//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Mail Order Orphan 
// by kudzuhaiku 
//------------------------------//

	The train platform was almost deserted. There were very few ponies standing about. Some waiting for the train, some waiting to board, and a few porters moving luggage into the loading zone. In the distance, there was a whistle, and what few ponies there were all became active. The train was coming.

Except for one. She stood alone, apart from the others, kicking a hoof into the wooden planking, and blowing her pink mane away from her eyes. Her wings fluttered nervously. A small squeak came from the soft yellow mare and her tail twitched fitfully. The train was coming. 

She backed away from the platform, away from the crowd, away from the noise, the hustle, and the bustle. She stood behind a crate, her eyes closed, trying to control her breathing. This was almost too much, almost more than she could bear. The crowd, the roar of the incoming train… And the waiting. The waiting had been the worst of all. It had been almost a full week, and now, with the train easing into the station, the wait was almost over. 

It had not been an easy decision, committing herself to this. But she had needs… And caring for her animals was no longer meeting those needs. And those needs had become focused after Applejack had been married. Out of all her friends, Applejack had been the first, and only mare so far to marry. It was a practical affair, the simple love of farmers. She had met a stallion named Stump Puller at a fair. They became friends. Penpals for quite some time. And then Stump Puller had moved to Ponyville, and it wasn’t too much longer until there was a marriage. Granny Smith had announced that she wasn’t getting any younger, and that one of her grandchildren had to marry before she could go. And now, Applejack was fat with foals, twins, due in just a few more months. 

It had made Fluttershy terribly jealous. It had also caused a dull throbbing ache in her heart that could not be eased. Finding a potential mate was practically impossible. Dating? Courtship? No. These things were far too complicated. And scary. 

But she still had needs. A painful longing that would not go away. No animal companionship would make it go away. She had a lot of love to give. She wasn’t like the rest of her friends. Twilight was a princess, with infinite responsibilities. Rarity was lost in the throes of her career. Pinkie was too busy being the life of the party. Rainbow Dash had her lifelong dream of being a Wonderbolt ahead of her. None of them had settled down. Or married. Or even shown any interest in doing so. Rarity had entertained some notions for a time, if they would have helped her career, but now there was no need. She was her own mare, living life on her own terms. Fluttershy and Applejack something in common though. A need to settle down and start a family. 

Which had brought her here. To the train station. Waiting for the train. Which was now resting at the station, with cargo and luggage going in and out, with ponies boarding and exiting, and the platform was abuzz with activity. 

It had started with a letter. And then a dozen letters. And then applications, forms, and all manner of bureaucracy. And then, after what seemed like forever, acceptance. Relief had come in the form of a light green envelope stamped with the government seal of Equestria. You could get anything through the mail now, with very little pony on pony interaction. Fluttershy had found an orphan. Sure, she could have gone to Canterlot and visited the orphanage there. Or even the one in Ponyville. But the very idea of doing so had caused so much panic. It had been Discord’s idea to apply through the mail. 

The platform was now nearly empty. Near the center stood an obnoxiously purple unicorn, levitating a basket. Her cutie mark was a small wooden cradle and a pink heart. Fluttershy forced herself to move forward, her wings fluttering, and her heart thumping in her chest. There was an enormous lump forming in her throat, the sort of lump that always got in the way of her speaking. 

“Fluttershy?” The unicorn inquired. 

Fluttershy nodded, swallowing, and trying to screw her courage to the sticking place. 

“My name is Sugarplum. I am from the Department of Foal Services. I have a very special delivery for you.” She set the basket down gently. There was a gurgle from under the blanket. 

“I have the, uh, foal you have requested. I must beg your patience and understanding. When I pull back the blanket there might be a bit of a surprise.” 

Fluttershy said nothing, but stood there. She didn’t know what might be wrong, but she wasn’t worried. Foals were foals, and she had consented to the idea of looking after a foal with special needs. She stood over the basket looking down. 

Sugarplum pulled away the blanket. 

Fluttershy stared down in confusion, unsure of what she was seeing. The head looked almost like a normal pony, except that there were two knobby horns. And feathers where a mane should have been. A bright green feathery crest with hints of orange. Two grey slitted eyes stared back up at her. The front legs were those of a griffon. It was sucking on its thumb talon. There was one leathery bat-like wing and one feathered wing, covered in green feathers. The coat was soft blue. The hind legs were vaguely reptilian, and covered in electric blue scales. Three little clawed toes pointed forward, with one rear facing toe. One leg was raised and kicking, toes flexing. And there was a long serpentine tail, also covered in electric blue scales. It reminded her of Discord. 

“What is it?” She asked in a soft confused voice. 

“Well, to be fair, you checked the “other” box when you checked all the others. Griffon, ponies of various types, and other. You also chose special needs. She is both other and special needs. No one else has wanted her and I'll understand completely if you don't want her either. I had to try, I hope you understand. I take my job very seriously. I assure you, she is very sweet. Quiet. And playful.” 

“And you don't know what she is?” Fluttershy asked. “What about her mother? Couldn’t she give you some information?”

“No,” said Sugarplum sadly. “Her mother was a hippogriff, we do know that. There were complications during the birth. Things went badly. Both of them were almost lost. The mother was a traveler, and that’s all we know.” 

Fluttershy began to sniffle. 

“How old is she?” Fluttershy asked. 

“Almost six months. She’s potty trained already, but she needs help.  She can say a few words. She shows signs of intelligence. And there have been four potential homes for her, all of which have failed.” 

The last part stung a bit, Fluttershy reflected. 

“Does she have a name?” Fluttershy asked. 

“No. We have not named her. Not yet.” Sugarplum’s mouth pressed into a straight line as she tucked the blanket around the foal. “I guess I will be taking her back to Canterlot on the next train. I appreciate you coming out to greet me. In another week I can bring another foal by rail. We have some nearly newborns as well as a few older foals. And we have a little special needs colt that is deaf. Do you have any specific preferences?” 

Fluttershy tried to speak but the only thing that came out was a sob. Her chest hitched as she tried to control her breathing, and she blinked back tears. 

“No.” She finally said in a strangled whisper. “No, please, she deserves to be loved just like anything and everything else. Don’t take her.” 

Sugarplum’s face fell into a look of blank disbelief. 

“What?” She asked, after a moment of silence. 

Fluttershy cleared her throat and raised her head higher. 

“I asked that the foal be left here. I checked the boxes. I have received “other” just as requested. Whatever she is, she is as you said, an intelligent creature. She talks. She has feelings. How she looks on the outside is trivial. I am the Element of Kindness. If I sent her away, I could never live with my self.” 

Sugarplum’s eyes began to flood. “Thank you,” she murmured. She took a moment to compose herself. 

“There are some papers left to sign,” she stated after regaining her composure. “And some information to pass along. She is an omnivorous creature. This, along with her looks has been the largest barrier she has faced thus far with her adoption. Ponies tend not to like potential flesh eaters. Her mouth is full of the most terrifying teeth, as you will soon find out. We’ve been training her to not nip. She really is very gentle, I don’t think she knew that she was almost hurting somepony. Also, she is going to have to be tested later to know and understand her classification, but she is infact an incendiary creature, as you will soon discover. Be warned and take precautions. Fire training is just like potty training. It is a slow difficult process that takes time and patience. Speaking of potty training, she took to it quickly. Diapers didn’t agree with her. She is a very clean fastidious little creature and she doesn’t like being dirty. If she becomes dirty, sticky, or otherwise filthy, she will cry. And you don’t want her crying. Don’t get me wrong, she doesn't cry often. She really is a very quiet sort. But you want to avoid her crying.”

Fluttershy stood there, flummoxed. The sudden burst of information was a lot to take in. She took a deep breath and blew her mane out of her eyes. 

“Incendiary creature?” She asked.