Goldenrod and the Three Pegasi
From the World of Cinder Star:
Goldenrod and the Three Pegasi
By: Nocturn Dreamwrite
The land of Equestria is a magical world filled with all kinds of horses who live in many exciting places. But before all of Equestria was one nation, there were in fact three countries. There was Unicornia in the west, where Princess Cinder Star and her unicorn family live. To the east, was where Pegasopolis could be found. Finally, sitting right in the middle, was Pony Valley, the home of the earth ponies known simply as ponies where we find our good friend Goldenrod.
Goldenrod is a young, earth pony mare with a tan coat, a golden mane and tail and pretty green eyes. Those who knew her best called her ‘Golden’ for short. She lived in Pony Valley with her father Mustard Seed in a small house in the Pony Village right in the middle of the valley. Like all ponies, Goldenrod worked in the many fields of Pony Valley after her school let out. She would happily work alongside her father planting and harvesting the grain, wheat, hay and other produce the ponies grow to feed their selves and to trade with their unicorn neighbors. Sometimes they traded with the pegasi as well, but very rarely, as the pegasi more often than not preferred to keep to themselves.
Goldenrod was always glad to help her fellow ponies with their work, and would do so with a smile on her face. Unlike most ponies, however, Goldenrod was very bouncy, excitable, and she had a unique sense to explore. On her free time, she loved to wander off on her own and observe all there was to see in her home country especially beyond the familiar fields. A few years back, she had journeyed all the way to the southern hills in the far south with Princess Cinder Star of Unicornia to find Davengrowl the dragon and rescue Cinder Star’s husband, Prince Majestic, and her own father, Mustard Seed. During this adventure, Goldenrod had become good friends with Cinder Star and they had kept in touch through letters ever since.
As a reward for helping her, before Cinder Star returned home, she had also given Goldenrod a beautiful set of four golden slippers for her hooves as a gift. These golden slippers were Goldenrod’s most prized possession. They fit her just right, and she often called them her pretty princess shoes. She loved her slippers very much and was quite proud of them. Goldenrod wore her golden slippers everywhere she went, and never took them off except when she bathed, slept, or if the fields were just too muddy for her to wear them.
It was a mid-summer’s day, and little did Goldenrod know of the adventure she was about to have. Goldenrod’s school let out at noon during the summer months so that the young fillies and colts could help with chores in the fields. Once that was done, the young ponies could play and do as they pleased. On this particular day there had been few chores to do, so Goldenrod decided that she would participate in her favorite pastime: exploring!
Goldenrod and her father, Mustard Seed, a burnt yellow stallion with a brown mane, had just returned to their home after checking on the western fields when Mustard Seed noticed that his daughter had not stopped with him. Instead she had kept on trotting, so he called out after her, “Going off on another adventure, Golden?” he asked with a little smile on his face.
“Definitely, Daddy!” replied Goldenrod eagerly as she stopped for a moment to look back at him. “I thought I’d head out to the Eastern Forest and check the place out.”
“All right, then, Golden,” said Mustard Seed. “Just remember the usual, don’t get lost, and don’t be out too late.”
“Yes, Daddy,” said Goldenrod with a smile. She turned and began to trot away.
“Oh, and don’t lose your golden slippers!” Mustard called after her.
“I won’t!” Goldenrod called back over her shoulder as she changed her pace to a gallop.
Goldenrod quickly galloped out of the Pony Village and soon she had crossed the eastern fields. She continued to gallop until she had crossed a small meadow and then finally stopped when she found herself in front of the Eastern Forest. The trees were each tall and green, and the whole forest had a deep and somewhat dark look to it. Goldenrod loved this. It felt so exciting! She had been in this forest before, so she wasn’t afraid, and she had always been pretty good at remembering where she was so didn’t get lost. She stepped forward and walked into the forest.
Once in the forest, Goldenrod took her time as she skipped down the little forest path, stopping to look carefully at anything that captured her interest, and there was a lot to look at. There was always something new here for her to see. First she stopped to smell some forest flowers. Further up the path she watched as a mother deer and her little fawn crossed the path several yards in front of her. They stopped for a moment to look at her, and then they disappeared into the brush. Finally, Goldenrod came across a fallen log stopped to take a good look at the moss growing around it.
It was while Goldenrod was inspecting one side of the fallen log when a red fox sudden hopped up on the other side and looked at her. Goldenrod was surprised. She had never seen a red fox for real before, and she stared back at him, her eyes wide with interest. After a few seconds, the fox hopped off the long and bounded away through the forest, but Goldenrod had not been finished looking at him. She wanted to have a closer look at him and his bright colors. “Wait!” she called softly after him, and chased after him right through the forest brush. She hurried after the fox first one way and then another, but the fox was much quicker, and soon she had lost him. “Bummer,” she muttered in disappointment as she slowed to a stop.
Goldenrod sighed in defeat. “Oh well,” she said to herself. “At least I got to see a red fox,” she said to herself. “That’s better than nothing.” She turned around to return to the forest path, only to suddenly freeze where she stood as she realized her mistake. She had been so busy trying to catch up with the fox that she had completely forgotten to take account of where she was. She turned around several times, trying to get her bearings, but it didn’t work. The forest now looked the same every way she looked. For once, she had lost her sense of direction.
“Oh… dear,” Goldenrod whispered, as she admitted it to herself. “I’m lost.” She had never been lost before. For the first time, the forest seemed just a little frightening to her, but she took a few deep breaths and kept calm. “Alright,” she told herself. “I can do this. If I just keep walking in one direction, I’m bound to come across something familiar.” It seemed like a sound plan, so she did just that.
Goldenrod slowly and carefully made her way forward through the forest brush. She looked both to her left and her right in case she spotted something familiar, but she kept herself walking straight. After a while, Goldenrod realized that the forest was thinning ahead of her. Thinking that she had somehow made her way back out to the edge of the forest, Goldenrod rushed forward excitedly. She burst through the trees, only to freeze suddenly all over again in surprise at she saw.
Instead of the meadow, Goldenrod found herself in a clearing in the forest surrounded by trees. The clearing was neither very large nor very small, but the strangest thing about it was there was a small house right in the middle of it! Goldenrod was very surprised by this. It was clear now that she had been walking in the wrong direction, but instead of turning around she paused. She had certainly never seen this clearing or this house before. For that matter, she had not been aware that any ponies (as she assumed the owners must be) lived out this way.
Upon seeing something unknown to her, Goldenrod’s sense of exploring quickly returned. She took a few steps forward, and then stopped again. Goldenrod thought really hard about what she should do. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on someone else’s home,” she thought to herself, “But then, I am lost, and I don’t know where I am exactly. Perhaps whoever lives here can help me!” She considered this carefully, but untimely her curiosity got the better of her, and she proceeded to trot across the clearing and right up to the little house.
When Goldenrod reached the little house she peaked through the window and saw that he house had furniture and belongings inside, so someone definitely lived there. She walked up the door, but then paused for a moment. She felt just a little nervous about meeting someone new, but Goldenrod plucked up her courage and softly knocked on the door with her fore hoof. No one answered. She knocked again, a little harder, but still no one answered. Curious, she placed her hoof on the door handle and pushed. To her surprise it opened!
Goldenrod stood still and peered inside the house. It looked very inviting, but Goldenrod was a good filly and did not want to intrude without permission to enter. “H-Hello?” she called into the house nervously. “Hello? Is anyone home?” Still there was no answer.
“I guess whoever lives here must have gone out,” Goldenrod assumed. She thought again about what she should do. “It would be polite to wait outside for them to come back,” she reasoned out loud to herself, “But then, if I wait for them inside, I’m sure I could explain everything to them.” She considered her options, but just as she was about to turn away, something else caught her curiosity and her nose. It was a smell. A wonderful smell that could only have come from good food! Right then and there, Goldenrod’s stomach growled, and she realized how hungry she was. She had not eaten since her lunch at Noon, and that was hours ago now. That made her decision. Goldenrod had to see the food for herself and stop her growling stomach.
Goldenrod quickly wiped her golden slippered hooves on the doormat so that she did not track in any dirt, and then she carefully stepped into the house and gently shut the door behind her. The only sound to be heard in the little house was her own hoof steps as she walked forward. Goldenrod followed the wonderful smell into the kitchen were she saw three bowls sitting on the table, and she was delighted to see that the wonderful smell came from the vegetable stew that was in each of the three bowls. “Oh my!” said Goldenrod. “This looks just as good as it smells!” There was a large bowl, a small (though not tiny) bowl, and a medium bowl, but Goldenrod was too hungry to think about that now. She simply had to try the stew.
First, Goldenrod lowered her lips down to the large bow and tasted the stew, but she drew her head back at once because she found that it was much too hot to eat. She then tried the small bowl, but when she tasted it, she found that it was too cold to eat. Finally, she tried the medium bowl, and when she tasted the stew she was very pleased to find that it was perfect! She sat down in front of the bowl and took another taste, then another, and another until the bowl was empty. She couldn’t help it. It was so delicious! "Mmm... This tastes so good!" she said as she happily ate.
When Goldenrod saw that she had eaten the stew in the medium bowl all up, she felt rather guilty. Now that her hunger was satisfied, she could think a bit more clearly about her surroundings. This bowl had been someone else’s dinner, but she had eaten it instead. “Oh dear,” said Goldenrod as she realized this. “I really hope they don’t mind. Maybe I can make it up to them later?” She wanted to be fair after all.
Goldenrod stepped out of the kitchen and into the living space. Now that she was taking a good look, she noticed that there were a lot of things in the house that were in threes with one larger, one medium and one smaller. There were three pillow seats nearby the fireplace, three mane brushes in a bucket, three rain cloaks next to the front door, three journals on a shelf, and three glass vases on a small stand. This Goldenrod did not see until she had accidentally bumped it when her head was turned toward the fireplace. The table wobbled! Goldenrod snapped back to attention, and immediately tried to steady the three flower vases with her fore hooves, but she could save only two, the large one and the small one. The medium vase in the middle fell from the stand and broke into several pieces when it hit the wooden floor!
Goldenrod gasped! “Oops!” she cried meekly. It had been an accident, but the vase was broken, and it was her fault. Thinking fast, she looked around and saw a little broom with a dust pan and fetched them. Goldenrod quickly swept up the broken pieces of the vase and then placed the dustpan with the pieces on the little stand next to the other two vases, and returned the broom to its place. She then mopped up the spilt water with a small towel from the kitchen, returned the towel to its place to dry, and finally separated the flowers between the large and small vases.
“There, that’s finished,” Goldenrod sighed. “I sure wish I’d seen that sooner.” She wasn’t quite sure if the vase could be fixed or if it would have to be replaced. Either way, she felt bad about it, but now, after all the sudden rush to clean up the mess, a wave of sleepiness had come over Goldenrod. She couldn’t help how tired she suddenly felt and after this, and her journeys through the forest, she needed to rest.
Looking behind the living space, Goldenrod saw the bedroom with its open door. She carefully walked over to the bedroom and entered. Inside, she found two beds side by side. One was a bit larger, and the other was a bit smaller, but she had failed to notice the bound straw on every side of the two beds, resembling nests. She sat down first on the larger bed, but she felt that it was simply too big for her to be comfortable, so she then tried the smaller bed and found that it was just right for her. “I…,” she said as she yawned. “I hope they don’t mind if I take a small nap. I just feel so tired…” Goldenrod lightly kicked off her golden slippers next to the bed, and then she lay down upon the soft mattress. Soon she had fallen fast asleep.
Some time passed, but before long, the owners of the little house returned. All was quiet outside the house for a moment, and then a large pegasus stallion with a black coat and an orange mane glided down from the clouds and gently touched down on the ground. He was quickly followed by his wife, a smaller pegasus mare who had a sky blue coat and a light green mane, and lastly, their son, a young pegasus colt with a gray coat and a light orange mane. They folded their wings, which were the same color as their coats, behind them on their backs. The young colt was about the same height as Goldenrod.
Once the three pegasi were comfortably on the ground, the mother pegasus led the way up to their front door. She opened the door, took one step inside, but then suddenly stopped.
“What’s the matter, Dear?” asked the father pegasus behind her.
“Something’s off,” replied the mother. “I can feel it.”
“Are you sure, Mother?” asked the pegasus colt. “How can you tell?”
The father looked back at his son. “Believe me,” he answered him, “She just knows. It’s her motherly sense, and it’s never wrong.”
“Be cautious,” advised the mother as she stepped inside the house. The father and colt followed close behind. The three pegasi made their way into the kitchen, where the mother immediately caught sight of the three bowls. “Look!” she said. “Our dinner!” The pegasi surrounded the table.
“Ah!” said the father as he looked all over the table and then down at his large bowl. “Someone has been tasting my stew,” he observed.
“Someone has been tasting my stew too,” agreed the mother as she inspected her small bowl.
“Yes, but they ate all of my stew!” said the colt as he stared in disbelief down at his empty medium bowl.
“Alright,” declared the father. “There is definitely something going on here. We should check the rest of the house.” The pegasi walked into the living space. Everything seemed to be in order, that is, until the father noticed the broken pieces of the glass vase sitting in a dustpan next to the other two vases on the stand. “Dear?” he said softly to his wife, “You might want to see this.”
“Oh no!” said the mother when she saw the broken vase. “That one was my favorite! How did this happen?!”
“I don’t know,” answered the father, “But I sure would like to find out. Even if whoever it was did think to clean up this mess before they left.”
While his parents were examining the broken vase, the colt had decided to check the bedroom himself. He came back a few moments later. His eyes were as wide as saucers. “I… I think I think there’s something that you should see,” he said slowly.
“What do you mean?” asked the father confused. “What is it?”
“It’s something that I have to show you,” replied the colt. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
The colt led his curious parents back to the bedroom and they went inside. The three pegasi could see for themselves that someone had sat on the large bed the parents shared, since the usually neat blanket was shifted a bit, but it was to their great surprise when they looked at the young colt’s bed and saw a pony filly sound asleep upon it. She was sleeping peacefully with a tiny smile on her face.
For a moment, the three pegasi could only stare down at the young filly. Finally, the colt broke the silence. “Our visitor is still here,” he simply whispered. He actually now felt somewhat guilty for making her presence know to his parents.
“Yes, indeed,” answered the mother a little louder. “And she’s a pony, so she must have come from Pony Valley.”
“More importantly,” replied the father even louder, “Who is she, and why is she in our house in the first place?!” He wasn’t shouting, but his voice was loud enough that it awoke Goldenrod from her sleep.
Goldenrod’s ear twitched as she heard voices speaking around her. She stirred and then opened her eyes. When she did, Goldenrod was shocked to see three pegasi looking down at her. Now Goldenrod was a brave pony, but that did not mean she didn’t ever get scared. What was worse was that in Pony Valley, there was rumor that the reason pegasi almost never visited was because they were mean horses who would eat you if you angered them! While Goldenrod had never really believed the rumor, she had never met a pegasus before so she didn’t know what to believe. She also had not expected to suddenly find herself face to face with three pegasi either!
Goldenrod shrieked as her fear instantly seized her! She was so frightened that she sprang to her hooves and dashed away as quickly as she could before any of the three pegasi could stop her! Her sudden shout had taken the three pegasi off guard. They were so stunned that they were unable to react until after the young filly had already run past them and disappeared out the open front door of the house.
“Well…,” said the mother after a moment of silence. “That was unexpected.”
“I didn’t mean for us to scare her like that,” put in the colt.
“Never mind,” answered the father. “We have a little work to do before we eat. So we better get to it.”
“What a shame,” murmured the colt with a sigh as they walked out of the bedroom. “She was so pretty too.” The mother and father both paused and looked at their son. “What?” he asked. “I was just saying.”
. . .
Goldenrod burst through the front door of the little house and ran across the clearing as fast as her legs could carry her. She had never been so frightened before and kept running until she had reached the safety of the forest and then some. She didn’t stop until she was quite out of breath. The young filly leaned against a tree and panted hard for more breath until she had finally calmed herself down. She was now sure she was not being followed.
Goldenrod sighed to herself, relieved to be safe at last, but all of that changed when she finally looked down at her hooves. Goldenrod gasped! Her hooves were bare! “Oh no!” she cried. “My golden slippers! My pretty princess shoes! I’ve lost them! Where are they?” she asked as she frantically looked around her. Then she remembered. “OH NO!” exclaimed Goldenrod. She had taken her slippers off before she fell asleep, and then she had dashed away so quickly that she had left her slippers behind! Her golden slippers were still in the little house with the three pegasi!
A moan escaped Goldenrod as she leaned against the tree again and then sat down beside it and hung her head low. She felt so lost and alone. She sat there for a while wondering what she should do, but she knew the awful truth. Goldenrod sighed again as she looked down at her bare hooves. She knew what she had to do. Goldenrod stood up and sighed again. Most anyone else in Pony Valley would have told her she was crazy for what she was about to do. She had to get her slippers back and find a way back home, and to do either she would have to go back to the little house and ask the pegasi for help.
Slowly, Goldenrod made her way back to the clearing. She stopped for a moment and took three deep breaths. She was still afraid of the pegasi, but she was still lost, and now they were her only hope. The young filly crossed the clearing one hoof step at a time. She felt her nervousness rise higher than ever when she stood before the front door again. She hesitated, but then timidly knocked on the door. She didn’t have long to wait. After only a few moments, the door opened and Goldenrod found herself looking up at the mother pegasus. Goldenrod gulped.
The mother pegasus looked sternly down at Goldenrod. “Well, well…,” she said. “Look who we have here. I had a feeling you would come trotting back sooner or later. What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?” she asked her.
Goldenrod could feel herself shaking on her little hooves. She had never before felt so small as she did now. “I-I…” she stammered her reply, “I’m s-sorry, Ma’am. M-May I please have my slippers back?” she asked shakily.
“Oh, you mean these?” asked the mother as she lifted up one of her fore hooves. Goldenrod’s breath caught in her throat. The mother pegasus was wearing Goldenrod’s slippers on her own hooves! “These are very nice shoes,” said the mother. “I think I might just keep them since you broke my favorite vase.”
“P-Please,” said Goldenrod. “T-They were given to me by a very good friend. I… I…” It was at that moment she heard the low rumble of thunder overhead, and looked up to see that the sky was becoming very cloudy. There was a storm coming! As if things were not bad enough, now it was going to rain!
That did it. It was all finally too much for Goldenrod. The young filly fell sobbing at the mother’s hooves. “I’m so sorry!” she cried as her tears fell freely down her cheeks. “I got lost! I was hungry! I felt so badly about the vase! And then I was so scared! I’m so, SO SORRY! I didn’t mean to cause trouble! I really didn’t!” she said between sobs. “Please, what can I do to make this right?” she begged.
The mother’s face softened. She felt sorry for the little filly and spoke kindly to her. “Here,” she said gently as she helped Goldenrod stand up. “Come inside, Dearie. Let’s sit down together. Tell me your name, and we’ll talk about it. Ok?” she asked.
“Ok,” whimpered Goldenrod. Her face was beet red with embarrassment. “M-My name is Goldenrod.” The mother led Goldenrod to the pillow seats near the fireplace. They were soon joined by the father and the young colt. With some soothing from the mother, Goldenrod stopped crying and calmed down.
“There, there,” said the mother, “Felling better, Dearie?” she asked.
“Y-yes,” Goldenrod said with a sniffle. “Thank you… Mrs. Pegasus.”
The mother chuckled at that. “I appreciate that, Dearie, but that is not my name. My name is Windy Gale. You may call me Mrs. Windy. This is my husband, Mr. Nimbus,” she said as she motioned to the father with her hoof and then to the colt, “And our son, Sunray.”
“I…I’m pleased to meet you,” said Goldenrod.
“Likewise,” agreed Nimbus. “Now, then,” he said in a stern, but gentle voice, “I believe we have a few things to talk about, young lady.”
“Y-Yes, Sir, said Goldenrod respectfully. She took a deep breath and then the whole story came out. As the rain fell outside, Goldenrod told the three pegasi all about how she had gotten lost, stumbled upon their house, and then everything up to when she ran away because she was afraid of them. When she was finished, the three pegasi were quiet. “Um…Y-You’re not going to eat me. Are you?” asked Goldenrod nervously.
The silence was immediately broken by laughter as Nimbus and Sunray burst out laughing, and even Windy had a little trouble holding back her own. “No, Dearie,” replied Windy. “We are not going to eat you. We would never do that!”
“Besides,” said Sunray who was still laughing, “How could we eat you anyway? We’re all horses here, and we’re all about the same size!”
“Oh… right,” said Goldenrod. She smiled and began to chuckle herself. “I guess it was pretty silly for me to think that. Still… I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you all, and I’m very sorry about your vase, Mrs. Windy. A-And for intruding on your house.” She looked down at the floor in shame.
“It will be all right, Dearie,” said Windy, as she wrapped one of her wings around Goldenrod in a comforting hug. “I’m sure we can fix everything.
“And we understand that you were just lost and scared,” added Nimbus.
“Wait,” said Goldenrod as she looked up at them. “Are…are you saying that you can forgive me?” she asked hopefully.
“I don’t see why not,” replied Nimbus.
“Of course we can, dearie,” Windy reassured her. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Me too!” added Sunray.
Nimbus looked at his son and grinned. “Are you admitting that you make mistakes,” he asked Sunray, “Or are you trying to agree with the rest of us?” he teased.
Sunray’s face slightly blushed at this. “Y-You know what I meant,” he said quietly.
“Thank you so much!” said Goldenrod. “That makes me feel much better.”
“Very good,” said Nimbus. “Now, young lady,” he said with a little more seriousness in his voice. “What do you think we should do fix this little mess today?”
Goldenrod then she looked up at him again with her answer. “I will gladly do all that I can to help undo the damage I’ve done. Just tell me what I have to do, and I’ll do it.”
“Good answer,” replied Nimbus with a soft smile. “I like your attitude.” He turned to Windy. “What do you think, Dear?” he asked his wife.
“Ah, well…,” said Windy. “Goldenrod didn’t damage all that much, and it was an accident so…” She turned to Goldenrod. “Tell you what, Dearie. You help me make some more dinner and help Nimbus fix my vase, we will call it even and I’ll give you back your slippers. Do we have a deal?” she asked.
“Deal!” agreed Goldenrod with a beaming smile. “And, please, call me Golden.”
Goldenrod followed Windy into the kitchen where they quickly set to work making more of the delicious vegetable stew for dinner. By now all of the bowls had gone cold, so they made four new bowls of stew, one for each pegasus and one for Goldenrod herself. During their meal, Goldenrod and the three pegasi shared stories and laughed about old times as if they were old friends. Goldenrod also noticed the subtle looks Sunray was giving her ever so often, which made her smile.
As they spoke, Goldenrod told her new friends about life in Pony Valley and of her adventures with Princess Cinder Star of Unicornia. The three pegasi were amazed, and in turn told her about life further east on Mount Pegasus. The reason for this was because, Goldenrod learned during the conversation that she had, in fact, crossed over the boarder into Pegasopolis when she got lost in the forest. This, or course, brought back Goldenrod’s curiosity, and she found she had a question of her own for the pegasi. “Mr. Nimbus? Mrs. Windy?” she asked. “Why do you live so far away from all the other pegasi, and right in the middle of a forest?”
Nimbus chuckled. “There are two reasons we live all the way out here, young Golden,” he explained. “The first is because of our job. My wife and I are weather monitors. We observe and record all the weather happening on the boarder and inform the nearest outpost of storms and harsh winds which are heading toward Mount Pegasus and may affect the flight of pegasi.”
“The other reason,” continued Windy, “Is a bit more personal. We don’t agree with the snobbish attitude of the pegasi back east, so we wanted to get away from it. Monitoring the weather gave us the opportunity to move to the western reaches of the empire, and…” she paused as she looked at Sunray with a proud smile, “It gave us the chance to raise our son into a decent, young gentlestallion.”
“Well, yes, that…,” agreed Sunray, “And to teach me the family weather trade.”
“Indeed,” said Nimbus. “We were not home earlier because we saw the coming storm from the sky shortly after Noon today. We saw that it would be a big one, so we flew to the nearest weather outpost to inform the pegasi there of its presence and that it was steadily moving east. The outpost, however, is forty miles away, so it took the three of us some time to fly there and back again.”
“I see,” replied Goldenrod. “That’s very impressive. I’m guessing that you must like your job very much to live on site with what you do.
“Yep!” answered Sunray proudly. “We sure are! Though, when you think about it, it’s really not all that different from the ponies of Pony Valley, since you work your fields and live where you work too.”
Goldenrod nodded her head. “That is true,” she said, as she agreed with him.
After dinner, Goldenrod helped Nimbus carefully glue the broken vase back together. It took some time, but once it was completed, the cracks in it could hardly be seen at all. They returned the vase to its place between the other two, and then they showed it to Windy when they were finished. “Thank you, dear,” she said to Nimbus and gave him a loving kiss. She then turned to Goldenrod and smiled. “Well done, Golden. I’m pleased with you. You did a wonderful job, and, as promised, here are your slippers.”
Windy removed Goldenrod’s golden slippers from her hooves and allowed the young filly to reclaim them. “Thank you!” said Goldenrod as she happily slid her hooves back into her slippers. “Does this mean that I’m free to go now?” she asked politely.
“Yes,” replied Windy, “But, I’m afraid you must stay here for now,” she said as she turned to face the window. “The storm still has not let up, and now the sun has set. As it is, it’s far too dangerous for you to try walking home tonight. You would never make it through the forest.”
Goldenrod looked out the window, and her eyes widened when she saw that it was true. She had been so busy that she had completely forgotten about the storm, and now that night had fallen, it was simply too late and too wet for her to try finding her way back home. “Oh… dear,” said Goldenrod anxiously. “You’re right! But… but what about my father?! He will be so worried about me!”
“Don’t worry,” said Nimbus. “You can stay here tonight, and tomorrow morning we will walk you home. I promise.”
“Ok,” said Goldenrod with a sigh. “I can sleep on the seat pillows if you like,” she offered. “So I won’t bother anyone.”
“Nonsense,” said Sunray. “You can have my bed tonight,” he volunteered. “I will sleep on the seat pillows.”
“And I will join you, Son,” added Nimbus. “We will let the ladies have the bedroom to themselves.”
“Th-Thank you,” said Goldenrod. “You are so very kind.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Golden,” said Windy. “Now let’s get some sleep. We will have a busy day tomorrow.”
Goldenrod followed Windy into the bedroom, while Nimbus and Sunray made themselves comfortable on the seat pillows in the living space. Goldenrod had some trouble falling asleep that night. The bed was comfortable, and it was quiet, save for the sound of the rain outside, but the young filly couldn’t help but feel worried about her father. She was glad that Windy was there to keep her company that night, and she finally fell asleep.
The next morning, Goldenrod awoke feeling refreshed. The storm had passed, and now sunlight shone through the window. She got up from the bed, slipped on her golden slippers, and trotted out of the bedroom. She found the pegasus family already in the kitchen around the table. “Good morning,” she greeted her new friends cheerfully.
“Good morning, Golden,” said Windy as she placed a bowl of biscuits on the table and then sat down beside it.
“Here, have a biscuit or two,” encouraged Nimbus as he took one himself. “It’s not much of a breakfast, but you will need your strength for today when we walk to Pony Valley.”
Goldenrod nodded and did as Nimbus said. They each had two biscuits, and they tasted better with a little butter. When they were finished Goldenrod and the three pegasi left the little house and walked due west across the clearing and into the forest. The three pegasi had chosen to walk instead of fly so they could stay with Goldenrod and show her the way through the forest.
“Follow us, Golden,” said Sunray encouragingly, “And you won’t get lost again.”
The four horses kept a steady pace as they trotted through the forest. Goldenrod was happy to be going home at last and was eager to get there. Before long they came to the hollow log, which Goldenrod recognized, and she quickly noticed that the log was actually pointing in the direction of the little house. She would remember this so she could visit them again in the future. Soon after they set hoof on the narrow forest path from which Goldenrod had strayed. They followed the path through the rest of the woods and come out on the other side where the fields of Pony Valley awaited them beyond the meadow.
The three pegasi could have turned around and returned home at this point, but they did not. They resolved to go with Goldenrod the whole way to make sure she arrived safely at her home. As the four of them crossed over the fields, they came across a heard of ponies coming quickly toward them, and right up front in the lead was Mustard Seed. Everyone stopped quickly when they saw each other. Many gasps and the whispered word, ‘pegasi’ could be heard from the crowd of ponies. This was drowned out by the pure emotion that happened next that could only warm the hearts of all those present.
“Golden!” Mustard Seed whinnied as he ran toward his daughter.
“Daddy!” Goldenrod whinnied as she ran toward her father.
The two met in the middle and hugged each other tightly. “Oh, Golden!” said Mustard joyfully as tears ran down both of their cheeks. “Thank Goodness! I was so worried about you! We all were!”
“I know, Daddy,” replied Goldenrod. “I’m so sorry! I was worried about you too, but I’m here now.”
After a few moments, the father and daughter turned to address the three pegasi. Nimbus spoke first. “Good morning. I’m sorry we could not get here sooner. The storm last night made travel impossible. Goldenrod got lost in the forest, but luckily she found us, and so we helped he find her way back here.”
“These are my friends, Daddy,” said Goldenrod happily. “These are Mr. Nimbus, Mrs. Windy Gale, and Sunray! They are all pegasi and very kind too!”
“I am very grateful to you for bringing her home,” said Mustard. He walked forward and touched hooves with Nimbus. “I hope my daughter wasn’t too much trouble.”
“She will have to tell you all about her little adventure,” replied Windy. “And I do mean all of it.” She winked at Goldenrod.
“Please,” said Mustard. “Join me for breakfast as my guests! It’s the least I can do.”
“We would be honored,” replied Nimbus. “Thank you, good Sir.”
The ponies that had gathered then went their own ways, but they continued to talk excitedly about the three pegasi visitors for the rest of the day, while they were guests at Mustard Seed and Goldenrod’s house.
It was over breakfast that Mustard learned all about Goldenrod’s mistakes and Goldenrod learned just how worried her father had been about her. When Goldenrod had failed to come back by dinner time, Mustard had gone out and searched the eastern fields for her, but to no avail. He then called upon some of his friends and neighbors to form a search party and look through the Forest. The search was unfortunately halted by the storm and they had to wait until sunrise to go on. Mustard had gotten very little sleep and had wanted to search through the storm, but was wisely convinced not to go out in it. All the while had been worried sick for his beloved daughter, and was relieved beyond words to see her walking toward him that morning.
After Goldenrod and the three pegasi filled in Mustard with their experiences and little adventure together, Mustard looked sternly at his daughter. “Goldenrod,” he scolded her, “Didn’t I tell you not to get lost, not to stay out too late, and not to lose your slippers?”
“You did,” answered Goldenrod shamefully. “But I was careless. I should have heeded your words. I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“Indeed, young lady,” said Mustard. “However, I can see that you have learned your lesson, and that it’s one that you will take to heart.” He reached over to Goldenrod and brought her close again for a hug and smiled. “But, most of all, I am happy to see you safe and unharmed. Please promise me that you will be much more careful in the future, Golden.”
“Yes, Daddy,” said Goldenrod. She smiled warmly as she hugged her father back. “I promise I will!”
“Good,” said Mustard. “That’s all I ask of you.”
Nimbus turned and looked at Sunray. “I hope you’re listening as well to this,” he said to him. “Because that is all we ask of you too.”
“Yes, Father,” said Sunray. “I understand perfectly.” Everyone couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
When it was time for the pegasi to return home, Nimbus and Windy both gave Goldenrod a hug with their wings. However, when Goldenrod walked up to Sunray, she surprised him by giving him a little kiss on his cheek. He blushed bright red all over red at once. “W-W-What was that for, Golden?” asked Sunray.
“To thank you for letting me sleep on your bed last night,” answered Golden who had a little blush of her own. “I had to give you back something in return. So…, thanks, Sunray!” she added with a small giggle.
“Y-Your welcome,” replied Sunray still blushing. “It was just the right thing to do.”
Goldenrod promised to visit the pegasi family often, and they promised to visit her in Pony Valley as well. This would be the start of a beautiful friendship.
. . .
The three pegasi became regular visitors to Pony Valley from then on, and Goldenrod never got lost in the forest again whenever she went to visit them. When Goldenrod and Sunray were a little older they began to see each other more often, and their friendship blossomed into love. Eventually, four years to the day they first met, Sunray asked Goldenrod to marry him, and she said yes.
Princess Cinder Star of Unicornia returned to Pony Valley to witness the wedding of her dear friend Goldenrod. Her husband, Prince Majestic, came with her along with their children, Princess Serenity and Prince Evergreen. Like Mustard Seed, Cinder Star couldn’t have been more proud of Goldenrod that day.
After the wedding, Cinder Star asked her friend, “Golden, how ever did you meet such a wonderful stallion as Sunray, who is just as lucky to have someone as special as you?”
“Why, that was easy!” laughed Goldenrod. “I just followed your example. I lost my slippers!”
Goldenrod was very excited to meet Cinder Star’s children. When she did, she couldn’t help but smile and say, “I told you, you would make a great mother, Cinder Star!”
“And so will you,” replied Cinder Star, and she would indeed be right.
Goldenrod and Sunray moved into their own little house in Pony Valley, and eventually, just a little over a year later, Goldenrod would give birth to twins, a little colt and a little filly. They would be a unique and wonderful family together. The filly, Cirrus, would be a pegasus just like her father, Sunray, and soar high in the clouds. The colt, Stratus, would be a pony like his mother, Goldenrod, but he would be the swiftest of hoof, and run nearly as fast as his sister could fly. And they lived happily ever after.
The End.
