Angel Hooves woke up on a pleasant day, greeted by the familiar sight of her coltfriend, Pipsqueak. (Don't worry, he's older and out of school!) She saw Pip putting on a pair of red socks with two swords crossed in an X shape on each.
"I don't see what the big deal about socks is, Pip." Said Angel, lazily getting out of bed.
"You don't? I think they're lots of fun. They can have anything on them. And they're so cheap to buy too!" Said Pip, his admiration for socks clear on his face.
Angel just groaned. She didn't like socks. Everybody wore socks, but her. She hoped it was just a fad, and not a permanent thing. In the past few weeks, when Angel went to town, everybody BUT her wore socks. She even received a few scowls and taunts from other ponies. Once a griffon almost even got in a hoof/claw fight with Angel.
This only made her hate socks even more.
"Maybe if you were to discover your passion for socks, people would find you more likeable!" Said Pipsqueak, who finally finished putting on all four socks.
"I'm telling you, socks are worthless!" Said Angel.
"That's your opinion." Replied Pip.
Angel let out a grunt of frustration. "You know, I'm just going to go to work now." Said Angel, not turning around to say goodbye.
~~~
It was even worse at work than in town. Not only did all the other mailmares wear socks, they wore socks all over them. Derpy even had socks on her head. When Angel turned her head, and looked back again, she found Derpy nibbling on a pink striped sock.
"You know, Hoovsies, why don't you just put on some socks, for at least a day?" Said Derpy, handing Angel 7 socks with Angel's cutie mark of a halo surrounding a crystal heart.
Angel hated when Derpy called her Hoovsies. "One, call me Angel. Two, I have four hooves, not 7. Three, I DON'T WANT TO WEAR ANY SOCKS!!!"
Angel knew she made a mistake when tears welled up inside Derpy.
"Derpy, I'm--" But she was interrupted by the Derpy wailing and the other ponies in town turning heads to look at the pair.
Angel never meant to hurt anybody, but she always did without meaning it.
Angel just walked off, head drooped and ears low.
"Angel, you gotta learn to control your anger!" Said Pip, who had caught wind of the sock incident with Derpy very soon after it happened.
"I don't know... Maybe I just need to relax a little." Said Angel, feeling bad for Derpy.
"That's it! You should go to Zecora's! She'll have a way to fix you right up." Exclaimed Pip, a bright smile illuminating his face.
And that was how Angel entered the Everfree forest for the first time, and almost got scared out of her wits by a twig.
Angel walked through the forest nervously. She knew there wasn't any real danger in this part of the forest, but it was the stories that scared her.
Then a squirrel stepped on a twig and Angel flew faster than a Wonderbolt to Zecora's, eyes shut in fear.
Angel couldn't fly very well, but when she was scared, she'd be gone in an instant. It was a wonder she never smashed into a thing when she flew with her eyes closed.
Angel stopped right in front of Zecora's even more scared by it's decor. Angel gently tapped a hoof on the door, and Zecora answered.
"Ah, hello, Angel. What brings you here?" Asked Zecora, who was noticeably not wearing any socks.
Angel smiled at the thought of her not being the only pony who didn't always wear socks.
"I need some advice. Everypony around me is always wearing socks, and I don't get the point. Once I almost got in a hoof fight with somegriffon about it! It's horrible!" Said Angel, tears welling up in her eyes.
