My name is Golden Wings, and this is my first day of school. It was a pleasant autumn day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, birds were chirping merrily in the trees, and ponies were going on their way through the quaint little town. We look upon two Pegasus ponies who were going down a beaten dirt path towards the schoolhouse.
The one on the right was my mom. She sports a mint green coat, a gray-bluish mane, and periwinkle eyes. I stand to her left with a grayish-blue coat, a dirty blonde mane, and periwinkle eyes just like my mother.
As we approach the schoolhouse, I notice my growing excitement. I have been waiting for this since the day that I learned to read! As we get closer, and the laughter of the other foals increases in volume, only one, single thought barrels through my mind:
What if the other ponies start bullying me? I mean I heard about two prissy fillies that are always calling other ponies names, like ‘blank flank. ‘What if they're in my class? Oh please Faust, don't let them be in my class.
As the fear starts to get control over my nerves, I started to lose my enthusiasm for heading to school.
“Mom, I really don’t want to go to school. Can’t I go some other time? Like maybe tomorrow?” I say as we start to closing in on the schoolhouse.
My mom looks at me with genuine concern on her face, and asks,
“What's wrong, Golden Wings? I thought you wanted to go to school? You've been talking about going all week. Did something change your mind?”
“It's just...” I nervously ask, “What if the other foals don’t like me? What if they pick on me for being the new kid?” I say as I look up.
I then felt a reassuring hoof touch my shoulder. My view is greeted by my mother's gentle smile.
“Oh my little Goldie, you're gonna be fine. Just be yourself and I'm sure the other
foals will like you,” she said.
“Are you sure?” I ask, feeling my nervousness starting to fade.
“Of course sweetie, I'm sure you'll probably make plenty of new friends on the first day. Just you wait and see,” she said, her voice full of optimism.
“You mean it?”
“I promise,” she smiles.
Hearing her words made my nervousness disappear almost immediately. I look up at my mom with a smile. It never ceases to amaze me how she could always find the right words to make me feel better.
As we reach the front gate of the schoolhouse, the bell rings letting everypony know that class was about to begin. A magenta mare came out of the school to reign in the students.
“I guess this is it! Bye mom, I love you,” I said trotting next to my mom, just about to gallop to the schoolhouse.
“Love you too, sweetie. Have a great day. I'll be here to pick you up after school,” Mom states before turning and trotting back into Ponyville.
Reaching the door of the red bricked schoolhouse, I’m greeted by the magenta mare.
“Why hello there, are you the new student I was told about?”
“Yes I am,” I reply.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Ms. Cheerilee and I will be your teacher for the school year.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well.”
“Wait here for a moment, and I'll introduce you to the class.”
“O-okay.”
She walks into the classroom to get the attention of the rambunctious class.
“Alright class, settle down.”
Once the students give her their full attention, she exclaims,
“We have a new student joining us today.”
Taking that as my cue, I enter the classroom. As I'm trotting up to the side of Cheerilee's desk, which seems to tower over me as I get closer to it, I look to my new classmates. They were a plethora of multi-hued foals, and they were all staring at me.
“Could you please introduce yourself to the class, and say something about yourself?” Ms. Cheerilee asks.
Where do I begin doing this? Well I should probably begin with the basics.
“Um, hello there, my name is Golden Wings, and I just recently moved to Ponyville. I enjoy reading, but I really don’t like being put in the spotlight like this,” I stated, shifting nervously.
This was met with scattered applause, along with occasional snickering from a few foals.
“Thank you for the introduction Golden Wings,” whispered Ms. Cheerilee.
As she looks around the classroom, she spots an open desk.
"You can take the seat right behind Sweetie Belle," she concluded, pointing toward the back of the class.
Looking around I notice a white filly with a purple and pink mane waving to me.
That must be her.
Making my way to the desk, I pass by a grey filly with a lighter grey mane color. I hear her whisper to her friend,
“Great, another blank flank, as if it weren't bad enough already.”
Rather than confront her, I chose to ignore that comment. It's like my mother always says: “If you fight back, then you're only giving them what they want.”
Sitting down at my new desk, I notice three fillies staring at me with smiles on their faces. One was an orange Pegasus filly with grape colored hair. Another was the white unicorn filly in front of me; I believe her name is Sweetie Belle. The other one was a butter yellow earth pony with a red mane and a dark pink bow. I had no idea why they were staring at me, but I didn't pay it any mind. As they turn around, I notice that all three of these fillies didn't have their Cutie Marks either.
At least I'm not the only one.
----------------------
As Ms. Cheerilee was starting the math lesson, I see a pink filly with a light purple mane and tail (which had a white streak running through it), with a tiara for a cutie mark, passing a note to one of the blank flank fillies that was staring at me earlier.
They were caught, and Ms. Cheerilee walked over to the filly and confiscated the note. She started reading it and walked over to her desk then gave them both a slip of paper, most likely a detention notice.
The class continued after that and we didn’t learn very much. Soon after the history lesson there was a slight rumbling that increased in ferocity over time. The whole class started vigorously shaking like there was no tomorrow. Books were falling off the shelves, along with anything else that wasn’t bolted down. Everypony started running around in fear of what was happening.
“Everypony get under your desks now!” Ms. Cheerilee’s commanded as her voice rang over all the screaming foals.
We did as we were told and the shaking continued, as well as the screaming, but we stayed under our desks hoping that Ms. Cheerilee was right about this whole desk thing. After a few minutes the shaking subsided.
“Is it over?” one of the fillies in the class asked.
After a minute, Ms. Cheerilee got out from under her desk to check for any damages to the classroom, stating,
“I believe so. Students it is safe to get out from underneath your desks.”
Seeing that the only damage was to the books, the globe, and the picture frames in the back of the class. Ms. Cheerilee looks at the clock and notices it is already three o’clock pm.
“Class is dismissed.”
As everypony made a mad dash for the door, I take my time to leave figuring that my mother probably wasn’t here yet. As I was exiting the classroom, I’m approached by the same three fillies that were watching me before.
Okay, these fillies are starting to creep me out.
“Hey there, kid,” the orange Pegasus says. “You're name's Golden Wings, right?”
“Yeah,” I state with uncertainty in my voice.
She extends a hoof to me.
“Pleased to meet ya, I'm Scootaloo!”
“Nice to-”
“This is Apple Bloom,” she points to the yellow filly. “And you already know Sweetie Belle.”
The white filly waves at me.
“Hi. Um, is there something I can help you girls with?” I coaxed.
“Well, we just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with us, since your new and everything,” she says, as the three fillies smile widely at me.
“Sorry girls, but my mom’s supposed to pick me up right after school. Maybe we can hang out some other time,” I say.
“Aww...” they groan.
They then head to a small red wagon attached to a blue scooter. The yellow and white fillies jumped into the wagon, as the orange Pegasus’ wings fluttered as fast as a hummingbird.
“See ya tomorrow Golden Wings,” Scootaloo says with a wink.
I don't know why, but that wink kinda made my heart race. She then propels them forward pass the school gate, and down the road. Watching them disappear off in the horizon, I couldn't help but be impressed.
Wow, that's pretty cool.
I go and take a seat over on the doorstep, and wait.
----------------------
About an hour later, as the sun was starting to set on the horizon, I sit on the doorstep diligently waiting for mother. At first I figure she was just running late, but now I’m really starting to get worried.
I wonder what's keeping mom, could something bad have happened to her?
I quickly shake my head to remove that negative thought from my mind. I soon turn to see Ms. Cheerilee closing the door behind me.
“Oh, Golden Wings,” she was obviously surprised. “Why are you still here, class let out an hour ago?”
“Well, I was supposed to be picked up by my mom, but she hasn't shown up yet,” I explain.
“Would you like for me to walk you home?” she asks.
Well if I go, mom might come here when I’m gone. Then again, she might also be very busy with something. So I could just wait for her at home. I might get into trouble, but I’m smart enough to know what I'm doing. It probably isn’t a good idea to keep waiting here, especially, when something could happen, say when night comes around.
Finally, after my internal debate, I figured that waiting at the schoolhouse might not be the best idea. No matter what the consequences maybe later, it would be safer to be at home, doing something that I enjoy.
“Alright, thank you, Ms. Cheerilee” I agree.
----------------------
Walking through town with my teacher was actually enjoyable. We talked about my life in my hometown, Fillydelphia. We also talked about what I have learned so far from my old school; she was really surprised that I knew multiplication. As we approach the street near my house, we notice a group of ponies gathering at the end of the street.
What's going on down there?
Getting closer, I see that they were gathering around my house.
Why are ponies outside of my house?
“Ms. Cheerilee, I'm gonna go in for closer look,” I declare.
“Maybe you should wait back here, Golden-”
Before she could finish, I was making my way through the large group of ponies. Passing each pony, I notice they each had worried looks on their face, like they were looking at an accident. As soon as I made it to the front of the crowd, I see that my house is completely demolished. The local fireponies on the scene are searching for something or somepony. As I try to enter the scene of my wrecked home, a tan Pegasus firepony with an egg white mane who blocks me.
“Sorry young colt, nopony is allowed in th-“
“Fireproof, we found something,” another firepony calls out.
I look to where the voice came from to see that they were lifting a large piece of debris. When the debris was gone, I felt my very core turn to ice, for I saw my mother lying in a pool of blood.
“MOMMY!” I yell running at a full sprint to her.
I feel a knot grow in my stomach, and my throat gets drier the closer I get to her. When I arrive at my mother's body, I feel the tears stream down my face as I saw what happened to her. Her face was severely battered; there are cuts and bruises that stand out on her coat. Blood continued to pour down into the puddle beneath her.
Mommy... Mommy...
I couldn't believe my eyes. The only pony who I held dear, was taken from me.
“Mommy?” I whisper.
At that moment, her body began to slightly move. I saw as her eyes slowly open.
“G-Goldie...” she faintly inquirers.
“M-Mommy!”
She weakly places her battered hoof on the side of my face. I look in her periwinkle irises and I see tears swell up in them.
“M-My little Goldie... I-I'm sorry...I didn't come to...get you from school,” she weakly says.
“Mommy, don't talk...” I turn to the fireponies and desperately plead, “Please! Somepony help her! Please!”
She then turns my head to her.
“It's too late for me, Goldie.”
“No...please mommy...don't leave me...” I say, tears running down cheek.
Trying to comfort me and calm me down, she gently brushes my cheek.
“My Goldie...I'm so sorry...,” she manages to say between sobs. “Golden Wings...”
She used my full name... I thought. She only uses that when she is serious...
“I want you...to promise me something...”
“Yes, mommy?”
“Promise me...that you’ll never forget...that I'll always love you...even if I'm not around...” she says. “And...try to...to live...ha...ppy...”
Her hoof then leaves my face and falls to the floor.
“Mommy...Mommy...MOMMY,” I wail as I shake my mother.
I soon feel the fireponies hooves carry me away from my mother's body.
“NO! LEMME GO! SHE NEEDS ME! LEMME GO! MOMMY!” I scream.
I look back to see if that it was the same tan Pegasus from before. Despite my thrashing about, he manages to keep me from getting back to her.
“Flamestomper, take him away so we can handle this situation,” Fireproof orders, as he hands me to another firepony.
I'm now in the hooves of an orange Pegasus firepony with a crimson mane. He immediately carries me away from the site. I desperately try to get away from him, but I just couldn’t.
“Listen kid, I’m really sorry that you had to see that. Nopony as young as you should have to be put through something like this,” Flamestomper say, I hear the sadness gripping at his heart. “Kid, I just have a quick question. Please be honest with me, do you know where your father is?”
As soon as I hear those words I start to cry harder than before, remembering the last time I saw my father: the funeral, a black box holding his body. How the pegasi fly it into the horizon of a setting sun, at the end of the funeral. I fall to the ground hysterically, as I bury my face in my hooves.
I’m only nine years old and I lost both of my parents. How could this happen to me? What am I gonna do? Am I going to be next?
My whole world has been shattered. My home...my life...my mommy...they were all gone. My response to his question, gave him all the answer he needed.
“Kid, I-I'm so sorry,” he says, fighting back the tears.
He picks me up, and my immediate reaction is to cry into his shoulder. I know colts aren't supposed to cry this much, but at this point I don't care. He then places me on his back.
“Come on, kid. I know just the place to take you,” he finishes with a sorrowful sigh.