My new friends.
Slight was running as fast as he could. But he wasn't able to catch up with the other foals. They were way to fast. The small orange pegasusfilly was in sole lead, thanks to the scooter. Even the little cart attached to the scooter with two other fillies inside didn't slow her down a bit. Sweetie Belle and uhm, the yellow earthpony had to held on to each other and were squeaking now and than, but this didn't slow the filly down. The other three foals were rushing way to fast to Ponyville too. A joyful outcry caught Slight's attention and he looked up in the sky. A fast flying grey colt was looping a loop and couldn't suppress his joy much longer. Slight felt a sharp burst gliding over his mane as the colt made a close turnover ahead, followed by a very fast climb with another outburst of joy. Slight's little wings were flapping wildly and he tried to lift off with a few bouncing jumps, but whatever he tried and how hard he wished for it was futile. He didn't lift off and the bouncing were slowing him down. The other fillies were extending the distance between them meanwhile.
Lilly, her name stayed inside of his memory very easily, was galloping with a wildly waving mane and tail in the second position. A little bit behind her the last of his new friends a small pink unicorn was running. She was much slower and breathed heavily. But despite her quick breathing she was way too fast for Slight. Her red mane were waving around, as she turned over, grinned provoking and speeded up her pace. The colt tried to catch up with her, but his smaller legs were burning and he had to slow down.
“W...w...wait.”
He stopped and took deep breaths to calm down, finally he was able to cry out for them, but only the unicorn had heard him and stopped. Her voice sounded equally affected and she was breathing heavily too, as she called out for the rest.
“S...Slight couldn't catch up.”
Lilly and the grey pegasus stopped, either standing on the ground or hovering in mid air right now. The colt looked down on him, nodded with a warm smile on his face and flew down to the other three fillies much closer to Ponyville.
“You're quite a strange little pony, Slight.
I thought you were way more athletic.”
They had put Slight into the cart and pulled, or pushed it slowly across the streets. The colt breathed in heavily and forced more and more air in his burning lungs. He felt a short glance from the orange pegasus and tried to stand up. But his hooves were trembling to heavily and he sighed bugged. A gentle hoof placed itself on his side and the calm voice of Lilly asked:
“W...why didn't you say anything?”
She pulled her hoof back, as she saw, that Slight blushed heavily and avoided her smiling gaze. She stroke gently over her mane totally lost in thought and played with her pigtails as long as Slight hadn't answer. But she stopped as he did.
“I...I just won't, that you're thinking, that I'm not be as strong as you re and can't keep up with you.
I simply couldn't imagine how fast all of you are!”
The other foals started to snicker and finally laughed out loudly. Slight drooped his head and blushed a little bit in embarrassment. But an encouraging thump stopped it. The grey pegasus were hovering in front of his face and grinned friendly. He fondled of Slight's wings and it tickled over his feathers.
“Relax, Slight.
We aren't so stuck up, you know.”
He sounded very calming and sensitive, that the younger colt closed his eyes or a moment and tried to calm his breathing down a little bit. Four little ponies were staring at him very pensive and Scootaloo cleared her throat finally.
“We've arrived Sugarcube Corner, Slight.
Where should we go from here?”
Slight sighed and raised his head again. He searched for the right way and tried to remember, but before he was able to recognise anything, he felt, that somepony lifted him out of the cart and inspected him very closely with two big blue eyes.
“Finally I gotcha...Ouch.”
He cried out, struggled within the grip, hit somepony with all four hooves and was drop down with a cry of pain. He landed on his back and squeaked. He looked surprised into a pink confused face. He put both front legs for his face, as he saw the four hoofmarks on her chest,
“I...I...I didn't mean to...”
He stammered and turned his head away from her. A guarded hoof touched his mane and the calm voice of a mare sounded in his trembling ears.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Slight flinched back a little bit and pulled himself back on the hooves. He drew circles on the ground and drooped his head. But before he was able to murmur more apologies, somepony in his size cuddled up to him and put a warm face on his. A silent voice whispered.
“Don't worry. Pinkie wouldn't harm anypony.”
Lily's voice and her warm hug calmed Slight down very quickly. He raised his head and saw a group of confused staring foals and a calmly smiling mare around him. The colt wiped awaythe fer in his eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes were wandering over the fillies, but none of them had another expression on the face, than the lack of understanding. He shut his eyes close and sighed. Finally he looked to the pink mare in front of him. She cocked her head, as she noticed his look and stroke gently over the four hoofmarks on her chest. She released a quiet sigh as she did. Slight opened the mouth and whispered a quiet apology. He drooped his head even more and drew circles on the ground.
“I'm so sorry.
I didn't mean to...”
The mare smiled gently and shook her head really fast. She came closer so fast, that Slight tried to flinch away, but Lily held him in place. So the mare could reach him and nuzzled him apologetic.
“Never mind, Slight.
I shouldn't sneak up to you, like I do.
Really I'm sorry.”
The mare raised her head a little bit and stroke her mane with one hoof. She looked over the other foals and finally back to Slight again, who stared at her with big eyes.
“How did you know...my name?”
He tried to push Lilly away, but she was way to strong for that, so his tries were for nothing. He sighed quietly, but the earthpony didn't noticed him and held him in place instead. Slight blushed even more as he whispered.
“Please, Lilly would you let me go?”
She heard his whispers right now, fondled him with her own face and let him go with a blush. Pinkie cocked her head with a smile and kneeled down in front of Slight. She twirled her head around in hundred-eighty degree and grinned widely.
“Your Daddy Gentle Light had told me your name.
You know, I wanted to meet you at school,
but you and your friends were way to fast.
I'm following you, but Applejack had distracted me and I had to help her.
We took a few apples to Sugarcube Corner and then we even had baked a few apple pies.
Finally I have spotted you here and wanted to ask you, if you're in the mood for...”
The mare breathed in deeply, bounced around the fillies very excited. She was bouncing closer and away and started to become more and more excited. With her last hop she bounced closer to Slight and almost screamed at him.
“a sleepover as a welcome-party?”
You have made so many friends right now and I think they'd be excited too.”
Slight opened his mouth, but didn't find any words in it. His face were displaying two conflicting feelings and were changing vividly. A muted joy visible as he smiled, and confusion when he lost it. A hoof hugged him and a familiar voice sounded clearly, the orange pegasus had taken the opportunity to speak.
“We should wait with that, Pinkie Pie.
Our...parents wouldn't allow that willy nilly in the middle of the week.”
The pause between the words was so odd, that Slight turned over to the filly. She put a smirk on her face for moment, but softened it into a smile, as she saw, that the colt looked at her. Pinkie raised her hoof, opened her mouth, sighed heavily and her mane lost a little it of her usual fluffiness. She frowned and snorted through her nostril.
“You...are probably right, Scootaloo.”
Slight mumbled the name and cuddled up to her, as the mare spoke again. He even trembled a little bit and shut his eyes.
“I should prepare the invitations first and for that I should ask your parents,
if they are okay with so many foals as your guests.
Uh, and I have to make a pie for you and...”
Slight put a hoof around Scootaloos neck and stretched his head to her ears. He whispered.
“I think, I have to go home now, but...”
His stomach growled to support him and he blushed heavily, as the babbling mare stopped finally. Pinkie chocked her head and grinned. She turned halfway around to Sugarcube Corner.
“Do you like some...”
Scootaloo sighed and shook her head. She pulled Slight to the cart and smiled apologetic. In the meantime she waved to the other foals.
“We had promised to see him home, Pinkie.
And we shouldn't dawdle much more, don't you think?”
The rest of the foals were shaking off their confusion finally and started to move again. Pinkie bounced beside the cart, but as the foals were turning around the next corner and Scootaloo faced the bundle of energy with a frown, she stopped. The pegasus shook her head and looked down to Slight, which was shambling beside her.
“So, where should we go?”
Pinkie sighed again, waved to the foals and turned over.
“I'll prepare the invitations, okay?”
Her call sounded over the fillies and everpony sighed. Scootaloo even rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. Slight chuckled as he saw the irritated expression and Scootaloo couldn't stop the grin on her face.
They were going slowly cross the streets of Ponyville. Lilly and Scootaloo flanked Slight and were watching him with curious and even valuing looks, but the colt ignored it and guided them in the right direction. The closer he get to his new home, the faster and faster he became and as he turned into the right street and saw the house finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and started to gallop. The other foals followed him and arrived the great wooden door as pushed it open with one hoof. He heard the six other foals behind him and turned nearly appalled over.
“Oh...thank...”
Before he was able to finish the sentence, a gentle hoof laid down on his head and tousled his mane.
“Hello Slight, welcome home.”
Daddy Gentle greeted him with a gentle nuzzle and smiled to the other six foals behind him. His eyes were gleaming with joy and a proud expression took over.
“You have found so many friends in one day, Slight?
I'm very proud of you, but unfortunately not everpony could come inside.
You know, Dad Star isn't so happy with so many visitors at once.”
Six puppy eyed foals stopped Gentle and he cleared his throat. But he shook his head with a sigh nevertheless. Slight turned around and faced his friends. He drew circles on the stairs and looked each of them in the eyes. He spotted one different expression in one face. Scootaloo looked over his daddy with a guarded look and the corner of her mouth trembled shortly. Did her eyes are tearing up?
She noticed his approaching not until Slight touched her chest with a gentle hoof. She shook away her thoughts and clinched her teeth. She closed her eyes shortly and sighed. Slight smiled gently and she responded with a smile of her own. She leaned over to him and opened her mouth. Before she was able to speak, a deep voice let the fillies winced.
“We can invite three of you, I think.”
Scootaloo's eyes were raising again and she focused herself with an oddly inquiring expression on the other stallion. She even raised a trembling hoof and stroke her mane in a failed attempt to look cool. She leaned again down to...
The empty place Slight had stand before. But he was bouncing closer to the stallion and hugged his hooves right now.
“Really, Dad Star.
You would allow that?”
The other stallion nuzzled him too and fondled him with his face for a long time. Scootaloo frowned a little bit, but only Gentle was able to spot it, before it vanished. He cocked his head, as he looked at the orange filly and for a short time he put a very worried expression on his face. The filly trembled shortly, but was able to fight it back. She grinned at him and looked back to the colt.
“Just, when it is okay for their parents, of course.”
Gentle smiled and whispered. Four foals were startling, as he mentioned their parents and were looking around almost in panic. They tried to spot the clock tower, but it wasn't visible from this angle, so they looked up in the sky instead, to see where the sun was and to assess which time was it now. Apple Bloom sighed heavily, as she saw how long it had take.
“I must go home now.
Granny had said, that I have to learn how to make applesauce in the Apple kind of way.”
Sweetie Belle, the grey pegasus and the pink unicorn had to say goodbye too and so only Lilly and Scootaloo were staying behind. Lillys answer was a calm sigh and a shook of her head. She mumbled a few words through her pigtails.
“Mummy isn't at home right now.
She returns very late and I think she wouldn't bother, if I stay here.
So I can eventually spare a few bits for us.”
Gentle looked at her with a gentle smile on his face and she blushed. She played with one of her pigtails and looked away. Scootaloo snorted silently and looked to her galloping friends. She turned halfway over and tried to run on her own, but a small hug stopped her.
“Please, would you stay here for a while, Scootaloo?”
Slight's request sounded gently and Scootaloo shivered shortly. First she flinched one step away, but she sighed and nodded finally.
“What is with your parents?
Wouldn't they be worried about you?”
Gentle's question let her snort again.
Scootaloo glanced only shortly to the stallion and stayed than with her eyes on Slight again.
“Nopony will care whether I stay or not.”
This sounded equally harsh and hurt at the same time and Scootaloo tried to put on a wide smile. But it disappeared as fast as it raised. Instead she put on a very controlled expression. Gentle shared a worried look with his coltfriend and nodded. Both were putting on a gentle expression for the orange filly and smiled.
“Alright, come all in.
I hope you all like peanut butter and daisy sandwiches.”
He guided the fillies through the mess of boxes and in the kitchen full of shopping bags. There he levitated a bunch of bags from the chairs and smiled to the three foals. Shining followed the group and saw, that one of the fillies, the orange pegasus was looking around very carefully and even seemed to appreciate him with shyly glances. Her wings were trembling at the same time and the stallion looked at her very confused. The earthpony filly was curious too, but not quite as nervous as the other filly. Slight smiled to both of his dads and to his friends, as he sat down.
“Daddy, Dad, these are Lilly and Scootaloo.
They are my new friends.”
All three fillies blushed a little bit on his outcry, but the stallions shrugged it of with a smile. Slight took a deep breath. He jumped of his chair and rushed to the pearly stallion in front of the stove.
“This is my Daddy Gentle Light.”
He snuggled his face into his hooves shortly and bounced then to the other stallion, who stayed in the door and glanced to the orange filly with a more hesitant smile.
“And this is my Dad Shining Star.”
He snuggled into his hooves too. Lilly smiled at both stallions and played gain with her pigtails for a while, before she let them go and greeted the stallions with a whisper. Scootaloo on the other hoof didn't smile and stared at both stallions with an assessing expression. She stayed even silence, as one of them, Gentle was starting to speak.
“Nice to meet you.”
Scootaloo drooped her head and her shoulder at the same time, as she heard this calm voice. Shinning cleared his throat and freed himself from the nuzzling colt on his hooves.
“I think, I have to move a few boxes in your room, Slight.
Please enjoy your time with your friends.”
The colt laid his ears against his head and sighed quietly, but the stallion tousled his mane and turned around. He glanced shortly back to Scootaloo and both were sharing a very assessing look. The filly closed her eyes shut after that look and turned her head away.
“Now, would you please tell me, how did you meet so many friendly foals in one day at school?”
The voice of Daddy Gentle let the colt trembled shortly, but he smiled quickly after it.
“Well...I...”