasses. The reflection of a pathetic and sad filly looked back at her from the purple lenses.

‘How does she expect me to communicate with her? A silent filly to a blind mare.’

“I know it is going to be hard for us to communicate.” Scratch said as if she had heard Anemone’s thoughts. The unicorn sat down into the swing next to her. “But it is a struggle I think we could overcome together.”

‘Together?’

“I have been thinking a lot about you since we met yesterday," Scratch said slowly. "You remind me a lot of myself when I was around your age.” Scratch sighed, “River, I want to ask you something. Something that would change both of our lives forever.”

Anemone breathed in with anticipation. She mentally screamed at Scratch, ‘Please, just say it! Say that you will take me away!’

The unicorn remained quiet for a painfully long time. The memories of the day she was adopted played through her mind. All of the emotions that she felt at that moment when Maxim took her away to have a real life with a real family.

Finally Scratch turned and smiled lovingly at Anemone. “Would you like to come live with me?”

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A short chapter, I know. But the next will be very good.