Wingless ~ Part One

Using her magic to turn up the thermostat, Crystal looked around her room, planning on what do in the morning. She glanced at the clock she placed earlier on the dresser next to her. Crap... I better get to the market before they close. Crystal went to her suitcase, opened it, and pulled out a small black saddlebag. She slipped it on and placed a few bits inside one of the pouches. The unicorn tightened her hair-tie in her mane with her magic and trotted out of her room. Her new roommate, Parasol, perked her ears from the kitchen table, and smiled at Crystal. "Gonna explore Ponyville?"

Crystal tightened her hair-tie in her tail, "Only for a while, I just want to pick up some food." The unicorn approached the front door and turned to Parasol. "So the market is in Town Square, right?"

"Yup! I think you take main street and head north for a while." Parasol giggled in embarrassment, "Sorry, I usually fly to the market... I honestly haven't memorized all the roads."

"That's okay, I'm sure I'll find my way. What time does the market close anyways?"

Parasol looked at the clock hanging on the wall to her left. "Hm... In about, twenty-five to thirty minutes. The market stays open late on Saturdays, but it normally closes around six-thirty."

"Alright, thanks Parasol!"

"No problem, don't get lost!"

Crystal shut the front door behind her and used her key to lock it. She then began heading to Town Square, greeting the ponies she passed on her way. Some of the ponies she met eye contact with seemed to be surprised, and murmured with each other once Crystal passed them. Her ear's slightly twitched in remote irritation, Is Ponyville gonna be the same as the empire? With everypony talking about me behind my back? She stifled a sigh. Nevertheless, Crystal kept her head held high and refused to show any signs of annoyance.

In a few minutes, Crystal approached the market and she looked around to find the carrot stand. Once she spotted the stand, she made her way to it and dipped her head to the vendor. "Hi," Crystal greeted, "I'd like to buy ten carrots."

The vendor nodded, her eyes half-closed from the long day. "Yes ma'am." The vendor-mare pushed back a strand of her blue mane and reached into the barrel next to her. She glanced at the unicorn. "You're new around here aren't you?"

Crystal smiled, "That's right, I just moved here today."

"That's wonderful!" The vendor opened a bag and placed the carrots inside. "So where are you from? Canterlot I presume?"

"The Crystal Empire, actually." When the unicorn noticed the vendor's surprised look, she rubbed the back of her neck. "I know, everypony I've met has gave me the same look when I told them."

"Interesting... Well I hope you enjoy living here! Ponyville is a great place to be in!" The vendor placed the bag on the counter and stuck out her hoof. "That'll be twelve bits please."

Crystal reached into her saddlebag and gave the mare the amount. After levitating the bag into her saddlebag, Crystal turned to leave. "Have a nice night!"

"You too!"

Okay! Carrots are bought, I guess I can buy more food tomorrow... For now, I can get some oats and apples for breakfast and head home. The unicorn looked around to find the stands. Yet before she could spot one, a force broke her balance and she staggered to the left. Crystal whipped her head to the right and saw a purple unicorn fumbling with her groceries. Crystal immediately used her magic to lift a few bags into the air before they fell. The unicorn fumbling with her groceries noticed the bags, and balanced herself after a few moments. She looked around in confusion as to who was levitating the bags, and smiled sheepishly as she noticed Crystal. The unicorn's cheeks flushed a bright pink, "I must apologize miss, I didn't mean to be such a klutz."

"It's alright, no harm done." Crystal handed the bags to the unicorn. "You seem to have a lot groceries with you."

The unicorn looked inside each bag to check if anything was damaged. "Yeah, I'm shopping for one of my friends and for myself. I honestly never thought we both needed this much stuff!" She levitated a slip of paper out of her saddlebag and skimmed over it. "I think I have everything though, so that's a perk out of all this."

"If you'd like, I could help you carry some of those bags."

"Oh you don't need to!" The unicorn took a step forward, but stopped when she realized the amount of weight she had to carry. "Um..." She looked to Crystal, "Maybe I do need some help."

"Here," Crystal took some bags with her magic and walked to her side. "Are you okay with the rest?"

"I'm okay, thank you." Amethyst stuck out her hoof, "I'm Amethyst."

Crystal returned the gesture and hoof-bumped her. "I'm Crystal."

"Crystal, huh," The unicorn smiled, "That's a nice name! So where do you live?"

"I'm staying in the Ponyville Apartments."

"Alright, that's not far from where my friend's home is." Amethyst led the way, staying to the side of the road. "I appreciate you for helping me out. Normally my friend's daughter comes to help me with the groceries, but she didn't seem to be in the mood to help out today."

Crystal chucked, "Children, Am I right?"

Amethyst snorted sarcastically. "Indeed. Sometimes you can't tell what they want or even read their expressions... Children are indeed a mystery."

"I can imagine. Do you have a child of your own?"

"No," Amethyst sighed, "I'm not able to bear children sadly. But I work with one of my other friends and run a small filly-sitting business."

"Nice!" Crystal followed the unicorn down a road that led to a neighborhood, she looked and read the sign: Haystack Lane. She then glanced at Amethyst. "Do you live near your friends?"

"I live a street over," She nodded to the right, showing the direction of where her home was. "The friend who I help out with lives down here, and the friend who I work with in the business lives to our left, three houses behind us."

"Wow."

"Heck, that's a small town for ya! Everypony knows each other, and no pony is left out." Amethyst approached a house with a mailbox that had seven bubbles painted on it. Crystal stood behind the unicorn, looking at the mailbox in wonder as Amethyst knocked on the door. That mark looks familiar...

The door to the house opened. Instead of a mare welcoming them, a small, purple filly let them inside. "Hey Amethyst," The filly spoke, "Did you get everything?"

"I did! See?" Amethyst lifted one of the bags she carried.

"Good." The filly looked behind Amethyst curiously. "Who's that?"

Amethyst made her way inside and gestured Crystal inside. "This is Crystal, she offered to help me with the groceries."

"Does she work there?"

"Crystal!"

The three ponies looked to see Derpy trotting happily to them. "What a coinkidink!" The pegasus chortled, "It's nice to see you again!"

Dinky's eyes widened, "You've met her before?"

"Of course silly! Crystal's the pony I told you about who moved here today!"

"Really?!" Dinky faced the newcomer with excitement, "Are you really from the Crystal Empire? The place where everypony is crystally? And the place where all those lights came from the day the empire returned?"

"I am!" Crystal smiled in amusement. "It's nice to meet you too, Ms...?"

"Dinky!" The filly stood up straight and puffed out her chest. "Dinky Hooves!"

"I don't remember you telling me you had a daughter." Crystal raised an eyebrow at Derpy. The pegasus' cheeks reddened and Amethyst chuckled softly at the sight.

Amethyst made her way to the kitchen. "Come on Crystal, I'll help you separate my groceries from Derpy's."

"Okay!"

"I'll help too!" Dinky rushed past Amethyst. The little unicorn squeaked as she accidentally hit her head against the doorway. "Ouch!"

"Are you okay Dinky?" Derpy flew up to her daughter and inspected her head.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine." Dinky squirmed in her mother's grasp and rubbed her forehead a bit. "I just misjudged where the doorway was."

"That might be because your bangs are in the way." Amethyst placed the groceries on the kitchen table and signaled for Crystal to do the same with her hoof. "Maybe if you put your hair back to the way it was, you might be able to see better."

"Besides," Derpy brushed Dinky's hair back with her hoof. "You look prettier without those bangs in the way."

Dinky glanced away, slightly scrunching her nose. "N-no I don't."

"You do actually, there's nothing wrong with hiding your eyes." Dinky faced Crystal in surprise; she met Crystal's eyes and began to blush. "Huh?"

"Your eyes may not be normal, but that's what makes you different from everypony!"

"Exactly!" Derpy booped her daughter's nose. "See? Even a pony who's only just met you thinks you look better without those bangs in your face."

"You really think so Crystal?" Dinky queried.

"Of course! When I was a filly, I used to do the same thing because I felt uncomfortable being the only pony in my class who didn't crystalize. But later on I learned to be confident in myself, and not let my insecurities get the best of me."

"Woah."

"Well how about it Dinky? Are you gonna help us with the groceries or not?" Amethyst asked, taking out a few apples from one of the bags and holding up the list of groceries.

"I will!" Dinky walked up and sat on one of the chairs. She took the list from Amethyst and searched through the first bag the unicorn gave her, checking off the list. While she inspected a slightly bruised apple, she glanced at Crystal and smiled to herself. She's so nice... Why can't other fillies be like her?

"Where do these apples go Derpy?"

"They go in the bowl right there with the bananas."

"Alright."

"Are you sure you're okay with helping us out, Crystal?"

"Certainly!"

Suddenly, the deafening sound of thunder shook the windows, causing the group of ponies to jump in surprise. Derpy and Amethyst walked to the sink and peered through the window in front of it. They both looked at each other and furrowed their brows, both looking a mixture of confusion and concern.

"What's going on?" Crystal asked.

Derpy shook her head, "Thunder storm... The weather team must've decided last minute to schedule one tonight."

"Seriously? Without any warning?" Amethyst looked outside again, clearly looking unamused.

"It happens sometimes." Derpy flinched as another wave of thunder shook the windows. "Doesn't look like it's safe to head home for you." The pegasus looked to Crystal, "I don't think you should go out either, this storm looks like it's gonna stay for a while. I have a spare mattress in the back if this storm lasts the whole night."

"I'm fine with that, thank you Derpy."

Derpy nodded and turned to her daughter. "Dinky, could you help me put the food in the fridge and pantry? And Crystal, could you put these in the supply closet? It's the second door to the left."

"Yes ma'am."

"Of course." Crystal took the bag and headed to the hallway. After placing the bag in the closet, Crystal walked back the kitchen to see Derpy and Amethyst preparing dinner.

Amethyst took out a cutting board, and used her magic to control a knife to cut the carrots. Derpy took out a bag of sliced bread, grabbed a package of cheese slices from the fridge, and made her way to the counter where four plates were placed. Derpy saw Crystal as she opened the package of cheese and pointed back to the hallway. "Dinky volunteered to get the bed out for you, could you help her out?"

"Sure." Crystal went back through the hallway and spotted Dinky at the end of it, trying to use her magic to pull a mattress out of the room she was halfway in. The unicorn could tell that the filly was struggling; Dinky's horn flared in strain, her ears fell backwards, and the constant groans of irritation reflected the trouble she was in.

Crystal used her magic to help lift the other side of the mattress and gestured Dinky to the side, making room for the mattress to move through. "Here, you carry one side of the mattress, and I'll carry the other."

"But I can't levitate things that very well." Dinky huffed.

"You can always use your back."

"Okay..." The filly faced herself forward and braced herself for the edge of the mattress to be placed on her back. Once Crystal placed it lightly, Dinky walked forward, making her way to the living room. "Mom said you'll be sleeping in the living room, so we can put this thing near the couch or... somewhere."

"Lead the way." Crystal lowered her side of the mattress to meet it at the same height as Dinky's back. "Thanks for helping Dinky."

"Thanks for helping too!" Dinky smiled, turning slightly to enter the living room. Crystal had to lift the mattress slightly to avoid it touching the wall to her right.

Dinky winced at the sudden change in weight and looked behind. When she noticed the reason for the change, her ears fell back again. "Sorry."

"No worries. Just remember to always walk straight until the mattress is all the way out in the open, so we have room to move it around."

"I'll remember that." Dinky moved forward until they were near the couch and stopped. "This is good enough, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Crystal levitated the mattress to the floor, she then turned to Dinky. "Let's go see if your mom needs any help."

Another roll of thunder echoed, making the whole house tremble. Dinky shuddered, "The last time we had a storm like this, we had to go in the cellar because it turned into a twister..."

Crystal looked outside the window near the front door. "I doubt a twister's going to form in this storm." She smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry about it. Now come on, let's help with dinner."