From ever since she could remember, Sunset Strider knew she was… different. Some would say special, but… she would disagree with them. You see, Sunset was born a pegasus with wispy faerie wings instead of the normal feathery wings. Her mother always told her that her father was a pixie that ventured from his hollow and fell in love with her, but had to return to the deepest part of the wood for mysterious fae reasons not long after she was born. She just thought it was a hassle to have these peculiar wings that were indistinguishable from normal pegasus wings as far as “abilities” go. Whatever the reason --be they real or fabricated--her… abnormal condition was at the forefront of her mind every time her mother decided to drag her into the small clearing near their home for market day.
Like, today.
“Get your head out of the canopy, Sunny, and speed up! We’ve got to get their before all the carrots are gone!” Sunset’s mother, Day Tripper, called back to her, breaking the young filly from her anxiety addled mind and back to reality.
The small filly tucked her wings close to her body under a white shall and quickly trotted to her mother’s side, “I don’t understand why I have to go, mother. Everypony will just stare at me, like they ALWAYS do…”
Her mother just shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Sunny! You’ve barely a friend in this wood that isn’t me! Your mother!” Day reminded her, as if her daughter needed reminding, “Most fillies your age would be DYING to make as many interesting friends as you can!”
Sunset just sighed dramatically and hung her head, “Yeees mom… but all the Ursas and para-sprites and dragons in the forest don’t mean anything if they can’t get passed my wiiiings!” She desperately whined to her mother but it all fell on deaf ears as Day Tripper started in on one of her ‘If the forestfolk can’t look past her wings, then they don’t deserve her friendship and one day she’ll find friends that will accept for her who she is’ speeches that Sunset could and did mimic perfectly just a few steps behind her mother.
As the two soft aquamarine ponies rounded a small patch of poison joke blossoms, the small market came into view. Day finished her speech right as the scent of exotic spices and sweet incense found their muzzles. A shy smile finally reached Sunset’s lips and she thought, ‘Well… at least dinner will be nice for a little while after this…’ For, as much as she complained about being forced into public, what the market day had to offer was too good to be sour about!
~*~
The market was small. Not even a dozen tents, but the press of mystical creatures that already filled the tiny clearing was impressive! All manner of sprites and dragons and manticores and ANY creatures a pony could ever think of were out on this warm morning eager to search the market.
Sunset kept her head down and stayed near her mother. Even though the market was a safe place where all came peacefully (at pain of removal), some of the… wilder beasts still put the filly on edge. And, while her wings were safely tucked away under her shawl, Sunset still felt like an outcast.
You see, ponies came to the forest, not out of it. So anypony here is seen as a bit of an outsider even if they’ve lived here their whole life. Sunset’s mother came to the forest when she was very young after an accident during a sky ballet left her scarred on the left side of her face. She often said she couldn’t face the world after that, but Sunset could never believe that! Her mother was the bravest (and... really only) pony she knew! The young filly looked up at her mother striding proudly and smiling at all manner of sea serpent and hydra as she would any other pony under Celestia’s warm glow and thought about how brave she wished she could be.
“Ah! There’s still some left!” Day Tripper suddenly spoke up brightly and trotted towards a specific stall ran by a dark blue earth pony who looked rather nervous. Lost in thought, Sunset ran into her mothers flank and collapsed in her golden mane. Her mother just chuckled quietly and shook her head, turning her attention back to the stall.
The stall was filled with fresh produce. Tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes, but most importantly carrots were still wet with dew in the warm morning air! It was about the only thing that made coming to this bizarre bazaar worth it in Sunset’s eyes. Day nodded to the pony, “Sal, so nice of you to visit the forest again.”
“Yes’um,” he replied eyeing a nearby dragon cautiously, “Sorry about missin’ last run. Had to go up to Manehattan for family business.”
“No trouble at all, just glad to see you here and safe! There aren’t many ponies from Ponyville that come into the forest for business,” the older mare reassured and chatted as she began filling a bag with fresh fruits and veggies (but mostly carrots.) Sunset hid behind her mother. The one time she showed herself to this vendor he nearly hit the canopy with how surprised he was by her appearance! Day Tripper tried to convince the little pony to try again after she had a few words with him, but she wasn’t having any of it! At least not yet.
Just as her mother was finishing, Sunset felt a tug at her shawl. She turned to find para-sprites nibbling away at her protective covering! “Ah! Stupid pests!” she bucked her back hooves to knock them away, but only managed to dislodge her shawl—which the bugs quickly devoured—exposing her wings to the crowded clearing.
Sunset could taste the silence on her bitten bottom lip and shuddered. All motion had stopped and the gaze of all manner of magical creatures was bearing down on the filly. She swallowed and looked to her mother whose face was hesitantly laughing.
“Why those… those silly sprites got your shawl didn’t they, Sunny?” her mother tried to deflect, “Oh well, it was a bit warm today anywa—“
“WHAT’S UP WITH HER WINGS?!” a boisterous, red dragon called out with a loud, bemused voice that shattered the silence, “NEVER SEEN A PONY LIKE HER BEFORE!”
“Well, she’s…” before Day could explain the dragon pinched one of Sunset’s wings between his fingers and lifted her off the ground. The pony, now balled into a shivering mess, bleated quietly as the dragon brought her up to his large yellow eyes for closer inspection, “She some kinda para-sprite pony er somethin’?? Guess that's why they bothered her! AMIRITE?!”
The crowd began to laugh as Sunset Strider was put on full display with “witty commentary” from the dragon. Day growled and threw a few bits on Sal’s stand before taking to the sky.
“NOW SEE HERE!” her voice boomed as thunderclouds formed from her hooves, “That’s no way to treat anypony, ESPECIALLY MY CHILD!”
A lightning bolt leapt from the clouds and struck the dragon’s face, leaving it blackened. He released the shivering faepony from his talons and cowered (needless to say, the rest of the crowd dispersed quickly.) Day Tripper landed next to Sunset and spoke softly, “Sunny… honey, I’m so sorry. Can you stand?”
Sunset nodded and found her footing, albeit a bit shaky still, and cuddled close to her mother. “C-Can we go home, mom?” she asked quietly, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Day Tripper nodded down to her daughter and wrapped a wing around her, “Of course.”
She gave the young filly a warm smile then tossed her tail in the faces of those who stayed behind and turned up her nose, “Besides, we were done shopping anyway!”
~*~
A few weeks had passed since the fiasco at the market. Sunset took to staying inside during the day to avoid most inhabitants of the forest. Day Tripper didn’t like it, but after the trauma her daughter suffered at the claws of that dragon, she was going to let her do as she pleased until she felt better.
The young filly took to waking at around sunset most days. She found a simple peace in watching Celestia and Luna work to create her namesake while sitting in the upper branches of her treetop home.
Sunset sighed as she looked back on that day. ‘I wish I could actually make friends,’ the little pony thought, slumping back on a branch, ‘At least this sunset is pretty...’ Everything was turning fiery oranges and reds and a light spring breeze rustled Sunset’s deep brown mane. This was her favorite time of day. The filly stretched and stood giving her wings a few test beats before taking to the sky.
She’d never met another normal pegasus pony outside of her mother, but Sunset noticed that, while her fae wings gave her excellent control in the air—turning was a… breeze so to speak—her overall speed was severely lacking. It was a good day if she could keep up a brisk pace set by her mother. It didn’t matter much to her since she usually flew solo, but Sunset thought of these things often when ‘meeting other ponies ever at all’ crossed her mind.
The setting sun was breathtaking today as Sunset began to weave in and out and around the clouds. Other than a few fleeting thoughts of airspeed and cornering, Sunset’s mind was as unclouded (no pun intended) as ever since the events of weeks previous.
‘It doesn’t matter what happens… I’ll always have the clouds,' she sighed wistfully as the reds and oranges faded to somber purples and blues. She formed a small cloud, still arrayed in all of the colors of sunset, and landed on it to watch the world turned and the moon rise.
As the little pony settled, a soft glow washed over her. It didn’t cause her pain or startle her but gave her a warmth deep in her heart. Sunset Strider closed her eyes as the glow brightened on her blank flank in the form of a small cloud. She opened them and wiped away a tear, the young filly had just been granted her cutiemark.
“I better get home soon before mom heads to bed,” the young pony announced to the clouds, her voice growing to a proud and confident tone, “She’ll want to see this!”
~*~