//------------------------------// // A New Beginning // Story: Golden Wings // by TheGreatEater //------------------------------// Raindrops was a mare of all trades here in Ponyville. Mostly being partnered with Ditzy Doo to help keep her going in the right direction and help her if she needed it, in her various day jobs. Originally it was a part of the Equestrian Equal Employment Act’s Disability Employment laws that got her partnered with Ditzy Doo. But in time they had become friends, and was more known for her connection with that mare than she was with the other services she did for the town. This brought Raindrops to her current predicament. With Ditzy Doo being seriously ill with the Alicorn Pox (called such due to it’s affecting only unicorns and pegasi), she had to take all of Ditzy’s jobs as well as do other odd jobs to ensure that she was taken care of while in quarantine. She was so lost in thought zipping through the airspace of Ponyville that she almost didn’t notice a strange sight beneath her. Banking on the clouds she looked at the alleyway seeing an orange pegasus filly dumpster diving. Already having what looked like a some kind of mystery pasta, with some odd stuff popping out of it, as well as a few old apple cores. The confusion of the sight was ended when she saw the filly tear into the food before her with gusto. Looking at the sun’s position and seeing it was almost an hour before sundown she decided to help this filly. It was both a part of her special talent, as well as parts of her past that had instilled within her a sense of responsibility, and compassion for other ponies. Seeing this filly tear into trash to survive filled her with a deep ache within her chest and made her want to do whatever it took to get her back on her hooves as it were. She remembered what that was like, before Shimmering Breeze gave her a second chance at life and helped her get back on her hooves when she was barely out of third grade. Those were rough years, but with acts of kindness and compassion anypony can be helped to weather the storms life throws them. That poor filly, I don’t know why she’s all alone out here diving for food, but there is no way I’m going to just leave her all alone out here. After all, we are going to be having our first snowdrop shortly after Nightmare Night in a few weeks and I don’t want her to be out here in the snow, especially since Boss mare said it was going to be the worst one in decades, to make up for the drought we had almost all year long. I don’t get how a long snow is going to fix a major drought, but that’s for the higher ups to argue about, I got a filly to help. Although so I don’t come across as a creeper I should probably talk to her before I put my hoof in my mouth. She dropped down beside the filly she vaguely remembered as being named Scootaloo, from the yells of the populace as she transformed their property into a skate rink. Lowering herself a little to make herself as less intimidating as possible gave a little cough that caused Scootaloo to jump out of her skin, “Don’t be afraid, I’m not here to hurt you,” Raindrops said in a gentle voice, “Hi, my name is Raindrops what’s yours?” “Why do you care? And I’m not afraid. I’m as brave as Rainbow Dash! And she’s not afraid of anything.” Scootaloo said defensively creeping slowly closer to her Saddlebags and Scooter she was known for. “Because you look like you’re in a similar situation that I was in when I was probably a few years younger than yourself, and was given an opportunity that I’m about to give you unless I missed my mark. If I have than I’ll just need to tell your parents about you diving in dumpsters so they can watch out for that. So all I’m going to do is ask you a few questions than either I can take you to your folks and be on my way, or I can give you emergency shelter until the winter passes. Or until we can find you a stable place to stay since we’re getting a bad snowfall in a few weeks, and I wouldn’t like the idea of anypony not having a warm place to stay for the winter. And yes I know that you are probably a very brave filly, and Rainbow Dash is a great Lead Pony. Being her wingpony during the Academy is almost better than working for her on the few occasions that I help out.” Raindrops said slowly scooting closer to Scootaloo, as she talked, stopping right outside of her reach so that the next move. To get closer or move away was Scootaloo’s. Oh my Celestia! Not now! I always knew someday I might get caught, but not while covered in whatever this stuff is eating from the trash. Please Luna let me die now! Scootaloo thought with a furious blush, and worst of all I'm still sore from Crusading today so I can't run. Ha! Run, like she couldn't catch me. She's bigger and she can fly. Oh Celestia what do I do? I mean would it be so bad to have a place to sleep that isn't the freezing ground for a night? And if I get her to Pinkie Promise to keep it a secret then she has too. Or else Pinkie Pie will eat their soul like a cupcake, or shoot them to the moon with her Party Cannon, or maybe she has a team of ninja squirrels that she trains to turn ponies who break their promise into acorns and then hide them in a tree ... I never actually asked why a pony never breaks them, but it has to be bad if nopony breaks them. So I guess I have no choice but to trust her. She says she knows Rainbow Dash, at least I think I remember her talking about how a Rainsomepony caught Pinkie Pie from a tornado. And Rainbow Dash only hangs out with good ponies so she can't be that bad. I hope. Please Princess Celestia, Luna, and Twilight ... and Discord to for good measure don't let this go bad for me. Just this once let things go my way for a change. Taking a deep breath, and readying herself for what she was about to do she looked at Raindrops with the full force of the biggest puppy dog eyes she could manage. “Um ... Ok ... I’ll trust you I guess … what do you want to know?” Scootaloo asked wearily. “Well for starters, where are your parents and why are you out here eating from the trash instead of at home?” “My parents are busy at work at the moment so you can’t see them. And I got hungry on the way home so I stopped for a bite. That’s not a crime now is it?” Scootaloo tried to wheedle out of the already declining situation. With the worst cliched excuses in Equestrian history, it didn’t help her case that she was looking everywhere but Raindrops. “Ok. So show me where you live, and where they work so that I can get you home safely, and go to see your parents so that I can catch them up with what’s been going on.” “You aren’t going to leave this alone are you?” Scootaloo asked her body going into a guarded crouch. “Sorry Child Protection and Anti-Negligence Laws prevent me from just turning a blind eye if I think there is a problem with a child or they are doing an act that could be potentially harmful to them. So until I can resolve this I got to make sure I do everything I can to ensure your safety.” Raindrops replied moving closer with Fluttershy like softness so as to hopefully not spook Scootaloo off to much. “Why should you care?” “Why should I not? Now tell me the truth. Where are you folks, and where do you live? If you can tell me that I can make sure you get to that place safely and I can update your folks on your situation.” Seeing that she had no other option but to spill the beans. She took a deep breath, but first she wanted a Pinkie Promise that it wasn’t going to be told to the only pony that mattered to her, “Fine I’ll talk, but first you have to Pinkie Promise that you won’t tell anypony else.” “Alright. I might have to go to Twilight Sparkle to let her know depending on what you tell me so I can make sure I can do everything as legally as possible, and as long as it not something that is endangering you nor anypony else I’ll agree to it.” Raindrops said comfortingly. “Ok … that’s fair I guess. So do you Pinkie Promise?” Raindrops knew that nopony ever dared break a Pinkie Promise, and once made could not be undone. So she went through the motions of the most unbreakable oath in Equestrian History, and repeated her promise to Scootaloo. “Ok. So I’ve been on my own for five years now since my parents died. I don’t want to tell you where I’ve been staying since nopony needs to know that. But you can’t take me away from here, not after I finally got friends, and Rainbow Dash said she’d be my sister so I have a family again sort of, and I have a life. So you can’t take me away!” She cried. “Well I’ll do my best to ensure that you stay as close to Ponyville as possible, but I’m going to need you to come with me. I have an emergency shelter for ponies to use when they are in a bad way. Then I’ll go and wrap this up with Twilight.” Yay! She did it. I don't know what's going to happen, but at least for night I won't be alone. At least not for tonight. “Ok. I’ll give this a try. And my name’s Scootaloo.” Scootaloo said giving out a hoof before noticing the debris from her meal caking it. Small tears of embarrassment fell from her eyes. Raindrops used one of her silken soft wings to gently wipe them away with the most graceful of touches. “Wait here, I’ll be back almost as fast as Rainbow Dash.” She said with a grin, she knew it wasn’t true she had a max wingpower of only 12.8, while Rainbow Dash’s was 16.5. But it was something she was sure would calm Scootaloo down, and more importantly the thing she needed was just above them. Gathering a compact ball of clouds she flew down and saw a dejected looking Scootaloo, tears running down her face, trying her best to disappear by hiding her head under her hooves. As her body shaking in silent tears, Great not only did I get found out, but I have to be stupid and shake on it while my hooves are caked in Celestia knows what. Teaches me to eat out at some fancy, shmancy restaurant. Raindrop came down and with an agitated cloud gave Scootaloo a quick wash off of her hooves, and face. before throwing the mushy mess of a cloud into the trash, “Now why don’t you fly with me to my place and I’ll carry your things.” The embarrassment on Scootaloo’s face grew a hundred fold as she said in barely a squeak, “I can’t fly.” “Aw, that’s ok. You’re just a late bloomer like I was. Hey, I got an idea. Why don’t you climb on up, and I’ll take you for a ride.” Raindrops dropped into a bow so the little filly could climb on up, “Just be careful of the wings, they’re sensitive.” With Scootaloo on her back she took off with a gentle leap slowly soaring through the air. As they glided to the outskirts of Ponyville where her two story house sat, she looked over at her guest riding on her back. Scootaloo’s eyes were closed, underdeveloped wings as far out as they could go with the wind flowing through the feathers, and a wide smile nearly splitting her face. Hoping to give her a few extra minutes of joy she circled her ground home and slowly glided down. While it was true that most pegasi loved clouds, and as a pegasus she was no exception, but regularly watching Dinky Doo and Sparkler, or other other ground based ponies as she either did the occasional babysitting jobs, or did hospice for those ponies who had nowhere else to go while traveling through she decided that it would be prudent to live on the ground where any of the pony races could stay in. While those later jobs weren’t regular they were enough to get word of mouth out there about her so that other ponies who needed help could have a pair of helping hooves. It was also good cover as to why Scootaloo would be staying with her until she wanted others to know, past Twilight Sparkle. But that could be dealt with tomorrow.