Accident woke up to the sound of muttered conversation from downstairs. Her little fluffy blue ears perked as she rolled over on her mattress, straining to hear.

“...Yeah, well I’m not going to pay to feed her anymore!” Came a mare’s voice. It was a beautiful high Canterlot accent, and Accident knew it very well indeed. It was her mum! She loved her mum very much, and she was always excited to see her on Visiting Day. Still, it wasn’t anywhere near Saturday, yet.

Perhaps mum’s gotten impatient and couldn’t wait another week to see me! The young filly thought to herself excitedly, struggling out of the tangle of sheets and scampering over to the attic hatch. She put her ear to the floor, listening to the conversation downstairs. She could hardly wait for the moment when her mum pulled the ladder down and came up to see her!

Accident was a very small filly, though she didn’t really know enough ponies her age to assess her relative size. She had a neatly brushed blue coat and a hazel brown mane that she wore in braids. Her most striking feature, however, was her wings. They were far bigger than a pegasus’s wings really ought to be, dragging along the floor even when she tucked them in by her sides. Accident loved her great big wings. She even kept a collection of all of the feathers she’d pulled out every time she’d preened, though her mum and dad didn’t know about it.

Right now, both of them were beating excitedly. Accident was so excited about her mum’s surprise Visiting Day that she couldn’t contain herself. She let out a cheerful little squee, doing an impatient dance on the spot as she struggled to keep her ear to the floor.

“It was your stupid fault for knocking me up!” Mum continued. “You told me you were safe! She’s your responsibility!”

“Mine?” Dad replied. “Neither of us knew that this was going to happen. It’s been five years. Just get the fuck over it and keep sending us money, or grow some balls and sort it out yourself! I’m through taking care of her if it means I have to put up with your weekly fucking rant!”

“You know what?” Mum replied. “I will take care of it myself! One of us has to fucking do it. We agreed when she was born like...well...that.”

Accident could barely contain herself at this point. She bounced up and down a little, lifting off of the ground as her big wings kept fluttering. What was going on was blatantly obvious. Clearly her mum and dad were planning a big party for her, like they’d had last week when she’d turned five years old! They no doubt wanted to make up for forgetting it last year by having an extra-special one today! Both her parents would be there, and maybe some of those other relatives that mum kept telling her about! She was probably going to meet the whole family!

Accident corrected herself as she touched the ceiling of her attic, dropping down onto the floor and trotting over to her special little vanity in the corner. She pulled herself onto her stool and flicked the lamp on, beaming at her reflection. Her bright green eyes were full of barely contained excitement, glowing a little in the half-light. Her shoulders shook with tiny giggles as she began to work on her mane, pulling her scrunchies out and starting to carefully wind strands of hair around each other. After all, she had to look pretty for her mum and anypony else she was bringing over!

The young filly worked feverishly to make herself look as pretty as possible, braiding both her mane and tail before getting to work on her wings. Fortunately it sounded as if her parents had taken their conversation downstairs. That gave her more time to tidy herself up. While she really liked her wings and they were super-useful, they were very difficult to tidy up. Accident could barely reach the outermost feathers, occasionally going so far as to just jam them in her closet door and tug with her wing until the loose ones came out. It didn’t hurt, and she always felt clean and tidy afterwards, so it was worth the extra stress.

Finally, Accident was satisfied with her appearance, giving herself one last look in the mirror. She glanced at her flank, giving a soft little huff of reproach. Surely her relatives wouldn’t mind, though. She was pretty certain that none of them had their cutie marks at her age, though her mum had never told her when she’d gotten hers. Maybe that was a question to ask today!

I wonder how many ponies are in my family! She thought to herself, skipping back over to her bed and tidying it up. I bet it’s dozens! No, hundreds! I’ll have brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts. Oh my gosh, maybe I’ve got a big brother or sister who could teach me how to fly properly! Oooh, or a third cousin twice removed who’s, like, Captain of the Wonderbolts! They’d teach me to fly for sure! Heck, maybe they’d even give me a chance to try out for the team! Mum and dad would be so proud of me!

Accident galloped back to the attic hatch, listening at the floor again. The conversation was louder this time. Maybe mum and dad knew that Accident was smart enough to see through their little “surprise party” bit. She’d always been pretty perceptive, if she did say so herself.

“There’s no way I’m gonna be responsible for that!” Dad said from downstairs. “If you think you could live with it for the rest of your life, fine, but you do it. Leave me out of this!”

Accident nodded sagely. Dad probably wasn’t brilliant at organising party guests. Mum definitely seemed like more the type of pony who’d be good at that sort of thing. She was all prim and proper and took very good care of her appearance.

“It wouldn’t be the first.” Mum replied. “It’s not as hard as you’d think, and it’s necessary. I know that you clearly don’t concern yourself with it, but I’ve got a reputation to think about.”

The young filly nodded again, though there was nopony else in the room. Mum was no doubt working out how to seat all of the guests so that Accident wouldn’t spend her first big party ever with a load of bickering aunts and uncles.

The conversation was over, and Accident heard hoofsteps coming up the stairs onto the landing. She didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping or mum might be disappointed that she didn’t get to surprise Accident herself! Quickly, the young filly backed up, tripping over her overlarge wings as she made her way back to the vanity. She tried her best to contain her giggling as she pretended to be doing her mane.

The attic hatch popped open, the long ladder sliding down onto the landing, and a moment later her mum’s head popped up. She was a unicorn who carried herself with all of the class and grace of the princesses themselves. Her coat was whiter than white, her mane a pastel red, tied up in a bun behind her head. As their eyes met through the vanity mirror, Mum gave a bright friendly smile.

Okay, let’s pretend to be nice and surprised. I don’t wanna spoil anything for her!

“Why, mum! It’s you!” Accident gasped dramatically, turning around and clapping her forehooves to her cheeks. “But it’s not Visiting Day until Saturday! Whatever could you be doing here?”

“Oh, now come on, sweetie. Do I really need an excuse to come and see the most special little filly in the whole wide world?” Mum asked smoothly, clambering up into the attic and beaming down at her daughter.

Accident hopped off of her stool, trotting over to her mother and nuzzling her chest, closing her eyes and smiling wider than ever before. Her cheeks were starting to hurt, but she didn’t care. She knew that whatever her mum had in store for her today would be the best thing that had ever happened to her.

“Awww, come on mum! I know you’re up to something! You can’t fool me!” Accident giggled, putting her forehooves on the unicorn’s chest as she gazed up into her eyes.

“Well…” Mum said reluctantly, not meeting Accident’s gaze. “Okay, you got me. I do have a little surprise planned for you. How would you like to go on a very special trip?” She asked, grinning.

“A trip? Like, outside?” Accident bounced up and down on her hind legs a little, wings fluttering excitedly. “I’d love to! Where are we going?”

“Like I said, it’s a surprise.” Said Mum, tapping her nose with her forehoof and winking. “So you’ve got to wear a blindfold too, okay?”

“A blindfold? Oh, I get it, so the surprise is more surprising!” Accident nodded. “Can I just close my eyes? I won’t peek, I promise!”

“Sure you won’t.” Mum stuck her tongue out, chuckling. “Come on, I want to make sure that this surprise is extra-special for you. Will you do it for me?”

Accident cringed, giving a squeaky little groan of reluctance. “Awwww...sure! But only because it’s for you, all right?” She hugged her mother again, burying her little muzzle in the unicorn’s mane and sighing softly. “But...I’ve gotta tell you a secret first.” She lowered her voice, glancing around to make sure that there were no would-be eavesdroppers present.

“Oh, and what’s that, then?” Mum asked, lowering her head down to her daughter’s level and perking her ears expectantly.

The little filly nuzzled the mare’s cheek, whispering in her ear as if she was about to unveil the megaspell codes. “I love you sooooo much. You’re the best mum in the whole wide world.” She giggled, skipping around the unicorn again before finally straining to stand still and wait.

“Okay, close your eyes, sweetie.” Her mother chuckled, cocking her head as she cast a spell. A little blindfold made of silk appeared in mid-air, wrapping itself around Accident’s eyes. “Now then, can you see?”

“Nuh-uh!” Accident shook her head. It was wrapped around her head pretty tight. “I’m gonna need you to show me the way, though. I can’t see a thing!”

“Good!” Mum smiled, tussling Accident’s mane. “We wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, would we?”

“No way! I bet it’s gonna be wonderful! Thank you...in advance, I mean.” She smiled, holding out her hooves and reaching out to the air in front of her for a hug. Her mum rolled her eyes, stepping in front of her little daughter and catching her before she could overbalance.

“There’s no need to thank me, Accident. Now, are you ready to go?”

“Yeah!” Accident nodded. “Oh, wait! Can I hug Scruffy goodbye first? We might be gone a while if it’s what I think it is!”

“I’ve got a better idea.” Mum grinned, her horn flaring as she levitated the little cuddly pony toy onto Accident’s back. “Why don’t you take him with us, so he can keep you company?”

“That’s a great idea! Then I can introduce him to everypony, right?” Accident beamed, nuzzling her favourite cuddly toy and letting him ride on her back as she herself clambered awkwardly on top of her mum.

“That’s right!” Mum said, chuckling. “Now, how about we get going, huh? We don’t want to keep everypony waiting.”

“Yeah! I can’t wait!” Accident jabbed her hind hooves into her mother’s sides, spurring her onward.

“Okay, okay! Calm down, little one. We won’t be long, I promise.” Her mother giggled, descending the stairs and pointedly not making eye contact with Accident’s father. He looked between her and the excited smiling little filly on her back, opening his mouth to speak.

The unicorn rounded on him, giving him a very severe gaze that silenced him before he’d even had a chance to speak. The stallion bowed his head, letting her get on with her business. His hooves were tied. There was nothing more that he could do.

“Hey, be...be safe, okay kid?” He said quietly as the two ponies descended the staircase to the front door.

“I will, dad! Don’t worry! I’m gonna have loads of fun and I’ll tell you all about it when I get back, okay?” Accident grinned, turning her head and smiling blindly at her father.

“I’d like that.” He half-whispered, turning tail and walking back to his room with his muzzle inches from the floor.

“Come along, Accident.” Mum said, pulling the front door open and disappearing out into the street. The little filly suppressed the urge to take her blindfold off. She’d never been outside before.

Accident couldn’t help it. She spread her wings and perked her ears up as high as they could go, letting the wind rush over her as her mother trotted along.

“Everything feels so weird!” She commented. The only sounds to be heard were the gentle clip-clop of her mother’s hooves on the asphalt, interspersed with the distant marching of guards. Accident knew that she was in the middle of the big city, so surely it ought to be louder than this, right? “Hey, where is everypony?”

“You’d better not be peeking, Accident!” Mum said in a sing-song voice. “They’ve probably all gone to bed. It’s night-time, sweetie!”

“Wow! I thought it was kinda quiet!” Accident nodded understandingly. “So this is a special night-time party?”

“Sure is!” Mum replied. “There’ll be lights and ponies to meet and all sorts of wonderful things to do!”

“Oh wow, I can’t wait! Thank you so much for this!” Accident giggled. She sat there atop her mother in quiet excitement before her thought from earlier struck her. “Mum? How did you get your cutie mark? Like, how old were you?”

“Oh, you’re worried about that?” Mum chuckled. She really did have a laugh that could light up the night...or perhaps they were just passing under a lamp-post. “Well, I was about eleven when I got mine. Don’t worry, Accident. You’ll find your special talent someday, but you’ve got to give it time, okay? It’s not a race.”

“Okay, mum. I’ll keep trying to find out what I’m good at, and when I get it I’ll come and show you first, all right?”

“Deal.” Her mother smiled, finally coming to a halt.

Accident glanced around, not daring to remove the blindfold just yet. Not until mum told her to. It felt like they’d been riding for hours. Accident doubted that she’d even recognise this part of the city, and not just because all she’d ever seen of it was what she’d been able to spy out of the window when she’d been allowed downstairs now and then.

“Are we there?” Accident bounced up and down in the saddle, pulling Scruffy off of her back and squeezing him tightly. Maybe in a few seconds everypony was going to jump out and yell “Surprise!”

“We sure are. Now I want you to keep that blindfold on for the time being.” Her mum said cheerily, levitating Accident off of her back and down onto something soft. “I’m just going to head off and get something. Are you going to be okay to stay here for a little while?”

“‘I’ll stay here as long as you need me to! Just don’t make me wait too long, okay?” She giggled, giving her mother one last parting nuzzle. “And don’t forget to give Scruffy a kiss, too!”

Mum laughed quietly, kissing Scruffy on the nose as Accident held the little plushie pony out for her. “Now, will you be a good girl and stay here?”

Accident nodded eagerly. “Promise!”

“Okay then. Take care, sweetie. I won’t be long.” Mum said soothingly, trotting away.

As soon as the sound of her mother’s hoofsteps had faded away, Accident squeezed Scruffy as tightly as she could. “I should’ve done something with you, too. I can’t imagine what everypony’s gonna say when they see how you look.” She said to the plushie accusingly.

After a moment of silence, she rolled her eyes and kissed him on the nose. “No, not me! I love you no matter how scruffy you are! You know that! It’s just...I wanna make a good first impression, you know?”

Accident waited for a very long while, bouncing up and down with excitement as she sat there in silence.

“Hey, do you know what’d be super-cheeky?” She said slyly. “I’m gonna take my blindfold off and see where we are! Maybe I’ll even get a good look at all of the ponies trying to hide so that they can jump out and shout “surprise!” What do you think, Scruffy?” She held the toy up to her ear, biting her lip and nodding. “I know, right? It’s the best plan ever!”

With that, she gently sat Scruffy down next to her, reaching behind her head and undoing the blindfold. It was made of black silk, strong material that stretched a little as Accident tugged on it. Finally, the blindfold slid off her face, wrapping around her neck like a little scarf, and Accident got a wonderful look at…

“Cardboard?” She cocked her head, blinking blearily in the moonlight and glancing around, taking stock of her strange surroundings. She was sitting on a little pillow with Scruffy, surrounded on all sides by four big walls made of cardboard. There was no ceiling, however, and Accident could see the stars twinkling overhead.

“Wow, Scruffy! Do you see that?” She asked, dispelling the confusion in her mind for just a moment. It wasn’t every day you got to see the night sky for the first time. She clutched her little cuddly toy to her chest as she gazed up at the universe with childlike wonder. Today had been a day of firsts for her, more than she could really process all in one go. There were many questions running through her mind, like exactly how her mum had gotten her cutie mark, what she was doing in this big cardboard box, or for that matter where her mum had gone. Accident was feeling the tiniest vestiges of panic, but she knew in her heart that her mum would come back for her any second now. For the time being, she contented herself with looking at the stars and following the passage of the moon across the sky.

In time, Accident grew more and more impatient, the panic beginning to build up inside her chest like a weight wrapped around her heart. She knew that it wouldn’t be long now. Her mum had been gone so long that the sky was turning red as the moon started to set.

“She’s been gone a long time, Scruffy…” Accident said doubtfully. Wrapping a hoof around the plushie’s head, she made him nod enthusiastically in agreement.

“Maybe we’re supposed to find our way out of here ourselves?” She suggested.

Scruffy nodded again.

“Well, there’s only one way we’re gonna get out of here!” She smiled, spreading her wings as far as they’ll go as she sat Scruffy on her back. “It’s okay! We’ll be out of here and celebrating with the others in no time! Don’t you worry!” She wiggled her flanks, taking a leap at the cardboard wall and bouncing off of it unceremoniously.

“That’s okay, Scruffy. We can keep trying! Besides, if we mess up we’ve got this great pillow to land on!” She said consolingly.

Accident took as much of a run-up as she could get in such a small box, leaping up at the edge again and again with her best friend on her back. The box was too narrow for her to spread her wings to help her, and again and again she slid back down onto the pillow where she landed with a great thud.

Finally, on her thirtieth attempt, her hooves caught the edge of the box. Accident lifted herself over the rim, looking out into the street beyond.

This, she decided, was what being born probably feels like. The transition from blindness to the box, and then this sight...it was like being introduced to the world for the first time.

“Hey, world!” She giggled, waving and nearly slipping back into the box.. “My name’s Accident! Do you wanna be my friend?”

As she peered around at the street where her box lay, her face fell slightly. The road was quiet, devoid of life save for her, and it didn’t look like the sort of neighbourhood where anypony would have a party, even a surprise one.

“Mu...mum?” She ventured nervously. “Are you there?”

Nopony answered her.

“This is a terrible surprise party…” She muttered after a while, holding Scruffy up like a periscope. “Do you see her?”

Accident spread her enormous wings, using them to hold her atop the box as she made Scruffy shake his head mournfully, insofar as a plushie can look sad about anything. Accident looked at him reproachfully. It was almost as if he knew something that she didn’t about the whole situation and wasn’t telling her anything. Maybe he was in on the surprise party, too!

“What secrets are you hiding, Scruffy?” She pouted up at him. “We have ways of making you talk, you know! I can tickle you until you fess up! Don’t think I won’t!”

The plushie didn’t respond, just staring back at her with the quiet contemplative expression of cuddly toys everywhere.

“Awww...you’re right, Scruffy. I couldn’t stay mad at you.” Accident nuzzled his cheek and clutched him tightly to her chest.

As she hugged him, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She was leaning over the edge of the box a little, and caught a glimpse of something written on it in bold black marker. Accident struggled to try and read upside-down, trying not to overbalance herself as she went. She wasn’t bad at reading for a pony her age.

“Filly...free...to...good...home…” She frowned, glancing across at Scruffy. “Um...that doesn’t sound right. I’ve already got a good home! Mum must be super-confused if...she...thinks...that...oh…”

Accident fell silent as the things she’d overheard back at the house came back to her. Her mother’s comments, the blindfolding, her dad being so quiet that day. Events were starting to fall into place, painting a new picture for Accident.

She didn’t like it.

“Mum?” She called out, louder this time. Perhaps she could still be reasoned with. “Mum? I’m not meant to be in this box! There’s been some kind of mistake!”

Only silence answered her. Accident whirled round in her box, frantically looking for her.

“Mum?” She cried out, her voice shaking as she tried to hold back panicked tears. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry! I’ll do better next time, I promise! I just wanna go home now. Please take me home!”

Once more, nopony answered her, least of all her mother. Accident knew somewhere deep in her body that her mum was long gone, but she wasn’t willing to admit it just yet.

“Mum? Please!” She sniffled, turning to her little stuffed buddy with confusion and panic. “I don’t get it, Scruffy. Didn’t I tell her I love her enough? Was I supposed to do it more? Why didn’t she tell me what I was doing wrong? Why can’t I go home? I wanna go home…” She embraced her only friend in the world as tightly as she could, shaking with quiet sniffling sobs.

“What did I do wrong?” She whispered softly. “If I was being a bad filly, why didn’t she tell me? Was this because I was sick a couple months back? I didn’t get her sick too, did I?”

The young pony raised herself up, flapping her wings experimentally. “Mum? This isn’t funny anymore! I’m kinda getting scared! I don’t wanna go to a new home! I wanna go back to my old one! I’ll be good! I promise I’ll be good…” She bowed her head when nopony answered yet again, openly crying now. “Anypony? Please! There’s...there’s been a mistake! I’m...I’m lost!”

Accident wiped her tears away as she lowered her head, looking down at Scruffy with a shaky little smile.

“It’s okay, Scruffy. There’s no need to be scared. Somepony’ll come and help us out sooner or later. You’ll see.”

As the sun rose over Canterlot, ponies began making their way to work, going about their daily business as they had done for years. Accident’s ears perked as the first few ponies came clip-clopping down the street towards her. She struggled to scale the inside of her box again, holding herself up by her wings as she waved desperately at them.

“Um...hello? I’m kind of in a lot of trouble. I can’t find my mum, and...hey!” She pouted as the first few commuters practically galloped past, not even stopping to make eye contact with her.

“It’s okay, Scruffy. I’m sure that those ponies were just busy, that’s all.” Accident shrugged. “Besides, there’s loads of ponies in this city! I bet one of them’ll talk to us!”

She beamed at another group of approaching ponies. This time it was a gaggle of mares, gossiping about who-knows-what. Accident listened in, and though she didn’t exactly know what “colt-cuddling” meant, she was sure that it must be pretty funny since the lot of them were laughing. They seemed like friendly ponies!

“Excuse me? Ladies?” She squeaked, waving both of her forehooves like a stranded sailor and nearly slipping back into her box. “I kinda really need help! My mum’s missing and she was meant to come back for me but she didn’t and I’ve gotta get home before anypony worries about me and…and...oh…” She sighed as they too passed her by, not even looking at her. Accident lay her head down on her crossed forelegs.

“I guess colt-cuddling must be more interesting than fillies.” She said quietly.

For the longest time, Accident sat there in quiet contemplation, before her ears perked again. There was a rumbling noise, like an approaching stampede, and it was getting closer. The young filly raised her head, peering down the street curiously.

“Wow, that’s a lot of ponies!” She smiled, her wings fluttering excitedly as she caught sight of the horde of morning commuters. “I bet there’s at least one of them who’ll stop and say hi!” She giggled excitedly. “We’re gonna make some new friends, Scruffy! Okay, big smiles. We don’t wanna look really sad or lonely otherwise nopony’ll wanna talk to us.”

Balancing Scruffy on her shoulders so that he could peek over her head, Accident waved her hooves again. “Hey everypony! My name’s Accident! I’m kinda in a bit of trouble. Can one of you help?” She called out to the crowd of heedless stallions and mares. As the first of them passed her, she found her voice drowned out by their chattering, reduced to flailing her hooves and trying to make herself heard over the noise.

“Sir, could you help me? Oh, that’s okay, you’re busy…” She glanced around. “Ma’am, can you help…? Okay then…” She looked down at the words written on her box, frowning. “Come on, guys! It even says free filly! I’m housebroken and everything, and I’ll keep real quiet if you want me to! Could somepony please...just...help me…?” She trailed off, wide-eyed with fear and confusion as everyone went about their business, ignoring her without exception. One of them even bumped into her box, unbalancing Accident and sending her tumbling back onto the pillow with a grunt. Fortunately, Scruffy broke her fall.

“Sorry Scruffy. I’ll make it up to you when I can get you some bandages, I promise.” She muttered, giving the plushie a little cuddle and staring out of the box again. The noises from beyond the cardboard cell changed from general banter and gossip to the thunder of armoured hooves. A guard’s whistle pierced the relative peace of the Canterlot morning.

Guards! They’ll help me! That’s what they’re supposed to do, right? Accident leapt up and down, trying to make herself as obvious as possible. Maybe if they saw her, they’d be able to return her to her mum! She was probably worried sick about Accident by now.

“All right lads, spread out and find her! She can’t have gotten far!” Came an authoritative voice from just beyond the box. “Regroup in five minutes, and if you find her, send up a flare. Got it?”

“Yes sir!” Came some other voices, speaking in unison.

“You hear that, Scruffy? They must be looking for me!” Accident squee’d, redoubling her efforts to get out of the box so that the guards could see. After all, even though it did say “free filly to good home” on her box, some ponies were just really bad a hide and seek, and Accident really wanted someone to find her. Anypony.

As she hauled herself up again, she looked around and saw a group of monstrous stallions dispersed throughout the crowd. The nearest one was a snow-white stallion, a unicorn with a blond mane and tail. He kind of reminded Accident of her mum!

“Excuse me!” She called, reaching out to tug on his tail. “Mister Guard, sir? Were you looking for me, by any chance? I’m in a whole lot of trouble! Could you please help me? I’m kinda lost, and…”

“There she is!” He barked, galloping off into the crowd in pursuit of some unseen criminal. Accident, whose hoof had been just inches from the guard’s tail, slumped back and sighed.

“We were close that time!” She smiled softly at Scruffy. “We almost got him to turn around!”

She tried again and again, waving to every passing pony she could pick out of the crowd and begging them for help. She tried to fluff herself up as much as possible to make herself extra-cuddly in the hope that somepony would stop just to give her a sympathetic hug. She’d never had too many hugs, but she really needed one now.

Finally, the crowds thinned as rush hour ended, and Accident gave a frustrated whinny. “Why doesn’t anypony like fillies?” she asked aloud.

Once again, only silence answered her. Accident couldn’t even enjoy seeing the sun for the first time, nor the blue sky overhead. She felt panicked and stressed. The noise, the apathy of the world around her, the questions that burned so hotly in her mind that they were in danger of setting her skull on fire.

“Why did mum go away, Scruffy? Why’d she leave me here? Why won’t anypony talk to me?”

She sat there in silence as the biggest question of all, the one that encapsulated all the others, loomed over her like a monolith.

“What’s wrong with me?”

Accident looked into Scruffy’s eyes as if expecting him to spring to life and give her the answers she needed. She was confused, scared and lonely, and this time not even Scruffy’s kind smile and fluffy little body was making her feel any better.

Maybe I’m just not trying hard enough… Accident thought to herself. I mean, these are busy ponies, right? Maybe I’ve gotta show them that I’m not gonna get in the way! They’ll take me in for sure if they know I’m not gonna be a bother, and then maybe they can take me back to my mum and dad when they’ve got the time!

Accident smiled again, scampering to the top of the box again and poking her muzzle out. She scanned the street, spying only a few ponies trotting down the sidewalk now. It was pretty slim pickings, but perhaps with fewer distractions one of them would stop and talk to her!

“Sir? Wanna help out a filly? I give really great hugs and I eat all my vegetables and everything!” Accident offered, flapping her wings with a certain desperation. “I’m free, too! I won’t cost anypony anything, I promise!”

The stallion, like everypony else, ignored her. To be fair, he was on the other side of the street. Perhaps he hadn’t heard her!

“EXCUSE ME! SIR?” Accident called out. She didn’t really like raising her voice, but he seemed to be the only pony around at the moment, and there were an awful lot of dark clouds in the sky that had her worried. She was suddenly very keen to get taken in, just for a little while.

A little droplet of water struck her head and she let out a squeak. That was far colder than she’d expected it to be. She’d never been rained on before, but Accident had already decided that she didn’t like it.

“Ooh, look Scruffy! There’s another one! Ma’am! MA’AM! Want to help out a filly? I’ve lost my mum and I’ve got big huggy wings! I’ll totally trade you a lifetime supply of hugs if you help me find her!” She pleaded with the passing mare, who did give her a passing glance as she went by.

“Please?” Accident smiled hopefully, tucking her hooves up under her chin.

The mare certainly looked sad, but she shook her head and muttered something that sounded vaguely apologetic before hurrying on her way. More raindrops hit the street around Accident as the clouds grew ever thicker.

Accident’s face fell again as the mare disappeared around a corner. The filly sighed quietly.

“It’s kinda hard to keep smiling and say you’d make somepony’s life real special when nopony likes you…” She curled up on the pillow, hugging Scruffy tightly and letting her wings splay out by her sides. There was really nothing she could do until somepony took the time to look into the box and see her for themselves. Her hooves and wings were tired from her holding onto the edge of the box for the better part of the day. Besides, right now curling up was just about the only thing she could do to stop herself from being struck by the rain.

“I wanna go home…” She muttered, squeaking and whimpering as each droplet landed on her coat and feathers. The rain grew heavier and heavier over time, and all Accident could do was tuck Scruffy under her wing so that he wouldn’t get wet. She needed him to be okay. She’d lost everything else today.

Eventually the heavens opened up fully, a veritable storm engulfing the city. Water poured from the sky in torrents, soaking the cardboard of Accident’s box and letting the ink run. Lightning struck overhead, lighting up the world as it arced from the clouds to the city’s tallest towers. Accident curled up tighter, shuddering with every deafening rumble of thunder that followed. She was shivering now, cold and soaking wet with nopony to go home to and no idea where she was.

She let out a tiny, squeaky little sneeze. If she stayed out here for much longer, she’d catch a cold!

“Come on, Scruffy...we probably oughtta get out of here and find somewhere to hide until the rain stops.” She muttered dully, tucking her best friend under her wing and pawing at the melting cardboard experimentally. It was as soaking wet as she was, bending with ease at her touch, and as soon as Accident gave it one good push, the cardboard wall came away completely. She took only a moment to look around at the empty street one more time before trotting off down the street. Her own hooves made a wet slapping sound against the concrete, not yet big enough to produce the clip-clop noise that all the grown-ups made when they walked.

Of course, part of it was probably that she kept standing in puddles and each step she took sent her wings slapping against the ground. Even her best efforts couldn’t force them back up by her sides, and eventually Accident just gave up, letting them drag along behind her like oversized sleeves. Her primary feathers ran through every puddle she came across, even if she made the special effort to try and hop over them. Her wings were simply too big for the rest of her body.

“Are you okay, Scruffy?” Accident asked quietly, before sneezing again. “Oh, that’s good! Well, I’m kinda having trouble feeling my legs because I’m so cold, but I’m okay too! It’s kinda like an adventure!”

As she rounded a corner into an alleyway, she trod in another puddle, misstepping and flopping over onto her face with a splash.

“Eep! I...I kinda wish that this was one of those adventures that ended with hot chocolate and a big warm toasty fire, though…” She spluttered, picking Scruffy up out of the puddle and squeezing him. Water poured off of both of them as she shuffled under an outcrop, glancing into the network of alleyways that she’d just entered. It looked like an absolute labyrinth, winding pathways between tall buildings that led into a world that Accident had never known before. Still, perhaps somewhere in that maze was a pony who could help her.

“Are you lost, little one?” Came a voice from nearby.

Accident gave a tiny little squeak, pushing her wet mane out of her face as she looked around with wide eyes. “He...hello?” She challenged, shivering like mad from the cold and the damp.

Out of the slowly darkening alley stepped a stallion with purple and gold armour, a unicorn like her mother. Accident had read enough books to know the Captain of the Royal Guard when she saw him. She very nearly collapsed with relief.

“Come on, how can I help you out, kid?” He smiled politely, sitting down next to her.

“Well...I’m really lost and I can’t find my...my mu...mum…” Accident sniffled, wiping her little muzzle on her forehoof and bowing her head. “I got put in this box and left there and mum hasn’t come back and I’ve had the scariest saddest day ever because I’ve been calling out to everypony to adopt me or take me back home to see my mum but all of them ignored me and you’re the first pony I’ve talked to who’s even acted like I exist…” She trailed off, taking a deep breath and sniffling pathetically.

“Awww, you poor thing.” The unicorn tutted, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Well hey, I think I can help you. What if you come back home with me and I’ll take good care of you until we can find your parents? How does that sound?”

Accident cocked her head. “But...but I read that you shouldn’t go home with anypony except your mum, even if you are a guard. Can’t...can’t I stay at the barracks or something until mum comes to collect me? She’s probably worried sick…”

“But we’ll have so much fun at my house.” The stallion insisted, shuffling closer to her. “Trust me, you’ll be totally fine and safe and we’ll have all sorts of games to play. Don’t you worry.”

“I...I guess that sounds good…” Accident nodded. “Will there be other ponies there? I bet a lot of little foals get lost in this city. Nopony ever seems to pay attention to them.”

“It’s terrible, isn’t it?” He nodded, sidestepping Accident’s question and rubbing her shoulder with his heavy armoured forehoof. “You know, it’s that sort of thing that I joined the guard to put a stop to. I really don’t like it when ponies get abandoned with no one to turn to.”

“Oh, I didn’t get abandoned! Mum just lost me, that’s all!” Accident nodded. The more she said that, the better it made her feel.

“Sure she did.” The unicorn nodded sagely, flashing her a little smile. “Hey, my name’s Titus. What’s yours?”

“Whi...Accident.” She smiled back tentatively. That stallion was massive, bigger than anypony that Accident had seen before, and even though he was smiling as warmly as possible, there was something about him that was unsettling to her. Scary.

“Well, Accident,” Titus chuckled, tapping a hoof against his chin pensively, “I’ll make you a deal. If you come home with me, I’ll help you find your mother tomorrow, okay?”

“Can’t...can’t you do it now?” Accident asked, cocking her head. “I mean, she can’t have gone far, and I really miss her and I bet she misses me, too…”

“Well yes, but there’s an awful lot of paperwork to take care of, first.” Titus sighed irritably. “However, I’m sure you’d be able to keep me company while I get through all of that, right?”

Accident took a step back. It was incredibly weird, but in spite of her huggy and trusting nature, there was something about this stallion that was making her feel uneasy. Well, not even uneasy. Downright scared.

Why’s he looking at me that way?

“I’ve...I’ve gotta go now…” She said after a moment of silence. “Sorry for wasting your time, Mister Captain Titus, sir.”

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” His horn flashed, picking the filly up and holding her in midair. “What kind of guard would I be if I let you wander off on your own?”

“Well, not a very good one, but…” Accident struggled, holding onto Scruffy as she twisted and turned in the air, trying to work herself free of the telekinetic spell holding her in place.

“Exactly.” Titus nodded. “Now you just come back with me and you won’t have to worry about a thing, okay?”

“Well...I...don’t really want to.” Accident said quietly. “I’ll be okay on my own, Mister Captain, sir. I’ll find somewhere to sleep and get dried off. I don’t wanna intrude…”

“Nonsense! You wouldn’t be intruding! Now come along, we’d better go before you get in any more trouble!” Titus waved a hoof dismissively, getting up and starting to trot away with Accident in tow.

“Um...no…please...I...I don’t wanna go with you…” She said louder as panic began to set in.

“You don’t have a choice, Accident! You’re coming with me!” Titus growled, squeezing her harder. “And I’d be a little more grateful if I were you. Like you said yourself, I’m the first pony who’s noticed you since you got left out here.”

“I didn’t…get left...could you let me go, please? You’re kind of hurting me…” Accident squirmed and wriggled in the air, trying to beat her wings for all the good it did her. This was so wrong. Everything about Titus gave Accient frightened goosebumps, and she tried her best to escape as a very real fear sank in. There was something wrong with him, and she didn’t want to wait until they got back to his house to find out what.

“Captain Titus, sir!” Came a familiar voice. It was the same high Canterlot guard from earlier, hooves kicking up water as he galloped towards his ranking officer. Titus started, dropping Accident into a puddle and clearing his throat.

“Yes, Stronghooves?” He answered authoritatively.

“She’s gone again, sir. I’ve had my ponies combing the district for hours and there’s no sign of her.”

“What? She gave us the slip again?” Titus facehoofed. “Fine...get everypony back to their regular patrol routes. We’ll catch her next time, okay?”

Who “she” was was of no concern to Accident in that moment. She merely crept away as quietly as she could as the two stallions talked, tucking Scruffy under her wing again. Only once she’d disappeared deeper into the network of alleys did she start galloping as fast as she possibly could. What mattered to her in that moment wasn’t the numbness of her body or how sick she was feeling. All that mattered was getting away from that guard. He really did give her the heebie-jeebies.

Accident splashed through puddles and jinked left and right to avoid running headlong into walls. In this place, the roofs overlapped and plunged the world into Shadow. She didn’t even know if she was still outside anymore, darting through ancient marketplaces, long-forgotten pathways and secret passages that made up the city’s underbelly. Another time, it may have occurred to Accident that she was probably walking a path that ponies hadn’t walked for centuries, but not right now. Right now all she cared about was getting as far away from him as possible.

Accident had never run so fast in her life, tripping over her massive wings again and again. She wasn’t used to travelling at a full gallop, especially with those things dragging along underneath her, and she didn’t even have the energy to spread them. On one horrible occasion, she tripped over her right wing, tumbling head over hooves and hitting her head on a stone wall. There was a sickening crack and Accident felt something warm running down her forehead. She shook her head, dazed.

“This is...worst day ever…” She panted, holding Scruffy up to what little light was filtering between the roofs. The sun seemed to have long since gone down. “I wish mum was here...I miss her so much...if I ever get to see her again...I promise...I’ll be good forever…I’ll never...never make noise again...I’ll just cuddle her every day…”

As Accident got to her hooves again, she found herself unbalanced, disoriented by the blow to her head. Now she was blinking through the rain, her blood and her own tears, trying her best to see the path ahead through the dark maze. Walls loomed up around her on all sides. It felt like she was in a prison, too numb, waterlogged and in pain to even try galloping anymore. Still Accident forged onwards, staggering slightly with each step as a very special kind of exhaustion came over her. It beckoned her towards a land of slumber that Accident, even at her young age, realised that she would not awaken from, and she defied it for as long as she could. Still, there was a blackness gnawing at the periphery of her vision. She was running out of time.

Rounding one last corner, Accident staggered out into a much wider alley, wide enough that the roofs no longer overlapped. As the rain kept pouring down on her, washing some of the blood away, Accident’s vision cleared a little and she was able to take in her surroundings. The buildings that flanked her were houses, albeit derelict and shattered ones in various states of disrepair. Perhaps, once upon a time, this had been a little street where a lot of ponies lived together. At the end of the short road lay a cul-de-sac, surrounded by terraced brick houses. All of them had their lights out, long-since abandoned by owners who probably weren’t even alive anymore. All of them, that is, save one.

“Look, Scruffy…” Accident mumbled, raising her wing just a little so that her best friend could see the light, too. “Maybe...whoever lives in there...can help us…”

She tried her best to pick up speed, managing a shaky unbalanced trot. It was so difficult to keep her wings out from under her hooves, but Accident knew that if she fell over now, there’d be no getting up again. This was her last chance at getting help.

Against all the odds, Accident made it to the front porch, setting Scruffy down by her side and letting her wings splay out. She was still dripping as the rain poured around her, unable to feel anything beyond the dull ache in her forehead where she’d struck the wall.

“Hello?” She croaked, raising a shivering little forehoof and tapping on the door. It was no use. Both her voice and her quiet knocking was drowned out by the roar of the pouring rain around her. The darkness was clouding her vision, making everything appear strangely incorporeal and distant. She could barely even hear the rain anymore. Even if somepony did come to the door, she most likely wouldn’t see them or hear them.

“Please...help...me…” She whispered.

And with that, her legs finally gave out, sending her headfirst into the door with a loud thud. Accident was unconscious before she even hit the ground.

Inside the house, a little red and white pegasus perked her ears as something struck her door.

“What the fuck was that?” Asked Sky.