Here you are, savoring another beautiful day! Why is it a beautiful day today? Because you just got a bonus from your boss this check and you plan to dump it all on something stupid! It’s the least you deserve after all the work you put in last week. It was insane; a massive influx of orders came in when most of the staff was ill, but you busted your ass to make sure everything went out on time.

So now you stand with an extra thousand in pocket, walking around the city, trying to figure out what you want to blow your money on. As you pass others on the street, you notice numerous people are carrying little ponies. Either in a shirt pocket, on their shoulder or even the top of their head. It’s like a strange accessory nowadays. You’ve not bothered looking into the craze, but it’s somewhat famous.

The most you remember is that a mysterious portal opened up and dropped a bunch of super tiny ponies off in our world years ago. They’re supposed to be sapient, but due to their size, the government decided that selling them was not only profitable, but would help with their safety, as they would be akin to animals for someone to take care of. You don’t recall hearing of any war going on, so you guess the ponies accepted this fate if they genuinely are sapient.

Now that you think about it, isn’t there a store close by? You move away from the street and more toward the stores, passing each store until you come to the one with ponies at the glass. It’s odd seeing them. They can fit in the palm of your hand with ease. All of them are looking up at you. Some are dancing, others performing tricks, but one, in particular, is just looking at the floor sadly.

This pony is somewhat larger than the others. You assume that most people go for the smallest ponies first and probably ignore the big ones. Which would make sense, as the same happens with dogs. Cute puppies go fast, but rarely does anyone want the old doggo. You then catch her price. A hundred dollars? Ouch.

“Interested in one?” a voice asks.

You turn around to see a young woman in her twenties. “Excuse me?”

She waves to the ponies. “Are you interested in buying a pony?”

“I was just looking,” you say, but then nod over to the big one. “Why is that one wearing a bowtie?”

“Oh, her... She’s not having any luck getting adopted. Ponies tend to try and doll themselves up as time goes by to increase their odds of adoption.”

“But, a bowtie?” You look confused. “Never mind, why’s she so expensive?”

“She has some telekinetic abilities.”

“Wait, she can move things?” That’s shocking to hear.

The girl nervously waves her hands. “It’s nothing dangerous if you’re thinking that. She can levitate small things for a short amount of time. While she may not be able to clean the dishes, she could most likely help bring utensils to the sink.” The girl sighs sadly. “I feel sorry for her. She’s been here since the first arrival.”

“Whoa...” You know that portals open from time to time, dropping off ponies and the first was years ago. “That long?”

“Yeah, she’s slowly been giving up hope.” The girl shakes herself from her stupor. “S-Sorry to drop that on you.”

“No problem.” You look back to the big one. “Mind if I talk to her?”

“Of course!” The girl excitedly shows you in. “Take as long as you’d like!”

You’re standing in front of the pony’s pen, and she hasn’t noticed you yet.

“Hey,” you call out.

She flinches heavily and quickly looks your way. As if coming out of a trance, she hops to her hooves and starts doing a little dance. This is rather sad; she’s trying to impress you. Is she that desperate?

“You don’t need to try so hard,” you say. She's confused as she stops, looking up at you. “Do you have a name?”

“P-Princess Celestia. I used to rule over the kingdom of Equestria, before coming to this world.”

“That must’ve been hard... Losing everything.”

She looks on the verge of tears. “I-I know we’ll return one day. I’m also thankful to your kind for taking in my people in our time of need, but it’s tough being here.”

“Do they mistreat you?”

“No! I just... I’m lonely. I see so many of my subjects happily with their human companions, not a single care of returning home. I wonder what that feeling must be like too.”

Well, now you know these ponies are on the same level as humans. It’s refreshing for you to talk to her, as you tend to lock yourself in your room when you’re not at work. You get what it’s like to feel lonely, but Celestia here can’t just leave without a human because of her size. As soon as you stepped inside, you knew what you were going to do.

“Would you like to come with me?”

She looks up at you, surprised. “Truly?”

“I’m a shut-in, but maybe you can help me with that?”

She chuckles. “As it so happens, I have some experience with that.”

Reaching into her pen, you remove her bowtie. "I like you better without it."

Her eyes are wide as you offer her your palm. She smiles sweetly, jumping into it as you bring her up to your shoulder and giving her a moment to settle in. When you turn around, you see the young clerk there, tears brimming in her eyes.

You can only smile nervously as you say. “I’ll take her.”

Author's Note

Image submitted by Guner