Echo's misadventures

Times had been hard on Echo. She had lost her job months ago and her family had turned her away, not wanting such a failure in their life. She had wandered for miles upon miles, begging for food or money wherever she went.

One day, she had wandered into the city of Canterlot. The guards would often shoo her on but she knew that if she set up in the right places, the guard wouldn't bother with her.

She had set up in a small alleyway near a grocery store. She wasn't going to get much traffic down there but it was better than being thrown out onto the dirt. As she lay in a large cardboard box, she looked out upon the mass of ponies passing by, wishing that one day she could be among them.

As she scanned the crowd, her eyes fell upon an odd creature. It stood on two legs and held its forelegs on either side of its body. Its eyes were small and the only hair that she could see resided on the top of its head.

As she stared in awe of the creature, it turned its head towards her. They simply stared at eachother, both unsure on how to act. After a while, the being turned to speak with the ponies at its side. She had neglected to see that it had multiple ponies at its legs. She recognised them, of course. The Element of Harmony were kind of difficult to not recognise at that point.

Apparently done talking, the creature began to walk over to her. Realising the situation, the mare began backing up into the cardboard box in a futile attempt to hide from the being that was closing in on her.

After what felt like hours, it reached her and knelt down to eye level with her. She quickly looked away, hoping that it would just leave.

“Hey there”

She was unsure of what was going on. She was certain she heard somepony speak to her.

“Are you okay? You don't look so good,”

Putting two and two together, she looked up and found the creature looking at her with a gentle smile. It didn't look like it was going to hurt her...

“If you like, me and my friends are going over to a nearby café, want to tag along?” It asked, that smile still present.

The offer for food almost overwhelmed her. For so long she had been scrounging what she could in a meagre attempt to feed herself, and now this... being was offering her food. It almost seemed too good to be true.

Slowly, it raised its paw towards her. She saw it as a friendly gesture, not one of malicious intent. And so, with a small hesitation, she smiled and put her hoof in its paw, accepting the help up.

'Maybe things are starting to turn around...'