Fleetfoot sighed as she wiped the last beads of sweat from her forehead. Being a senior member of the Wonderbolts was no easy task, especially with her age. She should have a husband at home and 2 little foals to care for. But that wasn't the lifestyle she chose. It seemed far away from what she wanted at the time. Yet as the years crept by, it slowly dawned on her that she couldn't do this forever. Some injury would end her carrer and her older body wouldn't be able to recover. The mere thought made her wince and shake her head. She'd retire on her own terms...right? She sighed and went into the locker room, cleaning herself up and spreading her sore wings to begin the flight home, fighting sleep for the journey there.
Derek sat at the kitchen table with his daughter, Sarah. The small 8 year-old had been with Derek all her life after his late wife had passed away of complications during childbirth. She was his escape, his little angel that he always cherished, and their little home in Warwick, Rhode Island was his heaven. He had tried the dating scene, but never found any woman that really interested him. He wanted a mom, a loving, kind, and caring person who could be a part of Sarah's life. All searches came up empty. He would try again soon...right?
Fleetfoot got home at her usual time and began cooking some stirfry before flopping on her couch. She began to daydream of a perfect life, a handsome stallion husband standing in the doorway as her two little fillies charged into her waiting hooves. She'd kiss her husband and help him make dinner, afterwards, she'd put her fillies to bed and dance to slow jazz with her husband. The sound of a smoke alarm woke her from her trance as smoke filled the room.
"Oh PONYFEATHERS!!" She cursed as she extinguised the fire on the stove.
The minty blue pegasus groaned as she grabbed a cup of Ramane Noodles and heated some water before noisily slurping them. "Some cook I am" she said with a light chuckle.
Derek had just taken his daughter to school and sat at his desk at home. He began to fiddle with his stocks and investments like he always did, using several programs to predict and calculate his odds of making money on that day. Yet the thought of his wife ate at him more than usual today. Sarah deserved a mom, but where could he find that perfect woman? She's probably on the other side of the globe at this moment and I have no way of knowing. He thought to himself, breifly halting his ceaseless typing and clicking. Derek coughed and looked out the window next to the computer monitor. White snow covered the ground outside and a thin sheet of ice coated the water of nearby Warwick Pond. Memories of him and his wife giddily playing in the snow came back to him, slowly merging into those memories with his daughter. The sound of an airliner roaring overhead from the nearby airport roused him from the daydream and he got back to his work. Memories would have to wait for now at least.
Fleefoot settled down for the night as she curled up in her small bed, hoping sleep would come quickly to relieve her sore muscles. That was not destined to happen as she was suddenly aware of a small white orb of light coming from the living room. Curious, the minty mare cautiously walked into the next room, eyeing the anomaly curiously. The light approached her as she neared it, touchingbher chest. Withing an instany, she was encased in a cocoon of blinding white light.
"GAHHHHHH!!! HELP!!!! SOMEPONY!!!!!" The mare screamed and flailed in her white prison.
Nopony did come to her aid as she vanished from her bed, leaving a shadow where she had once been.
"Goodnight Daddy" the little eight year-old chimed as her light was switched off.
"Goodnight Princess Sarah." Derek chuckled as he shut the door and headed to the living room.
He sat on the couch and put on Netflix, watching an episode of Narcos couldn't hurt before he himself hit the hay.
A bright flash from the sliding doors that lead to the backyard made him nearly jump out of his seat.
"The hell?" He hissed under his breath, heading to the door to investigate the source.
It was the dead of winter, so lightning was far out of the question here. Derek put on a pair of boots before softly opening the door and stepping into the frigid night air. Looking around, he spotted an area of snow that was melted where it had been white and icy just minutes before. Trying not to make too much noise, Derek crunched through the icy powder to the clearing. His eyes came upon what lay in the middle.
"What...the...f-" he began to say before he cut himself off, remembering that his daughter's window was less than 10 feet from him.
Laying there, shivering and mumbling incoherently, was an aqua colored...pony. An actual My Little Pony. Derek couldn't believe his eyes. Was there something in his dinner? Did he pass out watching Narcos again? No, neither of those could be true. He lowered himself to the pony's trembling form and placed two fingers gently on her neck. There was warm fur and skin, along with a strong pulse. This was unreal...
Real or not, he had an obligation to help this poor creature. He carefully lifted the....pegasus...holy crap...this was seriously just getting weirder. Derek carried her inside to the warm home and grabbed a blanket off the sofa and wrapped the mare up in it. Her shivering began to subside and he sighed with relief. The creak of a door behind him made his eyes bulge open and he placed the mare on the sofa before quickly turning to face his little girl.
"Sarah! I told you to go to bed!" He chided
"Sorry daddy, I was just curious, what were you doing outside?" Sarah asked, her voice a mixture of curiousity and concern.
"Oh its nothing sweetheart. Just-" he was cut off by the mare behind him snorting.
The little eight year-old scurried behind him before he could stop her. Her eyes went wide.
"Sarah Vanessa, don't say a word." Derek hissed.
The girl turned to her father and nodded, wonder still in her eyes as she placed a hand on the pony's barrel.
"Can we keep her Daddy?" She whispered.
"I don't know sweetie. I don't know..."
