Harmony's Call: Chapter One
~Birds of a Feather~
The sun shone overhead with a bright and warming light as I looked around dazed, my vision blurry and unclear as my eyes strained against the stunning light from above, by sheer instinct I cried out and seeking the warmth and comfort of a place I seemed to have been taken from, muffled voices above me spoke words I could not understand as I felt myself being picked up and seemingly cradled in warm and loving arms as the sun's rays were shielded from my eyes as I could not help but rest against whomever had protected me from that which I did not understand, and gave me warmth and security. Were my ears old enough I would have heard one of the soft voices from above speak.
"He's an adorable little colt just like you were my darling, What should we call him dear?"
The proud Colt and Mare looked over their newborn son with pride as the colt shielded his newborn son from the bright light with his wing as he spoke.
"His coat is light as oak and his scruff of a mane is deep like chocolate that set above those two big honey-golden eyes of his, how about we call him, Autumn"
The mare nodded as she tenderly nuzzled her colt's head with her nose,
"Welcome home little Autumn"
~
Time marched on as the light colored and tiny colt grew into a rather timid and shy child, ever eager to learn how to fly as he'd flutter his little wings hopefully, managing a little hover off the ground as he would whinny with glee to just be off the ground, though always quick to run and hide behind his mother should any of the other young ones take notice of him.
Autumn was as shy as he was curious, always gazing outside at all the activity outside and wandering around just outside their home among the clouds, his parents ever vigilant of where he was as to not allow him to wander near the edges of the clouds, as he was still too young to fly and they were quite over-protective of him as he was their only colt.
~
One day, As autumn wandered about the house, chasing after a tiny cirrus cloud that had floated in the window, his father noted that Autumn was opening his wings more and spreading them, an indication that his wings were ready to be trained to fly. With his primary feathers now coming in, Autumn's father decided it was about time to enroll their colt in flight school so he could spend more time with other colts and fillies his age and make some friends that both his parents felt he was in need of. They wished nothing more than to keep him as their little one for the rest of their days, but they knew better than to try and keep him under their wing forever.
Alabaster, Autumn's father, was a protective and unintentionally imposing tower of feathers and hooves. Despite his size and generally caculating expression, Alabaster was a very kind and loving mate and father. A large and strong pegasus with a mane of goldenrod that covered a hide white as ivory and eyes of deep hazel as he approached the young pegasus as he pounced upon the tiny cirrius cloud. "Autumn, your mother and I have decided to enroll you in flight school, we can see that you're eager to use your wings and that's a VERY important part in every pegasi's life, the day they learn to fly. So we're sending you to Cloudsdale's Youth Flight Camp son.
Autumn shook his head and looked back at his father with a look of concern. "How long do I stay at this school daddy? When do I get to come home?"
Alabaster smiled softly as he replied. "It's a sort of summer camp son, You learn how to fly there in the day and sleep there at night as well son"
Autumn's golden eyes went wide. "You mean I have to stay there all night and day father?"
Alabaster nodded his head as he asked "Does that sound like something you might like to do Autumn? Meet some friends and learn how to fly together?"
Autumn tilted his head and lightly shrugged as he hooved the floor softly, as he would always do when unsure of something.
"You've got some time to think about it son, don't get discouraged by being away from home, I was scared at first when my parents sent me off to flight school, but after being there a few days, I found that I really liked it, for the most part anyways" Recalling certain memories of being tied to the flagpole and having his wings coated in honey while he slept, memories he felt best to not mention to his son right now.
"Dad?" squeaked Autumn.
"Yes my son?" responded Alabaster as he knelt down to his son's level.
"Can I ride on your back one last time before we go to flight camp?" pleaded Autumn.
Alabaster smiled widely as he lifted his son off the floor and tossed him into the air over and over as he laughed
"You didn't think those pegasus at flight camp were gonna give you a ride like me now did you?" as he scooped his son on to his back and flew out the front door. Autumn whinnied with joy as he grasped his father's mane in his teeth as he stood and spread his wings as they flew through the air together for one last time, as the next time they flew together, it would be side by side.
~
The next day, Autumn's parents, Alabaster and Lunara took Autumn into Cloudsdale as he marveled at the beautiful buildings made of cloud as he rode on Lunara's back. This was certainly not his first time in Cloudsdale, as he had spent his entire colthood living on the fringes of the bustling city in the sky, just outside the city life within an aged, but big and comfortable cumulus cloud with his parents. Stretching his wings as he felt the air rush below them, threatening to lift him off his mother's back as he whinnied and clung to her mane tightly as he closed his wings in shock.
"Careful now Autumn, your wings are big enough to carry your weight now dear" spoke Lunara softly as she felt her colt latch on to her mane tightly, taking note that he was certainly getting heavier with age. Lunara was also a pegasus like Alabaster, but smaller and more slender, always soft spoken and willing to take others under her wing without a second word about it, quite literally usually. Her coat was a deep blue like the night sky, her mane was a pale blue and her eyes were emerald green.
The two adult pegisi exchanged a warm and loving smile together as they touched down on the clouds just outside of the flight camp as Autumn looked around curiously.
"Here we are kiddo, the same flight camp I went to when I was about your age son" spoke Alabaster as he observed their surroundings. "It seemed quite a bit bigger to me back then" he chuckled as they entered the training grounds together.
Autumn clung to his father's hoof tightly when a group of older flyers soared just inches over the tops of their heads as they rocketed past with immense speed. Autumn's eyes went wide with amazement as they flew through the skies with speed like he'd never seen before, shrieking as a boom of thunder sounded from the group as they disappeared into the clouds.
Alabaster raised his hoof as he smiled and looked into the eyes of his colt. "Just think son, that will be you someday soon, flying among the clouds like them, perhaps not quite as fast, but flying on your own two wings"
Autumn released his grasp upon his father's hoof as an adult pegasus lead a small group of pegisi that looked Autumn's age, outside of the main building where they whinnied and played together.
"Why don't you go over and say hello dear, go make some friends little Autumn" spoke Lunara as she gave his rear a soft tap with her nose as he timidly walked over to the small group of young colts and fillies.
Alabaster laughed as he trotted off, calling for Lunara to follow him as he came to a stop at an old park bench nearby as Lunara's face got the same warm smile as Alabaster wore as she nodded her head in recollection.
"This is where we first met as little ones, seems like it was just yesterday that we met here Al" spoke Lunara as she stood near the bench, recalling how she was just as shy as her young colt had to be feeling right now, keeping to herself as a young filly, totally taken by surprise when a young colt leapt on her back and...
Lunara was startled from her thoughts as Alabaster leapt upon her back just like he had done all those years ago, Lunara shrieked and staggered as she struggled to support him.
"Ally ! Oh goodness, you're..too...heavy....darling !" she spoke as they fell to the ground laughing.
Alabaster gave his mate a tender kiss on the cheek as she laughed and looked up at him with an annoyed expression.
"All these years together and you still don't know how to treat a lady properly Ally, and here I thought being with with a frail lil' filly like me would have set you straight on manners" she smirked, giving his muzzle a nuzzle.
Alabaster rolled his eyes as he nipped at her mane. "For starters, you're about as frail as granite and back then you needed someone like me to get you out into the world before your wings grew into your sides"
Meanwhile, Autumn had joined the small group of young pegasus and a few griffon cubs as he introduced himself.
"Hi, my name's Autumn" he almost squeaked. A few paid no mind to him at all while two others walked up to him and shook his hoof.
"The name's Rainbow Dash, This here's my best friend Gilda" gestured a light blue filly with a mane like he'd never seen before, displaying every color of the rainbow, giving credit to her colorful name as she pointed to a young griffon. "The speechless pony hidin' behind me is Fluttershy, good luck gettin her to talk to ya" Dash laughed softly as she rolled her eyes as she doubted this new colt would ever get her to make a peep.
"Hello Rainbow Dash, it's... nice to meet you all" spoke Autumn quietly as the griffon seemed to look straight through him as another group of young colts cantered up to them small group.
"Hey new kid ! There's no need in hanging with Rainbow "Crash" and her silly lil' friends, come with us and be somebody." Spoke a slightly older brown colt as Rainbow Dash glared at him.
Autumn cowered somewhat as the older colt stared him down. "Well, are you gonna hang with us or not?" Autumn shook his head as Rainbow Dash stood between him and the older colt.
"Autumn gave you an answer, he doesn't want to hang with a bunch of jerks like you, so buzz off... if you can that is." she grinned as the oldest colt narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine, hang with you stupid little friends Aww-dumb"
Autumn hung his head as the colt made a hurtful insult of his name.
"Don't let him get to ya, his mother must'a dropped him on his head." spoke a filly with a blue-grey coat, with a creamy blonde mane and tail.
Autumn blushed as she smiled at him. "Silly me, I forgot to introduce myself to you, My name's Brighteyes, what's yours?"
Autumn looked at the ground in shyness as the grey colored filly knelt down and looked him in the face with a curious smile, patiently awaiting him to tell her his name.
"Autumn, My name's... Autumn." he spoke softly as an adult female pegasus called the young colts and filly's back inside as Alabaster and Lunara approached their son to say goodbye before they left to return home.
"Well son, I think that's your group that's heading inside, better hop to it" laughed Alabaster as Lunara gave his left leg a kick as he said "hop to it" knowing he was referring to something else still.
Lunara shot him a smirk as she watched him rub his leg with his other hoof as she knelt down to give her colt a loving kiss goodbye for now as he clung to her head, hugging her tightly as he smiled and ran off toward the door all the other colts were entering as he waved goodbye to Alabaster and Lunara as they took to the skies together. Ahead of him were going to be a very interesting course of events that would soon change his life forever in many different ways.
~
Autumn has already made his first new friends on his first day in attendance and flight school already looks like it's going to be a time to remember for sure, that is, if Autumn can come out of his shell and make the grade he's destined to.
...
Read on and learn about Autumn's new friends and the lessons he will learn from more than just the flight teachers, but his newest friends as well in:
Harmony's Call:
Chapter Two: Young Wings and Painful Things