Rarity crashed to her haunches, her eyes on a hovering newspaper that floated in front of her. "Oh dear..."
Pinkie perked an ear at her fashionable friend. "You look like you read something sad, but you're not acting how you usually act when that happens."
Rarity tapped at the paper. "There's no time for that."
"No time for drama?" Pinkie's brows raised as one. "Are you alright, Rarity?"
"No." She rose to her hooves and started for the train station. "I have a foal to rescue, one I promised I would watch in just such an emergency."
Pinkie bounced after her quickly. "You're a crystaller?!"
"Something like that," agreed Rarity. "The foal is a donkey, not a crystal pony. Something just awful has happened to the poor thing's parents. I'll cry on the way when I get on the train, but the little darling is entirely alone."
Pinkie kept pace with the fleeing Rarity easily, pronking in her energetic manner. "Need any help? I'm used to helping raise foals, ask the Cakes!"
Rarity floated over bits to the ticket mare and took her ticket after naming where she'd need to be. "You're a precious friend, darling. I may take you up on advice, but this responsibility falls on me and I will not shirk it."
Pinkie came to a stop, sinking to her haunches as Rarity rushed towards the platform. "I'll tell Sweetie where you're going!" Pinkie shouted after her, waving a hoof excitedly. "Have a good trip!"
Rarity stepped off the train, having returned to Ponyville. "Come on, dear. It's alright."
A small shape poked his little snout out of the train, quivering a little with obvious doubt.
"Auntie Rarity wouldn't lead you astray," she promised as she turned to face the little donkey foal. "I know things went... less than ideally... but I'll do my best for you, I promise." She sat down and extended her forehooves. "Come on."
The foal emerged from the train, to the relief of the conductors wanting to stay on schedule. He was not a pretty donkey, ears a bit too large, nose a bit too bulbous, and his teeth, displayed in an awkward smile, a bit too prominent. Perhaps he'd grow out of it, but he was as he was. "When will Mommy and Daddy come home?" he asked in a scratchy little voice, vulnerable and scared.
Rarity felt tears rushing to her eyes. How does one explain that sort of thing to a foal? "Let's... not worry about that. They trusted me to take care of you." She reached for him, pulling him forward between her forelegs to hug gently. "And I plan to do that as well as I can. For now, you should think of me as your... acting mother. Anything you'd ask of her, you can ask me, and I will do my best." She pat him between his oversized ears. "Alright?"
He nodded a little and ventured a timid little smile. "You won't leave... right?"
"Oh of course not!" She couldn't help but crush him close. "Never! Never..." Her tears fell on his little head as she rocked back and forth with him.
Rarity peeked up the stairs as she called melodically, "time to get moving! You don't want to be late for your very first day, dear."
"Coming!" The pitter-patter of little hooves came in a rush. He scrambled down the stairs, narrowly avoiding tumbling in his rush.
Rarity caught him in her magic, lifting him up in a slow spinning in place to examine him from all angles. A brush appeared and began going through his brown pelt, tending to it fastidiously. "Now, when you meet the teacher, what do we say?"
"It's... nice to meet you, miss?" The little donkey gave a smile a little too wide.
"Yes, that precisely." Rarity nodded in satisfaction. "You'll knock them dead, Barry." She gently set him down, his mane and coat sufficiently tended to satisfy her. "After class is done, you come straight home."
Barry opened his mouth to catch a bag floating towards him. He could smell lunch inside. "Thank you, Auntie Rarity."
"It's no trouble at all," she insisted, patting him with care to avoid messing up what she had just done. "Go on."
Barry's eyes took in Rarity a moment. He was just old enough to enter pre-school. He knew his parents were gone, though he kept hoping it was the kind of gone that had an ending, like when his dad went off to buy something from the store or his mom kept talking to some other person forever.
He trotted out the door, promising himself again that if they showed up, he would forgive them for taking so long, because he was a good little colt.
"Hey Barry!" came the enthusiastic greeting of a filly he knew.
He raised a hoof at the end of a knobbly leg. "Hey Sweetie!" His bag fell from his open mouth and flopped to the ground.
Sweetie's horn grabbed up his bag in her magic and lifted it back into his reach. "Oops, better be careful with that. Heading to school? Me too! Are you in my class?"
Barry shook his head quickly, he had asked that same question. Going to school with his cousin, Sweetie Belle, would have been fun! He set his bag down more carefully. "Auntie said I have to go to little foal school first." He pointed in the direction he had been sent in. "That way."
"Ohhhh, I know that one." Sweetie bobbed her head. "I didn't go there myself though. You should ask Apple Bloom about it, I know she went there." She leaned in suddenly. "So how's my room?"
Barry blinked, confusion coming swiftly. "Your room?"
Sweetie rolled a hoof. "You're in my room, or what used to be my room, when I stayed with Rarity."
Barry felt his ears fell to the sides of his face. "I didn't mean to!"
Sweetie pat the ugly little donkey on the head. "Don't sweat it. My sister's a big softie. You needed a place, so there you are. That was up to her, not you." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as Barry. "Just take care of it, alright?"
Barry bobbed his head before snatching up his bag. He raced off, just in case Sweetie decided to punish him for daring to muscle in on her turf. The pre-school came into view. Compared to the larger school he could see in the distance, it was kinda small, but it was still huge in his eyes. He could see other foals wandering in, all ponies.
Some of them were talking to each other, some were more shy, like him. He tried to just walk in without saying anything, afraid he'd say something wrong.
"Barry the Burro?" asked a mare as he came in. A mare that towered over him smiled down at him, even as her face distorted a moment. "O-oh, um, welcome." She returned her smile with uncertain lines in her face. "Class?"
She turned to the other foals, gesturing at Barry, ruining his attempt to be subtle. "I'd like you all to say hello to Barry. He'll be joining us for class and fun times today."
All eyes were on him. What had Rarity said to say? He struggled to remember it. "N-nice to meet you," he spat out, shaking in place.
"What's wrong with him?" asked a filly with a dreadful mane and no impulse control.
A colt pointed at Barry. "What kinda name is 'Barry'? What's a barry?"
"We can't all be Even Row," replied another, rolling her eyes at the earth pony with a straightforward name.
The teacher waved downwards with a hoof. "Calm down, class, calm down. Now, Barry, your mother, Rarity said--"
"--S'not my mother," quickly rambled Barry, his face darkening. "She's... my aunt."
The teacher tilted her head a little at the unsightly new student. "Aren't you a little particular? Very well, your 'Aunt' said you'd be joining us permanently."
"Until my parents come back." He looked left and right, but most of the desks were full, or beside scary ponies. He wasn't sure where to park himself.
"Pick up your bag, Barry, and sit..." Her eyes went across the room from her higher vantage point. "There." She pointed to an open spot.
He scurried as quickly as he could, his hooves flailing inarticulately in his hurry. He fell forward halfway there and flopped to the ground, his bag sliding to a stop a foot in front of him. The class broke out into titters and guffaws at his clumsiness. Even the teacher snickered behind a lifted hoof.
Barry scrambled forward from the floor, grabbing his bag in his teeth before daring to rise up and hurry for his seat. He looked to either side. Most of them were earth ponies, but some had wings, and a few had horns. None of them had ears as big as him or a snout as big. None of them had tripped just going to their seat.
"Now then," spoke the teacher as she grabbed a stick in her teeth. "Shapes. Can anypony name a shape?"
Barry knew some shapes! He looked around before raising a hoof timidly.
A mare to the right snorted at the sight of it. "She said anypony, Donkey. Are you dumb too?"
The teacher cleared her throat. "Yes, Barry?" She was ignoring the mare.
It was easy for her to do so, being larger than the mare, and a pony. Barry had neither benefit. He squirmed in his seat. "Um..." His many shapes had fled him, scared away along with his breath. "Uh..."
Her eyes slid off of him and pointed to a pony in another row. "Tipsy?"
"Circles!" cried the filly, clapping her hooves together excitedly.
Of course, circles. He knew circles and "Hearts." He hadn't meant to say the last bit out loud, but out it came.
The teacher held up a hoof. "Please only answer during your turn," she chastised. "But that is a shape, thank you."
He wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. He wasn't getting smiles from the others like the filly had for her circles. Her friends had smiled and some even said nice little things quietly to her. None of them had responded that way for his answer.
It wasn't fair. He wasn't a pony. Surely there was at least one other? His eyes wandered as subtly as he could manage, which wasn't very. He saw not another donkey in sight, just him, alone.
"Barry?" The teacher was staring at him. "Is something distracting you?"
He flashed his oversized teeth. "N-no, ma'am!" He kept his eyes forward as she resumed talking about shapes, pointing at various things and making the class repeat what shape it happened to be. Square boxes and circle pillows and other things. There were no hearts. His answer hadn't been that good.
Ponies were standing up and moving. What had he missed?
A colt walking past reached out and prodded him lightly. "Snack time," he offered helpfully.
Snack time? That sounded like something he could do. Barry slid off his seat with a cautious smile. He didn't see the other ponies carrying their lunch, so he assumed he didn't need one either and ambled awkwardly after the colt that had nudged him. They were all gathering around a little table. The teacher occupied most of one side of it, and was placing various snacks on it with skilled teeth.
Someone bumped into Barry. When he looked, he saw one of the fillies from before. "What kind of name is Barry?"
Barry blinked at that. "I'm Barry Burro." He pointed at her. "What's your name?" Maybe if they exchanged names, things would calm down a little.
She looked uncertain a moment, but it whipped back around into a little frown. "Second Servings," she introduced herself. She was a little pudgy, but lots of foals had that look. "My parents weren't any good with names either."
Barry lifted a hoof towards her. "That's a nice name. Hello, Second."
She glanced away and back, uncertainty naked in appearance. "Are you making fun of me?"
"What? No!" he quickly assured. "I like when I get second servings, but Rarity doesn't let me."
Second giggled at that. "Grown ponies think they're so smart. What's a little extra gonna hurt?"
Barry pointed past Second. "Your turn."
"Thanks!" She turned forward and strode forward, quickly snatching up some crackers and a slice of apple on her way past without pause.
Barry wondered just a moment if she'd come back for a second serving even as he stepped forward.
"I have a special treat for you, Barry."
Barry blinked up at the teacher. A special treat? "What?"
"Donkeys are not ponies and require a slightly different diet." She placed a ceramic bowl down, filled with grass. "Here you are. You may continue chewing when class resumes."
Barry blinked at the offer. He had always eaten what Rarity ate. When his parents were around, they hadn't eaten differently than others around him that he saw, donkey or pony. He pointed to one of the animal cookies he wanted. "Can I have that?" He had been eager to get one since he first saw them. They looked sweet and cute and probably delicious.
"Donkies have a very powerful digestive system," spoke the teacher as if giving a lesson on the matter. "You'll turn food into energy better than a pony will, which means we have to be careful not to overfeed you, so you can grow tall and strong." She leaned in a little. "You don't want to be like Second Servings."
Barry felt his face heating. He had only just met Second, but she had seemed nice enough outside of wondering about his name. "She's nice!" he blurted at the teacher, unable to put together a more eloquent defense.
Giggles and laughs spread through the room. Little foalish songs of romance rose in taunting, as any colt that dared show even passing interest in a filly was worthy enough of shaming. Such was the way of foals that young. Barry was glaring at the teacher, ignoring his peers.
She smiled awkwardly at the rebellious little donkey. "While you're in my classroom, you'll follow my rules. Now, you can eat whatever Rarity prepared for you for lunch, but for snack time, you eat what I give you." She put a hoof down on the far side of the bowl, drawing it away from Barry. "And rude little foals don't get anything."
So Barry had nothing, but time to wait and be frustrated. When snack time ended, the students started to file back to their seats. A pony bumped into Barry and he was ready to snap at them, but when he looked, it was Second Servings, shoving something into his side. He reached with his mouth and snatched it up, the taste giving it away immediately. She had saved him her apple slice.
He made it vanish into his mouth, grinding it as quickly as he could with his big teeth. "Fank you," he whispered before hurrying back to his seat. Maybe the school wasn't all bad?
Class resumed until a grown stallion poked his head in from outside and met eyes with the teacher. She held up a hoof. "Just one moment, class." She stood up and hurried to him.
The other students giggled, whispering about how her special somepony had showed up.
Barry lifted one of his big ears, bigger than any other ears in the classroom, even his teacher's. He could hear her talking.
"I have a new student, a donkey. I looked up exactly what to feed them and when it's time to eat, he looked like I just stepped on one of his favorite toys when I gave it."
"Don't sweat it too much, honey bun. Donkeys are cranky, it's in their nature. I mean, look at Cranky. Don't take it personally."
"I'm not trying to, but it's so hard! He doesn't act like the other students."
Barry's ears fell. Had he been a rude little foal? Rarity had said to be good for his teacher. He wasn't doing that very well.
"Psst," came a whisper about as discretely as foals were known for. "Can you hear her?" A colt near him was waggling his brows. "Are they doing kissy stuff?"
Barry blinked in confusion, shaken out of his own self-reflection. "No. They're talking--"
"--Oh. If they do, lemme know," insisted the colt.
A filly behind him swatted him across the head. "Stop being rude! Don't tell him anything!"
"Sorry for the wait, class." The teacher strode back in, smiling at all the little fillies and colts. "Now then, the alphabet! What does E stand for?"
Hooves went up, Barry's not among them. She selected the girl that had swatted the colt. "Yes?"
"E stands for enough," proudly declared the filly. "I've had enough of certain colts."
The teacher's nose wrinkled. "Um, yes, that words does start with E. How about F?"
The colt raised his hoof, waving it wildly. "Yes?" she asked, looking not entirely sure.
"F is for Big Fat Stupid Face!"
She scowled at him, deflating his proud little face. "Does anyone else have a better word for F?" She look towards Barry. "How about our new student?"
Barry's ears lifted up so fast they slapped a dangling hoof of another student. "Oh! Um... F is for..." Word with F, Word with F. He knew lots of words, tons of them! Mountains of words! Why were they all hiding when he needed them. "F is for..." He glanced around without turning his head and saw Second Servings. "Friend. F is for Friend."
"Very good," complimented the teacher, ignoring the giggles that came out of the classroom from those that saw where his eyes had strayed before the answer came. "Since you have the giggles, you can go next." She pointed at the filly responsible, putting her on the spot.
Lunch time came with great cheer, all the students scrambling to get out their boxes or bags. Barry nuzzled open his bag as his hooves held it steady, allowing him to see what Rarity had prepared for him. Inside were deviled eggs, or what might have once been. Being dropped several times had not helped them. There was also a big red apple and a little card. He dug out the card curiously, but he hadn't really learned how to read yet. He could tell there was writing on it, and a little picture of a smiling Rarity.
Just looking at it made him want to smile back.
"What'd you get?" asked a familiar voice. Second Servings sat down on the next seat over. "Look." She showed off her lunch of spaghetti with a big happy smile. "My favorite!"
Since it had been brought up, he could see that she was a little pudgier than the others, but he didn't see what was so bad about that. It was nice that he could tell her apart from the other ponies easily. He dug out the mess of food from his bag and she squinted at it.
Another colt nearby saw it and wrinkled his nose. "What is that, donkey food?"
Second's nose wriggled. "Eggs, spices... deviled! Ooo, I love that." She reached a hoof before pausing, then offering her sealed plastic bowl of pasta. "Trade? Halfsies."
So they did trade, both becoming a bit messy for the process, but neither looking displeased with the result. The colt that had questioned the food crept up. "Can I try some?"
Second stuck out her tongue. "You called Rarity's food donkey food. I'mma tell her!"
"Don't do that!" He waved his hooves frantically. "I'm sorry!"
Second looked to Barry. "What say?""
Barry lifted an ear at the frantic colt. "Want... some?" He lifted some of the mashed eggs.
Forgiveness given, the colt joined them, even offering some carrots he had left from his own lunch. "I'm Top Speed, fastest racer!" He made a running motion with his forehooves, grinning."
Barry nodded softly. "Barry Burro. I don't... have a talent."
Second waved the thought away. "I don't neither. Find it later." She tucked her bowl away carefully. "Class starts soon. All full?" When Barry nodded, she snorted softly. "I'm not. Never am. I told mom to put a little more..."
Top giggled at that. "She's never full." She shot him a look and he held up his hooves. "I'm just joking. Friends?"
"Friends." She bopped him one just to be sure, and they all sat down to resume class.
By the end of the day, Barry was still nervous and unsure, but the feeling of hopelessness had fled him. He wasn't sure how to make his teacher happy, and most of the class looked at him like he was some kind of freak... but he'd made a few friends.
He spotted Top as he emerged from the school and moved over to the colt's side. "Hello."
"Hey!" Top tilted his head at the donkey. "You're shaped kinda funny."
Barry's ears fell.
"Not like that! I mean... it's kinda cool." He tapped his forehooves together. "You live with Rarity?"
"Ah huh, she's my aunt."
"Race you?" He pointed in the direction of the boutique. "Bet I'll beat you."
"Don't do it." Second approached, walking through the crowd. "He'll beat you. He beats everyone."
Barry quirked a hopeful little smile. "I'll try anyway."
"That's the spirit! One-two-go!" Top burst into speed, galloping away from the two of them.
Barry squeaked, already behind. "See you tomorrow," he bade Second before scrambling after Top, trying vainly to close the distance to the athletic little colt. To his credit, he didn't stumble on the way home.
Author's Note
A commissioned one shot. Say hello to Barry. He's not like the others, or is he? There were some personal bits in there I could feel. I hope I painted a hopeful picture. Rarity is a good godparent.
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