//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Ponyville errands // Story: Out of the cold // by Flash Magnus //------------------------------// While the newly formed small family was preparing to go out, the weather outside was getting worse with the advance of the day...  the snowstorm that had been scheduled last night was giving the best of themselves and showed no signs of stopping… Inside the house of clouds, Summer gazed enchantedly out the window... "Mama Rain, don't you think the storm is a bit strong?" The yellow mare walked up to the filly and smiled... "Of course she is strong, Summer... you must know that this is a level 3 storm and it is necessary for winter to arrive properly" The filly smiled fascinated by the explanation and looked back out the window... "Wow... someday I want to be able to make one too..." Cloudkicker smiled at the scene and walked over to Summer and Raindrops... "Summer come here a moment please..." The filly turned and ran to her other Mum... "Yes, Mum?" Cloudkicker wrapped a red scarf around her neck and a hat of the same color on the head... "Sure, the storm is fantastic and will allow us to play in the snow in the future, but if we go out now without covers we will just freeze, understand?" After fixing his hat, Cloudkicker rubbed his new daughter's nose and smiled… Summer smiled back "Thank you Mum Kicky, I love you..." The filly hugged her mother and hugged her... Raindrops walked over and joined in the embrace for a moment, then turned away and walked to the door… "Come on now girls go, or we'll be late by the mayor..." Summer Breeze Cloudkicker and then came to the door and along the yellow mare came out of the building… the wind was blowing hard... for experienced flyers like Raindrops and Cloudkicker it wouldn't have been a problem, but for the little filly, it would have been another matter… "Mama Rain, can I ride on your back? I don't know if I can fly in this wind…"  while waiting for an answer the filly shivered… "Sure baby, come here" Raindrops helped Summer up and made sure she held tight… "Are you okay baby? Hold on tight ok?" The filly nodded and hugged Raindrops's neck tightly "Ok so... first stop, Carousel Boutique!" Cloudkicker nodded and they started flying towards the shop... When the little family arrived at the shop, the scene they found in front of them was surreal... a dozen mannequins were adorned with the best clothes they had ever seen… while they were distracted by all those clothes, a white unicorn with a purple mane appeared from a door… "Hello and welcome to the Carousel Boutique, what can I do for you?" Cloudkicker walked over and started talking to the unicorn mare... "Hello, I'm Cloudkicker, they are Raindrops and our daughter Summer, you must be Rarity I suppose?" The white unicorn nodded "Sure honey, it's me, what can I help you with?” "That's Miss Rarity, I needed some winter clothes for my filly, and my friend Rainbow Dash told me they're very good..." In the name of Rainbow Dash, Rarity lit up and smiled at her new clients… "Call me Rarity, miss is for clients only and not friends, plus a friend of Rainbow Dash is also my friend…" Rarity walked over to Summer and gave her a big smile... "So you are Summer, nice to meet you, I have some sweaters that would fit you perfectly... would you like to come and try them?" Summer felt the center of attention and she didn't like this at all... when Rarity did approach, she squeaked and hid behind Raindrops's legs… The yellow mare noticed it and bent down to whisper in her ear... "Baby, don't worry... she won't hurt you, she just wants to make you try on some clothes ok?" The filly was not yet convinced and while Rarity looked at the scene with a sweet look and asked her mother a question…  "But Mama Rain, what if she wants to take me away?" Summer looked her mother in the eye with a slightly frightened look… Raindrops put a wing on her back and comforted her... "Don't worry, she won't take you away, plus if you're not sure to try them on her own, Mom Kicky will accompany you ok?" The filly with new confidence nodded and walked over to Cloudkicker with the clothes the unicorn mare had handed her…   While Cloudkicker and Summer went into the dressing room to try on the sweaters, Raindrops sat down next to Rarity and apologized for the little girl's behavior... "Please forgive her Rarity, she comes from a difficult situation and doesn't trust other ponies very much..." Rarity smiled and nodded... "Don't worry, I'm used to weird filly things... after all, my little sister does more disasters than anything else... but if I can ask, what do you mean with ‘difficult situation’ ?" Rarity looked curiously at the yellow mare… Raindrops sighed and answered the question... "When I say that Summer comes from a difficult situation, I mean that until yesterday she was an orphan and a homeless..." Rarity's face contorted in an expression of regret... "Oh poor dear..." Raindrops continued to tell... "Last night, on my way home from work, I heard a noise in an alley, and I found her crying under a pile of newspapers... after comforting her and having them explained that I would not hurt her, I took her home... me and my partner, Cloudkicker, we gave her food and a place to sleep... Since Cloudkicker has a similar past, she immediately empathized with her, and we decided to adopt her..." Rarity smiled and congratulated the mare... "I think it's one of the best things I've ever heard... congratulations, Summer looks like a good filly... I'm glad after what you told me that has passed has found a house to stay in… sorry if I get in the way, but are you and Cloudkicker married?" Raindrops was briefly surprised by the question, but then she answered very quickly... "Uhh, No... we haven't taken that step yet... but I think to give Summer a little more stability we could do it soon..." Raindrops and Cloudkicker hadn't thought much about marriage, not because they didn't love each other but because they still didn't have a valid reason to think about it... but now that Summer had entered their lives, they had one more reason to think about it...  Her thoughts were interrupted by the crystalline voice of Summer, who was happy with what she was wearing... "Mama Rain, look at me... isn't that great?" Summer smiled as she showed off followed by Cloudkicker... She was wearing a matching set of sweater, scarf and hat, the same color as her mane… Raindrops walked over to the filly and smiled… "wow honey, you are really adorable..." Summer smiled and then she turned to Rarity... "Miss Rarity, you are the best stylist in the world..." Rarity smiled at the filly's comment... first she looked at her with fear and then she saw her as the best stylist in the world… "So Rarity," asked Cloudkicker "how much do you do we have to for that suit?"  Rarity sat down and put a hoof on her chin...  Normally the suit would have cost 50 bits, but given the sympathy she felt for the filly and the approach of heart's warming, she decided to take a small discount… "Normally the suit would cost 50 bit, but as heart's warming eve is approaching and Summer is a really nice filly, I think 35 bit is enough..." Cloudkicker and Raindrops gasped... they weren't expecting a discount...  Cloudkicker thank Rarity and then approached her to whisper something in her ear… "Thank you so much Rarity, but there is one more thing I have to ask you… could you make a blanket with the Wonderbolt symbol for Summer? Since she is not used to living in the clouds I wanted to get her an extra blanket, but having a personalized one would be a perfect gift for heart's warming… would it be possible?"  Rarity nodded and squeezed Cloudkicker's hoof... "Sure, no problem... she should be ready in two days... good luck with Summer... fillies can sometimes become real tornadoes..." Cloudkicker chuckled and greeted Rarity... "Thank you so much Rarity... see you soon..." As she headed out of the shop, Summer and Raindrops also said goodbye, then walked all together towards the town hall... after a few minutes of walking, the infamous building began to appear in the snow... the storm was intensifying and it was about to reach its peak... Summer Breeze, still on her mother's back, admired the snowy landscape...  Raindrops turned to check if the filly was okay... "Hey honey, how are you? It's not too cold isn’t it?" Summer turned to her mother and smiled… "It's cold but it's the right cold... this sweater is fantastic... thanks for taking it for me..."  Raindrops smiled at her daughter and turned, starting to walk… "You're welcome baby, we'll do everything to make sure you're okay..." Hearing this statement, Summer smiled and squeezed even more on her mother's neck... Slowly advancing through the snow, the three ponies finally arrived at the town hall... Even though there weren't many people on the street, the town hall was well populated... many ponies were working to coordinate the actions to be taken after the storm and many others carrying out their work... When they entered, Cloudkicker helped Summer to get down from the Raindrops's back and then they started to head to the adoption office... as they approached the door, Summer became more and more agitated... although small, there was a possibility that the two older mares were not eligible for adoption... she had seen this happen many times... and almost always the foal in question was sent back to the orphanage... At the very thought of it, Summer began to sweat... Cloudkicker, noticing the growing agitation of the filly, approached her and as they walked he placed a soft wing on her back... "Don't fidget, you'll see that everything will be fine" Summer immediately felt comforted by that loving gesture... one of the many that made her feel safe when she was with Cloudkicker and Raindrops... But still the doubt remained, and she had to do something to get him out... "And if they say no? I don't want to go away... I don't want to lose you... you are the best moms in the world..." Cloudkicker stopped and hugged the filly tightly... "I'm glad you think so... thank you very much..." Raindrops joined the hug as they waited their turn… The little family was released from the embrace only when the voice of the assistant mayor brought them back to reality "I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you Sunshower Raindrops and Cloudkicker of the Thunder clan?" Raindrops stood up and nodded "Yes, we are, is it our turn?" The unicorn mare nodded "The mayor is waiting for you... good luck with the baby..." At the comment of the beige mare a blush flared up on Summer's cheeks... from the tone it almost seemed that everything would be fine... As they entered the room the mayor welcomed them... "Welcome to my office... please sit down..." as there were only two chairs, Summer sat down with Cloudkicker as he gently hugged her... after they settled down, the mayor started talking again "so, you are here to adopt a foal quite right?" Raindrops nodded and looked at her partner with the filly in her arms... "Yes Madam Mayor... my partner and I would like to adopt this young filly, if there is no problem" The mayor nodded and adjusted his glasses... "Perfect... but first to proceed with the paperwork I would like to ask you a few questions to verify your eligibility, okay?" Cloudkicker and Raindrops nodded as a trickle of anxiety infiltrated their minds... "Okay miss mayor" The mayor took a list and began their conversation... "To qualify you need three things: a steady job, a home you own, and last but not least a lot of love to share... do you think you can meet these requirements?" Cloudkicker smiled at the last statement... love was one of the few things that even in the worst of catastrophes would never be lacking...  "Yes madam, both Raindrops and I work in the meteorological patrol as deputy commanders under the leadership of Rainbow Dash, we live in a standard Cloudominium and although we don't have a free room for Summer at the moment, we will buy a module as soon as possible to add it..." The mayor ticked his list and turned the page, but first she smiled and looked at Cloudkicker who hugged sweetly the filly she would have liked to have adopted… "Regarding the third requirement, there is no need to ask... I can see from the way you are embraced that there is an abundance of love..." said the mayor with a smile...  "Now, changing the subject, little filly I should ask you some questions... if you don't want to answer I can always check my documents, but I'd rather hear it from you okay?" Summer was slightly anxious... she didn't want to make a bad impression on the mayor, so she picked up strength and started talking... plus the mare she considered her mother was there with her... "O-ok, what do you want to know?" The mayor gave the filly a sweet look... it was nice that an orphaned filly of her age found a family... usually ponies tend to adopt only the smallest foals…  "So baby, first of all, I would like to know your name, then I also wanted to know what orphanage you were in, because if Cloudkicker and Raindrops came directly here it means that for one reason or another you ran away, and if a foal runs away, it means that that orphanage is not a nice place... so if some ponies there had hurt you, would you help me bring him to justice?" Initially, Summer was frightened by the speech... the mayor immediately realized that she had run away, but instead of bringing her back, as she thought she would if she found her, she had asked for a hand in catching those ponies who mistreat foals… With Cloudkicker who hugged her, Summer braced herself and emptied herself... "My name is Summer Breeze and I am eight years old... before I was homeless I was in the Sunny Day orphanage in Vanhover, but there it was terrible... they always gave us very little food and they didn't allow the pegasi to fly and the unicorns to use magic... I don't want to go back there..." While the mayor searched for something among her papers, Summer still pressed against Cloudkicker… "Ah-ha found it... you must know that when a foal is inserted into the system, all its files are shared with the other orphanages and with the adoption offices of the country so as not to have problems even in case of transfer... so here are your documents Summer..." Fortunately, the system organized by the princess worked perfectly, otherwise, they would have had to wait days or weeks before they had something...  "Well well... then we said Summer Breeze, here we have your birth certificate, a hoofprint for confirm, and your identity card... to confirm that it is really you, you have to put the hoof on the ink and then on this sheet, okay?" Summer nodded and did everything she was asked... "One last little question, do you want Cloudkicker and Sunshower Raindrops to be your tutors?" Summer was just waiting for that question... "Yes I do... even though we have known each other for a short time they treated me like no one had ever done in my life... they gave me a hot meal and a place to sleep, they comforted me when I was sad and reassured when I was scared... for the first time in my life I felt part of a family, I felt loved, I felt happy... and I wish that would never change, so yes, I do" The beige mare she smiled… "Then we can proceed with the oath and the signing of the documents... Cloudkicker, Raindrops, do you swear to love and respect this filly as if she were your own daughter?" The two youngest mares answered in unison "yes we swear it!" "And do you swear to provide for her medical assistance and civil education until she reaches the age of majority and reaches economic self-sufficiency?" Once again the mares responded enthusiastically... "Yes, we swear it!" The mayor made her sign next to the foal's print and then stapled the papers and handed them to her   "So congratulations Moms, you can welcome your new daughter Summer Breeze, who with this action will also gain membership in the Thunder clan..." Summer, Cloudkicker and Raindrops were so happy with what they heard that they forgot to breathe... Recovering from the initial shock, Summer broke all common-sense rules and ran to hug the mayor... "Thank you so much for allowing Cloudkicker and Raindrops to adopt me..." Mayor Mare stood there with a stupid smile on her face as she watched the filly embrace her… "don't worry baby, this is a part of my job and it's also my favorite... But now I think you should go... your mothers are waiting for you..." The mayor pointed to the two mares behind her... As Summer ran towards them, neither of them could hold back the tears... now it was official, they had a daughter… Cloudkicker smiled and she came up with an idea to celebrate… "Honey, do you like hot chocolate?" Summer nodded as they started to head for the door... "Yes... once three fillies saw me and offered me a cup... it was one of the best things I've ever had..." Cloudkicker grabbed Summer by the scruff of the neck and she leaned gently on her back…  "So how about we go to Bon Bon and get some?" Summer hugged her mother's neck and nodded happily… "You're the best, Mom"