Wheely Bopper


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                                            >Maybe, just maybe if she could fly, Wheely Bopper would prove herself to be more useful.

                                            >Through this ambition, she cannot see how much she already can achieve as she is.

                                            >Under the belief that her wheels only hold her back.

                                            >With the weight of them keeping her from lifting herself up into the air with her wings.

                                            >She may not be suffering, but she still wants to be an incredibly positive impact on other ponies.

                                            >Settling for the notion that she can't live up to her full potential.

                                            >Oh, what a tragic world that made her this way.

                                            >But she continues to roll around with all fours spinning rapidly across the dirt roads across Ponyville with a friendly smile.

                                            >She rushes across hoof prints faintly decorating the ground that never belong to her.

                                            >Not always able to follow them uphill without some form of assistance.

                                            >The ability to walk is taken for granted by many.

                                            >Wheely keeps herself positive and glad to have friends who care about her helping her.

                                            >She knows she's not much of a burden on them at all, but part of her deep down wants to use her unique characteristics to excel.

                                            >The motivation to enter the racing business continues to rise and rise until she cannot resist it anymore.

                                            >---

                                            >Hands are extremely rare to come by in Equestria, so your ability to hold writing utensils in your fingers is greatly appreciated by the ponies.

                                            >The smooth scratching of your pen across the paper on clipboard is something that followed you throughout your various jobs after you arrived in Ponyville.

                                            >There were a few career paths you could have veered onto, but your passion ended up becoming the winner of your direction: racing.

                                            >All those cars and motorcycles from the world you came from undoubtably had a role in that.

                                            >Your enthusiasm surely carried over to this world.

                                            >It was so present that the translation from wheels to hooves didn't even faze you.

                                            >Your job is to keep the tally of points while keeping a sharp eye out for who crossed the finish line with the observant ponies around you.

                                            >Horse racing was also a thing where you came from anyway, so you can adapt to this.

                                            >Despite the slight ache from missing what you've been used to.

                                            >"Excuse me." A humble voice beckons your eyes up from the clipboard. "Are you Anon. Y. Mous?"

                                            "Yup, you found me. Looking to join this season's running of the leaves?" You glance above the pony before you, having expected her face to be higher up.

                                            >Shifting your gaze downward, you find a lemon-lime mane'd pony with a gray coat sporting a rainbow from the middle of her body to where you expected her hind legs to be.

                                            >Are those... wheels?

                                            >"I sure am!" The pony responds. "My name's Wheely Bopper."

                                            >Wheely flaps her wings in a slight giddiness with hope in her eyes.

                                            >Your heart is already melting for her, while your brain immediately tries to decipher how she's going to make this work.

                                            >"I may not be built like other ponies, but I'm no less of a good sport, and I'm more than willing to participate!" Declares Wheely.


                                            >Did she not realize the rules of this competition?

                                            >The whole point is to run.

                                            >Your melting heart begins to crack down the middle as your brain fumbles to find a way to explain this to her.

                                            >You didn't need to know Wheely Bopper more than a minute to see how much she wants to join this race.

                                            >There has *got* to be a way to lay it on her easy.

                                            "So uhm... your wheels." You begin. "They go on their own, right?"

                                            >"Oh they do! I sometimes need my wings to help me out but I'm amazing at going downhill! I can keep myself very sturdy on those parts of the track."

                                            >This is exactly what you were dreading.

                                            >"So where do I sign up?"

                                            >Her question is increasingly kept further away from an answer over the next minute or so as you explain to her that this is the *running* of the leaves.

                                            >And that she probably has to tie her wings to her body.

                                            >It really hurt to watch that hope start to leave her eyes as the realization set in, and you cannot allow that to persist.

                                            >"But... surely there can be an exception for me, right?" Wheely looks down at herself. "M-maybe I can bang my wheels onto the ground to have it be like stomping."

                                            "If it were up to me, we could do that. But I don't make the rules, I'm afraid."

                                            >"Could you talk to somepony? I really really want to do this!"

                                            >As much as her determination urges her to continue to gamble for a way into this competition, something else joins it.

                                            >She's proving herself to be a burden on the running of the leaves itself by simply wanting to participate in it despite her predicament.

                                            >Making them all adjust the rules just for her entry and all that.

                                            >The very thing she found to participate in and help the leaves fall to the ground has only become something that puts a forlorn feeling inside of her.

                                            >You stare at her, watching her lower her eyelids towards the ground she analyzes.

                                            >And your breaking heart cannot bear to witness this.

                                            "Hey, now. Maybe we can come up with a separate kind of event together." You tell her. "It doesn't have to be the running of the leaves."

                                            >Wheely's approach fits your haphazard attempt to keep the tears away well.

                                            >"It... doesn't?" Her voice starts off light.

                                            "Tell you what. After the running of the leaves is done and through, I'll have a lot more spare time to arrange something with you if you'd like."

                                            >"Will I still get to help the leaves fall off of the trees?"

                                            >You're starting to get the feeling Wheely Bopper wants to prove herself to be an important player in Ponyville.

                                            >Watching that hope start to return to her eyes, you feel the moment force you to develop an instinct that will do anything to avoid letting her down.

                                            >And with this, you begin to begin to formulate an idea in your head.

                                            "I think you and I can work something out." You warmly say to her. "Don't worry, I actually want to."

                                            >"You mean it? It's not trouble for you?"

                                            "Trust me, it's only been a few minutes and I already like you a lot." You assure her. "I'd even go out of my way to."

                                            >Wheely's eyes light up with glee.


                                            >---

                                            >Wheely Bopper may not have made her way into the running of the leaves, but she made her way into your heart.

                                            >How could you say no to those hopeful eyes?

                                            >You remember how they stayed locked onto you as she slightly rolled back and forth on her wheels as you were talking to her.

                                            >There was no way you could have predicted you'd meet a pony around here who shared a closer part of your love for racing as it was back in your previous world through the way she was.

                                            >This was unexpected yet welcome, both to you and to Wheely as well after you offered to meet with her after the running of the leaves had concluded.

                                            >---

                                            >You may not have noticed this the first time, but Wheely's wheels cutely squeak a little when she travels.

                                            >It's easy to hear her coming closer, though this is particular is due to all of the crunchy leaves making such a ruckus underneath her.

                                            >"Anon!" Wheely approaches you from across the small valley.

                                            "I'm so glad you could make it!"

                                            >"Oh, I would never miss this." She squees up at you with a kind smile.

                                            >It's not long before Wheely notices the rake with a long thick loop of string attached to it.

                                            >"What's that for?" She asks.

                                            "I found something you can do with the leaves." You answer. "Here, let me show you."

                                            >Wheely Bopper curiously watches in amusement as you show her around the fields of fallen leaves occasionally interrupted by tree trunks.

                                            >After you ask her to grasp the string between her teeth, she quickly figures out what she'd be able to do here with the rake tied to the other end.

                                            >It's pretty simple, especially as you explain it.

                                            >Using her wings for an extra push, Wheely Bopper begins to roll across the fields while dragging the downturned rake behind herself.

                                            >Collecting the leaves into large clusters and then mountainous piles.

                                            >As the exhilaration begins to overcome her, Wheely Bopper darts around with a big wide smile on her face as her wheels smoothly roll across the ground.

                                            >Her patterns mimic those of a lawnmower, tightly covering ground in a series of rows and columns.

                                            >She's already a natural at this and she never realized it.

                                            >Wheely's lemon-lime colored tail flows in her wake more the faster she zooms around.

                                            >With the help of her wings she's learned to use as a compromise between sails and oars.

                                            >But in regards to herself, Wheely's been effectively judging a fish's ability to climb a tree all this time until now.

                                            >Her wheels may be heavy, but that only gives her more momentum as she gathers the fallen leaves and puts them into taller and taller piles.

                                            >She never had hooves to dig into the ground for leverage, but now doesn't need them.

                                            >She smoothly glides across the ground, now unable to stop herself from letting out a couple of adorable honking noises.

                                            >From the wheel squeaking to the honking, you can't wait to spend more and more time with this adorable little wheelpone and notice more of these little discoveries about her.

                                            >How is she so... freaking precious?


                                            >All of this bolting across the field is providing a helpful workout for Wheely's wings as well.

                                            >She's never used them this intensely before, but she never imagined herself having this much fun while doing so.

                                            >Her experience grows the longer the afternoon of this goes on.

                                            >The slight hills surrounding here provide a source of incline for Wheely to use gravity in her favor as she's known to do.

                                            >Wheely's shadow moving across the ground grows taller and taller as the end of the day nears.

                                            >And she may be getting out of breath, but she can be fully confident that she proved herself to be more than the pony she thought she was when the shadows around here were getting shorter with time many hours ago.

                                            >"Oh my gosh!" Wheely finally looks up at the towering piles of leaves she can safely take credit for. "How did I do all of that?"

                                            "You did it by being who you are." You walk up to her. "And no other pony can do what you just did. Not in the short time it took you."

                                            >Wheely can't contain the swell of pride she's feeling.

                                            >Her grateful grin shines back up at you as the sun nears the horizon.

                                            >Now the reason why she can't join the running of the leaves feels like it's because she's *over*qualified.

                                            >After she releases the string from her teeth, she dashes in rapid circles around you in celebration.

                                            >An occasional honking sound comes from below as you take a deep breath up at the gradient-shifting sky.

                                            >You can't believe you've made Wheely Bopper so happy.

                                            >Her burgundy eyes are lit up with even more hope for the future than they've ever been.

                                            >"Look how fast I can go!" Chimes Wheely from one side of the path to the other as you casually stride down its cobblestone. "I can't thank you enough, Anon!"

                                            "It was my pleasure." You say to her.

                                            >"You're not gonna go yet, are you?" Wheely's tone becomes pleading. "I wanna spend more time with you!"

                                            >Her hope-laden eyes glance up at you from below, glimmering with an unspoken question.

                                            "You want me to stick around a while longer?" You ask.

                                            >"I'd love to uh... join you for dinner, Anon." Wheely says to you. "If that's okay with you."

                                            >You slow your pace a little bit.

                                            >She then rolls in front of you with that same gaze that begs "pretty please?"

                                            "I'd love to." You accept.

                                            >Wheely happily squeals and darts around you once more with a couple of ecstatic honks, quickly becoming attached to your presence by the minute.

                                            "It's starting to get dark out here, we should find somewhere to settle down and eat." You bring up.

                                            >"Of course!"

                                            >With that, you lead the way while Wheely Bopper goes in happy little circles around you.

                                            >---

                                            >"These hayburgers are great!" Wheely munches her way through her second hayburger while you sip your drink.

                                            "I've learned which places here make the best ones." You nod.

                                            >This outdoor table is well-lit with a multitude of small pretty lights surrounding both you and Wheely as the star-studded night sky spans overhead, nearly touched by the looming rooftops in the distance.


                                            >The way Wheely sits in her chair requires her to scoot far enough away from the table to not roll her wheels up against the edge.

                                            >But she manages to lean forward and take more bites out of her hayburgers regardless.

                                            >The bright green and yellow of her lemon-lime colored mane feels almost like they're glowing in the surrounding restaurant lights.

                                            >"How did you come up with that idea about the rake in the field, Anon?" Wheely asks as crickets in the night distantly chirp.

                                            "I figured you wanted something at least similar to the running of the leaves. So I thought i might as well come up with something that's almost like a continuation of the festivity." You place your drink down onto the table. "Sorry if that was a little wordy."

                                            >"Oh, it's fine. And I love that so much. That was so sweet of you, Anon! I can't describe how grateful I am you'd do something like that for me."

                                            "I'm more than happy to, Wheely." You smile at her. "We have really crazy machinery back where I come from. Crazy as in... a little complicated."

                                            >"So that's how you were able to figure something out for me?"

                                            "It sure was." You nod your head. "You'd love the race cars we have back in my world. Or even the smaller go-karts. They're really fun to watch drive around everywhere. Maybe a little too dangerous, even to eachother, at least the larger race cars are."

                                            >"Hm?" Wheely raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "What about these go-karts you're talking about? What are they like?"

                                            "They can go fast too, but they have a lot less mass and size, and they're in a much safer environment partially because of that. Race cars have more to their engines too."

                                            >Wheely Bopper's interest is through not the roof, but the sky overhead, as you proceed to tell her all about sports cars and racing competitions back in your original world.

                                            >She attentively enjoys to hear all these tales about creatures driving things that are more like her than ponies galloping down a path to make the leaves fall.

                                            >Her pupils expand in intrigue as you say more and more to her, making her imagine all of the things she could do with her own wheels whenever they meet the ground.

                                            >You avoid making any horsepower puns.

                                            >"Do you think I could race alongside the go-karts?" She asks you.

                                            "I think you'd have a lot of fun!" You say to her.

                                            >Wheely cutely squees at you again before taking a sip from her drink.

                                            >You can tell she'd love to go to your world and actually do that sometime.

                                            >Yet even another reason for her to hang out with you even more times after this.

                                            >The way she smiles at you with both rows of teeth with her eyes joyfully closed would have re-sealed any remaining cracks in your heart had there been any left.

                                            >Her connection with you is proudly genuine, and she's having as much of a great time as you are.

                                            >She's even interested in learning about the farming equipment you also thought of when you conjured that rake idea in your head to be similar to the running of the leaves.


                                            >What a cute little thing to come out of this...

                                            >Lots of ponies can have fun jumping into the piles of leaves from it as well… and Wheely can help them clean it up again afterward.

                                            >That same activity that helped her strengthen her wings to give herself more effective boosts on her wheels with them.

                                            >As she ruffles her cute little wings in gratitude, you wish her the best in using this new thing she discovered to make herself able to race around as fast as she can and be the best wheelpone she can be.

                                            >Wheely Bopper's voice flutters with such happiness as you eventually reach over and pat her on the head and boop her on the snout at her request.

                                            >Your fingers rake around in her lemon-lime mane, scratching her head before scratching her ears as they flop around against your hands.

                                            >Wheely giggles and then finishes her meal with you and splits the bill.

                                            >"Thank you so much, Anon!"

                                            "Thank *you*, Wheely."

                                            >After a quick kinda-awkward hug with her wheels gently churning against you, you wave her off as she darts around and then off into the night, letting out a couple more happy little honking noises before disappearing around a corner.

                                            >What a lovely little wheelpone.